Ranking: 4/5
Cast: Tabu, Irfan Khan, Kal Pen
Director: Mira Nair
Story: Jhumpa Lahiri
Namesake is a well written story turned into a brilliant movie. The screenplay, script, direction, acting, casting, finer details are all in the right place and have been pushed to the right amount. It is a must watch and surely a family watch too. I wish a couple of love making scenes could have been avoided so that it could be viewed by children too. I saw the preview for the movie and unfortunately had to sit in the second row and few love making scenes surely did not look good that close. My friend and I were giggling sitting there bringing back memories from childhood.
Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli are first generations Indians in America who establish a simple life for themselves and their two American born children Gogol and Sonia. The story is about Ashoke, Ashima and their relationship essentially with their son. Gogol hates his name and gets it changed to Nikhil, he dates an American girl and starts ignoring his parents but he changes. A flashback from his father's life and loosing his father bring about a change in Gogol. He still prefers to be called Nikhil but the name surely has impacted and it changes his life forever.
This is certainly a brilliant story to show the metamorphic life of immigrants in any different country. I have read hte book and seen the movie and both of them are brilliant. Don't miss a chance to catch it in the talkies.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Patchaikili Muthucharam (2007) - Tamil Movie Review
Ranking: 3.5/5
Cast: Sharath Kumar, Jo, Andrea, Milind Soman
Director: Gautham Menon
Music: Harris Jeyaraj
I have to congratulate Gautham Menon on a job well done with a tight script and a brilliant screenplay. The music by Harris somehow did not feel fresh and had glimpses of his previous hits. Although the re-recording for the movie was pretty impressive. The casting in the movie also has to be appreciated because each of the character played their role beautifully.
Venkat (Sarath), a medical representative is a happily married person with a son. His wife Kalyani (Andrea) is very loving and both of them along with their son have a perfect life. That is, until their son falls sick and things between the husband and wife cool down a bit. Kalyani begins to spend more time with their son and starts to ignore her husband involuntarily. Venkat feeling a bit lonely and neglected walks in and out of his monotonous life without complaining much. He tries to understand his wife's feelings.
One morning while riding the train to work, Venkat notices Priya (Jo) and spends a few extra seconds admiring her. The following day again he happens to stand next to her. And Priya opens up the conversation with Venkat. Both married with kids, they feel they have a lot of common things between them and start a friendship together. At first it is platonic and they meet only in the train but slowly they start meeting at restaurants and coffee shops.
Priya begins to get a little physically close to Venkat and she suggests that they both spend a day together watching movies or something alone. Venkat agrees and they take a taxi and drive to MayaJal on East Coast Road. But at the last minute Priya changes her mind and directs the taxi driver to go to a resort along the same road. The couple book a room and move in...
A knock on the door which prompts Venkat to open only to find himself facing a goon with a gun who is beating Venkat to pulp. He robs the couple and also ties Venkat up before raping Priya. Venkat is grief stricken and they both part ways.
The goon who calls himself Lawrence (Milind) starts calling Venkat and Priya to harass them for money. Venkat takes the full financial responsibility and starts paying off the money that him and Kalyani have been saving for their sons health until he runs dry. With no other choice left Venkat confesses to Kalyani.
What happens next will be a wonderful twist in the story. I will not make this a spoiler review and hence I am going to stop here with the story. Sarath Kumar is brilliant as Venkat and so is Jo as Priya. Wonder why Milind is doing Tamil movies but he is surprisingly not bad either. Andrea, the new girl, is also awesome. She has good presence and her portrayal of Kalyani is wonderful. It is a movie worth watching even with family. There are no awkward scenes.
Cast: Sharath Kumar, Jo, Andrea, Milind Soman
Director: Gautham Menon
Music: Harris Jeyaraj
I have to congratulate Gautham Menon on a job well done with a tight script and a brilliant screenplay. The music by Harris somehow did not feel fresh and had glimpses of his previous hits. Although the re-recording for the movie was pretty impressive. The casting in the movie also has to be appreciated because each of the character played their role beautifully.
Venkat (Sarath), a medical representative is a happily married person with a son. His wife Kalyani (Andrea) is very loving and both of them along with their son have a perfect life. That is, until their son falls sick and things between the husband and wife cool down a bit. Kalyani begins to spend more time with their son and starts to ignore her husband involuntarily. Venkat feeling a bit lonely and neglected walks in and out of his monotonous life without complaining much. He tries to understand his wife's feelings.
One morning while riding the train to work, Venkat notices Priya (Jo) and spends a few extra seconds admiring her. The following day again he happens to stand next to her. And Priya opens up the conversation with Venkat. Both married with kids, they feel they have a lot of common things between them and start a friendship together. At first it is platonic and they meet only in the train but slowly they start meeting at restaurants and coffee shops.
Priya begins to get a little physically close to Venkat and she suggests that they both spend a day together watching movies or something alone. Venkat agrees and they take a taxi and drive to MayaJal on East Coast Road. But at the last minute Priya changes her mind and directs the taxi driver to go to a resort along the same road. The couple book a room and move in...
A knock on the door which prompts Venkat to open only to find himself facing a goon with a gun who is beating Venkat to pulp. He robs the couple and also ties Venkat up before raping Priya. Venkat is grief stricken and they both part ways.
The goon who calls himself Lawrence (Milind) starts calling Venkat and Priya to harass them for money. Venkat takes the full financial responsibility and starts paying off the money that him and Kalyani have been saving for their sons health until he runs dry. With no other choice left Venkat confesses to Kalyani.
What happens next will be a wonderful twist in the story. I will not make this a spoiler review and hence I am going to stop here with the story. Sarath Kumar is brilliant as Venkat and so is Jo as Priya. Wonder why Milind is doing Tamil movies but he is surprisingly not bad either. Andrea, the new girl, is also awesome. She has good presence and her portrayal of Kalyani is wonderful. It is a movie worth watching even with family. There are no awkward scenes.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Nishabd (2007) - Hindi Movie Review
Ranking: 2/5
Cast: Amitabh, Jiah Khan, Revathi, Nazar, Shradha Arya
Director: RGV
Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
The story tries to prove that love can happen at any age...at 18 or at 60 or between and 18 year old person and a 60 year old person. Ya! Sounds like you have seen it before? Yes, Lollita. I have not seen the original one but I know for sure that the plot is brilliant and the story kind of sensitive and needs to be handled well. Unfortunately the director is lost and the screenplay is lacking. The story moves at snails pace. Where there is nothing to stop for there are long pauses and repetitive music again and again. If the story had some momentum then the movie may have been fun.
I cannot understand the character of Jiah (Jiah) in the movie. It is one thing that she is bold and brave but another thing to behave badly when you are guest. Her behavior is beyond my comprehension because she is not the only person from a broken family and she has no special reasons to behave the way she does because she is from a different country. People outside of India are also courteous and polite.
I also cannot understand the character of Revathy, how could she put up with a brat like Jiah? I would have either disciplined her or politely asked her to shut up and stay in her room and dress properly in front of her husband and not sit like a skank. Ya, seriously what kind of a lady will see a girl spread her legs in front of her husband?
The story tries to cash in on Jiah's sex appeal and no story at all. Wonder how Amitabh signed to act in this movie? Maybe the narration was too good and the direction not half as good? Anyway like I said in my previous review of Salaam-E-Ishq...this movie is certainly not one on which you will enjoy to waste your time on.
Cast: Amitabh, Jiah Khan, Revathi, Nazar, Shradha Arya
Director: RGV
Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
The story tries to prove that love can happen at any age...at 18 or at 60 or between and 18 year old person and a 60 year old person. Ya! Sounds like you have seen it before? Yes, Lollita. I have not seen the original one but I know for sure that the plot is brilliant and the story kind of sensitive and needs to be handled well. Unfortunately the director is lost and the screenplay is lacking. The story moves at snails pace. Where there is nothing to stop for there are long pauses and repetitive music again and again. If the story had some momentum then the movie may have been fun.
I cannot understand the character of Jiah (Jiah) in the movie. It is one thing that she is bold and brave but another thing to behave badly when you are guest. Her behavior is beyond my comprehension because she is not the only person from a broken family and she has no special reasons to behave the way she does because she is from a different country. People outside of India are also courteous and polite.
I also cannot understand the character of Revathy, how could she put up with a brat like Jiah? I would have either disciplined her or politely asked her to shut up and stay in her room and dress properly in front of her husband and not sit like a skank. Ya, seriously what kind of a lady will see a girl spread her legs in front of her husband?
The story tries to cash in on Jiah's sex appeal and no story at all. Wonder how Amitabh signed to act in this movie? Maybe the narration was too good and the direction not half as good? Anyway like I said in my previous review of Salaam-E-Ishq...this movie is certainly not one on which you will enjoy to waste your time on.
Salaam-E-Ishq (2007) - Hindi Movie Review
Ranking: 1/5
Cast: Everyone who is someone in Bollywood
Director: Nikhil Advani
Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy
I am not going to be elaborate in writing this one. The movie is a total bore. 6 individual and unrelated stories intertwined make up this movie. The stories are neither interesting nor funny. So if you have better things to do with your time then do not waste it on this one please. I sat through almost 3.5 hours of the story and lost interest in the plot after the first 15 minutes.
Cast: Everyone who is someone in Bollywood
Director: Nikhil Advani
Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy
I am not going to be elaborate in writing this one. The movie is a total bore. 6 individual and unrelated stories intertwined make up this movie. The stories are neither interesting nor funny. So if you have better things to do with your time then do not waste it on this one please. I sat through almost 3.5 hours of the story and lost interest in the plot after the first 15 minutes.
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