BW: Swades, RNBDJ

I've been busy busy busy w/ the fam 'cause of Whit's wedding on Saturday (we didn't even have Bollywood night!), but never fear, I will update you on recent Bollywood-ness.

I can't believe I didn't mention yet that I saw Swades: We, the People on Saturday night. It was AMAZING!!! one of SRK's best performances, no doubt, b/c of the subtleness. It was just phenomenal. And he looked so good in all his plaid shirts and wife beaters. My favorite scene: when he takes a drink of the Indian water on the train and the subsequent look of despair that is so marvelously displayed on SRK's face. That's hard core micro acting (I don't know if that's a term, but I'd imagine that it would be a descriptor for very finely tuned, detail oriented, tip of your head to your toes acting). It was just amazing!

I did get Bollywood goodness in this week. Marth and I watched Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi!! It was, needless to say, AMAZING. I can't think of very many more descriptors. SRK was fantastic, leading me to my next point; that I believe Shah Rukh Kahn to be the best actor now living. The sheer volume of performances he puts out, coupled with his ability to play many different characters, connect with the audience and have a new way of crying every time he cries (at least 3 times per film) is astounding. And let's not forget his ability to turn his, let's face it, pretty goofy, big nosed face into the most attractive thing this side of sliced bread, and at 43 no less! Watch RNBDJ, a lot of micro acting, a lot of crazy emotional paradoxes that I couldn't even imagine beginning to act. Good gravy, what an actor.

UPDATE: After having watched more SRK films I still accept his awesomeness as and actor, but have realized that unless he's given a script and director like Swades or Chak De! his performances can be v. similar. And RNBDJ has many plot holes, and Anushka Sharma is NOT my cup of tea in the acting or personality department (watch the extras). Basically SRK's Suri carried the film, and when Suri leaked out of Raj.

If I haven't said, I want to go to India during my masters program and research and write my thesis on the disparities and similarities between Bollywood costuming and folk, religious, and everyday Indian dress, while examining Bollywood's influence on these and vice versa. I also want to PA (production assist (gopher)) a major Bollywood production (pref. a Yash Chopra or Farah Kahn film)

Shelby out.

BW: Veer-Zaara

Shout out to Anjali, who now reads my blog for the Bollywood entries, so there!!

Ok, Veer-Zaara, so good! Veer Pratap Singh, played by Shahrukh Khan, is an Indian Airforce squadron leader and rescue pilot. Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta) is a very privilaged Pakistani girl that goes to India to scatter her Bebe's (nanny?) ashes b/c Bebe was Indian and left in '47 to take care of Zaara's family. Of course her bus has an accident and Veer has to save her and they fall in love. The story is being told by Veer to his lawyer (Rani Mukherjee) 22 years later as he rots away in a Pakistani prison. Why he's in prison and all that is what you have to watch it to find out. Needless to say you kind of figure out that Veer and Zaara are seperated at some point.

I REALLY liked this one for the Pakistani/Indian relationship and the contrasts, but similarities between the two cultures that are composed of essentially the same people. Of course Shah Rukh Kahn is a Muslim Indian who always plays Hindu Indians which made the Muslim scenes v. cool to think about. Preity Zinta plays a Muslim Pakistani, but is I'd guess in reality a Hindu Indian. As far as I know Indians played all the roles. There is an AMAZING monologue by Veer at the end about how his country and Pakistan are so similar and how Pakistanis and Indians look the same. This is what I told my high school pals all the time!! But the politics were great! Another treat was Amitabh Bachchan playing Veer's bauji.

I really liked trying to pick out the differences between the Pakistanis and the Indians. For one the Pakistani women had very dark, severe eye make-up and I think they were even darker. Of course Preity and Rani are Bollywood heroines because they're fair, but I do think they had them be a little darker in this one, esp in Pakistan. There weren't really saris in Pakistan, but the costuming was similar. The wedding had similar jewelry and costumes, but was not so extravagant. Mad props to Karan Johar, who's usually a screenwriter and director, for costuming SRK (Manish Malhotra did the other costumes, he does a lot of films I watch). I was a little worred when he was in a horrible powder blue suit at the beginning, but SRK was actually really appropriately casual and studly throughout, and he had this wicked outfit w/ jeans and a denim jacket that actually worked! Mad props Karan, mad props.

I wasn't a fan of Lata Mangeshkar doing Zaara's playback. I'm not a fan of the voice, I think she sounds like she always has a frog, but I also only ever think of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham when I hear her voice. I just think she's better for older women. I was a fan of SRK's singers, I think Udit Narayan works best for him (and Abhijeet too, but he doesn't sing in V-Z).

Anyway, I was very pleased to find out that of course SRK was nominated for the Filmfare for best actor in 2004. He didn't win for Veer-Zaara, which I was peeved about b/c I'm totally biased and think he should win if he's nominated, but all was put at right when I discovered that at least V-Z won best film. And what do you know!! SRK was also nominated for Main Hoon Na and Swades: We, the People (for which he won). Good thing I unwittingly check out those two this week as well! I can't even think of a Western actor that produces three movies a year, let alone gets nominated for three!

So yeah, I probably forgot to mention some stuff, but v. good movie. I liked the past/present acting, it had a Hindu holiday w/ mad dancing, and no Western-ish songs, I liked that. I really like Yash/Raj films. Main Hoon Na at Bollywood night, love Farah Khan!

Shelby out.