Hi Pravinder and Rajeev,
I am replying for both of you at one shot,
Pravinder,
Thanks for the compliment :)... I actually missed out on some more stunning
moments but then already the review was running long like the movie itself, and
then ppl would start complaining again ;).....
And yes..... I have the side effects too.... guess every ARR fan would
Rajeev,
Yes it was ultraStar Del mar... The theater sucks big time... no doubt abt
it....The sound effects were screwed up... probably that did not help u in
enjoying the movie ;) anyways I am glad to have found a ARR fan in SD... nice
to meet u :)
have fun,
Arun
----- Original Message ----
From: Pravinder Sheoran <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 12:14:18 AM
Subject: [arr] Re: My review of JA - Just Awesome
Hi Arun,
Ur review is perhaps best till now of all the reviews i have read,
I felt exactly the same as u did at many moments,
Thanks for such a nice review.
Pravinder
--- In arrahmanfans@ yahoogroups. com, Arunkumar Balasubramanian
<arunkmanian@ ...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
> I watched JA on friday in San Diego but dint find time to write
abt it though... anyways here it goes... Actually taken right from my
blog ;)
>
>
>
> It's been a really long time since I wrote about some
Bollywoodmovie. Probably its just that I am lazy or that the movie
does not deserve myanother one hour or so apart from the 3 I would
have spent watching it..(SometimesI would loose interest even half way
through ;))
>
> I seriously wanted to write about Taare Zameen Par.. I watched it in
India on mywinter break and boy.."Was I impressed with it?"...
Definitely.. .. Nosecond thoughts about it. After having watched some
really ordinary or belowaverage movies it was like a refresher. Most
of the movies lacked in alldepartments while some did have good things
in bits and pieces but none of themas a package, did impress me. I did
not have time to review the movie on myvacation. But to say in one
line, TZP had some very fine acting, a nice script,beautiful music and
good direction.
> Thats how the year 2007 ended in terms of movies for me.
>
> 2008, the biggest release in the first quarter "Jodha Akbar" had
allpossible delays and the release dates were postponed like how a
softwarerelease would happen. The had some bigwigs
> from the industry , right from the producer to the director , the
lead pair andof course the music director 'A.R.Rahman' . The canvas was
big but the promotionwasn' t . If only it were SRK, you could have
imagined how he would havepromoted the movie. Either no one was
interested to promote of it was theconfidence in the movie and its
stars which the producers believed would get theaudience to the halls.
Believe me, if there is one star whose movie wouldattract audience
even without any kind of promotion would be the "TamilSuperstar"
Rajnikanth. But I don't think anyone else has such a crazy
fanfollowing to get the investment back without advertising the movie.
> Anyways, I had no big hopes on this movie except that it had some
great songsby AR Rahman. I just loved all of them when the music was
released sometime inJan. He proves now and again as to why he is way
above the rest of the league.Well then again Gowariker has given
Swades and Lagaan, which according to mewere very good, so thought I
should give it a shot. "May be he has comeout with some good stuff
again", I said to myself.
> The movie released on 15th of Feb in San
> Diego at a really small hall in one of the multiplexes. (The hall
was super small for any multiplex standard.... at least I would notgo
there again). I was surprised to see a housefull show. ("How the
heckdid so many of them come to know abt this movie?" ... just
thinkingaloud) . The movie started off with Amitabh Bachchan's
narration about India duringthe Mughal period and soon the camera
panned on to the battle field. I guessthis was around 9.45 in the
night and from then on till 1.20 a.m it was a spectacularshow of audio
and visuals. Many complained about the length of the movie butfor me
it was worth every minute. "You are there to be entertained. Thenwhy
not get entertained for a little longer, why do you complain???? Think
itslike a 'Buy 2 get 1 free offer'..... a few extra minutes free for
the money uhave paid". Probably it is a prejudice that a movie should
run for just 21/2 hours only (get that out of your heads guys).
> I am not reviewing this movie but re-viewing a few moments from my
memory whichI thought made this film a piece of art, worth the money I
paid. Although themovie has a lot of characters and thousands of
extras, it belongs to theelegantly beautiful Aishwarya as Jodha Bai
and sophisticated nobleman JalaudinMuhammad played by Hrithik Roshan.
They are such a striking pair. I dint saythis when I saw Dhoom-2
though. The chemistry they share is simply superb. Thecasting could
not have got better than this for the roles of the protagonists.
>
> (Eye)shwarya was more beautiful than ever, should I say cute or
charming? Ijust loved the way she played Jodha, seemed perfectly
tailor made for her. Thesoftness in the character, her gait, her long
hair, everything suited her."The lady in Red" mesmerizes the audience
with her simplicity. MeanwhileHrithik seems to have enjoyed the
character and played Jalal with ease (he hasgiven an outstanding
performance) . Not sure if anyone would have done justiceto his role.
>
> The main theme of the movie is the love story although it does have
other plotsjuxtaposed to the story line. Bollywood has beaten this
theme in all directionsand has come to a saturation point but still
the director has succeeded ingiving us a simple and beautiful story,
really well told. There are a lot offine points I can think of.
> First and foremost, this movie would not have been what it is , if
not for thegrandiose music by the "Mozart of Asia". The background
music isoutstanding, spell bounding. Rahman, who has given some great
background scores,is one person who knows its importance and has done
his job commendably. As faras I know there are only two music
composers who can create magic in backgroundscores. One of them is
Rahman and the other is Ilayaraja.( interesting both ofthem are from
the south). There are moments where his instrumentals enliven thescene
and make it
> special.
>
> I shall present a few scenes which are worth mentioning and then
later throwsome light on the songs as well
> 1. The emperor is holding a session with the Muslim leaders who are
complainingabout his marriage to a Hindu. They are angry that he
accepted her proposal fora temple inside the palace. And he assures
them that nothing will happen andshe will not change anything. While
he is doing so there is this beautifulbeing sung by Jodha. He is so
immersed in her voice that the whole world comesto a standstill for
him. He adjourns the session and strolls closer to thesource of the
voice.( Well now who doesn't want a beautiful wife with a sweetvoice?)
He walks into her chamber and removes his shoes before entering
theGod's chamber. The director has shown the smallest details although
he couldhave missed it and not have shot the shoe scene at all. But
thats what makesthe difference. Then the emperor moves closer to Jodha
who on noticing theemperor stops singing, and offers him the aarthi
and sindhoor. He has no clueas to what it is. This one scene is good
enough to
> show the cultural differencewhich Jodha stresses on in the night of
her marriage. (She restricts theemperor to move closer to her until
they know each other well)
>
> 2. Jalal tries to impress Jodha by presenting her with some fine
jewelry anddedicating the lunch in her honour. So Jodha feels she
should cook for theemperor. Then comes this scene where Jodha is
forced to taste the food beforethe emperor can, for security reasons.
This is an intense scene (the backgroundscore makes it feel intense).
But this is so finely turned into a light momentwhen Jodha asks the
Emperor to stop just as he is about to eat. "Don't eat thefood. The
amount of salt in it is not optimum", says she. This just brokethe
whole audience into laughter. And then she looks at Maham Anga with a
smileof victory. Words aren't necessary always to express something so
powerful.
>
> 3. The sword fight between Jodha and Jalal has been choreographed
and shotwell, highlighting the intimacy between the couple. For a
moment Jodha losesher control and almost gives in to Jalal who has
overpowered her and tries toget close.
>
> 4. The scene where Jalal tries to coax her and convince her to go
back with himto Agra hassome wonderful background music. This scene
would not have been as effective ifnot for the music. It's so
mellifluous, beautifying the already amazingly shotpiece. I love the
lighting and the sets of her chamber. The cinematographergets full
credit for using the lighting so effectively. The close-up shotsalong
with the music are mesmerizing.
>
> 5. I kinda enjoyed this one a lot. Jodha is learning Urdu while
Jalal walks in.The teacher walks out of the room.Jodha shows Jalal
what she has written. Sheis really excited and wants to know how he
feels. "Whatever you have written inyour calligraphic handwriting is
beautiful", he says. She asks him to readit out aloud. He just replies
back asking her to read it out instead. She isbaffled as to if she has
written something wrong, but he insists on her to goahead and read. "A
hindu girl does not tell out her husband's name ", is herreply. And
then he reveals to her that he doesnt know how to read or write (Iwont
use the word uneducated though- this would be an understatement) .
>
> 6. The scene when Jalal walks into Jodha's chamber after she has
gone back toAmer is again worth mentioning. The music makes you feel
the emptiness and hislonging for his love. But the highlight is when
he misses the Krishnastatue in the mandir in her room. It's actually
Jashn-e-Bahara which is playedin the background.
>
> I might have missed out on a few more interesting moments. When you
have tochoose between two things which are superlative its a tough
decision. Over hereI dint know if I should be enjoying the music or
the cinematography. Theycomplemented each other excellently.
>
> Now moving to the songs.
> Each is a gem. Nothing short of a masterpiece! I should saythat
ARR-Ashutosh combo creates wonder every time.
> 1. The first song is Mann-Mohana which is played in parts. The voice
isbeautiful and gels with Ash's character. The first part though is a
sadderversion where Jodha prays for saving her from the marriage
alliance with theMughal Emperor. The second one is sung when she is in
Agra and creates a first impression on Jalal.I have already put down
the situation above.
>
> 2. Khwaja Mere Khwaja comes next and leaves a lasting impression.
ARR has givenan outstanding number. He has sung with sincerity and
devotion which you cantell from his rendition. This Sufi number is
indeed a masterpiece. Shot very well.I kinda like the finish though,
all the singers are in a trance and dancing,Jalal is also so involved
in the music that he leaves his inhibitions behindand joins the group
in trance.
>
> 3. "Kehne ko Jashn-e-Bahara hai", my favourite in the album ( and
formany other too, I beleive) has been picturised pretty well, in the
lush gardensof the Agrafort and its interiors. Their love is depicted
wonderfully; the way that eachof them maintains distance yet want to
stay close has been shot really nice.However the song cuts short and I
longed for it be longer. The couple looksawesome.
>
> 4. Azeem-o-shaan shenshah.... ... This song reminds me of a song in
an old movie"Chandralekha" .
> Both of them are grand and has a lot of dancers. Amazingly
choreographed, to aneven amazing music. It sets the screen ablaze with
the visuals. I wish I hadwatched this movie in a better theater . The
sound system sucked big time. WhenI had heard this song on CD I
thought it was a victory song. Victory of a War,but this was for
Victory of Love and faith of the subjects. It has ARR writtenall over it.
>
> 5. "In Lamhon ka daaman Me"... For me this is the most
beautifullyshot song in this movie. I just fell in love with this song
after havinh seenthe way it was shot. Everything was perfect....
"Picture Perfect!" tosay. The body language and intimacy between the
couple is romantic but thedirector does not cross the line to make it
erotic... Sonu and Madhusreejustify ARR's selection for the lead pair.
>
> Now..... Don't u think this is much worthier a movie than those u
would haveseen in the recent past? This movie is grandeur exemplified.
Whether it'sthe draped leading lady (I just can't forget how beautiful
she was in the reddrapes) or the muscle-man king, or the singers,
dancers et all have put insincere effort which deserves your appreciation.
>
> Nothing is more valuable to the artist than the appreciation he gets
from theaudience. JA stands for "Just Awesome!"
> And here I bow down to all of them who have made this movie and
epic,Especially ARR-Ashutosh :) waiting for more from the duo….
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Thanks guys,
> Arun
> http://arunmanian. blogspot. com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
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