This week Chris Deacy is joined by the Mayor of Medway Nina Gurung to discuss the films: Gurkha Warrior, In The Mood For Love, Kya Kehna, and One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest.
Category
ЁЯУ║
TVTranscript
00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to Kent Film Club.
00:15 I'm Chris Deasy and each week,
00:17 I'll be joined by a guest from Kent
00:19 to dive deep into the impact
00:21 certain films have had on their life.
00:23 Each guest will reflect on the films
00:25 which have meant the most to them over the years.
00:27 And every week, there will be a Kent Film Trivia
00:30 where we quiz you at home about a film
00:32 that has a connection to the county.
00:34 And now, let me introduce you to my guest for this week.
00:38 She's not only the Mayor of Medway,
00:40 but also a child safeguarding lead.
00:43 She is Nina Gurung.
00:45 Lovely to meet you, Nina.
00:46 - Thank you, Chris, and thank you for having me here.
00:48 - And I can't wait to find out
00:50 what films you have chosen.
00:52 So your first film, you can tell me, is "Gurkha Warrior."
00:57 - Yes.
00:59 Well, it's a special film for me
01:03 because I am a daughter of a Gurkha soldier
01:07 and my husband is also a former Gurkha soldier,
01:10 so there is that special connection.
01:14 And I'm very proud with my Gurkha connection as well.
01:16 And as you know, in Medway and in Kent,
01:19 as well as different parts of the UK,
01:21 the Gurkha regiment is spread, you know,
01:24 and the contribution of the Gurkhas
01:27 to the British Army is phenomenal.
01:29 We have had over 200 years of friendship
01:32 and yeah, 13 Victoria Cross winners.
01:37 And, you know, when I saw this film,
01:39 initially, when I looked at the trailer and all of that,
01:43 I was thinking, oh, is this just another, like, you know,
01:45 all bash up and sort of action movie?
01:49 But actually, having watched it,
01:51 I just felt he has, the director has captured
01:55 the essence of a Gurkha's journey.
01:57 And things that I had heard from my father or grandfather
02:02 about the bravery and the courage in the battlefield,
02:05 he has actually captured all of that.
02:07 So I thought, yeah, this is something
02:10 that I would really want all of the UK
02:14 and anyone who loves hearing, reading about the Gurkhas
02:20 to actually watch it.
02:21 It's a beautifully made film.
02:23 - Because that can often be a reason not to watch a film
02:26 because you feel too close to the subject matter.
02:29 But in this case, it sounds like it really paid off.
02:32 - Absolutely.
02:33 I was actually invited to watch this
02:36 with the Gurkha Nepalese community in Maidstone
02:40 with the Gurkha Major
02:42 by the Maidstone Nepalese community chairperson.
02:45 And my initial thoughts were,
02:47 I didn't go with a lot of expectation,
02:49 thinking, okay, like, you know, I don't know what to expect.
02:52 And it's a first time film.
02:56 I think the main actor, it's his first journey into film.
03:00 So I didn't know about him as well,
03:02 but I did know more about the director
03:05 and I had seen his work before.
03:07 He incidentally is also a former Gurkha soldier.
03:10 So no wonder, like, you know,
03:12 he has captured it so beautifully.
03:14 But when I actually watched it,
03:17 there are some elements where I felt choked up thinking,
03:20 oh my God, this is still the reality back home for so many.
03:23 And I'm not gonna give away the whole, you know,
03:27 storyline because it is yet to come out on Netflix
03:31 or on other platforms.
03:33 But when it does come,
03:36 and I'm very keen to bring it to Medway at, you know,
03:38 Cineworld or Odeon,
03:40 and I will be definitely sharing it with the, you know,
03:44 schools and the colleges and universities,
03:47 as well as the counsellors as well.
03:49 I'm very keen to do that.
03:50 But yeah, I have been like bowled over by the minutiae
03:55 of what has been captured in terms of
03:58 what makes a Gurkha soldier.
04:00 - Yeah, and that's always the most important thing
04:03 because anybody watching this could easily then feel
04:06 a bit cheated or a bit short-changed.
04:08 But do you know where this was filmed?
04:10 Do you know where it's set?
04:11 Which era is this set in?
04:12 Is this contemporary?
04:14 - It is set in more the Malayan sort of conflict
04:18 where the Gurkhas were sent by the British army.
04:21 And they did a wonderful job there.
04:25 You know, I would encourage people to look back at history
04:28 where the Gurkhas were very key in,
04:30 they played a key role in the Malayan conflict.
04:36 But they have, the director has also captured
04:39 in some of the scenes,
04:42 the citations that I have read of Victoria Cross winners.
04:45 So some of those scenes have been captured ever so well
04:48 and things that you had read about,
04:50 now you can visually also watch it.
04:52 So yeah.
04:53 - Yeah, and I'm just thinking as well,
04:54 because you mentioned the educational use of this.
04:57 So in watching this, do you kind of think
04:59 that this is a really good way in
05:00 for young people in schools to understand
05:05 about what it is to be a Gurkha?
05:06 And it sounds like it's a very well told,
05:09 effectively historical resource.
05:11 - It can be a historical resource.
05:13 It can be entertainment.
05:15 It can be a learning resource.
05:17 You know, for a younger generation,
05:19 maybe they need to know about the input
05:21 as well as, you know, the sacrifices and bravery
05:24 of various soldiers from across the globe at some times.
05:27 Like, and essentially this is about the Gurkhas.
05:29 But if you look back at the history,
05:31 like in the British history,
05:32 so many people from across the world have contributed
05:35 to making Britain the free country that it is.
05:39 And the, you know, thousands and thousands of Gurkhas
05:42 that have sacrificed their lives and, you know,
05:45 shown immense bravery to make sure
05:47 that they give our generation the freedom
05:50 that we enjoy today is down to their bravery.
05:53 So I think we need to capture that history
05:55 and be proud of that history and make sure
05:57 that it is still remembered in the days to come.
06:00 - And how many times have you watched this so far?
06:03 - I've had the privilege of watching it once.
06:06 And I, at that time, I just,
06:08 and I've had the privilege of watching it
06:11 with the director and the actor as well.
06:13 So it was a very special moment.
06:15 And I thank the Gurkha Major
06:16 as well as the Nepalese Association Chairperson
06:20 in Maidstone for that wonderful opportunity.
06:23 But because I want to bring it to other,
06:25 like, audiences as well, I'd love to watch it again
06:28 with, yeah, a wider audience.
06:30 - Wonderful.
06:31 And I hope it gets that distribution.
06:32 Well, it's time now, Nina,
06:34 to move on to your second chosen film.
06:36 And you've gone for "In the Mood for Love."
06:41 So do you want to tell me why you've chosen this movie?
06:46 - Yes.
06:47 Maybe people might not know that,
06:50 but at one time I used to live in Hong Kong.
06:53 I was actually born in Hong Kong.
06:54 My father, when he was in the British Army,
06:58 he was stationed in Hong Kong and I was born there.
07:00 And years later, I returned to Hong Kong to work.
07:03 And I was not into Hong Kong cinema,
07:06 but it was a little bit later that I realized
07:09 how big impact the Hong Kong cinema was making worldwide.
07:14 And I remember there was one quite tragic news
07:18 about a Cantonese actor who took his own life.
07:25 And, you know, the outpouring of grief and all of that
07:28 made me really kind of want to know more
07:33 about the Hong Kong cinema.
07:34 And this was one of the films that was recommended
07:39 by my colleague back then.
07:41 And when I watched it,
07:44 it just opened my eyes to a totally different world
07:48 that I never knew existed.
07:50 And it's just one of the most beautifully made films ever.
07:54 It has transcended all sorts of sectors
07:57 and won like many, many, many awards.
08:00 And I think critically, highly critically acclaimed
08:03 throughout the world.
08:05 - Because that's one of the things that film can do,
08:07 because on the one hand, like with your first choice,
08:10 it's a film that resonates on a personal level,
08:12 that you lived in the very environment,
08:14 but also it would have given you
08:15 a different insight into that.
08:18 So it's not as though you were watching sort of a documentary.
08:21 It's not your own biography,
08:23 but it would have interconnected in various ways.
08:25 But it sounds as though you sort of watched it
08:27 and just found that you learned a lot more
08:30 about your own background and culture.
08:32 - Yes, I think my background and culture
08:35 is more about the Nepalese and Gurkha heritage.
08:38 And I grew up like watching Hollywood and Bollywood films.
08:42 So watching Cantonese movies,
08:45 especially one so well made,
08:47 it really captured my imagination.
08:49 And I went on to watch so many other Cantonese films,
08:53 especially from Wong Kar Wai and with the actors,
08:57 the fine actors that are Maggie Cheung
08:59 and Tony Leung as well.
09:01 It's, and if you just Google,
09:05 there are so many fans worldwide of Cantonese films
09:10 because they are so well made.
09:13 And I would highly encourage people to open up
09:16 their scope of watching different types
09:21 of different genres of films,
09:23 because there's just so many beautifully
09:25 made cinemas out there.
09:27 - And sometimes the best films are sort of hybrid films
09:30 that they deal with lots of different sort of genres
09:33 at the same time,
09:34 that they can connect in different ways
09:35 and resonate in different ways with the same audience.
09:37 But do you wanna say a little bit about
09:39 what In the Mood for Love is?
09:41 What is its essence?
09:42 What is it that works its magic for you?
09:45 - I think I am a believer in looking at body language
09:50 and the nuances of people's interactions.
09:56 I think sometimes people say more
09:58 through their body language.
10:00 And this film captures it ever so beautifully.
10:04 Like, you know, without, I think the,
10:08 if you look at the script,
10:11 some of the words I used only for saying
10:15 how they might be feeling at that time,
10:17 but the more nuances of like how they must be feeling
10:22 internally are captured through the glances,
10:25 through the body language,
10:26 through the uncomfortable ways
10:29 in which she might be presenting or he might be.
10:32 I think the exchange of glances,
10:34 I think the longing, the forlorn,
10:36 like, you know, the grief and the loss.
10:38 I think there's so many aspects of human interactions
10:43 and human emotions that have been captured shot by shot.
10:47 And literally every shot is a pure genius of cinematography.
10:51 Like, you know, and having lived in Hong Kong,
10:55 you see the, like, busyness all the time.
10:58 Like, there's people everywhere
10:59 and you're like in a rush most of the time.
11:02 But this cinema, like, because most of it
11:04 is captured in darker, like, you know, way as well,
11:08 you see the emotions, every frame captures something.
11:13 And it's just exquisitely made.
11:16 It's a beautiful story.
11:19 I'm not gonna give away the storyline once again,
11:22 but anyone who watches it will thank me.
11:26 - I'm going to return to it 'cause I have seen it before,
11:29 but it was a long time ago. - Right, okay.
11:30 - No, that's wonderful.
11:31 Well, that's about all the time we have
11:32 for this first half of the show.
11:34 However, before we go to the break,
11:36 we have a Kent Film trivia question for you at home.
11:39 Which Pirates of the Caribbean film
11:42 features a part of Sevenoaks?
11:44 Was it A, The Curse of the Black Pearl,
11:46 B, Dead Man's Chest, or C, On Stranger Tides?
11:51 We'll reveal the answer right after this break.
11:53 Don't go away.
11:55 (dramatic music)
11:57 Hello, and welcome back to Kent Film Club.
12:08 Just before the ad break, we asked you at home
12:11 a Kent Film trivia question.
12:13 I asked which Pirates of the Caribbean film
12:16 features a part of Sevenoaks?
12:18 Was it A, The Curse of the Black Pearl,
12:20 B, Dead Man's Chest, or C, On Stranger Tides?
12:25 And now I can reveal to you that the answer was, in fact,
12:28 C, On Stranger Tides, the prison yard where Bob Bossa,
12:32 played by Geoffrey Rush, threatens Gibbs,
12:34 played by Kevin McNally, is the courtyard
12:36 at the beautifully preserved 17th century Noel House.
12:40 Did you get the answer right?
12:44 Well, it's time now, Nina,
12:45 to move on to your next chosen film,
12:48 and you've gone for Kaya Kenya.
12:51 - So it's actually pronounced Kya Kehena,
12:55 and I can say that only because I speak fluent Hindi.
12:59 So Kya Kehena is what to say, you know.
13:02 It's a love story, but it carries a very good social message,
13:07 and it came out back then when I was a teenager as well,
13:11 and in those days, we used to have Bollywood films
13:15 that carried a lot of, that had lots of songs and dances,
13:20 and you know, of course,
13:20 they were like arty movies as well,
13:23 but in terms of the popular, you know, actors and actresses,
13:28 they were more inclined to play roles
13:31 that their fans would associate them with,
13:38 and this is a very bold film
13:41 that came out of Bollywood in that era,
13:44 and it is about questions that are raised
13:48 in a very tight-knit family
13:51 when what you expect of your family member
13:54 does not necessarily plays out as you would expect it to.
13:59 So in this particular story,
14:02 I'm happy to share a little bit
14:05 because it carries a special meaning to me,
14:07 also coming from an Asian background
14:10 where there were still some elements
14:13 of gender role expectations, et cetera.
14:16 We have come a long way, but I think, you know,
14:18 there's still more way to go forward.
14:23 So a fairly carefree, young, beautiful person
14:28 gets, falls in love with a very charming,
14:32 handsome young man,
14:34 and then becomes, falls pregnant,
14:39 and the trails and travails that she has to go through,
14:45 including from her own family members,
14:47 and, you know, and what she then chooses to do,
14:51 going against the social norms,
14:54 was a very courageous thing for the actress
14:57 to accept as a role,
15:01 and also for the cast members,
15:03 and also for the director and producers, everybody.
15:07 I think the whole film crew were very, very courageous
15:09 to come out with that message.
15:11 So the primary message of this film is,
15:14 ultimately, you know,
15:15 the person you love may at times
15:20 not do the things that you expect them to,
15:22 but would your love be any less?
15:25 And yeah, that's the profound message in this film.
15:29 - And that's one of the great wonders of cinema sometimes,
15:31 that it can go down pathways,
15:33 dealing with taboo questions, transgression as well,
15:36 in ways that sometimes are difficult,
15:39 but actually will prompt a discussion afterwards.
15:41 And you may come out of a film like this
15:43 sometimes thinking, gosh, you know, how do I process that?
15:45 Especially if you feel quite close
15:47 to the material in some ways,
15:48 or anyone who's gone through
15:49 any sort of personal experience like this.
15:51 But is this a film that you've kind of watched
15:54 on different occasions,
15:55 you've got something different out of it?
15:56 Do you kind of feel,
15:57 because we talked about the first film, Gurkha,
15:59 the Gurkha Warrior, and it being like a teaching resource,
16:02 do you kind of feel that this is teaching
16:05 an albeit different sort of lesson?
16:06 - Absolutely, when it came out,
16:08 I think it like really, really created ripples.
16:11 And it still resonates now, like, you know, say,
16:14 at this current time as well, even in England,
16:18 like, you know, we have families where, you know,
16:21 if their family members come out as something
16:25 that the elders or other family members
16:29 might feel they shouldn't identify as,
16:32 how accepting are they?
16:34 And, you know, do they need to reflect on themselves?
16:37 And, you know, why would their love
16:39 for this person be any less?
16:41 Just because they want to identify as somebody,
16:44 or why would their commitment to that person
16:48 or a very dearly loved family member be any less?
16:52 Just because they choose a different path
16:56 that you were expecting them to, like, not to,
17:00 because ultimately it's their life as well.
17:02 So, you know, they are perfectly well positioned
17:05 to come to an informed decision
17:08 and make the choices that they want to make.
17:10 And, you know, is your role to support that?
17:13 - And I was thinking as well, all the more enriching
17:16 when you consider these questions,
17:18 often these great spiritual, moral, ethical questions,
17:20 are dealt with through the lens of a musical
17:22 or entertainment or a comedy.
17:24 And so do you kind of think that it all integrates very well?
17:27 I mean, I watch Bollywood films sometimes,
17:29 they come to the cineplex in Ashford a lot of the time,
17:34 but do you kind of feel that sometimes in watching this,
17:36 that there's something that really works in a way
17:38 that other types of film don't quite manage to achieve?
17:43 - I think so.
17:44 In terms of Bollywood, the most fascinating aspect
17:48 is also the music, isn't it?
17:49 And this film has got great songs as well.
17:54 And it's very, very popular, those songs.
17:58 And I think people initially got attracted
18:01 to watch the film because of the songs.
18:04 And then when they actually saw the film,
18:06 it carried a really, really profoundly, you know,
18:09 meaningful sort of message for the masses.
18:13 And, you know, in some societies
18:16 where teenage pregnancy is scorned down upon
18:20 and where young mums are, you know, not supported as much,
18:25 where if you're not married and you bear a child,
18:30 then you're seen as an outcast.
18:33 I think it really sends out a really strong message.
18:37 So I think kudos to the whole team
18:40 for making that film at that time.
18:42 - Absolutely. No, thank you, Nina.
18:44 Well, it's time now to move on to your final chosen
18:46 film, and this is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,"
18:51 a film which has had a great impact on me over the years.
18:55 Do you want to tell me why you've chosen this film
18:57 from what, mid-1970s?
18:59 - I'd love to hear your perspective on that as well.
19:02 - It was one of the first Jack Nixon films that I saw,
19:05 and it dealt with, you know, this Oregon mental institution
19:10 and dealing with all sorts of questions there
19:12 about who is, in the eyes of the establishment,
19:17 in the eyes of authority, who is sane,
19:19 who decides that, who determines that,
19:21 and also it's about dehumanization,
19:22 which is a theme that we've touched on earlier.
19:24 And it's one of those sort of things,
19:26 and I watched it with a large audience once,
19:28 and they were all cheering at the scene
19:30 when Nurse Ratched is being throttled.
19:31 And I was both appalled, but, you know,
19:33 I was fascinated by that because people were really
19:35 interacting with this notion of what is the nature
19:38 of freedom and liberation.
19:40 But what's your take, Nina?
19:41 - I think those are all things
19:44 that I totally agree with as well.
19:45 And it is one of my first, like,
19:47 Jack Nixon films as well.
19:49 I actually read the book before I watched the film.
19:55 And another, like, you know, great classic, isn't it?
20:00 But I think it carries so many layers of messages
20:05 and that we can reflect on.
20:07 Even now, today, like, you know, the power play,
20:11 you know, in establishment or in smaller institutions
20:14 or even in offices as well.
20:17 You know, when people are in positions of power,
20:20 does that necessarily mean they are nice people?
20:24 Or do they have their own agendas?
20:26 And, you know, if their agendas don't go
20:28 according to their plan, how do they assert their,
20:32 you know, their position of influence?
20:35 I think also it carries messages about who is saying,
20:40 who determines who is saying enough?
20:42 Like, you know, if you and I were to be put
20:45 in a mentalist institution and told,
20:49 "All right, prove yourself that you're sane."
20:52 And if somebody is in a position of power
20:54 to keep on saying, like, "That's not proof enough."
20:57 Like, so I think it carries a lot of message.
21:01 And I think it also tells us about,
21:04 especially after COVID and, you know,
21:06 now the highlight being on mental awareness,
21:09 mental health and, you know, emotional well-being, all of that.
21:13 I think so many people amongst us
21:16 are carrying trauma in different ways
21:19 and just putting a mask on and appearing to be sane
21:22 or appearing to be okay or well enough.
21:25 But I think there are so many facets to each one of us
21:29 that we are carrying at any one time.
21:31 And in that film, as you find out, you know,
21:35 the main character is pretending to be one person,
21:38 but he is not.
21:40 Yeah.
21:41 Because I know that when this film was made,
21:44 even Jack Nicholson didn't know that the...
21:47 He thought the actors were largely patients in the institution.
21:51 And so there was that sort of sense of authenticity.
21:54 But also, I think you've hit the nail on the head.
21:57 It's that sort of notion of who gets to determine
22:00 what is it to be a proper human and who can take that away.
22:05 Does the human spirit ultimately triumph over the location
22:10 and the setting and the bureaucratisation,
22:12 which is what is represented by this?
22:15 And it resonated so profoundly in an age
22:17 when mental awareness was not something that was as important
22:21 or as seminal as it is today.
22:23 Yeah. And maybe the resonation
22:26 is because people connect with what they were carrying.
22:30 And at that time, they were not able to verbalise it
22:33 as they are able to now.
22:35 But somewhere, they connected with that character
22:39 that Jack Nicholson was playing,
22:41 primarily in that he feels trapped
22:45 and he wants to not just rescue himself, but others as well.
22:50 And irrespective of the position he was in,
22:55 as a human being, you want liberty.
22:57 You want others around you to be happy as well.
23:00 And when you feel a sense of injustice being done,
23:03 like in your own little way, you think about,
23:06 "This is not fair. This needs to change."
23:09 I'm sure as humans, we all have that consciousness.
23:13 But whether or not some of us feel able to do something about it
23:17 or feel brave enough to go a little bit further
23:20 is a question that all of us, I think, ask at various points in our life.
23:24 All of your films have addressed these questions.
23:27 So, importantly, really big ethical, spiritual dilemmas.
23:30 Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today.
23:33 Many thanks to the Mayor of Medway, Nina Gooring,
23:36 for joining us and being such a brilliant guest.
23:39 And many thanks to you all for tuning in.
23:41 Be sure to come back and join us again at the same time next week.
23:45 Until then, that's all from us.
23:46 Goodbye.
23:48 (Music)
23:51 (Music)
23:55 (Music)
23:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]