Movies I watched in 2009

1. Maharathi - 08th Jan 08

I Am Devastated

When the news first came out, i was watching the Udayan Mukherjee's views on CNBC TV18, when they just broke in to show the live broadcast from Taj. Initially, i was a bit irritated not realising what the whole fuss was about. I switched channels to get the better picture. I felt cold.
As soon as i gathered myself, i called up my friend who resides in south bombay and asked him his whereabouts. But honestly, i thought the army would be called in and the issue would be quelled in no time. With that thought i calmed myself to sleep. But i had overestimated the sensibility of my govt and like everyone underestimated the power of the terrorists. What i thought to be just common cold turned out to be influenza.

But it honestly suprised me that even someone like the ATS chief Mr. Hemant Karkare could go so ill-prepared for combat. It took his death for the government to call the NSG. One lasting image would be to see a old havaldar standing outside the Taj with a pistol in hand, when the terrorists had AK series.

The next day came and there was no end in sight. That was when i felt i was slowly going into depression. The thought that this could happen anywhere and that no amount of security at our homes can ever stop what happened at Taj or Trident. When guys have guns, it always tough. Watch "Bowling for Columbine" !

It still did not end on the second night. The next day, i was finished. I realised that fear had gotten the better of me. I was scared to step out. I was scared to drive to work. I was scared to go for any meetings. I looked at eveyone with suspicion. After lunch, i saw a man wearing a skul cap sitting behind me. The first thought that came to me was, is he a muslim ? Sorry, i became paranoid. Things came on the head, when there was this rumor about shooting at CST, which was supported by these irresponsible TV wallas. I found it hard to even breath. Felt better when i realised it was only a rumor. But the fear had not gone.

I realise that life would not be the same, atleast for sometime. No malls, so no movies in theatres, no plays and no concerts. I consider myself fortunate that there was no attack on Sunday - 23rd nov. I was at a concert at the NCPA. I dont know when i would ever go to public places again. I dont feel to bad about not visiting malls and movie theatres but i feel bad about plays and concerts. They are experiences which one needs to be actually there to enjoy. No amount of videos or MP3s, would ever simulate entirely the feeling.

And guess what these politicians were all along just busy blaming each other. Where was Raj Thackrey ? And guess what, with all this we have parties like Shiv Sena who were mulling over a bundh on 1st Dec. After all this we are expected to vote ! Please let me know whom do we vote ?

Sorry, i am not resilient. I find it tough to bounce back. I cannot get up the next day and assume that everything is fine. I am a human being damn it ! And i want to enjoy life.. but now i am completely DEVASTATED!

Adi Rakkamma from Thalapathi - Brilliant Choreography

I saw Thalapathi the other day. Though the story is loosely based on the Mahabharata, credit must be given to Mani Ratnam for the twists and turns he brought about in the story. One interesting turn was having Rajini marry the woman, whose husband he had killed. Again the beauty of the film was the plot was so thick that the inadequacies in acting certainly was not a dampner. The plot was gripping from start to end.

But what impressed me a great deal was the choreography for the song - Adi Rakkamma. In fact i enjoyed it so much that i stopped the film midway and played it again. The song is brilliant no doubt, but the way its filmed makes it exceptional. The whole sequence of movements has such a raw appeal. What impressed me most was that the limelight was actually stolen by the side dancers. There was no effort by the director to highlight Rajini or even Sonu Walia. In fact we only see the complete face of Sonu Walia only towards the end of the song. Though i must admit i did not like Shobana's entry, it was spoiling the mood. But without her the song would have been meaningless, and would not have realised the feeling Rajini has for her.
This song did show that item number essentially means a racy tune with lots of dacing, and not sleaze as what most item numbers turn out to be.

Soylent Green - Grim Future

There are some movies which are not grand or mega in scale, they are not sleek and tacky, yet they deliver such potent and timeless truths that the grand sets do not matter, the characters too do not matter, we are not taken aback by the smooth direction or sharp editing. What hits us hard is the sheer quality of the script and the meaning it contains. Two such movies i remember are “ Lorenzo's Oil” , the fight of Lorenzo's parents against ALD, and “Its a Wonderful Life”. Soylent Green is third such film.

The film is set in the year 2022. Considering that it was made in 1973, and seems pretty low budget, there do not seem to be any great innovations and advancements in science and technology that one would expect. In any case, the life on earth is struggling with malnutrition due to population explosion. The people live on a rationed food item called Soyent Green made by the Soylent Corporation whose top honcho Mr. Simpson gets murdered and that kicks start the story. Though this film is actually based on the dangers of population explosion, it can it easily replaced with the current theme of green house of effect and the whole film would still make sense, maybe better sense. The dangers of climate change seem to be even greater danger than just population explosion. In that sense, the the truth told in the film is timeless. There are some great scenes on the perceived luxuries, most of which we take for granted today –

1. Licking of strawberry jelly worth $150

2. Eating all those vegetables for supper

3. The joy of a clean hot water bath

4. The perfume from a cake of soap

5. The joy of wine

6. Joy of watching nature and wild life on film !

There are some glimpses of what future might hold. Practise of euthanasia is one thing. That too with your choice of music !

But what makes this movie stand apart from other such films is the ending. Its shocking nonetheless but on hind sight is only seems most logical. The film is supposed to be science fiction, but reading all the scary predictions in the media, the events in the film could become a reality in a short time.

This is definitely one of the most powerful films I have seen.

The Pianist - A Masterpiece

Film - The Pianist

Home Video

Date - 14th Sept 2008

Rating - 10/10

I have no words to express. if one wants to know all the pain of ww2, see this film. Roman Polanski at his best. 

Its brilliant frame to frame. 

Movies i just watched - 07th Sept to Date

just to keep a record of all the movies i have been watching -

1. Rock On - Theatre - 07th Sept - 9.5/10
2. A Wednesday - Theatre - 14th Sept - 8.5/10
3. The Pianist - HV - 14th Sept - 9/10
4. Pi - HV - 14th Sept - 7/10
5. M*A*S*H - 20th Sept - 7/10
6. Katha - HV - 21st Sept - 7/10
7. Soylent Green - 5th Oct - 8/10
8. C Company - 5th Oct - Pathetic
9. 1920 - 5th Oct - Pathetic
10. The Terminal - 9th Oct - 8/10
11. Madhumati - 12th Oct - 9/10 (great stroy.. considering it came in 1950)
12. Welcome to Sajjanpur -12th Oct- 7/10 (good in parts)
13. Phoonk - 12th Oct - Pathetic
14. Muthu - 19th Oct - Cannot Rate Rajini Films
15. Bachna e Haseeno - 25th Oct - Bad
16. Thalapathi - 25th Oct - 8/10
17. Gattaca - 26th Oct - 8/10
18. The Dark Night - 26th Oct - 9/10
19. Saagar - 26th Oct - 8 /10 ( actually 7, but 1 full mark for Kamal Hassan)
20. Baazi - 30th Oct 08
21. Shatranj ke Khilari - 30th Oct 08
22. Aar - Paar - 30th Oct 08
23. The Shining - 1st Nov 08
24. Blade Runner - 2nd Nov 08
25. Baran (Iraninan) - 2nd Nov 08
26. Fashion - Fame Malad - 9th Nov 08
27. Monsters Inc. - 16th Nov 08
28. Clerks (1994) - 17th Nov 08
29. Indiana Jones and the temple of Doom - 23rd Nov 08
30. The Big Sleep - 24th Nov 08
31. No country for old men - 30th Nov 08
32. Forrest Gump - 30th Nov 08
33. Flags of our Fathers - 7th Dec 08
34. Driving Miss Daisy - 7th Dec 08
35. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
36. The Real Da Vinci Code (Documentary)
37. Dostana
38. Memento ( 2nd Time)
    
39. Ratatoullie
40. Death on the Nile (1978)
    
41. Kungfu Panda
42. To Sir with Love
    
43. Lilies of the field
44. The Mask
45. Mamma Mia !
46. Dasvidaniya
    
    

A Wednesday

Film - A Wednesday

Theatre - Fame Malad

Date - 14th September 2008

Rating – 8.5 / 10

It was a Sunday, more over it was Sanjay’s birthday. I had stayed overnight at my in-law’s place, so this morning we ventured out to see a film. I was divided between “Rock on” and “a Wednesday”, as Sanjay had not seen Rock On, we could have seen it again. But the chance of having a different cinematic experience made me choose A Wednesday and we all had a good time.

Art reflects the culture and values contemporary to those times. With a terrorist attack being a news item almost every month, it’s not surprising that we are seeing more movies based on terrorism. While Mumbai Meri Jaan, showcases the diverse reactions of people to such attacks, A Wednesday, take a dramatic step forward. The plot revolves around an anonymous caller who has alleged to have planted bombs at a few places in Mumbai. To prove it, he shows the location of one of them at the police station itself. What follows is a game of cat and mouse. Beautifully shot with some racy background score, it was a treat to watch. All the characters were so real, that you would think that it is an edited version of a true incident shot real time. The roles played by Nasseruddin Shah (NS) and Anupam Kher (AK) were perfect to the last detail. AK, as the police commissioner, shows lot of dignity and composure. He seems perfectly level headed against the calamity that was about to strike. He is so clear in all his decisions is if it was just another cup of tea. I just wonder where the hell was AK all this while. That’s the tragedy of Hindi cinema. But I am now glad that we are seeing many more films that are sensible and give genuine actors like him a wider scope. And what do we say about NS. The more we eulogize the less it would still be. Whether it is a Parsi or even a watchman (remember Mandi ?) he leaves a mark in whatever he does. This time his role was complex. On one hand, he had to show himself as the cold blooded, clinical strategist, on the other hand he had to be the stupid common man. Both roles enacted as if it was one of his past lives. We are truly lucky that we are living in times when we have such gifted actors like him around and there are movies written that would bring out such acting. Jimmy Shergill is a puzzle in the industry. He has shown great adaptability, whether it is playing the lover boy, or as a hot headed cop in this film. He seems so comfortable in any role. Yet, he still seems to be struggling to find his feet in the industry. Guess, he is still waiting for that one big script that would turn around his career. Dipal Shaw was a surprise cast. I am glad that she wants to be considered more seriously. She does not have a big role but she seems ok. She has a funny sort of voice though, I must confess.

The narrative style is very good. I particularly like the contrast that the director was trying to bring out between the tension that was going on in Jay’s ( JS’s partner in the film) life and how his wife was blissfully unaware of the mayhem that was about to break loose.

Script was good too. Whether it is to show NS as a terrorist, AK as a top cop or JS as a hot headed inspector. The dialogues or characterizations were perfect. What I like the most was the switch of NS from a terrorist to a common citizen. The arguments given perfectly reflected the conscience of the general public. The audiences loved it and responded with whistles and claps. Even lines like, “Your tension has eased, now that you know I am just a common citizen. You now believe that you would be able to catch me very easily…” is so apt. However, the writing has taken a few big creative licenses. To believe that a common man could have such good knowledge about systems and moreover to know all the mannerisms of the terrorists is a difficult to digest. Another question is how was the kingpin so confident of his release, when NS did not mean anything to him. I am sure their ring is very strong and everything is so well planned. So such twists in story make the film less credible.

But all in all, the film is definitely worth watching, and is another step in the right direction for Hindi cinema.

Rock On... Rocks Hard..

Movie – Rock On !

Theatre – Fame Malad

Date – 7^th September

Rating - 9.5/10.

If DCH carved out a genre of its own, Rock on! enhances it. Simple story line, detailed characterizations and superb rock music (with all that riffs and a soft number to add to that) , these are what makes the movie ROCK. Though the movie was initially marketed as Farhan’s entry into acting, his presence definitely seems to have rubbed on the director Abhishek Kapoor. For someone who has made the long forgotten Aryan, this is a definite surprise. The film maker has struck the perfect chord with his audience from the introductory scene with the picturisation of “Socha Kabhi” till the climax. The characters have been extremely consistent- a rarity in Indian cinema.

The characters are so much the people we meet daily, that you can almost feel their breath on screen. Needless to say, their passion for music is written over their eyes. Their dull and drab existence now contrasting with their care free days of youth is so brilliantly portrayed. Purab Kohli is the dark horse. He seems to have an extraordinary sense of humor, a lot better that Saif in DCH. Scene after scene is captivates us with his witty lines or with his foolery. The one scene where he dances at the launch party is brilliant. Farhan is hot and handsome ( remember that bathroom scene) and as a rock star he steals the thunder. Though i wondered whatever happened to his voice in the scene near the interval where his wife confronts him about his past. Farhan's voice suits so well for rock. Using his voice was a gamble, but it lent lot credibility to the film. Infact you wonder if prachi also sang her lines for..."ajeeb dasatan hai yeh.." The casting of Arjun Rampal is also good and the role perfectly suits his abilities. No great range of emotions only a big serious look, fire in his eyes and good biceps. But wife in the movie, played by Sahana is in stark contrast. She is superb as a tried and frustrated wife, toiling the whole day, while her husband, wanders around unable to accept that he is not playing rock any more. Prachi is very cute as the doting wife whose only interest seems to be her husband’s happiness. Even the media barons are great. Especially the first one, who seems to have been inspired by T-series. Remember his crony saying, “Hum to Rishi Kapoor ke sath Karz…” I saw that baron guy in Manto Ismat Hariz hai.. he was great in that.. He also comes in Loins of Punjab and Chini kam..

Music is fabulous and tries to cover various forms of rock music, the lyrics stick to the sensibilities of rock genre. Choreography is fabulous and makes the rock band look so authentic. Whether it is Farhan jumping into the crowd or some subtle movements like Arjun holding the pick in his mouth and strumming on his guitar with bare fingers. Obviously only Remo could have managed to impart such details to the film.

The writing is so good. The thing i was glad to note is that there was no scene of "woh kaun thi..." guess prachi was sensible to note that such memories are best buried and forgotten.

This movie is better than DCH because the characters have better depth, and all have been given sufficient room in the plot. But I only wish the band was given a better name.

Some memorable scenes –

1. 1. Introductory song – Kya tune socha kabhi

2. 2. Farhan coming out of the bathroom in a towel. Look at the cuts that he has… (Im straight..)

3. 3. “I was not sure whether you would be happy to know I am pregnant!” Prachi to Farhan.

4. 4. Getting nervous during Chakravyuh’s performance.

5. 5. Purab doing a jig at the launch party.

6. 6. Prachi saying she only knows Hindi songs.

7. 7. The climax with its songs.

The good part is that indian cinema is now making more movies which seem to cater to wider sensibilities, whether it is TZP or even low budget films like Aamir. Guess the film makers are realising that big budgets, big stars alone dont make hits, films can be a hit or a flop at the drawing board itself with a bad script, unless one resorts to high decible marketing like singh is king.

I am looking forward to see this movie again, but this time it would be on DVD. The ticket prices are now worth a gram of platinum... !

             PS  - 14th Sept - was very tempted to watch Rock On over A Wednesday....

Books !

i think the best thing that has happened to me off late is coming to know of librarywala.com.

Its been quite a while since i have been to a library. I still remember with a lot of fondness, the library at the college during my undergrad. It was my 1st year in college, when i contacted jaundice. It pretty much compelled me to take on a more relaxed life. That's when i first had a deep look at my college library. The experience was humbling and yet exciting. I came to understand how small we are in this infinite ocean of knowledge. The choices before me were mesmerising ! what do i read ?

Among the many books, the two most memorable books i read was 'Les Miserable' by Victor Hugo and ' Razor's Edge' by Somerset Maugham.

Now, of course, i seem to have some definite orientation to a particular kind of books. My fav topics include history (William dalrymple is my GOD !), science ( evolution is pretty mind numbing !) and non fiction in general.

I did try to read, Don Brown's Da Vinci code, but the very thought that i neither had great language, nor was it high on knowledge, seemed to put me off, and was forced to give up.

Books challenge our minds, it creates images, we never seldom dream, ideas we think conflicting, it is a real food for the brain. A book that is mere entertainment, may not live up to its full potential.

I do wish i could travel back in time, and experience the mother of all libraries, the library of Alexandria.