lesbiassparrow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lesbiassparrow) wrote2006-08-21 09:34 am
lesbiassparrow) wrote2006-08-21 09:34 am
Bollywood (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kenha)
Yesterday I made the trek to Artesia to see this (I half wanted the over the top angst of Omkara but SRK was too tempting for one of the people I went with). It's an all star film about two couples whose various parties meet up at different stages and two of whom have an affair. The two that do are the very lovely Rani Mukherjee (Maya) and the also very excellent Sharukh Khan (Dev); Rhea is married to a man that she doesn't love and never did (the film suggests that she married him out of friendship and some poorly timed sense of gratitude), Dev is a former soccer star who has had a debilitating injury and now is a very angry man. Even with Maya, whom he falls in love with. Their spouses are nice people, but at least in Maya's case, entirely unsuitable for their partners. Everyone in this film has good intentions - Maya and Dev become friends because they are both in unhappy marriages and want to try and make them work - but well, it doesn't work out like that at all.
The New York Times is rather dismissive of this film as standard Bollywood fare with the singing and the dancing, but this is because whoever reviewed it quite clearly does not approve of these things in films and thus wishes that Bollywood would make totally different films that they can approve of: I got the impression they were miffed because the film wasn't French or something like that. As I like the singing and the dancing and the over the topness of Bollywood I wish someone would point out that not all cinema has to look the same.
But anyway! This film is often cheesy to be sure, but still quite good. Behind the cut are pictures of the lovely looking and angst-ridden people in the film. There are also some plot spoilers, but not for the ending.
This is Maya on her wedding day. She is not convinced she should marry, but Dev, whom she has just met, convinces her that it's okay not to feel passion for your partner and that all marriages are compromises. This is quite clearly Bad Advice especially as the film makes it clear that she does not feel any sexual attraction to her husband.
On the other hand, this is Rishi, the man she marries. Um. Not such a terrible bargain. He looks shocked because his wife has (in one of her more ill-timed ideas to try and improve their marriage) turned up at home dressed like a dominatrix. He is unfortunately having a football viewing session which he didn't tell her about. It does not go well.
Here are Maya and Rishi angsting together.
This is Dev, in the snow at the site of his former victories. SRK has something about him that makes me not wonder why Maya throws Rishi over for him.
Rhea, his wife, a fashion editor who makes far more money than Dev (after his injury he becomes a coach for children) and in one horrible fight they have points this out very clearly to him. It is doubly unpleasant because it is intercut with Maya and Rishi also fighting about her frigidness and the fact she can't have children.
Rishi 'coaching' his son. Most of his time is spent yelling at the kid when he is on the field. Dev is a very grumpy man most of the time. Perhaps because his son wants to nix football for violin lessons.
Dev and Maya together. I can't remember if this is where they are hatching one more scheme to be more what their partners want or just some other conversation.
Dev walking away from Maya. He plans never to take a train again so they won't bump into each other at the station because what they are doing is Very Wrong. Look at SRK! No wonder she rushes after him...
A dance sequence which occurs after they find they can't break up and Maya admits she loves him. Their happiness lasts about three seconds.
Dev and Maya in the rain, headng - after a huge row - to a hotel to sleep together for the first time. This is a horrible scene because it is intercut with scenes of their partners celebrating because for the first time in forever, they think their partners are in love with them. And Dev and Maya are so miserable about the whole thing because they know they are terribly wrong and selfish and it all shows even in the bedroom scene.
Rishi's dad who is always accompanied by a bevy of women and the theme song 'Sexy Sam.' He is not so happy here because he has discovered the awful truth about Maya and Dev.
Another shot of Rishi with Maya, because, well, it's Abhishek Bachchan.
The New York Times is rather dismissive of this film as standard Bollywood fare with the singing and the dancing, but this is because whoever reviewed it quite clearly does not approve of these things in films and thus wishes that Bollywood would make totally different films that they can approve of: I got the impression they were miffed because the film wasn't French or something like that. As I like the singing and the dancing and the over the topness of Bollywood I wish someone would point out that not all cinema has to look the same.
But anyway! This film is often cheesy to be sure, but still quite good. Behind the cut are pictures of the lovely looking and angst-ridden people in the film. There are also some plot spoilers, but not for the ending.
This is Maya on her wedding day. She is not convinced she should marry, but Dev, whom she has just met, convinces her that it's okay not to feel passion for your partner and that all marriages are compromises. This is quite clearly Bad Advice especially as the film makes it clear that she does not feel any sexual attraction to her husband.
On the other hand, this is Rishi, the man she marries. Um. Not such a terrible bargain. He looks shocked because his wife has (in one of her more ill-timed ideas to try and improve their marriage) turned up at home dressed like a dominatrix. He is unfortunately having a football viewing session which he didn't tell her about. It does not go well.
Here are Maya and Rishi angsting together.
This is Dev, in the snow at the site of his former victories. SRK has something about him that makes me not wonder why Maya throws Rishi over for him.
Rhea, his wife, a fashion editor who makes far more money than Dev (after his injury he becomes a coach for children) and in one horrible fight they have points this out very clearly to him. It is doubly unpleasant because it is intercut with Maya and Rishi also fighting about her frigidness and the fact she can't have children.
Rishi 'coaching' his son. Most of his time is spent yelling at the kid when he is on the field. Dev is a very grumpy man most of the time. Perhaps because his son wants to nix football for violin lessons.
Dev and Maya together. I can't remember if this is where they are hatching one more scheme to be more what their partners want or just some other conversation.
Dev walking away from Maya. He plans never to take a train again so they won't bump into each other at the station because what they are doing is Very Wrong. Look at SRK! No wonder she rushes after him...
A dance sequence which occurs after they find they can't break up and Maya admits she loves him. Their happiness lasts about three seconds.
Dev and Maya in the rain, headng - after a huge row - to a hotel to sleep together for the first time. This is a horrible scene because it is intercut with scenes of their partners celebrating because for the first time in forever, they think their partners are in love with them. And Dev and Maya are so miserable about the whole thing because they know they are terribly wrong and selfish and it all shows even in the bedroom scene.
Rishi's dad who is always accompanied by a bevy of women and the theme song 'Sexy Sam.' He is not so happy here because he has discovered the awful truth about Maya and Dev.
Another shot of Rishi with Maya, because, well, it's Abhishek Bachchan.