October 29, 2005
East is East, and West is WestFilm
And maybe one day the twain shall meet and produce a decent film. I’m not holding my breath, though. The Hindustan Times reports on a recent spate of Bollywood/Hollywood joint ventures. First up is Mumbai-based Percept Pictures, which recently announced plans to co-produce Ram Gopal Verma’s first “exclusively American” film, entitled Within:
The English-language film will reportedly be set in a Manhattan apartment peopled only by American characters.Within will obviously be a significant first for RGV, but it is likely to be quickly followed up with Ek, a sweeping espionage thriller featuring Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan with a clutch of Hollywood actors. [link]
A Manhattan apartment peopled only by American characters? Do they have to pass a citizenship exam to enter the building? According to Verma, “Within will revolve around the fear factor that is present within each one of us, while Ek will be based on nuclear terrorism.” I personally had no idea that a “fear factor” was present within me. I hope it doesn’t make me eat cockroaches or something. Verma said that casting has yet to be finalized, and did not name the Hollywood actors involved. Will he be able to land a Hollywood heavyweight like Ali Larter?
Larter’s film Marigold, which some of you may remember as last year’s Holly/Bolly collaboration of the moment, starring shirtophobe Salman Khan, is apparently scheduled for release in February. If the unconfirmed but irresistible gossip of the Calcutta Telegraph is to be believed, Khan’s performance impressed the director enough to land him a second job:
William Carroll, director of Salman Khan starrer Marigold, has cast our favourite compulsive undresser in his forthcoming project, a Wizard of Oz remake aimed at teenagers. Khan is rumoured to be playing one of Dorothy’s companions on the yellow brick road. [link]
As if the prospect of watching Manhattanites eat cockroaches in their apartment while the Bachchans père and fils save the world from nuclear terrorism as Salman Khan sings “If I only Had a Brain” weren’t enough, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will also be joining the international party:
In yet another extremely significant development, Sony Pictures has decided to produce Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next film, a teen love story titled Saawariya. Indications available so far suggest that the film will be a typical Bhansali product - unabashedly melodramatic and riotously colourful. [link]
A collaboration between the man who brought us Devdas and the studio that brought us Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo? I for one am intrigued. But wait, there’s more:
Among the several Indo-US co-productions already in the pipeline, Manish Gupta’s Karma, Confessions and Holi looks fair to be the one that will be the first to hit the screen.Being produced jointly by Saregama Films and Hollywood’s Drena De Niro (superstar Robert De Niro’s adopted daughter), Karma is about four New York couples that meet on weekends to share their innermost feelings with each other as their jaded relationships amble through nothingness.
Karma has three sets of characters - fresh-off-the-boat Indian migrants, born-in-the-US Indians and White resident Americans. Manish Gupta, a New York-based IT software professional-turned-filmmaker who debuted with Indian Fish in American Waters, is of course working with a mix of Indian and American actors on the new film. [link]
If listening to 3-4 self-absorbed couples talk about their jaded amble through nothingness doesn’t sound like your cup of American chai, there’s also the first film from the American Pride Films Group. Attentive Mutineers might remember that American Pride is the production company of former GOP babe of the week Namrata Singh Gujral. Their first film, Americanizing Shelley, is currently shooting. The film’s press release suggests that the movie will break new ground in its reliance on cliches:
Successfully blending the old and the new with the east and the west. in a “Pygmalion”- like contemporary romantic comedy, “Americanizing Shelley” takes place in Los Angeles and tells the story of a wanna-be Hollywood talent manager, who sets out to Americanize an Indian girl straight from the Himalayas. As he creatively teaches her all about the American way of life and what it takes be a Hollywood celebrity, he untimely ends up learning a thing or two about his own life. Their clash in cultures soon gives way to understanding, unity and love as they begin to see the world through each others eyes.The film will also boast an elaborate Bollywood wedding scene as well as a traditional Indian inauguration ceremony conducted by a Hindu priest. [link]
Looking at the embarrassment of cinematic riches that Bolly/Hollywood has in store for us, I must admit that I feel, well, slightly embarrassed.
ads on October 29, 2005 08:46 PM in Film · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
quibble, but is ali larter a 'hollywood heavyweight'?
I'm pretty sure ads was taking this piss with that comment razib.
Oh hooray. Now Indian directors will be casting Indians as the one character so many non-resident Indians have enjoyed for a decade; terrorist.
Oh and ads, very thorough research there and lots I didn't know about. From one film fan to another, much appreciated.
I await a few of these movies with partially-baited breath. I'd rather see Sanjay Leela Bhansali slapped repeatedly though. With a fish. Hell I'd pay good money for that.
I'm reluctant to admit that I sat through "Indian Fish" and it may well be hands-down the absolute worst movie I've ever seen. Not just the worst in the spicy-american-masala-confused-chai genre, but seriously awful. I've seen 3rd graders in community theatre pageants give better performances. It's almost worth recommending, just so you can laugh or be horrified, but tweezing your toe hair would be a far better use of precious time.
yeah, i read too quick to catch the obvious tone....
Desis have toe hair?
I concur ads, well researched and very informative. Thanks!
Looking at the embarrassment of cinematic riches that Bolly/Hollywood has in store for us, I must admit that I feel, well, slightly embarrassed.
Lmao! That killed it for me. A funny read, and yes, I too am embarassed.
Thankfully Bong Breaker and I missed the 1 Dollar Curry screening in London a few weeks back (though we made the after-party). It was so roundly panned by everyone that it was embarassing. I had to take some comments off my site because they were libellous :(
Re: "Ek": this is going to be standard Bollywood fare, and will hardly feature the lone Indian actor playing a terrorist (a better question to ask would be whether it'll continue the stereotyping of religious Muslims as terrorists). The cast includes both Bachchans, Sanjay Dutt, and several other Bollywood actors/actresses. Personally (you heard it here first) if "Ek" is indeed made at the sort of budget that Mr. Verma claims, it will be a huge disaster.
As a Bollyfreak, thanks for the post ads!
ever wondered why RGV is so obsessed with violence,mafia and thrillers?read me analysis fi RGV's luv of dem kinda genres.He graduated(engineering)in this college in a south indian city called Vijayawada and this town and college both are infested with so much caste politics that you cannot remain naive and innocent by the second day in college.During his college days there were so many murders & bloodshed in and around the city that it made a mark on his psyche(filmi).The Primal celluloid scream of RGV is a telugu flick "shiva"it reflects his inspiration from the city and its bloodshed.(and u can see more than traces of this inspiration in all his flicks)Tek me word on dis.Even Ramu cannot deny this(though he never publicly spoke about his inspiration).
Personally, I think "Shiva" remains the most powerful and effective film RGV has ever made...it is a disturbing tour de force...
I would rather watch fleas jump around and lice breed on my hobbit haired feet than watch any of these coming soon to bore audiences of all nationalities movies.
lmao!!
great post ads, the hits kept coming :)
oh, we should give abhi-delicious-shek a chance...he was pretty impressive in dhoom, yuva, bunty aur bubli, and sarkar!
shirtophobe salman (aside: that was just inspired ads!) on the other hand...'twas all downhill after "maine pyar kiya".
I felt the same way when I watched Namaste.
So, anyone coming to the IAAC Film Festival with me or what?
Abhishek and Amitabh are two world-class actors and it would be fantastic to see them achieve a greater profile out here in the West too. I saw Sarkar last night and they were both superb -- Big B as expected, but watching Abhishek's gradual transformation into the truly dangerous "don" by the end of the movie -- often with minimal dialogue on his part -- was outstanding.
DesiDancer,
To paraphrase Ennis's question, "Desi women tweeze their toe hairs ? Hell, desi women have toe hairs ?! You are shattering illusions all over the place, Chachi 420 !"
Fuerza Dulce,
I believe our rogueish-but-charming friend Cocopuffs is currently looking for a suitable kurri/life-partner/hot babe.....Aha, could this be SM's first wedding....?
Keep making comments like that and you'll have the guys lining up around the block ;)
Heck, if you've got $350 ($200 for you, $150 for me) I'll take you to the opening night screening of "Water" and the "gala benefit dinner" at Tavern on the Green.
"Gala" costs aside, I'm eager to view this year's offerings at IAAC. I attended the press conference and met filmmakers working on what sounded like some very interesting projects. Whatever you do, PLEASE come to the Saturday November 5th shorts program at 4 pm and see the latest version of Sita Sings the Blues, including episodes not posted online.
Jai.
Abhishek; world class?! Come on! I think about this in cricketing terms, as that's where I normally hear the expression 'world class'. Would Abhishek be out of place in a World XI? I think so.
BUT! I also watched Sarkar last night and afterwards I told the girlfriend I was rather impressed with the Big B's son. But not world class.
(Admins - I was really tired last night, did I post something about ear/nose/toe hair which was subsequently deleted or did I never post it? I honestly can't remember...but I'm glad it's not here anyway!)
Another comparision of hollywood and bollywood is the reported use of digital cameras in bollywood .. apparently that is stealing some kind of march over hollywood.
BongBreaker,
With regards to Abhishek, I meant in comparison with people in his age group. I'm certainly increasingly impressed with his rapidly-escalating charisma and acting abilities, although I'm speaking predominantly on the basis of Yuva and of course last night's Sarkar. I haven't seen Dus yet but apparently he stole the show there too.
I don't know about you but in these kinds of roles I am seeing strong flashes of his father's persona in films like Don, Deewar and Coolie, although there was an element of Big B's character in Agneepath in Junior B's Sarkar too (just my opinion).
I still haven't seen Sarkar yet, but I was impressed with AB's performance in Yuva. Maybe he'll have a better-than-average chance as a "crossover" star, since his acting style is pretty naturalistic and lacking in a lot of the hammier affectations that pass for "dramatic" acting among certain Bollywood stars (cough, Shahrukh Khan, cough).
I was worried that my post might have come off as a little too glib. I want to give these movies a shot, but it's also hard to ignore the abysmal track record of "crossover" attempts so far. Hopefully, the law of averages means that eventually one of these movies will be good.
AA, don't you mean digital projectors?
Is that the same law that made at least one Indian-American film watchable? ;)
I thought Abhishek was a little forced. I believe this is because of his metro upbringing. Big B was exposed to the underbelly of Indian society, Abhishek led a comfortable life.
I think Abhishek will do better in urban settings. He looks almost too decent and green for this type of roles.
Jai Singh:
What a coincidence - Charming rogues are my favorite kind of rogue. ;)Is SM branching out and providing bachola (go-between/matchmaker) services now? Or are you suggesting that I should have his mummy talk to my mummy directly? Either one works as long as you don't tell my mummy why I've been brushing off my shoulder. Then CocoPuffs and I can have one date at Pizza Hut and figure out if we're ready to pursue a serious relationship, innit.
Nina P:
I'm a broke law student - the chance of me having $350 to take both of us to the opening night gala is quite slim. I could sell back my books, but I doubt that I'd get $35, so that option's out. I'm anaemic, so I can't sell blood either. I'd sell my eggs, but my mummy might get pissed at me limiting her chances to have grandchildren. So I guess it's a no-go.
I will, however, do my best to end up at the shorts program. Who knows? Maybe I'll run into you!
Ennis dear, as our lovable expert on all things hirsute, I should defer to you on this matter ;)
Jai Singh, desi women have no body hair, don't use the bathroom, and we wake up looking *this* good. Happy? ;)
As for Abhishek Bachchan, he's coming into his own after some good action and comedy roles. Obviously it's a struggle to not live in his father's shadow and avoid comparisons, or feel that nepotism might factor in sometimes. But he was refreshing and witty in B&B, commanding in Yuva, and despite Dus being a relative waste of time story-wise, he was solid. He's had a few stinkers (Naach, Kuch Na Kaho), but with the right vehicle, may catapult his career much like Rani Mukherji has done in the last few years.
of course I find it criminal that he's not a better dancer ;)
DesiDancer,
Please don't tell me that hot desi women don't really have pillow fights in their underwear during girlie sleepovers, and end up making out after a couple of appletinis ?!
*Just kidding -- before I start sounding too much like BongBreaker ;) *
With regards to Abhishek -- you're right about his various performances. I do think his charisma level is increasing tremendously as he's getting older; that nasty business with Karisma Kapoor seems to have made a man of him. The same effect it would have on anybody in that situation, I guess. In any case, I'm really glad to see he's come out of it all so well and the impact on him is reflected positively in his various post-KK film performances. Good for him.
I've only really seen him strut his stuff properly in the title song from Dus -- hey, I think he's pretty good. Not as good as Hritikh, but still better than plenty of his peers including some other "star sons".
Fuerza Dulce,
According to many of the older generation, apparently we are supposed to consider ourselves lucky if we get to see/meet the potential spouse before the wedding at all !
Jesus -- if that's not playing Russian Roulette with one's life, I don't know what is.....
Jai Singh:
I agree.
All I hear is that, in their day, they trusted their parents and "*sigh*" they guess we just don't trust them as much. (Insert your own eye-roll here) Either that, or, all they're trying to do is make it easier for me, to cut out the middle man, because if some guy doesn't pass through gauntlet of our family's requirements, then what's the point of me getting to know him in the first place? Bleh.
Yeah, Homey don't play that.
I think the film festival would be a great venue for a date. Cocopuffs, what say you?
It's because of the whole feudal mentality of "marrying the whole family", "marriage is an alliance of two families not just two individuals", and so on. Which is why many South Asian parents can sometimes get a little too involved in the process and turn the whole thing into a political minefield. It's also why the issue of genuine mutual love and chemistry is not necessarily given as much importance or consideration as it should.
Anyway, I'm going off-topic. Best of luck with self-confessed bad-boy, cad and bounder Cocopuffs ;)
PS. In a good way, of course *wink*
While I do concur that he was strong in Yuva and BaB, my, my, looks like I'm the only one who thought Abhi served no other purpose in Sarkar than to be strong and silent mannequin-as-phoren-returned beta in his pink Express shirts.
His acting must have been incredibly subtle, as I saw no transformation into the don that he became at the end. And I was really disappointed (though I shouldn't have been surprised) to see how blindly accepting he was of his father's choice of career.
Well he's posted no response, so I guess my luck is lacking today. Ah well.
:P
Fuerza Dulce, or anyone really, what IAAC movies would you recommend?
(http://www.iaac.us/fifthannual_film_festival2005/Schedule.htm)
Olinda,
That was kind of the point -- he's depicted as just a "regular" guy until his father is arrested and the senior cop deliberately humiliates Abhishek when he asks him for help. His manner changes gradually as he takes the law into his own hands more and more (certainly when exacting revenge against his enemies and those who betrayed him), and -- you may not have noticed this -- it's reflected in the change in his attire by the end too. No pink shirts -- just black on black on black.
It was subtle but not unnoticeable -- you have to watch how his overall posture, manner, and way of speaking gradually changes, especially with regards to how he reacts when in front of previously-threatening and patronising adversaries (compare "before & after"). And by the very end he's adopted some of the same physical mannerisms as his father (the filmi character, not just in the sense of the real-life Big B) -- in fact, he's even deadlier than his father (I don't want to give away any plot spoilers here for people who haven't seen the film yet, but I'm especially referring to his view on religious matters compared to his father and elder brother; remember the confrontation scene with the "swami"), and his facial expression at the end, especially his eyes, indicates that internally he's now someone who is extremely dangerous, albeit in a coolly-calculating way.
Ovaltine:
Here are the ones I'd recommend:
I'm interested in all of the documentaries, but from what I can tell, you can rent Born into Brothels from Blockbuster, and don't necessarily have to catch it at the festival. The docs that I really don't want to miss are Highway Courtesans, Continuous Journey, and Runaway Grooms.
As far as feature flicks, I'm hoping to catch Kaya Tharan by Sashi Kumar and Jeet by Lavlin Thadani
The first two shorts programs have shorts that I'd like to see as well. If you've never seen any clips of Sita Sings the Blues before, click on the link and check it out- it's an unusual and refreshing take on a classic story. :)
If I didn't have so much effin work to do, I'd just stay in the city for 2 days straight and hit up the entire festival non-stop.
Score! Cocopuffs, check your Friendster. ;P
wow - an actual set-up. Please do smooch and tell!
*Elvis voice* "Thank you, thank you very much....."
Well, my work here is done.
*Rides off into the sunset*
haha we'll see how this plays out
Jai Singh: Aren't you quite the match maker
haha
chochweet, cocopuffs & FD! No kissy-wissy before shaadi y'all ;)
after shaadi we'll all hound you, in true desi fashion, to bring forth little junior mutineers...
Hey let's not jump the gun here - a shared love of White Castle does not an instant love connection make. Don't be so quick to brush your shoulder off, Jai Singh :P
way to go, Jai Singh. Good karma.
my best to cocopuff and Fuerza.
i might be the paparazzi
*Rides off into the sunset*
Jai Singh, You are the Pale Rider, I mean it. Others, if you the seen the movie, you will know what I am talking about.
Never let it be said that I am not a Pimp.
Not as much of a pimp as Kush Tandon of course, with his Playboy Bunny "friends" *wink*
Fuerza Dulce & Cocopuffs -- Have a shagtastic time, kids ;)
Is anyone else going to the film festival? I'll go this sat
Is anyone else going to the film festival? I'll go this sat
I plan to check out NinaP's Sita blues at 4pm on Sat
Cocopuffs will be hitting it up and so will I, and we may even link up. Maybe we can do an impromptu informal unofficial SM get together?
Yea i'll be there friday, i have no idea what time i'm gettin' in but i gotta show face at 'Finding Preet' cause Priti happens to be my cousin... GO SEE IT
oh my god. i haven't read this thread in a while. Return to see the SepiaDestiny (tm) has already happened!!
Mutineers, get on that yo!
FD- I'll catch you next time!