Analysing films

Saturday evening was Kick time. One line, before I proceed further, how I wished Nawazuddin had more screen time. Everytime he came our Sallu Bhai paled. But I think the producers would have got an hunch of that and in the rushes and the edit board, they would have all gagged up and mercilessly chopped his portions. It was evident throughout the movie. What a pity! Rest of the movie ordinary, banal, bland, mundane...A classic Sallu mindless poitboiler, in which there is nothing much to be written about. The script is by Saman Khan, for Salman Khan and of(f) Salman Khan. Templated stuff like the ppt templates which come with every MS office. His last couple of releases are on the same line. The only change, the lead lady changes, the periphery changes, the context pretty much remains the same and that is about it. The best part, when you watch pre release interviews or promo shows, where everybody is try is rationalise every mindless caper going on through out the film. Am sure t...

We are half way into 2014 and the kind of stuff that hindi film industry is producing, we have to go through the trials and tribulations of one trash can after another. Generating mindless, senseless and utterly tasteless cinema, which least of all fails to even entertain. Take for instance a guy like Sajid Khan, I thought his Housefull franchise was a mindless caper, but at least it entertained. Even, he seems to have run into a creative menopause. Production houses, big directors and producers have all for long been suffering from a dilemma or a trap perhaps, which I call "Hash-Mash and Market" (HMM) syndrome. The HMM format is simple, take any contextual setting (do not go far, pick up any Dharma Productions or YRF or Sajid Nadiadwala Grandsons or Eros or ...) and set your protagonist in the context and let the three things do the rest, an item number (with or without the Canadian import), a glitzy setting (classic backdrops, great designer, great looks and great props) ...

Filmistaan is a small little film, with a bunch of new comers, who are all in their right earnest have been able to provide for a beautiful and meaningful cinema. Cinema that entertains, that has a message and most of all a nuanced performance from the newbies. A set of fresh faces, starting with the two leads, Sharib Hashmi and Inaamulhaq and the a stellar performance by Kumud Mishra and Gopal Dutt. The films is a classic homage to the partition and the fallouts of the same that seems to be a scar which does not seem to get healed with time. Each scene in the movie goes on to reconnect to with the pangs of partition and what a historic blunder that seems to have been committed. There are no preachy lessons or lectures, but the knock out dialogues and the screenplay seems to be telling in it's subtlety the ill effects of the partition. The scene of the local doctor (Hakim) coming in to treat Sunny (the lead character's name) for a bullet injury and the pain that one sees i...

On a sudden visit to the ticket booking site, Book my show to catch up on the latest movies, theater, events doing the round of the NCR circuit, was pleasantly surprised to see a Bengali movie, Apur Panchali, playing in a limited edition version. Trying to claim of myself as a movie aficionado, I should really be ashamed of myself. Reason; this was the first time, I had heard of the movie and boy, it had already won the national awards and very active on the festival circuit. And here I was, and my ignorance. The movie is a take on the numerous child stars who make it big with their one big movie as a child star and then they get lost. They somehow are unable to wipe off the adage they get associated with, through their first film. So, it could be the child from Home Alone or ET or The Kid or Bicycle Thieves or in our case Apu from Pather Paachali. Hence, the movie is a take on the child star Apu (read Subir Banerjee, his real name) and his reel to real life. The movie works on t...

I have been very very late in coming up with the review of 2 States, infact I had kind of planned to not even review the movie after probably watching the day after the movie was released. But in the last two weeks I have been reading about the film doing brisk business and talks of the 100 crores mark and all that makes one evenly surprised. To put the movie in a nutshell, it is long, tad boring and many a times one starts to feel how can a sub plot or a sub sub plot in a cinema become the mainstream topic. This makes for the plot drab and rubbery, to the point of even becoming tasteless. The original Chetan Bhagat book (frankly haven't read this one though) from where the plot is inspired, may have been more crisp (as Chetan is known for his sharp and crisp writing style) as it is a 268 page book only. Replete with the Karan Johar signature stuff like punjabi weddings, mindless and needless songs and what else a mindless Arjun Kapoor. Alia as usual is charming in her sel...

   First things first, if you are going for Highway be prepared for a larger and meaningful subject being covered within the realms of the original plot. The sub plot holds a broader and bolder spectrum towards the end of movie (forced it seemed) but relevant indeed. Now to get back to the movie. Well made, well conceptualised and defined in it's natural shape, the movie is a definite coming off age for Imitiaz Ali after his last outing, the forgettable Rockstar. Fresh pairing of Alia and Randeep brings in the contrast and the odd chemistry of the two, which builds up. The relationship they share and at the fag end when they seem to be getting in their comfort zone, the Director delivers the master stroke (watch it for the details). The film builds itself up quite nicely and the locales add to the mood. Not the Yash Chopra stuff but stark, raw, unexplored the very Western part of HP (Kinnaur, Kaza...) in it's most dangerous and delectable stage. The mood is capt...

 It was worth the wait...Wait for my son's board exams to get over. There were quite a few in the pipeline to watch and decided to give Queen the priority over Highway, the other movie on the card to see. First things first, people have been talking of Kangana  and her role. Yes she is right there on the top for a role cut out for her. But there are few things I thought that stood right up there, making this movie the first must see of 2014. Surprise Surprise! It is Lisa Haydon! In a role truly cut out for her, this dusky lass showed spunk, attitude and everything else in between to essay this wonderful character, Vijaylakshmi. She was in her elements all through the first half and what made the character stood out, Lisa seemed to be enjoying in the shoes of the character she played. For the first few minutes of her appearance, it was simply hard to realise, it was she. Authentic French accent, perfect costumes and body language. Sorry Kangana! We have to give it to Lis...