The Hindu Retail Plus, Aug. 28, 2011 -- Art Column

Walt Disney Studios Now Releases Indian Movies

Entertainment

By Raj S. Rangarajan

Yet another proof – if proof be needed – that Indian entertainment has gone global. It was merely a function of time. Disney’s release of Indian films into the home entertainment market across North America last week is another indication that Hollywood is getting closer to Bollywood.

Market-watchers have been studying the real value that Bollywood productions can offer for a while, and its just not surprising that Disney had signed up for Indian films. Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California has released three films from India – Do Dooni Chaar, a feel-good Hindi movie, Once Upon a Warrior, a special-effects fantasy adventure in Telugu and Zokkomon, a Hindi production. Each of them mercifully has English subtitles – a great help.

Most Disney adventures tend to involve kids in some form and are normally released in Summer. The films are available immediately on multiple platforms, including DVD, video-on-demand and digital download in North America. Providers are offering the films on VOD including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Verizon, AT&T, DirecTV, InDemand, TVN, Charter, Playstation, and Xbox. And, if you prefer digital download you can get the films on iTunes and on other platforms.

Disney, which produced the films, was expanding entertainment options for multicultural groups in North America while recognizing local talent from India. More information on the films and their availability can be found on the official site: www.DisneyWorldCinema.com.

Also active in entertainment for South Asians are Reliance ADA (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group), now an established international name in entertainment, and former tennis star, Ashok Amritraj’s company, Hyde Park Entertainment that produced the comedy, The Other End of the Line about call centers starring Shriya Saran who played opposite Rajnikanth in Sivaji.

Reliance ADA’s interests include film processing, production, exhibition and digital cinema as also FM Radio and a formidable cinema chain, Big Cinemas with a presence in the United States, Malaysia and Netherlands.



Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh in Do Dooni Char







Aditi Vasudev, Neetu Singh, Archit Krishna Rishi Kapoor in Do Dooni Char






Harshitha, Siddharth, Lakshmi Manchu in Once Upon a Warrior


Reviews of the Films:

Do Dooni Chaar, a humorous family comedy featuring Rishi Kapoor and his wife, Neetu Singh won the 2011 National Award for Best Hindi Film of the Year at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in May and Rishi won the Best Actor Award. In a running time of 111 minutes, these two stars of yesteryear keep the audience engaged with hilarious asides.

Set in Delhi, the movie shows Santosh Duggal (Rishi Kapoor) play an honest, principled school teacher and is always broke. He has to constantly cope with the demands of his job as also with living up with the Joneses in a peer-conscious society and extended family. His college-going daughter Payal (Aditi Vasudev) is independent and rebellious like any other teenager and the Duggal son, ambitious Sandy (Archit Krishna) gets into gambling to make a quick buck.

Portrayed as a typical, middle-class dysfunctional family, while Santosh tries to keep the wolf from the door, he is constantly short in his execution for no fault of his: its the system that short-changes him every time. When the Duggals decide to upgrade from a scooter to a family car, they confront major road blocks. However, the film is not depressing, it is replete with mismanaged chaos, peals of laughter and good-natured efforts at blackmail. All in all, a must-see.

Once Upon a Warrior is a special-effects-filled fantasy adventure (Telugu movie, subtitled in English) that focuses on courage and friendship. Set in a fictitious land named Sangarashtra (also known as Agartha), the film follows the epic journey of Moksha (Harshitha), a nine-year-old-girl with special healing powers and an obsession with butterflies.

As Moksha embarks on a quest to save her homeland from the tyranny of an evil Queen (Sarpini, played by Lakshmi Manchu, theater grad from Oklahoma City University who has appeared in TV serials, Las Vegas and Desperate Housewives and has her own Telugu talk show in America), she joins forces with a smart but visually-challenged warrior, Yodha (played by Siddharth), and his gypsy girl friend, Priya (played by Sruthi Hasan) who later becomes his beau.

Sruthi Hasan and Siddharth in Once Upon a Warrior

One would think the film maker was trying to imitate Harry Potter but while one ponders one is led to an exotic bar scene – an Arabian Nights-type scenario (comedy element, Brahmananda – Mozhi) with hanging bottles and flasks and colorful smoke billowing aimlessly. Shot partly in Turkey, the mid-eastern touch is unmistakable. At the bar, Yodha gets inebriated and loses his way till the other do-gooder, Druki (played by Ramji Vallabhaneni) sets things right.

Boomerangs and butterflies are part of the fantasy and released at appropriate times, the good guys constantly win specially with Yodha having no problem wielding the sword like a champion fencer.

For good to prevail over evil – we all know – sacrificial fires (yagnas) have to be performed by well-meaning priests and finally, Sarpini or Irendri (read evil queen) after incredible scenes with venomous snakes and fire-spitting dragons playing havoc, the villain is put to rest. Special effects help in large part to make the movie credible and the villain’s over-acting is par to the course. Curses, revenge and superstition are part of the mix, and after 133 minutes, one is happy the curse is lifted, and all is normal in the world.

Produced by Walt Disney Studios, India, Zokkomon is an action-packed adventure about an ordinary boy who rises from despair to meet extraordinary challenges. It’s a story of a money-minded, heartless uncle, a crafty schoolmaster, gullible villagers and how suddenly a kid from a city, transplanted by the uncle to his village transforms his classmates into believing in themselves.

Kunal (Darsheel Safary, who played a dyslexic child in Taare Zameen Par) plays the orphaned boy and discovers how cruel life can be when he is abandoned by his uncle (Anupam Kher). Left to fend for himself, Kunal soon realizes the hero within himself and begins his epic journey of adventure and transformation to become Zokkomon.

He is assisted by an estranged “uncle” (also played by Anupam Kher), but this gentleman is more interested in science and gizmos such as telescopes, mikes and costumes and does not believe in villagers’ tales or mythical superstitions. Kunal reveres this “Magic” uncle and takes his help to avenge the villainous uncle and shady sycophants who run the village. Ghosts show up and so do unexpected sounds from still classrooms.

A fast movie (thanks to director, Satyajit Bhatkal) that even kids can relate to specially when they are making fun of adults and are held to account, the viewer doesn’t realize how 109 minutes pass by. Typically Disney’s summer fare tends to portray kids in better light than their scheming adults.

Manjari and Darsheel in Zokkomon

The scenes in a small village are quite authentic and Anupam Kher is as good as his billing in two roles – as the evil uncle with a wig and as a failed, but temperamental scientist. Kunal’s “Kittu didi” Manjari Fadnis (Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, 2008) helps the young boy when in distress. An excellent movie for all ages as long as you have an open mind and believe in the magical.

_____________

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]