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If there is one filmmaker in Bollywood who I would like to request to retire, it certainly is Priyadarshan. No, friends and film buffs- not even Ram Gopal Varma can beat Priyan to this. Ramu, however warped his mind his may have become of late, at least retains some remnants of the passion he had earlier, the burning zeal that led him to create such great cinema in the past. But here is a director that has clearly lost it all- his mind and fervor- all in favor of making dumb, assembly line films for a passive audience that seems to keep lapping them up.

Priyan, is of course too lazy now to think of an original and interesting plot on his own anymore. So there he goes again, down south for another film to remake- only this time it’s not an entirely stupid film- it’s the 1993 Malayalam movie Manichithrathazhu …

Even the little droplets of hope that one had left after watching the decidedly bizarre promos of Laaga Chunari Main Daag are mercilessly dashed to the ground. The Yashraj stamp (or rather, stain) is so ostentatious and evident in Pradeep Sarkar’s second film that no amount of Surf Excel- or even Lux, which is so blatantly advertised in the film, can remove it. Barely twenty minutes into the film, and you know that this is a movie that has hopelessly and irreversibly been Yashrajed.

Laaga Chunari Main Daag begins reminiscent of Sarkar’s first film Parineeta, with some lovely, breathtaking shots of the ghats of Benares, doing well to establish the city. Then of course, we have Rani and Konkona- singing Hum To Aise Hain …

Very sorry for the weirdest and worst article title that you may have ever seen- feeling to brain dead right now to think of some coherent thoughts, leave alone a proper header. Whew…I realize that I haven’t posted on PFC for ages again…so I decided to pull up my socks before Oz paaji pulls me up again…well, well, there isn’t much going on here in Calcutta- the initial excitement of college is finally settling into a more boring existence.

Well, well- Kartik has been nagging me on the phone for weeks now to “GO OUT AND MAKE A FILM!!!” – unfortunately am really short on time and ideas- especially ones that fit into one minute…still there is this group project that we have got to do that includes making a photo narrative comprising approximately 40 stills- have been working hard on it and wracking my brains- some of the planned shots …

I am no Sholay fan.

Eyes of fellow film-buffs pop out of their sockets usually when I say this, but to be very frank- I don’t even remember when I watched Sholay, and what remains of it in my mind can hardly even be termed as a faint memory.

But irrespective of whether you have watched and loved Sholay or not, you are equally likely to be absolutely appalled by Ram Gopal Varma’s seemingly audacious remake of the legendary film. No question about it, blokes- this one’s pure Aagony.

What was Varma thinking? Was he even thinking? Is this the end of the filmmaker- the man who once gave us Satya and Company? All these questions haunt you after watching Aag- simply because more than an insult to Sholay, it is an insult to Ram Gopal Varma himself- or rather, the filmmaker he once used to be.

Varma has always reveled …

Who could have thought that an umbrella would turn out to be one of the most compelling characters seen on the Indian cinema screen in 2007? Who could have thought that a charming Blue Umbrella would gently cast its shadow over all the other movies of the year- that this ’small’ film, much delayed before its release, would stand inches tall above the best of Hindi films seen this year till now?

But then, when the filmmaker in question is a master craftsman called Vishal Bhardwaj, pretty much anything is possible. The music director turned filmmaker is a force to reckon with- one of the finest directors seen in a long time- churning out masterpieces with alarming versatility and consistency. This man simply does not cease to amaze, and The Blue Umbrella is yet another stunning film from him- and personally, my favourite Vishal Bhardwaj film so far.

Words do …

 So, Himesh Reshammiya’s eerily (and numerologically) titled debut acting vehicle Aap Kaa Surroor: The Moviee-The Real Luv Story finally released yesterday- and he, along with director Prashant Chaddha and most importantly- producer Vijay Taneja must be anxiously hoping for the moviee’s success, with umpteen crores of rupees riding precariously on the infamous nose of the composer-turned-singer-turned-actor. After all, Himeshbhai even hilariously turned up in a burqa at the Ajmer Sharif to pray for the film, much to my endless amusement- it wasn’t exactly a pretty sight, you see.  In fact, Himeshbhai even requested the Deols to kindly shift the release of their family drama Apne, to make space for his own release. They refused, and Himeshbhai had to contend only by saying graciously that he has …

WOW! The curtains are finally up from Anil Kapoor’s heavily guarded production Gandhi, My Father…and the promos just look superb! The film which stars Akshaye Khanna as Harilal Gandhi and Darshan Zariwala as the Mahatma himself, is directed by noted theatre personaliy Feroz Abbas Khan and based on the play Mahatma v/s Gandhi.

The subject matter looks to be extremely compelling and I, for one can’t wait for one of Bollywood’s most promising films in a long time, when it releases in August (in Hindi AND English- which I think is most unnecessary, but…). The film also stars Shefali Shah as Kasturba and Bhumika Chawla as Harilal’s wife.

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Take a look!

Busy with college admissions n all that shit right now…let’s see what happens, just hopin for the best. Anyway, been long since I posted anything so just thought I’d put down some random ramblings over here! First up- my first Tarantino, WKW and Scorcese flicks… Pulp Fiction, fuckin brilliant as hell…what can I say- it’s an ultimate showcase of masterful and clever writing. An instant classic, a masterpiece. T’was my first Tarantino flick, but still have a feeling it’s probably his best ever…totally in awe of the sheer genius of the movie. I mean everything is so spot on, the dialogue so compelling and crisply delivered that it amazes you totally- the characters literally talk about rubbish, get entangled in the most inane situations and …

Bollywood’s music directors are not content just being behind the scenes- not any more. Not only are they expressing themselves through their music, they are singing to their own tunes! Here are some of our music directors who have recently showcased to us their singing talent- or sometimes…the sheer lack of it!

(Note This list does not include Shankar Mahadevan, since he was already a singer before he turned composer, too- along with Ehsaan and Loy- forming the musical trio now better known as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy or simply, SEL.)

Himesh Reshammiya
Ahem, ahem. The list starts of course, with the most er, prolific and infamous of them all- the raucous Reshammiya. It was in 2005’s Aashiq Banaya Apne that Himesh first picked up the microphone to sing. People were pretty impressed, and he hasn’t put the mike down since- what’s more- he’s even set to star in his debut acting vehicle. He continues to …

What’s on with Ash’s The Last Legion…

With her recent marriage to Abhishek Bachchan causing a virtual media and public frenzy, there’s more interest in news of Aishwarya Rai’s various temple visits and public appearances  with her better half than her films. Still for all those who are interested and don’t know, here’s some dope on her previously much hyped Hollywood film, The Last Legion, also starring Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley and Thomas Sangster which was completed quite some time back, and has been largely unheard of ever since.

The Last Legion is based on Valerio Massimo Manfredi’s historical novel of the same name and is set in Roman times in which the Goths overrun Rome and a small band of loyal soldiers must protect the child Emperor Romulus Augustus and their empire. Rai plays Mira; a Byzantine warrior who joins the band of soldiers and plays love interest, of course to …

Looking back: Why did Nikhil Advani’s love-vehicle crash?

They say it is fruitless dwelling on the past. Besides, the film I am writing about is by no measure whatsoever, one of my favorites, or even one that I consider extraordinary. But ever since it released and especially after I recently watched it, I just can’t help but wonder- what went so horribly wrong with Salaam-e-Ishq - a film that seemed like a guaranteed blockbuster, a surefire super hit? How did the firecracker go kaput, the bang unexpectedly replaced by a whimper?

It is often said these days in the industry that it is virtually impossible to judge the fate of any film- and I have to say, that in my humble and frank opinion- that is nothing but a whole load of bull***t. It is not always very difficult to judge how a film will fare once it nears release- and in …

(Hiya Gang- Sure long after a long time! :- js)

It has been a largely tepid year so far in Bollywood, with nothing that was really worth standing up and applauding for- with maybe, the rare exception of a brave Black Friday or Parzania. And of course, Metro- which just released and though I am yet to see it, I think I can safely say it’s a good film. No, not even the over-hyped Guru, which- Abhishek Bachchan’s admirable performance notwithstanding- remains just a good film, not something to treasure, and surely not among Mani Ratnam’s better works. Then there were other titans like Salaam-e-Ishq and Eklavya- not really bad films, actually- but which inexplicably fell worse than Humpty Dumpty at the Box- Office. Money wise, other than Guru, Reema Kagti’s wacky ensemble debut Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. and Vipul Shah’s typically massy ‘n’ messy, crowd-pleasing Namaste London …

Just checked out the net for some latest trailer action and came across these- the Munnabhai promo is of course out with Eklavya in theatres- haven’t seen it…looks good but a little overdramatic- but the Cheeni Kum promo is not out in India yet. Anyway, both look great! Take a look-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SutIr9dofoA&NR
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3AS9ZedeM&eurl

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PS:Neck deep in studies right now- my boards are bloody 15 days far and I’m sh**ing hot bricks! Also, 2 silly but interesting observations that came to my mind:

Amitabh has just done Eklavya and Abhishek is now doing Drona- is he really turning into Amitabh’s Guru? Hehe!

Also, rather curiously Bhansali’s former mentor VV Chopra, now seems to be showing shades of his protege with a similarly theatrical (and sometimes over the top) style of filmmaking!

OK, see you-gang!

Had planned this as a full article, but due to lack of time, will just post a list of some of the movies, which are in my opinion the most exciting and promising Hindi cinema has to offer in 2007:

Guru (released)

Salaam-E-Ishq (Great scale, looks entertaining, and then there’s Vidya Balan, of course…sigh…)

Parzania (touching story of Gujarat riots- powerful film & performances)

The Blue Umbrella (Vishal Bhardwaj, Pankaj Kapur. I guess I’ve said enough)

Black Friday (searing portrayal of Bombay Blasts. Plus- it’s an Anurag Kashyap film, so if you are on PFC, YOU JOLLY WILL SEE IT!!)

Metro (good cast, interesting)

Traffic Signal (gritty subject)

Just Married (looks sweet and cutely tongue in cheek)

Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. (the cast rocks!)

Nishabd (the promos are haunting)

Eklavya (Vidhu V Chopra’s grand comeback, though may be a little overdramatic)

No Smoking (looks to be a damn interesting and cool film, intriguing, plus *(See Black Friday)

Jodhaa Akbar (Ashutosh Gowariker. Ashutosh Gowariker. Ashutosh Gowariker. …

NOTE: This article was written in October 2006, and despite the BAFTA nod for RDB, I stand by it- the British do have a soft spot for Indian cinema anyway, and RDB stands out like a sore thumb among the other nominees. Furthermore, news is just out that RDB is outta the Oscar race anyway.

Last year, amid much hullabaloo, Amol Palekar’s desert ditty Paheli was sent for the Oscar as India’s official entry in the foreign film category over much the feted melodrama Black. The reactions were sharp, caustic, critical. How Paheli got selected was- to most people- the riddle and mystery of the year, pun unintended.

And this year, our very wise and honourable jury (including Aadesh Srivastava and now -extinguished chingaari Ms Kalpana Lajmi) has chosen Rakeysh Mehra’s cult hit Rang De Basanti. Brilliant.

It’s not that RDB isn’t a good film. That isn’t even the point here. Point is, if RDB manages to …

Hmmm. Not bad, but not impressive either.

The first official trailers for Aishwarya Rai’s first mainstream Hollywood film- Doug Lefler’s sword-and-sandals epic The Last Legion - based on Valerio Massimo Manfredi’s novel of the same name, are finally out on Youtube.com. Also starring are Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley and Thomas Sangster.

The film looks just about decent though, and doesn’t quite have the epic look it should- feels pretty unspectacular and a bit second- rate, considering the supposed $ 60 million budget, but not too bad either- should be watchable. Our very own Ms Rai (the to-be Mrs Bachchan, he-he!), by the way features very prominently and flaunts a toned body, Xenia- style swordfighting and a terrible accent. Here’s hoping her first real Hollywood adventure does not actually turn out to be a total misadventure.

Trailer 1

Trailer 2…

DISCLAIMER: All the films mentioned ahead have been Box Office successes- they are, however- in the writer’s humble opinion, pathetic apologies in the name of cinema. If you believe that:

BO success translates into good cinema
Rakesh Roshan is a brilliant director who makes radically different films
Himesh Reshammiya is a musical genius
(Gulp) All of the above

…you are well, advised not to go ahead. As for the rest- read and enjoy as I ridicule, mock, scoff and vent my anger on the worst in films in 2006!

Krrash!
It may be a poor joke, but then- isn’t that also what Krrish exactly is? I cannot help but gasp at how Rakesh Roshan openly flouts all possible forms of logic and so boldly and flagrantly makes a joke and mockery of intelligence, superheroes and the art form known as cinema- in the most grotesque manner possible.
Add to that Hrithik Roshan’s overtly earnest, naive …

Let bygones be bygones, so they say. Plus, 2007 seems to have started on a bright note, with Guru bagging both critical and BO accolades for Mani Ratnam, er, Abhiwarya and everyone associated with the film. Still, it is also time to look back to reward and rebuke some of the best and worst in cinema last year. So here goes!

The Best of 2006

Hindi cinema is surely evolving- and there were more than just a few signs of that on the silver screen in 2006. There have been some great films, some great performances, but above all, what was often heartening to see was the marked effort to break the mould- and go beyond. Here’s applauding the films that gave cineastes reason to cheer, despite their BO status- good or bad- and the people behind these wonderful creations.
Best Films/ Directors:

Omkara/ Vishal Bharadwaj: Mind-blowing is the word to describe …