My name is....(an open letter to SRK)

Dear Mr. Khan,

my name is (never mind, that's what got you into all ths trouble in the first place didn't it?) and I am a big fan of your work. I am really saddened by the news that your latesht film "My Name is Khan" may not be seen in Mumbai due to the Marathi manoo's backlash against your "foot-in-mouth" disease syndrome.

While it be far from me to adjudge the veracity of this issue (I can picture the Sainiks burning printouts of my blog!) , I am very keen to see your latesht picture release in aamchi Mumbai
(which counts for 20-25% of the movie's gross, I heard you say on a leading channel), and as your most humble fan, suggest that a slight change of title might work, in appealing towards one and all, before closing this blessed blog, hear me out, for I present to you not one but three alternate titles, which mught help in finally releasing this movie..

a) My name is KHANolkar:

Khanlokar is a typical maharashtrian name, and it will please the marathi manoos no end, that they have finally got a movie with a maharashtrian leading character; after all the gujjus got one with that film called "Gandhi".

b) My Name is Thackeray:

Sir, surely you realise that both your political tormentors (the MNS and the Shiv Sena) share one thing in common ( besides the penchant for burning your posters) is the surname Thackeray! and what better way than to appease these two birds than with this dramatic change in name, Although I cannot rule out political clashes between these two parties, on which Thackeray it is that you claim to be!

c) My Name is KHAN (3-D)

Sir, James Cameron's 3-D extravangza Avatar has been smashing local box office records, and I see huge potential in upgrading your latesht picture in this manner, although the sight of the hatti-katti Kajol in 3-D may not be for the faint hearted!!

d) My name is Khanna:
Do you remember that recent Salman Khan starrer called "Main Aur Mrs. Khanna"? no?...well neither does anyone else! by this change of title of your movie, you can pass this off as the sequel to that imminently forgettable film, and avoid all controversy!!

e) The 4th Idiot:

Sir, at the risk of being politically incorrect, we all know that you play a "special" (read idiot) in the film, and what better way than this to ride on the success wave of your close friend ( read rival) Aamir's blockbuster 3 idiots! Didn't Aamir ensure that Ghajini lookalikes flooded the theatre during the release of your "Rab ne Bana di Jodi"

I hope the suggestion of a name change, does not anger you. "What's in a name..." Shakespeare had once said, and surely you will agree, for haven't you played the same character in so many different movies, with different names? what's in a name indeed!

your most humble fan

film frEek!

cc: Mr. Karan Johar

Rocket Singh .....Raju meets Jerry!

A wintery hello, frEeky fellows!

For all its claims to be a professional and global industry, Bollywood is at the end of it, a mom and pop shop; with only the laadla star beta / betis that get launched every so often. One such privileged star kid was Ranbir Kapoor, who has probably turned out to be the surprise flavour of the year. With back to back successes such as "Wake Up Sid" and "Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani" Ranbir has found his groove as the simple/naive do-gooder whose charm prevails over all his obstacles; much like Ranbir seems to be winning over the audience these days! Ranbir returns yet again with Shimit Amin's "Rocket Singh - Salesman of the year!

What it is: Shimit Amin who gave us Bollywood's second best sport film "Chak De India"( I would rate Lagaan as the best) returns with another underdog tale featuring Ranbir as Harpreet Singh, a naive, yet simpleton (coincidence 1: Harpreet is then the same character that Ranbir has played in his previous films Sid and Ajab Prem...)who dreams of joining the big bad world of sales, upon graduation. Brimming with good worldy advice received from his grandpa played effortlessly by Prem Chopra (coincidence 2: Ranbir's character name in his last movie was, you guessed it : Prem Chopra!)

the Yaays: Ranbir, is effortless in his by now second nature performance as the kind hearted do-gooder. Disheartened by the unethical ways of his employer, he decides to start of his own little set-up in a manner which reminds one of Tom Cruise's Jerry Maguire. Ranbir has great screen presence, and Shimit in recognising this, keeps the melodrama to a minimum and chooses instead to focus on the antics of his lead. Although there are some interesting ( and true to life) office characterisations, such as the overtly made up office receptionist and the techie who secretly surfs porn while in office, this is essentially Ranbir's tale; who to his credit delivers!

the Naays: For the cine-going crowd that expect foreign locales, melodrama and a Paresh Rawal as their dose of entertainment, this movie will be a letdown. Shahzan Padamsee is quite the looker, but she and the other newcomer Gauhar Khan make earnest, yet almost there attempts to impress. The story in itself is nothing new, with the tale of the underdog been well documented in Shimit's last film itself.

Verdict:

Thoda Jerry + Thoda Raju = Rocket Singh!

While in no ways a path breaking film, Rocket Singh, like it's title character is a simple film, and is told endearingly well by Shimit Amin. It is perhaps this millennium's version of Ranbir's grandfather Raj Kapoor's "Jis Desh Main Ganga Behti Hai" with a dash of Jerry Maguire thrown in for good measure. While one comes away satisfied with the end product, one really hopes that Ranbir would attempt to break away from the "do-gooder" image that he is fast heading towards being typecast in.

Rating:



a theek-theek 3 freEkies

Even Better Than The Real Thing..

A Wintery hello, frEeKy fellows,

This year's finest (bollywood) performance has finally arrived! With the release of R. Balki's PAA, Amitabh Bachhan treads into hithertho untested territory playing not only a "special" child ( read here my previous post about how actors playing special people are a shoo-in for the awards). In all seriousness, R. Balki's acerbic script, dripping with lighthearted humour combined with stellar performance by the Big B, make this a definite watch, even a notch better than the Hollywood original "JACK" that it was reportedly inspired from ( read up on my post about that here).

PAA thus joins an elusive league of desi movies, that I daresay, surpass the original film that they are inspired from. While Bollywood as we all know, shamelessly borrows liberally from its foreign film counterparts, and makes unforgivable desi versions that are too many and to bad to name here. There are a few gifted enough to borrow from the original and seamlessly integrate into Indian sensibilities ; join me tonight fellow frEeks in looking at some remakes that truly are,
even better than the real thing!!..

a) Dombivili Fast:

Directed by Nishikant Kamat, this 2006 marathi movie, was heavily inspired by the 1993 Hollywood movie "Falling Down" starring Michael Douglas. While Falling Down depicted the travails of a laid-off NASA employee - William Foster, played by Douglas. Foster's character, having just received the news of his unemployment, goes into depression and then into a self righteous rampage at the unequal distribution of wealth in the American society. Along the way he also dispenses his vigliante brand of justice to drug-dealers and the like. Dombivali Fast, made several years laters transposes the lead character to the bowels of Mumbai (i.e. Dombivali) and pulls no punches in showing his bleary life; from the mornings spent outside a water tanker waiting for his daliy quota of water, to the streetside cuppa tea that he has by the vendor outside his office, Madhav Apte ( played brilliantly by Sandeep Kulkarni)'s life is one monotonous day after which the director depicts thus..

Fed up by his wife's barbs about his self righteous anger, Madhav's rage boils over when a cold-drink vendor demands more than the regular price of a cola, leading Madhav to destroy his stall, and thereafter go on a righteous rampage much like Douglas' character in the original. While Falling Down created a few ripples at the time of it's release, it is to director Nishikant Kamat's credit that he has seamlessly integrated the theme of righteous anger, to perhaps an even more apt setting - the life of the Mumbai middle class man. Dombivali fast in exposing the stench of Mumbai's corruption, crowds and the rat-race which passes of as daily life; ultimately makes a far superior product than the movie which it was inspired from.

b) Chachi 420:

Chachi 420 a 1998 comedy film, by the legendary Kamal Haasan who also starred in the film as the main character, the movie was in no small measure by the brilliant Hollywood comedy , Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams. While one cannot measure the brilliance of Kamal Haasan's performance against that of Williams in the original, Kamal Haasan once again borrowed from the original and threw in some desi spic for good measure. What makes this remake as good or perhaps even a tad better than the original is the inclusion by Haasan, of perhaps India's greatest acting talent. Take a look at this brilliant scene..

By intertwining characters such as Amrish Puri ,who plays Kamal's father-in-law and who falls in love with Kamal's chachi avatar, Om Puri,as Amrish Puri's lecherous Bihari assistant; Johnny Walker,as an alchoholic make-up artist who disguises Kamal in his female avatar, Paresh Rawal,as Kamal's landlord who also has a crush on Kamal's female avatar, the script takes on some hilarious twists and turns all in no small part due to the inclusion of this brilliant ensemble cast!


extra frEeky: Kamal Haasan also starred in another remake, which matched the brilliance of its original inspiration "Nayagan"

Movie Review: KURBAAN

A Jihadi hello my frEeky fellows!

It's been several years since 9/11 now, resulting in a spate of movies from Farenheit 9/11 to Oliver Stone's World Trade Center to the brilliant United 93 It seems rather ironical that Bollywood's bandwagon is catching on to the trend, only now. Following in the footsteps of the daring ( for Yash Raj Studio's standards) NEW YORK is Dharma Productions KURBAAN



What it is: Directed by Rensil D'silva and starring India's Brangelina jodi: Saif and Kareena, Kurbaan tells the story of a teacher (Kareena) who falls for a dapper colleague played oh-so-suavely by Saif. Their fairy tale marriage seems threatened whenupon moving to the USA, Mrs. teacher realises that Mr. teacher has a few secrets up his kurta sleeve!

the YAays: Slickly shot, Kurbaan boasts of sizzling chemistry between its lead pair, however the much talked about intimate scenes come across as too corny! Kurbaan boasts of an excellent supporting cast including Kirron Kher who deviates from her usual boisterous Punjabi mother persona to an underplayed performance. Om Puri as an calculating terrorist leader, is in fine form.

the NaAys: One can't but help get the feeling of deja-vu while watching Kurbaan. While the initial reels, resemble the deceitful romance of Kajol and Aamir Khan in Fanaa, the latter reels invloving Vivek Oberoi's character too strongly reminds u of Neil Nitin Mukesh's character in NEW YORK. Kurbaan's biggest apparent flaw is that it tries to hard from being a thriller to a palette for the romance between its leads to a political commentary; and the strain shows!!

Rating:



a theek - theek three frEekies!

KAMAL ka KAMAAL I : NAYAKAN!

Vadakam and hellos, my frEEky fellows!!

Kamal Haasan, the actor, the star and the one man movie industry completed 50 movies this year, while praise showered upon him, is as redundant as blaming Pakistan for terrorism, we tread down memory lane to look at some his best work over the years, get yourself ready fellow freEks for:

Kamal Ka Kamaal

episode 1: NAYAGAN

Widely regarded as Kamal's best film, this masterpiece was directed by the then unknown Mani Ratnam, and scored by music maestro Ilayaraaja. Nayagan, an indianised version of Mario Puzo's Godfather ( in itself made into a brilliant film by Coppola) was saved from being a gimmicky copy of the Hollywood version due to Kamal's brilliant acting. While the movie's plot set in the "smuggler" era of the 80s might seem a bit dated now, Kamal's acting as the orphaned Velu, who is adopted by small time criminal living in Dharavi, and who goes on to become a veritable "Godfather" is incredible.
Scenes such as the one where Kamaal protests the local police inspector's bullying by bearing the entire force of the water cannon used against the slum people, or even that depicting his interaction with a prostitute, who requests that he let her study for the night, as she has an exam the next morning have all stood the test of time, take a look-see:

Time Magazine listed Nayagan as One of the Hundred greatest movies ever made ( the only other Indian movie making this list was Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy). If you haven't seen Nayagan, well, you better do this now, cause this jewel of a film will never lose its sheen!

frEEk

Thinking frEEk: KAMINA FICTION!

Namaste fellow frEEks,

Those amongst us who have caught a glimpse of Vishal Bhardwaj's latest offering KAMINEY ( you can visit my review here) have caught it's subtle nods to Hollywood offerings in the same genre i.e. films by Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. What particularly got this frEEk thinking ( yes, there are moments when this happens!) were the sly references to one particular classic, Tarantino's "PULP FICTION" here's how:

a) Rocking Theme Song: Pulp Fiction, contained an awesome retro soundtrack, however one track in particular stood out; MISIRLOU by Dickie Dale, this insanely catchy number, was featured in all the initial promos for Pulp Fiction; take a look-see below:


Kaminey, too features a frenetic guitar pitched number "Dhan-Te-Nan" a duet between Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani, the number, also featured in all Kaminey's initial promos, is by no means a rip-off but does pay subtle homage to MISRLOU, see for yourself:


b) That Darn Watch: A Rolex watch forms an integral part of Pulp Fiction's plot line, In a cameo, Captain Koons (played superbly by Christopher Walken) gifts young Butch (Bruce Willis' character) his father's watch, Koons serves with Butch's father in the Vietnam war, and to prevent the Viets from stealing the watch, hides the watch up his ass! before dying from dysentry, he hands over the watch to Koons ( who hides it up his own ass) before presenting the watch to youn Butch. It is the very watch, that the older Butch ( played by Bruce Willis) loses on the run from his "owner" Marsellus ( played by Ving Rhames) which leads in turn to Marsellus sending Vincent Vega (played by John Travolta) to kill Butch. Take a look at the hilarious Christopher Walken cameo below..

In Kaminey, too a Rolex watch plays a critical part in the movie, where Guddu's and Charlie's
(played by Shahid Kapoor)father steals a Rolex, and Charlie has to obtain money to bribe the cops to set their father free. You can get a fleeting glimpse of the Rolex in the promo below


So there you have it fellow frEEkies, again by no means is Kaminey a rip-off of Pulp Fiction, but the homages are well and truly frEEky!

extra frEEky: Kaminey is playing at your friendly neigbourhood cinema, you can purchase Pulp Fiction here

Freeks on Film: Mr. Brooks

Hello my yellow (and other coloured) Freeks, is time again for us to visit our famoulsy fiendish friends ( yes, yes i have alliteration diorrhea!) on silver screen, time for yet another episode of "FREEKS ON FILM"

Episode III: Mr. Brooks

(click me for the trailer!)

Mr. Brooks (directed by Bruce Evans) starts off with an innocuous enough premise, that of a loving family man, good natured neighbour, and lauded community businessman bearing a much darker side to his personality (much...much darker!!!) Yes indeedy, Kevin "dances-with-wolves" Costner plays the said goody two shoes, who harbours a "murderous" addiction, which he is trying desperately to kick to the extent of joining an Alcoholics Anonymous Group for the same!

What makes Mr. Brooks, succeed in sending that cold tingle down our spines ( besides the quirky casting (imagine the all american costner as a killer!!) are the little twists that the films throws up as it proceeds.

Two become one!

An inspired twist is the casting of the always brilliant William Hurt who plays, wait for it..Costner's muderous alter ego (yes freekies, in effect both these actors play different sides of Mr. Brook's mind!) the moral debate that these two engage in prior to Costner's embarking on each of his murderous escapades is creeeepy to say the least! Other deft touches include the clinical manner that Brook's (in his murderous avatar called "The Thumbprint Killer") embarks on his killings, in a manner mirroring the clinical way that he otherwise goes about being a good husband, father and neighbour.

The Freekiness meter goes off the chart in the movie's successive reels when Brook's character becomes obsessed with the life of the hard-nosed police detective (played brilliantly by the long-forgotten Demi Moore) and is blackmailed into accepting an accomplice (played by the comedian Dane Cook) , lastly and certainly not leastly is the return of Mr. Brook's daughter who may be more like daddy dearest than meets the freeking eye!!

If this sounds like more twists and turns than your neighbourhood roller-coaster, then fello freekies it most certainly does!!! and this is perhaps where Mr. Brooks has its undoings in trying to pack in more scare than the average movie Freek's belly can handle.

Nevertheless, Mr. Brooks, remains an under-rated gem, and surely Kevin Costner's finest performance in a looooong time!

A Freeking Watch!!

Freek

A Little Freaky: Costner once mentioned that Mr. Brooks was intended to be part of a trilogy, can't wait!!!