I finally watched Bommarillu! The movie that I was told is like Boys, and like Happy, and like Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, only better. And it really was better! Or at least just as good.
What an interesting masala of movies (that tracks, right? I was going to use “melange”, but that’s just French for “mix”, so why not “masala” instead?)! My Netflix envelope claimed it was a remake of some American movie called Assassins. But that’s just one of many many films that went into creating this one.
What an interesting movie! I mean, of course it’s an interesting movie, it’s a Priyadarshan comedy. There’s more human tragedy and quiet despair in a Priyadarshan comedy than in a whole Sanjay Leela Bhansali epic.
I saw Dangal! I am getting no sleep tonight! Oh well, I’m sure I will be able to sleep sometime. Monday? Anyway, I wanted to get a quick NO SPOILERS review up while it was fresh in my mind.
Not like a “mentor who is romantic” (that would be Shahrukh in Dear Zindagi) but as a mentor in the field of romance. He is not great at it, at least as shown in Dil Chahta Hai and, possibly, in this movie.
Dangal is opening 2 days early in America, yaaaaay! So this is my second to last Aamir post, and I get to start Salman week 2 days earlier than I thought I would! Also yaaaaay! Since I am getting close to the end, I’m going to pull out a nice interesting movie, Raja Hindustani!
Just for the joy of it, I am going to write about Tum Mere Ho, potentially the worst movie Aamir has ever been in. One of those movies that it feels like the producer ran out of money so they just stopped filming and called it “the end”. I’m sure I will figure out a way that it relates to Dangal, but mostly just want to remind us all that Aamir has a past before his “great actor” period.
I first knew Sarfarosh for the love songs, one of which (“Hoshwalon Ko Khabar”) is one of my all time favorite songs, both the video for it and just the way it sounds on its own. And then a watch the movie, and come to find out that it is barely a romance at all! Which is what, I suspect, it will have in common with Dangal. The Aamir romance is there, sure, but it’s not really a big deal compared to everything else going on.
Happy Aamir Week Day 2! 3 Idiots! One of those movies that I have been avoiding because there is so much to say it overwhelms me. But no more! I’m not going to worry about saying everything, I am just going to say a little bit about one aspect.
I totally forgot about Aamir week for Dangal until TJ Stevens reminded me in the comments. Actually, I was thinking that I would need to start doing something for Salman week, but I guess I can start that after I finish with Aamir. I’ve still got his massive 3 part birthday post from last year, I can always update that and add in some quick reviews or something, right? And maybe just let him have the whole last week of the year to himself, to make up for cutting his birthday celebrations short?
It feels wrong to say that! The Hindi remake is always supposed to be the watered down less good version of the non-Hindi original. But watching this movie, I found myself missing the slight changes the put in to make it work better for the Hindi industry.
I followed the controversy back when it first came out, but I couldn’t find a version to watch anywhere back then. And then the controversy died down, and it was posted online again, but I stopped caring. Until a couple of people in the comments here reminded me!
I know I know, I should be picking off of my list. But ErosNow just added a bunch of Malayalam films and I got over-whelmed by options and decided to just go with the first one that popped up with Mammootty.
No big massive full summary coming for Befikre! Partly because Dear Zindagi exhausted me, partly because my sense is that my commentators aren’t as interested in a massive discussion of this movie, as they are of other movies. But mostly because I don’t think it is analyzable, to take it apart would be to destroy it.
I was very very nervous about how this movie would work, but it totally worked! I was afraid it was going to be a big Aditya Chopra movie taking the industry in another new direction where I didn’t want it to go. But turns out, it’s just a little Aditya Chopra movie, a nice harmless little thing that just happens to be made really really well.
So, back at Thanksgiving 2 weeks ago, I saw this movie for a second time. And I am just now getting around to writing about it, because Christmas and work and Dear Zindagi, and it’s all been a very stressful time. While I was visiting her for Thanksgiving, my sister and I had a wonderful time watching sappy romances, but it is always a bit of a quest to find a movie that would suck in my brother-in-law. Bahubaali worked wonders last year, and this year I did the “just keep us company for the first 5 minutes” trick with Bakshy!, and by ten minutes in, he was asking us to pause it when he ran into the kitchen for more pizza, because he didn’t want to miss a minute.
Not the easiest thing to see as “heroic” a figure who fought along side Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany! Yes, I understand the “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” ideology, and that in many ways the evils of colonialism could be considered equal to the sins of Japan and the Nazis, or at least related. But supporting Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany still doesn’t seem like something to necessarily be proud of?
Attakathi, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya, Premam, and now this, they all have very similar content, the kind of content I don’t really see in American film, or even in Hindi films that much. The struggles and pain of being in love, and not being of an age for it. It isn’t something American movies deal with, maybe because it isn’t an issue in the same way in America? At least, not any more.
I just watched this movie again, with someone who hadn’t seen it before, and it confirmed once again that Hrithik in the second half is really kind of dangerously angry. And that I find him much more appealing when dangerously angry than I do when just sweet and kind of dumb!
I got this DVD from Netflix and watched it a while back, and much of it went over my head. But what I could appreciate was the cool things it was doing with story structure and visuals. So that at least I can talk about!
First, just like I did for ADHM, I put up a SPOILER review for DZ first so people who have seen the movie have a place to discuss it. So please, no spoilers in the comments here! And no specific questions like “what did you think it meant when the aliens landed and it turned into a gritty post-apocalyptic drama?” here either. This is the place for people who haven’t yet seen the movie to hang out and learn about it. Everyone else, go hang out here.
Yes, I AM going to spoil the whole movie! I feel terrible about this, considering that Shahrukh was nice enough to release it 2 days early in America so I could see it before leaving for Thanksgiving. But on the other hand, a bunch of other people in America also saw it today, and we should have a place to discuss it. And there are those people (sometimes I am one of them) who want to know how a movie ends before they even decide to see it. But if you are choosing between seeing the movie and reading this post, SEE THE MOVIE!!! It’s really really good.
Saved the best (and also most obvious) for last! When you talk about Shahrukh supporting and encouraging and teaching young women, it’s all about Chak De, India. But, why is he doing it? Both his character in the film Chak De, and in real life by taking this role opposite Alia in Dear Zindagi?
Om Shanti Om! Not the most obvious comparison for Dear Zindagi. But I’m thinking specifically of the second half, and the way Shahrukh interacts with Deepika, changing her into a stronger and deeper person. And the way that interacts with the first half, where it is the other way around.
My second Anushka movie of the week! This time it is NOT a May-December romance. Or I guess it is a May romance but not a December romance? It’s unrequited is what I am saying. And I have to kind of wonder if there is going to be something similar in Dear Zindagi, if only because, how could Alia NOT fall in love with Shahrukh after spending time talking to him? How can anyone?
dontcallitbollywood 