...a film so designed to be 'feel-good' that it's almost obscene in how 'good' the audience is made to 'feel' - solicitation of pleasure laws should apply, for aren't people paying for this?
...if you want to make movies with 80s sensibilities, then you should have made them in the 80s.
...the lack of attention to detail is often insulting, that this is almost a sci-fi film. Predicts mass use of futuristic tech in the late 90s (calculating for an engg. student born in '78) such as cell-phones, webcams, broadband.
...in addition to Chetan Bhagat, the writers did not prominently credit those who write the jokes that eventually become email forwards.
...funny that a film whose story consistently praises 'innovation' over the 'formulaic system' uses a mix of old Bollywood techniques, with only the occasional meta-film references that we are used to from modern Bollywood films.
...the best 2-3 sequences or one-liners in the film went largely unnoticed in the audience; occasional sparks of originality glimmered anonymously.
...Engineering education might need a positive PR exercise in India.
...after vamps, kisses, and revealing costumes went mainstream, certain hindi words that were solely the preserve of Ranjeet & co. have ceased to be embarrassing in family films.
...life isn't worth living if one isn't a hero of one's film, i.e. if your life has an Aamir Khan and you are not him (one more coin in the doesn't-Aamir-Khan-do-the-same-characters? fund)
...and finally, we're in serious trouble if such a large quantity of people in the audience need to be given hope and reassurance (but ultimately, you've got to take the hard decisions about what you want; watching it vicariously is no use)
Alternatives: read Richard Feynman's "Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman", get a copy of "In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones", or try a more honest, though raw rendition of the same themes in "Silicon Jungle", a film by Rabi Kisku, an IIT Madras student.
8 comments:
Ah, I wasn't the only one to make the Feynman connection! And yes, one more FB status saying "Aal iz well" and I'm ready to do some damage.
Great post :)
Thanks a ton for mentioning 'In Which Annie..'. Watched it on DD (missing the title)during those times and have been trying to find out the title ever since.
LOL!
I did enjoy watching this movie, but I think it's hugely over-rated. You are absolutely right - it's ironic how this movie propagates innovation over formula - by happily using a formula!
Which one-liners are you referring to (that went largely unnoticed)?
P.S. I did read Feynman's amusing and inspiring book. Surely a better alternative to this jokes-message-tears-message loop.
Such is Aamir's hold in people perception that once a whole lunch table was on to me when I merely pointed out that he plays the same character again and again. And that mostly everyone else does the same as well. I am generally surprised to find that how less of the regular audience has any clue about what makes a character similar to the other.
I agree about Aamir. But most of the regular audience has no concept of what makes a character similar/different to/from another. Having said that, comparing/substituting this movie with the listed books is perhaps getting trapped in our own perceived seriousness of the movie. Probably, one needs to take the movie for what it is - an entertainer. Lets not get Aamirfied by it.
I agree about Aamir. But most of the regular audience has no concept of what makes a character similar/different to/from another. Having said that, comparing/substituting this movie with the listed books is perhaps getting trapped in our own perceived seriousness of the movie. Probably, one needs to take the movie for what it is - an entertainer. Lets not get Aamirfied by it.
I agree about Aamir. But most of the regular audience has no concept of what makes a character similar/different to/from another. Having said that, comparing/substituting this movie with the listed books is perhaps getting trapped in our own perceived seriousness of the movie. Probably, one needs to take the movie for what it is - an entertainer. Lets not get Aamirfied by it.
I enjoyed the movie overall, although I do agree with most of your observations.
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