The following is a copy from the MOTD of an IRC channel I was browsing. The group is comprised of ordinary people trying to make Hong Kong movies popular in America and the West. Pretty challenging initiative I thought, something connoisseurs of Indian flicks might also want to take up.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hongkong-movies (HkM) is a dedicated entertainment ââââââââ
âââââââââââ group whose interest is to enhance the experience of âââââââââââ
âââââââââ Asian entertainment. HkM originated from irc-Dalnet ââââââââ
â ââââ ââ and has expanded over to irc-Efnet in early 2001 to âââââââ â
ââââââââ reach a larger audience. We are actively involved in âââââââ â
âââââ âââââ spreading asian movies. We regularly distribute high âââââ âââââ
ââââââââââââ quality releases in Divx format to encourage others ââââââââââââ
âââââââââââ to buy the original after previewing the film. Our âââââââââââ
ââââââââââ hopes are to spread and promote various asian films. ââââââââââ
ââââââââââ We allow users to chat through mIRC and message ââââââââââ
âââââââââ boards to voice opinions of movies in hopes to bring âââââââââ
âââââââââ new ideas and ultimately improved films. We hope to âââââââââ
ââââââââ broaden the horizon of all those who are interested ââââââââ
ââââââââ in asian films. ââââââââ
âââââââ Although HkM has existed for only a short period of âââââââ
ââââââ time, we hope to expand and increase awareness to ââââââ
âââââ all. We are continually improving and growing in âââââ
ââââ hopes to serve those who are interested in asian ââââ
âââ movies. Our ultimate goal is to promote awareness of âââ
â asian films to different groups of people. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>"Why are NRIs paying to see themselves as unfaithful spouses and sex crazy old men?" asks an irate Indian filmgoer from New York.</b> Of course, it is a reference to the super hit 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna' or KANK. Karan Johar's latest film has created a lot of buzz, both in India and abroad, and in the bargain netted an estimated $15 million worldwide since it opened a few weeks ago.
At least $5 million of this box office bonanza has come from NRIs queuing at the box office to see how Western values have influenced them. <b>In its opening weekend, the film grossed a huge $1.35 million in North America, set a new record of $1.4 million in Britain, opening at no less than 60 theatres, and also collected $3.5 million in just three days in overseas markets.</b>
So what's new in a super hit to generate such buzz? The media is full of KANK: Indian newspapers carry long articles, TV channels screen talk shows, global news agencies have written about its impact in India and even many major Western newspapers have reviewed the movie. The urban elite in India flock to see it to gossip about it no end even while small towns and rural audiences have rejected it. Indeed some activists want it banned!
<b>After watching KANK, a husband murdered his wife suspecting her of having an extra-martial affair near Delhi. In Thane, a suburb of Mumbai, a rickshaw driver stabbed and shot his wife because she did not allow him to marry another girl he loved. The wife is fighting for her life in hospital. That incident too happened after the couple had just finished watching KANK.</b>
Why is KANK arousing all this passion?
Two NRI couples in New York are at odds with their partners. Their marriages are not working nor moving ahead. In one, a wife is suffocated by the unlimited husband's love in a loveless marriage and finds a soul mate in another husband neglected by his career-obsessed wife. The stifled wife yields to him. Ah, it's infidelity. But hundreds of films have been made on this theme - not forgetting Raj Kapoor's Sangam way back in 1964. There is nothing new in this since men and women have been unfaithful to each other down the centuries.
The new twist is the father-in-law of the suffering wife. Sexy Sam, played by Amitabh Bachchan, causes ripples of laughter with his Playboy escapades as a great lover boy. So what's new here? Plenty. For a start, most NRI first generation fathers now turning grandfathers are always presented as virtuous and pious hankering for the eternal family values of the Indian way of life.
This one lives it up with a new blonde every weekend and - instead of a prayer meeting - he wants scores of scantily clad sexy dames for his birthday bash. When he gets a heart attack he does not breathe his last without blessing the new relationship of his daughter-in-law based on love and not marriage. Here we have a Casanova who is too much for the Indian film buffs to digest. He is sending a message - 'Marriage is a mutual trap; if it's not moving, move on!' This is a radical departure for the Indian cinema.
<b>If the marriage does not work, divorces are acceptable for NRIs - and indeed most educated Indians for that matter. In India, one out of every hundred marriages ends in divorce. The NRI divorce rate could be higher - or lower.</b>
But is there parental approval for switching your life partners? Many draw the line here.
And what about the spouses who have discovered a new soul mate when their marriages come to a dead end? Open infidelity is the big talking point but is not an issue with the Indian trendsetters any more. Moreover, KANK pushes the envelope of sensuality in bedroom and motel scenes a la Hollywood sizzlers.
<b>If anything, NRIs are more conservative in their moral values than the Indians back home.</b> Public opinion polls in the media regularly show their radical thinking on teenage sex, pre-marital sex, live-in relationships, infidelity and single parenting, among other personal relationships.
In a TV chat show on this film, some participants claimed: "Everybody cheats". Of course, the KANK situations are happening in India as well, especially with the educated urban elite. It's just that Karan Johar overheard a couple's conversation in a London cafe on these lines and staged his story in New York showing new frontiers for NRI marriage mores. <b>If Indian and NRI sensibilities are hurt, they are paying for it.</b>
(A media consultant to a UN Agency, Kul Bhushan previously worked abroad as a newspaper editor and has travelled to over 55 countries. He lives in New Delhi and can be contacted at: kulbhushan2038@gmail.com.)
AZNTV is showing very interesting Korean serial "Jewel in the Palace" based on real story (1500AD).
Customs and society are more or less like India during 200BC.
Strict class based society.
Watched Lage-raho-munnabhai over the wknd. Its pretty hilarious. Well made movie. Somewhat ideologically loaded but in general a good funny movie. Worth a watch.
<b>Indian actress turns snake charmer</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->When a snake slithered onto a movie set scaring crew members, Sen didn't flinch -- instead she bowed before it and chanted Hindu hymns to calm the reptile.
Filmmaker Tanuja Chandra told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper in an interview published Tuesday that as they spotted the snake, which lay coiled at the edge of a dance floor of a pub they were using as a set, Sen told everyone not to disturb it and it would leave.
<b>"As she went closer, the snake hissed. We all moved back, but Sushmita went down on her knees and closed her eyes," said Chandra. "She bowed before the snake and chanted some mantras."</b>
Chandra said the unit members were surprised when "the snake didn't move from that place for a few hours. Later it left quietly."
Sen, who plays a rock star in the movie "Zindagi Rocks," or "Life Rocks," said she wasn't afraid.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"The snake is considered very auspicious so I asked everyone not to get scared of Nag Devta (snake god)," she told the paper. "I assured Tanuja that with the blessings of Nag Devta the film is bound to rock."</span>
Many Indians pray to snakes <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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Saw two movies on DVD- Corporate and Omkara and one- Aap ke Khatir in theater.
Corporate and Omkara were slick. Coincedentally both had Bipasah Basu in them. In Corporate I noticed that the film makers could get away with quite a lot for item number dances by having a Sufi type of song. The new villans are the new business class suing their connections to the poltical class.
Omkara is an adaptaion of Shakespeare's Othello set in Eastern UP. The rendtion was quite good but had a few jarring notes- excessive use of profanity, unnessary violence, and use of upper caste gangs. Has the lot of the upper castes fallen so low in UP that they resort to gang violence? One departure from Othello was that Iago's villany is purely for villany's sake while Langda is thwarted gang member who destroys the leader.
Aap ki Khatir was good time pass comedy. It does deal with betrayal between siblings. Lilyette Dubey is growing as an actress. She was in Corporate too.
Ramana: Am in process of watching Omkara - <i>in process</i> meaning that with kind of language/violence in the movie one can't use family friendly hours.
A movie that might be worth your while is Chup Chup Ke (Rajpal Yadav - too good) - a timepass comedy. Speaking of Rajpal Yadav Rajpal Yadav regrets doing 'Ladies Tailor' and I for sure regret watching it <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> only movie worse than that probabily was Amithab's Boom.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> noticed that the film makers could get away with quite a lot for item number dances by having a Sufi type of song.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Latest craze is Himesh Reshammiya who has a distinctive Sufi influence on his music.
Viren, Our DVD guy had both Chup Chup Ke and Ladies Tailor on one disc. Rajpal Yadav is really blossoming into a fine comedian. The latter movie was crass and did not fit with national audience. He must have jumped at the offer for a starring role.
Another comedina coming into his stride is Johnny Lever in his ZeeTV show "Johny Ala re". In the begining it was a mix of Johnny Carso and Dave Letterman but is now very indegenous. More power to him.
Speaking of Rajpal Yadav recall his role in Fire? Or in "Main Madhuri Dixit bhanana chahti hoon"? He was superb in the later movie.
BTw, I know people think Bollywood is low brow but it has its moments. I do enjoy thenuances that occassionally crop up. For example in the movie Aap ke Khatir, Lilyette Dubey tells Anupam Kher after his grilling Akshaye Khanna, that he is not being interviewd for Harvard Business School and they are located near London and LSE would have been better nuanced.
There are full uty level courses in all the Ivy League and top 20 schools on Indian cinema.
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Sep 5 2006, 06:33 AM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Sep 5 2006, 06:33 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Watched Lage-raho-munnabhai over the wknd. Its pretty hilarious. Well made movie. Somewhat ideologically loaded but in general a good funny movie. Worth a watch.
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<!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo--> <span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Optima'>BANDE MEIN THA DUM: VANDE MATRAM(Speaking of Mahatma Gandhi; this is background theme, music and song of the movie).</span></span>
<!--QuoteBegin-Capt Manmohan Kumar+Sep 9 2006, 10:11 PM-->QUOTE(Capt Manmohan Kumar @ Sep 9 2006, 10:11 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Sep 5 2006, 06:33 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Sep 5 2006, 06:33 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Watched Lage-raho-munnabhai over the wknd. Its pretty hilarious. Well made movie. Somewhat ideologically loaded but in general a good funny movie. Worth a watch.
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<!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo--> <span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Optima'>BANDE MEIN THA DUM: VANDE MATRAM(Speaking of Mahatma Gandhi; this is background theme, music and song of the movie).</span></span>
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Just came back from the 6-9 show. I would say "Absoloutely wonderful movie" and there are not a lot of Hindi movies this could be said about. It surpasses the first Munnabhai movie by quite a distance and that was a pretty good movie in its own right.
Arshad Varasi is great. Vidya Balan is beautiful and Boman Irani is hilarious. Sanjay Dutt does justice to his role. I wish they had fewer songs and Circuit had more lines. Overall a highly recommended movie.
<!--emo&<_<--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /><!--endemo--> Congress discovers a guru in Munnabhai
Himanshi Dhawan
[ 11 Sep, 2006 0233hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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NEW DELHI: The box office success of Lage Raho Munnabhai has found a taker in the Congressâs top decision making body â the Congress Working Committee (CWC). The blockbuster figured in CWCâs discussions on the centenary celebrations of the Satyagraha movement.
When the CWC met on Sunday to discuss the year-long plans to mark the 100 years of the movement which was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa on September 11, 1906, many members gave mundane suggestions like setting up of Gandhian chairs in universities and condensing volumes of Gandhian works.
It was Rajya Sabha member Mohsina Kidwai who suggested that all CWC members should watch Lage Raho Munnabhai which has popularised âGandhigiriâ among the youth.
Her contention was that the film, with its rib-tickling comedy and tapori language, had presented the values and ideologies of the great leader in a form acceptable to the youth. She is reported to have mentioned that books on Mahatma Gandhi were flying off the shelf with students inspired to read more after watching the movie.
Her suggestion was seconded by former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi. He said that he hasnât got the occasion to watch the film yet as tickets were not available.
Sid,
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Just came back from the 6-9 show. I would say "Absoloutely wonderful movie" and there are not a lot of Hindi movies this could be said about. It surpasses the first Munnabhai movie by quite a distance and that was a pretty good movie in its own right.
Arshad Varasi is great. Vidya Balan is beautiful and Boman Irani is hilarious. Sanjay Dutt does justice to his role. I wish they had fewer songs and Circuit had more lines. Overall a highly recommended movie. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agree with Sid. It's a good movie (despite my personal aversion towards Dutt for his anti-social/national activities in real life). Arshad Varasi is just fantastic. He won some award for original Munna bhai, wouldn't be surprised if he wins it again for this one.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It was Rajya Sabha member Mohsina Kidwai who suggested that all CWC members should watch Lage Raho Munnabhai which has popularised âGandhigiriâ among the youth.
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Kidwai ought to be told that it's 'Gandhigiri' as taught by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and NOT Indira/Rajiv/Sonia Gandhigiri which is a complete anti-thesis of what Mahatma Gandhi taught. Shameless buggers have murdered everything that Gandhi stood for in past 50+ years and now have an audacity to lecture the nation on Ghandhigiri.
Viren, watched OMKARA over the weekend. Loved it. Subtitles are a complete mess and the UP hindi can get confusing even for good Hindi speakers. Will look for Chup Chup ke. I've started liking Rajpal Yadav. His previous, "Main, meri patni aur woh" was hilarious.
utepian: <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I've started liking Rajpal Yadav<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Have you seen 'Lal Salaam'? It's a old one about Naxal types. Rajapal Yadav is a blood-thirsty Naxal - a very short role. But even there he really stands out. Will check out "Main, meri patni aur woh".
I remember you doing a review of Syrianna here sometime back. Got a chance to see it recently - plot's been lifted from Richard Clarke's 'Scorpions at Gate' book.
09-21-2006, 12:48 AM (This post was last modified: 09-21-2006, 12:49 AM by Bodhi.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Viren+Sep 20 2006, 03:10 PM-->QUOTE(Viren @ Sep 20 2006, 03:10 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Will check out "Main, meri patni aur woh".[right][snapback]57635[/snapback][/right]
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Main Meri Patni Aur Woh is superb movie. Must Watch. All artists performed their best. Especially stand out Rajpal Yadav and Kay Kay Menon. Carefully preserves and shows the subtle Lucknow culture, all scenes are from Lucknow and Bareilly. I liked the quality of language used too. Good music, a very good Gazal as well.
watched 'Khamosh Pani'. Old movie released recently, based upon the reduced tolerance in Pakistan during islamization ear of Gen Zia ul Haq.
This guy makes fun of every community and the most of his own Latino community. So, offered without comments <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> Mind of Mencia- 7/11
09-21-2006, 06:03 AM (This post was last modified: 09-21-2006, 06:54 AM by utepian.)
Small grumble about OMKARA - the guys (Omkara and Langda) finish off with talking about eventually answering their <i>atman</i> - sounded ridiculous. I mean the guys Kesu, Omkara and Langda are like the good, bad and ugly; the Lalu Prasad Yadavs of our world - they could care less about conscience, let alone answering its call.
Viren:- Syriana, I believe is based on Robert Baer's book.
Bodhi: MMPAW was a great Hrishikesh Mukherji school of comedy movie but sorry man Kay Kay Menon screwed a good oppurtunity to exhibit his wares - you know like Amitabh Bachchan in Chupke Chupke. He seems typecast for the Corporate and Hazaaron Khwaishen type roles. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Just my feeling <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> 
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> only movie worse than that probabily was Amithab's Boom.