chaver

The Warrior is loosely based on an old Samurai tale. The army chief of a warlord gets sick of fighting, decides he's had enough of violence, and decided to move to a far away place with his child to start a new life. However, this pisses off the warlord who tries to kill him. The rest of the movie, I believe, is about the clash between the warrior and the warlord.

flixtime

Thanks chaver for the info. on The Warrior. Sounds like something I'd like. I hope it comes out here in the U.S. sometime soon.

Yahoo Sirius

Well, I saw KAANTE, the long-delayed film from Sanjay Gupta, and although I enjoyed it, the film is not without its flaws.

Basically the first third of the film rips off THE USUAL SUSPECTS, the middle rips off HEAT, and the last third is all RESERVOIR DOGS. Obviously, there are a few new twists here and there, but if you've seen the American films, you pretty much know exactly how this story is going to turn out.

That said, the movie zips by in a compelling and extremely flashy manner, although the overabundance of quick cuts and a booming soundtrack may give some people a headache. The movie (filmed entirely in Los Angeles with a Hollywood crew) exhibits an impressive technical polish and the fight scenes have some bone-crunching sound effects, unlike the usual lame ones you hear in most Bollywood films.

Gupta seemingly pulls out every single trick from the director's handbook, but overdoes it at times by repeating the same camera or editing trick over and over ad nauseum. However, you can see why the film's release was constantly delayed, as it must have taken forever to edit all this footage together in such a precise manner.

The song and dance numbers are good, but, aside from one in which the gang members sing and dance with each other, the musical pieces come off as a bit too Americanized, with lots of montage or strip club sequences that aren't typical Bollywood.

The performances run the gamut from annoyingly overwrought (Mahesh Manjrekar) to understated (Sunil Shetty). Sanjay Dutt is surprisingly good while Amitabh Bachchan is as great as always.

Overall, I liked KAANTE a lot more than the overrated AANKHEN (but less so than COMPANY), though I can hardly call it a classic as it borrows so heavily from the aforementioned American movies without finding a truly distinctive voice of its own. Still, if you're looking for a slick heist thriller with pretty good action scenes, intense violence, and sexy song and dance numbers, you'll have a hard time finding something better than KAANTE.

samrhan

I must agree with Yahoo Sirius that Kantee is better than Aankhen, but not as good, or as involving, as Company. What surprised me was that it was soooo similar to Reserviour Dogs. I knew this was going to be the case, but I read an interview with the director where he said that this was not a remake of RD. So I was waiting for it to deviate from the RD story, and it didnt. Nonetheless, a very brave effort for a Bollywood movie. However, Parinda remains my fav Bollywood 'gangster' film.

I also recently saw Deewanagee, and Ajay Devgan is awesome in it. Not better than Norton in Primal Fear, but way above the typical Bollywood performance.

It has, in my opinion, been a poor year for Bollywood, but my fav movies from Bollywood are: Dil Chahta Hai, Company, Lagaan, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil Se, Parinda, Deewar, Baazigar, Bombay and Ghayal.

flixtime

Thanks DVDTalkers Yahoo Sirius and samrhan (and......Welcome aboard samrhan ) for your comments on Kaante. It was a film that I was very eager to see.

First off, I'd just like to wish all the participants and lurkers in this thread a much-belated, very Happy New Year!

I regret that I haven't been able to contribute to this thread for the last month or so, but I would like to share my general thoughts on a handful of films that I did get a chance to watch over the last few weeks. My comments will be relatively brief as I watched some of the films quite some time ago so alot of the specifics aren't fresh in my mind.

Kabhi Khushi Kabie Gham (K3G): Finally got around to watching this and - though not as much as Mohabbatein - I must say that I enjoyed it alot. Whereas Mohabbatein hit all the right notes for me personally, I felt K3G had a few missteps. I'm generally forgiving of films which have poor starts such as Mujhse Dosti Karoge. For me, K3G faltered much later, when it came out of the intermission. The Kareena Kapoor persona of Poo was overdone and too annoying. Also, I would have liked to see a scene between Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan when I would like to have seen something take place between the two scenes. Also, I though there could have been one more closing scene at the end of the film to . I know they have a snaps of a scene during the closing credits but maybe one more scene might have helped. All in all though, I did enjoy K3G very much and I'd give it a strong recommendation.

Whoops, something just came up, but I'll jump back in later today with my brief thoughts on Kaante (looks like my opinion of this film is going to be in the minority), Bollywood/Hollywood, Rishtey, Karz, Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar, Waah..! Tera Kya Kehna, Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai, and Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai.

flixtime

Back again.....

Kaante: I was pretty excited about seeing this long-delayed film but for me it failed miserably. I've enjoyed - though perhaps not as much as some others - the films The Usual Suspects, Heat, and Reservoir Dogs which were referenced by Yahoo Sirius (though I don't have much recollection of Reservoir Dogs). Perhaps not a fair comparison, but I don't even feel that Kaante measured up to many of the B-thrillers that populate pay cable channels here in the U.S. The first 90 minutes left me stone-faced. I thought the film was well-cast, to be more precise, the six lead actors were well cast; the rest left alot to be desired. While the performances of the six lead actors were fine, I don't feel that they were given much to work with as far as the script/story goes. The dialogue was dull and I didn't care for the editing/directing techniques employed by the Director. The Director was trying to create something of substance when there was nothing really there to start with. His efforts I felt only weakened the film. The potrayal of the U.S. police was very bad especially given how many TV shows here in the U.S. have very good potrayals of the police. I also did not care for the The musical numbers with the 6 leads was very enjoyable but the repetitive strip club (where they don't actually ever strip of course) musical numbers bored me especially a later one that was poorly placed and broke up any momentum the films was trying to build in the last 1 hour. I don't recall how it went it Reservoir Dogs but (major spoilers for the ending to follow). Just my thoughts. When a film is not holding your interest, these sort of things stick out whereas in other films they might be overlooked. All in all the film came across as pretty low budget to me, something that seems as if could have been shot in a week. Whereas a film like Deewangee with Ajay Devgan borrowed from Hollywood and also added a different spin, Kaante just came across to me a an embarrassingly minor-league take on previous Hollywood thrillers. A big disappointment, perhaps even shameful (I wouldn't be comfortable taking friends to see it). Count me among those who wasn't overly impressed with the film Aankhen, but I still preferred Aankhen over Kaante which I never expected to happen. I dont usually give scores but since I'm going through multiple films maybe I will so folks have some rough idea. 4/10

Bollywood/Hollywood: A very fun, entertaining, and appropriately-titled film as it was a very strong mix of both Bollywood and Hollywood films. The run-time is approx. 1 hour and 40 minutes. Nice performances all around, especially by Rahul Khanna and an oustanding (and gorgeous) Lisa Ray. I think that she is bi-racial so I wouldn't be surprised that her strong performance was due in some part to her real-life experiences. I'm usually not too big a fan of these English-language NRI films but I really was pleasantly surprised by this film. A good step in the right direction and I hope to see more of these types of films down the road. I'd recommend everyone to check it out. 7.5/10

Rishtey: The latest Anil Kapoor film from Bollywood and quite a decent effort as Anil Kapoor tries to re-establish himself as a force in Bollywood. This is a well-done, paint-by-numbers and fairly typical Bollywood action film but it's pretty entertaining and certainly worthy of a watch by fans of Bollywood cinema (more selective veiwers aren't missing anything extraordinary). And just one aside regarding Shilpa Shetty in this film - Wow! I was completely mesmerized by her navel during much of the early part of this film (I couldn't take my eyes of her fabulous mid-section). She was very hot! Anyway........I might have scored the film a little better if not for a poor last couple of minutes in the film . 7/10

Karz: The latest Sunny Deol action film which his fans should be quite happy with. My thoughts on Karz are pretty similar to my thoughts on Rishtey, though I'd say Rishtey is just a little better than Karz. Also, I felt the ending of this film was a bit too abrupt. 7/10

Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar: Another disappointment for me. This is a Bollywood film but it is set entirely in NY/NJ. Jimmy Shergill is his likable self in this story of poor boy meets rich girl. A fairly short film that devotes its first half to building a relationship between Shergill and Kim Sharma (I think she was in Mohabbatein too along with Shergill). Kim Sharma has a cute little body but I don't think too much of her as an actress. The second half is an entirely substanceless take on Meet the Parents where Shergill tries to gain acceptance from "The Roger Patel" played by Paresh Rawal. Throughout the film Rawal's character comes across as a complete and pompous #*!#%#&. I coulnd't stand the character. Kim Sharma's character is not too likable either. Johnny Lever is there for comic relief but brings nothing too the table. The script/story/depiction of U.S. life is seriously flawed (at least from my viewpoint as someone based here in the U.S., audiences in India would not be expected to be aware/bothered by some of the inaccuracies so the film might be better received in India) with numerous things that left me scratching my head. For example, one time Shergill is in the Patel home in NJ and has to go running out for flowers, so the next scene has him all the way in Manhattan for flowers (there aren't florists in NJ?). Also, the home in which Shergill is sharing along with the widow of his old best friend is said to be very close to Macy's in mid-town Manhattan. I'm not an expert of Manhattan real-estate but wouldn't the value of the place in which they were living being millions of dollars. Furthermore, a doctor speaking in Hindi to patients even when there are other non-Hindi speaking patients present in the room. Also, the Patel are shown as being desperate to find a good Indian cook to cater a family function, thus the need for Shergill. It's a little hard to believe that a very rich owner of numerous hotels in the U.S. (and long-time U.S resident) as the "The Roger Patel" character is said to be doesn't already have multiple options as far as chefs go. Lastly, the depiction of the biker gang in the film is laughable as are the accents/dubbed voices used for the non-Indian characters in the film. Anyway, I saw this film some time ago and I forgot all the issues I had with it but there were many, most of which could have been easily remedied by tweaking the script. Even I could have done it, maybe I should try to become a script doctor for Bollywood films (probably should learn Hindi first). I really didn't like the character of "The Roger Patel". 3/10

Waah..! Tera Kya Kehna - A "comedy" (a very, very generous description in my opinion) starring Govinda who apparently used to be a fairly big star in Bollywood, now he is just middle-aged, paunchy, and out of shape yet prone to wearing form-fitting clothing. This movie is bad and that is an understatement; the worst Bollywood film I've ever seen. Okay musical numbers with a good one (similar in setting to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video) in the second half. This film is cheap; there is one scene with Govinda "driving" in a car and talking on a cell-phone but the way it is shot you only see him and the car interior. You just know the car is parked on a set somewhere and there are guys around the car shaking it to make it look like it is moving on a road (I really could picture this scene going on if the camera was pulled back). I've already wasted too many words commenting on this. No more Govinda films for me - ever! 0.5/10

Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai A cleaned-up Bollywood version of Hollywood's American Pie. The four male leads (newcomers to Bollywood I believe) were all pretty good and I look forward to seeing them in other films. The musical numbers were pretty cool, sort of Bollywood-popish. I also saw this some time ago so my recollection is a little hazy but I thought the script/dialogue was lacking and though it was a short film I became bored at times and never found myself too involved with the characters and their lives. Though every guys fantasy, the student-teacher relationship in this film came across as a little sleazy and implausible. It was nice to see some fresh faces in a Bollywood film but the film was just a watered down version of American Pie. Also, at times the film felt a little like watching a boy-band (N Sync, Backstreet Boys, etc.) movie plus a little too much of the guys shirtless, etc. (might be good for female viewers, but as far as I'm concerned I'll take Shannon Elizabeth shirtless in American Pie anyday). 5/10, maybe 6

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai: From what I gather this is Bollywood's version of the Julia Roberts film My Best Friend's Wedding (I've never seen it). A pretty good second half is not enough to save this done-to-death love triangle film featuring unsympathetic characters. Uday Chopra is the lead (he is usually in supporting roles - Mohabbatein) but I don't quite feel he is leading man material, plus his character comes across as a little hard to root for; I found myself rooting for the Jimmy Shergill character in their battle over the girl. The girl is played by a Bollywood newcomer - Sanjana. She really didn't do much for me and she turned in a poor performance in the first half of the film (she is better in the second half). Bipasha Basu in a limited role as a friend of the Uday Chopra character steals the show from Sanjana, Uday Chopra, and everyone else. Her scenes in the film are among the film's highpoints. Bipasha Basu's presence underscores the relative weakness of Sanjana and Uday Chopra as lead actors (at least as of now). Again the second half is much better but as far as love-triangle films go, there are many better options (Mujhse Dost Karoge, etc.). 5.5/10

Anyway, that's about all for now. I'd be interested in hearing any comments if people have had the chance to watch any of the above films.

flixtime

I watched Saathiya the other day. I enjoyed it; it was a good film elevated to better-than-good by a strong closing 1/2 hour in the film. The film has a run-time of only 2 hours and 12 minutes but retains the feel of a longer 2 hour 40 minute film. Starring Vivek Oberoi (Company, Road) and Rani Mukherjee, the film is a romance in the tradition of numerous other Bollywood films but it does put a slightly different spin on things and therefore I feel it will also please those who are tired of the typical Bollywood romance. The film is packed with a lot of strong musical numbers as well. I like Vivek Oberoi (even though I didn't care too much for Road) and Rani Mukherjee did a very convincing job in her role as the college-aged female lead of the film. Strong production values make this polished film a winner in my book. I hope it is a sign of good things to come from Bollywood in 2003 (since it seems that 2002 was a poor year in Bollywood). Next up for me is Jism starring the drop-dead gorgeous Bipasha Basu.

jmcnally

Is it just me, or is Jism an incredibly unfortunate name for a film? Sorry to be coarse...

flixtime

Yeah, I did a bit of a double-take too when I first read the title, especially since it stars Bipasha Basu. I'll admit to asking for the film in just a bit of a whisper when I asked for it the other day in my local store (there was a Mom with her kids present). The film was rented out so I rented Saathiya instead. I'm not sure what Jism means in Hindi. "Incredibly unfortunate" or clever (crude?) marketing, who knows? I was just curious to see if the word would get through the forum's filtering software (the forum does have filtering software, doesn't it?).

flixtime

I watched Jism last night. If I was reading my subtitles correctly "jism" means "body". I wasn't aware beforehand, but Jism is the latest entry in the Bollywood does Hollywood film category. It is basically a re-make of the 1980's film Body Heat which starred Kathleen Turner and William Hurt (Body Heat itself was a remake of Double Indemnity if I recall correctly). Jism has a runtime of 2 hours and 13 minutes, and stars the lovely Bipasha Basu and John Abraham who I believe is a relative newcomer to Bollywood. Abraham was a bit of a surprise for me in that he actually outshone Bipasha Basu (which in my opinion is tough to do); I look forward to seeing him in future films. Though I must admit to being a little disappointed upon realizing that Jism was a re-make of the steamy/sexy thriller Body Heat, I will say that the film was entertaining and very well-done (cinematography, atmosphere, etc.). When compared to the most recent Bollywood does Hollywood film - Kaante - I would have to say Jism is far superior. If you are going to do a re-make, do it well, and Jism delivered just that. If you are - like me - a fan of the more traditional Bollywood films, I'd say Jism can be bypassed (though I enjoyed it quite a bit, one viewing was enough for me). However, if you are a fan of Hollywood-style thrillers, I'd give Jism a strong recommendation as I feel it easily surpasses previous re-make efforts churned out by Bollywood (Jism would be even more enjoyable if you haven't seen films like Body Heat, Last Seduction, etc. (actually the story in Jism has been done-to-death in Hollywood and also by U.S. TV shows)).

huzefa

In Hindi, it's not pronounced with a Z, but with the S instead. Ji-sum.

angryyoungman

I've read through this thread and the previous thread and it's piqued my interest in Bollywood films. I'm bumping this in hopes of getting a better idea of what films I should check out as someone who's just getting started in the genre.

I've put Salaam Bombay, Mohabbatein, Dil Chahta Hai and Lagaan on my list of movies-to-see so far, since many of you recommended them or at least said they were worth a rental.

I really don't know anything about Bollywood film history, are their any good websites or books about it?

Thanks in advance!

Hendrik

"...I really don't know anything about Bollywood film history, are their any good websites or books about it?"

...there's more to "Indian Films" than just "Bollywood"! take a look here...

...if it's 'dedicated' books you want, take a look here...

. . . . . .

indycohiba

Can someone post a top 20 list both in terms of movie quality as well as DVD? Thanks!

flixtime

If I'm not mistaken, the first 5 months of this year were pretty weak in terms of quality films coming out of Bollywood. I just wanted to share a couple of recommendations for those who might be interested. I'd give an enthusiastic thumbs up to both Satta: The Game of Power (released early in the year) and the relatively new release of Haasil starring Jimmy Shergil and Hrishitaa Bhatt. Satta is a terrific political suspense film with excellent performances turned in by lead Raveena Tandon and also Atul Kulkarni, among others. After viewing this film, I felt - and still do - that it will easily land in my top 3 list of favorite Bollywood films in 2003. Haasil also was a very pleasant surprise and should appeal to fans of gangster and/or political films, as well as fans of the more traditional Bollywood romantic films. I just watched Ram Gopal Varma's new horror film Bhoot and found it enjoyable despite a couple of missteps shortly after the midway point of the film. I'm not a technical expert when it comes to DVDs but I thought the sound effects in the film were excellent. Some things didn't hold together too well for me when thinking about the film afterwards but it was an enjoyable two hours while watching it (especially the first 1 hour). Horror films aren't really my area of expertise but I thought Bhoot offered a very commendable amount of chills and scares and is certainly worth checking out. Some time ago I also saw the much-hyped Sunny Deol action flick The Hero but I really didn't care for it. The second half was better than the first but overall I found it very disappointing and would say that the film is only average at best. I haven't watched the new Armaan yet but I am eager to check it out. Have there been any other quality releases this year which might have slipped past my radar?

bothanspy

Has anyone heard anything about chalte chalte? its actually playing in theaters here in chicago.

indycohiba

Has anyone seen Bhoot or Calcutta Mail?

flixtime

I just now read your post indycohiba. I'm guessing you've already checked out Calcutta Mail. I watched it maybe about a month ago and enjoyed it. I didn't think it was anything exceptional but it was certainly enjoyable. I thought some sloppy editing hurt the film.

For what it's worth, here is a list of some films I've watched recently which I enjoyed more than Calcutta Mail (I'd rank Tere Naam and Gangaajal in the same group as Calcutta Mail):

Boom - if Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Jade, etc.), wrote the script for a Bollywood film then this would be it (at least that was one of the first thoughts that entered my mind while watching). No one here is going to win any acting awards especially the 3 female leads but I found this film to be very entertaining. One of the female leads is Padma Lakshmi who's always a treat to watch though she should probably stick to her guest appearances on America's Food Network cable channel.
Market - if you liked Boom then you might also enjoy this one. Manisha Koirala (who I don't generally care for) did a nice job.
Hawayein - the first 1/2 hour is a little weak in terms of performances and production values seemed lacking slightly but after that - WOW! If you enjoyed films like Bombay, Maachis, and Hey Ram then Hawayein might be of interest (though I'd say it is a little less "artsy" than the aforementioned films). Some of the scenes during the rioting can certainly be described as stomach-churning and disturbing. The action scenes were well-done.
Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon - I also liked this one quite a bit. A nice feel good movie if dark films like Hawayein aren't your cup of tea. After bypassing it a couple of times (I thought it was a music DVD of Madhuri Dixit songs), I'm very glad I rented it.

Some others which I've enjoyed this year are:
3 Deewarein - very nicely done film (inspired in small part by The Shawshank Redemption, though it is certainly not a copy of the same story). It is the story of 3 men in prison.
Samay - nicely done mystery though it also borrows from some Hollywood films (especially the climax). Good job by Susmita Sen in the lead role.
Satta - terrific political thriller

Most recently I watched Koi Mil Gaya which if I recall correctly is one of the box-office hits in India this year. I wasn't really too keen on checking it out but there wasn't much else available. It can be described as a film that crosses E.T. with Jack (which starred Robin Williams), also borrowing from Close Encounters, maybe Teen Wolf and probably countless others. Despite a few flaws (so-so special effects, overlong basketball scene which hurt pacing of the film, weak musical number at key point in the film), I felt it still managed to succeed - with its mix of Sci-fi/Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Action, Drama, Song & Dance - as a nice piece of Summer Blockbuster-type of entertainment. Though I'd only give it a numerical rank of maybe 6.5/10, I somehow enjoyed it more than the number would indicate (if that makes any sense). Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta were good. Some of the musical numbers were very good especially a Singin In the Rain inspired number. Plus it had some of the most breath-taking natural scenery I've seen in a film. I don't know where the film was shot but it was stunning.

slateef

can anyone recommend the top 5 or 10 indian dvd's with the BEST picture quality? are any of them anamorphic?

any advice would be appreciated!

moviezzz

I'm sure you will get a lot of different replies, but one thing, most Indian DVDs, no matter how bad the quality, are anamorphic.

As far as my picks, anything by Ramgopal Varma. RANGEELA is a great DVD.

mrwilson

Flixtime, any ideas where I can buy those movies?

dvdjoy

IndiaWeekly.com

mrwilson

Thanks, any recommendations on older Indian titles?

EMT

I really enjoyed all of the following:

Pyaasa (1957) with Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman
Anand (1970) with Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan
Pakeezah (1972) with Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar
Koshish (1972) with Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri
Kora Kagaz (1974) with Jaya Bhaduri
Alaap (1977) with Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) with Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman
Silsila (1981) with Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha and Jaya Bhaduri

flixtime

I'm not really an A/V techno-phile so I can't be of much help but maybe you can go to zulm.net for a little more info. on what you are looking for. One of the previous contributors to this thread mentioned it some time back.

DVDTalker mrwilson,
DVDTalker dvdjoy is on the mark with his mention of indiaweekly.com. That is the one I would also recommend (though I haven't ever purchased anything from them myself as I generally just rent the films from local shops). I recall it being mentioned by others as a good place to go especially as far as offering the best prices. Also I can't be of much use as far as older titles as I only started watching Bollywood films in the last couple of years. However, Sholay from the early 1970's I think, is another one you might consider. I'm not that big a fan of the film but it is beloved by many and is considered one of the classics in Hindi cinema. Note, that there are a couple of different cuts of the film (with different endings) available on DVD, so do a little research first in case you are interested in a purchase.

edited to add: I'll be checking out Baghban next. I've heard it is quite good. Anyone else seen it yet?