Archive for the ‘Cinema/Tele’ Category
Unravelling of Brand Shahrukh Khan
Unthinkable has happened. Fan is going to be SRK movie which falls short of 100 crores. Best estimate is 85 crore by the end of run.
For people like me who have grown up on movies during 1995-2010, it comes as a shock. It was an era when Shahrukh churned blockbusters one after another. There was a famous quote, “In Bollywood either Sharukh sells or sex sells”. This was the era when Salman, Aamir, Akshay were relegated to bygones. Since then Salman has went on to become Bollywood’s Rajnikant; Aamir is on a different planet altogether when it comes to box office collections. Even Ajay, Akshay have come back strongly. All this while Shahrukh has slowly faded.
They say a Superstar don’t need good story to make a movie a hit, he does it by his star power. A super star is defined not by the final collection of the movie, but by the initial (first weekend) it takes. Final collection depends on the content. With Fan even the initial was bad. With Dilwale at least the initial was respectable. But the signs of stagnancy were there.
When Dilwale was beaten by Bajirao Mastani, SRK was humbled. Shetty-Kajol-SRK combined, which was supposed to be a winner, ended up second to Bhansali’s magnum opus. With Fan, there was no zeal even among Shahrukh’s diehard fans.
I am a fan of all kind of cinema. Meaningful or Masala, Hindi or English. My only criterion is, movie should not bore me. With that yardstick, SRK movies have been somewhat boring of late. Bit by bit, they chewed up his stardom. This has led to the present when SRK is not able to command even a blockbuster opening.
How much fans he lost by various controversies in last few years is debatable. Does the intolerance debate lose him following? I hope not.
Maybe age is finally catching up with him. Is this curtain on a fairytale career? I for one would like to see many more romantic blockbusters from SRK. Way ahead looks tricky though.
I stand with Kangana Ranaut
3rd class as Times of India newspaper is, it sunk to new low yesterday when it published leaked emails allegedly between Hrithik and Kangana. What’s more pathetic was the tone of the article which without any verification, insinuated that it was a one sided affair. That Kangana was obsessed with Hrithik. That it was an imposter who was emailing Kangana. That she was all at fault and not Hrithik.
When a leading daily has this sort of skewed mentality, what can we say about others in its ilk. I am appalled with media which is directly or indirectly siding with Hrithik. Such chauvinistic mindset is not helping anyone. Just because Kangana is not as big a brand as Hrithik, no one is coming out to support her? Just coz Kangana’s father is not Rakesh Roshan, everyone will laugh at her?
What right does Times of India and other pathetic papers have to publish about her illness? Why no news channel has taken this attack as a debate topic? It is evident now that Hrithik’s side is the one leaking the stories and email correspondences to the media. Why the need for character assassination?
I tell you why. Coz it doesn’t suits Hrithik’s stature to be associated with someone who does not come from family of Bollywood; the Roshan, the Khan, the Kapoor, the Bachchan cartels. If she were related to some Bollywood cartel, Mr Roshan would have been hiding and not attacking her.
She is a single lady who has come up on her own. She has been attacked all along. The Johars, Chopras and other big banners have stayed away. They would better work with other cartels’ sons and daughters. Despite all that, she has made a place for herself. Won National Awards.
I stand by Kangana in this hour. I am not a big fan, but I side with her on principle. It is saddening to see people like Bhoomata Brigade who would fight for women’s rights to worship inanimate stones but has nothing to say when a woman is attacked by a Superstar. God knows Bhoomata is Hrithik’s fan too? I haven’t seen National Commission for Women (NCW), taken suo moto action here. Maybe this doesn’t give them political mileage. Or maybe they too are Hrithik’s fans.
No other female Bollywood star has come out in support of Kangana, when the whole spineless industry was out in the open supporting the infamous Sanjay Dutt, who was then a terror accused. Even Mr. Kher is silent here. They are all ‘You scratch my back, I scratch’ yours’ kind of people anyways.
Don’t lose heart Kangana, millions of people scattered around the country are with you. The Media, Bollywood, Feminist cartels are silent today or are siding with Roshan. But people are with you. Hrithik’s attempt to attack you publicly (when no one even knew about this matter), has only shown that one may become a Superstar, but that doesn’t make one a Gentleman.
When skirts in pubs are banned, it is attack on women’s rights. But when a Superstar attacks a woman, she had it coming. That’s the apathy of the society we live in.
Aamir Khan Issue: Let’s look it from Brand Point of View
So Aamir Khan is no longer a face of Incredible India Brand Building Campaign. Media debates and public discourse followed. Diverse views of vendetta and course correction were put forward. Let’s look at this decision from the brand point of view.
Aamir is promoting India as a tourist friendly country to get more and more people to visit India. And when he discusses how his wife wanted to leave India due to intolerance and he too feels despondency in the air, what it does to the brand India? Tourists would be like, “Dude the brand ambassador of India himself does not feel safe in India, to hell with going there. Let’s party in Ibiza”.
Won’t a responsible CEO pull up the ads and replace the brand ambassador to save the brand? This is what exactly Indian Govt. has done. When Aamir did the movie PK, and if he went on air and said, “I felt I should not have done PK. is the most pathetic movie ever made. Waste of time, don’t watch it”, wouldn’t it had affected the movie? Of course it would have. Wouldn’t the producer pull away Aamir from movie promotions?
What if Aamir had said, Coco Cola is a pesticide disguised as a soft drink, wouldn’t he have been replaced and contract scrapped. He might also have been sued by the company. If tomorrow I publicly badmouth the firm I work at, would I not be pulled up and subjected to disciplinary action. Does it really infringe my freedom of speech? Those who sympathize with Aamir and berate the Govt, try badmouthing your employer. Scared? You should be.
Aamir Khan is doing Incredible India for free. And here lies the problem. When you do something for free, you don’t have anything to lose. Had it been a 10cr/year contract, he would have thought 10 times before damaging the brand. He would fear losing the contract. I don’t blame him, we all are like that.
I would suggest Govt whoever they choose as the brand ambassador, either pay him/she well or if they refuse to be paid, ask them to sign a contract which mentions that their actions in any way should not demean the brand India.
To Aamir: Terror has no Religion & Intolerants have no Nation
Aamir Sir, when some people started lambasting you for the intolerance remarks, I stood up for you. You, whose movies I have loved, laughed and cried with. I would have stood up for all my childhood superstars be it Akshay, Shahrukh or Salman. I also stood up as your fellow citizen. We follow our heroes closely Sir and I know you as a person who only likes to express himself via your movies; a person who does not like to pursue any political agenda.
But the statement you issued post the incident, has saddened me. When you said, “To all the people shouting obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point”, I didn’t like it. I will tell you why.
People shouting obscenities at you are not the poll bearers of our nation. They are pathetic people who insult our nation. Why I am sad is coz, during the same interview you said, “People who kill citing Kuran are not Muslims. They are terrorists. Terror has no religion.” I couldn’t have agreed more.
Why then you consider people who threw obscenities at you ‘the face of intolerant India’. They are just bad people who like to badmouth other people. They got nothing to do with tolerance or intolerance or nation. If we go by your logic then Islamophobia will also be a ‘proven point’, which it is not.
You might have been hurt. I also feel hurt at times, but if we start generalizing for “proving my point”, something is wrong.
Just as you said, a person killing in the name of Allah is not a Muslim, he is just a terrorist. I request you Sir to consider the people who threw obscenities at you as just bad people. They have nothing to do with tolerance or intolerance or nation.
Spectre: Bond is back and how!
To be true, I found last movie Skyfall a bit slow and at times boring. I have a certain set of expectations from a Bond movie. It should have a bit of Bondapa if not more. Spectre gives me that and then some.
You won’t find a better opening sequence. It’s grand and would have cost some good bucks. This is where Bond movies are different. They don’t shy away from being lavish. From the first frame to the last, the air engulfs you. You enter a make believe world and go globe-trotting.
A lot has been said about similarities between Bond and Mission Impossible movies. Truth is nowhere near. Ethan Hunt has to perform some serious stunts to look like Bond, whereas Bond is already Bond. The calmness and assuredness that James brings in just blows you away.
The car chase sequence between Bond and Bautista is a class sequence in all its glory. You can’t take your eyes away for even a second. We have seen a lot of car chases over the years. This one stands on its own feet. The elegance makes the difference.
With Bond girl Lea Seydoux, I initially suffered with the MI-4 hangover, where she played a French assassin, a negative role. If you have seen Mission Impossible-4, you might also feel the same. I was waiting for the moment she went rogue and shot James. Another actor with a different filmography would have been better. But she plays role earnestly.
Kudos to Christoph Waltz for keeping up with the legacy of some great Bond villains. He is able to carve out a character for himself and that in itself is a rare feat. His back story could have been a little better but still he brings in enough insanity to go the distance. Monica Bellucci dazzles in a brief appearance. Andrew Scott (arch villain of Sherlock) is wasted. Moneypenny, M and Q play their curtailed role perfectly.
Given that this might be the last time Daniel Craig reprised the role of 007, it serves a fitting finale for his run. It gives closure to his previous Bond films and proves even Bond can have a happy ending.
७ बातें जो सिर्फ आपको ‘प्रेम रतन धन पायो’ फिल्म में ही मिलेंगी
७ बातें जो सिर्फ आपको ‘प्रेम रतन धन पायो’ फिल्म में ही मिलेंगी।
१. हल्दीराम: आजकल की फिल्मों में आपको मैक-डोनल्ड, पिज़्ज़ा हट मिल सकते हैं। पर सिर्फ सूरज बर्जात्या ही है जो हल्दीराम से भोजन करते हुए हीरो को दिखा सकता है। शुद्ध देसी भोजन। सिर्फ इसी फिल्म में हीरोइन चुपके से हीरो के लिए हल्दीराम से खाना ला सकती है।
२. गाने में मठरी-चकली: गाने के बीच मठरी, गुजिया, चकली, चिवड़ा का जिक्र सिर्फ राजश्री की फिल्म में ही मिल सकता है।
३. शुद्ध शाकाहारी भोजन: सिर्फ यहाँ ही आपको, हीरो भिन्डी की सब्जी बनाता दिख सकता है। साथ ही वेज-कोरमा और भरवां बैगन।
४. हीरो का बहन से प्यार देखकर हीरोइन का और प्रेम उमड़ना: कौन फिल्माता है आजकल यह। सलमान का बहन प्रति प्यार देखकर सोनम का रोम रोम सलमान के लिए प्यार से भर उठता है।
५. पद कंदूक मैच : फुटबॉल के मैच को हिंदी में बोलते हुए सिर्फ ‘प्रेम रतन धन पायो’ में ही पाया जा सकता है।
६. अभी नहीं: बर्जात्या ही है जिसकी फिल्म में हीरो, हीरोइन से कहता है कि अभी इस सबका समय नहीं आया है। शादी का इंतज़ार करते हैं।
७. शुरुआत राम लीला से: जहाँ आइटम गाने आम बात हो गए हैं और सीटी-मार शुरुआत जरूरत, वहां राम लीला से फिल्म की शुरुआत आपको ‘प्रेम रतन धन पायो’ के अलावा कहाँ मिल सकती है?
8 Things Every Guy must Learn from Pyar Ka Punchnama 2
1. Whenever the girl cites parental pressure for not marrying the boyfriend, she never would marry a 50K earning man which her father finds, if her boyfriend earns 2lac. No, she would wait till her father finds a 2lac or more earning groom for her. So much for parental pressure.
2. When you say Sorry, the girl is not content. “Do you know why you are Sorry”, “You don’t even know why you are Sorry” are her next statements. Come ‘on, I am saying Sorry for the thing we were just fighting about. How hard can it be?
3. “Where do you find such guys who are best friends with a girl, who is in relationship with another guy? Who makes such best friends?” Everything is platonic with them. Kiss, Hug, probably even s*x. At the end of the movie it is aptly shown that such best friends are nothing but a backup.
4. “I always split bills. It is non-negotiable for me”. Every time you pay, she would say, “Remind me to pay you back”. But she would never pay back. Her only issues will be about the money you spend when you are with your friends. “Your friends, they take advantage of you”. Irony is the girl is the one taking the utmost advantage.
5. A hint of financial instability, and she would be through the roof. If you want to do anything of your own, you can expect next to nil support from her. “Don’t I have any say?”, If you say Yes, then she would ask you to shelve your dreams and continue with the job, that you don’t want to. If you say No, then she would get a reason to make your life miserable.
6. She would spare no time to throw, “Lets Break up” on your face. Just for the fun of it and playing with your emotions. Something like, “to teach you a lesson”. So that you go crawling on your feet, begging and apologizing.
7. She would never agree with anything you try and explain. Same thing, if her friends and colleagues would explain, she would get it in an instant. You would always be the wrong one.
8. She knew she never would marry you against her parent’s wishes and her parents would never agree. Still for years she would use you for fun, shopping and time pass. She also needs some enjoyment till she gets married. “I know I don’t have entire life with you, have only few months. I would like you spend those few months with you. I want to”. She would not spare a moment, telling the police that you drugged her and molested her. Under parental pressure of course.
Talvar: A movie which should not have been made
Talvar. The case fascinated us all, didn’t it? It hijacked airwaves like no other. The mere mystery of it! It was like a crime thriller unfolding live television. It became a real world Bigg Boss which provided entertainment like no other.
Movie based on the case was the most apt culmination for this sordid saga. The movie is so intriguing, so heart wrenching, that it’s hard not like it. Add to it Irrfan’s acting and we have got a gem. But does it really portray the case or is mere art of fiction?
The crux of the movie is that Parents were innocents, servants were culprits and what happened was a travesty of justice. Title Talvar refers to the sword in the hands of Lady of Justice, a sword that has become rusted of late and more so due to this judgment.
Director/Writer claimed to have taken an unbiased view and presented all three viewpoints. Of local police (which blamed parents), first enquiry by CBI (which blamed servants) and 2nd enquiry by CBI (which blamed parents). But the fact is first and third enquiries are shown as shoddy. The 2nd CBI investigation is shown as proper. No wonder 2nd investigation was headed by our protagonist Irrfan.
Although the film makers are entitled to their expression. For their part they have changed the name of the characters to remove any direct reference to the real incident. But still, when you claim to be unbiased, you need to be unbiased.
The movie takes an open stand for the parents who are portrayed as victims (maybe they are for all we know), and demonizes the servants. They disregard the human rights of the servants who might be victimized by society post this movie. They too might be innocent. But not for the filmmakers!
It’s not too hard to realize why the storyline? A movie becomes emotional and heart wrenching if the parents are shown as victims of the system. If movie would have conformed to the courts judgement, it would have become a demonic thriller, where parents slaughter their daughter.
The only issue with such movies based on real incidents (when the matter is still in court) is, they tend to sway opinion of common public. I felt the mood in the theater after the movie was somber and everyone felt for the parents. Guilty servants went scot free!
I cannot pinpoint but I feel something was not right and this movie ought not to have been made. Not until the case was in court. It felt like an appeal on parents behalf under guise of a movie.
The Martian: Entertaining Flick with nothing new to offer
At the onset would like to mention that I liked the movie. However it suffered a bit due to the Interstellar and Gravity hangover which never let the movie standout and carve a niche for its own.
All through the drama I had this feeling of déjà vu. Like I have seen this all before. Space travel and spaceship gave me a feel of Interstellar. Space survival drama a bit like Gravity.
As I said overall the movie is good. Science is top notch. The hexadecimal communication is brilliant. So are other survival solutions. Movie has its heart and mind at the right place. What is missing is the novelty. Maybe if had come a bit later, when we were over the recent sci-fi’s, it would have made more impact. The fact that Matt Demon was himself stranded on a planet in Interstellar didn’t help either.
I found it more on the side of a pop corn thriller. The CNSA part looked artificially induced plot to score big in China (not unlike Transformers 4). A helpful but helpless aid of the in-charge sending encoded message to the Ares 3 crew also seemed borrowed. Tom Hanks has already done the stranded drama not once but twice. So when Matt is all alone on Mars, again it felt nothing to sit up and notice.
As I said apart from the science, which also at times is not explained to common people properly and I bet will go over the head for most, there is not much originality in the movie.
All in all, The Martian is a feel good pop-corn sci-fi with nothing new to offer. At the same time, whatever it offers has been made with a good heart. I wanted the movie not to end as I was enjoying it a lot. My feelings are kind of mixed. Not path breaking but entertaining. Much like Armageddon.
PK, Aamir and Controversy
I saw PK movie starring Aamir Khan and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, before any controversy erupted. It was quite clear from the trailers that movie was a satire on religious customs. I went to see the movie with an open mind.
Movie wise its a nice simple story without much drama or twists. A simple tale told with simplicity. Aamir’s acting was superb as always. I liked the message of the movie. About superstitions and wrong numbers and how easy it is to fool people in the name of religion.
But I will be frank here, I found few bits distasteful like the one in the climax involving a guy posed as Shiva, and the one where Tapasvi says that a person from particular religion do blasts…why should Tapasvi answer?
Then the controversy erupted. Hindu religious leaders objected, understandably so, as majorly they were the ones targetted. Then the political free for all.
My take is such movies tend to vitiate atmosphere in a multi religious society like ours. It would have been. difficult to target all religions equally in the movie and this is what caused issues. Right wing and appeasement politicians both made things worse.
My take is though in principle such movies should be celebrated but given the realities, they better not be made.
I find makers of the movie equally at fault as the religious traders. Both made money off religion. Some by celebrating it, others by denigrating it. Movie was made to make crores of rupees and this fact should not be forgetted. I would have liked if makers gave away the profits for social causes. Since their motive was to make money off public, they were always susceptible to attack and can’t take Holier than thou route.
Everyone alike. After all its money honey!
ArpitGarg's Weblog 