ON KAREENA KAPOOR... AND 'JAB WE MET'

Hmmm... I think I may have just jinxed myself with the very optimistic 'more regular updates' prediction at the end of my last post... which I put up two whole months ago! Hilarious. Oh well, the best laid plans... but I really do plan to post more often from now on...

So anyway, here's the subject of my post looking stunning at the recent Filmfare Awards, at which she took home the statuette for Best Actress...

My first Bebo experience was with 'Poo' in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'(K3G) and I COULD NOT STAND her! I thought I would be scarred for life by that performance and in some ways I think I might be - sometimes, when I start to think positive things about Kareena Kapoor, a mental image of Poo (complete with sound effects - the horrible way she spoke in that film) flits into my head and I shudder and try to think of something or someone else!

Such was the repugnance of 'Poo' to my very soul that I convinced myself that not only was Bebo really, really, cringeworthily, ANNOYING, she wasn't even cute, or pretty, or attractive! But I was prejudiced, andI've long since revised my views and admitted to myself that, especially on her 'good days', Kareena is actually quite lovely in a striking, 'different' sort of way - and seeing her stunning image on billboards in Mumbai convinced me of that 110%. The eyes are set quite close together (not a sign of 'classic' beauty), the jaw is strong, the lips are remarkable (can't think of another description for them), the regal nose, the sassy chin - altogether the features make up a lovely, interesting face. And I also have to acknowledge that 'Poo' is not solely Kareena's 'fault'. Poo is simply a very annoying character, and I guess Bebo was only doing her job...

I've seen Kareena Kapoor in quite a few films, but until recently, I've only really liked her (as opposed to thinking 'not too bad' or 'good in some parts, bad in others') in two: 'Asoka' and 'Omkara'. And I once wondered if there wasn't something a little mean-spirited and perverse on my part for liking Bebo in only those movies - Dolly and Kaurwaki are both very tragic characters who meet with very sad ends... could it be that I just like watching Bebo suffer?

Happily for my conscience, the answer is a resounding 'no' - in 'Jab We Met' (JWM'), Bebo's character, Geet, is a happy-go-lucky, fun-loving, carefree young lady, who, although she does suffer alittle, ultimately gets her very happy ending. But unlike some of Bebo's other 'less tragic' turns (think 'Bewafaa', 'Aitraaz', 'Dosti' (oh wait, that was tragic but I still hated it), 'Mujhse Dosti Karogi' and of course the Poo-tastic K3G), I found her portrayal of Geet really fresh, lovely and perfectly charming. Considering that the character is a little over-the-top (and that's putting it mildly), I thought Kareena's portrayal was pretty much perfect. She did a great job of creating a distinctive, but also very relatable and 'real' character.

Also spot-on was the lovely liplock at the end of JWM... like big sis Lolo (the star of my 'Bollywood Kisses' post, which was one of my all-time funnest posts to do), Kareena has proven that she can do areally good onscreen kiss... I love how Shahid's fingers go through her hoop earring by the way, there's that sweetness and pleasure but also the intensity and abandon of the moment... love it.

There are tons of places where you can read about JWM in more detail and more compelling language, so I won't lay my thoughts on you. All I will say is that its message is pleasantly and refreshingly positive about life in general; that it's about self-discovery, freedom, forgiveness,and living an authentic life (messages I love); that there's: lovely chemistry between the leads, very cute and witty dialogues, and fun songs with fun picturisations; that Shahid is very, very cute (have to say I am loving him these days) and Bebo is very lovely, and... must leave it there or else I'll go on about it forever. Definitely worth checking out of you're a fan of good romantic comedy. Finally Bebo and Shahid got it right even if it was at the end of their real-life romance... a befitting 'au revoir', I think. And now I'm off to find another good Kareena performance to keep her glowing in my heart alittle longer - I'm thinking 'Yuva', 'Chameli' or 'Refugee'... what say ye?

(Actually, since writing this post, I've seen Kareena in '36 China Town' in which I think she did well... so (sigh), it looks like I'll be eating my words once again and starting to like someone I declared I never would!)

Up next... my first 'Faces' post...

AŠOKA AND THE ASHES

I just saw ‘Ašoka’. Shah Rukh Khan is flaming HOT in this movie. Why did no-one tell me this?Oh my gosh, he is just so delish, so scrummy, so… sigh. And the way he handles that sword of his… UNBELIEVABLE. I love him in many movies, but I think his cuteness factor in ‘Ašoka’ is through the roof. But I say the very same thing after watching a lot of SRK movies…

Hot smiling (sort of)...

Still hot scowling...

I’ve stayed away from ‘Ašoka’ for a long time, because I’m always a bit suspicious of movies that are always in the Bargain basement on Amazon.co.uk, Play.com and the theHut.co.uk (which is where I get a lot of my Bollywood DVDs. The ‘Beliefs, Blackness and Bollywood’ blog (see, Sheetal, I can do it, bahut bahut shukriya!!) has just turned me on to Nehaflix, and I’m not sure whether to thank t-hype or not for unwittingly showing me another place to spend money! – but I digress. Nehaflix is cool, though). Anyway, ‘Ašoka’ was always cheaper than other movies on my ‘regular’ websites (although, to be fair, so was ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and I really liked it), so I thought it just might not be very good. And the reviews I read on different sites were a mixed bag.

But I am SOOO glad I got this film. Apart from the fact that SRK is the very hotness in this movie:

it’s quite a good film. The fight scenes are really nicely shot, good cinematography, nice sets, good costumes, really well-produced. There are one or two discordant notes – some of the music is too ‘modern’ for the film, for example; but altogether it’s really solid and praiseworthy, as far as Bollywood productions go.

For those not in the know, in ‘Ašoka’, Shah Rukh Khan plays Prince Ašoka, a very brave (and according to SRK’s version, tres sexy) ancient prince. Kareena Kapoor plays an ancient warrior princess, Kaurwaki. Ašoka and Kaurwaki are both victims of power struggles, and they are also from enemy kingdoms. And so, naturally, a lot of ‘stuff’ happens – political intrigues, family tensions, divided loyalties fighting, and of course… prem. Kareena Kapoor is a pleasant surprise in this film. I almost despised her after watching her performance as ‘Poo’ in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. But here she is solid. Her acting in ‘Ašoka’ really cannot be criticised, she steps up to the plate and does a very good job in a pivotal role. I actually liked her strong but emotional and nuanced performance in ‘Ašoka’. Now I’m forced to acknowledge that Bebo actually is a good actress (so what happened in K3G?).

Random thought: the cute little Prince Arya (Kareena’s character’s brother) is played by an adorable kid. He looks especially sweet dancing with SRK in one of the musical numbers.

‘Ašoka’ is a good watch… I enjoyed it.

And now for the piece de resistance (my favourite SRK shot in this movie):

Gotcha!!

SOME RANDOM BOLLYWOOD-RELATED MUSINGS

In my last post I wrote that I was torn between doing a 'Dharmendra post' next or a 'Bollywood post. Well, I've decided to post some randomness about what I got up to in the world of Bollywood this past weekend.

LAKSHYA:

I saw 'Lakshya', which stars Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta (Amit-ji too). Lakshya is one of those 'Jai Hind' patriotic war movies, and it's a decent effort, in my opinion. It's about a guy who finds his 'laksh' (objective, goal, focus) when he joins the Indian army. There was a nice love story, a little father-son drama, and some shooting (with guns, I mean). The only problem I had is that I would've like to see all the characters (particularly the soldiers) fleshed out a wee bit more, so I could actually feel bad when they were killed in battle. As it was, I didn't feel much (and that's not because I'm unfeeling - honest!) I think the whole story needed a bit more oomph to it, so I could really get into it.

This was quite an interesting film although I must confess that I zoned out during the battle scenes. I don't blame the filmmakers, I'm just not a fan of those scenes where all you can hear is shooting... in fact I'm not a war movie fan. I liked Hrithik's acting in this film, and this was also one of Preity's stronger outings. The music was partially very good and partially bad (but I would say mostly good). The tone of the film is a bit too dark, I understand the use of darkness as a device but it was a bit of overkill.

I always wondered why Farah Khan was always going on and on about Hrithik's great dancing skills (I always thought that hip action in 'Ek Pal' from 'Kaho Naa..' was annoying, but guess that Farah's fault). Anyway, I finally saw Farah's point in one of the musical numbers in this film (I think I counted only 3 numbers as it's a war film, personally I think only 2 were necessary). Anyway, in the song (can't remember its name), he was really good. It was kinda arty (by Bollywood standards), with him in a straitjacket at the beginning and end. Interesting (even if derivative) choreography... and Hrithik CAN dance. I now agree with Farah. His acting is really good in this film too, I think the young lad has prospects.

Amit-ji was good in this film although he seemed a bit bored and tired at times - and the use of darkness in most of his scenes wasn't particularly flattering. I once read a review of KANK where the reviewer said something like 'Bachchan's wrinkles are now too scary for the big screen' - think that was VERY unfair (I love love love Amit-ji and think he should go on acting as long as he likes), but... I was a bit scared myself in this film, I must admit.

Preity was really good in Lakshya, mad props to her. She plays a nice strong female (always nice to see in Bollywood). Her performance had depth, but I wasn't convinced as to why her smart and pretty character even likes Hrithik's character in the first place, as he is a total 'duffer' and 'loafer' and not even cute (before he enters the army). A charity case? Wan't convinced, but that's not Preity's fault, guess the scripting is too blame for that. Anyway, Hrithik cleans up really good in the army and becomes a different man, having found his 'laksh'. His ears are really big (as his army beret highlights), but he's still tres cute, and I still have a little demi-semi-crush on him.

Re-watching K3G and Mujhse Dosti Karoge (well, bits of them, anyway): I am not a big 'Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Gham' freak, but I surprisingly enjoyed re-watching bits of it. I steered clear of all the 'Poo' bits (where I come from, we flush poo down the loo), and watched all my best bits, which are:

1. The bit where Jaya B finally (after years of silent suffering - not cool, Nandini!) lays into Amitabh and tells him 'bas. I've said it, haven't I?'

2. My favourite musical numbers, which are, in descending order: 'Suraj Hua Maddham' (wet SRK!!), 'Bole Chudiyan' (this time I noticed they borrowed 'Wah Wah Ramji' from HAHK and used it here), and 'Say Shava Shava' (I always love watching SRK and Amit-ji dancing, but for very different reasons).

3. All the Kajol/SRK bits (except the super-saccharine 'Jai Hind' bit at their son's school).

4. SRK and Hrithik on the park bench.

5. DJ finally recognizing her Baaba.

6. Amitabh Bachchan breaking down at the end.

The rest of the movie can go down the toilet with Poo, as far as I'm concerned (ok, that was a bit mean, Daddy's Girl).

Watching Mujhse Dosti Karoge again was nice, too. Again, I tended to avoid the Bebo bits, and enjoyed the Rani/Hrithik bits more. It's a bit of a silly movie, actually... especially all the random Yash Raj touches (like the irritating 'uh oh' sound effect everytime Kareena says something daft). Kareena's character deserves a denseness award, but I guess that's not her fault. Her acting is actually okay in this movie (it's bad at the beginning but picks up about 20 minutes in), although anything is better than Poo. And of course MDK features the lovely 'Medley' ending with KKHH... why must Yash Raj rip off their music in every one of their films? I mean, enough already. But it was quite sweet here, I think.

The 'L' Word: Now this was a revelation... for those not in the know, 'the L word' is a slightly (actually, quite) trashy US TV show about a group of lesbians living in LA... their lives, their loves, their lesbianism, you get the picture. Sometimes this show displays a few strokes of genius, and can actually (at its very rare best) be thought-provoking.

A lot of the time, though, the acting is very very weak (the cast features has-beens (that's a bit harsh, Daddy's Girl) like Jennifer Beals from the classic 'Flashdance' (whose acting is actually quite good on this show, along with Mia Kirshner - feel a bit sorry for them when they have to say stupid lines and do silly things), and whatsherface from 'Foxxy Cleopatra'... oh yeah, Pam Grier) and the writing is even weaker. I hear this is down to the fact that the writing team is constantly changing, leading to inconsistency.

Which is a pity, as this is a groundbreaking show (in terms of subject matter) and, if handled properly and maturely, (which it is not) could raise very some interesting questions about women and sexuality in America. The show is now in its 3rd season, though (go figure), which I personally think is down to the fact that they liberally sprinkle each episode with some quite-risque-for-tv girl-on-girl 'action' (they can cos it's on Showtime). Just my opinion. Oh, and the theme song is one of the most irritating things I've heard in a looong time (sorry, I always notice the music).

Anyway, was watching an episode of the show and this girl who looks very familiar, with a crisp British accent and wavy brown hair, comes on. It takes me a minute (I know, I can be a bit dense), but I finally cotton on the fact that it's Rachel Shelley, yes, 'Memsahib' from 'Lagaan'! Yes, the one that sang 'I am in love, I am in love, I am in LOOOOOOOOVE!!' (with Aamir Khan). The one that didn't quite convince me that 'Memsahib' was actually in love with 'Bhuwan', and not under the delusion that she was starring in her own personal Mills and Boon novel. Anyway, Rachel's acting in the L-word is actually pretty good (although quite a bit of it, the episode I saw, was horizontal, if you know what I mean). I think, just maybe, she's going places.

And here ends my random musings... have a great week!