Tag Archives: aditya chopra

25 Years of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ): What Makes the Film So Special Even Today

There are films of all kinds that we are exposed to, very few of them go on to become commercially successful and maintain their iconic status despite the passage of time. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or DDLJ as it is more popularly known as, is one of the rare films to have that distinction. There has been enough and more that has been written about the film, with people praising the film for various aspects, while even attracting some criticism for its cheesiness, overtly sentimental nature and emphasis on a more old school romantic style and family values. So, let me not try and analyze the film per se, as that would simply not make sense, nor will it add any new insight into the film otherwise. So, what does this write-up intend to do? Simple, it is about why the film deserves all the love and appreciation that has been coming its way, and how I have evolved with the film over the course of these 25 years.Continue reading “25 Years of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ): What Makes the Film So Special Even Today”

DDLJ: Cutting across 3 decades. My Personal Ode & Journey with the Film

20th October 1995 was the first time DDLJ released in cinemas. I was 7 when I first watched the film at G7 Cinemas, Bandra with my parents. Little did I know that I would end up getting lost in the magical world that I was experiencing on screen. Tears rolled down my cheeks when I saw Amrish Puri slap SRK right before the climax sequence and I held my mother’s arms as each slap echoed in the pin drop silence inside the cinema packed with thousand people. I felt ecstatic when Kajol ran towards the stretched arm of SRK extending from the door of a running train in the end. I was mesmerized by the story that I narrated the entire film to my friends in school. When the songs came on the television, I would stop everything and listen attentively. Couple of months later, we revisited the theatre to watch DDLJ again. It was the same scenario as the first – a packed house with the same emotions. As a kid, I knew this film would stay with me forever. Continue reading “DDLJ: Cutting across 3 decades. My Personal Ode & Journey with the Film”

Meri Pyaari Bindu Movie Review: Lover’s Block

Deconstructing a genre can be tricky. Especially when it comes to a crowd-pleasing genre, like the standard rom-com. When you observe the trajectory of a typical rom-com, it seems simple, comforting, something you’d go for, on a lazy weekend after a hectic week, like a mug of chilled beer and a steaming plate of biryani. Therefore when 500 Days of Summer came along and ended up subverting most tropes we’ve come to expect, it was a hell of an experience and therefore ripe for adaptation in Bollywood. So when the promos of Meri Pyaari Bindu turned up, one did feel the spirit of 500 in it, so the question here would be if MPB is an apt deconstruction of the genre, or just another run of the mill boy meets girl tale?Continue reading “Meri Pyaari Bindu Movie Review: Lover’s Block”

Befikre: A Quick Review

befikreThe opening credits of Befikre have different couples kissing in various parts of Paris. That is when you realize that this movie is unconventional. For starters, it is shot in Paris and the story line could have been inspired by a French or a Hollywood rom-com as the couple keep getting in and out of their relationships. This year seems to be a year for contemporary multi-partner romances in Bollywood -after ADHM and Dear Zindagi and now Befikre.Continue reading “Befikre: A Quick Review”

Befikre Movie Review: Behadh, Behuda aur Besharam!

Aditya Chopra could be described as one of Bollywood’s most enigmatic personalities. One has read about him being painfully shy, to the point of being almost reclusive. Therefore, one gets the feeling that he makes up for it, by making the protagonists in his movies, absolutely larger than life. Enough newsprint has been devoted to his debut, tears were shed by teenagers when Mohabbatein came out, and yawns were stifled while watching Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.Continue reading “Befikre Movie Review: Behadh, Behuda aur Besharam!”

Sultan: A Quick Review

Whenever there is a movie with Salman in the lead, it is no longer just a movie but an experience. The world can be divided in to 2 kinds of audience- Salman Baiters and Salman Fans. Both have their reasons for watching it.

For the Baiters: Sultan is everything that you love to hate in a Sallu movie. Like a gym routine, he acts with his upper-body and dances with his lower-body. He gives us one more eve-teasing song which will be played in all the Indian weddings and discos – Baby ko Base pasand hai (Baby loves Base) where he keeps strutting his butt in yet another ‘innovative’ manner. It sounds more appropriate for the heroine (Anushka) though, as Sultan looks anything but a 30 yr old wrestler- with a puffed up face and a saggy torso. Wish he had taken make up lessons from Rajinikant as one of the song choreography seems to be influenced from a Rajini movie.

Continue reading “Sultan: A Quick Review”

Sultan Movie Review: Salman Khan and Eid, the Combination Works Once Again

A quiet moment when you just stand transfixed as you see your beloved in front of you, only to see her walk past you as if she did not even acknowledge your presence. Your heart aches and you pine, not just for her but also for all those wonderful moments that you both shared together. And you repeat the act every day, only to see your lady love walk away the same way. What would such a moment remind you of? Would you really expect this from a Salman Khan film? Actually I wouldn’t and not because Salman isn’t good with romance, in fact he has done enough and more romantic films but then there’s always that expectation that he would come up with something animated that catches the lady’s attention at the end. But that doesn’t happen in Ali Abbas Zafar’s latest film, the well anticipated Sultan that’s bhaijaan’s Eid attraction this time around.Continue reading “Sultan Movie Review: Salman Khan and Eid, the Combination Works Once Again”

Sultan Movie Review: This Calls for Giant Leaps of Faith and Your Unflinching Love for Salman

Ali Abbas Zafar’s ‘Sultan’ has all the trappings of an earth-shattering blockbuster and in all probability it will be one. Not just because it has the box-office demigod Salman Khan, the man who can right now earn 200 crores even by selling peanuts outside a theater, but also because it is a story of redemption, revival and fighting for one’s love – a potion that can be sold like hot cakes to Indian audiences. The fact that Sultan has Bollywood’s original bodybuilder Khan playing a wrestler at a tender age of 50 only adds to the aura and intrigue of the film. But alas, all that augurs well does not necessarily end well. And a lion’s share of that blame should lie at the feet of the director.Continue reading “Sultan Movie Review: This Calls for Giant Leaps of Faith and Your Unflinching Love for Salman”

Ranveer Singh: The Most Desirable Man of 2015

India has voted and chosen the Times 50 Most Desirable Men 2015. The 1.17 lakh (unique)votes received online on http://www.itimes.com/polls along with our vote decided the final 50 onthis coveted list. It wasn’t a surprise that Ranveer Singh emerged as the numero uno on this list that compiles India’s most irresistible men. He is thrilled about his win and tells us whybeing desirable is beyond being an attractive visual package,Continue reading “Ranveer Singh: The Most Desirable Man of 2015”