Yes, the Indian cinema is in a silly stalemate, whereas they produce now 1000 movies per year (try to believe it!). And, overall, they're commercial, largely plagiarist, fares where you'll find - at best - hot colors, good action, rampant dances, slice of sexuality and fast songs (mostly copied too!). But this time, there was something different.
Seriously I'm amazed, because it's rare time, let's be honest; it's the *only* time yet which I found an Indian remake that surpassed its original. (Race), if only you disentangled it from its unnecessary 123 songs and numbers, you'd have a better movie than the American source (Goodbye Lover) produced 10 years earlier, which was a fine movie, but not that fine to tell you the truth, in particular when you watch the remake first.
(Race) was super hit in the box office. However, the truly wicked directing wasn't enough to make this movie what it is. Because the main power is in the script which proved itself thoroughly to a dazzling extent. It was too creative while dealing with the material of (Goodbye Lover); doing - in noticeable talent - nothing that any easy lazy remake would do, remaking its original in more original way!
Starting with the title: (Race) isn't absolutely for granted. It's a complete race over money, sex, and your attention so your amusement as well. Moreover, the job of the 2 brothers in the first movie was at the field of propaganda and burnishing the public figures; namely the art of burying the truths as that movie's winners themselves would do lastly. But here they simply own a stud farm, where they're training and showing winning race horses; which materialized cleverly the meaning of racing dramatically before visually.
It's clear that the 2000s is the golden age of the script's "twists" on the screen, big or small. Watch a movie like (Basic - 2003), or a TV show like (Alias - 2001:2006), to catch on that plainly. Now this Indian movie understood that uniquely; taking the twists to the next level, making it from a Noir, cornering avidity and the death of love in the world of today, to a colorful comedy - not even that black by the way - about money as the only ruler and the master target, striking so smartly the right note of living mistrust as the ultimate fate.
Regard also the coup de maitre of transforming the character of the melancholically cynical, and deeply materialistic, investigator; my personal worst liked (Ellen DeGeneres) from the American movie, into more liberal, indifferent and appealing (Anil Kapoor), remaking him as vicious (Magnum P.I.). Not to mention the changing of the idiot partner / policeman from the original into a young girl; to be both kind of dirty version of (The Big Easy - 1986) couple!
Actually, that harmonized with the fact of the whole thing as an exposed varicolored show to ridicule and entertain, with all mean, vile and excellently swindler characters, using obvious jesting with the non-stop twists and the lovely musical finale which was close to a theatrical end to somehow break the fourth wall, delivering eventually pure entertainment with never passing satire about the modern-day human and their endless crazy greed.
The Alas goes to: The Indians don't give the original makers, of movies and songs which they remake, any due credits. The many many strangely put songs, the hyped dances, and seeing the male leads suddenly shirtless in explicit MTV video clips. The slice of sexuality factor, which seems hatefully imported, putting in mind the Indian society general decency, and its long-time chaste cinema. Although (Saif Ali Khan) and (Akshaye Khanna) are supposedly the leads, but they both looked clueless, stray, and didn't stand comparison with (Anil Kapoor) and the great job he did.
Despite its downsides, it's very good. Look how its Indian makers save the best for the last, and finish it with a car chase, memorably brilliant one to say the least. It's a lesson that was learned by Hollywood; however Bollywood here is relearning its masters.
Seriously I'm amazed, because it's rare time, let's be honest; it's the *only* time yet which I found an Indian remake that surpassed its original. (Race), if only you disentangled it from its unnecessary 123 songs and numbers, you'd have a better movie than the American source (Goodbye Lover) produced 10 years earlier, which was a fine movie, but not that fine to tell you the truth, in particular when you watch the remake first.
(Race) was super hit in the box office. However, the truly wicked directing wasn't enough to make this movie what it is. Because the main power is in the script which proved itself thoroughly to a dazzling extent. It was too creative while dealing with the material of (Goodbye Lover); doing - in noticeable talent - nothing that any easy lazy remake would do, remaking its original in more original way!
Starting with the title: (Race) isn't absolutely for granted. It's a complete race over money, sex, and your attention so your amusement as well. Moreover, the job of the 2 brothers in the first movie was at the field of propaganda and burnishing the public figures; namely the art of burying the truths as that movie's winners themselves would do lastly. But here they simply own a stud farm, where they're training and showing winning race horses; which materialized cleverly the meaning of racing dramatically before visually.
It's clear that the 2000s is the golden age of the script's "twists" on the screen, big or small. Watch a movie like (Basic - 2003), or a TV show like (Alias - 2001:2006), to catch on that plainly. Now this Indian movie understood that uniquely; taking the twists to the next level, making it from a Noir, cornering avidity and the death of love in the world of today, to a colorful comedy - not even that black by the way - about money as the only ruler and the master target, striking so smartly the right note of living mistrust as the ultimate fate.
Regard also the coup de maitre of transforming the character of the melancholically cynical, and deeply materialistic, investigator; my personal worst liked (Ellen DeGeneres) from the American movie, into more liberal, indifferent and appealing (Anil Kapoor), remaking him as vicious (Magnum P.I.). Not to mention the changing of the idiot partner / policeman from the original into a young girl; to be both kind of dirty version of (The Big Easy - 1986) couple!
Actually, that harmonized with the fact of the whole thing as an exposed varicolored show to ridicule and entertain, with all mean, vile and excellently swindler characters, using obvious jesting with the non-stop twists and the lovely musical finale which was close to a theatrical end to somehow break the fourth wall, delivering eventually pure entertainment with never passing satire about the modern-day human and their endless crazy greed.
The Alas goes to: The Indians don't give the original makers, of movies and songs which they remake, any due credits. The many many strangely put songs, the hyped dances, and seeing the male leads suddenly shirtless in explicit MTV video clips. The slice of sexuality factor, which seems hatefully imported, putting in mind the Indian society general decency, and its long-time chaste cinema. Although (Saif Ali Khan) and (Akshaye Khanna) are supposedly the leads, but they both looked clueless, stray, and didn't stand comparison with (Anil Kapoor) and the great job he did.
Despite its downsides, it's very good. Look how its Indian makers save the best for the last, and finish it with a car chase, memorably brilliant one to say the least. It's a lesson that was learned by Hollywood; however Bollywood here is relearning its masters.