Shah Rukh Khan quit as my secretary. He was assigned the task of letting me know every time my phone rang. But today, I had to give it away in exchange of a new phone. And with it I lost Shah Rukh Khan. True, he has embarassed me by shouting at all the wrong moments — many times inside a movie hall, some times during a press conference and once during an Abhishek Bachchan interview. “Interesting,” Abhishek noted, trying to hide a smile.
Shah Rukh Khan has amused and entertained all those who knew me and my phone for the last few years.
Long sigh!
Adios, Shah Rukh!
(In case you didn’t know, Shah Rukh Khan’s stammering ‘Aiiii… Kkkkaun Hai..huhahahuh’ was my notorious ringtone.
* * *
Company was Act 2 and Act 3.
D is Act 1 of the same story. So the question is: Why would anyone want to spend two hours of Act 1?
But having said that, D was almost Decent.
But it’s unfair to compare this prequel in spirit with the original Company.
Company was a classic, made by the master himself. It had an explosive star cast, excellent performances, rocking background score, a tight script and a riveting plot. And, it had a budget.
D’s made by a Debutant director, it had a semi-decent cast, half-baked characters, pale imitations for songs (except for ‘Ek Pal Ki Zindagi’… my friend sang it!) and hardly a budget.
The script itself was paralysed by the fact that there were no good men in the film. Thus the film without a conscience got sucked into the vortex of underworld and it’s monotonous machinery of crime. Without a Commissioner like Srinivasan (Mohanlal) in the original or even a Chandu (the don with a little conscience left in him), the only conflict in D is between an aging don’s emotionally charged power crazy sons and a coldly clinical power hungry Deshu (Hooda is a good, but not quite Devgan).
So if you view D in isolation, it is a weak film.
But if you watch it in the context of Company, it emerges as a pretty decent film which stayed faithful to the characters it is based on (both fictionally… to Malik and factually… to Dawood). It shows us how a constable’s son rises in almost the same situations and circumstances as Chandu later does. Deshu and Chandu’s journeys into crime are almost similar. The only differentiating trait being Chandu’s essentially human trait of caring for friends and a conscience that does not allow him to kill innocent children!
When you watch D and then Company, you feel the story coming a full circle with Chandu’s rise in the gang being very similar to Deshu’s. Which is when you see Ramu’s point of making D in the first place — to show what it took one man to make an empire. A clinically cold approach, a belief that went ‘Dost dushman hote hai’ (‘Friends are enemies’ ) and the hunger for power and profit. We don’t actually enjoy people chasing success on these terms. Which is why we don’t enjoy D, even if it’s a decent effort!!
* * *
MADRAS INK. 
Did not like it. Weak screenplay..its half baked.
But i thought Randeep Hooda rocked.
Yes Sudhish,
Me too disappointed with D. Especially the later half.
devgan was at his best in Company. especially towards the end, when mohanlal coax him to surrender, ( in a cellphone) shuld see devgan’s dialogue , delivery, modulation, the ‘nakkal’ tone….. ” mei chandu nahin hai srinivasssan saaahhhb…” . i dont think D will match C.
BTW who’s this hooda? yet’nother thing from NSD/marathi theatre?
oh sud…uve changed ur phone eh…kewl..btw, ur jo story 2day was gr8; the ending was super. Srinivas.
hmmm…. n i bet shah rukh didnt wana quit, u fired him!!!! MEANIE!!!!!
Thanks for the heads up Sude. I badly wanted to watch this movie because I simply adored “C”…. but I think it’s better to wait till the DVD arrives
From where do i get this SRK ringtone dude? i need to experiment with one.
anonymous:
weak screenplay…yes!
btw, i dont understand why everyones raving about Randeep Hooda. His Ray Ban Aviators did most of the “acting”! He’s got a very cold sculpted almost stone faced persona and a deep voice! The rest is what the director did with that material. In any case, rocked seems perfect for some one who is stone faced! 🙂
having said that, the lad does have potential. but lets save it up for the future… vivek oberoi rocked in Company too… after which he’s been pretty much rolling downhill!
Balaji:
The first fifteen minutes of the second half had three songs, out of which two of them happen in a space of one minute…
For a narrative which did not need songs, these songs arrested the proceedings.
Clearly, there’s not much you can do with Act 1, attempting it seems silly unless u re basing it on characters like The Godfather did!
SJ:
True… Devgan played Malik with his own style and charm!! All characters in Company stood out and they stood for something.
here, all characters stand for the same thing. crime.
srinivas:
yeah da. changed to a LG camera phone retaining the same Reliance number.
and thanks! 🙂
Elixir:
*gulp*
yes, i did, didn’t i?
😦
actually, that fone had gone outta production and the battery kept dying every hour. so i had to change my phone and now they dont have that ringtone anymore in R World! I already miss Shah Rukh.
I now have the ‘Ek Pal Ki Zindagi’ tune from D (my friend sang the song!) as my ringtone!
Peak day blues:
If you are a Company fan, then you must watch D. Cuz, the whole movie is like “deleted scenes of Company”!
Watch D in the theatre and then watch Company again on DVD… then the movie will make sense!
Vin: Im afraid its no longer available on R World dude!! 😦 Even Im hunting for it! Do let me know if you find it!
cheers!
Sudhish,
Are we talking about the same friend here who sang “Ek pal ki …” who goes by the name “Priyadarshini” !!!
D– a replica of ‘company’.
BTW how many movies do u watch in a day????????
well sudish i think yea what u said like company was made by the master himself of course is a gr8 movie and definitely better than D. But i think if v had watched the movie without cing company….this movie would have been a good movie! Randeep Hooda rocked! And D didnt disappoint me although company was far better!
Shahrukh kooda paravala.. u shud have heard Ferrari Prabhu’s ringtone.. it had his friend yelling “dei @*%$#!&, phone-a eduthu thulai da!”
🙂
anon:
yes. but i call her Benji!
say Hi if u see her!
sheks:
not everyday man. but i manage to catch about 4 or 5 movies a week! More if im vetti n doing niteouts!
prasanna:
now, thats wat u call a fan! 🙂
glad u liked it!
i saw D twice. not cuz it was good the first time i saw it in insolation but cuz i wanted to see it soon after company. and it made more sense the second time around!
harish:
lol! avaru styley vaerae!
one more thing sudesh…i am very eager to read ur comment on sin city directed by robert rodrugez, quentin tarantion et al…i saw the movie and i was literally fascinated and i c tarantino as a god (with an IQ of 160..well)..but guess not sure whether it’s CD’s have come and am very sceptical of it’s release in india…guess u need a “thirutu VCD”
read today’s hindu and ur article on the smoking ban. why did u lie that u r a non-smoker?
Hmmm… Haven’t seen Company. Haven’t seen D! 😦
Nice post! Loved Company. Want to watch D.
Gangsta films and girls dont get along that well do they? I liked Company and Satya but it does get a bit ‘OK thats enuff of blood spewing outta holes in the head, back, torso, knee and wat hav u’.
I heard Ram Gopal Verman in an intw the other day saying he wants ppl to see the softer/real side to the lives of underworldly ppl..par Ab Bass ha!
prasanna:
i wanna see sin city too!
will surely blog abt it when i get to watch it!
Cheers!
sandhya:
doesnt matter if u havent seen D. Company is a must watch! dont miss it! 🙂
Prashanth:
Thanks!!
🙂
Like I said D for Disappointing! Wait for the DVD… D works as a Deleted Scenes feature!
Zira:
Yes, I would agree partly… cuz he seems to be in a hurry to churn out these tales that there is no fresh thought added into the screenplay… its the same old visuals, characters…
maybe its time to explore the same subject with a lil freshness!! or best for him, to give it a long break! yes, i heard he’s planning a film on role of women in the underworld and another exploring the pysche of contract killers who bump off people for a few hundred rupees!
kaps:
ha ha!
i didnt lie kaps.
i think people who smoke have a stick up their ass as well!
Cheers!
🙂
The page has problem loading. I think its to do with right side list!
I read the same in other reviews too.
sudhish, i just read ABCD review and the story seems very familiar….
Wonderful page! Enjoyed it very much. I come from the land of 3g audio ringtone so I know what I’m talking about!3g audio ringtone
Ramesh Chauhan
Hooda has been a star from the begining. he was a good horse rider in school. good to see him playing football in school days. And he rocked “D”. He is a great actor. could somebady send his email ID so that I can chat with him. I am his Junior
SM 467.
My email ID is :::
ramesh_chauhan@rediffmail.com
and
rchauhan10002000@yahoo.com
Thanks and regards.
Ramesh Chauhan
I liked the costumes of Raghav in D. Itz a make you feel good movie.
daZ