Shaka laka, baby! Bollywood/Hollywood
I love Bollywood. (No, really!) I love Akshaye Khanna. (Oh stop!) I love Canada, especially Toronto. Put those things together and what do you get? I'm not really sure. An extended in-joke - I can't quite think of this as a parody, as that is what Main Hoon Na feels like to me, and this is not that, because to me it just doesn't have enough in common with Bollywood to be a parody - wrapped in that subdued Canadian movie feel, wherein there is tension and drama but all kept on an even keel. When I read that the director also did The Republic of Love, everything clicked into place.
I thought about it all throughout the movie and I am not convinced there's anything particularly Bollywood about this movie, other than some wedding-related drama and a well-intentioned, ridiculous, lie-based scheme. Although maybe there isn't supposed to be, and it's just a clever title. Or maybe there is, but in a Canadian sort of way - which is an odd concept, really, becuase stereotypical Bollywood and stereotypical Canada have nothing in common except maybe a generalized goodwill towards humankind. (I have earned the right to make a comment like that, as I lived there for two year and am an Honourary Canadian with a certificate and lapel pin to prove it. Plus this is just a theory and I haven't thought about it very hard yet.) Or maybe I'm stupid and am missing something major that makes this a really witty parody. Or maybe this is a tribute rather than a parody. I can buy that.
Anyway. Rahul Khanna was good. Lisa Ray was not, particularly - too theatery. Akshaye showed up. People figured out what they felt and did something about it - v BW, to be sure. I'm sated. Especially now that I have decided to think about this as a Canadian movie rather than a Bollywood one. And apparently it's a Kulbhushan Kharbanda holiday weekend here at Beth Loves Bollywood. I'll just pop in Monsoon Wedding tomorrow to round it all out.
I thought about it all throughout the movie and I am not convinced there's anything particularly Bollywood about this movie, other than some wedding-related drama and a well-intentioned, ridiculous, lie-based scheme. Although maybe there isn't supposed to be, and it's just a clever title. Or maybe there is, but in a Canadian sort of way - which is an odd concept, really, becuase stereotypical Bollywood and stereotypical Canada have nothing in common except maybe a generalized goodwill towards humankind. (I have earned the right to make a comment like that, as I lived there for two year and am an Honourary Canadian with a certificate and lapel pin to prove it. Plus this is just a theory and I haven't thought about it very hard yet.) Or maybe I'm stupid and am missing something major that makes this a really witty parody. Or maybe this is a tribute rather than a parody. I can buy that.
Anyway. Rahul Khanna was good. Lisa Ray was not, particularly - too theatery. Akshaye showed up. People figured out what they felt and did something about it - v BW, to be sure. I'm sated. Especially now that I have decided to think about this as a Canadian movie rather than a Bollywood one. And apparently it's a Kulbhushan Kharbanda holiday weekend here at Beth Loves Bollywood. I'll just pop in Monsoon Wedding tomorrow to round it all out.
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