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JOHN ABRAHAM- Just wondering
We just got back from Bhuj yesterday, we were in a no network area so the moment we hit the airport everyone was on their phone..John’s phone won’t stop ringing..his friends calling up to congratulate him on Kabul Express..then suddenly i saw another emotion pass on his face and i asked him what happened..he said nothing..i prodded him..he looked at me and said,”why Khalid mohammed has to write such mean things about me?Just because i refused to do his film? Well i did what my director asked me to do?”
“Don’t let him worry you john..the man doesn’t know his ass from his mouth..and he has already proven it thrice..”
Well i have been dying to see Kabul express..mostly positive reviews barring few..but then bad reviews were from the same few who loved KANK..so it can be ignored..i really want this film to work..to work more than any other Yashraj movie..for the sake of cinema..it might not be the greatest film ever made..it might not even be in the top lists of the year but it definitely is in the top ten of the most courageous attempt of the year..and khalid Mohammad who shits in his pants on the sets of his own movie, how would he ever hold it together if he had to even visit the place like Kabul..the same guy wrote something similar for haasil..well the land and the mileu he so made fun of and called it unreal had sehar and omkara following up..and he missed people in Kabul not stopping to eat..he did not miss the india, pakistan politics and conflicts and changing equations in Veer Zara..may be his equations have changed with Yashraj..I have a question for him..”how old was zohra sehgal in veer zara when she died,considering the number of years srk was in jail and all the other time transactions in the film”
Anyway its not about him..i am just lamenting the fact that we so lack good critics in this country..”progress of any society depends on its art and the evolution of any artform depends on its critics..and our digression is the proof of lack of them”..
there is a lot being written about John’s performance in Babul and Kabul..and i am not trying to say he is good in them..he is not..whose fault is it..some reviewer wrote that he stands in a corner doing nothing..why should he do anything when he is not required to do it..he is doing what the director asks him to do..but one fact that nobody seems to notice is that a film like Kabul express has been attempted and made in this country and its not thanks to aditya chopra..its thanks to John abraham..he was on it before yashraj came on..yashraj got interested because it was the first project floating around in the market with John attached post dhoom..pre yashraj the film had another producer in the name of imtiaz baghdadi..it is not a john abraham film..its first a kabir khan film..then its a salman ahmed or an arshad warsi film..then why is it sold with JA at the forefront because yashraj didn’t have the confidence in selling the idea..yashraj doesn’t sell ideas..they sell packages..John abraham is no de niro or for that matter he is not even a KK or irfan..he probably never wanted to be one..he was just a middle class boy living in Bandra and andheri east in a 1BHK only seeking a better life..his only dream was to buy his dream bike..he was a regular nine to five guy,eating lunch for eight bucks in an udipi restaurant between lunch hours, then Gladrags happened and then he joined films..he probably wanted to see himself on screen or probably wanted to make easy money or just wanted to star opposite bipasha basu..i also wanted to act when i came here..today he wants to be an actor..today he is ambitious..he wants to grow so he is making risque choices..show me another actor other than aamir khan who can refuse two big proposals of doing a yashraj film and a mani ratnam film(incidentally i worked on both these films that he rejected) and choose absolutely risky kabul express or no smoking..SRK didn’t have the courage..Hrithik roshan, the other day asked me at a friends party, in front of kunal kapoor as witness,”why didn’t you come to me with no smoking,i heard the concept somewhere and liked it?”..he couldn’t remember who told him and where, and i did not remind him that it was me who narrated him the concept but at that time he wanted to do something like “Starsky and Hutch”..problem is no actor barring aamir and John have the intelligence or imagination to see a film before its made..they might understand a swades or jodha akbar post lagaan or delhi 6 post RDB but only on the basis of past laurels..
Now john is not as good an actor as hrithik is or aamir..but the man understands that and works on it..he was pathetic in Babul but that wasn’t his role..he was a miscast..and no one except the director can be blamed for that..knowing he is an actor who cannot speak the language he was made to speak, someone should have worked with him,someone should have worked with him on his motivations and state of mind..but no one bothered to because no one cared,they already had the proposal, project was already sold..who gives a flying fuck..everytime a film doesn’t work its only the directors fault..and everytime it succeeds its because of a lot of people..and thats a fact..i am too arrogant to admit someone else fucked up my film because thats saying that whoever fucked it had a power greater than mine..if an actor doesn’t deliver its upto the director to keep continuing with the shot..he has the power to say ok hence if its not right its his fault..if the production fucks up and the director doesn’t correct it or confronts it and accepts it because he is in a tearing hurry to touch the finishing line then its his fucking fault, because he didn’t have the balls to take a stand..if he accepts actors tantrums and lets it go then its his fucking fault..no one can say the actor didn’t listen to him while the postmortem is done..so anything wrong with the film..blame the general not the soldier..
Versatility anyway is a myth..no actor has ever been able to become somebody else..they can put on or lose weight..gain or lose hair or moustache or change colours but they remain the same person..they only can become characters..by believing in the moment..by being..it shows in their eyes..its all about the eyes..which is why the old english lady in dhoom2 in the opening scene gives away that its hrithik in the mask..even the mask can’t hide the eyes..thats where the screen presence is..the eyes..even method acting begins with the state of mind..and its director’s job to keep the actor in that frame of mind..an actor can’t be thinking of his entire character graph..he has to be in the moment or the camera will catch it..camera is the most ruthless piece of equipment..its a thing if beauty that you can’t lie to..you can cheat it, hide from it but it eventually catches on..it is the directors job to design the graph and keep everyone aware of it..all the time..so if an actor loses the moment its the director who is either allowing it or letting it slip away..
If arshad warsi rocks in a scene and john stands silently its because he is asked to, and he is secure enough to know that it is arshads scene and that is the greatness of John Abraham..even an amitabh bachchan is not half that secure..In arshad’s own words,”two most brilliant people i have worked with are sanju and john because they never made me feel scarce.“..which is why probably they are working together in Goal all over again ..John can appreciate and work alongside a talent greater than his because he is constantly learning..john abraham rocks in my film..its his film all the way ..because he knew what to do..because he questioned every motivation,asked for it and got it..he knew the state of mind..he was told..so now if my film turns out to be a fuckall film..blame me..if john abraham is a bad actor than abhishek bachchan is equally bad, but who has the balls to write it..AB was great in yuva to everybody except me..i am the one who wrote the goddamned lines.. i wrote lallan singh and they were the best damn lines i ever wrote..and believe me he didn’t understand half of it..he never rose above the script..but he won all the awards..his talent, and his career, the way it has shaped up are two different things and i do not envy him that..he is loved by people..John is rising over the script in what i am doing..
My reason to write this piece is that a film like kabul gets made once in a while..people like John go out of the sheltered secure atmosphere and make choices which if not immediately but slowly will change cinema and henceforth change him..and i am scared such critcism from people who cross the line and get personal dissuade a man like that and push him back to regressive choices everyone else is making..who are our critics..Khalid Mohammad is no Francois Truffaut..he is just a wannabe..nikhat or deepa are not pauline kael..our film magazines are not cahiers du cinema..this is not paris in the fifties or sixties when cinema was all passion..we are frogs in a well.and we will pull down everyone who wants to climb out..
I simply love John Abraham..I am yet hopeful because there exists a John Abraham or else i would forever remain cynical and keep ranting..and for the critics who am i to say anything when its already said a million times before..to Quote some..
Great critics,of whom there are piteously few,build a home for the truth.-Raymond Chandler
Pay no attention to what critics say, no statue has ever been put up to a critic.-jean sibelius
and
Listen carefully to first criticisms of your work. Note just what it is about your work that critics don’t like- then cultivate it. That is the part of your work thats individual and worth keeping.-Jean Cocteau
Great post Anurag.
We (family friends and I) were having this discussion about John and his career a little while ago too. Now I haven’t seen Kabul Express and yeah I was slightly disappointed that Yash ji banner had put their stamp over it so i could see that the movie would under go various changes but explaining this to viewers was impossible. They blame actors for everything and forget this isn’t just a performance orientated role you are viewing.
Yeah the guys no SRK, but he is new and making a small impact in this industry. Yeah I am biased as i fancy the pants of John but I still think the guy likes to try something different in most of his movies.
If something isn’t working then the vision should be bigger, look into why it went wrong, why didn’t John do good - what’s the reason behind it. Our audiences seem to rely heavily on what the next critic is writing and just silently nodding and agreeing to it.
around 2 hours back i looged in here and was looking for ur new blogs… thn started doing a bit of reading about you on net .. just after copleting tht..found you here ..as usual in full flow..am glad..
nways gr8 going abt Khallid..i think he has made similar usual fuking mistakes wt ever he argued as not to do in his reviews….
..as per yashraj and johar’s are said they only believ in false .glisrin made tears and tries re made and re sell everything tht as a star packged deal…they don have guts to make some serious and intense stuff..at max they can only repackge SRK.
Although there has been some stuff said in UP..”Doosre ke kandhe par rakh bandook nahi chalani chahiye…..goli khud ko hi lagegi,,,”..but here in bollywood Yahsraj and johar’s always fire a bullet on the shoulders of star actors like SRk..somehow they succeeded ….its no other thn viewvers…but i think we need to hold on here ..experimental,innovative and gutsy cinema has started making thier mark as far i see the multiplex sucecc of DOR ….
I Think it wud be different story once u get ur movies relased…good luck and gr8 going we all need gr8 makers like u…
hey anurag…although i pretty much understand ur view that abhishek cud not come over the script of yuva and didnt understand its well..
i know its set in bengal..but some how i have found the touch core small cities of UP here…may be Guys like AB are not made of this stuff..they cant imagine out of box things like ….usual gang fights all over small cities even on small things like a girl has to be in her teen in next three years and who the damn fuck ..has to take her….it may a funny things for some one reading it ..but its an usual and serious fucking damn stuff i have seen lot of times..in small cities…
but as stay in bangalore…i see same kind of stuff here too…
“Too much analysis is paralysis” - Alejandro Inarritu
Be it voicing opinion or giving a “critical” review.
People expect too much and are disappointed when their expectations dont meet. People depend too much on the expectations and can’t bear to see the dependancy shatter.
Fuck it all. Just evolve out of this.
JOHN ABRAHAM- Just wondering - by Anurag Kashyap…
JOHN ABRAHAM- Just wondering - by Anurag Kashyap posted at IndianPad.com…
i gets too frustated whn i see dat damn fucking work like Veerzara and KANK gets highly appricited and movies like hassil and omkara gets a strong critisicm for its voilence…these critics have spent most of their lives resting their ass in ac rooms ..they cant attach to the the reality of the scenes like whn Deepak Dobiriyal offers alcoholic bottles to Ajay devgan and deleivers his famous “Ajji haan” lines..
John Abraham… Just Wondering…
posted at IndianBytes.c…
“everytime a film doesn’t work its only the directors fault..and everytime it succeeds its because of a lot of people..and thats a fact..”
it reminds of what we were discussing about Vivek Oberoi the other day. That was my point also - he was appreciated in Company cos of the director. I believe there are some natural actors and rest all need to molded by the director - how pretty the shape turns out is in the hand of the castor.
I’m not a big fan of John Abraham as an actor but I do like the man for his down to earth and honest nature (from what we read and what i hear from some internal sources).
Great post, Anurag. You guys make us feel like a part of the process.
thanks for writing out your thoughts and mind anurag
Khalid Mohamed’s review of Kabul Express is here
nice one Oz - I was just googling for that.
Bollywood’s loss, Hollywood’s gain.
I saw Kabul Express yesterday, and was not impressed by much of John’s performance. There were times when he was just staring into space when he should have been showing emotion, times when he look lost. That said, I have been watching him for the three or so years I have been watching Indian film, watching him grow and try new things, and I am thrilled that he made this movie. When he is good, he is awesome. And, when he is bad, you can see the spark of him trying to grow, to try new things, to learn. I have never seen him in a role that looked as if he just showed up to a set to collect a paycheck. That is what makes a great actor, someone who is willing to take risks to grow for their craft and to grow as an actor. I appreciate the choices he has made over the last year to challenge himself, and it is apparent he isn’t doing this so that he can become a big star, but for the love of making movies.
Let the Indian media piss on him. I have seen most of the films submitted for this year’s Academy Awards, and in my opinion Water is probably going to take the Best Foreign Film award. John Abraham isn’t known here in the states except for those who caught Water on the festival circuit and the rare Indian film fan like me. But, he is physically beautiful. He has star quality. He is a risk taker. He seems to have no agenda except to make films that connect with audiences on all different levels, from hit Bollywood masala to independent, experimental films. He is growing as an actor, and starting to show a range of skill that even my beloved SRK doesn’t seem to possess. Once the US seems him all over movie screens, television, and movie-related magazines as part of the Oscar build-up buzz, he will become a hot property here. He has everything necessary, including talent, to make it as a star in this country.
Let the Indian critics piss on him. In the next few months Hollywood will notice his talent and his passion, and that he is one of a handful of Indian actors who has all the qualities and the ability to be a major international film star.
Let the Indian critics blame him for those things which he can’t take credit for, here in the US the types of choices he makes are celebrated, not criticized, and the studios and producers here appreciate young and growing talent. Even when risks fail, the criticism is for the most part objective, and the American press seems to be more forgiving than the Indian press when risks don’t pay off.
Go ahead and alienate him from the industry he works in. I think by this time next year it will be he that doesn’t need the Indian production system and all of its archaic (at least by Hollywood standards) machinations. Hollywood will begin to take notice of him when Oscar season kicks off in earnest in three weeks, and, Bollywood’s loss will be Hollywood’s gain.
As an aside, I don’t think he was at all bad in Baabul, just wasted. The entire cast was just backdrop to showcase Amitabh and Rani…
As we Indians say easy money is not always good money. Perhaps he (or you) should not have done easy movies! (Only kidding here)
On serious note; I have a question for you Anurag-ji, I have been meaning to ask you, but was waiting for a right opportunity: How would you feel if your ‘No Smoking’ ends up selling as a John Abhram film? Don’t you think that it is highly-likely to happen? Since only selected audience know about you and John Abhram is a star, in my opinion. I fear the promotions will end up as a JA film and not as your film, and this is one of the reason why I was/am skeptical about……. (no offense)
I admire your guts and your outspoken attitude… when I think you clearly know that you might receive negative reviews for your ‘No Smoking’ when it releases, due to your outbursts ;)
On another note; I am one of the guy who loves Lallan Singh and the chat lines Vivek Oberio used in Yuva. I have been trying to use those lines, but unfortunately….
Our critics do not review a movie they review the audiences which is being targeted by the movie. Before we can educate our audience we need to educate our media.
Anurag,
I agree with your assessment of John. I personally do not find him to be all that great, but that may also have to do with the fact that I have not seen him in a lot of good films.
Case in point is american actor Paul Walker. I used to think he was just another white-boy cultivating a wigger bad-boy image (All those fast and the furious films).
I saw him in Running Scared this year and was blown away. Anyone who professes love for action films MUST see this film. Great performances from all actors in this balls to the walls film. It made me reassess his acting abilities.
Sometimes you just need a really good film to get that final push of luck. Maybe no smoking is it.
t!, John has sincerity and passion but methinks he still needs to go long way in terms being a great actor. i did like him in Zinda but bar that, none. maybe No Smoking will change my opinion?!
Honhaar, but does it matter really if it gets cast as JA movie? Doesn’t it matter more if the movie gets appreciated and as Anurag has put it himself - when a movie is successful, credit goes to lot of people not just director. At the end of day, its always better to get your work appreciated rather than you yourself (at least to me).
what an amazing post anurag bhai..:o:o
HG..No smoking will be promoted as John Abraham film because it is his film all the way..
Anang bhai- John abraham is relatively not all that great..but he is a directors actor and any good director wants to work with an actor who gives it his all..he worked in Bhuj in eight degrees with flu and his nose constantly dripping and everything..to me i can do with John what most actors can’t..
t!-yes John is more international than most here..because he understands that kind of cinema..the kind of films he talks about will surprise you..and critics only piss on the outsiders in this country.
Windmill-yes vivek in Yuva rose above the script..he had nothing on paper..the other two who rose above the script were Esha Deol and Kareena
Windmill - I agree that he is not a great actor - yet. A year ago I used to think he was nothing more than a pretty boy with little talent outside of his chest. But, he is working and developing and I am beginning to see that he has untapped talent, and he is making choices to work with directors who he can learn from and who can help him develop that.
Case in point? While I mentioned that in a couple of scenes in Kabul Express he looked lost or wrong, in other scenes in the movie he was great. Is he a world class actor? Only time will tell. But, I respect him to no end for the choices he is currently making, and I see potential in him.
Anurag - Thank you for this post. I have been thinking all morning about recent films I have seen where good actors were both good and bad in the same film, and more so because of this post. If an actor is only good in parts of a film and not so great in other parts of the film, I don’t know how much blame the actor can take for that. Why didn’t the director, producer, or even editor notice that they have created an environment where talent isn’t being used to its potential for the duration of the shoot, and then try to rethink the scene or work with the actor to get the good shot? When an actor is bad throughout a film, it is because they are a bad actor or miscast. When an actor is bad in parts and good in parts, then they were just wasted talent through little fault of their own.
And, I have heard stories of your famed video collection. I would love to hear a conversation between you John discussing international cinema and the movies that influence you, that turn you on, that inspire you, and that make you laugh. You two should turn on a recorder one night and turn it into a post ;)
i m not much of John fan and at times i really felt that his acting suxx(case in pt:garam masala,aitbaar)…but wen i saw dhoom(yeah yeah yashraj film)…i was blown by his performance..he played the role to perfection n casting was perfect to the t(which is not often seen in yashraj films)…n i understood wat u r tryin to say AK…if given a proper role John can rise above the script for sure..n its always director’s vision about how to project an actor..so if in particular scene if u see john givin that “mouth half or wide open — as if he were sitting on a dentist’s chair” expression its the director whoz digressin off n not the actor’s…and fuck the critics maan..i left the hopes wen movies lyk veer-zaara strtd gettin 4 star rating n good movies lyk yuva had below avg rating…and AK dude u r the true maverick of our times maan…nvr seen any film-maker making such bold statements in media(except RGV)
P.S:i nvr knew u wrote lallan’s lines maan…they were fuckin amazin
I totally agree with you Anurag that Abhishek was not good in yuva as many people think.
But he got Award for that after all he is big B’s son.And fuck off Khalid mohmmad… who has given five star for a crap like khabhi khusi kabhi gum.
“i wrote lallan singh and they were the best damn lines i ever wrote..and believe me he didn’t understand half of it..he never rose above the script..”
very true, this performance got entirely overrated.
another great post anurag!
Cant say anything except what has been said … but thanx a lot for this article Anurag ..and thanks Oz for the link…
Anurag now i understand what ur trying to say about acting … “versatility is a myth” - classic
I completely agree with you anurag that there are actors and there are directors actors, john is a complete directors actor and once he is living the film with you, he simply astonishes you by his range, cant wait to see no smoking:)
I had lost all respect for Khalid mohammad when he gave an average rating for Hera Pheri 1.I think a good movie critic should be able to enjoy all genres of movies rt frm hahk to satya to munnabhai to dhoom part I.
Also would like to make one point here,
Whenever i read the blogs,comments of so called lovers of real cinema like you, I find a tinge of jealousy towards yashraj n karan johar movies. It is ur birthright to hate the movies(even i hated kank) but at the end of the day most of them are monstrous hits.You cannot insult the intelligence of the masses.
secondly u cannot compare john either with srk or hrithik.Its too early.
john has just started.he doesnt have the stardom these guys have.also srk at the start of his career did a maya memsaab or oh darling or even recently paheli.how can u say he doesnt have courage?do u think he thought paheli would be a great hit while working on it?
john is a hardworking person and GOD willing will go places. but ur article smacked of “you have scratched my back(by doing No smoking), i scratch urs” syndrome.
Nuthin wrong with it either.n as far as kabul express goes,it is an ok movie but yes the guts of kabir,yashraj and the stars including arshad n john must be appreciated.
PS: just a word of advise,Mr kashyap.Sir, please do not assume ur target audience to be very intelligent like vishal bharadwaj did in Omkaara.most of the scenes in that movie had incomplete ending assuming that the viewer will realise the meaning, ending up confusing the viewer.
I havent seen ur work so far, but please make sure that all scenes in no smokin are understandable by ur target audience.
Kartik, whe you say “I find a tinge of jealousy towards yashraj n karan johar movies. …most of them are monstrous hits…cannot insult the intelligence of the masses”..
there is a simple rule of supply and demand but ..u know here it differs in inidian cinema,,most of the time audencie has to see wtever filmmakers or bug starts had deleviered..thts the only resn tht recently all SRK/Johar’s or Yashraj’s movies got high attention..
once Yash Chopra said tht he doent believe in viewvers demand..he wants to set his own rules and wish tht they have to see wtever hes making..
so where is the Q of insulting the intelligence of the masses..
its a market where fare attempt like Khamoshi frm Bhashali didt click but …here movies like black worked..
and yes wtever Vishal showed up in omkara may far away frm some of the audiences as the lanaguage was bit difficult for metro culture but you ask anywhere in western UP and they ca tell you word by word meaning and highly appriciate tht movie.
A filmmaker is also a human being and and atleast some times (if not always)he tries to connect thing to his own lives just like vishal did the adoption of othelo into his childhood place “meerut”…
as far the target audenice is concerned…even a movie like Hassil can get fail in spite of having everything in simple and intense envo…so there is no grnty…
A true filmmaker has to just move on eid tryig to
contribute towards the nxt genr cinema.
sirjee..kabul express rocks…vivah sucks..babul is fucked up and regressive…awards functions are pathetic…omkara rocks…vishal bharadwaj rocks…deepak dobriyal is the best debutant…scorcese nominated in golden globes is gr8…no smoking will certainly rock…n yes sirjee u will always ROCK ROCK N ROCK…three cheers..all the best for the shoot ahead
[...] 5. Best Supporting Actor - Abhishek for KANK Screw Anurag Kashyap !!! Who is he to talk about AB Jr’s performance in Yuva ??? AB Jr is the new stubbled-style icon - All of you readers stand up and emulate the GIFA , by doing a Sasthang Namaskar to the Bacchan khan-daan [...]
Kickass article .. everything u wrote is so true.. i loved the way u have taken critcs case.. actually these guys write as if they are only out to demoralise the people involved in the movie.. khalid has made 3 horrendous movies but continues to critique other pepls movies as if hes some scorcese// another person who writes reviews is taran adarsh and his reviews are based with a box office angle to it.. one guy whos reviews r a lil ok i feel is Rajeev masand.. but comin to JOhn and Kabul Express.. I totally loved the movie, a very bold attempt and we need more of this..
Anurag…thnx for the post. As usual, great one. But u sound bit biased towards John. Is it because he is doing ur film ? Thats an easy conclusion to draw anyway.
Have seen almost all of John’s films except Kabul Express n Babul. He is a good guy,gt a sexy body,is intelligent,talks sense,has huge fan follwoing….but acting ? I never liked him. He got only two expressions on his face…that so called cute smile with dimples…or that aggressive look where u r supposed to count the number of lines on his forehead. U may be rite, that he is directors actor but John has yet to go long way.
No doubts, he is taking risk n got all the guts, no doubts he will rock in ur movie but so far nothing great.
About Khalid, he is one of the writers I have been reading since school days when u just want to know everything about films. Used to think this guy knows so much….got so much contact. But in the last few years have realised everything that goes behind those star ratings, he like many others…is just good in one thing…sucking up. No reviewer or critics in our country is unbiased because they also do many other things for which they need the stars. Like Khalid, if u read Nikhat Kazmi (TOI), she starts only with 2 stars…I gues, she was taught in school that 0 = 2. So,every aira-gaira-nathu-thaila gets minimum 2….if she giving 3, count its as 0 + 1. N then there is the greatest of them all….Subhash K Jha…Big B’s Big Friend…who will stop only after making another Big B out of that somebody called samir dattani.
If u still dont him,just check out any paper he is all over it…doing what he does best…sucking up.
Somebody said “Those who can,DO it. Those who cant, CRITICISE.”
Anurag is the one who wrote it and knows every nuance of ABs char of Yuva..so he has got every thing to claim abt the performance atleast he knows wt was supposed to come and not on screen…
if anurag is claiming..he wrote the best damn lines for Lallan..thn he really means it…
Anurag bhai, you write so goddam well, it’s always an entertaining read. I was laughing my ass off. The Hrithik anecdote about No Smoking was too funny! I absolutely love it when you’re pissed off.
Anyway, question for you - You obviously wrote “Guru”, and I remember discussing the film briefly with you when you were in LA as well. Now, when I was browsing through the website, the writing, or dialogues at least are credited to Vijay Krishna Acharya. What’s up with that? I’d love to hear more about your experiences with AB on that film. Do share.
hi anurag,
if i am not mistaken you have written GURU, but didnt see ur name in the credit list. Infact Vijay Acharya has been credited with dialogues.
why? can you please share it with us.
also are you writing lajjo as well?
Kartik..i am not envious of karan johar and yashraj films..infact i don’t even watch them..iam not jealous,i am angry with them and the whole media circus that surrounds them..to me this site is passion for cinema not passion for blockbuster nautanki’s..there is india fm and other subhash k jha sites devoted to them..they rule..i am a frustrated unreleased filmmaker..by the way AB was not bad in YUVA..he just could have been much better..and yes i may be biased for John abraham..because after a long time there has been an actor who is making films happen..my film or nagesh kukunoors or imtiaz ali’s or sriram raghavan’s..all being made because he chose them not on basis of past credentials but the scripts..and yes SRK thought Paheli will break all records and bring home an oscar..and no one is comparing Johns acting potential with Hrithik and srk..it can’t be compared..just his choices..infact john chose dhoom,after the success of which HR chose part 2 and now srk is doing part 3..that is what i call vision..first one had vision ,the ones that followed just wanted to be part of a successful franchise..
Hey Vijay, i was working on Guru but had to leave after two drafts because of personal reasons..Vijay krishna is the official writer..we call him victor..he is the same guy who wrote dhoom1 and 2..and i think he also wrote Pyaar ke side effects..
Dear Anurag,
Since you mentioned one of the “critics” called Nikhat Kazmi, here is something that everyone should read:
http://jaiarjun.blogspot.com/2004/11/whorism-in-film-writing.html
These are our “critics”. Borrowing entire chunks from foreign reviews and still writing!!!!!!
She was caught red handed by blogger and book reviewer Jai Arjun Singh but still continues to write. Screw these fucking “critics”.
Anurag,
I think SRK is a very big “Houwaaa” [i suppose you understand what i mean]. I think the little known Sanjay Suri has more talent in his index finger than SRK has in his entire persona. SRK is pimping the same 2 and a half expressions for the past 10 years. His success is due to two factors. Being part of the family cartel has served him quite well and his smart talking ability. People are usually eating out of his hand because he is one hell of a smart talking dude.
But I think guys like Randeep Hooda, Mohit Ahlawat and John Abraham, along with Hrithik Roshan are the future. Not these dubious khans.
Read Anurag’s post on the sorry state of film critique in our country and critics per se (really sorry state)…read many comments by fellow cine fanatics on how good, bad or great they think John as an actor is…I would like express my views firstly as someone who is associated with No Smoking and also as an up coming filmmaker or less arrogantly put in as a wan be film maker (as most of the film critics in India are)…is John a bad actor…No…is he a good actor…yes he is…is he a great actor…I don’t know…he doesn’t know…NO BODY KNOWS…only time would prove…would I like to cast him in my film…yes I would…why…many reasons…many many reasons…first and foremost he is a star…NO NO sir, not that way…it’s like this…he is a star who doesn’t behave like a star…he behaves like a any other actor who is ready to give his best for the character and film per se…he is a star who lands on the set whatever the call time is…on the shooting floor whenever needed…he is a star who waits and asks the director ‘what do you want me to do in this scene/shot?’…he is a star who humbly asks the director after shooting continuously for sixteen hours into the wee hours ‘Are you OK with the take or you want to take one more?’…He is a star who in spite of having flu and a continuously running nose lands at Bhuj where the temperature is less than eight…starts shooting…the whole unit is concerned…director assures him “It’s just four shots…just four’… he smiles, wipes his running nose and responds ‘take as many as you want’…ends up giving thirteen shots…he is a star who is passionate about his craft and dedicated to his projects to the T…He is among the few stars who has the intelligence to understand scripts and directors vision…he is a star, who after making a decision to do a project gives his best to the project and to the director… not bothering about the commercial prospects of the film…he is a star who has intelligence and vision…mind you vision…vision for where he wants to see Indian cinema five years down the line…he is the only commercial star who is risking his career by deciding to work on scripts which is unconventional and directors who have their own voices and want them to be heard…whether it is KABUL EXPRESS, NO SMOKING,HAPPY BIRTHDAY or any other project…he is a star whose decisions to do a film is not based on how commercially successful director’s previous film has been or how happening the director is or how heavy weight the producer is…it’s based purely on the script…and once that decision is made…he hands himself over to the director…he is a star who has complete faith on directors vision…he is a star who submits himself as an actor to the director without any starry tantrums…use him, abuse him…the onus is on the director…he is a star who believes in cinema…not only for glamour, glitz and money that accompanies it…but also for the passion of it!
Who wouldn’t like to work with a star like him!
Even after doing all this… a No SMOKING or KABUL EXPRESS or any other film fails or his performance is not up to mark…it’s unfair to blame him…What more can a director ask from an actor…Nothing…an actor is as good or bad as the director allows him to be…it is he who has the authority…it is he who should take the blame…irrespective whether director is an Anurag Kashyap or a Kabir Khan or a Vikram Motwane or a Raj Kumar…. Period!
As for Kartik Shah comment - “you have scratched my back (by doing No smoking), i scratch urs” syndrome…it’s not at all about that my dear friend…Anurag and John both have an independent and highly successful careers without each other, they don’t need to resort to the syndrome you have mentioned…it’s just about the respect that both have for each other as a director and as an actor…it is about their one common passion…CINEMA and where they both want to see INDIAN CINEMA in five years down the line…and believe me if they succeed it will makes things lot easier for first time film maker like all of us.
As far as the film critics in Indian cinema is concerned the less said about them the better it is…they have made it a joke…One in particular appears to be confused about most of the things…from bad film making to film criticism to the newspaper he wants to be with…he just can’t decide…he can’t trust his judgment…why should we!
I remember an incident where a film critic when on being questioned by a friend on why he gave a bad film a positive review responded ‘Because he had graciously accepted to be a guest in my relatives wedding, and the review was a favor returned ‘ …it is not a joke and I am not kidding…it was all in flesh and blood!
P.S : Sangeeta…where have you disappeared, long time since I…sorry we heard from you!
Sorry,
I would like to add two more guys to the list. Shreyas Talpade and Shiney Ahuja.
Dear Karthik shah
yash raj & karan johar movies are hit and more masses watching their movies tooo.. agree
but we all know alchool is not good for health.. 90% people still drink.. they never drink orange juice daily even though it’s damn good for health..
so irresptive of the inteligecy of the masses..here we talking about the quality.
if you think anurag & vishal’s movies are incomplete ending!!! .. can u just tell us whoes movies have complete ending..so that next time we can watch it.. but pls dont tell that KANK has a complete ending bcoz finally Rani mukarjee goes with Sharukh khan
sorry missed it…It was a bad film starring a big star….‘Because he had graciously accepted to be a guest in my relatives wedding, and the review was a favor returned’
Was never a fan of JA. Infact have only seen Dhoom 1 (in a luxury bus) But I feel he was man enough (along with other crew members like Arshad Warsi)to go to Afghanistan to do a movie. And my reasons why he did that
1. He likes what he does i.e. movie making. His love for cinema has made him take such a risk. Naturally, if he likes what he does then he will try to improve. He will learn along they way, seek better guidance and one day be known more for his acting than looks.
2. He has balls to take risk which most of our other actors dont have. Try making SRK go to Iraq to do a film. The only other actor who might (just might) do something like this will Aamir Khan.
These are the two reason why I like John now and surely will start watching his movies. I wont crib about his acting but will be patient till he matures but till then I will surely watch his movies.
anurag, theres one more actor who has the courage to refuse a yash raj film, SALMAN KHAN, the most underrated actor of hindi film industry
anurag, ur opinion abt salman and why couldnt you imagine NO SMOKING with salman ??
Why are we wasting so much time talking about some critic’s comments anyway? Who gives a hoot? My personal choice - totally ignore and just let the work and the audience speak for themselves. My two paise.
Hey Anurag,
Yuva was directed by Mani sir, so if AB jr didnt live upto ur expectations, its not his fault entirely as urself hav pointed that an actor can do wat he is being asked by his director and stating tat he wasnt gud enough u r actually pointing a finger at Mani sir. In ur earlier posts, u had stated that Mani sir isnt some one who goes for improvisations everytime and belives in planning. So if u can go ahead and critisize wat mani sir and AB jr were unsucessfull in impleting at, then every one has the right to critisize john and Kabir khan for wat they cudnt acheive in Kabul xpress. Kabul xpress was a bold attempt but other than that nothing is worth mentioning in this movie, so i guess u r being xtra too nice to john by writing this article, deep down u too wud understand Kabul xpress is a complete failure. I feel if somebody is spending so much to go all the way to shoot a movie in afganistan and on taliban, they shud hav had better script. It was u who stated tat how much ever u spend, if u dont hav a story to tell, u dont hav movie in ur hand.
I worship ur work Anurag and hav complete faith in ur final delivery, but i feel u wrote this article to simply please john.
Can we the lesser mortals expect a neutral critical review frm u on kabul xpress??????
Khalid mohammed doesn’t know that ‘Jinke ghar sheeshe ke hote hain unko batti bujha ke kapde badalne chahiye’…..nahin to woh puri duniya ke saamne nangey ho jaate hain.. and all of us have seen him ‘NANGA’ thrice. phir bhi akkal nahin aayi
Anurag bhaiyya,
you are absolutely right when you say that its director’s job to get maximum out of an actor. And I know you are brilliant at that because the way PAWAN MALHOTRA has acted in Black Friday, I have not seen him in any other movie.
The dialogue “usko tho main thokega hii aur saath hii saath uske purey khandaan ko bhi thok dalega” sounds a bit over used in hindi movies but the way PAWAN delivers it or rather you made him to deliver it, it was so bloody true.
Am sure you will create the same magic with John too….
anurag,
a good attempt.This khalid mohmed guy keep on cheating the readers by his stupid approach.
Since john is a one man army with hell lot of fans these guys are mad at him.more over he is no ‘Khan’
u know what i mean.
anurag keep writing!
John, good or bad we watch ur movies spending our hard earned money just coz u r in it(eventhough we know entire movie experiance wnt be worth of $16).coz u take up versatile roles.And pls never act in these ‘mega serial’type of saans bahu movies.ppl like SRK is thr for that.
Im quite suprised to see that no one has mentioned John’s performance in ‘Jism’ or ‘Saaya’ here, as i believe he was highly impressive in these films.
Infact, i am quite gutted at the fact that he hasnt had the kind of roles that would make him shine.
It’s been dissapointing to see the characters he has chosen to play, and even his performances give you a feeling that he could’ve performed better.
Ofcourse, thats just my opinion, but i say this as i feel he is talented, but where has his talent gone??
Hits or flops dont count (well, not in terms of acting) and ‘Saaya’ came a long time ago.
Its good to know he has done ‘Water’ and ‘Kabul Express’ which is a damn good movie by the way!!
I just wanna see him bounce back (performance wise) and shut everyone up, me included!
Come on John, please come ‘back’!!
Hi guys. I too was disappointed with John’s role in Baabul, but to be fair, it was a bloody thankless part AND it was quite clear that he came WAY down the pecking order as far as the director was concerned. Taxi 9211 was superior on every level to this turgid family drama. I also saw Kabul Express recently and, as a European, I found it powerful and thought provoking. My husband and I saw it in an art cinema with an almost entirely European audience (and only three desi lads) and it was very well received. I’ve since recommended it wholeheartedly to other English friends.
As for John, well I’ll admit I’m biased. As a woman I was moved by his astonishing physical beauty the first moment I saw him. As an artist he’s become my muse, inspiring me to some of my finest work. And when I was finally able (through a set of fortuitous circumstances too lengthy to enter into here) to interact with the man himself, I found him warm, intelligent, charming and courteous. I now love him like an absent friend. Success in the industry has never only been about talent - it also takes drive, courage, integrity and commitment and I know John has all these qualities. Vxx
hey anurag, to each his own…can completely understand your POV and the venting of your frustrations…a lot of things will never change here no matter how hard you try…very few filmmakers(including you)have the guts to try and change things,come up with something new and original…but i guess it all goes unnoticed…one has to just move on…life’s a bitch! speaking of original,heard that sriram raghvan’s john abraham starrer “happy birthday” is an inspired version of quentin tarantino written-tony scott directed “true romance”…how true is it? curious to know as i’m a big fan of the movie…
[...] At the Passion for Cinema blog, while discussing John Abraham’s performance in recently released Kabul Express, directors Anurag Kashyap laments the lack of quality critics. Quite a mighty rant this one! Hrithik roshan, the other day asked me at a friends party, in front of kunal kapoor as witness,”why didn’t you come to me with no smoking,i heard the concept somewhere and liked it?‘’..he couldn’t remember who told him and where, and i did not remind him that it was me who narrated him the concept but at that time he wanted to do something like “Starsky and Hutch”..problem is no actor barring aamir and John have the intelligence or imagination to see a film before its made [...]
One thing that id like to say(me not a fan of Khalid Mohammad-neither the crtic nor the director) that being a bad diro doesnt mean that he cant crticisize a movie.what i mean is that the faults that he finds in a movie, it is not neccessary that they shld not be in his movies.
we all have crticisized our mom’s cooking(i did just that, in fact after reading the comments and this thing struck me in retrospect) but can we ourselves make better food?
given a camera and all the money in the world we ourselves(taking abt most of us NOT ALL OF US) wont be able to make a movie better than KANK probably or even Shiva(the latter i havent seen but purely going by the review of Kartik on the same site).
This post instantly reminded a nice quotation by Ashutosh Rana(SOME DIRO USE THE GUY PLEASE!!!)
“Success has a million fathers but Failure is an illegitmate child”(of course it was in Hindi and i think i heard this after his 1st solo movie in which he was in the LEAD ROLE).
@AK does it mean that the others share no responsibilty of the failure of their respective parts?
Does that mean that Fardeen Khan(of course JA is no FK, but still) still has some hope? Does that mean he merely was ‘used badly’ by his diros? Does that mean that the fault of his bad performances lies entirely with his diros?
(P.S. expecting a reply from AK. hope he replies to my questions for the FIRST TIME \:d/.
——John’s phone won’t stop ringing..his friends calling up to congratulate him on Kabul Express—-
==>> Big deal? I am sure fardeen Khan’s friends also choked his phone lines after “prem agan” was released!
—–why Khalid mohammed has to write such mean things about me?Just because i refused to do his film? —-
==>> No. He wrote “mean things” because he doesn’t have boobs but brains.
—-Well i did what my director asked me to do?—
==>>Well thats precisely is the problem. You cant add any “acting” value because you just cant act. Good that you are being honest with yourself. Watch a Govinda, or Aamir Khan or Amitabh or Anil kapoor to know what an actor can do on top of director’s vision.
—“Don’t let him worry you john..the man doesn’t know his ass from his mouth..and he has already proven it thrice..”—-
==>> Bhogle hasn’t played any cricket but he has one of the best knowledge on the subject. I can taste daal baati and confirm what is wrong with it, I may not know how to cook
—-he was just a middle class boy living in Bandra and andheri east in a 1BHK only seeking a better life..his only dream was to buy his dream bike..he was a regular nine to five guy,eating lunch for eight bucks in an udipi restaurant between lunch hours, then Gladrags happened and then he joined films..he probably wanted to see himself on screen or probably wanted to make easy money or just wanted to star opposite bipasha basu.——–
==>> Man, he has struggled more then Abraham Lincoln. Anurag, I agree that John has gone through worst then inmates in Abu Gharib. Please write a separate book on it to enlighten and inspire us.
—problem is no actor barring aamir and John have the intelligence or imagination to see a film before its made—-
==>> Oh wow. And lets see what all movies he has worked on until now? Selection of Dhoom and Kabul Express is a hallmark of genius imagination?? Oh yes, I forgot that they were made by Tiwari Panwalaah and not Yash raj banner.
—if john abraham is a bad actor than abhishek bachchan is equally bad, but who has the balls to write it..AB was great in yuva to everybody except me..i am the one who wrote the goddamned lines—-
==>> That doesn’t make John a good actor. Tell us one movie where he acted well??
- Jwalant, as usual… few of your things are skewed to blind you from other people’s view… and this is not happening the first time from your end… but being an idiot that I am, I would like to point to a few things in spite of this being Anurag’s post.
You may not be doing this on purpose… but would you mind dropping the acidic tone in your comment that me and many others who’ve emailed me find about you in the comments. Either you have too much time on your hands or just like to be in a mood to ignite trouble wherever you go be it here or whatever places you visit online. If you have a different point of view, (and I do too to some extent on this Anurag’s post), there is always a way to say it in a manner that two opposing views can live and survive on these pages here on PFC… this doesn’t seem to be the case in many of your past comments and this present one.
You : “He (Khalid) wrote “mean things” because he doesn’t have boobs but brains.”
I’m sure a few hundred others reading your comment would be confused… not on your comment but on the hundred points they have to poke holes in this statement of yours and would be confused on where to start… this is such ridiculous a statement that I can only see it as a way to start trouble on the pages of PFC… if that being the case… I would “Humbly Request” you to look for trouble elsewhere… including Khalid’s brains that made Fiza or the same brains that wrote reviews of Krrish or KANK (and this from a guy who has learnt quite a few things about cinema from reading Khalid Mohamed’s reviews for over 30 years)
Again if you have a problem, email me and let me know… I have a wide span of “acceptance” but being human even I’m skewed in my reactions…
One of the best things I enjoy on PFC is the diagonally opposite reactions… it shows our attachments and aversions… they are not formulaic… not everyone will arrive to the same sum total based on the positivities and negativities of a film, person, incident… and that’s one of the strongest assets of PFC - the freedom of divergent views to co-exist without the need to cut everyone else’s views down…
Yes Windmill, I agree with you. But at the same time you would not want your work/effort to get ignored, would you?
@HG…Please check your e-mail for my request :)
Steve - You bring up a good point about John’s performances in Jism and Saaya. I personally did not care much for either of these films, Jism being plagiarized from Body Heat/Double Indemnity and Saaya from Dragonfly. But it was John’s performances in both films because of which I could actually sit through them. Again, I won’t go so far to say they were great performances. They could have been a lot better with directors who would have been willing to push the actor deeper into those characters. But there was something real about him playing these roles. Something in the approach to capturing their intensity - where you can see and appreciate the need to go all the way, but the end result is that he falls short due to lack of proper guidance from his directors.
As for the views expressed on this blog about Khalid Mohammad, as a critic, I found his reviews an amusing read, especially when he ripped films apart, but at the same time, never did I learn anything from them. I can’t remember the last time Khalid Mohammad backed up his opinions on a film with a strong analysis. He was the editor of Filmfare - the biggest gossip mag in town, so it’s understandable that the majority of his readers were perhaps more interested in reading something tongue-in-cheek vis a vis an analytical, informative review.
As for the same man as a filmmaker, the only reason I was able to sit through Fiza and Tehzeeb was because of terrific performances by Karisma Kapoor and Shabana Azmi respectively, Tehzeeb of course being a far more watchable film. I have not seen Silsilay so I can’t comment on it. I think he lacks vision as a filmmaker: He had Santosh Sivan shoot Tehzeeb, Sreekar Prasad edit it, and Rahman compose the music. I would rate Tehzeeb as an example of their worst work to date. Somehow, in certain circles he seems to have a good reputation and ends up being able to pull together a top-notch crew. I must admit however that I really do like his writing for Shyam Benegal films, with Zubeidaa being my pick of the bunch.
You guys are such hypocrites. You go out of your way to make excuses for some pretty lackluster performances from John but you guys relentlessly ream Shahrukh, Sallu, etc. etc. ..if I were to dig up any one of your old reviews, you would be eating your words!!!!
hey anurag,just loved ur post,if AB didnt perform lallan role up to expectations then why did MANI sir choose him again in GURU, considering GURU role is much more complex.
Anurag - I thouroughly enjoyed this post mainly for the clarity of thought and the way you have openly laid out your views and feelings.
Though Khalid Mohammed seems to be a veteran critic, some of his reviews always leave me confused and seem a bit too prejudiced.
As for John, yes, he may not be the best actor around, but I agree that he seems to understand his weaknesses and is willing to work on them. Though I am not impressed with any of his other performances, I will also say that no one else could have done justice to the role of Kabir in Dhoom, since John is an avid biker and he was the perfect fit for it. It takes a lot of courage to travel to a war-stricken place like Afghanistan to shoot a movie and that’s a commendable quality. I’m looking forward to watching Kabul Express and even more keen on No Smoking after following the entire coverage on PFC.
You go Johnie boy!
Hi Anurag,
I have seen Kabul Express & i salute then film for it’s honesty & sincerity.whether Kabir Khan used Aditya or vice versa. the point here is a film like this got made and we need films like these. heard a rumour that ABHISHEK WAS VERY UPSET WITH YOUR COMMENT ON MR. BACHCHAN’S PERFORMANCE.AND THAT IS THE REASON YOU QUIT GURU.IS IT TRUE?
A lot has been said about John’s performance, when i came out of the theatre my first words were arshad overshadowed john….but then i began thinking…what would i be like if iam in kabul….would i be like john…completely lost unable to grasp the magnitude of the situation….or be like arshad in some ways devoid of any emotion that a war stricken land would evoke…..and i felt i would have been completely lost….no justifications for anybodys performance all iam saying that just because somebody is good in the movie the other person is not bad…also a lot of people should think about this who would they relate more with…
a lot has been said about K Mohammed in this post, so I will spare him. but yes, I do have to ask, who are the critics, and what is film criticism? who are these people who give out such journalised reviews of movies that sometimes dont even deserve a mention…
What constitutes a film review? I think a conscientious film critic needs to look first for content and context…artistic endeavour falls below thAT..and in a country like India, film needs to be responsible. What is responsible filmmaking you ask? well,certainly not refraining to certain morals and restricting creative freedom, but being willing to create fresh thought of the current state of being Indian. Very few so called filmmakers of modern india have understood this balance and work with it…and unfortunately the ones who had a spark are dead. Maniratham for example, a man who gave cinema wonders like Dil Se and Iruvar should have retired post work like that instead chosing to go downhill to Bollywood.
yES,bollywood is far from anywhere near crystal island and there seems very little hope for it in my opinion, unless of course,I start making my films, which wil definitely be outside those Bully gates… if ever.
>>P.S : Sangeeta…where have you disappeared, long time since I…sorry we heard from you!
I’m sorry Raj Kumar, I just noticed that comment after a quick nudge from Oz :)
A small trip was called for, some fresh air to clean out the cobweb’s and an opportunity for other PFC members to take a slice of the limelight I’ve been hogging.
I wonder if you guys pointed this post out to John? It makes good reading, I even linked this post on my blog.
John:Belated happy birthday! Was watching his interview on TV. John thinks 2008 would be his peak year. He ackowledged that he is on growing curve as an actor and has not yet reached his peak. Guys watch out ‘No Smoking’ for his performances!
The selection of films is so important as an actor. John is doing great. He can not go wrong even if his films do not prove to be a monster on the box office. But if one of his film is a major hit than it would propel him one of the elite stars, which would ring an alarm bell amongst the so called kings!! Even the big stars are working in packages with other star cast. John is indeed a brave actor getting better n better by each passing day!
Have I missed John’s birthday. Belated Birthday Wishes.
On the topic of John, has anyone seen his exclusive calender? some very nice shots :x
Ah, Sangeeta, glimpses I caught of that calendar made me want to WEEP with desire. He is truly a glorious creature. Vxx
Hello Everyone,
I saw Kaboool today. I think John looks lost in the film because he probably found out what a great bullshitter Mr. Kabeer Khan is, only after landing in god forsaken Afghanistan. I found the film to be frankly disappointing.
If you are going to a place like Afghanistan, taking great personal risk of life upon yourself, at Least BE SURE ABOUT YOUR DAMNED BLOODY SCRIPT. Make sure it is atleast PASSABLE. Hire consultants to atleast VET the script before you travel millions miles to a god forsaken land. [Enough ranting]. Maybe, time permitting, I will post a full review here later.
Thank you.
Anurag,
Can you please send a text message ASAP to baba John and arrange a meeting with Ms. Venetia and Ms. Sangeeta. :)
Venetia,
God worked hard on that one ;)
Hah - first of all Durgesh - a BIG KISS from me for that last bit!
However, I must confess I REALLY liked Kabul Express. For me the only duff note in the whole thing was the girl. Her unlikely youth and immaculate prettiness I could’ve coped with - this is, after all, a film. But her acting was just awful. (I’ve given better performances myself at the age of 12 in school plays.) She sounds like she’s reading all her lines off a card - which is a terrible shame because (I thought) all the guys were SO good. And as for the script, I found it believable - everyone was scared and awkward and tense. In such situations people don’t launch into great rhetoric at once - they get the measure of each other first - especially when guns are involved. Vxx
oz: The troll graphic was quite funny!:d
Vijay, i do see where you’re coming from, especially the observations on Khalid Mohammed.
Shabana Azmi was, as usual, brilliant in ‘Tehzeeb’, but the film was a major dissapointment.
Even the songs had not been shot well.. actually, some of them were kinda forced into the movie!
Not that i suggest people should sit through it, but Tabu is wonderful in ‘Silsilay’ (or is it ‘Siillsilllaayyyy’??!!).
Actually, Bhoomika Chawla was very good in it too, but i guess alot of people have given the film a miss so they will never get to see that.
But yes, ‘Silsilay’ could have been alot better…
‘I’m sorry Raj Kumar, I just noticed that comment after a quick nudge from Oz’
A small trip was called for, some fresh air to clean out the cobweb’s…’
hey Sangeeta…glad you are back…would like to hang around…but too exhausted from a day long shoot at DHARAVI, asia’s biggest slum…just about to drop dead…in my bed!
@Rajkumar…Wake-up..please dont sleep…and let us know how was the Dharavi shoot? Wake-up….tringggggggggggg…see the alarms are ringing..
Aww sleep well, in the mean time I’ll google DHARAVI up as i’m not too familiar with the place.
Om shoo away he can post about that tomorrow, let the guy rest up now :)
Bardwaj Rangan’s review: http://brangan.easyjournal.com/entry.aspx?eid=3204288
how dumb. all you people truly think that anurag kashyap is answerable to all of you just cause he expressed his opinion. well guess what… you are all delusional. im dead sure he’s right about most of the shit he writes but get a life if you’re gonna question his abilities just because he trashed the bachchan khaandaan. just goes to show how blind we all are and we truly cannot the decipher the difference between quality and glitteratti.
Haven’t seen Kabul ‘Xpress yet, but Khalid’s reviews are the last thing I’m gonna go by. Khalid Mohammed, Subash K Jha, Taran Adarsh - asses, the lot of them. And the less said abt Khalid’s movies, the better - they have been progressing from tolerable (Fiza) to bad (Tehzeeb) to worse (Silsilay). But hey, Tehzeeb did have some decent songs by ARR - esp an exquisite ‘Apko Mujhse..’ by Madhusree.
As for John, well he’s not that hot an actor IMO (and some of his movie choices defy imagination - Lakeer, anyone), but he’s defnly better than a Fardeen. in the hands of the right director, he can be rather decent (I did like him in that comic caper, Garam Masala).
‘Aap ko…’ was lovely, i agree, but the songs seemed a little forced Ranjit.
And Fardeen was ok in ‘Jungle’ henna??
And i found him to be the best thing in ‘Pyare Mohan’.. yes, i know i know, how can i even admit to watching that crap, but i needed film therapy and my dvd player broke down, so went straight to the cinema, and it was the only hindi film showing…
Shame on me!!
maybe it’s just me.. but i get headaches when i hear fardeen or zayed mentioned in the same sentence as the word “actor”. and we’re talking SPLITTING “i wanna bang my head on the wall” headaches ~X(
arghhhh there it is again!! ~X(
Axually, I found Fardeen ok Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, Love Ke Liye.. and Dev in addition to Jungle (dont think I’ll see Pyare..!). However, he’s been really bad in most of his other stuff - Prem Aggan, Janasheen (ugh), Bhoot - long list.
The songs were defnly forced into the movie (esp Khoyee Khoyee) - but ARR’s work per se was not all that bad IMO.
Fardeen is good looking, but in terms of acting I don’t think he has given any performance that makes me stand up and say yeah this guy can act. He didn’t move me in no entry with his comedy either.
Guys the point is not John’s performance..it could be good or bad ..however anyone sees it..point is not Kabul is a good film or bad,again i would say the same..the point is somebody made a choice..a film like kabul got made in this country..whether one agrees or disagrees with kabir khan’s opinion on the aftermath of taliban..atleast the man has an opinion in this country of neutral filmmakers,and these are the words of a friend who sms’d me after seeing the film..and thats what i want to defend..John abraham is a star who sells..he makes films possible and then the choices he makes , creates something other than everyday mundane bollywood..and that will lead us somewhere..
Oz..please let jwalants message be..or whoever’s..thats a point of view..i promise i won’t get provoked again..
Ah okay so my sources tell me Dharavi is the best leather market in Bombay and probably a area I wouldn’t like (wonder why) Anyway i’m sure i’ve seen this area in a tamil movie just can’t be 100 percent.
Interesting location - when you wake up let us all know what the shot was about.
Striker…Join the club…Just remembered the last movie which he was a part of (not acted…but a part of)…No Entry…:-t
Sangeeta
Dharavi is infamous as the biggest slum in the world…There was a movie as well with the same name…Om Puri acted in the movie…I think…
Oh yes there was thanks VC
the post on dharavi shoot coming soon..the most harrowing so far..
AK “the post on dharavi shoot coming soon..the most harrowing so far”
I just hope everyone was OK there…
Eagerly waiting for the post on DHARAVI
ooh sounds exciting
is it the largest slum in the world or asia? there are few more movies shot over there, isn’t it?
Nayakan is the movie I was thinking?
Salaam Bombay was shot there
what scene
Nayakan is one of them but there are hindi movies, too. can’t find which ones but i remember.
wasn’t agneepath had scenes shot over there?
Sudhir mishra’s Dharavi was shot in Dharavi, i shot the end portion of the chase in black friday there..and few other scenes..a portion of Nayak was shot there(i think)..
and its the largest slum in Asis..not the world..
Hmm i don’t notice all locations in scenes, interesting might revisit scenes in certain movies, well the ones that aren’t shot abroad!
I need to sleep, some of us value our beauty sleep ;)
- the simple pleasures of running PFC… I’m reading the Dharavi post as Anurag is writing it… ahh… mind blowing yaar :d
Just a thought.. well, an after thought.
I think I read on one of the posts a few days ago, that John is part of futuristic cinema (I think its something you said Anuraag??.. and it hit me this evening that ‘Kabul Express’ is actually quite ahead of its time.
In the sense that its quite a ‘relaxed’ movie, in terms of having Afghanistan in the backdrop, and having all these characters who converse in a somewhat humouristic manner…
I guess it normally takes a good 5 to 10 films made on a certain topic before film makers can become relaxed and add comical elements in such a story, but Kabir has done that in his main feature film…
Well, thats what i thought anyway…
Also, yes Ranjit, ARR has done quite a super job with some of the ‘Tehzeeb’ tracks, no way am i knocking him, love the guy!!
But wish filmakers wouldn’t waste music the way it was wasted in this particular movie.
Rahman deserves better!
For one, I am not sure John would have been lauded as much by you if he weren’t part of No Smoking…
But more importantly, we need to separate the wheat from the chaff here…
An actor, at the very least, is supposed to act…and not display acts of bravery by going to Kabul…I mean, there is something in going to Kabul that needs to be lauded, but the credit for that shouldn’t at all be associated with acting…its funny what all tries to get passed off as acting these days…
And I would blame the actor for accepting roles that require him to do nothing…’I was doing what my director told me’ is a lame excuse…
Anant .. have u even seen the film ????
I think john was just about adequate … ok … he had lines … he had moments in the film .. agreed arshad and the pakistani actor (WOW!!!) overshadowed him. So what ???? John Abhraham is no Kay kay menon/Irffan khan/ Naseeruddin shah.
Kabul Express is not just a couragous film but also .. despite its flaws ..a visually enriching experience. Even if u see the film with volume muted … u will be enthralled. In which other hindi film have u seen the skyline like it is in Kabul Express ???
Hi Anurag,
This post made me stop being the silent reader and comment on this post…isn’t Khalid Mohammed the same guy who gave us Fiza and another Urmila-Arjun Rampal film? Does he watch his own films before pulling others down?
I also agree about the versatility bit in your post. But who are we talking to? We live in a country where Black is a benchmark for good cinema.
Hello Kartik,
I guess we can go hairsplitting about the movie. What the heck, its just a movie!!!!!!
Agreed the movie is visually rich, but what i found unacceptable is the “Spin doctoring” that Mr. Kabeer Khan indulges in. The entire history of Afghanistan and of the Taliban is turned on its head and the US [the very country which saved Afghanistan from the commie russians] is demonized.
There are baby fights between the afghan and the paki actor, which is just about nonsense. [Afghan to paki: you are responsible --- paki: no you you you!!!! ]
I guess a political film needs to be informed, and layered. Not a nicely packaged yashraj samosa filled with nonsense.
[...] Meanwhile, I’m fast becoming a Clooney fan. I’m still waiting to watch his Good Night, and Good Luck. More than his stylish personality, I’m impressed by his noble ideas. [AK: he’s my John Abraham, shall we say?] [...]
An actor has a range for portraying characters. No director can increase that range, but can be smart enough to identify it while casting. Get the best out of the actor, while shooting.
John is adventurous in real life, likes driving fast bikes, is sophisticated, has good screen presence, is nice, humble and down to earth guy.
In Dhoom he was playing his own persona of so he looks good. In no smoking he fits in the character of rich, elite, narcissist, which falls in John’s range. The thing admirable about AK is that he got the casting right and is making John to open up and deliver his best performance.
I was pleasantly surprised to come across a site where writers spoke their minds so explicitly.
I watch at least 2 movies a week. Now that I am married, my wife, her two cousins and me are religiously at the theatre every Friday. I avoid the option of watching films on TV except if I can’t see it in the halls.
I loved Kabul Express. The story reminded me of ‘No Man’s Land’. Both were such important stories to tell. Both were so humorously entertaining in a stark situation. There’s so much I can write about the film. I almost didn’t want people to say anything against it. Two things stood against my defence of the film.
Why did John Abraham not get the lines, the look and the situation to appear convincing as a journalist? He didn’t ask even ask three questions in the film.
I can understand when you say John rises above the script. In Taxi 9211, even his silence conveyed his spirit. I’ve liked him in most of his movies… and not because of his hair or awesome body.
The second point I forget now. Ahh.. I remember, why was the car shown in the same backdrop a dozen times? All said and done, I think Kabul Express really deserves a Christmas present of good box office for its effort.
It’s good for the kind of films that I wish to see and make.
Anuragji, just read it on DT that you almost this post & had to rewrite it becoz of internet problem. Won’t it be better if u type ur stuff in a word file or notepad & paste it here. Like that u won’t lose any material that u write :)
John refused KM film. :o KM should’ve gone to hrithik instead, becoz he is obliged to KM as KM had praised him as a child artist in Bhagawan Dada :d he’d done the film for free. Remember Fiza
waiting for Khalid Mohd’s review on Black Friday when it releases. \:d/\:d/\:d/
Im probably going to get shot for asking this question…. but what is wrong with ‘Black’??
Will someone please explain??
I am aware that it is a remake of a very old movie ‘The Miracle Worker’ but was it not a genuine attempt to break out of the usual run of the mill??
Ok, so i would’ve actually preferred it if it was an original film, but as far as remakes go, wasn’t this a fair attempt??
Would people who dislike it, still dislike it if it was not succesful?
I found it to be emotional, yet beautiful. Strong, powerful, and a film which actually used Amitabh in the most respectable manner, which is quite rare, as he is stereotyped…
Ok, some might feel it wasnt real enough, but in terms of path breaking cinema, do those of you who dislike it, really think there’s nothing in the film??
He has a reputation of going over budget but it was a huge risk for Bhansali..
Does anyone feel the same here? Or am i most probably the only person who’ll defend ‘Black’??
Anurag, seems I am late reading this but it is a relief that you can still get said all you have to say. As for abhishek Bachchan, I’ve always wondered why nobody can teach him better posture. the way he carries himself is offensive= half swagger and half bad manners.
Keep going and the world will get your communication if it hasn’t already.
@Steve: I’m with you on this one as far as Bhansali is concerned. Agreed, he was ‘inspired’ by ‘the Miracle Worker’, but I thought Black was a rather decent movie myself.
I’m not with you, however, where AB’s performance is concerned. I found it easily one of the most overrated performances ever (like Abhishek in Yuva, but that’s another story). AB overacted terribly during the first half, was just not good enough in the second IMO. I could just imagine Naseer, Kamal Hassan or Nana Patekar in that role. Bachchan is always Bachchan, and no more.
He wasn’t inspired..he copied the film..scene by scene..see the original..
anyways..now he is making a musical..an original one..and he justifies music and musicals and presence of songs in hindi cinema..waiting for sanwariya..
@Anurag: Was trying to be sarcastic :). Yes, the first half was practically the same, except Bhansali applied his technical acumen to it i guess! Hope with Sanwariya he returns to his Khamoshi roots, I felt that was his best movie by far.
Btw, read in a Gautam Menon (the Tamil director) interview that you handed ‘Derailed’ to him as a movie-idea. Have to check out the book…just wanted to ask, have you ever read Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River)….think that’d made a awesome but DARK movie!!!
But I really did like the sense of despair and foreboding Bhansali brought into Black…which was nowhere there in ‘The Miracle Worker’…
I knew Black wasn’t an original concept but I didn’t quite realise what the name of the movie was that the story was picked from.
@Sangeeta: Well, Black does say in its titles that its inspired by the life of Helen Keller. ‘The Miracle Worker’ was based on the the relationship that Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan - its a true story.
I’ve only seen the movie once and most probably did miss the credits.
the real hero of the black is Ravi k chandran and his camera done the magic..thats all .. and bhansali done only copying scene by scene of ” the mircale worker”…
—–As for abhishek Bachchan, I’ve always wondered why nobody can teach him better posture. the way he carries himself is offensive= half swagger and half bad manners.—-
Abhishek, John, Salman etc etc. These are all models not actors. Abhishek infact cannot even be a model. He has and will always eat from papa’s spoon, he will also end up getting Aishwarya on papa’s name! I cant believe that this guy can not even act in Mani ratnam’s and RGV’s films. God, he could have done much better in Sarkar, there were opportunities, so many of them, when Bachchan was shot in the movie, when bachchan was in Jail, When bachchan was crying in pain, our junior was still the same, wooden. And somebody should drill a nail in Junior’s head and tell him never to dance in a movie which has Hritik. Junior looke dlike a joker when he danced in Dhoom2.
The real actors in our Industry are Aamir, Govinda and Anil kapoor. I am glad that Govinda is coming back with Bhagam Bhaag and am very pleased with what I have scene in trailers. He is celebrating his Birthday tomorrow and I hope he starts his second inning with a super performance in Bhaagam Bhaag. He did well to get into politics(when his film career flopped) so that he could be in limelight and that certainly helped him to slip back to films once his political career flopped. Its impossible for an actor to be away from limelight. Bhagam Bhaag, partner and Salaam-E-Ishq should get him good projects. Comedy is back in vogue now and Govinda’s timing and his expressions while delivering dialogues should help Govinda.
I am also hoping that after a lean period, better sense would prevail in Govinda just like Ganguly. He should not repeat mistakes like leaving Taal(Anil kapoor’s role was offered to him) and Devdas( Jackie Shroff’s role) just because he was not the main lead. He should also give up his late lateefee, stay away from sycophants and stop troubling Producers. Govinda should also learn from his father’s career(once it flopped, the Ahuja family had to leave Juhu for Virar) and use all the learnigns to manage his career in professional manner. Let us all welcome back one of the best bollywood talents of last 15 years.
may be he ( govinda) gonna get oscar next year 8-|8-|8-| :-?
@Jwalant: Govinda? IMO he’s another overrated actor. Comic ability does not automatically translate into acting skills. Govinda is very, very poor at depicting almost any other emotion - give him a simple emotional scene and he’d falter. Agree with you on AK and Aamir though.
Trust you’re speaking about actor-stars only, else we have a whole bunch to add to the actors’ list - esp the heroined. Always did think that Madhuri, Rani (not to mention the likes of Konkona & Tabu) were far better actors than their male counterparts.
Steve,
Problem with “Black” was the same as problem with 1942 A love Story and Devdas(SRK). They were grand but they were not able to move audience. I mean except for one scene in Black ( courtesy Rani), you done really feel moved by the plight. Its a collective failure. Similarly in Devdas, there was not a single moment that you feel like crying ( and that for one of the most tragic love story). I infact felt good when SRK was dying in Devdas, so bad he acted.
Ranjit –> For non comic Govinda acts, watch Hatya, Swarg, Jaisi karni waisi bharni, Muqabla, climax of Pardesi Babu(strongly recommended).
And movies like Haseena maan jaayegi, Deewana Mastana, hero No 1, Dulhe Raja(best of the lot), Saajan Chale Sasural, Coolie No 1, Shola aur Shabnam offer ample prrof of his all round skills as an actor. He did some crass (but hilarious)comedy with David Dhawan which put a dent in his fan following but if you dont appreciate Govinda as an actor, well , you may not understand acting as well.
- Jwalant -> “if you dont appreciate Govinda as an actor, well , you may not understand acting as well”….
and if you don’t understand my last request to you of letting views other than yours to coexist without having to cut them down… then you may not understand why you will soon be blacklisted from PFC… this is the final warning to you Jwalant…
“You may not understand acting” doesn’t mean that I am threatening him with a knife and asking him to watch every Govinda movie and its not something which hasn’t been said before on this blog. Please do not overreact and start policing the blog. This is childish.
Also it would help if on top of your good work, you add an edit feature to posts.
@Jwalant: Acting, to me, means the likes of Sanjeev Kumar, Naseer, Om Puri, Kamal Hassan, Mohanlal, Revathy, Shabana, Smitha, Konkona, Tabu, Nana. Aamir is a potential addition to the list, but he has a long way to go yet.
To include Govinda in such an eminent list would be insulting these stalwarts in no small measure. He’d fall under the actors with crowd-pulling, mass appeal section - along with the likes of Rajni, Chiranjeevi and other stars. Any little acting talent that these actors possessed (if any) has long been frittered away.
As for your list, I’d agree with Hatya - that was a measured performance. All the comic capers - thatz just Govinda being his flippable self. If Dulhe Raja was proof of ‘all-round’ skills as an actor…well !!
Ranjit,
Chiranjeevi and Rajni? How many movies have you seen of these guys to judge their potential? It’s easy to list out the names of actors who are known more in the art circuit but what exactly has Tabu done that’s ground shattering? I understand you want ‘different’ actors but by trying to be different, they are only sticking to the norm of ‘being different’.
Chiranjeevi has done some amazing movies in the past - movies that most of the people you listed cant even touch with a barge pole. Try to get some movies like Challenge,abhilasha,rudraveena, swayamkrushi, apathbandhavudu — for your kind of cinema. then also check out his mass masala entertainers that show his range as an actor.
Sorry for the off-topic post but ignorance is only bliss for blind people.
@Chalam: I admit my ignorance with regard to Chiranjeevi’s work, but am more than familiar with Rajni’s body of work.
Your comment sorta vindicates my point: “Any little acting talent that these actors possessed (if any) has long been frittered away”…does Chiranjeevi’s current body of work fulfil what he promised during his initial years - as an actor? That said, what little I have seen of Chiranjeevi in dubbed movies did not indicate any great talent, at least to me.
I defnly do know that Rajni has done only mass potboilers recently. And I suspect the same is true of Chiranjeevi as well.
As for Tabu, in this short span she has Maachis, Chandni Bar and Hu Tu Tu to claim - which is more than many actors can claim for their entire careers. And then she has some great films too, notwithstanding her roles in them - such as Maqbool, Iruvar etc.
Ranjit..i agree with you on most POV’s but not when you talk of Govinda and rajni..Govinda is the best actor we have..better than any..comedy and comic timing is the most difficult artform..its easy to make people cry..difficult to make them laugh..and Govinda is also a very good dramatic actor, he just doesn’t look convincing doing drama..his comic image being so strong..and rajnikant, chiranjeevi are the most incredible actor..you probably have seen there maibstream stuff they did much later in life..see there early work..b efore they were mega stars..outstanding real performances, before mass hysteria over them changed the kind of choices they made..and in between whenever they tried to get back to there roots..again the masses forced them to return..
@Anurag: Disagree with ‘Govinda is also a very good dramatic actor, he just doesn’t look convincing doing drama..his comic image being so strong’….that is precisely my point…that good actors - the really good ones - don’t have an image-issue anymore..irrespective of BO success they look convincing on screen in whatever they do (within reasonable limits, of course!).
I actually agree with you about Rajni - the stuff that he did with K.Balachander and ot