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Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
An Epic Saga of Revenge
Violence and revenge are weak words when compared to Gangs of Wasseypur. Wasseypur is a part of current town, Dhanbad in Bihar where this saga of revenge unfolds through the generations. Anurag Kashyap has done research on smallest narration and made this epic closest to reality Bollywood has ever made. The story is loosely based on real incidents but if you consider the flow of events, the way it unfolds, it is bound to become a cult. The silver screen cannot be real than this. Anurag Kashyap After DevD, Gulal and Black Friday has done all the peers proud by GoW.
The ensemble cast and its choice was the key to success of this movie. Even the not so important casts were detailed much. The bang was so stereophonic it could give one hell of goosebumps. Movie starts with crimson burned train robberies and run out of wasseypur. Jaideep Ahlawat's coal fight was one of the best directed fist-fight, while Pitush Misha self punishment was something unheard of. The Birth of Protagonist Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee) , still hard to digest. Where the mother dies due to heavy bleeding but the father is informed about a beautiful son she gave before loosing herself on life. Soon the Muslim Mahabharat was set to pace not limping through the ages but was galloped by a nice and crisp narration by Mishra. The rise of coal-mining and dabangg leaders were smooth and so was the introduction of Ramadhir singh (Played by Tigmanshu Dhulia - famed Director of Paan singh Tomar, Haasil and Saheb biwi aur Gangster). The movie paced itself with orphan Sardar Khan's marriage and his quest for the revenge of his father's death. Teri Kah ke loonga song was the key to rise to another level, beautifully sung by Sneha (Music director) and Amit trivedi (DevD). This song was the cog-wheel of the movie, throughout. Here comes the gags and humor plastered through hard facts of life, where a leader behaves differently inside his house and inside a brothel. Enters Richa Chadda (Oye Lucky lucky Oye !) as Najma Khatoon. She was given the role of a tigress , sending her man to please himself by another whore in case he is cocky. Although she doesn't hail from Bihar but the way she spoke Bhojpuri with so earthiness that she walks away with the cherry on the cake. While Manoj Bajpayee can beat any actor when it comes to lecherous ways, his smile on the bare backs of Reemma Sen while sucking on Nalli Ghost Mutton was lecherous at its zenith best . The camera and Anurag was so perfect in providing small details of then Bihar. Rustic and Rustic. Where a Man is a 'Mard' when he woos other women. This was the right backdrop of one the best song ever in Bollywood, sung marvelously by Rekha Jha and Khushboo - O Womaniya. I must admit that Sneha used her talent to compose the song from the people who has good diction of the land and recording it a way that other music directors need to break the mold. This is it, This is real cinema. This is Cinema. The songs and their timing was near perfect and so engrossed that a person might miss the wordings. The local flavor is so enriched that people from other part of India might look for sub-titles. But the time has come to leave Punjab and its Butter masala flavor and reach out to new directors from Eastern part. There was a time in Bollywood where you have to have a Punjabi song to cater to Diaspora Indian by all the directors from the region, be it Chopras, Kapoors, Anand or Singhs.... The cliché is cut here and a Niche is set. Every department Camera, Screenplay, music, Lyrics, or cinematography is well rehearsed and close to the story of the land. You will not find Hindi glossy songs or dance out of the swoosh of hand . Even the "item boy" played brilliantly by Yashpal Sharma is close to the earth. Launda-Dance was all the new thing, never entertained on silver screen. This was the show of brilliance, where Sharma is singing Lata Mangeshkar the way a Bihari sings.
Tigmanshu Dhulia was so subtle and in the skin of the character that real Ramadhir might take a lesson from him. His casting was so perfect and on the terms with story. No character was built super-size. The theater was burnt by Bajpayee and further destroyed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He was the Al Pacino of this Bhojpuri 'The'Godfather. Nawazuddin was so intense with his eyes that glares were seen despite it was covered by dark aviator sunglasses. His smile when the Hunter song was played and the police interrogation was not to be missed. The black skin and lips were purposely brazen to support Chillam (Charas) smoking. The unintentional revenge in Varanasi was also best directed scene in the flick, the way Pacino shot the police chief inside the Italian restaurant. Pankaj Tripathi was another cast which was full of inner venom and potential , as Querashi. Vipin Sharma and Jameel Khan also had good share of screen presence as side kicks and they were well portrayed. Huma Qureshi was the sex-appeal of movie came at the end of first part and Rajeev Ravi didn't miss the opportunity to showcase her in the best Ray-bans proposing Amitabh. The master punch was the end of movie, end of Sardar khan, dragged to the Flawlessness with holes in the head and a pistol in the hand , when Manoj Tiwari blurted the anthem "Jiyo ho" with such a adrenaline energy that you remain glued to your seat. Sublime Excellence.
A rare feat. 5/5 Ekdum Bhokali.
Department (2012)
Rogue filmmaking
'Rogue filmmaking'- From inside the tea cups and outside of the nostrils, getting tossed as Carrom on the broad or plunging camera across the beach as a ball, requires RGV's creativity although it was a complete distraction in some sequences But But you cannot ignore the creativity and the challenges put through . For some this is a real pleasure to watch such a challenging medium of communication where the camera is always on the roll. The free styling camera may give a nauseousness awareness sometimes and sometimes may deliver as a punch across your face. You will wonder on the cinematic peak of the visual language where RGV repeatedly and mercilessly destroys all conventions of cute storytelling and aims for the jugular vein. As breaking rules is what RGV stands for. And, I know he will never stop challenging the regulars and second-handers.
Department has a much better gripping story line than the recent Bollywood like Kahani, Agent Vinod, Houseful2 ,Ishqzaade, Agneepath etc. Although not a nice experiment with new bizarre camera angles, where RGV completely goes Rouge. There are scenes which might have worked good on a normal 50mm. There wee too many close crops. It was also nice to see a director of this stature using Canon5D and 7D for the shoots using multiple cameras at a time. A tight editing by Vinay Abhijit gave a new look to bollywood. it was previously tried in 'Not a love story' but came full on in department.
The story has a penchant of RGV where he excels. Power and fight for power. From the police department to the underworld to politicians , right from Satya, Shiva, Company,Sarkar, he has a tight control on the narratives. This time he has gone to fist fighting more than the gunshots, which ruined the whole concept of killing a gangster. If you wanted to kill someone why to throw punches and then take your pistol and shoot in the end, do it at the beginning itself. Like always said - "when you have to shoot , SHOOT."
The gun blazing scene at blind school shootout was not required and later converted in to fists was a lack. The scenes were little exaggerated but the masala was packed for titular pleasure. So was the unnecessary songs, esp the item number where Nathalia kaur was uncomfortably shaking the booty. and the whole dancing crowd vanished once the shots were fired. RGV should have kept the plot by no to item numbers, better female selection and a better music director (Bappi Lahiri, Dharam-Sandeep, Vikram Magi). Raunchy lyrics and a loud background score was another unnecessary. The female moll -Madhu Shalini was a complete waste and I wonder about the casting credibility of the director. Why he always fails in this department, all his heroines right from Urmilla, Nathalia, Antara, to Madhu has this round faces and sleazy tongues. Even Mrs Sanjay Dutt (in the movie) played by Lakshmi Manchu was given some loud words not those of a elite police class. The conversation between husband and wife was really uncalled and gave a chauvinistic classless feel. Although Lakshmi was better than Anjana Shukhani , who was another dumb doctor in this flick of RGV. It also shows that Lakshmi brings a better screen presence from her American television stints.
Like understood, RGV gives strong characters to his male protagonists. Right from BigB to Sanjay Dutt to Rana Duggubatti to Abhimanyu singh. Sanjay dutt with his sulk-en eyes was a perfect cast for an aging mature rouge police officer while Rana with his too straight face was another rock cut honest fresh cop. Rana stands tall among Bachhan and Dutt, still he needs to bring more wrinkles on his face for a close crop 70mm silver screen. Amitabh was in sarkar's persona preaching Hindu epics and comparing himself with Gautam Buddha. The portrayal of Grey politician with blend of philosophy brought new vividness to this movie. The subtle screenplay to bring the tout thrill on the screen was amazingly good and the central theme of the movie. Vijay raj was good as a local don, but Abhimanyu as DK was completely wasted as a BABY, and RGV failed to utilize the venomous eyes this time. Deepak Tijori with Kohl eyes and a Hogan-ish mustache was a surprise but lost its factor over the time.
Nilesh Girkar had a good story and ended with a hope of Department 2.
RGV, Everybody wants you to bounce back, just make sure you have a better female selection and a better music director. The story was taut and thrilling. Not for front stalls and neither for multiplexes.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Re-imaging Spidey - The Amazing Spider-man
The houseful theaters prove that Spiderman's franchise is way bigger than its movies. It does matter who is the new amazing Spiderman, as long as there is more of Spidey than lame Peter Parker. This is fourth sequel which has more of dark Spider-man and his journey finding himself (unknowingly). The first half of movie is a wasted effort to let us know again how Mr Parker was bitten by a spider in a lab and from a timid school boy he turned into a street fighter and designed a costume to finally become a super hero Spider-man. This was so boring journey to re-visit more humanly spidey , even the web shooters were artificial and Webb didn't draw the hero muscular, taking his vice from Ultimate Spider-man. Webb even made the villain little human and comparing Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard with Godzilla will a similar mistake to that of comparing an ant to an elephant.
Andrew Garfield was honest as a cute next door school boy however less convincing as a superhero and this time there were no great powers hence no great responsibility. but focused on secrets: the ones we keep... and the ones that are kept from us. A secret formula to grow limbs and mutants. We had so many mutant before and it was also surprising to know that the antidote was made before the poison. The movie lacks charisma of a superhero marvel. Neither the Hero nor the Antagonist was big enough to carry the sequel. We have seen everything before.The promise of turning this one a 3D was another failure. You might see less of graphical heights and more of acting prowess of Garfield. While Sam Raimi was more into super sets and better action, Webb drilled down to emotional aspect of a super-hero. Beware Kids may not like this !!! Mary-Jane Watson was replaced by old timer and more punk smart Gwen Stacy. This too blonde actress was a weak link and Emma Stone had some mixed performance. Rhys Ifans was quite convincing than other casts in the movie. Irrfan had better screen presence than Anil Kapoor in Mission -impossible but he never bragged about it and always confessed it as a smaller role. However he might need to put more expression and eyes while delivering in English. Marc Webb is saved by the franchise'........ 2/5
Agent Vinod (2012)
Bond gone Wrong - Agent Vinod
Money spoils everything, Hence proved. With over Rs100 crore of money Agent Vinod went overboard with style and fashion. Sriram Raghvan was a good director, once you get money you loose the plot, and that's what he did. Disappointed. Although a good movie but looking at his standards his worst. If you remember him in Johnny Gaddar which is one of the finest thriller in the history of Bollywood, you will have a much better expectation with Agent Vinod. But the price was paid when you got your actor as a producer.
The movie is good in its wit and humor and in patches along with its support casts. Sin city style casting which gave an impression of sloppy editing and camera angles but soon the movie went linear and with almost not so good story. The loopholes could not hold enough water for the movie and it fell flat on the ground. I can bet it will be another hit because the action sequence are far better and real than comical Salman Khan's movies.The film revolved like a Globetrotter where its easy to jump countries than changing shoes. The Agent went to Russia then Morrorco with just a clue to decode 242 which in turn is just another Nuclear Bomb like any B grade movie. The impossible mission was accomplished by the help of a Pakistani spy with no mission at all. The female spy would simply fall for our Desi agent and forget her agenda. After all there was no agenda of her than to seduce the silver screen. One good thing about this movie is that although it shows Pakistan's ISI chief assassinated by its own subordinate and supporting terrorism but it never bashed Pakistan's sentiments and kept it subtle.
Another loose thing was not to end the movie at the right time and stretching the end in such an unconvincing way that shows Lashkar-e- tauiba as more efficient and proactive. Like always, Sriram, maintained its Homage to Charlie Chaplin, Mahendar Sandhu, Amar Chitra Katha, Amar Akbar Anthony, Vidya Mandir, and many other unnoticeable. The movie went from Afganistan to Russia to Morocco to Latvia to Somalia to Karachi to New Delhi. You will wonder why Maryam Zakaria was packed in a sack in the middle of Kabul just to appear again in Karachi to invite Kareena for a cleavage competition in a routine dance of Dil Mufft ka. The song was unnecessary the same way Gulshan Grover was used, there was no mention of his role and he vanished as soon as song ended. Ram Kapoor was good in a fat Russian drug mafia, however he hired an Indian bodyguard along with too many Russians, another small loophole. While Dhritiman Chatterjee and Adil Hussain were good in their character. It was Anshuman Singhas Jimmy who gave an impressive debut without any screenplay. Zakir Hussain was also good as side kick.Saif Ali khan was sleek and never looked like a suave Jamesbond neither a survivor like Bourne, nor a traveler like Tintin. He was just another Bollywood hero with all the skill set to fight his enemy, right from shooting with efficient aim, driving bikes, chasing girls and flying a helicopter.Kareena's character was a real spoilsport in this movie. She looked amazingly beautiful but too beautiful to do justice to a spy from Pakistan. You might wonder when does a country like Pakistan has really grown out of its male chauvinism to allow such a beautiful spy.
Sriram Raghvan's screenplay was strong and good enough to keep up the pace, however it was not backed by good background score and music. The editing was good and had new pair of scissors in right hands.All I want to say one thing:- I don't watch movies for time-pass, i watch them so that I can enjoy. I have got face book for time-pass
Rockstar (2011)
Rockstar Ali
Imtiaz Ali knows how to start a movie and holds the audience till the end with all the conviction. His research on some iconic figure like Johnny Cash and Jim Morrison was complete which he loosely spun around his college days from Delhi. The Director from Patna had all the right flavors of a college and canteen. Rockstar is more of a story about the fall from the Rise that never was. The movie is well portrayed like the tastes of Devdas or DevD pitched around with guitar instead of alcohol. The subtleness of drug and alcohol is remarkable with Ali's direction. Ali, known for usual Bollywood romantics has come out of his age and getting perfection. although he missed on some minor glitch but the package is delivered.
The movie starts with a flashback and goes to Delhi university where you find a devoted music lesser known artiste, so naive and gullible that he actually goes out to find a heartache and comes back to canteen to eat a plate of samosa. Janardhan aka Jordon aka JJ played by Ranbir kapoor is a jat but has mannerism of a Bihari, must be inspired by Ali's college days. The movie soon goes out to Kashmir and Himachal with superb camera of Anil mehta. The lighting and original locations were shot perfectly. However there was no closeup shot of the protagonist to capture his emotions. The director (may be smart enough) to ignore this and focus on the frame rather than close-ups. The movie rolls down to trips to strip clubs and red light district. Like always Ali's heroines are over chirpy and ready break the stereotype roles. Pakistani American Nargis Fakri is very fresh and delight to eyes. She has got expressions which Katrina misses, and can go beyond her status. Nargis is very easy to the character both as exquisite and fragile. She was also easy with the philosophy of Ali and did full justice to the character. I must not be surprised if I see her one day as leading lady of Bollywood. Her ducky lips so unique that you may not notice the bad dubbing for her mouth delivery. Ali de-focused all other characters, esp Piyush Mishra. Kumud Mishra did suit the role but the movie was more about Ranbir and his muse Fakhri. Shammi Kapoor looked very justifiable as a portray of Ustaad Bismillah khan and his eyes were so good. Indeed a great tribute to the legendary actor. A movie about a Rockstar is incomplete without the superb music department. AR Rahman stood tall on the giants of Mohit Chauhan,Irshad Kamil. The music was blended with the movie so tight that it flow together. "Sadda Haq" is an example of true rock and so is the "Hawa Hawa" of lost Czech legend with superb mix of impulsive lyrics. Irshad provided the soul to the Rockstar, while Rahman did the rest. It's one of the best from Rahman in recent times. Mohit is good with different moods and he definitely rose to new genre.
The movie has some not so good explanation about why Indian media will hunt a lesser known artiste and I have not seen any Rockstar with so much fan following in India and abroad who sings in Hindi. The chemistry between Ranbin and Fakhri was just shown sparking with a sleazy movie invite. The theft of Rs 5 lakhs was never satisfactory to throw out Ranbir from the ancestral home.
The opening lines of movie was right on the spot to set the expectation.
Kahaani (2012)
Kahaani has a script but not conviction
Let me start this by bringing a fact, even a good script which could be delivered in a hollywoodish style should not compare CIA , FBI with that of Indian CID or IB. Our intelligence is not at par with international corruption or intelligence. Indian IB is shown hiring a female stranger to hack their own employee computer, that too when the computer is fitted with a technology which is capable of sending a Red-Flash SMS to the mobile number in a very graphic way. The hacker just need a random punching on the keyboard and bingo you got the 3 layers protected IP address within some 5 minutes. What else you can expect from a director who made Home delivery, Aladin and Jhankaar Beats. Sujoy Ghosh was brilliant in casting some good bengali actors along with Ms Balan and roped them in the streets and bylanes of Calcutta (Kolkatta). The sets were real and had conviction. It was real soothing to eyes that the streets and Police stations were real with real problems. The film opened in hasty and noisy Bengal. Sometimes you might wonder why the director is not stung by any Harry potter style sets (Remember Aladin). The story was tense enough to build an ambiance but kept failing towards the end and finally was slaughtered, and at this point when you look back to the story you might laugh. The story of fake husbands and pregnancy might have occurred to many and Nemesis of names was the game of the movie.
You might wonder how can a lady just arrived from London with a revenge and a perfect plan for a plot everybody will fall. The voluptuous woman after 2 years of training still remains voluptuous. The murder attempt at Vidya and the fearful runaway was so fake that a woman with such a deadly intention would not fall for it. The story was unfolded little late and the surprise factor was spoilt before it was delivered. Sending the much needed man Damji to collect the evidence by the IB chief was too fictitious.
I would still like to love this movie due to actors like Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Chatterjee was a treat to eyes and a fresh face for Bollywood and he did his justice to the character of a fresh sub inspector. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as IB Maa ki Khan had some intense moment. His flawed moustache was unimportant when you look into the eyes and read his lips. Vidya balan was her usual better that the sultry Silk from Dirty picture. This movie was a blend of Kolkatta and Balan. The screenplay was right and with the good intent. The surprise factor was Saswata Chatterjeeas as Bob Biswas the LIC agent and the contract killer. The dumb look and the zeal for the kill after saying a loose namaste was amazing and a treat to eyes.
The music was very bengali in nature and matched the infatuation of director for the love of the city. The song 'akela chalo' was good in the end but unnecessary at first place breaking the flow of the movie. shankar Ehashaan and Loy's effect went unnoticed. The movie was about a pregnant Vidya, Mysterious husband and Calcutta.
The taut story could have more conviction.
Paan Singh Tomar (2012)
best of recent times
Always Promising Tigmanshu Dhulia has finally delivered its master piece in form of a biopic Paan singh Tomar. The well done research and time proved the right ingredient for the cult classic. India has one good movie which deals with sports (exception of Chak De! India), which is highly unlikely in bollywood portrayals.
The steeplechase race was another unlikely sport, but on silver screen the first half was marvelous. Dhulia and Irrfan right from Haasil was a good Jodi altogether. They both had their due finally. Right from being the assistant Director from Bandit Queen and the association with Shekar Kapur proved this movie worth of its salt. A word of mouth story melting with the glitterati of glamor world was significantly fantastic. Irrfan delivered its another best, totally involving in the character. The races and practice never looked superficial and had content till the depth. While irrfan transition from an Athlete to that of a dacoit in the middle ages man was brilliant. All credit goes to the actor himself. He is such a silk, crease-less.
The screenplay by Dhulia was another remarkable feat reached to the zenith. The movie had its touch of emotions raking the nervous right till the end of credit roll. It will keep you glued to the fact of unjust poverty our athletes face. The raw and bitter facts were introduced and a subtle take on today's IPL and Cricket frenzy nation was very obvious. Did anyone know of Paan singh or the Steeplechase race sport ever? I bet !!
The rustic approach as always of central and eastern India could not be better than this. The chambal valley was shown with villages had a sense of accomplishment. While the army barracks and story was very close to the real story. The steeplechase running sequence with a flashing editing was a stealer. You can notice the hand swirl before every jump. The expression and deep eyes of Paan singh was the keystroke of Irrfan captured very well. The story of dacoit and its ply was smooth and explained the unjust system of Indian politico. Even the caste system deeply rooted and supported by police and politics was well directed. Dhulia was excellent in portraying the small details of a subedaar's personal life and his love towards his lady. There was humor in all the movie. The end could have been no better. The chambal became steeple- chased for Paan Singh Tomar. Making the story out of interviewing Tomar's surviving family members and visiting his native village, Dhulia was really Intrigued about Tomar's largely forgotten several records is an achievement in itself. India and its apathy towards the Olympians are a food for thought. A powerful film made into a cult.
Aarakshan (2011)
Aarakshan- A failure
Let me make it clear, Aarakshan is not about reservation or caste feuds but its more about the existence of two coaching centers although based out of different ideologies. The circumstantial controversies were false and farce. Prakash Jha failed to raise the social issues like he did it before in Damul, Mrityudand, Gangajal or Apaharan . The title is misleading and the biggest disappointment. One may feel cheated , expecting the big battle of Indian caste system and reservation of SC/ST/OBC. One may expect some great screenplay of both sides but the movie and Jha falters completely and is in lack of words when asked whose side the protagonist is? The film opens very poorly in an interview room where the questions are asked about the mother who is maid in a sarcastic way by so called high castes interviewer. It was so unreal that the mood was set to be not in sync with the director's view. The honor was lost with the dialog of Tehzeeb. Within the 10 minutes of beginning you were bombarded with two useless songs, defying the mood further. Jha was never good with songs earlier and still he is not. All the characters were introduced slowly without a clear explanation. There were some good exchange of words to arouse the heat but it all fell flat on the ground like a fallen ash. It explains that even a good topic can be worthless without the good narration and script. The Film looses plot of reservation and started churning the illogical fight between two coaching centers. Definitely the second plot was based of Anand's Super-30 which churns IITians from the poorest family of Bihar with 100% success rate. Even Prakash Jha inspired the name of lead protagonist as Prabhakar Anand , played by Amitabh Bachchan. But in real Mr Anand didn't face any competition from any commercial coaching institutes neither from any College nor politicians. The characters were not sketched clearly and lacked commitments.
Deepika Padukone was too unreal for city like Bhopal where she was seen moving around with a Dalit Saif, hand in hand wearing designer salwars. Saif role was too short for any comment. His UK migration and abrupt end of his Phd was never explained. The mustache looked good on him. Praetik Babbar failed again with his way of mouthing dialogues. He has lost confidence and that shows that why he was not at all liked. Manoj Bajpayi was a caricature with a funny wig. The last 15 minutes of the movie, he literally lost it all. The strong character was turned into a caricature. Amitabh Bachchan had nothing new to offer, he played the extension of his role from Mohabbatein. His wardrobe was changed with his voluntarily retirement in a drastic manner and his only saving was a house which was given on rent to provide a platform for this circus. Overall movie has only few scenes which touched the right cord, when a lost daughter comes back to home and hugs her father saying sorry and confessing that she is hungry was brilliant coming out of jha's brilliant past. The whole plot of STM college and KK coaching center was so unreal as if only these two sources of education exits in a city like Bhopal. Where you will find and education minister playing all sort of smaller games. The audiences were hoping something big.
The film also lacks historical correctness and chronographical sequences. This issue based movie changed its issue amidst of the movie and became a thudddddd....
Ra.One (2011)
biggest bore
I want to tell Mr Shahrukh Khan a few things:-
1. A movie needs a script and a screenplay. 2. I guess lately you have watched a lot of Golmaal Kinda series, people don't expect cheap satire from you. 3. Jokes about penis(Main point) and Boobs are not for family viewing. They will hate you. 4. Your son in the movie should not look like a girl. 5. A robot cannot dance and sing and have dimples. 6. A child cannot dream like opening scene with lots of adult content.And When he hates his father how can he dream him as a hero. 7. Being cheap and funny are two separate things. 8. How was G-one introduced in real world? Can you please explain again? 9. I have not seen a south Indian eating noodles mix with curd. Although they love curd but they know how to eat Chinese. 10.Spending too much on promotion was waste. You could have hired a better director and a script writer. 11. Have you watched Anubhav's last movies? 12. Since you were cheap and low, you could done a little bit more for the hemline of Karina's white dress in the Criminal song. 13. Nobody has wasted Rajnikanth yet. He was useless here for your waste. 14. Stop watching other Superstar's movies. 15. Resign and behave!
Don't expect even half of Star.
Agneepath (2012)
Agneepak
Dharma production was very right to choose a remake of a blood stained drama from its own stable but picked totally wrong script and ensemble. It would have been much better if the name was changed to something else. There was no Vijay Deenanath Chavhan and Karan Johar is no Ram Gopal Varma. The shades of RGV shown using bad lights destroyed the content of débutante director Karan Malhotra. He did eliminated important roles of Mithun and others but the story was not kept at vigil. With much less gore and glory this remake cannot beat the original. There was no scar neither face. The set was so dramatic it never looked real. Right from the old tree to the light houses to the Kancha's den. The whole burned sky look was adding unnecessary look of a animated and intimated scenes. The Movie opens with a weak lines and this time the father was not Aloknath the master. Master Manjunath in the original was better than his eyes filled with rage than the remake's protagonists. Yes, Hritik is indeterminately does not have the persona of Amitabh Bachhan neither the rage of young angry man. This is not the only place where filmed failed, you need to find a convincing story to make believe. Young Vijay was perfectly cast and he showed some anger with his eyes. You will also wonder about a brown eyed boy grows to become a green eyes man.
Sanjay Dutt's character was a caricature and there was no zeal of a dreadful villain. Rather he was holed up in Mandwa islands by a newly created role of Rauf lala. While Rishi kapoor's character was a real treat to eyes and he is really a wonderful actor. He had passion and expression for the right times. Right from the Child-seller to a Butcher to a drug kingpin, he suited to all the characters like an honest skin. Inspector Gaitonde was a waste and kept to a minimum. Om puri empathy towards vijay was never explained and the movie missed the Mother and son's chemistry. Rather it showed a emotional scene of brother meeting his young sister in a rightful way and the only scene hitting the cord. All the songs were useless and unnecessarily breaking the flow and intent. Ajay-Atul music could be missed. There was no Govinda Govinda chants like that of Sarkar's background score but a noisy and weak score of Hare Krishna and Hare Rama midst of Ganesha Visarjan, surprised! Karan should learn more from Mukul Anand who later gave us Khuda Gawah and Hum with almost same casts. Did someone say Priyanka Chopra ?
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission: Impossible - L(Gh)ost Protocol
Ethan Hunt is not James Bond. Ghost protocol is directed by Brad Bird, his first real action venture after Pixar animated movies, and here he failed. The story had flaws but which MI movies didn't, but they were saved by superb action sequences and gadgets. This movie has lots of gadgets but they don't serve the purpose of just being too kinky but overdone. The stunts are nothing new and will not hold your nerves. The thrill is missing and you hear murmurs inside theater on very first show. Tom cruise was also the star and producer of the movie and film is really working on his shoulders. The movie started lacking its grip the moment Tom cruise rescued another lunatic Drug dealer from the unnecessary jailbreak scene. The whole story was plotted against a nuclear submarine launch based in Russian waters which was triggered from India to hit USA. The motive behind this and why IMF got their Intel was never clear.
The movie moved from Budapest to Russia to Dubai and to India, with all the baggage and gadgets required for a complete mission. Knowing that the countries are hostile in some or the other aspects. Dubai city had no weather department to forecast a sand storm and no rescue work. and you hit a car in the middle of sand storm was a way too much. The best carved action sequence of towering Burj Khalifa was a joke as it didn't serve any purpose other that eye candy. Ethan Hunt could have used the elevator instead. Coming to movie's part shot in Mumbai,India:- The cars were shown all left handed wheel and with wrong number plates all over. A shame on the research team . The Mumbai road signs and other boards were in Kannada, which should have been in Marathi or Hindi or just plain English. The characters in movie had nothing much to do other than some cool one- liners and stunts. The movie just looks like another Jason Bourne or Hit-man or another Another.
The Dirty Picture (2011)
Dirty Picture is over-hyped and over cleavage
This is not a biopic of "Silk Smitha", Milan clarified that its not based on Silk but loosely inspired from the story of sensation of south India in 80's. Its becoming trend to lose or gain weight to do justice for the role, but that doesn't justify a good movie. Vidya Balann also put on 15 kgs as per demand of the role and the propaganda, she looked fat, the fat which one acquires after alcohol and age and this fat was beautiful for the character. The titillating and distasteful dialouges ruined the entire movie. Milan was always a Masala director and this movie needed a thoughtfulness about a B grade actor, about her zeal for life and fame. He completely missed it and thus the movie lost the content.The story never justified the runaway teen and her way of talks early in the movie, missing the entire plot. The lecherous role of Nassiruddin Shah was also not sketched well. The Movie looked like a slapstick and serious at the same time and that's where it failed.
Let's talk about Vidya now.. She got cleavage and she showed it maximum. The screenplay will make you feel that you are watching a B grade movie. She got the emotions but Milan Luthria failed to portray them , he was not able to focus above the chest to the face. It was indeed a bold attempt from Ms Balan. Tusshar was completely forced written and as producer's brother he was not manly enough even with the thick mustache. He lacked the depth of a serious lover and failed to stand in the times of crisis. He mouthed very bad lines and I ll blame the screenplay. Rajat Arora seems to only research the cheap gossip columns and hence the ugly caricature of Anju Mahendru. The lone journalist in the movie was a wolf or a fox or a cow, you will never know. There is so little know about the Real Silk that the screenwriter missed the biopic stuffs and launched a full throbbing cleavage thumping movie. Emraan Hashmi was cool in the dark linen suits and the only saving grace in the movie. He has evolved with some seriousness. The movie was told as his flashback memory but why. He got some good wolf whistling dialogues. The editing by Akiv Ali is very shady and goes black at times and the lighting's are too dark for movie of glittering status. Vidya Balan's Costumes are unnecessary made filthy, it would have been good if those were kept for movies inside the movie. If you want to whistle throughout watching the thighs and plump bosoms filled with dramatic dialogues, go for it. After all it's not "Boogie Nights" neither "Gia" nor Vidya is Angelina Jolie as Gia Marie Carangi.
Shaitan (2011)
Shaitan's not enough Horns but Bunny Ears
Shaitan's not enough Horns but Bunny Ears When you saw credit and special thanks to Danny Boyle at the end credit of "DEVD" and "GULAL" you often wondered, how could Anurag Kashyap follow Danny Boyle. Nevertheless we have seen the gory Drugs and Killers in the banned PAANCH, which was a true story based out of Pune. This first movie of Anurag was what we all remember, Disturbing and too black. But when you bring Danny boyle's Trainspotting and a dash of Clockwork Orange which you cannot turn it into a better cocktail but mess up like that of a bloody merry with all the wrong spices. And when you mix bullshit with blood you cannot get a Kubrik style clockwork, neither a thriller like Fincher. Even a copy of Anurag's nemesis RGV would have been much better for this Black yet Gray roller coaster. 'Very Bad Things' and a used story about fail self-kidnapping midst Drugs and an accident like that of 'I know what you did last summer' doesn't keep you off the edge but drags you with its not so psychedelic camera movements. The slow and fast editing were not synchronized and orchestrated , which yield in a mild headache. and then you wished you too could us your own share of cocaine.
On the top of that you have a Cop Vs Cop feature which is far from the reality and a Von gogh Painting which can be bought by an Mumbai Inspector and pissing him through his divorce. The Dumb inspector wife was missing a screenplay, while whole movie was scattered by a missing screenplay. The dialogues were shared like a good Hindi speaking parsi and a NRI as like an Apple and an Orange. Both Sour. Music was loud and not a score.Slow song sequences of 'Khoya khoya chand' in a stairway chawl with a cop shooting drug handlers could not be a comparison of "Singing in the rain" nor the Tarantino's Pulp fiction. It was a complete waste of old classic and a editing team of A. Sreekar Prasad. Bejoy Nambiar took the inspiration from Kashyap's previuos flick but could follow in his footstep. The stakes were high and delivery was a short pitched Bollywood weekend masala. I missed the songs like that of Anurag's previous ventures.
However the casts were good enough especially Raj Kumar Yadav and Rajiv Khandelwal . Character of Dash and KC were badly written and badly performed by Shiv Pandit and Gulshan Devaiya. Both were not crazy enough to justify KK's role in PAANCH. Tanya was a misfit in this total trendy color frenzy flick. She mouthed the worst line too- "Hollywood, how many men have you slept with?" While Pavan Malhotra was good enough as a Police commissioner and has grown with his acting. Coming to Kalki , the muse and now the wife of Kashyap was in the delusion of her mother in a frantic way which killed the opening and end of this movie. The dead mother in the Bathtub with soapy bubbles was all about a bad hallucination. A reference uttered through the film by Amy - Kalki's character. Although she did some justice in some of the scenes but could not be a stealer. You can straight blame it to the direction and cinematography (Madhi ).
What could have been a CULT was wasted by Nambiar.
Saurabh Sharan
Shagird (2011)
Old and dated Shagird
Old and dated Shagird Nana Patekar plays a smart cop who is not honest but likable. He mouths smart and witty dialogues, Kills anyone for money, wires money to New- Zealand and takes the politicos by his stride. Ab tak chappan guys is more witty and plays more dangerously for more green bucks. But the buck stops here with loopholes. Haasil director Tigmanshu Dhulia who once made a good college - political drama, doesn't go strong with Cop-politicians game. Indeed he calls it Chor -police khel rahe hai. The casting was good from the likes of Dil se and Bandit queen and so was the screenplay. The witty humor and rustic north Indian touch were fantastic . Although a senior inspector mouthing those lines may look unreal but was good. The Tarzan one was really hilarious.
The casts include Mohit Alawat, a tall and handsome hunk into the police with the unfading dearth of mysteries around him. He is one actor play best without dialogues. Other casts like Zakir hussein was brilliant. Looks like the casting director Tigmanshu Dhulia himself picked the whole casts from Ram Gopal Varma's factory and it strikes a general note. Anurag Kashyap tries hard to play a cool Allahabaadi criminal and mouths some silly humors too. He was fitted in the character. Only misfit was the female protagonist, Rimi Sen, who plays a modern journalist from Aaj-tak covering all king of stories and wears a spaghetti top. The loopholes continues with senior Inspector holding a press conference, in-charge of terrorist kidnapping case, cops beating terrorists in tihar jail, embezzling crores of cash crops and many more. But when I treat this movie as Masala action twister, it doesn't betray me.The twists are boggling but story is flat. Nana Patekar plays Hanumant singh like the way he is. He got most of the screen space and screenplays and he did quite a good. He lacks when he cries and fails completely. There was no need to bring the old muse Hrishita Bhatt for kissing old politicians, Thank God, we were saved from another item number.The music and background score didn't made and mark and went unnoticeable. Not so Far yet Not so Near.
It lies in between Haasil and Charas.
Avatar (2009)
Avatar: beyond the bandwagon
Avatar: beyond the bandwagon
A Critical Analysis.
I was wondering why the name Avatar first, checked Wiki and got this as an explanation, In Hinduism Avatar or Avatāra (Devanagari Sanskrit for "descent" viz., from heaven to earth) refers to a deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth, and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation", but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation". 1 In the movie however the Blue humans were considered as humans and Humans were like Gods from Above Earth. Hilarious but acceptable.
Then I checked Avatar on Google on its uses. The proliferation of avatar's second meaning can be traced to Second Life, a multiplayer online virtual world, where players fashion their own online personae called avatars. Yahoo! implores instant messengers to "Express yourself with Yahoo! Avatars" (barely customizable icons) — a synonymy of online personae has emerged.2 Now here we have James Cameroon imagination coming to reality on celluloid as Avatar. Yes most expensive film ever made, and most talked film of the decade perhaps the century. Jim became the God. However for a movie which lacks the thrill, punch lines and above all a nice story. Anyways none of the previously released movie of Cameroon has a great story. He relied more on technology and always believed in pushing its limits. And he has done a marvelous job by doing Avatar. Avatar is not an animated movie, as assumed by many. But its graphically made like 300,Harrypotter series and many so what was new here, nothing even the hype was same like before a little more glorified. The entire world crashed for Bandwagon effect. I also read some critics saying that "Avatar" story is too simple, one Gujarati critic Jay Vasavda wrote that the story was kept intentionally simple so that the audience can be visually mesmerized instead of getting diverted with the complexity of the story. It means that he wants to convey the message that James Cameroon is not smart enough to handle a complex story with visuals as great. Either one has to take a back seat. Poor Jim. I consider Jurassic park and Matrix for bringing cult status by technology. Avatar is just an extension with extra hype. I don't have to visit movie theatres to see technology and no story. Jim tried to put the Navis expressions in the frame but again it was too plastic and digital that it lacked passion and yielded too many yawns. A kid will surely enjoy the movie for its action and adventure. T2 was a masterpiece and so was Titanic. Avatar is obviously better than piranha's II, Abyss, and true lies. Increasing heights, changing colors and decreasing few fingers can convert a human into navis. The funny part is that you have a tail and a plug-in like tentacle. The plug like is like a male multi threaded pin plug which you can plug into horses, UFB(Un identified flying birds). To tame anything even plants all u need is to pull and plug. The glowing jungle looks mesmerizing but is kept too dark and bluish. The philosophy of transmogrification looks so insipid that you may feel a sense of easy imagination adding some extra masala off your kitchen self. Calvin's transmorgnifier box was only better to scare Hobbes, but we are not stuffed toys. The Human chief looks very ill and too inhuman in the actions. There was a clear antithetical between good and bad, Humans were not humans and the non-Humans were like Humans. Jake was the link between these two worlds, fevicoled by a bollywoodish love story. Guy meets gal in the jungle. With his childish calm and naughtiness win over her heart then fight with the world to win over gal's society. DDLJ rings the bell. Not exactly; but a bell is a bell and it may sound akin.
Antardwand (2008)
Antardwand: A war within
Antardwand: A war within
After every darkest night, you witness the brightest day. Antardwand is definitely not the simile for the Bollywood rampant churning of movies. Once in every while you see a movie which will be with you for a longer time. Such is Antardwand, a movie made on shoe-string budget by Ranchi's director Sushil Rajpal.
Based upon real events around Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern UP, this story is about the taboo, well accepted by certain castes & society. Movie explores the lives affected by this raunchy social ill- practice called 'Groom abduction' or 'Pakrauah/Jabariya shaadi'. By demanding more Dowry and harassing bride side can have side effects for the groom side too. In this competitive "Moonch ki Shaan ki Ladaai", the victim is oneself. The story brilliancy was to capture the effect on each side of this forced marriage. The loose end was very well justified, giving you a piece of food for your thought. The camera and the cut were well executed. Maybe a little higher budget would have given a better glow to the frames. The Rustic shots and the location were carefully chosen. The screenplay was loud and very close to the core, as it should be if you are shooting a real film. And so were the casts, close to the core, chosen especially from the state itself to give the real flavor conviction. Antardwand does not seek to entertain or titillate the audience like "Peepli Live!"; it is a drama that will leave you stunned.
It cannot be more authentic than this that the language, the locations and everything else looked real. Even a feudal lord was shown helpless with all the Pehlwaans and police on his side. The human character was haloing over each character. Right from being an IAS aspirant to a helpless man who has no clue and control, the protagonist was shown lost in this social taboo, a taboo which a bollywood hero even cannot solve.
Raj Singh Chaudhary has evolved himself heavily from Gullal, yet another remarkable performance. The expression full eyes with a clue of bewilderness were very powerful, and so was his helplessness. The characters were strengthen by all the remaining, esp. by Swati Sen. This debutant from Bihar itself, has made a landmark with the expressions. And Sushil made no mistakes in capturing that. Right from 'the first touch of the bride' to 'Martial rape'to 'the rising of a lady'. She showed the maturity and a promise which can be relative of Smita patil.
And so was Vinay Pathak, the scene where he is a strong, no nonsense male chauvinist yet a father, holding a telephone and advising his son was rare. Perfection, he did match. The scripts were so real you could feel that a father is talking to you, when you are in a trouble, Friendly yet affirmative with a reference to your mother. Ditto for Akhilendra Mishra, a brilliant portray of an egoist father, who has accepted his mistakes but cannot really show. Jaya Bhattacharya and Neelima were sexually suppressed characters in the male dominated feudal society. Songs from Amitabh Verma's pen were tight as scripts and did not break the flow of the movie. He did a marvelous job for writing the dialogues and screenplay as authentic as possible. No leaf was turned out by his writing.
A movie to cherish the cinema art, after a very long time since Benegal and Nihalani.
The Film Emotional Atyachar (2010)
Treacherous but Emotional Atyachar
Treacherous but Emotional Atyachar A Dark, Gloomy Road movie
where is EA?
After watching the movie you will wonder why the title Emotional Atyachar, with a prefix 'the film'. That too after winning a lawsuit against UTV movies that air a reality shows by the same name, of course without the prefix. "Emotional Atyachar" is not every one's cup of tea. The movie takes a leap out from Guy Ritchie's gore and dark humor with blood splurging like Quentin Tarantino's movies.
Definitely Akshay Shere had watched "Lock Stock and two smoking barrels" and "Snatch", but guys this one is original and not a copy. The thriller is stitched with vendetta and slack humor. As Taran Adarsh said:-"One has to be attentive, sorry, very attentive while watching The Film Emotional Atyachar. This one's not the leave-your-brains-at-home types, for sure. The story of the film is truly hatke and its execution, double hatke. In fact, it takes time to grasp the goings-on initially because the characters aren't connected with one another and also, there're multiple stories running concurrently."
The non-linear story line and an abrupt time-scale will keep you glued to your seat till first half, then the story will unfold to a filmi- unpredictable but comfortable ending. Akshay has definitely learned from Ram Gopal Varma, being his assistant director in the classic Sarkar and a good Shiva. Moreover the actors are either from RGV's factory or Anurag kashyap's Camp.
Anand Tiwari scores full after learning from Slumdog millionaire, Udaan and Mumbai meri jaan. He is too good in all the small roles, focusing on ethical and moral accomplice of the clan who is very far away from the same. A noticeable act and well done.
The Duo is back with a bang again, their chemistry that too dark one is something to cherish. Yes, Ranvir-Vinay are the king of humors. The dialogues and monologues' between them are complimenting each other and a pleasure to watch. While Abhimanyu Singh was wasted like a virgin gangster wearing Ed-hardy T shirts and drinking beer. Whatever small role was given to him as an incompetent casino Casanova was played well. Ravi Kissen is always good in Tapori lingo and his character was too dark. Snehal Dabhi entertains us with his fat body and acts. Mohit Ahlawat is looking shady and innocent like always and good to watch. A job done with perfection. The only female character, Kalki was good as a charming, flirtiest.
There is a scene which can inspire Pulp-Fiction, a scrappy knife looking for a bullet but yields everything else from the body
A very nicely captured scene. The camera-work is perfect with some wide angle CCTV look and top shots. The background score too supports the camera in a subtle way. There is only one unnecessary short song; however it didn't distract the movie. Kartik Krishnan's dialogues are great and punched with some hard hitting humor.
At par with Johnny Gaddar, a perfect watch for those who would like edgy and knack of raw & dark movies.Oops Did i miss Reservoir Dogs !!!??
Turning 30!!! (2011)
Turning Off at 30!
Turning Off at 30! Turning 30! had a lot of speculation because it's from Prakash Jha's stable and you have the lass from Dor and Dhoop. However the speculation and reality does not always go together. Sometimes a small script is filled with chewing gums to stretch it to make a full movie. The debutant director Alankita Srivastav , a long time assistant of Prakash Jha, was good in patches. The film was like a soap straight from the TV sitcoms. And this time the Gum was doses of endless beer and 'F' words, endless one night stand jokes,pre marital sex, smooches, sharing relationship, a quick Court win, all silly jokes about mid age-ers, gays and lesbians, lady Chetan Bhagat, wonder Bra and a Raunchy Gigolo Bar. The director used all the urban masala and lingo but forgets to mix in well with right proportions. Somehow when I see the projects where Alankita had her works gives a disagreement that she is the same lady who worked as an assistant in movies like Dil Dosti etc, Gangajal, Khoya Khoya Chand, Apharan etc...
Gul Panag, impressive but she is better on Twitter. The actor works perfectly in patches and suits the role of women turning 35. She was subtle and in the skin of the character. She was excellent as a desperate girl who wanted her BF badly and was begging with her breath and submission, when his guy came to collect his stuff. But failed when she needed to mouth those unspeakables. Another remarkable performance was Tillotama Shame, the girl who played the lesbian BFF. She was too natural with the emotions and the eyes. Definitely another find by Mr Jha, She is worth a watch. Rest of the characters were just doing their roles in their own limitations. Purab kohli was a waste and didn't have much to prove. The music and background score was just OK to be there. And so was the screenplay and a very average cinematography. There were few one-liners which can be picked up by the youth but overall a very patchy an substandard work. None of the songs were catchy or worth listening. The end speech of the movie was well crafted and got a good effort from the protagonist. Too cliché at times, mix of 'Sex & City' and 'Bridget Jones's Diary' had nothing new to offer. Wished more Hindi in this Hinglish Chick Flick.
Khichdi: The Movie (2010)
Khichdi- A Dose of Unlimited Thali
Khichdi- A Dose of Unlimited Thali is not just a dish made of rice and daal, but this Khichdi has all the M for Garam Masalas, T for Lemons and B for Fried Onions'- Tadka maad ke !!!!!
You will not only be served with Khichdi but the full unlimited thali. And you will get:
Ghee :as Witty lines are the USPs Baingan ka Bharta:Jayshree Enjoy Aaloo ka bharta (mashed potato with onions, green chili and salt):Hansa and crisp Papad : Tulsidas get along with Pickles too: Praful Then lick tomato chutney (blanched tomato, onion, green chili): Lady Parminder and finally Raita: Himanshu.
The TV sitcom has come to silver screen, and a movie buff like me who never watches these sitcoms was all surprised. The laughter kept coming in small pockets from this super-characterization of Parekh families. The movie will not push you with the humor, but the consistent smile with the non consistent head shakes that will make you wonder about the silly and witty lines. The whole family is real stupid, down to the core. At least the khichdi is clean and hygienic, with no double meaning at all like our new generation of comedy. Yes the whole family can watch and enjoy this Gujju delicacy.
This is an answer to The Simpsons and his family of idiots, You cannot find better idiots than them. The screenplay is not idiotic but smart and rule the movie. Real dumb and dumber and dumberer. The camera and direction is simple and no special mention is required. The forced songs are useless but again spoof, however the market song is better. All the actors are well justified and they are within the skin of their TV roles.
2star for the screenplay and the courage of transforming small screen coms to silver screen.
Dabangg (2010)
Salmanator
Salmanator
You will chuckle, you will laugh, you will smile and you will pity on yourself for being a part of billion. Welcome to the true form of Bollywood. A new superstar is Born, Rajnikanth can retire now; Salman, at least he doesn't need a wig. A movie which never intended to have a story, direction or acting but there is Salman Khan- A protagonist, who cannot dance, nor can deliver a dialogue, cannot cry, and above all who cannot act. Aren't these enough?
Dabangg is a masterpiece of the lowest level and it can't get bigger than that. Salman is Dabangg or Dabangg is Salman? Definitely a Mustache and an Aviator looks great on Chulbul. Picture this, Sholay's Director Ramesh Sippy and Debutant Director Abinav Kashyap's discussion: RS: What is there in your Film, Sholay has everything, iss movie mein action hai, drama hai , comedy hai , tragedy hai
AK: Issme Salman Khan Hai.
An old story like an old wine but surely with a knack and you won't get any loo time during entire movie. You will need to hold 'em till the end. This is entirely Salman Khan's Launch to superstardom. He has delivered the silly bathroom dialogues at his best which nobody else could ape, Forget Amitabh, Clint or Pacino. It's a 2 minute Maggie Masala Noodle pack with no exclusive ingredient but surely comes with a Masala tastemaker, which will be licked each time when served on the silver-plate.
There is a term in Bollywood – "Paisa Vasool". And you will get your worth from Dabangg. The promos itself came with guarantee. This is one such of a cult movie which was declared hit before it was released. The only marketing which lowered the expectation was trailer itself which featured all the best punch lines from this movie. Pandeji a.k.a Robinhood a.k.a Chulbul was everywhere in the movie, such that you will miss presence of any other actor. Although the new kid on the block was impressive even while sharing screen with none other than Salman Khan. Sonakshi Sinha, The muse from Patna, revoked the Gaon ki Gori's Fantasies. Promising lass, her eyes were expressive and had depth. Wait and watch the Real Khamosh Girl. No comments on any other character both behind the screen or on-screen, include the director.
No star for this Movie, But it's worth a watch.
Aisha (2010)
Clueless Aisha Tentwali
Clueless Aisha Tentwali
One thing this movie teaches youà to Avoid L'Oreal. And it's the Eye mascara to be very specific. Jane Austen died for the fourth time today (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Clueless). Thanks to Kapoors...
Sonam kapoor is still a kid and that's too daddy's kid. His freakishness will surely make your head go wag. The fashion statements and the svelte looked so fragile on her thin frame that it gave Size Zero a competition. The Always-Open-wide-Smiling-Mouth was such a distress that one could bang one's head onto the theater's wall. New face- Amrita Puri played a nice middle class Shefali with a naive, gullible character, and believe me she looked more beautiful than fashionable AISHA.
Thanks to the guys for the rescue
Randhir gambhir was humorous but expressionless as he was a MTV Bakra himself. Looks like Abhay Deol is left unjustified with not so complicated act... unconventional hero in a fashion "chick-flick". Nice choice but a misfit......He was there just to throw some punch line after reading too many read-between-the-lines dialogues. Some sexy River rafting shots were taken,the designer shorts and dresses looks pretty on Lisa Hayden.It was good that she didn't have much to say in the movie. Upper-class shopping and lifestyle was captured well. some nice lines--- Aisha-"you will never know a girl." Arjun-"I just know women" Rajshree Ojha seems lost in Delhi holding Gucci bags, Luis Vitton Suitcase, Dior Perfume, Chanel's Perfume, D&G belts, Elle,
. His Close- ups were so out of focus that you paid more attention to bad screenplays. An inspiration from Kjo's KKHH didn't help him much. A predictable end of a freaky fashion show.
Qualifies only for negative stars.
Peepli [Live] (2010)
Peepli Life!
Peepli Life!
The film opens well with a shattered dream and rousing track from the talented stable of Indian Ocean. The village of Mukhya Pradesh was captured in the real delight and its sorrow. A remorseful sadness of Farmer's plight was made humorous, just to have a silent impact near the credit roll. The Indian satire by NDTV journalist Anusha Rizvi's first directional debut without Aamir Khan's production would not have hit the bull's eye, but it's a well timed with screenplay. Camera was held in the darkest village neatly.The screenplay was harsh and real with no sugarcoating.
Raghuvir Yadav's funny deliveries and the far-cry were marvelous. He is one actor still close to Earth and Theatre. A nice choice of theater artists in this movie was the first score and a sure win. Small laughter and small dialogues' made the first half chirpy and interesting.
Malaika Shenoy as TV anchor did not do justice to a well educated, smart and confident women, however the punch line was delivered with an impact-"You are in the wrong profession" when referring to the ethical and emotions dilemma related to the job of a journalist.
Shalini Vatsa as Dhaniya was amazingly good and humorous, she was always great with the humor time and a expression well held.
Farukh Jaffer as Amma was the best in the lot, she got all the best dialogues and did full justice to a bed ridden irritate rustic approach.
Finally, Manikpuri -the silent scapegoat of the tragedian satire. Makeup and Hairs were well justified with his subtle laughter of innocence.
Inspired by Premchand's Godan and the suicidal statistics of farmer's suicide in India have a message in the end. There was a silent tribute to Hori and Dhaniya by giving the characters name from Munshi's story of Indian peasant. Hori's death was the turning point of the movie, which ended in Priyadarshan's style of ending the movie with all the characters in a confused run. Movie lacked the content and flow by repeating the media craziness behind the TRP's. It's hard to make believe that people are taken so easily, even in remote villages. Bureaucrats and the media were also shown completely in low tastes.
Laal Bahudur (Literallly: Strong Red) had a mystery behind it and when it was revealed it was not red at all but green. It was a real delight to see the government take on announcing Yojnas— Laal Bahadur, Jawahar nivas, Annapurna and above all Nattha card.
All the actors did their part, not to mention the only star- Naseeruddin Shah; He was too polished and smart with an American seed company as state agriculture minister. His attire and accent didn't suit the agriculture industry.
This movie had a collection of best songs and folks. "Chola Mati Ke Ram- Tanvir" by a MP folk singer Siwar was brilliant. Mehngai Dayan by Raghuveer Yadav was equally good, and with good rustic lyrics. Then we had the maestro Zindagi Se Darte Ho and Desh mera by Indian Ocean, with nice fusion of folk and rock.
By the way do you remember American Classics "Meet john Doe" and the media carnival in "Ace in the Hole". I hope Rizvi should have taken more examples from the real India than simply showing the mad rush of Media and a suicidal man. The subtle character of the Hori, the man who digs and sells some Earth for mere Rs 15 was more impactive.
Could have been a well deserved debut.
4stars for a very good casting, very good selection of songs, and a brilliant screenplay. The artistic capture of the dug well by Hori, depicts the silver lining of a dark cloud , as the well had started showing signs of some water body beneath it.
Aashayein (2010)
Aashayein and Expectations
Aashayein and Expectations
It's a movie where reality meets fantasy. Nagesh Kukunoor have always dealt real issues in a very subtle ways and showcased us the true beauty behind the camera. Be it Dor, Iqbal or Hyderabad Blues' the story lines were greatly woven with camera-work and screenplay. Aashayein lacked in story and screenplays. But kukunoor knows how to extract the performances from the casts.
The moment the protagonist wears the cowboy's hat of Harrison Ford and lands into Ark full of Ghosts, the story looked childish. Before this turn, the first half is worth watching and it was touching the nerves. Soon the contact with emotional aspect got lost and a thrill ride happened. The entire human aspect of the movie lost its meaning.
The Movie opened with a very great camera and a real betting zone where one easily win some 3 crore Rupees. Another marvelous moment followed with a small party and a proposal. The Director didn't spend much time telling you the dilemma the movie is going to deal. After all you need money to die too...
Enter Hospice, where the death is not serious and looked like a filmi- set. Sonal Sehgal looked efficiently beautiful. Nagesh was sure that this girl does not need a makeup to be more beautiful. Her performances were carried well. Anita Nair as an obnoxious kid was brilliant with a Wiggy effect. The last wish was something one could die for. She got some good lines along with Girish Karnad. This Chak de girl was brilliant than the famous self. The only weak character was of Farida Jalal, whose role and acting didn't do any justice with an HIV infected person, she was eating well and shown well without any hint of AIDS. John was chosen because of the innocence and carrying beard. However his cigarettes and holding ashes over them looked quite amateurish. Abraham did his bit with an effort; he was good in eating mangoes and impersonating Ford. The small child avatar with big eyes and hanging teeth was amazing and a beautiful story teller.
Like always, this movie had a happy ending. A low budget film with promises not delivered as it should be. There was not a single scene stealer in this movie where one needs to hold back his tears. There was even a tribute to Hrishikesh mukherjee.The beach song was unnecessary and worst among the lot. Salim-Suleiman music was catapulted to touch emotional strings.
Kukunoor need to stick to his blue satire and the realistic movies where we don't see any fantasies.
No need to take it to the Heart.
Inception (2010)
Deception at Thirteenth Floor
Deception at Thirteenth Floor Inception- A brilliant story and more brilliantly shot.
Christopher Nolan had this idea from the time of Matrix and The 13th floor and Dark city. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real. The Virtual world had some great examples of Labyrinths and Penrose stairs, limbo city which were very aesthetically shot.
Sharing dreams, stealing ideas from dreams and more difficult- planting an idea was a real roller-coaster. The story was tightly wounded with loose ends which were tied again. The first half will keep your mind at a fast pace deciphering Nolan's idea about Dreams inside dreams inside dreams. The level of dreams were designed and grafted in a way that it looked real. However Second half nearing end was little stretched out. The extra extended level and their time dimensions were not mapped as correctly as it should be. Memento's Director had a clear set marked this time that the audiences are smarter this time.
The Mombasa chase sequence was hand held but was impactful. The Matrix style of discussion about architecting dreams between Cobb and Ariadnae had some great camera graphics and was composed to bite nails. Cobb as lucid dreamer, the very first time he woke, after falling in water was critically too good and had no holes. The Zero gravity fight at second level Dream was a cult sequence, though second's to Neo's bullets in Matrix.
From Deception to Inception of Dreams inside your minds was the plot of Heist to become the world's great Energy Company looked just satisfactory. The Employer of Cobb for the Last Job was not in clear, as Saito who Met Leo in the last scene was less convincing. When Saito said:-"You remind me of someone... a man I met in a half-remembered dream. He was possessed of some radical notions." made an impact and the flashback movie became quite linear.
Performance by Leonardo and Ellen Page was satisfactory, but Marion Cotillard as Mal was more convincing. She looked stunning and played a great spoilsport for Cobb's guilt inside his own dreams.Michael Caine and Joseph Gordon-Levitt performance was a stealer from Leonardo D Caprio.
Nolan added a new dimension to the imagination. It was a mind boggling movie after Matrix and The 13th Floor. An event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events is not only inception; But an Abrupt end which was very predictable from the beginning of the movie; proved Nolan's too literate and logical debate over virtuality. The Scene was cut when the top begins to wobble, leaving something for our dreams.
5 for Nolan's Original dream and Reality.
Raajneeti (2010)
God-Political-Father
God-Political-Father How can you mess a greatest epic with the greatest novel. If you want to witness that mess--watch Raajneeti.
The movie revolves around two sub-families killing each other and talking through media for the chair of CM. All the drama started with a heart attack and the half brothers started the deadly Mahabarat.
This long movie was no good as the endings were known and the Goldclass seats were too comfortable. This combination was also not good, to sit you throughout. This is one of the Jha's worst story line with the weakest dialogues. Surprisingly RGV's adaptation was more grasping and full of expressions. The protagonist's choice was expressionless yet thoughtful which was not captured by the rolling camera. Kaif was the chosen girl unlike Sarkar and she messed it up whole time. Unnecessary kissing and Intimate scenes spoiled the rhythm, with each one night stand turning into a pregnancy. Jha is not great in Romance and female portraits. Apharan, Damul, Parinati and Gangajal are his best and they are no comparison to the newest politically incorrect. Ajay Devgan was wasted like a side kick to flashy Manoj bajpayi. The story was weakened further by so many killings followed too easily to the same family. The slap by the police officer will make you remember Godfather I, but soon the comparison with Young Al pacino and Young Ranbir will bring you back. Arjun As sunny was not furious and from the intelligent lot. Every killings and hired murders were done so directly that it didn't go down well. The Gay man, who betrayed on his soul party, just to protect his gayness, will actually make you think about the story writer missing the punch. The Gay partner was murdered like a horse in his sleeping bed. A bad copy. Not expected from Prakash Jha. And to add, I did not see Naseer and Nana stealing a single frame. Two parties game in the movie is unusual in the Indian Politics, Shruti seth as the bait was even worse and didn't explain anything. The changing game of the reverse was too repeated that it became mundane. No longer was the thrill held. Somehow Ranbir's coldness was depicted well, but Jha tried hard to explain the motive behind it, which was not at all needed. The only thing I liked in the movie was the thought full smoke. Ranbir definitely smokes better than Ajay (in Gangajal). At least he held the cigarettes better than the expressions.
However Arjun, Ranbir and kaif should go back to Akhtar's,Chopra and Johars. The worst part of the movie was the Kaif's speech at the end of the movie. Thank god it was her's first speech and thankfully the last.
1star for the cigarettes ashes
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