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...

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...