Enchanted Horse that was some enchanting bit of logical premise and conclusion concluded with and interesting Q.E.D. :)Dharmendra has in real life been a strong follower of your statement.. never too old for ..whatever!

But Yes.. handled well this could have been a real ’sit-up-n-take-notice kinda film.

Having a kid at 42 means he believed in “Life begins after 40…” and if life begins after 40, 60 ain’t a bad age to romance ;o)

A good storyline made weird….Hail RGV !!!

Take Care

about ‘truncating facts’..a complete no-no..not needed nor recommended. Grey areas are the most interesting and notable. ‘hum bhi issi idelogy ke kaayal hai’..But why broken images? Disconnected..maybe..in limbo..perhaps..but broken is umm.. sad! n’est pas?

Even through we may disagree I respect your opinion as well as your right to your opinion.

Your last line kinda negated the context of your post while simultaneously unwittingly proved my point.You said:

“I liked Big B in KANK. The character served a purpose in the movie and Big B served the character”

Exactly..Bachchans performances in the films that he has been acclaimed in as also mentioned by me served a purpose in the film and he served the character.. marvelously so. I would even go as far as to say that while I have almost ‘disliked’ Nishabd, I have no grievance on any count with Ab’s portrayal of the rather shamefully weak, confused, slimy man..He came out Tops.. which has served to fuel the fire within and ask despairingly’ Why on earth does he venture into ventures of the kind?’

Comparing Johnny Depp in Pirates..or Pankaj kapur in Maqbool with Ab n ‘Black’ is odious, to say the least. I can bet my last penny had AB attempted any of the roles you mention, his performance might have added a notch or two to the sum total.

We seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum.. in most arguments..I do not agree with your comment at all.

Hi Devi,

About ‘restraint’ in Nishabd, I hear you but I really cannot say whether it was intended to be so..I think you are alluding to ‘American beauty’..The plus point apart from the mature handling was the stance of the film.. it was lust all the way.. plain and simple. RGV on the other hand spent a good portion convincing himself and us of the zillion reasons why the two should now frolic in the hay with the wife having lost her youth and all that hackneyed jazz.

“It’s too easy to dismiss Amitra as the stereotypically nagging, aging housewife to make Jiah look more desirable in contrast.”

I agree..If indeed this was to be a path breaking bold film, then I for one would have respected him more had RGV followed the stark truism that here was a man, who could not control his sexual urges when a 17 year old emboldened by her dysfunctional upbringing and nefarious complexes, decided to ’score’ with a 60 yr old, entwine him around her little pinky and get away with it. The man, like most men, therefore finds it irresistible, and surrenders to his wild fantasies.. lust, games et al.. despite perhaps having a voluptuous desirable, perfect wife at home…this might have been truer to the intent and core of the film.. and for Petes sake he had no business to call this ‘Love’!! From the point of view of the character of Vijay, his passions ruling his mind kinda mindset, this could well have been his ‘Nirvana’ moment.. but the Directors take on it had to be different than that of his protagonist’s..

that mght have been Bold, different, daring and whatever else RGV thought he was doing with Nishabd.. instead of this puky, immature, laughable lolita-i-sation!!

Older Indian lady in love with a younger man happened long ago with raakhee and Rishi kapoor.Doosara Aadmi.. with the song”’Kya mausam hai.. chal kahin door nikal jayen..but that aint no ‘Summer of 42′ or ‘Graduate’.. I simply love the honesty of both these.. no pretenses no excuses!!

And of course closer home and real life its our very own Abhi-Ash saga.. older woman younger man.. love n roses n all that

Black for me was a badge of shame. I call it Black as in the ring around the collar. His out of context outlandish over performance and visible effort killed everything that could have been possible. In Bollywood if you want to see a man loosing his mind, then see Anupam Kher in “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara”. If you want to see something effortless then see Pankaj Kapur in “Maqbool”.

Ofcourse if you want something that was intended to be outlandish and yet effortless see Johny Depp in “Chocolate Factory” and or “Pirates of ..”. In the Bollywood context something intentionally outlandish and yet pretty effortless is Sexy Sam in KANK. I liked Big B in KANK. The character served a purpose in the movie and Big B served the character.

As for your
“Such discussions remind me of a scene in a Prakash Mehra movie where a sudden change of the jacket and the background music signaled Big B’s extreme anger. One moment he was drunk out of his wits, barely able to stand still, and the next moment he was performing a well choreographed fight which would be difficult for even a well trained acrobat”
this is in fact more a reflection of inept direction, screenplay/script/sensibilities of the captain of the ship. If anything, I have personally witnessed AB on the floor.. he rarely if ever argues, is a thorough professional and all too willing to follow instructions..so if the sequence of events as you have narrated is such, then he is the last person who should bear the brunt of criticism on that score.

The only valid criticism is what you have mentioned as ‘him erode his credibility with movies like Nisabdh etc.’..Absolutely! Another such misadventure was ‘Boom’ and also “Kank”..honestly Sexy Sam was a bit weird! The reason for accepting these ‘travesties’ of cinema is flummoxing..Why O why!

Films like ‘Khakee’ were good performances..and even lesser known ‘Do Anjaane’..faultless efforts.. sincere and true to the core of the character.

Such discussions remind me of a scene in a Prakash Mehra movie where a sudden change of the jacket and the background music signaled Big B’s extreme anger. One moment he was drunk out of his wits, barely able to stand still, and the next moment he was performing a well choreographed fight which would be difficult for even a well trained acrobat. Hence as a student of cinema I have looked at his work and have found that Big B at best has been very effective with his limited talents. Even his once dear friend, Mr. Mehra had to settle on making Devdas lite (Muquaddar’s Sikander) because he did not think Big B had the ability to do a full blown Devdas.

I was once a fan and as a former fan it makes me sad to see him erode his credibility with movies like Nisabdh etc.

Here is a personality who can get the best talent in Bollywood if not Hollywood to script him year after year a film which can go down as a classic in terms of characterisation, execution and cinematic grammar. Ye he chooses to work with those who at best are conjuring up whimsical dishes, fit for their personal palate and which will unfortunately reflect more on him than them.

One is compelled to think of actors Like De Niro and Paccino.. hardly ever seen them making an ass of themselves. they are choosy, selective , fussy, and rightly so. After all if this is an art then it ought to be treated such.Yes, it is also a profession. But when you have made that rare grade to reach a position where money is not the determining factor, then you owe it to the world to be an exemplification of quality work.. dammit if Ab cannot afford it, who can?

ha.ha..unforgiving arent ya?