Talaash: In Search of what lies within !

Let me begin with the pledge not to disclose the climax of Reema Kagti's "Talaash". I shall not ! Reviewing a movie as complex as "Talaash" is a tough job. It is a Suspense Thriller, a Psy-Fi Drama, a Supernatural Thriller, a Family Movie about relations and a first of it's kind in Indian cinema when it comes to the professional touch.

Let me not bother about the story at all because I want people to watch it and understand. Let me deal with characters instead as I would prefer to do most of the times.

Aamir Khan is Inspector Shekawat, a disturbed soul carrying the guilt of seeing his 8 year old son drown to death for which he holds himself responsible. He can't sleep and he talks to himself and people find him weird. But he believes his wife is suffering from depression and needs treatment and insists on her getting treated. He sees his own guilt reflected in the eyes of his wife [Rani Mukherjee] and their marriage is slowly and steadily collapsing. Aamir is absolute topnotch.

Rani Mukherjee plays Roshni Shekhawat, the mourning mother worried about her sleepless husband. She finds solace in a soothsayer Freny [Shernaz Patel] who brings her in contact with her dead son. The husband hates this and this further complicates the matter. A deglamorized Rani is as good as she always is.

Kareena Kapoor is Rosy, the most brilliant part of the movie. As the gorgeous and mysterious hooker spouting philosophy, she has reached the peak of her career. She bewitches the viewer and leads Shekhawat through the trail of an extremely difficult case declared to be open and shut accident case.

There are a host of characters who contribute to the narrative. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing Tehmoor is absolutely brilliant. He is the highlight of the movie. Raj Kumar Yadav is efficient as Aamir's understudy. Every single actor including the old lady walking through crowded South Mumbai roads looks the part. Well, even the dog in the opening sequence is brilliant.

It all begins with the "Accidental" death of a Bollywood Star Arman Kapoor [Vivaan Bhatena] and the investigation into the high profile case. The screen-play credited to Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar keeps dropping enough hints throughout to keep us guessing. Dialogues credited to Farhan Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap are simply straight and real time.

Ram Sampat's music is just right for the kind of movie this is. Editing [Anand Subaya] is of international standards. Quality of production and technical aspects are brilliant. On the whole, "Talaash" looks like a Hollywood thriller made in Hindi.

The flip side of the whole affair is Reema Kagti has left a lot for the viewers to think, imagine and correlate. The climax is not the kind of "Dhamaaka" the Indian audience loves where the "Hero" solves the mystery, throws a few punches and punchlines and walks in slow motion to a thundering applause. This is all about "search for what is within". Though I may not agree with the soothsayer and Rani talking to dead son parts, those parts have been shot brilliantly and don't jar.

My Opinion: Compulsorily take your brains to watch this one. If you're not following every moment with an analytical mind, you'll perhaps miss the plot and then feel bored. As I left the hall with the satisfaction of having watched one of the finest thrillers made in Indian cinema, I heard some people complaining about having wasted over 2 hours in "Talaash" of a "Laash" !

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.

Pranchiettan and the Taint !

About the writer: A Doctor by profession. A Jack of all trades and Master of none, including the chosen profession of Medicine. Live, Love and Laugh is the motto in life. Cricket and Cinema are part of life. It all began with undiluted adoration of Bachchan in "Amar Akbar Anthony". Like Deekay, graduated to Aamir Khan, but don't have a Hero today. Believe movies belong to Directors / Writers.

Basically a movie buff and not an expert in the job of reviewing. Hence wouldn't like to brand posts as Reviews. Prefer to call them 'Views' ! That saves a lot of effort on surgically dissecting things like Screenplay and Editing which aren't easily understood.

Believe, a movie is a story. If it touches a cord, have to express it. If not, have to dissect it. Done it on Facebook and Twitter. But they are basically micro-views. This is the first attempt at organizing thoughts on a movie that was very close to heart. Thanks Deekay for the inspiration and for the opportunity to post here.

My love for Malayalam movies

For over 16 years now I have come to admire the Malayalam movies and learned the language thanks to the movies. For me, "Panchavati Paalam", "Sandesam", 'Ponmuttayidunna Thaaravu" and "Devasuram" are irreplaceable Classics from a list of a large number of magnificent movies.

You can't replicate these movies in any other language or culture. These are unique to Malayalam and that is the USP of Malayalam movies. And I loved these movies even before I became familiar with the cultural ethos of Kerala.

Unfortunately Malayalam was on a losing streak for a long time thanks to the larger than life image the Actors turned Stars cultivated and due to the demise of old Masters and also the decline of the old-time Directors like Siby Malayil, I. V. Sasi, Satyan Anthikkad and Priyadarsan to name a few. Thankfully, the next generation guys like Ranjith, Shyama Prasad, Rajesh Pillai and Ranjith Sankar have enlivened the gloomy picture considerably in recent years.

Let me be pardoned for such a long introduction. But I had to tell something about myself before I expressed my views. I would like to state that these are views of a Non-Malayalee who loves Malayalam movies more than any other movies and who 'Doesn't tolerate anyone talking about Poland' !

One movie that touched me deeply in recent times was Ranjith's "Pranchiettan and the Saint'. I loved Ranjith's flawed yet endearing 'Nandanam'. I believe his 'Paleri Manikyam oru Pathira Kolapathakathinde Katha' is a modern day Classic. So I decided to watch 'Pranchiettan and the Saint' on first day and did. I must say I was not disappointed.

Pranchiettan and the Taint !

First of all, let me be pardoned for writing on the same subject Deekay has dealt ably in the previous post. But as a Non-Malayali who has fallen in love with Malayalam movies, I had to tell this and that is why I pleaded with Deekay to give me an opportunity. Thanks again Deekay.

The Story: The whole story is about the inferiority complex of an undereducated but over-rich rice merchant from Trichur called Chirammel Enasu Francis or C. E. Francis fondly called Pranchiettan by friends and ridiculed as "Ari Pranchi" by others. Little Francis develops a dislike for that nick name and grows up hating it.

All that he does in life is to erase the 'Taint' of that name "Ari Pranchi". He does charity but the 'Taint' sticks. He starts a Jewelery to get rid of the name. But the Jewelery acquires the name of "Ari Pranchi's Jewelery". Whatever he does, the name sticks much to his dismay.

He loses his childhood sweetheart to a scheming boy who goes on to become a Doctor and again wins the election to the post of the President of a reputed club in Trichur town. Thus Pranchi's life is a continued story of debacles in public life in spite of material riches. A born loser if there was one.

Everything he does in life has a motive. We all do have our own motives. Charity for the sake of publicity is a reality. Sponsoring a public felicitation of an Oscar Award winner earns further humiliation for Pranchiettan. His appearance on the dais ends up in ignominious exit in front of his arch nemesis.

Thus he embarks upon a mission to get himself decorated with the prestigious "Padmashri" award. This ill advised mission mooted by good friend Menon ends in a disaster. He suffers a loss of 1.5 Crore rupees and earns further ridicule. As he plans to withdraw into a shell to escape the barbs, the real Padmashri enters his life.

This married and about to be divorced heiress of a reputed family brings the long missing romance into his life. She literally and figuratively brings color into his hitherto white and white life. She changes the way he dresses and the way he and his house looked. She turns it into a home. In turn, he helps her to save her ancestral home from being sold off by her uninterested relatives. Even as he plans to confess his amour to her, she flies off to Mumbai once again leaving him a loser.

This is when the next character makes entry. A precocious boy who has become a headache for the teachers as well as the Headmaster of the school where Pranchiettan too studied. To help the Headmaster realize his dream of retiring with a 100% success rate in Class 10 exams, Pranchiettan takes the responsibility of getting the boy tutored at his place. THIS act is the first ever act in his life where he expects nothing in return. NO publicity, no name, no fame and not even appreciation.

The boy defeats everyone including the tutor Pandit Deena Dayal. His failure in the exam hurts Pranchiettan and he decides to abandon the boy. That is when he comes to know the sad story of the boy. The story of a drug addict father murdering his mother and beloved teacher. The traumatized boy develops hatred for school and studies and turns hostile to life.

The boy is living with a person who happened to be a friend of his father. That person takes advantage of the situation and then runs away with the money given by Pranchiettan. This story of misery brings the human side of Pranchiettan and he decides to adopt the boy as his son and successor.

Some people like Deekay have questioned this angle of the story. How could the entire school have remained unaware of the sad story of the boy ? That definitely is a hole in the story, which could have been better explained by Ranjith and his team. But for this, the movie is a real class act.

We get to know the entire story of Pranchiettan in Eastman Color flashback, as he narrates his story to the 'Punyalan' or St. Francis De Assisi. The Saint listens his story and passes comments in Malayalam in Trichur accent. And finally Pranchiettan expresses his desire to adopt the boy to the Saint. This meets with instant approval and blessings from the Saint.

Now we reach to the most delicious part of the movie. He comes out of the Church and tells the boy of his decision to adopt him and of his encounter with Saint Francis. Pranchiettan rues the poor luck of the boy who couldn't meet the Punyalan. But the boy tells him, "I did see the Saint". As Pranchiettan counters him with when and where; the boy says, "Saints are incarnated in good deeds of Men on earth. For me, YOU are the Saint". The movie ends with the Boy and his father Pranchiettan making a resolution to face life in an honest manner.

We get to see the 'real' picture of the material world where the Doctor and his wife being in a marriage sans love and living a life of mutual cheating. We see the fraud who swindled Pranchiettan meeting his fate. 

We also get to see in advance, the fruits of one act of unselfish love. Pranchiettan gets his Padmashri; not the award but the real one. He didn't expect anything in return when he set out to help the boy and his reward was the unexpected love he had almost given up on !

"Every Human born has a Saint within. We just need to look inwards to know him, to realize him and to unleash him from the clutches of greed, lust, envy, anger and all kind of negative emotions that rule our psyche". This is the beautiful message encapsulated in this movie laced with earthy Trichur brand of humor.

This is a beautiful journey of Chirammel Francis from being an unscrupulous business tycoon to becoming Saint Francis ! In the process, he is washed off all the 'Taint' because it doesn't make any difference to him anymore.

Ranjith is in top form in all his roles. The music, dialogues and all the technical aspects are fine. Every actor from Pranchiettan to the little boy have done justice and it is tough to point out one stand out performance. Even the Midsummer Nights Dreams quoting cook is superb in his limited role. Overall a wholesome movie experience for the entire family. Every Malayalam movie buff should watch this movie.

This is definitely Ranjith's answer to "3 Idiots" which he was so much in awe of. Mr. Ranjith, I loved the One Idiot in your movie more than 3 Idiots !