DesiDabba - Boss, Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaye

Before I begin with my views on the said film, I would like to narrate an incident that took place many months ago. It may come across as some random rambling to some…well then rambling it is.

I had gone to the beach with my 5 year old niece. Yup, those were the days I was possessed by the fitness bhoot till the real me took over again, but that’s another story. Anyway, there I was doing my runs while my niece made sand castles with the help of her toys. 45 minutes into the run and then I decided it was time to retire. As I walked up to my niece I noticed a couple of tiny toddies helping her build the sandy caricatures.

They were just regular kids… sharing toys, giggling at each other’s silliness, looking proudly at the sight of their handmade monument. But for some reason I didn’t notice them just as that. To me the only bit that was very visible was – These kids are Muslims – And they are playing with my niece.

Continue reading ‘My Name Is Khan’

Seriously the year only seems to get crappier. Well at least in the matter of me and my pick of favorite Indian celebrities. First it was Barkha Dutt, then it was Rakhi Sawant and now to make a certain nightmare a reality, it is ex-IPS officer Mrs. Kiran Bedi.

Now in order to make you understand the gravity of the situation, I have to dig a little in my past. When I was a kid (okay…stop grinning right now), so yeah as I was saying…when I was kid I was hugely inspired by a tele-series on Doordarshan titled “Udaan”. For those sleeping during this phase – Udaan, was one of the most popular serials on DD in the 1990s. Written and directed by Kavita Choudhary, who also happened to play the lead role of ‘Kalyani Singh’. The story, a typical Bollywood pot-boiler, struggle of a young woman aspiring to be an IPS officer. After several setbacks, Kalyani not only joins the IPS but with her sheer determination and some really ass kicking fight scenes, is given the post of an ASP.

Continue reading ‘Bedi Bani Judge Judy‘

Formula for a successful reality show? Simple – Hire a celebrity. But not just any celebrity, a Bollywood superstar. Really, it’s that simple provided you have the monetary means to do so.

And to mark their entry into the competitive Indian television industry, COLORS has managed to just do that. Box-office action hero, Akshay Kumar is all set to make his small parda debut with reality show – Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi. If I am not mistaken, this is basically a revival of desi-Fear Factor, which once upon a time was aired on AXN and hosted by what’shisface Mukul Dev.

Continue reading ‘The Khiladi Factor’

*Not for the faint hearted.

Anything and everything you look here is wrong. Catastrophe, I say. Okay maybe they got the wind factor but that’s about it. As a complete Superman buff I am appalled. But then one glance at ex hero no. 1 cum once-upon-a-time politician’s past-present fashion taste (if one may call it so), the above disaster isn’t all that surprising.

And for Ms. Katkar, anything said is less. Well that’s cause there isn’t much to say about her Bollywood career at least. Her stint in the industry was much like blink-n-u-miss kinds but role playing seemed to be her forte – She started off with playing desi ape man’s very much desi Jane and signed off with as the Jhuma Chuma aunty.

BTW I am most offended by the ‘side hip thrusting’ movement in scene 1.01 and ‘I am a bird’ bit in scene 3.16 and the ‘hop-n-squat’ movement in scene 2.36 and, uff dunk it me too grumpy to write further.

[Ps – On a similar note, check out apna Southie version of Thriller. Scary shitts no doubt.]

It’s quite amusing if one takes a look at recent times Lezzy (lesbian) films with an Indian sub-context. Actually No. Let me rephrase this.

Watching the (only) two Lezzy films from mainstream Hindi cinema was an amusing experience, at least for me. I’m referring to Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1998), and blink-and-you-missed-it, Karan Razdan’s Girlfriend (2004). Of course, the two films differed widely in terms of storyline, direction, and other production aspects. Let’s not even go into difference in the acting department.

However the common thread between the two is this: Both films needed a reason for lesbianism. Homosexuality had to be explained and given a valid raison d’etre: the lead characters of both films were abused, sexually and emotionally, by members of the opposite sex, therefore they turned to other women for ‘solace’.

Continue reading ‘When Kiran Met Karen : Master Piece or Just For Titillation?’