Best of the the 80s

On Rediff. I keep saying every now and then that the 80s were probably the worst time in Indian cinema. And when I look at this list which has Mirch Masala, Chashme Baddoor, Jaane Bhi Do yaaron etc on it, I feel like an ass.

Must see!

Isn't this

interfering in other countries' internal affairs? Especially when we as a country have always opposed Pakistan's interference.

Also read : Jug Suraiya on internationalizing Kashmir

Chandi Chowk to China - A lesson

For everybody concerned. I don't agree with the premise that content is the king in Bollywood. Om Shanti Om was unbearable in the second half. So were Welcome and Singh is King. And the less said about Ghajini, the better. In the business of movies, exclusivity is the key. A fact which was recognized by some superstars quite early. Aamir, SRK and Hrithik have restricted themselves to one film a year, which ensures if nothing else their movies get a great opening and hence break even. And more or less, their roles are different in every film even if they are low on content.

Aamir leads the way in this strategy. A look at his last five films(The Rising, Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, TZP, Ghajini) gives you an idea of the way he has built his brand. Even though The Rising was not a super duper hit, it got a great initial which made it to break even(an added fact was that it was Aamir's first release in five years). Every movie since Aamir has been getting a new hairstyle and the media has been lapping it up. He has been living his characters through the media. The media's limited access to him has only added to the exclusivity factor. And the results are there for everyone to see.

Not many Bollywood commentors look at this fact but even SRK has been working on not more than two films per year. Since Paheli, he has not failed.

Akshay unfortunately has not learnt his lessons. His movies are neither high on content(Unlike Aamir's) and neither is he a great talker(Unlike SRK who visits every TV show and every reporter's house to promote his film). It worked for some time(Namaste London, Welcome, Singh is King) but now Brand Akshay Kumar is showing signs of cracking. Since any industry should not have a monopoly, a strong Brand Akshay Kumar is required to keep the Khans and Roshans in check. But the key question is can he salvage it?

Chandni Chowk to China - First Reviews

Initial reviews are not so flattering. Has this become the rule - big superstar, big film equals brain dead/mindless?

My Review - Ghajini

You could say I spolied the fun myself by watching Memento a week before Ghajini released. But however intelligent Memento might have been, the association of a certain Mr Aamir Khan in this film always made me believe that if not anything Ghajini would have a plot aka storyline. Ghajini is a waste. Of time. Of energy. Of all those things which a cinegoer invests while watching a movie. And here is why

1. Asin is overweight and irritating.
2. The whole lovestory subplot(including the Sanjay Singhania bit) is impractical and stretches too far even by Bollywood standards.
3. Aamir looks great with all that body shoddy and the hairstyle but why he gets into those Sunny Deol style screaming and shouting is something I did not get.
4. I was hoping Murgadoss will concentrate and build upon the initial story as to when he starts tattoing on his body but no, the movie starts of with a ridiculous killing-with-a-tap scene; the buildup of whom is not clearly shown.
5. Inspector Arjun Yadav - Who? Why? From where?
6. The entire film has a distinct South Indian feel which ain't bad but it ain't no good either.
7. The best part about Ghajini is Ghajini himself i.e Pradeep Rawat aka the guy who played the sardar in Lagaan. His haryanvi accent gave me some pleasure in three and a half hours of pure agony.

My nomination for the Worst Film of the year 2008.

P.S. : After watching the end credits roll, I sent a message to my dear friend - 'Is Rab Ne even worse'? Got the reply - 'Yep'.

This is hilarious

...and also a revelation. A reasonable Pakistani. Must see

Thank you India Uncut!

The Bollywood Roundup : Top films of 2008

The year 2008 has been bad, not only with the terror attacks all over India, the stock market meltdown and the slowdown but also terrorism spread from the likes of Mimoh, Tushar Kapoor and Harman Baweja. In a year when the biggies came out with Jodha-Akbar, Tashan, Race, Rab Ne Bana di jodi and Ghajini, you had chotu filmmakers coming out with Aamir, Mithya, Dasvidaniya, Dil Kabaddi etc. So amidst the gloom and the doom I present my best films list of the year.

Number 5 - Mithya
That Ranvir Shourie is talented actor is very well known, what was not known to us that a combination of Shourie+Vinay Pathak+Rajat Kapoor's wacky direction would be a dark comedy with a bundle of surprises. Watching Mithya I was reminded of a line from the Tom Hanks' starrer Forrest Gump - Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. The movie starts of on a wild note...goes slow in the second half and the ending well.. breaks your heart. Ranvir Shourie is brilliant and so is pal Vinay Pathak.
Rajeev Masand Review of Mithya.

Number 4 - Race
Having a plot which is as straight as a jalebi, Race is one of those typical 90's films of Abbas Mastan. The only difference being that you have more cleavage, mindblowing 'copied' music(as a certain Mr Pritam is the music director), countless twists and turns and jokes so silly that they make you laugh. Sample this line from Anil Kapoor - Ganna chusenge bolne main accha nahi lagta isliye bol raha hun ganna khayenge.
Movies are for entertainment and if you agree with that, Race is a total paisa vasool.

Number 3 - Aamir
Inspired from the filipino film Cavite and brilliantly executed by debutant director Rajkumar Gupta, Aamir is an answer not only to the radical islamists in India but also to the current UPA govt, which undertook the Sachar comittee report. On being taunted that he was one of the lucky few, Aamir replies - "I was not lucky. I studied in govt schools and colleges, worked hard, got a scholarship and made my destiny on my own".

Number 2 - Jaane Tu..ya Jaane na
Movie Talkies called it "One of the coolest, warmest, hippest and funniest musical romantic comedy in years has arrived, and a new Khan is born." I would add 'funniest' and the remove the latter line. Jaane Tu is also an example of how great writing and great dialogues can make a simple film work. The gags in Jaane Tu are the funniest I have seen in any Bollywood film since Khosla ka Ghosla.

And the Desiblab Film of the year is...

Number 1 - A Wednesday
I have reviewed the film previously. And there is nothing more to say that in a year when the aam aadmi was the mainstay of Bollywood, media and Madam Sonia, 'A Wednesday' is the perfect candidate for the film of the year.

Also ran - Jodha Akbar, Dostana, Ghajini, Dasvidaniya, Golmaal Returns, Fashion and Rock On!

Farhan's scoreline

Farhan - The Good

1. Dil Chahta Hai
2. Lakshya
3. Rock On(Audio)

Farhan - The Bad

1. Don - The chase begins again
2. Rock On(Video)

Farhan - The Ugly(iest)

1. Oye! It's Friday!

The final score reads 3-2-1.

Back with a BANG!

It's been a long long time actually. First, I had my final semester exams, then dissertation susmission, a marriage and then a crisis on the personal front, all of which are either over or have been resolved. A lot has happened since my last long post, attacks on Bombay being the major happening. Amongst all the crap that has been floating in the media(print as well as TV), I saw some very very few articles/columns being able to see reason and talk sense. Some of them are as follows.

1. GreatBong's posts on 26/11 and the press coverage
2. Offstumped and the Acorn are as usual, at their best.
3. M J Akbar's(for whom I have newfound respect now) piece, here and here.
4. Swapan Dasgupta, as usual everywhere.

Amongst the English channels CNN IBN is the worst. Their coverage as well as their anchors as well as their bias against you know who. NDTV was better but then they have Barkha Dutt no. Whenever NDTV tries to do well, she tries equally hard to show how minorities have also suffered.

Madam Barkha, we Indians are not fools. After the Gujarat riots, there have been almost 8-12 terrorist attacks on India and nowhere have Hindu mobs targetted muslims. So puh-lease stop treating us as kids and behaving as the epitome of (pseudo)secularism.We are more mature than you think.

Amongst the good things that happened was India's win against England and Sachin's knock. And now Dravid's knock too. But the best bit of cricketing news came from down under. So you see arrogance is fallible!!! LOL! On the subject of cricket, Harsha's latest is as usual, ORGASMIC!

Wow!!!

2 months and 1 post.....have to get back to regular blogging. Have a lot on my mind - terror attacks, India's win, Sachin's century blah blah blah.

Harsha Bhogle's latest

is a masterpiece. Sample this

On Laxman

"This double hundred was flawless and like a master cutter shaping a diamond, VVS Laxman eroded the Australian bowling. They respect him there far more than we do in India and this innings was an example of why that is so."

"There is something deeply satisfying about a man who doesn’t thump his own chest, doesn’t give the two fingers to the opposition, is in the news for the right reasons and doesn’t know what a brawl means."

"He was treated very shabbily during the IPL, was prevented, in a most bizarre episode, from playing for a month in England and had to witness the swords being sharpened for his execution. Don’t forget this is a man who gave up a million dollars a year so the Deccan Chargers could get better players and help develop cricket in his state. In England they are going crazy over a million dollars per player. Laxman gave up a million a year for three years! At the end of the first season in the IPL, he was sacked when he had been captain for six games and the job was given to a man who had led in the other eight!! And not a thank you for the extra three million!"

My Review - The Insider

You have two great actors, a great director, a great real-life script, seven Oscar nominations and what do you get in the end - a movie which manages to indulge in some foreplay but fails to give you the orgasm. The Insider could have been a gripping drama about corporate fraud, greed and standing up for your beliefs(which is such a common plot in Hollywood) but this two and a half hour film fails to keep up the pace. Al Pacino gives you some fine moments and thats it. Russell Crowe it seems used this film to prepare for 'A Beautiful Mind'.

Maybe because I saw it on DVD. Maybe I had too many expectations. Maybe life is not that fair. Maybe. Try this one of you are a Pacino fan.

Finally its here - Ghajini Promo

Looks good na?

There's something about Dhoni

I agree, finally!

Best of the 70s

Close on the heels of Best of the 60s, comes Rediff's Best of the 70s.

My Review - Patton

My obsession with world war movies continues. Patton is a 1970 Hollywood film which won seven Oscar awards including Best Film, Actor and Director. It is based on George Smith Patton Jr, who was a brilliant but eccentric US military general in world war II. My father used to mention a lot about him along with Rommel(who was a German General). It has been on my to-do list for a long long time. The film documents the general's exploits in the buildup to the second world war. George C Scott, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1970,(and refused it famously) is brilliant as Patton. The film does not focus on the war as such but more on Patton's personality and his views and opinions on a host of issues like reincarnation, war, honour etc.

Watch it for George C Scott's brilliant performance!

My Review - Out of Africa

Casually surfing through Wikipedia, I stumbled upon this movie and I got to know that this real-life romantic drama got a Best Oscar for Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay among others in 1985. I saw this movie last Sunday. If you are the one who has Discovery and Nat Geo as their favourite channels and Big Cat Diary as one of your favourite shows, you are bound to love this movie. The pace is slow and boring at times but it tells of a much simpler time and very simple people(African tribals). Meryl Streep is brilliant with her Dutch accent, Robert Redford is sexy and the cinematography is mindblowing. Some of the supporting cast also does well in their tiny but significant parts. A perfect watch for a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon!

Bush floors India

How can any Indian not like this guy?

Absolute bliss

How would you feel when you saw the director of the last decade's best comedy giving an interview almost two years after the release of the film?
The answer is bliss!