Love Letters to the Movie Business

The struggles of an actor, the challenges a director faces while trying to realise his vision (the director is invariably a man, of course), the avarice of producers, the recognition that comes with box office success, the chemistry between two actors whose on-screen magic is fuelled by off-screen romance — the world behind the camera has always been as fascinating to audiences and filmmakers, as what’s on screen. Movies about movies offer audiences a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes and also show the kind of passion and talent that goes into making an art form that is also a business. Sometimes, like in Michael Tolkin's The Offer (2022) which follows the production of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972), the back story rivals the fiction. Vasan Bala’s documentary series Cinema Marte Dum Tak offers an insightful take into an aspect of the industry that is generally treated like a dirty secret. The cult of the director has been cemented with films like Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and the recent The Fabelmans (2022), in which director Steven Spielberg portrays his adolescent years. Vikramaditya Motwane's series Jubilee is the latest addition to this long legacy of stories about the movie business. Ahead of the release of its first part on Prime Video tomorrow, we've got a watchlist of films that are love letters — some charming, some bittersweet — to the movie business:

Bhumika (1977)

Usha (Smita Patil), the granddaughter of a famous courtesan, is taken to Bombay by the much older Keshav (Amol Palekar) to audition as a singer. Soon, she gains stardom as an adolescent actor. She marries Keshav, perhaps out of obligation or to escape her abusive household, but realises he’s no different from others who want to exploit her. His insecurities seep into their relationship and he compels her to take up roles that are risqué. Based on the life of 1940s actor Hansa Wadkar, Bhumika has one of Patil’s career-best performances as the actor who wanted to be free and also wanted to be loved. 

Available to stream on JioCinema. 

Living in Oblivion (1995)

Directed by Tom DiCillo, Living in Oblivion is divided into three parts and follows a day on the set of a low-budget film. In an ode to independent filmmakers, we witness the tribulations that plague director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi). There’s soured milk and a smoke machine that doesn’t function and later catches fire. His senile mother shows up on set, which proves to be both a boon and bane. The most confusing of all, however, is that everyone is having sex with everyone. Set somewhere between “fantasy, reality and oblivion”, the movie’s title is taken from the eponymous Eighties song by Anything Box. 

Available to stream on Prime Video. 

Luck By Chance (2009)

In Zoya Akhtar’s directorial debut, Vikram (Farhan Akhtar) comes to Mumbai to become a film star and befriends actress Sona (Konkona Sen Sharma), whom he eventually starts dating. For three years, she has been promised the role of a leading lady in a producer’s film, but to no avail. Graced with luck, Vikram quickly bags a role in producer Romy’s new film, starts an affair with his co-actor and forgets about Sona. His film is a hit, but it comes at the cost of losing the people he loves. Sona, on the other hand, is content with her television roles and refuses to let Vikram back into her life.

Available to stream on Netflix.

The Artist (2011)

For Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), it is an accidental meeting with silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) that sets off a chain of events and puts her in the spotlight. As the era of silent films ends, George is too egotistical to adapt to the changing industry. Things spiral when his wife leaves him, bankruptcy hits and a fatal accident occurs. But Miller comes to the rescue, negotiating on his behalf and putting him back on the map. They tap dance into the sunset, and all is well in the world where silent films have paved the way for talkies. The French film was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Dujardin, which made him the first French actor ever to win in this category.

Available to stream on Apple TV.

The Dirty Picture (2011)

Inspired by the life of B-grade film legend Silk Smitha, the movie follows the ups and downs of her career and personal life. The countless rejections, whirlwind romances, on-screen eroticism, and insurmountable debt — all propelled by a male-dominated film industry — are highlighted in this Vidya Balan starrer. We witness an actor who capitalized on her sexiness, initially because she had to, and later because she knew she could. “Filme sirf teen cheezo ki wajah se chalti hai. Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. Aur main entertainment hoon,” she says with unwavering confidence. Balan is a scene stealer, but keep an eye out for Naseeruddin Shah’s role as an ageing star (possibly modelled on Gemini Ganesan).  

Available to stream on Disney+Hotstar. 

Saving Mr Banks (2013)

Walt Disney has been pursuing the film rights to Pamela "P. L." Travers’s Mary Poppins stories for 20 years after promising his daughters that he will produce a film based on the books. She resists until her book royalties dry up and her house is on the line and only relents on the conditions that the film will have no animations and her approval will be sought at every stage of scriptwriting. She detests Disney’s perky attitude, and his affinity towards fantasy, and is pedantic and disagreeable. Having been produced by Disney Studios, Saving Mr Banks has one rooting for Walt. But it also uncovers the reasons behind Travers’s hesitance, and how she was manipulated to relinquish a story close to her heart. Ultimately, an animation makes it to the cut and the writer is compelled to make peace with it. 

Available to stream on Disney+Hotstar. 

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Joel and Ethan Coen’s film follows Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), who works at Capitol Pictures and is responsible for fixing the lives of Hollywood stars by covering up their shenanigans from gossip columnists. From hiding an unmarried actor’s pregnancy to protect her career to mediating a deal with blacklisted Communist screenwriters who are holding the studio’s star at ransom, Mannix has more than enough on his plate. Hail, Caesar! boasts an ensemble cast with George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum.

Available to stream on Prime Video.  

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (2019)

In Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, set in the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age, actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) struggle to attain success and fame. Dripping with glamour and a dapper cast, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood weaves Sharon Tate’s murder, Bruce Lee’s fame, parties at the Playboy Mansion and Tarantino’s fictional brand of cigarettes, Red Apple, into a story of what-ifs. The film traces Rick’s fall from grace and is more about the industry than it is strictly about making films. 

Available to stream on Prime Video. 

Chhello Show (2022)

Although this is not about making movies or the movie business, director Pan Nalin’s film is very much about the magical spell movies cast upon audiences. Nine-year-old Samay (Bhavin Rabari) lives in a village in Saurashtra, Gujarat, and his life changes when he sees a film in a theatre for the first time. Hypnotised by the art form, Samay devours all the films he can watch, strikes up an unlikely friendship with a projectionist, and even steals film reels so that he and his friends can have their own screenings. Pan Nalin’s semi-autobiographical film is a spectacle that tantalizes the senses, particularly with its lyrical cinematography. 

Available to stream on Netflix.