Darjeeling Ltd- Regressive!!
So,
Attended the press screening for The Darjeeling in the beautiful Santana Row in San Jose. Was looking forward to it. However, what unfolded was not too pleasing to my sensibility. The opening was actually interesting wherin a short film is played first and then the feature commences, but wait, the two are linked and as are the characters.
This film was regressive and old world in more ways than one. When I go to see these “Hollywood films” made in India, I expect to see Rajasthan…and I got Rajasthan, I expect to see Indian men and women…wearing turbans and sarees….and I got that….I expect to see cows and villages….and I got that, I expect to see some of India’s finest actors like Irfan Khan being reduced to two bit dummies…..and I got that (I thought TV actor Gaurav Chopra in Blood Diamond had a more impactful role)…..I expect to see and India…….neither me, nor my parents have ever seen (cause it is of Baba Azam Ka Zamaana….and that was 1910) and I got that……..
and all of this would have been very , unbearably bearable, except that it was the typical ‘eastern mysticism” film, of finding oneself…..it definitely lost me.
It’s a train journey in , perhaps, Burma of 1901, but has been attempted to pass of as India. The male actors have done a fine job, but I wouldn’t call it extraordinary. Owen Wilson probably had the author backed role and shows shades of the “more than just a comic.” Shwartzman and Brody are ok and passable, possibily Brody actually is solid, and appears to get into the character perfectly, but the facial expression remains unchanged.
So I am supposed to like this film, because it has links to the Copolla’s (whose restaurant I have had coffee in, in Palo Alto) and because in IMDB it is written that Martin S, is a big fan of his movies…probably……but I ain’t Martin S, I am just a bored viewer and also because he is supposed to be brilliant….great….but this is not an IQ test, this is a movie, and it appears (being diplomatic), actually IT DOES NOT (being blunt), do anything to me.
And what of the women in this movie. My next statement is going to make womankind hate me, but see the film for yourself if you think I am wrong. The women come, there is a sex scene, the women move on…or they become the beloved nun and mother….talk about extremism….why after watching this film, I think Sanjay Gupta’s Musafir and Kaante, show woman in a better light, at least they are glamorous and can dance well.
Oh wait but I am the reveiwer and I am supposed to say good things, at least some, cause I got a press invite…ok here goes, the theater was brilliant, Santana Row is amazing and the men’s loo was very clean!!!
Why, oh why did they not release this in Naz8, at least I could have got an “out” or a “release” by venturing off to see JG or even a Pooja Bhat’s Dhoka..
Wait this is not what ”intelligent” and “knowledgable about cinema” and “lovers of the cinematic movement” say….but then I never said I am any of those, Shekhar Kapur…who’s he…aha the man who made Mr India….did he also make the short film Elizabeth Part 2….no that was not a short film, that was me being short on recall memory..No such issues with Darjeling, I recall, every boring minute and frame really well, what I can’t recall is how many pieces of popcorn my neighbor put in his mouth….maybe I should do a Phd on “Popcorn in the mouth and it’s effect on the human psyche” maybe that Phd in that topic done at the right Ivy League, will make me like the Darjelling. My current state of “regular reviewer and audience, definitely does not
Sincerely,
Vivek “ok give me Gullu, Shakti, Bips…why even give me a Kashmira…ok I will settle for Gufi Paintal….just don’t give me Darjelling please” Kumar
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awww…really? is it soo bad?? i was looking forward to watching it this weekend!! esp after reading great reviews of it by Variety and the like!!
I hope you are not Shrishti behl
The second para nailed it. How to get free passes to such movies specially in Santana Row?
Believe me you don’t want those free passes, cause then you have to be nice to the person who gave you those and you can’t express your “free” views:):). But if you do reviews long enough and often enough, I guess you will ge on the radar screen of the free passes. Prepare to make a lot of enemies too!!!Comes with the free lunch.
Srishti- form your own opinion, I live in a “live and let live mode,” for all I know my saafa co founder might love this film and we will still be best friends, the above is my expression of my opinion and some reason behind it and nothing personal against Wes, have never met him and heard of him only on the day of the screening, then did some research
@macchar
lol..no i am not srishti behl!!but i am still trying to figure out who you are!!!:p
@vivek
yeah i might just go and see it anyways..then i can also give my opinion, good or bad!
i tend to do that…after reading da vinci code, everyone told me not to watch the movie. i told them let me go and see and then i will also get a chance to tell others how bad it was(compared to the book which i loved!!)
Mail to Anurag Kashyap:
Dear Anurag,
Hi!. We had met during the workshop at Aurobindo Inst. of Mass Comm. and had lunch together along with Shankhajeet De and his team. Remember?
Recently i had the oppurtunity to see the trailor(i donot call them promos) of “No Smoking” at a theatre. Somehow, i was not impressed by the same. They were giving a confused look of the movie. I sincerely hope that the audiences who watch the movie on 26th Oct donot feel the same.
I am hoping that the movie does well!
All the best.
-Sundeep Pahwa
aww, I was looking forward to watching it too, more since it had indian connections
I would still watch it Suchita, since my perception could be totally off, I just don’t get the fact that when they shoot a Tom Cruise film, the new,current China as in Shanghai is shown, and when they shoot films like Marigold and Darjeeling, they want to take us to some world, which I have no clue, where it exists. Almost reminds of of the former BBC correspondent, Mark Tully (respect him), but he was like “why do we want to develop, when this is one center that is not developed and hence beautiful,” and then comes the Economic Times Article of how folks from other countries now are coming to work in India, sure show us the traffic problems of Mumbai, show us the other bad things, but at least show Yaari Road and not Yaari Nagri in a desert where even the cows and snakes seem, not like how cows and snakes appear now:d
I hate to see the misrepresentaion of India in Hollywood mainstream.It sickens and irritates me to no extent.
ha ha Vivek, thats true, and thats really sad…