Like most of the Bollywood films which rely heavily on Hollywood for their inspiration, Koi… Mil Gaya (2003) displays its borrowings not brazenly but certainly unrepentantly. The main storyline is a combination of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) with Charly (1968), but along the way there are fairly deliberate echoes of Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man films and even a little bit of The Absent-Minded Professor (1961). What’s notable is not the degree of borrowing, but how well it all seems to hold together.
#1 by Blake on January 28, 2011 - 3:48 am
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“there are fairly deliberate echoes of Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man films”
But this film is 2003 and Spider-Man 2 came out in 2004…
#2 by Nathan Shumate on January 28, 2011 - 7:18 am
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Then there was a time machine involved. Obviously. Because the alternative would be that I made a mistake, and that would be [wallace shawn]inconceivable![/wallace shawn]
#3 by Blake on January 28, 2011 - 9:24 am
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There you go, using that word again. I don’t think you know what it means.
Random: Do you know if THE PRINCESS BRIDE still has a huge following in Utah (or at least BYU)?
#4 by Nathan Shumate on January 28, 2011 - 10:50 am
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I dunno. It certainly has a large following around our house, but my son had a girl over to watch it last year and she had never seen it. Generalize from that, if you want.
#5 by The Mud Puppy on January 28, 2011 - 10:52 am
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You should definitely watch the sequel, Krrish, some time. My wife and I actually saw the sequel first–because we didn’t know it was a sequel, of course–and it’s a lot of fun in its own right. It plays as even more of a superhero movie, complete with caped costume for the hero.
Of course, the first half is filled with awful comedy, but the second half is such a delightfully over-the-top superhero flick that that’s easy to forgive. For me, anyways.
#6 by Nathan Shumate on January 28, 2011 - 11:15 am
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That’s the general assessment of Krrish I’ve heard: “The second half is terrific.” My kids are insisting I seek it out.
#7 by Blake on January 28, 2011 - 11:54 am
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The only Indian film in my queue is Shaitani Dracula.
#8 by Jen S on January 29, 2011 - 12:23 pm
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Okay, what the heck is up with that guy’s shirt?
You said this was made in 2003, right? Why is this shirt from 1976? Did Bollywood just buy a warehouse full of shirts back in the day and now keeps forcing their male leads into them, or what?
Sorry, it’s just that shirt is really annoying me.
#9 by Nathan Shumate on January 29, 2011 - 2:38 pm
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Hey, I’m just surprised that there were only a couple of guys in this movie with Frito Bandito/Ron Jeremy mustaches.
#10 by KeithA on January 31, 2011 - 10:59 am
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Shaitani Dracula should be in EVERYONE’S queue.
And “The second half is terrific” is an apt description for about 80% of the Indian movies I like. They love to front load most films with all the drama and crying and forlorn mothers and lost loves. Then you hit the halfway point, and they bring out the guns, kungfu, ninjas, and explosions.
It’s sort of like religion. You endure lots of suffering for the promise of eventual salvation. Only in India, salvation is a guy in a paisley shirt and bow tie, firing a bazooka at a helicopter while jumping a motorcycle over a moving train on top of which is a scantily clad dancing girl.
#11 by The Mud Puppy on January 31, 2011 - 11:28 am
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Also, Nathan, I cannot let pass the opportunity to recommend Amar Akbar Anthony to you. It is probably my favorite Bollywood movie–and I’ve seen close to 2 dozen by now.
Both halves of Amar Akbar Anthony are gleefully bizarre, Amitabh Bachchan steals the show as Anthony, the songs are all great (in fact, “My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves” may be the greatest thing in the history of ever), and the happy ending is not forced–just delightfully silly.
And it’s from the 1970s, so there’s an excuse for the terrible fashions.
#12 by Nathan Shumate on January 31, 2011 - 12:04 pm
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If I had a Netflix queue, I’d put it in there.