Aladin (movie trailer review)

ALADIN
Now this one I was waiting for a long time . . I missed the trailer which was uploaded on You tube . But I m happy as I heard it was a trailer minus the effects & music. My expectations had gone way beyond when I heard the comments on the trailer by those who have watched it on youtube . Finaly I saw the Trailer of Aladin in a News Channel .

I had already mentioned in a blog article http://pronefilmviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/looking-for-5.html , that story of Aladin & Genie is my favorite . Plus the fact that it is being helmed by Sujoy Ghosh makes it even more exciting . So here is the oral summary of the first look of the eagerly anticipated Aladin .
The trailer starts with the Sfx’s being shown with imageries of a fictional land & then Dutt’s character with a cool moustache Ring Master is introduced who rubs the lamp & calls Genius . We are then introduced with AB’s genius with music playing in the background . Then We are taken to some more fantasy SfX created land . We finally get to see Alladin Chatterjee (interesting) termed as the loser having a jig at an Akshay Kumar number after perhaps seeing the Heroine for the first time . This also results in Jacqueline Fernandes seeing Reitesh doing an Akki . To which Ritesh explains that the pelvic thrust goes with the mood of the song . This scene is quite funny . We are then taken to the real crux of the story Genie & the 3 wishes , followed some more Sfx’s & song scenes Then Dutt asks perhaps Genius to kill Alladin . We also have Reitesh calling the whole Genie & 3 wishes stuff to be a children story in between & not believing in it .
Now I m a trifle disappointed as I expected the promo to be out of the world . Perhaps my expectations from the trailer was huge, so I wouldn’t have been satisfied with anything but the best . The background score is disappointing as it should have had a sense of fantasy & mystery to it something on the lines of score of Harry Potter .A portion of the SFXs too looked quite like SFX rather than a part of a reality . But as I said I am expecting too much from this movie . The promo starts very well as the Sfx used in the initial scenes are good till that really funny scene between Retiesh & the heroine .The promo ends well too . Only the background & one or two Sfx scenes are the iffy ones . A part of the Sfx where smoky figures erupt reminded me of the classic ghost dance from Satyajit Ray's cult fantasy 'Goopy Bagha series movie' .It would have helped if they would have shown Ringmaster a little later along with Genie just for effect in the trailer .But the look of all principal characters especially Ringmaster is cool .
Anyway I m sure to watch this movie first day First show as it looks a kickass fantasy with lots of humour which will also push the standard of special effects in India . Hope it reaches the same heights Like 'Goopy Bagha' series did

3 ½ /5
watch aladin trailer on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm56IEZ7clo
& check whether you agree with my trailer review

story of 3 trailers - wanted , factory & rashee

WANTED
Wanted is an extremely important film for Salman who needs a hit . This one has been helmed by rubber man of India Prabhudeva & has been produced by Boney Kapoor . Like all Kapoor movie this one too is a remake of Prabhu Deva south movie Pokiri .
The film’s promo starts well , then goes wrong with chessy 80’s style voice over & scene that look like a ditto Southie remake . Sample this Salman takes a bite of a chips which results in a mild earthquake , in another scene stone take a stagnant pause in air & Salman kicks it to hit the villain , extremely Southie indeed .But I did like one of Salman’s dialogue shown in the promo here – ‘commitment dene k baad to mai bhi khud ko nahi rok sakta’ . This one is sure to be a fun ride for Ghajini fans I believe .
Expect for the voice over , everything else is quite good & decent .

2 ½ /5

WHAT'S YOUR RASHEE
Ashutosh Gowariker is back after just a year or less with another movie .Ya that is quick . It seems that one of my favorite filmmaker wants to stay in news all the time . That is after his initial outburst against fellow colleagues at Award Ceremonies , Ashu is here with the first Look Of his new venture ‘ What’s your Rashee’ .
This one is a very small & simple trailer with a unique visual appeal where we see Mr Baweja appearing like Maine Pyar kiya ‘s Salman Khan with an average title song playing in the background. We also see the astrological wheel depicting astrological signs. Astrological signs also appea& Disappear from the screen showing its importance in the script . Then finally we have Priyanka & her 12 different avatars each symbolizing what every astrological zodiac sign stands for .
Well one thing is for sure that even tough the first look is simple , I m pretty sure that the film will be good & well made since such a seasoned filmmaker is making it . Even though this is the weakest from Ashu as far as star power is concerned , you cannot undermine that the finances have come from UTV who promote their movies in an unique fashion , most of which don’t have stars , yet end up earning money .

2 ½ / 5 for the uniqueness of the trailer .

ACID FACTORY
This one is staright out of factory Not Ramus But Sanjay Gupta ‘s . Stylish this factory has an interesting mix of actors . From the brilliant ( Irfaan , Manoj , Danny) to good actors ( Diya Mirza & Aftab) ending up with non actors like (Dino & Fardeen) . Helmed by Suparn Varma whose first film’Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena’ I thought was a nice stylish effort , this one promises to be high adrenaline kick ass action movie with lots of style.
The promo starts of with a factory being shown& then we are directly taken to be introduced to the ensemble cast each doing some daredevil action scenes with cars crashing & a good thrilling background soundtrack . . I just hope all the action & style is backed has some substance ,as it is the only thing missing in people who are heavily inspired from Gupta’s style of cinema . One Problem , you get very little idea what this movie is all about from the teaser .

3 /5

looking for 5

This year has been a disappointment as far as quality of movie is concerned . only some genuinely good films have arrived the others have all been disappointing .The proof of that is that just 5 have somewhat worked this year out of which 4 were good movies Dev D ( Good,technically solid , great performances & intrepertation) , 99(Good Breezy, Funny), Raaz(well written & directed ) ,& of course New York (Good) .there were some movies genuinely good that didn’t work at the BO – Gulaal( my favourite so far) , Billu(rare clean entertainer) , (wonderfull) . But over all this year has been a disappointment as far as quality is concerned . inspite of this there is hope as some films are still to arrive that could get the audiences happy again . Here are 5 I m looking forward to :-

1.KAMINEY (releasing 14th August)
Dhan te dhan. Its rare why nobody had ever imagined to use these words for a song as it has been a part of Hindi masala movie culture for such a long time . This is going to be Vishal’s classic . the first promo itself as well as the song has set the adrenaline rushing . Shahid’s new look ( he is slowly starting to become a dependable star) & Priyanka’s variety along with a host of unknown stars . I m especially looking forward to the brilliant actor of Benagali Cinema Rajatva Dutta as well TZP writer Amol Gupte as part of this largely unknown ensemble cast & who the hell is that actor with Shahid in the song . clearly a lot of new actors will be discoveried after this movie releases . its going to be an epic .

2.LOVE AAJ KAL (releasing 31st July)
Imitiaz ali the name itself signifies quality ,so doesn’t matter who he picks as actors , I want to watch his movies . His takes are fresh & original ( damn those people who are calling this one a copy , why would he do it now after getting a success from originality) the first look is superb & bold , so is Saif’s Punjabi look .the music is different & superb . I just keen to see what he does with Deepika who is not known to be a performer . After the first 2 his take on love stories is always welcome as the others are bogus as is mentioned in his promo –‘yeh heer Ranja , Romeo Juliet sab logao ko chutiya banane ke liye hai’

3.ALADIN ( Diwali Release supposedly)
This has been one long wait , but I don’t think that I m going to miss this one . the name Aladin itself alarmed me as Aladin &his genie are my favorite cartoon characters . So Sujoy’s modern day adaptationhas to be well made as there are many like me who have grown up on Aladin stories . What has interested me more is his blog on Aladin where he has shared some wonderful articles on the making . his blog shows he is top writer , so my expectations are high from Sujoy’s modern day fantasy as far as the script is concerned

4.BLUE(diwali release)
Now this too has been a long time . India’s first underwater film has Akshay the best action star in India in it . So obviously this one will be a far cry from his recent B grade entertainers . Some of the photos I have seen on the web of this movie has excited me more than enough . With Lara & sanjay & a budget of 100 crores as well as a adman AnthonyD souza helming , it is bound to be well shot . I just hope it has a script as most action filmmakers tend to forget that aspect .

5.AASHAYEIN (not announced)
Another late comer , but I am a huge Kukunoor fan & hope he reclaim lost glory post Tasveer after this . This film is of a genre of human drama that Kukunoor has always specializes in Dor , Iqbal plus John recent improvement & the claim of it to be his best performance till date has relay has me excited . The first promo which was out quite a long time back has got me even more excited . Hope it releases soon

So here is my list . if you have your own list please mention it . The more the better .

new york(review)

the infiltration of reality into designer world

New York is one of the bravest attempt coming from the Yashraj stable . Aditya Chopra has only been attributed as the story writer for the film & to be very fair the film does have a predictable story line .Well you cant blame him for lack of ideas as he is always hidden & reclusive to the world to watch it closely . The film talks about the Muslim point of view in U.S.A post 9/11 . How the most civilized world lost their humanity at the first sign of global danger i.e. Al Qaeeda . Now the Muslim Plight has been brilliantly showcased in the movies like the outstanding Aamir , But 9/11 & America’s reaction to it has not been depicted in Hindi cinema before . So inspite of having a predictable story , the setting is new . That’s exactly what works for New York . What also works for the film is the friendship track in the university . The track with wonderful song ‘Junoon’ playing in the background creates a sense of strong emotions for the characters especially for Neil’s character that lingers on even in the most dramatic scenes featuring Neil . In the same way the big twist though on expected lines works well because the torture scene preceding it has been shot extremely
But thank God New York has been helmed by a Kabir Khan & not a Aditya Chopra or else we would have seen a 3 hr plus movie with loads of melodrama & songs .All these factors would have doomed the movie as it is of completely different genre in contrast to the Romantic epics that Aditya is known to make . Thankfully Kabir Khan comes from a raw & Real school of filmmaking , a facet that we saw in his extremely unique & quirky first attempt Kabul Express . Kabir Khan has a very simple style of story telling , no props , no unique camera angles , just let the story do the talking So none of the songs are lip -synched but are used as backgrounds to set the moods of the scenes , the pacing is fast & important scenes are superbly shot like the John Abraham’s big revelation scenes or the torture scenes .
realistically . It also helps to give John’s character the meat that it required .
Where Kabir Khan does well again is his choice of actor in the most important role of the film . Jus like his choosing of the brilliant Arshad Warsi in Kabul Express ,here too he goes for the superb Irfan Khan for the role of an FBI agent who creates the game which takes the story forward , Irfaan also has also has to mouth some very topical lines as regards to conveying the main message of the movie .Though in the hands of any other actor such lines could have gone into preachy territory , it is Irfaan’s natural talent that he makes all the lines real& restraint .

Though Kabir is not a director who can be called as an expert in extracting great performances from all his actors , which explains the indifferent performances from the 3 leads which varies from brilliance to plain ordinary(the 9/11 scene & their reaction to it is one such example of such inconsistency , seriously the expressions there was quite wooden in sharp contrast to what should have been the case after seeing such a heinous event happening supposedly so close to them) . It was quite expected though as non of the actors are known to be performers & it is after all their 1st attempts at full fledged serious roles .So inspite of the fact that one cant call it a complete performance they still surprise you in many of the scenes . Look at John Abraham , in an effort that can be termed as a performance from him after a long time instead of his regular kind of roles where he has to show the audience his Abs ( sometimes more than that) &just look good , he shocks you in the second half especially the sophistication & ease he brings to his dreaded character .It is easily his best effort till date & his constant improvement & choice of intelligent subjects as a way to enhance his career shows that one day John will be counted as an actor & the wooden tag will be removed , a change that has happened with many other actors ( for Example a certain MR KHiladi)
The same goes for Neil who has trappings of someone whom will evolve into a fine actor & inspite of the fact that he has got lots of scenes with Irfaan he comes out with flying colors expect for the few glitches here & there , it is a fine effort for somebody doing his third film . Katrina largely plays a supporting role to the 3 men , but surprises one as well in her first performance oriented role , yes she still has issues with dialogue delivery , but she has been aptly cast has the sunshine ( ever smiling) girl in the movie .A word for the actor who plays who is brilliant & a complete natural , I wonder why such talents are not highlighted by the media
Having said all the nice deserved things about New York , there is one glitch which I want to covey & that is the glorification of the anti-social . For some reason at one point unintentionally I might add we start rooting for the anti-social rather than the law enforcers , which is a dangerous situation at times especially the message that the makers is trying to convey through this movie . It is quite dangerous in times like these when violence is prevalent in every corner of the society .
3/5

paying guest(review)

Hindi film industry has always been a formula industry . If one simple idea works they start churning out similar 100 more concepts until it becomes rotten enough for a new formula to be invented . It was evident from the era of Angry young man Mr Bhachan where his screen image was utilized by number of filmmakers to the hilt . such precedence was also observed when Hum AApke Hai kaun was declared a hit . The formula was such a hit that more & more replicas were created , some even gave rise to generation changing directors like the elusive Aditya Chopra & the magnanimous Karan Johar .But these are famous examples of Hindi cinema’s masala culture .
Of late a new kind of shortcut formula has emerged .These is how it goes2,3or sometimes 4 good for nothing guys getting stuck in an unusual circumstances which gets the writer an opportunity to bring gag after gag . There are also unnecessary boring subplots because the main plot cannot make 2 & a half hour movie ( read Golmaal , Dhamaal , Hera Pheri , No Entry) So, we have the actors doing just about anything to make the audience laugh to compenstate for the lack of screenplay & ideas . There is also a touch of glamour thrown to make way for song in the shape of heroines many of whom are struggling in the acting department . Then there is the baap of the formula where in the climax you have all the actors coming together making a circus for an over the top end where you are supposed to fall off laughing (a la Priyadarshan school). Now all these movies mentioned in the bracket are the superb interpretations of the formula – cult classic . there are many who have got it terribly wrong (n Dhol , Apna Sapna Money Money) .

Paying Guests falls in the latter category a one line interesting theme is made into a screenplay as a comedy but fails to evoke any laughter & whatever is there has already been shown in the promos . It is supposedly taken from a play , but it hardly looks like one as it seems somebody has tampered with it to make it feel like an old 8o’s trash masala comedy . So you have the Sindhi , Bengali & Punjabis that we used to see in the 80s making appearance in this one with the same hamming it up kind of a language . Songs are thrown in for non reason as dream sequences , the old hindi movie treatment .The jaane Bhi Do Yaaron kind of a climax fails to evoke any laughter but feels like a children Drama Skit that is going on . What doesn’t help are the actors Javed Jaffery is his usual ham king hamming it up like anything , Ashish & Vatsal are support performers , the glamour quotient is quite bad – Riya Sen ( go to acting school ) , Neha Dhupia ( stick to Mithyas , you are a better actor than this ) , Celina & the other actress are poor . Paintal & Chunkyhams it up & would give tough competition to Javed Jaffery .The only saving grace is the honest Talpade (but he is getting repetitive) & Jhonny Lever as well as the sparkling Delnaaz .
This is yet another dud from Subhash Ghai who has lost all glory with only Iqbal as a shining light in his production house . For a man who was one of the better formula filmmakers his bank account seems to have expired since the old formula had become extinct from cinema , yet he still is dreaming in 80’s era instead of looking ahead . Soi many of his contemporaries have done that Yashraj is producing Chak DE , Kabul Express , Raj Santoshi is going for differebt ideas & creating super movies like Khakhee . Its time Mr ghai wakes up & smells the coffee as he has himself directed & produced one bad commercial potboiler to another . Wake up Sir .
`1/5

the saviours of cinema?

The recent news circulating that the famous Pankaj kapur starrer T.V sitcom Office Office is being made into a film has got me thinking .Now I don’t quite know that wether Office Office does have the appeal to translate into great cinema . But it is a great concept , something that as usual , Hollywood has already started with Sex & The city & many more soaps coming with their film version . For Indian cinema it might be a new step but it could well turn out to be successful as the filmmakers have a readymade story & a fan base which has enjoyed the show on television from before . This may take Hindi Cinema out of the recent slump thanks to the lack of good content . Now unfortunately for filmmakers Indian television today is known for its lack of any content , most of it is derived from bad 80s movies & are generally regressive in nature , something which is sure to keep the multiplex audience at bay .But inspite of this it has produced some original gems which have turned out to be TRP winners as well . So I decided to put together
some popular serials that are great movie potentials in my view . Here a list of soaps that can be turned into movies according to me as also my choice of actors who should potray them :-

1.Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai
Premise – a witty & humorous tale of a rich high society family that has some of the finest characters written on Television .From the High society lady in Maya Sarabai to the extreme opposite middle class daughter-in-law Monisha , The sarcastic Indu Sarabhai to The maa da ladla Roshesh . And finally the peacemaker in the family who bears the brunt of the family’s simple feuds in Sahil Sarabhai . this one has all the promise & material to be recreated into a hit & witty family movie .

Cast – the same cast which have depicted the characters on television & why would you want to change the set of brilliant actors in Satish Shah , Ratna Patak Shah , Sumeet Raghavan , should be retained . the role of Roshesh should be either played by the same actor or by someone like Sharman Joshi , Sumeet’s wife Monisha’s role should go to someone like Rani Mukherjee or Asin to add a bit of star power . Some more new characters can be added to the movie as well to make it interesting . But don’t remove the deaf phoopha who gives Indu a run for his money from the scheme of things .

2. Hum Paanch
Premise – the Queen of bad serials Ekta Kapoor best & most successful attempts . This tale of 5 daughters & a hassled father . the fathers woes are added by the presence of his 2 wives – a dead one who talks to him through her garlanded photo & the alive wife who encourages all the naughtiness of her daughters . In the age of women repression & female infanticide this serial could make a great comic film as well as giving many social messages .

Cast – the strong woman activist elder sister should be played by Kajol , Vidya Balan should reprise her role of the nerdy , deaf second sister , the bimbette with no brain can be played by Sonam kapoor , Genelia d’souza should play the tom boyish fourth sister . Rishi Kapoor or Boman Irani or Pankaj Kapur should play the hassled father’s role . While Shoma Anand should reprise her role as the supportive mother . The dead mother should be played by a senior actress like Dimple Kapadia .

3.Circus

Premise – a circus party breathing its last with the ever decreasing popularity coinciding with the fading health of the owner & his sons confusion wether to move on or keep his fathers dream project going is stuff that could make any bollywood drama fail . Best remembered for being one of Shah Rukh’s first few baby steps in television before his advent into cinema . Circus was extremely popular at that times thanks to its believable characters & dramatic content & the old ambience that a circus party would put together


Cast – would love to see Big B in the father’s role & Ranbir in the son’s role . need to cast good actors in the supporting cast

4.Shararat
Premise – Kids love the magical comedy of 3 fairies who stay in the human world with their secrets unrevealed except to their respective husbands . While their powers are being monitored by a God fairy . While there is naughty naani , a mother , a hassled father & their beloved Jia the young fairy who keeps messing up by doing the magic wrong . Add to it is Shanti aunty the neighbor who keeps asking for stuffs . Again great characters can make a good movie & this one will surely attract the kids .

Cast – Would not even think of getting anybody else then Farida jalal ,Shoma Anand & Daisy Irani reprising their roles . While the mother can be played by Juhi Chawla with Prachi or Amrita Rao pitching in as the sweet Jia . Kunal Khemu or Arjun Singh should play Jia’s boyfriend & Govinda should play Jia’s father in its filmy avatar .

5.Tehkikat
Premise – My last choice is the hit Doordarshan detective series starring Vijay Anand & Saurabh Shukla . The show was extremely popular at its time . And with terrorism , political corruption ever so increasing this is the best time for
detective concept like this in cinema .

Cast – I would have loved to see Mr Vijay Anand back in hsi role . but since the great man is not there anymore , I would like to see Amitabh Bhachan or Naseerudin Shah playing his larger than life role with Shukla joining him as a continuation of his character .

So these are the serials that can be conceptualized or remade in cinema . It was difficult naming it out of the many ordinary stuff that exists in Indian T.V. today . I hope content on television improves & creates many more such 5 gems & help those filmmakers who cannot write anything original .

WILL EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR END ON KASHYAP THIS TIME ?

'EMOTIONAL ATYACHAR' this happens to be the part of the lyrics of a song in the new movie of the eccentric Anurag Kashyap Dev. D - a modern day interpretation of Sarat Chandra s Devdas . Having seen & heard of Anurag 's quirky sense of cinema I wonder what would he do to the novel & its premise. I had just heard Anurag in an interview that he hated the novel & its hero , so keep your fingers crossed for another atom bomb from this 'destructive genius' . I just wonder sometimes
had Sarat Chandra been alive how he would have been able to take this new interpretation of his most famous creation . he surely would suffer a second heart attack if the recent dialogue promo is anything to go by where dev is asking paro for a nude photo of hers . the great writer would have had already suffered a first one after the watching the gloss & glamour over the top interpretation by Sanjay Leela Bhansali where he had torn apart the novel . but I m sure that with his sense of cinema he wont be going for the over the top or melodramatic section & would make something which will get acclaim everywhere .
I hope his interpretation works like all the others before this has. As if there is anyone who needs a hit is Kashyap .there are 4 reasons why a maker like Anurag should be encouraged . he is a wonderful writer & has great potential to be one of our greats . he is a rebel with a cause who can change Hindi cinema with his rebellious ideas . he doesn't shy away from saying whatever he wants , the way he wants . he is one of those few who doesn't think of the so called commercial diktats or star power while he is writing or making a film.
His films are a great example of this . I mean the amazing & hard hitting uncensored dialogues of Black Friday . the scene between K.K. & Abhihjeet Srivastav in the remand room still gives me goose-pimples & there are many more of such scenes in this brilliant film .
One of his most entertaining movies is his animation flick ' the return of hanuman . It really surprises me that that it is not so much acclaimed as Black Friday as it is one movie which makes the Indian Gods cool . the characters are presented in a mordernised manner breaking away from the trashy Doordarshan gods that we have been
seeing since the 90s & even exists in many hindi movies now (Anybody seen the God in Atul Agnihotri 's Hello) .the spoofy monkeys on SRK & Rajnikanth etc was a real stroke of genius as well, I have also heard that he is starting a superhero film so that would be interesting to see the realistic maker attempting a fantasy superhero him
I am pretty sure that the man will give us a quality. film this time too .The only thing that would prevent this maverick filmmaker from making a good film is his suffering from the same diseases that Aamir had in Ghajini & forgetting that there is an audience who will pay for watching his movie , if he goes for his individualistic ego trip & makes another No Smoking . I mean what the hell was the movie all about . if any filmmaker has to explain in interviews after its release what he/she has tried to say through the movie then he has failed as a filmmaker . I hope that is not the case . Infact I m sure it is not the case by looking at the promos being showcased on television that Anurag has a sensible story for a normal audience to watch .
Anurag is a great filmmaker who deserves a hit for its daring approach to cinema . Hope Dev D hits the bulls eye & gives Anurag the much needed taste of success that has eluded him so far . .