Review : Page 3

Posted on March 15, 2005 by amodini

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2005
Director : Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast : Konkona Sen-Sharma, Boman Irani, Sandhya Mridul, Tara Sharma, Bikram Saluja, Suchitra Pillai, Soni Razdan, Anju Mahendru, Jai Kalra

PAGE 3 : Off-beat story delivers the goods

Page 3 is the story of a journalist, Madhavi (Konkona) who writes the Page 3 columns for a Bombay based newspaper, Nation Today. Deepak Suri (Boman Irani) is her supportive boss, and Tarun (Jai Kalra), an up and coming model her boyfriend.She shares her flat with an air-hostess Pearl (Sandhya Mridul) who is in searchof a rich husband, so that she can quit her job, and live a luxurious life.

Every night, Madhavi hobnobs with the socialites, at various parties around town, to get grist for her journalistic mill. Through regular parties, Madhavi is well-known to most social butterflies, and meets alsmost the same people every day. The viewer thus is introduced to some of the characters which make up Madhavi’s Page 3 world: actors, businessmen, socialites, social workers, artists etc. In one such party, Madhavi meets Gayatri (Tara Sharma), a shy wanna-be actress, who later becomes good friends with Madhavi, and becomes the third girl to shareher flat. And one evening, when Pearl accompanies Madhavi to a party, she meets an elderly businessman, whom she begins to date regularly.

After a while, Madhavi tires of the false glitz and glamor of the night, and ask her boss to put her onto investigative journalism. Suri complies, and details her to work with Vinayak (Atul Kulkarni). Covering a bomb blast, Madhavi finds her niche in investigative reporting. Meanwhile Gayatri is finding a hard time finding roles, without compromising on her principles, since directors and producers she approaches ask her for sexual favors. She meets Rohit (Bikram Saluja) a top actor, and falls in with love with him.

Each girl faces her struggles; Madhavi uncovers a scandal involving the bigwigs of Bombay, Gayatri faces personal and professional predicaments, and Pearl has her share of dissapointments. How the three cope, and whether they stand their ground in the sea of caprice that is Bombay, is the rest of the movie. Do they achieve what they set out to do ? And at what cost ?

This is an interesting movie, touching a subject which is off-beat, and unusual. Bhandarkar, known for his earlier films like “Chandni Bar”, etc, shows his mettle here also. Taking potshots at the Page 3 people, Bhandarkar exposes it as a superficial world, with a slimy and capricious underbelly. Corruption and connections go hand-in-hand, and money talks.

Konkona does an incredible job as Madhavi, and Boman Irani is at his best. Tara Sharma comes across well as a fragile, shy aspiring actress, while Sandhya Mridul shows off her acting skills in a short role. The supporting cast is good too. Although a bit slack mid-way, this is all-in-all, a good worth-your-time movie.

Posted in bollywood, rating-PG13, recommended | 4 Comments

Review : Jurm

Posted on March 14, 2005 by amodini

Rating : Poor (1.5/5)
Genre : Thriller
 Year : 2005
 Running time : 2 hrs and 41 minutes
 Director : Vikram Bhatt
 Cast : Bobby Deol, Milind Soman, Lara Dutta, Gul Panag, Shakti Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi

JURM : Hackneyed plot + weak direction = disaster

Jurm is the story of Avinash Malhotra (Bobby Deol), who one morning awakens to police presence in his home. His beloved wife, Sanjana (Lara Dutta) has apparently been murdered (there is no body), Avinash has blood stains all over him, and is arrested on murder charges. Avinash has no memory of the past night, but recounts his past for the benefit of the police inspector (Ashish Vidyarthi). The viewer is made aware of his romantic entanglement with Sanjana and of his subsequent marriage to her, leading to dashed hopes on the part of Avinash’s good friend Sonia (Gul Panag), who is secretly in love with him.

Avinash’s good friend and lawyer, Rohit (Milind Soman) steps in to defend Avinash in court, but doesn’t manage to get him off. Avinash then decides to hunt down Sanjana’s killer, and escapes from jail, only to face 3 bullets from his adversary. Avinash’s questionable survival (oh, yeah, survival of hindi film hero from numerous bullets – that one’s up in the air), and his quest for justice are what make up the rest of this pathetic movie.

OK, so why pathetic ? Firstly, guessable plot, there have been a spate of who-done-my-spouse-in murder mysteries lately. Secondly, lost reality, Vikram Bhatt, takes the viewer on another mindless, predictable hindi movie ride, where not much makes sense, and the laws of medicene (try and survive 3 bullets) and physics are flouted endlessly. Thirdly, actors who can’t act, namely Deol, Dutta, Soman, and Gul Panag. Fourthly, atrocious screenplay.

Music isn’t too bad, but for that you just need a CD, and can spare yourself visual trouble. So, unless you really have nothing better to do (and a dental appointment for a root canal is preferable to this) , AVOID.

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Review : Hum-tum

Posted on March 11, 2005 by amodini

Rating : Below average (2.5/5)
Genre : Romantic drama
Year : 2004
Running time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Director : Kunal Kohli
Cast : Rani Mukherjee, Saif Ali Khan, Kiron Kher, Rati Agnihotri, Jimmy Shergill,Isha Koppikar

Hum-tum : Juvenile fare

This is a Yashraj film production, so WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). Lavish locales, beautiful landscapes, and the rich people, hobnobbing on planes, in Paris, New York, Amsterdam … You name it, we got it. Besides that you get Rhea Prakash (Rani) and Karan Kapoor (Saif), two arty profesionals (he a cartoonist and she a fashion designer), with not one brain cell between them. You get Mrs.Anu Kapoor (Rati Agnihotri looking quite beautiful) a wedding coordinator, who has separated from Mr. Kapoor (Rishi Kapoor). And lest I forget, you get these cheesy cartoon characters, one male and the other female (hum-tum – you get it ? Tum in a very short skirt by the way). And really, I mean cheesy (pun intended) ; they reminded me of those cartoon characters in the Amul butter/cheese ads. The story is flimsy, weak but here it is.

Karan and Rhea meet up on a plane, because they happen to be sitting next to each other. For the rest of the journey, they proceed to act like imbeciles and annoy the hell out of each other. Then they get down at a stop-over in Amsterdam, conveniently ditch Karan’s mom and friend who are also on the plane, sing a song, and discuss the physics of male-female chemistry, i.e.; the age old question : What do men/women want from each other ? It ends badly, with Karan kissing Rani to prove a point, and Rani getting upset and slapping him in return. What to do, we are like this only.

Anyway, they part. Only to meet-up again in a New York park. Karan has a girlfriend in tow, but she promptly splits up with him, once Rhea reveals the Amsterdam kiss. So they part again. And …you guessed it, meet-up in Delhi on the occassion of Rhea’s wedding, which Karan’s mom is coordinating. Cut to song sequence, where Rhea pseudo bullies Karan. Anyway, Rhea marries the suave Abhishek Bachhan, who apparently loves her very much.

So, let’s see, the next time the daffy duo meet, its in Paris. Rhea is now widowed, runs a boutique, dresses very chic, and carries an aura of sadness around her. Our good-hearted and altruistic Karan, tries to mend her broken heart, but to almost no avail. Next, he tries to fix her up, with his friend Mihir (Jimmy Shergill), but that doesn’t work.

So, what does happen with Karan and Rhea ? Are they able to find happiness ? OK, no spoilers people, I’ll leave you to guess the happy ending (oh, yeah, and some thinking that’ll take).

The movie is average, direction is good. The cast does a good job. Rani is too good an actress to let a role like this mess her up. And of course, Saif is the consummate joker, so he fits the bill perfectly. Kiron Kher as Rani’s hyper mom, and Rati as Saif’s are adequate. Shergill as Mihir plays his part well. So, what actually was wrong with the film ? The story – very weak, and the inane girl-boy dialogues, which would be better coming from a teenager, rather that two “grown-up” professionals. Honestly, I would have loved this movie, had I been under 21 (Aah, well, that’s spilt milk). All in all a teeny-bopper film, aka juvenile fare. Also a big let-down from ex-film-critic Kunal Kohli.

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Review : Raincoat

Posted on March 10, 2005 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B0009J93UA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Raincoat[/amazon_link]Rating : Average (3/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2004
Running Time : 2 hours
Cast : Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan, Annu Kapoor, Surekha Sikri, Mouli Ganguly, Sameer Dharmadhikari
Director : Rituporno Ghosh

Raincoat : Could have been better

Inspired from the O.Henry story “The gift of the magi”, this movie is very average, notwithstanding the hoopla around it. The movie begins with Manoj (Devgan) going to Kolkata from his small town Bhagalpur (in Bihar), to meet with his college mates, to garner enough money to start a business. He stays in his friend’s (Sameer Dharmadhikari) house, and is made comfortable by his and his wife’s (Mouli Ganguly) hospitality. As he wanders about Kolkata meeting his friends, he also decides to visit Neeru, his sweetheart of yesteryears. The title of the movie apparently comes from a borrowed raincoat, which he uses to shield himself, travelling around Kolkata on a rainy day.Through flashbacks the director makes it clear to us that Neeru, although in love with Manoj, has married another according to her parent’s wishes, spurning Manoj’s indecision, and lack of resolve. When Manoj finally meets Neeru, he finds her alone in a large house full of expensive, antique furniture, draped in a silk sari. Amid the listless banter that ensues, Neeru explains that her husband, who is of a jealous disposition is on a trip abroad. She has servants, money and comforts, but her servants are out for the afternoon, and hence she is alone. Which is what causes her to borrow Manoj’s raincoat and step out to get him something to eat. During the time she is out of the house, Manoj has a visitor (Annu Kapoor). What the mysterious visitor tells Manoj, causes the story to turn on its head.

Rituporno Ghosh’s direction is average bordering on poor. The storyline is good, but the telling is tame, and drab. There are no sparks to liven up what could have been a great movie. Aishwarya might be gorgeous (even sans makeup), but truly cannot act. She might good for filmi stuff (and I did like her in “Hum dil dechuke sanam”), but when it comes to a role which plumbs the range of human emotions, as this one does, she just doesn’t cut it. Devgan renders his role adequately, and pretty much saves the film from being a complete disaster. The supporting cast is average. The dialogues are inane, and Aishwarya sometimes forgets her Bengali accent (apparently Ghosh didn’t notice). Annu Kapoor in the role of the mysterious visitor is good, and turns in a riveting performance. This film might have been good, had the lead actress been better, and the direction crisper. Lack of depth is another problem, for no scene in the film, actually touches you, and you do not truly feel for either of the main characters.

The music is slow, and adds to the depressive atmosphere of the film. I am no fan of Shubha Mudgal, but if you like her, you’ll probably appreciate the songs.

For all that, this film is worth viewing. ONCE. AT HOME. And when watching it, feel free to multi-task. Do the laundry or look up your stock portfolio; it’ll stop you from falling asleep.

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Review : Haasil

Posted on March 9, 2005 by amodini

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2003
Running time : 155 minutes
Cast : Jimmy Shergill, Hrishita Bhatt, Irfan Khan, Ashutosh Rana,Tinnu Anand, Sudhir Pandey
Director : Tigmanshu Dhulia
Music : Jatin-Lalit

Haasil : When the common man rises

This is a good film, although I don’t think it was appreciated enough. Its a commercial movie, but an off-beat one, with the usual girl-meets-boy stuff taking a backseat to the political/criminal action. Allahabad university forms the backdrop, and dialogues often are in the vernacular. Anirudhh (Shergill) and Niharika (Bhatt) are students studying in the same college, and soon fall in love. Of course, the romance is hush-hush, and the pair meet in secret places. The director handles the initial blossoming-of-romance scenes sensitively, and we are treated to a couple of melodious songs.

The college politics is dominated by two rivals, Gauri Shankar (Ashutosh Rana) and Ranvijay Singh (Irfan Khan). One day, Anirudhh sees Ranvijay escaping (after committing a murder), and helps him evade Gauri Shankar’s goons. Ranvijay is thankful, and Anirudhh gets to know him better. As time goes by, Anirudhh moves closer to college politics, heavily swayed by Ranvijay, much to the chagrin of Niharika and family, who warn Anirudhh against Ranvijay. Matters come to a boil when Anirudhh commits a crime, instigated by Ranvijay, and is forced to flee to Bombay under Ranvijay’s protection. As Anirudhh fumes and festers in Bombay, desirous of meeting Niharika, things take a turn for the worse, as Niharika’s father (Tinnu Anand) promises her hand in marriage to someone else.

The remainder of the movie deals with the resolution of this mess, playing up the strength of the common man when provoked.

Direction is deft, and Dhulia delivers the goods in his debut movie. Shergill delivers a promising performance, morphing from the soft-spoken romantic, to the outraged protagonist. Hrishita is a decent enough actress, and complements Shergill in romantic situations. Both Ashutosh Rana and Tinnu anand churn out good performances, but Irfan Khan takes the cake with his potrayal of the unpredicatable Ranvijay. Ranvijay is a fierce criminal ,and his convoluted criminal mind is potrayed very effectively by Khan in a subtle and understated performance, rather than a belligerent one.

Posted in bollywood, drama, recommended | 5 Comments

Review : Jaane bhi do yaaron

Posted on March 8, 2005 by amodini

jbdy3 Rating : Excellent (5/5)
Genre : Comedy
 Year : 1983
Running Time : 2 hours 23 minutes
Cast : Naseerunddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Barve (Inamdaar), Satish Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Neena Gupta
Director : Kundan Shah
Music : Vanraj Bhatia

Definitely the funniest hindi movie I’ve seen, this is the story of two friends, (Vinod – Naseeruddin Shah and Sudhir – Ravi Baswani) attempting to start-up their own photo studio. Business is very slow, but prospects look good when they are approached by Shobha (Barve) editor of “Khabardaar” newspaper. Shobha, feeding the simple-minded duo a spiel about righteousness and honesty, assigns them the job of spying/photographing the shady dealings between Police commisioner D’Mello (Satish Shah) and property builder Tarneja (Pankaj Kapoor). The two, on assignment come across corruption and bribery to win the tender for building a flyover. The main players in this are D’Mello, Tarneja and his rival Ahuja (Om Puri).

While spying on the nefarious three, Sudhir and Vinod get a whiff of a murder, but do not know who the killer is. They manage to retrieve the corpse as proof, but subsequently lose it. What follows, and is pretty much the rest of the movie, is a long, extended chase (and what a chase – meanders into the oddest of places) with the bad guys (Tarneja, and Co.) and the good guys (Vinod and Sudhir) chasing the corpse.

Jaane Bhi Do YaaroThis is a short, slickly directed film, and has a cast of excellent actors. Baswani and Shah with their comic timing and bumbling escapades make this a riot. Pankaj Kapoor, Satish shah and Om Puri adequately represent the bad guys, with Kapoor and Puri responsible for some great comic scenes. Bhakti Barve turns in a sharp performance as the shrewd Shobaji. And Neena Gupta (as Priya) and Satish Kaushik (as Ashok) as Tarneja’s sidekicks are very good. The movie doesn’t have songs, except for maybe the hummable “Hum honge kaamyaab”. No heroine either, forthat matter.

This film was made in 1983, and to-date there is no better hindi comedy than this. Kundan Shah’s later efforts are no match for this classic film.

Posted in bollywood, comedy, drama, family-friendly, humor, outstanding, rating-PG, recommended | Tagged | 9 Comments

Review : Swades

Posted on March 8, 2005 by amodini

Rating : Very Good (4.5/5)
Genre : All-in-one
Year : 2004
Running time : 3hrs and 14 minutes
Cast : Shahrukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Balal, Rajesh Vivek, Dayashankar Pandey
Director : Ashutosh Gowarikar
Music : A.R. Rehman

SWADES : Subtle but true to roots

Swades is a subtly nationalistic film. Its a find yourself, your roots, your country film. It is not sophisticated or glamorous, so if you want the breathtaking locales of Switzerland (don’t get me wrong ; I like those too) this film is not for you. What it is, is earthy , smacking resoundingly of that indescribable thing I call quality.

The movie plot is basic and simple, but the director enlarges it effectively to deal with the issues of communal and societal ills. It is the story of Mohan Bhargava (SRK) an engineer at NASA, who comes to India to find his childhood nanny Kaveriamma (Kishori Balal). He traces her to a village and stays with her some weeks trying to persuade her to come back with him to the States. Kaveriamma lives with Gita (Gayatri Joshi), a principled young schoolteacher and her younger brother, and she won’t budge until Gita is married off and settled. Gita’s school building is about to be usurped by the village Panchayat unless she gets new students to enroll. So Mohan’s problems are twofold – to get new students for Geeta’s school and find a good “boy” for her. In resolving these two problems, Mohan meanders through life at the village getting to know the people, their problems, and their beliefs.

Through Mohan’s eyes, Gowarikar potrays the state of present day India, its poverty, its caste system, its child-labor and illiteracy. And lest you think he’s being one-sided he evens out the scale by beating up on NRIs (“Non-returning Indians”). Common sense rules though, and the dialogue between Mohan and the villagers on development, exemplifies that. Gowarikar also borrows from Dilip D’Souza’s writing, so if you are a fan of D’Souza’s work, this movie is for you. Go see it , you’ll know why .

Situations are real, and the inherent humor is well-developed, a definite relief from the slapstick comedy of other movies. The music is truly melodious, and the songs fit. I’m not an AR Rehman groupie, but hey, with this film, he’s elevated himself to the genius-level category. The title track which he has also sung, is an astounding number, and pretty patriotic. Sort of makes me want to be good and do better. All actors have done a fine job, although I could have done without SRK’s incessant eyebrow twitching. One of Sharukh’s better performances though. The movie is well-developed, flows smoothly, the forays into village (and metaphorically the country’s) problems, which are well-set into the story. The film is long, but holds your interest. I did not find it preachy, although it does embody the spirit of activism.

It is a rare film, which can string together many issues into a single storyline and still get you to feel for each one. Indeed, it is a very rare film, which can weave into its storyline subtly patriotic threads, to expose the enemy within. Admittedly, the treatment of some solutions in the movie is simplistic. Life never is that easy. But when the director’s intentions are honest, its gotta shine through. In Swades it does, and how.

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

Review : Yuva

Posted on March 4, 2005 by amodini

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Drama
Running time : 160 minutes
Cast : Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Abishek Bachhan, Rani Mukherjee, Kareena Kapoor,
Om Puri, Esha Deol
Director : Mani Rathnam

Yuva tells the tale of three young men, Michael Mukherjee (Ajay Devgan), Arjun Balakrishnan (Vivek Oberoi) and Lallan (Abhishek Bachhan), and the story that ensues when their lives entangle in one dramatic well-shot scene. Michael is a brilliant student, who refuses opportunities to study abroad, in favor of cleaning up the corruption he sees around him. He and his friends face a conniving, two-faced adversary in the form of the corrupt neta Om Puri . Arjun is an upper-class youth, dreaming of studying in the USA, until he meets Michael. Lallan, is a thug, drawn to easy money, yet striving to walk the straight and narrow.
Each of these men have a love interest. Michael finds a soul-mate in Radhika (Esha Deol), who’s a language teacher, but ready to help Michael in his quest. Arjun meets Mira (Kareena Kapoor), the girl of his dreams, whom he is busy serenading, when he witnesses the life-changing incident on the Hooghly Bridge. Lallan marries Sashi, when she comes away with him, against her family’s wishes. Sashi loves him, and tries to reform his nefarious ways.
Ajay Devgan is miscast – he no longer fits the bill for a “young” student anymore, but turns in a good performance nevertheless. Vivek Oberoi gives a good performance as the happy-go-lucky Arjun. But the one to watch is Abhishek Bachchan, who turns in an impressive, smouldering performance, as the unpredictable and moody thug Lallan, who on one hand wants to reform for Sashi’s sake, but on the other, has a hard time suppressing the devil inside.
The women do reasonably, considering that their roles are small. Rani does a great job as Sashi, loving Lallan inspite of the flaws she sees in his character. Kareena is adequate as Mira, and Esha displays her minimal acting skills in the few scenes she has.
The film has been shot well, with Rathnam exploring a narrative structure which is quite unusual for Hindi movies. The story of each of the characters is told in episodic fashion, i.e.; first we are introduced to Lallan and Sashi and their life, then we see Michael on his mission, and then Arjun and his undecidedness. The rest of the movie is a depiction of the events that follow, when these lives, hitherto independent, entwine. The film is a classic good against evil tale, set in contemporary Kolkata, told imaginatively, and focussing on the youth as protagonists for a better future.

Music by A.R. Rehman, is average, with a few hummable songs.

All in all, an excellent film, well worth your time. Enjoy !

Posted in bollywood, drama, recommended | 3 Comments

Movie Rating Guide

Posted on March 4, 2005 by amodini

This site is a ** SPOILER-FREE ZONE ** . Which means that I will give you a review without spilling the beans. So, my reviews will pique your curiousity, but they will never reveal important details (like who the real killer is).

Movies are rated out of a total score of 5, the highest being 5, and the lowest being a negative number (like -13, oh yeah, and I’ve seen some of those !).

5 points : The film is fantastic, excellent, great, fabulous. Definitely see (in a theatre preferably).

4 points : The film is good. Worth your time and money .

3 points : The film is average. Maybe see once. Wait for DVD/VHS release.

2 points : Poor. Definitely wait for DVD/VHS release, if you want to see this one.

1 point : Bad. Do not see. There are better things to do.

Negative number : Worse than I imagined.

Note that I do not review all films, since I do not see all of them. Also, I do not use great formulas of science to review films, and do not profess to be a cinema critic or an expert. I review films because I like watching them. And if you’ve read my previous posts and like my choice of films, you’ll find this blog pretty useful.

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Directors to watch out for

Posted on March 3, 2005 by amodini

dir

A good director is one who makes a movie, which will keep you from falling asleep. Well …….. ,not really. Yes, I need my Zs but not that badly, and definitely not when I’m watching a movie. Although, to look at some Hindi films, you’d think that’s what the director was aiming for – my health. “Ah,” he/she thinks, “Let’s give the poor hardworking sod/female sod some well-earned sleep-time.” The movie had better keep you awake (at a minimum) and entertained, and engrossed, and enchanted, and ……… you get the picture.

So, nowdays when I look for a good Hindi movie, I look for the director’s name. If it is any of the below, you’re generally guaranteed a good film (although there are exceptions). OK then, here’s a list of directors who are making some of the good stuff, the stuff which keeps you wide awake, way past your you-know-what.

1. Farhan Akhtar : Son of Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he’s made 2 films todate. Both films are about urban young men, and their lives.

2. Sanjay Leela Bhansali : No famous backgroud I think, apparently very attached to his mom (that’s where he gets the “Leela”), and has made the following movies. I may not like all of them, but each one features some scenes, which are nothing but poetry in motion.

    • Khamoshi-a musical
    • Hum dil de chuke sanam
    • Devdas
    • Black
3. Ashutosh Gowariker : He’s acted in a few films (never in a lead role though), and has directed the fantastic “Swades”. No ethereal poetry here; the films are set on rock-solid earth, and are prominently about “doing the right thing”.

4. Ram Gopal Verma : He’s been making films awhile now, and directed the absolutely fantabulous “Company”. He’s made his mark in gangster films (Saathiya, Company), and suspense thrillers (Kaun,PTKK,Road,Jungle). Generally addicted to his leading ladies, first Urmila Matondkar, and now Antara Mali. He also directed the regrettable film “Daud”.

    5. E. Nivas : In his early twenties. The only movie of his that I’m aware of is

      • Shool (a fantastic film)

    6. Gulzar : aka Sampooran singh; he needs no introduction. He has directed many films, mostly in Hindi, and is writer-composer-director extraordinaire.

      • Maachis
      • Mere Apne
      • Mausam
      • Hu-tu-tu
      • Aandhi
      • Khushboo
      • Kitaab
      • Kinara
      • Meera
      • Namkeen
      • Koshish
      • Ijaazat
      • Angoor
      • Lekin
      • Parichay


    7. Mani Rathnam     : A movie-making legend of sorts, he’s made many South-Indian films (I saw Mauna-Ragam with subtitles), and some hindi blockusters.

      • Roja
      • Bombay
      • Yuva (superb)
      • Dil se
      • Guru (OK, Ratnam over-extends himself)

    8.Vidhu Vinod Chopra :A director known for his ease with the camera, and for such notable films as :

      • 1942, a love story – A beautifully told, poetic love-story set during India’s independence struggle.
      • Khamosh – The best who-dun-it of the 1980-2000 era.
      • Murder Monkey Hill – earned him a National award and acclaim at international film festivals
      • An encounter with faces – this was nominated for the Oscars, and swept awards at international film festivals.
      • Parinda – A huge commercial success, this was the pioneering Indian gangster movie, and India’s official entry for the Oscars.
      • Munnabhai MBBS
      • Mission Kashmir
      • Kareeb
      • Lage raho Munnabhai


    9. Priyadarshan     : He’s a director from the South again, and Virasat is stunning, although he’s been lately turning to making crappy comedies.

    10. Tigmanshu Dhulia : Relative newcomer on the directing scene.

    11. Parvathi Balagopalan : Her one and only film to-date (and probably the most romantic film of present-day) :

    12. John Mathew Mathan : His one and only film

      • Sarfarosh

    13. Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi : He made the TV serial “Chanakya” , and his one and only film has won him accolades.

      • Pinjar

    14. Mansoor Khan : Aamir Khan’s cousin and director of a few good films

      • Jo jeeta wohi sikandar
      • Qayamat se qayamat tak
      • Josh
      • Akele hum akele tum

    15. Aziz Mirza : Maker of many TV serials (remember Nukkad, Circus?) , he’s made some nice earthy, human films. His older films were better I thought.

      • Raju ban gaya gentleman
      • Yes Boss
      • Chalte-chalte

    16. Sriram Raghavan : Passionate about films, he’s made 2 so far.

      • Raman Raghav
      • Ek hasina thi

    17. Rajat Kapoor : I believe he’s made only one film to-date; his other forays into the film world being as an actor (remember Prieti’s uncle in DCH ?)

      • Raghu Romeo

    18. Rajat Mukherjee :

      • Road
      • Pyar tune kya kiya
      • Love in Nepal

    19. Shaad Ali Sahgal :

    20. Amol Palekar : One of the most talented actors of yesteryear cinema, Palekar has also directed a few films. Known for his attachment to theatre, and his flair for comedy (as an actor), Palekar’s directorial ventures are :

      • Aakriet
      • Ankahee
      • Bangarwadi
      • Kairee
      • Anaahat
      • Daayraa
      • Paheli

    21. Mahesh Manjrekar : He’s made several movies, and not all good, so I put him
    on this list with some trepidation. However, the ones he’s gotten right far outs
    hine the ones he’s gotten wrong, and I always like to hope for the better, see ?
    So here goes :

    22. Dibakar Banerjee : He just has one film to-date, but he did such a fantastic job on that one that I had to put him up on this list :

    23. Kabeer Kaushik : Also only film that I’m aware of, but what a marvellous film it it :

    24. Vishal Bhardwaj : A true genius, he’s made these (and all of them excellent) :

    25. Nagesh Kukunoor : He’s a relative newcomer, but manages to make good films on shoe-string budgets :

    26. Karan Johar : I squirm putting this guy’s name down on this list, because frankly I am no fan of his, and most of his films appear to me to be squishy-squashy over-dramatic glossed-over blobs of emotion. Still, I must mention that inspite of the above negative traits, his films are slickly done, and are visually appealling – lots of glitz, glamour, chic personas, and designer clothing.

    27. Shimit Amin : He’s not very well-know, and as far as I know has only 2 directorial ventures to his credit.

    28. Anurag Basu : Basu has a couple of films to his credit, and he seems to be going from OK to absolutely wonderful. Gangster wasn’t bad, but Metro was very, very good…

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