Not a movie to take one's mother to -she would be absolutely horrified , not at people being kicked to death or feet being kissed -mothers take this sort of thing in their stride but at Sushmita's weight problem !.
Some scenes are shot at snow capped mountains of Bombay and the equatorial island of Seychelles. Minor carping aside it is actually quite a good movie. Sharad Kapoor is a very believable psychopath. Photography is good , songs are superb and those who never get to see Sushmita Sen -real life Miss Universe -dance the first one Piya Piya on the big screen should feel themselves deprived.
Mo
Greetings!
I just thought i HAVE to say somethinng to someone, nayone, everyone...!!
DASTAK the film is EXCELLENT!!!!
Sushmita is DYNAMITE!!!
Those of you who haven't seen the film yet, please do! You'll love it!
-Regards Ashik! In Vancouver, the local theatres here are cureently advertising "Judwaa" (2 Salman's, a Karishma and a...ugh...Rambha (ew!)), along with "Aar Ya Paar" (Jackie, Ritu Shivpuri, Kamal Sidhu, Deepa Sahi, and I think like Parmeet Sethi or Atul or some other second hero) and "Rakshak" (Sunil Shetty, Raveena, Karishma *is she everywhere or what!!* and Sonali) as the upcoming Holiday films, so it looks like Salman's next release may be Judwaa, though personally I thought Auzaar was completed earlier, way earlier.
Koyla, Ishq, Mritydaata, Tere Mere Sapne, Mr. Aashiq, Nayak, Kaun Sachha Kaun Jhuta, Gupt, Aur Pyar Hogaya, are among the Huge films that will be featured in early 1997. This to me indicates that 1997 will be a great year for Big and (hopefully) well made good films. They'll be Big none the less.
As for "Dastak", the hero (the cop) is played by model turned actor Mukel Dev (whom Amitabh seems to be promoting as a superstar Big Time, though I saw the film today and thought he was good, maybe a bit better than that, but he didn't like stand out as totally the best and all. He looks like a cross between Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar, sort of. The other guy in Dastak is Sharad Kapoor (who plays the now routine pyscho), character) and he is somewhat impressive in his debut, but looking at the other guys who made their debut with basically the same type of role this year (Milind Gunaji and Arbaaz Khan), it seems he comes in third in a three horse race. He's good though, don't get me wrong. Sushmita Sen, needless is say, is absolutely stunningly gorgeously\ beautifully greatly (sigh) and simply awesome to look at in the film. Oh man is she Miss Universe or what?? Oh she is? I can see why!!!! She can dance quite well, seems very comfortable in front of the camera, and must give credit to Mahesh Bhatt as it seems that in his direction she may have turned out as an actress afterall (though not a great one, it looks as though she can more than get by now, and there's tonns of promise for the future) Did I mention how gorgeous she is? :-D No seriously, she's not the best actress, but she is far from the worst, it seems though her career may have been launched successfully.
The story is the same as a lot of films such as Darr, Fareb, and the Yaarana, Daraar, AgniSakhi Trilogy, among others. Mahesh Bhatt's direction the cinematogrophy, the beautiful scenery, the sensational music, the choreography and the overall no bullshit approach is all praiseworthy, and the acting from all the newcomers is not disapointing (though it doesn't quite get me too excited either). Overall I'd say that it is an above average film, giving it a grade of 74% (a low low B to a C+), mostly for the production and direction. Sad to say that perhaps one of the best and most original from this album, and my personal favorite "Milne Se Pehle" was not in the film. THat was a disapointment.
PS- Sushmita Sen is HOT HOT and Awesomely SuperGorgeous. WOW!!! Hope that Ash Rai is just a good...an actress I mean...and Can't wait for mre of Sen's films!!! Sorry, par mere man Beqabu hai!!! A Mesmorized Hitman! ....Tony Khera
A fairly decent movie. Karishma Kapoor has improved quite a bit from
her first release, Prem Quaidi to Raja Hindustani. The plot is nothing new -
a love affair between a taxi driver (AK) and a rich girl (KK); this is
not acceptable to the girl's father (Suresh Oberoi), but everything
comes to a happy ending as usual. Aamir Khan has done a good job at
the potrayal of Raja Hindustani. Some of the locations shown in the movie
are really scenic (I have no idea where Palan Khet is or even if it exists!).
Couple of songs are nice "aaye ho meri zindagi mein tum bahaar ban ke.."
and "pardesi, pardesi, jaana nahin.... ".
If you can afford $7 and a spare weekend, you can watch it, else wait
for the video.
madhu sudan
........
On the whole, it is an
average film. Aamir gives a good performance. Karishma surprised me a
bit with her performance... I think she's improved. Her voice didn't
annoy me, as usual. I've always liked the girl... just not too
fond of her acting. Unfortunately, she still hasn't set some decent
standards for herself. She was doing her usual cheap scenes, hopping
around in a mini-skirt, etc.
One of the major lows of the film, in my opinion, was the rather vulgar and unnecessarily lengthy kissing scene between Aamir and Karishma. I mean, this kiss was LONG, even by Hollywood standards! Perhaps I'm exaggerating... It was easily under two minutes... but it seemed to last for two hours, because I was with my family. This made me extremely uncomfortable, especially since I wasn't expecting such a scene. It made the Aamir-Pooja kiss in JJWS look like a small peck. All this from an actor who supposedly makes "clean" films. Sorry Aamir fans, I won't let this one go easily. I mean, does Aamir do these vulgar (by Indian standards, anyways) scenes for money or for his own personal enjoyment? I'm really curious to know. Because I'll tell you, it's difficult to watch this kissing scene and believe that this is a married Indian man...
The fallacy of Aamir making "clean" movies should finally be exposed by now. He is the only Khan that I remember who agrees to doing these cheap scenes. Yes, it was only a kiss. But it was far more lengthy than was necessary. The editor must have been sleeping through this one. I wonder if Aamir demanded a dozen re-takes for this scene like he did for his kissing scene in JJWS... ;)
Aside from the kissing scene (which probably set some type of new record for Hindi films), the movie at times resembled a cheap Govinda masala film. There are a couple of hijirah/transvestite comedians in the film that make me wanna throw up. I don't understand why every Indian film seems to have a transvestite/cross-dresser comedian in it. If it was ever funny or cute, it has been WAY overdone by now! Please stop! It is disgusting and repulsive. Besides, the shock value is long gone! Unfortunately, I think the kissing scene and the cross-dresser comedians serve as a good example to illustrate the "declining standards" of today's films that Anand was talking about earlier. Not that I agree with him OVERALL, but that's another discussion....
Aamir definitely tried to imitate Shah Rukh in the action scenes. I am not trying to add fire to the SRK-Aamir thing again. I am telling you the truth. Look at Aamir's facial expression at the intermission. Look at his style during the fight scenes. It seems different than usual for him. He is trying to add a "psycho touch" to his anger. It is obvious. On a good note, he does a pretty good job, but his intensity during the action scenes cannot match that of SRK's.
Anwar Sadat
.......
1st half is quite enjoyable. deft handling - nice pace. boy (taxi driver)
falls in love with rich-visiting-urbane-girl at first sight but girl just sees
him as guide/friend. situations including a couple of good hummable songs,
a pretty well-crafted fight scene, pastoral settings, rain etc. lead to a
denouement of sorts where the friendship melts into love/passion on the girl's
part resulting in a rather long lingering kiss.... done quite naturally - IMO.
the resulting guilt - especially on the girl's part is shown convincingly.
first half ends with the usual possibilities of
father-not-liking-his-darling-daughters-lover (yawn). one option mentioned in
the first half - daughter's father offering a
driver's job to lover back in urban bombay - seemed like the most interesting
option - but was unfortunately not taken.
great locales (within india for a change). where is this place palankhet? does anybody know? i guess i need a lesson in geography :-)! seems like somewhere in india - observed a world bank road sign about some project and such during one of the scenes.
the second half could have spent some more time on the editing table. brings to mind anand's comment that dharmesh darshan ain't the greatest of directors. second half shows signs of the script going haywire a bit. it starts off a little surprisingly with boy-girl tying the knot almost immediately and the girl disowning her dad. however, dad comes around but that doesn't go too well with the "sauteli maa"/brother/son combo who would never want the "jaidaad" to pass on to an ordinary "dehati" taxi driver. second half is basically the machinations of maa/brother/son to break up boy-girl. unfortunately, these situations are just not creative or interesting enough. that's were the weakness of the movie lies. do these schemes work - you got to check out the movie for that!
some sidelights: aamir actually repeats some of his wardrobe in the film. never had noticed that about film stars in movies!
aamir could have basically done a munna all over again for this one. but he doesn't. instead does a somewhat one-dimensional, headstrong, simple-at-heart simpleton very prone to making mistakes because of his ignorance. it's a very good performance. unfortunately, the role itself is not multi-textured enough to really challenge his talent and make him shine. given that this is only 1996 release - and the quality actor he is - i am just a wee bit disappointed - not by his work, but his choice of role. it is not one that will easily endear or cause viewers to have a soft corner. in that sense, it is a big risk . aamir has actually grown a *real* beard for the second-half. none of that fake black stuff that BOHMH's usually use. wonder if that's what caused the delay in the completion of the film :-). also, can't imagine aamir acting in another film while growing his beard. does anybody know if he only does one film at a time?
aamir does a drunk scene - again very different from the one in AHAT. also, no trace of aping the big B (king of drunk scenes) either. karishma has done an adequate job. seems like aamir is contagious. even urmila was probably her best in rangeela!
johny lever as usual is irritating. fortunately, his antics have been curtailed to some extent unlike *daraar*. the other sidekicks of karishma are barely tolerable. apparently one of them is on a TV show in india i am told. archana puransingh has done a fine job of the modern-scheming-"sauteli maa". mohnish behl embarrasses himself as the son (i don't recall who the father is), and fortunately suresh oberoi hasn't hammed as much as usual as the father.
the way the song *pardesi pardesi* is used as a theme song in the movie is unusual (appears at three places with different singers and flavors). IMO the kumar sanu version is the best and better than the udit narayan version. apologies to anand in advance.
avinash
................
A great musical love story playing this Sunday at 12pm and next Tues in Derby UCI - Meteor Center on the big screen 01332 295010 - probably destined to be a megahit like HAHK. The admission ticket is worth it just to see Karisma model some stunning outfits. Outstanding performance by Aamir Khan , one of India's most talented actors. It is time that mothers were shown in their true form and the glamourous scheming step mother is a visual treat and a refreshing change from the usual helpless ones that Indian cinema stereotypes. Do not watch this movie on video - the photography is excellent and should be sen on the big screen . Interestingly according to the Censor certificate it was released in India on Nov 6 , probably with the kissing scene cut a little and it is good that these new films are screened at the same time all over the world.
Initial reports say it has broken all records.Its made on similar lines I think to HAHK and DDLJ . Love and marriage songs , simple story line , few fights , excellent music -Alisha Chinoy is a true marvel and she has done such a superb job with Ishq may nachenge that it will remain a hit for a long time . Alka Yagnik's Mere zindagi mein- is also very good. I am sure in the villages many women will frown with disapproval but the men will enjoy immensely comedy touches like the scene where Archana Puransingh who looks a peach in her tennis shorts has to fend off the molestations with his hands in all the wrong places of the villager come to town who cannot believe an 'Amma' can look so good !
This really is an outstandingly good film , better even than RH ! The story of a very spirited girl -Ranee Mukherjee who is raped and then has to deal with it the best she can. Superb songs including the wedding and Bhangra ones . The storyline keeps you guessing till the end. 3 hours of superb entertainment let down a bit by the ending . It needs a sequel with a lot of people being killed off ! Really should be seen on the big screen even after watching the video! It will be a mega hit.
It stars the late Amjad Khan's son. Must say he has the looks of Deepak Tijori and acts like Atul Agnihotri (especially in terms of his expressions - which is nothing but expressionless!!). His co-star (don't quite remember her name) may resemble Kajol at a glance. Acting-wise, she very much reminded me of Kajol in "Udhaar Ki Zingagi".
The plot was somewhat different from conventional films but became a bit too draggy at the end. The supporting cast ain't too bad either - Saeed Jaffrey, Asrani et al. The plus point was Gullu (aka Gulshan Grover) playing a fatherly sardar (who even did a bhangra dance!!!).
Songs were not that great but worth listening to once may be - one song resembled "mere khabbon mein jo aaye" (ddlj) and another resembled "jabhi main koi ladki dekhoon" (yeh dillagi) and yet another song sounded very much like "mere haathon mein" (chandini) and all we were lacking was a bhangra sequence and hey presto - we were bestowed by it with Gullu in the lead!!
Lavina
This movie starring Ajay Devgan and Sonali Bendre is not a superb production but it has its moments. Some of the dialogues are funny and most important, the scenery is great. I will not give away the story line but for those interested, it is the cliched film theme of an innocent Hindustani who rebels against authority. Sonali's acting is satisfactory although she does have her successes in the film. Some songs are also good. Sajan Chale Sasural
An absolutely brilliant and must see comedy film starring Govinda , Tabu , Krishna Kapoor , Kader Khan . Keeps one guessing every minute. Beautiful choreography and unlike most Indian movies the 'spare' woman is not killed off. The Tamil Mutthu character is superb as the joker. The song contest at the beginning -Maen hu No. 1 - is a tour de force and should lead to a revival in Indian classical music
A powerful drama . Story of a daughter of a prostitute who gets educated and tries very hard to make a better life for herself but society will not let her. Heart renderring scenes where the father who wont acknowledge her has to bless her after
her ' marriage' in a temple in preparation for her entry into prostitution when she acknowledges she cant win. As usual the dialogue is outstanding - one line is memorable - at a temple one cynic says -Those who cant see God in a person , how can they see God in stone? A must see film.
AUR EK PREM KAHANI
(Ramesh Arvind,Heera Rajgopal,
Revathi,Kameshwari,Akshay Anand)
d.Balu Mahendru m.Ilayaraja
Eureka! At long last, the veritable breath of fresh air finally permeates the stale stench of loud musicals, costly debacles and violent nonsensicals. Under the sensitive direction of Mr. Mahendru, this "zara hatke" love triangle is handled in a sensible, mature fashion (read thought-provoking and ultimately satisfactory ending). The plot moves at a stately pace which is important in building atmosphere (something our masala directors have no idea about) and getting us to care for the characters. And care for them you will. Arvind and Revthi are excellent in their roles and even Akshay (that's Anand not Kumar) is a pleasant surprise. Just goes to show ke sab director ke haath me hai...vohi banata hai or vohi bigaDta hai. Incidentally, and this question goes out to all the macho shrimans out there: Would you have done what Satya did in the end (if you were in his shoes)?
It is indeed a rare Hindi movie that transports its
viewers into a different world, ensconces them there
and allows them to fully identify with the characters
and participate in their emotional mood swings. Such
a feat has been achieved by Mr. Bhansali in his maiden
venture: KHAMOSHI.
Annie is the mouthpiece for her deaf and
mute parents (Joseph and Flavy). She bears this
cumbersome responsibility cheerfully from an
inner strength
instilled by her grandmother (Mariamma) and nurtured
by her love for music. When Annie grows up into
a beautiful young woman, she realizes life is much
larger and has much more to offer than the cocoon she
and her parents live in. That life beckons to her
in the form of a young man (Raj) who sweeps her off
her feet, and offers her a promising career in music.
Annie is suddenly torn over the difficult choice
she must make. Should she continue to protect her
parents in their cocoon or should she break away
and live her own life?
Manisha (sans makeup most of the time) looks absolutely
lovely, her radiant face lit up by an inner glow
everytime she smiles. She delivers a powerhouse
performance that should silence any remaining critics.
Nana... Words fail me. The
man amazes me with each performance but here he has
surely surpassed even himself. Those piercing eyes,
the incredibly expressive face and the wealth of
hand movements (he uses to sign) speak louder than
his rumbling baritone ever has. I defy you not
to have a lump in your throat when he makes the
wedding "speech". Seema Biswas is content to play
her part competently without taking any fire away
from Manisha and Nana (and she is to be commended
too for a fine performance.) Even Salman at times
(when he doesn't draw attention to his outrageous
wardrobe collection-courtesy Victor's Secret methinks)
shows flashes of something close to (but not quite)
acting.
The entire movie was reportedly shot at a stretch
in Goa. The photography is breathtaking: the beaches,
the surf, the lighthouse are captured beautifully
on celluloid.
The music is the final icing on the cake. J-L have
shot straight from the heart here and combined with
Majrooh's soul-stirring lyrics, the music scales
rare heights.
The only flaw that I could pinpoint is that
Mr.Bhansali should have done some tighter editing.
The raw emotions portrayed are often gut-wrenching
and tend to exhaust the audience. Which is perhaps
why the Indian masses are reported to have walked
out at the intermission. (That and the disappointment
of not being able to hear their amchi Nana
spouting his trademark vitriolic dialogues.)
But don't get me wrong. This kind of quality movie
is all too rare in Hindi cinema so please go watch
it (just make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy).
JEET (Sunny,Salman,Karishma,Tabbu)
d.Raj Kanwar
This movie is just another in a long line
that proves Salman can't act to save his life.
It also proves Sunny Deol's skills do not
encompass dancing.
Thumbs up though to the "Yaara o yaara" number
that should have everyone's head shaking 60's
style. (Wonder where N-S nipped that tune from.).......
I just got through watching Jeet. What a total load of cr--. Sorry I
couldn't find any better words. Was this actually a superhit??? I can't
believe it. It's one of the worse films I've seen this year! Sunny Deol
looked strange trying to be "Khal Nayak." Still, his performance was
half-decent, for the most part. The film looked promising until Salman
came in. He was as fake was ever. I don't know what he was trying to do
with that voice. He made a fool out of himself by trying to sound like a
stud. I can't tell whether it was even his real voice or whether someone
else dubbed for him. In any case, he was terrible.
On the whole, this film sucked. Don't bother wasting your time on it.
Raja Hindustani is really the only film that I think is worth-watching
after Khamoshi.....Anwar Sadat
Actually! Hindi cinema used to be excellent, until this sort of tacky display
of clothing, dancing, and an imitation of what their perception of western
culture is all about. To tell you the truth, Hindustani would have been
an excellent film if it wasn't for those tacky dances and clothes, along with
an imitation of a music video produced by the famous Michael Jackson (Do you
remember the time) where he is some sort of magician and transforms from one
thing to another. I think that if the producers think they will achieve
an award for originality, they are very, very wrong. Dont get me wrong, I
love the music from the movie, but some things just dont match up, like a
mixing of excellent and original patriotic themes with the tacky imitation
of westernization.
wadhwani sumanth
The song sequences with Manisha and Urmila are truly eye-popping. Acting-wise, Kamal's performance as old man Senapathy blows you away. Wizkid Shankar's technical expertise is evident throughout this colorful entertainment extravaganza. I thought the "The Silence of the Lambs" type ending was a nice touch in particular.
Extremely enjoyable film with Saif Ali Khan , Akshay and Tabu. Saif is the Robin Hood while Akshay is out to catch him . Tabu does her sexy dances and would look even prettier if she cut her hair and put on a bit of lipstick sometimes.
A must see on video . Sonali is a child who brings up a younger cousin on her own . Later on she earns a living by dancing in nigth clubs - a good excuse for lots of erotic dance sequences. SRK is the childs rich uncle who comes from England to take him back. Sonali realises that she has to create hatred in the child's heart if he is to leave her to go to England. Very emotional tear jerk scenes . Sonali is not only beautiful -albeit a little bit on the skinny side but a very good actress as well.
Coming Movies
Mr. Bechaara (Anil,Sridevi) [K. Bhagyaraj]
Saza-e-Kaalapani[dubbed] (Mohanlal,Tabbu,Amrish)[Priyadarshan] @
Shastra (Sunil Shetty) [Sanjay Khanna]
Tere Mere Sapne (new) [Joy Augustine]
Judaai (Sridevi,Anil,Karishma) [Raj Kanwar]
Mrityudaata (Amitabh,Karishma,Dimple) [Mehul Kumar]
Amin Meghani