Bollywood!!!

by Jin Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:58 am

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood

the national language of indian cinemas!!!

how do u rate it!
the actors!
the style!
the stuff!
and the music!

by **Arr0wHeaD** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:21 pm

It's...well...hard to describe my feelings towards Bollywood.

Sometimes I feel it ain't half bad. Don and Dhoom 2 had a certain amount of style, which made up for (at least Dhoom's) several inconsitencies.

Other times I go 'It's awesome'- In the cases of 'No Smoking' and 'Dev D' both from Anurag Kashyap, incidentally.

In Some cases, I feel, the industry is crap, but the songs are reasonably good.

And in most of cases , I feel it should be burnt down and left to start from zero, and done right this time.

by Jin Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:17 pm

well it was good till the 6 pac protagonist mania came
now the standards decreasing bad

by **kyo** Sat Aug 29, 2009 7:31 am

I see movies like Love Aaj Kal and think... nice packaging and editing and filming and whatnot... but missing a story, and mediocre acting at best... then I see stuff like Chandni Chowk to China and I think... crappy everything... then I see a movie like Straight and I am like... Awesome... Its hard to pin down what I really think about Bollywood... but having lived in the US for as long as I have... I realize that Hollywood is not that much different... there are crappy movies being made here too... just not as many and they never get screened overseas... so you get a skewed perspective... try watching the umpteen number of Saw movies and you'll get what I mean...

Overall I would recommend this for Bollywood.... when making a movie....

Get a decent script... preferably one which is not ripped off from Hollywood... Cmon... theres a billion people in our country... cant one of them have a good original idea? I hear the ripoff of Juno is coming to Indian screens soon... or is it already there?

Try to cut back on the songs... sure they can be entertaining... but randomly sticking in item numbers/romantic songs really does not sit well with me... this is not to say that you should go the hollywood way and get rid of them entirely... but just insert them in appropriate places... a song playing when the actors are in a disco makes sense... not when they're in college or a hospital or other such places...

Limit the actors wardrobes (and save a fortune!!) Stop changing their outfits at the drop of a hat!! And give them decent outfits... I mean the getup that Big B had on in that movie.... Jhoom Barabar Jhoom... yeesh!!

Limit the locales as well... going from Mumbai to Zurich to Kuala Lumpur and back within 3 minutes is expensive and pointless...

Cut back on the overacting... Actors who I once used to like are seriously pissing me off these days... Some will crucify me for this... but there used to be a time when I liked Govinda... (I actually kinda-sorta liked his performance in Salaam E Ishq... but thats about it... in the last decade he has not been a single film that I remotely liked)

I realize that sex sells... but come on... have some pride... dont you want to be able to say that your film did well because it had a plot and good acting and not because of that item number by XYZ-hot-actress.... or the fact that she had next to nothing on for the entire movie?

Let our heros be human... a guy gets shot... at least make it so that he looks like he is hurt... and let him run out of ammo once in a while... and dont go around showing stuff like (excerpt from Fanaa: Tabu blows up an enemy chopper with an automatic pistol while wearing a saree I think...)

Try to give the actors a realistic looking 'home environment' in the movie... eg An entry level worker in some company should not be able to afford an awesome apartment overlooking the city and drive a Lexus, wear a Rolex, Armani, Gucci etc... unless they explain it somehow... rich dad or what not...

Jeez... that was a long rant...

by Omkar Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:11 pm

kyo wrote: I realize that Hollywood is not that much different... there are crappy movies being made here too... just not as many and they never get screened overseas... so you get a skewed perspective

thank you man. all you bollywood degrade-rs, take THAT! b'wood sucks on many levels but you can't criticize the whole industry for that.

kyo wrote:Get a decent script... preferably one which is not ripped off from Hollywood...

applause!

kyo wrote:Cmon... theres a billion people in our country... cant one of them have a good original idea? I hear the ripoff of Juno is coming to Indian screens soon... or is it already there?

they can man. they are just not encouraged. like ever heard of roadside publishers? they form a group of some really good(supposedly. i sadly haven't read any of them) stories that got kicked on their butt by many publishing houses.

kyo wrote:Try to cut back on the songs... sure they can be entertaining... but randomly sticking in item numbers/romantic songs really does not sit well with me... this is not to say that you should go the hollywood way and get rid of them entirely... but just insert them in appropriate places... a song playing when the actors are in a disco makes sense... not when they're in college or a hospital or other such places...

double applause!

kyo wrote:Limit the actors wardrobes (and save a fortune!!) Stop changing their outfits at the drop of a hat!! And give them decent outfits... I mean the getup that Big B had on in that movie.... Jhoom Barabar Jhoom... yeesh!!

Limit the locales as well... going from Mumbai to Zurich to Kuala Lumpur and back within 3 minutes is expensive and pointless...

Cut back on the overacting... Actors who I once used to like are seriously pissing me off these days... Some will crucify me for this... but there used to be a time when I liked Govinda... (I actually kinda-sorta liked his performance in Salaam E Ishq... but thats about it... in the last decade he has not been a single film that I remotely liked)

I realize that sex sells... but come on... have some pride... dont you want to be able to say that your film did well because it had a plot and good acting and not because of that item number by XYZ-hot-actress.... or the fact that she had next to nothing on for the entire movie?

standing ovation!

kyo wrote:Let our heros be human... a guy gets shot... at least make it so that he looks like he is hurt... and let him run out of ammo once in a while... and dont go around showing stuff like (excerpt from Fanaa: Tabu blows up an enemy chopper with an automatic pistol while wearing a saree I think...)

lol! no, she was wearing a jacket. there might be a saree underneath, though!

kyo wrote:Try to give the actors a realistic looking 'home environment' in the movie... eg An entry level worker in some company should not be able to afford an awesome apartment overlooking the city and drive a Lexus, wear a Rolex, Armani, Gucci etc... unless they explain it somehow... rich dad or what not...

Jeez... that was a long rant...

+1, definitely just coz you echoed b'wood's flaws in a constructive and non offensive way. i wish i could give you more though Smile

by Jin Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:24 pm

kyo wrote:try watching the umpteen number of Saw movies and you'll get what I mean...

saw is ok
the dumb holiwood movies are thoes like transmorphers,jurrasic park 4 etc

by **kyo** Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:18 am

Rant continued....

Another thing which bugs me about Bollywood is the low level of professionalism (supposedly improving). You will often see the shoddy CG in a few films which looks very fake and negates the very point of having CG in the first place. You will see crappy performances where the actor does not get into the role, or care enough about it to refuse some of the more ridiculous whims of the director or whoever (Again... I will refer to the example of Big B's outfit in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom... a man of his experience and influence should have demanded a wardrobe change...)

Then there is the prevalence of nepotism... the star-parivars... which can be easily likened to political dynasties... People get in and get umpteen chances to 'prove themselves' simply cause they're the sons/daughters/relatives of someone in the industry, or someone who is otherwise well connected...
This is not to say that one can get a break anywhere without some kind of connections either; but what generally happens is that a struggling actor (not well connected) will only get one chance to prove himself.... whereas the well connected son/daughter will get umpteen chances...

The film Luck by Chance illustrates many of the flaws I have listed in a generally candid manner... but I still see no 'response' from the industry.... one of the few 'truthful' films made in the last decade which they are treating as an 'escape from reality'....

To the more rabid detractors of Hindi cinema... before you go off and talk about having every one of the actors and directors shot and restarting from scratch... here are some movies I think you should see... a selection of some Hindi movies I have enjoyed and consider worth my time (and money)... yes... I would BUY these movies... I am sure that there are those which have slipped my mind... but I think these should suffice... also I dont think any of them goes too far back beyond the mid nineties... except perhaps Satya... which means that there is still hope....

Satya: Words fail me... gripping stuff...

Company: Vivek Oberoi really shined in this one... as did Devgan... tight execution and no real flaws...

Apharan: Devgan again does a fine job here...

Sehar: Warsi unexpectedly slides well into this serious role... very refreshing... but Sushant Singh was the surprise packet...

Omkara: Back to the Devgan-Oberoi pairing... and a similar(ish) ending too... but really well done...

Shool: I had expected even greater things from Manoj Bajpai (Satya) after this movie... but he has not really delivered...

1971: Manoj Bajpai brings back my hopes that he will deliver another jewel... this one was another stellar performance...

Rang De Basanti: Aamir Khan... I think an appropriate nickname for him could be 'The Tom Hanks of Bollywood' his films generally do not disappoint me... even if I dont always consider them to be masterpieces or 5 star material... I don't recall too many movies with him in them where I have walked away feeling murderous intent for the directors and everyone else associated with the movie... Excellent script and execution...

Dil Chahata Hai: Aamir Khan.... and a combo of some other promising talent... Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan... lighthearted and superbly executed...

Straight: Vinay Pathak once again proves why he is ready to take over the mantle of 'King of Comedy' with this one...

Khosla Ka Ghosla: A low budget wonder... this film exceeds expectations in every category... brilliant stuff...

Bheja Fry: You could call this a one man show.... Pathak hits a homer again...

Jhonny Gaddar: Great film...

Mithya: Interesting concept... well executed overall... no real flaws... Ranbir Shorey and Pathak really work well together (again!)

Namastey London: An unexpected winner... what makes this one great is that the cast is extremely well suited to their roles... someone either put a great deal of thought into it... or just got plain lucky... but casting Katrina as an NRI and Akshay Kapoor as the goofy !!!! Punjabi dude was an excellent idea...

Bhool Bhuliya: I realise that this one is a ripoff... but it was well executed... and everyone played their parts perfectly...

Dev D: Makes you wonder why more Hindi 'romance' films cant be like this...

No Smoking: Interesting concept... some over the top moments.... but very well done...

Luck By Chance: One of those 'truthful' films that actually tries to tell the truth without idealizing anyone... there are no 'heros' or 'villains'... just people... and their circumstances...

Lakshya: I liked this one cause Hrithik did a fine job of portraying his character and his growth from boy to man... and the director at least let him get shot a few times... and put his arm in a cast at the end...

Jab We Met: Another film which makes you wonder why more rom-com's cant be like this... a rare gem in a heap of rubble...

Jodhaa Akbar: Superlative music, great costumes, a decent script... and great acting...

Guru: Powerful.... Abhishek finally proves that he has Bachan blood in his veins by carrying this film practically entirely with his own acting... Mithun helped... but really... it was Abhishek all the way...

Sarkar: The 2nd iteration was not bad... but nowhere near as good as this one... Riveting stuff...

Hazaaron Khwaahishei Aisi: Shiney does a great job... as does Kay Kay... great film...

Munnabhai MBBS: It was over the top.. and yes there were the hospital song and dance sequences... but you will agree that this movie is supposed to be that way.... also... Sanjay Dutt really shines in this one... as does Warsi.... the same chemistry is also seen in Anthony Kaun Hai... but the execution is nowhere near as good...

Hera Pheri: ONLY the 1st iteration is worth your time... over the top towards the end... but the beginnings are firmly rooted in reality... and the combo of Rawal, Kapoor and Shetty really took comedy to the next level with this one...

Cheeni Kum: Big B proves that he can still bring it... Tabu is not half bad...

There are many other Hindi films which are good... in the sense that theyre not... terrible... theyre passable... average... decent... worth-a-watch... (whatever you prefer)... and these films also contain some stellar performance and excellent scores and whatnot... but are bogged down by other flaws...

by **kyo** Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:42 am

One more that should go up there is...

Bunty and Babli: Father-son combo again... waaay over the top... but that is exactly what the film is supposed to be... the point is that it does it well... you can see the disillusionment that Abhishek feels after his idea is stolen from him... and the delight that both characters take in their escapades... the Big B also does a fine job with his part... even with the exaggerated wardrobe... (which actually suited him better than one would think... nowhere near as bad as JBJ anyway....)

My Wifes Murder: Anil Kapoor really hits this one out of the park.... brilliant stuff... and the scene with Boman Irani eating biryani was priceless... Boman also does a fine job of course... great script and tight execution...

by Guest Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:30 am

A Wednesday, Mumbai Meri Jaan and Lage Raho Munnabhai

Also, many critics went gaga over Black.

Kyo wrote:Aamir Khan... I think an appropriate nickname for him could be 'The Tom Hanks of Bollywood' his films generally do not disappoint me

Hehe.. have you seen Mangal Pandey: The Rising?

by **Arr0wHeaD** Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:18 pm

Quick Gun Murugan released this week. Seems pretty good to me. Reasonably Original ideas and a purposefully over the top style. Judging from the trailer anyway Razz

.

by Jin Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:42 pm

kyo wrote:

Bhool Bhuliya: I realise that this one is a ripoff... but it was well executed... and everyone played their parts perfectly...

Hera Pheri: ONLY the 1st iteration is worth your time... over the top towards the end... but the beginnings are firmly rooted in reality... and the combo of Rawal, Kapoor and Shetty really took comedy to the next level with this one...

bad rip off's
insult for the orginal!

by **kyo** Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:08 am

@ ArrOwHeaD
Oh yeah... I also liked Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II... Warsi again in this one... interesting narrative style... Tarantino inspired perhaps?... but the story was well scripted and the actors did a fine job... and yea I have heard about the 2nd outing by Ghosh...

@ Jin
BTW Jin... even if you 'discount' those two... theres still upwards of 20 films up there....

@ Bagpipes
I have not actually seen Mangal Pandey... and yes... I have not heard good things about it either... but even Hanks has had his tragedies... didnt do so hot in the late 80's early 90's..... I am not sure if I have seen Mumbai Meri Jaan ... I have seen the others though... I guess Black needs to be up there too...

by Jin Mon Aug 31, 2009 1:22 pm

kyo wrote:Satya: Words fail me... gripping stuff...

yup it was indeed good! but tamil was better kamal hasans performance incomparable!

kyo wrote:
Company: Vivek Oberoi really shined in this one... as did Devgan... tight execution and no real flaws...

well the movie had too many flaws especially Mohan Lal

kyo wrote:
Omkara: Back to the Devgan-Oberoi pairing... and a similar(ish) ending too... but really well done...

well othello rite try see the mallu movie kaliyattom then you'll know how a movie should be rippped off from a book.

kyo wrote:
Rang De Basanti: Aamir Khan... I think an appropriate nickname for him could be 'The Tom Hanks of Bollywood' his films generally do not disappoint me... even if I dont always consider them to be masterpieces or 5 star material... I don't recall too many movies with him in them where I have walked away feeling murderous intent for the directors and everyone else associated with the movie... Excellent script and execution...

damn good actor and really thought about movie!
but aamir shoudnt have remade ghajini!

kyo wrote:
Dil Chahata Hai: Aamir Khan.... and a combo of some other promising talent... Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan... lighthearted and superbly executed...

Classy!

kyo wrote:
Jhonny Gaddar: Great film...

great is an understatement!

kyo wrote:
Dev D: Makes you wonder why more Hindi 'romance' films cant be like this...
the movie wasnt that good!

No Smoking: Interesting concept... some over the top moments.... but very well done...just a

diff concept!
and executed ok!

kyo wrote:
Lakshya: I liked this one cause Hrithik did a fine job of portraying his character and his growth from boy to man... and the director at least let him get shot a few times... and put his arm in a cast at the end...

One of the very few movies where hrithik has done well
this movie is really worth your money

kyo wrote:
Jab We Met: Another film which makes you wonder why more rom-com's cant be like this... a rare gem in a heap of rubble...

casting is near perfect
and the movie is a really good entertainer!

kyo wrote:
Jodhaa Akbar: Superlative music, great costumes, a decent script... and great acting...

they shoudnt have excluded birbal!
the extra scenes with birbal was really good!

kyo wrote:
Sarkar: The 2nd iteration was not bad... but nowhere near as good as this one... Riveting stuff...

they killed al pacino and marlon brando!

kyo wrote:
Munnabhai MBBS: It was over the top.. and yes there were the hospital song and dance sequences... but you will agree that this movie is supposed to be that way.... also... Sanjay Dutt really shines in this one... as does Warsi.... the same chemistry is also seen in Anthony Kaun Hai... but the execution is nowhere near as good...

MindBlowing!
the second was good too!

by yuki Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:40 am

....how 'bout Hum Tum? thts my most favourite bollywood movie ^.^

by yuki Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:42 am

oh and in general....i think its ok..i don watch much movies thou =.= the music is great!

by **kyo** Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:49 am

Hum tum was not bad... but after that movie Saif has fallen into a pattern of getting these kinds of roles where he flipflops until he eventually goes after the girl and gets her at the end...

by Jin Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:12 pm

finally got to see A Wednesday
its different
and nice!
hope kollywood doesnt ruin it!

by Artemis93 Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:31 pm

Hera Pheri was a gr8 movie

oh and Hum Tum was time Pass too...but i only would watch it once

stuff like Black, Lgaan and Jodha Akhbar had a lot of elegance in it

by **Arr0wHeaD** Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:45 pm

Hera Pheri was good only because of Paresh Rawals AMAZING comic timing.

by Artemis93 Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:03 pm

i found Akshay Kumar's comic timings good too

Though yea Paresh Rawal was brilliant =)

by **Aceviper** Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:54 am

Jin wrote:finally got to see A Wednesday
its different
and nice!
hope kollywood doesnt ruin it!

A Wednesday? With Nasir-uh-din-Shaikh? That was one awesome movie! I loved it too! Really grabbed you by the throat!

Yup. It was different than other Hindi movies.

by **Arr0wHeaD** Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:25 am

BLUE is releasing today. Rumored to be the most expensive Bollywood Movie ever made. Though I have no hopes for it whatsoever, I know people who do...

So anyone else excited for it here?

by Omkar Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:03 pm

I watched it today. Read the review.

by ai-chan Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:26 pm

but having lived in the US for as long as I have... I realize that Hollywood is not that much different... there are crappy movies being made here too... just not as many and they never get screened overseas... so you get a skewed perspective...

Very correct. Only a handful of the Hollywood or foreign movies make it to India. And the ones which do make it are commercially or critically successful.

Get a decent script... preferably one which is not ripped off from Hollywood... Cmon... theres a billion people in our country... cant one of them have a good original idea? I hear the ripoff of Juno is coming to Indian screens soon... or is it already there?

Copy-paste was/is favourite pastime in India as we tend to get "inspired" very often than others. So it would be wrong to blame just to Bollywood, its everywhere...

Try to cut back on the songs... sure they can be entertaining... but randomly sticking in item numbers/romantic songs really does not sit well with me... this is not to say that you should go the hollywood way and get rid of them entirely... but just insert them in appropriate places... a song playing when the actors are in a disco makes sense... not when they're in college or a hospital or other such places...

Bollywood is very innovate, at least in this case. So what if they're in college or a hospital they can of course "dream" xD

Limit the actors wardrobes (and save a fortune!!) Stop changing their outfits at the drop of a hat!! And give them decent outfits...

With corporate funding, there is no need to "save". Plus, there are "sponsors" of these wardrobes. Look at it this way, for a few seconds of TV commercial they pay lacs and here you get the entire 2:30 hours+ of time to showcase your collection.

Limit the locales as well... going from Mumbai to Zurich to Kuala Lumpur and back within 3 minutes is expensive and pointless...

Atleast they are not visiting Nebula... after all one can visit anywhere in their "dreams" right?!? reminds me of Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne hey even that was based on James Thurber's novel lol!

Cut back on the overacting... Actors who I once used to like are seriously pissing me off these days...

Don't blame them... blame the script and the director (or the actors love for $$$) I simply can't understand how actors like Anupam Kher, Om Puri agree on acting in movies like Buddha Mar Gaya (2007) ...

I realize that sex sells... but come on... have some pride... dont you want to be able to say that your film did well because it had a plot and good acting and not because of that item number by XYZ-hot-actress.... or the fact that she had next to nothing on for the entire movie?

Who defines that the film did well?? The boxoffice?? As long as the movie is able to rake in moolahs who cares??

Try to give the actors a realistic looking 'home environment' in the movie... eg An entry level worker in some company should not be able to afford an awesome apartment overlooking the city and drive a Lexus, wear a Rolex, Armani, Gucci etc... unless they explain it somehow... rich dad or what not...

Doh!! But that's how the 'home envoirnment' are "supposed" to look!!

Another thing which bugs me about Bollywood is the low level of professionalism (supposedly improving). You will often see the shoddy CG in a few films which looks very fake and negates the very point of having CG in the first place.

CGI/Animation was never a strong point in Indian movies. Plus, CGI/animation costs $$$, and the producers would rather spend that on a foreign locale that on animation (which very few people appreciate)

Then there is the prevalence of nepotism... the star-parivars... which can be easily likened to political dynasties... People get in and get umpteen chances to 'prove themselves' simply cause they're the sons/daughters/relatives of someone in the industry, or someone who is otherwise well connected...

Again its not unique to Bollywood, is everywhere in India ...

by **kyo** Wed Nov 11, 2009 2:35 am

Im not sure whether youre defending them or berating them..... but either way... made for good reading....

I stand by what I said though.... things must change.... although I know they wont.... cause there are too many idiots who will be willing to cough up hard earned money (either theirs or their parents) to watch this kind of drivel... at least in the foreseeable future...

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