Review : Amu

Posted on October 9, 2008 by amodini
Rating : Average (3.4/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2005
Running time : 2 hrs and 22 minutes
Director : Shonali Bose
Cast : Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat, Subhasini Ali, Ankur Khanna

AMU : IMPORTANT SUBJECT BUT FILM FALTERS

I’m watching Amu in 2008, while it was actually made in 2005, and released for the festival circuit in 2007, because the DVD version was made available only recently. The film was controversial because it pointed fingers at the government’s role in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. It’s been 24 years since, and almost no justice has been meted out.

It is to be noted that the director Shonali Bose, a UCLa film graduate, and niece of Ms. Karat, also wrote and produced this film, and even helped distribute it. Ms. Bose who was 19 when the carnage took place later volunteered in relief camps, where she heard harrowing tales of torture and killings. Understandably making the film was hard, because the government took umbrage and wanted to censor it.

Amu’s main focus is the 1984 riot, and the subject is indirectly introduced through the story of American UCLA graduate Kaju Roy who is in India vacationing with her very Bengali “bhadralok” family. Amu has been told that she is adopted and her biologiacal family was wiped out due to malaria. However, in India, she finds that that story (of her bilogical family) is shaky and learns of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which orphaned many kids. She was adopted close to that time.

Investigating further with the help of Kabir, a bourgeoisie son of a rich, well-connected father, and pressing for clarification from her mother, Amu finally discovers the terrible truth.

I was a kid when these riots happened, in a city far removed from Delhi, so my memories of the anti-Sikh atrocities are dim. However, it is very clear that this is an important film, with an important tale to tell. The Indian nation seems to forget it’s mistakes and thus they reoccur; recall Godhra.

Konkona Sen Sharma plays Kaju very effectively, curious, naive, and trying to find her “roots”. Brinda Karat plays her adoptive mother Keya, and besides the fact that she is not a very good actress, she is also off-putting because she is an active Communist politician, notably most recently involved in the Communist Left pulling support from the Indian government on it’s decision to go ahead with the US nuclear deal. The third major character is Kabir, played by lanky Ankur Khanna, and he does fairly well. Also the scenes between Amu’s grandmother and cousin are executed very realistically.

Apart from the subject matter, this was not an exceptional film. The director does not hold the reins very tightly, and the screenplay isn’t very polished. It is a coherent film – that is we do get a sense of Amu’s terrible history, but it does lack dramatic impact. While Amu plods along in a fairly regular fashion, it fails to incite passion or feeling, on the protagonist’s behalf. The film does not feature intense, personal moments, and while Amu is facing a harsh truth, she is safe and sound and now priviliged. Thus my sympathy was more for the people who suffered through this and haven’t gotten justice yet, rather than Amu herself.

The 1984 riots were indeed gruesome, and it seems terrible to want “personal” moments to feel for a film (why can we not be automatically passionately outraged by the mere mention of such atrocities ?), but it is what it is. A mediocre film with a very important message.

Posted in 2008, bollywood, drama, rating-PG, social issues, watchable | 2 Comments

Review : Rock On

Posted on October 8, 2008 by amodini
Rock On Movie Review

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Director : Abhishek Kapoor
Cast : Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny, Purab Kohli, Prachi Desai, Sahana Goswami
Kid rating : PG



Ever since “Dil Chahta hai” hit screens, I’ve thought of Farhan Akhtar as a very talented guy. His Lakshya was very good too, so I’d expected “Rock on” to show just the same high level of quality. Unfortunately it doesn’t live up it’s promise; it’s not bad yeah, but it’s not that great either.

“Rock on” is also about friendship, it’s weakening and strengthening, about the changes in life and about growing up. Four friends rocking together in college hope to get a record label to sign them up, but break up as differences arise – that’s the basic premise.

It could have given DCH some competiition had it had more substance. Not so much meat, you know ? As it was, it seemd to be rather thinly stretched over a few scattered events. Plus it failed in the “oomph” department. I mean I like Farhan and all, but he is not an Aamir or a Hrithik. The only star among those 4 was Rampal, and he didn’t shine brightly enough (he doesn’t ever but that’s another story). It’s probably wearing all those hats that did it – Farhan is an excellent director, he sings fairly well, but acting ? Probably not for him. Not that he doesn’t act well, but would you rather watch Farhan as a rocker or Hrithik ?

Now DCH and Lakshya, both did an excellent job of characterization; all those people in those movies felt real, and spoke like actual people. “Rock on” tried hard, I think, in this aspect, but the characters were a bit stilted. Take Aditya’s (Farhan’s) wife Sakshi (played by Prachi Desai) – pretty one-dimensional, smiling, sweet, not a nasty bone to her, hmm ? Or Debbie, Joe’s (Rampal) wife, who’s more real – she quit her fashion designing dreams for Joe, appears very narrowly shrewish. She unrealistically buckles down when Joe puts his music above all else, I’d pretty much expected her to leave him at that point, but she in a very filmi way, shoulders the burden and let’s him play music.

The film’s protagnists have problems, yes – like the rest of us. However they also have an overarching goal. What is not very easy to connect to is the need for them to fulfill that goal – that need for them to play music. We know it’s a missing part of their lives, but it lacks feeling, that deep-down gut-wrenching, visceral laying-out of emotion that can transport a film from being a regular old film on music and friendship to being extraordinary.

I must say though that I quite liked the sound-track. The 2 slow numbers, “Phir dekhiye” and “Yeh tumhari meri baatein” are beautiful ballads, while “Tum ho to” is almost there. “Socha hai” was interesting as is “Pichle saat dinon mein”. However music alone does not a movie make, so although this film is watchable, I’m not exactly recommending it.

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Posted in 2008, All Netflix, bollywood, drama, Hindi movies on Netflix, rating-PG, recommended | 6 Comments

Review : Welcome to Sajjanpur

Posted on October 7, 2008 by amodini

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hrs and 41 minutes
Director : Shyam Benegal
Cast : Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao, Ila Arun, Divya Dutta, Ravi Jhankal, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Yashpal Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, Lalit Tiwari, Ravi Kishen, Daya Shankar Pandey
Kid-rating : PG-13 (some violence/one could-be-uncomfortable love scene)

WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR (WTS) : AND WHAT AN INTERESTING PLACE IT IS !

Possibly the pleasantest (and best ?) movie of the year, WTS is a breath of fresh air. Yes, it does feel like you’re in a time warp, but a time-warp where film-making is still a nuanced art. Good enough for me.

Benegal’s reputation precedes him. The last film of his which I saw was “Hari-bhari” – a very well-told tale of female empowerment. That was quality just as WTS is. Both films place their characters in rural settings, and both deal with societal ills. And while it may seem that the storyline is not clear-cut, it is because the story comprises of many little stories, held together by a common thread.

In WTS, that common thread is the narrator, Mahadev (Shreyas Talpade). Mahadev is the village letter-writer/reader, being one of the very few literate people in the village. His flair for writing and poetry earn him business from various people in the village, from the voluble Mausi (Ila Arun) worried about the matrimonial prospects of her Manglik daughter (Divya Dutta in a boisterous speak-your-mind role) to the love-struck compounder (Ravi Kisshen). Through his interactions with his patrons, and their letters (which we, the audience, are privy to), we come to see the warp and weft of village life, its overt everyday life and troubles, as well as the hidden menace of power and politics.

Benegal’s films are graced by good actors and WTS is no exception. Talpade is fantastic. As Mahadev, he is the basic everyman, wanting to do what is good and right, but almost helpless against the powers that be. He is at once honest and cheeky, innocent and unscrupulous, glib and lost-for-words. A very fine performance indeed.

Amrita Rao, all sari-clad, and spouting village-speak is a far-cry from her city-girl-wet-rag avatar. It does suit her better though just as her role in Vivah (as terrible as that film was) suited her. She plays the role of Kamla, Mahadev’s childhood crush, and with her husband away in the city, Mahadev has hopes again. Ravi Jhankal plays MunniBai a eunuch who wants to be Sarpanch in opposition to the other contender, the wife of reigning village goonda (Yashpal Sharma). Jhankal’s plea for justice as the much-harassed common man, moved me to tears.

Ila Arun is another rarely seen actor. She is quite comical as the weeping, worried Mausi, attempting to ward off Manglik evil from her daughter’s person, by getting her daughter married to a “Shanichari” (born on Shanichar/Saturday) dog. Talk about sly humor – reminded me of this!

Rajit Kapoor has a small, small role as the Collector – really, where are fine actors like him nowadays? And Kunal Kapoor plays Kamla’s husband. All other actors, even if I don’t mention them here were very good.

WTS is an earthy film; it runs on logic and human nature. The villain here is life itself. And we, poor, mortal fools are buffeted this way and that, until we find a way to make peace with our circumstances. WTS has no glitz/glamour, no shiny, happy people, no helicopters, no car-chases, and no oomph-y songs. There are songs, but they fall in the pleasantly rustic category.

What I especially like about the film is that it is very forward-looking. Yes, all (or most films) have heroes doing good, and upholding truth and morality, but few films have the courage to not give in to social mores or hide behind tradition. I haven’t seen enough Benegal films to decide if this is true of all of them, but it is certainly true for both “Hari-bhari” and “WTS”.

WTS it is very approachable, it’s not esoteric or arty, and you don’t need to possess a high IQ to understand it. It is very easy to relate to, interesting and has many facets – comedy, tragedy, pathos, farce and irony (and a scene which steps from innocent love to the mildly erotic). You sympathize with, feel for and laugh at its characters. And while the setting might be different that the one you’re used to, it leaves you entranced nonetheless.

A charming film.

I like. I like very much.

Posted in 2008, bollywood, drama, rating-G, recommended, social issues | 4 Comments

Review : Bachna ae haseeno

Posted on August 21, 2008 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.5/5)
Genre : Romance
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 35 minutes
Director : Siddharth Raj Anand
Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Minisha Lamba, Puneet Isaar, Hiten Paintal
Kid rating : PG-13

BACHNA AE HASEENO : THE BEAUTY AND THE BADMAASH !

Ranbir Kapoor plays – (any guesses ? This being a Yash Raj film and all ) – Raj, Raj Sharma that is, a cad of the first order. A rich, spoilt Casanova, this pretty boy is thoughtless, immature and selfish, using and discarding women at will. Having gone trough two semi-serious (for him) relationships, he is embroiled in a third, where he actually falls in love with Gayatri (Deepika). However, remember the old adage – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” ? . . .

The film takes us episodic fashion, through Raj’s journey of love. The first entanglement is with the innocent Mahi (Minissha), who heavily influenced by “Diwale dulhaniya le jayenge” (talk about self-promotion !) is starry-eyed with dreams of meeting HER Raj via Euro-rail. The second is with small-town-girl-turned-model Radhika (Bipasha) , with the affair blooming into a live-in relationship. The third and final one is with taxi-driver-cum-B-school-student Gayatri.

At the point of intermission, the film has taken us to the locales of Switzerland and Australia and Bombay, with Raj in love with Gayatri. The prospect of watching a stupid hero get his just deserts spurred me through the interval. However this is a YRF film, and while it tries to tread the fine line between reality and masala, it errs bigtime on the side of masala. Thus Raj is the sexist boy-around-town who’s out to have his fun. We all fall for his boyish charm, and that puppy-eyed innocence, all of which bely his self-serving actions. Bollywood’s double standard allows us to easily forgive his earlier wrongs, while the same qualities in a heroine might have turned her into an ostracized, evil bitch.

Ranbir himself helps to carry forward the illusion. Easy on the eyes, and packing a wallop in the attitude, one doesn’t quite believe his depiction of a cad. Even in the scenes where he’s asking for forgiveness, his attitude is that of someone who already believes he has it. Maybe it’s because he’s Rishi Kapoor’s son, or the knowledge that this is a YR film, but the contrition factor is lacking.

Another thing that jars pretty sorely is the need to cast leading men in the role of saviors of women. Yes, they might be cads of the Grade-A variety, but apparently they can still do world good. There are three very beautiful women in the film, and it’s a pity that their characters are not well-delineated. Mahi, a Sardarni out on a Euro-jaunt with family, is already affianced to a community boy, and once jilted in love, freezes up waiting for a do-gooder to come rescue her from her frigid existence. Radhika, a strong woman, who once spurned, resolves to rise up in the world and does, carries the scars of her first love, waiting for Prince Charming to come around (if he so wishes) and heal her. Both women air-borne on the clouds of love, come crashing down to earth amid a sea of insecurities and self-doubt, once Prince Charming has exited. And Gayatri, the eminently sane one, also pulls out her womanly wiles when she feels like it, with dialogues like “I am a woman. I have the right to change my mind.”. Oh, please ! Where’s a woman with a spine when you need one ?

The film is told semi-narratively, narrated in little asides by Raj. And while I do like this idea of the character talking to the audience, it has to be a character you don’t abhor. Raj doesn’t fit, because really while he’s bemoaning a man’s fallibility to a woman’s tears, you aren’t actually commiserating with him; you long to take a good whack at his head.

Acting wise everybody does good. Even Bipasha Basu. Minisha Lamba brings to her role the naivete of Ms. Goody Two Shoes, while Deepika exudes an understated confidence as Gayatri, a woman who (almost) knows her own mind. And then there is Ranbir, who you cannot help liking inspite of his character’s faults.

While this film is free of cheap innuendo, it does have the patriarchy in full form; i.e.; lots of dialogues about hot chicks in skimpy clothes, and the “boys will be boys” attitude. There are also quite a few liplocks between the leading pairs. Remember the time when the hero-heroine used to be eclipsed by rose bushes while they did the, ahem, dirty ? Well, it ain’t that time anymore. Fine, really – but do bear in mind if you’re considering taking the kids.

While the direction is good (as expected), the songs catchy and the picturisation exquisite, this film fails to move. As a romantic film, this fails to deliver that warm, fuzzy feeling that has you swooning on your way out of the theatre. The director forgets that for a romance to be appreciated, you must like the love-struck duo. That isn’t happening here, chiefly because you can’t feel for the main protagonist Raj. The hero is painted in such strong negative undertones, that even his repentance can’s make him whole again – remember Humpty-Dumpty ?

In quality, this is a typical Yash Raj film ; it’s glossy and slick and ups the glam quotient. It’s characters are “cool”, happy people full of attitude, and their penchant for singing clad in bright colors, under sunny, blue skies in exotic locales is well-known. Thus while it’s definitely a film to watch, it is one because of the packaging – the songs, the locales, the cinematography, and the allure of it’s leading actors. Characterization, depth and feeling are quite another matter.

Posted in 2008, bollywood, rating-PG13, romance, watchable | 3 Comments

Review : Jaane tu ya jaane na

Posted on August 18, 2008 by amodini

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Romance
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 35 minutes
Director : Abbas Tyrewala
Cast : Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza, Ratna PAthak Shah, Nirav Mehta, Naseeruddin Shah, Jayant Kripalani, Anuradha Patel, Karan Makhija, Alishka Varde, Manjari Phadnis, Prateik Babbar, Sugandha Garg, Ayaz Khan Kid rating : PG

JAANE TU YA JAANE NA : LOVE, ROMANCE AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF !

This one I’ll always remember. My first desi film seen in one go – you heard that right, no interval, no break, no nothing – it went on and on. To it’s credit though, at no point did I actually feel the need for one. Walking in for the late night show at the local AMC, we thought we’d have our pick of seats. We were mistaken though; the theatre was almost full, and had we come even a few minutes later, we would have been forced to take seats in the first three rows. Do remember that sitting in rows 1-3, forces one to swivel one’s neck from side to side in an attempt to follow characters across the screen, and results, more often that not, in a crick in the neck that won’t go away. I, of course speak from experience.

As excited as I am over Hindi films being screened at regular mainstream theatres with state-of-the-art sound systems, instead of the older dollar-theatre style, run-down theatres, I still had a hard time finding listings for this film over the phone. The recorded message had the announcer getting in a tizzy over the desi name, pronouncing it with a Spanish twist. Thus the “Jaane tu ya jaane na” actually became “Yaan tu na janna”, with such little resemblance to the original, that it was a while and several listens later that we actually figured that the announcer was actually referring to this film.

Anyway, back to regular programming a.k.a. the review. This film is not unalike any other desi romantic flick that you may have seen, i.e.; girl meets boy , or as in this case has known him for very long. They are in love, apparently, but just don’t know it. Same old, same old , yeah ? So, whither the difference, eh ? you ask. In the treatment, folks, it’s all in the treatment. JTYJN is a film that’ll have you humming under bright blue skies, sliding down stair-rail banisters, and feeding the squirrels in the park, knowing in your heart of hearts that all is well, love is in the air, and there really don’t exist any villains which can threaten this utopia.

Or something like that.

Jai Singh Rathore (Imran Khan) is the only child of single parent and activist Savitri Rathore (Ratna Pathak Shah). Genelia is spoilt little rich girl Aditi Mahant. She is also a very good friend of Jai’s. When post-college marriage is suggested, both spurn the thought as ridiculous and instead decide to find each other the perfect soul-mate. Do they succeed ?

This film is very young at heart – it stars young, college-age actors, and the action revolves around them. While Aditi and Jai go by the nick-names ‘Meow’ and ‘Rats’ respectively, their friends are ‘Jiggy’, ‘Bombs’ and ‘Rotlu’. Casting is effective since everyone plays their role to the hilt, and we don’t have aged actors playing college-going kids.

Imran Khan who looks quite a bit like Jugal Hansraj does well in his debut doing the soft, vulnerable thing quite well, although he may not be suited for anything but the “cholcolate” hero roles. Genelia is a younger, and more cosmo version of Sonali Kulkarni, and is good too, although may need to tone down the wide-eyed, super-innocent look a bit; no one believes that all the time. Also a special mention goes out to Prateik Babbar who plays Aditi’s awkward, aloof brother, Amit, to great effect. The sister-brother spats are a treat to watch !

This is love story folks, so I’m not holding my breath in anticipation while watching the film; the end is foretold. However, this is a fun, fluffy film, and the director does manage to add in little quirky, interesting bits like Jai’s dead father (Naseeruddin Shah), resplendent in his Thakur-ian dress, speaking through his portrait. There also the mad-cap, long-lost Rathore-ian cousins who come to Jai’s aid in the nick of time, and the fulfillment of the becoming-a-man prophecy.

This film is good entertainer with a healthy mix of the believable and the flighty. It’s also clean, and fairly palatable for kids. Add to that a large helping of romance, some good music (“Kabhi kabhi Aditi”, “Pappu can’t dance”), and you have the perfect Friday night flick. Thus the prescription : Ingest whole and savor !

Posted in 2008, All Netflix, bollywood, Hindi movies on Netflix, rating-PG, recommended | Comments Off on Review : Jaane tu ya jaane na

Review : Singh is kinng

Posted on August 9, 2008 by amodini

Rating : The Worst (0/5)
Genre : Comedy / Drama
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Director : Anees Bazmee
Cast : Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shourie, Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Javed Jaffrey, Sonu Sood, Manoj Pahwa
Kid rating : PG

SINGH IS KING : DUMBED-DOWN MASALA !

Ever have a child tell you a story ? My son makes his up on the fly – oh, you know, Mom and then, and then, . . . the cow jumps over the moon . . . And he says this with the enthusiasm of a confident story-teller, who knows that his concoction will be well-received. It is indeed.

“Singh is King’s” scriptwriter reminds me of my son. There are similarities, in that the scriptwriter’s seem like they are making up the story on the fly. Like you know what would be fun now – after we get the rustic Sardar out of the hinterlands of the Punjab, let’s get him to get replace an Australian Don, and then just for kicks, let’s get him into a jet-ski and crash into a helicopter, and then, . . . let’s put in a totally unrealistic song in Egypt, when these folks are actually in Australia ! However there are key differences here – I am not THEIR mother, and I’m paying to hear/see this story ! Besides, my son tells much better stories.

You will thus gather that I’m not enthused about “Singh is Kinng”. Yes, yes, Akshay is fantastic, he throws himself into his character energetically and gives it his best shot. And Katrina is stunning (so what if she can’t act ?), but even they, this impossibly gorgeous pair, can’t save this film. There are many reasons to hate this film as I hate it, and I promise to list them all here.

Firstly the film is boring. It’s silly, not funny, and there is a distinction, my friends ! Situations which have been used for ages to inspire laughter are used here again. Take for example the hen-chasing scene which has Akshay attempting to catch an errant hen so that it can be eaten. I must have seen similar situations is countless Bachhan-esque films, and by now it’s gotten jaded.

SIK has characters you couldn’t care about if you tried. And it has events which occur randomly, and which amount to nothing. Twists and turns in this film are like candy, you think the audience might be getting a little bored right about now ? – just slip them one. It’s like we are all antsy children with short attention spans.

Oh, and the story, the backbone of the film – what shall I tell you about it ? It does, as I have mentioned before, meander down very unexpected and outlandish paths. It shows a total lack of coherence and logic; a goal-less kind of film, where anything goes.

Happy Singh (Akshay) is a happy-go-lucky do-gooder who ends up doing more harm than good. In a ruse to get him out of the village, the villagers hatch a plan to send him to Australia to reform and bring back an erstwhile son of the village Lucky Singh (Sonu Sood), who has turned into a gangster (The King) in the land down under. Thus Happy Singh sets off with good friend Rangeela (Om Puri) in tow to reform “The King”.

En route, in Egypt, Happy meets the woman of his dreams Sonia (Katrina). On reaching Australia, through an awkward turn of events, the real gangster – The King is hurt, and Happy Singh becomes “The King” in his place. He has also by this time, met a motherly types (Kirron Kher) and her daughter, who turns out to be none other than Sonia ! However Sonia has richie-rich boyfriend Puneet (Ranvir Shourie) in tow this time, and Happy, bound by his duty and good-heartedness to Sonia’s Mom, must do the needful to get Sonia and Puneet married.

And all this while running the King’s gang, handling petty rivalries between gang members and lunacy and chaos in general. Does Happy manage to do good and get the girl ?

OK, so what works ? Akshay Kumar. He totally rocks. He totally rocks in this absolutely dumb movie too. There are quite a few songs in the film, out of which “Jee karda”, “Bas ek king”, and “Teri ore” are catchy and well picturised.

I must say that I went in to see this film, with not very high expectations. It’s directed by Anees Bazmee, which tells me something. However reviews I read prior to viewing the film led me to believe that this film would be a breezy, if brainless ride. I have to say with much regret that it is not, because even discounting the other stuff – the illogical, the senseless, and the crappy, it’s not breezy – it’s boring. SIK is not just bad, its walk-out-midway bad, and if it were not for my kids (super-huge Akshay fans) I would’ve done just that.

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Posted in 2008, bollywood, comedy, ecstatically stupid | 5 Comments

Review : Tashan

Posted on July 30, 2008 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.8/5)
Genre : Suspense
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 40 minutes
Director : Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Anil Kapoor
Kid rating : PG

An old, red Mercedes screaming down a desert road. It veers here and there, and finally goes over a cliff. Underwater the camera zooms onto Saif, still seated in the car, and surreally, still underwater he opens his mouth and begins to talk . . .

I went to see this film with absolutely no hopes. (Yup – I still went). After being trashed by everyone I read, really how could one ? Hope, I mean. Still, there are times when one is pleasantly surprised. Not like in “Oh, what a fantastic film”; more like it really wasn’t that bad.

First off, Anil Kapoor turns me off. Plus the deal with the “Phormula” and the “Ishyle” and the whole “let’s do the attitude” thing – pretty juvenile, yeah ? But, inspite of that, “Tashan” is fairly well-stylized, and I don’t mean stylized like Dhoom2, where there are these wanna-be cool actors flashing their abs. Tashan actually has characters who seem to be genuinely off their rockers. Like Akshay Kumar’s small-time goon Bacchhan Pandey, who uses his powers of persuasion to land roles in the local Ram-lila as the 10-headed Ravana. Truly, there’s nothing quite as campy as a 10-headed, jean-clad Ravana on a scooter.

The other 2 main characters are Pooja and Jimmy. Kareena is Pooja, in a superficially Omkaara-ish role. Saif as Jimmy appears as a regular old call-center employee-cum-English teacher, who falls for Miss Pooja, as sweet and innocent as she appears to be. However, and we get pretty James Hadley Chase-ish at this point, the sweet ingénue has money troubles – dear old Dad passed away and left her with a whopping debt of 1.5 crores. Thus she must serve the reprehensible gangster Bhaiyyaji (Anil Kapoor), who makes her cry and wring her hands.

Of course our young Don Juan a.k.a Jimmy, who’s deeply smitten by now, will have none of it. Therefore together they plan to steal some of Bhaiyaji’s money, but when they do, Jimmy is in a soup, because sweet, innocent Pooja has apparently decamped with the loot. Bhaiyyaji is by now, baying for Jimmy’s blood. Enter Bachchan Pandey, from Kanpur – just another devotee of Bhaiyyaji’s. Pandey promises to recover the moolah, and together with Jimmy, who has, in his faultless English, managed to convince them of his innocence, sets off to find the money and the moll . . .

I must say this for Tashan’s characters – they aren’t lacking in the brain department. They might be violent, gaudy, and excessively campy, but stupid they are not. And they are relatively believable, in that they run true to character – throughout the film. The premise of the film is simple, if a little sketchy : lots of money and four people who want it.

Kareena is super-skinny in the film, permitting herself to be wrapped in a bikini, and extremely short shorts. She does look good, even if underweight, and her skin is stretched so tight minus the flab that one remains worried that an over-enthusiastic jhatka-matka might pop a now visible rib. Kareena is maturing as an actress. In Tashan she is in fine form, demure and sweet as Pooja, and appropriately rabid in the later half of the film. Saif plays himself, i.e.; a “cool” desi babu with just the right angrezi inflection to his accent. He’s traipsing along on the road of life, until ofcourse he meets the woman of his dreams. And Akshay, as I’ve said before is superbly campy; the epitome of the ambitious gangster bhaiya.

I must say this (and do you hear the awe in my voice ?) this is the desi version of “Pulp Fiction”. It’s one twist after another, with characters so singularly unalike, that when they get together, you’re waiting for the fireworks to explode. The film’s story unfolds in a narrative fashion, parts of it are related by Jimmy and parts by Bachhan. And when I say related, I mean that they actually tell the audience the story in little asides – a very interesting and effective technique to draw in the audience.

Here’s the downer though folks – the film is great until we get to the end of the film. Then, and let me not be too harsh here, the director loses his senses, and the film morphs into a typical C grade thriller. It’s predictable, and very much been-there-done-that. When all I needed to finish up this otherwise good film, was a twist in the tale, and some clean, cool, and slick editing, I got lots of noise, violence and an excessive amount of melodramatic (and might I say stupid ?) dialogue. Quite horrendous, because by now I had my hopes up.

Still, I recommend watching this film. Watch it for the cast and the characters, and the way the film builds around them. Watch it for the genuine moments of zaniness, as in when Bhaiyyaji, quite in awe of Jimmy’s English, remarks “Man ij haraami, but his Engleesh . . .”. And watch it for the well-choreographed, if outlandish, dance numbers.

All in all, an entertaining and engrossing watch.

Posted in 2008, bollywood, thriller, watchable | 3 Comments

Review : Indian Jones and the kingdom of the crytal skull

Posted on May 28, 2008 by amodini

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single Disc)And since I’m being so lax about writing a Hindi film review (apologies, apologies – I will get back on track. Not my fault really :-), have you seen the crap they’re churning out these days ?) I will point you to my review of Indy’s latest adventure. Not that THAT film is not crap, it’s just of a lesser degree.

Which gets me thinking – should I fuse my desi and non-desi movie reviews into this blog ? Hmmm . . .

Posted in 2008, english, hollywood, watchable | Comments Off on Review : Indian Jones and the kingdom of the crytal skull

Review : Race

Posted on March 21, 2008 by amodini

Rating : Poor (2.2/5)
Genre : Thriller/Suspense
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 34 minutes
Director : Abbas, Mastan
Cast : Saif ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Sameera Reddy
Kid rating : PG13

RACE : THIS RACE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE !

If you’ve watched Abbas-Mustan’s previous directorial ventures, you know that they aren’t exactly the pride and joy of Bollywood as far as direction goes. So I didn’t rush to the theater with great expectations, and I must say that the film turned out pretty much as I thought it would. Thus it had zero character development, almost no logic, desultory conversation and some very unfunny lines passed of as humor.

The way this film has been hyped, it looked like Dhoom3 and then some. Yes, it’s got quite a few car chases, hip-swinging songs, bomb blasts, but it doesn’t quite get there. It’s actually better than Dhoom2 story-wise, and by that I mean that it HAS a story, as compared to D2’s almost non-existent one. However the story is ultra-complicated, lots of twists and turns, lot’s of two-faced characters, betrayals and turn-coats. You can’t tell a friend from a foe, which you’d think would herald a good thriller, but Abbas-Mastan’s inept handling makes short shrift of that notion.

The whole deal is the story of two brothers, the elder Ranveer (Saif) doting on the younger Rajiv (Akshaye). However two-faced Rajiv has a massive chip on his shoulder – Papa never liked him as much, and hence he hates Ranveer’s guts, but will not say so. Instead he plots secretly to bring about Ranveer’s death and get his grubby hands on his $100 million insurance policy. Assisting him in this quest is model Sonia (Bipasha) who’s risen from an orphanage, to dreams of big money. Both Ranveer and Rajiv are sweet on Sonia. In love with Ranveer is his secretary Sophia (Katrina), but he has eyes only for Sonia. Thrown into this mix are another pair – Inspector RD (Robert D’Souza) and his dumb secretary Mini (Sameera), doing the Karamchand-Kitty act.

So, essentially there are 5 main characters; the 6th – Sameera’s in inconsequential, and extremely annoying. All the 6 characters are paper-thin, not a shred of believability is left after Abbas-Mastan are done with their work. I consider Saif, Akshaye and Anil reasonably able actors, but given their haphazardly put together roles and their inane dialogues, it’s not surprising that they perform well under par. Akshaye is the best (and that’s a relative term) of the lot, but then Akshaye always does petulance well.

The women are perpetually made-up, wear skimpy clothing, and bland smiles. Katrina is quite the sexy secretary, with no life of her own; be it an after work party at the club, or her boss arriving at the airport, she’s always there. Bipasha as the glamorous Sonia comes across as highly sexed up; she’s always wearing heavy makeup, dressed up for meals like she was lunching with the Queen, and essentially just oozing oomph, be it night or day. Sameera Reddy who’s not as physically fit as the other two ladies plays dumb (and she can speak all right). Accompanying her Inspector boss to take notes, she scribbles busily on her pad, attired in backless mini-dresses, with midriff baring necklines. Apparently Abbas-Mastan have hit upon the magic formula for filmi success – thrills, chills and the female body in very little clothing; story, screenplay and sense be damned.

Neither Katrina or Bipasha, as gorgeous as they are, can act to save their lives. Katrina actually appears to believe that smiling IS acting, which is probably why she does it a lot. Smiling that is. Bipasha is a known quantity, and uses her handy one-glassy-expression-for-all-emotions technique. Sameera who can act, is given the weak role that requires none.

The characters such as they are, lead fairly absurd, one-dimensional lives. They appear to have a few traits we know about, and the audience is expected to subsist on this diet of very hard-to-believe, hollowed out, slapdash set of characters. Screenplay is extremely poor, and direction while average needs to push the pace a little. It ain’t no thriller if it takes forever.

The film starts off in South Africa, at the Durban Cup, where horse stud farm owner Ranveer is losing his races, and his money. We are treated to a brief intro to the characters of the film via a voice-over by Anil Kapoor (he as Inspector RD actually comes in only post-intermission), and his narration goes on for quite a while. Now whenever a director has to employ a narrator to actually tell us about the characters and their traits, instead of showing us by letting them speak and emote, it’s a sign that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Very true in this case, because Abbas-Mastan haven’t a clue.

The first half of the film is actually B-O-R-I-N-G. The characters appeared silly, shallow and mentally challenged. The dialogues were incredibly inane, and cheesy. Besides the nice cars, and nicer women there wasn’t much going on here. The interval came on a promising note, with the arrival of Inspector RD and assistant Mini, and you think Anil Kapoor’s going to rev things up ! But, no, Inspector RD appears to be an ape in human clothing, chomping on fruits, and lusting for Mini. Mini, of course is lacking in the brain department, and thus she becomes the butt of many not-so-funny jokes. If Sameera Reddy attempting to display an emotion were not enough for you, there’s Johnny Lever. Lever appears to be in full form, rolling his eyes, and comparing women to cell-phones. Oh joy !

The film has very good music, set to entirely inappropriate and weirdly placed songs. Lush dance numbers, complete with gyrating extras, spring up at the drop of a hat. Sophia and Ranveer go on a business trip, and manage to squeeze out a song while there. Ranveer tells Sophia that she’s a good friend, when she’s fishing for a compliment, and she breaks out into song asking him to “Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me”.

One does not speak of Abbas-Mastan and quality in the same breath, but one must note that the story has huge, gaping holes. I do not talk of ordinary holes, as in the mortal film-viewer’s wonderment at getting from Point A to Point Z, without traversing through Points B through Y; I talk of gaping holes into which a continent the size of Asia could submerge and disappear wholly from view. And then there are the smaller mishaps – like Ranveer talking of Dispirin to cure hang-overs, and call me picky, but why in South Africa are they using Dispirin, and not a local brand of medicine ? But then this is Bollywood folks – we are good on locales, and poor on details.

This was not an entirely un-redeemable plot. In the hands of a more able director, with enough emphasis on quality, characterization, and details this could have been a good film. Saddled with Abbas-Mastan’s myopia and desire to churn out a worthy successor to , this film fails massively. If you liked Dhoom2, you’ll probably find an adequate entertainer. However, if like me, you thought that D2 was the pits, best keep away from this disaster.

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Posted in 2008, bollywood, rating-PG13, thriller | 8 Comments

Review : Laaga chunari mein daag

Posted on March 18, 2008 by amodini

Rating : Below average (2.75/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2007
Running time : 2 hours 20 minutes
Director : Pradeep Sarkar
Cast : Anupam Kher, Rani Mukherjee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Abhishek Bacchhan, Jaya Bachhan, Kunal Kapoor
Kid rating : G

LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG : Ghisa-pita melodrama !

This was a film I’d rather looked forward to in 2007, after viewing the trailers, and the zesty clip of “Hum to aise hai bhaiyya”. However the bad reviews came in and I never got around to seeing it. Now that I have, I’ll tell you that this is an unremarkable film, so much so that I’m reviewing this a couple of months after seeing it. This film belongs in the 80s in spirit, and while it does glimmer with the sheen of tasteful wardrobe changes, and heavy, well-designed, artificial jewelery, it’s just decade old stuff packaged nicely.

Technically, and by that I mean – direction and screenplay, this is a decent film. What mires it down bigtime are the clichés. There is the old, ailing, impractical father (Kher), hanging onto his huge haveli (which is mired in a court-case) and decrepit views on family honor and the role of women. There is also the melancholy mother (Jaya Bachhan), her brow furrowed by financial worry, and the perceived burden of two unmarried daughters. The daughters themselves – Badki (Mukherjee) and Chutki (Konkona) are spirited enough, and striving to be “worthy” daughters.

Of course Ma’s sewing isn’t going to fill the family coffers. So with mouths to feed and a haveli to maintain and fight for, and Dad frothing at the mouth about not having a son, the elder daughter decides to go to Bombay to find work. However in desperation and with penury looming, she becomes a prostitute. Filthy lucre is in, poverty out. But hai, that honor !

This film has good intentions and a social message of sorts. The re-integration of so-called “fallen” women is what it deals with. But instead of liberally dosing the script with common sense, this film is a clear case of S.O.S – Stupidity On Screen. The characters are colored in with bold strokes of black and white – there are no greys here. And unfortunately all the “good” people are either blind or stupid (probably the latter). The director seems to want it all – the peppy rythms of a well-choreographed dance number and the innocence of a rural belle set upon by mean, hungry, corporate wolves !

Rani does well enough in this pathetic, I-can-see-it-coming role. Konkona, the fine actress that she is, gives it her all. Dependable Kher is good too. As for Jaya Bachhan, she does a “Nirupa Roy”, but Ms. Roy was so much better. Mrs. Bachhan appears to be getting crochety with age; even her smiling countenance appears a grimace. I’m now so over sobbing, selfless, helpless filmi Moms.

There is no saving grace in this film, folks. Kunal Kapoor comes close, but no cigar. Abhishek is OK; a dance number featuring the four young ‘uns is the highlight of the film. The film grinds on about the clichéd, impoverished family hanging on to the last vestiges of honor, of maintaining a façade of respectability, and punishing it’s women. Haven’t we seen it all before ? It’s basically the stuff you loathed in the 80s come to bite you in the 2000s. It fits like a square peg in a round hole.

Curiosity killed the cat. What I know now is that predictability killed the film.

Posted in 2007, 2008, bollywood, drama, rating-G, watchable | 3 Comments