Lost Humor

Filmfare awards (The biggest awards in Hindi Film Industry, because of its legacy) did away with few traditional categories of awards this year. ‘Best Actor in a Comic Role’ was one such category. Surprised? I was! Because last year saw release of some big comic capers (Welcome), romantic comedies (Jab We Met) and no brainers (Dhol, Dhamaal) and most of them were fairly successful too.

So what happened? I am trying to unravel the reasons which seem most plausible to me right now. I believe there has been a change in way movies are written these days. In movies of yore, there was always a comic track running parallel to the main plot of the story. This was done because main plot was generally hackneyed and actors were so wooden that they felt comfortable emoting pain and hurt only or doing action sequences using body doubles. (Of course this is not true for miniscule good movies which released in 80’s and 90’s). Also main story line was generally boring, so film makers used to add some entertainment by injecting these comic tracks. The actors in these comic tracks were generally considered non hero material, though some of them have actually become legends. Who can forget Mehmood, whose on screen antics were much more watchable than the movie itself? People would flock to watch his movies and not really the hero. I have read somewhere that he was paid more than heroes too. I think the last famous comedian to be part of such comic tracks was Johnny Lever. His acts in movies like Baazigar are still remembered fondly.

But with better and original stories being written, this genre of comic tracks died its natural death. Also emerged good looking comic actors like Akshay Kumar and even Govinda was liked by masses. And full fledged genre of comedies also became commercially viable. So every hero wanted his share of pie. I sometimes feel that Amol Palekar and Farooque Shaikh were born in a wrong era. If they were to do the roles they did in their times, today, they would have been billionaires. Now these add on comic tracks have become an oddity and audiences generally don’t warm up to them. Few years back Filmfare started giving best actor in comic role awards to heroes of the movies. Govinda won one of those. Instead of accepting it as a sign of appreciation, they thought it was some kind of slur on their career or may be they were scared of being typecast. But I don’t see any comedy’s hero getting a best actor award in near future, which is easily possible in Academy Awards. This is because, we Indians consider emotional and weepy; loud and over the top performances as real acting. We think comedy is for wannabes! Sanjay Leela Bhansali would never make one! But I consider David Dhawan as great a film maker as SLB. What if his movies don’t go to Cannes? They made us laugh….

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IRONMAN is here to Stay

It happens rarely that one goes to a movie and gets surprised. Not necessarily because the movie is extremely good. It can also happen when a movie is better than ones expectations or when a movie tries to make a paradigm shift. Iron Man is one such movie which made me sit up and take notice of it.

Being a Hollywood movie, special effects were definitely of the highest levels. But the good thing in Iron Man was that these effects didn’t look as if something is happening out of the ordinary. They were believable and as audience one can mistake to think that if one gets that exoskeleton suit to wear, one can do all those things by oneself. Also unlike other superhero movies this one is really topical and deals with a serious issue of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, making it an interesting watch. While other superhero movies make caricatures out of their villains, Iron Man’s evil elements are entrenched in the grim realities of the present world. So when we watch a Superman or a Spiderman, we watch it as an outsider as if the events are unfolding in some world which doesn’t exist. But Iron Man is different; it reminds us of the dangerous world we live in.

Three other elements of this superhero flick, which makes it markedly different from other movies of similar ilk, have impressed me big time. And I am already awaiting its sequel.

No Split Personality – Right from Superman to Spiderman to even our desi Krissh, the superheroes depict extremely different personalities with and without costumes. Take Spiderman for example. Without his costume Peter Parker is a simple guy, who behaves like loser at times and when he dons his Spiderman costume, the change in his persona is highly dramatic. In Iron Man, nothing of that sort exists. Tony Stark is as powerful and ingenious as Iron Man himself. He can survive and win without the costume. His costume is the extension of his personality and not the other way around. That element makes Iron Man more endearing than any other superhero.

No Need to Hide – While other superheroes make an effort to hide their real identities, Iron Man is cool with revealing his real self. He is indulgent and seeks pleasure in his accomplishments.

No Freak Show – While Spiderman gets his powers from a freak bite and Krissh gets his magic from equally freak ‘Jaadoo’; Iron Man uses his technological know-how and resources to give himself that edge. He makes us believe that Superheroes are humans after all.

I cherished Iron Man and I am sure he is here to stay.

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Single Screens was Fun

Few months back, I went to Maratha Mandir with Sumit, to watch DDLJ’s (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) morning show. Yes! It is such an old movie, running for more than 12 years now at this theatre. But it is such a good movie too. Brought back old memories and is perfect dose for nostalgia. But even more memorable was the fact that I watched a movie in a single screen theatre after a long gap, 3-4 years I guess.

It is almost like going back in time to all those old world charms. Multiplexes definitely have added to our movie going experience. But they are same everywhere, bringing in a monotony. A single screen brings back certain sights and sounds which remind me of my childhood days. This post is dedicated to those very sounds and sights.

I was in 8th standard when DDLJ first released. I still remember standing in that long queue in front of the ticket window. That was the scene every time a big movie released. One had to go to the hall at least an hour before the starting time of the movie. Sometimes for an evening show, we used to queue up, right in the morning. Getting a ticket was an adventure in itself. It was so much fun with friends taking turns in the queue and loitering around aimlessly. With advent of multiplexes came advance booking, tele booking, internet booking and out went the queues. Yes it is more comfortable now. But then the bonding we used to share with friends in those queues is out of our movie experience now. I miss that big time!

When Trimurti released, I was so excited that I bunked school to watch its first day first show. But I was not in luck, the ticket window was closed. I was sad, but then I heard – “pachhis ka pachhas mein, pachhis ka pachhas mein” – someone selling a 25 rupees ticket in 50 bucks. It definitely was a big call. I had to miss going to games parlor for few days. I bought that ticket in black. And the movie was such a disaster. Though I liked the song – Duniya Ri Duniya Very Good Very Good, Duniya Waale Very Bad Very Bad – very much. Seemingly it was written keeping youngsters in mind. Later on in life there were many occasions when I bought a ticket in black and most of the time it was worth it. But now we don’t see such unscrupulous elements when we go for a movie. Yes, we are not doing anything illegal. But the ticket rates these days are anyways at their fleecing best. At least tickets were blacked only for movies which were really good and sought after. But ticket rates at multiplexes are same for every kind of movie, whether it is a half decent flick ‘Bhoothnath’ or an unwatchable disaster ‘Jimmy’. Wish they soon start using differential rates!

During screening of Hum Apke Hain Kaun, people danced in the stall rows when Didi Tera Dewar was playing. I wasn’t surprised when people threw coins on screen when Karishma Kapoor kissed Aamir Khan in Raja Hindustani. Can someone even think in his or her wildest dreams to witness such things in a multiplex or being a part of this kind of revelry? The answer is a big NO! Whenever a movie turned out to be a bore or the pace of the movie used to slacken, the quick-witted remarks from the last rows in the balcony used to lift the entire audience’s mood. But in multiplexes people come to watch movies as if it has been forced on them. They laugh and sigh in tandem as if on someone’s cue. All such things make multiplexes a tad bore and routine. Such ambience of single screens would be difficult to recreate and it would become part of our folklore.

The sound of the bottle opener rattling on the glass bottles of cold-drinks; the hoots that erupted during the entry of the hero of the movie; the wolf whistles when the heroine made a suggestive pelvic thrust; the occasional swear words when the villain did something abhorrent; the ruckus which was created when power failed while the movie played; all this and much more will fade in our memories. I would fondly remember the days when Single Screens was FUN!!!

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The TASHAN The PHARMULA FAILS

Tashan was in CINEMAnia’s list of most awaited movies of 2008. But the Pharmula failed big time this time around for Yash Raj Films. It had everything going for it. It had one of the biggest star cast. Not only biggest, it had the perfect star cast for such a Masala Flick. Anil Kapoor is an actor par excellence. Akshay is the new king of entertainment. Kareena & Saif formed the ‘it’ couple which had the potential to burn the screen. It also had YRF backing it with loads of money and thus aggressive publicity machinery. So the million-dollar question is, “Why Tashan bombed?”

There are many reasons for it – commercial & non-commercial; creative & non-creative and tangible & intangible. I think one of the major reasons for this disaster is that movie failed to live up to the hype that was created around it. But that happens to most of the movies these days. Still they rake in moolah. So I believe there are even more basic flaws in it.

1. The OSO effect – Om Shanti Om was a movie, which belonged to Masala genre and was spoofing old Hindi movies. Tashan according to me belongs to the same genre. But unlike OSO, Tashan pretended to be a serious movie. It tried to justify the bitchiness of Kareena’s character by inserting a vengeance angle in the story. That was like saying – “Boss we have made an illogical, no brainer where hundred men together can’t kill Akshay Kumar, but we can’t show a bikini clad, zero size, conniving Kareena conning people without a noble motive.” Huh! The movie would have been so much more fun, had it not taken itself seriously in the second half. OSO was more fun, non pretentious and of course its songs were much better than that of Tashan.

2. The YRF Arrogance – Yash Raj Films think that they can make whatever crap and sell it in a nice package and the movie would just bring home the money. They were actually right in thinking so. Movies like Laaga Chunari Mein Daag & Ta Ra Rum Pum flopped but still they made profits for the producers. But consumers are smart. They can’t be fooled for long. YRF is so arrogant that they didn’t think it was necessary to have at least a semblance of story in the film. They didn’t think it was necessary to iron out all exhibition & distribution issues with multiplexes before the release of the movie. I believe they must have forgotten.

3. Saif – Kareena Sizzle? Naah! – Wish they had sizzled on screen; after so much was made out of their much exalted relationship. But it’s not their fault. The story didn’t give them a scope to romance. Oh! Did I say STORY? Well there was no story, so atleast the director, The Vijay Krishna Acharya (VKA) could have shown them cozying up. Even a dream sequence would have done wonders. Hehe!

4. The Indulgence of the Director of The Tashan – Or should I call it over indulgence? The abundant usage of ‘THE’ in the movie is just a symptom. The VKA was so much enamored by his own work that seemingly he forgot to say CUT in all those long drawn, boring, repetitive and ridiculous action sequences. I still wonder, where did Saif manage that Jet Ski from or where did the bullet wound vanish from Akshay’s arm within a scene. I hope VKA knows the concept of continuity. He mounted lavish sets for song & dance routines and he forgot to focus on the sound quality. Anil Kapoor’s dialogues were barely audible or comprehensible.

You people can add more reasons for The Tashan failing. If it wasn’t for Akshay Kumar I couldn’t have watched the movie till The End.

It is not the case that The PHARMULA doesn’t work anymore. It is just that the FORMULA should be right.

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Ashwin Dheer.. Have Mercy

Ashwin Dheer is the man behind the very successful comedy tele-series ‘Office Office’; whose lead Mussadi Lal (played effectively by Pankaj Kapur) epitomizes the common man at the mercy of the notorious Indian bureaucracy. He has written many other light hearted television programs and has been fairly successful.

But then Bollywood embraced him with open arms. After all ‘Office Office’ had been sweeping all television awards since years. I wish him good luck that in coming years he achieves a similar success in Hindi films. Although the stuff he has dished out in last 3 weeks has made me curse him many times.

First came his directorial debut – ‘One Two Three’. It seems he ghost directed it or sleep walked through the movie. He struggles so badly as wannabe Priyadarshan that even Priyan’s bad movies like ‘Dhol’ can pass off as masterpieces. The movie has a cast of non actors like Upen Patel and even good actors like Paresh Rawal are seen peddling lingerie and cracking gross jokes. The screenplay of the movie is childish and is too trivial and predictable even for a No Brainer. I was so tired of not laughing at the gags in the movie that I did laugh in a sequence post interval. Actually it was a smart comment from someone in audience which had that effect. The only good thing about movie was that Upen Patel and Tannisha had miniscule roles. On the contrary I suppose it was good for them too ;-)

Then came his D Day on April 11! He had two releases on that day. He has written dialogues for Ajay Devgan’s directorial debut ‘U Me Aur Hum’. Now the movie itself isn’t that bad. Okay it is inspired by another movie – ‘The Notebook’. I haven’t seen that though. But still Ajay has done a decent job. The movie post interval has gripping drama. And as actors both Ajay and Kajol have done exceedingly well. But the irritating first half where the story never moves ahead gave me a headache. Also Ajay in his enthusiasm has used two techniques which were not at all required and looked jarring in the movie. He used split screen shots (more useful in action movie or thrillers) and close up shots of actors (hang over of RGV Ki Aag I suppose). But a decent storyline & script more or less made up for these technical anamolies. But one can’t forgive Ashwin for the vulgar dialogues he has written for the movie. There are so many double-entendres in the movie that I saw parents (who had come with their kids) squirming with embarrassment in their seats. After all, the movie was publicized as a family entertainer. I wish Ashwin understands one thing that comedy doesn’t mean crass dialogues with veiled references to sexual acts. That used to work in 90’s. It doesn’t work anymore.

On the same day released ‘Krazzy4’. It is produced by Rakesh Roshan. It has item numbers by Rakhi Sawant, Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan. It has 5 good actors in it. Irrfan Khan, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon and Juhi Chawla makes a dream cast for the debutante director Jaideep Sen. The good things about the movie just end there. It seemingly has a lifted song, a copied story and item songs which have no connect with the movie. It’s a movie which is so boring that watching a re-run of ‘Office Office’ would have been fun. And guess what, the movie is written by Ashwin Dheer. Written? It is inspired by some movie called ‘Dream Team’. Oh! I forgot another good thing about the movie. It ends well within 2 hours.

I don’t know what is going through his mind right now. I love his ‘Office Office’. And I think he can do better than his recent efforts. But for time being Ashwin take a break and have mercy on us…

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Return of the original AK

Akshay Kumar is the flavor of the season. With 2007’s four biggest hits under his belt, he seems to be the hottest property in Bollywood. The ‘Khiladi’ AK will be doing what he does best, in 2008. Whether it is hosting ‘Fear Factor’ or representing the cricket team of Delhi Daredevils or returning to action genre in ‘Tashan’ we will get to see him doing those death defying stunts with a flair never seen before.

So ‘Khiladi’ AK is back to what he originally was known for. But there is something happening elsewhere which hasn’t gone unnoticed. And that is the resurgence of Anil Kapoor – the original AK has returned.

Both the AK’s have few things in common. Both have Punjabi roots. Both are the ones who have always belted out hits and are dependable stars. They both have power of drawing audiences on the first day. They both have done action and comedy with élan. They have always worked with biggest stars of their times – both males and females. They both have seen long periods when they were almost lost in oblivion. They both have done outright bad movies at times like Andaaz (Anil) and Talaash (Akshay). And they both have made successful comebacks many a time. Still they were never considered ‘Number One’ actors by media and critics, though masses thought otherwise. There was always someone else lapping up all the awards barring on one or two rare occasions.

Akshay Kumar reinvented himself with ‘Hera Pheri’ and made poker faced comic acts his forte. Incidentally, no brainers and comic capers have ruled the box office in last 5-8 years. Also because most of the other big stars like Shahrukh Khan starting working exclusively for few people, many independent film makers had no other option than making films with easily available though dependable actors (Read Akshay). Akshay’s associations with Priyadarshan (Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhoolaiya) and Vipul Shah (Aankhein, Waqt, and Namastey London) also have been fruitful and has catapulted him to the top league.

Anil Kapoor’s renaissance story is even more fascinating. There was a time when his films used to release as prolifically as happens with Akshay now. He did big movies with successful directors. Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Kishen Kanhaiya and Mr. India are some of his hit movies, which any actor would be proud of in Bollywood. Then something happened in 90’s. Khans emerged on the scene and took the country by storm. Weddings and Romance was the only genre which was doing well at ticket window. Masala entertainers started biting dust. All of a sudden Anil was little old for such movies and the times called for fresh faces. Anil did some of his worst work during this period – I believe it must be for money and not for any creative satisfaction. Even in this period he managed to give some remarkable performances like the ones in Virasat and Pukar (He won a National Award for it). But they were far and few. Then by the turn of the millennium Amitabh Bachhan struck gold with the success of KBC and he started bagging all character roles as well. All the successful villains and comedians of last two decades also started playing character roles at much cheaper price. Last year Anil’s daughter Sonam Kapoor made a debut with disastrous Saawariya and everyone thought that that’s the end of Anil Kapoor’s career as a leading man and he would be limited to fringe roles in second rung movies. But Anil isn’t a guy who will take things lying down.

Within months we saw him performing like never before. He was back to his best as Majnoo Bhai in ‘Welcome’. It reminded me of his Ram Lakhan act. Then came ‘Black and White’ and all critics were happy seeing him play a serious role. Next month came out ‘Race’. It is strictly an average movie though it is registering great collections. But Anil is the only likeable character in the movie. His corrupt detective act is totally opposite of what he did in Black and White. This is the mark of a great actor.

So what changed the fortunes for Anil? I believe there are three major reasons for that. Firstly multi starrers have returned with a bang so that gives a huge scope to film makers to take diverse actors. Secondly all kinds of films are being made these days, so dependable and good actors like Anil will always find good work to do. They need not do movies just for the heck of it. Lastly and most importantly, Anil Kapoor is one of those rare actors who don’t do advertisements and very less exposed to public. So with audiences demanding freshness and novelty in every movie, he has become an apt choice. Moreover one can’t keep an actor of his caliber down for a long time.

And with Tashan (Anil is looking great in its teaser) already being touted as a big hit even before its release, Anil is well set to make a “Last Impression” and a lasting one too.

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In the name of GOD

It took 40 long years for a Pakistani movie to get a theatrical release in India. I was apprehensive when I went inside the auditorium to watch ‘Khuda Ke Liye – In the name of GOD’. I had heard about the pathetic quality of movies that get made in Pakistan. But this movie had done well at some film festivals, so though I was apprehensive I was hopeful that it won’t be as bad as ‘One Two Three’ which I had watched last week. Thankfully my hope won over my apprehensions.

It’s a wonderful and optimistic movie. Though it has been given a realistic treatment, not even a single moment in the movie is boring. It’s a brave statement on state of affairs in Muslim countries. The film maker has tackled so many issues in this movie without even one of them looking out of place. The film has three sub plots which are integrated very well.

First sub plot delves into issues of racial discrimination and racial profiling in the backdrop of 9/11 attacks. Some scenes in this sub plot are so gut-wrenching that the audience feels disgusted the way people from subcontinent are looked at in US of A. The protagonist of this sub plot personifies the liberal and educated Muslims. It is the story of his struggle against those who want him to pay for just being a Muslim. This part of the movie also showcases the highbrow attitude and cultural insensitivity on the part of US agencies. The transition of the mental state of the central character from I LOVE USA to I LOVE USAMA is a master stroke and the director has been successful in evoking right set of emotions from his audience.

The second sub plot is a statement on meaning of Jihad. This sub plot is very dramatic and provides a huge scope for histrionics. Naseeruddin Shah’s liberal and scientific outlook towards the interpretation of religious texts provides hope. The gullibility of the main lead in this sub plot just moves you. His journey from an aspiring rock star to an almost terrorist is beautifully depicted. This story presents the co existence of liberal and orthodox Muslim within Pakistan. It makes a comment on state of Judiciary there. The fact that Religion and Culture can’t be mistaken for each other comes to fore and as an audience you just want the rock star to come back home to his parents.

But the most powerful sub plot I found in the film was the one that revolves around the female lead of the movie. I say most powerful because the film maker has been brave enough to bring to fore the issues women are facing there right from forced marriages and marital rapes to lack of opportunities and education for them. Iman Ali’s (born and brought up in UK) struggle against the unknown world of hinterlands of Pakistan and her father’s hypocrisy, provides soul to the movie. The message in this sub plot is so subtly put that you take it back home. The film maker has even tried to give the solution to these problems. They might seem insignificant but they are in right direction.

This is a landmark movie and 40 years have been worth its wait. Technically it may not be the best product. But the movie has soul. Go watch it Khuda Ke Liye…

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