Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 72Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

Movie Review : Sunshine Cleaning

Posted on January 17, 2010 by amodini

Sunshine cleaning premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and it took about an year for this film to get to the theatres, and even when there, it was a pretty short run. I’ve been meaning to see this for a while, chiefly because of the cast which features in the main lead, the wonderful Amy Adams (of “Doubt” and “Julie and Julia”).

OK, for starters, this film is about Rose (Adams) and her sister Norah (Emily Blunt). Rose, a cheerleader at school, is now working as a maid. She would like to get her real estate license to move up in life, but that’s sort of hampered by bills, and familial issues. Plus Rose is having an affair with her high-school boyfriend (he was the local jock) Mac(Steve Zahn) who married another girl.

Tremulous Rose is frustrated with her dead-end life although she tries to put on a brave face, and when a new business opportunity pops up, she decides to give it a go. The title of the film seems cheery enough, although what it is, is the name of the Cleaning business that Rose Korlowski starts. And not just any ordinary cleaning business this ! It is a post-mortem, post-death/tragedy clean-up business where they must get into a crime scene after the police are done with it (lots of gore, blood spatters, and other bodily fluid involved) and make it all nice and shiny again. And from the looks of some these clean-up sites, it doesn’t look as though they were that pretty to begin with.

Well, Rose and Norah learn to get used to it, and it seems like this well-paying gig really might be the answer to their problems. But life never is that simple, is it ?

This film was beautifully directed, and the casting oh-so-perfect. Adams as Rose is just the right amount of vulnerable, eyes bright with unshed tears, and the whole “I’m-going to-be-so-brave-even-though-my-life-is-going-down-the-toilet” routine down pat. I mean, a few frames into the movie and I’m already sympathetic towards the down-on-her-luck, pretty, plucky Rose. Emily Blunt as irresponsible sister Norah is just as good. Then there’s Alan Arkin playing the loser Dad, a wry reprise of his role in “Little Miss Sunshine”.

The film as it dwells on it’s protagnists difficult circumstances is stark, and grim, but handled with a sympathetic touch. There is also a little sub-plot about Rose and Norah’s mother, but what this film really is about is squeaking through life in a dignified fashion, even though it seems you’re walking a fine line, and with Rose, so, so close to hurtling down the edge into despair.

Kidwise this is grisly at times, has language issues, and nudity/sexual situations. However, for all you non-kids, this is a pretty good film, feisty, thoughtful and poignant. I recommend it.

Posted in drama, english, hollywood, recommended | 2 Comments

Best films of 2009

Posted on December 31, 2009 by amodini

This year I decided to try something different. So, instead of giving you a plain old list, here are the Top 10 movies of 2009, in descending order (#1 is best), as a Youtube movie – it’s more of a slideshow, but still 🙂

The Top 10 films in “list” form (with links) will be available on my “Best Films by Year” page, so please go check out the individual reviews. Those that didn’t make the cut, but are worth a watch are :
– Kurbaan
– What’s your rashee ?
– Gulaal
– New York
– Dil bole hadippa !

Also for earlier years, here’s the Best of 2008, 2007 and 2006.

Posted in 2009, annual roundup, Best hindi movies, bollywood, lists, recommended, Top 10 | Tagged 2009, best, bollywood, films, hindi, indian, movies, ranking, top 10 | 3 Comments

Movie Review : Avatar

Posted on December 29, 2009 by amodini

James Cameron magnum opus about tall blue men. A film yes, but more of an experience. With all the hype on TV, and everyone raving about “Avatar” I finally saw this on IMAX 3D. And I have to agree – it was mind-blowingly awesome. It really was; it is hard for me to use mind-blowing and awesome in the same sentence (my half-life reduces considerably each time.)

I went into the packed theater expecting out-of-the-world special effects, but having an impression that there wasn’t much to the story. Well, I got the expected quota of CGI, but what I also got was a meaty (and somewhat clichéd) story of right vs. wrong. Cameron constructs an alien planet Pandora, populated by the indigenous Na’vi, who are 10 feet tall blue men and women. Then he brings in the bad guys, namely us, the humans who have ravaged and almost brought to ruin their home planet earth, and have now set their sights upon obtaining the precious resources of Pandora. The problem ? This valuable substance, “Unobtanium” (I kid you not) is deep in the bowels of Pandora, and to get at it, the Na’vi settlements uptop will have to be moved. And the blue men aren’t that keen on moving.

OK then, who’s representing the bad guys ? Well, there’s the money-crunching head honcho Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) who’s dead set on obtaining the precious ore at any cost. His right hand man is Colonel Miles Quaritch, the military boss, who’s been sending out the heavy artillery. There are also the humans who wish to peacefully coexist with the Na’vi, and they are the scientific researchers, headed by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). They are running an “Avatar Program” in which they breed a human-Na’vi hybrid species. Each Avatar is based off of a human researcher, and this researcher can then “link up” or control his/her Avatar. When linked up they are one with the Avatar, and without a link-up, the Avatar is but a soul-less body (this sort of reminded me of the “link-ups” in the “Matrix”).

Our hero, ex-marine Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, who although he’s a paraplegic, has been recruited in place of his now dead twin, because he shares the same DNA. His twin was being trained specifically for the Avatar Program, and had a corresponding Avatar which Jake will now control. When linked up to his Avatar Jake is an athletic 10 foot tall blue Na’vi with full use of all his limbs, an ability he does not possess in the real world .

Tenacious Jake starts off in the program as a spy for Quaritch, but once accepted into the Na’vi fold, jumps ship and starts rooting for the Na’vi. Also instrumental in his change of heart is the fact that Jake, in his avatar body, has fallen in love with the beautiful, native Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The Na’vi are portrayed as a relatively primitive race (bows/arrows) of hunters/gatherers. They have little technology but respect life in all it’s forms and wish to live in harmony with nature and it’s goodness. When the humans move in with their bull-dozers and try uprooting the Na’vi forcibly, Jake must lead the primitive race in, what seems to be, a losing battle.

This is the classic “hero” story, where the good guy finally finds his way, and must struggle against great odds to do the right thing. It is told here with just the right amount of emotional impact, and enough “masala” to keep it interesting.

The film tells the story of Pandora, and also depicts very imaginatively the local flora and fauna. There is minute attention to detail; a lot of the Pandorian wildlife is similar to earth animals, but more ferocious and possessing extra limbs. There are horses with ant-eater like snouts, dog-like creatures which seem like rabid wolves, and even seeds of the tree of life which float about like delicate, wispy jellyfish. With all the fantastic cgi, creative imagery and the bold, iridescent colors Pandora is beautiful; a lush rain-forest seen through color filters.The indigenous Pandorian people, the planet-loving Na’vi so into the don’t-destroy-our-planet routine, seem to be a based off of African-native American peoples, striving to save their lands from the greedy, grubby invaders.

I’m overwhelmed by this film, but there are things to quibble about if you are so inclined. Although the characters are fairly well-developed they are painted in broad swathes of black and white – the bad guys are oh-so-evil, and the good guys are so good, you could probably gift them halos for Christmas. Stuff like this I would have complained about if this were any old film, but amidst the grandness of this film experience it seems minor.

Cameron succeeds in balancing out the film elements just so. The casting is great. The actors do pretty well, Worthington does good, and Weaver, seeming extraordinarily tall makes a post-Terminator stop-over as the wise-cracking, Dr. Grace-Goody-2-shoes. Zoe Saldana only appears in a Na’vi form as Neytiri, and is effective. The music of the film really helps develop the mood, and heightens impact when the bulldozers come calling into Na’vi land. I couldn’t fault the direction, the pace or the screenplay.

I liked the Terminator series, although I couldn’t stand Titanic – thought it massively over-rated. This one though, I will always remember.

P.S. : A note on the word “Avatar”. It originates from Sanskrit, and it’s rough translation into English is “incarnation”.

Posted in 2010, english, fantasy, hollywood, recommended, sci-fi | 6 Comments

Movie Review : 3 Idiots

Posted on December 26, 2009 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.6/5)
Genre : Comedy / Drama
Year : 2009
Running time : 2 hours 50 minutes
Director : Rajkumar Hirani
Cast : Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Sharman Joshi, Madhavan, Mona Singh
Kid rating : PG

THREE IDIOTS : A LIGHT ENTERTAINER

“3 Idiots” is a story about friendship, about friends, and what they mean to us. In that, it is similar to “Dil Chahta hai”. But that’s where the similarity ends. Because while DCH was a much loved, and delicately nuanced child of it’s debuting director Farhan Akhtar, “3 Idiots” is a boisterous romp through the travails of life and love and camaraderie, from a director not known for his subtlety. Thus “Three Idiots” ends up being a wannabe soulful film, with the heart of Munnabhai (gold) and the spark of Aamir (old but not jaded).

The film starts off with 2 Idiots, Farhan Qureshi (Madhavan) and Raju Rastogi (Sharman) setting out in search of the 3rd, Ranchhoddas Shamaldas Chanchad (Amir). As they travel, the film veers backwards and forwards into flashbacks, and we become privy to the three’s friendship in Engineering College. Of the three only Rancho wants to study to learn, Farhan yearns to be a photographer, and Raju is burdened by the fear of not meeting parental expectations. To make college life more interesting, we also have the quirky Institute Director, Professor Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Boman Irani), and his lovely daughter Pia (Kareena). All good things however come to an end, and the friends must separate. Will they ever all be together again ?

Amir plays a college kid here, and while he’s actually 40+ he does manage his character quite well. As Rancho he is an avid learner, with a rambunctious air and a straightforward manner of speaking. Madhavan and Sharman also do well as his devoted side-kicks. Kareena is fabulous as bespectacled Pia, and Boman Irani is quite the eccentric professor. The direction is adequate, the dialogues apt, and the music hum-able. This is also quite a unique story, and it is told pretty well, with the flashbacks well-woven with real-time.

However, 3I can never actually make up it’s mind about what it’s trying to be. A comedy with “intelligent” leanings or a thoughtful, coming-of-age film with lapses of reality ? This film has both elements; it tries to weave a realistic story, but the story has some unbelievable events which take away from the film. Each film is different because of it’s director, and while Hirani is a talented director, and his films generally clean and classy, they tend to be a little short on character development, and concentrate more on eliciting the guffaws. This movie is no different; thus while it had the potential to be another “Dil Chahta hai”, it doesn’t quite get there.

The characters in 3I are an interesting and varied bunch. Rancho is the one around whom the story turns, and his friends are no less. It is a pity then that these characters aren’t fleshed out very well. 3I turns out to have way more story than buildup; it seems that we are thrown into the tumult of events, without being privy to important background information, which lessens the impact of the emotions being shown. Seemingly moving portrayals like that of Raju’s poverty stricken family are reduced to caricatures. So when the director decides to milk the emotions that he chooses to, one is left a little underwhelmed and undecided as to whether these are “real” emotions or just other attempts at “comedy”. This imbalance, some emotions underdone, and some just so pat that you doubt their genuineness, are the film’s undoing.

This still is an entertaining film, pulling it’s weight because of it’s cast, it’s humor, it’s good-heartedness and it’s feel-good bonhomie. Aamir’s star-power, Kareena’s geeky-girl oomph also work in it’s favor. All that said, I will also say that “3 Idiots” didn’t live upto my expectations, but if you are looking for nothing more than a light Friday night entertainer, this is well worth the money.

“3 Idiots” is a fairly clean film kidwise, but does show lots of men in their underwear. It also has a lip-lock and some diagrammatic depictions of child-birth – nothing queasy (except maybe the use of the suction ?), but if you have curious children, they’ll probably have questions, so be warned :-).

Posted in 2009, all-in-one, bollywood, family-friendly, rating-PG, recommended | 12 Comments

Movie Review : Paa

Posted on December 25, 2009 by amodini

Rating : Average (3/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2009
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : R. Balki
Cast : Amitabh Bachhan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Arundhati Nag
Kid rating : PG

PAA : GIMMICKY CASTING DIMINISHES FILM !

The film is about a progeria inflicted, precocious child Auro, who finds out about his absentee father. Amitabh Bachhan plays the child, and Abhishek the father (that is the touted USP of this movie – although I can’t agree). Vidya Balan played the mother of the child Auro. Watching the promos for this film, before it’s release, and seeing the hype and the build-up because it was Amitabh playing Auro, I wasn’t at all sure about the quality of the film. It’s difficult looking at Auro, to see Amitabh in him, due to the prosthetic makeup, but I “knew” that it was him underneath all that. And that, frankly weird-ed me out.

This is not a long tale, nor does it span any great time – it is more anecdotal, beginning at the time Auro gets to meet his father, although neither one of them is aware of the relationship. Auro’s friendship with his father grows, and when he comes to know the truth, he does his best to bring his parents together, while he has the time.

Abhishek plays a righteous young politician, out to clean up the political system. Paresh Rawal plays his not so righteous father. Vidya Balan is Amol’s girlfriend at college. The pair split up when she gets pregnant, because Amol wants her to terminate the pregnancy, while she doesn’t. Hence Auro. Fatherless.

Now, at the time the film begins, Auro is a gangly, almost teenager, showing the effects of progeria. Newcomers at his school are taken aback by his appearance, but everyone else in his world – friends, family and teachers love him for what he is, a smart-alecky, precocious kid. And while the smart-aleckiness of Auro’s character is endearing and the dialogues slick and snappy (remember “Cheeni Kum” ?), I’m still put-off that Bachhan Sr. plays the child. While Bachhan is a fine enough actor in the right director’s hands, when roles of this kind are handed to him as obeisance, I find it a little abhorrent (and stuff like this just adds to it). This takes away, in my mind, from the actual focus, and lands the spotlight squarely on THE BACHHAN, instead of the character. Would there be such a hype about the film if Amitabh hadn’t played Auro ?

R. Balki directs this film with finesse, but the pace was too slow. Events happened, progressing minutely, interspersed with some sharp, witty dialogue, and that was pretty much how it went. Yes, the characters have been developed; I most appreciated Balan’s character, as a strongly etched woman, who becomes an unwed mother, sans traditional means of support. Her mother’s role (played by Arundhati Nag) is also well-done. Abhishek is adequate. And Amitabh – yes, he probably followed director’s orders to a T, but because I found the casting so gimmicky, I could not empathize with his character at all. When Auro entered the frame, call me biased, all I could see was Amitabh in makeup.

And when you can’t sympathize with the central character of the film, the one around whom that little on-screen world is built, what does it do for your movie-watching experience ? Exactly. That is how I feel about this film.

Auro’s music is nothing to get excited about; one song in particular reminded me of the title track from the film Anjali (Telugu). But yes, the film is clean, and comes across as a film of quality. It’s a pity then that the casting is gimmicky, well done this could have been a truly moving film.

Posted in 2009, bollywood, drama | 2 Comments

Movie Preview : 3 Idiots

Posted on December 16, 2009 by amodini

We don’t need no education

We dont need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Teachers leave them kids alone

Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!

All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.

All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.

So said Pink Floyd in their well-known hit. Mucho similar thoughts have been aired about oppressive education – the kinds that does not allow the student to think for himself. “3 idiots” harps on the same chord. We have 3 supposed idiots come to study in an engineering academy. Why ? Because their parents pre-ordained it. Out of the three only one is a “free-thinker” come to study just because he wants to learn. The other two are just more fodder for the education mill. But things change with association, when these two meet the one.

Of course, that one is something special. He’s named Rancho, really Ranchod. And a word about that – who actually names their kid Ran-chod ? Ran = battle-field, Chod = leave, i.e.; one who runs away from the battle-field – a loser. People name their kids Ranvijay, i.e.; one who is victorious on the battle-field – a winner, but Ranchod ?

Anyway the film high-tails it across the education experience of these three, especially Rancho’s head-butts with a professor, Viru Sahastrabudhhe (Boman Irani), and his romance with Sahastrabudhhe’s daughter Pia (Kareeena Kapoor). But one day Rancho disappears. Why ? The two remaining idiots embark on a quest to find out. On their journey, they remember a long forgotten bet, crash a wedding, and become part of the congregation at a funeral that goes out of control. But after all this do they find what they have set out to seek ?.

“Three idiots” is rumored to be based on Chetan Bhagat’s book “Five Point Someone – What not to do at IIT”. The director has denied it, but Bhagat who earlier helped spawn the forgettable “Hello”, had this to say :

”The director took my book as the base but he has changed it according to his requirements. He took permission from me before taking my story, but has not involved me in making it into the final script. But, he has shown me the final script and I have liked it too.”

The film stars Aamir Khan as the irrepressible Rancho, Madhavan as Farhan Qureshi and Sharman Joshi as Alok. Kajol makes a special appearance. It is directed by Rajkumar Hirani (of Munnabhai fame) and is a Vidhu Vinod Chopra production. Music is by Shantanu Moitra, and lyrics are penned by Swanand Kirkire, both of whom also worked on “Welcome to Sajjanpur”

This coming-of-age/self-actualization flick hits theatres December 25th 2009.

Posted in bollywood, Previews | 4 Comments

Movie Review : Rocket Singh, Salesman of the year

Posted on December 12, 2009 by amodini

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2009
Running time : 2 hours 35 minutes
Director : Shimit Amin
Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Navin Kaushik, Manish Chaudhari, Prem Chopra, Gauhar Khan, Shazahn Padamsee
Kid rating : PG

ROCKET SINGH : THIS ONE’s ROCKETING SKYWARDS !

On an interview I watched on NDTV, anchor Soniya Singh interviews Ranbir Kapoor, and starts of by saying “Today I have one of the sexiest men in India . . .” and Ranbir responds, “What ! Really ? Are you serious ?” He doesn’t look like he’s joking either. This title has been conferred on one of the most up-and-coming stars of desi cinema, and he himself doesn’t seem to take it very seriously. That’s part of his charm, you could say, and that unselfconscious charm is what works in Rocket Singh – Salesman of the year.

OK, for the uninitiated, Harpreeet Singh Bedi has just graduated from B.com by the skin of his teeth (38.72%), and in the first frame of the film, we see him eyeing his results on the internet, and sighing thankfully. After he relaxes contentedly for a while in his chair, the screensaver takes over; Guru Nanakji’s image flits across the screen fitfully. That sort of sets the tone of the film – a middle-class Sikh “good” boy, brought up by his grand-father (Prem Chopra) and out to make it in the big bad world.

Bedi is Ranbir Kapoor, all bearded up and sporting pink colored turbans. He gets the first job he interviews for, as a salesman in a computer firm. This simple Sikh boy has miles to go before he can land a sale though, since he is quite perturbed by the palm-greasing required in the business. Unfortunately his morals do not match those of his compatriots, and he earns himself a demotion, and a whole lot of ridicule. However there is a breaking point and once he reaches it, our sincere Sardar decides to get even and then some !

“Rocket Singh” is brought to life by an off-beat story, a modern day Panchatantra’s tale on honesty. Jaideep Sahni, the writer (who also wrote Khosla ka ghosla), fleshes in each of the characters in the film beautifully, whether it be the pretty, ambitious receptionist (Gauhar Khan) or the IT support guy Girish Reddy, who speaks in Hyderabadi Hindi. Bedi himself, his grand-father and his friends are realistically wrought. Direction is strong, and although the film is almost entirely shot in office-space, which means enclosed rooms, Shimit Amin manages to keep up the interest with well-paced events and some great, subtle humor. There is attention to details – in one scene, Harpreet’s boss Nitin, getting ready for a bike ride, wears his jacket backwards and attaches clips to the bottom of his trousers – hilarious !

The first half of the film, essentially the setup, is smooth sailing. We so like Harpreet at this point, that we might now forgive him any slip-ups. By the time intermission occurs, Harpreet is well-ensconced on his moral high horse, and we are firmly seated behind him. It’s not that we, in the backs of our minds, are not a little amazed at his total naivete (how did he remain so unaffected by all-pervading corruption ?) but outrage is a powerful thing. How dare this merciless, corrupt world get after this poor little innocent boy ? The wrong-doers surely deserve their come-uppance !

This film is something special, from the time the introductory credits roll (beautifully done to a backdrop of shots showing fixtures in Harpreet’s middle class life) to the portrayal of a rare honesty on celluloid. What make it truly more effective than any ordinary story of goody-2-shoes, was the fact that the film spun off on it’s subject quite naturally ; there were no overt and false-sounding tactics or events used to push the honesty-is-good theme. It just is. It just is because it is the right thing to do. That is what did it for me.

I would have awarded the film a higher rating if not for it’s relatively weak ending. In resolving matters to a satisfactory (commercial ?) end, Sahni slips in one too many preachy dialogues, and weakens the up-till-now strong plot. This is where the film gets a little ham-handed, and I’m inclined to take away some of the brownie points it had so deservedly earned.

All that said, allow me now to slip into adulatory mode. Ranbir Kapoor is the STAR of the film. To all those who say he had it too easy (star son and all) let me tell you that it is not for nothing that he is rising as fast as he is. This one can act, emote, dance, and he does it all well in this film. Harpreet is your average do-no-harm kind of a guy, and when one of the characters tells him that he trusts him, because he’s not a met a deceitful Sardar in is life, we, looking at Harpreet are all so ready to nod our heads in unison.

Also, Harpreet’s bosses – the sideburned Nitin, played by Naveen Kaushik, and the unctuous, wily Puri , played by Manish Chaudhary are fantastic. Gauhar Khan is pretty good as the ambitious receptionist. Shazahn Padamsee has a small role as Harpreet’s love interest, but is unremarkable. And Prem Chopra as the grand-father who has lovingly brought up his grandson to believe in goodness, is pretty nice (like grand-fathers are).

This is a lovely, lovely film. And clean. No double-meaning dialogues, no vulgar innuendoes, no indirect references to the female anatomy. Yes, there are some shots of bikini-clad women (Girish is addicted to porn) , but given that semi-clad women are everywhere thesedays (!!), not particularly injurious to (older) kids. There are also some make-out scenes, but they are quick and not explicit.

Do go see.

Posted in 2009, bollywood, drama, family-friendly, rating-PG, recommended | 4 Comments

Movie Preview : Rocket Singh – Salesman of the year

Posted on December 9, 2009 by amodini

I remember my 10th and 12th class boards and the pressure was bad then. It’s worse now. But what do folks who can’t make good do ? According to this film, they become salesmen (or women). Meet Harpreet Singh Bedi, skinny Sardar, and failure extraordinaire. He’s passing (or is that failing nowadays ?) B.Com with 39% marks and that’s an improvement on his school performance. But he’s full of confidence, and out to make it in the world of sales. Is it any wonder that the title song goes “Pocket mein rocket . . .” ?

Ranbir Kapoor plays this zany Sardar, and from the promos it looks like he’s doing a great job. He does have Sikh roots (his mom Neetu Singh is a Sardarni) although I’m not sure if that’s what’s doing it. For one thing with a beard, he looks like such a typical young Sikh boy; button down shirt, long stringy legs, and a nice bright pagdi (turban) all neatly tied. Well Ranbir as Bedi gets a sales job, and the film apparently is about the way his “traditional” values clash with the contemporary values of the professionals working with him, and how being the hero types, he works it all out.

This film stars a bunch of newcomers – model Gauhar Khan (yes – she of the wardrobe malfunction), fresh and dewy-eyed beauty Shazahn Padamsee (daughter of well-known ad-film director and voluble NDTV talk-show guest Alyque Padamsee and singer Sharon Prabhakar). It is directed by Shimit Amin (of Chak de India fame) with screenplay by Jaideep Sahni. With all the talent in this film, it should be interesting.

Rocket Singh (Official website) opens in a theatre near you Dec 11th 2009.

Posted in bollywood, drama, Previews | 1 Comment

Review : Kurbaan

Posted on December 4, 2009 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.75/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2009
Running time : 2 hours 40 minutes
Director : Renzil D’Silva
Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Om Puri, Kiron Kher, Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kid rating : PG-13

KURBAAN : Terror tale with a twist!

Kurbaan is another film with a terrorism based story-line, although the nasty parts sneak up on you. The film starts off pleasantly enough with beautiful Delhi lecturer Avantika Ahuja (Kareena) who’s falling in love with new colleague Ehsaan Khan (Saif). The relationship is deemed short-lived however, because Avantika is soon recalled back to the American university where she was teaching earlier. She must leave, but quite unexpectedly Ehsaan offers to uproot himself for her and come to the US. Surprised and delighted, Avanika persuades her unhappy Hindu father to give his blessings, the couple marry and are off to the land of Uncle Sam.

Suave Ehsaan soon lands a professorial job, and everything is going along fine, until the couple, now seeking domestic heaven, buy a house and get to know their seemingly peculiar neighbors. . .

This film is a little different from your standard issue “terrorism” film because it brings the conflict closer to home. It is a crisp drama, didn’t slack off or lose pace. It does suffer from numerous logical flaws though and has a rather split personality when it comes to the issue of religious ideaology. On one hand, the movie tries to take the high road, by presenting the view that Islam is a religion of peace – after all Ehsan does teach a course on Islam in the modern world, but on the other it re-enforces the typical stereotypes associated with Islamic fundamentalism – the parochial attitude towards women and education, domestic violence etc. All the Muslim women in the film, save one, are hijab-wearing domesticated females immersed in their male-dominated lives. And all the Muslim men in the film, except one again, are portrayed as devout fundamentalists, seething to avenge perceived wrongs. Thus, the “message” if there was one, doesn’t really get through very effectively.

Kareena acts well, in a role which while being central to the film, still does not impact it in a way it could have. Avantika is but a cog in the wheel, being buffeted by forces around her. She endures, but does not at any point take an overt stand. Among all the revenge-seeking, bigoted Muslim women portrayed, she is the poor little Hindu girl. I must say though that she looks beautiful in the film. She carries off extra bold eyeliner pretty well, although in some scenes she does come across like a Kathakali dancer who’s lost her way. She’s worn these beautiful, full-skirted churidaar kurtas in the movie, which are more (I think) skirts with short tops, although I couldn’t be sure.

Saif Ali Khan has indeed come a long way in his filmi career; I remember when he started off in Bollywood, he was so raw and bore such a striking resemblance to his beautiful mother Sharmila Tagore, that he was dismissed as “too feminine” by many.

Vivek Oberoi makes a semi-comeback as Riyaz, a journalist with plenty of guts and emotion, but very little apparently, in the way of brain-cells. And Diya Mirza (whatever happened to her filmi career ?), has a tiny role, as his girl-friend and colleague. Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Kulbhushan Kharbhanda are dependable stalwarts, as good as ever.

The film has decent direction, adequate screenplay, pretty good music, and a decent background score. It also has quite a bit of violence, and some extensive kissing/love-making scenes – thus getting a PG-13 rating. On the whole a good watch, Kurban is one of the better films to come out this year.

Posted in 2009, bollywood, drama, rating-PG13, thriller, watchable | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Ajab Prem ki ghazab kahani

Posted on November 22, 2009 by amodini

Rating : Average (3/5)
Genre : Comedy / Romance
Year : 2009
Running time : 2 hours 35 minutes
Director : Rajkumar Santoshi
Cast : Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Govind Namdeo, Upen Patel, Darshan Jariwalla, Smita Jaykar, Navneet Nishan
Kid rating : PG

“Ajab Prem ki ghazab kahani” turned out almost like I thought it would, although I had expected better. Majorly slapstick-y with a very, very loose story-line, is how I’d describe it. The regular rules on describing character development, depth don’t apply here because, and I’ll say it flat out, there is none. Character development that is. This film, while being physically situated in a hill-station like small town, appears to play out in fantasy land. Hence, to sit through this film, you are required to suspend your disbelief and knowledge of physics, gravity and all that tiresome logic.

The film, as the title proclaims, is about Prem Chopra (Ranbir Kapoor) who is a 9th standard fail, good-for-nothing wastrel (where have I seen that before ?). Prem is all about being President of a “Happy Club” – he does nothing else. The Happy Club and it’s members, who are all Prem’s equally good-for-nothing friends, have lofty goals in mind, but run around not amounting to much.

Prem who lives with and is supported by his parents, wants to “grow up” once he sights and falls in love with the beautiful Jennifer (Katrina). However Jenny is being forced by her foster parents to marry an odious chap, and she actually loves Rahul (Upen Patel). Prem, by virtue of being her friend, and very classically hero-like in being unable to tell her of his love, finds himself kidnapping her from her very own wedding so she can be with her true love. Things ofcourse do not go as planned, but does Prem get what he deserves ?

While the film makes it very clear that there is no realism in the story, and the viewer should expect no connections (remote or otherwise) to coherence, it is also not an out-an-out gag fest. There is an attempt to create a film full of buffoonery, tomfoolery and abject slapstick, but Santoshi cannot keep up the momentum. Thus while there are some scenes which are comedic, there were gaps in the film where I was plain bored. Add to that, the fact that this film pretty much conducts itself at a level suited for a teeny-bopper flick, and you get the picture.

Santoshi who has delivered meaningful films like “Damini” in the past, also managed to turn out half-decent “comedies” like “Andaz Apna Apna”. This time he tries to be fluffier than usual, if you get my drift, and as far as I’m concerned does not get it right. APKGK has a pretty light-weight script, and is unencumbered by traditional filmi elements such as a believable story or screenplay. Even given that, this film fails to leave a mark, chiefly because I care not a whit about the card-board-ish lead-pair, Prem and Jenny, both of whom share 2 common characteristics. Firstly they both stammer when upset, and the second (which the director may not have intended) that although full-grown adults, they appear to only possess child-size brains.

This film might descend into stupidity, but it’s stars are quite another matter. Luminous Katrina, and the youngish Ranbir, ooze beauty and charm in every frame. Even though they have no help from the script, they manage to salvage the film to make it an average entertainer. There are other factors which help, like the absolutely marvelous Govind Namdeo, who breathes life into his 10 minute role. Also Darshan Jariwala, playing Prem’s restaurant-owner father, and Smita Jaykar, playing his loving, indulgent mother lend their able support. The songs, which are quite melodious are picturised beautifully and with a sophistication not seen in the film itself.

The best thing about this film, if I had to name one, is that it did not have any double-meaning jokes, vulgarity, sexual innuendoes or the Johnny Lever style facial contortions that currently pass for humor. Although there were minor irritants like showing a woman’s sari being “unintentionally” unwrapped (only in Bollywood !) , this film was relatively kid-friendly, and I have to say that my kids enjoyed it a whole lot more than I did.

APKGK (long names anyone ?) is a slap-stick entertainer and will probably do quite well at the box-office. If you go in there expecting a low-brow, loud, in-your-face comedy sans logic you will get your money’s worth. However if your funny bone is not tickled by random people falling off staircases, or a bunch of half-wits running around for no apparent reason, please consider spending your hard-earned money elsewhere.

Posted in 2009, bollywood, comedy, rating-PG, romance | 5 Comments