Posts Tagged ‘Love Aaj Kal’

30 Filmy Fundas of 2009 – The good, the bad & the fuglies!

Posted: December 31, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, News, Thoughts
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2009 – The Master of Feel Bad started the year delivering his career’s first hit and the Master of Feel Good Cinema ended the year with a recording breaking monster hit! Aha, not that bad if we count only the boundaries. After the musical notes of the year, we sat down to discuss the filmy notes of the year. Here it is – the good, the bad and the fuglies!

1. Best Credit Roll – If ever a credit roll said something so simply and superbly, this is it. Luck By Chance. Also great debut by Zoya Akhtar.

2. Anurag Kashyap turned musical and how! More than a dozen songs and we discovered Amit Trivedi.

3. Anurag Kashyap – 2009 belongs to only one director. Dev D, Gulaal and even Paanch finally got a release, you know where. Whats more, he finished shooting his next film That Girl In Yellow Boots in just 13 days. Aur bolo ?

PS : The same Anurag Kashyap wrote the dialogues for Kurbaan ! Strange bedfellows remained strange.

4. Nobody, we repeat nobody, can save Harman/Hurrman/Harmann/Harrman/Whatever it is Baweja.

5. Wooden Film of the Year – New York. Three good looking woods with zero expression.

6. Ranbir Kapoor – Dude of the year! He is not only working with best directors of bollywood but delivering his best too. Cool & confused, fool & romantic, middle class & lost – he did it all.

7.Imran Luck Khan – The poster boy of 2008 is light years behind Ranbir. He only talks cool and acts still uncool.  Competition, whats that ?

8. Imtiaz Ali has only one story to tell. The journey of cool and confused lovers on the verge of marriage. First time, they were about to mary. Second time, they were close to marriage. This time, they finally married and then solved their problem. More here and here.

9. Samir Karnik got money to make one more movie. Who ? Where ? Why ? How ?

10. Rani Mukherjee’s career is over. Hadippa!

11. Multiplex cinema & hits are not everything. Its a big myth. Ask the makers of Wanted. Or is it only Salman Khan ?

12. And if its Salman Khan, why Main Aur Mrs Khanna packed up in just two days ? As they say, nobody knows anything. And what was UTV smoking ? 

13. Overrated Gimmicky shit of the year – Paa. More ramblings here.

14. R Balki should stick to making tv commercials. One idea and thats it. He also told the same story again. Smart & dying child bring lovers back together. Age gap somewhere. Check.

15. Akshay Kumar’s bubble busted and how!. He failed everywhere. Chandni Chowk, China, Hollywood, under water, inside or outside Tasveer.

16. The Invisible Director – Who is Anurag Singh ? Does anyone knows him ? The man who put the last nail in the coffin of Rani’s acting career. Hadippa!

17. Sanjay Gupta and gang (read Suparn) are still copying. Even the promos! Now the Unknown ones! More here.

18. Suresh Nair – the only writer to have two big films releases on the same friday. Aladin & London Dreams and both flopped.

19. Underrated Film – Sooni Tarporevala’s delightful Little Zizou, where all the possible parsis united to turn bollywood into pollywood! ( Missed Barah Aana, Mohandas)

20. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – Sunil Shetty got an award for acting in Anant Mahadevan’s Red Alert – the War Within. Believe it, nobody has seen the film yet.

21. Most Subtle Expression of the year – In Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6, a man lands up with a mirror to show your andar ka kala bandar! Beat this!

22. Nagesh Kuknoor – Dont give him big budgests and big stars. He will go cuckoo-noor!

23. Vishal Bhardwaj delivered again. Five films in a row. And showed us Amole Gupte – the actor. More here.

24. Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani tried too hard to be Andaz Apna Apna. Insanity happens! You cant plan and design it.

25. ENG Filmmaker -Madhur Bhandarkar continued his expose and it finally flopped.

26. Smirk & Smug of the Year – Vivek Oberoi in Kurbaan. It was the ROFLOL film of the year where terrorism was wrapped in chiffon saree.

27. RajKumar Hirani lied to all of us and made the same film again. As a friend said, its Munnabhai B Tech. More here.

28. Couple Of The Year – Jaideep Sahni & Shimit Amin who delivered Rocket Singh – Sales Man of the Year! More here.

29. The only U-25 who proved us wrong – Ayan Mukherjee. Wake up Sid. Confident debut. More here.

30. Only 12 scenes, not 12 roles – Ask Priyanka Chopra. Easily the best performance of the year. Length doesnt matter, performanace counts. Vishal did it. Gowariker failed.

Bravery Awards  – Aftab Shivdasani turned writer and producer with Aao Wish Karein.

Someone directed a film titled Jai-Veeru!

Abhijeet Sawant turned actor.

LOL Titles Of The Year  – They said it all. No explanations required.

Kal Kisne Dekha

Do Knot Disturb

Fruit & Nuts

London Nightmares

Blue-s

Aa Dekhein Zara

Dhoondte Rah Jaoge

Ek Se Bure Do

(Tough) Luck

Shorkut – The Con Is On

PS. ENG – Electronic New Gathering.

Coming up next –  what to expect in 2010!

For all that jazz, Giselli got only 1 lakh!

Posted: September 2, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cast news, gossipmongers, News, pics
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Giselli MonteiroLove Aaj Kal had big names like Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali. But the one who got all the eyeballs and got people talking was Giselli Monetiro (Harleen Kaur).  She quickly made her entry in Google’s top search that week also.

And here is a bit of info that we heard recently. The actress was paid only Rs 1 lakh for the film! Huh? Only One Lakh!!?? Even the character actors get paid better. Am guessing they must have convinced her saying its a big break with big stars and blah blah!

Those of who you who liked here, here is some good news. It seems the actress is soon going to sign her second film. She has been approched by Ravi Chopra for his next production Puraani Jeans. The film will also launch Chopra’s son Kapil Chopra alongwith Rati Agnihotri’s son Tanuj Virwani.

Kaminey : love story of our times & the generation that read Nandan!

Posted: August 18, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film review, News, reviews, Thoughts
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Kaminey 2The director (lets call him aKa) made a fist, positioned it in front of his crotch, moved it to and fro, cracking a joke on me, because thats what I think love is all about. Atleast accoding to him. Why ? Because I didnt feel the lump in my throat when i saw Love Aaj Kal(a title that sounds like a mathematics theorem and is even written like one). Ofcourse, aKa felt that lump, a big one too and some three four times. That Mr Ali has already been branded as bollywood’s new age love guru and every producer/director aspires to make a Jab We Met kind of romcom is surely some indication. And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu!

But fuck that new age. Fuck that theorem of love. Enough of that cool and confused one. One that make an effort to sound smart and make you laugh. Hail the Bharadwaj Boy! Why ? Because for me, the greatest stories are those which belongs to us, of our times, of our politics. And someone finally dares to touch the M-word. Marathi, Maharashtra, Mumbai. Ironic that the filmmaker belongs to other M(eerut) town. The newspapers had enough, there were lot of tv debates. But like always, politics is a bad word in our bollyland. And only few dare. And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu!

Sharmaji from Bambai is in love with Sweety from Mumbai. The risk ? Your do nimboo aur mirchi! And still he goes for it and pulls it off with so much ease. And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu!

As the film moved on, i was wondering if love will again be doomed in Bhardwaj’s Kaminey, as it happened in Maqbool and Omakara! When killing is more poetic that any happy ending, i dont complain. Kareena’s dead body on the swing, Tabu looking through the mosquito net, aha…the visuals that will stay with me forever. But finally Bharadwaj has a happy ending to his love story of Guddu and Sweety! And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu!

As Guddu gives condom gyaan, Sweety drops the bomb. Her eggo is preggo. She has tested thrice. No, its again not that dude style, where the couple decides to part away after mouthing some cool lines. Here the writing on the wall is apne haath jagannath. They dont shy away. Shit happens. And you can get rid of it in just 24 hours. Thats my generation. Knows the shit, wants it, enjoys it and wants to get rid of it too. And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu!

 During my school days, we used to open the history books, hold it vertically and used to enjoy the history lessons. It used to baffle our history teacher and somehow it always remained a mystery to him. Inside the history books, it used to either Nandan, Champak, Suman Sourabh, Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Bhokal or Chacha Chaudhry.

Nandan had a popular punch line too – Jo bacche Nandan padhte hain, woh jeevan me aage badhte hain. Me and my sister never cared much about jeevan me aage badhna but with every new issue of Nandan, we used to fight. She always claimed the first right because her excuse was she would finish it quickly and i take lot of time to read. I would wait for my turn.

I dont remember if any hero of hindi films ever claimed to read Nandan or Champak. Guddu did. And he wins it. Guddu stammered and so Sweety decided to do so, to boost his confidence. Love is all about stammering together. Its not just about drinking same tea or coffee. One is tangible, the other one is sharing the discomfort. The group of aunties who sat in the row behind me kept on wondering about Sweety if yeh bhi totali hai kya ? Aisa kaisa? Its the payoff.

Finally, the petrom pump scene. One of the most romantic scenes I have seen in recent times. One that gave me lump in my throat. Mr aKa, love is not only to and fro. Just like its not about drinking black tea! Sweety wants to fly out for honeymoon, she managed to book the tickets last minute. But Guddu remembers his school love suddenly. All of a sudden. Sweety wonders why. Bus abhi yaad aaya na. Aha, love without calculations. And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu!

Whats with all the Tarantino and Ritchie talks ? Was i the only one who didnt remember any bit of any of those filmmakers while watching Kaminey! The characters are so rooted, they speak so many languages, so much mannerism, the psychedelic visuals, the brooding sky, the morning rains…i was stuck! Eyes wide open! All i want to know now is the man called Tassaduq Hussain.

And, mere har jhoot ki niyat hamesha sach thi Guddu! Beat this killer line. Dont think anyone will. Atleast not this year. And yeah, do handover the award for the performance by an ensemble cast to Kaminey! Say no more. 

Love Aaj Kal – was it written like a mathematics theorem ?

Posted: August 5, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, Thoughts, writing
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love aaj kal4Recently I wrote a post on Love Aaj Kal. But the kind of extreme reactions the film is generating, I could not resist the temptation to dissect it more. And so, in the span of just three days, here is one more post on Love Aaj Kal, wondering how & why was it written.

So, why do you feel the need to tell/write a specific story ?

(A) Because something inspired you. You saw, heard, read or experienced something that triggered that thought. That got stuck in your head, heart or anywhere else. You slept over it, your start drawing the characters, the characters starts talking to you, dancing on your head, make you confused and restless. And so, you don’t hav a choice but to write. To get it out of your system. 

OR

(B) Is it because you want to say something ?  Because you want to make a strong statement. You want to prove a point. Because you observed something and you want to share your take on the subject. 

Now, (A) and (B) can happily co-exist. But if you got (B) in your head, you know what you want to say in the end, then you join the dots, draw the lines and make the structure (A). 

To me, then the story seems like a mathematics theorem.  Why ? Because you know the result. You know what you want to say in the end. Like any other maths theorem that you are given to prove in the exams. So, you pick up the variables, put certain constraints, take some steps and show that the theorem is correct!

So, is it the same way that Imtiaz Ali wrote Love Aaj Kal ? He knows (or belives) what is Love Aaj and he knows what is Love Kal. He wants to put it all together. He has to prove what he knows or believes. He picks up the characters, sets them in certain conditions and beliefs, make them take some steps and in the end, proves the theorem. The Love Aaj Kal Theorem.

Huh! Enough of dissection! Filmmaking is all about faking it, right ? How well one fakes it, there lies the catch. And when you can see through the art of faking, where is the fun! You desperately look out for that smooth flow of the story. But you realise, its just one step after another, towards that last line “Hence proved”!

Yes..yes…Harleen Kaur (Giselle Monteiro) can talk!

Posted: August 5, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, first look, News, songs & videos, television, Thoughts
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She smiled, posed, looked confused and clueless, but caught everyone’s attention too…Harleen Kaur, the coy kudi who ran away with Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal. And whoever saw Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal, they surely asked one question…who is that girl ?

In google search, Harleen Kaur (Giselle Monteiro) has been in top five since friday. The makers of the film smartly kept her away from all the attention though lot of newsprint and airtime was devoted to the film. Here is our earlier post on her.

And those of you who are still googling her, here is her first tv interview done by CNN IBN. Yes, the girl can talk, unlike what she looked in the film, with just four lines diloagues which were alter on dubbed. Katrina Kaif in the making ? Well, only if she can patao a Salman Khan!

Vodpod videos no longer available.  

Love Aaj Kal – the poke generation’s yapfest!

Posted: August 2, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film review, News, reviews, Thoughts
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love-aaj-kal new posterBollywood’s new age Love-guru is back! And with a heavy adjective like that, its difficult to live up to the expectation. Yashraj romance is so passe. After Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met, Imtiaz Ali is cool, hep and happening.

Read all the reviews. Thought will catch on sunday morning. Tickets will be cheap and easy to get. How many people wake up and reach the theatre by 11 am. I was wrong. Fame Adlabs – 11:30 am show. Houseful. I thought I will wait, will manage a ticket from someone. It has never happened with me, that i have returned home without watching a film. No luck. I moved to Cinemax Versova. Believe it or not, Cinemax has 24 shows daily! One show every half hour. Cinemax – 12 noon show – Houseful. Again I decided to wait. No luck. 12:30 – Is also houseful. Only red lounge availabe. Huh! Whats the point of waking up and coming early if I am going to watch it in red lounge, which is too expensive. Finally bought the ticket for 13:00 pm show and moved to my fav place (Landmark) to kill time. Now if this is any indication of the box office report, Love Aaj Kal is heading for big numbers. And a real one, unlike Kambakkht Ishq’s pumped up numbers. Next week there is only Agyaat, so Love Aaj Kal will have two weeks time till Kaminey releases.  

Does Imtiaz Ali delivers ? And if so, what ? Well, he tries atleast. Some ten great scenes, smart dialogues but too much of deja vu! Give me one more punjabi family that wants to sing nagada nagada..nagada baja, and I will take out my gun and blow someone’s head! Seriously! Imtiaz’s characters still prefer to run away and get married. They are still confused about their choices. Here, they are just a step ahead, more confused, and realise it all after marriage. They still talk in the same tone. 

Comparing notes of three films, Imtiaz and his love mantra has changed a lot with time, as it happens with us when we grow up and see the same world in a different way at different age. First one (Socha Na Tha) was naive, tender, natural. Second (Jab We Met) was smart, mature, understanding. This one (Love Aaj Kal) is clever, trying to be too smart and calculative.

And when you have two tracks in a love story, the craftsmanship is easy to spot, which makes it look unnatural. Have always felt that. The criss-crossing makes it look all intentional, to mix and match this scene here with that scene there.  The intention is still honest but then the baggage becomes too heavy.

 After a friend’s recco, recently saw a film titled 5 X 2 (Five times two). Five chapters of a couple’s romantic story which starts with their divorce and moves in reverse. So, a story with a sad end has a happy cinematic ending. The first time when the boy meets the girl. Love Aaj Kal too starts with a break up, and you know, its a hindi film, so the couple will get together for sure. How ? Thats the question.

They break up. They find new boyfreind/girlfriend. They pretend to be cool about it but realise soon that its the wrong choice baby! Much like Abbas Tyrewala’s Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. And as a friend asked me, so what new can you do in a romcom ? New ? Well, add a old track then. And thats where Rishi Kapoor fits in with his Harleen Kaur. The villain in the story is distance. Yesterday, they went all out to cover that distance. Today, we have too many choices close to us, why bother to go for the long distance ! Thats the central theme of Love Aaj Kal.

Saif Ali Khan is not new to being the cool n confused lover, having done similar acts in Dil Chahta Hai, Hum Tum and other films. Deepika Padukone is unbelievably inconsistent. In some scenes, she cracks the code perfectly and in some, she is horrible. Harleen Kaur (Giselle Monteiro) must be the subtle-est character in the history of hindi cinema. Blame it on Brazil! But it works.

They poke. But they dont make out. They talk and go yap yap. But they dont do anything. You only hear the “khula saand“, the “kuch bhi” talks. The intention must have been to score U/A certificate, so that it becomes family viewing. Was surprised to see so many kids in the theatre. What kind of parents take their kids to the theatre to watch Love Aaj Kal ? Its not for kiddies, by any logic and reason. Its a mature story and God only knows, what the kids will make out of it. Am scared for the next generation. Poking friends on Facebook and in Love Aaj Kal is not the same.

I loved Socha Na Tha. I liked Jab We Met. Superbly written. And Love Aaj Kal is, well, nice. Honest but too crafty! Its all about having black tea/coffee together!

Who is this Harleen Kaur ? She is Giselle Monteiro.

Posted: August 2, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, News
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Harleen KaurWe wrote about Harleen Kaur in our last post on Love Aaj Kal. But it seems people are still googling who plays Harleen Kaur ? And almost every reviewer has mentioned her name or her character’s name. She may not have much to say but her look has worked and how!

It happens. Recently during the screening of Delhi-6, at the interval, I turned to my freind and asked, who is this Rama Bua ? Later on, got to know that all my friends and their million other friends also wanted to know the same. We googled, found out more and finally confirmed that she is happily married and is a delhi based dancer Aditi Rao Hydari!

Ok. So back to Harleen Kaur in Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal. Believe it or not, she may look the coy desi girl with old world charm but she is not from India! Giselle Monteiro is a Brazilian model who has no clue about hindi and hindi films. She came to audition for the part of Saif’s other girlfriend. But was later on selected for the role of Harleen Kaur. Imtiaz Ali managed to make her act but her lines were dubbed. Strange are the ways of bollywood! But as long as Harleen Kaur looks Harleen Kaur, we arent complaining. Desi, firangi or from any other planet!

Love Aaj Kal – film reviews

Posted: July 31, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film review, News, reviews
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love aaj kal4Will Imtiaz Ali score a hattrick ? Everyone loves his first one Socha Na Tha. Jab We Met gave him box office success. And now the third one – Love Aaj Kal starring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Rishi Kapoor. And who is that Harleen Kaur ?

Post-press screening, we heard mixed reviews about it. Nothing mindblowing. Ok to good to great timepass. Some early reviews are out. Take a look.

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – Love Aaj Kal doesn’t promise much newness in its plot but clicks largely for its casual-n-cheerful presentation – 3/5

Anand Vaishnav (Buzz18) – Love Aaj Kal is not perfect. But in one of Bollywood’s dullest years, this one comes as a refreshing ray of hope. It’s bound to bring a smile on your face. Here’s a film with both head and heart – 4/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, LOVE AAJ KAL is for the young and romantic at heart. Sure, it’s not perfect, but the terrific performances, melodious music and stirring emotional moments more than compensate for the hiccups – 4/5

Raja Sen ( Rediff) – Love Aaj Kal is a harmless, watchable film — sad, because it could have been truly special. It has its moments in the first half, while the second half is an over-melodramatic drag – 2.5/5

Anupama Chopra ( NDTV) – Love Aaj Kal is an above average film with some wonderful moments, nice lines and fine performances. But it’s not as sparkling or engaging as it should have been – 3/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – The film in the end is ordinary stuff, watchable but never memorable like the director’s previous efforts, the far superior “Socha Na Tha” and “Jab We Met” – 2/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – It’s hard not to warm up to a film which is, at its core, likeable. I just wish I could have liked it more – 3/5

Khalid Mohamed (Aslibaat) – The result is cuts above the kind of movies you’re getting aaj kal. Worth the price of a ticket-cum-popcorn. Make that caramel – 3/5

Minty Tejpal – Though a poignant love story, Love Aaj Kal lacks the joyous, organic soul of Jab We Met, and appears crafted. Nevertheless, Imtiaz Ali shows that he is a top notch director, with an eye for subtle, emotional nuances 3.5/5

Mayank Shekhar (Hindustan Times) – Eventually, a script that starts off supremely crisp, loosens out into climaxes. And a final explanation that while times have changed, only expressions may have altered – 3/5

Baradwaj Rangan – After ‘Socha Na Tha’ and ‘Jab We Met,’ Imtiaz Ali dreams up another winning romance – about love today versus love yesterday.

So far, 2.5 to 4, seems what we heard is right.

And yeah, finally we have got the name of the actress who plays Harleen Kaur! So all you guys who have been googling Harleen Kaur, stop now. She is Giselle Monteiro! And with an intersting name like that, we are more curious. Anybody got any more dope!

Connecting the dots – LAK’s Aahun aahun, deewane tere & kadi te !

Posted: July 25, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, plagiarism, songs & videos, Thoughts
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If Pritam is here, can plagiarism be far behind! Or may be, its just his bad luck. Some sound somewhere always sounds similar! Check out this song.

Vodpod videos no longer available.  more about “deewane tere naam ke – eSnips, share …“, posted with vodpod

If the link doesnt work here, click here to go the direct link of the music page.

Sounds familiar ? Saudagar. Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Anupam Kher. Tring tring. Deewane tere naam ke!

Now, check out Love Aaj Kal’s Aahun Aahun, the intial hook.

The good news. In the CD, the credit reads  kadi te hass bol ve. Lyrics & melody – traditional.

And after lil youtubing, we discovered this one – one of the traditional punjabi folk version. 

Finally, some sanity in Pritam’s world!

Love Aaj Kal’s Aahun Aahun – video

Posted: July 18, 2009 by moifightclub in bollywood, first look, News, songs & videos
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A new video/song promo of Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal is out. Looks like its for the credit roll. What say ?

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