Kartoos - a question that might never be answered.

What do this:










and that:


















have in common?

You´d think nothing? Ghalat. They´re both "inspired" Mahesh Bhatt while working on Kartoos.
In Kartoos he takes the story and a whole lot of almost 1:1 copied scenes of La Femme Nikita with changed genders (here we have a guy being saved from the gallows only to be turned into a government hired assassin) and the first assignment, the "test" in the restaurant, starts with the piano scene from Big. Scary.

Why do I expose myself to it then? C´mon that´s so obvious. Sanjay. He´s wet and without shirt almost half of the film. My hair fetish gets well fed.











And then I really was curious about the Luc Besson angle, who is one of my favorite filmmakers. Verdict? Well, lets just say that at least Mahesh Bhatt doesn´t have the Sanjay Gupta-colored filter-obsession. And he bollyfies and morally sanctions the special forces and their ACP Suryavanshi´s (Jackie Shroff) ways to work outside the law and use Sanjay as hitman.
Bhatt also keeps pretty close to the emotional side of the story. The dilemma Sanjay has to face when he, after meeting and falling in love with sweet innocent Mini (Manisha Koirala),










stops to functioning according to ACP Jackie´s plan make for some pretty cool scenes.

And still. How do you come up with the idea of putting the piano scene in?











We might never know.

Mann - now thats an Affair To Remember

Sick day movies part two. Remember "Sleepless in Seattle" where every female character at one point starts to ramble and even to blubber about "An Affair to remember"? I could so relate to that. It is a fact that this films story is the epidome of romantic screenwriting (forget the Warren Beatty-Annette Bening 1994 humbug btw). And of course perfect Bollywood remake material. Short question: Was there an Indian adaption of it before Mann in 1999? Or did Bollywood really wait 42 years to remake that story? Whatever. Sigh. Aamir in the Cary Grant role. Manisha Koirala doing the Deborah Kerr one. Where are the bloody tissues?











Mann is a bit hard to digest in the first 45 minutes or so. Karan (Aamir) is super annoying as the ladykiller. The Rani Item number belongs to the Bollywood Fugly ouevre. And there is a terrible hindi version of the terrible "l´italiano". The comedy track on the boat annoys so much it hurts (same director as Masti or Pyaare Mohan...´nuff said) But you have to keep at it. Do. Not. Give. Up. On. It.
Because from the point on when you finally get to scenes of the first shore leave you´re rewarded tenfold. Aamir is so great when he does the "my playboy image is just a facade" and the "no compromises. I´ll give up everything for love" and the "meri zindagi khatm because she didn´t show up"











And there is Anil as Manisha´s fiance. And Manisha suffers sooo heroic. Sigh. And the climax is better then in the original. Double Sigh. And there is even a childrens-choir singing (again the Hindi version of) "We Shall Overcome"...

Ok, true. It is a chick flick. Most definitely. And still such a perfect companion for a sick day spent in bed. Just don´t forget to keep the tissues within reach. And not just one.