Tag Archives: Kareena Kapoor

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

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I must confess upfront. My friend Jess appears as an extra and dancer in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, and without that motivation I probably wouldn’t have gone to see it. But I am so glad I succumbed to the friendly emotional blackmail! It’s a well constructed piece nicely executed by first time director Shakun Batra and writer Ayesha DeVitre. Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor were appealing and relatable, and demonstrated their comic flair. The standard masala trappings of big songs, blingy costumes and unnecessary subplots are for the most part missing, but instead I was treated to some good character development and writing with a slightly unconventional and very pleasing end.

Jess told me that she did ‘something’ in the opening scene but wouldn’t say what. If you’ve seen the film, the young lady giving birth is Jess. That was definitely unexpected. My friends (one of whom is very pregnant) and I cheered along as Jess grimaced and puuuuuushed!

Rahul Kapoor (Imran Khan) is introduced in a neat montage with a voiceover describing his childhood. With a distant demanding father (Boman Irani) and a vain socialite mother (Ratna Pathak Shah), Rahul learned to do what was expected and to navigate his parents ambitions. He grows into a nervous young man who never voices his opinions let alone acts on them. Drifting into a career as an architect, he moved to Las Vegas. Sadly his lack of passion for the career translated into lack of success and he was sacked. His instinct is to hide the truth from his parents and try to cope alone but he lacks the self belief to get going again. His dad’s friend, and indeed everyone else when asked, seems to think the cure for his malaise is sex and lots of it. Rahul is uptight, prissy and unlikely to heed this helpful prescription. He would think wearing un-ironed socks was totally wild behaviour.

Riana Braganza (Kareena Kapoor) is messy, extroverted, and affectionate. She rockets through life dealing head on with whatever setbacks she encounters and changing course as she deems fit. She has recently broken up with a boyfriend and it seems to have also made her break up with their friends who she accused of spying on her. She is looking to start again and get her life and career as a hairstylist back on track. Her parents are supporting Riana financially and emotionally after her break up. They talk openly about her relationships and dreams and she seeks their advice without feeling obliged to follow it.

Of course these opposites meet, and predictably enough Riana turns Rahul’s life upside down. There are several contrived plot set ups to bring the pair together and to keep them in contact, including a drunken Vegas quickie wedding. I have a sneaking fondness for the Elvis wedding celebrant idea. One of my friends got married there as he and his wife are atheists but they both believe in Elvis. Even though the catalyst was so filmi, the friendship between the pair felt quite substantial and the way the relationship developed was quite organic. Unlike other films where I have wondered why people stuck together, I believed that they were drawn together for a number of smaller reasons that eventually amounted to a significant bond.

Sensing that Rahul needs a break, Riana persuades him to come back to India with her when she visits her family. This eventually brings the story to crisis point. Is it friendship or love he feels? Is she just a compulsive hugger or does she have feelings for him? What will he do about his parents with their unrealistic expectations and social pretensions? If someone loves you do you feel obliged to love them back? It is so refreshing to see characters having some mature conversations about their feelings and what they might mean.

Imran has a youthful good boy look that suits Rahul, and initially seems withdrawn and listless. He loosens up and becomes more impish and demonstrative as Riana draws him out. He has a few moments of cutting loose where he seems to channel the Muppets, and generally hits the spot in his dialogue delivery and expressions. I particularly liked Rahul’s fixation on his teeth. At one point Riana tells Rahul that he is perfectly average – a compliment meaning he was balanced and didn’t do anything to excess. I think that sums it up. Imran gives a measured and deft performance in a film that has no real extremes.

Kareena’s performance is just right in terms of energy and sparkle, and she delivers the more emotional scenes with restraint and intelligence. There are shades of Geet from Jab We Met but Riana is more mature and self aware. Kareena’s rapport with Imran seems quite spontaneous and reinforced the feeling that I was seeing a friendship developing.

The story pivots on Rahul and Riana so the support cast is minimal. I really liked not having an unnecessary subplot. The actors who played Riana’s crazy family were all good, and they helped cement the sense that Riana was a real person and very much the product of her upbringing. There is one character who might fit the comedy uncle designation, demonstrating the vulgarity of the Kapoors’ social milieu, but he was a minor irritation. Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah have perfect timing in their reactions.

The visual design is clean and uncluttered. There are some cute calendar graphics to illustrate the days as they pass, and they suit the laid back modern quirkiness of the story. Shakun Batra uses some wonderful shots of Las Vegas, and I liked seeing the overseas location treated as more than just a song backdrop. When the action moves to India the interiors are perfect for the two families and contrast their vastly different backgrounds. Both Imran and Kareena looked the part, with costume design that was mostly flattering and appropriate.

There are some nifty touches. For example, when Rahul is talking to his dad there is footage of a lion killing a zebra playing in the background, with the action in that sequence matching the ebb and flow of the dialogue. Or when on a date with Rahul, the girl (an old flame) sends a text to ‘Avantika Malik’ saying how dull he is. It’s a well thought out film, with a high level of craftsmanship.

The soundtrack by Amit Trivedi (lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya) is OK but a bit heavy on acoustic guitar and navel gazing. The songs do fit in the drama and the lyrics – while unsubtitled – seemed relevant from what I could make out. Aunty Ji is a highlight for upbeat fun and cheesiness. Imran has clearly been working really hard on dancing and looking like he enjoys it. Plus Jess – post ‘childbirth’ and now a backing vocalist and dancer! Yay!

Given there is usually only a choice of two possible endings, romantic comedies rarely surprise. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu gave me some characters I liked, actors who did a very good job at realising their roles, an entertaining journey and a conclusion that was fresh and satisfying. It’s not a ground breaking masterpiece, but it is a pleasant and intelligent film. Recommended!

Ra.One

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Ra.One seems predominantly aimed at older kids, so I fall well outside the target demographic. But it was interesting to contemplate Shah Rukh, the father, as I watched him play a nerdy dad who wanted to do something his son would find really cool. And I think perhaps, Ra One is the thing he made for his own kids. As with almost all things parents do to try and impress their kids, it doesn’t entirely succeed and despite being well intended, can be cheesy and embarrassing. There are daft antics, crotch kicking jokes, bad hair and the occasional detour into gross humour or sleaze that – I know this will shock you – didn’t always entertain me. But a few things were just delightful and hit the spot.  

I avoided most of the pre-film promotion as I thought low expectations would be the key to enjoying it. Those expectations were raised almost immediately by the opening sequence – a very amusing filmi pastiche set inside a computer game. Priyanka Chopra (as Desi Girl) and Sanjay Dutt (as Khalnayak) were excellent at what I hope was intentionally bad acting, and SRK was very funny as a kind of Goth styled sword wielding Fabio. It was tongue-in-cheek, with lots of action and stunts, plus silly puns and recycled film dialogue. Sadly my hopes were dashed almost as quickly when the comedy began.

Shekhar Subramanium (SRK) is a Mr Bean type fool in a dodgy wig who creates havoc everywhere he goes. His son Prateek (Armaan Verma) – a child in desperate need of a decent haircut and a swift boot up the backside – is embarrassed by his loser dad. Shekhar is a successful (based on real estate as the family home is lovely) game designer and tries to make a game that his son will like. This section draaaaaaaaags on. It is clear that the son is a brat and the dad is sweet but misses the point. Kareena Kapoor as wife Sonia tries to keep the peace but the first half is more about the father son dynamic.

Prateek tells his dad to make a game where the villain can never lose, because villains are cooler than heroes. And so we come to the action at last. The science behind how the villain Ra One can escape his game is explained by a bit of hand waving and muttering of ‘digital rays’. That didn’t bother me as I think had there been a more rigorous scientific basis for the story it would have been even longer and even more plot holes would have emerged. Once Ra One emerges in the real world, the film becomes an action superhero flick and I was much happier.

Ra One is an evil entity and determined to finish off his first opponent from the game – Prateek – for good. Shekhar sacrifices himself to save his son, but he doesn’t exactly disappear from the film. Every villain needs a hero in opposition and G One represents the life force in the game. Shekhar programmed G One with his own values and equipped him with some favourite proverbs, part of his gift to Prateek. G One bears a physical resemblance to his creator but has much sleeker hair, blue contact lenses and a flash rubbery suit.

Ra One eventually settles into the form of a bare chested Arjun Rampal and the final showdown is inevitable. Arjun Rampal just has to posture and flex, which he does well, and he was certainly menacing. Ra One’s arrival in India was brilliant and loaded with symbolism, but that wasn’t carried through.

Evil versus good, death or life, emptiness versus selflessness. As with the science, Anubhav Sinha shies away from delving into those concepts. I’m not sure that would have made this a much better film, but I do think there was room to expand on some of the ideas and give a heightened sense of consequence when Ra One faced G One.

G One’s relationship with Sonia and Prateek is mostly played for laughs but there are some moments of ‘what if’ as the grieving family look for Shekhar in his creation. The film effectively navigated the relationship between the boy and his father/hero and wasn’t too syrupy. Shekhar’s death was discussed in plain terms, and while G One was comfortingly familiar (and kind of cool) he wasn’t just a vessel for the return of Shekhar.

Kareena was most effective in he second half, especially in her scenes with Shah Rukh and seemed more real when relating to him rather than the child. It says something that a scene involving nasal contents and ending with SRK saying ‘Like it? Keep it!’ could also have some underlying sexual tension. And be funny. The role was a mix of filmi Ma and minx that let her look glam and show some dramatic range. This was a solid performance that showed her off to good advantage.

Shah Rukh is more effective as the slightly robotic G One than as the exuberant Shekhar but that may just be my prejudice against the comedy wig talking. His acting was sometimes surprisingly restrained for a broad action entertainment like this. The scene where Shekhar sacrifices himself was quite moving, and all due to the change of expression in Shah Rukh’s eyes. He covers the gamut from slapstick to deadpan comedy and gave G One a slightly off tempo rhythm to his speech and movements. SRK seems to delight in uncle dancing or cheesy retro dance moves, and there are some excellent bad dance moments, including a Michael Jackson tribute. The pleather pants in that scene made me wish that he would get back on the carbs – he’s looking very thin, maybe as a result of wearing the rubber G One suit for months.

The Vishal-Shekhar music is pretty forgettable, although the picturisations looked OK. The choreography tended towards the inappropriate but I guess if you’re a 13 year old boy it would be just dandy. And I appreciated the shiny underpants on the girls in Chammak Challo as attention to detail is always a good thing, especially when there is so little fabric to go round.

While I found the choreography for ‘Criminal’ skanky (although par for the MTV course), there was something endearing about SRK trying to pop his non-existent booty. I was a bit distracted by the triangular slit cut into Kareena’s miniscule skirt that made me hope she had also been allocated appropriate underwear.

Tom Wu was a stand out in the supporting cast. I am not sure why a Chinese character had a Japanese name (Akashi) but whatever. Just don’t call him Jackie Chan! I loved his flubbed lip synch in ‘Criminal’, and he got to show off a bit more than just being a sidekick. Satish Shah was his usual ebullient comedy uncle type. The special appearance that got the biggest cheer was of course Rajnikanth! He did look a little frail and I hope he is resting up and getting ready for his next film.

The VFX are good and are well integrated into the action.  The gaming style is maintained in the way the characters move, their fights and the fast edits. It’s certainly a quality film in terms of production values. The fight scenes are excellent, my favourite being the South style showdown with machete wielding rowdies. The script could have used some work, and the first half could easily lose 30 minutes. The wardrobe department were clearly in control of a reasonable budget, but sometimes had no idea how to use it other than by throwing more stuff into the mix. This will give you a  sample of the visual delights that await.

Expect a mass entertainment aimed at adolescent boys and you’ll be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this for what it is. Yes it takes the shallow option on many questions, but it’s a superhero genre film. Would I really take life advice from men in rubber suits? 3 stars!

Jab We Met

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I remember Jab We Met as much for the circumstances of seeing it as for the film itself. Heather & I rolled up at Hoyts only to find the session was showing in the Halfpipe, where there are no seats as such, just numbered beanbags for two to share. So it’s just as well we were friends as I imagine it would be a bit odd to have to snuggle into a giant beanbag with a stranger. Especially if Heather that stranger kept muttering ‘beanbags are for cats not for people’.

Imtiaz Ali has taken a run of the mill romantic road story and made it fresh and charming with some considered writing and character development.  He worked wonders with his stars, drawing out excellent performances.  This is the only film in which I wholeheartedly like Kareena Kapoor (and her character), and it’s the one that made me first register Shahid Kapoor as a good actor not just as a great dancer and delightful eye candy. I wish they had spent a bit more on the visual effects, but I suppose they had to decide on CGI or eyeliner for Kareena.

Aditya Kashyap (Shahid) is grieving for his dead father, jilted by his love and suffering from the stress of his high powered job and a legal challenge by his estranged mother. All this unfolds in the first few minutes in a near silent performance by Shahid. Aditya has a breakdown of sorts once he is done with his routine and obligations, and wanders heedlessly through Mumbai. He ends up on a train, oblivious to its destination as his may be more final.

Geet (Kareena Kapoor) is a bubbly Punjabi girl, full of herself and a bit of an over-sharer. Fate puts her on the same train and she soon sees all is not right with Aditya. Her attempts to draw him out are clumsy and silly, but mostly motivated by kindness, and eventually he responds.

The direction to Kareena may have been ‘do as you will’ – she is spontaneous and crackling with energy.

Mishaps and misunderstandings send the odd couple on a road trip as Aditya escorts Geet back to her family in Bhatinda. Happy to be home, she is concerned that Aditya may lapse back into his depression and insists he stays for a time. Geet is determined to live according to her heart and can’t understand how someone as attractive and wealthy as Aditya can let life beat him down. Aditya sees her joie de vivre as foolish and selfish but he comes to admire her essentially happy nature.  I really liked the quick glimpses of the deeper compassionate side of Geet which lay under the bubbly ‘look at me’ extrovert. The trip home also allowed for an explosion of colour and movement in Nagada Nagada:

Geet plans to elope to meet her true love, Anshuman (Tarun Arora).  She is aware this will hurt her family, and Aditya doesn’t pretend he agrees with her. His view of marriage and family is tinted by the damage he saw his parents inflict on each other, and he envies Geet her happy home as well as her faith in love. Through Geet he comes to accept that his mother didn’t leave from malice, but rather to pursue the happiness she needed. They explore each other’s beliefs about the nature of love and what makes a good life, growing closer through these conversations.

It was fun seeing Dara Singh as the patriarch, ruling the family with a strict but loving hand and scaring the bejesus out of Aditya, and I enjoyed the raucous family gatherings.

For a number of reasons, including more family misunderstandings and a squad of enraged uncles, Aditya takes Geet to Manali and drops her at Anshuman’s. Their goodbye is beautifully captured as Aditya, just by saying her name, declares his love and she silently realises and refuses. This is undercut by Kareena’s demented Snow White outfit but still, it’s a lovely moment.

Geet’s confidence and resilience stems from knowing she has a family and home to return to no matter what. When she cuts herself off from that support she doesn’t blame anyone, but she does lose the spark and certainty that might have helped her move on when things go awry. Kareena gives a painfully real portrayal of being ground down by disappointment.  It is the loss of faith in her own decision making that leads Geet into further complications before the final denouement. It isn’t until Geet goes home again and gets her mojo back that she is able to see what she wants and more importantly, take action.

Aditya on the other hand has gained confidence – losing Geet taught him that he could survive and keep going. He stops being the passive observer, mends fences with his mother, and deals with his unrequited love for Geet. His employees (especially the girl to the left of picture) might have preferred a bit less of the office singalong but there was no going back!

When they meet again it doesn’t take long before the unguarded communication they had shared resumes. Aditya doesn’t try to hide his feelings and Geet doesn’t pretend not to know, and their occasional awkward moments are endearing. It is refreshing to see this kindly honesty towards characters’ romantic choices.  Aditya is a more decisive man nowadays, but not one to force issues with Geet. Shahid shows Aditya’s turmoil and temptation as he does his best not to influence Geet despite knowing that he could succeed.

Anshuman is the fly in the ointment and the weak link in the film. I got the feeling Anshuman decided what was good enough for wealthy industrialist Aditya was good enough for him as there was no convincing motivation shown for him to change his mind and chase after Geet. Tarun Arora’s performance is the least successful in the ensemble, and certainly helped ensure I never felt any empathy for his character.

The soundtrack is excellent and the songs are sufficiently different in style and scope that they suit the mood as well as sometimes providing a change of pace. Yeh Ishq Hai is a pretty travelogue with folkloric touches and some highly amused backing dancers that marks the shift to Manali. Tum Se Hi and Aaoge Jab Tum fill in the emotional life of Aditya and Geet once they parted, and depict the passing of time.  Plus, the subtitle team were fully on board and made sure I didn’t miss a syllable.

It’s always a shame when Shahid is paired with a mostly non-dancing heroine as it tends to limit the dances, but the fun choreography suited them both. The bhangra infused set pieces allow for high energy and sparkle, and Mauja hi Mauja ends the film on a high (thanks again to the subtitle team – working hard right til the end).

The conclusion is inevitable, but there are many roads that could have taken us there. The care invested in writing for Geet and Aditya makes the ending satisfying, and Kareena and Shahid are natural and charming in their characterisations. 4 stars !

Heather says: I love this film! I’m a very big Shahid fan and this is one of my favourites. I can watch him in almost anything but it’s always better when there is an actual story and a chance for him to act rather than just flex at the camera. Like Temple, it’s also my favourite Kareena film since usually I’m not too much of a fan of her acting. She has been good in a few roles, Omkara for example is another where I think she does well, but generally she is too over the top for me. I suspect that her Geet is actually very similar to the real life Kareena, but the character here really suits her and the transformation to sad and unhappy Geet was also very well done. Her exuberance and vivacity bubble off the screen so that when we see her in Manali after her life hasn’t taken the direction she anticipated, the difference is very striking.

Shahid is excellent in his role as Aditya. His initial scenes where he is so lost and sad were very believable and he manages to convey his depression so well without words. Aditya’s gradual realisation that there could be more to life in the face of the juggernaut that is Geet and her family is also nicely portrayed. The family’s obvious unconditional love and support for Geet was one of the great things about the film and came across very well. I love the look on Aditya’s face when he realised that Geet was not going to stop talking – ever! I’m quite sure that I’ve seen that look on my husband’s face from time to time as well.

Anshuman was the one part of the story that didn’t really fit. While his initial reaction to Geet turning up in Manali was very believable I didn’t get any sense at all that he had a true change of heart later. It was all a bit sudden and seemed to be more a case of jealousy and wanting something just because someone else also wants it. Tarun Arora also indulged in a little too much scenery chewing for my liking but that may just be because I didn’t like his character much at all.

I’d totally forgotten about the dreadful toy train and car used in the chase scenes until I watched this film again. It’s so very funny when they seem to have spent so much money on costumes for Kareena and the set for Mauja Hi Mauja. Possibly the money also went on the songs since they are all excellent. I remember that this was the best soundtrack for me that year and I danced to most of them at Bollywood dance class at some stage. They still sound great. Such a shame that there isn’t more dancing by Shahid in this film, as that would have made it almost perfect. 4 ½ stars.

I should also add that the beanbags provided a major workout since stomach crunches were required any time we wanted to reach our drinks. A truly unforgettable experience!