johnshay
Joined Apr 2002
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Reviews12
johnshay's rating
A contemporary "remake" of Devdas called "Dev.D" (get the joke??)?
Throw in a continually fornicating Devdas, Paro, and westernized Leni/Chandramukhi teen prostitute (never mind the extremely shallow "westerners = overly sexualized" stereotype for now) and add a few topical references to make the audience feel like the story is "really contemporary" ..
Mix in boring acting and silly dialogues (check out the "art" in this line: "You're right, I am a sl*t.")
And forget about a director actually wasting his (or her) time trying to write (or film) an ending. Who needs one anyway?
What remains?
At least there were some very cool and authentic car and truck horns on the sound effects track.
Is this really the kind of shallow and utterly stereotyped "art" film-making that we have to look forward to from multiplex-obsessed "New Hindi Cinema" filmmakers (and I do not mean SRK or AK)?
Thanks but no thanks.
Throw in a continually fornicating Devdas, Paro, and westernized Leni/Chandramukhi teen prostitute (never mind the extremely shallow "westerners = overly sexualized" stereotype for now) and add a few topical references to make the audience feel like the story is "really contemporary" ..
Mix in boring acting and silly dialogues (check out the "art" in this line: "You're right, I am a sl*t.")
And forget about a director actually wasting his (or her) time trying to write (or film) an ending. Who needs one anyway?
What remains?
At least there were some very cool and authentic car and truck horns on the sound effects track.
Is this really the kind of shallow and utterly stereotyped "art" film-making that we have to look forward to from multiplex-obsessed "New Hindi Cinema" filmmakers (and I do not mean SRK or AK)?
Thanks but no thanks.
Wow. What an intoxicating film-going experience.....Just got back from seeing this film and it may very well become the first truly postmodern Hindi cult classic of the new millennium. What seems at first blush to be a rather mundane story focusing on unrequited love is, instead, a super-charged and extended philosophical essay that challenges the very form of Indian (and Western) popular cinema.
Bhansali and cinematographer Ravi Chandran demonstrate total mastery of filmic form with ravishing visuals that force viewers to question the very nature of the narrative before their eyes. The environment is totally plastic, synthetic, beautiful; the story is set anywhere....nowhere; it is now, then, will be.... As in "Devdas" and "Pyassa," the hero has a thirst that he is desperate to quench. But in truly avant garde fashion, Bhansali refuses to follow the rules; instead he inverts the very conventions of the narrative form in order to tap new filmic possibilities. The narrative arc and ending aren't the main stories here....it's the journey that matters: the cross, the Mona Lisa, Mughal-e-Azam, windmills, EID, God. And the postmodern visual motif is paralleled beautifully by Monty's haunting musical score. This is definitely a film to experience on a big screen in surround sound.
Overall, SLB and crew go way beyond expectations in delivering a film that audiences are either going to love or hate -- and as it is with true art, there will be no middle ground.
Bhansali and cinematographer Ravi Chandran demonstrate total mastery of filmic form with ravishing visuals that force viewers to question the very nature of the narrative before their eyes. The environment is totally plastic, synthetic, beautiful; the story is set anywhere....nowhere; it is now, then, will be.... As in "Devdas" and "Pyassa," the hero has a thirst that he is desperate to quench. But in truly avant garde fashion, Bhansali refuses to follow the rules; instead he inverts the very conventions of the narrative form in order to tap new filmic possibilities. The narrative arc and ending aren't the main stories here....it's the journey that matters: the cross, the Mona Lisa, Mughal-e-Azam, windmills, EID, God. And the postmodern visual motif is paralleled beautifully by Monty's haunting musical score. This is definitely a film to experience on a big screen in surround sound.
Overall, SLB and crew go way beyond expectations in delivering a film that audiences are either going to love or hate -- and as it is with true art, there will be no middle ground.
Rushed out to see this when I heard it would be showing in Pittsburgh on opening day (a rarity in our city for Hindi films these days, unfortunately)....and I can't say I was disappointed.
The film draws its storyline from both "Kaho Naa....Pyaar Hai" and "Madumati" and features exquisite art direction and cinematography, with Shah Rukh Khan playing both himself and a Hrithik Roshan-style character and Deepika Padukone reviving (pardon the pun) Vyjayanthimala's role in the Roy/Ghatak classic. All of the actors do a fine job, and SRK has some very funny moments in the film (particularly in the first half). The mise-en-scene of the studio-within-the-movie scenes was reminiscent of Guru Dutt's "Kagaaz Ke Phool," and the visual design by director Farah Khan and cinematographer V. Manikandan is exquisite and richly detailed. The pacing isn't quite as tight as in FK's directorial debut "Main Hoon Na," but seems to fit the narrative.
OSO is also loaded with all sorts of "inside" references to Hindi (and American) films, past and present, which made this a most enjoyable viewing experience. The "Filmfare award" scene and song "Deewangi Deewangi," coming right after the interval, were a blast -- I'll need to see the movie again to catch all of the Hindi stars crammed into those fifteen minutes (the scene also gains a few additional laughs by lampooning the recent stage musical "Bombay Dreams"). As was done for the cover design of the Beatles'"Sgt. Pepper" album, someone ought to run a contest to see who can identify everyone in these two scenes! Vishal and Shekhar's soundtrack is very fresh; they do an excellent job hinting at various Indo-pop musical styles from the 60s and 70s. I only wish that the opening title version of "Om Shanti Om" would have been included on the CD as well....will just have to wait for the DVD release, I guess.
Now time to head out and see SLB's "Saawariya," which also seems to be playing in Pittsburgh on opening night. The world is definitely changing!
The film draws its storyline from both "Kaho Naa....Pyaar Hai" and "Madumati" and features exquisite art direction and cinematography, with Shah Rukh Khan playing both himself and a Hrithik Roshan-style character and Deepika Padukone reviving (pardon the pun) Vyjayanthimala's role in the Roy/Ghatak classic. All of the actors do a fine job, and SRK has some very funny moments in the film (particularly in the first half). The mise-en-scene of the studio-within-the-movie scenes was reminiscent of Guru Dutt's "Kagaaz Ke Phool," and the visual design by director Farah Khan and cinematographer V. Manikandan is exquisite and richly detailed. The pacing isn't quite as tight as in FK's directorial debut "Main Hoon Na," but seems to fit the narrative.
OSO is also loaded with all sorts of "inside" references to Hindi (and American) films, past and present, which made this a most enjoyable viewing experience. The "Filmfare award" scene and song "Deewangi Deewangi," coming right after the interval, were a blast -- I'll need to see the movie again to catch all of the Hindi stars crammed into those fifteen minutes (the scene also gains a few additional laughs by lampooning the recent stage musical "Bombay Dreams"). As was done for the cover design of the Beatles'"Sgt. Pepper" album, someone ought to run a contest to see who can identify everyone in these two scenes! Vishal and Shekhar's soundtrack is very fresh; they do an excellent job hinting at various Indo-pop musical styles from the 60s and 70s. I only wish that the opening title version of "Om Shanti Om" would have been included on the CD as well....will just have to wait for the DVD release, I guess.
Now time to head out and see SLB's "Saawariya," which also seems to be playing in Pittsburgh on opening night. The world is definitely changing!