Review: Deewaar
Baradwaj Rangan
Baradwaj Rangan
(C) The Economic Times, Madras Plus - July 1, 2004
When we first see the Big B in 'Deewaar' -- as Major Kaul, an Indian
PoW in Pakistan -- he's haggard, his bloodshot eyes are sunk in
pouches of skin, and he looks every one of his sixty-plus years. He's
been caught trying to escape, yet again, and he makes you think that's
it -- no one in this condition can even walk, let alone attempt
another getaway. Then, in the very next sequence, he's back to his old
tricks, and the glint is back in his eyes. You see this was all an act
-- at least, he makes you think it was.
Oh yes, the sunset of Amitabh Bachchan's career is turning out to be
his most golden phase ever -- but 'Deewaar' is another of his films
that should have been much more than just the tolerable slice of three
hours it is.
With its story of PoWs tunnelling their way to freedom, this
handsomely-mounted production is obviously indebted to 'The Great
Escape', but a major portion of the latter was about the digging of
the tunnel itself -- the technical side (the ingeniously simple
mechanism that's rigged up to dispose of the sand from the shaft) and
the human side (the effects of the labour on the men, how each one has
a key talent). Here, the entire digging is dispensed with during the
course of two unremarkable songs well into the second half, as if the
filmmakers reasoned, why the hell waste precious screen time on
something as boring as a tunnel, when there's so much else to cover --
like an item number in a public place picturised on Khan (Sanjay Dutt)
when he's supposed to be in _hiding_.
The problem with 'Deewaar' isn't that it's a silly piece of action
entertainment -- that's not such a bad thing at all, especially after
the rather heavy-duty 'Yuva', 'Dev' and 'Lakshya' -- but that it shows
signs of being intelligent and then becomes a silly piece of action
entertainment. It's the kind of movie that introduces a Hindu citizen
of Pakistan, making you think what a change it is to see a Hindu as
the token minority character -- only to reveal that he's conveniently
got a pretty daughter (Amrita Rao), all set to get wet in the rain and
seduce Gaurav (Akshaye Khanna, as Major Kaul's son, who's crossed the
border to rescue his father).
Akshaye Khanna is a strange choice for a one-man commando army - he
delivers potential 'seeti'-generators ("Main bete aur desh donon ka
farz nibhaake aata hoon.") with all the thunder of someone announcing
he's stepping out to buy vegetables. That's his low-key style, right,
but you wish he'd taken a leaf from Sanjay Dutt, who plays a mercenary
while simultaneously playing to the gallery. This is, after all, a
film that treats Major Kaul's act of fetching water for a fellow
prisoner with all the bombast you'd accord to a moon landing.
This is also a film where Gaurav just _happens_ to overhear a crucial
conversation that leads him to daddy, where someone switches on the TV
and the newsreader just _happens_ to be delivering the exact bit of
information he's looking for, where people searching for a hidden
entrance into the prison camp just _happen_ to find themselves right
in front of it. Landmines, electrified fences, watchtower guards,
attack dogs... the prisoners conquer them all, but such lazy
filmmaking no one can entirely overcome.
Arjun Pandit
Baradwaj Rangan wrote:
> Deewaar
>
> Baradwaj Rangan
>
> (C) The Economic Times, Madras Plus - July 1, 2004
>
>
> his most golden phase ever --
Agreed. Dev and then this, Amitabh continues to deliver one great
performance after the other. The movie makes a lot of situational
compromises and in the end turns out to be an average fare. But some
good production values on display.
Ram Jaane
except that none of his films seem to click with the audience.
RJ
Loony Tunes
news:fc2d3d99.04070...@posting.google.com...
> > > Oh yes, the sunset of Amitabh Bachchan's career is turning out to be
> > > his most golden phase ever --
> >
> > Agreed. Dev and then this, Amitabh continues to deliver one great
> > performance after the other. The movie makes a lot of situational
> > compromises and in the end turns out to be an average fare. But some
> > good production values on display.
>
> except that none of his films seem to click with the audience.
That doesnt take anything away from him as an actor.
Eventually it boils down to the question:
What do you watch a movie for?
I doubt if you answer would be the audience.
lt
>
> RJ
Pravin Sitaram
Naa........which were nothing but mindless drivel and drags Dev down by
calling it too preachy. I find that most of the reviews on the internet to
be extremely biased to a certain section of Bollywood. I don't think AB is
doing movies to woo the audiences anymore. I think he is having fun
portraying these different characters he is given to play on the screen.
Pravin
"Loony Tunes" <Looon...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2kvvjpF...@uni-berlin.de...
V
"Pravin Sitaram" <psit...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:10emm80...@corp.supernews.com...
> Unfortunately, the media hypes SRK movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Main Hoon
> Naa........which were nothing but mindless drivel and drags Dev down by
> calling it too preachy. I find that most of the reviews on the internet
to
> be extremely biased to a certain section of Bollywood. I don't think AB
is
> doing movies to woo the audiences anymore. I think he is having fun
> portraying these different characters he is given to play on the screen.
>
> Pravin
AB is doing the movies for money. Nothing else.
Arjun Pandit
So you agree with what I say ... not bad.
> that none of his films seem to click with the audience.
>
Which audience? The teeny-boppers who prefer a kaanta laga to say a
good original? The teeny-boppers who prefer an oft-repeated KHNH/DTPH
to a very deserving film like say Maqbool. Then the answer is an
obvious yes. AB's movies like Dev were not really expected to be big
hits or even appeal to many. But his Baghban meant for such audiences
was a bigger hit than some of SRK's last year releases like Chalte
Chalte. SRK has hardly done anything beyond the lover boy thing. Let
him try a Dev or even a Agneepath and lets see.
Whenever an AB movie has been made for the masses it has been a big hit
till around the Jadugar period. Pretty Darn Good. Its an old issue you
enjoy rehashing, my response is well articulated on RAMLI. Ask Boresur
to google and compile it for ya.
Imagine SMG batting alongside SRT and people saying SMG is the greatest
living batsman and SRT is the richest living batsman. Something similar
is happening here. Cause for concern as far as SRK fans go :-)
Welcome back!
Arjun Pandit
And SRK is doing the movies for? And you are doing your job for?
> Nothing else.
Yeah. He has nothing left to prove!
Pravin Sitaram
"V" <vr...@verizon.netREMOVE> wrote in message
news:YwUGc.26307$6e7....@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
Wow and I am sure you work for the upliftment of mankind!! You have a
problem with AB doing movies for money???
V
ok, may be I should've worded it differently. Amitabh would do anythign for
the money ( I am only talking about his current avtaar)
Arjun Pandit
V wrote:
> ok, may be I should've worded it differently. Amitabh would do
anythign for
> the money ( I am only talking about his current avtaar)
Arjun Pandit
V wrote:
> ok, may be I should've worded it differently. Amitabh would do
anythign for
> the money ( I am only talking about his current avtaar)
V
He signs everything under the sun, which is why his refusal to do something
is big news.
Arjun Pandit
I was just debating the "anything" bit :-). A better retort would have
been "He has already been paid for the brand campaign, so this is just
a minor specific". That would have left me speechless. I was expecting
that, surprised to see you miss it out ;-)
V
Been sleepy this morning, just like most of the other mornings. which is why
I missed out on the first line of the article. Guess its time to buy the
Main Hoon Na DVD.
Shishir Yerramilli
Oh he tried an Agneepath in "Ram Jaane",the result was too comical!
Shishir Yerramilli
regularity.I seem to recollect SRK in Pepsi,Lays and god knows what
else.Tomorrow he may appear for Stayfree,Whisper etc. also,who knows!
Perhaps it is your way of saying that SRK would not do anything but
crap films for money while Amitabh is more broadminded when it comes
to selecting films.
>( I am only talking about his current avtaar)
Oh!How kind of you!
desesperanto
> ok, may be I should've worded it differently. Amitabh would do anythign for
> the money ( I am only talking about his current avtaar)
why only current avatar? AB has always seemed to take whatever movie
came along, compared to someone like Kamal who pursued different
projects, experiments etc. Now probably AB doesn't have a huge amount
of choice, but when he was in his prime, he could have really shaped
his legacy, film history etc, and he never seemed to care.
Loony Tunes
news:26d27d76.04070...@posting.google.com...
you are really good at this...
lt
yeskay
In case of Kamalhaasan, nobody was ready to see him do regular
characters. His later films where he played regular characters (like the
ones he played in EDKL or Sanam Teri Kasam) were all flops. He
experimented more because of a necessity rather than for creating a
legacy or some such BS.
Gafoor
Comparing 1970's & early 80's AB to Kamal is blasphemous - Kamal is like
Gangu Teli compared to that AB.
Current AB however is very one-dimensional.
V
"yeskay" <yes...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:cckb35$k...@netnews.proxy.lucent.com...
Exactly, and that is why Shahrukh doesn't need to do things differently. He
is doing just fine.
desesperanto
> desesperanto wrote:
> > came along, compared to someone like Kamal who pursued different
> > projects, experiments etc. Now probably AB doesn't have a huge amount
> > of choice, but when he was in his prime, he could have really shaped
> > his legacy, film history etc, and he never seemed to care.
>
> In case of Kamalhaasan, nobody was ready to see him do regular
> characters. His later films where he played regular characters (like the
> ones he played in EDKL or Sanam Teri Kasam) were all flops. He
> experimented more because of a necessity rather than for creating a
> legacy or some such BS.
by "nobody" perhaps you mean hindians, but i doubt his off-beat
characters were aimed at hindians. kamal had a very successful career
in thamizh films as a hero (he is the kadal mannan, after all!), he
didn't do a role as a dwarf or a disabled man out of "necessity" --
it's not like his more experimental films were big money-makers.