Piku - Motion and Emotion

Finally, with Piku, my prayers have been answered.

For an unabashed fan of the vintage Amitabh Bachchan of the 70s and 80s, that is me, last 10 years have not been much rewarding. Apart from the occasional Paa and Cheeni Kum, I have been watching this colossal talent being wasted in trite, melodramatic patriarch roles and over-the-top dialogues - more of the same, actually.  

I have longed to see Amitabh Bachchan stepping out of this enforced centrality and gravitas of his "Big B image" more often, exerting himself out of the comfort zone which has been thrust on him. For all these years, I have been waiting for him to do something irreverent, funny, delightfully enjoyable and ordinary, which many of us remember him doing with so much aplomb in films like Chupke Chupke.

That is why I say - finally, with Piku, my prayers been answered.

Piku is the latest directorial offering from Shoojit Sirkar wherein AB plays a cranky, old, overbearing, and severely constipated father - B Banerjee - to a totally stressed out, young entrepreneur Piku, played by Deepika Padukone.

Theirs is an edgy relationship with lots of demands from Banerjee and lots of reprimanding from Piku, with Banerjee's constipation playing more than a bit role. Choudhary, played by Irrfan, inadvertently gets caught in this crossfire but adroitly assuages the situation, adding an interesting dimension to the story.

The story, frankly, does not count for much but it is the interaction and relationship between the characters that 'drives' the movie. Shoojit has to be applauded that he has taken a wisp of an idea and developed it into a genuinely funny film.    

Deepika has played the central role of Piku with aplomb, never exceeding and never falling short of the required emotion. Irrfan is already established in an orbit wherein his acting prowess need not be discussed. He shines through and through with his usual subtlety. For me, though, the takeaway is Amitabh Bachchan in his effortless (what am I saying!) and charming portrayal of an old Bengali gentleman who loves his life and his daughter very much, in that order, but finally learns to let go.

A must watch. Specially for old fogeys like me, who are still hooked on to AB of the yore. And for the younger lot. To discover why.

(Star cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan, Deepika Padukone, Jisshu Sengupta, Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghuvir Yadav)      

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! - The Leap

It has taken "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!", the latest Dibakar Banerjee movie, to bring me out of a long, self-induced slumber. 

Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay in the 1930s. Most of us would remember his exploits from  from a Basu Chaterjee serial on Doordarshan in the early nineties. Shining through the lovable Doordarshan tackiness was the sheer ingenuity of the stories and brilliance of the character, played out by Rajit Kapur. This movie succeeds in bringing alive that ingenuity and brilliance, beyond mere nostalgia. 

"Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" is based in the Calcutta of the 1940s, when the British were still ruling India and is supposedly based on Byomkesh's first case. The plot takes off when Byomkesh, who is still in college, is approached by Ajit who requests him to look for his missing father. As the manhunt progresses, something bigger than just a missing person mystery unravels. There are newer secrets lurking around each corner - drug smuggling, Chinese gangs, local politics and pretty cinestars. Providing a further interesting backdrop is the World War II animosity between Britain and Japan. Speaking more could work as a spoiler for my more intuitive readers so let me just say that the end befits a juicy, racy potboiler of a spy-story.

The story is told in the noir film genre, with some astounding production design, edgy cinematography and tight editing. Dibakar has beautifully recreated Kolkata of the 40s, daringly and refreshingly different from the expected touristy collage of bright rickshaws, looming Howrah bridge, yellow ambassador taxis, chai cups, Ma Durga idols and trams. 

The noir feel - bleakness on the screen and the play of light and shadows and tight frames - works as a powerful aphrodisiac, adding to the delicious mystique and to the exciting sense of hurtling towards doom. I do not remember watching a film actually from the edge of my seat for a long time now. The music (credited to Sneha Khanwalkar and done by different bands it seems) keeps apace, in sync with the story. 

It is to the credit of this "look" and to the taut storyline, which makes one forget the discomfiture of Sushant Singh Rajput in the first half-an-hour of the film. As the film progresses, however, Sushant settles down nicely in to his understated act and proves Dibakar's choice right, ably aided by all his co-actors, notably by Neeraj Kabi as Dr. Anukul Guha. Kabi's is a scintillating performance which stays with you for quite some time after you come out of the movie. Other notable mentions include Swastika Mukherjee and Meiyang Chang.    

The only one small issue I have with the movie is the obviously north Indian Hindi spouted by the main actors - Sushant and Anand Tiwari (as Ajit). A slight lilt of Bangla would have sounded more natural and would have been a suitably flavored garnishing on this beautiful dish.

But of course do not let this trifle come in the way of your enjoyment. If you love a well-made potboiler, this is the movie for you. For the noir films in India, it is certainly a leap forward.

Life Of Pi - A Tiger's Tale & A Boy

A young boy thrown in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger for company. For 227 days. Fight to be an Alpha Male. And ultimately, the  survival.

Yann Martel won 2002 Booker for this incredible but heart-warming story “Life of Pi”, which is the story of a boy growing up and coming to terms with life. And now, Ang Lee, the celebrated film director has brought it alive on screen in his latest film by the same name.

Lee has created a stunningly beautiful film with exquisite visuals, complemented by a dramatic power play between the boy and the tiger. All the main actors – Suraj, Tabu, Irrfan, Tiger – have played their parts extremely well (so what if the tiger was computer generated).

The film deserves a watch.   

The new Agneepath - A Wasted Chance

 As I hear about the stupendous box-office opening and success parties of the new Agneepath & read its 3-star reviews from critics, I am genuinely perplexed as to what film they are talking about. The Agneepath which I had the misfortune of watching recently and barely being able to sit through the whole of 3 hours is a shoddy film, which gave me not one good reason to appreciate it.

I am an unabashed Bachchan fan. So I will stay away from any comparison between histrionic abilities of AB and Hrithik, lest I be biased. I also understand the need of the film-maker to put farthest distance between the original and the remake, the obvious need to innovate on the situation But the effort has obviously not paid off.

The character of protagonist Vijay Deenanath Chauhan, the edifice around which the original film was built, has been probably the biggest casualty of the film.  

When I last checked, Vijay Chauhan loved to play fair & square, in spite of all his goondaism. And with courage. So much so that when shot at by his mentors-turned-rivals in the back, he turns around and shouts – ae, peeth me kya goli maarta hai, saamne se maar!

Hritihik’s Vijay however has no moral compunctions as he deceives and cunningly kills his mentor’s son on his wedding day. About courage, what can only be said is that Hrithik’s character loses no opportunity to get meekly bashed up including till the end. Sacrilege, I say, to distort the basic grain of the movie thus!

Then there is this ghastly and mostly unnecessary violence which runs throughout the film - a minor bleeding from a rape, a father convulsing after being hanged, a man hung upside-down being thrown around like a pendulum….. What it is that the film-maker strives to show through these scenes is completely beyond me but I am sure some subtlety would not have hurt the artistic expression.

The only saving grace of the film is probably Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena who has brought a flair to his role, in spite of being slightly over-the-top. And yes, Rishi Kapoor also needs to be mentioned, who has done justice to his character, even though not much varying from his usual style.  

Apart from this, the landscape of the movie is populated by a string of card-board  characters, aided by ear-jarring back-ground music and mundane dialogues.

Watch it at your own peril. And if you have to, do keep a DVD of the original Agneepath ready – to wash off the toxicity soon after.

डॉन-२ (Don-2; A Futile Chase)

डॉन-२ देखने के बाद इस नतीजे पर पहुंचा हूं कि इस बार डॉन को पकड़ना फरहान के लिये नामुमकिन ही रहा है.

फिल्म के बनते बनते वो नज़र-अंदाज कर गये कि दशकों से डॉन नाम का जो किरदार प्रशंसकों (जिनमें खुद फरहान भी शामिल हैं ) के दिमाग़ में सहेजा गया है, वो कोई मशीनी पुतला या सुपर-हीरो नहीं है और उसे “सुपर-कूल” होने के लिये कोई गैजेट्स की ज़रूरत नहीं है. उस पात्र की गहराई उस सब से थी, जो पर्दे पर दिखता ही नही, जिसे अंग्रेज़ी में “reading between the lines” कहेंगे, और जो कमाल है लेखकों का और निर्देशक का. और ये सब फरहान डॉन-१ में ला पाये थे पर इस बार ऐसा लगता है कि पर्दे पर सिर्फ चमकदार, हॉलिवुड टाईप फिल्म परोसने में उलझ कर चूक गये. 

मेरी नापसंदगी का एक और बड़ा कारण इस की एक बहुत ही घिसी-पिटी, कई जगहों से उधार सी ली गयी कथानक-कहानी है, जिसकी फरहान जैसे पैने फिल्मकार से उम्मीद मुझे नहीं थी. 
अन्य कलाकारों और संगीत के बारे में कुछ कहने जैसा नहीं है. 

यह ज़रूर मानना होगा कि शाहरूख़-कलाकार नहीं तो शाहरूख़-स्टार पर बहुत मेहनत की गयी है, और आजकल जिसे स्टाइलिंग कहते हैं, वह इस फिल्म में भरपूर है. कुछ कार-रेसिंग के दृश्य बहुत बढ़िया फिल्माए गये हैं. 

फिल्म के आखिर में एक “हुक” से ऐसा लगा कि कुछ समय बाद डॉन-३ की संभावना बन सकती है. आशा है, उस समय फरहान डॉन को पकड़ पायेंगे.

The Dirty Picture..Ladkee Tu Hai Badee Bumbaat

Earlier this month, as I landed at Hyderabad and took the shuttle to the city, I noticed Vidya Balan sensuously positioned in a lily pond, coyly looking askance, out of a huge poster at a traffic junction, huge as they can do only down south.

Leaving aside fleeting glances of its TV promos, this was my first “good” look at the film. And I understood what the pre-release buzz around Vidya’s “bold” look was about. Amidst a glut of size-zero bodies, here was a real woman, not shy of her body, and the Indian male in me instantly loved it.

Immediately then, I wondered whether the film, which is supposedly banking so much upon the “sensuality” factor would be able to justify the cinematic aspirations also, and whether it would be just skin or more than that.

Well, now that I have watched it, I find that The Dirty Picture is, well, not dirty. Although it is a story of a woman who uses her sexuality on and off screen to rise in her film career, the film successfully avoids being crass or vulgar or titillating, and therein lies one of its strengths. Largely, this owes itself to the vision of Ekta Kapor, the producer and the deft subject handling of Milan Luthria, the director.  

But the most important reason why this movie should be watched is an absolutely superlative performance from Vidya Balan, which takes the film to another level altogether, more than just being a collage of heaving cleavage and navel shots.

Milan has positioned Vidya as the protagonist (Silk Smitha, some say) in a very realistic 80s Bollywood ambience, who uses her flaming sexuality on and off-screen to rise in her career in the most unapologetic manner. Beyond her overt sexuality, however, lies initially her pure passion for cinema and performance, her desire to excel. Then, when she becomes really famous, comes the pain of her solitude and her insufferable and insatiable desire to be truly loved. Vidya has portrayed both the pain and pleasure with equal aplomb. 

Naseeruddin Shah, Tusshar and Emran have pivotal roles in the star cast played out well. Rajesh Sharma has proved himself again in a very strong character role. 

The movie deserves a must watch.   

Rockstar - The flight of an innocent bird

Rock is not just any music, as my music-literate friends like Puneet and Rahul J tell me. More than being just another genre of music, it is a middle-finger-up attitude, with a capital A, towards life.
Rockstar, the latest Ranbir Kapoor starrer directed by Imtiaz Ali, is my sneak-peek into this world of angst-and-anger-ridden music, what if slightly cosmetic and with some Bollywood cinematic license. And it  rocks!

It is the story of how a simple Delhi boy Janardhan, desperate to become a famous singer like Jim Morrison, almost invents a faux heart-ache to bring pathos in to his singing quality. The heart-ache, however, becomes painfully real and permanent, leading him to embrace music and become extremely famous in his avatar of Jordan but the fame comes to him at the cost of his family, turning him in to a recluse and a loner.
The film rides on Ranbir Kapoor, who has played the protagonist really well. He has carried off the  transition from an awkward, middle-class boy to a famous rock star in a very convincing manner, with the core of his character and his attitude remaining intact till the end. Good characterization, this. From this film onward, Ranbir is firmly in the superstar race.
Nargis, the lead actress, is contrived in the first half but manages to somewhat hold up the act post-interval. All character actors, though, are good, specially Khatana Ji, the wannabe friend-philosopher-guide to the tormented Janardhan.
The other high point of the film is its music by AR Rahman, who has thankfully not lost his ability to surprise us. The songs are all beautiful, although Sadda Haq, the one song which I very much liked initially, does not have much relevance in the film and looks like a patchwork. There is apparently no justification for the protagonist's connection with such save-the-world kind of issues.
Backed by some very imaginative & well-executed editing, the story easily flits back and forth on a time-line. For some, the latter half may be a tad intense and even slightly negative but I think it is this ending which makes it a well-rounded film, bringing the required pathos and  gravitas to the film.
One more thing. Being associated with rock music, Rockstar elicits an inevitable comparison with the other successful, Farhan starrer Rock On. But while Rock On was about the journey of a band and male bonding, Rockstar is all about this one person, whose journey to the core of his own heart is more important than anything else. And who, after all, wants to fly back to his roots - "Ae Naadan Parinday...ghar aaja..."
Like the Rumi he quotes - "Beyond the notions of right and wrong, lies a field (of nothingness)....I shall meet you, o my beloved, there...."
A must watch.  

Game Over: The Debacle of Ra-One

Does only SFX a fine film make?

I asked this myself when I was enduring the much-hyped, Rajni-starrer, Robot. And I have asked this again while watching Ra-One, the latest, special-effects laden, game-come-alive film from Shahrukh Khan.

No! remains my answer. Not even if the box-office figures shout a never-before collection.

A good restaurant is primarily about good food. Ambience and service can only serve to complement the food quality, not substitute it.

So it is with a film, what if it is Bollywood.  A story well-told is what a film is mainly about, not the special effects, certainly not a conceited superstar who thinks he can carry off anything. This is no 70s and he is no AB.     

Everybody and his aunt can, by this time, guess what this movie’s story line is – a video game gone real, with the game characters fighting it out in the real. Ok, worse stories than this have grossed crores at the B.O.  But a game-robot mouthing inanities about Karva-Chauth and pelvic-thrusting all over?? And probably the shallowest characterization of a computer geek in movies? And inane mushiness all over?  

All this I was ready to forgive in the name of kids entertainment. But the kinds of dialogues some parts of this movie has, it warrants an A certificate, leave apart a PG classification. Sorry, if I sound uncool about it but that’s how it is. I certainly expected a more responsible producer in SRK.

The only safe thing the kids would get courtesy this movie is a slick video game (my son has already got one for himself) and visuals of admittedly very advanced special effects Bollywood has seen.

But then, as I said, does only SFX a fine film make? No!!! 

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - The Film (Won't Get Life Back Again)

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the latest offering from Zoya Akhtar, is a film which has no story. No conventional story, that is, which meanders through plots and subplots finally making you aspire for a satiating climax and delivers it in the end.
In fact, this movie is not at all about destinations and how to reach them fast. It is about the journeys instead, and how to enjoy them. This is about soaking in this moment, living it fully today rather than waiting for some inexplicably desirable whole in a distant future.
The journey in ZNMD is meant to be both literal and figurative. Three old friends Kabir (Abhay Deol), Imran (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), get together to undertake Kabir's bachelor party road trip around Spain before his marriage. It is during this trip that each one of them confronts his personal demons, fights his private fears and attempts to untangle his relationship, be it with a girlfriend or a long-lost father. Whether they are able to do it and how, remains the mainstay of the film.
ZNMD is a genuinely intelligent & lively film, deftly handled by the director.  There is some beautiful camaraderie and interaction among the actors, specially the three friends, interspersed with some really sparkling dialogue.
Farhan's character Imran has the wittiest of lines, delivered with his usual tongue-in-cheek humour made so popular with his TV shows. Abhay's understated style is again a winner, as is Kalki's slightly over-bearing one. Hrithik's restrained act in this movie is a memorable performance, specially in the scene where he gets the first taste of life in the deep waters. The happiest surprise for me is Katrina who has cast aside her bimbo act for good. Hers is a real and likeable character, played with conviction.

ZNMD is surely one of those select movies which you can gently laugh with and enjoy, as you do with close friends. Go for it.

मैं सिरप लंगोटे वाला सूं.... - Tu Raja Kee Rajdulari

बोल बम.

आज महाशिवरात्रि है. यानी कि शिव-विवाह की रात्रि.

२५-२७ की उम्र तक मैं इस दिन को शिव जी की जयंती समझता था (करारे भक्त-गण माफ़ करें). फिर जब राज़ खुला तो लगा कि हाँ, इस से ज्यादा न्याय-संगत उत्सव कोई और क्या होगा?

जैसा मैं समझा हूँ, हिन्दू पुराणों के अनुसार शिव और पार्वती का समागम इस ब्रह्माण्ड में उपस्थित सभी नर और नारी उर्जाओं के संगम का परिचायक है (शिवलिंग की विभिन्न व्याख्याएं आपको याद होगीं) और इसी लिए इनके विवाह को सृष्टि की निरंतरता का द्योतक भी माना गया होगा और पूजनीय भी. मुझे याद है हमारे घर-परिवारों में शिव-पार्वती विवाह एक धार्मिक कथा के रूप में कहा जाता रहा है.

इस विवाह कथा के संवाद का पहला भाग हरियाणा की एक पुरानी रागिनी के रूप में आप से बांटना चाहता हूँ, जो आप ने नए अवतार में निश्चित ही सुनी होगी - फिल्म "ओये लकी, लकी ओये" का शानदार गीत - "तू राजा की राजदुलारी". 
भक्तों के लिए थोड़ी दिक्कत यह है कि गीत का विडियो मूल फिल्म का ही है, सो भजन का फील नहीं है पर शब्दों से कहानी स्पष्ट होगी:

(विडियो यू-ट्यूब से साभार)

यह रागिनी धार्मिक से ज्यादा सामाजिक और आंचलिक परिपेक्ष्य में देखि जानी चाहिए.

पार्वती के विवाह के आग्रह पर शिव उसे विभिन्न तर्क दे कर विवाह से उन्मुख कर रहे हैं, पंक्तियाँ थोड़ी ठीक कर देने से स्पष्ट होगा -


तू राजा की राज-दुलारी, मैं सिर्फ लंगोटे वाला सूं (हूँ का हरियाणवी बोल)

भांग रगड़ के पिया करूं मैं, उंडी (कटोरा) - सोटे (दंड) वाला सूं
(शिव की वेश भूषा ध्यान कीजिये)...
 तू राजा की छोरी सै, मेरे एक भी दासी दोस्त नहीं
शाल दुशाले ओढ़न वाली, म्हारे कम्बल तक भी पास नहीं...
तू बागां की कोयल सै (है) अढे (यहाँ) बर्फ पड़े, हरी घास नहीं
किस तरयाँ (तरह) दिल लागेगा तेरा, सतरा चौ प्रकाश नहीं
किसी साहूकार के (यहाँ 'से' के अर्थ में प्रयुक्त) ब्याह करवाले, मैं खाली सोटे वाला सूं.
भांग-----
मैं धूनी तपा करूँ, तू आग देख के डर जायगी,
रंग घोल के पिया करूं, मेरा राग देख के डर जायगी
सौ सौ साल पड़े रहे जल में, तू नाग देख के डर जाएगी.
तांडव नाच करे बन में, रंग राग देख के डर जायगी
तने (तुझे) जुल्फां (ज़ुल्फ़) वाला छोरा चाहिए (यानी मोडर्न),
मैं लाम्बे (लम्बे) चोटे (जटा) वाला सूं.
भांग----

बोल बम!   

Robot. Dot.

In all my naivete, I used to once think that film-making is an art. Till I watched Robot, that is.
It was then that I realised that sometimes, film-watching is a greater art, requiring sublime patience to endure and sift through a three-hour (okay, leave out that last 45minutes) gaudy, kitsch-filled ordeal, in the name of hero-worship.

Robot, I am being told, is the costliest Indian film to-date, having sucked in a whopping Rs. 150Crores. To show for it, it has admittedly some of the best technical & digital effects, which have yet to be seen in any Indian movie. Specially the last 30-45 minutes do remind one of a Hollywood movie and are truly a treat to watch on the big screen.

But surely, a film is not just technology, is it? Even if it stars the biggest phenomenon called Rajnikant, it would do well for a film to have some decent emotional content, even passable music, and at least some semblance of acting from the supporting cast. Not here, unfortunately. Scratch the surface sheen and you would find, what I suspect, would be a purely run-of-the-mill Tamil film were it not for Rajnikant. Is that a strength of this top-grosser till date, I do not know.

I have to say that even though I am not sold on Rajni antics, and have not followed him in Tamil movies, Rajnikant is one genuine & honest actor, who I have always liked - right from Geraftaar and Andha Kanoon up to Hum. Somehow, he rises above the context. Which is why he is a superstar that he is.

Robot is all about Rajnikant. And some more. Rest is, as Chitti says - dot.

Gulaal

It was almost a year back that my friend Madhav recommended Gulaal to me. He even provided a DVD, only to be kept aside and forgotten. This afternoon, I took it out to watch and have been regretting why I had not watched it earlier.

Gulaal is admittedly not a very path-breaking film in terms of its basic plot, which is student politics, but treated in the deft hands of Anurag Kashyap, it has turned out to be an eminently watchable film. It was especially interesting for me because its taut screenplay runs against an authentic Rajasthani back-drop, which I thoroughly relished.

The almost apologetic protagonist of the film is Dileep Singh (played by Raj Singh Chaudhary), a shy university student who in the start of the film is befriended by a fearless Rajput student Ran’sa i.e. Rananjay Singh (played excellently by Abhimanyu Singh) and is thrown in to a vortex of student politics and an underground Rajputana separatist movement headed by Dukey Bana (Kay Kay Menon). Parallel threads of filial animosity, love and deceit run to take the film to a fitting climax.

For the benefit of non-Rajasthanis, let me digress to explain that ‘sa’ is suffixed to any shortened name to indicate affection mixed respect. Kapil, for instance, can become Kap’sa. Bana is a term of respect for highly placed Rajputs.

The taut screenplay crackles with energy throughout, riveting the audience with all the twists and turns, laced with all emotions – love, deceit, friendship, loyalty, enmity in equal measure. As for the acting, Kay Kay is superb as always. Ransa is surely a find as he leaves the maximum impact. Deepak Dobriyal is also too good as is Mahie Gill. As it happens with Anurag Kashyap’s movies, the film is blessed with a very fine characterization, as a result of which each actor shines in the given role –howsoever small it might be.

But there are two stars which, to me, ride over and above everything else in the film. First is Piyush Mishra, who plays the slightly eccentric and musically inclined elder brother (Prithvi Bana) to the character of Kay Kay Menon. Second is his music score for the film.

As an actor, the effect Piyush has brought on to the screen for this role is just unbelievable. And as the song & music creator, he has outshone himself. Just to give to you a sample, here is the song I liked the most – Ranaji, which is typical of his character in the film – conveying great meaning in seemingly meaningless rambling.

Do go and watch the film.

Ishqiya

I am just back after watching Ishqiya and am awash with its honesty and originality in all respects. It is not quite often that you find such original films from your usual Bollywood stables.
Ishqiya is a tale of how two ruffians, who are running away from a gang-lord, need to take shelter at a widow’s house and how this stay plays out. “Ishq” (love) is the overpowering emotion that runs throughout the film. All the three characters experience it in their own way, which is why the name.
The widow is played by Vidya Balan, in which we see a powerful female protagonist after a long time. She plays Krishna who knows her mind and speaks it too – cuss words and all. This, according to me, is Vidya’s coming of age movie, where she portrays a real woman, far removed from her earlier plastic glamdoll roles (Though I admit I have not yet watched Paa). I am sure she could be a formidable contender for the Best Actress award in 2010.
The other two protagonists are Naseer and Arshad Warsi. Now, what can one say about Naseer which has not been said before. An actor par excellence, he gets under the skin of his character so beautifully. Arshad Warsi is simply a delight to watch. His body language of a desi ruffian is flawless, complemented by some brilliant dialogues in regional accent. And their hilarious comedy is a treat.
It is a completely desi film set in the eastern UP with gun running and kidnapping industry forming the backdrop. And as I said earlier, the honesty of the film lies not only in the realistic backdrop but also the emotional interplay between the characters. There is none of that soft-lens romance but only raw emotion which flows throughout. 
It is only the ending, which, I felt could have been more rounded off. But that is only a small hitch, which should not at all prevent you from watching this brilliant film from Abhishek Chaubey. Do go and enjoy it.

Saal Mubarak- 3 Idiots

At the onset, let me wish all of you a great 2010 ahead! I wish we all grow happier, richer and wiser in this year, far removed from the gloom of 2008 and 2009.

In this first post of the year, therefore, I would be talking about a happy film which I caught over the last weekend - 3 Idiots.

3 Idiots is a delightful and intelligent movie – a fun story with a message, exactly the kind you would expect from the coming together of Rajkumar Hirani & Aamir Khan.

The basic story idea of a journey of 3 friends through their engineering college years is from the famous book “Five Point Someone” by Chetan Bhagat. Beyond the story idea, however, Hirani has fleshed out the characters and situations in his inimitable style and yet again has succeeded in making a movie with a message without being didactic. And he has been immensely helped in this endeavour by all his actors.

Aamir Khan it seems is now capable of bringing gravitas to any script with his sincerity. This film is no different. Far removed from the beef-cake look of his last film Ghazni, he now wears a diminutive look of a fresh college student with perfect elan. Sharman and Madhvan as the remaining 2 idiots are also extremely good - specially Sharman, who has developed in to a fine comic actor. About Boman Irani, what can one say! His thorough transformation in to the character is a treat to watch. And Kareena is surprisingly very good.
But even more than the actors, the message around which the film has been built is the real star - that pedagogy should be trounced in favour of real merit and that excellence begets success and not the other way round.
I would admit that there are fleeting moments where, as my dear friend Manish put it, one gets the feeling of Taare Zameen Par meets Munna Bhai but in the end the whole turns out to be greater than the sum of parts.
So go watch it. ALL IZZ WELL!!

Rocket Singh

Rocket Singh is such an obviously sincere film with 3-or-above-star rating from every critic in town that I am scared stiff of speaking anything against it.

The fact however remains that apart from a new theme of office politics (no, its definitely not an ode to entrepreneurship), some extremely good acting by Ranbir, and brilliant dialogue by Jaideep Sahni, it has nothing else to offer.

It seems Shimit Amin is suffering from the same moral dilemma as his hero does - he is not able to decide how to project honesty & truthfulness - as a virtue or as a vice. Overall, I do not find it a well-rounded film - not in the league of Shimit's Chak De et al.

And what is with the नकली mustaches I do not understand! Couldn't the characters of Naveen Kaushik (Nitin Rathore) and Manish Chaudhary (Puri) have grown real ones?

Dev. D

The best tribute any filmmaker can pay to his favorite work of art is when s/he retells it in his own way.

Dev D, though of course based on the original story by Shart Babu, is an out and out Anurag Kashyap film – completely hat ke, and very bold – not recommended for your usual Bollywood aficionados. I watched it a couple of days back, and it is only now that I have been able to shake off its stupor.

It is not only that the story has been made contemporary by placing it firmly in rural Punjab and Paharganj, and dovetailing it with certain current happenings in Delhi. The undercurrent of emotions that run through the film is also so palpably real and so modern, not far-fetched and unfathomable for we the real people. And the characters, including the protagonist Dev, are very realistically etched out, away from the “classic” and “pristine” characters of all the earlier versions.

Of course, the film would not be what it is without some marvelous acting by Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill and Kalki. Thank God for actors like Abhay, and directors like Anurag Kashyap, who have tried hard, and been successful, in growing apart from the formula land of bad Bollywood. Without them, we would be so much the poorer.

Talking too much about the film would spoil the fun for the unlucky ones (or simply out-of-date types like me) who have not watched it yet. Just let me say that ten years down the line, it would surely be counted as one of the milestones of Hindi cinema. So, go ahead and watch it. Pronto.

Kaminey

Yesterday, after we had unfurled the Tricolour at our residence apartments, I went to watch Kaminey, the new Vishal Bhardwaj film.

Kaminey is a story about how the lives of two identical brothers, one a small time gambler and the other an idealist, crisscross each other in a series of incidents and after many manoeuvers, culminate in a happily–ever–after end. The title Kaminey (hindi), which loosely translates into a wicked or a vile fellow, derives from the wickedness of the gambler brother and how he uses this trait to survive in the world.

It is now beyond dispute that Vishal is surely an above-average film-maker, with gems like Omkara, Maqbool and The Blue Umbrella to his credit. It has to be said, however, that Kaminey falls just a whisper short of the high standards and expectations one has of him.

It has a rather clichéd story line, reminding one of the old 70s films, complete with bura bhai - achha bhai clashes, villain ka adda and late entry of the police et al.

Admittedly, the treatment and the screen-play is authentic Vishal but the earthliness and the gritty reality which seeps through each of his films has this time been replaced in part by a sort of flight of fancy – what else can you say when you see Priyanka Chopra holding and firing a machine gun!

And the characterization and role-etching, which is always a high point of his films, also leaves something to be desired. Not only were there many small characters which were just introduced and left on fringes completely unexplored, the good brother character of Shahid also suffers from this.

Lest you be scared of the movie, however, let me reiterate that the standards by which I am judging Kaminey are a bit harsh - those which have been set up by Vishal’s earlier films. As a stand-alone film, Kaminey is a gripping movie, exemplifying Vishal’s superior understanding of this craft and has its strong points.

First, the film unearths a different Shahid Kapur – it stands to surely catapult him from the “boys’ club” to “men-only” section. It could be termed an out-and-out Shahid film. Add to that a surprise villain in Amole Gupte.

Second is the delightful music score – a combination of some brilliant lyrics by Gulzar (who else can write Dhan Te Nan with such élan?), music by Vishal himself, both riding on the voices of Sukhwinder and Mohit Chauhan.

Third is the fast pace and slick editing of the film, which keeps the adrenaline flowing.

All in all, the movie merits a must-watch-once tag.

Ghazini

Till about a couple of months back, I thought Ghazini to be a period drama about the (in)famous Mahmud of Ghazni. After watching it yesterday, I now wish it was. At least it would have been some novelty to watch.
Ghazini has been a letdown, and I am frankly surprised at the claims of the record business it has already reaped in.
The concept and story surely have an immense potential to be turned in to a great psychological thriller.
However, owing to a totally un-imaginative treatment, the film remains throughout a prisoner to only brute, physical action, in spite of having an actor like Aamir Khan.
The psychological and mental warfare by the character of Aamir, which could have been the mainstay of the film, is touched upon only tentatively and that too only at the fringes. Murugadoss was probably cautious not to let the film become too obtuse for the masses.
Aamir is his usual perfect self in most of the movie but in some of the scenes, where he is required to scream and generally show his angst, he surprisingly goes overboard. Asin is tacky and school-girlish (except for her final scene) and Ghazini probably needed somebody more sinister to justify the title character.
Take Aamir and the two main songs out and there would be nothing left in it to distinguish it from your run-of-the-mill action films.
All in all, a letdown.
Different takes, any one?

Oye Lucky

Oye Lucky is a delightful slice of Delhi life on celluloid. The vigenettes and caricatures are flaw-less, as were in Dibakar Banerjee’s last film – Khosla Ka Ghosla. It seems like a hilarious documentary, if there is such a genre, that is.
Regretfully, however, it remains just that - a documentary, refusing to take off as a story. And thus, in spite of excellent acting efforts by Paresh Rawal, Abhay Deol and all other actors, it remains a little lower than the perfect 10 mark. Still, a sure not-to-be-missed.

Coffee?

“Ta Ra Rum Pum”, which I watched last Sunday, reminded me of the “espresso coffee” one is served in wedding pandals – high on froth but when you go digging for some substance, practically there is nothing to be found. The last time I got this feeling was when I watched Dhoom-2.

If movie–making is basically good story–telling, as I remember having read somewhere and what I think is correct, in my view these films should not have been made at all. Without even a semblance of a story, these movies are nothing more than a sequence of beautifully crafted advertisements, juxtaposed against each other, designed to merely titillate sans any stimulation.

Almost all such movies come from a big banner with a bigger star-cast, which succeeds in fooling one in to watching it, only to repent later. Wish the next time they could squeeze in some plain, old-fashioned story-telling.