Salt n Pepper

This movie is like a perfect dish which has all the ingredients added in correct proportion by an excellent cook. Director Ashiq Abu has made perfect choices of actors for his characters. Baburaj who until now had remained as a villain and nightmare has turned overnight to comedian and he excelled in his new Avatar, cook Babu.

Story runs as different threads woven together in a beautiful manner. Kalidasan (Lal) is an archeologist, Maya (Swetha Menon) is a dubbing artist, both in their middle years. What connects these two are their passion for cooking and soon their friendship blossoms to a "delicious" relationship. Meenakshi(Mythili) Maya's roommate and Manu (Asif Ali) Kalidasan's nephew too portreyed their part well. With some twists and turns and all is well ends well, this movie is a sure watch. Other casts include Baburaj as Kalidasan's cook, Kalpana as Maria who runs a beauty parlor and gives paying guest accommodation to Maya and Meenakshi, Vijayaraghavan a fellow archeologist.

Music is rendered by Bijipal and there are some good songs and the Aviyal band has also rendered a good song.

Traffic

Linear narrative is the simplest way to tell a story and we have been hearing, reading, and watching the linear narrative for most of the time.  But when the story consists of different strands, woven together by the hand of fate or destiny, can linear narrative do justice to the story or the characters, each of whom has a different story to tell ? I dont think so......A complex story can be told very clearly using non-linear narrative, which is just the case with Traffic.  Just imagine the toil put in by the script writers (Bobby n Sanjay) to tell this story, which moves from multiple points and the director (Rajesh Pillai) who has manned the movie beautifully and thereby not letting us slip into traffic jam, at any point..............great work guys.......The innovative way of multi-speaker perspective keeps the viewers on the tenterhooks and I am not surprised that I heard so much good being said about this movie.

The story moves forward from a 4 person perspective, a traffic cop (Sreenivasan), a doctor (Kunchako Boban), an actor (Rehman), and a TV journalist (Vineeth) who is embarking on his first assignment, and it consists of the happenings in a 12-hour period, in which all the 4 characters are involved.


If you are among the few who have not watched it yet, then go ahead and watch it....it is an entirely new experience for a Malayalam movie watcher.


Tamil and Hindi versions of this movie are in the offing, I sincerely hope that they won't be tinkering with the script.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Mankind has and will survive every adversity it faces. Humans are generally passionate and intelligent. It is our intelligence that has brought us where we are today. However in our own quest for knowledge and medical breakthrough we started experimenting on animals. Animals have been sacrificed for generations with 'for greater good of mankind' as the reason.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a movie that showcases this view point from both the human standpoint of research breakthrough and the animal's viewpoint of oppression and suffering, in this case the apes.

Hold on can animals think logically and are capable of reflection and contemplation. Yup this movie shows how and moves way beyond. In a way it tells the story of all mankind under oppression and what happens when it goes beyond the breaking point.

The movie is well directed and the story line is good. It is a complete movie experience and highly recommended. I hope I have convinced you guys without giving away anything. Watch it and get the awesome feeling. If you guys missed the trailer here it is.

Tum Milo To Sahi

Watching a (good) movie is similar to sipping a warm glass of tea on a cold rainy day.  It is a wonderful experience, sipping slowly, breathing in the aroma, letting in the essence of the tea leaf through ones senses.  The tea (Tum Milo to Sahi) in my case was accidental and going by the reviews available on the net, I would have never sipped it in the first place.

TMTS tells the story of Lucky Cafe, which is a restaurant plus children's library run by an elderly Parsi woman Delshad (Dimple Kapadia).  Her cafe is not just a cafe for her, she has nurtured it like her own child for many years and has a dedicated band of followers.  Many people who met over a cup of tea at TMTS become life long friends, Amit (Suniel Shetty) and Anita ( Vidya Malvade ~ chuck de goalee) being one such couple.  In the mad rush of life, Amit has become so obsessed with his work, that he will go to any length to usurp Lucky Cafe for his MNC real estate company.  In order to evict Dimple, the MNC hires legal counsel.

Subramaniam, (Nana Patekar), a retired legal clerk, a loner, and an eccentric, whom we are introduced to earlier, steps in to help his foe turned friend Delshad.  Many of the memorable moments in this movie has Subramaniam in the frame, but every one else has given their best shot too.   There is also a budding college romance between Bikram Jit Singh (Rehan Khan) and Shalini Kasbekar (Anjana Sukhani)....

That I skipped the songs in this movie may have increased the aroma quotient and taken me closer to the essence of the movie, something which the reviewers may not have had the privilege to do.  But still, if you are in need of a good tea, you can have it here.

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".

Chotta Mumbai

The hero Vasco da Gama (Mohan Lal) lives in Fort Kochi with his family consisting of his wrestler father and 2 sisters.  He has 3 friends and all of them are involved in hooligan activities.  Vasco and his gang decide to mend their ways and try their luck outside India. In order to get Malaysian visa (for himself and his friends), vasco pledges his house without the knowledge of his father and the agent (Kochin Haniffa) dupes him.  Here our villain enters..Kalabhavan  Mani, a corrupt but suspended police officer, who kills an honest officer, which is witnessed by Vasco and his father.  How Vasco  deals with these 2 issues (i.e. pledged house and witness of murder) and how he comes out of it forms the rest of the story.  And there is a heroine too, Bhavana who plays an autorickshaw driver.


The movie is able to provide occasional relief with good comic performance especially by Bijjukuttan who plays Susheelan (one of the gang members of Vasco) and Paambu Chacko played by Rajan P Dev.


The movie began well with the narrator describing about himself, his friends, his family, his locality and how he created a mess of his life.   I guess the first 30 minutes were like that, but after that, it was a waste of time.  Why the story went haywire?


I usually watch movies because of directors and Anwar Rashid whose last movie that I saw (RajaManikyam) was a good masala movie, which had all the elements in the right mix and provided good entertainment value.  That was the only thing i expected from this movie (entertainment), but apart from the first 30 minutes, the movie fell flat on its nose......what a crap.....what was the point of this movie....had Anwar Rashid lost his mind..these were the thoughts coming to my mind....While watching this movie, 2 movies were pounding hard on my subconscious, Thirakatha and Udayananu Tharam.  In Thirakatha, Ajay Chandran the superstar gives his already committed dates to Akbar (the debutant hit director), who did not even cast him in the first place.  Similarly in Udayan Anu Tharam, Saroj Kumar the super star tells the director, he wont do this and do that as it would affect his persona...............my point is, "Was Chotta Mumbai a casualty of Super star syndrome"?? That Ajay Chandran of Thirakatha does resemble Mohan Lal somewhat in manners and looks also adds credence to this theory....Was Ranjith (director of Thirakatha) providing subtle hints to the viewers what our super stars are up to through his movie or is it just a fig of my imagination, can somebody throw some light here....or lets ask Anwar Rashid!!

Iron Monkey

A city in China is ruled by a corrupt governor. The only savior for the poor and weak is a vigilante named Iron Monkey. The Governor has been unable to capture him so far. This is where Won Kei-ying (Donnie Yen) and his son Wong Fei-hung enter the scene. Won is forced to search for Iron monkey as his son is held captive by the governor. Iron monkey, who is loved by the masses is in fact alter ego of a noble physician Yang Tianchun (Yu Rongguant). Watch out for some breath taking martial arts choreography. This is a somewhat fictionalized account in the life of Wong Fei-hung who is a legend in Chinese popular culture.

Thirakkatha

A young director Akbar (Prithviraj) whose debut movie was a superhit is planning on making his second movie based on the life of  a former heroine Malvika (Priyamani).  Malvika had married her coactor Ajay Chandran (Anoop Menon) who is now the reigning superstar of film industry, but their marriage was short lived and after that not many people know of her whereabouts.


Akbar's meticulous research leads him to diary and letters maintained  by a close friend Ebby (played by Ranjith) of both Malvika and Ajay Chandran, going through which Akbar's tries to create their life story.  His hard work pays off and he tracks an impoverished and terminally ill Malvika in a Nagercoil Hospital.


Getting in real touch with the subject of his script, Akbar loses his will to make a cinema out of her life and is committed to do everything to make her happy including if possible, a final reconciliation with Ajay Chandran.


Loved the movie.  Indeed Ranjith is the director with a difference, with movies like Kerala Cafe (his idea), Pranjiyettan and the Saint, and Paleri Manikyam to his credit.....I take a bow.

Makante Achan

An ambitious father, Viswan, (Sreenivasan), who is also a village officer, wants his son Manu (Vineet) to become an engineer and has been sending him for entrance coaching for 2 years without success.  Manu is a talented singer, but his father wants no singing until he gets through entrance and becomes an engineer.  Viswan is also a very honest government official.  As it is typical with Srinvasan films, many contemporary social issues have been integrated in the story line and through gags and one liners, actors have been able to put matters in the viewer's head to ruminate on.  Issues like bribery, child education, mad rat race for careers, fake swamis, land mafias......all have been touched.....Other important characters include Krishnan Kutti (Salim Kumar), peon at village office, who leads a lavish life and tries to influence Viswan vainly, and Rema (Suhasini), Viswan's wife.


Overall a good family entertainer.

Spanglish

It is the love we have for ourself and the selfless love for others that defines us. Nothing can bear testimony to the love of a mother to her children. Yet, it is this love that we always fail to communicate to our loved ones.

We get used to those around us, those that care for us, those whom we love - that we forget to express our love to them. We take it for granted.

Spanglish is a testimony to a mother's selfless love to her daughter. It is fun, romantic, beautiful, and touching. Touches so many aspects of life.. yet is simple in its delivery and creation leaving the spectator feeling good and in bliss.

I wish we had the courage to live our life in love.

Spanglish stars Adam sandler, Tea Leoni, and Paz Vega directed by James L. Brooks.

Watch it here.

Scent of a woman

Many a times life seems meaningless and there seems to be no hope, no point in going along with life, no values to stand up for..

this I believe happens when we loose ourselves in the act of living.. most of the time we live for the wrong reasons...

life is beautiful.. there are no words to describe it.. it is as beautiful as the laughter of a baby, as beautiful as the smile of a woman, as beautiful as the blue sky, the green grass, the blue ocean...

Scent of a woman (1992) gives the viewers the sweet smell of life itself. The movie is uplifting and brilliant.

Finest performances from all the actors, Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell and James Rebhorn directed by Martin Brest, won an Oscar (didn't know this).

Watch it here

Batman begins

There never will be a movie like this.  A movie which on first look I hated and on second look absolutely loved.  At one point in the movie, Bruce Wayne, the billionaire protagonist tells his childhood friend that I am not what I seem to be, deep underneath there is more to me..  That is true about this movie as well.  I remember watching this movie at Sreedhar in Kochi and cursing Tracer bullet who had goaded me to watch it.  He had seen it once, but still had some doubts and being a die-hard batman fan that he is, had lured me (a die-hard spidey fan) into watching this movie.  There was some problem with the audio, I believe, because I could not make out most of the dialogues.  My other concern was that I came to see a caped hero who made his entry only at the interval and there also his fights were not clear...I could not see him throwing one solid punch....what the hell.....but all these points are where this movie scores heavy brawny points compared to any other such movie.  It is not just about the man, it is about an idea, about instilling fear, fear in the minds of those who do crime.  Chris Nolan's Batman growls and snarls when he becomes the dark knight, although Bruce Wayne is all style, pomp, and show off.  And all this can be felt only if one knows about the character and if he at least understands the way story moves forward.  The director has chosen nonlinear story telling, which I think confused me a lot on the first viewing, but which nicely explained everything on second view. 


Batman is a very old character, i.e. he was published first in the 1930s.  Although the reason for Bruce Wayne becoming batman has always been the same in different stories, i.e. he witnessed his parents death as a kid, the dark sombre mood which should underlie such a character was absent till the 1980s when Frank Miller and later Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale etc completely turned around the character and made him what he is today.


Similarly, all Batman movies (may be Tim Burton's may have been an exception) were just costume dramas which told the story of a billionaire playboy, who used to wear a mask and becomes a vigilante by night thrashing goons and lumpen elements on the street.  Why was he doing that, night after night, what drove him, his paranoia, his fierce determination, the trauma which he turned into a crusade against crime....all this has been captured brilliantly only by Chris Nolan in Batman Begins and needless to say I have lost count of  how much times I have watched this movie.  Thanks Tracer for all the goading that day....;-)

The Matrix

I love to read spiritual books and martial arts have always remained a favorite, so the movie which brought both of them together for me was The Matrix and I have loved every bit of it.  Even though I am no fan of dystopian literature, The Matrix and V for vendetta (have only read this one) remain the exceptions.


The questions of who am I and why I am here, why is the world like this, bugs all of us and all of this has been dealt in a different way in The Matrix.  The Matrix as explained by Morpheus is a simulated reality created by machines and humans are not able to understand this simulation and mistake this for reality.  This line of thought corresponds well to the philosophical lineage of Vedantam and allied philosophies which hold the world as a "mithya" or an illusion.  The liberated beings like Morpheus try to get those shackled to the Matrix see and understand the reality like self realized seers in the real world do.


The action and gun fights are a treat to watch.  For action movie buffs, there is breathtaking action and camera angles, for people looking out for uncommon stories, this certainly is a watchable movie and for those who love both of the above mentioned qualities, this has to be in their favorite movie list.  Starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity, and Laurence Fishburne as the enigmatic Morpheus, this is indeed an awesome stuff from the Wachowskis brothers.

Good Hair

Good Hair (2009) is a documentary directed by Jeff Stilson stars Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, and Al Sharpton.

Hair is something that each and every one of us is proud of. We take great care of it, spending on the best products to keep it healthy and shiny. For men, when the hairline starts receding we can’t help but have a tough time finding solutions to prevent it from receding or find a fix. Only few embrace it (Bruce Willis). For women it is a part of their beauty and man, do they spend a lot for it.

Good Hair is a movie that revolves around the hair of African-American women (as Chris Rock puts it). The movie is a documentary.

It is funny and an entertainer besides being informative and eye opening.

Howl's moving Castle

There is something about this movie, which I found very attractive, was it the crazy idea of a moving castle, was it the elixir of fantasy and spells, was it the background score, was it the romance involved, am not still sure, .........may be a mix of all of these.

Based on Diana Wynne Jones's novel by the same name, Howl's Castle is a Japanese Animation movie made by Hayao Miyazaki.


The movie tells the story of a girl named Sophy, who is a very serious girl unlike other girls of her age, and who under the spell of Witch of Waste, becomes an old woman.  The journey she undertakes to regain her youth forms the crux of the story.  Howl is a young Wizard, who is the hero of this story.  He sounds very batmanish as Christian Bale voiced this character.


Although I feel the story as told in the book makes more sense, but perhaps the story would have become cumbersome and complicated when seen in the limited time frame of a movie.  Nevertheless, still worth a watch.

Raincoat

Kisi mausam ka jhoka tha, jo is deewar pe latki hui tasveer tirchi kar gaya hai

Gaye saawan mein ye deewarein yun seeli nahi thi


Na jaane is dafa kyun, inme seelan aa gayi hai, dareerein pad gayi hain,

Aur seelan is tarah behti hai jaise khushq rukhsaron pe geeli aansoo chalti hain.

It was back in 2004, that I came across the Raincoat trailer on television. It seemed so murky and forlorn then, that I never once bothered to acknowledge it. The movie didn’t make it big and was listed under the flops of the year category, as far as I could remember. Though the exclusive music in the movie did make it to the news and I always had my ears for it.

Just last week did I come across the song (Mathura Nagarpati) from my messed up hard disk that I decided to watch it on YouTube. The music video felt inebriating and I went for the whole movie successively.

And as for the review.

You have the sheering rain. The simplest of dialogues. The alcoholic vocals of Shubha Mudgal. A raincoat. And two estranged lovers who will convene to play around with a game of words. That’s all Rituparno Ghosh took to create a sheer brilliance of a motion picture. It won the National Award for Best Hindi Film in 2005.

Adapted from a short story (The Gift of the Magi) by O Henry, comes this hauntingly beautiful movie that will intoxicate you within its landscape of moist Calcutta.  The subtleness of the movie brings in that inciting feeling of goose bumps throughout and not to mention the enrapturing of senses by Aishwarya Rai’s eloquently formidable performance. I loved the movie. And I repeat, I loved the movie. And I ask you of this:

DO NOT view any music videos from the movie.

DO NOT read any other reviews on the movie.

DO NOT even bother to Google the movie.

Just WATCH THE MOVIE in solitude.

YouTube has a copy of it. Get ready for a ride into darkness. Into the world of words that will cry in damp truths and sullen lies. 

Dil Chahta Hai : A Cult Classic !

If I have to choose one movie that redefined my taste, my priorities and my sensibilities about movies, it has to be "Dil Chahta Hai"

There are hundreds of movies that defined my taste but none became a 'Cult' like this Farhan Akhtar's Classic. I loved Amar Akbar Anthony, Sholay, Naseeb, Shankarabharanam, many of Kamal Hasan's movies, RGV's early wonders like Shiva and Kshana Kshanam and Mani Ratnam.

I first watched DCH on the eve of my 31st birthday in 2001. 'DCH' remains my most favorite movie almost a decade since it was released; in spite of '3 Idiots'. Why do I love it so much ?

It could be the nostalgia. Having shared male-bonding during Hostel life, I was missing my friends before the WWW shrunk the world forever.

It could be the 'cool quotient' of those days. For someone already into thirties, it was perhaps a way of reliving the youth or even an attempt at remaining relevant.

It could be the music, the beautiful Preity Zinta or the Aamir Khan factor. But overall, it remains a 'Cult Classic' for me and many of my friends. 

Let me take a look at DCH, ten years since I first fell in love with and a month since I watched it for the umpteenth time. I watch the DVD whenever I feel a little low. Never felt bored and every time, I have found something new in the movie. That is Dil Chahta Hai for me.

Instead of taking a look at the story and the movie, let me do my analysis based on characters. Most of us know the story anyway.

This movie has been reviewed by many an eminent people. Don't know if anyone has done what I am trying to do. Whatever I express here are my own views. If anyone else has done a similar exercise, I am completely ignorant about it. So here we go...

I don't know if Farhan Akhtar had thought about it or if it was all designed. But almost all his main characters had names that appear symbolic. Especially his main protagonists.

Aakash: First of the 3 main protagonists this character was played by Aamir Khan with elan. Aakash stands for 'Sky'. This exactly defines the character. He is vast. He is intelligent and he is irreverent. Not believing in love and practically a Casanova, he symbolizes the Sky. 

He doesn't know himself. He doesn't know what he wants. And finally falls in love with a girl engaged to someone else. As his friend Sameer describes, "Whole life he kept denouncing love and then fell in love with a girl and confessed his love in someone else' wedding. For "Aakash" the Sky is the limit when it comes to life.

Sameer: Saif Ali Khan rose from mediocrity to Stardom with this movie. 'Sameer' is 'Water'. Pure and simple, but simply unpredictable. Water has no shape. You pour it into a vessel, it takes the shape of that vessel. Sameer takes the shape according to the company he is in. 

He thinks he is in love with every girl he sees; be it Priya, Pooja or Phoolan. He will trust whatever his friends say and do what they say. In short, he can flow like water when left alone, but put him in a vessel and he will look like the vessel. Even when polluted by impurities, his core still remains clean.

Sidhant: Farhan probably couldn't have chosen his actors better. Everyone looked as if tailor-made for the given role. But casting Akshaye Khanna as Sidhant was his best. 

Sidhant stands for 'Principles'. The boy is simply too intelligent and too complex for anyone to understand him, including his own Mom and best buddies. His falling in love with a much older and divorced woman is typical of how complex Principles can be in life.

His best moment in the movie is when he tells Aakash, "Love isn't planned, it just happens. You'll know it when it happens to you. Age, place, religion or any other thing will not matter when it happens. You'll remember my words the day it happens to you". Pure Philosophical Principles !

Shalini: Preity Zinta as the girl who put her head over heart was brilliant. Shalini is 'Modest' or 'Down to Earth' or 'Unassuming' or even 'Fertile'. The kind of girl who will never hurt those who love her and will even sacrifice her own interests to make others happy. 

She doesn't know Aakash at first. Then she becomes the reason for him acquiring a black eye. Later she becomes a friend and unfailingly falls in love with the vastly unknown Aakash who doesn't know he is falling in love with this girl. To avoid hurting her care-takers, she decides to listen to her mind, that is till the climax.

Pooja: This must be the commonest name in India. Especially northern parts. Pooja is 'Worship'. She is the kind of adorable girl next door in the movie who has a soft corner for a guy named Subodh. But as the journey continues, she realizes she is more like Sameer than Subodh.

Sonali Kulkarni is the typical girl next door. As good as you get in Hindi movies. The water like quality of Sameer needs the simple unadulterated quality of Pooja rather than Priya...

Priya: Priya is 'Lover'. She is the quintessential nagging middle class girl who wants her boyfriend all for herself. May be every boy will fancy her as an arm-candy. But the man would love to have a Pooja for a wife. Priya remains forever Lover, plain and simple. Suchitra Pillai was very effective as the nag. 

Tara: Tara is a 'Star'. Dimple Kapadia as Tara has an 'Aura' about her. Ravishingly beautiful and down to earth but has a faraway quality that separates her from the girls. She so fascinates the young Philosopher Sid, he turns into a starry eyed boy aiming for the Star.

Tara also has an unknown element to her. She is broken and is addicted to alcohol which is destroying her gradually. 'Toota Tara' or a 'Broken Star', she is the celestial sphere ready to explode all the while looking ethereal. There is tragedy even in her smile.

Deepa: There is darkness at the bottom of a 'Lamp'. Samantha Treymane as Deepa is the cheerful girl who emits light. She is in love with the vastness of Aakash. But he finds her uninteresting. The sky has too much of light. That is life. 

The Philosopher Sidhant tells her, "As much as you try to hold on to the sand particles in your clenched fist, it slips off from your grip. Let it free, if it belongs to you, it comes back. It isn't yours if it doesn't". Deepa fades off like all lamps do.

Rohit: Means 'Red Colored First Rays of Sun'. Also believed to be a 'Male Child one who brings growth and prosperity in the family'. This arrogant yet insecure character was played by Ayub Khan with gusto. 

The proud son of a business family believes Shalini is his right. He gives Aakash a black eye for messing with his girl. But the movie ends with him getting one back.

Subodh: 'Sound Advice' or 'Good Lesson'. A man who does everything according to 'Timetable' and is almost too good to be true. Azad Dadarkar was too good in this limited role. 

Pooja, the girl next door likes him, but doesn't know if that is love. He can be great but can he be boring ? May be even the girl next door in today's world prefers the vibrant Sameer [Water or anything that flows] over stagnating Subodh [Sound Advice]. A 'Good Lesson' to all boys !

All other supporting characters have done justice in a movie with beautiful photography and fabulous music by Shankar - Ehsan - Loy.

Overall, this is a fabulous movie experience for anyone who loves Cinema. Those who agree with me, kindly leave your opinions. Those who haven't watched this yet, go for the DVD today. It is worth. Those who don't agree with me, don't even try to convince me.

Morning Raga

“The rustic south. An aura of Carnatic music. A diaspora of ploughed soil. Early morning moistness. The breath of dried chilies.

The Andhra Pradesh countryside.

In a village, not far there once lived Swarnalatha (Shabana Azmi), a talented singer who always aspired to sing before a huge audience. One fine day, she gets this chance and beckons her dear friend, Vaishnavi to accompany her on the violin while she sings. The stage is set in the city, not far from her island village. After convincing her husband, the two women with their sons (one each) board a mofussil bus to the city on the much-awaited day. Tragedy strikes and the bus tumbles and skids across the brink of the bridge. Swarnalatha’s son and Vaishnavi get killed.

Left with fault and remorse, Swarnalatha self-imposes exile. Never to sing again. Never to cross the bridge to the city”.

That was the first 7 min of the film, in brief. The rest is a luminous tale of loss and redemption. Every character in the film finds his or her lost self in ways that are forever unpredictable and surprising for there lies the power of music to heal and unify even the splintered of souls.  

Twenty years cross, and two characters emerge into this unfinished tale. Abhinay (Prakash Rao), Vaishnavi’s son returns to the village to open up the hardly healed wounds of music. And Pinky (Perizaad Zorabian), the boutique owner’s daughter, struck with guilt enters the story for the fateful bus accident was caused by her father’s drunken health.

Amidst these fragile relations, Mahesh Dattani’s Morning Raga, an English language film with smatterings of Telugu takes the viewer on a journey into the pastel shades of emotions and that of the smudged fortitudes of rural India. Where traditional values of Swarnalatha drench this pictorial in emery, modern uprooting of Abhinay and Pinky cry for a change, a revolution to let Swarnalatha sing. Once again. Across the symbolic bridge to the city.