Kai Po Che.

I liked Kai Po Che. I watched it months ago, alongside the two other films I recently reviewed, and while it wasn't my favourite of the batch, it was probably the most well made of the bunch. It was in that considerate UTV style I think we've all gotten used to; interesting characters, quality production, attention paid to the story and much faith given to the director. The picture above namedrops Rock On and Rang De Basanti, two hallmarks of the quality we've come to expect from UTV, and two films I personally love.

So it was inevitable that I would begin to wonder why I didn't love Kai Po Che. It wasn't like there was anything considerable missing in the film - it was just a really good effort, packed with young talent, and a good story told at a decent pace, reflecting all the various events that shaped the lives of these young men in Gujarat. Carla's review mentions she's tired of stories about young men, and in all honesty, maybe I am, too, and maybe that's okay, given how many of my favourite films are about young men and their friendships.

On the other hand, this film makes me so pensive, because it makes me think about how I've changed as a viewer. I still get giddy about the same things - I love films with great music, fantastic colours, goofy action and red-hot chemistry between the leads. These things are what drew me into watching Indian films ten years ago. I still adore the masala and the quirk, but nowadays I also love older cinema, more sombre films, films that weave in politics and history and all the not-so-happy parts of Indian society as well as the bright colours of the festivals and lavish sarees. Films like Kai Po Che certainly provide a balance between the two, which is why it's a good film - it's just not a film that I happened to love.

Random summery picspam.

30 Days of Film - Day 15.

15. A character who you can relate to the most

It's hard to name a single character from the brilliant cast of college-aged friends in Rang De Basanti that I relate to the most. I think they all have these aspects of what being young, sometimes brave, sometimes completely uncertain, sometimes comfortable with yourself and at times unsure of who you really are and what your true potential is. Plus the role that friendship plays in their lives is something I relate to so much - my friends really are a second family of sorts, sharing joys and burdens, and shaping my view of the world constantly. 

No small wonder that the film caught on in such a huge way with the young audiences in India; the characters are extremely relatable, and so real and well-written to boot. So I can't name only one of them - it has to be a combination of them.

Alternative Valentine's: pondering friendship.

Over here, we don't celebrate Valentine's as a day of romance, but as a day of friendship. I much prefer it - for one, I don't have to feel like a lonely person, and two, friendship is one of those things that definitely ought to have a holiday.
So I started to think about the status of friendship in Hindi films. Besides the classic "Yeh Dosti", there's the much quoted line from Maine Pyaar Kiya: It's not necessary to say sorry or no thank you in friendship.
I often wonder whether anybody actually took this line to heart and lived their friendships like this. As much as the line is a sweet thing to quote to your best friend when they've done something wrong or when you've done something wonderful to them (nothing to be sorry about, yaar - nothing to thank me over, either, that was nothing), it's not precisely true. In fact, perhaps the very opposite ought to be true. In friendships, you should thank your friend, and be sorry for causing them grief, because it just frankly shows you care.


But moving on. The anecdote goes, Farhan Akhtar set out to write Dil Chahta Hai because he noticed that the Hindi film hero's friends tend to disappear during to the second half of the film. They're there to help the romance along, provide comedy, offer support - but as soon as the film moves onto the main romance, the friends no longer have a function. So DCH puts the romance in the sidelines and makes the friendship the focus - the film isn't over until the friends are all together, nevermind the girls they get along the way.
This is an interesting notion, and very true in films, but perhaps - once again - not so much in life. Friends tend to stick with you through failed or difficult romances. But in great love stories, your soulmate is all you need - once you have him/her, what do you need these meddlesome friends for? They're better off finding their own soulmates, provided there's a subplot they can fit this into.

But there are some really wonderful, true-to-life portrayals of friendship in Hindi films. Friends don't always do a disappearing act - sometimes they're even the focus. And of course, there's the cliché of a pair starting out as friends and eventually realising their feelings for one another...
We are, well, at least I am, still waiting for some things: the female Dil Chahta Hai is one, as friendship between females seems to rarely get center stage or get elevated to that epic "Yeh dosti" type of friendship level. Again, there are exceptions - beautiful, cherished exceptions. But mostly I'm still waiting.
Then there are the absolute travesties, too. For example, to whom is Dostana a tale of perfect friendship? Lying and then attempted seduction on the sly is not what I call a friendship!

And of course, then there are friendships that are too epic for their own good, such as Main Khiladi Tu Anari.
And that, I think, is a good place to end this post on.

IFAC #8: Wayback machine to filmi year 2006.

Decided to shorten the title; I think everybody's pretty aware of my spamtastic December posting dealio.

This is a classification of 2006 films, taken from my livejournal. It was posted in late 2006, and represents my views back then - some might've changed but overall I pretty much feel the same way. Consider the context when reading!


Creme de la creme

Omkara
Lage Raho Munnabhai

Both films exceptionally clever, entertaining and worth rewatching (I've already re-watched both an unbelievable amount of times). These are my two top favourites of the year and both have those tiny little things I'd fix about them, they're still awesome cinema in my eyes. Omkara naturally more of the artistically ambitioned, drama-heavy type and LRM commercial comedy, but both have fantastic writing and directing behind them and top-notch performances.


OMG-worthy

Rang De Basanti - All around interesting, daring movie. Fantastic cast and soundtrack, plus no matter what you thought of the ending, it did leave its mark on the audience. Good writing, too - I connected with the characters pretty much instantly.

Being Cyrus - Had its share of flaws (no debutant director can make that great a film) but boy, was it good. I'm totally biased of course, as a fan of Saif and a fan of really odd, black comedy type of films, but all the same, this movie pretty much succeeded in what it was going for.


Jaan-e-Mann - Same as BC when it comes to debutant directors. Shirish Kunder might be a overcocky a-hole but JEM still brought something wonderful on the table. Fab soundtrack, hilarious moments, even good when it gets emotional. Severe flaws but still filled me with all kinds of glee; the parody and self-referential humor owns me.

Flawed but oh oh so dear to me

Fanaa - I think the hype killed this movie for many, which is sad, because when you love it, you just do it and all the bad stuff just seems unimportant. That is, they don't distract me from enjoying this movie. The fantastic performances and the grippingly angsty love story blew me away. It could be so much better, I'll admit, but I'll take it as it is, flawed and wonderful.

Good, enjoyable

Pyar Ke Side Effects - It's like Hollywood shipped their format of romantic comedy to Mumbai, when they realized they couldn't do anything with said format, and the Indians spun it into a fantastically entertaining little romantic film.

36 China Town - Mispromoted, funny film with a working cast, the least annoying Himesh soundtrack of the year. Convinced me that Shahid's okay, Kareena can be hilarious and that Akshaye Khanna can be smoking hot. Okay, the last one didn't need no proving but all the same. One minus remains Upen Patel.


Dhoom 2 - Abhithik hotness, hilarious stunts and Uday being a clown definitely made it a film worth seeing. The girls I could easily erase, except Bips on the second half maybe, and the soundtrack is madly catchy. Overall vapid as hell but still great fun.

Better luck next time!

Phir Hera Pheri - Hit all the right notes on the first half and all the wrong ones during the second. Not a bad sequel but still the worst of the lot.

Ankahee - Esha Deol's learning how to act! Yay! Sadly the movie is hopelessly boring on the second half.

Gangster - Style over substance. I liked parts of it, visually nice (I love 'em filters!) but still failed to impress. Damn catchy, though rip-off soundtrack, though.

Malamaal Weekly - Goddammit, Priyadarshan, can we stop with the copy game? This one provided a few laughs but the shameless copying takes away a lot of the fun in hindsight.

I'll pay you NOT to make any more movies

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna - I don't understand how a film can aggravate me so much. I really don't. Whatever positives there were, well, they didn't make it worth the annoying, dragging second half.

--

Thoughts now: Wow, I was strangely glued onto Bollywood in 2006! But then, it was all too easy to be, considering all the fantastic movies that came out then. I can't believe I saw Malamaal Weekly and the likes - what was I thinking? I remember being hugely opposed to the Don remake, and 'lo and behold, when I eventually saw it, I quite enjoyed it. Shows you how minds change with the times..

I still adore LRM, RDB and Omkara. Rewatches of Jaan-e-mann showed me that film doesn't really impact me as it did on the first watch. I am thankful for it, though, because it showed me how enjoyable I can find Akshay Kumar - this was I believe the first film what I loved him in. Seeing Fanaa again has shown me I still adore the film, if only for the incredible second half.

Been a long while since I last watched Being Cyrus. It's a good film, but not one to watch on a rainy day. Still, 2006 was perhaps the best year to be a Saif fan ...ever. Oh, the good old days..

Let's talk about ... R. Madhavan!

It isn't always easy to champion the little guy, but there are times when it truly pays off. Still, I do often ask myself, why is it that R. Madhavan, a talented actor who is also easy on the eyes, and with a handsome filmography behind him, is not as popular as he perhaps would deserve to be?

But let me first back up a bit. R. Madhavan is a Tamil actor who's also done a few Hindi films (Rang De Basanti, Guru to name the best). He debuted in Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey (later remade as Saathiya in Hindi) and has later collaborated with Ratnam on various occasions, producing perhaps his career's best works with the director. Married, vegetarian.. should you be interested in more biographical data, visit his Wikipedia page.

I have so many favourite performances of his to list. My first exposure was the aforementioned Alaipayuthey; the realistic struggles of the otherwise sweet married couple were touching, and while the film may have a few glitches, I was mesmerized by the chemistry, the performances, and the songs (Pachai nirame is one of the most beautiful Rahman tunes I have ever heard).

Then came Dumm Dumm Dumm, another romantic film, this time more comedic and Madhavan opposite Jyothika, my favourite Tamil actress then and now. It's hard to explain why I found him so appealing. The quality of the movies certainly helped, but there was something more to it. He had a presence on-screen that could be light and up-lifting (and my goodness, that smile) or pensive and darker, or various shades in between.

His villain in Ayitha Ezhuthu was disturbing and showed true range (of course, he is the least likely person ever to play a villainous role again), and while I won't even mention some of his early Hindi ventures, I cannot leave out Rang De Basanti and Guru. Both small roles, mere side characters in a way, but left such an impact on the movie, and hopefully its audience. (And if not, at least we fangirls swooned.)

Madhavan or 'Maddy' is a misfit, in a way. On various fronts, I think he will always be appreciated as a capable actor, I doubt he will ever hit mega-stardom, though technically he has all the right ingredients. But even for all his bilingual glory, Maddy simply just seems stuck in character actor pool in Hindi cinema, and not quite fitting the action hero roles of Tamil popular cinema, somewhat outcast there as well. Though I suppose it's possible Maddy is comfortable in his niche - a mix of masala and something more challenging every once in a while.

And if nothing else, I very much look forward to a DVD release of his best movie last year, Evano Oruvan. While I wait for that, I can always rewatch the song of the same name from Alaipayuthey. It was, after all, what made me fall in love with Madhavan in the first place.