Retro Review: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

4 Stars (out of 4)

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In Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, demure Simran (Kajol) takes a European trip with her girlfriends as a last fling before her prearranged marriage. But she falls in love with a mischievous fellow traveler named Raj (Shahruhk Khan) after they are stranded in Switzerland.

Raj must use every trick in the book to convince Simran’s father to call off her marriage — not an easy task considering Simran’s father, Chaudhry, is played by Amrish Puri, the actor best known in the U.S. as Mola Ram from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

The song and dance numbers are memorable, and the acting is terrific. DDLJ‘s charming love story has made it the most popular Indian movie of all time. If you’ve never seen a Bollywood movie before, start with this one.

Retro Review: Dhoom 2 (2006)

3.5 Stars (out of 4)

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Abhishek Bachchan plays a cop trying to take down master thief Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan), with the help of petty criminal Sunehri (Aishwarya Rai). Mr. A’s capers would be impossible in reality. But this is a film where police are able to wait underwater on jet skis for several minutes in order to ambush the bad guys. Ignore everything you’ve ever learned about physics and the properties of the human body and enjoy this goofy, good-humored action flick.

Hollywood Warns Bollywood

American production house Warner Bros has warned an unnamed Bollywood producer against remaking The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in Hindi. Vipul Shah’s upcoming Akshay Kumar movie, Action Replay, is supposedly a remake of the Oscar nominee. Warner Bros issued the warning in the form of a newspaper ad that didn’t name Shah directly.

With the ongoing strike in Bollywood, there are few Indian films playing in the Chicago area this weekend. 8×10 Tasveer is still playing at the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington. Sathyam Cinemas in Downers Grove is showing the Tamil film Ayan and the Telugu film Billa.

Bollywood Producers Strike

The April 3 release of 8×10 Tasveer may be the last Hindi film to open in American cinemas for a while. On Saturday, April 4, Bollywood producers ceased releasing new films until they can work out a profit-sharing agreement with the owners of Indian multiplexes. The cinema owners say that they are only willing to turn over a higher share of their profits for movies that prove to be hits.

That means no new Hindi films will open in Chicago area theaters this weekend, nor for the foreseeable future. The AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington is carrying over Aa Dekhen Zara and 8×10 Tasveer for another week.

If you absolutely need an Indian movie fix, Sathyam Cinemas in Downers Grove is showing the Tamil movie Ayan until Friday, April 10, when the Malayalam film Sagar alias Jackie Reloaded starts its run.

Movie Review: 8×10 Tasveer (2009)

0.5 Stars (out of 4)

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I’ve wanted to see Akshay Kumar in something other than a slapstick comedy for a while now. But, after watching 8×10 Tasveer, I’m ready for him to go back to slipping on banana peels.

In 8×10 Tasveer, Kumar plays Jai, a Canadian forest ranger with psychic abilities. Specifically, Jai can look at a picture and mentally envision the events that transpired in the moments after the picture was taken. If there are multiple people featured in a photo, he can see the events from each of their perspectives.

Early in the movie, Jai’s father dies in what appears to be an accident. But when a quirky detective (note to filmmakers: enough with the quirky detectives!) suggests that his father was murdered, Jai uses his psychic abilities to determine what really happened.

The movie is slow but occasionally entertaining, as Jai delves into the mystery. But the truth behind Jai’s dad’s death is so cliched and soap operatic, I had to fight to keep from laughing during the protracted denouement.

If you’re looking for a good supernatural thriller, skip 8×10 Tasveer and seek out Aa Dekhen Zara, instead.

Opening April 3: 8×10 Tasveer

There’s one new Hindi film opening in the Chicago area this week. 8×10 Tasveer is a thriller starring Akshay Kumar as a man with a supernatural ability to see into the past. The film will open at the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington.

Carrying over for a second week at the South Barrington 30 is supernatural thriller Aa Dekhen Zara. I thought it was pretty good, though its biggest selling point is its short runtime of just under two hours.

Here’s a video of the title song from 8×10 Tasveer: