Happy Monday after Jab Harry Met Sejal! We made it! I managed to do the opening night show and write both my reviews (no spoilers here and spoilers here), and now am starting the labor intensive scene by scene discussion.
As always, you can ask me anything you want, from the personal (“how many times have you seen Jab Harry Met Sejal so far?”) to the specific and factual (“what are the overseas box office figures for JHMS?”) to the general discussion (“Jab Harry Met Sejal: disappointing or pleasant surprise?”).
And, as a bonus, a question for you! Totally unrelated to JHMS for those people who haven’t/don’t want to see it: if you could have the life of any movie character, who would it be?
Currently, I am leaning towards Sharmila Tagore in An Evening in Paris. Great clothes, great hair, fabulously wealthy, ready for any situation from red cross nursing to nightclubs, and still a kind daughter and sister.
(Also, she can waterski! something I never mastered)
dontcallitbollywood 
Of recent films, I’d want to be Kareena Kapoor in Ki and Ka. Problematic movie but I’d still want her life!
Was this the first time you’d seen An Evening in Paris? It started my love of Sharmila Tagore. It’s such a fun movie. I really liked Junglee with Shammi, too. Looking forward to seeing your other reviews of his films. I wouldn’t normally like his hero-type but he does have that goofy charm.
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It was the first time I’d seen it! I am very weak on the 60s films, I went through a 50s classics push a few years back, and the 70s classics before then, but I missed like the whole 60s decade until just now. I am pumped, I’ve got another 3 Shammi’s to watch.
I can see Kareena in Ki & Ka. Except, I still think that train apartment decoration idea is super super dumb. I’d want to be her, but if I could decorate my own apartment my way. Well, tell my husband how I wanted it to be decorated and then let him do all the work. But no trains.
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 8:12 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I take random excursions into the classics pre-1990…someday I’ll make it through all of the highlights. I tend to go on an actor/actress kick…started with Sharmila, then Amitabh, a few Rekha, now Raj/Nargis. What I’ve noticed is that the 1950s Hindi films feel like 1940s Hollywood, the 1960s Hindi films like 1950s films, etc.
I would also redecorate the apartment in Ki and Ka, but it’s all about coming home to Arjun!
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Well heck, if I’m coming home to Arjun, I pick 2 States Arjun! Super supportive, sweet, has his own job. Yes, the in-laws are a nightmare, but if we moved near my family, that wouldn’t be a problem.
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 11:54 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’d like to live Sonam’s fabulous life in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.Of course you won’t see me abandoning all my creature comforts to set up house with Salman in a middle class neighborhood.Salman is going to be a ghar jamai dammit.
Question No.1 : Whose life would you not like to live? Even if someone offered to give you a million dollars? For me it would be Kat in Rajneeti.I really wouldn’t want my boy friend and Dad to bargain over me and saddle me with an unwanted husband.Of course when that husband is sweet and sexy as Arjun Rampal who has the sense to love me to bits… it’s quite another matter.We’ll pretend not to see his sociopathic tendencies.
Question No.2: Speaking about Sharmila, did the bouffants come from Hollywood too? Were they popular in American films in the 60s and 70s?
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Oooo, Sonam’s life in PRDP is a good one! Especially because she isn’t just a fabulously wealthy princess, she also goes out and does stuff and has projects and things.
Except I think maybe I wouldn’t marry either Salman. I’d break my engagement, keep my fabulous do-gooder life with my loving grandmother, and eventually marry some young boy toy type who can be my assistant in all my projects.
For whose life I wouldn’t want to have, hmmm. Maybe Rani in Ghulam? Horrible homelife, everyone I love dies, and my boyfriend (while sweet and hot), has terrible fashion sense. And I never really seem to want anything for myself.
Oh! And I just thought of someone else’s life I would want! Anushka in Rab Ne. Sweet husband, I get to go to movies every night, and my house is really nice.
For the bouffants, yep they were in Hollywood too. Except that was the beginning of our hippy era, so they were the height of fashion for the lame mainstream people but out of date for the cool hippy types who were all about the natural look. Also, they tended to be a little less extreme than the Indian version.
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 8:14 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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How many times do you watch a film before you do a scene by scene summary?
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What a fun question for me! I start the scene by scene after one watch. I always remember the beginnings of films best, so I can get through the first half hour or so on only one watch.
If I don’t want to really really dig in, I can do the whole thing after just one watch. But if I want to get serious about discussing each line of dialogue and frame of film, I need to see it at least twice. On the second watch, I know what it is I can’t remember exactly, and I am watching for just those moments to fill in the gaps. And then 3rd or 4th watches, if I have them, that’s just to notice little subtleties of performance or mise en scene that I didn’t see the first time.
That’s for a new film, for an older film that I watched 2-5-10 years ago, I would probably need to rewatch it and refresh my memory at least once before I start. And for something like DDLJ, of course I am actually going through and pulling screenshots of everything, so it’s not based on memory at all. But that’s a special situation.
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I would chose Tanu life from Tanu weds Manu returns. Super sexy cute, intelligent and good husband who love me no matter what and gives me a lot of freedom (and is a doctor!). Apartment in London (or near London, I’m not sure). Of course I’m not crazy, narcissistic lady so our marriage would be perfect. And let’s not start talking about her closet full of super trendy clothes 😀
And talking whose life I don’t want? Basically every girl from traditional family with strict father.
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Ooo, any life married to Madhavan seems like a good life!
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 11:23 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Except being his wife in Priyasakhi and hearing “you must enjoy our joint family and do what elder say or I will not love you anymore”.
But you know who else has a good life? Pooja from OSO. She has the best parents in whole world and the sexsiest farmer as husband. I want I too!
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Oh man, you are right! She has a great life.
On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 12:23 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Konkona in Wake Up Sid or Anushka in Band Baaja Baaraat! Right at the beginning of an exciting life with a career plan, a cute guy as an extra bonus but not the be-all and end-all of life, and a cute apartment (for Konkona) or cute office (for Anushka). I think I’d slightly prefer Konkona, she is also getting to know a whole new exciting city, and her character is so happy and laid back. And she has two cute guys to choose from.
Or, my namesake from KKHH. A bit further along in her career, but still having fun and doing just what she wants.
Whose life wouldn’t I want? So, so many, but I’ve often thought what a nightmare to be Chhoti Bahu from Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam, completely devoted to someone who doesn’t care about her and so lonely she becomes an alcoholic so they will have something to talk about.
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Ooo, good choices! I think I would lean Konkona too. Ranveer is cute in BBB, but I still can’t get over what a JERK he was, I want a better boyfriend.
And HA! “becomes an alcoholic just so they will have something to talk about” Which sounds ridiculous, but is literally the description of her plot arch!
On Tue, Aug 8, 2017 at 5:23 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Ranbir was a bit of a jerk also. When I think about it, they both were helping young/unfocused men to reach their full potential. Would Ranbir remain forever a bit feckless and depend on Konkona to be the responsible one? Or maybe that’s good, he could raise the kids and do freelance photography while she went out an conquered the world. Or maybe I would rather just be Miss Braganza and do my own thing with Mr. Malhotra on a string for the occasional dalliance.
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I would want to be Sonam from Khoobsurat. She has a great family that supports her. She’s going to marry Fawad who loves her for who she is, plus he’s a rich Prince. She also has a job that she seems to really enjoy doing!
Is there a Shahrukh movie where you walked in expecting it to be really bad because you either didn’t like the trailers, posters, or just the people he was working with?
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Our second Sonam! She really has the best characters. Just to give a 3rd sonam option, there’s also sonam in I hate luv storys. Great job that she loves, supportive parents, and a guy who notices things about her and cheers her up when she is sad and generally likes her just as she is.
For shahrukh movies, I was really really nervous about chennai express. I loved singham, but not Bol Bachchan or the golmaals. So another shetty comedy was not appealing. Plus, the song trailers weren’t very good. And then I loved it!
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True, Sonam does have really good characters! I love Neerja as well but then she had a tragic ending to her life.
That’s pretty interesting, were you not sure if he could pull off a Rohit Shetty style entertainer? One of the reasons I had really high expecations of Dilwale is because of Chennai Express. Then I saw Dilwale and got really disappointed since it was so predictable.
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Other way round, I didn’t think Rohit Shetty could pull off a comedy movie that I would actually enjoy. And then he did! And so, like you, I had high expectations for Dilwale. And then it ended up feeling just not quite finished somehow.
On Wed, Aug 9, 2017 at 11:32 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Speaking of Rohit Shetty, did you hear that he’s apparently doing an action movie movie with Ranveer next?
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Smart move from Ranveer. Besides Gunday, I don’t think he has done a straight action film yet. And it’s kind of a rite of passage for a rising star.
Plus, big Rohit Shetty entertainer, another thing he hasn’t really done I don’t think? He’s down period art movies, fun romances, and whatever Befikre was, but he hasn’t done a kind of crazy comedy action thing that is just there to make money and make people happy. Unless I am forgetting something.
On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 10:42 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yeah, I don’t think Ranveer has done a big entertainer yet unlike Varun and Ranbir (I think Besharam qualifies as a big entertainer even though it was a horrible movie). Apparently they’re going to do the remake of Temper (a Telugu movie starring Jr. NTR) and I don’t know how Ranveer would pull it off. I really like the story of Temper but I’ve always wished Varun would remake it since it would be a nice character for him to play.
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Just looked up Temper. Dark plot! Which it seems like Telugu films can pull off and mix the dark with the light comic and romance type sections. But Hindi is usually not as good at. I wonder if the Ranveer version (if it really is a remake) will lean into the light, or make it a little grittier?
On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 9:46 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yes, I love that the plot is dark and the main character is gray and intense. This is one of those movies which I wish Mahesh had gotten an opportunity to do since it was pretty intense. But the romance was really bad and I feel like it would be better written in a Hindi version. I think Rohit Shetty would end up making it a little lighter.
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Check out the box office for Dookudu which came out in 2011! These numbers are crazy dude! I’ve heard that back then, rentrack only reported about 40% of the theaters. By the way, I saw Dookudu at the theater that’s #3 on the list 🙂
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I would have seen it at the theater that’s number 4 on the list, if I were watching Telugu films at the time!
And this all makes me very excited to track Spyder’s numbers. Any word on the Spyder/Judwaa clash yet?
On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 9:50 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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And another thing is that the ticket prices were definitely not more than $20 at the time. I don’t remember the exact price, but I remember my parents talking about how the prices for Telugu movies got to $20 for the first time in 2013.
There hasn’t been any update about Spyder releasing in Hindi. Plus they haven’t released a Hindi version teaser though they did release a Telugu and Tamil teaser.
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Phew! I kind of like when there is a southern-only film clashing with Hindi. The movie theater lobby is super exciting and busy, but then we get the actual theater alllllll to ourselves. Same thing happened last night with VIP2 coming out, and my friends and I went to see JHMS in the smallest screen with only like 20 other people. But the theater felt all cheerful and crowded anyway, we kind of got the VIP2 energy second hand.
On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 10:09 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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