RUBINA’S REVIEW | THE ARCHIES

December 8, 2023December 8, 2023Leave a comment

DECEMBER 8, 2023

Netflix India’s most awaited film of 2023, The Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar, released worldwide on December 7th, 2023 on a screen on your lap, in your hand or on your desk. Starring an ensemble cast of debutants in the headlining roles, The Archies is a musical adaptation of the American comic series, Archie, that traces the life of Archibald Andrews, a ginger-haired teen, and his friends in Riverdale, a town in the United States that is as fictional as its residents. Created by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom in 1941, every character in the Archie comics is beloved around the world since, be it Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Big Moose, Dilton Doiley, Reggie Mantle, Mr Weatherbee, Miss Grundy, Midge Klump, Ethel Muggs and of course, Archie himself. For lack of a contemporary reference, Archie and his Riverdale gang are the F.R.I.E.N.D.S of the comic world given anyone who has ever read an Archie comic, single or digest, knows and devours everything about the characters and their quirks, such is the endearing familiarity, yet thrilling simplicity of them all.

Referencing an American comic series with Anglo-Indianised versions of the characters set in India in 1964 seems to be the sole premise of this film, with teen angst roller skating into school, and after-school life, with milkshakes and burgers set to wonderfully choreographed musical interludes in marvellous 60s costumery. The costumes in the film are stars in themselves, never mind who is wearing them. But The Archies also appears to be a low-key environmental warrior film set in a year when climate activism did not exist worldwide, certainly not in India, but climate awareness did, and Earth Day was only recognised in 1970 in the United States. As I understand, the 60s teens didn’t really speak green, they did green.

Mihir Ahuja, Suhana Khan, Yuvraj Menda, Agastya Nanda, Aditi Dot Saigal, Khushi Kapoor and Vedang Raina in The Archies poster ©Netflix

The 143-minute film represents the Hindi film industry’s biggest names – it stars a Khan – Suhana, a Kapoor – Khushi and a Bachchan, Agastya Bachchan Nanda, who have simply joined the family business, ably and admirably. And, all three live up to the cinematic legacies they were born into, and have chosen to take forward of their own accord. They can act. If this film was created and mounted to showcase and launch the talents of the twenty-something progenies of some of India’s biggest superstars like Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sridevi, then it has succeeded as Suhana Khan and Agastya Nanda have it in spades, with Khushi Kapoor a few paces behind.

Suhana Khan is prodigiously expressive in her portrayal as the self-absorbed Veronica Lodge in the film. It takes an intelligent mind to play a clueless, millionaire teen and Khan does so with measured alacrity, her soothing voice adding to the allure of her act. And, she dances and pirouettes on skates, and without them, arched and poised like a ballerina, always in step, a grand jeté away from perfection.

Agastya Nanda’s got the Kapoor dance moves and the Bachchan voice and height, but it his very own Nanda je ne sais quoi that adds to his charismatic performance as Archie Andrews. He enunciates his lines beautifully and fills up the screen with boyish insouciance as Archie, a rhythm guitarist torn between Riverdale and England, and Ronnie and Betty, and every girl in the world. Nanda’s definitely got the rizz and has the girls, and boys, in a tizz! He is, after all, Raj Kapoor’s great-grandson and Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson!

Khushi Kapoor makes a pretty picture as the gamine Betty Cooper in the film. She is as graceful as she is statuesque in her role, but she needs to work on her dialogue delivery that is awkward and a tad mumbly. Yuvraj Menda is achingly vulnerable as he is adorable as the teen nerd finding himself, Dilton Doiley. His lilting ‘Thank you’ warrants an encore every single time! Ethel Muggs is perfectly played by Aditi Dot Saigal, a musician who has also worked on the lyrics and music of the film. Vedang Raina is slick and haute as Reggie Mantle, and he goes from smouldering silences to verbose angst with natural ease. Mihir Ahuja plays Jughead Jones ably, but the character written in the film doesn’t speak to the original essence of the forever-eating, oddball Jughead. All seven of the debutants on the film’s poster have got some serious moves and can dance their legs off. Not like Jungkook though, yet.

I loved that the sets looked unreal, with real people and real emotions swirling through – like an Archie in Toyland atmosphere. I loved Rudra Mahuvarkar’s Big Moose dumb, muscleman act – mistaking philanderer for Phil Anderson was a riot. Jughead should have been ditzier and clumsier, and eaten way more hamburgers and fries. Ronnie didn’t need to act fashionably sustainable in 1964 by repeating that eyesore of a canvas trunk bag everywhere in Riverdale – it was just so off the Lodge brand and entirely unnecessary. It didn’t add to her rich vibe; Khan’s enactment of Ronnie did. And, she does know a thing or two about being rich. Seasoned actors like Suhaas Ahuja, Aly Khan, Vinay Pathak, Delnaaz Irani and Deven Khote enriched the performances of the debutants in the film.

Did I love the film? No. Why did I sit through it? I wanted to see SRK’s daughter, Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson and Sridevi’s daughter act, and they most definitely can. Is the film worth the wait, the worldwide marketing thrust, dollar spend and the hype? Not in the least, but all its debutant actors are! You cannot not love them all!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | WHO’S YOUR MOMMY?

December 5, 2023December 6, 2023Leave a comment

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Daddy’s l’il girl who? It’s Mommy’s big girl season in fashion, with model Lila Moss recreating her mother’s iconic naked dress in London on Monday night and Khushi Kapoor wearing one of her late mother’s gowns for her big night out at The Archies premiere in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. 2024’s going to be all about ‘Who’s your mommy’ and how you play it in fashion.

LONDON: A moment in fashion’s history was created in 1993 when British supermodel Kate Moss arrived at an Elite Model Agency party for the Look of the Year contest at the Hilton Hotel in London, wearing a sheer silver dress by Liza Bruce, sans a bra, with just a pair of black underwear. With that outing, Moss turned owning a naked dress into a wardrobe must-have for every fashion forward around the world. The Liza Bruce dress was a part of Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert museum in London in 2016. According to Moss, the naked dress happened quite by chance, as the dress was not see-through in her Soho flat before she stepped outside. Interestingly, It also started Moss’ paparazzi trail as it was the first time she had really got papped, self-admittedly, by the photographers.

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in London in September 1993.

This memorable look was recreated by the supermodel’s daughter, Lila Moss at The Fashion Awards 2023 for the British Fashion Council held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on December 4th, 2023. Moss wore a sheer silver gown by Albanian designer, Nensi Dojaka, with a black pair of underwear, referencing her mother’s iconic naked dress from 30 years ago. Lila recreated the dress with honourable sentiment, but failed to create a historic fashion moment like her mother. British photographer, Dave Benett photographed both Moss women in their respective naked dresses in London, in 1993 and 2023.

Lila Moss at The Fashion Awards in London in December 2023.

MUMBAI: Khushi Kapoor did not source an outfit nor buy one for her first red carpet moment as a debutant actor at The Archies premiere in Mumbai. She simply shopped at home, from her legendary mother, Sridevi’s wardrobe – a touching and sensitive start to her innings as a fashion forward actor. She chose a champagne-hued gown by designer duo, Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco of Kaufman Franco, that her late mother had worn 10 years ago to the 14th International Indian Film Academy Awards (IFFA) in Macau in 2013. Kapoor looked resplendent and poised in the gown, and the ice around her neck, also her mother’s, lent her extra sparkle on her big night out. She honoured the memory of her mother admirably, and with grace. Kapoor not only broke the predictable fashion sourcing trend with her choice, but also kept up with the pro climate call to the fashion industry to reuse, repurpose and recycle. With her lithe frame, Kapoor’s already a fashion favourite and an ‘it-girl’ in the making.

©Khushi Kapoor

Sridevi with Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor in Macau in 2013.

The Archies streams on Netflix on December 7, 2023 and has an ensemble cast of film debutants, aside from Kapoor – Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal and Yuvraj Menda.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the r ubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | ANCIENT SCULPTURES AND MODERN HISTORIES OF THE RAILWAY MEN

December 1, 2023December 2, 2023Leave a comment

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Humanity is but an amalgamation of ancient cultures, of the good and the great, but not without the bad and evil either. Modern histories on the other hand, are stories of yesterdays told today, with enchanting whimsy and hope, a great example being The Railway Men – The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 on Netflix. Celebrating ancient cultures with Mediterranean sculptures is a new exhibit at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai, India called Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome from December 2nd, 2023 to October 1st, 2024.

MUMBAI: A new exhibition, a first of its kind, Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome opens on December 2nd, 2023 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western from 1905-1998) in Mumbai, India. The Ancient Sculptures exhibit explores why we must look at, and look int our ancient connected world, with curators from CSMVS, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, The British Museum and The Getty Museum coming together to tell the stories of shared cultures. They have chosen sculptures to be exhibited alongside objects from Indian institutions at the exhibit which commences on December 2nd and goes on till October 2024. The objects on display were chosen by the curators at CSMVS in Mumbai that add to the cultural and historical significance of the stories of India’s rich antiquity, making for compelling storytelling from ancient Greece and Rome. The Indian public will be able to view historical artistic achievements of the ancient Mediterranean with India’s very own cultural treasures for the first time at CSMVS.

Sekhmet: Goddess of Destruction; Mottled granodiorite, Thebes (modern Karnak),
Egypt; c. 1390-1352 BCE ©Trustees of The British Museum, London, United Kingdom.

A panel discussion at CSMVS on opening day, on December 2nd at 5:30pm, has been organised with primary support from Getty, called Why Ancient Sculptures Matter(s) – A conversation on the making of Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome. Joyoti Roy, Project Curator of Ancient Sculptures (Curator Art, CSMVS) and Nilanjana Som, Curator Ancient Sculptures (Curator Art, CSMVS) will be in conversation with Professor Dr Andreas Scholl, Director of Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berlin, Germany) and Dr Thorsten Opper, Curator Greek and Roman Sculpture, The British Museum (London, UK) moderated by Renuka Muthuswami, Curator Ancient Sculptures, CSMVS on the day.

The museum was named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India to honour HRH the Prince of Wales, as had laid the foundation stone of the museum building on November 11, 1905 in Mumbai. The Prince of Wales went on to become George V, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from May 6th, 1910 until his death in 1936. George Wittet, a Scottish architect, was selected through an open competition to design the museum building in 1909 and the construction of the building was completed in 1914. The magnificent Indo-Saracenic architectural style of the museum building embodies elements from Hindu, Islamic and Western architecture. Interestingly, during World War I in 1914, the building was used as a military hospital and named Lady Hardinge War Hospital, and it was used as a hospital again during the influenza pandemic from 1918-1920. The museum as we know it today, was opened to the public 17 years after its ideation and construction, on January 10, 1922 in Mumbai. Wittet also designed the Gateway of India to commemorate the landing of George V, the first British monarch to visit India, for his coronation as the Emperor of India in December 1911. George V had visited India earlier in 1905 as HRH the Prince of Wales, becoming monarch in 1910.

Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome is on from December 2nd, 2023 to October 1st, 2024 from 10:15 AM to 6:00 PM at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya: 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001.

MUMBAI: The Railway Men – The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 released on Netflix on November 18th, 2023. The series is a spine-chilling, heart-wrenching portrayal of a catastrophic massacre of human life – the Bhopal gas tragedy in India in 1984 and the Sikh genocide in the same year. A 45 ton methyl isocyanate gas leak on December 2nd, 1984, from the US-owned chemical firm, Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in 1969 as Union Carbide India Limited, killed thousands of people instead of the agricultural pests and insects it was supposed to. The chemical leak from the plant occurred due to substandard operating and safety procedures and understaffing at the plant. The four-part limited series, a cinematic tale of heroism and humanity in the face of imminent death and despair honouring the unsung heroes of the tragedy, is the first venture from Yash Raj Films’ Entertainment, the streaming content arm of Yash Raj Films. It also marks the beginning of a multi-year creative partnership between Netflix and Yash Raj Films.

R. Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu and Babil Khan in The Railway Men
©Yash Raj Entertainment ©Netflix

The Railway Men is an acting-led series. The series blazes through with phenomenal performances by every single actor in the series, but not without a flawless script, screenplay and dialogue, meticulously produced by YRF Entertainment and ably directed by Shiv Rawail. I loved Kay Kay Menon’s performance as Iftikhar Siddiqui, Bhopal Junction’s station master. Menon is an absolute acting masterclass in the series. You can read his face, expressive of every little human emotion and nuance, bereft of dialogue. And with dialogue, you can’t take your eyes off Menon’s railway station master act during the series. Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s performance as Kamruddin, a Union Carbide manager, is exemplary, as is Raghubir Yadav’s enactment of a train guard on the Gorakhpur-Bhopal Express. Babil Khan is terrific as the fresh and righteous locomotive driver Imaad Riaz as is Divyendu in his part as a multi-layered dacoit, Balwant Yadav. Juhi Chawla Mehta is a refined and succinct bad-ass in her portrayal of Rajeshwari Janglay, a railway bureaucrat. Sunny Hinduja is earnest and able as journalist Jagmohan Kumawat, as is Sunita Rajwar as Vijaya, a cleaning woman at the railway station. The Railway Men is an incredible series to come about from India, about India, and it is a must-watch!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the r ubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | TO BE AS FLY AS SLY!

November 14, 2023November 15, 2023Leave a comment

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

The world premiere of Sylvester Stallone’s documentary, Sly, was held at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16th, 2023 and released worldwide on November 3rd on Netflix. The film hits your heart and your mind with cerebral, introspective and gritty chapters of Stallone’s life, narrated by him, Arnold Schwarzenegger, directors Quentin Tarantino and John Herzfeld, his brother Frank Stallone Jr, Henry Winkler the cool icon Fonzie of the 70s and Talia Shire Coppola. The unvarnished documentary is a 96-minute account of his life (should have been multi-part limited series in my opinion) without Sly or Sly getting hagiographical. Born to Francesco (Frank) Stallone, a hairdresser and his wife Jacqueline (Jackie), a promoter for women’s professional wrestling, in Hell’s Kitchen, a rough neighborhood in New York, Stallone’s quest to fill the void of unrequited love from his parents drove him to seeking it from strangers through his films. And, very successfully too, by creating a Stallone world of what could be through his pen versus what wasn’t, and could possibly never be. Sly is a wildly inspiring streets to superstar story of Stallone and I loved it. In his words, he made his own fate in the face of adversity and rejection all around. Oh, to be as fly as Sly!

Sylvester Stallone, the original action man of Hollywood and a worldwide phenomenon, and one of only two actors in history, alongside Harrison Ford, to have starred in a box-office number one film across six consecutive decades is remarkably real in Sly. Stallone narrates his own story, in his words, controlling what he wants to share with the public about himself. Writer, director and star of three massive film franchises, Rocky (six films), Rambo (five films) and The Expendables (four films), Stallone made himself an actor by writing and directing his own movies since the 70s. Interestingly, when he moved to Los Angeles for work, he lived in a place in the San Fernando Valley, one street away from Balboa Boulevard. The name of the boulevard inspired the last name of his iconic screen character, Rocky Balboa, in his 1976 breakout hit film, Rocky. He wrote the screenplay of the film in three days, and starred in the film as the protagonist like only he could, leading the film to become an extremely successful and lucrative franchise over the years. Sly is an intimate conversation between Stallone and the viewer, with him revealing the varied layers of his persona without any stirring drama.

Sylvester Stallone leans against a doorway in a hat and a leather jacket in a still from the film, ‘Rocky’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)

SYLVESTER STALLONE’S INSPIRED THOUGHTS IN SLY:

Do I have regrets? Hell yeah I have regrets but that also is what motivates me to overcome the regrets. I do that through painting or writing because I can’t fix it physically. It’s gone, that fucking thing called time.

I am just not going to break.

There was no possibility in our (John Herzfeld and Stallone) minds for failure. Never entered the conversation. We had to make our own fate.

The rejection is my encouragement. Are you going to accept their evaluation of you or are you going to evaluate yourself?

What is healthier — to live under the illusion and still have a glimmer of hope that you could’ve been great or actually have an opportunity to be great and blow it and then realise you’re a failure?

Once you get to your dream you realize that’s not your dream. My dream’s not turned out the way I thought. It also comes with a storm front that you’re constantly battling because you’re disappointed.

Once you make it to the top of the mountain, it was all blue skies. It’s not. The air’s thinner, it’s precarious, there’s not many people up there, it’s pretty lonely.

I’m a grinder. I just grind and grind and try to outwork myself and my insecurities — I become indifferent to the threat of failure because I know, no matter what, even if it is not a bonafide success, it is good to continue to push yourself.

90% of the journey is tumultuous and ugly but you have to go through it. You may not get there but you’re gonna be better off than doing nothing.

When we’re born, we’re soft clay and a heavy handed sculptor starts to put dents in it and that’s in our mold. That’s what we are and we cannot correct those distortions and that’s what develops personality. Not a lot of people can overcome it — it takes work.

Life is undefeated, you can’t beat it. You just have to go on the defense is a conversation he had with his son, Sage about what the future was all about, that inspired the line in the Rocky Balboa 2006 film, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, it’s a very mean and nasty place. I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

Life is addition up until age 40 and after that, it is subtraction.

The core of human need is requited love.

I was blessed with this ability to deflect this bitterness into what I wish had happened. I wish I had a father like Rocky.

The children I created, Rocky and Rambo are now taking care of me. The beauty of being able to play those two is literally the entire spectrum of life — the disenfranchised, friendless and lonely Rambo and Rocky, the one that embraces everything, loves humanity and is loved by humanity, and I relate so well to both of them.

That’s real what lives, breathes, dies and bleeds — you better take care of that.

Sylvester Stallone sits on a staircase, holding the leash of a dog in a still from the film, ‘Rocky,’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. (Photo by United Artists/Getty Images), a CBS news poster of the film, Sylvester Stallone in London to promote Rocky, on Tuesday 25th January 1977. (Photo by Allan Olley/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) and Sylvester Stallone on the set of the film ‘Rocky IV’ (directed by Stallone), Los Angeles, California, 1984. (Photo by Steve Schapiro)

Stallone and his third wife, Jennifer Flavin, whom he married in 1997, have three daughters, Scarlet Rose, Sistine and Sophia Rose Stallone together. He also has two sons, Seargeoh and the late Sage Stallone from his first wife, Sasha Czack. After selling their Martyn Lawrence Bullard-designed mansion in Hidden Hills, California, Stallone and his wife moved to Palm Beach, Florida two years ago.

Sylvester Stallone attends Netflix’s “Sly” world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 16, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Ryan Emberley/Getty Images for Netflix)

Stallone rues selling the rights of Rocky to the day to producers Irwin Winkler (no relation to actor Henry Winkler) and the late Robert Chartoff, his anger stemming from being deprived of an equity stake in the franchise for his work — a longterm asset that could have been passed on to his children after his death. Stallone may not have the franchise rights to the films, but he is, and will always be, Rocky Balboa, a character he envisaged, wrote and gave immortal life to on screen. Obsolescence cannot touch Sylvester Stallone and his cinematic legacy. Never.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

I Don’t Play Games: Ajay Devgn #Bollywood #Throwback

December 24, 2018Leave a comment

Back in 1991 when a tall, dark, and not really conventionally handsome man stand-riding two bikes (a foot on each) made an entry on screen with Phool Aur Kaante, India sat up and took notice. And we’ve been noticing ever since as Ajay Devgn morphed effortlessly from mean action hero to the intense, brooding loverboy to the comic caper king. In an industry dominated by camps, he’s managed to hold his own against the Khans and Bachchans and Kapoors and Roshans. On the eve of his big Diwali release, the much-married Mr Kajol Devgn tells Rubina A Khan how much he dislikes the ‘I-me-myself brigade’, making omelettes with daughter Nysa and the intriguing spelling change in his surname.

All The Best releases this week, your first film in almost a year. Why did you choose to produce this film?
I loved the script of All The Best and felt it was a sure bet at the box office, which is why I decided to produce it. It’s releasing now as planned, but due to the theatre strikes and the congestion of films ready for release, I have London Dreams with Salman Khan also coming out on 30 October, though it was scheduled to release much earlier. Not an ideal scenario, though, but it’s all good. Salman and I worked in London Dreams after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999, a decade ago.

You changed your name from Vishal to Ajay when you debuted in Phool Aur Kaante in 1991. Recently, you changed your surname from Devgan to Devgn. Why?
Back then, when I was being launched, there were three other Vishals debuting at the same time and I had no choice but to change my name to Ajay so I wasn’t lost in the crowd. My old friends still call me VD (yeah, I know it sounds weird) and I changed the spelling of my surname at the behest of my mother, Veena, who has asked me to do it for many years. It makes her happy.

Despite Golmaal Returns being a top grosser last year and you being one of the highest-paid actors in the business, you keep a very low profile and prefer to not club yourself in the Top 5 or Top 10 categories like your contemporaries…
I’ve been accused many a time of not promoting myself enough, but it’s not my style to scream and shout about my achievements. Even though I want to change from my reticent nature and be more ‘out there’, I find it cumbersome. The media knows my worth and what business which film of mine did, but even then, they choose to ignore that and write what they want. I am doing my job as an actor and I expect them to do theirs in all fairness. I don’t want to learn how to play these games and schemes just to get noticed, or be bestowed with some fancy title. It’s too late, anyway. I have no desire or inclination to waste my time over self-proclamations of greatness. I look down upon those who do and I feel far superior to most actors. I am very satisfied and extremely proud of the work that I do and the success that I’ve achieved subsequently. I live by own code of conduct that deters me from singing my own hosannas and I would hate myself if I did and I’d much rather not get into that space.

Your cold war with Shah Rukh Khan—fact or fiction?
It is not fact at all. But just because Shah Rukh and I are not the best of friends doesn’t mean we are enemies either. Both of us are fed up of answering this question time and again. My wife, Kajol, is friends with him and Karan Johar for a very long time, and I respect them as her friends as she does mine. I am not a very social person and stick to home and work largely.

Do you and Kajol influence each other’s film choices?
We always talk about our projects and seek each other’s advice, but we do what we individually want in the end. There is absolute freedom for both of us. We don’t take each other for granted and understand each other completely.

You are very traditional and conservative when it comes to family…
My sense of family is very strong and if that means I’m traditional, then I am. We all live in one house, and despite it being a four-storey bungalow, which we moved into about two years ago, my parents, Kajol, Nysa and I live on one floor. All our bedrooms and family rooms are on this floor and it stems from the fact that I feel everyone should try and keep the family together, if they can.

You have been married for a decade now and have a daughter, six-and-a half-year-old Nysa. Are you planning another child?
I have balanced my life between work and family perfectly, but I still feel I am losing time since Nysa is growing up so fast. I want to spend as much time with her before she gets too busy with her friends to hang out with her father. Kajol wants another child, but I am still thinking about it.

You are a closet chef of sorts too…
How did you hear about that? I only cook for my family and Nysa loves everything I make. I like to experiment with world cuisine. My daughter actually makes the best omelettes in the world, albeit under supervision, for her parents. And the best part is Kajol can barely boil water. So, Nysa takes after me in this regard.

Your looks don’t exactly constitute a stereotypical ‘sex god’ tag for you, but your reputation as a great lover, has been resoundingly endorsed by women over the years… What do you have to say about the latter?
What can I say except the obvious, that it is every man’s dream to have such a ‘sexy’ reputation among women. I’m flattered.

There haven’t been any romantic link-ups with your heroines of late… And boy, am I glad. And that’s because I am not having any affairs. Earlier, when such reports would do the rounds, Kajol never reacted to them because she trusts me implicitly. My life is work, office and home, no detours on the way.

This feature first appeared in OPEN on October 17, 2009 and is a part of my #Bollywood #Throwback series

©Rubina A Khan 2018

I Am A Remote Addict: Amitabh Bachchan #Bollywood #Throwback

December 24, 2018Leave a comment

Towards the end of the 1990s, Amitabh Bachchan’s fortunes were at its lowest ebb. His venture, Amitabh Bachchan Corp Ltd, stared bankruptcy in the face. Worse, his films were flopping. India’s greatest superstar’s days appeared numbered. The public, who had worshipped him for over a quarter century, seemed to be tiring of him. And then Kaun Banega Crorepati happened. Both television and Amitabh’s fortunes changed irrevocably with the quiz show. A decade later now, he returns to the living room of India as the host of the reality show Bigg Boss. His pay cheque for the laity series is rumoured to be Rs 1.5 crore per episode. Aside from being on the tube on a daily basis, by way of peddling designer threads to cars to hair oils, to the infinite reruns of his 70s smash hits to the controversies that make him national news today, Bachchan actually likes watching television. Back in Mumbai after spending time in Singapore with friend Amar Singh who was recuperating from a kidney ailment, Bachchan talked to Rubina A Khan about the small screen, friendships, relationships and his blog which terrifies journalists.

KBC changed TV dynamics forever. You are now back as pop philosopher on Bigg Boss. What do you expect from the show?
I expect nothing more than being able to do the job assigned to me in as efficient a manner as possible. ‘Changing dynamics’ are for the producers of the show to assess. I am not aware what they mean. It will make me happy if the show does well. When the fruits of your labour taste good, it is a fulfilling experience.

If you had a choice, whom would you put inside the house from the film industry?
No one!

KBC prompted many film stars to follow suit. There was Govinda, Shah Rukh Khan and now, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. Whose hosting style do you like the most?
Stars from film hosting shows on the small screen gave the viewing audience an opportunity to see and hear their favourites as they were in real life. They were not playing an assigned role written for them by someone else. People liked what they saw and applauded them. So for the viewing audience, each host was appealing, because they were able to see a facet of the actor hitherto unknown. Govinda, Shah Rukh, Salman, Akshay are known to me. I know what they are in real life away from the sets and camera, and they are all very appealing to me. Asking whose style of conducting a show I like, would be asking me to categorise their appeal to me. That would be wrong and unfair. They have all worked with me and have always shown me immense respect. Tell me, how does one give marks to respect?

You are an ardent follower of the international series, The West Wing. What do you like about it? Which character would you have liked to play in the show, if you were asked?
I have liked the very concept of the format. Who would have imagined that the office of the President of the United States of America would be material for a TV serial! The whole excitement of being able to position yourself inside those hallowed portals is enough to keep one glued to the proceedings. Then as the events unfold, the speed with which incidents occur and are addressed, is an education in screenplay writing and performance acumen. Each situation, each performer is so perfectly crafted that it is impossible to find even a minuscule flaw. It’s absolutely brilliant! Just observe the camera movements on shots. It is incredible how they have operated them with such finesse and élan. The timings of the artists, the entries and exits, the lighting and the steady cam movements are done to perfection… And what of the artists! They are all simply brilliant. Each chosen and performing to such perfection that it is ompossible to imagine any other in their place. I would have been happy to play an ‘extra’, or ‘junior artist’ as we address them respectfully here in India, in the background, making my ‘passing shot’ on the odd cue, just so I would get an opportunity to watch and observe how magnificently each episode was recorded.

How many hours of television do you watch in a day?
Depends what kind of show I am watching. A sporting event would occupy me for the entire duration of the game, a serial perhaps for the duration of the episode or not even, news and debates till the topic is over and horror shows not even a few seconds!

Which Indian show is your favourite?
I like the debates and panel discussions and sports activities. On occasion, the History Channel and National Geographic are of great interest to me.

Do you stick out a whole show or are you a channel surfer and a remote addict?
I am a remote addict. Though if you were to disturb a sporting event that I was watching, you’d be in serious trouble.

What’s your favorite TV dinner / snack?
Popcorn, wafers, chura, chikki, cranberry juice, khakra..

The media dreads your blog in case they are next on your flog list. What do you make of that?
This is a most exaggerated assumption. The media dreads no one, and most certainly not someone of my insignificance. The media is the conscience of the nation. It would be a sad day for any nation if their conscience lived in fear. My blog is not a flog destination. It is a medium that allows me to talk to myself, with a few listening on. If I have found inaccuracy in the reported media, I correct it. If I have found merit in their writing, I have applauded it. The media has always been the one that asks the questions, and in doing so has the ability to put the one that gives the answers on the defensive. Observe Prabhu Chawla, Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai, Prannoy Roy, Arnab Goswami, Deepak Chaurasia and a host of other most efficient interviewers on television. Their entire body language and demeanour is one of great authoritative superiority. Pan the camera now at their ‘meal for the day’ sitting opposite, and you shall find all of us quivering there like rats soaked in water, ready to be devoured. My blog gives me an opportunity to ask the questions and for the media to answer them. This is a reversal they have not faced and are therefore wary of it. But why should they? In a free and liberal society, I have equal right to question. And I now have a medium where I can be heard without the intrusion or the tacit permission of the Fourth Estate. If you are not afraid to question, be not afraid to answer too. For far too long, the celebrity on interview has almost pleaded with the interviewer ‘I hope you are going to write something good about me’. I will not hesitate to admit that there is a sense of poetic justice now, when I hear from some rather prominent journalists who come to interview when they say, ‘I hope you are not going to write about us in your blog, we’re very scared of what you will say!’ Let the media be the watchdog of society. We must welcome that. But who’s watching the dog? Or does the watchdog not deserve to be watched?

Bollywood’s a place of fickle friendships and pseudo relationships. But you have been with your friend Amar Singh for months while he was being treated in Singapore. For an extremely busy person, how do you juggle it all so well and make it seem so effortless?
I do not know the meaning of ‘fickle friendships’ nor do I have any knowledge of what ‘pseudo relationships’ mean. Someone is either a friend or not a friend. What are fickle and pseudo doing there? There is no room for them. I also do not like the word ‘juggle’ that you have used. It conveys a manual physical act, deployed to manoeuvre a condition, which in my reckoning requires nothing more than heart. I do not see any reason for me to justify my desire to be with Amar Singhji. To me, he is not a friend, he is a member of my family. I was aware of his medical condition and was aware of the amount of time it would require for him to heal. I therefore finished all my work by end June and came to Singapore to be with him for as long it would take for him to get back. I have not taken on any work and I have no films on hand. Only recently, on seeing his progress and his possible discharge, have I taken on a TV programme that requires my involvement from October. I have been by his side for almost three months now and not moved out for a single day. You say I have made it ‘seem so effortless’. Dear lady, the day I shall have to make an effort in friendship, it will be the end of the relationship!

Abhishek and Aishwarya shot for the Oprah Winfrey show recently. Will we see you and Jaya on her show sometime soon?
How’d I know? Ask Oprah!

This feature first appeared in OPEN on September 26, 2009 and is a part of my #Bollywood #Throwback series

©Rubina A Khan 2018

If They Tell Me To Kiss, I Ask How Long: Akshay Kumar #Bollywood #Throwback

December 24, 2018December 24, 2018Leave a comment

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia once lived in a small house with 18 relatives in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk. He was just one of the many handsome young men then leading an unremarkable life. Until he suddenly became Akshay Kumar in what was then called Bombay. In an industry where stardom is usually a favour of the genes, Akshay Kumar somehow managed to find spectacular success. There have been murmurs that he is the highest paid star in the country. It is tempting to publish his astronomical fees, but then most Bollywood figures are unworthy of print. What is true, though, is that he is right there at the very top.

In conversation with Rubina A Khan for Open, he describes the world according to him, and why he doesn’t think highly of critics who have panned his latest film Kambakkht Ishq. Excerpts:

Critics say that Kambakkht Ishq is a vulgar and cheap film. It’s making money at the box office, though. How do you see this situation? Let me put this as politely as possible: people who can be paid to say bad things will [say whatever they are paid to say], but at the end of the day, the audience proves us all right or wrong. Film lovers number in millions versus a handful of negative critics. In my life, never have I let someone else make my decisions for me. If a random person tells me something is bad, I’m not going to listen to him or agree with him. I’m my own person, we all have different tastes. I like tea without sugar, but my sister likes it with sugar, no problem. If we all didn’t have our own tastes, all the men in the world would be married to the same woman, wouldn’t they? Reviews have never changed my decision to want to see any movie, Indian or international. I have my own opinion and that’s enough for me and it should be for you too.

Was Kambakkht Ishq supposed to be your ticket to Hollywood? Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards are in the film.
It is nowhere near a ticket to Hollywood but by the sound of it, they [Hollywood stars] wouldn’t mind a ticket to Bollywood. We are all in love with our own industries. I’ve no agenda when I star in a film. I can’t exactly plead with my producers to spend huge amounts of money to sign great international stars just so that I can satisfy my whim to go to Hollywood. Hell, no. We just want to show that we are as big and as capable as anyone in the world in the business of cinema, and have fun in the process.

You’ve kissed Denise Richards and Kareena Kapoor a lot in the film. Did the script demand it or were you inspired on your own? Denise even went on to say that she was left in no doubt that you were Bollywood’s hottest man and a great kisser.
AI had to kiss these wonderful ladies not only because my character demanded it, but also because a red-blooded, hotheaded stuntman can’t exactly be frigid now, can he? But more importantly, I’m an actor and I do what my director asks me to do. If he says ‘jump’, I ask ‘how high’, if he says ‘kiss’, I just ask him ‘for how long’. Simple. We are human beings and we have been kissing since birth. It’s strange that people are so amazed at its existence in our country. In the film, they weren’t rude kisses or anything like that. They were kisses in character and were in sync with the story line.

Before every film release of yours, a slew of malicious and scandalous rumours make the rounds like the one involving your trainer Jennifer or one of your co-stars like Katrina Kaif, or about your box office collections being poor. How does that happen?
A lot of people out there don’t like me getting a fair chance in life or my fair share in the big Bollywood pie. They get scared and possessive of their territory and react in the only human way they know—create a war to make themselves feel better. All I can say is I’m sorry you guys have to read and hear this kind of negative and false stuff. Just think of it as light entertainment. I’m glad everyone has noticed the pattern finally, the fact that there are only bad things said when I have a movie releasing. This has been happening to me for a while now. But I still stand tall and say never mind and go on with my business. Who said show business was easy anyway?

Which Hollywood actor or personality would you like to be associated with in a future film?
Meryl Streep. She is an actress who sweeps clean the floor with any actor she works with. On second thoughts, maybe I’d be too scared to share a scene with her since she is so very talented and fabulous. Also, I would love to work with Quentin Tarantino as his movies are so outrageous, so radically different.

How has the slowdown of the economy in India affected you?
AMy asking fees in the recession is half of what it was when our country’s economy was booming. We are all only what our country can give. If we run low on rice, I will have rice only once a day, if we run low on money, I can only charge what the country can afford. I have no work if there is no money in the banks. I’m not a money grabbing thief as I am painted out to be. I do have morals you know.

You are becoming quite a style icon, aren’t you? Your films too are creating a lot of fashion trends.
Well, thank you very much Rubina, but I don’t think you have ever seen what I look like off screen. I deliberately make an effort to look like I don’t own a wardrobe so I can walk around looking like a tramp in the hope that no one recognises me. But on screen, I try and make a huge effort to look presentable for my fans and audiences. Otherwise, my wife Tina would kill me.

Khatron Ke Khiladi has lured you into hosting the second season too. When does it hit the television screens?
AAh ha. It is coming out sometime in September-October. Even I can’t wait to see what all these girls went through, again. I am still feeling sorry for them—it was that khatarnak (dangerous). If you thought the first season was crazy and had you on edge, this one has to be seen to be believed.

This feature first appeared in OPEN on July 25, 2009 and is a part of my #Bollywood #Throwback series

Shah Rukh Loves My Work The Most, Says Design Virtuoso Gauri Khan

March 18, 2018December 13, 20181 Comment

Whilst her husband Shah Rukh Khan is the uncrowned king of Bollywood, Gauri Khan seems to have come into her own as a design virtuoso, befitting her status royale as the celluloid sovereign’s wife. Gauri Khan Designs, her eponymous design studio, is headquartered in Mumbai, but her visual representational percipience is swiftly traversing worldwide.

Gauri Khan at Chivas 18 Alchemy in New Delhi

The modernist designer couldn’t resist turning into an alchemist of sight at the second edition of the quintuple sensory Chivas 18 Alchemy experience in New Delhi, transforming the space with her definitive luxe aesthetic. As much as her husband is the alchemist of sound with his unequivocal eloquence, she seems to speak (the reluctant conversationalist that she is) through her alluring and arresting visual artistry. Khan makes for relaxed, affable company when she’s talking business, but turns a deep, love blush when SRK Face Times her during our conversation. “It’s Shah Rukh,” she says, tossing her hair into place and arching her frame into a flattering angle to talk to him.

Rubina A Khan caught up with Gauri Khan in New Delhi for Gulf News tabloid!

You entered the world of design in 2011 and have been making enviable headway since designing homes, restaurants and pop-up events…
It wasn’t a planned effort to get into interior design. I’ve been an artist all my life, in school and college, and even after I got married to Shah Rukh, I used to do a lot of charcoal paintings at home. There’s a lot of connection to art in my life – I bought a lot of art and was intrigued by artists and read up on them extensively. Then I started designing my own home, Mannat, with my architect. A lot of people walked into the house and asked me to design for them. My friends, Yash and Avanti Birla opened Yantra about 15 years ago and they asked me at the time to join them and so did my friend, Kajal (Anand), as she knew I was passionate about art and design. But I wasn’t ready for it. Then Sussanne (Khan) asked me to do a collection for her store launch. So, it’s been a slow and steady pace for me into the world of design with friends.

What draws you to design – the creative pursuit of it or the final outcome?
Creating a first impression is what I set out to achieve when I start designing a space. Being creative and imaginative in my everyday life is tremendously exciting. All aspects of design, right from my drawing board to the actualization of it all enthralls me. When the thoughts in my headspace integrate seamlessly and are realized into tangible and tactile reality, from the inception stages to the final outcome, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment and it’s the most wonderful feeling.

How did you turn into an alchemist of sight for Chivas 18 Alchemy?
Fashion designer Ashish Soni approached me with the idea to participate in the second edition of Chivas 18 Alchemy as the alchemist of the sense of sight as the concept is based on the five human senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Given that I love the creative space that Alchemy mounts their campaigns and the way they format and execute them with immense style and finesse, I was immediately attracted to it and now I’m an alchemist too! I added the touch of blue velvet drapes to turn the outdoor garden space of Alchemy into an indoor one, akin to a palatial living room. It was challenging, but it turned out rather fluid as the velvet lent an indoor vibe to the space and the artisanal glass bottle chandeliers, custom made especially for Alchemy, added the molten hue of inviting warmth. Lighting is the key to all my spaces. It’s been a fantastic experience with Ashish, Pulkith and the Alchemy team and it was a joy to work with them. This is one of the best events I have attended and now, participated in, right from the venue to the scale and the exceptional invites… everything about it is extraordinarily stunning.

Gauri Khan at Chivas 18 Alchemy

Gauri Khan and Ashish N Soni at Chivas 18 Alchemy

Gauri Khan’s artisanal chandeliers made from empty Chivas 18 bottles for Alchemy

What is the key component to the alchemy of sight?
The key component for me is when I design a space on paper. When the eye visualizes what can be, which then manifests into a real space – that’s a visual delight for me. Subsequently, for it to then come to life exactly the way I envision it, to becoming the heart and soul of the design endeavor – that’s the key to my alchemy of sight. What I did for Alchemy on paper, and to now see it come to life in this luxurious and seductive a manner, makes me extremely happy.

What is your signature design move?
It depends on the project really – if I’m doing a restaurant, a young boy’s room, a nursery, a middle-aged couple’s home – each space is different. But I make sure every space I design is warm, easy, inviting and comfortable. That’s the quintessential design move that I adhere to in all my GKD work. I absolutely abhor cold, model homes.

How many hours do you work everyday?
I don’t work all the time. It is an artistic pursuit wherein I can create anytime and anywhere, whether it’s at home or at a site visit or a set. I spend a lot of time at home and I don’t have any fixed hours or schedule per se. That’s the beauty of my job.

Some Gauri Khan Designs’ tips for homes?
When I am doing up a residence, I try to make the elements come together in such a way that the owners feel comfortable and at peace in their home. My design aesthetic is luxurious and glam as I love these aspects of good living, but that doesn’t mean the home loses its warmth and comfort or that I’d put chandeliers in a baby’s nursery.

a) Make any space your own, where you belong, with your own distinct individualism. It could be anything from lights to an art piece, something that tells the story of your personality.

b) Don’t try to make a touch-me-not home where it becomes more like a museum and less of a warm, inviting home. When a home has super fancy elements with a trying-too-hard feel, the fear of disturbing the elements keeps you from enjoying the space and creates an uncomfortable aura in the home for you as well as your guests.

c) Luxurious and glamorous homes should be designed such that the owners should not find the comforts of their own homes even in luxury hotels. Despite all the luxe elements, the comfort of a home should never be compromised.

Who loves your work the most?
Shah Rukh loves my work the most. I have been attending award functions with him for 30 years and now, I’ve won my very first Excellence in Design Award this month; we both couldn’t be happier.

Shah Rukh Khan

What’s the biggest love of your life?
Design is my biggest love! It consumes me.

What’s your dream project?
My most exciting dream project is Karan Johar’s new home. I’ve done the nursery for his kids and the terrace in his current home. Karan’s always been my inspiration and he’s been my support, in my personal and professional life, so I’m super excited to start this project. He’s a creative being himself and when I create something for him, and he appreciates it, it makes me feel like I’ve got an ‘A’ in a school report card. It makes me very happy when Karan “approves” of my work.

Any plans of opening a store in Dubai?
Dubai is home to us and I love coming to our home in Dubai. I’m looking forward to bringing Gauri Khan Designs to Dubai very soon. It’s already in the works.

This feature first appeared in Gulf News on 18 March, 2018

RUBINA’S REVIEW: PADMAAVAT IS THE NEW PADMAVATI

January 24, 2018June 9, 20186 Comments

Padmaavat, with Deepika Padukone playing the valorous Queen Padmavati of Chittor, finally releases on Friday with a gender swap in its title from the original Padmavati to Padmaavat. From a film on periods (Padman) being pushed to a February release by its lead actor, Akshay Kumar, to give the period drama that is Padmaavat more theatre play due to the fiscally debilitating off-screen histrionics around it, the ongoing PMS (Padmavati Movie Stress) hasn’t abated just as yet.

I saw the film on Tuesday evening at journalist and author, Shobhaa De’s screening in Mumbai. 120 minutes into the film, I simply couldn’t fathom why the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali would even call his film Padmavati in the first place; he very well could have called it Khilji as it’s a glorified, and almost one-directional ode to Alauddin Khilji’s insatiable lust for immortality, battle and sex. And, his relentless desire to possess Queen Padmavati of course. The film highlights the Rajput and Kshatriya codes of honour and living in a manner most celebratory, Bhansali’s chandeliers, diyas and picturesque frames notwithstanding. In no way does it demean Indian culture and its customs, and no Indian will be affronted with the film. Though Bhansali does seem to unnecessarily lionise Khilji beyond his omnipresent pillaging fame.
images As the antagonist Khilji, Ranveer Singh looks menacing and monstrous physically, but his wavering accent that switches from Arabian to contemporary Hindi to Afghan, along with an inept enunciation of the language of his Sultanate, makes it difficult to believe he’s a 14th century imperial Sultan. Singh’s performance is flamboyant, loud and open to interpretation sexually, but he is not convincing as an erstwhile ruler or wannabe Alexander the Great in the making in the least. And, as for the costumery, when Singh ascends the throne of his slain uncle, Jalaluddin Khilji (Raza Murad) he wears heeled boots with the royal regalia on his person! Sure, high-heeled boots for men were in use as early as the 10th century for equestrian sports, but it seems highly unlikely that Khilji would have had access to those during his time in India.

Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh of Mewar is ineffectual in the film. But in his regal dhoti/lungi, he makes for an exquisite kohl-eyed, eight pack ab-fab model that Calvin Klein needs to add to its brand new Kardashian-Jenner spread immediately! As Queen Padmavati’s paramour and subsequent husband, he is rather rigid and impassive, which is very unlike Kapoor’s able celluloid skills. Padukone is flawlessly beautiful (more so in 3D) serene and poised in every single frame, looking as cinematically desirable as she possibly can, but Kapoor meets her stellar, restrained performance with a face bereft of any emotion, romantic or otherwise. There are no subtle layers or nuances to his performance as a royal in command and especially so in the intimate scenes with Padukone. And no one does the neck quite like Shah Rukh Khan, in Khan’s own words. The only time Kapoor shines in the film is during his duel in the desert with the lust-lorn Sultan. His quiet resolve and aggressive battle moves speak volumes here.

Padmaavat plays on Khilji’s self-serving megalomania and his obsession with Padmavati’s beauty. Padmavati is his unattainable dream in the film till Padukone takes on her role as queen in the last hour of the film’s screen time. In effect, the film is a take on Khilji and his obsession with her luminous beauty that is a mere catalyst to his narcissistic lust. The battle scenes are reminiscent of Troy (2004) as is the story line pertaining to the quest and conquest of a beautiful woman. The dialogues are rife with varying language styles – in some scenes, Kapoor says waqt in a Rajasthani accent when the word samay would have worked just as well for his character. The Ghoomar song is basic, nothing extra really. It is just another well-choreographed Bollywood number and incomparable to the greats Bhansali has orchestrated in the past in films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). But then, who knows what the uncut version of the song looked like! The film is based on the legend of Khilji and Padmavati, assuming everyone is aware of this historical obsession, and that does not suffice for 180 odd minutes on film. The screenplay does not offer any backstory to Khilji’s temperament or his dynasty’s reign, or take cinematic licence with Maharawal’s and Padmavati’s romantic interludes or add more authenticity to the time period the film is set in, besides heavily embroidered clothes and Bhansali-esque sets. Language, both verbal and body, is terribly askew in the film.

Padukone is the only actor who stays in character, in language and poise, and costume throughout Padmavati-turned-Padmaavat’s over three hour runtime. It is her aura and acting prowess that Padmaavat will be remembered for, not to mention also taking home the highest fee for any Indian actress to date for the film. And just for that, I am glad the film was named after her central character, with or without an “I”.

Did I like the film? Well, let’s just say I was forced into a massive historical throwback and it’s not even Thursday yet!

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RUBINA’S REVIEW: TIGER ZINDA HAI

December 22, 2017December 23, 2017Leave a comment

It’s been half a decade since Salman “Tiger” Khan’s romantic action thriller Ek Tha Tiger hit theatres on Independence Day in 2012 to a resounding ka-ching at the box office, that Yash Raj Films is all too familiar with. The film ended with India’s most indispensable RAW agent Avinash Rathore aka Tiger vamoosing off to Havana, Cuba to live a life of quiet anonymity (hah!) with his Pakistani ISI agent love, Zoya (Katrina Kaif).

tigerjpg
The sequel’s title says it all – he’s alive and kicking up powder in Austria with his son, Junior, fighting off packs of wolves (without killing them) unarmed with bare hands, skiing down the slopes, without taking off his winter jacket even once in the sequence. It cannot get any more real than that in Bollywood. And when he’s not busy playing dad or a spy in voluntary retirement, he spray-paints his love for wife Zoya on snow-capped mountain slopes to Atif Aslam’s Dil Diya Gallan in big-eyed wonderment. Nothing much has changed for Khan and his indomitable cinematic appeal since Ek Tha Tiger, though the same cannot be said for Kaif, despite her enviable pilates lean body. This Tiger is burning brighter than ever and Khan wings the film with indefatigable ease, never mind a couple of awkward supporting cast members and an askew, inconsistent pace of the film which could have been sharper and faster.

What I loved about Tiger Zinda Hai:

Sheer girl power in the film. Where in Bollywood films does a wife rescue her husband in a war-struck country and drive him around without him switching to the wheel mid-save? The said wife, Katrina, is a bad-ass Bhabhi from her current location in Austria who swivels guns better than rolling pins in Ikrit, Iraq.
Salman Khan skiing on the Innsbruck slopes, fully clothed.
What’s better than a shirtless Salman? A bloodied warrior Salman toting double guns saving 39 Indian and Pakistani nurses!
I loved Iranian born and UAE resident, Sajjad Delafrooz’s consummate performance as the antagonist Abu Usman, but for a verbose sermon he had to give Tiger at the tail end of the film. Restrained and confident acting on his part.
Horses in the action sequences remind you why fast cars and bikes use horse power units of measurement in the first place and with Salman riding one, it’s a cinema freeze frame for life.
Not using divisive political tactics in the film’s narrative, but humanitarian ones.
The White House representative with an uncanny Sarah Huckabee accent, sans any Trumpa Loompa.
The film only has two songs picturized on the lead cast of Khan and Kaif – Dil Diya Gallan in the beginning and the second, Swag Se Swagat at the end.
What Khan’s presence in the Liwa Desert does for Abu Dhabi tourism is incomparable to anything they could have envisaged for themselves. And Khan wasn’t just another mirage!
I had fun watching Tiger Zinda Hai and wanted to clap in all of Katrina’s bad-ass Bhabhi scenes, and most of the cool sequences.