शाला

2012-01-24T07:24:00.000+05:30

Shala is a word which means school in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi. I don't know if in any other Indian language it means school. There was a Hindi movie titled Paathshala starring Shahid Kapur. I happened to see that on a rented DVD sometime last year or earlier and disliked it. I had also seen a film titled The Class by director Laurent Cantent and this was a great film. I had seen the trailer of Shala sometime last year and I was just blown away what I saw. I immediately had to like their facebook page "SHALA" (School) because I wanted to follow the film. I wanted to know when it was to come out. The wait had been long but during the waiting process got to know quiet a lot on how the film's inception took place and the whole journey. It has been inspiring that director Sujay S. Dahake never gave up on this project in spite of being rejected by almost 40 producers whom he pitched this to. He believed in this project so much that he kept at it. One day it was green lit and the film kickstarted. The film is based on the best selling Marathi novel Shala by Milind Bokil. I am born and brought up in Bombay most of my life and have lived here long enough but the funny thing is I still can't speak Marathi fluently though I can understand it almost. In the first week of January when I got to know that finally now the movie will release on January 20, I was so excited and looking forward to it. I got my tickets booked online at Big Cinemas Sangam, Andheri East. I saw the first day first show there and loved the film. It was without the subtitles. Once the film ended, something happened to me, the rest of the day I was feeling sad. I don't know why but I'll be lying to you because I know why. It was the movie's effect. It is still haunting me and I know for the fact that this movie has become one of my most favorite film coming from Indian cinema. This is easily the best Indian love story I've seen on world cinema. India makes so many love stories but this beats them all. Cinemas in Bombay have a rule where the national anthem starts before the movie starts. I'm quiet used to it. I have started to feel that I'm at school whenever I go to watch a movie because we used to have to sing the national anthem everyday while I was at both my schools - JNS at Bombay and BGV at Kodaikanal. The national anthem that was played at Big Cinemas was awesome because it was the one I had seen on facebook sometime last year and was seeing on the big screen for the first time: The Silent Indian National Anthem. It was great. Before the movie started I had had canned Rauch peach iced tea and when the short recess happened that is the interval, I had another same iced tea with hot masala corn. There were around 20 people in the audience but I could see they all loved it. While the movie, some clapped and some whistled. I wanted to see the movie again and hopefully with the English subtitles if it had running any part of Bombay I'd go there. I found out through a very good actor friend that he saw the movie at Imax Wadala which had English subtitles and check for other cinemas, some have subtitles. So I called a few theaters and found out 24 Karat at Jogeshwari had which was also confirmed by Shala Movie Review: Reliving School Days. I had seen the movie on a Friday and by Saturday evening I booked my second show for a Sunday. While I was at Jamnabai Narsee School, our school would start at 9am and end at 3:30pm and Sundays are holidays obviously. This School - Shala - was going to begin at 3:30pm on a holiday. I reached the theater almost half hour earlier and saw lot of people coming in to watch Shala at 24 Karat, Jogeshwari. I was here last a few years ago when Shwas, another great Marathi film was running without subtitles. After ages, I saw a lift man taking us to our respective floors for the particular screen. I wonder in todays time we need a lift man because one can operate a lift easily. I was taken to Screen 4 when my movie was to be screened on Screen 3 as mentioned on the ticket. They said its correct, thats the one: the balcony. Sitting in balcony after ages, last was for Dabangg at Chandan cinema at Juhu. Seeing the movie the second time with English subtitles was so much better that it felt that the movie was a million times better. People shouldn't miss this movie in theaters. Don't wait for TV screening or DVD, this really has to be seen on a cinema and experience the magic of this movie. I will be really happy if this movie could get a national release with subtitles, even better if it gets a global release. I am sure this movie will be a big hit. It has totally won my heart and I sense it will connect the universe. You will heart it. I can guarantee. Later then when I read this review it felt like it was speaking my mind, specially the mention of Udaan and Jim Morrison lyric from The Doors song. Read the whole review here: Innocence, Lost. I loved Shala so much that I did this. Go revisit your school life and fall in love with this extremely beautiful film. I will be one of the first person to own the DVD once it is out and be a proud collection on my shelf. Thank you for creating this movie and kudos to team SHALA. I am sure the 40 rejectors must be thinking they made a wrong decision. The movie was a full house at 24 Karat, Jogeshwari and everyone loved the film. This is one film I can confidently say that can easily break the combined box office collection record of Salman Khan starrer Maine Pyar Kiya directed by Sooraj Barjatya, Aamir Khan starrer Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak directed by Mansoor Khan, and Shahrukh Khan starrer Kuch Kuch Hota Hain directed by Karan Johar. I have mentioned these films because one, they were the films I grew up on and love them all. Two, all are love stories. Three, they have our three Khans. Four, all were made by debut directors. It was Salman Khan's and Aamir Khan's debut film as actor. Dabangg is one of my favorite and saw it at the same theater where before that last film I saw was Lagaan which went on to best foreign feature film nomination for Oscar when Amelie had won, before that saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hain there. I say this that Shala could beat the business of three mentioned love stories only if it had a worldwide release with lot of prints in subtitles, well marketed and publicized. It could make great business. At least a healthy competition. If I could distribute the movie, I would have. My rating for Shala is 4.95/5. Aanibaani manjhe?

I have been pursuing a movie about a little girl who is a government school going bright student from a village near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. She was forced into child marriage by her own family. One day she decides to escape her home and sets on an unexpected journey and the adventure of her life. To check out more: Kickstarter. Currently, you can show your support by clicking on Support Himanshu button at Talenthouse. Voting was to start from January 23 but they have canceled that. The competition is still on and the result will come out by end of February. I'll be very happy if I get a lot of supporters. All you have to do is click Support Himanshu button, comment some good things if you wish and spread the word about this, more the better. If my shortlists and wins, Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films may want to make a film on this. So you can make it happen. Thank you so much! :) After studying at a film school in Canada and then working on some films and writing, I hope I get to make this film. More importantly, its a passionate project that you will never reject.

Bookshelf and Myself by Yourself

शाला