TAMASHA - Safarnama Khayalo Ka

So where do I start with today...hmm! No.No.Don't worry, the Imtiaz Ali product was not at all a blunder, rather a wonder, making my pen wander for words to write down this non-describable tale. The Ranbir Deepika duo had already pumped up enough adrenaline of the youth by their funky looks, cool locations and the hint of a beautiful romantic tale set amidst all this. Came along with it as a surprise was not only the movie's appeal to the youngsters but to a pan-Indian audience.

The story technically begins on a one-of-its-kind 'Rangmanch' and moves to flash backs moment and again without causing even a bit of what is called confusion. Fundamentally, the story incepts in the breathtakingly pleasing place, Corsica in France. The duo bumps into each other as it always happens. But what does not always happen, is what happens here.Most of those who had been allured by the promos,which had been mindfully run only to pose a cute-romance between the already popular pair and had watched the film ONLY for this content, must be disappointed.

But if you had a little acceptance of just more than silly Bollywood romance, then no less than delighted would you have been.The actual idea of the movie,as seemed to me, was finding oneself in the midst of what goes on. There was romance, but it was woven around the central theme, filling up the necessary gaps in apt balance between a message which the story delivers and the so-called happy endings which much of the viewers desire so that not to call it off at an abrupt point.So even if you were looking for a pure entertainment-no learning tamasha, you won't be disappointed.

Few days back on one of my not so regular night walks, a woman in her late thirties with whom I sometimes go out, in my neighborhood, whom I address as Aunty Ji,was talking about the new releases in the coming days. I told her excitedly that am definitely going for this one and said you may also as she mentioned going for a movie with her husband. And what she said, made my heart heavy. "No, we will watch a family movie like PRDP" :(

It is out of my basic understanding that why cannot  we change our stubborn-illogical-perception of a family movie? A few kissing scenes and short dresses, this is what people think is out of the domain of a Parivarik Picture . 

Tamasha is rather a very suitable piece of work to go and watch with your family. The neglected will of a child, the denial of parents to let him be what he wants to be, the courage to take the first alone step to pursue what you want to, the importance of a loved one's opinion about yourself and how it can bring drastic changes if taken positively, never meant to have occurred otherwise. How can you call a film like this a misfit in the family-film category?

THE SONGSsssss!!

Hit already!Rocking the charts all over the leading radio channels, numbers like Matargashti, Tum sath ho, Heer toh badi sad hai, the Wat Wat song, Safarnama have become instantly this month's favorite ones to be in the playlists of people. Fitting in the frame at the correct time, good music came along with an even better execution.

P.S : I am very much content with my idea of a family movie.

PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO!

Okay.I know.But I can't be biased towards any piece of art just for the sake that it is bad and that I know it is (lol) Being a critic you have to analyse varied specimens :D ( See some professionalism here. Eh? :p)

The Story

It's a double role celluloid drama where one Salman is a would be king and the other is our very own, loved Salman bhai as he is in all his movies. These kings I tell you! Got kidnapped by his own brother, protected by his loyal-royal servant cum patron and return to claim his throne in just four days after a deadly accident which can only leave our film stars alive and in such good shape that they not only fight but win it too. HaHaHa .And rest is a routine hustle and bustle infused with some weak humor, humongous sets, lavish Palace action and romance locations and lots of money badly spent. Aaha!

The Characters

I am not a movie virtuoso and hence my mind oscillated between average and good when it came to rate Bhai's on screen skills.But this movie if did one good thing ,then it was to let me see forthright. And here is my conclusion : Salman ko acting nahi aati!

Sonam, the very gorgeous Daddy's girl, clad in beautiful dresses that I felt for instantaneously, looked stunning. She was the Rajkumari as usual.Moving on, the supporting characters of Diwan Sahab ( Anupam Kher) ,the security head (Deepraj Rana) and Chandrika (Swara Bhaskar) and Kanhaiya (Deepak Dobriyal) did justice to their roles and to be very honest, only these people did what is supposed to be done in a film.ACT.

Remember Pappi Ji from TWM? Kanhaiya is the same guy :D

The Songs

You know what Mr.Badjatya? You incorporate songs in a movie, not wound a story around songs. There were ten songs in the 164 minute movie totaling up to a 39 min. Woah! Unlike Vishesh Productions' movies (the Bhatt family) where people enjoy the songs if not the movie, Himesh Reshamiya screwed this last 'paisa wasool' possibility as well. 

I mean who goes out singing and dancing to the sweets' shop? How can you manage to put up a choreographed football match? Does any background music play when you spend time with your siblings? And who the hell creates a song when two brothers are battling for their lives?

Though Premleela and Jalte Diye were the two bearable ones. 

The Set! The Costumes!

I had to add this extra tab. The shooting was done at Kumbalgarh Fort located in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan is an epitome of culture and architecture. The long walls and the huge area , the beautiful carvings on the stone walls , the giant like gates of the fort everything was breath taking, though in the movie you only get a glimpse of it, still one can appreciate the beauty of what little much was shown. Being a girl I could not stop myself from wishing to have atleast one of the dresses worn by the women in the movie.

To sum it up, Bollywood films and especially these type, are categorized as a family watch. Now what do we mean by that? Those movies which will have no kissing, adult, drinking , gambling scenes I guess. So these guys take that advantage and present to you on platter a mindless mix of utterly boring and predictable multiple short stories and make one big story out of it. Until and unless we won't demand some sense from cinema, we won't get it.

And no more filmy wisdom. After all Bollywood is fun. Isn't it? :)

SHAITAN - the Devil within

'Shaitan' which means devil, is a hindi word. This movie is no horror jonor entity, rather reveals the worst of the not so best people showing the circumstances leading them to act this way.

The Script
A strong storyline, though not very innovative, still strong as the writer is pretty much clear in his idea of what he wants to show. The chaos in the life of the characters is visible on screen in such clear distinction that one can infer the clarity of concept in the mind of the maker. A mentally, more emotionally challenged girl, not a conventional mad person, but a psycho haunted by the memories of her mother's death, comes from Los Angeles to Mumbai and meets a group of boorish yet bold, spoilt yet humane gang of brats. Their trust on each other takes a toll on their lives when a corrupt police officer asks them for a humongous bribe to hide an accident case in which two people were killed. Then begins the horrible roller coaster ride, hiding and running and blaming, ultimately leaving two of them dead.

The Performance 
Novice they may be called, but each and every actor had their own aura of black charm bounding you to feel hatred and sometimes sympathy towards them. The five friends together did the weirdest, the most barbaric of the things in such a manner which makes you appreciate the beauty of the ugliness of their deeds :D Young and reckless as they are, they remain so even after the blunder they made, seems very real without any kinda 'hridaya parivartan' non-sense because it never happens. The paradox roles of Rajkumar Rao, the loathsome, creepy creature, shows the malign side of the police force whereas the honest, brave officer played confidently by Rajeev Khandelwal, have been cherry on the cake.

 The Execution
For me, this was the most vital ingredient which made this movie into what we saw on screen. Script, which was somewhere or the other a better repetition , it was the director Bejoy Nambiar's work which had put the whole thing so brilliantly.

The film did above average on the box office but what I crave is the space for making more such pictures. Under the Anurag Kashyap banner, and a few more talented artists we occasionally see four or five times an year some real wisdom in Bollywood. Not only our stars are to be blamed but us as well because we don't feel the need for intelligent entertainment.

Hey! It was a 2011 release. Why are you reviewing it almost four years later?
Being unable for whatsoever reasons to watch this movie back then I decided to watch it in this Diwali break. As far as the review is concerned, it would have been an injustice hadn't I be writing this.  

GO BACK!

After much discussion I gave in and we ( my three friends and I) decided to go for the sequel of Welcome, Welcome Back. But it did not take much time to realise the blunder we did. In the first ten minutes of the movie you become aware of your loss. Loss of time and money and some fun as well if you would have gone to a cafe or some other place to simply chill out with friends rather than being here.

 I don't want to sound very negative but that was all the movie had to offer : extreme confusion misunderstood as humor. 

THE SCRIPT

Not too much amusement as with Sajid Nadiadwala's movie you don't really expect a story. Chaotic situations camouflaged with excess of characters to hide the lack of effort of the director and his team, but to no avail. You can easily see the disaster coming at the very beginning of the film. This is the problem with sequels. The first part Welcome was a pretty fine work of comedy and this movie tried to take it to another level but instead of going on an upper side it went down to depths. 

THE CAST

Nana Patekar as Uday Shetty, Naseeruddin Shah as Wanted bhai and Paresh Rawal as Ghunghroo have just rocked it. Though the script was very feeble and had actually no surprise element but these people maintained the humorous streak in the movie. As this was a multi star cast film everyone had their small share to contribute and I won't be overstating if I say it is because of them there was some actual laughter in the theatre. 

Anil Kapoor as Majnu bhai was very okay in his role. John Abraham as Ajju bhai or the decent guy Ajay for some time , Shruti Hasan as Ranjana, Uday's sister and Dimple Kapadia as a con woman were all good for nothing. Bad screen skills, bad dialog delivery, bad everything. It is a shock to see Kamal Hasan's daughter not being able to deliver even a mediocre performance. and last but not the least, Cherry on the Cake, Ms. Ankita Srivastav, the debutant was there to pump up the audinece's adrenaline in her two piece scenes but she even failed to do that :p 

THE SONGS

Oh my my! I could write a whole page about the wonderful, super good sounding sounds (pun intended :p )but I won't do that. As the horrible thought was just sinking in that this movie was the worst decision of your weekend plan, this song comes and clears the shred of doubt and hope which was remaining.

 'Meet me daily baby' OMG! So cutely has Nana danced but of no use as the whole thing is so rotten.And Anil Kapoor's pelvic movements make you sink back in your seat so much that you can cuddle yourself like a small baby in it.

 'Baiko' sunke ho gaye sab psycho ! lol :p 

And the item number '20-20' with lots of sizzling, hot girls trying to entice the Don did no good work. 

The conclusion : A bad movie with no good songs! Paisa barbaad

BUT!!! Not the end of the story. Did I have fun? Most of you will say obviously No!! But I'd say Yesss! Go with friends with a dirty mind :D The ones who can laugh at the worst of the jokes and make fun of the dullest of the things.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan

As a preacher of hardcore value added movies, craving for a good script; fine, suitable songs; depiction of superior acting skills by the actors is all what I want in one movie. By these standards it sometimes become difficult for me to find a show worth watching. 

Filme sirf teen cheezo se chalti hai - Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! 

Unfortunately for me entertainment has another level of finesse which by far very less of our Indian directors are capable of reaching. ( No showing off intended :p this is the way I am with movies )

I'll be letting my readers know more about my 'filmy philosophy' so that all those of you ( a very few though :D) can,if not very well, then atleast relate to my writing a little bit.

Same Old Same Old

Salman Khan has been tainted time and again if not openly then covertly, because of his huge name and following, by the industry critics to produce movies which are very hero-centric and unreal. And those of you who can keep aside your love for Sallu bhai will be able to think on parallel lines with me. The dhishum-dhishum , the catchy songs, the simple-to-follow dance moves, the gorgeous debut actresses have always been the monopoly of his creations. The outcome has always been a multi hundred crore earning prodcution!

 What else a common man needs to relieve a day's stress ? Sit with your family and enjoy with the buttered packet of popcorn the star entertainer become the super-hero of a fictional world. But for those of us who need a little extra...Well!

Twist In The Tale

The release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, his latest project was no more different than the others. Lavish and eye-catching, With the "Selfie" song already hitting the top of the charts of all the radio stations I was not even disappointed at people being attracted to it,because they always did. But then came a little twist to the usual occurings. The movies got critical acclaimation, the perfectionist of the industry,one of the three KhanS, Mr,Aamir Khan was seeing with a tear rolling down his cheek when out of the theatre, all this just stirred up my curiosity and I had to verify it for myself.

An Overview

The movie is about a young Pakistani girl Shahida (Harshaali Malhotra), 6 years old, unable to speak and gets lost in the town of Kurukshetra. She meets Salman i.e Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi aka Bajrangi who will later take on the name Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and is now under his tutelage. Kareena Kapoor who is playing Rasika ( Pawan's lover) has full faith in him about getting the girl to her home, till they discover she hails from Pakistan. On discovering that the girl is a Pakistani, Rasika's family with whom Pawan is staying forces him to send her back ASAP. And then begins the challenge. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has done complete justice to his small but supportive role as a struggling journalist and as a friend of Salman throughout his Pakistan travel.

The Plot

The story has an innocent appeal to it which has been well complimeted by Pawan and Munni ( Shahida's Indian name). You are completely involved in the movie because of this little girl's smile and her supercute childlike ways. And here is the break away from the first cliche about Salman's movie. It's the girl which gets all the attention, atleast more than him :D 

 The story is a genuine one and could be believed. It's not an utter hypothetical miraculous non-sense, though some parts are more emotionally driven than logically.The emo part gets on you, is a different tale although! 

The Songs

The selfie song is a hit! No doubt! The other one "Aasmaa tu Mera" if could not be heard separately ,still blends in with the move as required creating an appealing ambience.

This movie is one very good example of how with all the usual B-wood chamak dhamak a good story can be presented. We expect more such movies from you Salman :)

P.S : If you are still reading,....Hats off! :p And thank you :))

Dil Dhadakne Do - A Narrative

“Yeah it’s a nice movie but a little slow! What do you think?”

Hm! Was all I hm-ed when my cousin sitting beside me asked half expecting I’d say that with the same disappointment she had on her face as the film did not have a perfect end rather the Indian end showing a silly Kabir proposing an angry Farah. Awww! :(

But do all Indian films have to reach this point to be called a movie with a happy end? We Indian viewers are in a habit of coming out from the theatre where the last scene being run on the celluloid was the boy and the girl getting married and we are content. But what about the journey through which they sailed ? D3 gives you a chance to stop for a while and think. The pace as they call it low, gives one an opportunity to peep into life’s well and not just stand on the edge trying to pull the bucket out with full effort and strength, but also to look into the deep waters of emotion.

“Yaar wo sab toh theek hai par koi story nahi thi movie me.”

Another common allegation the film is being accused of. Alas! Why don’t we realise that a story is not important but the lesson which the whole depiction of characters on screen teaches us is. Yes the movie technically did not have a story. But do we need one? What good a story is if it does not touch your heart or make you feel good which certainly this film did. :)

Zoya Akhtar ekdum unreasonable movies banati hai, sab paise walon ke liye.

We have an answer to this as well. It was a luxurious plot of the same problems which the middle class families too go through. Ain’t a girl getting divorce a big issue in our society? A boy falling in love with a Muslim girl who’s a dancer not a disaster for the family? Kids of two rival families falling in love! Oh come on! this one you have watched so many times earlier. Then what’s so unreasonable about D3? That it puts all the so-well-known characters on a highly expensive Cruise to Turkey. Much of a problem ? ;)

Arey par gaane toh kam se kam dhang ke hone the na!!!

Yes! We cannot deny that the songs were par average. These type of songs you can’t get back to repeatedly. But if one has to keep aside the regular romance and spice both generally found in Bollywood music, we got some good lyrics.

Coming to the performances. Priyanka Chopra was as usual charismatic. Anil Kapoor could come out as a very strong actor but he did not. Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar had very short roles but important one’s and their presence added to the light mood of the movie. And the cherry on the cake, the whole cake actually! I never thought I’d write this about him but the over-energetic actor gave a marvellous performance. As Kabir he has portrayed the innocence which the role demanded of. The kind of positivity which his character brings in is commendable. He seems quite effortless to suppress the real witty, irritatingly notorious and loud Ranveer and be a charming Kabir.

There is nothing more which I felt could have been done to make the film a better watch.