The Common Man Speaks

Lalbaug Parel (City Of Gold) Movie Review

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Almost There!

Ratings – * * ½

Today’s generation is absolutely unaware about the era of mill workers in the city of Mumbai during the 1980s. Director Mahesh Manjrekar’s Lalbaug Parel (City Of Gold in Hindi) brings to light the history of these workers and the pain they went through. For this, he surely deserves praise. However, the nature of presentation is too much to handle.

The film follows the story of the workers’ struggle against the insensitive mill owners (Sameer Dharmadhikari mostly). Anna (Shashank Shende) hasn’t got his due amount from the mill owners since six months. He lives in abject poverty with his wife (Seema Biswas) and four children, Baba (Ankush Chaudhary), a struggling writer, Mohan (Vinit Kumar), a bank employee, Naru (Karan Patel), a local thug and Manju (Veena Jamkar), who has is head-over-heels for a shopkeeper Jignesh.

Also woven in the story are union heads Rane (Sachin Khedekar), his partner played by Vinay Apte, Speedbreaker (Siddharth Jadhav) and a list other characters including the ones of Satish Kaushik and Kashmera Shah.

Manjrekar has succeeded in portraying the helplessness, tragedy and the everyday life of the workers in a manner which cannot be more realistic. Every minute detail is taken care of brilliantly. In addition, he manages to bring out some realistic and brilliant performances from each and every actor with Biswas, Jadhav, Khedekar, Chaudhary and Patel standing out.

Having said that, the negative points are too much to ignore. Although the film promises to deal with the battle of mill workers versus mill owners, the first half is loaded with too many daily events and encounters of the main characters leaving the main issue behind. The second half does touch the issues but the script suffers for being too lengthy and too emotional. Even after the culmination of the story, the film is still dragged unnecessarily. Most of the times, the film appears to be an underworld saga with shades of Manjrekar’s Vaastav appearing regularly.

However, the major drawback, as stated earlier, is the nature of presentation. The 2 hour 20 odd minutes are loaded with too much of violence. In fact, such high dose of bloodshed and hostility is hardly ever witnessed in any Indian movie. The sub-stories of the characters get a bit too emotional, wild and loud. After witnessing such disturbance, one hardly cares for the characters and the issues.

Despite many plus points, Lalbaug Parel falters for being too brutal, loud and distressing for an average viewer. Watch it only if you are ready to excuse these factors. Because of the sensitive local issue, the film is sure to enjoy very good returns. However, its Hindi version, City Of Gold, (slated to release on April 23) won’t stand a chance at the box-office.

What’s there on 23rd March?

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I am sure many of you won’t be knowing the significance of 23rd March or you must have simply forgotten. Seventy-nine years ago (in 1931) on this very day three bravest youngsters named Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru happily accepted death from the hands of the British just to motivate their countrymen to fight for their freedom. This was the biggest and the most extreme sacrifice in Indian history. Sadly, their contribution is hardly remembered today. People like Gandhi, Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, etc always hog the limelight when it comes to the list of freedom fighters while these three bravehearts hardly get mention.

My heartiest pranaam to the three greats on the 79th anniversary of their shahadat!

Below are some of the rare and real photographs of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.

News of the hanging of the three martyrs (Picture Courtesy – commons.wikipedia.org)

Bhagat Singh (Picture Courtesy – unp.co.in)

Bhagat Singh during his childhood (Picture Courtesy – unp.co.in)

Bhagat Singh’s mother with a wellwisher (Picture Courtesy – unp.co.in)

Rajguru (Picture Courtesy – india.targetgenx.com)

Sukhdev (Picture Courtesy – india.targetgenx.com)

Bhagat Singh as a student in National College, Lahore (Picture Courtesy – unp.co.in)

Ringa Ringa (Marathi Movie) Review

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Unpredictably Perfect!

Ratings: * * * *

By: Keyur Seta

One thought that came to my mind after Ringa Ringa ended is that I’ve rarely experienced such thrill before as I did in this movie. The intense storyline, unpredictable twists and a sleek presentation make this Sanjay Jadhav’s work as one of the best thrillers to have hit the Indian screen.

The story deals with Rangarao (Ajinkya Dev), who is all set to become the Chief Minister of Goa despite his involvement with terrorist outfits. Rangarao’s aide Siddharth Desai (Bharat Jadhav) starts regretting his involvement with Rangarao after he gets to know about his links with terrorists. Siddharth reveals about Rangarao’s activities to the party chief Annasaheb (Uday Sabnis). Annasaheb assigns Siddharth the task of handing him evidences against Rangarao.

Rangarao’s man, a local goon called Anthony, babbles Rangarao’s activities to inspector Sawant. But, Rangarao’s hit-man Johnny (Santosh Juvekar) kills Anthony. In the meantime, Rangarao’s left hand, Vishwas (Ankush Chowdhary), a smooth-talking conman, gets hold of the evidence by bribing Sawant. Despite this, Siddharth lays his hands on the evidence and flees. After a series of unusual encounters, Siddharth’s wife Manasi (Sonali Kulkarni) enters the scene and becomes the most important player in this cat and mouse game.

What follows after this is a series of unthinkable events which keep you at the edge of the seat throughout. The strange thrills and twists till the very end give way to an unforgettable rollercoaster ride.

Sanjay Jadhav as a director as well as a writer invents an innovative style of narration, which will impress any international audience. To write such a script and then to present it onscreen requires brilliance. He is surely a lookout for the future. Plus, a powerful background score, taut cinematography and a sleek editing add on to the plus points.

This was one of the most challenging roles for Sonali Kulkarni. The suspense and twists wouldn’t have appealed this much if she had faltered even a bit. However, she rises to the occasion and gives one of her career best performances. In fact, it’s one of the best in the past few years. Also, she looks amazingly stunning. Bharat Jadhav, in a totally different avatar, proves why he is one of the finest performers around while Ajinkya Dev portrays the role of a baddie with perfection. Santosh Juvekar, Ankush Chwodhary and Uday Sabnis play their part well too.

Ringa Ringa deserves to be watched even by the non-Marathi audience purely because it leaves you spellbound.

Karthik Calling Karthik Review

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Yes… take the call!

Ratings: – * * * ½

The psychological thriller genre is hardly touched by Indian filmmakers. Vijay Lalwani touches it in his directorial debut Karthik Calling Karthik and after the final culmination it can be said that the touch produces a remarkable sensation.

Despite being brilliantly intelligent, Karthik Narayan (Farhan Akhtar) has a loser’s attitude and lacks confident. His cowardly nature makes it extremely easy for his boss (Ram Kapoor), his landlord and others to bully and harass him. He is also unable to express his fondness for his colleague Shonali (Deepika Padukone). The one day, he receives a phone call which changes his life. Things start falling into place unbelievably. However, the problem lies in the fact that the person who is calling him is nobody else but himself. How can Karthik call Karthik?

Lalwani is responsible for the story, screenplay, dialogues and direction and the debutant excels in every department. The never-told-before story is intriguing and has some edge of the seat moments. The suspense is just not predictable and makes the viewer guessing till the end. The intelligent screenplay adds boost to the story.

Most importantly, Lalwani also succeeds in the main headache, the direction, with ease. He has shot the story in an interesting and extraordinary manner, which gives it an international look. Surely, this man is the lookout for the future. The witty and intelligent dialogues are another feather in his cap.

The few items on the flip side include some portions where the pace drops especially during the pre-interval romantic moments. Also the logic behind the suspense might not go down well with all. Lastly, those who expect so-called entertaining values might get disappointed because of the nature of the subject.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music has nothing special to offer. The title track, however, suits the mood at the opening credits. But the background score is superb.

A film which depends solely on the title role requires a special talent and Farhan Akhtar proves that he has it. Flawless and brilliant are the words for his act here. He portrays roles of a loser, a transformed confident chap and a disturbed individual with utmost perfection. Deepika Padukone does well as Farhan’s lady love but she could have done with less skin show. Ram Kapoor’s egoistic and ruthless act comes as a surprise. Surely we want to see more of him.

Karthik Calling Karthik surely deserves a watch since it succeeds in treading on an unconquered path. Sadly, however, the film has gained disappointed collections. Wonder when our audience will stop clinging only on those so-called family and masala entertainers and will start giving important and encouragement to such genres.

Final Slap For The Critics!

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After carrying out the mountainous task of batting throughout the fifty overs and scoring the first ever double ton in the history one day internationals, Sachin Tendulkar has once again proved that age is nothing more than just a number. While he hit 25 fours and 3 sixes, he was also hitting away the question of his retirement … for ever! As it is, the demand for his retirement from his critics was always baseless. And on February 24, 2010, the Master Blaster proved their idiocy while batting against South Africa in Gwalior.

Since February 2009, Sachin has scored 1,158 runs in 20 one day internationals with 4 centuries at a mammoth average of 72.37 (Stats provided by The Times Of India). Apart from this, he has to his name 10 Test Match centuries since January 2008 in 23 test matches (Cricinfo stats).

Apart from scoring these huge numbers of runs, just playing in these many matches in both the forms of the game requires a unique fitness level when you are in your late 30s. That uniqueness is seen not only in the maestro’s batting but also his fielding. He plays all kind of traditional as well as cheeky shots with ease. He sprints across the boundary with the same level of energy when he was 20. So, while considering all this, why the hell should anyone think of his retirement?

Time and again Tendulkar has answered his critics by his performance and in Gwalior he provided a final slap to them. These include, Indian and international ex-players, columnists, the cricket-illiterate news reporters and anchors and some self proclaimed chaps who wrongly consider themselves pundits of cricket. However, if they still continue to wriggle their tongues, Sachin’s bat is always there to do the talking with those fools!

My Name Is Khan Review

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Repairs Almost Everything… But Almost!

Ratings: – * * *

It’s surprising to see a movie on world peace and about the portrayal of Islam coming from a man who is known for churning out tear-jerking love stories and family dramas. It’s even more surprising to see filmmaker Karan Johar using a character with Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of autism) to prove his point. Although the film succeeds in the mission, it is the central character of Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) that you feel like carrying away more than the film because of a sloppy storyline and a stretched second half.

Right from his childhood, Rizwan Khan is told by his mother that human beings can be distinguished only as good or bad as religious differences pose no meaning. Despite, his autistic condition, Rizwan possesses a special skill of repairing all kind of gadgets. Hence, he can ‘Repair Almost Anything’. He meets a pretty single mother Mandira (Kajol) when he is forced to migrate to the US with his brother Zakir (Jimmy Shergill). However, the 9/11 attacks change everything including the equations between Rizwan and Mandira. Now, Rizwan has only one mission – to meet the President of the United States just to say, “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist”.

It is the character of Rizwan and his innocent activities that makes the film possible. He makes you laugh, cry, enlighten as well as rethink on certain issues. His each and every interaction is memorable, especially his comments, “Liar liar” for those who are ‘bad people’.

Johar deserves appreciation for bringing to light an important issue and for trying to spread the message of humanity. Also, he shows the plight of innocent Muslims after the 9/11 attacks without the use of melodramatic and round-the-mill dialogues. Plus, Rizwan’s encounter in Georgia is memorable and moving.

However, having said that, the problems in the story and script are too big to ignore. These include: –

  • A character suffering from autism easily travels from one unknown destination to another without facing any problem whatsoever because his condition.
  • Too many incidents added after the interval tests one’s patience. Needless to say, this also increases the length to a large extent.
  • The motto of Rizwan (of meeting the President just to say that he is not a terrorist) isn’t appealing enough to generate backing from the audience.
  • The reason for Rizwan getting arrested when he was standing in the crowd appears weird.
  • Communal riots are shown taking place in Mumbai in the year 1983. They never happened in that year.
  • Sadly, the list doesn’t end here.

It takes the genius of Shah Rukh Khan to make the character of Rizwan possible. Because of SRK’s charm, one doesn’t feel awkward or uninterested while watching an autistic character. He achieves perfection with regard to the mannerisms, way of speaking and gestures of an autistic character with ease, which is hugely difficult. In short, this surely deserves a place in SRK’s top 5 performances ever.

However, My Name Is Khan is not just about SRK. Kajol shows her brilliance as much as him. The actress achieves mastery while depicting every emotion whether it is love, comedy or tragedy. It is because of the absence of Kajol that some non-talented glam dolls have acquired the top spot these days. Jimmy Shergill, Soniya Jehan and all the supporting characters play their parts well. Zarina Wahab, as Rizwan’s mother, deserves special mention.

Because of the negative points (mentioned above), My Name Is Khan turns out to be just a one-time watch movie. Still it can be considered special because of SRK’s performance and the issue it focusses. The film is definitely going to enjoy huge profits because of the hype and the huge scale release but the collections are expected to come down after the first week or so.

Harishchandrachi Factory Review

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Witnessing the Birth 

Ratings: * * * * ½

The cinema industry is flourishing in India since close to a hundred years. Thousands and thousands of films have been made in a number of languages and genres. But ever wondered how the gates of the Indian film industry were opened and by whom? Paresh Mokashi’s Harishchandrachi Factory enlightens on the birth of Indian cinema. The end result is an exciting journey of the Father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (respectfully known as Dadasaheb Phalke) – the person who made cinema possible in India.

Right from the time he saw a movie for the first time, Phalke became eager to make a movie himself and join the filmmaking profession. However, he possesses zero knowledge about the art of filmmaking. His eagerness to learn and master the art triggers his journey to make India’s first motion picture. He receives moral, practical and emotional support from his wife Saraswati (Vibhawari Deshpande). Phalke doesn’t even hesitate to go to London by putting his financial future at stake.

The uniqueness about Harishchandrachi Factory is the feel-good factor throughout. Although this is a story of a struggler, Mokashi, as a writer, has added humor in each and every scene and that too in the most simplest of situations. He proves that one doesn’t always need slapstick and sarcastic jokes to make people laugh. Even simple and clean humor can produce hundreds of rib-tickling moments.

To direct a movie about a movie isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and Mokashi shows that the cup is certainly his. He has shown every aspect of filmmaking from story idea to script preparation, from reel development to camera operation, from cast selection to scene narration and finally, from the final shoot to the actual screening. During all this, the goings doesn’t appear like a documentary or a learning activity even for a minute. However, amidst all the fun, there should have been more footage to the struggling factor considering it was a daunting task for India’s first filmmaker.

Art Director Nitin Desai produces a visual treat by building sets which take you back to the 1911-1913 era. In fact, Desai’s work makes sure that the art direction turns out to be one of the main characters of the movie.

Nandu Madhav in the central role of Dadasaheb Phalke is tremendous and flawless. The film would not have looked so beautiful if Phalke’s character was not played with conviction but Madhav takes full care that doesn’t happen as he oozes perfection in every frame. Vibhawari Deshpande (Savitri) and the rest of the actors playing the film crew and the neighbors give sound performances too.

It would be unfair to label Harishchandrachi Factory as a Marathi movie. It’s one of those rare films which crosses all language and cultural barriers. And if you like cinema, you will love this one.

Rann Movie Review

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Truth or TRP?

Ratings: * * * ½

In a time when news channels are busy with celebrity gossips, astrology, saas bahu news, promoting blind faith, creating sensationalism over petty issues and cooking news about mythological evidences, one tends to wonder what the real role of a news channel is. Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann tries answering the question and not only that; it also shows how the whole political scenario of a nation can change due to the abuse of media.

Vijay Malik’s (Amitabh Bachchan) TV channel India 24 X 7 is low in TRPs as it has not surrendered to sensationalism like other channels. But this won’t bend Malik’s traditional and ethical ways of journalism. Of course, Malik’s ideology is not appreciated by people from his own company including his son Jai (Sudeep). However, Purab (Riteish Deshmukh), an upcoming journalist, considers Malik as a Godly figure because of his honest ideology. One day, India 24 X 7, knowingly and unknowingly, becomes the reason for a major chaos in the country, which benefits a corrupt politician Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal).

Ram Gopal Varma does achieve his goal and, surprisingly, without much media bashing. His intelligently crafted scenes create intenseness throughout with the focus not shifting from the topic for once ever.  Plus, Amit Roy’s unusual yet out-of-the-box cinematography and Amar Mohile’s powerful background score generate further interest. However, one does hope there were some more powerful punches considering the hard hitting subject. Because of their absence, the film may not go down well with the entertainment hungry creatures.

The songs, which are used only in the background, suit the mood of the film perfectly, especially the Vande Mataram track and a song on TRPs.

The ways of describing Bachchan’s up-to-the-mark performance have exhausted over the decades. So I’ll only say that this performance should be added in Big B’s long list of qualitative performances. Over here, he skillfully manages to convey his message thorough his expressions when his inside is full of lava. Despite Bachchan’s presence, Sudeep manages to surprise amazingly. He is flawless throughout with his expressions, actions and dialogues. He surely deserves lots of opportunities.

With this performance, Ritiesh Deshmukh proves his worth even as a serious and intense performer. His pre-climax scene with Bachchan is memorable. Paresh Rawal, in the role of a baddie politician is too good. You love to hate him. Rajpal Yadav, Mohinish Behl, Suchitra Krishnamurthy and other supporting cast play their part well. However, Neetu Chandra is wasted. All she does is expose her body and cool down Sudeep in almost her every scene.

Rann should surely be watched by all those who take every word from these TRP-hungry news channels. The film will surely appeal to those who prefer meaningful, insightful and hard-hitting cinema. Its chances, however, look bleak because of an unimpressive opening.

Zenda (Marathi Movie) Review

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An Eye-Opener for the Young Karyakartas

 

Ratings: – * * * *

Perhaps for the first time in the history of Indian cinema, lookalikes of real life politicians with their real story and real self are shown in an amazingly appealing and enlightening manner. For this reason alone, Avdhut Gupte’s Zenda deserves a huge thumbs-up for the fearlessness he has shown.

Kakasaheb (aging leader of the political party Jan Sena) prefers his son Prashant Sarpotdar (Pushkar Shrotri) over his nephew Rajesh Sarpotdar (Rajesh Shringarpure) to lead the party. This was enough for Rajesh to separate from Jan Sena and start his own political party called Maharashtra Samrajya Sena. The film also follows the story of two young Jan Sena activists Umesh (Siddharth Chandekar) and his friend (played by Santosh Juvekar), who are as close as brothers.

Apart from doing the daring act of showing the characters of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on screen, Gupte has produced a script which doesn’t go off-track even for a minute. Plus, as a director, he creates some extraordinarily realistic and artistic scenes which keeps the vision appealing throughout. Gupte’s triumph doesn’t end here; he even excels as a music director. The tracks Konacha Zenda Gheu Haati and Saavdhan suit the mood of the film perfectly. The impressive cinematography and background make the tale more appealing.

Rajesh Shringarpure (of Sarkaar Raj fame) is an actor to watch. His expressions, dialogue delivery and gestures force you not to remove your eyes from him. Siddharth Chandekar, who plays an educated party worker, does the difficult task of speaking through his expressions. A really promising find. Santosh Juvekar in a role of a fanatic party worker suits perfectly as he moulds himself into the role and how!

Despite such excelling performers, Chinmay Mandlekar manages to get noticed because of his mature performance. His acts in the pre-climax sessions are too good. Rest of the supporting cast – Pushkar Shrotri, Sachit Patil, Tejashree Pradhan, Neha Joshi and Shubhangi Gokhale add the perfect icing in the cake.

Zenda is truly one of the most realistic and interesting political dramas to have hit the Indian screen. It’s an eye-opener for the young kaaryakartas. It takes more than just courage to make something like Zenda. Take a bow Gupte!

Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho Movie Review

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Satrah Saate Kiti? To hell with such questions!

Rating: – * * * *

Can you label a student as dumb if he fails to remember the tables of 12 and 17? Does the by-hearting of chemical equations and reactions determine intelligence? Is it really necessary for a student to mug up the centuries old unimportant happenings in order to prove his worth?

After 3 Idiots, Mahesh Manjrekar’s Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho shows the mirror to our faulty education system where kids are reduced to just coolies who are made to earn wages in the form of ranks. And when it comes to executing and providing justice to the subject, Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho rises much above than 3 Idiots.

Shreenivas Rane aka Shree (Saksham Kulkarni) is one amongst lakhs of student coolies. Shree possesses special talent in the game of cricket. However, his father Madhukar Rane (Bharat Jadhav) hates his son’s crazy interest in the game and turns a blind eye on his talent simply because he wants him to do well in studies. One day, a shocking incident forces Madhukar to change his belief. He realizes his mistake as well as the faults in the education system and goes on a quest to change it.

Only someone like Mahesh V Manjrekar can narrate such a hard hitting social subject in a manner which appeals to every section of the society. His mastery can be seen in each and every scene. Those which stay etched in your memory include Madhukar’s encounter with a school teacher and his interaction with the Chief Minister (Sachin Khedekar). The typical middle class feel with continuous situational humor makes it appealing to every common man. Such similar middle class scenarios were earlier seen in Manjrekar’s Vaastav, Tera Mera Saath Rahen, Ehsaas, Hathyar, Viruddh and Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy.

Contrary to many, Manjrekar never ever rubbishes the need for education. Instead, he has put forth some changes which are required in our education system which include – lessening the syllabus burden, putting off the examination pressure and, most importantly, the elimination of ranking system. The criticisms of the education system are presented in a logical way without going overboard even a bit. The onus is also on those parents who make life hell for students with their overambitious expectations without realizing their children’s talent in other areas.

Such a relevant concept and a powerful script could not have looked so impressive without a superlative performance by Bharat Jadhav. The actor deserves high praise in each and every scene as he delivers one of the finest performances to have come in recent years. Saksham Kulkarni in the role of the troubled child is a perfect cast. He does full justice to his character while portraying every emotion with ease.

Gauri Vaidya plays the role of the younger sister perfectly. Kranti Redkar and the rest of the neighbors provide ideal support. However, it is Siddharth Jadhav who surprises everyone. His character of Ibrahim Bhai is lovable. The development of Ibrahim’s character is very similar to the one of Mukesh Rishi in Manjrekar’s own Kurukshetra. Lastly, Sachin Khedekar and Manjrekar excel in their cameos.

Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho is a must watch for everyone including the non-Marathi sections purely because of the urge it provides for a change in our education system, which is the desperate need of the hour. The unprecedented response at the box-office will make this as one of the highest money making Marathi movies of the year.