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Aashayein
Director : Nagesh Kukunoor
Writing Credits : Nagesh Kukunoor
Music : Pritam, Shiraz Uppal, Salim-Sulaiman
Cast : John Abraham, Sonal Sehgal, Anaitha Nair, Pratiksha Lonkar, Girish Karnad, Farida Jalal
What goes for the film : The audience’s hopes, based on Kukunoor’s past glory.
What goes against the audience : Their faith
Cinemaa Opinion : Murder and torture unparalleled. Scroll down for a detailed review.
Anand flew over Kukunoor’s Nest
In my relatively short stint as a film critic, I’ve grown a thick skin for old classics being mutilated by incompetent or arrogant filmmakers. And though it hurts when you’re witness to such blasphemy, you learn to take it in your stride as an occupational hazard. However, seeing two films that you’ve held close to your heart for years being butchered together is too much for even thick skinned specimens like me to take.
Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein picks up defining elements from two 70′s classics and tries to marry them together. There’s Rahul (John Abraham), a terminally ill cancer patient, a remnant of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand. A compulsive gambler, he strikes jackpot, is diagnosed with the killer cells, dumps his loyal girlfriend (Sonal Sehgal) and lands up at a sanatorium in Pondicherry. The sanatorium, run by Sister Grace (Pratiksha Lonkar), is the last refuge of terminally ill patients ostracised by their close ones. The inmates include Parthasarthi (Girish Karnad), a retired bank officer suffering from cancer; Padma (Anaitha Nair), a teenager suffering from cancer; Madhu (Farida Jalal), an ex-prostitute suffering from AIDS and Govinda (Master Ashwin Chitale), a psychic boy. Sister Grace runs the sanatorium with an iron fist (an early dialogue between Rahul and a sanatorium nurse clearly pointing towards it) and the inmates just can’t connect with each other. Sounds familiar to Milos Forman’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, doesn’t it? Well, that’s Nagesh second murder victim. So, you know what’s going to happen next. What you don’t know is how cold-blooded and chilling the murder will turn out.
Anand had Rajesh Khanna in the lead role. Now, he might have been highly susceptible to hamming and loud melodrama, but the guy sure knew how to emote. And if a director could curb his overenthusiastic streak, which Hrishida managed with ease, Khanna invariably turned out a performance that touched your heart. Each twinkle in his eyes, the playful or melancholy smiles, the characteristic shiver in his voice, he had the charm to leave in imprint in your mind for a long time to come. I wish I could substitute Anand & Rajesh Khanna for Aashayein and John Abraham. But that would be a bigger lie than GWB’s WMD.
Milos Forman gave a direction masterclass in One Flew…, not saying a single thing about the characters and the environment of the mental institution explicitly and still managing to get through the message so clearly. It was the way he translated the screenplay into a film coupled with the brilliant performances that brought out every fine detail in the film beautifully. Nagesh Kukunoor, in Aashayein, makes explicit points and follows them with diametrically opposite events & character arcs. I just hope this gives you an idea, for I wouldn’t want to get into the details of the inconsistencies in Aashayein and thus go off on an unnecessary tangent.
If the first half, that I’ve summed up so far was a murder of two classics, the second half is Nagesh’s psychotic assault on the audience’s sensibility, patience and intelligence. He tried his hand at the abstract, but falls on his face by ending up irritatingly literal. He makes a complete mishmash of the romantic angle between Rahul & Padma, which could have actually been the film’s trump card. And he meanders along aimlessly, knowing fully well that these meanderings translate into a waste of time and money for the audience.
The film has decent music from multiple composers (Pritam, Shiraz Uppal & Salim-Sulaiman) but its neither are the compositions brilliant like those of Aisha nor do the lyrics encapsulate the film’s essence the way those of Lafangey Parindey did.The result – as usual, another score that’s good to listen to but hardly helps the film in any way. The cinematography is competent, with some picture postcard views of lovely Pondicherry and pleasant zooms. But when the film itself is hammering your senses, pleasant photography doesn’t really offer much respite.
Feeling sad for the good performances being wasted on a pretentious piece of poop like this is also becoming a habit just like watching classics being murdered. Anaitha Nair is spontaneous & spunky and its no fault of hers that she doesn’t come across as the patient she’s supposed to be. Nobody does actually. Not even Girish Karnad with a speech aid fitted into his Adam’s Apple. While Karnad & Lonkar might belong to the Kukunoor “camp”, it still seems way beneath the dignity of someone of their calibre, or Farida Jalal’s for that matter, to be involved in something like this. Where’s the respect for our veterans?
P.S. : My message to a friend just as I was walking out of the theatre expresses my anguish at the film aptly. Reproduced here in public interest – Just walked out of Aashayein. Sucked donkey’s balls.
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23 Comments
Is the movie that bad? I have heard some rave reviews about the movie!!!!
Neverthless will watch it.
I am sure It cant be as good as OFOCN.(Can some one review it here?).
speaking of which I am watching OFOCN for 9th time today at night(The very mention of movie's name makes me watch the movie again…
Thanks Bollyfan for mentioning OFOCN…
(BTW this site isnt blocked at workplace!!!!)
HUrrah
Also talking about remakes I have heard that "3 deewarein" was a remake of shawshank redemption?
I have also heard some great thigs about that movie.(3 deewarein)
I havent seen any of Nagesh's Films:(
Kushal – I watched 3 Deewarein when it released back in 2003. Since then I'd been hearing that it is a remake of "Shawshank Redemption". I recently saw the latter movie and I can tell you for a fact, that it isn't a remake at all. They have some similarities, but definitely not a remake. It is an interesting film, do watch it…..
I havn't seen 3D…but guess from whom I heard abt this?….Sajid Khan of all ppl, who commented tht copy of Shawshank in a TV show…
There is a difference between adaptation and copying. Something that does not get into the khopdis of thick headed numb skulls, who watch some movies on IMDB Top 250 and think they know it all.
These are the Idiots who go on and on about how Navdeep Singh's Manorama 6 Foot Under is a Copy of China Town, when it was more of an adaptation, and Navdeep himself had acknowledged it.
I bet it is the same bunch of Idiots who will go on about 3 Dewaarein being a Copy of Shawshank, when all Nagesh did was to adapt some of the elements of the original.
Copying is what Sanjay Gupta, Abbas Mustan and Vikram Bhatt do. Don't put movie makers like Nagesh, Asutosh, Navdeep into that group.
Debashri
I will watch it. I have to watch hyderabad blues as well.But I am sure it wont be as good as TSR:)
Ratnakar
You said it.Sanjay Gupta Copy pasted Old boy in zinda. be it storyline, the sets,concept even costumes.
He only changed the ending which anyways could not be shown to Indian Public.
Jitaditya
Sajid Khan criticises every movie and behaves as if he is Godard of Indian cinema.
he conviniently forgot how his first movie was copied from 3 men and baby
Ratnakar – Totally agree with you on this! On the one hand, the real copy/paste artists get away with awards and moolah, while people who adapt a few elements are also put in the copycat category.
According to Martin Scorsese, the character of Travis Bickle was based on Soumitra Chatterjee's character in 'Abhijaan' – directed by Ray. Is that copying? No way. The characters have similar elements, share the same angst, but are completely different in treatment….
Kushal – I've never been able to sit through any of Potty Khan's films. He's a real douche bag – says the filthiest things about others and then can't take the slightest criticisms for his own 'baby' (pun intended)
Debashri- You can check out this link(posted by Jitaditya on houseful review).
You will understand how he "justifies" his copying!!!
http://ishare.rediff.com/video/Entertainment/i-cr...
For me he is a waste….
Kushal – All I can say is, one tight slap to Sajid Khan
. His entire movies are bits and pieces from other movies and even then he comes up with completely unwatchable stuff. And seriously, that 'daambar ka tukda' waala joke was not just racist, but totally inhuman. You just don't say such a nasty thing about a baby. I don't know how Boman Irani agreed to mouth those words. God save those who copy from Sajid Khan's films yaar!
Kushal – More than the copying bit, what irked me, was the way he was talking and the way he was treating the person talking to him. He was so condescending! What a jerk! I never liked his stupid shows and his movies are no different.
Kushal : Did you watch it? Do let me know how you found it.
BTW…I'll agree completely with Ratnakar and Debashri on the 3 Deewarein bit. In fact, his Dor is also said to be a "copy" of a Malayalam film. Though both films have the same plot, there's a whole lot of difference between Nagesh's treatment and the one in the original. The original film is built around religious differences while Dor had a more personal approach.
Hyderabad Blues was an entertaining movie…Good fun but part 2 was pretty bad….After that Kukunoor just went down the hill….
I forgot to mention his other movie I liked – Iqbal
Debashri
I have decided not to watch any movie of Sajid khan:)
He plagiarises and then doesnt event admit it.
I dont understand how his movie rake in th moolah at the boxoffice.
may be "Bollyfan" can answer the question:)
Bollyfan
I havent watched Aashayein.will watch it and let you know.BTW I did watch OOFCN yesterday.
I enjoyed it immensely.
Dude lets discuss OFOCN??
Which is your favorite scene?
Have you read the book? I have read the book (after watching the movie) and I can say that the book has taken a central theme of the book rather than full adaption.
Please lets discuss OFOCN
Yeh OOFCN kya hai?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest..
Thanks Jitu! By the way, wasn't that Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan starrer (kyon ki) a purported remake of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'? That's what I heard though
yes tht was supposed 2 be so although I haven't seen Kyun Ki…anyways great source material doesn't necessarily lead to anything….Shakalaka Boom Boom was apparently sourced from Amadeus!
Kyun Ki, was a rehash of Priyan's Mallu movie Thalavattom, which was based on OFOCN. The Mallu version had Mohanlal in Jack Nicholson's role, and Thilakan in the warden's role.
For all his star power, Sallu is just not in the league of Mohanlal or Jack Nicholson, as far as acting is concerned.
Interestingly I was looking at the list of movies released in 1975, and you have
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Barry Lyndon
Jaws
The Man Who Would be King
Sholay
Dog Day Afternoon
3 Days of the Condor
Dersu Uzala
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Deewaar
Hrishi Da's Chupke Chupke and Mili
Gulzar's Mausam and Khushboo
Now that is one fucking Awesome list.
@Bollyfan
When are we discussinf OFOCN?
When the "Great" Sanjay Gupta copies it?:)
Kushal : Definitely before that. Just give us a few more days, please.
@Bollyfan,
Nagesh had brought rights from the malayalm film makers before making Dor, atleast that what he said when he wasa sked the same thing in a recent seminar.