The Show Must Go On..

I must not forget, in my recent state of mind, that much of what I crap on this blog is about bollywood.. And as an act of defiance, I shall continue being the buff that I am, who is not going to step into the theatres or enjoy life. YSo, here is a lowdown on all that I have seen recently.

1. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye – Good movie. Great comic timing. Some awesomely likable performances, 

a script laden with subtle nuances for those who understand Delhi, serious comedy (and I mean it in a serious way, not a comic way), lots of puns, great attention to detail. But, a tad too slow at times. And a bit repetitive on the stealing track. Plus, assumes the viewer to be intelligent. Should do roaringly well in Delhi and around. May not do well south of Jaipur, I would think. But if you’ve been to Delhi, loved/hated some of the idiosyncracies about Delhi and Delhiites – must watch. 7.5 on 10 (I have spent 10 years in Delhi!). “Oye lucky, commissioner saab tera in-tero-diction khood kirayenge.” “Sirji, posh kaloney ka kutta hai.. angreji mein bulao.. come come bol ke”

2. Sorry Bhai – Simply awesome. Chitrangada is hot. Sharman and Shabana have acted at a different level. 

Boman, after a while, has not been wasted, and has great comic timing. Sanjay Suri.. well, he need not have been there. But to be fair to the dude, has not spoilt the movie either. And yeah, Chitrangada, but for a couple of places, has acted beautifully well. The script is a whiff of fresh air. Its light, comical, flawed but pleasant kinds. The kinds that Hugh Grant has popularized. Awkward situations, simple stuff. And the use of Mauritian locales is quite nice. Actually made me wonder if I should plan a trip there soon. Downer – the music is quite average.  OVERALL – MUST MUST WATCH. 9 on 10

3. Yuvvraaj – Run while you still have some energy left. Much as I have avoided all of Subhash Ghai movies recently, here is a movie that I thought 

would put the SG of Karma and Hero era back. But I was overestimating him. I think he has lost it. The movie, Sallu dear in the movie, the script, dialogues, etc etc are downright pathetic. The only couple of things good about the movie – I do like the music somewhat, Katrina still looks beautiful, and the Prague and other locales used are beautifully shot. Rating – 0. Because I couldnt survive the movie. It would be unfair to even rate this movie and say that I was read to evaluate it. 

4. Quantum of Solace – Watch it if you like good action movies. 

Don’t watch it based on the hyperbolic expectations set by Casino Royale (which to me, seems like one of the best bond movies ever). The movie has a lot of good things. But, its not a bond movie. Its very different. This bond is more angry than suave. The country-skips are far too frequent. The gadgetry is largely missing. This movie is not a stand-alone bond adventure, and it seems like the next one is gonne be one either. This movie requires you to remember what happened in Casino Royale, and the whole Vesper Lynd plot. Not that I mind recalling how beautiful Vesper was! The plot is not as thick and intriguing and most of the villains are buffoons. The ladies, not as interesting. And Bond’s escapades, not so glorious. Judi Dench is still endearing though. And quite interestingly, the establishment is fallible. Quite fallible. But, its a movie in the Bourne genre of films, and should be an interesting watch nevertheless. Rating – 7 on 10.

5. Dasvidaaniya – Awesome. Quite awesome. I think you can call Vinay Pathak the Om Puri/Amol Palekar kinds of this era. He just makes it so believable. And has great variety. With the basic premise borrowed from “The bucket list”, I found the treatment to be totally new, especially considering that the protagonist dies in the end. But the movie is not about death. Its about life. its about simplicity. There is an irrelevant and idiotic track in the movie where Vinay falls in love with a Russian. Barring that, the movie seemed quite perfect to me. It made me smile, sombre, quiet, emotional. But never did it depress me. The movie does not take away hope, even for a moment. And the support cast, like Sarita Joshi, Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir shorey, et al are so unobtrusive and relevant. I loved Saurabh Shukla as Pathak’s boss, and Sarita Joshi as his Mom. Now that I look back at the movie in the light of Mumbai terror attacks and how fleeting a moment your entire life can be, I love the movie a lot more. Must Watch – Rating – 9 on 10. 

6. Dostana – Decent. Good fun. Has it fair share of comic moments. Has its marked in bold, dark outrageous colors, stamp of Karan Johar all over the movie. Priyanka is dressed exquisitely well, and Abhishek actually looks gay, the way he’s dressed up (or rather, the gay stereotype that so many movies have created). Boman was over the top. Bobby Deol was clueless and ok in equal measures. John Abraham, for a change, hasnt acted badly. He has managed to carry his own. But the sparkling performance of the movie is Abhishek. Priyanka is good as well. The hilarious moment of the movie belongs to Kiron Kher, when she welcomes John as the bahu/damaad of the family. Music catches on and is hummable. Whats with the recent flurry of punjabi tracks. Is no other state in India capable of producing catchy dance numbers? Anyway, K-Jo has an ace here. This movie will do great business in the  metro centers and abroad. It might already have done so. K-jo was blogging about his success here.  But the downers for me are K-JOness of the movie, a fair bit of stereotyping, loud, slow at many points (thum rule – if a movie gives you a chance to look at your blackberry and see if there is a new mail, thats a downer), unrealistic glossiness, and some of the fall-flat kinda humor.  Rating – 6.5  on 10.  Do watch it for some light hearted fun.