Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Pehla Pehla Experience
Saadie’s blog abt Zinda inspired me 2 write abt my attempt 2 watch a Pakistani film … Pehla Pehla Pyar … it is an amateur attempt at movie-making by Mubasher Lucman (pronounced Look-man), the director, the producer and the tormentor in chief. The high-profile director with no prior film experience, joins Faheem Burney and Asif Ali Pota in the ever-growing list of unsuccessful directors who migrated from TV to film and whose first attempt was a box-office failure! My review is gonna appear in dawn this week magar this is what might get edited …. Bohat buri film hai yaar … yeh review sirf aap k lye … Being a storyless and scriptless flick, PPP was destined to fall short of expectations had even Steven Spielberg directed it. Unnecessarily, there was an emphasis on ‘A Story By Irfan A. Urfi’ and ‘Based on some true events’ in the prologue as sadly, one had to search for the story during the traumatic 3 hours while there was no truth in the ‘true events gimmick’ as whatever happened during the movie can only happen in a Pakistani film!
The film seemed more like a play on a private TV channel rather than a feature film and was based on the tried and tested love-triangle formula. Zimmy (Ali Tabish) and Tina (Resham) belong to middle-class families, live and study in Dubai and fell in love after initial indecisiveness. Zimmy becomes a famous singer thanks to Tina who appears in his first music video as a friendly-cum-romantic gesture. Seth Tahir Dawood (Nadeem) in Bangkok catches a glimpse of Tina on TV and asks his personal secretary, played by Kanwal, to arrange a ‘meeting’ with the gorgeous damsel. The secretary, who specializes in arranging girls for the Seth, asks Sweetie (Sajid Hasan), the brother of Tina, for his sister and he agrees only to end up in Bangkok. Being a drunkard and gambler, he gambles for his family’s better life by staging a drama where he is dying supposedly develops Brain Cancer and this silly plot convinces his mother that the 40ish Seth Dawood is the perfect choice for Tina (Absurd, isn’t it?). Zimmy returns from an outdoor shoot to learn of the marriage and vows never to marry, ending up being loved by Haya (Zara Sheikh) who is the daughter of Seth Dawood and the step daughter of … you guessed it right … Tina – Zimmy’s first first love! The film then moves at an amazingly rapid pace but sadly, in no direction. People die as if there is some kind of death infection in the air and the abrupt conclusion confirms that there was, as the director was quick in wrapping up everything as if he was infected himself!
The songs were fine and except for Subah Kay Noor, Jagi Jagi and Yeh Dunya Ki Rasmein, all were ill-placed for unknown reasons. In the scene where Seth Dawood gives talaaq to Tina when the latter catches him with a professional call girl, we have a qawwali Dil Na Kisi Ka Toroway Banday, Keh Gaye Bhulley Shah instead of violin, simple chorus or nothing at all in the background! It might have been a tribute to the great poet but what does it have to do with divorce and why it was so ill-placed that even Bhulley Shah would have objected! There was no choreography whatsoever in any of the songs while Yeh Dunya Ki Rasmein wouldn’t have been possible had Nasir Hussain and Subhash Ghai not come up with Kia Hua Tera Waada and Darde Dil Darde Jigar in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin and Karz respectively. The scenario has been taken from the former song while the crowd disappearing act leaving only the romantic couple comes from the latter!
Ali Sufian Aafaqi, the famous dialogue writer and director of yesteryears had his name mentioned in dialogue (instead of dialogues) and one hopes that he had his hand in just one because if he wrote the dialogues, he should quit rather than writing crap like this and Imran Malik’s Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye which now seems Titanic compared to this film. As for the cast, only seasoned campaigners Sajid Hasan and Nadeem stood out with the former excelling as the cunning and shrewd brother and the latter Nadeem doing gracefully well as the over-40 and under-60 tharki businessman whose legal and illegal businesses were a mystery even to him. Ali Tabish, who looks handsome only in supari-sponsored music videos, was wooden and expressionless, taking pleasure in hugging an older-looking Resham who failed to carry the burden of the main star of the film. She played Nadeem’s daughter in her debut film Jeeva a decade ago and playing his wife is certainly a relegation for her, rather than a promotion. Zara Sheikh, who showed promise in her initial films, was a disappointment as she didn’t do much besides showing off her flesh and performing a romantic number Haye Haye Ray in the rain (yes, seems no film is complete without it!) ala Bipasha Basu-style. Navaid Rashid a.k.a. Tony, a noted showbiz personality, did a better job as the tense Bank Manager in his couple of scenes unlike TV artiste Kanwal (who was dubbed by someone else) and model Ali Sher without whom the film would have been possible.
Pakistani films have always been full of foul-ups. Gone are the days when a bandaged Waheed Murad used to return home after a train accident in the morning and dancing in the evening to his health with a lass on each arm and getting away with such a mistake! In this modern age, with the induction of cable, DVD and making of a film available to all, a blooper should be a rarity. But sadly in Lollywood, it still isn’t. In Ghar Kab Aao Gay, Meera stole a floppy drive from an open bank at night after a Mission Impossible type stunt in Manila only to view it on her IMAC which doesn’t have a floppy drive! In No Paisa No Problem, Humayun Saeed kicked off a thief at sunset near Clifton Bridge only for the poor creature to end up at Sea View at sunrise, next day! In Mujhe Jeenay Do, Meera was declared guilty in a court where the judge’s computer was showing Microsoft Windows error while in Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye, Imran Malik ended up strangely in the railway station as his destination was Dubai where no train from Pakistan has ever gone before! These things make Pakistani films a treat and Pehla Pehla Pyar is no different! There was abundance of bloopers here as well, some of them are presented below for your sore eyes:
1. Zimmy and Tina were the pet names of Zameer and Tehmina instead of nicknames!
2. Zimmy was a famous singer who sang Yeh Dunya Ki Rasmein for an audience that comprised of Thai locals who didn't understand a word of Urdu
3. Zimmy's interview was shown on Dubai TV which Tina and Haya saw in Bangkok. But when he was on the run, he didn't have money to buy food for his sweetheart, and the two ended up sharing one homemade sandwich - How Romantic!
4. No one in Bangkok was able to recognize Zimmy although the locals attended his concert and his interview was aired on TV.
5. Zimmy was not in contact with Tina in an era when you even have mobile signals in Tando Adam (It's in Pakistan, folks!)
6. Not even the gangs of Bangkok bothered the runaway couple of Tina and Zimmy, once. In Pakistan, the police would have asked for their nikah-naamas at least a 100 times!
7. Tina used to do everything after asking her family, except secretly meeting Zimmy! The film could have done better had the scenes of her asking her bhayya and ammi were cut but that would have made the film shorter along with the trauma, wouldn't it!
8. When Sweetie was in a hospital in Dubai, the signs were in Urdu!
9. Sweetie's mother referred to the lady doctor as Dr. Sahib and it would have been better had the mother's eyes been operated then and there!
10. When the doctors disclosed to Sweetie's family that he had Brain Cancer, (I believe they meant Brain Tumor which is common in Indian films), the mother asked about the expenses after saying the usual Allah Ki Marzi Hogi. Who asks about expenses as the first thing one is concerned about is how much time has the patient got left or what are the chances of his getting well!
11. Seth Dawood was referred to as a 'Big Tycoon' throughout the film as if he is some typhoon. But he and his men were unable to catch his wife and her lover, although the two were out on the road most of the time, carrying their empty-looking handbag and suitcase!
12. No matter how big a tycoon he may be, he can't explain why his secretary bid Goodnight to him when sun was shining brightly outside!
13. Seth Dawood lived in a hotel-type mansion but had only one housemaid!
14. Seth Dawood wore a blue checked shirt in the movie on many occasions thus making his dynasty doubtful!
15. When Tina was told by Haya that her brother tricked her into marrying Seth Dawood for his benefit, she wasn't shocked as if she knew. She didn't even ask Haya how the hell she knew that!
16. When Tina was asked by Zimmy as to whether she would work in his music video, she declined saying she wouldn't do anything qabil-e-aiteraaz as she belonged to a middle-class family. But that is exactly what she was doing in the flesh showing video where the model was emphasized more than the vocalist!
17. When Seth Dawood saw the video on TV, he switched off the set and called his secretary who came to his home and inquired why he has summoned her. The big tycoon switched on the TV set and there was Tina, waiting to continue from where she left, dancing as if the song was made for the Seth's special viewing, to be paused whenever he pleased!
18. There was no blood when a character in the movie was shot meaning either the bullet was highly advanced and blood-sucking or the make-up people ran out of fake blood.
19. Whenever Seth Dawood insulted his wife, he gave her a blank cheque. Now one blank cheque is enough to take out all cash in an account so why does the big tycoon give her more than one?
20. Sweetie referred to her sister as Meri Behen Tina (now who calls his sister meri behen?)
21. During the entire course of the movie, the currency in Dubai and Bangkok was referred to as rupees. There were neither Dirhams nor Baht mentioned even once.
22.And finally, when Zimmy left for an 'outdoor shoot', instead of an 'outdoor recording', he erred. What he meant would have been 'shooting abroad' but who takes Pakistani films seriously anyway!
The film belonged to the Mystery genre as it keeps you guessing as to when the ‘Story by Irfan A. Urfi’ would unfold. It was a low budget affair as the producers saved a lot of money by skipping a shaadi and a party scene although there was a post-party scene where Nadeem insults Resham. Many believed that the main reason Mubasher Lucman’s film wasn’t able to ‘grace’ (pun intended!) the screen was because it was directed by an Indian director and there was a clash for credits between the supposedly Indian director and the named one. Believe me, no Indian director could have directed this film the way Mr. Lucman has. Although the camera work in some of the sequences was exemplary, filmmaking is not only about camerawork. It is a different media, not everyone’s forte, where even the slightest of mistake becomes a blunder, unlike TV where even the worst of stuff gets unnoticed!
Next: Subhash Ghai se mulaqat – ik nazar (on Saadie’s insistence)!
The film seemed more like a play on a private TV channel rather than a feature film and was based on the tried and tested love-triangle formula. Zimmy (Ali Tabish) and Tina (Resham) belong to middle-class families, live and study in Dubai and fell in love after initial indecisiveness. Zimmy becomes a famous singer thanks to Tina who appears in his first music video as a friendly-cum-romantic gesture. Seth Tahir Dawood (Nadeem) in Bangkok catches a glimpse of Tina on TV and asks his personal secretary, played by Kanwal, to arrange a ‘meeting’ with the gorgeous damsel. The secretary, who specializes in arranging girls for the Seth, asks Sweetie (Sajid Hasan), the brother of Tina, for his sister and he agrees only to end up in Bangkok. Being a drunkard and gambler, he gambles for his family’s better life by staging a drama where he is dying supposedly develops Brain Cancer and this silly plot convinces his mother that the 40ish Seth Dawood is the perfect choice for Tina (Absurd, isn’t it?). Zimmy returns from an outdoor shoot to learn of the marriage and vows never to marry, ending up being loved by Haya (Zara Sheikh) who is the daughter of Seth Dawood and the step daughter of … you guessed it right … Tina – Zimmy’s first first love! The film then moves at an amazingly rapid pace but sadly, in no direction. People die as if there is some kind of death infection in the air and the abrupt conclusion confirms that there was, as the director was quick in wrapping up everything as if he was infected himself!
The songs were fine and except for Subah Kay Noor, Jagi Jagi and Yeh Dunya Ki Rasmein, all were ill-placed for unknown reasons. In the scene where Seth Dawood gives talaaq to Tina when the latter catches him with a professional call girl, we have a qawwali Dil Na Kisi Ka Toroway Banday, Keh Gaye Bhulley Shah instead of violin, simple chorus or nothing at all in the background! It might have been a tribute to the great poet but what does it have to do with divorce and why it was so ill-placed that even Bhulley Shah would have objected! There was no choreography whatsoever in any of the songs while Yeh Dunya Ki Rasmein wouldn’t have been possible had Nasir Hussain and Subhash Ghai not come up with Kia Hua Tera Waada and Darde Dil Darde Jigar in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin and Karz respectively. The scenario has been taken from the former song while the crowd disappearing act leaving only the romantic couple comes from the latter!
Ali Sufian Aafaqi, the famous dialogue writer and director of yesteryears had his name mentioned in dialogue (instead of dialogues) and one hopes that he had his hand in just one because if he wrote the dialogues, he should quit rather than writing crap like this and Imran Malik’s Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye which now seems Titanic compared to this film. As for the cast, only seasoned campaigners Sajid Hasan and Nadeem stood out with the former excelling as the cunning and shrewd brother and the latter Nadeem doing gracefully well as the over-40 and under-60 tharki businessman whose legal and illegal businesses were a mystery even to him. Ali Tabish, who looks handsome only in supari-sponsored music videos, was wooden and expressionless, taking pleasure in hugging an older-looking Resham who failed to carry the burden of the main star of the film. She played Nadeem’s daughter in her debut film Jeeva a decade ago and playing his wife is certainly a relegation for her, rather than a promotion. Zara Sheikh, who showed promise in her initial films, was a disappointment as she didn’t do much besides showing off her flesh and performing a romantic number Haye Haye Ray in the rain (yes, seems no film is complete without it!) ala Bipasha Basu-style. Navaid Rashid a.k.a. Tony, a noted showbiz personality, did a better job as the tense Bank Manager in his couple of scenes unlike TV artiste Kanwal (who was dubbed by someone else) and model Ali Sher without whom the film would have been possible.
Pakistani films have always been full of foul-ups. Gone are the days when a bandaged Waheed Murad used to return home after a train accident in the morning and dancing in the evening to his health with a lass on each arm and getting away with such a mistake! In this modern age, with the induction of cable, DVD and making of a film available to all, a blooper should be a rarity. But sadly in Lollywood, it still isn’t. In Ghar Kab Aao Gay, Meera stole a floppy drive from an open bank at night after a Mission Impossible type stunt in Manila only to view it on her IMAC which doesn’t have a floppy drive! In No Paisa No Problem, Humayun Saeed kicked off a thief at sunset near Clifton Bridge only for the poor creature to end up at Sea View at sunrise, next day! In Mujhe Jeenay Do, Meera was declared guilty in a court where the judge’s computer was showing Microsoft Windows error while in Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye, Imran Malik ended up strangely in the railway station as his destination was Dubai where no train from Pakistan has ever gone before! These things make Pakistani films a treat and Pehla Pehla Pyar is no different! There was abundance of bloopers here as well, some of them are presented below for your sore eyes:
1. Zimmy and Tina were the pet names of Zameer and Tehmina instead of nicknames!
2. Zimmy was a famous singer who sang Yeh Dunya Ki Rasmein for an audience that comprised of Thai locals who didn't understand a word of Urdu
3. Zimmy's interview was shown on Dubai TV which Tina and Haya saw in Bangkok. But when he was on the run, he didn't have money to buy food for his sweetheart, and the two ended up sharing one homemade sandwich - How Romantic!
4. No one in Bangkok was able to recognize Zimmy although the locals attended his concert and his interview was aired on TV.
5. Zimmy was not in contact with Tina in an era when you even have mobile signals in Tando Adam (It's in Pakistan, folks!)
6. Not even the gangs of Bangkok bothered the runaway couple of Tina and Zimmy, once. In Pakistan, the police would have asked for their nikah-naamas at least a 100 times!
7. Tina used to do everything after asking her family, except secretly meeting Zimmy! The film could have done better had the scenes of her asking her bhayya and ammi were cut but that would have made the film shorter along with the trauma, wouldn't it!
8. When Sweetie was in a hospital in Dubai, the signs were in Urdu!
9. Sweetie's mother referred to the lady doctor as Dr. Sahib and it would have been better had the mother's eyes been operated then and there!
10. When the doctors disclosed to Sweetie's family that he had Brain Cancer, (I believe they meant Brain Tumor which is common in Indian films), the mother asked about the expenses after saying the usual Allah Ki Marzi Hogi. Who asks about expenses as the first thing one is concerned about is how much time has the patient got left or what are the chances of his getting well!
11. Seth Dawood was referred to as a 'Big Tycoon' throughout the film as if he is some typhoon. But he and his men were unable to catch his wife and her lover, although the two were out on the road most of the time, carrying their empty-looking handbag and suitcase!
12. No matter how big a tycoon he may be, he can't explain why his secretary bid Goodnight to him when sun was shining brightly outside!
13. Seth Dawood lived in a hotel-type mansion but had only one housemaid!
14. Seth Dawood wore a blue checked shirt in the movie on many occasions thus making his dynasty doubtful!
15. When Tina was told by Haya that her brother tricked her into marrying Seth Dawood for his benefit, she wasn't shocked as if she knew. She didn't even ask Haya how the hell she knew that!
16. When Tina was asked by Zimmy as to whether she would work in his music video, she declined saying she wouldn't do anything qabil-e-aiteraaz as she belonged to a middle-class family. But that is exactly what she was doing in the flesh showing video where the model was emphasized more than the vocalist!
17. When Seth Dawood saw the video on TV, he switched off the set and called his secretary who came to his home and inquired why he has summoned her. The big tycoon switched on the TV set and there was Tina, waiting to continue from where she left, dancing as if the song was made for the Seth's special viewing, to be paused whenever he pleased!
18. There was no blood when a character in the movie was shot meaning either the bullet was highly advanced and blood-sucking or the make-up people ran out of fake blood.
19. Whenever Seth Dawood insulted his wife, he gave her a blank cheque. Now one blank cheque is enough to take out all cash in an account so why does the big tycoon give her more than one?
20. Sweetie referred to her sister as Meri Behen Tina (now who calls his sister meri behen?)
21. During the entire course of the movie, the currency in Dubai and Bangkok was referred to as rupees. There were neither Dirhams nor Baht mentioned even once.
22.And finally, when Zimmy left for an 'outdoor shoot', instead of an 'outdoor recording', he erred. What he meant would have been 'shooting abroad' but who takes Pakistani films seriously anyway!
The film belonged to the Mystery genre as it keeps you guessing as to when the ‘Story by Irfan A. Urfi’ would unfold. It was a low budget affair as the producers saved a lot of money by skipping a shaadi and a party scene although there was a post-party scene where Nadeem insults Resham. Many believed that the main reason Mubasher Lucman’s film wasn’t able to ‘grace’ (pun intended!) the screen was because it was directed by an Indian director and there was a clash for credits between the supposedly Indian director and the named one. Believe me, no Indian director could have directed this film the way Mr. Lucman has. Although the camera work in some of the sequences was exemplary, filmmaking is not only about camerawork. It is a different media, not everyone’s forte, where even the slightest of mistake becomes a blunder, unlike TV where even the worst of stuff gets unnoticed!
Next: Subhash Ghai se mulaqat – ik nazar (on Saadie’s insistence)!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Abhy To Hum Aaye Hain!!!
Told u i wud b back!
Salamz .... After more than a year, I have made myself appear on blogs and hope to continue this as a once-a-week affair ... life is going gr8 for me ... thats the main reason i stopped writing blog ... khushi ki waja se ... so why am I happy ... well because I have the best of friends ... a job I love .. cousins I would die for and above all ... no tension now that I m no more at the place that gave me creeps ... my last blog entry was about my tension and how I dealt with it ... this time ... it has changed since I m in a field where I m counted as an important person ... and am loved by many if not all ... I do feel lucky!
The best part is that my 3 buddies whom I have trusted are still with me and also in better jobs ... it is bcz of their support that I m able to write this blog ... Kudos 2 acro as well for pumping me 2 write a blog ... so here goes ....
The day went fine since I reached office on time and worked quite hard for my salary earned ... continued to work like a woof woof till at 1 my boss asked me k have u been to chatkharay ... told her k nopes 2 which she zabardasty made me go there although I enjoyed the food and the environment ... it was a gud place and next time I wud ask my friends 2 go there ...
Then I again continued to work like a woof woof till 8 ... I was invited to a valima reception at lasania of an ex colleague and decided to go there with a dhang ka tohfa that i bot with my sis 2 days back ... went there ... met most of those who had either left my ex work place or were thinking of leaving it ... spent time from 9 30 to 11 00 thinking when would the food be served ... to my astonishment ... the place was overcrowded ... and when food did become public ... it had no place for us as more in need were in the line ... queue ... or I shud say ... misqueue since plates fell over others ... it was our daring effort that saw us eat food which was strangely in abundance ... then entered the former boss Mr. Z ... he was surprised to see us all ... together .... kher ... I left the place by 11 30 and came home, inquiring in b/w whether the 2nd valima I was supposed 2 enter was over or not ... and it was over by the time I was on baloch colony bridge so I came back home, checked email, wished a school-time friend HAPPY BIRTHDAY (whose comments were thanks yaar tum hairat mein dal detey ho ke tum ko kaise yaad hey ... really tum bhai ajeeb ho) and then, on the insistence of acro, wrote this blog ....
Me feeling sleepy ... do comment as I wud eagerly await it ... and as uncle ghalib said ... death has a fix time ... then y don't we sleep all nite :) ... Ciao
Clin2 aka Om
Salamz .... After more than a year, I have made myself appear on blogs and hope to continue this as a once-a-week affair ... life is going gr8 for me ... thats the main reason i stopped writing blog ... khushi ki waja se ... so why am I happy ... well because I have the best of friends ... a job I love .. cousins I would die for and above all ... no tension now that I m no more at the place that gave me creeps ... my last blog entry was about my tension and how I dealt with it ... this time ... it has changed since I m in a field where I m counted as an important person ... and am loved by many if not all ... I do feel lucky!
The best part is that my 3 buddies whom I have trusted are still with me and also in better jobs ... it is bcz of their support that I m able to write this blog ... Kudos 2 acro as well for pumping me 2 write a blog ... so here goes ....
The day went fine since I reached office on time and worked quite hard for my salary earned ... continued to work like a woof woof till at 1 my boss asked me k have u been to chatkharay ... told her k nopes 2 which she zabardasty made me go there although I enjoyed the food and the environment ... it was a gud place and next time I wud ask my friends 2 go there ...
Then I again continued to work like a woof woof till 8 ... I was invited to a valima reception at lasania of an ex colleague and decided to go there with a dhang ka tohfa that i bot with my sis 2 days back ... went there ... met most of those who had either left my ex work place or were thinking of leaving it ... spent time from 9 30 to 11 00 thinking when would the food be served ... to my astonishment ... the place was overcrowded ... and when food did become public ... it had no place for us as more in need were in the line ... queue ... or I shud say ... misqueue since plates fell over others ... it was our daring effort that saw us eat food which was strangely in abundance ... then entered the former boss Mr. Z ... he was surprised to see us all ... together .... kher ... I left the place by 11 30 and came home, inquiring in b/w whether the 2nd valima I was supposed 2 enter was over or not ... and it was over by the time I was on baloch colony bridge so I came back home, checked email, wished a school-time friend HAPPY BIRTHDAY (whose comments were thanks yaar tum hairat mein dal detey ho ke tum ko kaise yaad hey ... really tum bhai ajeeb ho) and then, on the insistence of acro, wrote this blog ....
Me feeling sleepy ... do comment as I wud eagerly await it ... and as uncle ghalib said ... death has a fix time ... then y don't we sleep all nite :) ... Ciao
Clin2 aka Om
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
