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March 08, 2007
What’s On...
FILM
The director of Kal Ho Na Ho, Nikhil Advani brings us his sophomore effort with Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love. Clearly inspired by Richard Curtis’ Love Actually, Ishq covers six different tales of love with the lives of the characters from the various stories only touching briefly. Some of the stories –– like middle-aged Vinay (Anil Kapoor) falling for a younger woman (Anjana Sukhani) while his unsuspecting wife (Juhi Chawla) waits for him dutifully at home or the commitment-phobic Shiven (Akshaye Khanna) panicking at the thought of finally tying the knot with girlfriend Gia (Ayesha Takia) –– aren’t particularly original and with a running time of about three hours 40 minutes the movie runs the risk of overstaying its welcome.
But Advani is a very slick director and he keeps things clicking along breezily. As soon as there’s a hint of the movie beginning to drag the pace picks up again and there are quite a few hilarious scenes –– some of the bits with taxi driver Govinda and American tourist Shannon Esrochowitz are absolute laugh riots as are the ones (outrageous though they may be) with newlyweds Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar. At no time did I get bored with the movie. Most of the cast –– John Abraham, Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra are the other main stars –– acquits itself well with the possible exception of Salman Khan who’s decent at comedy but always seems to overdo it when he goes into his romantic hero mode. Most of the songs are quite catchy as well. All in all, fairly entertaining.
—Khusro Mumtaz
OR
This year’s Oscar winner for best animated feature Happy Feet goes from being a real crowd pleaser to a movie with an important message. Much to the chagrin of his father Memphis (voice of Hugh Jackman), Mumble (Elijah Wood) is a penguin without a “heart song.” But, boy, can he dance. Mumble’s mother Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) is supportive but the rest of the penguin community is kind of shocked. So off goes Mumble to prove himself and to convince Gloria (Brittany Murphy) that he is worthy of her affections. Accompanied by his friends, Ramon and Lovelance (both voiced by Robin Williams) among them, Mumble makes some shocking discoveries which has important lessons for all of us.Directed by George Miller (Mad Max, Babe), Happy Feet has wonderful, detailed animation and is funny, moving, weird and surreal (and even occasionally disturbing) at the same time. Couple this with its environmental message and this is a movie which the parents should watch along with their children. —K.M.
CLASSIC FILM
Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi helped –– along with Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon –– bring Japanese cinema to the world’s attention with the release of The Tales Of Ugetsu (1953). Set in medieval Japan, the movie tells the tale of two neighbours. Genjuro, a potter, dreams of amassing a great amount of wealth while the simple Tobei, a farmer, wants only to be a great samurai. What both men don’t realise is that they may be giving up more than they gain if they do finally achieve their heart’s desire.But this is no mere morality tale. Mizoguchi creates a gentle but otherworldly and somewhat eerie mood in the telling of his fables. In a beautifully shot, atmospheric scene which foreshadows later events Genjuro and Tobei meet another boat while trying to cross a lake along with their wives to escape a marauding army. But by not heeding the warnings of the other boatman they have to face the consequences of their decision and the movie ends on an extremely touching and moving note. Film buffs would also want to study Mizoguchi’s technique of shooting one scene as one shot. Very highly recommended. In Japanese with English subtitles. Available in Pakistan on DVD. —K.M.
SINGLE
Mandy Moore’s career took off as a teenager when a FedEx employee heard her sing the national anthem at an event and sent her demo tape to a friend of his at Epic records. From there, she shot to fame with multiple successful pop albums including So Real, Coverage and Candy.Her film career hit the jackpot as well with a stellar performance in A Walk to Remember and since then she has never looked back in either career.
Now, she is about to release her sixth studio album Wild Hope, and the first one she has had control over. Very proud of this CD, she has been making statements to the Press that she felt “bad that people wasted their money on such trite, blah pop music,” that she had made in the past.
With confidence, she has titled the first single Extraordinary, and she sings on this autobiographical track, I was a starling/Nobody’s darling/Flying in perfect circles/…And now I’m ready to be/ Extraordinary.
While the single is more mature and less pop-oriented than her earlier work, it is arguable whether it is any better. She did pack an impressive punch with Cry. Extraordinary is not a bad effort for a 22-year-old, but hardly her best work. Check it out and decide for yourself if this latest number is “extraordinary” or simply “ordinary.” —T.U.Dawood
ALBUM
Erasure has always been a fan favourite. Even 20 years later, it’s still impossible to resist their Abba-esque sound and classic hits like Oh L’Amour, A Little Respect and Chains of Love.The dynamic duo of Vince Clarke and Andy Bell has been prolific of late and have just released a third CD in three years! On the Road to Nashville was recorded live in Music City’s landmark Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennesse, USA, and was released in the West as a DVD-CD set. In Pakistan, just the CD of live recordings is available and it’s a brilliant showcase of the Brit boys’ new acoustic versions of their old hits.
The stripped down, acoustic versions of Erasure classics are simply brilliant and are equally appealing to the earlier pure pop, synth-driven numbers. The sparse version of A Little Respect, the heart-felt stretched out version of Boy and the sweeter, softer version of Oh L’Amour illuminate the multi-dimensions to their music.
Ryman Auditorium was once the home of the infamous Grand Ole Opry and superstars like a teenage Elvis Presley had performed there. It is a perfect setting for the UK band to experiment with some of their styles and sounds. Check out the CD and see for yourself that a pure synth band has some solid roots to their music. —T.U.D.
MUSIC VIDEO
For an artist who has been heard more and seen less, it was a timely break for Ali Khan –– whose singles have been making rounds for quite a reasonable time now ––– to team up with famed video director Jalal for his debut video ‘Saathiya’.The video director comes with a vast experience up his sleeve, his prominent effort being Aaroh’s Pyaar Ka Jaal. The video is now keeping the singer’s image alive and kicking; each and every sequence of which is rich and dripping with emotions. But while the ratings for the song are at its peak for its touchy, soulful lyrics and the rhythm-wrapped vocals; unfortunately, the video has attracted a fair share of criticism for Jalal’s inclination towards dragging and dropping concepts.
The photoplay is simple and straightforward which is its actual beauty. Not much attention on clothing or props, has given the video maker an opportunity to focus on more significant points. The tiniest details reflect the potential of the director; making Saathiya by and large an absorbing experience.
Teeing off with Khan and his beloved on either side of a glass wall, the song enters into a palette of undying love, both visually and lyrically. Even the set artistically complements the various dimensions of the video.
When all’s said and done, Saathiya will be a major boost to Ali Khan’s budding career, and with other hits to his name, we wonder how far and beyond this bloke would go. For his latest project, hats off to Ali! —Tahir Yahya
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