Thursday, November 21, 2013

BollyBest: Music Video of the Week #7

RAM LEELA IS OUT AND I AM GOING TO SEE IT TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So of course, here's Priyanka Chopra in her role as an avatar. The director calls this a very "western" number. Thoughts?

Friday, November 15, 2013

Movie Review: Krrish 3

When I found out that Krrish 3 was going to be playing at my local theater, I was really, really excited. This is one of the most anticipated films of the year and I was over the moon to get a chance to see it in the first week of release.
Because everyone in India looks this good


This is one of the most-hyped sequels being released this year (DHOOM 3, OMG) and I watched Koy... Mil Gaya and Krrish in the previous month to get ready. I took my Mom (who has minimal exposure to Bollywood) along and was accompanied by Ellie, who probably knows Bollywood better than I do, but hadn't seen this franchise yet. 

For those not completely ensconced in modern B-wood lore, Krrish is the name of the alter-ego of a mild manner by supernaturally-talented young man played by Hrithik Roshan. He's now married to the lovely Priya (Priyanka Chopra) and they live in Mumbai with his elderly father (Hrithik Roshan). If you haven't seen the first two movies, don't worry--there is a brief intro that covers enough of the lore to make it all make sense. It certainly adds a little fun to have seen all the movies, but it isn't necessary.
Basically all you need to know

In what I would say is perhaps the best bit of acting I've seen from the oh-so-talented Hrithik, he plays the daily life of a kind-hearted man who is more concerned with helping the public and promoting public good will than he is with advancing himself. Instead of hiding away in a giant mansion, he lives and works among the people of Mumbai. He takes a little time to get to know the people he helps while in the guise of Krrish, but it takes an incredible toll on his personal life--his wife has to compete for time with him and and he can't hold down a job.

He's even forced to listen to other people bragging about being Krrish and he can't say a word without risking danger to his family. I think a less skillful actor would have overplayed this role and come off as a pompous ass, but Hrithik keeps him down-to-earth and loveable, possibly the most cute and cuddly a super hero has ever been.
"will she" in regards to bad hair

An evil power rises and attacks the very heart of Mumbai. Krrish, Priya, and will she/won't she frenemy have to make incredible sacrifices and learn to trust each other while they fight against the evil Kaal. An odd plot point here--Kaal discovers that he is the cloned (I think) son of Krrish' father. Aside from some obvious timeline issues (he was cloned after Krrish was born, but appears to be older than Krrish?), there is the funny fact that Krrish himself never actually learns of their relationship. His father knows, but doesn't end up communicating that information.

I thought this movie was set up well and the actors carried the story along. The special effects were strikingly good and the visuals were stunning. The plot was a little more engaging and thought-out than I expect from Bollywood, which is good, because this movie has one incredibly glaring flaw:

The song and dance scenes.

There are two.
needed more of this


Literally. Only two. One is the high energy Raghupati Raghav that we saw in the promos. The other is a love song that isn't very catchy and is really only notable for the striking number of douchey shirts that the designers stuck Hrithik in. I absolutely refuse to believe he picked out those atrocities for himself, wow.

All things considered, I really did enjoy Krrish 3. It isn't the edgy, modern high-energy Dhoom franxhise that I love so much, but it has it's own feel and the characters are far better developed than I expected.

Dance Numbers: 2.5/5
Costar Chemistry: Krrish/Krishna with Priya 5/5, Krrish/his dad 4/5, Krrish/Kaal 4/5
Entertainment Value: 4/5
SFX/Production Value: 5/5
Subtitle Accuracy: 4/5

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Thursday, November 7, 2013

BollyBest: Music Video of the Week #6

We all love to see our stars at different points in their careers. Here we have Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukerji, and Kareena Kapoor in the flick "Mujhse Dosti Karoge".