We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by English comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The story takes place in a tongue-in-cheek dystopian future where originality and individualism are shunned, and a lone “Dreamer” appears who can fulfill a prophecy that will enable the return of rock ‘n roll. – Wikipedia

The original London production premiered on May 14, 2002 at the Dominion Theatre. The show is currently still playing there, where it recently celebrated its 5th year anniversary. This speaks volumes about how awesome the play is.

Plot: The story is set in the future (Earth is called as ‘Planet Mall’) around 2300 AD, a time when the world is governed by a totalitarian mega corp called Globalsoft. ‘Killer Queen’ heads the corporation that enforces all citizens of Plant Mall to listen to computer generated music and lead a conformist life devoid of individual freedoms. Predictably, there is a tribe of rebel ‘Bohemians’, who aim to bring freedom symbolised by rock n’ roll music back to planet Mall. However, all music instruments have been banned, anyone suspected of having a rebellious thought is quickly captured into submission. Finally, there will emerge a messiah ‘Galileo’ who will crush the killer Queen.

Watch this video please. Repeat. Watch this video;):

About 26 songs (all by Queen of course) weave this 3-hour musical together. The number might sound intimidating, but the songs were quite apt and wonderfully performed (as you might see in the preview). At the end they left the audience craving for more. As a wannabe artist myself, I couldn’t but express my awe at the amount of hours the guys put in to create this wonder.

This was the first time I saw a western musical and I had goosebumps till the next day. If you happen to be in a city where they are playing, DO NOT miss it

Wikipedia defines subtitles as ‘textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen’.

Subtitles

Subtitles can be (a) Translation, or (b) Caption – text version of events on screen.

Here in Canada, Hindi movies shown in movie halls always have subtitles to them. These are, expectedly, English translation of Hindi dialogs. I have a nasty habit of reading the English subtitles ahead of the dialog delivery in Hindi. The minute the subtitles appear on screen, I digest them, and by the time the Hindi dialog ends, I am already reacting to it. Especially while watching Om Shanti Om, often I was laughing all by myself, because I read the subtitles but the Hindi dialogs were still getting spoken

Captions

In US and Canada, the words ‘captions’ and ‘subtitles’ have different meanings. Subtitles are only a textual version of the dialogs on screen – assuming that the viewer can hear the sounds. On the other hand, Captions mean a little more than that. The symbol CC (not to be confused with Creative Commons) seen in the picture stands for ‘closed captioning’ and is specifically aimed at people who have hearing disability. The CC’s transcribe speech and all the relevant sounds in the video being played.

Captioning has progressed immensely and eventually it aims to describe all non-speech information – such as the identity of speakers and their manner of speaking, along with music or sound effects using words or symbols.

Me

I know it would be foolish to ascertain ‘which disability is the highest disability’, but I feel more for the hearing disabled. Probably because sound takes me close to myself more than anything else. For me, voice is one of the important things that makes the other person sexy Finally, I’m overly musically oriented.

Among the games I like to play, Half Life 2 and Doom 3 feature CC. The best thing I can do is – switch off the noises sounds in the game, turn on the CC’s and play my favorite music in the background instead. That way I get the best of both – my music and my game. Even on TV shows, it would feel funny to read stuff like (phone rings), (serious music in the background) and things like that, but once used to it, I find it equally enjoyable. Expressive content, such as Bollowood movies, rely solely on the background score to enhance the intensity of the scene. Think about shehnai music, and it reminds you of either a marriage or something tragic, doen’t it?

The sense of hearing is something I always took for granted, until few years back when I made a new friend. Now I see it in a different perspective altogether.

It’s too noisy out there. Try to read the sounds sometime

Om Shanti Om, directed by Farah Khan, stars Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles as the protaganists while Shreyas Talpade and Arjun Rampal feature in supporting roles. It is a typical yes-nonsense Bollywood masala movie. It is also the kind of movie that I seldom watch.

If you want to watch this movie, there are three prerequisites. First, you need a gang of noisy and enthusiastic friends who scream, sing and dance along with the movie. Second, you need to leave your left brain behind (you know, the one which thinks logically). Finally, you must not expect to learn a thing or two from the movie – thats because you won’t, there is nothing to take home.

The movie promises total fun, as it transitions swiftly from Bolywood in 70′s to Bollywood now. Kiran Kher’s deliberate melodramatic scenes and SRK+Shreyas’s retro outfits combine with some smacking satire on the movies of those times to make an interesting watch. There’s lot of talk about Shahrukh’s six pack, and he flaunts them in the only totally un-required song (making it uglier) – but then thats Bollywood.

One of the best parts of the movie was the Filmfare awards ceremony – with all the nominations and announcement of awards. The other astonishing part was the item song with several filmstars – present and past. As a MBA student who finds it difficult to schedule a meeting of 8 people at the same time, same place, I wonder how this was done.

On a side note, this movie makes the de-Sankritization of Hindi movies complete. Increasingly the movies are filled with English, or, Urdu words, that often leave me wondering with what the guy on screen just said. Ah…

Highly recommended watch. Never believed a reincarnation story could be that entertaining

I’d read the play centuries ago and I had to read the plot summary yesterday again to revive the whole thing. I hadn’t seen it being performed live before, so I was really excited. My favorite character, [tag]Puck[/tag] (Robin Goodfellow servant to Oberon, King of fairies) was played amazingly by this dude whose name I unfortunately don’t know. His closing speech was delivered perfectly:
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ‘scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

The rest of the characters were also outstanding. I loved the way the director blended Caribbean hip hop, synthesizer music, cellphones and skateboards into the play. It was done in a way that didn’t offend my friend who usually swears at anything that is a fusion (especially old Hindi songs that are remixed), so I have a reason to believe that it was a remarkable balance. Being an open stage, people arrived early and grab strategically advantageous places. I was late to arrive, barely 2 minutes before the play started (don’t blame me, I’m new to the city) but I found a place in the very first row (my friends were just a row behind). It was so close to the stage that I thought I was a part of the play! Bruce has more interesting things to say.

I have no clue how anyone could remember Shakespeare’s lines. But then, these guys perform daily, and for weeks together. I bet their conversational English is also affected! There is indeed no better reward for a stage performer than the audience giving a thunderous applause. I thought I could clearly see a sense of achievement and satisfaction in the eyes of all characters when they saw us clapping and cheering.

Looking forward to more events this summer, this one was awesome

अब जो किये हो दाता ऐसा ना की जो,
अगले जनम मोहे बिटिया ना की जो ।

(What you have done this time, oh Lord, please don’t repeat
Don’t make me a girl in my next birth.)

Young Amiran from Faizabad witnesses a बिदाई (departure/sendoff) of the bride to her husband’s house after her marriage. Watching the grief stricken family of the bride she tells her mother that she will never go away after marriage.

Indeed, Ameeran, barely in her teens is sold off by a criminal to the bazaar of Lucknow where she is inducted into a कोठा (House of entertainers) managed by Khannum Jaan ([tag]Shabana Azmi[/tag]). Khannum gives Ameeran a new name – ‘Umrao’. Umrao is trained in traditional dance and given education in literature and शायरी ([tag]Urdu[/tag] poetry). She grows up to become Umrao Jaan ([tag]Aishwarya Rai[/tag]), a beautiful woman perfectly skilled in dance and poetry. She is not a conventional prostitute, but is groomed specially to entertain rich and high class men (Nawabs). In very her first मुजरा (dance presentation), she enthralls the entire Lucknow city by her beauty and thus becomes the most sought after tawayaaf.

Nawab Sultan ([tag]Abhishek Bacchan[/tag]) who has a penchant for ghazals, is instantly drawn towards Umrao jaan, while Umrao falls in love with him at the first sight. They connect instantly and take vows never to separate from each other. Alas Nawab Sultan’s father is unhappy with his relationship and disowns him. Thus, unable to ‘pay’ for the expensive services of Umrao, Khannum asks him to leave. This is where the tragic story begins. There’s a lot more I’m not writing here.

And now some opinions.

Aishwarya Rai is very gorgeous indeed. She can perform the classical dances gracefully, deliver dialogs seamlessly and express the feelings beautifully. Her eyes are alive and her gestures are rich and perfect. Compared to this, Abhishek Bacchan is a mess. Never does he look anything close to his role of an elegant prince. Sunil Shetty is apt for his short appearance as a dacoit. Shabana Azmi is always a reliable actress. She is a class apart from the mainstream Bolywood filmstars, and that is evident.

The movie is directed quite well overall. The urgency of situation during the 1875 uprising, the pain felt by Umrao jaan when Nawab Sultan calls her unfaithful, and such emotional moments are remarkably portrayed. However, there are excessive number of songs and unwanted scenes in the movie that gives the viewer a feeling that the movie will never end. Director [tag]J. P. Dutta[/tag] could have edited the movie to a crisp two or two-and-half hours instead of making it three days hours long. Anu Malik, the music director has failed to create any good music, which could have made watching the movie a slightly less boring experience. All the songs sound mundane and there are too many of them scattered in the movie.

The movie is full of shayri’s and elegant dialogs. The use of Urdu is impressive, but sometimes excessive. They could have provided subtitles in Hindi or English to make understanding easier! But at the same time, one line of poetry conveys message worth reels of dialogs and this is a striking achievement. Also, I liked the flash-back concept of story telling. It distinctly highlights the striking contrast of Umrao jaan at old age and during her glory days.

I haven’t seen the earlier make of the movie by Muzaffar Ali. But I strongly feel that if a movie is going to be remade, it should be edited to suit present-day. If the new movie is simply a copy paste of the old one, nobody is going to like it. Had there been some originality with the adaptation of the same story to contemporary times, it would have been much more enjoyable and appealing to the fans.

This folk song however kept lingering in my head for a couple of days…

अब जो किये हो दाता ऐसा ना किजो,
अगले जनम मोहे बिटिया ना किजो ।
कैसा नसीबा जगमें हर बिटिया पाये,
अपना जिन्हे समझत है पर वो पराये,
बाबूल का अंगना छूटे, मैया का अचरा,
भोली चिडिया पाये बस एक पिंजडा,
फिर भी ये सब समझावे तडपा ना की जो,
अगले जनम मोहे बिटिया ना की जो
जो अब किये हो दाता ऐसा ना की जो ।

This keenly anticipated movie, released on July 28th, is an adaptation of Shakespere’s not-so-famous play [tag]Othello[/tag]. Directed by the talented [tag]Vishal Bharadwaj[/tag], the plot develops in the heartland of Indian politics – Uttar Pradesh. The movie is shot primarily at Wai, Maharashtra and has picturesque scenes, esp the temple of coronation.

The movie is based on the directionless, caste ridden political wars in UP, however this issue is not highlighted explicitly. It also takes a solemn note the male chauvinistic attitude which culminates into the movie climax. Suspicion and jealousy are the prime drivers behind the storyline and the plot, which is a shocker at times. There are vivid scenes of violence and sensual portrayal of love and lust.

Things look slow and routine in the early parts of the movie, with abductions and killings – nothing that we are not used to seeing in movies. Soon, the story leads the curious viewer into a messy affair of rustic cow-belt political gang wars where [tag]Ajay Devgan[/tag] (as Omkara or Omi) and his two trusted aides [tag]Saif Ali Khan[/tag] (as Langda Tyagi) and [tag]Vivek Oberoi[/tag] (as Kesu Firangi) work for Omkara’s political mentor Nasseruddin Shah (Bhaisaab). Creeping into this macho cauldron is a tender love story between Omkara and [tag]Kareena Kapoor[/tag] (Dolly). The other women – [tag]Konkona Sen Sharma[/tag] (Indu) and [tag]Bipasha Basu[/tag] (Billo) have significant roles to play.

The story really begins when Omkara appoints Kesu as his chief lieutenant (bahubali) instead of Langda. Langda swears to ruin Kesu and plots strategies to isolate and destroy Kesu. This process culminates into a tragedy at the end of the movie, something that is unusual to happen in [tag]Hindi movies[/tag], and that’s what gives the ‘it’s different’ feel about Omkara.

Director Bharadwaj has extracted the best out of all the characters. Ajay Devgan and Konkona Sen are at their usual best and for the first time I think, Kareena Kapoor has performed a mature role. However Saif Ali Khan steals the award, for his expressions and body language are simply outstanding; notably the at the appointment ceremony. Bharadwaj’s music and background is apt and blends perfectly with the scenes.

Omkara has a very strong character but apparently cannot see shades of grey. His leadership and authority is rightly assumed but could have been dealt with better. I feel Ajay Devgan was under utilized. Also, Bipasha Basu is better suited for sophisticated movies.

Overall I would strongly recommend the movie. It is one of the finest adaptations of contemporary society and has a straightforward, but powerful storyline and characters. This movie has all a rare combination of elements – drama, romance, emotions, songs and dance – working in fine balance with each other. All human emotions – love, hate, jealousy, joy, mistrust, determination, etc are superbly portrayed A welcome break from the conventions, the movie has motivated me to read Shakespeare’s Othello. Don’t miss it.

Have you seen the trailer? Well I think that’s sufficient. The plot is woven as if the trailer was made before the movie. Expect no more action scenes other than the shown in the trailer. Brandon Routh, (as Clark Kent) the new Superman returns to Earth after spending five years looking for his home planet Krypton. Immediately, he saves his sweetheart Kate Bosworth (as Lois Lane) in some great mid-air action that redefines Newton’s laws. 5 years back, newswoman Lois was pissed off at Superman for leaving (her) abruptly and she’d writtn an award winning article “Why the world doesn’t need superman”. Suddenly, (her) hero is back.

Meanwhile Kevin Spacey (as Lex Luthor), the villan is free from jail and has discovered the supposedly unguarded wealth of Kryptonian knowledge. He intends to ‘grow’ new land on earth by displacing present continents and killing billions of people in the process. He does manage to grow lands of dark ice, and the idea of civilization on that land looks preposterous. Predictably, Superman fights the villians, lifts the whole island and launches it away into space.

The movie should have ended there, but the director chose to be theatrical. Krypton elements from the island he just lifted have affected him and he comes crashing down to earth. They treat him in a hospital, but what really cures him is a tender kiss from Lois and another peck from his son. There are plenty of such melodramatic and overdone romantic scenes which at times make you wonder if the movie is called Superman or Loverman.

Superman Returns is a disappointment, especially when Spiderman and Batman sequels have done really well. The only thing I liked is superman’s blue eyes and Lois’s soft lips.

Krrish

Krish: The Indian superhero

Rakesh Roshan directed “Krrish” stars his son Hritik Roshan (as Krishna Rohit Mehra) and Priyanka Chopra (as Priya). Nasseruddin Shah (as Siddhant Aryan) plays the villain. In this movie, which is a sequel to the erstwhile superhit movie “Koi Mil Gaya”, Krrish is shown as the son of Rohit Mehra and inherits the alien powers that his father possesses (minus the mental underdevelopment).

I don’t know why the director has projected Krrish as “Superhero of a third world country”. He is so poor that he can’t afford a zipper on his costume, or a razor to shave his stubble. His powers don’t give him the ability to fly or spin a web or resist bullet shots. All he does is take really long jumps while he ‘runs in air’ with facial expressions akin to that of an ‘angry man’ of the 80’s who is about to say ‘kutte…’.

Superhero Krrish is present in the movie only for about 40 minutes. For the initial 2 hours, he is just Krishna, the lover boy who goes to Singapore to meet Priya, after falling in love with her when she was holidaying in India. Add to this the cheap humor, terrible music, silly songs and absurd dance sequences and you’d guess it has typical elements of hindi movie.

Several brands have sponsored the movie and they are endorsed every now and then. Roshan has continued his age old Bournvita, but now additionally there is Navaratna, Lays, Hero Honda, Samsung, Fairever and so on. Have you ever seen Siyaram’s travel bus or anyone pouring spoons of Tide detergent to wash a bucketful of clothes?

Wait a minute, there’s still some hope. Director Roshan has spent lavishly on technology, probably for the first time in Hindi cinema. Some effects in the action scenes are awesome, though not breathtaking. Even the story is kind of ‘visionary’!

I believe the sequel (Krrish II) will be better if he focuses more on superhero qualities and technology instead of second grade elements of Hindi movies.

To conclude: Neither movie is must-watch. They are rather watch-once-only type.