Movies have always been much more than a hobby for me. My interest in movies was initiated by my brother who used to take me to see movies in the theaters when I was in preparatory. Even though it was a sin to go to the movies that early in life for both me and my brother, we never hesitated to break the rules. I still remember , my brother and I used to start for school and college respectively together and every now and then we would leave our school bags at a shop and end up in one of the many popular talkies here in Guwahati, my home town. Ironically we never got caught. The theaters were almost all named after the famous “Apsaras” from our mythology like Urvashi, Udeshna, Anuradha, Vandana and Apsara. It was this period that gave me the initial taste of film watching and appreciation.
We watched movies ranging from Mithun Chakravarti’s The Don, Suraj, Yaar Gaddar to Sunil Shetty’s Mohra, Balwaan. From Akshay Kumar’s Khiladi, Yeh Dillagi to SRK’s Dil To
Pagal Hai and Dilwaale Dulhaniya Le jayenge. It was a mix of action, comedy, drama and also a lot of Hollywood stuff ranging from Jurassic Park to Water World and lots more. I was just having a bowl out there even though I had no idea about the intricacies of movie making, I just loved it. Then suddenly my brother left for pursuing his Medical Studies and my movie watching came to an abrupt halt. For the next
few years I had to remain content with whatever little was on display on the Doordarshan. Then the optical revolution happened and my father bought me a computer too. This gave wings to my movie watching dreams as now I could rent and see any movie that I wanted to at minimal costs. After my 10th boards I got three whole months to watch movies. My parents wanted me to visit my relatives as I had enough time in hand, but I decided to stay put at home and watch movies. I remember, in those three months I gulped through almost 300 titles. I got a chance to look at some of the most popular films from all across the world.
It continued like this till I got a shot in the arm when my father persuaded me to attend a Film Appreciation Course organized by the National Film and Television Institute, Pune and National Film Archives of India at Guwahati. It was here that I realized for the first time that movie watching was actually a science and that there were numerous ingredients which went in to making up a complete movie watching experience. I came in touch with people Like Professor Suresh Chabria(NFTI), Professor Biren Das Sharma(KFTI), noted director of the region Jahnu Barua and Goutam Bora, Mrinal Sen(Eminent Film Critic) and a host of other celebrities.
This was probably one of the most enriching experiences for me. It was during this time that I was introduced to classics like Battleship Potemkin, Mirror, Lumiere Brother’s productions, Halodhiya Sodai Bao Dhan Khaye and lots more. We were also shown some smashing documentaries and one of them called “Night and Fog” shook me up like nothing before. Apart from feature films documentary Films were also discussed in details from their production to their aesthetics which broadened our horizon and perspective on cinema as a whole. After those 7 days, I never looked at the movies the way I used to. Now they were much more than a mere synchronization of perfectly arranged shots. Now they were like pieces of art and science all at the same time and every movie I watched since then has been a tad more enriching for me than it was before.
In the meantime I also completed my Graduation in Information Technology and this brought me very close to technology and kept looking for different means to give colors to my passion for cinema. I was able to create a photo feature based on pictures taken by me and some wallpapers from the Internet which I called “Renovatio” (Rebirth). It was appreciated by anyone who saw it and I was on the top of this world.
I had been writing reviews of the movies that I watched at rediff.com for a while but I wanted something more personal. It was by a chance encounter that I came to know about http://www.wordpress.com and how easy it was to create a free blog site here. I didn’t waste a single moment in doing that and now here I am sharing my thoughts and views on different movies that I see from time to time.
Please be advised my friends, the reviews that I write are strictly based on my own feelings and you might disagree with me at any given time. Don’t be influenced. Have your own thought process and judge any movie only after you have seen it for yourself. I just use this site as a medium to share my thoughts with all those who might agree or disagree with me.
Thanks for reading……
Ambar Chatterjee's Reviews 