tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post7140793640578862614..comments2024-03-09T15:11:29.350-08:00Comments on Exotic and irrational entertainment: Why Lagaan and Rang de Basanti didn't make my list of favoritesPessimisissimohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-61403273334406064862009-12-11T09:08:05.252-08:002009-12-11T09:08:05.252-08:00Memsaab, I'm very glad that you pointed out ho...Memsaab, I'm very glad that you pointed out how good A. R. Rahman's songs are--it's something that I inexplicably neglected to mention in my post. The Lagaan soundtrack often winds up on lists of the best Bollywood soundtracks of all time; for example, it's #34 on Planet Bollywood's <a href="http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=031407044048" rel="nofollow">100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever</a>, and #6 on the BBC Asian Network's <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/features/top40_soundtracks_10_01.shtml" rel="nofollow">Top 40 Soundtracks of All Time</a>.<br /><br />Alas, even the excellent songs don't make me feel impelled to watch the entire film again, which was one of the criteria for making it onto my list of favorites.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-49121297321690473862009-12-10T12:06:56.139-08:002009-12-10T12:06:56.139-08:00I don't like RDB either, although I love Lagaa...I don't like RDB either, although I love Lagaan.<br /><br />I agree that some judicious editing of the "Big Game" would have improved it, but I was still enthralled (and like you, experienced some real "Aha!" moments as to the rules of the game).<br /><br />But the overall acting, ambience and SONGS just make Lagaan a film I can watch over and over (maybe with a little ff action here and there, but that's what that button is for) :)memsaabhttp://memsaabstory.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-23151033809008638132009-12-07T23:13:08.826-08:002009-12-07T23:13:08.826-08:00Filmbuff, I can't speak for North American aud...Filmbuff, I can't speak for North American audiences as a whole, but for me the lengthy cricket sequences in <i>Lagaan</i> were actually interesting because they helped me to understand how the game is played. <br /><br />Unfortunately, though, as you point out, it's not really a film about cricket. Since that's the case, the 90 minutes of screentime that are devoted to the match seemed excessive (and as I wrote above, to those familiar with sports films the outcome is a foregone conclusion).<br /><br />Thanks, though, for your perspective!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-61512836843222618052009-12-07T20:00:13.686-08:002009-12-07T20:00:13.686-08:00I really liked both Lagaan and RDB and if i were t...I really liked both Lagaan and RDB and if i were to make a list like you, these two films would be part of that list although I do appreciate your pov about these films. <br /><br />I think North American audiences may not find cricket based movies so appealing - i guess the same applies to us in the rest of the world wrt Baseball. Lagaan of course is much more than cricket per se. Without going into details, I would say that I like the many dimensions of Lagaan apart from the excellent performances and the music. I agree with Bollyviewer about the love angle bet Bhuvan and Elizabeth which quite did not fit in but that is a minor squabble.<br /><br />I personally think RDB was the best 2006 movie.Filmbuffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-53515751004205486782009-12-06T21:10:08.385-08:002009-12-06T21:10:08.385-08:00BollywoodFan, of course I realize that as the Boll...BollywoodFan, of course I realize that as the Bollyblogosphere's most ardent and articulate Aamir Khan fan you don't share my point of view on either movie. And of course your perspective is equally valid, and more eloquently argued. <br /><br />I will say that, while <i>Lagaan</i> may have been innovative for Indian viewers, for North American viewers the Big Game sports film has a very long history, from <i>The Freshman</i> (1925) to <i>Knute Rockne, All American</i> (1940) to <i>Damn Yankees!</i> (1958) to <i>Rocky</i> (1976) to <i>Breaking Away</i> (1979) to <i>The Natural</i> (1984) to <i>Hoosiers</i> (1986) to <i>Bend It Like Beckham</i> (2002) to <i>Miracle</i> (2004) and many, many more. It's not that I don't like cricket; it's that the tropes of the Big Game sports film are so well-worn. <br /><br />Embedded as I am in North American culture, I found many elements of <i>Lagaan</i> to be formulaic. I fully understand that Indian viewers may not have the same history of sports films to compare it to; but again, my post was an explanation of why the film is not one of my personal favorites.<br /><br />As for RDB and the idea that its last three minutes somehow provide a balance to its preceding three hours, and that this section indicates that the film is really advocating Gandhian nonviolence...I respectfully disagree. I think that the martyrdom of the group at the radio station <i>is</i> romanticized, with swelling music, former enemies clasping hands under a hail of bullets, weeping friends outside, etc. <br /><br />I fervently hope that you're right in your assessment of the impact of the film on young people in India. (And it's clearly not only Indian society that is flawed, corrupt, and has failed to fulfill its promise to the vast majority of its people.) But again, my post was not about the potential impact of the film in India, but about my personal response.<br /><br />I do thank you for posting your own perspective on these films, though, and I would urge interested readers to check out theBollywoodFan's posts on <a href="http://thebollywoodfan.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-makes-lagaan-special.html" rel="nofollow"><i>Lagaan</i></a> and <a href="http://thebollywoodfan.blogspot.com/2009/01/rang-de-basanti-2006.html" rel="nofollow"><i>Rang de Basanti</i></a> for a passionate and thoughtful advocacy of both films.Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-48895657151746716262009-12-06T20:30:11.428-08:002009-12-06T20:30:11.428-08:00Bollyviewer, I agree with you that the parallel th...Bollyviewer, I agree with you that the parallel that RDB attempts to draw between the freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad and the modern-day post-collegiates that are the focus of the film is extremely strained. You're right to point out that the actions of the freedom fighters were informed by detailed political philosophies that they had developed through reading, debate, and life experience; the characters in RDB seem to be unreflectively reacting to events.<br /><br />As for <i>Lagaan</i>, I realize that as a North American viewer, I'm going to miss many dimensions of the film. Lots of people love it, and challenging that appreciation is the last thing I want to do. I'm merely saying why <i>Lagaan</i> didn't make my list of favorites. And I agree with you--the English characters are the least convincing aspect of the film (although, I have to admit that the scene between Elizabeth and her brother after he's learned of her aid to the villagers is pretty great).<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-76862433026530565382009-12-06T09:46:25.218-08:002009-12-06T09:46:25.218-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11296407098387050782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-19929533342514241432009-12-05T22:52:39.868-08:002009-12-05T22:52:39.868-08:00Add me to the list of people who do not appreciate...Add me to the list of people who do not appreciate RDB. Love how you've listed all the things about the film that also troubled me. Plus, I resented Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra's attempt to equate these silly young men with Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. The latter were extremist freedom fighters, yes, but they did not take up violence in a moment of petulance or out of a spirit of revenge! <br /><br />I must admit to liking <i>Lagaan</i> a lot, though. Guess I am a sucker for David vs Goliath romances, and this one is so much more than a mere sports movie (it draws a lot from <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083284/" rel="nofollow">Victory</a></i> - another sports+patriotism film). By bringing in the evil British vs patriotic Indians (uniting against a common enemy), I guess it pushes all the right buttons for an Indian! And I loved the part where Bhuvan makes fun of cricket, when he first sees the Englishmen playing. The only thing that I felt did not belong in the story was Elizabeth falling for Bhuvan. It was as if Bhuvan's "hero"-ness had to be re-inforced - like it wasnt enough to have him save the villagers (against their inclinations), ALL the women had to be in love with him, too!bollyviewerhttp://bollyviewer-oldisgold.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-66591917777172002282009-12-05T20:13:28.670-08:002009-12-05T20:13:28.670-08:00Ness, it's good to know that I'm not the o...Ness, it's good to know that I'm not the only one unmoved by RDB. There are those who appreciate it, though; you might want to take a look at <a href="http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/lagaan.html" rel="nofollow">Philip Lutgendorf's essay</a> before deciding whether you want to revisit it.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-60205987639821570412009-12-05T17:44:50.948-08:002009-12-05T17:44:50.948-08:00Before I had 'discovered' Bollywood, I thi...Before I had 'discovered' Bollywood, I think Rang de Basanti was actually one of the first Hindi films I ever saw - that, and Water (I used to review foreign films for a local student newspaper). Loved Water, HATED RDB, to the point I switched it off about halfway through, and never knew how it ended until your spoiler. I've always meant to go back to it, having seen a few more Hindi films now, and see if that context changes anything or if I still really hate it (I just found it really slow and boring!).Nesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12107616228716988730noreply@blogger.com