An auditor of one of the world's top auditing firm once told me that only Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment make profits. The rest make good cinema.
I had not completely agreed to this in our conversation that took place a month ago until on Friday, I shelved out Rs. 500 for watching Kurbaan at a suburban multiplex. Now to get you started, let me introduce you to the newest concept sold by production houses like Dharma Productions to the audiences and the distributors. A huge poster at the box office reads 'You can watch Kurbaan here almost anytime in the day.' True. The multiplex screens 21 shows of the movie in an average interval of not more than 30 minutes.
So after creating the hype by overtly promoting the movie by its leading stars on news channels, music channels, radio, newspapers, magazines and hoardings from as early as three months before the release of the movie, you tell the audiences that the movie is such a steal that there would be riots at the box office if they do not screen 21 shows a day.
Ok. Lets apply some mathematics. If a normal screen at a multiplex can seat around 300 persons per show and if the ticket price on the first three days is Rs. 250, a single multiplex collects Rs. 75 lakhs in these days. You can feel free to make further calculations of the multiplexes and single screen theatres in India and abroad.
This way, by Monday while the disappointed audiences will give their reviews to even those who haven't asked for it, it would have been very late and Johar will have the last laugh. To top it all, rave reviews about the movie will appear on front pages of leading newspapers. Now not many would know that these are paid reviews. By Tuesday, front page jackets of leading newspapers would scream out how Kurbaan has been the highest grosser of the year declaring it a superhit next only to Sholay.
After a brief introduction of Bollywoodonomics, let's talk about the movie. Kurbaan lacks soul in every department of film making be it music, script, screenplay or direction. FOr those who are still reading further to know about Kurbaan, treat the first five paragraphs as the review!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
DevD
Film: DevD
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahie, Kalki
Rating: 3.5 stars
Dippy Vankani
Anurag Kashyap's DevD is the story essentially of a male chauvinist, a loser who is absorbed in himself and his addictions much before he has any heart breaks to reason them. Unlike its predecessors, DevD does not glorify the pain of its heart broken protagonist (played by Abhay Deol with élan) but instead chooses to portray him as a drug addict who is filthy rich but once is left with nothing but going down to the gutter. No virtues, no respect, no character and hardcore ego are the traits of Dev, shows the filmmaker in his modern interpretation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's celebrated novel Devdas. But this musical is not about Dev! It offers a many 'never seen before on screen' novelties exploring the lives of two modern day girls Paro and Chanda making the movie worth watching not once but twice.
Enter Paro. Paro (Mahie) knows what she wants and she knows how to get it! She cannot be tamed by elders or the society. She decides for herself and moves on. Unlike our Hindi film heroines, Paro needs no man to protect her. She goes on the kill herself. Breaking the mould perhaps for the first time, the director's modern day Paro has orgasm over phone sex with beau Dev while the latter is shunted to London by his father and also sends him her nude picture which beings Dev back to Punjab. Sex supersedes love in the movie. Here Dev does not crave for love. What is does not get in life despite being desperate is sex. Not love!
'Delhi mein billi maarlo, khaalo par paalo mat' says the modern day Chunnilal, a pimp to Dev when he brings him for the first time to Chanda's (Kalki's) dungeon. The director chucks a kotha in Delhi or a Falkland street in Mumbai, both of which have been used extensively in hundreds of Hindi films earlier. Kashyap's Chanda is into role play, phone sex and sex slavery. Chanda dresses up like a nurse, a school student or as a mistress who whips the backs of her customers at their requests and fakes orgasms for callers in Tamil, French and English.
It is Dev who deserts Paro driven by his own ego after someone lies to him that Paro is a slut and easy to take to bed. It is much later that he realizes what he has lost. The modern town girl Paro, however, is ready to sleep with Dev even after her marriage but the latter cannot consummate it. All this while Paro never disappoints her widower husband with two kids in her duties as his wife.
From frame one to last the movie is taken forward by Amit Trivedi's compositions who has also given the background score of the film. Trivedi in one of his interviews had said that he is inspired by A R Rahman who has always broken the mould. Now Rahman certainly has his Eklavya in the making.
Watch out the choreography of song 'Pardesi' and 'Payalia' that compels you not to take your eyes off screen even for a blink. As for dialogues, Chanda, whose life shatters after her nude mms is circulated by her boyfriend, tells her father 'I am not going to suck every cock that comes my way' and 'how can you watch it?'.
The film however drags towards the end and has an unusual climax for a film of this genre.If not a box office hit, (families will surely refrain from watching the antics of a druggie), the film will surely take forward the careers of Kashyap, Deol and Trivedi. Not to forget Kalki and Mahie. P.S: For those who like to be high on spirits, gulp down a few pegs before watching the movie to go on a fantasy ride.
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahie, Kalki
Rating: 3.5 stars
Dippy Vankani
Anurag Kashyap's DevD is the story essentially of a male chauvinist, a loser who is absorbed in himself and his addictions much before he has any heart breaks to reason them. Unlike its predecessors, DevD does not glorify the pain of its heart broken protagonist (played by Abhay Deol with élan) but instead chooses to portray him as a drug addict who is filthy rich but once is left with nothing but going down to the gutter. No virtues, no respect, no character and hardcore ego are the traits of Dev, shows the filmmaker in his modern interpretation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's celebrated novel Devdas. But this musical is not about Dev! It offers a many 'never seen before on screen' novelties exploring the lives of two modern day girls Paro and Chanda making the movie worth watching not once but twice.
Enter Paro. Paro (Mahie) knows what she wants and she knows how to get it! She cannot be tamed by elders or the society. She decides for herself and moves on. Unlike our Hindi film heroines, Paro needs no man to protect her. She goes on the kill herself. Breaking the mould perhaps for the first time, the director's modern day Paro has orgasm over phone sex with beau Dev while the latter is shunted to London by his father and also sends him her nude picture which beings Dev back to Punjab. Sex supersedes love in the movie. Here Dev does not crave for love. What is does not get in life despite being desperate is sex. Not love!
'Delhi mein billi maarlo, khaalo par paalo mat' says the modern day Chunnilal, a pimp to Dev when he brings him for the first time to Chanda's (Kalki's) dungeon. The director chucks a kotha in Delhi or a Falkland street in Mumbai, both of which have been used extensively in hundreds of Hindi films earlier. Kashyap's Chanda is into role play, phone sex and sex slavery. Chanda dresses up like a nurse, a school student or as a mistress who whips the backs of her customers at their requests and fakes orgasms for callers in Tamil, French and English.
It is Dev who deserts Paro driven by his own ego after someone lies to him that Paro is a slut and easy to take to bed. It is much later that he realizes what he has lost. The modern town girl Paro, however, is ready to sleep with Dev even after her marriage but the latter cannot consummate it. All this while Paro never disappoints her widower husband with two kids in her duties as his wife.
From frame one to last the movie is taken forward by Amit Trivedi's compositions who has also given the background score of the film. Trivedi in one of his interviews had said that he is inspired by A R Rahman who has always broken the mould. Now Rahman certainly has his Eklavya in the making.
Watch out the choreography of song 'Pardesi' and 'Payalia' that compels you not to take your eyes off screen even for a blink. As for dialogues, Chanda, whose life shatters after her nude mms is circulated by her boyfriend, tells her father 'I am not going to suck every cock that comes my way' and 'how can you watch it?'.
The film however drags towards the end and has an unusual climax for a film of this genre.If not a box office hit, (families will surely refrain from watching the antics of a druggie), the film will surely take forward the careers of Kashyap, Deol and Trivedi. Not to forget Kalki and Mahie. P.S: For those who like to be high on spirits, gulp down a few pegs before watching the movie to go on a fantasy ride.
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