Bombay moviegoer's expectations were ablaze viewing the giant posters of Bollywood’s most masalaic hero pointing a gun at cars passing by on high avenues. The sequel to one of the cinema industry’s most recent box office monuments, Dabangg, was about to conquer the Indian psyche, or so it seemed...
While I am aware of the huge following Salman Khan has among Indians and while I do believe the icon he has become can become an acquired taste for those of us who did not grow up with masala as a run-of-the-mill method of storytelling, this blogger remains nonetheless underwhelmed with the result of the sequel to a very innovative and entertaining original Dabangg.
After queueing for tickets unsuccessfully a few times, today I was finally able to enter the cinema hall to watch Talaash, a film that had remained mysterious through its filming and even during its promotion for me and which I was patiently waiting to unveil.
Let's cut to the chase: The film starts with a fine cinematic glossing over Bombay’s underworld, sung masterfully by Suman Sridhar in what I believe is the most original song in the soundtrack. The poor, the gamblers, the prostitutes, the forgotten are all shown through a skillful lens… Once the tone has been set, a car falls into the sea in an accident that will become the object of investigation for inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan). A few scenes later, the audience realizes that the inspector has lost his young son in an underwater accident too. This has affected his relationship with his beautiful wife (Rani Mukherji). The plot is set to deliver a profound psychological suspense drama. The audience’s curiosity is piqued as to how the main character will be freed from his grief through the findings he will make in his crime investigation.
Dolce (Italian for “sweet”) is an Eastern European movie addict (Indian movies to be precise) who has made Toronto, Canada her home over the past few years. She has an endless infectious enthusiasm for movies, songs, settings, dances, badassness and everything else that makes Indian movies a world of their own. You may visit Dolce's blog by clicking here..
One of the biggest disadvantages of having a group of friends where everyone is 3-5 years younger than you is that you're always waiting for people to grow up. You keep making excuses for them and keep saying: they'll grow up when they get a real job, they'll grow up when they find a steady girlfriend/boyfriend, they'll grow up when they move out, etc. And there is some truth to that because that is usually how people learn responsibility and maturity. In fact, on the opposite end, the most telling sign that someone is refusing to grow up is that they will do anything (and I mean ANYthing) to not get a full-time job, or what we call a "real" job.
In a way, Bollywood is like these friends of mine: it keeps refusing to let its heroines (and heroes sometimes) grow up. In real life, if someone is responsible enough to keep a real job and live on their own, we also expect them to be emotionally mature. (Of course that expectation can backfire horribly, but that's for a different day to discuss.) But Bollywood, as I have discovered, doesn't like emotionally mature characters. It follows logically that they cannot have jobs (or if they do they're in the artistic realm), live on their own or make reasonable (read: mature) decisions. So... they don't.
I have already discussed in my blog that a fair percentage of the male characters have become manchildren (without actually getting to the bottom of why that is, but we might get there in this post), so it's only right to now discuss what type of female characters will suit these boys. Not surprisingly: girls! Not women. Girls. Sometimes (not very often, thankfully!) manic pixie dream girls and other times just girls in the process of growing up along with their hero. But girls nonetheless.
Look around at Bollywood movies from the past two decades: how many women can we count and how many girls? And of those women, how many are the heroine? Moreover, how many of those heroines end up with the hero? Three questions, each worth exploring in some detail.
It had been talked about long and plenty. Ever since Imran Khan had graced the screen in JTYJN, he had expressed his wish of starring alongside Kareena Kapoor in the future while Kareena remained nonetheless religiously faithful to the sure career-building value of the older Khan heroes whether it be Salman, Shah Rukh, Aamir or her beau, Saif Ali Khan.
When she finally and fortunately agreed to sharing screen space with a male lead of her age once again (her last great performance with a co-star her age having won her many Jab We Met accolades), Imran Khan was thankfully the natural choice. And we the audience have absolutely no regrets.
Shah Rukh Khan's dream film is finally out after much expectation this Diwali 2011.
The story of Prateek, a young boy who loves to play video games and how one of these games is brought to life is a concept that, according to director Anubhav Sinha, was born six years back when he watched a commercial that featured two children using a remote control on a human being. The original idea and Shah Rukh's dream of making a film that would cross all boundaries through the bold use of VFX resulted in developing a script about a superhero that, as Khan has explained, "saves mankind from Ra.One's (a new era Raavan) torment".
Ra.One has mainly created buzz prior to its release not only thanks to its all star cast and star cameos (Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and none other than the legendary Rajnikanth) but also because it features visual effects and stunts that are absolutely new to Indian cinema and is an ambitious project that has seen huge collaboration between Indian and international teams. A visible example to the audience is that of the Ra.One soundtrack, which was composed by Vishal-Shekhar and includes the participation of internationally acclaimed singer Akon for two of its songs, "Chammak Chalo" and "Criminal", in accordance with a sporadic crossover musical trend in Hindi films.
Both films pulled audiences to the ticketsale counters. Both offer solid and modern entertainment this autumn season.
Mere Brother ki Dulhan is a youthful and pacey tale of the search for the perfect modern day liberated bride, incarnated by Laila (Katrina Kaif) who lives to drink and have fun. It is utterly refreshing to see Katrina Kaif as a full-out rebel, even though her acting still requires developing her individual style more as she somehow often seems to emulate other successful actresses of yesterday and today... She is however very commendable in her role and, as a woman, I have to salute her for not being stick thin but still looking fresh and beautiful. Who wants to be size zero, I say indeed?
3 Idiotsis Rajkumar Hirani’s newest directorial venture and has become the biggest grosser in the history of Indian cinema in a matter of days after its release. The 3 members of our international film review team at the Hindi Cinema blog have watched the film in each of their respective locations around the world and are eager to give their take on it to you, our readers. Given that they are known to interrupt each other constantly, they have roped in journalist Woogie McFinklestein, correspondent for “Idiots Weekly Magazine”, to try and collect their opinions in the form of a civilized interview. Let us see if he succeeds.
Warning: This interview contains spoilers.
What was your reaction upon seeing “3 idiots” for the first time?
Joanna: I had the biggest goofy grin on my face!
Aline: You look like that all the time, Joanna.
Joanna: Well, bigger and goofier! I wanted to immediately walk back up to the box office and buy tickets for the next show.
Pushker: I thought: “Brilliant! Enchanting! Lively! Got to go back again!"
Aline: I wanted to shout "I am an Idiot!" and then tell bystanders: "aal izz well, aal izz well" and take pictures of them all with their astonished faces, advising them to chase excellence and make viruses happy.
Did any part of the story make you cry?
Pushker: I don’t cry! What kind of question is this?
Aline: Pushker, weren’t you crying a minute ago screaming “I don’t want to give an interview!”? We had to pull you through that door…
Pushker: That was not me. That must have been Joanna who has a bad hair day.
Joanna: My hair is fine thank you and says hi!
Pushker: Well, to tell you the truth, my heart skipped a few beats and I got a lump in my throat when Raju's mother visits the hospital in her new sari.
Joanna: Honestly, I didn’t cry the first time I saw the film. However, upon second viewing I also cried during the sari scene and when Virus gifts Rancho his pen (gets weepy). See? I am getting emotional all over again, let me find my handkerchief.
Aline: I cried during several scenes and got goosebumps on Joy’s final scene but was mainly moved by the baby delivery one and entirely wept my way through it...
Joanna: Aline, seriously? You didn’t think it was a bit…filmy?
Aline: To me, if the whole film had not worked for me but there was still this one great scene, I would recommend watching the whole film just for that.
Joanna: (Blows her nose) If Rancho was coming at me with that home-made vacuum contraption, I wouldn’t just cry…I’d scream in horror! (Pushker leaves the room).
What made you laugh?
Aline: So many parts of the film were a riot! Rancho’s first appearance, the exam paper mixup and…
Joanna: I loved the scene where Pia (Kareena) compared the names of Gujarati foods to missiles. "Bush just dropped two Dhoklas on Iraq....." That was a great piece of writing and she delivered it well.
Aline: …the machine definition scene and the urn scene will become classics. So many to choose from! It is an extremely well written script. I was also itching to dance to Zoobi Doobi. Such a fun and sweet depiction!
Joanna: I keep getting interrupted, I wasn’t done with my list of fun scenes.
Aline: You interrupted me first.
Pushker: (back in the room, hands a hairbrush to Joanna) Here Joanna. Better hair means better mood.
Now, do you think Aamir Khan was really able to convince the audience to forget his true age?
Pushker: Age? What age? My wife and both my daughters wouldn’t mind going out on a date with him!
Joanna: They aren't the only ones. (Everyone looks at her.) I mean my friend...you don't know her. She lives in Utah.
Aline: Sure, Joanna. We believe you (winks at Pushker.) It was quite something to see Aamir with such an innocent look on his face. Even his voice sounded younger, to such a point that I forgot it was actually him.
Is there one particular scene that…
Joanna: Hey wait, I haven’t answered the question yet!
Well yes, but…
Joanna: Aamir Khan was brilliant. I think a lot of it comes from who he really is at his core. I’m so happy that he still seems to have a deep connection to his inner child.
Fine. So… is there one particular scene that defines the film?
Aline: Apart from all the moments in which Rancho thinks out of the box, which I think was the whole point of the film, I would say the birth scene.
Joanna: Not again! (Leans back against the chair and rolls her eyes.)
Aline: It has all of the power of Rancho's "aal izz well" in it and then... I always marvel at watching a birth, even fictional.
Pushker: That is too sentimental, Aline! I personally feel the scene that made it for me was the “Balatkar” speech. I was falling off my seat with laughter, like the rest of the audience.
Joanna: Silencer! (Laughs)
But guys, for me, it was more of a sequence than a single scene, beginning with the main suicide attempt and ending with a forgiving father. These were to me the crux of the statement that the director was trying to make. It was the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs. What do you think?
Aline: Did he just answer the question for us?
Pushker: It is the “Balatkar” speech yaar, what are you talking about!
Joanna: (upset) Hey Mr. McFinklestein, no offense, but you are here to interview us and now I have no answer because you just took the words right out of my mouth!
Sorry.
Joanna: What sort of an interview is this? I refuse to be a part of it. (storms out of the room.)
(Aline and Pushker shrug)
What other character apart from Rancho stands out in the film?
Pushker and Aline: Chathur!
Aline: And Virus. He was a wonderful creation and it had outstanding work by Boman Irani.
Joanna: (screams from the neighboring room): Rajuuuuu!
Describe the message you took home from "3 Idiots."
Pushker: Much more than a comedy, “3 Idiots” asks questions and gives insight to the basic need of self realization, opening up the human mind and reaching out to the natural instinct of growth.
Aline: How am I ever going to give a better definition than that? This is unfair! (leaves the room, crossing Joanna at the doorway, who was on her way back).
Can you get her (Aline) back here?
Joanna: No. I can’t stand her today.
Pushker: Let her be.
You people keep leaving the room! I am determined to win my challenge of keeping you all together throughout the interview. Go get her! (bangs his fist on the table) Now!
(Pushker leaves his chair and heads to the neighboring room. He reappears grudgingly pulling Aline behind him. Aline is leafing a book).
Aline: I have a quote to summarize the film message! “Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day”!*
Joanna: So which one are you, Aline, stupid or idiot?
Aline: The film also says that we need to fool our hearts to think positive when dealing with difficult situations and people (gives Joanna a dark stare).
Do you want to add anything?
Aline: We all would like to say that Rancho made us think of a grown up Ishaan**… Right guys? And that I found even the background music really good.
Joanna: The film is also very well cast. Everyone including the secondary roles did an excellent job.
Just one last question, how would you rate the film?
Joanna: Ok guys, ready? 1… 2… 3!
All: AAL IZZ WELL!
It seems as if Woogie McFinklestein has succeeded in making these 3 international idiots remain friends during an entire interview (phew!). Check out the video in which they pay homage to the way 3 Idiots was promoted before its release, featuring an incognito Aamir Khan (Rancho) travelling throughout India. Did these three reviewers and budding investigators manage to find him before the film's premiere? Find out here!
* Original phrase by Samuel Goldwyn.
** The name "Ishaan" makes reference to Ishaan Awasthi, the main character of Aamir Khan's acclaimed film ‘Taare Zameen Par’.
Film: 3 Idiots Director: Rajkumar Hirani Genre: Comedy Cast: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor Producer: Vidu Vinod Chopra Duration: 2 hours 50 minutes
