Holy Rajnikanth y’all. It’s been a while. But I’m sloooowly getting back into blogging mode – things are still iffy till after the holidays but we’ll get there, we’ll get there.
Anyway, I’m SO out of the loop on Bollywood gossip that I wouldn’t even know where to start so I thought I’d keep things simple with this post, just to get warmed up, and write about a few random things that I’ve seen, heard, obsessed about lately.
Random Obsession #1: Talaash [SPOILERS In This Section]
So I didn’t get time to do a review and by now everything that can be said about Talaash has been said already.
Like,
- the SPOILER which was heard round the world in a brutal attack of twitter-warfare (and apparently via random SMS too)
- Aamir’s EPIC mustache
- did knowing the SPOILER actually make the movie better??? (yes it did beeyatch! coz if that twisty-shiz came at me outta nowhere I’da been like WHAAAAATHELLNO?! )
- whether the movie was really all that great (cleverly disguised, Aamirkhanized & Excelglossified – but a classic? Hmmmm, don’t think so.)
- whether Vikram Bhatt’s ghost possibly haunted Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar during the writing process (cough, splutter, no pun intended)
- whether Zoya actually saw a ghost on Haji Ali Road (apparently she did and therefore wrote the story, no word on whether the “ghost” was Vikram Bhatt)
- and finally, to place the the final hair in your epic mustache (coz everyone deserves one), those crazy people who were huffin’ and puffin’ about how OUTRAGEOUSLY OFFENSIVE it was that the Satyamev Jayate Man was “promoting” the supernatural and thereby single-handedly corrupting the nation….can we just file that under What Is Wrong With The People Of This World?
Basically, I liked Talaash – thought all three leads plus a fantastically awesome Nawazuddin knocked it out of the park with their performances. The story didn’t do too much for me though so the whole experience was a bit meh. Seen as the story of a father dealing with loss, it works. As a suspense thriller, not so much. So you think you’re watching a suspense thriller but actually you’re not…and yet at the end of it, it doesn’t move you or leave much of an emotional impact.
What I WILL say however is that Excel has The Most impeccable production standards in Bollywood today. The acting (Kareena was absolutely mesmerizing), Mohanan’s cinematography and Reema’s scene construction took the film several notches above what it was.
Random Obsession #2: The New Love Of My Life, Karan Johar
Okay maybe it’s just coz I happened to catch two amazing KJo interviews in the span of 3 days, or maybe it’s coz KJo is the bomb-diggity of B-town (I’m sorry, my lingo is channeling someone crazy today) – but the man just makes a lot of sense.
And no one does interviews like he does.
I LOVE this interview with Anupama Chopra in Marrakesh, like I wish I could turn this into a poster and stick it to my wall because everything I think about the current state of Bollywood is here. In this video.
I like that he points out there’s a difference between making “commercial” cinema just for the sake of being commercial (an issue I’m starting to have with a lot of the masala films being churned out) and actually making a film from the heart, because you’re passionate about a story that you want to tell.
I would also add – I think it’s high time that Bollywood films stopped referencing themselves so much. I’m done with meta. It was fun circa Om Shanti Om but enough already. Let’s just get back to some clean, from-the-heart storytelling minus the gimmickry.
And then where the hell have I been and when the hell did The Big Indian Picture come into existence because they are pretty dang awesome. I mean an HOUR LONG KJo interview with *gaspums* questions that actually make sense by an intelligent lady with enviably clean arm-pits like people, once again, if I could make a poster out of this interview and stick it to my wall I would.
PS – they also have a tete-a-tete with Ranbir which I haven’t watched yet.
Random Obsession #3: Aiyyaa (And The Other Love Of My Life, PRITHVIRAJ!!!!!)
You guys! This movie is so good!!
Weeeell…. it’s got a lot of annoying bits too.
And by that I mean BIG annoying bits with a lady who has Bugs Bunny teeth (playing Rani’s friend) not to mention a totally unnecessary story arc.
But I swear if you just ignore the Toothy bits, what you’re left with is a totally adorable Rani and an omg-I-died-and-went-to-heaven Prithviraj and the sweetest, simplest love story I’ve seen in a while.
Well, not if you count JTHJ, but that was more of a complex, larger-than-life love story.
I’ve never seen a Hindi film capture that feeling of infatuation as well as this did, with the added deliciousness of objectifying the man instead of the woman, and LADIES IF EVER A MAN NEEDED TO BE OBJECTIFIED, IT IS THIS MAN.
But now, I’m making it sound dirtier than it is because while the songs are raunchy, the story is not and though Prithviraj didn’t get as much screen time as THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE would’ve wanted him to have, I think it worked in the story’s favor. Because the whole concept is that Rani/Meenaxi is completely obsessed with this guy that she can’t even muster up the nerve to talk to and yet spins entire fantasies and future plans around him.
Have we been there done that my Bolly-raised girlfriends? Oh yes, I think we have been there and done that. Holla if you are a Meenaxi!!
And the ending totally made my filmy dil melt like a Hershey Bar in a sauna y’all….soooooo frikkin’ cute! (And NEVER happens in real life).
Also, the Heavy-lidded SwoonyDreamy Large Eyes which formerly belonged only to Salman now have a worthy contender in Prithvi. Plus, he has heavenly sideburns.
Speaking of Salman…
Random Obsession #4: Why Am I Not Excited For Dabangg 2?
So I’ve seen Fevicol Se, and I’ve seen Pandey Ji and all the romantic songs and though I thought the trailer was pretty great, I’m just not feelin’ the butterflies for Dabangg 2!
Wassupwidat?
Is it possible I have Salman Fatigue? I mean is that even a thing? Is it even possible?
Partly I think I may have burned up all my excitement with Ek Tha Tiger and I kinda wish the DB2 release was happening a few months later. Just so I could be all hyped up for Salman again.
And I feel like everything about the sequel is looking like a rehash of the original. But then, it’s just promos – picture toh abhi baaki hai mere dost (oh snap, see what I did there, one Khan to reference another Khan just to mess with y’alls Khan-partisanship heads).
But seriously though, is it just me or is the build-up to Dabangg 2 just not as fun and exciting as the build-up to ETT was?
And now I hear that Dabangg 3 is already set to go on the floors in late 2013. Look, I’m glad Arbaaz finally succeeded at something but maybe try and do something different now, y’know? Arbaaz? Up and out of the Dabangg-box we go….
Random Obsession #5: SRK Vs Aamir Khan
And now it’s time for my favorite single-girl activity otherwise known as Get Filmy Psychoanalyzes SRK.
So since I was catching up on all The Front Row episodes I missed, I watched and enjoyed Anupama’s interview with Team Talaash, in which she asks Aamir about his fears and he responded by saying he was afraid he would some day lose his creative connect with the audience, his instinct in choosing stories that matter to people and connect with people. Fair enough, it was a nice interview.
But what was even MORE interesting was when Anupama referenced that response when she’s asking SRK the same question (starts at around 3:05), about whether he was afraid of losinghis creative instinct re choosing the right material and thereby no longer connecting with his audience.
What’s interesting is that SRK literally didn’t even understand the question. I mean, AC asks it twice, and he still didn’t quite grasp the question. Finally he says “Creative instinct has nothing to do with the audience” but even before he said that, what I was thinking in my head is that this is such an awesome display of how differently the two Khans connect to their respective audiences.
Aamir’s connect, especially in the 2000s, has always been about the story material, the quality of his films. He’s a big star but let’s face it, he doesn’t quite engender the kind of craze that the other two do. What he commands from us is more respect than OMG I LOVE YOU AAMIR I WILL SLIT MY WRISTS FOR YOU EEEEEEEE *DIES*.
Yeah, ain’t nobody dying for Aamir. Not since QSQT anyway.
Shahrukh’s connect, on the other hand, has never had anything to do (in my opinion) with his movies, his talents or anything else that’s ultimately quantifiable. To be quite cheesy about it, SRK’s connect with his fans is simply about the heart. We’ll love him if he makes a bad film, we’ll love if he makes a great film. We just love him. Period.
I think that’s why the question was so jarring for him – it’s just not how he thinks. His love and connect with his fans is in its place, and his creative instincts towards his work (which admittedly, are not as sharp as Aamir’s) is in its own place. He’s a big thinker with big plans, but he doesn’t have a good team around him which is why the execution always falls short. (Hi there SRK, please hire me because obviously I KNOW EVERYTHING.)
Anyhoo. Y’all know I’m the in-house Khan Psychologist, so that was my little Wassup SRK? jam session.
Also, how much do we LOVE what he’s wearing in this video? So classy, spiffy, snazzy! Mwah!
* comment contains references to Talaash spoiler * I’m one of the people who thought the “Aamir’s tv show” vs “Aamir choosing to be in a film with ghosts and physical letters arriving from dead people” question is very interesting. I don’t particularly criticize him for it but it’s a really fascinating case of real (or promoted as real) self and missions vs reel self and missions that is unlike any others I can think of. I saw responses on twitter saying “What, if Salman kills people in a film, does that make him a murderer?” which is so not the point. It’s not just reality (tv reality, anyway) vs fiction, it’s a question of the different messages of the things he’s putting his time, money, and name to, especially when theyI run so counter to each other. I haven’t seen any of the tv show, but from what other people describe my understanding of it is that he very much advances modernity, rational thought, etc., yet in Talaash the filmmakers tell us that talking with the dead is not only good but necessary for sanity and well-adjustedness. Again, I’m not saying that it is 100% impossible for a person to use those two ideas in different ways in different settings, but to me they seem quite oppositional and I would love to know whether/how he thought about them in performing in Talaash, in working on the show, etc.
For me, it would be very hard to accept a hero actor calling himself a feminist (HAHAHAHAH LIKE THAT HAPPENS) and then making films in which there’s revenge rape (or even concern rape, thanks Manmohan Desai), reactionary attitudes about women’s rights, heroines who are initially depicted as sex bomb for certain behaviors but then condemned or punished for them later in the film, etc. Is the Aamir case different? I don’t know, but it sure is interesting to think about.
(I also thought the twist in Talaash was el stupido, with the psychic medium being an even worse idea, and that those concepts undercut the very real human capability for healing. I think it was Filmi Geek who was saying that some more ambiguity in the story would have been nice, to leave it much more open and let us wonder if there was a ghost or wonder if some of the resolution of guilt over the child came from understanding messages from the child, instead of saying quite bluntly that yep, those things happened. But other than that I liked the movie very much – what a rich world they created!)
Beth,
Interesting because when I first heard about this I thought it was such a silly thing to hold Aamir responsible for a fictional role he’s playing in a movie….as you say though, the question is interesting.
I just think they are two completely different spaces – what Aamir is doing as a real person, a citizen, on his show – and how filmmakers and storytellers and actors think. Most of the time, the story you’re telling is not necessarily something you advocate. It’s more about the thrill of the story and the way it’s told and exploring worlds that it isn’t possible to explore in reality.
I didn’t come away from Talaash thinking that they were saying talking to dead people is a good thing – I came away thinking that is what the character went through, that is how it worked out for him. I didn’t feel like they were saying “you must talk to dead people in order to get over your sorrow” – it was just an exploration of a subject, an impossible scenario, an emotional journey.
IDK, for me, what he’s doing in a film and what he’s doing in real life are two completely different things. I just didn’t see it as Aamir Khan advocating a message. But I did find it interesting that in many post-release interviews he’s been talking about Zoya’s experience with the apparent ghost that she saw, that in some sense the movie was based on a real-life experience even though he personally doesn’t believe in ghosts.
His show does advocate rational thinking but why would we expect that same rationality from a film? He even did Ghajini for that matter, which was a far more disturbing movie for me. But I’m not holding him responsible for the violence in it.
Other than that, the film definitely had its flaws, I agree with the point you made about ambiguity. Honestly, knowing the spoiler made it a completely different experience. I would’ve hated it a lot more if I hadn’t known the spoiler going in.
ROFL! “Have we been there done that my Bolly-raised girlfriends? Oh yes, I think we have been there and done that. Holla if you are a Meenaxi!!”
Hollllaaaa! *raises hand up* I think all Bolly kudiyan are Meenaxi’s deep inside.
haha
Secondly, this is hella random but…as much as I love SRK…(like after JTHJ hehe) he always seems a bit egotistic to me in interviews. He says something haughty, then laughs it off, like it was a joke…but he totally means it. #paradoxyaar
Kavs,
Eeee Meenaxis FTW!!
LOL SRK is a bit arrogant in his interviews, but he’s been that way from the start. And I feel like he’s never really liked Aamir much because their ways of operating are so different – they definitely have chilly vibes. Both of them are actually quite dismissive of each other while pretending to be “polite”. Drama!
Yay, you’re back! Moaaar posts from now on, girl. Don’t disappear on us!
Gotta say, I’m one of the “elaborate fantasies and objectification of a guy I have never met” girls, hence I’m now sold on Aiyaa and wanna watch it ASAP.
Ani,
I am definitely going to try! My top New Year’s resolution is to blog more regularly. And give Aiyyaa a shot, if nothing else Prithvi is superior eye candy and Rani is really adorable.
Thank you for the heads up on TBIP which was a revelation…such a good interview!! It is so refreshing to have an articulate interviewer and subject as this was. I would go so far as to say that Karan is much better as a subject than an interviewer. Looking forward to a SRK episode now!
As for Aamir and his audience connect…I had to feel sorry for the guy in a way, cos he is aware that he is only as good as his last film ( which thankfully for him are generally good) but I so agree with your statement:”SRK’s connect with his fans is simply about the heart. We’ll love him if he makes a bad film, we’ll love if he makes a great film. We just love him. Period”. Fans have an emotional investment in Shah Rukh which (I don’t think) they don’t in Aamir.
Waiting for your next post…byeee!
Anna_k,
LOVE TBIP, just discovered them so I haven’t had a chance to go through all their stuff, but it really was totally refreshing.
I also think Aamir is as good as his last film, but it’s also just a different connect. We admire him for his work (more as a producer for me, than an actor) but can’t say that he breeds the kind of crazy loyalty that the other two do.
“..and LADIES IF EVER A MAN NEEDED TO BE OBJECTIFIED, IT IS THIS MAN.”
But yes, Aiyyaa is a masterpiece because it chooses to objectify and objectifies such a fiiiine man 
spot on. SPOT. ON. well, maybe you could objectify shah rukh too
TBIP is great, btw! I’m surprised you didn’t already know about it. It has some really nice articles, and the tete-a-tetes are great! The intelligent lady interviewing KJO is someone called Pragya Tiwari. fyi, her twitter handle is @mriganayanika. Yes, I’ve done my fair share of stalking
Finally, I’m so glad you’re back to blogging, getfilmy! Have been missing your wonderful posts all these days..
Keep at it now!
PS: love the snow on the blog
Prerna,
Ooh thanks for the TBIP info, I have no idea why I hadn’t heard of it before but I’ll definitely be following Pragya, she was awesome!
And thank you!! I will most definitely be keeping at it for y’all.
Ooo!! Thanks for the tip on The Big Indian Picture, which looks interesting… will have to browse the archives. <3
If you like Prithvi you should check out Urumi – although Prabhudeva does steal quite a few scenes from him but there is lots of Prithvi and Genelia looking pretty together.
FG!
Oh good I feel slightly better that you hadn’t heard of TBIP, I tend to think of you as the Encyclopedia Brown of all things Bolly!
Check em out, the intelligence is refreshing but I haven’t browsed around enough to tell whether they are especially snobby. ;p
Will check out Urumi, there can never be too much Prithvi in my life.
I felt the exact same about Aiyya! God that friend girl was awful.
Don’t worry about Dabangg 2, we don’t actually know anything about the story, just like with the first, but we do know what to expect from Salman , unlike the first. So you feel like you know what’s coming, but really the plot of the film is still a mystery
Jess,
Well I think Salman looks his absolute handsomest in Dabangg gear so that should take me through. I have to say I’m very skeptical about the film itself ….could just be a sequel allergy though. ;p
Everything you said. About everything. And I loved Karan’s interview on TBIP. The dude might be one of the most self-aware guys in Bollywood. I loved that he was willing to pan his own films and talk about his mistakes and compulsions.
Also, can we make Prithviraj happen in Bollywood? Like, in a big way? He and Rani generated some serious heat in Aiyya.
And I love SRK, and you know my feelings about JTHJ and the lovely promo tour he managed to pull off for it, but the man needs to get one of those non-invasive cold-laser gel treatments or something. He looks so tired!
Sal,
I am SO down with making Prithvi happen in Bollywood. So he’s got Aurangzeb with YRF and hopefully that’ll make room for a lot more!
LOL re SRK – what the man needs to do is quit smoking! And maybe getting more sleep, and then the cold-laser gel treatment. Heart him forever though!