Cinema Speculation

Quentin Tarantino

Recommended by Tusshar Sasi

If you want to know what actually shaped Quentin Tarantino's taste, "Cinema Speculation" is a riveting read. It feels a bit like an interview at first, but it gradually pulls you into his childhood, specifically those wild days of being taken to Los Angeles theatres to watch films he was way too young for. The book rambles in parts, but that’s also where a lot of the interest is. His takes are sharp and often provocative, and they make you look at a lot of 1970s films differently. Tarantino writes with the authority of a working director, combined with the obsessive memory of a kid who practically grew up in movie theatres. You can hear him on every page.

One line that stayed with me is this long sentence: “So, if you’re reading this cinema book, hopefully to learn something about cinema, and your head is swimming from all the names you don’t recognise, congratulations, you’re learning something.”

Cinema Speculation

“Dorothy” — is art just an expression or a statement?

When we dust off old canvases, what we see is art that reflects the culture, lifestyle, and political climate of a bygone era. While it gives an important historical insight, it also raises a valid question. Have we truly evolved politically?

Political correctness isn't always subjective. Often it's binary. For example, we are finally coming to terms with two consenting adults, regardless of gender, engaging in something as their own private matter, and we shouldn't throw our opinions in between them.

Sukanya Verma is the film critic for Rediff.com. In over 25 years of film journalism, she’s written extensively on cinema, OTT, music, and television, and she compiles weekly quizzes. Beyond Rediff, her work has appeared in The Hindu, India Abroad, and India in New York.

The first film that moved me:

As far as I can remember, I was raised on a wholesome diet of movies. My earliest memories of myself are tied to my movie memories. It was Ramesh Sippy’s “Shakti” that introduced me to the concept of immortality of filmi death. Amitabh Bachchan’s strained ties with his father Dilip Kumar troubled me to no end. But the airport climax chase, resulting in AB dying in Dilip Saab’s arms, left me howling. “Vijay mar gaya,” I sobbed and simply refused to be comforted until my mother showed me “Sharaabi” and assured me that Amitabh is alive and kicking. Actors live on… the silver screen is one of its greatest superpowers.

An overrated masterpiece:

“Mother India”. I do not care for its overstated histrionics and melodramatic ideas of female strength and sacrifice one bit.

A film you return to:

“Spirited Away”’s warmth, wonderment and wizardry is a gift that keeps giving. Animation auteur Hayao Miyazaki draws you into his magically created world and its curious life forms in such a sublime manner; it’s a transcendental experience. The gentlest of gestures gather notice against the vastest of canvas; nothing escapes his eye. The more you see it, the more you want to.

UPCOMING TITLES

"Diwali Diwali" (Hindi), Netflix, Nov. 5

"Neekkam" (Malayalam), Theatrical, Nov. 5

"Ramayana: Part 1" (Hindi), Theatrical, Nov. 5

"Mookuthi Amman 2" (Tamil), Theatrical, Nov. 6

"Scene" (Tamil), Theatrical, Nov. 6

"Bachelor Party D'eux" (Malayalam), Theatrical, Nov. 19

"Aakasamlo Oka Tara" (Telugu), Theatrical, Nov. 20

"Om: Chapter 1" (Tamil), Theatrical, Nov. 20

"Cosmic Samson" (Malayalam), Theatrical, Nov. 27

"Yeh Prem Mol Liya" (Hindi), Theatrical, Nov. 27

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