Bollywood Infomercial Sleek: RACE 2 Review

 

Let us quote and interview of Johann Verheem, founder of a weight loss company who became famous overnight due to one of his infomercials: “It's not just that sex sells, but one of the other things very important in direct selling, in infomercials, is that a product looks different enough for someone to stop and watch it.” (Inc. magazine)

Verheem's expert knowledge of "what sells" completely matches my impression of Abbas and Mustan Burmawalla's Race 2, where a score of gorgeous males and females show off their tanned and chiseled bodies and brand clothes in luxurious settings while trying to appear cool by emoting as minimum as possible and handling uncannily humongous sums of money (plus the shroud of Turin!) throughout a plot that unfortunately keeps craving for an ending well before the intermission.

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BOL Review: Immersed in Lollywood

BOL review by Diana (Italian Cinema Hindi Blog)

Rating: ****

Bol allows us to immerse ourselves in Lollywood (Pakistani cinema has not been spared the suffix borrowed from Hollywood, taking the first letter of the capital city, Lahore, which is the main stageof the Pakistani film industry).

Zainab (Humaima Malik) is in prison, having been convicted of murder. Before she is executed she requests to be able to tell her story. She is the eldest of five daughters of a very modest family in Lahore. Her father, Hakim Sahib (Manzar Sehbai), is the sole breadwinner, whereasthe family's women remain confined within their home without being given the opportunity to study or tobecome independent, thereby becoming a financial burden. When the family finally sees the arrival of a much-desired male heir, the midwife confides in Hakim and reveals that the baby is a hermaphrodite.

A central theme in Bol is sexuality. In a conservative and repressive society, sexuality is seen as a taboo which often results in sexual phobias, morbid, violent or abusive behavior.

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