3G Spectrum

Golmal is back.Again!It's Diwali and the expectations are high from the audience. So what does our Shetty saab with his first-sequel-director-in-bollywood-tag do? Make it large, rest takes care of itself. So how does G3 fare?Well Shetty, who has knowingly or unknowingly turned himself into a comedy specialist is no Hrishikesh Mukherjee for starters.Today's world perhaps has no place for the subtleties, wit and sundry other extinct virtues.Blast off the audience with zany dialogues,garish sets, colours, jarring music,background score and over the top set pieces .That silly to the hilt is the hit formula. And you get all you can grab with the third edition of the Golmaal series.
While the laughter quotient keeps running, sometimes haltingly, one gets the feeling early on that its going to be a pucca no brainer verging on the downright acrid stuff. It all gets down to an unbearable and absolutely unnecessary scene with the entire male cast gesturing each other with objects of varying sizes, to shove them up theirs...(yep you read it correctly).
But nonetheless, Shetty manages to keep his audience glued with some thing or the other, especially the vintage and infectiously likeable paring of Mithun da and Supriya Pathak. The pair sizzles and crackles in chemistry,timing,nostalgia inducing sequence after sequence. Mithun's disco dancer days and the delightful cameo by Prem Chopra uttering the famous "Prem naam hai mera.." dialogue are well orshestrated and well taken.
So, we have the mid fifties pair of Mithun/Surpiya and their respective warring "children" who wouldn't mind slicing off each others heads to get a little fun, and an assortment of crooks(Sanjay Mishra and Vrajesh Hirjee, a don( Ghajni inspired Jonny Lever), a bumbling cop and loads of crashes, broken fingers and what hav nots to complete the running time of 2 hrs and 25 mins.
Expectedly, things get out of hand soon into the movie, and from then on after shot of impossible situations plop onto the screen in the name of a story. Really its just an assemblage of situational set pieces of the very likeable to the very outrageous variety. Go for the few likeable scenes,gags and seriously funny parts without any expectation of sanity and you will have a good time. The music is bearable, coupled with disco dancer numbers. The cast is not that important part of the movie since most of the actors have to scream out their dialogues and make faces at the camera.But still, Ajay infuses enough insanity to his role, Kareena,given more footage may have done better still with her swearing, tomboyish act and the veterans Mithun and Supriya just warm our hearts with splendid performances. Both Sanjay Mishra and Vrajesh Hirjee shine through their respective acts of a nasal toned villian and a cobra tattoed maniac. Jonny manages to hold attention despite a repetative role. The sets are loud to say the least, sound design tends to frequently bring the house down, and the cinematography is of the ad-for-all-paint-companies variety.Despite the low brow, you still get the laffs, and variety. Romance, fights, drama and all. Its zany, aimed at zapping you. Miss the sour parts and try to enjoy this new age genre of all in one spectrum.Jholjhall anyone?

An unfair cut

Dear Mr Priydarshan,

i have watched all the comedies that you made, with the intention to get a good laugh. And i found a strong reason to say that clean topical comedy has been born again because of you. If one director can take the mundane middle,lower middle or lower class setting, preserve their respective dynamism, their many shades, and yet deliver a side splitting comedy, its you. The sharp wit in the dialogues, and the native humour in the situations are all your trademark symbols of new found vigour for laughathons. Dazzling camera and cinematography were always your strong point, well before bollywood woke up to you post Hera pheri. These points are proven beyond doubt in the latest venture of yours called Billoo. i yet again warmed up to the rib tickling fun patented by you, well i almost enjoyed the whole movie, the emotional part well taken too. Well almost. It will not be fair to say that the entry of the superstar Sahil Khan played by Shahrukh was not brilliant. What detailing, what imagery! Wow! And the song settings, exceptional. The wry humour was evident throughout, culminating in the most funny scene of the year, the police inspector's dialogues fumbling one. And finally a well orchestrated climax. Every thing was right, well almost.Here is where the danger zone is, this well almost there thing. For some, it passes off as good effort. For some it just cannot escape extra bit of scrutiny. That is the funny part in the balancing game, just cannot be thinly balanced on a extra heavy plank. A superstar like Shahrukh Khan would need some heavy dose of fireworks to please the masses, not just two songs and a few far between scenes. Not fair Mr Priyadarshan Sir. This is not just a story about Billoo, its about the phenomena called King Khan. Where is the showcasing of your prized ticket? Keeping the two protagonists apart all through? Not fair Sir. You almost scored ten on ten with the rest of your craft, sometimes exceeding past experience, but not at the cost of keeping the highly prized USP under wraps for a full 120 minutes. That has proved fatal. This is a very late review. All the noise around the movie has died down, its over. But i still watched it for you, just to see if i find the reason for the dismal showing. i did. And it just looks like someone snipped the most precious moments of your movie before release. One was half the title, second was the reason this may have hit bulls eye. Change your barber sir, pronto.

WELL D

Er..that would be WELL DONE Mr Anurag, stupendous job as a sensitive, artistically inclined ( although a bit dark) brave new face of bollywood. Well done indeed. You truly are a great student of cinema. Zooming on then,to the bizzarely twisting life of a modern Devdas, one does get the feeling of helplessness and bitterness that some indulgences and prejudictions of this man begets him. He is easily drawn into the most prolific killing trap of all romances;doubt and jealousy. Spoilt brat that he is, soon enough he hits the bottle to confront his callous shallow self. And predictably looses wheel after wheel in a already bumpy shaky ride of his life. Turning into an insufferable nervous jerk of an alchoholic, he stumbles into the life of his alter ego, the taunting, sizzling, soothing social outcaste, his Chandramukhi. Never to be sure of anything, he looses some more of his sanity here too, for a brief while even trying to serenade his by now ex, messing up every bit of it. All along he chases his own shadow, always unsure, always the heartbreaker, always the impossible. A few near fatal episodes later, he calms down some what, but looses everything that he was so proud of all his life. The climax isn't that gloomy, a detour from the classic novel. That's alright. The purpose is served. We end up smacking our lips at a great feast(and boozing)of in your face cinema.This is great stuff man! Only the brave travel the path less frequented, and this director shows a thing or two about creating a niche.The dark atmosphere is suitably fed with a controlled narrative, the out of control life of a looser perfectly showcased. The film never looses its focus, albeit a little repetative with the boozing binges of our fallen hero, but we gulp that down too in a single shot. Bring on more directorji! Deol the third is by now the most celebrated artist of the parallel movement. And he doesn't dissapoint. The ladies steal the thunder from time to time, as per their screen space.The music has a few decent tracks with one of them really a emosonal rejuvenator. Good camera work, especially of the drunken scenes. The cinematography captures every mood perfectly. Dialogues are deliberately colloquial and expletive laden, adding to the zing factor. Finally the dream merchants have started to deliver out of the dream world. Keep going. The world is watching.

Q&A FILMI ISTYLE

The opening sequence in Slumdog Millionaire shows a lanky yet suave looking boy in his late teens being tortured in a police lock up, the officer on duty saying; we know you cheated, just tell us how. The viewer tends to summarise the entire movie then and there,thinking, uh huh they implicated a contestant who had just became a millionaire because of his background?, that's sad.But hold on, the writer of the novel, from whose material the movie is made, had other plans, total filmi plans which apparently a certain Mr. Boyle appreciated a lot.Welcome then to the world of Jamaal, a boy of the rugged slums who grows up running around semi naked on the streets covered with( you wouldn't believe what) to fetch an autograph of the iconic Mr Bachhan.That this little encounter with big B and other facets of the tiny tot's roller coaster life has some significance in his millionaire avatar is the heart and soul of this 'see it to believe it story'. The film has an impact on the mind of the viewer, no doubt about that, the plausibility of the story not withstanding. We see a grown up Jamaal on the sets of KBC anchored by Anil Kapoor (extraordinary), getting over question after question with a determined look on his face.He actually is perplexed by the choice of questions as is revealed later.Possibility has a thing with timing, improbability has a thing with situations, and here, we encounter improbable possibility, and gulp it down because it is bollywood filmy ways being celebrated by a hollywood director.What more do you want?.Sit back then, and soak in the craftiness of a seasoned Mr Boyle, as he embarks on a back and forth narrative, well orchestrated sequences, and extra dollops of high drama.You laugh at the silly masala movies? Shame on you! This guy from far, takes every possible masala trick, and presents a rollicking rags to riches saga with all the seriousness and intensity that he would otherwise display for his native production.The obvious glitches include the choice of the teenage couple, both look very unlike slum kids and carry an accent straight out of the ABCD flicks that we see.The much hyped music is by far a strange mix of 90's bollywood and Rehmanised rap.Acting department if ably led by Anil Kapoor, the rest of the cast merely holding a candle to the real star.The production values expectedly are great, the visual chutzpah evident.Camera is deftly handled, so is the rich cinematoraphy. All in all, you get value for money, who said there cannot be a much celebrated globalised version of 'in our face'desi drama?.That's exactly what brings the west to east.

SHORT TERM GAINS

Amir khan likes to challenge himself. He is excellent more often than not. In this venture, which is essentially a southern flick with similiar sensibilities, he reaches a greater height in terms of performance, less so cinematically. Ghajini promises the moon, and lands in a man hole in earth itself. A breezy rollicking first half takes you through the lives of an upcoming model, Kalpana and a multi millionair cell phone company owner, Sanjay Singhania.One just savours the rare comical streak seldom found in a female lead, and a restrained, gentlemanly demeanor in a male lead also rarely seen these days. Amir and Asin(impressive) strike up a sparkling chemistry inducing chuckles galore through the courting routine. Just then destiny and plot point take a gory twist and the language of sublime cinema is lost to some hellishly orchestrated bloody shots. No one complained about the more grotesque sequences in some well known movies of yesteryears, they were made to order.Here, a seemingly goody goody flick is dragged to messy labriynth as if to make enough impact on a vunerable audiences mind and not to indulge in the plot itself. Here is where an ordinary director and an extraordinary cine czar differ.Murudagoss(hope i got it right) firstly commits a blunder by leaving the two halves ie first and second, poles apart, i couldn't connect to the change in character of Sanjay, his anguish boiling over, tripping him to the brink of insanity. Secondly the rampaging anti hero is repeatedly paired opposite a second female lead which serves very less purpose and dilutes the narrative, the lady also being burdened with these unnecessary numbers (A R Rehman oddly off colour). Three hours plus for a one man army dhishum dhishum saga is a bit of a drag too. Even the hero's 15- minutes -only memory condition could have been handled much better. Action, the strongest point of the story, is more on the Rajni starrer variety, only less airborne in nature.The movie is carried on the well built shoulders of Amir. He is likely to walk off with a few statuettes this year for this performance. Ably supporting him is the spunky Asin who looks set for better things. A special mention for the brilliant photography, cinematography and camera. Good sound recording and saucy dialogues perk up the proceedings,though the same can not be said about the lyrics(latoo...latoo...what's wrong Prasoon Joshi?). A fine movie material which had the potential of a gold mine is squandered by the makers for a short term gain. Alas and alack.

Thandi Jodi

Hmmm.....SRK tires a different role.And succeeds in establishing a likeable,timid,innocent yet lovable character with Suri.This bespactacled Punjab Power employee is a new hero in bollywood who is struggling to find love even after marriage!They usually find love many times over by the time marriage is on the cards.The 'problem' that's the central idea of this film is Suri's wife's condition that dosen't allow her to break away from her troubled past.And hence Suri sets on an adventurous journey to woo his 'ladies' in style.A dance competition allows him to express his love through his alter ego 'Raj' who sees love in everyone,especially if there is a splash of godliness in him/her as the case might be.The problems of the movie start with Raj's entry, as this character, though decently written, lacks the conviction so essential in a whirwind-sweeping-her-off-the-feet-kinda-guy.Also,the plausibility is missing since he isn't too disguised so as not to be recognised by his own wife! The middle class setting and emotional quotient is balanced between the characters ,but what's missing is the vital ingredient of hilarity and 'landed in a soup' sort of situational bonus.The director should have taken a leaf or two out of some previous gems, notably Amol Palekar's Golmaal.The dilemma of the now demure housewife, now exuberant sucker for love heroin, is understandable to a certain extent,not so the climax where she suddenly falls for her husband all over again stating the hackeyend bland theory of seeing Rab in him.The totality is diluted by the holes in the story line,which could definitely have come a whammer with some imaginative puntuations and more of the situational cartwheeling.
A thanda comeback for Adi sadly enough.King Khan pumps in as much fun as possible in a double role which essentialy is the best part of the movie.The newcomer, Anouska has a 1000 watt smile and that's about it, wish she could pull in some chutzpah.Music is just about okay with yet another bollywood parade song routine thown in,which has lost its novelty now.Dialogues are of the ji ji variety without any sharp oneliners.A notable fact is that the current reality show mania is being capitalized upon, but the sweat,emotional rollercoaster and high voltage drama which is visible in these shows is conspicious by its absence.Not happening.

OLLO? ORIGINALITY KI HOLO?

It's still fresh in our minds, the bong belle and the tall Jr Bachhan stealathon.So it can't be helped if if the comparision starts immidiately.Given that Dibakar Banerjee has made a good first impression with Khosla Ka Ghosla, his edge and grip on the medium cannot be denied.And actually, with this one, the viewer does get sucked into the Delhi ambience all too smoothly,especially with the opening sequences of a lovable crook in the making.The hopes rise and rise with some truly authentic saada Delhiwale characters(Paresh Rawal delivers a winning threesome combo punch, Archana Puran Singh fiesty again,Abhay Deol fittingly subtle)and story setting.But the grown up chor is too close for comfort to the earlier avatar of Bunty in a Yashraj production.It is worth noting the detailed approach of the talented Mr Banerjee, who makes it all look too delicious and saucy.The story then is of a skinny Jat boy who finds his way around life by taking some easy shortcuts.For example; steal a bike for a day from local garage to impress girl next door because pop delivers blows when asked for a bike. The adolescent, denied of a happy childhood, obviously dosen't fit in the family set up, less so his own, and at the first chance, leaves his house for good. The daddy (Paresh Rawal's first character) meanwhile had got home a loose character aunty despite being married.Our hero when left on his own, goes astray.He is grown up after a few reels more of petty crime. The big chor, our Lucky, is sleek and handsome(like all heroes) and anyone crossing his zigzagging path becomes unlucky(unlike most heroes).The dealings become shadier by the day as he starts off in the big league by stealing imported cars for a rowdy dance show organiser(Paresh Rawal in second character).When confronted by the law at a juncture, Lucky hoodwinks the cops and dumps his buddy to start afresh elsewhere.Growing more desparate in each heist, he at last meets a man who would eventualy con the conman, together with his mean wife(Paresh Rawal's third character), a vet who dreams of a restaurant business.The love interest is in the form of an escort's younger sister.The climax is all about how Lucky having trusted unworthy friends in his highflying giddy days, falls alone, but still is a lovable chor next door.The music expectedly is peppy with bhangra beats galore.A more strudy narration would have given the movie an added impetus.Dialogues are essentially witty and coloquial, keeping the proceedings engaging.The story, incidentally of a real life thief, would have held attention and found more buyers had we not witnessed the more glitzy edition already.Yet OLLO holds on its own in parts, and the gentleman crook act of Abhay Deol is really cool. Thumbs up to him, the maker and the team for being true to their craft,but alas we have only a mere three hours to deliver a not guilty verdict, which in this case is unexpected by the chor himself.