.

So, there we were, my sis and I, she all decked out in her fabulous Hindi wear, me sporting a small and tasteful bindi, heading to get tickets to the Bhangra Competition. The first store had no idea what we were talking about, the second thought it was a kid's event and it was cancelled, the third confirmed for us that they had, indeed, cancelled it a month ago.



Our spirits were dropped, our hearts were heavy, but we forged on. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Nirvana restaurant, picked up a whole new slough of movies (Fashion, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Kismat Konnection, Black, Golmaal Returns - which should I watch first?), and had a terrific conversation with Shyrose, my favorite movie lady which resulted in the following conversation:

Shyrose: "Have you been to India?"
Me: "No, but I really want to go."
Shyrose: "I've never been either. We should go. There's a guy doing terrific tours there right now", followed by a quick story of some girl that just got back and an in-depth look at the poster advertising said tour on the door of her store.
Shyrose: "Okay, let's plan to go next year. We'll each need about $10,000, because it's $6000 for the tour and you need at last $4000 for shopping!"

I have since started contemplating how I could possibly take a month off of work, leave behind my husband and two small children, and come up with $10000! India here I come (well, in my dreams anyway!)

Happy Monday everyone!

I took in Zoya Akhtar's directorial debut this weekend, and what I witnessed was a film that delivered the very best in what every film promises: a remarkably well written script, wonderfully acted performances and brilliant direction all culminating into a movie which manages to strike the fine balance between art house cinema and commercial entertainment.



While it's not the first to take on the Hindi film industry as a subject, it is certainly the most authentic and modern adaptation we've seen in a while. The movie is part satirical and part realistic in it's depiction of the struggle to make it big in the movie industry. It is neither a movie showing the extreme dark side of the film industry nor is it a shiny bright fairy tale, but rather an honest portrayal of what the main characters Vikram and Sona go through and the means by which they achieve their goals.

There's something about Farhan Akhtar that I just can't get out of my head. It could be the charm that oozes out of every single pore from his oh-so-cute face, or it could be the talent that shines whether he's acting, directing, singing, or hosting his tv show. Whatever it is, I am hooked! As the struggling actor, Vikram Jaisingh, Farhan gives an excellent performance as the boy who innocently, then manipulatively, works the system to his selfish advantage, climbing the ladder of success, knowingly hurting those who care about him.




Konona Sen Sharma, whose majority of work is based primarily in Indian arthouse and independent films, plays Sona Mishra, the mistress of small-time producer Satish Chowdhury (Alyy Khan). Her struggle to leave behind all the two-bit parts and become an established first tier heroine is beautifully and genuinely played.



Though the subject is serious, the mood of the film is kept light at all times by the multitude of quirky characters and funny dialogues played by an all-star ensemble cast. Veteran film producer Romi Rolly (Rishi Kapoor) gives an enthralling and amazing performance putting a lasting impression to his character. Ranjit Rolly (Sanjay Kapoor), is the failed actor turned director, who is always making funny jokes and moves trying to convince himself and his crew about the next shot. Minty Rolly, (Juhi Chawla) is also a character to remember, as the superstitious wife. A lot of other small cameos by Anurag Kashyap, as the screenplay writer who plagiarizes Hollywood films from the DVDs, Isha Shravani as the superstar daughter, who is too dumb and too pretty. And lastly Dimple Kapadia as the ex-screen siren who is attempting to launch her daughter into super stardom.




In and amongst everything else, there are plenty of insider jokes spilt at every corner (Nikki Walia unable to seek Romi Rolly's blessing due to her tight dress) There's even an avenue for sight gags: did you catch the posters for 'A Fistful of Rupees' and 'The Good, the Bad and the Worst'!

The few number of songs in the movie, seems adequate and never forced. My favorites are the opening number 'Yeh Zindagi Bhi' which serves as dignified homage to the upline and downchain support functions of the entire film industry, and Pyaar Ki Dastaan, a beautifully melodious song picturized on Vikram and Nikki during filming of their movie.

And I can't forget to mention the multitude of small cameos that include the who's who of the industry, from Amir Khan to Karan Johar to Abhishek Bachchan to *gasp* Shahrukh Khan (what a nice little packaged treat for me!) Shah Rukh's is by far the most impactful cameo, and gives the most powerful and defining lines in the movie, lines which were perhaps not given to the dialogue writers but have been his own firm values that have made him the biggest superstar of this Industry.



The ending, though unconventional for a Bollywood movie, gives this film a certain gravitas in being unflinching in the messages it wants to make about the industry, where the tenacious succeed and there is not much room for sentimentalism.

I don't watch a lot of Hollywood films anymore, but caught Will Smith's Seven Pounds last night. I'm not going to do a full scale review on this, but I felt the need to mention it.



I don't think I knew what was going on for at least the first half of the movie, if not more. I found it perplexing, even though the performances seemed to be quite good (Will Smith played the confused, anguished man beautifully - even if I didn't understand why he was like that). I didn't understand what the story line was, or if there was even a story line, but all became clear during the last 20 minutes or so of the movie. Once I realized what was going on, all of his motives became clear and I couldn't help myself from bawling like a baby. Even in the confused state I was in for most of it, the ending made it all worthwhile and left me feeling a little in awe of how selfless some people can be (though I doubt you see that sort of thing very often, if at all really, in the real world).



On another topic: I have famiy coming over for dinner tonight, and am, of course, going to attempt to cook Indian again. Of course there's the butter chicken (which I feel I've mastered at this point), but tonight I'm going to tackle two new dishes - Vegies korma and Coconut Curry Shrimp. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM good.

Tomorrow is the Bhangra Cup Competition. We are heading in the city early to get tickets from our favorite saree shop 'Bhatia Cloth House' in Calgary, then probably a quick visit to my movie connection 'Bollywood Blockbuster', then off to the Jack Singer Concert Hall to check out this year's best in Punjabi music and dance. I CAN NOT wait!

Hope everyone has just as good a weekend!

Poll #1
Who is your favorite Bollywood actor
Shah Rukh Khan - 66%
Aamir Khan - 22%
Hrithik Roshan - 11%
Other - 11%

Hmmm. I wonder who 'other' is? I would like to make a special mention to director turned actor Farhan Aktar!


Poll #2
Which movie are you most looking forward to this year?
My Name is Khan - 50%
3 Idiots - 35%
Kites - 28%
Kambakth Ishq - 21%
New York - 14%
Delhi Belly - 7%


Poll #3
Who is your favorite Bollywood jodi?
Abhishek Bachchan/Rani Mukherjee - 31%
Shahid Kapoor/Kareena Kapoor - 5%
Shah Rukh Khan/Preity Zinta - 21%
Shah Rukh Khan/Kajol - 47%
Saif Ali Khan/Preity Zinta - 15%
Akshay Kumar/Katrina Kaif - 5%
Shah Rukh Khan/Rani Mukherjee - 26%
Hrithik Roshan/Preity Zinta - 5%

Interestingly enough, Abhiskek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai, who is the list's only real-life couple scored 0%. Interesting.

Poll #4
What is your favorite soundtrack from 2008?
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - 27%
Yuvvraaj - 9%
Ghajini - 18%
Singh Is Kinng - 3%
Bachna Ae Haseeno - 15%
Dostana - 15%
Rock On!! - 9%
Jannat - 3%

Mine was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi for sure, and I'd say the rest are fairly close to what I would have picked also.

Poll#5
Who is your favorite male playback singer?
Udit Nayaran - 9.5%
Vinod Rathod - 0%
Sukhwinder Singh - 14%
K.K. - 19%
Lucky Ali - 0%
A.R. Rahman - 5%
Sonu Nigam - 33%
Shaan -14%
Other - 5%

I'm quite surprised that niether A.R. or Udit scored very high on this. Sonu is my favorite also, plus he's totally current so that's not shocking at all. I'd like to know who "other" is.

Poll #6
What is your favorite Aamir Khan movie?
Lagaan - 15%
Fanaa - 15%
Ghajini - 15%
Rang De Basanti - 13%
Taare Zameen Par - 11%
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak - 8%
Dil Chahta Hai - 8%
Other - 6%
Rangeela - 4%
Raja Hindustani - 2%

Looks like it was a pretty close race. I guess that's what you get when you put out quality everytime!

Poll #7
What was your favorite movie of the summer?
New York - 5%
Dil Bole Hadippa - 11%
Wanted - 17%
Kaminey / Love Aaj Kal - 22% each
Haven't see any - 22%

Clearly Bollywood did not produce last summer.

Poll #8
What is your favorite Shah Rukh Khan film? 65
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - 12%
Chak De! India - 13%
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - 8%
Don - 5%
Om Shanti Om - 9%
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai- 9%
Kal Ho Naa Ho - 6%
Main Hoon Na - 12%
Devdas - 2%
Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Ghum - 6%
Swades - 12%
Veer Zaara - 5%
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna - 2%
Dil Se - 2%
I like his early stuff - 2%
I don't like Shah Rukh - 3%
Other - 6%

Since this post, I would rank Duplicate as one of my favs, which didn't end up on the original list.

Poll #9 21
What movie are you most looking forward to this year so far?
My Name is Khan - 33%
Veer - 5%
Ishqiya - 14%
Prince - It's Showtime - 5%
Rann - 0%
Chance Pe Dance - 5%
Karthik Calling Karthik - 5%
Kites - 15%
Teen Patti - 5%

Produced by Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan, Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na marks the spectacular debut of Imran Khan (Aamir Khan's nephew) as an actor, and Abbas Tyrewala as a director in a movie we've seen manufactured dozens of times. The plot is simply this: boy and girl meet, spend all their time together, deny being in love, only to realize they actually are in love nearly too late, but all prevails in the end. Several movies, too many to mention, have tackled this story, and we see bits and pieces directly taken from other films (Chalte Chalte, Love Actually). At least we see glimpses of a refreshing and new treatment to this over-used formula, even though it's not without its fair share of masala (I mean, what was really the point of the 3 point prophecy anyway?).

This is the launch pad of Imran Khan, and, for me, he was the star and the biggest bright spot of the movie. He gives a very natural and casual performance playing Jai - the "boy next door" with ease. He's not Mr. Popular nor does he want to be, yet he still is because he's just that charismatic. Genelia D'Souza, whose popularity stems from mostly Telugu films, plays Aditi, an unconventional heroin. She's loud, rude, obnoxious, not the type of girl you'd want to go for but yet grows on you and eventually makes you fall in love with her, because underneath it all is a sweet expressive and charming girl who you want to root for maybe.



What really works for Jaane Tu is its ensemble cast which is new, believable and likable. It has some sparkling performances by the seasoned and seemingly very hip Ratna Pathak Shah as Jai's mother and Prateek Babbar, who plays the loving but possessive brother to Genelia. Naaseruddin Shah gets to have a bit of fun as a ghost-on-the-wall and his interactions with Rathna (his wife in real life) are bound to produce giggles. Arbaaz and Sohail Khan deserve special mention for their comedic act as the hero's long-lost uncles.

There were two things I didn't especially care for in this film: the afore mentioned 'prophecy', which I can say was either only written to support Naaseruddin and Rethna's exchanges or so someone could fulfill a horse riding fantasy; and the dialogues between Rethna and so-called villian, Paresh Rawal. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't get the whole point of the legal friction between these two characters.



Though some would say it's his least memorable album, including myself, A.R. Rehman steps outside of the box with an unconventional score, including an interesting jazz flavor. I enjoyed the songs 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi' and 'Nazrein Milaana Nazrein Churaana' immensely.

Overall, even amongst the thousands of cliches, I found Jaane Tu an enjoyable film with a fun, reflective look on love and friendship. It is the little moments that show the relationships between the mother and son, the brother and sister among other such fine moments that make 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' a refreshing experience.

OMG, I subscribe to this fabulous channel B4U, a 24 hour Bollywood film channel, which I've yet to see an entire movie on, but I put it on every chance I get and catch lots of bits and pieces of movies, newsbits, etc.

Today I have it on and the movie is 'Showbiz' starring Tushar Jolota and Mrinalini Sharma. I've no idea what it's about, but I've just witnessed a scene with a horrific car rollover in which the couple is crushed underneath their overturned vehicle, bleeding and dying. This in itself would be tragic, except all of a sudden several men with cameras and camcorders gather taking pictures and filming what, one can assume, are the couple's last minutes. It was rather a grotesque take on humanity, but almost realistic in the papparatzi's approach to stars. Yikes! Don't think I'll finish watching this one.

I was expecting huge laughs. I was expecting over the top performances. I was expecting an unexpected love story. What I got was a little of each.



Dostana is the story of two men, Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham), who bump into each other while heading to rent the same apartment owned by Neha (Priyanka Chopra). However, their inquiries are rebuffed because they do not meet the criteria laid out by the owner's Auntie - no men allowed. Sameer gets an idea when they are mistaken for a 'couple' that if Kunal and he pretend to be gay lovers, then the owner will agree to let them stay. Kunal initially refuses, but agrees out of desperation. Their plan works and they move in. Over a period of time Neha, Kunal, and Sameer become good friends, hanging out together and having fun. Here's is when the traditional love triangle would happen, but is thwarted with the introduction of a 4th party, Abhimanyu Singh (Bobby Deol). We find competing friends join forces to thwart Abhimanyu and Neha's budding relationship and we end up with, probably not the ending you really wanted, but the only one that I could see being feasible.



Abhishek is the pick of the actors, no doubt about it. Called on to play an over-the-top pink-loving straight man, who, let's be honest, seems far too interested in pretending to be gay. Bachchan hits the nail on the head as he stays over the top and ends up being exceptionally enjoyable. Clearly an actor who likes getting under the skin of his character, this is a role that calls for much self-deprecation and abashment, and Bachchan embraces both quite well.



Though I think Abhishek was the shining star, you have to give John Abraham his kudos, if for nothing else but his fantastic physique which has the power in and of itself to successfully convert the oblivious into a Bollywood fan. Both Abhishek and John compliment each other so well. In fact, had the chemistry and camaraderie been missing, the story would've failed to look convincing.



While I think the boys were the stars, I can't forget to give a little bit of credit to Priyanka Chopra, who is stunning, albeit completely blind, as Neha. I mean, if anyone of my male "friends" ever gave me such a beautiful gift as the album Sameer gives her... wait a minute, I don't think I know any straight men that would do that. Perhaps that was totally in character after all. Kirron Kher is absolutely hilarious in her portrayal of Sameer's shocked, over the top and ultimately accepting mother. The scene in which she welcomes Kunal into the family is definitely a heart warming one. While he looked the best I have ever seen him, Bobby Deol's Abhimanyu character simply felt like an afterthought to me.



I found it amusing to see director Tarun Mansukhani paying tribute to his mentor and Dostana producer Karan Johar at every place possible even going to the extent of making John & Priyanka act out a scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (though I was more interested at this point in watching Shah Rukh and Kajol dance than Kunal & Neha).

Vishal-Shekhar's music goes well with the mood of the film. It's young, peppy and energetic. Although none of the tunes make it to my top 10 (or even 25), 'Desi Girl', 'Maa Da Laadla Bigad Gaya,' and even 'Shout up & Bounce' are all foot-tapping compositions.



This movie has been hailed as everything from daringly fresh, with it's light & frothy take on homosexuality, though not without the stereotypical caricatures, to being genuinely entertaining while setting the gay rights movement in India back at least a decade. I, for one, found it pretty damned funny. Everyone learns a lesson about tolerance without actually embracing an alternative lifestyle, and any movie that can hoodwink two of today's most macho movie studs into a full-on smooch that doesn't disintegrate into slapstick gay panic is venturing into risky territory.