tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16619852043131584662024-03-13T22:18:27.041-07:00MY FAVOURITE WOODSReminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-48593246167481604222011-12-09T16:07:00.000-08:002011-12-13T03:57:31.574-08:00Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBHrMH1FDw4/Tld9QPTCuhI/AAAAAAAABwI/6fvXbOPZlyc/s1600/mbkd+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBHrMH1FDw4/Tld9QPTCuhI/AAAAAAAABwI/6fvXbOPZlyc/s400/mbkd+poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b>Director:</b> Ali Abbas Zafar<br />
<b>Starring:</b> Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafar, Tara D'Souza <b> </b><br />
<b>Genre:</b> rom-com<br />
<b>Lenght:</b> 2h:19m.28s<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">I have been waiting for this movie since April. At first, I was curious because of Imran Khan and Ali Zafar. Then I got a bit nervous when I found out that the female lead was going to be Katrina Kaif. With every picture, trailer, song promo and behind the scene footage I saw I got less and less nervous and more and more impatient. :) Then the music composed by Sohail Sen released. I trusted him since the beginning, seeing as I still love his debut album What's Your Raashee, even after two years. I got so hooked on the music that there wasn't a day when I didn't listen at least to a snippet (mostly Choomantar :p). Besides, I really liked what I saw of Katrina in the promos and with that my last concern disappeared.<br />
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Hmm, this may be my longest review yet. Just felt like warning you guys :)<br />
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Of course, nobody expects objectivity from me, right? At least I hope so...<br />
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The promo video to Madhubala (it captures the essence of the movie and isn't as misleading as the trailer)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CRvGbsEzBg0" width="500"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Luv Agnihotri has been living in London for 8 years, and 5 of those years he spent <strike>fighting with</strike> dating Piali. Once they get into a very heated argument (full with pieces of furniture flying) and at the end they break up. Well, Luv's the one who decides to end it. In the onrush of emotions and unexpected joy of freedom he promptly decides that he would actually like to get married. He calls his brother Kush, who lives in India and is celebrating the success of his latest movie (he's an assistant director), and announces his resolve to settle down. But not just with anybody - it's gotta be a true Indian ladki (whatever that means :p). Seeing as they have always had the same taste in women, Luv asks his little brother to find him a wife. Kush gets right down to it, but none of the candidates are to his liking. At wits end, a friend recommends to publish a Shaadi ad in the newspapers. Luck strikes in the form of Dilip Dixit, a politician on the lookout for the perfect groom for his daughter. The families meet, everybody gets along like a house on fire... and then Kush sets eyes on the would-be dulhan Dimple and realizes that he knows her. Knows her from the times when she was a wild college student, who simply decided to hold a rock concert in the Agra Fort and had to be escorted by the police.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">That was a long time ago and people change. She's still a little naughty, but she's ready to settle down. Being 27 years old, she's already considered somewhat of a spinster in India. She speaks with Luv over the internet, both agree on the match and the families start with the wedding preparations. Kush takes really good care of his bhabi - he even agrees to spend two days reliving her days of glory, joining in the antics she's gonna have to give up for good after the wedding.<br />
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Time goes flying; Luv arrives in India, the engagement takes place ... and Dimple and Kush realize with horror that they've fallen in love. What now? How are they to resolve the dilemma without hurting their families and tarnishing their good name?<br />
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Especially since Kush doesn't want to follow Dimple's quick and bulletproof plan and she's <i>really</i> not the type of girl who takes no for an answer...<br />
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Original? Serious? Dramatic? It never pretended to be any of those things. The movie is loud, happy, crazy and.. well, desi. It doensn't shy away from clichés, but it uses them in a really smart way. I knew what the movie would be about even before I saw the synopsis. The title gives the plot right away. I remember another movie with the same theme - Sorry, Bhai! But the two movies couldn't be more different in their handling of the plot, because whereas Sorry, Bhai! is a romantic drama, MBKD is a romantic COMEDY. So it was original in the way it was presented. I guess whether one likes it depends largely on what sense of humour one has.<br />
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What was the most pleasant surprise? Besides the screenplay and the story? The beautiful and spontaneous Katrina Kaif! I won't let myself get caught in the hate she's so generously given anymore. Ali Zafar was fabulous, Imran was in his element, but Katrina was the soul of the movie.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1sD4nd_lj8/Tm8nmxXhxGI/AAAAAAAAAm4/JD0qcXHCqSs/s1600/choomantar1.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1sD4nd_lj8/Tm8nmxXhxGI/AAAAAAAAAm4/JD0qcXHCqSs/s1600/choomantar1.gif" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hTQdi51JGHA/Tm8qU5o-KbI/AAAAAAAAAoU/QBKav7HRr04/s1600/madhu2.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hTQdi51JGHA/Tm8qU5o-KbI/AAAAAAAAAoU/QBKav7HRr04/s1600/madhu2.gif" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xtu3fktZ288/Tm8n5ZZ5z6I/AAAAAAAAAnc/VvLynn3vJRU/s1600/ir3.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xtu3fktZ288/Tm8n5ZZ5z6I/AAAAAAAAAnc/VvLynn3vJRU/s1600/ir3.gif" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnOUBr3e14/TrKMxnU1isI/AAAAAAAAB6M/c0l2-X4un0k/s1600/mbkd+kat1.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnOUBr3e14/TrKMxnU1isI/AAAAAAAAB6M/c0l2-X4un0k/s1600/mbkd+kat1.gif" /></a> </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I like it when there's a spark in the heroines and Dimple was like a huge bonfire. She grew up in London so that explained her accent, she was free-spirited, assertive, playful and lots of fun. Not for a minute was she mousy or meek. Sometimes I don't really agree with the way the directors depict carefree characters (Kareena in Jab We Met, Genelia in Bommarillu). Here it was just right. Dimple never sounded childish or ditzy, she simply knew how to enjoy life. Yes, she played at being a rock-chick rebel and now she agreed to an arranged marriage. So what? Five years have passed between these two events. She wasn't a fool; all her relationships led nowhere, so she decided for this "different kind of adventure". As for the romance... if love at first sight can be in 90% of the movies, why not a love that developed after a few days spent together? Especially if you're so comfortable around somebody that you act petulant around them, can get drunk if you feel like it, and basically do all the things you shouldn't as an official 'grown-up'? Dimple seemed like that kind of a person - sit her down into a crowd of grannies and she's going to be picture perfect desi girl. Let her go out with somebody she trusts and she'll have the time of her life. Without crossing the line, of course! :)<br />
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I'm not even going to stop showering praises on Katrina. I LOVED her.<br />
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W A R N I N G !!! R A N T A H E A D !!! :D<br />
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She's the main reason I enjoyed MBKD so, so, so much. And no matter how many people say they've only gone to see the movie because of Ali (I do love him!) or for Imran (even he's my darling!!), Katrina is the star of the movie. THE star!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv6p3sCvQw1r00jw4o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv6p3sCvQw1r00jw4o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv6p3sCvQw1r00jw4o2_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv6p3sCvQw1r00jw4o2_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This girl gets too much hate and I'm NOT down with it! >:( I'll be the first to admit that there must be better actresses than her who deserve to be on the top, but I'm not going to blame her for being loved like crazy by the Indian public. As long as there are Anushkas, Deepikas and Nargises on the screen, Katrina has every right for her place in the spotlight too. I don't know what makes <i>her</i> so special - whether it's her fair skin, toned body, hair I'd kill to have, or what. Frankly, I don't care.<br />
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What I do know is that I've seen her in several movies and I like her style. And she played Dimple with such a zest, I can't imagine anyone else in her place.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gAmTNjQ-Ek/Ts2FOXYsf5I/AAAAAAAACL4/C9zaebqjNAk/s1600/scooter.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gAmTNjQ-Ek/Ts2FOXYsf5I/AAAAAAAACL4/C9zaebqjNAk/s1600/scooter.gif" /></a> ********** <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJL9KBSlrI4/Ts1-sREIYEI/AAAAAAAACL4/Gj7YZ7zBwNI/s1600/mbkd+fight2.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJL9KBSlrI4/Ts1-sREIYEI/AAAAAAAACL4/Gj7YZ7zBwNI/s1600/mbkd+fight2.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">R A N T F I N I T O !! :) </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I was a tad afraid about the development of the plot post interval, because up till that lightshow over Kush's head announced the midway pause, I was thoroughly entertained. But in the next few seconds I had to smile, two minutes later I was laughing out loud and a while later was touched by the sweetness of Dimple's tantrum and Kush's rationality. This movie had so, so many opportunities to slip into melodrama or spoil it in some other way. A few times it looked as though the story would opt for a quick emotional blackmail, but luckily it never really happened. Even though Kush didn't come up with such a spectacular scheme as Chandu in the Telugu movie Ready, it showed that he learned a LOT in his line of work - I mean, if all those tricks and speculations had to come from somewhere, then why not from the tried and tested filmi formulas? If it works in movies, it's bound to work in real life too. Right? Right.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbjcZZ7Wv-Q/TrKbQhV_tzI/AAAAAAAAB6c/vhs5ZzrTEVU/s1600/mbkd+drama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbjcZZ7Wv-Q/TrKbQhV_tzI/AAAAAAAAB6c/vhs5ZzrTEVU/s400/mbkd+drama.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overacting - done right :)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Oh, and how beautifully they overacted!! Luv was a perfect little drama queen since his entrance on the scene. His stagy, but at the same time totally suave act was to die for. When he returned to India after years abroad, he eased up on his antics a bit. Just a tiny little bit. Kush and Dimple (not to confuse with Imran and Katrina!!) tried their hardest to pull off their little plan as smoothly as possible, but lets face it - neither of them had Luv's ease in being cocksure about everything (I mean except when he was totally confused about everything!). It wasn't a part of their character to be a drama queen. Their group attempt to get Luv drunk (and the whole family too, while they were at it)... that little rickshaw ride when Kush almost got a heart attack... when he pretended he fell in love and was happy about the marriage plans... so obviously overacted, so much more real than it would lead one to believe. By the way, I was <i>very</i> happy wih the second half - the girl wasn't left out of the plan, or reduced to sitting around and looking pretty. She played a very much vital part. If this was a Telugu movie, she would appear in a few songs and at the wedding. (yep, the aforementioned Ready)<br />
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Kush may have seemed too subdued next to the whirlwinds that were Dimple and Luv, but to me he worked as a beacon of normality in all the craziness going on. And what a pretty beacon he was!!</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">I can't seem to stop myself again, but oh well... there's still the music and more to write about!! :)<br />
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I've already written that I loved the music long before I saw it used in the movie. I have to mention how perfectly placed the video songs were. Even though four of them were in the first half, it never felt cramped, and the second half with only two didn't feel like too little. The <b>title song</b> is a very obvious tribute to the three Khans and Imran (bless his two left feet) did the best he could. He's so intensely adorable I could watch him trying to dance all the time :D<br />
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<b>Dhunki</b>... I'm not really into rock songs, but how cool was it that Dimple got her own character song?? And that huuuge candid crowd - amazing! Katrina sold me on the song. It took longer than the remaining tracks, but I did grow to love it.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Choomantar</b> was the first song I got addicted to. Seeing it in the movie itself, I have to say it captured that transition from friendship to something deeper quite nicely.<br />
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What can I say about <b>Isk Risk</b>? Everybody <i>knows</i> Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was made to sing slow, soulful ballads. Easily one of the most romantic songs I've heard this year.<br />
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Ah, <b>Madhubala</b>. Ali Zafar, you are too amazing! I was watching the movie with my roommate present and it was torture not being able to dance and sing along (I'd love to watch this with an Indian audience :D To dance, sing, whistle and all that stuff). <br />
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When <b>Do Dhaari Talwar</b> came up I lost all pretence of being presentable and started jumping on my bed. While laying down. It's just too energetic! Not to mention that the only time Imran is more adorable while trying to dance is when Ali is right next to him trying even harder! :D And I was really happy to hear Shweta Pandit in the last two mentioned tracks. I've heard her before thanks to Naach - she's got such a lovely voice!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Bosco-Caesar, I love you guys!!!</b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm very happy that I got so many of the cultural and filmi references :) I read The Ramayana this summer so I got the Luv - Kush combo :D And even the Sholay drunk scene, most of the oldies music, the puns, "panghat pe nache.. Madhubala", the rapid-fire round... I don't really like the self referencing going on in movies (esp. the gratuitous kind, e.g. Dhoom and KKHH theme music making appearance in other movies), but seeing as Kush was an assistant director and practically lived for that world, I forgave him when he quoted Salman's dialogue from Wanted. It all just seemed natural... you know, like when my brother had a black-eye and I told him he looked like Rocky Balboa? Nothing unusual :P</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I've discovered that I really like seeing Katrina with younger actors. Her and Imran had a very sweet onscreen love. Very subdued in the second half, but well... there really wasn't an opportunity to take a leave from all the schemes and go sing a song somewhere in the meadows :P Ali and Imran are great at comedy and they fulfilled one of my dreams - they played together in a movie. I didn't even know I had this dream before I saw them next to each other! :* Ali was especially delightful, but what else do you expect when he's saddled with the most OTT character in the movie? I'm very glad the rest of the cast was quite normal - if everybody was such a drama queen as Luv, his character wouldn't come to the fore like it did and the movie would look more slapstick than romantic comedy :)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Extra points to the whole cast because even though the story was so crazy, it still felt somewhat realistic.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lY1rqzMcmBo/TrKbX_E-ycI/AAAAAAAAB6k/_FFA9EiZhyc/s1600/mbkd+dimple+kush2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lY1rqzMcmBo/TrKbX_E-ycI/AAAAAAAAB6k/_FFA9EiZhyc/s400/mbkd+dimple+kush2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">And there were these little touches that I love about a movie - how the past was reflected upon, how everything was rooted in something that was already said or shown. It wasn't necessary to introduce a new character to solve the whole dilemma of the unwanted wedding (if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean). Luv mentioned right at the beginning that he and Kush always had the same taste in woman and that one little statement paved the way for Kush falling in love with Dimple. How those two met in Agra and in Isk Risk they danced as Shah Jahan and Mumtaz before the Taj... and Rohit, Shobit and Dimple's cousins always doing something in the background... just little details that make me happy. Things like this show how much thought (love) went into a movie and I appreciate it more when I know it wasn't just put together during one night of brainstorming :)<br />
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And I don't know whether to be happy or sad that some of the scenes were deleted from the movie. Sad, because it caused little holes in the narrative. Or happy, because now I have something new to watch and relive all the fun I had the first/second/third time I watched the movie.... I'll go with happy for now. But please, Mr. Ali Abbas Zafar, leave them all in the next time? OK? Thanks.<br />
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How to sum it all up? I love it, it's as simple as that. Then again, I've come to the conclusion that I have a 'unique' sense for humour and romance - I can see that this type of a romcom is not for everybody. But I happen to think that love should be a LOT of fun, especially in a romantic comedy. So all of you who hated the movie can keep your Band Baaja Baarats and leave all the Mere Brother Ki Dulhans for me. :)<br />
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Now excuse me while I go and purchase a few flannel shirts....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv61t1OUG31r00jw4o8_r3_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv61t1OUG31r00jw4o8_r3_400.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv61t1OUG31r00jw4o9_r3_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv61t1OUG31r00jw4o9_r3_400.jpg" /></a></div></div>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-50181751498946000582011-07-13T02:52:00.000-07:002012-01-19T04:32:03.089-08:00Vaaranam Aayiram (2008)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlE_hyFgW7k/TY4fi_QNEZI/AAAAAAAAA8I/qO1u0CYPSAE/s1600/vaaranam-aayiram4-500x288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlE_hyFgW7k/TY4fi_QNEZI/AAAAAAAAA8I/qO1u0CYPSAE/s320/vaaranam-aayiram4-500x288.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Director:</b> Gautham Vasudev Menon<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Surya Sivakumar, Simran Bagga, Sameera Reddy, <span class="nickname">Divya Spandana</span><br />
<b>Genre:</b> action, romance, drama<br />
<b>Lenght:</b> 2h:49m<br />
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Luckily this isn't one of the movies I liked that turned out to be a flop. In fact it was one of the most successful movies of 2008. It was a bit hit and miss between me and Gautham Menon - I really liked Vinnaithaandi Vaaruvaaya, but was quite indifferent towards Kaakha Kaakha (my first Menon movie). Maybe I've come to the stage where I can appreciate these kind of movies.. talking about 'these kind'.. I don't really know how to cathegorize Vaaranam Aayiram. It's not the typical masala, though there's a little bit of everything. </div>
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Surya played two characters in the movie - Krishna and Surya. Father and son. <span lang="EN-GB">At the beginning of the movie, Surya is an army man flying on a rescue mission when he gets a call about his father's demise. He accept condolences from the soldiers, looks out into the sky and starts reminiscing... about his childhood, growing up, first love, his darkest times. He speaks out to his father for the last time, though he knows he'll never see him again, won't be able to thank him for everything, he looks for solace this way. And we as viewers get to know what an inspiration Krishna was for his son.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I don't want to reveal more about the plot. The story borders on epic in terms of being centred on an ordinary man. The mood and themes kept changing with the blink of an eye. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it. But as the story progressed and I got used to Gautham's storytelling, I realized how good the movie is. There were some very strong moments scattered evenly throughout the movie, some of which still resonate with me. There was this one segment that came totally out of nowhere and didn't make much sense. Then it became another turning point in Surya's life and everything made sense. You know, when a movie is told in retrospective, yet I still forget where it all is leading to, because I get immersed in the story... I LOVE such movies.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Surya was perfect. Boyish, charming, intense, angry... you name it, he played it. Played it well. He managed to make both father and son stand out on their own, gave them different speech pattern and body language. It was interesting to watch. Though he's no Hrithik on the dance floor, in my book he managed just fine. :)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Both ladies were very believable. I can tolerate OTT, cutesy and arrogant characters, but in a movie like this, believable female leads were necessary. Not there only for the eye candy and songs. They had a nice personality, simple girls that could live next door. Sameera and Divya charmed me. I don't really know why the first was labelled as glamorous and the second plain. I found them both beautiful, just in a different way. This is one of the few movies where I accepted two female leads as integral to the plot. Not to mean I ignored Simran, I adored her as a college girl and later Surya's mom.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I came to appreciate Gautham's style over time. I like how he tells stories, even though some things might not resonate with the audience, he just does it his way. If I didn't know this was the same man that made Kaakha Kaakha and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya, I would get it. Can't say why, but it just FELT similar to his previous work. The music is wonderful. Somebody recommended me this movie and the first thing I did was to look for the music videos on youtube. I got hooked pretty quickly. And my joy was double when I saw how well placed the music was and how it moved the story forward. No filler songs here :) And they were beautifully picturized too!! And the gori dancers weren't half naked - now if that doesn't speak about the integrity of a movie, then I don't know what does :P</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I don't really know why this movie got to me so. I just remember that when I finished it I kept thinking about it. The movie is – and don't shoot me, please – different. There weren't those OTT fights and cheesy sound effects for me to label it as a Masala flick. On the other hand, there were some aspects of the story that I found really sweet – the family being together, idyllic relationships, the friend of your little sister that you never really noticed.... :) </span>Oh, in case I din't make myself clear, I liked it. A lot. And it isn't only because Surya is such a handsome man - he's mainly a good actor. And since the faith of this movie heavily depended on the lead's performance, I'd say Gautham got the right man for his tribute to his father. I'd rate it even higher if I din't have to listen to Surya saying "Daddy" every 5 minutes - it can get annoying after a while. Either way, I'm glad I watched it - if nothing else, the music videos are certainly worth it :)</div>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-19178941363698777022011-06-12T21:42:00.000-07:002011-06-18T12:22:08.415-07:00Break Ke Baad (2010)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqmkA-4yhEE/TfkJZMppmcI/AAAAAAAABTk/V_4d-hYGXiI/s1600/break_ke_baad_movie_wallpapers_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqmkA-4yhEE/TfkJZMppmcI/AAAAAAAABTk/V_4d-hYGXiI/s400/break_ke_baad_movie_wallpapers_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><b>Director:</b> Danish Aslam<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sharmila Tagore, Lilette Dubey<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Comedy / Drama / Romance<br />
<b>Lenght:</b> 1h:52m.42s<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Just let me get this out straight away – I didn’t hate Break Ke Baad. Quite the opposite, I found it entertaining, funny and charming. Not really lavish, but still Bollywood-y and over the top in some aspects. Highly enjoyable. Don’t expect any bashing from my side. I don’t review movies I don’t like. :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, this movie was a flop. Remember how a month ago I wrote about Jhootha Hi Sahi, one of my most favourite bolly movies ever? (another flop!) I mentioned I would stand up for the movies of 2010 which I loved, yet failed to impress the other viewers. I guess the audience got so used to actors over 30 playing ‘young boys in pursuit of their first love, which is of course the only one there really is’, that it can’t appreciate a normal couple going through a relationship crisis. And just imagine the boy being the quiet, mousy type and the girl the aggressive, selfish careerist. The horror!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The movie begins with a 'love flashback' :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Abhay and Aaliya have know each other since they were kids. You know, for once this works, because they ARE the same age (as opposed to, lets say, Munna Bhai and Chitti – still can’t get over that one). And ever since they realized that they are a boy and a girl, they’ve liked each other. While watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, love came into the picture and they have been going strong ever since then – her dreaming of a career as an actress, and him doing basically everything to help her and make her happy. </div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not really on the same wavelength anymore...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">But now, they are both grown up. Aaliya wants more. She doesn’t want to go around hiding from her mother, a former Bollywood actress, who doesn’t want her daughter entering the big, bad industry. Abhay is stuck in his father’s firm, but doesn’t have anything better to do, so he just continues his existence, not having any big plans for the future. Well, except of marrying Aaliya. But she’s made a decision for herself – she got admitted to a course in Australia and expects everyone to be happy for her. Because, well, it’s what she wants. Needless to say, nobody is happy with this. She argues with her mother, loses her temper when Abhay berates her for being so selfish, and decides that there’s no other way to solve her problem than to sulk in her room, 'hidden' underneath her table. It is Abhay who convinces aunty to let Aaliya go. But she must first promise her mother to stay away from acting. She does agree on every term given to her, packs her bags, assures Abhay that this is not the end, after all they can keep a long distance relationship.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">But she’s not a girl to do what she promises if it doesn't suit her. She does get into acting, she does find the long distance relationship tiring, and she does everything she wants. Like always. So when she wants to take a break, Abhay decides to fight for their relationship. Even if he seems to be the only one still interested.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really liked Deeps here - one of my favourite scenes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Did I make it sound like I hated Aaliya’s character? Because I really didn’t. In fact, this is my favourite of Deepika’s roles so far. Sure, she hasn’t done that many till now. But she acted! You know, as opposed to just looking pretty and saying her lines. Her character did get annoying, but not the “Oh, I hope she ends up alone, miserable and unhappy for the rest of her life”. No, it was more the “Oh, she should get what she deserves, learn to take responsibility for her decisions, and end up a more mature person”. Which is what she did. It was actually refreshing to see such a flawed character. She wasn’t bad, she just "needed to sort out her priorities". :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I could totally understand her mother’s refusal to allow her a Bollywood career. She must have known what she was talking about. I got the feeling that she must have gone through a lot (besides the divorce) to be so adamant. But she was still understanding of her daughter, easing up on her resolve when she realized that her little girl has learned a lesson or two, and is now mature enough to make her own decisions.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He won't let her fall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Abhay. A good boy. That’s what he really was. Not a womanizer, not a cocky know-it-all, not a perfect, manly man. Just a boy who needed to grow a backbone and realize what he wants out of his life. He was needy, he built his whole life around Aaliya, and even though he knew he was the one always giving, fighting for the relationship, he still stood by his girl. Because he loved her. I could totally relate to their dynamics. I’ve seen relationships like that, and I’ve seen it work. You know the saying, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’? It didn’t really work like that here. The absence wasn’t created by Aaliya being in Australia and Abhay in India. It was the abyss created by the break-up, the fear of losing somebody we have know all our lives, we’ve taken them for granted.. Yet suddenly, when you're thinking of your future, the person you’ve always had in that mental picture isn’t there anymore.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The story just moved at a nice pace, giving more and more insight into the charactes. There weren't dreamy song sequences, opulent sets, glitz and glamour, or larger than life love stories :) Not to say the movie looked shabby. But there wasn’t anything that would take my attention away from the people on the screen. I loved the music even before I saw the movie, that’s always a plus. It stands good on its own, and was integrated perfectly into the narrative. The lyrics were wonderful. Really loved how they too were a part of telling the story. And I know that the movie wasn't actually filmed in Australia, but I don't really care - the locations were really pretty. Aaliya had a gread wardrobe and Abhay shaped up quite nicely in the second half. Everything looked good, but not so good it would disctract from what was actually going on.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Lilette Dubey. She's so much fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Whew, now on to some lighter stuff :P Besides the luck only possible in Bollywood, this movie was pretty spot on. Who cares if they took some liberties with their story? So what if Aaliya gets acting offers, Abhay finds his calling, everything works out for everyone? Is that so important? Surely not. Otherwise, Band Baaja Baarat wouldn’t get such rave reviews (imo, one of the most overhyped movies – it was bad, bad, bad). Those things that happened helped the plot to progress, the situations the characters found themselves in helped them grow as persons. And the friends they found along they way made the journey even more enjoyable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, he's filming it... and putting it later on Youtube :D</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I think it worked so well for me because I could relate to both Aaliya and Abhay. I understood his neediness, and her wanting some space. The conflict resulting from their personalities was understandable and handled in a very gentle manner. Some good dialogues and scripting in work there. The little moments they shared, those everyday occurrences… how many times do you find that in a bw movie? How often do you see the heroine drooling on the hero in her sleep? There were these little touches that really made me fall in love with Break Ke Baad.</div><br />
I know, some found it boring. I didn't. Was it perfect? No, not at all. Pefectly entertaining? Yep, you bet. And that's what really counts. Bas. :)</div>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-56721102495612463822011-06-11T17:46:00.000-07:002012-01-25T15:33:44.323-08:00Yahaan (2005)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jwxmHiFH-EU/TfQFVYt_9cI/AAAAAAAABSs/Y8eQG0VV19o/s1600/Yahaan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jwxmHiFH-EU/TfQFVYt_9cI/AAAAAAAABSs/Y8eQG0VV19o/s320/Yahaan+1.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<b>Director: </b>Shoojit Sircar<b></b><br />
<b>Cast: </b>Jimmy Shergil, Minnisha Lamba, Yashpal Sharma<b></b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>war, drama, romance<br />
<b>Lenght:</b> 2h:23m.09s <br />
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A year back, I was losing interest in Bollywood movies. It just seemed that everything I watched looked and felt the same, same stories, same overacting, same sounding music. I discovered South Indian movies, namely Tollywood and Kollywood, and it seemed I wouldn’t get back to Hindi cinema for a while.</div>
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Then I watched Yahaan.</div>
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The first movie of ad-maker Shoojit Sircar was released without much hype. Jimmy Shergil wasn't (and still isn't :() know as leading man material, and Minnisha as a debuting actress didn’t draw much attention either. At least not in the wide public. I couldn’t for the longest time remember what made me watch Yahaan in the first place, but while writing this post I suddenly remembered. </div>
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It got pretty bad ratings on a Czech and Slovak Movie Database, so I decided to give it a pass. Then I read on the bolly-what forum a thread with tastefully done romantic / intimate scenes and the song Naam Adaa Likhna was mentioned. I really liked it – it was simple, Jimmy and Minnisha looked very comfortable and gentle together, and the song was haunting. That was all it took to convince me to finally watch it.</div>
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By the end of this movie, my love for Bollywood was rekindled :)</div>
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Minissha plays Adaa, a Kashmiri girl dreaming of the day her valley turns into a paradise once again. She lives with her family a relatively quiet existence, until the day Aman, an Indian Army Captain, sets up a guarding post in front of her house. These two had a meet-cute before, if one can call it that - he and his soldiers were holding her at gunpoint. :D Now they start meeting, talking, throwing glances at each other, and the mutual attraction grows into something deeper.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ui_4SzqlwH0/TF_ReCerZXI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/a9cy1soHQjE/s1600/yahaan+-+kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ui_4SzqlwH0/TF_ReCerZXI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/a9cy1soHQjE/s400/yahaan+-+kids.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dream of freedom a pair of jeans can evoke...</td></tr>
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But the local girls aren’t supposed to mingle with Indian soldiers, and Aman was warned right during his first day to focus only on his work – he’s there to protect the locals, not to play with them. And he learns right away how hard the life for some of them is. Yet he isn’t a robot to blindly follow commands. He gradually wins the respect of Adaa’s family, and his senior officer’s wrath too when he wants to report him for unseemly behaviour. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hbBWBKwe0k4/TF8niTDLH_I/AAAAAAAAAWI/Ng37tJFaLxo/s1600/yahaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hbBWBKwe0k4/TF8niTDLH_I/AAAAAAAAAWI/Ng37tJFaLxo/s320/yahaan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Religion isn’t an important factor in Yahaan. Adaa is a Muslim, Aman a Hindu, yet it never becomes a point of conflict between them. Even the militants don’t act on religious grounds – they fight for what they believe in and when words fail to work, they take hold of weapons.</div>
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Don’t know about Jimmy Shergil in other movies, haven’t seen him doing much before. He seemed like all the other b-grade actors, but he totally won me over with his portrayal of Captain Aman. No over the top gestures, good dialogue delivery.. and my oh my, even his eyes spoke volumes. I’ve read some complaints about Minnisha’s acting, but I honestly couldn’t find a fault with Adaa. She was great, and I really liked her voice. She’s got an interesting face. Some camera angles were unflattering, but it got lost among all the pretty shots.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s.chakpak.com/se_images/50433_-1_564_none/yahaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://s.chakpak.com/se_images/50433_-1_564_none/yahaan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't she loverly?</td></tr>
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Yet the nicest surprise were the supporting characters. I won’t mention some of them, as it would spoil some twists in the plot, but take for example Adaa’s father. Not a hint of filmi melodrama or unreasonable attitude. Her granny was a very no-nonsense woman who didn’t hesitate to give an Indian soldier a piece of her mind and ‘ask’ for a cigarette at the same time. She was very gentle with her family, and stood up for Adaa when she deemed it necessary.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAmTaOWUyB0/TF8tT7o2hcI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/o1m7yA4Ikeg/s1600/yahaan+dadima.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAmTaOWUyB0/TF8tT7o2hcI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/o1m7yA4Ikeg/s400/yahaan+dadima.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Shree, Adaa’s little sister, was really cute. Not an annoying, oversmart kid at all. She wasn’t there for cutesy eye candy, her role was important. She didn’t speak much, so I was really taken with her body language. Plus it was too adorable how she followed Amaan around – like a little puppy. It reminded me of normal children running after somebody they’ve taken a liking to. Amaan uses his connections to help the little girl, though I suspect he did it also to impress Adaa :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H0EqyS6LhXc/TF8teAFPO_I/AAAAAAAAAWY/sDkNDborKsE/s1600/yahaan+shree+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H0EqyS6LhXc/TF8teAFPO_I/AAAAAAAAAWY/sDkNDborKsE/s400/yahaan+shree+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They were so adorable when they were together :)</td></tr>
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There are more parallel stories in Yahaan, but I won't discuss them all - too spoilery :) But I'll say that I liked the build-up of the romance track. A lot. It isn’t love at first sight, nor were there any immature moments between Adaa and Aman. Even in the circumstances they were facing, they still found time to berate each other, or to be playful. The way they spoke, looked at each other, or how they behaved when somebody was watching vs. when nobody was around – it all felt natural, very down to earth. The more I saw them, the more immersed I became in their struggle. I don’t know much about Kashmir, but everybody had a reason for the way they were acting, and the attitude of the locals towards the army men was understandable. The first half of the movie is mostly through Aman’s point of view, but after intermission Adaa takes over and it’s a joy to watch her fight for her man.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OupV-m7MsY0/TF8xCOk-o1I/AAAAAAAAAWo/tTLIVPOJZl8/s1600/yahaan+amaan+adaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OupV-m7MsY0/TF8xCOk-o1I/AAAAAAAAAWo/tTLIVPOJZl8/s400/yahaan+amaan+adaa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzr9v96dqsw/TF8xZz4H2VI/AAAAAAAAAWw/ru3a_ishA6Q/s1600/yahaan+adaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzr9v96dqsw/TF8xZz4H2VI/AAAAAAAAAWw/ru3a_ishA6Q/s400/yahaan+adaa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There aren’t many song sequences, but the few that are present were nicely integrated into the plot. The background music was amazing. As you can tell from the screencaps and posters, almost the whole movie is shot in blue overtones and when a colourful scene comes around you instantly know that a change in mood, or an important event is taking place. The most colourful moment was the music video to Mele Chaliyan, but even some scenes between Adaa and Aman had a warm, sepia hue. I was afraid that a movie concerning the Indian Army would be too preachy and full of patriotic speeches, yet luckily it wasn’t the case. It’s important that Aman is a soldier since it creates conflict – a relationship with him could very well cost Adaa dearly. The Kashmiri’s don’t differentiate between soldiers, terrorists or militants – all seem the same, reaching for guns and disturbing the life in the valley. The ending seemed to deviate into standard Bollywood towards the end, but only for a while and it didn't mar my enjoyment of the movie.</div>
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I know Yahaan isn’t much known, but I’m very glad to have seen it. I don’t know which movie started my addiction to Bollywood. It certainly wasn’t Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, although I loved the music, costumes and cultural references. What I know for certain is that Yahaan brought that love back when it was slowly fading away. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj_1Mlk6Usw/TF81Qhs8COI/AAAAAAAAAW4/dy8db9M8q5A/s1600/01_resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj_1Mlk6Usw/TF81Qhs8COI/AAAAAAAAAW4/dy8db9M8q5A/s1600/01_resize.jpg" /></a></div>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-1190965701230377262011-06-09T19:36:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:32:18.529-07:00Amrapali (1966)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lyoBCaG2I5o/Te0qGSXRAZI/AAAAAAAABPA/o9Hk_GL1JA0/s1600/Amrapali.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lyoBCaG2I5o/Te0qGSXRAZI/AAAAAAAABPA/o9Hk_GL1JA0/s320/Amrapali.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>Director:</b> Lekh Tandon<br />
<b>Cast:</b> Sunil Dutt, Vijayanthimala<br />
<b>Genre:</b> historical, drama, romantic<br />
<b>Lenght:</b> 1h:59m.32s<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8owfWRuqqhs/TfF8GqS7JBI/AAAAAAAABQo/7u0oCjJuHN8/s1600/Amrapali_hmm2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8owfWRuqqhs/TfF8GqS7JBI/AAAAAAAABQo/7u0oCjJuHN8/s1600/Amrapali_hmm2.gif" /></a>Amrapali is my very own Mughal-E-Azam. It’s a historical romance, it’s epic, the music is beautiful and.. and words fail me – I can’t describe Vijayanthimala’s beauty, dancing and acting. Here the comparison ends, because even though these attributes (doomed love, beautiful and gifted actress...) could be used with MEA too, Amrapali is the one that nestled itself into my heart and left a lasting impression. It reminded me of a fairytale. Maybe it isn’t the best way to describe it, seeing as it was based on true personalities and events. Yet I’m not sure how much ‘authenticity’ remained in the finished product; I’m sure the director changed some events and shaped the story according to his wishes. Either way, does it matter? :)</div><a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClKWZRZ54gg/Te0r5rBz7JI/AAAAAAAABPM/N7tIUkD8DVU/s1600/Amrapali001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClKWZRZ54gg/Te0r5rBz7JI/AAAAAAAABPM/N7tIUkD8DVU/s320/Amrapali001.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my idea of a romantic hero...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The story takes place in the year 500 BC. Ajatshatru, the mighty emperor of the Magadh kingdom, decides to add Vaishali to his list of conquered territories. He craves power, and it’s also a matter of honour – his father had twice attacked this little state, and he was twice defeated. The King doesn’t heed his general’s warning, nor his mother’s pleas. Of course he regrets it later. He’s injured in the battle, kills some of his pursuers while on the run, and sends his General back into the battle – nobody should learn that he has been hurt and fled the battlefield. He dons the attire of a fallen Vaishali soldier, wanders into enemy territory, only to finally collapse in a temple into the arms of Amrapali.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4NBnY2ajW7c/Te0sWAMsa_I/AAAAAAAABPQ/GrZ81KiQ5nc/s1600/Amrapali003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4NBnY2ajW7c/Te0sWAMsa_I/AAAAAAAABPQ/GrZ81KiQ5nc/s320/Amrapali003.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">She doesn’t have the slightest idea that she’s helping her enemy. She asked her good friend, her guru’s son, to bring her Ajatshatru’s head; now she’s helping him to get back on his feet. The courage of this wounded soldier impresses her. Once the King’s in a better shape, he decides to stay in Vaishali and destroy it from within. He starts to put his plans into action with the help of a local minister who’s a loyal servant of Magadh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But something happens. Amrapali voices her disdain with the court danseuse, claiming her speed is wrong. Now she must convince the onlookers of her truth, or face punishment.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="405" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3CbveiygLCU" width="500"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Did you have any doubt? :-) She’s victorious. Everybody is very pleased with her dancing and she’s chosen as the new court dancer. She keeps crossing paths with Ajatshatru and she’s very aware of what she wants – she wants this soldier who refused to tell her his name. She can’t help it, and even though he’s somewhat trying to put some distance between them, he finally succumbs to her charms.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/7730/amrapali087.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/7730/amrapali087.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honestly, he never stood a chance. None.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">But it’s only a mater of time before his true identity is revealed and Amrapali will have to face the toughest decision in her life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, <strike>I’m not</strike> I wasn’t very into oldies. This is the fifth one that I watched. At first it was the dance duel that enticed me, but after a certain point it distracted me how utterly breathtaking Vijayantihmala looked. I mean, it isn't just me, is it?</div><span id="goog_1982578376"></span><span id="goog_1982578377"></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">I can’t even count how many screencaps I‘ve made while watching Amrapali. Not only the heroine, everything else was also very beautiful – the costumes, jewelry, sets, choreography.. Most of the story took place in the dancing hall, Vaishali’s square or some random set made to look like natural setting, but it only helped in creating that ‚oldies‘ feel :) The fights were mostly a slash to the left, another slash to the right, a few elephants, some catapults and lots of cross-fading scenes. The confrontations weren’t graphic and there wasn’t much bloodshed. By the way, those soldiers weren’t extras. That was a real cavalry, requested by the director, and granted by the Ministry of Defence. And seeing as they were consistent with cavalry, even though it wasn’t that shown, you can only imagine how all out the dance sequences are – each and every one a work of art.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n_xmnr8IhWo/Te0vIMvnRUI/AAAAAAAABPU/MzSLotTnUPE/s1600/Amrapali053.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n_xmnr8IhWo/Te0vIMvnRUI/AAAAAAAABPU/MzSLotTnUPE/s320/Amrapali053.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Vijayanthimala as Amrapali was a force to reckon with. Almost all of her steps, expressions or the sway of her body were filled with sensuality. I’ve heard of her before as one of the best dancers Bollywood’s had and now I understand why. Her movements just flowed as if on their own accord and she just let herself be led by the rhythm of the music. Have I mentioned how divine she looked? I know, I have, but I can’t stress this enough. :) She didn’t play Amrapali, she became her. A patriot with all her heart and soul, yet still a woman with her wants and needs. It surprised me how bold she was. Ajatshatru gave her the opportunity to move away several times. He even warned her that she’s playing with fire.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-De399diEl0g/TfF-uWwNovI/AAAAAAAABQs/sIRBKtx6jKM/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-06-10-04h17m01s78.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-De399diEl0g/TfF-uWwNovI/AAAAAAAABQs/sIRBKtx6jKM/s320/vlcsnap-2011-06-10-04h17m01s78.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You go, girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I had to get used to Sunil Dutt at first. It never occurred to me that that bearded, angry and arrogant man would only a few minutes later look so longingly at a young woman. I didn’t know what to make of Ajatshatru. It seemed as though he was using Amrapali for his own needs, yet he was too puzzling in some scenes with her. His ambitions were getting into conflict with his feelings. When he realized that he fell in love, nothing could hold him back. Well, almost nothing..</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOsRVEBtEFE/TfF_CDk4pkI/AAAAAAAABQw/tlXzGNC3V7Y/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-06-09-23h10m56s225.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOsRVEBtEFE/TfF_CDk4pkI/AAAAAAAABQw/tlXzGNC3V7Y/s320/vlcsnap-2011-06-09-23h10m56s225.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Even thought the movie was made in 1966, the picture quality was great. It was a nice surprise, seeing as Indian movies tend to look much older than they really are. Sure, there were some moments, especially when the scenes were changing, when the picture would become of a certain colour, or some blurry lines would be visible. The sound was a bit muted and you can tell that the songs were recorded over 40 years ago. But those are only minor complaints. The music itself is lovely. I couldn’t really tell the songs apart at first (the ignorant that I am :D). Rhythmical dancing tunes were followed by melodious ballads about love and longing. I just wish Lata-ji had stopped recording music while her voice sounded like this, so I didn’t have to be exposed to her through Veer-Zaara.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S_ifyPg2lH0/Te0wqjUhJSI/AAAAAAAABPc/GMt1eZu_HK0/s320/Amrapali092.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S_ifyPg2lH0/Te0wqjUhJSI/AAAAAAAABPc/GMt1eZu_HK0/s320/Amrapali092.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks familiar? I'm curious how many of you recognize him :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It seems everybody involved was as smitten by Vijayanthimala as me, because there’s an abundance of close-up shots of her face. Amrapali was playful and full of life, and sometimes it seemed her exuberance transferred to Ajatshatru. In scenes without her he looked cold and restrained, his posture was rigid and his head held high – in short, he looked like a true king :) I was caught off guard when he smiled sometimes; I don’t find Sunil Dutt particularly attractive, but he had the right charisma to carry this role and the more I saw him, the manlier he became... yes, even with those earrings and dubious haircut :)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgINVknTwsY/Te0xbggHgfI/AAAAAAAABPg/gGdA84xNOZY/s1600/Amrapali118.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgINVknTwsY/Te0xbggHgfI/AAAAAAAABPg/gGdA84xNOZY/s320/Amrapali118.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">If you like classical dances and grand love stories, don’t let this little gem slip through your fingers. It has a gripping plot, it’s gorgeous to look at and there’s even a message. The movie runs only a few seconds short of two hours, so there was no time for unnecessary elements. There’s always something going on. I felt as though I was watching the perfect blend of Mughal-E-Azam and Asoka.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1143/amrapali032.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1143/amrapali032.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Count me among her fans. ~Le sigh...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Wryly recommended! :)Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-30143146712705622292011-05-09T10:52:00.000-07:002011-05-09T13:32:02.973-07:00Brindavanam (2010) vs. Yamadonga (2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WOX2xj85ixc/Tcgh0QtjXPI/AAAAAAAABK8/39MdsN_2hQo/s1600/Brindavanam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WOX2xj85ixc/Tcgh0QtjXPI/AAAAAAAABK8/39MdsN_2hQo/s320/Brindavanam2.jpg" width="232" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBomDsm4rRg/TcglaZncHQI/AAAAAAAABLA/IyGt8Fc5juk/s1600/398px-Yamadonga_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBomDsm4rRg/TcglaZncHQI/AAAAAAAABLA/IyGt8Fc5juk/s320/398px-Yamadonga_poster.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I LOVED Brindavanam. There was so much awesomeness, spectacular fights, great dialogues, 'subdued and nuanced' performances by the cast... you get my point :D By the end of the movie I thought it was the best Jr. NTR flick I've seen. The funny thing is, the first 15-20 minutes I was bored. To tears. Well, except for the video song, which was fantastic. When I look back at the beginning, I think I'd like it better the second time around. It's just that it looked like any other star driven movie - megaman fights, punch dialogues, pretty girls, OTT parents... I'm not one who watches a movie only to see a star being awesome, which is why Yamadonga is my favourite NTR Jr. movie yet. Yes, Brindavanam came pretty close to winning, but couldn't really dethrone Rajamouli's socio-fantasy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why? Let's compare them...</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Story & Plot:</b></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TNp6mtOVuU0/TH7pBdX6ctI/AAAAAAAAAbU/rDfhy5DxpB0/s1600/yamagola11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TNp6mtOVuU0/TH7pBdX6ctI/AAAAAAAAAbU/rDfhy5DxpB0/s320/yamagola11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Raja is a small-time thief stealing big time with his buddy. He's selfish, he's unscrupulous, he'll do anything for money. He'll even romance a woman on the dancefloor and steal her dress for a reward. While at work, he accidentaly saves Mahi, a poor orphan on the run, and then promptly throws her out of his house. Next morning he hears on the news that this mousy and poor orphan is actually not that poor. He pretends he loves her to keep her with him and demands ransom from her family. She doesn't realize it and starts falling in love with him. What a pity that Raja insults and makes fun of the god of death, Yama. Now, this is where the story took a surprising turn. Yama REALLY doesn't like being made fun of. He shortens Raja's life and calls him into his realm. And the crazy fun can begin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The story of Yamadonga was superb. The mythological angle came completely out of nowhere. I don't even remember how I got around to watching it, but I'm so glad I did. It made me appreciate the masala genre which I scoffed at before. The selfish thief that learns some real values and is given a second chance really appealed to me. Even though Raja deserved a slap or two, he was so charming that I forgave him in the end. He knew his way aroung and had a few bags of tricks up his sleeve which came in really handy when he stood against Yama. All in all, a great entertainer that held my attention throughout.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdSHP6o_h14/TcgRTOnF26I/AAAAAAAABKA/GIeoJ-kbgfA/s1600/Brindavanam-Movie-Poster-Designs-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdSHP6o_h14/TcgRTOnF26I/AAAAAAAABKA/GIeoJ-kbgfA/s400/Brindavanam-Movie-Poster-Designs-21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Krishna is filthy rich and doesn't have anything else to do than help his friends elope. He's even got a super-cute girlfriend. And seeing as Krishna is so uber cool, she asks him to pretend to be her cousin's lover so she won't have to marry according to her father's wishes. Krishna and Bhoomi have a filmi introduction and he promptly agrees to take part in this scheme. Lucky his fist alone commands the wind, he's gonna have a lot of beating up to do. That is, after he fixes everybody in Bhoomi's household, so she won't have to rely on strangers to help her. Ah, yes - her father and uncle can't stand each other and both command a whole village. Sweet, no?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A cool hero, sweet and spunky heroines, Prakash and Srihari as brothers and a whole mix of side characters that were an absolute riot. Brindavanam has a healthy dose of fun, fights and OTT family drama that make it work. BUT. There were some completely unnecessary tears and overemotings that reminded me of KJo weepfests. These were off-sync with the rest of the story and made me cringe. Srihari and Prakash too had some 'emotional' scenes, but these were a joy to watch, seeing as one of them is great at everything he does, and nobody can do OTT drama better than Srihari :D And have two-heroine- movies become popular? I see an increasingly amount of theam appearing. Ah well, worked well enough here :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>Verdict:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yamadonga wins, because there was SO MUCH going on and everything fit into the story! Brindavanam lost itself somewhere along the way trying to be something that it wasn't... and puting too much weight on looking cool.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Characters & Performances:</b></u></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BD8xlnHrca0/TH_QLfFDK3I/AAAAAAAAAcU/rAfzy0oMPtw/s1600/vlcsnap-2010-09-02-18h04m48s192.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BD8xlnHrca0/TH_QLfFDK3I/AAAAAAAAAcU/rAfzy0oMPtw/s400/vlcsnap-2010-09-02-18h04m48s192.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yamadonga cuteness</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cgEXJ4Dcmuk/TcgYYQjuohI/AAAAAAAABKE/_azQ4x_np28/s1600/Brindaavanam006.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cgEXJ4Dcmuk/TcgYYQjuohI/AAAAAAAABKE/_azQ4x_np28/s400/Brindaavanam006.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brindavanam coolness</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Jr. NTR looked like he was having a blast in Yamadonga :D He could be silly, childish, speculative, cunning and whatnot. Raja was simply a lot of fun to watch. On the other hand, Krishna seemed almost untouchable in his perfection. He was cool, collected, always knew what to say and when to punch somebody into oblivion. Still a lot of fun to watch, though! </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IxtUts8IT1M/TcgZOpcclOI/AAAAAAAABKI/rz4L3xPeTXk/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-05-09-18h41m17s158.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IxtUts8IT1M/TcgZOpcclOI/AAAAAAAABKI/rz4L3xPeTXk/s400/vlcsnap-2011-05-09-18h41m17s158.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Priyamani and Mamta Mohandas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NX47LMxzJKU/TcgZZWOVq_I/AAAAAAAABKM/95YXRB5nvrI/s1600/Brindaavanam015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NX47LMxzJKU/TcgZZWOVq_I/AAAAAAAABKM/95YXRB5nvrI/s400/Brindaavanam015.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samantha, Jr. NTR and Kajal</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Priyamani didn't have much to do in her role. She was cute in the song picturizations and when she was bossing Raja about, but that's about it. Mamta was a joy through and through. I was so glad when she returned later in the story :* I haven't seen Samantha before, but she still rocks. Simple as that. How can you not love her? She's cute, she's got spunk and a her belly is pierced :D Kajal looked lovely as the village belle, but she was such a goody two-shoes that she lost her appeal early on. I was glad when she showed some character in the second half :)</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wbkl6AOI3wE/TcgavJjSBOI/AAAAAAAABKQ/1G5STt53cF0/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-05-09-18h47m42s175.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wbkl6AOI3wE/TcgavJjSBOI/AAAAAAAABKQ/1G5STt53cF0/s400/vlcsnap-2011-05-09-18h47m42s175.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jr. NTR and Mohan Babu</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AxxNL_q0KM/TcgbAO6jHsI/AAAAAAAABKU/TRZCbbBSr1w/s1600/Brindaavanam018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AxxNL_q0KM/TcgbAO6jHsI/AAAAAAAABKU/TRZCbbBSr1w/s400/Brindaavanam018.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prakash Raj, Jr. NTR and Srihari</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Mohan Babu.. MOHAN BABUUU!! Wasn't he grand? He was perfect as Yama - his posture, dialogue delivery, mannerism... and lets not forget his eyebrows! I so LOVE it when actors know how to command their eyebrows :D Jr. NTR and Prakash belong to this cathegory too, they are so expressive! :) By the way, I'm impressed that Prakash kept his cool throughout the film - Srihari's OTT acting was more enjoyable this way. What a contrast! :D</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BY3z7Cn29Rs/TcgbYBmczgI/AAAAAAAABKY/B2SKzhRML1w/s1600/brindavan125.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BY3z7Cn29Rs/TcgbYBmczgI/AAAAAAAABKY/B2SKzhRML1w/s400/brindavan125.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's BAD.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The baddies in Yamadonga turned up only at the end. Well, okay, they were there before, but only for a short time. Ajay in Brindavanam was psychotic and evil personified. He really looked like a maniac. He made the one in Yamadonga look like a caricature of a goonda.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6h2NKSwKc34/Tcgb2lmYoMI/AAAAAAAABKc/bIJXbMmRESk/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-05-09-18h52m09s34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6h2NKSwKc34/Tcgb2lmYoMI/AAAAAAAABKc/bIJXbMmRESk/s400/vlcsnap-2011-05-09-18h52m09s34.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MS Narayan and Brahmi</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z4qgJeaNlkg/Tcgc087CdbI/AAAAAAAABKg/A7I9hpVLsoA/s1600/Brindaavanam024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z4qgJeaNlkg/Tcgc087CdbI/AAAAAAAABKg/A7I9hpVLsoA/s400/Brindaavanam024.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahahahaha! :D</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The comedians were great in both movies. MS Narayana has become my favourite comic over time. His timing is great and he always looks funny. Loved him in Yamadonga, Bumper Offer, Athadu etc. Brahmi can get on my nerves, but his role in Brindavanam was really entertaining and I liked him as the 'Bommarillu father' better than Chitragupta. And the short guy (Venu Madhav) who played Bhumi's cousin (and was about the same age as his on-screen father :D) was a riot too. I love it when the comedians are a part of the main story, not there only for a separate comedy track. </div><br />
<b>Verdict:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Eh, a hard one! I guess I liked the main characters in Yamadonga just a notch better than in Brindavanam. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Fights:</b> </u></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x_-YuAaKwuQ/TH_RLfqKcnI/AAAAAAAAAck/MxKEwPnrDKQ/s1600/vlcsnap-2010-09-02-18h30m17s129.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x_-YuAaKwuQ/TH_RLfqKcnI/AAAAAAAAAck/MxKEwPnrDKQ/s400/vlcsnap-2010-09-02-18h30m17s129.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very imaginative :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't really like the fights in SI movies, but I didn't skip them in these two. There was something about them that kept me watching. Yamadonga only had a few of them. And even though the chases and fights were very well done, they didn't leave a lasting impression. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>Verdict:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Brindavanam wins. I won't even go into detail as to why. Here's my evidence:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qqeIfapjWPg/TcgdoF-_HkI/AAAAAAAABKk/cabS_tsR0Z8/s1600/Brindaavanam013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qqeIfapjWPg/TcgdoF-_HkI/AAAAAAAABKk/cabS_tsR0Z8/s400/Brindaavanam013.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'I command the wind!'</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxzL1mUnn18/Tcgd5ef2W1I/AAAAAAAABKo/E3dWZNjJS7w/s1600/Brindaavanam031.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DxzL1mUnn18/Tcgd5ef2W1I/AAAAAAAABKo/E3dWZNjJS7w/s400/Brindaavanam031.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Roaaar! I pounce!'</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tljM4LRmTbw/TcgebMCY4KI/AAAAAAAABKs/jKlTb-VsW5U/s1600/brindavan027.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tljM4LRmTbw/TcgebMCY4KI/AAAAAAAABKs/jKlTb-VsW5U/s400/brindavan027.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'I can fly....'</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0D7tNf7K3dA/Tcgeq8qqxlI/AAAAAAAABKw/3N2ThzzHhN8/s1600/brindavan029.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0D7tNf7K3dA/Tcgeq8qqxlI/AAAAAAAABKw/3N2ThzzHhN8/s400/brindavan029.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'... and send others flying as well.'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>You see what I mean? He's just FULL of talents. :D<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Video songs:</b> </u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ib0XdsFFDZ4/TH_QY1IgPuI/AAAAAAAAAcc/wi7yaPdp2No/s1600/vlcsnap-2010-09-02-18h07m41s147.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ib0XdsFFDZ4/TH_QY1IgPuI/AAAAAAAAAcc/wi7yaPdp2No/s400/vlcsnap-2010-09-02-18h07m41s147.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRmUUg6Rj8g/TcgfWUIJW0I/AAAAAAAABK0/PArt8F1AIKA/s1600/brindavan152.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MRmUUg6Rj8g/TcgfWUIJW0I/AAAAAAAABK0/PArt8F1AIKA/s400/brindavan152.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yamadonga has Nuvv Muttukunte, Nachore and Rabbaru Gajulu, all with great choreography, full of energy and impressive dance moves. Mamta, Priyamani and Rambha are good dancers and they held their ground next to Jr. which is no mean feat. But the videos in Brindavanam were so full of colour, joie de vivre and the music was so catchy that I couldn't stop watching them. Beautifully shot, good use of special effects and nice locations. But I have to admit it was painful watching Kajal trying to match Samantha and Jr. Ntr in Chinnadho :P</div><br />
<b>Verdict:</b><br />
I can't decide! I guess it's a tie.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Moments I Hated:</b></u></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Sip_Fsq3Q4/TcgfonbnNpI/AAAAAAAABK4/-YgAbKSf9zs/s1600/Brindaavanam092.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Sip_Fsq3Q4/TcgfonbnNpI/AAAAAAAABK4/-YgAbKSf9zs/s400/Brindaavanam092.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're very right to cry! Now go with you brother and stand in the corner!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were none in Yamadonga. Sure, the fight at the end was more bloody than necessary, but it didn't make me uncomfortable. What DID make me uncomfortable was the beating of Krishna in Brindavanam. I HATED it so, so much :( Why do they keep doing this? Why do they think it's cool to beat somebody who isn't putting up a fight? I couldn't finish Bindaas for the exact same reason. I really wish Krishna would have defended himself. It's just not cool to get a beating, even if they were his elders and blah blah blah. That moment almost ruined the movie for me - yes, I hated it that much >:(</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">So <b><u>Yamadonga</u></b> wins. Better main characters, better story and no a single moment that I hated. :)</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fPontpHSKKQ/TIEYX8Ap9kI/AAAAAAAAAek/y_Hl7ZUL3qM/s1600/yamadonga555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fPontpHSKKQ/TIEYX8Ap9kI/AAAAAAAAAek/y_Hl7ZUL3qM/s400/yamadonga555.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, either way it was a win-win situation for you :D</td></tr>
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<b>SPECIAL MENTION:</b><br />
I've already written that I loved the dialogues and comedy of Brindavanam. Here are a few instances where I had to smile/laugh..<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SEOnZdhZUzE/Tcgwq_3t-uI/AAAAAAAABLk/K9lBRE3UAOg/s1600/brindavan131_resize.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SEOnZdhZUzE/Tcgwq_3t-uI/AAAAAAAABLk/K9lBRE3UAOg/s320/brindavan131_resize.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mCVOJqx6Ajg/TcgwqKEroXI/AAAAAAAABLg/3CViampBpq8/s1600/brindavan132_resize.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mCVOJqx6Ajg/TcgwqKEroXI/AAAAAAAABLg/3CViampBpq8/s320/brindavan132_resize.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">*****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-_SnvfaDQY/Tcgt5Ltn9CI/AAAAAAAABLE/M-qGaWdd6IA/s1600/Brindaavanam011.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-_SnvfaDQY/Tcgt5Ltn9CI/AAAAAAAABLE/M-qGaWdd6IA/s320/Brindaavanam011.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e4E2XWyyQNc/Tcgt-8QgWOI/AAAAAAAABLI/xLAUasiw_Qg/s1600/Brindaavanam012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e4E2XWyyQNc/Tcgt-8QgWOI/AAAAAAAABLI/xLAUasiw_Qg/s320/Brindaavanam012.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*****</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WP2oc3ii2c/TcguKo4bj6I/AAAAAAAABLM/m9p48_4YrUI/s1600/Brindaavanam019.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WP2oc3ii2c/TcguKo4bj6I/AAAAAAAABLM/m9p48_4YrUI/s320/Brindaavanam019.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">*****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zw3Cn5eRbN4/TcguZpx-d0I/AAAAAAAABLQ/2j3iSlicNDo/s1600/Brindaavanam025.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zw3Cn5eRbN4/TcguZpx-d0I/AAAAAAAABLQ/2j3iSlicNDo/s320/Brindaavanam025.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">*****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BghBs9P8-M/TcgupMZRscI/AAAAAAAABLY/HLBA4x9Rr3k/s1600/Brindaavanam040_resize.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BghBs9P8-M/TcgupMZRscI/AAAAAAAABLY/HLBA4x9Rr3k/s320/Brindaavanam040_resize.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnJkHMl2Gww/TcguocjG_nI/AAAAAAAABLU/5lfmagS8wvc/s1600/Brindaavanam042_resize.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnJkHMl2Gww/TcguocjG_nI/AAAAAAAABLU/5lfmagS8wvc/s320/Brindaavanam042_resize.png" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KVOy6XIEcnY/TcgvRR6y1CI/AAAAAAAABLc/TWZ5K6tT0_Y/s1600/Brindaavanam043.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KVOy6XIEcnY/TcgvRR6y1CI/AAAAAAAABLc/TWZ5K6tT0_Y/s320/Brindaavanam043.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So cute :* Mwah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-74337500086593899142011-04-16T04:31:00.000-07:002011-10-04T11:04:29.155-07:00Aagey Se Right (2009) ~Screencap review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0CLtAcPJdhc/Tai1DFQJQvI/AAAAAAAAA-E/laWa5-8zYus/s1600/aagey_se_right_ver2_xlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0CLtAcPJdhc/Tai1DFQJQvI/AAAAAAAAA-E/laWa5-8zYus/s400/aagey_se_right_ver2_xlg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Starring: </b>Shreyas Talpade, Kay Kay Menon, Shiv Pandit, Mahi Gill, Shenaz Treasurywala<br />
<b>Director:</b> Indrajit Nattoji<br />
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Now this is what I call a great debut. I love movies like this one where I don't expect much and end up being in love with it – the story, the characters, the music, the everything. I may be biased, because I love comedies and this is one of the best (made in BW) I've seen. And why a 'screencap review'? Because I'll try to let the movie speak for itself. Sometimes mere words don't do justice...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pjD37AAtlAQ/TajBJPSRxuI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/FU6gT6c-Jdc/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-01h13m15s211.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pjD37AAtlAQ/TajBJPSRxuI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/FU6gT6c-Jdc/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-01h13m15s211.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I admit, it was the elephant that got me :D</td></tr>
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This could have been an average movie, but the cast was so brilliant that the entertainment value went from good to excellent. Shriyas plays Dinkar Waghmare, a village boy trying to live up to his mother's expectations of becoming a great policeman like his late father. Turns out he should have stayed home playing marbles with the local kids. He gets his gun stolen on the way to Mumbai! Follow his misadventures as he tries to get it back and unwittingly becomes the hero of the week. Move over, Chulbul Pandey!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gqP87dqV_Ik/Tai9VlPcazI/AAAAAAAAA-I/_vXmIKft4K4/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-23h33m01s42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gqP87dqV_Ik/Tai9VlPcazI/AAAAAAAAA-I/_vXmIKft4K4/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-23h33m01s42.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids these days...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jtiWKGNjsDM/Tai9h8lQ4eI/AAAAAAAAA-M/ls1ri0Ub5Zg/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-23h44m29s7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jtiWKGNjsDM/Tai9h8lQ4eI/AAAAAAAAA-M/ls1ri0Ub5Zg/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-23h44m29s7.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'fraid not.</td></tr>
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Our next protagonist is Kay Kay Menon in the role of a terrorist - Balma Rashid ul Khairi. He's sent by his chief to plant bombs at a police celebration. He's assisted by this local don who's got the whole city and it's workings under his thumb.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtOd2xY16vY/TajAKVyJ50I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/ypaavC84EpM/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-23h52m24s157.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtOd2xY16vY/TajAKVyJ50I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/ypaavC84EpM/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-15-23h52m24s157.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behold Mumbai!... You're looking the wrong way..</td></tr>
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But then, kuch kuch hota hai. To be precise, SHE happens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4uJzO3d8Vsk/TallVcdU8MI/AAAAAAAAA-w/5r4w0QFDPm0/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h45m16s100.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4uJzO3d8Vsk/TallVcdU8MI/AAAAAAAAA-w/5r4w0QFDPm0/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h45m16s100.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, SO SWEET. He really had no choice but to fall for her :)</td></tr>
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His true poetic self emerges from deep within and he realizes that killing innocents just isn't the way to go. So he sheds his big bushy beard, puts on western clothes, names himself Janu and gets some Tapori lessons from his accomplice. Watch him being totally adorable and poetic while wooing his jaan.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fH03-cGmZZU/TajA5Tx8iiI/AAAAAAAAA-U/S6nfx2e_I2k/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-00h04m00s186.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fH03-cGmZZU/TajA5Tx8iiI/AAAAAAAAA-U/S6nfx2e_I2k/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-00h04m00s186.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keep an eye out for this lesson. As they say, a little learning is a dangerous thing..</td></tr>
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The main story track is in very capable hands, but it's the supporting cast that makes this a laugh riot and cemented my impression of the movie. There are several people who's life is touched by the gun on the run. But my favourite side story's got to be this one:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CNTWYdveAus/TajDUuI7Y9I/AAAAAAAAA-c/UAGLRvEDNv0/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-00h11m11s156.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CNTWYdveAus/TajDUuI7Y9I/AAAAAAAAA-c/UAGLRvEDNv0/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-00h11m11s156.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's true love!</td></tr>
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Sunny and Suhasi are in luv, yet they face opposition from her father, the police commissioner. What to do but spout song lines, be totally filmi and hope for the best? Will they ever stop running towards each other in slow motion? Will they get their happy ending? Will Suhasi learn how to overact? So many questions, so little time. Let's move on with the story.. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HJVgJM9KWfY/TajEiwA7NiI/AAAAAAAAA-g/v2M7XOXt7wI/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-00h19m28s251.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HJVgJM9KWfY/TajEiwA7NiI/AAAAAAAAA-g/v2M7XOXt7wI/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-00h19m28s251.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alas, dearest papa doesn't see it her way</td></tr>
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So it comes that after a failed elopement Sunny's arrested and taken to the police station. He seems to feel quite at home there. He makes a packt with Dinkar - he will help him find his gun if he promises to lend a helping hand in his love affair. He happily introduces his Suhasi in a ... love flashback.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c6nn-iMk7BM/TotKEzos2lI/AAAAAAAAB3o/9nJINOtqF3w/s1600/aagey+se+right024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c6nn-iMk7BM/TotKEzos2lI/AAAAAAAAB3o/9nJINOtqF3w/s400/aagey+se+right024.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yep, a love flasback. Best I've ever seen.<br />
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There's also Mahi Gill in the role of the sensational reporter Sonia. Nevermind that Dinkar's got a huge crush on her. Who wouldn't? She's got the best news coverage ever! And for some reason she's always enticing the viewers to send sms and vote on various issues. Like whether the disappearance of 9 cows in Maharashtra was caused by an UFO...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7UOWm8qa7o/TaliiwMNsUI/AAAAAAAAA-k/bErmjLh_1bs/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h33m16s54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7UOWm8qa7o/TaliiwMNsUI/AAAAAAAAA-k/bErmjLh_1bs/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h33m16s54.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Must have been the aliens..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgWOyn_Hg_Q/TaljL16TlsI/AAAAAAAAA-o/OcDL9Ysk_j8/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h07m10s10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgWOyn_Hg_Q/TaljL16TlsI/AAAAAAAAA-o/OcDL9Ysk_j8/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h07m10s10.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinkar's more than willing :D</td></tr>
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<br />
Aagey Se Right managed to bridge slapstic and intelligent comedy in a way I couldn't have imagined. Shreyas had the opportunity to monkey around and be adorable and he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. His nagging counsciousness in the form of his mother, always popping up to remind him of his mission to find the gun was wonderfully filmi.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xN7yDLjSfaY/Talr23_x41I/AAAAAAAAA-4/uzjE78RPPQQ/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-12h07m56s141.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xN7yDLjSfaY/Talr23_x41I/AAAAAAAAA-4/uzjE78RPPQQ/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-12h07m56s141.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fierce!</td></tr>
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On the other hand, his counterpart Kay Kay Menon had some serious deadpan comedy. Not to mention his Urdu sounded like a balm to my heart. Forgive my ignorance, I don't know anything about the nuances of the language or how accurate his pronunciation was. On a totally shallow note - he was very, very handsome. And I never was more sorry that I didn't understand the language than here. Much of the comedy was based on word play and couldn't be really translated. That's where the actors really made a difference - Kay Kay and Vijay Maura as the Tapori speaking don had great dialogue delivery. I could laugh just at their voice modulation :D Hats off to you, gentlemen!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXpYEHTVzcQ/TaluBNpy8hI/AAAAAAAAA_A/oGfHYzMJRBo/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-12h19m32s169.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXpYEHTVzcQ/TaluBNpy8hI/AAAAAAAAA_A/oGfHYzMJRBo/s320/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-12h19m32s169.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friend in need is a friend indeed</td></tr>
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I really feel as though I've touched only the tip of the iceberg. There's too much going on. I didn't write anything about the underground lair of doom, the freaky granpa that's complaining about the stinking trash outside his house, or how some characters always turn up again and again. At the end we've come a full circle, nothing is left unresolved. I just wish it was a bit longer. Two hours is just too little :( On the bright side, it's multilayered. I takes several viewings to truly catch everything that's going on on the screen, even in the background.</div>
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I'd like to point your attention towards this post on Passion for Cinema, where the director himself has written a very witty and insightfull article full of pictures on his movie> <a href="http://passionforcinema.com/socha-toh-locha-the-logic-of-aagey-se-right/">Socha Toh Locha - the Logic of Aagey Se Right</a></div>
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Indrajit-ji, please make another movie! I'm definitely looking forward to it :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UiY_XrKGbTA/Talu68cVEHI/AAAAAAAAA_E/q3vZl6yW6oE/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h08m18s200.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UiY_XrKGbTA/Talu68cVEHI/AAAAAAAAA_E/q3vZl6yW6oE/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-16-11h08m18s200.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will do, ma!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pUXDgitAbWU/TalvQUnAB5I/AAAAAAAAA_M/K0a24wuU3tY/s1600/vlcsnap-2011-04-14-23h09m11s0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pUXDgitAbWU/TalvQUnAB5I/AAAAAAAAA_M/K0a24wuU3tY/s400/vlcsnap-2011-04-14-23h09m11s0.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make love, not war</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But should you feel like a little war, watch this awsome burqa fight :D</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rgteg7YkSrU" width="500"></iframe></div>
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Peace out.</div>
Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-63022875998463242982011-03-11T06:55:00.000-08:002011-06-13T04:53:18.187-07:00Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-de5cN8PZZiY/TXlGd-fZTSI/AAAAAAAAA3c/invuEC8dIlk/s1600/Jhootha+Hi+Sahi+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-de5cN8PZZiY/TXlGd-fZTSI/AAAAAAAAA3c/invuEC8dIlk/s400/Jhootha+Hi+Sahi+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Directed by:</b> Abbas Tyrewala</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Cast:</b> John Abraham, Pakhi Tyrewala, Raghu Ram, Omar Khan, Alishka Varde, George Young </div><br />
Fear not, I haven't abandoned the SI fandom. Just needed a break and see what Bollywood's been up to. To be honest, I was debating with myself whether to continue this blog. It's not that I don't don't want to share my thoughts on Indian movies anymore, but I realized writing in my first language is much more pleasant and rewarding..<br />
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But then I looked back at all the movies of 2010 that I've enjoyed the most. They were all flops. Seriously, each and every one of them.<br />
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So.. what the fish? Is my taste so poor? Or just completely different to what others like and enjoy about bolly movies? Anyways, I just wanted to cry out into the dark and defend them with all my might. Hence my passion for writing was reignated :D Jhootha Hi Sahi is just the first on the list, more to come later. I promise it won't take me months to update my blog.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z2EMPi5K4Uw/TXlhZIowtUI/AAAAAAAAA3s/I-U2YUm9X-g/s1600/jhootha+hi+sahi4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z2EMPi5K4Uw/TXlhZIowtUI/AAAAAAAAA3s/I-U2YUm9X-g/s400/jhootha+hi+sahi4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the promo-pictures of JHS. Expect a lot of them in this review :p</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a name='more'></a><br />
I never took John Abraham to be much of an actor. Pretty face and model looks were what came to my mind when I saw him in any movie (he pulled it off in Dostana Par excellance! That movie would have gone down the drain without Abhi's comedy and Priyanka's 'bikini'). And although I enjoyed Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, the director's previous movie, it just didn't have anything that would make me want to rewatch it. Not to mention the love story didn't work for me at all. I don't even know why I sat down to watch this movie. Must have been the shortage of internet connection. To get back on topic: Why hasn't anyone told me before that John CAN act? Is it a secret? If so it's been too well kept and I'm going to break the ice on this matter.<br />
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Let me introduce the characters and plot first..</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-11iyCWZs7Y0/TXlPRt0zAEI/AAAAAAAAA3g/im6-TBqDu4w/s1600/jhoota_hi_sahi_movie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-11iyCWZs7Y0/TXlPRt0zAEI/AAAAAAAAA3g/im6-TBqDu4w/s320/jhoota_hi_sahi_movie2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Meet Sidharth, a mousy and quiet clerk working in a little Indian bookstore somewhere in London. Here he spends his days with his best buddy, Omar, trying to sell not only books, but pickles as well. They are greeted every morning by Amit, who just happens to know the most disgusting news. He's a real talent when it comes to ruining one's breakfast appetite. There's a girl in Sid's group of friends, Aliya, Omar's sister - a very caring, very no-nonsense, and VERY pregnant girl. You can count on her Japanese boyfriend Nick to come up with the most imaginative ways of proposing to her. Without any success, might I add. Then there's Uday, who always brings his latest boyfriend over to Aliya for dinner, hoping to get her approval. Also without any success. And the clique wouldn't be complete without Krutika, Sid's bossy girlfriend, who's up in the air most of the time - working as a stewardess. Sid's biggest adventures consist of watching National Geographic... and eventually falling asleep on the couch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not very exciting, right? So when he gets three suicidal calls in one night, he takes it as a bad joke. That is, until he comes to know that his phone number has been printed on a suicide helpline for Indians living in London. Seeing as he can't imagine anyone staying over in his flat, he takes it upon himself to help these poor souls calling him every night, not letting him get any sleep.<br />
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Then Mishka calls, friendship is formed, and the lies, mayham, and fun can REALLY begin! Because this is a romantic comedy that manages to be genuinely funny.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HXcLn0rZMJI/TXlbgiRl46I/AAAAAAAAA3k/OOPGGAhN9Uo/s1600/Jhootha+Hi+Sahi+Wallpapers+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HXcLn0rZMJI/TXlbgiRl46I/AAAAAAAAA3k/OOPGGAhN9Uo/s320/Jhootha+Hi+Sahi+Wallpapers+%25287%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Ten minutes into the movie, I was already disturbing the peace and quiet of the room, laughing out loud. I didn't know anything about the plot beforehand and the little I knew about the cast I'd already forgotten. Strange, that these movies, where I don't know anything about the plot or cast, are the ones that entertain me the most. The comedy in Jhootha Hi Sahi is not of the "in your face", masala-type. The humour is mostly based on dialogues and physical reactions to what's going on. Simply put, the comedy works. It's largely due to the set of friends. They were a riot! It was nice to see a rom-com that had a bigger supporting cast, and one that wasn't there just for the heck of it - they were active participants. Whether it was to advise, to bicker or just to join in on the fun, they were ready for everything.<br />
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It's been a while since I've seen great actors like these ones, together in one movie, playing off each other with such ease and palpable enjoyment. It's important for me to see that the actors are having fun sharing the screen. Omar was one of the best friends a leading man could wish for. I'd love to see the outtakes :) And the dialogues! Pakhi Tyrewala si one talented little lady. She's the one behind the story, screenplay, dialogues (together with her husband) and she played the main role too. She gave a great performance for a (second) debut, but I thought she looked a bit uncomfortable in some scenes. On the other hand, it was SO nice to see a leading lady that really looked like an ordinary woman, no model looks and attitude. I've no idea what her age is, but she looked really good opposite John. Who, by the way, was totally irresistible with the glasses and stutter.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dSPN-tiYS9s/TXo0I3wAGXI/AAAAAAAAA3w/8npJwnjyvLg/s1600/jhootha+hi+sahi5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dSPN-tiYS9s/TXo0I3wAGXI/AAAAAAAAA3w/8npJwnjyvLg/s400/jhootha+hi+sahi5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's such a shortie! :D So sweet! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Theirs is not an overblown, dramatic love story. It was slow, withough any mindblowing chemistry, starting with friendship and changing into love. Besides, they were botch such dorks! :D Their insecurities and bad decisions just made me love them more. Even though I had a certain idea where the story might be going, it still managed to surprise me. Add in a cameo by a Southie star who's sporting the worst facial hair EVER and the picture is complete. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(and pssst, but I totally believe that Mishka was in an abusive relationship before she got dumped)</span>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4vDPgSpWtjM/TXpaLkXWxzI/AAAAAAAAA34/bEtMiYCuZj4/s1600/jhs+John+Pakhi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4vDPgSpWtjM/TXpaLkXWxzI/AAAAAAAAA34/bEtMiYCuZj4/s400/jhs+John+Pakhi.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the best and funniest moments in the movie - Mishka comes to Sid's store</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The music by Rahman fitted really well into the story, but doesn't stand so well on its own. Maiya Yashoda is a fun little track with pretty picturization and I like listening to it, but the soundtrack isn't on a constant repeat in my computer. Just some sweet, easy to listen to tunes. I have to mention the background music too, because that was simply wonderful. I'd love to have a soundtrack with just the bgm score. Apropo, picturization> remember Sid and Mishka being dorks? Nothing illustrates this better than Cry Cry and Pam Para. :D<br />
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So, guys, thank you for making this wonderful movie. Mr. Abbas Tyrewala, don't get discouraged! Please, continue to do movies. Thank you for making me laugh and smile so much. Thank you for making a romantic comedy that made justice to the genre. Thank you for making something fresh. And thank you for putting John into those glasses. Seriously, they rule. I'm getting a pair for myself :D<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lmX3hc9Gev8/TXo2uvdQuwI/AAAAAAAAA30/b5DVEqVA3yg/s1600/jhootha-hi-sahi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lmX3hc9Gev8/TXo2uvdQuwI/AAAAAAAAA30/b5DVEqVA3yg/s320/jhootha-hi-sahi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I miss you already!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1661985204313158466.post-36194870091661799842010-12-11T06:42:00.000-08:002010-12-11T08:47:00.736-08:00Bumper Offer (2009)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQN-zCkht-I/AAAAAAAAAxg/AHWS7DFUGkI/s1600/bumper-offer-release.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQN-zCkht-I/AAAAAAAAAxg/AHWS7DFUGkI/s400/bumper-offer-release.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cast: Sairam Shankar, Bindu Madhavi, Sayaji Shinde.. and others</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Most people think of Bindu Madhavi as the Avakai Biryiani girl. Or, more recently, one of the Rama Rama Krishna Krishna heroines. To me, she will always remain the "Dirty Angel Aishwarya" :D</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bumper Offer was written and produced by Puri Jagannadh. Now, I'm not one of those people who think him a <i>superb</i> director because of Pokiri's success. I can find more faults in his movies than enjoyment, with the only highlight being the already mentioned Pokiri, and Bujjigaddu (though the remote is still ready in my hand to fast forward some scenes).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So it surprised me a bit that Bumper Offer is not that well known. But then again, it can't boast with starring Prabhas, Mahesh or Arjun. Instead, the lead role is enacted by Puri's brother Sairam.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The story is quite simple: poor guy and a rich girl fall in love.. though in a bit unconventional way. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a name='more'></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now I'm going to be lazy and copy-paste my review from Bolly-what :D</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQN_Xo471AI/AAAAAAAAAxk/WozWv3aiNT4/s1600/Bumper+Offer-Movie+Stills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQN_Xo471AI/AAAAAAAAAxk/WozWv3aiNT4/s320/Bumper+Offer-Movie+Stills.jpg" width="320" /></a>Sai is a poor mechanic who gets beaten up by goons sent by Aishwarya, a rich brat. Although it was by mistake (she sent the goons to beat up a guy that teased her), when Sai confronts her she acts arrogant, so he slaps her. Now, I'm NOT a fan of girl-slapping in tolly movies, but she SO had it coming! I would have given her a second slap just for good measure!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What's she to do? Why, take a baseball bat, wait in a deserted street at night and attack our hero, who still needs a crutch to walk. Well, one thing leads to another and they fall in love <img alt="Cool" border="0" src="http://www.bollywhat-forum.com/Smileys/classic/cool.gif" /> Problem is, she's REALLY rich, while Sai is struggling to earn for himself. Furthermore, his father works as an accountant for Aishwarya's father. When he finds out about their relationship, he gives Sai an ultimatum. He has to become as rich as they are in order to marry Aishwarya. Sai refuses and gives him instead a 'bumper offer' himself. He decides to con his future father-in-law and steal all his money, property and belongings, making him as poor as he himself is! :)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQOKESpUMXI/AAAAAAAAAxs/A9_aZfVEiYU/s1600/Bumper+Offer+-+Sairam+Shankar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQOKESpUMXI/AAAAAAAAAxs/A9_aZfVEiYU/s200/Bumper+Offer+-+Sairam+Shankar.jpg" width="144" /></a>There are no really big twists in the story. Don't know how original it was.. I haven't seen many movies with this plot, so it was fairly entertaining for me to watch how Sai works his way towards his goal. The comedy track between Ali and the other guy was so silly I fast forwarded it all (it was a Magadheera spoof). The comedy in the main plot was enough to entertain me. I loved the guy who played the lawyer (played also Bujji's father in Bujjigaddu and an accountant in Rechipo), MS Narayana - he's becoming my favorite comedian in the industry :) The fights weren't too OTT, seemed pretty real with only a little wire work.<br />
<br />
Sayaji Shinde played his usual role of a baddie father - The "How dare you love my daughter" typical corrupt businessman. He even has a second secret family! And a young son, the kid comedian from Pokiri/Ready/Oye. Bindu Madhavi was super cute as the arrogant Aishwarya. It was hilarious how she stood by her man and watched her father losing status and wealth. It was all good fun for her :D The actress who played Sai's mom was great. I didn't even realize she was a comedian until I saw her again in Desamuduru. I loved her reaction when her son told the family who he fell in love with - his father was ready to get a stroke, while she got this sneaky and satisfied smile on her face.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the main reasons the movie worked for me was Sairam. He was so cute in the movie - loved his hair and voice. I read in a review that his diction was poor, but I liked his voice so much and don't understand a word in telugu, so this wasn't a problem :D And his interaction with his onscreen mom was awsome. Just watch the Ravanamma song </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7M3xQcVMEG8?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7M3xQcVMEG8?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br />
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The music was very catchy, and there was even time for an item number (no, not Mumaith!). I liked all of the picturizations.. except maybe the romantic number between Sai and Aishwarya, and that's got more to do with the white goris in bikinis and Sairam's wardrobe. The movie can <i>boast</i> with some of the weirdest (some downright fugly) outfits I've seen in a telugu movie. Really, what is it with the heroes that makes them wear those.. <i>things</i>. Can't they see? Or are they perceived differently by the local cinemagoing folks? Because no self-respecting man would get caught dead wearing those. I though it was jus Prabhas's trademark. You know, Mahesh is the Layers Prince, Arjun is Stylish Star. So I really don't see why they had to put those <b>flowery pattern pants</b> and <b><i>cowboy hat with a huge star</i></b> on Sairam. Luckily (or sadly?), some of the weirdest are seen in the music videos. The ones he wears during the movie are chuckle-worthy, but not eye-damaging :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQOETWgTJdI/AAAAAAAAAxo/Z0XtZ5fLXVU/s1600/Bumper-Offer-Posters-wallpapers%252B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EbSgGC0IomM/TQOETWgTJdI/AAAAAAAAAxo/Z0XtZ5fLXVU/s400/Bumper-Offer-Posters-wallpapers%252B%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">On the whole, I REALLY enjoyed this movie. It didn't drag, the main protagonists were great and the comedy was funny (except the comedy track.. go figure). The movie is on teluguone's youtube channel with subtitles, but they lag behind :( I hope they fix it!</div></div>Reminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00021907822653800452noreply@blogger.com4