3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009)

          3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009) is a comedic yet inspiring story featuring 3 best friends, Rancchordas Shyamaldas Chanchard (Rancho), Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi in their way finding success in study at Imperial College of Engineering, one of the top colleges in India. The story begins with Farhan and Raju on their road trip in searching for Rancho, who vanishes after graduates along with their nerd college friend, Chatur Ramalingam. In the middle of searching, flashback strikes in and brings the story back to the 3 best friends' college life. While other students were in their way to score, the trio was exploring and follows their own road of success.

          In this film, I would like to discuss the aesthetics of Indian cinema by citing examples from 3 Idiots. First of all, I would like to discuss the dances and the musics' elements found in Indian cinema. Indian cinema often use musical to give a hint of what is happening around the main cast or use to show whats the main cast feels in that particular moment with a bunch of backup dancers as a signature which makes them unique from other country's film. For example, the musical in 3 Idiots can be found at the part where Pia, daughter of Professor Viru Sahastrabudhhe (ViruS) opens a photo album and starts imagines she singing "Zoobi Doobi" and dancing with Rancho together with a crowd of people as their backup dancers. However, in 3 Idiots, there is a sign of evolution and influence by western style in their musical, for example, the first part and the second part of the musical is in modern-traditional clothing musical with a bunch of dancers at the back while the last part is in white gown and suits with no dancers at the back with a resemble of Titanic's significant pose (Jack and Rose standing at the ship's attic's pose).

          Next, the costumes in Indian cinema are usually lively and colorful especially in their traditional clothing. However, not all the costumes are full in colors and the need of choosing the right colors and accessories for different occasion is necessary. For example, in Pia's sister's wedding, she dresses up in a regular modern-traditional clothing with acceptable amount of accessories (few bracelets, a necklace and put nothing on her face except for a pair of gold earring), while in her own wedding, she wears a traditional red saree and lehenga with a bunch of accessories (big bracelets, necklace, earrings, head accessory and a big pierce of ring on her nose).

          Besides that, the differences in colors and type of clothing also can be found in this film. For example, red clothing for Pia's wedding while white clothing for funeral (shown by the real Rancho in his father's funeral); and modern-traditional clothing for ceremony or event while jeans and t-shirt in daily life (shown by Rancho, Farhan and Raju in their college life).

          The style in filming and writing for an Indian film is different from foreign films. While the other films are following the Three Act Structure, Indian film are divided into two parts: First half and Second half. First half is the Act One while Second half is the joint of Act Two and Act Three. In 3 Idiots, First half of the film shows the introduction, background and the story happening between the trio while the Second half shows the crisis and actions taken by protagonist to solve the problems. For example, in First half, Rancho, Farhan and Raju meet each other in college and they happened to become roommates before they become best friends. Then slowly the films focus on Farhan and Raju's backgrounds and the start of their conflict between their family and studies (Born in middle class' Farhan wants to be a photographer but was strongly disapproved by his father while born in lower class' Raju study engineering to support his family's crisis). In Second half, Rancho helps Farhan and Raju to find their own dreams and study engineering for passion, not for grades and also changed the perception of Professor ViruS at the end by proving that grades are not everything after they managed to deliver the grandchild of Professor ViruS with his own machine. The last and most obvious conflict solved (grades is not everything) by Rancho is when he meet Chatur at the end and he happened to become the prospective business partner of Chatur, the famous Phunsukh Wangdu and more successful than Chatur.

          Overall, this film is a very good and motivative film that gives a valuable lesson of the importance of passion in study over grades, and at the same time do not bored the audience with over formal speeches but rather putting lots of inspiring yet funny elements into the film. This film is definitely the best Bollywoord film I had watched so far, in terms of educating, and highly recommended to those who likes funny movies or making jokes and pranks (in good intention) to their friends to laugh over together with 3 Idiots.

References:
INDIAN AESTHETICS- EIILM UNIVERSITY
http://eiilmuniversity.ac.in/coursepack/humanities/INDIAN_AESTHETICS.pdf

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/01/0121_040121_bollywoodfilms.html

http://www.contempaesthetics.org/newvolume/pages/article.php?articleID=545

http://www.rhythm-india.com/bollywood-dance.html

http://www.elementsofcinema.com/screenwriting/three-act-structure/ &
http://akries.in/2014/08/intermissions-and-indian-screenwriting/

Sepet (Yasmin Ahmad, 2004)

          SEPET (Chinese Eyes or Slanted Eyes, 2004) directed by Yasmin Ahmad, the late Malaysian filmmaker is about a cross-cultural love story between a Chinese boy, Ah Loong also known as Jason, and a Malay girl, Orked. The two happened to meet each other in a morning market in front of Ah Loong's stall when he was selling a pirated VCD, a film starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Orked's favorite actor to her. They then started to date and encounter various problems but still struggling to be with each other despite social and cultural obstacles around them.  

          In this film, I would like to discuss about the issue of multiculturalism and hybridity, which makes this film different from other love story film produces by local directors. These issues can be found throughout the film. For example, Jason's mother, a Peranakan, also known as Baba-Nyonya is not a pure Chinese but a hybrid, the mix of Chinese's name and blood but practicing Malay's cultural, such as wearing a kebaya and sarung( Malay's dressing) and speaks in Malay instead of Chinese language. There is also a part where Jason is having a dinner with his family and they are talking in different languages, for example, Jason's father talks in Cantonese while his mother talks in Malay and his sister-in-law talks in Mandarin showing that his family are living in a multicultural society. 

          Next, there are racial and injustice issue highlighted in this film. For example, Orked was criticized by Lin's boyfriend for dating a Chinese boy and stated that Orked's relationship was against the Malay tradition for having romantic relationship with someone outside their race. However, on the other side, Orked's mother seems to be more open minded about Orked's relationship and even encourage Orked to keep dating Jason which gives out the contrast between the typical minded society shown by Lin's boyfriend and cross-cultural influence shown by Orked's mother, for her passion towards Cantonese drama even though she did not know the language. Meanwhile, the injustice issue can be found at the part where Orked's mother and Kak Yam was having conversations and they mentioned about how Orked was offered a scholarship to study abroad while Jason received nothing even though he scored (7A's) better in national exam than Orked which shows that the discrimination of races and injustice in the education system that offering the scholarship was based not on the grades but on the race. 

          Besides that, the issue of stereotype is also highlighted in this film. For example, there is a part where Orked, Jason and Keong was having a meal at a night stall and Keong mentioned that he knows how to play piano while Jason wrote poetry which is different from the impression they are giving out to people by their outer look or image. Keong and Orked also mentioned that not every Chinese are cheaters and not every Malay are lazy, which also has the same meaning with not every Chinese are sepet or single-edged eyelid. 

          In my opinion, although this film is not my choice of film or as good as those Hollywood films out there nowadays, but it is still a good film to watch for it consists of so much elements that hard to find in nowadays Malaysian films and such honest film I have ever watch so far (Malaysian films). It is indeed a new approach and worth to watch from a daring yet honest film director, the late Yasmin Ahmad to produce such "forbidden" film in Malaysia and for being different from the others. 

References:

Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film, Border Crossings and National Cultures, William Van Der Heide, Amsterdam University Press. 

The Portrayal of Multiculturalism in Malaysian National Cinema:

A Case Study of Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet, Beh Chun Chee / University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia

CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING MALAYSIAN INDEPENDENT FEMALE

DIRECTOR YASMIN AHMAD’S FIRST FILM, SEPET

Farah Azalea Mohamed Al Amin, MA Candidate, Film and Television Studies Monash University

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RACE RELATIONS IN LLOYD FERNANDO’S GREEN IS THE COLOUR AND YASMIN AHMAD’S “SEPET” BY NIK NASRAH BINTI NIK MOHD NASIR,

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA 2008

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=TpQHMdnjf84C&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=where+did+ah+loong+and+orked+meet?&source=bl&ots=VDz9jRrnKb&sig=49EiMjVTmd0oTJa7QVNWb94w3vk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HuDkU9PsJ8jh8AWGwYDoCQ&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=where%20did%20ah%20loong%20and%20orked%20meet%3F&f=false

Selubung,1992

          Selubung, 1992 is a feminist and Islamic context based movie written and self-directed by Malaysian film director, Suhaimi Baba, which won the best film title in Malaysian Film Awards and the famous filmmaker in showing the reflection of modern Malaysian's identity through a unique yet artistic filming concept in Malaysian cinema. The story started with a group of young Muslims who pursue their studies in overseas and the difficulties they were facing later on due to their different perspective of belief among each other.

          In this film, I would like to discuss about the issue of women representation focusing on Islam and modernity which can be found between both main and supportive female casts, Mastura and her best friend, E.J. Mastura is an independent and assertive person who managed to balance her ethnic identity between the practice of Islamic teaching and modernity while E.J is a subservience and reliance Muslim who has went too extreme in the traditional teaching of Islam.

          This can found in a part where Mastura and E.J are still college students at Perth and E.J suddenly told Mastura that she is going to drop out from her last year of college and married to Brother Musa, a member of Tabligh, a worldwide Islamic fundamentalist missionary group, because she believes that in order to enter the heavens, one must marry a holy man like Brother Musa and serve their husband for the rest of their life. Mastura however believes that women too can have a job and be independent rather than just to wait for their husband to feed them. Mastura also tried to stop her from her action by explaining that a person can still having peace after death by doing good to other people ( proved by joining RESCAID, a charity organization in helping women and children around the world) and not necessary to marry a holy man. Sadly, Mastura failed and E.J married to Brother Musa.
       
          There is also a part showing that Mastura has the positive thinking on the women's level of education while E.J is the other way round. For example, E.J mentioned about a women should not be too educated or has a higher level of education than man or her husband for it is a sin and bound to suffer in hell according to her beliefs in Islamic teaching while Mastura on the other hand, believes that a women's level of education has nothing to do with the life after death or even considered as disobeying to their husband. Mastura convinced that everyone is equal in gaining knowledges and women should not be put into blames just because they has higher level of education than man.

          Next, Mastura has a modern way of thinking and wearing while E.J is more to traditional thinking and wearing. For example, E.J is wearing a proper head scarf or hijab with a traditional Malay dressing and accepted the practice of polygamy to become the second wife of Brother Musa. Meanwhile, Mastura is wearing a modern dressing such as office attire without putting on any head scarf. Mastura also chooses her own path and decided to end her relationship with Kamal after knowing that he is a married man. However after a deep thought and considering Kamal marriage with his wife has come to an end, Mastura is getting back to Kamal which shows that she is a smart and critical thinker in making every decision compared to E.J who follows the rule everywhere.

          In my opinion, it is good to obey the teaching of one's religion for the sake of harmony. However, it is also a must to well understanding the teaching before over blindly obeying the rules and become an extremist without the ability to differentiate the right and the wrong.

References:
Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film, Border Crossings and National Cultures, William Van Der Heide, Amsterdam University Press.

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=bxO38D-I1UoC&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&dq=selubung+1992+analysis&source=bl&ots=J8tnztay8Y&sig=G_F8wCRGnnqf4leE34ElGgHWVE4&hl=en&ei=qQ3BTqq-Lsa4rAfu4YXiAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=selubung%201992%20analysis&f=false

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=qWklvbDlYc4C&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=RESCAID&source=bl&ots=yiwL5B949q&sig=rbYnRc7gw0eI0vJpc553EKDgM8g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_CneU433N4q-uATfi4HIDg&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=RESCAID&f=false

Seniman Bujang Lapok, 1961

       

          Seniman Bujang Lapok ( Dir. P.Ramlee, 1961) is about 3 best friends Ramli, Sudin and Aziz who's trying to become movie stars with their inexperience and funny moments in the film industry together with their hilarious yet sarcastic neighbors' features the process in the-making-of the Malay film during that time.

          One of the social issues highlighted in this film in relation to the Malay society during the 60's is the post-war effect by the Japanese occupation in Malaya. The phobia of bomb attack during the Japanese occupation can be found at the part where Ramli, Sudin and Aziz are having tea break in a stall and Sudin immediately hides under the table right after he heard the sound of an exploded tire and mistook it as bomb attack. Sudin also mentioned about how the sound of the exploded tire reminds him of the Japanese occupation which gives us a hint that the post-war has deeply affected their lives during that time.

          Next, this film also highlighted the issue of education, unemployment and poverty during 1960's. In Seniman Bujang Lapok, there is a part where Ramli and his friends interview for casting in a movie and they mentioned about their qualifications in which Ramli reveals his level of education only until Standard 5 in Malay school, Standard 4 and a quarter in English school due to the Japanese's attacks on the fourth month after the school reopened. The use of English words such as "Aku pun dah fed up" by Ramli, and "Aku sack sama kau" by the manager also show the expansion of British influence in Malaya during that time.

          The unemployment issue can be seen in where Sudin mistook the exploded tire as bomb attacks and Ramli reply, "We are jobless. Why think of bombs?", followed by Sudin bravely ask for a job from the tire-burst-truck guy before they went for an interview at a film company gives us a hint that the 3 best friends are currently in a status of no incomes and trying to improve their lives by randomly seeking for jobs.

          Meanwhile the poverty issue can be found throughout the film, for example, Sudin and Aziz sold their newspapers and empty bottles with cheap price while Ramli tried to sell his tattered pants for a transport fare to the Chinese guy but unluckily failed in the end. The 3 best friends also show the poverty issue around them such as choosing over a trishaw instead of a taxi, living in a small room instead of a house, queue up to wait for a public toilet and bathroom, and the most obvious and direct point to the poverty is when Ramli accidentally bumped into Salmah and pretended that he got some money in his pocket before he pulling out his empty pocket in shame.

          There are also Malay cultures and Islamic context can be found in this film such as superstitious, arranged marriage and the practice of polygamy. Superstitious can be found at the part where Ramli needed RM350 to marry Salmah and Sudin bought a magic stone just to help him to get the money in a blink of an eye, but still they failed to do so. Whereas the arranged marriage can be found when both Sharif and Salmah's mothers set up an engagement, also known as ' meminang' in Malay word, for their son and daughter with an amount of money after the discussion between two families. The practice of polygamy can be found at where the noisy neighbor of Ramli caught in action by his wife when he is spending the night with other women in reply, "We are Muslims. According to our faith, we can have 4 wives" which directly led us to the Islamic context of a maximum of four wives in a Muslims' family.

          Lastly, my recommendation for those who have not watch any of P.Ramlee's works before, try this out and you will not disappointed for his rude yet hilarious classic jokes and filmed in a smart way to entertain everyone despite the differences in one's sense of humor.

References:
Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film, Border Crossings and National Cultures, William Van Der Heide, Amsterdam University Press.

https://www.academia.edu/4570309/_Pontianaks_P_Ramlee_and_Islam_The_Cinema_of_Malaysia_?login=&email_was_taken=true&login=&email_was_taken=true&login=&email_was_taken=true&login=&email_was_taken=true&login=&email_was_taken=true

http://www.academia.edu/3015750/Films_as_Social_History-P._Ramlees_Seniman_Bujang_Lapok_and_Malays_in_Singapore_1950s-60s_

http://coredev.fsktm.um.edu.my/document/PR/history6.jsp

HUGO (2011) FILM REVIEW

       

          HUGO is about a journey of a twelve years old orphan named Hugo Cabret in discovering the secrets of an automaton found by his father at a museum in the early 1930's. Hugo's father was a mechanic and both father and son were tried hard in searching the key to solve the mystery of the automaton. Hugo's however was later burned to death in the museum and Hugo believes that the automaton contains of his father's messages for him. In his journey to find out his father's messages, he meets George Melies, a shopkeeper and Isabelle, Melies' granddaughter and starts to unlock all the mystery one by one.
         
          The plot of this film is good and easy to understand. It has arranged in a good order to link the story to the history of a famous filmmaker, George Melies and one of his famous work of all time, A Trip to the Moon (1902). It first shows Hugo get caught by George Melies in his shop, meet Issabelle, Melies' goddaughter, found the key of the automaton and it draw a moon with a spaceship lodged in its eye, found over 500 pieces of drawing- Melies's works and finally the revealing of George Melies's history, a well-trained magician that later changed to become a filmmaker in 1986, the first to use techniques such as the fade-in, the fade fade-out, and the dissolve to create the first real narrative films but wrought with poverty due to the changing industry and end up become a shopkeeper. Basically, this film is telling us a real story through a fantastic plotted story in which we are not watching only for plesure but we are actually watching at the history of real George Melies, Father of Special Effect.

          The film also show a connection between George Melies and Lumiere Brothers where it shows the flashback of Melies meeting the Lumiere Brothers in a theater and how Melies was inspired, fascinated and motivated by the old filmmaking machine while its playing black and white film. It also show a connection where Lumiere Brothers refused to sell their cinematographe equipment to Melies and he bought a projector from Robert W. Paul and a Bioscope camera, builds his own glass studio and makes his own movies with his magic tricks, handmade sets, props, costumes and make up.

          The setting of this film is also incredible. Apart of the winter setting and steam from the train station to ablance the warm and passionate of every role in the film, the director uses CGI train station and early 30' Paris view to enhance the mood of love and historical theme best represent George Melies, the French filmmaker. The director uses the stunning 3D cinematography of Hugo much like palimpsest, layering multiple levels of historical, cinematic, and intellectual history in each scene.

          The director, Martin Scorsese has delivered George Melies' story beautifully and done a good job in telling a history yet maintaining the fantasy feeling and motivates people that hopes are everywhere for everyone to reach the impossibilities in their life. This is definitely a good film for people who are looking for adventures and at the same time explore the history of the filmmakers without bored themselves to nothing.

References:

http://brightlightsfilm.com/76/76hugohaas_johnson.php#.U8f4YfldV8E

http://brightlightsfilm.com/75/75hugo_dima.php#.U8f4YfldV8E

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204443404577054623487923242

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hugo-2011

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2011/12/07/hugo-scorseses-birthday-present-to-georges-melies/

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/02/from-m-li-s-to-montparnasse-a-cultural-cheat-sheet-for-hugo/253409/