Happy Wednesday! And happy day before Diwali (I think. Moon-based holidays always confuse me). What are we all thinking and reading and watching this week?
I’ll start! Watching, I finally got around to seeing the 3rd season of Broadchurch. Which is leading me to think how perfect Shahrukh and Vidya Balan would be in a remake as an odd couple bickering investigative team. Oh, and I am continuing to watch Dr. Blake, which has convinced me that all of Australia is riddled with murder mysteries and middle-aged romances.
Reading, almost done with the new Anne Perry, which means I need another murder mystery to read. Or else I reread Dracula, as I used to do every October back in the days when I was young and had more reading time.
Thinking, thinking about baking. My oven is broken (pilot light out and I can’t figure out how to relight it), and suddenly all I can think about is how much I want to bake. Plus, it’s my baking season! This is normally when I would be cooking up pumpkin after pumpkin and turning it into every possible pumpkin based food item.
dontcallitbollywood 
Watched – Golmaal Fun Unlimited (mentioned in another post), silly, very very silly, lol
– Lucknow Central – not silly, lol. I was surprised that Farhan Akhtar wasn’t listed as one of the playback singers.
Just watched Qurbani – enjoyed this very much. Zeenat Aman is very lovely. And there was that guy (the sidekick trusty servant from Hum Saath Saath Hain – Shakti Kapoor). The car chase set in the English countryside reminded me of the car chases from cop shows like The Professionals and The Sweeney.
A friend reminded me that series 5 of Dr Blake had started – I missed the beginning cos I was away. Caught up with the first 5 episodes. Ballarat is a dangerous place to live, lol.
Reading – same as last week.
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Yay, Qurbani!!!!! Did you recognise Amrish Puri as well? And the song from Raees? And Amjad Khan from Sholay? And I could go on and on about that movie but I am going to stop myself!
I just finished all the Dr. Blakeses that are available on Netflix and I am debating whether I want to buy season 4 or wait until it is available on Netflix too. I think wait. If it were the final season and I just needed it to finish, then yes, but not if there is a whole other season coming.
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Yes, yes and yes, lol. Amrish Puri is unmistakeable (Not sure I’ve ever seen him in a ‘positive’ role apart from Kajol’s dad in DDLJ and even then he was a little unlikeable). Had a chuckle at Amjad Khan playing a character called Amjad Khan. The Leila song is what led me to the movie…
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Hey! Happy Wednesday!!
I just finished watching Mujhse Fraaaandship Karoge. It’s a sweet romantic comedy. You should definitely check it out!!
Currently pulling an all nighter cause Midterms!! Reading: Textbooks
Yes, I watched an entire movie while studying, Lolololol.
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When I was in college, I just had DDLj going on in the background on a loop the entire time I studied. And I guess it worked because I did graduate eventually!
Thanks for the Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge report! It’s one of those Y films movies, I haven’t seen any of them, but I feel like I should. Because it’s such an interesting business development, to set up a separate division for low pressure low budget more experimental and youth oriented films.
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Watching a movie is a great stress buster the night before an exam.Not before the first exam of course.But after Day 3 or 4 when you’re nearly zombified.The trick is not to watch a movie which is super interesting.So either an art house flick or one that you’ve seen earlier.I remember Mujhse Fraaaandship Karoge because I learned a new Hindi word from it at that time.Jadibooti! IIRC iit’s just like one of those Shakespearan comedies! Mistaken identities.Romantic quadrangles.Hate turning to love.
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I liked Mujhse Fraandship Karoge…I think it’s the best of the Y Films. And I still don’t understand why that actor really hasn’t been given more and more roles…I know he just starred in a horror film with his sister Huma Qureshi (that didn’t do well, I assume).
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I got Fan from the library. May watch it tonight. If not, then not till Sunday.
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I tried to make up for the past few weeks with an all-Indian-film weekend. Friday was Madras Cafe. This is an interesting idea ruined by some bad performances. But not John, he was great. Nargis Fakhri can’t convincingly turn oxygen into carbon dioxide; I’m not sure why someone thought she’d be a good international reporter. And her accent drove me crazy. I think it was supposed to be British because every once in a while she’d say cahn’t or something like that, but the rest of her accent was American and once I heard a Rosie Perez glottal stop. And the rest of the cast had a case of Mediocre Foreign Actor. What is UP with that?? I know there are non-Indians who can act. Do they just hire whoever happens to be in India and look white?
Saturday was Makkhi and I enjoyed every minute! Well, it was a bit stalkery. But Sudeep is so great and it was so funny and charming.
Sunday I decided to remember Bangladesh with the Bengali trifecta: Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar and Byomkesh Bakshi. Uttam’s Byomkesh is less aggressively weird than Sushant’s, more quietly eccentric, which works well with Uttam’s matinee idol looks. Haven’t had time to finish it, but it’s a fascinating mystery.
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I’ve been avoiding Madras Cafe out of Nargis fear, glad to hear it was justified!
And so glad you watched Makkhi, it’s just the best movie. Sudeep is amazing, but Samantha and Nani also snuck their way into my heart.
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“Can’t convincingly turn oxygen into carbon dioxide” is my new “can’t act his/her way out of a wet paper bag”. Thank you!
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“Do they just hire whoever happens to be in India and look white?”
Yes! I know one polish couple who was visiting India and one day they were asked: why don’t you work in movies? We pay 1000 Rs. a day. They answered: why not and have been working almost 2 years doing like 40 movies and ads.
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I’ve never seen anything with Nargis Fakhri (whom I refuse to just call Nargis! There already is a Nargis and it isn’t her!) and I don’t think I’ll willingly see anything else.
Procrastinatrix, glad you liked it!
Angie, I have a friend who is still bitter about not being asked to be in Aisha, although he was hanging around the movie set and other people were asked. The reason is that he is Chinese American, so he doesn’t look like the right kind of foreigner.
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Busy week, so not much movie watching or reading. Did see Mukti Bhawan and I highly recommend it. Despite its subject matter it has a very light and human touch to it. Great performances by both lead actors and it’s a nice shorter run time, too. But this weekend will be a movie marathon because Netflix just added tons (including Lucknow Central and Badshaaho) and other films like Jagga Jasoos, Bareilly Ki Barfi, and Daddy are available now, too.
I’m dragging on starting the third Saif film (Penchaan) because it looks so bad and I can’t find it anywhere with subtitles. I didn’t renew Hotstar and ErosNow but will probably have to go back to them sometime again soon.
I watched the third episode of the second series of Permanent Roommates and the humor is getting stranger and stranger and I love it! Margaret, you really need to check this out! This one and Tripling are worth the time.
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But it’s so much easier to just rely on you to report to me on the TV shows! And probably on Lucknow Central too, it seems like something falls in that gap of not really being worth a Friday Classics review, and I missed it in theaters.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 8:28 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I plan to watch both Lucknow Central and Qaidi Band. I’m just always curious about films that “twin” well. And despite his too-cool-for-school demeanor, I do have a weakness for Farhan. I doubt LC will be a great film…but maybe some good songs and I’m also sort of a fan of Diana Penty.
The one I can’t wait to see and wish I didn’t have to wait until Saturday is Bareilly Ki Barfi. I can tell I’m going to love it!
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Bareilly Ki Barfi is so good! And you will probably like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan as well.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 12:11 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’ve been watching Shetland based on the thumbs up here, and have really enjoyed it. Especially the storyline with Ciaran Hinds. I have a thing for older guys of his type. Roger Allam is another example, so I enjoy Endeavor greatly!
Watched JHMS with my mom and aunt over the weekend. Mom tolerated it, was more interested in hearing about the discussion here and how the Indian families who were in the theater when I first saw it reacted to different scenes. Aunt (who has been bitten a bit by the SRK bug, God love her) enjoyed it, said it was a decent romcom, but likes big family stories and big glitzy dance numbers better than more “realistic” movies. Harrumph.
Hubby and I still haven’t managed Bahubali 2–that’s our plan for Saturday morning!
Reading: way too much US politics and global feminism. I need to get off of Twitter and make time for reading fiction again.
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Maybe I should check out Shetland next! I do like Ciaran Hinds, ever since that great version of Persuasion back in the 90s.
My parents are also considering checking out JHMS, I’ll be very curious about their reaction, I really can’t predict if they will be able to get into it or not. It is such a specific kind of film.
Bahubali 2 is so much deeper and darker and more interesting than 1! I can’t wait to get your report.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 8:56 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I had a thing for Ciaran Hinds for so long! It’s an Irish thing and he was so good in Persuasion…his Rochester wasn’t my favorite though I liked it fine when it came out. He was great in HBO’s Rome, too.
Wish I could avoid all of the awfulness of US politics and I can’t stop looking at Twitter either.
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I’d forgotten about that version of Persuasion. Must re-watch! And, I didn’t know he was in Rome.
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I’m watching the new Dr Blake series – must say the series has grown on me over time, or else it is getting better as it goes. And on the subject of danger, surely Ballarat is no more dangerous than Midsomer Murders – it’s a wonder there is anyone left alive in that place!
My favourite detective fiction reading lately has been the Inspector Gamache series by Canadian author Louise Penny. Gentle and introspective, rather than gritty as these sort of books often are, they have totally sucked me right in.
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Last fall’s project was finishing the entire run of Midsommer Murders. I didn’t pay much attention of course, which is what makes that show wonderful, you can just sort of dip in and out and enjoy the feel of it without really understanding the details of every single murder.
I really need to start making a list of all these watching/reading suggestions! Gentle and introspective sounds nice.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 9:27 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Been obsessed with the Harvey weinstein case, the #MeToo campaign, why there isn’t an equivalent #itwasme campaign for men/perps/pervs, and Mayim Bialik (Blossom/BBT/PhD Neuroscience) strange NYT Op Ed, which reads like 2nd wave feminism pooping all over 3rd wave, or the nerdy girl beauty-shaming the cheerleader. Mixing metaphors between capitulating to (or profiting from) the “male gaze”, vs physical safety and illegal dangerous conduct. Uggh!
I’m located in the middle of all the SF Bay Area wildfires, they are popping up everywhere now, air quality looks like Beijing or Mumbai around here. So mostly been watching and reading the news and helping out with fundraisers and donation drives, in lieu of entertainment.
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PS the reviewers in India have all been posting their Secret Superstar reviews today.
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I noticed that! Which I find fascinating, because it sounds like Aamir did a whole bunch of early screenings and encouraged reviewers to post early reviews. An amount of commitment to the review process that most Hindi producers don’t care about.
Maybe he is looking for the more multiplex type viewer who would actually read a review? Or maybe he is trying to avoid the Whatsapp phenomenon? Get the actual legit reviews out there ahead of the word of mouth?
Anyway, it sucks for me! I probably won’t even be able to see it until Friday, so my review is going to be lagging behind everyone else.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 10:44 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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`
What? You mean Aamir didn’t send you a preview DVD?
His assistant must of screwed up.
(You can borrow mine if you want . . .)
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I know!!!! Actually, what I’ve heard from people is that now you just get a link and a password and people all over the world can see and review the film early. Oh well, someday.
I could also try to go to the 5:05 show at the all Indian theater tomorrow, but that just seems like it will be mobbed and uncomfortable and I would have to leave work early and blah! I’d rather go to the nice 6:30 show on Friday.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 11:08 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The most interesting thing to me about the Weinstein case is that I, personally, am not surprised by it. Not in a general “all men have the capability of being terrible” way, but because it’s been like joked about that the Weinstein company always has some new young blonde that is “discovered” and suddenly in all their films. It’s never felt healthy to me, in the same way that Ram Gopal Verma’s always discovering new actresses doesn’t feel right. Not like I am clairvoyant or had some kind of special knowledge, but just that it was obvious someone at the Weinstein company saw young women as commodities in an unhealthy way. But somehow we have normalized that there is a “type” of women some directors/producers like and we all laugh about it and don’t think any more about it.
I just heard from a friend in that area, who went to an orchestra concert recently and all she could think about was the poor musicians trying to have breath control and and so on in the middle of all this. Which is a very small part of everything that is happening, but she’s right! The poor people.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 10:39 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I watched a bunch of movies this weekend!
First of all I watched Mahanubhavudu which I enjoyed but I didn’t like it as much as I expected to. It was a fun movie though!
Then I rewatched Nenu..Sailaja.. which is a Telugu romance starring Ram Pothineni and Keethy Suresh. It’s one of those movies that you would put in the same category as Ninnu Kori, Santosham, Bommarillu, etc. Nenu..Sailaja is a decent movie but I feel like you could do a lot more with the premise which I found to be really interesting.
Next I rewatched Jhoom Barabar Jhoom which was fun like always!
Last I ended up watching Oka Manasu (“One Heart”) which is a super slow and sappy romance with great music. I’m the only person I know that likes this movie but I think that you may like it as well. Here’s the trailer with subtitles:
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I feel like there are a few readers here who may go for the super slow and sappy romance!
And now I want to rewatch JBJ too. It’s one I always enjoy as well!
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 10:56 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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But I’m really scared to recommend it to others because the movie doesn’t really have much content. It’s basically like a bunch of visuals with a background score going on that pauses to let people say two lines of dialogue every five minutes.
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I have similar taste in rom-coms like you and Margaret, and I absolutely love Bomarillu so I must watch Nenu..Sailaja..
I’m not sure about Oka Manasu, because trailer itself is so so slow. But I like Ek Vivah..Aisa Bhi and Malli Malli Rani Roju, so maybe should try this one too.
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I really liked the premise of Nenu..Sailaja.. but I felt like the movie could have been better. But a lot of people I know liked the movie. It’s a decent rom-com. Here’s the trailer:
Yeah, Oka Manasu is a really slow movie. Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju is definitely better.
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I love/hate these Wednesday posts! I love all the new ideas for things to watch and read, and hate that I will never, ever watch and read them all. In fact, I worry that I won’t even remember the recommendations. (Filed under “Aging Sucks”.)
My husband and I were at the Delaware seashore celebrating our anniversary last week, which entailed visiting microbreweries, shopping (no sales tax in Delaware!), and long walks on the beach. (Well, just one; it was a rainy week.) So not so much watching and reading.
I did re-watch Jab Tak Hai Jaan, and Samar chose Meera over Akira AGAIN! His performance is wonderful, especially the times when he transforms from cheerful, optimistic Samar to wounded, grumpy Samar and vice versa. (After Meera visits him at his flat, and when he hears about the bomb at the train station). But that whole film is such a soap opera, even the good performances — I love his flatmate and his girlfriend/wife — can’t save it.
Now I am watching Judwaa, without subtitles, but it’s so obvious what is going on that they are unnecessary for following the plot. And now I know that the translations are usually so bad that I wouldn’t get the verbal humor, anyway.
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Well, this week the consensus seems to be Doctor Blake! So you can just watch that and then join our discussions.
And you can also join the debate on “Anne Perry-enjoyable or too creepy to read?”
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 11:17 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Too creepy to read! I am definitely from the Dorothy Sayers, Louise Penny, Maizie Dobbs section of the library.
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Check out Allingham! My favorite of the dorothy sayers era, and another gentleman detective.
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Over the last week, I watched two Vijay Tamil films, Thuppakki on Hotstar, and last night Mersal in the theater on the first night. I liked both. I’ve never seen Akshay’s Holiday, but Thuppakki is the movie it’s based on. Recognized the stadium song scene etc. Vijay doesn’t send me, but in Mersal I gained respect that he can really act, and not just pose around in fight scenes looking cool. It’s a triple role. Especially the lengthy flashback second half, he is fantastic, and has this really emotional scene he nailed. Spoiler free review here: https://youtu.be/8OVKjd3TeW8
I also watched Celluloid for Prithviraj’s birthday. It was so depressing!! Really excellent performance by Prithviraj (also in a triple role!) . https://youtu.be/RTIH5HhmsFY
And for something completely different, went to see Battle of the Sexes as I try to see most films that might be nominated for the Oscars. It was decent, but not GREAT. Although Steve Carell is just perfect casting for Bobby Riggs. I think it’s really meant to be a first gay love story under the guise of a sports drama.
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So glad you saw Celluloid! Such an interesting take on film history.
On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 11:37 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Im really glad I saw it too. Such a fine performance by Prithviraj. That young girl Chandini who plays Rosy was really good, too. I looked her up and she’s only done one other film which is a shame.
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Just finished watching Baadshaho.Ileana D’Cruz’s character ended up surprising me -just when I’d dismissed her as a damsel in distress too.Neat twist that way.Ajay-Emraan chemistry was sadly lacking.Esha Gupta must have been cast just because she looks good with Emraan.The dialogues lacked the punch of Once Upon a Time in Mumbai or my personal favorite from the director Taxi No.9211.The whole movie felt very artificial and amateurish and the characters were not developed properly.I can’t believe it was Milan Luthra at the helm.
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Well, now I am tempted to watch just to find out what the twist is! But the rest of it sounds so terrible, I might just fastforward through it focusing on Ileana’s scenes to satisfy my own curiosity.
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Baahubali 2 in Telugu w/ subtitles is on Youtube for free!!!
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Thank you Niki 🙂
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So I rewatched most of Sultan last night because I’m trying to finalize my pick for my father’s first Indian film. I gave him the choice between Shakespeare adaptation and sports drama (he picked the latter) and then stupidly said wrestling or cricket? He is now determined that we watch a cricket film for some reason. But I actually think he’d like Sultan or Dangal better than Patiala House or MS Dhoni. And I don’t like Lagaan or Kai Po Che as alternatives. And Dil Bole Hadippa is out because it’s a rom com. Dilemma! In trying to rewatch Patiala House last night I was reminded of how clunky some of the story telling is…the cheesy vintage film overlay of the backstory, the overused voice over, and the spurts of melodrama. But MS Dhoni is so. slow. and has no real conflict and the CGI when he’s a teenager is painful. I might just make an executive decision and make him watch Omkara!
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Well, I made my father watch both Dangal and Sultan, and I think he had a slight preference for Dangal. If that helps!
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It does. I know my dad would like the Rocky elements of Sultan, but Dangal is the better film overall. I do really like Sultan though…it’s definitely in my top 3 Salman films with Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg. I don’t own Dangal…hope it stays on Netflix through Thanksgiving!
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I feel like, for the first film, the most important thing is a movie that isn’t off-putting in appearance. Dangal has that sleek Disney look to it, where as Sultan is a little more odd and uncomfortable.
On Thu, Oct 19, 2017 at 8:47 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Maybe 1983 – A malayalam sports (Cricket) movie starring Nivin Pauly?
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Interview with Dulquer Salman and Vidya Balan
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also an interview of Dulquer Salman and rajkummar rao with Baradwaj Rangan. Audio may not be that clear for this one.
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Movie marathon this weekend as planned. I love those weekends where I can watch more than one or two films. Now I need to share my quick thoughts!
Baadshaho – stopped it about 20 minutes in…so awful. Ileana D’Cruz may not be as strong an actress as I want her to be and Ajay always walks a fine line between sexy macho and toxic macho in his roles and this one is definitely the latter. I looked up the twist and fast forwarded to the end and still had no interest in this dud. I’m sorry it did so well and now it looks like Ajay and Ileana will team up in another action film? Uggh.
Lucknow Central – relatively forgettable besides a couple of good songs. Gippy Grewal, Deepik Dobriyal, and Diana Penty were the best part.
Jagga Jasoos – I liked it much better than I thought I would. I get where Basu is coming from, but I get why you ripped it apart in your review, especially the whole man-child thing (I think we agree that Ranbir has to move on and quick). But it doesn’t bother me that Basu lacks that certain quintessential Indianness in his directing. His films are influenced by global films and story telling and that’s fine with me. Variety is the spice of life. I’m kind of sad there won’t be a sequel and that Basu probably will have an uphill battle with his next film, I suspect. As much as I resisted watching it for a really long time, Barfi! was really a lovely film and this one had a similar joie de vivre.
Bareilly Ki Barfi – This one I was so excited to see! And I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. I though Ayushmann Khurana was kind of miscast (though I liked that he was a printer!). When he was bullying Rajkumar Rao’s character I found him to be almost unredeemable and the end barely made up for it. In comparison, he was perfect in Meri Pyaari Bindu. Pankaj Tripathi is such a charmer and Kriti Sanon was OK…I still look forward to seeing how her career grows. And Rajkumar Rao really can do anything.
Arjun Reddy – Wow, lots of thoughts. Since I just finished watching it, my primary thought is just how freaking hot Vijay Deverakonda is, especially with the long hair and no beard. I was bummed he cut the hair and grew a mustache for Preethi at the end. What is it about tortured, brooding men that makes them so appealing? Too many romance novels have muddled our brains. Of course, the brooding lover is a regular thing in Indian films, but this kind of extreme with such a matter of fact portrayal of the sex and drugs (I think especially in the southern cinemas) is somewhat unusual. And for the record, I’m not much of a Devdas fan in any of its permutations. Devdas has its pretty songs and Dev D. has a definite cool factor thanks to Kalki but the novel and its adaptations have never really interested me.
I read your review and I think that you’re right…this is an attempt at an anti-hero story, but by the end I think it still turns Arjun Reddy into a typical Indian hero, reunited with his family and friends and happy with his wife and child. Preethi’s character was so undeveloped (and the actress so young looking) that early on and even all the way until the end I found Arjun’s interest in her problematic. She comes across as a blank slate, a vessel for both his idealized love and his lust. This works for and against the success of the story. Arjun’s downward spiral is not really because of his tragic love affair, but because he’s spoiled and can’t control his emotions, so it makes sense that he would turn to drugs and sex to sublimate them. I agree that this is a movie that is pushing boundaries further (that others have already pushed!). I look forward to seeing more of Vijay in things and just might watch Pelli Choopulu next:)
I did add this one to my favorite films of the year list on letterboxd…it will definitely linger in my mind more than any of the other films I’ve watched in the last couple of days.
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Glad I made the right decision to skip both Baadshaho and Lucknow Central in theaters!
I still haven’t seen Barfi! and I’m not sure if you are making me want to see it or not. On the one hand, you liking both films makes me think I should look more deeply at them. But on the other hand, I disliked Jagga Jasoos, which you say you liked in the same way as Barfi!, so I just don’t know. I mean, I have to watch it eventually, because it is an “important” film, but I’m not sure if I should look forward to it more or less.
Sorry you didn’t like Bareilly Ki Barfi as much. I’ll be really curious now what you think about Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. I think the character is slightly more logical for Ayushmann in that, although the film as a whole isn’t quite as strong as Bareilly Ki Barfi.
Arjun Reddy is something that lingers, absolutely. Although since watching it I have seen a few more Telugu and Tamil films which make me think even more that it is slightly less of a breakthrough than it is getting credit for. If you can find it, and haven’t seen it already, I’d be curious what you think of Vaaranam Aayiram.
On Sun, Oct 22, 2017 at 5:04 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Funny, I was just reading the Rangan review and he compares Arjun Reddy to Varanam Aayiram and to Premam. I will definitely check out Varanam Aayiram, too.
I didn’t hate Bareilly Ki Barfi and really I still liked the idea of Ayushmann’s character but he just seemed so mean in the scenes where he bullied Rajkumar’s character. I still think he’s well-suited to romcoms so I am looking forward to SMS, especially because I loved him in Meri Pyaari Bindu…could actually be one of my favorite performances of the year. I do worry his career may go the way of Imran Khan’s though and disappear into thin air. His next one, a thriller with Tabu, will be interesting!
Barfi is a much better film than Jagga Jasoos for sure and I do think you’ll like it. It is whimsical and I know you are wary of that but it is much more contained then in JJ. I find it strange to say it because I am not a big PC fan, but her performance is worth seeing.
Yep, safe to skip Lucknow Central and Baadshaho.
Watching Pelli Choopulu now…Vijay D. is much more the usual man-child hero in this one. The plot has a slight Wake Up Sid/Band Baaja Baarat feel to it and Ritu Varma is very good, too.
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Another reason I think I didn’t like Bareilly Ki Barfi as much as I was hoping was that the two songs were kind of weak.
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One thing I felt about it was that it was an art director stretching herself to go commercial. the script was strong and the characters were good, especially our heroine, but there was a bit of a strain in inserting the songs and other mainstream elements.
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They felt over-edited to me. Decent music and choreography and all of that, but so chopped up we couldn’t really appreciate them. There was no space to breath.
On Sun, Oct 22, 2017 at 7:10 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I am less worried about Ayushmann after this year. Bindu flopped, but the other two were qualified hits, and he seems to have found his groove playing the smaller more grounded roles instead of shooting for more. So long as he keeps it to one flop for two hits, and doesn’t take on a huge budget responsibility, he should be fine.
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Two more to add to the list…I’m really on a role this week…lots of films becoming available all at once and I’m catching up, too!
Maheshinte Prathikaaram: moviemavengal raved about this one and I almost always trust her opinion! This one, like many Malayalam films, takes some time to gather steam, but not surprisingly by the end I was moved by the subtle characterizations and the simple but powerful cinematography and direction. Another Fahadh Faasil role where he’s the ultra beta/martyr hero, but it works nicely. His relationship with his aging and wise father and his second chance at love with a feisty heroine are the two emotional plot lines and they’re beautifully done.
Qaidi Band: can’t believe I’m going to say it but this one was better than Lucknow Central but neither are good enough to want to own the DVDs for sure. This one had enough of the YRF polish to just barely get by, specifically in the music direction, but it was a really sloppy script that could have been so much better. Habib Faisal is one of my favorite filmmakers in the industry (based on his previous two films that I love), but I’m worried that he’s exhausted his YRF stay. Anya Singh definitely deserves another shot at a starring role. Aaadar Jain wasn’t as bad as I thought he’d be, but I think we can do with fine with the Kapoors we have. No need for this dude to get another shot. I did like the actress from Belarus and from what I could find online she might be trying to make a name for herself in Indian films. It only seems fair that the industry lets at least one of those hard-working Eastern European actresses get some modicum of fame!
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Well, I will continue to not watch Qaidi Band. From the trailers and stuff, I found the heroine promising, so glad to know that is correct at least.
Oh, and you probably saw it already, but here is my Maheshinte review: https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2016/09/13/maheshinte-prathikaaram-sometimes-you-just-need-to-be-hit-over-the-head/
On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 4:38 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I watched a bunch of movies this weekend. I rewatched Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Letterboxd tells me that I’ve watched it five times already this year! I don’t think I’ve seen any other movie that many times this year.
I then rewatched Khaleja which is one of my favorite Mahesh movies. It’s a really fun action comedy directed by Trivikram. This movie shows another side of Mahesh (the sarcastic side) that I absolutely love! You should definitely check Khaleja out if you get a chance. Here’s the movie with subtitles:
I also watched Bareilly Ki Barfi which I didn’t like as much as I expected to.
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Oh dear, the second person who was mildly disappointed in Bareilly Ki Barfi! I feel like my pointing out the box office dominance and so on for so many weeks may have artificially raised expectations.
Anyway, I’ll check out Khaleja! Now that I finally watched Bhale Bhale, you need a new thing to nag me about 😉
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I liked the movie but it didn’t make me want to watch the movie again. Usually when I really like a movie, I always have the tendency to want to rewatch the movie the next day. Or at least there are some really memorable scenes that I want to rewatch right away. There weren’t any memorable moments for me in Bareilly Ki Barfi.
Just for some background info, Khaleja is a movie that bombed at the box office but it became a cult classic later on. Mahesh took a three year sabbatical starting in 2007 and Khaleja was his comeback movie where he had a total makeover.
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Looks like Anushka is also in Khaleja? That makes me want to see it even more.
On Wed, Oct 25, 2017 at 12:05 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yup! The only time that she worked with Mahesh. They look really good together!
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I put Khaleja on my list, too! Looks good and I like the pairing.
I still can’t put my finger on why I didn’t love Bareilly Ki Barfi as much as I should have. I didn’t love Ayushman’s character and the songs were over edited like Margaret said and you’re right there were no memorable swoony moments in the romance. Still would rewatch it someday (and even own it since I like to have a variety of rom-coms on hand when the mood strikes).
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It’s a really fun movie but I may be overrating it since it’s one of my favorites.
I’m not exactly sure why I didn’t like Bareilly Ki Barfi either. I think it’s mainly about not having any memorable moments in the romance. I was rooting for Ayushmann to end up with Kriti throughout the movie, but that was just because Ayushmann’s the main character. It wasn’t because of anything between the two characters, Chiraj and Bitti.
By the way, have you seen Shubh Mangal Saavdhan? I haven’t seen it yet but I think i’ll like it more than Bareilly Ki Barfi.
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Not sure who you are asking, but assuming you are asking me, I have seen Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and it felt a little more filmi than Bareilly Ki Barfi. Filmi in a good, or at least neutral, way. The songs were less chopped up, the love story was a little more memorable. The ending was totally over the top.
On Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 10:51 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I was asking filmilibrarian since I automatically assumed that you saw it 🙂
If it is more filmi than Bareilly Ki Barfi then I will probably like it. How was Ayushmann’s character? I felt like he seemed more likable in the trailer of SMS than in BKB.
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He definitely didn’t have as much of a darkside. Although he still got a bit bitter towards the end. But this time the heroine called him out on it, made him be brighter and happier and all that. And he got to have a big super heroic moment at the end, complete with action sequence.
On Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 11:23 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I suspect I’ll like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan better, too! Haven’t seen it yet…still no subtitled copies floating around. I really liked Meri Pyaari Bindu (more than most people it seems like) and SMS does seem to be more filmi like Margaret said. Normally I think I would have liked BKB a lot, especially because the plot is a classic romance novel plot. I think you’re right that I found myself routing for the main characters to get together just “because” not because they felt meant to be!
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Purely in terms of actor chemistry, SMS is much better. Not like set the screen on fire kind of chemistry, but just like people who seem to naturally fit together, you really have faith that this couple is meant to be.
On Tue, Oct 31, 2017 at 1:02 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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