Filed under: Celebrity, News, Opinion

I jerked upright in the middle of the night imagining that I was caught in a bomb blast. Silly me! It's Diwali time. What did I expect? One of my very excited neighbor decided that he wanted to burst an atom bomb in that very-human (read: inhuman) time of the night, right on the top of my sleepy head. Well, this one time, I am not going to go blast his head instead. Diwali hain, hak bantha hain!

I wish, like in my neighborhood, such blockbusters happened in our B-town too. Diwali has always been the time for big releases in Bollywood - creating a nail-biting situation for film makers and audiences alike. I guess this year its no different. With three films hitting the limelight at the same time, I am all confused here. Which one do I go to first? Which one is paisa-wasool, which one is bheja-fry?

Let's expand on that thought!

The most hyped and the most spent upon release, I would say, is Ashtavinayak Productions' Blue. 100+ crores is no small deal. It's more like placing your one foot in the grave. If the movie doesn't do well, no prizes for guessing how big the loss will be. Let's be hopeful though. An elaborate casting with Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif topped with a nice chiggy-wiggy performance by Kylie Minogue and not to forget the over-the-top underwater and on ground stunts, Blue definitely seems big to me. AR Rahman gives some good music and I cannot wait to see Resul Pookutty's underwater magic. So what if it's a remake of some Hollywood flick? Some inspiration is good. I hope the film doesn't give me any Diwali-blues!

Promising to get your guts out, err... I mean... make you laugh your guts out with some hilarious situations and some (hopefully non-hilarious) action sequences, Ajay Devgan's All the Best also hits the theaters this Diwali. The star cast of the movie includes Ajay Devgan himself, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Mugdha Godse and Asrani. The music has been provided by Pritam. The movie is all about how Prem (Ajay Devgan) and Veer (Fardeen Khan) try untangling some chaos created by Dharam Kapoor (Sanjay Dutt) through lots of lies and some massive funny cover-ups. I hope the film turns out to be as funny as it sounds. The entire star cast seem like they badly need a hit film for the well-being of their careers. All the very best to All the Best and its cast. However, if you take a look back, last year Rohit Shetty-Ajay Devgan's team effort Golmaal Returns did give the Khan and the Deol brothers (Heroes) a run for their monies! Should we expect something like that for this year too?

Let's move on to Main Aur Mrs. Khanna. A joint production of Sohail Khan Productions and UTV SpotBoy Pictures, this Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Sohail Khan starrer film revolves around an extra marital affair. I think there are by now atleast a zillion movies with this as the concept. So, the concept by itself has lots to prove. I am hoping that the storyline is different from all other similar concept movies. Like everybody else, I cannot take a repetition here. Preity Zinta looks slightly out of place in the item number and Deepika Padukone's special appearance better be for a reason. Salman has had very little luck in the past few years, especially during Diwali - Saawariya, Kyun Ki, Heroes, all flopped big time. Are we to expect a Deja-vu this year again?

My prediction seems to be a little biased towards Blue since it's got a lot to offer. Secondly in my list, I d say is All the Best - Silly comedies sometimes create wonder. As for Main Aur Mrs. Khanna, I really am not too optimistic. Will have to wait for the D-day to see how accurate my prediction is!

Deep blue waters, an extra marital affair, outright comedy - You make your choice. I have chosen all of it. Along with some crackers, family-time and lots of food, Diwali day is also going to be a movie day for me!

Happy Diwali all of you!

 

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Filed under: Review, Opinion

There is one particular genre of movies which force you to contemplate on the broader picture, in other words, expects you to use your brains and form an opinion. And there is another genre which just expects you to keep watching. Karan Johar's Wake up Sid falls under the latter category.
It did not surprise me even a bit when the very spoilt and aimless slacker (but dil se accha) Sidharth 'Sid' Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor) learns how to live his life independently and realises that he is in love with the much older Aisha Banerjee (Konkana Sen Sharma). It's the way any movie with this storyline should move. And it played exactly in the same lines. No need for a revelation there.

Produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures, this romantic comedy film is Ayan Mukherji's directorial debut.

So, what worked?
The cast and acting. Yes. Brilliant Casting. Months ago when I read an article where Karan Johar claimed that watching the movie was the only way to understand the chemistry between Ranbir and Konkana, I just dismissed it as yet another movie maker's promising statement. We all are used to such things, aren't we? (My movie biggest, my script greatest, my cast coolest... blah blah). Wake up Sid definitely has given me good hopes about all other unlikely pairs in Bollywood.

The lead actors fit naturally in their roles. Ranbir seemed cute (first time for me) and Konkana - tussi cha gaye! She's pretty, acts her age and acts her role. Thank god! Anupam Kher and Supriya Pathak are promising and so is the rest of the cast. Kudos to all! Not to forget, Rahul Khanna looks very attractive!

Cinematography: I usually relate camera and angles to action and superhero films. But, Anil Mehta (Director of Photography) proves that interesting camera work can be effective on down-to-earth movies too. The angle-wise feel of the movie was great!

What didn't?
Movie Runtime. Too much. Too long. I personally feel the movie would've had some more appeal if the curtains were down in two hours. Three hours was unnecessarily long!
To Filmmakers: The lesser (the crap) the better!

Kashmira Shah. Why? Somebody enlighten me please.

What could have been better?
Music. I loved the Ghoonja Sa Koi Ek Thara number. It was definitely refreshing and definitely Indian. As for the other songs, well, I still can't make out one from another. It all sounds just the same. Some more variety would have been appreciated.

Storyline: Too predictable. Some surprise/intrigue factor would've made me happier.

Overall, the movie is worth the watch, time and money. A well deserved three stars!
If you still haven't, Go for it people!

 

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Filed under: Celebrity, Opinion

Dear Sanju Baba,

As a true blue fan of movies in general, and Bollywood in particular, I can't even recall off - hand the last last time I sat back and really enjoyed a Sanjay Dutt movie, in the past 3 years.The farthest I can look back is to a September, 3 years back when Laage Raho Munnabhai was released, and with your genial charm and dead -pan humor went on to collect close to Rs.70 crore in gross revenues.

There was a glimmer of the affable Sanjay Dutt's Jadoo, (a flare would be more appropriate), in Shootout at Lokhandwala, but that was it.
And that was in 2007.
The list of projects that you were associated with, in the last three years, looks more like a consolidated who - is - who of the general list of Bollywood celluloid disasters.
To refresh your memory, here are a few of the infamous ones -
Eklavya: The Royal Guard
Nehlle Pe Dehlla
Sarhad Paar
Dhamaal
Dus Kahaniyan
Woodstock Villa
Mehbooba
Kidnap
EMI
and Luck, the latest of the flaming, burning wrecks.

Though none of us have actually felt your 'absence', being in the news for all the other reasons than movies, the question is still begging to be answered.

The final quarter of this financial year, thankfully has 3 of your movies to look forward to. All the Best - Fun Begins, produced by Ajay Devgan, (flush with his back- to - back success of Golmaal and Golmaal Returns), the insanely - big budget caper Blue, and of course butting heads with Big B and the Supernatural in Aladin.

It is highly fortunate, and pretty darn lucky too, to have the creative support, and the associated tinsel power that comes with it in all the three releases associated with you, in this quarter.

Anyway you look at it, it is a safe bet.

It is Aladin amongst the three, that has invariably piqued our curiosity levels, and its been a long time since a Sanjay Dutt movie did that to us.

That is a very good sign.

Here is wishing you, Sanju Baba, all the best as you return to the marquee with a triple shot at regaining your lost glory.

Regards,

A Very Optimistic Constant Movie Fan.

 

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Love is blind. And so are the people who cast stars in Bollywood these days. Why is Laila seducing Romeo, and what is Majnu doing with Juliet? Something is definitely wrong.

I just don’t understand this theory. Cast two individually terrific-looking people, put them together on screen to make a ghastly pair and make complete fools of the audiences! Is this the new success formula mooted by some B-town punditji?

Last week, I was trying to make up my mind whether or not to watch Rani and Shahid together in Dil Bole Hadippa, and now Wake up Sid has come along with an unlikely pairing of Konkona Sen and Ranbir Kapoor. At least Shahid and Rani’s onscreen chemistry was not as pathetic as was his with Vidya Balan in Kismet Connection. But then again, Rani did have to shed a lot (literally!) of weight to make this happen. As for Konkana and Ranbir - Karan ji, isn’t the mismatch a little too much for us? Well, both of them are good-looking in their own right, but, when put together, I’m skeptical about whether or not the chemistry will exist between them. I want to know how Karan Johar could see something which I am not able to see. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, however!

And oh! Not to forget Wanted, with the terribly-unlikely Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia running around the bush - or should I say bullets? However, in this case, something seems to have worked, since the film is being labeled a hit. But, let’s face it - the lead actors were very bad together. In future, we have many more such experiments coming our way - Asin with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan in London Dreams, Priyanka Chopra and Uday Chopra in Pyaar Impossible (the chemistry seems almost impossible), and Himesh Reshammiya and Shenaz in Radio (who went mad first?)

Oh wait! The list is starting to form a permanent frown on my face.

I agree that we, the movie buffs, have certain mind-blocks with regard to the pairing-up of certain actors. But I guess we are grown-up enough to accept reasonable changes, provided they are refreshing!

On a different note, I think we should divert a few of our match-making aunties into B-town. It will work well for us in two ways: We will get rid of them and Bollywood will get rid of its bad casting habits! So it will work out well for all concerned.

 

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Filed under: Celebrity, Opinion

It's not that we are overlooking the fact that she has a release due for October 2nd, 2009 - DO KNOT DISTURB by David Dhawan, paired against Govinda.It is just that curiously enough, in keeping with the season of 'second comings,' Do Knot Disturb gains a special place in Sushmita Sen's career graph that started with Dastak in 1996.
( Anyone remember that? Or for that matter Zor, the next release with Sunny Deol in the lead role as Mr.Vengeance?).

Anyways, the point is this - 12 odd years and 30 -something movie projects later, there is not a single movie of repute that can be called quintessentail Sushmita Sen, other than the 2004 summer blockbuster - Main Hoon Na, which also paved the way for Farah Khan the Director, and Red Chillies as the big - time movie production house.
But it also had the muscle and back - up of King Khan and his lavish production,and so was a safe bet, and a guaranteed minimum returns project,and Ms. Sen was extremely fortunate to ride high on that goodwill and heightened popularity.

After Main Hoon Na in 2004, Sushmita Sen continued to be in the news alright. As with established procedures of moder -day spin and drivel, mindlessly repeated again and again as news, there were at one point of time, more Hollywood projects associated with Ms.Sen than any professional in Bollywood could ever dream of in his/her lifetime.But, what it ended up was the excruciatingly painful and the immensely forgettable Karma,Confessions and Holi.It is also curious as to the choice of projects she has taken in the last five years, that has never even got her anywhere close to atleast a first -week run at the box -office.

Sample this - Paisa Vasool, Chingaari, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya,Main Aisa Hi Hoon,Bewafaa,Kisna,It Was Raining That Night,Zindaggi Rocks, Alag, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag,Dulha Mil Gaya, Karma, Confessions and Holi.

Does this in any way,seem like an informed choice of an artiste who has been in this business of acting (?) for the past 12 years?

Hopefully Do Knot Disturb will change all that, and as the season promises, it might usher in a new era of possibilities and avenues to Ms.Sen.

Curiously enough, a certain Miss World of 1994, has had the good fortune of playing her cards right, managing the right decisions and getting her career, as a notable power - lister of the Bollywood fraternity by now.
A study in contrast?
Maybe.

 

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