TOP 10 ROAD TRIP MOVIES OF THIS CENTURY

Guest post by: Arnab Maity

Arnab is at simultaneously a photographer, a seasoned traveler and a software analyst from Bangalore who also delights his readers and photography enthusiasts regularly at his own blog: www.arnabmaity.com His never ending wanderlust has contributed to making him develop a keen taste for road movies. Fly away with him and his list of Top 10 Road Trips of the Century from all over the world, which features a couple of our own Hindi language favorites.

We all love our road trips, don’t we? That orifice to vent out the vapors of our day to day chores, to bring us out into the open, sometimes gifting unusual sights and sometimes making us meet unusual people, who leave a mark throughout our lives.

We all have such road trips in our lives, which had changed many a thing about us and there are many such movies which have inspired us to leave our couches and get onto to the road!

This compilation consists of those movies, which had left us thinking and made us pack our bags, to explore the unexplored and meet the unknown.

1. Motorcycle Diaries(2004)
Country: USA, Language: Spanish

Starring: Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna

Summary from imdb

This adaptation of Argentinian-born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's journals,will take you into an adventurous ride through the interiors of South America.The journey which merely started as a break away trip becomes a life changer for Che and the rest is history

2. Qué tan lejos (2006)
Country: Ecuador, Language: Spanish

Starring: Tania Martinez and Cecilia Vallejo

Summary from imdb

Esperanza and Tristeza are co-passengers on a bus that is going from Quito to Cuenca.They have different reasons for their travel but come close to each other during the journey, thanks to a nationwide road strike and some amusing characters they meet on the road.Their journey of self discovery along scenic highlands and coasts of Ecuador tells a poignant tale.

3. The Art of Travel (2008)
Country: USA, Language: English and Spanish  
Starring: Christopher Masterson and Brooke Burns

Summary from imdb

The Art of Travel embraces the true wanderlust spirit, where Conner Layne, a high school grad, runs away from his marriage to a solo adventure into the Central and South American jungles.He meets a group of ragtags there who change his life forever and makes him an author.The movie pays tribute to the human desire of finding the road less traveled and says : "The Art of Travel is that it can never be planned"

4. Into The Wild (2007)
Country: USA, Language: English and Danish

Starring: Emile Hirsch and Marcia Gay Harden

Summary from imdb

Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch),a young Virginia man, divorces his friends, family, and possessions in search of a greater spiritual knowledge and communion with nature.His journey to his dream destination, Alaska, takes him through many twists and turns.A kayak trip down dangerous rapids, a gig working in a grain mill, extended stays with a hippie couple and a kindly old widower,makes their own impacts,but he renounces the material world, staying immortal as a symbol of human endurance.


5. Seven Years in Tibet (2006)

Country: USA, Language: English, German, Mandarin, Tibetan, and Hindi

Starring: Brad Pitt and David Thewlis

Summary from imdb

Heinrich Harrer, a famed yet arrogant Austrian mountain climber, leaves behind his pregnant wife for a Himalayan expedition, only to be imprisoned as a prisoner of war by the Allied Forces.He escapes from the prison and sneaks his way into the forbidden city of Lhasa, through the rugged yet breathtaking terrains of Tibet.There he meets the young Dalai Lama, who transforms him from a haughty to a humble man.Not a typical road movie,but an enlightening one!

6. The Beach (2000)

Country: Equador, Language: English, French, Swedish, Thai, Croatian

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Virginie Ledoyen

Summary from imdb

Richard, an American backpacker lands in Thailand and eventually finds a crude map of an island which is paradise on earth: beautiful, unspoiled, and uninhabited.He lands up there after a dangerous journey, only to find a group of travelers having their own secret habitation on the island.They are part of a secret society sans all social evils,living in a world that is seen only in dreams.

7. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Country: India, Language: Hindi, Japanese, English and Spanish

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif

Summary from imdb

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a celebration of life, where three friends set out on a bachelor road trip to Spain.Each of them choose one location and an adventure sport to challenge the other two.It turns out to be an outing of a lifetime as they confront the past, negotiate the present and carve out a new future.Eventually,they emerge strong from the experience, they are prepared to live their lives by the moment, taking pleasure in what they have than bother over what they don't.

8. Road,Movie(2009)
Country: India, Language: Hindi and English

Starring : Abhay Deol and Satish Kaushik

Summary from imdb

The lure of the open road and the hypnotic power of movies, makes this fable about Vishnu,a restless young man,looking to find an escape route from his father's hair oil business.He offers to drive to a distant town, a battered truck, which was a traveling cinema once, fitted with projectors and reels.He meets a young boy, an uncanny mechanic and a gypsy woman who bring in interesting twists to his tale.Cinema plays an important role in their lives, from transforming them to saving them from water-lords and corrupt policemen.

9. Little Miss Sunshine(2006)
Country: USA, Language: English

Starring : Abigail Breslin and Greg Kinnear

Summary from imdb

What happens when you stuff a failed motivation speaker, his wife, the nation's number one Proust scholar, an elderly potty-mouthed heroin addict, a teen who's mute by choice, and a bespectacled little pageant hopeful into a mini VW bus for a three day road trip? You get this hilarious but moving satire about a dysfunctional family obsessed with winning

10. Chalo Dilli (2011)
Country: India, Language: Hindi, English

Starring : Vinay Pathak and Lara Dutta

Summary from imdb

Chalo Dilli is about two mismatched strangers who take a life-altering trip together.

Mihika Banerjee,an uptight investment banker meets an obnoxious country bumpkin and the owner of a cloth shop, Manu Gupta on a midnight cab ride from Jaipur to Delhi.The unfortunate turn of events forces the uptown Mihika to spend the night on a roadside shack, take a camel ride, board a local train without ticket, get imprisoned and then finally attain self realization.

Thanks for going through the list. If after seeing any of these movies, you embark on a road trip which completely changes your life or the way you are, then do let me know.

Do post your suggestions on any other movie; you would like to see in the list and yes, don’t forget to leave a note, if ever a road trip had changed your life in some way!

The Hindi Cinema Blog thanks Arnab Maity for this excellent classification of film recommendations. You may visit his website for more excellent articles on travel throughout India.

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ALYSSA and SHANE MENDONSA: Music's Contemporary Young Wave (Exclusive Interview)

Bombay is India's foremost landmark in terms of Hindi cinema and music, both mainstream and independent. Today's post focuses on two musicians who have been crisply and ingeniously contributing to enriching the Indian music scene. Shane and Alyssa Mendonsa have become a leading pair in the new young wave that swings Indian urban music from Bollywood pop to electronic music. Spanning a series of youthful genres, brother and sister have been making their mark, whether it be by opening a DJ school, creating background scores for internationally acclaimed films or remixing Bollywood hits and contributing fresh vocals or sounds to these mainstream favorites.

While Shane is involved in background scores and soundtrack work at the moment, Alyssa has become well known for her vocals in films such as Housefull, Karthik Calling Karthik, Break ke Baad, Zokkomon, Patiala House or the more recent Zindagi na Milegi Dobara. 

Both siblings agreed to chat with the Hindi Cinema Blog about their love of sound, their philosophy and their view of the Indian music industry, where they have united their flair for bringing a fresh breeze to commercial songs while also creating indie pleasure for the ears.

HCB: When did you decide you wanted to start doing music / singing professionally?

ALYSSA: Singing has been my passion since I was 3 to 4 years old. I used to practice in secret until I had to sing for my dad to participate in a singing competition in 1st grade in which I came in first... I just always loved it. I never decided on it. All I knew is that I wanted to sing for the rest of my life and it has now become my profession.

SHANE: Well I honestly could not say... I think my first job working professionally as a music programmer came with a Bollywood film called Jaan-E-Mann which was about 6 years ago! In all honesty, I don't know if I ever planned to take up music as a profession. It so happened that I wanted to be a pilot! (smiles) But i guess in time with a lot of exposure to all kinds of different styles of music I was drawn into it. One thing lead to another and in the following years I saw myself learning to DJ, performing and then slowly moving into music production to make dance music. Then one fine day I received an offer to do remixes, which turned out to be my first paying job as a producer/remixer.

HCB: Was your dad (Loy Mendonsa of famed group Shankar Ehsaan Loy) an inspiration to you in the sense of orienting you towards music?

SHANE: Well I would have to say indirectly yes because he was always playing something new at home ever since I was a little kid, My father is a jazz musician at heart! So at home we would be exposed to a lot of Jazz, RnB, Blues, Funk, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Stevie wonder and the list goes on... Besides jazz, he would listen to all styles of music, there was no restriction in musical styles of any kind. So with all that exposure to superb music I guess my orientation did shift due to a sense of curiosity towards making music. I distinctly remember my passion for dance and electronica originating from 3 albums. One was Madonna's Ray Of Light album, which i think is still by far one of a kind, purely because of its production and sound design. Another is my most favorite artist and probably my reason for getting into making dance and electronic: BT or Brian Transeu and his album Movement is Still Life. It was life altering at the time (smiles) and with it was an artist called Hybrid and their album called Wider Angle.

ALYSSA: I started singing because I just love it and not because of my dad or anything. He heard me much later... To me my dad is just my dad and I see him as a self-made man and as an example that shows that sometimes the things you never even dreamt of can actually happen to you.

Song with Alyssa Mendonsa's honey-mint fresh vocals in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

HCB: Choose 5 songs you would take with you on your IPod if you were stranded in a desert island.

SHANE: Well... Actually I would love to just switch of all music if I was away in a desert island!! (laughs). I would probably trade it in with a bushman for water (laughs). The reason would probably be that I am constantly surrounded by music and that it could be very troublesome for somebody who is in the "business" of making music. I believe if you are creative, you have to have a clean slate to create, a fresh canvas to paint, and thus silence to generate something new musically.  Additionally, there are plenty of songs to choose from in the "jukebox in my head", if I ever need one for a day (smiles).

ALYSSA: Knowing myself, there is no way I would have an IPod with me if I was stranded in a desert island.(smiles)

HCB: So what are you listening to on your Ipod (Mp3 player) at the moment?

ALYSSA: This may sound weird but I don't listen to music intentionally. I just happen to listen to music if someone else is playing it around me. I never make the effort of putting on a CD or anything. I like silence because there is more to be heard when nothing can be heard at all.

SHANE: This very moment I am listening to Coldplay's new EP Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall. I just love Coldplay for their simple but tasteful songwriting. Very simple to make your own.

HCB: What is your take on Indian mainstream film music and a more indie Indian music scene. Would you enjoy participating in both?

ALYSSA: Indian mainstream music is expanding and is now opening up to more styles and sounds. I think this has opened a wider door for more talent to pour into the music industry. I am more inclined to Western singing so singing for Indian films has been quite a challenge for me and a learning experience. I have this huge inferiority complex about my abilities as a singer, so that gets to me and affects my confidence..

SHANE: Oh... Well that is a long topic of discussion but I will try to be short and direct. If I ever had a problem with Bollywood is that it took up all the spotlight from the indie music scene, but that has changed now over a few years as we are now seeing an indie music scene appear wherein a whole new young and talented generation of artists now at least have a platform to be heard on a more frequent basis. Until about 6 years ago you could count the amount of non Bollywood gigs in the city that would happen in a year on both hands at commercial venues, but that is changing quickly with the new generation. There are many indie rock and electronica gigs all over the country now and some of them are huge... like the famous Submerge gigs that happen throughout the year in India, and in a big way in Goa at peak season where local and international artists meet. With that, there are clubs like Blue Frog which have on many an occasion hosted local and international artists from all around the world playing every possible style of music there is. There are many independent event management companies too that are instrumental in keeping the indie scene growing.

I certainly do enjoy participation in both (indie and Bollywood music). I believe both present very different perspectives to approaching music and thus present very interesting challenges, one of them challenging you to have a certain level of creative compromise for mass appeal and the other being more self indulgent (smiles). But I do believe at the end of the day that there is no good or bad. It just is. And music is just that, no matter what one's perspective is towards it. Thus I try to learn from both.

HCB: is there any particular producer, composer, singer or musician you dream of working with?

SHANE: Any and everyone whose got music in them.

ALYSSA: Bruce Sweden, John Landis, William Orbit to name a few... but at the end of the day my greatest dream is to perform in front of millions of people the world over. So I am willing to work with anyone who can make that come true and in turn my dream should make theirs come true. What i mean by that is that the songwriter has a dream of his song being sung,the singer's dream is to sing it, the engineer's dream is to master and mix it to perfection so you see, everyone's dream is supported by another... If my dream fulfills someone else's then that's a beautiful thing knowing dreams are coming true.

HCB: Do you have any upcoming personal projects in music?

SHANE: Well I was just working on a bootleg for myself on Coldplay's new song.. but given that I don't have the individual files it is going to be difficult to meet the sonic state I would like it to be in, but nonetheless I am having fun with it and hoping it turns out to be bearable to give a few listens (smiles).

ALYSSA: I am composing for a couple of friends just to help them out because they are really talented.

HCB: What would you say is the importance of a singer's voice in the tracks you have recorded, Alyssa?

ALYSSA: To me the singer's voice bridges the gap between the listener and the music. But I could be wrong..

HCB: What is the most important effect you are seeking to achieve when you remix, compose or master, Shane?

SHANE: Oh well I am no expert in any field (smiles) but some of my thoughts are that I believe a good remix is always and should be complementary to the basic essence of the original!.. One must seek out to find what makes the original unique and great, and try to take those elements with them in the new direction they plan to head in. That allows for the listener to quickly get into what he loves most about the song originally allowing him to easily assimilate what is newly associated with it..

As far as composition goes, depending on what the scenario is. If it is for a background score or just song, based or not based on a situation, the music should be used only to support or add emphasis to what message needs to be communicated. One must.never be afraid to keep things simple. Less is more in most cases. One should also try to always look at the composition from a listener's perspective trying to find a common thread to relate to.

While mixing and mastering today I believe everyone is in a loudness war... especially with pop music.. If you listen to music from the 80s or 90s there was a lot more warmth and feel. of course that is also attributed to many other factors, mainly that there was better music then (smiles). But anyhow, the same rules would apply to a mixing engineer. One should always let the song tell you what to do. If you listen to what the song is saying and demands, in most cases the music composer will already have left hints in the basic song structure as guidelines. And most important I guess is to "listen", trust your ears and not get completely caught up in the music gear. The gear is only there to help translate the idea. It is not the idea or concept itself. Clarity of thought with its motive must be at the forefront of applied techniques to any concept to allow the layman to easily absorb and assimilate what needed to be communicated through the music.

Find more information on Alyssa Mendonsa
Watch internationally acclaimed films featuring Shane Mendonsa's distinctive music scores: Just That Sort of Day and The Sixth Sense

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ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA -The Ultimate Road Trip

Zoya Akhtar knocks it out of the park with her second film. This fresh and full-of-life movie has breathed new zindagi into Hindi cinema much like Dil Chahta Hai did back in 2001. This delicious adventure takes place in Spain and was beautifully filmed in additional locations such as Egypt and India.

The film takes us along on an extended road trip- cum bachelor party with three old friends from school. Kabir (Abhay Deol), an all-around great guy who has just become engaged to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin) the daughter of a rich hotelier, Imraan (Farhan Akhtar), a free-spirited guy who is best friends with his inner child and always has a smooth line for the ladies, and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), a work-a-holic financial trader who values money and success over all else--who had to be convinced to miss work and go on the trip as promised.

The three friends eventually make it to the starting point in Barcelona, Spain and set off on their journey. They know their route on the map, but none know exactly how the trip will change their lives. Mystery awaits at each destination, as they have all agreed to choose one adventure sport and the others have no idea what the other has chosen. The condition of the pact; no one is allowed to back out, no matter what. Fear has no seat on this road trip.

The film is carried by it's brilliant comedic timing and wonderfully delivered dialogue, particularly in the banter between the three friends. The audience, young and old, was in absolute splits. Much of the witty dialogue was given to Farhan's character, and he did not disappoint. As a member of the audience, I truly felt as though I had been invited along for the ride.

But the film is not all one-liners and the playful execution of college-inspired pranks on unsuspecting Spanish citizens; it teaches the importance of letting go of fear, reservations, personal pain, loss, and above all; to learn to live outside of your comfort zone and truly savor each moment. And of course what Hindi film would be complete without a love story or two? Katrina Kaif plays Laila, a fashion student from London who takes time off every year to be a diving instructor. Laila catches both Imraan's and Arjun's eye, but she has eyes for only one and through her free spirited love for life, she shows him how to be truly free.

The lessons learned about life and living for each of the characters are embedded in and around the adventure sports themselves. A cathartic emotional moment came about for Arjun after the scuba diving trip. The guys then learn to let go and truly fly during a skydiving adventure, and then finally make the choice to always live life with no regrets while running for their lives in Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls Festival.

An extra juicy treat comes when they decide to paint the day red during an improptu trip to the La Tomatina festival in Buñol.

The film would not have the had same appeal without the wonderful soundtrack and background score by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and the lyrics/poems beautifully penned by Javed Akhtar. I was reminded once again of the power of a perfectly suited background score when I was brought to the verge of tears during scenes that would have taken a completely different emotional tone had the score been more upbeat. I love how something so seamlessly integrated into a film can evoke such strong emotions.

Life imitated art for Ehsaan Noorani, one of the music composers for the film. After some encouraging conversations in the recording studio between he and Farhan Akhtar regarding the exhilarating experience of skydiving, Ehsaan decided to give it a go on his recent trip to the United States.

You can view the complete video of his ZNMD inspired skydiving adventure here.

ZNMD is a great entertainer and has been showing to packed houses both in India and abroad. It's definitely worth a watch. Who knows, it may not change your life but it will certainly make you laugh, feel good, and walk out of the theatre wondering; "Am I living my life to the fullest?"

Visit the ZNMD official website here.

Visit the ZNMD Facebook page.

Buy the ZNMD soundtrack at Amazon.

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Production: Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Sunitha Ram

Screenplay: Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar

Cast: Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechlin

Soundtrack and background score: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

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