I updated my list of Bollywood films on Netflix with one new addition to the catalog. The 2013 comedy Sooper Se Ooper, starring Vir Das, is now available for streaming.
Streaming Video News: January 15, 2015
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In Theaters: January 16, 2015
While there are no new Bollywood movies opening in the Chicago area on Friday, January 16, 2015, there are still plenty of Hindi movies to see in local theaters.
Two recent releases — Tevar and PK — continue their theatrical runs. Tevar gets a second week at the Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. PK gets a fifth week at the South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17.
One older Hindi film finally makes its U.S. theatrical debut on Friday. 2012’s 5-hour epic Gangs of Wasseypur is being released in two parts in select theaters across the country, including the South Barrington 30. Part 1 debuts on January 16, and it will be replaced the following Friday, January 23, by Part II.
The Indian movie that is dominating local screenspace in unprecedented fashion is the sci-fi/fantasy adventure romance I, which opens today. Originally shot in Tamil, I is also dubbed into Telugu and Hindi. It’s showing all across the Chicago area, with different theaters carrying different versions (all of them supposedly have English subtitles). Here’s a list based on info available at Fandango:
Tamil: AMC River East 21 in Chicago; Century 12 Evanston in Evanston; Century 16 Deer Park in Deer Park; MovieMax Cinemas in Niles; Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont; Cinemark Melrose Park in Melrose Park; Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale; Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison; Cantera 17; Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge; Cinemark Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet
Telugu: River East 21; Century 12 Evanston; Century 16 Deer Park; MovieMax; Rosemont 18; Cinemark Melrose Park; Century Stratford Square; Marcus Addison Cinema; AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville; Cinemark at Seven Bridges; Cinemark Louis Joliet Mall
Hindi: MovieMax; South Barrington 30; AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge
I’m not sure which language version is showing at the Regal Gardens 1-6, but I’m betting Tamil since that’s what’s showing at the Cantera (another Regal theater). Considering that several theaters are showing multiple versions of I, be sure to check the schedule before you head to the theater to make sure you select the correct showtime.
Streaming Video News: January 14, 2015
I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix to reflect one change. After just five days, Daawat-e-Ishq has disappeared from the streaming service. The same thing happened to Mardaani and Bewakoofiyaan, two other movies produced by Yash Raj Films. It took a few months for Bewakoofiyaan to return for its official run on the Netflix, so I expect it will be a while before we see Mardaani or Daawat-e-Ishq on the service again.
This serves as a warning that, whenever YRF’s most recent theatrical release, Kill Dil, hits Netflix, you’d better watch it right away.
If you just can’t wait to watch Kill Dil, Daawat-e-Ishq, or Mardaani, all three are currently available for rent on YouTube for $2.99 apiece.
Update: Mike of The Arts blog may have solved the mystery: no English subtitles. At least that was his experience watching Daawat-e-Ishq on Netflix the other day. It’s unknown (at least to me) if the YouTube videos have English subtitles, so rent with caution if you don’t speak Hindi.
Update 2: Thanks again to Mike for noticing that Daawat-e-Ishq is back on Netflix again, now with subtitles. Still not sure what happened to Mardaani, though.
Bollywood Box Office: January 9-11
I had a hunch Tevar wasn’t going to light up the box office when only one other person joined my friend, Melanie, and me in the theater at Friday’s first showing. The North American box office figures for January 9-11, 2015, proved my hunch correct.
From 125 theaters in the United States (it didn’t open in Canada, apparently), Tevar earned just $125,908, an average per screen of $1,007. To give that per-screen average context, the median PSA in 2014 was $1,977.
That average looks sadder still when compared to PK‘s performance during the same weekend. In its fourth weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, PK earned $244,370 from 115 theaters: a per-screen average of $2,125.
Despite being the first new Hindi movie to release in North America in three weeks, people still skipped Tevar in favor of PK. Wow.
Movie Review: Tevar (2015)
2 Stars (out of 4)
Buy or rent the movie at iTunes
Buy the DVD at Amazon
Buy the soundtrack at Amazon
Arjun Kapoor’s lead character seems more like an interruption than a necessary element of Tevar (“Attitude“).
Don’t get me wrong: as the story is constructed, the fate of Sonakshi Sinha’s character, Radhika, depends entirely upon Kapoor’s Pintu. That’s because Radhika is the most embarrassingly helpless character Sinha has played yet, which is saying something. Instead of a hapless plot device, I wish she’d been capable of saving herself — rendering Pintu altogether unnecessary.
Because Tevar is just another formulaic, hero-driven, Bollywood action flick, the movie opens with a lengthy introduction of Pintu. Surprise, surprise: he’s a slacker who just wants to hang out with his buddies, who repeatedly tell him how cool he is. As is typical in such films, his only flaw is a lack of a girlfriend. Not that he couldn’t get one if he wanted one. He just doesn’t want some chick to cut into his bro time.
Once Pintu’s intro is over, we get to the movie that I really wanted to see. Manoj Bajpayee plays Gajendar, a goon who does the dirty work for his older brother, a politician played by Rajesh Sharma. Gajendar falls madly in love with Radhika when he sees her dance in a concert.
On the advice of his sidekick, Kakdi (Subrat Dutta), Gajendar tries to impress the much younger Radhika, doffing his sweater vest in favor of jeans and a motorcycle jacket. The attempt fails. Gajendar is further humiliated by Radhika’s reporter brother, who threatens to take down both Gajendar and his brother if he contacts Radhika again.
Here’s what I wanted from Tevar: Gajendar tries to pretend he’s something he’s not in order to win Radhika. When that doesn’t work, he resorts to his old, violent ways. Radhika has to figure out how to stop Gajendar and save her family. Why shouldn’t the heroine be the one with “attitude” for a change?
What I got was Radhika waiting helplessly for someone to rescue her. Pintu just happens to get there first. Whenever Radhika takes control of her own destiny, she does something idiotic like leave her hiding place to check on the well-being of Pintu, who is essentially invincible.
That invincibility neuters all the fight sequences. Stuff breaks and people go flying, but the scenes lack gravity and danger. The epic eye roll Gajendar gives when Pintu rises from what should’ve been a mortal blow is spot on.
Pintu’s invincibility is such a powerful aphrodisiac for Radhika that’s she’s willing to abandon the complicated plan to get her to safety just to hear Pintu say, “I love you.” It’s stupid and insulting.
Sinha’s cringe-inducing performance aside, the acting in Tevar is pretty good. Kapoor is charming when the script permits him to be. Bajpayee is one of Bollywood’s go-to villains for a reason. It’s hard to take your eyes off of him.
Yet Dutta managed to steal my attention from Bajpayee on a number of occasions, not with anything flashy, but by doing little things to make Kakdi seem like a real person, not just an automaton who performs only when he’s the focus of a scene. While Gajendar is in the foreground, staring transfixed by Radhika’s dancing, Kakdi is in the background ushering people to their seats and clapping along with the music.
Dutta shows some real menace in spots, too, as when Kakdi strolls in slow motion toward Pintu, flanked by armed guards. Maybe there’s room for another go-to villain in town.
Ultimately, Tevar sublimates its unique elements in order to give us more of the same. Putting a different actor in the role of morally righteous superman doesn’t change anything.
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Streaming Video News: January 9, 2015
I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with two pieces of bad news. First, Kahaani is set to expire from the streaming service on January 16, 2015. This is one of my favorite movies, and I find new details to love whenever I watch it. I’ve shared this film with people who don’t normally watch Hindi films to rave reviews. If you haven’t seen this great thriller before, check it out this weekend. If you have, watch it again to be reminded of how wonderful Vidya Balan is.
The other piece of bad news is that Daawat-e-Ishq is now available for streaming. This film squandered all of its potential and wound up on my list of the ten worst Bollywood films of 2014.
Better options from 2014 on Netflix include Ankhon Dekhi and Siddharth, both of which made my Top Ten List.
Opening January 9: Tevar
The first Bollywood film to hit Chicago area theaters in 2015 is Tevar, opening January 9. The action drama stars Manoj Bajpayee, Arjun Kapoor, and Sonakshi Sinha.
Tevar opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 30 min.
PK carries over for a fourth week at all of the above theaters (except for the River East 21), plus the AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.
Other Indian movies playing at MovieMax this weekend include Gopala Gopala (Telugu), Nagaravaridhi Naduvil Njan (Malayalam), Mukunda (Telugu), Chinnadana Nee Kosam (Telugu), and Lingaa (Tamil).
Bollywood Box Office: January 2-4
After a great third weekend in theaters, PK now ranks 27th on a list of the highest earning foreign language films of all time in North America. From January 2-4, 2015, PK earned another $743,879 from 245 theaters in the United States and Canada ($3,036 average), bringing its total to $9,836,052.
Sources: Box Office Mojo and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama
Best Bollywood Movies of 2014
2014 delivered a bunch of well-crafted films aimed at a savvy audience. Here are my ten best of the year. (Click on the title of each movie to read my original review.)
Films with budgets large and small took aim at social issues affecting ordinary citizens. Siddharth powerfully explores poverty through the experience of a man searching for his missing child. The divisive intersection of politics and religion is skewered both by indies — Filmistaan and Dekh Tamasha Dekh — and the year’s biggest hit, PK.
Other films put creative spins on existing formulas. Highway turns a typical damsel-in-distress scenario into a young woman’s journey of self-discovery. Dedh Ishqiya features a budding romance between a middle-aged couple, played by Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Naseeruddin Shah. I thought I’d seen enough gangster movies for a lifetime until Kill Dil revitalized the genre in stylish fashion.
Ankhon Dekhi challenges the notion that a movie has to be “about” a specific theme, instead presenting itself as a movie to simply experience.
My sentimental favorite film of 2014 is Queen. Watching Kangana Ranuat as charming small-town girl Rani gallivanting about Europe on her solo honeymoon is a joyous experience. It’s a movie I look forward to revisiting.
Yet one movie stood out from the rest because of its riveting story and immaculate direction. The best Hindi movie of 2014 is Haider.
I’m a huge fan of director Vishal Bhardwaj, and even with high expectations going in, I was still blown away by Haider. It’s gorgeous, thanks both to the natural beauty of Kashmir and Bhardwaj’s use of a bold color palette against a snowy backdrop. Kudos to cinematographer Pankaj Kumar as well.
Bhardwaj — who also wrote the film’s music — maximizes the potential for song as a narrative device in a sequence in which Haider (a modern Hamlet, played by Shahid Kapoor) publicly implicates his uncle in his father’s disappearance. The scene is much more effective as a musical performance than it would have been as a speech.
Bhardwaj also deserves credit for placing his version of Hamlet in such a politically and emotionally charged environment. Notes at the end of the movie highlight how ongoing tension between India and Pakistan have cut off a beautiful place like Kashmir from the rest of the world, to the detriment of regular people simply trying to exist. Placing a 400-year-old story within the context of a modern conflict emphasizes that quelling the dangerous temptations that come with political ambition is a problem humans haven’t yet solved. Haider is a magnificent piece of visual storytelling.
Best Bollywood Movies of 2014
- Haider — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Queen — Buy/rent at Amazon
- Siddharth — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Ankhon Dekhi — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Highway — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Dedh Ishqiya — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- PK — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Dekh Tamasha Dekh — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Kill Dil — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Filmistaan — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
Previous Best Movies Lists
Worst Bollywood Movies of 2014
While I felt that there were more good Bollywood movies than bad released in 2014, the year did produce some truly awful Hindi films. (Click on the title of each movie to read my original review.)
Some primarily suffered from poor story construction. In Jai Ho, Salman Khan inexplicably goes on a violent rampage when people fail to embrace his “pay it forward” scheme, resulting in Suniel Shetty plowing through traffic in a tank. Another Khan film — Kick — makes even less sense, as Khan transforms from a dopey slacker into Robin Hood overnight, and none of the supposedly intelligent characters in the film realize it’s him. Koyelaanchal‘s disorganized plot is a problem, but not as big a problem as its multiple flashbacks from the perspective of a baby.
I often write about gender issues in my reviews, so it’s no surprise that many of the worst movies of the year portrayed women negatively. The Xpose is essentially a morality lecture for women delivered by writer-actor-composer Himesh Reshammiya. According to Super Nani, a woman’s only real asset is her beauty, even if she’s old enough to be a grandmother.
A few lousy 2014 movies actually fancy themselves as socially progressive, even though they aren’t. Kaanchi inaccurately characterizes the heroine’s personal revenge as representative of a youth uprising against systemic corruption. The hero of Heropanti denounces arranged marriage while simultaneously affirming a father’s right to choose his daughter’s husband. Daawat-e-Ishq — the most disappointing Hindi film of 2014, given the quality of its cast and crew — depicts men as the real victims of dowry tradition.
The delightfully inept Karle Pyaar Karle could have been a perfect “so bad, it’s good” movie, were it not for a racist subplot. The movie’s heroine is threatened with forced marriage to a dark-skinned African man, a character introduced solely to represent the worst fate imaginable for an Indian woman. The hero and heroine use racial slurs, and the heroine’s mother proposes suicide for herself and her daughter as a way to avoid the marriage. It’s an offensive and frustrating end to an otherwise unintentionally hilarious movie.
The absolute worst Hindi movie of 2014 combines the shortcomings of the other films on the list and multiplies them exponentially. That film is the loud and tacky Humshakals. Offensive jokes are aimed at almost every group except straight Indian men, with director Sajid Khan’s preferred target being overweight women. As one can infer from the female characters Khan wrote for the movie, his ideal woman is a brainless sex object.
Unlike Karle Pyaar Karle, there’s nothing funny about Humshakals, intentional or unintentional. It’s a cynical film, pandering to the basest prejudices of the lowest common denominator. Sajid Khan writes the mean-spirited jokes he does because he thinks he can get away with them. It’s time for not only the audience but members of the industry to tell him that we deserve better.
Worst Hindi Movies of 2014
- Humshakals — Buy at Amazon
- Karle Pyaar Karle
- Kick — Buy at Amazon
- Koyelaanchal — Buy at Amazon
- Heropanti — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
- Jai Ho — Buy at Amazon
- Daawat-e-Ishq — Buy at Amazon or iTunes
- Super Nani — Buy/rent at iTunes
- The Xpose — Buy at Amazon
- Kaanchi: The Unbreakable — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes
Previous Worst Movies Lists