Happy Monday! I get to have decaf coffee today. Which still has a tiny tiny amount of caffeine, so I get that mini-buzz. Woo-hoo!
This is where you get to ask me anything you want! What movies do I recommend, what’s my opinion on this or that, what’s the background on something you’ve seen onscreen or heard about off screen.
And, a question for you! I’m still looking for post ideas. What do you think about changing up the schedule to be something like “kids movie reviews Monday, romance reviews Wednesday”? Or should I swing more towards discussion posts? Or Hindi Film 101s? Or something else?
Tell me what you want!!!! I will do ANYTHING!!!!! I just like feeling useful and like I am reaching out into the world, you know?
Oh, speaking of reaching out into the world and giving you things you want, here is a tiny dog doing yoga:
dontcallitbollywood 
Random question – what in the world is Harsh Kapoor up to these days? Haven’t heard of any movie in production, don’t see him in any reality shows, or any of the other silly stuff celebrities do to stay in the news. So what is he doing with his time?
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Being the most boring person alive on instagram, flexing stuff he’s bought, macking on people in the comments, and allegedly he’s going to do another movie, idk when. I thought he was filming something a while back but maybe that came to nothing because I’ve heard nothing about it for a while.
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HA! My answer was going to be “being a narcissist on instagram, but then if you looked like that, wouldn’t you?”
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 7:46 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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hahaha…I find such people fascinating!
Just went through his Instagram and he claims that Ak vs. Ak (directed by Motwane) has wrapped filming so I guess he was busy with that… let’s see if/when it releases!
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See, I knew he was filming something.
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I mean, if you’re going to be a narcissist, then at least don’t be a boring one.
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I would say “if you are going to be a narcissist, than at least be a beautiful one”. Harsh fulfills that requirement.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 9:31 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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True, it’s hard going even with how phenomenally good looking he is though. I keep feeling I should comment SOMETHING, and I just cannot think of anything to say except that he looks good. He makes even me banal, that’s what we’re dealing with here.
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I miss your new reviews so that’s what I would love to see more on the blog.
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But what can I review???? That’s my challenge. The new releases consistently get massive numbers of views just because everyone is watching the same movie at the same time. Now that everything is on streaming, the audience is split in literally thousands of options.
I need some kind of idea of what it is more people are watching right now. Do you have any sense of that? The hottest streaming option in Hindi or any southern language? Because I don’t even know where to start.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 8:11 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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This new Dulquer movie Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal is now on Netflix and I see many people speaking about it on twitter. You love DQ, and it looks good. I still haven’t seen it, because I hope it will be on italian Netflix too soon.
Another one is Oh My Kadavule, I have been recommending – it’s so so cute and fun. And also the crew reads the tweets and answer, so there is a chance they can read your review. Maddy-Tovino “son” Ashok Selvan read my tweet and I had like 120 likes later.
There is a lot of buzz about Dia too, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.
Don’t know about hindi movies, maybe I just follow more south-oriented people? Jawaani Jaaneman was supposed to hit Prime two days ago, but I don’t see people commenting.
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Thank you! That is exactly the guidance I needed. I’ll see if I can power through as many streaming movies as I can manage and start reviewing. Blech, I hate watching movies on streaming, especially movies made direct for streaming. Oooo, it’s a movie that’s all gritty and has a heroine who swears and has sex and makes us confront the rape culture of India and reaffirms my status as an Indian feminist because I am watching it and now I don’t need to do anything in the real world! What fun! Or, alternatively, Ooo it’s a 90 minute light film that will teach me about Other Cultures in a painless way and then I can claim to have seen an Indian movie! How open-minded of me! And Netflix laughs and laughs all the way to the bank at the way their algorithm is successfully killing independent artwork while fooling the viewers into thinking they are helping artists.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 8:33 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I also dislike movies made for streaming, especially Netflix productions because they are all dark, and about unpleasant topics and I won’t waste my free time to depress me further. I want colours and love, I don’t mind tragedy but only if it’s love tragedy.
All the movies I mentioned are normal cinema films, now on streaming and I think you will like it.
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Thank you! The “top streaming” lists are always the ones the streaming companies want to promote, so dark and depressing streaming-made movies. It’s hard to sort out the fun ones.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 11:42 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Seconding the request to review Oh My Kadavule. It’s mostly light and cute but there’s a bit of gender stuff you can get into if you feel like it.
Also, have you done a review of Ayyappanum Khoshiyam? Did a quick search and didn’t find it. It’s the same director as Driving Lessons, and has similar characters and plot, yet manages to feel completely different. And a bit deeper. If not I’d love to see it. It’s long and intense, but not ultimately a downer.
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Okay, another for my list!
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I second Ayyappanum Khoshiyam – another good cinema film that hit streaming recently. I started watching because I saw people talk a lot about it.
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Well I want you to review Bhangra Paa Le because I think you would love it, a very cute romance with fun dancing, good acting, and gorgeous people. And I believe it did release before streaming. Other movies I want you to review because I am curious what you would say, but this one I think you’ll like.
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Okay, I’ll try! My parents and I have nightly party nights (tonight we played a board game), so I’m having a harder time watching movies. But I’m gonna do my best, I like reviewing new films.
And this one maybe would be good as a family movie night?
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 10:35 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Would definitely work for the whole family.
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Watching Overly Sarcastic Productions, here are some you would like. They are funny and the art is so cute and a delight! They will perk you right up! 🙂
Listening to Notre Dame de Paris Live Arena di Verona — full of beautiful Italian with subtitles and I am kinda obsessed with this musical, having both the French and Italian DVD’s of the shows…sorry went on a bit of a tangent there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIe0W_lPtjk
And I am OK with whatever you write. I personally love the theme video posts in giving us a job to do, but also enjoy your reviews and Hindi 101’s. Maybe thought posts? Personally I am curious about Indian Gypsies since they are the original origins of the Romani people, or is that too complex many things can go wrong of a subject??
I’ve just seen them so many times in Indian movies and what are the realities of it vs what is shown in movies. Considering how same they seem in terms of culture (obviously), but also how they are treated in the movies, which in the West hasn’t been that kind, which is a great understatement I know.
See for example original Notre-Dame de Paris book for example in terms of Esmeralda where she is a white girl abducted vs the European musical and later adaptations where she is a Romani through and through, but depictions in the musical differ in terms of how the actress plays it and which country does it. Italy does it innocently with great spirit, fiery and allure, while France has her beautiful, romantic, sweet and good-natured, for example.
Here are the French Esmeralda examples for comparison with the Italian:
Sorry of my obsession with the musical leaked GREATLY into the question, but I’m just curious about how it differs and this was my quickest way to go for comparisons in terms of depictions before and now, but also point out the difference in interpretations nowadays. This kinda turned in a small essay more than a comment….sorry
So, the original question was: Maybe a thought post on the Indian Gypsies depiction in movies vs reality vs The West if a Hindi 101 is too complex or something???
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What do you think about Varun Dhawan career? I saw his photo somewhere today and my first thought was: poor Varun, so young, so finished. His last 4 movies are big flops, but it’s not only about movies, his persona seems a little outdated, or maybe it’s just me. What do you think?
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Since his persona is directly based on Govinda’s mid-phase career, you are correct.
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I feel bad for him too! He’s got a couple of decent looking action comedies coming down the pipeline, but nothing really big. I think he gambled and lost. He went after bigger movies and sacrificed his ability to play a variety of roles in a variety of things. Look at Sid M! Plugged away, whether he won or lost, and just kept working. He’s still getting jobs and stuff, and Varun is struggling a bit after doing roles like Kalank and October that Sid would never have even been offered.
Anyway, I want him to marry Natasha! I want them to be happy and have babies and Varun to sink to a lower level of stardom and be a good Dad.
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Do you think Varun might have let those big career beginnings go to his head? Star kid, nothing can touch him, he’ll be fine making dumb decisions, and they were bad choices and now he’s falling out of grace and is forced to take a step back. Or could the industry have put him on a pedestal because of his family, and when he made one wrong move they dropped him fast?
Sid M is different. Same start, but Sid’s not as talented as Varun acting wise, imo, even though I love them both. So I think Sid recognizes that and is just happy to keep getting work, even if it might not get him recognition or accolades like Varun. (I hate comparing them, and I hate how they’ve kept getting compared since SOTY, I’m just saying).
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I think he made a conscious decision to fake it ’til he made it. Which worked for a while, post Student of the Year he was the one with all the buzz and the big star feeling. But once he started having flops, the big star attitude just made the flops more obvious, and now he seems to have kind of disappeared like he doesn’t know how to be in public without all the fronting.
I kind of wonder if really he is kind of shy? Like he has to play a “star” because he is too scared to reveal his real self. That’s the feeling I got in his Karan interviews, he is all charming and funny and cocky, and then Karan asked about his family or Natasha, and he changed into a totally different guy for a second, before he put the act back on.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 4:04 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I think that could be a huge possibility, especially with David Dhawan as a father, and someone like Ranveer as his contemporary who basically does the exact same thing.
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Yep! And before Ranveer got some more hits under his belt, around the Kill/Dil time, I thought he was failing just like Varun is now, acting in public in a way his film success couldn’t back up. He turned it around, maybe Varun will too.
On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 4:03 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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That’s what I’m hoping for. I really think Varun has a lot of talent, and I hope for his sake, and the sake of his career he takes a backseat and does some self reflecting before he makes his next move.
But on a related note, why hasn’t Coolie officially been pushed back yet? Everything else has.
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My prediction is that who ever releases first is going to be the real winner. There’s the thinking that you push everything to 2021, and you get time for a promotion strategy and a “normal” release and all of that. But what I am thinking is, you hold your film ready to go and drop it the second restrictions are lifted, you break all the records. People won’t care if it is a good movie or a bad movie or if they have already heard about it or anything, they will just go see it.
Don’t know if that is what is happening with Coolie, more likely they are just disorganized, but if Varun’s movie is the first one in theaters after theaters re-open, that could be the shot in the arm his career needs.
Alternatively, if they manage a special feeling smart savvy satellite/internet release, that could do it too. Something that makes us feel like Varun is in there with us.
On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 5:31 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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You shouldn’t let David Dhawan push you in any kind of direction because he’s a terrible influence, and that’s a lesson he apparently had to learn by experience instead of listening to people it’s already happened to.
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Isn’t April Fool’s cancelled this year? That’s what I heard. 🙂
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Don’t trust it!
My parents anniversary is the day after April Fools, because they eloped and were afraid no one would believe it if they did it on the first. So goes the family story. Anyway, it always makes me smile.
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That’s sweet. In every country I’ve worked in, people don’t sign contracts or start new jobs on April 1. 🙂
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My goodness, lucky escape! If they’d married on April 1, it wouldn’t have worked out and I wouldn’t be here.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 4:55 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Apropos of the above, which do you think would be the worst birthday to have — April 1, February 29, December 25, or January 1?
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February 29, because then it only really feels like your birthday once every 4 years and that’s not fair. The other days, everyone should have at least one person who wishes them Happy Birthday before they wish then Happy Whatever Holiday It Is.
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December 25th has my vote for sure. The other days you can at least still have a party, but no luck on 12/25.
On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 7:56 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The worst days to have Birthday are Christmas and 31 December. My sister was born the last day of the year and she hates it. When she was little she rarely could have birthday party with friends because everybody already had plans, and now even if she does a party people are more there to celebrate New Year than her Birthday.
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I have been waiting for that Missamma (new) Telugu movie review. BTW, Missamma (old – B&W) with Savithri & NTR is also a good movie worth watching.
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I was hoping to read the review too.
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Today Prime added Trance Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim new movie. If you feel like watching and reviewing it. It was in cinemas 1 month ago.
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Ooo, thank you! I am supre close to finishing the Allu Arjun movie too.
On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 11:05 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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