I have heard a lot of noise about this movie having 'borrowed' heavily from the great classic Amadeus. Though i do not support plagiarism, i still would like to see Indian film makers remake classics and give due to the original. Also while doing so, make sure that the soul of the movie is 'Indianized' or else it will not have an appeal.
When we look at London Dreams, it is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination. However, it has got its heart in the right place. Its a movie decently made with one superb piece of acting and remaining cast pretty solid. It conveys what should be conveyed on the 35 mm and does it without proving either too boring, sentimental or loud.
The main reason why this movie comes alive is because of Salman Khan. The earthy character is really brought to life by this King Khan. The scene on the flight is slightly on the crass side but sallu still makes it fun to watch. Ajay Devgan is back to his angry young man and does a solid job while Asin is easy on the eyes but has nothing much to do. The same goes for Ranvijay. However, his brother in the film Aditya Roy Kapoor looks very promising in the short role. Big things might beckon.
The story is a simple one about musical dreams of two best friends and their fallout with each other, something that seems to come naturally to Rock bands, and their final reunion. There is love, friendship, betrayal and loyalty in good doses like any Bollywood flick but it seems well managed and well mixed.
This is not as good a movie as Amadeus, heck it does not even come close to our very own Rock On but that does not mean it is a bad film. It is a highly watchable film, more so because of the sheer genius of Salman-the king-Khan!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Damned United - Must watch for a football fan!
"They love me for what I'm not... ...they hate me for what I am." - The tagline says it all.
These are the utterances of Brian Clough, supposedly the Best English Football Manager not to have coached England. BTW this is the same guy who once said "Sir Alex has none of what i have two of and i not just referring to balls"!!. This guy took Derby county from the bottom of the second division to become the English Champions and then won 2 consecutive European Cups with Nottingham Forest, something which was as improbable as it is today.
However this is not the story of the achievements. Instead it is the story of his biggest failure when he coached Leeds United for just 44 days. It showcases his burning ambition to become better than Don Revvie which nearly destroyed him and his friendship with his best friend Peter Taylor, the assistant coach and guide who stayed by his side throughout.
Director Tom Hooper has done a fabulous job of properly fleshing the main characters of Clough and Taylor. However a small nitpick that i have is that of Taylor being shown as more important than Brian and his actual eccentric coaching brilliance not being truly represented. However my advice is that all folks should read a little about this team after having watched the movie.
All together it is a great movie for all football fans and really shows some great facets of the game and the league that we all love so much...so will recommend as a must watch! :-)
These are the utterances of Brian Clough, supposedly the Best English Football Manager not to have coached England. BTW this is the same guy who once said "Sir Alex has none of what i have two of and i not just referring to balls"!!. This guy took Derby county from the bottom of the second division to become the English Champions and then won 2 consecutive European Cups with Nottingham Forest, something which was as improbable as it is today.
However this is not the story of the achievements. Instead it is the story of his biggest failure when he coached Leeds United for just 44 days. It showcases his burning ambition to become better than Don Revvie which nearly destroyed him and his friendship with his best friend Peter Taylor, the assistant coach and guide who stayed by his side throughout.
Director Tom Hooper has done a fabulous job of properly fleshing the main characters of Clough and Taylor. However a small nitpick that i have is that of Taylor being shown as more important than Brian and his actual eccentric coaching brilliance not being truly represented. However my advice is that all folks should read a little about this team after having watched the movie.
All together it is a great movie for all football fans and really shows some great facets of the game and the league that we all love so much...so will recommend as a must watch! :-)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Wake Up Sid - Damn Refreshing!!
The one thing about this movie that really tugs at you is - What parts of the character of Sid or Ayesha is common to me. Is it just the carefree one or the one where i am craving for my independence or does it also include the one where i am rude to everyone i love. It did question my sense of reality and my sense of freedom today.
Anyways director Ayaan Mukherjee is spot on with this film about basically...growing up. And thankfully there are no cliches involved. Its really a very realistic portrayal of growing up in a upper middle class family and stumbling about till you find your own direction. A.K.A Dil Chahta Hai?...maybe in a certain sense but it looks at issues more deeply and there is no forced sentimentality. Which is what in my opinion makes the film so refreshing!
As far as the acting is concerned, Ranbir is par excellence. I have never seen a better portrayal of a confused individual in bollywood. Hrithik tried it in Lakshya but it came across as a caricature. Just watch the scene where he puts his face through the sunroof and feels the wind on his face. Its that raw feeling of understanding what is actually being portrayed and feeling the same in your senses too that gives any film the power to captivate people. WUS does that in most places. Again Konkona is brilliant. Superlatives can hardly convey the excellence that she showcases. And strangely enough, they look like a cute pair! The support cast is also good except Supriya Pathak who strangely underplays her role too much.
Coming to the music, Take a bow Amit Triwedi for the song Iktara. I have been a fan of this guy since the brilliant 'Aamir' and he again delivers a superb score. Keep an eye out for this guy. He sure is going places. And obviously Shankar Ehsaan Loy are superb as usual. The music complements the pace very well and at no time does it interfere with the narrative. In fact it enhances it quite a bit.
Finally Bombay - sorry Mumbai!! - has been beautifully showcased. You slowly start understanding what it is about the city that enchants so many people. Its a charming city in a lot many ways and that charm really come across on screen in WUS...Great work!
Anyways director Ayaan Mukherjee is spot on with this film about basically...growing up. And thankfully there are no cliches involved. Its really a very realistic portrayal of growing up in a upper middle class family and stumbling about till you find your own direction. A.K.A Dil Chahta Hai?...maybe in a certain sense but it looks at issues more deeply and there is no forced sentimentality. Which is what in my opinion makes the film so refreshing!
As far as the acting is concerned, Ranbir is par excellence. I have never seen a better portrayal of a confused individual in bollywood. Hrithik tried it in Lakshya but it came across as a caricature. Just watch the scene where he puts his face through the sunroof and feels the wind on his face. Its that raw feeling of understanding what is actually being portrayed and feeling the same in your senses too that gives any film the power to captivate people. WUS does that in most places. Again Konkona is brilliant. Superlatives can hardly convey the excellence that she showcases. And strangely enough, they look like a cute pair! The support cast is also good except Supriya Pathak who strangely underplays her role too much.
Coming to the music, Take a bow Amit Triwedi for the song Iktara. I have been a fan of this guy since the brilliant 'Aamir' and he again delivers a superb score. Keep an eye out for this guy. He sure is going places. And obviously Shankar Ehsaan Loy are superb as usual. The music complements the pace very well and at no time does it interfere with the narrative. In fact it enhances it quite a bit.
Finally Bombay - sorry Mumbai!! - has been beautifully showcased. You slowly start understanding what it is about the city that enchants so many people. Its a charming city in a lot many ways and that charm really come across on screen in WUS...Great work!
UP - Decent movie but cant be classified as great!
The best part about UP is one montage in the beginning of the film which shows the story about the lead characters Ed and Ellie just after they get married. Its a story within the story but for me it was the highlight of the film. Its a beautiful and a very realistic portrayal of emotions of a married couple who are absolutely in love and are there to support each other at all times. Trust me, but i have never seen such emotions being captured in real life. Hats off to the director Peter Doctor to bring this poignancy.
However, post that it all seems to be become very run of the mill. Sure there are great characters and superb animation but that is something expected from Pixar. Anything else would be blasphemy. And this is where the movie suffers. The story seems contrived and in a number of places i felt the the movie did not have its heart in the right place. It probably tries too much.
Just to give a contrast. If i just wanted to watch a brilliantly animated movie i would simply pick a DVD copy of a Japanese Anime. I go to watch movies created by Pixar to have a sense of feeling about the film. To understand baser emotions in a darkened hall. To feel love, friendship, family etc etc. I am sorry but i completely missed it in this film.
Its a good movie but it doesn't even come close to their earlier masterpieces like Wall-E and The Incredibles.
However, post that it all seems to be become very run of the mill. Sure there are great characters and superb animation but that is something expected from Pixar. Anything else would be blasphemy. And this is where the movie suffers. The story seems contrived and in a number of places i felt the the movie did not have its heart in the right place. It probably tries too much.
Just to give a contrast. If i just wanted to watch a brilliantly animated movie i would simply pick a DVD copy of a Japanese Anime. I go to watch movies created by Pixar to have a sense of feeling about the film. To understand baser emotions in a darkened hall. To feel love, friendship, family etc etc. I am sorry but i completely missed it in this film.
Its a good movie but it doesn't even come close to their earlier masterpieces like Wall-E and The Incredibles.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Love Aaj Kal - I liked it, now go 'un - like' that!!!
Well, i liked this movie and before i give my short and sweet version of why that is, i just like to mention that I have become a big fan of Imtiaz Ali after 'Socha Na Tha' and 'Jab We Met'; two delightful movies which kept me really entertained. Also, these movies had that special quality to make you feel all warm and smiley inside which gives them additional charm. Hence i was anyways partial to ' Love Aaj Kal' before i even saw it.
Nevertheless i believe that there will be a wide divide between people who like this movie and others who hate it completely. Much more than most other movies. Anyways my take is that the acting was superb particularly by Rishi Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. Mira is seriously a work of art according to me and she really makes the character look natural. Compared to a Kareena of JWM, she has not played it over the top and this might put some viewers off but i think she is what defines THE character of the movie. Saif is good without being brilliant and rest of the star cast is decent. I really enjoyed the music too, particularly the ballads.
So here are my 5 reasons for liking the film:
1. Seeing a brazilian model (Giselle Monteiro) who cannot speak Hindi and dance, enact Harleen - Take a bow Gisellle.
2. Saif showing us dance steps that people like 'ME' also can follow!!
3. Deepika Padukone.
4. Rahul Khanna's Gay act (??) & Neetu and Rishi Kapoor's couple act at the end... Awesome cinematic moment.
5. I am an incurable romantic!! :P
Overall a slightly better than average movie, and a definite if you are on a romantic date :)
Nevertheless i believe that there will be a wide divide between people who like this movie and others who hate it completely. Much more than most other movies. Anyways my take is that the acting was superb particularly by Rishi Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. Mira is seriously a work of art according to me and she really makes the character look natural. Compared to a Kareena of JWM, she has not played it over the top and this might put some viewers off but i think she is what defines THE character of the movie. Saif is good without being brilliant and rest of the star cast is decent. I really enjoyed the music too, particularly the ballads.
So here are my 5 reasons for liking the film:
1. Seeing a brazilian model (Giselle Monteiro) who cannot speak Hindi and dance, enact Harleen - Take a bow Gisellle.
2. Saif showing us dance steps that people like 'ME' also can follow!!
3. Deepika Padukone.
4. Rahul Khanna's Gay act (??) & Neetu and Rishi Kapoor's couple act at the end... Awesome cinematic moment.
5. I am an incurable romantic!! :P
Overall a slightly better than average movie, and a definite if you are on a romantic date :)
Thursday, May 7, 2009
We are Marshall
"Jack Lengyel: For those of you who may not know, this is the final resting place for six members of the 1970 Thundering Herd. The plane crash that took their lives was so severe, so absolute, that their bodies were unable to be identified. So they were buried here. Together. Six players. Six teammates. Six Sons of Marshall. This is our past, gentlemen. This is where we have been. This is how we got here. This is who we are. Today, I want to talk about our opponent this afternoon. They're bigger, faster, stronger, more experienced and on paper, they're just better. And they know it too. But I want to tell you something that they don't know. They don't know your heart. I do. I've seen it. You have shown it to me. You have shown this coaching staff, your teammates. You have shown yourselves just exactly who you are in here.
[Thumps his chest]
Jack Lengyel: When you take that field today, you've got to lay that heart on the line, men. From the souls of your feet, with every ounce of blood you've got in your body, lay it on the line until the final whistle blows. And if you do that, if you do that, we cannot lose. We may be behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game but if you play like that we cannot be defeated. Now we came here today to remember six young men and sixty-nine others who will not be on the field with you today, but they will be watching. You can bet your ass that they'll be gritting their teeth with every snap of that football. You understand me? How you play today, from this moment on is how you will be remembered. This is your opportunity to rise from these ashes and grab glory. We are...
Young Thundering Herd: Marshall!
Jack Lengyel: We are.
Young Thundering Herd: Marshall!
Jack Lengyel: We are!
Young Thundering Herd: Marshall!
Jack Lengyel: The funerals end today!"
I picked these lines from IMDB when i saw the movie...since these lines are absolutely true. Just imagine a football (american) team completely wiped out in 1970 - 75 lives were lost with most of the playing team, the coaches, the supporting staff not surviving the crash - and then trying to completely start again from scratch and in the process not just try to compete but also to try and heal the wounds of everyone concerned, most of them the families and friends of the people who lost their lives. Try to imagine it all and then realise the magnitude of it all.
This movie might not have been that great if just seen from the point of view of plain cinema. But when you understand that the template that real life weaves is sometimes far greater than any that an artificial film can show, you are humbled by the knowledge that what you are seeing on the big screen is just a manifestation of what must have been Marshall in 1970. The manifestation is just a glimpse of the pain, but it is enough for someone to understand the magnitude of it all and bow his head in respect and praise for the courage shown.
The film captures all the emotions quite well and all the actors play their role convincingly. A special mention for Matthew Fox (Red Dawson) who i thought was briliant. Even Matthew McConaughey was very good as the Head Coach Jack Lengyel.
The best part of this movie comes in the last 15 minutes which includes the match with Xaviers and the above mentioned dialogues. It also includes a brilliant montage and some really emotional scenes at the end of the game. Finally it includes a nice snapshot of how the main characters have done after the film timelines get over. Nicely Done!
I love the last line of the movie when Annie says - "From the Ashes we rose....We are Marshall"
Please click for the official online memorial of the Marshall Tragedy
[Thumps his chest]
Jack Lengyel: When you take that field today, you've got to lay that heart on the line, men. From the souls of your feet, with every ounce of blood you've got in your body, lay it on the line until the final whistle blows. And if you do that, if you do that, we cannot lose. We may be behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game but if you play like that we cannot be defeated. Now we came here today to remember six young men and sixty-nine others who will not be on the field with you today, but they will be watching. You can bet your ass that they'll be gritting their teeth with every snap of that football. You understand me? How you play today, from this moment on is how you will be remembered. This is your opportunity to rise from these ashes and grab glory. We are...
Young Thundering Herd: Marshall!
Jack Lengyel: We are.
Young Thundering Herd: Marshall!
Jack Lengyel: We are!
Young Thundering Herd: Marshall!
Jack Lengyel: The funerals end today!"
I picked these lines from IMDB when i saw the movie...since these lines are absolutely true. Just imagine a football (american) team completely wiped out in 1970 - 75 lives were lost with most of the playing team, the coaches, the supporting staff not surviving the crash - and then trying to completely start again from scratch and in the process not just try to compete but also to try and heal the wounds of everyone concerned, most of them the families and friends of the people who lost their lives. Try to imagine it all and then realise the magnitude of it all.
This movie might not have been that great if just seen from the point of view of plain cinema. But when you understand that the template that real life weaves is sometimes far greater than any that an artificial film can show, you are humbled by the knowledge that what you are seeing on the big screen is just a manifestation of what must have been Marshall in 1970. The manifestation is just a glimpse of the pain, but it is enough for someone to understand the magnitude of it all and bow his head in respect and praise for the courage shown.
The film captures all the emotions quite well and all the actors play their role convincingly. A special mention for Matthew Fox (Red Dawson) who i thought was briliant. Even Matthew McConaughey was very good as the Head Coach Jack Lengyel.
The best part of this movie comes in the last 15 minutes which includes the match with Xaviers and the above mentioned dialogues. It also includes a brilliant montage and some really emotional scenes at the end of the game. Finally it includes a nice snapshot of how the main characters have done after the film timelines get over. Nicely Done!
I love the last line of the movie when Annie says - "From the Ashes we rose....We are Marshall"
Please click for the official online memorial of the Marshall Tragedy
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Runaway Bride - "...And when I ride off into the sunset, I want my own horse"
I don't think this is the greatest romantic comedy ever made but i do know this. It tugs at heartstrings....and i simply adore the last 5 minutes of the film. In fact no one should miss the part when the end credits start to roll...it is really hilarious.
Anyways Richard Gere and Julia Roberts (My all time Favourite actress) make a fine pair and this actually looks like a Pretty Woman part 2 in reality. The chemistry is there and even a really weak script make this a very enjoyable watch. The rest of the ensemble cast manages well and some of the jokes/ pun cast are really good.
The one thing i really love about this movie is one dialogue that Maggie says to Ike at the end. Damn good line - and something i hope to use in person ;-)...The way she says it is so...so beautiful....
"Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me"
Overall a nice weekend watch with your sweetheart!
Anyways Richard Gere and Julia Roberts (My all time Favourite actress) make a fine pair and this actually looks like a Pretty Woman part 2 in reality. The chemistry is there and even a really weak script make this a very enjoyable watch. The rest of the ensemble cast manages well and some of the jokes/ pun cast are really good.
The one thing i really love about this movie is one dialogue that Maggie says to Ike at the end. Damn good line - and something i hope to use in person ;-)...The way she says it is so...so beautiful....
"Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me"
Overall a nice weekend watch with your sweetheart!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
3 pieces of dialogue from 'The Holiday'
I am a sucker for romantic comedies and love super lines from such movies. Here are a few gems from one such movie that i watched today and absolutely fell in love with. Why do i like it....well i can identify with some of them ;-)
Quote 1: I've found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some quite inexplicably, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for the night. And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. Its called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space! Yes, you are looking at one such individual. And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years! The absolute worst years of my life! The worst Christmas', the worst Birthday's, New Years Eve's brought in by tears and valium. These years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back. Oh god, just the sight of him! Heart pounding! Throat thickening! Absolutely can't swallow! All the usual symptoms.
Quote 2: I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. And it doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.
Quote 3: I have another scenario for you - I'm in love with you. I apologize for the blunt delivery, but as problematic as this fact may be, I'm in love... with YOU. I'm not feeling this because you're leaving, and not because it feels good to feel this way... which, by the way, it does, or did before you went off like that. I can't figure out the mathematics of this, I just know I love you. I can't believe how many times I'm saying it! And I never thought I'd feel this way again, so that's pretty phenomenal. And I realize that I come as a package deal: 3 for the price of 1. I know my package, perhaps in the light of day, isn't all that wonderful, but I finally know what I want and that, in itself, is a miracle. And what I want is YOU.
Quote 1: I've found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some quite inexplicably, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for the night. And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. Its called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space! Yes, you are looking at one such individual. And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years! The absolute worst years of my life! The worst Christmas', the worst Birthday's, New Years Eve's brought in by tears and valium. These years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back. Oh god, just the sight of him! Heart pounding! Throat thickening! Absolutely can't swallow! All the usual symptoms.
Quote 2: I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. And it doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.
Quote 3: I have another scenario for you - I'm in love with you. I apologize for the blunt delivery, but as problematic as this fact may be, I'm in love... with YOU. I'm not feeling this because you're leaving, and not because it feels good to feel this way... which, by the way, it does, or did before you went off like that. I can't figure out the mathematics of this, I just know I love you. I can't believe how many times I'm saying it! And I never thought I'd feel this way again, so that's pretty phenomenal. And I realize that I come as a package deal: 3 for the price of 1. I know my package, perhaps in the light of day, isn't all that wonderful, but I finally know what I want and that, in itself, is a miracle. And what I want is YOU.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Greatest Movies - My Pick!
There are some great movies that i have seen in these 25+ years and trust me, i have seen quite a few. Some of them were quite brilliant, some not so much but over the years i have found that my basket of movies tend to be split in generally three baskets;
1. Average and Bad movies - whatever the language,
2. Great Movies that do not appeal to me, &
3. Movies that have really made me cry/ wonder/ gasp/ shout/ laugh/ feel intense happiness
I have also realized that most of these films in the 3rd category are those that deal predominantly with Fantasies - Magic & Wizardry, Surrealism, Extreme Romance, Resurrection of thy self. There might be a few exceptions but that is because the movies would have blown me away with the sheer magic of the acting.
I Present this list of top 25 movies and will also like to present a listing of top movies within each genre as i know it. One factor that i have kept in mind is that multiple parts have been clubbed as one movie preferably.
Top 25:
- Forrest Gump
- Vita e bella, la (Life is Beautiful)
- Shawshank Redemption
- Godfather Series
- Lord of the Rings Series
- Wall - E
- Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset
- Jaane Bhi do Yaaron (Forget about it, friends)
- Kannathil Muthamital (Kiss on the cheek)
- Rocky Series
- Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (Yup i am Mad ;-) )
- Requiem for a Dream
- Saving Private Ryan
- Usual Suspects
- Raat (Night)
- Laberinto del fauno, El (Pan's Labyrinth)
- The Terminal
- Gandhi
- Gladiator
- Braveheart
- Dumb & Dumber
- The Dark Night
- When Harry met Sally
- Wall Street
- The Exorcist
- Romance - Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset & DDLJ
- Fantasy - Lord of the Rings & Pan's Labyrinth
- Action - Matrix & Rocky
- Historical - Gladiator & Braveheart
- Comedy - Dumb & Dumber & Jaane Bhi do Yaaron
- Animation - Wall e & The Lion King
- Resurrection - Forrest Gump & Shawshank Redemption
- Drama - Godfather & The Pianist
- War - Saving Private Ryan & Full Metal Jacket
- Horror - Raat & Exorcist
- Business - Wall Street & Barbarians at the Gate
- Superheroes - The Dark Knight & The Iron Man
- Western - Once upon a time in the West & The good, The Bad and the Ugly
- Musical - Sound of Music & Singing in the Rain
- Biography - Gandhi & The Pusuit of Happyness
- Sci fi - Star Wars & Back to the Future
- Sport - Rocky & Remember the Titans
- Thriller - Psycho & The Usual Suspects
These are the movies that i will be writing more about in this blog. These are the movies which have really shaped my viewing standards. Some of them might not be liked by many folks but thats understandable. According to me movies are the world that we escape to when we are tired of the 'outside' world. And hence a lot of external attributes define & refine our tastes. Everyone has the right to create his/ her own world.....
However as i have said it earlier, this is my real world......Hope you Enjoy it!!
Khushi - My Top Pick for the Razzies
How can people make such movies...such utter s***...and how can distributors showcase such movies. Simple economics please, how do people make money...
Now the reason for my rant. Let me explain the basic premise of the movie...It's about a Navel, Kareena's navel, a bare (very sexy!) stomach and the navel there which because of a gust of wind is seen by her 'kinda' boyfriend - they look more like asexual mental cases, primates anyone?? - Fardeen Khan and then the proverbial 'hell breaks loose'...on everyone, more so the audience which by this time is tearing its head - cause no hair is left anyways. Kareena from then onwards starts fighting with Fardeen for 'very obviously' looking at the navel. This continues for 60% of the movie and our supposedly virile Hero is made to feel ashamed of his behaviour.
The rest of the movie is an interplay on extremely regressive themes on women studying beyond a point and having been bethroted even when they did not know about the guy - you see the movie needs action scenes with the hero finally using his pent up sexual frustration in bashing up the poor villanous sod and finally claiming his queen -and heroes doing something for their own country.
Coming to the most hilarious part of the movie, the narration is done by Amitabh Bachhan. Without saying anything about this really great icon of Indian Cinema, lets just focus on the dialogues at the very end narrated by the great man...which mention something about Khushi (Kareena) and Karan (Fardeen) getting married and having kids every year for 12 years...13 kids in all. Question is why 13? (still part of the narration)...Answer is: you see one year they had twins!!
Now the reason for my rant. Let me explain the basic premise of the movie...It's about a Navel, Kareena's navel, a bare (very sexy!) stomach and the navel there which because of a gust of wind is seen by her 'kinda' boyfriend - they look more like asexual mental cases, primates anyone?? - Fardeen Khan and then the proverbial 'hell breaks loose'...on everyone, more so the audience which by this time is tearing its head - cause no hair is left anyways. Kareena from then onwards starts fighting with Fardeen for 'very obviously' looking at the navel. This continues for 60% of the movie and our supposedly virile Hero is made to feel ashamed of his behaviour.
The rest of the movie is an interplay on extremely regressive themes on women studying beyond a point and having been bethroted even when they did not know about the guy - you see the movie needs action scenes with the hero finally using his pent up sexual frustration in bashing up the poor villanous sod and finally claiming his queen -and heroes doing something for their own country.
Coming to the most hilarious part of the movie, the narration is done by Amitabh Bachhan. Without saying anything about this really great icon of Indian Cinema, lets just focus on the dialogues at the very end narrated by the great man...which mention something about Khushi (Kareena) and Karan (Fardeen) getting married and having kids every year for 12 years...13 kids in all. Question is why 13? (still part of the narration)...Answer is: you see one year they had twins!!
The worst movie...ever!!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Straight - Why Vinay, Why?
Vinay Pathak, you either deserve better or you need to be butchered if you actually knew that this was going to be the final product. This movie is that bad...full stop!!
Now let me be honest here. I should have had an inkling when the ticket counter guy asked me if i was bringing along any 18 year old...unfortunately to my utter embarrassment, there were a couple of 50 year olds who were accompanying me...yup...My Parents (Wry Smile). They wanted to see a funny movie!
Now whats more funny is that this movie is about a 3o something virgin and his sexual - or lack of it - escapades and you can very well imagine my plight...it is definitely not a joke...
Coming to the movie, it is an extremely jittery ride and you tend to groan aloud when Vinay is fumbling around to understand whether he is gay or not. Take for example a scene where he dreams of a guy sleeping in his bed because a guy accidently or otherwise kissed him on the lips...and has a "morning shower" - Try to imagine the scene in your head...it just feels icky. Now why would the director - Parvati Gopalan in this case - try to have scenes like that is something beyond explanation.
Coming to the acting, Vinay Pathak comes across as an earnest character but this movie is too cheap for him. Same goes for Gul Panag, though i must say her dressing is hideous (what with the snake like bindis and kohl...ughhh). The other actors like Anuj Chaudhary, Siddharth Makkar, Ketki & Rasik Dave are quite good but what lets them all down is the amaterurish script. Hope they get better roles in the future.
Anyways, if you intend on watching a really funny - and mindless - comedy dealing with homosexuality, watch Dostana instead...atleast it will make you laugh!
Now let me be honest here. I should have had an inkling when the ticket counter guy asked me if i was bringing along any 18 year old...unfortunately to my utter embarrassment, there were a couple of 50 year olds who were accompanying me...yup...My Parents (Wry Smile). They wanted to see a funny movie!
Now whats more funny is that this movie is about a 3o something virgin and his sexual - or lack of it - escapades and you can very well imagine my plight...it is definitely not a joke...
Coming to the movie, it is an extremely jittery ride and you tend to groan aloud when Vinay is fumbling around to understand whether he is gay or not. Take for example a scene where he dreams of a guy sleeping in his bed because a guy accidently or otherwise kissed him on the lips...and has a "morning shower" - Try to imagine the scene in your head...it just feels icky. Now why would the director - Parvati Gopalan in this case - try to have scenes like that is something beyond explanation.
Coming to the acting, Vinay Pathak comes across as an earnest character but this movie is too cheap for him. Same goes for Gul Panag, though i must say her dressing is hideous (what with the snake like bindis and kohl...ughhh). The other actors like Anuj Chaudhary, Siddharth Makkar, Ketki & Rasik Dave are quite good but what lets them all down is the amaterurish script. Hope they get better roles in the future.
Anyways, if you intend on watching a really funny - and mindless - comedy dealing with homosexuality, watch Dostana instead...atleast it will make you laugh!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sorry Bhai - Watch it for Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi
What a considerable waste of talent!!
Chitrangada Singh who enthralled us in Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi delivers such a dud that i was left wondering if it was really the same actress. Sure she looks stunning...infact extremely gorgeous..but thats it. The nuances that needed to be brought out by Aaliyah as the tormented bride to be is simply missing...and its disheartening. Same goes for Sanjay Suri. He looks like he is bored throughout the movie. Where is the Sanjay of My Brother Nikhil and Jhankar Beats and Pinjar and numerous other similar stellar performances.
The premise of the movie is as the name suggests - Brother falls in love with the elder brother's wife to be and the story begins. The movie is actually very funny and will kepp you in splits at most times. The music is ho hum while the direction is taut.
What lifts the film is its story - lighthearted but meaningful, and just the very very good performance of Sharman Joshi. He makes his Siddharth's character look older, mature and likeable while at the same time retains his youthful boyishness. Add to that the spice provided by Shabana and Boman - brilliant as a loving and very natural husband & wife pair - and you have a movie which is eminently watchable but which could have been so much more if only the leading protagonists had put in just a bit more effort...
Watch it for Sharman....
Chitrangada Singh who enthralled us in Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi delivers such a dud that i was left wondering if it was really the same actress. Sure she looks stunning...infact extremely gorgeous..but thats it. The nuances that needed to be brought out by Aaliyah as the tormented bride to be is simply missing...and its disheartening. Same goes for Sanjay Suri. He looks like he is bored throughout the movie. Where is the Sanjay of My Brother Nikhil and Jhankar Beats and Pinjar and numerous other similar stellar performances.
The premise of the movie is as the name suggests - Brother falls in love with the elder brother's wife to be and the story begins. The movie is actually very funny and will kepp you in splits at most times. The music is ho hum while the direction is taut.
What lifts the film is its story - lighthearted but meaningful, and just the very very good performance of Sharman Joshi. He makes his Siddharth's character look older, mature and likeable while at the same time retains his youthful boyishness. Add to that the spice provided by Shabana and Boman - brilliant as a loving and very natural husband & wife pair - and you have a movie which is eminently watchable but which could have been so much more if only the leading protagonists had put in just a bit more effort...
Watch it for Sharman....
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Chandni Chowk to China - Kung Fu Hustle meets Bollywood
This movie is hilarious...exactly at those points where it is not intended to be!!
Now here is the sad part, since this is a Akshay Kumar movie - and i am inclined to say that i like his style of comedy and therefore i like to watch his clean masala flicks - i did not read the reviews and went to watch the film with very high expectations. They all came crashing down!!
Infact the movie starts very well. The first fight sequence and then the way the narration moves from China to India and then to the heroes abode is very gripping and just then Akshay gets a kick on the backside and so do we....the pain of those kicks linger throughout the film...
In fact i have one simple question for the director....why...why do you need to add those 15 odd minutes of akshay flying across delhi after getting kicked, or why do you need need the song sequence in the middle of a flight journey.They are not even FUNNY!!
The entire movie suffers from not knowing where its placed. Is it an action film showcasing Akshays kung fu skills. Is it a rip off of Kung Fu Hustle - must say without the meaning of that superb film - and a mix of bollywood or Is it a comedy where the director makes it such a bad movie that it actually becomes a masterpiece??
Sadly, None....though Kung Fu hustle is primarily the take for this movie even though it gets hidden under layers of bad acting and bad direction.
In a gist, the movie revolves around Sidhu (Akshay Kumar), Sakhi (Deepika Padukone), and Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey) travelling to China believing that Sidhu is a reincarnation of some great chinese warrior and who will deliver the residents of a particular village from evil in the form of Hosho. (Nusiance - atleast the names should have been of some sense. Hosho, & Chuchi being prime examples). In this adventure there is an interwoven plot of an indian daughter trying to find her chinese twin sister and a father who has amnesia, god only knows where the mother is....i have a gut feeling Nikhil would have remembered about her when he saw the film himself ;-).
There are some really amazing scenes though throughout the film. The first narration as i have mentioned earlier is very good. Another good scene is the flight scene about akshay loading the luggage...hilarious. The action sets are impressive most of the times. Unfortunately, just good scenes do not make a good film.
Couple that with bad acting..Oh lord!!...Akshay though is the only saving grace somewhat though even he goes very much over the top on many occasions. Deepika is extremely bad. Infact she does not even look that great throughout the film with her awful dressing style and stymied dialogue delivery. Same goes for Ranvir Shorey. In fact at one point of time i felt that the wig will come off for him.
I certainly did not have too many expectation of the director as i have not really appreciated Nikhil Advanis last couple of films Salaam e Ishq and Kal ho na Ho. These films atleast had good acting to speak of which carried them somewhat on the box office.
Musically also this film is weak. 5 music directors are just too many and do not give you a feel of the direction in which the music flows. Kailash Kher is good without being superlative. Everyone else is average.
Now let me come back to the point i made CCTC and Kung Fu hustle. The latter movie had a meaning with respect to the hero finding redemption and his pain was actually felt by the audience even though it was wierdly funny in its approach. In CCTC, the connect is just not there cause the cause identified looks so trivial. After the first shot where the villagers are shown to be under extreme stress, the entire movie shows them to be quite content. After all they dont seem to work after the first shot. Also, as far as redemption is concerned, it would have been better if akshay had been serious about the Kung Fu lessons or even the fact that he needs to overcome the physical injuries in extreme ways. Here it looks like a stroll in the park for the reigning bolly champ.
I have heard that it is semi autobiographical in nature. I am right now doubling over with laughter!!...if only...Sigh...
Finally , please carry shades in the theatre...u will need them near the climax when the screen increduously starts flashing white every couple of seconds. You will need them to protect your eyes...
Or better go watch SlumDog Millionaire - an experience you will not easily forget....
Now here is the sad part, since this is a Akshay Kumar movie - and i am inclined to say that i like his style of comedy and therefore i like to watch his clean masala flicks - i did not read the reviews and went to watch the film with very high expectations. They all came crashing down!!
Infact the movie starts very well. The first fight sequence and then the way the narration moves from China to India and then to the heroes abode is very gripping and just then Akshay gets a kick on the backside and so do we....the pain of those kicks linger throughout the film...
In fact i have one simple question for the director....why...why do you need to add those 15 odd minutes of akshay flying across delhi after getting kicked, or why do you need need the song sequence in the middle of a flight journey.They are not even FUNNY!!
The entire movie suffers from not knowing where its placed. Is it an action film showcasing Akshays kung fu skills. Is it a rip off of Kung Fu Hustle - must say without the meaning of that superb film - and a mix of bollywood or Is it a comedy where the director makes it such a bad movie that it actually becomes a masterpiece??
Sadly, None....though Kung Fu hustle is primarily the take for this movie even though it gets hidden under layers of bad acting and bad direction.
In a gist, the movie revolves around Sidhu (Akshay Kumar), Sakhi (Deepika Padukone), and Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey) travelling to China believing that Sidhu is a reincarnation of some great chinese warrior and who will deliver the residents of a particular village from evil in the form of Hosho. (Nusiance - atleast the names should have been of some sense. Hosho, & Chuchi being prime examples). In this adventure there is an interwoven plot of an indian daughter trying to find her chinese twin sister and a father who has amnesia, god only knows where the mother is....i have a gut feeling Nikhil would have remembered about her when he saw the film himself ;-).
There are some really amazing scenes though throughout the film. The first narration as i have mentioned earlier is very good. Another good scene is the flight scene about akshay loading the luggage...hilarious. The action sets are impressive most of the times. Unfortunately, just good scenes do not make a good film.
Couple that with bad acting..Oh lord!!...Akshay though is the only saving grace somewhat though even he goes very much over the top on many occasions. Deepika is extremely bad. Infact she does not even look that great throughout the film with her awful dressing style and stymied dialogue delivery. Same goes for Ranvir Shorey. In fact at one point of time i felt that the wig will come off for him.
I certainly did not have too many expectation of the director as i have not really appreciated Nikhil Advanis last couple of films Salaam e Ishq and Kal ho na Ho. These films atleast had good acting to speak of which carried them somewhat on the box office.
Musically also this film is weak. 5 music directors are just too many and do not give you a feel of the direction in which the music flows. Kailash Kher is good without being superlative. Everyone else is average.
Now let me come back to the point i made CCTC and Kung Fu hustle. The latter movie had a meaning with respect to the hero finding redemption and his pain was actually felt by the audience even though it was wierdly funny in its approach. In CCTC, the connect is just not there cause the cause identified looks so trivial. After the first shot where the villagers are shown to be under extreme stress, the entire movie shows them to be quite content. After all they dont seem to work after the first shot. Also, as far as redemption is concerned, it would have been better if akshay had been serious about the Kung Fu lessons or even the fact that he needs to overcome the physical injuries in extreme ways. Here it looks like a stroll in the park for the reigning bolly champ.
I have heard that it is semi autobiographical in nature. I am right now doubling over with laughter!!...if only...Sigh...
Finally , please carry shades in the theatre...u will need them near the climax when the screen increduously starts flashing white every couple of seconds. You will need them to protect your eyes...
Or better go watch SlumDog Millionaire - an experience you will not easily forget....
Monday, January 12, 2009
Kannathil Muthamittal - A Kiss on the Cheek
Just finished watching a movie which should be rated as one of the best i have seen till date. Kannathil Muthamittal - A kiss on the cheek
What an apt name for the movie. Probably one of the finest Mani Ratnam movies ever made. This guy needs to be saluted for his sheer genius. A tamil movie made about the Srilankan strife where no sides have been taken is a great sign of courage by the director.
The premise is relatively simple. An adopted girl in search of her biological mother and idealistic parents who help her in every step to grant her this wish. But what keeps this movie head and shoulders above anything else you have ever seen is that this is not about that girl - thats there just to keep the story moving - this is about a world where human life is reduced to nothing. Its about a world where the success is measured by the number of graves i was able to provide my brother who is now my enemy - hopefully that number is greater than mine. Where people fight for an ideology which ruins not just their lives but the lives of everyone who did not even wish to be part of it but are sucked into it. Where sometimes even ideology has died because it was given to a 10 year old who shot at its heart with his kalashnikov.
The story of the girl and her travels to the emerald island to find her mother is a moving one which has been handled brilliantly without any melodrama. The movie is a slightly long one at around 3 hrs but it probably needed this time. The best part about this movie is how natural it looks. The family life shown is like any other indian family and the romance so subtle. Something that will bring a smile to your lips is a great love song shot at scenic beaches and ragged ships on great salt farms but not between the lead pair but between the mother and the adopted daughter. Brilliant!!
The cinematography is excellent. Sri Lanka's beauty is captured in its raw essence. Its actually eerie to see beautiful parks and forests and amongst them just the shell of buildings. School Girls on cycles laughing like they do not have a care in the world and the next minute a gunfight at exactly the same place that looks so real that mentally you pary for their safety even though you know that its not real (or maybe it is!!!). Even the indian scenes are well captured. There is a scene where the young girl is running around in circles with her father in the centre and suddenly the father tells her that she is not their biological daughter. On hearing this she still keeps running around her father but now her happy carefree expression changes slowly as realization dawns on her. You go to movies to watch this...
Which brings us to the acting. Needless to say, Ratnam extracts superb performances from the various actors. Madhavan as the dad and Keerthana as the child are brilliant in the movie. Nandita Das in her small role potrays a great amount of character as the biological mother. She really looks the part as the Sri Lankan Tamil girl who goes through great turmoil in life. But the greatest of my applause is reserved for the fantastic Simran. The role essayed by her is really tough as that of a mother caught between wishing for her daughters happiness but at the sametime apprehensive of the steps that they have taken. Caught between the love for her adopted daughter while longing for her own sons too. This is one superlative performance.
And before i forget....the music...It seems that AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam are brothers. The music just knows how to follow the story and vice versa. The background score 'Vellai Pookal Ulagam' is haunting while the rest of the songs just simply fall into place.
A great movie which hopefully should make you wonder why do we fight when all we need to sort everything is to just kiss on the cheek...after all he is just your brother.
What an apt name for the movie. Probably one of the finest Mani Ratnam movies ever made. This guy needs to be saluted for his sheer genius. A tamil movie made about the Srilankan strife where no sides have been taken is a great sign of courage by the director.
The premise is relatively simple. An adopted girl in search of her biological mother and idealistic parents who help her in every step to grant her this wish. But what keeps this movie head and shoulders above anything else you have ever seen is that this is not about that girl - thats there just to keep the story moving - this is about a world where human life is reduced to nothing. Its about a world where the success is measured by the number of graves i was able to provide my brother who is now my enemy - hopefully that number is greater than mine. Where people fight for an ideology which ruins not just their lives but the lives of everyone who did not even wish to be part of it but are sucked into it. Where sometimes even ideology has died because it was given to a 10 year old who shot at its heart with his kalashnikov.
The story of the girl and her travels to the emerald island to find her mother is a moving one which has been handled brilliantly without any melodrama. The movie is a slightly long one at around 3 hrs but it probably needed this time. The best part about this movie is how natural it looks. The family life shown is like any other indian family and the romance so subtle. Something that will bring a smile to your lips is a great love song shot at scenic beaches and ragged ships on great salt farms but not between the lead pair but between the mother and the adopted daughter. Brilliant!!
The cinematography is excellent. Sri Lanka's beauty is captured in its raw essence. Its actually eerie to see beautiful parks and forests and amongst them just the shell of buildings. School Girls on cycles laughing like they do not have a care in the world and the next minute a gunfight at exactly the same place that looks so real that mentally you pary for their safety even though you know that its not real (or maybe it is!!!). Even the indian scenes are well captured. There is a scene where the young girl is running around in circles with her father in the centre and suddenly the father tells her that she is not their biological daughter. On hearing this she still keeps running around her father but now her happy carefree expression changes slowly as realization dawns on her. You go to movies to watch this...
Which brings us to the acting. Needless to say, Ratnam extracts superb performances from the various actors. Madhavan as the dad and Keerthana as the child are brilliant in the movie. Nandita Das in her small role potrays a great amount of character as the biological mother. She really looks the part as the Sri Lankan Tamil girl who goes through great turmoil in life. But the greatest of my applause is reserved for the fantastic Simran. The role essayed by her is really tough as that of a mother caught between wishing for her daughters happiness but at the sametime apprehensive of the steps that they have taken. Caught between the love for her adopted daughter while longing for her own sons too. This is one superlative performance.
And before i forget....the music...It seems that AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam are brothers. The music just knows how to follow the story and vice versa. The background score 'Vellai Pookal Ulagam' is haunting while the rest of the songs just simply fall into place.
A great movie which hopefully should make you wonder why do we fight when all we need to sort everything is to just kiss on the cheek...after all he is just your brother.
The Best Movie Quote/ Dialogue of 2008
"Do I really look like a man with a plan, Harvey? I don't have a plan. The mob has plans, the cops have plans. You know what I am, Harvey? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. I just *do* things. I'm a wrench in the gears. I *hate* plans. Yours, theirs, everyone's. Maroni has plans. Gordon has plans. Schemers trying to control their worlds. I am not a schemer. I show schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. So when I say that what happened to you and your girlfriend wasn't personal, you know I'm telling the truth. It's a schemer who put you where you are. You were a schemer. You had plans. Look where it got you. I just did what I do best-I took your plan and turned it on itself. Look what I have done to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple bullets. Nobody panics when the expected people get killed. Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if the plans are horrifying. If I tell the press that tomorrow a gangbanger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will get blown up, nobody panics. But when I say one little old mayor will die, everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I am an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos, Harvey? It's fair.
” The Joker in "The Dark Knight"
” The Joker in "The Dark Knight"
Slumdog Millionaire...It Rocks
It has to be about a Love Story....It just has to be!!
In one of the finest films made this year...shucks...till date...at least on Indian Soil, the love remains the undercurrent for everything. And why not?...if you take out the romance between the lead protagonists Jamal Malik and Latika, you lose the soul.
In an utterly impalusible movie, it still makes you wonder just a little bit...can this really happen, and this is the biggest tribute to the director since everything else is absolutely real. Both sides of India with its pukish slums, brothels, pimps, beggars one one hand and the glitzy call centres, Reality shows, Hiranandani and Mercedes Cars on the other are very 'in your face' real!!
The story is just an elongation of the Movie Name: Slumdog Millioniare in Hindi Slang - Basti/ Jhopad/ 'gandagi' ka Kutta who becomes a crorepati. A dog from the slums who is one the verge of becoming a millioniare and then just before the last question is asked all hell breaks loose. Since the guy is a slumdog, he should not know the answer to questions which even rich people do not know but he does....the situations that he has been in his life till date which makes him know the answer is what forms the crux of the story.
The Q&A moves between the good and the bad but keeping in kind that it has been made for international, particularly British audiences, it makes sense. What makes the Q&A session brillaint is Anil Kapoor, who in a short but career defining role is as slimy and stinking as the pot of shit in which the protagonist falls.
The situations are very real and what makes them more so are the young actors and their interaction. Watch the scene in which the blind child tells Jamal that bearded baldy on a $100 note is Benjamin Franklin. The subtlety of being blind is brought forward so well that its spellbinding. Or take the scene of a vey young Jamal dancing infront of his beloved Latika. The children keep the movie really alive. Infact they are so good that they overshadow the main cast members Dev Patel, Frieda Pinto and also Irrfan who are also quite impressive in their meaty roles.
This movie at some levels reminded me of 'City of God'. There are actually a lot of similarities in their subtext if you observe carefully though they are quite different in their overall positioning.
Finally the 3 things that make the movie so great are, The music of AR Rahman - this guy is a genious and mark my words, one day they are going to call him the greatest musician ever. Some of the tracks are exceptional and without words they convey so much meaning. Then there is the Direction of Danny Boyle - Hats off sir for making a movie in India which is better than what our bollywood has been dishing out for the last 50 years. Some of the scenes are extremely gritty without ever being distasteful. They are just 'Real'. And finally what makes this film truly memorable is INDIA - yes, it presents a myriad of colours and sequences and events our country that have become part of our life. It is what defines India today....sometimes to the extent that we have started ignoring some of these grusome facts about ourselves. If in some way - and i think it will - this movie awakens us to the darker underbelly of India and lets some reality seep into our consiousness, it will deserve the Oscar that is awaiting it right now!!!
In one of the finest films made this year...shucks...till date...at least on Indian Soil, the love remains the undercurrent for everything. And why not?...if you take out the romance between the lead protagonists Jamal Malik and Latika, you lose the soul.
In an utterly impalusible movie, it still makes you wonder just a little bit...can this really happen, and this is the biggest tribute to the director since everything else is absolutely real. Both sides of India with its pukish slums, brothels, pimps, beggars one one hand and the glitzy call centres, Reality shows, Hiranandani and Mercedes Cars on the other are very 'in your face' real!!
The story is just an elongation of the Movie Name: Slumdog Millioniare in Hindi Slang - Basti/ Jhopad/ 'gandagi' ka Kutta who becomes a crorepati. A dog from the slums who is one the verge of becoming a millioniare and then just before the last question is asked all hell breaks loose. Since the guy is a slumdog, he should not know the answer to questions which even rich people do not know but he does....the situations that he has been in his life till date which makes him know the answer is what forms the crux of the story.
The Q&A moves between the good and the bad but keeping in kind that it has been made for international, particularly British audiences, it makes sense. What makes the Q&A session brillaint is Anil Kapoor, who in a short but career defining role is as slimy and stinking as the pot of shit in which the protagonist falls.
The situations are very real and what makes them more so are the young actors and their interaction. Watch the scene in which the blind child tells Jamal that bearded baldy on a $100 note is Benjamin Franklin. The subtlety of being blind is brought forward so well that its spellbinding. Or take the scene of a vey young Jamal dancing infront of his beloved Latika. The children keep the movie really alive. Infact they are so good that they overshadow the main cast members Dev Patel, Frieda Pinto and also Irrfan who are also quite impressive in their meaty roles.
This movie at some levels reminded me of 'City of God'. There are actually a lot of similarities in their subtext if you observe carefully though they are quite different in their overall positioning.
Finally the 3 things that make the movie so great are, The music of AR Rahman - this guy is a genious and mark my words, one day they are going to call him the greatest musician ever. Some of the tracks are exceptional and without words they convey so much meaning. Then there is the Direction of Danny Boyle - Hats off sir for making a movie in India which is better than what our bollywood has been dishing out for the last 50 years. Some of the scenes are extremely gritty without ever being distasteful. They are just 'Real'. And finally what makes this film truly memorable is INDIA - yes, it presents a myriad of colours and sequences and events our country that have become part of our life. It is what defines India today....sometimes to the extent that we have started ignoring some of these grusome facts about ourselves. If in some way - and i think it will - this movie awakens us to the darker underbelly of India and lets some reality seep into our consiousness, it will deserve the Oscar that is awaiting it right now!!!
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