Chocolate Cake? Or Cheap Picasso Fake?

The title, in case you're wondering, alludes to a Crowded House tune. Andy Warhol must be laughing in his grave, indeed. Or, whatever version of that line is more pertinent to the following facts.
Subroto recently recommended the movie Chocolate (2004), so here are some post-viewing comments.

Preliminaries: The title is so lame and the story behind the title is so contrived that they might as well have called the movie The Usual Hindustani Suspects instead. Because, that's what the movie is. It is an almost-entire xeraaaaaxe of one of the coolest movies of the 90s, The Usual Suspects (1995). If you haven't already seen it, I recommend that you go do that.

That said, I must admit that Chocolate wasn't the absolute worst movie that ever was. It was bad, but not HAHK or DTPH bad, if you know what I mean. If you have already seen this movie, you will understand the following notes better...

Just so you can watch the original and then, the Hindi ripoff, I am not going to tell you which Bollywood actor plays the role of which Hollywood actor, etc. That wouldn't do the original justice.

39 things I noted when I sat through Chocolate in its entirety:

1. Starts just like The Usual Suspects, ending is different, stupid, and over-optimistic, doesn't gel with the rest of the movie.
2. Haha, the main titles claim that this movie is an "Inspired Movies" presentation. Ahahahahahahaha.
3. Apparently, coppers in London have American accents.
4. ROCKER??? Sunil Shetty is named ROCKER???? WTF??? It's bad enough he changed his name to Suneil Shetty! (maybe he's another one of those people we lost to the idiotic numerology cult)...
5. Someone in the movie wants to carry out a "simple intORREgation"... are they Surds?
6. CHIP??? WTF kind of name is that for someone who claims to be from India? A kind of name that would get you kicked in the nuts, that's what kind of name it is.
7. MONSOON IYER??? Aw come on, she doesn't look that bad, at least give her a REAL fucking name! It wasn't enough that we had to tolerate bitches named Khushi in a couple of late 90s movies, now we have to deal with MONSOONs??!
8. Holy shit, check out the size of Monsoon's.... alarm clock! Is that supposed to be symbolic?
9. I like that the main title says this movie was WRITTEN by Rohit Malhotra and Vivek Agnihotri. I haven't been a resident of India in six years, maybe they changed the meaning of WRITTEN in Indian English to PHOTOCOPIED?
10. I start to hear the theme music, and I'm immediately thinking... I have heard this tune before. Sure enough, the credits claim that A. R. Rehman was in charge of copying (Oh, I'm sorry, composing/creating) the soundtrack. Turns out the theme tune is lifted from Tamperer's Feel It. Actually, Anu Malik already copied it in 1998/1999 when it was fresh, he used it in the title song to Jaanam Samjha Karo. There's more... keep reading. And then, lie to my face and tell me how you think A. R. Rehman is original.
11. Anil Kapoor's intro - hounded by the press, he says something like, "Let truth prevail!" Kya cool, anna, kya cool. If only you could SHAVE that stupid stubble and get a haircut, you would look like you weren't still playing the retard from Eeshwar (or was it Eeshu?), the Hindi ripoff of Kamal Haasan's terribly irritating retard role.
12. So Anil Kapoor has a white secretary, and there's a philosophical moment between them in his office that apparently has a view of the London skyline. He says something like, "From here, London looks like a disco" and she says, "Yes, but without the music". I have to hand it to them, I didn't expect David Byrne-esque non-sequiturs. Maybe they would be more believable if the secretary had an English accent instead of an American one.
13. Rich get-together has Dusty Springfield look-alike singing in the background accompanied by random guitar player. The voice dubbed over their song: "La la la la leee, la la". How original.
14. Anil Kapoor's face on the cover of an issue of GQ? Ahahahaha... Aisa koi  issue nahin aata!
15. Anil Kapoor: "Suddenly I'm very charged and very excited... not only emotionally, but also sexually". Creepy. Keep it in your pants, Mister India, this is your first date with the alleged criminals.
16. Tanushree Dutta - scary ugly bong-esque bitch. NO EXCUSE, repeat, NO EXCUSE for anyone with dark skin to get blonde highlights. ESPECIALLY if they are as ugly as her.
17. GRAMOPHONE? Just because it's a flashback to two weeks ago in 2004? Who the fuck even uses gramophones anymore? Even my great-grandmother waves her iPod Nano in my face and makes fun of my un-tech-savviness!
18. "Khool" quote:
"Micheal Jackson 8 saal ka bachcha itne sundar gaane compose karta tha..."
"Isiliye bada hokar itni sundar aurat ban gaya, na?"
19. Lispy businessman: "Beeth hathaar poundth de thakta hoon if you compose a jingle in a day"
(Business card says vivek agnihotri, what a masturbator. Who do you think you are, Hitchcock? Just because you make Anil Kapoor drop his name during the movie?)
20. (World's Best Jingles CD has some random thumps and beats)
"Hamesha churaega ki original bhi kuch bajaayega?"
"Chura kahan raha hai? Yeh to UTHA raha hai!"
Fuck, that jingle sounds like a chootiya slow A. R. Rehman song... oh wait, it is. AND it's not original, it's lifted from Feel It. Well done, writers, you not only make the characters admit that A. R. Rehman is a copycat, you also try to justify it by claiming that LIFTING is somehow nobler than COPYING (Oh, there's a difference?)
21. So, YOU WOULD PULL A GUN OUT ON SOMEONE WHO WAS JUST WHISTLING A TUNE YOU RIPPED OFF FROM TAMPERER THE NIGHT BEFORE?
22. "Darpok! CAAward!" Well try, Tanushree, well try. Get your Bong-ity out into the open, bitch.
23. Anil Kapoor tooting his imaginary horn: "Maine jitne case jeeti hain tu gin bhi nahin sakta: Hardcore ciriminals [sic], psychos, cannibals, serial killers, corrupt governments, trade unions, sab!"
24. Random overacting extra at a club, to Sunil Shetty: "Akad to aise raha hai jaise yeh Murtaza Arzai hai... Oh! Yeh Murtaza Arza hai!" Non-sequiturs again. Dumb, ham-acting motherfuckers.
25. Raj Zutshi the pimp? Unbelievable. Definitely a very convincing homosexual with ice cream. Sunil Shetty ke saath masti?!
26. "Chip ne software design kiya [which was a clone of the bank's security software]". This so-called security software for a bank in London, for some reason, zooms into the map of Baja California.
27. I don't get it, did Vivek Agnihotri want sharks with freaking laser beams on their heads for the truck scene, and didn't have enough money? Is that the reason the lasers inside the truck are making dolphin sounds?
28. Wow, just because Irfan Khan's an artist, he can FORGE fingerprints?! In a matter of seconds?!
29. SYSTEM ERROR - wrong password. Of course, you morons. Passwords are rarely negative numbers with decimal places.
30. Cool Arshad Warsi quote: "Women can fake orgasm why the hell can't they fake silence?" (Have to find out where that's lifted from) Tanushree's response on the intercom: "What the hell?"
31. 20 billion pounds fit into a backpack?
32. "India se sab ke bare mein fax aa gaya hai. i think you'll find it very interesting." Indeed! They are coming out of a photocopier.
33. "Rock band bananeka idea kiska tha?"
"Rocker ka"
No shit, sherlock. So, let me guess. Fake Uncle Chipps ka packet bananeka idea CHIP ka tha, right?
34. Anil Kapoor, listing the suspects: "Sim, the sexy hookah (hooker)! PP the fohjah (forger)"
35. Arshad Warsi, on seeing Osama's photo inside a cabin on the boat: "Kamaal hai yaar, aap bhi yehin hain? Bush ko boloon kya? Cool!"
36. The boat is called SEASPAN III. Hahahahaha. Get it? C-SPAN 3... Hahahaha. Another joke that is aimed at an audience that probably won't ever watch this movie. This reminds me of another subtle joke from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na (1993) - Shah Rukh's band is named The Windows instead of the The Doors, get it?
37. Recalling the events, not necessary in chronological order: "Uske baad main behosh ho gayi. THEN something hit me"
38. 2 hours? That's all it takes, with a JURY (do they have juries in the UK?) and a black judge who looks like Cleo of Call Cleo?
39. Arbitrary bum reads GQ on the sidewalk and recognizes Anil Kapoor?! What a discerning hobo. Keeping himself updated with the latest in current affairs with a fine Gentleman's magazine.














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