Change Your Image
jessicarabbit-1
Reviews
Salaam Namaste (2005)
Not too bad for candy floss fun.(Spoiler Alert)
Salaam Namaste starts out as a fun movie, perfect for that Friday night date. Funny with the right dose of romance thrown in. Saif and Preity have a great rapport and share excellent comic timing. With Arshad Warsi leading the honors, the movie has a fantastic line-up of cameos. I liked the truly cosmopolitan and laid-back feel to it. The Director handled some sticky issues, likely to be controversial for a mainstream Hindi movie with a deft, sure touch. Saif Ali Khan has come to represent the metro-sexual Indian man; Preity, the uber-confident, free spirit. Their love story is developed with great pizazz: they start off on such bad footing and go on to discover toe-curling passion.
**Spoiler Alert** In my opinion, pre-marital sex, a couple's decision living together and her choice to keep a baby were handled well. Neither is a judgement pronounced nor their right to decide questioned. The perspectives on each side are balanced well, in an easy narrative without detracting from the fun factor. I was grateful at not being force-fed the "Hindustani Ladki" philosophy that the Chopras and Johars HAVE to add in all their candy-flosses.
What I didn't like: 1)The movie should have been an hour shorter. The end was drawn out and over-done, by that time it devolves into a poor re-hash of Hugh Grant's Nine Months (which in itself was not a great movie). The end is rather crude, slightly overboard on sentiment which is surprising considering that the Director handled more delicate issues earlier in the same film with great ease. 2)Preity sported possibly the worst fake-pregnant tummy ever depicted on film. It looked hard, too plastic-y and the whole song that she dances around with that big thing stuck in her midsection was cringe-inducing.
In the end though, the hilarious first half and crazy credits at the end make up for the boring and predictable last hour of the film. Not too bad if you're at a loose end this weekend.
Lucky: No Time for Love (2005)
Promising new directors
I must start with the admission that the Only reason I wanted to watch this film was my curiosity...I needed to know what Salman Khan's home production would do with an Aishwarya dupe. The movie was fine, I rated it 6/10
****Spoilers!!****
The movie was sharply edited, the story crisp. Expect some clichés, tried-n-tested stock characters and weepy maudlin scenes. I liked the impeccable cinematography and tiny new twists to the familiar story line. For instance: its about Indians abroad but thank heavens, it does not move to Punjab half-way through; no seedy and pointless villains; no discomforting jingoism; the protagonist Adi (Salman) does not spout odiously saccharine lines from the start; he (thank god) does not have that mandatory scene with the girl's mum and neither's parents are dead-set against the lovers.
Basically a school-girl fantasy come true, I expect the girls back home will make it a hit. I was leery about an obviously aging, haggard, lived-a-rough-life Salman paired with a girl (Sneha Ullal) who looks like a school kid. However both were at ease with each others roles, the supporting cast was adequate.
I would like to make a mention of the fact that while the movie itself was not a fabulous, criterion collection material, I felt the Directors did a good job in presenting it. It's a well-made product. The story was told well, the cast did a reasonably good job, it looked great! I'll keep an eye out for their next one. And Oh, Sneha Ullal does bear an uncanny resemblance to Aishwarya Rai, her make-up and wardrobe were clearly chosen carefully to enhance that effect.
As far as subliminal messages go, to a bollywood gossip enthusiast, there were many things to read between the lines. When they first meet, the girl insists she doesn't have a boyfriend, she isn't "that kind of a girl" and so on, to which the protagonist replies in a very jaded manner...yes, I've heard that before. When she then asks him to trust her, he says..."bharoosa kiya". Hmmm, in Hindi that could either mean, I trust you or I had trusted you. Wheee, my gossipy heart rejoiced...just as I had hoped. Later she berates him for not knowing how to talk to a girl. To paraphrase he says, "Well, I say...it was my fault, bye". Ahem! I will say this, one could not but notice, the Protagonist never once expressly declares his love for the girl, even right at the end. The story teases it out and one is left to fill in the blanks. I'll leave the rest for fellow enthusiasts to discover.
Black (2005)
Possible Spoilers...
I liked Black. It was a commendable effort. I am sure Amitabh Bachan and Rani Mukherjee are proud of this film. Its experimental for an Indian film...a Gothic look and scenes more like from a play than a movie. But the characters were developed well, the story was coherent and the performances superlative. Only, the person who plays the father was miscast, he looked out of place.
There are some motifs that have become the trademark of the Director....for instance the way the teacher drags the girl out of the house...happens to the leading lady in Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. There is an echo from Khamoshi at many places. Perhaps its inevitable that the Director repeats what he finds right...I was a little disappointed at the repetition. If judged on its own, Black is amazing. I will look forward to Bansali's next film. I rate it a 9 on 10 for a brave effort by the Director and outstanding performances by the leads.
Anveshana (1985)
Classic worth revisiting
I have always liked Anveshana.
Its a lovely atmospheric movie with a layered story. The characters are well sketched, each with a distinct personality and role. The creep factor builds up and keeps you guessing till the end.
I must add, the shrill screaming got on my nerves after a bit and I did find it cheesy in places but for its time, it is a slick, well shot film.
The soundtrack is beautiful and Bhanupriya looks her best here. Watched this childhood favorite again recently and decided to send this reminder out.
It stands out in a genre full of painfully bad movies.
Veer-Zaara (2004)
cheesy and unoriginal. *Spoiler Alert*
I'm disappointed with Veer Zaara. Shah Rukh continues to be unrelentingly embarrassing-hamming for all he is worth, and Preity Zinta looks old and haggard.
*SPOILERS* The story is a mishmash of all the "hit" trademarks of a Yash Chopra film - the intro of the leading lady in white chiffon, her rain dance about her dreams, Shah Rukh winning the mom over; with all the stock characters: ancient grandma, strong mum n dad et al thrown in. The screenplay is implausible, hasty and the love story just doesn't build up to the grand saga it is supposed to be. The movie insults intelligence of the viewer, so cheesy in places - the court scene where everyone claps when shah rukh finished talking! Groan!
On a positive note, the soundtrack is nice and Rani Mukherjee is good.