Wednesday, March 23, 2005
DOOMSDAY
Have decided to expand my film-viewing panorama. The first to fall my way was “Dhoom":, an action-packed motorbike gang vendetta intermittently lapsing into a skin flick.
The now-familiar banner of putrefying Yashraj Films notwithstanding, I held my nerve and staggered on past the opening credits.
The story has Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, John Abraham. I know-- these guys cannot act. Well, that is easily managed because two are safely ensconced on vehicles with helmets that might choke the medulla oblongata ( hence no danger of having to emote on screen as their visages are obscured beyond recognition ), and the third is saddled with a role that permits him to behave as if he were paid per expression. Nifty work from the director !
There were three belles too—as the eager viewer would imagine. Esha Deol in perhaps her most assertive role so far, a lass whose name I do not know who plays the cop’s mantelpiece wife and spouts ersatz Bengali when excited, and promises to feed him mooli parathas for breakfast and aloo parathas for dinner, packs him gobi parathas and lassi for lunch, while dropping him off at work. Possibly, every Thinking Man’s Fantasy !! Perizaad Zorabian in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, again a very thoughtful director.
A cop has to trace, track and trap a gang of thieves on hot wheels—yep, that’s the plot.
Seemed to be an all-guys film, extremely overt machismo, the apparent brazenness of the plot as the mean marauding motorbikes parade with a Street Hawk-esque maniacal speed are the aspects that stuck.
Skidding wheels, a glint of steel, a racy background score are some elements that are used to good effect. Found the film engrossing enough—the unrelenting heady pace of the movie and the in-your-face directness were appealing. As stated, it was more a visual spectacle rather than a plodding narrative.
Music—all songs acquired a repetitive popularity, so I set my reservations aside although personally, they were terrible. And yes, aurat teri yahi kahaani—again perhaps the wrong place to proffer women’s emancipation.
Overall, surprising myself, I give it a Thumbs Up .
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Have decided to expand my film-viewing panorama. The first to fall my way was “Dhoom":, an action-packed motorbike gang vendetta intermittently lapsing into a skin flick.
The now-familiar banner of putrefying Yashraj Films notwithstanding, I held my nerve and staggered on past the opening credits.
The story has Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, John Abraham. I know-- these guys cannot act. Well, that is easily managed because two are safely ensconced on vehicles with helmets that might choke the medulla oblongata ( hence no danger of having to emote on screen as their visages are obscured beyond recognition ), and the third is saddled with a role that permits him to behave as if he were paid per expression. Nifty work from the director !
There were three belles too—as the eager viewer would imagine. Esha Deol in perhaps her most assertive role so far, a lass whose name I do not know who plays the cop’s mantelpiece wife and spouts ersatz Bengali when excited, and promises to feed him mooli parathas for breakfast and aloo parathas for dinner, packs him gobi parathas and lassi for lunch, while dropping him off at work. Possibly, every Thinking Man’s Fantasy !! Perizaad Zorabian in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, again a very thoughtful director.
A cop has to trace, track and trap a gang of thieves on hot wheels—yep, that’s the plot.
Seemed to be an all-guys film, extremely overt machismo, the apparent brazenness of the plot as the mean marauding motorbikes parade with a Street Hawk-esque maniacal speed are the aspects that stuck.
Skidding wheels, a glint of steel, a racy background score are some elements that are used to good effect. Found the film engrossing enough—the unrelenting heady pace of the movie and the in-your-face directness were appealing. As stated, it was more a visual spectacle rather than a plodding narrative.
Music—all songs acquired a repetitive popularity, so I set my reservations aside although personally, they were terrible. And yes, aurat teri yahi kahaani—again perhaps the wrong place to proffer women’s emancipation.
Overall, surprising myself, I give it a Thumbs Up .
