Having moved in to a new house, what with all the work going on it has become extremely difficult to to catch a film. Honestly, I am having to squeeze-in a film between office work and house work (and waking up at 3:30am for Baba Ramdev’s Yoga camp). One look at the posters and lead actors of this week’s two releases you know they are the multiplex-types. Given my constraints, I choose the film that is supposed to have various guest appearences, including Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan’s. At the end of it, I didn’t feel lucky; not even by chance because Luck By Chance is painfully long, boring, uninteresting with the same types of movie industry based jokes we’ve seen and heard before.
It begins with glimpses of the movie industry: spot boys, ticket counters, make-up artists etc; it would make a good Lonely Planet picture book on Bollywood. Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan Akhtar) is the son of a businessman in Delhi and has joined an acting school in Mumbai to become an actor. His roomates too are struggling in theater and as assitant director. Vikram wants to make it big and so does his next door girl friend Sona (Konkana Sen Sharma) who has been close to (at least they haven’t shown anything physical) a producer who has been promising her a lead role. One fine day, out of sheer luck/ by chance Vikram’s photos land up with Bollywood’s top producer Rommy Rolly (Rishi Kapoor) and he gets called for an audition. He clears it only because prior to this he happens to meet, flatter, and flirt with Neena Walia (Dimple Kapadia) in a party whose daughter Nikki Walia (Isha Sharwani) is making her debut. The debut film was originally planned with Hrithik who wants to leave the project for Karan Johar’s because one of Karan’s hero breaks his leg. The first half is a drag with most scenes depicting life in a producer’s world and a good number of scenes with Hrithik Roshan as Zaffar Khan, the current big star (I wonder why even he accepted such a silly role). The second half is a really big drag with really nothing going on expect showing the shooting, completion, post production of Vikram’s film and the romance, and rumors of the lead actor’s affair. Only towards the end, somethings happen (only to end the film as it was going no where) and our hero Vikram Jaisingh realizes that he has made some mistakes in his arrogrance (yes, his film becomes a super hit) and asks for forgiveness, but this girlfriend Sona asks him to get lost. The film ends with Sona reflecting on life and life in the movie industry.
Firstly, the film is too long with nothing of substance going on. The jokes are again sitcom style and most of
the jokes or pokes at the industry are those we’ve seen and heard before. There is no novelty here; we all know that the industry today is dominated by star kids and family members. I wonder what exactly the film is about? It begins with Vikram’s story and ends with Sona’s reflections. The film’s title suggests that you need luck to make it big, but apparently our hero Vikram thinks that he struggled hard to get this role. Such nonsense, I tell you. The pace of the narration is too slow. The guest appearences are nothing to baost off–same type of appearences where they speak a line or two. Aamir Khan makes an appearence in the very begining shooting for a scene. SRK gets a vital scene where he advices the new star on the block that stardom should not go to one’s head and one must not forget the peopel who were there with and by him before he became a star (and so the film moves quickly towards it’s end, thankfully). The life of this film is really Rishi Kapoor’s spirited performance as Rommy Rolly, the superstitious producer with a curly hair wig and a big tummy. Dimple Kapadia looks ravishing. Juhi Chawla is fine, and so are the others. Farhan Akhtar and Konkana are fine. Sanjay Kapoor, whom we all forgot, talks exactly like Anil Kapoor in a comic role.No song remains with you after the film has ended.
I wonder what this film would be had Zoya Akhtar not been a star kid herself. Zoya too is lucky else no body would even have picked up her project. There is no story to tell. We’ve seen moves with industry backdrops before and they are thoroughly entertaining, like Rangeela, with a story to tell with a protagonist having a strong characterization. What is the reason for Vikram to leave Delhi and come to Mumbai? The biggest problem is there is no main character; in the first half you feel the main character is Hrithik Roshan and Rishi Kapoor while in the second half you are not sure, but in the end it feels like Konkana is the main character. Such films should be made for and released on TV only.
Mr. Inkenti’s Movienomics Verdict: Thumbs Down. Save you money, and watch it on DVD or cable TV later. Don’t be deceived by the desinger posters.
5:21pm, screen 1 at Prasadz multiplex, the show is about to begin in 9 minutes and I can’t wait to hear the music. Honestly, I didn’t care much for the film, but I wanted to hear the music from the guy whom I’ve adored since a child as he goes to the Oscars to see if his nominations turn in to awards. 4 Golden Globes, 10 Oscar nominations, Indian setting with mainstream Bollywood stars like Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan…my expectations were sky high. Typically, award winning films don’t go down well with mainstream audience, like me, but Slumdog Millionaire is not that (bad) kind of awards-film; it wants to entertain. Yes, Slumdong Millionaire does deliver, but, personally, I feel the film appeals more to the foreign tourists who are fascinated by the unbelievable contrasts that India offers.
The story is about Jamal and his elder bossy brother Salim–from their childhood to adulthood. They live in the slums of Bombay and their hard events in life from getting an autograph of Amitabh Bachchan, losing their mother in Hindu-Muslim riots to the exploitative begging mafia teaches them some lessons. As a matter of sheer co-incidence, destiny, or luck when Jamal goes to participate in Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, the questions he gets asked have answers in his life’s events. He goes to win the show and the girl he loved unconditionally at the end. The story is simple, but it is the narration that captivates you (at least in the beginning). The film begins with grown-up young Jamal in jail being beaten to own up about how he knows all the answers as Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) suspects he is cheating on his show and gets him arrested. Eventually, the inspector (Irfan Khan) gets convinced with his life-story and how he knew the answers and lets him to go answer the last question. This is not intellectual material here; just plain simple story with good narration that kinda gets stale in the second half as it is the same narration throughout the film—the game and the flashbacks in to Jamal’s life. The second half too is a little uninteresting as nothing new or elevating is shown. Nope, there are no twists here or surprise ending. 
So the other day I finally see the film all Telugu film critics on their websites are raving about calling it a “magnum opus”, “extravaganza” and so on. I too loved the trailer and went for the first day first show on 14th January, 2008 only to know that the show is cancelled. The movie released on Friday and I saw it in Prasadz, second row from the bottom all geared up to enjoy the special effects, horror, thrill, and sound right under the nose of the characters (it’s a Rs 100 for even this absurd location in a multiplex—reason strong enough to bring about Multiplex Reforms). Agreed, the film is a hit, but I expected more as Arundhati is nothing more than a B-grade, not sleazy though, full fledged commerical horror masala film that, however, engages you, but is no value addition to the genre it belongs to.
The present day Arundhati (Anushka) is a girl born to a royal family that treates her like a princes. She is about to be married when the spirit of Gadwal’s coffin is broken and it is set loose. The spirit brings her to Gadwal to take it’s revenge on her. Arundhati, the modern Hyderabadi she is, obviously doesn’t fall for such stories, but is forced to beleive when she sees and hears people and sounds she should not in their dilapidated mansion. The local fakir who is the consultant on all maters spooky (Shivaji Shinde) senses danger for her and asks to leave town. Arundhati asks her grandmother-like care taker to tell her about the old mansion. The story is about Pasupathi (Sonu Sood) who is a sex-maniac, womaniser, drunkard, and abusively violent. Married to young Arundhati’s (three generations back) elder sister, he does hideous acts and in one instance cuts the jacket of Arundhati’s blind dance teacher, stabs her twice, rapes her with as she is breathing her last with blood all over. Young Arundhati sees this and swears revenge on him and when her sister commits suicide she orders him to be beaten and thrown out of the village. Pashupati joins with a band of agohras (cannibals type people), learns tantric, and becomes a monster and returns on the day of Arundhati’s marriage. On seeing the beautiful and fully grown up Arundhathi, he falls for her and wants to rape her too, but then a big fight ensues and he is buried alive by Arundhati. However there is danger of him returning and if he returns as the soul of the dead body then he is unstoppable. He can only be stopped if Arundhati sacrifices himself, and a weapon is made with her bones to kill Pashupati. This is the first half. The second half, that moves at full-spped, is all about finding this weapon and killing Pashupati for good.
twists or turns. It is one big rape story of a sex starved spirit. Honestly, the effects are nothing to boast about. You’ve seen these in Ammoru too and Anji was better. The highlight of the enterprise is Anushka’s performance as the powerfull, strong, and iron willed Arundhati who is hailed as Jejemma—the land’s Goddess who vaniquishes evil. The sarees she wears, the big bindi, the jewelry, the ferocious look in her eyes have all suited her well as though she was meant to play this role. However, her dances are awkward and laughworthy and as the present day Arundhati she is just ordinnary. Sonu Sood as usual is handsome, but it is his dubbing voice by P Ravi Shankar that is the highlight. Nope, nothing iconic like laka laka laka here. In fact, the entire second half is dominated by the dubbing artist’s voice. There are plenty of rape references, a gory, bloody rape and murder scene, loads of horror/freak scenes, pots of blood flying around, possessed people, references to spirits and the occult as though it was for real. Parents be forewarned.
The family has been busy moving houses, which meant most of the items on my favorites list was put on hold: movies, interet, blog etc. Thanks to the BSNL guys, the internet is up and running in relatively quick time, and so is this blog. Ok, now back to this so-called wannabe kung fu action comedy of Music-Video Star Akshay Kumar that is supposed to propel him and Indian Cinema to the international arena what with Warner Bros. being the producer. Given a title like Chandni Chowk to China (CC2C), the film had every potential to begin 2009 on a blockbuster note and further establish Akshay Kumar’s new found ‘hot’ status. Does it? On the contrary it does the reverse! Neither is the film a journey from Chandni Chowk to China nor does it entertain and with all it’s attempts at being international and desi, the film hopelessly falls flat on its face while doing it’s ridiculous acts. 
Hojo (Gordon Liu) is an evil man who is considered a terror in a small village in China. He kills the poor peasants by throwing his hat at them and the hat slices their neck. The villagers want a break from this evil dude so they all pray to Lord Buddha and as they are praying a voice narrates (this voice will be there throughout the film narrating the events as though we don’t understand what is happening or may be it is to make us sure that we must beleive what nonsense is being shown) to us that these village peasants have seen their savior and this savior lives in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Enter, Music-Video Star Akshay Kumar as Siddhu who is at his best again…doing what he does best—acting super-dumb in the super-dumb movies he selects. Siddhu is a vegetable cutter and carrier who works under Dada (Mihun). Siddhu is tired of this living and wants to make it big by luck even though his father-like caretaker and guide advice him that even good luck needs good hard work. A few minutes into Chandni Chowk, and we are shown two from that Chineese village who have for Siddhu mistaking him for Liu Sheng, a warrior of that village. Siddhu’s advisor, Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey) who is a Chineese by blood but settled in India advices Siddhu incorrectly just so that he can get to visit China. So Siddhu and Chopstick leave for China with Siddu continuously acting like a big-fool.
toxic movie asset. There is nothing big about this film for it to have Warner Bros. present it. Ramesh Sippy obviously has lost his mind or not insisted on a fully bound script from the director, Nikhil Advani. Or if he did read the fully bound script then he has fully lost his head. With Salam e Ishq it was a suspicion, but now it is confirmed, Kal Ho Na Ho is definitely directed by Karan Johar only. I don’t expect our film makers and/or story writers to write original material, but even the trash they write can at least be well presented. Akshay Kumar saw Singh is King written on a lorry and put that title for a film that had nothing to with the title. Next, he sees a poster and tells the producer to come back with a story that depicts or resembles his life story of a cook becoming a Star. Akshay Kumar is reducing himself to what I consider a Music-Video Star and nothing else as the stories he selects just will not take him any further. Akshay Kumar tries too hard to by funny and we can see his viens when is trying so hard. He should simply sign contracts to do Music Videos and they will do well. Deepika baby has put on some weight (read flesh) and is looking juicy and hot as Sakhi, but as Meow Meow she looks bekar in that Chinese get-up.
Finally, the much awaited, cirtically acclaimed, and award winning film Slumdog Millionaire will be releasing in Hyderabad, India on 23rd January, 2008. The film has won three Golden Globe Awards, including an award for A R Rahman for the music! Anil Kapoor plays Prem Kumar who hosts KBC and Irfan Khan plays an inspector. The film is only set and shot in India, it is not directed or produced by an Indian. However, the film is based on a novel, Q and A, written by an Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup. The film tells the story of a young boy from the slums, how he wins at the KBC, wins his love, and his adventures with law enforcement. The film is high drama and worth a watch so don’t miss it. Shah Rukh Khan was invited to present the award at the Golden Globes. Incidently, SRK was offered the role of Prem Kumar in the film, but he couldn’t do it. If only he did the role, the film would have been carrying more hype and curiosity in India. Anyways, don’t miss this award winning film.
There was a time in Tollywood, when the war was not about quality or success of movies, but about the quantifying the success of every film featuring a Star. It was perhaps the best time for fans with each film’s producers publising records that seemed unbelievable, but we had to beleive them because we are fans. This was the time when we had Narsimha Naidu vs Indra, Indra vs Okkadu, Tagore vs Simhadri etc. It didn’t matter how the film was; the only thing that mattered was the records: openings, centers, 50 days, 100 days, 175 days etc. Even mediocre films could boast of “records”. Those days are gone now and everybody knows that not all these “records” can be cannot in to record. This excitment is back again with Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi contesting for that All-Time Industry Record. 
Tollywood style, began a publicity campaign that Ghajini has collected at the box-office Rs. 200 crores, which is an All-Time Industry Record and that it has surpassed Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s full-run record in just 2 weeks. Only God knows whatever happened to the inflation adjustment, no. of ticket sales and shows etc. As a counter to this, on 11th January, 2008 Yash Raj Films (YRF), the producers and distributors of Rab Ne…have given a very sweet respsonse by saying that Rab Ne…is the highest ever grosser for YRF. What this means is Rab Ne…has grossed more than DDLF (pre-multiplex era) and Dhoom 2 (post-multiplex era). So where does this leave Ghajini? I guess, the producers of Ghajini too had a short-term memory loss. Currently in Hyderabad, in it’s 3rd week Ghajini is playing in 11 single sreens and Rab Ne…is playing in 15 single screens in it’s 5 week (a unique record even for hit Telugu movies in Hyderabad).
