Why do I Blog

Panchayat- Good ol’days

2020-04-19T22:15:00.003-04:00

Gone are the days when the TV shows were simple, down to earth. TV shows today range from millennial/Gen Z targeted reality programs to middle-age crowd pleasing high voltage drama shows. Even the OTT platforms tend to lean towards a more fast-paced urban high concept shows.

Long before satellite television hit India in early 90s, our living rooms were used to unpretentious shows such as Malgudi Days, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Tenali Rama, Dada Dadi Ki Kahaniyan, Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne. The storyline was uncomplicated and far easy to comprehend. 30 mins of your screen time would help you devour a lot of rich content. Many of these shows were based in the heartland of India far away from the busy bylanes of metro India.

Our generation has become acclimated to the content that is thrown to us in whichever medium possible. Even a short 1 min Tik Tok video is easily devoured without any complaints. But most of this content is short lived probably the right fit for ADDs (Attention Deficit Disorder). I am not denying that good content is completely lost. However they are far and few.

After having watched the trailer of TVF’s Panchayat, I was hoping that this does not end up making mockery of the rural landscape of India. However I was wrong. 10 mins into the 1^st episode of this show I was pulled in by the centripetal force of this amazing web series. TVF is a content focused production house which has given some nice shows in the past (Permanent Roommates, Tripling, Tech Conversations with Dad, Kota Factory-still watching). But this one hit the right notes. Right from the casting to screenplay and direction, everything is top-notch.

The proceedings in the show move forward so easily that you start feeling as if you are in the village and are experiencing this. Everything looks so real. Right from the road leading to the Phulera Panchayat office to the small beedi/snack shop and desi daru shop. The water tank brings back memories of Dharam shouting to Mausiji. Pradhan’s house is a typical village house where the bikes/cycles are kept inside the house and so are the cows. Pradhan Pati offering Lauki/bottle gourd to his deputy and Abhishek evokes hearty chuckle.

Jitendra Kumar as the Abhishek,village secretary is caught up between his ambitions to do MBA and running the sarpanch office. Initial few episodes focus on how difficult it is for him to get adjusted to this life style with no electricity at night for his CAT studies, dealing with chudail (fake news) and unreluctantly showing hospitality to the bridegroom. However he comes into his element once he starts bonding well with fellow villagers (Vikas, Prahlad and Pradhan pati). I am talking about the episode where he has a sudden outburst of emotions because of him staying alone in the village with no one to talk to and the sweet eye watering treatment given to him by these 3 guys.

Raghuveer Yadav as the Pradhan Pati as always is top notch. Notice the way he looks at Abhishek during that outburst scene and the scene where the district magistrate is in the village on 26^th Jan. I don’t think anyone would have done justice to this role. He is complemented well by Neena Gupta (the Rabri Devi version of Phulera). Her presence is limited in the initial few episodes. However the screen time increases as the show moves on. She completely owns the last episode of the series where she has to step up during the Republic Day celebrations. Best dialogues and punch liners of the show are reserved for her.

The show ends on a very sweet note. I wish they had longer or more episodes. The dish was consumed so fast that yeh Dil Maange More. Hope scripting has already started on the next season. Till then onto Kota Factory.

Hasee to Phasee

2018-08-02T20:13:00.003-04:00

Have been revisiting some movies since last few weeks and happened to watch Hasee to Phasee again. This movie has always been close to my heart for the way it depicted father-daughter relationship. And now after this second outing it has grown over me manifolds. Those scenes between Parineeti and Manoj Joshi leaves me moist-eyed. I really commend the acting and writing in those scenes. He is the most perfect dad who still dotes her little one in spite of her giving so much grief all these years. Even after 7 years, the emotional bonding has not waned. But in fact has grown even stronger.

Apart from those strong emotional moments, I love this film for Parineeti's acting. Her acting hasn’t been fully tapped yet. She is a powerhouse. Given right roles, I am sure she can stand as tall as Deepika and Alia. Coming to music, I am absolutely in love with Zehnaseeb. One of my all time favs. Such a beautiful tune and is so brilliantly rendered. Manchala isnt far behind.

The script has its share of shortfalls. Some of the characters werent fully defined. 2 of Manoj's daughters had fleeting appearances with very rare mention of them. They could have done away with those 2 daughters. Similarly some of the characters on Siddharth's side of family werent introduced/used well.

Paro: The cause of heart breaks for over half a century but none better than this (Dev D)

2016-01-02T21:35:00.001-05:00

Anurag Kashyap announced his arrival with the classic Black Friday but this was the film that compelled everyone to sit up and take notice.

Everything about Dev D looks perfect. First up is the casting. Abhay Deol fits the role to a T and gives a very restrained performance. The pathos needed by this character is accurately portrayed by him. He is one of the most dependable actors but somehow he isnt seen much these days. Wish he comes up with something special similar to Manorama Six feet under, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye and Shanghai. Mahie too is terrific as Paro and expresses tremendously through her eyes. Couple of scenes are applaud-worthy. The character of Chandramukhi played by Kalki is the most sensible of the lot but unfortunately gets into the wrong profession because of the MMS scandal.

The script is innovative and brilliantly written. Dev's encounter with Chanda when he goes to meet her second time is a gem. So is the scene between Rasika and Dev D in the bus.

No wonder the movie won the national award for the Best Music. Amit Trivedi's work is highly experimental and acts a catalyst to the proceedings. This guy is the most promising of the current lot and I am super impressed by his work so far (Aamir, Dev D, Lootera, Bombay Velvet, Queen, Udaan, Kai po che). Also some of the songs have been brilliantly shot. And was a pleasant surprise to find Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sunil Grover aka Gutthi as the band singers in Emotional Atyachar.

This film had lot of new names associated who went on to do big eventually. Vikas Bahl (Queen, Shaandaar), Vikramaditya Motwane (Lootera, Udaan), Nawazuddin, Sunil Grover, Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharyya,

In comparison, SLB's version was highly overdone and superficial. And was SRK's hammy act.

Note: Had seen Dev D when it had released in 2009 but writing this review after rewatching it again after almost 7 yrs

2015 gems

2015-12-26T15:23:00.001-05:00

Recounting the releases of the year gone by and jotting down the films that would really stay back with me for a long time.

Talvar
Heartening. Shows how the entire murder case was messed up by the police and how conflicting the reports were. Meghana Gulzar does a smart work of giving this a Rashomon treatment by giving different POVs. Irrfan is simply brilliant. This has been a terrific year for him (ok ok I am not counting Jazbaa). Movie has been beautifully written and has been generous towards the parents. But they had to stick with one POV rather than remaining neutral. Wish the truth is known to all and proper justice is done.

Tamasha
Just in my previous post I had written about how inconsistent Imtiaz Ali was and how I wasnt impressed with his scorecard. However I would say Tamasha is the most complex script that he has directed. First of all hats off to the writers for doing a great job and transforming a simple story to cinematic excellence. The whole Kahaani track has been beautifully written and then Imtiaz has done an excellent job presenting the same on the screen. Ranbir and Deepika have grown as an actor and I am sure they are going to cherish this movie for the lifetime. Deepika's breakdown just before the Tum Saath Ho song has to be the scene of the decade.

Baby
Last hr of this film bears striking resemblance to Argo. Nevertheless this movie is beautifully executed. Neeraj Pandey movies have always been special and this one is no less. His track record has been brilliant so far (A Wednesday, Special 26 and now Baby). Akshay suits these roles much better than the Rowdys.

Dum Lagake Haisha
Such a cute film. Perfect casting (Bhumi, Ayushman, Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Sheeba Chadha). The entire ensemble has done a great job in the film and the story/setting is spot on. Brings back old memories of the past. Perfect soundtrack (Moh Moh ke dhage is beautifully composed). Ishq Karara brings back Sanu and Anu Malik together and song is a treat to watch. Hope Bhumi is used wisely and doesnt remain a one movie wonder.

Titli
Hardcore and brutal. Shows the life of a low income family living in the heart of the capital. Titli wants to go away from his family and start his own parking garage. He gets forcefully married but her wife loves someone else who in turn is cheating with her. All this adds upto all the commotion in the movie. Ranvir Shorey is brilliant and so is the rest of the cast.

Honorable Mentions
Masaan (pure arthouse brilliance), Dil Dhadakne Do (commercial to the core), Piku (perfect story and casting), NH-10 (disturbing), Badlapur (Sriram rarely disappoints), Tanu Weds Manu Returns (all because of Kangana), Drishyam (nice story)

Imtiaz Ali: Is he really a great director?

2014-09-07T17:54:00.002-04:00

I was in awe of Imtiaz Ali after his first 3 movies viz Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal. However after watching his last two films (Rockstar and Highway), I have started doubting his directorial capabilities.

Socha Na Tha was a been there-seen that kinda cinema. However it was beautifully penned. Really loved the refreshing storyline and fresh characters (Abhay and Ayesha). Though the movie didnt do exceptionally well, it was loved by the young brigade. Thanks to its smart humor. At this point, I started seeing Imtiaz as one of the promising directors.

Jab We Met sealed his position as one of the top notch filmmakers in the country. Was an excellent film (his best). Great screenplay, beautiful music and ace performance by Kareena. Kareena's comic timing was noticed for the 1st time and which she enhanced further in some of her subsequent attempts (barring Golmaal series). Imtiaz now was amongst the top 5 directors in the country.

His next directorial venture Love Aaj Kal too didnt disappoint. Though not as smart and refreshing as Jab We Met, it still was an entertainer. Thanks to Saif-Deepika excellent chemistry. I didnt think Imtiaz lost any brownie points coz of this movie.

And then the downfall started.
Rockstar was marred by a bad plot and even horrible screenplay. The movie kept fluctuating between past and present at uneven pace. The editing was really bad. His pick for the lead actress was faulty and so was Ranbir's character. The movie didnt earn big bucks at the ticket window. However it was a disappointment for me.

I thought that Rockstar was just an aberration in his directorial cap and hoped that he would come back aces with Highway. That was not the case.

The writing failed him again. Alia was moved from one state to another without depicting it clearly where she was on a given day. At times I was confused whether she was in WB, Sikkim or Himachal, Showing her journey via map or some timeline would have helped. It was also never shown her duration in captivity. Her kidnapping scene itself was poorly executed. Why the heck couldnt she jump into the car on seeing the goons. Delhi girls are smart, man. Also she had another opportunity to escape when the kidnappers left her in the car. Also I had serious reservations with respect to the movie length. It could have easily been cut by 20-25 mins. Some of the scenes were dead boring.

After his last 2 attempts, I am not sure I will eagerly await his next movie. However I sincerely hope he strikes back and proves me wrong.

P.S: He is able to pull exceptional performances from some of his central characters (Abhay in Socha Na Tha, Kareena in Jab We Met, Ranbir in Rockstar, Alia in Highway)

2011: Best Songs

2011-12-31T16:46:00.004-05:00

Not necessarily sorted in any order

Kyun Main Jagoon (Patiala House): Best track of the year with excellent singing by Shafqat and great lyrics....still my most heard track even after a year of the album release...the song was picturised quite well and showed Akshay's pain effectively...aadat hai wo and baby when you talk to me were another great tracks from this awesome album....one of the best albums from SEL..

Saathiya (Singham): Shreya always scores especially if its a solo...be it jaadu hai nasha hai, yeh ishq hai, barso re, bahara, o bekhabar...best romantic number of the year....

Saibo (Shor in the City): Shreya solo fare didnt stop with Saathiya...Saibo was one more brilliant track from Shreya...

Senorita(ZNMD): how many times have we seen actors getting behind the mikes and the last couple of decades...very few actor singers have been lapped up...this track falls into that category...farhan, hrithik and abhay have made this an enjoyable track...

Darling (7 Khoon Maaf): great peppy track....brought out the best in Rekha Bharadwaj and Usha Uthup provided nice support...

DK Bose (Delhi Belly): inspite of controversial lyrics, the tunes were too catchy to miss it....worth repeated listening....

Tere Bin (Dil to Bachcha Hai Ji): My fav Sonu struck an ace with this track..this song could have been promoted well...

Teri Meri (Bodyguard): among the better romantic numbers of the year though I preferred

Saathiya (Singham) over this one....Shreya and Rahat did ample justice to this song..

Rab rakha (Love Breakup Zindagi): Excellent duet from Sonu-Shreya combination...this combo has always given amazing tracks to listeners...piyu bole, pal pal har pal, aaj maine dil se, zoobi doobi, chori kiya re, ishq hua, main hoon na, dheere jalna...this was one of the most underrated songs of the year

Chamak Challo(Ra.One): Zingy track from a disastrous movie....

Te Amo (Dum Maaro Dum): Nice duet...

Dhinka Chika (Ready): Fultoo item song...ekdum jhakaas...Character Dheela was also nice

Sadda Haq (Rockstar): song to be heard repetitively on my 5.1 home theatre system at full volume...altogether a different sound from AR Rahman...Mohit in the past has sang really welll but this movie is a turning point in his career...never in recent times have we seen an album which has fully explored the vocals of a great singer...

Hawaa Hawaa (Rockstar): Like this song for the tongue twisting lyrics and amazing Mohit vocals... Phir Se ud chala, Tum Ho, Nadaan Parinde were some of other great tracks of this album...Rockstar can easily go on to win all the music awards this year...though I would have preferred Patiala winning it...dunno why...

Shaher Ki Rani (Tera Kya Hoga Johny): Guess the singer without referring to the album cover...You wont be able to find out that the singer is none other than Shreya...showcases her versatility...gone are the days of sunidhi....

Ohh la la (The Dirty Picture): This is now definitely Shreya's year...80s number with peppy tunes....like the track (my wife hates it...more for the visuals than for the songs)....Chikni Chameli is another track worth mention from Shreya's stable though it will make into my next year's list (listen to last 1 minute of the song to find out why Shreya is the best singer we have had in last 20-30 yrs)...

I have deliberately left out Why this Kolaveri (3) because

its a track from 2012 movie
Non Bollywood track

2011 Year In Pictures: Courtesy Boston.com

2011-12-31T11:01:00.002-05:00

Right from Japanese earethquake to Tahrir Square event to Libya revolution to Christchurch earthquake to Royal wedding to Chicago snowstorm

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part.html

ZNMD: Life has an all new meaning

2011-07-23T16:07:00.003-04:00

Very rarely does a college/school group get together and go on a fun trip sans their better halves almost 10 yrs after their college...Quite often do people get involved in adventure sports but very rarely they get a chance to live life (post the sport) with an altogether different perspective...Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a perfect example of that.

The movie starts off with Abhay Deol-Kalki engagement night...Abhay, Farhan and Hrithik decide to go on a road trip in Spain and indulge in 3 different adventure sports of their choice....Hrithik an I banker straight out of Wall street is initially unwilling to go on this excursion coz of project timelines..However he later decides to go owing to issues on his personal front...as part of the 1st trip they end up meeting Katrina...Farhan and Hrithik both get attracted to her. However never ever jealousy is shown between the two and it always comes out as a good-natured bantering...eventually Kats ends up on the Roman God's end....the lyricist has not come to Spain to woo Kats but to meet his padre...Kat-Hrithik bond well and their long walks and underwater diving bring a complete change in Hrithik's attitude and his perspective towards worldly pleasures...Anurag Kashyap's dame ends up in Spain to play a spoilsport and a rift develops between the lovey-dovey couple...Abhay too starts evaluating his decision to marry her..in the meantime Farhan gets a chance to meet his father only to be disappointed...However all three buddies end up finishing all 3 adventure sports and the movie culminates to an apt end...

Farhan is the pick of the lot...In fact he steals the show from one and all..He is a terrific actor and this role suits him to a tee....He is at complete ease and seems to be sleep walking through the entire movie...it looks completely effortless...Hrithik has the largest role in terms of screen space..his character has different shades (arrogance, money minded, generous, romantic) and he does a complete justice to his role...in fact very few of his movies has showcased his versatility...Abhay though not as effective as Dev D, Manorama Six Feet Under, Socha Na Tha, has an important role and is likable as ever....not a bad decision for selecting this role...Kats looks a li'l plump but essays her part effectively...Kalki was a bad choice for Natasha and would have preferred someone else...Deepti Naval and Naseer bring up memories of their past performances...

Zoya follows her bro's footsteps and make us relive the DCH experience...its a far better effort than her last outing Luck By Chance though LBC too was a nice movie...Javed Akhtar deserves a special mention for penning wonderful poetries and Farhan delivers them excellently...After Udaan this is another movie which has wonderful shayaris...SEL has another winner in their pocket after Patiala House...Senorita is peppy with excellent singing...Der Lagi is a revelation..Dil Jaise Dhadke is pulsating and Paint it Red is pure awesome fun...Tomatino Festival and Pomplano Bull run has been picturised well...cinematography is perfect and it captures Hrithik's mood specially on the starry night, deepwater diving and during the song Khwabon ke Parinde...the skydiving sport is also brilliantly...

I would rate ZNMD as one of the better movies of this millennium..definitely worth repeated viewing...

One of the best ways to express joy n happiness

2011-03-08T19:32:00.002-05:00

I am talking about dancing....ever realized that most of the folks instantaneously get into a jig once hearing good news or when one is happy......dance is something which will come natural to all and mind you i need not be a good dancer....almost everyone dances though not publicly....

Here are present to you some of the best dancing pics taken recently (courtesy Boston.com)

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/bodies_in_motion_dancing_aroun.html

Enjoy and put on ur dancing shoes....

Movies I watched last week

2011-01-23T20:05:00.002-05:00

was on a movie watching spree last week..almost saw most of the genres..romance, comedy, war, sci-fi, drama, animation....stayed away from horror as this is a territory I dare not cross....

Do Dooni Char (3.5/5): Have already posted my review earlier...one of the better movies of 2010

Mirch (3.5/5): Interesting, funny and hilarious movie..dealt with a topic (female adultery) never touched in Bollywood...all the 4 stories are riveting....however the plot which binds all the 4 stories is lacklustre...this could have been much better....raima is too expressive with her eyes and konkona is superb...Boman plays his part with aplomb...

No Problem (1/5): Giving a single point for all the spot boys, assistants, make-up artists who had to work hard for such a stupid crap movie....movie had big names but neither the story was good nor the acting...

Well Done Abba (4/5): One of the most underrated movies of 2010...had zero expectations before I started watching the movie..Minissha has given her career best performance and Boman has scored another winner....i commend the way they have adapted to Hyderabadi accent...the supporting cast is also good...the movie seems to drag at the end...could have been 15-20 mins shorter to creating a far greater impact..

Break Ke Baad (3.5/5): Far better than 2010 rom-coms such as IHLS, Aisha and Anjaana Anjaani....Deepika is an eye-candy..absolute treat to watch...has also given a good performance...Imran is pretty decent...

District 9 (4/5): Loved this movie...the junior alien reminded me of E.T...the guy who played Wikus acted really well...

The Secret in Their eyes (4.5/5): There is something about this movie which keeps haunting me...may be the rape/murder topic..or may be the quest of Esposito...or maybe the love of the husband....justice was done in the form of academy awards for best foreign language film last year..

Persepolis (3.5/5): Had high expectations but was somewhat let down by this movie...

Hurt Locker (4/5): First movie I saw which dealt with the Iraq war...had a good story and equally interesting performances....direction was spot on...

Khosla Ka Ghosla VS Do Dooni Chaar

2011-01-18T20:02:00.006-05:00

I happened to finish Do Dooni Chaar today after hearing a lot of rave reviews about it...lot has been published in the media about its similarity to Khosla ka Ghosla...I too would agree to it with some minor differences....

Similarities

Movies have Delhi as the backdrop and have tried to portray it from "aam junta" point of view
It is based on a central theme (house in KKG and car in DDC)
Both the protagonists (Anupam and Rishi) are from middle class family.
Central characters face opposition from their wives/children in the first half...however post popcorn meal there is a transformation and they make all efforts to help Anupam/Rishi
Central characters are shown helpless for most part of the film and often rely on ideas/suggestions from others.
Central characters are shown to be honest whereas their kids are rebels in their own way.
Mom plays the pacifier in both the films
Both the movies depict common-man issue in a very subtle but humorous way.
Simple story told with an almost perfect screenplay.

Differences

The protagonist in DDC is the only source of income in the family which isnt the case in KKG. Hence they have a better standard of living
The hardships and struggles (though a bit over the top in the 1st half) are more in DDC than in KKG
It is based on a central theme (house in KKG and car in DDC)
Both the protagonists (Anupam and Rishi) are from middle class family.

Coming to performances each of the characters in both the films excel and leave a lasting impression. Rishi and Neetu look perfect as the on-screen couple and their camaraderie is their to be seen.

KKG had a better background score as compared to DDC. Same hold true for the music. However the performances are better in DDC as compared to KKG.

For me, KKG has more repeat viewing capability than DDC. But this does not demean DDC as it is still one of the better movies of 2010.

Arbit movie review: Dil Hai ki Manta Nahi

2010-03-21T14:14:00.003-04:00

One of my fav movies of all time...it is a remake of It Happened One Night...this movie released way back in 1991 and I hadnt seen IHON....I extremely enjoyed this movie and still love it....last yr i saw IHON and the movie was a complete remake....yet i have no issues....aamir and anupam acted really well....aamir's character of raghu jetli is still fresh in my mind...very egoistic, snobbish and with lotsa attitude....same applied for pooja bhatt...songs were superb...be it the title song or adayein bhi hai or galyat sankli or o mere sapne or tu pyaar hai....everything was perfect abt this movie

Love Aaj Kal: Movie Review

2009-08-05T21:48:00.002-04:00

Imtiaz Ali is back with a bang....He keeps on growing as a director as well as a story teller...each of his movies have been good...be it socha na tha (very cute) or jab we met (very adorable) or love aaj kal (very soulful)...

presentation is quite similar to rang de basanti as it tries to draw a parallel between aaj and kal...but everything has been interwoven quite beautifully...the sepia toned kal exceptionally fits into the glossy aaj....it brilliantly depicts long distance relationships, break-ups, reunions....many of the scenes/dialogues reminded me of my past 3-4 months ;)

coming to performances saif is back to his "Hum tum" days...acts extremely well...thgh wld still prefer him in Omkara, Ek Haseena Thi, DCH and Hum Tum...he is present in almost every frame...deepika is exceptional...her best till date...watch out the way she smiles, cries, smirks, emotes, laughs...everything is so beautiful abt her...check her in the chor bazaari song..she is the new kid to watch out for....she is a mare for a long race :)....rishi is decent...harleen is cute...neetu's appearance brought a smile...still looks very gracious...

dialogues could have been better...was expecting more tongue in cheek dialogues after jab we met...film was a bit disappointing in that department...cinematography is excellent so is the art direction...choreography cld have been better specially for Twist and Aahun Aahun...

LAK is the best album of this year so far....each of the songs is hummable...be it Twist (a national rage), Aahun Aahun (a punjabi number), Chor Bazaari (extremely cute), Main Kya Hoon (beautifully picturised), Aaj Din Chadiye (Rahat always at his best), Ye Dooriyan (Mohit does it again)...

waiting for the DVD to come out...

New York: Movie Review

2009-06-29T21:56:00.002-04:00

nice movie after a long bollywood hiatus...anyways this year we have seen only a handful of decent movies....only luck by chance and dev D come to my mind...
i bet this movie would prove to be a turning point in the career of John, Katrina and Neil....all of them have given their career best performance specially John Abraham...i never thght he could act so well....his expressions in the flashback scene were exceptional....one could literally feel the pain that he was going thru...Katrina too was a revelation...her acting in the pre-climax scenes is applause-worthy....finally she is able to act ;)....Neil's acting brings back memories of Johny Gaddar..he looks convincing thruout the movie....in some scenes (early college days) he looks more dashing than John....i will leave it for the gals to figure it out..Irfan is a powerhouse...he portrays his FBI role so effortlessly...thgh not one of his best i wld still count it as one of his better ones...
Kabir's direction is pretty tidy...much better than Kabul Express...editing could have been crispier in the 2nd half..post interval movie seems to astray a bit...director could have given more stress on the terrorist motive...that wld have held the audiences till the very end...few scenes looks straight out of The Departed and Crash...in fact the base plot looks almost similar to that of The Departed...the visuals are eye-catching and so are the actor's wardrobe....Abercrombie and American Eagle rules the 1st half...
Songs though few are exceptional...amongst the best of the year...each of the 3 songs in the movie is hummable...Hai Junoon is about friendship..Mere Sang is about love/consolation and Tune Jo Na Kaha is about separation...Mohit has sung Tune Jo Na Kaha really well....
I wld recommend this movie for all those who liked Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Fiza, Mission Kashmir...

Movie Review: The Reader

2009-05-31T21:46:00.002-04:00

Kate is too good in this movie...check her expressions throughout the movie...her eyes speak more than she does (she is very few dialogues).....

story is about Kate who once worked as a guard prisoner and was supposedly responsible for the death of 300 Nazis...throughout her life she didnt tell anyone that she was illiterate and due to this she got life imprisonment

she very well got the academy award for this movie....though had wished "Eternal Sunshine from Spotless Mind" could have been her 1st oscar....

Run Lola Run

2009-03-10T23:25:00.003-04:00

a thrilling German movie...movie shows the same incident with 3 different outcomes...each outcome being better than the previous one....

Basic Plot

story is about a couple Manni and Lola...Manni has sold diamonds to a merchant and is planning to give that money to his boss...however he forgets the money while disembarking from the train and a bum gets hold of him...since he is not able to pay the money to his boss, he is given a deadline of 12 nooon to get 100,000 marks....Manni calls up Lola at 11:40 AM and tell her that he is in deep trouble and is in urgent need of 100,000 marks in 20 mins....if he is unable to get the money he will rob the superstore in front of the phone booth..

Outcomes

Characters and incidents repeat in each of the outcomes...each sequences in the outcomes have been shot at the same place...though the outcome is a bit different..the best one is the last outcome where the couple walks away with 127,000 marks (won in a casino) and are even able to repay 100,000 marks (which Manni is able to retrieve from the bum)....

Righteous Kill: Legends come together

2009-03-03T23:53:00.002-05:00

pretty decent thriller...thgh was expecting more considering de niro's and pacino's repertoire...

Story revolves arnd 2 cops De Niro (Turk) and Pacino (Rooster) who are trying to solve a case of serial killers who has killed 14 people...turns out at the end that rooster himself is the serial killer...throughout the move viewer thinks that it is turk who is doing this act however it turns out to be the other way...

Following: What a beginning for Nolan

2009-03-02T23:44:00.002-05:00

this guy is truly a genius...Nolan should now make such short/interesting movies after mega blockbusters like Dark Knight and Batman Begins....the story is so beautifully narrated...there are several twists and the non linear plot (like Memento and Prestige) keeps you thinking...

ths story basically revolves arnd 3 characters Bill, Cobb and the blonde...Bill is a compulsive follower who has the habit of following people and see where they end..on one such instance he follows Cobb...Cobb who is a burglar befriends him and starts involving him in petty crimes...in the meantime Bill gets into a relationship with a blonde (who is constantly being blackmailed a local club owner)....On her request, Bill decides to loot the club's safe so as to retrieve blonde's sleazy pics and money...however it turns out that the safe didnt have any of her pics and Bill realizes that he is being used as a pawn...While looting the safe he also injures one of the policeman with a hammer...

At a later point it is revealed that Cobb was manipulating Bill so as to have him caught by police for a murder of an old woman in which he was involved (thgh he didnt commit it)...however here comes another twist...there is no such old woman and in fact Bill (who is working for the club owner) has killed the blonde...since Bill had previously looted blonde's house he is held guilty by the police.....

Bridge on River Kwai

2009-02-25T22:55:00.002-05:00

fairly long movie though engrossing...

story is about british POWs who are held captive by Japanese force during WWII. the POWs are forced to build a bridge that would aid Japanese in moving resources from Bangkok to Burma...POWs are unware of the reason for building the bridge. Their leader Nicholson though reluctant finally succumbs and helps Japanese build the bridge. In face he suggests better alternatives. However one of their prisoners Shears who had escaped from Japanese meets another British officer who is planning to blast Kwai bridge. Movie culminates when both Shears and Nicholson are killed and the bridge is destroyed.

Great tracks from 2008

2009-02-11T21:36:00.003-05:00

the year belonged to ARR..thx to Jodha Akbar, Ada, JTYJN, Yuvraaj, Slumdog and Ghajini

Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (JTYJN): This was my fav track of the year....the song is very peppy and is unlike any of the prev ARR numbers...Rashid has a gr8 future....

Jaane Kyu (Dostana): Follows closely behind Kabhi Kabhi..Vishal does complete justice to the song..alongwith Aditi I wld say that Jaane Kyu is one of the peppiest tracks that I have heard in last few yrs..

Jashn-e-Bahaara (Jodha Akbar): Pure brilliance...simply love the song and the lyrics...

Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini): Nice composition...Benny is ably assisted by Shreya

Ahista Ahista (Bachna Ae Haseeno): a pacy number from Lucky Ali....beats are too good..

Teri Ore (Singh Is King): another romantic number from Shreya...Shreya is so good at romantic numbers that I wld definitely put her on par with greats like Lata, Alka and Sadhna Sargam...Rahat too is brilliant..

Zara si dil (Jannat): The combo of KK and Pritam always guarantee a hit..

Mar Jaawa (Fashion): rendered well by Shruti

U Me aur Hum: one more romantic number from Shreya

Ajnabi Khwab (Superstar): it never got the recognition that it deserved...

Tu Muskura (Yuvraaj): Alka sings a great track after a very long time and she still sounds fresh...

Yuvraaj: Music review

2008-10-25T23:56:00.002-04:00

Again after a long time....wish i cld blog more often...
this time i am going to review Yuvraaj....another masterpiece from Rahman....the music is totally different from what he has tried in the past...most of the songs have a european touch to it....some numbers are peppy while some are romantic....

the pick of the lot is Tu Hi to Mera Dost..wonderfully sang by Benny and brilliantly cmposed...am waiting to see this song on the big screen...Shanno Shanno is not far behind...the song catches momentum after first few mins once Sonu gets on the mike...tu muskura is for all those who are in love...Alka has not lost her golden touch till now...Mastam Mastam has funky/weird lyrics but is extremely peppy....Main Hoon Yuvraaj has the ever popular 5th symphony from Beethoven...Zindagi has great lyrics whereas Man Mohini and Dil Ka Rishta afre not far behind...

I wld rate this album 9 out of 10..though not in the league of Taal and DilSe it scores because this is something which Rahman has not tried before...

Good songs in past few months

2008-05-24T12:55:00.002-04:00

been almost 4 months since I have blogged....wld like to write about some great numbers that I have heard n past few months

Jashn-e-bahaara (Jodhaa Akbar): One of the best romantic numbers....Javed Ali has sung this song beautifully...he is the next Sonu/Kishore in the making....i really like the antara of this song and the way javed has sung it....lyrics are mesmerizing...this song simply grows on you

Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (Jaane tu ya na jaane): Relatively new song but has impressed me in a big way...Rahman has come up with such an energetic number after a long time (last time i think it was Paathshaala)....lyrics are contemporary...

Zara Sa (Jannat): on first hearing you would know that this is Emraan's number...no need to look at the trailers....like all Emraan's numbers in the past this one too is a chartbuster....this song bear traces to Kya Mujhe pyar hai from Woh Lamhe

Pehli Nazar(Race): Atif is back with a bang...what a number...sung this song really well though he strains himself during some notes....

Lazy Lamhe(Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic): Started hearing this song just yesterday....Anusha does complete justice to the song....have heard 5-6 times and really like the song

Falak Tak (Tashan): Typical Yash Chopra/Jatin Lalit number.....in the likes of Suraj hua maddham...though there is nothing new in the tunes yet this song entices you

Mann tu talbat (Superstar): Unassuming lyrics....difficult to grasp yet the music and vocal are praiseworthy

Main chala(Black n White): a slow number but worth few MBs on your Ipod....

U Me aur Hum(U Me aur Hum): Shreya is so good at slow romantic numbers...be it Jaadu Hai Nasha, Tara ru pum or Jaane do na....this is an extremely melodious song...recommended for hearing on candle light dinners/ long drives ;)

Top 2007 albums

2008-02-08T23:23:00.001-05:00

Since nothing much is happening in 2008 till now, I thought of carrying on with my "best of" series...this time its the best music.....

Life in a metro kicks off this list....this has one of the best music heard in recent times....most of the songs belong to the rock genre....songs like O meri jaan and In dino are my all time favs.....baatein kuch ankahee, alvida and rishtey are not far behind as well.....each of the songs has been sung by a different singer and they have given their best vocals for this movie.....a must buy for all music lovers.....definitely Pritam's best till now..

Jab we met is a complete album...there is a disco number in Mauja hi Mauja...there is a celebration song in Nagada...there is a sad song in Aaoge Jab tum...there is a romantic number in Tum Se hi...there is a fun track in Yeh Ishq Hai....this is another supreme album

Khoya Khoya chand is the album that finds favor with classes...each song has a classical touch to it...be it chalo aao saiyyaan, o re pakhi (my personal fav from the movie) or Thirak thirak....shreya and sonu are in terrific form...

Salaam-e-ishq...another complete album....Adnan was marvellous in Dil kya kare....Shaan was at his best with Mera dil...Nihira did full justice to the evergreen Babuji zara dheere...Sonu was as usual great in Tenu leke.....

Taare Zameen Par proves how talented SEL trio is.....title song is a masterpiece and so is Maa...shankar has beautifully sang these songs....we deserve to hear more from him....even kholo kholo is excellent.....

Anwar has music by 2 music directors....however only Mithoon shines and that too like the brightest star in the galaxy....he is the best new talent to hit bollywood last yr....tose naina and maula are sheer gems...brilliantly composed, written and rendered....just because of 2 songs this album find a spot in the list

Vishal Shekhar gave one of their best soundtracks in Om Shanti Om...Main agar kahoon and Ajab si are the best romantic numbers of the yr...deewangi was a rage so was dard-e-disco....title track brought memories of the past...

Shantanu was once again excellent in Laaga chunari mein daag...all the songs were good...be it title track, zara gungunale chalo or ek teekhi teekhi si.....hum to aise hai bhaiyya brought out a terrific duo in shreya and sunidhi....

Though not one of the best albums from Rahman, Guru still makes this list due to Maiyya maiyya (electrifying number), Aye Hairathe (with ever dependable Hariharan) and Barso re (from Shreya)...

Johnny Gaddar...this album definitely deserved a better fate....move your body and title track were peppy...

Himesh found a winner in Namaste london...Main jahaan rahoon was a haunting number...hats off to Rahat fateh ali khan....Dilruba and Yahin hota pyar were among the better songs of the yr....

Saawariya was a nice debut for Monty sharma...had the movie fared well the album wld have picked up big way.....Title track by Shail was an ultimate number so was Yoon Shabnami, Mashaallah and Jab se tere

Honeymoon travels had cool, melodious tracks such as Halke halke, Pyar ki ek kahani....Sunidhi consolidated her position as Asha bhosale of present time with Sajnaji waari....

Awaarapan had nice numbers in To phir aao and Tera mera rishta....mahiya was a nice peppy number

Mithoon has another winner in The Train....Wo Ajnabee and Teri Tamanna are excellent disco tracks..Beetein Lamhe was brilliantly sung by KK...

Top 2007 movies

2008-01-14T19:51:00.000-05:00

now its the turn to list down my fav movies of the yr in order

Taare Zameen Par: This definitely tops the list by miles....almost a flawless product from Aamir with not a single boring moment......by far the best film by a debut director (even toppling my personal fav Munnabhai from Raju Hirani and DDLJ by Adi Chopra)....each and every performance whether is Aamir, Tisca or Darsheel is award worthy....had there been any awards equivalent to oscars then darsheel would have unanimously walked away with the best actor award...but the filmfare and screen guys always have Srk in their list.....

Johnny Gaddar: wish this movie could have fared better....amongst the slickest, stylish movie ever to be produced in Bollywood....the story was gripping and so were the performances....neil mukesh was the find of the yr ahead of ranbir....this movie needs to be seen by all movie buffs...definitely shld not be missed....the background score was excellent...

Chak de India: another inspirational movie after Lagaan....amongst Shahrukh's better performances (much better than his Chopra/Johar roles).....the entire hockey team too pitched in a great performance...title song became the anthem of the country and was heard during all matches in India....direction was perfect....

Cheeni Kum: one of the better big B performances in recent times....Tabu was as usual great...after a long time big B found a good pair in Tabu....

Bheja Fry: vinay pathak deserves best comedian award for this movie...this is an example of a small budget movie clicking in a big way

Life in a Metro:Another excellent movie..Shilpa, Irfan and Konkona was superb...the entire track of Irfan and Konkona was hilarious...music is the best of this year...

Jab we met: a Kareena movie all the way..she would definitely walk away with all awards this yr...the dialogues are award worthy....shahid had a big role and the character suited him....pritam's music was amongst the best of the yr....

Om Shanti Om: biggest blockbuster till now with decent performances from SRK and Deepika...some of the dialogues will be remembered for a long time...this is the best masala movie of the yr....

Black Friday: a powerful film with powerpacked performances

Bhool Bhulaiyya: hope Vidya manages to get few awards for this film but will have a stiff competition from Kareena...a great performance from her and Akshay....one of the better Priyadarshan movies (other being Hungama and Hera pheri)...

Eklavya: among the better directed movies of the yr....performances from Amitabh, Sanjay, Jimmy, Raima and Saif were splendid..some of the scenes specially the killing of Jimmy showcase how great a director Vidhu Chopra is....

Honeymoon travel Private ltd: a light hearted sweet movie with sweet music...the pair of abhay-minnisha and raima-KK was lovable..

1:40 ki last local: another humorous movie which should have fared better...abhay as usual was adorable....

manorama six feet under: though a direct left from Chinatown this movie was watchable because of abhay's performance and indianized version of chinatown...

Blue Umbrella: another winner from Vishal Bharadwaj....the story was simple and sweet...pankaj kapoor was excellent...

some of the other movies which missed this list narrowly are
Naqaab (better thrillers of the yr)
Dus Kahaaniyan (6 of the stories were simply amazing)
Partner (excellent camaraderie between Salman and Govinda)
Guru (great performances)
Awaarapan (nice story and powerful Emraan performance)

Top Songs of 2007

2007-12-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

here is my list starting from the best

Bol na halke halke -Jhoom barabar jhoom: This is the best song of the year. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was simply superb. One of the best songs from SEL
umre lagi lago kehte huye
do lafz the ek baat thi
wo ek din sau saal ka
sau saal ki wo raat thi
kaisa lage jo chup chap dono
pal pal mein poori sadiyaan bitade

O re pakhi- Khoya khoya chand: Among the best slow heart rendering number heard in a long time. One of Sonu's gems....he was so restrained in this song

O meri jaan-Life in a Metro: Loved this song...the year definitely belonged to KK and Pritam and they were in top form...the beats were amazing..the antra was soul stirring....
Tu aa gaya yun nazar, jaisa subah dopahar mein
madhoshi yunhi nahi dil pe chayee
niyat ne li angdayee
chhuaa tune kuch is tarah
badli fizaa, badla sama
o meri jaan

Tose Naina- Anwar: Guest composer Mithoon provided 2 excellent numbers in this movie (Maul being the other one)...even though just 21 yrs of age this guy has tremendous talent..check out how he used the sound of water so effectively when the song starts

Main agar kahoon- Om Shanti Om: One more addition to Sonu's repertoire of classy romantic numbers...the song has heavy use of violins especially during preludes/interludes..also check out the use of santoor (very soft...only can be captured if heard at full volume) during the interludes...

Taare zameen par- Taare zameen par: Whenever I listen to this song, the entire movie comes in front of me...the video brings tears to one's eyes...though Shankar doesnt sing much he has sung this beautifully...he should be given more oppurtunities...the song has beautifully used many similes/metaphors a la Ek Ladki ko dekha
jaise aankhon ki dibiya mein neendiya
aur neendiya mein Meetha Sa Sapna
aur sapne mein Mil Jaaye Farishta Sa Koi
jaise rangon bhari pichkari
jaise titliyan phoolon ki kyari
jaise bina matlab ka pyara rishta ho koi
yeh to asha ki lehar hain
yeh to ummeed ki sehar hain
khusiyon ki nehar hain

Main jahaan Rahoon-Namaste London: Another winner from Rahat Fateh Ali Khan....Krishna too complements him well.....Himesh's music was also superb...both the singers showed tremendous range.

Halke Halke-Honeymoon Travels: Wish this song could have been promoted well...among the better romantic numbers in recent times

Thirak Thirak-Khoya khoya Chand: I love the way the prelude builds up the song...shantanu has given good music and Sonu-Shreya do full justice to the number.

Maula mere-Anwar: Roop Kumar was at his best...even better than Sandese Aate and Khamosh Raat....

Dil Kya kare-Salaam-e-ishq: Adnan sang this song beautifully...the lyric were innovative
din bhar kuch miss karta hoon
jaane kaise khwaahish karta hoon
bheed mein tanha rehta hoon
dil kya kare
bhool gaya main din saal mahina
january mein bhi aaye pasina
aata hai aaraam kahin na dil kya kare

Ek din teri- Naqaab: Another winner from KK....brilliant number...even the video was beautiful...

Some other better numbers of the yr are listed below.....
In Dino- Life in a Metro
Aaoge Jab tum-Jab we met
Chak De India-Chak de India
Kholo kholo-Taare Zameen Par
Teri Tamanna- The Train
Maiyya maiyya-Guru
Tera Mera Rishta-Awarapan
Yahin hota pyar- Namaste London
Baatein Kuch Ankahi- Life in a Metro