Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Bollywood bonanza
|
Bollywood seems exciting this season with attractive new releases
|
I STILL remember watching "Kurudhi Punal" and "Muthu" back-to-back and catching "Guna" and "Thalapathy" on the same day, during an earlier edition of Deepavali. The din of crackers outside was only matched with the noise the fans made inside. The excitement, the whistles, the screams created a riot of people and emotions. Sigh! At the risk of sounding like an oldie, twenty-something me would say it was the golden era of Tamizh cinema, simply because of the excitement cinema-going generated. I wouldn't know much about cinema in the era of MGR and Sivaji, but I heard that their groups of fans didn't quite create the tension Kamal and Rajni fans created in the 1980s and the 1990s.
True, there have been endless face-offs, some resulting in violence too, but it was that passion which turned these matinee idols into Gods. Not only have both the `Thalaivars' stopped releasing films on the same day, that passion for watching cinema in the halls too seems to be missing today.
Bollywood, more exciting
And suddenly, Bollywood seems more exciting this season. After all, it is the season of Shah Rukh Khan, the biggest star ever, next only to maybe Amitabh Bachchan, with his 50-crore market worth. No joking or approximation this, a Shah Rukh Khan movie does gross over Rs. 50 crores these days. At least, his last two releases have.
Antara Mali in "Naach"... Another "Rangeela"
More than Yash Chopra returning to direct after six years, I am more excited about Aditya Chopra's latest script "Veer-Zaara." Many forget that it is Aditya Chopra who scripted and directed "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge," the second-most popular film in the history of Indian cinema, next only to "Sholay."
If "Sholay" ran for three years, "DDLJ" has run for ten years at a theatre in Mumbai. Though Aditya's second outing "Mohabbatein" wasn't equally good, it was still noticed for its outstanding dialogue, especially in the scenes where Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are engaged in a face-off. These I would certainly include in my personal favourite best moments of Indian cinema.
With Rani Mukherjee playing a lawyer trying to unite Shah Rukh and Preity, the two separated lovers, if not anything, you can surely count on Aditya's writing, apart from Madan Mohan's music and Yash Chopra's flair with love stories, to see "Veer-Zaara" through.
`Mast' watch movie
"Naach" seems to be another "Rangeela" in the making with Antara and Abhishek looking quite a lot like Urmila and Aamir in the film that made Ram Gopal Varma what he is in Bollywood. Another `Mast' watch for sure.
The plot for the other Deepavali release "Aitraaz" has already been disclosed by the media. Yet another Abbas-Mustan remake of a Hollywood thriller, this time the Michael Douglas-Demi Moore starrer "Disclosure," with Akshay Kumar playing victim and Priyanka Chopra, the seductress. Considering how bold "Disclosure" was, it will be interesting to see if the Bollywood version goes all the way.
Classic revisited
Madhubala in "Mughal-E-Azam
Finally, there's the classic "Mughal-E-Azam," which many in the country believe to be Bollywood's biggest spectacle ever, hitting the halls again, this time in colour to light up your Deepavali.
Maybe I'll try "Veer-Zaara" and "Naach" back-to-back (they are playing in the same theatres) and catch "Mughal-E-Azam" during the weekend.
SUDHISH KAMATH
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
