If India has one thing it can talk, debate, argue, laugh over, cry over, joke over and feel proud over after religion, politics, movies and burping, it's sports. Goes without saying, sports is also a big cash cow for any Indian businessperson and now, entrepreneurs.
This brings me to that one thing that has been said to have the power to change the mentality of entire societies and generations – movies. One surprising thing is that though sports and movies are the hottest selling vadapaos in India, they have seldom made a good mix. In fact, movie circles used to pooh pooh the idea of a person making a movie on sports. Countless people had failed, until the perfectionist of India, Aamir Khan, came up with the guts of a 'Lagaan'.
As a media professional, I can safely tell you that India's first colossal hit sports movie, 'Lagaan' would have seemed ridiculous to veterans. A movie about cricket? How in this entire seventy mm world were they cramming fifty overs? Who'd take care of the technicalities? And what would the climax be? A man running some yards and throwing a ball at a man standing yards away holding a stump of wood?
Bad Idea. Bad idea turned into a good idea, they just added plain ol' patriotism. However, that's another story for another coffee, this is about another raging sports movie of India, 'Chak De India'.
For those who care, let's go through the script...
Disgraced hockey coach, and a 'Muslim' to boot, Kabir Khan (SRK). Coming back after 'seven years and loose change' to coach the women's hockey team towards the Women's World Cup Hockey Final. Everyone has their own demons in their gym closet, and everyone has their strengths, failures, and all the yabba dabba doo you see in feel good movies.
Simply put, the biggest production house in Bolywood, Yash Raj Films, didn't have anything to lose in the movie. For one, they had Shah Rukh Khan, the Brad Pitt of India. For two, they had a feel good, good wins over evil factor, for three, they actually went in and researched the game and also came up with some tremendous actors for the parts. Were they freshers, were they from stage, were they from the boob tube? You really can't tell. So, them making a movie about sports is not a big thing at all. The fact that they have actually tried to put some life into all the other characters is really good news for the Indian film industry.
Every scene of the movie is a situation. The dialogs are ultra crisp and it has what can be called 'modern humor'. And yes, the movie does have its times of sitting at the edge of the seat.
Maybe I have seen a lot of foreign movies, but if you ask me, I did feel the movie a bit tame. I mean, the movie is good, the acting is superb, and the execution is mind fantastic, but I didn't have anyone to take home with me (from the movie, you devious mind) except myself. Not Kabir Khan (the character, devious mind), not any of the girls(forget it), no one.
Again, for those whom these things matter, the biggest bombshell in the movie, that Sabharwal girl, is a Maharasthrian from Pune. Yeah, my coverts are everywhere.
Shah Rukh Khan rules. Simple. This is another of his roles which make him the icon for the cuddly wuddly college going crowd.
Chak De India can be the best thing happening to India in 2007.
For those who came in late, 'Chak De' basically means 'Give it to Them' in Punjabi. I sometimes wonder why the mainstream media only targets the Punjab or the Gujaratis while creating Indian characters. We do have the Maharasthrians, Parsis, Bengalis, Christians...
Finishing Move:
The next time someone tells you that India has progressed in mentality too, trying making them sit alongside a opposite gender member in a public theater.
Finishing Move II:
I learnt one good advantage over chewable tobacco and smokable tobacco, you can chew it anywhere, but you can't smoke it everywhere.
Chak De!
This brings me to that one thing that has been said to have the power to change the mentality of entire societies and generations – movies. One surprising thing is that though sports and movies are the hottest selling vadapaos in India, they have seldom made a good mix. In fact, movie circles used to pooh pooh the idea of a person making a movie on sports. Countless people had failed, until the perfectionist of India, Aamir Khan, came up with the guts of a 'Lagaan'.
As a media professional, I can safely tell you that India's first colossal hit sports movie, 'Lagaan' would have seemed ridiculous to veterans. A movie about cricket? How in this entire seventy mm world were they cramming fifty overs? Who'd take care of the technicalities? And what would the climax be? A man running some yards and throwing a ball at a man standing yards away holding a stump of wood?
Bad Idea. Bad idea turned into a good idea, they just added plain ol' patriotism. However, that's another story for another coffee, this is about another raging sports movie of India, 'Chak De India'.
For those who care, let's go through the script...
Disgraced hockey coach, and a 'Muslim' to boot, Kabir Khan (SRK). Coming back after 'seven years and loose change' to coach the women's hockey team towards the Women's World Cup Hockey Final. Everyone has their own demons in their gym closet, and everyone has their strengths, failures, and all the yabba dabba doo you see in feel good movies.
Simply put, the biggest production house in Bolywood, Yash Raj Films, didn't have anything to lose in the movie. For one, they had Shah Rukh Khan, the Brad Pitt of India. For two, they had a feel good, good wins over evil factor, for three, they actually went in and researched the game and also came up with some tremendous actors for the parts. Were they freshers, were they from stage, were they from the boob tube? You really can't tell. So, them making a movie about sports is not a big thing at all. The fact that they have actually tried to put some life into all the other characters is really good news for the Indian film industry.
Every scene of the movie is a situation. The dialogs are ultra crisp and it has what can be called 'modern humor'. And yes, the movie does have its times of sitting at the edge of the seat.
Maybe I have seen a lot of foreign movies, but if you ask me, I did feel the movie a bit tame. I mean, the movie is good, the acting is superb, and the execution is mind fantastic, but I didn't have anyone to take home with me (from the movie, you devious mind) except myself. Not Kabir Khan (the character, devious mind), not any of the girls(forget it), no one.
Again, for those whom these things matter, the biggest bombshell in the movie, that Sabharwal girl, is a Maharasthrian from Pune. Yeah, my coverts are everywhere.
Shah Rukh Khan rules. Simple. This is another of his roles which make him the icon for the cuddly wuddly college going crowd.
Chak De India can be the best thing happening to India in 2007.
For those who came in late, 'Chak De' basically means 'Give it to Them' in Punjabi. I sometimes wonder why the mainstream media only targets the Punjab or the Gujaratis while creating Indian characters. We do have the Maharasthrians, Parsis, Bengalis, Christians...
Finishing Move:
The next time someone tells you that India has progressed in mentality too, trying making them sit alongside a opposite gender member in a public theater.
Finishing Move II:
I learnt one good advantage over chewable tobacco and smokable tobacco, you can chew it anywhere, but you can't smoke it everywhere.
Chak De!
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