Teaser post: RamLeela (2013)

I have watched all movies directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and have written about Devdas and Guzaarish. I have a half-finished post on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and must complete it.

I saw on twitter a lot of praise for the trailer of RamLeela, and watched it today. The opening sequence is from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and I can point out a few more sequences that remind me of Bhansali's previous work. I am glad that bright colours are back, Deepika and Ranveer look good together, and the background music sounds interesting.

Yes, I shall be watching this movie in the theatre. This year looks set to add yet another feather in Deepika's cap.

Bombay (1995)

The movie is highly acclaimed and I was watching it in Hindi for a while recently. When I was growing up, I had heard the songs in Tamil and Hindi so many times that it didn’t take me time to recollect the lyrics.

What struck me was the picturisation of this song.



Arvind Swamy’s suit-wearing character is literally hounding his wife played by Manisha Koirala to bear him a daughter. It doesn’t help that she is politely refusing, and yet dancing to his tunes. They already have two sons (twins) who join the fun.

I don’t have much idea on movies made in other South-Indian languages, and I can say that Tamil movies employ vulgarity more easily when compared to their Hindi counterparts. If you have watched the sequences from “Enthiran” when the robot rescues the naked woman who is bathing when the fire breaks out (she subsequently commits suicide when lots of people see her naked) or when the robot successfully prevents Aishwarya Rai’s character Sana from getting raped in the train, you perhaps might know what I am referring to. Was there no other way to portray the robot’s prowess and his inability to understand emotions?

Before you take offence like a relative once did, it is not to say that Hindi movies aren’t vulgar – there are enough examples like I mentioned in this post. However, Hindi movies understand customer segmentation in a way Tamil movies don’t. Read an opinion given here. Or consider that teenagers (or worse, adultescents) were the chief targets for the makers of “Grand Masti”.

I have been an observer to this conversation between two women more than once – one of whom refused to even utter the word sex, and the other brought up Kamasutra and sex positions at the drop of a hat. Both are movie-watchers, and have different tastes. Given that movies seem to be the staple form of sex education in the country (apart from having “well-informed” friends who develop “non-vegetarian” habits early on), one of the changes I’d like to see in Indian movies is a more informed and evolved depiction of sex. For that, a start has to be made with revamping the education system, and the reality shows in which children now participate – either mouthing adult lyrics or dancing to adult moves.

Shuddh Desi Romance (2013)

Let me say this right in the beginning - I didn’t enjoy this movie despite an interesting trailer, good acting by everybody, the realistic setting and the really nice music. Watching commitment phobia in real and reel life has become extremely boring for me, and while I understand that rom-coms can’t survive without this concept in some form or another, I am certain that it is time for me to look at more interesting movies. A friend told me that she couldn’t relate to the movie at all. As for me, I walked out even as the title song was playing (when the closing credits were rolling) – the sibling was surprised, and she walked a little slowly behind me so that she could watch the song. Later at night she said, with disappointment writ on her face, “The movie didn’t leave me with any afterthought.”

The story is set in Jaipur, and takes us to other parts of Rajasthan as well. Sushant Singh’s character Raghu considers Rishi Kapoor’s Goyal as his father. Raghu is uneducated and does odd jobs – he cons foreigners into buying stuff by giving them stories of the orphans of Iraq and Afghanistan. He also pretends to be a baraati whenever Goyal asks him to, and gets paid for the act. On the day when he is really getting married, he meets the fake baraati, English-speaking, independent Gayatri (played by Parineeti Chopra). He develops cold feet mouthing the classic – “Doubt ghadi dekhkar thodi na aati hai”. I have heard this line in reality, and the thought that came to my mind was regarding the selfishness of the character. The bride Tara (played by Vaani Kapoor) later smiles and tells Gayatri in a matter-of-fact way, “Mere baare mein socha hi nahin na?”

It is our right to lead our life exactly the way we want. While clamouring for this right, let's not forget to take responsibility for our actions and for being considerate towards others.

All three of them don’t have deep parental ties. Raghu’s parents are no more, Gayatri’s mother is no more and her father is posted in faraway Assam, and Tara’s parents died in a road accident in Delhi when she was still a child. They are indeed thinking only about themselves when they take decisions. For instance, Gayatri asks her father not to interfere in her matters.

Post Raghu’s ditching Tara at the wedding altar, he enters a live-in relationship with Gayatri. Raghu is incredibly attracted to her (the cliche "opposites attract" is at work here), and he moves into her house without the slightest hesitation. Gayatri wants to take it slow, and then easily lets go of what she wants to do. The neighbourhood gossip confuses Raghu, and he doesn’t trust Gayatri easily – one of the more realistic scenes in the movie. Like I mentioned earlier, it is a worrying trend that financially independent girls are supporting reckless men in the name of love. Gayatri runs the house, takes an extra loan from Goyal because her “brother” has come home, buys Raghu stuff, washes his underwear and (thankfully) enjoys unrestrained sex in return.

Then, the unexpected happens. The movie is new and I don’t wish to spoil the twist.

When Tara later runs into Raghu, it appears as though she is seeking a combination of revenge and closure. When she starts interacting with him, I think she forgets the past and becomes determined to see him mature - she falls in love with him, and seems like an understanding lover. A few more scenes, and she mouths the line – “One may not remember the moment when one falls in love, and one surely remembers the moment when one falls out of love.” 

Rom-com movies would like us to believe that falling in and out of love is as easy as turning a tap on and off. Unless one is the lead pair, of course. Their love conquers all, and the tap never runs dry.

Goyal has a nice line to mouth regarding how the three of them are running away for different reasons. So if one partner is unable to deal with a relationship based on lies and the other is unable to deal with the truth, why does the ending not reflect this? Instead, the movie gets into how the lead pair isn't ready for marriage, how the pair prefers status quo to continue while experiencing genuine love. The partner with the preference for truth says stuff that goes,"Tum uske saath khush nahin rahoge. Tum use khush nahin rakh paate." Ugh.

Trivia that left me feeling surprised - the writer is Jaideep Sahni. When I compare this story with his previous works including Chak De! India, I am further disappointed. The movie is being marketed as "Random Desi Romance" abroad - I think this title does more justice to the movie than the original Hindi title. As for the interval being referred to as "Bathroom break", perhaps I should have taken the hint, indeed taken a restroom break and left the theatre.