2011-07-09

The One I've Been Waiting For


That's the trailer for the new movie Delhi Belly. As faithful blog followers already know, I am a big fan of Indian movies. They seem to have a more genuine level of substance to them than American movies. Wait, hear me out... I know they're formulaic and silly, but when I watch them, I never doubt for a minute that the filmmakers and actors genuinely enjoy what they're doing. That's what I mean but genuine.

Compare that to the all-colored-lenses-and-explosions school of American filmmaking that seems to be dominating the industry these days. A great camera shot is a great camera shot, true, but most people don't watch movies for the cinematography; they watch for the story.

Delhi Belly at last provides American fans of Indian movies like myself with a movie to point to that is everything a movie should be, no matter what country it's from. It is the first Indian movie I've seen that can legitimately compete with mainstream American cinema without caveats. The fact that the majority of the dialogue is in English rather Hindi only serves to underscore this point. If you've been looking for a great heist movie without any of the typical cliches and worn-out characters, I think this is the one for you.

It's also far more lighthearted than its nearest American competitor. That lightheartedness is an unsung strength of Hindi cinema in general. In the meat-and-potatoes, Shah Rukh Khan-style movies, that lightheartedness can translate into pure, saccharine cheesiness. In a more serious film like this, it provides a comedic backdrop for a movie that would otherwise be a full-on action film. 

I highly recommend this excellent movie to anyone, anywhere.

1 comment:

  1. "...but most people don't watch movies for the cinematography; they watch for the story."

    I wish this was true, but I fear many people don't concentrate hard enough to follow the really great stories. The same logic can explain the state of music. Luckily there are still those that do embrace a great story (or piece of music).

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