Traditional Blindness!

11 Replies

The more views this post of mine gets, the more are the chances of me facing the wrath especially from the likes of Sooraj Barjatya, Ekta Kapoor and their followers. Contradictory to your thoughts, I am not thrashing the genre of movies and serials they produce (that will require me to write a book than a mere blog post). The thing which I am going to express has been going in my mind since years. Finally, I have found time to explode this thing onto my blog, without giving a damn to the criticisms and gaalis!

Before starting off, I would like to make myself clear that I have deep respect for Indian culture and traditions. However, there are some beliefs and practices which appear to me as plain stupid or illogical. I am not one of those huge majority of Indians, who unquestionably and blindly follow some beliefs despite being aware of its absurdity. So, here’s the list of those practices or beliefs which I find trashy: –

Husband-Worship: A husband and a wife are considered life partners. They are two people who have decided to stay together since they love each other (in most of the cases I suppose). If this is the case, then why the hell is the wife expected to give a Godly status to her husband? Why does the society make the husband look superior to his wife by promoting beliefs like Pati parmeshwar hota hai and Patni ki jagah pati ke charanon mein hoti hain? The man is not doing any ehsaan on the girl or her family by marrying her. After all, isn’t he in need of a wife just like the girl is in need of a husband?

Right-Hand Theory: Innumerable times during my childhood I was ordered not to use my left hand while accepting prashaad or money. Yes, I know the left hand is used for some ‘other’ thing but don’t we wash our hands or take a bath after that activity? So what’s the big deal in using that hand? It’s just a part of our body yaar! And if the hand is considered so inauspicious, don’t use it for any purpose and just keep it reserved for ‘that’ activity. If discrimination amongst people on the basis of religion, region or caste isn’t enough, we also have discrimination between our body parts!

Karvachauth Hangover: After following innumerable number of movies and serials, these wives keep Karvachauth Ka Vrat for the long life of their husbands. But the big question remains – why only the wife prays for her husband’s long life and why not vice versa? And by the way, how can anyone be a fool enough to believe that such a thing actually increases someone’s life span? What biological changes does the body experience that increases the life expectancy due to this bloody vrat?

A Curse in Disguise: It is annoying to see phrases like ‘Sada Suhagan Raho’ and ‘Akhand Saubhagyawati’ being considered as the most auspicious of blessings. It is indirectly telling the girl, “Bhagwan kare tere pati ke pehle tu mare!” How can you hope or wish for someone’s death? Or do these people still believe that a woman won’t be able to live alone even in today’s era? You talk of women’s liberation but at the same time keep promoting such curses. Why not a single pro-women group has ever raised its voice against such a ghastly gender bias?

Today, modernism is only limited to clothes, appearance and way of speaking while the thinking continues to remain backwards courtesy these beliefs. Our society will be truly modern only when logic and equality will rule every institution and phenomenon. Until that time – Andhera Kaayam Rahen!

Red Alert – The War Within Movie Review

2 Replies

Best of 2010 So Far!

Rating – * * * *

Almost daily we read newspaper reports about naxals and their terror movement. But how many of us are truly educated about this grave problem India is facing? Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s Red Alert – The War Within is a scorching eye-opener for all those ignorant about the issue as it provides an in-depth view of the naxals and also portrays their mindset in a manner that will shake, thrill, move as well as entertain.

The film gains momentum right from the very first scene when Narsimha (Sunil or Suneil Shetty), a cook, visits a naxal camp to provide food. The unexpected circumstances force Narsimha to stay with the group and also be a part of them. Along with Narsimha, the viewer is taken on an unconquered, harsh and heart-wrenching journey courtesy the activities of the naxalite group that includes Velu Anna (Ashish Vidyarthi), Saralaka (Seema Biswas), Murli (Sunil Sinha), Radhaka (Ayesha Dharker), Laxmi (Sameera Reddy) and Krishna (Ehsan Khan).

Making a film like Red Alert can take a toll on the best of directors and for this Anant Mahadevan has every reason to keep his head high as he has handled the subject with maturity and intelligence. His subtle as well as hard hitting presentation of Narsimha’s journey is sure to grab the viewer’s attention throughout. This is easily Mahadevan’s best work till date. In fact, it is difficult to believe he is the same person who gave films like Aksar, Victoria No. 203, Aggar and Anamika.

Mahadevan is blessed with Aruna Raje’s flawless and watertight screenplay. The film wouldn’t have been what it is without such a brilliant writing effort. To weave the lives of the naxals, their thinking, attitude and terror acts while making the audience feel for the central character of Narsimha is no ordinary feat. Although the climax might appear filmi, it certainly provides a positive feel because of unexpected twists.

The dialogues and the background score are highly effective. The cinematography deserves special mention as it can be a hell of a task to shoot around 80% of the movie in jungles.

Red Alert redefines Sunil Shetty who shocks with his career best performance. The actor gives a run for the money to all top performers in the country as he gets into the skin of the character in a masterful manner. His expressions, dialogue delivery, the way he depicts Narsimha’s confusion, depression, agony and determination makes him a candidate for a National Award. Damn all those stand up comedians who make fun of this actor!

There are a bunch of other actors like Seema Biswas, Ayesha Dharker, Sunil Sinha, Makarand Deshpande, Vinod Khanna and Zakir Hussain who give top-notch performances. But it’s Ashish Vidyarthi who makes us wonder why he isn’t seen much these days. His performance as the head of the naxals Velu Anna oozes terror in every scene of his. Sameera Reddy is a total revelation. Also a career best performance by her for she leaves a strong impact in a complete de-glam avatar. Naseeruddin Shah impresses in a cameo while Bhagyashree is not bad.

The low opening the film has gained (which will always be the case until the audience comes out of romantic and comedy entertainers’ hangover) won’t overshadow its numerous achievements. In my personal opinion, Red Alert – The Terror Within is clearly the best 2010 has offered so far.

Haapus (Marathi Movie) Review

13 Replies

True To Its Name

Ratings: * * * ½

In a particular scene of the movie, a group of soft drink company officials taste Ajit Gurav’s (Subodh Bhave) haapus (a breed of mango). The expressions on their faces after tasting the mango sum up the quality of the film. Abhijit Satam’s directorial debut Haapus offers an experience which is as delicious and refreshing as the fruit itself.

In the Vanarwadi village of Konkan, Anna Gurav (Shivaji Satam), the patriarch of the Gurav family is such a staunch believer in astrology that he doesn’t step out of the house without considering the day’s horoscope. He is always at loggerheads with his son Ajit whose opinion on astrology is contradictory to his father. Ajit grows haapus and is passionate about it. He also wishes to sell the fruit to the other areas of Maharashtra.

Ajit’s tussle with his father increases when Anna doesn’t allow him to trade in haapus because of astrological reasons. Things become tougher for Ajit as he has to face a hooligan trader called Chajed (Vidyadhar Joshi), who will go any heights to stop Ajit from entering the market.

There are also present a bunch of unusual characters like Anna’s twin daughters Amruta and Ankita (Madhura Velenkar Satam), both as different as chalk and cheese, Anna’s mother played by Sulabha Deshpande, Digambar Kale (Makarand Anaspure), son of Anna’s friend and rickshaw driver Subhya (Pushkar Shrotri).

The film works largely because the serious issue of Ajit’s struggle is peppered with large doses of humor. Writers Saurabh Bhave and Subodh Khanolkar and dialogue writer Sanjay Pawar deserve large applause for skillfully creating some rib-tickling moments throughout the film in the simplest of the situations. Having said that, they also make sure that the main issue is not left behind.

It can be a daunting task for a first time director to control such an ensemble cast and manage to get top performances from them and Abhiji Satam does the task with maturity. The way he has shot the film while portraying beautiful locales of the village is sure to keep one glued to the screen.

The only weak link is the length and the climax that should have focused more on the achievement of the characters.

As expected from a veteran like Shivaji Satam, the actor portrays the character with utmost ease. He commands respect as the head of the family and makes the role look tailor-made for him. Subodh Bhave stands apart from the crowd and plays a serious character with honesty and maturity. Madhura Velankar Satam deserves special mention as it’s utterly difficult to play two contrasting characters in the same film. Pushkar Shrotri and Vidyadhar Joshi are perfect.

Sulabha Deshpande, another veteran, proves why she is a respected figure in the Marathi film arena. Over here, she very well speaks with gestures and expressions as she plays a mute character. But it is Makarand Anaspure who takes the cake with a performance that gets you in splits whenever he speaks and appears. He is lovable throughout the film with his brilliant comic timing.

A large number of plus points make Haapus an entertainer with good values that will appeal to people of all ages. Because of the positive opening and mass value, the film is sure shot success at the box-office.

Raavan Movie Review

2 Replies

Visual Delight Despite Limitations

Ratings: * * *

Adapting a mythological epic like Ramayana in the present era can never be a cake-walk. Apart from the turmoil that a filmmaker goes through, there is a constant awareness (or fear) of how imbibed the epic is in the audience’s minds. In spite of knowing this, director Mani Ratnam treads on the difficult path and kind of remakes the epic in Raavan. He narrates the story from the point of view of the demon (Ravana) and adds his own interpretation. Although his interpretation goes sorrowfully wrong at the end, he comes up with a visual treat. In fact, Bollywood has hardly seen a film as technically stunning as Raavan.

Beera (Abhishek Bachchan) is the most feared man as the head of a tribal area (Laal Maati) in a jungle district in North India. To settle a score with Superintendent of Police Dev Pratap Sharma (Vikram), Beera abducts his wife Ragini (Aishwarya Rai). Dev starts a desperate manhunt for Beera in order to free Ragini.

To get things straight – Raavan suffers from a weak storyline which becomes quiet illogical when it reaches the climax. However, in a rarest of the rare cases, the film still turns out to be a memorable experience despite the flaws. This is because Mani’s creativity that can be seen in plenty of scenes.

But Mani should be highly thankful to cinematographers Santosh Sivan and Manikandan. The way in which they have captured the jungles, waterfalls, rivers, birds and nature as a whole is nothing short of mastery and something that is hardly seen on Indian screen. Especially in the song sequence of Behne De which is pure delight. It won’t be an overstatement to say that Sivan and Manikandan are the true heroes of the film. Their work when coupled with a powerful and brilliant background score leaves a long lasting impact on the viewer. The fight scene on the bridge will stay etched in your memory throughout your life.

Like most Mani films, even Raavan has an impressive musical score by A R Rahman. The songs go well with the theme of the film and for this lyricist Gulzar deserves equal credit. Tracks Beera and Behne De stand out. Having said that, some songs also hamper the narration.

After Yuva and Guru, Mani ones again succeeds in making Abhishek give a powerful performance that will be talked about. However, his character of Beera doesn’t evoke much terror or threat that one expects from a demon like Ravana. But as this is a writing fault, Abhishek shouldn’t be blamed for he does his task with perfection.

Aishwarya’s performance is another plus point of the film. She excels in the role of a kidnapped wife (Sita). Her character had a difficult task of showing fearlessness despite being kidnapped by a bunch of ruthless tribals and she succeeds in it. Also, she portrays her change in feelings towards Beera through perfect expressions. But Vikram (supposed to be Ram) doesn’t look impressive mostly because he speaks Hindi in a South Indian accent although he is playing a guy from North India. Ravi Kishan, Govinda and Priyamani are likable in support roles while Ajay Gehi amd Nikhil Dwivedi show promise.

Despite the several plus points, Raavan ceases to be a perfect movie because of a weak script, non-acceptable events in the second half and a poor climax. This will ensure the film will suffer badly at the box-office after the first weak. But, as stated earlier, the mesmerizing visuals and some breathtaking cinematography do manage to overshadow the weak points. Watch it for the visual treat it offers.

Raajneeti Movie Review

6 Replies

Ruling Party!

Ratings – * * * ½

As his last two films, Gangajal and Apaharan, dealt with the issue of politics and that too impressively, director Prakash Jha earned the title of being a specialist in the subject. And with his next film Raajneeti dealing with the same issue, expectations are sure to rise high especially because of an ensemble starcast. Thankfully, Jha succeeds very well in fulfilling the expectations although the climax doesn’t look 100% convincing.

Inspired largely from the Mahabharata, the film starts off with the story of Bhaskar Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah) a leftist leader who is ready to challenge any political leader. However, he is forced to disappear from the scene following a grave mistake.

Years later, in the present era the story deals with the family of Bhanu Pratap, the head of the Rashtravadi Party. Following a heart attack, Bhanu becomes bed-ridden due to paralysis. This naturally makes his son Prithviraj Pratap (Arjun Rampal) as the successor of the party. This doesn’t go well with Prithvi’s cousin Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpayee). In order to stop Prithvi from acquiring power, Veerendra uses Sooraj Kumar (Ajay Devgan), a fiery youngster from the Dalit caste. Following the consequences, Prithvi’s brother Samar (Ranbir Kapoor) is forced to land in the ruthless game of power although he has always kept himself away from politics.

To present the above mentioned story on celluloid can be a hell of a task for the writers and for this very fact, Anjum Rajabali and Jha deserve all the accolades. The level of viewer’s interest doesn’t fall even a bit throughout the film. In fact, because of the tight screenplay, one doesn’t even realize the close-to-3-hour length of the movie largely because of some thrills and twists.

Naturally, directing such a film is a daunting task too especially the numerous political rally scenes. Jha not only carries the task with maturity and perfection, he also makes sure that the goings create a terrific impact on the audience. Plus, he makes sure each and every actor enacts his or her part with perfection.

Dialogues are a vital ingredient in a film like Raajneeti. Even in this department, the film scores brilliantly. Each and every line is involving, impacting and long-lasting. Technical departments like the background score and cinematography add icing to the cake. Crisp editing also plays a major role in the favor of the film. Each and every scene is non-lengthy and to the point. But the major relief is that the songs appear only for a few minutes or even seconds, which makes sure the narration isn’t disturbed.

The performances of the huge star cast make it difficult to pick one or two of the best since all the major names, Ranbir, Devgan, Bajpai, Arjun and Nana Patekar give a flawless act. Still, one can say that Ranbir and Bajpai make heads turn the most. However, it’s Rampal who is a surprise package. People will surely rate him higher after this performance. Katrina’s performance should be appreciated largely because her character needed someone with a firang accent. Sarah Thompson does well too and so does Naseeruddin in a cameo.

As stated earlier, the climax falls on the flipside. It’s surprising to see the film being concluded in an underworld thriller manner. Plus, the secret related to the character of Devgan doesn’t have much to do with the main story. But the biggest drawback seems the disappearance of Naseeruddin’s character in a highly questionable manner.

However, these factors don’t stop Raajneeti from being a powerful political thriller. The inclusion of commercial elements and the above mentioned high points will make sure the film earns a good sum at the box-office at least in the first two weeks.

For Your Eyes Only – Part 4

10 Replies

Khareed ke apni car mein rakhne wala bechne wale se bhi badaa gadha! (Clicked outside my office in Worli)

Better build a wall! (Cant reveal where this was clicked)

No matter who is going to be speaking, whenever someone is about to be writing in such a way, I am about to be clicking! Lol! (Clicked at Gokhale Road, Dadar)

Now who would want to enter this? Most of my friends wont' even fit inside 😛 (Clicked near Doordarsan, Worli)

Kyon? Bas aise hi! (Clicked at Gokhale Road)

He has a cold storage for ornaments like rings. Lol! (Clicked at Dadar station)

Found this inside the loo of my office. Don't know who uses this unknown brand. Lol!

Lalbaug Parel (City Of Gold) Movie Review

2 Replies

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?

8 Replies

I am sure many of you won’t be knowing the significance of 23^rd 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 79^th 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

3 Replies

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