While Saturday has always been the day to chill out and unwind & with Wednesday being the new Saturday J not many people have realized that there is a completely different tribe that exists. The tribe to which people like me belong. For us Friday Is the most important day of the week. Every week Friday’s are eagerly looked forward to. The countdown starts from Tuesday & the excitement actually pours from Wednesday as Friday is just around the corner. Friends if you are wondering what I’m talking about then let me end the suspense here. I’m talking about Friday because that’s the day of the week when movies release usually.
Never really realized why Friday is usually the day of the release when I was a kid, but later on I realized that Friday made perfect sense as the weekend sets in by Friday evening and that’s the best time to release a movie. So even as a kid while I couldn’t watch too many movies due to restrictions at home, I would be glued to the newspaper on Friday morning to check out the new releases. On the way to school I would also yearn to catch the posters of the movies that have released.
This particular interest of mine has increased with time and it now works as an inbuilt mechanism for me. During the days of the 80’s and 90’s when we did not have the luxury of the internet, the scenario was different. One actually looked forward to the newspaper advertisements and announcers of the new releases. Posters were a major means of announcing the same & if the city you lived in was large enough to have multiple release centers, the more the excitement in knowing the details.
With the passage of time & having lived in most of the major cities in India, the habit remains with me- only the means to the end have changed. Nowadays whether it be Bollywood, Hollywood or regional cinema, thanks to the internet for people like me it’s easy to have tentative release schedules of the forthcoming movies in advance. As the release date draws near, there would always be some alterations in case of multiple releases lined up for a week. So typically I end up starting the tracking from Monday onwards as to what’s the status as seen online.
In case of multiplexes the bookings in the most places is thrown open from Wednesday & so it becomes even easier to know what’s releasing on Friday. So from Wednesday I get into a pre-release analysis mode of what the Friday releases would be like. And in most cases if there are releases I’m looking forward to watching regardless of the reviews, I tend to try & get the tickets arranged before the movie releases- I know once the movie releases getting tickets for them in the first weekend would probably be next to impossible.
Now coming to my next point- the thrill of watching a new release in the first weekend of release is something unique & I can vouch for the same. The Friday phenomena is not just restricted to knowing which movie is releasing on Friday, its also about watching it on Friday itself or at least before the first weekend is over. I find the excitement and the adrenalin running for a movie to be at the highest level in the opening weekend of its release & generally when I fail to catch up on a movie during the first weekend I usually feel quite low.
The thrill of waiting & knowing a Friday release, trying to get the tickets for the same, the joy on managing to get the tickets ( for a much awaited release) and finally culminating in viewing the same in the opening weekend is all part of the Friday phenomena. And yes a very essential part of the phenomena is to track the movie’s progress and read the innumerable material on the movie (review & other stuff) coming up online, on T.V, print etc.
Nowadays the trend of paid previews is catching up big time & so I try to see if can catch the movie for the same itself. So I know when for example CC2C releases on Friday 16th, I would have an exciting weekend in store. If there is a paid preview, I would try to go for it & then I would be eagerly reading reviews, tracking the movie’s progress and probably even writing on the movie.
Whenever I get to miss a movie in the opening weekend like I had to miss OLLO in the first weekend, I feel that I’m lost something. Whenever I watch an RNBDJ, a Dark Knight or a Ghajini on the first day/paid preview there’s a strange sense of excitement.Mind you I’m not talking about the movie being good or bad here, it’s all about just watching the new release as soon as it’s released. People have different options when it comes to spending their weekend while for me catching up on the Friday releases is the best way to unwind. So let the magic of cinema continue and as for the coming Friday-9th Jan- well I must admit I’m not too excited with the movies coming up, but then there’s always the next Friday, right friends?
Originally published on PFC- check it out here- http://passionforcinema.com/the-friday-phenomena/
Monday, January 5, 2009
Why I look forward to Billu Barber
Before I left home for office today, I was just customarily watching Channel V & MTV and I happened to see the first song of Billu Barber on MTV- “Marjaani”. That set me thinking a lot about the movie & then I realized that sitting 6 weeks from the release of the movie (Feb 13th is the release date as of now), I am actually looking forward to Billu Barber and hence this write-up is to explain why I’m looking forward to it.
The Obvious Details
Before I get on with the reasons for looking forward to the film there are a few obvious details about the movie to be mentioned & dispensed away with. Billu Barber, produced by SRK & directed by Priyadarshan ( hereafter referred as Priyan) is the Hindi remake of the Malayalam super hit movie “Kadha Parayumbol” ( meaning- while narrating a story).
It’s a modern adaptation of the classic Krishna-Sudama tale that we’ve ( most of us atleast) grown up listening to. The movie was produced by Sreenivasan & Mukesh and directed by M.Mohanan a debutant.The movie was based on a story written by Sreenivasan himself who is known to be a prolific writer apart from being a competent actor.
The story is all about a barber- Balan (Sreenivasan) who lives by his principles in a village with his beautiful wife (Meena) and kids. One day his childhood friend, the current superstar of Malayalam cinema – Mammooty comes to the village for a film shoot & Balan’s life undergoes a journey of dramatic twists. Sreenivsan was excellent as Balan,the movie was very realistic & while Mammooty had very less screen presence, in the climax he makes the audience weep along with him & overall the movie was a throwback to the days of the 80’s when Malayalam cinema was at its best.
Kadha Parayumbol was remade as Kuselan in tamil & Kathanayakudu in telugu.Rajnikanth played the superstar in both, Meena reprised her role in both tamil & telugu.The barber’s role was played by Pasupathy in tamil & Jagapathy Babu in telugu. Unfortunately the movie bombed in both tamil & telugu.The focus was very much on Rajnikanth & the essence of the movie got diluted.
Why do I look forward to the movie?
For one, the movie is directed by Priyadarshan who though more widely known as a master of comedy films, has made a lot of intense/realistic movies like Kaalapani (Siraichalai in tamil, Sazaa-E-Kaalapani in Hindi),Ninnishtam Ennishtam, Aryan,Nirnayam,Advaitham, Thalavattom, Virasat etc.Even his remake of Manichitra Thazhu titled Bhool Bulaiyya was more or a less a serious remake of the original Malayalam classic unlike P.Vasu’s Apthamitra in Kannada & Chandramukhi in Tamil & Telugu. So I know that the direction is in the safe hands of someone who knows how to remain true to the script when required.
Secondly the producer is SRK who has been a brave producer so far. He knows that he needs to make money and so for that he makes OSO, Chalte Chalte or Main Hoon Na for that. But whenever his interest falls upon a suitable subject – he is bold enough to make it into a movie- be it Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Ashoka or Paheli.With Billu Barber I would say he is again making a brave move. Brave because for one, he is not the lead actor here. Irrfan Khan plays the barber (Lara Dutta plays his wife) and the story revoleves around him- let’s have no doubt about it. Also considering the fiasco that the tamil & telugu movie became after all the hype, it takes all the more guts to go ahead & still make the movie.
Next let’s talk about the promotion of the movie. Yes I know it’s a bit too early since we’ve only seen one promo so far & the first song has just come on air today. But here is what I have to say on the movie’s promotion. All those like me who’ve seen the promo have seen that the focus is on Irrfan Khan as he narrates his story & SRK is also shown as a part of it. Now this is sheer straight thinking. Instead of doing the mistake done by P.Vasu & Co where the entire promotion- posters, CD/cassette cover etc screamed Rajnikanth & even Nayanthara who did not have even a proper dialogue in the movie, SRK & Priyan are on the right track by showing it as it was done in case of the Malayalam original.
While on the movie itself since Priyan has clarified that it will be an honest remake of Kadha Parayumbol I would say that I’m looking forward to a realistic portrayal from Irffan Khan as Billu Barber. I am also hopeful of actually seeing something different from Lara Dutta as it’s not a glamourous role for her. I am looking forward to SRK sweeping our hearts in the climax & based on the Malayalam orginal I am looking forward to some genuinely well made characters ( supporting) and some more than decent music.
All in all I have a very honest expectation from the movie- that of watching a delightful entertainer which is a throwback to the good old days of cinema- when entertaining need not have to be lavish sets or shooting abroad relentlessly. So that’s why I look forward to Billu Barber eagerly.
Disclaimer- I am not connected to the project in any way and this is not a promotional feature of any sorts for the movie. It’s just an honest write-up from a movie lover based upon the experience of watching the original Malayalam (lovely) and the remake in Tamil (disastrous).
Originally published in PFC- check it out here -
http://passionforcinema.com/why-i-look-forward-to-billu-barber/
The Obvious Details
Before I get on with the reasons for looking forward to the film there are a few obvious details about the movie to be mentioned & dispensed away with. Billu Barber, produced by SRK & directed by Priyadarshan ( hereafter referred as Priyan) is the Hindi remake of the Malayalam super hit movie “Kadha Parayumbol” ( meaning- while narrating a story).
It’s a modern adaptation of the classic Krishna-Sudama tale that we’ve ( most of us atleast) grown up listening to. The movie was produced by Sreenivasan & Mukesh and directed by M.Mohanan a debutant.The movie was based on a story written by Sreenivasan himself who is known to be a prolific writer apart from being a competent actor.
The story is all about a barber- Balan (Sreenivasan) who lives by his principles in a village with his beautiful wife (Meena) and kids. One day his childhood friend, the current superstar of Malayalam cinema – Mammooty comes to the village for a film shoot & Balan’s life undergoes a journey of dramatic twists. Sreenivsan was excellent as Balan,the movie was very realistic & while Mammooty had very less screen presence, in the climax he makes the audience weep along with him & overall the movie was a throwback to the days of the 80’s when Malayalam cinema was at its best.
Kadha Parayumbol was remade as Kuselan in tamil & Kathanayakudu in telugu.Rajnikanth played the superstar in both, Meena reprised her role in both tamil & telugu.The barber’s role was played by Pasupathy in tamil & Jagapathy Babu in telugu. Unfortunately the movie bombed in both tamil & telugu.The focus was very much on Rajnikanth & the essence of the movie got diluted.
Why do I look forward to the movie?
For one, the movie is directed by Priyadarshan who though more widely known as a master of comedy films, has made a lot of intense/realistic movies like Kaalapani (Siraichalai in tamil, Sazaa-E-Kaalapani in Hindi),Ninnishtam Ennishtam, Aryan,Nirnayam,Advaitham, Thalavattom, Virasat etc.Even his remake of Manichitra Thazhu titled Bhool Bulaiyya was more or a less a serious remake of the original Malayalam classic unlike P.Vasu’s Apthamitra in Kannada & Chandramukhi in Tamil & Telugu. So I know that the direction is in the safe hands of someone who knows how to remain true to the script when required.
Secondly the producer is SRK who has been a brave producer so far. He knows that he needs to make money and so for that he makes OSO, Chalte Chalte or Main Hoon Na for that. But whenever his interest falls upon a suitable subject – he is bold enough to make it into a movie- be it Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Ashoka or Paheli.With Billu Barber I would say he is again making a brave move. Brave because for one, he is not the lead actor here. Irrfan Khan plays the barber (Lara Dutta plays his wife) and the story revoleves around him- let’s have no doubt about it. Also considering the fiasco that the tamil & telugu movie became after all the hype, it takes all the more guts to go ahead & still make the movie.
Next let’s talk about the promotion of the movie. Yes I know it’s a bit too early since we’ve only seen one promo so far & the first song has just come on air today. But here is what I have to say on the movie’s promotion. All those like me who’ve seen the promo have seen that the focus is on Irrfan Khan as he narrates his story & SRK is also shown as a part of it. Now this is sheer straight thinking. Instead of doing the mistake done by P.Vasu & Co where the entire promotion- posters, CD/cassette cover etc screamed Rajnikanth & even Nayanthara who did not have even a proper dialogue in the movie, SRK & Priyan are on the right track by showing it as it was done in case of the Malayalam original.
While on the movie itself since Priyan has clarified that it will be an honest remake of Kadha Parayumbol I would say that I’m looking forward to a realistic portrayal from Irffan Khan as Billu Barber. I am also hopeful of actually seeing something different from Lara Dutta as it’s not a glamourous role for her. I am looking forward to SRK sweeping our hearts in the climax & based on the Malayalam orginal I am looking forward to some genuinely well made characters ( supporting) and some more than decent music.
All in all I have a very honest expectation from the movie- that of watching a delightful entertainer which is a throwback to the good old days of cinema- when entertaining need not have to be lavish sets or shooting abroad relentlessly. So that’s why I look forward to Billu Barber eagerly.
Disclaimer- I am not connected to the project in any way and this is not a promotional feature of any sorts for the movie. It’s just an honest write-up from a movie lover based upon the experience of watching the original Malayalam (lovely) and the remake in Tamil (disastrous).
Originally published in PFC- check it out here -
http://passionforcinema.com/why-i-look-forward-to-billu-barber/
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