Sanju salutiert vor der indischen Flagge,
nachdem er das Gefängnis verlassen hat.
Donnerstag, 25. Februar 2016
Mittwoch, 2. September 2015
Reflections about the screen jodi Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit
Okay, first of all: This is not about whether they in real life were in love or a couple or had an affair or all the other fruits of the 90s' grapevine. That's their private business and doesn't matter to me. Both Sanju and Madhuri had always denied any love affair between them; they always claimed they just liked each other very much, and they obviously loved to work together. That's good enough for me.
"Sanju is a fantastic human being. He's very nice at heart and, contrary to what people think, he has a good sense of humour. He's the only guy who can keep me in splits. He doesn't play games, he is a very straight-forward", said Madhuri in 1991 about Sanju who, in return, assured in 1999: "Madhuri Dixit is a good human being and the best dancer we have. There was terrific chemistry between us on screen. No, we weren't at all like Dharmendra-Hema Malini or Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha simply because we didn't do as many films together as they did. But there was a certain magic in Saajan, Sahibaan and Khalnayak."
A certain magic, yes. I guess it was this terrific chemistry which just fuelled the rumours about their private relationship. The three films Sanju named are maybe their best-known ones, but how many did they together? And which ones? Only very few people can answer this question offhand today.
I'll reveal it: Eight films starring Sanju and Madhuri were completed and released between 1988 and 1997. Many more were planned - eg Ramesh Sippy's Zameen with the fabulous cast Sanju, Madhuri, Sridevi, Vinod Khanna and Rajnikant which, alas, never was completed. Or Prem Granth which was considered as a symbolic reunion of the legendary jodi Nargis and Raj Kapoor as it was produced by Raj's grandson Rajiv Kapoor and should star Nargis' son Sanju alongside with Madhuri. But due to date hassles, Sanju finally quit the project to avoid further delay of the film which, thereafter, was made with Rajiv's brother Rishi in Sanju's role. Sigh. I would have loved to see Sanju as Soman.
So we must content ourselves with eight Sanju-Madhuri films – out of which hardly any actually showed them as a couple in love! In Ilaaka (1989), Madhuri was Mithun Chakraborty's love interest while Sanju's girl was Amrita Singh. In Sahibaan (1993) and Khalnayak (1993) Sanju loves Madhuri in vain as her love belongs to Rishi Kapoor respectively Jackie Shroff. In Saajan (1991) they fall in love, but then Sanju decides to abandon his love in favour of his beloved friend Salman Khan, and only in the film's final scene he gets back the love of his life. In Thanedaar (1990) they are already a couple from the beginning, but more accomplices than lovers. A Sanju-Madhuri couple in love we only get, apart from Saajan, in Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988) and Kanoon Apna Apna (1989) where, however, their love story is just a subplot and not really important for the story. Even in their last joint film, the ill-fated Mahaanta (1997), their love is in the end only the cause for some terrible crimes which prompt Sanju to start an extensive violent vendetta against the villains where love doesn't stand a chance anymore.
Regarding all this, one might wonder where to look for that certain magic. But believe me, it is! It is that terrific chemistry Sanju talked about and which you can see when they are in love, when they are not in love, when they have fun, when they quarrel, when she's mad at him, when he's mad at her, when he gets her, when he loses her... There's no doubt about that they really enjoyed working together. And thorough professionals they are, they even managed to keep this magic and chemistry intact in the last scenes for Mahaanta they shot in 1997 after Sanju's agonizing 15 months as an undertrial in jail. His pain was clearly visible in his eyes, and they had, as Sanju admitted, stopped talking to each other, but on screen the old magic prevailed.
But one piece of magic concerning the Sanju-Madhuri jodi is absolutely undisputable: While working with the goddess of dance, Sanju discovered his own dancing skills. He always confessed that he has two left feet and was not really interested in dancing, but now, at Madhuri's side, Sanju started working hard and evolved into a dancer who, in those glorious 90s when he was at the top, did up to five dance numbers in his films and obviously had fun doing so. I'm sure this was also thanks to Madhuri and her good dance influence on him.
Montag, 20. April 2015
PK (2014) - Review in English
"Humra phiren... Ouka naam hai Bhairao, lekin hum ouka bulawat hai Bhaaya..."
"My friend... His name is Bhairao but I call him brother..."
Aamir Khan
"My friend... His name is Bhairao but I call him brother..."
Aamir Khan
About the story: An alien (Aamir Khan) touches down in the desert of Rajasthan, and first of all he loses the gadget he needs to be able to return to his home planet. Band leader Bhairon Singh (Sanjay Dutt) takes the confused stranger in his care and finally sends him to Delhi where he soon is named PK and everyone tells him to trust in God as God is the only one who can help him getting back the gadget. In his search for this God PK learns about different religions, and about their respective ground staff. He attracts the attention of a young journalist, Jagat Janani, called Jaggu (Anushka Sharma) who, after an unhappy love affair with Sarfaraz Yousuf from Pakistan (Sushant Singh Rajput), works for the TV channel of Cherry Bajwa (Boman Irani). She senses a big story. And soon it becomes evident that PK’s simple and innocent questions about God, and his doubts about methods like those of the sect leader Tapasvi Maharaj (Saurabh Shukla), hit the mark in many hearts…
Now what more can be said except: Rajkumar Hirani has done it again. After the Munnabhai films and 3 idiots he gave us another movie with a message completely without a moral pointing finger… a lovingly told story which makes you laugh and cry, presented by a joyful cast, where many of the actors are absolutely familiar with Hirani’s handwriting. Two and a half hours of wonderful entertainment where you hardly can find anything to critizise.
Hirani handles the tricky subject “God and religion” with incredible tact and sensitivity and shows love and respect to everyone. Sadly enough a disclaimer seemed to be necessary reading “This film is a work of fiction - we do not intend to hurt the sentiments of any individual, community, sect or religion”. Those people who really listen know this even so. But in a time of increasing religious extremism it’s no wonder that some people don’t or don’t want to listen. And indeed Hirani and his team had to face hostilities from various religious parts who felt offended where there was no offence - just an innocent alien who didn’t question God himself but the methods of God’s “managers” on earth, and who claimed that God doesn’t need human beings who defend him, or who believe they have to do so.
To give away any more details of the story, of PK’s unexpected and truly refreshing questions or of the overwhelming wrong number wave would deprive the film of its most beautiful surprises. I can just say: Go and watch it! It has gorgeous locations in Rajasthan, Delhi and Bruges/Belgium, it has lively feelgood music which will make you swing, and the cast is one big lucky bag. Aamir Khan is marvellous as PK who with eyes wide open and like a child explores a world strange to him and innocently asks simple and logical questions which will make you think. One of the film’s greatest gifts is that, after all these years, Aamir Khan and Sanjay Dutt work together for the first time, and they get on together like a house on fire. Munnabhai meets Rancho, what can be better than this, especially as Sanjay plays his small but pivotal part with temperament and gusto. Anushka Sharma is enchanting as Jaggu - self confident and at the same time very vulnerable. Sushant Singh Rajput as Sarfaraz is soft and loveable, Boman Irani as TV boss is wonderfully masterful and humorous, and Saurabh Shukla as the sect guru is the perfect hypocrite. And finally the film provides its last great gift when Ranbir Kapoor does an unexpected cameo and sets another highlight just when you think that more highlights can’t be possible.
PK is an intelligent, respectful and loving plea for religious tolerance. May this film - especially in these our times - make many people listen and think.
P.S. In the English subtitles, “PK” is replaced with “Tipsy”, as a consequence of the question “are you tipsy?” people keep asking the strange alien.
Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani; Directed by Rajkumar Hirani
153 Min; DVD: Reliance, English Subtitles (including songs); Bonus DVD: 18 Behind The Scenes, 4 Deleted Scenes; Fun Stickers
© Diwali
PK (2014)
"Humra phiren... Ouka naam hai Bhairao, lekin hum ouka bulawat hai Bhaaya..."
"My friend... His name is Bhairao but I call him brother..."
Aamir Khan
"My friend... His name is Bhairao but I call him brother..."
Aamir Khan
Zur Story: Ein Außerirdischer (Aamir Khan) landet in der Wüste von Rajasthan, und als erstes kommt ihm dort der Talisman abhanden, den er braucht, um auf seinen Planeten zurückkehren zu können. Der Bandleader Bhairon Singh (Sanjay Dutt) nimmt sich des orientierungslosen Fremden an und schickt ihn schließlich nach Delhi, wo er bald allenthalben PK genannt wird - und wo er immer wieder zu hören bekommt, nur Gott könne ihm helfen und ihm solle er vertrauen. Auf der Suche nach diesem Gott macht PK nicht nur Bekanntschaft mit verschiedenen Religionen, sondern auch mit dem jeweiligen Bodenpersonal. Dabei erregt PK die Aufmerksamkeit der Journalistin Jagat Janani, genannt Jaggu (Anushka Sharma), die nach einer unglücklichen Liebesbeziehung mit dem Pakistani Sarfaraz Yousuf (Sushant Singh Rajput) für den TV-Sender von Cherry Bajwa (Boman Irani) arbeitet. Sie wittert eine große Story. Und als PK anfängt, simple Fragen zum Thema Gott zu stellen und Methoden wie die des Sekten-Guru Tapasvi Maharaj (Saurabh Shukla) anzuzweifeln, erweist sich schnell, dass er damit vielen Menschen aus dem Herzen spricht…
Was kann man da noch sagen außer: Rajkumar Hirani has done it again. Nach den Munnabhai-Filmen und 3 idiots schenkt er uns erneut einen Film mit einer Botschaft, die ganz ohne erhobenen Zeigefinger daherkommt - eine liebevoll erzählte Geschichte, bei der man schallend lachen und Rotz und Wasser heulen kann, und das Ganze präsentiert von einem spielfreudigen Ensemble, das größtenteils mittlerweile zum Inventar gehört und die Hiranische Handschrift aus dem FF beherrscht. Zweieinhalb Stunden wunderbare Unterhaltung, bei der es fast nichts zu bekritteln gibt - und wenn überhaupt, dann ist es Kritteln auf ganz hohem Niveau.
Hirani handhabt das kitzlige Thema “Gott und Religion” mit unglaublichem Feingefühl und ganz klar mit Liebe und Respekt allen gegenüber. Dass er dem Film einen Disclaimer “This film is a work of fiction - we do not intend to hurt the sentiments of any individual, community, sect or religion” vorausstellte, ist verständlich in einer Zeit und einem Land, wo religiöser Extremismus sich eher auf dem Vormarsch als auf dem Rückzug befindet; und dass es tatsächlich nach der Premiere Anfeindungen gab (aus mehreren religiösen Lagern, wohlgemerkt), beweist nur umso mehr, wie sehr Hirani den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen hat und wie wichtig solche PKs sind - die keineswegs Gott selbst in Frage stellen, sondern vielmehr die Methoden seiner “Manager” auf Erden; und die ganz klar die Ansicht vertreten, dass Gott keine Menschen braucht, die ihn verteidigen oder glauben, es zu müssen.
Jedes weitere Detail der Handlung, der so unerwarteten wie herzerfrischenden Fragen PKs oder der überwältigenden Wrong-Number-Welle zu verraten würde den Film seiner schönsten Überraschungen berauben. Ich kann nur sagen: Ansehen! Es gibt wunderschöne Locations in Rajasthan, Delhi und dem belgischen Brügge, es gibt herrlich schwungvolle Feelgood-Musik, bei der der ganze Körper automatisch mitwippt, und der Cast ist eine einzige großartige Wundertüte. Aamir Khan ist eine Wucht als PK, der mit weit aufgerissenen Augen wie ein Kind eine ihm fremde Welt erkundet und in aller Unschuld Fragen stellt, die eigentlich völlig logisch sind und gerade deshalb zum Nachdenken anregen. Dass er nach Jahrzehnten im Filmgeschäft hier zum ersten Mal mit Sanjay Dutt zusammenarbeitet, ist das vielleicht größte Zuckerl dieses Films - Munnabhai meets Rancho, besser geht es nicht, zumal Sanjay seine kleine Rolle mit herrlich viel Gusto und Temperament spielt. Anushka Sharma ist bezaubernd als Jaggu - selbstbewusst und zugleich unsagbar verletzlich. Sushant Singh Rajput als Sarfaraz ist sympathisch und liebenswert, Boman Irani als TV-Boss wunderbar souverän und humorvoll und Saurabh Shukla als Sekten-Guru die Schein-Heiligkeit in Person. Und schließlich gibt es noch ein zweites Zuckerl in Gestalt von Ranbir Kapoor, der dem Film mit einem unerwarteten Cameo ein weiteres Glanzlicht aufsetzt.
PK ist ein intelligentes, respekt- und liebevolles Plädoyer für religiöse Toleranz. Möge dieser Film - gerade in unserer heutigen Zeit - viele Menschen zum Nachdenken bringen.
P.S. “PK” wird in den englischen UT übrigens mit “Tipsy” wiedergegeben; der Außerirdische wird aufgrund seiner Art und seinen Fragen ständig gefragt “are you tipsy?”, was soviel bedeutet wie “hast du einen im Tee?”. Tipsy = PK würde demnach in etwa “beschwipst” oder “bedudelt” bedeuten, im Sinne von “nicht ganz richtig im Kopf”.
Produktion: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani; Regie: Rajkumar Hirani153 Min; DVD: Reliance, englische UT (inkl. Songs); Bonus DVD: 18 Behind The Scenes, 4 Deleted Scenes; Fun Stickers
Sonntag, 29. März 2015
Ungli (2014) - Review in English
About the story: Abhay (Randeep Hooda), Maya (Kangana Ranaut), Goti (Neil Bhoopalam) and Kalim (Angad Bedi), four young and educated people from Mumbai, have, after an incisive incident, decided to fight actively against corruption rampant and causing injustice everywhere in the city. They form the “Ungli gang” which, hooded and with illegal methods, shows up corrupt officials, politicians etc and indicts their practices and manipulations. The masses cheer the gang while the police vainly tries to trace “Ungli”. Finally inspector ACP Ashok Kale (Sanjay Dutt) has an idea how to get hold of the gang: He engages his late partner’s son Nikhil (Emraan Hashmi), who also had joined the police force, to infiltrate the gang. Nikhil manages to contact the four friends and wins their trust. But the better he gets to know them and their motives, the more he wavers between the gang and his loyalty to Kale…
The Hindi word “ungli” means the middle finger, and sure enough Abhay, Maya, Goti and Kalim are showing the finger to the system and to the police. During the making of the movie it was said that Ungli was to be a clarion call for the Indian youth like Rang De Basanti. But these footsteps proved to be too big for Ungli. The only time you’re reminded of Rang De Basanti is during the item number of Shraddha Kapoor - the line “Dance Basanti” sounds queerly similar to the song line “Rang De Basanti”. Coincidence? You decide.
In many regards, Ungli appears half-baked, and this can’t have been just Sanjay Dutt’s fault who, after he stepped in for Anil Kapoor, in the end (like with Zanjeer and Policegiri) hardly had enough time left to finish his scenes before he had to surrender for his jail term. Especially the gang’s actions and background could have been more elaborated; hardly any detail was engrossed or deepened, many aspects were just skimmed over and sometimes simply implausible. Even the plot with Abhay and his journalist colleague Teesta (Neha Dhupia) could have yielded much more. Kangana Ranaut was wasted though of course it was Maya’s gain to be played by such a strong actress. Randeep Hooda plays the gang’s leader with a lot of self-confidence and authority.
If the members of the Ungli gang are the story’s heroes, Sanjay Dutt’s ACP Kale must be the enemy of the good guys. If, on the other hand, the good guys use illegal methods, then Kale must be on the right side, especially as he’s the perfect example for a stain-free, incorrupt and honest cop. So with two opponents where no one is really “bad” or “wrong”, you can guess that in the end no one will have to be the loser. But at least you avoid being bored by figuring out how the makers will manage to bring the four of the gang, the undercover cop and the no-nonsense cop to a common denominator.
Sanjay’s performance as ACP Kale is a very pleasant one. Finally a role again which demanded plain and quiet acting from him (no problem for him) and where in the fight scene (yes, only one and, thank God, even short) people don’t fly through the air doing twists and somersaults in slow-motion. And Sanjay had no qualms to dye his hair and moustache grey and thus look more aged than he actually was. Bravo! His interactions with Emraan are good, and it’s nice to see him together with old colleagues like Reema Lagoo and Mahesh Manjrekar. However, this cannot completely console for the fact that even Sanjay’s and Emraan’s roles were quite neglected by the makers - they are rather trivial and without any deeper looks into their personalities. And if adept actors like Sanjay and Emraan fail to give more edges to their roles, then you know that this project lacked much more than just a little more time on the sets for Sanjay Dutt.
Ungli proves that even Dharma Productions is able to produce mediocrity. Though the film is surely no failure and provides two hours of light entertainment with a pinch of social criticism. But it’s pale, and in no way the clarion call to the youth it was meant to be. It is to be feared that they’ll rather react like the people in the film: they’ll dutifully protest against corruption, cheer “Ungli gang, we love you!”, and carry on. And the hopes propagandized in the end are most probably not even the makers’ hopes. Because nobody considers them possible.
Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar; Directed by Rensil D’Silva
114 Min; DVD: Shemaroo, English Subtitles (rather faulty; including songs); Bonus: Making of the film
© Diwali
The Hindi word “ungli” means the middle finger, and sure enough Abhay, Maya, Goti and Kalim are showing the finger to the system and to the police. During the making of the movie it was said that Ungli was to be a clarion call for the Indian youth like Rang De Basanti. But these footsteps proved to be too big for Ungli. The only time you’re reminded of Rang De Basanti is during the item number of Shraddha Kapoor - the line “Dance Basanti” sounds queerly similar to the song line “Rang De Basanti”. Coincidence? You decide.
In many regards, Ungli appears half-baked, and this can’t have been just Sanjay Dutt’s fault who, after he stepped in for Anil Kapoor, in the end (like with Zanjeer and Policegiri) hardly had enough time left to finish his scenes before he had to surrender for his jail term. Especially the gang’s actions and background could have been more elaborated; hardly any detail was engrossed or deepened, many aspects were just skimmed over and sometimes simply implausible. Even the plot with Abhay and his journalist colleague Teesta (Neha Dhupia) could have yielded much more. Kangana Ranaut was wasted though of course it was Maya’s gain to be played by such a strong actress. Randeep Hooda plays the gang’s leader with a lot of self-confidence and authority.
If the members of the Ungli gang are the story’s heroes, Sanjay Dutt’s ACP Kale must be the enemy of the good guys. If, on the other hand, the good guys use illegal methods, then Kale must be on the right side, especially as he’s the perfect example for a stain-free, incorrupt and honest cop. So with two opponents where no one is really “bad” or “wrong”, you can guess that in the end no one will have to be the loser. But at least you avoid being bored by figuring out how the makers will manage to bring the four of the gang, the undercover cop and the no-nonsense cop to a common denominator.
Sanjay’s performance as ACP Kale is a very pleasant one. Finally a role again which demanded plain and quiet acting from him (no problem for him) and where in the fight scene (yes, only one and, thank God, even short) people don’t fly through the air doing twists and somersaults in slow-motion. And Sanjay had no qualms to dye his hair and moustache grey and thus look more aged than he actually was. Bravo! His interactions with Emraan are good, and it’s nice to see him together with old colleagues like Reema Lagoo and Mahesh Manjrekar. However, this cannot completely console for the fact that even Sanjay’s and Emraan’s roles were quite neglected by the makers - they are rather trivial and without any deeper looks into their personalities. And if adept actors like Sanjay and Emraan fail to give more edges to their roles, then you know that this project lacked much more than just a little more time on the sets for Sanjay Dutt.
Ungli proves that even Dharma Productions is able to produce mediocrity. Though the film is surely no failure and provides two hours of light entertainment with a pinch of social criticism. But it’s pale, and in no way the clarion call to the youth it was meant to be. It is to be feared that they’ll rather react like the people in the film: they’ll dutifully protest against corruption, cheer “Ungli gang, we love you!”, and carry on. And the hopes propagandized in the end are most probably not even the makers’ hopes. Because nobody considers them possible.
Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar; Directed by Rensil D’Silva
114 Min; DVD: Shemaroo, English Subtitles (rather faulty; including songs); Bonus: Making of the film
© Diwali
Ungli (2014)
Zur Story: Abhay (Randeep Hooda), Maya (Kangana Ranaut), Goti (Neil Bhoopalam) und Kalim (Angad Bedi), vier gebildete junge Menschen aus Mumbai, haben nach einem einschneidenden Erlebnis beschlossen, die überall in ihrer Stadt wuchernde Korruption und die daraus resultierenden Ungerechtigkeiten aktiv zu bekämpfen. Als “Ungli-Gang” führen sie, maskiert und jenseits der Legalität, korrupte Beamte, Politiker etc. öffentlich vor und klagen ihre Machenschaften an. Die Massen jubeln der Gang zu, während die Polizei vergeblich versucht, sie zu ergreifen. Inspector ACP Ashok Kale (Sanjay Dutt) hat schließlich eine Idee, wie man der Gang auf die Spur kommen könnte: Er beauftragt den jungen Polizisten Nikhil (Emraan Hashmi), den Sohn seines verstorbenen Partners und Freundes, sich in die Gang einzuschleusen. Tatsächlich gelingt es Nikhil, Kontakt mit der Gang aufzunehmen und ihr Vertrauen zu gewinnen. Doch je besser er sie und ihre Motive kennenlernt, desto mehr schwankt er zwischen ihnen und seiner Loyalität zu Kale…
“Ungli” steht im Hindi für den sogenannten Stinkefinger, den Abhay, Maya, Goti und Kalim dem System und der Polizei zeigen. Im Vorfeld des Filmes war häufig zu hören, dass Ungli ein ähnlicher Auf- und Weckruf an die indische Jugend werden sollte wie einst Rang De Basanti, aber für diese Fußstapfen ist Ungli dann doch entschieden zu klein. Das einzige, was einen an jenen großartigen Aamir-Khan-Film denken lässt, ist der Rhythmus des “Dance Basanti” in der - bei manchen Machern offenbar immer noch unvermeidlichen - Item-Nummer (Shraddha Kapoor).
An Sanjay Dutt allein, der für Anil Kapoor eingesprungen war, am Ende jedoch (ähnlich wie bei Zanjeer und Policegiri) kaum noch Zeit hatte, alle Szenen vor seiner Inhaftierung abzudrehen, konnte es nicht gelegen haben, dass Ungli in vielerlei Hinsicht unfertig wirkt. Gerade bei den Aktionen der Gang und ihrem Hintergrund wurde vieles immer nur angerissen, aber nie richtig vertieft; und so manches war schlicht und ergreifend unglaubhaft. Auch der Plot mit Abhay und seiner Journalisten-Kollegin Teesta (Neha Dhupia) hätte viel mehr hergeben können. Kangana Ranaut war völlig verschwendet, auch wenn sie die Maya mit ihrer starken Präsenz natürlich aufwertet. Randeep Hooda gibt den Wortführer der Ungli-Gang mit viel Selbstbewusstsein und Autorität.
Sanjay Dutts ACP Kale ist in dieser Geschichte eigentlich der Gegner der “Guten” - da diese “Guten” aber ungesetzliche Dinge tun, steht an sich er auf der richtigen Seite, zumal er das Musterbeispiel eines gänzlich fleckenfreien, unkorrupten und aufrichtigen Cops ist. Dass bei dieser Konstellation am Ende keiner als Verlierer vom Platz gehen darf, kann man sich denken, aber ganz langweilig wird’s trotzdem nicht, weil man sich zumindest mit der Frage beschäftigen kann, wie die Macher die Gang, den Undercover-Cop und den No-Nonsense-Cop am Ende wohl auf einen Nenner kriegen werden.
Sympathisch an Sanjays Auftritt als ACP Kale ist nicht nur, dass zur Abwechslung endlich mal wieder ganz schlichtes, eher ruhiges Spiel von ihm verlangt wurde (was er ja bestens kann) und dass bei der (einzigen und kurzen) Nahkampfszene zum ersten Mal seit langem die Gegner nicht in Zeitlupe durch die Luft segeln oder unmögliche Schraubensalti drehen - sondern vor allem auch sein Erscheinungsbild: Er hatte keine Skrupel, sich Haare und Schnauzer grau zu tönen und damit mal so richtig “alt” auszusehen. Bravo! Sein Zusammenspiel mit Emraan Hashmi gefällt, und darüber hinaus machen seine Szenen mit alten Weggefährten wie Reema Lagoo und Mahesh Manjrekar Freude. Das kann allerdings nicht darüber hinwegtrösten, dass auch seine und Emraans Rollen von den Machern eher stiefmütterlich behandelt wurden - sehr oberflächlich angelegt, ohne sonderlichen Tiefgang der Charaktere. Und wenn selbst versierte Schauspieler wie Sanjay und Emraan ihren Figuren nicht mehr Konturen abringen können als hier, dann merkt man, wieviel hier gefehlt hat. Mehr jedenfalls als nur Tage oder Stunden am Set.
Ungli ist der Beweis dafür, dass auch Dharma Productions durchaus mal Mittelmaß fabrizieren kann. Der Film ist zwar beileibe kein Fehlschlag, und für zwei Stunden anspruchslose Unterhaltung mit einem Schuss Sozialkritik taugt er allemal, aber er ist eben blass. Und alles andere als der intendierte Weckruf an die Jugend. Die macht es höchstens wie die Leute in dem Film: Sie regen sich pflichtschuldigst auf, jubeln “Ungli-Gang, we love you!”, und das war’s. Und die am Ende propagierten Hoffnungen haben ernsthaft vermutlich nicht mal die Macher selbst. Weil die kein Mensch glaubt.
Produktion: Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar; Regie: Rensil D’Silva
114 Min; DVD: Shemaroo, englische UT (leider ziemlich fehlerhaft); Bonus: Making of the film
“Ungli” steht im Hindi für den sogenannten Stinkefinger, den Abhay, Maya, Goti und Kalim dem System und der Polizei zeigen. Im Vorfeld des Filmes war häufig zu hören, dass Ungli ein ähnlicher Auf- und Weckruf an die indische Jugend werden sollte wie einst Rang De Basanti, aber für diese Fußstapfen ist Ungli dann doch entschieden zu klein. Das einzige, was einen an jenen großartigen Aamir-Khan-Film denken lässt, ist der Rhythmus des “Dance Basanti” in der - bei manchen Machern offenbar immer noch unvermeidlichen - Item-Nummer (Shraddha Kapoor).
An Sanjay Dutt allein, der für Anil Kapoor eingesprungen war, am Ende jedoch (ähnlich wie bei Zanjeer und Policegiri) kaum noch Zeit hatte, alle Szenen vor seiner Inhaftierung abzudrehen, konnte es nicht gelegen haben, dass Ungli in vielerlei Hinsicht unfertig wirkt. Gerade bei den Aktionen der Gang und ihrem Hintergrund wurde vieles immer nur angerissen, aber nie richtig vertieft; und so manches war schlicht und ergreifend unglaubhaft. Auch der Plot mit Abhay und seiner Journalisten-Kollegin Teesta (Neha Dhupia) hätte viel mehr hergeben können. Kangana Ranaut war völlig verschwendet, auch wenn sie die Maya mit ihrer starken Präsenz natürlich aufwertet. Randeep Hooda gibt den Wortführer der Ungli-Gang mit viel Selbstbewusstsein und Autorität.
Sanjay Dutts ACP Kale ist in dieser Geschichte eigentlich der Gegner der “Guten” - da diese “Guten” aber ungesetzliche Dinge tun, steht an sich er auf der richtigen Seite, zumal er das Musterbeispiel eines gänzlich fleckenfreien, unkorrupten und aufrichtigen Cops ist. Dass bei dieser Konstellation am Ende keiner als Verlierer vom Platz gehen darf, kann man sich denken, aber ganz langweilig wird’s trotzdem nicht, weil man sich zumindest mit der Frage beschäftigen kann, wie die Macher die Gang, den Undercover-Cop und den No-Nonsense-Cop am Ende wohl auf einen Nenner kriegen werden.
Sympathisch an Sanjays Auftritt als ACP Kale ist nicht nur, dass zur Abwechslung endlich mal wieder ganz schlichtes, eher ruhiges Spiel von ihm verlangt wurde (was er ja bestens kann) und dass bei der (einzigen und kurzen) Nahkampfszene zum ersten Mal seit langem die Gegner nicht in Zeitlupe durch die Luft segeln oder unmögliche Schraubensalti drehen - sondern vor allem auch sein Erscheinungsbild: Er hatte keine Skrupel, sich Haare und Schnauzer grau zu tönen und damit mal so richtig “alt” auszusehen. Bravo! Sein Zusammenspiel mit Emraan Hashmi gefällt, und darüber hinaus machen seine Szenen mit alten Weggefährten wie Reema Lagoo und Mahesh Manjrekar Freude. Das kann allerdings nicht darüber hinwegtrösten, dass auch seine und Emraans Rollen von den Machern eher stiefmütterlich behandelt wurden - sehr oberflächlich angelegt, ohne sonderlichen Tiefgang der Charaktere. Und wenn selbst versierte Schauspieler wie Sanjay und Emraan ihren Figuren nicht mehr Konturen abringen können als hier, dann merkt man, wieviel hier gefehlt hat. Mehr jedenfalls als nur Tage oder Stunden am Set.
Ungli ist der Beweis dafür, dass auch Dharma Productions durchaus mal Mittelmaß fabrizieren kann. Der Film ist zwar beileibe kein Fehlschlag, und für zwei Stunden anspruchslose Unterhaltung mit einem Schuss Sozialkritik taugt er allemal, aber er ist eben blass. Und alles andere als der intendierte Weckruf an die Jugend. Die macht es höchstens wie die Leute in dem Film: Sie regen sich pflichtschuldigst auf, jubeln “Ungli-Gang, we love you!”, und das war’s. Und die am Ende propagierten Hoffnungen haben ernsthaft vermutlich nicht mal die Macher selbst. Weil die kein Mensch glaubt.
Produktion: Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar; Regie: Rensil D’Silva
114 Min; DVD: Shemaroo, englische UT (leider ziemlich fehlerhaft); Bonus: Making of the film
Samstag, 21. März 2015
Hum Hai Raahi CAR Ke (2013; special appearance) - Review in English
About the story: Priyanka, called Pri (Adah Sharma) and Shammi (Dev Goel) are next-door neighbours and friends. In the night of New Year’s Eve, they’re driving by car from Mumbai to Pune. On their way they meet with several ludicrous experiences, and when they’re stopped by a police patrol, they have a lot of explaining to do to Inspector Karan Karate (Sanjay Dutt)...
Those who want to see this movie have to watch it on YouTube - it wasn’t released on DVD. Better this way. No one needs this DVD. And no one needs this film.
In the Hindi film industry it’s common practice that directors and/or producers treat their kids, in case they’re aspiring to be actors, to a debut movie. Ideally they also bring some stars around to make an appearance or at least a cameo in it - for thus the media will pay attention to the project which they otherwise probably wouldn’t.
Director Jyotin Goel was able to persuade a lot of old companions to support his son Dev’s launch vehicle. In the cast you find names like Juhi Chawla, Rati Agnihotri, Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey, Vivek Vaswani - and Sanjay Dutt who once played the loveable Captain Kishen in the movie Safari, directed by Goel, who in the mid-90’s patiently waited for Sanjay to be released from investigative custody and finishing the long pending Safari shooting. Sanjay always gave Goel high credit for this, and he returned the favour with his special appearance in HHRCK as police inspector Karan Karate - a role which demanded not very much from him. A cop with shades - cool, smooth, dry, funny - thanks, we’ve seen this. (Not to say, too often.)
But well, okay, it was a favour for an old friend (who expressed his gratefulness for his “true friendship and amazing generosity” in the credits), and in any way, Sanjay fared far better than his colleagues who (at least some of them) were to play buffoons the way they were common in the early 90’s. Maybe Goel simply got stuck there; after all, he even recycled the “pagal gorilla” from Safari… though Sanjay as Captain Kishen at least was to fight and defeat the “beast” while Dev gets chicken-hearted when he meets a gorilla who eats a banana and pees. The whole scene is as stupid as the entire movie. So let’s just forget it.
Pity for Adah Sharma who is sweet and has some talent; you wish her a better script and a better director to make a re-start. For Dev Goel, his launch vehicle turned out to be a non-starter; the boy he plays was surely meant to be likeable but actually he’s a milk face, a wimp, a peeper, an ass, and the desperate attempt to make him a hero in the end doesn’t save him. Apart from that, Dev Goel obviously watched too many movies with Ranbir Kapoor - his acting appears like a fruitless attempt to imitate Ranbir. You’re tempted to shout at him, Wake up Dev! - with stupid films like HHRCK and without your own personality there will be no career for you.
If you want to see Sanjay’s scenes, you see him for two, three minutes after a good half an hour and then once again after a good one and an half hours - there he gets about ten minutes screentime. But as I said, you don’t really need to.
Produced and directed by Jyotin Goel
122 Min.; YouTube, no subtitles
© Diwali
Those who want to see this movie have to watch it on YouTube - it wasn’t released on DVD. Better this way. No one needs this DVD. And no one needs this film.
In the Hindi film industry it’s common practice that directors and/or producers treat their kids, in case they’re aspiring to be actors, to a debut movie. Ideally they also bring some stars around to make an appearance or at least a cameo in it - for thus the media will pay attention to the project which they otherwise probably wouldn’t.
Director Jyotin Goel was able to persuade a lot of old companions to support his son Dev’s launch vehicle. In the cast you find names like Juhi Chawla, Rati Agnihotri, Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey, Vivek Vaswani - and Sanjay Dutt who once played the loveable Captain Kishen in the movie Safari, directed by Goel, who in the mid-90’s patiently waited for Sanjay to be released from investigative custody and finishing the long pending Safari shooting. Sanjay always gave Goel high credit for this, and he returned the favour with his special appearance in HHRCK as police inspector Karan Karate - a role which demanded not very much from him. A cop with shades - cool, smooth, dry, funny - thanks, we’ve seen this. (Not to say, too often.)
But well, okay, it was a favour for an old friend (who expressed his gratefulness for his “true friendship and amazing generosity” in the credits), and in any way, Sanjay fared far better than his colleagues who (at least some of them) were to play buffoons the way they were common in the early 90’s. Maybe Goel simply got stuck there; after all, he even recycled the “pagal gorilla” from Safari… though Sanjay as Captain Kishen at least was to fight and defeat the “beast” while Dev gets chicken-hearted when he meets a gorilla who eats a banana and pees. The whole scene is as stupid as the entire movie. So let’s just forget it.
Pity for Adah Sharma who is sweet and has some talent; you wish her a better script and a better director to make a re-start. For Dev Goel, his launch vehicle turned out to be a non-starter; the boy he plays was surely meant to be likeable but actually he’s a milk face, a wimp, a peeper, an ass, and the desperate attempt to make him a hero in the end doesn’t save him. Apart from that, Dev Goel obviously watched too many movies with Ranbir Kapoor - his acting appears like a fruitless attempt to imitate Ranbir. You’re tempted to shout at him, Wake up Dev! - with stupid films like HHRCK and without your own personality there will be no career for you.
If you want to see Sanjay’s scenes, you see him for two, three minutes after a good half an hour and then once again after a good one and an half hours - there he gets about ten minutes screentime. But as I said, you don’t really need to.
Produced and directed by Jyotin Goel
122 Min.; YouTube, no subtitles
© Diwali
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