WELCOMING S!LENCE

Gosh! We have been itching to get back. But we knew that this month long silence will surely create the buzz…and yes it did. We have an inbox filled with messages…people wondering if the Polaroid have fizzled out:) …wondering if we have pulled down the shutters:)… friends asking us to bounce back and many more such concerned audiences.

Apologies for the non-response, but just to put the storms to rest…

...Polaroid is very much Alive & Kicking and this month long Mute Mode was rather thoughtfully designed and crafted.

Team Polaroid have always believed in storytelling, stories with a difference, stories that move you, stories that bring a smile on your face, stories that are dramatic and stories that get narrated through pictures (although being mute). Hence, this last month’s Silent Post was rather an Ode to such a Cinematic Brilliance that moved most of us and brought joy to the hearts.

No..no..no….no…we are not converting to a film critic blog, rather as always, we are trying to put together the buzz / talk of the towns. We are sure by now you would have guessed what film are we talking about and if not, then the following picture will surely raise the curtains.

Barfi, directed by Anurag Basu is undoubtedly one of the best and intelligent films to be churned out in a long time, amidst the kitsch style of cinema currently ruling the box office. ‘Barfi’ has its heart in the right place, and doesn't waver from its intentions.

Barfi inspires, moves and delves into the inner strength of individuals. Once the curtains are drawn, you are left behind with a feeling of joy and peace.

We believe that you got to have a spine in order to create such characters with otherwise glam stars (in the main stream commercial cinema) and deliver such a brilliance, which if not balanced could have back fired big time. When you are dealing with characters that are disabled in some way or the other, it's difficult not to get into a stereotype mode of making the audience sympathize with the protagonists and portraying a 'sorry' picture. But this film balances it extremely well without making you feel heavy or depressed.

Barfi! is a perfect mix of brilliant cinematography, melodious scores, masterful acting, spectacular directing, and a clever scriptwriter. (Yes, we do agree that they could have done a much better job at the make up;)

We have witnessed enough debates on various social mediums on the film being a complete rip off / “copied” from various Hollywood films. We here are not defending the Film, Barfi! interweaves Bollywood style with Hollywood influence.

Team Polaroid happen to watch the film much before it’s release and since long the film crew had maintained that Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are the sources of inspiration.

Martin Scorcese's Hugo had scenes resembling moments from a 1951 British film The Magic Box and the 1923 silent film Safety Last. The Artiste which last year won the Oscar for best film was accused of being a complete rip-off." Just because it is an Indian film, we should not write off the creative effort gone by.

Who of us can claim to be truly “Original”…as kids we used to copy our parents, as teens get “inspired” by the peers…as grownups copy trends!!!

We don’t care whether it should have been nominated for Oscars or not. We do not care if it was inspired from other films or not…neither do we care that it is every married man’s story: Mute Husband, Mad Wife & pretty ex;)

All what we know is that it was a story well put together and yes it drew smiles.