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…

Copyright® CINEMAnia

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.

Copyright® CINEMAnia

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…

Copyright® CINEMAnia