• Okay, so here’s what happened. I was channel surfing this weekend and found that my viewing choices boiled down to: Die Hard 2 – The one where Bruce Willis fights off a bunch of terrorists in an airport Lizzie McGuire – The Disney TV series, not the movie version And, put your drink down before…

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  • Om Shanti Om

    I remember the first time I heard a remixed song — Bally Sagoo’s version of Chura Liya. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The original is such a thing of beauty that the idea of adding random extra stuff to it seemed sacriligeous. This one didn’t work, but I could…

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  • No Smoking for Dummies

    I just came across this chat transcript with Anurag Kashyap, the maker of No Smoking on rediff. A fair number of questions in the chat are from people seeking an explanation for the events in the movie. For those of you who are interested, I have reproduced parts of the Q&A here. Q: I loved…

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  • Jab We Met, No Smoking

    Usually, when I review new releases these days, I add a spoiler warning. Thankfully, this time neither movie needs one..  In some ways, these two movies are diametrically opposite each other. Jab We Met is a formulaic rom-com that simply tries to do the best it can within the framework of that genre. No Smoking is an experimental…

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  • Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

    Warning: Here be spoilers! Here is a movie that could have been wonderful, if only the makers had chosen to tell the story that had the most potential. A woman from a once-rich family in Benares goes to Mumbai to earn a living and solve her family’s financial problems. To paraphrase Simon & Garfunkel, she…

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  • He’s a bank robber, she’s a US Marshal he and his buddy hold hostage when they’re busting out of prison, and they spend some time on the way discussing Faye Dunaway movies. It’s a cramped sort of space for a Meet Cute, but it works amazingly well. It’s not surprising to find this sort of…

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  • Karan Johar

    In recent times, I’ve been a regular reader of the Bolly Woods column on rediff. The woman writers pretty sensible stuff on the whole, and it’s good fun to read. Her latest column titled The Mind of Karan Johar made a reference to a recent interview with the man in question. It was a fairly…

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  • Take the Money and Run, one of Woody Allen’s earliest directorial ventures, is a strange sort of movie. It plays brilliantly in your imagination when you hear someone tell you about it. It seems like a minor classic. But when you actually sit down and watch it, the laughs don’t come as easily. My guess…

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  • My Sassy Girl

    I am currently in Seoul, S.Korea, working here on a long term assignment. Been here for close to 3 months, and must say, am enjoying the stay out here, though had some really weird experiences too. Now coming to movie watching, as far as Indian movies are concerned , the only way is by DVD,…

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  • Bhool Bhulaiya

    Warning: Here be spoilers! If you haven’t seen any of the earlier versions of this movie (Manichithirathazhu, Aptamithra, Chandramukhi), you would be well-advised to avoid reading this post. If you’re looking for a quick evaluation, here it is: Go watch the movie, it’s quite good. Sometimes I feel like walking up to Akshay Kumar, grabbing…

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