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Dr. Mala Chakravorty

Mala Chakravorty has a Ph.D. in American Women's fiction from I.I.T. Delhi, and Master's degrees in English and American Studies from Delhi University and Smith College, Massachusetts. She has worked in the School of Women's Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and Women's Studies Program at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu. She switched from academics to Information Technology in 1999, and is currently working as Marketing Manager with NIIT Technologies, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia. Apart from her academic articles, Mala's short stories have been published in Sulekha.com and BAGA annual magazines. 
Hollywood Smorgasbord Bollywood Style:
Salaam Namaste
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Producer: Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra
Director: Siddharth Raj Anand
Screenplay: Abbas Tyrewala, Siddharth Anand
Photography: Sunil Patel
Music: Vishal and Shekhar
Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni
Choreography: Ahmed Khan
Art Director: Sharmishta Roy
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi, Tania Zaetta, Ravi Khote, Kunal Vijaykar, Kavita Kapoor and Jugal Hansraj.

Where the movie takes off from earlier movies of the same genre is the way it explores the changing parameters of contemporary man-woman relationships....

The trend for large production houses these days seems to be to rapidly churn out one film after another. In their latest production, Yash Raj Films gives another newcomer an opportunity to come up with something refreshingly different. Siddharth Raj Anand, the assistant director of last year’s wildly successful Hum Tum, makes his directorial debut with Salaam Namaste, a film that explores the complexities of male-female relationships in a contemporary global culture. 

Nikhil Arora (Saif Ali Khan) aka "Nick" hates being called by his real name, waking up early, and faints at the sight of blood. He also hates architecture -- the line of study chosen for him by his father and has escaped Ludhiana and parental authority by moving to Melbourne and working as the Head-chef in an Indian restaurant. He takes pride in his culinary skills, loves his independent lifestyle and dreams of opening his own restaurant by the beach. Ambar Malhotra (Preity Zinta) too has escaped Bangalore and an inevitable arranged marriage by putting herself through medical school in Melbourne and hosting a local radio show "Salaam Namaste". 

Both are young, attractive and belong to a generation that announces, 'This is my life and I will live it exactly the way I want to.' Per the norms of romantic comedy, Nick and Amby clash before they actually meet, are mutually attracted when they do, and end up living together. Both are occupied with their individual careers and don't want to rush into a commitment. They make the decision to live together as an experiment. There are a lot of laughs and tender moments as they discover they are very different in their likes and dislikes, habits and temperament. The relationship soon turns intimate and they end up falling in love. The problems begin when Ambar gets pregnant and the situation becomes serious, threatening their idyllic existence. Nick has to realize that relationships aren't always about candle-lit dinners and walks along the beach and is forced to choose between his love for Ambar and his desire to be free. Ambar too has to re-evaluate her ideas on commitment and marriage and taking responsibility for one’s choices. How they cope with this situation individually and together forms the crux of the story. 

Saif and Preity give commendable performances. It has been five years since Saif played the cad who seduced and abandoned a pregnant Preity in Kya Kehna, and the two seem to have developed a remarkable level of comfort working with each other that infuses their intimate scenes with a natural passion. They make convincing the whole gamut of emotions in an evolving relationship, from banter and play to sensuality and tenderness to disappointment, anger and bitterness. Last seen with a retro look in Parineeta, Saif proves his versatility and steady growth as an actor with his portrayal of Nick. He has worked hard on his looks and physique and becomes the quintessential commitment-phobic, irreverent yuppie with an attitude. Like Saif, Preity too has worked hard on her body and displays her washboard-abs as frequently as possible. She is perfectly suited to the role of a vivacious, outspoken, independent girl who faces the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy. Her effervescent personality infuses Ambar with buoyancy and vulnerability, though she could have toned down the shrieking. Equally good in light-hearted and emotional scenes, Preity and Saif, aided by a good supporting cast collectively make this film work.

There’s the ever-dependable Arshad Warsi playing Saif's best friend. Warsi's transition from nerd to dude-wannabe, his bumbling forays into the dating scene and subsequent marital subjugation, gives the film a parallel sub-plot. Another interesting cameo is by Javed Jaffri, playing a completely over-the-top Bihari-Bhaiyya-turned-Crocodile-Dundee with a bimbo blonde wife. This character, supposedly inspired by Feroze Khan, is a huge hit with the masses. Other faces include Tania Zaetta, Jugal Hansraj, Ravi Khote, Kunal Vijaykar and Kavita Kapoor. Maria Goretti, Arshad's wife, makes a cameo appearance with their son Zeke. Star guest Abhishekh Bachchan hams through a miniscule role aimed at the galleries.

On the whole, Salaam Namaste is an entertainer that is ringing down the cash counters in India and abroad. The young director handles the plot with panache, avoids too many songs and dances, and keeps the tone light. Even when the plot turns serious, he avoids melodrama and sentimentalism by interspersing emotional moments with comic ones. The cinematography is good: the scenic beauty of Melbourne is made the most of. Music is mellow with the contemporary feel incorporated into lyrics like ‘My dil goes mmmm’ or ‘What’s goin’ on’. The look, feel and mood of an affluent world of young NRI professionals are created painstakingly, with tremendous attention paid to detail, a trademark of all Yash Raj films. 

Where the movie takes off from earlier movies of the same genre is the way it explores the changing parameters of contemporary man-woman relationships. The concept of living together without getting married is not new in real life, but few filmmakers in Bollywood have delved into the intimacy shared by two consenting adults as a natural step in a relationship. Nick and Ambar decide to live together and enter a sexual relationship with no agonizing or over-dramatized conflicts about tradition and culture, parents or community, ethnicity or patriotic values. Some gender rules are blurred -- Nick cooks and cleans, Ambar studies and works and generally creates a mess at home. Though there is a preponderance of buff semi-clad bodies and a clear rejection of sentimental love, Salaam Namaste doesn't take love lightly. Beneath the light-hearted ebullience, the film makes a telling comment on commitment phobia of the ambitious young urban male who does not want to take responsibility for his choices. Serious issues like the debate on abortion, the impact on the unborn fetus of genetic blood disorders like thalassemia are touched upon fleetingly. However, in keeping with the demands of the genre of romantic comedy, even when the issues set forth are serious, the denouement is simplistic and somewhat contrived. To sum up, the overall impact of the movie is a bold theme attractively packaged in feel-good, light-hearted entertainment, popularly referred to as ‘good timepass’.

Going by its popularity, Salaam Namaste may turn out to be a trendsetter in Hindi films the way Yash Raj Films’ Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge was a decade ago. However, Salaam Namaste is not an original film. In fact, there is very little originality in either the concept or the treatment. Rather, it is a well-made adaptation of several Hollywood films. Nine Months, 1995, starring High Grant and Julianne Moore, is the obvious inspiration for Nick’s commitment phobia. Several scenes are lifted straight from this movie, including the final slapstick scene in the delivery room with Abhishekh Bachchan replaying Robin Williams’ goofy obstetrician. 

Several episodes, including situations, characterization, dialogues, even costumes, are borrowed from NBC’s popular sitcom Friends. The two Tom Hanks–Meg Ryan romantic comedies, Sleepless in Seattle, 1993, and You’ve Got Mail, 1998, are other sources of inspiration. Preity’s enjoyment of ice-cream is a toned down replica of Meg Ryan’s famous restaurant scene in When Harry Met Sally, 1989. A little known older movie, Under the Yum Yum Tree, 1963, starring Jack Lemmon, seems to be an inspiration as well. The montage of filming bloopers that accompany the end credits parallel the similar trend in Jackie Chan’ movies. It seems to me that Siddharth Raj Anand is an American culture buff who pays a tribute to his inspirations by generously helping himself to bits and pieces from various sources, cleverly interweaving and indigenizing them and honing the final product to perfection. 

The end result is an appetizing smorgasbord of Hollywood fare prepared Bollywood style specially for the Indian yuppie.


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