Dasvidaniya - clearly differentiates between living and surviving.

The protagonist Amar’s only excitement in life is making a to-do list every morning and then ticking off everything that he accomplishes at the end of the day. But unfortunately, destiny has some other plans stored for him. He comes to know through his doctor that he is suffering from stomach cancer and now only has just three months left to live. Amar has so many unfulfilled dreams left! He then sets about making a new to do list of 10 things. His last list of all the things he has to do before he dies. From making a foreign trip to telling his childhood love about his affections for her to meeting his best friend with whom he has lost contact. The film follows Amar’s journey towards fulfilling his wishes which also take him nearer to his death.

The ever-demanding nature of human beings is very obviously put forth by Amar’s ever increasing list. It tells something about ourselves when every time an item is checked off the list there are a few unchecked ones glaring at you. And as you see that, you find Amar taking a pause to just stand and stare - something that brings him immense pleasure. Dasvidaniya is one of those rarities that bring a smile that refuses to go while a tear rolls down. The dark humor too helps in keeping that smile. The hero of the movie is a common man and somewhere everyone can relate to it because there is not a single faked moment. It is a bitter-sweet story about a man who refused to die before he had learnt to live.

Completely, character driven, the charm of the film lies in its simplicity of its theme and its wonderfully etched characters. The screenplay is well woven with some moments that carry the power to remain etched in your memory even long after the film is over. Returning to the ambit of the dull working class protagonist that he almost patented in Bheja Fry Vinay Pathak delivers yet another bravura performance as a man who learns to live only when he learns he has to die. Vinay Pathak gets the sur of the tragic hero's comic escapades just right. He's partly Charlie Chaplin, and partly Robert Benigni. But finally this is an actor who does his own thing. The film is a must see for Vinay Pathak’s absolutely brilliant performance. First timer Shashant Shah has handled this sensitive slice-of-life cinema with a rare maturity.

All that glitters is not gold and that aptly applies to Fashion.

While a ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘The Devil wears Prada’ has the element of fashion and eccentricity ooze from every corner, a film like ‘Gia’ had powerful characters. The idea behind mentioning these films is not to bring a sense of comparison, but to highlight elements that seem missing in ‘Fashion’. Having watched Bhandarkar’s other movies, in ‘Fashion’ I felt he has not covered new ground, and instead of giving new insights into the world of fashion, he ends up strengthening the stereotypes.

The showstopper garment as a norm is always the last garment to be showcased in any fashion show across the world but in ‘Fashion’ the garment is showcased in the start of the fashion show! The front row of any fashion show consists of buyers from abroad, influential fashion editors, moneyed customers and fashion institute students but in ‘Fashion’ we have gay designers, modeling agency owner with his wife, floozies etc., Coming to the fashion designers in the film, all the male designers are gay! In one of his interview Bhandarkar claimed that he does a lot of ‘research’ for his films but sadly, it is all very obnoxiously superficial. The film is full of ad agency / fashion magazine honchos calling the shots, wild lifestyles, backstage dramas, wardrobe malfunction, casting couch... ouch, ouch, ouch!

All’s not bad in ‘Fashion’, the production design, costumes, styling are truly up market and a feast for the eyes, music is well synchronized with the lilting 'Mar Jaava' and 'Jalwa' as highlights. There are two major sequences that are simply outstanding. One, Kangana's wardrobe malfunction and two, when Priyanka exposes Arbaaz to his wife Suchitra Pillai. Apart from these the only other good things while watching the film were the comments audience were hurling at the film out of sheer boredom. The running time of almost 2 hours 40 minutes makes one restless, especially the penultimate 45-odd minutes.

Kangana Ranaut shows that she is one person who can get into the skin of the character and raised the bar with a superb performance, just outstanding. The thing that struck me most was the way Kangna did her role, the crazy part would have been easy for her since she has done such roles earlier also but the modelling part was what surprised me as she did look like a real model. Mugda is just about ok. But the movie ‘Fashion’ belongs to Priyanka Chopra, she is in the screen 90 percent of the time, and she is unimpressive to say the least and doesn’t even look the supermodel she is supposed to be.

Drona and Kidnap are a big letdown!

Drona and Kidnap are big film in all respects - big stars, big canvas, big expenditure, big ad spend, big expectations. Sadly, they are a big, big, big letdown as well and people are already comparing these films to the recent supreme disasters like Saawariya, RGV Ki Aag and Love Story 2050 or the all time classic disasters like Razia Sultan or Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja.

In Drona there are a few sequences that are executed with style like when Kay Kay turns Jaya Bachchan into a statue, the train sequence, Kay Kay dragging Priyanka to his yacht and the petal storm. Apart from these awe-inspiring sequences Drona rests on a wafer thin plot and a sloppy, slipshod and messy screenplay!

Kidnap is nowhere near Dhoom and Dhoom-2 the two previous directorial ventures of Sanjay Gadhvi that bring a cauldron of expectations. I never expected such a ridiculous piece of work from the same director! Probably the difference here is that Aditya Chopra and the YRF banner is not around this time. Kidnap has nothing to offer more than disappointments and it's a great disaster. I had read somewhere that Gadhavi feels Imran Khan’s performance in this film reminds him of Marlon Brando! Brando must be turning upside down in his grave! As a viewer in the theatre, you too will probably agree when Imran Khan proclaims, ‘Hell is right here!’.

I think Directors like Behl and Gadhvi should realize that movie-goers have stopped appreciating inane ideas.

25 Romantic movies from Hollywood

I personally think the Koreans make the most touching romantic movies. Most of them are a must watch for anyone who loves Love. But romance in Hollywood movies seems to have been replaced by car chases and special effects. Still a good love story from Hollywood will always work with the audience. I consider the following twenty five Hollywood movies to be the ‘most romantic’ I have seen. The list is in no particular order of preference…

When Harry Met Sally - Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan.

You've Got Mail - Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan.

Moulin Rouge - Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor.

Dirty Dancing - Starring: Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze.

Love Actually - Starring: Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Gregor Fisher.

Somewhere in Time - Starring: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour.

An Affair To Remember- Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr.

Serendipity - Starring: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale.

City of Angels - Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan.

Love & Basketball - Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps.

Romeo & Juliet - Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes.

An Officer and a Gentleman - Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger.

Gone With The Wind - Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh.

Love Story - Starring: Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal.

Sleepless in Seattle - Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan.

A Walk To Remember - Starring: Shane West, Mandy Moore.

Pretty Woman - Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts.

Ghost - Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore.

Titanic - Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet.

The Notebook - Starring: Tim Ivey, Gena Rowlands.

Meet Joe Black – Starring : Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding – Starring : John Corbett, Nia Vardalos.

A Walk in the Clouds – Starring : Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon.

The Run Away Bride – Starring : Julia Roberts, Richard Gere.

Sweet Home Alabama – Starring : Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey.

Have I missed any films worth mentioning?

Naseeruddin Shah is India's finest actor.

One man makes all the difference - Naseeruddin Shah. To breathe life into such a simplistically written character is indeed a challenge, and Shah does exceedingly well and actually with his brilliance takes it to another level. So strong is his portrayal that you almost empathize with his angst. You forget that he is just an actor mouthing lines given to him by the dialogue writer. Shah becomes the character. That intensity in voice, that anger in eyes, those frail expressions of a middle-class existence in Mumbai are so apparent in Shah’s interpretation that you want to see more and more of him. And if the claps of audience in the theaters are anything to go by, the country’s finest actor’s performance in ‘A Wednesday’ has really hit you hard!

It's obvious why one might be inclined to see this film in favourable light. A person-on-the-street's grouse against the escalating threat to their lives; be it through recurring terror attacks or even monsoon floods. Post-such episodes, most of us whip ourselves back into normalcy, only for the freshest incident to dip us back into gloom. Yet, we do nothing about it.

‘A Wednesday’ is a film centered on burgeoning terrorism globally. This time it is the common man who wields the mike and makes himself heard. It is he who asks questions of his survival, his well-being, his life. Questions that are being asked all over the world but find it increasingly more difficult to be answered in India torn as it is with communal strife, poverty, external aggression and an outdated system. The film takes the system head-on and forcing itself to take a look at some uncomfortable truths. But this film takes a route few have trodden by showing drastic repercussions of its continual inability to tackle life-threatening issues. The film builds this catharsis, and the choices the characters make are brilliant in a tightly wrapped screenplay. The film doesn't fall prey of the usual setback of thrillers starting off impressively but losing momentum midways. It's consistent all through and the imaginative culmination imparts the film that extra sheen.

Debutante director Neeraj Pandey brings to us, idealistic and incorrupt officials ready to lay down their lives at a moment's notice but he does that with a touch of realism that makes them believable. He invests a human side to every character and juxtaposes the human dilemmas and pressures of the profession ably in each. ‘A Wednesday’ is a very brave film and Pandey should be applauded for the effort. It’s not an offbeat film but a completely commercial film with a message and by no means is the film a patriotic or jingoistic film.

The confrontation scenes between Anupam Kher and Shah are a treat to say the least. Anupam Kher comes up with a fine performance. Jimmy Sheirgill and Aamir Bashir are equally adept and gracefully natural. Deepal Shaw as a news TV reporter is quite capable and her voice is dubbed with a typical accent characteristic of the profession.

Besides a tight script, the film has very focussed direction by Neeraj Pandey. A lot of the film has been shot by Fuwad Khan in stylish top-shots where the characters - terrorists and counter-terrorist maneuverings appear larger than life and yet miraculously shrunken in the cosmic scheme of things. Editing and music keeps the energy and pace of the film going and increases the upbeat tempo.

And finally, it could have been any day of the week, but it is about a Wednesday, and a significant Wednesday at that. Watch it for its riveting plot and brilliant performances.

ROCK ON is SPOT ON!!

I saw ‘Rock On’ a couple of days back. After I came out of the theater, I went back to all the things portrayed in the movie, and thought it was a very influential movie signifying some of the very bitter truths of life. Each one of us has some dream. Someone wants to be a pilot, someone wants to play cricket for India, someone wants to make an Oscar winning film…. ‘Rock On’ is a fairy tale that pushes you to live that dream. If you have a dream left behind at the back of your mind, watch ‘Rock On’ it will give you a perspective, of where you are and where you could have been and whether you would want to be there. Follow your dreams and life will literally be on a song else five years down the line, a disgruntled you would shout at your wife ‘Dus saal pehle mainey yehi zindagi chuni thi… Yes it was a compromise but compromise kaun nahin karta?’.

‘Rock On’ is not just about dreams and music. It's about relationships also. As all of us would agree relationships can get really complicated and messy at times. ‘Rock On’ captures it beautifully, effectively and sensitively. ‘Rock On’ is an extremely well shot film with each shot actually communicating with the audience rather than just moving the film ahead and every scene enacted has an ease that almost seems like candid camera. The experience is quiet exhilarating also because it is the first Bollywood film that actually depicts a rock concert.

The onscreen performances of the actors mirror the status of their characters in the band throughout the movie. Almost as if the rock band’s chemistry is shared by the four actors. Also, despite parallel narration of two time-spans, very rarely does any scene seem out of place. ‘Rock On’ seems to be clearly designed by Farhan Akhar as his own acting debut and he doesn’t let himself down. Lending voice to all his songs helps him to get into his character with effortless ease. Arjun Rampal looks mature in his character and comes up with a career best performance. Purab Kohli has a natural flair for comedy and Luke Kenny is impressive in his role. From the female leads Shahana Goswami comes up with the most compelling act and is a natural scene stealer. In a small yet significant role Prachi Desai justifies her poised presence.

Being the first of its kind in Bollywood the rocking music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is the talk of the town and for once you don’t feel that songs are forced into a film. Jason West’s camerawork is just fabulous; Baylon Fonseca’s sound design is excellent. Although Abhishek Kapoor has been credited with story and direction but you can easily witness the ‘creative’ imprints of Farhan Akhtar.

‘ROCK ON is SPOT ON’ and is going to become a cult hit, one that achieves cult status and mainstream success as well.

Science or Superstition?

The great debate between science and superstition continues, but RGV’s ‘Phoonk’ tilts in favour of superstition, civilised society may frown at superstition and blind belief but as a subject, it works big time because somewhere deep within all of us, we’ve heard of the power of the unknown. Whether you’re superstitious or not, you may have heard tales / experiences concerning black magic / voodoo. And you’re all eyes and ears the moment someone comes up with an alibi. For ‘Phoonk’ — the subject of black magic — is its biggest star and that alone is ensuring houseful boards outside cinemas.

Crocin ki goli pe bharosa karna aur kaale jaadu mein vishwaas karne mein kya antar hai ???....!!! This line is actually a dialogue from the movie and let me tell you it is one of the high points in the movie as it pops up the big question of whether things like black magic actually exist or are they just whims and fancies of a creative / destructive mind. In retrospect this movie has made a strong attempt that it’s not just a belief and something like this actually exists. You can believe in these or not, it doesnt matter. But you have to consider this when you or your loved ones are seemingly being threatened by demonic force. RGV has always rejected any responsibility for influencing audiences through his cinema, so I guess; RGV has already absolved himself in print several times!

Children can be superbly scary because that's precisely what we least expect them to be. In films like ‘The Exorcist’, ‘The Omen’ and more recently, ‘The Orphanage’, little kids have successfully made us scream. Ahsaas Channa, as a child possessed by an evil spirit is really moving. She has very clearly exhausted herself in exhibiting what her character went through, and has performed really well. My heart went out as much to her character as to the child artiste herself.

As always, RGV has managed to extract the best out of Sudeep, Amruta Khanvilkar, Ahsaas Channa, Kenny Desai, Ashwini Kalsekar, Zakir Hussain and Ganesh Yadav. On the technical end an interesting camera technique is employed to reveal different aspects of the same tableau. The film is excellent for the first time DOP Savita Singh, who has played with the camera angles throughout the film making it a fascinating cinematic experience on a subject that’s rarely tackled. Every sequence RGV manages to very effectively toy with the audience's expectations of when a scare will appear. That’s the stamp of a genius that RGV is, hits and flops notwithstanding.

For me personally, RGV’s ‘Raat’ is still the best in this genre.

Tribute to the spirit and resilience of Mumbai

Post 2006 train bomb blasts in Mumbai, there was a newspaper headline – ‘Mumbai Ripped Apart’. The same day, another national daily carried the same news, but with a different approach towards it. It read – ‘Mumbai Survives’. It was just the difference in various point of views from which people looked at the entire incident.

‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ tries to deal with the same. At one level, it shows how there are people who overcame the fear of bomb blasts and moved on in life as if nothing has changed. While there is another sect of people whose lives have forever been unsettled because of this incident.

In terms of theme and format, the film is reminiscent of Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘Yun Hota To Kya Hota’ where multiple stories ran in parallel episodes and converged at the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. This one, too, has different tracks but the individual stories ‘emerge’ from the 7/11 train bombings in Mumbai. From a brilliant broadcast journalist to a patriotic corporate man; from a retiring policeman at the twilight of his life to a rookie cop at the dawn of his career; from an angry and xenophobic unemployed young man to a coffee-vendor struggling to survive and belong: ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ follows the lives of people from all strata of Mumbai's bustling society as they tackle the aftermath of a fatal incident that brings out the best and sometimes the worst in them.

The modern city of Mumbai is a collage of seven islands. In the film Paresh Rawal, wonders if the seven train bomb blasts, which killed over two hundred people, will divide the dynamic city again. It's perfectly observed moments like this that make the film so special. A movie like this helps society to introspect, to find its strength and drawbacks.

Amidst formula-driven films, only once in a while do you come across a movie which strikes chord with a social theme and is enormously entertaining at the same time. Only once in a while do you come across a movie that has an outstandingly original screenplay and more importantly it connects with the viewer convincingly. While the film embraces an underlying social theme, it at no point tends to get preachy and also steers away from taking sides or getting judgmental. It’s the director’s slice-of-life approach that makes you receive the film with an unconditional open mind.

‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ is embellished with superlative performances. Paresh Rawal comes up with one of his most poignant performances in recent times, a pleasant change from his customary comic act. His climax speech that covers the plot-points of all the protagonists brings a lump in throat. Despite playing a character with similar motivations like in ‘Shaurya’, Kay Kay brings variety to his act. Soha Ali Khan is outstanding in the scene where she breaks down in the hospital. Irrfan Khan doesn’t speak a single Hindi word in the film but yet conveys immensely through his expressions. His character oozes innocence in the climax sequence where he seeks pardon in his own charming way. Vijay Maurya is exceptionally good as the idealistic junior constable. Madhavan is at his best.

This film is a brilliant piece of cinema; mainly because, it is not rushed into production like some of the other films in mainstream Indian cinema. It has spent its deserved time on the scriptwriter’s table. What we have, as a result, is a film that looks complete. For people complaining of incompetent scripts, here is a screenplay that is immaculate, intelligent and emotionally binding. 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' is a director's tribute to the spirit and resilience of Mumbai and its people. The climax is one of the most subtle and heart-rending, yet strongest ones I’ve seen in Hindi cinema in the recent times.

In a scene from the film, Paresh Rawal tells his junior Vijay Maurya, ‘Mumbai mein sirf picture dekhne ka, acting nahi karne ka’. It’s this evasive sense of responsibility that the film highlights our attention to. At least as an audience, be responsible enough to respect such cinematic attempts.

Love in Transition

The promise that Ranbir Kapoor displayed in Saawariya, his debut venture, has been duly fulfilled in this breezy, urbane tale of love and longing, set against a come-of-age backdrop of 21st century twenty-something Indians. Here is a crackling bunch of gals and guys who mirror the mores and manners of modern India. And leading the bratpack, or should we say, carrying the film through, is the smart and superbly relaxed Ranbir Kapoor who proves he's a complete natural before the camera.

It's a three-track love story, relayed in a delectable style which unabashedly pays homage to Yash Raj productions signature film ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’. Ranbir Kapoor plays a newage Raj and takes off where Shah Rukh Khan left in DDLJ. This is not the greatest YRF movie, but it may be sufficient to get them their first hit of this year and break the jinx of a series of flops. The gist of the story is truly captivating; the guy is a complete flirt, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Enter three women in different stages of his life. Love is in the air. Two dream of marrying him, but he ditches them and the third, whom he intends marrying, says a blunt 'No' to the offer. Heart-broken, the guy realizes his folly. He goes back to the first two women and apologises. It’s a reasonably mature look at relationships and gives women believable roles to play. ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ bears an uncanny resemblance to the yesteryear film ‘Teen Devian’ starring Dev Anand, Nanda, Simi Grewal and also a recent hit Telugu film ‘Autograph’ starring Raviteja and Bhoomika. On the whole, ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ has an interesting first half, but a weak second half spoils the film which had lot of potential.

Ranbir Kapoor has grown from ‘Saawariya’ to ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’. He handles emotional scenes now with more flair and comfortability. His comic timing is great and he comes across as a dashing young man with a heart of a romantic and he plays the role with aplomb. In just his second film Ranbir Kapoor shows why he is touted as one of the best newcomers. Finally, Bollywood gets its new chocolate boy. Bipasha Basu as usual sizzled on the screen throughout, maybe because she has a better written role. Minisha Lamba was inconsistent but good in parts. Deepika Padukone gives a super confident performance and that too just in her second film! Kunal Kapoor has delivered a knock out (pun intended) performance as a surprise element in the film. Hiten Paintal is a revelation, a talent to watch out for.

Siddharth Raj Anand offers stunning visuals and extracts some really fine performances, but is highly letdown by the script in the second half. Three songs stand out, the classic ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ ‘Lucky Boy’ and ‘Khuda Jaane’. The cinematography is fantastic; the locales have been beautifully captured.

If you have followed the news, you would be aware that Katrina Kaif was also a part of ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’. Her role was eventually chopped off as the running time of the film was going well over 3 hours. I am very curious to know what her role in the movie actually was?!

Where is the zing Mr.Kinng?

Off late, the Hindi Cinema is all about making big bucks. Get a star worth crores, a director who’s had a hit or two, location shoot in the exotic foreign locales; go far out to the maximum extent with the publicity. And you’ve got the initial audience. Unless your luck is really as bad as Yashraj’s ‘Tashan’, it’s a winner formula.

The opening disclaimer in ‘Singh is Kinng’ included lines to the effect that, ‘The hen in the hen chase scene is digitally crafted; no cruelty has been imposed on animals for the shoot of that scene’. Uhh…what about the cruelty inflicted upon us the humans who watched this tripe in the name of ‘mass entertainment’?

I understand that all filmmakers don’t want to change the world - they don’t want to make message movies, they probably don’t want to address issues either. I get that. But how can a filmmaker not care about engaging his viewer - how can he not care if his audience is entertained or not? If you’re making what you describe as a comedy, shouldn’t you want the audience to laugh? ‘Singh Is Kinng’ is a film that has little or no regard for its audience. They only care about the fact that you paid your hundred bucks and bought your ticket! I know that people who make films shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about wanting to earn money from them - I agree with that completely. My problem is with people whose only objective for making films is to make money - they could well be in the construction business, they could be manufacturing cigarettes, but they are making movies for a living!

In a recent interview, director Anees Bazmi said ‘My basic aim is that the film is a big hit, people make a lot of money, actors can raise their fees and everybody else gets paid more. Maybe 10 critics will write bad things but the lives of 100 people will change’. I do hope the makers can afford swanky new BMWs from the money this film will invariably make. Someone should get something from this film, because the audience gets nothing! ‘Singh is Kinng’ is a pedestrian film. There isn’t a flash of wit or elegance in it.

None of Akshay Kumar’s commercially successful capers of late, I suspect, are likely to be worshipped in public memory. Yet each, regardless of everything else, has packed in theaters with sustained publicity and quite literally brought in the moolah. The last few I've had the misfortune of sitting through were called Namastey London, Bhool Bhulaiya, Welcome, and all supposed super-hits! Now, ‘Singh is Kinng’ adds to this long list.

The story of ‘Singh is Kinng’ is a taken from the highly successful Jackie Chan starrer ‘Mr. Canton and Lady Rose’ a film through which Jackie Chan paid tribute to the American Director Frank Capra. The thing to admire here is that now a days our sources for films have become more exotic - since we’ve already extensively ripped off Hollywood, we are now cannibalizing other cinemas of the world!

Whoz ugly and whoz pagli?

‘Yeh Bambai hai. Yahan par sabke paas script hai. Doodhwale se leker Bhansali tak’. This is a line that a peon rudely tells Ranvir Shorey when he goes to sell his girlfriend’s script to a production house. But, obviously the director Sachin Kamalakar when making this film didn’t have a script because ‘Ugly aur Pagli’ is a poor & ugly copy of Korean classic ‘My Sassy Girl’ which was adapted from a young man’s true-life experiences posted on the Internet.

Sachin Kamalakar should have kept in mind that mere copying a film does not work; the basic problem is that the screenplay rewritten to Indian conditions is patently absurd and mind-scrambling. Incidentally, quiet a few scenes from ‘My Sassy Girl’ were earlier lifted in Yashraj’s mind-numbing ‘Neal N Nikki’.

Since the film is a romantic comedy, the director tries very very hard to make the movie differently funny, but the gags fall flat, the humour has few, very few clever one liners!

Individual performances are quite good. To a large extent in the film Mallika Sherawat rocks as the domineering, sharp-tongued woman until she starts crying and Ranvir Shorey polishes his loser act to perfection and manages to rise over the script on most occasions. Cameos by Bharati Achrekar and Sushmita Mukherjee are fun. And I wish that Zeenat Aman hadn't been wasted in a one scene appearance!

Watch the original Korean classic, anyday. Its one of my all time favourite romantic comedies.

Rajinikanth's much hyped film fails to live up to the expectations!

‘Kathanayakudu’ is a remake of the hit Malayalam film ‘Katha Parayambol’ a modern take on the Krishna-Sudama story, with an obvious twist. It could have been a simple and unsophisticated story with a touching theme of friendship. But what it ends up is being raw, loud and missing all that little moments that the movie needs. While the title has been chosen keeping the Super Star status of Rajnikanth and his crowd pulling capacity, the film is essentially about Jagapathi Babu.

Something similar to a debate from ‘A film by Arvind’, in one of the scenes from the film, Rajnikanth meditates on who really a Super Star is - is it the individual or the individuals who write the script and the characters. Rajnikanth gives the credit to all his writers who worked with him and hails them as the real Super Stars. At another point in the film, Rajnikanth says that if the story is not good, then even the Super Star cannot save it. Unfortunately, the Super Star does not succeed in striking a chord with the audience with ‘Kathanayakudu’. The film absolutely lacks believability, and the makers look in to pull off some extra gags by painfully injecting re-enactments from Rajni’s best box-office blockbusters like ‘Narsimha’, ‘Chandramukhi’, and so on. Apparently, these scenes are for their sequels, which makes one wonder how many movies is the Super Star shooting for or is it a film titled ‘Best-of-Rajni’?

Nayantara sizzles in the same i-really-wanna-be-a-bad-girl mood. Meena is just about ok in a brief role. Mamta Mohandas clearly is in the pits of her career to have accepted such a blink and miss role which only lasts for a couple of shots! Prabhu is painfully obese. In fact, our Union Minister for Health A. Ramdoss can use Prabhu for a National Public Health Campaign to show how one will eventually look like with a junkie-sedentary lifestyle. Rajnikanth is his usual self. Poor chap, what could he do having being caught with his own philosphy? With no story, even the superstar can do nothing! The saving grace of the film is Jagapathi Babu who comes up with a brilliant performance.

The director, who had earlier made ‘Chandramukhi’ is completely out of form here. Moved by the original, he has quickly roped in Rajnikanth and shot a hotch-potch film that doesn’t even fit with the theme or the concept of the story! Yes, there will be tears at the end, but that is only because Rajnikanth sheds tears in a well enacted emotional scene. The friendship connection and depth in the screenplay is missing even as the Director is totally out of ideas as to how-to-show Rajnikanth in a new and innovative style - Zorro, 007, Pharoh etc… I didn’t even understand why that irrelevant solo-song in the rain with Nayantara in a skimpy two piece? Didn’t the Director have the confidence in his film and even the Super Star Rajnikanth that he felt he needed a wet and gyrating Nayantara to pull in the crowds?!? The only person who would have enjoyed this song would be the cameraman who was all over Nayantara’s body. The writing is mediocre. The music is just about ok. The village set looks very artificial. It is supposed to be an Indian village but it looks more like a set from a cowboy film in Hollywood!

This movie had all the potential to be simple and beautiful but Rajinikanth’s much hyped ‘Kathanayakudu’ fails to live up to the expectations. Let's hope for Shahrukh Khan's sake his ‘Billoo Barber’ turns out to be a more purposeful and entertaining film.

Mission Turkey!

Please put your hands together to felicitate the one and only Apoorva Lakhia for making the worst film of the year so far – Mission Istanbul. This one's a Turkey if there ever was one, and to relish it, you've got to be in the mood for Christmas!

To put it mildly, ‘Mission Istanbul’ is ‘Murder of Cinema’ and I am sure the future generations of film students could write several theses on this murder. It has such a cruelly contrived story that you wonder if the writers of the script are truly in touch with the real world. Guess what! Al Qaeda roams free in Kabul post the American invasion of Afghanistan and the public killings still take place in football stadiums under the rule of the new Afghan government. Not just this, Northern Alliance is still fighting its battle with Al Qaeda. I truly feared that the Director would next show Ahmed Shah Masood alive and kicking the sh*t out of Al Qaeda. Thankfully, that didn’t happen!

The film could have made interesting points about the economics of terror, the commoditization of news and its sensationalized packaging as entertainment. It also alludes to various vested Western interests in keeping the region in conflict but takes that thread nowhere. Sequences, set pieces and plot devices are liberally sourced from Hollywood fare such as Enemy of the State, The Siege, The Matrix, Swordfish and the Hong Kong actioner Infernal Affairs. The rest apparently came from the fertile imaginations of the director and writer. One of which would be the blatant product and tagline placement for a fizzy drink (Mountain Dew) done so horribly badly that I, for one, am never going to be able to pick up a can of that stuff again!

Vivek Oberoi opts for a knowing smirk while Zayed Khan looks like he's barely able to control his steroid rage. No opportunity to overact is missed by either of them. Shabbir Ahluwalia and Nikitin Dheer are no better. Shriya Saran constantly looks like she's straining to remember her lines (or she's smelt something unpleasant) while Shweta Bhardwaj's simpering appears better suited for ads in the back pages of certain guy magazines.

Apoorva Lakhia’s (one of the most overrated Directors in Bollywood) style of filmmaking is to take stylish shots and put them in quick succession to each other and add the remaining impact by loud background music. He really needs to work as an assistant under some truly qualified director to get the basics right. This is the same movie that was offered to Apoorva Lakhia, with the accompanying fat pay cheque, it was not money well spent for the producers Suniel Shetty & Ekta Kapoor.

There are so many flaws in the film that one can keep on writing….. The true heros of the film are the audience who brave sitting through this ‘Mission Turkey’. And before this piece becomes even more incoherent than it already is, I must sign off and attempt to undo the brain damage. Let's just hope Apoorva Lakhia doesn't decide to make a sequel and call it MI:2 as he has already compared this ‘Mission Turkey’ to ‘Mission Impossible’ in one of his interviews!

Umar sari toh kati ishqe butta mein momin. Aakhri waqt mein kya khaq Musalman hogaye?

The loose translation of the above Urdu couplet by legendary poet Momin Khan would be: All your life you lived in non-Muslim ways. In your old age, how can you become a Muslim? For me this couplet quiet sums up Khuda Ke Liye – In the Name of God.

I’ve been reading a lot about Khuda Ke Liye – first Pakistani movie to release in India after 43 years, a movie that has become a craze all over Pakistan, so much so, that on one hand there was a fatwa against it by some radical maulvis and on the other hand an endorsement from Pervez Musharraf, the director of the movie went on vacation with his family, as soon as the movie was released fearing his life, the film was recently honoured with Pakistan's highest civilian award Sitar-i-Imtiaz, etc.., I was very curious to watch Khuda Ke Liye and since I had missed it when it released in India a few months ago, I decided to buy the DVD of the film.

I remember getting bowled over by Pakistani director Sabiha Sumer’s excellent film Khamosh Pani a couple of years ago when it was shown at the MAMI festival. Khamosh Pani told the story of a youth in rural Pakistan who falls under the influence of fundamentalists, and turns his back to his mother and his lover.

Writer / Director Shoaib Mansoor’s movie Khuda Ke Liye – In the name of God goes a step further. The story is interesting as it handles two major issues – religious extremism and racial profiling - and twines them well. There are other issues also that the movie tries to focus on; condition of women during Taliban days in Afghanistan, theological issues of acceptance of music and cultural contextualization of Islam and the way various groups are putting forward their own version of the religion. The film’s introspective theme also takes a look within the contemporary Pakistani society and shows the wedge between the moderates and extremists, it also brings to the fore the less-acknowledged truth that Muslims are being viewed with increasing suspicion in the West. All it takes for you to become a terror suspect is be a Muslim, even though a progressive and moderate one. Besides this, the film also highlights the double standards in the largely patriarchal Pakistani Muslim society where women have to follow what men decide for them, even against their wishes.

Loaded with such relevant issues Khuda Ke Liye turns out to be a film that not just entertains you, but it raises questions in your mind about the denigration and hypocrisy in our society and religion. The movie also attempts to take on the raging debates consuming the Muslim World and Muslims living in foreign lands. The story starts somewhere in pre 9/11 timeframe and ends in late 2002 in the midst of which it follows various characters facing an array of issues in life.

It is a heart wrenching film with good performances by all the actors Shaan, Fawad Khan, Iman Ali and Naseeruddin Shah, who has a cameo in the film and not surprisingly a very powerful one. The film’s music and songs are mesmerizing, particularly 'Allah Ho' and ‘Bandeya’.

Khuda Ke Liye is a brilliant movie, especially if you are interested in what Islam has to say on various issues. Shoaib Mansoor deserves kudos because he tackles a bold and controversial theme that attacks Islamic fundamentalism in a subtle way and that too, in Pakistan. With honest intentions, deft handling of a serious, sensitive and pertinent subject Shoaib Mansoor has done a creditable job as Writer / Director.

A theme like the one depicted in Khuda Ke Liye – In the Name of God is more for the thinking viewer, who loves to ponder over the movie after watching it.

Faisle nahi unke natije galat hote hai

RGV is amongst the finest storytellers Bollywood has produced, no two opinions on that but I guess there has been an overkill of underworld films from RGV himself, everyone’s seen that and done with.

While going to Contract, if one expects some serious insight into the nexus between Mumbai underworld and the terror network then RGV’s underworld-meets-terrorism flick is a major disappointment! At the best the film is a vendetta tale and how much more can you experiment with a genre that's beaten to death? Its time RGV should stop making any more films on the underworld.

Satya or for that matter Company, came at a time when the underworld subject wasn’t much explored in bollywood and RGV’s realistic, hard-hitting and at times shocking treatment of the subject caught the attention of the audience, and since then we have seen lots of movies based on underworld and now almost there is no part of the underworld, which is not cinematized.

RGV’s earlier films on underworld were comprehensive when it came to story, character sketches and how things played out, but the riveting and realistic effect of RGV’s earlier underworld films is conspicuously missing and the prime problem with Contract is that it's too superficial!

RGV, who seemed to have got his rhythm back to some extent with Sarkar Raj, fails to go above mediocrity with Contract. I don’t understand why RGV still keeps treading on the beaten track and comes up with yet another forgettable film!

In his blog RGV has said that he just wants to make “thousands of films” - and I am sure films like Contract will definitely help him achieve that quickly.

Its time RGV takes a cue from one of the lines from Contract where the hero says, “Faisle nahi unke natije galat hote hai” (It’s not decisions, but their outcome that goes wrong).

P.S: With ‘Phoonk’ RGV returns to yet another of his favourite genre of filmmaking, lets hope he doesn’t fumble again.

Indian Short Film that’s making waves worldwide.

'Rewind' which had a successful premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival is probably the world's first short film that’s truly reverse. Unlike a Memento or Irreversible, 'Rewind' is a shot by shot reverse film. It is also a first where the film is moving in reverse while the voiceover is moving forward. 'Rewind' recounts backwards, the last moments of three friends who are betting their lives and a million dollars on a game of Russian roulette. The last man standing takes the diamonds but how he got there is what the film reveals.

Amongst others, 'Rewind' has been screened at the following international film festivals like Locarno International Film Festival - Switzerland (Premiere), Victoria Independent International Film Festival - Australia (Best Film under 10 minutes), Seattle International Film Festival - USA (Grand Jury Prize), Montreal World Film Festival - Canada, Palm Springs International Film Festival - USA, Tampere International Film Festival - Finland, Milano International Film Festival - Italy, Stuttgart International Film Festival - Germany, Al Fajr International Film Festival - Iran, Short Shorts International Film Festival - Japan, Brussels Short Film Festival - Belgium, Indielisboa International Film Festival - Portugal, Los Angeles International Film Festival - USA, Tirana International Film Festival - Albania, Winterthur International Film Festival - Switzerland, Cleveland International Film Festival - USA, Atlanta International Film Festival - USA, Jackson Hole Intermational Film Festival - USA, DeReel Independent Film Festival - Australia, Tout Ecran - Switzerland, Cine Globe - Switzerland, Asian Hotshots - Berlin - Germany, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles - USA, etc., to name a few. The only stop left for ‘Rewind’ is to make it to the Oscars next year!

‘Rewind’ is now being distributed internationally by Shorts International, the largest distributor of short films in the world. Subsequently, ‘Rewind’ is also being distributed by Apple iTunes on their internet platform. This is the first of a kind deal for an Indian film – short or otherwise. ‘Rewind’ is also the first Indian short film to have had an all India theatrical release by PVR, Rewind was screened as a bonus film prior to the widely acclaimed Michel Gondry comedy 'Be Kind Rewind'.

'Rewind' is directed by Atul Taishete, who has also worked as a professional screenplay writer. He wrote the screenplay for the feature ‘Risk’ and additional dialogues of the much acclaimed ‘Johnny Gaddar’.

My favourite Top 10 Bollywood films of 2007.

After my last post here, where I had written about the ‘Top 10 Asian Films – Action’ by Samuel L Jackson, a few of my friends told me to try and write my favourite Top 10 Films of Bollywood in 2007. As said earlier, though I am not into making my top 10 lists, here I am just trying to see if I can really do it…

Of late, Indian film industry is changing and every year its bringing new hope and new kind of movies. In terms of fresh ideas, unique concepts, and fascinating projects, I think 2007 was a year of creativity at its best in recent times.

Generally the Top 10 is picked based on box office collections, while that to me is a great barometer to judge the quality of the film, it is not necessarily the best one because some of the best films (content wise) bomb at the Bollywood boxoffice!

My favourite Top 10 Bollywood films of 2007 are here, in no particular order…

1. Black Friday
2. Taare Zameen Par
3. Chak De India
4. Jab We Met
5. Johnny Gaddar
6. Dharm
7. Bheja Fry
8. Manorama 6 Feet Under
9. Om Shanti Om
10. Life in a Metro

There were a few close contenders for the Top 10 list, films that I enjoyed but somewhere they missed a mark to be part of my list. The films include The Namesake, Guru, Blue Umbrella, Parzania, Strangers, 1971, Cheeni Kum, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Gandhi My Father, Welcome & Hey Babby.

I have tried my best here, I Would love to hear your Top 10s and why you picked them.

Top 10 Asian Films - Action

It's always nice when someone you respect shares your opinion. So I was pleased to read Samuel L Jackson's list of his Top 10 Classic Asian Films. Jackson, of course, knows a thing or two about action flicks for sure. In fact, he co-starred with Geena Davis, in one of my favorite Hollywood action film - The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Here's Samuel L Jackson's complete list:

1. Oldboy (South Korea, 2003)
2. Audition (Japan, 1999)
3. City on Fire (Hong Kong, 1987)
4. Infernal Affairs 1, 2, & 3 (Hong Kong, 2002, 2003, 2003)
5. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (Thailand, 2003)
6. Azumi (Japan, 2003)
7. Family (Japan, 2007)
8. Duelist (South Korea, 2005)
9. Hard Boiled (Hong Kong, 1992)
10. Hero (China, 2002)

Apart from Family (the only film on his list that I haven't seen) I have to say that Samuel Jackson has come up with quite a respectable top 10, or perhaps that should be top 12 if you count Infernal Affairs as three films.

I'm not that into making top ten lists myself, but if I did, I'd include many of Jackson's picks, though most certainly not Duelist, which I liked but not as much. Plus, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon would have to be at the top of my list.

Bole tho, picture mast hain mamu, miss nahin karneka!

The era of simple story telling is finally back in Bollywood. Oh! How we missed all this while. Film making is essentially about telling a story and Jaane tu… hits bulls eye here...

Debutant director Abbas Tyrewala (who claim to fame was the dialogues of the Munna Bhai series, Maqbool, Main Hoon Na, etc.,) holds great potential and has penned some amazing dialogues and lyrics. Some of the dialouges in the movie has you rolling on the floor. For example: The scene where Aditi sees her brother playing with his pet mouse and asks him - "You really love her na;" to which he cattily replies, "No, we're just friends." Or in another scene where Aditi asks her brother “Can I sit here?” to which her brother casually replies “it’s your house, your bums, sit wherever you want to”. The nonchalant way in which the dialogues are delivered is absolutely amazing.

The dead parent in the photo-frame may be an old plot-device (as old as Hum Paanch on TV), but it’s a stroke of genius on Abbas’ part how he ties it up so smartly in the film. Also, the horsemen - at first such a harebrained and pointless idea, but so cleverly incorporated in the narrative. The director has also managed to aptly showcase a whole lot of relationships in the movie - be it that of siblings, friends or parents and kids.

At its heart, Jaane tu… is a refreshing film. Refreshing because of its humour quotient, Refreshing because of its emotive scenes, Refreshing because of its witty dialogues, Refreshing because of its fun moments, Refreshing because of A R Rahman’s outstanding soundtrack, Refreshing because the film’s cast and crew look like they actually enjoyed making this film.

Another Khan joins the long list of great Khans that the Hindi film industry boasts of. One look at debutant actor Imran Khan onscreen and you're taken back in time, reminded of the chocolate-boy hero of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak - Aamir Khan. Like Uncle, Like Nephew! Genelia exudes exuberance and adds life to her character. She handles emotions like jealousy, confusion or rage with élan, she’s spontaneous and sparkling.

Both Imran and Genelia share intense and electrifying chemistry which literally bounce off each other and keeps you spellbound when they’re on screen. Apart from these two lead performances, we have the spirited and feisty Ratna Pathak-Shah, the brooding and brilliant Prateik Babbar, the luminous Manjari Phadnis, and then those four amazing cameos Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Arbaaz Khan & Sohail Khan.

The film itself is a simple, young, urban, collegiate romantic comedy. And comments on such movies should really boil down to, if it entertains you or not. This one does. Whether it works or not. This one does. Period.

Via Darjeeling threatens to tease your psyche!

The ensemble star-cast consisting of Kay Kay, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Sonali Kulkarni, Sandhya Mridul, Simone Singh, Prashant Narayanan etc., drew me to a nearby multiplex to watch Via Darjeeling. I went in with a lot of expectations to watch a different movie with great performances. Right from the word go, the film went tragically awry as first-time director Arindam Nandy ends up pigeonholing a potentially strong ensemble cast into looking like rank amateurs!

The film follows the format of one story, with multiple versions / endings, a strong inspiration of story-telling technique of the very recently released Vantage Point which again is inspired from Akira Kurosawa’s Oscar nominated Rashomon. Unlike Roshomon, the problem with Via Darjeeling is that the main story is incomplete, so all assumptions and interpretations don’t look convincing at all. In fact the multiple versions of the story tend to lack imagination and what you get are the most obvious stories you'd expect given the circumstances, and hence, the whole excitement of multiple narrations is lost in the film and also Via Darjeeling lacks a convincing climax, which was the highlight of Roshomon. The director’s option for an open and rather abrupt end leaves the film with several questions unanswered. Which version of the story is true is left to your individual imagination and assumption!

Via Darjeeling is set in modern day Calcutta & Darjeeling and is supposedly based on a Bengali tradition called 'adda' (haven’t heard of it though) where friends get together in the rains, & exchange stories & gossip, over drinks & dinner! I also wonder, why the title Via Darjeeling? The film barely captures any scenic beauty of the place; instead the film is full of closed-room-conversations!

Literature and cinema have played with the idea of the variable narration for ages, fooling us and then making us applaud how well we've been fooled. And here, in Via Darjeeling, the idea is used at its quirkiest that threatens to tease your psyche!

Going Solo.

I often have trouble getting friends to commit to a destination, price, or time off for a trip! If I waited to find friends for trips, I'd be staying home way too much! I decided years ago not to stay home if I had no one to travel with, and have gone on numerous trips alone ever since.

Actually, my two week trip to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong & Macau started with four friends. Three days into the trip, three friends had to get back to India for some urgent work (which never really was that alarmingly urgent, as they found later) and I decided to go solo! All my friends thought I was crazy to continue alone, that too abroad!

In the words of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart --- “They can take our cheap double rooms, but they can never take our freedom!” –-- Well, it went something like that, anyway. The liberty that one ultimately achieves from solo travel cannot be underestimated. Unfettered and free to go where you want, when you want. You don’t have to deal with someone else's mood swings, nor they with yours! No debates, no compromises. Amen to that!

By its very nature, traveling solo will also play a key role in your own personal development. Not only does the solo traveler have greater time to reflect and learn more about themselves, but this obligatory self reliance will engender a great personal confidence as you learn just how much you are capable of achieving. The element of risk and exploration on your own leaves you with a sense of achievement and tests your street-smart quotient or the lack of it. The best part is that the experience is all yours.

To some, the thought of setting off into the unknown with little more than the pack on your back and a good book for company may sound like purgatory, but not for me. Traveling alone can get addictive. It takes guts and open-mindedness to explore the world in a way that is uniquely you!