Happy Sunday! Datablue mentioned re-watching Ocean’s 11 on the Wednesday Watching post, and of course that got me started thinking about how/why it should be remade in Hindi film. And then I started thinking about all the other multi-starrer options from American film that really should be remade.
I wrote two fanfic posts on Bahubali, and in both of them I ended up giving Anushka and Prabhas a daughter, Anushka 2. Who has all the confidence of her mother with the fierce sense of duty and justice of her father. And then I kind of fell in love with her character, and ended up starting a fanfic for her and Rana 2 (the illegitimate nephew I decided to give Rana). You can read part 1 here.
I looooooooove the Rocky movies. I came to them late, my father had me watch the first one with him when I was a kid, but then I really got into them in college. It was after my Indian period had started, but the Rocky series was one of the few American products that I could still enjoy. I don’t necessarily want them to be remade, because they are so perfect already, but it’s kind of a fun thought experiment anyway!
Considering that Anushka 2 (the daughter Prabhas 1 and Anushka 1 would have had if Prabhas 1 had lived) isn’t even part of the “real” canon, I have become remarkably attached to my concept of her. So I can’t resist giving her a little spin-off movie all her own. And this works as a sequel to either of my previous Fanfics, the first one or the second one. Also, I really really got into this one, so it is less a single movie and more a mini-series/novel. There will be multiple installments. It will help wean us all away as now that the Bahubali 2 scene by scenes are over.
Well, I managed to finish all the sad bits on Friday, so only happy-happy is left! Well, happy-happy and fighty-fighty. Fight fight fight. But, what if we didn’t need the fight? Or what if the fight had come sooner? How might things have been different? I already did one alternative happy version of the film, but there has been a complaint that it is still not happy enough, because Anushka 1 and Prabhas 1 didn’t get to raise their son. So I fixed that!
I love Karan. Love love love. Both as an artist and a public figure. But I have to admit, he has a problem with endings. Every film either drags on too long or ends too soon. There’s always a feeling of “wait, that’s all there is?” at the end of it. And so, as my birthday gift in advance to him, I am going to fix all that! (real birthday post will go up in a couple days on the actual birthday)
I don’t know why nobody seems to know what to do with Madhuri. She is so wonderful and amazing, and ever since her post-children return to the industry, she isn’t getting the platforms she deserves. But I have ideas!
I know I know, there is beauty in tragedy, no success without loss, blah blah blah. I don’t care, it’s SAD! I can’t take it! So before I go into the really really dark part of Bahubali 2, I am going to have to write my own imaginary happy version of it. So I can pretend there is some other fictional universe where it all worked out in the end.
Happy Sunday! A week ago I put up a post asking for suggestions/votes for classic novels to be turned into fanfic. Pride and Prejudice was the first choice (thus last week’s post), but North and South was a close second. Which also inspired me to finally watch North and South. And it really is perfect for a remake! I barely have to change the plot at all, just streamline it a little.
Obviously, today is Star Wars day. And also a day when I am super busy at work and can’t really focus. But I can do a “speculative” post without any problems! I get so caught up in my little imaginary worlds, that nothing can shake me. So, let’s do a mini Star Wars fest! (updated version of this post here)
I just can’t resist writing this! We’ve been all talking and agreeing in the comments that there were big character moments “missing” from Bahubali 2. And I was suddenly struck with inspiration and I just have to write my version of how those scenes would go.
Happy Sunday! By popular request, Pride and Prejudice! It was the top choice for most readers, followed by North and South. Now, technically, Pride and Prejudice has already been remade, but Bride and Prejudice really doesn’t give the story the remake it deserves.
Did you know today is World Book Day? I didn’t! Amitabh had to tell me. Amitabh’s twitter tells me about every holiday, along with every birth, death, and wedding in the film industry. Anyway, now that Amitabh has alerted me, this changes my plans for the Sunday post! Clearly, it now has to be book themed.
Happy Easter! I am going to cut up cardboard in the basement with my Sunday School class, and then maybe have brunch with Grandpa afterwards to celebrate. Oh, and eat the chocolate bunny that my parents gave me. And also, think about the most Easter-y of all Indian films, Amar Akbar Anthony!
It’s Jaya Bachchan’s birthday! She is 69 years old today, and semi-retired, as are most 69 year olds. But I think she still has some great movies in her, and I would love to see her come back in a leading role.
I don’t know why, but I am feeling very contrary today. I have this strange desire to take light things and turn them dark, and dark things and turn them happy. Thank goodness I can work it out through fanfiction instead of going to the park and throwing things at pigeons.
Someone asked on one of my Rani posts if I thought she would ever act again opposite one of her 90s costars in a rom-com. And I think she might, but only if it was a really really good script. And to help the scriptwriters along, here are some suggestions! (of course, she could always just do my K3G sequel idea with Abhishek, or my Taming of the Shrew idea with Aamir)
You know the concept of “narrowcasting”? Where you target your content to a tiny tiny audience? Welcome to a very narrow cast version of Sunday posts! Just for those of you who are both Indian film megafans, and Golden Girls fans! (also, unrelated, don’t forget to vote for the next tweetalong/watchalong movie on Friday’s post!)
Still not going to say “Bollywood”! I have taken a solemn vow! And even my addiction to alliteration will not sway me! But I am going to give in to my addiction to Fairy Tales and use it as the basis for a movie.
The Taming of the Shrew, obviously. It’s a super fun play with great characters and plot and some really nice speeches. But also a big bad misogyny section right in the middle that it is very hard to deal with without losing that “comic” touch. But I think we can do it! With careful casting and some gently massaging of the plot.
I think Shakespeare’s tragedies have been pretty well covered by Indian film, don’t you? And this week we get yet another version of MacBeth. But what about his comedies? Besides Dil Bole Hadippa, have we had any in the past few years? Datablue asked me a question about it on Monday’s post, and that got me thinking. More Shakespeare comedies, I say! Possibly following the lines I lay out below.
Time for my silly post! This week, I was looking at my DVD shelf trying to think of what to talk about, and my eye fell on K3G. And I suddenly remembered the one very unfinished plot point in that movie. Whatever happened to Rani’s character?
I finished Zindagi Gulzar Hai! Full review post(s) going up sometime this week, although less detailed than I did for Humsafar. But first, let’s talk about my favorite character whose storyline gets kind of forgotten! And see what would happen if she was the focus instead of her grumpy older sister.
I will be putting up detailed posts on Karan’s book later this week, probably Wednesday and Friday. But in the meantime, I immediately got distracted by his declaration that he doesn’t believe in marriage any more and will never marry. Because that’s always what the rom-com hero says at the beginning, right? And then there are elaborate plot shenanigans and coincidences and he changes his mind?
I am still struggling with how Raees ended. Although, Fida’s comment this morning suggesting it was Raees choice to end that way helped a lot. But, I don’t know, I think I still would have preferred a different ending. Not because it was sad (which it was!), but because it was not in synch with the rest of the film and the character and the situation. So, for a fun Sunday post, I am going to re-write it the way it SHOULD have been written!
dontcallitbollywood 