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June 30, 2005
Eight Days a Week
FILM
Parineeta, directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra (the man behind 1942: A Love Story and Munna Bhai, MBBS) is at least the third film version of the Bengali novel by Saratchandra Chatterjee of Devdas fame. But the end result shows that the endeavour of remaking a classic was well worth the while.
Lolita (Vidya Balan) is the orphaned neighbour of well-meaning but spoilt and weak-willed rich kid Shehkar (Saif Ali Khan). The two share a close friendship right from childhood, though neither declares their love. But the ruthless business sensibilities of Shehkar’s father and the arrival of the rich Girish (Sanjay Dutt) who is immediately attracted to Lolita complicates matters to no end.
I don’t want to give away too much here but let’s just say that the movie has an old-fashioned Mollywood melodrama-style plot. But what Sarkar shows here is that even possibly outdated material can work beautifully if handled in a subtle, sensitive manner (Sanjay Leela Bhansali please take note). Other than the slightly overblown climax, Sarkar trusts in the audience’s intelligence and brings out nuanced performances from his cast which includes Diya Mirza and Raima Sen.
Debutante Balan who doesn’t look like a conventional Mollywood heroine is a revelation and Saif continues to take giant strides towards becoming the next superstar Khan on the block. The music by Shantanu Moitra is also wonderful.
I’m not quite sure that setting the movie in 1962 quite works – it looks more like 1942 than 1962 – but the film still has a great look and that’s quite a small quibble with an old-fashioned movie treated just right with modern sensibilities. Strongly recommended. — Khusro Mumtaz
Crash is about the racism within all of us. Sometimes it’s overt but sometimes it lies deep within our consciousness hidden perhaps even from our own selves.Take black L.A. cop Don Cheadle. He’s dating Latina Jennifer Esposito but can’t even remember which part of Latin America she comes from and tells his mother that he’s dating a white woman.
District Attorney Brendan Fraser wants to bring charges against a white cop after suffering a carjacking at the hands of two young blacks so that he doesn’t end up losing either the white or black vote. His wife Sandra Bullock automatically assumes that Hispanic locksmith Michael Pena is a black gang member who’ll bring his fellow gang members to loot her house. Pena gets the same treatment from Irani shopkeeper Shaun Toub though he himself gets labelled an Arab.
Racist cop Matt Dillon humiliates a black couple (Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton) because he assumes light-skinned Newton is white. Dillon’s good-hearted partner Ryan Phillipe discovers he has his own built-in prejudices when confronted with a certain situation. And so on.
Writer and first-time director Paul Haggis (he wrote Million Dollar Baby) sets up his numerous characters and, shades of movies like Grand Canyon and Magnolia, have their lives intersect with each other. He wants to show us how racism in its various shades (no pun intended) informs the way people conduct themselves.
Simultaneously, he plays with audience assumptions and presumptions about certain characters and slowly reveals layers to the various characters that we may not have suspected at first. As the movie goes along the characters also learn things about themselves.
This is an important movie though not as important as it might seem to be potrayed. It suffers under the machinations of Haggis’s plot construction as the film-maker pushes his characters and the situations this way or that to make certain points which are a little too neat. Still, I recommend the movie highly because of some great performances by the majority of the cast and because it contains some important lessons for all of us.
Pakistani audiences may feel that the Los Angeles movie has no relevance for them but they should think again. How do Punjabis, Mohajirs, Pathans, Baluchs, and Sindhis interact with each other? How did the West Pakistanis treat the East Pakistanis? And, relatedly, how do the fairer-skinned amongst us treat the darker-skinned ones?— K.M.
SINGLE
Boy band Backstreet Boys have reunited and released their first album in five years. Titled Never Gone, the disc is filled with a wide collection of more rock-oriented tunes led by first single Incomplete. Anthemic in quality and simply made for sing-a-longs, this track is an ideal reintroduction to the band and the perfect vehicle for the quintet to retain their large fan base.Very romantic, the heart-wrenching power ballad has the boys sing Empty spaces fill me up with holes/Distant faces with no place left to go/Without you within me I can’t find no rest/Where I’m going is anybody’s guess/I’ve tried to go on like I never knew you/I’m awake but my world is half asleep/I pray for this heart to be unbroken/But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete.
As reflected in these lyrics, the Backstreet Boys seem to have grown up. Their sound is now more adult contemporary and for a group that was once known for packing a dance floor with their music, it’s surprising Never Gone is so somber. Yes, Backstreet’s back, but with a difference. That being said, Incomplete is one of the best Backstreet Boys tracks ever and its strong vocals and successful sales prove the boys haven’t lost their magic. —T. U. Dawood
ALBUM
The much lauded duo of Jack and Meg White return with their fifth album, the religiously themed Get Behind Me Satan, or more affectively known as GBMS. Considered by many to be the “saviours of rock ‘n roll” and a cut above the rest (some critics and fans compare them to the legendary greats Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana), the Whites have a lot to live up to with this new album. Fortunately, for all, they nail it.Like the way Outkast has progressed and inverted many R&B/rap/soul/pop styles with their innovative sound, the White Stripes boldly and creatively twist various rock n’ roll stereotypes and patterns in new and exciting ways. Jack passionately pelts out piano-filled bare-bones ballads while Meg holds nothing back with her cymbals, and together there is pure alchemy and seduction.
This time around, the famous White Stripes bass is gone and there is more piano than guitar as the duo delves in uncharted areas of blues and rock. Best of all on GSMS are the drum-driven groovy Doorbell, the soulful Little Ghost and the beautiful ballad Forever For Her. However, most fun of all is never knowing what to expect next. While so many bands sing songs that sound alike, The White Stripes is not one for repeating themselves.
Despite the endless parade of laurels that have come their way, The White Stripes continue to explore new ground and experiment with their sound. Best of all, they seem to be having so much fun out there, you can’t help but join in. —T. U. D
CEREMONY
To encourage young, outstanding people from different walks of life an awards ceremony has been arranged by Bisat-e-Yaran on June 29 at the Arts Council at 6.30pm.—A.S.LAUNCH
A book launch of Air Marshal (R) M. Asghar Khan’s book ‘We Learnt Nothing from History’, is taking place on 30th June at Beach Luxury Hotel at 6pm. The book has been launched by Oxford University Press.
TRIBUTE
In memory of Munshi Raziuddin, a tribute has been arranged on 1st July at 9pm. A Mehfil-e-Samaa by Fareed Ayaz Al-Hussaini and Brothers will take place at Marriot.PREVIEW
A fashion show at the preview launch of ladies clothing is taking place on June 30, at 5pm at the New Levi’s Lady Style on Stadium Lane.|
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