Movie Review: Aaja Nachle…. Madhuri is back!

December 5, 2007 2 Comments

I have to write this post. Came back home a little while back after having watched Aaja Nachle. And have a flight to catch in an hour or so. So, best use of this one hour would have been to sleep. But then, I claim to be different!

Aaja Nachle re-establishes one of my firmest beliefs about Bollywood – Madhuri Dixit can beat the shit out of all current actresses with both her hands tied behind her back. She just rules the screen from the first shot. Its a Madhuri movie all along with good support from the other well cast actors. I think its a true entertainer of a movie.

A few of the high points of the movie –
1. Choreography – Boo to all those who tried to blast the choreography/music/dances of the movie. This is the best choreography I’ve seen after Devdas. Examples in context – 1. the choregraphy of O Re Pia sung by Rahat. First, its a beautiful song sung amazingly well by Rahat (thats hardly a surprise). Second, the song has beautifully used Ghunghroos in the background. The dancers seem to match the ghungroo ki jhanak perfectly. Madhuri has flawless movements and expressions in the song. The choreography has a classical base, which makes it a delight. Need more reasons? 2. Choreo of the title song – again, a phenomenal use of a talent like Madhuri. 3. Choreo of the long “nritya natika” towards the climax. I think that particular sequence just revives everything that a nritya natika (or, as the refined people would like to think about it – a broadway musical) should be. perfect use of props, individual positions, stage movements, and dance forms. I think the nritya natika on Laila Majnu is the high point of a movie which is all about dance.
2. Performances – Madhuri, undoubtedly, is the queen! But then, there are some refreshing performances by Vinay Pathak, Akshaye Khanna, Ranvir Shorey, Raghuvir Yadav, Yashpal Sharma, Konkona Sen, Kunal Kapoor, Irfan Khan et al. I think the beauty of this movie with a fairly average storyline lies in the characterization as well. The weakest characters in the fold are those of Konkona and Kunal, even though I think they have sleepwalked through their roles with consummate ease.
3. Music – Whatever people say, I think O Re Pia, Ishq Hua, Aaja Nachle, Show me your Jalwa.. all these songs will catch on very soon. Some have already, and some will now!

The enlightened will tell you that the story is weak, and there is an overdose of fantasy. Where does this dilapidated set get all the money and resources to set up such extravagant dances. I dont know. I dont care. The movie entertains. And the elite can go take a skywalk for all I care!

And yeah, just in case I havent given you enough reasons to watch the movie … My final.. nail in the coffin.. last straw to break the camel’s back… aakhiri hichki.. etc etc. argument is ….
GO WATCH IT FOR MADHURI!

Bollywood Gossip – Peeping Tom saw a certain Sonam Kapoor and a certain Ranbir Kapoor at Taj Lands End last night (Dec 3rd) having a noodly and dimsumy hot dinner at Ming Yang. Both were smoking. Since it was Tom Peeping, Sonam was looking extremely ravishing in a black tank top with her mid-riff well exposed with navel piercings and all. Tom wonders – is something brewing? er.. coffee?

Comment of the night – “Having seen her like this, I don’t think Bhansali was able to exploit Sonam completely during Saawariya!”

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Movie Review: Om Shanti Om

November 10, 2007 6 Comments

It’s a weird feeling to be writing a blog post after so long. Not surprisingly though, to voice my opinion of the haute news in town – Om Shanti Om. But that does not mean that I haven’t been watching movies lately. Its just that I have been terribly busy lately. Busy is not new for me. Terribly busy happens all the time. But this has been the worst possible spell ever of busy-ness. Saluja would have been proud to see me putting so many night outs. Something even Inductis could not do with such frequency.
Back to OSO, a tribute to the yesteryears (that part is similar to how Main Hoon Na was done) and an open admiration of SRK, is definitely watchable. You smile almost throughout the movie, but at the end of the movie, you have this weird expression in your mind which is that of your squint eyes staring at you and saying, “Well…..”.
Deepika Padukone impresses in her debut. She does what she can do really well – she looks gorgeous. However, she does what I did not expect a lot of – manage her way in the acting department.
Shreyas Talpade, as usual, is subtle and good. Kiron Kher, as usual, is loud but good.
Most importantly, SRK is, as usual, LOUD, hamming, but quite unusually, fitting. It’s a role that let him be – an over-actor, with an ease that can only come when you’re not acting!
The movie is a mish-mash of Karz, Madhumati, with plenty of spoofs (like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge), quite a few gaping voids (people leaving the hot shot producers to lie on the floor just when a mishap has happened), some great editing (I loved the shots where DP is dancing with Sunil Dutt (not Sanjay Dutt) and old-time Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra, average to good music and a lot of masala. Comments on the industry cannot be missed – be it a Sooraj Barjatya searching for cliché dialogues, or the subtle reference to some star sons being superstars by virture of being star sons (read- Abhishek Bachchan), or the dominance of Khans and Kapoors in the industry. The best comment is when a director Partho Roy (reference to great Bengali directors) who has put in three cameras – one for Bimal Roy angle, one for Satyajit Ray angle and one for GuruDutt angle is suggested by Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal playing a producer – Prakash Mehra?) – ek Manmohan Desai angle daal do, wahi kaam aayega! This definitely comes across as Farah Khan’s way of deprecating the industry/her comrades to create some laughters – just as dada (Subhrajyoti Ghatak) would do.
Story – Beaten to death reincarnation story, cameras panning in from all angles to remind the protagonist of his forgotten past life, a white-haired mother leaving no chance for cracking melodramatic monologues, a friend who’s grayed with the age and believes in his friend, a spirit who manifests just at the right time to seek her revenge, even as things are being kept as human as possible. A villain who conveniently commits a murder and leaves the country to return 30 years later where his past is waiting for him. Oh-so-convenient. Its not the story where the effort is put. The story is conveniently taken off from Karz, Madhumati (yeah! she thought I wouldnt notice!), chala murari hero banNe and the likes. It’s the screenplay and editing where the effort has been put.
Screenplay and editing – Good. Better than above average. Good comments, spoofs and humor.
Music – Ajab Si and Main Agar kahoon are definitely above average. Rahat’s Jag Soona Soona Lage is standard Rahat Fateh Ali Khan fare – soulful, nice, but wont make it as big as Saiyaan (Ta Ra Rum Pum) or Mann Ki Lagan. updated (11-Nov) – won’t make it as big as his previous songs (like Mann ki Lagan (Paap) or Jiya Dhadak Dhadak Jaye (Kalyug).  (Khan – Thanks for pointing out. My mistake!!)

Overall – Definitely watcheable once. Don’t go by my cribs. I think it’s a director’s movie. She has played it by her creativity which is weird and funny. And she has done a tremendous job of editing. Actors are fitting. Everyone fits. Even the over acting kkkkkk.. Khan. .. shahrukh khan.

and on that note -I do want to watch Saawariya. Despite the complete snubbing it has got from many reviewers. 1. Its based on Doestoevsky’s White Night. 2. It wont disappoint me on a couple of counts – Great camerawork and sets, and some great imagination.

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Roundup…. No Title

October 7, 2007 4 Comments

Haven’t been blogging for a while, as the seasonal lethargy takes over. I can’t really blame it on anything else. Anyway, just a roundup of things/people/songs of note –

1. Television – I am in love with the 2 singing competitions on telly these days, Zee Saregamapa 2007 Challenge – Sangeet ka Pratham Vishwayud and Amul Star Voice of India. SVOI is going through a dramatic phase with Gajendra Chauhan ( the pioneer of such singing talent hunt shows) getting confused with his self created frankenstein. However, the singers to watch out for are Toshi Sabri (brought back into SVOI by popular demand, after being ejected on the basis of public voting), Harshit (SVOI), Amaanat Ali (SRGMP, an amazing voice from Pakistan) and Raja Hassan(SRGMP). Raja has the rusticness and purity in his voice, Toshi is probably the best trained and a sufi-genre singer. Harshit will make an awesome playback singer while Amanat probably is the most versatile of the lot, and will surely make a great ghazal singer if given a chance. His rendition of “Tujhse Naaraz Nahi Zindagi” yesterday (6th Oct) was plain simple awesome. The idea behind this long para on these people is to remind you guys that for every Dhoni who came out of Jharkhand, there are several who join Tata Steel on a small stipend! Please support, encourage and look out for these raw talents in the years to come. You can see the videos online here – SRGMP, SVOI

2. Music – 1. Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om) – beautiful romantic song with a very simple melody and another proof of how good Sonu Nigam is. Especially, when it comes to romantic songs, there are few who are as good. His voice has a certain yearning that others don’t
b. Yoon Shabnami from Saawariya  sung by Parthiv Gohil. A lot of you won’t even know who Parthiv Gohil is. Parthiv is the lost find of 1998 Saregama MegaFinal (youtube videos) (the year Sonu was still hosting the show,  Sanjeevani – another finalist, got a few movies as playback singers (such as Kareeb), and there were some truly amazing singers like Mohd. Vakil, Bela, Mukund and Sudeshna). An year or two after 1998 Shreya Ghoshal became the winner of Saregama. Anyway, Paarthiv had a very strong classical learning background and his rendition of songs like Ketak Gulab Juhi, and Dhanyabhaag Seva ka Awsar Paaya back in 1998 were wonderful. So, Bhansali has given Parthiv a break, along with Monty (the music director, who played some part in the background score of Devdas)
c. Songs from Manorama – 6 feet under.  From a collection of 4 songs (excluding remixes and versions), 3 belong to the category of very good to excellent. Woh Bheege Pal, Dhundhla jo sama bandha, Tere Sawalon Ke.. Try them out.

3. Movie – Johnny Gaddar is definitely my pick from bollywood. Bourne Ultimatum would be the hollywood pick. Johnny G is a wonderful movie which takes you back to the 70s thrillers where things just kept happening all through the movie. Director’s tribute to Vijay Anand and James Hadley Chase is visible throughout the movie. The movie could have been shortened by 15 minutes or so. But, but… its a wonderful movie to see on a weekend.

4. Books – Reading “Of Love and Other Demons” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez right now. Seems good so far, while being standard Marquez narration. Will update later.

However, just in case you got a feeling that this is what is keeping me busy.. Naah!  How many of you out there have lived out of a suitcase to get a house renovated. Working your butt off five days a week to reach home on a weekend (travelling usually in the middle of night both ways) to deal with tiles, cement, paints, designs and woodwork! Ugh.. its not easy!

Btw.. quick emotional outburst – Raikonnen has taken the pole. Hamilton has to wait. Vettel seems a driver to keep an eye on. The last couple of races are going to be amazingly interesting! 😀

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Movie Review: Gandhi, My Father

August 15, 2007 8 Comments

Rating: 9 on 10. 1 point deducted for the last 20 minutes which are a little slow.

Harilal giving an apple to Ba at train station

The movie is not about Gandhi – the father of the nation. Its about Gandhi, the failed father of a failed son. The greatness of this movie is not in the greatness/Gandhi surname of its protagonists, but the fact that you come out of this 140 minute session without blaming either of the two. Coupled with some great performances from Akshaye, Darshan, Shefali and Bhoomika, this movie is an extremely sensitive portrayal of an issue which could have ignited quite a few factions in the society. However, having gone looking for good acting and some nice controversy (oh yes, I was expecting that), I came out having seen an excellent movie, directed with photographic finesse, enacted with artistic excellence, and consciously staying away from controversy while communicating everything the storyteller wanted to say.

The relationship between the Father and the Son is best described in a shot of the movie – Harilal reaches South Africa. Gandhiji could not go to the port to receive him. His retort – itne kaam hai aur waqt itna kam. Next dusk, early morning, Harilal goes to meet Mahatma, touches his feet and sits next to him. It’s a shot where only the silhouettes are shown and you can see an older but perfectly straight Mahatma Gandhi sitting next to a younger but slightly slouched/bent over Harilal. That posture, that subtlety, defines the relationship and the kind of people the two were.

Now, I might inviting the ire of a lot of people (critics, bloggers) who would call the movie drab, slow, unauthentic, lacking details, etc etc., but I guess I am entitled to my opinion.

Unlike many who love or hate the Father of the Nation in totality, I still have mixed feelings about Gandhiji. I respect him for being one of the greatest leaders of all times, and for bringing the entire (well, almost) nation under one philosophy. But at the same time, I don’t consider him God who could not have made mistakes. I do agree with some of the views of the nation paying a price for some of his decisions. That said, it does not take away all that he did this for a nation which comes together only for a cricket match or a war.

Anyways – the movie is about Harilal, Mahatma Gandhi’s son, and his relationship with his father, who incidentally, was the Father of the Nation. Its not about Gandhi family. Its not about the three other sons of Gandhiji. Neither is it about Kasturba Gandhi (Ba), or Gulab (Harilal’s wife). They exist in the movie as supplements to the relationship between Gandhiji and Harilal. And to that extent, full marks to the director for being so focused on what he wanted to show.

Direction is good, albeit slow at places. But lets not forget that this movie could not have had singing dancing the way run of the mill movies have. Neither a deep exploration of relationships is best shown at a rocket pace (remember? The “Art Movies” of yesteryears).

Its definitely acting where the movie scores a home run. Akshay and Darshan are phenomenal in their performances. Akshay continues to be one of the most underrated actors of the industry. The way he essays a character is quite understated and restrained. And that’s what makes him so lovable. Despite the fact that Harilal does come across as an idiot by the end of the movie, you don’t come out of the theatre hating him. You feel pity for him.

The surprise package, surely, is Darshan. I hadn’t seen a lot of him. I had no idea how good or bad an actor he is. I remember him from comedy serials, where he played his part well. But this movie marks his coming of age (high time 😉 ). Now, Gandhi, as a character, is not the easiest to play. From what I understand, and what I had imagined Mahatma Gandhi to be, Darshan did bring it to life. Gandhiji for me – perpetual smile/amusement/wonder, the ease with which he went about handling the most difficult of circumstances, his walk, his proud personality inside a (seemingly) frail body – I could feel that Darshan has done justice to his character.

Even Shefali Chaya as Kasturba Gandhi and Bhoomika Chawla as Gulab Gandhi have performed brilliantly. Their silences and agony tear you apart at times.

My endnote on this movie – If you have the sensibility of keeping your emotions for Gandhiji (as the Father of the Nation) aside, while evaluating what human relationships are all about, you should definitely see this movie. If you are looking for some mudslinging on Gandhiji/Harilal, then this is not the movie for you. This movie is just a reflection of a proverb from Indian mythology– one of the heaviest burdens to carry on your shoulders is that of your father’s fame.

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Movie Review: Chak De India

August 14, 2007 9 Comments

Update – Just realized that I had left this post in the draft mode! 🙂
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This movie should become a big hit. And you have to see the movie to understand why.

It’s a pretty drab script about a failed coach leading a substandard team to world cup glory, nothing less. It has 16 very very average to hopeless actors trying to support Shahrukh ‘Kabir Khan’ make this movie what it is. The music barring a few chords here and there can at best be called average. But the movie is nothing short of sensational. A perfect sports movie capturing the spirit of sportsmanship, the passion that being at the highest level requires, the agony of loss, the ecstasy of victory, the embarrassment and happiness of newly found fame, the jealousy between champions, and the lack of humility being the downfall of every sportsman.
The movie took me to the times when I used to take the field. Much as you know that this is just a game, and winning and losing are a part of it, only a sportsman can understand the pain of losing a game. The one thing I have never been able to understand about betting scandals is how someone can throw the game at the highest level. The honor, pride and emotions (in addition to the love for the game) are what make you play the game at the highest level. Maybe the money is too high and people do get tempted. But I am sure its difficult to implement the bet once you take the field. It must kill you as a sportsman.

Anyways, back to the movie, I think this movie is perfect film-making example. The Director does not depend on too many things/people to make a great movie. He just knows what he is making, and what he wants his actors to do, what his cinematographers to shoot. For this movie, I would give full marks to the Director. And to Shahrukh. Now, to tell you, I am not a great fan of Shahrukh. More often than not, I don’t like his movies. The candy floss romance from the YR table is just not me. I would anyday prefer watching a Gunda, Shivaji, Partner over a Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. But in this movie, its one helluva restrained performance, no hamming and you get a feeling that he must have played some game at some point in time.

The editing and cinematrography when it comes to the hockey match scenes is also good. Whats definitely worth mentioning is that unlike most of the hindi sports movies where bulk of the movie time is devoted to off-the-field histrionics, this movie is a humbly sports-centric movie and spends most of the time on the field (and training grounds). There aren’t too many people falling in and out of love, neither are they doing it for their father/mother. Everyone is playing for himself/herself and eventually, for the pride and honor of playing for the Indian team. That’s the winning sentiment.

And quite refreshingly, the way the cast is selected, at least most of them don’t look like jokers holding hockey sticks (remember Asif  Tariq (thanks Kuffir for pointing this out) holding the guitar in Kya hua tera waada? Or, Rishi Kapoor molesting the guitar in Dard-e-Dil dard-e-jigar? Or, more specifically, Amir Khan fooling around with a bat in Awwal Number?)

I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND watching this movie. And you can tell me that you were not able to feel the surge of emotions at different times.

Ahh.. and before I close the post – a song which is definitely worthy of mention – Maula mere le le meri jaan!! Beautiful, in the background, and extremely melancholic. You all must listen to this track!

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Review: Die Hard 4.0

July 8, 2007 3 Comments

Well.. so this Sunday morning was dedicated to Bruce Die Hard Willis. So what if this is the fourth time the DH camp has pulled off something which reminds me of what a classic action movie should be like.

After the first 5 mins, where a rugged and troubled Bruce Willis is trying to save his daughter from the clutches (literally) of her not-boyfriend, the movie gets into some real traditional way of fighting (so reminding me of our good ol Sunny Paaji) where a hero cannot be killed, come what may!

But in case I am sounding satirical or sarcastic, let me retract my tone. I loved every minute of the movie. Not the way I love a Gunda or a Sivaji. Not the way Jaspal Bhatti won an award for the best comic serial when he was trying to make a tragedy serial (in one of the episodes of flop show). DH4 is a perfect action movie, the way I love them.

What I fail to understand though is that a four-time Die-hard cop of NYPD (New York – The Big Apple? the land of dreams, a nation that believes in taking good care of its peepool) having a horrid time despite saving hudreds of people and the holy country amrika all the time.. No gratitude, eh?

Anyway, Bruce Willis is back. His witty cracks, crude action, blood and gore, against an all pervasive villain, a nation not able to think what to do, armed with a gun, a few cartridges, and a hacker who has all the right tricks up his sleeve. Perfect setting. I love such movies.

Oh, I am trying hard to think of something. But the fact is that I have nothing to say! Its a good action movie. You SHOULD watch it if you love action movies. Its a good rush of adrenaline!

Note : Can’t really say if things are improving with this version control thingy!
Die Hard (1) was Die Hard
Die Hard (2) was Die Hard with a vengeance
Die Hard (3) was Die Harder
Die Hard(4) is Die Hardest…
Source : http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Die+Hard

I wonder Die Hard (5) will be called. Die harder than the hardest? Die hardest with a vengeance? duh.. I give up! make it as nice, and I will go watch!

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The Boss… Ulle Po*

June 25, 2007 8 Comments

Well.. its pretty late in the night (3:00AM) for me to be writing a blog. Those who know me, know that I love my sleep. And sleepless nights are usually a by-product of “falling” in love. Yes. I fell in love today. With the B-to-the-A-to-the-B-to-A (Known is a drop, unknown is an ocean) – BABA… Thalaivar… Dalpati… Sivaji… The Boss.. Rajni… yet again.. today!

Every time I have watched or discussed Gunda in the recent times, I have felt a certain emptiness in modern Indian cinema. Can any other movie really touch the standards set by movies such as Gunda? Or, can any other star beat the imagination with such consummate ease as Mithunda [ These links are proof that I don’t find too many people apart from GreatBong doing justice to Mithunda’s histrionics] . Lo and behold… The Boss is here!

Now, the experience of watching the movie was a great one! Just like the movie. We landed at G-7 in bandra (galaxy, gaiety, gem etc etc) only to realize that the movie did not do too well and was taken off the screen. Shootout at Lokhandwala got the better of Sivaji at Bandra. Pity! What a loser crowd!! But Juhu, the suburb of the rich and the famous, stars, starlets and wanna be stars, was still running the movie. We had about 90 minutes to go. Religiously, we decided to celebrate our team outing at PVR Juhu’s late night show with the Boss. The night started off well. Not much traffic. No sign of the forecasted heavy rains either (having heard the prediction from Met deptt., we were anyway quite sure of their being not much of rain problem). No problems in getting the tickets of the biggest blockbuster of recent times. A nice bit of Pasta and Sandwiches at Brio (they are quite delectable). And oh yes! The star attraction – Sonali Bendre! at Brio, first.. and in the theater later. Ever since I started at Diamond/Mumbai, I have been hoping to catch a glimpse of beautiful people like Madhuri Dixit, Sonali Bendre, Aishwarya Rai, etc etc. Aishwarya from up close was quite disappointing. And so is Sonali. She looked quite old and frail! Though I still maintain that she is gorgeous! Its just that I had higher expectations!

With Sonali in tow (how I wish!), we landed at PVR and watched 2 interesting trailers – first was of Gandhi, My Father! And second was of Sultan – Hooaa Haaa haaaa… The potential Rajni blockbuster of 2008. Though I read that its an animation movie directed by Rajni’s daughter Soundarya. That said, I have already marked these two movies on my planner!

Back to the movie – The movie was exactly what I/we had expected. No subtitles meant that we could enjoy the movie to the fullest. No distractions of having to understand the (non-existent) storyline, dialogues with higher morals, and romance of unimaginable proportions. For me, the movie was about 3 things – Rajni, fight sequences, and songs. And it was totally worth the time and money. Fulltoo mindless entertainment.

Rajni – rocks! Thalaivar is God. Right from the chewing gum trick (even though I don’t agree with the hygienic aspect of bouncing the gum off any damn surface (including the villain’s face) for popping it in) to the coin flip (in comparison, the coin trick of Le Chiffre in Casino Royale looked petty) to the climax sunglass flip from front to back and back to front. The movie has style written all over it.

Fight sequences – mind-blowing! Fight at the music store (the first sequence) was exciting, but as the movie unfolded the Rajni brand of action sequences, I realized that first sequence was just the first layer of the onion being peeled. Well, onions are quite troublesome with their smell and sting. No such problems with the sequences. Nothing to think about. Sit back.. and relax. Let The Boss take over- the control of your senses, gravity, aerodynamics, and what have you! The fight sequence in the middle of the movie (at a farmhouse kinda place) and towards the end are just too good. True passion. You can be anything! There are some things human beings cannot do. For everything else, there is Thalaivar. Epitome – In an imaginary song sequence, the gun is used as a boomerang. Just that it kinda holds its own once it spots the villain, shoots him down, and goes back to the Boss! And people hate me for watching too much of Naruto!

 

Songs- they definitely deserve a mention. I have never been proud of the perfectly illogical way songs are inserted in Indian movies. But this movie lets you explore the avenues you can only dream of. Come to think of it, how many people do you know who can sing and dance around a tree to patao a girl? Not even one I guess! Songs are nothing but an imaginary and artistic way of expressing your deepest emotions (including lust). This movie lets this spirit soar. None of the songs have anything to do with reality. Its all about imagination and creative expression. The girl switches between multiple avatars (long-choti thoroughbred, deeply immersed in Tamil culture, traditional girl, the straight out of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana princess with lots of jewellery and princessly clothes, tomboy cuts, mini skirts, etc etc.) and dances all that she wants. Rajni dresses up as a warrior, king, with a blond wig, with tonnes of lipstick (wonder what kinda fantasy is that), in multicolored suits, five packs of facial powder to look fair (with due credits to fair and lovely). They move between modern India, western world, historical places, palaces, with such ease that you wonder whether their desire to showcase their wardrobe is higher, or the director’s access to these locations too inexpensive. Every song is unpredictable, expensively and expansively shot, giving Rajni a good shot at a girl (probably his daughter’s age)

I tell you people. You must watch the movie. Don’t take a tamil knowing friend along. They will spoil the fun in their enthusiasm by explaining everything. There is no need to understand anything.

Final verdict – Even though Gunda had a much better poetic appeal (Humara naam hai Potey, jo apne baap ke bhee nahi hotey kinds), Sivaji has style! I leave it to your sensibilities.

 

* Ulle Po is the famous dialogue from Baasha!

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Movie Review: Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

June 20, 2007 Leave a comment


I managed to watch Jhoom Barabar Jhoom over the weekend.. Saturday morning first show it was! And I am glad it was so… why? Morning show tickets are cheaper than the evening shows. Much to my agony, in this age of scantily clad actresses and sparkling colors on the Yashraj screen, I was still not able to recover my 90 bbucks. Not even Gulzar’s lyrics, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music, london locales… Nothing worked! Pathetic movie!

Its a movie which revels in mindlessness, below average acting, and poor casting.

The basic plot of the movie seems inspired by the movie Chocolate featuring Anil Kapoor, Emran Hashmi, Irfan Khan and Tanushree Dutta. Not the bank robbery thing, but people cooking up stories on the fly looking at the billboards and magazines lying around. Guy meets girl. Girl wants to avoid guy. Cooks up a story about being engaged. Guy cooks up a similar story about being engaged. (How usual!) Both cookup extremely flimsy idiotic stories. Start liking each other. But can’t say! Since the other likes someone else. Mess? No! They go back to their homes. Call up each other. Forcefully and with the right set of incentives, persuade their story characters to participate in a 15 minute long dance and music competition, at the beginning of which know the only surprise element left is – “who will win the dance competition?”. Everything else is already fixed. Match fixing, eh? Worse still – even the choreo of this 15 minute marathon is not great.
The constant reference to the guys being from india and the gals being from Pakistan is just not needed. There are better ways of advocating unification of India and Pakistan into one nation!
Absolutely no chemistry being Abhishek and Preity. 2 smooch scenes featuring Lara Dutta (once with Abhishek, and the next time with Bobby Deol). What is the bachchan family thinking now? I heard there were some strong reactions to Hrithin-Ash smooch scene in Dhoom2, including some from Abhishek too! Preity refuses to oblige in a similar way. With her, its back to the flowers in gardens, birds in sky and other such metaphors. Bobby Deol is pathetic, no surprises there. Lara Dutt looks hot, but 1. is there for a very short duration and 2. even that doesn’t help.

And those who are wondering where Amitji is in the middle of all this – This really is a new role for him! Special Guest appearance as a singing dancing sensation, who sings and dances everywhere in London, without any invitation. And the same song, over and over again!

Best character – Hafeez Bhai! He has his comic moments!

Music- some of the songs are good. You can see some of Gulzar and SEL in action there! Title Song, Bol Na Halke Halke, and Ticket to Hollywood are the ok.

Overall – Dont watch!

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Well.. I haven’t stopped watching movies, or plays…

June 4, 2007 Leave a comment

Well.. I haven’t stopped watching movies, or plays, or listening to music that I want to talk about, or books that I have read that I want to let you know about. and its not that I have been totally deprived of time either! Yes, life has been a bit of this and that, but I think its more of outright laziness lately that has stopped me from writing!

So… Wassup? Me? Watched Shrek3, Cheeni Kum, Shootout at Lokhandwala and n number of Naruto episodes lately. [ Remind me to start writing about animation series like Naruto and Avatar-The Last Airbender as well]

Shrek 3 was neat, not as neat as 1 or 2, but neat nevertheless! Time well spent. Watched it at Eros, Nariman Point. It was a pleasant change to watch a movie from balcony for 60 bucks, in a really downtown location (people tell me that it doesnt get more posh than that in mumbai – South mumbai is “the” place!). I guess one of these days I would stop watching movies so frequently because I don’t think a movie like Shootout deserves even 25 bucks, leave aside 250 bucks! The movie was pathetic, to say the list. Rediff was right in commenting about the idiots who fund such movies. Cheeni Kum would have been a perfect movie if the length was shortened and Paresh Raval muted a bit! Tabu and Amitabh are cool, and its surprising to notice that they had a pretty cool chemistry! Its a good movie to watch!

At one time I really wanted to blast movies like Tara Rum Pum having watched the early shows. But thats some less blood on my hands! 😉

Watched a play – “Flowers” at NCPA. Its a monologue enacted by Rajit Kapur (Of Byomkesh Bakshi fame). (Here is a review that I largely agree with) . Same problem as Cheeni Kum. The length, though short by the standards of usual plays (90 mins), could have been shortened further. More so, because there was no change in scene, no pause, no other character but the protagonist, and no movements. Its about a priest who’s torn between his duties as a priest, his love for his wife and his lust for a courtesan. Its a 90 minute narration where the priest walks through the course of events, his emotions, his agony and conflict, paints images using his words, and makes us all visualize the drama! Rajit Kapoor managed to be ok. But the play was just not my kind. I don’t want to take the credit away from Rajit, but c’mon – I have a low attention span. I can’t concentrate on something for 90 minutes on the trot! Not a lecture from the greatest of professors, not the same song even if I am in love with it, nothing!

My analytics blog is still waiting for the remaining articles and a response to Amit’s comment.

There is a blogger meet on 9th June in Mumbai. I am still debating within myself if I want to attend! Should be fun. Lets see!

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Movie review: Bheja Fry

April 23, 2007 2 Comments

After a long time, a completely comic movie. Even if its a lift-off (as I was told by a friend) of a French movie, lets give it to the director. What a novel concept – a modern age upmarket guy who loves his Fridays like anything. Why? Because that’s when he gets to enjoy at the expense of a simpleton! Even the thought is funny (Yeah Yeah! It’s a little mean! 😉 but funny nevertheless!)

Anyways, back to the movie. Its an extremely inexpensive movie which uses some of the most amazing actors (except Milind Soman, who cannot be put in the same category) that are inexpensive (they are not the ABs, Shahrukhs of the world) in an inexpensive setup (only a couple of rooms/houses where the entire movie is shot!) and in the most involved manner. The movie’s biggest plus point is that it doesn’t require you to think a lot, but cannot be called mindless either.

Talking about the story, as I expressed, I loved the plot. Just look at the tagline- When was the last time you met an idiot? Well, the movie is about Bharat Bhushan (Vinay Pathak), an Income Tax clerk hopelessly in love with singing and hopeless in terms of abilities as well. Add to it the fact that he is a talkative and dumb simpleton.
Thadani (Rajat Kapoor) and his friends meet every Friday to enjoy at the expense of a dumb simpleton. And Harsh Chaya is winning the race for having introduced the best (the most hilarious simpleton) till now, a guy who can spit spot on (into a glass placed several yards away!). Rajat’s friend chances upon Vinay on his bus journey from Pune, where he is subjected to his antics. From that point onwards, the movie is about the interaction between Vinay and Rajat with the additional elements being Rajat’s relationship with his wife (Sarika), a mistress Suman Rao, and Sarika’s ex-interest Anant (Milind Soman). How things turn tables on Rajat when he meets his golden simpleton is what the movie is all about.

The movie moves (I like the sound of it) on at a rapid pace, and is a very short movie (all of 1 hour 40 minutes or so). All the actors are chosen carefully (with the twin objective of performance and economics). The set is simple, consistent and carefully chosen. I don’t remember a single shot of the movie where I could have said why did the director have to get this in. So, full marks to the direction, editing and scripting side of the movie.
But, as some of the unworthy critics (like Khaled Mohammed who directed Fiza once upon a time, and Rajeev Masand) point out, the director should not get points because the movie is a lift-off from “The Dinner Game”, a French movie.

Vinay is the soul of all situational comedy in the movie – be it the shot where is gradually shifting while talking to Suman Rao on phone even when Rajat Kapoor is shouting at him, or his innocent “Its Ringing”. (I can actually imagine some people pulling this on their bosses) The way he opens the briefcase everytime to take out his “Bharat Bhushan ki kahani, geeton ki jubani” is just hilarious. That multicolored polybag which makes an irritating ruffling noise every time he folds it, the way he holds the thread between his teeth, his conscious upward look when is changing the number combination on the lock, everything is a masterpiece.
Rajat is good in his role. He has mastered these roles of urbane middle/upper income class guys with a nice subtle sense of humor. He comes across as the quintessential theater artist who take their body language, movements as seriously as their facial expressions. However, the flip of the movie is when his broken aching back suddenly becomes fine with no explanation given.

Sarika place a nice little cameo (in terms of performance). But nobody bothers to tell us why she is so frustrated with Rajat, a husband with whom she was seen buying a new car the previous week. Surprisingly, the only reference to a fight is the one regarding the Friday sessions.

Milind Soman is not asked to do much. And that’s what he does. He does not spoil the movie with his wooden acting. And so, he is good!

Ranvir Shorey is a little disappointing, and not an iota because of his acting. The disappointment comes from two separate facts – one, he is asked to carry an elongated face. In a movie which is so natural, that was not needed. Two, he is shown as a muslim character who wants Pakistan to win cricket matches against India. Its such a negative and unjustified typecast to be kept in the film. Moreover, in the same vein, he is shown as a tax official of highest integrity and impeccable knowledge. Tch Tch!

Suman Rao (played by Bhairavi Goswami) is a name that you would want to remember as Suman Rao (quite like Baby Doll volume 3 – Sophia of Pyar Ke Side Effects). The actress is pretty hopeless, even though she has one of the most comical moments in the movie. The point where she asks what a thurkey means, and the sheepish response of Vinay is a big comic high point.

And two more scenes that definitely deserve a mention are –
1. Ranvir Shorey, when he realizes that the guy he is auditing is sleeping with his wife
2. “Aayega Aayega mein kitni baar aayega?” (reference to the song “Aayega Aayega” from Mahal)

Extremely simple, but amazingly funny movie. Must Must see!

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Movie Review: The Namesake

April 16, 2007 4 Comments



I saw the movie more than a week back. However, I was thinking of writing the review only after I have read the book as well. As Diamond would have it, the book has taken steam in the last day or so, and the review has been pending a while.

Yenniways, back I am. To talk about Gogol, Goggles, Ashoke, Ashima, America, India, Bengal, and all their Namesakes.

Of all the classical literature I have followed, somehow, I never ended up reading Nikolai Gogol. Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and Tolstoy were as much a Russian repertoire as I could get comfortable with. Anyways, the plan is to read and figure out if I have also come from Gogol’s overcoat.

The movie seems to have impressed a lot of people, but yours truly wasn’t really impressed. And for a change, the biggest disappointment was Tabu, who just doesn’t seem Bengali enough. IrfanKhan is extremely convincing in his accent and demeanor of a Bengali. Kal Penn disappoints (with due respect to his comic timing and my appreciation of his several other movies). Others don’t really have a role.

The Namesake is the story of Gogol Ganguli (or, Nikhil Ganguli) (Kal Penn), the namesake of the great Russian author Nikolai Gogol, with his unique name bestowed upon him by his father Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan) given his love with Russian literature and a past haunted by an accident.

However, rather than getting into the story, which I will definitely get into in my other post on the book review of The Namesake, I will focus on the movie.

The things I did not like about the movie (there are n number of blogs talking about how good the movie is!)

A. Settings

  • Calcutta (then, and now Kolkata) of 1974 hardly seems authentic.
  • Ashoke’s accident occurs in 1974, and he is bed ridden for one year. He goes to the US for 2 years, and that would take us to 1977. Getting married in 1977, and with a son who is nearing 25+ years at the time of going to Maxine’s house in New Hampshire, would take us to something like 2003+. I am surprised that neither Max nor Gogol had a cellphone. Surprisingly, no one in the movie had a cell phone till the time Moushumi flips one open. And even at that point, she is the only one with a cell. Everyone else uses landlines all the time.

B. Performances & Characterizations

  • Tabu’s accent is just not Bengali enough. Her accent reminds me not of a Bengali turned American, but the recent metro English movies like 15 park avenue, etc. where the artists add a musical tinge to their English. “What Rahul! I tell you. These kids no! They are just taking our generation down the drain. You don’t trust me? How mean?”
  • Kal Penn doesn’t look young enough to be a 14 year old (at the time when Ashoke gifts him the book). And he never seems irritated enough! More importantly, the story belongs to him. Somewhere Mira Nair has gone wrong in showcasing the conflict between Nikhil and Gogol.
  • His sister’s character is totally sidelined. With her first half looks, it was a good ploy, but the second half is where she should have had a role to play. However, the book is about Gogol. And Gogol’s sister probably is not important for Gogol’s existence.
  • The events are simplified a bit too much – Gogol’s hatred for his name is long drawn phenomenon where he doesn’t hate the name as much as its strangeness, its un-indianness or something like that. The trauma on his face (for the first 5 minutes after Ashoke tells him about the accident) is lost without any further analysis. And guess what – changing his name from Gogol to Nikhil is the most important thing he has done ever.
  • The divorce between Gogol and Moushumi just happens. Moushumi’s side of the story is never explained. And she does look pretty hot in some of the sequences. So my sympathies are with her. Not with the confused brat Gogol.
  • Breakup with Max! but why? What went wrong? In her own way, she wanted to be a part of the family. What went wrong there? No explanations given!
  • Gogol’s choice of being an architect. Again, too simplistic. What was he doing till the time he saw Taj? There is only one point where he is shown sketching. But what about the career shaping forces known as Indian parents, who want their kids to become doctors/engineers!!
  • I can go on and on and on. But the point remains. Some of the underlying struggle of being a namesake, a fact that haunts Gogol forever, are hardly dealt with.

I feel, as I write this review, and as I walked out of the theatre, that The Namesake is another book turned movie gone average, a fact I would never understand. When a novel is written, the authors usually creates exquisite detail around who a person is, their life, their environment, their dresses, the walls, the colors. Someone converting it into a movie, needs to be honest to the spirit of the book. But they edit and re-edit it. Thinking they are making more logical sense than the original. They underestimate the viewer. Moreover, they make the mistake of assuming that the viewer has read the book.

However, having said all this, let me take some of the harsh words back. I am being overcritical because I had high expectations from the movie. I don’t remember having the feeling of walking out of the movie during those 2 hours. SO, its definitely worth a watch. It’s a decently narrated story in chunks. Its a collage of small snippets that Mira Nair tries to walk us through in her journey of understanding Gogol. Or, maybe, that’s her understanding of Gogol. It’s a reader’s interpretation!

Overall Rating -5-6 out of 10. Bulk of that 6 is Irfan Khan. And the fact that the movie is not a bore!

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Movie Review: Hat Trick

March 19, 2007 1 Comment

All right All right. Yes I am on a blogging binge. But this is part of the series of stuff I wrote over the weekend but never managed to post because of my erratic internet connection at home.

And so, here I am, trying to review another below average movie which I shouldn’t have watched in the first place.

Anyways, Hat Trick is another useless attempt by a seemingly good director (Milan Luthria) to weave multiple stories together without there being any common thread. One story is that of a rather acidic doctor (Nana Patekar) being brought to life (humor, fun n all) by an ex-Cricketer (Danny). Second – of an obsessive cricket fan (Kunal Kapoor) being brought to his senses by his wife’s (Rimi) love for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Third- of an airport janitor (Paresh Rawal) in UK desperate to get citizenship.
Why is the movie called Hat Trick? Well, I will exhaust two guesses-
1. Three wicket taking deliveries, three audience killing stories!
2. Hat Trick requires you to really pull some magic out of thin air. Here, the crew is trying to pull a story/movie out of thin air.

Paresh Rawal, the great actor that he is, has taken his greatness too seriously. He is overtly loud in this movie. His character required a certain desperation, an ABCD kinda mentality, a clear generation gap, and a personality for whom nothing really is going right. What he does is similar to what Amitabh was trying to pull off in his “Jadugar” and “Toofan” era. Dish some crap. People won’t realize because my crap stinks better than cK Eternity!
Paresh Rawal is so loud in this movie that you are almost about to shout at the theatre guys for being in love with him and turning up the volume every time he comes on screen. But of course you realize that these guys are not DJs who turn the volume down almost instantaneously when his wife/daughter is talking. And the tragic nature of his character can be bettered only by Ekta Kapoor’s K-series.

Nana Patekar, typecast long back, sleep walks through his role with ample ease. It’s a character that he is used to playing – angry with life for some weird reason, but a gentle and nice person at heart, extremely righteous, has fun towards the fag end of the movie, etc etc. Danny shines as an ex-cricketer. But then, there is no point wasting ink and space on these two guys unless they do something that they are not used to doing – acting badly! (Which Paresh Rawal has done in copious amounts)

Kunal Kapoor is good, ok, decent, etc. But is not the same he was in movies like Minaxi or RDB. His pairing with Rimi in the movie adds a lot of absurdity to the movie. Though there are a couple of comic moments, but barely so. The pair could have been dispensed with. And while I think about it, the movie could have been dispensed with too.

The song Rabba Khair Kare is nice (situational, in the backdrop, and interspersed throughout the movie). Harsha Bhogle, in his movie cameo, is not as natural as he is otherwise. But he is better than Paresh Rawal.
And Milan Luthria, after Kache Dhaage and Taxi No. 9211, and even movies like Deewar, is expected to make a slick fast paced movie. The pace of Hat Trick is sluggish, snailish at times!

Overall – Rating 3 on 10. Avoidable! Unless, you are in love with Kunal Kapoor who does pull a Salman Khan for a couple of minutes (not the receding hairline bit silly! The bare all Salman!)

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Moview Review: Just Married

March 18, 2007 Leave a comment

An ensemble cast full of losers, largely loser performances, mediocre editing, average music, and an ok storyline. Chef Comment – Passable Movie!

The story is about the lead couple Fardeen and Esha having gotten married (arranged marriage) and going on their honeymoon where they are staying with 4 other couples (Bikram Saluja-Perizaad, Mukul Dev- Sadia Siddiqui, Raj Zutshi-Tarina and Satish Shah-Kiron Kher). Each of these couples has its own story, set of highs and lows, and a love & hate relationship. Finally love is supposed to triumph, and so it does!

Performances

Fardeen and Esha – Its surprising how Fardeen can make Esha look like an actress! Fardeen is pathetic as usual. With 70% of the dialogues being delivered by Fardeen (explicitly or through a voiceover), it reminds me of how li’l kids participating in elocution competitions are supposed to memorize the lines by rote with no real importance to the emotional punch. The only difference being – Fardeen is worse! He does not have the kiddish innocence required to carry that off!
Esha (even without the Deol) is supposed to giggle, shy away, look confused and act dumb. She is given minimal dialogues, and I wonder if that was Meghna Gulzar’s (the director) mega strategic maneuver. Asking lousy actresses to just stand there and do whatever they feel like doing is a good way to save time and energy.

Bikram Saluja has still not realized that for anything beyond the Grasim and whatever suiting shirting ads he does, some importance is attached to how you act. People are supposed to have a bit of variation in their dialogue delivery. I wonder if his fights with his girlfriend(s) have the same tone as the romantic evenings!
Perizaad Zorabian (and sadly) Irani is wasted as she tries to put some semblance of credibility in this movie through her character. Pity, she didn’t get to build on the tragic side of her story. That she looks good and can act is something that we know!

Mukul Dev and Sadia Siddique are like a TV couple. Sadia knows how to play those small roles well and she does, and one look at Mukul tells you why he was thrown out of movies’ world!

Fourth couple – Raj Zutshi and Tarina Patel – is also a good for nothing, and I don’t know why you are there in the movie couple. Raj has few dialogues. Tarina- fewer

Saving grace of the movie – Satish Shah and Kiron Kher. They rock! Their banters as a couple, their comic timing, and the fact that they are the only ones who add what the real element this movie should have been – Comedy! The scene where both of them are sleeping with their monkey caps and mufflers on is cute and funny. While the continuous “phir bus beech mein rukwaoge” kinda comments are hilarious. And the fact that their concluding sentiment is the only message that this movie could have stood for – You need to stand by your life partner, whatever may happen!

I wonder if Meghna Gulzar identifies and relates more with that generation more than this. While her current day couples are stories that you probably can find in your lifetime, the treatment of what their problems are and what they go through is extremely shallow, her treatment of Satish-Kiron couple is just perfect!

Any other high points- can’t remember!

Overall – Watch it if you have nothing better to do. Or, if you get a free DVD or something, keep skipping to the parts where Satish Shah and Kiron Kher are! You’ll think you watched a gun movie!

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Movie Review : The Pursuit of Happyness

March 12, 2007 Leave a comment

I happened to watch “The Pursuit Of Happyness” over the weekend.

Based on the original story of Chris Gardner (the man behind Gardner-Rich brokerage firm), the screenplay and characterizations are just perfect. The movie ranges from tragic to funny to inspirational.

The title of the movie has Happiness misspelled as Happyness – in the memory of the day care where Christopher (Chris’s son) goes everyday.

Overall sentiment : Must watch.

Biggest draws – 1. The performances of Will and Jaden Smith 2. The Screenplay.

Biggest Flaw – Another story about the Great American Dream. While the story still inspires you, there is not much new in terms of the storyline

Will Smith in the lead role has pulled off another marvelous performance. As a struggling yet positive father whose only dream, probably, is to keep his son happy, Will packages poise, understated pain, downright humor in one nice packet. As most of the reviews point, Will Smith elevates the movie to a different level.

Jaden Smith, the little boy playing Christopher Gardner (Chris’s son) is equally amazing.

There are some amazing wisecracks, which I dont know if they are inspired by real life incidents that the real Chris Gardner lived through.

Reference to Thomas Jefferson’s declaration of independence and the right to “pursue happiness” keeps the theme moving. But the best is when the narrator says – probably he was right. we can only pursue happiness. We can never have it.

The wisecracks are good. (e.g. the brokerage firm interview of Chris Gardner – One of the men asks him “What would you say if I told you we once hired a man who came in without a shirt on?” Chris pauses then wittily replies “Those must have been some really nice pants.” )

There are those tragic moments as well – especially the shot where Chris and Christopher are spending the night in a rest room.

People may have different views about the movie but for me the endgame was Will Smith’s portrayal.

Some movies are not meant to be analyzed for “is it really possible?”. They are just feel-good movies (yeah! The great American dream.. hmph!). What makes such movies great are performances such as Will Smith’s.



Couple of first timers for me –
1. I watched a movie all alone, all by myself. And its a pretty good experience – if the movie is good, there is no disturbance whatsoever. If the movie is bad, you can just walk out without having to convince anyone else to walk out as well!
2. The first shot of the movie was the intermission break. Thats a neat one! The show was going to be an uniterrupted one – no intermissions later. I wonder if the popcorn and pepsi sales are higher for such uninterrupted shows (with people wondering what if I feel like having it later!)

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Movie Review: Black Friday (2007)

February 20, 2007 Leave a comment

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind – Mahatma Gandhi

I watched the censored version of Black Friday a couple of days back. I have been thinking of why it was banned. It was said that it will bias public opinion in favor of the charge-sheeted offenders. Will it?

Since eternity, all wars/battles have been master minded by some and executed by several others. These several others are made to believe that they are fighting for a cause. That the cause is greatest cause one can fight for. At times, its revenge for the brotherhood, at other occasions, it might be a struggle for existence and survival. But the cause is always fair. Wars shall cease to exist if people believed in Gandhigiri – someone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek for slapping. Keep doing it till he is tired, confused, and shocked out of his wits and that’s precisely when his thinking becomes clear. That’s when he would apologize and seek mercy.

Does that mean once my sanity is restored, I should justify the reasons for the fight and the motives of the offender? Hmmm… I don’t quite think so.

Black Friday is a very well researched and well made movie(?). I would rather classify it as a documentary. Or, the serialization of history as shown on History Channel. The bottomline remains – it’s a great movie.

But that does not take anything away from the star-cast full of enraged, confused, frustrated, cheated, lost common people.

Pawan comes up with a truly superlative performance. And Kay Kay comes up with another good restrained and underplayed performance. All the other supporting actors have done justice to their role.

The movie has its comic real life moments as well. Imtiyaaz Ghavate chase which goes on for a long time, and the policeman eventually saying “Ae Imtiyaaz! Yaar ruk ja yaar!” and the shot where a hungry Kay Kay peels off a banana to eat and a hungry constable walks in.

The screenplay is realistic and gripping. The editing is slick and fast paced. Cinematography is just what it should be – scratchy, real, and not with a lot of jazz. The real footage shown from the then Newstrack videos adds the element of nostalgia.

Music – Indian Ocean don’t need a mention. Bandeh is the probably the pick of the lot. But its an album you can keep for the keeps.

Vote- Watch it. Unless you are a pig headed religious captain who cannot absorb reality the way it is. It’s a must watch.

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