Monday, May 26, 2008
Two this week
Ghatothkach
People have to know their Mahabharat really well to know who Ghatothkach was— at least this new animation film, directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao does not go into familiar Hanuman-Krishna-Ganesh territory.
For those who don't know, Ghatothkach was the son of Bheem (one of the Pandavas), whose mother Hidimba was of the Asura clan. The kid was born with superhuman strength and magical powers, so when his uncle in the film sent two monsters to kill the infant, he simply jumped out of his cradle and sent the giants flying.
The initial portions of the film are cute and well animated— going into 3D animation for a wild dance in the jungle with the animals. Ghattu even befriends a baby elephant Gajju and tries to teach it magic, with hilarious results. Kids will love this part.
Then, either because the plot could not be stretched, or the writer-director (and music composer too) felt that a devotional element would boost the film's box-office potential, he goes into a detailed story of Krishna. Then it moves to a romance between Ajrun's son Abhimanyu and Balram's (Lord Krishna's brother) daughter Surekha and the family squabbles.
By this time Ghatothkach has also grown up and ceased to be cute—he is a fat guy with a huge paunch, and an insatiable appetite for food. When Surekha is about to be married to Duryodhan's son, Ghatothkach takes on her form to trick the villains and help his cousin Abhimanyu.
The Mayabazaar sequence is bizarre, with belly dancing girls and bhangra music, and the way the stupid groom (wearing trousers, in those times?) is conned, are quite funny, but the film ends before the battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas can even begin, so Ghatothkach's major role in that war and his confrontation with Karna are skipped.
Rao couldn't decide if he wanted a comedy for kids or a romance for adolescents-- he did not even go into the serious side of the character to appeal to adults-- so the film is just long and convoluted tale about a character who remains a mystery.
There are the usual comic book stereotypes—Asuras are dark, fat and evil; princes and princesses are fair, slim and doe-eyed-- so much so that almost all the characters look alike. While the animators have done a great job with the fantasy part of it, they still can't make the people walk and talk naturally.
Dhoom Dadakka
Because filmmakers believe comedies work at the box-office, everybody who has half an idea and half a dozen actors, slaps together a comedy; a trend that will soon become a tragedy if films like Dhoom Dadakka (and this week’s other release Don Muthuswami) keep coming out regularly. Their fate is such, that shows at multiplexes get cancelled; what a waste of everybody’s time and money.
Shashi Ranjan’s earlier film Dobara may not have been a hit, but at least it was not so offensive as this one, with its continuous sexual innuendoes, a brainless plot and the worst performances imaginable. Even an amateur street theatre company would not hire this bunch.
Bangkok based don Mungilal (Anupam Kher, who should be banned from doing comedy), with his sidekick Jignesh (Satish Shah, who deserves better), risks losing the Alibag territory to rival don Fursat Lala (Gulshan Grover) and his idiot son (Zac Khar) if he can’t prove that he has an heir.
He doesn’t have kids, but there’s a long-lost nephew or niece called Kamal somewhere. A detective Johnny English (Satish Kaushik) is hired to find the missing relative. Johnny has a fat, sex-starved assistant and an under-dressed, also sex-starved wife (Deepshikha)—which is Ranjan’s idea of humour.
Three fake Kamals (Sammir Dattani, Shaad Randhawa, Aarti Chhabria) and the girlfriend of one of them (Shama Sikandar) land up, and only the bravest would be able to sit through their antics—that include encounters with a breathless Bobby Darling, getting into drag, gay gags and pissing on walls.
The cast and crew at least had a paid holiday in Bangkok, so if the audience has to feel sorry for someone, it’s themselves!
People have to know their Mahabharat really well to know who Ghatothkach was— at least this new animation film, directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao does not go into familiar Hanuman-Krishna-Ganesh territory.
For those who don't know, Ghatothkach was the son of Bheem (one of the Pandavas), whose mother Hidimba was of the Asura clan. The kid was born with superhuman strength and magical powers, so when his uncle in the film sent two monsters to kill the infant, he simply jumped out of his cradle and sent the giants flying.
The initial portions of the film are cute and well animated— going into 3D animation for a wild dance in the jungle with the animals. Ghattu even befriends a baby elephant Gajju and tries to teach it magic, with hilarious results. Kids will love this part.
Then, either because the plot could not be stretched, or the writer-director (and music composer too) felt that a devotional element would boost the film's box-office potential, he goes into a detailed story of Krishna. Then it moves to a romance between Ajrun's son Abhimanyu and Balram's (Lord Krishna's brother) daughter Surekha and the family squabbles.
By this time Ghatothkach has also grown up and ceased to be cute—he is a fat guy with a huge paunch, and an insatiable appetite for food. When Surekha is about to be married to Duryodhan's son, Ghatothkach takes on her form to trick the villains and help his cousin Abhimanyu.
The Mayabazaar sequence is bizarre, with belly dancing girls and bhangra music, and the way the stupid groom (wearing trousers, in those times?) is conned, are quite funny, but the film ends before the battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas can even begin, so Ghatothkach's major role in that war and his confrontation with Karna are skipped.
Rao couldn't decide if he wanted a comedy for kids or a romance for adolescents-- he did not even go into the serious side of the character to appeal to adults-- so the film is just long and convoluted tale about a character who remains a mystery.
There are the usual comic book stereotypes—Asuras are dark, fat and evil; princes and princesses are fair, slim and doe-eyed-- so much so that almost all the characters look alike. While the animators have done a great job with the fantasy part of it, they still can't make the people walk and talk naturally.
Dhoom Dadakka
Because filmmakers believe comedies work at the box-office, everybody who has half an idea and half a dozen actors, slaps together a comedy; a trend that will soon become a tragedy if films like Dhoom Dadakka (and this week’s other release Don Muthuswami) keep coming out regularly. Their fate is such, that shows at multiplexes get cancelled; what a waste of everybody’s time and money.
Shashi Ranjan’s earlier film Dobara may not have been a hit, but at least it was not so offensive as this one, with its continuous sexual innuendoes, a brainless plot and the worst performances imaginable. Even an amateur street theatre company would not hire this bunch.
Bangkok based don Mungilal (Anupam Kher, who should be banned from doing comedy), with his sidekick Jignesh (Satish Shah, who deserves better), risks losing the Alibag territory to rival don Fursat Lala (Gulshan Grover) and his idiot son (Zac Khar) if he can’t prove that he has an heir.
He doesn’t have kids, but there’s a long-lost nephew or niece called Kamal somewhere. A detective Johnny English (Satish Kaushik) is hired to find the missing relative. Johnny has a fat, sex-starved assistant and an under-dressed, also sex-starved wife (Deepshikha)—which is Ranjan’s idea of humour.
Three fake Kamals (Sammir Dattani, Shaad Randhawa, Aarti Chhabria) and the girlfriend of one of them (Shama Sikandar) land up, and only the bravest would be able to sit through their antics—that include encounters with a breathless Bobby Darling, getting into drag, gay gags and pissing on walls.
The cast and crew at least had a paid holiday in Bangkok, so if the audience has to feel sorry for someone, it’s themselves!
Labels: Cinemaah
