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Most of the times, I need drugs to keep me happy in order to get through a "modern" Hindi film. Sorry. Not a fan. When pushed, I can name most the leading actors, but honestly even with all their western-modern pszazz, I get the feeling that Bollywood is trying too hard and most the output typically of the 80s is not that good.
Gone may be the time when all the films revolved around mothers and the poor taking revenge against the rich, but it's equally not very credible for the viewer to take a serious subject and stick a whacky song-dance number in the middle. That said, I'm equally critical of western cinema for over-doing formula. Name me two James Bond films where the formula/plot/overall stories are significantly different. I always say, if you've seen a James Bond film, you've seen them all. If Hollywood is leading the way for Bollywood to copy, then most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood is pap too.
I keep saying to my Mrs that we'll see a Hindi flick at the cinema ... but what am I going to do if I get bored? I can't exactly change the channel, can I? I've tried rubbing pop-corn into my eyes, but the salt stings.
I'm in a bit of a time wharp - my father has a massive collection of Black and White Indian movies and some early colour ones (you know from way back when, when they spoke ezzafa-laden Urdu, not Hindglish/third-class Bambaiya Hindi "Eh apun ko daru pilaou") and the women wore 9-yard sarees, had a bit of grace and not two piece swimsuits that lack class. The older films I mostly like. The same applies for classic English-language cinema, hence I tend to watch TCM, if ever I watch films on TV.
Of the new stuff, I did enjoy Jab We Met. It was a bit of candy pop movie, I confess. But I like period films, like the origianal Umrao Jaan and Pinjar with Urmila Matondkar (classier than most the current crop), even though the Muslims typically are portrayed as the plotters in that last film.
The last film I saw was Salt (so, so) and Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. I like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I could watch that over and over and I like Bachahai Asmaan, an Iranian film - such a hopeful, feel-good message. Oh, and Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Highly recommended. Not bad for a science-fiction flick from 1927.
Gone may be the time when all the films revolved around mothers and the poor taking revenge against the rich, but it's equally not very credible for the viewer to take a serious subject and stick a whacky song-dance number in the middle. That said, I'm equally critical of western cinema for over-doing formula. Name me two James Bond films where the formula/plot/overall stories are significantly different. I always say, if you've seen a James Bond film, you've seen them all. If Hollywood is leading the way for Bollywood to copy, then most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood is pap too.
I keep saying to my Mrs that we'll see a Hindi flick at the cinema ... but what am I going to do if I get bored? I can't exactly change the channel, can I? I've tried rubbing pop-corn into my eyes, but the salt stings.
I'm in a bit of a time wharp - my father has a massive collection of Black and White Indian movies and some early colour ones (you know from way back when, when they spoke ezzafa-laden Urdu, not Hindglish/third-class Bambaiya Hindi "Eh apun ko daru pilaou") and the women wore 9-yard sarees, had a bit of grace and not two piece swimsuits that lack class. The older films I mostly like. The same applies for classic English-language cinema, hence I tend to watch TCM, if ever I watch films on TV.
Of the new stuff, I did enjoy Jab We Met. It was a bit of candy pop movie, I confess. But I like period films, like the origianal Umrao Jaan and Pinjar with Urmila Matondkar (classier than most the current crop), even though the Muslims typically are portrayed as the plotters in that last film.
The last film I saw was Salt (so, so) and Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. I like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I could watch that over and over and I like Bachahai Asmaan, an Iranian film - such a hopeful, feel-good message. Oh, and Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Highly recommended. Not bad for a science-fiction flick from 1927.
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