If you are looking for a good movie to take your kid(s) (5 years and older) to, I recommend Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Very nicely made movie. The sets are great and Johnny Depp and the other actors have done a fine job. One can't help notice Johnny Depp's Michael Jackson-like potrayal of Willie Wonka. I haven't seen the original movie from the early seventies(?) so I can't give you a relative view.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 August 2005
Wednesday, 13 July 2005
Saif best actor?
I am sure there has to be a better performance than Saif Ali Khan in Hum Tum. I think he acted well in the movie, but I don't think it was so great that it deserved the national award. Surely, there has to have been a better performance. SRK in Veer Zaara was certainly impressive, if the idea was to pick a commercial cinema. Mommy's present perhaps? :-)
Saturday, 25 June 2005
Movie Review: Parineeta
Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan
Hindi, romantic story based on Saratchandra Chatterjee's book.
Hindi, romantic story based on Saratchandra Chatterjee's book.
Indian movie film makers have now resorted to the easy way out. Simply remake old movies! Inspired by the success of Devadas, follow other remakes such as Parineeta (apparently already made twice), Paheli (original appeared in the early 70s), and in the works is the remake of Don! Since I have not seen the earlier versions or read the book, I was pretty open minded about Parineeta.
Like most Vidhu Vinod Chopra's movies (1947, Kareeb, Munnabhai, Mission Kashmir etc.), this one is a made with a lot of attention to detail. The music is excellent and blends perfectly with the film. The sets are very impressive and the overall quality of the movie making is excellent. Newcomer Vidya Balan has put in a very creditable performance and is an excellent choice for the role. Saif Ali Khan, gradually emerging as a commercially viable romantic hero (Hum Tum, Kal ho Na Ho and now Parineeta), has put in a good performance as well. Sanjay Dutt (a fixture in Vidhu Vinod Chopra films) appears to have gained weight and aged significantly. The rest of the cast does their part.
The storyline as such is nothing new or for that matter earth shattering (as made out by some reviews and other movie promos). Typical stuff -- childhood friendship, grows into romance, some misunderstanding, love triangle develops, hero agrees to marry another girl (small role by Diya Mirza), realizes his mistake, melodrama ensues, and the couple come together. Someone has to be a villain. In this case its the hero's Dad. Saif plays the hero, Sanjay Dutt completes the love triangle, while Raima Sen helps fix the traingle. Rekha appears in a dance number to enhance the star power. The strength of the movie lies in the treatment of the none too new plot, the excellent music and the overall production quality.
If you are the type who generally enjoys commercial romantic films, this movie is a very safe bet.
Like most Vidhu Vinod Chopra's movies (1947, Kareeb, Munnabhai, Mission Kashmir etc.), this one is a made with a lot of attention to detail. The music is excellent and blends perfectly with the film. The sets are very impressive and the overall quality of the movie making is excellent. Newcomer Vidya Balan has put in a very creditable performance and is an excellent choice for the role. Saif Ali Khan, gradually emerging as a commercially viable romantic hero (Hum Tum, Kal ho Na Ho and now Parineeta), has put in a good performance as well. Sanjay Dutt (a fixture in Vidhu Vinod Chopra films) appears to have gained weight and aged significantly. The rest of the cast does their part.
The storyline as such is nothing new or for that matter earth shattering (as made out by some reviews and other movie promos). Typical stuff -- childhood friendship, grows into romance, some misunderstanding, love triangle develops, hero agrees to marry another girl (small role by Diya Mirza), realizes his mistake, melodrama ensues, and the couple come together. Someone has to be a villain. In this case its the hero's Dad. Saif plays the hero, Sanjay Dutt completes the love triangle, while Raima Sen helps fix the traingle. Rekha appears in a dance number to enhance the star power. The strength of the movie lies in the treatment of the none too new plot, the excellent music and the overall production quality.
If you are the type who generally enjoys commercial romantic films, this movie is a very safe bet.
Wednesday, 1 June 2005
Smoking ban in Indian films and TV!
The Government of India plans to ban smoking in films and TV!! While I certainly agree with the theory that celebreties smoking on screen do influence young kids, I think its absolutely ridiculous to impose a ban of this kind. Why not attack the source, the tobacco companies! Increase the taxes, limit availability, restrict the sales, educate people on the negative effects of smoking etc etc. Movies are a medium of mass communication and should be allowed reasonable creative freedom as long as it is within the norms of decency (for which the censor board is already in place).
p.s: The Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss is from the anti-Rajnikanth (Tamil superstar know for his cigarrette flicks!) camp and this might have something to do with it?
p.s: The Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss is from the anti-Rajnikanth (Tamil superstar know for his cigarrette flicks!) camp and this might have something to do with it?
Thursday, 12 May 2005
Ash, Bachchan in US Media, Rajnikanth next?
This is kinda late news. Read this only now (since I was away) that both Ash and Bachchan were on US television. I read the transcript of Bachchan's interview. Pretty decent.
Certainly Bollywood types are going places. However, I don't think India would have truly arrived until Rajnikanth makes it to one of these shows!
Certainly Bollywood types are going places. However, I don't think India would have truly arrived until Rajnikanth makes it to one of these shows!
Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Indian Idol Cassettes/CDs selling like hot cakes
Abhijeet Sawant, the Indian Idol (concept imported from the US show American Idol) seems to have become hugely popular. Cassettes/CDs with his songs appear to be permanently sold out. Even in a place like TVM where hindi is hardly spoken, these cassettes/CDs are flying off the shelf.
Sunday, 8 May 2005
Movie Review: Chandramukhi --The Return of the Tamil Superstar
Chandramukhi (Tamil film) stars Rajnikanth, Prabhu, Nayanthara, Jyothika and others.
An all time hit, Padayappa, a relative flop, Baba, a few political false starts, and a two year hiatus from films. This was what Rajnikanth was up against. One more flop and the man would have been history for all practical purposes. Under these circumstances, selecting a come back vehicle must have been a tough call. Based on current press reports it sounds like Tamil cinema's superstar has once again delivered a super hit despite all these odds.
The film is very much an "un-Rajni" film. Its a family drama. The hero has no villain to fight against. There are no cigarette tricks, no political dialogues, no tailored punch lines. Yet, its a watchable, entertaining, and engaging film especially if you have not seen the original malayalam version, Manichitrathazhu. Despite the long break Rajnikanth does not seem to have lost his touch. As many of the usual ingredients of a typical Rajni film have been weaved into the story: An intro song with a fast moving background with scores of extras while the hero moves energetically with an MGR-esque sleight of the hand, a couple of fight sequences, a few songs (Konja Neram being my favorite), plenty of comedy etc.
Tamil films unlike Bollywood, still seems to prefer pretty faced women with well endowed back-sides. Nayanthara and Jyothika do justice to this requirement. Vadivelu's comedy is an asset to the film. Prabhu is a passenger (I guess he was more focused on the production activities). The rest of the supporting cast does a reasonable job.
As for Rajnikanth. Credit to him for having maintained himself so well. At 55 the guy is slim and trim. After his lip job, and perfect wig, and plenty of make up, Rajnikanth seems to have been geared up for a successful return to the silver screen. For once, great care has been taken in his dressing. He is well dressed throughout the film without being distracting. His racy dialogue delivery style remains intact. He did throw in his trademark sun glasses flip, barring which the conventional style was absent. Given the story and script there was little room for it. In any case, he handles his role with the utmost ease.
A lot has been written about the plot, so I am going to avoid mentioning it here again. If its a Rajni film it doesn't really matter. Does it? If you are a typical Tamil film viewer, either you are pro or against Rajnikanth. If you are pro you will like anything he dishes out. If you are anti-Rajni you will find something criticize no matter what. So the plot is inconsequential anyway!
Overall, the film is certainly worth watching, especially if you haven't seen the original Malayalam film. The background score is quite annoying (I find this to be as trend among a number of Indian films, especially the fast jerky screen movements accompanied by loud music). The music is adequate and the acting of the supporting cast decent.
Lastly, having been there and done it over and over again, I hope the superstar will use the success of this family drama, to transition to movies where he doesn't necessarily have to be portrayed as young, fighting villains, prancing around with 20 year olds etc. If he does manage to accomplish this transition, Tamil cinema would be much better served. There is no question, Rajnikanth is Tamil cinema's all time great box office draw and has remained so for over two decades. That's a tall order. The question is if he can make a transition and offer something new going forward and still maintain his top draw status instead of simply re-hashing the tried and tested formula.
An all time hit, Padayappa, a relative flop, Baba, a few political false starts, and a two year hiatus from films. This was what Rajnikanth was up against. One more flop and the man would have been history for all practical purposes. Under these circumstances, selecting a come back vehicle must have been a tough call. Based on current press reports it sounds like Tamil cinema's superstar has once again delivered a super hit despite all these odds.
The film is very much an "un-Rajni" film. Its a family drama. The hero has no villain to fight against. There are no cigarette tricks, no political dialogues, no tailored punch lines. Yet, its a watchable, entertaining, and engaging film especially if you have not seen the original malayalam version, Manichitrathazhu. Despite the long break Rajnikanth does not seem to have lost his touch. As many of the usual ingredients of a typical Rajni film have been weaved into the story: An intro song with a fast moving background with scores of extras while the hero moves energetically with an MGR-esque sleight of the hand, a couple of fight sequences, a few songs (Konja Neram being my favorite), plenty of comedy etc.
Tamil films unlike Bollywood, still seems to prefer pretty faced women with well endowed back-sides. Nayanthara and Jyothika do justice to this requirement. Vadivelu's comedy is an asset to the film. Prabhu is a passenger (I guess he was more focused on the production activities). The rest of the supporting cast does a reasonable job.
As for Rajnikanth. Credit to him for having maintained himself so well. At 55 the guy is slim and trim. After his lip job, and perfect wig, and plenty of make up, Rajnikanth seems to have been geared up for a successful return to the silver screen. For once, great care has been taken in his dressing. He is well dressed throughout the film without being distracting. His racy dialogue delivery style remains intact. He did throw in his trademark sun glasses flip, barring which the conventional style was absent. Given the story and script there was little room for it. In any case, he handles his role with the utmost ease.
A lot has been written about the plot, so I am going to avoid mentioning it here again. If its a Rajni film it doesn't really matter. Does it? If you are a typical Tamil film viewer, either you are pro or against Rajnikanth. If you are pro you will like anything he dishes out. If you are anti-Rajni you will find something criticize no matter what. So the plot is inconsequential anyway!
Overall, the film is certainly worth watching, especially if you haven't seen the original Malayalam film. The background score is quite annoying (I find this to be as trend among a number of Indian films, especially the fast jerky screen movements accompanied by loud music). The music is adequate and the acting of the supporting cast decent.
Lastly, having been there and done it over and over again, I hope the superstar will use the success of this family drama, to transition to movies where he doesn't necessarily have to be portrayed as young, fighting villains, prancing around with 20 year olds etc. If he does manage to accomplish this transition, Tamil cinema would be much better served. There is no question, Rajnikanth is Tamil cinema's all time great box office draw and has remained so for over two decades. That's a tall order. The question is if he can make a transition and offer something new going forward and still maintain his top draw status instead of simply re-hashing the tried and tested formula.
Monday, 2 May 2005
Movie Review: Udayananu Tharam
Malayalam film starring Mohanlal, Meena and Sreenivasan. The title translates to Udhayan is the star.
Mohanlal-Sreenivasan combo is know for many super hit malayalam films. Sreenivasan incidentally has written many of these successful stories and scripts. Here he manages to deliver another super hit. Saw the film after 100 days and it was still packed. Mohanlal plays Udhayan, a struggling movie director, story, screenplay writer. Sreenivasan is a friend and also an aspiring struggling movie star still looking for his first break.
The story revolves around how Sreenivasan's character steals Udhayan's screenplay and story and becomes a superstar overnight by insisting on acting in the film. The rest of the story revolves around how Udhayan struggles and yet comes on top at the end. Meena plays Udhayan's love interest and a leading actress in the film. The relationship between the two is particularly well handled. Mohanlal's performance is simply fantastic. The various emotions he portrays with minimum fuss is simply fascinating. He is a class act. No doubt.
The movie has some interesting twists and turns and keeps you engaged. Sreenivasan's tantrums are a little annoying but there are several comical scenes especially the reference to films stars diversifying into other business (selling parottas with their pictures on the packets). The songs are decent. Overall a good package, and hence a super hit. I hear that the malayalam films are on the decline and good movies are hard to come by. So when something even reasonable shows up a hit is almost certain. That's the local theory.
Udhayananu Tharam is definitely worth watching. I enjoyed it. Won't be surprised if a hindi version is in the works.
Mohanlal-Sreenivasan combo is know for many super hit malayalam films. Sreenivasan incidentally has written many of these successful stories and scripts. Here he manages to deliver another super hit. Saw the film after 100 days and it was still packed. Mohanlal plays Udhayan, a struggling movie director, story, screenplay writer. Sreenivasan is a friend and also an aspiring struggling movie star still looking for his first break.
The story revolves around how Sreenivasan's character steals Udhayan's screenplay and story and becomes a superstar overnight by insisting on acting in the film. The rest of the story revolves around how Udhayan struggles and yet comes on top at the end. Meena plays Udhayan's love interest and a leading actress in the film. The relationship between the two is particularly well handled. Mohanlal's performance is simply fantastic. The various emotions he portrays with minimum fuss is simply fascinating. He is a class act. No doubt.
The movie has some interesting twists and turns and keeps you engaged. Sreenivasan's tantrums are a little annoying but there are several comical scenes especially the reference to films stars diversifying into other business (selling parottas with their pictures on the packets). The songs are decent. Overall a good package, and hence a super hit. I hear that the malayalam films are on the decline and good movies are hard to come by. So when something even reasonable shows up a hit is almost certain. That's the local theory.
Udhayananu Tharam is definitely worth watching. I enjoyed it. Won't be surprised if a hindi version is in the works.
Movie Review: Swades
This is a movie about a US returned NRI -- visits India in search of a loved one, gradually moved/, enamored by villages and the problems facing India, finds his lady love, and decides to live happily ever after in India, kissing goodbye to a job as a project manager at NASA. This in short is the story of Swades. The director riding on his Lagaan success has tried his best to follow a similar style/pattern. The sets are similar, some of the songs feel similar etc. But unfortunately, the movie lacks the "dum" (for lack of another word). It doesn't come even close to Lagaan. Its a little unfair to compare, but the truth is it ain't anywhere close to Lagaan. I wish the director had focused more on why the hero was so moved. This part of the film which forms its crux, was simply was not compelling enough. AR Rahman's music goes well with the movie.
I didn't find any long drawn "moral science" lesson of any sort in the movie. The new entrant Gayatri Joshi did a fine job holding her own opposite today's mega star, Shahrukh Khan, who put up a good measured performance without any overacting, thankfully. She certainly needs a more glamorous role to get into the big league in bollywood.
Overall, I thought it was an ok movie.
I didn't find any long drawn "moral science" lesson of any sort in the movie. The new entrant Gayatri Joshi did a fine job holding her own opposite today's mega star, Shahrukh Khan, who put up a good measured performance without any overacting, thankfully. She certainly needs a more glamorous role to get into the big league in bollywood.
Overall, I thought it was an ok movie.
Monday, 21 March 2005
Movie Review: Bride and Prejudice
Saw this movie on DVD. After all the buzz created with Ash on Letterman, CBS etc and Gurinder Chhadha, the director of Bend it like Beckham fame (which was an excellent film) all over the press, we decided to watch the movie at home on DVD.
Man, what a disaster, a complete boat load of trash!
Gurinder Chaddha clearly has been watching a lot of bollywood films, particularly the Yash Chopra type -- lush green fields, romantic couples, colorful dances etc. Besides, she appears to be overwhelmed by Ash (umpteen needless close-ups!). Cashing in on her recent success Gurinder possibly aspired to make a blend of hollywood and bollywood. Unfortunately, she has ended up neither here nor there. I won't bother getting to the story. There are simply too many flaws to even appreciate anything positive, if at all, in the film. Ash speaks too fast, her character was unnecessarily "bit...y", out of shape punjabi women singing songs in english with a British accent on the streets of Punjab is the most senseless portrayal one can imagine, Anupam Kher hardly has a role etc. etc. the list is endless.
The movie is not even worth watching on DVD, let alone a trip to the theatre. All the praise she earned with all her previous films (What's cooking, another of her films was wonderful) combined has been more than wiped out by this complete piece of trash. A couple of junk releases like this and Ash might have to giggle her way back to bollywood.
Man, what a disaster, a complete boat load of trash!
Gurinder Chaddha clearly has been watching a lot of bollywood films, particularly the Yash Chopra type -- lush green fields, romantic couples, colorful dances etc. Besides, she appears to be overwhelmed by Ash (umpteen needless close-ups!). Cashing in on her recent success Gurinder possibly aspired to make a blend of hollywood and bollywood. Unfortunately, she has ended up neither here nor there. I won't bother getting to the story. There are simply too many flaws to even appreciate anything positive, if at all, in the film. Ash speaks too fast, her character was unnecessarily "bit...y", out of shape punjabi women singing songs in english with a British accent on the streets of Punjab is the most senseless portrayal one can imagine, Anupam Kher hardly has a role etc. etc. the list is endless.
The movie is not even worth watching on DVD, let alone a trip to the theatre. All the praise she earned with all her previous films (What's cooking, another of her films was wonderful) combined has been more than wiped out by this complete piece of trash. A couple of junk releases like this and Ash might have to giggle her way back to bollywood.
Friday, 4 February 2005
Ash on Letterman - Impressive
Check this out! Ash is definitely going places, literally! She seems to have hired an excellent PR firm/agent to represent her. After the CBS 60 minutes performance it will be interesting to see how she survives Dave Letterman!
Sunday, 23 January 2005
Movie Review: Flavors
Saw Flavors over the weekend. Another Indo-American movie produced and directed by NRIs and second generation Indians living in the United States. The movie revolves around a number of young people (many couples), their relationships and life of desis in the US in general. The director has cleverly managed to weave so many different characters and their stories into one at the end of the movie. The movie stars a number (maybe most?) first time actors. Also, starring are two Bollywood imports as parents of one of the characters in the film.
There are times during the film when the constant context switching between the various stories gave the movie a choppy feel to it. Some of the accents were a little exaggerated. In some cases, it appeared as though the story would have been better served had first generation Indians been cast in some of the roles as opposed to second generation.
The two Bollywood imports did a fine job and blended very well into the film. The characters of "Vivek" and "Sangita" came across as most genuine and were perfectly portrayed by the actors. Pretty much all the characters in the film are very believable and true to life. For a first time movie maker, the director and crew have done a fine job. Its definitely better in production and direction quality than a whole bunch of movies that have been released in the last couple of years by aspiring first time movie makers of Indian origin.
Overall, hats of to the crew. Very impressive for a first time director. An easy going movie, that will serve as a nice break from the standard bollywood masala.
There are times during the film when the constant context switching between the various stories gave the movie a choppy feel to it. Some of the accents were a little exaggerated. In some cases, it appeared as though the story would have been better served had first generation Indians been cast in some of the roles as opposed to second generation.
The two Bollywood imports did a fine job and blended very well into the film. The characters of "Vivek" and "Sangita" came across as most genuine and were perfectly portrayed by the actors. Pretty much all the characters in the film are very believable and true to life. For a first time movie maker, the director and crew have done a fine job. Its definitely better in production and direction quality than a whole bunch of movies that have been released in the last couple of years by aspiring first time movie makers of Indian origin.
Overall, hats of to the crew. Very impressive for a first time director. An easy going movie, that will serve as a nice break from the standard bollywood masala.
Monday, 10 January 2005
Ash on CBS 60 minutes
Saw the recent CBS 60 minutes program featuring Aishwarya Rai. The last time I saw this program was when the IITs were featured here. The interviewer referred to her as "the most beautiful woman in the world" and said that the likes of Julia Roberts have given her a verbal certificate to the same effect. As you can imagine Ash was all giggly (and quite understandably so). Nevertheless I thought she did a very nice job of handling the interview. I am not a huge Ash fan, but I thought she looked better than she looks in most films. Clearly, this is a huge step for her and not to mention Bollywood. She is certainly doing the right things from a PR perspective, helping her achieve what no other Indian star has ever achieved on a global scale. Hats off to Ash and her PR agency!
Sunday, 9 January 2005
Movie Review: Lost in Translation
Saw the widely acclaimed Lost in trainslation starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
Bill Murray plays a middle-aged man living in Japan on an extended business visit, while Scarlett Johansson plays a young recently married woman visiting Japan with her husband also on business. Both live in a large hotel and run into each other on and off. The movie is about how circumstances bring the two characters together, well almost. The contrast between a middle aged man who is ambling along in life and a young woman who is just beginning married life is portrayed, or at least that appears to be the intent (based on my translation!).
Overall, I was at a loss as to what all the fuss about this movie was. I never found it funny. Neither did I find anything earth-shaking about the production/direction aspects of the film. Bill Murray had the same smug expression through the movie, there were times I wished someone would just step up and give him a slap or two to see if his expression might change. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand, does a fine job. With minimal dialogues she portrays a lot of emotion through facial expressions. The movie is full of disjointed scenes, and very often I was left to wonder what the point of many of the scenes were! After I while, I was waiting for something to happen, and sure enough nothing did.
In short, I was lost all through the movie. Maybe I needed someone to translate!
Bill Murray plays a middle-aged man living in Japan on an extended business visit, while Scarlett Johansson plays a young recently married woman visiting Japan with her husband also on business. Both live in a large hotel and run into each other on and off. The movie is about how circumstances bring the two characters together, well almost. The contrast between a middle aged man who is ambling along in life and a young woman who is just beginning married life is portrayed, or at least that appears to be the intent (based on my translation!).
Overall, I was at a loss as to what all the fuss about this movie was. I never found it funny. Neither did I find anything earth-shaking about the production/direction aspects of the film. Bill Murray had the same smug expression through the movie, there were times I wished someone would just step up and give him a slap or two to see if his expression might change. Scarlett Johansson on the other hand, does a fine job. With minimal dialogues she portrays a lot of emotion through facial expressions. The movie is full of disjointed scenes, and very often I was left to wonder what the point of many of the scenes were! After I while, I was waiting for something to happen, and sure enough nothing did.
In short, I was lost all through the movie. Maybe I needed someone to translate!
Wednesday, 5 January 2005
Polar Express on IMAX
Over the holidays we saw the Polar Express on IMAX. If you plan to watch on IMAX make sure you find good seats (at the top). Otherwise, its better to watch it in a regular movie hall. During the holiday break every show was full and we actually purchased the tickets in advance.
Nice movie. Kids will enjoy it for sure. The look and feel of this film is different from the other popular animated films. I prefer the Pixar/Disney animated movies.
Nice movie. Kids will enjoy it for sure. The look and feel of this film is different from the other popular animated films. I prefer the Pixar/Disney animated movies.
Wednesday, 8 December 2004
Tuesday, 30 November 2004
Movie Review: Veer Zaara
Saw the recent Hindi film, Veer Zaara starring Shahrukh, Rani, Preity.
If Bill Clinton were a bollywood movie maker, this is the kind of movie he would deliver. Unlike most Hindi movies based on Indo-Pak themes, this one does not show Pakistanis as jerks and terrorists and Indians as great patriotic fighters. Instead this one is "luvy-duvy" all over. Pakistanis and Indians will both come away from this movie "pretty" pleased.
Pak girl (Preethi Zinta as Zaara) travels to India and oooo...everyone is soooo goody-goody, cho-chweet. Amitabh (who appears in a superb cameo) along with ever-slim Hema Malini and Midas-man Shahrukh sing and dance in the fields of Punjab. All the lovely greenery, the papi-shuppy among the people, its love and camaraderie all over, wah-wah -- in short, its an out and out nostalgia trip that is bound to make every surd reach for his turban to wipe off his overflowing tears.
In India, Zaara falls for Veer, a Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force. His parents despite being from the village are very progressive (duh?), and completely disregard the fact that she is a Muslim and encourage their son to propose to her (remotely realistic? who cares). Just when he is about pour his heart out, he realizes that she is already engaged. The fiance lands up at the train station! Her imminent wedding is the coming together of two political power houses (with supposedly plenty of clout, despite the fact that Pak has spent most of its independent years under some ruthless dictator or the other and that politicians can't do diddly) that will pitch fork her fiancee into the political limelight. In any case, Veer bravely pronounces his love for Zaara, who in turn is completely devastated an overwhelmed with love for the man.
Zaara returns to Pak, all hell breaks loose, calls upon Veer, who in turn heads to Pak. He wins the hearts of everyone he meets, but looses the girl, and ends up in prison, thanks to Zaara's fiance (played by Manoj Bajpai). Before you think he is a hardcore gun totting villain with nasty laugh, hang on, he actually portrays a new brand of villainy, one with a rationale(!). His theory is that he will have to suffer all his life knowing that another man loved his wife. So if Mr. Veer wants Zaara to be happy, he needs to forget her for good and go to prison never to see her again. Veer accepts, lands in prison, while his folks in India think he died in a bus accident. After 25+ years a young lawyer (played by Rani) working on her first case decides to fight his case. The entire story is in flash back mode with prisoner Veer (with the magic number 786) sharing his life story with the lawyer. The lawyer working on her first case, strictly believes in single sourcing! She has only Mr. Veer as her source of info. She never bothers to do any research of her own. The rest of the story revolves around how she unites the couple.
Despite all the above, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Yash Chopra is simply a master at the art of movie making. He has the knack of taking his time to tell you his story in great detail without every making you bored. His attention to detail and precision are evident in every single scene -- acting is excellent right through and across the board; the choice of Amitabh-Hema pair could not have been more perfect; the songs are great and never forced; the make-up, especially the old age Veer-Zaara, is very impressive; last but not the least, not giving Manoj Bajpai a duet was a sign of divine intervention to ensure success of the movie; Most importantly, the Director ensures that King Khan does not overact (like he has a tendency to do very often). All the shaking, nose twitching and stammering are kept to a very minimum. In fact, he does a terrific job as the old prisoner.
This movie was bound to rake in the big moolah. After several years I ventured to see a movie in the theatre. The place was so packed and I was rewarded with a seat in the second row watching my bollywood stars like they were in heaven. In true desi style the Naaz cinema turns of its air conditioner intermittently for additional special effects. Nevertheless, an entertaining movie, definitely worth checking out.
If Bill Clinton were a bollywood movie maker, this is the kind of movie he would deliver. Unlike most Hindi movies based on Indo-Pak themes, this one does not show Pakistanis as jerks and terrorists and Indians as great patriotic fighters. Instead this one is "luvy-duvy" all over. Pakistanis and Indians will both come away from this movie "pretty" pleased.
Pak girl (Preethi Zinta as Zaara) travels to India and oooo...everyone is soooo goody-goody, cho-chweet. Amitabh (who appears in a superb cameo) along with ever-slim Hema Malini and Midas-man Shahrukh sing and dance in the fields of Punjab. All the lovely greenery, the papi-shuppy among the people, its love and camaraderie all over, wah-wah -- in short, its an out and out nostalgia trip that is bound to make every surd reach for his turban to wipe off his overflowing tears.
In India, Zaara falls for Veer, a Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force. His parents despite being from the village are very progressive (duh?), and completely disregard the fact that she is a Muslim and encourage their son to propose to her (remotely realistic? who cares). Just when he is about pour his heart out, he realizes that she is already engaged. The fiance lands up at the train station! Her imminent wedding is the coming together of two political power houses (with supposedly plenty of clout, despite the fact that Pak has spent most of its independent years under some ruthless dictator or the other and that politicians can't do diddly) that will pitch fork her fiancee into the political limelight. In any case, Veer bravely pronounces his love for Zaara, who in turn is completely devastated an overwhelmed with love for the man.
Zaara returns to Pak, all hell breaks loose, calls upon Veer, who in turn heads to Pak. He wins the hearts of everyone he meets, but looses the girl, and ends up in prison, thanks to Zaara's fiance (played by Manoj Bajpai). Before you think he is a hardcore gun totting villain with nasty laugh, hang on, he actually portrays a new brand of villainy, one with a rationale(!). His theory is that he will have to suffer all his life knowing that another man loved his wife. So if Mr. Veer wants Zaara to be happy, he needs to forget her for good and go to prison never to see her again. Veer accepts, lands in prison, while his folks in India think he died in a bus accident. After 25+ years a young lawyer (played by Rani) working on her first case decides to fight his case. The entire story is in flash back mode with prisoner Veer (with the magic number 786) sharing his life story with the lawyer. The lawyer working on her first case, strictly believes in single sourcing! She has only Mr. Veer as her source of info. She never bothers to do any research of her own. The rest of the story revolves around how she unites the couple.
Despite all the above, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Yash Chopra is simply a master at the art of movie making. He has the knack of taking his time to tell you his story in great detail without every making you bored. His attention to detail and precision are evident in every single scene -- acting is excellent right through and across the board; the choice of Amitabh-Hema pair could not have been more perfect; the songs are great and never forced; the make-up, especially the old age Veer-Zaara, is very impressive; last but not the least, not giving Manoj Bajpai a duet was a sign of divine intervention to ensure success of the movie; Most importantly, the Director ensures that King Khan does not overact (like he has a tendency to do very often). All the shaking, nose twitching and stammering are kept to a very minimum. In fact, he does a terrific job as the old prisoner.
This movie was bound to rake in the big moolah. After several years I ventured to see a movie in the theatre. The place was so packed and I was rewarded with a seat in the second row watching my bollywood stars like they were in heaven. In true desi style the Naaz cinema turns of its air conditioner intermittently for additional special effects. Nevertheless, an entertaining movie, definitely worth checking out.
Saturday, 20 November 2004
Movie Review: Pandavar Bhoomi
I checked out Director Cheran's movie Pandavar Bhoomi (Tamil). This movie is by no means recent, but I am so hopelessly out of touch with Tamil films and its more recent stars that selecting a Tamil film at the video store has become a major challenge. The net result is that I manage to see one Tamil film, maybe once every 3-4 months at best.
I was really impressed with another more recent film directed by Cheran, titled Autograph, that I diligently searched for a move directed by him and landed this one. I was a little disappointed, mostly due to the high standards set by Autograph. Nevertheless, I thought Pandavar Bhoomi was a watchable film.
A bunch of new actors (I think!) do a fine job of their roles. The hero looks a lot like Vjiaykumar (who also plays a small role in the film), probably his son? The theme of the movie is certainly different from conventional films. Based on Autograph and this movie, the director seems to have a passion for building stories based on past events. He clearly enjoys probing the past in avid detail. The story revolves around a five sibling family which migrates from a village amidst a tragedy and later returns to their roots. To re-live their past they decide to re-construct their ancestral home. The engineer who builds their home develops a close relationship with the family, particularly a girl in the family. Unfortunately for him, the historic family tragedy comes in the way of a love story, otherwise headed for marital bliss.
The Director has thrown in one fight sequence at the end and a couple of songs, otherwise the movie is pretty "clean" and devoid of unnecessary add-ons. He has also thrown in some left leaning utterances about Swadeshi-Videshi for social message purposes. Overall, the movie is watchable but no where close to Autograph.
I was really impressed with another more recent film directed by Cheran, titled Autograph, that I diligently searched for a move directed by him and landed this one. I was a little disappointed, mostly due to the high standards set by Autograph. Nevertheless, I thought Pandavar Bhoomi was a watchable film.
A bunch of new actors (I think!) do a fine job of their roles. The hero looks a lot like Vjiaykumar (who also plays a small role in the film), probably his son? The theme of the movie is certainly different from conventional films. Based on Autograph and this movie, the director seems to have a passion for building stories based on past events. He clearly enjoys probing the past in avid detail. The story revolves around a five sibling family which migrates from a village amidst a tragedy and later returns to their roots. To re-live their past they decide to re-construct their ancestral home. The engineer who builds their home develops a close relationship with the family, particularly a girl in the family. Unfortunately for him, the historic family tragedy comes in the way of a love story, otherwise headed for marital bliss.
The Director has thrown in one fight sequence at the end and a couple of songs, otherwise the movie is pretty "clean" and devoid of unnecessary add-ons. He has also thrown in some left leaning utterances about Swadeshi-Videshi for social message purposes. Overall, the movie is watchable but no where close to Autograph.
Movie Review: Mujhse Shaadi Karoge
Another product of the David Dhawan factory minus Govinda. Instead we have Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. Akshay Kumar and Salman are good friends, separated since childhood, Priyanka is Salman's love, while Akshay provides the comedy, along with Amrish Puri and Khader Khan. Standard stuff with different permutations, a handful of plug and play songs, a couple of stunts sequences and there you have it another David Dhawan product. The grand finale of the movie involves a bunch of cricket stars -- Kapil Dev, Irfan Pathan, Kaif, Harbhajan, Srinath and others. If you are in a mood to leave your senses behind, have a few laughs and enjoy some standard desi masala this could be your fix for a Friday evening.
Wednesday, 17 November 2004
Movie Review: Phir Milenge
Saw Phir Milenge, the Hindi movie starring Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Abhishek Bachhan. The story is based on the successful Hollywood film, Philadelphia. To give you a quick synopsis: Salman (Rohit) and Shilpa (Tamanna) are lovers. Abhishek (Tarun) plays a lawyer. Salman goes to US, picks up AIDS unknowingly and infects Tamanna while in India (pre-marital sex). Then, he return s to US, finds out that he is infected with AIDS, returns to India. Meanwhile Tamanna gets to know that she is HIV+, gets fired because her boss can't stand having someone infected with HIV in his office She wants to sue, can't finda lawyer, until a happy-go lucky Tarun comes along to fight the legal battle of his life. This in short is the story. Some key highlights and thoughts:
- The movie is well made and definite worth watching. Revathi (former south indian actress) is the director and has done a really nice job. Can you imagine, there were scenes when I felt Salman-bhai was actually acting! Hats of to Revathi.
- Abhishek Bacchan, the Ajit Agarkar of Indian films. Appears in almost every film but can never turn a hit. But someone appears to have taken it upon themselves to make a success out of this guy. While his papa might be the one, I always wonder who Ajit Agarkar has as his prime sponsor. When the onus of carrying an entire film is not on him, Abhishek usuually does a decent job (though there are many movie watchers who can never be convinced of this!), as I think he did here. (If you belong to the "I can't stand this guy" group, I have a request, please forget that he is Amtabh's son when you assess his performance. Its completely unfair to the guy).
- Shilpa Shetty for once gets a chance to act and does a fine job. One could argue that her glamorous looks right through the film are a shade inconsistent with the theme of the film.
- Music is decent, but I'll need to hear it a few times before I latch on to any of the songs in a big way.
- Salman Khan was bearable. I am glad he didn't show his body for a change. I was expecting a raunchy dream sequence given Salman-Shilpa duos typical portrayals, but I was pleasantly surprised not to see one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)