|
|
|
June 08, 2006
Eight Days a Week
FILM
Coming as it does from the Mahesh Bhatt production house, Gangster is something of a surprise. It’s not the typical Bhatt sex-and-sleaze affair and it’s an original script to boot (at least what I’ve been able to tell). Partially inspired by the true-life story of Mumbai hoodlum and former Dawood Ibrahim henchman Abu Salem and starlet Monica Bedi, the movie is very slickly and inventively directed by Anurag Bose (Murder).
The movie’s other positives include a solid screenplay with some interesting plot twists and turns, some excellent cinematography (this is a darn good-looking movie) and a very listenable ––– if not entirely original ––– soundtrack (I particularly like the “Bheegi Bheegi Yaadein” number) by music director Pritam of Dhoom fame. The main leads are also very good. Shiny Ahuja as the gangster Daya gives an intense performance without the help of much dialogue. Newcomer Kangana Raunwat is also pretty decent though her accent/diction sounds a bit odd. Emraan Hashmi gets a chance to play against type as a sensitive club crooner –– though the standing Hashmi smooching sequence remains ––– and does a creditable job.
There are some drawbacks, however. For one, the movie tends to drag occasionally ––– it’s only about two hours long but could have only benefited by a 15 minute paring. There is also one totally over-the-top scene when certain secrets are revealed at a press conference and the melodrama in that sequence goes totally against the tone of the rest of the movie. We could have also done without a last scene that is “inspired” by Gladiator. Overall, however, the movie’s very much worth a look.—Khusro Mumtaz
CLASSIC MOVIEBilly Wilder’s superb comedy-drama The Apartment (1960) still manages to hold up after almost five decades because of its lack of sentimentality and its healthy streak of cynicism. Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a mid-level employee in a huge corporation who’s discovered an original way of moving up the corporate ladder: he loans out his bachelor apartment to his superiors for their extra-marital shenanigans. But when C.C. meets company elevator girl Fran (Shirley MacLaine) his romantic inclinations start getting in the way of his ambitions.
Wilder and his co-writer I.A.L. Diamond capture the feeling of melancholia beautifully here and the romance is never viewed through rose-tinted glasses. This is a romantic comedy for adults. The cast is also fine: Lemmon keeps his tendency to overact in control; MacLaine was never more loveable; and Fred MacMurray, playing against type, is appropriately slimy as C.C.’s callous boss. The Apartment ended up winning 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Available on DVD.—K.M.
ALBUMPop sensation Zoheb Hassan is all set to release his new CD Kismet in the first week of July. This highly anticipated disc is Hassan’s debut solo effort and the first batch of his original work and recordings since the death of his sister and singing partner Nazia Hassan.
“The writing process for this album was started when my sister Nazia was alive and it was going to be our next album,” related the artist. “When she fell ill, I shelved the whole thing for a few years and came back to writing it about two years ago.”
Inspired by his ‘experiences in life over the last seven to eight years’, Kismet contains an ideal mix of songs ranging from the romantic Kaisay Mein Bataoon to the evocative Kaisay Hain Yeh Log to the first single dance track Fashion. There is an English single titled Will It Ever Be the Same (Saathi Ray)? Other highlights include the rock guitar-based Jaltan Hain as well as a memorable duet Yaadain which features the beautiful voice of 15-year-old Sehr, a newcomer who is sure to make some waves in her own right very soon. She is also featured on a second duet Yeh Tou Kya Hogaya, but on this track her voice plays more of a secondary role to Hassan’s.
The album has been lent as a soundtrack to an 18-episode play by the same name in which Hassan has acted and which has been written by his wife Gina.
Although Hassan considers himself ‘a producer and songwriter first and singer second,’ he has created a good album with Kismet and the buzz and excitement surrounding its release is well deserved.—T. U. Dawood
SINGLESweet girl next door Christina Milian has gone all bleached blonde and street tough with a new look and style on her latest single Say I off her sophomore So Amazin’ album. Featuring Young Jeezy, the song is on heavy rotation and its hot hook samples from Jackie Moore’s 1973 R&B smash Sweet Charlie Babe. Still, there is something forgettable about this track and Milian could have done much better.
Much weaker than the songs on her last album, 2004’s very successful Dip It Low, Say I fails to capture the vibrancy of Milian’s earlier work. Aimed for the clubs, it is too monotone to truly inspire movement and even the artist’s singing seems strained at times.
The singer may be more mature now, but this latest effort does not reflect her true talent or potential. Perhaps instead of teaming up with Young Jeezy, she should have paired with the Neptunes, Snoop Dogg or another magical producer such as Jay-Z. Instead of her current street punk look, Milian would have likely found more success with a youthful fresh and sexy look like Jay-Z created for Rihanna, who is called teasingly by fans and media as Beyonce’s “Mini-me.”
Milian’s new album may be titled So Amazin’ but unless this Diva-in-the-making pulls a magic trick the album will be remembered as So Forgotten.—T. U. D
EXHIBITIONMan is the central focus of the exhibition “Weltsprache Fußall- Planet Football”: human beings regardless of age, origin or social standing who have sensed the fascination of this ball game. Football is a link between peoples and a source of pleasure for them all over the world. The Goethe-Institut’s photo exhibition “Weltsprache Fußall- Planet Football” is concieved with collaboration of MAGNUM PHOTOS. It is the Goethe-Institut’s official contribution to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany and culture programme. The exhibition will be shown at the Goethe-Institut, Karachi, on June 9 at 6pm. This will be followed by the live transmission of the opening game of FIFA World Cup 2006 at 9pm.
OR A solo exhibition of paintings by Samiran Chowdhry will be held at Hamail Art Galleries, Lahore, at 7pm, from June 3-10. —Courtesy www.danka.com
MOVIEGerman film “The Miracle of Bern” with English subtitles is being shown at the Goethe-Institut, Karachi, on June 8 at 6pm. On July 4, 1954, when Germany won the World Cup finale against Hungary, many saw this as a turning point in post-war Germany, from which onward things could only change for the better. The movie expresses this feeling through the story of a young boy and his war worn father, who set out to attend the legendary match.
THEATREDrama entitled Munda Batwari, produced by Rana Nazir Ahmad and directed by Ejaz, will be performed at Alhamra Hall II, Lahore, at 10pm from June 3-18.—Courtesy www.danka.com
TALKDr Kurshid Rizvi will talk about the Arabic pre-Islamic poet Tarafa at Model Town Library, Lahore, at 6pm, on June 8.—Courtesy www.danka. com
SEMINAR
The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is organising a seminar on Encouraging and Assisting Afghan Refugees’ Repatriation on June 8 from 3-5pm, at the PPF Vicky Zeitlin Media Library, Press Centre, Shahrah Kamal Ataturk, Karachi. The seminar will discuss the importance, strategies, efforts and achievements in encouraging and assisting voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees, hosted by Pakistan, to their home with dignity and honour.
Dawn, The Review, Haroon House, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi. Please send in event dates a week in advance.
E-mail: the-review@dawn.com
|
|
|
|
