Blog Archives

Swades (2004)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Shafiq

The story of Swades begins with the introduction of Mohan Bhargava (Shahrukh Khan), an Indian living and working in the USA. Mohan, a scientist for NASA is assigned to the Global Precipitation Measurement Satellite project. From the exterior all seems well for Mohan, but he is troubled with the thoughts of his childhood nanny Kaveriamma (Kishori Balal) who still resides in India. With the thoughts plaguing his mind, he instinctively decides to travel to India and trace the whereabouts of … (read more)

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Wound (Zakhm) (1998)

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Posted on October 23, 2005 by Alison

The title means “Wound”, and it’s well-chosen. The wound referred to is not only a personal one, but a national one. Although the excuse is religion, there’s little evidence of a religious basis to the mounting hatred that drives this feud that threatens to turn into civil war. Angry militants on both sides slaughter innocent civilians on both sides, which, as with all conflicts of this nature, only inflames the hatred.

The calm at the centre of this storm is … (read more)

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Dhoom (2004)

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Posted on August 28, 2004 by Eugene

What is it about Bollywood films that keeps on drawing me back to go watch them?

Oh, that’s right, the fact I have to review them.

Well, Dhoom is the latest Bollywood action flick to arrive upon our southern shores aaannd… ? Well, I have to say Indians certainly know how to put together a really decent stage show.

For a film, well, I’m sure I’m missing something because it really just doesn’t click as a wholly memorable cinematic experience. … (read more)

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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

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Posted on May 29, 2004 by Eugene

Being an Aussie male, it is pretty much mandatory socially, if not legally, to know something, anything about cricket. It is pretty hard to grow up in Australia and have not swung a bat or bowled a ball at least once. Or even have a conversation related to cricket in some fashion (as men will do to avoid talking about their feelings and such, so I’m told, of course) over a beer in the summer. That, I can say, I … (read more)

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Koi Mil Gaya (2003)

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Posted on May 29, 2004 by Eugene

A Bollywood Sci-Fi flick, eh?

The first time I heard about Koi Mil Gaya, I admit to be mildly interested. I envisioned an epic space opera with emphasis on the opera. I imagined something as camp and kitsch as the Flash Gordon movie with dance numbers.

The credits open with a comets crashing and galaxies swirling. Words scroll up the screen in that oh so familiar fashion and… we get the opening credits. So what I get instead is a … (read more)

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Fiza (2000)

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Posted on September 17, 2003 by Eugene

I, for one, remember little of the Mumbai riots.

If truth be told, I have trouble recalling when it was and what I was doing at the time. Despite the violence and destruction, it happened a world away and I was shielded from the goings on because there was no local connection.

Cold but true.

So watching Fiza was less a revisitng and more an awakening of what happened almost a decade ago in India and, more importantly, a look … (read more)

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Straight From The Heart (1999)

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Posted on September 4, 2003 by Alison

What can you say about 3 hours of musical melodrama? “Ick” might be the response of some of you. “Yippee!” might come from others. Me, I can say that I survived, but it was a close thing.

This was my first Bollywood experience, and I hadn’t realised that it was so melodramatic. One minute the characters were emoting their eyeballs out, the next they were singing and dancing with joint-cracking vigour. And while some of the singing was quite beautiful, … (read more)

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Dil Chahta Hai (Heart’s Desire) (2001)

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Posted on August 31, 2003 by Mark Morrison

Bollywood is now the only film culture in the world to resist Hollywood, and if Heart’s Desire (aka Dil Chahta Hai) is anything to go by, it will resist it for some time yet. This was 2001’s biggest Bollywood film, and its easy mix of appealing characters and lightweight melodrama will appeal to anyone with any sense of fun.

Watching it I was reminded of the Hollywood of the 1940s, where movies simply aimed to please. The major difference … (read more)

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