When we asked Tapas Nayak to pick five movies for this column, his immediate response was: “We choose films based on nostalgia or the memories which we associate with them.” Memories being the keyword here. According to him, the movies that were instrumental in shaping his cinematic sensibilities were the ones he caught on television and later at film festivals. “I would wait for the 1.30pm slot on Sunday. Some adult-rated content used to play at night on Wednesday. That’s how I saw Moondram Pirai and I remember losing my sleep that night,” says Tapas Nayak over phone.
Do Bigha Zamin (1953)
It is a classic from Bimal Roy and I remember watching it during my childhood and being moved. The film talks about the social structure of India and the subsequent reforms that happened post-Independence. Do Bigha Zamin, as the title suggests, revolves around a family’s struggle to save their small piece of land from a wealthy landlord. The film is very much relevant today, if you consider the kind of mass exodus that has been happening at various parts of the country.
Rashomon (1950)
This complicated film was ahead of its time. It has multiple narratives and views points centring around one event. Sometimes, the truth becomes just a perspective and that is what Rashomon is about. I keep going back to this film to figure out the film’s structure and how Akira Kurosawa kept it engaging till the end. The ultimate goal was to not arrive at the truth but to go through the different POVs of the characters.
A Separation (2011)
This Asghar Farhadi film is a combination of neo-realism and Hitchcockian style of filmmaking. It has a very realistic set-up of an Iranian family, where the daughter becomes a witness to her parent’s disintegrating marriage. It raises a lot of questions on morality and how we perceive it in today’s times. Though a serious drama, Farhadi treats the film like a thriller and you are actually on the edge of the seat.
After Life (1998)
I have been following Hirokazu Koreeda even before his universally-acclaimed Shoplifters . The plotline was so interesting that it left me overwhelmed. After Life is reflective of the time we live in at the moment. Nature has given us a pause button just to recollect and reflect.
Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981)
I am a big fan of K Balachander, especially the way he etched his female characters. When you are an adolescent and you watch a love story that is so refreshing in terms of content and treatment, then the whole experience becomes rewarding. For me, that happened with Ek Duuje Ke Liye. It is like a Romeo-Juliet kind of story where the characters belong to two different worlds. As they say, all great love stories are invariably tragedies.
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