Wake Up Sid - Talking Points

This is NOT a review. These are some points which I felt are necessary to discuss.

The term ‘Coming of age’ is, quintessentially, Hindi cinema. The hero, not always necessarily a very young man, is almost always jobless and does not have much maturity in understanding his responsibilities. Yet, the heroine still falls for him. And by the time the movie ends, we get to see the transformation of this hero into a more mature, understanding-his-responsibilities who gets-the-girl man! If this is not ‘coming of age’, then what is? It’s just that our filmmakers have been more forthcoming and liberal in using the tag ‘coming of age’ in the last few years.

The basic premise of Wake Up Sid is not exactly ground-breaking. Sid, a spoilt but privileged college student, with no sense of purpose or responsibilities, wakes up to life after interacting with Aisha. The only ‘hatke’ thing here is that Aisha, the heroine, is older and supposedly more mature than him.

Right from the initial scene, when we see Sid, the film travels to known territory. Sid is least interested in his studies and thinks that life is a big party. His rich parents don’t seem to be too bothered and happily pay his credit card bills. Firstly, why is it that, urban, rich kids are always shown to be so confused with life? Also, why is it that, neither of Sid’s parents say anything to him when they are aware that he his least bit interested in his studies? Isn’t education of any importance to them? Especially so, when we hear Sid’s mother complaining that Sid was a good student in school. Yet, she chooses to be a doting mother who has nothing to say. Also why do most fathers try and bribe their kids with a Porsche (or a Mercedes or BMW) to join their business when they have just finished their degree (B.Com in the case of this movie)?

These things are highly questionable.

Now let’s focus on Aisha. She has come to Mumbai all the way from Kolkata to start her life. She says, she has no friends, or family here. Yet, and just after a couple of days in Mumbai, she manages to get an apartment of her own. The transformation of that apartment into a designer suite is hard to take seriously. We see Aisha along with Sid and his friends painting the apartment on their own because Aisha cannot afford much money. Yet, the drapes used in the apartment are of designer quality. She uses a Mac but cannot afford a washing machine. Details, anyone? These things just don’t fit in. I wonder if everyone has to look his or her best and stay in the best possible places no matter what their backgrounds are just because it is a Karan Johar movie!!

After Sid moves out of the house and stays with Aisha, not even once do we get to see a scene where his parents call him up and persuade him to come back home. Is that normal? Much later, we do see his mother coming to the apartment, and offering Aisha money instead of actually staying back till Sid comes and persuading him to return back to their house. Nor do we see a single scene where Sid’s parents are concerned about Sid abandoning them and the house. Aren’t they bothered at all?

One might say that some things are obvious and if explained, will be akin to spoon-feeding. I agree, too. But if that is the case, then why write a screenplay with a clichéd story. Isn’t a dad’s trying to bribe his son with a car clichéd? Isn’t showing a doting mother saying nothing to her spoilt son clichéd?

So far my article might seem to be a rant. Yes, it is. It is a sin to have such an ordinary first half that is so full of clichés for a movie whose second half is just brilliant! The treatment of the second half where we see two parallel coming-of-age stories is just exceptional. That completely elevates this movie and makes the movie a decent enough watch.

The movie benefits immensely from the technical department. The cinematography by Anil Mehta makes Bombay look beautiful. The background score elevates the movie. Amit Trivedi rocks with 'Iktara'.

But what makes the movie are the performances. Ranbir Kapoor just nails it. He IS Sid. It is tough to share screen space with the most talented actress of our times - Konkona Sen Sharma. But Ranbir actually does exceptionally well. Konkona is always good. She can never be even average. But the surprise package of the movie is Shikha Talsania who plays Sid's friend Laxmi. She is just so natural.

Anupam Kher and Supriya Pathak are wasted as their role is far too cliched. But what is Rahul 'the stud who never gets the girl' Khanna doing here? It is the same role he did in Love Aaj Kal.

The direction of Ayan Mukherji is so assured. It is a pity that his script doesn’t quite compliment his directorial skills. Had he worked on the script a bit more, we could have had one of the best “coming of age” movies of our times.

I guess he needs to ‘wake up’ now! Or is it Karan Johan who needs to wake up?

Corporate Burnout

There is a scene in ‘Requiem for a Dream’ where director Darren Aronofsky uses a montage where multiple things are happening concurrently with different characters in the movie. The way that montage has been edited gives us a feeling of a machine working.

After having worked as a Database Administrator for two years, I often find myself identifying to that scene. My education and work happened in a very similar way depicted in that montage. I finished my Bachelor of Engineering, worked for a year, followed that with pursuing a Masters in Engineering and worked again for another year. Although it was solely my decision to study Engineering and work, and while I did fairly well in both, there was a sense of frustration building up in me all along. There came in a point when work just did not seem creative or interesting enough!

I have been fascinated about cinema since my childhood. As I grew up, I also started understanding and appreciating the different technical aspects of it rather than the mere gloss and glory. Editing to me is the most creative technical aspect of film-making. Depending on how you edit a film, the entire perception towards it can change.

When I was working in Bangalore and every time I went home, I used to assist a family friend who is a documentary film-maker. I tried to learn about shot selection, camera angles, what to use as a subject, how to edit and the like. I however learnt much more while having discussions with him about the movie. When I said this camera angle suits better, he would defend himself and that two-way dialogue used to be fascinating. His explanation about why he wanted to compose a particular shot as per his vision and not mine, educated me a lot more than just handling the camera would have perhaps.

Later when I was working in Dallas, I joined an independent film club where they would watch Indie films every weekend and discuss them. Hearing so many points of view of various people from different walks of life, all gathered together just for their love of cinema, triggered my longing to learn editing even further.

So here I am a corporate burnout, currently without a job, waiting to join a film institute to learn editing, not sure what the future holds, with nothing but pride and satisfaction that atleast I am going to do what I always wanted.

Wanted | The Return of Machismo

When we search the word ‘Hero’ in the dictionary, it says ‘a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities’. After watching Wanted one gets the same feeling. Wanted is all about Hero-ism. It brings back the days when Hindi cinema was about macho-ism. Where the hero would be so larger than life that nothing will happen to him and he will get away with everything he wants to do. When Hindi cinema is going through a change, the change being more real life stories attempted and more so called ‘multiplex movies’ are being made, it feels nice to see a true unpretentious film about being larger than life.

Salman plays Radhe, a hitman who works for anyone who quotes the highest. Then there are a few ‘Bhais’ who are trying to rule over Mumbai. Among the ‘Bhais’, the main competition is among Golden gang headed by Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj) and Data Pawle gang. Obviously there is a corrupt cop, Inspector Talpade (played by Mahesh Manjrekar) and an honest Police Commissioner, Ashraf Khan (Govind Namdeo). How can I forget the seedhi-saadhi girl (Ayesha Takia Azmi)? Well Salman works for Golden gang and starts cleaning the members of the other gangs. Meanwhile Govind Namdeo promises to have a clean Mumbai and Mahesh Manjrekar’s lustful eyes fall on Ayesha Takia. Ayesha however seems to have fallen in love with Salman even after watching him on a killing spree. If only more girls were there like her! Anyway, there is not much novelty in the storyline and the movie doesn’t claim that.

But the film is fairly entertaining. The entire movie revolves around Salman. It is about the aura of macho-ism he creates. After a long time he delivers. This movie does not require him to display his histrionics. It needs him to create an environment where everything is larger than life. Thanks to the editing and the action set pieces, he manages that. When Salman takes on more than 10 people alone, one doesn’t laugh but feels confident that this guy can beat the crap out of those 10 people. This dynamism succeeds in making the film entertaining.

Ayesha Takia Azmi however disappoints big time. Her character is just not believable. I mean it is just un-fathomable that an educated, urban girl will like a person like Salman even after watching him on rampage. Her scenes with Salman just doesn’t work. The scenes inside the lift and on the railway station are so badly written that one cringes. One person who really entertains with his performance is Prakash Raj. His character is very over the top. There was every chance to make a caricature of out it. To his credit he balances the comic element and the negativity pretty well. Mahesh Manjrekar, Govind Namdeo, Vinod Khanna and Inder Kumar are all decent in their roles.

The film however suffers from a pathetic comedy track. It is crude which probably goes well with the story and treatment. What does not work is the fact that most of the comic scenes are just not funny and seems completely out of context.

The music also is of mixed variety. ‘Jalwa’ is the only song that is good. The rest of the songs are bad and also the placement is very poor. They are just not needed. It would have helped the film immensely had a couple of songs been edited out.

Technically however the movie pretty good. Cinematography by Nirav Shah and S Sriram is good. The background score by Salim-Suleiman although a tad loud fits well with the movie. The two technical aspects which however completely elevate the movie are editing and action. The editing, especially during the action sequences is really good. The action set pieces created by Vijayan Master are simply phenomenal. We are used to stylized action for a long time now. This is just raw violence and it looks spectacular on screen. One also needs to applaud Salman for executing them with gusto. The climax action sequence (although copied from the French movie Banlieue 13) is just outstanding.

Prabhu Deva should be given credit for utilizing Salman Khan properly. However he should have edited the comic track and a couple of songs from the movie which would have made the film crisper and better.

At a time when we are appreciating dumb, mindless, popcorn flicks like Transformers 2 and G.I.Joe, we probably should give Wanted a fair try. It is unpretentious fun at its best. Is it a great film? No. Is it an entertaining film? Yes. If you want to watch a time-pass, entertaining film, Wanted is just for you. If you want a movie where you need your gray matter to work, sit at home and enjoy something else. Why bother going to the theater and whine later.

Mohandas – A Man Lost in his Own Nation

“Fake lives are real and the real does not even exist.”

I heard about the movie Mohandas a few months back. I searched on Youtube and after playing with the keywords for a while, finally found the trailer. I was interested as I loved Mazhar Kamran’s work in Satya. After finding the trailer interesting, I kept waiting to hear more about the movie from someone on PFC. Sadly, no one recommended. Nor did anyone talk about the movie. Last week I came to know the movie is releasing on 4^th September. I was worried whether the movie will release in Bangalore or not. Thankfully it did. It is running 2 shows in entire Bangalore. Talk about fate of Hindi indie films in India!

The film tells the story of Mohandas, a brilliant student despite economic backwardness and how his life turns topsy-turvy when he finds out someone impersonified him and is working in the coal mines instead of him. His story is then sent to a news channel based in Delhi and how a journalist tries to uncover the truth.

Mohandas revives the cinema of the late 70s and early 80s when movies talked about social inequities and had something to say. It looks really different than the rest of the Hindi movies just because of the landscape. The barren lands, the coal mines, the dust, the poverty all adds up to create an atmosphere of frustration just like the protagonist is experiencing.

There is a scene in the movie when Mohandas says, “Woh kagaz kahan se laoon, jo yeh baat bataae, ki main hi main hoon." And then you see the despair in his eyes and the camera shifts to the all the other characters present there and no one has an answer. That makes the movie scary and very topical. Identity theft is a very serious issue in the internet age and several instances have been found. The movie which talks about it is located in a village in Madhya Pradesh which probably does not have electricity.

The beauty of the film lies in its story. Here there is a movie which has a story to tell. You get deeply engrossed into the movie as it progresses. It is like slow burn. As the movie progresses, one feels the frustration, anger, despair of the protagonist. The rustic color palette that the movie uses due to the real locations is so different than the regular Hindi movies we see, that it becomes a character of its own.

The characterization in the movie is also very realistic. We see a lot of people with gray shades for a change. There is a local journalist who is interested in Mohandas’ case as it might help him get a break into national television. Although the local people talks about Mohandas’ case, no one is interested to really help him out.

Towards the end of the film, after the verdict is given, the cast breaks into song and dance mode. It kind of comes out of place in context of the movie and I was wondering why on earth the director added this. Thankfully the movie does not end there and the reality prevails. The movie ends brilliantly. It feels like a tight slap on the face. Although it might feel pessimistic, it is actually closer to reality.

Coming to technicalities, the cinematography is really good. But we expect that from Mazhar Kamran. There were two instances where it went out of focus, but I think it was the flaw of the projection. The background score (and sometimes the lack of it) adds to the mood of the movie. Since real locations have been used, it looks very believable. However, one scene at the beginning of the movie which shows Sonali Kulkarni’s apartment is very unrealistic. How come she, a journalist live in such a posh apartment? Even if she does, the color choices of the interior decor are cringe worthy. There are instances in the first half where the pace slackens and probably needs a little bit of editing. The flaskback of Mohandas’ childhood is very clichéd. Similar scenes of poor child shining in school have been shown umpteenth times.

Coming to performances, Mohandas has an ensemble cast. Nakul Vaid underplays the role beautifully. His eyes do show the pain. Sonali Kulkarni is good. Aditya Shrivastav as always is brilliant. Uttam Halder, someone I never saw before is really good as the local journalist. Govind Namdeo, Sushant Singh and Akhilendra Mishra are competent. Sharbani Mukherjee falters to some extent. I thought she didn’t look the part. Also the way she speaks is unconvincing.

Mohandas is a rare Hindi movie which dares to speak something different. It is an independent movie in the true sense. It makes a very strong socio-political statement of the current times.

It is flawed. But then flawed brilliance is still brilliant, right?

Post Script:

One noted film critic (or not) while reviewing Mohandas has said, “…not all stories have the potential to be adapted for the big screen. Mohandas suffers due to this reason.”

There were 7 people in the theater other than me. Except for one guy, I don’t think anyone was even remotely interested in watching the movie. I could overhear popcorn discussions frequently.

While coming out there was huge rush as Fox also finished next door. The discussions were detailed analysis of the northern and southern hemisphere of Udita Goswami and what cars Arjun Rampal drove. Within moments of coming out of the theater, it felt like another India.

Wake Up!

Shattered Dreams

Secluded for ages
Don't know what to do
Life's been an abusive pain

Traveled the dark alleys of drugs
Thought they will provide sunshine
Instead took me to another cosmos
So brutal; Left me battered

Self mutilation was the only way out
Looked around for inspiration
Found it; Two slices on the wrist
A surging pain of relief

Quarter of a life flashed
Thought will see only nightmares
Wait! The images I recall are of joy
Is this what life has been?

Confused. Why now?
Do I want a second chance?
But it's too late
All I see is darkness ahead

Eyes open. I see blood all around
I am cowardice personified
Never tried hard for anything in life
Yet complained, "Amores Perros"

Wake Up!
It's never too late
Wake Up!
Redemption tastes good, always

Antaheen – Longing For Love

http://passionforcinema.com/antaheen-%E2%80%93-the-longs-for-love/

‘Antaheen’ is a collage of love stories, without saying the most abused phrase in Hindi (or Indian) cinema ‘I love you’ even once. Perhaps that is why I identified with it so much. The love shown here seems real, one that can happen in our lives and change them forever. Love comes in many different ways at various points of the lives of the characters in ‘Antaheen’. Love is watching Kolkata in the rains, a de-familiarized landscape. Love is Persian poet Rumi’s love poem written on the glass divider and rain drops falling on it. Love is talking about a kite trapped in an antenna. Love is also patiently waiting for the phone to ring so that one can hear the voice of the unknown caller. Love is also a phone call to one’s separated wife and requesting her if he can come over and stay with her for a few days just to feel that emotional attachment and the sense of belonging. Love is also a nod from a busy and indifferent businessman to his servant to give his wife medicine, when she suffers from migraine.

Moments like these make ‘Antaheen’. It is in all these fragments that we understand the totality of love in this film.

I enjoy discussing the craft of the movie more than the story line or the entertainment quotient. ‘Antaheen’ gives ample opportunity to do that. Let’s start with cinematography. Abhik Mukhopadhyay, I believe, is currently the best cinematographer in India. His work in ‘Bhalo Theko’ is a testament to that statement. I think he outperforms himself in ‘Antaheen’. Kolkata has never looked so up-market, chic and romantic. The sky scrapers, view of the city from the high rises, roads and traffic jam amidst rain, clouds, indoors all add up to give Kolkata a new look for viewers. The songs are wonderfully shot and for once the lyrics and the shots merge perfectly.

The editing compliments the cinematography perfectly. There are frames where the camera lingers on for couple of seconds more before its transition to the next scene which makes them extra special. The pace is slow. But that is ideal for a movie like this. It is almost a contrast to the fast paced urban life in the movie. I think the slow pacing is deliberate to bring out the pathos of loneliness in the middle of urbanity.

The soundtrack of ‘Antaheen’ is the best Bengali soundtrack I have heard this entire decade (or more). The songs with their picturization are special, especially ‘Jao Pakhi’. Also, the songs merge into the narrative very smoothly.

Aniruddha Roychowdhury’s direction deserves merit. He previously made ‘Anuranan’ (Resonance), a film that dealt with urban relationships. Although I liked that film, somewhere down the line I felt it was a little hurried, especially at the end. In ‘Antaheen’ he gets it right. It ends hitting the perfect note. There are many sub-plots in the movie and he handles most of them brilliantly. ‘Antaheen’ is very emotional movie and to sustain the emotional quotient till the very end is commendable. He also extracts great performances from the cast especially the newcomers.

Talking about performances, Antaheen has a stellar star cast with performers like Aparna Sen, Sharmila Tagore and Rahul Bose. There are also two debutants, Radhika Apte and Kalyan Roy. Let’s talk about the debutants first. Both Radhika Apte and Kalyan Roy are phenomenal. They are so good that one forgets about Aparna Sen and Rahul Bose although they have similar screen time as the debutants. Radhika Apte’s eyes speak a thousand words. Her performance is one of the most spontaneous performances in recent times. Kalyan Roy as the laidback, separated husband who loves books, foreign wines and Sensex is equally brilliant. It is the star performers who falter to an extent. Rahul Bose is his usual self. Also, his one dimensional character didn’t help. Aparna Sen on the other hand has an interesting role. I don’t think she played a corporate lady before. It's a new look for her too. Yet, she looks a tad tired with her performance. Sharmila Tagore is wasted in a small role. Except one scene where she talks about her story, all she does is bring Jasmine tea.

The biggest flaw of the movie is the endorsements which keep coming in almost every frame of the movie like a pop-up. It becomes an irritant and makes some scenes a laughing stock. Also certain scenes went a little overboard and became melodramatic. Rahul Bose quoting Jim Morrison in a hostage situation is hard to digest.

The movie becomes the journey of all the characters on a self discovery trip and long for love. Some end alone, some together. But the longing remains.

Great Soundtracks……Terrible Movies

The most common allegation about the Hindi film industry that people make is that its worst phase was from mid 1980s till the mid 1990s. Movies released during the late 1980s are in most people’s “Torture Series”. However, there are a lot of movies which had really exceptional music even though the movies were terrible.

Being born in 1981, the late 80s are almost a blurred memory. The only thing I remember is we used have a monthly movie time when dad used to hire a VCR and we were let to watch movies. That was the good part. The bad part was that out of 10 movies shown, 8 were Bengali movies of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. Not that they weren’t great. They were and still are. But, we had seen them so many times that we got bored of them. Also, I don’t think anyone below 10 would really be interested watch those movies. What we (we being my cousin brother and I) waited eagerly was when were shown the non-Bengali stuff. It used to be mainly Chaplin/Laurel-Hardy/Tom and Jerry or the live action comic book movies like Superman/Batman etc… Once in while we were let to watch Hindi movies.

Even then I was too young to understand most Hindi movies. But, what I used to like about them is their soundtrack. Later in my late teens, I revisited most movies by getting their VHS tapes or VCDs. And most movies were indeed shocking.

Jeeva – 1986 – Raj Sippy – RD Burman – Sanjay Dutt/Mandakini

My most favorite song from the 1980s is ‘Roz Roz Aankhon Tale’.

I don’t remember anything about the movie from childhood other than loving the song. Later when I watched it again I almost felt like throwing up when that song played. Why? No offense but when I saw Mandakini lip syncing it, it was way too much for me to digest. Add to that the horrible movie. Did all the movies made that time had to be ‘Gaon ka chora’ returning as a dacait to take revenge? Well, what more can we expect from the famous Raj Sippy – creator of such wonderful movies as Loha (1987), Shehzaade (1989), Saugandh (1991), Mr. Bond (1992), Ikke Pe Ikka (1994), Paandav (1995) among others. The only film I remember liking is ‘Satte Pe Satta’. But, to his credit most his films did pretty well at the box office.

Jaanbaaz – 1986 – Feroz Khan – Kalyanji Anandji – Anil Kapoor/Feroz Khan/Dimple/Rekha

A film which had songs like “Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo”…“Har Kisi Ko Nahi Milta”…“Jaane Jana” among others.

I don’t even want to comment on the film as I had no idea what was going on. For me watching Rekha performing to ‘Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo’ with a group of dancers who seemed to be doing some kind of S&M on stage was painful enough.

I however loved watching Sridevi wearing chiffon sarees and dancing to ‘Har Kisi Ko’.

Vijay – 1988 – Yash Chopra – Shiv Hari – Rishi Kapoor/Anil Kapoor/Meenakshi/Kimi

One of the poorer works of Yash Chopra (but infinitely better than ‘Faasle’). But the movie had a pretty decent soundtrack. Songs like “Badal Pe Chalke Aa”…“Zindagi Har Janam”…“Meri Aankhen Hai” were moderate hits then.

The movie was like the song picturization itself. Watching Kimi Katkar in a Yash Chopra movie itself is a shock. Add to that Kimi’s dress and suddenly around 1:14 into the song Anil and Meenakshi pops out from nowhere. Damn scary!

Goonj – 1989 – Jalal Agha – Biddu – Kumar Gaurav/Juhi Chawla

I remember watching this movie when I was really young. The only thing I remember is the song “Saama Yeh Suhana”. It’s one of my favorite songs. The movie however definitely isn’t.

Everytime I watch the song, I cringe at the expression of the actor from 0.40 - 0.42. It’s worth treasuring.

It is surprising whenever I talk about this song, most people think of the song ‘Saama Hai Suhana Suhana’ sung by Kishore Kumar from the movie ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani’. The co-incidence is that Jalal Agha featured in the song ‘Saama Hai Suhana Suhana’ while he was the director of ‘Goonj’. I wonder if he paid tribute to the song by keeping the same lyrics in his own movie.

Yaara Dildara – 1991 – Mirza Brothers – Jatin Lalit – Aasif Sheikh/Ruchika Pandey

The horrible movie had couple of huge hits, “Bin Tere Sanam” and “Tum Hi Humari Manzil”.

“Bin Tere Sanam” was a big hit then but even a bigger hit now thanks to the remix version. The other song that was really popular is “Tum Hi Humari Manzil”. I do not recall much of the movie other than that I couldn’t finish watching it as it was so bad.

I know Aasif Sheikh did lots of movies after that as a character actor. But I have no idea about the actress. Probably her first and last movie.

Drohi – 1992 – Ram Gopal Varma – RD Burman – Nagarjuna/Urmila

One of the most under-rated soundtracks of RD Burman and also of the 90s. The best song obviously is beautiful “Tum Jo Mile To” sung by Suresh Wadkar.

Not only this song, “Dooba Dooba Nashe Mein” sung by Asha Bhonsle is also a very interesting composition. This movie forms the base for the now cult classic “Satya”. Drohi is almost frame to frame similar to Satya. Yet this doesn’t even come near to Satya.

Mashooq – 1992 – Mirza Brothers – Shyam Surender – Ayub Khan/Ayesha Julka

The Mirza Brothers were back after the disaster of Yaara Dildara to create another disaster, Mashooq. But like in Yaara Dildara, this movie also had a great soundtrack.

Couple of songs were huge hits. “Deewana Dil Dhoonde” and “Kaun Ho Tum”.

The other songs, “Yeh Dhadkan Mere Dil Ki”…“Tum Dil To” were also decent enough. Wish the movie was half as decent as the soundtrack.

Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi – 1993 – Mahesh Bhatt – Annu Malik – Rahul Roy/Pooja Bhatt

Probably Annu Malik’s best compositions ever as a complete album. I don’t recall a single song that was even average - forget bad. From “Tere Dar Par Sanam”…“Baadlon Mein Chuup”… “Aane Wala Kal”…“Dil Deta Hai”…Dil Mein Sanam” to my personal favorite “Shairana Si Hai” – every single song is a gem.

Sadly, the movie didn’t even get a theatrical release. It was probably the first movie ever to premiere on TV (Zee TV if I recall correctly). Even then, the movie was horrible to say the least.

Imtihaan – 1994 – Harry Baweja – Annu Malik – Sunny Deol/Raveena/Saif

Two movies released around the same time. One was Deewana starring Rishi Kapoor and Shah Rukh, while the other was Imtihaan. Both had literally the same plot. One was a smash hit, the other flop. Imtihaan was the later and deservingly so. However, the soundtrack of the movie was actually great. It had some of the best songs of 1994.

The soundtrack consists of great songs such as “Is Tarah Aashiqui Ka”…“Chaha To Bahut”…“Do Baate Ho Sakti” among others.

The Gentleman – 1994 – Mahesh Bhatt – AR Rahman/Annu Malik – Chiranjeevi/Juhi Chawla

How can there be any list about soundtracks without the mention of Rahman. So here it is, Mahesh Bhatt’s disaster ‘The Gentleman’. The funny thing with this movie is although the music of three of the biggest hits of the soundtrack is given by AR Rahman, he only gets a ‘thank you’ note at the beginning and Annu Malik’s name is mentioned in the credits.

“Roop Suhana Lagta Hai” and “Chika Bika” were huge hits. The picturization of ‘Chika Bika’ wasn’t even close to that of the original by Prabhu Deva. The movie was again the same modern day Robin Hood story. I don’t recall a single good movie Mahesh Bhatt made from 1994 to 1999 with the exception of Zakhm.

The above list includes 10 terrible movies with great soundtracks. Wish the directors worked half as hard on the screenplays as the music composers did towards their music.

Footnote:

I am focusing only on movies which had great soundtracks but were terrible movies and also flop at the box office. There are a lot of horrible movies with good music which were successful at the box office. Since they were successful, it means certain segment of people appreciated them. So, I am not taking them into consideration.