Bollywood Breakdown

Posted on by

Merry Christmas readers! Err sorry, Ennis. Happy Holidays lovely readers! I hope you were able to enjoy this break with friends and family. As for myself, I’m still not done making lists. No, not Christmas presents. That headache is over and I have the paper cuts to prove it. I’m referring to the lists I made this past semester – lists of books, movies, and TV shows I intended to catch up on during December/January. One of those is a list of Bollywood movies I’ve been hoping to watch in the next few weeks. (See Boston mutineers, I promised you a Bollywood post. Here it is.) I came up with a rough compilation of movies I hope to see these next few weeks and I’m selfishly hoping you can help me hone it. Because if you’re going to spend three hours watching a movie, it had better be worth it!

  • 3 Idiots was released Christmas Day, and from what I can tell via reactions on Twitter, it’s already got fans. Based on the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat and directed by Raju Hiran, the movie stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi as three engineering students at one of Indian’s top colleges. Plot-wise, there are the usual college-boy hijinks and romances. (By the way, the film will be available three months from now on YouTube, ostensibly to discourage piracy.) There’s no particular reason I want to watch this film. I’m not a huge Bhagat fan, but I figure I can’t go wrong with any movie Aamir Khan chooses to act in…

– I first read about Rocket Singh: Salesmen of the Year when it was reviewed in The New York Times. The film, which is directed by Shimit Amin, stars Ranbir Kapoor (swoons) as computer salesman Harpreet Singh and was released December 11. In Rocket Singh, our hero faces down a villainous boss and emerges (we hope) triumphant with his integrity intact. Personally, I have no problem with filmie songs, but I know some of you moan and groan every time one of those comes on. If so, this movie is for you. (Confession, I’ve been rooting for Kapoor since Saawariya.)

Mr. Amin, who directed the delightful “Chak De! India,” about a girls’ field hockey team, dispenses with Bollywood’s normal tangle of subplots and mashup of genres. There’s music, but no big production numbers. Even romance is back-burnered. Instead, Mr. Amin sticks to the story at hand.

[Link.]

Paa came out December 4 and stars Amitabh Bachchan as Auro, a 12-year old boy living with a rare genetic defect that causes him to age prematurely. (Think Robin Williams in Jack, I suppose.) Directed by, R. Balakrishnan. Paa also includes the younger Bachchan, Abhishek, as Auro’s father. Hmm, so the actors, who in real life are father-son reverse their roles for the film? I know what you’re thinking, “Why, PG? Why? Spare yourself the melodrama.” I suppose it’s the rubberneck appeal that comes with watching Abhishek haul Amitabh around the place that compels me to rent this movie. I’m curious to see whether or not their acting chops can weather this hokey shtick. Dishoom.

I was hoping to also watch some Bollywood films that are more ABD-focused, but besides My Name is Khan, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, which will be released February 10, 2010, I couldn’t find anything recent. As you’ll recall, the movie centers around Khan, who plays an American Muslim with autism whose life is thrown into turmoil after 9/11. (On a side note, if anyone knows when Right Hand Man, starring Shahid Kapoor as an Indian man who becomes disillusioned by the American dream and which was filmed in Philadelphia, is released, do tell!)

So mutineers, have you seen any of these? Hated them? Loved them? Anything else you suggest I watch?

47 thoughts on “Bollywood Breakdown”

  1. . I’m curious to see whether or not their acting chops can weather this hokey shtick

    ab sr and jr have acting chops?

  3. Rocket Singh is terrific! The whole ensemble cast is really great. It’s like a contemporary Raj Kapoor flick meets The Office. Keep an eye on newcomer Naveen Kaushik, who is fantastic as Ranbir Kapoor’s supervisor.

  6. I just recently caught a movie on Netflix Online called Shades of Ray. It was a funny and charming movie of the ABD genre that will remind you of American Desi. It has Zach Levi (Chuck from the TV show Chuck), Sarah Shahi (Iranian descent, main actress in the TV show Life) and Brian George (also known as Babu Bhatt from Seinfeld – “vedy vedy badd mann”). Its def. worth a watch – good acting and production, although quite a predictable storyline.

  7. Me, my wife, Abhi’s bro and his wife saw this movie “Three Idiots” last night. Before we went in I was thinking that this movie could make us “four idiots” to go in and watch it. Not so. We liked it – it was hilarious. Paisaa Vasul. Abhi could not join us – his loss!

  9. ab sr and jr have acting chops?

    Well who are you comparing Bachhans to? IMO relative to other bollywood/hollywood/tollywood actors Bachhans not that lousy. Not a fan of gratuitous vein-popping, nostrils swelling , chin twitching, mad shouting, spasmodic nautankiof either any of the Khans or Kapoors which is considered ‘good’ acting in India.

  11. I saw Paa and it was adorable. I was bawling as soon as the movie started but it’s really worth watching.

    Wake up Sid was great. It was a really simple story but it had these little moments that are great. I think any movie Konkona Sen acts in can’t be too awful or is worth a watch. I loved that there is a chubby girl playing one of the main characters in the movie. Watch out for the title track “Wake Up Sid” at the end…it has some the most Americanized choreography I have ever seen in a Bollywood movie. Looking at Ranbhir it seems like he was trained in a Brooklyn dance studio or something. Actually it’s so good that I am linking it so you can watch! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewnI18WMmAI

    Don’t watch: Qurbaan and any latest Katrina Kaif movie…awful!

  12. I actually started liking Ranbeer K only after ‘Wake up Sid’. 3 Idiots was really cool, except some parts in the 2nd half. Curious about ‘Rocket Singh’ after watching the (very nicely made) trailer above.

  13. I second Wake Up Sid, if you haven’t seen that yet. Very simple story, obviously aimed at the younger generation, more so than the older adults, but still very good. Ranbir’s cute, how could you go wrong with him? And if we’re going to talk about acting chops, I’d go with Konkona Sen Sharma over most of the current new-generation female stars out there. They have good chemistry too.

  14. Unlike many, I didn’t care much for 3 Idiots – the first half was bearable with some witty lines, but the second half was absolutely horrendous with more melodrama and hamming than anything since the last Manoj Kumar movie! Why do they insist in casting 40 yr old men as 20 yr old college kids? The result is that Aamir Khan has this half-retarded expression on his face throughout the film (more so in the first half) in attempt to look young! Ok fine I said, at least Mr. Khan is trying, so I will disregard his retarded expression even as he delivers sermons about the “system” and gives gyaan about life and sundry (remarkably precocious for a goofy 18 yr old, perhaps it is too much to expect even a little bit of “show not tell”) faster than fart can diffuse. But the director had to really rub in the suspension of disbelief – early on, after our protagonists all arrive at their college campus, he had to go put in a song in which our young alleged college freshman had to wrap themselves in towels and dance around a bathroom – Madhavan’s middle-age-pack around the stomach and double chin soundly made the point about the growing problem of child obesity in India I suppose!

    Overall, it seemed that the director started out by making a film which doesn’t take itself seriously (poking fun at standard filmi formulas e.g. the poor mother-paralysed father-needing dowry sister, which was the only refreshing bit) but then ended up incorporating all tired formulas in utterly unconvincing ways.

    ************SPOILER***********

    So here are two guys looking for their friend with whom they haven’t had any sort of contact in the last 10 yrs, they then go on to find out that 1) they don’t really know his name because he went by a fake one in college 2) he lives somewhere on the large plateau of Ladakh, and the first idea they have is to go rescue his college sweetheart (whom he had categorically refused to marry) from her wedding and take her with them to presumably reunite the lovers. Very convincing!

  16. I’m excited to see 3 idiots– I will watch in Delhi when I go next week.

    In regards to Paa, it seems like a nice idea but it really irks me when Bollywood makes a film about a ‘condition’ but then they don’t portray it realistically at all. I mean Progeria makes people very small, so at 5 years old they would be even tinier– like a 3 year old size, so how could a 13 year old be as big as his dad? Also their life span is not too long.. most die by the time they are 13, sad but true. (I don’t know if that is in the movie, I have not seen it)

    It is the same irk I felt in “me you aur hum” (thought that as an awful movie for a lot of other reasons too) as he told his wife with severe Alzheimer disease the story– she would not have been able to follow the whole story if her disease was as bad as they portrayed it. Or Fanaa, with the “magic” cure for blindness.

    In my opinion showing a movie about a certain disease is good to teach people about it positively, but I just wish they would take the time and choose to make it a bit more realistic– that way people can enjoy the movie and also take home a little information from it. I think the movie that has done this the best is Taare Zameen Par, it did not make some ‘magic’ cure for dyslexia, but rather hard work and support of teachers.

  17. I don’t know much about Bollywood. But a few weeks ago, I saw about 45 minutes of a film and the movie looked like a complete ripoff of 3 Men and a Baby. Is there a big thing in Bollywood that they rip off storylines of movies from Hollywood.

  18. Can we please stop using generic terms Bollywood/Tollywood/Kollywood for every Indian movie? 3 Idiots may be counted as bollywood film, but not Rocket Singh or Dev D or Wake up sid or Luck by chance, I would categorise them as Hindi cinema. Same applies to Tamil, Telugu movies..there are Kollywood/Tollywood movies and there are some realistic and less melo-dramatic Tamil/Telugu movies.

  19. kal, my friendly neighborhood gigolo, you are right, there are many terms and many different kinds of films in India– I think Bollywood is a bit of a wishy-washy term, which can mean commercial films, but also can sometimes just mean Hindi films.

    Usually when I am talking about different types of Hindu cinema I refer to it as commercial or art film/parallel film/kala cinema. I think those terms are a bit clearer in their connotation, personnally. I would not know if the same is true for other language films, as I have not seen as many as I have of Hindi films.

    It is also sometimes hard to say where commercial films end and art films begin. Some people set the distinction at different places.

  21. PG, I can’t believe nobody recommended Kaminey. This has got to be a must watch movie…..and will love to hear your reactions/opinions of the recommended movies (if you end up watching them)

  22. M: I agree with that Konkona is probably one of my favorite actresses right now. I thought she was excellent in 15 Park Avenue.

  23. Well who are you comparing Bachhans to? I

    ab sr is a ham who can overact with the best of them ab jr overcompensates for his paa with his lifelessness

  24. Ena: ” I loved that there is a chubby girl playing one of the main characters in the movie” I hope you’re not referring to konkona sen, because she is far from being chubby, and she truly is a brilliant actress.

    I don’t know about the rest of y’all but I realllyyyy think it’s time for Amir Khan (and the other two khans for that matter) to take a break from the college-boy roles. For Qurbaan, Saif Ali Khan admitted to having gotten botox done on his face to achieve a younger look. I guess you can’t blame these actors due to the major competition they face as younger actors keep emerging, but that just goes to show the Indian movie industry’s prioritization of appearance over talent.

    Linzi,

    Realistic depiction is not something Indian directors strive for. This is something I have been struggling with for years since i was a kid (cause i really did love them but as i got older, couldn’t stand the generic storylines, bad acting and excess escapism), until i finally realized in my teens that i couldn’t bear it anymore and plain simply stopped watching bollywood films altogether.

  25. but I realllyyyy think it’s time for Amir Khan

    amir khan = brit indian boxer aamir khan = guy you’re talking about

  26. I know I haven’t seen it yet, but I think the title should be “Four Idiots” (the fourth one is the one that decided to cast Aamir Khan as a 20 something).

  27. 2Hrs of watching Rosie O’Donnel taking a dump on an Indian style squat toilet would be more bearable that watching any of the above mentioned trite trash that surprisingly passes for “Indian Culture” in some moronic circles.

  28. So annoyed! First you wish me Merry Christmas, then I find out that I missed Rocket Singh and that it has been replaced by something called “Three Idiots” in New York City. A guy can’t win around here …

  29. Bipasha: No I wasn’t referring to Konkona. When you watch the movie you’ll see that Sid’s best friend is a girl who deals with weight issues.

  30. that decided to cast Aamir Khan as a 20 something

    there was an interesting interview on youtube with the three protagonists, interspersed with scenes from the movie a bittersweet moment was when khan said he skipped college because he started work early as an assistant. and he cknowledged this was the only opportunity for him to live the college life. i am not a fanboy but regarding him as a person i couldnt but help being touched. [i’m desi yaar. we get emotional real easy.] but yea, the guy has to be careful lest he end up becoming a caricature and unraveling all the memories of good entertainment he’s delivered in recent years.

  31. watched 3 idiots and loved it…altho got a lil too preachy at times, its still an Aamir khan film!

  32. Not A fan of Ranbir Kapoor, his acting lacks something. I wanted to love Wake up Sid and maybe did, a little but it was unconvincing. like japanese cars. Sign me up for anything Aamir Khan, I’ve loved him since andaz apna apna. “tu jab jab khush hua hai…” . He’s a little older pour playing a college student but, eh… no biggie. The last hindi movie was I saw was Rang de basanti(4th or 5th viewing), before that oye lucky, lucky oye (4th time) . Abhay Deol knows how to pick em.

    What about Avatar? Story was mediocre but the movie was pure visual electricity. By the end I wanted to be part of them. Its like an impressionist painting really surrounded by hoard of other romanticism era paintings.

    Oh and the Katrina Kaif movies, I try to look the other way. I try.

  34. Three idiots is ground breaking because of its social message augmented with just the right amount of humor from beginning to end. Although, the “aamir khan saves the day ” theme can become a little redundant, the relative maturity of the direction does make it appealing to even the most cynical critic of Bollywoods melodrama.

    The movie will find its niche with the thousands of Indian Tech professionals who sweated hours in colleges across India to pursue the American Dream and the proven formula “path to success” (Tech education + MBA + America = $$$)

    This movie would probably strike a chord for the immigrant indian diaspora and the humor can appeal to everybody. Its a feel good movie with a social message and could be worth the long lines and the irritating “10 seats reserved” trend of the majority of viewers if you happen to go watch it with the ongoing fanfare in the USA.

  36. 3 Idiots may be counted as bollywood film, but not Rocket Singh or Dev D or Wake up sid or Luck by chance…

    Rocket Singh is a Yash Raj production – you can’t go more Bolly than that… Luck By Chance, while not a mainstream venture, was made by Bolly insiders and had a fairly decent budget. Wake Up Sid was produced by Karan Johar (who seems to be smarter than I thought). I don’t like the Bollywood term myself, but that’s another issue.

  37. but I figure I can’t go wrong with any movie Aamir Khan chooses to act in…

    I take it you haven’t tried Ghajini.

  38. I watched Wake up Sid couple of days back. After a long time I saw a Hindi film in which attention to minor details has been given. Loved the first scene where Sid decides to wake up full night to study for the exam next day, the way I had normally done before every term exams, but eventually sleeps over the book.

    PG, I can’t believe nobody recommended Kaminey. This has got to be a must watch movie…..

    I think, Kaminey is one of the best cinematic performance ‘Mumbai’ has given in Hindi cinema.

  39. Watched 3 idiots and the hype won. Okay, we get it that the education system and race to get into the best medical & engineering colleges in India sucks. But the way the point against this system was brought out was just too much. Several scenes such as the childbirth scene, fart jokes, ragging jokes and the peeing on the mailbox scene were totally unnecessary. Looked like the best of Munnabhai like jaadu ki jhappi (All izz well), ragging revenge, Boman Irani’s angry and strict behaviour were mish-mashed to make a remix called 3 Idiots. Kareena felt totally out of place and a wonderful actor like Javed Jaffery was under utilized.

    Aamir is losing his touch, unless he comes up with another Lagaan or Taare Zameen Par.

  40. Kane….I completely agree with you. It’s those little moments that made it so memorable. I still remember when Anupam Kher hands Sid his credit card bill and says “it’s paid” and Sid has this look on his face like “great…thanks..so what?” and then he lets it drop. I hope Indian movies in 2010 focus more on simple scripts with a lot of attention to detail. Personally I think that Delhi-6 was also great in this aspect but was too preachy for the audience to enjoy it…even though I thoroughly did.

  41. 3 Idiots shaped to be the second coming of Dil Chahta Hai but over the course of its viewing, morphed in to a middling Hindi comedy.

    It is also sad that Sepia Mutiny focuses only on Hindi cinema. Beautiful films are being made down South that are disappearing in to oblivion…

  42. Great to see so many people actively discussing Bollywood. I second kane’s comment, I too agree that Kaminey is a MUST watch. Bollywood is breaking it’s formulas and experimenting, and moreover they are being accepted by the normal junta. Hope 2010 will be the year when Bollywood comes out with more such endeavors. I am looking forward to Farhan and Deepika’s Kartik Calling Kartik!

    For all Bollywood enthusiasts here is something interesting. An online contest to search for Bollywood’s next diva, Must Check it out http://bit.ly/4OWqX1

  45. After watching Quantuam of Solace with thousand bullets flying around and none hitting our beloved hero Bond and the near death escapes of 2012 i am all in for Hindi/Indian movies !!

  47. @phillygrrl 41: You wanted titles- you get titles In Malayalam: Vaasthavam, Thalappaavu, Kaazhcha, Thanmathra, Perumazhakkaalam (shamelessly ripped off by Nagesh Kukkunnoor in Dor), Kaiyoppu, Pazhassi Raja

    Any other Mallus on this board will definitely certify these as among the best in the last couple of years

    PrithviRaj is easily one of the best actors under 30 in the country and a looker too.

  48. Share some titles, please!

    Warning: I grew up watching strange Mallu movies. Even the funny ones have a streak of sadness running through them…

    Kanchivaram (Tamil) Subramaniapuram (Tamil) Neelathaamara (Malayalam)

    People have been raving about Pazhassi Raja. A lot of special effects but very a minimal story line which is uncharacteristic of M. T. Vasudevan Nair.

    PS: More titles from yester-years can be provided on demand. Then we can have a Philadelphia Melancholic Film festival 🙂