tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post3798362974177541120..comments2024-03-09T15:11:29.350-08:00Comments on Exotic and irrational entertainment: Favorites of 2014: Bollywood and HollywoodPessimisissimohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-5383870449561798762014-12-30T19:14:20.947-08:002014-12-30T19:14:20.947-08:00Miranda, as you point out Bhansali's films all...Miranda, as you point out Bhansali's films all have lush visuals; the first time I saw <i>Devdas</i> I found it to be almost hallucinatory. But you're also right that in his weaker films, the visuals aren't enough. Music is another element I'd call attention to. HDDCS has great musical numbers (and Aishwarya Rai's astonishing dancing), and <i>Devdas</i> has songs that are exceptionally well integrated into the narrative and convey crucial information (not to mention both Aish and Madhuri Dixit.) I wrote about how carefully <i>Devdas</i>' musical numbers are structured in <a href="http://exoticandirrational.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-defense-of-devdas-movie-everyone.html" rel="nofollow">"In defense of <i>Devdas</i>, the movie everyone loves to hate."</a> Although the music and dancing in <i>Ram-Leela</i> isn't quite at the level of those earlier films, it's still one of the film's strengths--perhaps because Bhansali clearly took Ismail Darbar's scores for HDDCS and <i>Devdas</i> as his models.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-9364629231748867492014-12-29T20:31:27.308-08:002014-12-29T20:31:27.308-08:00Agreed that early Hema is just no end of fun. I ha...Agreed that early Hema is just no end of fun. I haven't seen Tere Mere Sapne, but if I can get past the Dev factor, I will. <br /><br />Ram Leela is really about the chemistry and the visual world. All of the Bhansali films that I've seen seem to have the latter, but I wonder if the first is missing in the ones I dislike (Saawariya). The chemistry was the only thing that got me through HDDCS, too. I think his films lack in the plot department, with the exception of Devdas, which has literary bones propping it up. <br /><br />Miranda https://www.blogger.com/profile/13418800569507952654noreply@blogger.com