My Apprehensions about Paa
Print
I have seen the promo many times and also visited the upcoming film’s website. I am as intrigued as anybody else by the look of the character Mr. Bachchan is playing and enthused by it. But I am also cynical about Bollywood and the ability of industry big wigs to screw up big projects. Time and again, I have seen nice concepts and plot ideas executed badly on screen because of lack of good writing or enough hard work put into script and story. I may invite lot of criticism and even anger from Bachchan bhakts on PFC but I would like to express my apprehensions about the film anyway and see what happens. So, here’s my list of how it might turn out
- They would focus too much on the makeover and prosthetics and not enough attention would be paid to details in the story and script. The film would come across without a soul.
- Bachchan’s character would look interesting when it starts but the novelty would wear off after first 4-5 scenes and it would start to look jarring.
- There will be scenes where Bachchan would just blow your mind, wherever he is given well written scenes and lines. But, there will be scenes where the script would be weak and the director would rely on Bachchan to pull it off, all by himself. In those scenes, Bachchan would go over the top and come across as annoying. Example – early scenes of Black where he is introduced as frustrated drunk teacher and shouts or even drags the deaf, mute and blind girl.
- After few scenes, you would question, if the objective was to show the antics of a 13 year old in much older man’s make-up, why not take a 13 year old and do the make over, instead of taking a 67 year old person, doing the make over of a 80 year old person and making him act like a 13 year old. You would question, if this wasn’t all a gimmick instead of a good honest story telling.
- All the focus will be on Bachchan’s character and Abhishek’s character. They are already promoting it as a father son story. Not enough attention would be paid to other characters that would make them look shallow and caricatures- example- all other characters in Baghaban except that of Amitabh and Hema or the other teachers in Taare Zameen Par except Nikumbhji. (There are scenes in Baghaban where the camera doesn’t even pan on the faces of other characters, and they were not extras, but sons and daughters of the lead couple.)
- Abhishek Bachchan will once again act bad, or in Oz’s words “act arrogant into the camera instead of in the character” (source for the quote: Oz’s review of Drona). But he will be praised for his performance anyway. He will even get nominated for best supporting actor and may even get the award at IIFA.
- The entire industry will ignore the obvious flaws and praise the film to the hilt, calling it “Cinematic event in the history of world cinema”, “Masterpiece”, “Classic” and Bachchan’s work as that of a genius and what not. Adjectives will be showered upon Mr. Bachchan by all and sundry, lesser film stars will touch his feet at film award functions and bring tears to their eyes in doing so. Karan Johar will dedicate entire page on his blog to the film. Others such as SRK will grudging join the celebration and offer complements so that they are not left out.
- The film will open big due to curiosity value and will soon fade away. But it’ll be declared a super hit and one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema within a week or 10 days.
- Critics (I am sorry reviewers) will fall over each other to praise the film. Any reviewer who gives anything less than 5 starts will be called out and called losers, jealous with Bachchans, biased, people with agenda and people with no understanding of the art and so on. If they point to the flaws, they would be retorted with, “Compared to all the run of the mill stuff we see everyday…this film is a master piece”. Who can argue with that? In an industry where more than 1000 films get made every year and 95% are run of the mill, every decent, well made film can be called a master piece by that logic.
- There will be a long promo dedicated to the makeover. Special attention will be paid to the time it used to take for Mr. Bachchan to get into that and come out of it. We would hear figures ranging from 2 hours to 10 hours. This will be a video of behind the scenes and show the events at the set so Abhishek Bachchan will consider it his special responsibility to act funny.
- Award functions will, all and sundry, keep aside Best Actor for Mr. Bachchan. Shahid Kapur’s performance in Kaminey will get ignored or may get critics’ choice category. Abhay Deol’s performance in Dev D will be left out in the cold as even critics choice would not be available, since it’ll be awarded to Shahid Kapur for Kaminey. Special award will be created for Saif Alik Khan for Love Aaj Kal, as the biggest hit of the year, but only if he promises to perform at the award function.
- People from all circles will lobby and create National Award buzz for the film and for Mr. Bachchan’s performance. The only reason the film won’t get any national awards is because the Congress Government would veto it, not because they don’t like the film but because they don’t like the Bachchans.
- There would be a strong lobby to take the film to Oscars. In the last minute, some regional film will be decided upon as a compromise, simply because Congress Government wouldn’t allow it.
- At IIFA, there will be an entire section dedicated to the film. Most of the major awards will be given to the film. Some insignificant ones like ‘Best Sound’ will be given to films like Kaminey to make it look balanced. Jaya and Aishwarya Bachchan will be called on stage to give the award to Mr. Bachchan for Best Actor. Abhishek Bachchan will join them on stage anyway and go into a long monologue about Paa. No, not the film, but his real Paa.
I would be happy myself, if I turn out to be wrong for at least half of the above. But I am afraid that is unlikely to happen.
Tags: Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Paa, r balki
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
hahaha.. awesome dude… though i agree with all your points… i somehow feel that this film will be better…. but u never know… keep writing dude…
n yaa.. do write about this film post release… just to check how many points were correct
cheers!
loading...
Keep hoping Bhabesh, hope is a god thing! I am myself an incorrigible fan of Indian Cricket team, always full of hope.
loading...
Mast article hai, atleast concept wise. I think somewhere in between the apprehensions started veering towards pessimism, but overall its probably gonna be going like this. It doesnt make sense to get a 67 year old to do this. This is almost a blatant showcase of – hey look AB is God!
Also I do believe critics these days make it a point to pan every film, they feel obliged to highlight whatever faults they can find, even inventing if they have to. So we are covered that ways.
When will the directors start getting more prominence than the stars. Look how Ingloriuous Basterds is a directors movie even when it had the worlds greatest star. Contrast it here – Psychophants galore
loading...
Thanks, you seem to get my point. But, except on PFC, where reviewers have lot more freedom, all other reviewers will be singing along. Remember when Black came out. I couldn’t find a single review of the film that didn’t praise it to the hilt.
loading...
I guess the review in Rediff trashed it, even Rajeev Masand was critical of AB’s acting.
loading...
There was no Rajeev Masand show attime of Black release.
loading...
@ Pritish, well maybe not, but i recall a show when Rajeev listed his Best and Worst Movies of 2005, and he specifically mentioned of Big B hamming it up in Black.
loading...
I fail to see the point here. Do I need to be a Bachchan bhakt there? Heck, it shouldn’t matter. A well crafted article seems to peter out in favor of one movie, Kaminey; or worse apprehensions about some accessorial mutual shag sessions called Bollywood movie awards. May be I am bad at reading comprehension but doesn’t this write-up imply that if either Kaminey or Dev D won, every other point “against” Paa could be ignored?!
show the antics of a 13 year old in much older man’s make-up, why not take a 13 year old and do the make over, instead of taking a 67 year old person, doing the make over of a 80 year old person and making him act like a 13 year old. You would question, if this wasn’t all a gimmick instead of a good honest story telling Really? Let’s then question the presence of every available star, actor everywhere. Why should they take all the trouble? Let’s get some real people in at a much lower cost and kaam khatam.
But it’ll be declared a super hit and one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema within a week or 10 days Should you even be discussing this at all if the basis of your argument is movie merit??!!
Most of your arguments might find favor here, and for reasons seemingly justifiable to you. But why single out Paa at all? Why not any other movie? I am curious.
loading...
No, you arguments are all very well laid out. Let me see if I can respond.
May be I am bad at reading comprehension but doesn’t this write-up imply that if either Kaminey or Dev D won, every other point “against” Paa could be ignored?!
- All I meant was that a big gimmicky film with a big star in it will take over all the award functions and deny the more deserving films. Now, that may still happen without Paa, but Bachchan in a makeover is enough to generate hysteria of unprecedented levels to defy any logic.
Let’s then question the presence of every available star, actor everywhere. Why should they take all the trouble? Let’s get some real people in at a much lower cost and kaam khatam.
- I can understand a star getting a makeover to look much older or younger than himself. But, taking an aging star, making him look much older while he has to act like a child? Why? and Why Bachchan? Wouldn’t it be more natural to take a young teenage actor and do a make over on him. That’s all.
hould you even be discussing this at all if the basis of your argument is movie merit??!!
- I am simply narrating a sequence of events all the way from release of the film to different award functions until we stop talking about a film.
Hey, i would be as happy as anyone if we get a damn good film in the end. My biggest concern is ‘Prosthetics’ and ‘Bachchan’ will distract them and make them ignore everything else. And, they will try to make up for it by publicity and using their influence in the media to declare it a master piece..
loading...
You have a good point in why not having a child play the role with the prosthetic makeover into a progeria patient but would you be writing this article then? Would there be so much anticipation / publicity for the movie? Of course its a gimmick, but a needed one. How many good new wave movies come and go for a lack of audience. The other factor in taking AB for the role is the fact that he has the ability to pull it off and in addition to discovering how good the movie is, one is keen to find out how well AB can do it. You might be a bit rash in predicting that the Bacchhans are the biggest minuses of ‘Paa’.
I liked your post, but am disappointed you did not once factor in the abilities of the writer/director to make this a great film. One may have issues with the plot in Cheeni Kum, but Balki handled things pretty well there. Script / director / cast / music / promotion are what makes a film click in Bollywood – can Abhishek sink a movie if all the other ingredients are in place – I think not.
loading...
Some insignificant ones like ‘Best Sound’ ha ha ha!
If they ignore/had ignored the technical awards, would you have come up with “they dedicated/will dedicate an entire section to insignificant actors/actresses and ignored/will ignore the real people behind the scenes whom Bollywood never recognizes?”
loading...
Sorry, didn’t get the point.
loading...
perhapes santosh didnt get the sarcasm…
loading...
loading...
Singh saab… interesting observations…. but lets hope that the movie becomes a hit as well …. somewhere apart from people like us who keep tracking and following movies to either hits or flops, this movie seems to not be able to connect to a lot of general audience… it looks too elite for the average masala movie go-ers, too swanky and clean for the youth audience, too boring for people tired of Bachahans and the media’a panting over AB’s performance… too experimental for people who watch movies for time pass… unless this movie picks up like TZP, Munnabhai, it hasnt created the interest that even Being Cyrus created… in other words this movie may just get into the DVD watch mode…. lets see what happens…
loading...
On the contrary, i think the promo has generated lot of buzz and raised expectations and i am bracing for disappointment as i have been in the past so many times. PS, unless they make a really crappy film, the film would be a hit. All they have to do is be “better than the run of the mill”. The question is, would they really challenge themselves and make a really good film along the lines of, say, “Benjamin Button” or just be happy that they pulled off the makeover.
loading...
Aaahh… this exactly what i was waiting for. You put up all your apprehensions and cynicism for Paa, but you think ‘Benjamin Button’ was a good film! I think you have fallen in the same trap which you are trying to avoid (and indirectly suggesting us to avoid) during Paa… which I believe is a good thing you are trying to do. But I strongly disagree when you say Benjamin Button was a good film. It was UNUSUAL but not good! Benjamin Button is a plain ordinary fare with no novelty in the basic love story apart from the UNUSUAL fact that the protagonist looks younger as he ages. If you discount that unusual factor, tell me any novelty you find in the script. Leave apart novelty, the movie did not even evoke the kind of emotions that a tragic love story should have evoked.
Though I would really not like to believe it, I think you are one of those who thinks almost everything from Hollywood is great but a similar thing when made in Bollywood is mediocre.
P.S. — I know Paa is not Benjamin Button remake
loading...
Saying anything before the release is like shooting arrows in the dark. None of these things are going to happen except may be 2 or 3 genuine things that happen with most of the movies.
loading...
I think atleast half of your predictions will be true
loading...
Interesting article. I think your predictions may come true- especially since the director has chosen India’s favourite father-son duo. It is only logical to assume that that will be the movie’s biggest selling point, judging by the movies in the past where the two have come together. I sense a real animosity for Abhishek and I’m on board- he’s becoming so fake so fast that it makes my head spin. And it is infinitely painful to hear the family reading tributes for one another at award ceremonies. I am with you on the I’m-sure-this-will-make-me-want-to-shoot-myself-in-the-head feeling.
loading...
There is no animosity for Abhishek, i used to like him when he came along, very sincere and modest. Off late, there is this attitude on display that I am so good, without doing anything significant. May be it’s not him, it’s his image handlers who want him to project this “Oh so cool’ image, but they are certainly giving him wrong advice. It’s doesn’t look real.
loading...
you left out 3 idiots in the award section…3 idiots might dominate the awards this time!
loading...
Now here comes another `cynic`(pardon me) who has this allergic reaction to anything which has `bachchan` in it ! actually ur article/sarcastic rant is not about what u think will happen,but what u wish will happen to the film.
first,the points u stated above could be applied to any film which has an unusual character…..so dont tell us about how the directer will b `leaning` a bit too much on big b n all that blah blah……
second,kudos to u for doing the hard work of finding out movies of this grt actor where he has gone loud/over the top….interesting how the dozens where he dazzled everyone dipite of bad director n zero script never caught ur attention!
third,making digs at IIFA is a pity n tired attempt to scoff at `bachchans`…..not once has it happened that any of the family has been given an award,which hasnt been already won by them at the prior award functions…..then why this cribbing?? just cause big b is the brnd ambssdr?….i dont think u would squeek if any khan would have been doing that:-)….but bachhans…they r fair game!
fourth,thanks for letting us know that black wasnt an award worthy performance and he didnt deserve the accolades…..just makes ur above futile n pithy attempt to downsize his yet to b released paa a bit more digestable.im sure u would have clapped had it gone to srk for paheli or something…..
lastly,…n more important- honestly,i too dont know wats the fate of this movie,but i wont go gossiping n spreading `oh god i think its going to b a disaster` whispers just cause im one of those who r irritated by some peoples ability to come on tops disite the odds.
mr singh,dont lie to us that ud be `happy` if u turn out to b wrong…..thats such a weak attempt at face saving:-(….i hope this movie works……cause the hard work done by the actor in this movie is much more sincere n honest than ur couch prophecies…which u r `afraid` might come true !
loading...
I am sorry I missed one prediction. Hired agents will be deployed on all major mediums including PFC to crush any scents of criticism or attempts to write anything that’s not praising the film or the Bachchans. But sorry, your language and the hatred expressed in your comments gave you away?
Beyond that, there is no use in responding to any of your comments.
loading...
hired agent??hey mr. singh,u r such a sore loser.im a big movie buff,who likes to watch grt cinema,n unlike u,not indulge in pulling somebody down.infact,look whos talking !u r the one whos so perterbed by all the positive attention this movie is getting n chose to write such a biased n negetive piece.its like kettle calling the pot black!!……u couldnt even think of a decent reply??n this is wat u came up with??…..thanx for clearing any doubt about WHO actually IS the HIRED agent n of which camp !!…..or being this bitter n negetive comes to u naturally??
there is obviously no use of discussing anything with a person who is so biased n not ready to accept anybodys point of view….hope u ll see things in the right perspective once u start thinking streight…:-(
loading...
Sure I will try. You be happy being a self styled film buff. I shared my opinions about a film, since the Bachchans starss in it, most of the points are about them. But most of this could apply another big budget film starring another superstar. So chill, nothing personal from where I see it. Not sure about you.
loading...
LMAO – nothing personal when you threw in false comments about IIFA? I see you have not addressed my research on IIFA. You are now trying to sound objective when it is apparent from your postings that you have some ‘issues’ with the Bachchans.
My question once again is why attack a small movie (15 cr) and production house for trying something different? I’m more upset with the big budget crappy movies which are hyped to death and sometimes become hits which encourage them to produce more crap.
Personally I have more of a problem with the spate of glossy terrorism movies – Fanaa, New York, Kurbaan, etc. That is not a subject that should be trivialized with some insipid love story.
BTW, I did not find anything original about the much loved Kaminey and Dev D which seemed like wannabe edgy movies to me – talk about being filled with gimmicks.
loading...
What was the false comment i made about IIFA? I am making predictions, not stating facts from past. Your research is good, but did you watch the last IIFA? Did you notice how the entire award function was dominated by one family? Did you notice the special award created for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, star of the decade or whatever?
I picked Paa not because of Bachchans, because of the entire hoopla around the makeover. Once again, I am saying, may be they will get it right , may be the Bachchans will get it right where rest of the industry has screwed up in the past because the problem is not with them, it’s the way the industry operates and markets mediocre products.
Rest of the comments about AB Jr. and IIFA and all just flew from there. I have serious problems with AB Jr’s acting abilities. If you also believe that AB Jr. deserved an award for a crap like Dostana and the award deserved a 10 min monologue at IIFA, we will never agree on anything.
No, I am not trying to sound objective, I am not, i observe something, find it funny or satirical and write about it.
I agree with your point about glossy terrorism flicks and hated New York, Fanaa(that was the worst), and will probably hate Kurbaan for the same reasons.
Big budget crappy movies hyped to death, i agree and disagree. They never pretend to be making classics, but that’s no excuse for crappy dialogs and non-existent scripts. I have the same complaint there as well, when you have so much money and resources, and hiring special effects experts from Hollywood, why not spend some more money and time in script, dialogs and story, i am referring to CCTC, KI or Blue. Now, before I get blamed for being biased again AK, let me throw in Ghajini, SIK and OSO in there.
You an I have to disagree on Kaminey and Dev D. Not sure if they deserved the endless tributes and praising articles that we saw on PFC, but i enjoyed them both and found worth multiple viewings.
loading...
Abhishek has been atleast nominated..if not give one, time and again each and every year at IIFA….
Bunty aur babli
Dostana
Sarkar
Sarkar Raj
Yuva
Worst was his nomination and subsequent win in the comic role category
But what was ridiculous was the style icon award
I guess Amitabh’s fees would include cash and an award for abhishek for being the ambassador
loading...
singh saab, i enjoyed reading ur predictions, but no personal attacks please :-)
loading...
while i agree with you…. i still feel that abhishek bachcan getting a nomination for dostana at IIFA was not deserved…and also the way in which for the past few years…everytime Abhishek would come to give an award…u knew it was either his mother or his father getting it… plus everytime Amar singh came on stage … you knew that it was some bachchan or the other coming to receive it… raises several valid questions that even we bachchanbhakts cannot ignore….
instead of thinking that this is an anti-bachchan rant…why dont u read the heading of the article and try to understand that these are apprehensions about what things are going to happen…which i also agree are most possible…
loading...
hi sophocles,regarding ab jr getting award for dostana…..wat was so undeserving about it?i think in the comic catogory he indeed was the best choice of the ones nominated…..or just cause he is Bjr he has to grind himself to the boot to prove that he is his own man????…..n im glad u raised the qs of `some bachchan or the other` being on the stage when he gets award……do u turn ur nose at the `friends` of shahrukh khan (read Kjo,farah,etc etc) who do so much of chamchagiri everytime they grab a mike that u feel like puking…..their each n every sentence starts n ends with srk….or taking a cheap dig or joke at somebody whos in his `unfav` list !….thank god all this taking jibes n cheap humour was put to end by gowarikar(in whatever manner)……atleat bachchans do not resort to these lowgrade levels of self promotion……1 thing i completely agree with u on – there is no need for an amar singh in a filmfare function/cannes red carpet!…why he tags along everywhere with them??:-(…..btw,`one or the other bachchans` that u mentioned r actors of the calibre of jaya n ashwarya rai bachchan…..whose presence is abs justified…..its the same as bipasa appearing to give an award to john,or rekha to hrithik…..etc etc
loading...
Totally agree with u richa.
loading...
why not give the role to a 13yr old and make him look like an 80-yr old through prosthetics…why bachchan…isnt it a gimmick??
loading...
First we have people going ga-ga over Amitabh’s look (which I felt was over the top) and now this! What happened to simple things like waiting for a film to release before passing a verdict? Of course, either view has a 50% probability of being right.
Anyway, last time there was so much hype over Bachchan’s look, we got Babban in RGV ki Aag :-)
loading...
Again, it is a misconception that there was hype regarding AB’s look; the hype was regarding how RGV would direct AB as Gabbar. His looks were of minor interest.
loading...
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one. How many movies do you know of where there was a separate event (telecast live by most news channels too) to unveil the “look” of a character? RGV ki Aag had one – even before anything else on the movie was highlighted. If that is not hype, then what is?
loading...
Kya baat kar rahe ho yaar An Jo… looks start off as the part of hype always… just the way it started off in Paa as well, and then the hype is always about how the role is going to be pulled off… RGV ki AAG as Kic has put it, had a special ‘unveiling’ and then the name was unveiled… there were all kinds of talks about AB’s look being like Osama to an Intl Smuggler to a Snake and god knows what n all, but that was the most spoken things in entire Aag…. and the hype was indeed due to AB… to an extent that people did not even care who played “Jai” or if he even came remotely close to what was needed in the performance…. Babban was the sole selling point seen in AAG
loading...
Agree there was curiosity about AB’s look. But all SHOLAY aficionados knew that what mattered most, was not how AB would dress up, but how RGV would ably direct AB and make his mannerisms or delivery as menacing as that of Amjab Khan’s Gabbar.
What I am saying is, there might have been an ‘event’ to launch the look of AB, but that was just 20% of the overall hype. And ‘events’ nowadays are being planned even for the launch of VICCO VAJRADANTI’s toothpaste cap. The parent hype was the fact that this is an iconic film, with a capable director, a brilliant actor; and how would everything work out with the combination?
And it is a fact that apart from RGV, the main star-actor of the enterprise was Mr. Bachchan. Who else when compared to the presence of Mr. Bachchan? Ajay? Mohanlal (no offense but just talking about pan-Indian appeal)? xyz Kothari?
All I am trying to say is if RGV had managed to pull of SHOLAY and extract a menacing quotient from Mr. Bachchan, the ‘looks’ of Babban – however inefficient, would have been sidelined.
The main disappointment for the audience was the fact that RGV could not succeed in achieving even 10% of what he set out to achieve. And the failure is attributable to the overall plan and execution of the project; and Mr. AB’s look just happens to be a sub-set of this failure.
loading...
Isn’t that part of the problem? AB’s look, how RGV will get a performance out of AB ..that was what it was mostly about. Rather than the movie.
loading...
Thus spake the cynic, but did speak very well. I myself is sick n tired of all the melodrama around AB. In Black he went over the top many times and we got bored to the bits but my friends and even me went gaga over the film just because it was “in thing” to do that. And as u mentioned it will be the same for Paa.
loading...
last year someone had posted their apprehensions about ‘ghajini’ in a similar manner. and i shall put the same comment what i had written last time around: don’t jump the gun
.
wait for the movie, watch it; instead of giving wings to your cynical imagination
.
you are killing the movie even before it has released; and then people complain that reviews should not come out on the day a movie releases
loading...
Most of what was written about Ghajini came true.
loading...
Hmm, I’m waiting for more articles on apprehensions about 3 Idiots, Kurbaan, My Name is Khan, Rocket Singh, Veer, etc.
The Paa promos look way better than 3I so we should have more apprehensions for 3I which is a big movie (director, cast, budget, etc). Paa is some low budget movie (15 cr) that is barely promotely and you are getting your panties in a twist about it. That is some powerful Bachchan hatred.
loading...
Great Lee!!
May i suggest PFC to start two separate Heads named “Reviews” and “Apprhensions/Preview”. It would be a great concept to get a pre-release fell of different movies. Apart from giving a general mood of audience about films it will make an interesting read.
Btw,is someone going to do an apprhension of 3 Idiots.. tht wud be awesome
loading...
I picked Paa because this could represent what’s wrong with the way the industry works (in one man’s opinion of course). They pick a nice concept, hire a big star and start making a movie around it without spending the required effort in the story and writing. Now, this film may be different and defy the trend, but based on the past, I am not so sure. What can you say, I am a cynic!!
loading...
So in order to showcase the ills of the industry, you pick on a small budget project by a team that did quite well when they came together the last time around? How logical is that?
loading...
As it is said- Don’t judge a book by its cover…, please dont judge a movie by your apprehensions. May be what you think will come true to some context but still wait for the finl product. Dont make such statements before the films comes out, as in one of your post you discussed about early reviews of movies…I know this is not a review but still you are making a statement even before the movie has come out and that too only on base of your apprehensions…
loading...
I wish i could be as optimistic as you. So many times, we have seen the scenario repeat itself.
loading...
Addendum – All critics (reviewers) except Mr. KM will praise the movie. KM will call it “Paa-p” in his review.
loading...
loading...
ha ha ha…thats funny but u got it right. If KM reads this, he will have to think hard to find another good title for his review..
loading...
loading...
Dude, flush the negativity in your system. Trust me, it doesn’t help. You are not the producer of the film that, pre-release, you need to worry about whether the director has done justice to the “picture” he presented to you on paper.
Chill & wait for it to come out. If you like it, great. If not, so be it. Why the baggage?
loading...
If A.Singh was in a controlled monitored environment – it would be a part of the focus group to check the pre-release publicity of the film. There is this company in Bombay that does that, I love how they have built their system because it is pretty darn accurate almost to the tune of 1 out of 2, of their analysis prior to release over the fate of the movie come true. The opinion is one’s own. He isn’t passing a judgement nor is he getting negative personally with anything unlike much of the assholes in the comments sections that make us think, if PFC’s comments section is for frustrated needing immediate psychiatric help sickos who act like kings in the comments section but would wet their pants if asked to blog… well another topic that… this is a perfectly legitimate thought one would have shared amongst a group of friends that in this age is being shared to those who follow this author’s blog.
If any baggage exists, it is in the reader who brings it with him or her while watching the movie or reading the blog.
We have no shame in digging through others pockets (minds) but rarely have the courage or the sensibility to go through what trash exists in ours.
loading...
Oh please! Which formal focus group will make comments about the film undeservingly winning awards, ascribe motives of critics or anyone who likes the film and the disposition of the Congress party? Nothing wrong with the views on how the film or Bachchan’s performance may turn out to be but the other comments are below the belt and in poor taste.
loading...
It just confirms what I have always felt about this place – PFC is “Perception for Cinema”. Everyone and everything here is so fully loaded with opinions. I guess that’s the job of wannabe cinema critics…but how do you justify percpetions (and complete analysis being made over them about people and personalities who have done more for cinema than the collective population on PFC – you and me included) when they are formed even before the film releases??? No, it’s not passion. It’s not even perception. It’s Prejudice For Cinema.
And Oz, although I don’t know you but since you choose to bring out the difference between “Bloggers” and “Commenters” (if there’s a word like that), let me also tell you that “Making” cinema is also slightly more difficult than “Blogging” about cinema.
loading...
again, you passed a judgement by passing self importance to yourself in each line. “It just confirms” well to whom? or were you running a theorem “I always felt”, “I guess” Prejudice for Cinema – now that’s the ahole category of the particular commenter I’m talking about – which you have very conviniently twisted to make it a collective population label which it is not.
That’s insecurity baggage and not wanting to talk and debate the blog post, but rather shift your sorry ass weight around to prove it is “you” we should listen to and “you” haven’t got that attention yet.
Now you have. I’m listening.
You are wrong again in your last para and very narrow in your vision. but then you too are entitled to carry your own baggage. I think the it becomes an issue when you start dropping your baggage on strangers’ toes on the internet.
So if you have a view on this article, and are jumping commenter to commenter, why don’t you write a blog post on this and come with your own view?
loading...
I agree with you Oz- it is an opinion article- not a crystal ball prediction, and the blog I believe is intended to discuss opinions and not to merely state facts- whether before or after release the purpose is not to report but to discuss views, else there would be no point in having this or any other kind of blog. One could simply get the facts anywhere. Also the post seemed to have been written in good humour and based on previous experiences with similar movies- and though one may agree or disagree with the authors view as may be the case with any opinion, I’m surprised at the strangely exaggerated reactions in the comments.
loading...
Oz,
With due respect, I guess you could have used a milder language…
My comment is a bit late. Sorry for that.
loading...
At times its easy to rip-off…
loading...
Well for what I’m observing about the movie in terms of promotions,their calendar of activities,the music etc I feel it could still turn out to be a decent movie.While some of the apprehensions are valid Singh saab you did miss out on the vital element of the people behind the movie- Balki,P.C.Sreeram,Ilayaraja and of course the Bachchans.Wish you had something to take into account the others apart from the Bachchans too.
Cheeni Kum the previous film from the same team was refreshing and except for the last half an hour or so was certainly engaging enough.While the promos have certainly caught the attention I still believe the movie is not in the category of mass movies like a Love Aaj Kal,Ajab Prem Ki Ghzab Kahani etc.Regarding the reviews,awards,
box office performance etc, I’d prefer to wait and watch.
loading...
I agree that Balki is a reason to be optimistic. Cheeni Kum apart (which is one movie where I thought Amitabh played it perfectly, without going over the top), he is also behind the much acclaimed Idea Cellular ads.
loading...
Yes, i thought about. But then, it’s an ABCL production. Last time when an independent film maker made a film for a star’s home production we got Love Aaaj Kal. So, not sure how much control Balki has. This is a problem that Mr. Bachchan has even outside his home productions, the people making the film are so awed by him, they forget the basics and focus only on him. It’s not his fault though.
loading...
Well we also had Lagaan for that matter. Let us not generalise. I am not saying that your fears or apprehensions or whatever you may want to call them are unfounded; in fact, I share some of them. I am only questioning the degree & this broad sweeping or painting of critics, film awards etc (who are as yet unconnected with the project) by the same brush.
loading...
Adding another point… first AB will be praised all the way to the top, and in following months there will be a continuous debate about if this was a classic performance or how AB tried over the top to prove a point… ho hummmm only if things were left to be in their normal way and accepted than make too much out of it
loading...
Why are expecting another Black from Paa? Why not another Cheeni Kum? Bhansali isn’t directing Paa.
To each his own, but I am neither expecting a Black or a Cheeni Kum. I am expecting a Paa
loading...
The post has been written in a sarcastic way. Not even in a controlled environment this would have helped in anyway. Even before the polls there are pre-poll results indicating which party is going to win how many seats but that is not based on someone’s personal thinking and apprehension. This would have helped had it been written more seriously taking different aspects about the movie in account.
.
I have some general points:
What about the marketing and promotions of the movie. I’m not watching the TV so I’ve no idea?
The movie looks for the niche audience, so anyway this is not going to be the top grosser considering what happened to Balki’s previous good attempt Cheeni Kum.
It’ll not be hailed as masterpiece or something considering that it is not even an original idea.
It may get praise for Bachchan’s acting and may win some award but definitely not going to be classic or masterpiece.
loading...
Well think about if this whole post was an opinion told to you in a friends gathering. That’s the point. Who ever said this is a controlled environment the post and it’s subsequent analysis of the movie is being done in? It was an analogy, NOT a predicament, per my earlier comment your referred to.
How do you know every time your friends or family talk about opinions say EXACTLY as this is not in seriousness. You dug his pockets with a pre defined judgment in your mind about him and his opinion (again he isn’t judging).
Talk to the author and have a real invigorating debate rather than go behind the screens to pass negative marks.
loading...
@oz
I got your point that’s why in my second para, I’ve raised a few of my own thoughts. They may sound negative but that’s what I felt about the movie more or less.
loading...
Movie is being marketed well, don’t usually watch the national News channels, except for some sports news, but from whatever glimpses i had, there is enuf of Paa.
loading...
Thanks sirjee. I’m not following anything about the movie. Is it being promoted on AB’s blog as well?
loading...
Pata Nahin Yaar, i don’t usually read movie stars Blogs, most of them put me to sleep, the only exception is that of RGV’s. Even not much following about Paa, was checking News channels yesterday to catch glimpses of Rahul Dravid’s 100, but that’s another story.
loading...
Awesome post. I feel as cynical about the whole thing as you. In fact, this is the downside of bollywood spreading its wings all over the worls and movie budgets going through the roof. No one can simply take a risk! It has been happening in hollywood for decades. Bollywood is just starting down the path. The irony of the situation is that even a “different” subject is a selling point by itself and marketing becomes as important, if not more, as the film itself.
loading...
You got it man. They got the money and resources now but missing the basics in most cases. They do spend money on hiring make-up artists or special effects people from Hollywood but don’t focus enough on dialogs, script, story and stuff. Shouldn’t that be coming first? It boggles me every time.
loading...
One more observation – Big B will make it a point to pick up anyone who writes against this film in his own blog with awesomely crafted words and melodrama. And that includes you too, A.Singh.
loading...
And Aamir “I am a Perfectionist” Khan will write another in his blog, about how Paa could have been better.
loading...
I doubt. Apparently AB & AK have agreed to co-market each other’s films & his FB status says “Pucca Idiot will definitely watch Paa” or something to that effect.
loading...
“Pucca Idiot will definitely watch Paa”
loading...
loading...
Naa, i am too small for Big B to write about. Hired robots are enough for that who would scour through all the major websites like PFC and hurl personal abuses at any blogger who writes anything negative.
loading...
Well, if we by the virtue of anonymity have the right to defend slurs against our name, what is wrong in a celebrity using a medium to clear one’s name?
loading...
Man what did you have for lunch, electrons???? So much negativity!!
But I share your cause, Bollywood has been disappointing of late..
loading...
“Man what did you have for lunch, electrons???? So much negativity!!” – Haha! That has to be the funniest shit I have heard recently! :D
loading...
Yes, that is funny!!
loading...
paa seems to be a good preposition. may be a bit inspired from Benjamin…. seeing lots of clocks in he promo. But still, most of Indian films are straight rip offs. Paa can be better.
loading...
Actually its more taken from Francis Ford Copolla’s Jack, which incidentally has been rated as one of FFC’s worst movies.
loading...
Hahaha…superb post! I will be surprised if even a fraction of your predictions turn out to be false. Already promoting it as father-son-son-father story or something on those lines. Bachchan is seriously so over rated.
loading...
Sure dude- someone who has been working in the industry for 40 years and is still going strong and is willing to experiment is over rated?What do we hear next- that Kamal Haasan,Mohanlal etc are also over rated?
And whats wrong in promoting Paa as father-son-father?doesnt the story have something that supports this?
loading...
@ Sethu… yaar somewhere when the word being used is over rated, it is true that in India we do celebrate things way beyond glory for stars… Big B is over rated, this is not to say that he is not great but to state more of a deal like, he stands at 100% but we keep calling him as the 125% man… the way media treats him, and the other stars is beyond the levels of rating them in … its like the difference between saying arnold is STRONG, and Arnold can crush pebbles into dust between his 2 fingers…the 2nd option is the way media behaves lately, every performance being spoken way too highly paying too much of tributes… and its not just AB but it happens to every star…. its falls in the same league as what SRK had a few years back to his popularity “his hair is silky, hindi cinema watching base is much higher so SRK is a bigger star than Brad Pitt, and his dimples and shallowness in eyes makes him so vulenrable” and you feel like “BOSS we know he is popular and we totally understand he is a superstar but come on stop growing on it… a good puke can help you releiev of this overwhelming sweetness.”… for that matter a lot of Kamal Hassan movies have such segments where the hero is that “i am not into womanising” stuff while the vamps and the gangs are head over heels and will do anything to grab his attention, and all you feel is scowfing at those scenes…
Somewhere when a little ‘toooo much’ happens and then these stars also behave all serious about it, then you do feel that they are ‘over rated’ and this seriousness makes it even worse… thats why we possiby dont feel the same about Salman Khan and Rajinikanth, though they are raised over the top as well, they seem to brush it away everytime you see them as the person, while say and SRK will keep bantering about him being a brand and Aamir will keep talking in more or less a well thought way or AB behave like ‘nahi nahi I dont think I am an actor at all’ which makes you feel like he gloating inside… of course their rating is going to be much higher than the rest n the industry, but having said that, at their respective positions, they seem to be spoken about in another 20 paces ahead… my view…
loading...
PS, Agree 100% with you. Very well analyzed!
loading...
Ae lo… another example… just saw the promo of Dulha Mil Gaya … and SRK and the tagline “KING OF ROMANCE” and the usual SRK walk and looks…. arre yaar.. just leave it na… why jump jumping on the horse till it dies…. “KING/ROMANCE”"KING/ROMANCE”"KING/ROMANCE”"KING/ROMANCE”
loading...
PS- do you think SRK has anything to do with the tagline being used for Dulha Mil Gaya?The promo shows very clearly that they are trying to cash in on SRK’s presence and show it as a SRK movie while the truth is that its a Fardeen-Sushmita movie with SRK having an extended cameo.If at all people are to be blamed for the ‘overrating’ of stars it is we the public and the media and not the stars themselves.That said I belive our friend Vasuki wasnt being introspective in saying Big B is overrated, he seemed to be making a casual statement which didnt look all that good to me.
loading...
Who needs a cynic who knows the price of everything and value of nothing (Aamir requoted it in TZP)
…
One good point was why didnt he makers take a 11 year old and make him look old rather than the opposite. Maybe because the 11 year old would not be able to stand 4 hours of make up sitting still, and another 2 hours of taking it off. Also Mr Bachchan’s face would offer real contours of an old man, rather than put up additional make up for a 11 year old kid. Additionally Mr Bachchan had brand value.
loading...
Not sure about the first 5 points but loved the rest
A very true picture of how the so called critics and awards work.
loading...
Well..if someone is playing role of lifetime then he should be appreciated.Someone like Amitabh Bachchan who is more than 60 years old and playing a role of 11 years old..then he deserve more than an award.There were so many instances,where awards were given to some ordinary performances like National award for Saif Alikhan for HUM TUM.I think there are only 2 actors in Indian cinema who can play that kind of roles,one is Amitabh and another one is great Kamal Hassan.Well Shaheed kapoor,Abhay Deol better luck next time coz you are going to compete with one of the greatest actors of all time.
loading...
Well..if someone is playing role of lifetime then he should be appreciated.Someone like Amitabh Bachchan who is more than 60 years old and playing a role of 11 years old..then he deserve more than an award.There were so many instances,where awards were given to some ordinary performances like National award for Saif Alikhan for HUM TUM.I think there are only 2 actors in Indian cinema who can play that kind of roles,one is Amitabh and another one is great Kamal Hassan.Well Shaheed kapoor,Abhay Deol better luck next time coz you are going to compete with one of the greatest actors of all time.
loading...
“Someone like Amitabh Bachchan who is more than 60 years old and playing a role of 11 years old..then he deserve more than an award”
PROVIDED he plays it well & is better than all other roles in the category he is vying for. Or do you think those small details are unimportant?
loading...
definitely he will play it well..not coz he is Amitabh bachchan but, he is one most dedicated and committed actor in Indian film industry.
loading...
Well I hope so. I am a big fan. But then the same person gave us Babban as well. Amjad Khan must have turned in his grave. Even the great have their weak moments. Let us wait & watch & hope.
loading...
well…i think we saw Babban keeping Gabbar in mind..even when i saw Shahrukh Khan in ‘DON; i felt the same thing!!..but, as they say form is temporary class is permanent!!..and AB is a class act!!
loading...
I disagree. SRK in Don, I agree, paled due to Amitabh’s suave act in the original. But Babban was downright pathetic – comparison or no comparison. Black is another role where AB was irritatingly over the top. It is generally when actors play these “different” roles that one either gets a masterpiece or a caricature. The director gives me hope but I’ll hold my horses before calling it a definite great performance or award worthy.
I brought Babban up just to highlight that just because someone highly talented is trying something new or different does not mean that it is a sure shot winner. It can easily go the other way as well.
loading...
Yup. I have the same apprehensions. Bollywood can’t pull off a Benjamin Button. Period. And I mostly agree with oz. He seems to be the saner one around here.
loading...
At least do some research before posting.. Benjamin Button is a fantasy about reverse aging whereas Paa is @ progeria… IT has similarities with JACK not Benjamin Button.
loading...
I love rants. They make my day. Thanks for a nice rant.
loading...
Based on your comment about IIFA, I looked up the acting awards in the last ten years since Amitabh has been the brand ambassador and saw that Abhishek has won only three acting awards – Best Supporting Actor for Yuva and Sarkar and Best Comic Performance for Dostana. Where are the other undeserved awards you mentioned?
Amitabh has won two awards in that time frame – Best Actor for Black and Best Supporting Actor for Mohabbatein.
SRK and Hrithik have won the most awards at IIFA not the Bachchans.
I guess perception is reality for you since there is no factual eveidence to support your claim of IIFA bias.
Very interesting.
loading...
well said lee,i hope all the rumour mongers who have been crying IIFA IIFA werent hoping of the facts being stated so partcularly that soon……..wat does they have to say now??……..like somebody sane here said…..no flinching when saif khan gets NA for hum tum(!!!!!!!!!!!!)….but big b for black…….ouch!
loading...
Not sure which world you live in. “no flinching when saif khan gets NA for hum tum”
Are you sure? There was so much hue and cry and he was ridiculed for it.
I don’t understand this need to put some stars or star families on a pedestal and treat them like Gods and any negative comment about them is an attack on God.
loading...
i live in the same world as urs,though san biased criticism n selective reference of wat is a`disaster` n wat is not.i or others who r pointing at the insincere n highly biased piece of urs r not putting star families on a pedestal…..but when people like u,who cause of some reason find certain pity pleasure in pulling down those who r successful n at the same time WORTHY of it,want to put some of ur uncalled for frustrations forward…..we have to speak up. thats a good one – i with zero knowledge of wats a pudding is going to taste like,not only wont eat it myself….but also hold a placard yelling at everybody that hey dont eat it….im `afraid` the chef `might` have `screwed` it up……after all its looking too yummy,its main ingrdnt is too high quality,and the icing is too intricate….they `have` to go wrong somewhere !!…..n even if it comes on tops after tasting….im sure u all r for some reason biased fools who will like it n give it the prize!….n yes now that u r badgered in the forum about the other disasters,u cough up(grudgingly though) names of `gems` like KI n OSO.
i dont think AB is god,the flimsy excuse u r putting up in ur reply to everyone who has pointed out ur biased `predictions`….he is simply a superb superb actor whose film im going to watch.may b it will b grt,may b not….may b it will b a disaster(n ur small day will b made)….but i will always say wat it is after iv seen it….that would b fair.this is sick.
loading...
valid point lee….
I believe that Abhishek actually deserved all the three IIFA’s he got.
Dostana was salvaged because of his performance. I dont think the other nominees were as good as him either.
loading...
Off late it is highly fashionable to critize anything to do with Bacchans or the khans or any other big star. It is as if all these guys have achieved everything without any iota of talent or hard work and all the intellectual masturbators who write on this site are treated badly by fate life and luck.And it is not limited to film stars. Internet has given power to every TDH to critise achievers in all fields and walks of life.
loading...
Yep ur right, journalists, reporters, columnists, bloggers are all losers, so lets ban the Media itself.
Let’s ban Media, Blogs, Newspapers, anything “critical of achievers”, and then we can have universal peace n brotherhood all around. Peace be out.
loading...
Nope RS, all these succesful people should listen to the IMs that abound these days and retire and call it a day and leave the field for Shahid Kapurs and Abhay Deols. That will bring comprehensive universal peace and brotherhood.
loading...
There is truth in what you say. It works for and against both sides. While the Net provides power to the people to start blogs, express freely, the flip side is it is misused by people too. The lines blur many a time. Hence very clear guidelines have to be laid out for any site. For PFC as a blogger you can write anything as long as it is legal. For commenting it is sticking to the blog post – as it is a follow to the original initiative to the blog author.
But reading your comment, there is one confusion. Are you debating the blog post content, the stars as a fan or the issue being raised by a couple of commenters that such a post before the release of a film should not be allowed?
Pinpoint your problem. Put forth a constructive viewpoint and engage in debate. Right now it is all going round and round in cycles with prior beliefs, erupting emotions and views conflicting with each other, entangling and the comment losing it’s punch of transparency.
loading...
Ok,my problem here is as follows:
Reading the post i get an impression that the author is heavily heavily biased against the Bacchans for some reason. It is as if AB has done a mistake by doing this movie. Some one here says that since Balki has made the movie he has some hope. Let me ask that person…what significant Balki has achieved in his life when you compare that with the achievements of AB. Made a semi decent movie??? Again the writers opinion i cant debate the same, but if you are willing to give some one like Balki a chance then why not to AB? What was the need for involving his family in the post when it was about enforcing the point that ABs performance is going to be crap?? blah blah
This post just does not come across as frank critcism of a cine lover to me. It seems more of a frustrated grunt which lacks any sense.
loading...
That helps immensely to understand you. So basically it is an issue that you think the post is critical of the Bachchans and the way and manner in which the blog author has blogged, which you do not feel right about. The question I have for you is, is this because it is the Bachchans? Would it be ok to you if it were anyone else? Cause there are quite a few posts that have expressed via the freedom they have to offer in a similar manner and style critical views on others around.
loading...
Yes u r right. I feel the same way when some one talks abt any achiever in a rubbish way. It is just that today i felt like expressing it. People here go gaga claiming that SRK is crap since he just does Rahul kind of roles. My argument is how many people in this world are there who would pull of a Rahul?? I guess none except SRK. Many actors have tried and failed. If SRK is doing the same thing for past 10 years and being succesful in that, there has to be something good about him. First acknowledge that, then BLOODY critise him. The general trend is that you do just the second thing and conviniently forget the first part. So that makes it a incomplete analysis.
loading...
Yes you are right. Anyone who critises something even before seeing the end result is a jerk in my opinion. This is what i said earlier, i have been noticing this for a long time here, just that today i felt like expressing it.For me Suparn is a succesful person. He has made 2 main stream movies in bollywood. How many of us (who visit this site regulalry) can claim to do that. So even if i have to critise him, it should be for what he has delivered, not because he happens to be in the public eye doing what he knows or likes to do.
All i am saying is that show some respect, then criticism becomes constructive.
loading...
AB or anyother person in his respective field is just doing what he does for his love or living. You cant critise them for doing that is the only thing they know perhaps or have spent most of their life doing just because you dont like it. You can critise the results not the efforts. Just because he wears some strange make up in this movie does not mean that he is planning for getting awards over the next year. It is just a role that he has done when Shahid Kapur and Abhay deol did their roles in some above average movies.
And yes…i do agree with the author…Big B was a pain in the initial parts of Black.
loading...
That’s true. I’m a big AB fan and I’m pretty sure there are many much bigger fans of him than I am.
Do you think you are looking into this much more than what the article is?
Talking about critiquing the efforts, I agree, but not as long as the view is based on the matter as in the post and not declaring it a “flop” before hand.
If you and others are so passionate about protecting the efforts prior to the release of the film… then I think Suparn Varma has got the roughest deal from all you and us internet movie bloggers and commenters.
For weeks before the release of Acid Factory, each commenter, discussion board writer and blogger had declared and run the film down saying it is copy of UNKNOWN. Now that was a more direct attack to say ‘don’t see the movie’ which the blog post DOES NOT.
If you have an issue with the actions here you should too have had it there, irrespective whether the Acid Factory ultimately turned out to be a copy of Unknown, which could have been reveled AFTER the release, as per your observations…
Let me know if you can see a bit of my view on this.
loading...
Not sure what your point is. Who is saying that these guys have no talent or haven’t done good work? I have been a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan, but haven’t liked his work in some of the films off late. What’s wrong with that? Do i have to write about and praise all his earlier work and praise him and prove that I am a fan before i can criticize him for anything I don’t like? KM was attacked because he didn’t like Bachchan’s acting in Bhootnath and expressed his disappointment in an actor par excellence, whom he once idolized. I just don’t understand what’s wrong in that? Should any negative writing be banned if it involved the Bachchans or Khans or any successful people.
Plus, you should differentiate between commercial media and their use of these big names in a positive or negative manner to earn TRPs. I am a small time blogger, with no self interest in the stars or the industry, other than that of a fan. If i feel like sharing an opinion, I’ll blog about it, some people will like it, some won’t. Those who don’t like it, will not read my next post and slowly my blog will die, so what? who cares?
Yes, I am against any personal attacks on any stars or star families. But when some of the stars and star families parade their half baked products so shamelessly on the screens, use their families and friends for the promotion, it does invite satire and sarcasm, doesn’t it?
loading...
@A singh –
Correction: KM was not attacked because he hated AB’s acting in BHOOTHNATH. It was his choice of words. He had the gall to ask AB to enrol in an acting class. When Dilip saab came out of hibernation and acted in some dumb movie (maybe QILA) which was promoted as his come-back vehicle, did Khalid Saab vent fury and use language like asking Dilip Saab to continue retirment or stay at home? He didn’t have the gall to do that. He picked on AB for BHOOTHNATH since AB was still in the public’s eye and could be tossed around.
loading...
No He did that because AB refused a film of his. KM did that to John Abraham too. KM took advantage of the fact that he had a forum. Pretty similar to SRK making fun of Vidhu Vinod Chopra, because VVC didnt wait for SRK to return to Munnabhai and signed Sanjay Dutt instead. Spiteful acts
loading...
I am not sure about the KM and AB story .. as far as I know for Fiza SRK had shot a guest appearance in a song (in the audio cassettes the song would be “gaya gaya dil”) and AB had shot an entire sequence talking about the unity of the country, which were later taken off due to the length of the movie (thankfully… the movie was already too long and too indulgent, if these 2 were there as an extra additions I might have chewed my fingers out) but this inspite KM being the editor of a magazine in 90s which carried a cover of AB with a question like “FINISHED?” or something like that… guess they are all professional friends, they do what is needed for their profession and the other one understands (reportedly Raj Thakeray and Salman Khan are friends, and RT recently dismissed Salman for his campaign for Priya Dutt, only we … the other side of the media believe things are wrong between them…hilariously its also believed that RT and Abu Azmi are business partners)… similarly VVC and SRK stories I am not sure about… it was reported that SRK did ask VVC to carry on with MMBBS, his name is shown up in the credits as a special thanks, and Anupama Chopra (VVC’s wife) has written a whole biography on SRK… the only spate I know of is when Eklavya got selected over I think Paheli, when there was an issue, but then again it was pretty big lobby against Eklavya, SRK being the ‘biggest brand’ was the easily noticed one…. hum readers/viewers only get the news till its tiltating…. baaki ka koi humei kuch nahi batata… even if somebody ever got a chance to read the whole blog where Aamir called SRK a dog… it was indeed looking like one harmless fun in and intelligent talk way, but guess what media made out of it….
loading...
when i advent reading the blog wtf cynincal thougth but when i went on through the post i found it really a intresting post to read…specially the observation about abhishek and discription of IIFA were excellent read
loading...
Wow…Wow.. Bravo!! Something found good and interesting to read. If we look with step back this could turn out to be a movie script something call “How to Plan Rewards to already decided Awards”…
Cheers,
Rajan
loading...
“How to Plan Rewards to already decided Awards”…that’s a funny one. The awards make me sick, all of them not just IIFA.
loading...
what a waste of space … you basically dissed a movie without even watching it, and justified it based on subjective dislike of various things that are related to the industry – the actors, awards etc.
who cares what happens at the awards, and what an individual do at such an event – let it release, watch it and then do your deconstruction.
for those who liked this piece as interesting and hilarious – let’s not encourage such idiotic and sub-par writings going forward.
KM
loading...
The one line I have an issue with in your comment ‘who cares what happens at the awards’
humbly disagree. This is an armchair statement and as much as possible should be avoided if one supports anything including cinema. We have to care what happens. We have to care that deserving films and deserving professionals get their due. What the author has mentioned rings so true in our award ceremonies of today. I’m still pissed when a few years ago Main Meri Patni aur Woh did not get a single mention in any awards… it wasn’t even nominated. And that was a pathetic attempt or non attempt to support good cinema.
loading...
oz – let’s not forget that the popular awards are really catering to the lowest common denominator – they arent celebrating the excellence in cinema, rather glorifying the averages.
i see your point of view, and can relate to it as it took time and a few “upsets” at the awards that basically turned me into a not-caring-for-awards.
i personally think that the only way i can show appreciation and/or care about a well made film is to buy the ticket, and have a good time.
loading...
Well said KM!
loading...
Well KM. i care and have an opinion and I shared it. You don’t care about awards and what they do at it, that’s your prerogative. I didn’t trash the movie, i expressed my apprehensions about how it’ll go. As for idiotic and sub-par, yes you have the right to say that about the writing. Next time, i will try to meet your standards.
loading...
Interesting read
loading...
I agree with most of what you say, but, Picture ko aane toh de mere dost!
loading...
Not sure, which part of your comment should I react to, the personal attack or the sincere one to wait until the film gets released.
jealous of the Bachchans. On top of it you are biased and have a hidden agenda.
- Don’t you think that’s too much for a complete outsider and nobody. You are giving me too much importance.
loading...
Dude, I am just taking a leaf of ur own post and giving it back at u in jest. Actually loved ur post!
loading...
wow, you are raelly mean arent you. i mean i agree with you for the first few points, but after that it just seems like a Bachchan family bashing for no reason. Do you know that it is because of people like you, who decide the fate of a film even before watching it just because of the people or ’stars’ who are in it or make it, that our films are shit most of the time—because only shit makes money doesnt it?
Oh, and i see what you did there….even if everyone else in the world thinks and says its a good film you will still be right with your ‘i told you so’ isn’t it.
seriously dude.
loading...
No… have a debate not a wild argument. You’ve already started slapping him with labels “because of people like you… films are shit”…
Can you tell this sentence in person to anyone who may have a similar point of view?
If the quality of films was decided by “such and such people” then my generation are the worst evil in mankind because I don’t think Hindi cinema could get any worse than in the eighties.
Seriously emotional attacks will be removed from the comments. You are emotionally charged about something, you have the freedom to blog. As a commenter debate the issue put forth your view across as transparently as possible.
None of it is visible in this comment of yours. It’s like the riots, no one knows why they even have to do it, but the emotional charge of an entire crowd flattens half the town.
What exactly is your issue? That he mentioned something against the Bachchan family that you do not agree to? If so then the real issue is that of a fan protecting his idol? If that’s so let the author know. Don’t take lick and stick labels route.
loading...
what are you even talking about man?
are you seriously telling me that 75% of his ‘apprehensions’ dont seem to target the Bachchans for no reason. i am not defending them, but i think it is right to target them. they are working professionals like anyone else here, why diss on them before even watching what they have done?
yes, some of the points in the post are right, but those are the objective ones, the first few, but even those hold true for ANY film, big bugdet or not, then why talk about this one in particular.
and to answer your question i would surely say it to that person in person but this is the virtual world so it has to be this way.
loading...
I see a lot of defensiveness here in this comment of yours. What exactly is the issue and it seems you’ve wavered from what you had begun with. You seem to be emotionally charged and that is kind of making it less clear to see what exactly are the points you would like to debate on. It seems you want to punch people around and make everyone listen to you. If that’s the case this may not be the right platform for you. Raise a emotional point via a blog, you have the freedom to do that here, if you wanna debate a blog do it so without the intention of trying to convert anyone to your point of view. It is enough to make people see clearly what your view is. The problem is I still can’t see in all the anger and silliness of your words what exactly is it you want to say? Is it that this blog is biased against the Bachchans? Is it a fan protecting the idol? Is it that Mama hasn’t washed your kachchas this morning? (ok the last one was a slider forgive me)…
loading...
No. 90% of the post talks about how in Hindi film industry, if the concept is hatke, and a big name is attached to it, it becomes a masterpiece from the beginning, and the actual focus is shifted on the bigwig instead of the other aspects, such as story, entertainment etc. Also how terrific ideas on paper do not get translated to even 50% of its potential in lot of the cases.
loading...
Tejas,
Thank you for getting it! Exactly my point!!
loading...
Well, the film stars Bachchans, is produced by them and is being promoted by them, who should I write about then Khans? You can say, why pick this film, why not any other film. I can understand that.
loading...
Singh saab itne cynical kyu bhai? Its like suhaag raat abhi hui nahi aur aap chale bachcho ke naam rakhne ;)
loading...
Kya karen, you are either cynical or you are not. Funny comment though!
loading...
“Its like suhaag raat abhi hui nahi aur aap chale bachcho ke naam rakhne ;)” – That’s not cynicism mere dost! That’s optimism.
loading...
Oh, and for all the rants about big budget bollwyood films being crap…i think in a recent interview Abhishek said Paa is actually a very small budget (for a AB film) film. He said 6 crores i think, and even though he might be exxagerating a bit, he cant be completely lying thorugh his nose. So relax and watch the film first.
And yes bollywood has be disspaointing lately but no film industry in the world makes more than half a dozen good films a year. We have already had Luck By Chance and Kaminey and there are hopes for a few more….so again, wait, watch, and think twice before critisizing with no end.
loading...
Perhaps you need to relax first, take deep breaths and listen. You are making no sense here. Read the earlier reply I’ve left for you.
loading...
can you read ‘English’?
loading...
ok so this is a No Go situation.
welcome to the blacklist.loading...
Bo’oz … even I believe I have seen much worse posts on PFC, from general visitors to regular authors, even I hope Ayush is not black listed, and the other comments not agreeing with the black listing NOT get unpublished!
loading...
hey thanks oz
… I didnt know if that meant the BL at PFC or just a personal BL .. totally commendable that you chose to draw a line over the statement than erase the comment! 
loading...
Why blame film awards for glorifying the average movies and performances ?? The same thing happens here on PFC where average movies like devD, gulal and (over-rated) Kaminey are glorified with 4 and 5 star reviews, just because people who made it are A kashyap and vishal.
loading...
Yes, that’s a accurate observation. But half accurate. You fail to mention that these films have also been criticized far more on PFC in terms of volume. Your not liking a movie AFTER seeing it, can’t control the platform of presenting the movie and blogging about it, before its release and more importantly BEFORE you have seen it. Notice the direction has turned to ‘YOU’ and what should and shouldn’t be here because of your opinions. That’s certainly not the path even you would like to go on.
Your assessment and beliefs are yours but are they based on the entire plate or only the portions you see? This has also been the place for for atleast 50 odd movies that were rarely mentioned in mainstream media but found a platform here and many of them turned out to be real gems. You’ve got to read more (about these in PFC archives) and see that angle too.
loading...
I really appreciate oz’s effort to start some serious discussion. Lately, it has become eminent on PFC that either people criticize the blogger or put forth a comment of their own not really related to the post. Situations weren’t like this a couple of years ago when this was a read-only blog for me. Guess, these are the side effects of popularity. Popular things often tend to be mediocre.
loading...
Just one point – I guess no one has the right to question anyone, let alone Big B or Balki, regarding the kind of jobs(read roles in case of Big B) others should be taking up. If you think taking up the role of 12 year old by BIg B and offering the role of 12 year old to Big B is a gimmick, then you have every right to think so. But Big B also has the right to choose his own roles, irrespective of the impression it might have on others.
On similar lines, people have questioned your(author’s) selection of topic and you and some of your suppporters have taken umbrage. Well, in my opinion the commentators have given you the treatment of your medicine. Perhaps, according to most of the commentators out here, your selection of Paa is a gimmick. People can argue in similar terms as stated by you “Why is it that you have chosen to write on a movie which has superstars”. Perhaps, people out here are questioning if it a gimmick or a serious honest blogging.
Am not sure if the movie will focus only on Bachchans or not, but this blog and its comments sections focuses entirely on the Bachchan Parivar.
loading...
loading...
Good arguments and I have no problem receiving my own medicines. Calling people like Oz, who are trying to force a reason based debate is flattering to me but insulting to them. I am a nobody and have no supporters. These people are admins of PFC who are trying guide the discussion and enforce some discipline. I’ll also receive a slap on the wrist from them if i cross the line as well.
As i said earlier, you can question the selection of my topic or the film, but once that is done, most of the points will be about the people who star in it or are the makers.
loading...
I think an apt title of the post would have been “My cynicism about PAA”. Wat say Mr. Singh?
loading...
Yes, it could have been.
loading...
Great post. 99% of what you have said will be right on the money. I laughed till I cried.
If an over the top Big B, in SLB’s “Black” can be deemed great acting, than God save us from the atrocity in the making called PAA. I think the Bachchalans are about to make a mockery of film making, unfortunately for the critics it will be the “Emperor Has No Clothes” all over again. I commend your courage to dare to speak your point of view with passion. I pray that those that respond to your post allow you the right to speak your mind.
I don’t understand why Big B is hell bent on eroding the last remnants of his Indira Gandhi gifted legacy. Perhaps Big B is trying to show that he can top RGV’s Aag. I urge all Bachchanistas to save the big bad Bachchan from self destruction.
loading...
thank you shaan khan for the fatherly advice to all`bachchanistas`(???)….eroding `indira gandhi gifted legecy`?wow!! AB must b the most inefficient guy ever in this world…..he is `hell bend` on eroding the `last remnants` of the `legacy`….n somehow since last 40 yrs it continues to just grow n grow n grow(INSPITE of rgvs aag)….ch ch…i hope ur voice reaches to amitabh bachchan n he doent make a mockery of himself…after all wat does he know about films n film making?… u on the other hand is the one with all the wisdom to knwo how AB is going to self destruct himself !!. i tell u – i agree with 1% of ur post…i laughed till i cried ! :-))))
loading...
Richa
Welcome. I am glad you agree (?).
But did you say that Big B continues to grow and grow ? Perhaps you are reading the chart upside down. Please flip the chart and look at it again. It appears (from where I stand) that he continues to hit a new low with every new release. Enlightened me about the need for Big B’s association with Boom / Hum Kaun Hai/ Nishubd / Chedi Kum / Alladin ? Did he do himself any favor by carrying on when he should have quit when his first inning ended ? The great Aussie batsman, Don Junglee Billa Khan Bradman, when asked why he was retiring said, “it is better to retire when people ask why, then to linger on like a lame dilapidated horse and have people ask why ” (ofcourse I paraphrase).
Yes if he knew anything about movie making he would have not allowed his son, Lil C, to associate with Daarouna (was it Drona) ? That was one bad movie.
What bothers me the most about PAA is that he belittle the victims of this dreadful disease by making a mockery of it. For him to claim that he has done tons of research is an insult to our collective intelligence. For the love of humanity please put aside your “hero worship” and call a spade, a spade.
loading...
“What bothers me the most about PAA is that he belittle the victims of this dreadful disease by making a mockery of it.”
Can you eloborate more on this? And more importantly, have u seen the movie already?
loading...
How exactly did he make a mockery of any disease? And wouldnt it be better if you speak for your own intelligence rather than make claims on behalf of the ‘collective’?
loading...
Guys (Amit/kic)
I believe in being myself. I believe in speaking my mind. When I feel like employing prose, I will use it; When I feel like poetry, I will use that too. There is nothing that compels me to speak in the format that you demand. Hence if your do not like HBO, then switch to Showtime and if you do not like Showtime then switch to a different channel. It is very simple. For example, I liked this post. I think it is on the money. I particularly liked the manner in which the author has used humor to engage us. Therefore I responded to this post. You too will have to agree that the author has succeeded.
loading...
LOL ..someone’s touchy, isn’t he? And missing the point. Did I say anything about your style of writing? I merely questioned the basis of your assertion that he (whoever you meant) has belittled patients by making a mockery of their disease. Do you think that is an unfair question? Or difficult to answer perhaps?
Yes, it is a free world & you are free to write what you like. Similarly, others are free to either ignore (as you suggest) or take you up on what you say. I just exercised my choice. You have a choice as well – respond to the question or build a strawman like you just tried to do.
loading...
I thought I bought you a ticket and put you on a bus, but it seems you are still lost. Let me make an attempt again. You requested/demand in a prior response that I speak just for myself. I responded by saying that it is for me to make that choice. End of story.
BTW this post is about …. (i.e. not me).
loading...
Ah, so that is what is bugging you! Well, you made a statement on behalf of all. I just dissociated myself from this so called ‘collective’.
loading...
Guys, this is heading to a juvenile discussion. You said I said, trying to beat the other down. Just express your view without putting the other down
loading...
Oz, I agree. I’ll stop right here & continue the debate on Progeria elsewhere.
loading...
again, you don’t need to be cheeky in your parting shot. why? does it make you happy that you have the last laugh at the expense of others? Comeon!
loading...
Oz, how was I being cheeky? I agree to stop this train of discussion because it is largely wordplay & not going anywhere.
However, Shaan also claimed that AB has made a mockery of Progeria – surely that is relevant to the discussion on Paa. I just said that I intend to continue that discussion (actually it is elsewhere on this post itself). What am I missing?
loading...
oh god, shaan negetive frustration khan(sorry….i think this faltu destortion of somebodys achha bhala name is infectious).in his 40 yrs of career,if u r able to scratch out some of his failures then wats the big deal???WHO has in bollywood or hollywood havnt given duds??infact,for all the whining u n mr singh has been doing that his fans consider him as `god` n `hero worship` him….its u guys who r not able to stomach his failures and r gloating at his occasional blunders.we, on the other hand r tired of explaining that chill out…evrytm he is not going to give u sholey/deewar/zanzeer/black….ironic isnt it! n the way u r hitting out at `lil c`…..just goes to show that u share the same allergies that with mr a singh……anything to do with the bachchans n here come out the predictors/fortune tellers/wise grand pa advisers come out of their whatever existence telling everybody how amitabh bachchan should b saved from self destruction!
as someone wisely pointed out,bfore even uv watched the movie,u know that PAA has `belittled` the victims of this `dreadful`(i can safely guess u dont have a clue of wat actually its called) disease!i think someone is making a mockery alright…..of himself!hey,pls dont think im insulting u or making prsnl attacks…..im just calling spade a spade…..for the love of humanity!:-)
loading...
Richa:
Please allow me to clarify, amongst the so called “super stars”, Big B has the highest flop ratio. This is simply a fact, hence look at the records, today even an Emraan Hussain movie opens better against a Big B movie. Yet you want to hold on to something (viz “Sholay”) that happened in 1975, as if that makes a difference to the prices of eggs in Belgium. BTW, even in Sholay, Dharmendra was the hero; Sanjeev Kumar was the center of gravity; Amjad Khan was the USP while Big B was just a prop like Jagdeep, Asrani and A K Hangal. Sure I am exaggerating a little to make a point, but hopefully you get it.
Moving along, to all those that “want to know” how Paa/Big B belittles the disease, I ask, “Will my answer matter ?” “Can you handy the truth ?” “Do you know the symptoms of the diseases ?” Please understand that you cannot really demand respect when you cannot figure out this one for yourself.
Perhaps it is time you stop hurling wild accusations and focus on the topic, and the facts. You and I do not matter, this post, yours and my response (everyone’s response) is the only thing that matters. You “belittle” yourself by making it about me.
loading...
“Moving along, to all those that “want to know” how Paa/Big B belittles the disease, I ask, “Will my answer matter ?” “Can you handy the truth ?” “Do you know the symptoms of the diseases ?” ”
Now, this is what I call a cop out.
loading...
If you call that a cop out then that speaks about you. Progeria and its symptoms can easily be goggled or binged. What do you need me for ? Can you not connect the dots yourself? It appears that you want to be spoon fed. I am sorry but I won’t change your diapers just because you wet it. I urge you to do some leg work yourself and find for yourself how Big B’s claims of “tons of research” is just a stupid lie. Perhaps one should just accept that when Big B’s lips move, he is merely lying, but most of us here have some standards. Even a sixth grade school kids would be able to tell you that Big B’s getup does not reflect progeria.
I am very sadden by the fact that today Big B just hides behind a getup (rather than act).
loading...
Ok. Since you wont back up your claims, let me try.
This is from wiki: “The earliest symptoms include failure to thrive and a localized scleroderma-like skin condition. As the child ages past infancy, additional conditions become apparent. Limited growth, alopecia, and a distinctive appearance (small face and jaw, pinched nose) are all characteristic of progeria. People diagnosed with this disease usually have small, fragile bodies, like those of elderly people. Later, the condition causes wrinkled skin, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular problems.”
Now, pray tell me, how did you figure out that Bachchan has not done justice to the character – let alone made a mockery of the disease – based on a 60-90 second trailer?
I am not holding my breath.
loading...
omg!why didnt u mention that ` even in Sholay, Dharmendra was the hero; Sanjeev Kumar was the center of gravity; Amjad Khan was the USP while Big B was just a prop like Jagdeep, Asrani and A K Hangal` before???…..that would have saved me from attempting to have a sane discussion with a wat- i-thought a sane person !!…..really after reading the above all my doubts have dissolved…..further,how pathetically u tried to dodge the wat u know bout the disease qs also makes me wonder why the heck i was responding to somebody who is venting out his god knows wat frustrations n inf complexes.u need a reality check shaan …..n yes, i did belittle myself….by having a discussion with u.have a happy time ranting n raving bout bachchans or anybody else u take a fancy on….but u know ur poor rants dont belittle anybody else….but urself.
loading...
kic / Richa
Sheikh Pyare, a good friend, and an aspiring Bollywood writer/director once told me that “Even the devil can quote the Bible to suit his purpose”. Now I cannot guarantee that the statement is original, but I have found that to be very true. You as a matter of fact have the distinction of providing the (n+1) validation of that statement.
Don’t you think that you damage your credibility by carefully leaving out information on Perjoria that does not suit your purpose ? Tell me, is what you stated, all that you found on this heart wrenching disease that Big B has so mercilessly mocked ? Is there not much more that you are hiding ? Please be intellectually honest. You are indulging in the same dishonesty as Big B. You too are risk mocking this unpleasant disease with your selectiveness.
A ruler of a desert kingdom, the last of the Mohicans, advised never to battle/debate if one’s ego comes into play. He warned that unless an issue is based on worthy principles, it is not worth fighting about. I think you are taking all this too personally. You are attacking me, displaying too much hostility for your own good, while being intellectually dishonest simultaneously. Hence please let it go. It is not worth it. Don’t compound Big B’s errors by doing the same. Big B once was a race horse, a winner; Today he is a lame dilapidated horse struggling to cross the finish line. He cannot impress, hence he needs props to hide behind. It is really a shame, he could have been today’s Ashok Kumar but instead he opted to go the Dev Anand route. The once law abiding Vijay of Salim-Javed’s “Zanjeer” has become the child molester Vijay of RGV’s “Nirodh”. It is sad. He was once an icon, today he is bent on turning himself into a joke. At the very least he should not go around town and claim that he has done tons of research for PAA. When you do stupid things, you hide your face in shame, not beat your chest with valor. May God give him wisdom to realize that his time is now gone, and that his desperation to hold on to Lady Fame and Ms. Glamor is now showing. He should just hang his gloves and be at peace.
I wish peace to all.
loading...
I’m glad I did not hold my breath. Coz once again you talk about random things without anything to back your claims that AB has lied, not done research and made a mockery of the disease. Your call ..suit yourself.
Here is the wiki link on Progeria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progeria
I have posted the entire paragraph on symptoms – not left out a single word. You have not pointed out a single thing in there that appears to have been ignored – because there is nothing. Now, if you could add to the wiki list and my knowledge by outlining the other symptoms that you seem to know of, it would help in backing your claims.
Awaiting a specific reply. But, again, not holding my breath.
loading...
kic
Are you suggesting that the tons, and tons, and tons of research that Big B lied about was merely a quick two second visit to Wikki ?
Once again I urge you to be intellectually honest. You know that Wikki ia an open source and hence open to mischief & errors. Even if the web is all you would like to restrict your research to, there are far more better sources on the web for this, why just Wkki ?
Please come back again and confess. Your attempts to hide the truth is going nowhere. Tell us, what we know that you already know. Tell us why Big B’s latest getup for PAA is a joke, a mockery.
A few lines in your honor from a famous poet, “If you do not hold your breath, it is good; If you do hold your breath that too is good”.
loading...
Richa
You are free to believe that Big B was the lead of Sholay. You are free to believe that not just that, but he was also the producer, director, writer and music director of Sholay. As far as i know “delusion” is a disease, but not a crime. So carry on.
Nonetheless, this is about PAA, specifically we are lamenting how such gimmicks are tarnishing Bollywood. What are your thoughts on that ? Do you think Big B should have mocked the people suffering from this disease ? What if your son was suffering from this ? Would you have liked it then ? Think about all those Moms who are looking after such children. Think, have some compassion. For God’s sake, speak out against this atrocity.
Over to you Richa.
loading...
Shaan,
Thanks for the laughs, man.
First, I never said that AB used Wiki for his research – but well, it is your keyboard & a free country – so, all the best.
One more long post with nothing to back up your claims. I guess I’m convinced now (not that I did not have my doubts earlier) that you have nothing tangible to put up.
Still, I’d luv to be proven wrong. So, whenever you are able to come up with ONE symptom that has been blatantly missed / mischaracterised in the trailer, contributing to your view that AB made a mockery of the disease, I’ll be interested. Else, you are free to have the last word(s). I’m sure liar, intellectual & honest will figure somewhere.
loading...
My heart Says-” AB is my favorite actor, been one of the best performers, has given great performances this decade. Paa is based on Progeria, so it surely gonna be a one in a kind performance”.
My head says -”Paa is based on Jack, one of Copolla’s worst movies, AB’s performances in recent times have not been too great, could end up looking gimmicky.
So let’s see whether the head or heart wins.
loading...
Dont worry Singh. We watch awards only for Sajid Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker. Its a pity, “Whats ur rashee” flopped. Otherwise we would have had a stunning rant from Ashutosh Gowariker yet again
…
The points raised in the article… they actually dont apply to just any other film. Looking at the case history of hindi films, – they promise the sky and the film turns out to be just a “haemoglobin in the atmosphere”. So your apprehensions are acknowledged. We also hope that atleast half of those dont come true!
loading...
Yes, that was the point i was making. I picked up a film as an example, but it could apply to any of our big-budget wannabe films, big on paper, andar se nothing.
loading...
Truly enjoyed the article. The inherent sarcasm, I felt was against the norms in the industry rather than the bachchans. I believe, Mr. Singh here just wanted to point out how a good idea is taken and misused in the industry, how till date bollywood has made a mockery of scripts and rode only on the charms and popularity of a(few) star(s).
I am sure A.Singh would have done the same had some other “star” (say SRK) acted in the movie. replacing AB by SRK, IIFA by Filmfare etc etc.
What bollywood has taught me is, if something is over hyped, it usually disappoints you. Most of the times the real treat are the movies that didn’t have the stars. Now I say, “most of the times” because ofcourse stars have given some very memorable movies and characters to the indian cinema, be it the mohan bhargav from swades, or Buddhadev in cheeni kum, or a bhuwan in lagaan. I hope and really want this movie to live upto the hype around this.
But, I am still apprehensive.
Waiting now.
loading...
Neeraj, thanks.
“Most of the times the real treat are the movies that didn’t have the stars.”
I would change that slightly. Movie is good if they focus on simple basic aspects of film making such as story, dialog, script, characterization etc. whether it has stars or not. After that if stars are present, they can help get the film a wider release.
loading...
perfectly put Neeraj … even I am sure if Paa was released in 2010 june, by then A Singh would ve written the same article with replacements of Paa being substituted by My Name is Khan, AB being SRK and IIFA being film in Jan.. somewhere before jumping the gun, people need to start talking and get the intent of the person who wrote the post, before dismissing the idea… though of course, what we saw was a regular fan mania famous amongst people, but a lil more controlled would be good…
loading...
typo …. IIFA being filmFARE in jan…
loading...
haahaa…. grrreat post dude…. though i am a die hard AB’s (Amitabh’s not abhishek’s) fan but ya….. most of waht you hav written WILL be true… I hope n wish that it would not… anyways kudos 4 writing what you truly felt (in these days expressing ur true feelings also takes courage) … grrr8 going…
loading...
Thanks, Roushan. I used to be a die hard AB fan as well, but off late the projects starring him automatically make me not wanting to watch as i have been disappointed so many times in last 2-3 years. So many times in last 2-3 years, i have felt, the film could have been better if they had not imposed AB unnecessary into it. I never thought i would think that way about AB in any film.
loading...
For tons of comments that I can see talking about A Singh talking AGAINST BIG B… either most your guys are seriously being myopic or getting touchy about the subject or havent read other posts at PFC… what A Singh is doing is merely talking about how the reactions are towards any big ‘Star’ hyped film that we have…. in this case Bachchan… his apprehensions about Paa is not just about Paa but how media reacts to any Big Star movie, and it is true that an AB movie lately is always either praised to Hilt or occassions panned up…. neither does this reflect on AB at the same time it is also speaking of the society-media reflections towards somebody super successful! For anybody who believes by talking about things that MAYNOT be in Bachchan favor means automatically aligning on KHAN camp, boss you seriously need to get a break off Star News…. when A Singh talks of Paa and all the points, it is in the same contention as Ghajini and Aamir ‘memory loss patient’ Khan or Main Hoon Na and Shahrukh ‘I will sell anyways’ Khan!!! if that is so difficult to understand and everybody wants to keep jumping the gun of how Big B has been misrepresented by mere stating of ‘aprehensions’, the scene is more or less like Thakeray/Modi/Fatwa spewing maulwis where they have a blind set of followers…. people kindly get some space to understand a bit more than jump on impulse reactions…
loading...
PS,
Once again so well said. You get it man and explain it so well. That was my intent. But it does come across to some people as anti-Bachchan. Sorry folks, Bachchans happened to be in the film I chose. But my disdain is equal for all the big stars, and apprehensions are based on past films, not necessary those of the Bachchans.
I did feel that Taliban kind of threat in some of the comments though :-), mere star ko kuchh bola to…..
loading...
loading...
PS: This is the best comment I have received. You made my day. Amazing, you remember that.
That was my first attempt at satire and it didn’t go very well. I did have plans to write SRK’s diary and AB’s diary. I can’t say i chickened out, i think the feedback that time, even though negative was mostly about the post. People didn’t like the writing, found it a bit too long and boring and chastised me for stretching the jokes like chewing gum. This time it’s different. Most of it is fan reaction and some of it seems professional job, but hard to say. I am not taking it personally at all.That’s why i love blogs and a platform like PFC, you get instant feedback, some good, some bad.
loading...
Can’t make your day any better I guess. I didn’t know that it was you who wrote that Aamir Khan’s diary. That was a brilliant piece! In fact, a lot more thought and creativity is needed for coming up with pieces like that than plain reviews! I saw the comments there as well. If I were the author, I would have written more of the same based on those comments! If your blogs are generating so many responses, you should know that you have done something good. You might want to worry about your writing/topic, if you had 2 or 3 comments, which really implies nobody bothered to read through that piece :-) I would request you to come up with more pieces like AK’s diary. BTW, I did read through this piece and would rate this mediocre (content wise) if were to stack it up against your other piece.
loading...
Thanks, Siva. You did make it better. I’ll certainly soak up the encouragement and keep writing. I am learning that, like everything else, writing/blogging is also about slowly overcoming your fears. Initially, you are concerned exposing yourself, your thoughts, worrying about whether or not people will like it, but slowly you gain confidence and start trusting your instincts and expressing your thoughts without a fear. I can’t say i am fully out of my driving fear yet, but i must say i am starting to enjoy the the drive.
loading...
My 2 paise,
What could have been an interesting discussion went on a detour of no return…
I thought the post was smart, interesting, little on cynical side but with a dose of humor.
I also like the way A. Singh handled most of the criticism.
Recently, I have seen frequently that when one talks about one “camp” of actors, other actors are also dragged in for no reason whatsoever in the comments section and the comments proclaim some silly rumour as truth.
For e.g. if it is about AB, SRK or Aamir will definitely be dragged in.
Another observation, people do tend to over-react in comments section (again!) when one of their idols are either made fun of or spoken against. What wrong then Shiv Sena is doing when they beat up anyone who speaks against Balasaheb, I wonder.
Again, its very easy to bash up a site as pro-somebody (or anti-, take your pick) but very difficult to run the show. No forum is perfect especially if its followers are not obeying certain rules for engaging into an argument.
Guess my 2 paise inflated to 2 rupees so I will stop.
loading...
@Vishesh …. guess your 2 paise and my 2 Takas make them into 4 full monetary values… wow,,, we are rich
loading...
I share your apprehensions (or most of them atleast). I have similar apprehensions about My Name is Khan and SRK come 2010. You have an interesting idea on paper that could easily become mediocre on screen (ala Black, the second half of TZP). The whole son-father-father-son story thing was a bit much – it looks like a gimmick. They really want you to ooohhh and ahhhh at the idea of Ab Jr. playing Paa to the real Paa.
As for IIFA, in 2007 there were special “Best acting awards” created to award Ab Jr and Aishwarya for Guru. Since the regular “best actor” and “best actress” awards were going to SRK for Chak De India and Kareena Kapoor for Jab We Met. That was quite a blatant move. I see that happening again. Maybe AB Sr. will get the “best acting award” this year and the “best actor” award would go to someone else – Shahid Kapur maybe? I think this would happen if Paa isn’t as much of a commercial/critical success as Kaminey.
Or perhaps Paa will be a genuinely good film and the cynics will be proven wrong.
loading...
@ Urvashi – Just as in FILMFARE awards 2000 when the BEST ACTOR award was given to AAMIR KHAN for LAGAAN though the general opinion was that AB deserved it for his performance in AKS. So AB was compensated with the CRITICS’ award for BEST ACTOR.
loading...
FALSE. Go to the IIFA web site and see their list of awards. There were no such awards given for Guru. You are repeating a false story as fact.
Would it kill people to do their own research to back up their statements? Or is it easier to believe what you want to believe?
loading...
You are right. Abhi and Ash were not given any “Acting” awards but Abhi was given the Style Icon award.
loading...
The IIFA Website does not contain the list for technical awards like costume, cinematography. So it is obviously an incomplete list.
Here is one I found:
http://www.theinsider.com/news/955342_IIFA_2008_WINNERS_ANNOUNCED
Now maybe this list is false and so I would apologise. But I have read the same one at a bunch of other places and Abhi-Aish did win these awards according to them.
@An Jo Ofcourse every single award show has its way of making each section happy. This is IIFA’s way.
loading...
Here is another one from CNN-IBN which is pretty reliable.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/iifa-2008-and-the-award-goes-to/66840-8.html
loading...
dear a singh…
dearies…if today’s media can go crazy about kareena’s size zero looks,,saif-kareena romance,,deepika-ranbir break up,, katrina-ranbir hook up…so y not paa?? this is something at least worth talking about..i m glad dat the movie is getting hyped(4 watever reasons)..it helps a small budget film like paa,,i thought it was a gr8 strategy to reveal big b’s look at d very beginning in d trailer to create this kinda buzz 4 d movie..nd honestly it was not just big b’s looks but illayraja’s music,, pc sreeram’s cinematography nd just d simplicity of d promo dat took my breath away..nd as balki mentioned dat film is not about progeria..its d simple sweet story about a 13 yr old caught in dis situation yet living a happy life!!nd lets not be cynical..coz honestly i loved cheeni kum(by balki),,i thought virrudh was a sincere effort(an abcl film),,so no need to jump d gun..
as 4 award shows..i dont think they hold any importance 4 most ppl today..they watch it just for d entertainement value..so lets not even take them seriously….
p.s. btw i thought shahid’s act in kaminey was d most over-rated performance in recent times nd it has been d most over-rated films of our times..but i think no one would really”speak their minds” against dat..probably coz it doesn’t star a bachchan or probably coz its made by d so called quentine tarantino of bollywood!!
loading...
I am apprehensive about your apprehesions but still I like it as I believe its CYNICISM like this that keeps the world contemplative.
MY thoughts :
- I love AB. Leave aside “Auro”, I think he could have even played the role of Vidya Balan with Elan and people would have loved it “A woman looking like a 65 year old man!” – what a concept! That would have removed its resemblence with “JACK”
- I like ABbaby. He just proves there is a place for everyone in this industry. GUrubhai once said “Jab log tumhare baaren mein baat kare to samjho tarakki kar rahe ho”. “Acting arrogant” I like it, did you watch “Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya”? You must, I tell you it will prompt you to write one more blog and you would find it worth a National award (with the way you described it works).
- I like Balki. And I won’t joke around in this point. CHEENI KUM happens to be that movie of AB that I have loved the most after his comeback. Though it doesnot have the entertainment value of LalBadshah and intesnsity of Toofan or Miracles of Jadoogar, I strongly believe that the movie worked for 1. Balki’s great direction and 2. AB’s little choti
- Why are we getting so charged up emotionally for a movie that we have not seen. Let’s take it slow guys. Chill. Lets count 1, 2, 3… 10.
(Too hot comments on this blog, lets not get emotionally worked up with things, lets just keep it light)
loading...
Forgot to add one thing.
No Art/Artist would surive if there isnt a business to support it. Filmmakers has to make a living and business out of films to support hundreds of people whose efforts make a film. IF adding a few ingredients (read bachhans) can ensure a better business, I think there is nothing wrong in it. Its all for a noble cause.
loading...
vowww…………
paa
Its historic moment, event for Indian cinema
12
days until
paa
Bay Area Indo American
http://www.bayareaindoamerican.com/events/paa
proudly supports “paa”
And wishes Everyone to watch this movie in cinema near you ….
Support is coming from more than 30 countries
the fans, friends, wellwishers of AB, ABCL
Thank You Everyone
loading...
Nothing excites me more than seeing free market in action. There is electricity in the air wherever Sellers & Buyers meet to evaluate the value of something. Even though there may be a very few, perhaps just a handful of Big B fans left, it is still good to see them place a bid to an avalanche of offers. I respect the handful who think that Big B is the best thing that happened to Bollywood since sliced bread. I truly do not look down upon those that think that Big B was the sole hero of Sholay. But, by the same token I understand the majority who think that Big B is a spent force whose expiration date states “1979”. Indeed Big B’s track record is filled with flops (Aladin being the most recent). Lately he has stopped acting and has resorted to hiding behind weird costumes/makeup. His latest atrocity mocks Progeria. We will be seeing Big B with a full range of motions, singing & dancing in his long limbs, both of which, viz the range of motion as well the size of the limbs are not seen in Progeria suffers. Unfortunately Big B has lied to us about the tons and tons of research, but I hope the full range motion dance, in his latest offers, will be less offensive than the “Yeast infection” dance of his in “Jhoon Barabar Jhoom”. My empathy is with those who think that they are about to suffer through the latest stink bomb from Big B. We know that the movie is not going to be any good when highlight of the promotion strategy is an announcement that SRK & Amir Khan will be attending the premier. Anyway, come Friday, we will know whether we will be seeing Big B’s “PAA” or smelling Big B’s “PAAd”. But the real fun is now, seeing buyers and sellers trying to evaluate.
God bless the free market.
loading...
Your quote: Big B is a spent force whose expiration date states “1979”
Strongly disagree. I personally feel he’s been experimenting much more than anyone else as an actor in Hindi cinema post Y2K. If many of his experiments have failed, that is ok, but to me it is a very dear quality of his that he has been doing a range of things, maybe the hardcore buffs may want to see him stretch a 100 times more, but still he has.
Your quote also is a great disservice to the late Mukul Anand with whom he did 3 movies. Not forgetting other directors too.
Very limited and skewed a statement. This seems like a personal vendetta than a personal opinion.
loading...
Shaan Bhai….. Get well soon. Aapko Nafrat ki beemari hui hai. jaldi ilaaj karaaiye…
loading...
on visiting ur blog i realized that your hatred is beyond repair.
Seems to me that you cannot sleep because of the Bachchans and so write venom-filled blogs on them as revenge.
loading...
ashwini
Perhaps you may be a amateur shrink, but please do not quit your day job.
loading...
So is that your only grouse? That Amitabh is too tall to play a Progeria patient? Is that what you term ‘making a mockery of the disease or patient’? What a damp – nay, wet – squib! As for dancing etc, I guess YOUR research did not show you that patients with progeria can often be quite active (including dancing) upto a reasonable number of years. Have you also considered the possibility that he may actually not be dancing & singing but dreaming / thinking / yearning about doing those things? It is quite natural for someone to yearn for something he/she otherwise cannot, is it not?
As for the rest of your rant on AB, others who know more about cinema than me have already responded. I do not have much to add other than saying that real stars rise above their hits & flops. Their fan following goes beyond what happened last Friday. Very few achieve that. Amitabh HAS and HOW !
loading...
ShaanKhan,
Comment after comment your personal crusade against Amitabh Bachchan creates a curiosity.
As a knowledgeable person about Progeria, in real life you will surely be volunteering your time, money, energy etc to serve the kids suffering from the disease.
You know for certain and have decided that Amitabh Bachchan is dishonest in Paa. It is just a film. You will not watch the film so that film does not get contribution in its collection from atleast one awakened person.
In a free market which you advocate so strongly, In a democratic world, should it not be concern of Directors and producers whether they should sign Amitabh Bachchan or not any longer in the films?
If he is giving flops after flops and has no value left in the film world or on BO then naturally filmmakers will start avoiding him.
No?
Why this hateful personalized movement against an actor?
After doing it on your own blog now infecting PFC?
Seems some old enmity.
loading...
Rk
Either you agree or disagree. It is as simple as that. If you disagree then if possible, (and if you would like) show reasons. We can parse/discuss the content, but not those that comment.
loading...
I agree :
- that commenting solely should be done on the content and not on the person/s. (and I hope this has been followed till now by all and sundry including you in the comment section and you have commented on the actions and not on the person
(Here AB is the case) and you keep same objective approach towards every single actor/ star of your liking also. You are in a capacity to judge the craft of acting in a skilled and objective manner)
- that I can not be so much fanatic for the sake of realism that I should expect that Ramesh Sippy should have asked Late Sanjeev Kumar to volunteer willingly so that his hands could really be chopped off because his hands were quite visible through his kurta in every scene whenever upper portion of his body was not covered with a shawl.
- that perhaps Amitabh Bachchan’s limbs are way too long than the patients suffering from Progeria but that much perfection may not be the sole point to be achieved by the films. Choice is always there – either make a film or it is not made at all.
- that there can be people who want to see only negative intentions behind the making of this film on this particular disease. but there can be many people who would still like to watch the film and they may think that many people who never knew about the disease may know something about the disease through the film. They may think that film is not going to harm the patients and in all the cases they will wait till they have watched the film.
- that people should know that they can not control the world if people think differently than them on a given subject and while registering their opinion is fine but they can not go on spamming the views and that too negative ones again and again on a platform where mostly followers of a medium are gathered and they may like moderate way of discussion and not a fanatic type single sided arguments.
- that directors, producers and distributors (in short the market) always know the real worth of a star and when he does not remain a cash earning personality for them they start avoiding him.
…
I disagree :
- that discussion can happen if motive is not to maintain an objective approach but to spread venom in a personalized war against a particular person.
loading...
Oz
I accept that you think that he had a meaningful second innings (he is on his third one now). Your opinion is no less valid than mine. We differ. We also differ in need to analyze the motives of those who comment, to me it does not matter.
If you can show that his hits outnumber his flops in the second and third innings (his solo hits, not Veer Zaara & Co) then maybe you have a point.
Furthermore, if you think, his limbs are short enough for a Progeria patient then tell me so. If you likewise feel that the range of motion he exhibits in the song/dance is in keeping with this diseases then please state that.
Short of that, please abandon your motives theory, and look at facts instead.
loading...
It is hard to ignore the motives when they stare at you in your face (I happened to click the icon next to your name). Now, I totally understand where you are coming from
loading...
So did I once I read stuff like Ghajini was a big hit due to SRK and SRK did India proud at the Oscars
loading...
Siva / kic
My sympathy is with you. I feel your pain. I can understand that you have no choice but to attack me. It is not as if you can show that Big B is still relevant (not that I have any joy in stating this painful fact). It is not as if you can show that Big B was the main or solo lead of Sholay. It is not as if you can show that those suffering from Progeria can dance with free motion as Big B does in his upcoming stinker called “PAAd”. Facts unfortunately don’t suit you. Hence you want to distract with personal attacks. You believe in deception and cover-up, I understand. I am sorry for you.
Allow me to say this (although I give you the credit of knowing it already), in a discussion only the content of THE discussion matters. Not a prior discussion (because we need to leave room for the possibility that people and their positions evolve). Nor the motive of the commentator matters. A constructive discussion is where you restrict your comments to someone’s comments in that thread (or the post itself). Personal attacks and digging up prior post is just juvenile desperation.
I stand by my posts (present and past). But currently we are discussing THIS post/thread ONLY.
Tell me if you think Big B dancing like a typical idiot is not spitting in the face of those who do not even have full motion ?
Tell me if you think the tall Big B suits the profile of a person who is supposed to be handicapped in his growth ?
Is this not mockery ? Be honest, call a spade, a spade.
loading...
Thank you for the sympathies. My intention was never to disprove all the amazingly researched facts and totally objective analysis about AB that you are putting forward in your comments. It is just that after I went through your blogs, I know that you are a very gifted writer and your views about AB, SRK, AO (Obama). At this point, I realized how little I am in my intellectual abilities to have a meaningful debate with you and I decided to concede and move on. I respect your opinion that you consider this action as juvenile, but the fact remains that you already won the debate. I wouldn’t be debating Welfare Economics if the know the person at the other end of the cyber tube is Amartya Sen. Call me a loser, but I pick my battles. Why did I even post this? Hmmm… Samjha Karo!
loading...
I accept your concession.
Goodbye.
loading...
Shaan, thanks for the lesson in debating. But with all due respect, the motive of the debater matters to me as that helps me decide whether I should devote any time to the debate at all or will it be a waste of time. There, you see, I just wasted one more minute. All the best.
loading...
Mr. Shaan Khan,
So far, I was trying to avoid responding to your comments, but now I have no choice. You and other responders to your comments have taken it too far. I like the attention and number of comments my post generates, just like anyone else but for this time, I am happy my post has moved to page 2.
- First and foremost, I would like to officially distance myself and my post from your views and comments. I do not share any of your extreme views on Bachchans or anyone else including SRK.
- Initially i thought you were reacting to Richa’s ‘Professional Defence’ of Bachchans. I am sure if Richa is a professional defender or not, even if she is, even if she calls everyone who write one negative sentence about them a pathetic loser, i can take that and would prefer that any day over the extreme views and hatred you display in your comments and your blog about the Bachchan family.
- I am not a Bachchan hater. I used to be a big fan, still rejoice in his old films and marvel at his ability to create magic on screen. I have not enjoyed his last few films and would rather have him retire so that I can preserve my old Bachchan image in my mind. While, fans like me may have turned off from him and that may reflect in his hit/flop ratio, he doesn’t serve me or for that matter any number of fans of his. He serves himself as every one of us does. He has the right to choose the kind of work he wants to do and as long as he gets the work, and gets the satisfaction from it, it’s good for him. If i like the film, I’ll tell few others and watch his next one, if I don’t i’ll stay at home next time and may be write a blog.
- I have similar delight on seeing SRK or Aamir Khan create that magic on screen. But i do find their antics, (all of the big stars), on tv screen very funny and satirical. But, I do not consider it a fault of Big B or the Bachchan family, it’s just a sign of our times- media explosions, criss-crossing vested interests, news hungry media, need for instant marketing, you can go on and on.
- I find it funny that every big star tries to out promote other big stars and use bigger gimmicks than other stars and speak in a way that clearly reflects how seriously they take themselves. I find it tragic that the big stars don’t use their position to promote big ideas, focus on improving the quality of the story telling and script. Or when they do choose big ideas like this one, my cynical mind tells me that they’ll still not make superior product.
- Having said all that, I would request you and others to please stop this. I’ll leave it up to PFC admins to determine whether or not to let you keep commenting with outrageous and extreme bias and hatred to a particular star or star family.
But for the sake of clarity on my views and the views expressed on my post, I would like to officially clarify that I do not share your views on Mr. Bachchan, his family, Progeria or Paa.
loading...
very well said, singh saab.
loading...
LOL! A.Singh bhai, Maza aagaya yaar, what a post! It just got funnier, I didnt want it to end! I share most of your apprehensions and frustrations
Please consider making this a regular format for big releases
However disappointing the whole fuss around Black was, I tend to be more frustrated about the opposite, maybe because it happens way more often. Paa, I feel is probably going to get brutally assualted by the “reviewers” all over and they will educate all of us on how miserably this film failed in every aspect of its being. Offcourse they can say, because they all know what they are talking about
But again, great post, looking forward to more!
Cheers,
Onkar
loading...
It seems your apprehensions are coming true :d
loading...
This is rubbish article, Mr. Singh, Why you took only Negtive points ? Why Not positive ones? And even your negativity about this movie seem to be forcibly creep in post. The post is about your assumptions on that movie would lack soul or lack good story or underdeveloped other characters, lack of good dialgues .. Have you seen the movie ?? How can you say all this before release ? How can you assume all this before rlease and without watching ? This is all rubbish .. I would have apprciate you if you have reviewed the promo only, But making rubbish assumption whose motive is just to spell negativity around movie is plain rediculuos.
Paa is very experimental and balki even didn’t show any dialog promo because he dont want to show everything on promo itself, About why he didn’t take 13 year old kid .. can you tell me then what would have been the novelty and curosity factor here ??? How we can see then that how bigB will act as 13 year old kid ?? Don’t you want to see ??
MAN .. First try to understand yourself that this is creative world, You know what is creativity ??? If you know then try to appreciate the novel and creative efforts rather than writing rubbish thing about it.
NONE of your point make any sense …. Sorry but this is plain rubbish article ever written in net .. Simply biased, intentional and frustratted … Infact yes .. this article is result of frustration after getting fear of Bachchan in another iconic role …. He He
loading...
Apparently Paa is NOT a remake of Jack as stated by some here and in the media.
Here is a review of Paa from the London preview today:
Early review of Paa:
I had read about the brilliant prosthetic make up, seen the pictures and also got a little freaked out at the sight of it in the promos. Well, that is me.
But as the film opened and Auro made his entry, the visual comfort increased till, later and towards the end, the bald head with blue veins didn’t matter as much as what was happening in the story.
Like Cheeni Kum, Paa is also well written, funny in parts (where after the initial guffaws, the humour stays with you longer than the usual slapstick delivered say in a ‘All the Best’ or Govinda No. 1 movie) and the performances are outstanding.
Amitabh Bachchan is Auro the 12 year old kid with progeria, Vidya Balan is Vidya, a London returned Gynecologist and Abhishek Bachchan is Amol Arte the young and dynamic MP from Lucknow or thereabouts. Paresh Rawal has less histrionics this time and is pretty good with what he gets, but that is expected from an actor of his calibre, Taruni the bald, cancer stricken ‘Sexy’ from Cheeni Kum is back with ribbons and plaits as part of Auro’s gang in school, and there is Auro’s best friend from school, a little kid (forgetting his name) with round black spectacles, who brings out the loudest laughs and practically steals the show in a scene.
When you think about it, the little boy is acting with Amitabh Bachchan and that is enough to send shivers down the spines of experienced TV anchors, forget grown up actors. I guess the boy, not burdened by the thought of acting with the legend called Amitabh Bachchan, is a complete natural while interacting with the character called Auro. Huge credit to the team that made the look and the character so seamless and independent of the Amitabh persona. And ultimately that is what works so well, where like I mentioned earlier, I forgot about the bizarre look and focussed on the unfolding story.
To get back, the colours are a treat, London looks amazing, so does the other visual treat, Vidya Balan. Amol and the camera are equally adept at romancing her.
Briefly the plot is thus (spoilers ahead)…
http://tripleslashm.blogspot.com/2009/12/paa.html
loading...
Thanks for sharing the review! I am still apprehensive man, until i watch the film myself. We saw that in case of Black too, where everyone praised the film to the hilt and it became uncool to criticize it. But i hope this time they got it right and focused enough on the writing, dialogs etc. I don’t mind eating my own words man, would love this film to be truly mind blowing.
loading...
Singh, Black was also brillant movie and if you didn’t like black then GOD save you, you don’t know anything about cinema and acting …
loading...
hahahahhahahahahah…… i loved this comment…
loading...
Singh Saab … Time now to eat your words, As Every review is 3.5 – 4 Star, Your apprehensions seem to be biting dust ….
Buzurgo ne bahut samzhaya tha ki kuch likhne se pahle soch liya karo .. Nahi to Singh saab ki tarah Izzat ka faluda ho jayega … :D
Sorry SINGH .. You are not king .. :D
loading...
Mr. Singh,
Please come and feel sorry for writing such a weired topic before release, As now all of your apprehensions proved false, You should come here and write few words to express your guilty. Come on .. don’t shy …
loading...
Dear Lalit,
Not sure what you want me to say. I can’t possibly respond to every moronic comment, can I. But, in your case I’ll try. You don’t seem like a professional defender hired by Bachchans but just a naive soul who takes every bit of marketing and hype too seriously. It’s ok man, one day you’ll grow up and will start forming your opinions instead of trusting what the show biz people want you to believe.
Did you read even read the post? Which part of it is not coming true?
- All critics will fall over each other to give stars to the film. Has that not come true?
- All film stars will call the film the milestone, the best work of art humans have ever produced etc. etc. Hasn’t that come true.
- All voices of dissent will be crushed by calling, ‘You don’t understand cinema”, it’ll become a “Emperor has no cloths syndrome”, hasn’t that come true?
- Abhishek Bachchan will once again act bad and force coolness? Hasn’t that come true? Read Rajeev Masand’s review, if you like review so much and read what he says about AB Jr’s acting.
You seem among those who watch and boast that they like Black to show that they understand good cinema. That’s ok, may be you genuinely liked Black. But may be, give it one more try and this time watch the whole film and form your opinion. Or else you’ll keep barking on everyone on this forum and others who says Black and AB’s acting in Black was overrated.
Have you seen Paa yet? I would suggest, don’t read any of the reviews and watch the film yourself and then make an opinion. I would do the same and would gladly come back on PFC and write again if I like the film. Heck, i pay money to watch a god film. If it is a good film, why do i care if it’s made by Bachchans or SRK or any damn Khan or Kapoor?
Unbiased reviews of Paa won’t come out for weeks, until the “emperor has no cloths syndrome” has passed. If you do want to hear some unbiased review, read this
“Poor Bachchan; four hours of make-up render his face utterly immobile and expressionless. He never seems quite sure what to do with his healthy 6ft frame, which no amount of hunching and clever camerawork can wither into a frail child (schoolyard scenes with actual genuine children are laughable).”
I have no idea who the reviewer is but seems complete outsider, not obliged everything that a superstar does.
Here’s the link..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/dec/04/paa-film-review
Enjoy and try to have a little bit of fun! Don’t worry about Paa or the Bachchans, they don’t need you.
loading...
So since ur apprehensions have come true….although the positive ones i mean in a positive way the makers would have preferred, does it put u off the movie even more?…..
If you are using Rajeev Masand’s take on abhishek’s performance to justify ur premonition about the same, why neglect KM”s praise for him too.
“Have you seen Paa yet? I would suggest, don’t read any of the reviews and watch the film yourself and then make an opinion”
Absolutely that’s the way it should be, for me, for you and for everyone else.
loading...
Ashwini,
First of all, i must all how graceful and dignified you have been in all your comments, even though you strongly disagree with me. I am not neglecting Khalid’s praise, for that matter so many other reviews on different websites. These were all media people invited for special screening, for a very special film, by a very special family so they are all obliged to write good. Real independent reviews will start pouring in soon, usually a week or two after.
As for me, i am just a blogger who writes about what’s on his mind. I wrote what i felt like at that moment. If i write after watching the film, it would be called “My Review of Paa”, right, no My Apprehensions..?
Anyway, right now i am bored of Paa, too much Paa everywhere. so will go silent until i watch the film.
One more item,
My world is a world of a cynic who sees sub-standard products being promoted with big marketing and hype and comes disappointed time and again. Your world may be full of hope and exciting things, that’s good for you:-. Heck for me, I didn’t even like TZP (and i wrote about it and invited lot of flak), so what can you say.
loading...
Thanks for your kind words Mr. Singh. You owe us your review of PAA
Do write in whenever you watch it.
that we are subjected to.
And i dont think KM is obliged to write good things about the Bachchan family. I mean yaa a few years back i would have agreed but not any more…..
Even i didn’t like the second half of TZP but it was atleast way better than the usual big blockbusters
Also substandard big movie projects will always be accompanied with tremendous hype and hoopla because of the filthy amount of money riding on them. We live in the times where ‘one who is heard is the one who shouts the loudest’
On the contrary, i found PAA’s marketing strategy quite interesting and smart. From the first trailer itself it seemed to be an interesting movie to me. That explains my optimism for it.
It’s a pity that you are subjected to personal attacks for being against popular belief. I mean criticism is understandable but getting personal just because one does not agree with another is not cool at all. But then this happens everywhere. Can’t do much about it, can we?
loading...
Ashwini,
Yes, would love to. But by the time I get to watch films it’s usually 4-5 months after the DVD comes out. I have two young kids and becoming difficult to go to theatre to watch Hindi films. You just can’t trust the rating system and never know what the film will throw up at you. Paa, may be safe from that perspective and may be good for family, but you never know.So, by the time i get to watch it, it’ll be too late for a review.
I share the same opinion about TZP. What started as a wonderful insight into the mind and world of a 9 yr old, deteriorated into loud and caricaturish after Aamir Khan came on scene. This was probably one of AK’s worst acting performances.
Yeah, Paa’s marketing strategy seems smart, they didn’t start it in 6 months in advance and i hope they don’t do the ‘Making of make over’ type promos. You took hours to put on the make-up, got it man, please move on.
BTW, Padmaja has come out with a nice review, which seems honest and unbiased. Not sure, if she is a media person or not, but her review seems very balanced. Rest, every media person’s review seems compromised to me. The comments on the reviews on PFC offer more insight as they are from audience members who paid money to watch the film on their own.
loading...
Mr. Singh:
Being an outsider doesn’t make the person an objective one: here’s another that negates your review regarding the performance –
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941718.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
The reviewers from outside Bollywood will obvioulsy have a different frame of reference. ‘Different’ and ‘unbiased’ carry different connotations and cannot be used together.
loading...
What has not come true
- They would focus too much on the makeover and prosthetics and not enough attention would be paid to details in the story and script.
- Bachchan’s character would look interesting when it starts but the novelty would wear off after first 4-5 scenes and it would start to look jarring.
- There will be scenes where the script would be weak and the director would rely on Bachchan to pull it off, all by himself. In those scenes, Bachchan would go over the top and come across as annoying.
- After few scenes, you would question, if the objective was to show the antics of a 13 year old in much older man’s make-up
- All the focus will be on Bachchan’s character and Abhishek’s character.
- Abhishek Bachchan will once again act bad,
- Critics (I am sorry reviewers) will fall over each other to praise the film. Any reviewer who gives anything less than 5 starts will be called out and called losers, jealous with Bachchans, biased, people with agenda and people with no understanding of the art and so on.
-Will have to wait to see if awards’ apprehensions would come true
…
But the rest which have come true are because of the work put in by the film’s team, particularly the director
loading...
i actually hav only one apprehension…why is this film called Paa…& not Maa…or beta for that matter?….
loading...
Maybe because
- Boy has mom and grand mom and/but he misses his Paa. With Paa’s entry in his life he gets the fulfilment atleast during last days of his short life.
loading...