Last seen, Eklavya

Comments to follow shortly.

The surprise today, halfway through the less-than-two-hour film, was the batch of extended trailers we had.   Great fun all.

First up, Just Married.   Fardeen Khan and Esha Deol getting to know each other on honeymoon.   Looked better than I expected.  

Next, Cheeni Kum.   Having just stood next to Tabu less than a week ago, and marveling at not just her statuesque beauty, but moreover at her acting skills in The Namesake, it was interesting to see her back in a mainstream Hindi movie (though one that looks like it has no musical numbers) set in London, and starring as romantic lead opposite Amitabh Bachchan.   And, wonder of wonders,  the script actually acknowledges the age difference between the two.   Amazing.

Finally, Provoked.   Aishwarya as the British Asian woman thrown in jail for killing her abusive husband.   I confess I had absolutely no desire to see this movie, having endured Bride & Prejudice, and heard dreadful things about Mistress of Spices, but based on the trailer, I will be going.   Not just for Ash, but for Nandita Das (sporting the same haircut as yours truly) as the woman who gets involved on Ash’s behalf after she’s jailed.   The trailer  reminded me of a female version of In the Name of the Father.  

14 thoughts on “Last seen, Eklavya

  1. Hi guys – I just happened to listen to the soundtracks of CHEENI KUM! trust me, they rock! they sound completely different from the regular slambang stuff that comes out of Bollywood these days! Cheeni kum could as well be a musical hit besides being an out-and-out comedy!

  2. Ha! That happened in Boston too. Just when the movie was getting interesting, there was a sudden interruption and these trailers started playing. My friend and I were so pissed off at the sudden change of mood. Grr.

    I wish they show all the trailers at the start of the movie and let us enjoy the movie uninterrupted.

    Ash: she was superb in Choker Bali. Other than that, she’s more of an eye candy. But I haven’t seen many of the movies she has been in.

    -av

  3. Hey Joseph, Thanks for the reminder. She mentioned Iruvar at this press conf she did with Mani Sir present and I thought then “Must check this out…”

    We ended up at Ash because I was going on about the trailers during the Eklavya interval. 🙂

    Pooja, you’ve got a point. Maybe after the marriage…On the subject of Kabhi Alvida, Karan Johar said at a recent Q&A at NYU that he had originally wanted Kajol for the role that Rani got…

  4. She’s also carved her niche with weepy roles (see Devdas, HDDCS). I am surprised that Ash hasn’t done a K-Jo film yet. She’d be good with all the “rona-dhona” required for the role. Imagine Ash instead of Rani as the ice maiden opposite AB2 in KANK. Oh wait… that’d be too close to reality ;).

  5. Hi maria,
    I agree w/everyone that Ash is best suited for Indian roles(Like Guru, KK etc), but I honestly think her best performance was in her first film–Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar where she looked very natural and delivered an honest performance for a newbie.I was lucky enough to see Iruvar(a truly amazing film BTW) on DVD w/excellent English Subs! If you are at all curious to see ash in her debut film, directed by Mani Ratnam then seek it out. I think it was a landmark film that tanked at the B.O because of the all the political controversy the film generated in TamilNadu.
    Check out this–her intro song as the second act(yes–it is a double role!)–a sort of ode to a 60’s ‘Some like it hot’!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kt_YUWaJ2Y&mode=related&search=

    If you want to see the whole film Here it is(Unfortunately no English subs!)

    http://www.videoduniya.com/index.php?option=com_alphacontent&section=12&cat=42&task=view&id=553&Itemid=166

    How did we move from ‘Eklavya’ to Ash? —oh well, this makes for better reading!

  6. scribebollywood, the trailer for The Last Legion can be found here. Painful, no?

    I didn’t like HDDCS or Devdas at all (chalk that up to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s vision of film), but I agree that she is decent when she plays an “Indian” character (Chokhar Bali, Kandukondain, etc.)

    As for what language she and AB2 speak at home, well, they SURELY don’t live together yet, as they haven’t tied the knot.

  7. Indianoguy, I think I heard CK is out in April, but I must doublecheck. I actually liked Esha in Yuva & AE, but not in Dus.

    ScribeB, I do think she was better in HDDCS, Guru and Kandukondain (in which I think she was dubbed, tho I understand she knows Tamil…). Even seeing her do interviews on Provoked now, she has that strained sound to her speaking. I wonder what she and AB 2.0 speak at home alone… Then again, I’m sure he just stares in rapture at her and doesn’t even hear the words coming out of her mouth!

    And Pri, yes, the dialogue for her character in Dhoom2 was awful and the delivery didn’t help.

  8. i cringe everytime Rai opens her mouth (especially when she’s talking in english). her interviews are bad enough but her dialogue delivery is just terrible. someone should just dub for her or something. in Dhoom she looked amazing but then she would ruin it by opening her mouth.

  9. Pooja, I think Ash has always excelled only in the roles where she’s truly Indian – Chokher Bali, Devdas, Guru, even Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Any time she’s done a Western role, even that of an NRI or a “hip & trendy” desi, she’s done horribly. I’m apprehensive about her shift to Hollywood. Provoked has piqued my interest though I’d probably watch it on DVD. Mistress of Spices and Bride & Prejudice…ug! Let’s not even go there! Are previews for Last Legion already out??

  10. Any idea when Cheeni Kam si going to be released?

    Pooja, Just Married is not a remake of Hollywood film, story line is different in this case, but I agree about Esha and Fardeen. Anybody who likes them should be sent away to Mars, or Am I being too generous?

  11. Bride and Prejudice was the worst movie ever. Is it just me, or is Ash Rai uncomfortable with English dialogue? In B&P (and in the trailors of Provoked and The Last Legion), she seemed forced. Having said that, I don’t think she’s particularly good in non-English (Hindi/Bollywood; Tamil; Bengali; etc.) films, either.

    I remember The Peacock Spring (it was an adaptation of a Rumer Godden novel).

    Just Married is apparently a remake of a Hollywood film of the same name, starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. I, too, probably wouldn’t rent it. I can’t stand Esha Deol AND Fardeen Khan.

  12. Lisa, Pooja (welcome back!), it’s interesting to see her working with Naveen Andrews twice, eh?

    Did either of you see him years ago on some PBS/BBC Masterpiece Theater type programme called The Peacock Spring? he playe dthis young, petulant (bi-, if memory serves) poet who gets involved in a relationship with the daughter of a widowed diplomat in India. He was very good as someone so obnoxious.

    As an avid Lost watcher, I forget he’s anything other than Sayid…

    And yes, it does sound like a great cast!

    Of the other two films, I don’t think I’d even rent ‘Just married’, but ‘Cheeni Kum’ I will definitely hand over money for to watch on the big screen. I’m curious to see how the May-Dec thing is handled, and to see the chemistry between Tabu and AB. (Geez, first and 18-yr-old love interest, then a 30-something….)

  13. I too had no desire to see Provoked, but this trailer has piqued my interest (more for Nandita Das, Naveen Andrews, Miranda Richardson, and Robbie Coltrane than TMBWITW). I do wonder if Ash tapped into her own experiences of abuse (at the hands of Salman Khan) to prepare and execute this role.

  14. Maria, Mistress of Spices is truly a top-class stinker so don’t go out of your way to see it.
    I am apprehensive about Provoked, given Mundhra’s penchant for exploitation (and no, putting Nandita Das in a short wig won’t impress me on that account!), but my love for Naveen Andrews will doubtless overrule my reason …. again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *