Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I loved the almost-not-there story and its quirky, playful, over-the-top telling. The sassy romp through Bollywood nostalgia. And the sheer look of the film (and this must be the first time I’m using the word “look” in this sense). AB wearing brilliant plumes and BabyB & Bobby in Bobby hats… AB turning up every now and then in the railway station with his cool guitar and electrifying threads (listen up, Anurag Basu, this is how you use a sutradhar kind of guy in a film, not by bringing on Pritam and Co every time we turn a corner). Preity’s shifting butterfly tattoo, Lara Dutta’s French-accented Hindi, Bobby’s Superman stunt, and the pictures of Baby B and Preity’s multiplying family in front of the Taj Mahal…
I loved the songs and dances (though I should say that the music could have been much better - does Yashraj Films not want to use Rehman’s music at all?) but the way the songs were filmed, they worked. The music in Bunty aur Babli was miles better, but in Jhoom… I especially loved Ticket to Hollywood and Kiss of Love. I loved the costumes that the extras wore in the song-and-dance sequences. Loved the detailing in everything! After such a long time, a real Hindi film musical in the style of a desi, funny, light-hearted Bob Fosse.
I had liked Saathiya even more than the Tamil original Alaipayuthey; I loved everything about Bunty aur Babli; and now with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, despite my earlier misgivings about the promo, Shaad Ali has become one of my two or three favourite Indian film-makers of today. His films are witty, intelligent, gorgeous to look at, and just so much fun.
*****
P.S. We’ve moved back from the service apartment to our regular apartment where most of the restoration has been completed. We’re still waiting for our broadband connection to start working again. My mobile phone has also mysteriously stopped working since two days. So if you’ve tried to call or sms, this is why I’ve been unreachable. If you need to reach me, you can call on the home phone (I’m mostly at home since I’m on adoption leave), or email me. But please be patient because I’m still using dialup and may not be able to reply immediately.
The Beamish Boy, meanwhile, is doing well. His eyelid infection has cleared up and he’s back to his packed schedule of bouncing, dancing, and calling out to Whisky to come and play.
hey glad you liked it. makes me want to see it. everybody else was so negative. I am a big admirer of saathiya and Bunty aur Bubli as well. Also please don’t mind but I thought people with young babies cant really go out to watch movies. Am happy am wrong. This must be an american thing, not an indian one.
Comment by anuj — June 17, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
Hope you enjoy the film anuj. We didn’t take our baby with us though. He was being looked after at home.
Comment by Uma — June 18, 2007 @ 3:19 am
Oh come on! you mean you bought all that truckloads of shit and actually ENJOYED it???
what the fug?
I mean, to each his own and all that, but come on….
Sorry, I’m sorry. but come on!!!
Comment by Churu — June 19, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
I’m sorry, were you being sarcastic, and I didn’t get it at all?
(please say yes please say yes)
Comment by Churu — June 19, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Finally i find someone on blogsphere who liked the movie . everybody thinks it is too loud , too musical , too much dance, too imaginative , too much this, too much that . But what i liked was that this was such a bindaas movie . I dont remember a scene in teh movie after i come out (apart from the one you posted the pic of) but yet while watching i didnt feel that it would have been better that this was done instead of that .
Comment by paddy — June 19, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
How is Whisky taking to being played with?
Comment by mumbaigirl — June 19, 2007 @ 9:30 pm
Shaad Ali is reason enough to make me want to check it out, but your vote of confidence helps :)
how’s the little one doing?
Comment by km — June 19, 2007 @ 9:55 pm
There is a saying in business management world “Try with all honesty to sell boss’s idea to client; if you don’t succeed, sell client’s idea to boss and close the deal!” Likewise, “make the actors dance fast for your audience; if they can’t, make the audience dance faster- by moving camera violently in the opposite direction in a three dimensional pattern thereby effecting the concept of ‘relative speed!’” That’s why Chaiya Chaiya in ‘Dil Se’ is rated as a far superior work than many.
With a splendidly rich mosaic of colours, Big B’s jacket is an awesome design; some thing more imaginative should have replaced those plumes and denim for a marvelous work of costumes. Thoughtful choice of colours and their distribution (particularly those yellows!) for costumes of the co-dancers in Big B songs provided aesthetic background.
In scenes near Eiffel Tower, Lara’s body was glowing- Intelligent use of Sun’s slant rays of an English summer’s evening! but why on earth, those pancakes on her face and dyed hair that hid the natural glow? In contrast to the polluted hazy air near Taj Mahal, that pollutant and water vapour free crisp European summer air provides answers as to why Indian producers like to shoot in the West for impressive picture quality. For outdoors one can control anything, but not the air!
Kudos to Jr.B! Not many a hero risk to appear throughout the film without appearing being macho in voice or body movements!
Regarding trivia, Hafeez bhai drives left hand drive cars in Britain and did Preity has two tattoos on either side of her bosom (one for Thukral and one for audience) or was it left-right reversal characteristic of mirror image?
Comment by Naveen — June 20, 2007 @ 6:51 am
Wow, this is new. You are only the second person I know who is praising the movie (The first being my mum :) And since I trust the judgment of both these ladies, I have to see it now!
Comment by Truman — June 20, 2007 @ 3:23 pm
you are being sarcastic, right? I saw the movie y’day, after reading your review. i failed to see how this movie was any different from all the other bollywood masala movies. and what exactly was amitabh’s purpose of existence? it wasn’t as if the plot was so complicated that the audience needed him in the end to put two and two together! i love your blog but going forward, i am ignoring your movie reviews. :)
Comment by anjali — June 25, 2007 @ 11:05 am
annie at anniezaidi.com and brangan at desipundit are the only two others i have heard praising it. we got so much bad press otherwise that the husband has refused to watch it with me. bah… i was really looking forward to it.
Comment by the mad momma — July 29, 2007 @ 8:26 pm