December 10, 2006

Ek Aur Ek Gyarah - I did it! I finally did it!

I still can´t believe it. I finally watched my first Govinda movie. Somehow I (un)conciously managed to let this task slip by me up to now. Who am I kidding - I was scared. I´m pretty picky with comedy. Especially the loud in your face type is quite hard to digest. But now before the Bhagam Bhag and Salaam-E-Ishq releases, I figured it was high time to get myself aquainted with Chi Chi. And what can I say? 1+1=11 had me on a constant chuckle. It´s by no means a great movie. Sanjay and Govinda overdo pretty much everything and it is sure not David Dhawan´s best film, but then the whole package comes close to being that stupid that it´s fun again.









For those not in the know. 1+1=11 tells the story of two smalltime crooks who manage to get in the way of veeeery dangerous terrorists brothers Panther and Cobra. Fleeing from their wrath they encounter an Army Major who is on the hunt for those two evil guys and the super-modern-high-tech-gizmo-top-secret gun they stole from him. (Rightly so, if I might add. Jackie Shroff´s security and recovery methods are very sloppy to put it nicely)










Tara and Sitara - our heroes - manage to talk their way into the house and family of Major Singh and into the hearts of two rather airheady young girls. And then there is a lot of dancing and fast talking and masti and a pint of drama-ish happenings and one very bad (had me almost fall from the couch from laughing) climax action scene.










So that´s that. Now for Govinda. So far I only knew him from various not so convincing Eros DVD filmi trailers and I could never make out any evidence as to why he had the success he obviously had in the 90ies. And still I have no idea if the act he does in Ek Aur Ek Gyarah is good, average or bad concerning his filmography. I can only judge him for this film - and I have to admit he´s got something. It´s not the dancing. That´s ok (for someone like me at least who belongs to the "dancing god = Hrithik" fraternity) But his comic timing and the fair amount of sweetness he displays really makes me entertain the notion to get more of his older films. Any suggestions?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

While I haven't watched a Govinda movie in quite a while - I think his career's been a bit slow lately - I remember 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' being absolutely hilarious.

It has Govinda AND AB 1.0... both in double roles!

Imagine the hungama! :D

Anonymous said...

I too am mystefied by Govinda. However, Sharon's description make me think that film would be just the place to start!

You know, I bet there's someone out there who lurves Govinda. He's probably someone's FPMBF. Hmmm. We need to meet her and get her to explain his powers.

babasko said...

I just found out that Bhagam Bhag is playing in Munich on the 22nd and I will be just an hour´s drive away by then (Xmas, family, etc.) I am seriously thinking about going there...I need deepen to my research on Govinda.

Anonymous said...

Hi Babasko,

I wander over from Beth's blog every morning, and apart from feeling your enthusiasm and love for bollywood clearly shining through your writing, I also think the little hindi phrases you pepper your thoughts with are fantastic :-)

As a bonafide Govinda fan, I couldn't keep silent when I read this entry! People talk constantly of his garish getups and over-the-top raunchy comedic acts, but its worth noting that when he started out, he was primarily a romantic lead (quite handsome too). He was (&is) a great natural dancer (considering the shoulder pads and bappi lahiri songs he was given to work with) and carried off romantic roles with great ease. If you can get your hands on movies like Hatya, Love 86, Ilzaam & Khudgarz, you can see a young Govinda that I grew up watching. I would particularly recommend 'Hum'-he didn't have a main role, but a supporting one to Amitabh Bachchan. A great movie not just for his well-defined role, but also for the rest of the cast.

I think his popularity has much to do with the fact that he never pretended to be something he wasn't. He played equally to the classes & masses, always seemed sincere and drove home the point that people watch Hindi movies not for a star's designer clothes but for his ability to connect with his viewers. And Govinda has always been able to do just that.

Let me know how your Govinda journey turns out, call for help if you need it anytime :-)

babasko said...

hi pinke_v

see, thats the comment i was waiting for :D thanx for the suggestions and for the kind words. the films you mentioned go straight into my shopping list.

Anonymous said...

Good work with the site,Babasko.

And about Govinda recco's..Hmm..You should try out Hero No.1,Saajan Chale Sasuraal,Deewana Mastana (This one also had Anil and Juhi) and also Bade Miyan Choe Miyan (the chemistry between AB and Govinda in this is just mindblowing..a complete masala movie Im sure u'd love).

Cheers :-)

Diwali said...

Why don't you try more movies with Govinda and Sanjay? And no, I'm NOT talking about Jodi No.1 but about e.g. Andolan, Do Qaidi or Taaqatwar... You can experience more Govinda and combine this experience with more Sanju - what better can you wish? And especially Andolan is very good and shows Govinda in an absolutely serious role. :)