Movie Reivew: Ek Villian

This movie is better than the South Korean original. But that's not saying a lot. I honestly have no idea why anyone would want to remake that movie. At. All.

This movie is a remake of I Saw the Devil. A South Korean "thriller." It's actually better to describe that movie as gore porn. I saw it ONLY because I was excited about Ek Villain. I love Ritesh Deshmukh and the idea of seeing him in a villain's role was enticing.   To say I hated I Saw the Devil is an understatement. It was disgusting and the evil in it had no point. At all. In fact, it was so bad I put off seeing Ek Villain until the woman who runs my local Indian Bazaar assured me it was a really good movie and didn't involve any violent rapes, dismemberment or cannibalism. She was right. It didn't include any of that, but it still was an absolutely horrid story.

What amazes me is that someone in India saw I Saw the Devil and thought - that's a great movie. We should remake it. I can't imagine anyone thinking that. Anywhere. It had no plot. It was disgusting. There was no point to it. There was no story to retell. Only thinly veiled opportunities to rip off women's clothes before dismembering them. Yet, someone in India thought - let's remake it - so they did. With a star studded cast.

What was good about Ek Villain was the acting. It was superb.  Ritesh and Siddhartha are amazing in their respective roles The directing was excellent too. The plot was helped along by providing a back story for the "hero" who is more of an anti-hero. This helped us understand his motivation for not killing the villain when he has the chance!

This movie is basically a cat and mouse game. The hero gets the serial killer, beats him up, lets him go, allows him to assault and batter another woman intervening before the killer can kill his victim. The villain, having been caught in the act is then beaten up again and let go again. That's the whole plot of this movie.  Knowing WHY the hero is playing this game and allowing other people to be injured by the villain helps provide motivation for the cat and mouse game even if it doesn't excuse the collateral damage and unnecessary suffering this "game" causes. At least in the Indian version, we know why this is happening. In the South Korean version it's just insane. The only reason the serial killer is allowed to survive to stalk other women in the South Korean version is because the director needed more screen time for the serial killer to rape women before brutally killing them and dismembering them. The Indian version is better because the hero has motivation for playing the cat and mouse game. It is also better because the women who are assaulted by the serial killer are not be raped and dismembered as a result of the "hero's" insane reluctance to kill the killer.

The other change that was nice was that the friend of the villain who clues him in to who is chasing him, is merely a violent philanderer in Ek Villain. For that change, I am eternally grateful because I seriously never want to see a cannibal hacking off the limbs of a live naked woman to eat her flesh raw - ever again. (Did I mention the original South Korean movie is basically gore porn without a plot? Yeah ....)

One of the things I didn't really like about the Indian remake was that they gave the serial killer a back story. They gave him a reason WHY he was killing women. They made him sympathetic. Which is fine. Him having motivation is comforting. But the South Korean killer has no motivation beyond just liking to do it. He's a violent psychopath.  He's really terrifying. Ritesh's character is sympathetic and not nearly as scary. Of course, the full horror of what the original South Korean character is like is not something that would have gotten past the Indian censors (again - the original was a gore porn movie that presents gore porn for the sake of gore porn).

Finally - I did like the ending in Ek Villain. It was nice that the serial killer's son is introduced earlier and that our "hero" interacts with him and develops a relationship with him before ultimately killing his father so that he can "adopt" and raise the kid after he's orphaned. The sadistic ending in the South Korean movie is not worth mentioning.

So - should you see this movie?  ummmmmm, I can't recommend it. It may have liked it more if I hadn't seen the South Korean original. This movie triggered up the images of the original because it does copy the plot so closely - just without the gore porn and with characters that actually have a reason to do what they are doing.  All the Indian's I know really like the movie. I didn't. About all I can say is that it was better than the original - but it's still not a story worth retelling.

Movie Review: Sholay

They even do spaghetti westerns better than we do!!!

Sholay is an excellent move. Despite a couple of sloppy visual mistakes (you can see the coupling towing a motorcycle and towards the end an assistant peeks his head up behind a bush behind a very pivotal scene), this is an excellent movie.

The acting is fabulous. The plot line engaging. The horse chases are amazing. There is a horse chase with a train, horse chasing carriages, bridges being destroyed. A guy taking a horse down with his bare hands!

It is filmed in a location with large rock formations - like the Vasquez rocks where so many US westerns were filmed so that the shootouts have that same western feel. It even has an Ennio Morricone style soundtrack! But I don't ever remember being this emotionally engaged - on the edge of my seat biting my fingernails with tension engaged - watching a Sergio Leone movie. And I love Sergio Leone.

The bad guy is crazy bad. The good guy is crazy too - his final scene where he fights the bad guy unarmed - you would NEVER see that in a US movie.

The story is heartbreaking at the end - I cried. Not as much as I do when reading a Zane Grey novel - but still - it's pretty heartbreaking and so well acted!!!

My one request is for someone good, like Vinod Chopra, to remake this movie starring Abhishek and Faran Akhtar. And I know this movie is so good no one wants to remake it, but ... the remake of Don with SRK is excellent and even better than the original. And I hear the remake of Agneepath is excellent too. With the right director and cast - yeah - I totally want to see what Abhishek does with the role!! And Faran - yeah- him too! What would make my fantasy remake of this movie complete? Amitabh in the role of Thukar.

This movie is a perfect example of why I've pretty much stopped watching western movies. Indian movies are better. Even their westerns are better!

This movie is available for purchase and rental through Amazon instant video.

5 Favorite Bollywood Remakes

Bollywood has done some tremendous remakes of western classics. Here are 5 to get you going.

1) An Affair to Remember  - The Bollywood version of this is Mann starring Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala. The story is told a bit differently, and we get more of a back story on the character played by Aamir/Grant – which is really welcome. His transformation from playboy to lover is more moving as a result. The scene where they meet the grandmother on the island is so faithfully recreated you will think they are on the same exact set. On the other hand, the penultimate scene where Aamir/Grant realizes why Manisha/Kerr didn’t show up as planned is less intense in the Indian version. But, because it’s a Hindi film, we do get a wedding scene and the movie wraps up better. If you are a fan of this movie – see the Hindi version.

2) Sabrina  - The Bollywood version of this is called Yeh Dillagi and stars Akshay as Linus, Kajol as Sabrina and Said Ali Khan as the younger brother (except their names are all Hindi names – don’t ask me what they are). This movie translates very well into Bollywood. Because of the added time (Western movies are about 1 ½ hours long – Bollywood closer to 3 hours long), we get to explore these characters motivations more. Akshay’s character has a fabulous “I just realized I’m in love fantasy dance sequence” that is seriously one of my all-time favorite fantasy dance sequences. He’s beautiful to watch. The tension surrounding both men’s desire to marry not only the same girl but a girl of lower class/caste really works well in Indian cinema because even today couples are killed when they do this. Akshay and Kajol are brilliant and Said does a great job in his supporting role.


3) Romeo and Juliet  - probably the best remake of this in India is Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT) starring Aamir Khan and Juli Chawla (both in their first roles).  Again, because we have added time, we get more of a backstory about why these two families are feuding so that when our young lovers do fall in love and run away together, we understand better why the families care enough to hunt them down. Additionally, there is a caste problem and this is a love marriage. The story works very well as an Indian movie and even in his first role, Aamir is a star.

4) The Shop Around the Corner/You’ve Got Mail – This is one of my favorite stories in all its forms (including the delightful musical She Loves Me). The Indian version of this is Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and stars Hrithik Roshan and Esha Deol. This is a very odd movie, but I still enjoyed it. First, the things I liked. I think the addition of the love triangle was brilliant (the odd man out is Said Ali Khan).  The best moment of the movie is when Hrithik realizes that the girl he arranged for his friend to marry is the girl he is in love with through the letters. It was poignant and beautiful and I was crying. Now for the problems. From that point, they change the story and they really shouldn’t have. I think if they had resolved this movie the way the original stories do, this would have worked brilliantly. Second, the artistic choices made by the director of this movie are a bit ... odd. First, you have Hrithik, one of the best dancers in THE WORLD, and they don’t have him dance. At all. He is relegated to posing pensively. It’s a waste. There is a lot of dancing in this movie. It’s just really strange dancing, with bizarre patent leather costumes and fire with fantasy metaphors that are impossible to work out. And don’t get me started on the choice of playback singer who sounds nothing like Hrithik. It’s jarring. I still recommend this movie because even with its flaws it’s still Shop Around the Corner and I still love it.

5) Stepmom starring Ed Harris, Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon in the west was remade as We are Family in India starring Kareena Kapoor (as the Julia Robert’s character), Kajol (as the Susan Sarandon character) and Arjun Rampal (in Ed Harris’ role).  I realize this is not a remake of a classic movie, but I loved Stepmom and I loved We are Family even more. This is a tearjerker (I am welling up just thinking about the ending) and Kajol and Kareena carry this movie together wonderfully. This is a movie where the women rule and your heart burst with love. Worth watching.

10 Silly but still wondefully enjoyable Bollywood movies.

Having just published a list of 10 great Bollywood movies. I thought I should also publish a list of 10 Silly but still wonderful Bollywood films. My feeling on films is that they are first and foremost entertainment. If I am entertained, the movie was good. So here is my list. (Note: technically, these are not all Bollywood movies. (There are Telegu and Tamil language movies in this list).

10 Silly But Still Worth Watching Movies

1) Rowdy Rathore – low brow kick ass movie starring Akshay – he’s brilliant. This is a self-aware comedy that is beautifully done with a tad bit of sadism at the end that makes it not kid friendly – but it’s necessary for plot development so deal with it.

2) Makkhi - a story about a man who is murdered reincarnating as a fly and taking revenge. Sooooo satisfying. And yes, Masala - the only downside is that Rani dies pretty early on and so we only get one hunky guy soaking wet dance sequence. He is delightful. Stay for the credits where the flies do a bollywood dance number that includes chitta chitta from Rowdy Rathore.

3) Fruit and Nut – Doofus bumbles through an underworld plot to take over the city. Includes a great transvestite dance sequence and an old man evil old guy dance sequence that is really worth watching. It’s so funny. Just give yourself over to it.

4) Chandramukhi –Here’s what you need to know. Rajnikath is investigating a haunted house. That’s pretty much sums it up. Once you watch this you will understand why Rajnikanth is the most popular actor in all of India.

5) Koi Mil Gaya – Hrithiki plays a mentally challenged young man who meets an alien in this Bollywood remake of ET – brilliant and silly and it spawned a series of superhero movie sequels.

6) Baasdhah – Shahrukh in a comedy of errors. Delightful – this is what SRK is good at. To understand Shahrukh’s appeal – you need to see this movie.

7) Oh My God – Akshay as Lord Krishna in a movie about an atheist who sues God – based on a true story (well, not the Lord Krishna part). Delightfully done. Krishna is a Humanist, as it turns out.

8)  Hisss – angry snake god takes on a sexy human form and goes on a rampage.

9) Jajantaram Mamantaram – Bollywood remake of Gulliver’s Travels involving mermaids and giant demons. Delightful. This is a children’s movie.

10) Bodyguard – starring Salman Khan – worth watching for the choreographed dance sequence that consists solely of peck pumping to the music. The whole movie is really fun and really enjoyable. It’s basically a movie where Salman makes fun of the kick ass characters he normally plays.

Again - these are not award winning films. But they are highly enjoyable. So give yourself over to them and enjoy. 

10 Great Bollywood Movies

Interested in Bollywood, but don't know where to start? I was asked by my mom to put together a top 10 list of movies I recommend. Here they are.

10 Great Bollywood Movies:

1) Veer Zaara - great movie - horrid acting at the start - stick with it, it's worth it.

2) Barfi! won 11 awards in 2013 - earned every one plus some it didn't. Wonderfully acted. Homages to Charlie Chaplin and Ranbir Kapoor's grandfather.

3) Jodhaa Akbar - epic period piece - has massive battles with camels and elephants and centers around an inter-religious love story and religious tolerance.  Beautifully done. Not masala - meaning - no dancing - but there are some musical montages. Gotta have a montage.

4) Lagaan - my hubby's first Bollywood movie - he loved it - centers around a love triangle and a cricket match and unfair taxes.

5) Ghajini - murder mystery love story. You ain't seen deep pathos until you see this film - basically a remake of Memento but WAY better.

6) Kites - mystery - they kiss - something bad has to happen. Set in Mexico - stars Hrithik and a famous Mexican actress. Don't see Kites Remixed - it sucks.

7) Swades - based on a true story - NASA scientist returns to India decides to stay - love story - dealing with corruption, masala. Shahrukh - wonderful movie.

8) Faana - first half=romantic comedy musical. 2nd half = Cape Fear with the occasional musical number thrown in for good measure. Seriously - this one is so well done and the moral dilemma so well done that you will mull on it for days.It is chilling.

9) Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - family/father/son relationship movie with arranged marriages and adoption providing the plot. Don't watch this unless you have lots of tissues and make sure to hydrate yourself. I ran out of tears about 15 minutes before the end and it was really painful because I still had a lot of crying to do.

10) Dhobi Ghat - drama - no music. Really good thought provoking movie.

This list includes movies by all the great actors working today. Shahrukh, Hrithik, Aamir, Amitabh, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Kukerji and more.  See these and you will have a good idea of who the famous actors are and why they are famous as well as a good understanding of the wide variety of types of movies that are being made in India.

Enjoy.

Cash - Bollywood Review - Skip to the End

Finally made it through the  movie Cash. It's a bollywood movie. Honestly, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Too many characters, who were cartooned and when I eventually figured out who they all were, the movie ended. It's a heist movie.

The only reason I am even posting a review here is because even though I wouldn't recommend the film, the end credits, were super cool.  It's all done in one shot and it's well staged and the song is ok but I really enjoyed it.

So, don't bother sitting through this one.  Just check out the end clip here.

Rowdy Rathore movie review - thoroughly enjoyable

Do you love Bollywood movies? Do you love over the top Bollywood song and dance sequences? Ready for a rowdy romp? Rowdy Rathore is the movie for you!

I have become obsessed with Bollywood movies. I pretty much have lost all interest in western films at this point. I only watch western movies for my son and husband's sake. My preference is to watch Bollywood movies.


I watched Rowdy Rathore the other night straight through, which is saying something because it is 2 hrs and 38 minutes long. It was delightful from start to finish which is amazing because it is an over the top self aware comedy and those rarely deliver so consistently throughout a movie, let alone a 2 1/2 hour movie.

When I say this is a comedy, it is more accurate to say it is a comedy/action/romance/musical/thriller.The characters are delightful and have depth to them that isn't normally found in a comedy or action movie. The choreography was some of the best I've seen. the songs were catchy and fun and seriously, there is nothing not to like in this Bollywood movie.  Which is astonishing because self aware comedies don't always work and certainly not all the time. This one hits all the right notes at all the right times. Seamlessly moving from drama to over the top action to romance and to bawdy romance at that.

I've seen lead actor Ashkay Kumar in other movies, but this is the first time I've really understood what a talent he is. His dancing is amazing. And again, it's unexpected considering how big he is. He seems like he should be more awkward, but he is delightful to see dance and he really stands out against the back up dancers. He's better then all the rest and it is easy to see why he is the lead. He is a joy to watch and he nailed the "Amitabh" signature dance move perfectly during the gratuitous romance in a field near a river dance sequence which was a send up of classic Amitabh dance sequences from movies like Silsila . And again, the self aware comedy adds to the sequence and doesn't detract from it. They got the balance just right.

As for the music. I LOVED it. It was everything you want in a bollywood song or a bollywood dance sequence. They don't allow the videos from this movie to be embedded - so I am linking to Chinta Ta Ta Chita here.

What Ashkay manages to do acting wise in this movie is really hard to do. He nails every scene. And again, it's self aware comedy. He dances well. And the dancing is over the top silly yet beautiful at the same time. They somehow managed to get that balance right. He sings well. Acts well (comedy, drama and romance were all required in this movie). In short. He is now one of my favorite actors.

The story line and plot are also engaging. I can't go into it here because a) it would spoil the movie and b) it's too convoluted to explain (as most Bollywood movies are). Suffice it to say, the plot is a good one so the comedy isn't just comedy for the sake of comedy, it is leading somewhere.

My only complaint is that the violence and gore was over the top too and it isn't a movie I would want my son to see. The romance part was fine, the comedy was fine. Most of the action sequences are fine. There is just a lot of gore and sadism near the end. Yes, it is needed for the plot, but it's just not appropriate for younger audiences.

If you are looking for a delightful romp that is action packed, bawdily romantic and fun with a tiny bit of a sadistic thriller thrown in for good measure towards the end. You won't go wrong with this film. I'm curious to see what others think about it. So if you've seen this movie, please let me know what you thought of it. I really liked it.