Monday, September 04, 2006
Munna Bhai meets Hrishida
The difference is reducing! The gap between my last post and the one before that was 30 days. My present post is being written 26 days after the last one. At this rate, I am sure to reach an optimum average of one post a week in around six months. Yahooooo!!!
Don't have anything in particular to write, have been kept quite busy by work, and hence have hardly had any time to myself. But one of the fringe benefits of working in the entertainment industry, especially a Hindi film channel is that watching the much-anticipated big releases becomes a must! Hence, saw KANK on the night it was released, and the same was the case with Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Enough has been written about KANK in various fora by a variety of commentators, and there is really not much that I can add to pan the movie! Two anecdotes are all that I want to list down:
a) While watching the film, heard 2 girls, sitting in different parts of the hall, say aloud the same thing: "I wish I had a husband like Abhishek(the character)!
b) Towards the end of the movie, when the soporific title song is playing, I simply dozed off for 5 minutes! I know it is pretty insulting for any film, but I just couldn't help it!
Lage Raho Munna Bhai, on the other hand, was everything that I was expecting, and more! I have said it before and I am saying it again, Vidhu Vinod Chopra is one filmmaker who is a genius in the art of storytelling. Even when he produces a movie, you can clearly see his stamp on the film. But Rajkumar Hirani deserves full credit for scripting and directing this modern masterpiece. What a film! More than anything else, the reason I loved the film so much was that it is so 'Indian' in nature! The values that we grew up on- the values of honesty, non-violence, unconditional love, being happy at small things, that somewhere went missing in our mad rush to overtake the world...those values find a place of pride in LRM! That's about as feel-good as it can get! As for the acting- Sanjay Dutt rocks as Munna Bhai(as usual), Vidya Balan proves that Parineeta was no fluke, by playing one of the most lovable female lead characters in recent times. But it is Arshad 'circuit' Warsi who is the real star of the film. Simply brilliant- amazing timing, voice modulation, and expressions. Just listen to him in the brilliantly picturized 'Samjho ho hi gaya' song, you'll understand what I am saying!
Hrishida passed away last week. No, I did not know him personally, but it seems like someone very close to me is no more. His movies have made me smile for so long, it seems as if he used to make movies for me, so that I could laugh when the chips were down. His movies have made me cry so often, it was almost as if he understood that my emotions needed a vent! Amitabh Bachchan acted in 8 films directed by Hrishida, the most he did with any director(jointly with Manmohan Desai, and he did some of his best work, some of it not very widely known) with him. Most of us have seen him in Chupke Chupke, Abhimaan and Mili. See him in Alaap if you ever get the opportunity! No one could make Dharmendra look as good as Hrishida. If you don't believe me, watch Anupama and Satyakam! Rajesh Khanna was a superstar, but he was a great actor only in Hrishida's films like Anand, Bawarchi and Namak Haram(All right, I admit, he was very good in Asit Sen's Khamoshi and Shakti Samanta's Aradhana and Amar Prem also, but you get the picture!)
Rajkumar Hirani openly admits that the Munna Bhai series is spiritually inspired by Anand and the whole genre of Hrishida movies. Somehow, his statement doesn't surprise me! May your soul always keep smiling Hrishida, and thanks for all the smiles that you gave us :-)
Don't have anything in particular to write, have been kept quite busy by work, and hence have hardly had any time to myself. But one of the fringe benefits of working in the entertainment industry, especially a Hindi film channel is that watching the much-anticipated big releases becomes a must! Hence, saw KANK on the night it was released, and the same was the case with Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Enough has been written about KANK in various fora by a variety of commentators, and there is really not much that I can add to pan the movie! Two anecdotes are all that I want to list down:
a) While watching the film, heard 2 girls, sitting in different parts of the hall, say aloud the same thing: "I wish I had a husband like Abhishek(the character)!
b) Towards the end of the movie, when the soporific title song is playing, I simply dozed off for 5 minutes! I know it is pretty insulting for any film, but I just couldn't help it!
Lage Raho Munna Bhai, on the other hand, was everything that I was expecting, and more! I have said it before and I am saying it again, Vidhu Vinod Chopra is one filmmaker who is a genius in the art of storytelling. Even when he produces a movie, you can clearly see his stamp on the film. But Rajkumar Hirani deserves full credit for scripting and directing this modern masterpiece. What a film! More than anything else, the reason I loved the film so much was that it is so 'Indian' in nature! The values that we grew up on- the values of honesty, non-violence, unconditional love, being happy at small things, that somewhere went missing in our mad rush to overtake the world...those values find a place of pride in LRM! That's about as feel-good as it can get! As for the acting- Sanjay Dutt rocks as Munna Bhai(as usual), Vidya Balan proves that Parineeta was no fluke, by playing one of the most lovable female lead characters in recent times. But it is Arshad 'circuit' Warsi who is the real star of the film. Simply brilliant- amazing timing, voice modulation, and expressions. Just listen to him in the brilliantly picturized 'Samjho ho hi gaya' song, you'll understand what I am saying!
Hrishida passed away last week. No, I did not know him personally, but it seems like someone very close to me is no more. His movies have made me smile for so long, it seems as if he used to make movies for me, so that I could laugh when the chips were down. His movies have made me cry so often, it was almost as if he understood that my emotions needed a vent! Amitabh Bachchan acted in 8 films directed by Hrishida, the most he did with any director(jointly with Manmohan Desai, and he did some of his best work, some of it not very widely known) with him. Most of us have seen him in Chupke Chupke, Abhimaan and Mili. See him in Alaap if you ever get the opportunity! No one could make Dharmendra look as good as Hrishida. If you don't believe me, watch Anupama and Satyakam! Rajesh Khanna was a superstar, but he was a great actor only in Hrishida's films like Anand, Bawarchi and Namak Haram(All right, I admit, he was very good in Asit Sen's Khamoshi and Shakti Samanta's Aradhana and Amar Prem also, but you get the picture!)
Rajkumar Hirani openly admits that the Munna Bhai series is spiritually inspired by Anand and the whole genre of Hrishida movies. Somehow, his statement doesn't surprise me! May your soul always keep smiling Hrishida, and thanks for all the smiles that you gave us :-)
# posted by Obi Wan @ 1:53 AM 
Comments:
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I have so enjoyed this post of yours.You have brought out the emotions so well.Thank you for such a lovely read.I am happy to see you are optimistic about the bridging gap in your blogging.
Me first!! :D
The gap is reducing?! hmm.. well, what can I say, except, your optimism is truely inspiring..;D
The gap is reducing?! hmm.. well, what can I say, except, your optimism is truely inspiring..;D
Second :) Just last week, hubby and I saw a series of Hrishida movies (as memorial service) and we were discussing something on the lines of what you wrote... Amol Palekar in these movies represented the endearing Indian middle class. Now, we either have a Hrithik or a 'Bhai'... has the Indian middle class disappeared?
Welcome back after a month!!! I am planning to watch Munnabhai this weekend hopefully.
@cloudy: the middle class doesn't have much relevance except for buying like crazy or for votes and finally for cribbing about everything :-)
@cloudy: the middle class doesn't have much relevance except for buying like crazy or for votes and finally for cribbing about everything :-)
@Obi: This is too much, even for someone as busy as you. You'd better respond to the comments. Or else..
EU: Thank you thank you :-) As for the bridging of the gap, there's many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip!
Sunshine 1: Congrats :-) And thanks!
cloudy: Well done(re: watching Hrishida movies). The very fact that you paid this tribute to Hrishida proves that the Indian middle class and its values, are still alive!
tcp: True, we exist only to be exploited, but maybe, just maybe, this will change some day!
adi-1: :-)
adi-2: I am back! Regarding your Munna Bhai experience, I'll check it out on delhidreams asap.
prachi: Oye, tu bhi blogging karti hai???
sunshine-2: See, how much I fear the wrath of some people. Here I am, with comments :-)
Sunshine 1: Congrats :-) And thanks!
cloudy: Well done(re: watching Hrishida movies). The very fact that you paid this tribute to Hrishida proves that the Indian middle class and its values, are still alive!
tcp: True, we exist only to be exploited, but maybe, just maybe, this will change some day!
adi-1: :-)
adi-2: I am back! Regarding your Munna Bhai experience, I'll check it out on delhidreams asap.
prachi: Oye, tu bhi blogging karti hai???
sunshine-2: See, how much I fear the wrath of some people. Here I am, with comments :-)
arj kiya hai,
arre irshad to boliye...
haan,
ji,
aap aye hamare blog pe,
ye khuda ki kudrat hai,
kabhi hum apne blog ko,
kabhi apki comment ko dekhte hain...
arre irshad to boliye...
haan,
ji,
aap aye hamare blog pe,
ye khuda ki kudrat hai,
kabhi hum apne blog ko,
kabhi apki comment ko dekhte hain...
aft dat really boring sher last time, i dont hav much to say, but i think the one post a week dream is still dat... a dream
kya hoga anu ka???
kya hoga anu ka???
heyloz.. TV industry genius.. hows it going.. me bak to blogging after ages.. and first thing i did? seriously, read ur posts i had missed in the gap!! :p
@Obi: Hmm.. let me guess, this time you are going to post something on October 1st or 2nd or 3rd and claim "the gap is reducing".. ;-)
Speaking of Hrishida, I recently watched 'Chupke Chupke', which was recommended to me by Beth, who told me that you recommended to her... I loved it (and not just because of Dharmendra's role!). I've also seen 'Mili', 'Abhimaan' and 'Bawarchi', and loved them all. Do you think there are any possible successors to this kind of masterful, simple, fresh, character-driven yet profound type of filmmaking in Indian cinema? Hrishida movies make me feel so nostalgic, even though I'm not Indian.
I m a new visitor on ur blog..i got link from TCP.as i m also a movie buff,i went thru ur post on hrishida..it was nice to see something written over such a nice film maker..modren cinegoers might b puzzling abt hrishda's valuation but the movie lovers who have seen Anupama,satyakam,Bawarchi,Milli,Golmal,Chupke Chupke r well aware of the genious of hrishida..he was certainly a movie maker for typical indian middle class audience..indian middle class mentality which is degrading at an exponential level due to adulateration and adoptation of western culture n traditions....n this effect is reflecting in movies also..
Nowdays majority of makers r preferring western shock values to tempt audience..unusual topics such as extra marital relations,illicit relations and other abnormal and unusual topics r being picked up to glorify them..no one is choosing topics to glorify the great indianness.. .all r serving western cocktails..there are also reasons for tht as older wise r dying and new fools r replacing them.Now directors,actors,producers r not coming from indian grassroots..new generation is taking cine industry just as another bussiness where profit is more imp thn any other aspest.Now actors and directors r not rising up from traditional middle class..now money makers r capitalising the idustry and polluting it with western mix.
Movies like Koshish,Parichay,Anupama,Bawarchi are obselete and so do the makers..if there exists some renowned name thy also lost their track and preferring ongoing means..recent example is Yash Chopra banner which produces movies like Neal N Nikki..
Anyway its a long debate..will write more on ur future blogs..well try to visit my blog also at www.comic-guy.blogspot.com u will also find something on hindi cine music makers.
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Nowdays majority of makers r preferring western shock values to tempt audience..unusual topics such as extra marital relations,illicit relations and other abnormal and unusual topics r being picked up to glorify them..no one is choosing topics to glorify the great indianness.. .all r serving western cocktails..there are also reasons for tht as older wise r dying and new fools r replacing them.Now directors,actors,producers r not coming from indian grassroots..new generation is taking cine industry just as another bussiness where profit is more imp thn any other aspest.Now actors and directors r not rising up from traditional middle class..now money makers r capitalising the idustry and polluting it with western mix.
Movies like Koshish,Parichay,Anupama,Bawarchi are obselete and so do the makers..if there exists some renowned name thy also lost their track and preferring ongoing means..recent example is Yash Chopra banner which produces movies like Neal N Nikki..
Anyway its a long debate..will write more on ur future blogs..well try to visit my blog also at www.comic-guy.blogspot.com u will also find something on hindi cine music makers.
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