8 x 10 tasveer a disappointment

After a long time I went to the theatre to watch 8 x10 tasveer. I am not a great fan of Akshay but I still admire him for his ability to cut a niche market for himself especially with the Khans around. Moreover it was Kukoonoor venturing into a new genre. Not that I was not sceptical with the outcome, I still expected something special. Many a times I have been fooled by Bollywood before and sadly this time was no exception. What baffled me is that Kukoonoor has also been credited for the story of the film. The subject was acceptable, but the treatment was highly appalling especially towards the end. To succeed in the genre that Nagesh has chosen, one has to hold the interest till the last minute and that is exactly where he has failed. The concept is interesting although I am not sure whether its original.Akshay is a forest ranger in Canada possessing some supernatural power. He can travel backwards to the past and his medium is the photograph. He uses his supernatural power to unravel the mystery of his father’s death. Now the script demanded unmasking the identity of the killer at the end.Nagesh did that with élan but the reasons that compelled the murderer to commit the crimes were far fetched and seems like being borrowed from a cheap paperback regional thriller that is usually available in railway stations.Akshay's performance was sincere, Ayesha-natural as usual and Sharmila graceful. But the high point of the film was Javed Jaffrey. I sincerely feel that he is an actor who is highly under rated. With Bollywood getting mature by the day and new directors with a fresh mind and fresh subjects coming in, this actor if exploited properly can go miles. The cinematography with its exotic locales in Canada and South Africa was breathtaking but all in all come to think of the climax, it was extremely disappointing.

How it all began

The idea was always there. I needed a medium to appreciate perhaps the greatest form of expression that can appeal to the widest range of viewers. Yes I am talking about cinema. Since childhood I have always been fascinated by this cultural objet d'art in motion. The sheer magnanimity of the actors, performers, the stories, the sets, the costumes, the directors, the scores and not to mention all the men behind the scenes has enthralled me. I have often asked myself ‘what is that one thing that attracts me about cinema? Is it just because of the entertainment, if yes what is that thing in this medium that entertains me. Is it just that I get to see these larger than life pictures, or is it the story with which I can identify myself, or is it the portrayal of a character at its best, or just that I enjoy to see things on screen that I cannot actually do in real life. The answer to this is no because it’s not just one thing that captivates my senses and yes as it is a combination of all the things mentioned. These questions have baffled me for a long time and yet I continued to watch what I loved the most – cinema. I firmly believe that to appreciate cinema, one does not have to be essentially , from the film fraternity. I am a plain and simple admirer of good cinema. Now this is again, a very debatable issue. What do I mean by good cinema? How do I define it? My perception of a good cinema is entirely mine and you do not have to necessarily agree with me and there lies the power of disagreement and dialogue, the essence of living with diversity in thinking. The whole purpose of creating this blog is just that!! So start firing on all cylinders folks!!!