Jai Ho Review! Oops, Pay It Forward Review

By SearchIndia.com on January 16, 201412 Comments

Think of an idea to change the world and put it into action.

– Writing in chalk on the green board in Trevor’s 7th-grade classroom in the Hollywood film Pay It Forward

Bollywood’s murderous thug Salman Khan has gotten out of its pen and is busy promoting its new movie Jai Ho.

Directed by Salman’s younger brother Sohail Khan, Jai Ho is scheduled to release on January 24.

If history offers us any clues, Jai Ho will be a blockbuster at the Indian box office a la Salman’s previous films Dabang, Dabanng 2 and Ek Tha Tiger.

I pray for an impossible miracle – Jai Ho should kiss the dust.

But my prayers are unlikely to be answered by Salman’s vast swineherd a.k.a. fans.

Jai Ho – Based on Pay It Forward

Since Jai Ho is a remake of the Tollywood film Stalin, it’s safe to assume that Jai Ho is a lift of the Hollywood film Pay It Forward (2000).

After all, Stalin is ‘written’ and directed by A.R.Murugadoss, who has dedicated his film career to stealing and delivering garbage.

And by all accounts, Murugadoss’ Stalin (Chiranjeevi, Trisha, Kushboo) is based on Pay It Forward.

Murugadoss’ Tamil/Hindi hit Ghajini (stolen from Chris Nolan’s Memento) too was an egregious instance of outrageous theft.

Jai Ho – Mighty Shame

It’s a mighty shame that Jai Ho is based on theft of Hollywood film Pay It Forward, albeit with some modifications.

Because it is one more instance of Salman Khan financially benefiting from a stolen Hollywood film.

Of course, Salman Khan is no stranger to crime.

Benefiting from theft of Hollywood films like Hitch (remade in Hindi as Partner with Salman Khan) and Bruce Almighty (God Tussi Great Ho) are petty crimes in Salman Khan’s dictionary compared to his penchant for murdering poor people sleeping on the pavement, assaulting girlfriends like Aishwarya Rai and killing endangered animals.

Basing Jai Ho on Pay It Forward would be a big shame for two other reasons as well:

First, Kevin Spacey is a million times better actor than Salman Khan. Be it on the big screen or on the small screen, the Oscar winning actor is a delight to watch. I have not seen Salman on the small screen but on the big screen the shaitan is terrible, impossible to endure.

Second, Kevin Spacey’s character is a honorable, decent guy. If Salman were to play Spacey’s character in Jai Ho it’d be a travesty, not to mention a grave injustice. Kinda like Narendra Modi being presented an award by Muslim organizations.

Pay It Forward – Not a Great Film

I would unhesitatingly say that Pay It Forward is merely an average film.

But this mediocre Hollywood movie is redeemed by class acting and fine photography.

Every single actor in Pay It Forward does a super job, elevating what would be an easily forgettable film into an average movie.

Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment, the actors who play the three central characters in the film, are outstanding in their respective portrayals of the social studies teacher Eugene Simonet, the mother Arlene and her young son Trevor.

The essence of Pay It Forward is to do a good deed for your less fortunate fellow human and ask the recipient to “Pay It Forward” to three others, setting in motion a chain of kindness in society toward needy souls who can’t help themselves.

I did not consider the variation of “Do Good Unto Others” to be a great story idea for a movie. Goodness as a worthy moral element has been beaten to death in films, both foreign and Indian.

I also found it vexing in Pay It Forward to see the little boy Trevor speak in grown-up tones, exhibit so much compassion and display a maturity far beyond his 11-years.

Let’s face it. The overwhelming majority of adults (99.99999%) are grossly immature, callous, cruel creatures. In so many years in America, I have never encountered a single act of compassion of the kind that Trevor and others in the “Pay It Forward” chain demonstrate so effortlessly.

When adults are so terrible, it’s ridiculous to expect that children with their limited exposure to the world and incompletely formed brains will be different.

Although the story didn’t endear itself much to me, I thought the writing crackled with verve.

Besides the acting, I also liked the soundtrack and well chosen camera angles in Pay It Forward.

I wouldn’t put Pay It Forward cinematographer Oliver Stapleton in the league of my favorite movie photographer Darius Khondji (Midnight in Paris, Amour etc) but Stapleton is more imaginative than a lot many others.

Pay It Forward DVD is available at most U.S. county and town libraries and Netflix.

Jai Ho – Bottom Line

Given what we know of the Telugu film Stalin, Murugadoss and Salman Khan, it’s safe to opine that Jai Ho will be a distressingly rotten stolen version of a mediocre Hollywood film, Pay It Forward.

Since scatophagous Indians have an insatiable appetite for dung, these classless bottom-feeding cretins will surely lap up Jai Ho. 🙁

12 Responses to "Jai Ho Review! Oops, Pay It Forward Review"

spity2 January 16, 2014 at 4:12 pm

I thought Stalin was Murugadoss’s only original film.

I know that it’s hideous movie but thought it was at least original.

Thanks for clearing my doubts on Murugadoss as master thief.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

Murugadoss is a sick fuck who survives, and thrives, in the fetid climate of India.
- spity2 January 16, 2014 at 4:30 pm
  
  And what do you call the people who believe that he is creative genius.
  
  SearchIndia.com Responds:
  
  In your town, they’d call such people Laddi thinno naayi galu (coprophagous mongrels). 😉
  - spity2 January 17, 2014 at 12:54 am
    
    Right.
kage_11 January 16, 2014 at 11:41 pm

The Indian cine-goers are perennial frogs in the well (including myself).

I never knew how much theft and plagiarism is happening in Indian movies until, after I started working and had access to the free internet 🙁

It is hard to imagine that ancient India was the country where so many innovations/discoveries happened.

Where has all of the innovation and originality streak vanished? Was it systematically demolished by the centuries of colonial rule?

At least, the scientific community in India can blame the lack of quality teaching and science instruments and lack of access to technology to falling innovation.

But art? A field, where the only tool you will need is your mind and imagination working together?
Why is there such emptiness is very hard to digest and fathom!

In a country where mediocrity is the norm, the occasional good film gets labelled legendary and, the people involved the films are called geniuses.
boopalanj January 17, 2014 at 8:42 am

You watched Amour?

SearchIndia.com Responds:

Of course!

I thought I reviewed the film.

But I can’t find the review now.

I must be losing my mind (well, many would say I never had one to start with). 🙁
- boopalanj January 17, 2014 at 9:09 am
  
  No, you did not review the film.
  
  It’s okie. Einstein is said to have called Dean’s office to ask directions for his own home 😉
  
  SearchIndia.com Responds:
  
  Directions are not an issue for me…I have a strong instinct for the right directions even when I miss the exit on the highways!
  
  But I panicked once (around 2001 or 2002) that I had forgotten my glasses. Guess where it was? 😉
  - boopalanj January 17, 2014 at 11:36 am
    
    Where was it? So, are you wearing glasses? 🙂
    
    Btw, Why the topic of Jesus today?
    
    SearchIndia.com Responds:
    
    It was right on my nose. I had pulled the glasses down to take a picture and forgot to pull it up.
    
    Why Jesus? Because he is the most fascinating ‘bastard’ of the last 2000 years.
    
    By the way, I use the word bastard in a value neutral sense.
hispeed144 January 17, 2014 at 10:04 am

you watched Amour? Waiting for your review. Amour happens to be my all time favorite.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

Despite being movie buffs, I bet none of you are aware of Darius Khondji.

Darius is the photographer of Amour as well as other fine films like Midnight in Paris and Se7en.

Amour had beautiful photography despite the constraints of an indoor setting.

I intend to see all of Darius Khondji’s work.

Anyway, let me get back to completing my next blog post: Does It Matter If Jesus was a Bastard?
- hispeed144 January 17, 2014 at 8:13 pm
  
  Very true.
  
  Amour was pretty much perfect in all aspects of film-making.
  
  I’m still waiting for news on Michael Haneke’s next work – Flashmob .
  
  Watched Midnight in Paris the other day. Good one.
  
  Have you had a chance to watch Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine?
  
  SearchIndia.com Responds:
  
  Just back from American Hustle.
  
  Blue Jasmine?
  
  Not yet. DVD is coming out on Jan. 21. Will probably see it next week.
  - unknownvirus January 17, 2014 at 8:52 pm
    
    Oh! The entire cast of Silver lining playbook acted alright but I loved Christian Bale in American Hustle.
    
    Not sure whether Amy Adams deserved the oscar nomination but meh!
    
    May be she’ll get lucky this time, her 5th time nomination!!!!
    
    Nice titties though
    
    SearchIndia.com Responds:
    
    You write: Nice titties though
    
    Good Lord, since when did itsy-bitsy 32B boobies fall under the nice category?
    
    Or did they appear nice just because they were hanging out for much of the film?
    
    Any smaller and nobody would even know ‘they’ were there!
  - boopalanj January 18, 2014 at 3:54 am
    
    Were you guys aware that India pissed Woody Allen off on Blue Jasmine?
    
    http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/09/world/asia/india-woody-allen-smoking/
    
    By the way, I also think the warnings do not disturb the viewing experience in any ways.
    
    SearchIndia.com Responds:
    
    Not aware of it.
    
    But in Salman Khan’s India, Woody Allen has no hope.
unknownvirus January 17, 2014 at 9:56 pm

Anything more than a handful, doesn’t hold well.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

Well, less has never been more in my ~~lexicon~~ paws!