Showing posts with label Farhan Akhtar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Farhan Akhtar. Show all posts

Aug 7, 2011

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara




I put on the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara soundtrack today to chase away some rainy day blues.

A week ago I wouldn’t have given that CD a second thought.

In all the excited buildup to Zoya Akhtar’s sophomore film I felt like the person who got left behind at the rest stop and didn’t really mind.  I was psyched for the trip but the further we got the less enthused I was feeling.

“Zoya!  Farhan!  Hrithik!  Abhay!  I’ll pack my stuff!”

“Spain!  Hmm…this is starting to look like a tourist brochure…maybe I’ll just come for a few days.”

“Katrina’s coming?  Ugh.  Fine.  Look, I’ll tag along but I’m not going to be nice to her.”

“What the hell is this music we’re listening to?  No.  No, I’m good.  You guys go ahead, I’ll hitch a ride home.”

And then I saw the film.  And I fell in love.  

Was the film flawed?  Yes.  

Did I completely forget every criticism I had of the film five minutes after I left the theater?

Yep.





I hesitate to even continue typing at this point—this is my third attempt to capture a piece of what I felt after viewing ZNMD and I’m finding it impossible.  I just erased four thousand words of…of what, exactly?  Fawning praise of some camera work and criticisms that don’t need to be explained.  We all know the gentle negatives of the film: the intro was too long and fluffy, the characters live in a world of wealth outside the reach of most of those who will see the film, it veered dangerously close at times to being a commercial for the Costa Brava.


So why am I listening to Der Lagi Lekin with tears in my eyes right now?

It’s because regardless of how artificial ZNMD’s world is, I know that the film is right.  Those characters are right.  They did something we all need to do—they figured out how to let go and live in the moment.  

Is that cheesy?

Maybe.
 
Is it important? 

Absolutely.


The film centers around Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), Kabir (Abhay Deol), and Imran (Farhan Akhtar), but the main character, without a doubt, is Spain.  Director Zoya Akhtar said she initially had Mexico in mind for the location but I think she made the correct choice with Spain.  Having had my own Spanish adventures I can say that the transformative effect of that Barcelona air isn’t just movie magic—it’s real.  So real that I sometimes remember the smell of a rainy day spent wandering around Parc Güell and it puts me in a good mood for days. 



ZNMD was full of little surprises.  The first was Katrina Kaif.  It’s no secret that I’ll often flat out refuse to see a film if she’s in it, so little do I regard her, erm, “talents,” but she was so natural here that I actually found myself liking her.  I’m inclined to think she’s either a director’s actress or that she just isn’t at all suited to the type of acting required in your typical Akshay Kumar film (who I love, bless his heart, but that brand of cheesy film making requires a certain kind of actress and Kat doesn’t have what it takes for them).



The second (major spoiler alert here) is the treatment of Imran’s reunion with his father.  It would have been easy (and lazy) to throw together a happy scene where the son embraces his long-lost father and all is well in the world, but Zoya isn’t lazy.  Imran (played perfectly by Farhan, who for me had the standout performance of the film) struggles with the idea of meeting his father and when he finally does it isn’t a loving scene.  There are no clichés here, just honesty: Salman (Naseeruddin Shah) didn’t want to give up his life to raise a child, so he left, and tells Imran he feels no remorse.  It’s this second rejection that provides Imran with the emotional release he needed.  Just as Arjun’s  life changed when he overcame his fear of the water, so too did Imran’s as he moved past his fear of meeting the man who abandoned him.


And what was Kabir afraid of?  Two things, as it turned out.  For most of the film we’re led to believe he was afraid of getting married, but things aren’t always as they appear.  He isn’t so much afraid of marriage as he’s afraid of not getting married, and the disappointment of his family that would follow.  He’s afraid of breaking Natasha’s (Kalki Koechlin) heart.  While Arjun’s transformation is more outwardly noticeable (going from uptight, obsessed career man to a dreamy man in love), Kabir is more complex.  As he argues with Natasha (first at a distance, then in person as she joins the boys out of jealousy and suspicion) the easy going personality of Kabira (as his friends lovingly call him) is chipped away, revealing a man just as much in need of catharsis as his companions, perhaps even more.

I hesitate to compare Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara to Luck By Chance; where LBC was so plot driven and focused on the complex relationships between characters, ZNMD is more introspective.  They're vastly different in their scope, though I will say that as much as I admire Hrithik as an actor, I found him more effective in LBC, where his time on screen was a fraction of what it is in ZNMD.  He's so imposing that he almost overshadowed Abhay and Farhan, and while I was interested in Arjun's story line, it was Imran who I wanted more of.  Farhan was stellar in his portrayal of a man who jokes his way through life as a cover for pain that he doesn't want to talk about.  Abhay was the rock of the film, playing parent to Arjun and Imran and finally coming to terms with the decision he had to make.  Hrithik and Katrina had wonderful chemistry, as did Farhan with Ariadna Cabrol, the Spanish actress who plays  his love interest.  I couldn't have been the only one who wanted their post-love scene Spanish/Hindi conversation to go on forever.

I want to say there aren't enough words to describe how moved I was by Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara but that's not true.  I just threw out the three thousand odd that I had left from previous review attempts in favor of these, which are all that are necessary:

It's beautiful.  Go see it.


Jun 14, 2011

I'm Back! And an Assortment of Random Things I'm Looking Forward To

It's been a long time since I've posted here hasn't it?  I have a bit of an excuse--I was in Jamaica, playing bridesmaid in the wedding of one of my best friends (and meeting so many fantastic people!), then in San Juan, Puerto Rico, exploring Old Town and getting a wee bit tipsy (true story) with some more friends, and then finally on a Caribbean cruise with my dad and sister.

I'm so spoiled.

 Congratulations Danielle and Omar!  <3

Anyways, now I'm back, and I'm slowly catching up on all the awesome (and not so awesome) goings-on in Filmiland.

What's not so awesome?  Ready.  I'm soooooo over hearing about Ready.  I'm just...not interested.  Asin's great and Salman's occasionally entertaining but when you watch three or four trailers in a row for a film and are still hard pressed to remember what it's about...well, that's a bad sign.  Looks like another mass-produced formulaic bore.  Yawn.

What's awesome?  I'm glad you asked.

This is awesome:





Let's talk about this. Because I wasn't super excited when I heard about the project, and I wasn't super excited when someone sent me the trailer. But then I watched it. And I watched it again.  And I decided I was kind of intrigued.

Politics of Love is about an Obama campaign worker (played by Mallika Sherawat) who falls in love with a McCain campaign worker.  Craaaaaaazy, I know.  And not just any old McCain campaign worker.  A black McCain campaign worker (I know I know, but it's a movie so it doesn't have to be realistic.)

Anyways...drama drama, etc etc.  It's your standard girl meets boy, boy happens to work for the spawn of Satan film where everything works out in the end with the help of sassy family and friends and a "can't we all get along" speech (or not...I haven't seen it but I'm assuming there'll be one of those in there somewhere).

So why wasn't I super excited about it?  Because even a few years later I still have freaking Obama fatigue.  I'm one of those super liberals who isn't really an Obama fan...you know the drill.  Anyways.  I wasn't sure how much "zomg isn't Obama amazing?!" I could take in one two minute trailer, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The fact that I was able to set my political fatigue aside and get (albeit oh so briefly) involved with the rest of the trailer is a good sign.  I'm not a big Mallika Sherawat fan either but I'm willing to give this a try.

Plus, come on, Loretta Devine?  I fucking love her.

Continuing with things that are awesome, let's talk about Chammak Challo.  You know the one.  Akon doing his thing on a track that got leaked and made Shahrukh Khan cry?

Three things.  First, this track is HOT.  Like...I've listened to it a hundred times in two days hot.  Second, a note to SRK: if it makes you feel at all better, I had absolutely no intention of seeing RA.One at all until I heard Chammak Challo.  Now I'm willing to go just to check out the picturization.  So see?  Life's not all bad.  :)  Third, Akon could become a Bollywood playback singer in a heartbeat.  His Hindi sounds better when he sings than mine does, and I've been studying Hindi for damn near five years now.  If he and Vishal ever did an album together...just sayin'...




Akon. So hot right now. Akon.

Ahem.  Moving on...


Another trailer, this time for Breakaway, the new Russell Peters/Rob Lowe film about a desi ice hockey team.  Think The Mighty Ducks meets Bend It Like Beckham.  It has all the things I look for in a film: Rob Lowe, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, and Sikhs on ice.







And finally, the official trailer for Aarakshan is out, and it looks like a humdinger.  I'm excited to see Saif finally do something that looks interesting.  Add in the riveting Prateik Babbar and you've got a film I'm dying to see.



Not a bad group of things to be excited about!

There is one thing I'm starting to get a little nervous about, and that's  Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.  I have exceptionally high hopes and expectations for Zoya's second film, based on both how absolutely amazing Luck By Chance was and on the ZNMD cast.  Other than Katrina Kaif, the film has a cast you simply can't go wrong with.  Hrithik, Farhan, Abhay, and Kalki are all favorites of mine and are phenomenally talented.  And of course I'm drawn to anything set in Spain.  Which brings me to my concern:



Spain. I love it. The best times of my life have been in Spain. Every once in a while I swear I can still smell it.

And I'm afraid that it's about to be turned into a film cliche. La Tomatina? Running with the bulls? I worry that my beloved Spain is being used as an exotic backdrop rather than as a legitimate character in the film.

That, along with the fact that I'm horribly underwhelmed by the soundtrack, is bringing down my expectations just a little bit. Who knows, it could end up being a phenomenal film. But I'm getting a bit worried...


Oh oh oh!  Forgot to add the trailer for My Friend Pinto, which looks HILARIOUS and stars Prateik Babbar (swoon) and Kalki Koechlin (total girl crush).  I can't wait for this one!

May 30, 2010

Song of the Day--Sapnon Se Bhare Naina (Luck By Chance)



I can't get enough of this track!  If you haven't seen Luck By Chance yet, get on it!  It's a really well acted film with a unique storyline, great dialogue, and, as evidenced by this song, a fantastic soundtrack.  (Plus Farhan looks crazy hot and there's a great plot featuring Hrithik Roshan!)
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