Subscribe to RSSNot so well done, Mr. Benegal
Well Done Abba
Director : Shyam Benegal
Writing credits : Shyam Benegal (Story), Ashok Mishra (Screenplay)
Music : Shantanu Moitra
Cast : Boman Irani, Minisha Lamba, Ila Arun, Samir Dattani
What goes for it : A couple of decent performances
What goes against the audience : A murder of the cinematic idol that Shyam Benegal is.
Cinemaa opinion : A waste of time and money. Could be edited heavily and shown as a documentary in villages. For a detailed review, please click here.
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6 Comments
Benegal is stuck in a time warp. The narration technique he uses is archaic, and most importantly, for a person who had the knack of weaving memorable characters in his movies, the characterization in his recent movies, has been down right flat.
Also this is something i always felt concerned about the "New Age" movement or whatever. Too much of mediocre fare, pretentious, indulgent stuff, will cause it's death knell sooner or later.
I mean doing a scene by scene remake of Woody Allen's Husbands & Lovers( Dil Kabbadi), and then calling it New Age is unpalatable. No difference between movies like Dil Kabbadi or Blue, KI, both of them are con jobs at their own level.
Agree with you on that Ratnakar.
On another note, I was already sad when I watched this film. But things hit the roof when I saw mixed, but mostly positive reviews for the film. Why should a person's reputation be allowed to carry a bad film? A bad film is just that. Period.
Bolly, i raised this issue about a thin line existing between being a critic and being a fan boy. Unfortunately many of our critics have crossed that line, what we have now are more fan boys than critics. And that Fan Boyism will just destroy the New Age movement. I seen it with Road, a totally mediocre movie, that some folks are trying to raise up, and the worst thing is that if you offer a conflicting opinion, you are shouted down, abused. What is the difference then between the New Age practitioners and the Yash Raj, KJo kind, you are following the same old bad practices you accused your rivals of?
It is an irony how loud, over-the-top comedies like ’3 Idiots’ are hailed as brilliant movies and then a brilliant satire like ‘Well Done Abba’ is reviewed like this. Benegal does not claim it to be a complete portrayal of reality, it is just a satirist’s take on it. I would strongly advice you guys to watch a few Woody Allen movies to get a feel of Satires. I admit it falls short of Benegal’s best, could have been 30 minutes shorter, and should have had a few less songs, but it nevertheless was reasonably scripted, brilliantly acted and immensely enjoyable.
Apratim : Thanks for the comment.
Now, comparing 3 Idiots with Well Done Abba would be an irony in itself, but I’d rather pass on commenting on that.
Coming specifically to WDA, I’ve given credit to the performances. You say it was reasonably scripted, but throw in a couple of caveats to that like the length and the songs. I felt otherwise. Due to the caveats you mention plus the diametrically opposite tone in the first and second half. The first half was shaping up into a good satire. But the second became a parody. I’m yet to see a Woody Allen parody by the way.
You found the film immensely enjoyable. I didn’t. For all reasons mentioned above. Moreover, your comment has clearly skirted off any debate on the arguments I’ve placed in my review, while at the same time being immensely condescending towards it. Are you trying to say that your taste in films is superior to mine?