Nikhil Advani’s Katti Batti reminded me of one of his earlier films, Salaam-e-Ishq which had moments of real resonance interspersed with what can be only described as visual white noise. Like that strange scene in a foreign location (London?) where Salman Khan appears with a make-believe baraat to woo Priyanka Chopra. What was that, really? […]
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Tag: kangna ranaut
The Changing Face of Success
The idea of entitlement is not new to the Indian film industry. Nor is the hegemony fuelled by privileged stars and their coteries. So it took someone of Nawazuddin Siddqui’s talent, 15 years to land his first solo lead in Manjhi (though he played a pivotal part in Gangs of Wasseypur) but all it took […]
Revolver Rani: Brave And Lost
The writing in Revolver Rani winks at the seventies and the jargon of hero-centric block-busters so “Police ne tumhe chaaron taraf se gher liya hai ” becomes, “Police ko hamne chaaron taraf se gher liya hai.” The menace of a hero or a villain once conveyed through lines like, “Teja..Tejja..Teja..kaun hai yeh Teja,” turns into, “Alka..Alka..Alka..kaun hai […]
The Colour Of Profit
So Gulaab Gang is not really about Gulabi Gang or Sampat Pal. They just decided the colour pink was fetching, the lathis provocative and the idea of a gang of self-willed, rustic women commercially viable and they went for it. The intention was never to give credit where it is due. I also find it […]
Love in Mofussil India
Aanand L Rai’s cheeky Tanu Weds Manu begins with the nostalgia evoking voice of Ameen Sayani announcing farmayashi names of the protagonists and the song, ‘Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara’ from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Bawarchi. We see a time dappled home in Kanpur that hasn’t been painted in a while, getting ready for a guest while the patriarch sits blissfully lost in […]