Bachna Ae Haseeno - Film Review

3 Stars. Bachna Ae Haseeno (Girls Beware). Directed by Siddharth Raj Anand. With Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba. At Nu Metro, Canal Walk. Mehboob Bawa reviews.

Director Siddharth Raj Anand continues his winning ways, after the successful Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum, with this enjoyable love story.

The film’s title is inspired by the hit song from the 1970’s film Hum Kissise Kum Nahin. It was composed by the late R. D. Burman, one of India’s top music directors, whose work is interspersed liberally in this films soundtrack. Vishal and Shekhar, the music composers of Bachna Ae Haseeno have produced a wonderful score and the title track uses elements of the original song merged with their own work. You’ll be singing it long after you’ve left the cinema. Coincidentally, the 1970’s hit featured the actor Rishi Kapoor, while the current film stars his son, Ranbir.

Anand is one of Indian cinema’s rising stars. What sets him apart from many of his colleagues is his attention to script details. In fact, the backbone of Bachna Ae Haseeno is Devika Bhagat’s well written screenplay. The story might be considered too modernistic by conservative audiences weaned on traditional Bollywood melodramas. But Anand has never shied away from realistic stories depicting the lifestyles of modern day youth in India. Sex before marriage and live in lovers, subjects still considered taboo in India, are just some of the story strands explored in this film. But Anand tackles the themes responsibly and in an engaging fashion.

If you’ve ever had your heart broken or broken someone’s heart, then you’ll identify with the characters in this film. The story traces eleven years and three important relationships in the life of Raj Singh. He starts off as a Casanova bent on having casual relationships. But has a change of heart when he finally falls in love. He realises that he has been fickle regarding matters of the heart and sets out to make amends.

Ranbir produced an effortless performance in his debut Saawariya and follows it up with another confident one. Deepika Padukone, his real life lover, is a treat to watch. She too offers an assured performance after her charismatic debut in Om Shanti Om. The real life lovers share great on screen chemistry. While Bipasha Basu’s sex appeal is a major reason for her success, she has matured into a talented actress and is flawless here. Minissha Lamba is also good and her scenes with Ranbir are a delightful reminder of a much-loved Bollywood film.

Sunil Patel’s cinematography in various locations including Switzerland, Italy, Australia and India is picture postcard perfect. The images are so enticing; you’ll certainly be putting these places on your next holiday list. The film’s second half would benefit from tighter editing. One song could have been left out completely.

But overall, Anand has made an entertaining romantic drama that offers lots to enjoy and some food for thought as well.

Ajay Devgan Interview

I have interviewed many Bollywood celebrities in my time and the worst is meeting someone whose work you admire, only to discover that they are egotistical and unpleasant in real life. So it was with much trepidation that I approached Indian film star Ajay Devgan for an interview, as it has been claimed, that he has never been keen to speak to the press, but I found this to be far from the truth. Devgan is one of the many stars filming in Cape Town for the film Cash.

To my surprise, the star, when engaged in conversation, is extremely affable; happy to speak about his career and interests. In fact, he asked for a few minutes grace before we started and shortly thereafter, came to me and said he was ready to chat. Standing outside Kelvin Grove, substituting for a casino for a scene in the film, Devgan told me about his impressions of Cape Town. “It’s a wonderful place”, he said smiling, “in fact my production company are finalising a location for one of our forthcoming films and I’ve suggested that before they make a decision, they should consider the Cape. I would love to work here again. It’s a fantastic city”, Devgan said emphatically.

The talented actor can be classified a Bollywood veteran with more than 70 films to his credit. Despite being only a year away from his 40th birthday, he has been a leading man in the Indian film industry for approximately 15 years.

Unlike many of his contemporaries whose families are part of the Bollywood scene and therefore had easy entries into the industry, Devgan never followed that route. His father, Veeru, is a highly respected and legendary Bollywood stunt co-ordinator, but wasn’t responsible for his son’s choice to become an actor. He continues, “I never consciously set out to become an actor. My Dad was in the industry and it seemed inevitable that I would follow in his footsteps. I started out as an assistant director. A friend, who was directing a film, persuaded me to act as the lead in his production. The film, Phool Aur Kaante, became a massive hit and my career was decided you could say, on the strength of that film.”

Devgan is one of the few actors who have avoided becoming typecast as a certain type of character. When I make this comment, he reacts excitedly. “You’re right”, he says, “I’m lucky that the audience has accepted me in various roles. I’ve done romantic films, action roles and even comedy. It’s wonderful, because it has given me a chance to progress as an actor and re-invent myself again and again.”

He is not only an excellent actor, but also an astute businessman who understands the dynamics of filmmaking and has applied it in his own production and distribution company. Devgan says modestly, “Film production for me is about being able to find a balance between the business side and the passion one has as an artiste. Yes, many Indian film companies are trying to emulate the Hollywood studio system in an effort to control budgets, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of creativity. While I will also try my utmost to work within budgets, I would have no hesitation in foregoing extra fees if I feel a scene is absolutely necessary. That’s where the passion comes in. It can’t only be about business.”

Some of his favourite Hollywood directors are Martin Scorcese and James Cameron. Devgan says filled with admiration, “These are filmmakers who have a passion for what they do. It is quite obvious if you watch their films that they are uncompromising when it comes to creativity. Yes, they too have to work within the studio system, but given a free hand they would unleash their passions. That’s why I started my own company, so I could make films that give me satisfaction.”

When he speaks about his labour of love, Raju Chacha, he lights up, “From the set design, to photography and visual effects, at the time of release, no other Indian film had walked the path we had. The budget was in excess of many other films released at that time. I never spared any expense and was very happy with the results. Perhaps it wasn’t a box office success, but it satisfied me and is actually enjoying lots of success at the moment. That film was definitely ahead of its time.”

One of his current assignments is Bollywood wunderkind Ram Gopal Varma’s remake of the classic Sholay. He says that like many others he too questioned why the film was to be remade. But when he heard Varma’s story narration and ideas on how the film was going to be made, he signed up immediately. Devgan adds, “There’ll still be many who feel that the film should never be remade. But Varma’s version is going to be amazing. The whole setting has been changed from a western style to an urban setting and he is casting against type. He is making the film for a new generation of audiences. It’s going to be interesting.”

When he speaks of his wife, the wonderfully talented actress Kajol, a smile crosses his face. They were married in 1999 and in an industry filled with stories of marital woes, are very much the ideal Bollywood couple. He says, “Kajol spent some time with me in Cape Town, which was great. She only recently started acting again after having taken time off to start our family. I’m looking forward to working opposite her in a film that we’re doing for our production company.”

Bollywood Buzz September 2008

Traditionally the Indian film industry takes a break from releasing high profile films during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadaan, as the attendance at cinemas drops to all time lows. However, they make up for this by ensuring that the month thereafter is filled with many potential blockbusters. This year is no different as there are no less than five major productions lined up for release in October.

The post Ramadaan period starts with Drona, which is this year’s Eid release. The film, which is being touted as a fantasy adventure, stars Abhishek Bachchan as a mythical superhero. Co – starring Priyanka Chopra and his Mom, Jaya, the film boasts of superior visual effects and stunning location cinematography in the Namib Desert. Sanjay Ghadvi who made the box office hits Dhoom and Dhoom 2 stays in the action thriller genre with Kidnap. It stars Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt and based on Ghadvi’s earlier successes promises to be above average entertainment.

A film that looks interesting is the sequel to the hit 1980’s film Karz. Simply re – titled Karzzzz, the new version stars singer – composer Himesh Reshammiya and remains faithful to the original’s reincarnation theme. It was shot extensively on location in Cape Town and that should be a draw card for local audiences. Heroes is a throwback to the 1970’s and 1980’s formula which simply required the prescence of an all star cast for a film to be guaranteed a hit. Its cast includes brothers Salman and Sohail Khan as well as Sunny and Bobby Deol. Despite the heavyweight star quality, times have changed and the film is certainly going to need more than its stars acting talents to ensure success. However, it has an excellent technical team and the director, Samir Karnik, showed potential with his earlier releases Kyun Ho Gaya Na and Nanhe Jaislmer.

Aside from Drona and Karzzzz, a film that is probably most eagerly awaited is Golmaal Returns. The sequel to the hit Golmaal stars Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor. Director Rohit Shetty who delivered the goods last time around is once again at the helm of the wacky proceedings. Hopefully the team is able to deliver the goods just as well the second time around.

Let’s hope local distributors Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro do not disappoint Bollywood fans and ensure that these films are released in the Cape as well.