Spoilers ahead…
Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor is adapted from Great Expectations, and it signals its debt to (and its deviations from) the novel right at the beginning. The film is set in Kashmir, which is described thus: “Jaise jannat kafan ki chaadar odhe so rahi thi.” The shroud, of course, refers to the soft blanket of snow, but there’s also the scent of a metaphor, the pall of death. If you remember, the scene where Pip meets the convict played out in a cemetary.
Appropriately enough, the convict, here, is a militant (Ajay Dvgan, in very distracting hair). The cops become the army. Miss Havisham’s grand mansion is perhaps the state itself. “Sab ko is jannat ke chhote chhote hisse chahiye,” Miss Havisham / Begum Hazrat Jaan (Tabu) cries out, when greedy relatives show up at her doorstep. The ice princess Estella / Firdaus (Katrina Kaif), meanwhile, is getting ready to marry Pakistani politician Bilal (Rahul Bhat). She’s incapable of love, but maybe this way she’ll finally get a life without… troubles? To Pip / Noor (Aditya Roy Kapur), Firdaus is inseparable from his home state. When Bilal takes her home after a party, he screams, “Doodh maangoge to kheer denge, Kashmir maangoge to cheer denge.” How dare Pakistan walk away with Kashmir!
I am all for dismantling classics and reassembling them in ways that reflect more modern times, but this kind of political allegory (there’s actually a character named Mufti) is a little too much for what comes across as just another spin on the rich girl / poor boy love story. (“Uske kaabil ban jaao,” Hazrat tells Noor, like a typical Hindi-film parent of a certain era.) I suppose it’s inevitable when a doorstop of a novel is stripped down to its bare essentials, and romance is certainly a big part of the Dickens story – but there are also issues of class and how changes in social status change a person. Pip was obsessed with Estella and with getting ahead. These major themes become scribbles in the margins – the arriviste Noor’s disregard for the simple, loving brother-in-law who raised him, or the scene where the young Noor meets Firdaus for the first time. She’s high up, on a horse. She looks down at this boy on the ground, with his torn shoes. We don’t get the scene where she climbs down, but she may well have descended the rungs of the social ladder between them. “Aankhen neeche,” the young Firdaus orders Noor, secure in the belief that he shouldn’t be looking at things that are above his reach. But when Hazrat hears of this, she gives Noor a job at the stables. It’s her way of ensuring his entry into the horse-riding world.
But when Noor and Firdaus become adults, this exquisitely photographed film turns quite ridiculous. I laughed out loud when, after a night of lovemaking, Firdaus leaves Noor a note in Urdu. The fact that Katrina Kaif, who can barely speak Hindi after more than a decade in the movies, writes letters in Urdu is right up there with stories about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. And without a good actress in this part, Noor’s self-destructive obsession has no anchor. We’re meant to be in a zone where Dickens meets Devdas, but we seem to be watching two bored supermodels go through the motions in a photo shoot for a high-end fashion magazine. (Noor becomes a shirtless sculptor – the kind who’s clearly trained the chisel and hammer on himself.) The Kashmir references turn increasingly forced, though I did enjoy the touch of reading out passages from The Tale of Two Cities. This film is the tale of two cities too, Srinagar and New Delhi. Per the director’s design, Noor and Firdaus couldn’t have ended up anywhere else, anywhere less… political.
There are lovely songs by Amit Trivedi. (They sounded better on screen, though I would have loved it if they’d managed to avoid stereotypical words like “Pashmina.” Would they talk about Kanjeevarams if they moved South?) And there are lovely lines and conceits, especially for Hazrat. If Miss Havisham had the clocks in her mansion stopped at the time she received the letter that destroyed her life, it’s a gramophone needle in Hazrat’s case – it keeps stopping at the same point on her LP of love-drenched ghazals. After a point, I didn’t want a movie about Kashmir, I didn’t want a movie about Noor and Firdaus, I just wanted to see Hazrat grow old and batty. Tabu doesn’t look that old, at least not as old as the Miss Havisham in my mind – and I’d have loved to see Rekha play the part, as she was supposed to. But Tabu is in her own league now as an actress, and I hugely enjoyed watching Hazrat toy with Noor. She knows – as he does, and as Firdaus never will – what it’s like to burn from within for someone. She taunts him. She flirts with him. She asks – rather petulantly, when he asks why Firdaus isn’t at the opening of his big London show – if it isn’t enough that she came. What was Abhishek Kapoor thinking when he cast Kaif against this force of nature? If he thought she’d match up, those were indeed some great expectations.
KEY:
- fitoor = obsession
- “Jaise jannat kafan ki chaadar odhe so rahi thi” As though heaven were sleeping under a shroud.
- “Sab ko is jannat ke chhote chhote hisse chahiye” Everyone wants a piece of this heaven.
- “Doodh maangoge to kheer denge, Kashmir maangoge to cheer denge” a rabble rousing dialogue from the Sunny Deol starrer Maa Tujhe Salaam
- “Uske kaabil ban jaao” Become worthy of her.
- “Aankhen neeche” Eyes down.
Copyright ©2016 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Baradwaj Rangan 
olemisstarana
March 5, 2016
You owe me $15 for this late review, btw. I watched because 1. Tabu, 2. The songs are incredible (Zeb Bangash!) and 3. I’ve always had a penchant for all things Kashmir, since – tmi – I arrived about 9 months and 3 days after my parents honeymooned there. I still watch Yeh Haseen Vaasiyaan when I need a pick-me-up.
But none of the above three could come close to compensating for the sincere scene munchery that is Katrina Kaif’s signature. Sometimes I can’t see the passing good in little corners of the movie because the larger blocks are so… stupid. And Kapoor and his Bluto muscles. And his “art” career. Even poor inoffensive Lara Dutta and her “art curator” turn irritated me. (I would love for someone here to point out redeeming aspects of the movie – apart from Tabu, of course.)
The only time I felt close to feeling anything was that phone call Kaif makes to Tabu and resigns herself to returning to Kashmir, and I wonder if the movie would have been better by a margin if the focus had been this strange batty maudlin parasitic mother’s obsession with her daughter. Though I agree, we could just leave it at the strange batty maudlin parasitic mother Tabu and cut Kaif out of the situation entirely.
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Nathan
March 5, 2016
The fact that Katrina Kaif, who can barely speak Hindi after more than a decade in the movies, writes letters in Urdu is right up there with stories about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
Haa haa..Now that’s black comedy. Much like Aishwarya Rai and Abbas reciting Bharathiyar poetry in Kandukondein Kandukondein (incidentally another adaptation).
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apex
March 5, 2016
Wow: haven’t seen this film but isn’t this is a case of a WIDE GULF between good music /lyrics and the poor quality of the film?
Anyways: for the (2 other) lovers of lyrics here-
Ye fitooooooor mera laaya mujhko hai tere kareeb
Dheeme dheeme jal rahi thi khwaishein
Dil mein dabi, ghut rahi farmaishein.
“She knows – as he does, and as Firdaus never will – what it’s like to burn from within for someone. She taunts him. She flirts with him. ”
Yo that’s epic…BR – Claps
Even a HEARING IMPAIRED person can hear/sense an EXPLOSION. But Only one who has ever IMPLODED can hear another IMplosion.
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Se V
March 5, 2016
Brangan, Brangan, Brangan, how you made your readers wait for this write up! And yes, this movie must be a monstrosity. To my mind, any movie with Kaif is bound to be as any election with Trump as a candidate!
And I’ve been going back and forth between parts of this great novel, and reading people’s analyses of it, and it occurs to me that Pip’s learning to not loathe, and instead love, the convict is a key thread in the story as it Pip’s learning to un-love Estella, at least as per the first ending of the book. In even the later endings, it is suggested that Pip may or may not have found a stable, loving relationship with Estella. And the surprise of Estella being Magwitch’s daughter! I imagine none of these would have made an important appearance in this movie. And ARKapur is far too handsome and chiselled, like you pointed out, to be anything like the Pip, I thought. I think Sushant was a better choice, although why would anyone chose Kaif remains a mystery to this date. Almost as big and indecipherable mystery as the mystery of the origins of the universe and the Big Bang.
PS-I kept thinking of Emily Blunt in this part as the frigid Estella. Blunt looks the part of a cold, aloof beauty while being a terrific actress. Among Indian actresses though, I could think of no one who could look frigid, beautiful and be a good actress. Maybe a young Rekha could have pulled this role off.
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Mohammed Arif Attar
March 5, 2016
This is not just an adaptation of GE, from the trailers it has Alfonso Cuaron’s adaptation of GE written all over it.
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Mohammed Arif Attar
March 5, 2016
And I don’t get why should Hindi ( or rather Devanagari script) be a first step before Urdu. For some people the latter comes more natural.
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Supertramp
March 5, 2016
It’s Ajay Devgn, not Ajay Dvgan. Or did he change his spellings again? Or you can be safe and call him ‘Jy Devgn’ as I call him.
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Shalini
March 5, 2016
I couldn’t tell from the trailer, but was any part of “Fitoor” actually shot in Kashmir? Also, is Katrina’s hair actually maroon in the movie? Just curious. 🙂
I’m mildly surprised to hear of the prevalence of Urdu in the film’s dialogues. Urdu is the language of the State, but normal people speak Kashmiri, at least in the valley. Still, given Hindi cinema’s history of malapropisms, it’s probably best speech in Kashmiri wasn’t attempted. 🙂
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Radhika
March 5, 2016
Agree with Mohammed – the character Firdaus would use the Nastaliq script, wouldn’t she? There are entire swathes of the Indian population which speak/write Urdu and are not comfortable with writing in Devanagri. Just because Kaif is a lousy speaker of Hindi, doesn’t mean the character she plays should fit her own capabilities, no? It’s an interesting example of the casting being so bad that the viewer finds fault with the character’s behaviour, heh.
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olemisstarana
March 5, 2016
It’s burgundy, Shalini. Reminiscent of henna with a soupçon of grape Kool Aid…? The wiki page says principal shooting in Srinagar, Kashmir.
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Radhika
March 5, 2016
Rekha sans makeup would’ve made a fabulous ravaged Havisham. Such a pity
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DocByBirth
March 5, 2016
What happens when a mass of muscle bound pasty man collides with a flowery dainty woman?
Love, apparently.
Am I alone in wanting a love story between two relatable characters? I surely can’t be the only one here.
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Kid
March 5, 2016
“And I don’t get why should Hindi ( or rather Devanagari script) be a first step before Urdu”-
I haven’t seen the film yet, but I will take a guess that when BR says Urdu here, he means chaste Urdu. Otherwise anyone who speaks Hindi often ends up using Urdu words (quite often without even realising) anyway.
Of course, one of the biggest misconception prevalent among a lot of people is that Kashmiri (the language) is linguistically very similar to Persian, when it is actually closer to Sanskrit than Farsi (though it certainly may have links with the latter as well).
Shalini: I am certainly no expert on this, but a relatively unknown (though recent) film “Harud” which is set in Kashmir did a relatively better job of employing the language (it is worth watching and it helps that it is directed by Amir Bashir, a Kashmiri). Of course the title itself is more Sanskrit than Persian/Urdu.
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Kid
March 5, 2016
BR:
“.. the kind who’s clearly trained the chisel and hammer on himself”-
Terrific line! I thought Aditya Roy Kapoor’s strength was essentially the element of the “un-heroic” in his persona, a certain goofiness. Sad that he has become a male diva of sorts here. People like Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurana (though the latter is way more talented) are most effective when they don’t play a traditional hero.
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Kid
March 5, 2016
“And I don’t get why should Hindi ( or rather Devanagari script) be a first step before Urdu”-
I think this first step thing might also because a lot of people perceive Urdu as a more refined (for the want of a better word) language than Hindi (and especially the Hindustani) and people of think that the former is a “step up” (in all sorts of ways) from the latter. So something spoken in Urdu is often perceived as more “artistic”, “intellectual’, and especially more serious (I think the latter might also be becuase of the language-class link here). On a related cinematic note, I have often seen Dilip Kumar often speak in the most chaste Urdu, even when everyone else in the film would be talking in normal Hindi/Hindustani, when he is playing a serious, brooding character. on the other hand, when the character would be lighter, he would speak more in Hindustani.
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MANK
March 5, 2016
Brangan, it wasnt an entirely worthless experience for me. The thing i liked about it is that it is a mood piece and not a direct literary translation. it was also technically exquisite and very cinematic, atleast first hour and half or so was . in this, the film owes a direct debt from Alfonso Cuaron’s version . in many ways a direct remake, some plot twists and scenes are taken directly from the film. as opposed to the David Lean version which wasnt less cinematic – how can a david lean film cannot be – but it was much more of a faithful Dickensian adaptation. so i was pleasantly surprised. the music, the photography , the leisurely editing all created the mood and atmosphere perfectly , i did get lost in the mood of the film for some time , eventhough nothing much happens as far as plot goes. I had the feeling of watching a Won kar wai film Even supermodel Katrina – whom everybody has been bashing for all the right reasons – did not spoil the mood for me. her non acting suited the mysterious impenetrable character of Estella she was portraying in the initial stages..But of course , there is only so much far mood and atmospherics can take the film. once the high drama kicks in and Katrina starts to act ,it is all disaster from then on.the half baked screenplay does not help and the ineffectiveness and unsuitability — both physically and talentwise – of the leads come rushing to the fore. It does not help the fact that there are acting with Tabu- seeing Katrina and Tabu in the same frame itself is a reveleation :). what the hell where the makers thinking while casting. even Aditi rao hyderi would have been a better choice than her
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P
March 5, 2016
This last line BR- EPIC.
“What was Abhishek Kapoor thinking when he cast Kaif against this force of nature? If he thought she’d match up, those were indeed some great expectations.”
I just can’t take Katrina seriously enough to watch her in anything and its not because her Hindi is not good- because I like Nargis Fakhri and remember that Brazilian model in Love Aaj Kal who stole the show with nary a word of dialogue? Katrina has no soul. And while Aditya is good, I don’t think he is that good or that intense to play Pip. I keep thinking of what a Randeep Hooda/Ranbir Kapoor and Kalki Koechlin/Anushka Sharma combo would do to this movie- they would make keema of these two fools.
I think that’s the reason why Rekha left- watching Katrina “act” must have made her wanna barf. Rekha is a Miss Havisham come to life and she would be perfect in it.
The beautiful music and cinematography is wasted on what could have been something beautiful…
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Kid
March 5, 2016
“but this kind of political allegory (there’s actually a character named Mufti) is a little too much for what comes across as just another spin on the rich girl / poor boy love story.”
I call it the Vishal Bhardwaj syndrome where you take Shakespeare’s play only as a base/structure and then use it to frame upon it a film which has otherwise has got nothing to do with the play (other than the names of the characters and the parts where some of the dialogues in the film would have correspondence with the lines from the play) or with Shakespeare’s writings/style itself (Haider is a terrific, terrific film in its own right, but it is a very poor adaptation); Bhardwaj’s films are mood pieces of sorts and on the screenplay level, they are anything, but pacey. On the other hand, Shakespeare’s plays refuse to adhere to a single tone or mood (the tonal shifts happen rapidly) and the narrative is really fast In other words, I think there is very inherent danger in making an art-film or issue based film on a Shakespeare play because by their nature the art-films/issue-based films which want to say something often need a more relaxed narrative. The other issue and this is especially with Bharadwaj’s adaptations is that Bharadwaj’s adaptations are quite often very polemical (Haider is of course the most prominent example, but even Maqbool to an extent) in nature and really do take sides on an issue (of course he has every right to do so, he has every right to do so). In other words, they are quite divisive (poor choice of word, but I am not using it as a pejorative). On the other hand, Shakespeare’s plays are almost always are very pluralistic and inclusive (much like Masala films…especially the Manmohan Desai ones). As strange as this might sound I think think the director’s film which comes closest to capturing the spirit of Bard’s plays is Kaminey, a film which moves very rapidly and which incidentally owes its origin to the Masala films. Anyway, I hope I am making some sense.
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P
March 5, 2016
Re: Urdu and Hindi- Hindi as spoken on Doordarshan broadcasts and in govt forms is an artificially created “formal” language that was implemented in Nehru’s regime. “Samay Samapt” etc are artificially created lingua franca that just did not exist pre-independence.
The two languages that actually evolved out of the mingling of those who spoke Pali with those who spoke Persian are Urdu and Hindustani (what is spoken on the streets and in movies). Urdu has more Persian influences and Hindustani has more Pali influences, the former uses an Arabic style script and the latter uses the Pali script. Pali itself was a “street” language that evolved out of the stricter Sanskrit which is like the difference between Hebrew and Yiddish, because the more formal language was used only by the priests and was considered too precious to use in conversations. Again both Urdu and Hindustani were spoken more in the big cities like Bombay and Delhi, the smaller towns and villages still spoke their native language or versions of Pali/Persian of their own depending on their ethnicity and religious bent.
Of course Katrina doesn’t look like she could speak Urdu to save her life, but like others pointed out it would be more authentic for her character to speak the native Kashmiri language…but then Urdu is seen as more “refined” and “artistic” than Hindustani so maybe that is what they were trying to portray…
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Kid
March 5, 2016
Oh wait, I already assumed that contents of Firdaus’ note must have been read out in the film (that is why I used the chaste point). Does that happen, does Noor or anyone else read out that note. If that didn’t happen, my entire comment is balderdash (not that it isn’t otherwise!).
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brangan
March 5, 2016
About the Urdu thing, I wrote “The fact that Katrina Kaif writes letters in Urdu…” and not “The fact that Firdaus writes letters in Urdu… I was talking about the suspension of disbelief needed to take that scene seriously. It was about the actress (and the associations she brings with her) and not about the character.
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Kid
March 5, 2016
BR: I understand that (the fact that an actor bring with himself a part of his onscreen history when portrays a character) you were talking about Katrina and not Firdaus. That being said, inasmuch as language, especially something likely Urdu, is (sometimes regrettably) perceived to be a signifier of a religion (in this case Islam…in the sense that there is a notion that a muslim is far more likely to speak/write in Urdu than a Hindu atleast as far as modern India is concerned; this perception isn’t completely off the mark either. of course we see a manifestation of this in films set in Kashmir where just because there is a strong Muslim population in the region, directors believe that everyone has to speak in Urdu, it is perhaps slightly more likely for Katrina (not talking about Firdaus here) to be speaking in Urdu than in Hindi considering she is atleast partly Muslim by birth (I don’t know if she still practises Islam or not, but I am sure during her growing up years- in England- she must have encountered more Urdu words in her home than the Khadi Boli ones).
P: Loved your first comment.
“Urdu and Hindi- Hindi as spoken on Doordarshan broadcasts and in govt forms is an artificially created “formal” language that was implemented in Nehru’s regime. “Samay Samapt” etc are artificially created lingua franca that just did not exist pre-independence”-
I would have put up some disagreements to this particular point, but I will resist because something tells me that it might rub you the wrong the way (and might prevent you from commenting here. I certainly wouldn’t want that to happen). I might be completely off-base here, but I see a vehement opposition from your side to “formal Hindi” (especially when you use the words “artificially created”. “…just did not exist pre-independence”, really, do you actually mean to say that no pre-independence “cultural archive” exists of that kind of chaste Hindi. Also I will take it that when you say DD, you mean the newscasters/newsreaders on DD because otherwise the TV serials, few as they were during Nehru’s era, were not really in chaste Hindi. Incidentally I am not sure why should a given TV program adhere to the lingua franca especially something like a news programme. It isn’t as if people didn’t speak in chaste Hindi, they of course did when they wanted, I can say this with some authority having been born and brought up in the north Indian Hindi heartland even if I haven’t lived through those times).
You may have seen the film, but Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s superb Chupke Chupke is a very fine example of resistance towards formal chaste Hindi (and of course towards the government and its Hitler like stance at that point of time). If you haven’t seen it, see it. It’s the definitive Hindi film on the play of languages and dialects.
The other example is of Rathnam’s Guru. Gurukant Desai, because he is a populist icon (or icon in the making) speaks in Hindustani (and in sometimes the more massy Hindi to put it charitably). Mithun and Madhavan’s characters use what may be called the more standard and correct Hindi, and interestingly they work for the press. Of course Guru wins over them by using the language of the public (in that court scene…the public sides with him) even though Mithun and Madhavan themselves believe that they are working for the public.
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Kid
March 5, 2016
Considering we are talking about the lack of Kashmiri in Kashmir-set films, I remembered this lovely song (Zinta looks fabulous here) whose title is atleast a Kashmiri word (contrast this with the Persian “Hami Asto” from Fitoor)-
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MANK
March 5, 2016
/Of course Guru wins over them by using the language of the public (in that court scene…the public sides with him) even though Mithun and Madhavan themselves believe that they are working for the public./
Hey Kid, never seen you around here before. Naye aaye ho kya?. That is superb point. In fact i loved all the points you made here .Achcha dekhta hai, achcha sunta hai, aur achcha likh bhi leta hai , Kudos 🙂
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Jyoti
March 5, 2016
BR sir,
You always write the best closing lines!
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olemisstarana
March 5, 2016
MANK – I think Kid is one of the treasures that floated up after the churning of the samudra manthan after all the poison and mayhem.
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P
March 5, 2016
@Kid: I am sorry if I came across as having a “Vehement opposition” maybe I sounded defensive 🙂 but it comes from a lifetime of being a South Indian who speaks “Bombaiyya” hindi and has been at the recieving end of jestful insults from “North Indians” who are like- what is this “mereko tereko” language that you speak, its not “real” Hindi etc 🙂
I am very interested in languages and their history and have done a lot of research into why the people on the street in places like Bombay speak completely differently from what we all grew up watching on DD (that is why I gave the DD example). Like do you know anyone in real life who says – “Samay Samapt”?
From wiki (apologies if you, like some don’t consider it a worthy source), since I don’t have access to some research papers I want to share right now:
“The dialect of Hindustani on which Standard Hindi is based is Khariboli, the vernacular of Delhi and the surrounding western Uttar Pradesh and southern Uttarakhand. Urdu, literally meaning, “the language of the camp”, a dialect of Hindustani, acquired official linguistic prestige in the later Mughal period (1800s). In the late 19th century, the movement standardising a written language from Khariboli, for the Indian masses in North India, started to standardise Hindi as a separate language from Urdu, which was learnt by the Mughal elite. In 1881, Bihar accepted Hindi as its sole official language, replacing Urdu, and thus became the first state of India to adopt Hindi.
After independence, the government of India instituted the following conventions:
1)standardisation of grammar: In 1954, the Government of India set up a committee to prepare a grammar of Hindi; The committee’s report was released in 1958 as A Basic Grammar of Modern Hindi.
2)standardisation of the orthography, using the Devanagari script, by the Central Hindi Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Culture to bring about uniformity in writing, to improve the shape of some Devanagari characters, and introducing diacritics to express sounds from other languages.
The Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as an official language of India on 14 September 1949. Now, it is celebrated as Hindi Day.
So “Standardized Hindi” as its called was artifically created and adopted by mostly the Indian govt and implemented uniformly across India by them. Even pre-independence in the late 19th century- there were elections held in India even then with the Congress and other parties participating in them as well- so the resolution taken in 1881 in Bihar was probably by a local Indian govt rather than the British.
All I meant was that this language was not a natural evolution of people talking but more of an intellectual fomentation so to speak 🙂 Which is why I love my Bombaiyya Hindi, it has words from all languages, is easier to speak and is the language in which we watch movies- its quite fun 🙂
It’s like the difference between say Bharatanatyam and Kathak- Bharatnatyam has become more formal and “artificial” because all the more earthy and sexual aspects of the devadasi culture were removed by Rukmini who thought it should be a cultural movement without any association to the sexual past of its prostitution culture. While Kathak has continued to have all the sexual and earthy colors so that even if an old man like Birju Maharaj dances one feels a thrill of sexuality and almost lustfulness in every movement.
I don’t know if I am explaining this right 🙂 Hope it doesn’t offend anyone!
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apex
March 5, 2016
@ Mohammad atif khan
“And I don’t get why should Hindi ( or rather Devanagari script) be a first step before Urdu. ”
Well that’s true but is that a big problem if it IS used like that in a certain setting?
Why does it become an issue ?
Maybe it’s the target audience demographic of a particular film which will be different for a fitoor from a salman Eid Release…
It obviously doesn’t become an issue when words like “Maula” are used in every second or third Hindi film song irrespective of the setting? Umpteen examples abound. Won’t even go there
While I don’t have a problem with your initial observation, the central point is problematic somewhat
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P
March 5, 2016
oops, there should be an end quote after “Hindi Day” as that is where the Wiki quote ends.
Also Kid, you said:
“Incidentally I am not sure why should a given TV program adhere to the lingua franca especially something like a news programme.”
The DD news programs were broadcasted by the govt of India and it was intended by them to popularize that style of “formal Hindi” or as they say “Shuddh Bhasha” and Pakistan did the same with formal Urdu- so Hindi is the official language of India though more than 70% of the people don’t speak it natively and Urdu is the official language of Pakistan even though more than 85% of the people speak other languages like Punjabi, Sindhi and Pashtun natively.
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apex
March 5, 2016
Hey Punee
” because I like Nargis Fakhri and remember that Brazilian model in Love Aaj Kal who stole the show with nary a word of dialogue? ”
This shocked me as to how is this possible. If there’s anybody lurking around from the rockstar days will know, I fell in LOVE with Nargis Fakhris “heer” in rockstar. How can u also like her
Infact u are the ONLY female I know who didn’t rip her apart and abuse her while I discussed her with some friends
I thought I was the ONLY person (besides initial Ali) who thought she did a great job in rockstar
It was a deceptively INSTINCTIVE take, devoid of TRAINED HONED acting mannerisms.
With no acting skill set and knowledge of the language and setting she did brilliantly.
It was disappointing that film ended her acting career though she doesn’t seem too serious bout her acting “career” anyways
Disagree with u a bit on Katrina a bit. Her appeal (which is now over for me) is a bit more COMPLEX to understand. And this discussion on nargis and Katrina needs some loooooong sessions, but have to catch up some wrk4abit….
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apex
March 5, 2016
@kid: u make some excellent points above
Thanks
Basically on the surface, fitoor seems a perfect example of a filmmaker (Abhishek kapoor) getting illusions after some sorta moderate success with stuff like rock on and that 3buddyfilm (where he was ok)
but trying a Vishal bhardwajesque feat is 2 much of an ask.
He’s punching way beyond his weight here.
And fitoor needed a GENUINE male star to salvage the likely weakness(Es)
“Chiselled” physique, some hours Pumping iron, glorified fasting and protein supplement does NOT equal stardom… (esp when Katrina is so subpar here lol£
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Shalini
March 5, 2016
@olemisstarana – 😀
@Kid – thanks for the “Harud” referral.
I checked out the music of “Fitoor” based upon the positive comments here and elsewhere and I dunno, save for the rabab in the opening moments of “Hamin astu,” I didn’t find anything – distinguishing. Shrug Interestingly, perhaps the most direct incorporation of Kashmiri music in Hindi film music is the Khayyam masterpiece “parbaton ke paedon par sham ka basera hai” which borrows its tune entirely from the traditional Kashmiri devotional “maej Sharikaey kar daya” (Mother Sharika have mercy).
As for the Kashmiri language, snatches of it have been used in various Hindi film songs. My personal favorite usage occurs in the unintentionally hilarious Asha-Kishore winner “jeevan mein jab aise pal aayenge” from Harjaee. The lyrics of the mukhda go:
Jeevan mein jab aise pay aayenge
(Such moments will arise in life when)
Ek duuje bin ham na rahe paayenge
(We won’t be able to live without each other)
Tumse main phir bolunga pyar se
(Then I will lovingly say to you)
khairishuu waariishuu
Now “Khairishuu, waariishuu” are supposed to be the Kashmiri greetings “Khair chivaa?” & “Vaaray chivaa?” Both of which roughly translate to – “You doing good?”
Heady stuff this. 😀
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Vanya
March 6, 2016
OK, stupid question incoming: my memory from 9th or 10th standard history is that the couplet “agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast…” is linked to the Red Fort and a Mughal ruler, and I see articles online that sort of back that up. But I also see that it’s engraved in Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar and is a reference to Kashmir by Amir Khusrau. Does anyone know the history behind the phrase and why it shows up in two places?
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P
March 6, 2016
@Apex: You will be surprised to know that the first movie I saw of Nargis Fakhri was Main Tera Hero. She has brilliant comic timing for someone who doesn’t even know the cadences of the Indian speaking style. Really good.
I was a part of the Bangalore rock-music scene, knew a lot of people some 10 years ago as a student who have now turned out to be big guns, so when I saw the trailer of Rockstar I thought Ranbir was being absolutely pretentious (my natural bias against him must have helped 😛 ) and I didn’t watch it until 2015. The day I watched Tamasha I realized that the Imtiaz-Ranbir duo can make magic on screen. I immediately ordered the DVD on Amazon, got it the next day. I won’t say I watched it, I consumed it. Wow. What a parable. What a story. What a piece of magical art.
And I must say that Nargis was absolutely unaffected and simple in a role where any other Indian actress would have employed histrionics. I especially liked the scene in Prague where she spends the night with Jordan and wakes up in the morning horrified and runs across the town like a dervish has possessed here…that was a brilliant scene that has stayed with me…and I found a new respect for Ranbir- I mean I loved him in Tamasha, but that pain of love as portrayed in Rockstar- especially the ending- that part where he sings
“kaaga re kaaga re mori itni araj tujhse chun chun khaiyo maans
khaiyo na tu naina more, khaiyo na tu naina mohe piya ke milan ki aas..”
Anyone who has seen the pain of love’s loss will be able to relive that moment in the way he acts it out. The pain, the anger, the rage, but the hope, the hope that sustains….
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P
March 6, 2016
My brother used to be a big fan of Katrina and he’s not one of those- “oh, she’s hot I like her” kinda guys so I know there must be something about (intial) Katrina at least that must have been interesting and appealing, which is why I qualified my judgement of her as “I can’t take her seriously….” though I liked her in Namastey London and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan quite ok…
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Kid
March 6, 2016
Vanya: I am no authority on the subject, but it is widely known that this couplet has been wrongly attributed to Khusrau. Nowhere in his writings has anyone found a mention of the couplet. The most widely held belief is that the couplet was first heard when Jehangir got completely entranced by the beauty of Shalimar Bagh when he first visited Kashmir. Apparently he remembered the famous Persian poet Urfi Shirazi’s (who was a literary giant during Akbar’s rule) musing on Kashmir [“Har sokhta-jaaney ke ba Kashmir dar aayad/ Gar murg-e-kabaab ast ba baal-o-par aayad” (Any distressed person who visits Kashmir returns duly endowed with pinions and feathers of health even if he is like a roasted bird)]. Jehangir contemplated over Shirazi’s words and ended up saying the couplet (Whether he was the one got the couplet engraved into Shalimar Bagh’s pavilion isn’t really verifiable. Though apparently it is mentioned in Jehangir’s autobiography, Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, that he did say the couplet). The other version is that the couplet was first “seen” (in writing) when Shahjehan, after he heard about his father’s couplet, got inspired and engraved it onto the mehraab (plaque on the wall) of Red Fort’s Deewan-e-Khas. Of course the couplet finds it place in quite a few monuments in India and Pakistan apart from Red Fort and Shalimar Bagh. I know my comment might not be of much help, perhaps others might want to chip in…
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Venu
March 6, 2016
“The fact that Katrina Kaif, who can barely speak Hindi after more than a decade in the movies, writes letters in Urdu is right up there with stories about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.”
“Noor becomes a shirtless sculptor – the kind who’s clearly trained the chisel and hammer on himself.”
“What was Abhishek Kapoor thinking when he cast Kaif against this force of nature? If he thought she’d match up, those were indeed some great expectations.”
Take a bow, Mr. Rangan.
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Vanya
March 6, 2016
@Kid: Dayang! If that was your response to a topic that you’re not an authority on, I can’t wait to see your contributions in your actual areas of expertise.
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Prasad
March 7, 2016
” we seem to be watching two bored supermodels go through the motions in a photo shoot for a high-end fashion magazine.”
Very Surprising (shocking) Casting decisions by Abhishek for the lead pair. It’s a universal fact that Katrina is the weak link of almost all movies. Just look at his previous movie “Kai Po Che” and how strong the casting selections were.
Outstanding songs by Amit wasted for a mediocre film.
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sanjana
March 8, 2016
Here the director is more at fault for casting decisions and the way he treated the classic. Another Bombay Velvet.
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Bala
March 8, 2016
Was about to comment along the lines of “Can’t believe this was directed by the same director who made Kai Po Che”. Was re-watching bits and pieces of that movie the other day and boy, the actors in that movie were really special (even Sushant, who I don’t like much). Poor Raj Kummar Rao. His unconventional looks means he will probably never be first choice to be the lead in a movie like Fitoor. I didn’t mind Fitoor much but I never thought much of Great Expectations in the first place (the book and the many movies made on it) and the actors in this movie don’t have the screen presence to keep one’s eyes on the movie. (I will admit to having slept off during the last half hour or so on my first viewing) Is it only me or has Katrina actually become worse/more expressionless over the years. Was watching a supremely crappy “Hello” the other day and even there her expressions seemed more spot-on. Nowadays, the best she is able to muster is a sad smile.
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The Gypsy Girl
March 8, 2016
“Is it only me or has Katrina actually become worse/more expressionless over the years.”
I’m not sure it’s possible for her to actually get worse. But there’s certainly no incentive for her to get better, because she keeps getting role after role, inspite of absolutely no improvement in emoting skills, after over a decade in the movies. Pah!
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P
March 8, 2016
@Bala: Just FYI Sushant was offered Fitoor and he said no 🙂
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Kid
March 8, 2016
Punee: I think he said no to Fitoor because he didn’t have the dates for it (he had both Byomkesh and the ill-fated Paani on his hands).
On Katrina I think her best moment on-screen is in Sarkar where RGV used her very effectively (I think RGV understands the iconic in the actor more than most other directors. And he is mostly better at handling star-actors than pure actors who aren’t stars). Also think she had some fine moments in Rajneeti (no, not the ones where she speaks or has to emote) especially the part where focuses on her gait etec after she makes her entry into politics (I am especially thinking of the scene where she first gives a speech in public. Of course when she opens her mouth, it’s all downhill from there)
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sanjana
March 8, 2016
The likes of Katrina will get success if they are paired with top male stars.
And what will happen to Jagga Jasoos?
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MANK
March 8, 2016
I think RGV understands the iconic in the actor more than most other directors. And he is mostly better at handling star-actors than pure actors who aren’t stars
Bingo Kid, who other than RGV would have thought there was a a Rangeeli inside a ‘masoom’ 🙂
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The Ghost Who Walks
March 8, 2016
I think RGV understands the iconic in the actor more than most other directors. And he is mostly better at handling star-actors than pure actors who aren’t stars
I think that’s a spot-on analysis, especially the second sentence. The masala tropes in his movies aren’t given much thought normally, but I think it will be a very interesting way to assess his films, especially his earlier work in Telugu
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sanjana
March 8, 2016
there was a a Rangeeli inside a ‘masoom’ 🙂
Thats a good one.
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P
March 8, 2016
@Kid: Thanks for reminding me of Rajneeti. I actually really like the reconciliation scene between her and Arjun a lot. I think Arjun is really good in those quiet broody roles too 🙂
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Kid
March 8, 2016
Punee: Yeah, Arjun does that brooding bit well. But he can also do the batshit crazy also pretty well (remember the scene in Rajneeti with him holding the baseball bat). But if I have to pick I will probably go for his silky menace (somewhat reminiscent of K. N. Singh) in Om Shanti Om where I thought he was the best thing about the film
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Shalini
March 8, 2016
Till last summer, I was neutral about Katrinia Kaif. I’d seen her in just one film, “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” where I’d found her to be an innocuous even warm presence. Then last summer I came down with a case of Akshay Kumaritis (don’t judge me!). Realizing that I’d only seen a handful of his films, I set out to rectify the cinematic lacuna by binge-watching on You Tube. In the space of three weeks, I probably watched 60 or so films spanning his career from “Sainik” to” Gabbar is Back.” By the time I was done, I’d concluded that 1) Akshay Kumar has the lousiest filmography in Bollywood, and 2) Katrina Kaif can’t act.
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sanjana
March 8, 2016
There are some who cannot act and yet reach stardom. Dev Anand comes to my mind. Extremely charismatic personality in his younger days and that covered up his non acting.
Katrina has a pleasant personality and a good screen presence. And that helps. Remember Zeenat Aman?
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MANK
March 8, 2016
Kid, Arjun Rampal and K.N.Singh in the same sentence. that must be in an alternate universe 😀
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P
March 9, 2016
@Kid: Oh yea! He was really good as the “Bad” guy in OSO. Farah seems to have totally lost it post that film…it is something that me and my brother re-watch everytime he’s in town…
And that baseball bat scene was epic- he seemed quite deranged. I also like him in that one bit of in that last stage show of rock on(an Abhishek Kapoor film!) when he finally gets his moment on stage, and his long hair is open…quite poetic 😛 I also like him in a forgotten film called Vaada with Zayed Khan and Amisha Patel ( #sorrynotsorry )
@sanjana: No, just no, you can’t compare the class that is Zeenie to Katrina- for one she has never disfigured her face, for another she has no hypocrisies about wearing bikinis onscreen! 😀 😉
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Shalini
March 9, 2016
With apologies to Lloyd Bentsen. I’ve watched Zeenat Aman. I’ve marveled at Zeenat Aman. I’ve wanted to be Zeenat Aman. Let me tell you – Katrina Kaif is no Zeenat Aman.
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brangan
March 9, 2016
Shalini: At the risk of realigning the universe, I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with you on another matter 🙂
Zeenat Aman may not have been a thespian in the Shabana Azmi sense but she had a breezy sexuality, a live-wire presence (I’ve always thought she worked very well opposite Rajesh Khanna) and a modicum of dramatic talent (in the sense that she didn’t embarrass herself).
Kaif has none of these qualities. At best, she is pretty on magazine covers. On screen, she is a marble statue.
Just imagine her in Manoranjan or even this song below…
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moi
March 9, 2016
About Katrina disfiguring her face… yes.. how much of self loathe and how low of a low self esteem must one have to do all that to ones face, especially when you are the top actress of the country..and you are dating one of the most eligible bachelors .. and there are magazines and movies selling because of your face.
There is one particular interview with Masand where katrina’s face looked so swollen and puffy and her lips all Donald ducky….. Aren’t there people around her like friends and family who tells her that you are not looking good ?
Zeenat Aman in Satyam Sivam Sundaram…I thought what she wore in that movie was more scandalous than a bikini…. Anyone remember Bhor Bhaye Panghat Pe…
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brangan
March 9, 2016
moi: Zeenat Aman in Satyam Sivam Sundaram…I thought what she wore in that movie
You mean, what she DID NOT wear 🙂
But seriously, no other actress of the time (or even today, I think) could have pulled that part off without looking ridiculous. Whether you would cast a Zeenat Aman as a rustic innocent is another question, but the point is that she didn’t end up looking ridiculous or uncomfortable, which is something remarkable for the 70s.
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moi
March 9, 2016
Wow.. BR has replied to me again.. This is the time I should come up with a clever repartee… something witty, charming , eloquent that make me look super freaking smart.. and articulate and intelligent…. may be use heavy duty words like obfuscate or something…so I can impress him……(too much pressure)… gives up..!!
…Yes.. totally agree with you… She can definitely pull it off without looking ridiculous….
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sanjana
March 9, 2016
Raj Kapoor is to be blamed for exploiting her in that movie. I remember that movie for only some melodious songs. Zeenat looked good with any hero and Qurbani is my top pick. And Qurbani brings memories of another dashing Khan. And Feroz Khan brings memories of a soulful movie Safar. Safar brings memories of Rajesh Khanna.
I will remember Katrina for her looks and poise. For ZMDB, ETT and Rajneeti. She may give one more shot or shock in her forthcoming movies. People did the mistake of writing off Sonam Kapoor and see her getting applause from many barring few hardcore critics and some haters.
I always root for the underdogs and for those who receive too many brickbats.
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P
March 9, 2016
@Shalini: WORD lady WORD! Yes, I have wanted to be Zeenie, especially in this song(link below) but Katrina in her best work (like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan/Namastey London) came off as a pleasant and quite moronic but less earthy version of oh, I don’t know Mandakini at best.
@moi: Yes, my brother was such a fan of hers, and he was so put off by her face in Chikni Chameli, he refused to watch the movie..god only knows wth she was thinking, and I guess she stays alone, so she had no family to tell her that she looked great as is. And ohhh yeah on Satyam Shivam Sundaram! 😀
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