Not A Love Story is based on a true story. Two lovers kill a man and very Dexter-ously chop the body into pieces such that the parts fit in a few garbage bags. What seems to have caught director, Ram Gopal Verma's attention though, is that not only are these heinous mudrerers common people with good family backgrounds, but they also made love in front of a dead body. This scandalized the director enough to make it the main point of the film. The main theatrical trailer is adequately disgusting. And we can look forward to a nerve-chilling thriller.
The trailer also warns us against the typical RGV-downer - the weird camera angles including the inverted frame. And the usual RGV-style-threats, "Some crimes shock you, this one will make you shiver" and claims that "it's from the heart, but not for the faint hearted" I remember one of his films had a similar contest that challenged viewers to sit in the dark theater alone for the length of the film. These tall claims bring a smile even before the show begins.
Fortunately, the trailer at least promises to show the thrill rather than tell it in words. I'm looking forward to watching Deepak Dobriyal in a lead role. A good actor is always makes the film exciting. And there used to be a time when I'd have said the same thing about Mahie Gill. Unfortunately, I don't remember liking her work after Gulaal and Dev D.
The expectations are fairly balanced for Not A Love Story. It might have tilted towards liking the film because of RGV's claim that the psychology of a criminal intrigues him. But we know all too well that it doesn't necessarily mean that he will be able to show us the psyche through his film.
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Comments (10)
I've always been interested in this genre. But unfortunately, here the whole story is already laid out before me and all I'm supposed to look forward to is the camera and technical work. On one hand I feel that this genre deserves more space, but at the same time if there's hardly anything for the movie to reveal, I'd rather skip it (well, at least on the big screen). Foreign movies (Karla, An American Crime, Memories Of Murder, Grimm Love, Amanda Knoxx: Murder on Trial in Italy, etc.) have the benefit of the "mystery" element... of course, given that you don't don't know the story in advance, which usually is the case. They keep you hooked if told/executed appropriately. Bollywood hardly explores the subject in detail and when it does, it hardly gets it right (Monica, The Stoneman Murders, NOKJ, etc.). But it's understandable because whatever the end product is, it hardly gets its worth. People like me will have to thrive on foreign movies for this genre.
Why do all hindi film reviewers go on and on about the sound design and camera angles in RGV's films. Do you guys believe that camera/sound should be in the same/staid fashion that you are used to seeing.
I haven't seen this one but the framing and sound design are some of the best things in RGV's films and they really work in some cases (at least early on) - maybe not all. So why not review the technique according to the film. For example, I thought the extreme close-ups were brilliant in his Sarkar. Hand-held cameras worked superbly in the second and third Bourne films helmed by Paul Greengrass or for that matter in a "horror" film like Cloverfield. With respect to your comment about horror music (what is defined as horror music?), the story in this film seems much more horrific (especially since it is taken from reality) and so, the music might actually make sense. I remember one scene from Ajay Devgun's U Me Aur Hum where the kid is about to drown in the tub and the way it was shot was almost like it was a horror movie and the impact was tremendous.
Anyways.. my two cents. I used to read your reviews more regularly in the beginning but now only once in a while.. your reviewing style might have changed and your knowledge of the medium (bookish or otherwise) might have increased - whatever be the case, it has reduced my interest in reading and enjoying your work.
What i love about RGV movies is -its feel a raw look,Sepia mode,his play with shadows of objects,diff. type of camera angles.
RGV movies are neither A grade nor B grade there have to be some new sort of terminology for his movies.......
Okay, we get it u hate RGV!, but shouldnt a review be unbiased...and remember RGV is one of those guys who forced Indian cinema to stop running around tree's way back in 90's.
This movie is about something that can really b a shockable for everyone. Title of this movie is also differnt in comparision of others.. I have watched the promos and I really like it(Awesome)nice to see this movie in watch-hindi-movies
Indian reviewers are unable to contribute anything to the understanding of the medium and the viewing experience, they seem to be only either praising the story and camera angles, sound etc or hating it. The medium of film, it is possibilities, experiments etc,are completely ignored.
@lost_in_confusion :D
@Sai Here I gave so much importance to the camera and music because that's what the director seems to have spent so much energy on. Of course, I'm not asking for a steady cam, through out the film, for example there was this one tight close-up of Amitabh Bachchan in Nishabd that I remember liking.
@Prabhakar No, I don't hate RGV. And I'm as thankful to him as you are for his films in the 90s. The last 5 years though...
@OrdinaryDude All i am saying is that the experiment in terms of camera and sound here didn't work for me. Experiments can't be liked just because they are experiments, right?
There is no question of liking experiments or not liking them, the point is whether they explore an idea or lead to some insight. For that one has to know the existing conventions, and then try to understand what the director is trying to do.
Direction: 2
Story: 2
Lead Actors: 3
Character Artists: 3
Dialogues: 2.5
Screenplay: 2
Music Director: 1
Lyrics: 1
@Suman Thank you for leaving your detailed ratings. It'd be interesting to see how you rate these films on the wogma rating scale too. :D
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