Movie Preview : Shuddh Desi Romance

Posted on September 3, 2013 by amodini

Am looking forward to this one. Releases this Friday, the 6th of September, features Sushant Singh Rajput of Kai Po Che fame, Parineeti Chopra of Ishqzaade,  and is directed by Maneesh Sharma – he also directed Ladies vs Ricky Bahl :

Posted in 2013, bollywood, Previews, romance | 1 Comment

Movie Review : Madras Cafe (2013)

Posted on August 28, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00EOXO66S” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sun Le Re[/amazon_link]
Rating : 3.5/5
Genre : Thriller
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : Shoojit Sircar
Cast : John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Siddharta Basu, Rashi Khanna, Ajay Ratnam, Prakash Belawadi
Kid rating : PG-13

Madras Café is not a movie I would have expected John Abraham to produce, much less act in. Yes, he did produce Vicky Donor (by the same director), but Madras Café is worlds removed from Vicky Donor. It is a slow moving, serious movie, almost documentary like, on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict. Shoojit Sircar experiments with this genre again (after Yahaan) and does good, not quite as well as with Vicky Donor, but well enough.

Major Vikram Singh (Abraham), an espionage/intelligence expert is deployed in Sri Lanka with the Indian Peace Keeping Force to make sure that elections take place smoothly and the Indian Prime Minister can save face. After a few mishaps Vikram realizes that there is a mole in his organization, and he can trust no one, not even his immediate superior Bala (Prakash Belawadi). He promises the folks in Delhi that he will solve this problem his own way, and gleans useful information. His efforts though, may be much too late.

The film feels like a procedural. There is action and it is eventful but the narrative does not flow very well. John is much improved in his acting, but he is far from stellar. He does appear to be less of a hulking bear, having slimmed down and toned the bulging muscles. Nargis Fakhri is international correspondent Jaya Sahni and does what she can with the ill-defined character. We don’t know exactly for who she works or what she does; she is just there to give enigmatic answers to Vikram’s pointed questions. Her character speaks only in English. So John speaks to her in Hindi and she replies back in English, which reminds me of my kids; speak to them in Hindi and they reply back in English.

Former quizmaster Sidhharata Basu has a major role as senior RAW officer Robin Dutt – Robin is the one who pulls Vikram into the operation. Basu, minus his hair, and much aged since you last saw him on television, does very well in this role and manages to sound authoritative and strong. Rashi Khanna plays Vikram’s wife, who waits for him in India, and portrays the worry of an army wife very well, although she seemed very young for the role of Abraham’s wife.

The film is narrated to us via a flashback. At the beginning of the film Vikram is morose and sunk into drunken stupor. He recounts his tale to a church priest, when the priest enquires about his sad state. Vikram seems much anguished at losing his Prime Minister (who appears to Rajiv Gandhi although he isn’t named in the film) which baffled me a little; if he had been anguished at the failure of the mission, it would have been understandable. Vikram’s character is not seen hero-worshipping the PM either so his anguish at his loss seemed a little odd – I’m chalking this one up to poor character development.

The title of the film comes from the cafe that the Sri Lankan leaders and their international helpers meet at; very vague! Madras Cafe is a decent film; it is not spectacular, nor is it the “gripping” espionage thriller I see it being touted as. It is a little choppy, some things in the film lack logic and development, but overall it is worth watching.

Kidwise : Scenes of violence, death and destruction may not be suitable for kids. Older kids will probably understand the dialog heavy narrative; the younger ones might be bored.

Posted in 2013, action, bollywood, rating-PG13, thriller | 5 Comments

Watching Hindi Movies Online – II (Hindi Movies on Youtube)

Posted on August 20, 2013 by amodini

Hindi movies on Youtube

This is Part 2 of the “Where to watch Hindi movies” post. Here’s Part 1.

This might be common knowledge already, but it is worth repeating. Youtube has quite a collection of films and some of them are Hindi films from the production houses themselves. (There are individual users too who upload movies in parts, but I’m not talking of those here.) There is Rajshri, YRF Films, TSeries and Shemaroo and a bunch of other movie channels like UltraMovieParlor. Your best bet, if you are trying to locate a particular film, is to go to their pages and search. A lot of the films are classic, and older, but many are free. And yes, these aren’t exactly HD, but the quality is fairly reasonable.

– Saaransh
– Manorama Six Feet Under
– Angoor

  • Rajshri Channel on Youtube : Look at their featured playlists, which list films by lead star. Films are mostly classics from 70s and 80s. Films are free :

– Iqbal
– Hum Aapke Hain Kaun
– Refugee

New movies :
– The Dirty Picture
– Dil to bachccha hai jee
– Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar

Classics :
– Satte pe Satta
– Aandhi
– Sadma

New movies :
– Jab Tak Hai Jaan
– Chak De!
– Ishaqzaade

Classics :
– Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
– Silsila
– Dil to pagal hai

– Sankat City
– Just Married

– Patiala House
– Ready
– Bittoo Boss

Posted in 2013, bollywood, how-what-why, lists, movies online | 1 Comment

Movie Review : Chennai Express (2013)

Posted on August 14, 2013 by amodini

Rating : 3/5
Genre : All-in-one
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 21 minutes
Director : Rohit Shetty
Cast : Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Satyaraj, Niketan Dheer, Kamini Kaushal, Lekh Tandon
Kid rating : PG

From its trailer Chennai Express appeared to be a masala entertainer. Which it was. The kind of film where you check in your brains at the front door, and expect to be doused in slapstick-y, spoofy humor and a story which doesn’t make much sense. So I went in with fairly low expectations and got exactly what I’d bargained for.

Rahul (Shahrukh) is a 40 year old, an orphan raised by his grandparents. Dadaji (Tandon) has passed away and Dadiji (an aged Kamini Kaushal) wants Rahul to immerse his ashes at Rameshwaram. Rahul has a Goan vacation planned with friends but tells Dadiji that he is heading off to Rameshwaram to do her bidding. When Dadiji comes to bid him goodbye he climbs onto a South-bound train, planning to get off at the next station to join his friends. But he meets Meena (Deepika) on the train. Meena is running away from an arranged marriage. Long story short, Rahul gets caught up in her misadventures.

This film is very, very over the top and very, very spoofy, drowning in references to DDLJ, My Name is Khan and other SRK ventures. You realize that it is a parody, because one over-wrought farcical scene cuts to another affected caricature of a scene. It’s as if the film-makers are laughing at themselves, at us, at Bollywood, but they are laughing all the way to the bank.

There is very little story – Rahul meets Meenamma. They run away, detouring to fall in love. You know what’s coming next. The characters are giant cardboard cutouts, and remain in the spoofy zone. SRK’s Rahul is hamming it up in outlandish situations, and Meena is the spirited Southern siren who isn’t resigned to her fate. The film has its moments but gets kinda boring in the middle, and mired in melodrama and longish Shetty-esque fight/stunt scenes towards the end.

Chennai Express has gaping plot-holes the size of Asia, but I have tolerated this film better than I have trash like Welcome and Golmaal. And that’s because, firstly this is a pretty clean film, as films go these days. There is no overt vulgarity, no sly innuendoes. Yes, there is one incredibly stupid scene with SRK and a dwarf, there is the sexism, and there is the lone item number disguised as a village celebration, but it’s not too bad overall. Secondly, there is the character of Meena, a girl with plenty of guts. She is funny and resourceful and gives as good as she gets. Compare this with, say the character of silly, petulant Kavya Bhosle in Singham, and you have a winner in Meena.

Deepika gives a tremendous performance as Tamilian Meena. She acts and dances like a dream, keeps up the hilarious Southie accent throughout the film, and has the comic thing down pat. Shahrukh is a disappointment here. As he ages, he has started to resemble his wax statue at Madame Tussauds; the glassy stare, the waxy face, the terrible acting. He does his eyebrow wiggle thing and is super-hammy in his portrayal of Rahul.

Chennai Express is 100% masala; I only saw it because I like the lead pair. If this film had had even a semblance of a sensible story, it would have been so much better. Rohit Shetty seems to know what he is doing, because he makes the movie he intends to; Chennai Express doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a commercial potboiler. The problem is that with his unsubtle, sledge-hammer approach to movie-making, Shetty’s best product can only ever reach mediocrity.

Here is a song from Chennai Express. Do watch it carefully; it is a reflection of what the film is like :

Posted in 2013, all-in-one, bollywood, masala, rating-PG | 1 Comment

Watching Hindi Movies Online – I

Posted on August 7, 2013 by amodini

spuulMaybe Hindi movies don’t play at a theater nearby or you are looking to watch an old classic which no video rental place seems to have. You could then try to stream/download over the internet. Here are some of the many places you can watch Hindi films over the Net (there is a reason they call it the Wonderful World Wide Web) – some offer free films, some have premium (i.e.; paid) content and some have both. I’ll list out three of each (they have many more!) :

– Astitva
– Ghajini
– 99

Free Hindi movies on Spuul:
– Love Aaj Kal
– Kahaani
– Love, Sex aur Dhoka

Premium:
– Jab We Met
– Aiyyaa
– OMG

– Kai Po Che
– Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana
– Barfi

Older Films :
– Dil Chahta Hai
– Lakshya
– Monsoon Wedding

– Pyaar ka Punchnama
– Kites
– Break ke Baad

  • Eros : Premium subscription required.

– RockStar
– Ra One
– Dabangg

Next : Watching Hindi movies on Youtube.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, how-what-why, lists, movies online | 4 Comments

Movie Preview : Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Again (2013 – Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha)

Posted on August 1, 2013 by amodini

In 2010 came “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai” and it was a pretty good film. In 2013 it comes again, or rather a sequel comes again; hence the expressive title, I assume :-). Akshay Kumar, Imraan Khan and Sonakshi Sinha star, Sonakshi suddenly in a spurt of roles which actually require acting (her most recent one being Lootera).

This comes to a theatre near you (hopefully) on the 15th of August.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, crime, Previews, sequel | Comments Off on Movie Preview : Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Again (2013 – Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha)

What To Watch On Netflix Instant : Edition #12

Posted on July 26, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B006S07AZ4″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Muriel's Wedding[/amazon_link]– Muriel’s Wedding (1994) : Toni Collette can certainly pick her movies. From the lovely “Little Miss Sunshine” to “About A Boy” to “Emma”, she brings grace and charm to every character she portrays. Here she plays Muriel Heslop, a very put-upon small-town girl with low self-esteem. She lives a fairly, dull uneventful life in Porpoise Spit, Australia and spends much of her time dreaming about her wedding day. Then she gets a chance to leave Porpoise Spit and move to the big city . . .

– Antardwand (Hindi, 2008) : A fantastic little Hindi film, Antardwand very deservedly won the National Award for Best Film. I’ve reviewed it here.

– Sleepwalk With Me (Australia, 2012) : This is a very off-beat film about a comedian who has sleep-walking issues. Mike Birbiglia is Matt, a struggling comedian, who’s taking low-paying comedy gigs across the country, trying to keep alive his relationship with his girlfriend and deal with his sleep-walking issues at the same time.

– A Very Long Engagement (“Un long dimanche de fiançailles”, France, 2004, subtitled) : Audrey Tatou is Mathilde, a determined young woman in France, and fiancee to a man who disappeared in battle during World War 1. In the film, Mathilde tries to find out what happened to her fiance. Mathilde is lame from polio, but her quick mind and resourcefulness help in her investigation.

[amazon_link id=”B00978SIJ6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Butter[/amazon_link]- Butter (2011) : There are apparently butter-sculpting contests (I did not know this). This film is about one such contest.

Jennifer Garner stars as Laura, wife of butter-carving state champ Bob (Ty Burrell). When Bob decides to not compete anymore to give others a chance at winning, ambitious Laura, who’s hoped to ride her husband’s coattails to the State Governor’s mansion as First Lady of Iowa, is crestfallen and angered so much so that she decides to enter the county competition herself. Her only serious competition is Destiny, an African-American child who’s still getting to know her foster parents.

Posted in 2013, All Netflix, bollywood, drama, foreign, french, humor, movies online, Netflix Recommendations, quirky, WhaTWON | Comments Off on What To Watch On Netflix Instant : Edition #12

Movie Preview : Chennai Express (2013 – Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone)

Posted on July 21, 2013 by amodini

This film is from director Rohit Shetty, maker of mindless masala like Singham, Golmaal etc. Am expecting this to be of the same genre, i.e.; a full-on mindless masala film, although Deepika Padukone with that Southie accent is hilarious.

Releases 9th August 2013. Bated breath y’ll 🙂 !

Posted in 2013, action, all-in-one, bollywood, masala, Previews, romance | Comments Off on Movie Preview : Chennai Express (2013 – Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone)

Movie Review : Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by amodini


Rating : 4/5
Genre : Bio-pic
Year : 2013
Running time : 3 hours 7 minutes
Director : Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra
Cast : Farhan Akhtar, Pawan Malhotra, Divya Dutta, Sonam Kapoor, Yograj Singh, Art Malik
Kid rating : PG-13

I might be overstating this, but I was initially aghast at the poor ratings Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was garnering. The director of BMB Rakesh Mehra can do no wrong in my eyes. After all, he has given us films like Rang De Basanti and Delhi 6, and the sinister Bajpai starrer Aks. How could BMB be anything less than stellar? Yeah, well I was right and the others wrong 🙂 . BMB is a great film!

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is based on The Flying Sikh Milkha Singh. The film traces Milkha’s life right from the days of partition to Milkha’s forays into small-time crime, and then to his Army days where he is recognized as the natural athlete he is. A simple man from the villages, Milkha grows into a dedicated sportsman and director Mehra presents this momentous journey very well.

Biopics tend to become documentary-like, but Mehra maintains a fine balance in this film; BMB is a good mix of arty and commercial cinema. It is Milkha’s Singh’s story alright, but with enough personal anecdotes (some fact and some fiction) to keep it interesting. It is an ode to the man himself, who went through considerable personal struggle and tragedy, and displayed exemplary courage and will-power to become one of the foremost athletes of India.

BMB is also a slice of history. There is major tragedy and upheaval in Milkha’s life, as there was for millions of others – the upheaval of having to leave your home, friends and the life you had known and relocate to a new and different country, penniless and friendless. After the partition Milka, then a child, finds himself alone and distraught in one of the many refugee camps in the newly formed India. Milkha’s adult life is built from scratch in India, away from the village of his hometown in current Pakistan.

Despite the commercial aspect – the songs and the requisite gaana-bajana – the film remains true to its spirit. The characters in the film are strung together with emotion. There is Milkha’s large family in Pakistan, a gaggle of parents, aunts, uncles and siblings headed by the patriarch – Milkha’s father (Art Malik). There are Milkha’s childhood friends and then there are his friends in the Army, especially his two coaches who believe in him and urge him to greater heights, despite his initial failures.

Farhan Akhtar plays the lead role here – a fine, fine portrayal of the athlete. He is ably supported by the fabulous Divya Dutta who plays his elder sister Isri, and by Pavan Malhotra who plays his first coach Gurudev Singh. There is also Punjabi actor and cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s father Yograj Singh as Indian coach Ranveer Singh. Prakash Raj (the villain from Singham) appears in a small role.

This is a fine film, and another feather in the cap for director Mehra.

Kidwise : A decent watch for the kids, but this does have scenes of partition-era violence – i.e.; men brandishing swords, and numerous bodies in pools of blood. There is also a love-making scene.

Posted in 2013, bio-pic, bollywood, rating-PG13, sports | 3 Comments

Movie Review : Lootera (2013)

Posted on July 14, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00D18N41U” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Lootera[/amazon_link]
Rating : 3.5/5
Genre : Romance
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Director : Vikramaditya Motwane
Cast : Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh, Barun Chanda, Divya Dutta, Adil Hussain, Vikrant Massey, Arif Zakaria
Kid rating : PG-13

Pakhi Roychowdhury (Sonakshi Sinha) is the only daughter of a the rich widowed zamindar of Manikpur (Barun Chanda). Varun Srivastav (Ranveer Singh) is an archeologist who comes to their village hoping to dig for a lost civilization below the ancestral mandir. Permission is granted for the excavation and Varun and his good friend (Vikrant Massey) begin work. They also, on invitation, move into the zamindar’s haveli. Pakhi and Varun fall in love, but Varun seems distraught, as though torn about his commitment to Pakhi.

This movie comes to us via the director of Udaan, so I had high expectations of it. The trailer promised an intricately wrought, thoughtful film on life and love. Well that much is true; the film is indeed intricately detailed and thoughtfully developed. The cinematography is beautiful with each frame composed keeping emotion and hue in mind. The film is based in the 1950s, a time just post-independence (there is a mention of how the new Indian government is considering abolishing the zamindari system), and the sets, clothes, music and the settings do justice to the time-period.

The actors seem to have had adequate direction from Motwane. Sonakshi as feisty Pakhi, delivers an outstanding performance as the poor little rich girl, with a hankering for the not-so-suitable. Ranveer is very good also, although I felt his performance a little watered down towards the end. Barun Chanda who plays Sonakshi’s doting father is impeccable, oozing class and charisma befitting his age, with a sonorous voice to match. Divya Dutta, Vikrant Massey, Arif Zakaria and Adil Hussain (of English Vinglish fame) manage to impress in their small roles.

In spite of all that good karma, this film still comes in at just about average. The pace is slow and plodding, and the romantic chemistry is missing. The second half of the film is based on O. Henry’s “The Last Leaf” which is kind of jaded; if only I had a penny for every time I’ve seen an interpretation of The Last Leaf – it seems to be a favorite of desi directors everywhere! The actors portrayed their characters well, but I was not too entranced by the characters themselves. Pakhi seems a spoilt little rich girl, used to her creature comforts, and her servants – to pick up after her and take the fall for her mistakes. Varun fared only a little bit better, and I felt for him because of his desperate circumstances and his large debt; inspite of his large transgressions he at least had some redeeming qualities. It wasn’t enough though, to make me like them or to hope for their living happily ever after – I really didn’t care.

I hear the film being lauded as a masterpiece. So be it. Only it is a masterpiece which failed to move me.

Kidwise : Some adult situations – probably OK for 13+. Film is dialogue heavy and might be boring for a younger audience.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, drama, rating-PG13, romance | 2 Comments