Analysing films

After a series of "disasters" that I saw back to back, finally could get to catch up on a nice little sweet movie. The Hundred Foot Journey. Set in the beautiful French village (south of France) Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val and extensively photographed in Midi Pyrenees, the film is a delight for culinary lovers and especially fusion food. It brings together the classical (Helen Mirren's character Madame Mallory at one point mentions classical comes from the word, Class) French cuisine in clash with the more louder and rustic Indian cuisine, steeped in spices and color. Madame Mallory, metaphorically at one point feels the loudness of the music and the cuisine (read Indian) needs to be toned to suit the French palette better. And this is where the film scores, it does not get prejudiced at any point with the cultural stigmas of either cultures. Director, Lasse Hallstrom prefers to leave it to the viewers discretion. The pace is delightfully timed and one though wished the

The hype and the hoopla associated with Finding Fanny was perhaps the reason for a quick rush to the theatre for a first day first show. And the delay in the review is perhaps being so put-off with the movie that one dragged self to write. However, this is pure philanthropy for all who are yet to watch this utter deluge of a mish mash. First things, the script is pathetic, the plot is trifle slow, the characters therefore lose purpose and somewhere during the course of the movie, I think these characters must be questioning themselves. With a brilliant casting, the likes of Naseer, Pankaj Kapur, and Dimple Kapadia, nothing could have gone wrong. Add to that, riding on a hugely successful 2014 are Deepika and Arjun. The film falls flat on the pace. Moving at a very labourious pace, with directive, the plot is so weak that the brilliance of Goa also fails to do the trick. At some point, even the quirky-ness is questionable and perhaps the gags are forced upon us. The dialogues lack

Mardaani, as my title of the blog suggests is a definitive and honest attempt, from Pradeep Sarkar, especially after his two forgettable ventures, Lafangey Parinde and Laga Chunari Mein Daag. It is perhaps a coming off age for both Sarkar and YRF, who I presume decided to move beyond their comfort zone and to look at a topic completely different, relevant and dealt well. There are loose ends in the film, in abundance perhaps, however the honesty of the pperformances the central theme and the stylised approach makes up for the gaffes. I think, script could have been tighter, more encompassing, and perhaps a tad less predictable, moreso at the end. Yet, there are moments in the film, which makes you fall for the characters and leads. Rani's character, as  Shivani Shivaji Roy stands out, but it is the newcomer Tahir Raj Bhasin that really cuts through and his nuanced performance is indeed chilling, and breaks free from the clutter of negative characters. One of the factors, I f

Like I said in the title, if you have the read the original, which I think came out in the last or last to last year, Sharodiya Shonkha, do not watch the film as it is a complete let down. But if you have not read the original by Samaresh Majumdar, the movie is worth a dekko. The way different characters starting from the protagonist Amal to the characters, Shohag, Rijula and even all sundry characters develop are no where close to the original. What further adds to the agony, the climax scene which has been altered keeping Dev's image into account, which is unfortunate. The film to put it simply lacks the desired drama and the suspense, which if one has read the book will understand. It looks like a narration currently and there are moments where the film falls in a trap of trying to do justice to the book and the creative license it wants to use. Perhaps, this trap always remain when one tries to adapt a story or a classic novel into a cinema format. Some of the classic n