Endear Sallmaan

Titanic 3D’ more magnificent after 15 years

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:59:00 +0000

Film: "Titanic 3D"
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane
Director: James Cameron
Rating: **** 1/2

Since "Titanic" originally released in 1997, the first question that comes to one’s mind is of reasons to ‘revisit’ the film. The second question is about a film that may have won maximum Oscars, but whether 3D is good enough reason to not buy a DVD instead?

Vivacious Jack (DiCaprio) travelling third class on Titanic falls for the beautiful but lonely Rose (Winslet). As the ship hits an iceberg, a battle for survival is waged even as the jealous, industrialist fiance Cal (Zane) bays for the blood of the two lovers.

Titanic, the film, as the ship in 1914, has become stuff of legends so it’s pointless to recount the obvious. Let’s try and see the invisible.

The most striking thing about ‘Titanic’ is the immaculate and almost painful detailing. Like Stanley Kubrick, James Cameron delights both the novice and discerning viewers with the detail in every door knob, every headgear, every marking on every china-plate and every expression on actors faces.

It is thus the mother of all disaster movies not because it is based on a real incident but because of this attention given to so much detail. That is perhaps the reason why, among many other probables, Titanic became first among the classics to gain a 3D restoration.

The already immaculate detailing is enhanced by 3D, increasing engagement and thus the viewer’s experience.

Beyond its technology though, ‘Titanic’ is literally a masterpiece of metaphors. The most obvious and overarching is that of the class segregation in society. Titanic becomes a microcosm of our planet earth and its social, structural divisions.

Even physically the ship represents a class pyramid, with the majority in the lower decks filled with the have-nots, aspirational class forming the base while the higher decks of rich, hedonist and have-all class forming the pyramid’s small but affluent, tip. Cameron scathingly points out the hypocrisy of the latter even as he celebrates the giving, caring and sacrificial spirits of the lower class.

"Titanic" is also a very feminist film. Set at a time where women were thought to be nothing better than decorative pieces, it pits two perspective: one where the woman has everything physically at the cost of her freedom and the second where she may not have any worldly riches but has love, beauty and freedom. Rose vacillates between the two perspectives, till finally going with her ‘heart’.

Thus the story of ‘Titanic’ might seem linear and juvenile, but like his later film ‘Avatar’ Cameron hides layers and layers inside its deceptively simple, sugar-coated shell. And though the acting of our lead pair may not be up there, but their chemistry and youthful and innocent exuberance carries the film through.

Oscar-winning producer of Titanic Jon Landau had told IANS two week back when he was in India to promote the film, that James Cameron had himself supervised every one of the nearly half a million frames that had to be converted to 3D and $18 million and over a year spent in the same. The effort shows as 3D enhances the brilliant detailing, adding an extra shine to an already bright film.

In 1997 people had gone to watch ‘Titanic’ multiple times. Watch it in 3D on the large screen – on the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking – and you’ll go see it another time for the magic is not only still there, but is enhanced by 3D.

Blood Money

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:53:00 +0000

Director Vishal Mahadkar’s tackles issues of greed, corruption, ambition and the victory of the conscience in this Kunal Khemu, Amrita Puri starrer. Khemu plays Kunal Kadam, a Mumbai boy who has juggled two jobs in order to fund his MBA and be with his girlfriend Arzoo (Amrita Puri). When Kunal lands a seemingly enviable job trading at Trinity Diamonds in South Africa, he takes his new bride Arzoo and they relocate to Cape Town where they begin acquainting themselves with their new affluent status.

Demonstrating his abilities and street smarts early by cracking some big deals, Kunal soon becomes the owner Zaveri’s (Manish Chaudhary) pet who, leaning on a cliché, describes Kunal as a ‘diamond in the rough’. Kunal loves the thrill of high deals, high rolling numbers and his rapid rise up the ladder of success. Little does he know that the owners of Trinity are playing a dangerous game of chess in which he is but a pawn.

In the meanwhile, Arzoo is lonely and worried that their lives might be like children’s tale of Hansel and Gretel where the candy house is occupied by a witch. In this case the witch is Zaveri and Kunal is the innocent, though misled youth. Kunal chooses to become a part of Zaveri’s illegal businesses at the risk of jeopardizing his marriage. Fortunately his conscience awakes before all is lost.

Khemu is the glue that binds this otherwise predictable and poorly executed film. His performance is sincere and believable. However the same cannot be said for Manish Chaudhari who over does his scenes and is so busy trying to be unblinkingly menacing that one might think he mistook Blood Money for a supernatural thriller! Amrita Puri’s inexperience shows, especially in her child-like speech and in scenes where the director has clearly not given her enough guidance. However she does have her moments.

Unimaginative editing, overwritten scenes, uninspired direction, an over-enthusiastic background score and forgettable songs, only add to the hackneyed story. After Murder 2, Jism 2, Jannat 2, Raaz 3, hopefully this is one film the Bhatts won’t make a sequel to.

Agent Vinod

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:48:00 +0000

Saif Ali Khan and director Sriram Raghavan come together after their cult hit Ek Haseena Thi to create a Hollywood style spy thriller. Khan plays the highly trained and skilled RAW agent Vinod. And much like the Bourne, Mission Impossible and Bond franchises, Raghavan follows the formula of a spy thriller, traversing continents at lightening speed, cutting scenes with a breathlessness and slapping on a pulsating background score.When his partner Rajan (Ravi Kishan) is killed in Russia while on the tail of a money launderer-racketeer called Abu Nazer (Ram Kapoor), Vinod is given the mission to pick up where Rajan left off. He must find out what the numbers ‘242’ signify and what major plot is involving Kazaan (Prem Chopra), a dangerous go-between in Morocco. It is while in Morocco, the reluctant house guest of Kazaan, that Vinod meets the lovely Dr Ruby (Kareena Kapoor, looking gorgeous). Intrigued by her he finds out her true identity and becomes her self-appointed protector as the pair team up and travel to Latvia, Pakistan and Delhi chasing a nuclear device in order to get to it before it explodes. Along the way Vinod will find himself double-crossed and compelled to think fast and feel less.
Agent Vinod, derived from so many Hollywood movies, is more about the packaging than the content. The narrative skips along without enough milestones or guidance for the audience; it doesn’t even manage to carry you along for the ride during the frenetically shot and cut action scenes.
Saif Ali Khan looks smart, oozes nonchalant charm and plays the poker-faced spy with constructed whimsy. He punches out some witty lines without skipping a beat. Raghavan is clever not to let a potential romantic track derail an already convoluted plot that needlessly involves so many players and countries. The makers have left it open enough to make a part two. Hopefully then the focus will be more on the story and less on the styling and Raghavan will show some more of the skill as he did in Johnny Gaddar and in some scenes in Agent Vinod, like the action scene cut to the ballad ‘Raabta’. If you contain expectations and have not seen too many international spy films, then Agent Vinod is worth a watch.

Kahaani

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:44:00 +0000

From the very first scene of a man in a gas mask testing some lethal chemical on lab rats, Kahaani has you gripped. And when the action shift outdoors onto the crowded, colorful and chaotic streets of Kolkata, you feel a sense of engagement – seeing locales captured with affection and honesty by the lens of cameraman Setu. After this all it takes is the wobbling, hot and harried figure of a heavily pregnant Vidya Bagchi (played by Vidya Balan) stumbling through the streets of Kolkata to keep you glued to your seat. The first thought that comes to your mind is – man, this girl can act! The second is that it is so nice to see Kolkata on film and the third is thank god director Sujoy Ghosh has found his form again after his promising start with Jhankaar Beats that was followed up with two disasters – Home Delivery and Aladin.

Kahaani is a suspense thriller from get-go. A menacing chemical attack on the Kolkata Metro sets the mood. A lone pregnant NRI woman searching for her missing husband against the odds, sipping on bottled water to assuage the heat adds to the oppressive mood. She opts to stay in a grimy guesthouse where running hot water refers to the young boy who runs to the room with a kettle of piping hot water! Her only ally is cooperative policeman Rana who assists her as she searches for her missing husband Arnab Bagchi, but each lead appears to draw a dead-end. Will she find her Arnab; what has become of him; why is the greasy haired insurance agent Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee) constantly getting MMS pictures that he alleges are potential ‘clients’; and why is the top brass of the investigative bureau suddenly interested in this case?

Setu’s cinematography, Namrata Rao’s crisp editing and Sujoy Ghosh’s script create the perfect setting for Vidya Bagchi’s quest. Though riddled with holes (the plot will unravel once you begin to think too hard about it), it is nonetheless full of many interesting twists and turns till the surprising climax. Kahaani follows the rulebook of suspense thrillers closely – including creating a menacing and haunting character that could be the stuff of nightmares. The casting is a big hero within the film – Parambrata Chattopadhyay as helpful young cop Rana is sincere and credible and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Intelligence Bureau officer Khan is riveting. But the real hero of the film is its leading lady Vidya Balan, reinforcing her position at the top echelons of the industry. You totally believe she is pregnant to the extent that the sympathy begins to convert to empathy!

You leave the movie hall with two lingering effects – one: humming ‘Eklo chalo re’, beautifully sung by Amitabh Bachchan; and two: with a strange feeling of heaviness around the belly!

Paan Singh Tomar

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:31:00 +0000

One of the most poignant scene’s in writer-director Tigmanshu Dhulia’s biopic on subedaar Paan Singh Tomar is when the former seven-time national steeplechase champion (played by Irrfan Khan) beseeches the local police officer to protect his family from a thuggish relative. He presents his credentials as a national hero and hopes that will persuade the officer to pay special attention. The policeman refuses to believe that the retired army man and aging farmer sitting in front of him is the same celebrated athlete lauded in the newspaper cuttings. He flings his medal across the room, adding insult to an already injured Tomar. In that moment Dhulia says it all – this is the respect given to our national heroes.

Tomar’s achievements mean nothing to the corrupt official who sides with the local bully forcing the subedaar to take up arms and live the life of a bandit. Dacoits, Tomar famously says, are found in Parliament. This Chambal dweller is a revolutionary who has no choice but to take the law into his own hands.
Dhulia’s film does not begin here. Told largely in flashback as Tomar gives a rare interview to a local journalist (circa 1980) in order to give his side of the story, we see his entry into the army in the 1950s, his rise to subedaar as he proves his mettle as a long distance runner with resilience, his pride at being a protector of the country and his disappointment when he is not sent to battle (as athletes are excused from active duty). We see his family grow (his wife is played by Mahie Gill) and the respect he commands in his village. But we also see the troubles he faces because of a family dispute over farmlands. In order to protect his family, Tomar must give up the army and athletics. This is the turning point in his fated life, from a gentle and simple farmer turned army man to a feared and ruthless man on the run.

Dhulia and co-writer Sanjay Chouhan create a realistic and seemingly authentic milieu as the characters speak in the local dialect and the film is set in rural environs. Irrfan Khan is a convincing as the towering Tomar, finely balancing sensitivity, simplicity, pride and hurt with anger and helplessness. You often forget you are watching Irrfan Khan and find yourself sucked into Tomar’s arid Chambal ravines. Gill has little to do while the rest of the cast comprises of lesser known character actors each of whom plays their part with integrity. The film scores high marks for production design, cinematography (Aseem Mishra), background score (Sandeep Chowta), editing (Aarti Bajaj) and dialogue, strong and direct often tinged with humour. But the film suffers from over-writing and over-talking; there are few moments of reflection or silence.

In the end Dhulia reinforces why he is one of our finest contemporary filmmakers as he spells out the intent of the film: paying tribute to the numerous neglected national sports heroes the country ignored. As Tomar says, when I won accolades for my country, no one bothered; now that I am a wanted in three states, everyone wants to know about me. You should want to know about him too.

London Paris New York

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:16:00 +0000

There is very little you can hold on to when a film that positions itself as a romantic comedy is unable to deliver either romantically or humorously. Debutante director Anu Menon’s three-city based time and continent travelling film which explores a circumstantially and geographically challenged love affair is rife with problems.

The film opens in present day New York where director Nikhil (Ali Zafar) is premiering his debut feature film. It soon flashes back to London 2005 where he first meets feminist student of politics Lalitha (Aditi Rao Hydari) at an airport. The chance meeting and Lalitha’s missed connecting flight to New York means they can now spend the day enjoying the sights and sounds of London, ending the day with the promise of meeting in New York six months later. Cut to Paris 2007. Nikhil now has a questionable French beard; Lalitha has a slightly less questionable new hairdo (wig). Nikhil finds Lalitha and they spend a passionate and heady day in Paris.

And now we are back in present day New York. The pair is older — the naiveté of the 20s replaced by wisdom afforded by age. Yet their behaviour is anything but mature. She stills speaks in a child-like cutesy voice, and on the eve of her wedding spends a night out with her former lover; her chic Parisien avatar has been replaced by a frumpy relaxed look. He still behaves like the victim even though he has been far from honest in the past.

The problem with this film begins with the very first scene. Ali Zafar, giving an interview to a TV reporter, immediately reveals how aware he is of his looks and the presence of the camera. This is something he, and the director, are unable to shake off throughout the film. He is awarded many close ups and a long topless scene. He sings and dances and romances – he looks great. If only he had bothered to get into the character of Nikhil. This is one of the reasons for an absolute lack of chemistry between the lead pair on whom the entire film hinges. Rao pitches in with a little more effort but it also too focused on being either cute or glamorous, infusing neither with impact.

The lead is pair is further burdened by a dull script, boring scenes, appalling choreography, literal styling and collegian editing. Worst of all is the stilted politics of the filmmaker who positions Lalitha as a feminist but in the final analysis paints her as weak and fickle. So what works? Seeing a fresh pairing on screen, a few realistic and well acted scenes, the three city locations and the length – its less than 100 minutes!