Tuesday, June 26, 2012

30 Days of Film - Days 25, 26 & 27.



25. The most hilarious movie you’ve ever seen

Even if I was doing this about all films I've seen, not just the Indian ones, Andaz Apna Apna would be a strong contender. I think it'd be a tough decision between it and my other absolute favourite comedy, This Is Spinal Tap, but luckily for this meme, I'm not forced to make a decision.

I realise AAA is very much a Your Mileage May Vary type of comedy, as I suppose all comedy is. It combines a standard plot line with absolutely hilarious foolish character, who have their moments of extraordinary wit as well. It's a loud slapstick comedy that also parodies Hindi films rather cleverly and successfully at times. It's over-the-top, yet the main cast of characters are all believable characters, stuck in this madcap universe. I was glad to see the director Rajkumar Santosh re-visit this kind of comedy in his 2009 film Ajab Prem  Ki Ghazab Kahani, which also wasn't universally popular but which I really enjoyed.

Even with the unofficial "continuation" (in style, not in plot) the film got in APKGK,  AAA stands in a league of its own.


26. A movie that you love but everyone else hates

This was nearly impossible to pick because while I might dislike some generally well-loved films, I normally don't love films that are universally loathed. In the end I settled for Darna Mana Hai, a silly 2003 "horror" ensemble film that is essentially just a loosely tied collection of "scary stories" that wouldn't scare a bunch of five year-olds at a camp site, much less a theater full of grown ups. Essentially it's nothing special, mostly remembered for its ridiculousness (the screencap here is from the story in which Shilpa Shetty plays a woman with a problematic relationship with .. you guessed it, apples!). 

But I have a soft spot for it regardless. Silly film with a silly premise, and a ridiculous "twist" of an ending in the frame story. Still, for all those features, it's got some pretty interesting little things going for it - Nana Patekar is as good as he always is, and the Saif Ali Khan - Boman Irani story is black comedy at its core, and hilarious at that. I've rewatched this film more times than I care to admit, though I'm sure most viewers aren't all that fond of it, because if its aim is to frighten you, it fails spectacularly. However, I wouldn't call it "hated" by any stretch, so this might be a bit of a miscategorization on my part, I just couldn't think of a better film to place in this category..


27. A movie that you wish you’d seen in theaters

Perhaps the over-filtered visual acid trip that was Kanthasamy would have been too much to handle on the big screen, but I still think I would've enjoyed the experience. If for nothing else, than the bizarreness of it all. I can't help but wonder what kind of an effect a film like this leaves on a viewer when witnessed on the big screen.

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