What does one do when a movie has given one of the lowest ever rating 2.0 on indolink ? Well of course one goes to see it !

Even the worst Bollywood movie has some good songs , memorable dialogs -the bits I liked in this one ' Even time does not heal the wounds left by a first love ' and another to be used after telling some harsh things to a bad person whose name begins with the letter after I and then twist the knife with -'I am glad the needle of truth has pierced your black heart ! -great -'sachai ki sui tumahare kale kaleke mein chub gai'.

The voyeuristic sequence when Akhsay watches Urmilla from a hidden place doing her funky dance rehearsal was very good , it should have been extended. Only two young men who had had a bit too much to drink walked out when they found that the words in the famous song 'paen di takki ' had been changed to 'chiddi di dukki' .

Akshay Khanna is actually turning out to be a very good actor . One boy meets girl song was as in Mohabbat (dont break my heart) was inapporpriately placed towards the end but otherwise it is a fairly watchable film.

..Mo

Jyotika , Akshay Khanna , Amrish, Moushima , Anupam , Minke
A truly great movie by Priyadarshan .

Story of a man who falls in love with a girl but gets badly beaten up by her three overprotective brothers whenever he tries to get anywhere near her . Why is there so much anger when the sister or daughter is involved ? It must have something to do with preservation of genes.

What is the best course of action ? Maybe run away with the girl and have a baby and then come back . It doesnt happen this way in the movie and it really is so interesting that I wont give any more details . The ending is quite realistic as well .

The filming I think has been done in Greece with all the Haciendas and marble churches - and this is what is so good about Bollywood , it is going to all corners of the world to bring the best scenes.

Why are movies flopping and what can NRIs do about it ? Once the green card is operative I suggest that instead of handing billions over to the Indian govt to waste they should form a collection of say $50m to set up cinema complexes one each in the big cities of maybe 20 screens .

All movies withdrawn from conventional cinemas would get a chance to be screened there for a month at least. It needs that much time for word of mouth to get round so that movies like these and truly excellent ones like Qila and Daud have a chance . At the moment only SRK and Salman Khan movies seem to get a decent opening even when they are not that good.

Fine performance by Jyotika and all the others . Moushima who appears to have lost 20kg since Kareeb is very good . Far more appealing to the eye than the big palaces the main players live in -how can police officers in India afford such residences ? - was the Jopris of the fishermen and for me the highlight was the dance with the fisherman by the incredible beautiful Mink . Where is she from ?..

Excellent enjoyable movie. Some weird points -its not nice to see two men being eaten alive by vultures ! but the kids will love it , and humans should fight their own battles , its a bit unfair to call on God's help at critical moments.

It is however a perfect Bollywood movie with great action , great comedy and songs and superb dialog by Javed Siddiqui. One example -when in a competition to see who will dance with Pretty Zeinta , she says that if Bobby Deol wins she will only let him kiss her feet , he says 'Jiska sara jism chumne wala ho , sar kya aur paon kya ? -the one whose whole body is kissable , what does it matter if you start at the feet or the head ? ! - Well it sounds better in the movie !.

The comedy scene in the restaurant and when the two get drunk afterwards is really Bollywood at its best . When they want the question answered 'Why when a girl and boy want to say sorry to each other , does their nose get in the way ? and they decide to ask the first samjdar guy and a Sardarji appears- well its NOT offensive -it cant be as Bobby Deol I think is a Sikh -anyway its only a movie , for heaven's sake ! Who played Jo-Jo the villain ? It seems that Bollywood may have its first African star - he was great.

It is interesting to speculate why there is so much Punjabi influence in movies nowadays -DDLJ , KKHH , and this one - and I think it maybe that in the Hindi belt the cinema taxes are so high that movies dont make any money and to be 'hits' they have to do well in Punjab where the disposable income is higher or overseas where most Indians and Pakistani NRIs are from Punjab . Hence the Punjabi language , songs and dances.

Beautiful cinematography by Thomas Xavier and once again one would make it a plea that it is better when showing the beautiful scenery -here Australia to pan slowly and linger a bit , and maybe also put in the right hand corner in off white color to label to say where the place is , so that the tourists can go there. The Sydney Harbour bridge and Opera House I could recognise .

A great movie , worth seeing twice and a tribute to Bollywood that it can make movies which keep one engrossed for three hours..

I'm a terrible critic of the normal masala movies ... i do enjoy them but to me they arent the real movies i want to see (i cant be bothered about what others want to see - it could be govinda or sharukh), but Chinagate surely ranks as one of the best hindi movies in the 1990s, after Maachis, Satya and Damini etc.

This movie does prove one thing though - Rajkumar Santoshi made Barsaat in his sleep. how could a man who's made Damini, Ghayal, AAA and now this make trash like Barsaat? prob. arm twisting from the Deols coz they gave him the break in Ghayal ?

The background score is lifted from i think the Four Seasons symphony, songs were really unnecessary *the Chamma number also is a remake of Akhiyan milaaon which could be a remake of another song* great stuff seeing middle aged men as heroes, really the cream of the acting talent of bollywood. in all a must see !.. Jagadish

It was Hrishida at his usual best. Jhut Bole Kauwa Kate is very good comedy movie that reminds us of Chupke-Chupke, Golmaal etc. After a long spell of action flicks, like Satya, Ghulam, Dil Se ..., Chinagate, this was a nice change. CoC story, or Comedy of Confusion is a subject for which Hrishida should be given a degree of PhD

There were many thing wrong with this movie. There might be spoilers in the following, so if you have not seen it, you may not want to read on...To sum up all my complaints (besides being predictable, which is fine), the film seemed really artificial. I know its a movie and not real life, but this was ridiculous.

First of all, Kajol's character (Anjali) has no friends in college besides SRK's character (Rahul). Secondly, there is no interaction between Rahul and his daughter at the camp.. Rahul had come because of what he thought his daughter had (a cold). He never inquires about this, nor spends some time with her. Karan Johar conveniently glosses over this. He also neglects to inform us if Rahul is ever informed of his daughter's plot to unite him with his college friend.. Even at the end, we are to assume that Rahul is totally unaware. One of the bright spots of the movie was the relationship between father and daughter (portrayed in the very beginning, and never again). Some of the scenes were totally rehash of previous movies such as wishing upon a shooting star, playing a game at the camp, the engagement song between Salman and Kajol, the very ending where Salman finally takes action, the part where SRK closes his eyes and sees Kajol, and the talk Farida Jalal's character has with Kajol at the camp (reminiscent of the _deep_ talks they had in DDLJ :). The college scenes seemed real fake...

Of course, there were some bright spots in the movie. Scenes I would single out would be where Rahul is explaing to his daughter about Anjali and their college life together. He mentions that Anjali never knew how to look beautiful, and we are shown flashes of Kajol dressing up with jewelry in the meantime. Another delighful scene was the "phone scene" where Salman and SRK get mixed up with their respective Anjali's. The Raghupati Raghav song where SRK is running to the camp to see his daughter is enjoyable as well. Finally, another good scene is where Kajol's character is watching the Neelam show and sees SRK for the first time since college. After finding out of little Anjali's true identity, Kajol runs to little Anjali.

Needless to say, as far as performances go, Kajol is great. The film totally revolves around Kajol's character, and her evolution. Karan Johar evidently put alot of thought into the character development of Kajol's character. I am very critical of SRK, so I have to say that SRK was average.. it is certainly not deserving of a Filmfare award though it will probably win him one. The direction IMHO was haphazard at times, trying to throw in different ingredients that have proven successful before. Again, I would single out the college sequence -- it made little sense. Anupam Kher had no scope in the film, while Farida Jalal and Johny Lever were a relief during their brief moments. The little girl (Saena Saed?) was delightful.

What is the DVD film quality like for Indian Films?

	The ones who have made them in order
Picture quality 
Superdigital - Fanatastic - better than most Hollywood
movies - about 20 movies , see www.superdvd.com eg Dulhe
Raja (must see) , Gharwali , Ishq (must see) 

World Wide Entertainment- Very good-English subtitles eg
2001 , Mere Sapno ki Rani 

DEI ( Eros) - Awful -English subtitles

Sound quality

Supedigital - Could be better 
WWE- very good
DEI(Eros) - excellent . 

	However because of such poor picture quality one does not
feel like watching the songs on Eros discs-a pity as they
have Border (cut version) , Gupt , Dil Se , Pardes, RH
	I would get all Superdigital discs from www.indiaplaza.com
without hesitation.
	The following movies are out on DVD at Indiaplaza.com
/ =superdigital = get them -$25 each 
Aman  	
Kshatriya  	
Amir Garib 	
1942 A Love Story
Mrityudand	
Duplicate 
Saat Rang Ke Sapne /
Boolandi
Anjam
Zanjeer - The Chain 	
Teri Meherbaniya 	
Dand Nayak 	
Karan Arjun 	
Teesra Kaun 	
Tirchi Topiwale 	
Ghulam 	
Uff Yeh Mohabbat 	
Sholay 	
Kishan Kanhaiya 	
Geeta /	
Ishq /	
Aap Aye Bahaar Ayee 	
Mother India 	
Dulaara (DML)	
Border 	
Gupt 	
Mere Sapno Ki Rani 	
Amrit 	
Avtaar 	
Raja Hindustani 	
Pardes 	
Aur Pyar Ho Gaya 	
Dulhe Raja /	
Super Duper Vol. 2 	
Eena Mina Dika 	
Do Hazar Ek (2001) 	
Damini 	
Aflatoon	
Judwaa 	/
Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya /	
Saajan Chale Sasural 	
Super Duper Vol. 1 	
Major Saab	
Mrityudaata
Kasme Vaade	
Gharwali Baharwali /	
Raja Babu /	
Laadla /	
Hit Songs Vol. 2 /	
Koyla /	
Deewana Mastana /	
Hit Songs Vol. 1 	/
Virasat /	
Yes Boss /	
Judaai /	


Mrityudand  has English subtitles - but unfortunately not in
the songs -and is recorded on both sides. There is one advt
from Tilda rice at the beginning - which again makes me
think they have mastered it from three quarter inch beta
tape and not film print. Advts at the beginning and end of
the disc are acceptable as one can always bypass them from
the menu. 
	One good feature is the repeat function. Although with the
chapter back button , and from the menu,  one can always go
back instantly to the beginning of the song again ,
sometimes the build up to the song can be just as
interesting -for eg . Govinda falling out of a tree in Dulhe
Raja (which doesnt have the repeat function) when Raveena
winks at him before the 'Akhiyon se goli mare'  -'she kills
with her eyes' song. 
	Mrityudand is of course a feminists movie - with all the
things that Bollywood loves to malign - Bihar , corrupt
politicians , crooked contractors , feudal landlords ,
killer Hindu priests , errant husbands .. but I think the
best feature of this movie which the women will probably
just fast forward and the men will have to sneak in later to
see -is the erotic temple dance at the start. 
	Its on a raised platform , open air with all the men sitting
around , and at night under lights. Unlike Hollywood where
dancing is just gymnastic with the arms and legs aimlessly
thrown around ,each gesture has a meaning - she sings and
dances that she will fly away like a bird when you approach
, twist her limbs around you like a snake etc. 
	At one time she jumps off stage to tickle one of the wildly
excited men in the tummy with her feet. She incorporates
greetings to the late arriving politician , contractor ,
lecherous priest in turn. The folded hands greetings to the
priest is undoubtedly so popular in India because it brings
out the best points !
	This disc is worth renting just for that song. If one can
overcome Macrovision the songs could be recorded on tape..
I don't care what anyone says about Jinnah but Jinnah is a really good film.
I think that people should watch it b/c all the stuff in this movie is true.
This is a real film, there's nothing wrong with it. Most people don't even
like documentary films. So to those people who like documentary should watch
Jinnah, this movie shows how India and Pakistan became two countries and how
they got freedom from British.
	The picture quality is not the eye popping type one has come
to expect from superdigital , a pity as with the big boys
muscling in on movies -superdigital could have bought up the
TV serial rights. The sound quality however is good, 
	Screenplay and dialog for this most excellent series -
Mahabharata - has amazingly been written by a Muslim -Dr
Razi masoom ali Reza . The Geeta which is Krishna's advice
to humans about their duties and proper conduct and is
therefore the very heart of Hinduism is a subset of the
epic. 
	What I think people will find most useful from a DVD like
this - is the learning of Sanskrit and Hindi words - if they
select the English , Spanish or French subtitles . That
alone make this $25  2 hour disc a must have ..

from superdvd.com and www.indiaplaza.com 
	The quality should be excellent since it is mastered by
superdigital .Ishq is also availabile for the same $27
Geeta 
(Indian TV serial - episodes 72, 73, and 74 from Mahabharat)

Produced and directed by - B.R. Chopra and Ravi Chopra

Starring: 
Nitish Bharadwaj as 'Krishna', Arjun as 'Arjuna', Mukesh
Khanna as 'Bhishma', Girija Shanker as 'Dhritarastra', and
Lalita Tiwari as 'Sanjay'

A WORD ABOUT 'GEETA'

GEETA or "Bhagawad-Gita" (the Song of the Lord) is a
quintessential part of the ethos of what is known as
Hinduism. Hinduism is defined by Swami Vivekananda at the
Congress of Religions as "Not a religion, but, a way of
Life". Unlike Christianity and Islam, which have the Bible
and Koran as their Holy Texts and the repositories of those
faiths, Bhagawad-Gita is a compilation of do's and don'ts in
leading a learned and satisfying life. It is not a book in
the normal sense of the term, but, a series of verses woven
together, and tells how, to conduct one's life. There is no
known or stated rules, laws, or religious procedures, just
an explanation of how to lead a pious good life.

GEETA starts with the war of Mahabharat whose protagonists
are Good and Evil, as embodied in the clans of the Pandavas
(Good) and the Kauravas (the Evil), who are cousins related
by blood ties; just like good and evil flourish side by
side. During the Mahabharat War, one of the Pandavas' ARJUNA
develops self-doubt about fighting his own brothers,
teachers, elders, and sages. And, Lord KRISHNA who chose to
be his charioteer expounds the truth about human birth,
death, soul, one's duty to society, family and country, and
how one's 'Karma' presages all that happens and cannot be
changed, but, improved through doing one's duty, and living
one's life without expecting any rewards and personal gain.

The action is narrated through Time (the ever present and
all seeing) and through Vidur (Sanjay) the Prime Minister
(who has the ability to see what is happening on the
battlefield) to Dhritarastra, the blind King of Hastinapur,
and father of the Kaurava clan.

Symbolically, here "Indraprasta" the Capital is denoted as
the prize for which the Pandavas (the forces of good) and
the Kauravas (the forces of evil) have a fight (the
Mahabharat War).

GEETA has been translated and interpreted in many ways by
scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, and this
presentation is a humble attempt by the Producers at
Bringing out the essence of GEETA in a simple, visual and
easily understandable format.Mehboob's Mother India the all time classic from 1958 has
been magnificiently mastered on DVD by     from
www.indiaplaza.com . The disc has a gold color relectance
and I wonder if that is a sign of high quality. 
	I thought the movie was in black and white but here it is in
technicolor and I think may have been colorized , the censor
permit says 1977 ,  if so they have done a great job. The
sound quality is out of this world !! . A pity they didnt
list the playback singers in those days but I think one of
the voices is of Surraiya 
	There are the usual lines and odd white spots that one sees
on film print but I would happily have that rather than a
lower resolution. . Amazing how they aged Nargis from a
young married woman to an 80 year old but of course she was
a great actress. Master Sajid as the younger Sunil Dutt is
also outstanding  -did he ever act in any other movies ? 
	It is a pity it doesnt have subtitles - perhaps a future
edition , but this disc is an absolute must have -with 12
glorious songs. 
	The huge Shiv statue is one of the best I have seen . Was it
a movie prop or is it from a temple ? If the latter than I
must go and see it . 
	Ishq is by Superdigital - the picture quality is good as
always and the sound has been much improved , but recorded
at a lowr decibel than Mother India . Superdigital need to
work on it. Ishq is one of the best comedies ever made in
India - the baboon driving a car on two wheels  is great
and the other reason why one must have this disc is of
course Shweta Menon and the song 'Humko tumsse pyaar hai'.
	Mother India is 177mins long and has been mastered on just
one side. If its not dual layer than I am certainly greatly
impressed.. 
DVD is such a wonderful new medium that I would like all
South Asian producers to take full advantage of it - they
could literally make billions each year as the subcontinent
has some of the most attractive cultural bits to show the
world .
	Bollywood movies on the big screen are starting to become
such a big hit in the West that one multiplex I know is
showing them on five screens daily !. 
	Distributors used to blame piracy for bad videos but in fact
they made them that way deliberately in a foolish attempt to
prevent people making good copies . All it did was to make
millions like myself stop buying or renting them altogether
 
	With DVD they have no such excuse for the awful mastered
ones they have done like Border and Sholay  and I hope
everyone who has seen them go to www.erosentertainment.com
and send bitter emails of complaint
	With more than 500 lines of resolution one becomes very
sensitive to quality. 
	The best ever picture quality in my view are the  three DVDs
by Superdigital -Dulhe Raja, Gharwali Baharwali and Deewana
Mastana -its a great delight to put on the songs before
going to sleep . I have ordered more than one copy of each .
Chapter stops need only be at the songs to make them easier
to access.
	 Ishq also by superdigital I feel has not been mastered at
the same resolution and so one is not so keen to see that
one twice. It doesnt have the print artefacts like the
occasional black line and so I think may have been mastered
from tape , which in my view is a very  big mistake .	All
those who buy DVDs please post your comments on the quality.
The best sound quality I feel  is on the Mother India disc
-well done WWW !. If Superdigital can match that with their
excellent picture quality for TV serials and movies they
have it made. 
	In Western video stores one see many people feeling a bit
lost because they have seen all the Hollywood releases and
if Bollywood can take advantage of the 32 subtitle languages
and 8 dubbed ones DVD offers with perfect picture quality
and excellent Dolby sound on dual layers on one side , I
think they could earn billions from Westerners renting them.

	I can see  movies and TV serials recovering their costs just
from video rentals . Blockbuster stores alone would buy a
million discs of each movie for their stores , provided the
distributors do NOT compromise on sound and picture quality.
	
Zee does not shrink from controversial subjects and the news
and debates are good. One which will provoke fistfights no
doubt is the forthcoming one 
Should India and Pakistan unite ? 
It also has daily business updates and weekly half hour ones
from Pakistan and India 
Some details on getting Zee on indolink.com
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Dear RAMLIers!
Now we have a chat channel exclusively to talk about Music from India. Talk,
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