Nisha Kothari is Ram Gopal Varma’s Basanti. But in the trademark Mumbaiyya tapori style. Even as Ram Gopal Varma Ke Aag braves one storm after another from the original Sholay camp, here’s what Ghungroo — Basanti’s new avatar — has to say about Sholay 2007 to Pratim D. Gupta.
What was your first reaction when you were offered the role of Basanti in the new Sholay?
I felt happy because I was getting to be part of such a big movie. So above anything else it was about getting the opportunity to work with big stars. I had not worked with such big stars before.
Are you a big Sholay fan?
No. It’s not that I don’t like it. Come on, nobody can hate Sholay. But I am no die-hard fan.
So you don’t feel any pressure of playing Basanti, one of the cult characters of Indian cinema?
See, there can only be one Basanti. Nobody can imitate Hema Malini. She is just mindblowing. But Ghungroo, my character, is very different from Basanti. I know people will compare because Ghungroo is a replacement for Basanti.
And how is Ghungroo different from Basanti?
The earlier film had a village atmosphere. This one is set in a town. She drives an auto-rickshaw. So, she is carrying a very different attitude. Right from the way she speaks. And, of course, the way she looks.
Was Ghungroo entirely conceived by Ram Gopal Varma or did you provide inputs?
It was a mutual thing. Ramuji gives a lot of freedom to actors to improvise and come up with ideas. He just told me: “I want a tapori.” Then we had a couple of photoshoots. Once the look was decided things became easy. I mostly wear jeans and colourful ganjees in the film. And there’s almost always a beedi on my lips.
lYou play an auto-rickshaw driver in the film. Did you do any homework for that?
No, I did not do much homework. There was more of spontaneous action. As long as the director liked it, I was fine.
So how were your big co-stars — Ajay Devgan and Sushmita Sen?
Ajay Devgan was very professional. Whenever I would not understand a particular scene, he would help me out. As for Sushmita, she is stunningly beautiful. Unlike the first Sholay, here I do have some scenes with her character and even a song. I don’t know many film people but I found Sushmita to be a great human being. The way she made me feel comfortable on the sets...
Everyone is shouting out his or her view. What is your take on Sholay being remade?
My point is if somebody is remaking a blockbuster like Sholay, he must be having tremendous guts. And Ramuji has shown that. He is a very talented film-maker. Whenever I asked him why he is making this film, he would say that since he loves the film so much he wants to do it his own way. He also believes that today’s generation would want to see a new Sholay.
You are doing a Telugu film. So it’s ok to do a film outside the Varma camp?
I have proved that earlier with The Killer. I can do any film I want. There’s no problem with him or from anybody.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Interview: Sangeeth Sivan
After two back-to-back comic blockbusters Kyaa Kool Hai Hum and Apna Sapna Money Money..?, you would expect director Sangeeth Sivan to make another comedy. And that’s where the man stumps you. Ek — The Power of One is an action film set in Punjab... Sivan talks to Pratim D. Gupta about what he calls “Die Hard meets Yash Chopra”.
You had so many offers to make a comedy, why did you not make one?
I did not want to get myself branded. So I was very clear that I wouldn’t make a comedy after Apna Sapna Money Money..?.
The story of Ek about a man entering a household under a false identity and then falling in love sounds very Kati Patang...
Now, what was the story of Kati Patang? I have seen it but I can’t remember. Ek for me is the official remake of a Telugu film I saw called Athadu, starring Mahesh Babu and Trisha. It was a huge success there and I felt there was a lot of potential in it to make a Hindi film. Of course, we have made a few changes.
And what are those changes?
When you change the setting everything automatically changes. We have placed Ek in Punjab. So it was a challenge for me as a man from the south shooting in Punjab. You will see a fresh perspective for sure. Also, we have tried to give every character a well-defined role. We have changed the climax too. Around 20 to 25 per cent from the original was kept unchanged.
Isn’t the story of mistaken identity passe?
It is a very Indian story. There’s nothing noble about it. But we have given it the styling required for today. People talk about style without substance and substance but no style. It is a double-edged sword but we have tried to strike a balance. Also, you will see some great performances. If you look back my movies are remembered for good performances. Whether it’s Ishaa Koppikar and Tusshar Kapoor in Kyaa Kool Hai Hum or Riteish in Apna Sapna Money Money..?.
But there is so much of Bobby Deol this year?
That’s true but there will be a gap after Naqaab, with Ek not releasing before September. Also you will see a new Bobby. Now that I think of it, nobody barring maybe Sunny Deol 10 years back could have played this role. You need that power, that look which can hit you without action. Bobby has that intensity with the build. He hardly has 20 to 25 lines in the whole film. It’s like the Bobby Deol of Soldier whom everyone misses.
lAnd what have you done with Nana Patekar?
He is usually this angry middle-class rebel. In Ek, he is an upmarket full-on cop. His character is a little eccentric, a little Nana Patekar. His is more of an audience’s character.
Shriya hasn’t got favourable reviews for Awarapan...
She has not been seen that much. So that freshness is still there. Also, there is an innocence in her. See, everybody is striving for some kind of change because the big heroines are always busy. So you have to make do with what you get.
What next?
I have this huge grief of my first film Sandhya never releasing. So I want to get that out of the way by producing a horror film from my own company.
You had so many offers to make a comedy, why did you not make one?
I did not want to get myself branded. So I was very clear that I wouldn’t make a comedy after Apna Sapna Money Money..?.
The story of Ek about a man entering a household under a false identity and then falling in love sounds very Kati Patang...
Now, what was the story of Kati Patang? I have seen it but I can’t remember. Ek for me is the official remake of a Telugu film I saw called Athadu, starring Mahesh Babu and Trisha. It was a huge success there and I felt there was a lot of potential in it to make a Hindi film. Of course, we have made a few changes.
And what are those changes?
When you change the setting everything automatically changes. We have placed Ek in Punjab. So it was a challenge for me as a man from the south shooting in Punjab. You will see a fresh perspective for sure. Also, we have tried to give every character a well-defined role. We have changed the climax too. Around 20 to 25 per cent from the original was kept unchanged.
Isn’t the story of mistaken identity passe?
It is a very Indian story. There’s nothing noble about it. But we have given it the styling required for today. People talk about style without substance and substance but no style. It is a double-edged sword but we have tried to strike a balance. Also, you will see some great performances. If you look back my movies are remembered for good performances. Whether it’s Ishaa Koppikar and Tusshar Kapoor in Kyaa Kool Hai Hum or Riteish in Apna Sapna Money Money..?.
But there is so much of Bobby Deol this year?
That’s true but there will be a gap after Naqaab, with Ek not releasing before September. Also you will see a new Bobby. Now that I think of it, nobody barring maybe Sunny Deol 10 years back could have played this role. You need that power, that look which can hit you without action. Bobby has that intensity with the build. He hardly has 20 to 25 lines in the whole film. It’s like the Bobby Deol of Soldier whom everyone misses.
lAnd what have you done with Nana Patekar?
He is usually this angry middle-class rebel. In Ek, he is an upmarket full-on cop. His character is a little eccentric, a little Nana Patekar. His is more of an audience’s character.
Shriya hasn’t got favourable reviews for Awarapan...
She has not been seen that much. So that freshness is still there. Also, there is an innocence in her. See, everybody is striving for some kind of change because the big heroines are always busy. So you have to make do with what you get.
What next?
I have this huge grief of my first film Sandhya never releasing. So I want to get that out of the way by producing a horror film from my own company.
Feature: Larger than life
Hero no more, post-Krrish, everyone wants to be a superhero. After Abhishek’s Drona, now Shah Rukh is the Joker, writes Pratim D. Gupta
Friendship can take you a long way in Bollywood. In an industry where one big flop means a new director is dead and buried and may never be reincarnated, Shirish Kunder has got the biggest lifeline a director can dream of.
After his debacle debut Jaan-e-Mann, which came in with Don last Diwali and sank despite its super soundtrack and stylised ways, Shirish has managed to convince Shah Rukh Khan to produce his next film. Shirish, of course, is the husband of Shah Rukh’s best friend Farah Khan. Shirish and Farah spent weeks in Melbourne during the shooting of SRK’s Chak De India to make King Khan see money in their movie.
SRK has bitten the bait, even while pumping more and more money into Farah’s own film Om Shanti Om, to release in the last quarter of 2007. Friendship apart, the project has one big thing going for it — SRK’s first superhero film.
Tentatively titled Joker, the Shirish Kunder film will be a lavish sci-fi epic with the Shah Rukh playing a comic superhero.
Call it the Krrish effect or the reaction to Hrithik. Shah Rukh, recount sources, first got jittery about the Roshan rage after Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. Then the challenger hit a rough patch and the champ breathed easy. But now with Don not a patch on the popularity of Krrish and Dhoom:2 vaulting Hrithik into envy league, Shah Rukh has decided to take a superheroic leap.
Joker is also being seen as an attempt to showcase the state-of-the-art visual effects wing of SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment. “I want to do films which push the limits of Indian cinema in terms of special effects and animation,” Shah Rukh had told t2 in a recent interview.
The Hrithik ripple has, of course, touched the Khan camp as much as it has the Bachchan bastion. For first in line to slip into superhero robes is Abhishek Bachchan. Before Joker, Goldie Behl’s Drona will hit theatres with Beta B playing a superhero.
While the plot of the film is being closely guarded by the cast and crew of the movie, what is known is that Drona is set in a futuristic world where Abhishek is the title character — superhero Drona, with superheroine Priyanka Chopra by his side and engaged in a fight to the finish with supervillain Kay Kay Menon.
“I do play a larger-than-life figure but that’s all I can tell you now,” said Abhishek, but Kay Kay was more forthcoming: “Yes, it is about an imaginary world where we wear these lavish costumes and have our own kingdoms to defend.”
Huge budgets — Goldie has in fact run out of money with lots left to be shot — big co-stars and eye-grabbing visual effects, no super prop is being left unturned to steal the Krrish thunder.
That possibly explains why despite having a sureshot winner in a sequel to Krrish, Rakesh Roshan is taking it slow. With Abhishek and Shah Rukh both going the superhero way, Papa Roshan is playing the waiting game and producing a small comedy without Hrithik before conjuring up Krrish 2. He would rather have Hrithik doing some serious contemporary cinema with Anurag Basu while SRK and Abhi get their superhero act together. “Krrish worked because he is the Indian screen’s first original superhero,” Rakesh Roshan said recently.
What he left unsaid was, however good or bad, Drona and Joker will bear the ‘me too’ mark.
Friendship can take you a long way in Bollywood. In an industry where one big flop means a new director is dead and buried and may never be reincarnated, Shirish Kunder has got the biggest lifeline a director can dream of.
After his debacle debut Jaan-e-Mann, which came in with Don last Diwali and sank despite its super soundtrack and stylised ways, Shirish has managed to convince Shah Rukh Khan to produce his next film. Shirish, of course, is the husband of Shah Rukh’s best friend Farah Khan. Shirish and Farah spent weeks in Melbourne during the shooting of SRK’s Chak De India to make King Khan see money in their movie.
SRK has bitten the bait, even while pumping more and more money into Farah’s own film Om Shanti Om, to release in the last quarter of 2007. Friendship apart, the project has one big thing going for it — SRK’s first superhero film.
Tentatively titled Joker, the Shirish Kunder film will be a lavish sci-fi epic with the Shah Rukh playing a comic superhero.
Call it the Krrish effect or the reaction to Hrithik. Shah Rukh, recount sources, first got jittery about the Roshan rage after Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. Then the challenger hit a rough patch and the champ breathed easy. But now with Don not a patch on the popularity of Krrish and Dhoom:2 vaulting Hrithik into envy league, Shah Rukh has decided to take a superheroic leap.
Joker is also being seen as an attempt to showcase the state-of-the-art visual effects wing of SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment. “I want to do films which push the limits of Indian cinema in terms of special effects and animation,” Shah Rukh had told t2 in a recent interview.
The Hrithik ripple has, of course, touched the Khan camp as much as it has the Bachchan bastion. For first in line to slip into superhero robes is Abhishek Bachchan. Before Joker, Goldie Behl’s Drona will hit theatres with Beta B playing a superhero.
While the plot of the film is being closely guarded by the cast and crew of the movie, what is known is that Drona is set in a futuristic world where Abhishek is the title character — superhero Drona, with superheroine Priyanka Chopra by his side and engaged in a fight to the finish with supervillain Kay Kay Menon.
“I do play a larger-than-life figure but that’s all I can tell you now,” said Abhishek, but Kay Kay was more forthcoming: “Yes, it is about an imaginary world where we wear these lavish costumes and have our own kingdoms to defend.”
Huge budgets — Goldie has in fact run out of money with lots left to be shot — big co-stars and eye-grabbing visual effects, no super prop is being left unturned to steal the Krrish thunder.
That possibly explains why despite having a sureshot winner in a sequel to Krrish, Rakesh Roshan is taking it slow. With Abhishek and Shah Rukh both going the superhero way, Papa Roshan is playing the waiting game and producing a small comedy without Hrithik before conjuring up Krrish 2. He would rather have Hrithik doing some serious contemporary cinema with Anurag Basu while SRK and Abhi get their superhero act together. “Krrish worked because he is the Indian screen’s first original superhero,” Rakesh Roshan said recently.
What he left unsaid was, however good or bad, Drona and Joker will bear the ‘me too’ mark.
Interview: Anil Kapoor
After sharing the producer’s credit line with Ram Gopal Varma for My Wife’s Murder, Anil Kapoor turns full-time producer with Gandhi My Father. Pratim D. Gupta quizzed the actor about the August 3 release and more.
Why would a busy actor like you decide to turn full-time producer?
I just felt that the story of Gandhi My Father had to be told to the world. It was an untold story and had the markings of good cinema. I listened to the script as a cinegoer first and was totally moved by it. I knew that I had to bear the brunt of being an actor and producer at the same time. But I wanted to spend all my free time on production. Finally, I ended up focussing so much on this that I didn’t take up any acting assignment.
So it was the film that dictated your decision of turning producer rather than the other way round?
Also because of the director. I have known Feroze (Abbas Khan) for 12 years now. So I knew I wasn’t working with a stranger. I was venturing into an area not completely alien to me.
Did you see Feroze’s play Mahatma Vs Gandhi?
The film is not based on the play. It is based on the biography of Harilal written by Chandulal Dalal. But yes, it’s on the same subject. And I did watch the play and was completely dumbfounded by it.
What was one aspect of the story that touched you most?
That the sacrifice Mahatma Gandhi made for the country was much bigger as a father. I could understand that because I am a father myself. What we know of Mahatma Gandhi is just one per cent of what he actually achieved. He was almost like Jesus Christ, yet very human.
You are the first to be cast in your brother Boney Kapoor’s production. Why are you not acting in Gandhi My Father?
I wanted to be true to the script. I wanted to give complete focus to the making of the film. I don’t have that structure where I can be an actor and producer at the same time. Had the film been produced by someone else, I might have played some role.
Everyone from Naseeruddin Shah to Boman Irani played Gandhi in the stage version. Why did you opt for the little-known Darshan Zariwalla?
Cinema and stage are completely different mediums. We wanted to make the best choice, cinematically. Darshan too had done Feroze’s play. And he being a Gujarati helped. Gandhiji was also a Gujarati. Also, if you notice all the actors who played Gandhi became famous after playing Gandhi. Ben Kingsley was Ben Kingsley after playing Gandhi. So, we thought a new person could be a good idea. In the film he is shown growing from young to old. Some of the senior actors you mentioned have crossed that age where they can still look young.
You insist that Akshaye Khanna was born to play Harilal...
I believe not much has been seen of Akshaye. He has been working for over a decade now but has been thoroughly underutilised. I told him you don’t know how good you are. Now the time has come. After Gandhi My Father, he will definitely be among the top three stars around.
Why did you hold back the ready film for so long?
The nature of the film is such that it has to be released at the right time. Also, I wanted there to be a gap after Lage Raho Munnabhai. I had no sword hanging over my head and I was not answerable to anyone. So I waited. I wanted the film to be marketed globally. Little information about the product rather than a lot of nonsense. I am trying my best to get a global audience.
There are already protests in Bihar on how Gandhi has been portrayed in the film...
I just came to know about that. We have been careful about that since it is indeed a very sensitive subject. So we took the entire Gandhi family into confidence. After Tushar Gandhi (great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi) saw the film, he felt that some member of the Gandhi family had made the film. We have also received a ‘U’ certificate with no cuts.
What are you producing next?
An entertainer called Shortcut directed by Neeraj Vohra, starring Akshaye, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao.
Why would a busy actor like you decide to turn full-time producer?
I just felt that the story of Gandhi My Father had to be told to the world. It was an untold story and had the markings of good cinema. I listened to the script as a cinegoer first and was totally moved by it. I knew that I had to bear the brunt of being an actor and producer at the same time. But I wanted to spend all my free time on production. Finally, I ended up focussing so much on this that I didn’t take up any acting assignment.
So it was the film that dictated your decision of turning producer rather than the other way round?
Also because of the director. I have known Feroze (Abbas Khan) for 12 years now. So I knew I wasn’t working with a stranger. I was venturing into an area not completely alien to me.
Did you see Feroze’s play Mahatma Vs Gandhi?
The film is not based on the play. It is based on the biography of Harilal written by Chandulal Dalal. But yes, it’s on the same subject. And I did watch the play and was completely dumbfounded by it.
What was one aspect of the story that touched you most?
That the sacrifice Mahatma Gandhi made for the country was much bigger as a father. I could understand that because I am a father myself. What we know of Mahatma Gandhi is just one per cent of what he actually achieved. He was almost like Jesus Christ, yet very human.
You are the first to be cast in your brother Boney Kapoor’s production. Why are you not acting in Gandhi My Father?
I wanted to be true to the script. I wanted to give complete focus to the making of the film. I don’t have that structure where I can be an actor and producer at the same time. Had the film been produced by someone else, I might have played some role.
Everyone from Naseeruddin Shah to Boman Irani played Gandhi in the stage version. Why did you opt for the little-known Darshan Zariwalla?
Cinema and stage are completely different mediums. We wanted to make the best choice, cinematically. Darshan too had done Feroze’s play. And he being a Gujarati helped. Gandhiji was also a Gujarati. Also, if you notice all the actors who played Gandhi became famous after playing Gandhi. Ben Kingsley was Ben Kingsley after playing Gandhi. So, we thought a new person could be a good idea. In the film he is shown growing from young to old. Some of the senior actors you mentioned have crossed that age where they can still look young.
You insist that Akshaye Khanna was born to play Harilal...
I believe not much has been seen of Akshaye. He has been working for over a decade now but has been thoroughly underutilised. I told him you don’t know how good you are. Now the time has come. After Gandhi My Father, he will definitely be among the top three stars around.
Why did you hold back the ready film for so long?
The nature of the film is such that it has to be released at the right time. Also, I wanted there to be a gap after Lage Raho Munnabhai. I had no sword hanging over my head and I was not answerable to anyone. So I waited. I wanted the film to be marketed globally. Little information about the product rather than a lot of nonsense. I am trying my best to get a global audience.
There are already protests in Bihar on how Gandhi has been portrayed in the film...
I just came to know about that. We have been careful about that since it is indeed a very sensitive subject. So we took the entire Gandhi family into confidence. After Tushar Gandhi (great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi) saw the film, he felt that some member of the Gandhi family had made the film. We have also received a ‘U’ certificate with no cuts.
What are you producing next?
An entertainer called Shortcut directed by Neeraj Vohra, starring Akshaye, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao.
Feature: Lone rangers
Three of the most successful film-makers this year are now planning to do it their own way, writes Pratim D. Gupta
They are the only three directors to have hit Bollywood bull’s eye this year and yet Mani Ratnam, Vipul Shah and Anurag Basu are all thinking beyond their immediate success stories. None of the three makers of Guru, Namastey London and Life in a… Metro has a film in hand even as you read this. Why? They all want to turn full-time producers first before wielding the megaphones again.
Mani Ratnam, of course, has no choice. He has had a huge fallout with producer Bobby Bedi which means that the two are not making Lajjo together. Yes, the much-awaited Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer based on Ismat Chugtai’s novel has been scrapped for good. And because Bedi holds the rights, Mani Sir can’t even make Lajjo with another producer. So, Mani Ratnam is poised to strike out on his own and make another film with Aamir in the lead. “It will be interesting to work with an actor like him,” he had said on a recent trip to Calcutta.
For Vipul Shah, it’s choice rather than compulsion. Before he sits in the director’s chair again he will be producing movies for other makers under the Blockbuster Movie Entertainers banner. For Namastey London, Vipul had co-produced the film with Nitin Manmohan’s Adlabs banner. But from now he wants to be on his own. “I am producing Anees Bazmee’s next film called Singh is King starring Akshay Kumar in the lead,” reveals Vipul. “Even as I script my next directorial venture I want Anees’s film to go on the floors immediately where I will only be involved as a creative producer.”
With Life in a...Metro emerging as the most talked about Bollywood film this quarter, director Anurag Basu plans to turn full-time producer. “I did production for Metro but at the end of the day it was a UTV film,” he says. “Now, I want to start my own banner. Shob korbo aami aar credit dite hobe anyader… I have already started TV production and now I want to produce my own films.”
It won’t be that easy for the director in demand. While UTV insists that Anurag is scripting the sequel to Metro for them, Mahesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films wants him to make Suicide Bomber for them and Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts wants him to make “something like Gangster” for them. “I really don’t know what I will be making next; I am writing four scripts — a thriller, a love story, an action film and a horror movie. The only thing he is sure about is that this one will be for his own banner.
So why this sudden urge of young directors to turn producers? While Anurag feels he should get his due for all the hours of hard work he puts in, Vipul feels it is the logical back-up option for a creative mind. “Every director wears out or burns out or just goes out of fashion, so he should have his second line of work ready. Also, a director does not always have scripts ready to direct. So, if you are producing the activity does not stop. And finally, there are commercial benefits also,” smiles the Namastey London maker.
The kind of benefits being reaped by Bollywood honchos like Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Ram Gopal Varma.
Pratim D. Gupta
They are the only three directors to have hit Bollywood bull’s eye this year and yet Mani Ratnam, Vipul Shah and Anurag Basu are all thinking beyond their immediate success stories. None of the three makers of Guru, Namastey London and Life in a… Metro has a film in hand even as you read this. Why? They all want to turn full-time producers first before wielding the megaphones again.
Mani Ratnam, of course, has no choice. He has had a huge fallout with producer Bobby Bedi which means that the two are not making Lajjo together. Yes, the much-awaited Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer based on Ismat Chugtai’s novel has been scrapped for good. And because Bedi holds the rights, Mani Sir can’t even make Lajjo with another producer. So, Mani Ratnam is poised to strike out on his own and make another film with Aamir in the lead. “It will be interesting to work with an actor like him,” he had said on a recent trip to Calcutta.
For Vipul Shah, it’s choice rather than compulsion. Before he sits in the director’s chair again he will be producing movies for other makers under the Blockbuster Movie Entertainers banner. For Namastey London, Vipul had co-produced the film with Nitin Manmohan’s Adlabs banner. But from now he wants to be on his own. “I am producing Anees Bazmee’s next film called Singh is King starring Akshay Kumar in the lead,” reveals Vipul. “Even as I script my next directorial venture I want Anees’s film to go on the floors immediately where I will only be involved as a creative producer.”
With Life in a...Metro emerging as the most talked about Bollywood film this quarter, director Anurag Basu plans to turn full-time producer. “I did production for Metro but at the end of the day it was a UTV film,” he says. “Now, I want to start my own banner. Shob korbo aami aar credit dite hobe anyader… I have already started TV production and now I want to produce my own films.”
It won’t be that easy for the director in demand. While UTV insists that Anurag is scripting the sequel to Metro for them, Mahesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films wants him to make Suicide Bomber for them and Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts wants him to make “something like Gangster” for them. “I really don’t know what I will be making next; I am writing four scripts — a thriller, a love story, an action film and a horror movie. The only thing he is sure about is that this one will be for his own banner.
So why this sudden urge of young directors to turn producers? While Anurag feels he should get his due for all the hours of hard work he puts in, Vipul feels it is the logical back-up option for a creative mind. “Every director wears out or burns out or just goes out of fashion, so he should have his second line of work ready. Also, a director does not always have scripts ready to direct. So, if you are producing the activity does not stop. And finally, there are commercial benefits also,” smiles the Namastey London maker.
The kind of benefits being reaped by Bollywood honchos like Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Ram Gopal Varma.
Pratim D. Gupta
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Movie Review: The Train
Train to nowhere 1/5
Pratim D. Gupta
Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala have done it again. The Train, that premiered at IIFA’s Cineworld Castleford, is a frame-by-frame copy-paste of Derailed. Arey kuch to original hona mangta. From office colleagues to reception girl, every single character; from dialysis machines to briefcases, every single prop; from trains arriving at stations to trains leaving stations, every single shot composition; every damn frame has been copied so unabashedly that you feel like it’s a licensed remake.
But alas, that it is not! How can anybody in their right senses agree to Geeta Basra becoming Jennifer Aniston? Worse still, Aseem Merchant plays Vincent Cassel’s character. And then everything is set in cheapie Pattaya where there are more gol gol train lines than go- go bars. There the Thai cabbies speak in Hindi and cricket betting happens between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh!
It’s sad really that the big IIFA premiere had to be The Train. The prints of Khoya Khoya Chand were not ready and so Sudhir Mishra’s Guru Dutt tale starring Shiney Ahuja and Soha Ali Khan missed the bus. The Train joining Lagaan, Yuva and Parineeta as the IIFA world premiere movie is criminal, to put it politely.
Worried that this review is approaching its last station without a mention of Emraan Hashmi? Well that’s because he is not bad in the film. Hang on, he isn’t even close to Clive Owen but he underplays enough in a movie where everyone is flared nostrils and clinched fists to make him look the part. His kissing helps, of course. The serial kisser is in ruthless form here locking lips with Geeta at least thrice (only talking about the right shots, not the discarded ones) and smooching newcomer Sayali Bhagat like it’s her last film. Poor Sayali, who is otherwise good as the wronged wife, looks totally out of place during the kissing capers.
The only original bogey in this Train is the music by Mithoon. Woh ajnabee and Zindagi ne zindagi ko are great, but just get the CD yaar, don’t dare waste money on the film.
If only Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala had followed their tagline — ‘some lines should never be crossed’ — the IIFA picnic would have been a better place to be in.
Pratim D. Gupta
Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala have done it again. The Train, that premiered at IIFA’s Cineworld Castleford, is a frame-by-frame copy-paste of Derailed. Arey kuch to original hona mangta. From office colleagues to reception girl, every single character; from dialysis machines to briefcases, every single prop; from trains arriving at stations to trains leaving stations, every single shot composition; every damn frame has been copied so unabashedly that you feel like it’s a licensed remake.
But alas, that it is not! How can anybody in their right senses agree to Geeta Basra becoming Jennifer Aniston? Worse still, Aseem Merchant plays Vincent Cassel’s character. And then everything is set in cheapie Pattaya where there are more gol gol train lines than go- go bars. There the Thai cabbies speak in Hindi and cricket betting happens between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh!
It’s sad really that the big IIFA premiere had to be The Train. The prints of Khoya Khoya Chand were not ready and so Sudhir Mishra’s Guru Dutt tale starring Shiney Ahuja and Soha Ali Khan missed the bus. The Train joining Lagaan, Yuva and Parineeta as the IIFA world premiere movie is criminal, to put it politely.
Worried that this review is approaching its last station without a mention of Emraan Hashmi? Well that’s because he is not bad in the film. Hang on, he isn’t even close to Clive Owen but he underplays enough in a movie where everyone is flared nostrils and clinched fists to make him look the part. His kissing helps, of course. The serial kisser is in ruthless form here locking lips with Geeta at least thrice (only talking about the right shots, not the discarded ones) and smooching newcomer Sayali Bhagat like it’s her last film. Poor Sayali, who is otherwise good as the wronged wife, looks totally out of place during the kissing capers.
The only original bogey in this Train is the music by Mithoon. Woh ajnabee and Zindagi ne zindagi ko are great, but just get the CD yaar, don’t dare waste money on the film.
If only Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala had followed their tagline — ‘some lines should never be crossed’ — the IIFA picnic would have been a better place to be in.
Movie Review: Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii
A stroke of magic 3/5
Pratim D. Gupta
Team India has lost its first two matches in the five-match ODI series at home against Pakistan, and is dreading a humiliating series loss. The coach (an Indian!), is out on a drive when his car’s windscreen is smashed by a powerful stroke from the bat of a street kid. The 13-year-old orphan, who has never been near a real cricket field and tries the abdominal guard on as a helmet, is promptly inducted into the team for the third match and goes on to butcher the big broad pacemen in green. He scores 170 not out and helps India win!
Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii is a fairytale that works. So let’s chak de the real men in blue for now. CK2MK does not need parallels with the game to stand tall. Because even though it may come across as a cricket movie, it’s much more than that. It is a small little gem about self-discovery, about companionship, about growing up. And most importantly, it is a children’s film for everyone.
Karan (Zain Khan) is just another hapless kid in Hitler’s (Rajesh Khera) orphanage. With a torn and tattered T-shirt held together by a safety pin, he dreams of playing cricket but Raghav Bhai (Raj Bhansali), the mastaan in the group, has other ideas. So all Karan can do is listen to the story of Kapil Dev’s unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells over and over again before going into dream cricket mode.
And then he discovers the magic bat — with a KD83 inscribed near the handle — which can smash any delivery out of the park. The next thing he knows, he is padding up with Team India captain Varun (Rahul Bose) and smashing Pakistan’s pace battery around.
Varun, of course, has his hands full with problems beyond the pitch. His father (Nasser Abdullah) left his mother and him when he was just 16. And while his mother and his fiancee (Meera Vasudevan) are ready to accept his return, Varun’s wounds are still fresh. Time for Karan to spin some magic and help his opening partner.
Where debutante director Kituu Salooja scores is in the way she brings the two different storylines together and yet not let the movie lose its spark. It slips effortlessly from the cricket field to the more serious terrain of life effortlessly and see-saws between humour and heartbreak without a hitch. The kids make her job easier with almost all the orphanage boys being complete naturals. But Zain Khan as Karan is the find of the season and a favourite for all Best Debutant awards.
Rahul Bose is so much more at ease in films like these. If he learnt to play the drum for Jhankaar Beats, here he gets the willow to talk. It’s a treat watching Rahul do a Sourav Ganguly and play some glorious drives. In fact, he plays the hook and the pull far better than the Prince of Calcoota. Meera Vasudevan lights up the few frames she appears in. Why doesn’t she do/get more work? The music (Salim-Sulaiman) could have been better, with the title track not inspiring enough, and Sunday sounding like the Baaton Baaton Mein song Na bole tum na maine kuch kaha.
Yes, CK2MK starts off too much like Iqbal and with Kapil Dev making a special appearance, the hangover is apparent. But then just like Iqbal, CK2MK is a winner and Saregama should go the Mukta Searchlight way and push the small movie as big as it can. For the magic lies not in the bat but in the movie.
Pratim D. Gupta
Team India has lost its first two matches in the five-match ODI series at home against Pakistan, and is dreading a humiliating series loss. The coach (an Indian!), is out on a drive when his car’s windscreen is smashed by a powerful stroke from the bat of a street kid. The 13-year-old orphan, who has never been near a real cricket field and tries the abdominal guard on as a helmet, is promptly inducted into the team for the third match and goes on to butcher the big broad pacemen in green. He scores 170 not out and helps India win!
Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii is a fairytale that works. So let’s chak de the real men in blue for now. CK2MK does not need parallels with the game to stand tall. Because even though it may come across as a cricket movie, it’s much more than that. It is a small little gem about self-discovery, about companionship, about growing up. And most importantly, it is a children’s film for everyone.
Karan (Zain Khan) is just another hapless kid in Hitler’s (Rajesh Khera) orphanage. With a torn and tattered T-shirt held together by a safety pin, he dreams of playing cricket but Raghav Bhai (Raj Bhansali), the mastaan in the group, has other ideas. So all Karan can do is listen to the story of Kapil Dev’s unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells over and over again before going into dream cricket mode.
And then he discovers the magic bat — with a KD83 inscribed near the handle — which can smash any delivery out of the park. The next thing he knows, he is padding up with Team India captain Varun (Rahul Bose) and smashing Pakistan’s pace battery around.
Varun, of course, has his hands full with problems beyond the pitch. His father (Nasser Abdullah) left his mother and him when he was just 16. And while his mother and his fiancee (Meera Vasudevan) are ready to accept his return, Varun’s wounds are still fresh. Time for Karan to spin some magic and help his opening partner.
Where debutante director Kituu Salooja scores is in the way she brings the two different storylines together and yet not let the movie lose its spark. It slips effortlessly from the cricket field to the more serious terrain of life effortlessly and see-saws between humour and heartbreak without a hitch. The kids make her job easier with almost all the orphanage boys being complete naturals. But Zain Khan as Karan is the find of the season and a favourite for all Best Debutant awards.
Rahul Bose is so much more at ease in films like these. If he learnt to play the drum for Jhankaar Beats, here he gets the willow to talk. It’s a treat watching Rahul do a Sourav Ganguly and play some glorious drives. In fact, he plays the hook and the pull far better than the Prince of Calcoota. Meera Vasudevan lights up the few frames she appears in. Why doesn’t she do/get more work? The music (Salim-Sulaiman) could have been better, with the title track not inspiring enough, and Sunday sounding like the Baaton Baaton Mein song Na bole tum na maine kuch kaha.
Yes, CK2MK starts off too much like Iqbal and with Kapil Dev making a special appearance, the hangover is apparent. But then just like Iqbal, CK2MK is a winner and Saregama should go the Mukta Searchlight way and push the small movie as big as it can. For the magic lies not in the bat but in the movie.
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