Quick Take

English Vinglish

I did not see Spanglish, so I have no idea if these stories are similar.

A trip to New York brings changes to a family with a clash between traditional and modern cultures.

This is a visually delightful movie with delicate musical touches. It is the story of a Hindu housewife, Shashi, who loves to cook and has started a small catering business at home making ladoos for friends and neighbors for their parties. Shashi’s world is her family.

Yet, her husband has begun to feel he has outgrown her as his business puts him in contact with international clients where he has learned English and other modern cultural aspects. Their children learn English in school and also belittle their mother for her lack of knowledge and limited English.

A niece in New York is getting married. The family decides that Shashi will go ahead to help with the preparations and they will join her later. Shashi struggles with her self-confidence. When she arrives in New York, she decides to take an English class.

The body of the movie is about Shashi taking English classes. The teacher, David, is a unique character. Her classmates are charming. Yet, one classmate challenges Shashi’s self-image.

Here’s the rub for me. Shashi hides the fact she is taking classes from her American relatives even after one of her nieces finds out and helps her hide her activities. Why?

When her family arrives, they treat her as poorly as they did at home. Shashi also hides the fact she understands English.

The climax occurs during her niece’s wedding when Shashi gives a speech to the bride and groom. She tells the couple, in English, about how relationships change over time and how each partner must seek to improve themself in order to maintain balance in the relationship.

She also claims that it is in the family where you get love and respect. Based on the story, I found her sentiments hollow. While Shashi never stopped loving her family, you wondered if they had stopped loving her.

I did not feel the climax had the emotional impact that would have wrought a change in the hearts of her husband and children. In fact, in many Bollywood movies, the emotional struggles would have been more drawn out.

The climax was too subtle. From my perspective, Shashi’s husband and children should have grown to admire and respect her more for her obvious qualities showcased against the New York City backdrop. Yet, I appreciate the attempt to capture the underlying universal tensions between a husband and wife, and a mother and her children.

As Shashi, Sridevi is beautiful and sophisticated almost Tabu-like. I love Sridevi as an actress. This movie role is a far cry from many of Sridevi’s earlier movie roles where she is zany and comedic like in Mr. India.

Cast: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand, Cory Hibbs, Rajeev Ravindranathan, Maria Romano, Sumeet Vyas, Ruth Aguilar, Ross Nathan, Damian Thompson and more.

Director/Screenwriter: Gauri Shinde; Producers: Anita Anand, R. Balki, Ilana Rossein; Cinematographer: Laxman Utekar.

Om Shanti Om

I am back watching Bollywood on ErosNow!!

I am currently on the east coast in the states, on a visit, during “Frankenstorm”, watching Bollywood movies.

We shall see how ErosNow works in Mexico when I return.

I am so hooked on Bollywood, I can barely watch Western movies. I love the multiple storylines, the contrasting emotions, the over-the-top humor, the costumes, the song-and-dance numbers, the guest spots, and the evolving technical advances.

Om Shanti Om 

What the fish! Pagal! 

Run to the nearest DVD vendor and watch this movie. 

I like this movie. I have watched it three four five times. I will not deny that I run to Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan’s movies for escape. It is like an addiction because I forget everything but what is happening on the screen yet reality is not far away.

For this review, I will highlight my favorite parts.

The opening credits include a generous thanks to many of Bollywood’s well-known stars, directors, producers and artisans then leads into a reworking of the Kishore Kumar version of the song Om Shanti Om where Kumar sings while dancing on a revolving 45-record. The scene evolves into the current movie location and characters.

Set in the 70s, in the guise of a comedic Bollywood movie-making love fest, the underlying story in Om Shanti Om is about the tragedy of wife-burning.

Shah Rukh Khan’s character, Om Prakash Makhija (and Om Kapoor); Shrevas Talpade who plays his brother, Pappu Master; and Kirron Kher who plays their mother, Bela, are junior artistes on a massive film production featuring Dreamy Girl, Shantipriva (and Sandy) played by Deepika Padukone.

Om wants to be a hero. The canteen scene where Om and his brother discuss Om’s name change is a kick. While they dwell on fame with a last name of Kapoor, a junior artiste walks by. They ask his name, laugh and tell him he needs to change it. He suggests shortening it to Govinda and walks away. Even the canteen scene highlights an historical movie fact when Om obliquely alludes to how SRK’s father once ran a canteen to serve the cast and crew on movie sets and how some big stars still owe him money even after he quit that business.

Om loves Shanti from afar. There are several scenes where Om talks to his love, Shanti, by addressing her picture on a huge billboard surrounded by other billboards featuring well-known movies like Sholay, director Farah Khan’s favorite.

It is a riot to see song-and-dance numbers from various movies from Mughal-E-Azam to a Maduri Dixit number reworked into the premiere. So many famous Bollywood stars are referenced or portrayed by others, it’s hard to keep track. In fact, one actor who was represented in the film took insult to his impersonation.

A key scene where Shanti and Om interact is a re-creation of the famous fire scene in Mother India. In Om Shanti Om, prior to any imminent danger, it’s all slapstick and fun.

Om Santi Om features a plethora of funny scenes where you see behind-the-scenes tricks in fight sequences and more. Hilarious costumes abound. Shah Rukh Khan enjoys being silly and he makes the most of it in this movie.

It is fun to see many production crew members on screen as directors and more. Also, it is interesting to see the use of special effects where past scenes are incorporated into scenes later in the movie like where Shanti makes a plea to her husband and Om observes from a distant window.

The turning point in the movie is where Mukesh Mehra (Arun Rampal) shows off a beautiful movie set to Shanti describing it as the place where they will be married before he burns the set with Shanti trapped inside. Om tries to save her but he is killed as well.

The fire scenes are impressive. I have no idea how they did it without endangering the actors. I realize the actors may not have been in danger but I still worried.

Rajesh Kapoor (Javed Sheikh) and his wife play a pivotal role in the plot turn. Thirty years after the set of Om Shanti Om burned down, they are celebrating their son’s, Om Kapoor, 30th birthday and Om begins to remember a past life. As he explores his dreams, fears, and visions, they lead him to the burnt movie set of Om Shanti Om and Shanti’s story.

The humor is still there in the scene setups with Om Kapoor as the star. I admire SRK’s self-deprecating humor, like when he mimics his signature wave of his hand through his hair. Making fun of himself keeps SRK grounded and reminds me, too, that family, friends, and faith are what are important in life not fame or adoration.

Rapidly changing scenes on the film’s various movie sets reference more famous Bollywood movies with comic gags, set pieces, and guest shots like the farcical over-the-top take-off on the Filmfare awards ceremonies featuring multiple guest shots with Abhisheck Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Rishi Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar, Diya Mirza, and more.

As Om takes the Filmfare award, he experiences the vision of a drunk Om Prakash Makhija in an alleyway and gives Makhija’s wistful award speech, “If you want something with all your heart, the entire universe will conspire to help you get it….I feel like the king of the world…to happy endings! Finally … if it is not happy then it’s not the end, the film is not over yet.”

The song Om Shanti Om is featured in various renditions. In the vigorous birthday song and dance rendition, it is peppered with copious Bollywood big names. It is a joy to see Kajol, Rani, Juhi, Preity and others. It is another way the movie pays tribute to those who make wonderful movies. Plus, I love men who dance like Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, and more!! 

Om Kapoor is played as a self-centered Bollywood star whose visions convert him into a serious man with a mission.

The second half of the movie is more dramatic as Om Kapoor sets the stage to reveal Mehra’s crime.

Deepika Padukone plays Shanti as a graceful, delicate, vulnerable star and her reprisal in the role of Sandy is funny as Sandy is beautiful, naïve, and clumsy.

Kirron Kher’s wide range of acting abilities are seen in her role as Om Makhija’s over-dramatic mother. Then, they are demonstrated again, as his aged mother as she chases Om Kapoor’s car begging him to come home and later in her role as a demented seer.

Shrevas Talpade as Pappu Master is delightful, light-hearted and an easy foil for Om.

Udit Narayan is a playback singer whose voice I love, I could pick his voice out in the first notes of the Deewangi Deewangi and Om Shanti Om songs.

The remainder of the movie is the tale of how Om Kapoor deceives Mukesh into completing his abandoned film, Om Shanti Om, featuring more behind-the-scenes movie-making processes.

In an early scene where Om is trying to convince Mukesh to finish the film, Om Shanti Om, I feel Om makes a profound statement, “If you search hard enough you can find god.”

Om leads Mukesh back to the burnt movie set where mysterious things happen leading to revealing moments from his past.

Again, Director Farah Khan makes the closing credits fun to watch. Now, Gauri Khan, one of the movie’s producers and SRK’s wife, has been captured in pixels walking the red carpet. She is beautiful and slim. All I can think of was ‘I need to exercise—a lot!’

As Om said in his Filmfare award acceptance speech: “To happy endings, if not, it’s not the end, my friends, the film is not over yet.”

Julia/Julie --Quick Take

I have been devouring DVDs while I study, letting them run in the background. Occasionally, a movie will catch my eye or ear and I will watch it.

I had watched Julia/Julie before. It is a lovely movie. A great biographical story about Julia and Paul Child and their life in France where Julia falls in love with French Cooking. This love led to her collaboration with two other French cooks in the development and publishing of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Julia Child's name was been widely known for over 40 years, yet I had never read her cookbook since I am not a cook. So, I loved Julie Powell's project to cook 365 of the recipes in Child's cookbook. I have watched the movie many times with and without the Director's commentary.

I am intimidated by Beef Bourguignon but I was intrigued by poached eggs, so I tried it and succeeded! It is a nicely cooked soft boiled egg or maybe-over easy. The only problem is that it is not as easy to eat as it appeared in Julia/Julie. I made a mess of it.

Tony Scott

Two of my favorite movies are Deja Vu and Spy Game. Both movies were directed by Tony Scott. As a nuevo film student, I study his films to understand how movies are made.

On Sunday, August 19, 2012, Tony Scott took his own life. He jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro.

What bothers me most about his death is that from the reports I have read, he did not appear to have any   issues, health, financial or otherwise that would have driven him to this act of despair.

I like answers. I want to know why he choose to take his own life. Having a wife and children did not give him succor to overcome whatever was bothering him.

When I went grocery shopping this Monday, I was overcome by a desire for chocolate and wine. I did not understand why.

When I came home, I had a few glasses of wine and a few bites of chocolate. While both were good, they did not satisfy me.

Later, I realized that it was Tony Scott's death that was bothering me.

The last review I wrote was negative and it was a movie produced by Scott Free, Ridley and Tony Scott's production company.

I will forever regret that review and will never write another negative review. Some people do take negative reviews and criticisms to heart. Some have killed themselves because of them.

While I doubt Tony Scott ever read my review, I still feel bad.

Our birth into this world is often joyful, our death is not.

Promethus

Ok, I am going to western movies here in Mexico. No Bollywood here. Not much Bollywood on Netflix. I could sign up for ErosNow and maybe I will.

Sadly, this will be a critical review. My level of disappointment is probably in proportion to my respect for the director, Ridley Scott.

Promethus was a major disappointment. I like Ridley Scott a lot. I have seen many of his movies like Bladerunner, Aliens, and Thelma and Louise. Maybe it is because of my age, I saw Aliens years ago and it was scary. This is Aliens 2.0 and it is not scary or even a good movie. Maybe the 30 and younger crowd will like it in 3D.

Here's the basic storyline. It is about the year 2089, a rich old man decides to pursue an archaeological theory that aliens seeded humans on earth. Somehow this theory warped into these aliens must be "gods." Anyway, he thinks if he finds the planet most likely inhabited by these aliens, he will find the fountain of youth or the wisdom of god.

You have a ten person crew, with a robot, David, who awaken when the ship reaches its destination.

The movie revolves around archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw and her partner Charlie. Charlie is unprofessional and childlike. Meredith, the leader of the expedition is clueless. Several engineers think they are going to get rich quick and go off on their own. A lone security guy pops up now and then. Janek, the ship's captain and his two co-pilots, Chance and Ravel, reminded me of Hans Solo and his motley crew.

Anyway, a group goes down to the planet to explore the only visible artifact, a Mayan-like tomb. They have no safety checks other than 'don't remove your helmet.' They enter the foreboding maze of tunnels. They see hieroglyphics and David, the robot, can read them. To cut to the chase, they unknowingly release a live organism and bring it back to the ship where they use no decontamination procedures.

David, who went exploring on his own, found an alien in stasis and awakens him. The old geezer gets his chance to meet "god." But, it doesn't turn out like anyone thought. The rest of the story is about how the organism develops and threatens the crew.

I can't even begin to explain how off-putting it was to see such an elaborate set that represented sophisticated technology run by lugheads, incompetents, and greedy, ignorant idiots. Tell me how the human race was able to develop such technology and still send idiots into space. It boggles the mind.

One scene was an anomaly, the ship's captain, Janek, and his co-pilots crash their spaceship into the alien ship to save humanity. This is the first and only "noble" act in the movie.

Anyway, after various scenes of blood and guts and alien organisms, the crew is decimated all except for Elizabeth Shaw and David. In the end, they commander an extra alien spaceship that is conveniently available, and go out exploring looking for "god."

To my mind, the scriptwriter broke, at least, two rules of storytelling, one -- your audience must care about what happens to some if not all the characters. Two -- believability -- do you really think that a gazillionaire would build a sophisticated a space ship and staff it with lugheads? Or is this how private enterprise wastes money and resources? No character exhibits professionalism, teamwork, or even intellect. Each character has such individual agendas, it's a wonder they made it as far as they did. Even the robot, David, seemed off. I finally found a word for him, immature. So, right from the get go, you know the end of the movie.

My companion, who I would consider an average moviegoer, felt the same as I did, where's the tension? The only concern we had was the popcorn had too much salt.

Plus, my companion kept whispering, "Oh, it's so dull, there is no color, where is the color?"

Do you really think that if aliens propagated humans on earth that they would be such brutish, inelegant lugheads?

Oh, and the mission to find "god" was laughable. When the old geezer who started all of this, who wanted immortality, stood and faced the alien, the alien just smacked him. How's that for a godlike answer? It cracked me up.

The science in this movie is so inaccurate even I recognized it. Plus, I loved the way Elizabeth Shaw was able to program so many computer systems she had never seen before, like the surgery cubicle, in just a few keystrokes. I found it humorous. Also, the religious references were offensive.

Hard to comment on the acting, since, for me, I found none of the characters interesting or sympathetic. Actually, I did like Janek, the ship's captain. Idris Elba played the part well with warmth, humor, and humanity. But, it was such a small part, his character did not affect the overall boorish tone of the movie.

Ultimately, the problem with this movie is Scott took too many ideas from the original Aliens and used them in this movie. In Aliens, the ship was a cargo ship and the crew was a bunch of odd characters. But, even they exhibited more professionalism and teamwork than did the scientists in Promethus. In Promethus, the ship was on an exploratory mission with scientists on board yet, Scott treated it like a cargo ship full of misfits. Scott tried to alter how the alien organism functioned but is was still the same body invasive concept as in Aliens, nothing new. Surely, in the world of science fiction there are other stories of aliens or invasive organisms that could have been used. This is like a remake of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The one good thing I can say about this movie is, it is the first "horror" film where I laughed. I wasn't scared for a second.

Now, I don't like doing negative reviews because they exhibit simplistic analysis and even jealousy or envy, maybe. While I am not jealous or envious of Mr. Scott, I do wish Hollywood would spend that kind of money on my screenplay. Gosh, I don't even need 100+ million, 50 million would do just fine. Hey, Hollywood, call me, I have great science fiction story about a human who falls in love with an alien. She is telepathic and more. But, I don't want to give it all away, contact me.

Bollywood is not immune to this "blindness" which is what I call the process that produces an expensive bad movie. Somebody somewhere did not listen to their instincts but may have been swayed by other reasons to produce this movie.

Now I am in Mexico for awhile

I am temporarily living in Merida, Mexico. It will be very hard to find my Bollywood movies but I still follow Bollywood in the news and my latest find is that Amitabh Bachchan will guest star in a remake of "The Great Gatsby" for his friend, director, Baz Luhmann. Plus, looks like I will miss the opening of SRK's Ra1.

My Name is Khan: Featuring a Cast of Thousands (extras)

This movie illustrates why I love Bollywood movies. They make such an effort to express the emotions in complex situations and make me want to know more.

I am going to talk about the movie’s highlights and not the whole story because I think that would give too much away.

SRK’s onscreen entrance was not as dramatic as his entrances have been in the past; this set the tone for the movie. The opening scenes at airport security certainly recalled SRK’s 2009 detainment at a U.S. airport. The scenes were humiliating.

Gradually, SRK’s character, Rizwan Khan, develops as you see him mutter and roll small rocks in his hand repetitively. While security’s check on Khan showed no security flags, they ask him where he is going. “I am going to meet the President of the U.S”, Khan replies. He tells the officers, “I want to tell the President, My Name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.” The officers are not amused.

As Khan’s trip takes him across the U.S., he keeps a diary and the audience learns about his life, his marriage and the sad fallout of the 9/11 in the backlash against innocent Indians, particularly Muslims.There are many scenes with diverse populations that it is truly a cast of thousands.

Tanay Chheda, the young actor from Slumdog Millionaire, plays the young Khan. Khan’s mother (Zarina Wahab) treats Khan with love and acceptance and she finds ways to help her son. She coerces an educated man to tutor her son when Rizwan has trouble in school because of his autism.

During the 1983 riots in India when Hindus attacked Muslims, Khan’s mother taught her son that Hindus and Muslims were not different, telling him that there were only two kinds of people, good and bad.  Rizwan becomes a repairman. He is good with mechanical things and can fix almost anything.

His brother, Zahir (Jimmy Shergill) is jealous of his mother’s attention to Rizwan and when Zahir goes off to college in the U.S., he stays there after graduation and his mother never gets to meet his wife. After their mother dies, Zahir brings Rizwan to the U.S. to live with his family in San Francisco. Zahir sells herbal beauty products and gives Rizwan a job as a door-to-door salesman.

Rizwan has a highly functional form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. Eventually, you get used to his odd posture, his canted head, his avoidance of looking directly at people, his phobias, his habit of repetitive language and his disjointed conversations. You see his intelligence, his sense of humor, his honesty, his spirituality, and his attempts at socialization. During his travels as a salesman, he encounters Mandira (Kajol), a hair stylist. Mandira is Hindu and Khan is Muslim. Though Rizwan is awkward, he manages to sell her shop some of his products.

Rizwan falls in love with Mandira and finds ways to hang around her. Mandira is intrigued by Rizwan but does not show any real interest in him. Rizwan lets Mandira know he is aware that she is a divorced, single mother. Rizwan is not romantic, the closest he comes is when he wears a sweater in the color that Mandira likes. At one point, he asks her to marry him but she tries to laugh it off. They make a bet, she will marry Rizwan if he can show her something about San Francisco she has not seen. Over time, after many attempts, Rizwan finds something Mandira has not seen and they marry. Sam, Mandira’s young son, reluctantly accepts Rizwan as his step-father then more like a brother.

After 9/11 occurs, while the Khans’ entire community is saddened by events and you see scenes of shared community grief, soon Indians are being harassed and attacked. These scenes give you a sense of what is like for Muslims and Indians from children to shopkeepers, to professionals post 9/11.

Rizwan has a difficult time with emotion but he voices expressions of concern and love when he states that Islam’s prophet, Mohammed, said “the death of one innocent is equal to the death of humanity.” Rizwan and Mandira share a song, “We Shall Overcome” which becomes the movie’s theme.

A tragedy strikes the Khan family... and out of anger and fear, Mandira sends Rizwan away. In her anger, she tells him to go to the President of the U.S. and tell him, “My Name is Khan and I am not a Terrorist.” The movie is about Khan’s travels in his attempt to do as his wife asked. The story then becomes one of separation and forgiveness.

There many touching scenes like when Khan prays outside a bus stop. Khan has been tracking the President’s itinerary and follows him in his attempts to meet him. Along the way, he is helped by other people and he helps others as well. Also, Khan encounters ugly situations as well. Try to imagine what various disasters seem like to a person with autism.

I knew the movie would be sad. It made me cry and I don’t like to cry in public. There were many subtle and not-so-subtle character studies as various characters and scenes  portray moments in the U.S.’s recent history.

Even though I felt, again, that many scenes from several western movies were dropped into this movie, maybe I should look at them as tributes like they are in Bollywood movies. Because the storyline and acting exceeded any cliche is why I can forgive them.

Oh and ok, except for a few familiar gestures, I forgot that Rizwan was SRK; I think that is called acting.

It will be interesting to see what future movie ideas Shah Rukh Khan and Red Chilies Entertainment choose to pursue. My Name is Khan is a modern, realistic, well-researched movie. It has a mature storyline with many fully developed characters.

Since I began watching Bollywood movies, I have watched how a movie industry has struggled to define its changing audiences, and struggled to grow technologically and thematically such as with the ongoing debates over Bollywood’s traditional use of song-and-dance routines. While I support Bollywood’s ever-changing search for a new magic formula, my personal hope is that there will always be “masala” movies from Bollywood.

Director: Karan Johar

Cinematography: Ravi K. Chandran

Art: Sharmishta Roy

Screenplay: Shibani Bathija

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Zarina Wahab, Jimmy Shergill, Tanay Chheda, Parvin Dabas and more.

3 Idiots is Full of Laughter

I have been talking about Bollywood ever since I saw Asoka in 2002. I have induced some family and friends to see various Bollywood movies, so it was great to share watching 3 Idiots with a friend. Being a screenwriter, she is attentive to details, plot and characterization, so it was especially nice that she enjoyed the movie. We laughed out loud.

Students starting engineering school and their orientation and hazing open the movie. One student Rancho (Aamir Khan) is different from the others as seen in his refusal to bow to senior students pressure during hazing with a chemistry trick to thwart the process. Hari (Sharman Joshi) and Farhan Qureshi (Madhavan) and Rancho become friends and the movie follows their adventures.

The school administrator, Viru Sahastrabudhhe (Boman Irani) creates an tense atmosphere following his motto, “Compete or die.” Boman Irani is both comical and frightening as the aging administrator.

Humorous scenes of campus life are at times disrupted by serious scenes like when a student succumbs to the pressure of making good grades and long hours of studying by choosing to commit suicide.

The administrator holds up an ink pen and tells the new class, I have been waiting 32 years for that exceptional student to pass along this pen.

Rancho is different in the way he looks at the world. He challenges convention and asks  questions. His favorite saying is “All is well.”

Many of the musical interludes are delightful. The shower scene musical number is funny and light-hearted. Surprisingly, some music lyrics are in English.

Some of the students’ antics include crashing a wedding which is more than a funny scene because new characters are introduced and added to the storyline such as when Rancho points out to a woman, Pia, (Kareena Kapoor) who he thinks is the bride that her fiance is more concerned about money than people.

The end of semester ceremonies include a student speech which Rancho has altered to make it funny but the student, Chatur Ramalingam (Omi Vaidya), remembers the joke and is determined to retaliate.

As the students separate to go their own way, they vow to meet again in the future at the same place and same time.

When the Hari, Farhan, and Chatur meet again, Rancho has not appeared, so they go in search of him and find another story along the way.

In many instances, I felt I was seeing whole scenes from western movies dropped into this movie. With Rancho’s character I felt I was seeing Good Will Hunting, The Wedding Crashers, The Paper Chase, and Patch Adams. The emergency baby delivery scene was like watching Apollo 13. This movie was truly delightful. But, while movies often represent universal experiences, movies also illustrate unique perspectives and that is what I felt was missing. Or, in another way, Bollywood is reflecting the westernization of India’s culture. 

The movie is well-acted with beautiful and brightly colored cinematography, and delightful choreography. I enjoyed seeing the reunion of the Rang De Basanti actors, Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, and Madhavan.

This is the first time I thought Aamir Khan appeared to enjoy himself.

Shah Rukh Khan Detained at Newark Airport

News of SRK's detention has made the news in the US and in India and a lot of people are mad. Some accuse SRK pulling this as a stunt to promote his film, My Name is Khan. Others are angry at the US for being ignorant and xenophobic. I think there is a simpler answer.

When I read that SRK's film, My Name is Khan, was being picked up by Fox Star Studios. as the distributor, I thought, "Uh Oh," that may not be a good thing. While it is good news that an "American" company selected an Indian film to distribute, that did not necessarily mean they would be able to do it adequately or with respect for the genre.

After reading several articles about SRK's detention, while others blamed SRK or his company for pulling a stunt, it is more likely that Fox Star Studios, which is financing and distributing the film, would pull a stunt like this. Fox Star Studios' parent company, News Corporation, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, has been known to distort the news. Fox News, Inc. which is also owned by Murdoch has been documented countless times for spreading lies and rumors. See Media Matters.org or Buzzflash.com for examples.

Murdoch's companies make money spreading lies and rumors. A stunt like putting SRK's name on a suspected terrorist list in America without telling SRK would be just the kind of thing an organization run by Murdoch would do.

Slumdog Millionaire

Of course, I had to see Slumdog Millionaire. The buzz is enormous. I try to avoid reading reviews of movies I plan to write about but it was hard with Slumdog Millionaire. I saw the movie at the E Street Cinema in Washington, DC on Super Bowl Tuesday night. By the time, I watched the movie, I had seen the Golden Globe Awards and heard some of the criticism of the movie.

You are introduced to the main character, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), as a contestant on the Indian "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" He has gained local fame by answering several questions correctly as the jackpot increases. TV host, Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) is getting increasingly irritated by the young man's run of luck. At the end of the segment, Jamal is arrested and taken to a police station where he is tortured. Prem believes Jamal is cheating and wants his confession. But, as the torture continues, Jamal does not confess. He is adamant that he knew the answers. So, the story unfolds in flashbacks to his childhood where his various experiences introduce him to varied bits of trivia.

Many of the flashbacks are shot in the vast Mumbai slums. Rapid action scenes of young Jamal and his brother, Salim, follow their youthful exploits including losing their mother in a religious riot as Hindus attack and burn parts of the slum where many Muslims live. After losing their mother, the boys find a variety of ways to survive. They serve tea on trains until they are thrown off. They beg. They pick trash. Mixed in are a few days in a classroom. Then a bus arrives and carts them off to a phony orphanage camp. At first, they are happy because they get fed. But, then they must beg for the leader, Maman, much like Oliver in Oliver Twist. Then, Salim, Jamal's brother witnesses Maman mutilate one of the children. He rushes his brother and their new found friend Latika out of the camp but only Jamal and Salim escape.

Jamal had fallen in love with Latika and never forgot her as he and Salim continue their efforts to survive. Bits of humor flit through the scenes such as when the boys set up some American tourists as they tour the slum with their cameras. While they are shooting, the boys' cohorts strip the car. When the tourists return, the young boys dash off saying, "You wanted to see the real India, well this is it."

For me the turning point in the story is while searching for Latika, Salim and Jamal encounter Maman and face capture again. Salim shots Maman and only the boys escape again. Jamal had learned that Maman was using Latika to attract older men.

As the flashbacks return to Jamal in the contestant's seat facing the game show host, you can feel his discomfort and his resilience.

As a young man, Jamal had become a chai wallah (tea assistant) in a call center. There he finds his brother's phone number and mets Salim again. Salim has become a criminal. But, Salim leads Jamal to Latika. She had become the mistress of a crime boss. Jamal tries to convince her to leave him. She asks what will we live on. He says, "love." He learns she likes the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" because it is escapism for her.

Jamal applies to become a contestant on the show because he believes Latika will see him.

Prem accepts the police's belief that Jamal is not cheating and the show continues. Now, there is an undercurrent of tension between the two.

Many think this movie is like a Bollywood movie. In some ways it is and in some ways it is not. The story is not new. Orphaned brothers who struggle to survive and take divergent paths in adulthood is a common Bollywood theme. Conflict between the protagonists is the crux of the movie where the bad brother eventually saves the good brother from harm. A similar Bollywood movie Ram Janne, features two protagonists who are not brothers, they are orphans who help each other survive. One orphan, Ram Janne, becomes a criminal, the other, Muli, runs an orphanage.

Everyone got so excited about the dance number at the end of the movie. In a real Bollywood movie, there are as many as six song and dance numbers sprinkled throughout the story.

In many Bollywood movies, I am left with questions, the same holds true with Slumdog Millionaire. I wondered what made the two boys different since they had similar experiences. Also, I thought that Salim's character was not shown in a favorable light. He was the older brother and had protected Jamal many many times. When faced with an adult criminal, Maman, Salim took the only choice he felt he had when he killed him. I felt that Salim could have taken another path in life rather than the one the movie portrayed.

Also, I never felt that the adult Latika's character reflected the abuse, loneliness, dreariness of her life experiences. It made the reunion with Jamal seem shallow.

The child actors who were in most of the movie really deserve alot more credit than they got at any of the awards ceremonies or film festivals. They were the real stars.

There is controversy over how the children were treated. Did they get paid enough? How did acting in the movie affect their lives? These are the questions people are asking of the movie producers and directors. The producers did pay the children more than three times an adult wages, created a trust fund for them when they completed school, and found a school for the children and are paying for their education.

Poverty is a reality worldwide. Sadly, the lives of these children will probably not change much in the future.

Sadly, I believe most of the controversy over Slumdog Millionaire is based on jealousy. Indians are angry that it was not a Bollywood movie that is making such news but a movie made by an outsider. Bollywood movies often contain violence and scenes of poverty and criminality. On the positive side, let's hope that the world will now take an interest in Bollywood movies.

Director: Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan

Producer: Christian Colson

Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy based on novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup

Cast: Jamal Mallik, Prem Kumar, Freida Pinto, Irrfan Khan, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (young Salim), Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (young Jamal), Rubiana Ali (young Latika) and more.

Rab Ne Bana Jodi

My first Bollywood movie in over a year!

It was fortunate that the movie, Rab Ne Bana Jodi, was playing at the Union Station theaters in Washington, DC. They were much easier to reach than Laurel, Maryland or Virginia theaters. But, the movie was not advertised well at this location, so very few people came to the showing on a Tuesday night.

During the movie previews, I was happy to see that Hrithik Rosan has a new movie, New York, coming out. But, I was disappointed in Aamir Khan's new release, Ghajini, because its storyline looks so much like Momento.

My first reaction to Rab Ne Bana Jodi was-- Shah Rukh Khan with a mustache? SRK's character, Surinder, was a studious, office worker at Punjab Power. SRK's co-star, Anushka Sharma, played Taani, the daughter of an old friend of Surinder. They met briefly during her wedding celebrations.

Rapidly the movie introduces the story's central conflict. Taani's fiancee is killed in an accident on the eve of their wedding.

This tragedy is too much for Taani's father. He has a heart attack and from his hospital bed, he asks Surinder to marry Taani and also asks Taani to accept Surinder as her husband. Both accept the offer but for different reasons. Surinder has fallen in love with Taani and in Taani's grief she agrees to please her father.

Surinder's character shows his sweetness, consideration and devotion when he brings Taani, now his wife, home. He gives her his bedroom while he sleeps in the attic. He makes no demands on her.

Surinder goes to work everyday and Taani faithfully cleans the house and prepares his meals.

Soon Surinder's friends finds out about his marriage and complicate his life. Surinder's best friend learns that Surinder loves Taani but she says she can not return his love.

Soon, Taani seeks a relief from her boredom and asks Surinder if she can take dancing lessons. He agrees.

Surinder's friend, Bobby, helps Surinder transform himself into Raj, a happy-g0-lucky guy who joins Taani's dancing class. Eventually, the two become partners. At first, Taani keeps the relationship formal but because Surinder as Raj wants to see Taani happy, he jokes with her and coaxes her to join him in other activities. Soon, they are spending a great deal of time together.

When Surinder comes home late from the office, he claims he has a lot of work and will be late alot. Taani doesn't seem to care.

In his attempt to reach out to Taani as himself, Surinder takes her to the movies. There the movie itself becomes a movie within a movie. In some cases, Taani sees Raj on screen talking to her. Other times, Taani sees Raj dancing in elaborate routines with a bevy of beauties including some familiar faces.

It was during these scenes, I missed a large audience because I was the only one clapping or cheering when I recognized some of SRK's former co-stars. The choreography was elegant and extravagant much like western movies old musicals.

In real life, Surinder as Raj struggles to act cool, even his t-shirt announces, "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime." It's funny to see Surinder try to overcome his clumsiness.

All of Surinder's misguided efforts are to make Taani happy but how can a massive deception like this achieve that goal? When in the end, Taani falls in love with Raj but not Surinder.

How the movie resolves this dilemma does not satisfy me. While I appreciated the sentiment that love happens when you see "god" in the other person.

Surinder was willing to give Taani up to a fantasy to make her happy. Slowly, Taani begins to realize how much Surinder has done for her.

I don't like being a critic. Who am I? I've never put a pen to paper to write a screenplay. I would never get in front of a camera. So what do I say when I liked 98% of the movie, yet wonder about the 2%? One thing is while Anushka is an attractive capable actress, I did not feel any chemistry between her and SRK.

There was something reminiscent about this movie. While most movies are a rehash of the same stories over and over. I felt that this movie took a truly sensitive subject and failed to let the main characters connect in a real way.

While the movie told the story of one man's love in a simple manner, winning his love's heart was complicated, confusing, and deceptive.

In a way, it was a man's movie that said, "love me as I am." In another way, it was a woman's movie that said, "Love me as no one else can."

While Taani had little opportunity to get to know her groom before their marriage and she made little opportunity after. He was a quiet, shy, introverted, good-hearted person. She had been a loving, happy, outgoing person. They deceived each other.

Yet, when a man loves a woman, he tries at times to be more than he is, he tries to be something she can admire. He explores the brave, poetic and romantic in himself.

I wish I could have seen her explore her role as a wife and a woman in a marriage.



Aditya Chopra: Director, writer, producer
Cinematography: Ravi K. Chandran
Choreography: Shiamak Davar, Raibhavi Merchant
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and more

Lage Raho Munna Bhai

This kind of movie happens once in a lifetime. Before Lage Raho Munna Bhai there was Munna Bhai MBBS, a comedy about a “goon” who pretends to be a doctor to impress his parents. It was an Indian “Patch Adams.” When I went to see Lage Raho Munna Bhai, I was expecting a second-rate takeoff of the first Munna Bhai instead it was a completely new story. Several of the actri play the same characters such as Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi who play Munna Bhai and Circuit, respectively, and other actri play new characters such as Boman Irani, who played the uptight hospital administrator in Munna Bhai MBBS, plays Lucky in Lage Raho Munna Bhai. I was touched by the fact the Director and Producer choose to bring back many of the secondary characters such as Jimmy Shergill.

In essence, Lage Raho Munna Bhai is about a hoodlum, Murli Prasad Sharma, known as Munna Bhai, who is in love with Jhanvi, a popular radio talk show host, played by Vidya Balan. He listens to her show every morning. When she holds a Mahatma Ghandi quiz for her listeners, Murli wants to win the contest in order to meet her. His sidekick, Circuit, decides to “kidnap” Ghandi experts to help him answer the questions. After winning the contest and meeting Jhanvi, he seeks to impress her by pretending to be a history professor. Then he has only five days to study about Ghandi before he gives a lecture to an elderly group of men abandoned by their children who reside in Jhanvi’s home.

A psychological phenomena moves the story forward and more complications among various stories become entwined. Lucky, a real estate developer, seeks to buy Jhanvi’s home as a wedding gift for, his daughter, Simran’s in-laws. To do this, he bribes a government official to prevent Jhanvi from renewing her lease, so he can grab the house. When Lucky realizes Munna’s love interest is Jhanvi, he treats Munna, Jhanvi and her residents to a vacation in Goa. Jhanvi’s residents provide their own twists to the story.

Munna is unable to express his love for Jhanvi because he has lied to her about himself. The trip is cut short when Jhanvi finds out her belongings are out on the street and her home now belongs to Lucky.

By this time, Munna and Jhanvi have created a radio show about Ghandi where Munna addresses callers’ problems with Ghandisms with a little help from Babu. Now, Munna has a bigger problem. How will he get Jhanvi’s home back?

The remainder of the story deals with Munna’s attempts to persuade Lucky to return Jhanvi’s home. He asks callers to send Lucky flowers in hopes he will “get well.” Jhanvi and her residents camp out on the sidewalk in front of Lucky’s home to protest the loss of their home. After Lucky lies about his daughter’s birth time to her future father-in-law because he is superstitious, Simran played by Diya Mirza learns of her father lies and deceptions. She runs away from the wedding and grabs a taxi ride driven by Victor D’Souza (Jimmy Shergill). Victor intervenes and calls Munna for advice. After the bride returns to the wedding and tells her in-laws the truth about her birth time, the father-in-law rejects her upon hearing the truth, Munna steps in to convince him that her courage and truth is more real than the astrologer’s predictions.

The ending, which resolved all the conflicts, did not conclude as abruptly as many Bollywood movies do; it was a pleasant surprise. This movie is delicious and mischievous.

What makes this movie exceptional besides the fact the story has a fresh approach is that it is a wonderful composition of comedy, drama, romance and inspiration. Both the Director, Rajkumar Hirani, and Producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, created a well-crafted movie.

The settings are a kick, like Munna’s hangout in the wash area where Munna and Circuit work out their schemes. Here they imagine Munna’s romance with Jhanvi in colorful, hysterical, funny and sweet visions of wedding ceremonies and dating scenes.

There are countless funny scenes. I still get a kick out of the opening parking lot vignette. Other funny and charming scenes include Munna studying in the library or the birthday party which is a stitch, a riot, over-the-top and the wedding songs in Goa are delightful. Others include where a neighbor spits tobacco juice on his neighbor’s apartment outside wall, or when a pensioner, who has been denied his pension for lack of money to pay a bribe, takes off his clothes to pay the bribe embarrassing the clerk

At times, Munna struggles to live by Ghandi’s philosophy, especially the idea of living truthfully, or turning the other cheek.

Arshad Warsi as Circuit, Munna’s thug sidekick, is great. He’s a natural. Warsi plays Circuit complete with gold necklaces, rings, and jewelry. He welds and twirls a knife and gun as extensions of his hands and is as easy with a threat as breathing.

Sanjay Dutt is a Bollywood bad boy but as Munna he comes across as a heavy with a heart of gold. While I have seen Sanjay Dutt in more extensive dance numbers, his simple yet delightful dance numbers added texture to the story.

The various multi-themed stories and choreography are woven expertly with the main storyline. The song-and-dance routines are what song-and-dance routines should be in a movie. They express desires, fantasies, hopes and joys seamlessly throughout the story. Because many take place “in-place” they fit the story. Even various cell phone ringtones seemed musically integrated into the story.

One actor I admire is Boman Irani. He is versatile. Irani can be charming, hilarious, subtle, menacing and more. He has an amazing ability to inhabit various characters. With just a new slant to his eyes, a small change in facial expression or posture, changes in hairstyles, and of course his various outfits, he is convincing as a scatter-brained school principal, a threatening police officer, a staid administrator, and now as a warm but manipulative real estate developer.

To me, this movie is what Bollywood is all about. The story is exuberant, warm, charming, textured, and comes from the heart.

Director (and Film Editor): Rajkumar Hirani
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Vir Chopra, Anil Davda
Music: Shantanu Moitra
Cinematography: C.K. Muraleedharan
Choreography: Ganesh Acharya
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Dilip Pradhavalkar, Diya Mirza, Jimmy Shergill and more.
144 minutes, color, Hindi, September 2006

Still following Bollywood but a Change in Residence has slowed me down

I am here in Utah on a temporary job.

I am far away from my Hindi movie theater. I have not found a movie theater in Utah that plays Hindi movies, yet. But, I just found a wonderful Indian restaurant, The Indian Oven, in Logan.

The restaurant had lovely table settings in blue and red with substantial blue cloth napkins. They had a buffet as well as a full menu. I had Vegetable Coconut Kuma and Ginger and Garllic Naan bread. I suspect the Naan was a Chef's own receipe. My meal was wonderful, all the spices were delightful and surprisingly, they blended well and none overwhelmed another. I always get a sweet Lassi which seems to fill me up but I like the beverage. I took home half the meal and the dessert, Gulab Jamun, which is one of my favorites. But, I was in such a hurry, I forgot to tip the waiter. I will be bringing some friends there soon, so I will catch up with him, then. Anyway, Indian meals are meant to be shared among friends and family with good conversation.

I did get a tip from the owner about a movie theater in Salt Lake City, so hopefully, I will be able to watch Shah Rukh Khan's new movie, Chak De India, which is supposed to release August 10, 2007!!!

Dil Se -- A War Protest Movie

It has only been 58 years since India gained independence from Britain in 1947. There were many bloody struggles in India’s war for independence and millions died during Partition when Muslims and Hindus either traveled to the newly created nation of Pakistan or from Pakistan into India. Kashmir is still in dispute and India has been fighting terrorism since independence as recent subway bombings in Mumbai illustrate.

There are many movies that illustrate the horrors of war in attempts to suggest peaceful alternatives. While war is fought by nations, it is carried out by individuals. Mani Rantam wrote and directed Dil Se as a sensitive portrait of two people with different views of war based on personal experiences.


Dil Se is a story of Amarkanth Varma, an idealist radio journalist, who meets and falls in love with a lonely young woman, Meghna, on a railroad platform. At first, their stories diverge as she catches the next train while Amar has gone to get her some hot tea.


I was enthralled with the movie from the opening credits. The director added small details that not only added texture to the story but later you realize he is also giving the viewer and the characters information that foreshadow the depth and complexities of the emotional conflicts to come. Little touches like in the opening scenes where Amar is dressed in a black shirt and red sports jacket and Meghna is dressed in a red dress but covered with a black shawl, almost as if to say Amar wears his heart on his sleeve and Meghna keeps her heart hidden from view. Another example is when Amar goes to fetch Meghna some tea, he jokes and tells her not to move because he has a bomb in his suitcase and it could explode. Later, this joke seems prophetic.

As part of his job as a radio producer, Amar (Shah Rukh Khan) gathers various man-on-the-street perspectives for a program about the upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations of Indian Independence. He hears from some that they have suffered more since independence and from others that India has prospered since independence. To expand his research, Amar seeks out the leader of a revolutionary movement. The leader’s main complaint is that the smaller outlying states of India were forgotten after the war for independence and many villages have suffered and continue to suffer in a multitude of ways. For Amar, whose father and grandfather served in the Indian army, he struggles to understand the dissents’ evaluation of their current treatment at the hands of the Indian government.

When Amar returns, he runs into Meghna (Manisha Koirala) but she claims she never met him before and they part. As you can imagine, Amar is confused. He is certain she is the girl he met on the train platform. Another day, he spies her making a phone call and he follows her. Again, she rejects him but this time he hitches a ride on the back of the bus she is on and he lands in her village. Here, Amar declares his love for her; again she rejects him claiming to be married. When Amar seeks to apologize to her, she sends several men to convince Amar that his pursuit is futile but in the ensuing fight, Amar learns she is not married and his hope is renewed.

While covering festivities in Lucknow, Amar glimpses Meghna in the crowd. He searches for her and finds her on a bus. As the police go down the aisle asking about identification and travel purposes, Meghna says she is Amar’s wife. Amar is more amused than suspicious by her change in attitude.

The bus travels north to the mountains. After it breaks down, the passengers gather their belongings and walk toward their destinations. Amar follows Meghna. Amar has been open and ardent about his feelings about her. She has continually rebuffed him but she appears to warm up a bit but not without visible internal emotional struggles that leave Amar and the viewer puzzled.

Late into the night, Meghna leaves while Amar is sleeping. She leaves a mysterious message in the sand. Amar returns to the city feeling he has lost her. He agrees to marry Preeti, a woman of his family’s choosing. Preeti (Preity Zinta) is a bouncing, cheerful girl. They find that they both have loved and lost, but it does not take her long to realize that Amar’s thoughts are elsewhere.

Amidst their wedding preparations, Meghna appears at Amar’s house with a girlfriend asking for temporary shelter and a job at All India Radio where Amar works. He agrees. Watching the emotional struggles play across their faces as Amar and Meghna participate in the wedding festivities pictures two confused, unhappy, young people. Both Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha capture the pain, confusion, and regret of their lost love just as Preity expresses the joys and hopes for her future.

Soon the festivities are disrupted when Amar discovers Meghna’s true purpose for coming to the city and working at All India Radio. Because he is still loves her, he thinks he can stop her. It is chaos from here on. Amar tries to piece together information of Meghna’s whereabouts before the police find her. He locates her near the parade route. When he confronts her about her treachery, he learns about her tragedies. He offers to give up everything for her and begs her to run away with him. She wants to go with him. She wants those dreams of love and family, but she also wants justice for her people. She refuses. He attempts to physically stop her but police intervene. Later, the police release him but thugs lay in wait and beat Amar up. When he returns home, Preeti confronts him as she bandages his wounds. She asks, “Should Meghna’s name be on these wedding invitations rather than mine?” He evades her questions. He is intent on stopping Meghna. The police raid the home and he dragged off to be questioned and drugged to elicit information but he escapes.

The action in these scenes is fast-paced and the emotions of all involved are heightened and intense. Amar still wants to save Meghna and she is tempted but his love can not offer her the solace she seeks. Amar makes the ultimate offer. He loves her and has accepted her pain.

For me, this is a well-crafted movie. Shah Rukh Khan’s and Manish Koirala’s performances are among the best I have seen. The choreography is incredible and inspiring.

I may have read somewhere that Amar’s love represents India’s pain over the loss of the territory of Pakistan, the horrible death and cruelty inflicted on so many Indians, and its longing to make amends. Meghna’s pain, desire for justice and love represents the desire of Pakistan to heal its rift with India because while war was initiated by governments, it was individuals who were affected.



1998, Color, Hindi, 163 minutes
Director: Mani Ratnam
Story/Screenplay: Mani Ratnam
Producer: Shekhar Kapoor, Ram Gopal Varma, Mani Ratnam
Cinematography: Santosh Sivan
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta and more.
Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyrics: Gulzar
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, M.G. Sreekumar, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, Sonu Nigam, Mahalakshmi, Udit Narayan, A.R. Rahman, Anupama, Anuradha, Sapna Awasthi, Sukwinder Singh