tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post7734194129694541347..comments2024-03-09T15:11:29.350-08:00Comments on Exotic and irrational entertainment: Vivah and Aaja NachlePessimisissimohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-9526222500356469642008-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:002008-09-18T08:44:00.000-07:00Daddy's Girl, thanks once again for your kind word...Daddy's Girl, thanks once again for your kind words. I haven't yet seen <I>Jab We Met</I>, but all reports are good and I'm looking forward to seeing it someday. (It's been on our "indefinite wait" queue on Netflix for ages.) <BR/><BR/>Your <A HREF="http://ilovelovelovedharmendra.blogspot.com/2008/09/sooraj-barjatya-music-and-melodrama.html" REL="nofollow">post on Sooraj Barjatya</A> is very thoughtful; you really nail what's both problematic and appealing in his films.Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-79655987322222955832008-09-17T20:52:00.000-07:002008-09-17T20:52:00.000-07:00Great post, I love the description of 'Vivah' as p...Great post, I love the description of 'Vivah' as porn for parents. So accurate! I loved both 'Vivah' and 'Aaja Nachle' although like you, I am well aware that both are far from perfect. Cliched and super-sweet, but somehow still enjoyable. Incidentally, I just posted something on 'Vivah' on my blog, as part of a piece on Sooraj Barjatya's work. Have you caught Shahid (with Bebo) in 'Jab We Met'? He was pretty good in that too.Daddy's Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14679564351145843434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-56956524172835877982008-07-12T14:55:00.000-07:002008-07-12T14:55:00.000-07:00Bollyviewer, my apologies for responding to your c...Bollyviewer, my apologies for responding to your comment late and out of sequence.<BR/><BR/>I haven't seen <I>Hum Saath Saath Hain</I>, but HAHK had me groaning aloud at my television screen in sheer disbelief. Somehow, though, <I>Vivah</I> managed to sneak under my cynical defenses and burrow deep into my mushy sentimental core. I can't guarantee, though, that it'll have that effect on anyone else.<BR/><BR/>And I agree that the ensemble cast is a big reason that <I>Aaja Nachle</I> succeeds. Like you, I found that approaching the film with extremely modest expectations meant that I could be pleasantly surprised. My partner and I wound up re-watching the Laila-Majnu show three or four times; it was pretty brilliantly put together (if also obviously requiring the resources of a Bollywood studio rather than a community theater). I still can't get the haunting "Ishq, ishq" music from the finale out of my head--alas, I think it's not on the soundtrack album.Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-4106437345638373582008-07-10T08:20:00.000-07:002008-07-10T08:20:00.000-07:00Bookish, it's only one of the many contradictions ...Bookish, it's only one of the many contradictions and inconsistencies in my character.<BR/><BR/>I would point out, though, that Bollywood movies (and Baroque operas) usually make their heroes and heroines suffer for three hours before the happy ending occurs in the last five minutes. And sometimes (as in <I>Mughal-e-Azam</I> (1960), or <I>Umrao Jaan</I> (1981), or <I>Devdas</I> (2002)) the happy ending never arrives, while in others (<I>Kal Ho Naa Ho</I> (2003), or <I>Veer-Zaara</I> (2004), or <I>Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam</I> (1998)) the ending is bittersweet.<BR/><BR/>So perhaps my taste is not entirely contradictory. And hey--I also enjoy Ingmar Bergman films!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-65720546790572354392008-07-09T22:29:00.000-07:002008-07-09T22:29:00.000-07:00I love the fact that, despite giving yourself the ...I love the fact that, despite giving yourself the title of "Pessimisissimo," that you are so in love with bollywood films!<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-81096074415150981312008-07-07T23:24:00.000-07:002008-07-07T23:24:00.000-07:00I havent seen Vivah but if its anything like Hum A...I havent seen <I>Vivah</I> but if its anything like <I>Hum Aapke Hain Kaun</I> and <I>Hum Saath Saath Hain</I>, then my reaction to it will match Ajnabi's. The insane goodness of every character would drive me to watch <I>Silence Of The Lambs</I> just for variety!<BR/><BR/><I>Aaja Nachle</I> was a fun movie, though more because of its supporting cast than due to Ms. Dixit. I too, thought she seemed a bit less-at-ease with the camera than before her hiatus. I went to the movie prepared for some mindless, cliched entertainment and a glimpse of La Dixit's megawatt smile and wasnt disappointed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-41743154434443665532008-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:002008-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:00Memsaab, miraculously I didn't find either of thes...Memsaab, miraculously I didn't find either of these films to be cloying. (And I definitely did have that problem with Barjatya's HAHK.)<BR/><BR/>Partly it's that the performances in both are relatively understated: there are no eye-rolling villains (even the bad guys in <I>Aaja Nachle</I> have senses of humor) and few scenery-chewing Big Scenes. And partly it's that vision of the world that they offer--where people are unfailingly caring and kind (<I>Vivah</I>) and where communities can band together to save things of value from the forces of greed and homogenization (<I>Aaja Nachle</I>)--is so appealing. And partly it's because the music in both is very good, and makes the films seem better as a result.<BR/><BR/>Ajnabi, I understand how <I>Vivah</I> might have driven you up the wall. And perhaps when I watched it I was just in a receptive mood. (I also watched it spread over four evenings, so that the unrelenting goodness of all the characters but one never became oppressive.) <I>Aaja Nachle</I> is fun, and even though it's predictable and a few loose ends are never tied up, watching Madhuri in action again is a real pleasure. But remember--this is the opinion of someone who actually enjoyed <I>Vivah</I>.<BR/><BR/>Beth, thanks for the kind words. Of Barjatya's other films, I've only seen HAHK, which (a few Madhuri moments aside) left me pretty cold. So my positive reaction to <I>Vivah</I> surprised even me. As to whether you'll find it interesting, you might want to take Ajnabi's comment into account. <I>Vivah</I> seems to radically divide opinion.<BR/><BR/>I agree that Shahid is great at portraying boyish charm, and his role in <I>Vivah</I> largely plays into that strength. Plus, he's a terrific dancer. His performance through most of the film is extremely good. There are a few shots, though, where he's clearly trying to smolder, and it doesn't really work. Fortunately, smoldering is not what his character is about. <BR/><BR/>So I'd say it's worth a watch, but don't hate me if your opinion of the film is closer to Ajnabi's than mine.Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-50091958560609634062008-07-06T11:18:00.000-07:002008-07-06T11:18:00.000-07:00Wooooooonderful idea about reality and fantasy coe...Wooooooonderful idea about reality and fantasy coexisting!I'm going to have to mull that over. "Porn for parents" - bwa! perfect! I'm not sure this is one for me; I split evenly on Barjatya's other films; I was about to ask "is in actually interesting?" when I got to your line about it at least (my words) being beautifully photographed. <BR/><BR/>And oh god, Shahid being sultry. To me his appeal as a star is that he doesn't need to try that kind of thing - he's got lots of other talents to offer. I've only seen a few of his movies, but I sense that most directors would be wise to use him for the obvious reasons; only someone very clever and with a very good script might play off of those characteristics in a winking way. I might be biased because one of the first impressions I ever read about him was that he tries to hard to be SRK-like, who is of course great at playing off his typical personal.Beth Loves Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-55542234222389556762008-07-06T10:28:00.000-07:002008-07-06T10:28:00.000-07:00Vivah made me want to pull my hair out and scream ...Vivah made me want to pull my hair out and scream with frustration at the unrelenting goodness of every single character but the aunt. I'm cynical and cruel, yes. However, Aaja Nachle sounds like great fun. I think I'll add it to the queue.ajnabihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296593338690811213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-43444508336665580332008-07-06T07:18:00.000-07:002008-07-06T07:18:00.000-07:00I still haven't seen either one of these, although...I still haven't seen either one of these, although I am not at all averse to sticky-sweet candy in film form.<BR/><BR/>There are just too many movies and not enough time!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com