Fullyfilmy: Bollywood se lekar hollywood tak

Don 2 Movie review

2011-12-25T10:48:00.003+05:30

'Don 2 ki sabse badi galti yeh hai , ki don ke koi real dushman hi nahi hai.' . Since cool , slick, suave, sophistication and everything in this world is relative. And since Mission Impossible 4 has a plot involving an Indian satellite media tycoon, the world is the playing field for Don 2 as a movie if I count the Malays and Chinese who were in the theater with me in Singapore. Hence Farhan Akhthar has to deliver the cool of Ocean's Eleven, the sophistication of MI and the kickass quality of James Bond and the action of Bourne identity with the megalomania of a man in his 40s who wants to be king at all costs better known to us as SRK. Bahut Naainsaafi hai.

Don 2 is a very worthy sequel , since it builds well on the first one. So Don now controls drugs in Asia ( the Thais are easy meat always for Bollywood since most of our real dons hang out there) and he wants to get to Europe. But some tapes are still with Vardhan so he needs to get him out of jail to outwit Interpol and implicate the European cartel. And to fund his new European ambitions, Don 2 needs access to the printing plates of the Euro in Germany ( wish the Greeks had contacted Don instead of Angela Merkel and Sarkozy, tch tch) . So Don has some video tape from Singhania that shows the VP of the bank murdering a potential CEO and this VP an Indian (Alyy Khan) will provide the security keys to the plates. ( There is a clever line by Don that says Indians are everywhere but I sincerely hope this has no reference to Anshu Jain the co-CEO of Deustsche Bank a guy whom every IIMite and banker holds in the highest of esteem)

So far so good. When you see the first few scenes of Don 2 , you cant help enjoy the kick that SRK getting from this movie, its adrenalin, endorphine, testosterone and stardom's ultimate cocktail and SRK wants it badly . Don is his alterego. This is why the movie works in first place since you almost root for the bad guy , and this is why SRK become a star in first place , the original Baazigar. So if you dont love this part of SRK, you will never like Don 2. And Farhan Akhtar pays the directorial ransom for this especially when he induces lines like Don saying I love love stories with tongue in cheek humour at a critical juncture and allowing SRK to spoof himself in the Roma romantic angle. But pardoning that, SRK delivers some of the coolest lines like Sir bahut shareef lagta hai call me Don with such chutzpah, that you cannot help applauding.
Despite setting a good stage , having SRK on steroids and an ultra sleek cinematographer ( I daresay i found some parts better shot than MI4) , Farhan Akhtar loses steam and sputters hunting for twists and turns that boobytrap his efforts. The main flaws are

1. If Don is the coolest guy in the world, he needs competitors of substance. Its ok if he can finish off the Thai drug mafia in a jiffy in the opening scene but as the movie progresses, the lack of real competition really irritates. So you have the Interpol Chief Malik who should have retired long ago, painfully lacking in intent and vigour with Om Puri reciting dialogues like the JKLakshmi Cement commercial. Roma as the young upstart officer is so lost not only in characterization and also in the way Priyanka plays it. Her best moment is when she wears a back less gown in the fundraiser rather than a bulletproof vest. Boman Irani never cracked Vardhan even in Don 1 and here he appears as a bored passenger of the SRK entourage. He almost provides comic relief in the climax showing how miscast he is .
But the worst part is the plot involving the deputy German bank who is being blackmailed by Don so that he can get access to the security systems of the bank and get the printing plates for the Euro. I can forgive the financial naivete of Akhtar but how can I accept that such an influential banker will go and hand supari to someone who looks like a 3rd grade goonda last seen in the days of Mohra and Tridev or on the streets of Bandra as a mechanic turned henchman in Germany. ( dont know the actors name but lets call him JavedChikna) . So Javed Chikna will outwit Don the coolest, the most sophisticated and intelligent of all mafiosi put together. There is a scene where Javed Chikna says to his henchmen (yes even he has some international ones) ' get me Don's head' and he sounds as if he is ordering ' do cutting chai leke aana' . And the European drug cartel also is spineless as the Greeks on strike. It would have been so cool if the European cartel called on ISI or Al-Qaeda henchmen to finish Don and there is a large Indian moral dilemma for everyone just like the cheap dilemma that Kunal Kapoor has since he has promised his pregnant wife he wont hack for the wrong reasons. My word is that Kunal Kapoor should never play a hacker , he looks like a guy who has used a Rediff Chat room and not C++. Even Arjun Ramphal would have done a better job or maybe AK Hangal.
2. When you have a mafia movie or a Don movie, the interplay between various drug dealers or how you outwit them is the real meat (Stealing their maal from the docks in layman terms). By devoting so much screen time to the bank robbery especially when the police is so spineless, the movie falls into cinematic no man's land(or khichdi) and also slows it down by making the side show the real plot. If only they had shown more negotiations rather than Malikisms that abound. Malik and Om Puri kill any negotiation almost like a Deal or no Deal host.
3. Although from a writing point, there is no harm in showing Don manipulating Roma romantically to get his job done, you dont want a scene where Vardhan asks Roma to do a job that he could have done himself and wants to play on the romantic muddle in Roma's head. This is where the second half deteriorates and infuriates the audience despite the super slickness of the action , the sophistication of the attempt and the twists/doublecrossing. There was enough ammunition to avoid this angle, but again Farhan gets trapped into his own web.
Although the songs could have been better, the pulse of the background music is racy enough when it matters. As Don comes out triumphs in the last scenes and discusses his plan for the future which in other words sets up Don 3, I hope Farhan Akhtar does a major cleanup job discarding miscast actors and the inspirational DVDs he watched. The fact that you needed a Hrithik Roshan in a cameo as a Don disguise when the heights dont match nor the voice, you have taken the audience too much for granted for your indulgences . Dont forget , audience ko entertain karna mushkil hai , par naamumkin nahi.

Analyzing Bollywood in 2011: the down South saga

2011-12-18T09:15:00.004+05:30

2011 was commercially a major success for Bollywood since lower number of productions ensured sufficiently movie starved audiences watched anything that played at their friendly neighbourhood theatre. It shows the strength of distribution when five releases of 2011 have made it into the List of highest-grossing Bollywood films.
But creatively it was a year that saw Bollywood look Southwards for inspiration both in content and subjects. Out of the top 5 grossers of 2011, 4 of them had Southern inspiration, 3 remakes BodyGuard, Ready, Singham and one failed attempt at glory called Ra-One. Even the 6th largest hit The Dirty Picture was based on the item girl of the south, Silk Smitha. The fifth Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara was the only maninstream movie that stuck to the Bollywood yuppiedom traditions and escapist NRI fare.

Lets look at the second highest grosser of all times and Bollywood's biggest hit of 2011- Bodyguard. Even for a guy who has seen its Malayalam and Tamil versions, this script would be South India's weakest export. But Salman Khan's performance in Bodyguard combined the best of what endears Salman to the masses in first place. The guy who pays gratitude to his benefactors (emotion like HAHK and MPK), the romantic guy with a heart of gold (Chori Chori Chupke chupke) , the comedy sequences and the action that can showcase his muscles. To me Bodyguard ranks as Salman's top 3 complete performances and reminded me of a movie that many would have forgotten (another South Indian remake called Bandhan where Salman keeps saying 'Jo Jijaji bolenge woh main karoonga' which ran to packed houses in the B and C cateory towns). This coupled with the haunting song Teri meri and competent performances by the rest of the crew made this firecracker the best Id release ever (imagine 3 years back before Wanted , Id was not considered a good release date in Bollywood). This movie proved that superstardom is here to stay with the post 'Dabanngization' of Bollywood in 2010. The joy of making pure mass market movies that deify the hero was rediscovered with a vengeance and with anything Bollywood nothing succeeds like excess. Even the title Dabanng was so 'dehaathi' (country style) and it unleashed the superhero Salman ( who was always uber popular with the masses from Judwaa days in my opinion but never got the right movies) who was now retitled as North India's Rajnikant (thats still sacrilege mind it)

And 'Looking South' makes sense because the South set the gold standard in contemporary entertainment in 2010(although 3 idiots held it in 2009) with Shankar's creative tour de force Endhiran starring the messianic superstar in 3 roles(loved the villainous zeal in Rajni), amazing writing by Sujatha that brough sci-fi to the masses and AR Rahman (who incidentally resurrected the Bollywood musical with Rockstar in 2011, but more on Rockstar later).

Compared to Endhiran that maintained the marvellous balance of story telling integrity of sci-fi (Except in one mosquito sequence where Shankar's creativity overflowed) and the entertainment chutzpah associated with a Rajni movie (they even stuck to SPB singing the intro song with a robotic voice) , 2011 had Bollywood's most expensive movie Ra-One sinking into a cinematic quagmire that can be best described as the Punjabi Dhaba making Zucchini Parathas. SRK struggled throughout the movie as Indians on Australian soil and the story had as much as consistency of effort as the LokPal bill. Ra -One is a perfect example of the malaise that has impacted Bollywood. Next time SRK when Shankar contacts you for a movie just say yes(SRK was first preference for Robot) , dont refuse it and try to make a hotchpotch of your own since Ra-one despite all its big budget and hoohah struggled to beat the second biggest grosser ' Ready' another Salman Khan vehicle whose script was borrowed from a Telugu hit.
Now Ready was in all aspects an average movie that become a hit since it had virtually no competition in the summer holidays and it had great music that set the audience imagination on fire (Character Dheela and Dhinkachika) . Salman brought back his comic timing in this movie with gags and dialogues that mocked old Hindi' arya putra, priye) etc and that was not surprising since the director Anees Bazmee did make commercial successful comedy like No Entry and Welcome. In fact the success of Ready is an indication that the mass market of Rest of India is no different from the South and formula movies with loud over the top comedy still works and what better than a superstar doing his own comedy , a trend that goes back to Big B's pure mania days.
Singham was the surprise package. The original tamil hit starred Surya the hero of the original Ghajini which according to some analysts started the Go South trend. And IMHO Surya did better than Aamir Khan on all counts in the original. So Ajay Devgun had tough shoes to fill into, but Ajay breezed through the movie even mouthing Marathi lines and showing off milk white banians. But the scene stealer was Prakash Raj who displayed his unique brand of villainy that has become a staple in a Kollywood potboiler.
But this time, Bollywood is badly in need of commercially viable masala potboilers than can star its aging superstars, and the South seemed to provide the answers. Some people have wrongly compared this to the 1980 Jeetendra-Sridevi routines which is largely missing the point because those movies didnt fill a cinematic vaccum but expanded a market. Hope Bollywood can get back its mass market mojo , if not there are always choices like K.S.Ravikumar's remake of Saamy with Sanjay Dutt to entertain us.

Dabangg vs Ready : Essential differences

2011-06-06T20:26:00.002+05:30

1. Genre : D is Rustic feudal action drama vs R is urban family romcomish drama. Now in Ready the romcom tapers off very quickly(thank God since Asin is unwatchable as eye candy unlike a Sonakshi) and the family is a caricature thanks to Yakoo Akhilendra Mishra and a hamming Manjrekar.
2. Treatment of Salman: Dabangg had better treatment and presentation of the hero. Pehla nahlooanga ab sabko dhooanga. The key was to capture an action image for Salman after Wanted and then give him a larger than life character in a town setting. Different styling in terms of costumes , everything. Twisted guy for the goons, heart of gold for his apne. Ready is basically the Prem of HAHK who has developed his badmaashi out of home as well. It plays on Salman's innocent face hiding the badmaashi. So Dabangg was a creation whereas Ready is an extension.
3. Story Telling/Narrative: Frankly Dabangg remixed the South style hero presentation with sufficient UP tadka with a decidedly kitsch style. Ready actually has an amalgamtive style that took off from where Welcome had left off . Nothing new here in Ready.
4. Director: Debutante Kashyap in D and Seasoned hand Bazmee in R. Hence there is a lot of
Bad(B)Hazmee everywhere especially the forgetful Hamraker and overhammy Mishra. Even Paresh Rawal seems asylum bound.
5. D released on Eid a Salman special, R is a holiday release.
6. Songs wise D as an album is a complete one, whereas R isnt.
7. Quality of item numbers: Zarine Khan vs Malaika Arora. No debate here.
8. Action choreography - weaker in R , I thought they would do wonders with the rickshaw scene in Thailand but it was a damp squib.
9. Punch Dialogues - weaker in R, I me and myself doesnt compare well with Aisa marenge ki bhool jaoge .....
10. Realism: Unnecessary Bangkok Backdrop in R that is completely irrelevant and just a waste of producers money. shooting in Bhairavpur would have made no difference. Somehow the old world style of Dabangg made Chulbul Pandey plausible compared to a Prem. If Salman was 10 years younger, and did Ready after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, things would have been very different. Little did he know that unknown directors in the South took the HAHK template of soggy family dramas and created a platform for Vijay who then went on to be the action hero that ultimately was remade by Salman in Wanted. Another 10 yr cycle in the Bollywood vs Tollywood idea vs treatment factory.

But who cares about the analysis if we have got enough entertainment!!

Dum Maro Dum... mein dum hai

2011-04-22T19:41:00.004+05:30

Rohan Sippy delivered a lot with Bluffmaster, his second outing at Bollywood : the new yuppie cool Abhishek Bachchan, a delicious Piggy Chops with her Say na Say na routine, the fast developing Mumbai forming a good backdrop, one of the best soundtracks by Vishal-Shekhar , slickness, sharp witty dialogues and a good array of actors(Boman,Nana) lending solid support.
(Some self-indulgence my review of Bluffmaster http://booletpoint.blogspot.com/2005/12/bluffmaster-mumbai-udipi.html)
Now Dum Maro Dum doesnt break new ground. It delivers since there has been a drought of good movies thanks to cricket mania. So Rohan Sippy does a few good things. He chooses a very bankable Goa as the backdrop, Jr.Bachchan as a no-nonsense cop , a good writer Sridhar Raghavan and a whodunit theme that can seldom go wrong. The first half is slick with a presentation style that Rohan Sippy seems to have mastered, fast cuts, tight situations, unconventional sequences and smartass short dialogues with a good background score.
He adds a few new faces, Prateik Babbar , Rana Dugabati and an accomplice Mercy ( dont know the actors name) who deliver and some old ones Govind Namdeo who also deliver . Bipasha sticks out as a sore thumb, I dont know if its her acting or complete lack of oomph.
Story is simple , Goa needs to be cleaned of the drugs which means to break the political-business-cop nexus. Enter AB and his mean men. Some twists and turns, a few informants, some close encounters and a climax with a Deepika Padukone ditty thrown in. Packaged entertainment , efficient but butt butttt........
If I were to look for benchmark cop movies, I would say Sarfarosh had a better plot , Dhoom 1 had better sophistication/ action and Ab Tak Chhapan had better intrigue/drama ..Apart from a few terms like susegaad , Goa is just a backdrop beautiful no doubt, but its not integrated as say a Delhi in Rang de Basanti or 99 , it just seeps out when it gets a chance, not even a reference to feni. The songs are a big disappointment even the Dum Maro Dum remix doesnt evoke any buzz in the climax. Abhishek is dependable and manages to engage you, but he still doesnt have the stature to carry off dialogues like 'sirf iska pata batao, baaki sab ke liye google hai'. Thoda aur time lagega Salman banne. Bipasha sleepwalks, Rana Dugbati as her lover is like a Rahul Dravid innings , showing value only when others underpeform and Aditya Panscholi looks stoned rather than steely.
At the end even with a short playing time of 2 hrs , the movie ends abruptly and damply. Like an off season Goa, yes there is the rain and sufficient discounts to lure you in but no carnival in dum maro dum. Huffs puffs ....chalega when there is nothing better!

Raavan Review: Kumbhkaranish impact

2010-06-19T10:37:00.002+05:30

What are Mani Ratnam movies all about?
The ultimate combination of sensitive story telling, commercial chutzpah ( Mani invented the item song) , star quotient and amazing technical finesse due to a stellar team of cameramen, editors, music directors and art direction.
The scenes that remain with you much after the movie ( Arvind Swamy dousing the afire national flag with his knees with Rahman's background music) , the tender straight out of life romantic moments ( Alaipayuthey train sequences) , the scene where Mohanlal waves to the crowd in Iruvar and also songs ... ( Simran's outstretched aanchal on a desolate beach as she plays with her daughter in Kannathil Muthamital, the sheer despair in Tu Hi Re in Bombay)
The intensity of the characters - Kamal Hasan in Nayakan, Rajnikant in Dalapathy, Abhishek in Yuva.
Raavan fails because Mani Ratnam has become formulaic in his approach. Cookie cutter in consulting speak ... He makes 3 fundmental mistakes.
1. Not being subtle and dumbing it down
He decided that he wants to adapt the Ramayan. And he marketed the movie blatantly as Raavan. First big mistake. Did anyone realize Dalapathy was an adaptation of Mahabharata before watching the movie. He let us know that through subtlety , the name Surya, the orange hued camera work and so on. Why does he have to make Govinda hop trees to tell us he is Hanuman right in his opening scene? Just the first shot where he is lying on the entry barrier is good enough. Did someone tell him the Hindi audience was not smart enough ?
2. Craft overpowering storytelling
Mani Ratnam, you were the story teller par excellence. You made us feel for the characters. Their pain was our pain. We wanted Roja to succeed in Kashmir. We empathized with Mohan in Mouna Ragam. We were worried about Shalini and Karthik in Alaipayuthey. Here we care a damn for the characters except for some scenes where a bruised Ash shows her emotions. You yearn for moments like this scene when Dev rescues Ragini and then she asks Dev when he finally finds her " Did you come searching for me or for Beera". Beera's characterization is chaotic and Abhishek despite his best intentions is neither menacing nor larger than life. You fail to show the Robinhood in him properly and there is a certain laziness in you nowadays that prevents you from hitting juicy screenplay full tosses to the boundary. The same golden chance was squandered in Guru where you missed an opportunity to show how Dhirubhai prevent a bear cartel on his stocks. This laziness perplexes me .
3. Casting?
Remember how Rajnikant gave the performance of his lifetime in Dalapathy. Or how a Raghuvaran who always played the villain played an anguished dad in Anjali. Simran acting out of her skin in Kannathil Mutham Ital. Even a corpulent Arvind Swamy passed muster in Bombay. And Mithun da added flavour to Ramnath Goenka. Here Abhishek despite his best intentions cannot do justice to Raavan. He evokes as much menace as a ticket collector in trains and appears schizophrenic to comical to elfish. Its intriguing that in the same movie certain unknowns like Priyamani as Beera's sister register an impact but Beera struggles. It was a casting coup to get Govinda as Hanuman, but you waste him rather than endearing him to the viewers. Vikram a national award winner reduced to being a Scissors cigaratte ad model in the whole movie. Again inexplicable. Aishwarya is so professional that she copies Shobhana frame by frame when she dances Bharatnatyam ( btw Shobhana is the choreographer of the song). The best actor in the movie is Ravi Kishen who saves the movie in several ways. Wish you had also given justice to Laxman who seems to be on a hardship allowance in the forests( Nikhil Dwivedi).
But the movie is still watchable due to the following
1. Santosh Sivan's camerawork brings out the harness of the terrain and provides the ideal locations for Ashokavanam. The rain and the terrain shots in the jungle are amazing.
2. The last 20 minuetes, The climax on the bridge is awesomely shot and the last 10 minutes where Vikram asks Ash to take a lie detector test gives the movie a respectable ending. In a way the end salvages the movie being an also-ran.
3. I would still give Mani Ratnam staying true to his vision and film-making style. Well you can still forgive your mom for making a bad curry once in a while right?

2009-01-28T17:48:00.002+05:30

What type of movie is Slumdog Millionaire?
a. Hollywood blockbuster
b. Hollywood indie movie
c. Crossover cinema
d. A western attempt to make a Bollywood movie
Who would you rate the king of lost and found movies where incidents just happen so that you can discover your loved ones coincidentally?
a. James Cameron
b. Danny Boyle
c. Prakash Jha
d. Manmohan Desai
Who would you rate the king of cop interrogation scenes that can be straight of the Gamdevi police chowki ?
a.Martin Scorcsese
b.Danny Boyle
c.Rajkumar Santoshi
d.Ramgopal Verma
Which movie would you describe as the most realistic description of slum life in Mumbai that tugs your emotions and reminds you of Dharavi instantaneously?
a.Harold and Kumar
b.Slumdog Millionaire
c.Dharavi
d.Salaam Mumbai
Which train scene best epitomizes the ability of a person to separate with a loved one as the train gather momentum?
a.Trainspotting
b. Slumdog Millionaire when Jamal loses Latika
c. Hum when Amitabh loses Kimi Katkar
d. Yaadon ki Baraat when Dharam paaji loses his brothers because he jumped early
Which is AR Rehman’s best background score in a movie?
a. Moulin Rouge
b. Slumdog Millionaire
c. Rangeela
d, Bombay
Which is the best dialogue that appeals to people who rely on fate and things beyond their control to justify what happens in their lives?
a. ‘I believe in America’ from Godfather
b. ‘It is written’ from Slumdog Millionaire
c. ‘Mere paas maa hai’ from Deewar.
d. ‘Arrey oh baabu mushoy hum to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain jiski dor us upar wale ke haathon main hai kab, kaun kahan uthega ye koi nahin janta from Anand.
So you get the drift if most of your answers are a then you have never been to movies more than once a year, Hindi or English. If your answer is b then you have not seen enough Hindi movies since you lived in South Mumbai or somewhere far away from India. If your answer is c you have never seen Hindi movies twice. If your answer is d you will come out of Slumdog thinking why there is so much hype over this movie.There are some improbable scenes just because this movie had to be in English. Jamal Malik speaks accented English at a Gamdevi police station where Saurabh Shukla is on his best MC/BCs behaviour. The most popular bhikari song in Mumbai is not a Soordas bhajan Mr.Boyle, but Shirde wale Sai baba aaya hai tera dar pe qawwali. And a Latika cannot turn into a Pinto, anyone can recognize her Goanness from a distance.
Like the last error, Mr.Boyle never had time for such nuances. He was on a ride to show the worst scenes from Mumbai, lampoon India and its call center culture all in the guise of making a feel good movie.The movie definitely is feel good but its not Oscar material, its pure kitsch its the same as the British discovering balti chicken and now calling it their own. As a sign of protest, I nominate Amar Akbar Anthony for the Oscars. It had feel good , lost and found, scenes from the slums of that time and everything that makes fate the winner. In a way the success of this movie seems well written but I am sure of buffet of the scenes from several Indian movies would taste better than this khichdi with pesto sauce.And maybe Bollywood directors should resort to reading books ( beyond Chetan Bhagat) and watching Korean DVDs, we could have made our own Jhopadpati Crorepati (why didn’t they think of that name for the Hindi version?).

Jaane Tu ya Jaane Na : Movie Review

2008-07-27T11:49:00.002+05:30

I watched Jaane Tu again on Youtube... And thats when I really wanted to write a review.

Abbas Tyrewala you lovable Parsi...the guy who imbibes everything of Mumbai in a undefeatable package...the man who wrote Munnabhai ...and the delectable Om Shanti Om makes an impressive debut as a director...

The movie starts on a self-deprecatory note with a classic plot device ...a set of friends narrating an old story that culminates in an airport while going to pick up from an airport to a girl who seems quite bored with the group... Yawn...another love story....in this way Abbas teases the audience but also underdogs himself...

The group of friends is perfect and anyone who has studied in colleges can identify with it. Bombs ( Alishka Varde) is the classic Marathi gal who would develop a soft corner for. Rotlu and Jignesh as the loser stereotypes are excellent and the other gal with super spunk...In fact casting is so perfect throughout the movie....Naseer, Ratna Pathak Shah, Jayant Kripalani, Anuradha Patel , Kitu Gidwani, Rajat Kapur, Paresh Rawal really add charm to the scenes and the crazy duo of Arbaaz and Sohail play the best cameos of their lie...

The movie has a spoofy touch to it all over as well. Almost as if Abbas had an Om Shanti Om hangover...But here all the references are subtle and you would not pick them up sometimes. It was almost as if Abbas took all the standard set of classic Bollywood cliches and shuffled them in a different goofy way. Some of them like the the dream sequence with the horse is something like Zanjeer, the whole Ranjhore Rajput flashback is actually a version of the QSQT first part where Dalip Tahil kills someone but here Naseer dies,leaving Jai to be raised by Ratna Pathak Shah, a Dil type college fight and the jailing of the hero, a scene where Imran jumps over a hedge like Aamir Khan in JJWS, Rotlu giving Tu hi re the really rotu touch, the Hum Paanch type talking to the dead husband...and lots of others...

The lead cast is not likeable immediately but they grow on you mainly because they dont try too hard. Imran has a lot of his uncle especially when he smiles and when he explains something. Genelia although blessed with an irritating voice and diction, d0es manage to sprinkle a simple girl next door type feel to her role. This kind of a love story cast that was missing in Bollywood for a long time.Simple, effervescent, casual and completely natural ...

There are some absolutely superb dialogues in the movie ..when Aditi says ' College ke 5 saal kaise beet gaye pata hi nahi chala' and Ratna Pathak interjects ' Phone pe beta, phone pe'. Jignesh talking about ' Aditi ko visa bhi mil gaya, sab ko nahi milta hai' an intelligent quip and also 'mera surprise birthday party hai,zaroor aana'...All of Ratna Pathaks dialogues are cool just because the way she says it...there is a scene where she talks to Naseer ' tum sarphire, hinsak.....pause...mard' ... her interludes with the cop Waghmare ( although a restrained Paresh Rawal but lacking enough Marathiness to pull off a Waghmare) are wonderful..What delight she is ...oh how I miss Sarabhai vs Sarabhai...

Songs are truly cool...Pappu cant dance works due to the interesting lyrics where as Kabhi Kabhi Aditi due to the strumming tune...Kahi pe Nigahen is also nice...Although I have to say the choreography could have been much better for Pappu cant dance and kahi pe nigahen.

The movie though thoroughly enjoyable raises some tough questions for the love story genre.. Now could Abbas have pulled this off as a pure love story, if you remove all the set pieces like the Rajput Rathore angle, the portrait talk, the police inspector angle, etc. I dont think so at all. Since the story drags the most when there is focus on the love story. In fact the purposefully negative characterization of Sushant , and the disturbed family life of Meghana are easy writing gimmicks. At the end of the day, I never felt the love...which is where Jab We Met scored a bit. And if I compare it with the love stories it tries to spoof, then I really thought Aamir and Madhuri or Juhi loved each other a lot more in Dil and QSQT. In fact it doesnt even come close to the Aamir's silly fling with Pooja Bedi and Ayesha Jhulkas pain in JJWS.

Hence Abbas Tyrewala is a smart writer who acknowledges the limitation of his own film-making in some way just like Pappu cant dance saala actally refers to Imran's debut without a dance number. Since Yash Chopra's karva chauth and chiffons style refashioned by his cronies like Kunal Kohli is not working, I am seriously wondering if the Bollywood love story ki death hi ho gayi kya.

Dark Knight the Bright Light

2008-07-20T14:58:00.000+05:30

There is something about Batman that attracted me as a kid. The first reason was because of quizzing trivia attached to it especially the inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci drawing. I saw the animated series on DD sometimes, with the whole ‘pow’ punches for camp effect. Then in engineering I met a guy who actually collected original Batman comics (in India you had a lot of fake reprints) who explained the whole ‘dark’ concept about it. But the first Batman movie I saw: ‘Batman and Robin’ was a huge disappointment. In the meanwhile, I have heard a lot of Batman history and trivia from some colleagues but I also missed the resurrection, Batman Begins.

Cut to The Dark Knight. This is the first Hollywood Blockbuster after Casino Royale that I have watched in sneaks. And it was more than paisa vasool.

I have been a big fan of blockbusters rather than comic book heroes; although Batman is the only one I have actually read more. To me the movie works on both counts.

It is kind of counterintuitive, but it is true that a superhero movie is better if the villain more powerful, menacing and unpredictable. So if you want to make a good superhero movie, focus on the quality of villainy, not the histrionics of the hero.

And the Dark Knight pays complete homage to the above rule. Heath Ledger’s Joker shines through this movie engulfing you into his menacing ways. A devil needs character and also characterization, and there are enough dialogues and scenes that do it well in this movie. Moreover the screenplay is so perfect, that the interplay of characters and the situations is always poignant, tense and engaging. And it succeeds in creating an enjoyable movie not for its special effects but for the raw human emotion behind its characters. And Batman is not truly a superhero; he is at best a guy with better access to technology.

There are some absolutely stand out scenes, like Joker’s entry scene with the pencil, the social experiment on the ship, some incredible action sequences where Batman almost lassoes a truck. The movie is also peppered with intelligent dialogues and zingy one-liners.

I can probably write a bit more, but since everyone would have watched this movie due to the saturation release policy let me just end by saying if you wondered if Hollywood had forgotten to make a blockbuster, watching this will redeem the faith in the direction of the superhero genre by Christopher Nolan and the studios ability to continue to build the hype.

What Race is this ?

2008-03-30T10:26:00.002+05:30

Race Gadhon ki,

Race audience ki,

My head is aching yaaa.....

Bachaa Bachaa.......

Ye movie time ki barbaadi hai...abbas mastan ni baasi kadi pakai hai....

(Remix of the title song of Race)

This race is all about finding the exit door. A movie that is high on style, stubble and skirts and low on everything else.Abbas Mastan the thriller titans give us a half baked enterprise that can never raise its game. Amateurish dialogues , when did cockroach become a gaali? The movie is about two horse racing brothers, Saif and Akshaye, one committed to winning and other who is a drunkard wanting to win at all odds. So Akshaye hatches a plan of duping his brother and polishing him off in a Baazigar style building drop (can we have better ideas please). To do this he also involves Bips who is Saif's flame by saying he will leave daru if she becomes joru.

Akshaye actually pouts more than he plans and his face twisting is the least of our worries. The bigger worry is the senseless plot twists which are almost inexplicable at times and are hardly suspenseful. The movie livens to some extent with the entry of a fruit eating detective played by Anil Kapoor and his dumb secretary Sameera Reddy who investigates Saif's death with as much seriousness as a music show judge.

Katrina Kaif and Bipasha take turns in looking out of sorts and mouthing dialogues with disinterest. Bipasha even scores low in the looks department with bad hair days and ill-fitting costumes. Katrina has almost no role in the first half except for getting papers signed by Saif from time to time.

I am reminded of the famous Rangeela dialogue to summarize this movie where Aamir Khan asks the restaurant owner ' kya re sirf table khurchi pe kharch kiya kya?'. Similarly Abbas Mastan have spent a lot of Taurani money on horses, blowing up expensive cars and a good star cast. The rest of it they completely forgot.

Dus Kahaniyaan :Movie Review

2007-12-08T13:55:00.000+05:30

Dus Kahaniyaan is an experiment to club 10 stories about relationships into a movie helmed by six directors. And as an experiment it definitely works for the moviegoers who want to see something different from the Bollywood hype machine. It is far better than the Darna Mana Hai series and the choice of subject offers a richer tapestry for the directors.

The starting story of this enterprise ‘Matrimony’ is the smartest of the lot. Mandira Bedi looks ravishing and acts well showing how ignored an actress she is thanks to the overdose of her strapless spaghettis during the cricket matches. This story is very crisply edited and the twist takes a minute to understand and appreciate.

The best story from an engagement standpoint is ‘Rice Plate’. I would half predict that Rohit Roy (yes the same guy who hosts one of the music shows and acts in many serials) is a director to watch out for. He succeeds in making Shabana Azmi very believable and likeable as a Tamil Iyer paati. The last attempt to do the same Morning Raga was a disaster from the word go. Using simple story telling based on the old generations intolerance for other religions, he creates a fresh style of making a point about religious integration without force or over emotion or patriotism. An incident taken out of a normal day to present a larger thought is deceptively easy but tough to execute. And when you have Naseer in an impeccable cameo and Shabana getting her Iyer mannerisms right, you cannot ask for more from a debutante director.

Lot of people would like the story Pooranmashi helmed by Meghna Gulzar, which portrays the hinterland of Punjab with great narrative grip relying on very clichéd metaphors. Although there is enough pathos in this story, I would have expected a better ending by a woman director. Why can’t a woman who has chosen to have an extra marital relationship in a village speak up? Or are we to assume she was looking for some support from her lover Parmeet Sethi but he turns out to be a wimp. I think this latter part should have been explored a bit more.

The fourth story that was good was the Neha Dhupia and Mahesh Manjrekar. Again Manjrekar is perfectly cast as the suspecting wretched husband and Neha as the bored housewife. The takeaway from this story is poignantly developed and delivered. Good direction and casting.

And then you have Nana Patekar delivering a fine old wine performance in Gubbare. Although this story is predictable as soon as Anita sees Nana carrying 11 balloons for his wife, it tugs the heart and paints a lovely picture of married life. Perfectly directed by Sanjay Gupta you wonder if he should do an emotional movie for a change.

The last story Rise and Fall is the Sanjay Gupta we all know. Black suits, rain, bullets, underworld. Incredible stylized, especially the fight sequence in the rain, this story is weak from a scripting stand point and even Sanju baba is not in good form. Maybe he wanted to end this movie with a signature style clip but like Tendulkar he misses an easy century.

The other stories are ordinary. Ranked seventh would be the Manoj Bajpai Dia Mirza one. It was good to see Bajpai on screen after a long time; he still has some special screen presence. Just wish it’s utilized rightly. Dia Mirza is sugary sweet as usual.

Eight would be the High on the highway is a Barista generation clip although its a bit overdone and melodramatic. Although performances by Jimmy Shergill and Masoomi are average, there is something contemporarily cool about this story except for its ending.

The forgettable ones are directed by Apoorva Lakhia and Jasmeet Dhodi.They try to be spooky almost as if the directors forgot that this was Dus Kahaniyan and not Darna Maha Zaroori Hai.

Overall a good effort and a true multiplex product.

Om Shanti Om Movie Review

2007-11-08T19:49:00.000+05:30

Let us look at the odds against Farha Khan the director.

1. Making a movie involving a movie and the movie industry

2. Making a movie involving re-incarnation which was last seen 10 yrs back in Karan Arjun

3. Following up a hit like Main Hoon Naa

Not only does she overcome these odds, she pulls off a pure masala entertainer walking a thin line between paying homage to the moviemaking style of the 60s-70s and spoofing it in good measure.

The story is waferthin. SRK plays Om a junior artiste who falls in love with Shanti the reigning superstar. Just as she begins to reciprocate his love, she dies in a studio fire masterminded by a producer and SRK also dies while trying to save her. SRK is reborn as a superstar son in his punarjanam(reincarnation for dummies) and how he regains his past birth memory and avenges Shanti's death form the climax.

But the execution especially in the first two hours of the movie is cool. Its completely over the board at times but extremely likeable. Its also in a way a celebration of SRK's superstar megalomania and he is left to deliver an untethered performance where he really enjoys himself with all his not so tongue in cheek jabs.

The movie is best viewed as a great aggregation of sequences. Although the first half set in the 60-70s is by no means exact in terms of reproduction, since sometimes the sets, dancing styles, spoofed actors and acting styles do not actually match those times. But who cares, since we wanted a leave our brains at home entertainer.

Some sequences are hilarious, the Manoj Kumar premiere scene, SRK's junior artiste Bhaago scenes, the dhoom tana song, SRK's take on Quick Gun Murugan, the Filmfare awards function, the apahij pyar shooting and of course the 31 star-studded song. The Filmfare awards function shows the sporty side of Bollywood especially Abhishek Bacchan and Akshay Kumar. How I wish they actually make a 'Khiladi Returns' with Akshay Kumar's new found superstar status as shown in the nominations.

SRK goes one step ahead in megalomania in the Filmfare awards scene winning two nominations as the reincarnated Om Kapoor for ' Main bhi hoon na' and 'Phir bhi dil hai NRI', two films shown completely alike in treatment with Swiss Alps. But he goofs up where he normally goofs up, the drunken scenes and the nostril flaring emotional scenes.

Deepika Padukone gets a dream debut, although Farha Khan manages to camouflage her acting skills in 70s types wigs and costumes in the first half and skimpy clothes in the second half.

The true hero of the film is Farha Khan. This is a movie that could have only been made by a movie buff with both the heart and head in the right place. Seriously, Agar tum kisi cheez ko dil se chaho to poori kaynaat use dilaane ki koshish karta hai. Wonderful Paulo Coelho rehash for Bollywood.

And SRK the smart producer that he is, must have netted a cool Rs.60 Cr profit by making this movie in 20 and selling to Eros at 80.

Please watch and enjoy seeti maarke....

Jab we meet: a breezy ride

2007-11-08T17:08:00.001+05:30

Jab we meet comes as a whiff of fresh air in what has been a disastrous year for Bollywood. Well its not that fresh as well, it is a clever rehash of DDLJ. Replace SRK with Kareena and Kajol with a khadoos Shahid Kapoor, replace the Yash Chopra Europe obsession with a Mumbai- Amritsar Express and some really laughable sequences, you have Jab We Meet.
Although sparks do not fly when you see a lead pair in love when the movie was made, they make engaging viewing. Kareena gets to play a character that suits to her to a K. She infuses infectious enthusiasm with dialogues that are refreshingly simple but effective like 'kya boss kya kar rahe ho', 'main apni favourite ho', 'mujhe bachpan se hi shaadi karne ka bahut shauk tha' and so on.
Kareena who has never missed a train in her life meets Shahid who has missed a lot of zeros in his bank account. She loves to speak and he doesnt want to speak. So you have some funny interludes which results in the two getting stranded at Ratlam station. There comes the hilarious Decent Hotel where Kareena asks the rate by the hour and doesnt realize she is mistaken for a prostitute.
The story then moves to Kareena's house in Punjab, where she wants to elope against her family wishes. The Punjabi stereotyping is really funny especially her overboard father. Although Shahid helps her elope, she gets ditched and works in a missionary school in Shimla. How Shahid finds her and gets married to her is the climax. In between there is an excellent cameo by the guy who ditches Kareena in the first place. Watch out for the ganna scene and his other constipated cribs.
Overall a breezy ride thanks to an engaging screenplay and good songs.

Is Akshay Kumar the new superstar

2007-10-18T08:41:00.000+05:30

Apparently his package has crossed Shahrukh's.

All of Akshay's 2007 movies, Namastey London,Heyy Baby,Bhool Bhulaiyya have shown bumper openings in SRK's stronghold: the overseas markets.

He is making a comeback into action movies with Deepika Padukone to be shot in full John Woo style and Matrix style.

Vipul Shah is making a monster of a movie titled 'Singh is king' with him.

If only he had a better voice, he would be a complete package.

But he still seems to be a guy's superstar, most babes dont rate him highly. But who cares when the moolah flows right?

Om Shanti Om: Update

2007-10-18T08:31:00.001+05:30

The more I see of Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om, I cant help feeling she has a winner on her hands. Deepika Padukone looks a million bucks, Shreyas Talpade would prove to be an endearing sidekick and Shahrukh strangely has an author backed role to ham and the music is bursting the charts.

I liked all the nostalgia components, the sets, the costumes and especially the 786 starting couplet. I remember watching so many movies in the 70s that used to start with the couplet. Of course the 786 was immortalized forever in Deewar.

And the song Deewangi with 31 stars simply rocks. Its such a simple concept, copied from Manmohan Desai's Naseeb and its revolving restauarant, but there is something simply magical about getting all of Bollywood in one song for a fan.

Rock on...till Nov 9.

No Smoking Music

2007-10-18T08:27:00.000+05:30

All is not lost in Bollywood in terms of innovation as some would presume.

Check out the No smoking soundtrack. If the Marlboro Man type seductiveness of wisps of smoke was not enough, the songs are an admirable extension.

Listen to 'Phoonk De' sung brilliantly by Sukhwinder Singh. One of the best sutta songs after the infamous 'BC Sutta' which moved from IIT campuses to the pubs in no time.

Laaga Chunari mein Daag: Chuna laga !

2007-10-14T12:44:00.000+05:30

Laaga Chunari mein Daag:Movie Review

Yash Chopra presents a Pradeep Sarkar movie.

Someone who cannot think beyond Swiss Alps and expensive sets meets someone who can’t think beyond the Banaras Ghat (done to death in his music videos) and Calcutta’s byzantine lanes.

But what do you get? A story that could have been written by anyone who can hold pen to paper in exactly 30 minutes.

Jaya Bhaduri tries to make ends meet in Benaras, by stitching petticoats since her husband Anupam Kher does not get pension since he refused to bribe.(yeh thoda stretch tha, even UP is not that bad). So sayani badi ladki Rani gets pulled out of school to help momma and to continue chulbuli chhoti ladki Konkona’s education. A quick arithmetic shows that the breakeven number of petticoats to sustain the depicted lifestyle was 10 a day. Like the Australian targets that India chases, tough but not impossible.

But the house is about to get usurped by Anupam’s brother Tinnu Anand and his pehelvan son. So it needs an extraordinary effort now, and petticoats wont save the day.

Out goes Rani to Mumbai to prove that she can be a man too to her dad. So she encounters big bad Mumbai in all its splendour. She can’t get any job since she is not educated like call centers, DTP and retailing. Any reason why she didn’t try jobs like jhaadu pochha bhajiwali, cooking dabbas etc? No because Pradeep Sarkar has made up his mind that she has to join the world’s oldest profession. And he also uses a mujra scene in Benaras with a weary Hema Malini to say that Rani has talent for that profession!

Helped by an effervescent Suchitra Pillai (why babe do you seem to be championing the feminist without a cause roles), Rani transforms into a high class escort with clothes that would put Topaz dancers to shame. So the moolah keeps coming in and everything in Benaras blooms.

A brief dalliance with a very specially appearing Abhishek Bacchan follows. They fall in love in the backdrop of Hanuman Chalisa ( Gayatri mantra is passé nowadays I guess, but can a bachelor God do much in the matters of love?). The whole dalliance seems an excuse for Yash Chopra to shoot in Swiss Alps. And Abhishek Bacchan has so much desi nostalgia for samosas, jalebis and kullad chai within 2 days that Rani seems the right gal for him. But is rishta ki buniyaad itni kacchi hai ki ultratech cement bhi usse jod nahi sakta.( I think this was a better dialogue than any in the movie)

More complications arise, chulbuli chutki comes to Mumbai after passing a MBA ( seems so easy nowadays, sigh) to be a management trainee. She starts off giving lessons in capturing the new Indian woman to her advertising agency and one of India’s oldest brands Lux. ( Hey well did they not use only filmstars in their campaigns why all this new drama, they just had to sign Sonam Kapoor). Maybe Pradeep Sarkar wanted to pay back all those lousy ad agency guys who made him shoot commercials in his struggler days. That also gives chutki an opportunity to fall in love with her mayonnaise dropping cool dude boss Kunal Kapoor.

Oh ho in this wonderful Asian Paints picturesque atmosphere, comes the villain who threatens to reveal the truth of Rani to entire Benaras. But Chutki learns about this as well and asks Rani to come to Benaras to Rani for her marriage. Enter Abhishek Bacchan as Kunal’s brother to sing one song and create confusion in Rani’s mind. But suddenly Pradeep Sarkar realizes that he has to end the movie soon, so he wimps badly in the climax in all departments(dialogues being the worst hit) and the movie has a happy ending.

Of course the performances are good. Konkona bringing great effervescence to her character and Rani almost playing the role with the efficiency of a Rahul Dravid middle order rescue innings. Abhishek sleepwalks through this role but is still good while he lasts on screen. Kunal Kapoor shows great screen presence. Tinnu Anand and Sushant Singh are perfectly cast as villains but are given so little to do.

Music is run of the mill except for ‘Hum to aisi hi hai bhaiyya’.

Well all in all, this movie would have suited the 60s, with a cast of Dharmendra, Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Pran, Nirupa Roy and Bharat Bhushan. Sadly the movie stumbles to create a movie in the ‘Vivaah Baghban’ mould but never quite manages it. Lets blame it on the creative differences between Aditya Chopra and Pradeep Sarkar and an attitude to take the audience for granted.

Laaga Chuna is baar!

Bhool Bhulaiyaa Movie Review

2007-10-12T10:26:00.000+05:30

Akshay Kumar got the genre definition of Bhool Bhulaiyaa right in an interview when he said that it is India’s first psychological thriller with an element of comedy.

Well that itself creates a positioning problem. People want to deliberately either associate this movie with the “oh it’s another Priyadarsan madcap multi-character comedy” or “oh it’s a scary bhoot movie” types. And since the promos never made it clear like Akshay Kumar, cinegoers with the above expectations are bound to be disappointed.

But therein lies the beauty of the original movie. Yes, make no mistake, Priyadarsan sticks scene by scene, dialogue by dialogue to the Malayalam original Manichitratazhu , the movie where he was once an assistant director.

Manichitratazhu is regarded as a cult classic in Malayalam movie cinema of the late 80s, for its well differentiated unique screenplay, a thrilling climax and a superlative National Award winning performance by Shobhana. Not to forget Mohanlal who makes an entry one hour into the movie and really enlivens proceedings in an endearing manner to make up for an otherwise slow-moving movie.

Now remaking Manichitratazhu(1993) is fraught with these dangers,
a) Can it still be a good story for a caramel popcorn/corn chat eating audience who would not even appreciate certain terms and rituals in the movie?
b) Can the intelligent screenplay which is not so straightforward and not so funny appeal to the common masses?
c) Will the slow first half and the late entry by the hero slacken audience interest?
d) Can Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan deliver the performances that can really match upto Mohanlal and Shobhana?

There are answers to the above. And those answers can be found in the Tamil adaptation Chandramukhi starring Superstar Rajnikant. Staying true to the original premise, the movie was brilliantly spiced up with an early entry of Rajnikant and a faster first half due to the romantic track/more songs and rib-tickling comedy. So Chandramukhi turned out to be a complete entertainer with a twist in the end.

To be fair to Bhool Bhulaiyya , it is a very honest effort for a different kind of story telling. The setting is perfect in Benaras with cinematographer Thiru and art director Sabu Cyril brilliantly capturing the ghats and the holy atmosphere. The casting could not be better given the limitations. (Of course I still believe a better remake would have been with Madhuri Dixit and Amitabh Bacchan 10 years back).

The story goes like this. Siddharth(Shiney Ahuja) a royal descendant comes from America to Benaras with his wife Avni ( Vidya Balan) for a project in India. He decides to stay in the royal palace instead of his uncle’s (Manoj Joshi) haveli. Now the royal palace is supposedly haunted by the ghost of a Bengali dancer who danced in the court of a former king. She fell in love with a dancer who stayed in the neighbourhood and the king killed her for this betrayal. So the legend has it that she (her ghost) would not allow any king to stay alive in the palace.

Hence the care-taker (Paresh Rawal), his friend (Asrani) and the uncle keep the third floor of the palace locked with a bhairav kavach. Avni and Siddharth refuse to believe the ghost stories and continue to stay at the palace. Avni in her enthusiasm breaks open the door of the third floor to find a lot of royal ornaments and a fascinating courtroom. But a series of unfortunate events happen, the locksmith who made a key dies mysteriously, people sight the ghost at night and more spooky events happen. Moreover the extended family starts getting frightened at the smallest twitch leads to funny moments with Paresh Rawal as Batuk Prasad taking the cake. There is also a village tantrik , a brilliant Rajpal Yadav who has no clue of what is happening but is trying to preserve his job. The suspicion falls on the uncle’s daughter (Ameesha Patel) as the one who is possessed by the spirit. Who is responsible for this? Is it really a ghost? Or is it someone else?

To answer all these questions enters Dr. Srivastava (Akshay Kumar) a renowned psychiatrist and Shiney’s friend. The entire extended family is mistrustful of Akshay and his weird antics. How Akshay Kumar solves the problem in his unique way is the climax of the movie. Given anything more would be a spoiler.

The movie’s climax song is a BIG disappointment. It lacks the intensity of the Malayalam and Tamil versions and is a very ordinary composition for a movie that demanded a superlative effort.( Give me Oru morai or Raa Raa anyday)

The performances of the lead cast are good but not great. Vidya Balan despite all her talent is a tad disappointing in her ability to live the complex character she plays. Shiney Ahuja is a mixed bag. Akshay Kumar tries his best to enliven proceedings but its unfair of Priyadarsan to make him imitate some of the mannerisms that Mohanlal did in the original like the studied rotation of the spectacles. The shuddh Hindi dialogues are “karnapriya” sometimes but are not outrageously funny.

Overall as a Hindi movie, the movie would evoke mixed reactions. It would get a watchable tag but nothing more. It is sad that Priyadarsan wanted to stick to the Malayalam original so much and not achieve a middle ground between Manichitratazhu and Chandramukhi. That would have been a smarter strategy in hindsight.

The drought ends this week !

2007-10-09T20:36:00.000+05:30

Finally 2 Hindi movies hit the marquee this Friday. 1 is Bhool Bhulaiyya(BB) and 2 is Laga Chunari Mein Daag (LCMD). Its a close contest between the two. Of course LCMD has got the higher curiosity factor due to a better star cast with Rani, Abhishek and Konkona. Of course we have Jaya Bhaduri who will try to pass off as an actress yet again ! Remember Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum where she welcomed Shahrukh Khan with such a glum expression that he would have wanted to take the same helicopter back. And then of course she matched up with such flawless expressions in Kal Ho Na Ho as well.

LCMD, sounds like school mathematics but has interesting chemistry between the lead pairs, a good director Pradeep Sarkar ( although Parineeta was over rated) and tons of marketing muscle. It also boasts of a good story looking at the promos. But I somehow think it will have a very tear jerky second half. Songs could redeem the movie whenever it lags and there would be powerhouse performance from Rani and Konkona.

Bhool Bhulaiya is a test of star power of one man Akshay Kumar. If he can pull this off, he is undoubtedly the superstar of this year with 3 big hits to his name. Of course for purists who know the original versions of this movie ( Manichitratazhu in Malayalam which was then adapted in Tamil as Chandramukhi starring Rajnikant) , there are a lot of interesting questions. Can Vidya Balan match Shobhana, how will Priyadarsan remake it, what is the mix of comedy and spook he will choose, etc etc. For now the promos make it appear as a comedy keeping in mind Priyadarsan's target market, but the movie could well surprise people who expected to see a full fledged comedy. But in any case , Priyadarsan badly needs to get out of the screwball comedy rut he has got himself into.

But since there has been a good movie drought, even from Hollywood , both films should have great openings due to high expectations. LCMD could have a better opening than BB but then the relative merits will decide how they go forward.

Atlast a weekend to look forward to.

Jab we meet : Music review

2007-10-01T14:47:00.000+05:30

Pritam returns with another soundtrack, a youthful movie starring real life couple Shahid Kapoor and Kareena.

The song Mauja Mauja is already playing on the music channels, with Kareena looking ravishing in a black outfit( after a long time) having lots of weight. Apparently its due to a vegetarian diet suggested by Shahid. Labh Jajua who hit the limelight with "Phas gaya pyar karke" in Pyaar ke side effects does complete justice to this song.

The other good track is Nagada Nagada sung soulfully by Sonu Nigam but the over bhangra orchestrization and chorus makes it quite ordinary at the end after the second hearing.

There is a very Pritam sounding track which could have been part of any Emran Smoochme movie called "Tum Se Hi". And the remix version as usual is better.

There are attempts like Aaoge Jab Tum for the mandatory judai song but they are neither distinctive nor melodious.

The best song is of course "Yeh Ishq Hai" although the beats sound flicked from somewhere. But its a easy listen with Shreya Ghosal singing in a more sexier voice than normal. Of course the picturization on Kareena will aid this song further.

Overall, a slightly above average album that goes well with the movie story and cast.

Dhol dabba gol

2007-09-27T07:41:00.000+05:30

Dear Mr. Priyadarsan,

I watched Dhol last night by paying a princely sum of SGD 10. This was one of the few movies after Naksha that I was repeatedly looking at my watch to see when this movie will end.

I have been a great fan of your movies and your absolute control over the situational slapstick comedy genre. These films worked in Kerala largely due to the social milieu which always consisted of unemployed youth always trying to scrounge for a job or a few rupees, the ensemble star cast with actors like Mohanlal, Srinivasan, Innocent, Jagathi, KPAC Lalitha who could effortlessly enact the situation and of course brilliant dialogues.

Your initial forays into Hindi movies were disastrous since you could never find the right set of actors who could deliver what the Malayalam actors could. Jay Mehta (Muskurahat) , Arvind Swamy (Saat Rang Ke Sapne) , Jackie Shroff ( Gardish) all paled in comparison to Mohanlal. When you tried to use Innocent in Doli Sajake Rakhna, I could sense the struggle.

But in tinseltown, there are times when everything just clicks together beautifully. In Hera Pheri you got the casting right (Akshay, Paresh, Sunil) , the writing right ( Neeraj Vora) and the setting right. Then came the factory approach where you decided to make quick money (apparently charges Rs.3 Cr per movie) by remaking screwball comedies. This not only ensured faster cycle time and more money as well. Your one attempt to deviate from screwball to semi-serious ( Kyun Ki: a remake of Thalavattam) flopped miserably.

But now the law of diminishing returns has set in . Dhol is a classic example. There is a set of unemployed youth who always seem to be in fancy clubs, sports stadiums and plush eating joints wearing designer clothes. None of them looks needy like Mukesh and Asokan in the original Harihar Nagar. Some of the translation of the Malayali sarcastic jokes fall flat. It seems like a factory output. At best the movie gives you some chuckles. The climax time confusion with slapstick humour doesnt make you laugh anymore. Rajpal Yadav tries his best to save the movie but does sound repetitive.

The problem is you are remaking movies that were hits in Kerala in the 80s. Even Hera Pheri based in a chawl in Mumbai would now be difficult to contextualize, since these chawls have now given away to apartments. Maybe a fully rural setting like Malamaal Weekly is better to contextualize. So your business model is reaching its natural limits. I must say that David Dhawan did a better job in Partner this year than your last few attempts.

The only set of movies now left to be remade is the Mohanlal-Srinivasan series of Nadodikatu to AkaraAkara. If you can sign Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi together for 3 movies and command Rs.10 Cr for that, then you can make your money for next 2 yrs. I am sure this would have crossed your mind several times.

But I think the time has come for you to write Bollywood screenplays with new sources of inspiration. Do not end up as another remake factory director like K Bapiah and other such unknowns during the Jeetendra Sridevi 80s.

Best Regards,

Om Shanti Om: Preview and Music Review

2007-09-26T09:45:00.000+05:30

As readers(kaha hai!!) of this blog would know, I admire what Farah Khan pulled off in Main Hoon Naa. It maximized SRK's superstar status making him do all his favourites: goofy romance, loony college scenes, nostril oscillations with tears and throbbing veins to express amher . She almost reinvented the masala genre for the 2000s packaged with great music, oomph, comedy and casting. She also managed to pay homage to her filmy inspirations ( the matrix style spit scene, the sholay inspired dhanno, some nasir hussain style direction). For a debut movie, it rates as one of the best in the commercial context.

She takes a bigger bite at fame with Om Shanti Om. As the title suggests , it is inspired by Subhash Ghai's Karz which was a tale of reincarntion that worked due to great music and the man who could take a guitar, walk into a stage and set the screen on fire. I am talking of Rishi Kapoor the ultimate lover boy who ever graced Bollywood screens but stopped guitaring when his paunch affected the strumming. Hrithik with all his six packs cant have the same charm.

In a brilliant scripting breakthrough, she casts SRK as a struggling junior artiste who really acts badly. He falls in love with a reigning superstar actress and then launches a movie with her. Then probably he dies or is killed and he returns back or reincarnates as a superstar. Again , this kind of script gives Farah Khan the canvass to do everything she likes : spoof old movies, choreograph different kinds of dances, and so on.

The music sounds good , Vishal-Shekhar come on tops again with a score which suits their style to a T. So you have a lilting romantic ballad " Aankhon mein teri" enhanced by Kay Kay's soothing voice. This is a very unVS track but they have shown their variety here.

Then you have a real fusion track Dard-e-Disco that combines Arabic beats, some really cool rhyming lyrics ( Dard-e-Disco with San Francisco) and good disco feel orchestratization. This is clear VS territory and they come up on tops and SRK's six packs will only boost this song further. Sukhwinder again shows why he can be trusted for songs like this.

Then you have the saga song Dastan-e-OSO. This takes you back to the age where the climax song used to be a crucial element of the movie with flashbacks et al. This song creates the perfect mood for it although its heavily inspired by the 'Ek Hasina Thi' in writing as well as composition. The song is a good tribute.

Deewangi Deewangi is an instant hit and is a great combination of the drums, qawali and innovative sounds. Again Shaan and Sunidhi provide the right energy to this song and the superb chorus just make this song a dream chartbuster for a movie like this.

Dhoom Tana is Laxmi-Pyare with the drums that typified the 80s. A different set of singers Abhijeet and Shreya just add the right romantic feel to this song that could have been easily picturized on the hero heroine on huge outdoor sets with thousands of extras.

Jag Soona Lage provides the mandatory sad song like Lambi Judai in Hero and such other films. Again Richa Sharma and Rahat Ali Khan and Javed Akhtar's lyrics do good justice to it . Again very 80s.

Main Agar Kahoon suffers from a lack of period classification. It is neither contemporary nor particularly reflective of any era nor particularly melodious.

Overall a great album with the right mix of music for the movie's storyline and proving the versatility of VS and also the strong kalam of Javed Saab.

Heyy Baby....Adolescent effort

2007-09-01T22:01:00.000+05:30

Sajid Khan after years and years in the media industry has got his chance to make a full fledged movie. As Kishen Jhotani and other numerous avatars on the small screen he has ripped apart every bit of overacting and misdirection he has seen on the big screen. So now trying to write an objective review of a movie with a subjective perception of its director is fraught with the risk of over-judging the product. As a comedian who has made the most expensive comedy movie in Bollywood thanks to liberal spending in Sydney, he is average. As a director who has tried to cover the mandatory emotional drama in a Hindi movie he is above average.

The movie opens with a knockout opening sequence by making Akshay, Fardeen and Riteish dance with almost 15 hot actresses ranging from Malaika, Koena to Celina. Its scorching to say the least and must rank amongst the top opening songs in recent times. In fact when you expect the philandering and bantering to continue for more, the director actually introduces the baby much earlier than I expected. So then you have the standard toilet humour and w(b?)itch hunt which I would say works more due to the brilliant comic timing of Akshay and Riteish rather than good lines or situations. In fact you actually wonder that why did Sajid lift some more scenes from the original three men and a baby or elongate the comic portions.

There are a set of well executed senti moments like the realization of the three philanderers, the baby's near death scene and vidya's frustrations. But there are a lot of unexplained portions like how these guys manage to feed the baby in a lavish ked without any jobs. Or are we to assume they did the full monty as shown in the song at the end of the movie?

Vidya Balan makes an appearance at the interval as the kids mother. There are times when Sajid Khan experiments with a Madhuri-esque picturization of Vidya but her limitations on the glamour quotient seep through. Although she is a good emoter, she does seem slightly out of sorts in this role. In fact the emotional sequences work only due to the man who is probably the uncrowned superstar of Bollywood. Watch Akki Baby comes up with another domineering performance, his emoting, his cool dialogues , his total sada munda act in the marriage where he pataoes Vidya and his dancing in the mast kalandar song are all paisa vasool. But his English pronounciation is jarring at a lot of places, (but kya farak padtha hai).

Just when you were wondering why Sajid Khan is not doing any homage spoofs in his movie like his sister, you have Anupam Kher doing a DDLJ act with Raj and Sim(ran)away jokes. But SRK's special appearance though full of enthu shows all his limitations. But its fun when it lasts.

Fardeen is passable. Music could have been a lot better, but the title track and Mast Kalandar are good and well picturized. Overall Sajid Khan would taste commercial success in this movie as a good casting, packaging and marketing effort but his directorial mettle would be tested in his second movie. Till then its Ikke pe Ikka Sikke pe Sikka at the box office.

Apne : Soulfully Deolian

2007-07-07T13:21:00.000+05:30

Apne if viewed as a movie would at best rate in the B+ category. But there is something deeper in the movie if view it through the eyes of the Deol family.

Dharmendra plays Baldev Singh an Olympic boxing medallist whose dreams of becoming a World champion are short circuited by doping allegations. He tries to train his son Angad ( Sunny paaji) to become a boxer but Angad after some years of training thinks its a worthless sport and becomes an exporter. The hurt never leaves him and he leads a cribby existence. He never forgives his son and keeps tokofying and kosfying from time to time. His another son Bobby with his lethal locks has a physical disability and is forced to become a singer.

Then comes a special boxing format due to some clever media mogul where 1 boxer from each country is chosen and in the finals would fight Luca the world champion aka killing machine. So Bobby Deol miraculously overcomes his handicap, trains to be a boxer and meets the champion in the final. The champion plays foul again and Bobby is badly injured fighting for his life.

Enter Sunny paaji. Looking 45, playing 35, with borrowed hair and with a paunch that rivals any halwai, he challenges the champion. And in a month, he gains the stamina and those blood red eyes full of anger to deliver the most lethal of punches.

Obviously as a boxing story, the movie is wildly stretched inspite of good cinematography and action choreography. But what elevates the movie a notch is the emotional family drama and bonding between the characters. The old world love between Dharmendra and Kiron Kher, Kiron Kher and the eldest son, the eldest son desparate for his fathers love, the supremely affectionate bahu in Shipa Shetty and the brotherly bond between Sunny and Bobby.

Dharmendra is mind blowing showing the complete range of emotions and holds the movie together with consummate ease. The metaphor in Baldev Singh is Dharmendra's career as an actor itself. How colosally has an actor of such tremendous potential been wasted in Bollywood just to be feted with Lifetime Achievement Awards. When he speaks emotionally in such award functions like the recently concluded IIFA awards, there is an underlying frustration of a man who could have done so much more. From a dream start in Satyakam, the family romantic , the man with great flair for comedy was stereotyped to a Garam Dharam only to fume kutte kameene at villains. But one needs to accept some blame for wrong decisions and allowing the stereotype to prevail.

The same fate is happening to his eldest son, Sunny paaji. If there was ever a performance that defined the late 80s , it was a man shouting from a jail against Balwant Rai and a man who fought a court case for Damini. But again he has stereotyped himself, working with only directors like Guddu Dhanoa and Anil Sharma who pander to his ego. No actor can show as much anger in his eyes as Sunny can do and that is still visible in Apne. Frankly Sunny should look at doing the roles that Mamooty is currently doing in Malayalam nowadays, there is some good remake potential . Else he is also going to face a career similar to his dad. As for Bobby, he can first look at cutting his hair and toning his body .

Shilpa Shetty the another actress who was wasted is now reinventing herself. Her performances in Metro and Apne finally show her ability to emote rather than just doing jhatkas. Watch her cute jhatkas when JazzyB is playing on TV and she has learnt to underplay as well. Frankly she has a better figure than Rani and Preity, and her acting has improved a lot, Big Brother nothwithstanding. She needs to move into that A list soon.

Apne only recommended if you have some heart for the Deolian rajma...

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom: fails to sway

2007-06-23T22:53:00.000+05:30

What happens when ....

After one just moderately successful film, you gain mega director status and mega budgets?
After several successful movies, you think your productions have the Midas touch just by garnering all the big stars and shooting in expensive locales?
After 35 years of holding sway as India's best/most loved actor, you accept roles that reduce you to a caricature donning cockatoos feathers and kajra?
After 10 years in cinema, you have nothing to show but a dimple and DKNY dresses?

You get a kitschy dish called Jhoom Barabar Jhoom that tries to serve rajma with pesto sauce in French and English locales.

Shayad Ali disappoints after an impressive beginning in Bunty & Babli. B&B got many things right apart from the maniacal Kajra Re like the Abhi-Rani combo, small town aspirations breaking out, smart heists and a brilliant cameo by Amitabh with a gamcha.

I frankly fail to understand what Shaad Ali was trying with JBJ . Its neither a great love story nor a great comedy nor nor a campy movie which spoofs in the right way. When Shaad Ali makes Bobby dance to Jat Yamla or even make Abhishek and Bobby roam about London in a Sholay type mobike or make Preity do a Veer Zaara hangover at times,Abhishek wearing a coolie shirt or even Abhishek and Huffy Bhai move in a car with a Sapnon ki Rani background music, these attempts seem a bit vain and self-indulgent. Its a good romantic comedy in the first half and the second half is almost comic romance.

The movie boasts of great songs and lyrics. But the choreography could have been a lot better. Like the long title song with the lead pairs dancing in a competition. Compare it with a ' Chaand mera dil' type competition in Hum Kisise kum nahi or even Padosan for that matter. It just shows a distinct lack of soul and creativity in Bollywood nowadays.

Abhishek Bachhan tries to shoulder the movie on his shoulders, but there are times he fails to grasp that the hero should not act like a sidekick but evolve a consistent style in a movie. The best dialogues of the movie belong to actually Huffy bhai who essays a role with dead pan humour and gives the movie a rusticness in the backdrop of the designer locales and wardrobes.

Shaad Ali would like to claim he celebrated a kind of irrevent cool in this movie, a movie that does not take itself seriously. But the spoofs are not so well woven into the story like Farah Khan managed in Main Hoon Naa ( SRK riding a cycle rick named Dhanno) . And maybe there were one too many. And maybe the wrong stable, since the best spoofs could have been on the YRF style of filmmaking itself. For that we have to wait for Ramgopal Verma to wake up.

Superstar Rajnikant : The phenomenon

2007-06-15T11:23:00.000+05:30

As a South Indian living in North India, I have faced numerous queries on what explains the adulation that Rajnikant has. Most of them would blame it on some Madrasi madness or craze. Sadly that answer is too simplistic and requires further analysis.

Some of it can be explained by how Rajni started out as an actor doing anti-hero roles. Being the anti-hero gave him ample scope for him to perform his histrionics and inimitable style. In his first movie Apoorva Ragangal itself, his screen presence and style was palpable in the way he opened the gates of a bungalow in his first scene. In 16 Vayinithile, he played a good for nothing villager who passed comments on everything in characteristic style and stole the thunder of a riveting performance by Kamal Haasan as a dumb vagabond. In a way the success of Rajni as an anti-hero also explains the class struggle in Tamil Nadu. The reigning star Kamal Hasan had an upper class image in his acting and persona and also the way he used English with abandon in his dialogues. Hence the lower classes gravitated to this man who seemed more like them.

Then came his movies as a hero. Starting with movies that were carbon copies of Amitabh's hits like Don, Namak Halal and other comedies , it was a classic way of scaling up. The scripts were sure fire winners , and Rajni added his trademark style to it to make them runaway successes. Of course when Mani Ratnam cast him in Dalapathi, and Rajni gave probably a career best performance as Surya a modern day version of Karna, the anointment was complete.

Then came the biggest hit of them all Baasha. This was the movie that signalled that Rajni had reached the heights of popularity that are beyond any hero ever on the Indian screens. In a movie that rehashed the Amitabh starrer Hum imaginatively, Rajni attained demi god status. When he decided to celebrate the 100th day of the movie by taking out an auto rickshaw procession, political parties shuddered at his audacity. As masses clamoured for his entry into politics and started to read between the lines in his movies for messages, there was no looking back for the man. Thereon, he started taking additional interest in the scripts of the movies which followed the patented formula of a dashing entry, comic romance, some villainy that leaves him poor and how he gains everything back in the second half. This patented formula was changed once in Baba to disastrous results. Then in

In some way , Rajnikant has managed to keep an aura of exclusivity around him. Amitabh sometimes is over exposed. And Amitabh lacked directors in crucial years which could have delivered probably the same results. There are only few movies made with Amitabh as a 'superstar'. The first was probably Coolie. The entry scene of that movie where Amitabh stylishly puffs out a bidi and runs to receive the incoming train (made memorable by Mallika Sherawat in an interview) is comparable. It is sad that Manmohan Desai could not sustain it. Mukul Anand reinvented that to some extent in the 90s with Agneepath, Hum and Khuda Gawah. But Amitabh needs to take some blame for messing his superstar status with bad choices like Ajooba, Akayla, Mrityudata, Lal Badshah. Well after that none of the Bollywood stars had such pan Indian appeal as Big B. And all the directors by shooting in London and making NRI centric movies, alienated the mass base to a large extent.

But Rajnikant has sustained his image through a clever choice of movies, exclusivity and social panache. Of course he has great style, screen presence and chutzpah. He chooses movies and scripts with care. I dont think I have still analysed the phenomenon as well as I should. But like home food, such things should appeal to the heart and not the mind.

Ta Ra Rum Pum is ho hum

2007-04-28T21:57:00.000+05:30

Even when India is going through the best economic boom ever, there is still the YashRaj stable which still cannot make a single movie that can be based out of India. So it will have to be couples in New York, Australia, London living in opulent houses or Indian cops chasing skirts in Brazil. So throwing probability to the winds, Sidharth Anand armed with crores of money from Yashraj gives us Ta Ra Rum Pum the story of a Nascar driver in New York. Well his last Salaam Namaste with its torturous second half was redeemed by good songs and Javed Jaffrey.

Javed Jaffrey is again the saving grace here with his superb Gujju impersonation and comic timing. Saif Ali Khan plays RV a pit stop tyre changer who manages a lucky break as a racing car driver due to Javed Jaffrey and goes on to win the race. Soon he also falls in love with Rani and soon they are best couple, best parents and best clients for all companies that lend on instalments.

But things go awry and RV has an accident that halts his racing career. So the loans pile up and he is back to fighting for 2 square meals a day. He is forced to drive a cab and Rani has to play the piano in dull places. Finally he still has to enter the race track to save his son's life and alls well that ends well.

Now there are many problems with what should have been a good desi khichdi of Cinderella Man, Pursuit of Happyness and others. Firstly such movies require a lot of earnestness to make which somehow the entire Yash Chopra school lacks. Their school of filmmaking completely lacks any course in realism, natural situations or using simple sequences powerfully. So the movie just gift wraps cardboard characters and adds some lip service emotional ingredients hoping that the audience would identify with the strife.

Let me give a comparison. The scene in Mr.India where the children go without food for a day and the sad version of zindagi ki yehi reet hai plays, coupled with the sincerity of acting by Anil Kapoor and the entire bunch really brings tears to your eyes. But when the kids skip lunch daily in Tara Rum Pum to make ends meet it somehow doesnt move you. Except for a couple of scenes when Rani takes over to give Saif a dressing down for conning his cabbie friends to lend money or when she meets her dad in the hotel, the rest seem quite forced and unconvincing.

The big money spent in the car racing sequence is captured well by the cameraman(Binod Pradhan) and some shots of New York are good. The music by Vishal-Shekhar is quite a letdown and somehow I get a feeling they were made to adapt their natural style for this movie.

Like in Salam Namaste, Sidharth Anand shows that his command over the medium to showcase emotions is still poor. Its like giving Archies cards to moms on Mothers day in India. Just doesnt touch the heart in the right places!

Nishabd: movie review

2007-03-10T21:50:00.000+05:30

Nishabd happens to be one of the very few movies that I have watched in a theatre alone. Probably thats why I liked it more. The movie uses loneliness quite effectively by using an almost desolate Munnar tea estate as its setting. With just 5 characters, Ramgopal Varma shows glimpses on why he cannot be written off as a film-maker yet.

He uses simple techniques like interspersing long shots with extreme close-ups, a baritone flashback tone and long silent sequences to draw you into the world of Vijay (Amitabh Bachhan), his wife Amrita ( Revathy), their daughter Ritu and her friend Jiah. Vijay like most Indians of that age has nothing special to look forward to either in his life or his partner. His wife in a seemingly monotonous fashion manages day to day activities and the estate. Vijay is a photographer but his family members dont seem to share his passion to that extent. His daughter almost thinks he is a bore.

Enter Jiah for a vacation with her friend. A whiff of fresh air, abandon and sauciness. Did I forget sexy? Yes those long legs and small shorts are attractive but travels in Singapore's MRTs satiate better. The buildup to the romance is excellent with a good screenplay and smart dialogues. Although there are scenes in the movie which indicate a certain lust in Amitabh's eyes, but the director also infuses conflicting emotions like a desire for change and in some cases a bond for another artist (Jiah happens to write decent poetry). Further, Jiah is not a normal kid. Her parents are divorced, she shares a fractous relationship with her mother. So her indiscretion is justifiable from a characterization standpoint.

But hey arent these two supposed to sleep together? Yes I would agree if it was Hollywood. But I think Varma uses their first kiss(but it was a pappi in my opinion) to signal that more could be possible but the situations hinder it. Vijay's daughter sees them in the act and wants Jiah to leave. His wife gets all emotional about it. The baggage is too much and he has to ask her to leave. Yes , he says he loves her , agrees that he is a hypocrite but manages to sour all the relationships. His wife no longer trusts him, the daughter leaves for the US in shame and he has sent Jiah out. He contemplates suicide but returns to savour the memories of Jiah.

If an old man of 60 saying he loves a 18 year old sounds difficult to digest, I would think just a sexual relationship would also be especially in the Indian context. Now I think a lot of viewers would be disappointed with the movie because there was no sex, seeming to suggest that such a relationship can only be explained by lust. I am not too sure of that and hence would still call a movie a good effort although many sequences in the second half are forced and abrupt. The romance could have been allowed to smoulder for a while and the additional character of Nasser as his brother in law was too convenient from a scripting standpoint.

Cinematography of the lush Munnar locales is excellent. Background score is also suitable. Although it is getting difficult to rate Amitabh Bachchan's acting nowadays, I liked the scene where he sings Jiya jale to Jiah showing how underutilized his comic timing is yet. Revathy is excellent and Jiah Khan makes a good debut.

Its a vastly improved effort from Ramgopal Varma but its his obsession to be different is going to be severely tested at the box office.

Bollywood versus Chinese movies

2007-02-25T18:15:00.000+05:30

Imagine you are going to the equivalent of a Diwali release in this part of the world (Singapore, China,etc). This is Chinese New year time and I went to see a movie "The Protege" that had a slick trailer which seemed to project that this movie was a classic underworld doublecross movie with the drug trade as the backdrop. It also had a great star cast like Andy Lau and many local champs. But the movie is a distinct disappointment.

There is disconnect at many levels. You expect a slick thriller and what you get is a more of a poorly characterized emotional drama, almost zero action except for a starting chase scene and some amount of documentaryish film making. At one point of time the movie describes in Microsoft Powerpoint how the drug trade works. The movie was broadcasted by a Singapore media company and the pressure of balancing storytelling and preaching tells on it.

The other so called Chinese New Year specials dont even appeal at a trailer level. Well I am not saying that Chinese movies are bad. There are a lot of good Chinese movies. There are really superb Korean movies. The most successful genre in the recent past for these movies has been horror. Other big productions like 'Curse of the golden flower' starring Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li have focused more on the history showing battle scenes and women in tight corsets.

I think the best exports from this region are horror and historicals. The horror is more of the non special effects variety and appeals at a more basic level, especially the Korean ones. Compared to them, Bollywood doesnt own any key genre. In a way we own a style of movie making(emotional,dramatic) and a format ( songs, 2.5-3 hrs). And therein lies the problem when we start dreaming big. Most international audiences have difficulty with our style as well as the format.

The problem is that the format and style is critical to our commercial success. This type of filmmaking also has an international audience in places like Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Middle East and parts of Africa. But the key issue is that might still not appeal to the larger global audience.

So what is the best option? Do we start owning genres? Very difficult since we lack the depth, unless the masala entertainer becomes a genre. Or we try situational fantasies as a genre which is where probably Lage Raho Munnabhai belongs to.

Most of the critical acclaim has come when we have changed the format and made issue focused movies like a massacre or a biography. For instance the rights of the movie Undertrial has been bought by Hollywood.

But the biggest hurdle is that there is no commercial need to do so at all. Thanks to high disposable incomes, the going out culture, high price for satellite rights and a rich diaspora that laps up Bollywood , any well produced movie can aim to do over Rs.30 Cr on a budget of Rs.20-25 Cr. So jab itna tagda paisa banta hai maamu, tu duniya to jayegi bhaad mein.

Chandramukhi remake

2007-02-18T20:33:00.000+05:30

In 1993, Manichitra Thazhu a film made by Fazil took Malayalam cinema by storm. The leading actress of the film Shobhana went on to win the National Award for best performance. I have seen the movie over 10 ten times, and to me its one of the best screenplays ever written on Indian screens. The film appeals at many levels as a drama with comic situations and as a psychological gripping thriller. The film also starred Mohanlal in a brilliantly nuanced performance as a renowned psychotherapist. The movie's spine chilling climax with a haunting music score 'Oru muray vanda parthaya' with Shobhana's impeccable dancing formed the highlight.

This movie was remade in Kannada as Apthamitra with Vishnuvardhan playing Mohanlal's role and the late Soundarya playing Shobhanas role. Of course the script was adapted so that the hero could come in right from the first reel itself unlike the Malayalam movie where Mohanlal makes an entry only 45 minutes into the movie.

Impressed with the performance of the Kannada version and also having seen the original, Super Star Rajnikanth decided to green light a Tamil remake especially when he wanted a surefire winner after the debacle of Baba. The movie Chandramukhi went on to break all records in Tamil cinema and the original script was further modified to suit the Superstar. Jyothika who played the female lead gave a confused performance wherein she assumed that any psychological disorder meant madness.

Now there were lot of film makers in Bollywood who wanted to remake the Tamil version as it is more broadbased with new comic elements and more characters than the serious Malayalam original. The news earlier doing the rounds were that Big B would play the lead role and Madhuri Dixit would make a comeback playing Shobhana's role. Well frankly having seen all the versions, this would have been a great idea some years back. Big B thanks to all these world famous in India directors has now more or less become an old man (although Big B and Rajnikanth are only 7 years apart). He cannot be cast as the female lead's husbands friend. The script frankly demands someone younger.

So finally Priyadarsan is going to remake it for T-series. Now it will be interesting to see to which version he is faithful to. The movie has been temporarily named Bhool Bhulaiya (sic).

Akshay Kumar will play the lead, I just hope he essays the serious parts of the movie well. Vidya Balan will get probably what could turn into the role of her lifetime if she can get the emotions right. Based on the potential she has shown so far, that should be fine but the interesting issue would be the climax dance. Shiney Ahuja will be her husband, Paresh Rawal is most likely to do Vadivelu's role as the man terrified of ghosts , Mohan Joshi should be the tantrik and Vikram Gokhale would be Akshay's former professor. With this remake,Priyadarsan would need to show that he is just not a comedy movie director as Bollywood and North India assumes him to be.

Eklavya Movie Review

2007-02-17T07:39:00.000+05:30

Eklavya: A thumbs down below expectations

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is an interesting film maker. His first outing Parinda was a classic for the 80s. But 1942 a love story was unusually bland with no one feeling much for Anil Kapoor's dilemma. Mission Kashmir again did not do enough justice to its theme as a movie about terrorism. If we look at all these movies, the central theme could in a way be construed as decision making dilemmas: what is right and wrong in a grandiose canvass (underworld, freedom struggle, terrorism).

Vidhu Vinod Chopra extends the same with a liberal use of dharma concepts and Mahabharat references right from the title sequence itself. The movie starts with Amitabh in his baritone explaining the story of Eklavya to a kid( a voice that reminds of you the old DD chanda ek sooraj ek NFDC cartoons). The kid who grows upto Saif says that Eklavya was wrong.

The story in short is that Eklavya(Amitabh) is the guard of a decadent royal family somewhere in Rajasthan. The movie starts with the queen(Sharmila) on the death bed asking for Eklavya with the effeminate king(Boman) watching in angst. Well the truth is that Eklavya is the father of the two royal children ( Saif and Raima) and not the impotent king. Although Eklavya guards this secret in true dharmik karma , Sharmila reveals it all in a letter to her son with extra funda (Dharmam Matibhyah Ugradhatya: dharma is what comes through the exercise of Mati (brain). Meanwhile the king is facing a security threat since his brother ( Jackie) and nephew ( Shergill) have usurped the lands of farmers. Enter a low-caste police officer ( Sanju baba providing the movie its light touches with elan) who is a great fan of Eklavya. The king unable to bear the news that a royal guard has slept with his wife instead of some Gangotri rishi (...eeeshh), plots to kill Eklavya. The prince tries to balance coming closer to his true father who does not want to acknowledge the truth and his beloved (Vidya Balan) with political compulsions.

What happens after that is an interesting karma cola which Vidhu Vinod Chopra dishes out after researching for 5 years . The scenes that stand out are 1. Amitabh showing his archery skills(after all he is Eklavya) with a dove for Sanju baba 2. The train death sequence although both are cinematic liberties. 3. The last scene of Saif's coronation

The performances are all first rate with Amitabh again showing his immense prowess in a Bhishma pitamah type role. Saif excels with a measured performance.

But there are the typical flaws of Chopra's self involved film making that places form over content in many places. He writes scenes rather than a fluid screenplay. His complete inability to use background music to good effect shows up at crucial scenes. Like in 1942's dholona during patriotic scenes, in Eklavya we get inappropriate recitals of Gayatri mantra(Isnt 5 years enough to do better research on shlokas). His handling of emotional sequences somewhat falls in the no mans land between subtlety and dramatism leaving us without much feeling for the central characters. And in Eklavya he even shows Jimmy Shergill dying in the backdrop of a DVD player running the Parinda scene where Anupam Kher gets killed in front of Anil Kapoors eyes. Well that is sheer hubris that comes from writing a script for 5 years. He also uses English liberally in this movie in places where Hindi would have been more impactful. Although Boman reading out Shakespearean sonnets to his dying wife shows the angrez chale gaye namoone chhod gaye irony well.

In summary, Eklavya is a well executed film but it fails to create an engrossing experience. In fact Vinod Chopra could have used more screen time to allow for certain sequences to simmer for better impact. In a way its a chicken dish which you will consume more for your love of chicken even if the marination has limitations.

Salaam-e-Ishq : Runs out of steam

2007-01-28T18:21:00.000+05:30

Commercial success too early can be too much of a good thing. Nikhil Advani in a valiant attempt to reprise Love Actually for Indian audiences, still shows that he lacks the level of competence required to pull off a film of such magnitude and breadth. Although his intentions, casting and canvas are earnest , he is let down by spiceless scripting, an inability to wield the editing scissors and weak love stories. The film is still watchable due to the performances of a stellar cast and of course the sheer variety that the format offers.

The movie is frankly about 5 love stories and 1 comedy track which is the Sohail Khan- Isha Koppikar. The footage for them in a laborious 225 minutes would be less than 20 minutes. But it does liven up the proceedings with some cheap humour.

Love story no. 1: Vidya Balan and John Abraham are two newscasters of different religions who marry against the wishes of parents. The couple are a treat to watch in the initial portions, thanks more to Vidya's charm. However she loses her memory in a train accident and John goes great lengths to make her get it back or carry on life without remembering him. John shows a good touch of vulnerability, although you cant help complaining of the triteness in the handling of an otherwise poignant story.

Love story no. 2 : The Akshaye- Ayesha is probably the most endearing one of this enterprise. Akshaye Khanna with a proud bald pate gives an amazingly zany performance as the guy who does not want to commit to a marriage with the daughter of a retired army officer (Prem Chopra in a good comeback). The scenes that stand out are his drunken scene, shooting a video of his inability to marry and the bachelor party. Clearly this actor has more to offer Bollywood.

Love story no. 3: Govinda Raju with gori memsaab. In a much better scripted role than Bhagam Bhaag, the erstwhile Hero no.1 gives glimpses of old form especially in a small dance routine and his Hindi conversations with the English mem. But this story is stretched, because the travel from Delhi to Agra to Delhi to Udaipur to Delhi is overkill.

Love story no. 4: Raooool (as Salman calls it) and item girl Kamini( Priyanka Chopra). This is the weakest plot but occupies lot of screen time. In a way this plot looks watchable when it is making snide remarks about item gals and the media circus but not as a love story. Advani's usage of old mentor Karan Johar borders on mockery. And Priyanka has miles to go before she can carry off such roles which would have been a cinch for Sridevi or Madhuri in their prime. Although her jhatkas in most songs is pretty cool.

Love story no. 5: This take on a perfect but boring couple again suffers from amateurish writing. Anil Kapoor dresses like an investment banker reading FT but apparently has no work from 9 to 5. Vadi tu kya chaniya ho gaya kya? Although Anil and Juhi give strong diligence to this plot, it still ends up like a feekhi chai. Anjani Sukhani as the hot babe in Anil's life is too plastic.

Advani still carries a good amount of his Kal ho na Ho techniques into this movie. The multiple image cuts, ability to capture surroundings like footpaths in the background in long shots (Esp the monotony of the London life Anil leads), song picturizations are all good. Dotcom Paaji a clever spoof on the matrimony sites is also smart.

But alas there was no one in the cinema hall who was not bored by the time the movie ran beyond its 3 hour length. Comments and remarks passed around like paper rockets in a wanton classroom. The teachers control over pupils (pun defly intended) was just not there.

Shankar Ehsan Loy's music is pretty good. Good use of singers like Adnan and Kailash Kher, although no chartbuster stuff.

Salaam-e-Ishq is a classic case of biting more than one can chew, hope Advani returns with a healthier appetite.

Guru movie review

2007-01-13T10:36:00.000+05:30

In a country that loves sagas and is happy celebrating its own one in every realm, the petrol pump to palaces story of Gurukant Desai helmed by Mani Ratnam with the star power of India's best couple is inspirational to say the least. And the film-maker returns to his top-drawer form by giving us everything that we have grown to associate with him.

1. Narrating refreshingly simple stories sometimes in a cinematic larger than life backdrop with poignantly displayed relationships and clever alludes to real life.(Iruvar,Nayakan, Roja/Bombay/Dil se).
By choosing a business backdrop this time he escapes the idealist trap which he fell into in Yuva, and also gets a much larger canvass, more characters and incidents to showcase his sheer prowess. He sticks to the Iruvar style of screenplay in the meshing of scenes and building pace to chronicle an entire life. So Gurukant Desai starts from Turkey as a petrol attendant, returns to his village with dreams in his eyes, gets almost disowned by his father for wanting to start a bijines, marries a girl for dowry as capital but dotes on her later, fights his way to starting a polyester business and rises to the top.

But Mani's genius lies in weaving wonderful relationships in the saga with scenes that seem natural yet powerful. Some scenes that stand out are the railway station scene where Abhishek agrees to take Ash to Mumbai, his fallout with his brother-in-law and Ash, Abhishek's raw determination to get a trading license, the romantic/emotional interludes with Ash and his interactions with Mithun in the second half.

The resemblance to the Dhirubhai saga also helps in creating a stronger sense of identification with the storyline especially the shareholder meetings in stadiums, largest IPO, dreaming of starting a Burmah Shell, the dubious political approval processes, the fight with businessmen of Parsi origin, exploiting loopholes for profitability and the tryst with a prominent newspaper baron( Mithunda) of that time . But I felt the underetched characters of Madhavan and Vidhya Balan ( granddaughter of media baron) dilute the second half which could have been better utilized to highlight the business battles. For instance, Dhirubhai's famous fending off a bear cartel attack on his stock could have cinematic dynamite in Mani's hands.

2. Career best performances by stars and solid performances by under-rated actors:
Abhishek breathes fire as Gurubhai by combining manic energy, an alarming zeal to get rich, business shrewdness and emotional depth into a life-time role. There are angry scenes where the Bachchan genes spout but he carries off the older man with charming ease. Its amazing how he has grown a real paunch for the movie which is shown in a scene where he rivals his pregnant wife. This performance is just a shade lower than Kamal Hassan in Nayagan.

But the real surprise is Ash, proving how in the hands of a superior director her expressions are malleable indeed. Stand out scenes include the train journey where she bumps into Abhishek after being bumped by her infatuation, her breakdown after she learns about Guru marrying her for dowry and when Guru is struck by paralysis, and in all the songs.

Mithunda as a man who mentors Guru initially but exposes his wrongdoings through his newspaper is amazingly nuanced. Vidya Balan and Madhavan are charming . Roshan Seth as the inquiry committee chairman exudes great screen presence and diction.

3. Brillant Craftsmanship
Authentic recreation of old railway trains, old parts of Mumbai, trading houses and shareholder meetings. Cinematography by Rajeev Menon especially in the scene where Ash runs away from her house at the crack of dawn.

4. Wonderful Music : AR Rehman comes up with a brilliant score with 'Barso re', 'Mayya Mayya' and 'Tere Bina' . In fact the background score consisting of these songs and a pulsating beat meshes well with the intensity of the scenes.

The only letdown from a scripting perspective is Abhishek's speech during the inquiry trial. Although it starts with a bang " Main bania hoon, har cheez bachake rakhta hoon" , it whimpers after that. For the climax of a movie, the dialogues lacked impact.

This time Mani Ratnam has also made a Hindi movie which has no trappings of 'Madrasiness'. In fact the Gujjuness in the movie ' Aav jo, Mota bai' and in the detailing is perfect. In fact if Gujjus can make 'Kyunki Saas' the top watched serial since its protagonists are Gujju, then Guru is going to rock in the territories of Mumbai and Gujarat where most of Dhirubhai's shareholders also resided. In fact theatres in Kandivali and Ghatkopar might have to run extra shows.

Overall its a fine effort from the man whose movies are special and suitable for multiple viewing. Bollywood 2007 starts with a bang with Guru.

Dhoom 2

2007-01-04T12:00:00.000+05:30

In Apna Sapna Money Money, Suniel Shetty as inspector Namane maarofies a cracko dialogue "Jitna tumlog ka TDS katta hai na, utna hi pagaar hota hai policewale ka".

Now cut to Dhoom 2. Ghatkopare se Lee Cooper is cinematic liberty but Armani and Gucci ki bachhi? Thats what irks you at every scene in Dhoom 2. Yes Aditya Chopra mandated that every scene should look so stylish that viewers forget storyline, characterization and the price they paid for the expensive popcorn. Thats the problem with Yash Raj studios. Like a hungry high tide, they try to swamp you with their dirt claiming it to be exciting thrill ride.

Yes it has an ensemble cast. Hrithik and Ash ki jodi. Hrithik as the thief who leaves his initials behind . Ash as his willing basket ball playing accomplice ( these are the scenes just inserted for the cool factor ... two thieves playing basket ball in designer clothes while it is raining). Abhishek is there in the movie just for the continuity claps from Dhoom 1. In fact he looks every inch a chor with his beard. I mean the line between a stubble and a beard is not so thin, right? Bipasha Basu not one but 2. One a Lara Croft type policewoman the other a bikini clad bartender in Brazil. How convenient to write a screenplay.

There is not much to write as a story. Hrithik robs in various disguises, Ash joins him after a heist, Abhishek scratches his stubble and chases, the chimp follows. In case you forgot I am talking about Uday Chopra. To be fair, he is the only guy who provides some comic relief in this movie. Ash looks superhot revealing parts of her anatomy that were earlier locked in ghagras and gowns. Why not have a photoshoot rather than making a movie. But do not be fooled by the Yashraj hype machine to think she lost weight for this movie, it was for her forthcoming English movie with Colin Firth titled the Last Legion.

Lastly Hrithik. Yes sir, you are extremely handsome, have a physique to die for and dance like a dream. But aisa combination to India ne kabhi dekha nahi hai baap. The same reason why you cannot do any normal hero role. You cannot cry at a heroine's marriage begging her to marry you, you cannot look emotional enough for a mom's aarti nor can you look the boy next door who represents the common aspirations of millions of Indians. Better luck as an ambassador of Armani rather than Andheri.

Memento

2006-11-21T21:17:00.000+05:30

Memento is a movie that was released in 2001 directed by Christopher Nolan. It is one of the best examples of non-linear screenplays. The movie moves on two tracks , 1 track is black and white and is a flashback but moves in chronological fashion , 2 nd track is in colour but moves in reverse chronological fashion. And there is a scene where these two tracks overlap and then converge.

The movie is about a guy who is avenging the murder of his wife. But he suffers from short term memory loss , so he tatooes notes all over his body or takes Polaroid snaps of people and notes their names (hence the name momento). The movie also raises questions about how humans selectively decide to remember certain things based on their world view and self righteousnes.

Its a pure DVD watch where you might have to revisit scenes or watch the movie in reverse to understand it. Its even more intriguing than movies like Usual Suspects where the one twist in the end justifies the entire story. But here Christopher Nolan almost teases your brain not only at a screenplay narrative level but also by embedding scenes which you have to watch very carefully.

Some part of this movie was used in a Tamil movie called Ghajini in 2005 which went on to become a big hit. But it is really a far far cry from the original. A must watch for movie buffs.

Guru : Music review

2006-11-19T00:28:00.000+05:30

The dream combination is back: Mani Ratnam with A R Rahman. Since this is a different story from the contemporary themes tackled like Yuva, Alaipayuthey and Dil Se, the treatment is different, but not as resounding like recent Rehman successes like Rang De Basanti. In fact I would dare say I instantly appreciated some songs of "Jillunu Oru Kadhal"(Rahman's last Tamil release) than Guru. But there is a distinct feeling that the songs would grow on you with greater hearing.

One would take an instant liking to "Barso re megha" sung with great flourish by Shreya Ghosal to a nice peppy beat. Most likely to be picturised on Ash this is a surefire hit.

There is the Mallika item number shot in Turkey "Mayya Mayyam". For the maestro who almost pioneered commercial item songs starting from "Rakamma kazha tatha " with Sonu Walia in Dalapathi to Chaiyya Chaiyya with Malaika in Dil Se, A R Rahman does let him down a bit. Although the song is brilliantly orchestrated, it is let down by the singing of Maryem Toller who although is a huge name in world music cannot pronounce some Hindi words to good effect. But I would trust Mallika and some good choreography to perk up this sensuous number. I sincerely wish Rahman had tried Sunidhi. Itna global natak karne kya jaroorat tha bhai. If some anonymous tipper had not told me I would have mistaken her for a normal Tamil newbie tried by AR.

Coming to the slower numbers. 'Tere Bina' is classic Rahman blending Sufi style, Hindustani vocals and instruments reminding one of his Haji Ali number for Fiza. It almost that there is these songs he keeps for himself to sing and comes out top notch. The other one Jaage Hai where he lends his vocals with Chitra grows on you slowly. Not so much so for the Hariharan Alka Yagnik ghazalish composition Ai Hairathe although it has good lyrics.

There is an unclassifiable track " Baazi Laga" which seems to have composed by some Rahman assistant. It almost harks back to a 80s type song out of a Subhash Ghai movie. But Udit Narayan does ample justice to it.

Rahman employs Bappi Lahiri in 'Ek do Ek muft' in an almost non Bappi way. This half drunken song is more of a situational number and does not appeal on the audio track.

Definitely not an album that is going to fire up sales but to be enjoyed more after a first watch of the movie. Which means more pre release work for the producers !!

Casino Royale: Coronation of a new Bond``

2006-11-18T11:10:00.000+05:30

Casino Royale is not just a Bond movie but a movie about Bond. It’s not about the gadgets, it’s not about the brands being endorsing, it’s not even about the women since Eva Green seems more suited to a romantic caper than having the oomph of a Bond girl. So much so that the maximum exposure is by Bond himself as he walks out of an azure sea with the shortest of shorts revealing his assiduously developed six packs.

The movie is about a new Bond who is as desperate to keep his job as much as the world’s most popular franchise is trying to keep its relevance. If his predecessor Pierce Brosnan could arguably be called the best dressed closed room Bond, then Daniel Craig starts off by showing his brute strength as a man who has roughed out in the outdoors and begins to claw back into the champagne and caviar infused sophistication by the end.

The movie starts off with Bond earning his double 00 status with two killings, 1 gruesome and 1 smooth. The title song follows, slightly old fashioned, reminding me one of the Sean Connery Bond movie titles like Diamonds are forever.The action moves to Madagascar where Bond is trying to find the source of finance for a group of warlords. In a half sleeved shirt Daniel Craig shows his stupendous fitness in a very well choreographed free flowing action sequence based on the Parkour sport quite popular in London. Its good old action without gun fire or a machismo of WWF. Sadly he gets caught on camera shooting the guy and M as ruthless as ever asks him to lay off for a while.

Although there is good fun in the sequence where Bond breaks into M’s house and uses her password, Judi Dench as M looks pretty jaded in this movie, almost sleepwalking through this role. If Bond is being resurrected in this movie, then maybe there was an opportunity here as well to bring back a M who has this mentor type outlook rather than a matronly demeanour.

Bond moves to Bahamas, does some old fashioned legwork for a change based on which he successfully foils an attempt to bring down the world’s largest airplane. A nice contemporary touch and the villain is revealed who is basically a whiz kid turned financier and private banker for terrorist organizations.In fact the action sequences till this part are riveting and lend good pace to the movie. Another smart thing that Martin Campbell has done is that by elongating the movie to 145 minutes he gives ample screen time for Daniel Craig to earn his place in the sun and display his superb acting skills.

The weakest part of the movie from a plot perspective is the poker game at the Casino Royale. But though the game is impoverished , the surroundings get richer due to deft direction.Martin Campbell saves the day by incorporating the transition phase for Bond (see the remarks on his dress sense and Oxford suits, the initial do I care answer to the shaken or stirred martini to the elaborate description later). The best of course are the romantic repartees between Bond and Eva Green. She has some of the best lines in the movie, and the one-liners keep getting better and better. By giving her a beauty with brains kind of charm, the director somehow manages to justify Bonds’ folly of falling in love.

Also by adding two near death sequences, one where Bond loses a high rolling round and one where he is poisoned , the director showcases Daniel Craig’s brilliant acting abilities and this is where he creates the strongest emotional connect with the man who is going to enthrall has for more two more movies contractually after this.

If there is one word that describes the new Bond, it is steel. Right from the icy blue eyes, tough jawbones, to his bullyish English footballer like personality, well chiseled body and his ability to come out of close situations after starting on the wrong foot, Daniel Craig hits you like a thousand bricks. And when he breathes the sophisticated Oxford suit at the end and not wears it and mouths “Name is Bond, James Bond” with a gun in his hand, you know that this man has earned his spurs and Bond is truly back. When the theme music plays for the first time in the movie you know that this is not the last time you want to hear it.

A short film about killing

2006-11-17T08:37:00.000+05:30

I have been watching some world cinema of late. Some of my thoughts on them.

A Short film on killing by Krzysztof Kieslowski is a film with a simple storyline directed with powerful impact. It tries to ask the most commonly asked questions about capital punishment without answering them (like most great films). So you wont find cardboard characters but real people and their emotions. The movie revolves around three characters and is set in the harsh Polish winter.

There is a car driver who gets sadistic pleasure in not helping passengers stranded in the cold. Amazingly characterized in a scene where he spends almost an hour polishing his car and there is a couple who decide to wait for him to finish. But he drives off without them.

There is a lost youth who wanders around killing time looking at cafes. Amazing direction in a scene where while the youth is looking into the cafes , there is the cafe and his own reflection metaphorizing his quest to find himself.

The third character and who in fact brings the movie to life is of an idealistic lawyer who has just cleared his bar exam. Again brilliantly captured in the way he answers questions in the bar exam.

What follows is that the youth kills the taxi driver gruesomely and the lawyer defends his case in vain. The youth is sentenced to capital punishment. Does it matter if the taxi driver was a real meanie. Does it matter if the youth had some emotional turmoil having lost his fond sister to a tractor driven by his friend who had drunk with him. This is filmmaking that elicits subjective response — often intended to confront their viewer.

The photography is amazing. You feel the ruthlessness of the Polish winter, the desolate winters, the warm yet dull cafes. This is due to Slawomir Idziak’s experimental cinematography. Much of the film is shot in partial green filters, taped in makeshift to the camera lens. This helps part of the frame to be obscure or parts to remain well lit.

A definite watch.

Barjatya ka sapna vivah only

2006-11-11T08:58:00.000+05:30

Sooraj Barjatya and Rajshri Productions are the upholders of Indian values, sanskriti, elaichi chai, kancheevarum sarees, colgate smiles and anything in that order. Their focus has been on that once sacred institution of marriage in India where two jawan ladka ladki dost nahi ho sakta hai, live in couple nahi ho sakte, activity partners nahi ho sakte hai. In fact one of my friends remarked that in his movies, the boy could even pray to the girls genitals before making love.

Well if thats the case please look at the new rush of websites like orkut, gazzag etc or visit youth hangouts of the metros. And do not think urban trends have not reached places like Sahranpur or Madhupor or places where characters played by Alok Nath in your movies exist. Look at the data of how many designer stuff is sold in these places. What separated them earlier was access and information. Now they have both thanks to 70% cable pentetration and the MNC sachet strategies. So much for a producer who has thought of distributing this film online also.

In most of his movies the decision making would be left to animals like dogs or pigeons since the humans in their movies are people who listen only to their heart. People who use their mind are usually the villains. The hero's favourite haunt would be balconies where he would either pontificate or dance to an old tune. No change in Vivah either, most songs and scenes happen in balconies.

Heroines would be trained in the art of being the desi bahu in the practice of cooking, looking and hooking vars with their ghoonghats on. They would go to college only for a mandatory chhed chhad scene. They have a common affliction known as the staircase foot. They will always fall from staircases in such a way that the question of having a family waaris becomes difficult to answer.

Then there would be a whole host of characters like muh-boli behen, an adopted son or daughter who is given more love , an ever faithful servant and so on.

Well Vivah is a last ditch attempt by Barjatya to show the world that his style of film-making is the preserver of Indian values like Ekta Kapoor's K serials. Both styles obfuscate the real issues either with extra doses of make-believe saccharine or extensive melodrama.

On top of that you have Ravindra Jain who churns out music that is so old-fashioned that even my grandmom wouldnt identify with it ( the last tune she enjoyed was 'mujhse bhi chahat ka ek raar karta' from Hum hain Rahi pyaar ke) .

I felt sorry for Shahid and Amrita. Big banner for them, wannabe youth icons after we stop lusting after 30+ (yes abhishek is) and 40+ heros. Amrita exuded charm in Main Hoon Naa, she is a pinjre ki chidiya in this movie. Shahid Kapoor, Shahrukh ya Salman to nahi banega but he is too uni-dimensional/cutie boyish to carry a movie on his shoulders. He should start looking at multi-starrers soon.

Old laurels and old wine do not make a movie. Aaju baju dekho nahi tu peechu rah jaaoge.

Umrao Yawn

2006-11-04T07:50:00.000+05:30

It is the season of remakes and rehashes, so another of Bollywood's overhyped maestros J.P. Dutta gives us his 3.30 hour long version of the sob story of a 19th century girl who becomes a tawaif Umrao Jaan. Now J.P.Dutta's forte is war movies(Border,LOC) and his cinematography of deserts in Rajasthan. He does manage to get the visual feel of the 19th century and the Lucknow palaces right but somehow it lacks the soul and the kashish of a sob story. And thats being sympathetic.

The first half is hugely boring. It has too many songs and Anu Malik disappoints. Most of the songs sound the same and the lyrics are nothing great compared to the original. Although JP Dutta is making a movie about the 19th century he uses a laborious pace to tell the story. In fact his initial reels look straight out of some NFDC funded Doordarshan serial.

Aishwarya Rai steps into Rekha's shoes and manages to deliver one of her better performances. But Rekha and Tawaif were as much hand in glove as Sanjay Dutt and Munnabhai. Aishwarya does the emotional scenes well but her dancing as a tawaif is too aggressive for its genre. And you miss the sadness or depth that Rekha could convey with her eyes just sitting in ' Aap meri jaan li jiye'. Even in some of her emotional scenes, her natural Miss World aggression spoils it when she speaks dialogues too fast. But she is incredibly beautiful and resplendent through the movie.

Secondly, the romance between Ash and Abhishek is too forced and does not invoke any sparks. It seems more like a professional relationship with lust being a primary driver. JP Dutta could have cut some songs and developed this relationship further. Abhishek finally gets a role where he can justifiably keep a full time beard , but his personality seems a bit rough for some one to get smitten by a courtesan. He does not have a 'shayraana' andaaz, although he is cool in the drunken scenes. And in these scenes he reminds you very fondly of his baap, the god of Sharabi scenes. Genetics how cruel thou art at times..

Thirdly, you have pure comic relief by Sunil Shetty as Faiz Ali a dacoit who masquerades as a Nawab. His Urdu diction is as clear as a Texan speaking French. And he acts as if he is part of 'Alibaba and chalis chor' and not Umrao Jaan.

And JP Dutta can kick himself for casting long lost Puru Raj Kumar as Gauhar Mirza, a role that was played by Naseer in the original. Pathetic.

The movie's saving grace is Shabana Azmi who delivers a knockout performance as the head of the kotha. Her dialogue delivery and acting display her classy calibre. Ayesha Jhulka and Divya Dutta lend good support. Kulbushan Kharbanda another JP favourite is his good old constipated self.

JP Dutta can go back to war and rough terrain movies. He frankly lacks the nazaakat and tehzeeb to make stories with kashish.

Shahrukh rocks in Malaysia

2006-10-07T08:56:00.000+05:30

When I was in India, I would always read about the popularity of Shahrukh movies abroad. How some of his movies are top 10 in UK and so on. So a typical Shahrukh movie's economics are dictated more by overseas revenues and not so much the domestic circuit. This could be because most Indian NRIs belong to what I had earlier described as the struggler generation.
I have been working in Malaysia for a consulting assignment and I realized that Malays absolutely love Bollywood. In fact the government took steps to curb the popularity of Hindi movies and media at one point of time to promote the local industry. Even the biggest FTA channel there TV3 ( more like a privatized DD) shows a Saturday blockbuster at 2 pm and it is one of their highly viewed shows. For instance last week they showed Naach ( quite a decent watch although it bombed in India). If you ask any Malay right from marketing managers to taxi drivers: their knowledge of Bollywood starts from Shahrukh and ends with Aishwarya Rai. In fact on one of the slides I presented , just an image of Shahrukh conveyed more than my 'bulletpoints'.
When you go to Jakarta, another heaven for pirated DVDs, the only Bollywood ones you will find are Shahrukh combos. And the shop assisitant will give it with a strange kind of amusement where you can see in his face ' you guys from India are so lucky to have Bollywood' kind of stare.
One has to admit whether you like his acting or not, you have to admire Shahrukh's media savvy and sheer smartness when he answers questions or projects his image. Last week ICICI had organized a private banking party in Singapore with Shahrukh and all the major newspapers featured that as one of their big stories. They also ran exclusive interviews with King Khan where he had all the best lines.
And now comes the latest triumph of the superstar and his marketing machine. A copromotion between Celcom ( Malaysia's second largest cellco) and DON movie. It has a whole set of freebies from mobile phones to reward points for certain subscription packages. Yes the movie has been shot largely in Kaula Lumpur gives the movie an added boost. Plus next year is 'Visit Malaysia year' to celebrate 50 years of their independence. And right from the immigration counter you can clearly see the number of Indians who throng Malaysia for its great locations at affordable prices ( Great beaches at half of Goa's price) . So its a great advertisement for Bollywood , not so sure for the telco. And mind you Celcom is a very Malay focused brand.
I sometimes wonder if we can sell some Bollywood tourist packages to the Malays. I found this collaboration a true indicator of what globalization is all about. Yes we do pay lip service to it in MBA schools and corporate meetings but there is nothing like experiencing true globalization. And there is one man who leads it from Bollywood. King Khan. I just hope DON delivers for all its hype. We need a true blockbuster.

Mani Ratnam movie Guru

2006-09-25T20:12:00.000+05:30

The maestro of critically acclaimed commercial movies Mani Ratnam is back with Guru.

Well not many would accept this, but I credit Mani Ratnam for giving us the Abhishek we all love. The raw intensity and the aggression in Yuva was a career defining role and suddenly everyone took notice of the junior AB for his acting skills. Plus the movie also gave him his status as the unshaven stud of Indian cinema. Watch him with his beard in Umrao Jaan.

Coming back to Guru, the website ( frontpage ) is up with a slightly greying paunchy AB in the forefront. Check out http://www.guru-themovie.com/ It reminds me of Kamal Haasan in Nayagan. And look at the crowd scene at the back. Its classic Mani Ratnam. The lighting hues. Amazingly realistic crowd scenes. So much in one scene, I am dying for more. Welcome back Rajeev Menon ( director of Sapnay)

Guru's casting is the coming together of 3 parts of India. Bollywood se AB, Kollywood se Madhavan and Tollywood se Mithun. Most of Madhavan's best work comes in Mani's movies from Alaipayuthey to Kannathil Mutham. He also did AB's character in the Tamil version of Yuva. It also includes 3 power gals, Ash, Vidya Balan and Mallika Sherawat.

Guru's music is by AR Rehman, again someone who delivers the special touch for Mani. To people who have managed a sneak preview. There is one sentimental number by Hariharan plus one paisa vasool song by AR and Bappi Lahri looks promising.

Whats the story? Mithun is a media baron, Madhavan plays his son-in-law cum reporter, (expect some Sardesaisms here). It is apparently based on real incidents so I expect a socio-political touch to it definitely. Abhishek plays a villager turned visionary, atleast that is what the website says. One rumour was that it is based on Dhirubhai Ambani's story. Nothing is clear as of now.

Waiting for more news on Guru. Till that time the initial poster on the website is enough to

make me eagerly wait for this movie. Cmon Mani we are all waiting for your first bonafide Hindi hit.

New releases

2006-09-23T23:36:00.000+05:30

Dor, the latest Nagesh Kukunoor movie is apparently a remake of a Malayalam movie Perumazhakalam. And surprisingly the director who gave us the delightful Iqbal has not acknowledged that at all in the movie titles or any of his interviews. The Malayalam movie starring Meera Jasmine and Kavya Madhavan is about two women whose husbands are in the Gulf. One of the husbands is accussed of murdering the another and the accused wife goes in search of the widow to seek a pardon so that her husband can be set free.

Ayesha Takia plays a sans makeup role for the first time and gets a chance to display her acting skills. Well Ayesha Takia is one of the starlets with a no/limited exposure policy and hope she can hold her ground with such movies. It also gives Shreyas Talpade a chance to show his comic skills and Gul Panag another shot at moviedom after the forgettable Jurm.

But why did Nagesh Kukunoor not acknowledge the inspiration??

The other release Khosla ka Ghosla will bring back memories of Hrishikesh Mukjherji style of filmmaking. Anupam Kher returns with a great performance and Boman Irani carries off from where he left off in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Ranveer of Channel V fame is apparently very funny in the movie. The rest are all wallpaper but enact their parts well.

The third release Rocky is a sure flop. Zayed Khan, ded pasli romancing two lovely heroines, Minissha Lamba ( last seen in Anthony Kaun Hai) and Isha Shravani ( Kisna). But they have nothing much to do since apna hero tries to play the 80s type hero fighting family issues and goons at the same time to win his love. Of course Himessh gives the 2 mandatory hummable nasal exhalers. Yeh to bahut daring ho gaya Zayed Khan as a romantic action hero with do do heroine and expecting a hit. Well Emraan Hashmi ka market capture karne ke liye ek udaas shakkal chahiye? And dont fight goons for heaven sake, play with emotions of women willing to drop clothes and hints in an instant.

None of the movies released in Singapore; so here is a collection of thirdparty reviews

http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2006/09/dor-3-stars.html#comments

www.indiafm.com

http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/sep/22khosla.htm

Rahul Bose ke After effects

2006-09-20T10:02:00.000+05:30

Rahul Bose in South Mumbai:
Cool dude
Alternative intelligent thinking man's actor
National rugby team player
Social worker
Rahul Bose in mainstream Bollywood:
Kaun hai ?
Height kam shaanpatti jyada
Faltu mein footage

I dont know if Rahul Bose is Pritish Nandy's male muse of sorts. He has acted in most movies produced by Pritish Nandy Communications. Jhankaar Beats, Chameli, Mumbai Matinee and now Pyar ke Side Effects. So the alternative actor is the new multiplex movie messiah. He will always play the dude in black round neck T-shirts most of the time. His best expression would be a clenched grimace more suited to the toilet rather than the screen. Or it would be a puzzled look main kaha hoon look. He usually takes the kind of roles where these two expressions can be passed on as true acting like the investment banker in Chameli or the late in life in Mumbai Matinee.

While seeing Pyar ke side effects by Saket Chaudhury, although I felt the character played by Rahul Bose was good, the casting was bad. In the hands of someone like Arshad Warsi the movie could have been made into a jhakaas entertainer but now it will only be seen by people who can afford Rs.40 of popcorn and corn chaat.

But the pleasant surprise of the movie is Mallika Sherawat. Well I had always felt she had some acting potential after seeing Murder. In this movie she underplays the sexy bit and comes off as a nice cute gal. Some of the sexual references like the chest in a furniture shop are well timed. The best scene is where she looks at Sophia's dressing and says ' I can never wear something like that'.

Otherwise the movie is as meandering as a cow's piss on the road. Devoid of structure it just struts from scene to scene , some of it generously inspired from Meet the Parents and several others. As I said only watch it if you really think Rahul Bose deserves a multiplex ticket and you can afford all the popcorn to keep you engaged.

Selected commentary on Bollywood

2006-09-17T11:40:00.000+05:30

Is Shahrukh the last superstar?
http://booletpoint.blogspot.com/2005/05/would-shahrukh-be-last-indian.html

Is Aamir going the Kamal Haasan way?
http://booletpoint.blogspot.com/2006/01/is-aamir-going-kamal-way.html

Some Bollywood gems revisited
http://booletpoint.blogspot.com/2006/06/kaha-gaye-ye-bollywood-gems.html

Selected movie reviews of 2006

2006-09-17T11:01:00.000+05:30