The first four (Billy's Bollywood Explorations)
Tees Maar Khan ***
I loved Tees Maar Khan, the first Bollywood film I ever saw. The Hollywood options on my Emirates flight back in May looked so dreary, and this looked like a ton of fun, which it was. I was surprised to learn online that the general reaction to it was negative, but it does offer a lot of what those who have not experienced Hindi cinema think they will see when they finally get around to seeing it: color, cheesy humor, and sexy song and dance numbers. Indeed, it is easy to join the millions of Katrina Kaif fans after her memorable Sheila Ki Jiwani song, which I confess to later watching numerous times on YouTube. A Pakistani friend of mine expressed dismay that I would enjoy a film starring Akshay Kumar so much, since she finds him irritating, but I found him wonderfully charismatic.
The movie is a crime caper in which a con man (Kumar) gets a village to rob a train by pretending to film a movie. I enjoyed the unabashed cheesiness of the sense of humor, particularly when the con man’s henchmen repeatedly exclaim, “The Khan of Khans: Tees Maar Khan.” Admittedly, the most memorable part of the movie is “Sheila Ki Jiwani,” which I later discovered that many young men in Afghanistan knows by heart, even though the movie was released just last year.
The movie shares an unfortunate flaw with many of the recent Hindi films I’ve seen: an obvious envy of Hollywood. Salman Khan’s character, a prominent Bollywood actor, is persuaded to make the fake movie-within-a-movie only because he might get an Oscar. Why isn’t he more concerned about getting a Filmfare Award?
After seeing only twenty Hindi movies, I can already look back three months and realize that my initial reaction to this one might have been a bit too enthusiastic, but can you blame me? I had just discovered a whole new world.
Robot ***
This was the first movie I saw starring Aishwarya Rai, frequently referred to as the most beautiful woman in the world. I won't dispute that here. The movie is a thought-provoking exploration of some of the problems typically explored by movies about robots: can they act morally? Can they love? These problems take on a new dimension when viewed through the prism of Indian culture. The robot is programmed to save lives, but the tide of public opinion begins to turn against it when it carries a naked woman out of a burning building. She promptly throws herself under a bus, because she is so ashamed. It is difficult to relate to such feelings coming from American culture, where one would not want to stand naked in front of a crowd of curious onlookers, but would be relieved and grateful that one’s life had been saved.
In retrospect, a problem with the movie is its careless approach to civilian casualties. When the robot causes mayhem near the end, hundreds upon hundreds of innocent people are killed. The Hindi movies I’ve seen tend to show more concern for life than most Hollywood movies, so the absurd amount of collateral damage at the end of this movie seems like an unfortunate attempt to pander to audiences desensitized by big bad American movies.
Action Replayy **1/2
This mostly forgettable time travel adventure was nonetheless very enjoyable at the time. A young man travels back in time to try to get his parents (played by Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai) to enjoy a more loving relationship.
Kambakkht Ishq ***1/2
I have such an irrational fondness for this movie that I actually saw it twice. The premise of supermodel (Kareena Kapoor) and stuntman (Akshay Kumar) both trying and failing to reject the possibility of love was very well-executed and witty.
Given that the stuntman in question works in Hollywood, this movie cannot avoid the one common flaw that bothers me in recent Bollywood movies: an almost palpable insecurity revolving around the fact that the filmmakers are based in India, not the USA. Which Hollywood movie starring major stars is set in India? You’d have to go back to a couple examples from the 1980s, Slumdog Millionaire hardly being analogous to the situation I’m decrying.
Yet in my still-young exploration of Bollywood, I keep running into scenes or entire movies set in the USA. Would the movie have been so different if the stuntman had worked on sets in Mumbai? True, the filmmakers never would have found an excuse to get Sylvester Stallone to play a memorable cameo as himself, and the world of cinema would have been forever deprived of the Italian Stallion’s attempt to speak a little Hindi.
Despite my American liberal’s discontent with the neo-colonialist overtones of this fawning admiration of the USA, I enjoyed seeing my country through this idealized lens. In the America portrayed in Bollywood movies like “Tees Maar Khan” and “Kambakkht Ishq,” everything is possible.
Three of the first four Bollywood movies I saw starred Akshay Kumar, and in this one as in the others, he is incredibly charismatic and never seems to be phoning it in. Kareena Kapoor is captivating and almost fearsome in her volcanic temper and effortless wit. The chemistry between them explains why I enjoyed it in spite of occasional hackneyed moments.
Next week, I will write about why I disliked “Dabangg” even though it admirably steered clear of the pandering to Western sensibilities that irks me in the movies I’ve seen so far. I’ll also express my amazement at the bizarre “Welcome,” and explain why “3 Idiots” and “My Name is Khan” pretty much define awesomeness.
I loved Tees Maar Khan, the first Bollywood film I ever saw. The Hollywood options on my Emirates flight back in May looked so dreary, and this looked like a ton of fun, which it was. I was surprised to learn online that the general reaction to it was negative, but it does offer a lot of what those who have not experienced Hindi cinema think they will see when they finally get around to seeing it: color, cheesy humor, and sexy song and dance numbers. Indeed, it is easy to join the millions of Katrina Kaif fans after her memorable Sheila Ki Jiwani song, which I confess to later watching numerous times on YouTube. A Pakistani friend of mine expressed dismay that I would enjoy a film starring Akshay Kumar so much, since she finds him irritating, but I found him wonderfully charismatic.
The movie is a crime caper in which a con man (Kumar) gets a village to rob a train by pretending to film a movie. I enjoyed the unabashed cheesiness of the sense of humor, particularly when the con man’s henchmen repeatedly exclaim, “The Khan of Khans: Tees Maar Khan.” Admittedly, the most memorable part of the movie is “Sheila Ki Jiwani,” which I later discovered that many young men in Afghanistan knows by heart, even though the movie was released just last year.
The movie shares an unfortunate flaw with many of the recent Hindi films I’ve seen: an obvious envy of Hollywood. Salman Khan’s character, a prominent Bollywood actor, is persuaded to make the fake movie-within-a-movie only because he might get an Oscar. Why isn’t he more concerned about getting a Filmfare Award?
After seeing only twenty Hindi movies, I can already look back three months and realize that my initial reaction to this one might have been a bit too enthusiastic, but can you blame me? I had just discovered a whole new world.
Robot ***
This was the first movie I saw starring Aishwarya Rai, frequently referred to as the most beautiful woman in the world. I won't dispute that here. The movie is a thought-provoking exploration of some of the problems typically explored by movies about robots: can they act morally? Can they love? These problems take on a new dimension when viewed through the prism of Indian culture. The robot is programmed to save lives, but the tide of public opinion begins to turn against it when it carries a naked woman out of a burning building. She promptly throws herself under a bus, because she is so ashamed. It is difficult to relate to such feelings coming from American culture, where one would not want to stand naked in front of a crowd of curious onlookers, but would be relieved and grateful that one’s life had been saved.
In retrospect, a problem with the movie is its careless approach to civilian casualties. When the robot causes mayhem near the end, hundreds upon hundreds of innocent people are killed. The Hindi movies I’ve seen tend to show more concern for life than most Hollywood movies, so the absurd amount of collateral damage at the end of this movie seems like an unfortunate attempt to pander to audiences desensitized by big bad American movies.
Action Replayy **1/2
This mostly forgettable time travel adventure was nonetheless very enjoyable at the time. A young man travels back in time to try to get his parents (played by Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai) to enjoy a more loving relationship.
Kambakkht Ishq ***1/2
I have such an irrational fondness for this movie that I actually saw it twice. The premise of supermodel (Kareena Kapoor) and stuntman (Akshay Kumar) both trying and failing to reject the possibility of love was very well-executed and witty.
Given that the stuntman in question works in Hollywood, this movie cannot avoid the one common flaw that bothers me in recent Bollywood movies: an almost palpable insecurity revolving around the fact that the filmmakers are based in India, not the USA. Which Hollywood movie starring major stars is set in India? You’d have to go back to a couple examples from the 1980s, Slumdog Millionaire hardly being analogous to the situation I’m decrying.
Yet in my still-young exploration of Bollywood, I keep running into scenes or entire movies set in the USA. Would the movie have been so different if the stuntman had worked on sets in Mumbai? True, the filmmakers never would have found an excuse to get Sylvester Stallone to play a memorable cameo as himself, and the world of cinema would have been forever deprived of the Italian Stallion’s attempt to speak a little Hindi.
Despite my American liberal’s discontent with the neo-colonialist overtones of this fawning admiration of the USA, I enjoyed seeing my country through this idealized lens. In the America portrayed in Bollywood movies like “Tees Maar Khan” and “Kambakkht Ishq,” everything is possible.
Three of the first four Bollywood movies I saw starred Akshay Kumar, and in this one as in the others, he is incredibly charismatic and never seems to be phoning it in. Kareena Kapoor is captivating and almost fearsome in her volcanic temper and effortless wit. The chemistry between them explains why I enjoyed it in spite of occasional hackneyed moments.
Next week, I will write about why I disliked “Dabangg” even though it admirably steered clear of the pandering to Western sensibilities that irks me in the movies I’ve seen so far. I’ll also express my amazement at the bizarre “Welcome,” and explain why “3 Idiots” and “My Name is Khan” pretty much define awesomeness.
Labels: "Billy's Bollywood Explorations"
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