Showing posts with label Kabir Khan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kabir Khan. Show all posts

'New York' gets good press in US



Washington: 'New York', the first big Bollywood film to hit America after the industry strike, has won good reviews from US media with the New York Times praising its portrayal of problems faced by a Muslim minority.

"Indian films often deal with the problems faced by a Muslim minority. Transposed to the American context, those problems continue to resonate," writes the influential daily about the film that opened across US last week.

"Kabir Khan's 'New York' looks at America after 9/11 through a Bollywood lens" and it's less distorting than you might think,' it says. "The story, which engages issues of ethnic profiling and terrorism, hinges on loyalty, love and friendship, a holy trinity of Hindi cinema."

Irrfan Khan, one of India's best-known and most respected actors in the West, comes in for fulsome praise.

"While (Kabir) Khan's depictions of American life occasionally seem silly and the plot has some crater-size holes, 'New York' is continually fascinating. It benefits from the performance of Irrfan Khan, who adds layers of complexity to his character, a Muslim FBI agent."

NYC Movie Guru says "talented Irrfan Khan" plays an undercover FBI agent "with utter conviction."

"What makes the film so engrossing is that the intricate screenplay humanizes" the characters, it says "so that they're not merely cartoonish or stereotypical."

"With the exception of a few corny scenes that come across as awkward and contrived, much of the plot feels captivating," Movie Guru says.

"Director Kabir Khan moves the pace along briskly, includes a lively soundtrack and an appropriate musical score along with stylish cinematography.

"Screenwriter Sandeep Srivastava masterfully weaves a very suspenseful story that keeps you at the edge of your seat while tackling very provocative issues of post-9/11 racial profiling against Muslims."

Movie site rottentomatoes.com calls it a "fascinating film," which "in very intriguing and suspenseful sequences ...takes the audience in the plight of legal detainees' and "interprets and highlights the situations without bias."

As the film reflects of the tragedy of everyday life, it uses the imagination of its audience in its feelings, says the critic. "The crisp flow of action and explosive dialogue furthers the plot while contributing to its effect as a whole. New York is a solid dramatic movie that I found quite good."

Neil: Katrina, John and I are good friends

New York revolves around three friends living in New York whose lives change completely following 9/11. Neil Nitin Mukesh talks about his character in the film and working with John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Irrfan Khan and Kabir Khan.

On his character in New York
My character is extremely important. Omar is one of the protagonists. He hasn’t really witnessed life and he gets an opportunity to go and witness life. The transformation of a vulnerable boy to a man is shown in the film.

On his rapport with Katrina and John
We had a blast on the sets. We never realized we were making an intense film. We share strong on screen chemistry because off screen, the three of us are very good friends.

I think amongst the three of us, Katrina is the best dancer. She is versatile, flexible and fit.

On Kabir Khan
Kabir is a great director. He is a National award winning director. If it wasn’t for him, the film wouldn’t have been made. It is an intelligent film with strong characters, drama, life, mystery and thrill. New York will even surpass Kabul Express, which I think was brilliant. There is a message that Kabir has left at the end of the film. It will hit people when they see it. Any Indian would be proud watching this film.

On his career so far
I consider myself fortunate to have done such diverse films like Johnny Gaddaar, Aa Dekhen Zara and now New York so early on in my career. These films have given a certain edge to my character and I feel responsible to deliver as an actor. The script is the most important thing for any actor. Characters can only work if the film works on the basis of a strong script.

On working with Irrfan Khan
It was an honour being in the same frame as Mr. Irrfan Khan because he is a legendary actor. He has surpassed all boundaries and reached international fame today. Just watching him act teaches you so much. He is an institution of acting in himself.

Obama leaves John hanging

As his film “New York” is all set to release, John Abraham has a scary incident to narrate, which took place during the film’s shooting in the US.

Apparently, director Kabir Khan wasn’t too happy as there were not too many stunts in the movie. So he decided to shoot one particular scene and the location chosen a public building in Philadelphia.

On hearing this, John said a flat no. But finally had to give in to Kabir’s demand.

He had never imagined that he would be stranded on the 20th floor of the building for two hours because President Barrack Obama’s was passing by with his entire entourage and for security reasons the entire area was shut down. The entire unit too had to go inside the building, leaving John hanging from the cables on the 20th floor. He just had two suction pumps for his safety.

Finally he was rescued after two hours when the team was allowed to come out.

John said that shooting with Kabir is always an experience. He has previously worked with the director in “Kabul Express”.
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