knight rider online

Well thats what I can gather from the conversation with my dad. He saw a section on a Indian news programme which sounds like Bollywood is making a KR-isque film. I managed to get a glance of the car before the clip ended. Its a metallic blue concept car thats not based on anything but looks like it a super car. It jumps (looked straight out of KR) goes on two wheels....don't know if it talks. The film is called Taarzan, the wonder car (yep thats the spelling). Hoping Arjun our Mumbai resident can enlighten us on this alot more than my vague ramblings.

Sarfraz

That would be interesting to see a Bollywood version of Knight Rider. Thanks for the info.

Bizarre but interesting news Sarfraz! Kind of looks like Saved By the Bell meets Knight Rider. There are some clips here:

http://www.bollyvista.com/movieclips/s/173/1

and a google search for "Taarzan, the wonder car" will give you lots of sites:

Here's a good shot of the car:
http://www.dcdesign.co.in/dcbf.htm

...yes thats the car. the rear of the car almost seems detached from the front....kinda like some RC buggy cars. Curious how this plays out as the concept itself is far removed from the standard bollywood flick....not that I know, I haven't watched one in years!!

...imagining a song and dance with a car

Oh for the love of god:
http://www.indiafm.com/scoop/04/jun/150 ... ndex.shtml

...look at the pic, purple background, desert...they should just smack KR:bollywood on it and be done with it

Sarfraz

No doubt that the film will have strong KR influences, perhaps even homages.

Looks to be an interesting concept and perhaps they are trying to muscle their film in before the proper KR movie comes out.

Only trouble is, bollywood films rarely get looked at from mainstream audiences.

Skav

Well thats what I can gather from the conversation with my dad. He saw a section on a Indian news programme which sounds like Bollywood is making a KR-isque film. I managed to get a glance of the car before the clip ended. Its a metallic blue concept car thats not based on anything but looks like it a super car. It jumps (looked straight out of KR) goes on two wheels....don't know if it talks. The film is called Taarzan, the wonder car (yep thats the spelling). Hoping Arjun our Mumbai resident can enlighten us on this alot more than my vague ramblings.

Taarzan, the wonder car, looks like the car from Viper, but is painted purple. It may be more Bond-influenced than a KR ripoff. I don't see too many promos for that movie, though. If I catch one, I will have a little more to say about it.

It's a trademark Dilip Chhabria design. I don't really like some of those designs much, at least not what he did to a Ferrari- it was an average car with a few design faults, but he made something that looked a lot worse.

I hope it is something serious, unlike in the past, where these 'supercars' in Bollywood movies were just a joke, or stuff that came out from comics. It may be more like Magnum PI, where the story does not revolve round the car, but you still see a lot of it. The direction should be good, if KR fans should enjoy it, but I would have preferred a more original and less outlandish name.

Well it jumps, does ski mode and fights crime (director said the last bit in the news programme)...sounds more KR than bond. Also they stated the car was the star...

Sarfraz

I have noticed, there are so many bad films, that the local film critics (Tanuj Garg, Deepa Gahlot, Mayank Shekhar, Khalid Mohammed and Jitesh Pillai) have made a profession out of ripping them to shreds. This movie has a unique concept, so they may be a little considerate. There was a film inspired by ET, which was quite popular, because it was unique.

However, given a powerful car like this one, it also takes good directing. They need not make the car look as unreal as they can- past Bollywood movies did, with guns, knives and wheelblades sticking out in one, but they can give it a bigger role- they seem to have done it, as the director said. The acting by the humans (since the car is also a star) is also crucial, because it adds substance to the film. The locations are not bad, and the camerawork also seems good. Another common Bollywood problem is the unnecessary song and dance sequence, and the movie should not have too many. Looks like this will make the Khalid Mohammed gang a little less critical. I have no idea when it will be released, since it has not yet come in the papers.

Been a long time since I posted actually ..........

There is no way I'm gonna watch this film when it comes out. I just know that it'll seriously mash up my thoughts on KR. All praise to bollywood for trying but I can just imagine how the film would be. I know its all a bit of fun but trust me, there will be the most stupid actors playing "Michael" and the car (I can't recognize them, so I'm thinking they'll most likely prob try to put a very "emotional" performance to kickstart their careers), plenty of the most corniest dialogues and lets not get started on the songs and dances.

I'm not cussing bollywood as some of their films are good - you just have to keep a different frame of mind when watching them. I just like them to stick to their own style as they do in their past classics rather than emulating Hollywood as it becomes extremely (and I mean extremely) cringeworthy to view.

I do like the idea of bringing new concepts into the Bollywood industry as it does need it - when a hit film is released, it seems like the next 10-15 films release after it are just permutations of the same plot. But there are some films that are sacrilege and should be left alone - I heard for example that they wanted to release the Godfather trilogy - imagine songs and dances in that!

One of the promos that I had seen on ETC, a local Bollywood/Indipop channel, were disappointing. If the car is supposed to be the star, then what were they promoting? A romantic song and dance sequence? The car was just a prop here!

Car designing firm Dilip Chhabria Design or DC Design, on July 15, unveiled the 'wonder car' used in Gordhan Tanwani's Rs 15-crore (Rs 150 million) thriller, Taarzan - The Wonder Car.

The dream car costs a whooping Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million). The car is the hero on four wheels and can swim, fly, cross fires and fight villains as well. The movie revolves around Raj (Vatsal Sheth), a mechanical genius who designs a fantasy car that becomes the envy of the whole country. Reminded of Knight Rider? Ah well!

Chhabria's violet hotwheels modelled on a Toyota MR2 took eight months to produce. He said he aimed for a bold clientele for his car who could identify with the colour. The soon-to-be released film was directed by Abbas-Mustan.

Chhabria also said his firm DC Design will come out with an initial public offer in the next three years.


http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2004/jul/17wk1.htm

This car can not only do a Turbo Boost, and a Ski Mode, but also strafe sideways and ride on two wheels (front or back) which we have not seen in Knight Rider. This movie has potential, but I get the idea there's going to be as much romance as in an average Bollywood movie.

I'm sorry, Through all of this I'm going "What the hell is 'Bollywood'"?

aussieknight wrote:I'm sorry, Through all of this I'm going "What the hell is 'Bollywood'"?

Bollywood is Bombay (now Mumbai, though the old name wasn't too bad) crossed with Hollywood. It is a very large film industry, and very popular too- a brand name in the country. I have to admit, I never really was interested in their films, except some good old ones.

Personally, I have to admit that is one FINE looking car! I think it's the shade of purple combined with the front nose and body style. WOW! I would love to have a replica of that one! I'm not a big import fan but this one really stands out!

The plaque thing on the nose, though, looks slightly crooked? Or is it me?

I really like this car.

lol... I find this hilarious...


Yet, Abbas-Mustan deny having heard of Knight Rider, the TV series that Taarzan uncannily resembles. They thank their producer for giving them full rein to do as they pleased with this film.

More here:

http://web.mid-day.com/entertainment/mo ... /89154.htm

Film critics are at work.

Road Rage- Deepa Gahlot

A car with a mind of its own? Funky idea, but Abbas Mustan's 'Taarzan The Wonder Car' is a heavy revenge drama, rather than a frothy comedy like the series featuring the cute Volkswagenn 'Herbie', or the all time kiddie favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The violence and morbidity makes it unhealthy for kids though they will like the car's almost human antics-and it is much to juvenile for adults to enjoy. A neither here-nor-there film, but at least a bit off the beaten track.
Car designer Deven (Ajay Devgan in a special appearance) is killed by five villains and his designs for a futuristic car stolen. Then this aspect of the plot is promptly forgotten, because that car never seems to make an appearance on the road.
Years later, Deven's son Raj (Vatsal Sheth)--college student and part time mechanic, finds the wreck of his father's car and rebuilds it using that design. As he romances fellow student Priya (Ayesha Takia), the 'wonder car' tracks down the villains and kills them one by one.
After the first two murders, the shock and novelty value of the driverless car chasing and killing people wears out, and then the remaining murders stretch the film out beyond boredom point.
Abbas Mustan stuffs the film with every character actor available from Amrish Puri (Raj's boss at the garage) downwards. And there are some weak attempts at humour (including some double meaning lines), but on the whole, tone of the film remains ponderous.
The car looks like a garish horror no classy person would be seen dead in, but some of the special effects like the car repairing itself after a battering-are not bad at all.
Of the two newcomers, Vatsal Sheth is earnest; Ayesha Takia's skimpy wardrobe and harsh voice take away from the freshness a new actress should be able to convey.
Once again the point comes up that film-makers should reconsider the three-hour running time of commercial Hindi films. If 'Taarzan' were 90 minutes long, it would have been fast paced and entertaining an action adventure going over this limit is as uncomfortable as a ride on a pot-holed highway.

Taarzan The Wonder Car
At: Gaeity and other cinemas
Directed by Abbas Mustan
With: Vatsal Sheth, Ayesha Takia and others
Rating: 2 1/2 STAR

1 STAR Poor; 2 STAR Average; 3 STAR Good; 4 STAR Very good; 5 STAR Excellent

Taken from Afternoon Despatch and Courier.

The 'revenge' setup may be taken from Knight Rider, since there exist a lot of similarities, where 'Deven' could be Wilton and 'Raj', Michael Long.

Taarzan is very unlike KITT, serving exactly the opposite purpose of protecting human life. It has a mind of its own, though no voice.

Garish horror? No classy person would want to be seen dead in? If you read her reviews, you would be used to this stuff, since she's one very unhappy film critic. The car isn't the most impressively designed one either.

Hmmm....three hours? That is really, really long! Not the most useful review, but I do agree with most of this critic's opinions on some other films I had seen.

I saw some of the trailers . I like the tooney shrinking sound the car makes as it shrinks to get under a semi-truck . Oops sorry forgot to take my anti-sarcasm pill . I usually find these bollywood films hard to watch thinking who the heck do they think their kidding?

I' don't think this is going to take off. Al lot of hard core fans would rather watch viper this this.

Opinion stated.

Now, a TV series known as Tiger has been done, which is definitely a rip-off of Knight Rider. The description says it all, though the connection has not been revealed. At least, not online.

More on 'Tiger'



The newest rider to vroom out of the superstable is Tiger (picture right). It is majestic, sleek, handsome and fearless. But unlike wild cats, it does not believe in killing. Tiger is a “wild car”, the star of a show being beamed every Sunday morning at 11 am on Hungama TV. Brainchild of young prodigy Aaryan, Tiger is a mystery-solving, talkative car with loads of attitude. “Tiger sounds somewhat like Amitabh Bachchan,” laughs Anuradha Ghakkar, creative director of the Hungama show.

The car draws from its illustrious predecessors. Its power of speech, for instance, is reminiscent of the car in Knight Rider (picture left), the incredible vehicle in the top NBC TV show aired from 1982. With David Hasselhoff, playing Michael Knight, at the wheel, the K.I.T.T or Knight Industries 2000, could talk, think and drive itself. It was designed to serve in fighting crime.

Tiger, too, is a car of many faculties. With the handsome neighbourhood cop Karan, it always arrives before there is any fatality. “The show is meant for the 4-14 segment. We cannot show any violence,” explains Ghakkar. Another logic is embedded in the story. Like Batman Bruce Wayne, who saw his millionaire parents die, Aaryan has his mother’s death in a car accident behind him.

Tiger, therefore, never hurts anyone. “It is bullet-proof but at best it scares people. You never know what ace it has up its sleeve. It can even throw banana peels at a crucial juncture,” smiles Ghakkar.

Armed with rubber bullets, turbospeed, maps and communication devices (much like a non-violent Batmobile), Tiger’s favourite pastime is to be one up on Karan, his guardian.

This cheeky mindset perhaps puts it in the league of Herbie, the little race car with a big heart and attitude.

Would it not be cool to get to ride around in such a car? Aditya Kapadia, who plays Aaryan, reasons: “It would be fun to have a car that you could not only drive but also talk to. On the flip side, a car with a mind of its own might not always agree to drive you to wherever you would like it to.”

Having experienced Tiger’s tantrums, Aaryan would know. Yet, he feels, “a car is a boy’s best friend”.

Especially if it is a supercar!



http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050110/a ... 232092.asp