Salaam/Namaste

Last night I was dragged once again to watch a new Indian movie. I usually have to do this once a month to keep peace in my house hold. We watched “Salaam Namaste”, which was actually pretty good but the bastard was 2 hours and 40 minutes long. And that was edited too!!! They drag out scenes for reason whatsoever, and they take fuckin ages to make a simple point. There had to be at least 3 songs during the time from when the guy and girl met and then fell in love. Now we all know that in real life you only need to dance in the rain once and spin around a tree twice with a girl to fall in love with her and seal the relationship.



The young new director, Siddharth Anand, has set this entire film in and around Melbourne, Australia. The scenery is breathtaking and the locations spectacular. Everything seemed very well planned and thought out. The houses and apartments they used were all modern and well designed as well. The fittings were all high tech and up to date, with iPods, plasma TV’s, and B&O sound systems. I even noticed in one scene where they were doing the dishes the tap was motion censored. I don’t know why I notice this shit. To me the colors and props on the set really do make a difference to the way in which I receive a film. I am especially critical of Indian films. There were scenes in the film shot while the actors were driving in a car. Now from inside the car you can see houses zipping past the window but as they switch between shots of the interior and aerial shots of the car from the exterior, you see the car driving on a winding road high on a cliff beside the ocean, with nothing else around it. That kind of shit pisses me off. It’s just sloppy.

The lead roles were played by Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. As a couple they have pretty good chemistry. And Saif has a good knack for comedy, in a light and sarcastic sort of way. As for Preity, she is just your cute and sassy girl next door type. None the less, she is quite a hottie. The movie has the usual build up to romance then the fall out and finally the all’s well that end’s well, happily every after bullshit. But this movie was a little different. It really focused on some modern day issues and it did not bring up any Mummy/Daddy family drama concerns. It was mature yet funny and thought provoking, or it should be, for the Indian youth at least. And to my pleasant surprise, there were absolutely no fight sequences.

The rest of the film is studded by cameo’s and short appearances by some extremely colorful and talented characters. They all add a unique brand of humor to the film. They poke fun at our usual Indian stereo types one would find living abroad, such as the over patriotic Indian, the Indian loathing Indian, the cab driver Indian, and so on. Overall this movie was not an absolute waste of time and Indian cinema does seem to taking a turn in the right direction. Watch it if you get a chance. You Indians living outside India, especially Ro, Lavi, and Rishi, will surly feel a little nostalgic and would absolutely enjoy it. There were many moments in which I found myself laughing out loud. LOL. If I had to use one word to describe this movie, it would be…. Aviesque? (still waiting for suggestions).