Happy Monday! Tonight I get to watch Student of the Year 2 again with my friend who loves Tiger. It shouldn’t be too torturous, I don’t love Tiger but I do kind of love Student of the Year 2.
This is where you get to bring up any question you have for me at any point for the rest of the week. A movie you can’t remember the title of, an actor you want to learn more about, if I’ve seen your favorite film and what I thought about it, anything at all!
Now, question for you! Simple one based on last Friday’s movie and this Friday’s movie: Pick one, Sushant Singh Rajput or Ayushmann Khurrana, who do you like better?
I know I will probably be alone in this opinion, but I like Sushant! He’s got the acting chops, he does an interesting variety of roles, he can even dance. What’s not to like?
dontcallitbollywood 
I like Ayushmann but I love Sushant’s smile 😊
A question – can you think of any Indian movies set in or filmed in Tahiti/French Polynesia?
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Shoot, I really can’t. Dil Jo Bhi Kahey is set in Mauritius and that’s all I can remember. Maybe someone else can help?
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You could try here http://wherewasitshot.com
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Alas, ‘no results’ at that link.
Thanks anyway.
I’ll be in Tahiti and thereabouts in October and was hoping to load a movie shot there on to my iPad.
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For Tahiti –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_shot_in_French_Polynesia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_shot_in_Tahiti
https://www.tripsavvy.com/top-movies-television-shows-filmed-in-south-pacific-1533910
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Mauritius – I know one Telugu movie and there are a lot of songs from Telugu movies.
Antahpuram (original of Hindi Shakti: The Power – SRK-Nana-Karishma) has the initial part setup in Mauritius. Wiki lists 34 films, including Kuch Kuch hota hai! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_shot_in_Mauritius
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Ayushmann! I had no issues with Sushant until I read his interviews and then I was over him. He comes across way too cocky for my liking. But I still find some of his movies enjoyable. I am probably one of the few people who enjoyed Raabta. It’s in my it’s-so-bad-it’s-good category of movies!
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I also love Raabta! I gave it a glowing review. It’s not ambitious, it’s just fun and melodramatic and entertaining. What’s wrong with that?
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1. Did the dailymotion link for Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu (Nani-Samanta) work for you? Did you get a chance to watch?
2. Have you watched Kamal Hassan – SRK *ing Hey Ram!?
Nani’s Gang Leader (Telugu) is getting released this week – directed by Vikram Kumar, director of Manam & 24. So, I hope a good movie to come up –
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I love Nani! I’m excited about this movie now. Probably won’t get a chance to watch it this week, my weekend schedule is INSANE, but maybe next week?
I haven’t tried the dailymotion link, dailymotion is a really bad option for me, lots of buffering and I can only watch on my laptop.
I have seen Hey Ram and I hate it.
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Hey Ram – even if you hate, you can review it – for the sake of SRK 🙂
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I like Sushant out of the two, just because of Dhoni movie.
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I like Sushant for Byomkesh Bakshy, I don’t think Ayushmann has done a role so far out of his comfort zone.
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I liked Byomkesh Bakshy movie, but Sushant didn’t click for me in that role because Rajat Kapoor already owned Byomkesh Bakshy in the famous TV serial and I just couldn’t visualize anyone else. Same with Sherlock Holmes – after watching the original series on History TV Channel – Jeremy Brett, I could not visualize Robert Downey in the same role.
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You need to watch the BBC Sherlock to forget about all other Sherlocks out there. The problem I had with Byomkesh Bakshi movie was that I was constantly comparing it with the series and found it lacking in so many ways. But I though Sushant was good in his own way,quite a different interpretation from Rajat Kapoor’s one.
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If I had to choose between two movies I know nothing about except that one has Ayushmann and the other SSR as a lead, I would choose the latter.
Ayushmann is a good actor but I think Sushant has more charisma. Or maybe I’m just shallow and it’s because Sushant is prettier.
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Well, then I am shallow too. Sushant is the kind of pretty where he smiles and you smile back. Ayushmann is nice, but not like that,
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I liked Sushant and Kedarnath but that’s it otherwise I find him really annoying. He’s a really good dancer though I’ll give him that. I watched a little bit of SOTY 2 and I don’t think it’s that bad? Seems better than the first one so I don’t know why every praises the first movie and pans the second. Yeah it’s not highclass cinema or anything but it’s for teenagers that want to watch something light and fluffy. It’s kind of pointless to get mad about something like that
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Yeah, the SOTY2 reviews drove me crazy. I watched it, I enjoyed it, it was exactly what was promised by the posters and trailers. And then everyone panned it like they were expecting great art or something.
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 9:54 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Sushant. I liked him in Kedarnath.He is charming when he doesn’t try to imitate SRK or isn’t self conscious. I’m getting tired of Ayushmann a bit with all the Amol Palekar kind of roles. After watching Article 15,I know that he shines in the everyday man kind of roles but can’t pull off the ones that need more heft or which requires him to communicate wordlessly.
Qn-Do you think there’s something called over exposure cos I’m definitely feeling that with Ayushman. Tapsee is a female Ayushmann in that she also has movies coming one after the other but I find her roles are diverse enough to keep me hooked.Or maybe I still resent Ayushman for winning that National Award.
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I think there’s a problem with doing too much of the same thing too fast. If Ayushmann did one lowkey middle-class comedy every 18 months, I would be fine. But this is his 7th movie in 2 years and he has played the “average educated middle-class guy” in every one. Andhadhun and Article 15 were different genres, but they were still kind of the same character, right? He doesn’t play the NRI super rich roles, and he doesn’t play the struggling lower class roles. He doesn’t do action scenes, he doesn’t do big dances, he doesn’t do big romantic moments. And his next 3 movies look like more of the same.
Which brings me to Sushant! He hasn’t had many hits, but he really really stretches himself in terms of the characters he plays. In the same 2 years, he played Dhoni, then a wealthy charming NRI type in Raabta, then lowerclass struggler in Kedarnath, dacoit in Sonchriya, and now nice middle-class engineer type in Chhichhore.
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 9:59 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I agree Sushant is definitely more diverse. And thank you for reminding about Son Chiriya. He was very good in that too. I think his physicality and face is such that he can fit into all kinds of roles. I would love to see him in an action role. Definitely team Sushant!
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Yaaaay, Sushant! If only he had more hits. I’ve enjoyed every one of his movies I have seen but unfortunately, especially for Bymokesh Bakshy and Raabta, I think I was the only one who enjoyed them.
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 10:11 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I liked Byomkesh Bakshi for the idea but the execution was terrible.It needed a lot of patience to get to the payoffs. Again another good role of Sushant. He can pull off the no nonsense character even with that funny moustache.
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I love Byomkesh whole-heartedly in very way. But also kind of agree with you about the execution. For me, the movie as a whole was really good because of the way it slowly built and helped me understand the setting and characters. It really felt like a throwback to the classic noirs of the 50s, but those had slow slow builds. I loved the style, but I can also see how it just doesn’t work for a modern audience. Especially without songs to keep us going along the way.
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Pritviraj promo
WHY? Why does YRF keep putting up videos like this? What a turnoff. Looks just like ToH and Shamshera which also looked terrible.
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Yep, agree!!!!!
I know I was hearing about Prithviraj months ago, long before Thugs released. Maybe Akshay had a contract and is forcing them to do it even if they don’t have any faith in it any more?
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Can Akshay force them? I doubt he has enough power. You’d want to maintain good relations in case you want to do something together again in the future.
Is it just me or is YRF completely at sea? They went so hard in the Thugs direction that they can’t turn around now. Why would you make Shamshera and this movie after what happened to ToH? Their promotion tactics don’t even change. This kind of videos only bring negativity. Why not sit quiet and just release a real promo after you film something? The same band of warriors and loud music and horses…eugh.
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It is not just you, I think they are at sea too. If I were running YRF, I would stop all production and do a vision retreat or something and come back with a new plan. It’s not just Thugs, Sui Dhaaga was also a flop. And so was that Ayushmann-Pari movie. Their system of one big stupid action film and two small middle-brow films per year is just not working any more from either side.
Mardaani 2 might be a really good move, lowbudget and something different and not YRF-y feeling. But these big movies? Bad idea!
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Dhoom 3 also just coasted on the franchise name but at this point, a Dhoom-type movie looks refreshing compared to the heavy boring period dramas they are suddenly after. Did everyone go crazy after seeing Bhansali get hits? What is this current obsession? It’s like color-by-numbers filmmaking. No originality, nothing authentic, just template films being churned out one after another.
Let’s see what happens to War. These big dumb movies usually work but Sidharth Anand is a terrible director.
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And the Bhansali style is such a risk! It’s expensive, it takes forever to film, by the time your movie comes out the audience may have moved on. At least the Dhoom style movies could be cranked out at a much faster rate.
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Plus the Bhansali style is original. I’m not a big fan myself but he is passionate about what he does and nobody can copy him in terms of those movies. It’s his thing. It makes no sense to follow his path when you don’t have his sensibilities.
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Strangely enough, I don’t like either one too much. Ayushman has so much hype and I just don’t see it. He keeps doing “health issue of the week” type of stories. One day, it’s erectile dysfunction. Another day, it’s baldness. Sperm donation, obesity, pregnancy, you name it. He’s got it covered. Within that type of set-up, he’s a dull everyman type of actor. Stable but boring.
Sushant hasn’t made any impact either. I hardly ever like his movies.
I’d rather go with someone like Rajkumar Rao who is extremely uneven – he can be part of terrible movies but has the ability to surprise too. I would rather watch a movie like Trapped than anything the other guys have made. In Bareily Ki Barfi, he is with Ayushman and the difference is obvious how much better an actor Rajkumar is.
Nobody talks about him but I like Varun too. I like that he’s unabashedly commercial and gives old-fashioned fun BW movies that we never get from this pretentious new bunch. His Dulhania type movies can be watched again and again. I liked his version of a pretentious movie, October, a lot more than what the other guys make too. He’s like comfort food.
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I think Ayushmann is really talented, I’ve enjoyed every performance, but he plays things safe. I think he could have played Rajkummar’s role in Bareilly, from little glimpses I have seen in other films, but he chooses not to do those kind of roles. So in terms of actual talent, equal for me. But in terms of what they do with that talent, Rajkummar is far more interesting.
I like Varun too!!!! He was riding high and I feel like people were talking about him, and then Kalank was both his first major flop and a movie that took so long filming it stopped him from doing anything else. Hopefully the Coolie movie will get people talking again.
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As an actor, I prefer Sushant if I had to choose. He really blends in to the sense of place, space, time of any film he is in.
As a dancer, Sushant floats like air, just so light on his feet, so underrated for his dancing. I would argue, better than hrithik or tiger in just making it look so damn effortless.
As a singer, Ayushmann is the first Broadway style “triple threat” of acting, singing, and dancing, of modern Bollywood.
As a person & a personality, I prefer Ayushmann. Less awkward with the camera, more self effacing, very honest about his relationship with his wife. Sushant has a sketchier history with the ladies, but nothing off the charts bad so far as I know. But sushant is well read and it shows and I appreciate that, and even though he’s awkward I feel he’s honest at least when discussing his films.
Lookswise, they match up. They both have great smiles and a glint in their eyes. And they each have an oddity. Ayushman hair looks like there are more hair follicles than his scalp has room for, hence his hair cannot move. And sushant neck is uncomfortably long, looks like he was raised with elongating neck coils (still a practice in some parts of the world).
Somehow I feel that they occupy the same space in Bollywood – similar age, launched around the same time, made a mark immediately with first major role, similar number of roles, each had a low period with few roles. Honestly, I have always liked them both, even when they each were out of style.
Ayushmann might have gravitated toward leading man, whereas sushant toward lead character actor. I feel like Ayushmann is bringing us a story whereas Sushant is acting and dancing in a movie.
Question – have you seen “In which Annie gives it those ones”, esp since it is supposed to have SRK first appearance on film? I really liked Arundhati Roy’s novel “the god of small things” which I read back when it came out. So I thought I might possibly like her film too.
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I really like the way you break out Sushant as acting and Ayushmann bringing us the whole story. It’s so true, there is a particular kind of “Ayushmann” film, whereas Sushant could be in any movie at all. Which is probably why Ayushmann (at least right now) is far more successful, the audience has learned to expect a certain style and quality from any movie he is in, while Sushant films are a wild card.
I have seen some bits of “Annie” with Shahrukh in them, the last time I looked for it, it was hard to find especially with subtitles. If you watch it without subtitles and can understand the Hindi, report back! Shahrukh has a small supporting role as a gay friend, which would be interesting to see.
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Aa leading man type, ayushman is almost the intermediary between the movie and the audience.
Imagine if ayushmann had played MS Dhoni – you would have felt that MS Dhoni was your friend, and you would have felt that Ayushmann was bringing you an expose on the world of cricket.
Whereas Sushant keeps it firmly in the biopic realm, bringing Dhoni to life on-screen for us.
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Aamir confirms he is doing Mogul biopic. He walked out because of the director is a #metoo accused and got a lot of praise for it. Now he says he’s changed his mind. And paying PR to still get him praised for it! Seriously, bots are posting about how much “respect” they have for Aamir for his new decision and how “brave” it is.
His original letter about leaving the movie:
https://twitter.com/aamir_khan/status/1050068184995426306
His new stance:
Are you afraid that people will criticise your decision of working with Kapoor? Do you have a strategy to deal with such things?
I don’t have any strategy. I’m just doing what my heart says is right, and what my conscience tells me is right. At that time I felt that was the right step to take, so I took that. Today I feel differently. I’m going with my heart. Perhaps some people will be critical of my decision. But I’ve to live with my own conscience. So, I’ve done what my heart and conscience feels is right.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/aamir-khan-confirms-he-s-playing-gulshan-kumar-in-mogul-reveals-what-made-him-come-back-to-the-film/story-uemqLgApPPILFG3jePkMKI.html
Sorry but I always find Aamir to be so repulsive. He got lots of points or leaving when the #metoo thing was big. Now that the movement is not in the news anymore, he steps back in. Even his wife gets involved to whitewash him. Yuck!!
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Btw, Subhash Kapoor, the director, has actually confessed to harassing that woman. So it’s not just hearsay.
Hrithik also made a fuss during Super 30 and the Vikas Bahl quietly came back in.
Deepika was MAMI chairperson and apparently got someone sacked and is now doing a movie with Luv Ranjan, another metoo accused.
These people have no shame. I understand if your stance is always that you will wait until they’re found guilty but these 3 people (Hrithik, Aamir, Deepika) went out of their way to pretend to be allies and get points for themselves and then crawled back as soon as the opportunity arose where it would benefit them. It’s disgusting.
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Yeah, I just responded to your other comment kind of similarly. Except I feel like Hrithik was in a better position than Aamir, because he didn’t say “I will never work with this person”, he said, “I am stopping filming immediately”. That alone was a big sacrifice and he stuck with it, filming was actually paused for a good long while. Sure Reliance cleared Vikas in the flimsiest of ways in the end, but Hrithik was technically honest, he said he was gonna stop filming until it was figured out, and he did.
And the Luv Ranjan accusation is, frankly, just not that strong. It could still be true, but it doesn’t pass the smell test for me enough that I am going to vilify people for choosing to still work with him.
Mostly I really don’t like that the #MeToo movement has turned from “let’s talk about the people who were actually accused and their accusers and try to find justice” to “let’s go on a witchhunt for any famous name that at some point in the past or future is working with someone who is #MeToo accused”. Why are we spending time on Aamir and Dips and Hrithik possibly working with #MeToo people instead of looking for more accusers who might back up the Luv Ranjan story, or talking about how Subhash Ghai has been doing this stuff for decades and no one seems to care, or talking to the existing sexual harassment investigation committees in the industry and asking them how many complaints they get and what they do about them? I know the media is terrible and won’t do it, but why should we support their terribleness by also repeating famous names who are barely connected instead of talking about the real issues?
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Eh, I don’t have a big emotional response to it. It is more showing me how shallow the whole #MeToo movement in India was, from both sides. That is, people responding to accusations weren’t really sincere, but also the people calling for a response weren’t super sincere either. Why was Vikas Bahl being a rapist turned into a story about Anurag Kashyap and Hrithik Roshan? Or Alok Nath into a story about Ajay Devgan? All this excitement that was clearly being aimed at the big names by roping them in on the flimsiest connections just to get headlines. So if the big names responded by fighting back with their own flimsy statements, fairplay so far as I am concerned. They shouldn’t have been involved to begin with, it was only a kind of gross effort by the media to bring them in while ignoring the real stories that involved less famous people.
I’m still not thrilled by this, mostly because Aamir made suuuuuuch a big deal about his reaction. If he’d just done a reflex move to counter the stories dragging him into things, fair enough. But he went a bit farther than he absolutely had to, and now is walking it back. If he wasn’t done with this guy forever and for sure than he shouldn’t have made such a fuss. At least Hrithik’s statement was more of a “I’m hitting pause until this is resolved” so he could honestly say “And now it is resolved and I an unpausing”. You know?
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Ayushmann for me, though Sushant is more attractive and yes, can dance wonderfully. I also wholeheartedly love Bomkyesh Bakshy and wish so hard they would do a sequel. The only thing I didn’t like was the terrible anachronistic rap/metal music.
Ayushmann is just so consistent. I agree he doesn’t stretch himself as much, but I haven’t found his performances too same-ish even if they are middle-class city guys. Andhadhun revealed some interesting chops. It would be fun to see him do an out and out dark role.
I get real-life creep vibes from Sushant, but who knows.
My question: Is the big birthday party song from Brothers Day a kind of reverse “Dreamum Wakeupum”? That is, is this a Southern interpretation of a big Punjabi party/wedding dance number? It sure looks that way to me, from the outfits and drumming to the dance movements–all the “lighbulb screwing in” and shoulder movements. I still haven’t seen the movie BTW, but this song is fun.
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I don’t think it is supposed to be commentary on northern songs? That kind of song isn’t super unusual in Malayalam films, and other southern films, so far as I can tell. And there’s nothing in the context of the film that would make me think that.
On the other hand, doesn’t Prithvi look cute all dressed up and dancing?
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 2:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Really? With the little turbans, and everyone but the 2 lead actresses wearing salwar kameez, including Prithvi (or whatever the correct term for that kurta/trouser combo for men). Hmm.
Yes. He looks super duper cute. The beard is almost too much though. He’s got such a pretty mouth, not to get too weird about it.
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Maybe it was a northern style party or something? There just wasn’t anything I noticed in the plot or dialogue to set it up like Dreamum Wakeupum was.
What is mentioned in the dialogue constantly is how Prithviraj’s character always insists on wearing a suit instead of a regular caterers uniform.
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 2:47 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Groovy. Still hoping I can sneak away this week to see it. It’s not super close to me, but not too far either.
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There’s lots of Prithvi “supportive loving older brother” porn in it. There’s something about that vibe with him that really works. Even in Ranam, the romance was as much about him being sensitive and supportive in an almost brotherly way as it was about typical romance.
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 3:04 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yep, I gotta go.
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I’m team Ayushmann only based on my adoration for this song and video. https://rachelbollywood50.blogspot.com/2019/04/another-video-another-song-and-dance-yes.html
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Ugh was trying to embed sorry
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Here you go! I think. Is this right?
On Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 4:50 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I LOVE this song. Thank you, m! love their expressions
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I love this song too. And everytime I watch it I’m excited to see them moving their eyebrows.
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Truth! The eyebrow choreo is awesome.
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He’s just fun and funny and he treats her with respect.
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Love Action Drama, new Nivin movie, any chances you’ll see it? I can’t wait when it will be in streaming because Nivin looks good again, and I’m curious how is his chemistry with Nayanthara.
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Shoot! There’s a new Nani movie this weekend too! And a new Ayushmann movie. All my low key beta type heroes are releasing films at the same time.
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 2:54 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The trailer for The Sky is Pink is out and I thought it looks really good!
Also are you planning on checking out Nani’s Gang Leader coming out this weekend? I have high hopes for it because it’s directed by one of my favorites, Vikram Kumar (he did Manam). Plus the songs have been really good!
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Oh, I really want to see Gang Leader!!!! Do you think people would care if I skipped Dream Girl and saw that instead? Or I could try another Thursday-Friday show, but that wipes me out.
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 5:34 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Honestly speaking, I’m not interested in Dream Girl at all for some reason. It might end up being a fun movie but I don’t plan to see it until it shows up on streaming.
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Huh. Then maybe my primary plan is Gang Leader on thursday and Dream Girl whenever.
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 7:18 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Oh Karthikeya is in this movie, and the cinematographer is from Poland. Interesting.
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So far I would say that I like Ayushmann better but that’s just probably because I’ve seen and enjoyed more of his movies. I do think that Sushant has more range and he might be the better actor but Ayushmann is so good at the role’s he’s good at. I love movies like Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Meri Pyaari Bindu! So far out of the Sushant movies I’ve seen, there’s not a movie where I love the movie or love his character in the movie. I just checked and I’ve seen all of his movies except Sonchiriya, Kedarnath, and Chhichhore so it’s not even like I’ve only seen him in one or two movies.
By the way, have we heard anything about Drive lately? I don’t even like Jacqueline but for some reason I was interested in watching that movie when it was announced and I’m still curious about it.
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No, no Drive news since the rumor I saw that Karan had lowkey killed it. I was excited too! It looked fun and we don’t get enough fun movies.
In better news, Gang leader had a 4:30 show on Thursday that I could probably make. Oooo, I really want to do it!
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 6:39 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Seems like they asked Sushant about Drive during promotions and he said he had no idea what’s happening to it as well.
You should do it! One piece of background info about Gang Leader is that the title is taken from a very famous Chiranjeevi movie that was a blockbuster in the 90s. I haven’t seen that Gang Leader but I’m assuming that this movie will have some sort of reference to the Chiranjeevi movie. This is still a famous song from that movie.
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Thank you!
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 7:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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By the way, I’m planning on finally seeing Jab Harry Met Sejal tonight. Any advice or things to look out for?
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Approach it as a two lead character drama, not as a romance. And definitely not as a rom-com.
Pay attention to the way the two characters are built up and their individual backstories and the little subtle indications of their personalities and problems and stuff. Don’t watch it casually.
Blech, that sounds so unappealing! Also, the songs are good. so at least there is that going for it.
On Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 7:28 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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If I can add, IMO it’s a two-watch film. It might land neutral for you on the first watch, or you might even like it, but you will be blown away upon the second watch. I think that’s been most people’s experience with it here on this blog. 🙂
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That was certainly my experience as a viewer. The first watch intrigued me enough to make me want to come back, but it was only on repeat viewings that I really fell in love.
On Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 10:02 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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