Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo Review - December 2004

1 Star. Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo. Directed by Anil Sharma. With Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Divya Khosla, Ashutosh Rana, Danny Denzongpa.

I never imagined I’d end off my Bollywood viewing this year by watching a real stinker of a movie. There have been some pretty bad movies released during 2004, but this one really hits an all time low, especially considering the heavyweight talents involved in it. The film is sub – titled “An unusual journey of love”, unusual is a pretty apt description of this film.

The story focuses on Amarjeet Singh (Amitabh Bachchan), an army officer, who watches his son Vikramjeet Singh (Bobby Deol) sacrifice his life during the 1971 war with Pakistan. Before he does so, he makes his father promise that he will raise his son to be an army officer as well. Years pass by and Vikramjeet's son Kunal (Bobby Deol in a dual role) is now an army officer himself. However, he is only doing this to please his grandfather. He has expressed to his family that he would rather go abroad and start a business and become wealthy, as he is not cut out for the army.

At an army function he sees Shweta (Divya Khosla) and its love at first sight for him. But Shweta has a past. She's been married to an army officer, Rajiv (Akshay Kumar), who had to leave for the battlefield on their wedding day. He ends up in the custody of a Pakistani platoon led by a ruthless captain (Danny Denzongpa) and is tortured ruthlessly. Two years later, he is helped by a sympathetic Pakistani officer to escape and return to India, only to find his wife at a crossroads as she thought him dead and is slowly falling in love with Kunal.
Meanwhile on the war front India and Pakistan decide to work towards ending the war. However certain militants within the army backed by a senior members of the armed forces (Ashutosh Rana) conspire to continue the terror campaign. Their mission is to sabotage a holy pilgrimage, undertaken by members of the Indian community, at which high-ranking officials of both countries will be present.

Director Anil Sharma can’t seem to decide if he’s making a war movie, a love story, a human drama or an action thriller. Essentially the film is a war drama as the action revolves around the war between Pakistan and India, again! This is such old hat, especially since both countries have recently extended a hand of friendship towards each other. However, Sharma spends an equal amount of time on the other elements alluded to above. I don’t think he’s heard of sub-plots. Anyway there are so many plots in this plodding mishmash of a movie; it’s definitely not worth wasting your time on.

The talents of a competent cast are wasted; in fact they are made to look downright buffoonish at times. This will surely go down as a blemish on all their careers. There is a total lack of characterisation, with the Pakistani’s being made to look like murderous villians with no redeeming features, while their Indian counterparts are patriotic angels. Sharma and his scriptwriter Shaktiman, make no attempt to present a balanced view of the situation. Continuity errors are evident throughout the film, the special effects are totally unrealistic, music is a rehash of tunes heard countless times before and the direction is abysmal.

The biggest crime here is that if the human drama of the relationship between Bachchan and Deol had been the core of the storyline, with the war drama as a background, the film could have been promising. But to achieve this would have required a much better screenplay and a more competent director.

Bollywood 2004 Review

Bollywood Hits and Misses of 2004 by Mehboob Bawa


The Indian film industry experienced a year like any other in recent times. There were many hits and misses, but not one production exceeding all expectations. In fact it was pretty much the other way around with the biggies losing out and smaller films emerging as critical and commercial hits.

The year started with a spate of sex themed films aimed at the adult market. That’s Bollywood for you, if one style of film works then you can expect a slate of similar themed films soon after. The most successful was veteran director Mahesh Bhatt’s Murder. Known for his plagiarism of Hollywood films this one was no different. It had a good music score, passable performances and enough cleavage to click at the box office. Thereafter it seemed as if sex comedies were the way to go. The biggest success was Masti directed by Indra Kumar. It was a genuinely funny effort about bored husbands being set up by their suspicious wives. It was a major change in gear from director Kumar who previously had only made wholesome romantic melodramas.

Then the big guns came, blazing a star-studded trail across Bollywood screens. Leading the way was the biggest gun himself Amitabh Bachchan, with no less than nine releases in 2004. Not all of them were successful and some should never have even seen the light of day, but full marks to the Bollywood legend for attempting different roles and shedding his typecast image. His films that stood out this year include Khakee, Dev and Kyun Ho Gaya Naa. In Khakee he played a burned out police inspector fighting to keep an alleged Pakistani terrorist alive. Dev saw him as a police inspector again, but this time battling corruption in the police force in one of the most dramatic films of the year. Treading a much lighter path in the romantic drama Kyun Ho Gaya Naa, he played a cupid of sorts trying to bring lovers Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi together.

Female Bollywood stars never share the same kind of billing as their male counterparts, but former Ms. World, Rai, certainly stood head and shoulders above her colleagues this year. Not only was she wooed by and turned down the producers of the James Bond films, she ventured into the crossover market with Bride and Prejudice speaking English very credibly. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, whose previous outing, Bend It Like Beckham, received better treatment at the box office, the film did much to boost Rai’s popularity internationally. As a result she has signed a Hollywood film opposite Meryl Streep and there are many others in the pipeline. On the home front she embraced alternative cinema and her roles in the Bengali film Choker Bali and Raincoat were hailed by critics worldwide including the Hollywood trade paper Variety.

Shahrukh Khan had a great year with debutante director Farah Khan’s fun filled homage to the masala movies of the 1980’s, Main Hoon Naa and Yash Chopra’s disappointing Veer Zaara pulling in the audiences. His latest, Swades, while proving to be a commercial failure, is a critical success and deserved better treatment from the public. This simple but brilliantly told story of an Indian living in America but travelling back home to India to fill the void that is missing in his life, is a worthy follow up to director Ashutosh Gowariker’s Oscar nominated Lagaan.

Saif Ali Khan, after many years of duds found himself in the spotlight due to the success of Kal Ho Naa Ho, released late in 2003 and enjoying increased success in 2004. As a result he was offered the lead in maverick director Ram Gopal Varma’s songless thriller Ek Hasina Thi and starred opposite Rani Mukherji in one of the year’s biggest successes, the feel good romance Hum Tum. This film was a major moneyspinner for its producers Yash Raj Films. Another blockbuster from their company was the eagerly anticipated comeback vehicle of director Yash Chopra, Veer Zaara. The much hyped extravaganza failed to live up to expectations and despite raking in the moolah in the overseas market, its support in India is dwindling. Their other big hit was Dhoom starring Abhishek Bachchan. This film was definitely a sleeper as no one predicted that it would be one of the most successful and talked about films of the year. A sequel is already on the cards.

Bachchan jnr. also received acclaim for his performance in Mani Ratnam’s excellent Yuva, about the trials and tribulations facing Mumbai’s student population. He played the romantic hero in the entertaining Kuch Naa Kaho opposite Aishwarya Rai. His other solo release, Run, was an abysmal failure though. He was also seen to good effect as a lawyer defending Shilpa Shetty’s character who claims unfair dismissal in the Aids drama Phir Milenge. This topical film also featured an unusually restrained performance by Salman Khan as the person from whom Shetty contracts the virus.

Khan was back to his boisterous and buffoonish self in the comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karoge. The success of the film was largely due to a great musical score and a wonderful comic performance by Akshay Kumar, who after a series of mediocre to average roles, came into his own in 2004. He also proved his acting mettle as a cop who can be bought for a price in Khakee and the husband who has an adulterous affair in Aitraaz.

Rising star Hrithik Roshan couldn’t depend on aliens to help boost his box office status as in last year’s blockbuster Koi Mil Gaya. His only offering in 2004 was Lakshya. It was director Farhan Akhtar’s follow up to his sensational debut Dil Chahta Hai. It was hugely anticipated, but was released to mixed reviews. However, it did entrench Roshan as a force to be reckoned with in the acting stakes, as his performance as a youth looking for direction in life was superlative.

That’s the highs and a few of the many lows of Bollywood 2004. Next year seems set to start on a really good note as Bollywood’s A list directors including Subhash Ghai (Kisna) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Black) seem intent on starting the Bollywood year with a bang with their star studded productions.

Swades Review - December 2004

4 Stars. Swades (Motherland). Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. With Shahrukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Balal, Rajesh Vivek, Dayashankar Pandey, Master Smit Sheth. Hindi with English sub-titles. At Ster-Kinekor Cavendish Commercial.

For every person that has ever had to leave the land of his or her birth to make a life elsewhere, this film is for you. Swades is a must see film that cuts across nationalities, race, colour and creed. If it were not for it’s excessive length (it runs for just over 3 hours) and slow pacing this would have been a 5 star film. Despite starring Shahrukh Khan, India’s number 1 box office star, this film is far removed from the Bollywood melodramas that have been the mainstay of his success thus far. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, whose previous film was the Oscar nominated Lagaan, the success of Swades lies in the fact that at its heart is a simple story, which is well told.

Mohan Bhargava (Shahrukh Khan) is a scientist working for NASA on a Global Measurement Precipitation Satellite Program, who left India in pursuit of a better life in America. This he has found in abundance as he has excelled academically and financially, but despite these successes there remains something missing in his life. These feelings reach a high point on the death anniversary of his parents. He specifically misses Kaaveriamma, the Nanny who became a mother to him after his parent’s demise and wonders what became of her. He decides to make it his duty to return to India, find her and bring her back to America with him so that she can enjoy the comforts she never had in her life. However, he is in the throes of an important project and is only given two weeks leave in order to settle his affairs in India.

Once in India he manages to find her living in a small village near New Delhi, a place that is in stark contrast to his life in America. How he adapts to rural life provide many of the films lighter moments. He slowly succumbs to the simplicity of village life and the realisation that this is where he comes from, it his roots and these are his people. Mohan also meets his childhood friend Gita (Gayatri Joshi), now a schoolteacher in the village, and a love blossoms between them. But is there a future for them, when she is devoted to her country and has no intention of leaving and he is intent, despite her objections, to take Kaaveriamma to America with him. How he integrates himself into the village life and traditions and in some way make a difference in their lives becomes the thrust of the film, over and above the initial reason for his coming to India. It is in fact through the wisdom of Kaaveriamma that he discovers his Motherland again. But what he sees saddens him and he sets about to ensure that in some small way he makes a positive impact on the villagers and in so doing empowering them to change their lives for the better.

This is possibly the best Indian film to be released in 2004. It has a story that has universal appeal and situations that many will be able to identify with. Moreover, the direction by Gowariker is brilliant, despite the fact that he could have leant on his editor a bit more. Khan in a role completely different from the norm is amazing. He has never given a more subtle and understated performance, which is worthy of an award. The supporting cast is brilliant and all credit to Gowariker for selecting a cast that, with the exception of Khan, are relative unknowns. Joshi, in particular, makes a commendable debut in the role of Gita. Having to match skills with Khan is no easy task and she acquits herself wonderfully. In fact this type of casting is a masterstroke, because you don’t get the feeling you are watching actors perform. It simply feels that you’ve been allowed to view the life of ordinary people in a typical Indian village. It is that realistic. This realism extends to the production design of Nitin Desai, the stark photography of debutante Mahesh Aney and the depiction of the song sequences. The music by multiple award winner A.R. Rahman is excellent and adds to the overall enjoyment of the film.

However, it’s precisely the realism that might allow the film to falter in the eyes of an audience weaned on the fantasy of Bollywood cinema. My humble plea to those people is not to expect to see your favourite hero Khan in his typical romantic roles. View the film with an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised.

For those who already have nostalgic feelings about their place of birth, get ready to book your plane tickets, because after seeing Swades you are most certainly going to want to visit your Motherland soon.

Bobby Deol and Bipasha Basu Interviews - December 2004

The stars of Bollywood have graced the shores of the Mother City once again. This time it’s debonair Bobby Deol, visiting for the first time, and the beautiful Bipasha Basu shooting for the film Barsaat (Rain) in various parts of the Cape.

Talking to these stars is like catching up with old friends. Both are extremely casual and keen to chat about anything, even personal issues unrelated to the usual star talk. “I’m homesick”, says Deol in response to being asked whether he’s enjoying the Cape. He’s quick to say that it’s not the effect of the city that makes him feel that way but because his wife has just given birth to their second child, also a boy and he would love to be back with the family. “I try and take them with me as often as possible when I’m on location. But as my eldest son is in school, it’s important for him to concentrate on his studies. But I really miss them and especially my wife”, says an obviously family orientated Deol.

Basu is also very close to her family. A very proud Mommy Basu is with her on this trip. But far from being an over protective mother, she is more of a friend and confidante says Basu. “My Mom is really great. In fact my whole family has been very supportive of my career. No one else in the family has embarked on a career in entertainment. From my initial entry into modelling and now films, they’ve been behind me every step of the way.” Her career took off from her very first film Ajnabee, which had the taboo subject of wife swapping as its central theme. In fact many of her films have bordered on the risque. “You’re right”, she says, “It was a conscious effort to do something different. I wanted to attempt roles that I would be remembered for and I think that in a short space of time I’ve achieved that..” Fans will undoubtedly remember the poster of the erotic hit Jism, loosely based on the Hollywood hit Body Heat, which featured Basu in a provocative pose. Her sensual love scenes with co-star John Abraham was a major reason for the films sizzling success at the box-office. “I’ve conditioned my family to realise that it’s only a role I’m playing, nothing more. We are a small tight knit family and I value the relationship we share. When I’m not before the cameras, you’ll find me in coffee shops with friends, doing everyday things like anybody else. I appreciate the support the audience has given me and will always have time for my fans.

Deol is someone who has gotten used to dealing with fans over the years, not only his, as his father Dharmendra and brother Sunny are also well known Bollywood stars in their own right. “It wasn’t easy following in their footsteps as they are amongst the most highly regarded and respected actors in the industry. But even as a 3 year old, I knew that I wanted to be an actor”, he says with a smile. “I’ve managed to do a variety of roles and not been stereotyped as any specific type of character. I know that Hollywood films inspire many of our stories and I don’t necessarily have a problem with that. It shouldn’t be a total copy, but if it is a source of inspiration and we add to that our values and traditions then that's great. There aren’t many writers who are able to be totally original, so we work with what we have and do the best that we can given the circumstances. It also depends on what the audience wants. I acted in a film based on the life of Bhagat Singh, an important figure in Indian history, but the film flopped. Our audiences want to see upbeat films with a happy ending. I’ve also thought about Hollywood, but have no illusions about making it in that industry when Indian actors are not really known to western audiences. As that situation changes and opportunities start coming our way, I would consider it.”

Basu agrees with Deol’s sentiments, “I have made a commitment to move away from the provocative roles that I started with and focus now on pure commercial Bollywood cinema, be it comedy or love stories, I want to be a part of the typical mainstream cinema from now on.” Whatever she aspires to achieve, one thing is for sure, her family will always support her. Her Mom says that Bonnie (Basu laughs with surprise that her mother has revealed her family nickname) has never allowed her fame and fortune to go to her head. “She has always retained her roots and remains firmly grounded in her traditions and that makes me very happy and proud”, says her beaming Mom.

The same sentiments can be applied to Deol as he is very much the original family man. “I owe a lot to my Father and the way he raised us. Many people used to question his judgement when choosing roles. But what they don’t know is that my Father takes care of many people, almost like extended families and that is an expensive exercise. Therefore he signed as many films as he could, not always thinking about his career, but more about how he could help as many people as possible. In that way, I’ve learnt a lot about humility and I extend that to my family life and even my roles.”

Both these actors are a far cry from the image of stars that are cold, aloof and have no time for others. Their take on life is extremely refreshing and holds them in good stead in the often pretentious world of entertainment.

Bollywood on SABC 3 - December 2004

There’s a Bollywood double feature with a difference on SABC 3 today. At 2pm you can watch a rerun of the film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai
(My Heart Is With You), one of the stronger films in the Bollywood line up. At 10pm there’s a screening of the monumentally successful Now or Never concert featuring the cream of Bollywood talent performing in South Africa.

The matinee feature stars Anil Kapoor and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai as strangers brought together by a series of unpleasant events and circumstances that eventually fall in love. Kapoor plays Avinash a respected businessman, who offers his home to a young lady, Preeti (Rai), who is victimised by society through no fault of her own. Surprisingly for a Bollywood film, it takes a harsh look at the conservative attitudes of a sector within the Indian community and the negative way that this reflects on woman in society. Quite often families shun their daughters, who have in their eyes brought shame to the family name, even if they were not really at fault. It is a poignant love story, extremely well acted by its leads and confidently directed by Satish Kaushik, a director with a chequered career. However, with this film he is in command of his subject for the most part, only faltering by including some completely unfunny comedy sequences, which do more harm than good to the flow of the film. The music score by Sanjeev and Darshan provides melodious relief from the drama that fills most of the screen time. At three hours, the film is about half an hour too long and could have been edited more judiciously, perhaps cutting out the silly comedy track completely. However, the film is definitely worth watching.

If you’ve never been to a Bollywood concert before, then you must watch the Now or Never extravaganza, which was held on the 28th December at the Absa Stadium in Durban last year. It was promoted by local film producer Anant Singh’s company Videovision and showcased the talents of arguably Bollywood’s top stars. The list of actors headlining the bill included Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, hearthrobs Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt. The female component comprised the talents of Bollywood’s most beautiful and sexy stars including Kareena Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Sushmita Sen, Prety Zinta and Rani Mukherji. Videovision Entertainment won the 2003 Best Live Production Award of the Technical Production Services Association of South Africa for their work on this concert. A record crowd of over 50 000 people attended the concert. This event marked the first time that so many popular stars of Indian cinema have performed together in one show. So join the stars as they pull out all the stops to entertain their legions of fans in the Now or Never concert, tonight on SABC 3 at 10pm.

Tere Naam Review - August 2003

2 Stars. Tere Naam (In Your Name). Directed By Satish Kaushik. With Salman Khan, Bhumika Chawla, Sachin Khedekar, Savita Prabhune, Ravi Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, Mahima Chaudhary. At Ster-Kinekor Cavendish. Mehboob Bawa reviews.

While this Salman Khan starrer is undoubtedly different to the fun-filled films we normally associate with him, it is still a wasted opportunity. Unfortunately, despite the prescence of a talented cast of supporting actors and a leading lady (Bhumika Chawla) making an incredible Bollywood debut, the film fails primarily because of a poor performance by Khan.

In Tere Naam Khan plays Radhe, an overgrown bully prone to violent outbursts, with a heart of gold. He is a college graduate without direction in life, so he hangs around the same college with his friends. They amuse themselves by intimidating the newcomers, but also offer protection to the people in his neighbourhood. His actions are frowned upon by his elder brother with whom he stays. His sister-in-law and niece love him to bits however and spoil him, much to the dissapointment of his brother.

Into his life comes Nirjara, a new student at the college. She comes from a deeply religious family and is attending college as her fiance wants her to enjoy the benefits of a tertiary education. He is a disciple of her father who is the chief priest at the local temple.

During his interactions with Nirjara, Radhe falls for her simplicity and uncomplicated ways, only for her to reject his advances. However she is convinced by her own fiance that Radhe’s feelings for her are genuine and that he has changed for the better because of her. As her feelings for him change and just as Nirjara is ready to accept Radhe, he commits an impulsive and rash act which changes the course of the film dramatically.

Director Satish Kaushik’s attempt to make a film which is very different to the mainsteam Bollywood fare on offer at the moment doesn’t quite come together because he compromises his material too often. His forte is the typical melodrama’s that Bollywood churn out regularly. While he is to be commended for trying something different, it is inexcusable that he still panders to the very audience that relishes the melodramas he is known for. By adding in a situational song sequence featuring the beautiful actress Mahima Chaudary, which has nothing to do with the film and drawing out the fight sequences, Kaushik insults his audiences as it seems as he believes that these type of scenes are ultimately what audiences enjoy. The scenes in the mental asylum are ludicrous and obviously exaggerated for shock value.

What saves the film from being a complete flop is the excellent ensemble acting of the supporting cast and a truly wonderful Bollywood debut by Chawla. A talented actress from the Telegu film industry, she is mesmerising as Nirjara and her leading man could have learnt a lot from her beautifully understated performance. If she continues in this fashion, she certainly has a bright future ahead of her.

The choice of Khan as the hero is a major contributing factor to the films’ downfall. While he may suit the frivilous roles he is known for, this character needed to be played by a more skillful actor and the less said about his hairstyle, the better!

Koi Mil Gaya Review - August 2003

3 Stars. Koi Mil Gaya ( I Found Someone ). Directed by Rakesh Roshan. With Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Rekha. At Ster-Kinekor Cavendish.

Hrithik Roshan meets E.T.’s cousin just about sums up this film. Directed by Hrithik’s father Rakesh, who directed his successful debut Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya is being promoted as India’s first science fiction film. I don’t agree as director Shekhar Kapur’s 1987 release Mr. India featured Anil Kapoor as an invisible man in a film which also had sci-fi elements. However, this film is the first, to my knowledge, to feature spaceships and aliens. Unfortunately, they are the weakest part of an otherwise enjoyable film. Luckily director Roshan, knowing possibly that the effects work in his film is average at best, uses it sparingly.

The first half of the film is completely absorbing and showcases a terrific performance by Hrithik. He plays Rohit, a child in an adults body. This as a result of a car accident which kills his father and injures his mother, pregnant with him at the time. Hrithik’s acting skills really come to the fore in many scenes and you feel for his character every step of the way. His interaction with his classmates, all much younger than him as he has never progressed at school, his affection for the new girl in town (Preity Zinta), his treatment by the town bullies, coming to terms with his father’s dream of finding life on other planets and finally meeting an extra-terrestrial. Until interval this film is truly a magical experience.

The film slides post interval as we see more of the alien and the special powers it gives to Rohit and his young friends. These scenes are drawn out unecessarily. There is also a spate of unfunny scenes featuring comedian Johnny Lever which could have been left out completely. While this type of humour might work in India, it doesn’t travel well.. Perhaps it’s time that Bollywood producers consider releasing two versions of their films, one for India and another for the rest of the world.

It’s hard to imagine that four of the most experienced Bollywood scriptwriters (Sachin Bhowmick, Honey Irani, Robin Bhatt, Rakesh Roshan) couldn’t think of a more novel storyline than merely copying two of the most famous Steven Spielberg films of all time, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and E.T. The Extra –Terrestrial. It is quite obvious that while director Roshan is quite adept at handling the conventional Indian story themes, he is no Spielberg. The alien, who is called Jadoo, is no match to Spielberg’s E.T. While some may say that is an unfair comparison, I reckon if you going to copy something then do it properly. The alien in this film looks like a blue dolphin with a big nose and the performance is as wooden as Pinocchio before he became a real boy. While E.T was obviously not real it had a lifelike quality. Jadoo on the other hand is as lifelike as a plastic toy.

The film was shot largely on location in Calgary, Canada and these locations are breathtakingly beautiful. The photography by Roshan regular Sameer Arya and Ravi K. Chandran (Dil Chahta Hai) is another plus in this uneven film. Music by the director’s brother Rajesh, another regular contributor to his films, is not as good as his earlier works.

The cast, including 70’s heroine Rekha (as Rohit’s mother) aquit themselves quite capably especially the child actors that play Rohit’s friends. They are very natural and are quite delightful in their scenes. Ultimately, what carries this fim is Hrithik and he is the main reason you should see it. This is a performance that needs to be rewarded with a Best Actor award.






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