It's been a while since I made a list of must-watch Indian flicks. So I put together a list of weird and wonderful fantasy movies. I figured that it would be interesting to discover what type of stories about myth and magic would pop up from this part of the world. Well, a lot of what I found (ones based on mythology) was fascinating. But then there were the others, the stranger ones that defied any form of explanation. Check out these two gems.
Ajooba
Alright, so it is a tad unfair to pick on this one. It is a fairly old movie of the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. It probably dates back to the time when the guy could not afford to be as picky about his roles. And admittedly, the story was not bad. After all, who doesn't like a story about the good guy beating up an incredibly powerful evil vizier? One that has been making everyone's life utterly miserable? And if the main protagonist happens to be a masked vigilante of sorts, all the better. It's like a mature version of Robin, saving the world with elaborate archery tactics and whatnot.
Yea, it wasn't quite that. Sure, the story had a feel good element to it. You were happy the citizens under that vizier guy was freed. You rooted for the hero when he made the moral choice and walked over to the good guy side. But then, did they have to have all those weird bits? Like him being saved by a dolphin? And that absurd godzilla rip-off, the time when guy in a suit stomps all around the city, destroying everything in sight? And finally, the stuffed tiger scene. You actually get to watch a grown man grunt and growl as he battles single handedly with what is obviously a stuffed tiger. It was too cringe-worthy for me to make any Calvin and Hobbs jokes.
Superman
Yea, that's right. It's the Indian take on Superman. This one was so out there that I had to include it in the fantasy movie section. First off, I must appease anyone who will get upset with me for picking on this genre. Hindi flicks have a number of really good sci-fi / fantasy movies. I'm not saying that the moviemakers from that side are not capable of anything brilliant. Pfft, look at that old classic Hatam Tai (What?! I liked it) and Mr India. I'm just saying that when you have the capability to make something good, why resort to the following tactics?
As the title suggests, it is about the red-and-blue costumed Superman we all know. It is the in fact the same character that is played by Christopher Reeves in the super cheesy and yet lovable 80s movies. Well, I take it someone somewhere thought they should milk a cash cow for all it is worth so they made an Indian remake of it. And, from the looks of it, they might have borrowed some of the action scenes (specifically Superman scenes) from the original Hollywood movies. Can it get any worse?
Oh funny I should say that because … did I mention Jor-El? Good old Superman's Dad? Unlike his comic-book counterpart (where he was a serious-looking scientist), the Hindi version looked warrior-like and thus, donned a weird Viking type of vest. One with an insignia, some embroidery and perhaps a bit of fine tailoring might have helped but unfortunately it looked like it was something that was put together at the last minute. And that its primary purpose, up until its use in 'visions to my son moments', was lurking in the laundry bag as a 'use only for house painting' type of vest.