Shahrukh Khan or Robert De Niro

Since this summer I start watching Indian movies, “the Glamorous Bollywood”. I have never thought one day I watch Indian movies and enjoy them. I have always made fun of those poor friends who liked them and followed the news from Bollywood. I criticised them for being kitsch and vulgar but now, sadly I am one of them.
I start loving movies by the TV game show “Yek Mosabegheh 30 Soal” [One Game Thirty Questions; I am not sure about the number of questions maybe forty] which Ebrahim Namjoyan as a film critic and expert, hosted part of the show by posing questions and showing parts of the best classics. I think I was 6 or 7 at that time.
I have always been fascinated by this medium and could not avoid it. At some point, as a youngster I was a fan of Marlon Brando and then Robert De Niro. I have watched most of their films and like them. Then I look at cinema more seriously and start knowing directors, companies, producers, screen players, critics and film festivals. And still try to follow it if I get a chance. But never thought of Indian movies and becoming a fan of Shahrukh khan! why now this happens to me? I try to psychotherapy myself and find out, and as a result I make a list of Bollywood’s movies characteristics, which hopefully leads me to know the reason:
- They have simple narratives and do not let you think.
- They are full of colours, motions and visual appealing.
- They show a mysterious, slow and reserved definition of love and sex.
- They obey no certain rules in our real life. Or if you like they play with reality. For example, you might see the lovers dance together, hug each other and are happy being together but it could be in their imaginations or in one of them; and could never fulfil.
- They demystify life.
- And a more personal reason, without knowing the language I can understand them because their language is something between Urdu, Persian [Farsi], Arabic, and English and the rest you don’t know is expressed in the faces.
Some of these characteristics need more explanations and seem contradictory, but what I want to say through these statements is that my mood at this time needs such simplicity and distraction. Although now I have more respect towards those fans of Bollywood and could see many good things in them, I do not know what to do if they change my taste for ever. I hope it will be a temporal thing to me.

Watching "10" with the new Scotts

I could not imagine I would be so quiet for such a long time. Anyway, I start again and have intended not to say the reason because I felt embarrassed, but why not! Thanks to my husband who encourages me all the time and especially for opening this weblog and thanks to Naser who encouraged me to carry on.

On Thursday, 19th of November 2009, I have shown the movie “10” by Abbas Kiarostami at the International Cinema Club.
Generally, the aim of this programme is to give ourselves a chance to know each other more and broaden our knowledge about the different communities around us or as X. said “the new Scotts” who are living in Edinburgh.
X. gave me the opportunity to choose an Iranian movie for the new season opening day. Then I thought as an Iranian woman maybe “10” would reflect this aim.

Before showing the film I was having this thought that “10” is a wonderful movie and everybody will know about Iranian women and their situation in Iran. As soon as the movie started I thought “oh, I was wrong, this is not appropriate, how they understand these dialogues with just subtitles, too much dialogues”; literally for a while I doubted Kiarostami’s power. When the movie has finished and we started the regular discussion, I found that why Kiarostami is “Kiarostami”. People liked the movie and thought the subject of it is not Iranian but universal. Everybody everywhere has the concerns that 10’s characters have. It could be feminine issue and at the wider scope it is more humanistic. The discussion went very well and afterwards I felt much more comfort and indeed proud of having such a great director in my country.

Isn’t it pleasant people know your country because of a cultural product such as movies and not just entertainment movies, movies with great themes and humanistic concerns? It seems a bit self indulgent but I think it is the only thing at this point I could talk with proud from my country.

Watching “10” for the fifth times has still new things for me. The issue of losing and gaining, sense of belongingness and attachment, love, ... are timeless human’s concerns and it seems at different stage of your life they have different shades and colours.