braddugg

A film that moved me not by sympathy but with humor.

When I watch films of underprivileged people, I feel blessed and privileged. To be sane and healthy and everything working fine in the body is a great blessing which I value much more than many other things. Dhanak is a film that made me feel blessed and privileged.

The nuances like the turn of a coin to play either Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan or dreaming a house build of sweets were simply amazing. I must say Nagesh Kukunoor is still an original director. There are elements of genuine originality in his films which are rare in Indian films. He is one of the few directors who sticks to his subject and puts it across well.

With this film, he is back to the landscape of Rajasthan where he shot few of his films. I loved his DOR. So the sand dunes, the dry lands are part of the backdrop and they are wonderful.

There are few moments I loved in the film. The song of "Dam-a-Dam Mast Qalandar", the "Maatha" moment and the letters to Shah Rukh.

Krrish Chhabria as Chotu is superb and this film belongs to him. Hetal Gadda as Pari is memorable. It's the kids who brought so much life to the film and for me as a viewer.

A 3/5 for a good film. Kudos to Nagesh Kukunoor who keeps churning good movies despite many constraints.

A powerful film on the diamond trade and exploitation of people in Africa.

This is a film based on True Events and is made realistically. The film's strong points are writing, directing and acting. This film seems to be shot in real locations with real people. There are many points in the film which I liked technically. The shot composition, the capture of African Landscape is amazing. The music is something I liked and felt it went with the flow of the film.

The writing of dialogues is simple and yet stood out. The relationship between "Danny Archer" (Leonardo DiCaprio) and "Solomon Vandy" (Djimon Hounsou) is well established and concluded beautifully.

In 2006, there were two memorable films which came out about exploitation in Africa. One is this one and the other is "Last King of Scotland". While both are historical films and based on True Events, I thought "Blood Diamond" was better in drama.

I loved the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and he was terrific in the role. Watch it if you are a Leo fan, or if interested in the history of Africa. Others, watch if interested in good cinema.

A 3/5 for a good film.

Truly, one of the greatest pictures ever made.

The film is about capturing a killer shark that feeds on humans. It's a spectacle to be seen on the big screen. The first half or three-fourth of the film is about planning how to go about capturing the shark. The last part is all in the sea. It's an amazing film because the way it traverses from scene to scene. The film involves a lot of character build up and a basis for the shark to be killed. It also keeps minimalistic in sound and gets loud only when needed.

The sound design and the music by John Williams is a study in itself. The editing is precise and keeps the movie gripping. To be fair, there are hardly any dull moments in the film, even though the end is known. The journey is so interesting that the destination feels like a by-product of the journey.

Steven Spielberg grew in stature with this film. I am told by my uncle who saw the film in theater 1970's when it got released that it was indeed a phenomenon and one of his friends does not enter into the water even today that is 40 years after seeing the film he is still afraid of sharks. Though funny, it is indeed true and confirmed by the person itself.

It's impactful and must be revered for the change it brought about in mindset and understanding of the sea the nature of sharks.

Acting is stupendous and though I don't know any of the cast, they played their roles superbly and are heroic in their own ways.

A 4/5 for one the great films ever made, though it lost it's aura a bit as technology got updated, it must be seen for the content.