.. http://www.indiandvdfilms.comYou can buy DVDs from the following sites .
UK and USA .. http://www.indiandvdfilms.com
USA http://www.indiaplaza.com..http://www.indiaweekly.com
The very first Indian DVD that utilizes a 16X9 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer is a pleasure to behold. Video is crystal-clear and sharp; the images displayed on the screen are amazingly life-like. And of course, since this is anamorphic widescreen, all that was shot on camera is presented on your tv as intended. 5.1 DD audio is dynamic and very busy on the surround channels.
Also, Krodh has complete subtitling of the
songs and dialogue. Truly, a must-have DVD.
Indian Dvd Ratings List-- http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net
Hera Pheri , 2000 , Videosound , English subtitles though I couldnt get them to work - how does one do it ?
Akshay , Tabassum , Sunil Shetty , Paresh Rawal
Picture quality -perfect
Sound -perfect 5.1
What a genius of a movie !. Every scene is captivating Beautiful shots mostly from Sun City Hotel in South Africa . Three poor people living in Bombay but they can still have great songs and dances in their dreams . Being very partial to dark haired long limbed beauties , I would watch any movie of Tabu , and the three men here do extremely well . Paresh as the myopic landlord has done an outstanding job . Akhsay in his best performance for a long time . The three try a get rich quick scheme to pay off their debts . Om Puri is brilliant as the Punjabi dehati . This movie is still playing in the theaters so I am going to hide this DVD from my friends and take them to see the movie on the big screen - the only way to see these Bollywood movies and appreciate the tremendous hard work and craft that goes into making them . Must see .
Hera Pheeri is a well-written, well-directed, and superably-acted film. Paresh Rawal plays the almost-blind surrogate father figure with great aplomb, he literally steals every scene in the movie. Even the two knuckleheads, Sunil Shetty and Aksaye Kumar, give a better than average performance.
I never really liked Tabu, she has the looks of a model, but the voice of man. It is so monotone and low one can easily lose her in the movie. Her performance was understated (rumor has it that she and the producer got into a tiff of some kind, thus all of Tabu's performance was left on the cutting room floor. A godsend for me, anyway) and her relationship with Sunil shetty was quite well-developed. It was nice to see Gulshan Grover reprising his role as the dastardly villain. He is a one-trick pony to be sure, with his gruff style of talking, but he was enjoyable. A good film, overall. Not bad, at all..Niraj
Badal (2000).
Released by DEI. Starring Bobby Deol, Rani Mukherjee and Ashutosh Rana. Music by Anu Malik. 175 minutes. Subtitles on dialogue AND songs! With 5.1 Dolby Digital. Widescreen aspect ratio is 1.75:1.
Picture quality is excellent. The source print used is like-new, and the digital transfer is sharp and detailed. The colors are accurately reproduced, with no signs of artifacts. The DVD is a pleasure to watch. Video rating- 9 out of 10.
The 5.1 audio is outstanding. Featuring a very active 5.1 mix and aggressive bass, with plenty going on in the surround channels during the songs and throughout the entire film, especially during the frequent action sequences. Audio rating- 9.5 out of 10.
This is first DVD by DEI, since their breakup with Eros, to have subtitling on the songs and the translator has done a commendable job. It really does add a lot to the enjoyment of the DVD. The first song is "Lal Garaara." It has superb choreography, as the lead female dancer sings and taunts the men that it's her red skirt that's driving them insane with desire. Many of the other songs features equally provocative and interesting lyrics, and it's a pleasure when non-hindi speaking fans can understand the lyrics and poetry of the songs on DVD. Thanks has to be given to DEI, for their new policy to subtitle the songs on all future DVDS. And for joining Yash Raj Films, as the second DVD company that does so.
As usual, DEI has produced interesting DVD menu graphics. The main menu features moving graphics of the film, as evocative sound effects bouce from speaker to speaker as you decide what to choose. When you select "songs," it dissolves into another cool moving graphic as "Na Milo Kahin Pyar" is heard. Huge improvement, of course, on the no-frills menu seen on many DVDS.
Badal is a very, entertaining action film that never has a dull moment. In it, Deol becomes a terrorist when a sadistic cop, played brilliantly by Ashutosh Rana, turns Bobby into an orphan. He later meets a love-smitten Rani Mukherjee (who looks great) as the plot develops.
The music for Badal is among Anu Malik's most memorable scores. Almost every song is a winner. Particularly, the haunting love song "Na Milo Kahin Pyar" and 3 of the dance numbers: "Lal Garaara" "Jugni Jugni" and "Tujhe Dekh Ke Dil." Anybody who bought and enjoyed the excellent cd for Badal will be in for a real treat with this DVD. When hearing the songs on DVD, with exciting 5.1 DD surround, and watching them performed with thrilling choreography, on a high quality DVD that has subtitling on the songs, it can only increase sales and interest.
In closing, DEI has produced another fine DVD, that has tremendous repeat-viewing value, and that any Indian DVD fan should be happy to own. Overall rating 9.5 out of 10.
Should've mentioned in review that Badal was released earlier by Video Sound on DVD without subtitles and of lesser quality.
Also, DEI still has to release some 20 to 25 classics that are already
authored without song subtitles. However, after that all newly authored
DVDS by DEI will have song subtitles and have anamorphic widescreen
transfers (30% more resolution), starting with their release of Kaho Naa
Pyar Hai- due early April.
**Indian Dvd Ratings List ** http://indiandvdreviews.cjb.net
Irwin Marin
So this group probably has a much bigger readership than we realize . Post more movie related articles here ( Ramli) and own thoughts.
Its important all write to DEI and congratulate them on
doing this excellent transfer with the songs subtitled .
Send a copy to eros , video sound and others and encourage them to do the same . The web site for DEI is
http://www.indianfilmsdvd.com/
and email
info@indianfilmsdvd.com
KAHO NAA...PYAR HAI Our First 16 X 9 Enhanced Anamorphic Widescreen DVD
Interestingly my own sister wont allow her kids to watch Indian movies with the subtitles on . She says they just read the titles instead of learning the words . I long ago learned not to argue with her !
She says that watching the movies once a week with the whole family brings them a lot closer - quality time and the kids initially had to be tied to the chairs but now they love them and will ask her to translate the difficult bits ..Mo
Ah ab laut chalen -1998 -English subtitles
Asian movies wholesalers
Picture quality - not acceptable
Sound- excellent Dolby 2 channel
The subtitles are on the print and cant be turned off , so it seems that they have subtilted a video copy rather than original print - hence all the sparklies Songs are not subititles -a sign of shoddy workmanship .
The movie itself is excellent . A new Indian illegal immigrant who wants to get married to a rich girl to get the green card and has to do a lot of menial jobs . Songs and dances are very good -doesnt have the normal emotional highs and lows of Bollywood movies but its a very good film nevertheless .
Dont buy this DVD , wait for a proper print from some quality makers like Superdigital or DEI , but do rent it .. This movie may still be worth getting because the songs are picture perfect ! So I think the gadbad has taken place where they tried to subtitle the rest of the movie and have put them on with some kind of computer and the picture has become second generation in those areas unlike the songs which are not subtitled and the transfer is from original print .
My favourite one is where the Pathan girls dance in their traditional outfit . Lets have lots more from that area . The garba one is good too and the one on the beach where Aisharwaya tries to break them both up is quite funny . Must see DVD and since its the songs one will watch again and again it may be worthwhile buying it too .
The amount of detail in these movies is stupendous . Just look at the first song and a tiny bit of it with the Pathan girls dancing -about ten of them . Now I thought Pathan female dress was all baggy black tent like outfits but this one hear is an eye opener . Salwar Kameez with a beatifully embroidered waist jacket , and all ten girls are wearing different outfits each better than the others .
This is where DVDs still frame comes into its own , something that you would miss on the big screen or on video. The photographers should remember to do more close up of these fabulous fashion dresses . Any girl wearing one of these to a party would make heads turn completely round.
Has the New England autumn ever been picturized as beautifully as in the second song ? The third stick dance song has the rich vamp and the good girl competing for the man , who has eyes only for the vamp marrying her will make him rich and get him the green card !
. Lyrics posted in another thread Man Since our eyes met (fought) the tension has risen , its hard now dear one to wait Chorus This is what is called love Vamp Just looking at you my heart went awry , my heart tells me to look at you time and again Chorus This is what is called love Good girl pushing aside the vamp Your walk ( intentions ) are bent , dont throw your net on this passionate mad man Man coming in between the two girls and pushing away the good girl Two hearts are in love , dont become a wall in between them Vamp My color and body is such that anyone who looks at me wants to give up his life for me Vamp Even the glowing gold feels ashamed , men desire me to spend time ( life) with them Male In the first look I fell madly in love with you , you have stolen my nights and my calm Good girl I am speaking the truth , do listen to me , she is a traveller , dont wait around for her . She fails and he goes off with the vamp ..
Kumar. 175 minutes. Subtitles. Mono. Full screen. DEI's DVD of Upkar is not quite up to the usual high standard that we've come to expect from this company. Although picture quality is very good, the DVD is more grainy than most of DEI's previous releases; lacking the crystal clear and smooth video veneer that is DEI's hallmark.
The source print used is apparently the main reason for the problems mentioned above; as it is a little choppy, while the colors are a bit faded. The mono audio, although very clear, has quite a noticeable hiss throughout. Not up to the usual high DEI standards, but still worth renting or buying for fans of the movie.
Majboor- (1974) released by Eros/B4U and authored by the VDC Group. Starring Amitabh and Parveen Babi. 145 minutes. Subtitles. Mono. Full-screen .
The video picture is surprisingly sharp and virtually free of artifacts. Colors are true and finely detailed for a film of this vintage. The mono audio is clear and free of distortion. One of Eros/B4U's better recent releases.
Sanam Bewafa - 1990 -English subtitles
Salman, Chandini , Pran , Danny , Duryodhan
Eros , B4U
Picture quality - bad
Sound - even worse Dolby 4 channel
The Indian govt should impose heavy fines on big companies like Eros and B4U for inflicting such trashy mastering on an unsuspecting people -suspecting after reading this post .
Get back to DEI and subtitle the songs too you fools . Dont buy or rent this DVD , you will regret it B4U and Eros combined DVDs are uniformly badly mastered -who does it for them?
The movie itself is good and the subtitling accurate and the few minutes I saw was a pleasure to hear - such pure Urdu without a single English word -something that is going to become increasingly rare . On Pakistan show time on Zee one famous actor's wife a strong Muslim brought up in Pakistan could speak only in English !
A very original story about two feuding Pathan families whose children fall in love . I liked the buxom girl dancing and singing - I am a grape , dont squeeze me too hard or I will .
1998 -Video sound - no subtitles
Govinda , Mamta
Picture quality -very good , not quite Superdigital standard
sound -5.1 excellent
I was going to return this rented DVD but after watching the movie have decided against it ! The dialog is profound and good that one dare not move in case you miss some of it. The credits say its by Adesh K Arjun but I dont believe it , the only one who can write such great Urdu dialog is Kader Khan .
It would be a crime not to translate this literally into many languages and show the world the real reason why these movies are so entertaining .
A lot is lost in translation of course and one has to relate it to the underlying messages in the story but here are a few examples . The story is about a man betrayed by the father of the girl who tricks her into marrying someone else , who the girl now loves and he determines to wreck her marriage . I think its true that women in general find it easy to move on to others while men pine for the one they couldnt get . An English lady friend I was relating the story of HDDCS - the point where the girl says to her husband you can have my body but my heart belongs to someone else ' surprised me by saying that she thought that was true of nearly all marriages !
Here are a few examples of what I think was so great about this movie .
Woman pleading with her ex lover to go away
'kahin tumharra kal mera aaj na bigadh de'
-I hope your yesterday doesnt spoil my today ( and tomorrow)
.
Why cant Hollywood dialog writers think up double meanings
and messages like these ? Why must they treat their viewers
as dumb ?
'dam todti chingari ko hawa mat do , kahin ye jal kar rakh na kar de' -- do not give air to the ember gasping its last . lest it flare up and consume you .
'aurat sati savtri hoti hai jab tak admi Ram bana rahe , apni maryada tod de to wo ulja.. ban jati jis koi sulja nahin sakta ' - a woman will stay obedient and warm as long as the man treats her well , if he falls from his manly duty then she becomes the worry ( complex riddle) that no man can untangle
to her father
jo mane chaha main pa nahin saki , jo tumne diya wo paas
nahin raha
what I wanted I couldnt get , what you gave me didnt stay
with me
wise man
haath phala kar dua hazarro karte hain , lekin dua choone
huon ki hi kabool ki jati hai
- thousands spread out their
hands and plead with God for favours - but only a few
selected ones are granted .
betrayed lover on birthday
mujhe lambi umar ki duan na do , jitni guzri hai nagwar
guzri hao - dont plead for a long life for me , what has
gone past has been ? -not sure of the rest
Mamta looks faboulous in some of the scenes -esp with the white saree and white diamond necklace .Must have DVD but only start watching it from the first song and then come back to the rest at the end as its all flashback .
A rich man becomes friend with a poor street one who saves his life when he is trying to commit suicide when he gets drunk . In the morning he gets sober and throws him out and the next evening gets drunk again and brings him home again.
Momorable dialog -'rog koi palo zindagi ke liye, sehat se zindagi kati nahin' - the rich man trying to persuade the poor one to take a drink - get a bad habit to go through life , good health alone makes it seem too long !
Mamta like all other artistes may not have had too many successful films but her song 'koi le jaye ' was superbly choreographed by herself although the censors cut a lot of it .
Video sound must spend a bit more and start subtitling the movies and songs.
Phir bi dil hai Hindustani - pirate
Picture quality -very good
Sound 5.1 -bearable
I think the picture is widescreen judging from the black bars . Blues and reds are generously mixed in where you dont expect them and it has the glazed look of pirate copy in the first 45mins .
It will probably kill the market for the official DVD . Eros
will probably come out with an even worse one .
Here is how the companies can fight video piracy
1. Do not hold back the DVD for more than 3 weeks . Most
movies make their money back in that time and customers can
wait till then .
2. Make only perfect recording and 5.1 - maybe full screen
on one side and widescreen on the other .
3. Have a fifteen minute trailer showing the sites of the
cities where the movie was made - South Africans are in
India at the moment asking them to film there as Bollywood
movies are becoming quite popular . They could probably
afford to pay $200k -Rs 1 crore - for the 15 min toursim
trailer .
4. Make subtitles in the ten most popular world languages using this money -doubt if it would cost even $20,000 altogether - Arabic , English , Spanish , Hindi , Urdu ,Japanese , French , Russian , Indonesian , Chinese etc. Subtitle literally as accurately as possible even the songs even if gramatically a little incorrect .
With release within 3 weeks of the big screen , these movies will make ten times on DVD what they make in theaters The picture actually becomes perfect after the first 45mins or so and the sound is quite good . The tilte song has different lyrics the second time at the end of the movie.
Only watch this movie if you have three hours to spare ! It really is a very good brilliantly made film and the second half is very moving indeed and once you start watching it you just wont be able to stop . Plenty of interesting twists and turns .
Paresh Rawal as the foreign terrorist is superb -just look at his first appearance . Gives one the goose pimples .. One can get full reviews on planetbollywood and others but a few comments - women have often been shown doing Yoga but its no big deal because they do have flexible joints but here Chinoy the TV channel owner does the full cross legged and bend over thing which is mighty impressive .
Another thing was the grey blue buildings and the contrasting color in one of the songs -superb photography . Many of the dialogs have been inspired by SRK personally I think -when they ask the hangman 'do you approve of hanging?' -he says 'The stomach will give a different answer from the heart ' -again I think Urdu lends itself very well to these kind of thoughtful meaningful dialogs . At one point SRK tells Juhi -'isko yhan se dabate hain' -best left untranslated !
A truly brilliant performance by SRK and Juhi looks more beautiful than ever . A must see on the big screen . Eros have a huge DVD hit on their hands if they subtilte the songs and use many languagesOne good thing about Bollywood movies is how rapidly they introduce new ideas and concepts . The jump from a 400 ft skyscraper at the start for eg by SRK - looks awfully real and even with the trampoline at the bottom it can break necks if you have cameras tied round your neck ! Hope he didnt do the stunt himself .
The only thing I could really criticise in this movie is the excessive wearing esp by the women of western dances in the first half and that maybe why it wont be a hit . Its boring even to watch the men wearing suits all the time when South Asian dress is so good . The women however do wear the latest eye catching western dresses - I like the one Juhi wears with the horizontal heart on it .
30 songs from recent movies -Taal , Earth , HSSH , HDDCS
etc.
Picture quality -terrible - pirate
Sound - good
One can tell its a pirate because nowhere is the name of the company mentioned . Video stores get these DVDs because people demand to watch new even if the print is rubbish.
Somebody as a labor of love should start to put all the songs of Bollywood and South Asian movies on DVD -all the songs of three movies in sequence of say three movies with subtitles and lyrics at the end . The copyright for songs is minimal and there is a goldmine out there as songs are the most important part of the movie -for eg in BMCM one could watch them endlessly so beautiful is the photography.