Posts Tagged ‘yash raj film’
By Taran Adarsh, December 11, 2009 – 17:13 IST
Some films absorb you instantly, from the very outset. But it takes time to get into the world of a salesman who thinks from his heart.
Come to think of it, ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is about a simpleton, but the story of his struggle and accomplishment isn’t the kind that would charge you or make you charter a similar path in life. Also, the story of an underdog who comes up the hard way should make you feel euphoric in the end, right? But ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR doesn’t.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Frankly, ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is more of a documentary on the life of a salesman. It’s a decent film, no two opinions on that, but the question is, [a] Is the story powerful enough to excite you and [b] Does it grab your attention in entirety? Sadly, the answer to both the questions is in the negative.
There’s another problem and this is strictly from the point of those seeking entertainment. A Yash Raj film with Ranbir Kapoor [after AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI] essaying the title role, coupled with fun-filled promos [‘Pocket Mein Rocket Hain’] might make you assume that it would offer loads of entertainment, but this has barely a song or two, as good as no romance and hardly any comic moments – the recipe for most Hindi movies.
In a nutshell, ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is a dull and dry experience.
Harpreet Singh Bedi [Ranbir Kapoor] has just graduated and his marks are, well, let’s say a little embarrassing. But marks never stopped him from dreaming of an exciting and adventurous career, and they never will.
He takes a deep, positive breath and dives into the world of sales, rumoured to be an ultra cool career. It’s everything he dreamt of, with its smooth dressing, smoother talking men and women who can sell ice to an Eskimo, dreams to an insomniac and a lifetime mobile connection to a dying man. But soon, his idea of success begins clashing with the strange ways of these ‘professionals’ and ‘bosses’ he looked up to.
ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR may be based on a simpleton’s life, but the viewer gets a hang of things only towards the second hour. The entire first hour is devoted to establishing the characters and also getting used to the way sales persons go about their business.
There’s not much excitement in the first hour, barring a few attention-grabbing scenes that pop up intermittently. The story just flows, with the viewer not reacting much to the proceedings. But things change for better towards the post-interval portions when the protagonist and his colleagues’ lives get complicated.
At least two sequences deserve a mention here. The first, when Ranbir and his boss have a lengthy telephonic conversation. The second, when the boss realises his folly and apologises to Ranbir. But, unfortunately, the culmination to the story doesn’t give the feeling of euphoria or victory. Ideally speaking, it should have. That’s one of the reasons why the impact is missing.
Shimit Amin is an efficient storyteller and he has been most faithful to the plot, but if the plot itself has its limitations, there’s not much he can do to boost the proceedings. Jaideep Sahni has had the courage to narrate a new story, but the story is one-dimensional. Also, there screenplay is devoid of songs, romance and entertainment, which will go against the film completely.
Salim-Sulaiman’s background score is effectual. Vikash Nowlakha’s cinematography is alright.
Ranbir Kapoor is an exceptional actor and ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR mirrors this fact. The actor underplays his part beautifully, which only goes to prove that he’s equally at ease essaying straight-out-of-life roles. Prem Chopra is exceptional. A number of new faces enact pivotal roles here, but the ones who stand out are Ranbir’s boss Puri and colleague Nitin. Both are fantastic.
D. Santosh is first-rate. Gauhar Khan leaves a strong impression. Shazahn Padamsee doesn’t get any scope.
On the whole, ROCKET SINGH – SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is more of a documentary on the life of a salesman. Lack of music, romance and entertainment, coupled with zilch hype, will go against the film. A colossal disappointment!
The music of the untitled Yash Raj film starring Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma is giving Pritam sleepless nights. Thankfully, he has been ordered to stay off the cliché bhangra numbers
Although the Shahid Kapoor-Anushka Sharma untitled Yash Raj film has completed one major schedule in Hyderabad, the film’s music score is not in place yet. A source said, “The film has so far been shot without any songs. That’s because producer Aditya Chopra, director Parmeet Sethi and music composer Pritam Chakraborty cannot see eye-to-eye on any of the songs and music that Pritam has composed for the film.” The music of the film requires a rich, retro feel. “Parmeet Sethi’s film is set in the 1990s. Aditya Chopra wanted a distinct and directly-sourced reference to the sound and music of that decade. Everyone thought Michael Jackson and his songs like Billy Jean and Beat It would be sound reference points,” added the source. Apparently, the whole experience with the sound and texture of the 1990s has fallen apart. The retro music, it is felt, wouldn’t work for youngsters today unless it’s yoked to a totally contemporary idiom, like the Twist track in Love Aaj Kal. The entire music composed so far has been scrapped and Pritam has been told to put on his thinking cap fast. Meanwhile, Sethi continues shooting without the songs. It has been decided that all the songs will be shot on Bangkok and the US after the talkie portion of the shooting is complete. It’s hoped that by then all the songs would be in place. Pritam confirmed the news but was guarded in his reply. He said, “I’m not really allowed to speak on this matter at all. But yes, Parmeet, Adi and I have been brainstorming over the music. And we haven’t really come up with a satisfactory sound. I’ve been forced to postpone my scheduled sabbatical from work by at least a fortnight. I’m sure we’ll get it right very soon.”
The one prerequisite to the music is no Punjabi-bhangra. This is because almost the entire score by Pritam in Yash Raj’s other Shahid starrer, Dil Bole Hadippa, is in the Punjabi-bhangra idiom. And Aditya Chopra was very clear that there would be not a shred of bhangra music in the Shahid-Anushka starrer. “That’s true. I can safely say there will be no Punjabi music in Parmeet’s film,” said Pritam. |
Fenil and Bollywood 