Dostana puts a different spin to Bollywood
By PARUL GUPTA
Bollywood film Dostana brings homosexuality out of the closet.
Once upon a time in Bollywood, a handsome hero would croon and bash up a few goons to win over his coy but willing lady love. If the film worked, the director could live happily ever after.
But the staple heterosexual romance is no longer the only stuff that Bollywood dreams are made of, as filmmakers turn to subjects that would previously have been considered too serious or unthinkable for a conservative audience.
That is why there is much buzz about the industry抯 latest offering, Dostana (Friendship), a film about two men who pretend to be a couple, in which homosexuality ?illegal in India ?is a running theme.
揑 think the film does a lot for gays in a country where the word homosexual does not even exist for many people,?said leading gay rights activist, Ashok Row Kavi.
Homosexuality is punishable by a fine and a 10-year prison term in India, where a law prohibits 揷arnal intercourse against the order of nature,?although convictions are unheard of.
A court in New Delhi is currently considering a suit brought by gay rights activists to decriminalise homosexuality, which is seen by many Indians as a 揥estern?import.
揗en come to us and say they now know that there is a word for their feelings, as the term homosexuality is a recent construct,?Kavi said.
In the film, there is no such confusion as Bollywood actors John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan pose as a couple to win over a prospective landlady who is averse to renting out her apartment to single men because of her young niece.
Though the characters themselves are not homosexual, there are ample references to gay love ?a topic that had been largely shunned by Bollywood, except in one low-key but acclaimed film My Brother Nikhil three years ago.
In Dostana, Indian actor John Abraham抯 character is a man who pretends to be gay in order to rent an apartment.
揇ostana gives a feel-good vibe without being gloomy or sending out wrong messages. It is very clearly gay, with Bachchan shown driving a pink limousine,?said Kavi, who founded India抯 first gay magazine, Bombay Dost.
揜arely will you get to see two popular desi (local) heroes indulge in such gay banter, even though it抯 make-believe,?film critic Nikhat Kazmi wrote in The Times of India.
In one scene, the mother of one of the men finally comes around to accepting his 揵oyfriend?and wails: 揇o I call you a daughter-in-law or son-in-law??br />
揟hat is something new,?activist Kavi said.
The two 揼ay?men ultimately end up chasing the landlady抯 young niece in Miami, where the film is set, giving the men plenty of scope to display their toned bodies in tiny trunks.
Produced by top filmmaker Karan Johar, Dostana is already on its way to becoming one of the biggest Bollywood hits this year, industry watchers said.
揑t is doing very well among the younger, educated people in big cities,?said Indu Mirani, entertainment editor of the tabloid Mumbai Mirror.
But Mirani cautioned against giving Dostana too much credit for championing the cause of gays and lesbians.
揑t抯 too flippant, it won抰 change anything. Sociological changes take years to happen,?she said.
揟he Indian audience is still not that evolved for Bollywood to try a film with gay characters in the lead.??AFP
smlm, gina kt thr wat praduan utk dapat cd BERAUTOGRAF JOHN, PRIYANKA n ABHISHEK! so, ak tggu r smpai praduan tuh.. last2 die tanye kt mane ptemuan ptame abhi n john mase diorg tipu psl diorg gay tuh.. ak lupe!!! aku pung tulih la paris.. sbb ak confuse antare : ROM, PARIS atau VENICE!! last2 jwpan die VENICE!
Originally posted by pzan213 at 24-11-2008 03:48 PM
hehehe..laki kalo ketak2 sgt tak cantik gak..dier kalo badan cam arjun..shah rukh , zayed n ranbir kapoor dah cukup la...aku palik tak berkenan bdn saif ali khan..walaaupon nampak mcm ketak.. ...
to me.......body Arjun Rampal is still the best selain Hrithik Roshan.Shahrukh pon ok.....sexy! Saif plak x lawa body terlalu berketak pasal nampak dier pendek plak.....
surprisingly, not bad.. lagu die best banget.. lawa la die shooting kat Austria..
err, tp time memule tu aku rasa pelik skit, die cakap kat Prague.. i think Prague kat Czech.. tp alih2 bercampur dgn Austria.. apa2 pun mmg best pemandangan.. lagu, especially time performance tu mmg best.. dlm cite ni, u will realize yg suppose to be bad at the beginning will be good at the ending.. and also the other side iaitu suppose to be good at the beginning turning to be bad at the end..
You must be wondering why not much has been heard about actress Anushka Sharma in spite of her dream debut with Shahrukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It's not that the girl is media shy. The news is doing the rounds that Aditya Chopra has forbidden her from opening her mouth.
The filmmaker is said to have told Anushka not to give any interview before the release of the film. He usually don't let the story of his film leak before release but this time around he has turned protective towards his heroine. The media is finding difficult to find out even her whereabouts.
Emraan loses 10 kgs to get the lean look for Raaz - The Mystery Continues
There is no denying the fact that Emraan Hashmi isthe Bhatt camp's blue eyed boy. The actor, who is on a high post thestupendous success of Jannat, is now awaiting the release of his next film Raaz- The Mystery Continues. Produced under the banner of Vishesh Films and directed by young Mohit Suri, Raaz- The Mystery Continues has Emraan playing the role of an artist.
Known for getting into the skin of the character completely, Emraan lost 10 kgs for Raaz- TMCand is looking very lean. What's more? Epitomizing the creative spirit,he's also spiked his hair, grown an arty beard, kohled his eyebrows,and loaded up on junk jewellery.
It was director Mohit Suri who wanted Emraan to shed some of that extraflab and get completely into the character. Emraan crash dieted andcompletely cut off bread, pastries, cheese and any kind of junk foodfrom his diet. He switched to sugar free desserts, from aata to nachni rotis and even minimized his salt intake. The results are there for all to see- he was 76 kgs and is now much leaner at 66 kgs.
Speaking about this effort Emraan says "It's not so difficult, ifyou're serious about it. And the results are the biggest motivatorencouraging me to stick to the schedule. Along with the change in diet,I walk every day for an hour and drink lots of water. Also, I've begunhaving dinner 3 hours before I sleep, and whenever I have a day off, Igo for a run before breakfast, because you supposedly burn more of fatthat way. I saw the biggest difference in a week after cutting offbread from my diet."
The big question however is, Will he continue with this diet plan?"Sure" he says, "I've got used to this discipline and am enjoying thisnew leaner feel."
Every step you take, every move you make... we'llbe watchin' you. Have altered the lines of a famous song. For, thisone's applicable for Subhash Ghai, a proficient storyteller, one of themost successful stories from this side of the Atlantic. Irrespective ofhow his films are received at the ticket window, Ghai's movies arealways under scrutiny. You watch every film with a magnifying glass.
YUVVRAAJ is no exception!
Ghai's forte has been drama. Recall the dramatic moments in KARZ,VIDHAATA, MERI JUNG, RAM LAKHAN, KARMA, SAUDAGAR. He re-visits thegenre with YUVVRAAJ. Besides, YUVVRAAJ is his most opulent work thusfar. It has a sweeping effect, the film makes a stunning visualstatement.
Honestly, YUVVRAAJ isn't Ghai's best work, but post YAADEIN, KISNA andBLACK & WHITE, YUVVRAAJ salvages him, even redeems the storyteller.
The story [Ghai] mirrors a universal truth. Greed leads to disputes andin turn, ruins all relationships. A fact you've heard or witnessed timeand again in real life. While the story is captivating, the screenplaydoesn't really do justice to the thought. Also, Rahman's music acts asa soothing balm, but the problem is, it takes time to grow on thelistener. And that could be a deterrent.
Yet, in all fairness, YUVVRAAJ is a notch above the commonplace. If youintend spending your hard-earned money on it or devoting 3 hours ofyour precious time on Ghai's new outing, chances are you won't regretit.
Deven Yuvvraaj [Salman Khan] is a chorus singer, in love with Anushka[Katrina Kaif]. Her father Dr. Banton [Boman Irani], however, is deadagainst this relationship. Things take a turn when Deven's fatherpasses away and he returns to London to stake claim on his father'swealth.
He meets his two estranged brothers Gyanesh Yuvvraaj [Anil Kapoor] andDanny Yuvvraaj [Zayed Khan] after almost twelve years. But thingsaren't hunky-dory between them...
Ghai has an eye for visuals and every frame of YUVVRAAJ seems like apainting on celluloid. Unmistakably, that's the first thing you noticeas YUVVRAAJ unfolds.
It takes time to absorb YUVVRAAJ. In fact, Ghai doesn't open all hiscards at the very outset. It's only when the father [Javed Shaikh]passes away and Mithun Chakraborty, the Executor of the Will, entersthe scene that the wheels start moving.
The film gathers momentum after the interval. If the first hour has afew by-now-famous Ghai scenes, the second hour sees Ghai in form, witha number of sequences staying in your memory. The penultimate 20-25minutes are the best. Watch Anil go through the handycam withdisbelief, watch Anil and Salman's act during the concert, watchSalman's emotional outburst towards the end... also the titles [bringsback memories of OM SHANTI OM].
On the flip side, the screenplay is erratic. There're constant highsand lows in this journey, the film works in patches. In fact, thescreenplay falls prey to predictability and mediocrity at places.
Ghai handles the dramatic scenes with flourish. Rahman's music issoothing, but you expect more because Ghai's movies are embellishedwith lilting music that you recall even after 2 or 3 decades. Kabir Lalcaptures the striking beauty of Europe well. The output is superb. Thesets [Omung Kumar] are truly majestic.
YUVVRAAJ belongs to Anil Kapoor, who towers above the entire cast anddelivers a natural, believable performance. Salman's looks areinconsistent. At times the boyish look is intact, at times he looksbloated. Ditto for his hairstyle. His performance, however, is better,mainly towards the finale. Zayed tries hard and convinces in a fewscenes. Mithun Chakraborty is fantastic in a brief role.
Katrina looks angelic. Despite the focus being on the three men, sheregisters an impact. Boman Irani is credible, especially in the scenewhen he steps out of the Operation Theatre towards the end. AushimaSawhney is confident. Anjan Srivastava and the pack of villains/vampslook straight out of RAM LAKHAN and TAAL.
On the whole, YUVVRAAJ is interesting in parts, with the penultimate20/25 minutes taking the film to an all-time high. At the box-office,the package [a mammoth cast, Subhash Ghai, A.R. Rahman, the stunninglocales of Europe] should ensure a hearty opening and with no majoropposition in the forthcoming week, it should keep its investorssmiling.
Aamir Khan features in the December issue of men's magazine GQ
How will you react if you were offered a date with someone who isperfection personified! Well, we are tad sure of the fact that themoment we utter the 'P' of perfection, the one and only name that popsup in everyone's mind is that of Aamir Khan - better known asBollywood's Mr. Perfectionist! Well, as his much-awaited film Ghajiniis ready to hit the theatres this month, Aamir is bound to be all overthe place for sure, and one of the early-birds is the world-famouslifestyle magazine 'GQ' that has got none other than Aamir Khan on thecover of its latest edition!
All that you have to do is pick up the recent issue of the world-famouslifestyle magazine 'GQ' which has got none other than Aamir Khan on thecover! 'If looks could kill...then we have a Killer in Aamir', who isall set to take the whole of not just Bollywood, but the whole universe...all in one go with his forthcoming release Ghajini.
This edition of GQ has got none other than Bollywood's very own 'MidasMan' Karan Johar doing the honours of being the Contributing Editor ofthis mag.
The editor of this mag says, "Aamir Khan doesn't appear on manymagazine covers. The fact that he has chosen to work with GQ is atestament to the magazine's 50-year old reputation as a publicationfeaturing and read by intelligent, successful men. What makes the coverstory even more special is the fact that Karan Johar, allegedly amember of a rival camp in the film industry, has interviewed Khan - forthe first time. The result is an entertaining, candid conversation thateven Bollywood skeptics would find engaging."
* DOSTANA [last weekend: No. 10, this weekend: No. 12]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 95,254 on 43 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 2,215. Total: £ 8,42,424 [approx. Rs. 6.31 crores].
* YUVVRAAJ [last weekend: No. 13, this weekend: No. 18]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 25,982 on 37 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 702. Total: £ 1,82,230 [approx. Rs. 1.36 crores].
THIS WEEKEND IN U.K.
[Based on screen averages]
RANK FILM AVERAGE
1 DOSTANA £ 2,215
2 OYE LUCKY! LUCKY OYE! £ 872
3 YUVVRAAJ £ 702
Post time 25-11-2008 09:56 AM
Author
The story [Ghai] mirrors a universal truth. Greed leads to disputes andin turn, ruins all relationships. A fact you've heard or witnessed timeand again in real life. While the story is captivating, the screenplaydoesn't really do justice to the thought. Also, Rahman's music acts asa soothing balm, but the problem is, it takes time to grow on thelistener. And that could be a deterrent. 
It takes time to absorb YUVVRAAJ. In fact, Ghai doesn't open all hiscards at the very outset. It's only when the father [Javed Shaikh]passes away and Mithun Chakraborty, the Executor of the Will, entersthe scene that the wheels start moving. 
YUVVRAAJ belongs to Anil Kapoor, who towers above the entire cast anddelivers a natural, believable performance. Salman's looks areinconsistent. At times the boyish look is intact, at times he looksbloated. Ditto for his hairstyle. His performance, however, is better,mainly towards the finale. Zayed tries hard and convinces in a fewscenes. Mithun Chakraborty is fantastic in a brief role. 
