Technicolor Dreams, a photo from Karnataka, South

Photographer's Note

This South Indian film poster epitomises the Indian film industry. The larger than life characters, epic melodramas, lavish sets and alternately wailing and ecstatic strings in the background!

We've all heard of filmstar politicians... how about filmstar gods! Hero worship is taken to a different plane altogether in South India, where they build temples to their favorite stars. The appeal of certain longstanding stars extends afar, like Rajnikanth being wildly (and improbably) popular in distant Japan!

As if the temples and posters were not enough, roaming across the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, you find giant cut outs of these stars, a few storeys high, decorated with gargantuan marigold garlands adorning the skyline.

sohrab, paguru, kikvel heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

maciekda (19895) 2004-08-25 4:35

hi Avishek, interesting shot, great background. however, i think you shoul have included more of the person with the umbreall, at least we should see his arms, now it is not obvious to recognize a person in the image, i think kneeling down a bit wold make this picture better.
anyway, good shot, good try, but could be easily better ;)

everlasting (19680) 2004-08-25 8:58

I'm not sure about the umbrella Avishek, at first glance I liked it, but then found it disturbing. Not your best work, but you still get a point :)

sohrab (7439) 2004-08-26 6:34

nice colours but i agree with maciej about the man, i wouldnt say that it's not your best shot as your idea was very good, you just made a mistake, there's always a next time
take care

joseelias (0) 2004-08-26 8:41

Personally I like the umbrela and the to see just a part of the head. It's a more subtle image. Although I would prefer to see him less centered. But the black border does become confusing with the man shade. A different color could work better.

The cinema in India is a stunning thing.

sn00zie (2384) 2004-08-26 10:07

avishek-would have liked this picture better if the umbrella man weren't in it.. sort of distracting u know!! (i get confused easy) :)

saurabh (104) 2004-08-27 3:10

Wow! I like everything about the picture...it is so evocative of Indian Cinema. The low pov was a good idea to bring out the "larger-than-life character" as you put it. Maybe the umbrella man is secretly paying homage to the demigod as he walks past it!

IMHO the head and umbrella are just right, any more of the man would've interfered with the main subject in the poster.

manny (22032) 2004-08-28 21:11

Very interesting. A person in the foreground would make this perfect. I lke your note too...very informative.

Skorj (581) 2004-08-29 7:15

Great subject, and even better intent from the photographer. This is an excellent example of a photograph that is one step away from perfection...

A little more of the umbrella carrier perhaps, a little less central composition, and a less digital feel would really make this special.

Still, as it is though, it is better than a million other photographs and makes me smile.

paguru (1056) 2004-09-09 14:19

A strange picture! The silhouette of the umbrella looks very weird - but at second sight, so does the movie poster. A bold composition, I like it!

Midnight_sun (1941) 2004-10-01 12:55

That silhouette! very powerful composition, really eye catching with the huge black shadow. I agree that a little lower would help, but even so this a great use of a billboard to create a new mood. Well done.

kikvel (4784) 2004-10-01 13:01

nice composition with the umbrella...

plenty of colors and of associations...

like your notes

K.

photoniall (0) 2004-11-08 6:54 [Comment]

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Luko (14000) 2004-11-10 6:53

First time I see this one, funny how near it is to one of the imaginary perfect photos I have in mind. (the photos I haven't seen yet but that I set up in my mind an try to achieve in some places : this one was for Sri Lanka ... very near south India you'll admit)... but like Maciek also mentions, I would have ncmluded slightly more of the silhouette character, at least to his neck I think.

Exciting shot, I must say.