In this film, Sanjay does just a cameo as himself.
About the story: After several quarrels, the college students Ravi Singh (Ravi Behl) and Reena Sharma (Sheeba) fall in love with each other. With the help of Ravi's fatherly friend Col. Kapoor (Shammi Kapoor) they get the blessings of Ravi's father, the slightly weird Col. Udham Singh (Anupam Kher). Udham himself is in his second youth: after an accident where he hurt his leg he fell in love with his nurse Mohini Sharma (Bindu). When Reena watches them bill and coo for the first time she is shocked as Mohini is her mother...
Never before I was tempted to start a film review with remarks about the music, but with Bappi Lahiri's musical stew for Pyar Ka Rog I simply cannot resist. The opening credits start with a mixture of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Star Wars, during the film Lahiri adds ingrediences from the soundtracks of Star Trek, Pink Panther, Hatari and Love Story and an extra pinch of Modern Talking. Plus a few songs of his own, and you get a music mishmash you won't get every day even in the Hindi Cinema of the 90's.
As for the movie, it's a little intimate play with just five protagonists and a few guest stars. Of them, Vinod Khanna and Archana Puran Singh at least get some dialogue scenes while Sanjay Dutt and Chunkey Pandey literally just pop in when the protagonists are dancing to tunes out of their films. Being named as guest appearances in the opening credits just for such a blink-and-miss part speaks, I guess, for the popularity they enjoyed at that time.
The film's main protagonist Anupam Kher was unfortunately wasted as a comic relief like so often in those years; only in the film's last phase when the atmosphere becomes more serious he is allowed to imply his true acting capabilities. Shammi Kapoor and Bindu act solid and convincing, and Sheeba and Ravi Behl are a sweet young couple. But though they even risk a lip-lock, their flirts are harmless against Anupam's and Bindu's alliances when the retired colonel mutates to a teenager in love, acts "hip" with a black mullet wig and shades, and cuts up a mean floor with Bindu.
And at least in that phase Sanjay Dutt's fans who, tempted by the mentioning of Sanjay's guest appearance, took a peek at this film, have all the reasons to chuckle. Anupam & Co. not only warble away songs from Sanjay's movies Saajan, Sadak and Thanedaar – Bindu and Anupam even imitate Madhuri Dixit's and Sanjay Dutt's legendary dance scene "Tamma Tamma Loge" (with Bappi Lahiri's music) from Thanedaar. No wonder that in this scene an amused Sanjay appears and shows his approval – even though his appearance obviously was canned somewhere else. Maybe during a break on the sets of one of his own films.
Produced by Shanoo Mehra; Directed by Akashdeep
131 Min.; VCD: Moserbaer, no subtitles
© Diwali
Dienstag, 30. März 2010
Pyar Ka Rog (1994; Gastauftritt)
In diesem Film hat Sanjay lediglich ein Cameo as himself.
Zur Story: Nach einigem Hin und Her verlieben sich die beiden Collegestudenten Ravi Singh (Ravi Behl) und Reena Sharma (Sheeba) ineinander. Mit Hilfe von Ravis väterlichem Freund Colonel Kapoor (Shammi Kapoor) gelingt es den beiden, den Segen von Ravis etwas verschrobenem Vater Colonel Udham Singh (Anupam Kher) für ihre Verbindung zu erhalten. Wobei Udham selber gerade seinen zweiten Frühling erlebt: Nach einem Unfall hat er sich in seine Krankenschwester Mohini Sharma (Bindu) verliebt. Als Reena die beiden zum ersten Mal gemeinsam turteln sieht, ist sie geschockt, denn Mohini ist niemand anders als ihre Mutter...
Ich war bislang noch nie versucht, eine Film-Review mit einem Blick auf die Musik zu beginnen, aber Bappi Lahiris musikalischer Eintopf in Pyar Ka Rog verdient definitiv eine Sondererwähnung. Schon zu den Anfangscredits erklingt ein gewandter Mix aus Also sprach Zarathustra und Star Wars, im Laufe des Films bedient sich Lahiri zudem ungeniert bei den Soundtracks zu Star Trek, Pink Panther, Hatari und Love Story, und weil's so schön ist, fügen wir auch noch eine Prise Modern Talking hinzu. Noch paar eigene Titel dazu, und fertig ist ein musikalisches Sammelsurium, das selbst im Hindi-Kino der 90er seinesgleichen suchen dürfte.
Der Film selber ist ein kleines Kammerspiel mit nur fünf Hauptfiguren und ein paar Gaststars, von denen Vinod Khanna und Archana Puran Singh immerhin kleine Dialogszenen absolvieren dürfen, während Sanjay Dutt und Chunkey Pandey buchstäblich nur mal kurz vorbeischauen, wenn die Protagonisten zu Melodien aus ihren Filmen tanzen. Dass sie dafür als "Guest Appearances" offiziell im Vorspann genannt werden, spricht wohl vor allem für die Popularität, die sie seinerzeit genossen haben.
Die tragende Rolle des Films hat Anupam Kher, der leider einmal mehr überwiegend als Comic Relief verheizt wurde und erst gegen Ende des Filmes, als die Stimmung ins Ernsthafte umschlägt, auch seine wahren Qualitäten andeuten darf. Shammi Kapoor und Bindu spielen routiniert und solide, Sheeba und Ravi Behl sind ein süßes Pärchen, das sich sogar zu einem Lippenkuss hinreißen lässt. Ihre Flirtereien sind dennoch harmlos gegen das, was Anupam und Bindu abziehen, nachdem der Colonel im Ruhestand wieder zum Teenager mutiert ist, mit schwarzer Vokuhila-Perücke und Sonnenbrille einen auf "hip" macht und mit Bindu ein paar flotte Sohlen aufs Parkett legt.
Und hier zumindest kriegt der Sanjay-Dutt-Fan, der sich durch die Erwähnung eines Gastauftritts Sanjus in diesen Film verirrt hat, etwas zu schmunzeln, denn Anupam & Co. trällern nicht nur abwechselnd Sanjay-Filmsongs aus Saajan, Sadak und Thanedaar – Bindu und Anupam imitieren sogar die Kult-Tanznummer "Tamma Tamma Loge" von Madhuri Dixit und Sanjay Dutt aus Thanedaar (zu der ja auch Bappi Lahiri die Musik geschrieben hatte). Kein Wunder, dass Sanjay an dieser Stelle einmal amüsiert mitswingt und anerkennend den Daumen hebt – auch wenn seine Szene offensichtlich ganz woanders gedreht worden ist. Vermutlich mal eben bei einer Drehpause für einen seiner Filme.
Produktion: Shanoo Mehra; Regie: Akashdeep
131 Min.; VCD: Moserbaer, ohne UT
Zur Story: Nach einigem Hin und Her verlieben sich die beiden Collegestudenten Ravi Singh (Ravi Behl) und Reena Sharma (Sheeba) ineinander. Mit Hilfe von Ravis väterlichem Freund Colonel Kapoor (Shammi Kapoor) gelingt es den beiden, den Segen von Ravis etwas verschrobenem Vater Colonel Udham Singh (Anupam Kher) für ihre Verbindung zu erhalten. Wobei Udham selber gerade seinen zweiten Frühling erlebt: Nach einem Unfall hat er sich in seine Krankenschwester Mohini Sharma (Bindu) verliebt. Als Reena die beiden zum ersten Mal gemeinsam turteln sieht, ist sie geschockt, denn Mohini ist niemand anders als ihre Mutter...
Ich war bislang noch nie versucht, eine Film-Review mit einem Blick auf die Musik zu beginnen, aber Bappi Lahiris musikalischer Eintopf in Pyar Ka Rog verdient definitiv eine Sondererwähnung. Schon zu den Anfangscredits erklingt ein gewandter Mix aus Also sprach Zarathustra und Star Wars, im Laufe des Films bedient sich Lahiri zudem ungeniert bei den Soundtracks zu Star Trek, Pink Panther, Hatari und Love Story, und weil's so schön ist, fügen wir auch noch eine Prise Modern Talking hinzu. Noch paar eigene Titel dazu, und fertig ist ein musikalisches Sammelsurium, das selbst im Hindi-Kino der 90er seinesgleichen suchen dürfte.
Der Film selber ist ein kleines Kammerspiel mit nur fünf Hauptfiguren und ein paar Gaststars, von denen Vinod Khanna und Archana Puran Singh immerhin kleine Dialogszenen absolvieren dürfen, während Sanjay Dutt und Chunkey Pandey buchstäblich nur mal kurz vorbeischauen, wenn die Protagonisten zu Melodien aus ihren Filmen tanzen. Dass sie dafür als "Guest Appearances" offiziell im Vorspann genannt werden, spricht wohl vor allem für die Popularität, die sie seinerzeit genossen haben.
Die tragende Rolle des Films hat Anupam Kher, der leider einmal mehr überwiegend als Comic Relief verheizt wurde und erst gegen Ende des Filmes, als die Stimmung ins Ernsthafte umschlägt, auch seine wahren Qualitäten andeuten darf. Shammi Kapoor und Bindu spielen routiniert und solide, Sheeba und Ravi Behl sind ein süßes Pärchen, das sich sogar zu einem Lippenkuss hinreißen lässt. Ihre Flirtereien sind dennoch harmlos gegen das, was Anupam und Bindu abziehen, nachdem der Colonel im Ruhestand wieder zum Teenager mutiert ist, mit schwarzer Vokuhila-Perücke und Sonnenbrille einen auf "hip" macht und mit Bindu ein paar flotte Sohlen aufs Parkett legt.
Und hier zumindest kriegt der Sanjay-Dutt-Fan, der sich durch die Erwähnung eines Gastauftritts Sanjus in diesen Film verirrt hat, etwas zu schmunzeln, denn Anupam & Co. trällern nicht nur abwechselnd Sanjay-Filmsongs aus Saajan, Sadak und Thanedaar – Bindu und Anupam imitieren sogar die Kult-Tanznummer "Tamma Tamma Loge" von Madhuri Dixit und Sanjay Dutt aus Thanedaar (zu der ja auch Bappi Lahiri die Musik geschrieben hatte). Kein Wunder, dass Sanjay an dieser Stelle einmal amüsiert mitswingt und anerkennend den Daumen hebt – auch wenn seine Szene offensichtlich ganz woanders gedreht worden ist. Vermutlich mal eben bei einer Drehpause für einen seiner Filme.
Produktion: Shanoo Mehra; Regie: Akashdeep
131 Min.; VCD: Moserbaer, ohne UT
Sonntag, 21. März 2010
Dutt’s the way
Quelle / Source in English
22. März 2010
Wir treffen den politikkundigen Schauspieler Sanjay Dutt bei seinem kürzlichen Besuch in Muscat.
Nachdem Amitabh Bachchan bei der Eröffnungszeremonie einen Lifetime Achievement Award bekommen hatte, was Sanjay Dutt Ehrengast bei der Abschlussveranstaltung des soeben zu Ende gegangenen 6. Muscat Internationalen Filmfests. Der 50-Jährige, der sein Bollywood-Debüt 1981 mit Rocky gegeben hatte, wurde von den Kritikern besonders für seine Comedy-Rolle in den Munnabhai-Filmen gerühmt.
In einem Gespräch mit Journalisten bei seiner Ankunft in Muscat sprach der liebevoll als Sanju Baba bekannte Schauspieler mehrere Themen in Zusammenhang mit seinem Kurzbesuch in Muscat an. Ausschnitte aus dem Interview:
Über die populäre Figur des Munnabhai:
"Munnabhai wird immer lebendig bleiben. Er ist so eine starke Figur. Ich kann sagen, dass Munnabhai einer meiner besten Filme war."
Über die dritte Folge der Munnabhai-Serie:
"Mit den Dreharbeiten für die dritte Folge mit dem Titel Munnabhai Chale Amerika wird voraussichtlich Ende dieses Jahres begonnen werden können. Im Moment wird noch daran geschrieben. Munnabhai ist mehr als nur Kino, weil die Menschen diesen Film so sehr in ihr Herz geschlossen haben. Von ihm wird man noch lange Zeit viel hören."
Über den derzeitigen Stellenwert der indischen Filmindustrie:
"Das indische Kino hat es weit gebracht. Wir werden weltweit anerkannt für die Art von Filmen, die derzeit gemacht werden. Ich bin wirklich stolz darauf, ein Teil davon zu sein."
Über seine politische Karriere:
"Ich war glücklich über meinen Austritt aus der Samajwadi Party. Ich würde mich gerne für den Congress engagieren. Meine Eltern (die verstorbenen Sunil und Nargis Dutt) haben die Gandhi-Familie unterstützt, seit ich ein Kind war. Wir werden sehen, wie es sich entwickelt; aber ich bin definitiv lieber Schauspieler als Politiker."
Über seine nächsten Projekte:
"Ich habe soeben die Dreharbeiten zu No Problem abgeschlossen. Ein weiterer Film, Knock Out, wird bald herauskommen. Dann ist da noch Lamhaa. Und es sind noch viele in Arbeit. Wenn ich die Möglichkeit bekomme, würde ich auch gerne in arabischen Filmen arbeiten."
(Sunil D’Cruz; Deutsch von Diwali)
22. März 2010
Wir treffen den politikkundigen Schauspieler Sanjay Dutt bei seinem kürzlichen Besuch in Muscat.
Nachdem Amitabh Bachchan bei der Eröffnungszeremonie einen Lifetime Achievement Award bekommen hatte, was Sanjay Dutt Ehrengast bei der Abschlussveranstaltung des soeben zu Ende gegangenen 6. Muscat Internationalen Filmfests. Der 50-Jährige, der sein Bollywood-Debüt 1981 mit Rocky gegeben hatte, wurde von den Kritikern besonders für seine Comedy-Rolle in den Munnabhai-Filmen gerühmt.
In einem Gespräch mit Journalisten bei seiner Ankunft in Muscat sprach der liebevoll als Sanju Baba bekannte Schauspieler mehrere Themen in Zusammenhang mit seinem Kurzbesuch in Muscat an. Ausschnitte aus dem Interview:
Über die populäre Figur des Munnabhai:
"Munnabhai wird immer lebendig bleiben. Er ist so eine starke Figur. Ich kann sagen, dass Munnabhai einer meiner besten Filme war."
Über die dritte Folge der Munnabhai-Serie:
"Mit den Dreharbeiten für die dritte Folge mit dem Titel Munnabhai Chale Amerika wird voraussichtlich Ende dieses Jahres begonnen werden können. Im Moment wird noch daran geschrieben. Munnabhai ist mehr als nur Kino, weil die Menschen diesen Film so sehr in ihr Herz geschlossen haben. Von ihm wird man noch lange Zeit viel hören."
Über den derzeitigen Stellenwert der indischen Filmindustrie:
"Das indische Kino hat es weit gebracht. Wir werden weltweit anerkannt für die Art von Filmen, die derzeit gemacht werden. Ich bin wirklich stolz darauf, ein Teil davon zu sein."
Über seine politische Karriere:
"Ich war glücklich über meinen Austritt aus der Samajwadi Party. Ich würde mich gerne für den Congress engagieren. Meine Eltern (die verstorbenen Sunil und Nargis Dutt) haben die Gandhi-Familie unterstützt, seit ich ein Kind war. Wir werden sehen, wie es sich entwickelt; aber ich bin definitiv lieber Schauspieler als Politiker."
Über seine nächsten Projekte:
"Ich habe soeben die Dreharbeiten zu No Problem abgeschlossen. Ein weiterer Film, Knock Out, wird bald herauskommen. Dann ist da noch Lamhaa. Und es sind noch viele in Arbeit. Wenn ich die Möglichkeit bekomme, würde ich auch gerne in arabischen Filmen arbeiten."
(Sunil D’Cruz; Deutsch von Diwali)
Donnerstag, 11. März 2010
Sanjay Dutt finally free of terror charges
Quelle / Source in English
NDTV ist wirklich ein topaktueller Sender... Was die heute verkünden, das haben wir bereits am 18. Dezember 2009 gefeiert. Aber es ist zu schön, man kann es gar nicht oft genug wiederholen... ;)
Aber wohlgemerkt: Das bedeutet nur, dass die Staatsanwaltschaft keinen Einspruch gegen Sanjays TADA-Freispruch eingelegt hat und somit dieser Freispruch von allen Terrorismus-Anklagen rechtskräftig ist.
Das Urteil wegen des illegalen Waffenbesitzes besteht dagegen nach wie vor und wartet irgendwo unter einem der riesigen Aktenberge des Supreme Court darauf, in einem Berufungsverfahren erneut verhandelt zu werden. Und das kann noch dauern...
NDTV ist wirklich ein topaktueller Sender... Was die heute verkünden, das haben wir bereits am 18. Dezember 2009 gefeiert. Aber es ist zu schön, man kann es gar nicht oft genug wiederholen... ;)
Aber wohlgemerkt: Das bedeutet nur, dass die Staatsanwaltschaft keinen Einspruch gegen Sanjays TADA-Freispruch eingelegt hat und somit dieser Freispruch von allen Terrorismus-Anklagen rechtskräftig ist.
Das Urteil wegen des illegalen Waffenbesitzes besteht dagegen nach wie vor und wartet irgendwo unter einem der riesigen Aktenberge des Supreme Court darauf, in einem Berufungsverfahren erneut verhandelt zu werden. Und das kann noch dauern...
Sonntag, 3. Januar 2010
Aladin (2009) – Review in English
About the story: Ever since he was a child, Aladin Chatterjee (Riteish Deshmukh) has been afflicted by his forename; in school he always was teased and forced to rub lamps – and then ridiculed because no genie came out. As a result, Aladin hates lamps. But even now in college the bullying doesn’t stop, especially Kasim (Sahil Khan) and his gang keep making Aladin’s life miserable. At Aladin’s birthday, Kasim makes Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez), who is new in college and completely unsuspecting, to gift Aladin a lamp and to ask him to rub it. Aladin, head over heels in love with Jasmine, resigningly obeys – and this time actually a genie appears: Genius (Amitabh Bachchan) who holds out the prospect of three wishes granted to Aladin. After that, he’s looking forward to his retirement. But Genius hasn’t reckoned with the evil and power-greedy ex-genie Ringmaster (Sanjay Dutt)...
Aladin goes Harry Potter. This is what I thought several times while watching this movie. I don't want to set this out as I cannot do that without giving away parts of the story, but maybe I thus manage to make people curious about this Aladin film who otherwise possibly would shy away because of the negative box office results. For in my humble opinion, this Aladin is an exceedingly succeeded fantasy film which is great fun to watch, thanks to stunning special effects and magical tricks, and also thanks to a larksome and cheerful cast.
Producer and director Sujoy Ghosh had made it clear from the very first moment on that he didn't intend to remake the classic Aladdin by Disney – in his opinion this cartoon is far too brilliant for even making a try to repeat this magic. Instead, Ghosh placed the fairy tale from 1001 Nights into modern age and created an own story around the fairy tale's core where Aladin became a college boy and a loveable loser, Jasmine everybody's darling at college seemingly beyond Aladin's reach, and the genie became a pop star with airs and graces aswell as human weaknesses. This role was tailor-made for Amitabh Bachchan who obviously enjoyed it to the fullest; he sings and raps and acts extrovertedly and sometimes even hamming. But who cares as long as this Genius makes you laugh so much? Ghosh's Aladin movie is first of all a cheerful Big B Show.
I hardly can imagine anyone who could have played the shy and awkward and completely loveable Aladin better than Riteish Deshmukh. Jacqueline Fernandez, Miss Sri Lanka 2006, gives her film debut in Aladin and clearly shows that she has more to offer than just beauty and a charming smile; her acting is fresh and self-confident, her dancing full of spirit, and she doesn't shy away from martial arts if necessary. Sahil Khan plays with relish the unlikeable macho and bully and also shows a good portion of self-humour.
And then there is Sanjay Dutt whose villainous role as Ringmaster unfortunately was a bit neglected by Ghosh. Though Ghosh invented an interesting and wonderfully mean figure, it would have done this Ringmaster good if his history and background were formulated a bit more detailed. Also there could have been more of the face-offs and confrontations between Ringmaster and Genius – if you have two actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt who already have shown how they can set the screen on fire together, there should be more than just one battle of words at night, a final hand-to-hand combat and some small scenes in between. Anyway, Sanjay makes the best of his role, is delightfully mean and vicious and obviously had a ball playing this sort of fantasy Mogambo. He resembles a big child being cheerfully happy and gloating over spoiling the others' party. Too bad that the song "Giri Giri" which Sanjay sang himself wasn't included in the film but banished into the end credits; it's just a tiny bit of comfort that the clip was added to the Bonus DVD.
Besides the actors there are many more details which make Aladin a joy to watch, be it the seemingly effortless tricks by EyeQube, the art of Charles Darby, the bunch of scurrile circus performers accompanying Ringmaster or the catchy music and the colourful dances. The audience at the SAIFF in New York where Aladin's world premiere took place on October 28, 2009 definitely had fun with the movie aswell as later especially the children in India. But the critics couldn't get anything out of Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy film, and so Aladin failed. If you ask me: absolutely undeserved.
Produced by Sunil A Lulla, Sujoy Ghosh; Directed by Sujoy Ghosh
132 Min.; DVD: Eros, English Subtitles (including songs); Bonus DVD with Making of Aladin, Making of Songs, Giri Giri Music Video, Theatrical Trailers, Eyeqube Effects Showreel
©Diwali
Official Website
Boundscript's Aladin Blog (Part 5 "Ringmaster Arrives")
Aladin goes Harry Potter. This is what I thought several times while watching this movie. I don't want to set this out as I cannot do that without giving away parts of the story, but maybe I thus manage to make people curious about this Aladin film who otherwise possibly would shy away because of the negative box office results. For in my humble opinion, this Aladin is an exceedingly succeeded fantasy film which is great fun to watch, thanks to stunning special effects and magical tricks, and also thanks to a larksome and cheerful cast.
Producer and director Sujoy Ghosh had made it clear from the very first moment on that he didn't intend to remake the classic Aladdin by Disney – in his opinion this cartoon is far too brilliant for even making a try to repeat this magic. Instead, Ghosh placed the fairy tale from 1001 Nights into modern age and created an own story around the fairy tale's core where Aladin became a college boy and a loveable loser, Jasmine everybody's darling at college seemingly beyond Aladin's reach, and the genie became a pop star with airs and graces aswell as human weaknesses. This role was tailor-made for Amitabh Bachchan who obviously enjoyed it to the fullest; he sings and raps and acts extrovertedly and sometimes even hamming. But who cares as long as this Genius makes you laugh so much? Ghosh's Aladin movie is first of all a cheerful Big B Show.
I hardly can imagine anyone who could have played the shy and awkward and completely loveable Aladin better than Riteish Deshmukh. Jacqueline Fernandez, Miss Sri Lanka 2006, gives her film debut in Aladin and clearly shows that she has more to offer than just beauty and a charming smile; her acting is fresh and self-confident, her dancing full of spirit, and she doesn't shy away from martial arts if necessary. Sahil Khan plays with relish the unlikeable macho and bully and also shows a good portion of self-humour.
And then there is Sanjay Dutt whose villainous role as Ringmaster unfortunately was a bit neglected by Ghosh. Though Ghosh invented an interesting and wonderfully mean figure, it would have done this Ringmaster good if his history and background were formulated a bit more detailed. Also there could have been more of the face-offs and confrontations between Ringmaster and Genius – if you have two actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt who already have shown how they can set the screen on fire together, there should be more than just one battle of words at night, a final hand-to-hand combat and some small scenes in between. Anyway, Sanjay makes the best of his role, is delightfully mean and vicious and obviously had a ball playing this sort of fantasy Mogambo. He resembles a big child being cheerfully happy and gloating over spoiling the others' party. Too bad that the song "Giri Giri" which Sanjay sang himself wasn't included in the film but banished into the end credits; it's just a tiny bit of comfort that the clip was added to the Bonus DVD.
Besides the actors there are many more details which make Aladin a joy to watch, be it the seemingly effortless tricks by EyeQube, the art of Charles Darby, the bunch of scurrile circus performers accompanying Ringmaster or the catchy music and the colourful dances. The audience at the SAIFF in New York where Aladin's world premiere took place on October 28, 2009 definitely had fun with the movie aswell as later especially the children in India. But the critics couldn't get anything out of Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy film, and so Aladin failed. If you ask me: absolutely undeserved.
Produced by Sunil A Lulla, Sujoy Ghosh; Directed by Sujoy Ghosh
132 Min.; DVD: Eros, English Subtitles (including songs); Bonus DVD with Making of Aladin, Making of Songs, Giri Giri Music Video, Theatrical Trailers, Eyeqube Effects Showreel
©Diwali
Official Website
Boundscript's Aladin Blog (Part 5 "Ringmaster Arrives")
All The Best – Fun Begins... (2009) – Review in English
About the story: The ambitious but up till now unsuccessful rock musician Veer Kapur (Fardeen Khan) is moneywise depending on his millionaire step-brother, the NRI Dharam Kapur (Sanjay Dutt) who every month provides him with a lavish pocket money – not least because Veer lied to him that he is happily married to his girlfriend Vidya (Mugdha Godse). This was the idea of Veer's inventive friend Prem Chopra (Ajay Devgn), and Veer thanks him by sharing his pocket money with him. Thus Prem is able to construct a fulminant racing car, but after an illegal car race Prem and Veer find themselves up to their ears in debt with the mafia boss Tobu (Johny Lever). In their need they even rent out Veer's home, which is Dharam's villa in Goa, to the eccentric "RGV" (Sanjay Mishra). Just in this moment Dharam arrives for an unplanned visit in Goa for the purpose of finally meeting his sister-in-law Vidya. Accidentally he mistakes Prem's wife Janvi (Bipasha Basu) for Vidya and thus prompts a run of misconceptions and confusion...
In the opening credits, it says "Based on the play by Neil and Caroline Schaffner as published by Samuel French, Inc.", referring to the play "Right Bed Wrong Husband" from 1921. Producer Ajay Devgn thus hedged against plagiarism accusations which connected the ATB script with Paritosh Painter's and Balwinder Singh Suri's play "Uncle Samjha Karo" which was staged in Mumbai in November 2003 and which in turn is the Hindi version of Dinyar Contractor's English play "Whose Wife Is It Anyway?" which had been staged more than ten years before. As I don't know any of these three plays I cannot judge about the inspirations' actual origin and extent, but fact is: The film clearly shows that it's based on a solid stage play and not just on the phantasies of Indian script writers which too often lack a stringent dramaturgy.
So this is brownie point number one. Number two is the cast where director Rohit Shetty had made some really lucky pulls. Okay, in the minor parts you have to deal with almost the entire brigade of Hindi film comedians, from Johny Lever (who luckily is mute almost the whole time and scores with his eyes and mimics) to Asrani and from Sanjay Mishra and Mukesh Tiwari to the hilarious Ashwini Kalsekar as house maid Mary. But for the leads Shetty could cast not only his producer Ajay Devgn but also Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu, and along with them Fardeen Khan and Mugdha Godse, both acting solid and always good for some laughs. Bipasha is the pillar of calmness amidst all the chaos, and hers are some of the most emotional moments which this comedy, thank God, also provides ("Kyon").
The film's heart and soul, however, are Tom and Jerry... sorry, I mean Sanjay and Ajay, and it's not just because of the story itself but also because of these two actors that the film only gets going from minute 37 on when Sanjay enters the scene. Both are gifted comedians, their mimic, interaction and timing are mindblowing, and it's sheer delight to watch them squabbling, pulling each other's leg and feeding each other lines with instinctive certainty. Alone their nocturnal Dostana scene (with Sanjay in a pink nightgown) is worth the whole movie. (Please open this link only if you don't mind a spoiler.)
Considering this, you can even condone weaknesses like the far too great chaos in the film's second half and the only half-baked climax. All The Best is (literally) colourful entertainment with a rocking soundtrack; scenes with way too loud and annoying humour are compensated with really touching emotional moments; and Sanjay's fans absolutely get their money's worth – not just because the Kapurs' villa in Goa is full of magnificent photos of the Deadly Dutt. Sanjay obviously had a ball doing ATB, is refreshingly funny, dances full of verve, flaunts extensively the tattoos on his shoulders and arms and rocks at the drums and with the guitar like the true rock star he, simply put, is. What more can you desire? The Sabse Favorite Comic Actor Male Award 2010 (alongside with other nominations at the Stardust and IIFA Awards) was absolutely deserved for Sanju.
Produced by Ajay Devgn; Directed by Rohit Shetty
140 Min.; DVD: Shree International/ADF/Kinesis Films, English Subtitles (including songs)
© Diwali
Official Website
All you wanted to know about All The Best / Dharam Kapur
In the opening credits, it says "Based on the play by Neil and Caroline Schaffner as published by Samuel French, Inc.", referring to the play "Right Bed Wrong Husband" from 1921. Producer Ajay Devgn thus hedged against plagiarism accusations which connected the ATB script with Paritosh Painter's and Balwinder Singh Suri's play "Uncle Samjha Karo" which was staged in Mumbai in November 2003 and which in turn is the Hindi version of Dinyar Contractor's English play "Whose Wife Is It Anyway?" which had been staged more than ten years before. As I don't know any of these three plays I cannot judge about the inspirations' actual origin and extent, but fact is: The film clearly shows that it's based on a solid stage play and not just on the phantasies of Indian script writers which too often lack a stringent dramaturgy.
So this is brownie point number one. Number two is the cast where director Rohit Shetty had made some really lucky pulls. Okay, in the minor parts you have to deal with almost the entire brigade of Hindi film comedians, from Johny Lever (who luckily is mute almost the whole time and scores with his eyes and mimics) to Asrani and from Sanjay Mishra and Mukesh Tiwari to the hilarious Ashwini Kalsekar as house maid Mary. But for the leads Shetty could cast not only his producer Ajay Devgn but also Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu, and along with them Fardeen Khan and Mugdha Godse, both acting solid and always good for some laughs. Bipasha is the pillar of calmness amidst all the chaos, and hers are some of the most emotional moments which this comedy, thank God, also provides ("Kyon").
The film's heart and soul, however, are Tom and Jerry... sorry, I mean Sanjay and Ajay, and it's not just because of the story itself but also because of these two actors that the film only gets going from minute 37 on when Sanjay enters the scene. Both are gifted comedians, their mimic, interaction and timing are mindblowing, and it's sheer delight to watch them squabbling, pulling each other's leg and feeding each other lines with instinctive certainty. Alone their nocturnal Dostana scene (with Sanjay in a pink nightgown) is worth the whole movie. (Please open this link only if you don't mind a spoiler.)
Considering this, you can even condone weaknesses like the far too great chaos in the film's second half and the only half-baked climax. All The Best is (literally) colourful entertainment with a rocking soundtrack; scenes with way too loud and annoying humour are compensated with really touching emotional moments; and Sanjay's fans absolutely get their money's worth – not just because the Kapurs' villa in Goa is full of magnificent photos of the Deadly Dutt. Sanjay obviously had a ball doing ATB, is refreshingly funny, dances full of verve, flaunts extensively the tattoos on his shoulders and arms and rocks at the drums and with the guitar like the true rock star he, simply put, is. What more can you desire? The Sabse Favorite Comic Actor Male Award 2010 (alongside with other nominations at the Stardust and IIFA Awards) was absolutely deserved for Sanju.
Produced by Ajay Devgn; Directed by Rohit Shetty
140 Min.; DVD: Shree International/ADF/Kinesis Films, English Subtitles (including songs)
© Diwali
Official Website
All you wanted to know about All The Best / Dharam Kapur
Blue (2009) – Review in English
About the story: In the Bahamas, the rich businessman Aarav (Akshay Kumar) befriended the fisherman and experienced scuba diver Sagar (Sanjay Dutt) who, together with his wife Mona (Lara Dutta), lives a simple and modest life. Several times Aarav mentions the "Lady In Blue" to Sagar – a ship loaded with treasures which decades ago foundered off the coast and which Aarav wants to find. But Sagar always plays down this issue and doesn't want to have anything to do with it. Only when his younger brother Sam (Zayed Khan) and Mona get into a life-threatening situation because Sam in Bangkok has run into high debts with the dubious Gulshan (Rahul Dev), Sagar overcomes his qualms concerning the "Lady In Blue" despite the traumatic experiences from his past linked with that ship...
Blue was one of the most expected Hindi films in 2009. Director Anthony D'Souza who learnt his trade in Hollywood gathered an expert crew around him, headed by action director James Bomalick, underwater cameraman Pete Zuccarini and composer AR Rahman, and provoked curiosity and finally hype by his announciation of underwater scenes as never seen before in Hindi cinema, by a high budget and by a cast including stars like Katrina Kaif and Kabir Bedi even for minor roles plus Australian pop star Kylie Minogue. After the world premiere at the MEIFF in Abu Dhabi on October 14, 2009, Blue saw a fabulous opening weekend in India, but soon the attendance decreased as it became clear that Blue didn't live up to the expectations the hype had created.
Well, it wasn't the fault of the underwater scenes. They were indeed impressive and fabulously shot. Even the action scenes clearly showed that they were made by experts, though for my taste it was at least one motorbike chase too much. This movie's main problem was the script respectively the lack of a thrilling and stringent story. The basic idea was good – the ship full of treasures from India the British in an act of good-will wanted to return which, however, sank in July 1949 – but the story's developing lacked a bit of inspiration. Maybe Anthony D'Souza counted too much on the visual and technical aspects of his film; but these things can never replace a well-told story.
This also reflects in the actors' performances; obviously they had most fun with the scenes which usually don't belong to their daily routine – diving round the ship wreck together with some dozens of sharks, plus water sports and swimming tours with dolphins in the sea. But all in all, no one really excels. Having had just a few months' interval after the nerve-wrecking final phase of his court case and his incarceration, Sanjay Dutt was, in spite of intense training, far away from his best form but could at least score in his emotional scenes, be it with Zayed Khan (likeable and not really as cool as intended) or with Lara Dutta who literally cut a fine (bikini) figure and harmonised well with Sanjay – together they radiated a warm-hearted familiarness which makes you forget their age difference, particularly as they played a happily married couple.
Akshay Kumar delivers an experienced performance as the macho and womanizer. Rahul Dev as Gulshan rises to the position of the film's hidden star. At his side, Katrina Kaif as Nikki hasn't got much to do, and Kabir Bedi as the captain of the foundered "Lady In Blue" even less; you just can't believe how a star of his calibre can be as underutilized as Kabir in Blue. The Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue openly declared that with her first appearance in a Bollywood film a dream had come true for her, and her "Chiggy Wiggy" is quite a nice clip; however, in case she wants to return to B-town again I'd wish her a song better integrated into the story and a far better make-up man.
Sanjay allegedly has mentioned his regrets about that Blue wasn't made one year later when he definitely was in a far better shape than in 2008. But in my opinion this wouldn't have improved the film very much. You can watch it and enjoy the beautiful nature pictures, but you won't get more than just a bit of nice entertainment. For those who desire to see Sanjay and Akshay together in a movie I recommend Amaanat which was shot fifteen years earlier – okay, there's hardly any water in it but definitely more fun.
Produced by Dhilin Mehta; Directed by Anthony D'Souza
116 Min.; DVD: Shemaroo, English Subtitles (including songs); Special Features: Making of the Film, Making of Songs
© Diwali
Official Website
Interview with James Bomalick / Press Conference (Video)
All you wanted to know about Blue
Blue was one of the most expected Hindi films in 2009. Director Anthony D'Souza who learnt his trade in Hollywood gathered an expert crew around him, headed by action director James Bomalick, underwater cameraman Pete Zuccarini and composer AR Rahman, and provoked curiosity and finally hype by his announciation of underwater scenes as never seen before in Hindi cinema, by a high budget and by a cast including stars like Katrina Kaif and Kabir Bedi even for minor roles plus Australian pop star Kylie Minogue. After the world premiere at the MEIFF in Abu Dhabi on October 14, 2009, Blue saw a fabulous opening weekend in India, but soon the attendance decreased as it became clear that Blue didn't live up to the expectations the hype had created.
Well, it wasn't the fault of the underwater scenes. They were indeed impressive and fabulously shot. Even the action scenes clearly showed that they were made by experts, though for my taste it was at least one motorbike chase too much. This movie's main problem was the script respectively the lack of a thrilling and stringent story. The basic idea was good – the ship full of treasures from India the British in an act of good-will wanted to return which, however, sank in July 1949 – but the story's developing lacked a bit of inspiration. Maybe Anthony D'Souza counted too much on the visual and technical aspects of his film; but these things can never replace a well-told story.
This also reflects in the actors' performances; obviously they had most fun with the scenes which usually don't belong to their daily routine – diving round the ship wreck together with some dozens of sharks, plus water sports and swimming tours with dolphins in the sea. But all in all, no one really excels. Having had just a few months' interval after the nerve-wrecking final phase of his court case and his incarceration, Sanjay Dutt was, in spite of intense training, far away from his best form but could at least score in his emotional scenes, be it with Zayed Khan (likeable and not really as cool as intended) or with Lara Dutta who literally cut a fine (bikini) figure and harmonised well with Sanjay – together they radiated a warm-hearted familiarness which makes you forget their age difference, particularly as they played a happily married couple.
Akshay Kumar delivers an experienced performance as the macho and womanizer. Rahul Dev as Gulshan rises to the position of the film's hidden star. At his side, Katrina Kaif as Nikki hasn't got much to do, and Kabir Bedi as the captain of the foundered "Lady In Blue" even less; you just can't believe how a star of his calibre can be as underutilized as Kabir in Blue. The Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue openly declared that with her first appearance in a Bollywood film a dream had come true for her, and her "Chiggy Wiggy" is quite a nice clip; however, in case she wants to return to B-town again I'd wish her a song better integrated into the story and a far better make-up man.
Sanjay allegedly has mentioned his regrets about that Blue wasn't made one year later when he definitely was in a far better shape than in 2008. But in my opinion this wouldn't have improved the film very much. You can watch it and enjoy the beautiful nature pictures, but you won't get more than just a bit of nice entertainment. For those who desire to see Sanjay and Akshay together in a movie I recommend Amaanat which was shot fifteen years earlier – okay, there's hardly any water in it but definitely more fun.
Produced by Dhilin Mehta; Directed by Anthony D'Souza
116 Min.; DVD: Shemaroo, English Subtitles (including songs); Special Features: Making of the Film, Making of Songs
© Diwali
Official Website
Interview with James Bomalick / Press Conference (Video)
All you wanted to know about Blue
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