Raavan - My Review

In a religious country like India, where people have ended up fighting over Rama and Allah, it needs some courage to take up one of the two greatest epics written and show our worshipped Lord Rama having a grey side to him. It takes even more courage to start telling the story from the villain Raavan’s point of view and justify his actions. Mani Ratnam is his latest film does exactly that when he gives the mythological story a realistic setting in today’s world and twists the story a bit to make people sympathize for the villain of the epic.

Abhishek Bachchan plays an outlaw called Beera(Raavan) in the film. Though he goes against the law, the villagers believe in him, his actions, and his ideology which makes him a character like Don Vito Corleone or the Sarkar. The only difference is he is wilder than those. The wildness, ofcourse is to draw parallelism to Raavan’s character in Ramayana. He kidnaps Raagini(Sita) played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to kill her for reasons told later in the film. But instead of killing her, he starts falling for her beauty, her bravery. This is where we see the film getting similar to RGV’s Jungle where the lead bandit started falling for Urmilla Matondkar and starts taking wrong decisions.

Mani Ratnam goes back to what he is most known for and does the best, depicting violence and terrorism on screen. Though Raavan isn’t exactly a film about terrorism, its style is very similar to those. He might not have come back to his real best, but it seems like he is on his right way now after Guru where I thought he completely lost his way and like other directors got pulled and attracted by commercial brand of cinema. With Raavan, he seems to be coming back to his own.

The most pleasing thing in this film is the visuals, the cinematography. Santosh Sivan is really a master of camerawork. He has never disappointed me with his camera work. While Terrorist is his best piece of work for me, Raavan isn’t very far behind. Though shooting infront of the waterfalls, and naturally beautiful scenes makes it easier for him to make the picture look beautiful, he is equally good in indoor scenes and close-up shots. He and Manikandan make the film a visual treat and worth watching just for the visuals alone.

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Housefull – How big a loser are you?

Akshay Kumar, depressed with his life, swims for a very long time, until he gets tired and tries to commit suicide by drowning himself. Deepika Padukone, just like Clint Eastwood in Spaghetti Western films, comes out of nowhere, lifts him up and carries him towards the shore that is some miles away. And we call Akshay Kumar a Khiladi!!!!

The film starts with the most hilarious disclaimer of the decade. Sajid Khan mentions the names of 5 very important directors in Bollywood who have influenced him to direct films. And that includes Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Heyy babyy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee? HouseFull and Hrishikesh Mukherjee? Ohhhh, that was joke as the film is supposed to be a comedy. Such is the humor in the film that you yourself would need to find out the humorous moments if you want to laugh as the film hardly is humorous.

This is hardly an Akshay Kumar kind of comedy. If you want to watch Akshay Kumar kind of comedy, I think you are better off watching Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai. He manages to make you laugh more in his two and half minutes special appearance than this two and half hours long film. Being a fan of his comic timings and his work in films like Mr. and Mrs Khiladi, Garam Masala, Bhool Bhulaiya, this one surely is a disappointment. The film mainly belongs to the ‘Timepass’ genre films which Sajid or Farah makes. While Farah tries to spoof The Matrix, Karz, Madhumati, Youtube videos in her films and manages to get some laughs, Sajid Khan straightaway copies them with no intention of even spoofing if he can’t get original. He plays the game of wife swapping in the film, something we just saw 6 months ago in All The Best. The game is not even half as funny in Housefull as in All The Best.

Five years ago, filmmakers in India started to feel that a film that does not have the King Khan has to have an item song to make it a hit. The latest trend in ‘Timepass-Filmmaking’ says a film has to have some gay humor in it. Housefull tries having both of them. And since it is a Sajid Khan film, he does not even try putting in efforts in the item song. Instead he simply took up an old Bollywood hit number and remixed it. Though it is wonderfully sung song by Mika, IMO, who manages to keep the craziness alive in the song, the video is very disappointing, thanks to the Arjun Rampal. For most of the film Arjun Rampal plays an angry man with one expression on his face, and for once he was asked to enjoy and he ends up ruining a song, How can one fail to get the right expressions in that song? It should have come out naturally given that song is so crazy. The video really missed the craziness I was expecting it to have.

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Pancham Unmixed - a preview!

Yes, it is a preview of a review I am about to write. But I thought I would share this clip with you so you could walk, jog, run, to the nearest shop and BUY this DVD package. It is truly memorable, an excellent inside look at the genius of a man who changed the game forever!

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Eleven years before Walt Disney came up with its first animated feature film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed was made. The Adventures of Prince Achmed isn’t the first animated feature film made, but it is the oldest surviving animated film. Two other films, The Apostle and Without a Trace by Quirino Cristiani are considered to be lost.

The film uses Silhouette animation technique where the characters and other things appear dark while the background is light in color. The director of the film explains about how she animated her film using this Silhouette technique –

“…The technique of this type of film is very simple. As with cartoon drawings, the silhouette films are photographed movement by movement. But instead of using drawings, silhouette marionettes are used. These marionettes are cut out of black cardboard and thin lead, every limb being cut separately and joined with wire hinges. A study of natural movement is very important, so that the little figures appear to move just as men and women and animals do. But this is not a technical problem. The backgrounds for the characters are cut out with scissors as well, and designed to give a unified style to the whole picture. They are cut from layers of transparent paper.”

- Lotte Reiniger,Sight & Sound (1936).

The Adventures of Prince Achmed isn’t all about the effort put behind the animation and the technicalities. The story of the film is based upon the characters taken from different stories from the collection 1001 Arabian Nights and made into a fascinating tale on how Prince Achmed wins Princess Pari Banau from the evil African magician.

The film was full of imagination both in terms of story as well as the technique behind animation. Taking in different characters from different stories of Arabian Nights and making a good supernatural story with romance in it was a real treat. The film took 3 years to complete because of the animation technique, which required lots of effort to make the simple photographs of cardboard cutouts to appear in motion. The scenes are very much detailed and every movement is shown flawlessly and with lot of clarity. It was a lot more difficult to make the animation in those pre-computer days compared to today where we mostly make the animation digitally (I don’t mean digital animation is easy). It involved taking pictures of every frame of every movement a character or object is making and juxtapose them to make it appear in motion. Given that there are normally 25 frames a second, it means it required 25 different still photographs for every second of the film and putting them together with every photo differing very slightly from the previous one.

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Ghoda-gadi ka chakkar! Victoria 203

I finally managed to watch Victoria no. 203 (1972), a rip-roaring comic crime caper. The roots of so many films of modern times could be traced back to this gem. It began with a museum display of diamonds, a thief who knows the sewage system runs under the museum, and he will exit from a manhole a block away after stealing the diamonds! Dhoom 2 anyone? The diamonds are stolen but have to be stashed away in a hurry as a double cross scheme goes awry. The rocks find their way into a Victoria (yes, the ghoda-gadi) standing nearby as the thief is stabbed. After this, the story rapidly gets layer upon layer of intrigue that involves a railway station locker, a scrap of paper with the number of the Victoria, and a key hidden under a toupee! There is a chocolate boy hero (Navin Nischol) who mostly just dallies with various girls while he waits for the real thing. There is a leading lady (Saira Banu) with so much oomph then no item girl is needed in the film. In fact the leading lady dons a towel after a rain drenching, while the item girl of the time (Helen) merely walks by in a scene, fully dressed! But the real fun starts when Raja (Ashok Kumar) and Rana (Pran), two petty thieves come out of jail, are “gifted” a car they think they are stealing, and chance upon the toupeed gentleman, now dead, and the KEY! The duo are in fine form as they rampage through Mumbai looking for the taala to go with the chabhi! The 60+ year-old Ashok Kumar mostly skirt chases women of all shapes, sizes and ages (Sexy Sam of the 70s!), and drinks desi tharra like a fish imbibes water. The villainous villain Anwar Hussain has numerous henchman, who fall like flies as they try to double cross him at every turn. In the end there is a climax in a warehouse with ropes and barrels and a coal fire pit, and tricks with fake diamonds and real diamonds! Mr. Santoshi was taking careful notes at this point in the film – watch this and then Andaz Apna Apna to see what inspired the climax of that one!

The story and screenplay are attributed to KA Narayan. Upon checking his filmography you find story credits for Jewel Thief, Johnny Mera Naam. Victoria no. 203 certainly matches those others in the quality of the story and screenplay. The plot never sags at any point, and the twists and turns in the story keep coming at a fast pace. The comic genius of Ashok Kumar and Pran carries the entire film. There is a point in the climax when Ashok Kumar asks for a dying wish – can he pray? And then queries the baddies “Bhai Sahab Farrukhabad kis taraf hai?” Pran reacts in horror and says “Mathura, Raja, Mathura”. Sheer genius!



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Favorite ROAD songs from films!

The best road songs!

You get in the car or get ready to board a plane and there is this flashback moment. You hurriedly search for just the right song to play on your iPOD as you travel! Here are some of my favorites:

Pukarta chala hoon main (Mere Sanam)! Forget that Biswajit is just a footnote in Hindi film history now, this is THE quintessential road song, an avenue of tall trees (poplars?), the girls on bikes, the guy in an open jeep:


How about the guy walking on a road and trying his best to obstruct the way of a bevy of beauties in a car? Only Dev Anand could carry off this song, singing and walking in his signature loping walk with a big white plastic fish dangling on the line! And Tanuja was cute as a button – unforgettable in this film.


Next up are two phenomenal road songs with a similar graph – the girl is on a train and the guys on cars and there is ample romance and nok jhonk between the two. In Jab Pyaar Kise se Hota Hai we have Dev romancing Asha Parekh on the train. Rafi’s singing is divine and Shakar JaiKishen are unforgettable here:


No doubt this was the inspiration for Shakti Samanta and the SD Burman/RD Burman duo as they spun this most famous number between Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in Aradhna:


Pride of place in train songs has to belong to Chaiyya Chaiyya! Not satisfied with dance and romance in a train or on the road, here the romance is near dead - “Duniya ki sabse choti prem kahani”, as the girl is gone! And the hero is on the rooftop of a train in an exuberant number as he details the qualities of love. Gulzaar, AR Rahman, and Farah Khan combined to make this Shahrukh Khan and Malaika Arora number one for the history books.


Then there is this unusual road song, part patriotic, part self-discovery, sung while driving a motorhome – again AR Rahman combines with Ashutosh Gowarikar and Javed Akhtar to bring this Shahrukh Khan and Makarand Deshpande song to us.


I want to end with a bicycle song – from Padosan! The one and only Saira Banu and her gang on sakhiyaan, singing while they take to the road on bicycles!


Happy trails! List you favorites…..



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Karthik Calling Karthik (2010) – Movie Review

Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called “The Pledge”. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn’t. The second act is called “The Turn”. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn’t clap yet. Because making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back. That’s why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call “The Prestige”.

- The Prestige

Similar to magic tricks, a suspenseful story or play or a film has 3 parts generally termed as Act 1, Act 2 and Act 3, and having similar significance as the 3 parts of the magic trick. How about modifying the meaning of Act 3 a bit and instead of solving everything for the audience, for a change leaving it unsolved. I think it is better to leave some mysteries unsolved instead of ending them badly. Though the general audience may get disappointed because they want closure and mysteries to be solved so that they don’t think about the film at all, but not all mysteries in life get solved. IMO, Karthik Calling Karthik was just that kind of a film that would have worked better for ME if it was unsolved instead of ending in the ridiculous twist that was shown. I was hoping against hope that the director really would not reveal the twist and leave the ending open or something, because the way he was moving the story forward, I knew, the twist won’t be as exciting as the buildup was. But like I said, that would not have been generally appreciated .

The film is about Karthik (Farhan Akhtar) who blames himself for the loss of his brother in childhood and can’t concentrate and focus on his life and tries to commit suicide until he gets a phone call. Karthik Calling Karthik is a confused film, and is a clear example of a the director did not know how to carry the story forward after having thought of a brilliant idea. The film could have been a lot better if it was made into a horror thriller kind of a film just like 13 B. Instead the director chose to take the story forward in a very relaxed manner. A few scenes in the film could have really worked better if it had the horror touch to it. The concept suited the horror genre a lot. But in KCK, most of the scenes instead of giving a thrill, look more like an unintentional comedy. Like when Shefali Shah receives the phone call, I ended up laughing instead of being thrilled. I really think the film should have had that 13 B kind of touch to it.

Though I say the idea of Karthik Calling Karthik was brilliant, I must say it is very much inspired from Fight Club (David Fincher), just that we don’t see the alter ego of Karthik in this film; instead we hear his voice over the phone. I won’t call it a remake of Fight Club, it is hardly that, but yes the concept seems to be inspired. A major part of the film in the second half reminded me of No Smoking where the protagonist tries to run away from himself. But unlike No Smoking this film is not a surreal one and a confusing one.

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Striker Review

Chandan Arora’s new film is very much unlike his previous two attempts – Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahati Hoon and Main Meri Patni Aur Woh. While his first two films were quite good and simple, Striker looks to be a fake attempt in showing realism.

The main problem of Striker is that it has nothing new to offer except for the game being played. Siddartha plays an ambitious person who plans to go to Dubai to make it big in life. He falls into the trap of gambling and plays carrom to earn money. I never thought carrom is such a famous or popular game that people actually bet in lacs of rupees on it. And then we have the unneeded Mumbai Communal riots in 1992 in the film. The setting and the scenes were very much inspired from ‘Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro’ film by Saeed Akhtar Mirza. Also there are some scenes in films like when Surya and his friend chat with each other on terrace which reminded me of the chemistry between the two brothers in Slumdog Millionaire.



The best part of the film was the soft and sweet romantic track between Surya and Noorie. And with a mesmerizing song sung by Sonu Niggam. Sad the entire romantic track only lasted for a few mins. Why couldn’t he make the entire film on this sweet romance?? Simplicity is where Chandan Arora excels. Sadly, the romantic part was the only segment in the film that was worth watching.

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The Use of Pink – My Name is Khan Review

It is a late review of the film, so I am not writing everything about it. Most of the things have already been said about the film, so I don’t think it makes much sense to revisit them. The review might have a few spoilers as it describes a few scenes in the film.

For a change we have an Indian film where a character is suffering from a disease but we don’t have any lectures, or doctors giving lectures, on how the character would behave. SRK simply plays the role and lets the people understand on their own the behavior of the disease by seeing the mannerisms of the lead actor and hearing his voice-overs. The disease was never highlighted in the film and I really liked that fact very much.

Karan Johar tried to do something different in this film while still managing to bring in the right emotions. There is lot of emotional manipulation done in the film mostly in the second half. We can see Rizwan Khan feeling the pain of losing Sameer especially in the church scene in Georgia where he speaks about Sameer. SRK delivered a very powerful performance in the scene where he had to express sadness but could not cry because he had Asperger’s. He smiles while mentioning his son’s death and yet he manages to express his sadness. We can see tears in his eyes that were not able to come out because of his condition. In the penultimate scene where he finally meets Kajol in the hospital, a drop of tear that was waiting to come out for a long time finally drops from his eyes. So, even though the film had made some sacrifices when it came to the disease, it was very rich in emotions and worked well for me.

My Name is Khan may not be a perfect film, but it is a very brave effort by the team who almost pulled off 3/4 of the movie very well. There were some unwarranted moments like product placement of Reebok shoes in the film or the introduction of the lead characters in a suspenseful way. I don’t think that suited a serious film like MNIK at all. I don’t know what was the need for President Obama’s role in the film and if it would have mattered if SRK meets President Bush instead of President Obama. Introduction of Obama’s role unnecessarily extended the time period in the film from 2005 to 2008. Also I didn’t quite agree with the job of salesman that Rizwan Khan was asked by his brother to do. I read that autistic people don’t like meeting new people, but the job of salesman is nothing but meeting new people.



Also I don’t agree much with the screenplay of the film. I don’t think the film deserved a non-linear screenplay. It was a kind of film which should have been told in a sequential order so that the reason of the journey is clearer to the audience. It is clear to those who have seen the trailers of the film, but a few years from now, for a person who is completely unaware of the film and catches it on DVD, the non-linear timeline might not work too well.

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My Name is Khan - My Review

Hi guys, I just joined recently. Moslty hang out at the KhitPit, but Pardesi asked me to write a review for the movie, so giving it a try. Bear with me, this is my first ever review, and I''m not that great at writing.

MNIK has been my most awaited movie ever since it first came in the news. Main reason being SRK and Kajol. I have been a fan of this onscreen couple ever since Baazigar. So, to say I was excited to watch this movie would be an understatement. I also had huge expectations from the movie, with SRK playing an autistic character, and KJO claiming that the movie was different from his usuals.

So Karan Johar decided to be brave and tackled a complex story with various issues. Did he manage to make the story work? Well I feel he definitely succeeded in stepping into a completely different space with Khan. Saying that, there were a few KJo-ish flourishes at times, (case in point: hum honge kamyab) but those, rather than bothering me, were comforting. So in that way he's managed to be "different" and break out from his comfort zone (which he so desperately wanted to do), while maintaining some of the old charm. And although it was comforting to see glimpses of typical KJo spilling through various scenes, some parts just fell flat. I might be one of the very few, but I liked the Hum Honge Kamyab bit. What I didn't like were the many scenes which added absolutely nothing to the movie, and in fact, slowed the pace of Khan. Scene 1 would be the one with Vinay Pathak. That scene was not needed at all. 2nd scene would be when Rizwan gets stabbed towards the end, right when Mandira shows up. At that point, I had started feeling restless, thinking how much time was left for Rizwan to finally meet the President. Wish Karan had edited those parts out instead of taking out 10 minutes of SRK-Kajol's love story from the first half.

As you can see, my problem lies within the 2nd half of the movie. I loved the first half, would change nothing about it. Rizwan's childhood was nicely done, Rizwan and Mandira's love story was cute and the SRK Kajol magic was at its best. One scene that stands out is the one where Mandira proposes and Rizwan hides his face in his palms. Not only was that scene adorable, but beyond beautiful, and maybe that's my SRK Kajol love speaking. Their chemistry and scenes were terribly missed in the 2nd half.

Furthermore, I feel the Hurricane Katrina angle could've been done without. Rizwan going back to Mama Jenny, and being the only person their to help was a little too cliched to digest. A few scenes edited out, and Hurricane Katrina scenario scratched off, and Karan would have had a 10/10 in his hands. The 2nd half was a bit too long and dragging at parts.

One scene though, in the 2nd half that stands out is when Rizwan prays namaz in front of everyone. The dialogue "namaz log dekh ke nahi, niyat dekh ke padhi jaati hai" was a wonderful, powerful one!

On to performances:
Shahrukh Khan: No where in the movie did I see a fragment of this man, his persona - he shed it all and HOW! But it has to be said that it is the SRK charm that makes his awkward mannerisms into the details that you fall in love with. The way he managed to convey this character's inherent goodness and love with a blank expression, without shedding a tear, without holding his arms out perpertually for his lover to run into them... simultaneously managing to somehow portray an amazing loving hero of recent times! The script let him down in some parts, but SRK gave life to even those boring scenes. He made Rizwan so endearing and real.

Kajol: I want to start off with saying that Kajol was absolutely glowing in the movie, especially in the first half. Everytime she came on screen, she lit up the entire screen. Such a radiant beauty! Only after seeing her performance here do I fully understand what Karan has been saying all along, about why he needed Kajol to do this role and no one else. Her warmth and compassion on screen is just unmatchable, and as Karan has said, she plays a mother like no one else. Her "Time of death 8.05, time of death 8.05" was haunting. In fact that entire scene with her repeating that, and Rizwan murmuring facts on the spleen were brilliantly performed by the two.

The movie had its flaws, but the intentions were pure and noble. The message Khan tried to convey was understood and even appreciated. I was afraid Karan would turn this into a colossal mess, but he did show eons of improvement in Khan. On a whole, I give the movie 7.5/10.

Thy name is Khan and thou art a true Hero!

Disclaimer: The author is not a student of cinema, so please read at your own peril!

As I sit back to share my random musings on the movie My name is Khan, I hope that the huge maelstrom of controversy accompanying this movie is ephemeral, nevertheless the sincere message of humanity it conveys remains abiding. Karan Johar has created this movie with a stellar ensemble, glorious production values, multi-layered storytelling, and above all, with an honest sincerity of intentions. The film overall explores human relationships without the usual histrionics associated with his brand of cinema. It manages to be genuinely emotional and heartbreaking without being schmaltzy. Having said that, Karan’s ambition of giving this film a larger-than-life canvas that encompasses every imaginable geographical location and disaster (natural or otherwise) is ultimately the film’s undoing. The film proceeds in a non-linear fashion where the first half is narrated in a low-key manner with scenes making their point discreetly. It is so authentic (made possible by the exceptional performances of the lead actors) that when the plot eventually untethers from reality, it serves as a rude reminder to the viewers about the artifice of cinema. The director at first plunges us into Rizwan’s simplistic world which we gladly accept as our own; then with no fore-warning, we are suddenly left emotionally stranded by turning our Asperger’s afflicted hero into a mish-mash of superhero turned messiah. I don’t have a problem with the imaginary world of cinema per se, except that this hybrid of restrained authenticity in the first half of the film combined with the fake and contrived situations in the second half reduce this could-have-been masterpiece to just about a good film.

SRK as Rizwan Khan is the life and soul of the film. He is absolutely pitch-perfect with no trace of the now (in)famous “Shah Rukh Khan” in his performance. He has possibly given the best performance of his life by his authentic portrayal of high-functioning autism, managing to keep his audiences connected with him like never before. Rizwan’s honesty and inherent goodness of heart shines through in every scene. The grimness of the situations surrounding Rizwan is alleviated by his absolutely endearing and heart-wrenching character making you smile one minute while reducing you to a sobbing heap in the other. There were so many magical moments in the film where Shah Rukh managed to warm the cockles of even the coldest of hearts. Devoid of any exaggerated emotions, gesturalities and the come-hither-looks, Rizwan still was able to convey a transcendent chemistry with Mandira reminding me of the famous Shakespeare lines:

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind”

Now, to the leading lady of the film: Kajol. What can I say about this bewitchingly beautiful woman that hasn’t been said before? She is as riveting and ravishing as ever giving an extremely natural performance as Mandira, a single mother tormented by the catastrophic events in her life. She lights up the screen by her sheer magnetic presence and her scenes with Shah Rukh remind us why we all collectively fell in love with this magical duo almost 15 years back. The rest of the supporting cast gave credible performances, notable ones being Tanay Chaddha as young Rizwan, and Zarina Wahab as Ammi. The music of the movie is very melodious, haunting and situational. Noor-e-khuda and Tere Naina are my personal favorites. Ravi Chandran’s cinematography capturing the indescribable beauty of San Francisco’s sunrise and the sprawling canvas of Mojave desert is outstanding.

My name is Khan is an honest heart-felt film with noble intentions. Is it too simplistic at times? Probably yes. Is it contrived at times? Yes, that too. But in the end, it is a film that tugs at your heart strings because the lead protagonist makes us believe in his righteous message of humanity. I am going with 3.5/5 for this extraordinarily awaited movie of 2010 and double thumbs up for SRK who elevates way above the sometimes flawed script to breathe soul into this piece of celluloid.

So, hush haters! Shah Rukh’s gone and changed the way the world looks at him in real and reel life. Again.

An unlikely hero’s journey! My Name is Khan

When Joseph Campbell wrote his "Hero with a Thousand Faces" in 1949, it inspired many a heroic journey on celluloid, including the Star Wars trilogy and the Matrix series! Campbell's archetypal hero was based on the many mythic heroes, and their journey was divided by him into three phases - departure (or separation), initiation (or journey/adventure) and return (in triumph of course!). The hero was heroic, noble, skilled and born into the role, and his journey was usually into an alien world, involved many travails, "dragons" slayed, and when he did return triumphant, he usually had a boon that could change the world he was a part of. This hero type has been seen over and over again in Hindi cinema too.

Then of course there are unlikely heroes. They are neither to the manor born, nor equipped to be heroes. These heroes have occupied the realm of fantasy for ever. J R R Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Stephen Donaldson's Lord Foul's Bane, and more then ever before, Donaldson's A Dark and Hungry God Arises (The Gap Trilogy), all have most unlikely heroes whose destiny never included becoming a hero but they just happened to chance on circumstances that began their separation, initiation and eventual triumphant return to a better world. In The Gap Trilogy the hero is a most villainous and brutal man who by the end of the tale has become an unlikely hero.

Strangely enough then, our myths and fantasies differ remarkably in the hero archetype. It is not surprising that Director Karan Johar and Scriptwriter Shibani Bathija use the fantasy archetype to design their unlikely hero in My Name is Khan. We have seen a similar heroic journey in the Hollywood epic Forrest Gump, that tells of the challenged man Forrest, his separation as he joins the military, his heroic journey through troubled times and his numerous, often verging on unreal, triumphs as he returns back to his dreams. Forrest's journey is not a linear one, and shows him as an unlikely hero in numerous situations. And while the journey is larger than life (including Forrest single-handedly saving an entire battalion), the return is simple in comparison, he is recognized a war hero, gets to buy his shrimp boat, and also has the love of his life come back to him (before she dies of unstated causes). KHAN follows a similar though much simpler graph. A mentally challenged (though NOT low IQ) man is the unlikely hero here. Unlike GUMP his journey is more clearly divided into separation as his carefully collected family falls apart, the initiation is a simpler one - that of a bewildered man who is mistaken for a trouble maker, and yet he comes through many a situation touching the lives of people he meets in simple and poignant ways, and eventually he is able to achieve his simple (though fantastical) goal after a triumph (while necessary in the hero's journey, yet this is stagey and not quite real), and can return to gather back the pieces of his life while having made a small difference (however transient it may be) in how people perceive the ones who are not the same as them.

This theme of the "others" or profiling was last explored in District 9, and there too it was done in a very unsubtle and in your face way in the beginning (deliberately so), and then slowly the overt differences morphed into a realization of the inherent similarities that bind all living beings. KHAN is hardly subtle at all in the telling of the tale, tells it in a flamboyant in your face manner. What is subtle is the fact that we view it through the prism of an unlikely and reluctant hero.

Rizvaan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) is an Apserger's afflicted man who has embarked on a journey to meet the president of the USA. WHY? Towards the end we see a man watching TV in his living room, asking - why do they keep asking him why? Why not? Is it not OK for a resident of a country to try and meet the president? This explains partly the simplicity of the need to meet the president. He is the president, and one should be able to meet him if one wants. For this simple one track minded soul, his way back to his family involves meeting the president and telling him something - that his name is Khan and he is NOT a terrorist!

This story is non-linear, jumping between times and gradually unfolds the events behind the journey. This parallels the lack of focus usually seen in Asperger's (and indeed autism spectrum) patients when it comes to normal day to day matters. But it is matched with an obsessive focus on some things to the exclusion of others. Thus Khan obsesses over details about places, things, the products his brother asks him to sell door to door at salons. But he cannot prevaricate and so always tells them the real truth about each product! This endears him to the salon owner Mandira (Kajol in a strong emotion packed performance), and they keep meeting. Eventually Mandira allows Rizwaan into her life and that of her son Sam. The happy family is torn apart after 9/11 and an upswelling of resentment against Muslims. And out of rage and hysteria in the aftermath of the breakup arises a simple fact for Rizwaan - things can get back to normal if only he can meet the President and tell him that he is NOT a terrorist!

The script goes from uplifting to a unbelievable in some parts of the film. Whether this is by design, to create a "heroic" moment and make a journey of mythic proportions, is hard to tell. Certainly it makes for some seriously funky moments in the film as a hurricane hits rural Georgia (yes hurricanes can hit Georgia, it does border the Gulf Coast!). However, this plot device, and Rizvaan's role in help being mobilized to the beleaguered town, is important for the hero's journey to conclude and for him to return with a boon. In this case the boon is the love of Mandira, and a slightly more aware world as in the public eye Rizvaan has become an unlikely hero who is not to be judged by his name alone.

Performances in the film are top notch. The crowning performance comes from Shah Rukh Khan as the Asperger's syndrome afflicted Rizvaan Khan. The performance is set up with a masterly turn by Tanay Chaddha as the young Rizvaan. His literal take on anything said to him (Jhakh maaro ja kar) presages the quest to meet the president by the adult Rizvaan. The intelligent though emotionally detached child is nurtured well by his mother (Zareena Wahab), and the two together have some fine moments on screen. The younger brother grows up to be Jimmy Sheirgill, and he gets little screen time to do much, but still is very good in the role of the resentful brother. Upon moving to the US he marries Sonia Jehan, and here we see an excellent portrayal by Sonia of the empathetic sister-in-law who understands Rizvaan's problem. As Mandira, Kajol shines in the role of mother, lover. Her magical interactions with the emotionally remote Rizwaan form the mainstay of the first half of the film. Some interactions of note are when Rizvaan finally asks her to cut his hair - it is the closest to emotionally physical interaction that he can think of, and then when she finally proposes and he hides his face and giggles, magic is made. Kajol as a mature woman, a mother who still manages to create some magic in romantic moments on screen. She is the last of our acting leading ladies, after this we have the beauty queen parade. She can be hyper and yet also immensely quiet and grave and her eyes inspired two songs in the film - and rightly so!! Is it time for her to retire? She is our Meryl Streep, so hell no! Finally some lesser roles must be mentioned. Arjun Mathur plays the catalyst - an idealistic university student who sets things in motion so that Khan's goal can be achieved and his goodness come to the fore. Parveen Dabbas as the TV anchor has a significant role and he is good in it, as is Vinay Pathak in a brief cameo as a motel owner! The foreign actors are all decent and not caricatures. Which brings me to the two African American characters in the small village in Georgia. Was that reasonable? A quick check tells me that Georgia is second from the bottom in rural poverty, so it is not unimaginable. And they are famous for their Southern hospitality, though it may not extend the length of buying our hero a man's clothing while his clothes are washed! He ends up wearing Mama's pinafore for a bit, and if you do not like that, I say I prefer that to his going around in a blanket or buck naked!

The screenplay does do some fast and loose with facts but in the end it serves the purpose of the film pretty well. There are aspects that may seem a trifle incongruous, but the work in the narrative and are not major deal breakers. Would people plot Jihad in a mosque?

Read more HERE

Haraamzaadi ka ishq, UP ishtyle – Ishqiya!

WARNING - this is a spoiler ridden review. By now you have either seen Ishqiya or never will, but still it is fair to warn you.

There used to be the Ram Gopal Varma factory, where assistants eventuallygot to be directors, and create wonderful films. But now the factory is defunct and missed. Into this vacuum have stepped Vishal Bharadwaj and his former AD Abhishek Choubey. Choubey directs Ishqiya in a gritty style that may seem heavily influenced by Bharadwaj's. Except that what once seemed real in Bharadwaj films is rendered a little stagey after one sees Ishqiya. East UP and Gorakhpur can only be this real if you actually get off a bus into town! And the setting never overwhelms the film, it just makes everything more genuine. In Omkara, which I happen to love, there is scene in an alley when Vivek Oberoi loses his cool, compare it to the alley scene where the kidnapping goes nearly awry, or where Babban (Arshad Warsi) and Krishna (Vidya Balan) stalk the kidnapping victim. Or the rural setting of the jalsa (Beedi sequence) in Omkara to the setting where Iftekhar (Naseer) is on a mission to steal a vehicle and sits drinking chai in a dhaba. The atmosphere is palpably real in Ishqiya and showcases a story that is full of surprises but in a most understated way - to the point that some missed the whole point and called Ishqiya pointless!

Two guys on a run with stolen money (it is neither important nor stated how or why), being chased by the big underworld boss baddie Mushtaaq Bhai (Salman Shahid - who happens to be the jeeju of one of the criminals), find shelter in the home of a widow. Vidya plays Krishan, a cultured and near sophisticated rustic, one who is into music, sings divinely (who would not if you had Rekha Bharadwaj providing the voice!), and she allows them to stay with her. Babban and Iftekhar are both immensely taken with the lady, though demure and seemingly very chaste she does (unintentionally?) beckon in a beguiling way! Then Mushtaaq Bhai catches up with them, there is a replay of the drama of the phone call from the wife, our petty criminals go looking for the hidden money and find it is GONE! Given a short time to get the money and with they lady under threat from the goons, she helps them devise a kidnapping scheme to recoup the money. The victim is an unlikely one, except he has money and a mistress on the side! As soon as he is captured we begin to see the real Krishna emerge from behind the cultured facade! Is she a femme fatale playing one man against the other? Why was this man picked for the kidnapping? What is the reason for all the gas cylinders in every room, while KrishnaJi cooks on a wood stove? What is her motive? Is it simply self-preservation? Chaubey takes us through these thoughts at a dizzy pace, and while we are still wondering what on earth is going on, he reveals Krishan's motive! Hell hath no fury as that of a woman scorned - and that is the pillar the story rests on. Without giving us much time to adjust to this, the film careens to its explosive climax and then the truth behind all the femininity, demure and coy beckoning dawns on us. The Haraamzadi has her own game plan and she plays it extremely well, it is all for Ishq after all, that of a deadly variety. And then to end the film Chaubey gives wink to a Casablanca like ending with Mushtaaq Bhai telling his wife he is still on the look-out as he watches the criminals walk away, he is too fond of the cat and mouse game to actually deal with the mice!

The story is simply wonderful, told at a languid pace at the start and then building feverishly, keeping us lulled into the comfort zone of this being yet another treasure and chase film. The locales are wonderful, and the part-urban part-rural milieu of Gorakhpur is stunningly presented. Yes the language is rustic and epithets fly from all characters, but yet the dialogs have a restraint that Omkara lacked. The music is divine and hear the Guru does not let the Chela down. Vishal's compositions are stunning, and showcase the most brilliant lyrics in a LONG LONG while (well since Gulaal!). Only a man of years who has lived and loved would write the way Gulzar does "Umr saari baras ke sufaid ho gayi, kaari badri jawani ki chat ti nahin"!! And the ghazals by Rekha are stunning. The music interweaves with the narrative and enriches it, making a heady mix.

Read more here

My Name is Khan - Review

Let's begin with the title, rumoured originally to be called 'Khan' to fit in with the previous set of Karan Johar films that all started with the letter 'K'. From Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna he has maintained this for over a decade. So, when the title was announced as 'My Name is Khan', it was fair to say that something had changed. Karan was leaving superstitions behind him and focussing efforts on making something that spoke for itself.

Synopsis
Rizvan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) is a Muslim man from India who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, he moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother and sister-in-law. He falls in love with a Hindu girl Mandira (Kajol) and despite protests from his family marries her, starting a small business together. They are happy until the events of September 11, 2001 when attitudes towards Muslims undergo a sea-change. As unfortunate events unfold, Mandira has an outburst of guilt, sorrow & desperation where she decides to split with Rizvan. Unable to understand her reasoning, Rizvan, confused & very upset that the love of his life has left him, embarks on this inspiring journey across America to win her back. The film begins with him already on this journey, feeding us the history behind it through narration and flashback sequences, so when I say he is on a mission to regain his love, we get to learn of how this love came about, how this journey began, beginning from the beginning with his own childhood.

It is fair to say Khan is a common enough surname in the Islamic community as a Smith or Jones in the Western world. So when our protagonist sets on his mission to meet the President of the United States to pass the message "My Name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist", there's no need to spell it out, it symbolises a bold message. From the released trailers and footage it would be rather easy to draw the conclusion that it's a story of an average Joe, labeled a terrorist because of his name, out to prove his innocence, but in truth it's not. It's about an unconventional hero overcoming obstacles to regain the love of his life.

Some thoughts:
Firstly, I'd like to say my heart goes out to all the people of Mumbai who are having problems getting to see this stress-free in theatres. If I was out there I would still be going to see it bindaas. I stand by SRK, he has no reason to apologise for anything & should not be bullied this way by the 'supposed' government.

As the character in the film emphasises on numerous occasions, the pronunciation of the name 'Khan' requires the use of your Epiglottis and amusingly I've heard many mispronounce it even when asking for the tickets. Living in a country dominated by westerners, we often give into compromising our identities. Whether it be the pronunciation of our names, our appearance, being open about our belief systems, etc. Where should the line be drawn? This is the question that I felt this film raises.

It suggests a very straightforward and simple solution. People should only be grouped into two types, those who do good & those who do otherwise. Should people not be perceived for their actions rather than their upbringing? I mean, sure, the events of 9/11 certainly scarred the fragile fibre of the cross-culture environment that we had formed over many decades, but I'd say it's every average Joe's responsibility to try to 'Repair Almost Anything'. It is a strong and clear message, for if we all collectively don't try, what hope do we have?

The film uses an example of Rizvan to show that even someone with a disabling condition can achieve a lot, so the average people have no excuse at all. It's an inspiring tale. Some might say it's a little late to be making such propaganda / statements, but is it ever? I think the very same applies to Mumbai this very day, just on a different background, same issue.



Review
This is the best Karan Johar film to date. He's certainly matured over the years. With the aid of Shibani Bathija's bold screenplay we have ourselves here a pretty epic film. It only helps that such a film is being backed up & distributed by 20th Century Fox. Does it live up to the expectations and hype? In a nutshell, Yea' m0stly it does. m0stly.

The only main disappointment here is that it's so close to being perfect that the parts that rough up the edges really do sting. It's difficult to spell them out without getting spoiler-ridden, so I'll avoid detail, but I definitely think it could have been shorter & some events could have been better handled, for there are parts that could have packed a better punch with lesser detail & the exact opposite problem holds of a certain pre-climax event which could have been handled more realistically & sensitively. The event was arguably unnecessary, and if considered necessary, it could have been built up to better.

Another example of handling things sensitively is SRK's appearance, he only seems to be dressed in traditional garments with his hat ad such in the scenes where it is required for some drama, he doesn't normally dress this way (even when he was in India). Having some integrity here would have enhanced the point, but they did manage to get this point across with his bhabhi (brother's wife).

Intermission I found a little oddly placed. Usually I tend to see Hindi flicks designed in 2 halves. In this instance at Interval point I was wondering why they stopped, which is rare, there's generally always a good stopping point, in fact I thought 2 scenes later would have been ideal, but okay this isn't really that large an issue.

Then there are the theatre pieces. Some scenes played out as though they were independent to the film, such as the 'Funny Hair Joel and Mama Jenny' episode. The scenes work, but it felt like it was missing some gelling to the rest of the film. Having that happen seemed 'too' co-incidental. Some little justification of how he lands up in a small place like Wilhelmina would have been tidier.

It's quite likely the things I'm mentioning here won't concern you at all, but they bothered me enough to consider mentioning. As I've said above, the film is almost perfect, so don't let these comments deter you, the positive factors are far far higher than these little nuisances.

Ooh .. one final pet peeve I've always had & I'm not even sure it's the film-makers fault is 'english subtitles', do them or leave them but don't half do them. The songs lacked subtitles, and for those who need the subs, they're losing out on a whole dimension here.

I'll mention a few of the things that were good about the film now. :)
It doesn't waste time getting it's point made. The crowd wolf-whistled in the first 5 minutes as the line was delivered.. 'My Name is Khan & I am not a terrorist'. From this point it gets straight to telling us about the character, his history and the pace moves swiftly. You get to Intermission before you even know it. In this time you have learned enough about the characters and situation for you to care how the man's journey progresses.

In the latter half when the focus shifts to the actual journey, you are moved by each hurdle he encounters. Binding your viewer this way is the magic of great writing here.

The Music is entirely situational and suited for the theme of the film, only 3 songs have been integrated into the narrative, Tere Naina and Sajda in the first half bringing our beloved pair together and getting their married life kicked off respectively. Noor-e-Khuda in the latter half progressing the road trip journey of Khan. All three integrate seamlessly. I was a little disappointed to see Rang De omitted from the film, but keeping my eyes open on the deleted scenes on the video release. It's to be noted that unlike traditional Bollywood there's no lip-sync song and dance here, it's all background music, which has worked well. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy who have done the music also do the background score, which is equally impressive. I could not help but re-play the Khan Theme (Instrumental) when I reached my car.

Performances
The film belongs to Shah Rukh Khan, his portayal of Rizvan is nothing short of spectacular. I myself don't know much about Autism, but there's no denying that he has made a very conscious and effective effort to be different in this film. I noted that he doesn't make eye contact with anyone in the whole film. It's almost hard to digest that this 'is' the SRK that we have seen before. Known for his conventional hero roles in recent years, this couldn't have been any more different. In recent times the only comparison I can make to this sort of departure is Mr. Bachchan in Paa (who was equally impressive). I guess this won't affect those seeing him for the first time but it takes a while adjusting to SRK in this role. Though it is hands down one of his finest performances to date, it felt odd that he wasn't playing a superstar traditional hero.

Kajol is one of the few actresses that can hold her own in front of personalities like Shah Rukh who tend to command attention chewing up the screen whenever present & I imagine this is precisely why they are seen as one of the best pairs in Hindi film history. The pair work very well, but she does get pushed into the background a little in the latter half. There were times where she seemed to go overboard in the trailer, in the film I felt it was justified though. The supporting cast all-round were ace, from Jimmy Shergill to Vinak Pathak, I have to mention, it was also good to see for once that the American actors seemed to be decent. Even in Karan's last installment I felt I was seeing a bunch of extras that were clueless what was going on, we've surpassed that hurdle this time.

Overall Impressions
This is a large stride in the right direction for Indian cinema. It's not flawless but it's certainly well worth the watch. 3.75 out of 5.

Ishqiya - A fun watch

Like other Vishal Bhardwaj films, Ishqiya too is a very bold film. No surprise, as it is directed by Abhishek Chaubey who used to assist Vishal Bhardwaj in his earlier films. Set in the rural areas of UP, near the border of UP- Nepal, it hardly shows any good thing about UP. Instead UP is shown as a state where most of the criminal and terrorist activities take place like manufacturing guns and selling them.

The narrative of the film is based on multiple story lines coming together in the end. We see two thieves played by Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi trying to escape their boss after stealing money. They take asylum in Vidya Balan’s home, she is a widow after her husband died in a fire explosion in their house. Both Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi fall in love with Vidya Balan. But their boss finds them and to add to their problems, the money too is stolen. Vidya Balan then proposes a plan where they can steal money from a rich person by kidnapping him. And both of them are left with no option but to accept the plan because of their problem and love for Vidya Balan. Once they agree to the plan, the entire thing showed prior to it becomes a MacGuffin. What is a MacGuffin? –

A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is “a plot element that catches the viewers’ attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction.”
Sometimes, the specific nature of the MacGuffin is not important to the plot such that anything that serves as a motivation serves its purpose. The MacGuffin can sometimes be ambiguous, completely undefined, generic or left open to interpretation.
The MacGuffin is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and later declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. Sometimes the MacGuffin is even forgotten by the end of the film.

It is very much similar to Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock where a girl steals money and tries to run away from the boss, but that is hardly something to do with the basic plot of the film. Similarly in Ishqiya, the two thieves running with the money has hardly anything to do with basic plot.

The problem in Ishqiya is that the plot of the film was very paper thin and is based on one word – ‘TWIST’. The entire film is constructed around that very word. Of course, I can’t reveal the twist here as it would spoil the film for those who haven’t seen it yet. Although a few smart things, like the old woman with a fire torch and every room having a cylinder, that are very significant in the end were added in the film, but overall the plot wasn’t very well handled and I felt the director should have made more effort in developing the plot if twist was the word Abhishek Chaubey had in his mind.

Set in a rural background like Omkara, Ishqiya is yet another very bold film from Vishal Bharadwaj’s camp. Though it isn’t directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, Abhishek Chaubey ensures that just like Vishal Bharadwaj, even Ishqiya doesn’t make any compromise in the language or the scenes to make it a family watch commercial film. However, this time unlike Omkara, the cusswords are added to the film for the purpose of comedy rather than them actually suiting the film and the situations. In Omkara, the abusive words sounded apt according to the situations, but here in Ishqiya, we see them just to add the shock value to the film. It was slightly disappointing to see that happen. But the film had some genuinely good funny moments apart from the abusive humor which they relied on a lot.

Read more from HERE

Dulha Mil Gaya - fluff stuff that was not half bad!

The film promised exactly nothing, for what can a film with Fardeen Khan in a lead role promise? Yes there was Sushmita, but what has she done since Main Hoon Naa that worked? She has the rare distinction of being an intelligent, talented and exceptional looking woman whose career has gone nowhere. The director, Mudassar Aziz, a debutant, seems like a kid out of high school and Vivek Vasvani, the producer, had earned some negative press for roping in Shahrukh Khan to do a cameo that got more and more extended and hyped by Vasvani (SRK's best role ever - really?). Then there was an unknown girl, Ishitta Sharma, playing the naive Samarpreet (though I could have sworn I saw a glimpse of her in Dil Dosti etc). But I decided the brave the film nevertheless.

Fardeen Khan plays the lady killer playboy Donzai (really? has any lady ever fallen for this fellow?) in Trinidad. And Shimmer (Sushmita Sen) is a super bitchy supermodel who is his friend and like him believes that love and marriage have no place in life. Shimmer's entourage is hilarious right down to her pet dog. And Shimmer herself is the life of Dulha Mil Gaya. She is what Kareena could have been in Kambakht Ishq - a diva with an attitude! Donzai is stymied by his dad's will, and has to marry the bespectacled Samarpreet in the sarson ka khet wala Punjab. Then he leaves her and runs home to his playboying! So you know that this will be a makeover to make the Dulha fall in love type film. And Samarpreet is turned into Samaira by Shimmer, aided somewhere along the way by Pawan Gandhi (SRK) as Shimmer's perpetually stand-by boyfriend. Predictably Donzai has to fall in love with Samarpreet and then realize the error of his wayward ways. Also predictably, Shimmer has to realize that her life is with her man and all's well that ends well, etc. etc.

It is not a great film, but neither is it abysmal - except when you have to stomach Fardeen as the playboy! Shimmering with the power of Sushmita's charisma, the film does manage to rise and bob about for a bit, only to come clunking down with poor dialogs and hackneyed situations. It is not enough that we should have meaningful relationships, women should be happy to be looking after their families - in 2010? Really? Even 4 years ago, if the film had released on time, the message would have been a stale one. Today it is a somewhat abysmal one. But not that different from the usual Barjatya fare, like Vivaah, that is lapped up happily. Samarpreet does get her due and the man is made to see the error of his ways, so it is not a total loss.

Acting wise, Sushmita rises to the occasion commendably and is worth watching. Fardeen - oh well. Read the rest here

A very short review of 3 Idiots

Sorry, can't write a detailed review right now, so here is my very short review of 3 Idiots -

3 Idiots has some genuine funny moments, but overall the film is very illogical. The main problem of the film is the writing. Though the dialogs were good, but the script as a whole was nothing but illogical. Hirani got confused on how much the film should be according to his Munnabhai reputation and how much of it should be Five Point Someone. In the end he makes a film which is a bit of Munnabhai and a bit of Five Point Someone. Hirani yet again tries to do a Hrishikesh Mukherjee but ends up making a David Dhawan kind of film .Tries to make Bawarchi but ends up making Hero No. 1.

Aamir Khan yet again disappoints. Does well in senti moments, but overacts in trying to show that he is still young and cool. Maddy, Sharman and Kareena were very good, but Boman Irani was the best IMO.

6/10

My "Apoorva Sahodarargal" review

Hi folks!

Warning - it contains spoilers.

I decided to review an Indian film starring Kamal Haasan - Apoorva Sahodarargal - by Srinivasa Rao Singeetam. It is a pathbreaking movie from the late 80´s and was a big hit in south India. Please read my review and watch the movie if you can.

When a great director and genius actor are paired, magic is bound to happen, especially when their ideas are fully materialized. That is the case in Apoorva Sahodarargal. This is probably the most creative film in Indian cinema. It takes the classical ingredients in Indian revenge films, like: the brothers being separated in young age as a result of a villainous act which broke their family, and their casual reunion when they're grown up, which is followed with a revenge plan to kill the villain.

However, what distinguishes Apoorva Sahodarargal from other films which follow that storyline is its highly creative execution. One sibling is a dwarf and this opens a scope for a comic feel in the movie, transforming a revenge film in a highly comical experience.

Kamal Haasan plays three roles - Raghu, Raja and Appu. Father and sons by this order. Raja is a mechanic and Appu a dwarf. The highlight of the movie is Appu, the dwarf working in a circus. Upon accidentally discovering that he belongs to a family which was split when he was a baby, Appu becomes psycho and plans a series of murders to kill all the persons involved in the destruction of his family.

What comes next is hilarious to say the least. We get to see a dwarf murdering the villains, one by one, in the most comic ways it could happen. He plants funny traps to execute the villains and has his share of laughter at the cost of those murders. The scene where Appu carries a magic wand while smiling to the villain and posing an authoritarian posture is just awesome. It’s the scene which defines Kamal Haasan's genius and displays his limitless creativity.

Raja is a common man. Nothing special here. But Kamal deserves applause for his
interpretation of Appu. Its a groundbreaking performance not because the looked like a dwarf, but he gives an amazing personality to the character, by playing Appu in a comic light, thus adding layers of insanity to the character, a dwarf serial killer! But his performance is very diversified and one gets to know the softer side of his persona. The part where he breaks up in tears in the court room, for signing as witness for the marriage of the woman he loves, is a class act.

The movie is also path-breaking on the technical front. It’s amazing how they managed to make the dwarf look so real, even though the film was made 20 years ago.

I also liked Gouthami. She is a good actor and unbelievably hot+cute, LOL! The songs are nice. I liked "raja kayavaja" the most. It’s damn funny.

Exclusive Review -Rocket Singh : Salesman of the Year

Who is Shimit Amin? The one who directed Ab Tak Chhappan or the one who directed Chak De! India and Rocket Singh. After watching Rocket Singh, I began to think is Ab Tak Chhappan more of a RGV Factory product than a Shimit Amin film? Is Chak De! India and Rocket Singh more of Jaideep Sahni films than a Shimit Amin film? Does Shimit Amin adapt himself to the company he works for? When he was associated with RGV factory he gave Ab Tak Chhappan that always looked like a factory product. When he moves out and teams up with Jaideep Sahni, his style of making film completely changes. I am not blaming Shimit Amin for making himself look adapted to the company he works for, I am just trying to figure out how much is Shimit Amin, the director, involved in making films? I wouldn’t call Chak De! India or Rocket Singh as regular Yash Raj films but yes, they have Jaideep Sahni written all over them. And I appreciate Shimit Amin not taking the credit for the film alone. Instead he has made sure that Rocket Singh is as much his film as it is of Jaideep Sahni. The first stills that came out of Rocket Singh had Ranbir Kapoor, Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni in it which is quite surprising. That itself showed Shimit Amin respects Jaideep Sahni for his contribution to the film. I haven’t seen such immense respect given to a writer before in Indian Cinema. Gulzar and Anurag Kashyap have got recognition for their writing too but then they probably got it once they entered the field of direction. Jaideep Sahni on the other hand is getting himself recognized only because of his writing skills and capabilities. We never heard the name of Shimit Amin alone whenever there was talk about Rocket Singh. We always heard Rocket Singh is from the makers of Chak De! India or Jaideep-Shimit duo are back.

Rocket Singh, one of the awaited films of the year, especially because of the fact that it is from the makers of Chak De! India, is about a fresh graduate Harpreet Singh played by Ranbir Kapoor, who trying to adapt himself to the job of a salesman. It isn’t a stylish film that shows the extraordinary capabilities of Harpreet Singh as a salesman, nor does it glorify the job of a salesman. Harpreet Singh is very much like a common man working in an office, and about a man whose ethics do not synchronize with the company he is working for.

The story of the film can well be compared to the silent era comedies especially the ones of Charlie Chaplin where he played the honest person forced to take the wrong way due to the situations in his life. And Rocket Singh references it very well with a transition effect which was used in the silent films. We can see the reference in the image below.



The script written by Jaideep Sahni is really the true winner of the film. The subtleness and the realism he gives to his characters and situations should be applauded. The atmosphere shown in Rocket Singh is very much real and how well Jaideep – Shimit have shown the atmosphere in different places (HOME, PARTY, OFFICE) and distinguished them is commendable. The best part of Jaideep’s writing is he is very honest to his work and no doubt in the fact that Shimit Amin does complete justice to Jaideep’s script. Through his work, one can see the effort he makes to make a scene look very much real. The characters in the film do small things that work like wonders in giving the film look real. Like right at the start, we see Ranbir Kapoor winking to his God and then apologizing right after that and then Harpreet Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) giving body massage to his father. Jaideep – Shimit establish the character so well in the film through their mannerism and dialogs they speak. Characters in the film speaking regional lines like “Nakko Re” for “No”, Harpreet Singh’s(Ranbir Kapoor) father calling him ‘Sardar’ in a informal way, speaking regional language while at home, etc makes the film look real.

Read more from HERE