anyone who says Devdas is an idiot is a friend of mine: Bluffmaster

This may be the very finest movie I never knew I was missing until it hip-hopped its way into my heart.

It's fun, it's funny, it's quick, it's interesting, it's got a bit of everything, and it reminds me fo Nine Queens. Love it, love it, love it. Cannot get enough. Great performances. And...well, Abhishek...well, Akshaye seems kinda busy and all...[insert Roy Orbison growl].

things I liked
  • the dad-like doctor. Very much. While I'll never be accused of being spontaneous or wildly led by my heart, I generally appreciate the "live your life so that you're glad you did so" philosophy. I also like that he emphasized living so that it was memorable and valuable, not necessarily big or splashy. Make your life and your choices meaningful. Right on.
  • the doctor said his baby daughter was slimy when she was born
  • Roy said revenge will ruin a person's life.
  • at intermission time, "interval" appeared in the background as they descended in an elevator
  • Chandru wants to write down Roy's good lines. That's why I have my laptop on while I watch these things.
  • "Before the tumor can kill me, your melodrama will!"
  • as previously stated, the soundtrack is superwow. It's officially been played umpteen times in my car on the way to work.

a few things I didn't
  • I hate "at least he doesn't make me cry" as a response to "Yeah, but does he make you laugh like I did?" But I liked Roy's retort that clearly then the replacement boyfriend in question does not move her at all.
  • the subtitles substitued "Brad Pitt" and "Angelina Jolie" in for "Shahrukh Khan" and "Bipasha Basu" - chances are, if I've got Bluffmaster in the DVD player, I know who they are.
  • I'm not completely sure that the following is a fair comment to make, and I haven't gotten it thought out all the way, so don't jump down my throat, but I'm going to say it anyway and maybe edit it later: the one thing that keeps this movie from being a complete success is how it is sometimes clunky in how it changes gears between cool-as-a-cucumber and either emotional or icky. The changes weren't always clunky, but enough of the time that I noticed. I'm thinking particularly of the scenes that involve Chandru harassing (or holding hostage) Simmi. I don't know if there are enough of these to really support my point; but I do know that some of them were awkward, like me trying to drive stick shift - lurchy. Very noticeable in an otherwise slick ride.

other
  • When Chandru first starts watching Roy and Dittu on the surveillance cameras when they check into his hotel, you see him looking at Roy's forged memo from the Mumbai police about the stolen bank notes. As the camera pans across the memo, you can see a url on the letterhead. I love a good fake url (as has been seen on the Simpsons, for example) so I paused and looked it up. But no. The website of the Mumbai police is actually www.mumbaipolice.com.
  • How is it that Abhishek manages to own the triple-strand turquoise necklace in the very enjoyable end credits?

    Never mind; he totally does. He and the movie have a great rap/hip-hop/pimp parody thing going on there and I fully endorse it.

Aside to my Mumbai-savvy friends: what is the amazing blue-domed building that is in the background as Simmi and Roy are on a balcony and she tells him she has cancelled her engagement and wants to be with him?

Comments

babasko said…
I had this great Mumbai Tourist Map from "incredible India" and lost it. But to circle it in, the blue thing is on the nothern end of the same bay where the Haj Ali mosque is (That´s that little island which is connected to land with a small causeway a little right of your screenshot)

Btw I too love that movie. There is so much Trivia and innuendos in it, like the movie thats playing in the cinema during their Mercedes Guy con is "Kuch Naa Kaho" Rohna and Abhis first movie together. Have you watched the movie with the Commentary Track? The one with Rohan, Abhi and Riteish is great. And of course the Making of.
t-HYPE said…
Did you have to blow up Abishek's fashion like that?

God forbid that become a trend...

*Sweetie, where's my necklace?*
Babasko - great catch! I wondered if it was part of that mosque. My guidebook had lots of info on that but I still can't quite identify the blue one. I'm waiting for Trivialmatters, Obi Wan, and/or Azuregoddess to fill in the details.
And T Hype - yes, yes I did. I mean, good lord. Those humongous fake wooden necklaces all the sorority girls are wearing are bad enough, but now this. But far be it from me. Whatever he wants to wear - or not - is good by me. He looks great in everything. Plus it's tongue in cheek, right? I hope?
babasko said…
I´ve got good new and bad news. I found the Mumbai map but it is not on it. I also think I saw it in another Movie "Tumko Naa Bhol Payenge" - it might be the same mosque were Salman remembers that he is a muslim. And in the commentary track Rohan calls it a "mosque", so - closer but not there yet.
illusory motion said…
It's a mosque, located in an area of Mumbai called Worli. It's exactly where babasko said it is, on the northern end of the road which has the causeway that leads to Haji Ali.
I don't know the name. Will try and find out. It's tucked away into the corner of the road.
alienvoord said…
it is an awesome movie. Except for the "wrestle the doctor" scene. What the heck was that.
Hey Beth, first off I just wanna say I totally love your blog. I love the fact that you go into such details, that's awesome and memorable. It's an excellent idea to sit with a lap top as you watch, especially this movie. And yeah, I agree that brad pitt, angelina jolie thing annoyed me too!

Angela
ajnabi said…
I haven't seen this yet (oh, Netflix, why must you keep this DVD in the "saved" section of my queue). But the "at least he doesn't make me cry" exchange is totally stolen from Ocean's Eleven (one of my all-time favorite movies).
Ajnabi - I don't ordinarily say this, but I think you'd even be safe to just buy Bluffmaster. I can't think of anyone who doesn't love it.

Popular Posts