So I gaffed (as JR and Sudarshan relished to point out) in referring to Zeenat as Dimple in my rant on Boom. And it turns out that when I lauded Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar! (and an undeservedly sparse take that was too) I neglected to mention Hansal Mehta's cameo: there's a scene where Gaitonde and Ram Saran are sitting outside a shop and talking (what about, I forget ... perhaps it's the movie that Gaitonde has to shoot ... ). There's a guy sitting to their left with a cellphone and whispering into it. He even gets jibes from Gaitonde as well at several points in the conversation. That's director Hansal Mehta. In his comments to my take on Mehta's wonderful second film Chhal, JR indicates a different instance. Confirmations or refutes most welcome.
Addendum to my Chhal exultation: Screenwriter Suparn Verma was kind enough to respond with information on his cameo in the film (quote, with permission): The cameo i played was just for fun, its a [m]ontage sequence in the begining when KayKay's character is being trained on the job and behind shown various files. I'm the guy with the sound equipment, at one stage I even hold a spool of tape up. That's me!. Thanks, Suparn.
Why does Mukesh Rishi seem to keep playing Muslim inspectors (mostly called Khan) in so many movies: Sarfarosh (Inspector Salim), Dum and Koi ... Mil Gaya???
And in a more careful look at Chokher Bali Mohua Mitra when referring to Aishwarya Rai's much-talked-about presence in the film writes: Rai exudes this nymph-like aura all through the film. That is about all she contributes to the role. The various shades in Binodini's character are beyond the reach of many actors. Rai, with her modest acting abilities, just about meets the director's careful instructions regarding dialogue delivery and movement of the eye or hand.
Also, one does feel like questioning (this is more to do with Ghosh's dubbing instructions than Rai's portrayal) Binodini's English-speaking skills. A few years of training at home with an English nun does not normally enable an Indian girl in the first decade of the last century -- unexposed to Western society at large -- to speak English with a perfect accent, stopping only to fumble with the word 'spleen'.
Mahesh Manjrekar's Rakht is based supposedly on The Gift. All this and more, as Bollywood begins inundating a new[sic] genre: mathematically interesting multi-entity relationships (entity = human, for now).
why inspecting a turkey sandwich won't stop movie piracy: Roger Ebert rants about Jack Valenti
An update on Vishal's Maqbool, destined for a November release date.
RGV talks to Bhawana Somaaya: Today, I'm not even sure if I'm that obsessed with holding on the megaphone. It does not matter who directs the film as long as my banner is producing it. I enjoy being a content generator. I enjoy stimulating discussions. My struggle is not to excel but to do what I believe in. To make films that my heart dictates and to hell with the formulas!.
