Category: Movies

Title: Slumdog Millionaire

Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Freida Pinto

Director: Danny Boyle

I found Vikas Swarup’s  book Q&A to be extremely creative and entertaining.  The film Slumdog Millionaire  builds on the main theme of the book, but it veers off to accommodate hordes of “masala” like car chases, sentimental scenes, stunt sequences, gun shots, the typical Bollywood hero and heroine exchanging looks (with romantic music playing in the background) while a train rushes between them, etc. You get the idea.

The script is full of holes and ranges from extreme exaggeration (the jump through feces to pick up Amitabh Bachhan’s autograph!) to utterly senseless (the host of the quiz show played by Anil Kapoor ridiculing the participant instead of putting him at ease).  In short, the film does no justice to the book whatsoever, but was instead focused entirely on its box office elements.

Dev Patel, the lead actor’s British accent, and the policeman, slum dwellers and menacing goons speaking in English all appear completely out of place for a film set in Mumbai. Freida Pinto (the film’s female lead)  might have a good Bollywood career ahead of her, provided she is open to taking some Hindi lessons. The film is essentially like a typical fast-paced Bollywood film  with plenty of the conventional mix of action, drama, melodrama, love and suspense, but all in English. In other words, it is an “out and out masala.” Nevertheless, it is certainly watchable. Could it have been made more authentic and hence more watchable? Sure, but it might not have hit the mainstream like it seems to have done now.

The commercial success of the film in the US and across the world has some very interesting implications for the film business in general. Western filmmakers have been trying hard to enter Bollywood of late (Sony with Saawariya, Disney with Roadside Romeo, Warner Brothers with Chandni Chowk to China, to name a few) but with little success to date. At the same time, Bollywood film makers have been trying to make films targeted at the NRI audience (Karan Johar’s endless string of eye-candies set in the US, Yash Chopra’s feel goodies etc.). Making Bollywood films with an eye on Hollywood has so far been considered too much of a stretch. The success of Slumdog Millionaire changes this mindset on its head. It opens up a thus far unexplored commercial avenue for Bollywood – the true desi masala starring the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kamalhasan, Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone etc., made in English by the likes of Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Ashutosh Gawarikar, and so on, but targeted at the western audience (as opposed to just the NRI crowd). Slumdog Millionaire’s success proves that the world universally craves and embraces masala themes. If it is packaged right, a commercial home run is there for the asking, not to mention Golden Globes and possibly Oscars.

The thought of Rajnikanth appearing on screen and American men and women screaming, whistling and throwing dollars and cents at the screen, or the day when Shah Rukh Khan hits the talk show circuit in the US prior to the release of his next bilingual (Hindi and English) blockbuster is no longer far fetched. This will be the true globalization of commercial cinema. The makers of Chak de India and Swades (two movies that come to mind right away) should surely consider releasing their films in English, minus any song and dance…well maybe not, if you consider the commercial success of Mama Mia. Rajnikanth’s next film Endhiran, originally titled Robot, also starring Aishwarya Rai, in the tactful hands of commercial super director Shankar would be another candidate to give an English release a shot.

Bollywood owes director Danny Boyle for setting the stage for Bollywood’s foray into Hollywood. With this film, he has paved the way for bridging the gap between Hollywood and Bollywood. It is up to Bollywood to take the cues and build on it.

Title: Outsourced

Starring: Josh Hamilton, Ayesha Dharker

This is one of the many movies based on the topic of outsourcing. In hindsight it would perhaps have been more timely to release this film now (in the midst of the meltdown) rather than in 2006. An American firm dealing with novelty products shuts down a department and starts an operation in India. One of the Managers is shipped out to India to train the staff there. 

There are plenty of funny scenes as the American Manager gets exposure to India both at the workplace and outside. A needless romance is thrown into the film but completely lacks any conviction. It is very obvious that this is a rather low budget film. The overall script is weak and despite the fairly realistic portrayal of India, the film fails to sustain its momentum. Josh Hamilton and Ayesha Dharker as the lead pair deliver decent performances. 

 If you haven’t seen any film on the topic of outsourcing, then this might be worth a few laughs.

Title: Veruthe Oru Bhariya

Starring: Jayaram, Gopika

Language: Malayalam

This film is a family drama set in small town Kerala which starts with plenty of promise but fizzles out in the end. It revolves around a couple and their daughter. The husband believes that its his wife’s job to run the house and “serve him” at all times. The wife simply grows sick of all the house hold chores and the husband over bearing nature. This eventually leads to some conflicts (obviously!) and the wife heads to her parents’ home. Thereafter the husband looks after the house and his school-going daughter. Eventually he is unable to handle the pressure of his work and the responsibilities of running the house.

Jayaram, who plays the husband, appears to have aged and does not seems “go well” with the relatively younger heroine, Gopika. The age difference is very obvious though both play their respective roles well. The young girl who acted as the daughter seems naturally talented and has put in an impressive performance. The downsides of giving cell phones to kids are effectively portrayed in the film. The comic parts of the film, particularly the parts where Jayaram plays the role of a conscientious Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) employee, the song sequence where Jayaram imitates other movie stars, scenes in the office along with his colleagues at work, are all very enjoyable.

Overall, a watchable film, but one that doesn’t live up to its potential.

There is little doubt that the overseas market for Indian films is huge and is constantly growing. Over the years a number of films have had simultaneous releases in India and overseas. These days this has almost become the norm especially for films featuring top stars. In fact, the percentage of revenue generated from the overseas market has been rapidly increasing. With the Indian diaspora ready to "lap it up," Indian movie makers have slowly started to hike up the price of the ticket. Thus far, Bollywood films have been released in the US at a price per ticket hovering around $10-12. After the initial few weeks the price drops to about $8. which is more or less on par with Hollywood films. In the recent past, Indian film makers have started to "up the ante" so to speak. The price of tickets has been hiked even further! Dasvatharam opened at $15 a ticket! The first reaction of anyone who didn’t like the film was one of "Gosh! I want my money back !"

And now Superstar Rajnikath’s Kuselan tickets open at $20!

As far as I know even the biggest budget Hollywood films have never sold tickets at such outrageous prices.

Ultimately, film-making is a business. So it is understandable that those in the business want to make a profit. Products are often priced at what the market is willing to bare. But when you price a product so high that buyers start to feel that they are being fleeced, particularly when the same product was hardly a price sensitive one, you begin to wonder if the businessmen have gone too far. Besides, the viewer backlash caused by the hike in ticket prices, there could be other unintended consequences like for instance, an increase in piracy .

Are Indian film makers stretching their luck? Will the next Bollywood film starring Aamir Khan or Sharukh Khan be priced similarly at ridiculous prices? Maybe the price will have to go even higher before reality strikes and good sense prevails?

Title: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Starring: Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza
Language: Hindi
Direction: Abbas Tyrewala

Imran Khan – another chocolate hero, another Khan, enters Bollywood, this time introduced by none other than the chocolate hero of the late eighties (now quite transformed) Aamir Khan, who produced this film. Imran Khan, the hero also happens to be Aamir’s nephew. The film also marks the entry of south Indian actress Genelia D’Souza to Bollywood.

There is little that is new in the story of this film. Young couple, great friends in college, unsure if its love, try to set it each other up with others, and eventually come together. The positive of this film lies in the “treatment” and the Director, Abbas Tyrewala (this happens to be his debut film) deserves plenty of credit for this. He has turned a relatively common theme into an engaging sequence of events, interspersed with trendy numbers by A.R. Rahman, and plenty of comedy that delightfully blends with the story line. The entire film is shown in flashback as a bunch of good friends narrate the story to a newcomer to the group as they wait for the lead couple at the airport. Naseeruddin Shah and Rathna Pathak Shah as the heroes’ parents and Paresh Rawal in a brief cameo as a cop are truly hilarious.

The two lead stars are perfect choices and do justice to their roles. Imran Khan is as “chocolate” as it gets. “Fair and chikna”, the Iranian-looking young man is in all likelihood bound to become a teenage heart throb. Time will tell if he can grow beyond that and make a lasting career for himself in Bollywood much like his uncle, Aamir Khan. While his acting talents were never really put to test in this film in a big way, it was a refreshing change to see a new hero minus the muscles and the manic dancing skills. Genalia the heroine is the more seasoned performer of the two given her experience in south Indian films. The two appear to share good on-screen chemistry and this amply helps the film succeed. Barring the annoying frequent close-up of the friends in the film, the overall quality of the photography and film-making was impressive.

Overall, Jaane Tu Jaane Na is an entertaining film that is definitely worth watching.

Aamir Khan – The Businessman

Aamir Khan appears to have picked a perfect launch pad for his nephew. After Dil Chahta Hai and Rang de Basanti (two films built around friendship) he bet again on the theme of friendship. With another hit here very much on the cards, he sure seems to have a pulse on the Bollywood audience. With an all new cast, a director making his debut, and a smattering of veteran stars, perhaps his only “big ticket item” as producer of the film was A.R Rahman. A big flop would have hardly caused him a dent. From a purely business point of view this film is a business venture that is likely to pay off big time. Aamir Khan’s last film which featured himself and a bunch of no name actors followed a similar business formula. This time, he seems to have repeated the same approach again with plenty of success. Clearly, Aamir Khan is an impressive movie star with plenty of business acumen!

Title: Kung Fu Panda

Animated film from Dreamworks

I remember a time when I could not imagine being able to sit through an entire animated film. Over time this view has completely changed. Many of these films are so superbly made that its hard to choose between them if you ever had to.

Animated films bring together a remarkable blend of technology, story-telling, and artistic talents. And Kung Fu Panda is brilliant on all these fronts. It is cute, funny and perfect for kids (and adults who like animation films). Without getting into too much detail, the story revolves around a clumsy panda who becomes a martial arts experts (the “chosen one”) and saves a countryside from an evil leopard. Along the way is plenty of comedy and brilliant graphical effects combined with some really cool dialogue — “He was so deadly, his enemies would go blind from his awesomeness”, “There is no secret, its all about what you believe”, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift that’s why its called present”.

Check this one out, especially if you are looking to take the kids to a movie. You won’t be disappointed.

Title : Dasavatharam (Meaning: Ten Avatars)

Starring : Kamalahasan, Asin

Direction : K. S. Ravikumar

The thought of a movie where a single actor plays ten different roles does raise some basic questions about how it might even be possible to weave a sensible story (unless of course it is a comedy like Naya Din Nai Raat). Watching the film just confirms the worst of these fears. Dasavatharam is a poorly concocted, meaningless film, with Kamalahasan playing ten roles in addition to being responsible for the story, the screenplay and the dialogues.

There is no real story as such. It begins with a twelfth century clash between Shiva and Vishnu devotees resulting in Kamalahasan’s first character being tied to the Vishnu deity and drowned to death. The visuals for these scenes are impressive. Fast forward a few centuries and Kamalahasan is an Indian scientist in the US and an American CIA agent. The scientist is busy chasing a computer chip that contains some biological weapon. The CIA agent is hired by the goons and wants the weapon too. What follows is a weather-beaten cat and mouse game between the CIA agent and the scientist where every other scene has Kamalahasan in a new look. Along the way the scientist picks up Asin for company. The love story of the film is almost forgotten and concludes in a lame and predictable manner at the end. The story comes to an end with a Tsunami and the deity from the 12th century being swept ashore. Perhaps the movie makers could not think of a better way to end the film. The Tsunami scenes are extremely well shot and comparable to some of the real shots you find on Youtube. There are references to the existence of God at various points in the film but such intellectual topics of discussion in the midst of intense “masala” seems obviously out of place and completely lacking in depth.

Kamalahasan plays George Bush, a Terminator look-alike (supposedly a CIA agent, when a stunt man would have been a more appropriate characterization), an old woman, a scientist, a priest, a villager, a singer (Daler Mehndi type), inspector Naidu, a Japanese martial arts expert, and an Afghani. Every time a new character appeared on the screen I found myself busy trying to figure out if it was Kamalahasan in a new make up! Of all the roles in this film, the role of Inspector Naidu was by far the best for the simple reason that the makeup was still believable and Kamalahasan was playing his age. The scenes and dialogues featuring Inspector Naidu were easily the most enjoyable part of the film.

State of the art makeup techniques have made it possible for near complete facial transformation. However, the more dramatic the transformation the less interesting it gets after the momentary “wow” factor. In fact, it is a lot like wearing a Halloween mask! This destroys the seriousness of the film and takes away the focus from the main story, if there was ever one.

It is not in the least bit surprising that this film ran into trouble with religious Hindus. For most part of the film a Hindu deity is tossed around under the pretext of having a dangerous chip inside it. Unfortunately for the censors if those parts of the film were curtailed the movie makers would have had to return to the drawing board. In hindsight, that might have not been a bad thing after all.

Asin does a decent job as the conventional big mouth brahmin girl. The rest are all mere passengers with little to do. One of them looked like yesteryear comedian, Nagesh while another looked like KR Vijaya, (another an old timer) or maybe they were Kamlalahasan himself with makeup. Mallika Sherwat tries her best to provide her personal brand of sizzle. Himesh Reshammaiyya’s music is nothing to write home about. Kamalahasan should have handled the music too (I think he sang one of the songs in the film). He might have done as well if not better than Himmesh.

It is sad to see Kamalahasan trying so hard to impress when it is an accepted fact that he is one of India’s top actors. It is no secret that big stars insist on dominating every frame in their films. But Kamalahasan takes this obsession to a whole new level. There are several scenes involving two or three characters all played by Kamalahasan and with no other actor in sight. If you had any doubts that Kamalahasan’s megalomania and eternal self-obsession, then this movie should put those doubts to rest. It should not come as a surprise if Kamalahasan were to make a movie where he plays every single role in the film.

Overall Dasavatharam is a huge dissapppointment. Even the biggest Kamalahasan fans are going to have a hard time defending this disaster.

Bollywood stars seems to have taken to blogging. Leading Bollywood actor Amir Khan now has a blog. His recent post included lines like, “Shahrukh is licking my feet and I am feeding him biscuits every now and then. What more can I ask for?”

Apparently, his dog is named Shahrukh! While one can understand professional tensions between top stars it is sad to see it being voiced in public, and that too in such poor taste. Thankfully Shahrukh Khan has appeared so much more measured in his response.

Amitabh Bachchan (also known as Big B) recently launched his own blog. Big B’s blog is awful to say the least. He has further diluted his brand by launching such a poor blog.

I had suggested earlier that Kollywood should stick to scripts. The same seems to hold true for Bollywood as well. Most Bollywood stars carry around a larger than life image and having a blog (especially a poorly written one) is likely to hurt their image. Besides, it might display an inner side that they might as well keep to themselves (as apparent in the case of Amir Khan). Blogging is a relatively new phenomenon that media experts are still trying to figure out and understand. An entry by Bollywood stars into the world of blogging (with little skill for good writing) definitely sounds premature. In an attempt to sound and appear hip these stars might have done themselves more harm than good.

Shekhar Kapur, who has had his own blog for a while now appears to be an exception to this general rule.

Title: Kadhaparayumbol (“While Telling A Story”)
Language : Malayalam
Starring : Srinivasan, Mamooty, Meena

Title: Kite Runner
Starring: Mostly unknown actors
Direction: Marc Forster