...Relevant DHOOM 2 research...

The trailer

Aishwarya's Entry in Dhoom2

In Dhoom2 Aishwarya Rai Bhachan was zipped up in a tight suit, which made her look really seductive, morethan the theme song being played in the background gave Ash's entry scene a little push, as she unzips her tight jacket and says "I'm So Hot". Lol! Look at the VDO above^^^

The angle in which Ash stands is similar to Angelina Jolie in her Tomb Raider....she infact is seen as a self-independant women in her Tomb Raider series, and now which Bollywood tries to do the same. But the indian culture and values pulls them back from moving on to the new trend/culture....Aishwarya n Hrithik were in trouble---->

'The Kissing Issue raised after 3 mins of this VDO'

The Kissing Scene

Ash's Response to the Film

...Reviews... + ...Anubhav Sinha's movies...

...BBC film review...

"Earn money the hard way. Steal it" rings the tagline to Anubhav Sinha's Cash, but he's going to have to work much harder than this to get his hands on the audience's hard-earned money. Sadly, the visually rich opening (complete with Pulp Fiction-esque title track) doesn't lead to much, as this action-packed multi-starrer unfolds. Set in South Africa, the story is so complex that Danny (Zayed Khan) is forced to narrate what's happening to Rhia (Ayesha Takia), but to paraphrase "even after explaining it all, you still don't understand".
Karan (Ajay Devgan) enlists the services of Danny (Zayed Khan), Lucky (Ritesh Deshmukh) and Pooja (Esha Deol) to steal a set of historic diamonds. Angad (Suneil Shetty) is after the same diamonds, along with his loyal girlfriend and accomplice, Aditi (Dia Mirza). Meanwhile, Karan's girlfriend, Shania (Shamita Shetty) has the unenviable task of guarding this much sought-after booty for the government. And so begins an elaborate but ultimately mind-numbing story. Luckily, the lack of plausibility raises such questions as: how can a boat still remain afloat after having a hole cut in it from underneath? And whatever happens to the painting that's stolen in one of the film's many action-packed sequences.
"SHORT-CHANGED ON STORY"
A large cast list, jaw-dropping stunts and animated gimmicks haven't helped this film at all, whereas investing in a better screenplay could have made Cash a sure-fire money spinner. Deshmukh is very watchable as chancer Lucky, and it is left to him and Mirza to provide the film's only note-worthy characters. Devgan is unconvincing and Deol is simply lost. Although visually striking, Cash gives value for money on stunts but will leave you short-changed on story.
Cash is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.

...India FM...

Okay, Anubhav Sinha unleashes his heist saga today -- CASH. Come to think of it, CASH is very similar to DUS. A plethora of stars, stunning locales/visuals, an energetic musical score and stylized action. CASH goes a step further -- it has animation too!Sinha has mastered the craft and garnishes CASH well, but as you begin to savor the taste, you realize that the recipe isn't perfect. Perhaps, writers Yash-Vinay had the right intentions of making a chor-sipahi kahani, but the writing is just not convincing. Where does the problem lie? Not with Anubhav Sinha, for the director is, without doubt, one of the most stylish narrators in Bollywood. The choice of subject is also right, but the writing lacks the meat to mesmerize the viewer. Clearly, the screenplay is the villain here!
Write your own movie review of CashTo sum up, you expect a sangam of style and substance in CASH, but what you eventually get is style, style and only style! CASH is a thriller set in Cape Town, South Africa. The film revolves around an ace con artist [Ajay Devgan], who hires a set of topnotch robbers [Esha Deol, Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza and Ritesh Deshmukh] to steal a set of priceless diamonds in South Africa. The group also faces a threat from underworld don [Suniel Shetty], who is after the same diamonds and also the Head of Security [Shamita Shetty]. How these three groups manage to thwart each other forms the rest of the story. CASH bears an uncanny resemblance to some films. The concept of a guy hiring professionals to execute a plan brings back memories of SHOLAY. There's an uncanny resemblance with DHOOM 2 as far as the stylish stunts are concerned. Also, a number of individuals wanting to lay their hands on the priceless diamonds take you to SHALIMAR. It's not blasphemous to be inspired by any film, past or present, but what the writers ought to know by now is that there has to be a riveting story at the end of the day. What you take back as a viewer is only style. The writing is unenergetic in the first hour, but the second hour, you've to admit, is far more absorbing. The marked currency notes and also the chase by the cops [Ritesh, Esha, with Zayed atop the speeding car] are pulse-pounding. Director Anubhav Sinha does make a 'good looking film', but the writing curtails it from being called an engrossing saga. If Sinha deserves brownie points for making a visually enticing movie, all you want to remind him is that the viewer wants to listen to an absorbing story at the end of the day. As the captain of the ship, he should've ensured that Yash-Vinay gave him a smart screenplay that compliments his skills. Anthony Stone's stunts are topnotch. A never-seen-before experience on the Hindi screen. Vishal-Shekhar's music is trendy and the visuals and choreography supporting the tracks make you exclaim 'Wow'. Ravi Walia's cinematography is mesmeric. The film bears a striking look all through. Dialogues are well-worded at times. Ajay Devgan is not in form this time around. He looks unenergetic… something is missing! Suniel Shetty gets to play a role he has visited a few times in the past. Zayed Khan is strictly okay. The real scene stealer is Ritesh Deshmukh. Very confident and easy-going, he's sure to walk away with ceetees and taalis. Shamita Shetty stands out. Esha suffers due to sketchy characterization. Also, her make-up makes her face look hard. Dia is far more appealing and enacts her part well. Ayesha Takia adds to the star-value. On the whole, CASH has style, but rests on a thin plot and that is its biggest flaw. At the box-office, the film might attract the audience in its initial weekend, but a weak script will throw a spanner.

Other Anubhav Sinha's Movies

Cash (Known Sequel to DUS, 2007)
Tathastu (2006)
Dus (2005)
Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai (2003)
Tum Bin (2001)

Anubhav Sinha's Genre index in Directing, Writing & Producing-
3 Drama
3 Romance
2 Action
2 Family
2 Musical
2 Thriller
1 Comedy
1 Crime
1 Documentary

...Summer Work...

Media Representations

Who is being represented?

• In what way?
• By whom?

The text that i have chosen to study is Cash (Hindi, 2007) within this movie the women protagonists are all shown non inferior to men, both male and female protagonists are equal.

-Shamita Shetty although married (to Ajay Devgan) has a professional job, she is very confident and is not controlled by her Husband.
-Esha Deol, an independant women, who is uncatchable, she is too fast.
-Dia Mirza who also plays a role with her Boyfriend (Sunil Shetty), but Sunil doesnt seem to have any control of her.

ALL FEMALE PROTAGONISTS IN THIS FILM ARE NOT DOMINATED BY ANY MALE CHARACTERS. IT'S LIKE THE ROLES OF FEMALE ACTRESSES IN BOLLYWOOD HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME, AS THEY SAY ITS THE 21ST CENTURY, WOMEN ARE EQUAL TO MEN. BUT THIS CHANGE HAS TOTALLY REVOLUTIONIZED BOLLYWOOD.
CASH MAY BE AN AUTHENTIC/ACTION/ADVENTURE MOVIE, BUT BOLLYWOOD FANs WOULD KNOW HOW DRAMATICALLY THE FILM INDUSTRY IS CHANGING. ISIT HOLLYWOOD INFLUENCE OR WHAT?
WELL AS TIME GOES ON INDIA IS MODERNISING, AND SO WILL ITS FILM INDUSTRY. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN WOMEN BEING EQUAL TO MEN IN BOLLYWOOD BACK IN THE 20TH CENTURY, OH NO YOU WONT, BECAUSE WOMEN WERE KEPT UNDER THE FINGER, THEY WERE RESPECTED FOR BEING SHY/QUITE/INNOCENT AND BEAUTIFUL. BUT IN THE 21ST CENTURY WHAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE IS HOW MODERN THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY IS, BECUASE ALL BOLLY WATCHERS NOW KNOW THAT FILMS GET BETTER AND MODERNER


Why is the subject being represented in this way?

• Is the representation fair and accurate?
• What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

According to todays society, the representation of female protagonists are fair, but these characters are to be seen under-dressed. The female actresses nowadays are seen as sex symbols, like in CASH>>>

Media Languages and Forms

• What are the denotative and connotative levels of meaning?
• What is the significance of the text’s connotations?
• What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?
• What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings?
• What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
• What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
• What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?

As a whole, the movie focuses on the action, the stunts and the sophisticated roles. But when it comes to the girls theres' some irony, because Bollywood still hasnt fully morphed to an modern/contemporary film industry- they still follow thier traditional bollywood values.

Well i can say that the Denotative meaning would be that in this movie, the female protagonists are shown as independant role mdoels in the modern indian society. The Connotative meaning can be that they are shown as sex objects, which would be there for the 'male gaze'

The female protagonists are to be seen as sex symbols, due to their roles as well as their get ups 'aka' props. If you look at the pictures above you would see how skimpy their clothing is. This poses the significant connotation of the protagonists.

Throughout the film we see many different facial expressions/gestures. but the main facial expressions are Curious, Oddity and Cunning. Gestures are created so the audience can identify the protagonists feeling.

Cash has many different Mise-en-scenes, but the most obvious one would be the city, where the most of the filming is done. It is set in Cape town, south Africa. The city implies modernism, new technology, high in commerce and culture. With tall structures and life being so busy living in the city, tells us how modern these protagonists are. We are shown how professional each character is in their job. They are clever, hard working and FAST!!! Especially the girls!!!

Well music in films are used to show the themes of the text, however most of the time in Bollwood it's there to convey love n passion. Songs are there for many reasons but whatever the genre, having songs is a must in Bollywood. The music in CASH is there for :
- love/passion (Shamita Shetty & Ajay Devgan)
- Entry roles (Esha Deol)
- Start Credits
- End Credits

Finally there was an "ITEM" song/number in CASH...VDO can be seen on the Side Bar>>>
An Item song refers to highly sexualized songs with racy imagery and suggestive lyrics. The "item number" would feature an "item girl" who appears in the film as a dancer, usually in a bar or nightclub, and was only in the film for the length of that song.
or
to include almost all upbeat dance numbers involving either a woman in skimpy clothing, or a "guest appearance" from a star who is only in the movie for the length of that song. It is a common occurrence for these item numbers to occur in the opening and closing credits of Bollywood films.

Narrative

• How is the narrative organised and structured?
• How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
• How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created?
• What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?
• What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?
• What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?

The movie has a non-linear stucture, this is because the story starts of from the present time, then goes in a flashback, then back in present time, then flashback....this regurgitates several times...finally it comes back to present time and the films ending is shown.

Genre

• To which genre does the text belong?
• What are the major generic conventions within the text?
• What are the major iconographic features of the text?
• What are the major generic themes?
• To what extent are the characters generically determined?
• To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically?
• Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?

The Genre of the text is-

Double Cross
Animation
Action
Thriller
Heist
Surfing
Caper
Con Artist
Diamond
Exploding Car
Hang Gliding
Mastermind

The Generic Conventions of this text would be action, some thrill, master mind thinking.

Yes the movie casts all well known characters. Ajay devgan the mastermind, is one of the famous casts in the movie, also Suniel Shetty. These character are known to be in thriller/action/or comedy films. Zayed Khan is known just for Action or thriller.

Media Institutions

• What is the institutional source of the text?
• In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
• Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?
• Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?
• How has the text been distributed?

Its Production Company-
Karma Entertainment

Its Distributors-
Adlabs Films Ltd. (2007) (India) (all media)

Adlabs produces movies, distributes, has television sector & cinemas. This means Diversification can be done as they have thier hand in other industries. This tells us how well known and how big they are.

Media Values and Ideology

• What are the major values, ideologies and assumptions underpinning the text or naturalised within it?
• What criteria have been used for selecting the content presented?

That women are independant, they can do things their way, not in co-ordination of men. Props/clothing is the main criteria which has been used to show this, as well as the characters role.

Media Audiences

• To whom is the text addressed? What is the target audience?
• What assumptions about the audience’s characteristics are implicit within the text?
• What assumptions about the audience are implicit in the text’s scheduling or positioning?In what conditions is the audience likely to receive the text? Does this impact upon the formal characteristics of the text?
• What do you know or can you assume about the likely size and constituency of the audience?
• What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text?
• How do you, as an audience member, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background etc?

Well i think the text is addressed to people who enjoy action/thriller/adventure films. Their age may be 15 years or over, who would understand the movie as it has an complicated plot. It would really attract the male audience as there is action, cars and the girls, it does definatley fulfill the male interest. The secondary can be the females as they see the independant female protangonists doing stunts, which would stun the female audience, as they would relate themseleves to it, thinking 'wow that was a nice kick, or some bad ass driving or wow girls can do that too'

Due to a big cast, there would be a mass audience, as the cast was a perfect lot for such movie.

I think this text is a KEY text for Bollywood, because it emphasises the equality we are still underpinning in society. When i saw this movie i felt that there something different about this movie, its ironic because we dont really see films like CASH which show all women as indpendant, so i thought Bollywood is moving away from its women being passive and men being active, but when i see other movies from Bollywood i still see that there is male patriachy, so this made me to look at this issue/study.

Due to my Asian background, we assume the female protagonists being an insult for Bollywood industy for doing these kind of roles, and would be de-moralising the traditional values and norms of the Asian Culture, but because we are now advanced and modernised we accept this happily. But i do feel Bollywood is being held back and it can't open itself freely.

...Introduction...

Yet again i changed my idea...but this time im looking at Bollywood.

Bollywood at the moment is experiencing a massive turnaround !!!
One of the main accusation that Bollywood faced was that "Is Bollywood turning Hollywood" after something you wouldnt usually see; in the Movie DHOOM:2, little as we know a 5-6 sec scene caused such a havoc for Bollywood. In the news, in the papers, it was something that demoralized Bollywood Values.

Im going to look at how the typical Male dominance in Bollywood films are subverting and that Women are to be seen equivalent to men, as we are changing the way we live in society, i.e not live in a Patriacrhal soceity.

'Quote' Translated from Hindi movie- MASTI (2004)

"You lot are 21st century Women, and you are crying as if you are medieval women"

Im going to look at this topic with a close referance with the Film CASH (Hindi,2007) I will be comparing old Bollywood movies to recent ones. I may also look at Hollywood as they also produce movies which show how this male patriarchy is changing, such as in Tomb Raider. However Bollywood is changing and has moved on from having shy/naive/inncoent female protagonists to developing independant role models.

I believe my study will show that the typical patriarchy in bollywood films are changing, and that women are becoming the breadwinners. In relation to Laura Mulvey’s theory, women would still be the subject of the "male gaze" but they will not be in the control of men as it was before.