Analysing films

Director Kabir Khan of this movie had prior work in the form of Kabul Express and New York to showcase. Was Kabul Express better than New York? Was New York better than Ek Tha Tiger (EKT)? To me answer to them is YES. And by this logic I dread waiting Kabir Khan's next. EKT never stands on it's feet inspite of a man who is currently riding a wave and having a time of his life. Even though it is a written off film, but going by Salman's luck, charm, presence, add-in anything that you want, this one will also go into the 100+ crore plus club. EKT has fab locales, fab people and a fab budget to go. But what surprises me most, does a name matter or a star cast more than the script or the plot. YRF's repertoire of work speaks for itself. Look at a Band Bajaa Baraat or a Chak De. Strong scripts but relatively newbies to support (Yeah! I know Shahrukh and Chak De, don't forget, the movie rises or rose beyond him), alternatively you have a EKT and with SALMAN they wo...

In my review of GOW 1 I had mentioned that the film was an overdose of style, treatment and loads of gore and guns. The script, story and everything in between took a back seat. The zest, fervour and the spirit of GOW 1 continues with GOW 2. What a mess? Manoj replaced by Nawazzuddin and it is one hell of a journey into the heartlands of Dhanbad (Wasseypur) with more blood, more guns and a transforming India in as the backdrop. The coal replaced by scrap, the black telephones replaced by pager (!) and eventually by cellular phones. But the gore and blood stays. Absence of a plot and a good script is throughout visible and at times it meanders into a docu-drama into the history of India through the eyes of Anurag Kashyap (suggest he goes back to Black Friday and see the DVD again). Frame after frame there is a motley crowd of rogues either eating or shooting or f***ing. Nothing really separating one from the other. The only silver lining, Tigmanshu Dhulia. Every frame he app...

Again a little late in reviewing the film since it has been some time the movie has been released and has garnered a fair share of appreciation. Infact, his (Srijit's) another in line Hemlock Society has already released too. But none the less, it is never too late to review a different film. Set as a crime thriller the film really moves beyond the ordain and creates an epitaph of glory which is lost and eventually found. Srijit's research and storyline in this context is indeed fascinating. The backdrop of poetry and that of  Hungryalist Movement and the kind of contribution made by the contemporaries of this period is inextricable. The plot is taut and though at times it does seem to meander into Parambrata's personal life, yet it comes back into the main theme quickly. Prosenjit stands out as the failed, suspended and the drunk cop, Parambrato as the officer on the job and there is Goutam Ghosh in a role of a lost poet trying to find his foothold. Raima is OK but has...

It has been sometime since I saw the movie and I am afraid a little late in putting up my very own review. Rohit Shetty and his genre has now become his trademark self and has the distinctive style to it. One has also started witnessing a sort of "favourites" being casted in cinemas. Yash Chopra camp or Karan Johar camp or Vidhu Vinod Chopra camp etc. and now add in Rohit Shetty camp. In that you can add in Krishna (of Comedy Circus fame) who has a substantial footage in the cinema. Surprising, because Raju and his contemporary inspite of being so talented never really could break into cinema. Given this is Krishna's first outing (maybe he has had a few cinema before this, I do not know!) he is confident and his usual self, funny and confident. The movie is (as Rohit claims) inspired from the classic Golmaal (will such cinemas or brand of cinemas be made again?) and that is about it. Ajay plays the local goon/pehelwan/dada supported by Abhishek (never really in sync wi...

For the generation who has grown on Rajesh Khanna, this must be the saddest moment and day of his life. The first true Super Star of India, passes away a tad and uncharacteristic of him. Unfortunate and unedifying. The legacy of a man, who has left a repertoire of work like Aradhana, Amar Prem, Anand, Kati Patang... the list is endless. Each film epitomises his status as the true romantic hero. He best epitomises what cinema stood for. "Sheer entertainment". He was also a man of contrast. He died a lonely death and a very lonely death. Indeed for a man, whose fans lined up for him, kissed his car, wrote letters in blood, tore his shirt, this must have been a lonely death. As we all come together on this saddened day, are fans so merciless or ruthless or deceptive? Then why does Rajesh Khanna say, "Babumoshai, Mere fans mujhse koi chin nahin sakta". That is the irony of the situation or probably an oxymoron! Khanna's body of work spoke about Khanna an...

The much awaited, much talked, much discussed and much deliberated Gangs of Wasseypur (GOW), had me scrambling to the nearest cinema hall, of course not for a first day first show, but in these days of multiplex terminology, weekend show. Some movies much before their release grabs all the attention, either for the director's repertoire, or for an unusual reason (like a Sunny Leone and Jism 2) or for a remake or a sequel (Agneepath, Jannat 2 etc.). This one grabbed for the director and for the plot that he decided to choose. And probably more than the plot the setting of the movie. We have had Kala Pathaar in the past, but trust Anurag and his team to get more into the realistic mode and portray the region in it's harsh, unforgiving and a little sleepy coal belt of India. Though the opening credits clearly states the film was not shot at actual location, Wasseypur. What Anurag has done (I thought that was secondary) with the movie, focused too much on the treatment, the st...

Ferrari Ki Sawari's ride was a smooth one true to it's brand name, but part bumpy because of Vidhu Vinod Chopra (VVC) and his team. It has increasingly become or at least beginning to get clear that this camp business in Bollywood is developing a genre of it's own. The YRF camp, the usual mushy stuff and with loads of feel good, you do have the occasional Chak De (however, with loads of feel good) and then the Karan Johar camp of predictable teeny bopper stuff, the Aamir Khan camp of trying to be serious, hijacking creative director's plot and often Aamir laden dilemma and the recently constituted Anurag Kashyap camp with serious, edgy, issue based (often bordering on reality and virtuality) cinema. In this humdrum, the VVC camp has also been churning out their own brand of cinema. Seriously after Munnabhai the VVC camp has decided to own up this property of "get to the audience's tear gland". It has been working with them, 3 Idiots is an example of th...