3. It’s quite a surprise that even though Imran Khan’s ‘Kidnap’ releases this Thursday, the music which is doing all the talking is JTYJN. Enjoying a strong Top-3 presence for yet another week, this one is clearly one of the best soundtracks of the year. None
4 Karzzzz Staying on in Top-5, ‘Karzzzz’ has just seen it’s trump card - ‘Ek Haseena Thi’ - arriving on the music channels. The response has been quite fabulous and by the time the film releases on 17th October, music of ‘Karzzzz’ should find it’s way into Top-3 at the least

t has happened after a long time, but the history is a pointer that whenever the actors and filmmakers have returned to the native in a sincere manner it has become a new turning point in their career. WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR shows this sincerity and all the characters in the film have tired to bring the rural sensitivity back into the Hindi films without overdoing it. Shyam Benegal has once again demonstrated that he has the control over his craft as far as portraying the rural India is concerned, though he has visited rural India after a long time through the lens of his camera, before bringing out the problems in the country side through MANTHAN, ANKUR and NISHANT.

As a matter of fact before the advent of urban stars being rural was the gateway to success. Right from the times when Dilip Kumar did it in NAYA DAUR this saga has continued with élan. Dilip Kumar could expand his mass following on pan India basis owing to the series of roles that he enacted which had rural India as the background. So did Jeetendra, and when he was having his sojourn with South Indian films most of the films had the rural milieu, so even at times being absurd they were a hit with the masses. It had given a new lease of life to many careers, prominent being Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Amjad Khan apart from Jeetendra and scores of heroines who acted with him and in this list top slot was occupied by Sree Devi. While this rural portrayal was criticized in some quarters, what critics tended to forget that these films were depicting the developments that were taking place in rural areas in south of the Vindhyas?

Amitabh Bachchan’s performance as a person from rural India in ADALAT, GANGA KI SAUGANDH and KAALIA underlined the fact that portrayal of characters from rural India gives an actor an ample opportunity to display his acting prowess.

In the current generation Govinda had this honeymoon with the audience primarily owing to his ability to enact various characters set in rural India, and it could be one of the reasons why if he was playing an urban character he also had a double role as a rural folk as well AANKHEIN being the prime example. Abhishek Bachchan as a matter of fact had begun his journey through rural India in REFUGEE.

Just saw the film last night. Never have I come across a film where the critics have got it all wrong so much ( Maybe Black was another such film.) The film is a one-trick pony, hinged completely on the twist in the end. Right from the scene where Naseer lodges a complaint about losing a purse ( Lodging a FIR about losing a purse! In that vague language, without details of the credit card and ATM card!) everything is very unbelievable and amateurish. Even taking it as a fantasy, the message is silly. No common man can have the wherewithal to pant the six bombs , and neither is it desirable. That is why they have the police and law-enforcing agency in every society. A film like Indian/ Hindustani is done in a different key, and the point of those films is not really justify the solution shown, but captre the anger and frustration. That aspect is totally lacking in this film. Increasingly I am getting convinced that the mainstream audience is a more reliable judge of the quality of a mainstream film than our present-day critics.

A BIG THANK YOU

Bending the rules has always fascinated me and pushing it to the maximum can be exhilarating… That’s how I would describe the process of making this film.
ROCK ON!! is an idea that transformed into a film most organically. Every step forward was effortless and refreshing. I guess when you try something truly original you find yourself in wonderland.

From creating the soundtrack to shooting the film, every step has been pure and unadulterated. It seems like only yesterday when I wrote the story idea for ROCK ON!!. I had loaded a whole new set of songs on my I pod and they were so inspiring that they triggered off this idea to make a film about four friends and their band. Music can have such an inspirational and mesmerizing effect.

Every day of recording the music was truly liberating because we were doing just as we wanted and felt was right, without giving into the set norms of an industry that rarely breaks out and does something radical.

One thing I was dead sure about was that whoever played the lead singer’s part had to sing his own songs and the other band members had to know how to play their instruments. I wanted to make the experience as real and authentic as possible. This proved to be the most crucial decision I made. This has helped in making it the musical experience I always wanted to create.

One of YRF’s best? Only a handful in the NG forum think so. I am putting together a more or less comprehensive compendium of reviews so you can get a feel of how it is being received. Ofcourse, by this Friday you will know how the paying public is receiving it.

IndiaGlitz
To start off with one wonders whether films such as these ever have a scripting stage . Maybe someone walked up to the director and asked him to explore the Ranbir-Deepkia bonding that has been creating much hype in the media. Oh,well what about the sex appeal quotient? Simple, rope in Bipasha Basu and for those DDLJ lovers there is the cute Minisha Lamba.
No doubt there is the style quotient backed by the pretty locales of Sydney etc that is synonymous with every Yash Raj film but right from the opening 20 mins you are bored. The film is an overload of clichés. Right from the so called 18 year old Raj(Ranbir ) and his adventure joy ride and his pack of silly friends. The film to a certain extent crosses that thin line between humor and vulgarity with all those comments on Indian aunties and that over branding of condoms.
The music of the film is pretty ok and cinematography too is enticing but nothing saves a film that is headed nowhere. The proceedings of the film are quite lame especially when the heroic Raj cries for the very first time and is headed to apologize to his previous flings. And then comes one song after another and how silly things get when Ranbir is made Ranbir Kapoor hasn’t evolved as an actor and isn’t convincing at all. There’s a lot more to an actor than just being cute.
Bipasha Basu is wasted and does nothing beyond bringing in the oomph factor.She looks much older than Ranbir.
Minisha Lamba still needs to work on her Hindi. She’s Ok.
Deepika Padukone impresses with her simplicity and her body language. She is efficient and should take more characters of substance.
On the whole, this film lacks real substance be it humor or emotions and ends up being a silly fling swing flick.
Rating: *

RadioSargam

One of the biggest banners of the industry, ‘Yash Raj Films’ brings their latest offering, ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’, which was undoubtedly the much talked about film of the year but unfortunately their lavish product sank completely and could not raise the spirits as it was being expected to hit the hearts. Produced by Aditya Chopra, the movie is directed by Siddharth Raj Anand and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone in the lead. Without any doubt, the enterprise is packed with the impressive star cast, eye-candy locations and most importantly style, which is in plenty. But this package could just take you to the theaters for the opening day, the following days you will never think of going to watch it again and even you will not be recommending anyone to go and watch it. Thus, this would certainly create a box office disaster for the film. As usually it is the case with most of the Hindi films that they lack the good script, ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ too follows the path being laced with the mundane narrative. The first half nevertheless carries some steam but the second half is totally a catastrophe.
………….
…………..
Siddharth Anand does well as a director but the director finds himself a failure when the script has flaws. Full marks to the emotional scenes, he handles with aplomb. Cinematography is a class to watch and rave about. The eye-pleasing locales are treat. Vishal-Shekhar’s music is ordinary. Ttle song of Kishore Kumar ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ and ‘Khuda Jaane’ gel well with the ears. Rest of the album is a total disappointment.
Ranbir Kapoor appears as an actor of class. Super actor, he had impressed in his debut flick ‘Saawariya’ and now he continues the same with ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’. Bipasha Basu deserves full marks for her splendid acting. She is brilliant as usual. Minissha Lamba enacts well too. Deepika Padukone looks pretty but is average as far as the acting is concerned. The rest of the cast is just passable.
On the whole, ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ does not have any sparks to entice the viewers. Packaged with style, the film offers nothing. A waste of time and money. The movie will see the tough time at the box office.
RS Rating: 1.5/5
Rediff
The surprising thing about Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno [Images] is how neatly understated the humour is.
Ranbir Kapoor [Images] kicks a pebble, annoyed, only to have to apologise a second later to a girl blessedly off-screen. Much later, when his friend suggests he take his girlfriend along when he’s moving to Australia [Images], he laughs it off saying that she’s an actress. ‘What would she do there? Crossover films?’ he grins, effectively underlining the derision a film like this has for a genre like that. Because this film is all masala.
Actually, this is all Yash Raj masala, a film based on an old song — and an old film, to an extent, with Devsaab’s great Teen Deviyaan being channeled here somewhat. Bachna constantly refers to YRF films, borrowing plot points and an entire act unashamedly from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, and with music from Dhoom and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom randomly kicking in, blissfully free of context.
…….
…….
Without giving anything away, the film’s major flaw is in how presumptuous the protagonist becomes — and how the script bends over backwards to vindicate this glaring character defect. It also hints at a level of duality, wherein a player is stung by another player, but this is bizarre because the reason one of the girls turns him down is completely relevant. She wants to live life on her own terms with absolutely no compromise, which isn’t exactly comparable to a guy who ditches a chick in a wedding dress.
Bachna Ae Haseeno is well shot, competently performed and the writing shows glimpses of honest-to-goodness subtext and intelligent character development. It’s also a film centering around a lead actor, showing off just how much of ‘it’ he has — and he has more than a fair amount. If only the second half wasn’t as predictable as it is, the film was an hour shorter and every one-liner wasn’t accompanied by a burst of background score acting like a laugh track, we could have had a really good film. As it stands now, it’s watchable timepass fare.
A decent date film, but one won’t blame you guys for walking off at intermission.

Reliance Offer Ashutosh 35 Crore After ´Jodhaa Akbar´?
- Abid
The ‘Lagaan’, ‘Swades’ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ director Ashutosh Gowariker is presently busy with his next, ‘What’s Your Rashee’.

It seems like post the big success of his Hrithik-Aishwarya starrer, ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ his scrips have really sky-rocketed. Reportedly Ashutosh is in big demand. No wonder it’s being whispered in showbiz corridors that the director is being paid (believe it or faint) a whopping Rs. 35 crore by Reliance as remuneration to direct their next film.

When asked about the same, Ashutosh says cryptically, “I don’t want to to comment on this!”

The plot thickens, it appears.

When the film released and was declared a big hit Aamir hugged me and said that he was glad I proved to be right. But that is not necessarily true. Maybe the film would have been a much bigger hit if I incorporated all his suggestions. Also in my heart I know that if the film didn’t work it would have been precisely for the same reasons Aamir feared.

Anyway the famous controversy between me and Aamir happened 6 to 7 months after Rangeela released. Khalid Mohammed was doing an interview with me in which I was giving an explanation that the audience can rarely understand the difference between a character and an actor. I cited the scene in Rangeela when Aamir takes Urmila to restaurant. Now the waiter being a Five Star Hotel steward is higher in social status than Munna but being a waiter he has no choice but to serve him. But on a human being level he can barely hide his disgust hearing Munna’s lines. So I told Khalid that the lines are being delivered by Aamir but the look on the waiter’s face is what is making the audience laugh. So it calls for more complex acting on the waiter’s part compared to Aamir in that particular scene. Khalid who apparently had a personal axe to grind with Aamir went ahead and printed this article which read like as if I said “The waiter was better than Aamir”.

By the time the article came out I was off on a Telugu film shoot in interior Andhra Pradesh. Aamir tried to contact me and those days there were no cell phones. The fact that I was not getting in touch with him and him not knowing where I was, he thought I was avoiding him and as the media was hounding him to react he went ahead and reacted and the media blew up the thing into a full scale war. The moment I realized what happened I met Aamir and explained it to him. He wanted me to give a statement in print against Khalid that I was misquoted to which I said I can’t because all those things I did say, it’s just that it’s too technical for a layman at that time to understand and I should not have spoken to a man like Khalid about that and that was a mistake.

Some cold vibes still remained with good reason till years later we met at a party and had a long chat and since then we are cordial. So whatever happened between me and Aamir was completely 100% my fault and I am saying this now here because I was not trusting any journalist to put it across in the correct perspective.

Let’s take a look at her filmography:

1. Refugee 2. Mujhe kuchh kehna hai 3. Yaadein 4. Ajnabee 5. Asoka 6.K3G 7. Mujhse Dosti Karoge 8. Jeena Sirf Liye 9. Talaash 10. Khushi 11. Main Prem Ki Deewana Hoon 12. LoC Kargil 13. Chameli 14. Yuva 15.Dev 16. Fida 17. Aitraaz 18. Hulchul 19. Bewafa 20. Kuyn Ki.. 21. Dosti 22. 36 China Town 23. Chupke Chupke 24. Omkara 25. Jab We Met 26. Tashan

Hits: 1. MKKH 2. Ajnabee 3. K3G 4. Aitraaz 5. Bewafa 6. Jab We Met Average:1. 36 China Town 2. Chupke Chupke
AWards: Jab We Met
Leaving aside K3G, a multi-starrer, none of the hits have made more than 30 crores. Comparing her career with that of Ash, Katrina or Vidya would be interesting. success rate: 33%

Ash ( Only Hindi origina films) :
1. Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya 2. Aa Ab Laut Chalen 3 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 4 Hamara Dil Aapke paas hai 5. Taal 6. Mohabbatein 7. Josh 8.Dhai Akshar Prem Ke 9. Albela 10. Bhagat Singh 11. Devdas 12. Shabd 13. Khakee 14. Dil Ka Rishta 15. Kuchh Na Kaho 16. Kyun..Ho Gaya Na 17. Raincoat 18. Dhoom-2 19. Umrao Jaan 20 Guru 21. Jodha Akbar 22. Sarkar Raj

Hits: 1. Dhoom-2 ( Blockbuster) 2. Jodhaa Akbar ( Superhit) 3. Guru ( Superhit) 4. Mohabbatein 5. Devdas 6. Hum Dil De Chuke Hain Sanam 7. Hamara Dil aapke Paas Hai 8. Taal Semi Hits: 1. Khakee 2. Josh Average: 1. Sarkar Raj Success Rate : 50% ( More than 3 films over 50 crores. Two over 60 crores) Awards: HDDCS, Devdas

Watch my words. This is the blockbuster of the year. I had the same electric effect when watching RDB, TZP and Chak De. The audience was so totally with the film. And the pint is it is so hatke that the critics , a few of them , don’t even realize what they have got in front of them. Just compare the to any of the earlier love stories like KKHH , Isq Vishq, et al and you will notice the difference in treatment. Heck, there are only three and half songs which are actually picturized as staged songs. ( Aditi, Pappu Cant Dance and Kahin To) . And there is one more song ( Tu Bole) used in snatches in the background. Can you imagine the audacity! This in an youthful love story ! Pompous critics like Rajiv Masand and Nikhat Kazmi did not naturally notice. But as I said, the audience today is more evolved than the critics. They don’t want a typical Hindi film ‘ “story” which the critics vainly search for. Who will tell these lowIQ critics that a film is not necessarily about a story, but about treatment and moments ( which Sooraj created brilliantly in HAHK by going in the opposite direction and having 14 songs). Imagine trade pundits thought Love Story 2050 will have a better opening!! Pundits, ha! The problem is the critics too have their own formula like unimaginative filmmakers. And so do the trade pundits. And you know formulas are for those who cannnot think. Surprisingly, only Rja Sen got it right : “The story? The scenes? Oh come on, go in fresh for this one and enjoy it unfold. It’s anything but unconventional, an ImtiazAli-esque warm-blooded romance replete with confusion, off-key singing and a narrative cribbed from Forget Paris. The magic here, however, lies in the lines, the characters, the words, and yeah, a ‘feel’ as fresh as a spanking new acoustic guitar composition by a old jazz vet trying to make the kids smile. And smile they do.” “s for producer Aamir Khan [Images], after Lagaan [Images], Taare Zameen Par [Images] and this one — I’ll eat your hat if it isn’t a tremendous success — it must be said that he’s setting a new benchmark in terms of Hindi film production. ” Take a bow, Raja Sen!

I went in with very little expectation, because I wasn’t terribly impressed with MHN. But the first frame itself surprised me with its authenticity and warmth. AS a die-hard Bollywood film lover I could not but feel all gooey watching Rishi Kapor dance and SRK and Farah in the audience react. The business about the white jacket instantly set the standard for the humour,. Insightful, warm and bang on target. With the line about Keshto Mukherjee’s mother, Sharukh hamming it out with his one word dialogue ‘Bhago”, Sharukhs; drunken acceptance speech in the company of Shreyas Talpade are all having me roll over with laughter. The medley song and its choreography, especially the badminton bit, taken but not copied verbatim from the Jetendra-Leena in Himmat is nostalgic and funny at the same time. Film celebrating film at its best. The fiery climax before the interval is suitably evocative.

But now comes the interval and the bane of so many Bollywood mediocrities, a lame second half. The same inanities we were laughing at a few moment’s back are used to take the story forward, seriously. How I wish Farah Khan had shown some more imagination ( I know, this is the best she can do. Hoping for more imagination is from her is like expecting Jeetendra to emote.) and not fallen back on the corny reincarnation idea to take the story forward. Even the reincarnation could have been done more imaginatively, more poignantly. But Bollywood won’t be Bollywood if people here were not under ambitious habitually. What follows is a dreary hour or so of tedium that I had trouble keeping my eyes open to. How I wish they had followed a non-Bollywood solution to what to do next, a la Loins of Punjab or Munna Bhai and avoided the cliches. Having captured the life of a junior artist for real ( albeit with all the allowable artistic liberties) why fall back on filmy denouement. The problem with people like Farh, Karan or Sanjay is that they have grown on a staple of Bollywood films, not the best nourisher of artistic imagination. And that’s their limitation. How fresh the films look when people who don’t eat, drink or sleep films alone come on to the creative table ( Hirani, Jaideep Sahni, Mani Ratnam, Gulzar, Rakeysh Mehra, Gowarikar) ! So back to OSO. THe songs disappoint too. They are okay. The best, AjibSi is not used to full. Deewangi is a catchy, infectiois number, but the proceedings go on too long. Darde Disco is not a great song, and is choreographed pretty unimaginatively. The homage to Karz song is not a patch on the original. Come to think of it, none of the songs come close to the appeal of “Om Shanti Om”, “Darde Dil” or “Ek Hasina Thi” of Karz. That tells me one more thing. It is fine to love the sixties, seventies or the eighties for that matter. But you cant repeat it. But move on . Think afresh. That’s how Lagaan, RDB, DCH, Munabhia.,Krrish or for that matter New Don or Dhoom II are born. OSO is only half way there. I can watch the first half again, but sincerely, I will walk out after the interval without batting my eyelid. ( I wish I had done it the first time itself. I would have had a little more respect for Bollywood in the bargain.) By the way, no such luck with Sawariya. I have nothing positive to say about it ( no, not even the so called art direction, or cinematography, which leaves me cold.) Oh, I correct myself. There is Ranvir Kapoor. An absolute natural. Anytime he was on screen I forgot all about Sanjay’s excesses. He went through all this nonsense with such ease and almost made it all believable. He is that impossible combination of Raj Kapoor and Hritik Roshan that is waiting for the right vehicle to show what he is capable of.

After Bardwaj Rangan here is another sensible review. Just goes to show that how people like Khalid and arjiv just didn’e get it or were plain malicious.

It’s dense, self-indulgent but not unintelligent or thoughtless. Should have pitched this as subversive arthouse cinema, not a Bollywood film

Starring: John Abraham, Ranvir Shorey, Paresh Rawal, Ayesha Takia
Directed by Anurag Kashyap
Rating: ***

In No Smoking, the cigarette is a metaphor of free will and choice. The film is a trenchant critique of totalitarianism, repression and moral policing. It’s dense, self-indulgent but not unintelligent or thoughtless. Kashyap does not tell the story straight but grapples with provocative ideas, creates an alienating, claustrophobic world. Even the automated, deadpan characters are not ‘human’, more personifications. What happens when a cool but obnoxious smoker K (a perfectly cast John) gets into a rehab programme of Shri Shri Guru Ghantaal Baba Bengali Sealdahwale (Rawal)? Kashyap uses images to comment on fundamentalism: the Nazi concentration camps, the prisoned souls, the relentless surveillance of people, their chopped fingers, the eventual evaporation of compromised souls.
No Smoking is stylishly shot with great background tracks and quirky black humour. K asks his wife what she wants for the anniversary. Divorce, she says. “Itna budget nahin hai” comes K’s pat answer. The clever film references (the Bob Fosse cabaret, Ram Shyam look-alikes, the mix of Chaplin and Ektaa Kapoor) are fun but also detract. So do the in-jokes: Ranvir is called Abbas Tyrewala (Kashyap’s writer-director friend) with the line “Pakhi pakhi re (Ae Ajnabi)” in the background (Pakhi is the name of Abbas’s wife). The biggest failure: marketing strategy. If only they had pitched this as subversive arthouse cinema, not a Bollywood film complete with the sexy Bipasha-John promo number, Phoonk de!
________________________________________

Though all the negatives I pointed out in my last post remain valid, now I can point the bright side as wel, which have become even brighter thanks to Saawariya. Saawariya seems to suffer from worst of Bhansali’s excesses. The love songs look too syrupy and from another era. The love story seems to lack details ( unlike Maine Pyaar Kiya which was so real with little little everyday moments.) Even way back in 70’s a film like Bobby had songs like Bahar Se Koi and Jhoot Bole Kauva Kaate. Saawariya looks like an overindulgent art director’s trip. He got away with Devdas ( Though 37 crore gross against a budget of 40 crores is no great achievement) because of SRK-Ash-Madhuri ( cast can’t get any boger can it?). No such luck this time. Ranbir looks too sissy. Rani as a prostitute is a bore. Salman as a muslim is a cliche. So in comparison OSO looks unpretentious and fun. And Sharukh looks in form and brimming with limitless energy. So it is going to be Don vs Jaaneman. But again OSO is not going to bea Dhoom 2 or LRM, because of the weaknesses pointed out in my last post.

Though one can never say until one has actually seen the film, here is my analysis based purely on what is known so far.

1. Films on film industry are dicey. I don’t think Farah Khan has the directorial ability to treat it right. Rangeela is about the only one that has worked. Thats’ why I was so impressed with it. ( The ones that have failed: Kaagaz Ke Phool, Mast, Iruvar, Main Madhuri Dixit..) Because Bollywood is a fantasy world for its viewers. And placing a story there doers not work. For example, if you so a film song being shot and try to pass it off as real song then the whole illusion is lost, and the audience is totally confused. It might work as a spoof or item, but from the promos it looks like they are using it for real emotional impact. Wont work.
2. Recreating a period requires cinematic abilities that Farah Khan does not possess at all. Main Hon Na was very mediocre in style. She doesn’t seem to have improved at al. Khoya Khoya Chand will score better in this department.
3. At least Mai Hon Na had good songs. OSO has a dud soundtrack. Only Ajib Si is a very good song. Rest are failures. Just compare Dard-E-Disco to Dhoom Tara , and you will see the difference in standard.
4. Deepika Padukone is simply not up to the task. To portray heroines down the years, you have to have some experience and loads of natural talent of someone like Sridevi. She does not even look attractive as a 70’s heroine.
5. This reincarnation bullshit will not work today. Farah Khan is not Manmohan Desai, and 2007 is not 1977. ( As RGV realized at great cost.)
6. This gimmick of trying to get 31 stars reveals the desperate Manmohan Desai hangover and the possible weakness in the basic film. But the same trick does not work twice, and it has been so much hyped, that it is bound tom disappoint.

I have put this in writing, so that it can be checked against the actual reception to the film.