Ok. After enjoying Saif Ali play the perfect 'villian' in Omkara and Arshad Warsi liven up a hatke Anthony Kaun Hai, I find myself not exactly running to watch a "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.." kind of story. Sorry, Karan Johar. I'll have to pass. The formula just doesn't appeal to me.3 and a half hours to tell what seems a normal story..hmmm. Honestly, not many of the present Hindi offerings on tv seem to be wetting my mind's taste buds.. maybe "Woh Lamhe", but thats just cause I'm getting a huge crush on that actress,Kangana( in pic) after such a lovely performance in Gangster. I don't know. Some people just make acting seem so natural. On the other hand, actresses like Aishwariya and her mini version, Sneha Ullal, seem to act real hard just to appear natural.. it just feels so weird.
That's one thing I guess I find bridges the gap the most between Hollywood and Bollywood. Sure, the $200 million budget vs Rs 12 crore budget is a factor, but it's the "non-acting" acting that so many unacclaimed Hollywood stars bring to their movies that stuns me. It isn't like Bollywood where not many can carry a film on their shoulders..there, a good story will shine. There is no compulsion to dance around the lakes, intimacy means intimacy, not trees and 20 backup dancers who look hotter than the lead actress!!
In the last month, by compulsion or coincidence, I've come across so many good oldies from archives that reflect on how good Hollywood can be..see if you agree with me on these lovely movies with no/ minimal graphics and just a taut storyline:
- Shawshank Redemption
- K-Pax
- Big Fish
- Forrest Gump
- The Green Mile
- Jerry Maguire
- The Notebook
- The Sixth Sense
- The Object of My Affection
- Seven
Other films like Gladiator don't make the list purely because their budget excludes them..the point is these are movies that are so beautiful yet they would never work in India which is too busy churning out the " original humor/love first ,half-blood gore revenge second half" storylines ..
Speaking of which - saw a new Bollywood trailor of ( I think the name was ) Naksha - a Sunny Deol-Viveik Oberoi starrer ( ooh! 2 good reasons not to watch already.) Well, it looks like a Indianised Indiana Jones movie..that's relevant only because thats the exact theme of my next post.. a visit with a friend a week ago to a land that time forgot.
Till then, write in and tell me, what are some amazing movies that have left you thinking and moved.
Here are a couple of more movies that you should try to get your hands on...
ReplyDelete- To Kill a mockingbird (Old B&W movie based on the Harper Lee novel)
- City of God (not to be confused with the Patrick Swayze starrer City of Joy)
- The usual suspects
- Crash (this one really deserved the oscars that came its way)
I guarantee u wont be disappointed... :)
Saw KANK....Horrible!!!!
ReplyDeletehmmm one movie which i really appreciated and i bet very few would have ever heard abt it is Air Traffic Control
ReplyDeleteOther movies would be City of Angels, the Bourne Supermacy, No Man's Land
@mogamboo..
ReplyDeletesomehow i knew it would be!!
@ TLW & Saikat..
Eagerly awaiting Crash, though i dont see it appearing in any theatres here..may as well buy the dvd and watch it straight off.
And saikat, havent seen Air Traffic contol or No mans land..the others were really good.
Very nice picks!
ReplyDeleteFirst, saw KANK..pathetic. But then I never should have gone since I hate sob family dramas smeared in gloss like the ones Johar makes. Anyaways since it was with a friend it was bearable.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, i agree with u Rosh, Kangana is a natural. Her drunkun ramblings in gangster was so natural and the pain that she portrayed was mindblowing...
KANK was horrible, lost 4 hrs of my life and a few million brain cells..damn u karan johar!!!
ReplyDeleteseriously... wat demented mind wud possibly wilfully inflict so much pain on itself as to first decide on seeing kank (thoo thoo... just getting the taste out of my mouth...thats another thing i despise ... abbreviations on movie names fillin 4 pages..pretty soon we will be seeing abbreviations that make sense (what am i saying!!)...like KHOON - Kabhi Hum Ooo Ooo Nahin, now that i have vented my anger in 2 brackets...) and then seethe at having seen it. please... dont watch the movie for crissakes.. u r just giving the karan (spit) and his damned ilk more reason to come up with tripe like this. gives me the bleddy shivers.
ReplyDeletehaha..boy!! something tels me Karan ain't gonna be inviting me to the premiere of his NEXT movie..till now have yet to find anyone who like it, yet rediff says its a mega hit abroad..sigh!! Shows my point - in India, films dont have to be good to work.
ReplyDeleteand BTW u have the ulimate 'dishonour' of being in my fav blogs list now
ReplyDelete@nikhil.
ReplyDeletethanx. I'm so touched. I'd like to thank my parents, my teachers , my dogs, my friends, my enemies and all the others without whom this honour would not be possible. sniff sniff.