Category Archives: Bollywood

Director Ashutosh Gowariker Enthralls Symbiosis Students

(I was overwhelmed when my dear friend Padmanabh Subramanian aka Pady requested me to post this article of his on my blog. It’s a matter of pride for me that someone considers my blog as a platform to share his or her experience.)

The ‘Lagaan’ director was at Symbiosis Institute Of International Business, Hinjewadi, Pune for a discussion on management & film-making.

By: Padmanabh Subramanian

Leadership skills, ethical practices, effective planning and execution, human relations, emotional quotient, etc. are key managerial skills, MBA students aspire for. Cinema and process of film-making have always been closely associated with these managerial aspects. Such qualities are best-depicted through films and therefore, today movie-scripts are often used as case studies in educational institutes and the corporate world. Director- Mr. Ashutosh Gowariker is one such film-maker whose protagonists Bhuvan (Lagaan) & Mohan Bharghav (Swades) changed our perception of the conventional ‘hero’, by bringing about a revolution through lateral thinking, with patriotism as the backdrop.

On 18th February 2011, Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Hinjewadi Pune (SIIB) invited Mr. Ashutosh Gowariker for a guest lecture on “Management & managerial aspects of films and film-making”. Dr. Rajani Gupte, Director, SIIB and Dr. Vidya Yervadekar, Principal Director, Symbiosis Society, were also a part of the programme.

Mr. Gowariker began the session, with his early experiences as an actor, gradually moving towards film-making, which involved financing, operational issues, film-promotions & marketing, etc. He then spoke about how he zeroed down ‘leading actors’ for his films, based on the character’s temperament. He also threw light on how a film’s success and failure both are equally important for a film-maker.

Highlights of the session:

The simplicity, humility & straightforwardness with which Mr. Ashutosh put forth his points, thoughts, ideas and experiences, wrapped in humour, had the audience in splits.He came down to the level of youngsters which set the comfort level of the audience. The journey of his gradual evolution from an actor to director, director to a producer and finally from a producer to writer, with confusion and chaos at every stage, is something every youngster faces at this point of time, and could therefore connect to the transition process instantly. The interaction was the USP of the show, since people actually came out with frank, open queries, and having most of the questions answered much to their satisfaction.

Overall, it was a highly interactive, humorous and interesting session, and the audience enjoyed every bit of it.

7 Khoon Maaf Review

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Rating: 3 out of 5

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Vivaan Shah, Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Anu Kapoor, Aleksandr Dyachenko, Naseruddin Shah

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Producers: UTV Spotboy, V B Films

Vishal Bhardwaj is known for making dark and unusual pieces of cinema. And after watching the promos of his latest offering 7 Khoon Maaf, it looked that this is the darkest and the most unusual thing to have come out of him. And as expected, this is indeed the case. Because of this and the final culmination, 7 Khoon Maaf will appeal only to a selected class audience and not to the masses. Having said that, Bhardwaj deserves accolades for his impressive creativity as a director and also for some out-of-the-box narration.

Based on writer Ruskin Bond’s novel Susanna’s Seven Husbands, the story focuses on Susanna’s (Priyanka Chopra) encounter with her husbands – Major Edwin Rodrigues (Neil Nitin Mukesh), rock performer Jimmy Stetson (John Abraham), poet Wasiullah Khan (Irrfan Khan), Russian Nicolai Vronsky (Aleksandr Dyachenko), inspector Keemat Lal (Anu Kapoor) and Dr Modhusudhon Tarafdar (Naseruddin Shah) – and how and why she gets rid of them. Arun Kumar (Vivaan Shah) also becomes an integral part of Susanna’s life.

Although in each story Susanna ends up killing her husband, the tales are as different from each other as chalk and cheese and so are all the murders. In fact, the unusual and witty way… (TO READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW, PLEASE CLICK HERE)

Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji Review

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Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Shazahn Padamsee, Shraddha Das, Shruti Haasan, Tisca Chopra

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Music: Pritam

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Madhur Bhandarkar

Rating: * * * 1/2

After earning a name in movies based on serious issues and women oriented films, director Madhur Bhandarkar tries something altogether different in Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji as he steps on to a romantic comedy. Questions started doing the rounds whether Bhandarkar will succeed in treading on a path where he has never put his feet before. However, in Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, Bhandarkar proves that if one has the right vision, talent and determination, one can succeed in any genre.

A not-so-happy Naren is getting divorced from his wife (Rituparna Sengupta). In order to kill loneliness during this tragic time, he shifts to his old house and finds two roommates, Milind Kelkar (Omi Vaidya), a conservative Maharashtrian and Abhay (Emraan Hashmi), an out-and-out playboy.

During this time, Naren falls for his new office colleague June (Shazahn Padamsee), Milind finds love in RJ Gungun Sarkar (Sharddha Das) after a chance meeting with her and Abhay enters into a relationship with an elderly woman Anushka (Tisca Chopra). How Naren and Milind try to complete their love story and how Abhay’s life takes a dramatic turn forms the rest of the story.

Although the story and the situations appear filmy, Bhandarkar adds life to the proceedings by adding some realistic touch to various scenes (for which he is known). The screenplay (Bhandarkar, Anil Pandey and Neeraj Udvani) and Sanjay Chhel’s dialogues play a vital role in keeping the interest alive and giving some good rib-tickling moments.

Special mention should be given to the climax, which, thankfully, is way different from other numerous romantic comedies and the one which surely brings a smile. In fact, the climax plays a pivotal role in making Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji special.

On the flipside, Emraan Hashmi’s love story with Shruti Haasan is far from convincing and appears half-baked. Also the plot looses some grip in the second half but the last 30 minutes and, as stated earlier, the climax make up for everything.

Pritam’s music suits the film perfectly. Abhi Kuchh Dino Se, which is already popular, Tu Khwab Hai and Tere Bin are melodious, pleasant and also have repeat value.

Ajay Devgn once again shows why he is one of the best actors in Bollywood. He plays a man with middle-aged crisis with maturity and sincerity. He displays intenseness in serious scenes and is also good with his comic timing. It’s tiring to see Emraan Hashmi play a bad guy again and again. However, taking nothing away from the actor, it should be said he plays his part with perfection.

After a memorable act in 3 Idiots, Omi Vaidya’s next performance was keenly awaited. Omi doesn’t disappoint his fans as he presents another lovable act. His funny dialogue delivery, unusual expressions as well as his act in emotional scenes is sure to impress all.

Shazahn Padamsee suits the role perfectly although she sounds childish at times. Shraddha Das shows promise and looks fabulous. Shruti Haasan is average in a role which is much less meatier than other two ladies. Tisca Chopra plays her part very well.

Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji is easily one of the best works of Madhur Bhandarkar which has a chance of impressing youngsters as well as grown ups. At the box-office, the film has a chance of clicking.

Unsung Heroes Of 2010

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I wanted to write a post about those films which I liked the most in 2010. But as I made a mental list of it I realized almost all of them are films which didn’t attain box-office success or critical acclaim which they so dearly deserved. So, I thought of coming up with a list called the ‘Unsung Heroes of 2010’. They truly are according to me.

Rann: Perhaps the only movie which exposed the nexus between TV news channels and politics and that too with a riveting story and an intense script. Unfortunately the pro-song and dance audience gave a cold shoulder to this one for being too serious. Even a superlative lead performance from the great Amitabh Bachchan wasn’t enough to even make this well made effort from Ram Gopal Varma even an average success.

Karthik Calling Karthik: One of the rare psychological thrillers to have come from Bollywood, Karthik Calling Karthik managed to churn out a suspense tale which just nobody could predict and one which keeps us glued throughout. It also had a mature and convincing act by Farhan Akhtar. However, Vijay Lalvani’s brilliant debut both as a director and a scriptwriter wasn’t noticed at the box-office.

Red Alert-The War Within: The film for which I feel bad the most! Ananth Mahadevan’s intense and flawless dark thriller brings to light the issue of naxals with an outstanding act by Suniel Shetty that can silence his critics forever. One cannot expect such films to be blockbusters but one can surely expect the class audience to take a look at it which didn’t happen. It’s also disheartening not to see Suniel Shetty’s nomination in any of the annual film awards.

Aakrosh: Those who have seen Aakrosh will agree that this is one of the best works of Priyadarshan. But how many of us did see this? Despite some great performances from a well known star cast (Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna and Bipasha Basu), a famous director, a well publicized product and finally, a well crafted faced paced thriller, it only received ignorance from the audience.

Rakht Charitra (Part 1 and 2): Although it was a portrayal of late Andhra leader Paritala Ravi’s life, director Ram Gopal Varma made sure the film appears interestingly dramatic and highly impactful. It is understandable that a film with such brutal violence didn’t click at the box-office. However, I find it unbelievable that Vivek Oberoi’s career best performance and Surya’s sensational and mind-blowing debut weren’t nominated at a single awards ceremony.

I don’t mind if ‘no-brainers’ work wonders at the box-office. But I more than mind if all wonderfully made serious films or films based on hard-hitting issues go un-noticed (forget box-office success) and get a kick on the back. Well, because of this trend, we can see only films like House Full, Dabanng and Golmaal 3 becoming superhits. And it looks like the dirty trend is going to continue in 2011 too. So, see you again for a similar post after a year as I am sure there will be a number of well made serious films in 2011 too that will have similar fate.

Dhobi Ghat Movie Review

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Ratings: * * * 1/2

Cast: Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra

Director: Kiran Rao

Music: Gustavo Santaolalla

Producers: Aamir Khan Productions

The city of Mumbai has been explored on celluloid by filmmakers almost ever since Bollywood or Hindi film industry came into being. Debutant director Kiran Rao explores the same old city yet again but in a manner which makes her work stand apart proudly from other films based on Mumbai.

Rao makes her unconventional methods clear right from the very first scene as she narrates the story of four individuals, Arun, a lonely painter, Shai, a banker from New York who is in Mumbai on a sabbatical, Munna, the dhobi and Yasmeen, a newly married woman. The four characters cross each other’s paths as the city slowly emerges as the fifth character.

Rao succeeds very well in capturing utter realism as the four characters go through various experiences. The events, interactions, reactions, emotions and the narration submerge us into a world which we cannot label as fiction even though it is. The way the four characters subtly enter each other’s lives and become an integral part in such an unusual manner is something to watch out for. And considering this is Rao’s first film she deserves kudos for the direction as well as the writing.

Having said that, the film has limited chances of appealing to the masses because of the documentary feel it gives sometimes. The pro-entertainment folks might even find it difficult to digest this flick, which is ideal for film festivals. But this should not surprise the makers as Rao makes it clear from her story and her way of narration and filming that box-office or mass success is not she was looking for.

Aamir Khan plays a quite, shy, loner painter with ease. He shows a very different side of his and succeeds in speaking with his eyes and expressions. However, because of the nature of the character, the performance might not satisfy some of his diehard fans.

Prateik Babbar gets into the skin of his character and displays a flawless act. He leaves behind a tremendous mark as he displays different states of his mind with maturity. Debutant Monica Dogra fits in the role of an NRI perfectly. Although she struggles with her Hindi but that is understandable considering her character. She also has the looks to astonish! Kriti Malhotra doesn’t have much to do other than narrate but she manages to impress.

Even though Dhobi Ghat is not something that will blaze the box-office, Kiran Rao has reasons to be proud of her entry in Bollywood. It’s moving yet pleasurable; simple yet memorable!

No One Killed Jessica Review

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Cast: Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan, Myra Karn, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Neil Bhoopalam, Rajesh Sharma

Director: Rajkumar Gupta

Music: Amit Trivedi

Producers: UTV Spotboy

Ratings: * * * 1/2

Not so very long ago, the infamous Jessica Lall murder case united the whole nation in the fight to nail the culprits. Almost everyone is aware of the incident and its consequences. So, if a filmmaker tries to portray the whole issue on celluloid right from scratch till the end when the culprits are convicted, it requires much more than dedication. Thankfully, such dedication is visible in Rajkumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica, a film that successfully blends the apathy of Jessica Lall’s family, protest and unity of the nation and more importantly the height of corruption in India.

The film focuses on how Sabrina Lall (Vidya Balan) struggles to get justice for her deceased sister Jessica Lall (Myra Karn), who was shot dead by Manu Sharma (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub), (who is named in the film Manish Bhardwaj) and how she is helped by TV news reporter Meera Gaity (Rani Mukherjee).

Apart from directing the tale with sincerity, Gupta also achieves perfection in the very vital task of writing the screenplay and dialogues. Vital because in such real life cases the writer has the mammoth task of making sure that the proceedings don’t appear like a documentary or a docudrama and Gupta succeeds in that as he narrates the real-life story while keeping in mind the elements needed for a feature film. The filmmaker, who debuted with the critically acclaimed Aamir is here to stay.

The film doesn’t merely show how Sabrina struggled to get justice. It also gives a strong message of how the citizens should make sure that justice is done. Having said that, it might not be appreciated by those folks who are hungry for entertainment as in some portions it just lacks a strong punch.

Although there isn’t much scope for music, songs Dilli Dilli and Aitbaar manage to fit well in the plot and have a lasting impact. Music director Amit Trivedi once again does well.

Both Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee give one of their career best performances. Vidya portrays the helplessness of Sabrina Lall with utmost maturity. The way she struggles and moves from pillar to post is sure to move everyone.

On the other hand, Rani is impeccable in a never-seen-before avatar of a foul-mouthed bindaas journo. This performance of hers deserves thumbs up and will surely be talked about forever. Although Myra Karn doesn’t have a full fledged role, she impresses in her debut and shows a lot of confidence.

Debutant Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub does very well in the difficult role of the culprit. Neil Bhoopalam, another debutant, also impresses. The film also contains first rate performances from the supporting cast.

No One Killed Jessica has a strong chance of having a Rang De Basanti effect on the masses. It will rely strongly on word-of-mouth and would succeed if that happens.

Tees Maar Khan Review

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Tees Maar Khan Movie Review

Rating: * *

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Akshaye Khanna, Raghu Ram, Rajiv Laxman, Ali Asgar

Director: Farah Khan

Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Shirish Kunder

Producers: Hari Om Productions, Three’s Company, UTV Motion Pictures

After Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, director Farah Khan is back with another masala entertainer in the form of Tees Maar Khan and that too at a time when only such genre is clicking with the audience as well as the box-office. Plus, the promos promised lots of entertainment and dhamaal in Tees Maar Khan especially the track and video of Sheila Ki Jawani. But unfortunately the promise isn’t fulfilled because of a story and situations that are too unconvincing to digest.

Tabrez Mirza Khan aka Tees Maar Khan (Akshay Kumar) is an expert conman who always manages to free himself from the police authorities if he is caught. One day he gets to lay his hands on the biggest heist of his life by helping twin conmen Johri Brothers (Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman) recover their loot from the police. TMK hatches a plan by involving an Oscar-hungry superstar Aatish Kapoor (Akshaye Khanna) in their mission and by also fooling the whole of Dhulia village.

Farah Khan tries very hard to make TMK a non-stop entertainer but the screenplay handicaps her. The first half appears interesting though when TMK is introduced and his con acts displayed. This portion also produces some good funny moments. However, the build up to the robbery (second half), the actual robbery and its consequences just fail to impress or amuse. In fact, the goings appears quite idiotic at times courtesy of too much mindlessness and some non-funny humour. And on top of that, a weak and forced ‘happy ending’ make matters worse.

Vishal-Shekhar and Shirish Kunder’s music relies heavily on Sheila Ki Jawani as the rest of the songs fall just in the average territory. Cinematography is good while the background score plays too much of the title song.

TMK rests on Akshay Kumar’s shoulders and he carries the responsibility with an aura. However, too much of self-boasting and loudness hampers his performance a bit. Akshaye Khanna on the other hand plays a crazy character superbly. He is truly likeable in a never-seen-before avatar. Apart from shaking her leg on Sheila Ki Jawani, Katrina Kaif purely irritates!

Ali Asgar and Akshay’s other two comrades suit perfectly in their roles. Murli Sharma and Aman Verma display good comical acts and so do Sachin Khedekar and Vijay Patkar. Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman are average while rest of the characters including Apara Mehta and Arya Babbar give good support.

All in all, Tees Maar Khan is far away from Farah Khan’s earlier two attempts. Because of the huge hype and publicity, the film will surely earn profit at the box-office in the first week. But the collections will be doubtful after that.

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey Review

Rakht Charita-II (Part 2) Review

Guzaarish Movie Review

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Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Screenplay: Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Bhavani Iyer

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shernaz Patel

Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Producer: SLB Films and UTV Motion Pictures

Rating: * * ½

Guzaarish For More Impact?

The debate about euthanasia or mercy-killing in India is not a new one. Sanjay Leela Bhansali takes a bold stand by highlighting the importance of mercy-killing (euthanasia) in his latest venture Guzaarish. However, because of the slow pace and the overuse of artistic methods in narrating a simple tale, the film caters only for the classes and not for average moviegoers. Plus, the script leaves few questions unanswered.

Ethan Masceranhas (Hrithik Roshan) was once a world famous magician who became paraplegic after suffering a near-fatal accident. Today, since fourteen years, Ethan is living in a miserable paraplegic condition. Although he is a cheerful lad who motivates others, through his radio show, to live life to the fullest, he files a petition for his own mercy-killing as he feels he has had enough of this paralytic life. But will he succeed in challenging the law which doesn’t allow a thing like euthanasia?

Bhansali executes some creatively touchy moments surrounding the central character but his and Bhavani Iyer’s screenplay strives too much to make a visual treat out of the subject. Although the art looks brilliant, it gives rise to a number of scenes that stretch the movie. Hence, the going becomes unfocussed and tedious which tests audiences’ patience.

Bhansali makes his debut as a music director with this film but apart from the song Udi, there isn’t much in the music department to talk about. Visually stunning cinematography and an apt background score act as big saving graces.

Hrithik Roshan deserves applause for agreeing to play a paraplegic character and essaying it in a manner that will move the audience. Easily one of his finest works till date. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan too displays her talents in a delightful manner by playing Hrithik’s nurse. But in spite of Hrithik and Aishwarya’s presence, Aditya Roy Kapur impresses with a lovable act. He is surely a lookout for the future. The rest of the cast also chips in with good performances.

Despite a big starcast, a well-known director and a number of heart-touching moments, the film will have a moderate run at the box-office because of the reasons already mentioned. Will only attract urban multiplex audience.