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#361

HIMMATWALA, begins with a bang, literally, with Sonakshi Sinha dancing to Thank God It's Friday composed to a distinct 80s rhythm. It is quickly followed by a caged-bout, which introduces Ravi (Himmatwala, Ajay Devgn). This fight is introduced by Sajid's lucky mascot, Chunkey Pandey.

You cozy yourself in the chair, expecting to be entertained. And that is exactly what Sajid does and manages to maintain the momentum throughout the first half. But what really brings all his hard work apart is his eagerness to throw more twists and turns into the already well-twisted plot.

But his biggest nemesis is the portrayal of his characters: Sher Singh (Mahesh Manjrekar) as the sarpanch, Narayan Das (Paresh Rawal), his brother-in-law and Asrani as the Ticket Collector.

CHECK OUT: Sajid Khan - When I launched HIMMATWALA with Ajay, it raised lot of questions

As the evil sarpanch who has the entire village in his mutthi, Sher Singh is more a billy! He fails to induce that terror angle which was so required for his part. Instead, he is more comical which dilutes whatever evil he is trying to portray. Paresh Rawal is likeable to a point and then he is made to ham incessantly. Ditto Asrani.

Whatever be it, the villain of the 80s and the plot (where a rich zamindar who always held the upper hand), were designed to evoke terror. You won't find that here. Although Sajid has a ready-made template for success, he tampers with it.

That leaves us with Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah Bhatia who debuted in CHAND SA ROSHAN CHEHRA way back in 2005. Ajay is as ferocious as the Tiger who has a bit part. As the wronged son who is back in the village to avenge his father's death and his mother and sister's humiliation, he induces fire.

Tamannaah Bhatia on the other hand sets off with the proverbial bang in her initial scenes as the rich girl who hates ''garibs''. You immediately hate her. And that is a big plus for any actor.

She carries off the 80s style short dresses with aplomb and positions herself well alongside Devgn to match him 'frame for frame'. However, towards the end, when her role loses sting, she is left at the mercy of the screenplay. Sajid has failed to use her well. Hopefully, we will see more of this girl in Bollywood.

Another factor, which goes against the movie is its length - it is 30 minutes too long. Unnecessarily, Sajid tries to include humour that backfires and a newer twist that is supposed to entertain, but which disengages the viewer.

CHECK OUT: Paresh Rawal does breakdance in HIMMATWALA

To Sajid's credit, it must be said that he has maintained the quirky tackiness of the 80s and has already created his own brand of followers. He is clear in his mandate that his films are for the masses and he packs this movie too with every possible formula. There is a sarpanch, a wronged family, a rich girl, a tired mother, an abused bahu, and even a dialogue with a God as the son is being thrashed by goons, imploring her chamatkar.

Methinks, Sajid has lost out on a good opportunity to recreate a blockbuster because of his over-indulgence.

No one is able to support Ajay Devgn's ferocity, save for Tamannah. But that role was supposed to be played by Mahesh Manjrekar!

Rating :

2.0/5

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#362

Sajid Khan's Brand Of Dumb And Dumber: Why It Works At The Box Office?

MUMBAI: Sajid Khan's 'Himmatwala', which hit theatre screens yesterday, is well on it's way to becoming yet another one of those brainless comedies which may end up as a super hit.

'Himmatwala' has already opened to fierce criticism all around, with most critics slamming the film worldwide, and audiences giving it the thumbs down too.

Sajid Khan has come a long way in establishing his brand of 'dumb and dumber' style humour. His early films like 'Heyy Babyy' and 'Housefull' were decent enough comedies, with a proper storyline and plot, in addition to big actors. However, as time progressed, his "A Sajid Khan Entertainer" films began to forget the all-essential script, and just sort of seemed to run with silly gags, and offensive spoofs.

In spite of the obvious stupidity and inaneness inherent in Sajid's recent films, these have still managed to shatter the glass ceiling, and do roaring business at the ticketing windows.

Sajid himself has mentioned that he doesn't really care what critics think of his films, stating: "I don't need a certificate from people who know nothing about films, be it Bollywood or International." But now, with 'Himmatwala', it seems like Sajid doesn't care about his audiences either.

With a little introspection, we can arrive at the reason for such films doing well at the box office.

Is it because as a country, we are so dumb, and our standards of comedy are so low, that we readily accept whatever 'rubbish' is doled out to us?

Or are filmmakers just catering to the lowest common denominator, when they make such unfunny, slapstick, crass, crude films?

It's been so long since we've had an intelligent comedy film, one that keeps us on our toes, and the gags are more in the dialogue than in the action.

The last film I could well and truly credit for having tickled my funny bone was probably the Imran Khan starrer 'Delhi Belly'. Before that, it was 'Hera Pheri', which was a crisp comedy with smart dialogues and an equally smart plot. 'Oh My God' was a creative satire, but could have been executed better.

Whereas inane, 'double-entendre' comedies are another genre that filmmakers have been exploiting, and these films can also be filed under the 'Dumb and Dumber' genre. Specimens of this school of filmmaking include 'Kya Kool Hai Hum', 'Masti', 'Kya Super Kool Hai Hum' and many others.

Intelligent, urbane, multiplex audiences: are we really that dumb, so as to readily gorge on such stupid, senseless, unintelligent comedies? Isn't it time we woke up and demanded crisper, sharper and smarter comedies from our filmmakers? Isn't it our duty to lap up good cinema, and reject trashy films, in order to send a clear message to filmmakers, hell-bent on feeding us this trash?

Isn't it finally time we said 'Enough' to such stupid films?

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#363

'Himmatwala' Review: Ouch, it's quite brain dead!

Khalid Mohamed | 0 sec ago

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tamanna Bhatia, Tigerji
Director: Sajid Khan
Rating: One star

Such woes, it's one of those – a retread which the publicity blast had made you wait for with utter dread. Padmalaya Studios' 1983 pots-and-pans pourri has been concocted for no express purpose but to make mega-bucks. Now, you may ask, "So what? That's show BUSINESS, after all."

Agreed, commerce is of prime importance. But those still stalwart enough to crave a shred of sense and sensibility, competent filmmaking, and vulgarity-free entertainment will surely find the proud-to-be-dumbed-down director Sajid Khan's 'Himmatwala', a 150-minute endurance test.

In fact, by comparison the Jeetendra-Sridevi Himmat mind-bender – which was itself remade from a Krishna-Jayaprada Telugu flick Ooriki Monagadu – may strike you as a 'Gone with the Wind'. After all, there was something super-energetic about Jeetendra's moves and Sridevi's spontaneity. Sorry, but the lead pair out here, just can't move-'n'-mambo like the Jumpin' Jackflash and Thunder Thighs of yore. Indeed, when the new millennium's Mr and Ms Himmat hop-skip-jump to the remixed 'Taki o taki' and 'Naino mein sapna', they're a crashing bore.

Anyway, the absence of competent legwork is the least of the problems with this Sajid Khan travesty. Believe it or collapse, he also makes a silly joke out of Alfred Hithcock's classic shower scene from 'Psycho'. And the dialogue drops such mind-curdlers as, "His name is bigger than Vietnam", "In Germany, it's said miya biwi raazi to kya karega Nazi!", and the haughty heroine declaims, "I hate gareebs" ad nauseum. Poor thing!

And what's to be done with such gayphobic scenes like Paresh Rawal nibbling Mahesh Manjrekar's ear-lobes in bed. Moreover the nibbler is ticked off that his hand is not resting on a pillow but is wedged into something softer? Yuck. There's more: Paresh Rawal finds a crab in his pajamas and breaks into a tandav of sorts, in a tribute perhaps to the crudity-fest 'Kyaa Kool Hai Hum'. Only there, it was a frisky pup. Here it's a clawed crustacean.

An elaborate rape scene – with goons grinning and salivating – is insufferable, too. In addition, a woman physically abused by her husband, is actually instructed, "You can't leave your in-laws' home till it's time to carry your dead body out for cremation." And this at a time, when there is a nationwide concern about the portrayal of women in cinema.

Like it or not, all the characters need to be on a psychoanalyst's couch, including the eponymous man of courage (Ajay Devgn). He has childhood issues, besides the ongoing trauma of earning his livelihood from combating banyan tree-sized wrestlers, like good ole Charlie Bronson did in 'The Streetfighter'. Next: Couragewalla finds himself in a smalltown which is devoid of police (mercy be, no corruption), electricity (no huge bills) and basic governance (no scowling ministers). Garbed in leather jackets in the scorching heat, the hero's mission is to protect an old lady in white (Zarina Wahab, coughing Leela Chitnis-like for her introducion scene) and her morose daughter (Leena Jumani, quite impressive ) from assorted harm. From assorted hams is more like it.

Harmful hams -- bedfellows Manjrekar and Rawal reduced to his sidekick—continue to torment the 'gareebs'. But wait, an election of sorts is around the corner. Before the polls, Couragewalla must win over the haughty heiress (Tamannaah), tame a tiger flashing fluoride teeth, and generally saunter around the scene like a cowboy. Cool dude, he.

Every situation in the plot – if it can be called that – is as predictable as the fist-fight scenes in which the stuntmen await their turns patiently to be smashed like soft pumpkins. Ulp, and to cater to a nationwide audience a tiresome item number is organised with as many four hip-swingers from different states where Bollywood cinema sells tickets. To underline the all-India pitch, the hero also speaks in various languages – Gujarati, Marathi, Punjai, Bengali -- to the smashed pumpkins. Aiyya.

Religiosity is invoked, Manmohan Desai-style, with a life-saving taweez and a last-minute temple prayer to work up a miracle. Come to think of it, the hero appears to be on a picnic. All the hard work is done for him by the aforecited tiger (soul brother of the one in 'Life of Pi') and prayers. That's where the screenplay errs majorly – the Himmatwala requires help at every crisis, majorly. In his preoccupation to manipulate the viewers with every formula trick in the book, Sajid Khan robs his hero of the crucial punches. Tsk.

On the technofront, there is little or no finesse. The second-half's editing pace slackens. The retro-1983 ambience lacks detailing although the art direction has been handled by the usually faultless Sabu Cyril. Sajid-Wajid's music is nothing to hum about.

It's essentially Ajay Devgn whose low-key performance prevents you from doing a faster than Milkha Singh-sprint out of the auditorium half the way. Devgn's a capable actor who's above such lapses into rank brain-dead stuff. Tamannaah Bhatia tries to look and behave like Sridevi, in vain. Adhyayan Suman is wasted in a kabhi-goody-kabhi-baddy role. And the less groaned about the Mahesh Manjrekar-Paresh Rawal chemistry, the better. "Coffee, tea or me? asks Rawal at one point. Truly, the question should have been, "Coffee, tea or aspirin?"

Bottomwhine: You need plenty of Himmat to venture towards this Sajid-nama. Without a doubt, all his gleeful interviews against the critics, will be far more entertaining than this ho-hum hokum pokum.

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#364

My Himmatwala remake is better than the original, says director Sajid Khan

Ujala Ali Khan

Mar 27, 2013

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In 1983, Jeetendra danced with his on-screen love, Sridevi, into the hearts of millions of people all over India. The song was the bizarrely styled Naino Mai Sapna, the film was Himmatwala and along with becoming the year's highest-grossing film, it catapulted the Bollywood newbie Sridevi to the top.

Sonakshi shoots number for Himmatwala remake

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Fast forward 30 years and a remake of the film is set to introduce Bollywood audiences to Tamannaah, a somewhat new face from southern India, who is paired with the top-billed actor Ajay Devgn.

Himmatwala is not Tamannaah's first Bollywood film. That would be the 2005 release Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, for which she received a fairly lukewarm response but managed to catch the eye of filmmakers in southern India, where she has been working since. "There is not much of a difference between the South Indian industry and Bollywood when it comes to filmmaking and how the team works together," Tamannaah says when asked how it felt to return to Bollywood.

Was she nervous about taking on the role of Rekha in Himmatwala, previously played by the formidable Sridevi?

"Honestly, I did not feel like I was stepping into her shoes," says Tamannaah. "First of all, Rekha in this new film is not a copy of Rekha in the original. The whole film, in fact, is not so much a remake as it is a rewrite. It's not the same film at all."

The director Sajid Khan cites his childhood fascination with Himmatwala as the reason behind choosing it to work on a remake.

"Whenever anyone asks me to name my top 10 Hindi films, Himmatwala always is number two or three. I have been besotted with it since I was a kid, and was so happy that I was making it with my college friend [Devgn] and one of the biggest superstars in the country. My version, if I may dare to say it, has turned out to be way, way, way better than the original."

Khan certainly seems confident about this film, and claims that the Devgn's big "hero entry" will be better than any "ever seen on screen".

"As a fan of dramatic entries by heroes, I wanted to make sure that at least one of my films had the best," says Khan. "And I tell you this today – on record – that Ajay's entry in Himmatwala will set a precedent for many other filmmakers and many other actors. They will try to match this entry. You mark my words."

"But it's not a gimmicky entry at all," clarifies Devgn. "Not the kind where you want to stand up and clap simply because the hero has entered standing on two horses or something like that. No, this is a truly dramatic entry, one that will elicit a different kind of reaction and applause because the hero enters at the right time, in the right manner, to the right background score and in the right setting."

Khan reveals that, besides Devgn, the film has another "hero".

"Oh, you're taking about the tiger," says Devgn with a laugh.

A tiger? "Yes," Devgn confirms. "The tiger starts out as an enemy and then goes on to become a friend. You have to watch the film to find out how that happens."

Khan is confident that his film is going to cross the "100-crore" (10 million Indian rupees; Dh678,000) mark – the measure of Bollywood commercial success these days.

"This is a total family entertainer," says Khan. "You can go to the theatre and watch it with your entire family without having to worry about a single violent or obscene scene popping up. I am confident that Himmatwala will make more than 100 crores."

"It will be an interesting experience," says Tamannaah, echoing Khan's words.

"It is like a sneak peek into the 1980s. Today's generation has not seen or been exposed to that period in cinema. Sajid has made it beautifully and packaged it in a way that it will be an absolute treat to the audience."

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#365

Himmatwala: Mindless masala flick

by Tanaya Dash/Times News Service
Friday, 29 March 2013, 11 : 59 amSAVE THIS ARTICLE

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Himmatwala poster. Photo - Wikipedia Commons

Sajid Khan claimed that his movie will definitely hit the jackpot. After the super success of films like Hey Baby, Housefull, Housefull 2 Khan understands the audiences' likes and dislikes. And, keeping the same in mind, the director has come up with his new mass entertainer Himmatwala.

Himmatwala featuring Ajay Devgan and Tamannaah Bhatia in the leads is a remake of the 1983 blockbuster which was directed by K Raghavendra Rao starring Jeetendra and Sridevi. Himmatwala is about the story of a poor and humiliated woman's son, who returns from the big city to Ramnagar village to take the revenge of his father who was an honest school teacher. Ajay Devgan is seen in Jeetendra's role while Tamannaah is casted in Sridevi's role in the remake directed by Sajid Khan. Mahesh Manjrekar is in the role of the villain and brother-in-law to Paresh Rawal.

To start with, Himmatwala remake certainly has some scenes which display an array of over-the-top acting. It definitely brings the 80s back with the typical filmy scenes between mother and son, over-the-top heroism which has become quite the "mantra", the protective brother and how can we forget the mother giving fiery dialogues to the villain "Sher Singh". He botches up an already over-the-top 80's original, by the same title, with some hard to digest scenes such as fights with tiger and unnecessary twists and turns with an annoying plot.

Sajid abolishes many characters from the original, and in turn brings in a few, unimpressive ones, like a bunch of eager item girls dancing on the song "Dhoka Dhoka" which has resemblance with the famous song "Tohfa Tohfa". The gorgeous Sonakshi Sinha dressed as Parveen Babi swings to a dull disco track.

Ajay Devgan puts an honest performance like most of the times in his career and saves this torture. He tries his best to make you laugh and delivers dialogue with full enthusiasm. But still one feels pity for such an accomplished actor when he is dancing on tracks like "Taaki Taaki" and "Naino Mein Sapna".

Tamannah looks beautiful but is nothing compared to Sridevi in the original. She overacts in most of her parts. Apart from the leads, another disappointment in the movie is Adhyayan Suman who has accomplished himself as a bad actor and was a misfit to fit into the shoes of Shakti Kapoor who acted in the original one.

While Zarina Wahab's acting was just average reprising Waheeda Rehman's mommy duties as the supple Savitri, Mahesh Manjrekar gives Amjad Khan's tarnished Sher Singh a decent punch.

Paresh Rawal happens to be an only saving grace in the movie and the only reason you would likely take a risk to watch this movie. He excels as Sher Singh's loyal assistant Narayan Das; a role that even Kader Khan had perfected in the original.

Even though over-the-top drama isn't a cup of coffee for all, but Sajid Khan has his own loyal audience. Even though the dialogue of brave heart aka "Himmatwala" have been repeated several times in this movie, we have yet to see that whether the audience are brave heart (himmatwala) to endure this one! Sajid Khan's record at the box office is enviable as all of his previous films have been commercially successful but will he be able to repeat the same magic with 'Himmatwala', is to be seen.

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#366

You have to grant Sajid Khan this; he is consistent. Once again he makes a lowest common denominator film which assumes his audience is either stupid or has a lot of money to waste. The 1980s are infamous for being the decade that saw the worst of Bollywood, so why take a film that represents just that and then remake it in exactly the same mould?

Himmatwala 2013 is set in 1983. It comes with a widow in white, a younger sister who is threatened with gang rape, a comic sidekick to the villain who is adorned with a bizarre wig, a tiger who is tamed and chiming temple bells that respond to a desperate mother's pleas for help. Plus there's 'Ta thaiya ta thaiya' with matkas and jhatkas on the beach.

Since it's a Sajid Khan film, it also comes with Chunky Pandey and Ritesh Deshmukh in cameos and multiple item numbers. In the opening song Sonakshi Sinha tries to disco in a fitted gown that shows off her authentic 80's hips for sure, but in which she looks anything but grateful when she sings 'Thank God Its Friday'.

The setting is Ramnagar where the villagers are steeped in debt to landlord Sher Singh (Mahesh Manjrekar). His biggest chamcha is his brother-in-law Narayan Das (Paresh Rawal, with the curly wig). Enter Ravi (Ajay Devgn) who returns to find his long-lost mother (Zarina Wahab) and sister Padma and to exact painstaking revenge on Sher Singh because Singh had framed Ravi's father and destroyed his family.

Expectedly Ravi and Sher Singh's daughter Rekha (Tamannah) fall in love. Over time, Ravi saves the village, his family and reforms the baddies. In between there are a series of politically incorrect and regressive scenes e.g. Ravi fighting a tiger, Ravi's sister almost getting gang-raped, the mother telling her daughter that she must return to her in-laws even though they abuse and whip her. Among the couple of somewhat amusing scenes are the Psycho shower scene adaptation and Rawal's crazy feet when a crab is slipped into this dhoti.

So why remake a film in the same milieu as 30 years ago when society has changed so much? Why make a half-hearted effort at creating something retro and the other half attempt to be authentic? But mostly, why do filmmakers assume that the audience is unintelligent? As for the performances – Devgn is dull and plays this part as he has every other angry, vengeful action hero off-late. Tamannah is pleasant and stays within the remits of a role that demands very little. Rawal has his moments but jars after a few scenes while Manjrekar gets into the character only post-interval. It took me a moment to recognize Padma's tubby hubby as Adhyayan Suman. The constant punning by dialogue writers Farhad-Sajid gets tiresome and the action – which might have been one element to elevate the experience – is also uninspired.

Another Khan weakness is indulgence. Himmatwala plods on at 150 minutes testing your patience and bombarding you with volume to compensate for the story's banality and the film's mediocrity – a word often associated with films of the 80s, a decade we are happy to disassociate from. You need himmat to watch this film.

Rating: *1/2

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#367

Movie Review: HIMMATWALA Senseless, Power-packed Masala Film

29 Mar 2013, 07:59 PM

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Sajid's HIMMATWALA, a mindless melodrama

Movie: HIMMATWALA

Director: Sajid Khan

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tamannaa, Paresh Rawal, Mahesh Manjrekar, Zarina Wahab

Jagran Rating: Good

Story Line:

Sajid Khan's much-hyped entertainer 'HIMMATWALA' starring Ajay Devgan and Tamanna is the remake of 80s' Bollywood cult hit of the same name, but it fails to break any new ground. The film is a collection of 80's Bollywood melodrama of a typical retro-styled – action, comedy and colourful songs in a new wrapping.

Repeating the same 1983 mother-son drama and hero-villain chemistry, this movie lacks punches to keep audiences glued to the screen.

Ravi (Ajay Devgn) is the action master in a club in Mumbai, run by Michael Jaikishen (Chunky Pandey). Strangely, one fine day Ravi decides to visit his birthplace, Rampur in search of his grief-stricken mother Savitri (Zareena Wahab) and sister Padma (Leela Jumani), only to find them in miserable state.

Savitri wants her son Ravi to avenge the injustice meted out to his father (Anil Dhawan) at the hands of Sher Singh (Mahesh Manjrekar), the merciless landlord, who has used his power to suppress the villagers. The greedy Sher Singh is assisted by his brother-in-law Narayan Das (Paresh Rawal).

How the poster boy along with his lover girl (Tamannah) tackles the odds stacked against him with the help of divine intervention and a CG enhanced tiger is what the film is all about.
The movie is purely an old wine in a not-so-new bottle.

We really didn't expect such a disappointing comedy from Sajid, who is known for remarkable hits in series like 'Housefull', 'Housefull 2' and 'Heyy Baby'. You would not find any path-breaking moment in the movie, the romance lacks fire, the action is not new and the comedy is plain ordinary.

Ajay seems like a misfit, not just the way he looks but the way he does the mindless comedy. But when it comes to doing stunts, he looks mighty fit even at 43! Tamannaah on the other hand is pretty and delicate, yet a source of discontent. Mahesh Manjrekar has played the role of Amjad Khan's Sher Singh well. Zarina Wahab is fine in determined Savitri's role. The credit once again is taken by Paresh Rawal, who as Narayan Das is outstanding. He literally reminds you of comic legend Kader Khan and his exquisite performance has overshadowed others.

The paisa-wasool assurances and A-list stars might fetch some viewers to the film but two-and-a-half hour long drama is not enough substance to hold its viewers. From hazardous action to scorching dialogues everything is old and monotonous.

For those who have watched 1983 'Himmatwal', we won't recommend to give it a second chance as the film has no new added flavours worth watching. And those who are new to the movie we suggest to tighten your seat belts as you may feel tortured to the limit of getting up asking yourself..'What really made Sajid do this remake…?"

Thumbs Up:

The A-list stars and the hype that film has created. 'Naino me sapna..' and 'taaki taaki…' are the best numbers you can groove on from HIMMATWALA.

Thumbs Down:

HIMMATWALA fails to win hearts. Movie has over-the-top melodrama and number of senseless twists and turns. The film is too long to bear as the director has hardly experimented or done anything to add a path-breaking punch in the movie

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#368

MUMBAI: A few days ago while promoting his movie 'Himmatwala' Sajid Khan and his star Ajay Devgn picked a bone with movie critics by calling them all eunuchs and today we saw 'Himmatwala' release to some really bad reviews!

The keywords "Himmatwala" and "Sajid Khan" have been trending on twitter all day today, but not favorably!

In a recent interview, Sajid Khan had said, "'Himmatwala' would be Ajay's biggest grosser till date. Period. As for the reviews, I know they won't be favourable. That's not because the film won't be liked, it is because we are talking about a Sajid Khan film here. There is a reason behind that as well. See, critics don't like me because they fear me. Why they fear me? Because I have proved them wrong again and again; they have dismissed my films while audiences have made each one of these bigger than the last one. That should say it all."

Added Ajay Devgn, "Critics are like eunuchs, they know how to do it but they can't do it themselves."

The Ajay Devgn and Tammanah Starrer 'Himmatwala' hit the theatres today and from what we see and hear people on social media networking websites seem to hate the film! But, well, at least it has managed to trend on twitter. Here's what the 'Janta' has to say about the film and Sajid Khan.

Kamaal R Khan – KRK ?(@kamaalrkhan22h): "After watching #Himmatwala you will be sure that They all 3 Farah khan, Sajid khan n Shirish Kunder are competitors to prove who is worst?

BADTAMEEZ DIL ?(@bipashafever53s): "If i dont start studying for my exams now, my fate will end up same as that of Himmatwala's BO returns"

Jeev-Ayur Abhiyanta ?(@HalwaHaiKya4m): "There is very subtle difference of stupidity between Sajid Khan and KRK."

TheFinger ?(@trickydonor5m): "If you come out standing on two legs after watching Sajid Khan's latest movie…you surely are a Himmatwala..!"

As you see, the word around is that you need to be 'Himmatwala' to be able to survive 'Himmatwala.' If only Sajid Khan had managed to be a little nice to his critics then maybe, just maybe, he could have managed to get half a star for his film, what do you think?

Anyways, it doesn't look like the writer-director cares for any reviews just as long as he gets his share of viewership. "To all you critics, I am saying this with folded hands that please don't review my film. Reason being that regardless of whether you give 'Himmatwala' five stars or a zero star, I would still not care. I don't need a certificate from people who know nothing about films, be it Bollywood or International. It isn't as if I am seething in anger; no, I am not. My only thing is that ultimately one should work for people than trying to tell world how a film is made. I am happy

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It isn't difficult to tell that intellectually this film will appeal best only to five-year-olds and true B-Grade film buffs. After all, this film has a song called 'Bum Pe Laath', which has wedding guests kicking the heroine and her goons in the ass to the tune of the Birdie song.

There is a reason that the '80s were considered to be the worst decade in the history of Hindi films. The Kader Khan 'jism ki imaarat mein faulad ke iraade' type of metaphors, the matkas and the jangling temple bells, the exploitative zamindar, the widowed and victimised mother, and about-to-be-raped or married-cum-tortured sister and the divine Devi Ma intervention at the climax – we know these cliches by heart. The all new, advanced Himmatwala rounds up all these props together, almost systematically ticking them off one by one as its story progresses, into an implausible story.

Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah in a still from the song 'Tathaiya Tathaiya' in Himmatwala.

So here is the story of Ravi, who has returned after God-knows-how-many-years to Ramnagar to take revenge on village bad-man Sher Singh for having wrongly accused his poojari father of theft and driving his family out of the village. But Ravi is a himmatwala, shorthand for brawn power that can break open locks with a punch, defeat dozens of henchmen in half a dozen Indian languages and even talk sense into a tiger by saying, "If you stay back to eat these oppressed half-dead villagers, you'll be dieting. If you go to the jungle, you'll die eating."

Soon Ravi is able to score one or two over Sher Singh and his comic sidekick Narayandas by slipping crabs in their pants so they can show their break-dance skills. There is also a whip-wielding mini-skirt clad shrewish heroine (bad-man's daughter who claims with great aplomb, "I hate
garibs."), who has to be taught a lesson in love. Well, you know the drill. There's nothing in Sajid Khan's film that we haven't seen before in the
video ages or in television spoofs over the last few years.

Clearly this is the director's best film so far. But while it is funny and entertaining in recreating that period, Khan's version is unable to decide whether it is a comic tribute to that age of trashy sagas, an outright spoof or just a plain remake. It makes a dull start but picks up pace with the help of Paresh Rawal and Devgn's slapstick timing, even appearing to laugh at itself. However by the thick of the second half, the film having showed all its Aces and Jokers, slips into the familiar melodrama and the angst of the '80s.

Ajay Devgn's in top alpha-male action-comedy form. Tamannaah looks fresh and pretty. Paresh Rawal's Kader Khan take-off absolutely rocks. The songs
are a let-down; other than the classics Nainon mein sapna and Taki ho, the music is pretty much forgettable. As it is, the original Himmatwala was no masterpiece. But catch it if you are feeling nostalgic about heroes wearing white-trousers and jackets and talking of garibi and badla.

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#370

Himmatwala is a horrible waste of time: Skip it!

By Praveen Patil on March 30, 2013

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Tags: Himmatwala, Sajid Khan, Farah Khan, Bollywood, movie reviews

Himmatwala is a horrible waste of time: Skip it! At one point in the movie, at the beginning itself, Ajay Devgan attempts a psycho act on Mahesh Manjrekar in his shower cabinet in black and white montage; this is supposed to be Sajid Khan's humorous take on the immortal Hitchcock scene. It is also supposed to lend a gayish undertone to that erotic murder sequence so famously cultivated over the years by Hitchcockian aficionados. Unfortunately, that scene falls flat, and the movie never rises above the implosion that it creates from there on.

Sajid Khan and his sister are the worst thing that could have happened to Bollywood after the arrival of that supremely talentless Kishan Kumar (the infamous brother of 'T-Series' founding father, Gulshan Kumar). The Khan siblings are an antithesis of what is known as 'talent'. The irony is that they actually take their own talent seriously!

Sajid Khan believes that he is Allah's gift to Bollywood humour, but the fact is, in the entire two and a half hour length of Himmatwala, not a single chuckle was to be heard in the movieplex that I was unfortunate enough to be present in.

Okay, so on the laughter quotient, the movie is a big zero, but what about action? Isn't the movie supposed to be an action thriller too? The answer to that question is simple. Expecting a cogent action thriller from Sajid Khan is like expecting Kapil Sibal to compose Wordsworthian poetry.

I have a simple rule for moviemakers, if storytelling is not your cup of tea, then you are in the wrong business. At the heart of moviemaking is the ability to tell a story. Be it a one-page story expanded into a three-hour treatment or a 1000 page epic compressed into a few hours of celluloid drama. The Khan siblings do not make movies to tell stories, to simply mock at others.

In their 'mockitude', these Khans forget everything else, including the fundamental of creating convincing characters. None of the people populating the canvas of Himmatwala have conviction or cogent reasons for being themselves and doing the things they do. It seems everybody has simply sleepwalked into their roles with the sole intention of mocking the hapless audience.

Ajay Devgan is a star no doubt, but even he cannot elevate a movie this crass. He creates his trademark celluloid magic whenever he appears on screen, but that is simply not enough to keep one interested in the proceedings. Then there is the hugely gifted Paresh Rawal, who is possibly the only saving grace in an otherwise a completely flat movie. The half-baked dialogues written for Paresh's character do not live up to this great actor's comic timing. At times it is almost painful to see such a fine actor being wasted by the director. Mahesh Manjrekar only comes to life in the second half of the movie and the pace somewhat picks up from there.

If an impossibly fair, constantly midriff exposing modern gaon ki chhori with a repertoire of one-and-half bemused expressions as her acting skills is your idea of a Bollywood leading lady, then Tamannah Bhatia is ideal for you. Will she be 21st century's Sri Devi is another matter altogether. Like all other characters in the movie, there is no rhyme or reason to what she does. For instance, she releases a wild tiger on the hapless villagers, apparently because she hates the 'gareeb' (such wonderful screenplay can come only from the Khan staple).

The story keeps moving along predictable lines till the brief entry of Ritesh Deshmukh after the intermission. Apart from that one minor twist, Sajid has remained true to the original Himmatwala of three decades ago (which itself was a remake of the Telugu hit, Ooriki Monagadu, meaning 'the village chieftain'). There was so much potential for the creation of a comic caper out of a clichd movie like the Himmatwala of 1983, but Sajid Khan fails miserably, partly because of lack of talent and partly because of the attempts to mock the great unwashed.

The subtle undertone and the message is clear, the unwashed Hindus are fools of the first order. This message is central to both Farah and Sajid Khan's moviemaking philosophy. If the sister mocked at the concept of the Karmic birth cycle unquestionably believed by Hindus, the brother mocks at the 'mother Goddess' so venerated by the masses.

In the climactic confrontation of good versus evil shot in front of a Mata Sherawali temple, the audience is supposed to laugh at the melodrama of a mother coercing a goddess to help her son win the fight. It seems to tells idolator Hindus how foolishly clichd our existence is. Not to mention the fact that it presumes to say that Hindu beliefs are little more than superstition mocks the 'silly' notion of the mother goddess.

Wait, that is not the end of it, there is more to the climax than just the mockery. At one point in the climactic confrontation, an knife stab on Ajay Devgan's chest leaves the knife bent and blunt, to the utter surprise of the villainous gang. Lo and Behold! Ajay is saved by the Tabeez from Mecca! As if on cue, the Kalama is played in the background to convey the full import of the meaning. This time the message is loud and clear — so what if you have Mata's Mandir in the background, it is the Taveez from the Mecca that saves you. There we go again, showing a middle finger to the silly Hindu unwashed.

This theme seems to play in a never-ending loop throughout the movie. In that mandatory rape scene, we are told how women in India are the unluckiest creatures in the world because we kill them in the womb and then rape them on the streets. It is the same old story of us being a nation of rapists and murderous thugs that the usual suspects in the English language media propagate, to paint us all in the same colour and avoid having any sort of clarity on the actual guilt factor.

Many may still try and give us a million reasons to go watch such a waste of time. 'Masala' movies are also part of Bollywood, we will be told. We should patronise them, we will be told. There will be comparisons with yesteryears' moviemakers like Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai et al. But whatever the flaws of Manmohan Desai the director, what he could never be accused of, was a lack of passion. Desai and his contemporaries had unflinching faith in their stories and that is why they connected with their audience despite the outlandish scale and drama of their creations.

Sajid Khan and his sister have neither passion for moviemaking nor faith in their stories. If you still want to go and see Himmatwala, carry a gaming device to keep yourself occupied.