What do you do when you deliberately go to watch a film in spite of having little or no expectations of it? You may as well be proven wrong. I have been busy working on my thesis on performance theory, spending hours at libraries, feeling overworked and yet under-accomplished. So, when the offer came to watch something that would be totally uncharacteristic of my movie-watching self, I jumped at the lazy challenge and distraction. I never thought I would actually wake up with a determined purpose of watching a sleaze fest like Hate Story. The title, the tag line, the promos, everything didn't have to work too hard to inspire distaste in me. No, I am not a prude when it comes to skin show by Indian actresses. I, for one, enjoyed The Dirty Picture immensely, and would very much look forward to such films in the future. But, Hate Story is surely a let-down to this new Bolly trend started by Vidya Balan. Here are the reasons why.
The theme is about the only thing that works in the movie. In the only well-written piece of line in the entire film, Paoli Dam's character 'Kavya Krishnan' says that a man may turn a woman to her least vulnerable state by sexually using her, but if a woman decides to use her sexuality to get back at him, she might just turn out to be much stronger than him. The idea that a woman with blatant sexuality can be empowered instead of derided is, of course, the most provocative attack to Indian sensibilities. It is the best feminist weapon available. However, when such a theme could have found its best expression in a smart, crisp script, Hate Story just falls flat on all counts. A journalist who shows herself to be smart enough to expose huge business scams is stupid enough to keep going back repeatedly (in the name of love) to a man who is out to ruin her. She is too busy being smitten by her nemesis to care for the fact that he doesn't give a toss about her. And please, with no offense to what people's tastes of female attractiveness might be, Kavya's seduction of almost every who's who in the cement business is just boring, stale and obviously not good enough for them to leak vital information and frequently give her jobs. Unless she was using a love potion, it is just plain incredulous.
Paoli Dam is not fit for the big Bolly screen. After seeing her in serious Bengali films, I would not question the fact that yes, she has got acting chops. Neither do I have a problem with her lack of inhibitions. However, I do have a problem with her stylist, her make-up artist , her fitness expert and her dietitian. She is all skin and bones in this film, looking more anemic than attractive, and her clothes are just ugly. The worst is her make-up. I am really fed up of people trying to 'defend' the dusky complexion even as they use layers of lighter foundation, but the problem is not as much with her foundation (which actually looks too many shades too dark) as with her lips. This is a Bolly Bhatt production for cinema's sake, its your job to make the 'heroine' look visually pleasing. More so in a film where you intend to make her seduce CEO after CEO. Even if Paoli wants to include serious Bengali and 'International' films in her repertoire, if she has to do a mainstream Bolly flick, she just has to look the part.
There is also the stereotypical friend, a guy who accompanies her on her exposes, but never has the courage to actually make it with her. Paoli's nemesis, a youngish, tallish guy who delivers the film's most repeated and painfully nauseating line "I f*** those who f*** with me" has a lost, constipated look on his face. Joy Sengupta is perhaps the only one in the cast who does well with whatever scant material is provided to him. The worst sequence in the entire film is the montage courtship of Paoli and her future nemesis. I don't think such bogus(which, coincidentally, is the best possible curse word Kavya can come up with) sequences have been shot in Bollywood films in a long,long time. Flowers, dancing, getting wet in the rain wearing a sari, having a gigantic diamond ring popped at you after knowing each other for about a week maybe, consummating the relationship in every position and place known to mainstream cinema, this is speed dating at its most ridiculous. This happens after about 20 minutes into the movie, a good time to walk out in case you do not have the patience for more incredible things to come.
This movie is best watched not with popcorn and fizzy drinks, but friends who are just naturals at sarcasm and talkativeness.
The theme is about the only thing that works in the movie. In the only well-written piece of line in the entire film, Paoli Dam's character 'Kavya Krishnan' says that a man may turn a woman to her least vulnerable state by sexually using her, but if a woman decides to use her sexuality to get back at him, she might just turn out to be much stronger than him. The idea that a woman with blatant sexuality can be empowered instead of derided is, of course, the most provocative attack to Indian sensibilities. It is the best feminist weapon available. However, when such a theme could have found its best expression in a smart, crisp script, Hate Story just falls flat on all counts. A journalist who shows herself to be smart enough to expose huge business scams is stupid enough to keep going back repeatedly (in the name of love) to a man who is out to ruin her. She is too busy being smitten by her nemesis to care for the fact that he doesn't give a toss about her. And please, with no offense to what people's tastes of female attractiveness might be, Kavya's seduction of almost every who's who in the cement business is just boring, stale and obviously not good enough for them to leak vital information and frequently give her jobs. Unless she was using a love potion, it is just plain incredulous.
Paoli Dam is not fit for the big Bolly screen. After seeing her in serious Bengali films, I would not question the fact that yes, she has got acting chops. Neither do I have a problem with her lack of inhibitions. However, I do have a problem with her stylist, her make-up artist , her fitness expert and her dietitian. She is all skin and bones in this film, looking more anemic than attractive, and her clothes are just ugly. The worst is her make-up. I am really fed up of people trying to 'defend' the dusky complexion even as they use layers of lighter foundation, but the problem is not as much with her foundation (which actually looks too many shades too dark) as with her lips. This is a Bolly Bhatt production for cinema's sake, its your job to make the 'heroine' look visually pleasing. More so in a film where you intend to make her seduce CEO after CEO. Even if Paoli wants to include serious Bengali and 'International' films in her repertoire, if she has to do a mainstream Bolly flick, she just has to look the part.
There is also the stereotypical friend, a guy who accompanies her on her exposes, but never has the courage to actually make it with her. Paoli's nemesis, a youngish, tallish guy who delivers the film's most repeated and painfully nauseating line "I f*** those who f*** with me" has a lost, constipated look on his face. Joy Sengupta is perhaps the only one in the cast who does well with whatever scant material is provided to him. The worst sequence in the entire film is the montage courtship of Paoli and her future nemesis. I don't think such bogus(which, coincidentally, is the best possible curse word Kavya can come up with) sequences have been shot in Bollywood films in a long,long time. Flowers, dancing, getting wet in the rain wearing a sari, having a gigantic diamond ring popped at you after knowing each other for about a week maybe, consummating the relationship in every position and place known to mainstream cinema, this is speed dating at its most ridiculous. This happens after about 20 minutes into the movie, a good time to walk out in case you do not have the patience for more incredible things to come.
This movie is best watched not with popcorn and fizzy drinks, but friends who are just naturals at sarcasm and talkativeness.
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