Chennai Talkies! The World of Movies

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - English Movie Review

2008-11-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Rating: 4.8/5

Cast: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Frida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Irfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla
Director: Danny Boyle
Music: A R Rahman
Story: Based on Vikas Swarup's Q & A

Plot: A street dweller makes it to the hot seat on "Who wants to be a Millionaire," in India. The cops take him to interrogate and find out if he is cheating on the show. From him they hear a tale of loss, jealousy, love, hatred, murder and much more that can make you cringe and which helped him answer all the questions. The boy does not want the money, all he wants to do is find his lost childhood love.

Review: The first fifteen minutes of the movie makes you cringe, at the pain that is inflicted on Jamal (Dev) as well as the pain and misery that Jamal has been through in his childhood. The movie does not dwell too much on any sorrow, it has a pace to maintain, so it keeps moving on in a fast pace. Which also helps us not get tied up to one event and sink in its sorrow. Until after the movie is over you are not wasting time pondering on every single detail but when you walk out of the theater everything hits you. That is the beauty of the movie, you actually remember everything.

In some way, most of the Indian viewers will find most of the story predictable, not in terms of how the kid answered the questions but the plot. We have seen many Indian movies with similar background storyline, but the amazing part is the narration, the screenplay that makes the movie powerful and unique.

Sitting in the big theater you wonder, is this what the world thinks of India? big slums and kids being sold off to be made into beggars? Is this what the world is going to see? But then you also feel that the director has caught the essence of India that only we know and no one else, at least until now.

Synopsis: Jamal Mallik (Dev) is on the hot seat and Anil Kapoor is asking him a question and he seems to know it all. The chaiwala knows everything and is one question away from winning the grand prize. Jamal is watching himself on TV as the cop (Irfan) is questioning him on how he figured the answers for the questions out, considering Jamal has had no formal education. Irfan is confused how a slumdog is able to answer the questions while doctors and MBA's have failed.

Jamal is hoping that his childhood live is watching the show and he is hoping to reunite with her through the show. If I by chance reveal any more than this, then you would not enjoy the movie much, so go and watch the movie and enjoy it. It is one of a kind.

Ramchand Pakistani (2008) - Hindi Cinema Review

2008-11-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ranking: 2.5/5

Cast: Nandita Das,
Director: Mehreen Jabbar, Syed Fazel Hussain, Maria Wasti, Noman Ijaz
Music: Debatyoti Mishra

From the time the movie began and almost until more than half of the movie I kept expecting to see something very bad happen. Thankfully that was avoided and

it made the film watchable. If you are looking for pace and twist and turns then this is not the movie for you, but on the other hand if you are looking for

a one line story with simple narration and decent acting which at times can start becoming a drag then you might probably enjoy this movie. I have to

definitely commend the acting by all the cast members including the little boy playing Ramchand. The background score is simple and the locales where the

movie has been shot is rustic.

The story is about a Dalit family that lives on the border of India and Pakistan. The village is so small that even the luxury of watching TV or radio on a

daily basis is not available to everyone. Most of the villagers are living blissfully ignorant about a war ranging between the two countries. During these

troubled moments, a little kid after having a childish tiff with his mom accidently crosses the border from Pakistan and enters India. Promptly he is

abducted by the sepoys who are guarding the border. The child's father also wanders into the border to bring his son back also only to be abducted by the

Indian sepoys too.

Dad and son are in the Indian jail and the son sees the dad getting beaten and tortured to prove that he is not a spy. Both of them share a large room with

other criminals and those who are also falsely accused of being spies or such. The kids goes through a transformation and you can see the father trying his

best to keep his child innocent and far from the corruption that jail cells see. The child finds a caretaker in a lady cop who tries to give him the basics

whil keep him at a bay because of his caste.

My worst fear was that they might show some gruesome scenes (like what you saw in Chandini Bar) with the kid and I kept trying to look away but thank god the

director sheilded us from all those kind of information. Do the kid, his dad and mom get united? For that you will have to watch the movie.

The acting in the movie is impeccable, it is truly an art movie and not for the ones who crave commercial masala. The story like I said earlier is slow and you need a lot of motivation to watch it. I even stopped to wonder what the purpose of the movie is, considering there is nothing dramatic or drastic in the movie after the first 10 minutes. It is like a movie that was shot on a webcam placed on the boy and then edited to consolidate four years into 2.5 hours. I am not impressed with it but it can definitely be seen once when you have absolutely nothing better to do.

Dostana (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-11-20T07:13:00.001-08:00

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Abhishek Bacchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra, Bobby Deol
Director: Tarun Mansukhani
Music: Vishal-Shekar

First off, for those who think this is a rip off a "I pronounce you Chuck..." I am sorry but it is not. The concept is similar but the story is not. The movie is funny, right from the word go. Definitely seems to be the fantasy movie the K.Jo would enjoy making considering there are more scenes that expose John A's rear than we see Piggy Chops. Even though actually have Piggy wearing only the shortest of short skirts and shorts, the camera always seems to land on John's well toned chest or his butt...and of course there is a scene where John gets wet in the rain wearing a white shirt...If this K.Jo had a choice probably he would have made this movie with just John A in it.

Anyways, enough of that and moving to the story...Neha (Piggy) owns a posh apartment in Miami and is looking to lease two rooms to girls only. Sam (Abhi) and Kunal (John) are two bachelors who are trying to find an apartment in a short time and they keep bumping into each other all the time. Realizing that they both have a common need for an apartment and after falling in love with Neha's apartment they decide that the only way to move in would be to fake gay.

Right from the time Sam and Kunal meet, the movie starts rolling and you are always at the edge of your chair laughing. The love story of how Sam met Kunal, or when they are introduced to meet M, Neha's boss M (Bomman), or when Sam's mother (Kiron Kher) lands in Miami to see if her son is really gay, and her departure back to London is so well entwined into the film that it is brilliant.

Usually a K.Jo movie formula is like this, the first half you roll on the floor and laugh, the second half right after the interval you are crying your heart out waiting for the movie to end...but thank god since this movie was only produced by K.Jo I am glad that the first 3/4 of the movie is hillarious and the typical cheesy, corny, annoying parts of the movie are short and crisp and shoved to the end.

So continuing the review, Sam and Kunal being straight fall in love with the obviously hot Neha who is oblivious to it and instead falls in love with her new boss Abhimanyu (a stone faced Bobby). Abhi seems to suffer from facial paralysis and you cannot see any emotions from his stone face. Happiness, anger, sadness, excitement all looks the same. He is the only annoying factor in the entire movie and we could have probably had Akshay or someone else in that role.

This comes as a shock to Sam and Kunal who are already fighting each other over Neha. The rest of the movie is goes about how Sam and Kunal try and foil the love budding between Neha and Abhi. What happens? Watch the movie.

This is definitely a fun watch. The movie is very cool, and set in uber modern times, but certainly not one you will watch with mom and dad. It caters to both gay as well as straight community as you get to see loads of John A stripping down to undies at the blink of an eye and you rarely see Neha fully clothed. I absolutely loved all the dresses she wore though I am pretty sure they will look good only on girls with good figures but I am sure that I can carry a saree off better than her. The only saree she wore in the movie was vulgar and annoying and she herself did not look comfy in it.

Did I talk about the music yet? No...so here it is, even the music and its choreography is hillarious. All the songs are catchy and funny and they do not slow down the pace of the movie. I love the "munda satta dol chadgaya..."

Anyways, enjoy the movie and if you don't let me know why.

Maan Gaye Mughal E Azam (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-09-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Rating: 4/5 on humor scale

Cast: Rahul Bose, Mallika Sherawat, Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay Menon
Director: Sanjay Chel

The most random movie ever...you ask me what the story is? and I ask you the question back...because there is no story. The best thing about the movie is that it does not pretend to be a movie with a purpose or a good movie or a great movie or anything like it...it is a funny movie and does not disappoint you at all...wonder why Indian media was so mean to this one...but I have to agree that this is best watched on a DVD in your home with family (esp. ones that understand Hindo to translate stuff to you incase you are like me in Hindi department). Also it is one of those movies that you can watch over and over again and also repeat a few dialogues in real life situations...

Mallika is married to Paresh and both of them are stage actors...while Paresh thinks he is the greatest actor ever, Mallika is vying to move to Bollywood when she starts having an affair with Rahul who is an undecover detective trying to stop Dawood from planting bombs in India...Of course there is a ghazal singer Kay Kay who works hand in hand with the bhai...and of course he also falls for the charm of Mallika as does anothe rlocal goodn Kayuum Cable (dont know his real name...sorry)...anyways in the end all's well that end's well with roaring laughter...

I know that MS has been reduced to the role of a pin-up girl but she is not bad in the acting department okay...I really thought that she carried her comic timing very well in this movie...she is funny and the role suited her perfectly...Rahul was a little out of place but funny...it was just funny to see both Rahul and Kay Kay, two serious actors doing a randomly hillarious role...

Must watch...can make a dreary day fun!

Rock on (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-09-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Rating: 3.75/5

Cast: Farhan Akthar, Prachi Desai, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kolhi, Luke Kenny, Koel Puri, Nicolette Bird, Shabana Goswami
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

I liked seeing this movie as cliched as it was...There was nothing new about the movie or the story...it was just the screenplay and the acting that gave it the freshness...Right from the very start you can predict the movie and act as a pseudo director knowing exactly what the next shot was going to be...but the point it the movie was not slacking or nagging at any point...it just flowed from one scene into the other and from past to present in one continuous motion...

Aditya (Farhan) is an investment banker married to Sakshi (Prachi). They lead a rich but loveless life with Adi using his work as an excuse to shy away from family life...Sakshi bumps into KD (Purab) during one of her trips to a jewellery store which his dad owns. From then on Sakshi discovers a new side to her husband which she never knew existed. She requests KD to get all of Adi's friends for a surprise birthday party that she had planned for him.

KD gets back in touch with Rob (Luke) and also with Joe (Arjun) to join him for the party. Everyone but Joe make it to the party. Adi is also reluctant to mingle with his decade old friends. That very night after the part Adi and Sakshi get into an argument and she leaves the house asking him to rethink the life he has been leading.

From the flashback we know that KD (Killer drummer), Rob (Keyboard player), Joe (Lead Guitarist), and Adi (singer, composer, and guitarist) used to be in a band called magik...which of course disbanded due to difference of opinion and when they split Adi and Joe did not see things eye to eye...

Will Sakshi's digging into past help reunite the band? Guesses?

So ya the movie is a definite family viewer and it is an entertainer too...I am not fond of very dark movies but this one is kinda sorta an exception for me...I still wish the director had used a bit more light...I have to go and kick Santosh Sivan's ass for starting that trend and Mani Ratnam's too!

Not many actors can become good directors but on the contrary most good directors can act well...not just in the role of hero...it can be anything...because they know what they want to see on the screen and what they have to do to get the correct effect...Farhan Akthar falls into this category...He is definitely a good actor and in the movie he has done a great job...

The rest of the cast is also very impressive...From Arjun to Shabana...it is all work done amazingle well...the casting director needs kudos! I loved watching this movie and hope you do too :)

Amu (2007) - Hindi/English Movie Review

2008-09-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Rating: 3/5 if you like riot movies...if you are like me then 0/5

Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Ankur Sharma
Director: Shonali Bose

I hate it...absolutely...when people make movies on riots and then dedicate it to people who died in it or people who suffered through it...don't make a dedication of movies that the victim's relatives and friends have to live through once again...dedicate something fun instead...or how about build a school in the money you spend making a movie on the subject? However and noble the motive is, it affects people who were affected by the riots and trust me not in a positive way...by bringing awareness to the riots you are going to make the government change its stance or do anything for the victims...so let sleeping dogs sleep and do something more productive...thanks...

I am writing this post after seeing an Indian movie with English dialogues (also available with Hindi dubbing) called Amu. When G picked it up at the Punjabi store I saw that the Singh behind the counter was very happy at his choice...I wondered why...when we got home it was already 10 in the night so G decided that we can watch the other DVD's later and see this one now as it is should be a short one and we could go to bed at a decent time.

The movie started out pretty fine...the casting is also good...the story seems tight...Kokona as Kaju visits India from LA. She is an Indian born but American raised girl and she visits her hometown to figure out her roots...she befriends Ankur Khanna as Kabir and he helps take her around the city of Delhi. Slowly she starts unravelling the truth behind her identity, which is not very pleasant...

The movie revolves around the 1984 riots in Delhi which followed the assasination of Indira Gandhi during which as many as (apparently) 5,000 Sikhs were hunted down and killed mercilessly because the people who killed Indira were Sikhs...the movie has done a decent job in terms of not showing too many visuals regarding how rape/murder/torture happen in such circumstances...but the fact is we can feel the fear...it is imminent...

I should say the movie is well shot and everything is good...but I personally hate such movies...the same reason why I was not in favor of watching movies like Bombay, Parzania, and Hey Ram among others...I get scared and being a girl the very fact that we are more vulnerable under such situations scare me a lot and render many a unpleasant dreams...and now that I have a daughter I only get more and more protective of her everytime I see such movies...

I am sorry I just cannot understand what drives people to watch such movies and also claim that it was shot so realistically...when you should not be enjoying reality of this nature...the tears that roll down my cheeks after seeing these movies cannot describe the feeling of hatred that arises inside me for these directors...they are torturing people who are seeking movies as a medium of entertainment by calling their movie a work of art...I would rather watch boring Sawariya ten times over than watching Amu, Parzania, etc...

IMHO...the movie was good...but I regretted watching it...bad after taste!

Krazzy 4 (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-04-30T12:59:00.001-07:00

Ranking: 2.5/5

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Irfan Khan, Suresh Menon, Rajpal Yadav, Rajat Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Dia Mirza
Director: Jaideep Sen
Music: Rajesh Roshan

The story is about four socially challenged people who home in an institution under the hands of a nice doctor Juhi. Each of these patients have a past...Arshad has a raging temper and cannot hold back his anger, Irfan is a clean freak and keeps yelling at people about keep things in order and neat, while Suresh Menon has not spoken a word in years and Rajpal Lives in the past around the Indepence era.

Juhi speaks with the management and implores them to let her take the four of them out to watch a cricket match. On their way to the stadium she stops to pick up some papers from her office leaving the four alone in her car...but she does not return to the car. Four of them get out start exploring the city and set some things in their lives in the right direction...

Juhi is kidnapped and the four of them are out to get her back and they also try contacting her husband who tries to keep them away...how do four people branded as mentally challenged help Juhi out forms the rest of the movie.

The movie is half decent. There are boring parts, a few laughable parts, a few WTH parts, and a few whatever parts...so not bad...surely can be viewed with family and the song "o re lakad" is certainly a catchy tune that even kids will like...save it for a rainy day when you have nothing better to do and would rather watch a half baked desi flick.

Brahm (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-07-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Ranking: 2.5/5

Cast: Dino Morea, Milind Soman, and many unforgettable cast
Director:
Music:

The story is about two loving brothers, Milind and Dino. Milind is the serious type who is a successful industrialist while Dino is his flirty younger brother who spends more time and energy chasing girls, mostly models, one after the other. One day Dino falls in love with an evasive drunk and into-drugs model. From then on he chases her and finally convinces her to fall in love with him. He is also sure that she is the one for him.

He takes the girl with him to introduce her to her brother and his wife. But the minute the girls sees his brother she calls him a murderer and runs away from there. Shocked at this accusation Dino sets out to find the truth while Milind's wife does not stand by his side.

What does a brother have to do convince his brother and wife otherwise? What does Dino find? Who is the girl he is dating? For all this and more boring information please watch this movie...or maybe not!

The movie, I am sure started with some good intentions...but somewhere in the middle it looses the plot. For some odd reason it comes across as a dark movie...I do not mean a movie with dark humor but otherwise. The acting also is a little ordinary and the story line looses strength as the plot thickens...I will not say that this movie is a complete waste...it is definitely better than watching Sawariya anyday but what I am saying is that this movie could have been done much better than what it is.

De Taali (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-07-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ranking: 3/5

Cast: Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Rimii Sen, Ayesha Takia
Director: E. Niwas
Music: Vishal-Shekar

Some movies are funny only if you are in the mood for them, else they are boring and annoying. This movie certainly falls into that category. It can crack you up if you are in a silly mood...

All said and done, Ritesh has good comic timing. His facial expressions and body language just work well with his sense of humor. This movie once again showcases it...Aftab is also not bad in the movie but does come out as someone who has bulked up too much and hence looking a little too chubby. Ayesha on the other hand has always been chubby and is known for her nun-like dress sense...and to create the oomph and sex that is otherwise missing in the movie we have Ms. Sen who is more than ready to compensate for what Ayesha is hiding under he three layered tops and high jeans pants...

This is a very simple story...Amu (Ayesha), Paglu (Ritesh) and Abhi (Aftab) are best friends and spend most of their time together. Abhi keeps falling in and out of love while Paglu and Amu stick around him. Abhi is the rich kids son and he makes sure that his best friends are well kept for. Abhi falls in love with Kartika and starts ignoring his friends thereby ticking both Amu and Paglu off...

Amu has another problem, she is in love with Abhi and only Paglu knows this...so they plan to overthrow Kartika in order to get Amu and Abhi married...They realize during the course of their many plans that Kartika is a gold digger and have to save Abhi from her...The struggle starts...

Do they hold Kartika back? What happens to Abhi? Does he marry Amu? What happens to Paglu?

There are many funny scenes and the movie is a tad too long...like I said before...it is funny if you are up for it...else take an aspirin and go to bed...

Manorama 6 Feet Under (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-03-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Abhay Deol, Gul Panag, Sarika Hassan
Director: Navdeep Singh
Music: Jayesh Gandhi, Raiomond Mirza

Satyaveer is an engineer by day and a writer by evening. His only published book falls dud and he also gets suspended from his work because he accepted bribe. His wife (Gul) nags him about their lifestyle and his son keeps him on his toes. Sitting home making no money Satyaveer's life is not going great until, a lady calling herself Manorama knocks on his door and offers to pay a huge sum of money if he can spy on her husband who is a rich local politician.

Satyaveer accepts the offer and starts spying only to get entangled in the murder of Manorama under mysterious circumstances. Satyaveer meets Manorama's roomate Sheetal to talk to her about Manorama's disappearance and they get to spend a night together in his house alone as his wife had gone back to her parents house with their son...

After a lot of investigation and stress and interesting twists what does Satyaveer discover? What happened to Manorama? Who is Sheetal? Do catch this movie. It is definitely an awesome crime story and it has a funny side to it too.

Once again, I like Abhay Deol and definitely love his acting and is probably the only Deol who can act, at least in my humble opinion.

Ek Chalis ki Last Local (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-03-10T10:51:00.001-07:00

Ranking: 3.5/5

Cast: Abhay Deol, Neha Dupia
Director:
Music:

Such movie rarely get any recognition. This one is a dark story (it all happens during the night) but with a sense of humor. Once again Abhay Deol has done it. I liked him Socha Na Tha, Manorama 6ft Under and in this one...He is brilliant. Wonder why he is not getting into the main stream...maybe because he is a good actor. Definitely a fast paced film and especially if you see it following Jodha Akbar then you will know what I am talking about :)

Nilesh (Abhay) who works for an IT company, after a late night at work misses the last train home for the night. His next train is not until 4.40 in the morning. He has to spend the night in the station or take a rick home. When he finally manages to find one, a lady accosts the same rick and they both come to know that there is an auto strike and their only way home will be to walk...the lady also claims that she is headed in Nilesh's direction so they start walking together.

Along the way they see a dance bar and the two of them decide to spend whiling away time in the bar. While at the bar Nilesh meets a friend of his who asks him to gamble with him with some underworld bigwigs. Nilesh's luck favors him but eventually he does start going down the drain...but with some fake confidence he does rustle some feathers with the goons. On his way to use the restroom he sees that someone is trying to molest his lady friend. In an effort to save her the molester dies by crashing his head on the wall. The molester is none other than one of the goon's brother.

Only then does he also notice that his lady friend Mala (Neha) is a prostitute having a rendezvous with her favorite customer in the bathroom...from here on it is a quick spiral for Nilesh. Does he make it out alive from there? Find out by watching this awesome fantastic movie!

Definitely a must watch for some real cool acting, humor, and time pass.

Aamir (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal
Director: Rajkumar Gupta

I have to say...what a difference...one day you watch a very average movie like Woodstock Villa and the next day you are taken aback by the wonderful direction, story, tight screenplay, and not to forget brilliant acting in Aamir. This movie surely made a mark...a point...and a very bold statement at that...

Aamir returns to India from UK...a doctor returning to his family of mom, bro, and sister. From the very minute he lands the trip is not going his way...and the minute he steps out of the airport his bag is stolen, a cell phone is handed to him and he has to follow orders as said in the cellphone if he wants to see his family alive. He goes through a lot of trouble and visits places he has never been to blindly following orders...What is the ultimate goal? If I tell that then there wont be a point in you watching the movie now will there? So definitely go and catch it!!!

Like I said in the beginning...a brilliant must watch movie. Rajeev Khandelwal is awesome in portraying Aamir and the director is so brilliant too...and kudos for casting a newcomer and not any usual Bollywood hero...whoever the scriptwriter is...ek dham brilliant!!!!

Woodstock Villa (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-07-01T08:41:00.001-07:00

Ranking: 3/5

Cast: Sikhander Kher, Arbaaz Khan, Neha Uberoi
Director: Hansal Mehta
Music: Annu Mallik

First off, the music is so insignificant in this movie that I am not even going to make any mention of it other than this line...there! Done...

I should probably say the same about the direction too...and the acting...hummm...probably a few lines...what the hell!

Sikander Kher better be good in acting like his dad or his overacting mom else he is gonna see the way out soon with god having bestowed him with not-so-favorable-in-bollywood looks...On the other hand Ms. Uberois need to do something about her acne...oodles of make up did not help hide them...poor girl...but what about her acting skills? Haven't you noticed? I am trying to spare her the humiliation...

A rich man's wife (Uberoi) gets kidnapped...the players are the wife and a man the wife befriends (Kher) at a bar...the police think that the rich man (Khan) is the suspect and keep giving cheap dialogues to him...anyways Kher sees that Khan has a couple of cops with him and calls and lets him know that his wife is gone from this world forever...Kher goes back to inform Uberoi that her husband had the cops with him only to see that she is dead herself...

Now Kher is in trouble for murder and kidnap...fear grips him while he realizes that he has been conned. A phone call tells him to dispose the body in half hour or he will be in trouble...

What happens to Kher's future? What happens to Khan and his dead or not wife forms the rest of the movie. The story is actually half decent...reminds you of movies like Jhonny Gaddar...but the direction fails miserably...probably the cast might have done better at acting...after all the director is the puppet master...but well...too bad for these guys...

It is a definite one time watch...but nothing more than that...dont pine too much hopes...it is an average movie...in fact a wannabe cool movie!

Taare Zameen Par (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-01-22T12:09:00.001-08:00

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary
Director: Aamir
Music: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy

The minute you see this movie you will remember all those years that we went through school in India with the teachers wielding a stick and making our lives miserable...Most people walk out of school with fond memories of hanging out and spending time with friends but many walk out hating teachers in general...

Ya because in our country and our society artistic aspirations are considered useless as they will not help us in our future to make the moolah...I am not arguing with this at all...such practices arise out of necessity and I am not the one to tell that this is wrong...but what is wrong and should change in our country is the mentality of our teachers...they are easily prejudiced and also make judgments as if they are paid to do just that. Half our teachers are not even qualified or reasonably strong in the subject they are trying to teach...they learn by heart what is in the book and come and vomit it in front of student...ok enough of me getting my frustration on teachers in India...

At the crux of the story is a little kid who has dyslexia and as usual our teachers ignore the fact that he is unable to study and get good grades not because he not trying but simply because his brain is not programmed to do that...he is an artist...and he cannot read words...if he was taught verbally he will understand but ask him to take up a book and it will make no sense...The kid goes through a lot of heartache and confusions and gets sent away to a boarding school. Thanks to his lucky stars he meets a teacher who understands his problems and helps him overcome educational issues...

The movie is good and tightly scripted. It is paced smoothly and actually makes the viewer empathize with the life of Ishaan because everyone of us has seen a classmate who has suffered similar to this...

All i can say is this movie is a must watch...holla back if you don't like it.

U Me Aur Hum (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-04-30T13:00:00.002-07:00

Ranking: 1.5/5

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Kajol
Director: Ajay Devgan
Music: Vishal Baradwaj

So everyone claimed that this movie is an adaptation of Notebook...Just in traces it is...otherwise it is in a very specific genre of Indian movies called "CRAPPY MOVIE." Ya Ajay Devgan trying to carry off as a stud, Kajol with her funny English accent, the cruise liner, and the Alzheimer all drive you more than just crazy...Notebook albeit being a very average story was well directed and more importantly well acted in...but this one can claim neither. Ajay trying to give the movie an Indie touch lost the plot totally and the movie ends up being a drag filled with boring dialogues and no suspense whatsoever.

Ajay is old and so is Kajol. He goes up to her while in a cruise liner and starts in a flirtatious way a story about two lovers who had met in a cruise liner too...25 years ago. Neither look young as they are supposed to be in the movie...anyways...Ajay a doctor falls in love with Kajol and they both get off the ship with Kajol having Ajay's contact information. One fine day Kajol shows up at his door step...they get married and also have a son...but as fate would have it Kajol gets (?? or develops...don't know what to say exactly) Alzheimer's and Ajay puts her away at a special care home...feeling all guilty and all that he brings her back home and raises both her as well as their son...

This is the story...in Notebook...you don't know till the very end who the old couple are and how they are related to the story...but here it is obvious from the very first scene giving away the crucial plot of the film...if you are going to remake an English movie which was highly successful then why are you wasting time trying to give it your own touch? From now on don't do that...it should be fairly obvious to you now that creativity is certainly not your strong point...

The movie has more sob-side to it than fun-side and the fun-side is actually very gay (not that there is anything wrong with it...) I for one surely regret seeing this movie...if you think otherwise do hit back...
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Jodha Akbar (2008) - Hindi Movie Review

2008-03-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Ranking: 2.5/5

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, and 10,000 others
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music: A.R. Rahman

I have been dying to write the review of this movie. How can a movie critic not love a movie that has made such an impact on the film industry and in the box office? What do I think of it? B.O.R.I.N.G. If you go with loads of expectations then this movie is a bore but if you go knowing it is a bore then it might not be that bad...and better still if you have a remote control then it will be fast too...hehehehe

Music:
I think is just above average...either ARR has run out of steam or he has forgotten how to copy...er...get inspired...anyways the Jashn bahara song's starting is lifted straight from 'ek ladki ko dekha' from 1942 a Luv Story...and the other songs put you to a soft sleep and this happens pretty easily considering the slow pace and the length of the movie. I know the AR cannot do a ma ma mind blowing mahiya for this movie but still could have given life to it...don't we have period movies that have brilliant songs that captivate our minds? Say what about 'jab pyar kiya tho darna kya' from Mughal-E-Azam?

Movie:
Why I did not like this movie much:

1. Akbar looked like this...

and this is Hrithik Roshan and not Akbar...FYI Akbar was a Mughal which means he had Mongol features...and was related to Ghengis Khan...

2. Akbar had like four known wives and many concubines now how can you prove that this marriage was the one in which he truly loved his wife?
3. Why is it shown as if Akbar only had time for Jodha and not his other wives or women in his life?
4. What is the deal with Akbar dancing like a dumbass at the end of the Kwajaji song?
5. Wasn't Jodha very young when she got married to Akbar...why does she look 40?
6.Why are the fight scenes so blah?
7. Why are the songs so slow and melodramatic?
8. Why is Akbar shown as a wimp in certain scenes? Did he really spend most of his day daydreaming and walking soooo slowly thinking of Jodha?
9. You claim to be a historic film but then also disclaim anything and everything about it...then why not simply make a movie and call it Ojdha-Kabar in stead of calling it Jodha Akbar?
10. Other than a few scenes in the movie most of it is fiction, there are no documentation of any of it even in Akbarnama...why are you serving the viewers with a fake story served on a wooden (boring) platter?
11. The other noted Akbar's Hindu wife converted to Islam before marrying Akbar...So what proof do we have that Akbar let Jodha remain Hindu and not have her converted?
12. History tells that Maham Anga wanted to rule Hindustan by keeping Akbar as a puppet but other than that there is no written documentation of her trying to poison Akbar's mind against Jodha.

I could go on and on and on...the only ones who liked this movies are fans of Hrithik or people who are excited at the prospect of watching anything that is historical...

Plot:
Akbar the all powerful Mughal king is requested by a Rajput King to marry his daughter in return for peace. Akbar obliges and Jodha marries Akbar. Jodha wants to stay Hindu and practice her religion inside the palace and Akbar smitten by her obliges...but in a twist of villainous fate Akbar sends Jodha back home. And then he realizes his mistake and fights (literally according to Ashutosh and his writer Hyder Ali) to bring her back...

The plot also involves Sujamal who is like a brother to Jodha which forms the subplot of the story to show that Akbar is not only a lost loveboy but can also wage wars and make official decisions on the side...

Review:
Ashutosh thinks it is his birthright to make movies longer than 2.5 hours. He is very confident that he can make long movies and get away with them because people did not complain in Lagaan and Swades (although a few raised their voices)...but sorry both those movies were at least a little interesting and fast paced...this one here is a dud...so slow that even a tortoise will win the race hands down.

The movie has no freshness appeal to it. It just seems to drag on and on and feels like forever before you get to the intermission. There is no doubt that this movie can be watched with entire family but what a boring affair that would be. But I would say definitely watch it once just so I can know if you agree/disagree with my review...That was a long review...now I am tired...

Kanamootchi Enada (2007) - Tamil Movie Review

2008-01-22T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ranking: 2.5/5

Cast: Sandhya, Prithviraj, Sathyaraj, Radhika
Director: Priya

I have seen the earlier movie of this director called Kanda Naal Mudhal...a very sweet romantic story starring Prasanna and Laila and it was a real nice feel good movie. The director I am assuming wanted to recreate a similar magic but failing terribly in the process. This movie is very similar to Meet The Parents-Desi version...

Sandhya is a college student in Singapore where she bumps (literally) into Prithviraj and it is love at first sight for him. He lands up convincing her to give him a chance before rejecting him and they start hanging out together till the day she plans to head back to India to celebrate her parents wedding anniversary or something. They both decide that they like each other and want to get married.

Prithviraj, an orphan raised by his uncle Radha Ravi seeks their blessings but is rejected and asked to marry someone else. Prithviraj tries to polietly convince them but things dont go his way. So he leaves to India anyway with Sandhya to meet her parents and convince them and with the confidence of finding a new job in India only.

Sandhya's parents are played by Sathyaraj and Radhika, a loving Police commissioner-housewife couple who keep doing cute things. Sathyaraj is not able to accept his daughter marrying Prithviraj a Brahmin. He waits for him angrily...

The director now tries to make the plot funny while it is obviously cliched and gets a little boring towards the end and draggy too...how Prithviraj wins the heart of his father-in-law forms the rest of the movie.

The movie lacks in pace and interest and also chemistry. The age difference between Prithviraj and Sandhya is obvious and I wish the director could have chosen an older heroine but I dont think that would have solved this movie's inherent problem-bad direction and screenplay...

No doubt this movie is aimed at being a family entertainer and hence can be seen by people from all age groups but ultimately a bore...so your choice to spend your time watching a bore or see Sivaji-the Boss again ;)

Evano Oruvan (2008) - Tamil Movie Review

2008-01-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ranking: 3/5

Cast: Madhavan, Sangeetha
Director: Nishikanth Kamat
Music: G.V. Prakash Kumar

I wonder why Madhavan decided to do this movie in Tamil, especially since such movies already exist in thousands thanks to Shankar alone...but anyway it is a very similar plot to many of Shankar's movies other than Boys that work towards a single man taking law into his hands and trying to set the society right.

Frustration leads Sridhar Vasudevan (Madhavan) is an honest and upright citizen who works in a bank. He refuses to take or give bribe. He stands for his principles and is the same even in his house. He refuses to send his son to a pricey school because they are demanding donation over talent. At work his clients nag him to take bribe and at home his wife nags him to give bribe and also a better lifestyle. Day in and day out Sridhar goes through the same frustration. He craves for stability and a better system but things do not go in his way.

One day over a small argument with a retail store owner Sridhar beats the owner with a cricket bat. After which he roams the city beating everyone with the cricket bat who in his eye are doing injustice. In a few hours he has already attacked cops and then starts making national news. He is wanted and the city police are hunting him down trying to make a point. He keeps evading them and stays away from home and with lack of sleep for almost three days.

During one such beating episode an old couple asks him to reflect on what he is doing which changes his perspective and he takes the same train he took everyday from home to work one last time...

The story is definitely not novel but Madhavan has proved himself as an actor other than just being a pretty face with a cute smile (yes...he was this in AP, Run, Minnale...). I only wish that the plot had something new to offer. It is surely a family story and a story that many family can relate to India...not the bribe giving part...but the wife nagging part atleast! The songs are not very memorable but definitely can be seen once...but do not set time apart from doing important things to watch this movie.

Jhonny Gaddar (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2007-12-26T10:46:00.001-08:00

Ranking: 4.5/5

Cast: Neil Mukesh, Dharmendra, Rimi Sen, Vinay Pathak, Zakir Hussain, Govind Namdeo
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

This movie is a must watch. I wonder why it did not get enough publicity in spite of being one of the better movies released in 2007. Classic crime novel with perfect twist and turns and an awesome ending to the brilliantly directed and executed movie.

Five people who are partners in running a shady dance bars and obviously involved in shady business get a deal where they invest a small sum of money to make a very big sum that will be split five ways. The head honcho of the gang is Dharmendra and the youngest in the group is Neil Mukesh who has an affair with the wife (Rimi) of one the group members.

Everybody makes a plan to move the money over to Bangalore for the deal while Neil makes his own plan to rob the money. In order to do so he kills one of the gang members and hide the identity of the traitor he commits one crime after an another...does he get caught in the end? There is no fun if I reveal the entire story here especially in a crime story...

Definitely a must watch as well the songs are a must hear. Total party mix and cool music. A couple of songs are available in Tamil and Telugu too. The screenplay is awesome and the story is brilliant...I cannot repeat it more...just watch it.

Gandhi My Father (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2007-12-26T10:45:00.005-08:00

Ranking: 2.5/5

Cast: Dharshan Jariwala, Akshaye Khanna, Bhumika Chawla, Shefali Shah
Director: Feroz Abbas Khan

The story is about the neglected son Harilal Gandhi (Akshaye) of M. K. Gandhi (Dharshan) better known as Bapu or the father of India. Harilal left with his family in India to fend for himself while his father and mother (Shefali) work in South Africa fighting inequality. Harilal gets married even before graduating from school or getting a job. Gandhi does not approve of it. Harilal later leaves his wife Gulab (Bhumika) to join his father in SA only to find that his father does not show any nepotism and at the same time does not encourage his son either. Harilal fights alongside his father but in the end tries to come back to India disowning his father.

His life goes through many downs and few ups...and the few ups also brought upon due to his getting influenced by wrong people. Every time he strays he comes back home to his
mothers comforting shoulder and a father who wants to help but is not sure how to. A father of the nation could not take care of his own son...such was the irony.

The reason I have given such low ranking for this critically acclaimed film is because of the fact that it is a little too slow and feels like forever. I was totally impressed with the acting aspect as well as the story but the movie could have had a better pace. There were a lot of things about Gandhi's life that was revealed here that I never knew before and it surely shows a different perspective on his life than what we have always been exposed to.

Movie can definitely be seen once though it does not boast of any entertainment value...a documentary of Harilal Gandhi's life at best.

Water (2005) - Hindi Movie Review

2007-12-26T10:45:00.006-08:00

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Sarala Karyawasam
Director: Meera Nair

This is definitely a brilliant movie showcasing India's religious and social practices around the time of Independence along the banks of Ganges. The story is about young and old widows alike who are banned from their regular life and sent to a hostel for widows where they have to spend the rest of their lives away from family, friends and fun.

Little girl Chuyia (Sarala) a widow gets sent to a widow hostel in Varanasi where she is expected to spend the rest of her life. Shakuntala (Seema) takes Sarala under her wing and keeps the young blood from making too many mistakes and offending people. Sarala who does not even understand clearly why she has been sent away from home finds it difficult to conform to the norms of the hostel and keeps getting in the way of the warden more than once.

Kalyani (Lisa) is a beautiful widow who also lives in the same hostel but does a few things differently as she is a breadwinner for the hostel while she sleeps with many powerful men across the ghat. Kalyani is taken by a eunuch pimp who is in liaison with the warden for taking Kalyani across the bank of Ganga. Kalyani is frustrated with the hypocrisy of the system and wants to escape from it.

Chuyia on one of her escapades with Kalyani meets Narayan, a young graduate who has come home for the vacation. Narayan falls in love with Kalyani and wants to marry her. Kalyani with the help of Shakuntala leaves the hostel to marry Narayan. Only half way through to Narayan's house does she realize that Narayan's dad was one of her night time client. Dejected and heart broken Kalyani commits suicide.

What happens to Shakuntala and Chuyia forms the rest of the story...

Very heartrending but I am sure most of it is still in practice in parts of our country. We cannot completely get rid of our social evils but we can always hope for reforms...

Brilliant performance by young Sarala and the rest of the cast too. Wonder why this movie did not make a cut for Oscar...

Parzania (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2007-12-26T10:45:00.003-08:00

Ranking: 2/5

Cast: Parzan, Sarika, Naseerudin Shah, Corin Nemec
Director:Rahul Dholakia
Music: Zakir Hussain

Millions of movies are made on riots. And then they dedicate it to the people who have suffered in them. Do the people who suffer in these riots really care to see their life made into a money making machine? Is a movie on how they suffered really going to help them in any way? I hate to see such movies and the ranking I have given is my personal opinion. As much as I love watching movies I don't like to see or hear people suffer however much it is a part of our generation. Plundering and rioting have always been happening and chronicling it over the past thousands of years has not changed the basic inhumanity in our human nature at times of instability then why make a movie out of it and generate income out of it? Somehow this seems like blood money to me.

The story focuses on Godhra riots in Gujrat and how people inside a Muslim community are affected from it. It narrows into the life of a Parsi family of four. The son is lost during the riots and the parents agony of searching for him.

The actors have done a good job and the movie is good too...but I did not want to hear graphic details and get scared. Certainly not one to watch with children.

Vivah (2006) - Hindi Movie Review

2007-12-26T10:45:00.001-08:00

Ranking: 2/5

Cast: Shahid Kapur, Amrita Rao, Aloknath, Seema Biswas, Anupam Kher
Director: Sooraj Barjathiya
Music: Ravindra Jain

So this movie is one of those safe movies that do not deter from the norm set by HAHK and DDLJ kind of movies. They are long, melodramatic, and no villain kind of movie...even if there are villains they become good soon...in all a sucky movie if you are not the Hindi soap opera kind of a person.

Amrita Rao is the neice of Aloknath (master of tears) who raises her alongside her daughter and feels more close to her which triggers jealousy in the mind of Seema Biswas who is concerned about the well being of their own daughter.

Aloknath's friend brings in an alliance from Anupam Kher for Amrita's hand in marriage to Shahid. It is love at first sight for both of them. The engagement is done and date for a wedding set.

The entire household of Aloknath and Anupam Kher decide to meet for a vacation at Somsarovar and they sing and dance together until they have to cut the vacation short and head back to town for a business deal. Shahid leaves abroad to score something magnificent in business and life is all great...

The night before wedding, Aloknath's house catches on fire and in an attempt to save her cousin Amrita is engulfed by fire. Thanks to something...god knows what, her face remains untouched. Shahid the gentleman that he is marries her in the hospital bed as promised on the day of the wedding...See I told you na...these people are suckers for sentimental stuff...

Anyway all's well that ends well in this movie that is a family entertainer, if your family is into boring movies...this can definitely take a miss if you have better things to do.

Sawariyaa (2007) - Hindi Movie Review

2007-11-27T16:13:00.002-08:00

Ranking: 1/5

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Salman K, Rani M
Director: SL Bhansali
Music: Monty Sharma

What a bore? A blue set with fake trains, fake water, bridges and two dimensional buildings calling itself a combination of Victorian as well as Saracen Architecture is absolutely a farce in the name of art.

I did not know how depressing the color blue can actually be made to look...Can you imagine a city filled with prostitutes but no clients? It is a deserted city with just a few inhabitants who go to the club. If they are not the club-goers then they are prostitutes. Yes that is how desolate the city is...

Anyhoo, Raj (Ranbir) is a lead singer in the local club called RK. He befriends a prostitute Gulabji (Rani) and lives in a house rented to him by an old lady. One day he sees a lone girl standing on a bridge and chooses to follow her and later befriend her. She is Sakina (Sonam) who lives with her blind mother with eternal supposed sadness in her eye with a hint of a smile on her lips (so the director and the actress themselves claimed in their interviews).

Raj falls in love with Sakina but when he professes his love for him she tells him about Imaan (Sallu) for whom she has been waiting for a year. And for whom she was waiting on the bridge and will continue to do so till he returns. Raj being adamant convinces her to fall in love with him...just when she is about to accept it...fate plays a cruel game...

The cruel game was fate making me watch this movie! Dang! I will never again commit such stupidity! This movie is slow, boring, presumptuous, dull, etc. etc. etc. I would not suggest even my worst enemy (not that I have any) to watch this movie!

Satham Podadhey (2007) - Tamil Movie Review

2007-11-27T16:14:00.001-08:00

Ranking: 4/5

Cast: Prithviraj, Padmapriya, Nithin Sathya
Director: Vasanth
Music: Y.S. Raja

Vasanth has directed many brilliant movies and one of which I remember is Aasai and then Rhythm. His direction style is very different but captivating. Aasai was a sort of thriller and so is Satham Podadhey.

Bhanu (Padmapriya) is married to Rathnavel (Nithin) through arranged marriage. They lead a happily married life. Bhanu is eager to become a mother but to her dismay both she and her husband do not share any physical relationship. Rathnavel hides from his wife that he belongs to Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) and due to severe drinking problems has lost his potency as well as having been jailed for murdering a child. When Bhanu discovers the truth about his impotency she confronts him and agrees to continue living with him if he would choose to adopt a child.

Rathnavel high on ego fights with Bhanu and attempts a fake suicide and sends the child back to the orphanage. Bhanu later hears from Rathnavel's AA leader about his other problems and tries to escape from him but she gets physically abused. On escaping to her parents she files for divorce and moves in with her brother (Raghav) to experience a change of place.

There she meets Ravichandran a friend of Raghav who does many things to impress her and finally convinces her to marry him. They live very happily until Ravi meets Rathnavel in the train on their way to Cochin. Rathnavel now lives in Cochin working as a hockey coach in a school. On knowing Ravi's relationship to Bhanu, Rathnavel befriends Ravi and slowly tries to create trouble...

He then kidnaps Bhanu and locks her up in his house making her his prisoner. How Bhanu gets help and gets freed forms the rest of the movie.

The movie is well directed, gripping, with amazing performance from each of the character. A real pleasure to watch a movie with no gore and fights. Not a perfect watch on a romantic evening but any other time it will be a good entertainer.