Upendra, starring Upendra, directed by Upendra.

I went into Kannada director-star (titled "Real Star" in the Kannada film industry) Upendra's self-titled film (now there's a turn of phrase one rarely sees in cinema!) very cautiously. My relationship with the film maker has been one part awe, one part admiration or appreciation but also one part condemnation for the, shall we say, problematic elements in his films. 

In Super (symbol), I appreciated the wild imagination that brought the film its energy, but loathed the way that women were used rather predictably as nothing but mere symbols of the bigger picture. I also had a more minor problem with the message presented. In A, the "women problem" was even more prominent, though once again the film had enough interesting ideas that I didn't hate it - in fact, I'll probably end up rewatching it at some point. 

There is so much thought behind these films, I would never want to dismiss them despite the fact that I am deeply disturbed by the way Upendra treats his heroines. Like I said in my review of Super, it annoys me because I would hope that somebody who puts so much thought into crafting his stories would really think through his choices when it comes to portrayal of women. Upendra is not the only brilliant man who hasn't considered the opposite gender much at all, and he won't be the last, but I maintain my wish that it wasn't so. I wouldn't be so hesitant in recommending his films if women weren't thrown around indiscriminately to deliver ..no point whatsoever, really. To be fair, Upendra's heroes rough-house men as well, but it doesn't make it any more palatable. These are loud, eccentric films - but there's a way to do it without so much casual, pointless violence, and I think Upendra could consider that option.

However, and this is a fairly major 'however', I feel as if with Upendra (the film), I have reconciled my relationship with Upendra (the film maker). I feel like three films in, I finally understand him a bit more, and while those problems I have remain, I can look past them and appreciate his films on the level he intended. It was as if Upendra (the film) was a journey into the mind of Upendra (the film maker) and while I think out of his films, in terms of the story, I appreciate A the most, in terms of the message, I really came out liking Upendra (the film ..yes, I am aware of how confusing this continues to be!).

Upendra is a tale of Naanu (Upendra), an absolutely wretched, selfish human being. He doesn't believe in lying, so he exposes other people's hypocritical lives while  breaking every rule society has given him to break. Despite this, a young woman named Rathi (Damini) falls in love with him. However, she soon finds out Naanu has two other women in his life - he is pursuing the rich heiress Keerthi (Raveena Tandon) and has a wife (Prema) as well. Who will be choose to be with, and will any of the women have him?

The eccentric loudness makes the film actually quite difficult to watch, and the real experience actually only begins on the second watch. The first time, you feel as if you don't know where anything is headed - Naanu is your typical loud, violent, punch-dialogue-delivering Upendra hero, but the way he points out hypocrisies in society just isn't really all that logical. It's also really not that interesting. The juggling he does between the women in his life also starts to feel a bit dull after a while - he loves Rathi but wants Keerthi, but has obligations to his wife. 

Damini is possibly the weakest link in the cast - Prema and Raveena do well with their exaggerated characters, and Upendra of course doesn't need to do much to do what he knows to do in his films. It's a drag on the first watch, when one is still under the illusion that all these threads of story are actually headed somewhere fairly typical. Even once you find out the real purpose of the film, there is just so much slack.

I read somewhere that some press in India were upset over the vulgar portions of the film - there is pretty frank discussion of the hero spending time with prostitutes and other sexual topics. I didn't mind  these parts because they were there, but even in retrospect it is difficult to see their purpose.

And that's the real downfall of this movie - the purpose is so evident on the second time you watch it when it comes to some things, but not when it comes to others. I get the sense that Upendra (the film maker) often doesn't care what the audience that doesn't already love him, thinks of him, but there is much to be said for a slight toning down of the loudness to perhaps allow all of those who haven't previously enjoyed his films another look in. 

I think sometimes it's fine for a movie to be so much in your face with its everything - from the songs (lyrics penned by Upendra, unsurprisingly perhaps) to the acting, to the dialogue and even to the initial shreds of social message you may read into the film, and I wouldn't ask Upendra to completely abandon his style. Still, I think there's something to be said for taking it down a notch - less is more, that kind of thing. 

However, with all these criticisms, I really appreciated the final message of the film. I wish you could somehow remove the frillings and just focus on the point of the film. As it concerns the very end of the film, I'll have to slap a big SPOILER warning here right now. If you haven't seen the film, by all means, check it out if you think you'd like it. If you have seen the film, continue reading!

Wherein I cheat, address Misters Khan & Khan and explode from adoration: Andaz Apna Apna reloaded.

I've seen plenty of Indian movies, and blogged about a small margin of them, so the problem of posting is never really about lacking a movie to talk about. It's more about what I'm inspired to write about. And so, even though I've already discussed this movie, I'm going to talk about it again. And by talk, I really mean "gush".

So. Andaz Apna Apna. One of the few films where just looking at my collection of screencaps can send me giggling. This is truly one amazingly funny film, and I've loved it to pieces since I first saw it, as a very fresh Bollywood fan. I'd seen the movie mentioned countless times when the topic discussed was "best Hindi comedy ever" before I saw the film and even though there are as many tastes in comedy as there are people, I am pretty much inclined to agree.

Everything about it is just so delicious. From the first moments, the guest appearance by Juhi Chawla (as Juhi Chawla!) meeting Amar (played by Aamir Khan) and a romance developing between them, you start to see the great, parodic, not-too-serious manner that the film adopts. The way Juhi delivers those cheesy lines that Amar's filmi-addled mind is later revealed to have dreamed is very telling of the film's character; it's just loud enough to be hilarious in an outrageous way but yet with a certain subtlety that shows the wit behind it. The makers, the actors, they know what they're doing. The silliness is over-the-top, yet self-aware.

It's exactly that rare type of stupidity and intelligence mixed that makes AAA's formula so successful. That's not to say it's some kind of incredibly deep, layered movie with a message. It's still a comedy; I'd be stupid to say it wasn't. But there is something great about the type of devotion that the film gives to being parodic, self-aware and most importantly, a comedy. It avoids the "interval turn-around" completely - it doesn't suddenly decide to be a serious love story or a family drama. It does its thing and stays true to it until the very end.

The characters are all utterly dim-witted, but in a weirdly charming manner. Amar is a manipulative, scheming dumbo who wouldn't know sincerity if it hit him with a manner, but I love the character all the same. Same goes for Salman's Prem, who's more naive and sincere, but still determined to get what he wants (rich girl Raveena ..played by Raveena!).

I have a hard time thinking of favourite scenes or favourite lines simply because there are so many. In some ways I consider Andaz Apna Apna almost an exhausting comedy; it's just so funny, nearly all the time. It rarely stops to give you time to breathe - even the songs can be hilarious! When I put it on, I have to prepare myself to laugh my head off. Sometimes, something less funny and light may be more in order.

So what's this I hear about a sequel? I'm truly as torn as ever. On one hand I would love for another Khan-Khan collaboration and seeing as how well Salman and Aamir still get along, I think it would work, given the right script and movie. But whether that movie should be a sequel to Andaz Apna Apna or anything emulating its style, I'd have to say "thanks, but no thanks". The movie stands alone; there is no story to come afterwards, and re-making it, even with a lot of the key players, seems pointless. If it still works for modern audiences in its current form, why change it?

So, dear Misters Khhhan and Khan (should either of you be reading, you blogger people you!), enjoy your current success and by all means make a movie together, but don't bother making sure it's of the same breed as Andaz Apna Apna. Such scripts are one of a kind. A good original comedy I would gladly welcome, however. And if we truly mean to make some sort of AAA re-union happen, let's not forget to pull the ladies out of their pro-longed maternity leaves and get Raveena and Karisma into this project, as well (I always thought Raveena was a criminally underrated comedienne in the 90's). Paresh Rawal returning goes without saying, of course.

Before I leave you, I must link to the fabulous write-up of the film by TheBollywoodFan, that explains a lot of the cultural comedy references woven into the movie.

Oi maa!

Introducing Sakshay, part IV: Keemat

Okay, so technically we are clearly past the introduction stage but this is how the series started, so it is also how it will end. And That New Movie is releasing Friday so I thought I'd finish this series quickly. Let me once again remind you; the movies are listed from bad to better. So second last equals - second best.



While maybe not the most representative, this copy/paste DVD cover of the film Keemat: They Are Back (any film with a subtitle like that is worth good money, isn't it?) is just so magnificent I could not resist. You've got the guys, you've got the girls, you've got Akshay's cowboy hat - everything promises a good time.

Keemat stars Saif and Akshay as two orphans and best friends, raised by the same loving alcoholic adoptive father. They grow up to become first class thiefs and cheats, whose hearts are - of course - in the right place. The story kicks off when they witness a murder of a young man, and find a letter to his parents in his pocket. For whatever reason, the duo decides that they should be the ones to relay the news of the man's demise to his folks, and so they travel to the village and pretend to be the guy's friends to his parents. This may sound unimpressive to you, and quite frankly, it is. But don't worry, you will not be watching it for the story.

The movie is really more a collection of really awesome moments than a comprehensive story. The plot isn't even bad enough to make for campy watching - it's just quite frankly boring most of the time. But who cares when there is so much goodness in between. Leg-on-fire fight scene is a legend in itself, and the songs never fail to amuse. I even quite like Johnny Lever in this movie. Saif-Akshay chemistry is effortless and awesome, but what also impressed me were the performances of the heroines.

Raveena Tandon plays a girl who tricks Saif and Akshay, but understandably after having witnessed Akshay's heroic fighting skills, she falls in love with him. He doesn't care for her, but she's determined. Saif on the other receives the affections of Sonali Bendre, a shy village belle (complete opposite of Raveena's outrageous city girl!). The girls are funny and fabulous, and to watch their interaction is just as fun as watching Sakshay on-screen.

So what would my edit of the movie include? Every song (like the magical O meri chhaila in the above picture), every time Akshay has an action scene, every time Raveena is on screen, when Saif's character has a turn-around, every Sakshay interaction scene and .. oh heck, if you never watch the whole movie, watch this song as it's impossible not to love it.