*TOIJ40109/ /02/K/1* SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA, JAIPUR JANUARY 4, 2009
ENTERTAINMENT
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Crazy about Shah Rukh Khan
Akshay Kumar: Cinema gets real In ‘lieu’ of action! I A
FILMS OF THE WEEK NIKHAT KAZMI
Australia (adventure) ★★★★ Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Brandon Walters Direction: Baz Luhrmann
The year 2008 saw some promising discoveries and great performances
kshay Kumar got to shake a leg with Gordon Liu — a Kung Fu Master who has worked in several Hollywood flicks — in Chandni Chowk to China. Of course this ‘shake-a-leg’ was more action oriented, and not the naachgaana types. Gordon tells us, “I was unaware of the singing and dancing scenes. I just have action scenes. So I’m only fighting. Someday I hope I too can sing and dance in a film.” And apna Khiladi Kumar has offered to teach him a step or two, in exchange for some action stunts.
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hah Rukh Khan is in LA with the My Name Is Khan gang. And the girls there are simply going berserk. Every girl seems to be going up to Shah Rukh and telling him, that they want a husband like Surinder Suri. “One person even came up to him and said tujh mein rab d i k h t a hai…,” informs a unitwala. Well, the Shah Rukh Khan movie seems to have ‘Rab-bed’ them the right way. About Shah Rukh’s reaction to all this, it’s a simple and humble ‘thank you’. But shaadi? No suri… oops, sorry, we mean!
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t was the year of Sanjay Suri. Not the actor from Sorry Bhai. But Aamir Khan’s Sanjay Singhania in Ghajini and Shah Rukh Khan’s Suri Sahni in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It was the year of Asin, Anushka Sharma and Mugda Godse. Ila Arun and Shahana Goswami. Paresh Rawal and Avika Gor. Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan. Boman Irani, Shreyas Talpade and Bipasha Basu. My favourite performances of the year were Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah’s speeches in Mumbai Meri Jaan and Khuda Kay Liye, respectively. Kay Kay Menon in the courtroom sequence in Shaurya. On the other end of the spectrum was Kajol in U Me Aur Hum. It was a delight to see this expressions ki dukaan go gloriously blank-faced. The year gave us a new expression ki dukaan. Asin in Ghajini, crammed in so many emotions in every frame that you wanted to ask her to slow down. Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Mugdha Godse in Fashion were prized discoveries.
az Luhrmann is contemporary cinema’s biggest, boldest maverick movie moghul. Having burst onto the world stage with Romeo and Juliet, his punkish adaptation of William Shakespeare, he brought back colour and melodrama to mod-
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ern folklore with his stagey musical, Moulin Rouge. Australia, another magnum opus, is his ode to the pristine beauty of the continent down under, even as it creates a sweeping romance, with race as the leitmotif, reminiscent of Gone With The Wind. Set against the tumult of World War ll, the director shifts his drama to Australia, complete with it’s characteristic slangs, lingo, cows, horses, farming, landscape, aborigines, celebrations, folktales, beer, the beef industry and above all, the dreams of the people who were affected by the fallout of history. And that’s not all in Baz Luhrmann’s Aussie continent. There’s a good English First Lady, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), who sets out to seek her husband and then to fight for his cause. In due course bumping into kangaroos, native women who are easy to get along with ‘‘only if you try’’ and the Aussie cowboy, Drover (Hugh Jackman) — also the trusted man of the husband. What follows is a love affair, a battle between cattle barons, the bombing of Darwin Harbor and a lesson in aboriginal acceptance. In short, there’s something for each one of you out there. Cut to the performances. Nicole Kidman lives up to her image of the original Oz in Hollywood, not just as the aristocrat who is quite a looker, but also as Mrs Boss for the neither-black-nor-white folks in town. Reasons enough to overlook her ignorance at horse riding, singing, story telling and playing mom. Jackman too is a delight as the rugged and handsome Drover whom,‘‘no man can hire and no man can fire’’. But stealing the show as a surprise element is the aboriginal boy, Nullah (Brandon Walters), right from his love for the rainbow song to the little magic and his connection with King George. In fact, as a perfect narrator, he ties the first half (the cattle drive), the second half (the bombing of Darwin Harbor), the all-through love story of Sarah and the drover together. All this and more, till he best sums up Australia: ‘‘When in Australia, do not look, but see!’’ Indeed, a film that any film buff would love to see! And savour.
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iya Sen was shooting in Kolkata, and returned to Mumbai only recently. We met up with the girl and could actually tell that she had put on weight. Well, hometowns probably do that to you. And the Bengali sweets and rice seems to done the trick. But Sen is looking even more sensuous. “I’ve put on weight in all the right places,” she winks. But of course!
Riya Sen
CHAK DE, MUMBAI! T
stricken, suicidal hitman who has killed a small boy on his first assignment. Colin’s manic energy is finely juxtaposed against Gleeson’s cool kind-heartedness, despite the fact that he is the senior partner in this crime syndicate and has the most difficult mission at hand. And behind the odd duo is Ralph Fiennes, the boss who is a diehard family man apart from being a determined killer who comes down to Bruges to settle scores on his own when his hitman fail. An absolute delight.
Outsourced (comedy) ★★★ Cast: Josh Hamilton, Ayesha Dharker, Matt Smith, Asif Basra Direction: John Jeffcoat
Riya Sen has put on weight!
he attack on Mumbai has left a big void in the life of every citizen. The immediate reaction was of absolute helplessness, anger and utter dismay. Why has this happened to a peace-loving city that embraces and accommodates all? What has Mumbai done to experience such carnage? The list of questions is endless. It’s time for us to introspect and not leave it to someone else to take action, but to bring a change in our own lives as responsible citizens. Abraham Lincoln said, “Ask not what the country has done for you, ask what you have done for the country.” How apt this saying is in such times. If we look at the broader picture,
Jackman,
we realise our system needs a tremendous boost, primarily the security structure; our brave police and security forces have done a commendable job, but have we thought of the pathetic conditions they are living in? That, their dismal salaries and endless hours of duty have sucked them into a vortex where they are also fighting to perform their daily chores. We need to give them the best defence mechanism and facilities for our own secure future. I want my freedom back! The freedom to live without fear at any cost. — Hema Malini
In Bruges (crime) ★★★1/2 Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Ralph Fiennes Direction: Martin McDonagh
his one’s for all those into graveyard shifts at BPO units: Before they teach you their accent, ask them to learn about India. At least, you won’t have the typically amrikan queries coming your way. Try these: Why do Indians call Chicaaago Chicago? Why do Indians shake their heads each time they need to say a yes or no? Why do Indians worship the goddess of destruction? Why do Indian roads have cows all over? Why do Indians work when Americans sleep? Life’s a relentless question mark for products salesman Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) when he is sent to India to train his replacement. And giving the desi, chatpata reply is none other than the intelligent and focussed Asha (Ayesha Dharker) who tells the world that India rocks because this is where kids do not walk out of homes when in their teens, we don’t hate our jobs and we don’t hate our bosses. But the real Indianism, that’s incidentally nothing less than a desi enlightenment for Mr Todd is our very own bura-na-mano holi hai festival. So, does he mind the colour riot? Not all all. After all, hitting gulal ain’t no different than a baseball game. Truly incredible... And truly incredible is the power of Incredible India. How? Well, desi cliches no longer seem to be cliches. Todd doesn’t mind being called Toad by the humble desi, dancing to Bollywood tunes becomes the ultimate experience for him, the first dip in the nearby pond is nothing less than nirvana, the goddess of destruction is there for him to ‘‘destruct in order to start a new cycle of life’’... Last but not the least, a special mention for Puro (Asif Basra), at the local call centre who does not mind getting riled provided his boss takes the right meal at the right time and the topical undercurrent of the BPO industry — China is the new India with 20 heads worth the price of one. But the heart of the film comes from Todd’s blossoming relationship with the Asha. This time for her cardamom body odour and third-eye-power (the shakti of the bhartiya nari that lies in her bindi), her mantra of do-no-touch-me-in-public-in-India, her faith in arranged marriages despite her dalliance with Mr America. This one’s surely for the spirit of Indiyeah!
Gleeson,
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n Bruges, you learn to live by the heart alone; by your soul alone; by your conscience alone; for your principles alone. So what’s Bruges? It’s actually a small, picturesque town in Belgium, but here it becomes a metaphor for purgatory, where three killers get a chance to choose hell or heaven. It’s a smart gangster film, with some high-powered acting by Colin Farrell as the conscience-
Asin
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