since no one else seems to be watching any movies (no new discussions in a week) i’ll start a thread on non-mainstream, yet not quite arty bombay cinema. in the u.s these might be equivalent to indie’s or studio-indies:
“company” and “naach” (both by ram gopal varma). varma is an interesting young director who formally and thematically works out his ambivalent relationship to the bollywood aesthetic in a number of his films. “naach” in particular seems to be very much about the question of relating to and functioning in an industry with a history of formulaic pandering to audience expectations. it also shows he’s been watching a bit too much of wong kar wai.
“haasil”–mentioned this earlier, will repeat the recommendation so someone watches it.
“yuva”–mani ratnam’s most recent. more within the bombay mainstream than the above but may warrant inclusion here. ratnam may be the most technically adept director working in bombay (he’s really a tamil filmmaker), certainly the flashiest. “yuva” is about the intersecting stories of three sets of young people in calcutta and their life-choices etc. some stunning set pieces, including a particularly violent opening game of kabbadi in a prison and the climactic fight scene in traffic on a bridge. should be quite accessible to americans.
will add more as they occur to me.