Sunday, March 28, 2010

WANTED film review

Today we are glad to feature one of the fantastic reviews being written by the Italian Cine Hindi blog. We are thus very proud to have Diana's insightful review of "Wanted", Salman Khan's latest mega-hit film. A big hello to the knowledgeable team in Italy, with whom we are happy to be establishing a more regular collaboration. Ciao a tutte!
(The original review , written in Italian may be found here).




‘Wanted’ is the Hindi remake of the highly successful Tamil film, ‘Pokkiri’ which was directed by Prabhu Dheva, in charge of directing also the current Hindi version.

‘Wanted’ was released in September last year and may be considered as the most exciting film to be released in 2009. The audience’s acclaim immediately catapulted it to super-hit status within the first week of its release. Critical acclaim additionally ensued, resulting in ‘Wanted’ sweeping away competition from 'Dil Bole Hadippa!' which had released the same weekend. This is undoubtedly due to the film’s perfectly scrumptious mix of action, humour, music, romance and drama in true Indian style: Voilà! Bollywood in all its glorious splendour!


THE PLOT
Radhe (Salman Khan) is a professional killer working for the mafia bosses that share the control of organised crime in Mumbai. He is involved in their gangland wars but works only for money.



Amongst corrupt politicians, crooked cops and criminals, he meets Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia), young, beautiful and naïve, with the vital statistics of a pin-up girl. The two fall in love but the odds are stacked against Radhe, a killer, and the gentle Jhanvi.

‘Wanted’ is an action film with a fluid and enthralling plot. The story’s characters are well-conceived, particularly the despiteful Inspector Talpade (one would have a difficult time imagining a more smarmy policeman). The soundtrack and choreography are also very pleasant and enjoyable. The same amount of attention and care has been put into treating both the romance in the film and the inventive and enthusiastic shoot-outs and brawls. The entire cast has delivered fine performances. Humour and entertainment in spades, ‘Wanted’ is definitely a film not to be missed.


WHAT WORKS:
* Salman Khan, Salman Khan, Salman Khan: a vibrant dancer, an invincible fighting machine, a lovable but caustic boyfriend.



* Salman Khan again, who in the 33rd and 57th minute takes the flowers from a small vase and drinks the water.



* All the action scenes



* All the scenes between Radhe and Jhanvi



* The soundtrack, in particular the ‘Dil Leke’ track, which has been picturized in breathtaking Santorini, creating the perfect atmosphere for a passionate love story or a romantic honeymoon. (Note from HCB: Check out the video of the song and the lyrics, translated to English, by clicking here)



WHAT DOESN’T:
* Nothing!
Perhaps, purely for the sake of argument, the ending between the two lovers could have been more impassioned, but there is already talk of a sequel. To see more of Radhe and Jhanvi together, we will just have to be patient.



TRIVIA TIDBITS
* The picturization of ‘Jalwa’ features a nice cameo performance from Prabhu Deva, Govinda and Anil Kapoor.



* Both Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are named in the film.



* Wanted by Prabhu Deva is the Hindi remake of ‘Pokkiri’, also directed by Prabhu Deva. ‘Pokkiri’ in turn, is a Tamil remake of ‘Pokkiri’ a film made in Telugu and directed by Mahesh Babu.

Cast
Radhe/Rajveer Shekhawat - Salman Khan
Jhanvi - Ayesha Takia (No Smoking, Dor)
Inspector Talpade - Mahesh Manjrekar (Slumdog Millionaire)
Gani Bhai - Prakash Rai
Golden - Aseem Merchant
Ashraf Khan - Govind Namdeo
Inder Kumar - Ajay
Vinod Khanna - Shrikant Shekhawat
Daniel Malik - Landlord
Mishal Mlaik - Jhanvi's Mother

Directed by Prabhu Deva


Produced by Boney Kapoor


Music by brothers Sajid (Main Aurr Mrs Khanna) and Wajid Ali (Welcome)
Buy the ‘Wanted’ soundtrack on Itunes.


Choreography:
Raju Sundaram (Kaminey)
Vaibhavi Merchant (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
Rajiv Surti (Main Aurr Mrs Khanna)
Vishnudeva (Fast Forward)

Released: 2009

Distributed by Eros Enterainment
 
Written by: Diana
Edited by: Aline CineHindi

Monday, March 22, 2010

TOP 10 “WOW” MOMENTS in recent Hindi Films


by: ASHU

The lights in the theatre dim….the giant screen lights up…the sounds resonate and the colors dance…for the next 2 hours or so, I am transported into a wonderful world. A world full of song and dance, tears and smiles, horror and delight, romance and comedy…That's the magic of Hindi films!

Recently I got thinking about what are some of the moments from some recent Hindi films that have stayed on with me. Moments that have been the money's worth (paisa vasool as they say in Hindi) and moments that have made me fall in love with Bollywood even more.

Here I reproduce for you my top 10 moments


Number 10
The title song from Om Shanti Om


Just getting the 33 stars together for a 5 minute sequence has made Farah Khan, the director, earn a place in the pages of Bollywood history. For many of us the song will serve as a bookmark in our memories of the Bollywood, as it stands today!


Number 9
The train robbery sequence from Dhoom 2


Sets your pulse racing right at the beginning of the film and is an apt teaser of the excitement to follow. Reminds you of the famous train and horses sequence from the classic "Sholay".


Number 8
The introduction scene of Hrithik in Krrish


An "a-ha!" moment for all fans of Swadesi…finally we have our own desi superhero.


Number 7
The climax of "Don"


The 'junglee billi"(wild cat) line from the older version is used so effectively to give a big twist to the tail..oops tale! Makes you start wondering about whether a Don 2 is around the corner…and now we know that it is!!!

Number 6
Guru- Climax


As Abhishek Bachchan asks a stadium full of his shareholders if they want to become the biggest company in the world, your chest swells with Indian pride. A fabulous performance by the junior B which will probably be counted among his finest but which unfortunately was ignored by film awards…

Number 5
Waheeda Rehman receiving the belongings of her dead pilot son in Rang De Basanti.



She stumbles, as if about to faint but then manages to compose herself. A wonderful scene enacted beautifully by one of the greats of Hindi cinema. Lata Mangeshkar's endearing voice in the background singing one of Rehman's best compositions till date also adds to the emotional tones of the scene.

Number 4
Munna Bhai apologizing to Circuit in Lage Raho Munnabhai at behest of Bapu


A rare poignant moment between the otherwise trigger happy comic characters which displays the strength of their bond. Also a profound take on how apologizing may not be the easiest, but is always the right thing to do

Number 3
The "70 minute" speech from Chak De


It is a somber and emotional moment as Shah Rukh Khan- the coach , tells his girls to grab those seventy minutes from anyone who has ever doubted their ability to achieve their dreams. The different stories of all girls flash before your eyes and then you realize that you want them all to win as much as their coach


Number 2
The song 'Khwaja' from Jodhaa Akbar


Never before has the essence of a song been so beautifully captured on celluloid…the expressions of the singers on screen are amazing and by the end its not just Akbar who reaches spiritual ecstasy but the audience as well…

Number 1
The Painting competition from Taare Zameen par






Probably the most natural looking sequence on Hindi film screen ever. Could be any school painting competition, anywhere… and therein lies the brilliance of the picturization. The background song adds to the mood and builds to a crescendo just like the audience's expectations… and finally the masterpieces by the teacher and student are revealed!

Post written by ASHU