27 December,2017 09:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Kiran Mehta
Catch a screening of Amy, which recounts a phenomenal singer’s troubled journey
"I don't think I'm going to be at all famous. I don't think I could handle it. I would probably go mad!" a wide-eyed Amy Winehouse says into the screen in a 2015 documentary by Indo-British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, which traces the British singing sensation's meteoric rise to fame, right from her teenage years up to her tragic death from alcohol-poisoning at the age of 27.
Amy Winehouse performs at London's Riverside Studios for the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony via video link in 2008. Pic/Getty Images
There's something hauntingly beautiful about her kohl-lined eyes over translucent skin, the sculptured bee-hive, and one-too-many tattoos. But it's her soulful music that won people over across the world, and the film takes you through her early auditions as she carefully reads the lyrics from a screen. It then looks back at her later live performances, where she lures audiences with her sassy attitude, a flirtatious look, and even a fit of giggles.
The documentary consists of a kaleidoscope of footage amassed from newsreels, TV shows, home cameras and mobile phones. It is brought together with interviews of her close friends and manager - merged seamlessly, they show you a side of Winehouse that rarely made it to the stage.
The film will be screened in association with the British Council at a Khar venue. Kimberly Fernandez, the venue's culture manager, says, "Winehouse was a British artiste, but gained phenomenal popularity in India as well. Thus, this screening is part of the year of bilateral cultural exchange that the UK and India are celebrating in 2017."
The multiple-award winning documentary - it scooped up Oscar, Grammy and Hollywood Film Awards wins among others - raked up a controversy after Winehouse's family members alleged that they had been portrayed in a poor light. And you can now see first-hand what the fuss is all about.
You see just another girl from Camden with daddy issues, and yet she has got a glimmer in her eyes and a hopeful note in her voice; the wild teen with her entourage who sticks her tongue out at the camera or laughs with wild abandon; and the woman who talks about the inspirations behind her songs: her emotions, her life. Some of the scenes are gut-wrenchingly sad, as you watch the star who shot to fame eventually spiral into drug addiction, together with her equally troubled husband Blake-Fielder Civil.
In a two-hour window, you get an intimate glimpse into the singer's soul, and realise why millions fell in love with her, and lament her loss to this very day.
On: Tonight, 7 pm
At: antiSOCIAL, Khar West.
Call: 65226324
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