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PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2003 11:33 pm 
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BOLLYWOOD KA NAYA BOX OFFICE

By S. Pankaj

Critic's - I - View

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First 'Makadi' created ripples, then 'Chhota Jadugar' rocked and not it is the turn of 'Jajantaram Mamantaram', a fantasy film from Bollywood. The Hindi film industry of late has come to know realized that children help grow business. The mainstream industry hardly dared to make children films. In a country where every day a small nation is added in population, the number of children has been growing. While so many products target their sales strategy on kids, Bollywood never cared to exploit this virgin territory. IDream Productions made a serious attempt for the first time by making a movie with a comparable budget to any mainstream film. 'Jajantaram Mamantaram' is made with a budget of Rs 10 crore, and most of this has been spent on its special effects. There are hardly few scenes without special effect. That's why the film took nearly two years to complete. And this is visible on the screen.

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'Jajantaram Mamantaram' is the story of some tiny people living in an island isolated from the rest of the world. They are living happily. But soon the island is surrounded by the problems, which are beyond their control. They are helpless and cannot do anything but to pray to God. And, Godsends a happy go lucky man Aditya (Javed Jaffery) to this island. He reaches by accident, but domiciles take it as a boon. Though such a giant on their island frightens them, they realize that Aditya can help them to overcome their problems. But, why would Aditya do this? Once Aditya faces the reality he decides to help the small people with large hearts. He battles with Chamunda and other evil powers with the mantra 'Jajantaram Mamantaram'. Thus he brings life back to the people.



This movie for kids is based on a Gujarati fable 'Bakasur' and is quite popular in the Kutch region. Soumitra Ranade who has made attempts earlier too in the regional cinema toyed with the idea of making a normal film with new production house iDream Productions. It has made films like '16 December' and 'Agnivarsha'. 'Jajantaram Mamantaram' came to him as a surprise. He accepted the challenge to make it. It is loaded with all true human emotions. There is hope, there is honesty and there is also a new dedication in 'Jajantaram Mamantaram'. This can herald a new genre in Bollywood. If 'Chhota Jadugar' was borrowed from South India (it was dubbed version of Tamil film 'Magic Magic'), then 'Makadi' was a sole effort by music director-turned-film director Vishal Bhardwaj. 'Jajantaram Mamantaram' is the first case of its type Bollywood where a dedicated filmmaking studio has ventured in making kids film. It is a good start and now big wigs too will enter this forgotten territory of film viewers. Kids of India too need good films and unless serious efforts are made they will keep on distancing themselves from theaters. Thus the entertainment industry will lose future audience for Hindi commercial films.

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Soumitra Ranade comes out as a winning team leader in 'Jajantaram Mamantaram'. His approach to make an entertainer not just only for kids but for their parents too is commendable. The hard work that he has put in making an imagination come true on screen is also noteworthy. But, filmmakers also need to come out of these angels, demon and charming prince kind of stories. Why can't they make films like 'Home Alone', 'Spy Kids' and such like modern day tales as in Hollywood. It looks that filmmakers of Bollywood still think that India still lives in the Mahabharat era of television. Kids born in last ten years have grown up watching foreign films and more recently Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids and National Geographic Channels. Their fantasies are based on logic now; demons and angels cannot fool them any more. Soumitra has tried to present a fusion of the past and the present in 'Jajantaram Mamantaram'. He could have made the story modern. The film has been very well marketed. Seeing the hype built before the release of the film, it can just come out as a winner at the box office too.

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The best thing is that the special effects have been done indigenously. Yes, for the first time an Indian company has prepared special effects of this capability. The film is shot on two or three layers. The credit goes to the technical team. Javed Jaffery gels so easily with lids in this film that one forgets the fact that he is returning to the big screen after so many years. Gulshan Grover brings the desired effect with his sheer presence. But, the film falters at music by 'Three Men and A Violin'. It could have been more zingy and peppy. The lyrics too needed more effort to gel with the younger audience. On the whole, 'Jajantaram Mamantaram' is an above average film that can be an appropriate outing for your kids unless they are too demanding in content. Parents can enjoy the film as well.


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PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2003 11:54 pm 
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No chills, no thrills

Sukanya Verma | May 30, 2003 20:59 IST


Children are a cheated audience in our country. Unlike the West, which invests a lot of time, attention and money in children's films, the youngest section of the audience in India is expected to make do with tame fare like Hatimtai, Halo or Makdee. Chhota Chetan, a 3-D delight, was one of the rare children's films actually appreciated by its target audience. As a result, one cannot really blame children if they insist on seeing Hollywood films like Shrek or Harry Potter instead of Chhota Jadugar or, for that matter, Jajantaram Mamantaram, which released this week.

Which is a real shame, considering that India is such a rich storehouse of folk tales ranging from mythological stories to the Panchatantra, Hitopadesha, the Jataka Tales, and more. There is no dearth of ideas, but the acumen to implement them seems to be in short supply.

Let's look at Jajantaram Mamantaram. On the surface, the film has all the ingredients necessary for an engaging children's film -- giants, midgets, evil magicians, spells, action and adventure. Dig a little deeper and all you get is disappointment. Perhaps a Rs 10 crore (approximately US $2.13 million) budget is not good enough to create believable animation.

A cross between the fable of Bakasura and Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Jajantaram Mamantaram opens with four adolescent boys rushing in a rainy night to an old, weird-looking man. He speaks an alien lingo. The boys ask him about Aditya and are given a vague reply. Who are these boys? Who is the weirdo? You'll never know.

Cut to Aditya (Jaaved Jaaferi) in a Perfect Storm-like situation. He manages to swim to the shore of an unknown land, Shundi, whose ant-sized inhabitants wear jute tablemats for caps. Fearing the 'giant' Aditya, army chief Chattan Singh (Gulshan Grover) orders his men to tie the intruder.

When Aditya wakes up, he is as astounded as the residents of Shundi to discover himself in this enchanted land. He eventually wins their trust by saving their lives from the gigantic cannibal, Jhamunda (Joy Fernandes).

Jhamunda is actually a slave of the evil Chattan Singh, who wants to marry Princess Amori and become the ruler of Shundi.

Aditya befriends a soldier, Jeran (Manav Kaul), who loves Amori. Together, Aditya, Jeran and the enthusiastic denizens of Shundi battle to finish off Chattan Singh and Jhamunda.

The makers of Jajantaram Mamantaram conveniently assume the average viewer -- in this case, a child -- is dumb. This explains why they do not feel the need to establish Aditya's identity or his whereabouts.

Jaaferi treats his role like a one-man television show. He speaks in Mumbaiyya lingo, throws in a couple of funny one-liners here and there, rolls his eyeballs, and grimaces at every given opportunity. On Channel [V], the television music channel, his trademark antics are great; 120 minutes of non-stop gimmickry on the big screen, however, can really wear the funny bone.

Gulshan Grover's get-up is reminiscent of Kader Khan's Mantrik in Paatal Bhairavi (Jeetendra, Jaya Prada). Grover goes through his clichéd scowling-sneering routine with consummate ease. The 'bad man' of Hindi films even sings and does a taandav to the beat of music directors Three Brothers and a Violin. The film stretches with the inclusion of too many songs and inane lyrics like Rumbum, rumbabum.

Jajantaram Mamantaram's biggest drawback is its special effects. With its amateur computer graphics and superimposed images, the film looks like the television serial Shaktimaan. The make-believe moon and stars in a song sequence with Jhamunda, or a group of artificial-looking yellow fishes dashing against Aditya's face, or Dipannita Sharma doing a mermaid number midair look clumsy and downmarket.

In a nutshell, the film neither has the satire of Gulliver's Travels nor the imagination of Bakasura.

rediff


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 01, 2003 1:53 am 
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It is also being released, presumably in the South, in an English dubbed version titled, "The Power of J2M2."

Coming soon: "The Power of Dragun2R2"




Edited By DragunR2 on 1054500247


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2003 3:47 pm 
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JAANTAR MAANTAR is a GOOD FILM and GOOD DVD, go watch it, GUYS!


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