YOU’VE GOT STALE
Extremely winning leads do their best to add freshness to a film that feels a decade old (and about as long).
JUL 4, 2010 – IMRAN KHAN HAS, IN HIS REPERTOIRE, about one-and-a-half emotions, and I mean this as a compliment. Too often, good acting gets mistaken solely for the ability to do anything (and everything) – and that’s impossible to ask of every actor. Some roles might not fit an actor’s physical persona, or some might hover beyond reach in terms of age or experience. In a broad sense, therefore, some of the best performers play the same part over and over, astutely redistilling their essence into characters of different shapes and sizes. As Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and the superb Coke commercial with Kalki Koechlin proved, Imran’s essence is this: he’s the guy who won’t break a sweat in order to communicate an emotion. He’s the anti-Shah Rukh Khan. He cannot pull off portions where he has to break a sweat, which is why his laboured attempts at antiheroic swagger were so laughable in Kidnap and Luck.
He has an over-the-phone-line scene in Punit Malhotra’s I Hate Luv Storys where, as Jay, he stifles a sob in the memory of a lost love. He’s so unconvincing in this attempt at overt emoting, I burst out laughing, which is surely not the intended response. But elsewhere, when asked to deploy his standard-issue arsenal – a half-cocked eyebrow, a crinkle of the forehead, a rueful twist of the lower lip – he comes up trumps. Within the gamut of those one-and-a-half emotions, he’s terrific to watch. It’s the same with Sonam Kapoor, who plays Simran. The jury is still out with respect to her range of talents, but she has a summery presence that intensifies the wattage of every frame she’s in. Part of the pleasure of romantic comedies is the sight of charming people (and it doesn’t hurt if they’re good-looking as well) negotiating the tricky terrains of true love, and Imran and Sonam, in the early portions, make their scenes sing.
The film, unfortunately, quickly runs out of tune. Like any self-respecting rom-com, IHLS loses little time in establishing the oppositeness of its leads. Jay smirks at the very mention of love. “Tumhara naam Simran hai?” he gapes, when he first runs into her. “Seriously?” Imagine his mirth, then, when he discovers that her fiancé (Samir Dattani) is named Raj, and has a penchant for deeply hued formal wear, always creased and tucked in. (That, needless to say, is rom-com shorthand that Raj is a stuffed shirt; Jay, of course, leaves his often-crumpled shirts unbuttoned, so that we don’t fail to realise he’s a fountain of irrepressible fun). For a while, the director gets a good rhythm going by employing zingy he-said, she-said voiceovers, which let us glimpse these romantic entanglements from the alternative viewpoints of Jay and Simran.
It’s the mouldy mould from Dil Chahta Hai, where a playboy too cool for anything as commonplace as commitment is chastised by the very overblown emotions he sneers at. There, it was the opera. Here, Jay’s arc takes the shape of a similarly operatic Bollywood production, on whose sets he is employed. This film-within-the-film, Pyar Pyar Pyar, is concocted from every drippy romantic cliché known to the combined houses of Yash Raj and Karan Johar, and that’s the undoing of IHLS, which attempts to fashion something fresh from these clichés. What promised to be a hip outing congeals into something terribly tedious – something that could well have been named Nafrat Hai Mujhe Duniya Ki Mohabbaton Se. (Why title a film in slangy SMS-ese when only its surface is young, and when the rest of it is crammed with endless references to melodramatic movies that have already been endlessly referenced?)
Several plot threads are dangled tantalisingly before us only to be yanked away before they can begin to mean something. Why highlight, repeatedly, the fact that Simran is the product of a Gujarati-Punjabi union? Why bring up Jay’s atheism as just “cool” conversation filler? If the shadow of his parents’ divorce looms over his present day, as the reason for his inability to commit, why not shine a brighter light on it? At least Preity Zinta, in Dil Chahta Hai, clung to the patently unsuitable Ayub Khan because she felt beholden to his family – but other than being friends since childhood, what keeps Simran and Raj glued at the hip to the extent that they wear clothes in matching colours? When a film envelops us with its momentum, we willingly sweep a thousand nits under the carpet, but when it has feet of lead (the second half, especially, crawls painfully towards the expected end), the molehills morph into mountains.
The director has little investment in the idea of love apart from the clichés he’s simultaneously mocking and ministering – like his hero, he appears to get his cues solely through the movies. You get the sense that a filmmaker like Imtiaz Ali has drawn from the well of life, which is why he’s able to write an encounter as self-flagellating as the one in Love Aaj Kal. Saif Ali Khan thinks he’s simply alleviating Deepika Padukone’s anxieties on her wedding day (after all, he is too cool for anything as commonplace as commitment), but slowly, to his horror, he realises his feelings for her, and he ends up increasingly frustrated that he’s not as cool as he thought he was. Jay’s realisation is nowhere as wrenching, and without being forged in these fires, his love comes off as a mere screenplay contrivance. We don’t ask for much from rom-coms, but how can we be expected to root for a romance that exists only on paper?
Copyright ©2010 The New Sunday Express. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Rakesh
July 3, 2010
Not even a passing mention about the bouncy soundtrack !! Or did it not work for you ?
LikeLike
kamil
July 3, 2010
When you mentioned summery presence, it immediately led me back to 500 Days of Summer; truly stands as a model contemporary Rom-Com. Should be must see for all these romcom abusing directors. Have u seen it Rangan?
LikeLike
Amrita
July 4, 2010
Ha. When Sonam tells Imran during the first airport scene that maybe this is where the credits for their story ought to run, I was shocked to realize that we were only halfway through it. I’m kind of impressed Punit Malhotra found enough material to double that time.
Re: the well of experience. I noticed a similarity between this movie and that other debut by a young director under KJo’s banner, Wake Up Sid – the side plots with the parents run a lot more true and heartfelt than the A story with its romance. So maybe KJo’s got an eye for directors who really understand love – just a different sort than the ones they choose to feature.
LikeLike
sharath
July 4, 2010
Rangan Sir,
I call you sir cos I feel you have earned the respect just like Mani Sir has.
Was flabbergasted to see this movie running successfully. I dont think it is any better than Housefull i.e complete trash
Glad that you agree that this movie was just dung coated in chocolate.
There is not even a single original line in this movie
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 4, 2010
Rakesh: Was there anything special about the soundtrack? It was functional, I thought.
kamil: Unfortunately no. I’ve been meaning to for the longest time though.
Amrita: So it worked for you, huh? A lot of people I spoke to felt I was being too crotchety about the film, and I got the usual “you shouldn’t analyse this so much” line again. But even as a non-analytical (i.e. sit back and enjoy) experience, it just didn’t work for me.
sharath sir: Okay, now I’m never going to be able to look at an eclair the same way again. Thanks much.
LikeLike
Amrita
July 4, 2010
Um, I wouldn’t go THAT far 😀 Let’s just say I was a little preoccupied so I feel inclined to cut it some slack.
I second Kamil;s 500 Days recommendation. It’s sort of the reverse IHLS.
LikeLike
Naresh
July 4, 2010
WHAAAAT?! You’ve not seen 500 days of summeraaa? Cannon man, Enna Kodumai Saar idhu??
Just curious, what’s your weekly movie diet like? say, a film a day on weekdays and probably save the heavy two-three for weekends? And how often do you watch repeats?
Also, what do you watch your movies on? projector, flat screen, laptop, ancient videocon, mobile?
And if you a) have 512kbps+ broadband connection and b)don’t have ethical/moral issues with online file sharing sites c)have a HDMI cable to connect your laptop to tv (this is optional)
I suggest you give the below mentioned a shot.
http://www.readontech.com/aboutinternettv.html
Readon is this cool software interface that lets you watch live tv, listen to radio channels (thousands of them) and watch live sports from around the world. And you can pick and watch movies too. But the coolest thing they have going for them is integrating ‘ppstream’, a chinese peer-to-peer video streaming site into the software. So this Chinese site hosts thousands of movies (mostly hollywood) and tv shows which you can search and access very easily.
You wont believe how sweet it is till you try it out. These movies are literally one click away. And it’s all free. No kaas.
LikeLike
Raj Balakrishnan
July 4, 2010
Why should the lead pair in a rom-com be good-looking? Can’t ugly people fall in love? Waiting for the day when a B’wood rom-com from one of the major production houses (not the arty ones) would have an ordinary looking lead pair. Of course, Tamil cinema goes to the other extreme, the hero has to necessarily be ugly.
LikeLike
Mahboob
July 4, 2010
We know what Baradwaj Rangan, the critic looks for. When we read your review, we don’t know what the average Hindi cine-goer will find.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/14168/index.html
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/boxoffice_update/index.html
LikeLike
s
July 4, 2010
so, we will be in 2020 and there will still be xyz commenting why dont you write about average hindi cine-goer will find. waste of comment space.
LikeLike
Mahboob
July 4, 2010
Mr / Ms S,
My point is: it is a tad bit difficult to make decisions about our limited and discretionary entertainment time and money spend based on baradwaj rangan’s reviews. I recall from memory he has agreed to some extent on this (perhaps it was the follow up on 3-idiots review, but I have to check).
The critic can’t take criticism? I am sure he can. In fact, he would welcome more reader participation and increased traffic to his blog. So you don’t worry about comment space.
I don’t have to write about what the average cine-goer will find and how they will react. Tarun Adarsh has already done that, and hence I gave the links.
— Mahboob
LikeLike
Supremus
July 4, 2010
OK, I am going to state the obvious like few above. I’d love to read your take on ‘500 days of summer’ 🙂
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 4, 2010
Naresh: It’s all based on time, mood and about 10000 other factors. But yes, I guess a movie a day is part of the workday.
Raj Balakrishnan: But that’s part of rom-com convention, no? Even in Hollywood, when was the last time you saw a rom-com featuring ordinary-looking people?
Mahboob: OF course a critic can take criticism. I guess S was just pointing out to the number of times this issue has come up. Regular readers know that I don’t recommend films, so they don’t look for that aspect.
And no, I haven’t agreed about this to merely “some extent.” I completely agree. Time and again, I have stressed that people should not come here looking for “go” and “don’t go” kind of reviews. I know this probably cuts into my readership volumes, but I’m happy with the kind of readers I have.
LikeLike
Mahboob
July 4, 2010
Hi Baradwaj,
That clarifies. I am a reader of the print edition, and I was not aware of your position about not coming here for go/no-go reviews. Plus, I don’t follow Bollywood minutely, so I miss this and a few other things.
ILHS may be shabby, but had a 9 crore pre-release profit (25 cost, 34 sale). Friday and Saturday net is already 14 – 15 crores. Today (Sunday) will beat the previous two day collections. One can be near-perfect a la Ravan and deliver less than expected, but one can also be flawed and pragmatic (read avg cine-goer) to deliver margins and sustain the industry.
I do like your reviews; now I know the perspective. You crave for near-perfection, most people thrive on pragmatism. However, if Imran Khan has a bit of education, he should tell you, “From thou, I learn.”
Regards,
Mahboob
(Hyderabad)
LikeLike
Raj Balakrishnan
July 4, 2010
Baradwaj, some British rom-coms do have ordinary looking lead pair (not that I have seen many British films). Run Fatboy Run is one such film that I saw recently – the guy, Simon Pegg, can hardly be considered good-looking. The girl, Thandie Newton looks just about ok. But, yes, I can’t remember a Hollywood rom-com with bad-looking leads.
LikeLike
Amrita
July 4, 2010
I submit: Harold and Maude.
LikeLike
maru
July 4, 2010
brangan, your review captured why this film fell flat for me. i was really looking forward to a fun romcom, so it was disappointing to find that despite having all the ingredients – a charming lead pair, high production values and a breezy, romcom-appropriate soundtrack – a good opportunity was squandered. The effort of making a cool romcom really showed. The determinedly whacky, slightly offbeat dialog – the line about atheism, Jay (Imran) being lesbian et al is hard to pull off unless embedded in a cogent script. Plus self conscious and determined efforts at whacky and “kewl” rarely work. Instead if the director had dropped the cool act, and put the natural chemistry and charm of the leads to work in a more substantive story , the film might have had lift-off 😉
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 4, 2010
Amrita: It has romance and it has comedy, but I’m not sure I’d plonk it into the rom-com category. It is doggedly whimsical, very eccentric, and it goes places mere rom-coms would never think of venturing into. Great film. Equally great Yusuf Islam soundtrack. Just love the line “Don’t wear fear or nobody will know you’re there” in Don’t be Shy.
And in general, Berdych gave the best quip of Wimbledon when the interviewer commented that bundling Federer out of Centre Court was Mission Impossible, and he said something like, “I don’t know if it’s Mission Impossible. Because it actually happened.” LOL! Berdych was like, “I may have lost today, but you can never take that away from me.”
LikeLike
Amrita
July 4, 2010
True @ “it goes places mere rom-coms would never think of venturing into” – but that’s the conundrum, don’t you think, of the modern romcom? It seems to me that they’re constantly trying to re-invent it (and failing miserably) but can’t bring themselves to really make the leap. And H&M, by making the leap, is out of the genre.
How would you categorize something like Lars and the Real Girl? I thought that qualified as a romcom that pushed boundaries and my heart expanded a size watching it.
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 4, 2010
Amrita: I guess the rom-com is just a lighter movie altogether. Both H&M and Lars flirt with melancholy, loneliness, death — and due to those reasons I’d rule them out as rom-coms. Even if, say, loneliness were to factor into a rom-com, it would be in a much lighter, non-disturbing fashion, as in 27 Dresses. The emotion would come hand-in-hand with the guarantee that, within 1-1/2 hours, it would vanish in puff of pink smoke. There wouldn’t be much brooding about it, and there’d be no bitter aftertaste — you’d taste only the sugar. I hope I’m making myself clear. Aargh! Where’s the GRCA President when you really need him!
LikeLike
vidyut
July 4, 2010
“But, yes, I can’t remember a Hollywood rom-com with bad-looking leads”
How about films with Bill Murray and Steve Martin (no, not together :-)). Groundhog Day and Roxanne should count, for at least one half of the lead pair is ordinary looking in each (in Roxanne, Steve had a large nose to boot).
LikeLike
Amrita
July 4, 2010
@ BR – no, no, I got what you mean. And now you can add me to the list of people interested to know what you think of 500 Days. Although what the Golden Retrievers Club has to do with anything I don’t know. 😛
LikeLike
Shantesh Row
July 5, 2010
All said and done, between IMRAN and SIMRAN, my wife and I lost Rs 640 and 2.5 hours of our lives.
LikeLike
munimma
July 5, 2010
come on, in a field (ie, bollywood) where even an average middle-income hero’s house is over the top, how can you expect average looking hero/heroines?
LikeLike
complicateur
July 5, 2010
Last night as I slipped into nightmares I felt my snider-sense tingling. Now I realize I was being summoned. Or maybe it was just the muscle relaxants. Anyway it seems the Romantic Comedy emergency is sorted out for now. Therefore I shall return to dormancy.
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 5, 2010
complicateur: Why so snide that you have a snider sense? Were you bitten by a radioactive snider? (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) But it appears that, known only to Amrita, you have forsaken human beings in order to cater to canines. Of course, maybe she’s just referring to Must Love Dogs 🙂
LikeLike
raj
July 5, 2010
I think Ramarajan also qualifies as a good actor – he had about 2 expressions/modes of expression which were extremely effective within its range. Watch out for his irritated, economic “nInga summa irunga” in Karagaattakaaran when someone welcomes him to Shanmugasundaram’s house and simultaneously(and quite innocently, one must add) adds “vootta thorandhu vechA dhAn kanda kanda nayellam uLLa varudhE”. This after literally being in pally terms till the said moment with the said speaker – he having arrived there to vazhinjufy with Kanaga, and as befits all besotten lovers, looks at all people around her as potential allies.
And watch out for his surreptious glance at the tea kadai board to suss out the name of the owner before addressing him as “Ramu machaan”, with a brilliant pause – in expression, in tone, in delivery – in between as he glances at the tea kada name board.
LikeLike
Atul
July 5, 2010
BR,speaking about rom-coms i too am yet to see 500days of summer.I’m in search for a copy of the same. But at the risk of digression let me say something. One of the best rom-coms in Indian cinema,i have come to see of late,is an old(maybe late 80s or 90s)malayalm movie called Mazhavilkavadi, starring Jayaram,Urvashi,sitara,etc.
I got the cd recently from a friend of mine and this one by Satyan antikad really was a beautiful experience to me,hence recommending. And one of the intresting aspects for the film is that more than half of the movie has a background of tamil so is most of the dialogueus and characters. Try to get it, it would be a great watch especially for rom-com lovers,i beleive.
Thanks
LikeLike
Gradwolf
July 5, 2010
See Brangan, you not only read too much into movies, you also read too much into comments here. Amrita was simply referring to the first Google result for “GRCA”!
So Amrita is unaware of GRCA? Mr. President, care to clarify like you’ve done repeatedly on Twitter and the real world of late?
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 5, 2010
Atul: Oh, please digress away. Thanks for pointing out Mazhavilkavadi. Speaking of Tamil, was Aasai the first full-fledged Tamil rom-com? I know it was more of a family dynamics film, but the Raghuvaran/mistress scenes apart, there was the flavour of a rom-com all around.
Gradwolf: Dude, you’re the one who’s reading too much. I was kidding. And I think Amrita was too, unless the extended-tongue emoticon was actually a raspberry 🙂 Or maybe you’re kidding too. It’s very difficult to say who’s kidding and who’s not in this age of emoticons. The only one who’s always serious is raj 🙂
LikeLike
complicateur
July 5, 2010
Atul: Mazhavil Kavadi is a fantastic film – much more a pure comedy than a romantic comedy though. In the sense that the romance isn’t the central theme. Now MElE parambil AaNa Veedu, another film with large portions in thamizh, with Jayaram and Shobana is more of a romantic comedy.
Gradwolf: I’m sure Amrita is quite aware of GRCA, the organization having been discussed ad nauseum in this commentspace.
Bran1gan: I was actually shot from long distance by a sny wielding a snider rifle. 😛
LikeLike
complicateur
July 5, 2010
Bran1gan: Raj does have a point wrt Ramarajan in Karakaattakkaaran. Even with his lipstick he is pitch perfect as Muththaiyan. Especially that Ramu Machchaan tea stall scene.
BTW here is a pointless digression – Ramu Machchaan is credited as Ramu Machchaan and called Ramu Machchaan in ThEvar Magan as well. He is the person who tries to cover for the villagers in the hospital scene with Esakki.
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 5, 2010
complicateur: Oh, I do agree 🙂 He’s not bad in that film at all. He certainly looked the part and even his dancing was just amateur-hour enough to pass for the real deal. Another not-bad performance of his (which worked within his limited range) was Graamathu Minnal. Ironically, in that film, Revathy (who’s got the reputation as a good actress, as opposed to Ramarajan who’s always sneered at) came off as uncomfortable.
LikeLike
Kiruba
July 5, 2010
bran1gan: Aasai? rom com? Can you clarify which film you meant?
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 5, 2010
Kiruba: Aaha is what I meant. You didn’t show up for the Raavan discussions? Did you find it good, bad, ugly?
On a side note, I’m surprised there’s such a paucity of pure rom-coms in Indian cinema (because you’d think they would work so well with the kind of films we typically like to see with big stars and all). I guess if we allow that there can be a “villain”, we can include the Shammi Kapoor films (though even there, the rom-com aspect was more in the earlier portions, before melodrama took over).
LikeLike
raj
July 5, 2010
Which part of my ramarajan comment did you find serious, brangan? 🙂
(I didnt know that one had to punctuate with smileys to indicate non-seriousness).
P.S: I do maintain, though, that Ramarajan is a better actor than Imran Khan a.k.a “The greatest thing since sliced bread or Ranbir Kapoor, whichever was later”.
LikeLike
Lakshman
July 5, 2010
I am hearing some really good things about a little “non-Madurai” rural movie called “Kalavani” whose trailer was one of the better ones in recent Tamil cinema. Any chances of a BR on that? Its really unfortunate that no recent mainstream Tamil movie has grabbed your attention and admiration as much as Subramaniyapuram.
LikeLike
vidyut
July 5, 2010
“Ironically, in that film, Revathy (who’s got the reputation as a good actress, as opposed to Ramarajan who’s always sneered at) came off as uncomfortable.”
*serious-about-Ramarajan-alert* 🙂
Besides matters mundane, such as his acting, Ramarajan committed two cardinal sins. He played the “lovable” anti-city-dweller for eternity. Second, in a moment of blinding brilliance, his director in “Enga ooru paattukaaran” decided he’d be more convincing in a pair of trousers or half-drawers. That eventually became his emblem or the albatross around his legs, depending on your point of view. Perennially mocked for playing the guileless rustic persona, all the sneering was/is the sophisticate’s way of thumbing their noses at his success (a good chunk of which is owed to Raja)
LikeLike
Amrita
July 5, 2010
Well, there you go! We were ALL kidding! 😀
LikeLike
Gradwolf
July 5, 2010
Oh of course I was kidding too but that was such an awesome chance to take that “overreaching” jibe at you
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 5, 2010
Lakshman: I thought I mentioned someplace that I was doing a BR on Kalavani this weekend… BTW, I have been writing fairly regular BRs about Tamil cinema. You’ll find them in the “Cinema: Tamil” category.
vidyut: “That eventually became his emblem or the albatross around his legs” – ROFL! I think another reason he was mocked was the blinding brilliance of his shirts in his duet sequences. A part of my retina has been eternally scarred.
Amrita/Gradwolf: The ultra-profound impact that IHLS has had on viewers can be gauged by the number of comments that are not about the film. This thread has (d)evolved into casual banter — which is at least fun in a way as I don’t have to keep writing long heavy responses as in the Raavan thread. Phew!
LikeLike
RahiniD
July 5, 2010
Your move to wordpress has done me a lot of good. My office websense allows me a one hour dose of wordpress but not of desipundit and I was able to read your posts thru iGoogle but not the comment section.
Then wordpress happened and I then got sucked into the “Raavan comment section reading mania” and time started sinking like amala in quicksand. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I adore this playful banter much more. It is like meeting a bunch of friends.
LikeLike
Kiruba
July 6, 2010
bran1gan: Raavanan (not watched Raavan yet) was neither bad nor ugly, if you ask. Despite flaws, it kept me engrossed till the end and thankfully, did not leave a bitter aftertaste, like the previous one did.
(I had walked in about 5 minutes late in to the film on the first day; didn’t want to ‘comment’ till a second view. Life sucks nowadays, you know – that couldn’t happen till yesterday!)
LikeLike
theanonymousquitter
July 6, 2010
I totally agree. This was supposed to be nothing but a “sit back and enjoy some laughs” movie, but it didn’t work for me even at that level.
I disagree with the other commenter about the nature of ur reviews. I think they r pretty objective.
LikeLike
Lakshman
July 6, 2010
BR – No No i didnt mean that. I have read all your BRs on Tamil films but I felt apart from Pasanga to a certain extent, no other recent Tamil film made you go gaga like the way Subramaniyapuram did.
LikeLike
Amrita
July 6, 2010
Come, Aditya, let us away! I get the strong sense that we and our low banter are not loved here 😦
Also, I can’t believe Thandie Newton (!) got called out for being ordinary looking while Amol Palekar and Bindiya Goswami haven’t even put in an appearance yet.
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 6, 2010
Lakshman: I guess that’s because I was gobsmacked by the way that film was made, for a first-timer. I mean, Pasanga and all are nice too, but the nice things are just at the writing level. Because the writing is so good, so heartfelt, we let go the awkward framing and the stiff shot compositions and other stuff. But Subramaniyapuram was made with such assurance, it blew my mind. To leave such a strong mark as director (and not just writer) in one’s first film is pretty damn awesome.
Amrita: Au contraire, to use a word from last Sunday’s Hindu crossword. Much better to banter. Please to continue. The Ramarajan digression alone has cheered up my day 🙂
LikeLike
Raj Balakrishnan
July 6, 2010
Baradwaj, will Alaipayuthe qualify as a rom-com? If yes, then probably the best Indian rom-com IMHO.
LikeLike
raj
July 6, 2010
Now, that is the sort of trivia that makes my day Deepauk M!
LikeLike
raj
July 6, 2010
Apparently, someone is making a movie called Kaadhal 2 Kalyanam, which is supposed to address this 🙂
LikeLike
Ramya
July 6, 2010
For rom-com leads who aren’t good looking, I submit Seth Rogen in Knocked Up.
LikeLike
raj
July 6, 2010
Oh Yes Ofcourse Vidyut. His problem was not that he was a mediocre actor. He was dissed for the wrong reasons – such as wearing those fluorescent shirts and as you allude, for being the succesful anti-sophisticate. Look out for his performance along with the great Gounder, in what would be an unnamed movie for me – the scene where he plays the glutton who cleans up the purse-tight Gounder’s evening meal – his whole family’s portion, in fact. These are not scenes anyone can do – certainly not Imran Khan or Ranbir Kappoor, or even his father. He was certainly as talented as Rishi Kapoor, at the least.
LikeLike
Raj Balakrishnan
July 6, 2010
One more addition to the list of ordinary looking leads in rom-coms: Adam Sandler in 50 first dates
LikeLike
Gradwolf
July 6, 2010
Heh, I went all :O on that Thandie Newton remark too. What the!
LikeLike
Gradwolf
July 6, 2010
I think we OD on chic flicks but not romcoms. Aaha was bang on. What about Poi Kaal Gudhurai? Single greatest romcom?!:)
LikeLike
Pradyumna M
July 6, 2010
You’re spot on BR! The leads made this movie watchable.And one hummable song..
“…He’s so unconvincing in this attempt at overt emoting, I burst out laughing..”
My thoughts precisely. I feel the same way when I see John Abraham or Bipasha Basu attempt overt emoting as you put it. 🙂 I get the feeling that these guys are trying to control their laughter while delivering dialogues in such scenes..
Btw,did anyone else catch the ‘How I Met Your Mother..’ ‘hangover’ running throughout the movie?
And rom-coms with ordinary leads? Mungaaru Malhe would be one. 😛
LikeLike
apala
July 6, 2010
BR,
Did not see this one as yet………maynot see it till it comes out on DVD!
BTW, you were wondering about good rom-coms in Tamil cinema for sometime………Though you’re unhappy about Kamal’s latest “Man-Madan Ambu” with KSR, it MIGHT satisfy you as a sensible rom-com (believing Kamal)!!! What ya say?!!
LikeLike
Atul
July 6, 2010
BR: So you meant Aaha. Anyways i haven’t seen this one as well. But as you said i can find few quality rom-coms in bollywood and/or espcially tamil cinema, inspite of a general feeling that most indian films are kind of rom-coms(in the sense romance+ some comedy+…),but what we actually have is masalas with all sorts of ingredients.Few like Imitiaz/AyanMukhrjee may be relied upon, i guess.
Waitin for a film called K2K.;)
complicateur: Quote “Mazhavil Kavadi is a fantastic film – much more a pure comedy than a romantic comedy though. In the sense that the romance isn’t the central theme. Now MElE parambil AaNa Veedu, another film with large portions in thamizh, with Jayaram and Shobana is more of a romantic comedy.”
But as i saw i felt the romance itself was its central theme all about.The 2 halves with 2 different tracks forming a triangle.But you may be right in that i too doubt if it can be called a pure rom-com. The comedy isn’t so much related with romance but stands for itself being highly genuine and earthy.Also beneath the surface, its deeply insightful. Anyway you know better, i guess.:-)
About the other one,i think i have seen that too way back.A very hilarious one and would qualify for the genre as well,if i’m right.
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 6, 2010
gradwolf/atul/apala: yes, a lot of our films have romance and comedy, and even the whole ‘boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl’ angle. But somewhere along the line elements crop in that take focus away from the leads. Now that Kamal has entered the fray, would Raajapaarvai be the first rom-com in Tamil? I think so.
Basic structure conforms 100% to genre requirements. (Blind boy meets girl. Blind boy loses girl. Blind boy gets girl.) And the focus is entirely on hero and heroine. Hero has wisecracking best friend (YGM). Heroine has disapproving family. But where this could have become a melodrama like Maro Charitra, the mood is (relatively) light throughout, thanks to the grandfather (aka the equivalent of heroine’s quirky sidekick). Chalk another one up for Kamal 🙂
LikeLike
Atul
July 6, 2010
Raajapaarvai was a delight and it could well be listed under a rom-com i Tamil right at the top.If it would be the first,i’m not sure. I’m indeed thinking for another one. But you tell me can a film like Avvaishanmugi be described as a rom-com atleast if we expand the term a bit.Yes it has a married couple journey, rather than the boy meets girl. But it just moves on the same platform for a rom-com, i guess.
LikeLike
Shalini
July 7, 2010
I wasn’t planning to comment on this thread since I haven’t seen IHLS, but that doesn’t seem to be a requirement. 🙂
So, RE, Indian Rom-Coms, would Dekh Kabira Roya from way back in 1957 qualify? Delightful little film with a singular focus on getting the three female leads matched up with the three male leads.
LikeLike
Manasa
July 7, 2010
Wonder why we don’t have rom-coms like Runaway Bride or Notting hill or Bridget Jones’ Diary in Tamil though. You know, where the girl has a serious relationship-impediment and has to meet the right guy to get over it.(The only ones I can think of off-hand are Mozhi and Kandukondein, the latter is Austenian so does not really count :)) It’s like women centered movies in Tamil are usually about woman disgraced/ woman fighting for rights/ woman skank being taught a lesson. Maybe it is something on the lines of our directors refusing to consider the thinking-in-English kind of Tamilians the part of the general Tamil populace?
LikeLike
Deepak
July 7, 2010
Azhagiya Theeye is a rom-com right? Except for the scene where the MRF man dies, it was fairly light hearted
LikeLike
Gradwolf
July 7, 2010
What about Kanda Nal Mudhal? And I think one of the best has to be Choti Si Baat. You know, with all the focus being on the couple and the other guy etc.
LikeLike
Ramya
July 7, 2010
One of my favourite Indian rom-coms is Pyaar Ke Side Effects. It’s so bang-on about relationships that it’s rare to meet a couple who does not identify with it.
LikeLike
Suganth
July 7, 2010
I second Deepak. Azhagiya Theeya and even Dumm Dumm Dumm were rom-comi-ish enough. By the way, what about Kadhalikka Neramillai?
LikeLike
hari
July 7, 2010
PKS is definitely rom com …
LikeLike
Anand
July 7, 2010
Some rom-coms I could think of..
Aaha
Kushi
Sachein
Raja Kaiya Vacha
Minnale??
Thendrale ennai thodu
Rajadhi Raja (I am going to get killed for this, but think about it)
Mozhi
LikeLike
just-chumma
July 7, 2010
bran1gan: Discovered your site recently. Nice reviews. Did you review Unaipol Oruvan, Delhi6 and Nan Kadavul?
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 7, 2010
just-chumma: Didn’t review Unnaipol Oruvan. Did this Between Reviews instead. For Naan Kadavul, I did this imaginary interview. (I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it does talk about the film.) And here’s the review of Delhi-6.
Ramya: While digging out older reviews, found this one for Pyaar Ke Side Effects. And then I remembered the film you were talking about. For some reason, I thought you were referring to Parvati Balagopalan’s Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula, which was also a very sweet rom-com 🙂
LikeLike
bran1gan
July 7, 2010
Ever since I switched to WordPress, I’m being referenced by quite a few sex sites (freesexmovie, sex991, and such). Do others have this problem or am I the only one thus privileged?
LikeLike
Amrita
July 8, 2010
Tsk, tsk, tsk. *shakes head* I always knew your hidden depths were dark and murky, with all this Raavan-defending and Ramarajan-LOLing.
But seriously: How on earth did you never get spam from sex sites before? You’re on the internet! Or maybe my tacky posts just invite a lot more. Akismet will learn and take better care of it for you as time goes by. Keep an eye on it though because sometimes it will eat your normal comments and then people will wonder why you hate them.
LikeLike
vidyut
July 8, 2010
Raj, I agree that Rishi Kapoor wasn’t quite the actor .. but that is not saying much 🙂 However, I think comparing Ramarajan and Imran Khan is like comparing apples and oranges or fruitcakes and cornflakes, if you will.
LikeLike
Shankar
July 8, 2010
Does Baton Baton Mein qualify? 🙂
LikeLike
Pradyumna M
July 8, 2010
Br : Did you watch the trailer for Lafangey Parindey? Serious ‘Kaminey’ hangover there! And what did you think of the ‘Peepli Live’ trailer? 🙂
LikeLike
John
July 19, 2010
Is it only me or is stories spelt stories and not storys or was that K Jo attempting to transform the lingo as well as the world with his films.I saw the movie with my 4 yr old ,he wasnt happy ..end of story er storyes …
LikeLike
PVR Pitures
April 11, 2011
We like your style of writing. To the point and cut throat. We also appreciate your honest reviews. We would be thrilled if you could publish a review about our next movie Teen Thay Bhai releasing on 15th April. Let us know if you need to see any particular trailers or behind the scene videos to write a pre-release review.
Thanks
Paayal.
LikeLike
Serene
May 23, 2011
Ok, this movie totally sucked balls! I know I’m heaps late and behind everyone (by a year or so) in criticizing this movie but hey, I just watched it and it was AWFUL! Omg……what a waste of time. When it ended, I was like ‘There goes 3 hours of my life I ain’t getting back again’……
The only redeeming point – le soundtrack….
LikeLike
M.R. Sharan (@sharanidli)
June 27, 2021
Revisited parts of this movie this week and came here looking for your thoughts — but commenting here only to record the fact that even a (relatively minor?) I Hate Luv Storys got 80 comments back in the day!
LikeLike
brangan
June 27, 2021
Sharan: The comments quantity has been dipping for a long time. I guess 2003 to about 2015 were the heydays. Now, it’s all digital. The regulars on this blog may be readers but no one else reads much anymore. It’s all video and the cmments are all on YouTube.
LikeLike
vijay
June 27, 2021
……and that’s why BR made a strategic career move to foray into video-dom for filmcompanionsouth 🙂
LikeLike