RANG RASIYA (2014)

RANG RASIYA (2014)

Director: Ketan Mehta

Writers: Sanjeev Dutta, Ketan Mehta

Stars: Randeep Hooda, Nandana Sen, Paresh Rawal

Runtime: 132 minutes

Strength: Accurate portrayal of 19thcentury India, good depiction of Raja Ravi Varma

Weakness: Too artistic for the mainstream audience, first part of the movie is too slow

Rating: 2.5/5

Plot: A look at the life of 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.

Review:  Art-centric biopics are a rarity in Hindi cinema. There isn't anything of significance; therefore, Rang Rasiya can't be compared to anything. Writer-director Ketan Mehta's cinematic celebration of the life and times of Raja Ravi Varma skillfully harmonizes the sweep of period drama, the allure of pretty images and the impact of emotional intensity on a wide canvas that delivers more than just pretty frames. The film articulates ever-relevant truths about the continuing assaults on artistic freedom and the huge gap that separates the exuberance of the imaginary world from the cruel exigencies of real life.

The remarkable story of the 19th century Kerala-born painter who altered the face of Indian art forever by taking the icons of Hindu mythology out of the temples and royal palaces is told through flashbacks and the fragmentary reminiscences of Raja Ravi Varma's illustrious protégé, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke.

This film has been adapted from Ranjit Desai's Marathi biography of Raja Ravi Varma which probes multiple themes - freedom of expression, religious bigotry and class divides, and the dilemma of a woman who dares to surrender herself completely to the man and artist she loves. The film swings from the highs represented by the unrestricted passion that drives the process of creativity to the lows brought on by the interventions of self-appointed guardians of conventional religious belief. Rang Rasiya is bolstered appreciably by the strong performances by the two principal actors - Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Varma and Nandana Sen as his muse in Bombay, Sugandha Bai.

Rang Rasiya is by no means a perfect film, but for the manner in which it tackles an extensive range of important themes related to the place of art in a tradition-bound society, it is an impressive achievement.

     Reviewed by S.M. Intisab Shahriyar

Credit : http://www.thedailystar.net/

Will 2015 Be The Best Movie Year Ever?

DID YOU KNOW?

Here's 3 of next year's biggest films!

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (February 13)

Based on E.L. James' erotic best-seller, Fifty Shades of Grey follows Anastasia "Ana" Steele, a 21 year old college senior. In place of her friend Kate, Ana interviews 27-year-old Christian Grey, a successful and wealthy young entrepreneur. From this meeting on, Christian engages with Ana in a new type of relationship - BDSM. Fifty Shades of Grey has become a global phenomenon and the trilogy has been translated in over 50 languages worldwide since its release. To date, the "Fifty Shades" trilogy has sold over 70 million copies worldwide in e-book and print, making it one of the fastest-selling book series ever.

FURIOUS 7 (April 3)

If two bald headed baddies in one film wasn't enough, let's add Jason Statham as a revenge seeking assassin to the testosterone hyped duo of Vin Diesel and the Rock. A continuation of the franchise, Fast and the Furious 7 continues after Dominic Torreto and his crew took down Owen Shaw, his brother, Ian Shaw, now wants revenge. Screenwriter Chris Morgan has altered the script, but it remains unclear how Paul Walker's death will be addressed. After initial speculation that the character will be "retired" or killed off, it was reported that remaining scenes featuring Walker will be completed using body doubles and CGI faces.

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (May 1)

Earth's Mightiest Heroes must reunite when our planet is threatened by the incredibly powerful robot Ultron… who may or may not be a cast off from Tony Stark's army of iron suits (depending on which rumors you choose to believe). Joss Whedon once again helms an ensemble adventure for Marvel, concluding the studio's Phase Two with an expected bang that could set the stage for Phase Three. Whedon's blockbuster kicks off the busy summer slate, and should get us started on the right, explosive foot.

Credit : http://www.thedailystar.net/

UNDER TH E SKIN

UNDER  TH E SKIN

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Writers:  Walter Campbell, Michel Faber

Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay

Strength: Fantastic Cinematic shots, a compelling premise

Weakness: Too long for a movie with very little dialogue

Runtime: 108 minutes

Rating: 2.5/5

Plot: A mysterious woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. Events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.

Review:  Scarlett Johansson plays a mysterious extraterrestrial stalking unsuspecting lonely men along the West Coast of Scotland. After assuming the appearance of an unfortunate Scottish dame, Johansson's unnamed alien prowls the streets in a cargo van, pretending to need directions in an effort to seek out unsuspecting loners willing to throw caution to the wind and accept a ride only to meet their doom at her slaughterhouse lair.

Jonathan Glazer directs Under the Skin, which was inspired by Michel Faber's 2001 novel of the same name. However, while the movie borrows the core premise of the book, Glazer trades out a number of key details in the interest of a significantly more subtle narrative. While many may show displeasure at this, the end result is a beautiful and haunting movie that prioritizes nuance at nearly every turn, sacrificing traditional moviemaking elements to provide an opportunity for thoughtful insight into the human condition.

That said, despite its “Scarlett Johansson is a seductive alien” marketing hook, fans of the actress or the sci-fi genre will probably find Under the Skin is too abstract for mainstream appeal. While it succeeds as contemplative artistic expression, moviegoers who were expecting a detailed story about aliens hiding in plain sight will be left quite unsatisfied. Also, it felt like many of the scenes could have been made shorter and thus create a more tighter experience. Still, for viewers who are not put-off by a philosophical glimpse at humanity through the unique, and callous, perspective of an extraterrestrial creature living (and hunting) among us; there are plenty of interesting ideas and gorgeous visuals to appreciate in Under the Skin.

Credit :http://www.thedailystar.net/

Reviewed by S.M. Intisab Shahriyar

Bangladesh sends water to aid Maldives’ crisis

Star Online Report

Maldives military distributing water supplies in the crisis hit capital Male. Photo: Minivan News

Maldives military distributing water supplies in the crisis hit capital Male. Photo: Minivan News

Bangladesh sent water to the Maldives today in the country’s effort to maneuver out of an extensive water crisis which led to a state of emergency after its capital ran out of drinking water.

Bangladesh Navy vessel BNS Samudra Joy departed from Chittagong with 1 lakh litres of drinkable water and five mobile water treatment plants and headed for the island nation at 10:00am today, said a press release issued by the Bangladesh Navy.

The country’s sole desalination plant – the Malé Water and Sewerages Company (MWSC) – caught fire on Thursday and led to a severe water crisis in Male. Authorities called it ‘disaster situation.’

Two days into the incident, a state of emergency was enforced throughout the Indian Ocean state of Maldives after the capital ran out of water.

However, the crisis reportedly did not affect nation's upmarket tourist resorts, located on other islands, which by law have their own power generation and desalination plants.

Water supplies flown in to aid the crisis-hit capital of Maldives. Photo: Minivan News

Water supplies flown in to aid the crisis-hit capital of Maldives. Photo: Minivan News

The Maldives government called for international support to combat the crisis. Bangladesh responded to the call and sent its aid today.

The navy vessel will cross 1,700 miles through the Indian Ocean and reach Male on December 11, the navy press release said.

Local Minivan News cited a representative of the presidential task force to state today that the government hopes for a 100 percent repair of the desalination plant within a week.

With 60% of the repair done, better results would be available by three days, it reports.

About 130,000 people in Male are said to have been living without water for bathing, cleaning and cooking.

Bangladesh and Maldives are both members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), which saw its 18th summit in Katmandu last month.

Credit : Daily Star

Published: 1:24 pm Sunday, December 07, 2014

Last modified: 9:47 pm Sunday, December 07, 2014

TAGS: Bangladesh government SAARC Maldives Asia Bangladesh Navy water crisis bilateral relations

76pc rickshaw-pullers in Dhaka send money thru m-banking

Nearly 76 per cent of rickshaw-pullers in the Dhaka city send money to their village home through mobile banking due to its safety and cost efficiency, according to a study, reports BSS.
The study titled �Use of electronic media: Remittance behavior of Rickshaw-pullers of Dhaka city� conducted by teacher of Dhaka University.
Dr Salahuddin Aminuzzaman, a professor of the Public AdministrationDepartment of Dhaka University conducted the study on 350 rickshaw-pullers to understand the pattern of internal remittance behaviour of the rickshaw-pullers in Dhaka as well as the use of the remitted money, said a bKash press release today.
The study conducted between March and June 2013 said 47 per cent of the rickshaw-pullers send money home every week while 21 per cent fortnightly. Majority of them use �bKash� to send the money.
An overwhelming number of respondents consider mobile money safe and cost effective. Around 100 per cent of respondents said mobile money is safe while 85 per cent said it is cost effective. Around 89 per cent of the respondents said the remitted money reaches their family members or desired persons within 15 minutes.
The study said the average amount of money sent per week is around Taka 981 and 84 per cent of the money recipients include parents, wife and family members.
Regarding the usage of the money, the study said around 75 per cent of the remitted money is spent on food and family maintenance while 31 per cent spent on child education, 35 per cent on minor investment, 32 per cent on small business and 9 percent on loan repayment.
From demographic perspective, around 72.3 per cent rickshaw- pullers belong to age group of 30 to 50 years and 80.6 per cent of them are married. Majority of the rickshaw-pullers come from riverine and char areas such as Rangpur, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Tangail, Mymensingh Bogra and Sirajganj.
Industry insiders said mobile money is driving the financial inclusion in Bangladesh through creating financial access for poor and the unbanked. The central bank�s pragmatic and consistent regulatory framework helps the mobile money to grow by earning trust and confidence of the common people.
The Bangladesh Bank has so far given license to 28 banks to operate mobile financial services of which 19 are in operation. In recognition of promoting mobile banking service in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Bank has won the prestigious Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Policy Award.

Khaleda may one day term Nizami a freedom fighter: PM

Sheikh Hasina

 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said BNP’s absence in parliament seems better in the worse. 

“The House would experience through abusive words and rough manner. It is better in the worse not to have such opposition in parliament,” Hasina said in her valedictory speech at parliament.

Recalling the BNP’s role in the last parliament, the premier said they made the sacred place (House) foul hurling abusive words and showing rough manner.

“This parliament did not experience dirty words for the last one year. Today’s opposition has taken a right democratic institutional shape,” she said.

Praising the role of the opposition Jatiya Party, the premier said it was the duty of the opposition to portray the mistakes of the government and the opposition has been doing it in the current parliament. 

Raising question about BNP’s motto of boycotting January 5 polls, the premier said, “For whose instigation you refrained from contesting the polls. You made a mistake by not contesting the polls and why the people would pay for your mistake.”

Recalling a quarter’s apprehension of civil war after the Jan 5 polls, the premier said, “Many feared that the country would plunge in a civil war but the government took the steering firmly. That’s why the country has been moving forward,” she said.

The premier alleged that by boycotting the Jan 5 elections, Khaleda Zia wanted to turn Bangladesh into a Thailand like situation. 

Lamabasting Khaleda for her move to foil Jan 5 polls, she said the voting rights of people are still in the country as she had failed to foil the polls through mayhem.

Responding to Khaleda’s allegation at a rally in Comilla, Hasina termed her government as a multi-party government as her government was elected democratically. 

“If the country runs by one-party government, how are you addressing rallies spontaneously,” she said. 

Referring to Khaleda’s remarks that Awami League is not a pro-liberation force, the premier said, “If Awami League has not fought for the country’s independence, who has done it.....BNP was not born during that time.”

Criticising BNP chief’s such statement, the premier said such days may come when Khaleda Zia would term war criminals Nizami and Kamaruzzaman as freedom fighters.

Blasting her arch rival for embezzling money from orphanage trust, she said, “How does she develop the country, who embezzles money from the orphanage?”

“As she embezzled the orphan fund, that’s why she fears to appear before the court,” she said. 

The premier alleged that Khaleda has been misleading the people by spreading falsehood. 

“They do not witness the development activities. How do they see it? They have made their fortune by involving in corruption while in office,” she said.

Listing her government’s development activities, the premier said her government created employment for one crore youths while increased the country’s foreign reserve, power generation, gas supply, food security, foreign investment to turn the country a digital one. 

“Digital Bangladesh is a reality now, not a dream,” she added.