Happy Monday! This is the weekly time when you distract me and keep me awake while I try to suffer through Monday morning at work.
As always, you can ask me anything from the personal (“What is your favorite twin movie?”) to the specific (“why are there so many lost and found twin movies in India?”) to the general discussion (“what is the best twin movie?”).
The only rule is, you have to let me answer first! The discussion goes better that way. But once I leap in and give an answer, you can feel free to join the conversation and add on anything you want to say.
dontcallitbollywood 
I know you’ve watched Aurangazeb where Arjun plays twins for the first time. So how did you feel he did in that movie and how are you expecting him to improve at doing a dual role in Mubarakan?
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It’s going to be such an interesting comparison between the two films! Because they are like the two extremes of double roles. Aurangzeb was all about subtly actually playing two different people, and all the human drama that comes between them.
And then this is going to be just wacky shenanigans and all the differences are going to be big funny differences, not little subtle character differences.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 7:55 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Plus if I remember correctly, Aurangzeb had one Arjun which was more of a negative character compared to the other right. It’s interesting since I think Arjun is the only young actor to do multiple movies with dual-roles so far.
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It was kind of an odd way to start his career, usually dual roles are more a mark of having arrived at a new level, not the very second thing you do. I don’t find it odd for Arjun to do a double role now, but that Aurangzeb one was weird! One part of the very very weird movie as a whole. Probably why he was cast, come to think of it, the script was so different and so was the rest of the cast, so no young star who had arrived would take it, but Arjun was young and hungry and willing to try.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 1:59 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Wasn’t Arjun the least experienced member of the main cast, and he had to play two roles. I mean you had people like Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Amrita Singh, Prithviraj, and Swara Baskhar in the rest of the cast. The movie was kind of interesting except for the fact that it got too confusing for me. Way too many people and relationships to keep track of.
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Prithviraj really should have had Arjun’s role. But then he wouldn’t have had his own role, which I loved! I don’t know, it was just a messy movie. Too many characters, too many great actors, and then Arjun in the center of it.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 2:37 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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True, but Hrithik also had a double role in his debut, right? But it really was only the glasses that distinguished it:) As the resident Arjun fangirl, I have to say I rewatched Aurangzeb recently and I think it ages better especially because once you figure out the relationships it’s very interesting and, of course, well acted by all (even Arjun). I do like him best in the roles where he’s a tough guy who find his hidden depths (this one, Ishaqzaade, and Gunday). Hopefully this new Kaneda film will go in that direction.
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Yeah, I thought Aurangzeb was interesting. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it if I wasn’t spending so much time trying to figure out how one character was related to another.
What do you think of Arjun signing that rom-com with Dibakar Bannerjee? Did you see that he’s doing Namastey Canada with Parineeti as well?
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That’s interesting, that’s a lot of work for him to sign all at once, after seemingly taking things a little slow for a bit. I wonder why the sudden shift into high gear?
On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 1:15 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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He does have several projects lined up…it’s smart, IMO. He knows he’s building a brand and has to keep up with Sid and Varun. Also, shows that many directors are perfectly happy to work with him. So that’s gotta be good, right?
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He seems like an easy going, easy to work with kind of guy, doesn’t he?
On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 9:19 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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So far what has been your favorite Hindi movie to come out this year? And you can’t say Raees 🙂
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Running Shaadi! Clever, original, great performances, no downsides. Badrinath was good, but had that kind of questionable pulling of punches in its social message at the end, Raees was good but the narrative was a bit of a mess, and so on and so on. Running Shaadi was just all around good for me, no downsides at all.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 7:57 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Good choice! I don’t know why it hasn’t made it to the top of my list…it is really good! I have Anaarkali of Aarah, Phillauri, Meri Pyaari Bindu, and now Raabta (crazy, I know!). But my actual favorite of the year is Angamaly Diaries but it’s not a Hindi film.
Niki, what’s yours? I like taking stock mid-year!
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I’ve only seen four new Hindi releases this year but my clear favorite is Badrinath Ki Dulhania. But if you look at all the movies that came out in 2017, the only movies that I really loved are Baahubali 2, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
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That reminds me, I still need to watch Running Shaadi. I keep meaning to watch it but then I forget about it.
Just wondering, have you seen Meri Pyaari Bindu yet?
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No, and I may not. It sounds like it was interesting, but not spectacular. So not worth wasting precious movie watching time on (especially since it wouldn’t be a good dumb film to watch with friends). But maybe in January when the new releases slow down.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 1:56 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yeah, that’s probably a good decision. It’s not as good as I was expecting it to be.
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Is it just me or does this song remind you of Badri Ki Dulhania? I felt that way when I heard it in the trailer but now it seems even more similar.
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Yes, definitely. Big bright colors, big dance movements, thumping rhythm. Also similar to that one song from Band Baaja Baarat. Seems like it has become a “type” now, the wedding song with the Bhangra style beat and fun simple dance steps, with a lot of red tones and kind of indo-western modern looking clothes.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 7:59 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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This is all true! But I think what seemed really similar is some of the words used in the lyrics. When I looked it up, Bareilly is in Uttar Pradesh which is also where Badrinath Ki Dulhania is set so maybe that’s why language/slang seems similar.
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I just checked and the composer, male singer, and lyric writer for both songs are the same trio hence the similarity 🙂
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This goes back to my response to Karthik a bit a go, I just have no facility for languages! All of that, foof! Over my head.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 2:02 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m really interested in languages so these kinds of things end up standing out to me 🙂
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I struck up a conversation with a couple of other fans after seeing Devdas yesterday and one asked this question: Why are the sisters-in-law and brothers-in-laws so often the villains? Is this the Hindi film version of American mother-in-law jokes?
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Oh, that’s a fun question! It is sort of the equivalent of a mother-in-law joke, in that it is a stressful constantly present in-law situation.
With combined families, you are living with your sister-in-law in the same household, which is an easy situation for stress to come up.
And there is also a power dynamic at play. If you are the younger brother (like Dev), your sister-in-law can make your life miserable since she controls the household. Ideally your sister-in-law is like a big sister/second mother to you, takes you under her wing and loves you. But if she is like an “evil stepmother” type, she may be jealous of the family funds that are going to you instead of herself/her husband/her children. Your older brother is supposed to take responsibility for you for life in some ways, so that can also be a lifetime of resentment from the sister-in-law, especially if you are kind of worthless like Dev and don’t really contribute to the family funds.
Bhansali’s Devdas is the ridiculous over the top version of this conflict. The real Devdas was much more lowkey, he kind of moved away from the family home because his sister-in-law was a little unpleasant and the family drifted apart. More common is just that your big brother goes from taking care of you and giving you money to being a little stingy and nagging you to get a job after he gets married. I guess it’s the same as in any culture, getting married can make you less close to your original family, and your wife can resent the time you spend with them. But the brother relationship is expected to be so close in India, that the disruption that can be caused by a sister-in-law is a lot more noticeable.
Oh, and the same would be true for a younger sister of a brother and her older sister-in-law. It’s supposed to be loving and almost parental between the two women, but can be difficult and drive a wedge.
Brother-in-law, not quite as much. Or in a very different way. Ideally you get along with your brother-in-law but don’t spend much time with him because he is able to support your sister and they have moved away from the family home. If your brother-in-law causes issues, becomes a rival, that is tricky because you both have a responsibility to your sister and she is caught in the middle. That’s just normal male rivalry stuff over a woman you both love in your own way.
The other way is if you are stuck supporting your brother-in-law, which you are not supposed to have to do, either your wife’s younger brother or your sister’s husband. As men not of your household, they are supposed to support themselves and it is humiliating for all involved if you have to support them. So there is a lot of resentment there.
Oh, and finally, there are the occasional flirtations between sister’s husband/younger sister. But that varies a lot region to region in India, unlike the “sister-in-law coming between brothers” thing which is pretty much universal.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 2:12 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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do you think Mubarakkan will be a good movie?? because i got really irritated by the trailer..i mean i like crazy fun brainless comedy..but even though brainless there is some level of intelligence used to make them..this is like bah..i so miss kader khan and all those old comedians and intelligent writing..what about you??
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Well, Aneez Bazmee is always kind of hit or miss for me. Welcome was really enjoyable, Welcome Back was terrible. Sing is King was fun. No matter what though, I always enjoy seeing his movies in theaters. He uses lots of light and colors and the actors are overacting so much that it’s irresistible on the big screen.
In this case, I am sure Anil Kapoor will be super entertaining, and the songs look fun, and that’s enough to get me to see it. I’ll be curious to watch the box office and see if that is enough for anyone else to see it.
Oh, and I am also really interested to see Arjun in a full on comic role! I don’t think he has done that before, and I’ll be curious if he pulls it off.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 3:53 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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oh i loved singh is king and Welcome but Welcome 2 ..yikes the trailer looked so bad i mean so so bad..it turned out to be dud in the box office..there is nothing wrong with Arjun kapoor doing a comedy movie or in a double role..the trailer just doesn’t look that great…Anil kapoor has done a lot of comic roles..loved him in Welcome but here it looks like he is trying hard to be funny..i really hope i am wrong with this one..as for the songs they sound ok..
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It feels like one of those movies I am willing to watch in theaters, but not on DVD. That is, I will enjoy the experience of seeing the film in theaters with the big screen and the audience around me and a friend to talk to. But I would never want to sit down and really focus on it all by myself, because there just isn’t that much there-there.
On Tue, Jul 25, 2017 at 1:50 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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that is true..i don’t think it is a buy-a-DVD kind of a movie..but i need the movie to be a really paisa wasool and fun to spend my time & money kind of a movie..i would rather wait for the reviews to watch this one..
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That’s why I am so glad I have my friend Dina to go to the movies with me every week. Good or bad, it’s always the funnest thing I could possibly do on a Friday night. Seeing Munna Michael with her was one of the best evenings ever, and that was a terrible terrible movie. Well worth the money!
On Tue, Jul 25, 2017 at 2:47 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Shoojit Sircar’s next with Varun is officially announced! It’s called October and they’ll be starting to shoot in October itself!
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/varun-dhawan-shoojit-sircar-set-to-team-up-on-an-unusual-love-story-titled-october/story-MQwitR2ViaxCNHqYIIA3qN.html
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Cool! I wonder who the actress is?
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 7:38 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Me too, there haven’t been any rumors about the actress so far. I wanted Varun to work with Anushka but now that they’re working together in Sui Dhaaga, I want to see someone like Bhumi Pednekar.
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Does sound good…but Varun…blah. He looks like Uday Chopra in that picture in the article. Sorry so salty but I just don’t get it;)!
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Since you’ve already kind of said your hindi skills aren’t too sharp, this might be a redundant question to ask but what’s your favorite hindi song or movie soundtrack?
I was driving to a super boring full-day work event Friday and we listened to songs from Taal and a bunch of Sonu Nigam songs en route and I kept wondering what happened to the songs in our industry. The last 10 years have been the driest and I don’t remember a full OST that played on repeat everywhere because it was such a hit. Songs used to be the primary promotional strategy at one point!
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I can definitely answer the favorite soundtrack question! Oh wait, no I can’t, because I have too many. Taal is up there, there was a year or so when I listened to it before going to sleep every night. Otherwise, hmm. Rang De Basanti is my favorite Rahman soundtrack of all time, as a whole. I wouldn’t say any of the individual songs are my favorites, but put it all together and I love it.
Lakshya is up there too, and Dil Chahta Hai (LOVE Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy). Jodha-Akbar also, so beautiful. And when I am feeling Pritam-y, Desi Boyz. For recent ones, Mirzya is the last one I remember really blowing me away.
And I have a post about this! Back when Kaatru Veliyai was coming out, I wrote about why Rahman-Ratnam is something really special. Especially today when the whole concept of “music director” isn’t as prevalent, more and more soundtracks are being written patchwork style with different composers for each song.
On Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 11:07 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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It’s so true that the art of a cohesive musical vision in Hindi soundtracks has really started to disappear. The last one that I thought was particularly successful was ADHM. That album has some beautiful melodies with a couple of lighter tunes to balance the melodrama. Dear Zindagi to a lesser extent also had a good sound and I’m always a fan of putting Sunidhi Chauhan’s skills to good use…Go to Hell Dil is perfect for her. Before that I think Bombay Velvet, D-Day, and Dil Dhakane Do were my other recent favorites.
It seems like now most soundtracks only yield one or two songs worth listening to with the rest just bland filler. I loved “Raabta” in Agent Vinod and its even better in Raabta and I even like the instrumental score over the title credits in that…but the rest of the music was forgettable when the film would have been even better had they used an instrumental score throughout with variations of the Raabta theme. It needed a Hans Zimmer bombastic score or something and it hinted at it in the credits. I think that if music directors are going to go away from lipsync songs toward montages…then why not experiment some more and do more full instrumental scores? I’ll complain about the loss of song picturizations, but at least we won’t have as many wishy-washy boring soundtracks.
PS I love Jodhaa Akbar and there really is no substitute for a good Rahman score. My favorite non-Hindi sdtk of his is Raavanan.
Other all time favorite sdtks are Omkara, Ishaqzaade, Ram-Leela, Aaja Nachle, Jab We Met, and Dhoom 2.
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Yes, Mirzya soundtrack is awesome. I usually like only 1 or 2 songs from movie I watch, but Mirzya was different. I have all soundtrack on my phone I listen to it almost everyday.
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