On the 60 mm screen

FROM ISSUE # 157 (January 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Quest Entertainment became the new power hitters amongst Nepali production companies by delivering two much talked about films in just one year. Kagbeni brought viewers a little taste of our very own heaven with breathtaking shots of the Himalayas. Quest proved to be anything but formulaic by taking its second film, Sano Sansar, away from the hills and straight into the midst of an urbanite's love saga. Both films raised the bar in local cinema and left Nepali viewers hopeful for more noteworthy productions in the future.  

Unfazed by a worldwide recession, true to form, our large neighbor to the south turned out movies by the buckets… but don't expect the same in 2009. A number of films on the slates for production houses have been scrapped due to the economic crisis and others, like Salman Khan's brainchild, Veer, have made drastic budget cuts. 

2008 was the year Farhan Akhtar decided he could do it all–he became director cum actor cum… rockstar? Well, not entirely true, but his movie Rock On caused quite a stir and so did the soundtrack, which Farhan actually sang on! Farhan also helped write some of the lyrics as well. Karan Johar kept life exciting by bringing the issue of homosexuality to the screen with the lighthearted, playful Dostana featuring John Abraham and Abishek Bachchan as two straight men posing as a gay couple. John Abraham's extra time in the gym for his beachside frolic scene paid off, not only with fans, but also with Bipasha who thanked the filmmakers for reminding her 'how hot' of a boyfriend she had. Kismat Konnection brought Bollywood to the world as it opened on 900 screens worldwide. 

No better way to wrap up the year than with super blockbusters by two of the most noted actors in the industry. ShahRukh Khan starred opposite a 19 year old girl in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi proving that even at 40 plus, he's still got it. And the best body of the year… sorry SRK, the award goes to Aamir Khan who worked even harder than John to transform his Rang De Basanti pouch into his rock-hard Ghajini abs. 
And beyond waters… our American friends nominated Cate Blanchett for her first Oscar in 1999 but fast forward nine years to today and it seems Cate's working twice as hard. She was nominated for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, but for very different characters. In Elizabeth: the Golden Age, she played the Queen, whereas in the life story of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There, Blanchett dresses up in a boy's attire. 

Hollywood tackled the issue of teenage pregnancy with the witty screenplay, Juno. Anything but your typical blockbuster, Juno became an instant success both at the box office and various awards ceremonies jumpstarting the 21-year-old Ellen Page career.  
 
The most notable movie event of the year was Heath Ledger's prescription drug overdose just after he finished shooting The Dark Knight. His dark portrayal as The Joker has already stirred talks of a myriad of posthumous acting awards.