January 13, 2005

FILM

Dev Anand starred in a terrific movie in the early ’60s called Teen Deviyan, which was about a young man in the big city who works in a music shop and finds himself in love with three separate women simultaneously. The movie dealt with an adult and complicated subject in a mature, adult manner and was delicately and subtly handled. I’m quite convinced that Dil Maange More, starring Shahid Kapoor (he of Ishq Vishq and Kareena Kapoor fame), takes its inspiration from the Dev Anand movie as it has Shahid playing a young man in the big city working in a music shop and in love with three women –– if not simultaneously then in quick succession. But this last difference is a crucial one as it reveals the film-makers’ inability or unwillingness to tackle a difficult (but nevertheless fascinating) subject head-on.

Instead, Dil Maange More is left with being just another teeny-bopper (Shahid Kapoor’s core fan-base) romantic comedy but, unfortunately, the movie doesn’t do a very good job of that either. The comedy is forced, the romance is insipid, the songs are unmemorable and while Shahid comes off generally okay his female co-stars don’t fare quite so well. Soha Khan, Sharmila Tagore’s daughter and Saif Ali Khan’s sister, doesn’t do credit to her lineage, Tulip Joshi who made quite an impression with 2002’s Meray Yaar Ki Shaadi is rather forgettable here and only Ayesha Takia does a half-way decent job. All in all, given the possibilities inherent in its subject matter, Dil Maange More ends up being rather disappointing. It certainly left me wanting a lot more.—Khusro Mumtaz
 

OR
Spanglish, writer-director James L. Brooks’ (Terms Of Endearment) latest movie, has two powerful trump cards in Tea Leoni and Paz Vega. Leoni delivers a terrific (and very funny) performance as a well-meaning but highly strung, almost neurotic rich Californian married to gourmet chef and restaurant-owner Adam Sandler, while Vega is an outright stunner. Vega also delivers an earthy and believable performance as the non-English speaking Mexican maid at the Leoni-Sandler household and has some terrific scenes with her movie daughter (Shelbie Bruce), in particular those where the daughter tries to translate her mother’s Spanish to Leoni or Sandler while also imitating her gesticulating limbs.

Where Spanglish falls short, however, is in its structure and emotional intensity. We never really feel that involved with the fates of these characters and there’s a certain feeling of too many things not getting resolved or, alternatively, getting resolved too easily. And we never quite get what Brooks is trying to say through this movie and through these characters. Still, Leoni and Vega make the movie fairly watchable.—K.M

 

CLASSIC FILM
Strangers On A Train (1951) is one of my absolute favourite Alfred Hitchcock movies. Based on a Patricia Highsmith novel (her first) it is a fascinating exercise in suspense and psychological terror as well as being a character study (of sorts). It generates some genuine thrills and chills. The movie also features a brilliant performance by Robert Walker as a man who comes up with an ingenious plan for a double murder, putting him in the forefront as one of Hitchcock’s (and cinema’s) most memorable villains.

With Hitchcock’s effective use of “doubles” throughout the movie –– criss-crossed tennis racquets, criss-crossed train tracks, two murders, etc. –– the director plays with the theme of moral uncertainty and co-existence of good and evil and the seductiveness of the latter. Watch carefully a key early scene in the movie when Walker tries to “seduce” an unsuspecting Farley Granger into a murder scheme. The homo-erotic subtext is quite apparent and is also usually present in Highsmith’s (herself a lesbian) novels and again fits neatly into the movie’s theme of duality.

Strangers also has a number of set visual pieces interspersed throughout the movie –– an unmoving Walker watching tennis pro Granger playing a tennis match, his eyes locked on Granger and not following the tennis ball at all; the shadow of Walker’s hat hiding his face, only the whites of his eyes showing; a murder reflected in a pair of spectacles –– and boasts a thrilling climax atop a carnival carousel (which involved a notoriously dangerous and unfaked stunt). A must see. In black & white. Available on DVD in Pakistan.—K.M
 

SINGLE
The hottest thing in desi music right now is Canadian-Indian Raghav. His debut album Storyteller has taken the musical world by storm and has him dubbed the Asian Craig David. He studied Indian classical music as a child with Guru Nishi Kant Bali and went on to win a National Songwriters Association of Amercia award at 16. Moving on to an R&B groove, he studied with Seth Riggs, vocal coach to Michael Jackson, before moving to the UK to pursue musical studies at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts on a scholarship. That’s when the magic really began and he started to record his own stuff in a big way. Raghars alchemic combination of R&B, Bollywood, soul and English/Hindi rap is infectious.

His hit singles Can’t Get Enough, So Confused and Let’s Work It Out gained him mass attention, but it’s his latest single Angel Eyes that brilliantly blends reggae, dancehall, raunch and Asian beats over the classic Chaka Demus & Pliers nineties’ hit Murder She Wrote, that will propel his career to new heights.

Featuring Frankey Maxx and Jucxi D, this track has five versions: extended original, Jamindian Mix, Tigerstyle Mix, DJ Assad’s & Jo Jo Yannik’s Ayaashi Mix and the Hip Hop Twist version. All are ideal for the clubs or just chillin’. With talent like his, it’s certain Raghav is destined to be a truly global star.—T. U. Dawood

 

ALBUM
The Princess of Hip-Hop and Soul is back with her third album in two years. Fresh and fun, Ashanti is truly in her groove with Concrete Rose. Her voice is pure soul and the beat is quintessential hip-hop at its best. The singles to watch out for are the highly publicized dark, rocky Only You and the heart-breaking Don’t Leave Me Alone. She jazzes the vibes up on Turn it Up and recreates What’s Luv on Take Me Tonight. The rest of the album is more or less filled up with clones of Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Prince and other masters.

First single Only You is all over the radio and video channels. With its uptempo beat and airtight rift, this jive is unusual because of its funky production by 7 Aurelius of I.N.C. Records. R&B, rock, pop and hip-hop, this single is the heart of the CD. Don’t Leave Me Alone echoes the tracks on Blige’s My Life album, but Ashanti’s voice is sexier while Blige’s is more mature and soulful.

Although this disc doesn’t compare to Ashanti’s self-titled debut album, it is far superior to last year’s disappointing Chapter II, which featured one killer single Rock W U. Concrete Rose has a variety of exciting singles, and certainly proves Princess is still a player!—T. U. D
 

THEATRE

A play based on the life of Nawab Mustafa Khan Shaifta, named Shaid isi ka naam mohabbat hai Shaifta, is being performed on January 14 at the Afghan Shed No 47. The gala dinner theatre is being presented by the Old Associates of Kinnaird Society, Karachi. The play which is a musical with classical dances and rendered in poetry, has been directed by Sohail Malik.—A.S.

 

WORKSHOP

A workshop on honour killings is being held on 13-14 January to raise awareness in rural Sindh and Punjab. The workshop will discuss new approaches addressing crimes against women, highlighting the technical aspects of collecting evidence, investigation etc., UK resources Gail Jones and Karla Howard will facilitate training during the programme. British Council in collaboration with Northamptonshire Police UK and Sindh Police is organizing the workshop.—A.S.
 

WEBSITE

Working out your jobs and fixing your house by yourself not only saves you time and money but also provides you with a very good hobby for your leisure. For this purpose, visit www.ehow.com to get clear instructions on how to do things. The website has a massive collection of information. With 14 categories featuring 120 sub-categories, and tens of thousands of topics, the site offers staff-written, reviewed and edited step-by-step solutions, which are very clear, concise and accurate.—S. M. Aamir

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)