Here are the latest developments about the remake of Satte Pe Satta. It is official that, yesteryear sensation Madhuri Dixit will play the lead role in the Satte Pe Satta. Madhuri was Soham Shah’s (ultimate) choice to play the role of Hema Malini.
Soham Shah was scouring for the perfect heroine to play the lead role in the movie. Before finalizing Madhuri Dixit for the project, he had made attempts to rope in celebrated actresses like Bipasha Basu and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. However, it was the ek do teen girl Madhuri, where Soham’s search ended.
Satte Pe Satta is a film, which is also co-produced by actor Sanjay Dutt. He will play the role donned by Amitabh Bachchan in the original movie. The reunion of Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit will again bring alive the days of Khalanayak.
Madhuri Dixit has made a comeback after her marriage. She is a judge at the dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikh Laja’. However, a film offer has come her way from to play Sonam Kapoor’s mother. Who else would offer her the role of Sonam’s mother other than her daddy, Anil Kapoor?
That’s right. Anil Kapoor is busy with the remake of Mark Water’s film ‘Freaky Friday’. Anil Kapoor has been Madhuri’s buddy for many years now. Both of them have dished out super hit movies in their days. So, she could not instantly refuse his offer.
However, it was not a matter of refusing a role either. In reality, Madhuri was hesitant to accept the role offered by her good old friend. What Madhuri had in her mind was playing a mother to a girl in her 20s. But Madhuri found it really tough to turn down the offer from Anil, with whom she has had very cordial and warm relations.
Madhuri Dixit Nene then found out a way out of her uncertainty. She first decided to watch the original film ‘Freaky Friday’. Until then she herself kept her decision wrapped up. When she watched the film, she made up her mind not to play Sonam’s mom.
Currently Anil Kapoor is in South Africa. Madhuri will convey her decision to him once he is back. But we doubt, if he is still ignorant of Madhuri’s negation!
Merry Christmas, Everyone!And, yes, believe it or not, I really do want to talk about HAHK and KANK again!
Why?
Well, since I couldn't find any other Christmasy moments in Bollywood, I popped in KANK to capture this one. Then I started watching, cuz you can't just pop a SRK movie in and not start watching...
Pretty soon I found myself lost in the world of KANK. I know, you're probably shaking your head while reading this, saying, "Of all the movies she could repost on, why, oh why KANK?" Well, I'll tell you why. I realized while rewatching that there's a whole bunch of fun stuff to cover--and all I did was pretty much tackle the issue and the way Kjo addressed it in the film. While all of that's fine and dandy in terms of discussion, I missed out on a bunch of great screen shot opprotunities and star gazing--Because, let me tell you, the stars of this film look amazing.
I really love Bollywood movies that are set in India, before the whole NRI trend in the '90s. As I've said before, I find these movies comforting because they remind me of the films my aunties would watch when I was little. But I've also got to admit, I love the glitz and glamour of Bollywood in NYC, too. What could ever be painful about seeing gorgeous stars like Rani Mukerji dancing around a beautiful city that I already adore? My dad and his wife live smack dab in the heart of Manhattan, so I could be biased, and I find India just as beautiful (though in a different way), but my point is, the combination doesn't bother me one bit. I love guys in Abercrombie and Fitch. I love Shahrukh Khan. Why wouldn't I want to see Shahrukh Khan dressed in Abercrombie and Fitch? That doesn't mean I don't like him in pyjamas and a kurta...it just means I like having the best of both worlds!
Of course, Abhishek always looks great in my book. But seeing him in long trenchcoats, scarves, and suits didn't hurt either. I think I said in my first post that I was really impressed with him here, and the same holds true today. As a matter of fact, this is one of my favorite dramatic performances from him. The obvious question of the hour is why anybody would want to cheat on him, and I think the film makes the circumstances believable enough. Yep, he's a great husband, and he's really hot, but he and his wife have some major communication issues. Although, if this was my husband, I wouldn't be trying to "discuss" anything!
As you can see from the screenshots, Rani looked stunning in this film. And the makeup! Gosh, this woman is gorgeous, and with her amber eyes and carmel complexion, she can pull off almost any color.
I've heard some complaints about Preity's eye makeup being too heavy. I don't think that's the problem. I think the artist just did some kind of weird wing shape in the other corners that made her look older. I would have stuck with the smoky eye--a character like Rhea needs a smoky, kohl rimmed eye to match her "rockin'" wardrobe and career--but I would have blended the color out a bit more. Other than that, can Preity ever look bad? She totally pulled off the New Yorker look, I don't care what anybody says!;)
Let's not forget Amitabh Bachchan, whose looked smart and snappy (despite the whole "Sexy Sam" trashtalk). This was a much better look for him than the embarassing ponytail he sported in Cheeni Kum.
Now, onto the jodis of the film. There were so many great jodis in KANK! So, keeping in form with the recent jodi lists of the PPCC and Rum, I made my own jodi list for KANK. Which was your favorite?
1)Rani/Abhishek Jodi.If you're a die-hard Rani/Abhishek fan (like I am), you may be leary of watching a film where your beloved couple isn't exactly basking in marital bliss. But take heart...KANK still gives you that "Ranishek" fix you've been craving...they have a lot of screentime together, and look picture perfect in every shot! I was a little disheartened by the circumstances, but come on, its just a movie. I simply popped in Bunty Aur Babli immediately afterwards and skipped to the honeymoon song to end things on a happier note. Ahh, yep, that did the trick!
2)Shahrukh/Rani Jodi. If you're a fan of Rani/Abhishek, perhaps you weren't too keen on the Shahrukh/Rani jodi. Or maybe romances based on marital affairs are too unsettling for you to sit back and relax with. Whatever the case may be, "Tumhi Dekho Na" is so picturesque that it really created the backdrop I needed to believe the story. I'm not sure how it managed to do that on images alone--but it did. There was something about the colors, the changing seasons and the haunting melody that I found myself falling under their spell, even though I didn't want to. I thought Rani and Shahrukh accomplished what they were supposed to--they created a chemistry that was forbidden and yet enchanting enough that even I forgot about Abhishek...for a second.
3)Abhishek/Preity Jodi. There was something about watching this couple hug prior to "Where's the Party Tonight" that made you ache for them--and what they didn't know. You knew halfway into the film that there wasn't going to be anything going on between these two--they were completely trustworthy, and totally committed to their spouses. And they were so fun to watch on the dance floor! Both playful, energetic and spunky. I always imagine that the director of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom saw Preity and Abhishek in KANK and said, "I've got to give people more of these two! Sign them up for my next project!"
4)Abhishek/Amitabh Jodi. Of course, their dialouges together consisted mostly of the word "Dude", but still...I always get warm fuzzies whenever I see these two onscreen together. Especially on the dance floor! Without their jodi (and Kajol's cameo) "Rock 'n' Roll Soniye" would have been unbearable!
5)Amitabh/Kirron Jodi.Of course, I'm still waiting for someone to snatch up Big B and Kirron Kher for a new twist on a romantic comedy. This was the best jodi of the film! The relationship with Dev's mom (Kirron) and "Sexy Sam" was a great side story, and saved Amitabh's character from looking like nothing more than a dirty old man.
6)Everyone Jodi. Gosh, everyone just clicked with one another in some scenes. Especially when the four main characters shared screenspace--think the snappy confrontations at the ballet, at the "Rock n' Roll Soniye" party, and at the hospital. Those one liners--particularly Shahrukh's--were hilarious. And who could forget the intensity at the dinner scene in the second half? The contrast between Shahrukh and Amitabh's icy comments over the flaming candlelight was sheer brilliance.
7)Little Arjun/"Simran" . A cute "in" joke referencing DDLJ. Aww!
8)Me/Arjun Rampal/John Abraham. Oh, did you miss that part? ;)
So that sums up the KANK recap. Now, onto that other film with a famous acronym...
HAHK, or, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. I have to chuckle while I write this, because, gosh, this film is something else. It really is. On the one hand, its utterly ridiculous...the film stretches nearly four hours long, the plot doesn't kick in until the last hour and a half, and there's a lot of technical snafus. When I first saw this, I didn't quite "get it". My comments from readers assured me I wasn't alone. I decided to put HAHK way in the back of my DVD cabinet, proud for trying and glad that I at least liked some of the tunes.
Yes, that is a dog listed in the opening credits. I'm not kidding.
Anyways, for some reason, I decided to pop it in again last night. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was Daddy's Girl's recent post on Sooraj Barjatya's films, or the fact that I was one of the few bloggers who liked Vivah, or the upcoming holidays (I saw HAHK last Christmas, and I'm big on holiday repetition with films), but I just felt like watching it again.
And you know what? I got it. In fact, I loved it. Everything that confused me the first time around literally delighted me this time. A song about shoes? Awesome! Practical jokes? Funny! Family values instead of a plot? Aww! A dog as an active character? Bring it on!
I always said Vivah was a film I enjoyed because it felt like I was spending time with the characters as opposed to watching an actual movie. Because of this feeling, the weak plot never bothered me. I found every moment in that film touching and sweet, like my grandmother telling me the story of her courtship with my grandfather. I felt something similar with HAHK this time, although with this film I thought the emotional depth was even stronger. There was love all around in HAHK. Love between Nisha and Prem (Salman/Madhuri), love between Pooja and Rajesh, love between both families, Prem's love for his bhabhi...its just beautiful to watch. For example, there's a touching moment when Pooja's mother sings to Rajesh's father about how she is entrusting her most beloved treasure--her daughter--into his care. The two gaze at each other and sing, sharing a moment that is powered by their love for their children, and nothing more. How did I miss that the first time around?
Of course, the best part of the film is still the music and Salman/Madhuri. But that was one thing I mentioned even in my first review. It was the rest of the film that I didn't quite get, but now that I've pieced it all together, HAHK has shockingly become a Bitten By Bollywood classic. I'll probably watch it again every Christmas. It's not holiday themed by any means, but it gives me that same cozy feeling that I get when I'm decorating the Christmas tree, listening to carols and sipping hot cocoa. It may not be for everyone--it sure wasn't for me, at first--but it's become one of my comfort foods in Hindi cinema.
And there you have it--two films that have unexpectedly found their way into my heart this season! Maybe I need to lay off the eggnog...or maybe they're both a lot more charming than I had thought. Either way, I hope everyone is having a blessed holiday and I'm wishing you all a Happy New Year!
Prior to watching, I just didn't get why I hadn't heard more about Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. I mean, its a love triangle between Madhuri, Salman, and Shahrukh! Yet its only grazed over briefly on most Shahrukh Khan fan sites, has never been recommended to me by any of my fellow bloggers, and...well, its just not talked about much.
After watching the film, I can see why. Its just not very good. Not awful, but mediocre at best. Still, it is a love triangle between Madhuri, Salman, and Shahrukh (though not in the way I'd expected), and thus there were things I really caught myself enjoying. These three did a fabulous job, and gave me enough things to talk about to warrant a review.
First of all, the biggest shock of this film was that it was made in 2002. The direction, lighting, cinematography and outfits made it look like it crawled out of the shadows of the HAHK and DDLJ hangover, gathered whichever actors from those films it could, and slopped itself together in about 1996 or so. My only clue that it could have been made later was the shape of Shahrukh Khan's hair. Maybe that's why I kept having to backtrack on my little knowledge of Bollywood pre-2007 chronology and ask myself which Khan was going to be the true "hero" of the film. Since I incorrectly assumed this was made somewhere in between Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I expected this movie to be quite different, with Madhuri having an affair with Salman, and Shahrukh playing the husband we all felt sorry for but knew wasn't the one she was "supposed" to be with...you know, KANK-style.
But the movie wasn't like that at all, which wasn't a bad thing, just not what I expected. Shahrukh was in the film much more than Salman was, and there was no love affair (I don't mean to throw a spoiler in here without warning, but its really no secret, as it becomes apparent to the viewer fairly quickly that the director has no intention of developing a romance between Madhuri and Salman's characters).
Here's the synopsis: Radha(Madhuri Dixit) and Suraj (Salman Khan) have been friends since childhood. The two share a beautiful relationship much like a brother and a sister would, and Suraj is practically a part of Radha's family. When Radha marries Gopal (Shahrukh Khan), her new husband sees this friendship as a threat. Most of the film centers on Gopal's struggle to trust his wife and his growing jealousy of Suraj, which definitely had its interesting moments.
I must say, Shahrukh played his part very well. I think the film would have really crashed and burned for me had he not been so great at being such a...well, such a jerk. Gopal was needy, possessive, jealous, and a Classic Big Baby. As a matter of fact, had this been real life, I would have sworn Gopal was the one who was actually having the affair, since he was so hopelessly insecure. On the other hand, there were times where I actually felt he was justified in feeling this way. Suraj was a total fifth wheel, and both he and Radha seemed completely oblivious to the fact that maybe Gopal wanted some alone time with his wife (Suraj even almost accompanied the newlyweds on their honeymoon, at Radha's suggestion, no less).
Surprisingly, these moments in the film were pretty hilarious, and I have to give credit to Shahrukh here as well. I think this was the funniest I've ever seen him--his facial expressions and mutterings under his breath whenever Suraj popped up were some of the best parts of Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, and probably the main reason I'd consider watching it again.
But all praise doesn't go to Shahrukh. I really liked Salman, too, but in a different way. His character, Suraj, was fun and extremely likable. In fact, I actually wished Radha would end up with him, since Gopal was such a psycho. And Madhuri and Salman worked well together, as they had in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, so I found myself enjoying these two onscreen once again.
My first impression of Salman Khan was in his more recent films like Partner and Salaam-E-Ishq. In both of those, I thought he came across as arrogant and was unimpressed with his acting skills. But after HAHK and Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, I can finally say he's growing on me. The man can be really adorable, in a cheesy, Bollywoody, kind of way. And he's quite handsome, something I'd tried not to notice before. But I'm still a teensy bit confused about the acting part--Gosh, he just seemed so fake sometimes...like he was totally overemphasizing his words. Ironically, its this little flaw that's causing me to like him, since I'm seeing less arrogance and more vulnerabilty.
And, oh, yeah, did I mention Suraj was a famous singer? Well, he is, and this just kicks up the cheese factor about ten notches more... As these screencaps illustrate.
Here are Suraj's exact words: "Hey You, Beautiful Girl...I have this beautiful flower in my hand. I want to know which one of you will be lucky enough to get it...You, you, (points at Madhuri, who gives a fake surprised look), how about YOU?"...throws flower into crowd.
Yep, this is the man I liked best in the film. Go figure.
Ahh, onto Madhuri. The beautiful, graceful, talented Madhuri. I could never truly join in on her praises...I'd only seen a few films, and liked her in them, but never had that experience with her where my appreciation turned into affection. Now, that moment has finally arrived.
One of the major weaknesses in this film is that the script barely allows us to see how Radha truly feels. She mentions something sweet to herself on their wedding night, but after that, we are left to wonder if Gopal may be onto something with all his insecurities. The story is written mostly from Gopal's point of view, and his guess is as good as ours. Yet Madhuri does well with what she has to work with, and when the movie reaches its climax, we no longer have to question who she loves. It is literally written all over her face.
The supportive cast added a nice element, too, with Radha's brother Prashant (Atul Agnihotri) and his fixation on Amitabh Bachchan...
And Gopal's sister, Neeta (Suman Ranganathan), who sort of reminded me of Aishwarya Rai...
Then again, I'm always finding these random resemblances that nobody seems to agree with me on, so I guess I could be way off ;).
More cool elements? The beautiful picturization of the title song, "Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam", which is probably the one point in the film that Shahrukh made me swoon...And I saw more chemistry between him and Madhuri than I did in the entire length of Dil To Pagal Hai. I tried to take some screencaps, but none of them did any justice to what you actually see onscreen, so here's the YouTube video...The beginning looks like its a Ford commercial, but don't worry, it's not :)
I discovered on Wikipedia that this song was a copy of a Pakistani song (I always get excited when there's a Pakistani connection), "Boohey Bariyan", so I included this one for anybody who's interested...
I couldn't find the name for my second favorite song in the film, but it was a total nod to HAHK...The bedroom, Madhuri's outfit, the slick dance moves, it was all very dejavu. If there are more films with Salman and Madhuri in them, please let me know, because I'd probably buy them if somebody recommended them to me.
As for Salman and Shahrukh, they have little time alone onscreen together, but there is one little showdown that proved to be quite interesting. Salman's lines at the end were oddly humorous, and I found myself nodding my head in agreement, wondering why this was a little funny to watch. Maybe it had something to do with the onscreen rivalry between the two that the media hypes up, I don't know. Or maybe it was the expressions on their faces...Either way, it was a moment in Bollywood I'm glad I caught.
(**SPOILER***)
Towards the end of the film, Gopal's insecurities escalate to a point where he pretty much forces Radha to leave her own home. She is heartbroken, even at the verge of suicide, but Gopal is stubborn and will not budge. Guess who comes along to straighten all of this mess out...
Yep, that's right! Its the real Aishwarya Rai! She plays Suman, Suraj's blind girlfriend that nobody seems to talk much about up until this point. Somehow one visit from her magically makes Gopal see the light and realize what a gem of a wife he has.
It was kind of irritating that the writers chose Radha to nearly attempt suicide before Gopal comes riding in on his white horse and practically commands her to forgive him and return home. Of course, she does, and this lackluster ending just added to the mediocracy of the film.
(***SPOILER END****)
I had a very high tolerance level for the film's flaws, due to my affection for the three lead actors. I forgave a lot here, and enjoyed a lot of the things I mentioned above. Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam was not what I expected, but worked in some ways, which is probably why I ended up typing more than I thought I would. I'd love to hear your thoughts, though!
And, oh, yeah, on the heels of Memsaab's post comes another lovely "Hinglish" (her word, not mine)screencap. Ahh, yes, in this movie we don't drink "7up", we drink "Thumbs Up" (And if that's an actual name for a soda in India, I apologize and someone can yell at me for my ignorance.).
Yikes. Could Shahrukh Khan be losing his effect on me?
Before we jump to conclusions here, let me just present a couple of possible reasons as to why King Khan failed to capture my heart in Dil To Pagal Hai the same way he did in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Veer Zaara, and Kal Ho Naa Ho.
First of all, I have a hard time digesting Shahrukh Khan's Bollywood version of the mullet. It bothered me in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and it bothers me here. I guess it just makes him look too much like a punk kid for me to swoon over.
Secondly, and this is the scarier part, it might be that SRK's moves (not movies, moves) are getting a little played out for me. I've seen a chunk of his films and fallen in love with his charisma, but as I've tried to branch out and watch other things while creating this blog (such as the Raj Kapoor classics, the Deepa Mehta movies, the epic world of Ashutosh Gowarikar), I've realized that Bollywood has much more to offer than the popular SRK-brand film. And after you watch a few SRK movies you start to realize he has some of the same trademark neck carresses and such. Don't get me wrong, I still love Shahrukh, whether he's lip syncing on hilltops or starring in a Johar flick, but I just think the "wow" factor may have came down a few notches for me. Thirdly, and I think this was a biggie, I found the romance itself didn't resonate with me the way it should have. Yes, it was very nice and sweet and the idea of having a soulmate out there who you are just "meant to be with" is always endearing in my book...but...I kept expecting more of the story between the two leads. I had a hard time figuring out just why I was supposed to want Shahrukh's Rahul to end up with Madhuri's Pooja...other than the sheer fact that it was THE Shahrukh Khan and THE Madhuri Dixit. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even find one good reason why I wouldn't want Rahul with spunky Nisha(Karisma Kapoor) or Pooja with the adorable Ajay (Akshay Kumar) instead. But why, oh, why am I nitpicking this film? It really was worth watching, and I hope my above comments didn't deter you completely if you haven't seen it. Dil To Pagal Hai had much more to offer than Shahrukh Khan's dreaminess (or lack thereof), and therefore still held water for me as a very lovely romantic comedy. For one, there were no comedic sideshows from Rajpal Yadav or Johnny Lever (thank you, Yash Chopra). The story flowed as gracefully as Madhuri danced. And there was never a moment in the film where I felt ashamed for watching due to extreme cheesiness (and I say that with a lot of love, Bollywood).
This is my third Madhuri movie, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why she has made such a name for herself in this industry. The woman is the entire package--beautiful, graceful, poised, and an unparalleled dancer. What was truly amazing was that even with all this perfection, Madhuri's Pooja never made me sick to my stomach as most goody-two-shoes characters do (see most of Jennifer Lopez's romantic comedy roles). With Madhuri, it came across as sincerely genuine. Karisma Kapoor never really struck me in her photographs, but I now realize she is a natural beauty and has a dynamic screen presence. Akshay Kumar scored more points with me here than in Welcome and Heyy Baby combined. And its always refreshing to see Farida Jalal in a motherly role, no matter whose mother she is playing (She was technically Pooja's aunt, but you know what I mean).
There were two other huge elements in Dil To Pagal Hai--the music and the dancing. Both were equally fantastic. I love dance films like Hollywood's Save the Last Dance, Dirty Dancing and Dance With Me. So I was really looking forward to seeing one from Bollywood. Dil To Pagal Hai did not disappoint, although some of the dance moves (particularly from Karisma Kapoor) felt a little dated. But this was the 90s, and it was more of a contemporary film in its time, so I guess it was fitting. And there were lots of timeless dance scenes from Madhuri to make up for it. Add to that a "dance-off" between Mads and Karisma...Need I say more?
Speaking of timeless, the music of the film was just as great as the dancing that went with it. I actually think I loved every one of the songs in this movie. Which brings me back to my original question. If I loved so many things about this film, could the only problem with it be...me losing my affinity for Shahrukh Khan?
Well, maybe a little. Most great things in life are bound to lose some sparkle over time, I suppose. But all I have to do is pop in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and I'm sure he'll be able to pull me closer again. And...
