I was watching this movie so closely! So closely! I know the drill with Ratnam films, he just drops in these little bits and then moves on so you can’t look away for a second. And yet, I was still completely lost. But I don’t think it’s my fault! Or at least, not my fault because I wasn’t watching closely enough, but because I didn’t have the expected background.
I just watched Azhar, which was terrible, but which also posited that Azhar and Sangeeta was a BIG DEAL because it was the first time Cricket and film had overlapped. To which my reaction was “Oh please!”
I already posted my spoiler-free review, and I was going to put up a spoiler one, but why bother? I might as well just sprint through a summary, nothing much happened in this film so I’m not going to have much to say.
I finally saw Azhar! There was a confluence of circumstances which prevented me from seeing it opening night, like I usually do, but I was finally able to get to it last night. And the theater was actually pretty full! Like. a couple dozen other people along with me and my friend! I am impressed.
Last night, Shahrukh basically acted as India’s foreign finance minister. And it looked a lot more fun than when the royals were here and he acted as India’s British ambassador.
In case this is your first time finding my blog, and you have questions, here are some answers!
1.Is this written by an Indian/South Asian/Desi person?
No, I am not Desi. I am a miscellaneous white person from America. But I have been watching these films for over a decade, and reading all the gossip news and news-news out of India that whole time as well. And I have 2 degrees in film. But there is still so much to learn! So if you notice a mistake in a post, or want to add information you think I missed, PLEASE mention it in the comments!
2. What all do you write about?
I write about lots of things! The main categories are in the menu, you can just click through to see all the related posts. My Film Reviews are in depth analysis of particular films, my Film Summaries are scene by scene descriptions of films (usually new films still running in theaters). Box Office is box office data and analysis. Filmi News You Can Use is general star gossip and industry news. Star Birthday Posts are in depth career history and discussion in honor of their birthdays (a good place to go if you want background on a particular artist). Videos are just for fun, if you want to look at a bunch of fun fanvids and song videos, I put up posts sometimes of videos I like that all share a random theme (Bhang songs, Slashfic fanvids, etc.). And speaking of fun, check out the TGIF section! Or, if you want to learn more about me/general background info on the industry, look at the Monday Morning Questions. And finally, if you are new to the films and trying to figure out who is related to who and who used to date and all that stuff, check out Hindi Film 101.
3. How can I get started with your writing/this site/Indian film?
Buy My Book! I wrote a quick cheap ebook to provide an introduction to Indian film for those who are completely new to it, or long time fans who may be curious about the history of the industry, or the technical details of why you see what you see onscreen.
Or, if you want to try my writing first before you commit, check out My To-Do List and click the link for a film you want to learn more about. That’s the best way to get a sense of how I write and what I write about.
4. Why do you write so much about non-Hindi Indian films?
Because people like it! My Malayalam posts started getting a lot of traffic, and comments, and requests to cover other movies from that industry, so that’s what I went with. But I am ready willing and able to write about anything film related.
If you want me to write about some other industry, Bengali or Punjabi or French or Brazilian or Nigerian or Nepali, just tell me! Put a comment on the To-Do List post, and I will add it to my list. I can’t promise that I will get to it promptly, but I will get to it eventually!
5. Are you a massive Shahrukh Khan fan?
Yes, I am a massive Shahrukh Khan fan! Thank you for noticing! I’m not going to apologize for it or try to hide it, there is a huge bias in all my coverage of the industry because I think he is perfect, and the most important industry figure today. Feel free to try to convert me to Aamir or Salman or Akshay or Amitabh in the comments, but it’s not going to work! I’ve been with Shahrukh for over 10 years now, and I have never wavered. Yes, even after watching Happy New Year.
This movie was very very well-made. And it managed to tell a familiar story in a new way. At least, familiar to me, since I’ve read a lot of books on film history and the same horribly depressing things always happen to the early filmmakers. Although, like I said, this film took a slightly new tack on it in a couple of ways.
News update! Besides the haircut, there are some juicy/political things popping up. Exciting! But mostly it’s about the hair.
Aitraaz! This is a terrible terrible movie! Terrible terrible! But very fun. But SO BAD!!! And I will be shocked if anyone shows up in the comments to contradict that statement.
I should be used to it by now, but I am continually impressed by how slooooooooooooow the Indian courts are. So now, a mere 3 years after her death her case is moving through the courts.
Such a surprisingly good movie! Okay, that sounds insulting to police films. Such a surprisingly different movie! It looks like the standard police film, everyone has a mustache and the title is even “Mumbai Police“. But then, right away, it’s clear that it really really isn’t.
That feels sudden! Because I barely knew she was dating anyone. Because, sadly, the media isn’t exactly falling over itself keeping me up to date with the goings on of Amrita Rao.
I watched Sharaabi! I’ve been meaning to for a while, just because that one song is so super catchy, and also because I was curious about an Amitabh starring remake of Arthur. What I didn’t realize was that this was one of those movies from the 80s where the entire point is to put Amitabh onscreen for as many minutes as possible, and all the other actors are just stage decoration.
Priety’s married! For real now, because we have pictures. Including photos of her husband “Gene Goodenough” (still sounds like the name of a cartoon character).
This is a movie I started and then rewound to rewatch bits a bunch. And then realized that I didn’t really have to rewind that much, because it was just moving forward, without much discussion of what we saw in the past.
Yay, it’s Madhuri’s birthday! At least, in India. If you are in America, you still have 6 hours to prepare. I already posted the first 25 reasons I love her, now here are 24 more.
It’s Madhuri’s birthday today! Well, today in India. But I want to start celebrating as soon as possible, so I am putting up my birthday posts today. One reason for every year she was alive.
I last saw this movie right after it came out, and it was soooooooooooo good that I never felt the need to watch it again for another 10 years. I remembered it so perfectly, after one viewing, because it was so clever and charming and unusual, that I didn’t really need to see it again, I could just play it over in my head. But then I started to wonder, could it really be as good as I remembered? And the answer is “No! It’s even better!”
Happy Friday the 13th! I was just reminded of Indian horror movies by moviemavengal’s post on Pizza. I haven’t seen Pizza (too scary!), but I did catch the trailer on one of my Tamil DVDs, and it was so striking that as soon as I saw the title on moviemavengal’s post, I instantly remembered it.
Oh good, this one picks up right after Iyobinte Pusthakam! So now I have 1900 through 2000 covered. I know everything about the history of Kerala! (not really)
Oh man, I hate this! When the news stories are about stars being selfish and horrible instead of surprisingly kind and generous. Although, I guess it is only news because we are so used to the other stories in which they are kind and generous.
Okay, I am slowly getting to understand Kerala history. I just need to watch Pathemaari and Celluloid, and I will know everything! This movie covered me for 1900 through 1946. Also, the British were really horrible, weren’t they?
It makes no sense! I can barely get over the idea that Amrita Singh and Juhi Chawla would be fighting over Jackie Shroff (Even I have to admit that he does look good in a mustache), but why would Jackie Shroff ever be interested in Amrita Singh if he could get Juhi Chawla? She is so clearly superior!
Most of these were released a couple of days ago, I just haven’t gotten around to watching them yet. Because I’m not terribly excited about any of them. So I am going to squeeze them all into one post.
My book is coming out! Very exciting! It’s like this blog (even has the same name), but with more detailed background about the film industry, and about me. So, if you want to learn more about the first Indian film producers and directors and the history of stardom, or why the heck I am so obsessed with Indian film, you should read it! You an order it at the link below.
If you are interested in trying to get an advance copy, you can fill out the form here:
http://goo.gl/forms/x74yr9HlUi
dontcallitbollywood 