Two summers ago on a humid, thick, hot Sunday afternoon, I nipped into my local for a reduced price matinee of Bunty aur Babli. While my skin cooled in the frosty theater, my heart raced watching the colorful clothes and capers of Abhi and Rani as they skirted, then ditched, UP for Bombay. Even without Kajra Re, it was a perfect summer movie: light, sweet and satisfying.
With Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Shaad Ali has provided the equivalent for the summer of ’07, though with primarily European locations (London and Paris), save for one song picturization in India.
Papa Bachchan – looking like a man running between auditions for Pirates of the Caribbean and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – opens the film, striding around London to Waterloo station with his guitar slung across him like a highwayman’s rifle.
I gotta’ give it to Mr. B; very few actors anywhere could pull off this appearance at 64 without looking absolutely ridiculous, but he manages to do it. He’s raffish and cool and winking at us the whole time. For a man usually so impeccably coiffed and clothed, you get the sense he’s enjoying the alter ego’s long hair, jeans and knee-high boots.
Then we meet the main characters, both Alvira and Rikki (who like Vimmi and Rakesh before them) spin elaborate stories as they find themselves stuck together for two hours at the train station.
Alvira Khan (played by Preity Zinta) is haughty, upwardly mobile and fashion forward, working at House of Fraser and hoping for a wealthy and fair (yes, that kind of fair) husband.
Rikki Tukral (AB 2.0) is a bit of a chancer. He’s rakish, his gold Motorola phone has a ringtone of “Hey handsome” and he wears a large, diamante-studded khanda, but underneath it all, he’s basically got a good heart. (AB fils is also brand ambassador for Motorola in India. You can see him with the same gold phone here in NY at the Guru press conference.)
The pair seem to be oil and water. While both wait for their fiancés on the same train, they exchange how-we-met stories, which is how Lara Dutta (Anaida) and Bobby Deol (Steve) make their entrances. She’s a manager at the Ritz Carlton in Paris, he’s a London lawyer. Lara has a sophisticated bob. Bobby is sporting a Mirinda rinse, only a shade or two away from a Malay orangutan.
As minutes tick by, Rikki and Alvira seem to be getting fond of each other. Uh oh, what happens after the interval?
(By the way, she’s Pakistani, as is Anaida, yet both guys are Indian. It’s not a big deal here.)
The second half of the story has both a dance-off in Southall and a Kaiser Soze kind of moment, and I won’t say any more so you can see for yourself.
Some reviewers have complained that Preity looks old. (How old is old and for whom, I’d like to know? This is the same weekend that thousands pile into darkened halls down south to watch three hours of an aging, balding former bus conductor, who just happens to have a Y chromosome.) True, at certain angles of certain shots, she does not look great, but I attribute it more to bad lighting, as in many other scenes she still looks bright-eyed and dewy, and she looks more toned in this movie than in Kabhi Alvida. Moreover, her wardrobe in JBJ is more flattering.
Lara looks wonderful, in all her incarnations, especially in an aubergine-mauve number at the dance-off. Her accent (Urdu a la Parisienne) veered off the road into British at times, which was very annoying.
And, Abhi, oh Abhi. Mallika Sherawat once commented on KWK that she loved to watch him run. I’d like to second that, and add that I love to watch him walk. There’s a scene just before the interval that shows him stalking down the train platform, and wow, I could watch it again and again. Moreover, his comic timing in all scenes is dead on. He’s got this great hair and moustache/beard/stubble action going on, all to add to his persona as Rikki, and he’s just gorgeous to behold.
Being based in London, you’ll also see some familiar faces from Bend It Like Beckham and The Kumars at No. 42. One thing that left me feeling vaguely queasy was the representation of Diana and Dodi at the hotel on the night of their deaths.
See it or skip it?
Run, don’t walk. It’s exuberant and lighthearted, and a wonderful pick-me-up.
AB 1.0 and 2.0 look like they’re having a ball, the clothes are riotous and the music is infectious.
Thanks for the eloquent response filmiholic, I think you’ve pinpointed and addressed the major issue I had with the depiction of the character of Alvira – she does not realise or acknowledge how prejudiced and offensive her views are, right up to the end of the film.
No-one confronts her or questions her views, and she never admits she was wrong to denigrate ‘brown’ people. So by passively leaving the character to bask in her ignorance, the filmmakers (deliberately or not) leave me (and others) wondering if they share the same views and are ok with promoting those racist attitudes to a global audience. Totally irresponsible. No-one can deny that there are girls (and boys) who, like Alvira, choose mates based on skin colour AND look down upon darker hues as deficient in some way. I actually think scripting this character it was very honest and a good opportunity to explore the phenomenon, but they just made it look acceptable… they could have done so much more with it, even with just a few extra lines to make clear that it’s not ok to think this way. That the need for this obviously did not occur to anyone (even in post-production) is just sad.
I saw the movie in London, with a couple of Indian friends and one other black (West Indian) friend. We left the cinema rather irritated by the offensive comments. The people around us (mostly desis) didn’t laugh at the comments, and I definitely noticed more than a few gasps.
I guess the point I was trying to make about the star cast being ‘enlightened’, is that they’ve all received a western-style education and had the opportunity to travel across the globe and be exposed to different cultures etc. So one would naturally expect more liberal attitudes than from the average Raj who hasn’t had those privileges.
Rnakin, the DVD is out, or due out at month’s end, and it will surely have subtitles, like the version I saw here.
Rhianne, I’m sorry to hear that this movie was really ruined for you. On the actors…they may be A-list, but I don’t think anyone, anywhere has certified them as enlightened, never mind “super-enlightened” (unless that’s a play on words referring to Preity!).
I think that the way her character is written, even by the last comment of hers that you quote, my take on it was that she (Alvira) is shown as deluding herself in the end that the guy is some shade of skin color acceptable to her. I’m interested to hear your experience in the theater. Where (city?) did you see the film? As far I can recall, when I saw it, people laughed, as did I. My assumption was that we were all laughing because we were thinking “Wow, do people still really think that way in this day and age?”, but who knows, maybe some people were laughing because it was familiar to them, they’d heard others in their family, circle of friends, etc express the same sentiments as Alvira.
I think IF the filmmaker was indeed trying to make a point about the character’s way of considering prospective spouses based on skin color a very backward one, then it was necessary to make some other explicit reference to this attitude where she sees the error of her ways. Because otherwise, it could be (and has been) perceived as actually approving of or tolerating or endoring the attitude that fairer is better.
I’ve just seen JBJ and was truly stunned by Preity’s character’s comments about dark/brown people. I mean, this is a film by the biggest filmmakers in Bollywood, with an A-list super-enlightened cast…
I really don’t think it was clear that the character’s comments were being laughed at by the filmmakers (in the hall where I was sitting, people gasped in horror, none of us found it even vaguely amusing to hear those words come out of the character’s mouth), and I also don’t think she gets her comeuppance, because as she mentions to God, the guy she eventually falls for is “not even brown, really, he’s kinda wheatish”. I just think this whole issue was irresponsibly treated, and I can’t believe that it doesn’t jump out at others the way it did at me. Perhaps it’s just because I happen to be a ‘black ghost’, but it spoilt the fun of the movie for me.
is there an english subtitle file to this movie? where can i find the subtitle?
hey! nice review…JBJ is absurdly irritating, highly colourful and grothesque with larger than life sets and excellent cinematography.
JBJ is a super flop but costumes,locations and punjabi dance nos are worth watching! good one keep it up.
As I can see, even this post does not remain a post about JBJ.. because you mentioned Rajni once! We may love or hate him, but I have come to realize, that his fan following is HUGE, and HUGE is an understatement.
As far as JBJ is concerned, I HATED it! 🙂 but then, we all are entitled to our views 😉
Till two days ago, they were showing tickets only till Thursday (i.e. yesterday). Now I see that you can get tickets for one more week’s worth of shows. *phew*
Hey Maja, welcome! If you go to the AVS site, their most recent show and another both had “making of” segments on two of the song picturizations.
Indianoguy, hmm, now I’m conflicted….part of me just wants to see it to see what all the fuss was about, part of me wants to wait for the DVD and start my Thalaivar education with something else…decisions, decisions….
Well, until I get the review of A Mighty Heart and two interviews up, I won’t be going anywhere!
Watched Shivaji yesterday, didn’t like it. Chandra Mukhi was far better. Avoid it!
Anantha,
Thanks for the list; I know some of the music from Padaiyappa. And for the Flushing ref. There are also places on Long Island and in Jersey that carry Tamil movies.
And yes, I find the Japanese love of Thalaivar quite amazing. Then again, I remember years ago a Japanese women winning a top flamenco dance competition in Spain….
Did someone at the theater tell you Sivaji was ending after one week?? Doesn’t seem to make sense, does it?
Well, this post just put me in a great mood – thanks, Maria! 😀 I’ve really been looking forward to JBJ and just hoping it doesn’t turn out to be another big fat disappointment. I can’t wait to see it, I hope the DVD is released soon.
*goes to re-read the bit about AB2.0* 😉
Maria: The fairness thing is typical of the Indian psyche, me thinks. AFAIK, there is no Indian equivalent for the phrase “Tall dark and handsome”.
And I was in no way disappointed with Sivaji. One has a separate set of expectations when it comes to Rajini and every one of them was met. And three hours + of solid fun was had. In fact I am going to watch it again tomorrow. I think that it going to have only a week long run at the the North Bergen cinemas, sadly!
But a movie like Sivaji is overwhelming for a Rajini virgin. 😀
You need to start with a gentle(r) introduction. You might wanna start with (in chronological order) Avargal, Thillu Mullu,
Moondru Mugam,
Thalapathi (dir. Mani Ratnam),
Baasha and
Padaiyappa.
These are five different movies that will show you his complete range. A couple of movies in that list are remakes, but a Rajini film is quite different, remake or otherwise. He is not exactly a dumb superstar. He is a product of one of India’s few film schools where he enrolled soon after his brief stint as a bus conductor. Avargal has him play a villain, Thillu Mullu shows you that he can be a comic (as would Chalbaaz, the Sridevi movie that i told you about earlier), Thalapathi shows you that he can be subdued in his acting if needed. Baasha and Padaiyappa shows him for what he is now, a charismatic superstar. And, oh, Moondru Mugam won him a regional best actor award, which is big enough, given that the Tamil film industry is comparable in size to the Hindi film industry in terms of the number of movies made each year.
Dont mind the gushing. It’s the fanboy in me talking. But there are bigger fans than me. For e.g. you might already have heard that he is a huge draw in Japan. If you haven’t, here is something that helped me confirm that fact. That link is for a set of step by step instructions on how to dance just like he did for this classic intro number from Baasha.
Btw, if you are wondering where to find these movies, you might wanna try Flushing’s Indian grocery stores. A couple of months ago, I picked up a few dvds of his (and Kamalhassan) movies from a grocery store that sits right on the corner of the street next to the Indian temple. If you are ever in that area, you might find dvds there. Stores in Edison and Jersey city might carry a few.
And I have a few of these movies (original/bootleg) that I’d be glad to lend. Anything to spread that good Rajinikant cheer 😀
Hey Lisa,
No, it’s the same here: all the Tamil films are w/o subtitles.
Amitabh bachchan is a door-to-door sorry TV salesman who sells everything from palpodi (toothpaste) to balpam (pencil .. kinda).
Look @ the awful coloured wig he wears ..eeeeyuck.. his son puts me off!!!
His daughter-in-law … eeeyuck *puke* *puke *
Is “Sivaji” playing with English subtitles? Where I am, the Tamil movies don’t play on the big screen with subtitles … only on the DVDs.
I too am very curious about Sivaji since the AR Rahman concert a couple of weeks back, where hundreds of audience members went into paroxysms every time AR would play one of its songs.
Hi Maria,
Going by today’s newspapers
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=377569&ssid=1&sid=ENT
SRK has decided to endorse cosmetic giant Emami’s fairness cream.
And does the cream really work ?
Surely it does, Just look at SRK’s transformation from a very Brown newcomer during his Baazigar/Fauji days to a very fair complexioned
star in Veer Zaara or any of his more recent movies 😉
In all fairness though movie stars are just slaves to the standards of beauty prevalent in the society at that time. Ironically the Big stars who can reduce such cultural prejudices instead choose to promote them and make money out of it.
Uh oh, Anantha, what’s up? Were you disappointed with Sivaji? Do tell….
What would your fave Rajni movies be, in addition to the Sridevi film?
Yes, the fairness thing was an excuse she was making, but not the real reason, right? But still, to Joseph’s point, it’s interesting that it’s mentioned in the two big openings this weekend, isn’t it?
And oh, that “fairness” thing in Sivaji is just a gag.
Maria:
If you haven’t seen a Rajini film so far, you might wanna skip this one till the DVD comes out. I don’t want you to go there and come out put off. One wishes that everyone sees Rajini in a positive light (every fan boy does, actually 😉 ).
So you are better off watching one/some of the movies suggested to you by your friend, first before you tackle this one.
Allow me to suggest a Hindi movie, where Rajini accepted to play second fiddle to Sridevi in the 80’s. This movie is called Chalbaaz and its funny in every sense of the word. It’s a gentle introduction to Rajini, in the sense that he is not the sole attraction.
And if you wanna put in your friend’s recco in here, this fanboy would give you his own reccos and I have a faint idea that I could be able to give you one or two movies that might not be on your friend’s list.
Hi Joseph,
I did mention her hopes for a “fair” groom in my post, hoping that it would speak for itself. I think also, in this movie, unlike in VV, Alvira does get her comeuppance, by falling for a desi guy instead of a white Brit, like she had originally hoped for. Also, don’t you think the filmmaker is actually laughing at the character and her attitude by writing her that way? In the audience Friday night, many folks around me laughed at that line.
In VV, even by the end of the movie, the whole anti-gay thing was just left there, as if it’s totally plausible to suggest that a man being gay is reason enough for his motivation to rape then kill women.
Funny enough, the whole fairness thing comes up in Shivaji too, as far as I heard on the reviews on TV, the excuse that Rajni’s girlfriend gives him for turning him down is because he’s too dark, which gives way to the blond Rajni we’ve seen in the trailers.
But yeah, I agree with you, it’s sad to see that this form of discrimination lives on, all over the place, not just India.
I get some Indian channels at home and have been surprised to see recent TV ads for Ponds and other fairness creams. I’ve seen them for ages in magazines, but for some reason I didn’t expect them to make the leap to satellite TV…
Hey Maria,
I am truly shocked that you could love this movie so much. For me it sucked big-time.I can’t believe I turned down Sivaji and walked into this horrendous Mess.Well maybe the $25.00 ticket put me off but……
Also plz do mention the awful ‘I hope I don’t marry a ‘Kala-Kalootha’ (Black/Dark Ghost!)’ remark by Preity Zinta. How horribly racist is that? As a little girl she apparently prays to Jesus begging him to find her a man who’s as fair as Jesus himself, never a dark-skinned Asian.The director and MS. Zinta ought to be held accountable for this.For a nation of brown people that incredibly idolize the fair-complexion, this has to go down as one of the most irresponsible Movie Lines since ‘Hum Kale hain to kya hua Dilwale hain!’ It is remarks like this that stick in the minds of impressionable young children to think its okay to make such racist jokes?And what race are these people denigrading anyways—- their own—–Ludicrous to say the least.
I remember you chose to not recommend Kamalhaasan’s ‘Vettaiyadu Villaaiyadu’ b’coz of an anti-gay remark , but not even a whisper about this——why?
Maybe you missed this sequence(Or lost in translation whatever) but I feel that this is an important event that shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
I appreciate you publishing this comment.
Hey JKM,
I’ve got a girlfriend who’s already provided me with a list of ‘must-see’ Rajni films, so, let’s see how the first one goes….
On the double standard, of course the powers that be in Hollywood have not been much better, until the subtle shift in recent years, so maybe things are moving.
With Rekha, though she’s still around, I feel filmmakers still don’t quite know what to do with her. She was ok in “Parineeta” except I think her make-up and costume could have been more flattering, but then, ugh, think of “Bachke Rehna Re Baba”; what a nightmare.
I haven’t seen “Yatra” yet, but did want to, because of Nana Patekar (here’s another guy who still gets ‘fun’ roles even though he’s not a kid anymore).
I really liked Rajnikant, though I have only seen him in Muthu Maharaja. I picked it up for the AR Rahman score, but it really grew on me in a way I didn’t expect. No one else could have carried the role off as well as he could have. He brought to mind a few of the things I liked about Anil Kapoor, once upon a time, but with more sex appeal. I wish more of the Tamil films that show near me had subtitles. It would be fun to see them on a big screen.
I agree with your point, Filmi, about the double standards in the BW film public. Only Rekha seems to be able to buck the trend, so far. Hema and Jaya still act, of course, but don’t seem to be able to break out of the Ma type roles and still play sexy, as La Rekha still does. I cite Goutam Ghose’s Yatra, if you haven’t seen it. Very very reminiscent of Umrao Jaan.
Hi Anantha,
Thanks for stopping by, and saying something. I may see Sivaji this weekend if I can manage it, and it will be my first Rajni film.
I’m going in with an open mind, and have nothing against him, I assure you. About my reference to him above, I just wanted to make the point that the viewing public is happy to watch Rajni and AB cavorting around, even at ages when we don’t generally expect people to be doing such things, but women are held to such a ridiculous different standard.
As I looked at AB (and his skinny legs) as he did his thing onscreen, I thought “When, if ever, would we see a woman the same age offered such an unusual role in Hindi movies?” Right now, I’d be happy if some of the actresses destined for the dustbin because they’ve hit 30 will be able to keep on going and let’s see them hit 40, and so on. I’m curious to see how Madhuri’s comeback goes…
I was going to wait for the weekend to go past and then leave a comment on this blog, where I have been mostly a silent reader for quite some time. I wanted you to go and see that same “aging, balding former bus conductor” (if you had’nt seen it by then). But this comment made me jump the gun 😛
I promise you will have more fun than JBJ. And overwhelmingly, people have said that that the aging process seems to have been reversed in his case 😉