Multiple Film Festival winner; My Bollywood Bride is a
fish-out-of-water, cross-cultural romantic comedy based on a true story.
The authenticity of the premise, along with the winning combination of a
commercial screenplay adaptation, talented filmmakers and an eclectic
cast, makes for a solid international movie that appeals to a universal
audience. My Bollywood Bride tells the story of Alex, a copy-writer
dreaming of being an adventure novelist someday, who meets and romances
Indian beauty Reena, while she is vacationing in California. Torn by her
blossoming feelings for Alex and her Indian family values and
obligations, Reena returns home without saying goodbye. Alex, distraught
by the turn of events, decides to follow her to Mumbai and win her
back. The trouble is, Alex couldn't be more out of his element on the
sub-continent, not helped by the fact Reena has kept something very
important about her from him (Reena is the top Bollywood film star - the
Julia Roberts of India)! However, with the help of a rambunctious
rickshaw driver and some of Reenas friends, Alex just might have a
chance at winning her heart. A parallel love story centers on Bobby, an
up-and-coming Bollywood star, who has forgotten his roots and started to
believe his own press. As a close friend of Reena, he tries to help her
by taking Alex under his wing. However, his life is thrown into turmoil
when he runs into his childhood sweetheart Alisha, whom he once left
behind after a dance competition in order to win a role in Bollywood.
Alisha has a lot of attitude but remains down to earth; through her,
Bobby comes to realize what is truly valuable in life. MY BOLLYWOOD
BRIDE charts the journey of self-actualization undertaken by these four
people as they transition from the reel world to the real world. Both
love stories build toward the climax of a wedding and a huge dance
television event. Peppered with social commentary, humor and a
heart-rending finale, MY BOLLYWOOD BRIDE is shot in English with limited
amounts of Hindi dialog.
2013: The best Bollywood stories of the year
New Delhi: Unlike 2012, this year didn't see my experiments in
the story department of Hindi films. Last year, there were films such
as 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Vicky Donor' and
'Kahaani', which were not only technically sound but also were
experimental in many ways. The cash registers were ringing since the
beginning of 2013, but there were not many films were really 'different'
in their approach. However, there were a few of them which kept the
light of creativity burning. Here is my list of mainstream film stories
which dared to get detached from the usual dance-romance-action league.
Ship of Theseus: It became a mainstream film the moment Kiran Rao came on the board. Anand Gandhi, Pankaj Kumar and Khushboo Ranka came up with enexpected twist in all the three stories. I am particularly impressed with the second story in which the monk realises that he has not denounced the world completely when he was about to die. The way he says, 'I want to meet my mother,' worked on several levels. It was subtle, profound and layered. Ship of Theseus makes it my list for its daring approach.
Shahid: Just one word, daring. We all know how badly an innovative director needs backing from the producers to construct a film without any saleable ingredient. Fiurst fifteen minutes of 'Shahid' covers a span of 7-8 years, and then it goes on to present two years of Shahid Azmi's professional life. The linear structure of the story proved to be a right choice as the trio of Sameer Gautam Singh, Apurva Asrani and Hansal Mehta got into every detail of the slain lawyer's life. I read several reports on Shahid Azmi and the film didn't miss a single detail. Its fantastic detailing brings 'Shahid' to this list.
Ghanchakkar: Yes, it's a debatable choice, but the film's
first and probably the last twist makes it one of the finest stories of
2013. The attempted dark comedy has a bank robbery scene which goes on
to build up the central conflict line. Normally, we see that the
directors focus on discreet scenes and fail to amalgamate them together,
but same was not the case with 'Ghanchakkar'. Against all wishes and
expectations, the hero refuses to remember anything even when he was in
grave danger.
Table No 21: Of course, there were loopholes in the execution, which also turned fatal for the film at the box-office, but giving the story a meaning with its second twist worked in its favour. Aditya Datt's portrayal of ragging and its after-effects was hair-raising. The value of the story forced me to include 'Table No 21' in this list.
Ek Thi Daayan: There wasn't much wrong with the story except the fact that the director succumbed to imaginary box-office pressure during the climax. The build-up of the tension surrounding a witch scared most of the audiences due to the time given to plots. The premise unfolded slowly which provided the viewer a chance to realise the gravity of the situation.
The Lunchbox: A progressive story with a well timed ending. A retired person slowly bonds with a stranger over delicious meals. The simplicity of a complex love relationship pierced the hearts. Its originality fetched my attention.
Special 26: The suspense and tempo. The Bara Bazaar scene is my personal favourite, but it is selected because of the wholesome experience it provides. The three act structure has been followed in an ideal way.
Jolly LLB: Once again, the value and social concern of the film. A well intentioned film, which is basically a story about hope and underdog's triumph, reminded me of 'And Justice For All'.
Honorary Mentions: Two films, a documentary and an Assamese film. Shivendra Singh Dungurpur's 'Celluloid Man' and Jahnu Barua's 'Baandhon'. The first for its focus and the second for its unshakeable faith in humanity.
Ship of Theseus: It became a mainstream film the moment Kiran Rao came on the board. Anand Gandhi, Pankaj Kumar and Khushboo Ranka came up with enexpected twist in all the three stories. I am particularly impressed with the second story in which the monk realises that he has not denounced the world completely when he was about to die. The way he says, 'I want to meet my mother,' worked on several levels. It was subtle, profound and layered. Ship of Theseus makes it my list for its daring approach.
Shahid: Just one word, daring. We all know how badly an innovative director needs backing from the producers to construct a film without any saleable ingredient. Fiurst fifteen minutes of 'Shahid' covers a span of 7-8 years, and then it goes on to present two years of Shahid Azmi's professional life. The linear structure of the story proved to be a right choice as the trio of Sameer Gautam Singh, Apurva Asrani and Hansal Mehta got into every detail of the slain lawyer's life. I read several reports on Shahid Azmi and the film didn't miss a single detail. Its fantastic detailing brings 'Shahid' to this list.
Here is a list of Bollywood films of 2013 which were subtle, experimental, profound yet mainstream.
Table No 21: Of course, there were loopholes in the execution, which also turned fatal for the film at the box-office, but giving the story a meaning with its second twist worked in its favour. Aditya Datt's portrayal of ragging and its after-effects was hair-raising. The value of the story forced me to include 'Table No 21' in this list.
Ek Thi Daayan: There wasn't much wrong with the story except the fact that the director succumbed to imaginary box-office pressure during the climax. The build-up of the tension surrounding a witch scared most of the audiences due to the time given to plots. The premise unfolded slowly which provided the viewer a chance to realise the gravity of the situation.
The Lunchbox: A progressive story with a well timed ending. A retired person slowly bonds with a stranger over delicious meals. The simplicity of a complex love relationship pierced the hearts. Its originality fetched my attention.
Special 26: The suspense and tempo. The Bara Bazaar scene is my personal favourite, but it is selected because of the wholesome experience it provides. The three act structure has been followed in an ideal way.
Jolly LLB: Once again, the value and social concern of the film. A well intentioned film, which is basically a story about hope and underdog's triumph, reminded me of 'And Justice For All'.
Honorary Mentions: Two films, a documentary and an Assamese film. Shivendra Singh Dungurpur's 'Celluloid Man' and Jahnu Barua's 'Baandhon'. The first for its focus and the second for its unshakeable faith in humanity.
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