Aspi's Drift

How Sohail Sen blended 70s and contemporary to make the blockbuster songs for Gunday

2014-01-20T00:16:00.002-06:00

The title track of the director Ali Abbas Zaffar's upcoming movie Gunday starts its journey with a Blue Grass riff, then a Rap, then roots rock before settling into what sounds like a devotional chant. It takes you by surprise and against all odds, sounds really good. To pull something like this off requires creativity and craziness in equal measure. The man responsible for the blockbuster songs of Gunday is Sohail Sen.

Sohail has been a music director since 2008 and has composed terrific songs as a standalone director for five movies in five years. By all standards, his career has wound up slowly. But what a wind its been! His epic set of songs for 2009's Ashutosh Gowarikar's What's Your Rashee mirrored the challenging nuances of Priyanka Chopra's thirteen roles in the movie. Teaming up with Gowarikar again for the Chittagong Uprising biopic Khelein Hum Jee Jan Sey (2010) Sohail crafted songs of delicacy and patriotism - including the gorgeous, kinetic title track where he used students from Suresh Wadkar's singing academy. Both movies fared poorly at box office and that's always tough for the music director because your songs get limited exposure.

2011's Mere Brother Ki Dulhan changed that downward trend. Working with Ali Abbas Zaffar on his directorial debut, Sohail produced five crackerjack songs including the rock anthem Dhunki (Neha Bhasin), the soulful Isq Risk (Rahat Fateh Ali Khan) and my personal favorite Choomantar (Benny Dayal, Aditi Singh Sharma). Mere Brother Ki Dulhan - which starred Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif - was a huge hit and marked Sohail's arrival as an A-list music director.

Sohail's next big hit soundtrack was for Kabir Khan's spy-crossed lovers action movie Ek Tha Tiger. That movie had Salman Khan, set all kinds of records and earned Sohail his second hit platform.

So what are the songs for Gunday like? The movie is set in 1970s Kolkata. Ali Abbas, who has a great personal equation with Sohail, asked for the songs to be set in that era but have a contemporary feel. He wanted the songs to have attitude in the melody and singing. "I always work according to directors vision as he is the captain of the ship and knows what is best for the film. But at times [directors] do give me freedom to experiment" says Sohail.

It took a while to get the songs right - almost a year. Especially the cabaret Asalaam-e-Ishqum, which Sohail tells me took the longest time to compose. For that and the wink-wink Tune Maari Entriyaan, Ali had the inspired idea to bring in Bappi Lahiri (who Sohail refers to endearingly as "Bappi Uncle"). No one bring the nuances of the 70s to songs like the great Bappi Lahiri! (Just listen to those two awesome lines Bappi sings to kick off Asalaam-e-Ishqum about 23 seconds into the song)

All through the CD, Sohail maintains a certain level of muscular grittiness. You can hear it very obviously on the rousing Jashn-e-Ishqa, styled with classic rock guitar riffs. But you'll also hear it on the simmering Jiya (one of Sohail's favorites) which is built around the winning vocal burr of Arijit Singh. Sohail always uses interesting new singers. Shahid Mallya (who sang the awesome Kukkad from Student of the Year) gets a chance to showcase his soulful vocals on the crushing heartbreak ballad Saaiyaan.

Working with new singers is part of the plan to not get pegged with a certain style, says Sohail. "I take it as a compliment for a composer [to sound different on each CD]. It's always important to explore different genres, styles and sounds so it's a conscious effort from my side not to sound the same and may be that's the reason I work with new singers all the time."

With his career flying high right now, how does Sohail keep this kind of momentum going? "Hard work" he says. On Tune Maari Entriyaan, there is a line that goes: "Peechhe meri aashiqon ki, poori poori countriyan". That's going to happen to you soon, Sohail. Get ready!

Gunday opens in theaters on February 24th
Sohail connects with his fans on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sohailsen.official

Abhishek Bachchan's Temple of Dhoom 3

2013-12-22T14:09:00.000-06:00

In the second major sequence in the year's last big Bollywood release Dhoom 3, Abhishek Bachchan - who plays a supercop called Jai Dixit - rams a ricksha through a wall and lands right in the middle of a bunch of goons. He and his buddy Ali (Udai Chopra hamming for the preteen demographic) then take on the gundas while still in the ricksha. The vehicle takes a pounding - the top cover comes off, the wire frame gets knocked off, the wheels come off and the steering pops out.

Amusingly, the ricksha turns out to be a metaphor for the movie itself - an un-ingenious movie with great intent and such poor execution, that the wheels metaphorically come off in the end.

I would like to say for the record that I enjoyed the movie immensely. There are some cool things in it - that I marveled at - and a bunch of lame things in it - that amused me greatly. As in major Bollywood studio movie these days, one must make one's own entertainment because the filmmakers cannot be relied on to do that for you with any modicum of consistency.

I could list all the lame things in Dhoom 3, but that would be a little like going to Kebab Factory and complaining about too much meat on the menu. So instead let's focus on the one character who fascinated me in this movie, shall we?

Supercop Jai has a penchant for stating the obvious. He's called in all the way from India to solve a crime in Chicago. Why? Ostensibly because the thief (played with conviction but a surprising lack of imagination by Aamir Khan) leaves messages in Hindi and you need a native desi to interpret it.

What a great way to bitch slap the Indian community in the US!

As he moves to trap the thief, Jai makes one amateur mistake after another. Failing miserably to stop Aamir's rampant thievery, he gets fired from his job. But on the verge of returning home, he turns back. See, he wants to solve the case so no one thinks less of desis in the US.

Now at this point I got really worried. How on earth is this nincompoop going to catch Aamir Khan, I wondered. Surely the reputation of desis will turn to dust in Chicago!

Indeed Jai Dixit seems to get even more screwed with time in the movie. Because he's messing up all the time, the filmmakers make Jai do a lot of slo-mo strutting to make him appear competent. Jai glowers and scowls all the time. He starts looking increasingly constipated and gassy. His hair starts to look bizarre and develops a personality of its own. His entire character gets marginalized. (On the other hand, he does slightly better than Katrina Kaif)

At one point he gets tied to the tracks of a roller coaster and helplessly awaits the severing of his body via an incoming high speed gondola. His partner Ali has to pop out of nowhere (this sort of stuff happens all the time in Dhoom 3) and rescue him. Jai can't even save his own life! (This is also applicable to Abhishek's acting). Adding cunning subtext, Ali unties Jai's feet first and his head next - thus telling us indirectly what's more important.

Things get nuttier after that: towards the end, Aamir gets away on a bike with a jet pack (yes! believe it!). Ali throws up his arms and says "They're getting away!" Jai glowers and scowls and says: "Don't worry. The night belongs to the thief, but the day belongs to the police!"

Having delivered those lines on a boat on a marina in Chicago, Jai Dixit against all odds tracks down Aamir Khan at dawn right as he riding his bike over Hoover Dam. (Hey, it was a bike with a jet pack!) Having caught his man, Jai Dixit restores the reputation of desis in America.

What a guy!

With his brand new single, Meiyang Chang reflects on a life less ordinary

2013-12-16T11:24:00.001-06:00

Here is why Meiyang Chang is one of my favorite Next Gen Multi Hyphenate entertainers: he is talented and tireless, he'll give anything a shot, he aces everything he tries. He's funny, loyal, socially connected and maintains a direct line to his fans. Getting back to what made him famous in the first place, Meiyang has two new songs out called Kuch Dino Se (his first single) and Hanju (a Punjabi collaboration with Neha and Tony Kakkar). Go listen to them first by clicking on those links. Then come right back here and read what he's been up to since we last spoke to him on the Drift way back in 2008.

Hi Meiyang, it's been a long time since we caught up. Since then you've hosted TV shows, gone on tour with Sunidhi Chauhan and Shahrukh Khan, won Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa, made your film debut in the hit Badmaash Company, run the Mumbai Marathon, acted in commercials and have a new single.

And life has come full circle on the Drift, hasn't it? I remember being here in 2008 when I'd been drafted by Sony Television to host Indian Idol 4, the very beginning of my career after dentistry. You've always been a great support

I need to hear from you: is there anything you can't do? How about something really wacky like running the marathon or dentistry? Wait, you can do both actually. Cooking maybe?

The universe probably conspires to make me explore every aspect of myself. I was recently invited to be part of the Indian adaptation of Come Dine With Me. As exciting as it could have been, I politely declined because even making tea is not my cup of tea. So there are plenty of things I can't do...yet!

Let's start with your most recent work. You have a new single. Tell us everything about it: what's it called, what is it about, what type of a song is it, is it part of a collection, who worked on it.

I'm very excited about this song! It's called Kuch Dino Se: my first independent single released by Sony Music India and it's a breezy, part-mush part-philosophical number, composed by Ajay Singha (Miko) as part of his for-the-road album Inn Raahon Mein. He's an old acquaintance who I've worked with on the F4 album in 2008 apart from Amit Trivedi (in his pre-DevD days) and Leslie Lewis. It was unfortunate that Ajay's catchy original score for that album wasn't heard much. Years later, we met again and he had this song for me and conviction in my voice. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful and have been penned by Pinky Poonawala.

The video for the song was shot with the children from Smile Foundation and they really add a soft, human touch to it. And I consider it a gift to myself since it released in October, my birthday month. It is a labor of love and the goal is to have as many people hear it and love it, share it and shower bouquets as well as brickbats on it.

I'm also excited to introduce Hanju, my Punjabi collaboration with Neha Kakkar (also incidentally from Indian Idol) and her brother Tony Kakkar with Times Music. This is my first Punjabi song; a love ballad with an underlying hint of pathos. I remember having a tough time holding a serious expression when we shot the 'intimate' music video for Hanju with Neha, that too with Tony as the cinematographer. Talk about pressure! Having said that, Tony has done a wonderful job of single-handedly producing the track as well as the video.

Of all the things you have built your career and life around, what's the one thing that is most precious to you and wouldn't give up?

My reality checks: my friends and family, mostly those who knew me before or during my Indian Idol days. They keep me grounded and let me live life without taking myself too seriously.

Indian Idol 3 really launched you. What was the original intent of participating in Idol? And at what point did you start feeling that you could have a career in entertainment?

I won't lie; I had never harbored dreams of becoming a professional singer nor, if you can believe it, watched a single episode of Indian Idol before the auditions. Cocooned in my extremely hectic Dental School life in the South of India (where mainstream Hindi shows do not have a massive following), I did not know how insanely popular the show was or how it could change one's life for the better. I have a natural affinity for music, thanks to my father and my music teachers in school and it was my friend and sister Archana who egged me on for the auditions.

Once I cleared the initial few rounds, I started taking the competition seriously. It was not until after Indian Idol 3, however, when I was offered an album deal by Sony Music that I genuinely contemplated a career in entertainment. I was all set to head to the US for further dental studies if Indian Idol had not happened.

You came back to host Idol for Sony. How did you prepare for it and what was the feeling like?

Elation and euphoria don't adequately describe how my emotions on bagging the Idol host's mantle. I was going through a personal and professional low back then due to various stifling restrictive clauses in the contract and even though I knew I was meant to fly, my wings had been clipped. To that end I have to thank various people in Sony TV and Miditech (who produced Seasons 2, 3 and 4) for trusting me with a gargantuan responsibility and relaxing certain clauses by sister concern Sony Music.

Once on-board, I had to follow the show backwards: DVDs of seasons and anchors gone by (punishment for not having watched the show before perhaps?), mock interactions with the general public, look tests. I have a great rapport with Deepali, so the auditions were an adrenaline-pumped blitzkrieg. It was on my extension for the Piano and Gala Rounds that I had to strike a rapport with Hussain, who is a great guy but also my senior and a veteran. I'll always be indebted to him for treating me as an equal and showing me the ropes.

I remember seeing pictures of you with the stars who came on Idol. Of all the celebs you met, who do you think was:

The most down to earth? John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor
The most strikingly good-looking? Deepika Padukone, without a shadow of a doubt. This lady makes my jaw drop every-single-time! I met her again during an SRK event in Dubai and she really is a girl next door. I guess the mix of her on-screen hotness and her off-screen vulnerability makes her all that desirable and respected.
The most different from their on-screen persona? Unless they're being snooty, I've found most of them to be very close to what they are on screen on vice-versa. Natural actors, yeah?

Have you kept in touch with the show that launched you? Or with the people who you've met on it?

I will always passionately follow Indian Idol whether I'm part of it or not. For me, it's not just a singing talent show but a sentimental journey. Many from the production and creative teams have moved on to other shows, channels or professions altogether and as expected, even friends fall out of touch with each other over the years.

I'm still in touch with most of them. Among my own batch mates, I'm in touch with Abhishek, Emon, Ankita, Deepali, Harshida, Bhavin, Shantanu, Charu, Prashant, Amit (that's pretty much all of them!). And from the other seasons I've been in touch with Abhijeet Sawant. Mini Mathur, Hussain and I talk often and bump into each other once in a while. A get-together has been on the cards for a long, long time though.

Ok, you've acted in a hit movie - Badmaash Company - with some pretty cool people. Did you have to audition for that part and how did you prep for that role?

I was just about to embark to South Africa for the Indian Premier League (IPL) when I got a call to audition for the character of Zing. Like any other starry-eyed boy who'd never imagined he'd be called for a Yash Raj film, I'd decided to say yes even before I knew who the director and my co-stars were. When I was headed for the audition a couple of days later, I let better sense prevail and told myself: read the script, see what it has to offer. That Parmeet Sethi was directing the film; Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Vir Das were my co-stars and that the role was interesting, meaty and gave me a lot of dynamics to play with convinced me to take on Badmaash Company.

Of course, I had no personal experience to fall back on to play an alcoholic, so I drew from my memories of college in Bangalore where I always had drunk people around me. I found genuinely nice people in Anushka and Vir and an extremely focused and disciplined actor in Shahid. I learned so much from them. It goes without saying that the experience of filming Badmaash Company was a landmark one for me. As Indians, we fantasize about acting in movies. I am fortunate to have lived that dream.

Any lessons in dancing from Shahid and Anushka?

I was terrible at dancing during the film so no, I did not ask for any dancing tips then. Perhaps, Jhalak was the lesson I was meant to learn on my own. However, when we were shooting the song Chaska, Shahid and our choreographer Ahmed Khan played a prank on Vir and me. They made us believe we had to do this extremely complicated 15 second routine for the song! So you had the two of us, grave and struggling to perfect the steps, and you had to see the relief on our faces when the prank was broken to us! We have fond memories of that incident and the film in general and keep performing together when we can.

I recently did a commercial with Chris Gayle where he hints at giving me cricketing lessons in exchange for singing lessons. Now THAT I wouldn't mind!

Moving on to Jhalak 4. You know I love you, man but even I didn't think you could win that show until about the fifth or sixth episode. Holy Hannah! What a risk taker you are. At what point did you start believing in the final destination yourself?

Hahaha! Well, Anushka and Ranveer came to encourage me on Jhalak and taught me a trick or two. But as you've mentioned, it was not until a couple of episodes into the show that I realised I could dance at all. I was kicking myself after the first two episodes as Marischa and I had been preparing those routines for weeks. To see it crashing and to score so low was demoralising! I can definitively say that the Tamma Tamma performance for the Madhuri Dixit Special was the turning point where, not only was I in a do-or-die situation but I also realized that nothing is impossible.

Jhalak sure looks like the most difficult thing you did in your life. Was it?

God, yes. I don't remember a time in my life when I've ever physically exerted myself for 13-16 hours at a stretch for a continuous period of 4 months! They say that when you work out and dance continuously, you get used to the pain. That never happened! The benefits though, were immense. I could touch my toes without bending my knees for example! Just kidding.

My stamina, core strength, posture and muscle memory saw a quantum leap for the better and I'd never felt fitter and more game for life! And I saw myself do things I'd told myself I'd never be able to do. Jhalak played a big role in instilling self-belief and the lesson that if you put your mind and body to it, no-bloody-body can stop you from succeeding.

Do things get tense between competitors on these reality shows? I mean, do you part as friends or do people leave all bitter?

We may or may not keep in touch but so far, I've only made friends on reality shows. If at all, we become frenemies during the course of the competition, which is but fair. There have been instances of people bitterly fighting each other on many reality shows but I've been fortunate to never come across that. Also, in music and dance shows, despite the intense competition and prizes up for grabs, we understand what we're collectively going through and empathize with each other. We give no quarter on the battlefield, but off-screen we're super cool!

Your singing and hosting has taken you all over the world. Some questions related to that…
Most fun you've had on a show: I've had some very memorable moments on stage across the globe but nothing beats the Indian Idol 3 Top 10 concert in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2007. It was a scorching hot day and well-wishers in excess of 50,000 came to watch us perform live. The ground AND the hills were overflowing with people. I've never seen such a sight in my life!

And the Temptation Reloaded Tour with Shah Rukh Khan in Australia and New Zealand: it's taking me to many corners of the world! The scale of production and SRK's power over the audiences is definitely something to experience! I get to host and sing on these gigs and to be so close to this humble superstar is a learning experience in itself. Add to that my gracious Jhalak judge, Madhuri Dixit and one of my favorites Yo Yo Honey Singh! We've just finished Australia, New Zealand and Dubai and will be traveling to Kuala Lampur, Fiji and Sri Lanka soon.

Most talented singer you've shared the stage with: Sunidhi Chauhan. What a powerhouse she is!

Most memorable city you've visited: Braccianno, 30 km northwest of Rome. I've performed in palaces and castles before but the Castello Orsini Odescalchi was special!

Strangest fan experience you've had: Some overenthusiastic, albeit drunk fans accosted me after an IPL match in South Africa. I've never been asked for an autograph with so much aggressive love. My ears still ring from their "request".

You recently ran the Mumbai Marathon to raise funds for Concern India. What was that experience like and would you do it again?

I've used this term before and I'll do so again. Running the marathon was a cathartic and humbling experience. Imagine running alongside thousands of Mumbaikars as one team towards a common cause! And to not have a single untoward incident!! Running was just a healthy excuse; the prime purpose was to raise awareness about various charities and causes and to help raise funds for the same. For this I had fellow Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant for company

Would I run the marathon again? Absolutely! I ran the Dream Category (7 kms) this year. I intend to train harder next year and attempt the half-marathon (21 kms). However, I'd request everyone to give their time and efforts over money to a charity or the causes they support. Yes, funds are required to run things but nothing can replace the personal touch. This is an advice I intend to follow myself. To that extent, for the first time ever I lent my support by way of my music to a new political party for the elections just gone by. The Indian populace is fed up of the corruption across governance and I believe that the people in this party deserve a chance to affect a positive change

You once wrote about Sunidhi Chauhan that every conversation with her was a learning experience. You've gotten to watch her up close. What do you think makes her so special?

Sunidhi is, without doubt, the most successful female singer and performer we have today. She saw success of gargantuan proportions at a very tender age and yet, never let it go to her head. She is a perfect example of how not to take fame and success too seriously and just focus at bettering your craft. Add to that her genuine nature and her mischievous streak, she's a really nice person to hang out with You've talked a lot of being a big dreamer and how it's an essential fuel for life.

These days, what are your dreams about?

I'd say that I'm maturing with age. Haha!! What I mean is that after the initial fun and games and dabbling with many things, I know what I want to be ten years down the line. I definitely want to devote most of my time to music and acting. Television has obviously been a big part of my life but I don't see myself hosting for that long, even though it will still remain an integral part of my live profile. To this end I recently tweeted, “Man with many faces and man donning many hats. I strive to be both”. With the interesting things coming my way, whether they materialize or not, I see my path very clearly. I will be better at what I do, have only myself to compete with and leave no room for insecurity.

OK I normally don't do this but since you are so personable, I'll ask personal questions. Anyone special in your life right now?

That's my heart crying out in pain. Although I am interested in someone, until it works out the way it is meant to, I am still single. Hey, that sounds cool: "Single man releases new single!"

What do you look for in your partner? What's a deal-breaker in a relationship for you?

She's got to be drop-dead gorgeous, with curves in all the right places!!! Haha!! These qualities are a bonus, but she must be a great conversationalist and a strong woman with an unchallenged zest for life. I love women with a happy light in their eyes who make the world a better place just by their outlook towards it. Of course, with the kind of timings and travel I indulge in, she would also have to be extremely understanding!

I'm sure you have been on great dates. Any horror stories of bad dates? I'm asking because they are cathartic to relate and interesting to read.

I wouldn't call it a disaster but it surely knocked me out. Back in Bangalore, I took this Jordanian colleague out for a date. There was a definite spark between us but at the date all she would talk about was how dedicated to Dentistry she was and how she dreamed of being an upright, brilliant dentist. I'm not sure if it was just nervous chatter but after spending 9 hours in the clinic everyday for six days a week, dentistry was the last thing I wanted to discuss! That night, I cursed myself for being a good listener. I'm still working on not being one to this day!

Shuddh Desi Romance and the rise of Sachin-Jigar

2013-08-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

Like their song Slowly, Slowly from their breakthrough album Go Goa Gone, Sachin Saraiya and Jigar Sanghvi have been carving out a niche in the world of filmi music. Unlike fellow new khiladis Ajay-Atul and their song Chikni Chameli which ignited their career instantly, Sachin Jigar have not had a zeitgeist hit yet. Their rise to fame has been on the backs of a steady stream of high quality songs.

Their sublime set of tunes for Shuddh Desi Romance is unlikely to change this mode of operation - I don't hear a monster hit on this album (and I sure hope I'm wrong here), but I can't stop listening to those songs either.

Sachin Jigar started off arranging music as part of Pritam's crack production ecosystem. They gradually branched out to arranging songs for other composers before breaking out as music directors in their own right. All through their early journey, they credit Pritam as being a constant source of support and encouragement.

Sachin Jigar's first big piece of work was composing for F.A.L.T.U. They delivered a set of jangly, mischievous songs. (If you haven't rolled your eyes and shaken your hips to Char Baj Gaye Lekin Party Abhi Baki Hai, you haven't lived). But on early display was the ability to deliver foot tapping arrangements, soulful tunes and generate something interesting (O'Teri). Since then, their journey has been similar to that of other rising composers - compose music for a lot of small movies and try to make most of those opportunities before a quality project lands in your lap. And boy, did Sachin Jigar maximize those opportunities. Their songs have made me sit up and take note - Hum Tum Shabana (Hey Na Na), Kya Super Kool Hai Hum (Dil Garden), ABCD (a personal favorite - Man Basiyo), and Go Goa Gone (Slowly slowly, Khoon Choos Le, Babaji Ki Booti).

Shuddh Desi Romance arrives at the right time for Sachin Jigar, when instead of getting typecast as youngistan, masti party composers, they get to deliver an exhilarating mix of art and commerce. Its a bravura album full of fine tunes and a heady tweaking of Rajasthani folk cliches. I loved how playfully Sachin Jigar took something like "ararara" - which shows up in bazillion songs - laced with distorted vocals and rock guitars and then tailed it off with the word "Random" on the hugely entertaining Chanchal Mann Ati Random (Divya Kumar). I also liked how carefully the flirtatious Tere Mere Beech Mein Kya Hai (Sunidhi Chauhan, Mohit Chauhan) is allowed to develop.

There are five instrumentals on this song - the best and most evocative of them is Mujhe Kiss Kar Sakte Ho, which goes from delicate to soaring and captures the emotions tied to the title. All through the album, Sachin Jigar's ability to provide fresh, catchy twists to songs really stands out. Its not consistent in their music yet but there are sparks of Pritam's no-holds barred tuning and Amit Trivedi's inventiveness.

Because they pay close attention to the music programming, Sachin Jigar sound modern. Take Jatin-Lalit as a contrast who still under-program their songs and have an old-school focus on vocals. Jatin-Lalit's songs for Besharam are a good example of what I'm referring to here. (Ironically Jatin-Lalit are Sachin-Jigar's idols)

Sachin Jigar are both my gujju brothers. I know this sounds terribly regional but I'm really happy to see Himesh Reshammiya (who I still love), Shekhar Ravjiani and Amit Trivedi all showing some superlative Humanities prowess. Bollywood music, the Gujju Invasion is here!

Shuddh Desi Romance opens in theaters on September 6

If you'd like to trace their journey, here is Sachin-Jigar's work in Indian films in chronological order:
2013: Shuddh Desi Romance, Issaq, Ramaiya Vastavaiya, Go Goa Gone, I Me Aur Main, Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story, ABCD - Anybody Can Dance
2012: Kya Super Kool Hain Hum, Hum Tum Shabana
2011: Shor In The City, F.A.L.T.U.
2010: Krantiveer
2009: Teree Sang

Fun with a gun on Zanjeer's Mumbai Ka Hero

2013-08-20T22:55:00.001-05:00

Sure, India is a young country - the average age is just over 25. But given the music videos these days you'd think everyone in India is young and horny. And this catering to a certain target audience is reaching ridiculously entertaining heights.

Let's take a look at the catchy club song Mumbai Ka Hero from Zanjeer. The original Zanjeer (1973) marked a turning point in both Amitabh Bachchan's career and Hindi cinema. It was the first time we saw a grumpy, smoldering, not-so-hot looking leading man with enough oil in his hair to fast track a Dabur Amla ad. The movie's success gave birth to the angry young man archetype in films and kick started Amitabh's legendary career. The remake - produced by original director Prakash Mehra's son, Amit - stars Ram Charan Teja and Priyanka Chopra. I enjoyed Ram Charan (RCT) so much in 2009's rebirth epic Magadheera that I'm really looking forward to seeing him in Hindi films.

The songs starts with clips of some iconic Amitabh Bachchan dialogs from the original film. These don't sound as dhaasu as they did back then. But it's a good way to acknowledge the source (given that the writers didn't get paid anything.) Then Mika Singh starts singing. Now it could just be me, but anytime that Mika sings, he sounds completely inebriated. His voice epitomizes the words "sloshed" and "party". RCT dances with a bunch of chics dressed in camouflage outfits that are designed to show, not hide (points for ironic comedy!) RCT is already flashing a gun, setting us up for the fun to follow.

At just under a minute, Priyanka shows up in a cop outfit that would stop traffic in all 28 (or was it 29 - I can't keep count) states in India. I think PC is a terrific dancer and if not her work, I've always admired her career choices. Talia Bentson does a terrific little rap for Priyanka and begins by declaring "cop in the khaki uniform/you turn me on". Then RCT whips out his revolver causing PC to palm her cheek and exclaim: "Oh my God!/Is that your gun!?"

Now you know what the gun represents, right? Right?! Ok. So PC begs to "hold it please". Then RCT proceeds to - get this - twirl his gun. Is your imagination firing here? Good. PC sings "Tu lage sexy off-i-cer/jab taane apna re-vol-ver" and then goes down on her knees and pulls RCT's gun to her face, mimicking an activity that would turn Leela Samson blue and instantly convert any PG-13 rating into a straight R.

Then there's more innuendo although that could just be me looking for further entertainment. I'll let you be the judge. PC admonishes RCT for stealing her dil ka chayn and suggests that he "kar complaint mera register" which I think is by far the best line in the song (no, I'm serious - I loved it).

Then RCT and PC indulge in some awesome dancing. RCT pulls out a really big gun and moments later threatens to yank his pants down by furiously jiggling his belt. But by that time, the video has become considerably more tame - and hence not as much fun.

Mumbai Ka Hero is composed by Chirantan Bhatt (who dazzled me with his songs for 1920 - Evil Returns).

Why I enjoyed Chennai Express - an alternate opinion

2013-08-14T05:01:00.002-05:00

I love Shahrukh Khan's schmaltz and I have a growing admiration for how skillfully Deepika Padukone negotiates the trappings of Bollywood heroine-giri these days. But I have to confess I have a noteworthy aversion to uber-director Rohit Shetty's movies. It's a well earned aversion too. I've attempted to see almost all of Rohit's super hit movies. I gagged through the (were there eight or nine?!) Golmaals. I rolled my eyes incessantly in Singham. I shook my head and walked off after 20 minutes of Bol Bachchan.

But Mum absolutely wanted to see Rohit's latest record-breaking venture Chennai Express and no amount of discouragement through strategically placed bad reviews on the breakfast table seemed to change her mind. Since you can't do tequila shots in a theater in Vadodara, I had to prep differently. First, I lowered all my expectations. I consoled myself by noting that Mum laughs at everything - so that would keep me entertained. I called in a friend to keep me company. I picked a late night show - perfect for napping.

Now I know all the critics savaged Chennai Express and called it bhula-buraa. I have no idea what they were smoking! Chennai Express is so utterly loony that its awesome entertainment!

Before I tell you what I really enjoyed about the movie (and hopefully help you through perhaps a similar journey of your own), here are a few things to note. Chennai Express has a crazy dumb premise. There is tons of ill logic. Rohit keeps a cracking pace - he never lets the movie slow down by belaboring a point. There are some highly creative scene transitions. The editing is top notch. There are seizure inducing camera jitters. The slow mo posturing has been toned down. The cinematography is luscious. The music is delicious. The dancing is delirious. Rohit, admirably credits the movie to "Rohit Shetty and Team". There are lots of jokes that would be called rascist in a less tolerant country. A lot of those jokes are not particularly funny. SRK delivers a Nokia Lumia ad in the film that is in jaw-droppingly bad taste.

So what made the movie work for me? The two lead actors in the film. Both SRK and Deepika grab their roles by the horns and overact the hell out of them. This is the absolute most correct way to approach a Rohit Shetty film. You can't afford to be ironic or understated. I haven't seen SRK look this comfortable in a role since his fine turn in Chak De India years ago. He throws himself at every joke, sadela or otherwise, as if his life depended on it. He does camp, satire, comic homage, straight laced comedy, juvenile comedy, stereotypes and pratfalls. He's a fearless joker. You can't help but root for him.

Deepika almost drove me to distraction in this film. Her choice to add an accent is an inspired touch, but she messes it up badly. She's maddeningly inconsistent. Happily, she overcomes this by doing what SRK does (throwing herself in the deep end) and appears to be having a lot of fun in her role - which is infectious.

I really liked how both the actors handled the underwritten scenes in which they fall in love by way of encountering loyalty and caring (a recurring theme in Indian films).

To be fair I like both SRK and Deepika which is probably why I enjoyed Chennai Express. I came away thinking - so this is how much fun those Golmaals would have been if I could stand Ajay Devgn and Jeetinder's son (sorry I always forget his name).

Even Chennai Express's much maligned climax is full on entertaining. First, SRK delivers a head-scratching monologue about female empowerment in Hindi to a bunch of dumbfounded (non-Hindi speaking) locals. Then he proceeds to fight a strapping man (a smoldering Nikitin Dheer) for rights to win Deepika's hand in marriage. All through this, Deepika's dad - a local don with an unintentionally funny squint - holds her back with a light grip around her arm. Deepika, who plays a strong-headed rebel in the movie, makes a number of inexplicably lame attempts to break away. Much blood is shed and masculinity is asserted. Finally a victorious and gladiatorially bloody SRK approaches a coyly smiling, sidelined Deepika.

Wow, I told myself, what un-ironed irony! I had no choice but to guffaw - although no one else in the theater seemed to find that funny.

Chennai Express broke the record for most collections in a paid preview (previous mark was set by Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots) and was the fastest to the Rs 100 crore mark (previous record holder was Salman Khan's Ek Tha Tiger)

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and the state of Pritam's music

2013-05-03T17:18:00.004-05:00

A while ago, I had reviewed the marquee career of Pritam. Here are some observations from that post:

"... there is little doubt that behind AR Rahman, he is India's most prodigious hit maker. He is building name recognition - audiences seek out his music by reputation. If he barrels down this path unabated, Pritam will become a brand like RD Burman."

While listening to the music of Pritam's newest set of songs for the Ranbir Kapoor vehicle Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD), the thought crossed my mind that - rather unfortunately - Pritam might prove me wrong yet.

First things first: what's the music of YJHD like? It's full of energy, soul and very catchy tunes. As he did on (the much better) Badmaash Company, Pritam uses a lot of chorus singers, dhols and whistles on several songs to convey a sense of dhamaal and fun. You'd think YJHD was a wedding album! There's slowdown via some well crafted ballads. All the songs are very listenable. They are what critics like to call "FM-ready". They have such familiar turns and beats that they sound like deja vu.

And in here lies the problem with the path Pritam is barreling down. The weight of putting out ready-made hits is so great that it can stifle creativity. It might not be intentional on the part of the composer - after all everyone has obligations. Pritam, by his own hit-making standards, is now obliged to hit every ball out of the park. Music promos are so integral to a movie's publicity campaign that the people who hire Pritam expect his music to grab the attention of viewers on the first listen. And that expectation is weighing his music down.

Take the horn-heavy, swing track Badmateez Dil where the problems become apparent. I loved that Pritam composed this song as a straight, quick shot of fun. His choice of Benny Dayal on vocals is inspired. But Badtameez Dil has one good hook and a lot of glitzy musical arrangements. It sounds entirely too familiar and it is at least 30 seconds too long. It's like drinking unaged Pinot in a tequila shot glass.

You'll see similar issues on Balam Pichkari and Dilliwaali Girlfriend - both of which are rescued by Pritam's trademark hyper-produced musical arrangements. You can just see those songs being on a DJs list to get a dance party started. Yet if you sang those lyrics over silence, you'd hear catchy but uninspired tunes.

Why does Pritam's music feel like it's bogged down? Do listeners not have the patience to allow a song its space (like for example, the under-appreciated corker Yaaram from Ek Thi Daayan). Does a composer only have a precious few seconds to grab Youngistan listeners by the scruff of their neck and compel them to listen? Is that the reason why Pritam uses familiar themes, tunes and instruments in his songs?

Despite all those early allegations of reconstituting songs, no one can deny that Pritam ignited the world of filmi music with his entry and continued presence. I see emerging Pritams all over the place now (Jeet Ganguly is the best of them). But given the volume of songs Pritam puts out, its not difficult to stagnate. If you think about how many of the same themes run through all movies ("hit dance song", "special promo song", "dukh bharaa song", "Pyaar ka ehsaas song") - just about how original can you get when composing tens of these every year?

But the difference between catchy and memorable is musical ingenuity. Pritam - and his crack production team - are hugely capable and can do more to tweak the music landscape.

Pritamda, thanks for the music of YJHD. Enjoyed listening to it. Forgotten all about it already. Looking forward to your next one.

THE GANESH TALKIES' new video for ITEM SONG is a hoot: Lead singer Suyasha Sengupta introduces the band and the song

2013-04-24T22:11:00.000-05:00

There are many things to love about The Ganesh Talkies - a five piece band that takes its name from a now defunct Kolkata cinema and landmark. Their music carries an enormous sense of fun. They embrace their Bollywood influences without feeling obligated to skewer it. Earlier this year, they released a cool four song EP called Three-Tier, non AC (you can buy it from OKListen!) which they promote in elaborate outfits with the same sense of un-ironic verve that is infused in their music.

The Ganesh Talkies primarily creates really accessible pop songs. Their single Item Song has a sparkling, trippy accompanying video that combines art, culture, kitsch, dance and gender politics. It's a lot of fun to watch and listen to. I asked singer Suyasha Sengupta to introduce the band, the song and the video.

Congratulations on the video release - really enjoyed it. What's the concept behind the song and the visuals?

Suyasha: The video has been conceptualized directed and edited by Ayushman Mitra and shot by Rusha Bose. The idea behind the video was that anybody or anything could be an "item". While the video features women of various age-groups and socio-economic backgrounds, they are not objectified. They are strong, confident and beautiful at the same time.

The song too, is a take on the quintessential chauvinist mindset of Bollywood. Instead of the man wooing the woman, we see that the woman is the one in charge here.

I've known people who try to put videos together and struggle so much the video never gets made. How was it like for you putting this video together? Was it fun, was it painful, was it painful but worth the fun?

Suyasha: Ayushman is not just a director but also an artist and it was his artistic sensibilities that helped shape the video. We wanted to create a video that was visually stimulating, while being fun and colorful.

Also we pretty much roped in all our friends and family to be a part of the video. We used our domestic help, security guards and kids from the neighborhood (they are playing football in the video). The dogs too weren't spared and can be seen making cameos! Actor Rii Sen, who is seen in the video was a BIG help for us. She came to the set and nailed all her shots in no time like the rock star that she is. The video also features model Sneha Ghosh, Kheya Chattopadhyay, Ryan Peterson, and Sankalita Chakroborty among others - who all came down despite the last minute notice because they are friends of the band.

Honestly, the video-making process was not painful at all because it was very do-it-yourself. We were anticipating a lot of hurdles but thankfully, we didn't have to face any because everyone was extremely cooperative and more importantly, everyone was having a lot of fun on set (which was the director's terrace, hah!) The video is a collective effort by everyone to showcase the indie scene in Kolkata which is booming at the moment.

All those bright paintings in the video - where did those come from?

Suyasha: All the artwork is by Ayushman Mitra for Ganesh Talkies.

In the song, the words "you're my item bomb" are used to compliment a sublime woman. Do you think I should try that line in a club. Or, like in the movies, this won't work in real life?

Suyasha: "Oh baby you're my item bomb" might just work, but you really have to FEEL that way. If a man or a woman makes you go weak in the knees and at the same time makes you want to break into Mithun-esque pelvic thrusts, then he or she might just be your item bomb!

But yes, don't use this as a pick-up line (which is rather insincere) or you might get punched in the face.

I hear you wear kitschy, colorful clothes at your gigs. Do you really just throw on what's in your closet when you come out to perform or are the clothes saying something about the band?

Suyasha: All our gigs have a theme (disco, mujra, space men, chor-police etc). A GT gig is an audio-visual thing much like a movie. You hear, you see and thus you feel. We take our costumes very seriously because at the end of the day, it it our job to ensure that everybody who turns up for the gig has a good time and goes back home with a smile on their face.

So Ganesh Talkies - who all is in the band and what is each person like?

Suyasha: The band comprises of me who writes the songs, sings and plays guitar. I'm the youngest of the lot and my taste in music is rather bipolar - ranging from Nirvana to Sajid Wajid.

Ronodeep Bose plays guitar for the band. The interesting thing about him is that he is also an actor. He is the only sane one in the band who does not make Hindi film references at the drop of a hat while making songs for Ganesh Talkies.

Nabarun Bose plays keyboard and harmonium for the band. He is also a freelance arranger and programmer for Tollywood movies.

Roheet Mukherjee plays bass and like all bassists, he is the big brother of the band who finds solutions to never-ending problems, musical or otherwise. He is also a part of the Kolkata indie-act Neel and The Lightbulbs.

Arka Das plays drums. Being the senior-most, his experience helps fine-tuning the glitches.

Ganesh Talkies is essentially five people who like to have fun and want you to as well! The current line-up has been together since November last year although individually, we've been playing music here and there prior to that.

Your EP is called Three-Tier, Non AC. What an awesome name! It made me shudder and smile at the same time. How did you come up with that name?

Suyasha: Non-AC trains are exclusive only to India, nowhere else will you find one. We wanted the name of the EP to be something that us folks - Indians - could relate to. Hence Roheet's brainchild- 'Three Tier, Non AC'. Our EP consists of three songs plus one bonus track.

Ok enough about you, let's talk about Bollywood. What is YOUR favorite item song?

Suyasha: Collectively, we prefer Bollywood music that was made in the 80s and the 90s - the period we grew up in. There were no item songs back then, there were romantic songs with coordinated clothes and dance steps to match. We love any song picturized on Govinda or Akshay Kumar and they are our favorites. Tu cheez badi hai mast mast comes to my mind at the moment!

If you had to pick a Bollywood movie that most closely resembles the spirit of Ganesh Talkies, which one would that be?

Suyasha: Most definitely Dance Dance [Mithun, Mandakini, Smita Patil] or Mohra [Akshay, Sunil Shetty, Naseer, Raveena Tandon]. Action, comedy, romance, drama, dancing - these two movies have all possible elements in them!

Want more?
Buy Three-Tier, Non AC
The Ganesh Talkies on Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud
A Rolling Stone India profile
The official Item Song video

Why is OkListen so important to Indian indie music? Founder Vijay Basrur explains

2013-03-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

Vijay Basrur was a man who had spent years working in start ups and burgeoning companies like Bazee.com, INOX, Quikr and Synqua and was passionate about music. He was aware of the growing community of musicians in India who regularly put out high quality music that wasn't available in mainstream outlets.

Once he decided to buy some music from Indian rock act Them Clones. Realizing the CD wasn't available anywhere, he sent a tweet to the band who couriered him a copy. Vijay wasn't home and missed the delivery. There has got to be a better way, Vijay thought to himself, and instead of just posting a Facebook status about it, he decided to change the situation by launching a site where artists could put their CDs up for sale and hope to make money. The site Vijay started is called OkListen.com.

There are quite a few sites that sell Indian music digitally (like say Flyte). OkListen is entirely oriented to independent musicians only - artists who create music outside of a studio or corporation (Sony, EMI) that packages production and distribution. This is a great way for artists to reach audiences. Its also an excellent way for popular artists to create artist-owned music that comes straight from the heart (as opposed to say, the trailer of a movie).

When I used OkListen recently to buy an album (Siddharth Basrur's Chasing Rain) I found the experience to be a really good one. I loved the site's clean design, easy accessibility to key features and the entire checkout experience was awesome. I decided to catch up with Vijay (no relation to Siddharth - he does get asked that question a lot) and ask him about more about how OkListen works.

Vijay, I love the concept behind your site. I really like the singular purpose behind it and the simplicity of intent and execution. Giving indie music in India a platform like this could be a real game changer. But things change all the time. Before we begin this interview, do you promise to do no evil (like Google did early on) no matter how things go?

Vijay: If by evil you mean that we will never let the independent artists down, then yes we promise to do no evil. However if evil means selling only independent music, then we are already criminals since we are actively looking to grow the catalog by signing up (music made with) record labels.

Here is the problem, doing only independent music as of now is not cutting it for us. Makes it very unviable for us to project that this will be a big business. Thankfully there aren't many vibrant digital download stores in India, so we are well poised that way

How do you keep tabs on the artists you'd like to pursue for your site?

Vijay: We keep following the music scene and keep reaching out to artists. Also a good thing for us is that all of the artists who work with us, love us and spread the word about us whenever they get a chance. So the network effect is kicking in and quite a few artists have directly started approaching us

What's the process like of convincing people to sell their music on Ok Listen?

Vijay: Actually its not very difficult since we have a total win win solution for the artist. Its a non exclusive [arrangement], they keep 70% of the net sales and we payout monthly directly into any Indian bank account. All we ask for is pricing parity across all platforms that the musician might explore in India.

Once an artist uploads music to Ok Listen for sale, does it become an exclusive distribution relationship?

Vijay: No, we have a non-exclusive arrangement. However we are increasing our bouquet of services so as to offer much more to the artist in which case he can choose to make it an exclusive arrangement. A few big acts can make a huge difference in getting this started.

How did you convince a big act like Indian Ocean to sign on?

Vijay: Our advisor, Ranjan [Singh] managed marketing for Indian Ocean and hence it worked in our favor. Having said that, Indian Ocean came out and endorsed us as they really liked what we did. If we had not delivered even after we got the intro it would have been disastrous! A lot of people make music in India. Sometimes we run into people who think they are [already] a [polished] band, but they really aren't ready yet.

How do you make sure that quality music is sold on your site?

Vijay: We are trying hard to be known for quality music. We listen to all the stuff that comes in. We also check if the artist has promoted their [own] music. We check their Facebook Page. SoundCloud plays are also a good way of estimating the reach of the music.

What if an artist wants to give away their music. Does that mess up your model because you don't make any money?

Vijay: So we don't give away anything for free! But if artists want to give away music for free, on say Bandcamp, we put up the music for sale with a disclaimer that the music is available for free on the Internet but the artist would appreciate your support. For an album by Colaba Point which is available for free download on Bandcamp, we have sold over 50 copies since he got discovered by folks on OKListen

How would your model work when an artist becomes famous and might want to jump to a record label to reap the benefits of their ecosystem?

Vijay: Not much we can do about it. But if the artist becomes big after being available on OKListen, I am sure it will turn out to be great for us.

What is your strategy for leveraging Facebook, Twitter and YouTube?

Vijay: We are quite active on social media. But I guess in India its more of a promotion or brand building since we don't get many sales from Facebook.

Are you working on a mobile component to your site?

Vijay: Our site renders well on mobile devices since we use a responsive design. We should be looking at a mobile app pretty soon

Are you concerned you'll end up selling something pirated or copied? Have you taken any steps to protect yourself?

Vijay: Not really. I am not sure you can fight piracy. But with prices going down and legal music being more accessible, the incentive to pirate will reduce.

Any thoughts on integrating a Wishberry like feature into Ok Listen?

Vijay: Not so soon. But we will probably align with folks like them.

Netflix used to be purely distribution and they realized that to play in the big leagues they needed content of their own. Do you think you would reach a stage where you might fund music?

Vijay: Not sure if I can say that we will not since if it turns out to be a good option, we may be tempted to give it a shot

What are these Album Cards I've heard about? What do they look like and how do they work?

Vijay: What we have done is created the ability to assign unique codes to every music on our site. Using these codes the content owners can easily use music for quick gratification online for any customer feedback or contests. These codes can also be printed on cards and sold at on ground venues. The user who gets the code, comes to OKListen, redeems the code and starts downloading the music

Would you ever sell filmi music for independent movies?

Vijay: Yes we will. We've already released one! The soundtrack to Rise of Zombie.

What's been your biggest success so far and what kind of numbers are we talking about if you don't mind sharing.

Vijay: Our biggest success has been Agam's The Inner Self Awakens. We sold 150 copies in 24 hours.

There are a few things I miss on Ok Listen. One is a radio station of the music on the site that would help me discover new bands and songs. Another is integrating with Facebook and letting me know if my favorite artists have content on Ok Listen. Hey, I love Sunitha Sarathy and you could have told me she had a song for sale. Any plans in this area?

Vijay: We are exploring a deeper integration into Facebook for sure. Not sure about the radio station bit. Maybe we'll have one channel but nothing planned in the near future.

One question about independent ventures in India. You've worked for a number of new ventures - what's the biggest positive change in recent years that an entrepreneur can look forward to?

Vijay: I think it has gotten easier to get things off the ground because the support system has matured and there are quite a few folks who are willing to help as entrepreneurs embark on their journey. So basically help is easier to get. Also with the right set of tools, you can run the business quite lean. I ran OKListen alone for 11 months after which I roped in Bhavin [Badheka] as a Technical Co-Founder.

And what is the most frustrating thing that still hasn't changed?

Vijay: I guess the whole thing about the captive user base (who will shop online) has not really changed that much. Infrastructure (Internet, delivery systems) is also lagging behind, making it that much more difficult to grow the business.

There's no entrepreneurship without dreams! Three years from now, what would be your wildest dream come true for Ok Listen?

Vijay: Be the most preferred global destination to purchase music made in India!

OkListen's portal site
OkListen on Facebook and Twitter

POSTERNAMA March Edition: The secret language of movie posters

2013-03-02T15:50:00.000-06:00

In this edition of Posternama, I'll take a closer look at the posters for Bollywood releases in March.
Then just for fun, I grade them. Bollywood, consider this feedback!

I, Me Aur Main - March 1

A smirking John Abraham is sandwiched between two women. Chitrangada, looking dapper, leans on him indicating a romantic relationship. But John seems more interested in Prachi Desai. Prachi is wearing an outfit that looks like she can't decide whether to drop acid or go for a jog. But I think this getup is meant to convey carefree, bindaas girl. Because John is ignoring a certified hottie like Chitrangada and leaning towards Prachi, we could conclude he's plain nuts. But the title of the movie suggests that John is just a really self-absorbed guy who can't think beyond himself. While the title of the movie is nicely reinforced by a recursive image of himself on his T-shirt - juxtaposing him between two women just muddles the message.

Grade: B-

The Attacks of 26/11 - March 1

Ram Gopal Varma's recreation of the horrific 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai might be the scariest movie he's ever made (and no, I haven't forgotton about Aag). The poster contains an image of the Mumbai skyline dominated by the Taj Hotel (which was the site of the most carnage wreaked by the terrorists). The skyline is washed in a color that suggests blood. Great so far. The bottom half of the poster shows some guys in a boat headed straight to the Taj. The terrorists arrived by boat into Mumbai under cover of darkness. I'm not questioning Ram Gopal Varma's famed research department, but those guys just look like a bunch of dudes out for white water rafting.

Top half of the poster: A
Bottom half of the poster: C

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns - March 8

Sequels are so popular now in Bollywood that producers are financing follow ups to movies no one watched the first time around. The Saheb (Jimmy Shergill) and Biwi (Mahie Gill) are still around, but there is a new rapscallion gangster in town. Its Irfan Khan and we know he's up to no good because he's got a shababi-kebabi expression on his face and he's twirling his mustache There also another Biwi on the poster - Soha Ali, which begs the question: should this movie have been called Saheb, Biwi, Gangster Aur Biwi? Jimmy looks tense, Mahie looks amused, Irfan looks sinister and Soha looks guilty. Yes, you can watch this movie by tuning into any soap on ZeeTV and save yourself a trip to that overpriced multiplex.

Grade: B

Jolly LLB - March 15

This movie has tight closeups of Boman Irani and Arshad Warsi (who is pulling a funny face). This movie is a comedy! Not to mention its clearly relying on its stars. When the biggest stars in your movie are Boman and Arshad (fine actors both no doubt), you are in deep kimchi. The story appears to be set in the world of lawyers and court-kacheri. This is communicated via the time tested Bollywood image of a blindfolded Plaster of Paris woman with the scales of justice. Plus that horrendous title has the word "LLB" doesn't it? But wait, what's this? The lady has dropped her scales and instead is using her hands to hold Boman and Arshad apart. This indicates a bickering rivalry. While Boman looks serene and gloriously Photoshopped, Arshad looks a little stressed. Plus there's a tiny hammer that's about to drop on him. Arshad probably gets beaten up a bit in this movie. On the top of the poster, the words "in" and "justice" have been colored and juxtaposed to transform their meaning and convey the film's punchline.

Grade: A

Mere Dad Ki Maruti - March 15

This movie stars newcomer Saqib Saleem (Mujse Fraaandship Karoge). But he's so new and the movie has so few stars that the most important thing here is the titular Maruti. Now that has to be a confidence denter for an actor - being upstaged by a tin can masquerading as a car. Anyways, moving on. Saqib is holding up a Missing poster for the car - a farcical riff on Missing Persons posters. Based on what little of poor Saqib's face is visible, you can tell he's petrified. This means his Dad (who owns the Maruti per the title) doesn't know and when he finds out he'll be pissed. The poster has clean, bright lines - yes, it must be for Youngistan. Now unless this movie has deeper meanings about father-son-car relationships, I'd say its about a missing car no one cares about. Since I don't possess a robust zeal for Marutis, this generic looking poster did nothing for me.

Grade: C

3G - March 15

This rather busy poster has a lot going on. First there's the gigantic phone. A woman's hand shatters the screen and reaches out towards the viewer (Meaning: this could happen to you!). The nails on the hand are painted red (indicating danger!) There is blood all over her thumb (suggesting she might have dug someone's eyes out!) Neil Nitin Mukesh is in the top left corner of the phone looking rather disturbed. His real-life girlfriend Sonal Chauhan is pictured wearing her expression. No, I really mean it - there is only one expression she does and that's it! The tagline says "A Killer Connection". So murder may or may not be involved. There are a few things to note here. The biggest star in this movie is a mysterious woman's hand - because it has the best placement on the poster. This is a scary movie (note black and grey color theme). This is a remarkably bad movie title (along the lines of RUSH and RUN). But the poster despite its busyness is striking and communicates things really well to the viewer.

Grade: A-

Aatma - March 22

This poster has Bipasha Basu on it. It's already on the right track as far as I am concerned. Bips is a holding her daughter's hand and walking right in front of an incoming train. She has a dazed expression on her face (Bipasha goes through many scenes like that so it may or may not mean anything) and her daughter seems to be looking at her and saying "Erm, mum, should we be getting off the tracks maybe?" In the back, blended in with the clouds is a headshot of Nawazuddin Siddique looking very menacing. Clearly he is the aatma. The poster clarifies the character, the theme and the story effectively and I loved how it guided the eyes with its placement of objects.

In the movie, Nawazuddin plays an abusive husband who kicks the bucket but comes back to posses his daughter and terrorize his widow. That makes him a bad father. But given that Bipasha is guiding that girl straight to her death, she ain't a basket of roses either. Sorry little girl, you are just shit out of luck on the parent front!

Grade: A+ because its a good poster and I love Bips

Zindagi 50 50 - March 22

This poster was made by someone using Microsoft Paintbrush (yes, it's still around) while sitting on the proverbial throne. Completely devoid of any kind of creativity and clearly meant to titillate those who are VERY bored and horny with ABSOLUTELY nothing to do, this poster has confounding font choices and pretty much communicates nothing. In fact, I'm not even convinced its a real poster! It is included in our March collection to remind starlets (Riya Sen, Veena Malik) of what happens when they don't work hard at acting. Bad things.

Grade: Let's not insult F here

Sona Spa - March 22

Sona could either mean gold or sleep in Hindi. On this poster it clearly means sleep because (1) there are two blindfolded girls with folded arms in a deep sleep and (2) Naseeruddin looks half asleep. Good job, poster! This movie can't even hold the interest of its marquee star. And why would we go see a movie about something we can do at home for free? The poster has no answer to this penetrating question. The movie is apparently a high concept thriller about a person (Naseer) who sells you sleep via sleep workers who sleep on your behalf. Does that make any sense at all? No, it doesn't. Half the title of Sona Spa is in Hindi and the other half is in English. Hopefully that will make sense to you after you finish watching the film. If it doesn't, go home and sleep it off.

Grade: D

Himmatwala - March 29

Himmatwala is a remake of a cheesy 80s hit starring Jeetendra and Sridevi. It tries to sell this concept to you by featuring an iconic pose from the movie reenacted by stars Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah front and center. Devgn looks suspiciously fairer and younger than he is. Tamannaah is wearing some hypnotic pattern on her brause (that's a bra masquerading as a blouse). Drums, dancing girls with matkas and gaudy gulaal in the air adorn the background. The words "The Blockbuster" serve as the tagline. Director Sajid Khan, thanks to a string of hits like Heyy Baby and the Houseful franchise is now a bit of a headliner himself. Should that be enough for us to all go see the movie? Someone in the Poster Design Department seems to think yes. Someone on this blog seems to think no.

Grade: C

The story of Amrit Rao's new, infectious Tamil album - Nirangal

2013-02-26T17:27:00.004-06:00

There was a kannadiga called Amrit Rao who lived in Bangalore and plied his trade as a Computer Science major in India's burgeoning technology market. Once Amrit sat eating cold giraffe stew at a cafe when the manager - a guy by the name of Santosh - walked up. Santosh had a few lines in Tamil scribbled on a paper. He handed it to Amrit and asked him to make a song with those words as lyrics. Amrit didn't really speak Tamil but he grew up listening to gobs of Tamil songs and moonlighted on the side with his band bearing the wink,wink name of Live Banned. He took up the challenge, banged out a tune before he finished his stew and made that into a song called Manjal Veyil. And that is how Amrit got started on putting together an entire CD in Tamil.

If that sounds too fantastical to be true - then yes, I'll admit it is. You can't get cold giraffe stew in Bangalore. Everything else, though, did happen.

Now, along with his bandmate (Live Banned drummer) Dheerandra "Dheeru" Doss, Amrit has a terrific new, Tamil album out called Nirangal. It's a heady cocktail of rock, EDM and Hindustani music with commentary on a myriad collection of social issues.

The first single Sappa Matter Da is full of fuzzy, beat heavy Electronica, distorted vocals and a hugely entertaining music video (see below). It's instantly infectious. The album dropped on February 22. Amrit stopped by to tell us more.

Amrit, congratulations on the first single off your new album. It sounds fabulous! How long have you been working on this?

Amrit: Thank you very much! I started working on the album three years ago but got busy with the band and work. I resumed the album work last September and wrote Sappa Matter Da in October. The video was shot on December 2nd.

About that first song: Sappa Matter Da. For us non-Tamil music lovers: what does that mean? And what is the song about?

Amrit: Sappa Matter Da means 'It's not a big deal man'. The song takes a dig at the materialistic and monotonous world we live in, in a funny way. It is satirical and a lot of fun yet very serious if you dig deeper. It's about consumerism, jealousy and the socioeconomic situation in the country. The song also talks about the importance of marching ahead despite the troubles in our everyday lives.

Sappa Matter Da has been described as Symphonic Industrial rock/metal song. No one reading that would think the song would be so infectious. What was the process like putting it together with your producer Dheeru?

Amrit: No, Sappa Matter Da is a pure house/techno electro song in Tamil. There is a Symphonic Industrial Rock song called 'Vandhaan' on the album though. Dheeru understands the electronic genre and its elements really well, so it was quite easy executing the song. We work very well together.

This is a non-filmi album in Tamil. Did you consider any point that doing this in Hindi or English might have made it more mainstream?

Amrit: There is quite a big market for Tamil music as well, especially after a certain video going viral in 2011. I think language is not a barrier anymore. If the song is catchy with good content then geography or language don't matter. A Korean song was the biggest hit of 2012. That should answer your question.

Looks like a lot of good people put that first video together. What was the thought process and concept behind it?

Amrit: Yes, it was totally a team effort. We had a brilliant director and cameraman in Satchith Paulose, the choreographer Avril who also goes by the name The Storm Factory, the dancers, Pia, Chandini and Nikitha, Brinda who helped with the costumes and Prashant who also helped in the editing of the video. The video is very contextual and not literal. The idea was to show three different perspectives and alter egos; the protagonist in the outside world and in the Black and White space played by me and the tiger, the protagonist's inner self. The tiger is forced to come out its space and into this crazy world. We wanted to leave it open to the viewers' interpretation.

In the video I see two Amrits. One is wearing an outrageously stylish outfit, chasing what looks like a Turkey and having way too much fun. The other is walking around looking really intense. Who is the real Amrit?

Amrit: Both are real. It's the same guy but with different alter egos. The world does not see his inner-self or even if they do it's not how he is all the time. The flashy Amrit is his thought process. There are different interpretations and depictions. That is what makes the video very different.

What more can we expect from the album?

Amrit: It is a multi-genre album and probably one of the most diverse albums you would have heard in terms of the sound. The album also has songs about social issues like child labor, illiteracy, street dog adoption and equality for the differently-abled. The album was launched on the 22nd of Feb and is available at all leading retail stores and digital media like flipkart, infibeam, flyte and itunes.

Nirangal is available as a digital download for only Rs. 99 on flipkart
Follow Nirangal on Facebook
Nirangal is also on twitter (#SappaMatterDa)
You can listen to the songs of Live Banned on reverbnation

Sappa Matter Da - translated from Tamil to English

Kaalai traffic-u Traffic in the morning
Maalai no luck-u No luck in the evening
Office-il tension Tension in the office
Friend-ukku promotion Promotion for my friend

Adada enna kodumai Oh what is this torture?
Enakku illa porumai I don’t have patience
Veettula thanni pracchanai Water problem at home
Sollunga unga badhilai Give me your answer

Sappa Matter Da It’s a simple matter/ It’s not a big deal man
Don't put peter da Peter refers to someone with a very put-on, annoying, English accent

+2-il fail-u Failed in 12th standard
Adukkum suicide-u Committing suicide for that also
Kaadal break-up-u Love failure
Kiss and make-up-u So kiss and make up

Velai vaaipu no No job vacancy
Share market full low Share market is totally low
Petrol vilaiyaley Due to fuel hike
Bondi aaneney I became a pauper

Adada enna kodumai Oh what is this torture?
Enakku illa porumai I don’t have patience
Sollunga unga badhilai Tell me your answer
Naanga oozhalukku adimai We are slaves to corruption

Sappa Matter Da
Don’t put peter da

Manushana nesikkama porulgala nesikkira You love things instead of loving people
Because of the economy, you use people You use people because of the economy

Kadaisiyila saavu da In the end there is only death
Appo unakku aappu da You are screwed then
Indha poraamai thevaya? Is this jealousy necessary?
Ellame romba mokka da All these things are very ordinary

Sappa Matter Da
Don’t put peter da

Filmfare Award?! Annu Kapoor should be getting an Oscar for Entertainer of the Year!

2013-02-18T21:25:00.001-06:00

Let's get this straight: the 58th Filmfare Awards were funny as hell! Sure there were parts that were unfunny and dragged - like those parts where people were trying to be funny. The best moments came when people tried really hard to be sincere and came across as looney.

None cracked me up more than Annu Kapoor. But its not his fault entirely - there is history here. Ever since I've had the pleasure of encountering him on my TV screen or in the press, Annu Kapoor has provided bharpoor entertainment.

Long ago, he used to host an antakshari show called...Antakshari! This was on ZeeTV. It was early days of India Shining. This was a show in which contestants challenged each other under the time honored rules of antakshari. You'd think the contestants would be doing most of the singing in this show, right? You'd be wrong! Most of the singing on this show was done by Annu Kapoor. All some contestant had to do was get some lyric wrong or get out of tune for about a nanosecond or plain just show some uncertainty and Annu would jump in with his arm extended (like they do when running the ball in American football) and break out into song.

I began to call this show Annukshari. I even invented my own THIRTY SECONDS TO ANNU'S SONG game to amuse myself. Here is how it worked. At any point in the show I would call time. Once I called time Annu had to break into song in the next 30 seconds. If he didn't break into song inside 30 seconds, I would lose. Such was Annu's love for listening to his own melodious voice that he never disappointed. I NEVER LOST!

Then there was that hilarious controversy with Priyanka Chopra over Saat Khoon Maaf. In one of the seven arcs in the movie, Annu Kapoor played Priyanka's husband. The man found out later that Priyanka had refused to do intimate scenes with him. Upon hearing this, Annu ke dil ko thes pahuchi. Allegedly Annu said "I’m not good-looking, I’m not a hero. Agar main hero hota, then maybe she would have done intimate scenes with me...If talent goes out of the window, I guess you just need to be good looking."

To this Priyanka replied: "“If he wants to do intimate scenes and pass such cheap comments, then he should do those kind of films. I’m very irritated. I don’t think unko aisa kehna shobha deta hai."

Having pissed Priyanka thoroughly, Annu wrapped this up by declaring, "...she should touch my feet"

Then having entertained us selflessly like this, Annu went on to deliver a fine performance in last year's sleeper hit Vicky Donor. With a nutty wig perched on his head, he played a doctor trying to keep his fertility clinic from going under. In a bit of comedic genius he wiggled his fingers suggestively every time he said the word "sperum". And in that movie, he said the word "sperum" A LOT!

But Annu wasn't finished yet. The Filmfare Award was bestowed on the man. Dressed in a cracking milky white kurta-pyjama-black coatie, Annu marched on stage. Host Shahrukh Khan dug deep and praised Annu's prowess. Annu cocked his head as if to say 'its about time!'. Encouraged by SRK's praise, he then asked for permission to recite a sher. To add weight to this impending shayari, Annu mentioned that this had been related to him in London. By Johnny Lever.

Before anyone could say no, he launched into it. He started with two jordaar lines that I did not quite understand. Cut to a shot of David Dhawan going "Whaaa...?" On the sidelines all that Botox couldn't prevent Saif Ali Khan's face from getting furrowed with puzzlement. Astutely Annu sensed that his shayari was going over the heads of the audience. With a little more force he repeated the lines. Having wound everyone up thusly, he delivered the punchline. Turns out the sher admonished celebrities for taking their clothes off for the press. (For Annu that would be a metaphor although most Bollywood actors would take that literally).

Having delivered this slap to his Bollywood brethren, Anu walked off the stage with a smile. SRK nervously asked "Sir, those naked people you were referring to - that wasn't us, right?" Chuckles ran through the audience and dented Annu's exit. Annu waved off the comment and hurried back to his seat. This whole exchange had me rolling on the floor with laughter.

Annu, when are you on TV next?

New Valentine's Day Music

2013-02-14T11:56:00.000-06:00

This Valentine's Day, I'll leave you with two new songs - custom made for this fake, but endearing occasion.

If you are the super romantic types, you'll love Neha Bhasin's breathy, unplugged collaboration with Sameer Uddin "Tera Mera Pyaar". (Remember the woman who sang her face off on Dhunki from Mere Brother Ki Dulhan? That's Neha)

If you like your romance with comedy, you'll enjoy Vipin Heero's sweet and hilarious lament "Gift Tera Valentine Da"

I don't want to exclude non-believers. If you like your Valentine's Day with poison - these songs may not be new, but give a listen to SPIN magazine's list of the bitterest break-up songs ever.

Meet MODERN MAFIA, purveyors of punk and creators of BANDHAY from the movie DAVID

2013-01-31T13:55:00.002-06:00

Loved the soundtrack for the film David? Modern Mafia composed and performed the terrific punchy rock song on the soundtrack called Bandhay about impending doom and spirited fightbacks. Modern Mafia are a four piece indie band from Mumbai who rebooted one of their songs (Arnie) from last year's EP (Random Sheep) as Bandhay.

Modern Mafia is having quite the moment: David is out in theaters this week and they put out a really cool animated video for Arnie last week. Varun Das, who fronts the band on vocals, took five from a punishing schedule filled with music, movie and video launches, gaming and teddy bear kidnappings (more on that later) to tell us about the band.

Varun, you guys have been in the news lately because of that punk shot you did for David (Bandhay). How did you guys get involved?

Varun: A few months back when we had just released our EP Random Sheep, a good friend played Arnie for [David director] Bejoy [Nambiar]. The next day I got a call from Bejoy asking me if he could use the track in his movie. It just worked out!

A little about that song - its a rework of an original called Arnie. What was the thought process behind the original and what kind of modifications did you make when you redid it for David?

Varun: Bandhay is really different from Arnie. Bandhay had to be adapted to fit the one of the [three] Davids [in the movie] - the musician character in the film [played by Vinay Virmani]. We had to drastically change the lyrics and make it fit the theme. I would say Bandhay and Arnie are just two totally different songs.

I think you guys should sing in Hindi more! I loved how you used "tuntunay" and "batteesee". What punchy words that aren't normally found in Hindi songs! Really, why haven't you done Hindi songs before?

Varun: All the praise goes to Ankur Tewari. He wrote the Hindi lyrics for us. We barely made any adjustments to the original work. We always found Bollywood intimidating and we were not keen on getting into it. The only reason we did a track in Hindi and Tamil was because Bejoy asked us to do it. I'm not sure we would have done it for anyone else.

Time to ask you a little bit about your fellow musicians. Care to introduce us to who all are part of the band?

Varun: Well, Ishaan [Krishna] is the tall awkward guy with the long hair on lead guitars. He is a walking tornado and destroys everything around him but he's one amazing musician. Krehl [Gonsalves] is the serious looking guy on Bass. He's broken almost every bone in his body and once came really close to breaking his head just before walking up on stage. He still kicked ass that day! Karun [Kannampilly] is the hippie who sits on the drums. He's lives like a hippie but he knows his drums. I'm sure he dreams about drums all night long.

We are too poor at the moment to have any official roadies but we have some amazing friends who are at every gig and join us on stage for our crazy stage acts.

This is a really beaten question, but I always get such good insight from the answers that I'll ask you anyway. Tell us how Modern Mafia got started.

Varun: It's as simple as four friends looking to win a GRAMMY, steal a private jet and basically do something awesome that we actually get paid to do!

So what's with the name? And it sounds really cool by the way!

Varun: There are so many versions to this story but I'll try and give you the most accurate one. We love this band called Athlete from the UK. They have a song called Modern Mafia and we really love that track. Also, we do kidnap teddy bears and hold them for ransom so it just made sense,

The Indian music scene is so dominated by film music! Do you guys feel under-appreciated? How do you handle it and stay focused?

Varun: At the end of the day we are Indian. Filim music works here. Like us there are many people out there trying to stand out but we have to accept that we are part of the Bollywood culture in some way. Its always been hard to be accepted. We had no Godfather or anyone to push us. A lot of good people help out over the years and thanks to them we have achieved something. We make music we love listening to. We are really good friends and spend a lot of time together so its less of a job and more of doing something you love with people you don't want to kill.

What were some of the most memorable venues or events you've played at?

Varun: NH7 Weekender [December, 2012 in Bangalore] was where we played our best gig till date. Our first gig at The Hard Rock Cafe was featured on national TV. It was a small pub gig where a fan licked my drummer's face! Also The High Spirits in Pune at our EP launch and most recently at the audio launch for David.

Your EP was released last year and has four songs on it. We'll talk about those songs right after I ask you this: it's called Random Sheep and has gangster sheep on it! Do you guys just love farm animals or are you making a larger social comment on how we humans are all sheep?

Varun: That's one way of looking at it. Punk is all about fighting the power and other rebellious stuff. Well for us it's more like we are a bunch of Random Sheep that come together to do something crazy. The only thing cooler than farm animals are a bunch of gangster sheep beating up a teddy bear because of all his gambling debts!

Ok, let's talk about the songs on your EP. We talked earlier about Arnie the song so we'll keep it to Arnie the man here. Which Arnold Schwarzenegger is your favorite Arnie?

Varun:
Conan Arnie - Not big fans of this Arnie. Too old skool!
Terminator Arnie - This has to be the most awesome one to date!
Dr. Freeze Arnie - Batman had nipples, Arnie had a freeze ray gun. Does explain most of the movie...
Kindergarten Cop Arnie - We could feel his pain. Kudos to Arnie for not killing all those kids with his bare hands.

On Whokay! you all sound happy and philosophical about being dumped a lot.

Varun: It's the first song we wrote as a band. At that time we were in college and getting dumped was a very usual affair. We tried looking on the brighter side and then we got distracted by the next cute girl.

You did a music video for Daylight. Tell us more about that song.

Varun: Its one of those sweet songs you sing to your girlfriend when all those flowers and chocolates don't work because you have eaten them all waiting for her to get ready. It was our first music video and somewhat of a debut so I think it's a little special in a small way.

FX or Nothing is the longest song on the EP. It's an instrumental and I'll have you know its my favorite Modern Mafia song.

Varun: Wow that's really nice of you to say. Its our favorite song as well. Its a journey from calm to chaos and back. Our most intimate song and our individual personalities really come out.

You have a new video out (for Arnie). I've seen promo pictures of sheep holding bazookas! What should we expect?

Varun: We always wanted to be animated and kill an army of sheep so we did both. Yes there is a deeper meaning but at the end of the day: its freaking cool and we love anything freaking cool! It's something that has never been done in India before and I hope it starts a new trend.

More to explore:

Modern Mafia perform Bandhay at the David music launch
Listen to their EP Random Sheep online
The song that gave them their name
The music video for their song Daylight
Facebook page for David The Movie
The new, hilarious, music video for their song Arnie:

Kahaani mein twist ki Talaash: Watching movies differently when you know there is a twist coming

2013-01-29T16:49:00.002-06:00

I finally buckled down to seeing writer-director Sujoy Ghosh's much loved and immensely entertaining sleeper hit from last year - Kahaani (thank you Netflix streaming!) It's well known that Kahaani has a twist in it. And its a fairly well guarded one because a year after the release, I still didn't know about it when I sat down to watch. To be fair, I avoided reading reviews and cut off most conversations about the movie with friends by declaring "I still haven't seen it!" My friends are kind enough to respect that.

However, knowing about the twist causes me to watch a movie differently. A thirdways through Kahaani I had developed several hypotheses. Half way through I had figured the twist out. I'm not saying this as a matter of pride - most people would find reason to pity me because I "can't enjoy movies anymore". I assure you I enjoy movies just as much as everyone else. I treat movies with a twist as a treasure hunt. I suspect a lot of viewers do.

So what's a 'twist' anyway? A twist in a movie is an unexpected turn of events. It can be caused by the injection of a new element in the plot like a new character, an event that transforms a situation, a hidden relationship or a secret trapdoor. Twists can happen all through a movie. A good recent example of this is Looper - a clever, if somewhat logically muddled, and absorbing film set in the future. There are clever plot twists pretty much throughout the movie.

When people talk about 'twists' in movies, sometimes they refer to what is known as a surprise ending. Kahaani is one of those movies - as is Talaash, a movie I recently saw where the twist completely surprised and disappointed me. Surprise endings are tricky to handle because if they don't hang well with the rest of the story, they can leave the viewer feeling cheated. A common surprise ending is when we are told that most of the movie was a fiction of someone's imagination. There are some famous examples of this (Life of Pi, The Usual Suspects). This twist works best if you deliver a solid film with closure and just a few lingering questions before you pull an about turn. Sometimes a filmmaker will choose to invert the world of the film in the last few scenes - making you reevaluate the story entirely (The Sixth Sense, The Others, Primal Fear, 1968's Planet of the Apes). Often twists are gimmicky and appear to be added just to tie up a movie (Men In Black 3) or used to challenge the viewer by allowing for multiple hypotheses (Memento). At least once I've seen a - I have no good way to describe it - meta surprise ending. That would be Se7en in which a madman kills a key character in a rather grisly way and sets up his own death in order to complete his mission.

Any which way, when I know a movie features a big twist, I'll watch for clues everywhere. Most people tend to think that is a great way to suck the joy out of a film. Contrary to that opinion, twist hunting is a pretty fun way of watching a movie. Viewers, even the ones who pride themselves on being fans of mindless entertainers, draw conclusions and anticipate events in real-time during a movie. (If they didn't it would be impossible to build suspense). Smart filmmakers will know you are on the lookout for a twist and will fill their movie with conflicting clues and misdirection. M. Night Shyamalan's last few movies - which unfortunately put his career in a downward spiral - were filled with these tactics. Psycho and Friday the 13th both had early misdirection to throw you off track (and both featured Mommy Dearest in key plot points).

On to the two recent movies I've seen of this kind. The twist in Talaash left me underwhelmed because it felt like it came out of nowhere. If you were to swallow the minor infringement of logic scattered throughout the movie around a key character's interactions with the physical world, the story did hang well together around the surprise ending. Was the disappointment then tied to the fact that director Reema Kagti had not honored viewers by aligning with the conclusions they were forming in their head? When a viewer says "What man! That twist didn't make any sense!", are they really saying that the surprise ending was something they hadn't anticipated in any reality? I got the feeling Talaash was underwritten in terms of making the twist work really well.

Kahaani on the other hand didn't suffer from this issue at all. Because word of the twist would be out once the movie played in theaters, it really helped that Sujoy Ghosh does have a bit of a twist midway through. So if you were looking for one, once you are past that mid-film twist, you tend to take your guard down and think that with the twist out of the way the rest of the movie will play like a straight thriller. (Truly joyless people like me second guess everything till the end). The ending might have surprised many, but the events that lead up to it put all kinds of thoughts in the minds of the viewers. When the twist came, it wasn't too far off from the incremental possibilities the viewers were anticipating in their heads as they watched.

Like Kahaani, Talaash had an appropriate amount of emotional heft to build misdirection, but the payoff from the twist simply wasn't there because it didn't line up in any way with how the movie had progressed. Sure there is a parallel story that is along the lines of the twist, but it isn't integrated into the main story in a way that tweaks your train of thought. Compare this to a movie like The Sixth Sense where the twist is similar to that in Talaash but very much in line with the premise of the movie itself (i.e. one can interact with dead people). The payoff in The Sixth Sense was enormous - it remains the gold standard of surprise endings.

It would seem that a filmmaker can slide the rug out from under the audience's feet, but not so violently that they land in a place where they can't get their bearings.

How the first great CDs of 2013, Akaash Vani and David, foretell the future of Film Music

2013-01-21T22:15:00.002-06:00

It's unusual for the year to be off to such a good musical start. The first CDs that will be on my year end list of musical notability are already here! They both couldn't be more different.

Released in late 2012 for this week's movie release, the songs for Akaash Vani were composed by Hitesh Sonik in close collaboration with the director Luv Ranjan who wrote the lyrics for the songs. Its an album that was made from scratch for the movie and has a playful, romantic vibe with skimming soulfulness. Bejoy Nambiar's David, on the other hand, has existing songs assembled for the movie and some original compositions done by a variety of artists. It gives you a terrific glimpse into the diversity of the young, throbbing Indian music scene and communicates grit, danger, love and yearning. They both represent different approaches to filmi music - and they are both enabled by the changing dynamics of movies at the box office.

Let's talk about Akaash Vani first - it has five original songs: 4 ballads and 1 uptempo club track. That should tell you where it's heart is although there is some variety which we'll get to later. Hitesh also collaborated on Luv Ranjan's first film - Pyaar Ka Punchnama, which became increasingly popular after its release. Hitesh uses a lot of piano, strummed guitar and fresh young voices which lend delicateness to his songs. Most of the singing is in vocal scales that aren't too far apart which gives the songs a relaxed vibe. The result is an integrated and fresh set of songs.

A good example of this is Rumani, which is a mid-tempo jazz-funk song with some minor rock stylings. Thomson Andrews and Shalmali Kolghade (newly minted Best New Singer Award Winner at the Screen and Filmfare Awards) sing this in vocals as light as whisk. It's worth noting that Luv Ranjan's lyrics have a straightforward but playful vibe. In Rumani, he compares a woman's beauty to a visual ghazal and her bindaasness to a kite that's been cut loose. Another good example: Bas Main Aur Tu a standard issue love song about waking to a new dawn (chai mein biscuit dooba / baarish se boondien chura) and leaving the world behind ( Aasmaan se phaink langar / taare kuch girayein). Hitesh composes this as a folk ballad using Nikhil D'Souza to sing in quiet notes.

There are a few songs with more famous singers - Shafqat Amanat Ali sings about bitter heartbreak in Tera Mera Naam - over a very raundu cello and piano melody (but I mean this in a good way). On Tere Pyaar Mein, which calls for a crescendo at the chorus, Sunidhi Chauhan does some cool harmonizing with KK and sings in restrained notes to keep it mellow. (A really good example of making music sound big without necessarily getting all bombastic is Ajay-Atul's stellar work on Agneepath). The CD's only club track is Crazy Lover and both Vishal Dadlani and Sunidhi (Hitesh's long time friend and wife) are allowed the freedom to make the song playful and over the top.

David, on the other hand, is a smorgasboard of genres by a variety of artists - some of these songs were selected, some tweaked, others recorded for the movie.

Ghum Huye, a trance-y EDM song with a great shuffle beat, is about closure in life. It was composed by Bramfatura (Mike Delgado and Gaurav Godkhind) and sung by Siddharth Basrur. For the redo of the iconic Mast Kalandar, Mikey McCleary (who we interviewed for Break Ke Baad) adds a folksy reggae beat and invites Rekha Bhardwaj to sing. This is an inspired move because Rekha can pitch a rustic voice like none other and she takes the song to new heights. Mikey pulls out two more songs for David - a previous composition called Out of Control with English vocals by Nikhil D'Souza and Hindi vocals by Preeti Pillai and a reworking of the same with longer notes (a "choir version") by Marianne and Tara Sitaria.

Director Bejoy Nambiar then reuses a delicious tune composed by Maati Baani called Tore Matware Naina. The song starts off with a blues-folk verse in French by JoyShanti before Nirali Karthik sings Hindustani classical and tweaks a bit of pop into it. There is freewheeling around vocals and instrumentation that makes Tore.. feel like a fusion jam.

There are a couple of explosive shots of punk rock on this CD. Modern Mafia contribute an adapted version of their song Arnie by way of Banday - about a man heading to his impending doom and fighting back. The Light Years Explode (Saurabh Roy, Aaron Carvalho) style their punk with high energy and a catchy tune on Three Kills. Remember early Green Day when they didn't have the weight of studio execs on their shoulders? Or Red Kross before they went nowhere? Yes, like that!

Anirudh (Why this Kolaveri Di?) composes and sings with Shweta Mohan on the gorgeous Yun Hin Re. Anirudh's way of breaking up lines to fit into the tune and his sense of sweeping orchestration reminded me of A R Rahman. There is a lot more music to explore on David which I'll let you do yourself. Remo Fernandes adds a couple of songs and Prashant Pillai contributes three wonderful tunes.

So why are both these collection of songs so interesting? They represent different approaches to composing. Akaash Vani has a more traditional structure where a single music composer creates a set of songs specifically tuned for the different situations in the movie and hand crafts them in collaboration with the movie's director (or producer).

Lately movies in Bollywood have moved away from the ghisa pita song-for-entertainment trapping. Songs often play in the background (no actor miming) to intensity an emotion of supercharge a key moment. Because different situations in movies are best expressed musically via different styles, film composers have steadily been developing their diversity in musical genres. It's not unusual for composers to produce songs that have elements of Rock, EDM, Folk, Dubstep, Jazz, or Hindustani classical. If a lot of different types of songs are required in a movie, why not then hire a variety of composers and build a collection? This approach has been around in Hindi movies for a few years now (its been around in Hollywood for years). It requires directors and producers to have a very high music IQ otherwise they risk the songs being all over the place and not serving the movie at all. Happily of late, there have been some really good CDs that have successfully sourced from multiple artistes.

David takes this approach to the extreme, pulling very diverse compositions (there is even Goan and Punjabi folk on the CD). This approach wouldn't be possible if there wasn't enough talent to pull from. But there has been such an infusion of talented musicians in Mumbai lately that there is no dearth of composers, bands and readily available songs. In the songs of Akaash Vani, the instrumentation is composed around the vocals. In David, which has several songs pulled from purer Western genres, the instrumentation shares center stage with the vocals.

Will David be a template for movie songs as Indian films become less traditional? And will made to order songs become a boutique experience? A lot of this depends on how the landscape of movies change, which in turn depends on how audiences respond at the box office to different types of movies. While Akaash Vani reinforces the current model, David shows that you can put together an exciting soundtrack by culling from many sources. Let the wait-and-watch begin!

Salman Khan and Salmaniyat: The formula for sure-fire hits revealed at last!

2013-01-11T22:41:00.000-06:00

Quick: what's the easiest way to make a hit in Bollywood? If you think the answer is: cast Salman Khan, you'd be wrong! There is more to it than that. You need to cast Salman Khan in the role of Superstar Salman Khan! Why? Because everyone loves Salman Khan and his style -which we'll refer to as Salmaniyat.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the pictures in this post! These are real press photographs of major high level world hastis who walk around with a heart shaped Salman bubble hovering over their heads. Ok, I made that last part up, but you get the point right?

Not so long ago, Salman was both: a bankable star and a Bollywood bad boy. These days via an amazing transformation that would take a PhD thesis to explain, he has transformed himself into a bankable star and a super human being. Blockbusters come out of Salman's ears. How did this happen?

Well, let's start with what went wrong. When Salman was at his peak, he was part of the Holy Trinity of Khans - a triumvirate of the three biggest stars: Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman himself. All three had legions of fans but Salman's overseas popularity made him the biggest of the three.

After an initial flop (Biwi Ho To Aisi, 1988), Salman announced himself with big bang - from 1989 to 1991, he had seven movies. Five of them were hits (Maine Pyaar Kiya, Baaghi, Sajan, Kurbaan, Sanam Bewafaa). In this period, Salman's batting average was an astounding 70%.

Reality set in the very next year. In 1992, Salman did four movies (Nishchaiy, Jaagruti, Ek Ladka Ek Ladki, Suryavanshi) - all of them flopped. The following year was no better as both Dil Tera Aashiq and Chandramukhi tanked.

But Salman was a bit of a playboy rebel and his girlfriends and lifestyle kept him the news (not to mention earned him tons of male fans who idolized him for his off screen antics). With his star power firmly established, Hum Apke Hain Kaun, which paired Salman with Madhuri, already a superstar, became a turning point in his career. Hum Apke Hain Kaun was a blockbuster. And just like that Salman rediscovered his winning ways at the box office.

The economic boom in India bought about some profound changes that were to affect Salman.

The rise of the multiplexes changed movie dynamics forever in India. Single screen cinemas - Salman's favorite hunting grounds - started delivering less revenue compared to multiplexes. Movies started catering to the multiplexes. The movie market got very crowded. Production values went up. Some of these spilled over - inevitably - to Television, ironically creating a competing market for movies. Audiences not only had a choice of multiple movies to choose from but they could stay at home, watch TV and save gobs of money.

Salman continued to make the movies he had always made: potboilers with action or comedies filled with silly jokes. As Indians grew in stature on the global platform, they adopted a sensibility not aligned with Salman's old jhatka matka ways. They flocked to see more diversity and Salman's box office collections dwindled.

If you look at Salman's career graph around that time (2000-2005), you'll see an unsettling hit or miss performance at the box office. There were some modest hits (Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Tere Naam and Mujse Shaadi Karoge) sprinkled with painful flops (Yeh Hai Jalwa, Phir Milenge, Garv, Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa).

By the time the multiplex era took root, Salman had begun a dangerous slide. Between 2006 and 2009, 10 of Salman's 12 releases tanked at the box office. In a bit of a panic and not trusting the filmmakers around him, Salman assumed greater control of his next venture - Veer. Perhaps Salman knew best what his fans wanted. Afsos, the movie was rejected by audiences. It seemed Salman had begin a fatal downward spiral at the box office and his number might finally be up.

There was however one bright spot in all this carnage. Salman's buddy Boney Kapoor remade a Telugu blockbuster called Pokiri into a movie called Wanted. This movie was a throwback potboiler and it struck gold at the box office. Using this as a template, Salman's production team (mostly made up of members of his family) produced a movie called Dabangg. Enter life changing movie #2 in Salman's life. Dabangg portrayed Salman as a Rajikanth-type superstar and it shook the money tree at the box office. After Dabangg, Salman could do no wrong. Hit after hit followed (Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Dabangg 2). The storytelling and plots in the movie didn't seem to matter. Audiences lapped it all up.

Out of nowhere Salman was having the time of his life. How did he make this dhuwadaar mother of all comebacks, set the box office on fire and save Bollywood's flagging fortunes single-handedly? He did this with pure Salmaniyat. What would that be, you might ask? Here is the Salmaniyat formula - revealed at last!

Be patient - things will turn around
So what if multiplex audiences are rejecting you? Give them time. Pretty soon they'll start missing all their bad habits and come to watch throwaway entertainment. Can people afford to be intellectual all the time? No sir, they cannot! Besides they'll eventually have kids - who won't be as jaded about watching potboiler cinema.

Invoke the inner goonda in your core audience
In Wanted and Dabangg, Salman walked the edge between a terrorist and a dil-ka-sachha romeo so dangerously that we all felt like we were watching something seminal - like Laila Majnu with Gulshan Grover in the lead. By playing goondas who were well meaning but misguided, Salman invoked the inner boisterousness in us all.

Protect your image carefully
Look what happened to Salman's brothers in Holy Bollywood Trinity. Aamir Khan got all smartypants and started talking about issues and well rounded entertainment. Shahrukh embraced his middle age by becoming an increasingly benevolent maharaja. And those nutty jhagdas last year? Shudder! Lets not even go there. These two completely lost their edge. But what did Salman do? He stayed true to his bad boy roots and made waves in the media for his jhagdas and romantic lafdas. Sure when those movies were flopping there was time left to crank out some paintings and reveal an artistic side. But that was on the down low. In an entertainment world of shifting sands, Salman became the most reliable touchstone.

Recycle! Always make the same movie
Diversity is all well and good. But after a while you crave for ghar ka khaana. That home cooked meal is Salman Khan. Having the same daal roti sabzi each time is irrelevant. In fact, its sheer predictability is exactly why people gravitate towards it. In fact as homage to Salman, I've recycled this post from an old one. Clever, no?

Don't make a movie without a Signature Dance
See, there are three things you need to work out with the producer before you sign the movie. Reading the script might sound like one of those three things, but that is not for our man. Instead insist on having a signature dhamaaka song. Then put lots of "common people" in it. You know like policemen, chaiwalas, jhaaduwalas and neta types. This will allow the "common man" to feel like Salman cares for them. And the people who consider themselves uncommon will feel that this is a noble thing to do and watch also.

Salman has one huge, danceable hit in every movie. When people hear this song, they think of the movie and what a great time they had in it. This makes them miss Salman and anticipate his next. What an ingenious strategy!

Choreograph your dance so that anyone can do it
Dance steps must be simple. In Wanted, Salman jerked his collar. In Ready he put his hands in his pockets and dinged his you-know-what in time with the music. In Dabangg, he pumped his belt. In Dabangg 2, the belt pumped itself. When these songs get played, even the uncles and auntys and folks with left feet get on the dance floor and dance. This makes them associate Salman with personal moments of triumph like being able to dance.

Make all your co-actors irrelevant
In Dabanng Salman acted with a creamy, sexy heroine who glowered and threw him meaningful glances. No one even knew how to spell Sonakshi properly. Did it matter? No. In Dabangg 2, Sonakshi showed periodically to pose. Did we miss anything? No, sir. In Ready Salman acted with Asin, an overactor with lack of grace who was stuck with a bad stylist. Even when she danced it looked like she was practicing Jiu-jitsu. Did that make a difference? Nope. In Bodyguard Salman acted with Bollywood's No. 1 heroine Kareena. All these movies were hits!

A fundamental aspect of Salmaniyat is that Salman must be front and center of every scene. Salman struts around so much that every love song is a serenade to himself. Every fight is all about him outdoing himself. Every dialogue is in competition with his last movie to sound more dhaasu.

And in conclusion... Now that I've been kind enough to reveal how Salman managed to become Bollywood's biggest star all over again: mujh par ek ehsaan karna, ke mujh par koi ehsaan no karna! Please don't try this formula at home. The world isn't big enough for another Salman Khan.

Can't recognize some of the people in these pictures? Move your cursor over any of them and hold still for a few seconds

Prosenjit Guy Kundu, Choreographer and Dancer, talks about his work on the Windows 8 commercial

2013-01-08T21:53:00.001-06:00

If you haven't seen the commercial for Microsoft's long in the making Windows 8 operating system - now playing on TV channels all over South Asia - you should! You'll love it (scroll to the bottom of this post). Designed to showcase the brand new Metro user interface on Windows 8 and also invite users to get over their initial apprehensions and give the software a whirl, the commercial showcases two freewheeling dancers. The dance choreography evokes the movement and flow of panels in the Metro UI and the song (reused from the 2009 Bollywood flick Agey Se Right and composed by Ram Sampath) urges you to get over your fears and try out Windows.

The person who choreographed and danced in that commercial is Prosenjit Guy Kundu who has been pioneering street dancing in India for years. Born in France, Prosenjit grew up in the US where he discovered his passion for House and Hip Hop dance. Curious also to explore his father's birthplace, Prosenjit (whose mother is French) arrived in India in 2005 with the goal of spreading the art form far and wide. He danced wherever he got an opportunity, he taught whoever showed an interest. He's never left since. Prosenjit still travels to far corners of India hoping to get kids interested in dance.

Hi Prosenjit, really loved your work on the Windows 8 commercial. Let's talk about that. How did you get involved in that?

Prosenjit: There was an audition in Mumbai, which required freestyle dancers in the Street Dance forms. At the time we weren’t told it was for such a big brand, so I really had no expectations going into the audition.

Actually, I almost didn’t go cause I thought that the requirement was for dancers from the age of around 18 to 22 yrs. I went anyways and got a call back saying that I was chosen and that the director loved my dancing. I then was told that it was for the Windows 8 Global Campaign to be shot in Taiwan with a world-renowned director Tong Beng.

What was the experience like?

Prosenjit: First of all I really enjoy visiting new places through my work and this was my first trip to Taiwan, so that in it self was a fun and new experience. Also, working with such a huge brand such as Microsoft Windows was a once in a lifetime experience especially since they have launched a new operating system that will be used by so many people all over the world. It was really professional and well organized and there were clients from all over the world at the shoot as well as other commercials being shot simultaneously for the campaign.

I was also hired as the choreographer and working with Tong Beng was really refreshing cause he gave me the freedom to execute all my ideas. All in all it was really exciting, the entire process, to be part of a global campaign on such a big scale.

Tell me a little bit about how you developed the choreography

Prosenjit: When you speak about choreography with freestyle dancing, a lot of it is ideation and choosing which particular street style will look good for that part of the track. The solo dancing you see of the girl (Payal Balse) and me is on the spot freestyle dance and the partner work was choreographed by me. Payal is also one of my students, so indirectly a lot of the different styles she may use in the video are influenced by some of the stuff I have taught her.

People might think that the dancing is decided step by step beforehand where in reality we just dance for a couple of hours to the music and the director picks and chooses what he likes.

Now that I have seen this commerical: is there anything you can't choreograph? How about dentures? That would have to be real tough, right?

Prosenjit: I guess you would have to smile a lot and dance… ha ha ha!

Let's talk a bit about your work in this field. You came to India to establish House, Hip Hop, Breakdancing, Popping and Locking as dance forms. What year was it and what were people's thoughts about these styles back then?

Prosenjit: I came to India in 2005 on an open ticket and I ended up staying 15 months and then went home and came back, and now 7 years later I am still here. At the time nobody really knew about these forms of dance but a lot of the younger kids were really interested to learn so I started teaching for free and holding practice sessions, performing at clubs, events and TV shows. I became well known among the slowly growing street dance community that I directly helped create at a grass roots level. I taught the first generation of these kids in these styles.

I've heard mention that you often worked without getting paid. Why was that?

Prosenjit: There are different ways I can answer this question.

One, I don’t expect to be paid when I teach kids that are not well off and eager to learn.

Two, I do cultural events and community building programs for free and

Three, when I get asked to do more commercial projects “for the love of dance” and not get paid...but I no longer agree to these requests

My ability to work and get paid well in India sets the standard for other younger dancers in my field. We have a skill and it has a value and so its important that dancers get paid well for their talent and hard work.

You spend a lot of time training people in remote locations. Why do you think your students want to learn dance?

Prosenjit: There is a rapid growth of Dance TV shows, Events, International contests, TV commercials, and Films that now embrace Street Dance styles as a legitimate form of dance. The people in the remote areas have a lot of heart and are eager to learn especially from someone like myself who is from the US, as most foreigners don’t go to the more remote areas to teach.

Do you think shows like Dance India Dance have helped or hurt your cause?

Prosenjit: I don’t like to speak negatively about any form of opportunity or exposure for dancers. Some things may not be relatable for me but have the power to uplift and change the lives of people who didn’t have the same exposure to dance as myself. Although the dancing you may see in commercial shows may not be completely true to the art form but these shows have their place in society and they entertain a lot of people.

At the same time it doesn’t really add fuel to my personal cause either other than the fact there is more demand for training. I was a judge on the first Street Dance reality TV show in India called Footloose and that was a really enjoyable experience and I tried to give as much accurate info to the public as I could on the show so no, I don’t have a problem with dance TV shows.

When you have to choreograph something, how do you pick the people who will dance with you?

Prosenjit: I have a large network of dancers that I have directly or indirectly taught and I usually work with them based on the need.

You don't speak much Hindi, but you must have watched Hindi films. Who do you consider to be the best dancers in Indian films today?

Prosenjit: Honestly I don’t watch Hindi films and Bollywood dance has its own flavor. I am not an expert on this subject to decide who is good or not.

Have you seen any dances in Indian movies that you believe showcased Street Dance really well?

Prosenjit: Not really as yet.

Let's say you had to work with a superstar who blew chunks at dancing. Would you: 
(a) Shake your head and refuse the assignment 
(b) Choreograph your dance to hide the superstar's lack of skills
(c) Create the best dance moves for the situation and tell your superstar to shape up
Prosenjit: The answer would be (c)!

Singers always get asked to sing whenever they are at a party or gathering. Do you get asked to break out a few moves at parties?

Prosenjit: Yes, almost always!

While I have you here, I need some advice. My son who I call Motorsandal is going to be 14. He'll have to go to a few dances. He refuses to dance in public! What should I do?

Prosenjit: I was a really shy kid and believe it or not I was shy to dance in public too, so my advice is to let him decide what he is comfortable with and he may surprise you one day.

My thanks to the Drift Memsaab for help with the questions

MORE TO EXPLORE:
Prosenjit's web site
A new documentary that Prosenjit is in
The original song Daav Lagaa from Agey Se Right (Vocals: Sona Mohapatra)

The Windows 8 Commercial

Bollywood 101: A brief introduction and movie recommendations for newbies

2013-01-05T17:36:00.000-06:00

Every now and then I get requests from friends to help them get a start with Bollywood movies. Providing recommendations makes me nervous because it is harder than you'd think. My most basic assumption (and a reasonable one) is that people like the concept of musicals or romance served with a side of song and dance, are open to over the top treatments and are attracted to the exotic. Yet there are others who seek to discover Bollywood for entirely different reasons. Based on your goals and the type of entertainment you are currently into, your mileage with Bollywood will vary.

To complicate matters, Bollywood movies - especially the big ones - have become self-referential. They are filled with homages to their predecessors and cleverly placed cameos. These are particularly hard for newbies to appreciate.

I'll make some gross generalizations here. Bollywood movies tend to be overwhelmingly propelled by emotional attachments - much of it is around near and dear ones - family, friends, lovers, probably in that order. It reflects a collectivist culture. Emotions that center on the self tend to be about honor, respect and revenge. There aren't many genuinely self-introspective mainstream Bollywood flicks.

These movies are also full of songs. The songs are used to heighten the emotion running through the movie like in most musicals, but in Indian films they are also used to introduce characters or provide momentary diversions from the story line. As such, they can feel disconnected from the narrative and are best enjoyed as separate spectacles. Directors also tend to favor montages in songs to compress the passage of time. Music is really important in Bollywood and heavily used to promote a film. Hence film producers tend to go all out and do something special when filming songs. Filming in exotic locations is very common. It's not unusual for lovebirds in a film to have a conversation over coffee in Mumbai, sing a song in the Alps and return to Mumbai for lunch.

Music composers in Bollywood tend to blend classical Indian styles with Western and World music - the most popular of these being Rock, EDM, African percussion, Arabic Music and Jazz. Composers typically blend Indian music's highly evolved vocal styles with the more sophisticated instrumentation and music programming of the West. Song lyrics are intricate and tend to use lots of Figures of Speech like personification, metaphor, hyperbole, superlative and periphrase. The words of the songs will be difficult to appreciate unless your Hindi is functional to decent.

There IS such a thing as Bollywood dance. It has its basis in the many, rich varieties of Indian dance forms, but has steadily evolved into a distinctive style that facilitates drama-rich emoting. It's full of hand, hip and feet movements and every Bollywood actor has to learn how to dance - yes, even the arty types. Sometimes you can entertain yourself just by watching an actor struggle through his dance routines. Lately, the better dancers in Bollywood can pull off House and Hip Hop so expect to see some distinctly un-Bollywood moves like locking, popping or jacking.

Last but not least, Bollywood movies tend to break in the middle - in what is called an Intermission, a ten minute snack and bio break. Bollywood movies tend to be long (often well over 150 minutes) and this practice was designed to ensure that audiences had a chance to stretch their legs. Innocuous as it sounds, it affects the flow of the movie noticeably, sometimes profoundly. Directors will leave you with a mini cliffhanger at the intermission to create a natural break (and likely ensure that you won't walk out of the theater) thus often giving you the impression that you are watching two halves of a mini-series. I won't debate whether this is good or bad (I tend to enjoy intermissions), but you might notice a shift in flow about midway through.

For recommendations, I'll stick to movies that hang well together, contain song and/or dance sequences and also give you glimpses into the kind of characters and themes that inhabit Bollywood. I'll also restrict my recommendations to the newer films - focusing on movies that are available on Netflix either streaming or on DVD. I also recommend that you read the excellent blogs of two friends who have been exploring Bollywood cinema with an open heart and discerning mind: BethLovesBollywood and MemsaabStory.

All movies are linked to Netflix, (s) denotes that the movie is available for streaming.

If you like Song, Dance and Romance

Band Bajaa Baraat (s) A driven woman (Anushka) and a wayward man (Ranvir) start a wedding planning business under a no-romance policy. One drunken night, the policy is broken. Their venture goes for a toss - but a strange set of circumstances demand that one last wedding must be planned by both together. Full of delirious, dhinchak (the Hindi word for kitsch) dances that capture the spirit of Bollywood.

Hum Tum (s) Honestly, I haven't seen it but here is what Netflix says. "On a flight from Delhi to New York, flirtatious cartoonist Karan (Saif) tries to woo Rhea (Rani), but the strong-willed woman gives him the cold shoulder. Never one to give up easily, Karan vows he'll see her again -- but their next meeting ends in disaster."

Love Aaj Kal (s) Two parallel love stories, set one generation apart, run through this movie. One of India's brightest directors (Imtiaz Ali) concludes that the more love and romance change, the more they stay the same.

Lagaan Set during the British occupation of India, a villager (Aamir Khan - one of Bollywood's biggest stars) - signs up for a high stakes cricket match with a British commander to avoid taxes that will impoverish his community. All Aamir has are a bunch of scruffy villagers and an Englishwoman's unrequited love to help him. Will they be enough?

If you like Melodrama, Song, Dance and Romance

Munnabhai MBBS A large-hearted hooligan (Sanjay Dutt) can't marry the girl he's sweet on because her Dad thinks being a hooligan doesn't hold for a great future. Hooligan decides to become a Doctor to stick it to girl's Dad and discovers that he's a better Doctor than most because he is all about treating the heart and not the body. Memsaab calls it "a laugh-out-loud cross cultural fiesta with a squishy dil" (dil = heart)

Jab Tak Hai Jaan A chance to watch Bollywood's king of romance (Shahrukh) act in the last movie directed by the person (Yash Raj) who made him the king of romance.

Paheli Honestly, I haven't seen it but Beth calls it "...a beautiful, touching movie - full of color and light, choices and love, footsteps and anklets, murals and puppets" That has to be good, right?

If you like Mellow Drama, Song, Dance and Romance

Luck by Chance (s) An actor (Farhan) arrives in Bollywood and begins a familiar struggle to establish himself. Carefully crafted satirical references and homages to Bollywood ensue along with a few really good songs.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Three old friends (Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol) go on a road trip through Spain in this amiable, entertaining souffle of a movie. They begin acrimoniously but as the road trip forces them to slow down and smell the proverbial flowers, they unearth deeper interpretations of their life, friendship and love.

If you like Mysteries

Talaash A cop (Aamir), struggling to hold his marriage together following the accidental drowning of his only son, stumbles on a confounding accident-related death. Strange things happen: the cop's wife (Rani) starts having conversations with their dead son and a hooker comes out of nowhere to offer him assistance in a case that grows more sinister by the minute.

Karthik calling Karthik A corporate drone (Farhan) called Karthik struggles to get noticed and constantly gets bullied by people around him. Battling severe depression, he suddenly gets a phone call that urges him to alter his life. The calls become strikingly regular and help Karthik get back on his feet. The only problem: the caller insists he's Karthik himself!

Kahaani A pregnant woman (Vidya Balan) arrives in Kolkata in search of her missing husband. Turns out here husband doesn't exist. But Vidya is convinced he's somewhere in Kilkata and everyone is trying to throw her off his trail. Beautifully intertwined with the roiling locales of the city, Kahaani winds itself up tightly and unspools in a surprise ending.

If you like Fictionalized History

Jodhaa Akbar (s) History, romance, sweeping vistas and two of Bollywood's most photogenic stars (Hrithik and Aishwarya) play a legendary 14th century Muslim monarch and his favorite, Hindu, queen respectively. The music is by India's premier music composer, A R Rahman.

If you like Campus Romps

3 Idiots Two friends and a frenemy from college stage a reunion. However, one key buddy is nowhere to be found. On the way to finding him, the remaining college mates reminisce about good times and challenging the brutally competitive Indian system of education. This is a feel-good comedy with some melancholia. It is one of Bollywood's most beloved flicks.

Student of the Year I haven't seen this yet but it is full of terrific songs. Netflix says "After an altercation, an unlikely friendship develops between new-kid-in-school Abhimanyu Singh and trust-funder Rohan Nanda. But the battle lines are redrawn when the Student of the Year award -- and an Ivy League scholarship -- is at stake."

If you like Biopics

The Dirty Picture (s) Filmed itself as a tribute to B grade South Indian films, this movie is the unofficial biopic for an actress who peddled soft porn in mainstream films and became a headlining rage.

Paan Singh Tomar (s) Sadly, I haven't seen it yet, but here is what Netflix says "Paan Singh Tomar goes from celebrated runner -- as the Indian National Games steeplechase champion -- to star brigand and rebel when life after sports fails to unfold as planned. After a stint in the military, Tomar joins a group of bandits."

If you like Crime Movies

Johnny Gaddaar (s) A crime flick with love, danger and betrayal that makes you laugh, wince and against all odds, start caring for the characters. Its like watching a James Hadley Chase novel unfold on screen (in fact the lead - Neil Nitin Mukesh - is seen clutching one such novel in a scene) with some of the edgiest songs composed in a Bollywood movie.

Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (s) Made by one of Bollywood's directors most committed to breaking from the mainstream (Dibakar Banerjee) this movie is about a low tech charmer (Abhay Deol) who keeps his engine running with compulsive petty thefts. It's filled with ingenious heartland music from Northern India.

More recommendations...

Anonymous thinks um....Jism should be on the list. Watch at your own peril. Also, why isn't Salman Khan on this list?
Kanan recommends Tashan (s) and Dil Chahta Hai
Susan Kaye Quinn also enjoyed Bride and Prejudice as an introduction
Ritu believes its a good thing Salman and Akshay are nowhere on this list

2012: Bollywood's biggest winners

2012-12-30T15:06:00.000-06:00

In 2012 audiences flocked in droves to watch throwback, star power, masala cinema. They also rewarded story driven, non-star vehicles and showed a continued propensity for diversity. Composers continued to mix desi and videshi music to create film songs. Vocal casting went mainstream. Stars were born, some reappeared, a few fell out of the sky. A number of producers made money, others lost their shirts. Bollywood is raking in more cash then they had before.

Let's take a look at Bollywood's biggest gainers. These are hastis and trends that incubated or significantly enhanced their reputations in 2012.

SALMAN KHAN
Ek Tha Tiger, Dabangg 2
Total Box Office: Rs 452 crores
Make a movie with Salman Khan: as close as anyone can come to a sure fire hit formula in films. Salman rode his fans' undying affection, overcame middling movies and ignited Bollywood.

AKSHAY KUMAR
Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, Joker, Oh My God!, Khiladi 786
Total Box Office: Rs 556 crores
Sure Joker tanked badly, but Akshay defied long running concerns of overexposure and had a brilliant year. Rowdy Rathore was the biggest hit of Akshay's career and Oh My God! - made for about Rs. 20 crores - became the year's biggest sleeper hit against all odds.

AJAY DEVGN
Bol Bachchan, Tezz, Son of Sardar
Total Box Office: Rs 245 crores
Bollywood's new box office muscle continued to enhance his reputation. Notwithstanding the disaster that was Tezz, Devgn scored with a comedy and a potboiler, the second of which was pitted against Yash Raj's swansong Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

KATRINA KAIF

Ek Tha Tiger, Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Total Box Office: Rs 372 crores

Bollywood's reigning box office queen continued to shed her arm-candy status and went 2 for 2 in 2012. She did it with two of film's biggest stars - box office rivals and personal enemies, serving notice of serious diplomatic chops.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Agneepath, Teri Meri Kahani, Barfi!
Total Box Office: Rs 327 crores
Riding her vibrant personality and international exposure via a newly launched singing career, Priyanka stuck to her strategy of choosing strong roles in quality productions and not shying away from taking creative risks. She was rewarded with two blockbusters and hinted at box office muscle.

SONAKSHI SINHA
Joker, Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardar, Dabangg 2
Total Box Office: Rs 578 crores

Sure she was candy floss in most movies she acted in, but there is no denying her name was associated with a bunch of hits (and her images with the inside panels of numerous autorickshas). Sonakshi had a monstrous year the likes of which haven't been enjoyed at the box office in a single year before - by a male or female.

VIDYA BALAN

Kahani

Total Box Office: Rs 70 crores

2011's The Dirty Picture showed that Vidya could spin box office gold all by herself - a rare feat for a female lead. In 2012, she proved that was no fluke by powering Kahani to sleeper success. More importantly, Vidya managed to charm both critics and audiences. She finished her year getting married, an event that signals a slide for Indian actresses. But that might be just another trend for Vidya to buck.

AYUSHMANN KHURRANA
Vicky Donor
Total Box Office: Rs 47 crores
Ayushmann had only one success this year and a modest one at that, but his turn as a scruffy, strutting, yet vulnerable sperm donor left everyone raving. Plus he composed and sang that really cool song.

AMIT TRIVEDI
Music Director: Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, Ishaqzaade, English Vinglish, Aiyyaa, Luv Shuv Te Chicken Kurana
This was the year Amit went from genius on the margin to mainstream heavyweight. He made inroads into important banners (like Dharma, YRF) and pumped out hits without sacrificing any of his deliriously offbeat composing chops. He created songs filled with catchy beats and gulley humor (Dreamum Wakkepum, Motorwada) and made it all sound arty. Amit Trivedi was this year's foot tapping LOL.

WOMEN LED FILMS: GAURI SHINDE, REEMA KAGTI, SRIDEVI, VIDYA BALAN
English Vinglish, Talaash, Kahani
Total Box Office: Rs. 255 crores
Previously restricted to being Production Designers, Costume Designers or Assistant Directors (often brilliant ones), women flexed their commercial movie making muscle with resounding successes in 2012. Gauri Shinde sheparded Sridevi's comeback into a box office win with the amiable, R-E-S-P-E-C-T flick English Vinglish. Reema Kagti, writing with her friend and collaborator Zoya Akhtar, took a twisty mystery - Talaash - to blockbuster status. You could argue that Sridevi's comeback and the star of Talaash, Aamir Khan, both had built in audiences, but these are advantages male filmmakers also work with. In turn, Sridevi and Vidya Balan headlined two movies in front of the camera that were major successes. Now if only that trailblazer Ekta Kapoor had had a banner year like in 2011. Afsos, instead she decided to fund nutty fare like Kya Kool Hai Hum.

VIOLENT, STAR POWER POTBOILERS

Agneepath, Rowdy Rathore, Dabangg 2, Khiladi 786, Son of Sardar
Total Box Office: Rs. 819 crores

Call them what you want: formula films, masala flicks, potboilers - in 2012 they carried a brutal violent edge, marginalized and exploited women and larger than life heroes. They made tons of money. Style was in, stories were out. They reignited lusty item songs of the kind that make women wake up at night in a cold sweat (of the bad kind). And the success of these movies tells you that men are now firmly the target audience when it comes to ticket sales.

SEQUELS
Housefull 2, Raaz 3, Jannat 2, 1920 - Evil Returns, Khiladi 786, Dabangg 2
Total Box Office: Rs. 676 crores
Producers have constantly tried to cash in on in-built brand recognition to give their movies that extra publicity. In the past few years, we've seen the eye-roll-worthy trend of naming movies after songs. In 2012 producers decided to recycle success by reusing the name of their previous hits. A lot of these movies really weren't sequels in the traditional sense - they were more about branding (same director! same star! same music! same laughs / thrills / skullcracking!). The continued success of this strategy has encouraged Bollywood to line up a bunch of these in 2013: Race 2, Krrsh 3, Tanu Weds Manu 2, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai 2, Dhoom 3. Who knows we might even see Grandson of Sardar.

Note: When calculating combined box office, I used the following numbers on box office collections. Unfortunately, this isn't a precise process. It takes a bit of digging around and figuring out who is inflating numbers and who isn't. Anyone who wants to dispute these numbers most likely has good justification and should let me know:
1920 - Evil Returns: Rs. 21 crores
Agneepath: Rs. 193 crores
Barfi!: Rs. 106 crores
Bol Bachchan: Rs. 100 crores
Dabangg 2: Rs. 250 crores (estimated)
Ek Tha Tiger: Rs. 252 crores
English Vinglish: Rs. 85 crores
Housefull 2: Rs. 180 crores
Jab Tak Hai Jaan: Rs. 120 crores
Jannat 2: Rs. 80 crores
Joker: Rs. 22 crores
Kahani: Rs. 70 crores
Khiladi 786: Rs. 70 crores
Oh My God!: Rs. 83 crores
Raaz 3: Rs. 75 crores
Rowdy Rathore: Rs. 201 crores
Son of Sardar: Rs. 105 crores
Talaash: Rs. 100 crores
Teri Meri Kahani: Rs. 28 crores
Tezz: Rs. 40 crores
Vicky Donor: Rs. 47 crores

Dabangg 2 and Salman Khan versus Ajay Devgn

2012-12-25T22:42:00.001-06:00

You know a movie is in trouble when you could use any of the following phrases to describe it:

This is a full-on entertainer, leave your brains at home!
This movie is for Salman fans!
Fans of the Dabangg franchise will have a great time!
This movie is paisa-vasool!
Full on time pass!

Happily, Dabangg 2 is not only all of those but its also a decent time at the movies. Why? Because the sheer intent of the movie is so audacious that you can't help but admire how lovingly its been made for potboiler fans. There is bone crunching action, no pretense at a building a story (let alone a plot), a marginalized heroine (Sonakshi Sinha) and plenty of paan bidi songs. There are several half-hearted attempts at adding some family-in-danger thrills. They comprehensively fizzle out. Salman Khan winks his way through all of it - daring you to trust him and come along for the ride.

Arbaaz Khan, who directed this movie, once said that he was trying to make Dabanng, only much bigger and better. It's not like he doesn't try. In one scene, Deepak Dobriyal, playing the villain's younger brother, decides to abduct a girl from the altar. Salman shows up and beats the crap out of him (par for anyone not Salman in this movie). Arbaaz gives us the goon's point of view. We see the camera spin around and settle on the abductee before careening down. We realize Salman's snapped the guy's neck. What a cool and utterly unexpected way to shoot this scene! There are more smatterings of cleverness like this throughout the movie. But if Arbaaz could have taken Salman off his pedestal and infused some real danger in the movie, Dabangg 2 might have rocked.

In any case, enough about Dabangg 2 and more about its box office - which is far more interesting! Recently I met the owner of a multiplex over dinner at a friend's place in Baroda and started discussing the collections of all the movies in 2012.

"Isn't it amazing how Ajay Devgn has built such a big box office presence?" I asked

"Yes," said the multiplex owner, "He makes good movies. He works really hard. But..."

"But what?"

"His movies would make so much more money if he was Salman Khan!"

Man, what a way to be judged! Since Dabanng 2 felt so familiar to one of Devgn's own hits from 2011 - Singham - I put together this comparison of both movies - judge for yourself!

Singham - Ajay Devgn	Dabangg 2 - Salman Khan
Devgn is a super cop who beats up bad guys mercilessly	Salman is a super cop who wise cracks and beats up bad guys mercilessly
Lots of slo-mo dhaasu fights that defy the laws of physics	Lots of slo-mo dhaasu fights that defy the laws of physics
Small town cop gets transferred to big city (Goa) and faces big villain	Small town cop transfers himself to big city (Kanpur) and faces big villain
Cop's love interest shows up to sing songs and pout	Cop's love interest shows up to sing songs and pout
Bad guy Prakash Raj threatens Devgn with dire consequences	Bad guy Prakash Raj threatens Salman with dire consequences
The villain decides its not too much of a stretch and runs for politicial office	The villain decides its not too much of a stretch and runs for political office
Our hero refuses rishwat and trashes the bad guys	Our hero pockets the rishwat and cracks skulls
Prakash Raj harasses Ajay Devgn	Salman harasses everyone, including his own family
Devgn teases his girlfriend's father	Salman teases his father about a girlfriend
Devgn takes his shirt off to fight	What do you think?
Budget Rs. 20 crores	Budget Rs. 60 crores
Box office collections: Rs. 140 crores	Box office collections in 17 days: Rs 152 crores

Piyush Jha, author Mumbaistan, talks about his super entertaining crime fiction

2012-12-21T09:59:00.003-06:00

Reading Piyush Jha's bestseller Mumbaistan is a lot like riding a high speed roller coaster up a mountain. Well, three small peaks actually because Mumbaistan is a collection of three crime shorts.

Bomb Day begins with a prostitute declaring her intentions to elope with a client and spirals into a high stakes cat and mouse game to prevent a devastating terrorist attack. In Injectionwala (an amusing reference to Parsi last names), the case of a doctor killed in a most unusual way mushrooms into an organ transplant racket and a smart, tormented vigilante meting out medical justice via fatal injections. In Coma Man, a man wakes up from a 15 year deep sleep on his wife's birthday. As he begins to piece together his life, he dodges a municipal councillor with a curious interest in his fragmented memories and unravels some deadly truths.

Piyush draws you into each of his stories by making a simple beginning that evokes wonder before ratcheting up the stakes and the pace. A lot of the fiction is hard boiled and some of it is police procedural. Piyush revels in sliding the carpet out from under your feet and often uses an inverted detective structure to throw you off. (You can almost sense him smiling as you stumble on each twist)

There are a lot of authors in India who are enthusiastic and committed to creating complex plots (as opposed to say, stories of introspection). Piyush's stories stand out because of his terrific writing - it is crisp, consistent and vivid, especially when giving his characters a voice. Mumbai features prominently in all the stories - not just as a city - but as a series of locations with unique characteristics that intertwine with the story.

Piyush is a filmmaker (Ads, features like Sikandar), immensely likable and kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about his work.

Hi Piyush, congratulations on the success of Mumbaistan. I'd like to say I enjoyed it immensely. Any idea what kind of people have been loving this book and why do you think they connected with it?

Piyush: I've received raves from people as diverse as an 84 year old retired Army-man, a 15 year old schoolgirl and a housewife who bakes muffins while reading the book! So, I guess the appeal of Mumbaistan is universal.

I wanted to talk a little bit about your process. How do you get your ideas and how do you create your characters?

Piyush: I sit and stare in nothingness and let my mind float over all that I've ever read, seen, and experienced otherwise, and soon a story begins to form in my head. The characters are an amalgam of all those that I've interacted with over the years.

Your stories have such an urgent flow to them. Do you do a lot of rewrites or does this stuff just come tumbling out and stay as-is once its written?

Piyush: I’m by nature a person who wants to do everything NOW. I re-write very little. Of course, I do tweak things to fit together better, and do submit to the editing process. But most of it is stuff that tumbles out the first time.

You've mentioned Fredrick Forsyth and Robert Ludlum as inspirations. When I read your book I felt like I was reading James Hadley Chase again, only much better. Is your goal to be the most read author in planes, trains and automobiles?

Piyush: Well, I suppose Chase too has influenced me, subconsciously, in a way that my writing has a very strong love/deception streak in it. But, you might notice the economy with which I write scenes is influenced by Forsyth and [my] complexity of plot [is influenced] by Ludlum. I've of course developed my own style…hopefully!

And yes, I've always wanted to be known as the number one in ‘Airport Fiction’, in India’s case it is ‘Railway Fiction’. The results are there to see - Mumbaistan sells widely at airports and train stations.

I have to say your descriptions of Mumbai were so vivid that I felt it became a character in the book. Even for someone from Mumbai, this requires a lot of pavement pounding. Are you just a wanderer by nature?

Piyush: Yes. I guess I am. But, I want my viewers and readers to experience my travels with me. My last film, Sikandar, was set in Kashmir. People who have seen it always say that they've never seen Kashmir the way I showed it in my film. In Mumbaistan, I wanted to show Mumbai, as I know it- from the inside. I've grown up here and literally pounded the pavements through its length and breadth. I wanted the reader to experience the sights and sounds that I know intimately. Thankfully, from the response that I've got, I feel that I've been able to do so.

Without giving much away, I'll say that you position women in an interesting way in your stories. Are you trying to make a larger social comment here?

Piyush: If you notice the backbone of my writing is the American/French ‘Noir’ genre. And I’m just following the dictates of the genre where more often than not the lead woman protagonist is a Femme Fatale. So really, I’m not doing anything different, but following in the best traditions of the Noir writers.

You are also a filmmaker - that's a tough world to work in. Which one is rougher - the streets of Mumbaistan or the world of Indian films?

Piyush: I must say that both have their charms and their pitfalls, pun not intended. Both reward you with bounties if success should smile at you, and will forget you in a flash if you take a step in the wrong direction.

You mention three people connected with the Mumbai police world in your acknowledgements: Rajvardhan, additional commissioner of police, Suhel Buddha, ex-Mumbai police and Deepak Rao, police historian. How did these people help your stories?

Piyush: All of them inspired me by their upright nature. Of course, Deepak Rao helped me with getting police procedure right.

Since your stories are crime thrillers, I'll ask you the following two questions:
(1) Which is the worst crime being committed in Indian films today?

Piyush: Plagiarism

(2) What is the most thrilling Indian movie you've seen recently?

Piyush: Kahani

Piyush, your book is a bestseller, Ekta Kapoor described it as "entertainment, entertainment, entertainment", you danced with Amitabh at his 70th birthday bash, Chitrangada Singh launched your book in Delhi, Mumbaistan was shortlisted for awards, your picture was in every newspaper in town, Sunday Mid-day called you "the Sikandar of crime" (in a good way!). What was the best thing that has happened to you since you wrote the book?

Piyush: When I walk into a bookstore, I see my book on the shelves, and the bookstore employees call me ‘Author’!

There has been talk about turning these stories into a movie. I think if you could write a common thread to bring these stories together you'd have a Rs 100 crore blockbuster on your hands! Any particular actors you'd like to see in this film?
Piyush: Thanks for your vote of confidence. I’ll work with any actor who will have me as their Director.

More:
Mumbaistan on Facebook
Piyush also writes "30 second thriller" shorts on his IBN Live blog Mumbaistan

Vishal Bhardwaj: guys are more 'complexed' than girls

2012-12-14T06:36:00.001-06:00

Recently I was in a bank waiting for a counter to open up. I grabbed a copy of the Times and started reading an interview with Vishal Bhardwaj. Normally celeb interviews are so lightweight that I can't read past a few lines before boredom takes over. But Vishal answered awesome zingers like "Are you emotionally strong?" with such sincerity and verve (and I would imagine a straight face) that I kept reading. I'm glad I did - because Vishal cut loose on the last question when he was asked about his experiences in making mainstream actors work in his non-mainstream films.

In fact, I laughed so hard that a few startled people behind the counter asked me about it. Since it was chai time (this happens on the hour in most State banks), I grabbed the chai offered to me, raised my cup and read Vishal's answer out aloud for everyone. There was much chuckling and head shaking.

I feel compelled to share that last answer. Everything except formatting is verbatim. You can read the entire interview here.

"I realised after working with them that it is difficult to convince mainstream actors as they come with pre-conceived images of themselves and see themselves as a third person which is annoying. For instance, Saif was reluctant to cut his hair short for his role in Omkara due to his female fan following. So, one day I told him, 'If you are so concerned about your female fans, why did you become an actor?' And it is not that in his heart he did not know that, but he needed to be convinced all the time.

The problem is that mainstream actors, especially the boys don't let themselves loose. They don't trust anybody completely. Female actors leave it to you and are not a problem be it Priyanka, Tabu, Kareena, Konkona or Anushka. All the male stars I worked with had a problem barring Ajay Devgn, who was a cool guy.

If you ask a guy to take off his shirt, his face drops as he has not exercised and is more concerned about his cuts, curves and muscles than girls who are more relaxed on this count. Guys are also more complexed than the girls.

There was a scene in Omkara as per the script where the actors were to sit with their upper bodies bare while the hawan was being carried out. When I saw Saif he was all ready with his cuts and curves and looked bulgy straight out from a gym as against looking like a villager. One of the actors told me, 'You should have had the courtesy to at least tell us that you wanted us to wear gamchas during the hawan so that we would not have killed ourselves in the gym.' I felt bad and allowed them to sit bare body in the shot.

Thereafter, in every film, I have fun when I tell an actor that you have to go bare body. He immediately goes into depression and starts going to the gym and asks for at least 21 days to get ready which I find amusing.

Girls are lovely and painless. I wish I could make more female-oriented films."

Talent agencies in India, please take note: there should be a clause in all superstars' next contract: MUST BE GIVEN 21 DAY NOTICE TO PERFORM SHIRTLESS SCENE.

Vishal's new flick Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola opens January 11

Talaash: why it worked (until that twist came along)

2012-12-12T23:16:00.003-06:00

The principal actors in Reema Kagti's twisty little mystery: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kareena Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui all work really hard. Aamir and Rani turn in selfless performances, Kareena deliciously vamps in a showy role and Nawazuddin infuses the movie with a desperate urgency. Reema and Zoya Akhtar's screenplay hums and crackles like a live wire on asphalt. Then in the end, there's that (much buzzed about) twist. Having thoroughly enjoyed most of the movie, I came out thinking: Holy Hannah, what a letdown!

There are reasons why the twist doesn't feel organic. There are two parallel stories in the narrative - one is about someone who converts to believing (Rani) and the other about a person who remains rational and staunchly refuses to believes (Aamir). Reema makes a few half-hearted attempts to infuse creepiness in the first storyline. She gives up in a little bit and instead focuses on the upping the emotional quotient. This is a very interesting choice because I thought it impacted the movie in two fundamental ways.

First, Rani's fine performance enables Reema to juice the story emotionally. Rani is able to depict plumbing the depths of sorrow without self-inflicted blame. She makes her choice to believe that her son might be reaching out to her believable simply because it helps her get through her pain. While exploring Aamir's own torture, Reema pulls out a nifty little sequence where Aamir awakes from a nightmare and plays out a couple of alternate scenes that could have averted the disaster that took his son's life. It works devastatingly well.

Second, by focusing on the emotional as opposed to the supernatural, Reema distracts us enough that that twist takes you by surprise - but so much surprise that it feels like Deus ex machina. When we know there is a twist coming, we all start second guessing everything in the movie. That's part of the fun of watching mysteries like this. But a good one will set the stage for the twist that is about to happen so it doesn't feel like an afterthought. The story in which Rani believes is meant to offset and set the stage for the one where Aamir rationalizes his way through his murder investigation. But that doesn't happen because, I thought, of this interesting choice Reema made.

A bit on the much lauded performances. I loved Rani and Aamir's willingness to serve the story above all. In particular, I love the fact that Aamir is able to eschew his superstar trappings so that an absorbing movie can be forged. Rani does the same, although she has less at stake in terms of stardom and reputation, wrapping herself in serviceable saris, loosely knotted hair and bravely putting her freckles on display. What this does is take the gloss of a really entertaining performance by Kareena. The reason is that Kareena isn't able to put her stardom aside and she comes styled in such a sophisticated way, that although she looks jhakaas, she doesn't fit in with the character of the hooker she is supposed to play.

The production design by Sharmishta Roy is spare and dark - the sets look lived in and melt beautifully in the back while enhancing the scene. I thought Anand Subaya's editing was crackerjack - especially in the way he put Jee Le Zaraa together and a key scene that begins at a train station and ends at a construction site. When the time comes to deliver jolts, his cuts are timed perfectly and carry a lot of punch.

I'm not sure who had the idea of putting that droopy mustache on Aamir, but it was inspired. There are a couple of scenes in which Aamir is required to stare down hookers and henchmen and Aamir, with his dog ears and matinee idol looks, gets a much needed edge thanks to that patch of hair.

A few people I talked to just didn't buy the whole premise of the twist. I had no problems with it - you have to embrace a high concept as long as its part of the entertainment. (There were some confounding things that bugged me in minor ways.) But I loved Reema's attention to detail: It was cool how Aamir measures out the word talaash a couple of times to tie us to the movie's title. In an underwater scene in the end one character is emitting air and the other is clearly not.

However there is one scene in which Rani and Aamir go to the movies to see Rohit Shetty's PJ and pratfall-heavy Golmaal. And Rani laughs her ass off. That part I found to be a little beyond belief.

Son of Sardar versus Jab Tak Hai Jaan: So who won?

2012-12-06T12:42:00.000-06:00

Remember that complicated controversy around Diwali when Ajay Devgn slapped a - like we say in India - "court case" on Yash Raj Films (YRF)?

It all started with the release of Salman Khan's release Ek Tha Tiger. Its a long standing policy to release Salman movies on Eid (not only does it make commercial sense to tie releases to holidays but superstars are a superstitious lot). Eid al-Fitr was on August 19th, Ek Tha Tiger release on August 15th. Around this time Salman had delivered humongous hits and, if you ask me, resuscitated the Indian Film industry's finances via a series of throwback films like Wanted, Ready and Dabanng. Distributors clamored for Salman's next movie. Theater owners licked their lips at the number of people they could pack into their cinema halls (and sell popcorn to).

Sensing a tremendous opportunity, allegedly YRF made the distributors sign a package deal. They would let them have Ek Tha Tiger if they promised to book YRF's upcoming Diwali release in a certain number of theaters. The movie packaged with Ek Tha Tiger was Shahrukh's Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Two important things to note: (1) the release date for Jab Tak Hai Jaan had been announced way back in June 2011 and (2) JTHJ was produced AND distributed by YRF.

In May 2012, Ajay Devgn announced the release date of his tentpole release Son of Sardar. SoS was produced by the star's eponymous Ajay Devgn Films (ADF), it was being distributed by Viacom18 and Eros. Right around the time the distributors started booking theaters for their film they had an OH$&#%! moment. They realized that theater owners had committed their screens to JTHJ and there just weren't enough screens for SoS.

Why is this a problem? In the multiplex era, movie releases follow a complex dynamic brought on by audience demographics, viewing patterns, marketing push and popcorn (and if you don't believe that last part, please read this). Suffice to say that big movies need to open on a lot of screens to make a lot of money quickly.

Ajay Devgn Films took YRF to court-kacheri over this. Given Ajay Devgn's known awkwardness with his wife Kajol's pals - Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan - this controversy took on an added dimension. Three days later Yash Raj, much beloved in India, passed away. Public sentiment now became fuel to the fire of the controversy. Shahrukh spoke up and admonished Ajay Devgn Films. The whole shebang became huge. The rest of the Bollywood hastis, having to choose between stepping in shit or quicksand, went radio silent.

Both movies released on Diwali (November 13, 2012). JTHJ played in approximately 2500 screens while SoS played in about 2000. It was a clash of titans - Shahrukh is one of Bollywood's biggest box office stars and Ajay Devgn is its most emergent. So now that the dust has settled, who won?

Both movies did huge business - they both crossed Rs 100 crores in two weeks, which is a marker these days for what distributors call "a blockbuster". JTHJ beat up SoS at multiplexes - which means that Shahrukh's film was preferred by urban audiences. SoS did gangbusters on single screens - usually found in less urbanized or less affluent urban areas.

JTHJ pulled in 98.41 crores in its first week. 26 of these came from the big multiplexes: INOX, PVR, Cinemax and BIG. SoS was surprisingly strong - it registered 83.25 crores. In the second week, when collections typically drop dramatically for big movies, JTHJ pulled in just over 19 crores. SoS took over 18 crores. JTHJ is currently running about 16 crores over SoS, but its clear that both movies did huge business. The indications here are that over Diwali, the market is much healthier than most distributors believed. It also helped that the movies both played in different genres - JTHJ was the last of Yash Raj's famed romances while SoS played in the newly rekindled genre of Indian potboilers.

So what lessons have we learned?

Ajay Devgn showed near-suicidal guts, took on a major star and studio and won. (Shahrukh didn't lose either - JTHJ was his biggest opening ever).

Vertically integrated companies like YRF (that own production and distribution) are at an advantage and can offer packaged deals.

These practices might be monopolistic - the Competition Commission of India really needs to update its workings and lay down guidelines here.

The Indian market is robust enough to support two big releases over Diwali.

Big movies make most of their money in the first two weeks - so expect this period to become a hotly contested battleground in the future as studios jostle to place their movies.