An amazingly stylish film, which makes it hard to comment about. So much hardwork and thought has gone into everything, that it would be brash to be critical when one is still in the learning stages of the craft.
So, instead I want to get into what could have made the film better, more from the script point of view.
1. Not start with Amy's haunting memory of her mother. Instead, made her more on the edge by starting with her sinister drawings, her teacher finds it, is horrified, and her dad is called. Or start with her turn up for the wedding in her mother's clothes. Her father yells at her. Conversation overhead by KC. He walks over to her and they talk.
Cut to his smoking up and she looking on, fascinated. Tries it and in that dope haze describes her mother to him. Then, in silence, sees her mother enter the tub of water by herself. And she gasps back to reality.
--- the main point I want to make is that the fact that her mother tried to kill Amy must be saved for the very last ---
2. The finding her driver tied up by KC and co, stretched things. Instead have the note left on the windshield. She reads it, turns and has water thrown on her. They speed away, throwing a gang of students in array. The students curse them. Amy is impressed and feels an instant connect with their 'outsider' behaviour.
3. Not show Tanya's modeling shot at all. It takes away from her non-glamourous life. Her bulimia should have been repeated one more time.
4. The holi day - Tanya shouldn't have started with 'Hollywood, how many men have you slept with'. Instead, have Amy feel a little left out till she does the spin of the bottle.
The KC speech of the whole trust thing had to go.
And definitely shown her try cocain for the first time. Maybe right after she's had a disturbing recollection of her mother. Or better still when she has cocain she realises she can 'see' her mother better. The memory becomes more real.
5. Inspector Mathur's marriage track served no purpose. The only benefit being the divorce filing scene, which in any case is not how it happens. Not anymore, anyway.
Actually here I must stop because after this the story committed suicide with the running-over episode. After watching the film, you realise that the crux was film was the gang executing a crazy plan, then finding themselves on the run, and then turning against each other.
I didn't get why everyone else except KC felt involved in the accident in the first place. It wasn't their fault. Why would a girl like Tanya or a geek like Zubin say yes to the kidnapping plan? The initial mess they get into is so severe that nothing else kept up with it after that. The knocking down of Tanya and KC's death went into crazy land. Which is why, I think, the attempted rape and subsequent murder of the rapist seem to was written - the group need to be involved in one BIG goof up TOGETHER.
So if the initial mess was that in a cocaine-induced fervor they take the car away from KC as a joke and crash it up, you have a situation where everyone is involved. If it was Amy's idea to be take the car away, it makes sense that she say the kidnap her as a way to get the money. And here you have the advantage of keeping it light initially. So Somo's flashback in a flashback, the burkha's, Amy's sizzling sexuality can all be explored. And there's be no need to switch genres so strangely.
Continuing:
6. KC's jealously rages were silly. Breaking a bottle against a man's face because he speaks to his girl and then to treat her like he doesn't actually give a fuck are so, so weird.
7. If the running over had happened while they were on a run, nothing like it.
8. Amy's manipulation just didn't come across. It was important for us to see her talent in having people around her little finger because in the end we need to fear her as much as we feel sorry for her.
Well, so much for now. Have a ton of other things to write... so maybe I'll return and edit this later.
Showing posts with label new-age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new-age. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ten things I love and hate about KAMINEY!
Late in the night.. just jotting down points before I forget them :)
Things that worked for me:
1. The story.
2. One of the opening scenes of Charlie running along side railway tracks. You think he is running away from someone only to realise he's the one chasing.
3. Charlie's lisp/ Guddu's stammer.
4. Mikhail and Bhope's scene. The fake diskum-tish.
5. Priyanka Chopra
6. The cinematography/ visuals.
7. The editing.
8. Guddu's breaking down near the petrol bunk when he realises Sweety lied to him about her stammer.
9. The bargaining towards the end inside Bhope's lair
10. When Charlie and his gang realise they are driving the Anti-Nacrotics gaddi.
What didn't work for me:
1. Guddu's AIDS song.
2. The hotel scene: Felt very strained.. very over-edited. Shouldn't have been that hard to establish that the Tasiba gang were busting a drug deal a few doors down from Francis.
3. Charlie's dream sequences.. could have been less film studio props and more real.
4. The obvious symbolism of Charlie landing up with blinders when Guddu and him fight over their father's death.
5. The brother rivalry was very contrived.
6. The slackening of pace when Charlie lets Guddu take the guitar. They've even placed a song here!
7. Unnecessary distractions: Bhope taking the next compartment... wasting about a minute establishing this, when it makes no difference.
8. Charlie taking the bullet in the end and it not being clear that he has in fact taken the diamonds.
9. The last few shots of the movie.. showing Charlie with the white hatted woman.. so un-required.
10. Tasiba keeping Charlie alive till the end. Made no sense. He should have been killed the minute he lets out where the 'guitar' is. Similarly Bhope's men should not have allowed Guddu to wander off so happily. Inconsistencies.
VERDICT:
On the entertainment scale: 7/10
Rating: ***1/2
Things that worked for me:
1. The story.
2. One of the opening scenes of Charlie running along side railway tracks. You think he is running away from someone only to realise he's the one chasing.
3. Charlie's lisp/ Guddu's stammer.
4. Mikhail and Bhope's scene. The fake diskum-tish.
5. Priyanka Chopra
6. The cinematography/ visuals.
7. The editing.
8. Guddu's breaking down near the petrol bunk when he realises Sweety lied to him about her stammer.
9. The bargaining towards the end inside Bhope's lair
10. When Charlie and his gang realise they are driving the Anti-Nacrotics gaddi.
What didn't work for me:
1. Guddu's AIDS song.
2. The hotel scene: Felt very strained.. very over-edited. Shouldn't have been that hard to establish that the Tasiba gang were busting a drug deal a few doors down from Francis.
3. Charlie's dream sequences.. could have been less film studio props and more real.
4. The obvious symbolism of Charlie landing up with blinders when Guddu and him fight over their father's death.
5. The brother rivalry was very contrived.
6. The slackening of pace when Charlie lets Guddu take the guitar. They've even placed a song here!
7. Unnecessary distractions: Bhope taking the next compartment... wasting about a minute establishing this, when it makes no difference.
8. Charlie taking the bullet in the end and it not being clear that he has in fact taken the diamonds.
9. The last few shots of the movie.. showing Charlie with the white hatted woman.. so un-required.
10. Tasiba keeping Charlie alive till the end. Made no sense. He should have been killed the minute he lets out where the 'guitar' is. Similarly Bhope's men should not have allowed Guddu to wander off so happily. Inconsistencies.
VERDICT:
On the entertainment scale: 7/10
Rating: ***1/2
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The worst Fashion statement ever!
Fashion (A)
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut, Arbaaz Khan, Samir Soni
Direction: Madhur Bhandarkar
After Page 3’s success, Madhur Bhandarkar has comfortably settled into his self-created niche: as the obliging voyeuristic camera for the middle-class. He is banking the masses obsession with the lives of the rich and the famous and its (masses) desperate need to be consoled that it’s own unglamorous lifestyle is somehow morally superior to the lives of the uber fashionable and that women smoking and homosexuality are deviant habits and of only the very wealthy.
So in compliance to age-old stereotypes, we have a small-town girl shake her head apologetically when offered cigarettes or wine, only to grab at both when she gets successful. And finally, since the good always wins and the good girl never smokes or drinks, she is back to mouthing her polite ‘no’s’ in the end.
The story is about models trying to make it in the glitzy world of fashion. While one model, who enjoys the coveted position of being the ‘face’ of a popular fashion magazine, is on her way down, the other struggling model is catwalking her way up. Priyanka and Kangana, who play the two parts, look stunning with enviable wardrobes. But Priyanka does not appear young enough and Kangana needs some serious work on her diction. Despite the heavy borrowing from true incidents, neither of their stories pull any heart strings. Except for that much-hyped wardrobe malfunction sequence. Well-taken shot indeed. In only Madhur could have stuck to editing like that. Also, I loved the matter-of-fact (as matter-of-fact as Hindi drama allows you) way Priyanka aborts her baby.
What made no sense was the new model-actress (Mugdha Godse) to marry her gay-friend. Made no sense at all.
It’s hard to ignore the depiction of all designers as gay men and all models as straight women (except for one male model, on whom there isn’t enough focus to right the imbalance). Equally surprising, given the importance clothes have in the industry, is that there is scarce a reference to brands or labels. The glaring problem seems to be Madhur picking on an industry he knows little about and most unlikely, respects. About homosexuality, there was absolutely no sensitivity involved. Everytime one gay hit on another or spoke about his boyfriend, it only invited guffaws from the audience, like it was obviously designed to.
Why, oh why, this obsession with cigarettes and drug abuse and promiscuity? Aren't there other problems in the industry or (given his preoccupation) with models? Like anorexia, long hours, the age-limit, etc, etc? So one-track his mind seems to have been, che!
Music by Salim-Sulaiman adds the required chutzpah to the models as they briskly twirl under the arch-lights. Quite like the sound track, whenever I found myself listening to it. The few instances when transitions in character and plot are dealt with quickly are great (like Priyanka getting physical with Arbaaz or her in the auto after she sleeps with a stranger). The emphasis here is on ‘few’. At nearly 3-hours, the movie is just way too long.
The whole 20 minutes after she returns to Chandigarh are terribly done. ONE YEAR??? One year she doesn't do anything except to stare listlessly into space? Pulllease!
It is with some amusement that one watches Madhur do a cameo and then have a model call his cinema “realistic”. Truuuph! Wise of him to then, post-production, publicly state that Fashion is actually not about the fashion industry. Bang on, dude. And next time don't even claim to have done research. It insults your intelligence.
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut, Arbaaz Khan, Samir Soni
Direction: Madhur Bhandarkar
After Page 3’s success, Madhur Bhandarkar has comfortably settled into his self-created niche: as the obliging voyeuristic camera for the middle-class. He is banking the masses obsession with the lives of the rich and the famous and its (masses) desperate need to be consoled that it’s own unglamorous lifestyle is somehow morally superior to the lives of the uber fashionable and that women smoking and homosexuality are deviant habits and of only the very wealthy.
So in compliance to age-old stereotypes, we have a small-town girl shake her head apologetically when offered cigarettes or wine, only to grab at both when she gets successful. And finally, since the good always wins and the good girl never smokes or drinks, she is back to mouthing her polite ‘no’s’ in the end.
The story is about models trying to make it in the glitzy world of fashion. While one model, who enjoys the coveted position of being the ‘face’ of a popular fashion magazine, is on her way down, the other struggling model is catwalking her way up. Priyanka and Kangana, who play the two parts, look stunning with enviable wardrobes. But Priyanka does not appear young enough and Kangana needs some serious work on her diction. Despite the heavy borrowing from true incidents, neither of their stories pull any heart strings. Except for that much-hyped wardrobe malfunction sequence. Well-taken shot indeed. In only Madhur could have stuck to editing like that. Also, I loved the matter-of-fact (as matter-of-fact as Hindi drama allows you) way Priyanka aborts her baby.
What made no sense was the new model-actress (Mugdha Godse) to marry her gay-friend. Made no sense at all.
It’s hard to ignore the depiction of all designers as gay men and all models as straight women (except for one male model, on whom there isn’t enough focus to right the imbalance). Equally surprising, given the importance clothes have in the industry, is that there is scarce a reference to brands or labels. The glaring problem seems to be Madhur picking on an industry he knows little about and most unlikely, respects. About homosexuality, there was absolutely no sensitivity involved. Everytime one gay hit on another or spoke about his boyfriend, it only invited guffaws from the audience, like it was obviously designed to.
Why, oh why, this obsession with cigarettes and drug abuse and promiscuity? Aren't there other problems in the industry or (given his preoccupation) with models? Like anorexia, long hours, the age-limit, etc, etc? So one-track his mind seems to have been, che!
Music by Salim-Sulaiman adds the required chutzpah to the models as they briskly twirl under the arch-lights. Quite like the sound track, whenever I found myself listening to it. The few instances when transitions in character and plot are dealt with quickly are great (like Priyanka getting physical with Arbaaz or her in the auto after she sleeps with a stranger). The emphasis here is on ‘few’. At nearly 3-hours, the movie is just way too long.
The whole 20 minutes after she returns to Chandigarh are terribly done. ONE YEAR??? One year she doesn't do anything except to stare listlessly into space? Pulllease!
It is with some amusement that one watches Madhur do a cameo and then have a model call his cinema “realistic”. Truuuph! Wise of him to then, post-production, publicly state that Fashion is actually not about the fashion industry. Bang on, dude. And next time don't even claim to have done research. It insults your intelligence.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
On the rocks
Rock on!
Hindi (U)
Cast: Farhan Aktar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Shahana Goswami
Direction: Abhishek Kapoor
Here's the gist of it: Four friends, part of a college band, reunite ten-years later to have a second go at a rock competition.
Aditya (Farhan Aktar) is the lead singer and lyricist of the group, while Joe (Arjun Rampal) is the lead guitarist. KD (Purab) plays the drums, while the clearly-not-made-for-acting Luke plays Rob, the keyboardist.
All goes fine until ego clashes break the group up. A decade later Aditya’s wife attempts to reunite the band with the hope of shaking him out of his depression, but Joe’s wife (played with amazing conviction by Shahana Goswami) refuses to let it happen. Of course its obvious how movie will end. And somewhere, from the 90th minute perhaps, the movie really beings to drag. Too many sub-plots are stretched (directorial masturbation if you ask me!) - like Jenny (Joe’s wife) visiting him in his apartment. Yea, we get the contrast of lifestyle between the two, but you got to accept that there is only so much 200 minutes can take. Oh, and Aditya’s reasons for breaking up with his girlfriend is just too stupid. His friend thinks he’s hogging the limelight so he break-ups with his girlfriend? Huh?
The team has worked hard to keep the college rock scene as real as possible, though they could have gone with a less adolescent name for the band than Magik (what were they thinking?!?). Anyhow, Remo’s choreography ensures that the actors look like rockers on stage. Strangely though, the crowd in Pichle Saat Dinon Mein sing amazingly well when the mic is turned to them. Also, when did college crowds so enthusiastically cheer a band? Last I remember from my days, every band was religious boo-ed until they proved their mettle. I think it would have great if they had recorded a real crowd trying to sing with them.
Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is good, no doubt. But it sure isn't going to appeal to die-hard rock fans. It’s way too mainstream for that. Plenty of electric riffs don’t make rock, guys. But that said, the music by itself (I mean without thinking of it as the product of true-blood rockers) is foot-tap worthy. Loved Farhan’s crooning Tum ho to, though Javed Akhtar’s lyrics just don’t seem ‘rock’ enough. It great, however, that all the guys sing their own songs.
Arjun Rampal greatly suits the aging hippy-biker look he wears in the movie. In fact all (minus Luke - who looks positively blind in his shades) do phull justice to their roles. Must mention: Purab’s go at the drums in the end is pretty good.
Farhan of course looks the best - on stage and off. He combines coolness and intensity so well, he’s sure to be Bollywood’s next teen heart throb.
I doubt this movie is going to produce/ encourage any sort of a rock culture. Nor is it any ‘coming of age’ kind movie, like they claim it to be. It has no depth for that. What it might is produce a million wannabes who’ll abuse rock motifs for that rebel look.
Rating: 3 stars.
Hindi (U)
Cast: Farhan Aktar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Shahana Goswami
Direction: Abhishek Kapoor
Here's the gist of it: Four friends, part of a college band, reunite ten-years later to have a second go at a rock competition.
Aditya (Farhan Aktar) is the lead singer and lyricist of the group, while Joe (Arjun Rampal) is the lead guitarist. KD (Purab) plays the drums, while the clearly-not-made-for-acting Luke plays Rob, the keyboardist.
All goes fine until ego clashes break the group up. A decade later Aditya’s wife attempts to reunite the band with the hope of shaking him out of his depression, but Joe’s wife (played with amazing conviction by Shahana Goswami) refuses to let it happen. Of course its obvious how movie will end. And somewhere, from the 90th minute perhaps, the movie really beings to drag. Too many sub-plots are stretched (directorial masturbation if you ask me!) - like Jenny (Joe’s wife) visiting him in his apartment. Yea, we get the contrast of lifestyle between the two, but you got to accept that there is only so much 200 minutes can take. Oh, and Aditya’s reasons for breaking up with his girlfriend is just too stupid. His friend thinks he’s hogging the limelight so he break-ups with his girlfriend? Huh?
The team has worked hard to keep the college rock scene as real as possible, though they could have gone with a less adolescent name for the band than Magik (what were they thinking?!?). Anyhow, Remo’s choreography ensures that the actors look like rockers on stage. Strangely though, the crowd in Pichle Saat Dinon Mein sing amazingly well when the mic is turned to them. Also, when did college crowds so enthusiastically cheer a band? Last I remember from my days, every band was religious boo-ed until they proved their mettle. I think it would have great if they had recorded a real crowd trying to sing with them.
Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is good, no doubt. But it sure isn't going to appeal to die-hard rock fans. It’s way too mainstream for that. Plenty of electric riffs don’t make rock, guys. But that said, the music by itself (I mean without thinking of it as the product of true-blood rockers) is foot-tap worthy. Loved Farhan’s crooning Tum ho to, though Javed Akhtar’s lyrics just don’t seem ‘rock’ enough. It great, however, that all the guys sing their own songs.
Arjun Rampal greatly suits the aging hippy-biker look he wears in the movie. In fact all (minus Luke - who looks positively blind in his shades) do phull justice to their roles. Must mention: Purab’s go at the drums in the end is pretty good.
Farhan of course looks the best - on stage and off. He combines coolness and intensity so well, he’s sure to be Bollywood’s next teen heart throb.
I doubt this movie is going to produce/ encourage any sort of a rock culture. Nor is it any ‘coming of age’ kind movie, like they claim it to be. It has no depth for that. What it might is produce a million wannabes who’ll abuse rock motifs for that rebel look.
Rating: 3 stars.
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