Desi Galaxy

With ‘My Name is Khan’, Karan Johar is trying to break free from his usual romantic comedies to step into more serious film-making. Scheduled to be released in February 2010, My Name is Khan is the story of Rizwan Khan who is detained by the U.S. authorities after 9/11/. Rizwan Khan (played by Shahrukh Khan) is a patient of Autism. It is an uncommon disease and one of the characteristics of this disease include difficulties with social interactions. The signs of Shahrukh Khan’s disease are considered by authorities as suspicious behavior.

My Name is Khan is the most anticipated movie since Devdas in 2002. Karan Johar is very careful about not leaking much of the plot details. Film’s cast and crew are also very careful when talking about the movie. Shahrukh Khan has expressed many times that ‘My Name is Khan’ is a different kind of a movie. According to Shahrukh ‘My name is Khan’ is not about terrorism. It is about relationship of an individual with the State, with a religion and with a disease. What I didn’t like about My Name is Khan’s speculated plot is that the main character Rizwan Khan attempts to meet President Barack Obama to clear his name. I can imagine that the typical Hindi movie Formula mind of Karan Johar preparing an emotional and irrational rhetoric for that moment. Karan please don’t do that, let this one be a different movie.

So there will be the usual Karan Johar style of melodrama in the movie. This movie is also highly anticipated because it brings back one of the most loved on-screen couple in Hindi Cinema, Kajol and Shahrukh. Kajol plays the role of Shahrukh Khan’s love interest Mandira Khan, a Hindu Single mom living in San Francisco.

My name is Khan’s music is composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Who has worked with Karan Johar before and has also worked in projects produced by Karan Johar’s company Dharma Productions. The music release date is still unknown but we can be sure that its gonna be an instant hit. Despite the storyline of the movie the soundtrack would consist of songs for all moods. There will be Bhangra pop, a romantic tune, one theme song in sad and happy versions.

Rani Mukherjee is celeberating her 29th birthday today. On this occassion, I came across two articles (one on now running, the other on Zee news)about the actress. Both question how this so ordinary girl has become the queen of Bollywood. The articles tell you that she is talented. But let me tell you a little more, she is not only talented on screen, she is also very talented in public relations. She has very close friendships with Karan Johar, Aamir Khan, Sanjay leela Bhansali, Shahrukh Khan, Yash Chopra and his sons. She is even dating Aditya Chopra these days. I just love her, she is chrasmatic and she knows how to act. Anyone who thinks that her husky voice is annoying is wrong, actually her voice is very sexy.

What I like most about her is that she is sincere to her work. She doesn’t do over exposing like some other actresses. I don’t remember she kissed any one on screen other than Kamal Hasan for Hey Ram. I don’t know if she avoids kissing scenes or what but its strange specially when every actress including Aishwarya Rai is ready to do such scenes to grab audience attention. She has a taste for fashion and she has Manish Malhotra, the popular designer on her list of close friends. Manish’s creations make her appear as an ordinary girl who is living her fantasies. She is just like Babli. Happy Birthday Babli.

I love this movie. I can watch and enjoy it anytime. Like many other bollywood movies, it is a love story but this one is so beautifully filmed that you totally forget the fact that you have seen movies with similar stories. You forget that it takes many elements from other movies, like it has a song ‘Its the time to disco’ that looks and sounds a lot like ‘Koi Kehay’ from ‘Dil Chahta Hai‘. A person bringing happiness to a shattered family (like in Bawarchi and countless other movies). A love triangle (A universal romantic movie formula). You forget all this and you just sit down and relax to enjoy the magic this movie creates.Nikhil Advani stepped in as a director for the first time with the release of Kal Ho Na Ho in 2003. Previously Nikhil assisted Karan Johar in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The producer Karan Johar who also wrote the screenplay for this movie is to be equally credited for this movie. The Karan Johar style is very obvious in the movies in various scenes. Repeatition of theme song during the sad moments in the story and adding guest appearances by Rani Mukherji and Kajol is typically Karan Johar.

StoryThis is the story of Naina (Priety Zinta), an Indian girl who lives with her family in New York City. The story is narrated by Naina. Naina’s life is troubled. Her father committed suicide when she was young. This incident left a huge impact on her life. She is doing MBA in an evening college and works at her mother’s resturant in the morning. Naina’s mother Jennifer (Jaya Bhaduri) is a christian and her paternal grand mother Lajjo Kapur (Sushma Seth) who also lives with them in the same house is a devoted Hindu. The relationship between Jeniffer and Lajjo is that of a typical Indian Saas Baho. They can not stop arguing, the grand mother lives in a culturally isolated world and Jennifer wants her children to grow up naturally in the culture they are living in. The culture of the Indian families living in United States not that of Indian families dreaming India while living in United States. Naina has a younger brother who is unable to walk due to disability and a younger sister. Naina’s younger sister is not from Jeniffer, she was the result of her father’s discreet relationship with a white woman who left Naina’s father and abandoned the baby. Jeniffer took up the responsibility to take care of this little girl as her own daughter.

It was not just the cold war at home. Naina who is very close to her mother knows very well that their restaurant business is not doing so well and they are unable to return the money they loaned from the bank. The only little happiness Naina had in her life was her best friend Rohit (Saif Ali Khan).

Then one day a guy comes from India to live next door. Aman, (Shahrukh Khan) is a happy go lucky sort of guy. He is charming and handsome and every one loves him. Initially Aman’s friendly nature and his never ending attempts to bring happiness to other’s lives frustrates Naina. Later, Naina realizes that Aman has all the things missing in her own life, Aman knew the formula to happiness and she falls in love with Aman. However, Aman has some different plans to bring life back into Naina’s troubled life. He tries to set her up with Rohit.

The plot of movie is very simple and could be explained by the words used by Rohit in the movie “Rohit loves Naina, Naina loves Aman, and Aman… Aman has gone mad”.Cast:

• Jaya Bhaduri as Jennifer Kapur
• Shahrukh Khan as Aman Mathur
• Saif Ali Khan as Rohit Patel
• Preity Zinta as Naina Catherine Kapur
• Sushma Seth as Lajjo Kapur
• Reema Lagoo as Aman’s Mother
• Lillete Dubey as Jaswinder “Jazz” Kapoor
• Delnaaz Paul as Jasprit “Sweetu” Kapoor
• Shoma Anand as Lajjo Kapur’s Sister
• Kamini Khanna as Lajjo Kapur’s Sister
• Ketki Dave as Rohit’s Mother
• Sulabha Arya as Kanta Bhen
• Athit Naik as Shiv Kapur
• Jhanak Shukla as Gia Kapur
• Simone Singh as Camilla

Music of Kal Ho Na Ho

Music of Kal Ho Na Ho is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The music is just as melodious and romantic as the movie itself. The title song of the movie ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ sung by Sonu Nigham sets the basic background theme of the movie. The song has two versions, one in the normal tone and the other is the sad version. I just totally love this song, the lyrics beautifully explain the concept and moral of the story in the movie. Video of the song is even better, shot on different locations in Central Park New York City and Toronto.The film was first going to be shot in Toronto but later Karan Johar moved it to New York. However some parts of the song “Kuch To Hua Hai” in the movie are shot in Toronto.

‘Kuch to hova hai’ is a romantic duet sung by Alka Yagnik and Shaan.

The song ‘Pretty Woman’ is a tribute to Roy Orbison who composed the song for Julia Roberts starrer ‘Pretty Woman’. Kal Ho Na Ho’s pretty woman has Bhangra music and it is a simply fantastic dance number.

‘Mahi Ve’ is a typical bollywood wedding song. Wedding songs in movies are a hall mark of Yash Chopra school of thought. You would see such songs in all movies that are made in Yash Chopra style. The entire cast of the movie would dance and celebrate the occassion in the song. Kal Ho Na Ho ’s Mahi ve is not different from other songs of this genre.

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This was Nikhil Advani’s first movie as a director and it is hard to believe that this is his first attempt to entertain bollywood audience. Nikhil had a very strong support from the producer Karan Johar who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. Karan’s work, suggestions and his style is quite obvious in the movie. Kal Ho Na Ho is a typical bollywood family drama set in Manhattan New York. It shows the lives of Indians living in the United States and their problems in a light comic way. Before the release of the movie every one was expecting it to be a copy of 70’s classic Anand. There is a little similarity between the stories of two movies. However it is not a copy of Anand, it is an entirely different and original story.

Shahrukh Khan, Jaya Bahaduri, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan’s excellent performances create a magical impact on the audience. Dialogues are so refined, yet so simple and powerful. Manish Malhotra designed the costumes for the movies and it was not an easy job for Manish. This was not just a bollywood movie. This movie has a different location and it tells the story of people in cultural chaos. Manish had to come up with costumes that are trendy, casual and depict the culture of Indians based in NYC.

There is this wonderful article on the Telegraph UK, ‘My Big Bollywood Break‘.

The dress is red, tight and very short. It has a plunging neckline and is held up by a cheap brass chain. It is hideous.

“Take, take,” says the costume director, flapping it impatiently. I stare at him. He stares back. It dawns on me that he actually wants me to wear this. I’m about to achieve the ultimate dream of millions of women across Asia and dance in a Bollywood movie. And this man wants me to do it dressed as a prostitute.

Last night I was watching ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, It is one of my most favorite movies. There are some really stupid scenes in the movie. Like the one, when it starts raining in the Simla Camp, and Shahrukh Khan takes Kajol with him to a place. There Shahrukh asks her to dance and Kajol gestures that there is no music. Shahrukh khan plays his fingers in the air and some one starts playing piano in the background. No matter how impossible it seems but in the movie it looks magically wonderful. And the regular Hindi film viewers would assume that the music is coming from either the hearts of the two lovers or the magic box director had hidden somewhere on the location.

In the same movie, during the song ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ Shahrukh Khan and Kajol (Rahul and Anjali) suddenly start singing a song started by Rani Mukherji (Tina) without rehearsing. Bollywood Heroes do not need any training in singing and dancing, they dont need to rehearse and the viewer automatically assumes that they know everything already. They could jump from high rise buildings, fight with a gang of twenty hard muscled gundas with bare hands, sing and dance at any time and make the lead female actress fall in love with them with no difficulty at all.

Francisca Kellett is right Bollywood is world’s largest dream factory.

This year the awards were presented in a totally different format. The show was exclusively for film fraternity. Celebrities wore formal black-tie soiree. Most dance performances were filmed and recorded days before the show. Performances included dances by Sridevi, Amrita Rao, Rani Mukherji, Bipasha Basu and Hrithik Roshan. Music director A.R. Rehman performed live during the event. The event was held on 24th February and broadcasted exclusively by Sony Entertainment television on 25th February. The show was hosted by Shahrukh Khan, Karan Johar, Juhi Chawla and Priety Zinta.

Hrithik Roshan won the best actor award for Dhoom2 and Kajol won the best actoress award for Fanaa. Abhishek got the best supporting actor for Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Konkana Sen Sharma won the best supporting actoress award for her role in Omkara. Konkana Sen Sharma is a very talented actoress and I felt really happy for her. Saif Ali Khan earned award for the negative role in Omkara. Arshad Warsi got the Best Comedian for Lage Raho Munnabhai. Rang De Basanti was named the Best Film for 2006.

Stars appreciated the new formal style of the Filmfare award ceremony:

Speaking about the new format of the 52nd FairOne Filmfare Awards 2006, Preity Zinta said, “Filmfare being a black-tie event is news that we completely welcome. This time it is going to be special.” Adding to this, Shahrukh Khan who was also the emcee for the evening, commented, “This is a step in the right direction. Change is most essential.”

There are rumors about the tension between Rani Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra. Media got the wind of it when they found that instead of Manish, Sabyasachi Mukherjee will be designing her clothes for the upcoming movie Baabul. Sabyasachi also worked with Rani in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s critically acclaimed movie ‘Black’. So it is not the first time Rani’s not working with Manish. Media is pretty good at making stories out of nothing. This story is a classic example of creating a clickable or readable news story.

For example they totally ignore the fact that Baabul is not the first movie where Rani is not wearing costumes designed by Manish. They also totally ignore the reality that Rani Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra are both professionals, they need creative freedom to present their work. I think such loyalties are good in a way that these combinations create a genre of their own. Just look at the movies where Rani and Manish worked together and Rani looked beautiful, fresh and stylish wearing all those nice costumes. Bounding in loyalties would affect the audience mostly as they wont be seeing other combinations and other styles. Stylizing characters in movies is totally different from what we see in fashion shows. The characters in movies are going to act freely, and in Indian movies they often get over excited and emotional on little things. Actors are not models you can dress them but it would work magic only if it works out well with rest of the ingredients.

Lets see how Sabyasachi presents Rani in Baabul, what I have gathered from the web it seems that he is quite good at Birdal Saarees. So may be they have some heavily embroided Wedding costumes for Rani in Baabul. Now the question that comes to my mind is that wether Sabyasachi Mukherjee would be able to deliver something as stunning as Kajol’s bridal lehnga in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?

Links:
Sabyasachi’s work in Lakme India Fashion Week 2004

I was really very excited about Fanaa. It has Aamir Khan and Kajol, directed by Kunal Kohli and produced by Aditya Chopra. What else a bollywood lover can ask for? The movie turns out to be a below average flick. The story line was old and left me thinking that why Kunal Kohli, Aamir Khan, Aditya Chopra were so excited about this story? It is not like that no body has ever told this story in bollywood before. There are several movies about terrorists trying to break India into peices and then falling in love with a charming Indian guy or girl. So there was nothing new in this story.

Script, well to be honest it sounded like the dialogues were written for the soul purpose of using the word fanaa and explaining the sufi term. They had to do it because story itself was very unrealistic and director was not talented enough to deliever the massage by narrating a story, he needed couplets. dialogues were fictional and it felt like we are reading some novel or something word by word. Film is a different media and things that sound great on paper do not always look great on the screen.

Set and costumes were awfully boring. Rishi Kapoor’s character looked a lot like his role in Hum Tum. Tabu’s dialogue delivery was terrible. The movie is a must watch for Aamir and Kajol fans but I don’t think that anyone would like to see it twice, it is that boring.

Related:
Fanaa – Movie Preview
Fanaa – Music Review

Tags: bollywood, aamir khan, kajol

Have you checked out the soundtrack of Fanaa? Is this amazing or what? My goodness I can not believe I am hearing some quality music from bollywood after a long time. Music of Fanaa is composed by Jatin Lalit and the lyrics have been penned down by Prasoon Joshi. It has seven tracks each one of them is unique and brilliant. Fanaa is a Sufi term which means Destroyed in Love, since Sufism in Indian sub-continent has a lot to do with Qawwali so there is a qawali which makes and tries to explain the term Fanaa. It is one of the most blood boiling qawalis Indian Cinema has ever produced. To further emphasize the term destroyed in love there is an instrumental theme titled ‘Destroyed in Love’ and a remixed track ‘Fanaa for you’ by Dj Aqeel. Aamir Khan and Kajol provided there voices for two songs; ‘Mere Haath Mein’ and ‘Chanda Chamke’.

Songs of Fanaa can be listened and downloaded in MP3 and Real format here. Complete lyrics of all songs in Fanaa in Hindi along with English translation are available here.

Related:
Fanaa – Movie Preview
Fanaa – Movie Review

Tags: bollywood, aamir khan, kajol, fanaa, music