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Govinda……… govinda…… govinda……… govinda………… goooooovindaaaaaaaa.

I have hearing problem. Left side is almost dead, some medical complication. And now I feel so lucky that after watching Contract, right side is still working. Or I would have no option but to sue the filmmaker.

Had a hard time convincing myself to watch Sarkar Raj. Recently saw it on the net and concluded that “the man has lost his craft”. And I can’t figure out how. I understand if your art doesn’t connect with your fans and audiences or fans and audiences are dumb enough not to understand your art but how do you lose your craft ? Like VVC’s Eklavya, SLB’s Saawariya or AK’s No Smoking. All these films are well crafted, brilliantly mounted. Anyway, being an old Ramu fan, I could not stop myself from watching Contract. Third film of his underworld triology.

Since it was a special screening, when we entered the …

Love Story 2050 ya Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na ? Me and KK were not confused about making the choice. Its Harry Baweja vs Abbas Tyrewala. But KK had some other reason. At Love Story 2050 screening, booze would be there. May be we can sit through the film then. No, lets vote for the writer. Afterall he co-wrote one of our all time favourite film, Maqbool. We compromised on the booze factor.

Mummy I want panipuri. A squeaky voice from the row behind us.
Must be kid.
Beta panipuri bahar jaake khayenge.
Ahhhh…naaaaiiiii…papa….panipuriiiiii…mummy.
Ok, we are fucked.
Beta, dekho papu cant dance aayega…abhi jaldi aayega.
KK looked around…Koi aur seat khali bhi to nahi hai.
In theatres, the message on the screen should be changed – switch off your mobiles and KIDS!! OR please go and watch thoda pyaar thoda magic with your kids.

Kk – the credit roll looks nice.
Me – ya, love all around …

First a confession. The use of word KISS in the title is to get some more extra views. In one of those boring management classes i was told that KISS is Keep It Simple Stupid! The guru-mantra of advertising and marketing world. That day i decided i cant take this anymore. Life without the most purest emotion..lust! How non-lusty can you be! Thank God, Feroze Khan never went to any of those classes otherwise who would have given us that lip-lock of Vinod Khanna and Madhuri Dixit. And if you are still wondering how censor board passed that scene, then click here And whenever i think about this scene ( not the dayavan but the link) am ROFL!!

Though I hated the film but loved it when K Jo got everything colour coordinated in KANK’stumhi dekho na song. I also liked it when Anurag Basu made Pritam and his …

….surya who ? Remember those posts on Nishabd…the story of scene no. 55 & 56 ? Yes..yes he is surendra hiwarale..apna zoorya.

As soon as me and KK left office (lower parel), it started raining heavily. Mumbai’s first shower this season. As expected, Vasan ditcher Bala said he cant make it as he is stuck with something more important. Manjeet bhurji-pav Singh was busy making rajma-chawl. We reached goregaon station and took a rick to Film City. Goregaon was dry compared to lower parel. KK had never been to film city before. We were looking for farishta garden and mandir wala road….thats what Surya told us on phone. It was all dark. Started drizzling suddenly. We crossed whistling woods, adlabs office and then stopped to figure out the exact location. A security guard told us left mat lena…sidha jao….we went seedha, crossed yashraj film’s sets of rab ne …

This was the first teaser of the film and i think its one of the best teasers i have seen in recent times. Smart n very intelligent and one that makes fun of all those body-shody type superstars’ launch….from Roshan junior to junior baweja. As soon as i saw it, i made sure that my roomies, colleagues and friends also see it. Thats what i feel like doing when i like something very much. Share it with everyone. And whats more…tirkit dhana tirkit dhana sounded peppy and it ended with rahman’s superb vocals. The perfect teaser that made me wanting for more…songs, promos and the film.

And then, came out this one…..

And what a fall!! this song killed all my expectations. It has everything that you define “typical” in …

….thats what i told myself. I am also struggling with my words these days. Like me, i know so many who want to write. And the keyword is “want” and not “write”. Because we are more concerned about why, whom, what, where,how, for whom ? Enough.

Check out the contest “Pen Uthao Bollywood Hilao”

what it is about ?

I can walk stories, I can talk stories, I can write stories!

Pick up that pen or sit at the computer and let your fingers fly on that keyboard. The story should be in English or Hindi. Could be any story, don’t worry. Love story, crime story, children’s story, political story, musical, courtroom drama. Art house, Masala or somewhere in between. Anything’s fine as long as the story’s good, and can be made into a great film. Would you like to see your story as a big film watched by the whole world?

Short …

…..to Ram Sampath and am on seventh heaven. No, i didnt make a single penny. But happy that it finally happened. A landmark judgement for sure.

According to Mumbai Mirror, Ram Sampath says….

In an industry where plagiarism seems to be a way of working, I feel truly vindicated. I have been acknowledged as the original composer of the two ‘Break free’ songs of Krazzy 4 and not Mr Rajesh Roshan, and the dishonesty of the others concerned here has been noted in court. I have been paid damages to the tune of the sum I asked for, and the producers have promised to give me credit in future prints of the film.

And there is more. Check out how the so called giant SONY behaved…

First, I tried to check with the company how this had happened. But I was shunted around from receptionist to receptionist, almost as if I had nothing …

….is it homage, inspiration or blatant plagiarism ? No, we are not new to all these terms. But with this week’s new release Shaurya, am again back to that old question.

As expected, according to Raja Sen’s review on Rediff, Shaurya is indeed A Few Good Men.

Item-song by superstar ex-girlfriend and ‘conscientious’ voice-over by superstar himself hop into the treatment, even as the script itself is completely stolen from master writer Aaron Sorkin.

Which doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. The ethics of shameless plagiarism aside, the fact remains that tight and loyal adherence to a great script ensure a pretty watchable film, which is what happens to Shaurya for the most part as its characters consistently quote their Hollywood counterparts in verbatim translations, but in a misguided attempt at finding ‘original’ ground (and enough elbow room to say this film was about a different issue, and …

SPOILER ALERT!! When was the last time you saw something so bad that it was funny? If its been quite sometime, then it’s time to waste your money on a supershit called Race where six superstars walk in and out of the frame, all in style. The most interesting aspect of the film is the story, the plot. Forget about characters and their motives. It’s all about how they walk, talk and dress up. Thats it.

Back to the story now and am very tempted to give out the whole story here. Akshay and Saif are brothers. Katrina is Saif’s dedicated secretary. Enter Bipasha. Saif likes Bipasha. But Akshay falls in love with Bipasha. Saif sacrifices his love and gets them married. Akshay discovers that Bipasha is conwoman. So, Akshay plans with Bipahsa to kill Saif and get the insurance money. Bipasha tells Saif everything. Bips and Saif plan to kill …

….yes, yes. I know its imposible. Its unbelievable. But it seems he did it. The song in question is jaane kyun tanha ho gaye from Bhram. And the original is ghare pheraar gaan by a bengali band Mohiner Ghoraguli.
According to this report of indiafm, this time Pritam made sure that he is not accused of plagiarism. Here is Pritam’s side of the story

I hate mud slinging, but this allegation is baseless and demeaning. It is being purposely done to make a controversy and promote the film. Yes, the song in question here, ‘Jaane Kyun Tanha Ho Gaye’, is indeed an adaptation but all the necessary paperwork has been done to make it legal. For the original number ‘Ghare Pheraar Gaan’, I myself went ahead and bought the copyright from Asha Audio by spending my own money.”

And there is more…

I guess it keeps happening to me all the time and …

……the words stayed with me, for long. Does it happen like this ? Emotionally troubled while mixing the film…do you get so much involved…even during mixing the film…..i had heard something like this for the first time. Could not believe it. And was he talking about the same film ? Gandhi My Father. When i met Resul Pookutty (do check out his filmography here to know his range), he was busy mixing saawariya for the dvd. He told me that generally people take the film print copy for the dvd as well. But there are only few who take the trouble to change things for the dvd so that you get the best sound even in your home theatre. you change some technical specifications also, i dont remember now. He did the same for Black’s dvd and now for saawariya. Because Sanjay Leela Bhansali wants it. He is …

Two things in my office makes me feel good. Always. One poster and one coaster. Call it cheap thrills or whatever but it works. Both pinned on a board just behind my deskstop. “I can but I wont” Thats written on the poster. I feel like saying the same to my boss and colleagues almost everyday. But cant. So, its the poster that does the talking.

The coaster has her picture on it. Mid-close. It was taken at the premiere of her debut film. She is smiling,wearing a golden yellow sari, standing in front of the poster of the same film. I saw the movie at the same premiere. Remember clapping for it when the credits rolled in the end. It continued for few minutes. And she was just superb. Like many, i also fell in love with her. Then and there. But then she did one more film and vanished. …

…..am still wondering. Few minutes into the film, there is an interesting scene. After a roadside shootout, Vinay Pathak and his friend Brijendra Kala, without worrying much about anything, just want to relieve themselves. And as poor Ranvir Shourie gets the golden shower (without any fun) trying to hide from the shootout incident, Vinay sings away samundar me nahakar aur bhi namkeen ho gayee ho!
This scene reflects the whole mood of the film. It swings from comic to tragic and gets emotional too. But ends up as a black comedy. I wondered why wouldnt some gangster run away after a shootout instead of relieving themselves. Nah..they generally dont do so. But then Mithya moves along this little unknown track till the end.

Mithya is about a struggling actor who gets to play a real life role with every kind of possible emotion. The twists and turns are unpredictable. But if …

Cinematically. Some of us at PFC were casually chatting to figure out who discovered what in 2007. Thought should put out the list. So, here is the list of the things that we discovered in 2007. Do post what you guys discovered. Anything serious,intersting,weird,funny.

Tushar -
1. The west is no different. I saw people commenting more in a No Country than they did here in No Smoking. May be just a one-off experience.
2. In terms of Cinema greats, I discovered Woody Allen can be such a good actor apart from just making us laugh by playing himself, I discovered the wonderful possibilities and challenges facing the animation industry in India, I discovered there are 463 TV channels at the last count and a little mechanics of how TRP’s work(and Star Gold has highest TRP when it shows ‘Krishna’).
3. In TV, I discovered the amazing Travel & Living channel, so …

We all know the hit numbers and the shit numbers. But with so many music channels and fm stations playing music all the time, the hit numbers starts hammering after a point. The only reason why i could never enjoy chal chaiyaa chaiyya (dil Se) and kajrare kajrare ( Bunty aur Babli). Overplay always does this for me. It kills the song.

This year it was bahut-zyada-dard-e-disco song that made me insane. The joy lies in discovering the unknown gem. One that your friends still havent heard and when you make them hear they want a copy or play it in infinite loop then and there. And whenever i discover a new song or a new voice that people havent heard much, am always on seventh heaven. Feel like shouting from there to tell everyone about that voice/song. So, here’s my list of songs that i loved, played in infinte …

Aamir Khan is everywhere. You switch any channel and he is there. Good for him and great for the film. But its like what they do in theatre. The spotlight effect. One person gets the spotlight and everything else is dark. We thought about putting the spotlight somewhere else. As Taare Zameen Par released this week, Amole Gupte pens down his first thoughts…do read on….phoenixnu

21st December 2007, Friday, Bakri-Id, amol gupte, Mumbai.

Taare Zameen Par is out. Deepa and I hung around theatres today to gauge the response. Entering the galli of Gaiety/Galaxy, barometer theatres for both viewing and for audience reaction, an old lady passes whispering ‘Taare Zameen Par… Dedh Sau Dedh Sau…’

At such times the pain seems worth it. Delivery.

Standing at the exit gate with sweaty palms… then the crowd comes down. Most people seem to have liked it. More importantly, when questioned about the film, almost …

…..but gift yourself something. Book two tickets for Taare Zameen Par. A simple and straight story told simply. Have little patience and sit through it. That will be the best gift your kids can have. And you will cherish too, something that you would wish somebody should have gifted your parents when you were a kid. You would have been somebody else.

My roomie has an eight year old girlfriend. His friend’s niece. And they are great freinds too. She dropped a bomb one day. You are not my boyfreind any more. My roomie asked why ? We dont kiss mouth to mouth. Boyfreinds-girlfreinds do that. I saw on tv. My roomie had no clue how to react. It was one more incident that scared me. Scared because in this ever changing world i wonder how to find answers to those complex kiddie questions. More so in big metros, where everything …

….Finally met him. Its been more than a year that i have been hearing and reading about him in every possible film magazine and newspapers, without even knowing how he looks like. Who, who is this Amole ? With every new(s) update on Taare Zameen Par, i would struggle more with all the why,how,who, when,where ? Would wonder if Amole have ever read/heard the lines…bol ki labh azaad hai tere. If yes, then where is he ? If not, then why not ? dont like those who havent heard/read Faiz Anwar Faiz’s bol…The questions were many. There was only one answer. Amole Gupte.

Juhu’s Beasnt Montessori School. About 12 in the afternoon. Gupte’s assistant showed me..there he is. All i could see was kids singing, dancing and playing. Its difficult to spot a man there in his shots and white t-shirt, if it wasnt for his Osho Rajneesh style hair …

Its one film that i was superexcited about from the moment sudhir mishra announced it. The reasons were many…next film from the man who made Hazaroon Khwashein Aisi, a story set in 60’s, a film about film industry and much more. The promos got me hooked, the look was right, attractive, the expressions were saying so much, the songs made me feel the he has got the right sound and now its only about the right visuals. But wish filmmaking was that easy to put it into simple words. Finally saw the film. I was expecting the moon. Never thought about the spots.

Its a triangular story. The triangle of love, ego and ambitions where four charcters (soha ali, shiney ahuja, soniya jehan and rajat kapor) move from one corner to other. Vinay Pathak adds the fifth dimension. Its a role that any actress would die for. But soha ali …

Those who can - DO.
(And yes…Do be do be do too.)
Those who cant - CRITICISE.

i have always belonged to the second category. And have been quite vocal too. To admit it honestly, its great fun. No, not because you judge someone’s work and pass a verdict. Because you are excited about that filmmaker’s new film, a new album, a new voice and every new teaser. And then to dissect and discuss what you liked and what you didnt. why my freinds liked that one which i hated ? its simply great. May be thats the beauty of cinema, it means different things to different people.

But this time,the tables turned. After lot of blah-blah, me and some of my friends decided to do a reality check. Have been following filmaka.com’s online competition for some time. And when they started the indian edition with www.filmaka.in, thought it was the right time. …