I don't know what got into me before I started to watch this movie; with absolutely no buzz surrounding this film, no popular songs and the most outdated of promos running on the television channels, I was surprised at myself. Well, after the movie got over, the emotions were the same as I thought "What, in this big world, made me see THIS FILM!!!". After the film got over, I was continuously thinking and trying to figure out, what exactly was the story of this film.
Well, I have still been not able to recollect what exactly the story was, so I'll write what I saw without revealing the whole plot (waise there is no point not revealing it, because anyways, its not worth watching, but still, for some die-hard film aficionados who HAVE to watch every film made in the world (I know some people like that ;-) ):
Girl(Amita Pathak) meets boy no. 1(Adhyayan Suman), both fall in love amidst light, misty mountains and their love blooms with the flowers in the valleys. Girl comes to Mumbai and, on her way back to the valleys and mountains, meets boy no.2 (Nakuul Mehta) in the train. Now, boy no.2 is the quintessential naughty-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold (sounds like Saawariya??). Boy 2 loves girl 1, but girl 1 loves boy 1. So, boy 2 tries to win her heart in all the weird ways possible. That's, perhaps, it.
As the movie starts, you can't help but burst out laughing, seeing the way boy 1 meets girl. I thought such hero-heroine intros were gone, right at the start of the new millenium. The boy and gal ka takraana, dono ka chakraana and then pahaad k kone pe khade hoke naach-gaana. But you still want forgive them for a false start. As the scenes unfold and boy 2 is introduced(supposed to evoke mirth, but too loud a humour to burst out laughing, still innovative entry, better than the boy-gal one) and the sequences in the train thereafter, give you a sense of deja vu. The film first tries to copy the evergreen classic, DDLJ, in the initial train sequences, when boy 2 starts irritating the girl. Then, when boy 2 and girl miss their train at a station, you are reminded of Jab We Met. After that, I just don't know what happened;its just a collection of scenes, which are there to fill up some screen time, perhaps because without them, the film's running time would have been just 1 hour.
On the positive side, the film is very well shot. The landscapes of Simla(supposedly, though I am sure it is Switzerland) and Ladakh look stunning.
The flip side: Err..... where is the story???, the characterizations are very very 80s and early 90s, ie, too good to be true (especially the character of Shekhar), the music is very weak barring the title track, the absence of a hit number is felt, more so because this is a romantic flick, and the second half is a huge drag, especially the forest scenes.
The performances: Amita Pathak, being the daughter of the producer Kumar Mangat, is present in every scene of the movie. This becomes a bit irritating, though she acts well. Secondly, she looked very plain and plump in the film, so the sequences where the 2 heroes fall in love with her, in first sight look the least convincing. In fact, they are funny. Perhaps, a better script would have lent more gravity in her performance, but she did well in whatever she was made to do.
Nakuul Mehta is given a character, very very similar to Ranbir Kapoor's in Saawariya. Plus, his expressions remind you of Hrithik Roshan, and his dialogue delivery, of Shahid Kapoor. He is totally let down by a pathetic script and a badly characterized role, though his sincerity shows in every scene and he gives a good account of himself in whatever he is offered.
Adhyayan Suman. Was THIS his debut movie? It looked more like a guest appearance. He is there for not more than three or four 5-minute scenes. Still, he shows some spark in whatever bits he is offered. He certainly deserved a better movie and more flesh in the role to begin his acting career. He is totally wasted in this film.
On the whole, please don't waste your time over this film. There are better ways to utilize both your time and your money. TOTAL NONSENSE!!!
My Rating: *
Monday 23 June, 2008
Friday 20 June, 2008
MOVIE REVIEW: THE BLUE UMBRELLA (Chhatri Chor)
Two reviews in 2 days!! I certainly some free time to kill on my hands!!
The Blue Umbrella is a Vishal Bharadwaj adaptation of a novella of the same name, written by the great Ruskin Bond. Vishal Bharadwaj started off with a bang as a music director in Maachis, and as a director with Makdee, which was also an award-winning children's film. He is, again, part of the brigade of new directors with a mint-fresh approach to the entire process of film-making. Personally, I feel he is the new-age Gulzar. Extremely versatile, he has shown that he can handle light-hearted films like The Blue Umbrella and Makdee with as much deftness, as he handles serious, dark and brooding films like Maqbool and Omkara. This is Vishal's third adaptation of a novella/story after Maqbool (based on Shakespeare's Macbeth) and Omkara(again, Shakespeare's Othello).
The storyline of the film is simple yet deep, metaphorically. Biniya is the livewire of a small hamlet, somewhere in Himachal Pradesh, and the people of the village adore her. Nandkishore Khatri is a local tea-stall owner, who is known to be a miser and a very self-centered person. One day, Biniya discovers a beautiful Japanese umbrella and exchanges her necklet for it. As she flaunts her umbrella around the village, it becomes the envy of many, including Nandkishore Khatri and he desires it intensely. Then one fine day, the umbrella is stolen, and Biniya's suspects Nandkishore of stealing it, though she has no proof. How Biniya finds her missing umbrella and what happens to Nandkishore Khatri after that forms the rest of the story.
Thank you ,Vishal Bharadwaj, for bringing innocence back into cinema. In an age, where skin-show, titillation, foul-language and gore seems to be the in-thing in cinema, without which films are doomed, he brings back the freshness of childhood. The movie makes us get in touch with the child in each one of us, makes us rid the vulgarity of popular cinema, for those 1 and a half hours of its running time.
Thank you, for retaining the mood that a Ruskin Bond novel has. Everybody, at some point in their lives, must've read a short-story or its excerpt by Ruskin Bond, either as leisure pleasure or as part of their curriculum (like I had in DPS, Vasant Kunj, my school), and would be familiar with the mood he sets in every story of his. The style of narration is subtle, simple and easy to comprehend. The language is simple, and the aura it creates, makes even the hot afternoon feel cool. Vishal Bharadwaj has not just copied the story and made it into a screenplay, he has got into the soul of the author.
Thank you, for lending some respect to children's intellect.Mind you, this is a children's film and not a childish film. Many people, in their attempt to please the children, try and make immature and childish movies, with zilch script, and oversmart characters who think on their feet, already have a way out of trouble, and the most pathetic part, assign 'Formula No.s' to each of their ingenious ideas. Which kid does that??? The director shows his maturity by showing kids very normal in their behavior and not little geniuses.
And, lastly, thank you for making us realize once again, what an underrated actor Pankaj Kapur is. To say he is fantastic is making a huge understatement. HE IS SUPERLATIVE!!! His character, though having shades of grey, is very human. His accent, dialogue-delivery, mannerisms, expressions, chemistry with the character of Biniya and the lust for the umbrella, are so perfect that they look endearing even though the actions lack moral justification. If Abbaji of Maqbool was a performance at the highest level, Nandkishore Khatri comes a very very close second.
Special thanks, to Samir Chanda (Art Director) and Sachin K. Krishn (Cinematographer), for capturing the beauty of Himachal. It looked more gorgeous than the Swiss Alps. The setting itself is a character, the hamlet has a soul of its own.
Vishal Bharadwaj, the director excels because Vishal Bharadwaj, the writer, the screenwriter, the dialogue writer and the music director lend adequate support. The dialogues deserve special mention: they are acidic and well-worded. Note the scene right near the end when Nandkishore Khatri goes for a shave; the impact of the dialogues and the expressions of Pankaj Kapur on hearing those, totally break your heart. Very tight story and screenplay, the film not for a moment drags.The metaphorical use of the summer, bright and sunny, and winter, cold and barren, shows the stamp of a creative genius. Music, though not popular, blends in well with the mood. He also extracts a solid performance out of Shreya Sharma (Biniya); standing up to an acting powerhouse like Pankaj Kapur requires supreme confidence which she displays quite well.
All in all: Please don't think this is boring, preachy art-house cinema. Also, please don't think this is only meant for children. This film is 90 mins of pure magic; give yourself a break from the same old pelvic-swinging item song and micro-mini stuff, that would in any case go on and on forever.
My Rating : **** and half (One of my all-time favourites)
The Blue Umbrella is a Vishal Bharadwaj adaptation of a novella of the same name, written by the great Ruskin Bond. Vishal Bharadwaj started off with a bang as a music director in Maachis, and as a director with Makdee, which was also an award-winning children's film. He is, again, part of the brigade of new directors with a mint-fresh approach to the entire process of film-making. Personally, I feel he is the new-age Gulzar. Extremely versatile, he has shown that he can handle light-hearted films like The Blue Umbrella and Makdee with as much deftness, as he handles serious, dark and brooding films like Maqbool and Omkara. This is Vishal's third adaptation of a novella/story after Maqbool (based on Shakespeare's Macbeth) and Omkara(again, Shakespeare's Othello).
The storyline of the film is simple yet deep, metaphorically. Biniya is the livewire of a small hamlet, somewhere in Himachal Pradesh, and the people of the village adore her. Nandkishore Khatri is a local tea-stall owner, who is known to be a miser and a very self-centered person. One day, Biniya discovers a beautiful Japanese umbrella and exchanges her necklet for it. As she flaunts her umbrella around the village, it becomes the envy of many, including Nandkishore Khatri and he desires it intensely. Then one fine day, the umbrella is stolen, and Biniya's suspects Nandkishore of stealing it, though she has no proof. How Biniya finds her missing umbrella and what happens to Nandkishore Khatri after that forms the rest of the story.
Thank you ,Vishal Bharadwaj, for bringing innocence back into cinema. In an age, where skin-show, titillation, foul-language and gore seems to be the in-thing in cinema, without which films are doomed, he brings back the freshness of childhood. The movie makes us get in touch with the child in each one of us, makes us rid the vulgarity of popular cinema, for those 1 and a half hours of its running time.
Thank you, for retaining the mood that a Ruskin Bond novel has. Everybody, at some point in their lives, must've read a short-story or its excerpt by Ruskin Bond, either as leisure pleasure or as part of their curriculum (like I had in DPS, Vasant Kunj, my school), and would be familiar with the mood he sets in every story of his. The style of narration is subtle, simple and easy to comprehend. The language is simple, and the aura it creates, makes even the hot afternoon feel cool. Vishal Bharadwaj has not just copied the story and made it into a screenplay, he has got into the soul of the author.
Thank you, for lending some respect to children's intellect.Mind you, this is a children's film and not a childish film. Many people, in their attempt to please the children, try and make immature and childish movies, with zilch script, and oversmart characters who think on their feet, already have a way out of trouble, and the most pathetic part, assign 'Formula No.s' to each of their ingenious ideas. Which kid does that??? The director shows his maturity by showing kids very normal in their behavior and not little geniuses.
And, lastly, thank you for making us realize once again, what an underrated actor Pankaj Kapur is. To say he is fantastic is making a huge understatement. HE IS SUPERLATIVE!!! His character, though having shades of grey, is very human. His accent, dialogue-delivery, mannerisms, expressions, chemistry with the character of Biniya and the lust for the umbrella, are so perfect that they look endearing even though the actions lack moral justification. If Abbaji of Maqbool was a performance at the highest level, Nandkishore Khatri comes a very very close second.
Special thanks, to Samir Chanda (Art Director) and Sachin K. Krishn (Cinematographer), for capturing the beauty of Himachal. It looked more gorgeous than the Swiss Alps. The setting itself is a character, the hamlet has a soul of its own.
Vishal Bharadwaj, the director excels because Vishal Bharadwaj, the writer, the screenwriter, the dialogue writer and the music director lend adequate support. The dialogues deserve special mention: they are acidic and well-worded. Note the scene right near the end when Nandkishore Khatri goes for a shave; the impact of the dialogues and the expressions of Pankaj Kapur on hearing those, totally break your heart. Very tight story and screenplay, the film not for a moment drags.The metaphorical use of the summer, bright and sunny, and winter, cold and barren, shows the stamp of a creative genius. Music, though not popular, blends in well with the mood. He also extracts a solid performance out of Shreya Sharma (Biniya); standing up to an acting powerhouse like Pankaj Kapur requires supreme confidence which she displays quite well.
All in all: Please don't think this is boring, preachy art-house cinema. Also, please don't think this is only meant for children. This film is 90 mins of pure magic; give yourself a break from the same old pelvic-swinging item song and micro-mini stuff, that would in any case go on and on forever.
My Rating : **** and half (One of my all-time favourites)
Thursday 19 June, 2008
MOVIE REVIEW: AAMIR
My very first blog , and starting it with the thing i love doing the most: writing film reviews
'Aamir'. I guess this is some sort of a magic word in the world of Indian cinema. Whichever movie this word is associated with, the movie guarantees top quality.
It's time to take your hats off and applaud a masterpiece of a debut by writer and director, Rajkumar Gupta, and the lead actor, Rajeev Khandelwal. Aamir is, by far, the best film to come out in 2008.
Hindi cinema is going through a revolution of sorts. New-age filmmakers, with fresh,gripping story lines and tight storytelling techniques are coming to the fore. The trend, sparked by filmmakers like Ashutosh Gowariker, Farhan Akhtar and Vishal Bharadwaj, is spreading like wild-fire, and has proven that, Indian cinema is much more than 7 songs, 3 emotional , 2 romantic, and 4 fight scenes. No surprises, therefore, that Indian cinema is being noticed internationally.
Coming back to the film, Aamir tells the story of Aamir Ali(Rajeev Khandelwal), a doctor, coming home to Mumbai, from London, to meet his family. How a supposedly harmless mobile phone, leads to a nightmare of a lifetime for Aamir, as he waddles through the unglamorous, shady bylanes of Mumbai, forms the rest of the story.
The film should not be considered art-house or 'boring' cinema: technically, the film is very slick. Its a thriller which does keep you at the edge of your seats. The editing, which has to be perfect for this genre, is brilliant. Camera-work is top-notch, and the power of the slow-motion camera work is shown brilliantly to convey the tension. There are no songs or love angles in the film, and that's a relief; the impact would have been nulled by the presence of even one song, out of place.
Very rarely does one come across a film, where the Hero is the Script. When the script is the hero and the technique is the heroine, the film is a winner. Then even the most filthy of places look better than the landscapes of Switzerland and the most common of faces have more charisma than Amitabh Bachhan. A case in point is the Colin Farell starrer Phonebooth. But note that Aamir is not by any stretch of the imagination, a copy of Phonebooth. The only thing common is a helpless man caught with a telephone in his hands, that is it.
Aamir is a film which addresses a topic of today, which has been viewed with a one-dimensional perspective by the majority. Rajkumar Gupta, presents another dimension, his own interpretation and his own opinion on the issue. The film shocks you. No one, at least your's truly, would have ever thought of viewing the issue from the perspective of the writer, and this is where lies the success of the writer. Right from the first few scenes, where Aamir Ali's baggage is checked, to the last scene, the writer compels you to think. Kudos to Rajkumar Gupta for daring to tread the path less traveled, and also proving the fact that it is easy to produce hit films but very difficult to produce good films. BRILLIANT!!
Rajeev Khandelwal, a well-known face on TV, demonstrates his intelligence and knowledge of his art with Aamir. When every other TV actor is desperate to get that elusive film role, and pouncing on the very first offer, regardless of the story, the director, the team and the production house involved, ending up making a fool out of himself on 70 mm ( Amarr Upadhyay and Aman Verma being cases in point), Khandelwal shows good thinking. Moreover, when every debutant today is expected to be a Hrithik Roshan: good looking, ribbed body, excellent dancer and a decent actor, here comes an ACTOR, who doesn't aspire to become an overnight sensation. He follows the Irrfan Khan-KK-Vinay Pathak-Ranvir Sheorey school of acting, giving a solid performance rather than showing off his charisma on-screen. He comes across totally believable: he is as normal as you and me, he feels puzzled when he is made run across Mumbai, feels angry,desperate, frustrated, helpless and surrenders at the end. A SCINTILLATING DEBUT!!
Overall, I have just 2 words for this film : FABULOUS and EYE-OPENER!!!! A Must-watch for anyone who loves quality cinema.
My Rating: ****
* : kabaad!!
** : theek theek
*** : acchi film hai!
**** : phaad!!!
*****: dharti-phod!!
'Aamir'. I guess this is some sort of a magic word in the world of Indian cinema. Whichever movie this word is associated with, the movie guarantees top quality.
It's time to take your hats off and applaud a masterpiece of a debut by writer and director, Rajkumar Gupta, and the lead actor, Rajeev Khandelwal. Aamir is, by far, the best film to come out in 2008.
Hindi cinema is going through a revolution of sorts. New-age filmmakers, with fresh,gripping story lines and tight storytelling techniques are coming to the fore. The trend, sparked by filmmakers like Ashutosh Gowariker, Farhan Akhtar and Vishal Bharadwaj, is spreading like wild-fire, and has proven that, Indian cinema is much more than 7 songs, 3 emotional , 2 romantic, and 4 fight scenes. No surprises, therefore, that Indian cinema is being noticed internationally.
Coming back to the film, Aamir tells the story of Aamir Ali(Rajeev Khandelwal), a doctor, coming home to Mumbai, from London, to meet his family. How a supposedly harmless mobile phone, leads to a nightmare of a lifetime for Aamir, as he waddles through the unglamorous, shady bylanes of Mumbai, forms the rest of the story.
The film should not be considered art-house or 'boring' cinema: technically, the film is very slick. Its a thriller which does keep you at the edge of your seats. The editing, which has to be perfect for this genre, is brilliant. Camera-work is top-notch, and the power of the slow-motion camera work is shown brilliantly to convey the tension. There are no songs or love angles in the film, and that's a relief; the impact would have been nulled by the presence of even one song, out of place.
Very rarely does one come across a film, where the Hero is the Script. When the script is the hero and the technique is the heroine, the film is a winner. Then even the most filthy of places look better than the landscapes of Switzerland and the most common of faces have more charisma than Amitabh Bachhan. A case in point is the Colin Farell starrer Phonebooth. But note that Aamir is not by any stretch of the imagination, a copy of Phonebooth. The only thing common is a helpless man caught with a telephone in his hands, that is it.
Aamir is a film which addresses a topic of today, which has been viewed with a one-dimensional perspective by the majority. Rajkumar Gupta, presents another dimension, his own interpretation and his own opinion on the issue. The film shocks you. No one, at least your's truly, would have ever thought of viewing the issue from the perspective of the writer, and this is where lies the success of the writer. Right from the first few scenes, where Aamir Ali's baggage is checked, to the last scene, the writer compels you to think. Kudos to Rajkumar Gupta for daring to tread the path less traveled, and also proving the fact that it is easy to produce hit films but very difficult to produce good films. BRILLIANT!!
Rajeev Khandelwal, a well-known face on TV, demonstrates his intelligence and knowledge of his art with Aamir. When every other TV actor is desperate to get that elusive film role, and pouncing on the very first offer, regardless of the story, the director, the team and the production house involved, ending up making a fool out of himself on 70 mm ( Amarr Upadhyay and Aman Verma being cases in point), Khandelwal shows good thinking. Moreover, when every debutant today is expected to be a Hrithik Roshan: good looking, ribbed body, excellent dancer and a decent actor, here comes an ACTOR, who doesn't aspire to become an overnight sensation. He follows the Irrfan Khan-KK-Vinay Pathak-Ranvir Sheorey school of acting, giving a solid performance rather than showing off his charisma on-screen. He comes across totally believable: he is as normal as you and me, he feels puzzled when he is made run across Mumbai, feels angry,desperate, frustrated, helpless and surrenders at the end. A SCINTILLATING DEBUT!!
Overall, I have just 2 words for this film : FABULOUS and EYE-OPENER!!!! A Must-watch for anyone who loves quality cinema.
My Rating: ****
* : kabaad!!
** : theek theek
*** : acchi film hai!
**** : phaad!!!
*****: dharti-phod!!
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