there is a scene in 'delhi 6' where the lead protagonists, roshan tries to explain why india works for him eventhough there are so many antagonistic issues at its core. he cant really get the exact reason but nevertheless concludes that india works and he wants to stay back. i wish i could say the same about rakesh omprakash mehra's latest venture. it would be unjust to compare it with the legendary 'rdb' but both of them have so many parallels that i couldn't help myself.
mehra has been known for a very different kind of cinema...he was bold enough to give us 'aks' and followed it up with a completely contradictory 'rdb'. but alas, thats where the buck stops...he tries the same tricks that worked in 'rdb' and fails miserably at it. no, it is not a film gone horribly wrong and it does have its moments but in the end it stands out as a mediocre affair.
the first half is where we get to see the director's brilliance...he doesnt move the story forward at all...he spends it defining his characters with aplomb. he knows his characters inside out...be it their accents, their mannerisms or their stories. when i watched it go by, i was amazed to see how well he had researched and thought of every role. it was a treat to watch all the actors potray their respective roles...they were very well cast and played out their scenes brilliantly. the big dissappointment for me was abhishek bacchan, it becomes amply clear that he hasnt worked hard on roshan, an american returned indian who is half muslim and half hindu. his accent is annoying at times and comes in the way of few intense scenes where he could have been terreffic. he does however end well...but it could have been a much better performance. sonam kapoor does very well as bittu...she gets her expressions ryte...is spot on with the dialogue delivery and most important of all is vivacious. om puri, atul kularni, divya dutta, pawan malhotra and vijay raaz are the backbone of the film and i cant imagine it without them. i really wanted to see more of rishi kapoor...he was tremendous...his acting is full of experience and does very very well.
so where does the film fail or to be more precise, what makes it fail? the answer to that is monkey man or kaala bandar. mehra tries to synchronise the symbol of the monkey, the ram leela with the storyline...something he did in 'rdb'. i dint appreciate it simply because it was unreal and implausible...it bordered ridiculousness and absurdity at times. the film would have been so much better if the monkey would have been replaced by another symbol.
the climax and the love story are the next week-links in 'delhi 6'...the love story is under-developed...he tries to develop it with the expressions of his lead actors but he fails to see that both are not experienced enough to carry that out and his overconfidence in them is misplaced. the climax is also very sour...there is no grip at all...it doesnt awaken you, doesnt affect you or doesnt change you...i think thats where the biggest drawback of the film lies...it was made to make us think...but nothing close to it happens.
'delhi 6' has a great heart...it has been written and directed with a lot of affection...but the director fails simply because of his presumption that people would take the symbol of the monkey very seriously. watch it for the first half...nothing more.
Rating - 2.5/5
Monday, February 23, 2009
valkyrie
calvin coolidge once said, "true patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." Col. von Stauffenberg understood these lines perfectly and sacrificed everything to try and assassinate adolf hitler. everybody knows that hitler survived this attempt but what is fascinating about the film is the way it shows how the july 20th plot came to happen and what followed later (700 arrests and 200 executions).
directed by bryan singer who is known fr his consistency and intense treatment, 'valkyrie' is everything one would want in a historical thriller. singer edits to perfection leaving us with not one single moment which could be termed boring...he puts in some powerful line, my favourites being, "We have to show the world that not all of us are like him. Otherwise, this will always be Hitler's Germany." and "God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if he could find ten righteous men... I have a feeling that for Germany it may come down to one." singer does not disenchant us at all...he gives us a film high on commercial value having true patriotism at its core. whats so special about is that eventhough i knew he was gonna die in the end...i felt a moving sense of patriotism in me...i am sure i would have had tears in my eyes if i was a german...seeing men sacrifice their lives for their country with such valiance, honour and determination shook me.
now for the big question, is tom cruise any good? i'd have to say he was electrifying...he was terrific...i am not sure if the real Col. was all tht...but his presence cud be felt in every scene. you cud see that serving his country was betraying his conscience. his intensity and grit are spot-on and he delivers every line with a punch...his last line is the most remarkable...look them in the eye, they will always remember you. i cant see why many people thought he was bad in the first place. i guess its his stardom clouding his skill ( a bias tht is relevant even with srk)...but i was completely impressed. the only lapse probably was tht he spoke in an american accent...but i am sure he had reason to not do the german one...the major one being, it clogs ur dialogue delivery (a fact tht was seen with abhishek in delhi 6).
among the supporting cast, tom wilkinson is fabulous as a general staying neutral and waiting for a side to gain an upper hand. bill nighy and kenneth branagh also put in very commendable potrayals.
'valkyrie' is one of those films which deals with the 'what-ifs' of history and does it remarkably well. watch it for bryan singer, the intensity, the thrill, the drama, the patriotism and tom cruise. you'd wish that such men still lived among us...those who stood up when everyone dint raise an eybrow...those who loved their country...those who gave their lives fighting for what they believed in. you would feel pride in seeing von Stauffenberg...i did.
Rating - 4/5
directed by bryan singer who is known fr his consistency and intense treatment, 'valkyrie' is everything one would want in a historical thriller. singer edits to perfection leaving us with not one single moment which could be termed boring...he puts in some powerful line, my favourites being, "We have to show the world that not all of us are like him. Otherwise, this will always be Hitler's Germany." and "God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if he could find ten righteous men... I have a feeling that for Germany it may come down to one." singer does not disenchant us at all...he gives us a film high on commercial value having true patriotism at its core. whats so special about is that eventhough i knew he was gonna die in the end...i felt a moving sense of patriotism in me...i am sure i would have had tears in my eyes if i was a german...seeing men sacrifice their lives for their country with such valiance, honour and determination shook me.
now for the big question, is tom cruise any good? i'd have to say he was electrifying...he was terrific...i am not sure if the real Col. was all tht...but his presence cud be felt in every scene. you cud see that serving his country was betraying his conscience. his intensity and grit are spot-on and he delivers every line with a punch...his last line is the most remarkable...look them in the eye, they will always remember you. i cant see why many people thought he was bad in the first place. i guess its his stardom clouding his skill ( a bias tht is relevant even with srk)...but i was completely impressed. the only lapse probably was tht he spoke in an american accent...but i am sure he had reason to not do the german one...the major one being, it clogs ur dialogue delivery (a fact tht was seen with abhishek in delhi 6).
among the supporting cast, tom wilkinson is fabulous as a general staying neutral and waiting for a side to gain an upper hand. bill nighy and kenneth branagh also put in very commendable potrayals.
'valkyrie' is one of those films which deals with the 'what-ifs' of history and does it remarkably well. watch it for bryan singer, the intensity, the thrill, the drama, the patriotism and tom cruise. you'd wish that such men still lived among us...those who stood up when everyone dint raise an eybrow...those who loved their country...those who gave their lives fighting for what they believed in. you would feel pride in seeing von Stauffenberg...i did.
Rating - 4/5
Friday, February 6, 2009
dev d
watching an anurag kashyap film is a gamble...it is either phenomenal, effective and intense (black friday) or slow, baseless and incomprehensible (no smoking). 'dev d' is a classic example of kashyap's genre of cinema. you will either love it or hate it...its that simple.
based on sarat chandra chatopadhyay's novel, dev d is 'devdas' made in the present tense. not only is it audacious, brash and raw but it also makes the story of a self-destructive, egoistic, romantic alcoholic seen three times already on screen interesting and nouvel.
its the boldest hindi film ever made and it pushes the envelope genre-wise, subject-wise and dialogue-wise. forgive my langauge, but i am proud to see that anurag kashyap had the balls to pull something like this off. just last week, i had said that we, the audience had become used to unreal, larger than life caricatures and could not digest real characters. well, the characters in dev d cannot get any more real. the vulnerability, the ego, the passion, the intensity has been so well potrayed that you are completely convinced by their individuality. kashyap uses profanity to define his actors and the moment not because he simply thought it would make the film different but because its essential. the rotating shots, the use of colour, the angles show us the genius of anurag kashyap as a director.
the downsides of the film are plenty, the second half lags and becomes repetitive when you see dev fall into an abyss of alcohol, drugs and whores (although, i completely understand that the director had to show this as gradual and not sudden). the climax of the film is not at all convincing and mr. kashyap gets it completely wrong...its sudden and is not at all impactful. the soundtrack which is magnificent fails to shine in the last 20 minutes and doesn't support the film's climax at all.
among the actors, it is abhay deol who not only personifies dev but also delivers a performance that has to be applauded even by his worst critics. he delivers every line with complexity and his expressions and dialogue delivery are spot-on. the vulnerability of dev is so well potrayed by deol that i said to myself, this guy has amazing potential as an actor. kalki koelchin and mahie gill both making their debut shine in their respective roles. kalki for her remarkable potrayal of a schoolgirl who turns into a prostitute and mahie for her personification of a vengeful, loving, lusting, conceited paro. yes, the inexperience does show in a few scenes but both are fabulous new finds to the industry.
like i said in the beginning, you will either love the movie or hate it...there are no two ways when it comes to anurag kashyap's films. it has one of the best and most engaging first halves ever made. it also has a sluggish second half. i am just glad that we still have film-makers like kashyap who are not afraid of making a very real, bold, brazen genre of cinema (not the bhandarkar kind) that effects you either positively or negatively.
RATING - 3.5/5
based on sarat chandra chatopadhyay's novel, dev d is 'devdas' made in the present tense. not only is it audacious, brash and raw but it also makes the story of a self-destructive, egoistic, romantic alcoholic seen three times already on screen interesting and nouvel.
its the boldest hindi film ever made and it pushes the envelope genre-wise, subject-wise and dialogue-wise. forgive my langauge, but i am proud to see that anurag kashyap had the balls to pull something like this off. just last week, i had said that we, the audience had become used to unreal, larger than life caricatures and could not digest real characters. well, the characters in dev d cannot get any more real. the vulnerability, the ego, the passion, the intensity has been so well potrayed that you are completely convinced by their individuality. kashyap uses profanity to define his actors and the moment not because he simply thought it would make the film different but because its essential. the rotating shots, the use of colour, the angles show us the genius of anurag kashyap as a director.
the downsides of the film are plenty, the second half lags and becomes repetitive when you see dev fall into an abyss of alcohol, drugs and whores (although, i completely understand that the director had to show this as gradual and not sudden). the climax of the film is not at all convincing and mr. kashyap gets it completely wrong...its sudden and is not at all impactful. the soundtrack which is magnificent fails to shine in the last 20 minutes and doesn't support the film's climax at all.
among the actors, it is abhay deol who not only personifies dev but also delivers a performance that has to be applauded even by his worst critics. he delivers every line with complexity and his expressions and dialogue delivery are spot-on. the vulnerability of dev is so well potrayed by deol that i said to myself, this guy has amazing potential as an actor. kalki koelchin and mahie gill both making their debut shine in their respective roles. kalki for her remarkable potrayal of a schoolgirl who turns into a prostitute and mahie for her personification of a vengeful, loving, lusting, conceited paro. yes, the inexperience does show in a few scenes but both are fabulous new finds to the industry.
like i said in the beginning, you will either love the movie or hate it...there are no two ways when it comes to anurag kashyap's films. it has one of the best and most engaging first halves ever made. it also has a sluggish second half. i am just glad that we still have film-makers like kashyap who are not afraid of making a very real, bold, brazen genre of cinema (not the bhandarkar kind) that effects you either positively or negatively.
RATING - 3.5/5
Monday, February 2, 2009
victory
dear mr. harman baweja...i have a few points i have to say about u in this obnoxiously grotesque, unbelievably cliched and without a doubt one of the worst films in decades.
1. it takes a lot more than batting lessons to act in a sports film...u have completely hammed the dramatic scenes, u have overacted in every single emotional scene and i conclude by saying that u should start looking for a new career or get yourself admitted into an acting school.
2. sure, it helps being a producer's son...but it makes me angry to see a person get so much attention, so many offers when he doesn't deserve it. you are everything an actor should not be. yes, you dance well and yes you have a great physique and yes, you look, sound and dance like hrithik roshan (which is a disadvantage, if u ask me)...but being talentless when it comes to acting can get you nowhere. i have never seen a stiffer actor and expressionless actor my entire life.
3. last but not the least, i would like to say that, when actors like you, mr. tushaar kapoor, mr. fardeen khan, mr. zayed khan try to make it big in the industry and act like they deserve it...it makes me nauseous and i feel bad for the pathetic state of the film industry. i am glad that you have been given the criticism you deserve and none of the critics have spared you. i hope you choose a better film next time and act in it only after taking acting lessons.
dear mr. ajitpal mangat, it was plain simple torture to sit through your film and i have not seen a more cliched film. let me elaborate with a few points...
1. it takes more than superstar players to make a cricket based film and choosing mr. baweja as the lead actor was the last nail in the coffin.
2. your direction was tactless, annoying, listless and showed no potential in you as a director. you picked up the god of cliched scripts and tried to make a film out of it. a weak script only makes the direction tougher but when there is no skill and ability in the director, it just makes it doomed to fail.
3. cricket is not a game of sixes, fours and individuals...it is about teamwork, batting, bowling and fielding. in a country where the sport is considered a religion and every individual understands the game, you have not only insulted their intelligence but also made them very very angry.
4. i conclude by saying that i hope your producers do not get their money back and no producer invests in another project which involves you behind the camera. like, mr. baweja i hope you go to film school first before trying to make films which disrespect the audience and try to make them look foolish.
for everyone else, i really hope you never see 'victory', not only does it dissappoint and dismay you but it also bores you to an extent that you want to leave as soon as it starts. i am clueless as to why some critics gave it any stars at all. cinema isnt about money, celebrities and producer sons. it is an art where the director is the author and the actors bring the art to life.
i completely hated, hated and hated this film.
Rating - 0/5
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