September 16, 2004

FILM
I’m not sure it’s entirely fair for me to be reviewing Mujhse Shaadi Karogi because the DVD I picked up from the video-wallah’s turned out to be just about two hours long, meaning that there were at least 30 to 40 minutes missing. As a result, the version I saw of the movie has a choppy and incoherent feel that may not be there in the complete version and for which director David Dhawan should not be faulted. Such are the pitfalls of renting or buying Mollywood movies these days because there are multiple versions floating around and you can never be sure which one you’re going to get.

In any case, Mujhse Shaadi, a major hit across the border, is heavily “inspired” by two Hollywood productions, namely Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson’s Anger Management and Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro’s Meet The Parents. As you can probably guess, the Indian version isn’t as good as either of the originals – not that they were classics either. However, David Dhawan has always had a flair for comedy and the movie does provide a few chuckles here and there.

Dhawan doesn’t have his favourite hero, Govinda, on hand but Salman Khan, his usual second choice, is present as the guy who has anger management problems. But the show is stolen outright by Akshay Kumar as Salman’s rival for the affections of Priyanka Chopra (who still hasn’t learnt how to act). Amrish Puri plays Priyanka’s dad and he doesn’t think any man is good enough for his daughter.

Basically, if you’ve liked earlier David Dhawan movies then you might like something here (and Akshay Kumar is quite good) though your time is probably better spent watching the originals. Or if you start to get bored while watching the movie you can always start playing a new game of judging who is wearing the better hairpiece – Salman Khan or Amrish Puri or Kader Khan (my vote went to Puri). Also make sure that your video-wallah gives you the complete version if you do decide to watch the movie.—Khusro Mumtaz

OR
Secret Window, a thriller based on a Stephen King novella, builds up a nice head of steam, powered by some fun, almost caricatured performances by Johnny Depp and John Turturro. However, it ultimately collapses under the weight of its cliché-ridden screenplay.

Depp plays a writer of mystery books who is suffering from writer’s block due to his impending divorce with his wife (Maria Bello). But his already miserable life becomes worse with the arrival of Turturro, a hick from Mississippi whose accent is as thick as they come. Turturro accuses Depp of stealing a story from him and asks him to make amends. If Depp doesn’t do so then his life will be turned into a living hell, Turrturro warns.

It’s obvious that Depp enjoyed playing this eccentric character but, as with many Depp performances, it almost seems that he is having a laugh at the audience’s expense and writer/director David Koepp’s essentially weak script doesn’t help either. —KM

CLASSIC FILM
Javedan Productions’ Baji (1963) excelled in every department of film making. It was director S. Suleman’s second venture and he may have later made commercially more successful films but couldn’t manage to find a script he could turn into what can be called a classic in the domain of Urdu/Hindi cinema. Nayyar Sultana, in the title role put up an excellent performance, restraint being its hallmark. She was convincing as someone who could hide her feelings successfully. In real life she was an epitome of dignity. It was a pity that in the last few months of her life she was desperately looking for a print or a video of the movie but couldn’t find one. Sadly, the movie has been lost to posterity. And with that we have lost fine performances by Lehri, Darpan, Zeba and Amy Minwala, not to speak of brilliant photography.

However, what has luckily survived is the lovely musical score by Salim-Iqbal. Noor Jehan was at her best in both her solos, one light and the other poignant. Her duet with Farida Khanum, with the visiting tabla virtuoso Ustad Allah Rakha from India (Zakir Husain’s father) providing the rhythmic support — Sajan lagi tori, lingers in our memory and so do Naseem Begum’s two solos picturised on Amy. Nahid Niazi’s ditty, filmed on Zeba, was lilting too, but what was unforgettable was the Nazakat-Salamat classical number, recorded in their prime.—Asif

ALBUM
Listening to the just released greatest hits compilation The Best of Both Worlds by hard rock band Van Halen is pure pleasure. The brilliance of gifted and classically trained guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his band over the past twenty-five years is evident through the multiple tracks and the various lead singers including the scene-stealing David Lee Roth and the memorable and technically superior Sammy Hagar (post 1986). The Best of Both Worlds artfully combines these two eras of the band.

For the past few years, the band’s work has been arrested due to the lack of a lead singer, once Hagar was kicked out of the band and his replacement, former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone, never really took off. Now, Hagar is back and not only does the band have plans to tour again but The Best of Both Worlds features three new Hagar-fronted songs!

Although some of the Hagar tracks like Right Here and Why Can’t This Be Love are critics’ favourites, it will forever be the quintessential Roth tunes like the classic Jump and the infectious Panama that define the band and please the majority of fans.

The Best of Both Worlds is a must for any Van Halen fan’s collection. At least sixteen of the thirty-six tracks here are fun-loving hits that will bring back some great memories.—T. U. Dawood

SINGLE
Can Posh Spice sing? Well, she’s got a great voice, 50 times better than a cement mixer. Her debut single in 2000, a collaboration with ex-bloke of Another Level, Dane Bowers, and UK’s top garage gurus True Steppers, proved to be a great hit, even though it was knocked off the top spot by DJ Spiller and Sophie Ellis Bextor’s hit Groove Jet. But this year Posh, with her stronger double A-side single, made the highest entry in the UK charts in the week of release, peaking at No. 3 and beating her old rival (Ms Sophie E. Bextor) at No. 20. The combination comprised of Let Your Head Go and This Groove is an attempt to revive her career, after she was dropped from Virgin Records in 2002. Victoria Beckham recorded a few dance tracks with her own label while simultaneously going for hip-hop tracks with hip-hop mogul Damon Dash. This single was combined in order to ascertain public opinion for the style best suited to Victoria. Let Your Head Go is a great 80s pop disco stomper, guaranteed to get you groovy and captivated on the dance floor. But Victoria’s vocals sound as if they are trying to attract someone who was ignoring her. The floor-filler is completely mind-blowing. It wouldn’t sound out of place on a Kylie album.

This Groove presents a slightly sexier version of Posh. Victoria’s vocals here carry a great deal of rhythmic warmth. The single is a slick mixture of Damon Dash’s hip-hop and R&B offerings. Though she had been criticized frequently for lack of talent during the advent of Spice Girls, many critics have found her singing This Groove quite smoothly and comfortably. Victoria may well prove to be a great artist, creating a one-of-its-kind Pop vs Hip-Hop. What will you choose?—Ahmed Haroon

WEBSITE
To gain a better understanding of the English language, we must be aware of the common grammatical mistakes we make. For this, visit www.grammarerrors.com, a site created to enlighten visitors in a friendly fashion about some of the most common errors made by native English speakers. It also serves as a resource for those who need a few tips to help them get a better hold of English grammar. Before exploring the site you must first read the 'Introduction' to get a better knowledge about the site, the author and the type of grammar errors English speakers are prone to. There is a list of misspelled words, punctuation and pronunciation errors, etc in the index. There is also a glossary to clarify the parts of speech and other related grammatical terms referred to throughout the site. The 'Grammar' section contains knowledge about the correct tenses of some words. The 'Word Choice' section tells the correct usage of some commonly used words. The site also offers audio pronunciation of some common words and knowledge about punctuation errors. Examples from the real world include photos of public signs that have some type of English error, with a discussion and explanation of the error.—S.M. Aamir