Yuga Purusha(1989)

Kannada remake of Karz(1980). I found out about this version while reading the Wiki page for The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. (I was trying to find info on the novel's author, Max Ehrlich.) Ravichandran makes me uneasy, but I find Moon Moon Sen alluring enough to consider checking it out, even though I wasn't wild about the original. (I kinda liked the 2008 release, however.) Anytamil has the VCD listed, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's in stock.

Songs I uncovered on YouTube: "Ee Bombe Yaavudo", "Keli Premigale", "Sangeethave Nanna Devaru", "Shree Krishna Bandanu"

Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu(2008)

While I'm on the subject of remakes, I suddenly remembered this Kannada remake of Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule. It's not yet available on DVD, but anytamil has the VCD listed, and since it stars Ramya/Divya, I will have to add it to my "may order at a later date" list.

At the moment, I have nothing else to say about this one. If/when I buy the VCD, I'll edit this post. Until then, here are the songs I found on YouTube: "Minugu Minugu", "Nee Chumu Chumu", "O Baby O Baby", "Modala Sala".

Snehana Preetina(2007)

The VCD has been listed on anytamil for ages, yet whenever I try to add it to my shopping cart I get a "movkan01514vcd could not be added" error message. The link for the DVD works, but I'm afraid that if I order it, it will show up on bhavanidvd a couple of months later. And while it stars the lovely Sindhu Tolani and Lakshmi Rai, the main reason I want it is because of the "Sakku Sakku Saku" song with Jennifer Kotwal. (0:28 - 1:24 is my favorite part. I love the tattered outfit she's wearing.)

I read that this is a remake of Ishq, which I haven't seen. Although I usually like to watch the original version of a remake, just to see how it compares, in this instance, I'll take a pass on the Hindi movie and stick with the Kannada one(if I decide to get it, that is).

Short takes, pt. 9.

Or, "What Should I Waste My Money On Next?"

Black & White - I have no idea what this is about, and I'm too lazy to Google, but Sindhu Tolani is in it, which is good. Jackie Shroff is also in it, which might be not-so-good because for some inexplicable reason I'm not jazzed about seeing him in a Tollywood flick. But, if I can deal with the "shock" of seeing Shakti Kapoor in a Kannada film(Makeup), I guess I can put up with Mr. Shroff.

Premikulu - The plot sounds interesting, but I dunno. It's only $3.99, so it wouldn't be too much of a waste if I wound up not really liking it.

Dhill - I'm not feeling Vikram's hairdo in this movie, but I kinda want to see it, mostly for Laila, my current SLO(Short Lived Obsession). Speaking of whom, she's also in the following flicks:

Akrosam - Dubbed Telugu version of Nandha.

Love Story 1999 - No clue, but Rambha's also in it.

Ullam Ketkume - Also has Asin. Could be a possibility.

Na Hrudayamlo Nidurinche Cheli - ??? I can't seem to find any info on this. Maybe it's a Telugu dub of a Tamil movie.

I have posts in the "draft" stage for Raasi, Mugavari, Andala Ramudu, and Paramasivan that I hope to have published soon(and by "soon" I mean, "Sometime by the end of this year."). I would also like to type something about Rojavanam and Unnidathil Ennai Kuduthen. I wish I could swallow a bottle of motivation pills because that's what I'm lacking these days WRT this blog. I started out great guns and then I lost interest. I have to find a reason to be interested again.

Back to movies: I've bitched about it elsewhere, but I'll bitch here, too: Kannadastore, why Paypal? I don't trust Paypal. If I did, I would get Meera Madhava Raghava, Masti, Satya in Love, and Rama Shama Bhama, and also Kokila and Maria My Darling, even though I have a feeling that the last two are in the "on backorder indefinitely"(i.e. not available) category.

Short takes, pt. 7.

I haven't been feeling inspired to post a "real" entry, so here's yet another list:

Last night, I watched: Paandu(starring Sneha and Jagapathi Babu), as well the 1980 version of Billa with Rajnikanth and Sripriya. For me, the highlight of the latter film was watching Helen dance in a outfit similar to the one Sridevi wore in Kalakaar. Overall, I thought it was pretty good, but I think I prefer the remake(which is rare, because it's usually the other way around).

The night before, I watched: Julie, the 2006 Kannada remake with Ramya/Divya Spandana and Dino Morea. I liked the antiquated feel in the first half, but hated it in the second half. I wish I had known about and watched the Malayalam original, Chattakari, before it got pulled, especially since it doesn't appear to be available on even VCD.

Last week, I obsessively watched: Ghajini and Billa. With regards to the first flick, even though Nayantara doesn't look her best, and her character is annoying as hell, I still found her appealing. I think it's because of the first couple of minutes of the "X Pichi Y Pichi" song(I have the dubbed Telugu version 'cause it was cheaper).

They were under $5, so I bought them: Nee Thodu Kavali(Charmi's Telugu debut), Ammai Bagundi(because of Meera Jasmine).

I was going to buy: the 2-in-1 DVD of Chakraviyugam solely because of Daisy Bopanna, but I didn't. Maybe next time. Same for the Telugu version of Happy Days.

Posts that are still brewing in my head: Sridevi, Mungaru Male, Kallori, Heartbeats. Hopefully, they'll all see the light of day sometime within the next couple of months.

Mungaru Male(2006)

I hate movies that feature animals because I always end up caring more about the animals than the people. Such is the case with Mungaru Male. I'm still sad about Devdas. Poor Devdas. Every time he/she/it appeared onscreen, I thought, "Awwww...Devdas!" Maybe I'm having flashbacks from the time when I was a kid and had a pet bunny rabbit. As gooshy as I get over animals, you'd think I was a die-hard vegetarian-slash-crazed-animal-rights-activist, but I'm not. (Although, I am working on the vegetarian part.) Anyway...

I didn't really watch this movie, I just skipped through the chapters to make sure the disc wasn't defective. But what I saw looked okay. Not great, but soap opera-ish enough to appeal to my fondness for nearly all things melodramatic. This is most likely one of those "after I watched it a billion-skillion times, I learned to love it"-type films.

I'll return to this entry after I've given it a proper viewing.

Short takes, pt. 6.

Another day, another boring list. I'll post a real entry eventually.

I'm watching: Sachein(2005)

Before that, I watched a little of: Sorry...Enakku Kalyanam Ayiduchi(2006) and Gharshana(2004). I got the former because of Linda Arsenio's item number. I think she's a sketchball but at the same time, I kinda like her.

Last night, I watched: Unnale Unnale(2007)

Earlier, I tried to watch: Kireedam(2007) and Jalsa(2008), but neither movie held my interest. I might give Kireedam another chance, though.

I want to watch: Mungaru Male(2006), but I'm hesitant to tear off the plastic wrap because I don't know if it's a gift or if it was mailed to me by accident. I might end up opening it, anyway. (ETA: I'm glad I didn't open it, because it was sent to me by mistake. I will mail it to its rightful owner either tomorrow or on Monday. I was hoping it was a "thank you, please keep spending money" for my continued patronage. I guess not. Ah, well.

ETA2: Because I'm a liar(see below re: Heartbeats), I went ahead and ordered it, along with Kallori(I saw a pic of Tamanna/Tamannaah that made me a believer). I'll blame it on my unsatisfied curiosity. If I had never gotten that movie by mistake, I probably never would've considered buying it(and that's another lie, because I HAD been considering it, but I'll pretend otherwise).)

I thought about buying: Manasantha(2002), the dubbed Telugu version of Manasellam, 'cause it's really cheap, but I'm not a fan of dubs, and I've decided that the recently ordered Heartbeats(2007) should be my last DVD purchase for at least a month.

Short takes, pt. 5.

Rewatched Aata and Aishwarya last night. Very jumbled, stream-of-conscious thoughts on both:

Aata(2007) - Puppies and bubble hips, oh my! Still can't believe Siddarth and Ileana didn't get along on-set. She's a better actress than he gave her credit for because I didn't sense any animosity, and I usually pick up on things like that(already stated this in original Aata entry, but worth repeating). I don't pay close attention, obviously, because Suniel was in this, too, and just noticed last night. More I watch it, the more I like it. Oh, and I prefer Siddarth with longer locks and facial hair(did I already mention this?), looks more like a man instead of a little boy like he does when he's clean-shaven and with shorter hair. And I intend to copy the denim jacket, white tee, and khaki capris Ileana wore in the first half.

Aishwarya(2006) - Upendra-Daisy romance "inspired by" Surya-Asin one in Ghajini. Had a feeling it wasn't just mere coincidence. Liked second disc better than first, but overall, liked movie, had to watch more than once to really get into it. Prefer Uppi's disheveled look in Satyam. I seem to have a thing for guys who look crazy and/or unkempt. The last song is love. "Aishu, I love you!" I don't know, Deepika seemed to have a butt in this one--I recall her Levis commercial and she appeared to have "noassatall". Maybe she was wearing butt pads in this movie, or perhaps it was just the camera angles(I'm referring to the aforementioned last song, there's a part where she's swaying sexily in jeans and a bikini top).

ETA 01/07/10: I rewatched the second half of Aishwarya last night and felt the "cute alien" vibes all over again. She should've stayed in the south. With the exception of Sridevi--and maybe Jayaprada--I tend to lose interest in south heroines after they migrate to the north, the most recent example being Asin(why, oh why, couldn't she have remained in Kolly and/or Tollywood?). Whatever they had in TN, AP, KL, or KA, they seem to lose it once they hit Mumbai. Or maybe that's just my "Bollywood isn't the end-all, be-all" prejudice talking. **shrug**

Ganda Hendathi(2006)

From an interview with producer Shailendra Babu:

Do you mean to say 'Ganda Hendathi' is for wide section of audience?
Definitely! Even if it is adult certificate, the boys and girls, married couple and the elders can view this film for message in it. It is not enough if you tie the Mangalasutra. In case the husband and wife step on different path what happens in life is the theme of this film. The film has meaningful end.
Source

His remarks remind me of the time when, just before Showgirls was released, Joe Eszterhas urged underage kids to use their fake IDs to sneak in so that they wouldn't miss the film's "message", or some such hilarity. Maybe it's just my family, but I can't imagine any of my older relatives, parents included, sticking around long enough to decipher "the message" behind Thilak and Sanjana's numerous--and often eyebrow-raising(for me, anyway)--make out sessions. For instance, the scene where Thilak smears ice cream on Sanjana's face and licks it off would be enough to make them vow to never watch another movie with me again.

I, for the most part, don't have a problem with skin show, so I enjoyed the movie. **grin** I mean, how could I not love an unintentionally funny, almost scene-by-scene, song-by-song rip-off of Murder? As soon as I saw Thilak fake falling to his equally fake death in front of an obvious blue screen, I knew that my $9.93 had been well-spent.

I would describe Ganda Hendathi as "awesomely bad, and delighfully sleazy". For me, it's right up there with Hawas(2004) and Fun(Can Be Dangerous Sometime) in terms of unrepentant skeazyness. Murder may have had better production values, but I like the Thilak-Sanjana pairing better than the Emraan-Mallika one. The former appeared to genuinely enjoy each other(although, a couple of times, Sanjana appeared hesitant and/or uncomfortable). If they actually hated one another during filming, then they're better actors than I initially thought.

"Oho Nasheyo" and "Nidiregu Raja" don't get stuck in my head as often as their respective Hindi counterparts, "Kaho Na Kaho" and "Bheegey Hont", so I'm automatically partial to them. Plus, the picturisations are sexier and more in-yer-face(e.g the ice cream licking scene I mentioned earlier).

Sanjana is cute, but I wish she'd ditch the blue contact lenses. Yeah, they're her eyeballs and she can stick whatever she wants on them, but personally, I prefer the way she looks with her natural eye color.

I...like Thilak, to put it delicately. And his hair makes him look like "he belongs in a Pantene commercial", to quote a YouTube commenter.

Vishal Hegde looked like such a sad sack with his flat hair and specs that I felt sorry for him. At least he wasn't quite as forgettable as Ashmit Patel. (I have nothing against Ashmit, really, it's just that I honestly forget that he was in Murder.)

I think I'll watch this tonight. I need to take my mind off the stupid-idity going on right now.

Makeup(2002)

I've had an unhealthy fascination with Laila Patel--now Sanaa/Saana Khan--since I first spotted her in Woh. I couldn't stop staring at her slightly cockeyed, heavily pancaked visage. I wondered what happened to her since Woh was DOA at the box office. One day, I was browsing the web and came across an article that mentioned her role in the Kannada film, Makeup, opposite Jaggesh. The VCD was listed on anytamil, but at the time, I had neither a computer or a DVD player that recognized VCDs, so I couldn't order it. Two years later, I now have all three.

Makeup is the desi version of Big Momma's House. I thought it was decent. Not great, but not a total waste of $9.93 either. I was already familar with the plot, and I knew better than to have high expectations, so I wasn't disappointed. As I blogged elsewhere, "The leading man, Jaggesh, isn’t exactly a heartthrob, but I managed to tolerate him. And I found Laila Patel appealing, man-in-drag appearance and all. I even thought she looked pretty in a few shots."

Makeup seems to be Laila's--now Saana's-- first and last foray down south. I don't know if she received additional offers from south producers, but if she didn't, I'm not suprised. She doesn't have the looks to be a mainstream heroine. She's more C-grade skin flick material.

Aside: Speaking of which, her upcoming Hindi film, Wafaa, is with the badly aged Rajesh Khanna. I watched the trailer and I must confess, the bedroom scene made my stomach turn. Not just because of the obvious age difference, but also because Rajesh looked like he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

As for Laila/Saana, I thought she looked nice in traditional clothes. At some angles, she resembled fellow Pak actress Meera(Nazar, Kasak). But while I was able to somewhat handle her May-December pairing in Makeup, I know I won't be able to sit through however many scenes there are of her canoodling with Rajesh, so Wafaa is a no-go.

Back to Makeup: I forgot to mention, the songs are nice. "Dimple Dimple" is my favorite, followed by "Jaka Jaka Janaka".

Aishwarya(2006)

Deepika Padukone's debut. I don't know why it took so long before it was finally released on VCD.

So far, I've watched only the first disc, and really, it wasn't so much "watching" as it was "waiting for Deepika to come onscreen".

Deeps was cute and charming. I agree with the person who told me that on film, she's very regal-looking. Her big eyes made her appear a tad alienesque, IMO, but that's not necessarily a bad thing :) If I liked any of her co-stars, I would check out Om Shanti Om and/or Bachna Ae Haseeno just to admire her beauty.

Even though she's a Kannadithi, I think a dubbing artist was used. But that's not unusual, because very few actresses dub in their own voices, even if the language they're acting in is their mother tongue.