Dear Vivek, My intentions were never to advertise my inconsequential meets with AR bhai. Most in the forum already knows of whatever little time I have spent with him. He is like a brother to me, first and foremost, his being an MD or a legend is now secondary to me. The point I was trying to make needed more telling perhaps. See, I had at many instances told AR bhai about the success of various movies and scripts and he would sometime agree and sometimes he wouldn't. One such instance occurred with Dhoom 2. I told him that it would bomb because of a weak script and he insisted that it wouldn't because of marketing and cast no matter how bad the script was. He has told me that these were the scales of movie making needed to be attempted so that the bollywood grows in size. He has an acute sense of what worked and what didn't. That was what I was trying to say. I worded it wrongly I think. But if you look closely at his films in the past three or four years, you will see, he has chosen scripts that were both challenging and different to what both Tamil and hindi films are known to forward. His tenacity in accepting a swades, RDB, JA, Guru... and many others of its like instead of many other big films that he was offered is testament that he wants to achieve. He has always stated that his musical contrubutions are wasted if a film fails and he would like to do films which succeed or for that matter have at the least an impact on the viewers minds. Ar Bhai is a team player. And no matter how much you or anyone says that he's shoddy at choosing scripts, my first hand experience is that atleast in the last half a decade he has tried to only do movies/scripts that he knows will have an impact or that is entertaining. Some movies have faltered because of the maker but the scripts had what you call "dum". Execution was bad perhaps, marketing also.
You know when someone makes choices that gets him so much recognition for his work both abroad and in India.........you would think its a given that he knows something about what he is doing. You would think that since 95% of his work are films and he is known for them that its a given that he knows whats a good film and whats not. If not is it just luck then? There are many composers out there.....why not the same consistency in their work? Tell me, do 90% of all the worlds critics know nothing about good scripts? And even if they didn't.......do western audiences not have the thinking capacity that a mere viewer in India, Bangladesh or Pakistan have? Its not a question of superiority, its a question of whether a huge number of people are connecting to the product in question which is entertaining them...............worldwide.........the answer to the question is an emphatic "yes"! So how do you measure whats a good film or bad? How can you tell me that a film's script success or failure lies in something else and not the applause of the audience and the appreciation of the crowd who watches it? We can then get into a debate about GOOD SCRIPTS thats not crowd pleasers and Bad scripts that are and how that is measured but this is niether the time nor the place to do so and compared to the shit hollywood produces day in and day out, SDM ranks above them for many reasons......the storytelling is innovative, to me, personally that is. No one said its an earth shattering story of new epic proportions. Everyone is saying its a well made film with a simple story. Another two cents from me! Take Care. Matthew On Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 5:18 AM, vivek <[email protected]> wrote: > > as much as you would want to advertise that you have watched movies > along with thalaivar, it is a very well known fact that ARR is pretty > bad in choosing script. We all know ARR in and out. Now, just because > ARR had chosen to do SDM doesn't make it's script one in a million. I > think it is a beaten-to-death run-off-the-mill script. Love makes you > blind you see. > > Frankly, I can tell you, I believe ARR didnot do SDM because he was > memerised by the script but because it provided new avenues and > challenges to channel his creative blood and energy. > > --- In [email protected] <arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com>, > Matthew Islam <matthewis...@...> > wrote: > > > > I beg to differ on the ordinary bit. What sets it apart is the > fact > > that it's a simple story but look at the treatment. What people > are > > raving about is the tight script, music, acting and editing. The > > narrative has such force that the entire product over powers your > > senses. Successful films are ones which leaves you with an > experience > > that you remember after you have left the theaters. I saw most > people > > I know come out with a smile. Yes, it's not an extraordinary story. > In > > todays age it's hard to tell one that we haven't heard before but > what > > a beautiful execution of a story we have heard before. > > Our world is a dark one, as such when a character triumphs over > such a > > dismal world armed with hope, perseverance, love, charm and faith. > It > > displays a kind of tale that's considered extraordinary and your > inner > > human nature falls in love with it. My friends in Bangladesh to > ones > > in Mexico report unanimously that they haven't connected with a > movie > > from their hearts, in a long while, like they have with SDM. The > > "fuss" therefore is about a movie which tells us what we know > already, > > especially westerners (to think otherwise in a blanket bracketing > is > > ignorant) in a way that's cinematically engaging is a victory for > the > > makers of the film. So when a film as fresh and well made like > this > > shows up in the western world they appreciate in hoards the > brilliance > > of the work on display that is so different than the formula films > or > > negative toned films that the west tends to make or stories of > that > > natures they they seem to tell when you can get the effect from > > stories that are a little more close to reality. > > > > > > My two cents. > > Btw, AR Bhai displays his great knowledge of scripts that he > composes > > for by choosing to do SDM or of being able to discern a bad movie > from > > a good one when he sees it. From having seen movies with him, I > know > > he has a great instinct about films. > > > > Regards, > > Matthew Islam > > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > > On 26 Dec 2008, at 11:25, "rivjot" <riv...@...> wrote: > > > > > Very true, it was ordinary for Indian audience, but for western > > > countries it was never before told experience/story. > > > > > > me too, loved kid Jamal the most! > > > > > > There was kinda unplugged version of O Saya at the end of end > credits, > > > loved that as well :D > > > > > > --- In [email protected] <arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com>, > "Gomzyâ„¢" > <gomtesh.upadhye@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Got to watch Slumdog Millionaire. I was wondering what all the > fuss > > > is about > > > > :) > > > > But since we have been used to so much cliche in our movies > that we > > > find a > > > > heart touching, soul stirring > > > > movie to be silly. > > > > > > > > But SDM isnt bad.Infact you will love it as the movie unfolds. > Go > > > watch it > > > > for the excellent performances, the music and for the youngest > > > Jamal. The > > > > small kid is so adorable ( especially when he tries to get an > > > autograph of > > > > AB ). > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
