Happy Saturday! I am back in my apartment for the first time in two and a half weeks, trying to figure out what I want to do with it. The answer could very well be “nothing”, but it does feel like I should be doing SOMETHING so long as I am staying at my parents most of the time. Like at the very least reorganize my books since I won’t care about having piles of them everywhere.
Okay, things to talk about!
Nawazuddin’s divorce! Which feels boringly normal for an Indian divorce, and therefore a little unusual for a celebrity divorce. The “westernized” celebrities are more likely to marry for love, live together, share their lives. Nawazuddin, based on the stuff that is leaking out, had his wife and kids living in the family home with him living somewhere else. His brother was always around and was rude to his wife. His wife took the kids and moved out to live separately but Nawazuddin would show up occasionally and yell at her and the kids.
This is all her version of course. Nawazuddin has yet to officially speak up, but my guess is no one is going to dispute that they lived separately for years and she was the primary caregiver for the kids, and that his brother was involved in their marriage in some way. Nawazuddin’s version might be “I visited regularly, I paid to support them, she was insulting to my family”. But the basic assumption that his brother being involved and the couple living separately but not divorcing is a normal thing will stay. Marriages are fascinating, aren’t they?
Karan Johar’s kids go on vacation!
Well, “vacation”. They found the store of suitcases and are rearranging them. That seems like a fun activity!
Speaking of Karan, it’s his birthday on Monday!!!!
What is your favorite Karan movie? Directed, written, produced?
Okay, you keep talking about that, and I will figure out what books I want to get rid of.
dontcallitbollywood 
Produced: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani just edging out Kapoor and Sons.
Written: Between K3G and KHNH. Think I’ll go with KHNH because of the Saif-SRK scenes, and the Jaya-Preity family plotline.
Directed: Guess I’ll go with My Name Is Khan. My issues with this movie are with the script (also Karan but different category). The performances he brings out of SRK and Kajol are two of the best of their careers. The contrast in settings between childhood SRK neighborhood and the prosperous US is captured nicely. The first half is great. It feels like his craft advanced from his early films.
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Excellent answers all around! I don’t much like Kapoor & Sons, and yet I feel the same way as you, that it is almost the best thing he did as a producer. The stuff I don’t like is in the script and directing, the putting together of the film as a whole, the packaging, is so good. To accept that script idea, bring in Rishi, Ratna, Rathod, and so n in the important parts, that was remarkable.
I think I would also go with KHNH. the ideas are original, especially Preity’s family, and the dialogue is great, the construction is different, and so on and so forth.
for direction, I think I would disagree with you and go with ADHM, but it’s a close thing. The direction in terms of pulling performances from the actors is best in MNIK, but the camera work and visuals are best in ADHM.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 10:30 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Director category is where I feel least qualified, knowing almost nothing about filmmaking.
I just skim watched Kapoor and Sons last night because I was curious to compare Fawads after finishing Armaan and I’m still vetting for future movie nights. The fighting and emotional violence can be hard to watch, but I came away last night thinking that the casting was perfect. Ratna and Rajat are masterful and well matched. Rishi gets to have fun and also show depth. Fawad is not as beautiful so stiff and scrubbed but they took his perfection and turned it into a mask, and then at the end when his true self comes out he’s breathtaking. Sid is naturally looser and more rough-edged, but with an easier charm. The contrast between them is exactly as it should be. And this is an Alia role where her youth and rebelliousness and refinement all work for the character and situation.
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Sid and Alia is where I am torn with the film on casting. But then, their characters are also the least written. I’m not clear on whether alia is supposed to be young and vulnerable, or together and successful. And Sid M’s resolution is terribly underwritten so I’m not quite clear on where his character ends up.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 11:18 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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OK I did have a crack up moment at the end because Sid’s character is shown going in for a classic movie version of the editor meeting where the editor tells him he loved this draft and they’re going to publish it. Only the title on the screen said New Jersey. I sat there for a minute thinking if there are actually any publishers in New Jersey who would publish a debut literary novel, but there are none. It’s such a weird error. Just put New York like everyone else does and, you know, because that’s where the whole industry is based. But from a character standpoint, this is the main moment of resolution with his brother because you hear that he accepted Fawad’s suggestion to give his story a happy ending, which means he’s no longer so threatened by Fawad that he’s shut up in a defensive shell. It goes by really fast, as does the resolution with Alia. Alia’s character I didn’t have a problem with. The fact that she lost her parents at 13 makes her both tough and vulnerable, and not quite like her peers, which is the kind of role that works really well for her.
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Emily – what were your thoughts on Armaan? Was Fawad super sexy in it, or was I delusional because I have been so Fawad starved?!
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He was beautiful. They dressed and shot him beautifully. I found myself irritated with him in the same way I was during Humsafar because the character is another variation of the spoiled rich boy who thinks he’s entitled to the girl. But the ending was nice.
I wrote more thoughts over on the Wednesday post after Kainaat mentioned she watched it too:
Thank you for recommending it, it did scratch the Fawad itch. I miss him and it kills me that it’s so hard for the big Pakistani productions to be released lately, or available on streaming. And of course, rewatching Kapoor and Sons made me think all over again how much I want him and Mahira back in Hindi cinema, it makes me sad to lose these years, they’re so talented. But I’ll take what we can get, we’re all making do these days.
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Hiii can i recommend you a Pakistan drama?? It is on YouTube. It has got 30 episodes and it’s title is “Ishq Zahe Naseeb”. It’s such an amazing drama. It deals with dissociative disorder and the actors are amazing!
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Absolutely recommend! Thanks!
Looks like subtitles might be a bit hit and miss on it, but there are plenty of folks here who can watch without subs
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Karan writer: KalHoNaaHo
Karan director: MyNameIsKhan
Karan producer: Dostana
Oh oh, what a challenge to sort out books…
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Karan producer: Agneepath, too…
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Oooo, Dostana! Good choice, such fun.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 12:10 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Will you see Paatal lok on Amazon Prime? I found it much better than sacred games and even MIrzapur and would def recommend for you to watch it.
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Probably not. I am just completely burned out on dark TV shows.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 12:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m with you there. I can’t take any more violence and crime. You should try Panchayat on Prime. It’s such a sweet, fun and happy show. Neena Gupta is in it too if you like her.
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Directed: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Produced: Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania
Wrote: My Name is Khan
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Oh MAN! I forgot about Humpty! That was such a great move as a producer, finding this spec script and giving it to the director.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 3:15 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The only Karan directed film I’ve seen is SOTY. I mean, sure. Dostana for production.
I rewatched Ilzaam. The version on youtube now I’m pretty sure has parts cut out of it, but oh well. I had forgotten how great Govinda was in his early days. Always flouncing out of rooms and crying. He cries ALL THE TIME. Anyway it was a mistake to rewatch that because now all I want is to watch Govinda cry.
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PS: Nawazuddin’s divorce is ugh. I could still shag him if he was just a sucky husband but I won’t touch a yeller. What a waste of looks.
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Yep, sounds not great. I mean, his wife could still be lying/exaggeration, but I feel like “he used to yell at me” is a pretty boring lie so it feels more like truth.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 3:34 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Now I really want you to watch KKHH! You may hate it because of the “tomboy” cliche (which I don’t think it actually buys into so much), but it is sooooooooooo bright and cheesy and fun. Also, there is a popular against the grain lesbian reading.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 3:33 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I think I have seen it but barely remember it. It has that camp, right? With the little Sikh boy. Really all I remember is I cried buckets at the end like anyone else but ultimately it had no effect on me so I don’t feel qualified to say anything about it. It didn’t get me into Indian movies, anyway, which was the aim of the person who rec’d it.
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Ha! We are watching it live right now, and just got to the end.
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Well, is it the one with the camp?
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Yep!
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Okay, well then I’ve seen it, but didn’t really like it. Although I do love that lesbian fanvid.
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Directed: K3G
Written: KHNH
Produced: Dear Zindagi
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Looks like KHNH is pulling forward in the “writing” category. Such a good script!
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 3:48 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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And it was only his 3rd script and he was 30 years old only. I miss young Karan’s movies 😦
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I mean, there’s a straight up reason for it, which Karan himself says His Dad died during KHNH, and he stopped feeling like the world was a safe happy place where things work out, stopped having someone tell him “you gotta make it happier”..
Although, come to think of it, we haven’t had a movie since his kids were born. That would be an equally big internal shift, right? So maybe there’s a new happy more optimistic Karan out there waiting to burst forth.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 4:34 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Takht is supposed to be K3G of the Mughal era, and it makes me happy. Unfortunately, I have seen Kalank and I’m a bit nervous too.
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Well, Takht is already super delayed, which I choose to read as Karan being careful to avoid the Kalank errors.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 4:51 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m such a sucker for Dharma movies, this is so difficult.
Directed: SOTY, I ranted about this in another post.
Produced: HSKD
Wrote: KKHH
Honorable mentions: KHNH, MNIK, YJHD, Hasee Toh Phasee, Kapoor & Sons, Raazi
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You are the first person to pick ANY of those options! Thank goodness you are here to represent the young view 🙂
On Mon, May 25, 2020 at 3:54 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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