Thanks for your thoughtful comment Monika. I'd di...

2008-04-29T11:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your thoughtful comment Monika. I'd disagree on Om Shanti Om given the film's self-conscious "limiting" to the 1970s and the present age (a point repeated during the course of the film's promotion by the director), but there's certainly food for thought in your comment. Also intrigued by your reference to Evening in Paris, good "catch" that!

I'm very much enjoyed reading your reviews on Tash...

2008-04-29T11:24:00.000-04:00

I'm very much enjoyed reading your reviews on Tashan, Saawaryia, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Chak De India I haven't had the opportunity to see Tashan, but hope to do so. I liked your comments on language, class and small city vs metro.

I think with Saawaryia, you do a wonderful job of looking at Bhansali on his own terms: his focus has always been on mise-en-scene, costume and music. Unfortunately, as you point out, the story and acting often suffer.

I'd loved Chak de India--it's a post-Lagaan, post Iqbal film. While the film's task ostensibly is to preach nationalism (All the hockey players must say that they represent India as opposed to their states as the most obvious example), it lays bare how oppressive nationalism can be. On questions of gender and religion, the film pushes the boundaries of commercial cinema. In contrast, remember the moment in Lagaan, when Gauri offers to be one of the players on the cricket team and she's simply ignored. Instead of a Hindu male, we have a 'modern' Muslim man as the main character, challenging the useful casting as "Nawab" or the helpful uncle/friend.

After your review, I will revisit JBJ which I had not enjoyed the first time around. Bachchan's JBJ interruptions irritated me to so much! While I thought the film was trying to do something interesting with mixing identities and genres, the discordant relationship between the narrative and song/dance sequences was off-putting. You comments on dislocation and play reminded me of Samanta's Evening in Paris.

I didn't agree with your comments on Om Shanti Om. By trying to slot the film in the 70s and 80s, I think you miss the fact that the film reference multiple time periods: The two most obvious references: 1. The opening shot which is a reference to Kaagaz Ke Phool. The reincarnation theme which nods to Karz and Madhumati. Farah Khan's cinephilia is not bound by time. By referencing multiple time periods, the film is able to engage different kinds of audiences, varying levels of familiarity with Hindi cinema. The film makes fun of melodrama but it also mobilizes melodrama in serious vein, deftly demonstrating that it's aware of its audiences libidinal investments.

Look forward to reading more reviews....

Comments on Qalandar: TASHAN (Hindi; 2008)

Thanks for your thoughtful comment Monika. I'd di...

I'm very much enjoyed reading your reviews on Tash...