Monday Morning Questions, Padmavati (?) Week

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Happy Monday!  This is either 5 days or 45 days before the release of Padmavati.  Depending on where you live in the world and if they decide it is legal to send it overseas without a censor certificate.

You can ask me questions from the personal (“if Padmavati opens in America, will you review it?”) to the specific (“is this the first time a film has opened abroad before India?”) to the general discussion (“is it smarter of the filmmakers to open the film in some places on time, or to wait and open it everywhere at once?”).

The only rule is, you have to let me answer first!  That way the discussion just seems to go better.  But once I have jumped in with an answer (which I will try to do super fast), anyone else is welcome to come and join with their opinion.

31 thoughts on “Monday Morning Questions, Padmavati (?) Week”

  1. `
    I’ll try to put this in the form of a question — How can I stop these gosh darn video ads that take over your site at random intervals? I can’t pause them. I can’t mute them. I can’t even scroll past them. Maybe it’s just the price of doing business on WordPress. I hope it at least increases your ad revenue.

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    • I’ve written them several times, they claim they can’t reproduce the issue. I can see it myself, I think I am going to need to call them sometime and request a screenshare so they will believe me.

      On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 8:21 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • My thoughts about ads I haven’t searched for: My eyes and my ears may register them but not my mind…I cannot avoid them (in the contrary, using free sites I invite them) but I can ignore them 🙂
        Personally there is no amount of ads on this site that could hinder me to enjoy the content…when I read Indian tabloids I have to search for the text between a jungle of ads…it’s like a text hunt 🙂

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  2. Well, I just tried to buy tickets for the Dec. 1 show of Padmavati and even though times are listed, the website responds that they are not yet available. I wonder if perhaps they are trying to gauge demand? It is the Regal closest to me; the last Indian film they screened was Bahubali 2, whereas they used to routinely run major releases.

    Now for my question. If I can get to see it before you do, what would you like me to look for? What questions do you have in mind for this film? I don’t have your expertise or your amazing memory for scenes and dialog, but I would still like to shift myself from “movie fan” to “somewhat educated movie fan”.

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    • Hmm. I’m not sure. If it weren’t Padmavati, I’d be looking for something like “good or not” or “satisfying ending or not” or “performances good or not”. But Bhansali is soooooooooooo predictable, I feel like I already know what it will be in all those areas.

      So I think my biggest question would be the audience. Was it sold out? Was it families? Were there other white people besides you? Did anyone cheer, or did they all have their “serious audience” faces on?

      On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 9:09 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  3. Do you have a source for Bangalore Days besides Hotstar? For some reason Hotstar’s player keeps crapping out on me after a few minutes so I gave up. I can’t even find the DVD for sale so I’m really frustrated. I watched enough of the film to know I want to see the whole thing but I keep getting thwarted.

    I finished Ek Tha Tiger and loved it and my husband enjoyed it too. Again I’m surprised by how much I enjoy Salman. He’s not a great actor but he’s super effective in the right part. Kind of like Bruce Willis in that way.

    I tried watching Tanu Weds Manu and I’m not into it. May or may not finish. It’s disappointing because I really like both lead actors but the characters suck, especially Manu. There is no reason for him to want to marry that girl except she’s hot and treats him like crap so he comes across as masochistic and creepy at the same time.

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    • I do not have a source for Bangalore Days, in fact that is one of the main reasons I got Hotstar. They are apparently obsessive about being the exclusive source. Bangalore Days and Premam, the DVDs aren’t readily available, and you can’t stream them anywhere. I was able to get DVDs off of ebay, direct from Indian DVD stores where they must have had them left over from the initial release a few years back. And you can go the illegal route and try einthusan.com. But otherwise there is no option.

      I had the same reaction as you to Tanu Weds Manu. It is one of the very very very few movies in my life that I have started and not finished. I could appreciate that it was a well-made film (funny dialogue, different kind of setting and characters, good visuals), but I just didn’t like anyone enough to keep watching. And I felt like I was supposed to like them, it’s different from a movie where you aren’t supposed to care about any of the characters, it seemed as though the plot relied on my caring what happened to them, having some kind of emotional investment, and I just didn’t. The director kind of specializes, it seems like, in films where the characters just aren’t quite likable enough for me. Even in his lightest film (a silly Mary Poppins inspired thing), the hero was just slightly too unlikable for me. And Shahrukh really only works when his character is lovable. Or villainous. But that in between of “just not the greatest guy, but not really evil” is terrible for him.

      So glad you have come around to Salman! And you’re right, he has a very specific character that is just perfect for him. And it’s similar to who he appears to be in real life, which is why so many people (including myself) are willing to forgive him his little mistakes in real life. Because he is so sweet and generous and forgiving and strangely humble, and leads from the heart always.

      On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 9:36 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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    • I’m die-hard Madhavan fan and I didn’t like Tanu weds Manu either , Kangana’s character is so narcissistic and unlikeable that is just too hard to watch (especially if one is in love with Maddy and keeps thinking – please don’t marry her, you should marry a good woman like me 😉 ). But even if I didn’t like it , I’m happy I gave it a chance because there are many great characters and actors in it, and the most important the sequel is much better. Madhavan is cuddly and super cute and sexy, Deepak Dobriyal is very funny, Kangana in double role is superb and the music is great. So I would say – watch the first part just to know the story and then enjoy the sequel.

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  4. I wonder if indeed there has been a similar situation. Supposing one can release a movie overseas without an Indian certificate, was there ever an Indian movie that released only in overseas theatres releasing (when indeed) much later in India?

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    • Fire, for one. But that was a Canadian production I believe, even though it was filmed in Hindi and in India. The exception to the censor certificate is film festivals. So loads of films play at overseas film festivals without an Indian certificate. It’s a fairly common complaint (there is a big deal now about two films that were supposed to be screened at the big Indian film festival that are going through this now) that films win awards overseas, and yet cannot be played in their home country because the censor board won’t certify them.

      The issue I am seeing brought up now is that even the overseas censor boards shouldn’t be able to view the film in advance because they could only view it if it were sent out of the country to them, which is illegal without a censor certificate. Which sure makes it sound as though it can’t play overseas without one, unless it is a film festival.

      What does happen occasionally, for instance last year with Dear Zindagi, is that a film opens earlier overseas than in India. They almost always open on Thursdays in the Arab countries, because of Friday being a religious holiday. And last year Dear Zindagi opened earlier in America because of Thanksgiving. But in that case it was censored and everything, it was just a business decision to open it earlier overseas.

      On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 11:13 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  5. Wouldn’t opening abroad kill the buisness in India? If the movie will be screened in the U.S, I’m sure somebody will try put it in internet, and then maybe nobody will be eager to pay to see it in India. What do you think, is it a good idea?

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    • I’ve been thinking the same thing. There is already that issue just with opening a day earlier in the Arab countries. Some recent movie that I am blanking on, maybe Secret Superstar, announced they would not be doing that because of piracy concerns.

      My totally selfish attitude is that if it opens in the US and not in India, my SPOILER review will be going through the roof! So I kind of hope it opens here.

      On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 12:22 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • So I’ll hope with you 😉 But being honest I don’t think there will be many spoilers or twist in Padmavati.

        Other question: have you seen Nivin’s Richie trailer ?

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          • Please watch it. Oh man he looks sooooo beardy and manly and sexy in it. It’s amazing, because the last Nivin’s film I saw was Mili, and he was a nice middle-class young man in it, and here he is so different, but still credibile and sexy. He is so talented.

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          • Just watched it, you are so right! I love that he is this big dominating kind of hero, not a small muscley mustache type. And also love that it has a December 8th release date, because I don’t think there is any Hindi movie to interfere with my watching it.

            On Mon, Nov 27, 2017 at 2:51 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  6. My question: are you sick of the Padmavati thing yet?

    I am. It’s already getting trolled in all kinds of ways. My beau’s boss’ wife danced on Ghoomar at her brother’s wedding a few days ago. beau said she specially invited her husband’s posse (mostly guys from the gym) to come sit in the front row for her performance to show off her own “muscle”.

    She’s the daughter in law of a former CM and the sister in law of another (the dude who trolled the right wingers by making PK tax free after the controversy) and she herself contested the assembly elections this year. Plus she’s a kshatriya by birth so this performance is very high up on the troll level.

    So this is where Padmavati is at in India. The entire thing is getting more and more ridiculous every day!

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    • I was sick of Padmavati since it was called Ram-Leela and I saw it 3 years ago. I’m just so tired of Bhansali. Setting aside everything else, I only have minimal interest in his filming style, and that interest was exhausted about 3 identical movies ago.

      And I’ve been sick of the controversy since it first popped up and surprised me on the blog way way back the first time I mentioned Padmavati. That’s why I resisted dealing with the issue, there’s nothing new to say really. It’s a created controversy (as all of these movie things tend to be) and everyone feels the need to pick a side.

      On Thu, Nov 30, 2017 at 6:26 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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