As expected; 3 Idiots cleans up. Haven't seen Paa so I can't comment on Big B winning Best Actor but am happy Vidya Balan won Best Actress for same film which I plan to see.
Winners of 55th Idea Filmfare Awards 2009
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A reply I made to another blog on MNIK
Below is a reply I made on another blog to a post titled: "My Name is Khan overrated and a bad advertisement for a mature industry". The original can be found at: http://recordsinajournal.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-name-is-khan-overrated-and-bad.html
All of us enter a cinema hall with an array of expectations, hopes, prejudices, etc. about the film we are about to see. Unlike watching a film on TV or DVD where the motive might be boredom, pass the time, family member watching, etc., going to cinema is a conscious act. So if you are someone who went to see MNIK on opening weekend what was your motive? Are you a fan of SRK? or Karan Johar films? Were you caught up in the hype? Perhaps the subject of Aspberger's Syndrome has meaning to you.
We cannot separate our expectations from what unfolds. Each moment of the film plays against our own internal dialogue which evolves as the reels play on and our expectations gradually get replaced by the experience of watching.
I eagerly awaited the opening of MNIK for months so there was too much of that dialogue in my head the the 1st time I saw it last Friday. Yes I enjoyed the film but I expected a rapturous experience, a perfect resonance of seamless story, acting, directing, cinematography and music so in a way I felt slightly disappointed at first. But then the day after I began thinking about the movie frequently so I went and saw it again last night. This time there wasn't so much noise in my mind. As a result I can say it is fantastic movie that is very moving and uplifting.
Going back to our expecations, at the core of those expectations lies the very notion of what movies are to us. Are they just entertainment, distraction, diversion, time killers? Are they cathartic therapy? Or are they something more? Does a good film elucidate some feelings or thoughts within us in a way more powerfully than we could express ourselves? If you don't look for that illumination and merely want to be amused than I suggest you try video games.
Finally there is another reason certain people watch films. That is to dissect and criticze them. Some of this analysis can be very helpful as is done by critics who help us decide sometimes if we should invest the time and money in going to a film but some is done by those with a streak of misanthropy or nihilism who prefer to decry every thing in a movie that is not literally true or completely plausible and reduce and atomize every film. There is hardly a film that can stand up to that attack. So if your intent is to watch a film like MNIK only to criticize Johar or SRK or the scriptwriter than by all means. There is plenty of ammunition. In fact in the opening scene Rizvan misses his American Airlines flight due to the TSA agents searching him so he takes a bus. Wouldn't he just get exchange ticket for the next flight? Surely the decision to go by bus instead seems a bit silly? There lots of examples in movies where someone could stand up and say that but miss the deeper reason for the story which is about discovery and transformation,
All of us enter a cinema hall with an array of expectations, hopes, prejudices, etc. about the film we are about to see. Unlike watching a film on TV or DVD where the motive might be boredom, pass the time, family member watching, etc., going to cinema is a conscious act. So if you are someone who went to see MNIK on opening weekend what was your motive? Are you a fan of SRK? or Karan Johar films? Were you caught up in the hype? Perhaps the subject of Aspberger's Syndrome has meaning to you.
We cannot separate our expectations from what unfolds. Each moment of the film plays against our own internal dialogue which evolves as the reels play on and our expectations gradually get replaced by the experience of watching.
I eagerly awaited the opening of MNIK for months so there was too much of that dialogue in my head the the 1st time I saw it last Friday. Yes I enjoyed the film but I expected a rapturous experience, a perfect resonance of seamless story, acting, directing, cinematography and music so in a way I felt slightly disappointed at first. But then the day after I began thinking about the movie frequently so I went and saw it again last night. This time there wasn't so much noise in my mind. As a result I can say it is fantastic movie that is very moving and uplifting.
Going back to our expecations, at the core of those expectations lies the very notion of what movies are to us. Are they just entertainment, distraction, diversion, time killers? Are they cathartic therapy? Or are they something more? Does a good film elucidate some feelings or thoughts within us in a way more powerfully than we could express ourselves? If you don't look for that illumination and merely want to be amused than I suggest you try video games.
Finally there is another reason certain people watch films. That is to dissect and criticze them. Some of this analysis can be very helpful as is done by critics who help us decide sometimes if we should invest the time and money in going to a film but some is done by those with a streak of misanthropy or nihilism who prefer to decry every thing in a movie that is not literally true or completely plausible and reduce and atomize every film. There is hardly a film that can stand up to that attack. So if your intent is to watch a film like MNIK only to criticize Johar or SRK or the scriptwriter than by all means. There is plenty of ammunition. In fact in the opening scene Rizvan misses his American Airlines flight due to the TSA agents searching him so he takes a bus. Wouldn't he just get exchange ticket for the next flight? Surely the decision to go by bus instead seems a bit silly? There lots of examples in movies where someone could stand up and say that but miss the deeper reason for the story which is about discovery and transformation,
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My daughter's review of 'My Name Is Khan'
Last Friday I took my 8 yo daughter, Jaine to the premier of MNIK. She was very impressed by the film and is anxious to see it again. In fact she wrote her own review. I have reproduced it here (please forgive the typos and mispellings, she is 8 after all). It is lovely to read her writing isn't it?
My name is khan is a movie about Risvan khan who has a brother and lives with his mother until his mother dies his brother left from India to go to America when he was 18 and after the mother dies Risvan follows him he meets a women named Mandira and falls in love with her and ends up getting married! Mandira has a son sammeer. His best friend is reece a american adopted boy and hisdad gets sent to war and dies. So reece blames sammeer like his fatther’s death had something to do with sammer. At one of sammer ‘s soccer pratice he gets beat up by reece and some other guys . He got killed they hurt him so bad. The mom and the dad don’t know who killed sammer yet. Mandira blames her husband risvan on sammer’s death and says there are 30,000 people in this town why don’t you tell every single one of them my name is khan and I am not a terrorist. Infact why don’t you tell the president! So he goes on a long journey and the people thinks that he says he is a terrorist!!! So these college kids are trying to find out why he wants to tell the president my name is khan and I am not a terrorist. So one day he gets released and he still hasn’t met the president! But he finds out a new president is getting elected and the president wants o say a few words to him! Then they go home.
My name is khan is a movie about Risvan khan who has a brother and lives with his mother until his mother dies his brother left from India to go to America when he was 18 and after the mother dies Risvan follows him he meets a women named Mandira and falls in love with her and ends up getting married! Mandira has a son sammeer. His best friend is reece a american adopted boy and hisdad gets sent to war and dies. So reece blames sammeer like his fatther’s death had something to do with sammer. At one of sammer ‘s soccer pratice he gets beat up by reece and some other guys . He got killed they hurt him so bad. The mom and the dad don’t know who killed sammer yet. Mandira blames her husband risvan on sammer’s death and says there are 30,000 people in this town why don’t you tell every single one of them my name is khan and I am not a terrorist. Infact why don’t you tell the president! So he goes on a long journey and the people thinks that he says he is a terrorist!!! So these college kids are trying to find out why he wants to tell the president my name is khan and I am not a terrorist. So one day he gets released and he still hasn’t met the president! But he finds out a new president is getting elected and the president wants o say a few words to him! Then they go home.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Learning Hindi for free - online!
I am currently teaching myelf Hindi, mainly through the book 'Teach yourself Hindi" by Rupert Snell. There are however a few sites where you can learn basic Hindi for free.
The first site is 'A Door into Hindi' which is a wonderful multi-media site featuring videos, audio recordings of native Hindi speakers, transcripts of the dialogues, vocabulary, grammar, etc. The site is broken down into 24 lessons and looks very good. The link is: http://taj.chass.ncsu.edu/index.html
Another site which everyone who wants to learn the Devanagari writing system should explore is the hindi Script Tutor. Again, an excellent tool which shows how to form the characters and how to pronounce them. It can be found here: http://www.avashy.com/hindiscripttutor.htm
Finally there is another website with a free component and a paid subscriber area titled: 'I Speak Hindi'. The amazing thing is that the paid subcsription is $ 12.00 for 6 months or $ 2.00 per month. This site is updated daily with brief topical lessons and vocabulary. Also all lessons are archived for review. It can be found at: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/
The first site is 'A Door into Hindi' which is a wonderful multi-media site featuring videos, audio recordings of native Hindi speakers, transcripts of the dialogues, vocabulary, grammar, etc. The site is broken down into 24 lessons and looks very good. The link is: http://taj.chass.ncsu.edu/index.html
Another site which everyone who wants to learn the Devanagari writing system should explore is the hindi Script Tutor. Again, an excellent tool which shows how to form the characters and how to pronounce them. It can be found here: http://www.avashy.com/hindiscripttutor.htm
Finally there is another website with a free component and a paid subscriber area titled: 'I Speak Hindi'. The amazing thing is that the paid subcsription is $ 12.00 for 6 months or $ 2.00 per month. This site is updated daily with brief topical lessons and vocabulary. Also all lessons are archived for review. It can be found at: http://www.ispeakhindi.com/
Sunday, February 14, 2010
MNIK thoughts 24 hours later...
I'll be honest. I waited 6 months for last night and so I was probably too keyed up to watch the film objectively. I felt at moments that the movie was veering off course and that it was uneven. Not that I was bored or thought the film dragged, just that in my hyper awareness I was expecting a watertight, flawless masterpiece.
24 hours later I realize that there is alot going on in the film and that I cannot stop talking to my wife about the film. The film tries to be a love story, a story about a man with Asperger's Syndrome and a film about intolerance and treatment of Muslims in America in the post 9/11 world. Should the movie tried to do less? I don't know. I do know that Shahrukh Khan was fantastic and that in honor of him and Kajol I watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge today. I plan to go back and see MNIK again this week.
24 hours later I realize that there is alot going on in the film and that I cannot stop talking to my wife about the film. The film tries to be a love story, a story about a man with Asperger's Syndrome and a film about intolerance and treatment of Muslims in America in the post 9/11 world. Should the movie tried to do less? I don't know. I do know that Shahrukh Khan was fantastic and that in honor of him and Kajol I watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge today. I plan to go back and see MNIK again this week.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
SRK/ Kajol Weekend Film Festvial
Having seen MNIK last night we decided to watch Kuch Kuch Hota Hai today. I really like the 2nd half of the film and the music is great. The 1st half always makes me squirm a little. I feel like I am watching the Indian version of 'Grease' or something and I really hate the movie 'Grease'. Like Main Hoon Na KKHH makes Indian College seem a little too much like an American High School. Are they really like that or is that just the films. The real strength of KKHH is Kajol. She infuses so much emotional conflict and tension into the movie. Of course I am a huge Rani Mukerji fan so that is a big plus.
So MNIK, KKHH, that can only mean one other film to watch; Dilwale, Dulhania La Jayenge!!!
will we get a chance to watch Kabhie Khushi Khabi Gam tomorrow?
So MNIK, KKHH, that can only mean one other film to watch; Dilwale, Dulhania La Jayenge!!!
will we get a chance to watch Kabhie Khushi Khabi Gam tomorrow?
‘My Name Is Khan’ Star Shah Rukh Khan Takes A Ride With MTV In New York City » MTV Movies Blog
‘My Name Is Khan’ Star Shah Rukh Khan Takes A Ride With MTV In New York City » MTV Movies Blog
as a fomer NYC Cabbie I found this very interesting!
as a fomer NYC Cabbie I found this very interesting!
My Name is Khan
My Name is Khan opened worldwide today. I took my daughter, age 8 to see it this evening at the the 5pm screening at Movies 10 in Brighton. I have alot of complicated feelings and thoughts about this film, which is quite unlike most Bollywood films and certainly unlike any other film starring Shahrukh Khan. I will need a little time to sort it out as it is such a departure from what I have to come to expect from the Director & Actor team that created Kabhie Khusie Kabhi Gam and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. The one thing that I can say immediately is that SRK gives a bravura performance that clearly shows he is one of the greatest actors in the world. Some might saw portraying a character with autism was already done by Dustin Hoffman in 'Rain Man' but SRK in actor known for playing over the top emotional roles so for him to play a character who avoided eye contact and crying was simply amazing. His character Rizvan Khan fills almost every frame of the film in a way that few characters since Travis Bickle in 'Taxi Driver'. This performance dwarfs some of the melodramatic and cheesy plot elements. I cannot say alot else about the film yet, except that I want to see it again soon. The Direction, Cinematography and Editing didn't intrude on my conciousness; the music is nice and I was already familiar with it, having bought the soundtrack a week ago, I'll have more to say about it soon. ..
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Nominations for 55th Idea Filmfare Awards 2009
The nominations are out. I am betting that 3 Idiots will sweep up most of them. I am disappointed that Rani Mukerji was not nominated for her excellent performance in 'Dil Bole Hadippa'. I also think the song Ishq He Rab shoudl have been nominated for Best Song. It is a lovely song featuring Shreya Goshal and sonu Nigam.
Nominations for 55th Idea Filmfare Awards 2009
Nominations for 55th Idea Filmfare Awards 2009
HindiGym: Hindi Worksheets and workbooks to Learn Hindi Language and make it fun for kids!
Since my 8 y.o. daughter is also trying to learn some Hindi I plan to share this site with her:
HindiGym: Hindi Worksheets and workbooks to Learn Hindi Language and make it fun for kids!
HindiGym: Hindi Worksheets and workbooks to Learn Hindi Language and make it fun for kids!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Movie Review: My Name is Khan
Below is a link to Taran Adarsh's review of 'My Name is Khan'. I only took a cursory glance at it as I really want to see this film with as few preconceptions as possible but for those of you unsure of whether you might wish to see it here is some analysis of the film. I will post more reviews, including my own this weekend.
Movie Review: My Name is Khan
Movie Review: My Name is Khan
Toh Baat Pakki :
Tabu, my first love of Indian actresses is in a film scheduled to release on February 19th. It looks good and the buzz says it should be a lot of fun.
Toh Baat Pakki : Previews, Synopsis and Storyline
Toh Baat Pakki : Previews, Synopsis and Storyline
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
New Music Sites
new to me, that is. There are tons of ways to get Bollywood & Bhangra content online besides just Youtube.
http://www.chutneyradio.com//index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
http://www.raaga.com/
http://www.chutneyradio.com//index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
http://www.raaga.com/
4 days and counting... My Name is Khan SHOWTIMES ANNOUNCED!!!
Showtimes were just posted this evening for Friday's premiere of My Name is Khan.:
Cinemark Movies 10
******
2609 West Henrietta Road
Rochester, NY 14623
******
Friday, February 12th
5:00pm
9:00pm
runtime is listed at 160 minutes. I am taking my daughter, I can hardly wait.
http://www.mynameiskhanthefilm.com/
Cinemark Movies 10
******
2609 West Henrietta Road
Rochester, NY 14623
******
Friday, February 12th
5:00pm
9:00pm
runtime is listed at 160 minutes. I am taking my daughter, I can hardly wait.
http://www.mynameiskhanthefilm.com/
Monday, February 8, 2010
Weekend Encore
Last weekend I watched the movies Salaam-e-Ishq & Parineeta. I liked both enough to watch them this weekend as well. For good measure we watched Om Shanti Om and Rab Ne Bana di Jodi as well!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Indian DVD site
I found a site with great deals on Bollywood DVD's. Lots of titles, very good prices. I ordered a few sale titles I have wanted. The site promises that all discs are factory sealeds, authorized copies and promise 3 day shipping. If all goes well I will order more.
Here's what I ordered:
Bhagmati - The Queen of Fortunes
Delhi 6
Mangal Pandey
Hum Tum
Salaam-E-Ishq
http://store.nehaflix.com/
Here's what I ordered:
Bhagmati - The Queen of Fortunes
Delhi 6
Mangal Pandey
Hum Tum
Salaam-E-Ishq
http://store.nehaflix.com/
Monday, February 1, 2010
Salaam-e-Ishq
Just watched Salaam-e-Ishq ( A Tribute to Love) a 3 hr and 36 minute long film directed by Nikhil Advani (who also directed Kal Ho Naa Ho & Chandi Chowk to China). Such a sweet film, even my wife liked it! The film weaves 6 love stories together. Go watch it!
http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=012507054059
http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=012507054059
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