The Common Man Speaks

A Thursday

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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.

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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.

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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.

Season of Suicide in Bollywood

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Quick Gun MurugunWhat 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 (28th August and 4th September).

But that’s not all as next Friday (11th 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.

3 Day Affair

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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 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.

Luck Movie Review

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Luck

Rating: – * *

Bollywood has come across plenty of films where it is expected that the viewer leaves his mind at home. Soham Shah’s Luck is a lot ahead. It asks you to even keep your feelings and emotions away apart from logic. So much so that even loss of human lives should be looked upon as a death of a cockroach or an insect.

A very unusual film requires an unusual review. Hence, I would like just list down a few scenes. Let’s start with the ones which defy any humanity: –

–          Sanjay Dutt’s character Mousa, during his childhood, challenges his three friends to jump from the fourth floor just to see who is lucky enough to survive. The result – Mousa alone survives with a few broken bones while his friends die on the spot.

–          A game of human betting is played where participants, put their lives at stake. The one who is lucky survives and wins a large sum while the one who isn’t, gets killed in the most gruesome of manners like being shot in the head, thrown from a helicopter, eaten by sharks and even bludgeoned under trains. This is not all, in a flashback scene; the contestants are even blasted by bombs as if someone killing flies using a flyswatter.

And now some illogical ones: –

–          Raghav (Ravi Kishan) gets a death sentence. However, when he is hanged, the rope breaks and he is saved. As the law cannot hang a person twice, Raghav is released! Wow! Anyone from a legal profession will throw a shoe at the screen during this scene!

–          Ram Verma (Imran Khan) didn’t know that his heart is on the right side! Though it is medically logical, didn’t he ever feel his heart beating on the right side all his 28 years of life!

–          Mousa runs a huge organization of human betting. He has a big staff working in all departments. People bet for the contestants from all around the world. His brutal and fatal games are played openly in South Africa while contestants get killed every time as if the words ‘law’ and ‘police’ do not exist in the country.

Director Soham Shah surely has the potential. He can show off his skills better if he is given a meaningful story, which lacks in Luck. However, as a dialogue writer, Shah seems to be obsessed with the title of the film as he uses it after almost every couple of minutes.

Sanjay Dutt plays his character well but how many times have we seen him enacting such roles? Imran Khan’s performance ranges from very good to average while Shruti Haasan makes a confident debut and looks super cute. Danny Denzongpa, as expected, gives a mature performance with ease. Ravi Kishan manages to turn heads but his character goes haywire at the end. Mithun da was nothing special. The surprise package is the Chak De India! girl Chitrasha Rawat.

Of all the songs, only the title track stands out. The cinematography, action and the background score are masterly and the only strong points of the film. Watch it only and only if you like to watch some breathtaking stunts without troubling your brain and heart. Luck won’t have any luck at the box-office because of the average opening which is expected to come down in the coming days.

New York Movie Review

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New York2 Ratings – * * * *

To narrate a disturbing topic in a manner that pleases the masses needs a touch of class. Director Kabir Khan deserves a bow as he manages to do that with New York, which is just his second film after the impressive Kabul Express.

The story takes place between the years 2001 to 2008. Freshness blossoms in Omar Aijaz’s (Neil Nitin Mukesh) life when he meets Maya (Katrina Kaif) and Sameer aka Sam (John Abraham) in the New York State University. A bond develops between the trio and they soon become inseparable, until 9/11 occurs. The single event changes the equation between them.

Aditya Chopra’s story makes a brave attempt of unmasking the hidden monster behind the FBI. It portrays the worse then inhuman nature of the so-called security forces following the orders of George Bush.  It is necessary to show the world how Bush’s insane outlook towards Muslims gave birth to a number of terrorists.

The sensible and meaningful story is dealt wonderfully well by Sandeep Shrivastav’s screenplay and dialogues. Producing not a single uninteresting moment and many thrilling ones, he is worthy of applause.

From the performances point of view, it’s extremely difficult to point out the best. John proves himself as a winner with this one. A very difficult character portrayed with ease.

Neil’s admirers will surely add-up with this performance as he oozes perfection in every shot with maturity. Katrina performs her part well and has her moments too. The actress has improved her Hindi pronunciation.

However, it’s Irrfan Khan who turns out to be a surprise package as an FBI officer. The actor displays authority and power and makes his presence felt throughout in spite of the three main leads.

Pritam’s music suits the situations well. Hai Junoon (hope it’s not lifted like most of his hit numbers) sung by KK stands out. The songs are used only in the background and rightly so.

The technical aspects make New York a complete product. Credit goes to Aseem Mishra’s cinematography for capturing every moment with flawlessness. Julius Peckiam’s background score plays a major role in adding tension and thrill.

Overall, New York surely lives-up to the expectations. Watch it for the way Kabir Khan has narrated the saga while keeping the thrill quotient in mind. With the promising opening the film has gained, it looks like Bollywood’s prolonged bad days are finally going to end.