There is a choice of two movies to watch on this bank holiday weekend. And with an equally strong star cast and story line, we at SBO are going to make things easy for you.Here is the lowdown on what works and what doesn't for Slumdog Millionaire and Raaz- the mystery continues.
Slumdog Millionaire
What works
• Rahman's brilliant score is a big draw. Jai Ho, O Saya, Ringa and the background score on the whole is phenomenal to say the least and complements to story telling perfectly.
• The performances are beautiful to say the least. The children playing the characters at their youngest are so endearing. Kudos to Loveleen Tandon for extracting such fine performances from the children who were handpicked from slums! Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Anil Kapoor deliver flawless performances.
• The Oscar nominations and Golden Globe win with all the worldwide media attention and hype will push people to watch the movie out of curiosity.
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy have made a brilliant and touching film that is filled with an Indian soul.
• Slumdog released in both English and Hindi. Slumdog Millionaire will be a huge draw for the English speaking audiences and those who want to watch it in its original version. For the aam janta that is mostly Hindi speaking, they can enjoy this Academy Award nominated film as Slumdog Crorepati without any dilution of its essence.
What doesn't work
• The depiction of the corrupt side of Mumbai will offend some people. There are lies, deceit, sinister intentions and crushed dreams. Propagators of India Shining will not be happy with the gritty portrayal of slum life. There may be shiny skyscrapers lining the city's skyline but the number of messy slum settlements is no less.
• The film has got an unprecedented amount of media hype and attention around the world. By the time the film came to India a lot of people might have developed unreasonably high expectations from the film. There is a slim chance that it may not meet their sky high expectations.
• Many people have already seen this film on DVD and VCD because it released a long time back in the international markets or those who haven't seen it might choose to watch it at home. Thus box office collections might be affected.
• Raaz is a pure horror flick. And good horror films are rarely made in India. So, people who are bored of the usual romantic fluff that is churned out week after week and liked the first Raaz will trek to the theatres to experience something different and be scared out of their wits. Raaz is a genuinely scary flick with spine chilling moments. You won't turn out your lights for a while after you watch the movie. The ending of the film is completely unexpected. The direction by Mohit Suri is taut.
• Like every other Emraan Hashmi flick, the music of Raaz is doing remarkably well. Turn on your radio and you will find the haunting Maahi and the pleasant Soniyo playing on a few stations. The videos of these songs, the rock version of Maahi and the catchy remix of O Jaana are dominating TV channels.
• Kangana Ranaut cemented her position as a fantastic actress with her model act in Fashion and Raaz is pegged to be her finest performance to date. She looks better than ever. Emraan Hashmi is sporting a new look in the film and not kissing for a change. Adhyayan Suman is filling in for him. His relationship with Kangana has generated a lot of buzz and free publicity for the film. It will be interesting to see how their real life chemistry translates on screen and how Adhyayan fares as an actor.
What doesn't work
• The scary scenes have been lifted from Hollywood flicks like Stigmata, Final Destination and a few scenes have a very The Ring feel to it. So cinema purists might get put off by that.
• The film has an adult rating not only for its scary moments but for its crass language. It is a no-no for children. This will affect box office collections. People who think horror films are not their cup of tea will also keep away.
• The movie hasn't got very encouraging reviews. Most reviews are average and so the avid review followers just might dismiss the movie.
• Rahman's brilliant score is a big draw. Jai Ho, O Saya, Ringa and the background score on the whole is phenomenal to say the least and complements to story telling perfectly.
• The performances are beautiful to say the least. The children playing the characters at their youngest are so endearing. Kudos to Loveleen Tandon for extracting such fine performances from the children who were handpicked from slums! Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Anil Kapoor deliver flawless performances.
• The Oscar nominations and Golden Globe win with all the worldwide media attention and hype will push people to watch the movie out of curiosity.
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy have made a brilliant and touching film that is filled with an Indian soul.
• Slumdog released in both English and Hindi. Slumdog Millionaire will be a huge draw for the English speaking audiences and those who want to watch it in its original version. For the aam janta that is mostly Hindi speaking, they can enjoy this Academy Award nominated film as Slumdog Crorepati without any dilution of its essence.
• The depiction of the corrupt side of Mumbai will offend some people. There are lies, deceit, sinister intentions and crushed dreams. Propagators of India Shining will not be happy with the gritty portrayal of slum life. There may be shiny skyscrapers lining the city's skyline but the number of messy slum settlements is no less.
• The film has got an unprecedented amount of media hype and attention around the world. By the time the film came to India a lot of people might have developed unreasonably high expectations from the film. There is a slim chance that it may not meet their sky high expectations.
• Many people have already seen this film on DVD and VCD because it released a long time back in the international markets or those who haven't seen it might choose to watch it at home. Thus box office collections might be affected.
Raaz - The Mystery Continues
What works• Raaz is a pure horror flick. And good horror films are rarely made in India. So, people who are bored of the usual romantic fluff that is churned out week after week and liked the first Raaz will trek to the theatres to experience something different and be scared out of their wits. Raaz is a genuinely scary flick with spine chilling moments. You won't turn out your lights for a while after you watch the movie. The ending of the film is completely unexpected. The direction by Mohit Suri is taut.
• Like every other Emraan Hashmi flick, the music of Raaz is doing remarkably well. Turn on your radio and you will find the haunting Maahi and the pleasant Soniyo playing on a few stations. The videos of these songs, the rock version of Maahi and the catchy remix of O Jaana are dominating TV channels.
• Kangana Ranaut cemented her position as a fantastic actress with her model act in Fashion and Raaz is pegged to be her finest performance to date. She looks better than ever. Emraan Hashmi is sporting a new look in the film and not kissing for a change. Adhyayan Suman is filling in for him. His relationship with Kangana has generated a lot of buzz and free publicity for the film. It will be interesting to see how their real life chemistry translates on screen and how Adhyayan fares as an actor.
What doesn't work
• The scary scenes have been lifted from Hollywood flicks like Stigmata, Final Destination and a few scenes have a very The Ring feel to it. So cinema purists might get put off by that.
• The film has an adult rating not only for its scary moments but for its crass language. It is a no-no for children. This will affect box office collections. People who think horror films are not their cup of tea will also keep away.
• The movie hasn't got very encouraging reviews. Most reviews are average and so the avid review followers just might dismiss the movie.
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