Just saw Airlift, First Day First Show! Well, First Day First Evening Show. I’ll be putting up a couple of reviews, and box office figures, and a full detailed spoiler-rich summary over the next couple days, but in the meantime, here are my quick notes to help me remember everything.
It may not make much sense to anyone else, but it should give you some kind of a taste of what to expect!
So, this isn’t an original thought from me, but someone on the internet has pointed out that since Farhan’s separation announcement yesterday, every single main actor in Zindagi Na Milega Dobara has now had a big public break up.
Is that actually true? I think it is! And if so, is it a coincidence, or is there a reason behind it? I think there is actually a reason for it.
I am moving so slowly through this thing! And I don’t know why. Well, I kind of know why. It’s because the plot is soooooooooooooo complicated that I feel like I can only go through about two twists before I have to pause for everyone to go “wait, what happened?” Kind of like Dickens writing for newspaper serials instead of novel readers.
We ended the last section on a HUGE twist, so lets move forward and see what slightly smaller ones await us here. Oh, also, I am once again writing DVD-less at work, so forgive any slight mistakes!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here and bullet point version here)
Thank you businessofcinema.com for providing so many numbers to me! There are a few interesting things going on in the local and global box office, going into Airlift weekend.
Airlift, and Republic Day, will put an end to the traditional Christmas season releases, as the screens are given over to patriotic rather than family friendly films. Meaning this is expected to be the last big week, and final box office projections are rolling out for Wazir, Dilwale, and Bajirao.
Read on to learn more.
(first reports on Airlift box office here)
I already posted the awesome awesome videos that Shahrukh and YRF released today highlighting the SRK fan community. Reverse fanvids, if you will. But I have so many more thoughts on what they mean than I was able to put in that post!
For instance, doesn’t this remind you of Aamir Khan promoting 3 Idiots?
Well, really Shahrukh and YRF. They just posted (like, a few hours ago, just in time for my morning twitter check!) 5 amazing videos that were, I guess, reverse fanvids? Videos that Shahrukh and YRF made about fans, instead of the videos I highlighted yesterday, that were made by fans for Shahrukh and YRF. I have many many thoughts! But first, I want to get a post up just so you can all see the videos.
I am going off DVD! The last few sections I had it at hand, just in case I needed to review certain scenes as needed, but now I am at work and it would probably be a little obvious! So, going entirely off memory (unless I make a huge mistake, in which case I will just double-check it once I get home).
Onward!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here and bullet point version here)
As I explained in part 1, I’ve been in kind of a Sunny mood! Not like I am feeling particularly happy (the opposite in fact, winter sucks and work sucks and Christmas is over), but in a mood to watch Sunny Deol movies. So, I started with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and then I walked back to Jeet, and then all the way to Manzil Manzil.
In case you are also in a Sunny mood, but not feeling Sunny enough to actually watch a film, here is a complete synopsis of the whole second half of The Hero: Love Story of a Spy.
(first half here)
So, I was in the mood for some good new SRK fanvids last night. Who knows why! Maybe it was something I ate, maybe it was that I just re-watched Asoka, maybe it was because I was spending too long staring at the incredibly sexy Dabboo Ratnani photos…. (It’s the photos).
Anyway, here are some of the best ones I found!
I have been on a bit of a Sunny Deol kick lately, not sure exactly why. Possibly it is just my brain playing tricks, because it is overcast and disgusting where I live and I just want it to be “Sunny” in my apartment somehow!
Speaking of homonyms, a friend’s little sister pointed out that “Sunny Deol” sounds exactly the same as “Sunnydale” where Buffy lived. Which is true! And just strange! Is it possible Josh Whedon is secretly a 80s Indian action superfan?
Anyway, I have just watched 3 Sunny movies, none of which are worth a full recap, but each of which is worth a quick summary hitting the high points.
(second half of this film covered here)
Happy Day After Martin Luther King Day! I celebrated Javed’s day a day late, and now I am celebrating Martin’s day a day late too.
To celebrate, I’m going to post some of the protest and social justice songs that have made their way from south asia to the internet. Brace yourself, they are all really good and really inspiring. By the end, you will be in tears and also angry about the state of the world. The proper holiday spirit! At least, for this holiday.
(Or, you can skip this post and only read the fun stuff, I won’t judge. I’m actually expecting almost no views, but I still felt like I should put it up.)
So, part 1 here, part 2 here, and now…..Part 3!!!!! Ek, Do, Teen, just like Madhuri says! (Did I forget to mention the reference to this in Wazir in my Wazir summary? There was a reference, and it was awesome. Also, Happy Birthday Again Javed! Only you could get away with using the lyrics “one two three, four five six seven”)
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here and bullet point version here)
Newer Box Office Report Available HERE!!! Dilwale still leads!
Okay, the 4 week report is out, and despite losing screens worldwide, and its steep drop off in the major Indian territories, Dilwale is far outstripping Bajirao in the global box office.
In fact, it has already beat Salman’s Kick receipts, and is coming up on Shahrukh’s own records, for Happy New Year and My Name is Khan.
All of which I predicted! (if you follow those links, you can see my previous posts). But, why is this happening? Why does the global picture look so different from the local?
Update: To see how I think the new Fan “Tu Nahin Samjhega” videos relate to this, check out posts here and here.
A friend just sent me this super interesting link, which I encourage you all to follow! It lays out 10 things that make the Malayalam film industry special among Indian film industries.
Now, I know basically nothing about Malayalam films. I have seen Utsav Hotel and Bangelore Days, and that’s it (feel free to give me recommendations in the comments! I’m already planning to watch Ohm Shanti Oshana next, but after that I am open!). But I know a lot about Hindi film, and this list got me to thinking about why Hindi films don’t do these things, or in some cases, don’t do them any more.
Just did my daily check in with news articles on the three Khans. And guess what! They all have women problems! Of widely varying categories and degrees.
Now I am worried, because I saw something somewhere else that indicated that Karan-Arjun came out after Baazigar. But I am pretty sure they started filming it first. So I am going to say my re-watch is in order of SRKajol filming interactions, rather than actual release dates.
Anyway, Baazigar! And Shilpa Shetty!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here and bullet point version here)
Bollywoodhungama is giving us the chance to choose our own winners! If you were dissatisfied with the winners of FilmFare, here’s your chance!
(click below to see what my picks were)
I love Bahubaali. And I love SRK. And I thought these two loves would never intersect, but a close checking of cast lists reveals that they do! But probably not in a way you would expect.
(Part 1 here)
After a brief break for lunch and recovery from an overdose of patriotism, I continue! This movie really does have the best heroic lines in it. I’m not even Indian, and its getting me all caught up in it!
Definitely getting more and more pumped for Airlift, especially since Akshay Kumar is about the only star who did NOT get to play a real life Indian hero in LOC Kargil. So it’s nice he is getting his chance now!
(Spoiler: The best quote of all is dead silence)
So, word is out today, both Shahid and Hrithik were injured on set, delaying filming of Rangoon and Mahanjo Daro respectively. Which is kind of an odd coincidence (do you think there is any chance it was really a secret underground dance-off which damaged them both?), but not that unusual, as onset injuries are fairly common in Indian film.
But, why are they so common?
Happy 10 Days before Republic Day! And 6 Days before Airlift comes out! To celebrate, I have pulled out my “Vande Mataram” film pack. I could watch Lakshya and swoon over Hrithik in uniform, or The Legend of Bhagat Singh and swoon over Ajay in a hat, but somehow I am just feeling LOC Kargil!
LOC Kargil covers the “Kargil War” or “Operation Vijay” which lasted from May 3rd of 1999 to July 11. So, a 10 week war. The Pakistanis crossed the border in Jammu and Kashmir, India sent troops and pushed them back to the other side. So, a game of Kabaddi, but with guns and in the mountains. But I am not here for the incredibly detailed account of the war, I am here for every single hot actor of 2003 taking turns delivering awesome tough guy one liners, while in uniform!
I already covered who actually won the awards, but that isn’t the biggest question of the night. No, the biggest question is always, Who Performed?
Again, thanks to awesome Times of India and their minute by minute coverage, I can answer that!
So, just like a couple days ago, the nominees were announced, and now the awards ceremony is already over! That is so fast!
But, let’s be real, it was never really about the Awards anyway, it’s all about the live performances! Which you can read about here. But in the meantime, thanks to Times of India and their minute by minute coverage, I can tell you who won, who lost, and how right (or wrong) I was in my guesses.
Now that I have finished with Karan-Arjun, it is time to start the synopsis of the next SRKajol film! In chronological order! I wasn’t actually 100% confident that Karan-Arjun was before Baazigar, but #21yearsofKaranArjun was trending a couple days ago, so I guess it was! I’ll expect for #21yearsofBaazigar to pop-up shortly.
Anyway, Baazigar! The film that got Shahrukh his first FilmFare Award! Onward!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here and bullet point version here)
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I checked my twitter feed this morning to find out that, for once, Aamir Khan had actually posted a tweet. He isn’t a regular twitter poster, his last big message was to release a public statement about his issues (or lack there of) with the Bombay police force. So any time there is a message from him, it is a big deal.
And it was a big deal! Rajesh Vivek is dead! You probably don’t know the name, but if you look at the picture above, you will go “oh right, that guy!” You probably know him best as Guran, the village wiseman/mystic in Lagaan (which is why Aamir posted the tweet, as head of the Lagaan family, it was his responsibility). Yesterday, Alan Rickman died, and the world discovered his massive filmography, his range, the respect he had from his friends and co-workers. Today, Rajesh Vivek is dead, and I think we should take at least a little time to acknowledge how, in his own small way, he also contributed to the world of film.
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