Monday again, time for questions! Although the questions have slowed a little the past few weeks, I may end up making this more of a every other week thing.
As always, you can ask me questions on any topic at all, from the personal (“are you planning to see Rangoon?”) to the specific (“is Rangoon based on any historic figure?”) to the general discussion (“is Rangoon going to finally jumpstart Shahid Kapoor’s career?”).
The only rule is, if someone asks a question and you know the answer, you have to let me answer first! Because otherwise it is no fun for me. But once I have answered, feel free to jump in and add anything you like.
dontcallitbollywood 
Since I’m kind of obsessed with Veeram,Macbeth and Shakespeare at the moment, do you remember any adaptation of Shakespear’s comedies in Bollywood? Which one would you like to see on screen? Who’s your dream cast and director? Vishaal himself? Is he capable of making a comedy?
LikeLike
Oh what a fun question! For comedies that are already made, the two that spring to mind are Angoor and Dil Bole Hadippa. DBH is Twelfth Night by way of She’s the Man. Most of the details are stripped away, but the basic idea of a couple that falls in love while she is dressed as a man and he is her boss is still there.
Angoor is A Comedy of Errors, Sanjeev Kumar and Devan Verma play a pair of twins who were separated and don’t know they are twins. Sanjeev is the wealthy boss, Devan is his humorous servant. And they each have a wife. So there is a total of 4 couples, 4 woman and two sets of twins. Obviously, confusion ensues when the separated twins end up in the same city and are constantly mistaken for each other!
I am sure there are other Shakespearean comedies in Indian film, those are just the two I can think of right away.
For ones that I would like to see made, Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew would be super fun to see! And I would really like to see what Vishal Bhardwaj does with them. His Matru Ka Billi Ka Mandola was basically a Shakespearean comedy, with all the complicated servant-master relationships and mistaken identities and silly coincidences and all of that. I’d also be interested to see Vidhu Vinod Chopra try his hand at a Shakespearean story. His Eklavya felt very Shakespearean. Oh! You know who else? Aditya Chopra! He is such a great director, but his films tend to raise or fall on the plot. DDLJ and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, great plots. Befikre and Mohabbetain, not so much.
Just tossing this out there, what do you think about Much Ado About Nothing as a Student of the Year reunion directed by Adi? Alia and Varun as Beatrice and Benedict, Siddharth as Claudio and maybe Shraddha as Hero? And The Taming of the Shrew, I would love to see Aamir or Shahrukh as Petruchio, and one of their old school actresses, Juhi or Rani or Madhuri, as the heroine. I know they are all a little old for it, but Katherina is supposed to be kind of old, because everyone is afraid to marry her. So it could still work! And that one, maybe Vishal or VVC as the director, so it would have a kind of old school glamour gloss over it all. Oh! Maybe this is finally the movie where Tabu and Shahrukh play a romantic couple after Saathiya?
(I may have just found the topic for next Sunday’s speculative post!)
LikeLike
Oh, I’d love to see Varun and Alia spar on screen as Benedict and Beatrice.Siddharth-Sharaddha would be perfectly adequate as Claudio and Hero.That would play up their strengths while Alia and Varun can do the heavy duty lifting.But how about Ranveer-Deepika as B-B? I don’t much care for Taming of the shrew.
I had forgotten all about Angoor. IIRC it’s one of Shahrukh’s favorite movies too.Thank god his plans with Rohit Shetty to remake it came down to nothing.I still haven’t forgiven the latter about the mishmash he made out of remaking Golmaal.My favorite scene in Angoor was the one with Moushmi putting eye-drops in her eyes and saying insouciantly “So what?” when Devan reports that Master has been seen smoking cigarettes.
LikeLike
I was thinking about Deepika as Beatrice! But I like her better as a sort of sensitive complicated character, instead of the kind of angry and spicey type she would have to be to play Beatrice. More Piku and less Ram-Leela. On the other hand, Alia can pull off angry and fighting without being unlikeable.
I saw a stage version of Taming of the Shrew which really worked for me in how they handled the heroine, and then I went back and read the original play and the interpretation the used is in there. You can read it as Kathrina being kind of a strong and noble person who doesn’t want to get married because she is aware of what that kind of commitment would mean to her. Whereas Bianca is shallow and flirtatious and never really cares about anyone. And you can also read it as Petruchio being intrigued by Kathrina’s fire and strength in a way no other man has been able to appreciate. The whole middle bit of the play is still super problematic and would have to be re-written for modern times. But the beginning and the ending are more about two strong characters who learn to respect each other and build a marriage as a partnership, versus the shallow basis for the other relationships. But really, the key is in the casting. You would need a Petruchio and Kathrina who are clearly a match for each other, you wouldn’t want to put Shahrukh opposite Deepika or Anushka.
I remember the stories about Shahrukh possibly remaking Angoor, and I got really excited about it! Just because I would have loved to see him in a total comedy film, not just a romantic comedy. He really hasn’t done that in a while, Happy New Year was the closest he came, and that was kind of a comedy/heist movie combo.
LikeLike
I’d love to see a Much Ado About Nothing adaptation, too. I like the idea of an older Beatrice and Benedict though. I think Randeep Hooda and Kangana Ranaut would be amazing.
Also would love to see a remake of Taming of the Shrew. Kangana would be good in that, too;) Her appearance on KWK was phenomenal. I think she’s a true troublemaker and I believe almost all of the stories about her battles with directors and co-stars. But I also think she’s a true free-thinker and doesn’t care what people think.
I watched both KWK episodes this weekend and still can’t stomach the bratty Varun. Ranveer is a brat, too, but at least he’s an original. I enjoyed Humpty and I’m sure I’ll like Badri, too, but I’m starting to worry that Alia and Varun are going to be considered a classic jodi and it’s my least favorite pairing with Alia so far.
LikeLike
I am so far behind on KWK. But even Karan hasn’t seemed that excited about the last few episodes, no tweets promoting them or following them up.
I hadn’t thought about Kangana in The Taming of the Shrew! She might work really well. But I don’t know about Randeep Hooda as her Petruchio. Hmmm. Oh! Prithviraj would be great if he wanted to do another Hindi film.
On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 7:51 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Taming of the shrew was adapted in Telugu as Gundamma Katha in 1962. It starred NT Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara rao (old guy in Manam). Strangely, it was NTR’s 100th film and ANR’s 99th.
LikeLike
Rangoon does look interesting, but I am kind of not so enthusiastic about making it to the theatre. 8 weeks and let me recollect the films I’ve seen: Raees, Shatamanam Bhavathi (Telugu, starring Sharwanand, Anupama Parameswaran & others), Om Namo Venkatesaya (Telugu, starring Nagarjuna, Sourabh Raj Jain & others), Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (Malayalam, starring Mohanlal, Meena & others), Dhruvangal 16 (Tamil, starring Rahman & others), Ghazi (Telugu, starring Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon & others). Not to forget a fan-frenzy screening of Khaidi no. 150 (Telugu, starring Chiranjeevi, Kajal & others)
These many films, all duly in theaters and all of them with Dolby Atmos and not so proper speakers. Phew!
So, no new films for the next few weeks. Not at all. Having said that, I am inteested in Badrinath Ki Dulhania and may even end up making a visit.
On a parallel note, Margaret, have you watched Gentleman?
LikeLike
Still haven’t seen Gentleman, I was busy with life stuff this weekend (Sunday School and other church commitments mostly). I did manage to squeeze in Major Chandrakanth, because I wanted to return the DVD to Netflix. Sad!
You’ve seen many more movies in theaters in the past few weeks than I have. I think because of producers trying to avoid Raees, and the general spring duldrums, the Hindi releases have really slowed down. I’ll be seeing Rangoon, and then I may take a theater break until Badrinath as well. I’m just not that excited about anything.
LikeLike
Woah! Major Chandrakanth! NT Rama Rao’s almost finale! looking forward to know how you felt watching it 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, not that one! The 1966 one. Very different movie.
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 11:33 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Ah! the one by Balachander. I am amused by the way he had dealt with human dilemma on ethical and moral grounds most of the times. Sundararajan was the guy who played the “father” of the “son” in Apoorva Raagangal.
I saw that you reviewed the Hindi remake. Here’s a clip featuring scenes between a much young Kamal and debutante Rajini (who plays the “mother” husband)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gLtnmurwi8w
LikeLike
That was fascinating! Seeing the original and knowing how it was in the Hindi remake. A lot of the moments were almost shot for shot. Also, this was before Moodru Mudichu, right? I am amazed at how different Kamal Haasan made himself look for the two characters. In this, his movements and his body and everything looks powerful and angry and aggressive, just like in the Hindi version. But in Moodru, he looked soft and weak and defenseless. I was thinking that he had just grown and changed physically, but these two movies were only a year apart, so it couldn’t have been an actual physical change, he must have just changed his movements and attitude to trick us into thinking he was different in the two roles.
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 1:49 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
What are some of your favorite Shahid Kapoor films? I’ve only watched Jab We Met, Dil Bole Hadippa and Shaandaar (plus, his background dancing in DTPH, which didn’t surprise me because he’s a great dancer). I’ve enjoyed ones I’ve seen and I think he has great screen presence. I figure that he must have some real gems in his filmography.
LikeLike
Shahid does have some gems in his filmography, but they are well hidden by some really terrible films. On the terrible side of things, I’ve got a soft spot for Dil Maange More and China Town. China Town is a terrible murder mystery comedy film, and Dil Maange More is a terrible rom-com in which he romances 3 heroines (including Soha Ali Khan, in her screen debut!). Oh, I also kind of like R…Rajkumar, even though it is a stupid action movie with horribly regressive gender dynamics.
On the good side of things, Vivah is a surprisingly wonderful romance. By the same director as Hum Saath Saath Hain, so prepare yourself for similar family values. But Shahid is an adorable hero, and the romance is really sweet.
Kaminey is remarkable. The film itself is very very good, and Shahid is legitimately brilliant in it, probably the performance of his career so far. If you like it, you should also check out Udta Punjab. Which isn’t totally a Shahid movie, but he is also very good in it, and it has a similar sort of dark comic tone to Kaminey. But like, very very dark comic tone. Wait until the kids are in bed.
On the other side of things, Teri Meri Kahaani is super super light. But I really like it. It’s kind of clever in a lot of ways, and the songs are really good, which is what makes me put it in the “good” films list instead of the bad-but-I-love-them list.
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 1:16 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
How is Mausam? I don’t know anything about it but I wanted to see it because the poster was really intriguing 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve heard it’s really really dull. I’ve seen bits and pieces over the years, and haven’t been able to get into it, because it just didn’t grab me. Certainly it wasn’t successful critically or commercially, which is a bad sign. I am sure someone else out here has seen it and can give you a better answer!
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 3:59 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Mausam is very slow. But I still enjoyed it. It reminds me of Veer Zaara for some reason…just one of those drawn-out romantic dramas that are nice to watch on a Sunday afternoon. There are a couple of great songs and Shahid is a Top Gun type pilot and looks good in uniforms. Sonam and Shahid didn’t get along very well so the chemistry seems forced at times but I think it still works overall. The climax scene is a bit WTF. After Hrithik, Shahid Kapoor is probably my second favorite actor (in a fangirl way, not a critical way), so I tend to like most of his films.
LikeLike
Shahid is probably my 4th favorite actor, but 4th on both the critical and the fan girl scale. He just blew me away actorly in Kaminey and Udta Punjab, I wish he would do more roles like that. Or else more roles like Teri Meri Kahaani where he is soooooooooooooooooooo cute!
LikeLike
Speaking of Shakespeare, I would really recommend Shahid Kapoor in Haider, an adaptation of Hamlet. He was mind blowingly good in it. I was rather stunned to be honest, that this was the same young man from Jab We Met and Vivah (Which I also have a soft spot for.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haider and Kaminey have the same director, who is also directing Rangoon. Which is the only reason I am excited about it, the trailer really didn’t work for me, but I can’t wait to see what Shahid and Vishal do together!
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 10:49 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ryan, all three that you’ve seen are solid Shahid films and I really loooove Shaandaar for some reason (so you might need to take my recs with a grain of salt…and also I’m a Shahid fangirl).
Agree with Margaret that R…Rajkumar is regressive but entertaining and it was cool to see Shahid in a masala role.
I really liked parts of Chup Chup Ke, but I have yet to really completely “get” Priyadarshan films. This one has some seriously annoying parts, but there is one song, “Dil Vich Lagya” that basically makes up for the film’s faults. I also love Suneil Shetty when he plays the softie older brother characters and this one is one of his best. Also Kareena Kapoor is silent throughout the film which helps.
You should definitely see Haider, the Vishal Bhardwaj Hamlet adaptation. That one, Kaminey, and Udta Punjab are definitely his best “serious” roles and I would argue he is actually one of the best actors in Hindi films today. He can do just about anything.
Teri Meri Kahaani had a lot going for it and I agree that it is clever and has great songs, just didn’t work for me. However, if you like the rom-com Shahid, you’ll like this one, too.
He has done a lot of bad films unfortunately, but I think the tide is turning and he’s much more selective. Padmavati could be a big deal for him, just like Udta Punjab was.
LikeLike
Oh! Have you seen Phata Poster? I was excited about it from the trailers, and then out of town the week it released and missed it in theaters, and I have been wondering if it is worth going back and catching streaming because the reviews were pretty mixed. I really really love “Mere Rang Sharbaton Ka” (which I always hear as “my colorful sherbet” and then want rainbow sherbet), both the sound and the visuals, but I don’t know if the rest of the film is any good. Any advice? Opinions?
On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 8:24 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Hmmm…tough one to answer. I bought the DVD sight unseen, watched the movie once and then didn’t keep the DVD. And I can’t really remember much of the movie at all. It had a kind of wacky Mike Meyers in Austin Powers vibe (plots aren’t similar of course but same kind of movie) that was just not my thing. It’s described as a comic entertainer and I guess it’s less stupid than the Golmaal or Houseful series but not in the same class as a Dostana, if that makes sense. There’s a bit of heart to it if I recall around his relationship with his mom.
I’m not a fan of Ileana D’Cruz, so that might have influenced my view of it, too.
Hope that helps!
LikeLike
Yes, I think I can continue to enjoy the songs without feeling guilty for ignoring the rest of the movie. I did the same for a long time with R…Rajkumar, and then I actually watched it and really enjoyed it! So I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing out on something else equally good.
On Tue, Feb 21, 2017 at 11:43 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Here the US Theatre list of Prithviraj movie Ezra
https://www.studioflicks.com/show-times/ezra-movie-usa-theater-list/
LikeLike
Huh! If that’s accurate, it’s showing near us at a theater that has never shown a Malayalam film before. Although they have done Indian, it’s where I saw Byomkesh and 2 States.
On Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 10:50 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Pingback: Silly Sunday Speculative Post: In Honor of Veeram, Shakespeare! – dontcallitbollywood