Totally Filmi

slumdog millionaire

A few people have been curious to know what I think about "Slumdog Millionaire" -- and I haven't been able to answer, because up until now, I haven't been able to see it -- it isn't showing out here in the Middle of Nowhere!

But that's going to change -- we're driving into Toronto on Friday to go see it, because I cannot bear not to see it in a theatre.

I will say that I'm looking forward to seeing Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, both Hindi film actors who I rather like (especially Anil Kapoor).  I'm looking forward to AR Rahman's music.  I'm looking forward to the Bollywood-type dance number I'm told is in the credits.

And I'm looking forward to seeing what I think is a very good film.

Here's the thing -- I'm going to record something about it for the upcoming podcast (and it is coming, I'm just doing a lot of the planning and behind the scenes stuff right now, but I'll be dusting off the microphone shortly), and I'm really hoping to get some feedback before I go to the movie.

So -- do you have any questions or comments for me?  I'd love if it you sent me something -- either in an email (the link is in the sidebar), and I'd be *thrilled* to get audio questions/comments (.mp3 format).

Ask away.  Pontificate away. If you've seen the movie, tell me what you think.  If you've seen it and have questions, ask away.

And just for the heck of it, here's the trailer:

the king in action

And for anyone who watched the Golden Globes last night and is wondering, "Hey, who *is* this King of Bollywood, anyhoo?"

I give you, Shah Rukh Khan, in a clip from the upcoming film "Billu Barber" (also starring Irrfan Khan, he of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame):

and to think i almost missed it

I've been miserable with a lousy cold, so I completely missed the announcement that Shah Rukh Khan would be a presenter at the Golden Globes!

Thanks to my friend Bruce Murray of the Zedcast (who knows I have a crush on SRK), who sent me an email 20 minutes before they started, I managed to slap a tape in and watch the fun.

And someone has already put up a (blurry) clip on YouTube.  I love the internets:

in which the Universe hands me a birthday present

Okay, if the Universe were really on its game, it would have given me a truly wonderful Govinda* film.  The Universe, however, does not work miracles.

A new Shah Rukh Khan film would be great too, but that would be greedy, especially on the heels of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.  Besides, there's Billu Barber to look forward to in February (though I'm thinking this is really an Irrfan Khan film, with an extra helping of SRK on the side.  I'll take it, though.  SRK dancing?  I'm so there...)

But the Universe hasn't done too shabbily, either.  Opening January 16th, Chandni Chowk to China. **  With Akshay Kumar.  Doing funny.  Doing martial artsy stuff. Possibly not as good as the hype would have it (shades of his last film, Singh is Kinng).

But no sign of Katrina Kaif.  I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but I honestly don't think I can bear to watch another film with Katrina Kaif in it.  Ever.  Again.  I'm *really* looking forward to seeing Deepika Padukone opposite Akshay.

Here's the trailer.  With English subtitles.  I can't tell you how happy that makes me.  I'm tired of trailers without them:

Lord Ganesha in a potato -- too much.

* One day I'll write about my love for Govinda, which makes no sense, as some of you might know.

**International Theatre listing, including theatres in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, is here.

closing my eyes and jumping off the cliff

This blog has been around two years in the making -- from the first idea of doing it, to picking and rejecting several names (and I still own the Domain name for at least one previous incarnation), to spending a lot of time in deep procrastination. 

Because there are a whole lot of blogs out there devoted to Hindi films, many of them enthusiastic, creative, thoughtful, scholarly, some of them all those things at once.

And me?  I love movies (all kinds of movies), but I don't have the critical vocabularly or a scholarly touch for analysis.  I'm not terribly tech savvy and can't whip out a photo study, not easily, anyway.

Nor do I have the temperament for a lot of that.

What I do have? A sometimes strange yet constant passion for storytelling, in all types of cinema, from all parts of the world, but most especially from the Hindi film industry (okay, okay, I'm trying to avoid the word "Bollywood", as I know some folks don't care for it, but I do think it's a handy bit of shorthand).

As for the title of the blog?  I'm almost embarassed to admit that it comes from a not terribly wonderful film (though a film with a few fine moments) called "Mumbai Matinee".  Long story short, the main character (played by Rahul Bose) meets up with a film director, and, impressed, says something to him like, "Oh, you are so totally filmi!".

Every other name I'd thought of 'til that point went out the window.  Of course!  This *had* to be a place that was oh, so, very Totally Filmi.

As a sidenote:  eventually, there will be a podcast attached to all this. In fact, that was the original intention, and I'm still mulling over format (as I have been for two years.  I meant it when I wrote "deep procrastination").  I don't want to review films, per se.  But more when I get it worked out.

Okay.  Deep breath.  If you have questions, requests, gems to share, please do.  Know that I'm no expert here.  I speak no Hindi, I come from a completely different cultural background, and I'm learning all this as fast as I can.  I still have miles and miles to go, and I'm happy for clarification or correction (gently!).