GUDDU RANGEELA: Average Writing makes it Average! [2/5]

Subhash Kapoor carries certain gravity with his name. You should remember him as the wisely witty and responsibly engaging filmmaker behind PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA- a hilarious take on Global Recession and JOLLY LLB- another satirical drama on Indian Judiciary System. The fact that he’s been chosen to replace Raju Hirani and direct the next in the MUNNABHAI series itself says a lot about the man. Sadly, his latest GUDDU RANGEELA despite having all his trademarks fails miserably to impress, or even entertain at large to match that extended expectations.

Full-time Orchestra singers and small-time criminals Guddu [Amit Sadh] and Rangeela [Arshad Warsi] find themselves trapped in a ‘kidnapping gone wrong’ case but what’s hidden in the box, has also an opportunity they have been looking for almost a decade. Their counterpart Billu Pehalwan [Ronit Roy] is a local MLA and a hardcore supporter-admirer and motivator of Khap Panchayats. Honor-killing is just one of his favorite leisure activities.

GUDDU RANGEELA decides to talk about social filths of many sorts but doesn’t showcase guts to provide sensible solutions or a definite way out in any manner. In fact, it doesn’t think twice before turning a potential social-drama into a personal revenge-saga. Khap Panchayats can be as heartless, harsh and cold-blooded as anyone could think of. We all are sentient to the Manoj-Babli honor killing case; but this is no real world. Looks like Subhash Kapoor believes in having the cake and eating it too. The reel world’s Manoj and Babli conveniently escape the bloody fate to be able to walk the road to the bazaar-demanding happy end. The writing and the jokes are strictly average, though the twist in the first half is well-executed. Film loses its steam completely when starts settling all this with a dramatic climax on the lines of any action movie from 80’s.  

Raju Hirani is known to bring interesting still images on screen that has already been successful in filling your heart with joy. Remember, the passing shot of a man clicking a bunch of women all clad in Burkha from head to toe, in 3 IDIOTS? Mr. Kapoor too tries it with the most colorful visual in the film, of Saadhus playing football in the yard of a temple. In others, Achint Kaur plays a new-age Chief Minister enjoying her chewing gum while showing off her strength and force in the character. The coolest, I say! And then there is this intrepid scene where Guddu unapologetically asks Baby [Aditi Rao Hydari], “Degi?” without giving any shady explanation. I like it! I wish GUDDU RANGEELA would have had more and more of such differently able scenes, and not just some lame, age-old and tasteless jokes to cover-up.

Arshad Warsi is repeating himself big time, I’m telling you. His ISHQIYA days are still here. And he is hardly able to level it with whatever he’s getting to play. Amit Sadh tries his hard to give us a believable Haryanvi character but the efforts overshadow the talent. Ronit Roy despite having a one-dimensionally written part manages to pull out very well. He never goes off-track, neither in his attitude nor in the lingual detailing. Of the rests, Rajeev Gupta as the Sub-inspector tickles you the most.

At last, with the kind of metaphors and affection Subhash Kapoor uses in GUDDU RANGEELA, it sure can be seen as his SHOLAY mashed with the sensitivity towards some real bad social impurities. But not in a perfect measure! [2/5]      

GABBAR IS BACK: Gabbar returns ‘khali haath’ with no ‘shabashi’ at all! [1/5]

Gabbar returns. With all the charisma, likeability and power to hold your attention leaving way behind in transition, Gabbar returns but only in some futile dialogues, a badly done rap-mix and in the title of the film. 'Why' is the only reaction you would relate to such arrogant effort to encash the echoing sound of once terror, and now horror! The most iconic villain in the history of Bollywood gets the worst tribute ever done. Sadly, Sanjay Leela Bhansali produced GABBAR IS BACK is your typical star-driven south Indian remake that tries to tick every box falling under the formula of a box-office hit but returns ‘khali haath’ with no ‘shabashi’ at all.

   
To start with, this Gabbar is more of a ‘Shahenshah’. When not hanging corrupts till death at the nearest ‘chauraha’, he can be seen teaching physics in a college where supposedly students are taught and trained to be honest that too at a degree where a son could sign on the death penalty of his own father drenched deep in corruption without giving it a second thought. Professor Aditya [Akshay Kumar] is the man in charge here and on mission. It takes no special powers to know that the guy has a tragic past before deciding to clean the system at his own with his own special task force and a harsh sense of judgment. The film is also about personal rivalry and angst against the injustice. It is also a fight between two brands as the hero and the anti-hero in the film like to describe themselves. In one sequence, Gabbar- the good man as forcibly put by the lady [Shruti Haasan] meant only for some kind of breathing space in all those butt-kicking action and ear-kicking verbal exchange shuts the villain's mouth up using his ever-growing popularity. I wish if they could call themselves ‘SnapDeal’ & ‘Flipkart’. The audience would sure find it a lot interesting.   

GABBAR IS BACK- an official remake of a Tamil superhit strives to aim at people’s angst against corruption. The mood gets set when Gabbar kidnaps corrupt government officials and punishes them in the most violent yet less-innovative manner but soon decides to dive into the dreary pool of dead romance. Dealing with the same issue, Rensil D’silva’s UNGLI had definitely more inventive ways of punishing corrupts. Film also fails to hold you emotionally and doesn’t excite you at all with its cheap thrills in the plot. The tragic backstory is too convenient and badly twisted on screen. Even the sensible Chitrangada Singh in her sex siren avatar doesn’t show any spark in her titillating item song. Shruti Haasan is such a waste. Kareena Kapoor Khan looks ravishing in her cameo-cum-song and that’s it. Akshay too is repetitive. Though his remarkable energy on screen and ease at such roles keep him in the race at any given point of time, the over-simplistic and predictable plot hardly gives him much space to show off the charm he has. Sunil Grover reinvents himself as an actor in serious role but with a dubious dubbed voice, he couldn’t maximize the chance well. Jaydeep Ahlawat is average.

Overall, GABBAR IS BACK is a dull and boring action-entertainer where you can sense and predict almost every curve on the road ahead. Watching and re-watching the real and original Gabbar mouthing those timeless dialogues will always be a treat for any cinema-lover or an entertainment-seeker. This latest Gabbar is just a falsifier with fake identity. If the real one could curse this one, he would have sure gone ahead with, “Gabbar ka naam poora mitthi mein milaye diyo” [You have spoiled the name of Gabbar, all of it]! Stay back! [1/5]            

SHOLAY 3D: A visual heritage in Cinema for the next generation! [5/5]

As a devoted movie lover, my most desirable dream came true this week with Ramesh Sippy’s magnum opus SHOLAY getting re-released in 3D after 38 years of its very first release. I was, until, one of those few unlucky who hadn’t experienced this all-time blockbuster and the biggest entertainer in Indian Cinema on big screen. So first and foremost, no matter how many times you have seen it before, no matter how religiously you have learnt all its juicy dialogues by heart…you should rush to the nearest cinema to relive this enormously engaging film bollywood has ever produced. History repeats itself but not so often. So be a part of it!

Despite taking inspiration largely from Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST [‘68] for the ‘mouth-organ’ themed background score & sound designing for family-massacre sequence, George Marshall directed segment in HOW THE WEST WAS WON [‘62] for the train-robbery part and John Sturges’ THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN [‘60] for the plot, Bollywood’s tribute to ‘spaghetti western’ cinema SHOLAY finds its root very much in our ‘desi’ soil and there exists the formula of its never-ending success.

Hats off to the writer-duo Salim-Javed for giving us characters that never lose their magical charm, colloquial quirky dialogues that never get out-of-the fashion and a drama that keeps us engaged and entertained all the way through its perfect and balanced mix of emotions. Who would not react in chuckles when Jai asks wisely, “tumhara naam kya hai, basanti”! How could you not feel the rage of vengeance in Veeru when he calls for the final encounter with, “Gabbar Singh! Main aa reha hoon”! Try to hold yourself from laughing when, modeled mockingly on Hitler, Jailer instructs his orderlies, “aadhe idhar jao, aadhe udhar jao…baki mere saath aao”! Have you ever seen a villain as cold-blooded & brutal as Gabbar who shoots his own sidekicks soon after making them burst into laughing only to prove a point that, “jo darr gaya, samjho marr gaya”? And my most favorite that has social significance also, is the unsaid inherent romance between Jai & Radha. Does your heart not bleed when Radha expresses. “laal, peele, neele, hare, socho toh rangon ke bina zindgi kaisi berang lagegi” cut to the while-clad Radha forced to live a colorless life of a widow.

Apart from Hema Malini playing the chatty tanga-girl Basanti, Sanjeev Kumar as the intensely gritty Thakur Saab and Jaya Bhaduri’s compassionate Radha, this is probably one of those rare films where every single actor cast has come out with an unforgettable presence on screen and definitely a remarkable work of his/her career. Dancing Queen Helen in the sensuous ‘mehbooba o mehbooba’ dance number, Jagdeep in a 2-scene role as ‘Soorma Bhopali’, A K Hangal as Imam saab in the heart-aching ‘itna sannata kyun hai bhai’ act, Leela Mishra as Mausi and everyone else.

SHOLAY was also a trendsetter in many senses. The era of 70’s in Bollywood with formula action entertainers that finds its base in violent vengeance seeking gangster-dacoit movies, was unquestionably lead by SHOLAY. Dharmendra’s foray into ‘kutte-kameene, main tera khoon pi jaaoonga’ mode took a giant leap after the very same. Amitabh dying in the end became a profit-formula & a sure-shot success-mantra for many Bollywood producers and last but not least, the emersion of 70-mm stereophonic sound technology for a king-size ground-breaking entertainment. Who all have experienced it before on screen can vouch for that.

The new form of SHOLAY in 3D has only improved and enhanced the experience. There are added 3D effect-gimmicks also that will make you satisfied with the glasses. The background score and songs are brilliantly been reworked in an enhancing Dolby digital atmosphere. CG effects keep the freshness in the visuals alive and intact but these aren’t and shouldn’t be the criteria to judge the film. Watch it for the status it has achieved through all these years and still doesn’t smell rot and old-fashioned. Classic in other words! This one is a visual heritage in cinema you should pass on to the next generation. Take your kids & family as I say, “History repeats itself but not so often”. Be a part of it! [5/5]