FILM FOKUS EZEBHANYABHANYA bollywood comes alive NEVILLE ADONIS DVD Selector, Acquisitions Section that, this being a Yash Raj production, family values will eventually triumph, the fi lm serves up a bonny, bouncing two-and-a-half hours any people confuse the terms of dialogue-driven entertainment. Hollywood and Bollywood. The ‘Khan, who since Hum tum is proving perception is that Bollywood has M to be a real leading man, plays Nikhil ‘Nick’ its origin from Hollywood, but in fact the Arora, a failed architecture student turned only thing the two names have in common chef who is a minor celebrity in Melbourne. is that both have to do with the fi lm industry. Zinta, the most substantial actress among Hollywood is a place and Bollywood is the younger Bollywood group, plays the role Indian cinema. Although Bollywood used to of Ambar Malhotra, a medical student from be mainly shown in India, more and more combines a comedy about Indians Down Bangalore who moonlights at a local radio western countries have shown interest in Under with a dramedy about a yuppie facing station, Salaam Namaste, to pay for her edu- this cinema genre. In my opinion, Bollywood up to fatherhood. With two of the brightest cation. In typical romantic-comedy style, the plots are a little melodramatic with themes of young stars of Hindi cinema, Saif Ali Khan two self-obsessed leads get off on the wrong love-triangles, kidnapping, corrupt politicians and Preity Zinta in Hugh Grant and Julianne foot when Nikhil is late for an interview on and angry parents and, yes, it also features Moore roles, plus the comforting realisation Ambar’s radio show. beautiful actors. The Western Cape Provincial ‘The meat of the fi lm is in the second half, Library Service decided to incorporate a few and the excellent chemistry between the Bollywood DVDs into the core collection two thesps pays dividends. First-time direc- to test its popularity amongst library users. tor Siddharth Raj Anand’s script, and Khan Following are reviews of three of the fi lms: and Zinta’s acting, avoids mushiness. Both Salaam Namaste, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie actors show the ability to spin on a dime Gham and Tashan. between comedy and drama. And in the fi nal reel, when most Bollywood pictures are Salaam Namaste / directed by Siddharth Raj moving into high melodrama, Anand turns Anand; produced by Aditya Chopra the tables with a delivery-room sequence ‘A seed of Nine months blooms in cultur- (featuring Abhishek Bachchan as an absent- ally mixed soil in Salaam Namaste, which minded obstetrician) that is the highlight of the movie’s comic-ensemble.’ (Review: Derek Elley.) Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham / directed by Karan Johar ‘Karan Johar, Yash Johar and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, one of the biggest blockbusters of our recent decades, two names and a title Bollywood itself won’t forget any time soon. 4040 Cape Librarian, January/February 2010 FILMFOCUS EZEBHANYABHANYA ‘Let’s face it, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham may not be a superb fi lm with an intense in a song-and-dance routine. fl awless backbone, but for all that, the fi lm ‘The wonderful costumes featured in the delivers on its promises. fi lm are by Aki Narula. ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham has its fair ‘Vijay Krishna Acharya, an accomplished share of fl aws as well as some excellent screenwriter making his directing debut, attributes. For fans, the positive aspects seems eager to show that he can deliver undoubtedly outweigh the negative. The a movie in the high style - bright, pop and plot is relatively simple. The script is not technically sophisticated - to which Bolly- intense and surely not original. wood has become accustomed. Basically he ‘Certain scenes in the fi lm will remain in succeeds. The giddy camera work and busy your memory for their emotive qualities long visual effects would be exhausting if their after the fi lm is over. excess didn’t fi t so well with the movie’s ‘The technical aspects of the fi lm a la tongue-in-cheek tone. Sharmishta Roy are all fi rst-rate and at times ‘The story concerns Mumbai yuppie mind-blowing, ranging from Kiran Deohan’s Jimmy Cliff (Mr Khan), hired to teach English lush camerawork to the exquisite sets and to a gangster (Anil Kapoor), who loves it impressive costumes. However, all this that Jimmy sounds “just like George Bush”. beauty may alienate the poor and middle- Stolen money and Hindi-movie complica- class audience. Rich families have been tions put Jimmy on the road with Pooja (Ms depicted in fi lms before, but none of them Kapoor) and an illiterate thug, Bachchan have shown off or been so ghamandi about (Akshay Kumar, in the fi lm’s best perform- their riches like the Raichands. ance). Jimmy and Bachchan, a homage to ‘The choreography by Farah Khan is in- Amitabh Bachchan, Hindi cinema’s biggest deed enjoyable, and the videos for the songs star, are like a snapshot of modernising India: are all wow! From Suraj Hua Maddham one English-speaking, foreign-infl uenced and to Bole Chudiyan the songs are all boasted affl uent; the other desi, or traditional. If the up adding to the extrinsic look of the fi lm.’ fi lm addresses the issue, it’s this: Can these (Review: Rakesh Budhu.) two just get along?’ (Review: Rachel Saltz.) Tashan (2008) / directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya; produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra ‘With the arrival of the comically exuber- ant action-adventure-romance Tashan in theatres, the Great Bollywood Bikini Ques- tion of 2008 - will she or won’t she wear one? - was fi nally answered. Readers, she did! For months the Bollywood blogosphere has been buzzing about the slimmed-down Kareena Kapoor. Is she anorexic? (Not to my American eyes.) Will she marry her “Tashan” co-star Saif Ali Khan? (Signs point to probably.) And how much of that svelte body would she show off in the movie? The itsy-bitsy (green, no polka dots) bikini comes Kaapse Bibliotekaris, Januarie/Februarie 2010 4141.