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Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)
The lamest of all, Period!
Dil Dhadakne Do is a pale and lame film about some pale and lame people. I am not even comparing director Zoya Akhtar's previous two works as this movie is beyond comparison not because its lame but it lacks the substance and the sheer soul of being a Zoya movie.
The only high points of the movie are Ranveer Singh aka Kabir Mehra and the bullmastiff (read: dog breed) Pluto Mehra's dialogues on life lessons penned by Javed Akhtar. You want to see more of Ranveer, while you wait for the movie to pick up pace, but that sadly happens only towards the end.
This cruise sinks miserably, you may like to give it a miss and surprisingly you won't regret it! Happy Weekend folks!
Highway (2014)
A Cinematic Triumph -- "HIGHWAY"
This is really very hard for me to put this in down in words what I loved about Highway or why I loved it. There are moments when Alia Bhatt's character, Veera, laughs and cries and doesn't know why she is expressing her emotions this way. Honestly, I decided not to review this film. Not because I don't want to, I really want to. Except this is one of those rare times where I might not be able to explain why I loved a film so much.
Highway is a film that starts like a typical genre film about a girl being kidnapped. The rest of it is not like a genre film about a girl being kidnapped at all. It is probably not even like an Imtiaz Ali film. Then again, this might be the film he's been wanting to make all this while. Everybody loved Jab We Met (2007), a film so likable and perfectly mainstream. Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Rockstar (2011) divided the audience. The latter more than the former but the latter also garnered more passionate support thanks to Ranbir Kapoor's performance and A. R. Rahman's brilliant music. Highway will certainly divide the audience as well.
There is a moment in the film where Veera asks Mahabir (Randeep Hooda) if he likes mountains or beaches. I'm a mountain person. It's not that I dislike beaches but I just prefer mountains. I think this would have a lot to do with whether you connect with this film or not. This film borders on a fantastical road movie, sometimes it becomes a love story and then it becomes a film about a girl's emancipation from her cage. She connects with nature, outside and inside. The first half of the film is more conventional but the more it went away from conventions; the more I fell in love with it, by the time it went for interval I already had goose bumps. It happened gradually and at the end it reached a crescendo.
Alia Bhatt is absolutely stunning in this film. She acts her heart out. She made an appearance on her mentor's chat show recently and said she considers Parineeti Chopra her competition. Like anyone who has seen her in Student of the Year (2012), I laughed off her comment as wishful thinking. Here she is giving solid competition to her and probably even outdoing her at places. More than anything, I admire her decision to do a film like this one when she could have done any other, safer film. I'm sure she will do movies that make her a star and capture the attention of the mainstream audience but it feels great to witness young talent taking a bold chance instead of treading the usual path. The film has a denouement. After the climax, the film goes on for about 10 minutes and she lets it all go. I was absolutely astonished and overwhelmed with emotion. The inexplicable kind.
Randeep Hooda plays the typical brooding silent but angry criminal. He doesn't overdo it; neither does he underplay it so much that we don't see a performance. This is a performance that could get sidelined because of Alia Bhatt's explosive turn but it is definitely his finest hour. Anil Mehta captures the beauty of the north Indian terrain and the vast expanse of the Himalayan foothills. There is silence in his images. A. R. Rahman hardly goes wrong. Patakha Guddi and Maahi Ve are one of the most wonderful songs he has ever created. I'm beginning to think he writes lyrics for them as well and then a lyricist translates them into Hindi.
There might be many flaws in the film as far as balanced critique is concerned. It's a slow- paced film but so is life. Its ideas are sublime and silent but so is the bliss and peace during a meditative state. When films try to be spiritual, they end up being intellectual. As I confessed at the beginning of the review, I wouldn't be aware of the flaws because I was too busy being in love with the film and love, as they say, is quite blind.
They also say it's not the destination but the journey that matters. Everyone quotes it but not many know what it means or want to feel it. I don't know if I know what it means but Imtiaz Ali knows and he has beautifully depicted it on screen. All our roads lead to one destination. How we go there is on us. It's my way or the "high"way. Ali takes the second route and offers us a chance to travel with him. Travel inside. There are so many filmmakers who would make thrilling entertainment out of the same material. They might have the character being raped and turn it into a social document or a gripping race against time escape-movie. Imtiaz Ali has the guts to infuse the film with love. It's not a love story but a film about love, it's a film about breaking free from the things that bind you, taking us away from love. It is never maudlin or sentimental. It doesn't stop to be a heavy-handed sermon either. It's a cathartic, profound experience.
I was a puddle at the end of the film and I don't know why. How do I explain why I was tearful? Artists can always do things they want to without having to explain their creative decisions. Critics are not artists. We are just an audience who has been given the privilege to write about our reaction to cinematic products, works of art and everything else in between. I apologize for not being able to give you valid reasons why this is an artistic triumph but I feel it is. Imtiaz Ali may not be considered an artist. For me, he most certainly is and Highway is his most beautiful expression.
Talaash (2012)
A Magical Thriller...
An actor dies. A cop movie is born. That is the most I'll tell you about the plot of this film but I will definitely take the opportunity to praise the actor who is responsible for some of the best films made in India. There is trend of films with big stars playing cops and giving us some of that good old masala (Right from Wanted to Singham to Dabangg to Rowdy Rathore). Every superstar is cashing in on this formula while it lasts. Aamir Khan could have also followed this trend but he chooses to kill that actor and gives birth to a real cop movie into the mainstream. Aamir returns to the big screen after a hiatus of 3 years when he captivated the entire nation with 3 Idiots (2009). (Yes he did Dhobi Ghat, but you know what I mean). Year after year, he refuses to sell-out and holds true to his promise of giving us good movies. Sure he does a film like Ghajini (2008) as well but then even while he does it, he makes a mark. We all know it was the first film that crossed 100 crores, way before the industry myth of the "100 crore club" was coined. He created the trend, which he refuses to follow.
Then again, it would be highly unfair to sing praises of the actor and not give credit to the makers. Films like 3 Idiots and Lagaan were excellent films due to the talents of Rajkumar Hirani and Ashutosh Gowariker. Talaash works more so because of the meticulous execution of Reema Kagti. The atmosphere and the tone of the film are always precise, never losing focus. The agenda throughout is telling the story and telling it right. The music by Ram Sampath is old fashioned and superbly delicious. Laakh Duniya Kahe (my favorite song from the film) is attached to a subtle roll over credits. I could notice the presence of the background score in almost every scene, which creates a mood of dread and gloom. Mohanan's camera flirts with luscious colors and classy lighting.
The screenplay by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti is well constructed. It conceals every bit of information, which would elevate the mystery. Yet, it gives us information, while the characters in the film are robbed of it and makes us engaged participants. Remember those yesteryear murder mysteries like Bees Saal Baad (1962)? It gives you taste of such sumptuous dishes that nobody likes to offer anymore. Recently we saw Kahaani, which was also a good thriller, but this one did what Kahaani couldn't do for me: I cared for the characters. (Obviously an impeccable actor like Aamir Khan contributes to this, which is not saying Vidya Balan isn't one). I remember a time in the late 90s when films like Gupt (1997) and Kaun (1999) were being talked about everywhere because of the big reveal at the end. I felt I was catapulted to those days where I don't want to tell people what the twist was and see their reactions later. (Please don't be a sourpuss and spoil it for people, it's way more fun that way)
Yes, there is a twist. Your judgment of the film will depend on whether you like this twist or not. My first reaction was naaah.. then after few minutes or so I realized that the end couldn't have been better. I even guessed the twist including its details and you may guess it too but instead of being proud of the fact that our minds do work, I strongly recommend you to indulge in the rewards of the film, which extend further than a fanciful surprise. (And how I love the surprise!). Thanks to the last 10 minutes of the movie, which I believe, is what makes this film more than just a thriller, is tastefully handled... and YES it does have a message built-in. It may remind you of a movie which I will not name because that would be again be a massive spoiler. Talaash is a first-rate murder mystery with solid performances. The winners (for me) here are Kareena Kapoor (of course apart from Aamir Khan) and Reema Kagti who stand tall and churn out a film that is consciously quixotic and endlessly fascinating. Now can someone get this trend going? I'd like some more of those good old mysteries, please....
Life of Pi (2012)
Life of Pi is achingly beautiful. An utterly magnificent experience.
When I read the book, I understood why Life of Pi was pronounced unfilmable. Most of the plot revolves around a boy and a tiger on a boat. This is one of those cases where most would say "nothing happens". This story which isn't blatantly cinematic didn't exactly have a formula for a great film. Its production was also jinxed as it changed directors from M. Night Shyamalan to Jean Pierre-Jeunet, an Indian-American and a Frenchman. These choices made sense since the book was written by a French-Canadian but set in the Indian backdrop. Finally, the job was handed over to Ang Lee who is neither French nor Indian. This told me how judgments could really throw you off sometimes and prevent you from discovering beauty. Lee takes on this crouching tiger and truly gives us a hidden dragon. He has always been expert at subtle drama and handling unspoken/ unfulfilled relationships with poignancy. It all ultimately fits. I would even go as far as saying the book was waiting to be filmed by him. Nobody else could have made it.
Visually, the film is unlike anything your eyes have seen before. It is just utterly magnificent. Avatar, Hugo, Tintin and now Life of Pi. Few films have exhibited actual use 3D and not thanklessly indulge in shoddy gimmickry. The images composed are so strikingly rich and alive that it would work even without 3D. There would be at least 10 instances where my mouth opened and I couldn't bring myself to let out a gasp since I was choked with amazement.
As most fables do, they transport you into a fantastical world while being an allegory on life. I personally love the character of Pi. He is relentless, a child of god who never ceases to give up hope. There is another character you take home with you: Richard Parker, the Royal Bengal Tiger. He isn't a cute dog that everybody in the audience falls for but a fearsome presence like King Kong. There are other wondrous creatures like a bioluminescent whale, an island swarming with meerkats and flying dorados. Magic realism on film has never been this good.
Suraj Sharma is soulful as Pi. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes onto become a Hollywood movie star like Freida Pinto. Although, the performance that blew me away was that of Irrfan Khan as the older Pi. In the scene where he talks about Richard Parker, two teardrops from his eyes moved me ever so deeply. The film will be getting several nominations at the Oscars, including the big ones. But if there is any justice in Hollywood (which there isn't, as we know), Irrfan Khan should be on his way to getting an Oscar nomination for supporting actor.
Mychael Danna's music is simply unbelievable. He uses Indian flutes, French accordions along with classical western violins. Pi's Lullaby (in Tamil) is achingly beautiful and it is accompanied with a gorgeous credits sequence that will make A. R. Rahman sit up with envy.
I was a bit concerned about a few sub-plots in the novel and especially the preface which deals with Yann Martel talking about how he came to write this story. This preface is now a sub-plot in the film as Pi gives the story to the writer and tells him to do whatever he wants with it. That writer is Ang Lee who has taken Martel's story and improved upon it. He squeezes out certain moments from the source material and gives it a new life. The ending of the film is classic Ang Lee and stands tall as one of his best closing moments alongside Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Lust, Caution (2007). It is safe to say he is one of those few filmmakers who can film any story of any genre and still make it better than the genre's luminaries. He is one of cinema's modern masters.
The question everybody will come out with after watching the film is whether it was real or not? I don't wish to go into this at all as I wholeheartedly believe Pi's tale without a single speck of doubt (I find it easier to believe than many films based on true stories). It isn't exactly believable how Sense and Sensibility, a Jane Austen novel that was fundamentally British was also perfectly filmed, not by a Briton, but by a Taiwanese filmmaker. It may seem far-fetched but it's the truth. Truth cannot be truth if it only comes out of knowledge and not experience. Life of Pi is that transcendental experience. There are many who will have issues with the film's thematic elements. Believe in god or not, but if you believe in cinema, you will surely be blessed with a gift. The word I would use to concisely describe Life of Pi is: "beautiful". This is most definitely one of my most favorite films of the year.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)
Meandering tale of love...
It is bad to speak ill of the dead. Yash Chopra, with his untimely death, has in one stroke managed to blunt out a volley of criticism his latest and now last outing can elicit out of even the most ardent fan of his films. So this one goes out with a sincere apology to the man's memory, cause he is not around to defend himself. Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a laborious and extremely tedious watch.
SRK is Samar Khan, a Londoner doing odd jobs to meet ends, he falls in love with Meera, a rich man's daughter who loves to bargain with God , making promises to leave things which she loves in return for her prayers being answered. An accident happens, and Meera promises to forget Samar in return for his life. Ten years hence, Samar is an Army Major, and Akira a wannabe Discovery journo is recording his bravado of being the bomb detonator par excellence. She falls for him, only to have Samar and Meera face to face due to circumstances. Confusing? Wait, I haven't even spoken of the retrograde amnesia and finding Chandramukhi- esque sacrificing of love. JTHJ is a convoluted mess that desperately needs some deft handling from the master of Romance.
Yash Chopra is known for his handling of relationships, creating moments that defy logic yet speak to the heart. Cinematic liberties never seemed to rattle since the love was so strong you would root for the characters to meet despite all odds. JTHJ suffers from the crucial flaw of having zilch for chemistry between the lead actors, to the extent that you are least bothered when Meera "sacrifices" her love for Samar or when Akira is caught between her love and Samar's happiness.
For the sake of argument, even Veer Zaara was a hackneyed week script that was salvaged by the maestro to eternal glory aided by some lilting music. JTHJ sadly is one of YRF's worst scores in recent times. Rehman is totally out of his element, not one song is worth listening as a stand alone album, neither does it work in the movie. I am still recouping from the jarring soundtrack which seems to fill a lot of the movie.
When Simran ran through mustard fields into Raj's embrace, When Pooja ran into Rahul's arms in Dholna, when Chaandini went into her Shona's arms in the alps, your heart skipped a beat. When Katrina runs across Londons streets to the music of violins on an overdrive, into SRK's arms, all one can do is squirm in his seat. For all of Katrina's charms and beauty she is just not capable of channeling the passion her role and the film required. Her Meera is quintessentially Yash Chopra, and Katrina can only manage to look all shimmy legged and beautiful.
Anushka on the other hand compensates for Katrina's lack of acting by hamming to the core. Her character is Band Baaja Baraati on carried forward, made so tomboyish to contrast her from Katrina's attempted coy girl act, that it is almost as if Samar turned gay for a man named Akira. She deserved better am sure.
This brings us to the man, SRK- desperately looking for a romantic resurrection. SRK as Samar is a pale shadow of all of his past Raj Rahul acts, he looks smashing as Major Samar Anand, too old for the act of a carefree Samar singing an obnoxiously voiced Challa, and is desperately trying to put in some fire in the scenes with Katrina. Given a better co star may be, SRK wouldn't have come out this as bad. For as things are right now, Badshah Khan looks as tired as the story itself.
Is JTHJ a total washout? Perhaps no, cause SRK has nary looked as good in recent times, he is enough eye candy to get die hard fans walking into the theaters. Sadly, there is nothing more to hold them engaged once inside. One wishes Yash Chopra hadn't called it The End so soon, for we definitely would have liked to remember him by with a better film. This one just ain't worthy his swan song.
Aisha (2010)
Could have been the best adaptation till date, but.....
I caught Aisha accidentally, reached back home early for a change, mom said she is bored sitting all day in the house, wanted to go for the new flick Aisha, even I were excited to the core after catching the promos and the Soundtrack.
Aisha is based on the 1815 classic by Jane Austen, 'Emma'. You begin watching 'Aisha' with the nagging feeling that a remake of an 1815 classic, after several adaptations worldwide, is hardly likely to offer anything fresh.
Since director Rajashree Ojha and writer Devika Bhagat do make an attempt to retell the story, one would expect some creativity from them. They bring in a new character which is not a part of the original book. Unfortunately that one character - which is Aisha's best friend - has been borrowed from 'Clueless', one of many adaptations of the movie made on screen.
'Clueless' released in 1995, starring Alicia Silverstone, with direction by Amy Heckerling. And that's not it. Both 'Clueless' and 'Aisha' start in similar styles - the protagonist briefing the audience on her world. Worse, both films start with shots of the protagonist driving her car! Having said that, 'Clueless' is a different movie since the writer did bother to alter the storyline.
Aisha is a girl who likes making matches and she believes she does it best. When she finds a new friend Shefali (Amrita Puri), who gets into her city just to find the right guy to get married to, Aisha decides to get the perfect match for her. She goes about converting Shefali from a shy small town girl to someone befitting the high society and also tries setting her up with a childhood friend Randhir Gambhir (Cyrus Sahukar) who is in love with Aisha instead. She does not learn her lesson yet, despite being warned by childhood friend Arjun Burman (Abhay Deol). Things only get worse till Aisha realizes she has been a fool.
The problem with Aisha is the screenplay. It never gets deep enough to evoke any emotions in the audience. Two major points in the film are when Aisha's two friends decided on moving on with their own lives. But there was no build up for any of them to be justified. And by the time Aisha realizes her love the film hardly managed to create any attention.
Having said that, credit should be given where due! The character of Shefali, though stereotypical, is well written and enacted. Amrita Puri does a great job getting brilliant expressions every time she is on screen. She is the star of the movie. The other characters come out well too and there are no faults as long as performances are concerned. Sonam is good and so is Ira Dubey who plays the best friends. Abhay Deol does not have much to do and I think got an underplayed role - something very unfortunate for the talented actor. But he brings the screen alive whenever he is on it. Cyrus Sahukar does a great job too playing the lovable loser. New guy Arunoday Singh impresses and some potential for quite some time in the industry, Lisa Haydon didn't got enough Screen space, but looked ravishing, even Anand Tiwari punched in a cute performance in a peek-a-boo.
Technically the film has been shot well. Styling had the front seat here all the big names (from Manish Arora, Anamika Khanna to Chanel and Ralph Lauren, Aisha and her friends just leave you gurgling with glee as they balance the bizarre with the beautiful). Though quite a bit of the film is shot indoors it has been done well. The gloss of the posh South Delhi society comes through. Background and playback music works too. Editing could have been better though.
Even Saddi Dilli's essence was 'so' missing, I were yearning for it during the whole show time (sad again)
A special mention for Amit Trivedi, he is the future Rahman. He knows his notes and the best part is very few people now is actually aware of music arrangement and that is something Trivedi has a finesse into.
Overall, Aisha is best in the promos! The film clearly misses the spark and ends up as an average product. At no point in the story do you feel anything for the protagonist or the people around her. It stays superficial. You would not miss much if you give Aisha a miss!
Dev.D (2009)
The most original and groundbreaking movie of recent history - Stunning Bag Of Wind
Back when love was a compendium of silences and sighs, Devdas was an icon. These days, when it's more a matter of working off those pesky hormones as quickly as possible, the legendary lover is regarded as a champion loser.
In 'Dev D', Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Deol dust him off and resurrect him, making of him just another guy who goes at romance with all the arrogance and prickliness and insecurities of a young man. Recognise yourself in him? Dev's (Abhay) childhood sweetheart Paro (Mahi Gill) has all of these qualities, tempered by the essential femaleness of her. When, in a fit of jealous pique, he throws her off, she doesn't beg or grovel: she turns her back on him, too. Recognize yourself in her?
The film invites you to come along on a stunning multi-layered journey---the psychedelic contours of the overloaded-on-substance, on-the-verge-of-losing-it mind, the physical degradation of the body, the slow dissolution of the spirit. With Anurag and Abhay, (whose idea it was in the first place), 'Dev D' becomes one of those rare films which is all of a piece: every single frame is where it should be. As Dev and Paro part ways, Chanda aka Chandramukhi (Kalki) enters the equation, and the film steadies into its triangular groove, rocking to an inverted, just-right climax.
In this virtuoso re-working of the Devdas story, there's none of the obfuscatory self-indulgence that marred Kashyap's last outing, 'No Smoking'. The cast is perfect for their parts. Debutante Mahi Gill is no Bollywoodized phoolkari-dupatta-wearing ingenue: she dresses, moves and behaves like a feisty girl who's been born and brought up in sugarcane country in rural Punjab, she already her tryst with quintessential Indian Cinema before with a miniature role in Khoya Khoya Chaand. The other first-timer, Kalki, is astonishingly apt too: her journey from a traumatized schoolgirl (based on the MMS scandal emanating from one of Delhi's top schools a few years ago) to a role-playing, phone sex-worker Chanda, is riveting. The first is raw and sensuous, the other raises the lust-meter as high as any red-blooded male can handle, but both are heart-stippling, blatantly alive, needy, looking-for-love-with-sex-as-a-by-product - real girl-women.
But it is Abhay who makes this thing sing. His Devdas is both eerily similar to the others who've played the part (Kashyap cheekily references posters and scenes from SRK's 'Devdas' in a couple of scenes), as well as completely his own. Spoilt rich brat, king-of-the-castle, center-of-the-universe, the kind of male who is always so sorry for himself, that he can't see anyone else as clearly. Right from the attirejeans, Tees, strap-across-the-chest-bag--- to the attitudelove me, love me, love me-- this joint-rolling, alcohol-swilling ( Coke, vodka 'ke saath', is his line in seedy bars) Devdas wears his victim hood with panache, blaming others for the 'emosional atyachaar' (one of the eighteen sparkling songs Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya have created for the film: sometimes the film seems too stuffed with the background music, but that's a very minor quibble and mesmerizing at the same point of time) being wrecked upon him, but reserving the right to a chuckle in the middle of it all. Dissolution, despair, and redemptionthe film unerringly hits all the right notes of a life sliding down the precipice, teetering on the edge, and drawing back from the brink, at the very last moment. 'Dev D' is a contemporary classic. Watch it, whatever else you do. A special applause for amit trivedi and bhattacharya for their bizarrely rocking music. Go for it.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)
Magnanimousness but lacks Diplomacy....!!!!!!!!
Well, to start off with, Aditya Chopra spells yet another poignant dimension of pure love as in his previous ventures with SRK; DDLJ and Mohabattein. Yeah! These tales were retentive impressing everyone from 8-80yrs old men and women. Of course, we fell in love getting imbibed with those spellbinding personations in these flicks. So, guess what about Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi a film that brings back sensational pair SRK-Aditya together after 8yrs? Does the film exceed everyone's expectations on 'Love' n 'Entertainment' factors? Or merely conks out dashing down our hopes? Hats off to Aditya Chopra! An awesome motif of delineating a touching story of romance...
Have you ever stopped to think if the most ordinary, uninteresting, unobtrusive man you might see on the road or around you might have a love story to tell? Maybe not! How can an ordinary man have a breathtaking, goose flesh igniting, awe inspiring love story of all things to tell? But guess what - love does not differentiate between the ordinary and exceptional, the uninteresting and interesting, the unattractive and attractive. Because love knows no distinction. It can happen to anyone and once it does it engulfs us into it completely and gives us those heaven-sent experiences that only love can yield.
Perhaps, everything in fine and good with the one-liner
. But Aditya Chopra fails in crafting a gripping narration all throughout the show. A flimsy screenplay lacking finesse with bits and pieces of discontinuities and these attributes easily scatters audiences' attention. The best illustration goes with SRK's ducky actresses shaking legs with him for 'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' on theater screen. It's completely odd for that situation and possibly, the sequences could've been switched over to latter half as a 'special round in Dance show'. Was it an attempt to deliver a replica of 'Om Shanthi Om' song of film stars dancing together? The film is about Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan) - a simple, clean hearted, honest man working for Punjab Power, leading a humdrum life, when he meets his total opposite and finds love in the flamboyant, fun-loving, vivacious -Taani (Anushka Sharma) for whom the whole world is her canvas and she paints her own life with the colors of rainbow all until unforeseen circumstances changes it all and brings them together. Sooner, its biggest dance show in Amritsar and Surinder coiffures himself as Raj what he calls 'Macho Chap'
He does it all to impress his girl Taani and what's next? It's a journey filled with laughter, tears, joy, pain, music, dance and a lot of love. A journey that makes us believe that there is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary jodi.
The first half dawdles with sluggish narration until earlier minutes to pre-interval where SRK's soliloquy with statue takes on emotional quotients. Well, the latter half comprises of few enjoyable moments like Anushka racing on her bike with 'Dhoom Machale' on BCM and next ultimate shot of Vinay Pathak-SRK at garage.
It's a creme De la creme performance by Shah Rukh Khan as he emotes resplendently on all situations. Be it his make-over sequences adjusting his tight jeans in dance class or the performance in penultimate minutes, King Khan is awe-inspiring. A flawless performance by débutant Anushka Sharma and of course she eclipses Shah Rukh on many parts. What to say about Vinay Pathak? He's over-the-top and more emblazons to the screen. He strides sparkling smiles on our lips with his waggeries and soaks our eyes as he gets emotional. Don't miss the great dance of SRK-Vinay for the original tune of 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. Its emotional outbursts from every characterization that turns entire spotlights on RNBDJ
Aditya's innovative thought is laudable on certain parts like Shah Rukh laying rose next to food and again placing it vase, pictorial of Anushka's face for the song 'Tuj Mei Rab Diktha Hai' and entire Amritsar being lit up, 'I Love You' deserves grand round of applause. Fine! Young lads and Misses would hail with praise worthy comments for Adhi's ideation. Both SRK and Anushka swallowing Pani Purees followed by abrupt sequence where he has to finish of delicious Biriyani are evokes laughter.
Nevertheless, the biggest flaw is that how come a woman fails to recognize her husband with a slight-make over
. The characters of Surindar and Raj differ merely with thin mustache, hair style and costumes. Both the characters have same voice sans any modulations
.
What barricaded Aditya's cognizance while dropping these lines on his paper? Indeed, it's a billion dollar question.
Ravi K Chandran's cinematography enhances visual quality and his placement of creative angles deserves special attention. The duo Salim-Sulaiman seems to have not percolated a lot for background scoring. It's again the pieces of existing numbers in album tuned and they sway on all songs.
Possibly, 'Haule Haule' and 'Dance Pe' peaked with high-promos prior to release. For sure, both the versions of 'Tuj Mei Rab Dikta Hai' capture your senses with beauteous visualizing. 'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' fails to make it big despite grand set decorations, costumes and top-charting actresses with SRK. Ritesh Soni's editing especially on 'Dancing Jodi' at the climax is mind blowing... Choreography by Vaibhavi and Shiamak are sumptuously ne plus ultra
On the whole, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is enjoyable on many parts with fun, frolic, lots of music and dance, pains and emotions. Well, Aditya Chopra gets stuck failing to pen an engrossing screenplay. It's too long, irksome and more predictability when it comes to narration and the auteur could've better avoided these vistas.
Dasvidaniya (2008)
Milestone Movie
Rare comes movies containing performances so restrained, warmth so resurrecting and wit at its best. (in Bollywood) The Protagonist, Amar sketches a character of a man who leads his usual middle-class, mundane and uneventful life, which is presumably already dead, only to find out he is suffering from stomach cancer. Decides to carry forward his life with the remaining moments raring to go, prepares a "to do list before i die". Accomplishing the deeds, one by one, is a treat to watch specially sequences like revealing out to the women you loved all your life, no matter she is happily married right now and standing against up to your devilish boss. The Spanish twist, the prostitute angle only adds some magnificence to the story. Each and every performance were sparkling, whether it is a small cameo or a humongous role. Way to go HUMANITY..!!!!
Khuda Kay Liye (2007)
Milestones of a Movie
Well there are many positive facets of KKL and it's a pity that people are only arguing endlessly over the controversial aspects.
Firstly the film very truthfully and correctly highlights the double standards that are so deep rooted in our society!!! It very rightfully highlights the twisted minds of these mullahs who brainwash young vulnerable boys' and men's' minds and make them do totally un-Islamic things in the very name of Islamic (Big Hippocrates They Are!!!). These kinds of mullahs are widespread in Pakistan and most of the Muslim countries. Blow up innocent people and you will go straight to heaven. God! What kind of ignorance and stupid ness is this!!! The film also shows and conveys that Islam is not all about what you are from the outside, it's what you are form the inside! By donning a beard and wearing a headscarf does not mean that you are a good Muslim. A good Muslim is one who does good deeds!!!! The film very correctly highlights the fact that choosing a life partner is very girls basic right and not just a choice. It is just so sad to hear and see that till date and even in the most so-called modern and educated families girls are married off against their will or unwillingly!!! (PS: I am not mentioning the Muslim girls can marry non-Muslims argument because I know that it is controversial and there is no point discussing it!) The film also highlights although doesn't really talk about the issue of rape in marriage. It is a crime, but sadly in Pakistan it is not considered a crime. Well what can one expect from Pakistan, where women do not even get their basic rights! Shoaib Mansoor was wise enough to realize that if he had elaborated on the subject the mullahs would have hit the roof! All these reasons are good enough for a person to go watch the film!!!