Random Observation

In the last 2 movies I've watched I have noticed the same disclaimer at the beginning of the films. Both Dil Chahta Hai and Aamir featured a disclaimer saying:

All characters in this film are fictitious
and bear no resemblance to any person living or dead.
Any similarity is purely coincidental.

Now I know that it is wrong to draw a conclusion of the mass product based on 2 occurrences;however, I am wondering if this disclaimer is common in Bollywood films, and if so, why?

Unfortunately this post is merely posing the question and not answering it. My basic searches thus far haven't produced any answers, but if I figure it out soon, I will be sure to post! I just wanted to pose the question....

Bollywood Action vs. Hollywood

Aamir is an intense storyline packed with ethical and religious messages that could take an entire book to dissect, but my focus is on the filmic devices used. Aamir was different from any of the other Bollywood movies I've watched in that it was an action movie. I am used to seeing Hollywood action but never a Bollywood action movie. So what makes it different? Really, there isn't much difference. The film, like Hollywood action, utilizes suspenseful music at dramatic moments to increase both visual and audial suspense. Two primary examples is when Aamir is tossed the phone and when he opens the suitcase (there is a crescendo as the case is slowly opened). The camera moves in similar ways as well -- quick traveling shots during chase scenes, fast cuts, close ups of Aamir for reactions to what the man on the other end of the phone is saying. Another common thread in the film is montage shots of other people watching Aamir throughout the day reminding the viewer (and Aamir) that the man on the phone has people everywhere -- he is constantly being watched.

The main difference I found between this Bollywood action and a Hollywood movie is the music. Yes, music was used in the same way to create suspense, but there were also a few numbers distinctly Bollywood. There were no song and dance numbers in the film (it would have definitely bumped viewers out of the emotional distress of the movie if there were) but there were at least two times in the film where Aamir is walking around and a song is playing in the background narrating what is happening internally. These moments are always focused on Aamir -- as if Aamir could be singing them at this moment because it is what he is feeling going through. Even though there is no song and dance number like many Bollywood movies, Aamir still uses music as a narrative device, which is not common in many western or Hollywood action.

Another interesting difference is the lack of a female lead. In Hollywood, the male is prompted to extreme action because of a beautiful damsal, but there is not one in this film, and yet, it was still highly enjoyable.

I couldn't find the songs with subtitles but here are two of the songs from the movie so you can hear what they wound like...

Bollywood Meets Suspense

WOW!

I just finished watching the 2008 hit Aamir, directed by Raj Kumar Gupta and starring Rajeev Khandelwal -- and all I can say is WOW!! Thus far I have experienced Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai and Slumdog Millionaire -- all of which are phenominal in their own rights but somewhat similar in the way they approach the drama with still a fun, light hearted, and eventually happy manner. Aamir is simply on a whole new level -- a new dimension of Bollywood I have never experienced. And I like it...A LOT!


I will post more on the film later (once I have gathered my thoughts)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EDIT------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a plot summary:

THIS POST WILL INVOLVE SPOILERS...

"Everyone is a normal human being
until they do something abnormal or inhuman"

Director Raj Kumar Gupta's 2008 hit, Aamir, tells the story of Aamir (played by Rajeev Khandelwal) an Indian man returning home after studying medicine in England for 3 years. The film opens at the airport where Aamir is having difficulty getting through customs. He continually tells the airport worker that he is just an ordinary man -- a doctor. The airport worker then says something simple yet profound (quoted above). Shortly after, Aamir is let into the country, and the action begins causing the viewer to temporarily forget about this small interaction. Aamir walks out of the airport expecting to meet his family, but he is instead thrown a cellphone and learns that his family has been kidnapped, and he must do exactly what the man on the phone says or they will surely die. Aamir reluctantly begins a confusing and stressful adventure all over Mumbai. Throughout the movie, the man on the other end of the phone (who you never learn the identity of) keeps telling Aamir that he has been blind to the suffering of his people (referring to Muslims), which doesn't make any sense until the end. Aamir is in possesion of a vibrant red suitcase full of money, which he must deliver to a man for his family to live. Easy enough. But of course it is stolen. Aamir (through the help of a crazy prostitute) gets the suitcase back and doesn't think twice about it assuming the thieves never opened it. Once he is on the bus to deliver the suitcase, he is told to put the suitcase under his seat and get off the bus. It is a bomb. The airport worker's quote at the beginning of the movie comes roaring back with a whole new meaning now. This ordinary man who was forced into unfortunate circumstances is now considered a terrorist. The film reaches a moral peak -- does he save his family or does he save the people on the bus??

Top Actresses

The Top 5 Bollywood actresses of 2008
~Taken from realbollywood.com~

5. Kajol (U Me Aur Hum)It’s a pity that ‘U Me Aur Hum’ didn’t go the distance that it deserved. Though the film did reasonably well at the box office, one would have expected much more buzz around Kajol’s act in the film. As a troubled woman suffering from Alzheimer disease, she was near perfect in the film which was directed by her husband Ajay Devgan. The usual spunk was missing from her performance, as per the demand of her character since she was required to be all tense and pensive for most of the film’s duration. As for her future films too, expect some more serious/meaningful/hard hitting characters to be played by her, something that she seems to be opting for considering her status of being a ‘veteran’ actor already.

4. Anushka Sharma (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)It is not every day that one sees a debutant leading lady being offered an author backed role in a commercial Yash Raj film outing where she is seen in almost every frame of the film. This way Anushka Sharma was really lucky since she didn’t just get an opportunity to be a part of a film which told a new story and allowed her to display her acting talent; it also made her stand next to Shah Rukh Khan in almost every scene. Anushka grabbed the opportunity provided to her with both hands and went all out in coming up with a sparkling act. Add to that her modeling background and some good dancing skills and we could be looking at yet another star material in the offering.

3. Aishwarya Rai (Jodhaa Akbar, Sarkar Raj)While it is hardly a breaking news that Aishwarya Rai looks beautiful in every outing of hers, what is turning out to be a pleasant surprise are some consistently good performances from her year after year. In 2007 it was ‘Guru’ and this year, the films where she came up with some good performances are ‘Sarkar Raj’ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’. Though her ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ turned out to be a good money spinner and got her quite some accolades, it is ‘Sarkar Raj’ where she impressed even more in the role of a businesswoman. Watch out for her scenes with Amitabh Bachchan and you know that she is confident enough to be standing in front of the best of the talents and still make her presence felt. Credit must go to Ram Gopal Varma who went beyond her beauty, made her wear business suits for most of her scenes and still made her performance noticeable.

2. Genelia D’Souza (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa)The ‘home coming’ award for the year 2008 should go to Genelia D’Souza who came back from hibernation (as far as Bollywood is concerned since she was busy with her work down South) and came up with a flawless performance in ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa’. Even though the film took close to 2 years in the making, spark in Genelia’s performance could be witnessed in each of her scenes. Simply brilliant and the heart of ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa’, she impressed on all quarters, whether it was her delivering her dialogues, being natural in front of the camera or looking just like the character she was required to portray. A powerhouse of talent, she should be much more visible in Bollywood from here on.

1. Priyanka Chopra (Fashion, Dostana)And this would well be the comeback of the year! With as many as six flops behind her - ‘Salaam E Ishq’, ‘Big Brother’, ‘Love Story 2050′, ‘Chamku’, ‘Drona’, ‘God Tussi Great Ho’ - any other actress would have just given up. But not Priyanka Chopra who just looked at ‘Fashion’ and ‘Dostana’ as the opportunities that could bring her back into the reckoning. While most of her flops were long in the making, she concentrated completely on these two films which promised to present in a different light altogether. While Madhur Bhandarkar gave her a author backed role in ‘Fashion’, Karan Johar ensured that she turned out to be the scorcher of the year with ‘Dostana’. She impressed on both counts, whether it was acting (Fashion) or looking beautiful (Dostana) and announced loud and clear - ‘I Am Back’.

Hello there! This is Kahle again, and I was also thinking about how much I enjoyed the different music present in Slumdog Millionaire as well, so I thought I should share some. It was so interesting to me how they incorporated a song that was a hit in America recently with a lot of traditional Indian Bollywood-type songs! Here's a couple examples for your listening pleasure!

Praise for Slumdog Millionaire

Last night I went to the movie theater and watched Slumdog Millionare. Now, I am not usually very excited about watching movies that win a lot of awards because they are usually over-hyped and not as good as people think they are, but this movie was amazing. It was easily the best movie I have seen in years, both because of the storyline and because of all of the visual parts of the movie and filmic devices. I am not even sure what to write about because there are so many great things!

The most noticeably amazing thing about the movie was the storyline! If you haven’t got to watch the trailer that Liz posted on April 1st, watch it and then go see the movie. It is the story of a young man named Jamal, who is a contestant on the Indian version of “Who wants to be a Millionaire.” Jamal is able to win the equivalent of being a millionaire, but the story takes the viewer through how he was able to answer every question correctly during a time of accusation after being arrested for cheating the night the show aired.

The filmic device that was most noticeable and important to the film in my opinion was the use of flashbacks throughout the movie. They connected each question from the television show to a flashback from Jamal’s life. There was also a repeated scene throughout the movie that depicted Latika, Jamal’s love, standing in front of a moving train in a train station wearing an orange shirt. Throughout the whole movie, I thought that once he found her in that orange shirt in the train station that they would live “happily ever after”; however, that moment came and went in more turmoil for Jamal and Latika. Overall, the quality and care in which this film was made is something that I don’t think I have seen in a long time, if ever before, and it definitely ranks in my top five favorite movies I have ever seen. The story is beautiful, the visuals are stunning, and the care in which the film was shot was immaculate! Two thumbs way way up!!!!

~Kahle

Monsoon Wedding Trailer