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".

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 !