see no evil, hear no evil
V for Vendetta finally released over here this week (but only in one multiplex chain, for no apparent reason). I'm going to watch it today with friends, but last evening we suddenly felt the need to watch a Hindi movie, and with only two choices in theatres here (the other being Humko Deewana Kar Gaye) we chose Pyare Mohan.
Now, I wasn't too fond of Indra Kumar's last film, Masti (which Vivek Oberoi described as "A sex comedy without sex" and that should be enough to tell you how lame it was), so despite the cast being the who's who of underappreciated young Bollywood today (what exactly does Fardeen Khan have to do to get a hit?), I was wary. On the other hand, Indra Kumar also directed Ishq, which was hilarious, so maybe Pyare Mohan would be more like that.
I'm very happy to say that it is. Pyare Mohan is genuinely funny and frequently thrilling, there's not a groan-inducing double entendre in sight, and it's a pure distillation of the masala movie dynamic but with a postmodern, slick makeover. The majority of what makes the film work are the two portagonists. In what seems like an eternity, a normal masala movie actually has believable characters as the heroes rather than cardboard cut-out alpha males. Pyare and Mohan are fully realised, likeable, and strong characters from the get-go. Tushar Hiranandani and Milap Zaveri have written them fully aware of the pitfalls of disabled movie characters being iconic poster-chidren for their particular handicap, and strive to make them not only real, but admirable*.
*(so, basically, this means that since none of the disabled people suffer a lot, this film isn't going to win any awards)
The film is shot in a sunny, wonderfully lit way by Sunil Patel (who did the equally good-looking Salaam Namaste and Hum Tum). Full marks to him for not succumbing to the usual Hindi film formula of shooting the romantic bits one way, the action bits another and a drama bits a third (which is kind-of a given in a masala-movie). There's excellent use of match-moving during one song, Love You My Angel. See folks, this is why Hollywood slaved for decades to perfect complex special-effects techniques and equipment -- so that Indian filmmakers could make their song sequences even more over the top.
The visual look of the film is rock solid, and this extends to the promo work as well (Samir and I are particularly taken by the film's logo and posters -- they make Darna Zaroori Hai's already banal posters standing next to them look even worse!).
Anu Malik's music is good, hummable stuff but I hadn't heard much of it before going to see the film, which is a rarity (we in India usually know the soundtracks by heart through radio airplay before a film's release). I have no doubt that it will be getting more play now that the film's released.
The action is exciting, well choreographed and believeable (filled with humour, too), and comes complete with a bloody climax straight out of a 1985 Sunny Deol movie. My only quibble is that in some shots the wires haven't been digitally removed (they either ran out of time or money, or both).
If you want to watch a good, solid, funny movie with all the trappings of a masala movie potboiler from the 1970s and 80s -- and something your kids will enjoy (the ones in the theatre around me were hysterical throughout) -- then go watch it.
But, a part of me feels that Pyare Mohan is more, and that it will never be appreciated for its solid performances by Fardeen Khan and Viveik Annand Oberoi (to give him his credited name), the slickness and consistency of the overall package, the strong characters who really deserve a sequel (since those are in vogue), and the post-modern revamp of the traditional action-comedy-romance-drama masala movie formula that the film's team has achieved, keeping the zany features of the old but cutting out all the dead wood and grounding it with touches of the straightforward and honest style of 'New Hindi Cinema' (like Dil Chahta Hai or Rang De Basanti). Pyare Mohan is crazy and hopelessly filmi, but it's still manages to be believeable.
In striking this fine balance, Indra Kumar and Co. have managed to create a film that will hold up to repeated viewing and linger on in your head.
Dammit, all I wanted was a bit of fluff to tide me over until V for Vendetta, but now I think I'll be quietly chuckling along to the memory of Pyare Mohan's blind car chase while the opening credits of V are running.
Vishal K Bharadwaj is a generalist; a writer, graphic designer, illustrator, photographer and all-round crazy person.
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dont have any more money .... watched being cyrus and V recently .. will have to wait for Pyaare Mohan DVD
Not even for Matinee Show Stalls? The last time you had such a cash flow problem you had a girlfr----oh, I see. (monkey) Saw _Humko_ _Deewana_ _Kar_ _Gaye_ yesterday, not bad -- quite good for a traditional romantic Hindi movie, and Katrina Kaif can actually act. Also saw _V_, that was awesome; I probably need to see that a few times more on DVD.(joker)
Hi Vishal,
I still like Vivek Oberoi ... perhaps its an hangover from his 'Company' days. But any more stunts by him to get success by convoluting his name and he'll get no respect by me. I'm pissed anyway that he had to mess with Ash..IMHO, he's not worthy of her. But then, this is my opinion!
Thanks for your comment on my recent post..i have replied, a bit delayed, though! That said, I'm gonna pick up the V for Vendetta DVD one of these days! cheers, ravi
Hi Ravi, good to hear from you. I've seen Vivek Oberoi do good work (Company, Saathiya), bad work (Dum, Masti) and truly stellar work (Home Delivery) so he's all over the place for me and I judge him on his individual performace, which, I suppose, is what every actor should be judged on, if at all.
V is well worth the price, in my opinion. Do not expect a typical movie, or even a typical comic-book movie. Definitely not for children. This is based on an Alan Moore comic which is worth tracking down as well, as while the essence of the story is the same, the book is much darker, different in many parts and very impactful. Strangely enough, the core themes are somewhat the same as Rang De Basanti, albeit handled in very different ways.
I wanted to say the EXACT same thing about V. even tho i liked the movie, the characters and the fit, I found the pace seriously lacking. The events flew by fast yet the movie somehow failed to generate the urgency that the comic created. hence im a lil dissappointed.
iamit.
I wanted to say the exact same thing about Rang De Basanti and V.
I liked V's more leisurely pace (compared to other American movies that follow a standard plot arc). Part of the pacing problem for someone who has read the book is because there just isn't as much density to the plot -- the simplification of things to suit a movie screenplay means that we, as people going in with knowledge of all the various machinations regarding the peripheral, government characters, find something a bit lacking when everything is put down to the Saint Mary's virus.
I'll have to watch the movie again to fairly judge it on its own merits. Let's just say that at this point I _understand_ why things were changed, and I'm happy that what were for me the three core elements of the tale -- the Doctor's journal, Evey's incarceration, Valerie's 'autobiography' -- were left more or less intact.
It's a little too much to expect FATE and the dealings with all the people who frequent the underground club and its various outcomes to make it into a 2.5hr movie, and even if it did they would be shadows of their former selves -- reduced to gimmicks rather than impactful plot points.
I figure a similar situation will arise whenever _Watchmen_ is made -- many things will be lost or changed (I hear the Pirate comic is completely exorcised) but it may still tell the same tale, which, to my mind, V the movie does.
i think i mustve not been specific. I liked the changes made to the movie too. I agree fitting all the elements that made the comic is highly improbable. however what i was trying to get at is just how the movie kinda lacked pace. im not talking about filling the 2.5 hrs to make the transition look fast. somehow i got the feeling that the scenes were made to look like things are taking shape at their own sweet pace. not what i had in mind.
iamit
Agreed. In the book, no specific time period is mentioned for the events taking place, although it does indeed seem to take place over a year's time. In the movie, V specifically (during his television broadcast) mentions a one year time period for the reunion, thereby -- unconsciously or not -- informing the viewer that the climax of the movie is going to take place one year (in story time) from this event.
In between, because of the greatly edited series of events (I'm specifically talking about the time Evey spends away from V before her incarceration -- reduced to a few days in the movie) the movie does lack the same rollercoaster feeling. Also because of V's broadcast, much of his unpredicatbility is taken away.
"Okay, Here's what I'll do -- one year from now"
Would the urgency be returned if V did not give a time frame? Perhaps. Is the rest of the film diminished, pace-wise, by that statement? Sure, a little, that's about the only place I can see that caused that shift in pace.
Of all the adaptation decisions in the movie, that one does strike me as a little boneheaded. Purely for pacing.
Then again, you and I are looking at it from the perspective of people who have read the book. I would make an educated guess here and say that Evey's incarceration does much to suddenly ratchet up the tension fo the 'virgin' viewer, and they'll probably find no problem with pace.
Still, I wonder what the film would be like without the mention of the one year time-frame, but, unfortunately, the way the film is structured now -- the climax's mass gathering and all -- it seems a difficult task to just edit the mention of the time-frame out as this would greatly diminish the coherency of the climax and the gathering when it happens (i.e. suddenly we'd be asking, "Why are all of these people here today?").
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