Zindagi Na MIlegi Dobara

Even before Zoya Akhtar began this movie, I have believed in the title of this movie. My only concern was how will she make a movie with this title. I must say I returned happy.

Zoya, the Director derives a lot from her brother's iconic movie 'Dil Chahta Hai' here. There are 3 bosom buddies, Kabeer [Abhay Deol], Arjun [Hritik Roshan] and Imraan [Farhan Akhtar]. There is male bonding. There is misunderstanding between two of them. There is the middle of the path friend who brings the estranged friends together. There is a girl full of life and love. There is a tour and a lot of masti. And there is realization about life and love at the end and the truth that you only live once.

The three friends on a holiday meet one another and then themselves in the process. One ends up breaking his engagement. Another realizes money isn't everything in life if you are not living today. The third decides to open up to the world with his poetry.

Though this one doesn't scale the same heights as DCH, ZNMD does leave you contented and feeling warm. Abhay Deol and Farhar Akhtar get equal billing with Hritik. Each one gets a chance to foist upon the other two, his idea of adventure during a bachelor's holiday in Spain.

Each adventure brings one of the boys face to face with what they really want. For Arjun, it is love. His love for the simple, lovable and vivacious deep sea diving instructor Laila [Katrina Kaif]. For Imraan, it is his own inner angst against his biological father [Salim, played with dignity by Naseeruddin Shah] and his final triumph over the fear of taking the jump. Kabeer, forced by family commitments finally decides to take the bull by the horn to call off a forced engagement with Natasha [Kalki Koechlin].

The dialogues are simple and are straight out of real life. Reema Kagti who directed the delicious "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd" has joined hands with Zoya in weaving a smooth screen play and endowed it with fabulous dialogues. If the movie is a tad slow, that is because it is happening almost in real time. There are narrated flash-backs but no fast forwards. Javed Akhtar's poems credited to Imraan in the movie add to the impact.

Songs are nice and music easy on the ears without being memorable like DCH. Technically ZNMD is a contemporary movie and is up to date. It did not make me go ROTFL. There are some LOL moments but mostly it kept me smiling.

All actors from Hritik, Farhan, Abhay, Kalki and Naseeruddin Shah to the Spanish actor Ariadna Cabrol have done fabulously. But Katrina Kaif is a revelation. She has matured into a fabulous actor. And even in minimal makeup, she looks gorgeous. Overall it is a satisfying movie experience.

In short, 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' is 'Dil Chahta Hai' 10 years younger, stylized and in slow motion on beautiful Spanish Roads. This is a journey worth your time, money and most importantly intellect.

My verdict: Haven't you watched it yet ? Must be kidding !

Paa

The promos of 'Paa' released in December 2009 were quite interesting.
Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal and Introducing Amitabh Bachchan'.
That was a good reason to watch it straight away on day one.

After the disappointing "Bbuddah hoga Terra Baap", I went back to some old DVDs of Bachchan to refresh my faith in 'The Bachchan' phenomenon. I do so every time a 'Bbuddah' or a 'Family' happens. This time I chose 'Paa' because I wanted to see 'Auro'. A role that won the 'Best Actor' National Award for Bachcahn.

Critics have compared the movie to the ‘The curious case of Benjamin Button’. But this movie is absolutely different except for the ‘Progeria’ issue. This movie is about life and about living your life to the best with what you have got. This is also a movie that celebrates the ‘Greatest Indian Movie Star of all times’.

Amitabh Bachchan has acted in so many movies which were plain dumb. Toofan, Jadugar, GJS, Lal Badshah, RGV ke Aag and many more. But then he has given us some of the most poignant moments on celluloid like in Mili, Anand, Deewar, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Baghbaan and many more. He also gave us many outrageously funny moments in Amar Akbar Anthony, Khuddaar, Namak Halaal and Satte Pe Satta.

'Cheeni Kum' was a nice and intelligent movie. 'Sarkar' was intense and will be remembered among his best. He did well even in multi-star capers like 'KANK', 'K3G' and 'Mohabbatein' playing the roles of senior citizen. But the one thing missing was ‘Something Special’. All he did was good, but nothing out of the box like what Kamal Hassan has done in many movies!

With 'Paa', Bachchan finally has broken the jinx. At the age of 67, he plays ‘Auro’ a 13 year old boy with a very rare congenital illness that leads to accelerated ageing and early death, Progeria or “Hutchinson–Gilford Progeria Syndrome".

Auro, his mother, grand-mother, his teachers at school and even his friends take it as a matter of fact. There is no lamenting or no melodrama till the climax. But all are concerned about Auro and they take care of him well. He grows up to be a funny and fun-loving but a little too head-strong boy with a very sharp brain. In spite of his frail health and awkward looks, he is a very popular character at school.

He comes up with one-liners that are funny and cool. When his grand-mother starts getting on his nerves, he tells his Bhaloo, “Are you not a non-vegetarian ? Why don’t you eat her ?” He is a boy with an attitude too. Written on the door of his room, “Knock, else I will knock your head off’. He also has his way when he decides to leave his best friend Vishnu back as he joins his Politician Father on a trip to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Auro's revenge over his unsuspecting father for the 'uss-se pehli galti' is well executed. Those scenes between the father and son are very well crafted. There are some potty jokes. But perhaps they are pretty commonplace with 13 year old boys. 

R. Balki, who also made the delightful ‘Cheeni Kum’ with Bachchan and Tabu has come out on top with a fabulous idea and a wonderful movie experience. The beauty that Bachchan brings to the role of the 13 year old Auro is matchless though he looks too tall for a boy with Progeria.

You feel like you are one of those characters in the movie as you cheer on towards a climax. Vidya Balan as his Gynecologist mother and Abhishek Bachchan as her estranged lover and Auro’s father are good. Vidya especially so. Arundhati Nag is good too. Only Paresh Rawal is perhaps a little wasted. Auro’s friends are cute and loveable and Vishnu is too good.

There are moments like the little girl apologizing to Auro and presenting him with a caricature of himself made of ‘Sorry’ that are touching. You will not be wetting your hankies even though Auro has to depart at the end. His birth did them apart. He lived as everyone’s loved. And his death had to bring them together.

A mature and sensitive movie from the Bachchans and R. Balki. Though it goes a little 'Round and round' at climax. I would buy it because for commercial viability, they perhaps needed a little melodrama there. For cinematic value though, a little mature and under-played climax would have been better.

Finally a huge 'Thank You' to Balki !

Bbuddah... hoga Terra Baap : A Bachchan Remix

I have heard people complaining about paid reviews being published on many portals. Always thought Raja Sen of Rediff.com wrote too many nice things about Shah Rukh Khan movies and too little good about all others including Bachchan. Even 3 Idiots was put down by him. So I expected him to be negative about Bachchan's latest venture. But instead Raja Sen went gaga with Bachchan mania. So I thought this must be a must watch and thus I went to watch with Big B expectations. And this is what I felt after watching the movie.

There is a character of an underworld [Mafia in his language] henchman played by Makrand Deshpande in the movie. He begins questioning the Bbuddah's place in the bar and ends up being his unabashed fan and a more than willing sidekick. Director Puri Jagannadh is exactly that; a Bachchan fan blinded by the opportunity to direct the legend for the first time. He ends up dishing out a remix of Bachchan songs, dialogues and movies. For me, a Bachchan fan since Amar Akbar Anthony, this works out to be just that, a Remix without a soul. Well, a little soul may be in the form of 'Haal e Dil' song. Wonderful song this is sung soulfully in the Bachchan baritone.

There hardly is anything we haven't seen or heard about the Bachchan here. He emotes, sings, fights, punches and spews punchlines with gusto. He elicits spontaneous applause for some of his dialogues like "Hum jahaan khade hote hain, line wahin se shuru ho jaata hai". But the punchlines are far and few in between. In 'Go Meera Go" song he does a remix of his legendary songs. May be I am old-fashioned and that is why I prefer the originals.

We are told Viju comes from Paris for one final act. But we can't be faulted if we tend to believe he came from Hyderabad. His dress sense and sun-glasses look inspired from old Telugu movies of Krishna. Not cool at all. If riding Harley Davidson and punching a bunch of boys is his idea of heroism, Puri Jagannadh doesn't know Bachchan. Give me 'Sarkar' part-3 any day.

I have more than a soft corner for the Divas of my school and college days. Raveena Tandon [Kamini] is one of those favorites. Yes, the 'Mast Mast' girl plays Momma to a grown up girl and looks like an elder sister and ravishing. There ends the positives. Her role is ill-conceived, ill-defined and ill-presented. She comes across more like a teenaged star-struck dumb fan than a married lady, once in love with the aging hit-man. Completely stupid. And her much touted item number was missing in the movie. May be "Chandigarh ki Star" doesn't sell in Kochi.

Hemamalini [Sita] has little to do in the movie. She looks beautiful, dignified and goes through the role with charm and ease. The famous Bachchan - Hema chemistry witnessed in movies from 'Naseeb' and and 'Satte pe Satta' to 'Baaghbaan' works even in 2011. They really make a fine pair.

Sonu Sood [Karan] looks stern and often too stiff. But his remote resemblance to Bachchan works in favor of the role he is given. The girls are eye-candy and are marginally better than Raveena. Prakash Raj [Kabir] is a fabulous actor. But he has very little to do here except look menacing, grimacing and foolish alternatively. So sad for Hindi movies that they somehow have no challenging roles for his talent. Rest of the cast including Makrand Deshpande go through motions.

In more than one ways, this movie is "Yamla Pagla Deewaana" with Bobby Deol missing. The same errant father and upright mother with a powerhouse of a son theme. An Iconic father parodying his own roles from past. Bachchan does a Dharmendra here. Unfortunately the Sunny factor is missing and that is why this movie suffers. Sonu Sood can be a lot of things but not Sunny Deol. Most importantly, there were so many gags and punchlines in YPD, it never slacked. BHTB starts slow, moves slow and punches slow. 

My verdict: Watch it if you are a diehard Bachchan-maniac like Puri Jagannadh. If not, don't blame Bachchan. The 'Bbudah' looks and acts cool. But the movie isn't so. My pre-teen daughter summed it all with, "Time-pass because Bachchan is great. But can't remember anything once inside the car".