"First Kiss"-Beautiful Korean romantic movie

First Kiss(1998)-

This is another South Korean movie that I liked a lot. The movie stars Ahn Jae Wook as Kyeong Hyeon and Choi Ji Woo as Yeon Hwa.

Its falls under the genre of romantic comedy/drama. At the begining of the story, we are introduced to this shy plain looking newsreporter who lives in a world of her own. She wears loose baggy mens wear and does not care about make up or any such beauty related things. The movie does not explain much as to why she is, the way she is although we do see a stupid guy dumping her on a dinner date. Her newsroom is filled with a bunch of characters which includes her boss having an affair with his subordinate etc.The boss's story runs in parallel with our main heroine's story.
















One day a photographer comes in to work at the office. He has a smiling personality and his playful happy nature is the complete opposite to the gurl's nature. He gets attracted to her and constantly follows her around clicking pictures while she interviews people for the magazine. At first she is really pissed at his behaviour but his persistence pays off and the ice maiden begins to melt.

However she has never kissed a guy before which makes it very difficult and awkward for her to understand the guy's feelings for her. They soon get separated but destiny gets them back together. The climax is very beautiful as it brings their story to a happy conclusion and I love happy endings in Korean movies.

I was also very impressed by the way the writers wrote the characters of her boss who always tries his best to look out for her despite her moody nature. The hero's best friend is also a cool guy who always helps the hero in all of his computer related problems.

The story sounds a lot like the plot of the Hollywood movie,'Never Been Kissed 1999)' but this movie was released way before that in 1998. The story holds your attention and makes you root for the lovers to get together. The movie has been brilliantly written and directed. There is this beautiful scene in the rain inside a phone booth, which simply takes your breath away. It is a very honest moment when the hero sees the gurl up close without her trademark glasses.















I am just stunned that not many people know about this cute movie which has such a nice plot. It's simple without any over the top gimicks and melodrama. I hope someone makes a TV series out of this because I know for sure it will be pretty sucessful.

Its a wonderful movie and deserves to be watched as many times as you want to feel good about romance and life.

Kabhi alvida na kehna - A love hate list

Today I watched “Kabhi alvida na kehna” which is another one of Karan Johar’s lavishly created movies. I had hated it immensely the first time when I had seen it two years back.

This time around I guess I was really paying a lot of attention ‘cause I happened to notice that somewhere in the middle of this messy story, there are some very meaningful lines like these-

• If you don’t go searching for love, you won’t find it.
• What kind of love are you searching for; the kind that exists in good books and bad films?
• Sometimes marriage takes the place of love and then there is no room for love left
• You are nothing but a wafadaar jamadaar and so on….

KJo wanted to make a movie on extra marital affairs but somehow he forgot to flesh out the main characters. The end result being that the audience liked the other couple (Abhishek and Preity) more than Rani and Shahrukh which did not bode well for the movie.

Rani’s character is pretty warped up which explains why she liked Dev(Shahrukh) who is nothing but a big pain (in the **). Preity does not get into her element till the closing of the film when her character realizes the truth after which she takes her hubby to task and how. Abhishek was just a prop (why did he sign this movie?) while Shahrukh got all the best dialogues (which were few). King Khan as usual went overboard and hammed all over the place which should have been prevented.

Now a list of my top love-hate reasons for KANK-
• I love the song ‘Mitwa’ and its beat and the way the singer has sung it makes the song very special for me. I loved the feelings of happiness and enjoyment that the two central characters are shown to be having in the Mitwa song. It was almost as if their inner happy self had found its way outside.

• I loved the New York background and beautiful locations used throughout the movie. I fell in love with each of the locations that Kjo has taken us to and I thank him for that. I hope KJo writes a post on his blog as to why he loves New York so much.

• I loved the color blue for Rani as the outfits in that color made her look like a dream. Rani looks a vision in all the sarees she has worn which suit her way more than any western outfit. BTW the dress designer for the movie did a very good job as everyone looks their best throughout the flick.

• I hated the fact that the movie was neither here nor there. At times the actors themselves don’t look much convinced about their characters and the dialogues but are doing it nonetheless.

• I hate that there were no dialogues that tickle you something on the lines of ‘Kal ho na ho’ which was a serious movie peppered with very humorous dialogues-why couldn’t we have had something like that in KANK?

• I loved the small things that Karan tried to show-chiefly the fact that you could have the best looking guy/gal as your husband/wife but the marriage will suck(if there is no chemistry) and no one will know that except the people involved.

• I loved Amitabh’s dialogue at the dinner table when he sees through Shahrukh’s character. Also the time when he asks for a drink at the ballet scene when he sees the foursome trade barbs at their messed up lives.

• I loved the way Abhishek screams at Rani after discovering her infidelity. I mean if he hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have believed his good-goody character any more and boy was I fed up of his pati-parmeshwar act.

• I loved Preity’s reaction when her philandering husband confesses to her about his affair. She slaps him and asks him to leave which was like wow-a breath of fresh air to see a modern women reacting the way she should and quite appropriately.

• I love the underlying theme of the movie that if you don’t love someone, don’t be stuck in that just for the relation’s sake. Go on and liberate yourself and your partner.

‘Kabhi alvida na kehna’ means don’t say Good bye and I have to quote Richard Bach here because I think his lines make plenty of sense in this reference-
Dont be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can
meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for
those who are friends.

List Of My Fav Hindi Songs

I am writing about my all-time favorite Hindi songs that make me happy or sad or whatever. Basically they just put me in the groove that I want to be in. Now everyone has a different list of songs that they like and this is definitely not an illustrative list but I have made this compilation so that if you haven?t heard these songs you must get them from somewhere and listen to them pronto.

Spunky-getup-n-start dancing-working-songs...
# ’’Chale jaisi hawein sanan sanan ’’ from Main Hoon Na..
The song is picturised on Amrita Rao and dude with a bad haircut (Zayed Khan). The song is zesty and it rocks big time when I listen to it. I couldn?t have picked a better entry song for these youngsters in the movie. Listen to the song and get up and go...

# ? Kehdoon tumhein’’ (Deewar The Return of Daddy mix song)...
This song with very nice retro feel video is super cool. I don?t like too many of the remixes which are being churned out but I like this one a lot. It?s much better than the old version. Someone has to be lauded for the amazing video and the whole effect of the song..play it again...
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------------------------------------its-so-deep-songs
# ’’Tujhse naraz nahi zindagi’’ from Masoom(1983) -The male version : I somehow don?t like the female version of this song even though its sung by Lata.
jeene ke liye sochaa hee nahee
dard sanbhaalane honge
muskuraye to, muskuraane ke
karja utaarane honge

# ?Dhal rahi sham hai Zindagi, dard ka doosra naam hai Zindagi?from Saaransh-Probably the only song in the whole movie but a very meaningful song. ?Saaransh’ was India’s official entry for the 1985 Oscar awards.
# ’’Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai na jaane kaun aas paas hota hai’’
Sung by Rafi (I don?t know which movie this song is from..But I would love to know)
# ?Khatra Khatra? from the film ?Ijazat?-
I couldn?t understand the lyrics very well but the song has a nice melody to it.

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tat-smug-smile-song
# ’’Yeh tera ghar yeh mera ghar? from Saath Saath..
In fact all the songs of this obscure movie starring Farouque Shaikh and Deepti Naval are really fabulous?
# ’’Tumko dekh tho yeh khayal aaya? from Saath Saath
# ’’Tumhein hona ho mujhko tho itna yakeen hai’’ from Gharounda.-
I like this song a lot. All the songs of this film are cool.
# ’’Tu is tarah se meri zindagi main shamil hain’’ from Aap Tho Aise na The-
The film has two versions of the song (a ghazal one,a party song). My favorite is the party version which has a little faster tempo than the Ghazal song.
# ’’Jhalak dekhake kar gayi diwana’’ from Manzil Manzil ?
I really like most of the singer Shailender?s songs and the remaining tracks of this 1983 movie.
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love-in-the-air-songs
# ?Mere pyar ki umar ho itni sanam ,tere naam se shuru tere naam se khatam? from Waris
# ’’Suno na’’ from Jhankar Beats-Sung by Shaan; a good slow song.
# ’’Yeh hawa kehti hai kya’’ Aryans.
# ?Pal pal dil ke paas tum rehto ho? from Blackmail-Lyrics,Lyrics,Lyrics say it all.
# ’’Kahin kahin se har chehra tum jaisa lagta hai’’from Jagjit Singh, Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar?s album.

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luv-hurts-theme -songs
# ’’Tum bin’’ title track of the movie-Song is very nicely written; its kinda sad .
# ’’Hum bewafa’’ from Shalimaar(1979)-I heard this song many times in a television serial and its been remixed too. Lyrics are by Anand Bakshi and music by R D Burman.
# ’’Chalte Chalthe’’ title track of the same movie.
# ’’Teri galiyon main’’ from Hawas..
# ’’Pyar ke liye char pal kam nahi the, kabhi tum nahi tho kabhi hum nahi the’’ from Dil Kya Kare-The lyrics and the song say it all.
# ’’Kasam ki kasam’’from Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon-Awful, awful movie but nice meaningful number.
# ’’Ab na jaa’’ by Euphoria-The video is so apt for this mellow song about unspoken love and remembrances.
# ’’Sajna aa bhi ja’’ by Shibyani Kashyap from the movie ?Waisa bhi hota hai-part 2?
# ?Pal? from KK?s album by the same name.
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# ’’Mann ki lagan’’from Paap-sung by Nusrat Ali Khan?s son, very little musical instruments used in the song composition but amazing tune nevertheless.
# ’’Hum Tum’’ title track-Song has an amazing start and good lyrics.
# ’’Durr’’ by Strings-I like the haunting vocals in this song. This song was in Bilal and Faisal Kapadia?s comeback album released in 2000.
# ’’Bin tere sanam’’ from the film Yaara Dildaara(1991)- The last song is my all time favorite song. It’s sung by Udit Narayan & Kavita Krishnamurti . I really liked a lot the songs of Yaara Dildaara (?Bin tere sanam?, ?Koi chahe na chahe?) which were not too appreciated when the film was released. ?Tum hi hamari ho manzil my love? ,? ?Woh jo kaha tha maine who kar dikhaaya na, baazi who aan dil ki main jeet laya na.? are the other two songs that I like from this movie.

I may have made mistakes in some of the details associated with the songs so please do comment on whatever you feel about this list. I really enjoy listening to all these songs coz they make me happy and that?s the purpose behind these songs, right?

Shallow Hal

Shallow Hal is a very entertaining comedy because it deals very beautifully with the fact that most of us are superficial when it comes to judging people. We want to meet and date people who are only superficially beautiful and anyone not meeting our beauty standards is automatically rejected. What the movie tries to tell us is that we should not go by the external facade of the other person but rather give everyone a fair chance or we might miss out on some fabulous people in our lives who are not so beautiful.

The crux of the story is that Hal (Jack Black ..extremely funny)and his best friend are guys who only like to date thin, good looking women. Intelligent women who are not so presentable are ignored totally by these guys. It?s a different issue that these two guys themselves are not drop dead handsome or something. They meet a new age speaker who casts a spell on Black and makes him see the inner beauty within every person. A string of incidents happen in which Jack even meets the love of his life. But the only problem is that although she appears gorgeous to him; in reality she is really fat. How Jack learns the truth and overcomes his superficiality forms the rest of the story.

This flick has wonderful acting by Black and is ably supported by the very pretty Gwyneth Paltrow and Seinfeld actor (don?t know his name..sorry). There are so many beautiful moments in the flick, which give you the message in a very humorous manner. I hate movies that are you know the ’’preachy-preachy’’ types but what I liked was that this one makes us understand the message in a very subtle manner.

There are so many hilarious scenes like when the hero’s girlfriend takes a jump in the pool and the disastrous after effects of ’’the jump’’; when they share a drink romantically and the super fast way in which she finishes it all alone and many more. Also there are very touching scenes especially when he visits the children?s ward of the hospital the second time and when Black sees his girlfriend the way she really is(and not thin as he had always imagined and seen her). Note his first words on seeing her.
The film has lots of humor thanks largely to the fact that it is a Farrelly brothers creation. Their movies have so much of laff-a-minute humor that it is really enjoyed by people of all age groups.

Though their movies tend to have somewhat loud humor; in this one they are restrained. Mind you this is not a sappy romantic but a movie that belongs to the ’’funny romantic’’ genre so I daresay people should like it. Personally speaking the way in which Black acts is really funny with his deadpan style of dialogue delivery. His friend also excels in supporting him.

’’Shallow Hal wants a gal’’ is really the whole catchphrase of the movie so ?You my pal should watch Hal? bad rhyming but watch it if you can anyway.

Really cool movie!

Socha na tha’ is like a breath of fresh air. It’s funny because most of the people who walk in to watch the movie don’t have too many expectations. By the end of the movie though the audience is delighted with the outcome. Most of the Indian films tend to go over the top with loud characters, hamming actors and so on. So it feels great to watch something that’s zara hatke. The director has wonderfully narrated a simple story and managed to catch the viewer’s attention from the very first frame.

We are introduced to the 20something, urban characters of Viren, Aditi, Karen and their respective families. Viren is hiding from his family about the love of his life: Karen. Somehow he manages to convince his family about accepting the Christian girl when things go for a toss as Aditi enters their lives. Viren and Aditi meet up several times and end up being very candid about their respective lives to each other. Somewhere along the line they realize that they have fallen in love and therein lies the problem. The pair now has the daunting task of convincing their respective families who are at a war of words with each other over a non-issue.

The surprise of the film is definitely the latest Deol on the block, Abhay who has hit the bull’s eye with this movie. His endearing mannerisms and dialogues are a treat. His portrayal of the character is sweet enough to convince you to like him, inspite of his wavering nature regarding the affairs of the heart. He has tried his best and it shows. Ayesha Takia is a total natural and completely at ease with the camera. She has as a good flair for acting, which makes us really care for her character. Sandya Mridul is wasted in a good for nothing role and makes you wonder if her role was chopped off on the editing table or what. Other actors like Suresh Oberoi, Ayesha Jhulka and Rati Agnihotri ably support the newcomers.

Sandesh Shandilya’ s compositions border on the average to the pleasant. Love stories need a good superhit score, which is sorely lacking here. If nothing the songs are a good means of generating interest about the movie amongst the public. Over here the songs are good but are not hummable enough to create an impression. ‘Abhi Abhi mere dil main khayal aaya hai’ is picturised rather well. However once you are out of the theatre, the tunes are out of your mind. I guess the director could pay a little more attention to that department next time around.

The movie could have done with better marketing and promos so that people don’t miss out on good clean family entertainment. One thing that could have been done without was the hero’s atrocious hairstyle that resembled his brother Bobby’s long locks. I hope he does not follow his brother’s footsteps and end up doing the “dishumdishum” roles. I guess his strength lies in playing characters like these.

The story has been greatly appreciated by the young college going crowd but I am sure that this is something that anyone will enjoy. The likeability quotient of the youth towards the movie can be attributed to the college situations depicted like the group picnics, parties, bahanas etc.

I read somewhere that Subhash Ghai, was so impressed after the screening of ‘Socha na tha’, that he personally congratulated the director (Imtiaz Ali) and has supposedly offered him a Mukta productions venture to direct. The storyline is very simple but it’s the treatment of the plot by the first time director that has made all the difference.

Although the film was long in the making, thankfully it does not have a dated look. There is an air of joie de vivre throughout the story. In fact after watching the film, I agree with what another MS reviewer has commented that socha na tha movie itni achi hogi. Using MTV parlance, the one thing that you should do now is see ‘Socha na tha’ and ENJOY!

Mindless movie of the year award goes to....Bewafa

B for Boring:
Bewafa has to be one of the most boring and slow films ever made in recent times. Everything about the movie is jaded from the storyline to the acting and the dialogues. I suggest that anyone suffering from ’Insomnia’ should be prescribed this film. By the end of the flick or rather should I say halfway through this nightmare; you should be sleeping soundly.

E for Exasperating:
In these times when movie makers are trying new plots and storylines; its sad to see director Dharmesh Darshan putting us through this outdated account. The storyline is very similar to ’Hum aapke hain koun’(1994). A happily in love girl (Kareena) has to marry her sister’s husband (Anil Kapoor) following her sister’s demise. She settles down to a life of domestic drudgery uncomplainingly.

Adding more gloom to her dreary life is her workaholic husband who is battling unsuccessfully with the demons of his past. Whether ?Sufferina/Kareena? chooses to stay on in a marriage devoid of any sentiments or goes back to her erstwhile lover (Akshay) is the remainder of the movie. No points for guessing what our regressive heroine chooses to do.

W for Wasted:
The lead actors have tried their best in their respective roles. What?s surprising is that none of the actors found the time to go through the script before signing on this mess. Kareena does not suit the role of a young mother. In many places she looks lost and her straight haired look does not work for her (maybe the director wanted her to follow the hairstyle lead of her sister Karisma, a la ’Raja Hindustani’).

Sushmita tries to put in a lot of spunk but is bogged down by a very tiny role. Manoj Bajpai plays the character of Dil and hams it to the hilt. He gives tough competition in overacting to Shamita Shetty, whose role could have been made shorter (that would have been a welcome relief!).

A for Acoustics:
By far the only redeeming factor is the music, which is composed by Nadeem-Shravan. They return after a short hiatus to give us some good music. However one of the songs ’’Ishq chupth nahi chupane se’’ has a tune very reminiscent of ’’Tu is tarah si meri zindagi main shamil hain’’ from the 1980 film ’Aap tho aise na the’.

Well, maybe they wanted to refresh that golden song in our minds. But all said and done, it?s a pleasant score.

F for Flop:
The story has no worthwhile dialogues or twists to hold the viewer’s attention. The movie definitely needed a fresh storyline. It is so irritating to see the posters of the movie declaring it to be a super hit. I mean which planet are the publicists living in, Mars? I think the publicist should have given the film better taglines like ?Bewafa: a boring affair? or ?Bewafa: better watch it from afar? etc. If you want to punish someone, do recommend this movie to that poor unsuspecting soul.

A for A headache:
That?s what you are left with after enduring this disaster.