Under the Rainbow: Movies

Taare Zameen Par

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:39:28 GMT

This is one movie I really have to write about. I mean really really. Ok Suj, if you are reading this, stop right now and close your browser window. I know you are angry and are going to bang me when we meet next but I just couldn't wait another five weeks to watch this. I am watching it three weeks too late. Besides, it would probably be out of most theatres and the multiplexes would be playing it at some odd timings.

I have been a big fan of Aamir since his Hum hai raahi pyaar ke days. I have watched all his movies, many of them first day first show. In school, I had got his residential address with great difficulty and written a letter to him about HHRPK and promised Suj that I'd show her the response from Aamir. Suj still asks me about that and I say, its on the way, its going to be here any moment.

This is the first directorial venture of my favouritest actor Aamir Khan. There is no disputing the fact that he is one of the acting gems of the Indian film industry. He lives by his own rules, never compromising on what he thinks is right, refusing to attend award ceremonies. I have been hearing of his interest in direction since for more than a decade now. And everytime I read or saw his interview where he mentioned this interest, I would be sad because I thought we wouldnt get to see him on screen anymore. Now, I want to watch his movies irrespective of the hat he wears as long as he is part of a movie because I know he is just changing the track of Indian cinema.

Where do I start? I should probably start by listing its negatives because post this paragraph, it is going to be only the positives. The only drawback of the movie is its length. The pace is slack. There are times in the first half where I felt that some moments could be shorter, sharper and crisper. The film is about 150 minutes long. It could have been easily cut down by 20 minutes. Phew! There I have done it.

Now, coming to the essense of the movie - it is beautiful.I knew all about the movie before entering the movie hall - the director, producer, actor, story, scenes, etc. I had read and heard so much about it. But I wanted to watch the movie - if not in a hall, then definitely on DVD.

The title of the film also says, 'Every child is special'. The film effectively converys that every child works, learns and lives in his/her own capacity. The point is so simple and subtle, we almost miss it all the time. This movie has to be watched by children, students, parents, to-be-parents, planning to be parents, teachers, basically everyone. The heart of the movie is in its simplicity. Everything is so real, everyday happenings. It shows the view of the world from different perspectives - a child struggling to survive in a competitive world, parents who want thier children to be nothing but the best and teachers who gauge thier success by the number of students that have got distinction.

The music, lyrics and script are all great. Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy (music), Prasoon Joshi (lyrics) and Amole Gupte (script) seem to work very well with Aamir. The selection of actors is just perfect. Everyone seems to fit very well in thier role.

But certainly the higlight of the movie is Darsheel Safary a.k.a. Ishaan Awasthi. He is a natural born actor. He is a pro. Look at how naughty he can look one second and sulk the very next. There is something about his eyes. They say a hundred words. After this, I am sure there will be too many 'bindaas' on schools :-). The scene where he plays with the dogs and throws his answer sheet at them, the scene where he convinces his brother to write his leave letter. the scene where he begs his dad not to leave the house are such masterpieces. Can't believe he was just 9 years old when the film was shot. I kept thinking what I was like when I was that age.

Aamir Khan comes in just before the interval. He is such a versatile actor and now an award winning director for his debut film. The film seems to have been inspired from Calvin and Hobbes. The scene where Ishaan is trying to solve a mathematical problem and translates it into a war of numbers, his handwriting are all reminiscent of Calvin. So is the pointed hairstyle of Aamir. The animation is just superb - the dancing letters, the war of planets. But there are some moments that are unbeatable for eg: the scene where Aamir explains what dyslexia is all about to Ishaan's dad.

More importantly, the film reminded me of my school days. It reminded me of the wonderful teachers I had. Sr. Mila who taught us Social Science but insisted we look beyond the textbooks. Every single test of hers was for a maximum of 25 marks and that contained two questions out of the textbook (like current affairs). If I am a news junkie today, its all because of her. She made us start reading the newspaper. She even taught us a few lines of foriegn languages each morning. Then there was Ms. Rosemary who taught us Biology and English and she also taught us simple ways to untangle the knots of life. Our work experience teacher Ms. Mangala insisted on teaching us different arts like knitting, embroidery, painting, stencilling, bag making, etc even if it was out of syllabus. She always said, the more you learn the better, you never know what comes handy when. Thank you teachers. And thank you Aamir for making such a simple yet powerful movie.

O-SO Boring

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:20:55 GMT

I don't know where to start and where to end because thats what I thought when I watched the movie - no beginning, no ending, no story. Just 3 hours of nothing. Waste of time. It is just spoof after spoof after spoof. You have seen it all. You are just seeing it again in SRK's style. And thats all there is in the movie. Some great moments of cinema being ridiculed here. Frankly, I thought the MTV spoof of Dhoom was better. Imagin Suja, the biggest fan of SRK walking out of the theater 'confused'. She has always come out of an SRK's movie convinced, never confused.

This is supposedly the biggest grosser of the year. Every review has given this movie atleast 3 stars. I think it was just the disappointment of Saawariya that made them do this. I havent watched Saawariya, so cant comment on that. But look at this objectively and you'll see... nothing. Zilch. Zero. And to think I went from Rex to Inox to Tribhuvan to Urvashi to Fun Cinemas on the second day to catch this movie, Whew Well, I was jobless that day.

Was this supposed to be inspired from Karz and a tribute to Subhash Ghai? I think he is better off without this one. I dont blame Manoj Kumar for lashing out at Farah and SRK. It does look tacky on screen. Infact I think even Sooraj Barjatya should sue Farah and SRK for that nasty scene where they show him overhearing dialogues and writing them down. If that is thier idea of humour, then Shekhar Suman has a better sense.

Farah, what did you want to achieve with this film? Were you trying to show how movies were made and how they have changed? Were you trying to show reincarnation? I mean, you had everything that makes a good movie - romance, action, reincarnation theory, revenge but the movie just falls flat on its face. Everyone thought your Main Hoon Na was over the top but really that was entertaining. It did bring some laughs and tears. The rickshaw chasing the scorpio scene, however improbable, was really class. It was refreshing and nice watching the movie and I still look forward to watching it on television but this one I can live without. You should have asked your husband to make a better use of those editing scissors and chop the whole thing off. People thought Sajid's Hey Baby was cheap but it looks like it had some substance in front of this one.

And Shahrukh, what were you thinking when you signed this film? It is high time you stopped signing films left right and center because your friends are involved in it and start using your brains. I mean, I know you are making a lot of dough with it and thats a fair enough argument to support your desicion but boy! what a waste of time. Or, you'll lose your biggest fan ever.

Ofcourse, there are some highlights in the movie - can be counted on one hand actually. The title track rocks, both the music and video. Deepika's smile is just out of this world. Infact, I think she and SRK should have a jugalbandi of thier dimples . I do like Farah's waay of introducing the whole team that made the movie in the end. I liked it in Main Hoon Na better but this one is good too. And the best part is the lastest scene where Farah alights from an auto-rickshaw and there is no one there.

Heyy Babyy

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:35:04 GMT

Bored all day, I was waiting for a refresher. Just back from the second show. Still smiling. Reminded me of all the movies I watched first day first show in college. Still trying to think hard when was the last I watched a movie in the theater that had me in splits.

Good watch.

I am no great fan of Akshay and I certainly dont fancy Fardeen. Ritiesh was good in BluffMaster but his other movies are forgettable. The only reason I wanted to watch this movie - Sajid Khan. How can anyone forget is "Ikke pe Ikka Toin Toin Toin". Its always been a pleasure watching him on TV taking digs at other people. Had great expectations from him, for sure. And did he live upto it? I am sure his "unhappy friends" (read people he has made fun of) are waiting to take a dig at him. Unfortunately, he does give them a chance.

Summary
Story - good
Screenplay - slick
Comedy - hilarious
Music - catchy, hummable
Direction - great
Dialogues - To the point
Attraction - Baby Juanne a.k.a. Angel
Best Scene - car sequence
Family movie - Nope
Climax - a little boring, repititive
Dance - Seen Mast Kalandar in Don, havent we? Others, ok.

Vidya Balan - Needs a better stylist

The best thing about Sajid is, having established the image of his heroes, he jumps to the point. Shorter in length compared to other Bollywood flicks yet 5 songs - aestehtically done. Not really out of place. Sajid could have avoided the emotional teary scenes - the heavy duty melodrama and the unnecessary lewd double meaning jokes.

Chak De India!

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:20:41 GMT

Wow! what a movie to watch on the 60th Independence day. Of all the films I have watched this year, this one truly deserves to get the national award for 'Best Film on National Integration'.

So, is this just a sports film? No, I do not think so. It is much more. It reminds you, you are an Indian first, something we so often forget. It reminds you the Indian national game is Hockey. It reminds you, there is no shortcut to success. It also reminds you to treat sports women on par with men. It renews your sense of patriotism.

You know, we are a country where we issue fatwas to a girl who wears short skirt while playing International Tennis. We are a country in the 21st century still believing girls are care-takers of the home (even if we don't acknowledge it). We are a country where parents would push thier children to take up Engineering or medicine and would frown if they chose sports as a career.

Chak De literally means 'Just Do It' in a very encouraging kind of way. Show them what you are. It is something like the famous ICC Cricket World Cup tag 'Come On India, Dikha De'.

So, what makes this film different? To top the list, there is no heroine. There are no item numbers. There are no unnecessary characters. There is no running around the trees. Although, there are 16 girls, none of them wear white sarees and dancing in the rain. The only one to drench in the rain is the protagonist of the story, SRK. And ofcourse, he isnt over acting (Thank God!). I hope Suja isnt reading this or we wont have AK vs SRK fights any more.

There are real people, you can relate to. Like Vidya Sharma, whose husband and father-in-law live in her flat that was provided by the government for being part of the Indian National Womens Hockey Team. Yet, they want her to come back for a family occassion because they want thier daughter-in law. Or the girl, Preeti Sabharwal, whose boy-friend thinks Cricket is what the world plays and Hockey is just time pass. A senior who'd do anything to become the captain. The team that refuses to accept change. Girls from every nook and corner of the country with a burning passion to be in the national team but not willing to give up thier regional identities. The one up-(wo)man ship. The constant bickering and back-biting. The association that thinks the team is for name sake.

Oh yes, we all know the ending, dont we? They fight all odds and emerge the winners of World Cup beating six time champions. And they do it in style. All thanks to thier coach Kabir Khan who asks them to look beyond thier regional identities, infuses confidence, fights with the association for thier entry into the world cup and in the process clears the black mark against his name.

The scene where the girls register for the team and introduce themselves is a knock out. Just reminds you the nation is bigger than everything else. My favourite phrase in the movie 'Aap ko kaise lagta, agar apne desh mein aapko mehmaan banke rehna padta?' (How would you feel, if you were to live in your own country as a guest)

This movie is a collector's delight. I am going to grab a copy as soon as the DVDs are released. And if you want to know more about the Chak De Indian National Women's team, watch out

Mungaru MaLe

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:46:01 GMT

Two weeks back, I was talking to my cousin, he asked me if I had watched Mungaru MaLe. He said it was a fantastic movie and I must watch it. He also said that even the non-kannadigas were watching it and it was running to packed houses for the 6th or 7th week. I did not really take him seriously because there are very few movies on which our thoughts converge. And then there is my sister who wanted to watch the movie second time and wanted to go with me. So finally, yesterday I made it to the cinema hall.

Until yesterday, I absolutely disliked Ganesh. I disliked him and Sujatha in Comedy Time. I always wondered why they called it so when I did not find any comedy there. I just hated his 'Namaskara Namaskara Namaskara'. I thought he was corny and irritating. But yesterday, he changed my mind.

So, what is it thats so appealing about Mungaru MaLe? I for one, fell for the Krishna's wonderful photography. The stunning Coorg is captured so beautifully that I am standing on my toes to go see the place. It is one of the few movies that has captured the greenery and the rains so well. It so refreshing to see it on the screen. It makes you want to dance in the rains. Sigh! I am all the more eager for rains now.

And then there is the story and direction. It feels like you have seen it all yet there is something new. The director, Yograj Bhat, has woven the characters so delicately that you dont find them out of place. It is indeed a senstive and sensible piece of direction. There are no forced songs. The story moves well from Bangalore to Coorg. The song Kunidu kunidu baare is so well shot, its just magical. The only problem I have with the movie is the climax. But then again, I think thats what makes this movie different. I thought I knew what the ending would be and kept waiting for it. But the lights came on and that left me disappointed.

The music - don't we all agree that Mano Murthy is one of the best music directors we have? He stays in the US and comes to Bangalore when he has to direct music for a movie. All the songs are good and will remain with you long after you have left the theater. The lyrics are catchy. My favourite is Onde ondu saari sung by Kunal Ganjawala. Boy! he is so amazing. I think I am going be humming that song for a long while now. And Avanu geLayanalla by Shreya Ghoshal. She is outstanding, I dont think anyone else could have sung this any better. When I was listening to the songs this morning, I was transported to a completely different world.

As I have already said, Ganesh is just superb. I am looking forward to his forthcoming movies. Sanjana Gandhi is good. Padmaja Rao and Sandhya BeLavadi are perfect for thier roles. But the affable Anant Nag steals the show.

I just wish the director had avoided all the heavy duty dialogues and kept the movie light. I can watch this movie any number of times minus the climax. It is a recommended watch for anyone. And believe me, its worth every paisa spent.