LOST ACTION HERO
Abhishek Bachchan finds his true self in a lushly imagined, if somewhat generic, fantasy. Plus, a woefully silly thriller.
OCT 5, 2008 – THIRTY YEARS AGO, DRONA WOULD HAVE BEEN a perfect vehicle for Amitabh Bachchan. Strip away the elements of myth, of fantasy, and you’ll unearth the story of a normal guy who battles both his own demons as well as a demonic villain in order to avenge what’s been done to his parents. When I caught the promos of Goldie Behl’s film and noted that Abhishek Bachchan (playing Aditya, who transforms into Drona) barely cracks a smile, I wondered why – but now I think I know. Bachchan Sr., in those movies, wasn’t exactly a happy man either, and his brooding scowl alerted us to the crosses he had to bear. Here too, what Bachchan Jr. is asked to do is become a reluctant hero – not a superhero in the crime-fighting Superman or Batman mould, but more of an ordinary hero who begins to discover in himself unknown reserves of strength when he holds in his hand a teardrop shed by his mother. (Jaya Bachchan takes over the Nirupa Roy duties here, and the lullaby that she sings is the film’s musical motif, featuring most prominently when the villain meets his justly deserved end at the hands of her son.)
The reason this film about an ordinary hero looks like one about a superhero is that it’s set in a world that’s far from ordinary, a fantasy universe borrowed primarily from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the Harry Potter adventures. The crux of Drona revolves around a plot point not unlike the one about the knights of the Crusades guarding the secret of the Holy Grail – the title of this film, therefore, isn’t a name arbitrarily picked from the Mahabharata for its coolness quotient; it actually means something – plus Aditya is a put-upon orphan who lives with a Dursley-like family and who discovers, on a fateful birthday, that he’s not what he thought he was. So if you wanted to be really cynical, you could accuse Behl of doing nothing more than taking his favourite bits from these books and films, tossing them into a blender and garnishing the mix with elements from fantasy film and fiction down the years.
But this is no lazy rehash. If anything, Drona comes off as the work of a fan who wants to reimagine the very things he’s a fan of – and Behl does this with the help of a superb behind-the-scenes team that appears attuned to his vision to an extent that collaborators rarely are, unless the director is, say, a Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This is a gorgeously mounted production, whose eye candy value alone is worth the price of entry, but it’s not just money that’s been thrown at the screen – it’s also imagination, which is far more precious. It’s not just the big effects sequences that seek out your attention – the dazzling animated stretches; the whorl of stones sinking into desert sand as it reveals the mystery in its midst; the stormy visual of Aditya’s forefathers whispering to him their secrets while he is reborn as a saviour – but the tiny details, like the hero’s steed bearing on its neck a tattoo of a blue conch that forms a part of the quest. Behl and his writers have conjured up a fully-formed, fully-connected alternate universe where even the scar that Drona is left with after being disfigured by the villain mirrors the scar his mother bore, and where a sequence with the villain and his clone is counterpointed with one where the hero faces a ghostly doppelganger. (Pop psychology students could tie themselves up for years deconstructing these moments.)
For all the conceptual-level detailing, however, Drona remains a somewhat generic construction, an extremely simple good-versus-evil saga – the hero’s costume is white, the villain’s is black – and it doesn’t resonate enough to reach greatness. I wished, for instance, that Aditya’s first run-in with the evil Riz Raizada (Kay Kay Menon) had been more memorable, a more worthy prelude to the clashes that follow. But the surreal, almost whimsical tone of individual scenes more than make up for this overall lack of distinctiveness, especially whenever Menon is on screen. As in the Harry Potter series, the sidekicks are more interesting than the dour protagonist, and it’s a relief that Abhishek’s study in monochrome (however necessary) is contrasted with an antagonist who practically explodes in technicolour. With a coif that resembles a rooster comb crossed with a Mohawk, and with an index finger fitted with an instrument of death that looks about as sinister as a pointy thimble, Menon is deliciously campy, never more so than when manipulating a couple of puppets that appear to function as some sort of conscience.
And Priyanka Chopra finally gets the opportunity to atone for her multitude of sins in that other fantasy, Krrish. She plays Sonia, Drona’s bodyguard and, by my count, she actually outstrips him in the action department. (How I wish she hadn’t been saddled with that silly Oop cha number, though it’s a blessing that there’s very little by way of a romantic track. The closest we get to a love scene is when Aditya and Sonia dispatch a bunch of bad guys attired like Ringwraiths and lock eyes while swinging silently on a length of rope.) Except for the climactic swordfight, where Drona takes on his nemesis, Sonia is the one shielding her man from harm, helping him in his quest by clearing the scenery of the villains baying for his blood. Where Bachchan Sr. fought his battles – internal and external – with no help from anyone else, and certainly not his heroines, Bachchan Jr., fortunately, exists in an era where it’s not considered emasculating to ask your girlfriend to chip in with a few well-timed wire-fu moves. Now that’s the kind of thing that makes a hero super, if you think about it.
THE QUESTION WHOSE THRILLING ANSWER we’re meant to anticipate in Sanjay Gadhvi’s Kidnap is clearly whether a tired Sanjay Dutt will manage to extricate his daughter from the clutches of a kidnapper, but the real poser may well turn out to be this: Will Minissha Lamba’s cleavage distract audiences from a script so preposterous, a David Dhawan enterprise would appear, in comparison, a model of clear, calm logic? Minissha (who plays Sonia, Dutt’s daughter) gets going with a song sequence where the choreographer’s instruction was simply to arch the back and hug the hands together, at all times, as tightly as possible. She goes on to a scene where she confronts her mother (a hapless Vidya Malvade) at the breakfast table, attired in clothes more appropriate for an item number. And after being kidnapped and being held in a sparsely furnished hideout, she demonstrates her resourcefulness by somehow stumbling into Huma Khan’s wardrobe. At one point, her father, who hasn’t set eyes on Sonia since she was a child, appraises her and appreciatively exclaims, “You’re looking so grown up,” and you’re not entirely sure he’s referring to her age.
But however your twisted mind interprets that statement, there’s at least something about her that points towards adulthood, which is more than can be said for Imran Khan. The actor tries on a variety of scowls and stares and grimaces, but nothing can shake off the disquieting impression that he’d rather be out by Aditi’s side, consoling her about the loss of her cat. But part of the problem is also that he’s playing a ridiculous character with a ridiculous motive (that’s revealed far too early), who does ridiculous things (like taking Sonia to the wide open sea when she says she needs to bathe; cue more cleavage) and goes about setting a ridiculous series of clues that Dutt has to decipher if he wants his daughter back. Some of the tasks Dutt is expected to perform are so insanely dangerous, they seem more suited to a crack officer of a SWAT unit rather than the portly, wealthy global Indian that he plays, with a net worth of $51.7 billion. But at least he has all that money to unwind with after these mortally gruelling two-and-a-half hours. What about us?
Copyright ©2008 The New Sunday Express. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without
Sujith
October 4, 2008
Huma Khan!! ROFLMAO
Drona,yes, lots of ideas and details, but overall it bombed out for me. For example I loved the bits that Riz “the evil/magical asura” passes of as a magician, those Ads of his on TV, his poster on the train, the guardians of the “one”(reminded me of Damiens guards from Omen).But when it shows up on screen…execution..ugh..that first Riz/Adi meet seemed very ineptly done
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Anita Raj
October 5, 2008
Hello Mr. Rangan. Good to see that you are consistent in life.
While you did not quite like the way Shahrukh Kahn pursed his lips in Chakede India or how Aamir went commercial with Taere Zameen Par, you do consistently love trash from Abhishek Bachchan, right from Naach to Drona.
No wonder national awards are a joke now.
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sreeja
October 5, 2008
I think the main flaw with kidnap is that the story couldnt convince the viewer of the strength of the hero/antihero’s motives.And if one were to believe his motives,then his course of action is not in accordance with his character.If he felt persecuted enough to take revenge on sanjay dutt,then, the whole scenario of it actually just being an exercise to purge himself and not cause any harm ultimately, doesnt make any sense. And if we are to believe that the character is more a victim,then surely using an 18yr old girl and submitting her to that kind of fear for 6 days is not justified.
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Kishor
October 5, 2008
Hello Rangan, very much shocked by ur review of Drona. Yours would have been the most generous review on Drona until now. Even Taran Adarsh got bored by this movie.
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Anonymous
October 5, 2008
“Sonia is the one shielding her man from harm, helping him in his quest by clearing the scenery of the villains baying for his blood” – reminds me of a Korean movie I watched recently: Shadowless Sword.
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Aly
October 5, 2008
Mr. Rangan,
seems you are being attacked from the SRK fans. Typical of them.
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Aditya Pant
October 5, 2008
Rangan: While I agree that Goldie Bahl and the writing team created a ‘well-connected’ alternate universe, I felt the execution left a lot to be desired. The plot was qite well conceptualized. However, I found the way the entire conflict unfolds in the second half as downright boring, if I may use the word. The long monologues (written in completely insipid words) became a bit too much, the spectacular visuals notwithstanding.
When the film started and I saw the Harry Potter connection, I kind of liked it but beyond a point the inspiration from varied sources became so much that I did think it was a “lazy rehash” and not the “work of a fan who wants to reimagine the very things he’s a fan of ”
You mention Ringwraiths, but there was much more of Lord of the Rings in the film. The entire sequence near the sword (twice, once with Jaya Bachchan and once with Priyanka) was more than just reminiscent of the Aragon sequence at Rivendell (once with Boromir and then with Arwen).
I like it that you have been respectful and not said a word about Jaya Bachchan’s performance. 😉
I would say the the film had all the potential of becoming a great Indian fantasy film, but a great opportunity was royally wasted.
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Aditya Pant
October 5, 2008
Forgot to mention the other significant LoTR connection – The White Wizard and his staff, which was an exact replica of the one in the LoTR movies.
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Rk
October 5, 2008
WHat about us ? We are left with a hole in pocket, a wasted 2.5hrs plus 1.5hours in traffic, an evening gone sour, a disappointing taste in mouth that would scare us from watching the next hindi movie in big screen but instead turn to pirated cd!
The names behind this movie(Dhoom2 director, Fanaa script writer) were enough clues for the intelligent, but we movie lovers tend to give one more chance..
Except for the Jackie-Chan inspired chase sequence, there was nothing noticable in the movie..crappy dialogues, laughable-logicless script & story..
But I am surprised you gave a positive review to Drona..in fact the very first statement says all negative about the movie..this is an outdated, modern looking movie..
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Vivek
October 5, 2008
Err, I haven’t seen either movie and I am quite aware of the fact that you view a movie in the entirety of its mileu and the various influences, but still it looked like you were almost struggling out there to say something good about Drona.I get the great visuals part but what’s with all the hype on the monochrome vs technicolor part. From Narnia to harry potter to even good ol Ramayana series this has pretty much been the norm isn’t it? Dualism and all that jazz has been the norm for an eternity right? And any comments on abhishek’s casting? I would have thought an Ajay devgan could have pulled a brooding superhero better
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Raj Balakrishnan
October 5, 2008
Hi Baradwaj,
That was the first positive review for ‘Drona’ that I’ve read.
Loved your review of Kidnap, great that you’ve ripped it apart. You cannot expect anything better from Sanjay Gadhvi, maker of the crap Dhoom series. But I might probably see this for Minisha Lamba’s cleavage!!!
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raj
October 5, 2008
it’s official now – dazzling visuals are cinematic merit. Spend millions, make sure that it can be seen on the screen(eliminate tackiness) and you’ll have a great movie in hand.
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ram
October 5, 2008
Hi Rangan,
how come you didnt review Benegal’s Welcome to Sajjanpur
Cheers
Ram
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Anand
October 5, 2008
BR: I have not watched Drona..but you seem to be the only one who thinks its good enough..interesting. But for me, the promos have not been interesting enough to inspire me to go to the theatres.
As for Kidnap…what can I say? It is a pointless film…
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brangan
October 5, 2008
ram: I just caught the film, so I’m writing about it for next week’s column.
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Maxwell
October 5, 2008
Rangan, hope you are not on Bachchan’s payroll.
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Arif Attar
October 5, 2008
Hello Rangan, just couldn’t help commenting on Maxwell’s comment. The thought has always crossed my mind. A respected writer whose views are valued, surely there are a lot of people there ready to buy you out. A great many reviewers have fallen from grace this way. I always have this fear. I call it the ‘Hansie Cronje Syndrome’. How easy is it to stay clean to your conscience when it’s just a matter of putting an extra star on the rating.
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Kripacharya
October 5, 2008
Abhishek Bachan takes the cake for the most overrated actor by Baradwaj Rangan saab. He appears on Drona sets when in the middle of acute constipation, somehow manages to go through the shooting. Cut to next shot: Baradwaj Rangan finds that good performance. Wow! Raja Sen, move over, you have comptetion in bachan loyalty stakes
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Lee
October 5, 2008
What is with the herd mentality amongst BW critics and fans? If Rangan has a different view of a movie does it mean he has been paid off? WTF
I have not seen Drona or Kidnap and have no interest in them. But I did enjoy reading Rangan’s review and insights.
Rangan, here is a western critic’s review of Drona – http://www.times.co.nz/cms/arts/film/2008/10/drona.php. He too had a positive view of the movie.
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En Light En'd
October 5, 2008
If someone hasn’t already said that being a critic is walking on a double-edged sword, then what are they waiting for? If you write to please the audience, your conscience cries; if you write to please your conscience, the audience cries/slanders/spews pure potent venom. What does the poor critic do when all hell breaks loose merely because he observes that a director had managed to execute exactly what he (the director) had envisioned (that the envisioned may still be weighted as crappy by the audience, being beside the point)?
Perhaps, seeking solace in Dr.Seuss’ soothing words would ease the pain of this double-edged-sword walkathon? “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
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SB
October 5, 2008
Well, I happen to love Abhishek no matter what so I’m glad to see a positive review. Haven’t watched the film yet so can’t say if it’s deserved but…what the heck.
Huma Khan’s wardrobe, cue cleavage…how DO you come with these zingers?
National Award still well-deserved IMHO, keep writing…you still write with far more depth and intelligence than any other critic out there.
And no, B did not pay me to write this comment.
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ad
October 5, 2008
YAYYY!! you’re back. I was beginning to have sever withdrawal symptoms
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Raj Balakrishnan
October 6, 2008
A review is an individual’s opinion/point of view. If Baradwaj liked Drona and has positives thing to write about it, accept it as his opinion. Doesn’t mean that he is Bachchan’s man. I find Baradwaj’s reviews the most insightful.
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Kishor
October 6, 2008
Nobody knows whether Goldie Behl achieved what he had envisioned, only Goldie Behl can answer that. But creating a good set and other technical things can be done by anybody who has bags of money. It is not at al a great thing. The point here is weaving them into story skillfully. At no point Drona was able to make me think about the movie, not even for 5 seconds. I think the script is written by some mentally handicapped person or a 10-year-old.
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Kishor
October 6, 2008
To be frank, Abhishek looked like a student in a special school, never like a man with special powers.
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Arijit
October 6, 2008
rangan,
no reviews of “The Last Lear”…was eagerly waiting for your take on that…
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brangan
October 6, 2008
Arijit: Didn’t manage to catch the movie. I guess I’ll have to wait for the DVD now, and maybe in a future column…
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Gaurav Agrawal
October 6, 2008
that is some hard criticism you are getting for your review BR. I hated the movie myself but as always enjoyed your take on the movie.
Loved last lear though…lets see what ur take on that is, whenever u get to watch it
nd what about via Darjelling BR…watch it if u find a dvd netime 🙂
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raj
October 6, 2008
ada paavigala!
I cant translate that – Suffice to say , all you morons who can even contemplate BR being bought out – you will ROT IN HELL!!!
isthri petti vechurukaravan ellam business man. internet access irukkaravan ellam critic-of-critcs. Enna kodumai BRangan idhu?
That apart, one kostin:
How do you decide if a movie has justified its budget in terms of appropriate visuals and visual splendour?
How do you know that to achieve the exact degree of splendour that, say, Drona did, they would have spent exactly or approximately the amount they CLAIM is the budget of the movie? Similarly, how can you claim that Dasavatharam is tacky compared to its claimed budget? How do we even know that that much amount was spent? Assuming the claim is true, how can we know that given that budget what is the optimum level of glossiness/visual splendour that needs to be there? It is not like this is Operations Reasearch, isnt it?
In other words, how can this be a criteria for an objective critic?
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raj
October 6, 2008
“..whose eye candy value alone is worth the price of entry”
Oh! that doesnt apply to Kidnap? I mean, Minissha wasnt eye-candy? 😉
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brangan
October 6, 2008
raj: First of all, there’s no such thing as an objective critic. Didn’t you read that column of mine about biases and stuff?
About “How do you decide if a movie has justified its budget in terms of appropriate visuals and visual splendour?” I can’t. All can say — and I’m saying really — is that whatever money they spent is there on screen. This is a movie that needed certain effects, and they were done well is all I’m saying. It’s none of my business how much it all cost.
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streetsmart
October 7, 2008
I am so glad to read a review of Drona that is not a personal vendetta against the film and its makers. Yours is a critique, and a well rounded one at that. Yes, It is a fan making his version of fantasy…and I thought that it was a well done, albiet a tad inadequate rendition for sure….Thank you for understanding and lauding the film-makers, and here’s hoping that the poison filled reviews that others have given, do not deter Goldie from making his hearts desires…Maybe next time, he will fare better.
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Arby K
October 7, 2008
In Kidnap, when Vikrant Raina says “You look so grown up” to his minimally dressed daughter, there is a momentary pause before he says “Grown up”, as though he intended to say something else, then realized Sonia is his daughter and corrected himself. Thought I should mention it since you mentioned it in ur review.
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Ee-eye-ee-eye-oh
October 7, 2008
“I think the script is written by some mentally handicapped person or a 10-year-old.” – I’d say never underestimate the power of the 10-year-old within someone to wake up the sleeping child in you. Just be sure to stay open enough to *see* it when that happens (to you or someone else). In short, suspend such seriousness and take it eesee!
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Sid
October 7, 2008
BR, thanks for the review. I can’t say I “liked” Drona but I did not hate it as well. I think it’s receiving far more flak than it deserves — it was at least the better of the two big releases this week.
You could tell that there was a lot of work that has gone into the imagery and mythology of creating this particular character.
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brangan
October 7, 2008
Sid: I’m kinda along the same lines. I wouldn’t watch it again in a hurry, but while I was in the hall, it kept me engaged, and that’s more than you can say for most films these days. That was more or less the sense I was going for in the review, but judging by the reactions, I’m not sure it came through.
I was trying to figure out why people thought I gave Rock On and CDI and TZP a “thumbs down” (when in actuality, I quite enjoyed these films overall) while giving Drona a “rave” (when I didn’t quite like it ALL that much). I think it may be because other reviews lean more strongly towards “it sucks” or “it rocks” categorisations, whereas mine tend to merely go over the pluses and minuses without a strong opinion about “viewability” or “worthiness.”
And I guess the same applies to *aspects* of the film as well. I mean, Kripacharya above thinks I found AB Jr. here giving a “good performance,” when I actually haven’t mentioned anything at all about the performance. All I’ve tried to explore is why the character he’s playing is so “serious” here.
Not that I’m going to change the way I write these pieces, but perhaps it would make things clearer if, at the bottom of the review, I appended the rating I give in the newspaper. I’m thinking about it.
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Vivek
October 8, 2008
I think more than adding stars what would work better would be
For a good movie: Start with the good stuff and then go into what was not so good about it
Vice versa for a bad movie.
Look the way you trashed Kidnap here made it quite obvious that you didn’t care for the movie or its premise. You have very clearly laid out what did not work for you in the movie?
Why treat Drona with kid gloves then if it did not work for you?
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oops
October 8, 2008
Just one question Rangan ? I haven’t seen Drona yet so i’m not able to disagree with you. I’m just surprised about the review that you gave. My question is, would you give to Drona all the qualities that you found in it without the Bachchan Mythology ? I mean, nothing wrong with the fact that you notice that (i think you should wright something about all the mysticism around the Bachchan figure lol), but how can we say that a movie is good if it fails to deliver its promisses. If The Dark Knight was a failure, we would’ve praised his director for his attempt but his film would still be a bad film right ?
Cool to hear a dissonant voice in this concert of bad reviews, but yours is all about metaphysics when some of us want to know your POV about the film on his own. And IMO, it would also help Abhi a lot if we could allow the guy to be himself : not a just a mere projection of our fantasm about his father. I like him a lot and truly believe he deserves that.
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oops
October 8, 2008
Re: just read what you said about you ratings and yes i agree you should put some because i’m also confused most of the time when i read your thoughts. I can’t ask you to make it simpler for me but at least, give stars or notes.
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Aditya Pant
October 8, 2008
BR: The final decision is yours, but please avoid putting your star ratings here….
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Jabberwock
October 8, 2008
I was trying to figure out why people thought I gave Rock On and CDI and TZP a “thumbs down” (when in actuality, I quite enjoyed these films overall) while giving Drona a “rave” (when I didn’t quite like it ALL that much). I think it may be because other reviews lean more strongly towards “it sucks” or “it rocks” categorisations, whereas mine tend to merely go over the pluses and minuses without a strong opinion about “viewability” or “worthiness.”
Baradwaj: Spot on. This happens very often with nuanced writing, not just in the context of reviews but in many other areas as well.
Just one example: I’m constantly amused by the comments on Pete Bodo’s Tennis World blog. Bodo presents his perspectives in a matter-of-fact way, writing about certain players without rushing to extremes of adulation or deprecation, and this causes a lot of confusion for die-hard fans of the players. He might write a largely positive (but not gushing) piece about Roger Federer, for example, but Fed-fans will accuse him of being anti-Federer and sucking up to Nadal. Whereas Nadal’s fans will react in exactly the same way if he writes a similar piece about their guy. There’s just no pleasing anyone, and ultimately most of the comments say far more about the commenters than they do about the article in question.
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Ramesh
October 8, 2008
I don’t think your putting star ratings here would in anyway diminish the quality of your writing. I am all for it, your article would serve the classes, and your stars would serve the masses . We can thus avoid rediff board type messages too 🙂
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kripacharya
October 8, 2008
“..the comments say far more about the commenters than they do about the post”
like yours. Megalomaniac!
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s
October 8, 2008
Review Guru,
I am totally lost with all these Amitabh’s references, I can only see the salt and pepper man with the weaved hair, can’t fathom with so many people referring to him.
Inspite of reading your blog every day, this drona review did not seem negative at all to me. After second reading, I noticed the two paras of negative points. I can’t recall any ohter time when we misunderstood your views this badly.
But I still don’t want you to change anything with way you write your reviews. stars or no stars, there will be further discussion on this forum which will make things clearer. Whether you like it or not, these feedbacks are going to influence next time when you type down those reviews if you are convinced, so there.
These fresh thoughts without any other external influences is the way it should be.
And those couple of people, who wrote about BR being on the AB’s payroll & all, that was plain horrible. How could you?
To throw accusations on anybody without proper thought is bad, to do that to someone who is this honest about his work is … you all have your seats reserved in hell.
The guy does his job with enough respect to the film makers, the readers and himself – a quality rare in any field. And you dare to accuse him. Everyone has freedom of expression, but there is responsibility towards exercising it which you seem to be unaware of.
An oft discussed topic in this blog and yet yon can’t understand that.
Idiots, this was his back from vacation review, you guys ruined it. may your eyes read only Taran Adarsh reviews with Himesh’s music playing in the background.
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brangan
October 8, 2008
Vivek: What you’re suggesting is some sort of template and that’s infinitely boring for me. I have to keep myself entertained too, while writing, and if I began to follow a bunch of rules, I’d rather stop reviewing.
BTW, The reason I trashed Kidnap is because I found it lousy. I don’t know what makes you think I found Drona lousy, and yet treated it with kid gloves. I found it engaging and *therefore* I didn’t trash it. Some movies are either very good or very bad, and it’s easy to trash or praise them. With the middling ones like Drona, that’s not the case.
oops: You are once again getting into reviews being nothing but hardnosed evaluation, but sometimes, it’s more interesting to explore certain aspects of a film. But I agree that this exploration may not interest others as much as it interests me.
Aditya Pant: I guess the majority is leaning towards stars? Ramesh does have a point about the classes and the masses, doesn’t he? 🙂
s: Oh I’m not complaining at all. If I wasn’t interested in knowing what others felt (good/bad/whatever) about my writing, I wouldn’t have a blog in the first place. And thank you.
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oops
October 8, 2008
I’m not saying that Brangan. I love the way you wright but as you said it’s sometimes difficult to understand if you like the film or not. First of all, english is not my first language, so i have to work harder to think, speak and wright in english. And i thought it was my biggest problem. But other than me are now saying that your essays are sometimes confusing. It can be a good thing too ’cause you are one of the rare hindi critic that gives to the public the choice to agree with you or not.
I know that your aim is more to share your thoughts about the movie and talk about it. And imo it’s cool. Don’t worry about those who thinks you should’ve like it or not blabla…
All i’m saying is that if you don’t like Drona that much : how come it doesn’t show in your text ? And my question is not about “why don’t you or do like Drona”. It’s more about “why do we fail to understand you ?”
Perhaps we were the one who did not get it right earlier and thought that we would find the classic reviewer here. So we excepted from you a list of good points and bad points and a note at the end.
If you don’t want to do it, don’t. We’ll still read what you have to say because your opinion count for us. And please i hope all the readers here are more open minded than the guy talking about masses and classes. His comment is so disdainful… .
My question is very simple : did you like it ?
It can also be a simple start for more insightful discussions and exchanges.
Just my two cents.
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raj
October 8, 2008
hey BR, just picked this from another review:
BEGIN QUOTE
At this point, Drona takes a severe beating. The VFX, supervised by David Bush is too explicitly tacky to overlook. What’s the point of spending so much money for substandard results? Those million flying rose petals look completely fake. Ditto for the brownish gray ominous curves in the sky, the ins and out of Riz’s illuminated castle or the massive maze of electric currents. Barring the scene with Drona on a horseback atop a moving train, the excessive computer graphics are almost always noticeable.
The art design, especially of the illusionary town Raazpur, leaves a lot to be desired. A subject like this is a playground for imagination. Unfortunately, Drona, despite its strong desire to entertain, is a victim of mediocre production values.
Technically again, the film could have easily done without Sameer Arya’s oddly composed frames, which chop off Priyanka’s chin whilst retaining additional space above Abhishek’s head and overdo the close-ups to the extent of smudging the character’s face. Although his grim, sinister red lighting and angles of Kay Kay’s menacing expressions adds edginess to his already out-of-control temperament.
END QUOTE
I’d rather believe you than rediff but why this much of a disconnect between your view and the others view on *even the Special effects* in the movie?
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Shankar
October 8, 2008
Baddy, stars vendaam!! I love the fact that this is more about your take on a movie rather than a movie recommendation website. This is unique…let’s leave it this way. Pleeaasee saaar….:-)
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Ramesh
October 8, 2008
Oops:
Let’s not wrangle with each other. But, seriously don’t you think people should be considerate enough before saying BR is on Bachchan’s payroll.
All I am saying is there is a certain set of people who do like seeing stars . Otherwise, Indian Express would not have asked BR to add it. And there is another set of people who read his articles just to get an educated view of what the film is going to be like.
I am sorry if I was being disdainful but reading certain comments written here prompted me to do so.
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Shalini
October 8, 2008
BR,
For what it’s worth, I vote for no stars – please.
I also don’t get the preoccupation with figuring out whether you liked a movie or not. I, for one don’t give a hoot if you did or didn’t. I simply enjoy reading the thoughts a movie triggers in you and really have no expectations about the nature, form or even content of these ruminations, other than that they will be elegantly expressed.
Carry on as you are, please.
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Zubair
October 8, 2008
Hi Mr Rangan. Hope you had a good vacation!
Just wanted to ask… Will you be posting a ‘Last Lear’ review?
I was really looking forward to one.
Take care Sir.
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SB
October 8, 2008
honestly people i think we need to stop telling rangan how to write his own reviews. they are HIS reviews and i think the reason people appreciate them so much is precisely because they are so different and much better written than the run of the mill stuff you get at rediff and bollywood hungama aka indiafm. i read that stuff too but when i come here, i always get something unique and insightful. whether you agree or not with his opinion is not the point. the point is that it’s a well-written, thoughtful review.
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NoStarsAnon
October 8, 2008
vote for no stars…pl. 🙂
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Shuchi
October 8, 2008
Let me throw in my 2c worth to the pool of advice: DON’T change the way you write! There are many other good reviewers who write “clearer” reviews with what-worked-what-didn’t neatly listed – those who prefer that style can surely go there.
I’m watching Kidnap tomorrow; I don’t want to but my teenaged cousins’ insist I must join them for the movie. As you wrote once, to some the only star that matters is the star of the film:)
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hariohm
October 9, 2008
no stars please
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madhu
October 9, 2008
nothing to do with the “to star or not” debate going on here, but one grouse I do have. Why this preoccupation with the classes and masses? And patting yourself on the back that you belong to the classes?
Not for the first time too…go back to read your review of barso re and how you start that paragraph.
Snobbish much?
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raj
October 9, 2008
if it is any worth, i’d like to add that stars or no stars, the only thing that attracts me to this site is your writing style – I’d read even if you wrote a restuarant menu 🙂
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brangan
October 9, 2008
raj: I have no idea about why that reviewer didn’t think much of the spl. effects. They worked just fine for me. I especially liked the design of Raazpur, which was right out of Indian folk art, something like a 3-D Panchatantra. By the way, on an unrelated note, do you know they’re remaking your bestest, belovedest, favouritest movie on earth in Tamil with Ajit, for this Deepavali? 😉
Shalini: That’s about as beautiful a way of reading a review as I’ve heard. “reading the thoughts a movie triggers in you and really have no expectations about the nature, form or even content of these ruminations” That’s how I read reviews too.
Zubair: Haven’t caught it yet.
madhu: That’s something Ramesh brought up. Which ‘Barso re’ review, by the way? I do talk about the class-mass division whenever I pick up something in the film that’s structured around it.
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raj
October 9, 2008
oh really. MainHoon Na? With Ajit? Excellent. That movie deserves such treatment!
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Mickie
October 10, 2008
Its been a while since I checked in and you seem to have been gone for a while too…it’s evident there is a lot to catch up on…From every review of Drona, I gather it would be wise to give it a miss but now you force me to go watch just so I can catch all the positives you seem to have caught in this film! Am intrigued. AND happy to see you in action. As good a review as ever. I join all those who say ‘Please no stars’..
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Jahan Bakshi
October 10, 2008
@BR, Raj: I haven’t seen the film, but from whatever footage I’ve seen in the promos, I tend to agree with Sukanya’s review on Rediff. I think the production design and VFX are pretty tacky, and Arya’s cinematography doesn’t look up to the mark (for such a film especially) either.
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Ramesh
October 10, 2008
BR, I now understand how careful you have to be with words 🙂 .
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Anand
October 10, 2008
BR…star system will help..because, when someone thinks that you have given a positive review(like I did after reading your review of Drona), and the stars that you give do not match the reader’s perception of the review, he would tend to read it again(like I did, after reading your comment that it fell somewhere in between). I guess you can reach across to many readers easily then.
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raj
October 10, 2008
JB, thats my view too but since it was based on the promos, I didnt express it. It is either that we are dumb ****’s who cannot see the merits that BR sees or BR is so good that he completes films in ways makers dont intend to.
At the moment, I would like to believe the former 🙂
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Ramya
October 10, 2008
BR,
Good to see someone giving Drona a positive review. I thought the movie was quite interesting, though there were definitely lots of moments which annoyed me (the whole mother-son saga for instance). It is really more like a grown-up, Indianised version of Harry Potter.
I have mixed reactions to the special effects though. I thought the whole Raazpur sequence was beautiful. Those steps springing up as they walk down – that totally delighted me! But some of the visual effects weren’t as tastefully done.
Oh, and dont add starts please. What I love about your reviews is the chance to think through the movie…and decide for myself, with some help coming in by your providing a fresh perspective and pointing out things I might have missed. Putting stars it too out there, kind of takes away the individual experience. Uhm, I realise im not making much sense in my long rambling comment so ill stop now!
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honey
October 16, 2008
please erase drona from bollywood history.
How can people make movie like Drona. Drona should be banned and people should be paid their money back who ever spent on tickets or DVD. Abhishek should be banned for acting in movies for lifetime.
move as *****’ed as Drona has never been made and will never be made. Even a retard can make movie better than Drona
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parth
October 16, 2008
HI BR,
i think you got answer to ur question about whether stars are necessary. You gave example of Aamir and Sarkar Raj, where 3 stars for Aamir and Sarkar Raaj got 4. Now this doesnt mean Aamir is bad (as 3 = Good).
Lil suggetion, if i am allowed, stars work alwyas, as they give overall tone of a review in couple of symbols.
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Wonderwoman
October 28, 2008
let’s gloss over my cheesy pseudonym for now. Everyone’s got you all wrong Baddy. The kanjoos Hindi film industry doesn’t have enough patience to bribe critics whose opinion matters up north, why would they bother bribing you, since you’re just a name down south.
The real reason why you gave it a thumbs up is because you wanted to be different. But even you must have known this was not a movie you would want to ride on to stand out! You can say you like brocolli to be different, but to say you like rotten tomatoes is just suicidal.
be true to yourself baddy and I’ll love you again. I’ve been to your blog after a very long time and you’ve actually made me wish I hadn’t.
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Hari
February 4, 2009
I know it is too late for me to post a comment here…..I by and large agree with your review of ‘drona’.
When it comes to a superhero movie, our audience want the character to behave like a superhuman always-he is not supposed to get hurt at all, in other words, we want more of ‘super-robots’ whom we can use in the same way as we use those dummies in video games(a l a Krissh) but those superrobots are never supposed to break down or even ask for a recharge of battery.
There are quite a few reasons I found ‘drona’ much better written and executed than many other superhero movies, particularly ‘Krissh’ and the most important of those is-the director shows his lead protagonist as a human being, someone whose real enemy is not in the ‘bad man’ but within himself-this shows how a blessed human, unaware of his superpowers, conquers his inner demons and realizes his true-self…..all these make the character of ‘Drona’ believable.
Audience did not exactly like the ‘human side’ of either of Spiderman’s or superman’s personality explored earlier(in movies like ‘spiderman 2’ and ‘the superman returns’) and it is not surprising that they did not enjoy watching drona either.
And when it comes to your reviews-you not adopting a ‘black and white approach’ but preferring to get more analytical is what I appreciate about your reviews and as far as the ratings are concerned, I feel the rating system is the worst enemy of the reviewer, why can’t a movie be left alone as it is-after all, it is supposed to be a work of art, why add unnecessary statistical dimensions to it at all?
Finally, would like to say that your review was the sole reason for me watching the movie and I did not get disappointed.
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Fahim Farook
February 19, 2009
I haven’t seen “Drona” yet but can’t help but be surprised by how virulent some of the hatred towards the movie is and can’t help but wonder if it’s really the movie that people are attacking or the people involved in it 🙂
I also can’t understand why it’s difficult for people to accept that somebody else can have a different experience than themselves on watching a movie, reading a book, or appreciating a painting …
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