For Your Eyes Only – Part 3

October 26, 2009 by Keyur Seta 8 Comments

Haan yeh aam raasta nahin hai! Har Pooranmaashi ki raat ko 9 baje is raaste par kadam rakhne se aap hawaa mein skating karne lagte hai! (Clicked at Santacruz East)

Thanks for informing... or rather cautioning (Clicked at Dadar West)

This is how Manoj Kumar will protect himself from getting Swine Flu (Clicked inside my office. The name of the employee is withheld to protect his identity... lol)

Now this is called height of overconfidence! (Clicked at Shivaji Park)

Such a description suits more to places like Switzerland, Mussoorie or Ooty instead of Mulund station

Are these people expecting to get a pesticides order at 2 in the night? (Clicked at Gokhale Road, Dadar West)

In the first two lines, they are giving an account that their Neuro Surgeon and Nephrologist did manage to succeed in a few cases her and there. But the last line is the killer - Super Speciality Doctors Available! They have doctors who can fix someones tooth from their left hand while simultaneously fixing someones bone with their right hand. That's their super speciality! (Clicked at Dadar West)

A Thursday

October 11, 2009 by Keyur Seta 4 Comments

Why is October 12 so special for me? (No… it’s not my birthday and I am still single)

October 12… sounds like an ordinary date doesn’t it? But for me, it’s worth a thousand smiles. Something happened on this day which I so dearly wanted to happen since my childhood. I am sure many would consider my excitement as over the top but I can’t help. Three years back, I finally saw him in real and spoke with him (not her by any means). And before you start thinking, God knows what, let me come to the point and stop your weird imaginations. It was the day when I met the great Baadshah of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan!

I and my classmates, who were completing PG Diploma in Journalism, were sent by our college (K C College of Management Studies) to a talk show on NDTV show where SRK was the guest. I clearly remember how desperate I was to put in my name in the list of those who were interesting in attending the show. Thus began my wait for that Thursday, which finally arrived. After we reached Mehboob Studio for more than an hour, King Khan finally arrived dressed in a shirt and blue jeans. I could hardly believe my eyes and luck.

Pranab Roy, the host, quickly began the show. As Shah Rukh started answering questions on his daily life, we soon came to know how down to earth he is. We were all pleasantly surprised to see the biggest star behaving in the most simplest of manners just like any other common man. The show began to progress and so did King Khan’s friendliness with us. Also we were awestruck by his witty humor.

SPL18091_002

In between he also gave attitude tips in a totally non-preaching manner. It’s after listening to one of his tips that I have started doing every small activity with utmost dedication. SRK had said, “Even if you are just brushing your teeth you should brush it in such a way as if it is the last time you are getting a chance to do so.” Initially I wasn’t sure of this but still gave it a try few days after the show and today I am still enjoying doing every small activity enthusiasm.

Later in the show, selected few got a chance to ask Shah Rukh a question and of course I was one of them. While all were desperately pleading for the mike with all excitement, I just politely signaled Roy for a chance and it paid off. If there was a moment where calmness scored over desperation, this was one!

As I tried asking a question to SRK, I could feel my hand shaking, heartbeat thumping and my breath going irregular. I asked, “Are you looking forward to becoming a director ever?” and he answered humorously, “Yes, maybe after 4-5 years when nobody will give me work.” I won’t explain my reaction after this cameo of a talk with him because I will never be able to do so! And lastly, we broke the rules of the organizers and ran on the stage. Needless to say I was one of them. I can still feel his handshake.

SRK2

The show ended as Shah Rukh Khan danced with few members from the audience. And this time, I, being the worst dancer in the world, was happy sitting in the audience as I had no intentions of making a fool of myself on national television! Thus, the show ended and so did one of the best moments of my life.

When my course ended, majority of my classmates felt the money spent on the fees wasn’t worth. In fact, almost all of them felt that… except me. Those few hours spent inside Mehboob studio never allowed me to feel that way.

Unusual Characters Inside a BEST Bus

September 18, 2009 by Keyur Seta 6 Comments

Being a Mumbaikar, one cannot escape regular voyages in our BEST busses. I am no exception and I feel fortunate for it as I just love our red-colored beauties (busses). While travelling all these years, I come across different types of unusual characters. I would like to categorize them and would also like to read their thoughts, of course in a fictitious manner.

BEST Bus The Ever Suspecting Types: Unfortunately I bump into such people regularly. Some co-passengers just stare at me with suspicion. They scan me from head to toe and look at me as if I am carrying explosives. Maybe he took the message ‘Look around for suspicious people’ a bit too seriously.

The Ever Offended Types: While following the rule of getting down from the front door, one has to pass through a line of standing passengers while asking them to excuse. When I ask one to give me way, they give me such an offended expression as if I poked a needle in his or her stomach while saying so!

The Hool Giving Types: There isn’t a single commuter (while travelling standing) who doesn’t hope that a passenger sitting near him gets up to leave. In such situations, I come across these Hool Giving types. These people give all indications a person gives seconds before alighting. They cling on the handle of the seat in front of them and some (females) even put the purse handle on their shoulder, only to get down after 20-30 minutes!

How Dare You Types: Unfortunately I come across many people (males) who sit in a bus seat with legs spread. When I ‘kindly’ ask the person to give some space, he gives such an angry expression as if saying, “How dare you ask the size of my underwear?” BEST Bus3

Hip-Hop Types: Some standees believe a bit too much in the term ‘hands free comfort’. These chaps refuse to hold any pole for their balance. Because of this, the bus movement forces them to dance from one corner of the bus to the other while the fellow standees are forced to be a part of their performance in the form of firm pushes. What a way of fulfilling the dream of pursuing your unfulfilled hobby!

It will be interesting to see whether I find some more types of characters in the future. I won’t mind more offended and suspicious looks or dance pushes or more hools as long as I get something to write another blog post.

Season of Suicide in Bollywood

September 6, 2009 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Quick Gun Murugun What would happen if a sparsely populated village that requires around 100 kilos of wheat each month is supplied a thousand kilos? Around 90% of the product will go waste. Well, the situation in our very own Bollywood is similar these days because of the abnormal number of films releasing. It’s unbelievably true that 12 Hindi films have released in last two weeks (28^th August and 4^th September).

But that’s not all as next Friday (11^th September), 5 more flicks are coming out. And apart from these 17, there are 6 Hollywood films and 1 Bengali film (Sob Choritra Kalponik starring Bipasha Basu) too. Just imagine – a total of 24 new films in three weeks! It can’t get more insane than this.

The following table is the list of new releases in these three weeks: –

August 28	September 4	September 11
Kisaan	Chintu Ji	Baabarr
Quick Gun Murugun	Mohandas	Vaada Raha… I Promise
Toss	Aagey Se Right	Aamras
Daddy Cool	Fox	Ruslaan
Yeh Mera India	Three	I Can’t Think Straight
Sob Choritra Kalponik	Bachelor Party	The Unforgettable
Love Khichdi	The Final Destination	9
The Taking Of Pelham 123		District 9
Race To Witch Mountain

Because of the high number of releases and the lack of promotion of most of the movies, the theatres are almost running empty. In fact, many of the shows of these films got cancelled due to ‘no audience’.

Yeh Mera India

The reason is simple. The cost of tickets and the lack of time do not allow a common man to enjoy more than two films per week. Even if a person has all the time and money, has he or she heard most of the names from this list? Because of this overdose, even few well made flicks go unnoticed.

A year that has seen less than a handful of successful films in the first half is now laden with such high numbers of unsuccessful films. What’s worse is that such mass suicide will continue in the coming months. So don’t be surprised if 2009 becomes the year with most number of flops in Bollywood ever.

The Taking Of Pelham 123 Movie Review

August 30, 2009 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

On Track…Almost

Ratings: – * * *

I am firmly of the view that a remake should not be compared with the original film. It’s my belief that a remake is a way of looking at a particular story in a different way and during a different time-span. It’s more like an experiment as well as a tribute. Having said that, I am forced to say that the original 1974 flick The Taking Of Pelham 123 should be better than this remake by Tony Scott, only because of a particular scene which I found illogical.

Pelham 123

After grabbing the ransom money, why on earth will a terrorist walk on the streets of a city without a care in the world so that the cops can catch or shoot him? Even someone like me, who has no criminal record, would know that the first thing in this situation to do is to flee from the city or country as soon as possible. However, in spite of this, this remake is worth watching mostly because of the technical aspects, the sleek look and the performances.

It’s a typical hostage drama where Ryder (John Travolta) and his group hijack the New York City’s subway train The Pelham 123 and demand a huge ransom in return within 60 minutes. Ryder vows to gun down one person every minute after the deadline. Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), an MTA official, is forced to become the negotiator due to the recent circumstances in his life.

Thanks to a gripping screenplay and some stylish effects, the interest is generated throughout the 121 minutes. Plus, some innovative camerawork add to the plus points. The bird view shots are terrific. The above mention points help a great deal when the goings goes off-track slightly in between. The stunts and the action too deserve special mention. However, the couple of accidents included looked like a forced attempt to create thrill.

Travolta and Washington’s performance and the witty interaction between them act as the main pillar. Here, the dialogue writer deserves applause for creating a bond between the characters. Because of these plusses, The Taking Of Pelham 123 can be quite satisfying, especially for thriller lovers.

3 Day Affair

August 29, 2009 by Keyur Seta 4 Comments

Gone are the days when box-office hits were movies that easily lasted at least 10-15 weeks and most of them completing silver jubilee. In today’s times, it’s impossible to see such a thing happening.

We are living in a see-and-forget-world. The world has become so fast that the first weekend collections itself determine whether a film is a hit or flop! And most of the times, a person who hasn’t seen a particular movie labels it as good or poor by just looking its business over the first three days.

singh-is-king2

Let’s take two examples –Singh Is King and Kambakkht Ishq. Singh Is King was considered as the most successful Bollywood film when it released in 2008. The stamp of a blockbuster was granted to it just because its producers and distributors booked almost all theatres in the country with around 10 shows per day.

As expected, people stormed into the theatres in the first weekend as it was a hugely awaited movie. Therefore, it gets the status of one of the biggest hits ever in Bollywood. However, you will hardly hear any praises from those who have seen this. Singh Is King’s audience rating in Imdb.com is just about 5 out of 10. Any regular reader at Imdb will know that to have a rating of 5 over there isn’t good by any means.

KambakkhtIshq

Kambakkht Ishq is even a bigger example. Some critics are of the view that it’s a super hit judging by its business on the first three days. But do we have any appreciators for this so called super hit? On Imdb, the audience’s response is merely 3.6 out of 10 for this flick.

This proves that in today’s times, it’s not difficult to ‘cook’ a box-office hit. All you need is a top actor, an exciting promo and a good marketing strategy. In fact, it seems some filmmakers are putting in more efforts in creating their film’s promo than the actual movie.

There is a dialogue in the movie Halla Bol (sadly, another sincere effort going unnoticed) by some side actor. It says “Aaj kal sab kuchh marketing pe chalta hai. Jab tak public ko achchhe-bure ki samaj aaye, teen din mein maal andar”. The ‘3 Day Affair’ cannot be described more accurately than this!

Sikandar Movie Review

August 23, 2009 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Sikandar

The Twist called Terror

Ratings: – * * *

When fourteen year old Sikandar (Parzan Dastur) picked-up a gun lying on the road, he had no idea that his few minutes of heroic pleasure will bring a drastic change in his life and will also force major turn of events in a terror-torn area of Kashmir.

Because of such an intriguing and novel concept, director Piyush Jha’s Sikandar cannot be labeled as just another film on the issue of terrorism in Kashmir even though it is actually just another film on that issue. This is largely because of the narration, which is thrilling as well as simple at the same time. However, the final conclusion acts as the only drawback and can well be the reason for the film receiving mixed reactions.

Jha’s maturity in handling a delicate issue can be felt throughout the duration of the narration, which doesn’t go off-track even for a scene. In addition, the beautiful and mind-blowing locations can make anyone fall in love with the place. The scenic mountains and the landscapes force one to stay glued to the screen even when the going is a bit slow. In fact, it won’t be an overstatement to consider the location as one of the principal characters. For this, credit goes to Somak Mukherjee’s artistic cinematography.

Parzan Dastoor manages to carry the film on his shoulders and displays the right emotions. Playing the central character in such a film and that too for the first time can be a daunting task and the small sardar of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai passes the test.

Ayesha Kapoor (younger Rani Mukherjee in Black) too gets a scope to show her skills while Madhavan and Sanjuy Suri enact their parts perfectly. Debutant Arunoday Singh shows some promise in a cameo.

The subject of the film doesn’t leave much scope for songs though Dhoop Ke Sikke fits in the mood. More than the music of the few songs, it’s the background score that is more noticeable and has a gripping impact throughout.

Piyush Jha certainly churns out a commendable product which deserves a watch though the final culmination of events wouldn’t find many takers. In fact, the final scenarios prevent the film from being an outstanding effort. But more than that, the poor opening will make Sikandar go unnoticed at the box-office. Sadly, this will have to be included in my next ‘Unsung Heroes’ post.

Kaminey Movie Review

August 17, 2009 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

A Road Less Travelled

Kaminey

Ratings: – * * *

Bridging the gap between parallel cinema and masala entertainers can be dicey. Though Vishal Bhardwaj, who tries it in Kaminey, succeeds in his new and unusual storytelling method, there’s no denying that he ends with being a bit too nasty and complicated. Therefore, those inclined towards goody and light entertainers will be disappointed.

Coming straight to the plot the writers and the director have added high doses of freshness in it even though it follows the premise of two twin brothers Guddu and Charlie (Shahid Kapoor) and the comedy of errors arising due to their identical looks. Guddu is a soft-hearted goody boy while Charlie is a gangster and is equally wild. Surrounding the two brothers is a bunch of unusual characters like Sweety (Priyanka Chopra), Bhope Bhau (Amole Gupte), Mikhail (Chandan Roy Sanyal), Lobo (Shiv Subrahmanyam) and Lele (Hrishikesh Joshi).

The whole story, which takes place in a span of 48 hours, keeps the interest alive because of the fast narrative. Bhardwaj shows his touch of class in a number of praiseworthy sequences. Even a host of characters are beautifully woven into the main plot. However, one does wish Bhardwaj had kept things simple instead of being too wild at several points.

Shahid Kapoor and his gutsy performance acts as the major pillar for the film. The actor plays two opposite characters with perfection. After watching him here, one cannot argue against him being one of the most talented youngsters in Bollywood. His character Charlie’s ‘fa’ pronunciation for ‘sa’ plays a big role in the humor content. Priyanka Chopra once again proves that she has come of age lately. Her role required her to be soft and hard-hitting at the same time and she manages it with utmost ease.

However, Amole Gupte’s negative act comes as a total surprise. The script writer turned actor is flawless and adorable. Where was he all these years? Chandan Roy Sanyal makes a confident debut and promises a lot. The rest of the characters like Tenzing Nima, Shiv Subhrahmanyam, Hrishikesh Joshi, etc provide perfect support.

As a music director, Bhardwaj’s tunes suit the subject perfectly. Apart from the hugely popular Dhan Te Nan, Raat Ko Dhaai Baje is another impressive number. Even his background score is apt for the subject.

Kaminey relies mainly on performances. In fact, it’s because of the performances that one feels satisfied with this one. The satisfaction could’ve been greater if, as stated earlier, the narrative was less nasty and complicated. All in all, Kaminey is laudable for the hatke path it follows.

The Unsung Heroes of the First Half of 2009

August 16, 2009 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Along with the well-known blockbusters, each year Bollywood also witnesses a number of well-intentioned and intelligently made films that go unnoticed and fail to get the due respect which they rightfully deserved. There can be various reasons for their downfall like lack of promotion, lack of interest for the masses, lack of superstars or lack of masala or entertaining factors. Sadly, the first half of this year too witnessed such unsung heroes. Let’s take a look at them: –

The Stoneman Murders: Director Manish Gupta’s thriller was based on the mysterious serial killings which terrorized Mumbai in 1983. After adding some meaningful fictitious elements, Gupta made an intense drama with some unpredictable twists leading on to a heart-wrenching climax. It had a powerful script without a single dull moment. Plus, Kay Kay Menon’s flawless and memorable performance summed up a flick which surely deserved a watch. Unfortunately, it opened with a poor response and was ignored after the first week itself.

Gulaal

Gulaal: This one received a great deal of critical as well as international acclaim. However, that wasn’t enough as the film failed to gain a good response at the ticket-window. An unusual subject of student cum mafia politics was dealt in a mature manner by director Anurag Kashyap, who showed his special touch in a number of praiseworthy sequences. It had some topnotch performances by Kay Kay Menon, Raj Singh Chaudhary, Abhimanyu Singh, Ayesha Mohan, Piyush Mishra and, in fact, even by those side actors. Its dark, hard-hitting and somewhat disturbing subject could be the reason why it didn’t attract the masses.

Firaaq

Firaaq: Actress Nandita Das’ directorial debut was appreciated round the globe. Sadly, back home the film received a dismal response at the box-office. It was a never-tried-before realistic account of the people who have just gone through the nerve-wracking Godhara riots in Gujarat. Das managed to churn out some realistically excellent performance from Nasserudding Shah, Paresh Rawal, Shahana Goswami and Raghuveer Yadav. One doesn’t expect such a film to be a blockbuster but one certainly expects the multiplex audiences to help the film gain at least something notable at the box-office.

Let's Dance

Let’s Dance: Aarif Sheikh’s directorial debut wasn’t a such a praiseworthy affair. However, what’s saddening is that the fact that a superlative performance by the first-timer Gayatri Patel didn’t manage to turn heads. It’s a rare for a debutant girl to carry the whole film on her shoulders without any support whatsoever from her male counterparts. When was the last time we witnessed such a thing? Memory takes us as back as 1997 when Rani Mukherjee did the same thing in her debut Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat.

For Your Eyes Only – Part 2

August 9, 2009 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Few chaps got together and all of a sudden formed a mitra mandal. Hence, this name. LOL! (Clicked at Santacruz East)

This is written by someone who pronounces sir as saar! (Clicked near my office at Worli)

Looks like they take everyone on a camp and teach how to control it. Will there be live demonstations? (Clicked at Gokhale Road, Dadar West)