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The step has made you hep
Jan. 6th, 2009 04:20 pmRab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Aditya Chopra. January 4, 7pm. View count: One.
In the bathroom at intermission, an indian lady who was at this movie with presumably a large proportion of her friends asked me why I was watching a hindi movie. I was completely unprepared for this kind of weirdness (even though we were about it for caucasians in the theatre, I only now realize), and said something like "Because... they're... good?" with an 'is this a trick question?' expression. I then totally whiffed by not being able to remember Sharukh Khan's name, and one of the heretofore silent friends piped up with it so quickly and witheringly matter-of-factly that I was glad when my sister freed up the stall and I could stop talking to them.
Because the ugly truth is that all of us white kids were watching that movie for about 50% hilarity value, really. We missed the first ten minutes, laughed at lots of non-intentionally amusing things (especially mangled subtitles), and didn't get all the fanservice we could have out of Kajol's cameo (I didn't even recognize her. I think it was the costume).
Anyhow, it is an entertaining movie. It's pretty strongly self-referential, which I love in a movie, plus it has Sharukh Khan playing a highly goofy double role (with a goofy moustache). Being Bollywood, it is also tinged with misogyny and melodrama, but at least most of this is acknowledged. There is actually, really truly, a sequence where Sharukh Khan is counselled to be more macho if he wants to make the girl like him. I think there is even a little song about it. Fortunately for everyone, in the next scene, the girl tells him, unprompted, that she hates macho guys, and the concept dies a quick, merciful death. Hooray!
Random highlights include: a barber who looks like someone stuffed Beast Rabban into hipsterwear from 2005, the sumo wrestler with the tattoo of Harley Quinn, the dance number that unironically includes the title of this post, the number that includes Chaplin-style costumes and chimney sweeps, and the stick-on moustache.
In the bathroom at intermission, an indian lady who was at this movie with presumably a large proportion of her friends asked me why I was watching a hindi movie. I was completely unprepared for this kind of weirdness (even though we were about it for caucasians in the theatre, I only now realize), and said something like "Because... they're... good?" with an 'is this a trick question?' expression. I then totally whiffed by not being able to remember Sharukh Khan's name, and one of the heretofore silent friends piped up with it so quickly and witheringly matter-of-factly that I was glad when my sister freed up the stall and I could stop talking to them.
Because the ugly truth is that all of us white kids were watching that movie for about 50% hilarity value, really. We missed the first ten minutes, laughed at lots of non-intentionally amusing things (especially mangled subtitles), and didn't get all the fanservice we could have out of Kajol's cameo (I didn't even recognize her. I think it was the costume).
Anyhow, it is an entertaining movie. It's pretty strongly self-referential, which I love in a movie, plus it has Sharukh Khan playing a highly goofy double role (with a goofy moustache). Being Bollywood, it is also tinged with misogyny and melodrama, but at least most of this is acknowledged. There is actually, really truly, a sequence where Sharukh Khan is counselled to be more macho if he wants to make the girl like him. I think there is even a little song about it. Fortunately for everyone, in the next scene, the girl tells him, unprompted, that she hates macho guys, and the concept dies a quick, merciful death. Hooray!
Random highlights include: a barber who looks like someone stuffed Beast Rabban into hipsterwear from 2005, the sumo wrestler with the tattoo of Harley Quinn, the dance number that unironically includes the title of this post, the number that includes Chaplin-style costumes and chimney sweeps, and the stick-on moustache.
