The star-struck girl runs away from home to become a movie star. She lands up being an “extra” instead. She managed to get small roles in big films and the odd big role in small films. Her big break was when she starred in a sexy song. She became a brand by herself. That was the story of Silk Smitha. In a career spanning 17 years, she did over 450 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages. On September 23, 1996 she committed suicide at age 36.  This is supposedly the story that inspired the movie The Dirty Picture. Vidya Balan plays Silk Smitha.

Here is another story: She started as an extra in films in the early 1960s. She accepted small roles in big films like Mujhe Jeene Do and big roles in small budgeted stunt films like Boxer. She first gained attention in a supporting role as a vamp in Mere Sanam. The memorable sexy song “Yeh Hai Reshmi Zulphon Ka Andhera” was picturized on her.  Finally, she gained major attention when she played one of Dilip Kumar’s leading ladies in Ram Aur Shyam. The film became one of the top hits of the year, and she received her first Filmfare nomination as Best Supporting Actress. We are talking about the film star of yesteryears – Mumtaz.

Wherever there is glamour, there are allegations of the infamous “casting couch” being omnipresent. Bitter newcomers who are unsuccessful complain about it. Successful stars deny it. Occasionally someone files a harassment case against a director. They are like ripples in a pond. After a while the pond behaves as if the ripples never happened.

The “extras” (now called Junior Artists) all have a sad story of unfulfilled ambition. All of them wanted to become movie stars and make millions. They land up making approximately between Rs 400 and Rs 900 a day (ie less than $10 a day). There are stories about them being routinely exploited by stars as well as the directors. Then there are those like the current Rakhi Sawant who uses a combination of crude sleaze and scandalizing sound bytes to desperately stay in the news while hoping someone will give her the break she has dreamed of.

Silk Smitha was part of the ’80s films – a decade that is best forgotten for having just a handful of well made movies and very few new stars. I suspect the directors told her to figure out a way to introduce in your face, not-so-subtle sexually suggestive gestures to lure the audience. Having been brought up on a steady diet of Bollywood films, we know that all such “bad girls”/ item numbers are actually good girls at heart. Broken homes, alcoholics, exploiters are have made the good girl bad to be able to survive. If she finds true love she will be rehabilitated as a housewife (never a career woman, mind it!) and live happily ever after. For those who are now dying to know what Silk Smitha looked like … here is a song from the film Sadma (’83).

Vidya Balan made her debut in Bollywood in 2005 with the film Parineeta. She first gets out of the good-two-shoes image with Ishqiya. And has left that girl-next-door image far behind to rebrand herself as a really versatile actor. The Dirty Picture is very clearly a film that belongs to Vidya Balan. She pouts, flirts, and looks for love with co-stars, friends and even fans. She is exploited by everyone along the way. Eventually she realizes that it is crude oomph and pelvic thrusts that get her the same attention that even stars crave for. Vidya does the role with aplomb. Expect her to win awards for this film. Then Vidya B is no stranger to awards. So please start making place for the awards Vidya Balan.

Naseeruddin Shah does an awesome job as he plays an aging superstar who is full of himself.  When a fawning assistant calls him a genius, Shah pushes back an unruly lock of hair and sighs, “It is a curse (to be a genius)”.

The rest of the film has Tusshar (why can’t he spell his name as Tushar and remove the extra ass, I mean ‘S’ from the spelling?” and Emran Hashmi (exactly why and for what is a tough question to answer). So don’t expect to see any mind numbing acting skills on display from these two. But there are some spiffy exchanges that makes the audience guffaw, wink and nudge each other. They remind me of Dada Kondke – the uncrowned king of double entendre.

In the second half the director tries to explore the psyche of Silk Smitha – which is what would have made the script insightful. That was the disappointment. The costumes designed by Niharika Khan recreate the garish over-the-top look of the ’80s. Silk S was not one for subtle stuff. It was underlined and in bold font always with loud colors. That is the opportunity missed. The one supporting actor who you should watch out for is Keeda (literally means – the worm). He is the one who renames Reshma as Silk; Reshma names him Keeda as it is the (silk) worm that makes silk. Vishal Shekhar’s music gets an overall rating of B, but for the Oo La La song which is the signature tune of the film.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5  (but Vidya Balan has put in an awesome performance – you got to see that).

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Read about the life of a Junior Artist (click here)

Actor Pankaj Kapoor makes his debut as a director with the film Mausam (weather). Maybe that’s why the film ran into rough weather and its release got delayed. The Indian Air Force objected to a 30 second fight sequence not being authentic enough. Heck this is supposed to be a movie and not a training video, guys. Besides the HR folks in the Air Force can use snippets of this film to run your recruitment campaigns. No need to use clips from Top Gun – we have our very own Shahid doing that act.

Mausam is a love story between a pilot Harry played by the director’s son Shahid Kapoor and a Kashmiri refugee, Aayat (lovely name. It means a prayer) played by Sonam Kapoor or should I say So Numb Kapoor. The story opens in Mallukot village in Punjab where Harry woos the new Kashmiri girl who has come to live with her uncle in the village. Harry has eyes only for the new lass and ignores the overtures of Rajjo (played by Aditi Sharma – good job done gal!). The movie is awesome when it depicts rural Punjab. The collage of village life in Punjab follows the same visuals that will tug at the heartstrings of all those NRIs who yearn for life in rural Punjab but crib about the village roads when they are back for their annual vacation. Here is one more addition to songs that get played at weddings – Saj dhaj ke सज धज के

The songs by Pritam is lovely. I love the use of the use of Ustad Rashid Khan‘s voice for the poignant Poore Se Zarra Kam Hai पूरे से ज़रा कम है  (trans: Somewhat less than complete…). Shots of life in rural Punjab to make NRIs all gooey: A+.  Ministry of Tourism will be using it to run “Incradible Injia” campaign.

Then we move to the next part of the story. Lovers (remember Shahid and So Numb?) get separated as they are thrown apart by the Babri Masjid demolitions (Dec ’92), Mumbai Blasts (’93). Harry is now a big boy and a fighter pilot training in Scotland. He wears Ray ban Aviator glasses and walks with a swagger.  Pankaj Kapoor gets A+ for making what will be the best recruitment ad for the Indian Air Force.

In the second half, the story starts to get ‘complexer and complexer’ (apologies Alice). Everything from 9/11, to Ahmedabad riots to persecution of Muslims, to lovers not being able to come together is thrown into the second half along with the lovers, an abandoned girl child and a horse (honest). If that is not making sense to you, relax. It did not make sense to anyone else either. The say politics makes strange bedfellows. this film shows that lovers cannot become bedfellows if the story throws in national and international politics. Here is a guide for you:

1. You have seen only the first half of the film: You are smart.
2. You have seen the first half and 15 minutes of the second half: Hmmm … you are beginning to worry me
3. You’ve hung around till the end: The film is beginning to look like the economy. Going downhill.

Shahid Kapoor: A

So Numb Kapoor: B

OVERALL: Farhan Akhtar’s debut film Dil Chahta Hai is hard to beat as a debut film, but let me just say that Pankaj Kapoor’s film certainly deserves to be viewed. If Dil Chahta Hai gave us the “actor” Saif Ali for the first time, Mausam gives us Shahid.

Rating 3.1958 out of 5 (the 0.1958 was for effort)

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Read about Shahid Kapoor’s performance in Kaminey

While Pankaj Kapoor is new to directing a film, he is a seasoned matured actor. He did a superb job in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) and as the carrot chewing sleuth in the television series Karamchand (1985), he was in his element. Ek Ruka Huaa Faisla (1986) was a film made for television by Basu Chatterjee that had Pankaj Kapoor play an unforgettable role as a Juror. This story was based onHenry Fonda’s classic 12Angry Men (1957). Pankaj Kapoor got his first National Film Award in1989 with Raakh. I would however rate his performance as Abbaji in Vishal Bhardwaj’s film Maqbool (2003) as perhaps his best performance on screen. He got the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for that performance.

Tanvi Azmi & Sachin Khedekar in Bubble Gum

“One beautiful neighbor…One rival in love… Two Paranoid parents…It’s hard to be 14!” says the tagline of  BUBBLE GUM – a coming of age story of Vedant who is 14.  Director Sanjivan Lal wrote the story in 2006 while drawing upon his own experiences of being 14 in the city of Jamshedpur. Just when parents expect their teenagers to focus on studying and prepare for the Board exams, but the hormones take over and the teenagers fall in love.

There are no big stars in Bubble Gum.  The star cast of the film includes Sachin Khedekar & Tanvi Azmi as the parents. Delzad Hiwale plays the character of Vedant, Sohail Lakhani as Vidur & Apoorva Arora.

I spoke to Sanjivan Lal, the director about his debut film Bubble Gum.

Abhijit: How did you think of becoming a film director?

Sanjivan: Middle class families like mine tell you that you are not supposed to think of becoming a film director. I always dreamed about being in movies. Initially it was about being an actor because I was not aware about the other aspects of film making. However one is expected (in a middle class family) to take a techical course after graduation – I took up Chartered accountancy… but six months before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, I decided to go join a workshop in Delhi that was to teach you how to make documentaries. That was in June 1989. A month later I was at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune doing a three year course in Film Direction

Abhijit: Between ’93 and 2011, did you make other films?

Sanjivan: My ‘Diploma Film” made for my graduation at FTII was  The Second Page. It was screened as part of the Indian Panorama at The International Film Festival of India. I have produced and directed Corporate films, Public Service films and Documentaries for Films Division, Zee Chakra and Public Service Broadcasting Trust [PSBT] besides having done extensive work in fiction on Television. I shot episodes of Rishtey, Star Bestsellers, Suspense Hour, Mujrim Kaun (winner of the prestigious RAPA Award) and Raaz. My documentary Is God Deaf was screened at various festivals including The 35th International Film Festival of India as part of the Indian Panorama.

Abhijit: What is Bubble Gum about? Since your film is also set in the town of Jamshedpur, some people are comparing it with the film Udaan. What do you believe?

Delzad & Apoorva

Sanjivan: Udaan and Bubble gum – both have been shot in Jamshedpur that’s where the similarity ends. Udaan was a dark film while Bubble Gum is a feel-good warm film. It’s about childhood. It is about a time in the ’80s in a small town when the children had no Facebook, mobile phones or even television. It is a film that brings up the insecurities of parents who are learning to deal with teenagers. It is heartening to see that every critic has appreciated this film. CNN-IBN says, “It is an honest effort, worth a watch.” (read review here)

Abhijit: Is it hard to succeed making a film without big stars?

Sanjivan: Yes, it is important for every film to be commercially successful. So stars do matter because that reduces the risk of the producers. Exhibitors are business people – not creative people. So it is but natural for them to focus on getting returns on their investments. This film would be completely out of place if for instance I had say a Salman (Khan) and Katrina playing the parents in this film. To succeed one needs to make a film in a reasonable budget and market the film well…to reach out to the right target audience!

On the other hand, stars keep lamenting the dearth of good scripts and have to makes endless sequels and remakes of the same stories. But when there is a good story, no one invests in it. Isn’t that ironical?

Abhijit: Your top five choices of Bollywood films?

Sanjivan: My all time favorite film is Masoom (1983) directed by Shekhar Kapoor. The others would be Sholay; Dil Chahta Hai; Pyaasa and Lagaan.

Abhijit: Is there any other film that influenced you?

Sanjivan: There are two more films that I have loved the Iranian film Children of Heaven directed by Majid Majidi.  The other film I would mention is the French film Je suis le seigneur du château (Trans: I am the King of The Castle).

And now for the trailer of the movie Bubble Gum.

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If you haven’t watched the film Udaan – here is a link you can go through <click here>

David Norris played by Matt Damon is a popular politician who has the possibility of running for President. That is what “they” want him to do. Norris loves the applause and adulation of the masses and is inching his way towards the Presidential election when he has a momentary lapse of reason aided by alcohol. End of career is in sight when he meets the free spirited Elise (played by Emily Blunt). She inspires him to rip up the hackneyed cliche ridden speech and speak to the electorate from the heart.  Once again the White House begins to appear on his career radar. But… he is pulled to the side by this mysterious group called “The Adjustment Bureau” who have the power to run everyone’s life and ensure that people run it according to their plan. So Matt is told to make a choice. Will he take the road less traveled and change fate or accept what destiny holds for him? He has to make a choice and that is what the movie is all about.

The movie was described as a science fiction romantic thriller. Let me decode all four adjectives.

What makes it qualify as science fiction? A kind of Matrix like concept and very convoluted at that. They who run the Adjustment Bureau are evil folks in hats. That gives them the power to walk in through doors and take short cuts while chasing Matt Damon who is human and hence takes the bus or the crowded New York streets. They will make “adjustments” to ensure that you stay with the script that you are supposed to play out in your life. However the all powerful Bureau officials are unable to work their magic when there is water. When you watch the movie you will notice this uncanny coincidence that whenever Matt Damon needs to escape from them it starts to rain. Ergo whatever parts of the movie sound like Matrix is the bit about science fiction. This is the hardest part to explain after watching the movie. So I had to get that out of the way. Think of it as Matrix meets Harry Potter to understand why the director believes all science is fiction.

The romantic bit is easy to explain. Matt Damon loves the electricity that gets generated between them when he meets Emily Blunt. However it is illegal to generate your own electricity. So the Adjustors will do crazy things to stop them from having their own gen set. That is the comedy part of it. If Matt cannot pull off the complex plot of continuing to love Emily while keeping his hat on and running through the rain, the Bureau wins. Who runs the Bureau? God? No silly… It is “The Chairman”. I am not sure whether this bit will qualify as science or fiction or comedy. It is not the romantic bit is the only hint I can offer.

The chemistry between Blunt and Matt is unmistakable to the audience but the cliched lines kill. It is hard to say “I love you” when a ginormous amount of songs and movies have said it all before. So really it IS hard for the director to say stuff without sounding like he has done a control c+control v from some movie or the other. Ironically it is the romantic bit of the movie that really works. So I was a little puzzled why the director did not leave it at that.

Written and directed by George Nolfi, the film is based on a short story by the American novelist Philip Dick‘s short story called the Adjustment Team.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Saat Khoon Maaf

According to a recent story in Mint newspaper, when 19-year-old Vishal Bhardwaj returned from cricket practice that morning, his home had been emptied out on the street. Chairs, tables, utensils, clothes, photo frames—everything lay strewn on the road outside his home in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. In the midst of it, right there on the street, his poet father—for long his best friend—lay sprawled. And lifeless. It was one of the moments that would change the life of 45-year-old Vishal Bhardwaj, one of India’s brightest film-makers and music composers. “It was like a steady cam shot,” That must have in some way defined the way he looks at the subject of death. He counts Quentin Tarantino as among his influences. It was Pulp Fiction that inspired Vishal to take the plunge to make movies. But he started his career as a music composer in the telly serial Fauji in 1995 – a show that gave Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan his first break. In 1996, Gulzar‘s film Maachis saw Vishal B as the music director. Those compositions got him the RD Burman award for best debutant in music. In 2002 he made his debut as a director with Makdee – a childrens’ film that starred Shabana Azmi.

In 2003, he made Maqbool as an adaptation of Macbeth. That was a breathtaking film with brilliant performances by Pankaj Kapoor, Tabu and Irrfan. If you haven’t seen that film you must. Then there was the other movie Omkara – inspired by Othello.Omkara was made in 2006. Then came a hat trick. In 2009 it was Kaminey (read my review here); last year it was Ishqiya for which Vishal composed the musical score and 2011 he directed Saat Khoon Maaf – Trans: Seven Murders Forgiven (based on Ruskin Bond’s story Susanna’s Seven Husbands).

The film is about the character Susanna played by Priyanka Chopra who kills  husbands – all seven of them. The husbands are played by Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan, Annu Kapoor and Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko, in the roles of the husbands.The husbands all have their fatal flaws and they need to be bumped off.  Each wedding is as per a different ritual. From a Bong wedding to a Russian one, you will see them all. The methods of murder are all varied and imaginative. Yet I cannot honestly say that this is Ruskin Bond’s best story ever. In fact he even makes a brief appearance in the film. I almost expected him to say, “My name is Bond … Ruskin Bond.”

This film gives Bollywood a new actor – Priyanka Chopra who has made a brave attempt to be an actor and not a star. She has done the unthinkable of looking old and unglamorous as the story moves on. I susoect Bollywood will encourage her by giving her with awards for this one. If her acting skills in Fashion (which I thought was below par), then this one would surely qualify.

Are there any loose ends in the story – yes. But then Bollywood audience is used to inconsistencies. Like what? Priyanka Chopra’s make up for one. The continuity is flawed in some places.But that is not a deal breaker ever. John Abraham’s character looks dangerously closely modeled on rocker Axelrod of Guns and Roses fame. Naseeruddin Shah plays a Bengali character whose Bengali accent is as suspect as the Doordarshan TV newsreaders who pronounce Kolkata as Call-Kota. Usha Uthup plays Priyanka’s maid and confidant. But her make up makes her character look almost farcical. Newcomer Vivaan Shah makes you sit up and notice his acting skills. The weak link in the film is the exaggerated make up of most characters.

The music is neat. Kay Kay does a lovely acoustic version of the song O’Mama. My favorite has to be Yesu by Rekha Bharadwaj.

In the final analysis, Saat Khoon Maaf is a dark film. I am not sure the average person cares for this brand of stories. So I don’t think this will do well at the box office. The film is in many ways like dark chocolate. Most people find the bitter aftertaste hard to enjoy. But then I kind of love dark chocolate.

My Rating: B+