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dangermousieOK, I was quite interested in seeing this concidering this movie knowing some extreme reactions people have to it. This plot makes soap operas seem reasonable.
Plot: Jai(Arjun), the World's Hottest millionaire sees and falls in love at first sight with Tia (Aishwaria). Because he donated $ to a school show she is working at (she is a teacher at the school for the deaf), they get to be quite good friends. And then he confesses his love. At that point, any normal woman would jump at the sweet, hot and uber-rich guy, but Ash runs away crying...into the arms of her boyfriend Raj (Priyanshu) who she forgot to mention. Devastated Jai tries to woo her back without success and Raj and Tia get married. A couple of years later, Raj and Tia are driving and in a bona fide Bollywood Plot Contrivance Device (BPCD. I'll need an acronym, there are a lot of these in this movie), Jai is also driving and crashes into their car. He has been a mess, drinking to forget Tia,.This is the night his best friend Anita (Isha Koppikar) persuaded him to give it up, saying if he loves Tia, his happiness should lie in her happiness. Despite this excellent good sense, she has no problem letting the sobering, but still somewhat drunk Jai to drive. Well, in another BPCD Anita and Raj are killed. Jai collapses. And Tia loses her memory and in the biggest BPCD of all, her mother is told by the doctor that if she is suddenly told or comes upon anything from her past, she will die from a clot on the brain. Guilt-ridden Jai offers to take her, her Mom and her son to Capetown, pretending the child is his and he is the widower of her "best friend" Anita. Tia falls in love with Jai but Jai, despite still loving her, rejects her because of his guilt etc etc. Yeah, it's complicated.
First, the good things:
1. South Africa scenery is gorgeous. I've been to Capetown so it was doubly exciting.
2. I loved Priyanshu in this. He was excellent here and Tum Bin. Why isn't he in more movies?
3. I loved the music and Ash's dances.
4. Arjun! Talk about hot!
And I adore his deep voice. This movie would have been much shorter if I was Tia as I would have jumped into his arms, shrieking "take me away!" as soon as he proposed. Also, the only thing better than a hot man, is an angsty hot man. And Arjun angsts ALL THE TIME. First he angsts because Tia rejected him. Then he angsts because he feels guilty. Then he angsts because he wants Tia and she loves him and he can't have her. Etc. Dangermousie is a happy girl!
5. I liked all the clothes with the possible exception of the back-up dancers in the first song. I liked all of Arjun's clothes. It would be nice if BW designers realized that if you are putting your lead in Western clothes, you can't go wrong with a suit or black pants, white shirt combo. Yum!
6. I liked that every time Arjun tries to have a drink or get behind the wheel, he has a flashback to the wreck. Phobias!
7. I liked the ambivalency in Tia's feelings in the beginning of the movie. When she rejects Jai, you can tell a part of her is wishing she could get together with him and comparing Raj and Jai not in favor of the former. Of course, when he tries to "win her back" she gets more annoyed.
8. Angst, glorious angst! I loved when Jai comes home after Tia turned him down and his father orders music and rose petals and they fall on solitary and miserable Jai. And when Ash tries to have solitary dinner with him after amnesia and he freaks.
Now, on to the odd:
1. The attitude to drunk driving. I suppose it's a culture thing, as if you watch movies from 30s-50s, HW movies have the same attitude. That is why it didn't bother me, but I found it odd that: a. Raj has no problem (on the way to seeing his newly born child, no less) getting and staying in the car with someone who is drinking as he is driving. Ditto for Anita. I am no member of MADD and I liked Jai even after the accident, but that's taking nonchalance too far, IMO.
2. Paresh Rawal as Jai's Dad. Speaking of "reality check!" Where do I start! If your son got rejected, you don't go and tell him "maybe she didn't mean it. Try harder." I know it's hard, but sometimes a girl just doesn't want you, and you shouldn't pester her. His speech to Tia's Mom (who just found out her daughter is amnesiac and she lost her son-in-law) about how Jai is a good boy for helping and wanting to take them to Capetown etc as opposed to running away is the hight of crass at that moment (or any moment). His "faking a heart- attack" and convincing his son that he is dying so he'd promise to amrry Tia is also crass. And the whole "she will either be a widow or my son's wife" to Tia's mom sari gift is awful AND untrue. For one, Tia's mom has no objections to her remarriage. She just has (understandable) objections to her marrying Jai. And also, her husband hasn't been dead that long. Have some decency, you horrible man. I am amazed Jai is as normal as he is!
3. Aishwaria as Tia. Before her amnesia she is OK (if with an inexplainable preference for Priyanshu over Arjun). But after! I didn't feel sorry for her in the least, as she is a horrible, horrible woman and a shallow ditz. She doesn't know the true story? Fine. What she "knows" is she lost her memory in the same crash Jai's wife lost her life. The wife who was her best friend. She doesn't remember Anita? Fine. But chasing the just-widowed husband of your best friend (or just widowed anybody) is the height of crass. Wondering why "he doesn't reciprocate" as if it's freaky is worse. Trying to het his Dad to help you marry him by trickery is even worse. The whole "well, yesterday is in the past, he should marry ME" is also hideous. It's kinda scary that at the end (where she finds out the truth and says she doesn't care), I think that Jai is too good for HER. Somene discussed what will happen if she does get back her memory? Amnesia attacks your memory, not your personality. Seeing her "past is past" and "let's chase the grief-stricken man" attitude, I don't think she would mind too much. Horrible woman.
Plot: Jai(Arjun), the World's Hottest millionaire sees and falls in love at first sight with Tia (Aishwaria). Because he donated $ to a school show she is working at (she is a teacher at the school for the deaf), they get to be quite good friends. And then he confesses his love. At that point, any normal woman would jump at the sweet, hot and uber-rich guy, but Ash runs away crying...into the arms of her boyfriend Raj (Priyanshu) who she forgot to mention. Devastated Jai tries to woo her back without success and Raj and Tia get married. A couple of years later, Raj and Tia are driving and in a bona fide Bollywood Plot Contrivance Device (BPCD. I'll need an acronym, there are a lot of these in this movie), Jai is also driving and crashes into their car. He has been a mess, drinking to forget Tia,.This is the night his best friend Anita (Isha Koppikar) persuaded him to give it up, saying if he loves Tia, his happiness should lie in her happiness. Despite this excellent good sense, she has no problem letting the sobering, but still somewhat drunk Jai to drive. Well, in another BPCD Anita and Raj are killed. Jai collapses. And Tia loses her memory and in the biggest BPCD of all, her mother is told by the doctor that if she is suddenly told or comes upon anything from her past, she will die from a clot on the brain. Guilt-ridden Jai offers to take her, her Mom and her son to Capetown, pretending the child is his and he is the widower of her "best friend" Anita. Tia falls in love with Jai but Jai, despite still loving her, rejects her because of his guilt etc etc. Yeah, it's complicated.
First, the good things:
1. South Africa scenery is gorgeous. I've been to Capetown so it was doubly exciting.
2. I loved Priyanshu in this. He was excellent here and Tum Bin. Why isn't he in more movies?
3. I loved the music and Ash's dances.
4. Arjun! Talk about hot!
And I adore his deep voice. This movie would have been much shorter if I was Tia as I would have jumped into his arms, shrieking "take me away!" as soon as he proposed. Also, the only thing better than a hot man, is an angsty hot man. And Arjun angsts ALL THE TIME. First he angsts because Tia rejected him. Then he angsts because he feels guilty. Then he angsts because he wants Tia and she loves him and he can't have her. Etc. Dangermousie is a happy girl!
5. I liked all the clothes with the possible exception of the back-up dancers in the first song. I liked all of Arjun's clothes. It would be nice if BW designers realized that if you are putting your lead in Western clothes, you can't go wrong with a suit or black pants, white shirt combo. Yum!
6. I liked that every time Arjun tries to have a drink or get behind the wheel, he has a flashback to the wreck. Phobias!
7. I liked the ambivalency in Tia's feelings in the beginning of the movie. When she rejects Jai, you can tell a part of her is wishing she could get together with him and comparing Raj and Jai not in favor of the former. Of course, when he tries to "win her back" she gets more annoyed.
8. Angst, glorious angst! I loved when Jai comes home after Tia turned him down and his father orders music and rose petals and they fall on solitary and miserable Jai. And when Ash tries to have solitary dinner with him after amnesia and he freaks.
Now, on to the odd:
1. The attitude to drunk driving. I suppose it's a culture thing, as if you watch movies from 30s-50s, HW movies have the same attitude. That is why it didn't bother me, but I found it odd that: a. Raj has no problem (on the way to seeing his newly born child, no less) getting and staying in the car with someone who is drinking as he is driving. Ditto for Anita. I am no member of MADD and I liked Jai even after the accident, but that's taking nonchalance too far, IMO.
2. Paresh Rawal as Jai's Dad. Speaking of "reality check!" Where do I start! If your son got rejected, you don't go and tell him "maybe she didn't mean it. Try harder." I know it's hard, but sometimes a girl just doesn't want you, and you shouldn't pester her. His speech to Tia's Mom (who just found out her daughter is amnesiac and she lost her son-in-law) about how Jai is a good boy for helping and wanting to take them to Capetown etc as opposed to running away is the hight of crass at that moment (or any moment). His "faking a heart- attack" and convincing his son that he is dying so he'd promise to amrry Tia is also crass. And the whole "she will either be a widow or my son's wife" to Tia's mom sari gift is awful AND untrue. For one, Tia's mom has no objections to her remarriage. She just has (understandable) objections to her marrying Jai. And also, her husband hasn't been dead that long. Have some decency, you horrible man. I am amazed Jai is as normal as he is!
3. Aishwaria as Tia. Before her amnesia she is OK (if with an inexplainable preference for Priyanshu over Arjun). But after! I didn't feel sorry for her in the least, as she is a horrible, horrible woman and a shallow ditz. She doesn't know the true story? Fine. What she "knows" is she lost her memory in the same crash Jai's wife lost her life. The wife who was her best friend. She doesn't remember Anita? Fine. But chasing the just-widowed husband of your best friend (or just widowed anybody) is the height of crass. Wondering why "he doesn't reciprocate" as if it's freaky is worse. Trying to het his Dad to help you marry him by trickery is even worse. The whole "well, yesterday is in the past, he should marry ME" is also hideous. It's kinda scary that at the end (where she finds out the truth and says she doesn't care), I think that Jai is too good for HER. Somene discussed what will happen if she does get back her memory? Amnesia attacks your memory, not your personality. Seeing her "past is past" and "let's chase the grief-stricken man" attitude, I don't think she would mind too much. Horrible woman.
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no subject
Date: 2005-06-18 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-18 10:49 pm (UTC)Preposterous plot or not, deep-voiced, well-dressed, angsty Arjun is well worth it.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-19 05:18 am (UTC)Other than the money, though, I thought that Priyanshu was cuter than Arjun. He kinda reminded me of Abhishek (must be he hair or something).
But I'll be the first one in line to see Arjun suffer and squirm aesthetically, especially in the second half. And stalker!mode Arjun amused me a lot (probably more than he should have).
no subject
Date: 2005-06-20 09:06 pm (UTC)He reminded me of a handsomer version of Aftab. Nah, if it was Abhi I would have gone mad with indecision and then ended up in a menage a trois :)
Arjun suffer and squirm aesthetically
Indeedy. The best thing about this flick.
stalker!mode Arjun
Didn't even blink. After flicks like Taal I just accept it as BW convention and move on :)
no subject
Date: 2005-06-19 04:14 pm (UTC)The only scene that I vividly remember is the third part of the title song. He has the most dejected and sad expression on his face as the line "tanha tanhai yo mein janeman, maine aksar tumhe pukara hai" plays along and you realize you've never wanted him so bad.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-20 09:07 pm (UTC)Maybe the movie should have gone on longer then? :)
you've never wanted him so bad.
If Ash didn't want him, I am sure he could have found plenty of willing help to forget her :)