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Post by moviemavengal on Sept 18, 2015 23:15:12 GMT
Katti Batti has not been getting great reviews. I saw it this morning at the first matinee, and I'm glad I didn't pay full price. I'd give it three out of five stars since it has some moments, and I like Imran and Kangana together. It is not GREAT, but it is not as terrible as some people are saying. I am SO curious how much of the ending Aamir had a hand in. Generally you don't mind spoilers, right? It's basically 500 Days of Summer BUT with TRAGIC reasons for the breakup -- and then a sad ending that made me cry. There was so much inspiration from 500 Days of Summer for this movie, and Kangana makes a pretty good quirky manic pixie dream girl Zoey Deschanel free spirit type. There is also the younger sister of Imran (not a cursing 12 year old though) who gives it to him straight, just as in 500 Days. It's not a complete remake scene for scene, though, and the ending is completely different. Just like 500 Days, we see him super depressed about the breakup at the beginning, and flashing back repeatedly to scenes from their relation ship, how they met, etc. The first part of the film is adorable. I think they had good onscreen chemistry together. There is one Devdas homage bit that was very funny. The trouble comes in the second half. Imran is shown to be an immature asshole and you come to hope he never does find her number because he doesn't deserve her. The trailer cut things in a very funny way, and those scenes extended don't necessarily have the same comedy punch. There was almost no one in a cavernous theater, so maybe I would have laughed more with a crowd. A friend pointed out afterwards that this is the same director as D-Day which we both loved. Not sure he has the deft touch for all romantic comedy. Imran gives it his all -- really the movie is SO much his point of view, and my friend discussed how it shows the Indian hero always has to be right about everything in the end. The movie logic of the script didn't work for me in the middle of the film as we see the breakup and WHY they broke up. But then Kangana made me cry, because she can just wring that emotion out of you. She's just good and rises above whatever material she is in. Lip to Lip is my favorite song, the rest of the soundtrack is just okay. So, as Kangana asks Imran -- Are you willing to have a time-pass relationship with this film? Because that's what you're going to get. I'd give it three stars out of five for some nice moments, and because I have a soft spot for Kangana and Imran. I liked it more than that movie he did with Deepika where he stalked her to Australia (Break Ke Baad), but it's not as good as Mere Brother Ki Dulhan was in plot -- but obviously Kangana acts circles around Katrina. Some reviewers are saying the film could have been helped by more focus on Kangana and less Imran, and I agree. He's such a jerk in the second half and it's all completely from his point of view.
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bollygotback
Dancing in the chorus
Check out my bollywood podcast! https://soundcloud.com/bolly-got-back
Posts: 44
Favorite actor: Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan
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Post by bollygotback on Sept 20, 2015 20:15:52 GMT
I think I am gonna wait til this one comes out on Netflix to watch. Not a fan of Imran Khan really, and Kangana isnt enough to carry me in to the theater.
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Post by corbie on Sept 21, 2015 0:44:26 GMT
My official review is as follows: The first half I truly didn't understand why he was pursuing the girl as she was a bit of a bitch and didn't seem worth the trouble, most of the second half wondering why she didn't get a restraining order against him as be was being an obsessive stalker and not even being nice. The movie lost me with a scene involving him and a baby he wanted to make cry. The last bit was "really? ?"
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Post by dancelover on Sept 21, 2015 14:29:48 GMT
The Upcoming Films thread was at bollywhat.boards.net/thread/597 www.boxofficeindia.com gives these weekend receipts: Friday 5.25 crores, Saturday same. Sunday same, Total 15.75 crore weekend. They say that the failure to improve over Friday's figures, means that KB has flopped. Dancelover Thursday: Katti Batti has indeed flopped. Monday's income was about 2 crore, said BoxOfficeIndia. BOI did not bother giving the figures for Tuesday and Wednesday. Koimoi said Tuesday got 1.69 crore, Wed only 1.4. Six-day total about 22 crore. Prediction under 25. Expenses given by Koimoi at 33 crore. DISASTER!
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Post by dancelover on Sept 24, 2015 17:00:48 GMT
Corbie, if the review/spoiler in Times Of India is at all accurate, then she did not dare to get a restraining order, because her big lie would be exposed. The plotline that ToI describes, I find despicable. I find it shocking that either Kangana or Aamir would have anything to do with such a plotline. I would like to think that that review got it wrong. It seems to me that there is a big difference between stalking someone who has never spoken to you, and trying to learn why the woman who has been your passionate lover for five (5) years, has left you. If she really didn't love him, despite all the evidence she gave during those Five Passionate Years, then how could Maddy trust that any woman really loves him?? How can he believe that he is "good enough" to be loved??? From Payal's PoV, her decision is mistaken three ways. It is bad for her, mistaken for him, and morally wrong to the point of wickedness. I don't know about the actual film, but the film that ToI describes, deserves to flop. Howard "Dancelover" Wilkins My official review is as follows: The first half I truly didn't understand why he was pursuing the girl as she was a bit of a bitch and didn't seem worth the trouble, most of the second half wondering why she didn't get a restraining order against him as be was being an obsessive stalker and not even being nice. The movie lost me with a scene involving him and a baby he wanted to make cry. The last bit was "really? ?"
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Post by emily on Sept 24, 2015 22:09:58 GMT
Finally got around to seeing this today. It was mostly enjoyable - a "timepass," if you will - but there were two huge things that keep me from liking this movie.
SPOILERS BELOW.
First, I'll start with the good things. I thought Kangana was the best part of the film. She absolutely lit up the screen in every frame. And because of this wonderful performance by Kangana, despite my better judgement, I ended up crying at the heavy-handed cliched ending. I thought the music was pretty good, and some supporting performances were nice. I, like moviemavengal, liked the mock Devdas scene. Hell, the first half of the movie was something I really enjoyed - a quirky modern romance with beautiful young actors. Whimsical. Humorous. And I really wish that was the tone they stuck with for the rest of the film.
So, my first beef with Katti Batti is with Imran's character Maddy. Now, I'll say that Imran did a fine job performing. It was his character that I thought was handled poorly.
It's clear that Maddy has some issues. He's insecure, he's selfish, he's obsessive and sometimes, he's even quite violent. It may be that he has some sort of bi-polar or manic-depressive disorder. Anyway, it would have been nice to see the film address these issues and try to get some help, and at times, I thought that might be the direction Katti Batti was headed. But his run-in with the rock band FOSLA(?) made it clear that it was headed in the complete opposite direction. Instead, they build Maddy up to be this passionate, determined jilted lover - much like Devdas, alluding back to that earlier scene - who will do whatever it takes to get back his woman. The film makes it seem like we wanna support him on his quest to win back Payal, but I found myself disgusted as he stalked her, crashed her wedding, etc. This is NOT the example that young people need to see. In real life, Payal would have slapped a big old restraining order on him. It would have made me so much happier for the film to go in the direction where they acknowledged he was damaged and tried to get him help. Instead, he ends up this simpering, childish character that is found too often as the hero of Indian films.
My second bone of contention with the film is the ending. This film had the opportunity to take the "if you love her, let her go" ending. I may have not even minded if she did indeed come back to him after he got over her. Instead, Advani - and I hope this wasn't Aamir's doing; I'd be very disappointed if it was - swings it back to the melodrama of Kal Ho Na Ho by giving Kangana a life-threatening illness. Say it with me now..."cliche." So a film that could have been very fresh and unique ended up falling back to the same old, same old. And even though the young lovers' performances in the last 20 minutes brought tears to my eyes, I found myself thinking this could have been a much better movie had they kept the same whimsy of the first half.
It wasn't a terrible film. It was definitely not a waste of time. But it makes me angry, because I feel like it could have been so much better.
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Post by dancelover on Sept 25, 2015 22:24:06 GMT
"... crashed her wedding." Was it a real wedding, then? A legal joining with a bridegroom? Then the review that I read, got it wrong. I thought it might have. It wasn't the review in Times of India, BTWay; I rechecked. Wasn't Koimoi's either. I forgot where I saw it. Dancelover Finally got around to seeing this today. It was mostly enjoyable - a "timepass," if you will - but there were two huge things that keep me from liking this movie. SPOILERS BELOW.So, my first beef with Katti Batti is with Imran's character Maddy. Now, I'll say that Imran did a fine job performing. It was his character that I thought was handled poorly. It's clear that Maddy has some issues. He's insecure, he's selfish, he's obsessive and sometimes, he's even quite violent. It may be that he has some sort of bi-polar or manic-depressive disorder. Anyway, it would have been nice to see the film address these issues and try to get some help, and at times, I thought that might be the direction Katti Batti was headed. But his run-in with the rock band FOSLA(?) made it clear that it was headed in the complete opposite direction. Instead, they build Maddy up to be this passionate, determined jilted lover - much like Devdas, alluding back to that earlier scene - who will do whatever it takes to get back his woman. The film makes it seem like we wanna support him on his quest to win back Payal, but I found myself disgusted as he stalked her, crashed her wedding, etc.
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Post by emily on Sept 25, 2015 22:27:03 GMT
It was an actual wedding. I can't refute the review definitively unless I see it in context.
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sady
Hit playback singer
Posts: 1,876
Favorite actor: SRK, Prabhas, Naga Chaitanya, Nivin Pauly
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Post by sady on Feb 22, 2016 19:58:22 GMT
*SPOILERS*
I was waiting for this movie like crazy lol... Boy was I disappointed!
I though that Nikhil Advani having directed KHNH and Salaam-e-Ishq would offer, if not a good product, an average one. But it seemed he was busier trying to get good shots than to try and have a logical storyline. When then talked about a non-linear narrative I thought we'd get served something in the lines of "Cyrano Agency", "Architecture 101" or "500 Days of Summer" but here the flashbacks were pretty linear in my opinion. The ending he chose was the easy way out imo. It was a mean to have people say "Oh but the last X minutes were so---!"
It's a pity we didn't get the feel of the bittersweetness that can be a failed relationship which hurt but count. The movie felt flat and we were left to wonder why was the title "Katti Batti" which means "In and Off" when we don't see them break up to get together again. It's India and parents tend to miggle in their kids marriage, or people themselves put boundaries about what they think would be acceptable or not. Here the parents were non-existant and it wasn't society that put a strain on their relationship. Also, their living together without being married didn't shock Maddy's middle class family and he didn't seem to mind jumping straight into it to. The writers could have found tenfolds reasons for Maddy and Payal to break and get back together (family, society, diverging values and personalities)...
The characters were poorly written and Maddy made me cringe more than once. He acted like a kid to whom one would have stolen his candy. I really thought he had some issues... but no! It seems the director thought his attitude to be slightly obsessive but normal. Why his drinking from that bottle was instantly brushed off as an accident was beyond me and the fact that they still had the same circle of friends despite the fact they moved from Delhi to Mumbai and that years had passed was weird too. His ex had supposedly moved on and was to marry someone else but Maddy went and crashed her wedding... who does that!?!
The fact that SRK doesn't tell Preity he's dying is understandable in KHNH because he was sick before he knew her and thus didn't want to marry her to have her suffer and make a widow out of her. That's why he pushed her in Saif's arms. But here Payal hide her sickness to her live-in boyfriend with whom she's been for years not to have him suffer... It was appaling really. The guy was going mad because he thought she'd left him for no reason while she was suffering alone... It wasn't acceptable because for me she should have told him so that they'd go throught it together.
Imran has improved but the movie was badly written. In the end it was hard to find out if it was supposed to be a romantic comedy or a drama.
On the plus side, Kangna and Imran make a good pairing and some songs were quite good (Lip2Lip and Ove Janiya).
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