 |
|
Quiet please,
Sunny! DOES anyone of you reading this remember a movie called Farz that was such a heavy hit maybe a couple of decades ago? You know, in which leading man Jeetendra played his desi version of James Bond and made his leading lady, (the beauteous Babita) do more than her usual share of pelvic punches and cleavage capers?
Jackie Shroff is the surprise element er, sorry, star. Om Puri is just himself — good, casual, effective. Uttam Singh has scored some stoppers alright, but is that going to satiate the cinegoers? Your guess, frankly, is a bad as mine! It’s clear that Sunnybhai has (once again) let go of his larynx and screamed ‘n’ yelled to high heaven in Farz! As far as Zinta is
concerned, she sure is losing her zing ‘n’ zap in a hurry. God
Bless Farz. (Will He or won’t He, hey?) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mumbai is truly and really reeling under the sensuous strike of actress Penelope Cruz — the hot, hot heroine of Woman on top — a sexy adult comedy about "making intimate relationships more delicious" Running to packed housefuls for the sixth week now, pretty Penelope has put in such a super sensual performance that even a sizzler-siren like Tara Deshpande was heard hissing: "Who discovered this bawdy bitch? And where?" Coming from Tara — the sizzler of Bombay Boys — this is high praise, indeed! Who cares, huh? I feel sad, disappointed, disillusioned (and very, very angry) that Bollywood has changed so drastically — for the worse. In just a few years, at that. Why? Why the hell does everyone seem to be uncommunicative — virtually as if they’re running scared silly! And yes, the new Bollywood mantra is: "Who cares, yaar! Film-making has become such a stressful, godforsaken (risky) business today that we producers can do without all those fancy frills that made a big movie really stand out and get noticed much before its release. Lavish mahurats, parties, press conferences have become an absolute no-no — especially with the underworld and extortionists on the prowl all time! If things don’t improve in every which way (particularly the handful of stars demanding astronomical amounts), the Hindi film industry — with an all-time low hit rate of barely 5 per cent in Y2K! — is heading for a collective, chaotic collapse sooner than you’d expect." Thus spake a (genuinely) concerned showman Subhash Ghai. And I nod in total (dejected) agreement. After all, is there any choice or alternative left? Manisha has a point Mercifully, the brouhaha over Hrithik Roshan in Nepal has simmered down. But a section of the fundamentalist media on either side of the border is still up in arms, better sense has thankfully prevailed on certain cine celebs who’ve gone on record to soothe frayed tempers and expedite the peace process. In this respect, top marks to Manisha Koirala for (boldly) coming out with her astute ‘n’ articulate statements openly. (I swear I never thought she had it in her!) Not only did she personally take the initiative to call Hrithik long distance in Switzerland to get his "clarification" first-hand...she further conveyed the same to the Government of Nepal! And, when this Nepalese nymphet speaks —people listen. Hard ‘n’ honestly. Well, it’s nice to know that whether or not Ms Koirala is appreciated for her acting talent, she’s sure taken seriously as a State spokesperson! (Er..would active politics be her next real-life role, huh...? |
 |
This feature was
published on January 21, 2001 |
Well, the 2001 Farz
has just hit the cinema houses — with Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta
warning viewers to "be ready for the consequences"! Yeah,
you’ve been ceremoniously cautioned: Don’t take producer Sunil
Saini and/or director Raj Kanwar lightly. When duty calls, they mean
(serious) business. The movie is pre-promoted as a "thriller for
strong guts"