Happy Saturday! I am right on schedule, time to do the final apartment clean and wrap presents, then go back to my parents and make a gingerbread house. I don’t know if we actually want to make a gingerbread house, but it is on the list of Christmas Activities I wrote up back in November, so we have to.
When I say “list”, it’s actually a family email I send out with the subject line “My Demands”. It’s tradition! Since I was a teenager. It used to be all pretty and printed out in red and green and I would give copies to everyone and post one on the fridge. My Demands this year have now all been met (Mom made egg nog, I painted a Christmas tree on my window, etc.) except that I want to go for a family walk on Christmas afternoon, make a gingerbread house, and watch Arthur’s Christmas. The threat of My Demands not being met is that I will be disappointed and cry. Not, like, I will fake cry. But actual sincere disappointment and heartbreak. After about 14 years of me being mysteriously disappointed every December, my family rebelled and said “well, why don’t you just give us a list of the things you want and then we won’t disappoint you?” And thus we all live and die by the Demands list. And we are making a gingerbread house by golly! (do any of you have a kid like I was? Very specific visions in their heads of how things will be and then sudden shocking heartbreak when it doesn’t turn out that way and there is nothing you can do to comfort them?)
Okay, things to talk about as I work through My Demands list!!!! Dhanush is supposed to be in a Russo Brothers Netflix series. Russo Brothers made a lot of the Marvel films, they are good action directors. They’ve already cast Ryan Gosling and Chris Pine, and now Dhanush. Very nice for Dhanush, I’m sure it will be an interesting challenge for him, I am strongly suspecting it will be another one of those times when the white guys are the heroes and the not-white-guys are the side kicks/helpers/informers/whatever. Especially because it’s a story about a freelance CIA assassin traveling across Europe to get his target.
In other news, Ranbir Kapoor will, supposedly, have THREE films releasing next year. Brahmastra, Shamshera (the YRF bandit film), and a Luv Ranjan comedy. Which, if any, do you think will actually release? I’m betting on Luv Ranjan. Obviously Brahmastra is an illusion which appears to get closer and yet you never quite reach it. Shamshera is supposedly almost done already, but YRF are such perfectionists with post-production, and Ranbir is soooooooooo sloooooooooooooow with post-production, that I just don’t see it. But Luv Ranjan is quick, cheap, and in control. He could actually make this work. On the other hand, I very much do not want to see Ranbir’s interpretation of a Luv Ranjan hero. What in the right hands is light and self-aware, in the wrong hands can turn gross and self-pitying. Oh, also Ranbir is supposedly putting a clause in his contracts to ensure that filming finishes on time. Because it’s all the fault of the producers. HA! Yeah, Ranbir, if you are the only common factor, than I think that YOU are the problem.
dontcallitbollywood 
You’re getting your Chrises mixed up. Chris Evans, not Chris Pine. Captain America, not Captain Kirk. Chris Evans could have been just another pretty face but I’ve come to suspect there’s a real actor in there, he really impressed me in Snowpiercer. Unfortunately, it looks like he plays the bad guy while Ryan Gosling is the spy they’re trying to turn into the new Bond. (Not a big Gosling fan, I spent most of Bladerunner 2020 thinking this guy? why this guy?) Agreed that Dhanush is probably a secondary role that won’t persist beyond this movie. This seems to be an international strategy by this producer? Same one who did Extraction with Chris Hemsworth (Thor!) and Randeep Hooda, and they have an Amazon series coming with Priyanka as a co-star. Pick a Chris and a competent but not A level Indian star, simultaneous worldwide release on streaming.
https://deadline.com/2020/07/netflix-the-gray-man-ryan-gosling-chris-evans-joe-russo-anthony-russo-directing-1202987267/
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There’s too many Chrises!!! I feel like Hindi film newbies who complain about all the Khans. But really, TOO MANY!!!
I think you nailed it with the strategy. Mainstream white dude in the lead, minor name as a supporting character to bring in the international market.
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First December 2019, then :
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HA! I like how ashamed Ayan looks. He should be ashamed!!! This is RIDICULOUS
On Sat, Dec 19, 2020 at 9:38 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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This is embarrassing to admit, but remind me how these people are related to each other.
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. . . and why is December 4 a thing?
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It isn’t, it’s just the random Friday in December they had picked. What matters is that they had announced a release for a full year earlier and now have to back off that and say it will be 2020, not 2019.
On Sat, Dec 19, 2020 at 11:02 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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They started filming at the beginning of 2018, and it was supposed to release in August 2019.
Then it was postponed to Christmas 2019
Then to 4th December 2020
Then again to nobody knows when.
Only a few other delays and it will be one of those funny movies with so many diffrent hairstyles like Mehbooba (btw It would be a perfect watchalong movie: the hairstyles, the twists, odd scenography, Ajay playing an artist who obsessively paints Manisha Koirala, just like ARK in Fitoor. I love everything in this film)
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They are the cast of Brahmastra. Ranbir and Alia in the center are the leads, and Ayan with his head down is the director. Ayan and Ranbir are best friends, Alia and Ranbir are dating. And then there’s Amitabh.
On Sat, Dec 19, 2020 at 11:01 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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It’s a pretty big threat, 3 Ranbir films at once, but hopefully the delays will save us. Or maybe they will really all come out and critics will finally get sick of him.
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Truly a New Years wish that I want to happen.
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Me too!
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Hello, just want to warn you away from Paava Kadhaigal. I saw Sai doing yoga and clicked on the first episode and it is an extremely tragic true story, which apparently they all are. Not clear from the teaser. Wish I’d known!
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Blech!!!! Thank you!!!! You have performed a great service.
On Sun, Dec 20, 2020 at 11:53 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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And here is Sid both breaking our hearts and being so adorable and sweet in this music video. Enjoy!!
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