gaurav-rai
Joined Oct 2013
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When everyone else is busy discussing the issue on news panels as 2014 supposedly being the year of Women Empowerment, Producer-turned-director Vikas Bahl has done his bit full-heartedly, loud and clear with his second and the most delightful film of the year, crowned already in its name. 'QUEEN' powerfully belongs to the genre called 'slice of life' movies where every ounce of emotions, every piece in the settings and each shade of events is authentic, appropriate, raw & reliable. And then, there is Kangana Ranaut- the gifted conductor without any baton who single-handedly orchestrates all of it to create a magnificently charming film. Make a nice cozy room for this in your hearts. It's not going to leave any soon.
Rani (Kangana as a surprising revelation) is a typical 'Rajauri' girl of West Delhi who's all excited to loose her 'virginity Kai brat' since it's just a couple of days more for her to get married with his prince charming Vijay (Rajkumar Rao in a comparatively smaller but significant role). While good things are in wait for its turn, bad knocks the door first. She's been dumped for not being modern enough to match the status of the London-returned eligible groom. Rani is shattered but doesn't want to miss her last chance to taste freedom as the preplanned honeymoon package in Paris is still on. And then, begins a fascinating yet simple journey starting with a maze of ambiguity, resistance, conflicts and winding up in the unfastened ends of independence, liberty and freedom to live happily ever after.
Sounding similar to English-VINGLISH, 'QUEEN' is not more than a distant relative who never actually has met with the other. Rani here is more spirited and progressively more opened up soul than anyone you have seen on screen. Her first reactions to anything inventive towards her are immediate, simple and carefree. Her tricky tactics to deal with any unseen, enforced situation might have its own logic behind but are totally entertaining to have you in splits. So, she can be apprehensively charmed by people doing 'lip-to-lip' kisses. She can also recount the state of women in India where they aren't allowed to even burp in public and that too without making it a loud protest. Well- written!!
QUEEN belongs to Kangana. She owns it as much as any legendary actresses do to their lifetime roles. She succeeds to make your heart somber in pain but does an outstanding job to bring tons of smiles on your face. Every actor needs a character he could slip into to make it alive. For Kangana, this is it. Rajkumar Rao makes his presence felt. Lisa Haydon is good as Rani's confidante in Paris. Actors as her friends-cum-roommates are perfectly cast.
Director's sweet remembrance audio-visual to film's late cinematographer Bobby Singh, Amit Trivedi's uplifting songs & background score, delicious dialogs co-written by Kangana herself and a total breezy- fresh and funny tone to the film are added features that don't allow you to miss it at any cost. Include it in your to-do list for this weekend, soon after finishing this review. Others can wait! QUEEN shouldn't!!
Rani (Kangana as a surprising revelation) is a typical 'Rajauri' girl of West Delhi who's all excited to loose her 'virginity Kai brat' since it's just a couple of days more for her to get married with his prince charming Vijay (Rajkumar Rao in a comparatively smaller but significant role). While good things are in wait for its turn, bad knocks the door first. She's been dumped for not being modern enough to match the status of the London-returned eligible groom. Rani is shattered but doesn't want to miss her last chance to taste freedom as the preplanned honeymoon package in Paris is still on. And then, begins a fascinating yet simple journey starting with a maze of ambiguity, resistance, conflicts and winding up in the unfastened ends of independence, liberty and freedom to live happily ever after.
Sounding similar to English-VINGLISH, 'QUEEN' is not more than a distant relative who never actually has met with the other. Rani here is more spirited and progressively more opened up soul than anyone you have seen on screen. Her first reactions to anything inventive towards her are immediate, simple and carefree. Her tricky tactics to deal with any unseen, enforced situation might have its own logic behind but are totally entertaining to have you in splits. So, she can be apprehensively charmed by people doing 'lip-to-lip' kisses. She can also recount the state of women in India where they aren't allowed to even burp in public and that too without making it a loud protest. Well- written!!
QUEEN belongs to Kangana. She owns it as much as any legendary actresses do to their lifetime roles. She succeeds to make your heart somber in pain but does an outstanding job to bring tons of smiles on your face. Every actor needs a character he could slip into to make it alive. For Kangana, this is it. Rajkumar Rao makes his presence felt. Lisa Haydon is good as Rani's confidante in Paris. Actors as her friends-cum-roommates are perfectly cast.
Director's sweet remembrance audio-visual to film's late cinematographer Bobby Singh, Amit Trivedi's uplifting songs & background score, delicious dialogs co-written by Kangana herself and a total breezy- fresh and funny tone to the film are added features that don't allow you to miss it at any cost. Include it in your to-do list for this weekend, soon after finishing this review. Others can wait! QUEEN shouldn't!!
Days are not quite out of sight when the human race will have residential colonies on extraterrestrial zero-gravity space stations but in its own time. And till the time, when advanced science & the technology constantly making head ways in getting breakthroughs achieve that, we have another power to experience what may suggest the future in its own way
the vision to create, replicate, reproduce and design the 'dream-come-true' ultramodern set-up into another brilliant piece of art never less than the predicted and the expected one.
For Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi thriller GRAVITY (3D), adjectives like breathtaking, heart-pounding, awe-inspiring, spine-chilling, nail-biting are not merely some words mentioned in the phrase book but an experience at large. Or else you can say that these words look just plain simple formation of random alphabets when the jaw-dropping visuals of GRAVITY happen to you in the most extraordinary way that has never been tried before. It's 'out of the world' in literal and every sense.
In an unpredictably splendid scenic celestial beauty, when the crew of a space-shuttle undergoes with a critical accident caused by destruction in another satellite, 2 crew-members find themselves detached from their space-stations to float around in the vast environs of zero gravity world. Oxygen level is dropping down persistently. Connections to the base are lost. Hopes are the only survival instinct. Undying Spirit is the only way out. But aren't these the rules of earth they have left long way down?
Filtering GRAVITY to extract one hero, to credit its success in the name of, will not be an achievable choice. Camera-work that makes you believe what all you see is never done in a comparatively tiny little studio covered in green, is absolutely picturesque and mesmerizing. Watch out for the opening sequence of a 10-12 min long one shot and you will be submerged into thoughts that how could they even think of it. Visual effects and the 3D technology have really gone beyond expectations. They don't just make you jump or cringe into your seats for the sake of it but they grab & grasp you firmly to enjoy every bit of it like you are in there in all of your flesh and with your entire soul.
Oscar award winner Sandra Bullock earns all your emotions to be with her character in all good and bad times. Her commitment to excel is very much visible through her emoting muscles and in physical appearances also. George Clooney plays an 'out and out' charismatic astronaut who, even in the worst case scenario, doesn't lose his calm and the pleasurable flirtatious attitude. Don't miss the softer moments between them of love 'in no air'.
After Stanley Kubrick's philosophical sci-fi drama '2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY', this is the most astonishing 90-min long trip to space, no one should give a miss. I am not sure how many of us will make it to the futuristic space-colonies in their lifetime but here's a chance to live your dreams like never done before. Watch it in IMAX 3D if you have the privilege!
For Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi thriller GRAVITY (3D), adjectives like breathtaking, heart-pounding, awe-inspiring, spine-chilling, nail-biting are not merely some words mentioned in the phrase book but an experience at large. Or else you can say that these words look just plain simple formation of random alphabets when the jaw-dropping visuals of GRAVITY happen to you in the most extraordinary way that has never been tried before. It's 'out of the world' in literal and every sense.
In an unpredictably splendid scenic celestial beauty, when the crew of a space-shuttle undergoes with a critical accident caused by destruction in another satellite, 2 crew-members find themselves detached from their space-stations to float around in the vast environs of zero gravity world. Oxygen level is dropping down persistently. Connections to the base are lost. Hopes are the only survival instinct. Undying Spirit is the only way out. But aren't these the rules of earth they have left long way down?
Filtering GRAVITY to extract one hero, to credit its success in the name of, will not be an achievable choice. Camera-work that makes you believe what all you see is never done in a comparatively tiny little studio covered in green, is absolutely picturesque and mesmerizing. Watch out for the opening sequence of a 10-12 min long one shot and you will be submerged into thoughts that how could they even think of it. Visual effects and the 3D technology have really gone beyond expectations. They don't just make you jump or cringe into your seats for the sake of it but they grab & grasp you firmly to enjoy every bit of it like you are in there in all of your flesh and with your entire soul.
Oscar award winner Sandra Bullock earns all your emotions to be with her character in all good and bad times. Her commitment to excel is very much visible through her emoting muscles and in physical appearances also. George Clooney plays an 'out and out' charismatic astronaut who, even in the worst case scenario, doesn't lose his calm and the pleasurable flirtatious attitude. Don't miss the softer moments between them of love 'in no air'.
After Stanley Kubrick's philosophical sci-fi drama '2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY', this is the most astonishing 90-min long trip to space, no one should give a miss. I am not sure how many of us will make it to the futuristic space-colonies in their lifetime but here's a chance to live your dreams like never done before. Watch it in IMAX 3D if you have the privilege!
If local trains are one inseparable lifeline for Mumbai, lunch box delivery men are unquestionably the other. Delivering food for love/love for food in lunch box to more than 2 lac people working in their respective fields of interest everyday
that too by a comparatively smaller number of a few thousands dedicated lunch box delivery men on their toes, impermeable of bad weather, terrible traffic issues, unfortunate terrorist attacks and uncalled natural disasters! No wonder, surveys indicate that the chances of failure in this 130-year old mechanism fall to once in a 6 million deliveries.
Ritesh Batra's 'already riding high on appreciations allover' slice-of- life, middle-age romantic drama THE LUNCHBOX finds its foundation on that very one mistake, an endearing one that turns into an overwhelming, appetite-full, high-on-emotions love-story between two lone souls lost in the overcrowded city of dreams, Mumbai.
Ila, a housewife and a mother of a 7-year old girl, seeks help in making new delicious recipes for her husband's lunch box either from master chef Sanjeev Kapoor on radio/TV or from the neighboring aunt who lives on the second floor with her husband in coma. Interestingly, we hear only voice of her crashing to our ears. Besides that, Ila's other pastimes limit in washing dirty linens, waiting for her husband to come home and watching him finishing his dinner in some way attending panel discussion on TV news. Loneliness is subtle but the pain is quite visible.
Saajan Fernandez is a face that you see everywhere around yourself. He could be an account manager in your local bank. He could a wrinkled postmaster with all names & addresses on his fingertips. He might not be updated with technology and gadgets our new generation uses but he is there behind his desk for like more than 35 years. This particular face we see on screen is on the edge & age of retirement. He is a widower too. Here again, the loneliness is subtle but the pain & emptiness in his eyes is clearly visible to make you uncomfortable within.
So, when one day the lunch box for Ila's husband reaches mistakenly on the desk of Mr. Fernandez, the old-fashioned yet very amusing-very charming practice of letter-writing takes place to share their individual emotions. They write about the lip-smacking dishes Ila cooks, they write about their personal life experiences and they also share their fears about how life could take a turn on them.
Meanwhile, there is frustratingly funny Sheik who is about to take place of Saajan after his withdrawal. Lively as anything! He is an orphan but still likes to start his saying with 'my mother used to say ' as he thinks it would give it more 'vajan'.
THE LUNCHBOX creates an aromatic ambiance for two separate worlds of Ila & Saajan. With pile of files on desks, old ceiling fans & bleak faces, Saajan vanishes in a typical government office. Ila's world is restricted to the kitchen platform and window attached with to make regular conversations with aunt. In others, there are crowded local trains crawling on tracks and an artist on the pavement who paints same painting everyday.
Film's biggest strength is the writing. Every sequence conveys and leaves some or the other emotion with you. Be it Ila's imagination to a suicide story or Saajan's reluctant behavior towards his new colleague! With low-light, grainy visuals to show the realism within the on- location shoots, cinematography is apt & a top class. Sound designing is also something to look out for. You can actually smell the ambiance through those sound bits. Ritesh Batra scores high in creating a simple love-story with a perfect mix of emotions and cinematic brilliance. A story has been told the way it should be. No extra 'masala', no unnecessary 'tadka'!
On the performance side, Irrfan as Saajan Fernandez delivers as much as you could expect from him. He speaks in silence. He throws silence while speaking. Nimrat Kaur in her acting debut surprises you the most. She can be very emotive at one and equally amusing at the other. She makes you feel for the character and in the most simple and impressive way. Her unsophisticated & refined but raw portrayal of Ila will leave you speechless. & then comes, Nawazuddin as Aslam! Smiles come easy & entertainment is handy when he's there in the frame.
Overall, THE LUNCHBOX is bittersweet but a rich-in-taste culinary experience like no other. Perfectly cooked-nicely served! Make reservations for weekend in advance! Book a table now! It's a 7-course meal for cinema-lovers with good appetite for quality cinema!
Special Note: Dear Bollywood! Bless me with one LOOTERA, one SHIP OF THESEUS, one LUNCHBOX every year and I'll forgive you for all your sins of producing 'HOUSEFULLs' 'GRAND MASTIs' & 'ZANJEERs'!
Ritesh Batra's 'already riding high on appreciations allover' slice-of- life, middle-age romantic drama THE LUNCHBOX finds its foundation on that very one mistake, an endearing one that turns into an overwhelming, appetite-full, high-on-emotions love-story between two lone souls lost in the overcrowded city of dreams, Mumbai.
Ila, a housewife and a mother of a 7-year old girl, seeks help in making new delicious recipes for her husband's lunch box either from master chef Sanjeev Kapoor on radio/TV or from the neighboring aunt who lives on the second floor with her husband in coma. Interestingly, we hear only voice of her crashing to our ears. Besides that, Ila's other pastimes limit in washing dirty linens, waiting for her husband to come home and watching him finishing his dinner in some way attending panel discussion on TV news. Loneliness is subtle but the pain is quite visible.
Saajan Fernandez is a face that you see everywhere around yourself. He could be an account manager in your local bank. He could a wrinkled postmaster with all names & addresses on his fingertips. He might not be updated with technology and gadgets our new generation uses but he is there behind his desk for like more than 35 years. This particular face we see on screen is on the edge & age of retirement. He is a widower too. Here again, the loneliness is subtle but the pain & emptiness in his eyes is clearly visible to make you uncomfortable within.
So, when one day the lunch box for Ila's husband reaches mistakenly on the desk of Mr. Fernandez, the old-fashioned yet very amusing-very charming practice of letter-writing takes place to share their individual emotions. They write about the lip-smacking dishes Ila cooks, they write about their personal life experiences and they also share their fears about how life could take a turn on them.
Meanwhile, there is frustratingly funny Sheik who is about to take place of Saajan after his withdrawal. Lively as anything! He is an orphan but still likes to start his saying with 'my mother used to say ' as he thinks it would give it more 'vajan'.
THE LUNCHBOX creates an aromatic ambiance for two separate worlds of Ila & Saajan. With pile of files on desks, old ceiling fans & bleak faces, Saajan vanishes in a typical government office. Ila's world is restricted to the kitchen platform and window attached with to make regular conversations with aunt. In others, there are crowded local trains crawling on tracks and an artist on the pavement who paints same painting everyday.
Film's biggest strength is the writing. Every sequence conveys and leaves some or the other emotion with you. Be it Ila's imagination to a suicide story or Saajan's reluctant behavior towards his new colleague! With low-light, grainy visuals to show the realism within the on- location shoots, cinematography is apt & a top class. Sound designing is also something to look out for. You can actually smell the ambiance through those sound bits. Ritesh Batra scores high in creating a simple love-story with a perfect mix of emotions and cinematic brilliance. A story has been told the way it should be. No extra 'masala', no unnecessary 'tadka'!
On the performance side, Irrfan as Saajan Fernandez delivers as much as you could expect from him. He speaks in silence. He throws silence while speaking. Nimrat Kaur in her acting debut surprises you the most. She can be very emotive at one and equally amusing at the other. She makes you feel for the character and in the most simple and impressive way. Her unsophisticated & refined but raw portrayal of Ila will leave you speechless. & then comes, Nawazuddin as Aslam! Smiles come easy & entertainment is handy when he's there in the frame.
Overall, THE LUNCHBOX is bittersweet but a rich-in-taste culinary experience like no other. Perfectly cooked-nicely served! Make reservations for weekend in advance! Book a table now! It's a 7-course meal for cinema-lovers with good appetite for quality cinema!
Special Note: Dear Bollywood! Bless me with one LOOTERA, one SHIP OF THESEUS, one LUNCHBOX every year and I'll forgive you for all your sins of producing 'HOUSEFULLs' 'GRAND MASTIs' & 'ZANJEERs'!