Totally Filmi

Totally Filmi Episode 013 - Do You Wanna Partner? Swarg

Episode 013 - Do You Wanna Partner? Swarg (audio file format: 192 Kbps mp3 - duration: 14:50 [mm:ss] - size: 20.4 MB)

Shownotes:

In this episode, I continue the journey through the David Dhawan/Govinda filmography with a look at Swarg.

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Attributions:

Hadiqa
"yaad Sajan" (mp3)
from "Rung"
(OSA)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

"Tablas-Very Sharp" recorded by hammerklavier and uploaded to The Freesound Project

Theme music by John Meadows, host of the podcast "On The Log"

the elephant in the screening room

So, I went to see Do Knot Disturb today.  And I think I have some things to say about it.  Actually, I think I need a lot of time to think about it, which suits me just fine, because I'm still making my way through watching/re-watching the previous Dhawan directed/Govinda starring films (I'm up to Coolie No. 1, though I've not got all the previous podcast episodes recorded and/or edited yet.  I decided to take my time, in the end.)  And I think I'll need some perspective to really think about this.

But.  Some thoughts.  Okay, first off:  I've seen most of David Dhawan's films with Govinda before.  I know what to expect from these films.  And I'm prepared to be *very* forgiving.  And I am a fan.  Can I be Govinda's Fan No. 1?  No, probably not, but I am still a big fan.

And you know, I rather like Lara Dutta -- actually, I thought she was just lovely in Billu, and hoped to see more good work out of her. 

And what can you say about Riteish Deshmukh?  I think he's terrific.

And Sushmita Sen:  true confession time.  I think Sushmita Sen has the most gorgeous voice, ever.  Ever.  I would pay for a recording of Sushmita Sen reading the phone book, so delicious and soothing and lovely is her voice.  And her voice in this film is a balm amongst all the noise.

And Ranvir Shorey?  Like (oh, especially in Aaja Naachle).

And Rajpal Yadav?  Like.

And I don't even mind Sohail Khan in small doses, and mercifully, here, he is dosed out sparingly.

So you'd think there'd be a lot to like right?

Okay, first.  Let's deal with a couple of things. 

First, I was really wrong about many of the picturisations (I wish I weren't, but then, it's not my film, is it?).

Second, there's the matter of the question I raised back in July, when I suggested, after reading the plot summary and watching the trailer, that Do Knot Disturb was a remake of French film-maker Francis Veber's film La doublure (released in English as The Valet).

So now that I've finally seen Do Knot Disturb, I can answer that question: it is a remake, and it isn't.

Okay, it isn't actually a remake, not in the sense that it was copied scene for scene and dialogue for dialogue, in the same way that the earlier film Raja Babu was a remake of the Tamil film Rasukutti, scene by scene, dialogue by dialogue -- heck, even three of the songs were remade in similar settings.

So no, Do Knot Disturb is not a remake of  La doublure in that sense.

That said, the plot of the film (a rich businessman hides his affair from his wife by hiring someone to play his girlfriend's boyfriend) is the same.  And many key scenes from La doublure are recreated in the first half of Do Knot Disturb.  But there the resemblence ends.  In fact, the second half of Do Knot Disturb owes more to Weekend at Bernie's, I think, than it does to La doublure.

And call me crazy, but I think that's a shame.  No,wait -- what I think is a shame is that whoever was responsible for the script, the story, and the film -- and I don't know where to look, whether it's at director David Dhawan, or at Yunus Sejawal who wrote the screenplay, or at both of them.  But obviously one or the other of them *saw* Francis Veber's film (and it is obvious, from the scenes that were taken from the original), and what troubles me is that they, as storytellers, couldn't look at another film and truly see what was essential to making the story tick, to what was essential to making the story work, and what was essential to making the story funny.

And because of that, they took fragments of the original, and then, I suppose, had to figure out what to to do to string them all together, and along the way, they squandered the considerable talents of Govinda, along with the talents of all the other actors in the film.

I will save the complete analysis of the films for the podcast -- and I can assure you, I will give an analysis of why Veber's film worked so well, and where Dhawan's film fell apart.

The bottom line?  I think my reaction can be summed up best by this image from the film:

 

As a complete aside, I couldn't help wishing I'd been privy to the brief sent to choreographers Bosco-Caesar for the number "Mere Naal", which probably went like this: "Bright, flashy, New Year's Eve dance number featuring Govinda, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.  Lots of Punjabi flavour, lots of dhol, and oh, yes, a dead guy in a wheelchair."  I'm betting the looks on their faces were not unlike the ones in the photo.
 

Okay, so what exactly *is* the elephant in the room here?  At first, I thought it was the issue of the remake, and I suppose that's part of it.  Consider it one of the elephant's legs.  The other three legs, though?  As follows:

First:  what was with Sushmita Sen's weight?  She was, apparently, asked to put weight on for the role, and I'm troubled by that thought.   Troubled because the only reason I can think of for that is that, in the minds of the filmmakers, the only reason a husband would stray is that his wife has put on a few pounds.  I can assure them, there are lots of reasons why husbands cheat, and the reason in this case was that he was suffocated by her.  She controlled everything, she dictated everything, she owned everything.  The affair was his outlet.  So it was in the Veber film, so it could have been, perhaps should have been here.  And was, actually.  So why make the actress gain weight for the role?

Second:  the fact that Lara Dutta's character, Dolly, decides to return to her ex-boyfriend, Diesel (Sohail Khan).  She left him, she tells us, because he was violent.  And in the end, she decides that this is proof of how much he loves her, and goes back to him.  No.  No.  Even the Tech Guy found this lacking in any sense.

And third, the scene I've been avoiding like the plague:  the constipated guy on the toilet.  It. Was. Not. Funny.  In. A. Million. Years.  I'm open to low-brow humour, I'm open to low wit, but it has to have a place and a purpose, and this did not.  At all. And it set the bar for the rest of the film very, very low indeed.

Totally Filmi Episode 012 - Do You Wanna Partner? Taaqatwar

Episode 012 - Do You Wanna Partner? Taaqatwar (audio file format: 192 Kbps mp3 - duration: 13:00 [mm:ss] - size: 17.8 MB)

Shownotes:

It's been twenty years since director David Dhawan and actor Govinda made their first film together -- and since then, they've come together a total of 17 times -- and their 18th film, Do Knot Disturb (also starring Riteish Deshmukh, Lara Dutta and Sushmita Sen) will be released on October 2nd.

Regular blog readers/podcast listeners know that I have a massive crush on Govinda, but I also have a soft spot for David Dhawan's films.  So in preparation for the release of Do Knot Disturb, I've been revisiting the films they've made together over the last twenty years.  No in depth analysis here -- though I am planning on looking at the films in greater depth in the future -- but just some thoughts from a fan.

In this episode, I look at the first film, 1989's Taaqatwar (starring Govinda, of course, but also Sanjay Dutt, Neelam, Anita Raj, Shakti Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Anupam Kher, Tanuja, Anil Dhawan and Gulshan Grover, and with music by Anu Malik)

And one of my favorite Govinda/Neelam moments, "Chadgayi Chadgayi":

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Attributions:

"Tablas-Very Sharp" recorded by hammerklavier and uploaded to The Freesound Project

Theme music by John Meadows, host of the podcast "On The Log"

wanted: in which i reveal the importance of keeping an open mind and discuss how marketing is probably useless

So, over the course of the past few weeks, I've been musing aloud here on the blog about the two big films that released on September 18th:  Dil Bole Hadippa and Wanted.

And for the most part, having watched the publicity for both films, I felt certain that the film I would really want to see, that I would really enjoy, that I would find the better film, well, I was certain it would turn out to be Dil Bole Hadippa.

Yesterday, I finally got to see Wanted.  And I have to say, I take it ALL back.  Every single thing I typed about the film.  No, wait, not the bit where I wrote that "Jalwa" was a terrific track and the picturisation with Govinda and Prabhu Deva would be faboo, I meant that, and it was absolutely and completely true.

Oh, okay, I also didn't like the picturisation for "Love Me, Love Me", or at least the clip I saw.  And although I will say that it's my least favorite picturisation in the film, the full version comes off better than the edited promo clip.  I still find some of the choreography clunky, and I still don't like much of what they've dressed the gorgeous Ayesha Takia in, but overall, the entire clip was all right.

And sure, I poked a little gentle fun at the song "Ishq Vishq", but you know what?  It wasn't even in the film. 

But I have to say:  Wanted was absolutely terrific.  I didn't find the posters appealing, I didn't find the trailer appealing, and only the "Jalwa" promotional clip provoked any interest at all.  But a few people I know whose opinions I trust went to see the film and raved about it.

So I went -- or, rather, the Tech Guy and I went.

And we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Wanted is one ripper of a film.  It's well written, the story is terrific, the dialogues are funny and wonderful, the whole package is great.  Even the songs, most of which didn't excite me terribly when I listened to the soundtrack, the songs are great in the context of the film.  There are lots of them, I liked much of the choreography, and frankly?  I haven't had this much fun in the cinema in a good long while.

Even Salman Khan -- I've stated here before, I'm not a huge Salman fan for a variety of reasons, but he was, in all honestly, just brilliant in the film.

Of course, all of this has me thinking about how films are marketed and how we as an audience perceive the publicity and how we use it to make choices about what we'll see -- and about how sometimes we're wrong.  I had been fully convinced that Dil Bole Hadippa would charm me and delight me, and although bits of it did (and certainly, as I wrote previously, Rani Mukherjee did with her performance), it turned out that the film I initially had no desire to see would turn out to be the film that blew me away with it's brashness, boldness, and general chutzpah.

Now, mind you, I'm a little worried about next week -- when Do Knot Disturb releases. I have been so excited to see what David Dhawan and Govinda will do, I'm about ready to plotz.  I'm thinking, after my Wanted/Dil Bole Hadippa experience, that maybe I should spend the next week lowering my expectations just a little bit.

Totally Filmi Episode 011 - Do Knot Disturb (Music Edition)

Episode 011 - Do Knot Disturb (Music Edition) (audio file format: 192 Kbps mp3 - duration: 52:05 [mm:ss] - size: 71.6 MB)

Shownotes:

So, I listen to the Do Knot Disturb soundtrack.  And I think, "Hey, maybe I should do a quick episode, play a game of "what if?", and speculate on the connections between the songs and the film.

A week later?  The episode is almost an hour long, and features a discussion with a good friend and someone more expert than me in the ways of music.  I say "discussion", because if there's one thing I'm not, it's an interviewer, so John Meadows and I rambled over a lot of ground (well, I rambled, and John illuminated me) before the lightbulb finally went off for me.  I'm grateful for his knowledge.  Mostly I'm grateful for his patience.

However, I can state, unequivocally, that after setting the soundtrack aside for a bit, and coming back to it with fresh ears and fewer expectations -- I actually *really* love the song "Mere Naal" now.  Seriously. I know I said that I thought "Bebo" was my favourite, but nope, "Mere Naal" has displaced it.

If this actually whets your interest in buying the CD, it's available from both Nehaflix and Induna.

The soundtrack is also available on iTunes, where you can purchase the whole thing, or individual tracks.

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Attributions:

Malkit Singh
"Mere Naal Mere Naal Nach Kurriyie" (mp3)
from "Put Sardaran De"
(OSA)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Puretracks
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

"Tablas-Very Sharp" recorded by hammerklavier and uploaded to The Freesound Project

Theme music by John Meadows, host of the podcast "On The Log"

do knot promote

So, according to this article,  director David Dhawan is annoyed with producer Vashu Bhagnani for not doing enough promotion for their forthcoming film, Do Knot Disturb.

And while I normally don't bother too much with what the press has to say, I'd say that even if Dhawan didn't "blast" Bhagnani as the headline suggests, there's a bit of a grain of truth in there.

Because *I've* been wondering what's going on with all the promotion.  Or lack thereof.  And it makes me uneasy, because if there's one thing I've seen, it's when the makers of a film realize they've got a dud on their hands and just walk away from it.  You're lucky if you get the soundtrack, but there's often no or little promotion at all.

The film's release date seems to have moved again, too, and that with little fanfare.  It was originally supposed to open October 2nd, and then was moved to September 25th (and all the posters that are out have that date on them now), and then last week, I was looking for a list of releases on the Bollywood Hungama website and noticed they'd moved Do Knot Disturb back to October 2nd.

Now, I remember reading something (oh, that press again), that director Ashutosh Gowariker was unhappy -- that when schedules were rearranged after the end of the strike, he was promised a solo release for his film What's Your Rashee?, so I assume that was what prompted the move of Do Knot Disturb back to the October 2nd date.

Okay, to be fair -- I know that David Dhawan and Govinda have been on television in India doing some promotion, and that they did have a proper release for the music last week.

But, it took me a while to find the film's official website.  I tried "doknotdisturb.com", but that was a parked domain.  I searched every which way I could, it was NOT turning up in Google, which, to throw out a social media buzzword, is not an example of good Search Engine Optimization. 

I *knew* though, that I'd seen a website for the film on the bottom of the posters for it, last time I was in the theatre (a couple of weeks ago).  So, I went searching for images of the film's posters on line, and that's when I found out what the URL for the film's website actually was. 

If someone out there tells me there's a better way to find it, they can let me know, and I'll promptly go hand my Masters of Library Science degree back in.

But as for the site:  it's not a bad site  I like the landing page, and the rest is all right, too.  There were two things about it, though, that irritated me:  first, there are spelling mistakes on it  (the waiter is promised a sum of money, not a "some of money", as written on the site, for example); and, second, there's a little whirly thing made up of those hotel door signs they use in all the promotion (very clever), but it moves too quickly for you to actually select where you want to go next on the site.

However, I do have to ask:  where are you on Twitter and Facebook? 

Answer:  you're not there, or if you are, you're not getting that word out.  Because if you had a Twitter feed for the film, I'd be following you (like I have been for Dil Bole Hadippa, for example).  If you had a Facebook page for the film, I'd be a fan (like I am for most of the films that have come out recently).  Both are great ways to reach out to fans, to share lots of stuff about the films, and in doing that, to create buzz for the film.

I know that two of the film's stars are on Twitter:  both Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh have accounts, and I follow them both.  Neither has said much about the film -- if I recall correctly, Lara mentioned the music release for the film last week on Twitter.  Otherwise, both are tweeting mostly about the film they're currently filming -- Housefull -- which, of course, is natural, because Twitter *is* all about what we're doing right here, right now.  But Riteish is also tweeting a lot about his upcoming film Aladin.  Again, natural -- it's going to be a big release, there's a lot of buzz...but it's not his next release.

That just happens to be Do Knot Disturb.  And once again, I get this feeling that for the film's stars, Do Knot Disturb has slipped through the cracks.

Am I wrong?  I would love to be proved wrong.  I am looking forward to this film very much.  I am a fan of David Dhawan and Govinda.  I would like this film to be at least as equally successful for them as Partner was a couple of years back.

But if you're not reaching me -- already a fan, already pumped for the film, and pretty internet/social media savvy -- then that doesn't bode well, I think.

zut, alors!

I am a HUGE fan of French cinema -- always have been, and it was further fueled during the time I lived in France.  I own a vast collection of French DVDs.  And one of the directors I particularly love is Francis Veber.

Veber makes comedies.  Meticulously written and scripted comedies.  Nothing is left to chance in a Veber film, and he is as meticulous a director as he is a writer.  And it shows in his films.  Everything has a place and a purpose in a Veber film.  A Veber film is sharp, smart, funny, and tight.

In 2006, Veber released "La doublure" (it was called "The Valet" in English).  "La doublure" is the story of a rich businessman (played by Daniel Auteiul) who has a wife (Kristen Scott-Thomas) and a top model girlfriend (Alice Taglioni).  One day the rich businessman is photographed with the top model by a papparazzo.   But an anonymous guy happens to wander into the shot just as it's taken -- this is pathetic parking valet François Pignon (played by Gad Elmeleh -- and there's a hapless Pignon in most every Veber film, it's his "thing", much like David Dhawan's penchant for twins and doubles -- more on that in a minute).

The businessman's lawyer (played deliciously by Richard Berry) convinces him that they must find the hapless guy, get everyone to believe *he's* really the top model's boyfriend, so that the businessman can avoid a messy and expensive divorce.

Here, watch the trailer (it has English subtitles):

So.  I'm going through Google News this morning, and I stumble across this article on the Planet Bollywood website.  And I'm reading, and I'm thinking, "Oh, cool, they're going to release that teaser trailer along with showings of 'Love Aaj Kal' this weekend, will be cool to see it on the big screen, " and I'm reading and scrolling and reading and then I get to this paragraph right near the bottom:

"'Do Knot Disturb...Fun Lies Behind Closed Doors!' is a zany comedy of errors about a rich businessman who tries to hide his extramarital affair with a supermodel. To save his skin, he bribes a waiter into pretending to be the supermodel's boyfriend.  What follows is a series of mistaken identities and misunderstandings, culminating in one mammoth laugh riot."

Hello?  Hello?  And then I go and watch the teaser trailer (no subtitles, but I think you'll get the drift if you've watched the trailer for "La doublure"):

And I'm thinking, "How amazing is it that my two cinematic worlds collide like this?"

Very amazing.  Indeed, very amazing.

(Just an additional FYI:  I'm guessing Riteish Deshmukh in the Gad Elmeleh role, Lara Dutta as the model/girlfriend, Sushmita Sen as the wife, and Govinda in the Daniel Auteiul role.  Which, on some levels, is not a stretch.  One day I'll have to compare their careers/acting, it's not as far-fetched as you might think...)

however will I wait 'til October?

Okay, so you *know* that when this went up on the YouTubes yesterday, I'd be obliged to post it:

You know, it's going to be hard to wait 'til October for this.  Darned strike -- the original release date was July, IIRC.

Oh, and David Dhawan?  You want to invite an obscure Canadian podcaster from the middle of nowhere to come see a premiere of the film?  No, really?  (Yeah, yeah, I know, next lifetime...)

seriously, you couldn't make this stuff up if you tried

You know, I'd always meant to take a look at the David Dhawan/Govinda filmography, but I figured I'd do it *after* the SRK series, and *after* looking at the entire Govinda filmography.

But it had completely slipped my mind that this year represents 20 years they've been working together, through 18 films (if you count the upcoming release "Do Knot Disturb").

So I figured, it's time to seize that moment.  I've been doing some research, made a list of the films, seen who has what (and it looks like only 2 of the 18 are without subtitles, thank goodness) and today, because I'm procrastinating about a few things, I decided to poke around on the YouTubes just to get a feel for things.

I started watching "Taaqatwar", the first film they did together (yes, bad podcaster, watching illegal video, but rest assured, I will be ordering the DVD for *all* the films I don't currently own), and I can't believe that no one has actually put up a clip of the first song that Govinda appears in.

We've just been introduced to his character, John Di Mello, who seems to be a bit of a petty thief, a self-styled "ding dong walla".  Please someone put me out of my misery and explain that, willya?

Note:  the YouTube version has no subtitles, so I'm relying on my limited understanding of Hindi and my greater understanding of storytelling to follow this.

But he's wandering around after just getting out of jail, he goes to a hotel, he flashes some money (and that winning smile) at the desk clerk, she asks his name, he asks her to guess...

and -- I love this -- she guesses, "Tony" and "Anthony" and "Macaroni".  I'm amazed she didn't say Gino (see my previous Ode to Govinda post for this).

"No!" he sings.  Well, the playback singer sings.  "No!  Not Tony or Anthony or Macaroni!" 

Then follows a little yodelling (I'm not kidding), she asks, "Then who are you?"

And then this:

I swear.  He comes out of the drum to the words, "I'm John Di Mella".  Much gyrating and hip-thrusting ensues.  Now, Saroj Khan is listed as one of the dance directors for the film, so you know, I'm wondering, is this her handiwork? 

Fortunately, shortly after this he meets Neelam, and they are so absolutely, completely, and utterly adorable together that I can almost forget that image of the orange striped suit burned into my retinas.

The only thing worse?  The costumes the two dancers with him are wearing.  And the more I think about it, the more I think this character is inspired by Anthony Gonsalves, and the jumping out of a drum at a Christmas party (yes, Father Christmas makes an appearance) is an homage to "My Name is Anthony Gonsalves" from "Amar, Akbar, Anthony".

BTW?  You can thank Beth for this post.  I tweeted about this, and she insisted on seeing pictures.  But seriously, I can't wait to start ordering the DVDs, because I am going to have So Much Freaking Fun with David Dhawan and Govinda.

Edited to add:  I found it!  Of course, I was spelling it incorrectly!  The clip, in all its mind-bending glory: