DO DOONI CHAAR (2010) - HINDI

A compelling modest family story.

It begins with a teenage girl and how her family is, its a story about a honest math professor and how he manages his family with a modest salary and without any additional pay. The modesty and the reality comes in many forms to the eyes of a viewer and moves many as most of our country have passed or passing through this phase and most of them do not know how to deal with middle class economy.

This professor is good at math and thus good at home economics too, but when a huge expense comes on his shoulders, the question whether you give away honesty or stick to it and tackle it being the same person. This is a film so he tackles it very well a there is a bit of fate too so that's just a part of it.

Now, it’s expected, no twists, a simple tale that too confines to one middle class family only. Who would buy such theme, but the script is very well knit with the relationships turning from sweet to sour to sweet and how they fumble at times and how the family copes with those too. Thanks producers for buying this script as it has made the whole movie worth a watch and thanks for Rishi Kapoor for showing us what it means to be a simple man with all eccentricities controlled.

The most prominent thing is the chemistry between Rishi and Neetu Kapoor who has just translated their real life chemistry to reel and have brought it out so well that for the most part I forgot their real names too.

The other most important thing is the costumes and the art direction, the locales are so natural that you can feel being at a home amidst known acquaintances. It took me to a known world where people were behaving as they should and as expected.

And the winner is the script that came out so well with a theme that could have easily faltered if not enacted or directed well.

All kudos to the director and writer Habib Faisal, man you have brought an earnest and a worthy winner in times where people look for quick money and values seem to be fading.

This movie deserves a watch and such themes be brought out more.

My rating is 4/5 for one of the best movies of year that brings tears of joy at the climax.

INCEPTION (2010) - ENGLISH

Joy in letting things fold has not been better for a long time now.

This was one joy ride. It made me delve, right from the word go and by the time it was over. I was wondering, so soon? Bring it on, once more.

I couldn't comprehend some nuances of it so surely will go for it again.

This is a great multi-genre embedded fun, and technically encompasses great movies made in CGI. But the best lies in the writing, the screenplay, the mis-en scene technique that evolved in earlier Nolan's movies has come to the full flow here with one in one and in another thing, three things happen at once with the time duration being different for each occurrence.

The music, the cinematography, the audiography and the acting all were just in place but above all comes screenplay writing and the editing, it did not give me a moment to shake my head and when I did, I felt I missed an important thing. It's a personal movie to me as it made me revive the memories of dream in which I saw almost 120 years of happenings in a couple of hours sleep way back in 2002. Oh, what a scary dream it was.

Just dive and surf into the ocean of dreams made by inception and it's worth it.

Thanks Nolan for this. It's 5/5.

MY NAME IS KHAN (2010) - HINDI

Written with good intent but directed for friendship.

Had the film ended when KHAN comes out of jail and sees his wife and instead of her going away had they just met there and had walked away together, it would have surely become worth a go. But, to escalate the point that Shahrukh is a HERO (damn larger than life) the last 45 minutes was screwed up and the entire film was ripped apart.

There are very few moments that seem original and most others seem preachy and over the board. There is good acting, good music but the story is too bad in the end. The sad part is it's all messed up and there is no free flow. It seems overtly fabricated.

I hate K Jo as a film maker now, I will not go to Theater again to watch a movie that he makes.

ISHQIYA (2009) - HINDI

I could not comprehend it exactly due to incompetence to interpret a film that does not have much novelty but in dialect and backdrop.

On the first look of trailers, I was awestruck and happy. Also, I suspected that it was a faithful remake of 'Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid' but this is just an inspiration to a limited extent. It's layered with Desi Commercial elements to make a typical Bollywood pot boiler and that's when it turns out to be plot fooiler. The flaw is not in the script/screenplay but in trying to make it commercial and convey something out of nothing. Two goons escape death each time they are caught and are never killed. They escape it once and then fall into the lap of a widow when they try to cross the border and this is when things start to happen.

It's a deliberation from writer to make all the threads knit to take it to that end which he has very much pre planned and only the way it's done is to be shown. The only twist is that when I did expect someone to die, someone else did die and it was silly. A old woman (what connection she has to the plot is abstract) triggers a fire. And in this deliberation lay the backlog of the entire script coz right from the beginning it was evident that things were slowly going to that end which has no poignancy or a point.

Well, there is no problem with pointless movies but they did move me / engage me or did something to me but this worse coz it left me pale in most parts and in parts where there were witty dialogues it did make me smile else it was a boring thing for 2 hours. If having a novel dialect and putting some scoldings and just knitting some threads to make a script would work then anyone can write and anyone can work crap. Despite, being an admirer of Vishal Bharadwaj who produced this piece, I not only condemn this but discourage such movies from being made.

Please add some sense of trying to make a different original movie. It's just good for acting, dialogue and cinematography. It's just average as a whole 2/5.

AVATAR (2009) - ENGLISH

Seldom, you find a movie that takes you into it and enthralls you right from the start to the last frame. And only after the movie is over, you realize that man, the joy ride is done now it’s time to leave and wish that it would have been there for some more time. AVATAR is one such experience.

What is it about?

It’s in a way story of person saving his race and fighting for it. He wants love, he wants trust. But never did I feel that it was told splendidly as it was done in AVATAR. When a guy who has lost his legs jumps in joy we feel man I would have done that too. When a person with his courage has won the trust of many and feels to lose it then he would do anything to get it back.
Each nuance was stunning and oozing in beauty and splendor. A new world PANDORRA has been created and AVATAR makes you feel right there, you can touch those ferns, those plants, those wild animals (or monsters, I can’t term them). The screenplay is perfect with each new scene revealing something new and by the end we can figure out what each thing was all about.

A scene, in which the lead couple takes a ride and explores PANDORRA, is just one example of beauty that this movie has. The editing is awesome and the acting is apt. The background music, (I concentrated the least as the visuals were too very stunning) is just perfect. But hey, it’s not a movie where all these things should be looked into. Just sit in a 3D thing put your goggles and see for the first few minutes after the time would just flew.

Kudos, to James Cameron for visualizing AVATAR all in the brain and his crew who meticulously draw translated his vision to screen. It’s surely worth the time it took in making and for me it’s worth every penny and every second I spent watching it.

It’s not a must see but a must experience movie. 5/5

3 IDIOTS (HINDI) - 2009

It’s good in parts but Okay as a whole. Aamir Khan this time comes up as an engineering student and does it not so convincingly. He seemed to have been through college not once but many times over, as he started telling 'Say your heart All is Well and things will fall into place'.

The movie is about giving freedom to kids and a message to parents, let them be what they want to be do not enforce things on them. This is conveyed in a light sense and in a comical way. Yet, at times it becomes preachy, like the confrontation of Rancho with Virus where Rancho says 'Yeh Marks mere ko samajh aaye hi nahi' and yet not at many other times. It is a parody of itself take the black and white scenes of Raju's family or the scene of Chatur Lingam where he says that after 5 years lets see who will be where. But the good moments are far and only between as a few drizzles in a tropic summer.

The cinematography is good only in parts. Like aerial shots of Shimla road and Ladakh scenes otherwise it was just good. The art designing is commendable with the look of college, hostel and other things done well. The editing was not precise as I thought there are lot of things that could have been cut out like the pregnancy sequence in climax. The casting was not apt except Boman Irani as Principal, Chatur Lingam guy the others were clearly not apt. The 3 main protagonists and the heroine were clearly a misfit as none seemed to be students. Acting was average as nothing was so great and so original as if it was never seen. Chatur Lingam was the silver lightning in the otherwise dry acting. Also to mention is Boman Irani as principal.

The writing was mediocre as their previous ones were well written and witty Munnabhai movies. And this was an adaptation of Five Point Someone having read that, I can say that the whole backdrop and the characters and only a few situations were picked but the point that was told was different from the book. That book is much worse than this movie. I am not detailing any instances as mostly, I found them silly and stupid.

And in parts, hardly a couple, the originality came out. The speech by Chatur Lingam is the saving grace otherwise it was merely pathetic but such instances took it to at least average level.

All is surely not well and it’s strictly Average - 2/5.

PAANCH (UNRELEASED) - HINDI

Saw it finally, after a long long wait. It is an engaging piece but not a path breaking, shattering one as I found in some other reviews before the Internet preview release.

My points, Cinematography and Art direction right from credits to last frame (i would combine these as they gave the whole feeling) are splendid capturing the entire feel of youth's agony, their ambitions, their fear and the entire feeling of being locked up in a room or a garage or in a police station (claustrophobic feeling). The outdoors are though minimal and not extravagant, they are done with finesse. No green scenery's here and no sunset sunrise scenes. Yet they are captivating enough to endear, enthrall and to transform into the world of these characters.

Editing, nope that's one thing I felt is not up to the mark, the reason may be that its the director's and editor's first movie and a sharper scissor was needed.
The scenes I would like to cut are
1) The end song in which the girl sings same one as she has sung earlier
2) The scene in which Luke strangles Nikhil's father (this was later communicated in dialogue)
3) The scene where Pondy and Joy are shown as being taken to Jail (this was later communicated in dialogue). Thus felt like these were like spoon feeding.
Acting of Kay Kay as Luke Morrison is just mind fucking awesome and equally appreciable is that of Vijay Maurya as Pondy. I did not like the acting of Tejaswini, I felt she just sleep walked.
Background music is apt 3 songs are great. Main Khuda, Baith Jaa, Akhiyan. Vishal Bharadwaj gave an awesome sound track and thanks to him.

Now, the thing to writing, the dialogues are wonderful "Aye Pondy Chaai Piyega, Chal Mere Liye Ek Banaa" reveals the domineering attitude of LUKE and so is each dialogue relevant to the characterization.

The script has made me ask some questions to myself and some questions to the writer director Anurag,
1) If the entire confession in police station was about money then police at any point did not seem to be interested in where the money that was stolen was kept and all they were interested is why were the murder's that took place happen.
2) Was it necessary for Joy to have the other guys waiting outside Nikhil's house after they stole the money they wanted? He was just eating and these guys went in and when they found that Nikhil's father was there, they just strangled him. Without this also it would have been done as how the police came to know about murder of Nikhil's father and kidnap of Nikhil was not shown anyways and that was not the point of movie also.
3) The most disappointing thing was that Luke who was shown as if he was drowned just comes alive. This seemed to be a twist and this made the movie predictable as to who shall have the final laugh. And there in lay the antagonist of a wonderful script.

Direction no doubt is superb. But what started as a very very interesting and psychological thing with each shade of a character being revealed poignantly. What started as a very interesting and psychological movie turned out to be a thriller kind where the ending was predictable and so called commercial. Yet its one thing that should be watched out to know what a angry young man does (for KAY KAY).

Watch it for KAY KAY 3/5

PAA (2009) - HINDI

Loving simple tale of unison of estranged parents

The movie is full of witty, kid dish conversations between a 12 year old boy and others, the others range from his own dad to his toy. Splendid camera captured the entire emotions, funny things and also the love so refreshingly. Editing is precise except for a couple of sequences (both are related to politics), where it seemed that the director is enforcing his idea of 'cool' politician.

Now, the acting is one thing that has to be surely appreciated by almost all who have acted except one, that's Abhishek Bachchan, I request him to learn acting or do it or just get off the screen and give screen space to better actors. The acting of Vidya Balan is top notch but the real stealer is Amitabh, agreed, that the makeup, voice, teeth, eyes were deliberate attempts to make him look like a progeria affected child, but the performance delivered is one that is surely world class. Full marks to Amitabh for bringing the actor from within and becoming a child at 68 years of his life and giving a wonderful treat of performance.

The characterization was simple, but some incidents were surely stretched out. Father is a politician who denies becoming a father as he seeks his personal aspirations over becoming a father, its fine. Mom is gynecologist is also fine. Son is a progeria affected child. Now, these are characters existing in reality But, the point is how father meets the child and learns the truth and how, he is united with his lost love. Simple, but the meeting was a deliberate and amateurish attempt to begin such a story, nevertheless it had to start at some point and so it did, and once the protagonist was introduced, the entire thing was an engaging watch full of humor (it's not cynical or sarcastic but plain and dry) that's the stand out selling point. One dialogue in which the kid is asked 'What does your mom and do?" to which he replies "Bas bachhe paida karte hai" is worth the money.

Despite the evident flaws in the movie, it is worth a watch just for it's simplicity and no nonsense method. Director Balki, I wish sticks to such stuff and keeps churning these kind of movies more and kudos for trying this in an earnest way.
Highly recommended - 4/5.

2012 (2009) - ENGLISH

The world is at its end, it's doomsday everything is going to go down in the sea, hey wait, did I say everything no there will be a lucky few who will survive the meteors falling and the earth crashing and all, the logic of the doom is fine and scientific. But someone being made hero for the sake of it is not appreciable.

The special effects are not over the moon but yes watchable but are they worth all the millions put in? I doubt that and think that I saw many better movies which were made in lower budgets and yes were more captivating than all the content that is thrown at in this film. Just see if you think that the promos and ads pull you into theatre else you can make a miss and nothing would change or matter.

Strictly Below Average - 1/5

AAMIR (2008) - HINDI

Hoooo....Too very engrossing

I don't know if it was the subtle expressions of strangers or stark expressions of protagonist or the desire of the antagonist or what kept this movie going....but it went on and I did not flinch back or took a break....it just got going from the beginning, It could have gone anywhere from anywhere, but still the journey was so engaging that I moved my head forward by an inch each 10 minutes. This had crucified my inhibitions that such a movie can’t be made and is difficult to be held on to.

This indeed is a brave attempt, from long shots of AAMIR running in streets to close ups showing his despair, every nuance is married with his psychological state. Each thing that he does is actually a reflection of his state of mind, his fear of losing his family overtakes him at times but finally he himself takes the charge and does something which is unrealistic to many yet is attainable. A common man as he is famously termed, becomes a martyr. Yet is termed as a suicide bomber a terrorist that's the irony it shows.

It starts with him being accused as a terrorist (police are suspicious about it) and it ends with him being labeled as a terrorist. Oh, what a vicious circle it is.

Editing is sublime and so is the cinematography to capture each face each nuance and convey something that in such time conveys many greater things.

Kudos to director Raj Kumar Gupta for thinking of making it and Anurag Kashyap who has helped it to surface the way it is.

One might like it and many may not. But before giving a judgment, please do see.

A must see rating. 4/5

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999) - ENGLISH

Wow. It's one hell of a ride

I didn't know till the first hour where the plot that has been built up will lead to and in the next it had much more than I had thought. A simple puppeteer's life is in shackles with the truth he has learnt but will be like that forever or will it become normal again (as it happens in Hollywood movies) a happy family is shattered with an incident but it stays happy in the end with a compromise or resolution or something...but no not here...

As I promised I am not going to reveal the story here...but even if I did for this its a must experience movie as it has too many things involved.....

There is this puppeteer Craig Schwartz who gets a job in a rather mysterious 71/2 (but well explained in a 2 minute TV show) floor and finds out that actually there is a way that leads to the brain of John Malkovich. Simple on paper it may seem but the entire transformation and revelations begin then....
He learns that his wife is transsexual...his colleague whom he wanted to make love with actually wants to fuck john malkovich with his wife in his head. He is lost totally...he then cages his wife and goes into Malkovich head and makes love with his colleague...and yes the puppeteer comes now...he realizes that he could control his actions and does so...yes by touching her colleague's left boob at will.....but having said all this........there are more surprises left....

What if Malkovich himself entered the head of Malkovich? That is sorted out.....EVERYTHING BECOMES MALKOVICH.....everything seen and heard is just Malkovich.....wow......a crazy idea and yes it is right to an extent...whenever I thought too much about my own self I could see myself doing something (it was an illusion) but this aspect is really thrilling to know and may also make one go crazy....anyways back to plot......

It is now.......Craig wants to Stay in Malkovich forever and does so...he makes Malkovich a success full puppeteer.....and earns money.....lives the life of a millionaire kind.....now his colleague is pregnant rightly so as they have been making love but wait...again a surprise...

OK now a bit or retrospection and inquisitive, engrossed too much into the thing that what would happen next, I almost lost that why was there a portal....only for malkovich or why basically there is a way into his head.......its learnt later and its related to construction of 71/2 floor (that's a hint)....

It's a clear movie..it seems to solve the answers that it has raised itself......and yet it still ends ask many more psychological questions......what would it be if we are in another soul feels it feels, see what it sees, hear what it hears....man this is a crazy thing......but an experience to experiment with.

Having almost revealed the entire story or plot, the acting is top notch and realistic even in this highly fictitious drama... John Cusack as Craig just excels ....he must have practiced pup petering a lot for this...and so did John Malkovich....Cameron Diaz lives as if she has been living with her pets, the chimpanzee, a dog, a bird for ages....there are other animals...like a chameleon too....and the witch (don't know its a right thing to say) played by Catherine Keener is just right...and even the other actors perform aptly

All said and above, Kudos to writer Charlie Kaufman for writing such a thing and for Spike Jonze for accepting to make it and making it so engagingly.......

It’s a must take ride.... One must be someone else....

RATING: 5/5

1947 EARTH (1998) - HINDI

Totally Unexpected.

I did not expect many things in the way they were unfolded and that’s the beauty of this movie.

The story is about partition but no big politics involved. Lahore no big cities involved. Rather it's a tale of a choice between lust and love. It a view point of a small parsi girl.

There are very little commercial elements and the music of A R Rahman just adds to the visuals and the way they unfold I repeat is what is wonderful.

It's not spectacular and I didn't get a wow while viewing but its engrossing and so engrossing that I didn't even realize till the tears strolled from eyes and touched my lips.

It's a must watch if one can take in the surprise of seeing a movie that actually does not have a typical beginning or end and anything.

Aamir Khan Rocks and Nandita Das is wonderful. But the best is from a kid Maia Sethna as Lenny Baby.

Rating : 4/5

KAMINEY (2009) - HINDI

Hmm just back from the movie and am still not believing what I saw. No it cannot be, Vishal can never make a movie like that. So predictable, so illogical, so flawed and yet too much hyped as a Tarantino and Guy Ritchie kind. For me it's never like that. It isn't even near to a two out of five from me

Story, twin brothers story/one love story/one smuggling gangster story/one political gangster story and all cooked up to a shoot shoot shootout climax

Cooked up to make a pot boiler, but its rotten, so rotten that I couldn't smell it even to have it after the end of first half I started reading the other side and it happened the same way bad men go and good men stay. The streak of OMKARA where LANGDA TYAGI was raised as an epitome of jealousy was missing, the innocence and honesty of BLUE UMBRELLA was missing.
The performances were decent or may be the best of their life times for the actors, I don't give a damn but the plot, the character development, the story the concept for which I was craving all through was so flawed and I am still not liking it...should I dare to watch it again I would be more angry
After, coming out my initial reaction was he fucked it all up and he was the biggest KAMINA as he cut the ass of viewers like me and made an illusion as the best movie of the year nope not you mister Vishal Bharadwaj. GULAAL is many notches higher as MOVIE of YEAR

RATING : 2/5

PYAASA (1957) - HINDI

My favourite Movie till Date.

This is my first movie I am going to review coz this is the movie that changed my view my aim and defined me. It is the most special movie for me.

It's the story of a jobless poet Vijay (Guru Dutt). His anguish his pain his hope and his wish for a better world. His vision is what is depicted. It's a vision of every true poet and its the pain that he has seen made him a better poet. He wants his poems to be published and they will never be taken by the publishers.

No, no the story shall not be revealed but I would like to discuss the characters and the technicalities involved in the movie.

Characters are endearing and realistic and relatable too. I can identify myself with Vijay, an abandoned poet. And putting myself in each one's shoes I realized that the way the character reacted, I too would react in the same way. The acting is just top notch with Waheeda Rehman playing Gulab, Mala Sinha playing Meena, Rehman playing Ghosh all are remarkable in performances.

Abrar Alvi's dialogue, S D Burman's music and Sahir Ludhianvi's poetry (no not lyrics it is poetry of a very high degree) complement the magnanimous vision of Guru Dutt. And everything is perfect.

Right from first frame till the very end, each frame seems to have a meaning much greater than I could comprehend. The lighting and the visuals just suit the vision and thus give a feel into the psyche of each character.

Damn it. I am not reviewing, I am just praising it and no praise how great is equal than this movie being watched many times over.

Rating: 5/5

REFRESH

There have been many showers of rain but none like this one. 

It was special in many ways…for there was a rainbow after many years, there were many birds sitting on the trees and many chirping, all the waves in Riverside were enjoying it. I felt extremely happy ....it was a feeling, a feeling which was not conscious driven. Though it had happened sometimes before like this I do not know nor can express why it was different but yes it was REFRESHING. This is all I can say, the day before this rain…my mother told I am a good son, my friends said that I play well and my father appreciated me for the honesty I showed in doing his work. This was what it made the rain different. I was holding a black umbrella and sitting on the river bank enjoying the rain and feeling happy about yesterday. It was morning 7 AM, time to go school and yet I was unwilling to because I need to face My Math teacher who always scolds me for not doing math well…but unwillingly I got up and started walking back home.

I saw a girl playing with paper boats and leaving them in the water that was flowing from their house. She was just 3 years old, I was happy at that sight and wished to be in her place but well I am 14 now and I need to study well and get a good name to my parents, these were the thoughts that I have been instilled in me, by all whom I met. I wished that they would change someday and I would be set free from all the responsibilities and thoughts.

I then knew that being nothing is merrier than becoming big and being held responsible for what u have done and what u have not. I went home running as it was getting late and I got drenched as I closed the umbrella on the run. Mom scolded me for getting wet dad told me that my studies would be disturbed if I get sick and even my grandma who was at home started worrying about my health but the fact that I enjoyed the rain, no one recognized. I got disappointed by these words earlier but not anymore, I must say I got used to them.

I was appreciated if I do ten things which my parents liked and was warned or scolded if I did one mischief, this was what was life for me so I remembered only the praise which I got and forgot all the other things.

I went to school in the auto rickshaw watching the rainfall all through and wished I was part of the beautiful nature and reached school to face my Math teacher and there he entered. I was shivering with fear and then looked at the rain I was happy again I got the courage to answer his mathematical question let them be wrong but come what may I am not going to fear anymore. He took my book just to examine the way I was approaching the problem, he said that I was ridiculous at Math and I am not worth learning it.

"Well It is force that destroys mankind and when you force someone to do what he is not interested in, the results would be futile and not fruitful and I must admit that Math is not of my interest I hope that you never question me again though I get fewer marks let me fail and so be it. I am not afraid of failure as much as I hate the force that is being put on me. I just wish that no one is forced against their interest cause his choice of doing things makes him what he wants to be and by forcing someone, you are curbing many other abilities, whose efforts are being put in avoiding what he does not like to do to avoid do what he does not like rather than doing what he likes let him grow by his choice let me build his own values and interests which will make him the human being of tomorrow good or bad let him face it let him realize the good and bad do not instill prejudiced notion to anyone about what is good and bad and let them realize with their experiences" I said in anguish and anger.
My words made the teacher dumbstruck he seemed very eager in listening to what I spoke. He asked, "What do you want to do, what is your interest?" "I want to play in the rain" I replied. Unable to speak he said "Go and Enjoy" with a surprise and I ran into the rain with no further hesitation and felt this was the best moment of my life. I played until it got over by noon. I got back to class did my work and went home after school everything seemed so refreshing and new for me. 

My math teacher came home in the evening and he had a talk with my parents. I did not know where I got the courage to say what I spoke to my teacher I would have never spoken to him like that if it was not for the rain that day. I felt as I have achieved everything and now I sleep with the happiness of achievement and dream about a new dawn that would surely be different and the best one. 

That was a page of my diary, in fact, the best one and the day is still so refreshing in my memory. From that day I was never forced and was let to do things of my interest. That happened 15 years earlier and now I am a Math Professor I am very much happy and proud of what I have done.