'Find a name that changes the words honor killing and hopefully it includes the word murder.' 'If you use the words, you are trying to justify the murders.'
Rocky Aur Rani is definitely Karan's most subversive project, discovers Aseem Chhabra.
Aseem Chhabra lists his favorite 2023 films -- a healthy blend of Bollywood, Hindi indies and some of the best work that is being done in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali cinema.
'I have nostalgia for Ladakhi culture, which is common to both Muslims and Buddhists.' 'It is kind of a Buddhist way of life. You are compassionate and nice to each other.' 'You are good human beings.'
'I never got respect as an actress.' 'But when I became a director and worked with actresses like Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain, I felt such pride of being an actress.'
'I think because India is a bigger country and Bollywood is such a well-oiled machine, the star thing has become so much bigger than the actor thing.'
MS Dhoni or Sachin A Billion Dreams? Dangal or Mary Kom?
'The problems that the film explores still remain. It was a different time when we made the film. We were young and we thought we could change the world.'
If there is one lesson we get from Depp vs Heard, it is that the American legal system is deeply flawed and the court of public opinion and social media make it harder for victims to get justice, observes Aseem Chhabra.
Kohrra is a terrific ensemble piece but the two fine leads keep show glued together, applauds Aseem Chhabra.
Piku, on the other hand, is a big hit.
'Hope is about being more accepting of each other, the kind of solidarity and friendship that even our families may not be able to give.'
There is a world that Satyajit Ray created in his films that I wanted to be a part of -- as Durga bathed in the rain to Ravi Shankar's music; when Charulata sat on the swing regretting she never had a child; and Aarti stood up in defence of her colleague. Aseem Chhabra shares interesting memoris of Satyajit Ray on the latter's birth centenary on May 2.
A look at the hits and misses of the week.
'Pandi was promised something, that is not happening, so his anger is not of a villain's.' 'That's how all normal humans would react, or they stay silent.' 'Our violence is our silence. So in this world, everybody is innocent.'
'Usually, we are always worried that we are missing out something in life.' 'We are very keen for the audience to have this as a cinema experience in theatres.' 'You get the rare chance to be patient.'
Kangana Ranaut still reigns supreme!
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani gives us the box office verdict for the week.
There are hundreds of fan clubs -- in Jalgaon, Beed, Chennai, Kolkata, Akola, Yavatmal, Bengaluru, Sitamarhi, New York, Canada, Nigeria etc. Every Indian city/town or a major country has a fan club for the man whose fan base has been estimated at 3.5 billion by Time Magazine.
The hits and misses of the week.
The underlying message is clear: Please do not question Shah Rukh Khan's loyalty to India. He is Indian, loves his motherland. And he will continue to entertain India for as long as he can, applauds Aseem Chhabra.
'India was 10 years old when Guru Dutt made Pyaasa, but even at that young age, its poets -- including the film's lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi -- appeared disappointed with the direction the country was taking.'
The Gray Man is mindless fun, worth your monthly Netflix subscription, notes Aseem Chhabra.
Most critics have picked this film as a favourite that should be sent to the Oscar awards
Bollywood's original box office queen Vidya Balan cannot seem to get it right again.
2023 was a good year for international cinema with many strong films premiering at the Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto film festivals.
'No Indian citizen should be humiliated by the US authorities.' 'And Shah Rukh Khan happens to be one of India's most well known citizens.'
'I thought of a suppressed country and a free world.' 'If we travel from one to another, what will that road look like?' 'What colours, music there will be? What kind of people would you see?'
But his nature, temperament, his skill to listen to others, and empathise with their pain and hardships will make him a far better president, a leader America has been longing for four years, notes Aseem Chhabra.
India is shining, although I will argue that it is a temporary acceptance until India once again makes a mega-successful film like RRR or another beautiful, moving, documentary like The Elephant Whisperers, notes Aseem Chhabra.
The hits and flops of the week.
'I went to a school in Baroda, where if the boys harassed us, the teachers pulled the girls aside and said, "Oh, your skirts are too short".' 'They made us feel ashamed of having any sexual feelings or having bodies that were growing up to be a young women.'
Vinod Mirani gives us his weekly verdict.
People move on, get attached to other people, ending a close bond. But we rarely see that on screen, observes Aseem Chhabra.
Dear Mr Spielberg, can we now put to rest this overstretched, bloated dinosaur franchise? asks Aseem Chhabra.
'What the film shows is an India, which was headed in a completely different direction than where we are headed.'
'This was a film, a story that had never been told before.'
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