QURBAAN!!

Just came back watching QURBAAN.Have mixed feelings though!!Lemme see if I can put them down in the next few lines.

Before a film releases many a stories crop up in the entertainment columns of magazines,newspapers and in other media channels.Some planted deliberately by production houses as one of the many measures to build in pre-release hype.Ya!!What else can explain a shit of a movie like BLUE getting a thunderous opening at the box office and finding it difficult to hold on to the bare minimum in the next few weeks.Well and I believe some of them arises from the media itself,who these days seem to publish any and everything saying them to be coming from unconfirmed sources.Some stories I am afraid my dear are indeed true.


Well I say this because one of the many stories that I had heard before Qurbaan's release was that Qurbaan and New York originated from the same script.Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra of yashraj fame wanted to co-produce the film.But soon differences cropped up regarding the execution of the idea at hand.That is when both of them decided to go ahead with their own interpretations and parted ways.Thus was born New York and Qurbaan.

Well!! my friends this is indeed true.Though I cannot vouch for all the above details but the stories of these two films are almost similar.What else can explain both the protagonists of the two films being terrorists,the female leads being in love with them and the other protagonists coming on board of the terror gangs to thwart their plans with the help of the female protagonists.

 Even then unlike the friends with whom I watched this movie,I quite liked the film.The execution of Qurbaan was far better than that of New York.I found technically Qurbaan was notch higher than New York too.Never did i feel that this is the work of a first time director.Full marks to Rensil for that.The background score greatly complemented the flow of the film.Another thing that I must mention is the love scenes.They were shot with no strings attached ,the way I feel they should be.Kudoos to Kareena and Rensil for being bold enough.The acting was quite good too though I feel Vivek was very much underutilized.

So you must be asking what I didn't like in the movie.Well its just the fact that why two films out of the same basic idea.Our time is precious man!!               

In awe of Giselle Monteiro

A Brazilian model who passed on as a typical 'Punjabi kudi' without anyone doubting her.
Guess how the audience must have reacted after knowing that she was not even an Indian leave aside being a Punjabi.

'Harleen' that I would rather call her had come to Imtiaz to originally audition for the role of Saif's Caucasian girlfriend in the second half of the film but rather landed the role of 'Harleen' on Imtiaz's wife's insistence.
Inspite of doubts raised by Saif about their pairing Imtiaz stood by his belief(I think that is the biggest trait of a good director,standing by
one's inner voice,letting creativity spin its own web) and the result is for all of us to see.

I feel some roles have the divine blessings of the Almighty.Some eternal examples that come
to my mind at once are of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala as Saleem and Anarkali in Mughal-E-Azam,those of Jai,Veeru and Gabbar immortalised by Amitabh, Dharmendra and Amjad respectively in Sholay,that of suave Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino in The Godfather series,more recently that of Munnabhai enacted effortlessly by Sanjay Dutt and many more.(I plan to right a separate blog on this in the near future).Though these actors in many cases were not the original choices for the characters they eventually essayed but I doubt that anybody else whatsoever may be the calibre ,could have done justice to the role as has been finally done. It may seem I am being immature showering unworthy praises for Giselle by comparing her to these all time great legends but my point is somthing else. I can't think of anybody else playing 'Harleen' as I can't think of anybody else potraying the above mentioned legendary charaters.

Coming back to Harleen,well her's was a perfect example of how actions speak louder than words.The way she depicted the coyness and grace that prevailed during the 60's be it in her posture while sitting in the
rickshaw,while falling in love with Saif's character,while dancing away in the wedding,her silent rebellion for being married off against her wishes demands serious critical appreciation.I am still puzzled about how did she manage to do all these without knowing a thing about the Indian culture before onboard the film and moreover with very few words.

Imtiaz rightly says,"The small town mentality in every part of the world is similar."I couldn't agree more.That must be the reason that led her to quickly grasp the nuances of her character better than any Indian actress would have.

For me,I seem to not have enough of 'Harleen' and am waiting with baited breath for her next outing.

From the HEART!!

Had thought that I would start blogging on a good note but somebody had something else in mind.Today as I write this I bereave the loss of a team member.We didn't work together but still I felt his huge absence when I first heard of his passing away.A jolly good guy whose face I remember to be always smiling.A guy who was working hard on a project and who fulfilled his duties unto death.I say this because it may seem strange but even death struck him after he fulfilled his duties for the project he was on.
Played a crucial part in the team's success even on the cricketing field.But yet he was leaving in my so believed virtual world.A few drinks ,a wrong turn and life sped away from him.A mother lost his son of whom she must have seen many a dreams.She must be the only one whose wound will take a lot of time to heal.
A few minutes of silence and a condolence mail was all that took the world to forget him.The next day everybody was back again celebrating birthdays ,planning outings etc.No I am not complaining but that is how this world is,isn't it?.