A SLOW WALK !
Was waiting very anxiously to watch Morning Walk,since It was bringing my all time favorite Sharmila ,on screen after long.
Though the reviews spoke of it being different,it came and went,almost unsung.I too was a wee bit disappointed
The plot revolves around a retired Professor,played by Anupam Kher,who lived alone,after his wife's death,as he was not very welcome at his daughter-in laws house.He however,after a heart attack,has to move with them,where he tries to adjust with default,and with great support from his loving grand daughter.He is made to pay a price for shifting in,with the son coaxing him to agree to sell his ancestral property to help the son buy a bigger house.
During his Morning walks, he meets Sharmila,who was his old student,and they shared a silent love.Flashback reveals,that after the two are respectively married to different spouses,he meets Sharmila once,at a hill station,during an official tour,and comes to know that she has been the victim of domestic violence,from an in human husband.In trying to console her,he spends some time with her and rest is left to imagination
He now comes to know,that Sharmila's husband died early in life,and she has a daughter ,through their rendezvous,on that fateful night.His surpreesed love for Sharmila and an urge to accept the girl as his daughter,gives him the courage to break the social norms,and declare to both the families about their clandestine affair.While Sharmila's kids take it very sportingly and rather welcomingly,as they wanted to see their mother smile and happy in life,Anupam's son and specially the daughter in law, object very vehemently.
Things become worse,when he decides to use the money from selling his house,not for supporting his legal son to buy a house,but for the education abroad ,of his newly found daughter.The son and bahu,get agitated,as their dream of shifting to a bungalow crumples and is sabotaged by their dads extramarital affair,and the illegitimate daughter.In spite of all scenes created by he drunken bahu and the emotionally blackmailing son,Anupam Kher sticks to his decision,and finally shifts to live with Sharmila,sending off their daughter abroad.
Though a little bold story,it wasn't handled well.The main issue of not only having an affair with a student,and then a daughter through bedlock,but also accepting it publicly in the seventh decade of life,was lost and shifted to the money,for which an amicable solution and mid path attitude could have been used,to equally distribute the money between the two families.The son may have been earning,but as the legal heir,he too had some right on his fathers property and money.The pace was slow,the events unfolded abruptly and the movie lacked spontaneity.The occasional melodrama,added to depriving it from the status of a meaningful cinema.Sharmila was good as always,but Anupam lacked,the metal he displayed in his acting in movies like Saraansh. Other actors were just tolerable .Music and songs were average,and direction and dialogues could be better.
Overall it was a little disappointing,as the movie failed to impress on a very pertinent issue of need of love at old age! But ,no regrets,as it is always a pleasure watching Sharmils,whose few wrinkles,still fail to hide her magical dimples !!
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
LOVE AAJ KAL
TWO - IN - ONE !!
Luv Aaj Kal,was a double treat,and that too, a real welcome one.After a large number of off beat movies in the near past,on terrorism,abstract themes and Bollywood,it was good for a refreshing change,to see a good old poppy love story.The best part of the movie,in fact was that it had two love stories ,one of present times,and one of yester years running simultaneously.portraying the love is eternal !
The story revolves around an Indian boy,played beautifully by Saif,and a girl,acted by Deepika,who are settled abroad,and are just thick friends. Both are ambitious and want to peruse their careers,but while the boy wants to stay put there,the girl wants to return to India and peruse her passion of rerestoring heritage buildings.Confused as they are,about their feeling for each other,they jointly decide to break-up,and formally do so,before the girl returns to India on her dream project.After the split,they realize that they were missing each other,but were either too dumb to understand it,or too stubborn to accept.The girl falls in love with her boss,and is engaged to him.The restless boy,meets a garage owner,superbly portrayed by Rishi Kapoor,who narrates his three decade old love story,and the problems in delaying acceptance of love and making proposals.the narration,is presented as flash back,with Saif playing the young Rishi,the naive gabru jawan sikh in love with a visitor to his village,from Kalkatta.The role of the heroine of this second love story of the past has been played by a Belgian actress ,Gazella.
The two love stories run parallel and are in sync beautifully.It takes not only Rishi Kapoor,but even a counselor to make the two realize that they are in love,and finally Saif returns to India,and proposes to his lady love just in time,exactly as the hero of the older love story ,had developed courage enough to go to Kalkatta ,and express his love,and when denied approval by the girls parents,eloped with his lady love on the day of her marriage.The plot and story were good and so was the screenplay,in spite of giving a feeling of de-ja-vu ,due to the similarity with,Kuch kuch Hota Hai and Jane tu ya jane na ,where in it takes friends,relatives,family and even psychologists,to convince two youngsters,that they are in love and prove that a platonic relationship is just the period between the introduction and the first kiss !
Saif has acted really well,and has brought the contrast in the two characters he played,superbly and in fact has looked real cute as the young surd of yester years.Rishi and Deepika have done justice to their roles and Gazella looks fresh and petite.Deepika has looked charmingly hot in her sexy dresses . The background score is enchanting and the songs heart touching,specially duriyaan,being the top favorite of all ,these days.The direction and picturisation were of great quality and the best was the tact of perfect synchronization and excellent editing,which enabled the two stories to run ,parrallely,with utmost ease.Besides this newness the movie can boost of an uniqueness,where the hero plays another role,of the past of another character from the same movie.
Overall.the movie was real entertainer,with good story,wonderful acting and above all,soul soothing songs and music.
Dr Sanjay Kapok Lucknoq
Luv Aaj Kal,was a double treat,and that too, a real welcome one.After a large number of off beat movies in the near past,on terrorism,abstract themes and Bollywood,it was good for a refreshing change,to see a good old poppy love story.The best part of the movie,in fact was that it had two love stories ,one of present times,and one of yester years running simultaneously.portraying the love is eternal !
The story revolves around an Indian boy,played beautifully by Saif,and a girl,acted by Deepika,who are settled abroad,and are just thick friends. Both are ambitious and want to peruse their careers,but while the boy wants to stay put there,the girl wants to return to India and peruse her passion of rerestoring heritage buildings.Confused as they are,about their feeling for each other,they jointly decide to break-up,and formally do so,before the girl returns to India on her dream project.After the split,they realize that they were missing each other,but were either too dumb to understand it,or too stubborn to accept.The girl falls in love with her boss,and is engaged to him.The restless boy,meets a garage owner,superbly portrayed by Rishi Kapoor,who narrates his three decade old love story,and the problems in delaying acceptance of love and making proposals.the narration,is presented as flash back,with Saif playing the young Rishi,the naive gabru jawan sikh in love with a visitor to his village,from Kalkatta.The role of the heroine of this second love story of the past has been played by a Belgian actress ,Gazella.
The two love stories run parallel and are in sync beautifully.It takes not only Rishi Kapoor,but even a counselor to make the two realize that they are in love,and finally Saif returns to India,and proposes to his lady love just in time,exactly as the hero of the older love story ,had developed courage enough to go to Kalkatta ,and express his love,and when denied approval by the girls parents,eloped with his lady love on the day of her marriage.The plot and story were good and so was the screenplay,in spite of giving a feeling of de-ja-vu ,due to the similarity with,Kuch kuch Hota Hai and Jane tu ya jane na ,where in it takes friends,relatives,family and even psychologists,to convince two youngsters,that they are in love and prove that a platonic relationship is just the period between the introduction and the first kiss !
Saif has acted really well,and has brought the contrast in the two characters he played,superbly and in fact has looked real cute as the young surd of yester years.Rishi and Deepika have done justice to their roles and Gazella looks fresh and petite.Deepika has looked charmingly hot in her sexy dresses . The background score is enchanting and the songs heart touching,specially duriyaan,being the top favorite of all ,these days.The direction and picturisation were of great quality and the best was the tact of perfect synchronization and excellent editing,which enabled the two stories to run ,parrallely,with utmost ease.Besides this newness the movie can boost of an uniqueness,where the hero plays another role,of the past of another character from the same movie.
Overall.the movie was real entertainer,with good story,wonderful acting and above all,soul soothing songs and music.
Dr Sanjay Kapok Lucknoq
Thursday, March 19, 2009
DEV D
WAS DEV D REALLY DEVDAS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saw Dev D,and have been confused ever since,as to how to react to it.!But am sure of one thing,that except for the Hero named,Dev,who had two woman named Paro and Chanda(Chandramukhi) in his life ,there is nothing really like the original story or the earlier movies,Devdas.
Dev D is definitely an innovative film,very cleverly twined around the backdrop of the original story of Devdas.It has used two recent scandals,the MMS Scandal,of a public school of Delhi and the famous(or rather infamous)BMW hit and run case,to present the lifestyle of the youngsters today.The depiction of the dark side of today's life of youngsters and teenagers is authentic,highlighting,the freedom,disrespect to elders,indiscipline,extravagance,drinking,smoking,drugs,teenage experimental sex,exploitation,flesh trade ,sexual perversions,the liberated woman and the works!What has been shown is probably true,but may represent the lifestyle of limited few,and does seem a bit exaggerated . In trying to do justice,the movie seems to have gone over board,and is obnoxiously intorable at places,specially the explicit unparliamentarily language replete with abuses and even the scenes and acts,to the extent of becoming repulsively truthful and realistically scary!
The story,revolves around Dev,a spoilt brat,who has a neighborhood girl friend called Paro.Dev is sent to study abroad,as a punishment for being indiscipline and disrespectful and returns as a young rich panju eligible bachelor,full of all the prevalent vices,including drugs,drinking and womanizing.Simultaneously there is,a girl called Chanda,(the name is really a misfit for her,in the movie)whose boyfriend,records some intimate La Monica moments with her, while in school and circulates the MMS.She is put under house arrest in her ancestral village home,from where she elopes to grow up and become a high class escort! Dev is stunned and shocked by Paro,after she has a real hot encounter with him in the fields,exhibiting her boldness and the Kamsutra skills,and refuses to marry her,presuming that she would be sleeping around with others too.Dev bangs into Chanda,in the dark alleys of pubs and brothels,amidst drug peddlers,pimps and sex perverts,and they fall in love!Dev buys a red BMW,from the money he gets from his dying father,and under the effect of drugs and alcohol kills few people on the footpath and runs away!Chanda extends her loving support and stands by him,when the world leaves him and convinces him to surrender to the police!
The story is good,and the screenplay very contemporary.Dialogues are strong .but crude and filthy.Direction,editing and cinematography are of a very high standard but what outshines all is the music and the songs.The background score is original and
the songs intriguingingly different,entertaining and befitting!Abhay Deol had acted very well,and so have the two girls in their debuts.
The movie can be seen once,but I wish,it was made as it is,without being related to Devdas.Somewhere,it seems that,we have belittled the sublime soft love between Devdas and Paro,and the selfless support of Chandramukhi.Even though I am not a supporter of Devdas as a lover,but am an ardent fan of the story of Devdas,and wish that the eternal triangle of love between Devdas,Paro and Chandramukhi was not belittled and humiliated by presenting it in this dirty distorted manner,just to fit today's context,
Dr Sanjay Kaps Lucknow
Saw Dev D,and have been confused ever since,as to how to react to it.!But am sure of one thing,that except for the Hero named,Dev,who had two woman named Paro and Chanda(Chandramukhi) in his life ,there is nothing really like the original story or the earlier movies,Devdas.
Dev D is definitely an innovative film,very cleverly twined around the backdrop of the original story of Devdas.It has used two recent scandals,the MMS Scandal,of a public school of Delhi and the famous(or rather infamous)BMW hit and run case,to present the lifestyle of the youngsters today.The depiction of the dark side of today's life of youngsters and teenagers is authentic,highlighting,the freedom,disrespect to elders,indiscipline,extravagance,drinking,smoking,drugs,teenage experimental sex,exploitation,flesh trade ,sexual perversions,the liberated woman and the works!What has been shown is probably true,but may represent the lifestyle of limited few,and does seem a bit exaggerated . In trying to do justice,the movie seems to have gone over board,and is obnoxiously intorable at places,specially the explicit unparliamentarily language replete with abuses and even the scenes and acts,to the extent of becoming repulsively truthful and realistically scary!
The story,revolves around Dev,a spoilt brat,who has a neighborhood girl friend called Paro.Dev is sent to study abroad,as a punishment for being indiscipline and disrespectful and returns as a young rich panju eligible bachelor,full of all the prevalent vices,including drugs,drinking and womanizing.Simultaneously there is,a girl called Chanda,(the name is really a misfit for her,in the movie)whose boyfriend,records some intimate La Monica moments with her, while in school and circulates the MMS.She is put under house arrest in her ancestral village home,from where she elopes to grow up and become a high class escort! Dev is stunned and shocked by Paro,after she has a real hot encounter with him in the fields,exhibiting her boldness and the Kamsutra skills,and refuses to marry her,presuming that she would be sleeping around with others too.Dev bangs into Chanda,in the dark alleys of pubs and brothels,amidst drug peddlers,pimps and sex perverts,and they fall in love!Dev buys a red BMW,from the money he gets from his dying father,and under the effect of drugs and alcohol kills few people on the footpath and runs away!Chanda extends her loving support and stands by him,when the world leaves him and convinces him to surrender to the police!
The story is good,and the screenplay very contemporary.Dialogues are strong .but crude and filthy.Direction,editing and cinematography are of a very high standard but what outshines all is the music and the songs.The background score is original and
the songs intriguingingly different,entertaining and befitting!Abhay Deol had acted very well,and so have the two girls in their debuts.
The movie can be seen once,but I wish,it was made as it is,without being related to Devdas.Somewhere,it seems that,we have belittled the sublime soft love between Devdas and Paro,and the selfless support of Chandramukhi.Even though I am not a supporter of Devdas as a lover,but am an ardent fan of the story of Devdas,and wish that the eternal triangle of love between Devdas,Paro and Chandramukhi was not belittled and humiliated by presenting it in this dirty distorted manner,just to fit today's context,
Dr Sanjay Kaps Lucknow
Saturday, March 14, 2009
SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE!
DESI MAAL-VIDESHI PACKING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally saw SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and really liked the movie!
There has been much talk about the movie,but in spite of (or rather because of) all the controversies,the movie got an unimaginably welcome international recognition,including eight Oscars,as no movie ,from Hollywood or Bollywood has ever got before!
Adapted from the novel.Q&A,the movie primarily focuses round the slums and poverty of India,twined beautifully around a love story,and how the young hero,a slum dweller,working as a tea-delivery-boy at a call centre,wins twenty million rupees at a TV show,representing the popular Kaun Banega Crorepati,without any formal education or training,and the key to his success being his experiences in life,staying in the slum and working at the call centre.Intermingled in the story,as an inseparable part,is the portrayal of the evils of slums and the underworld,and the miserable exploitation of the underprivileged.
The story is realistic,screenplay authentic and touchy and the pace intriguing! The movie keeps one gripped in its mood,and waiting for the next step.Background score is awesome,cinematography superb and editing par excellence.What stands out most,is the superb direction and the immense effort in maintaining realism and simplicity.A R Rehman's music is mind blowing,melodious and enchanting!!!!!Acting of the slum kids and the young stars is fantastic,but Anil Kapoor and Irfaan were surprisingly ,not up to the mark.
All the noise about the portrayal of the negative side of India is baseless and unwarranted.Poverty of India is an integral part of the country,and if we are keen on our success story to be taken all over the world,we cannot stop the dark side of our existence from being projected too.If the government and those who are objecting to this,really mean concern,then they should have or at least should now take appropriate steps to decrease poverty and eliminate the evils related to it,and the exploitation and the miseries of the poor and the slumdwellers.Danny Bowle deserves a bigger award,for being a social activist by bringing the anguish of these underprivileged,children of the lesser God,to focus.The only objectionable part,which i felt hurt about,was,when the cops bash up the child hero,working as a guide to foriegners and he says,you wanted to see real India,This is real iNDIA! On this the english tourist dools out dollars and tells him,dont worry my child,I will show you,what real America is!This was unwanted and outright racist!
The representation of Indian poverty has been done most realistically,without any exaggeration,and in no derogatory manner,rather in a more acceptable matter of fact fashion,and it is definitely not the first time that it has been done.Traffic Signal,recently portrayed all this and even more! Slums of Mumbai,poverty,exploitation of poor,underworld,organized begging gangs,child labour,child abuse,flesh trade,all were very nicely portrayed in Traffic Signal,but went unnoticed without any reaction,since it lacked,big stars ,big banner and a Hollywood director to break our slumber !One cannot stop feeling happy and proud for A R Rehman and Gulzar for bringing home the much coveted Oscars,but its definitely not for their best.Even Rehman has given innumerable memorable music before,specially in Bombay,Roza,Lagaan,Taal,Rangeela and many more,which were as good as this,if not more.Without undermining the success of SDM,I cannot resist but say,that it required am imported packing for the story of slumdwellers of India and A R Rehmans music,to be catapulted to international fame.
My heartiest congratulations to the complete team of SDM,for their grand success,but the real success will actually come,when this movie shakes the powers to be,and the chants of Jai ho shatter their deafness to the cries of underprivileged and something concrete is done to decrease and end the miseries of these poor people,rather just create a ho-hulla,on a movie based on them.
Sanjay,Delhi
Monday, February 9, 2009
DEVDAS REVISITED
Whose Devdas is it ?
Devdas has been discussed and mentioned in discussions on Bollywood,and in connection with jilted lovers,or failed love affairs,for over five decades now.Besides reading about him in Sharatchand Chatterjees novel,we saw him in four films, two of which went ahead to become almost immortal, the one of Dilip Kumars and the extravaganza of Leela Bhansali,and now we have another adaptation of Devdas,the DEV D. At this juncture, it becomes relevant to introspect and see as to what made Devdas, so important and famous, atleast in Indian folk lure, like Romeo and Majnu! Few pertinent questions that come to my mind are, who is Devdas, whom does he represent or infact, what is Devdas?
Devdas is no longer a character from a novel or just a hero in a movie.He has come out of these and has broken the boundaries of social classes and the norms of society.He may be a jobless slumdweller smitten by the love of the dark,sharp-featured,thinly-clad girl of the neighbouring hutment or a rich megastar in love with an universal beauty.Devdas is an emotion,a phenomenon,-may be a loser or a winner,but is love personified. Time has immortalized Devdas as an expression of silent, unexpressed love
All remakes are compared with the previous ones .and hence this is also an appropriate time ,to re-visit Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas which did well at the box-office. The megastarrer cost over 50 crore rupees., Did the silent love of Devdas,really needed such a loud and extravagant expression ?Did he actually need to heap Paro with tones of gold to highlight her helpless,or dress Chandramukhi in outfits costing 15lakhs each to bring out the sensuality or support of a nauchgirl for a jilted suffering lover ? Could the dazzling sets correctly portray the sadness in the eyes of Devdas or the darkness in his life ?The viewer probably got lost in the sets,costumes,choreography and the cinematography and missed Devdas totally. Devdas went unnoticed and unrecognized like we miss the forest for the trees . Bhansali succeeded in making a grand entertainer but failed in portraying the complexity of his simple love or the strength of his weakness
For those who have seen both the previous DevDas, the one with Dilip is remembered more, and now its time to judge, what the latest version-Dev D has in store for us
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Devdas has been discussed and mentioned in discussions on Bollywood,and in connection with jilted lovers,or failed love affairs,for over five decades now.Besides reading about him in Sharatchand Chatterjees novel,we saw him in four films, two of which went ahead to become almost immortal, the one of Dilip Kumars and the extravaganza of Leela Bhansali,and now we have another adaptation of Devdas,the DEV D. At this juncture, it becomes relevant to introspect and see as to what made Devdas, so important and famous, atleast in Indian folk lure, like Romeo and Majnu! Few pertinent questions that come to my mind are, who is Devdas, whom does he represent or infact, what is Devdas?
Devdas is no longer a character from a novel or just a hero in a movie.He has come out of these and has broken the boundaries of social classes and the norms of society.He may be a jobless slumdweller smitten by the love of the dark,sharp-featured,thinly-clad girl of the neighbouring hutment or a rich megastar in love with an universal beauty.Devdas is an emotion,a phenomenon,-may be a loser or a winner,but is love personified. Time has immortalized Devdas as an expression of silent, unexpressed love
All remakes are compared with the previous ones .and hence this is also an appropriate time ,to re-visit Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas which did well at the box-office. The megastarrer cost over 50 crore rupees., Did the silent love of Devdas,really needed such a loud and extravagant expression ?Did he actually need to heap Paro with tones of gold to highlight her helpless,or dress Chandramukhi in outfits costing 15lakhs each to bring out the sensuality or support of a nauchgirl for a jilted suffering lover ? Could the dazzling sets correctly portray the sadness in the eyes of Devdas or the darkness in his life ?The viewer probably got lost in the sets,costumes,choreography and the cinematography and missed Devdas totally. Devdas went unnoticed and unrecognized like we miss the forest for the trees . Bhansali succeeded in making a grand entertainer but failed in portraying the complexity of his simple love or the strength of his weakness
For those who have seen both the previous DevDas, the one with Dilip is remembered more, and now its time to judge, what the latest version-Dev D has in store for us
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
Saturday, February 7, 2009
HEROES OF INDIAN CINEMA
BARE and DARE !!!!!
Movies,besides being the fashion statements for India,have always also,indicated the mood and trends of the society.The present change in the Heroes of Bollywood,from the chocolate guys to the tough he-men who bare and dare,is a reflection of the present day image of a ladies' Dream man!(Out of Flavor-THE WEEK,Feb. 8,2009)
This change from the gentlemanly heroes,to the chocolate lover boys,followed by the metrosexual males,and now the rough and tough macho men, is the story of the changing attitudes of a woman towards her man,and her expectations from him,including the changing sexual trends,over the last few decades.The petite shy woman,of sixties,feared that they may get pregnant even by holding hands,and hence the soft spoken,gentlemanly heroes like Devanand,and AshokKumar survived on the screen,From mid seventies for almost a decade and a half,the girls started getting out of their homes,and dreamt of romance and fun,giving birth to the chocolate heroes,like Rishi Kapoor who would ride a bike and sing around the trees.The liberated woman of late nineties and early twenties,graduated further,to discos and dance and invented the metrosexual males,who dressed colorfully,used make up,gelled hair,and even experimented with accessories and jewelery.Salmans,Akshays and Sharuhks were the pioneers of this league but their life span was short lived,due to several reasons . They gave the heroines a tough competion,and the women became bolder and more vocal of their desires,and demanded titillation and their share of flesh,to ogle at!
Heroes obliged,starting with Salman,to bare their chest and assets ,followed by almost all,including Akshay,Sharukh in Om Shanti,Hrithik in Kris and Dhoom,John in Dostana,Amir in Ghajini and so on,each one bared whatever he could,and some like Ranbeer bared it all in Sawariya!
The ever powerful,independent,liberated and financially empowered woman of today,wants actually a He-man, as her Prince Charming!And this drove the heroes to six pack and now eight pack Abs! If the men can ogle at women dancers,women have all right to see the men strip,to whatever extent,and these men are doing it well! And at times even going overboard,like Hritikh in Luck By Chance,where he can claim to be the male icon,of what Katy Mirza,was for women ,once!
Ask for it,and get it on a platter !why should men alone,have all the fun !
Sanjay Kapoor,Lucknow
Movies,besides being the fashion statements for India,have always also,indicated the mood and trends of the society.The present change in the Heroes of Bollywood,from the chocolate guys to the tough he-men who bare and dare,is a reflection of the present day image of a ladies' Dream man!(Out of Flavor-THE WEEK,Feb. 8,2009)
This change from the gentlemanly heroes,to the chocolate lover boys,followed by the metrosexual males,and now the rough and tough macho men, is the story of the changing attitudes of a woman towards her man,and her expectations from him,including the changing sexual trends,over the last few decades.The petite shy woman,of sixties,feared that they may get pregnant even by holding hands,and hence the soft spoken,gentlemanly heroes like Devanand,and AshokKumar survived on the screen,From mid seventies for almost a decade and a half,the girls started getting out of their homes,and dreamt of romance and fun,giving birth to the chocolate heroes,like Rishi Kapoor who would ride a bike and sing around the trees.The liberated woman of late nineties and early twenties,graduated further,to discos and dance and invented the metrosexual males,who dressed colorfully,used make up,gelled hair,and even experimented with accessories and jewelery.Salmans,Akshays and Sharuhks were the pioneers of this league but their life span was short lived,due to several reasons . They gave the heroines a tough competion,and the women became bolder and more vocal of their desires,and demanded titillation and their share of flesh,to ogle at!
Heroes obliged,starting with Salman,to bare their chest and assets ,followed by almost all,including Akshay,Sharukh in Om Shanti,Hrithik in Kris and Dhoom,John in Dostana,Amir in Ghajini and so on,each one bared whatever he could,and some like Ranbeer bared it all in Sawariya!
The ever powerful,independent,liberated and financially empowered woman of today,wants actually a He-man, as her Prince Charming!And this drove the heroes to six pack and now eight pack Abs! If the men can ogle at women dancers,women have all right to see the men strip,to whatever extent,and these men are doing it well! And at times even going overboard,like Hritikh in Luck By Chance,where he can claim to be the male icon,of what Katy Mirza,was for women ,once!
Ask for it,and get it on a platter !why should men alone,have all the fun !
Sanjay Kapoor,Lucknow
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
LUCK BY CHANCE
REALISTIC AND REFRESHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heartiest Congratulations to Zoya Akhtah for her marvellous direction of LBC.It was pleasure indeed watching Luck By Chance!
The Akhtar family is proving beyond doubt that talent runs in blood and is passed through genes.Farhan and Zoya Akhtar are not only making Javed proud,but are showing great promise and potential,and one expects more of such and even better work from then in future
Though the story of LBC is nothing new,and its all heard and all seen,still the presentation is great,refreshing and revealing!The movie bares the underbelly of the harsh Bollywood industry,but subtly,emphasizing more on the struggling of aspirants in filmdom,in the ruthless city of Mumbai.and meshed in this struggle is an unsuccessful love story.Farhan Akhtar plays a struggling star,who falls in love with a small time extra artist,who is waiting for a big break ,played by Konkana Sen Sharma.While she keeps waiting,Farhan,gets a break,luckily by chance,when,a superstar,played by Hrithik,leaves a movie,and the producer ,looking for a new face grabs him.The film has very naturally and undramatically depicted the change that comes in Farhans attitude to life and people around him,where he wants to compromise with nothing that may hamper his rise,even his one time girl friend and support.
Though the plot is old,and gives glimpse of many such movies on the Mumbai Film Industry,like Khoya Khoya Chand,Mein Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon,Last Lair,and many more,it still appears fresh,due to the lack of melodrama and the underplaying of events.The muck under the dazzling glow of the tinseltown and the shattering blows of the venomous pangs of the dream-merchants have been portrayed naturally and realistically.LCB has vividly portrayed the struggle in the film industry,the tough competition,the long wait for a break,the false promises,shattered dreams,exploitation,long and unhealthy working hours,intolerable work conditions,bitching,politics,facade,farce,disrespect for individuals,insensitivity to feelings,man-eat-man attitude,casting couch,power game and above all the ,thee success mantra of being at the right place,at the right time,with the right person and with the right attitude!
The story and the screenplay are entertaining and in spite of the slow pace of the movie,manage to steal the attention of the audience.Cinematography and picturization are good,with excellent music and songs.The background song bagia bagia,is not only touchy but also very apt for the movie and the situation.The choreography of the dance on the enchanting number ,Jhoomo re Jhoomo re,jhoomoo reaaa,picturised on a circus theme,and performed almost as an item number by Hrhitik,is really colorful,enchanting and melodious and reminds of the folk songs of Rudali and Paheli.Rishi Kapoor has done justice to his role,as the producer of the film,in the movie,and so has Juhi Chawla,as his wife and a typical rich punju lady from Mumbai.Dimple has looked ravishing,even at this age,as the superstar of yester years and proves that old wine always tastes better! It was nice to see Sanjay Kapoor on screen after we had almost forgotten his existence.
My vocabulary fails in finding words to describe Konkna.Her performance is par excellence and she definitely deserves all the possible praises and awards for this movie.Her husky voice,reminiscent of that of young Jaya Bhaduri,gives that real perfection to Konkanas histrionic talents.She is probably the only actor,whose moods and emotions are reflected not by the face,or the look,but by the overall appearance.She actually manages to look admirably and repulsively ugly when she is sad or dejected,bringing the scene and the character almost to life,something that I think none of the Indian actresses have ever managed to do.Farhan has really looked fresh and young and has acted as a novice with seasoned expertise.Though I have already become a fan of his acting,in just two movies,I have my doubts if he can diversify his versatility later.Though Hrithik is my favorite,I was disappointed by him in LBC,since he seems to have worked very hard here,to grab the lead role in Karan Johars next film,looking quite gayish in costumes and mannerism and noticeable effeminate in his dance on ,jhoomo re,Jhoomo re.In fact Farhan has looked and danced better,in the small part of the same song done by him in the end.
Kudos to Zoya Akhtak for her great direction,which has gone a long way,in helping the movie in earning the well deserved rare reviews ranging from three and a half to four and a half stars.We look forward to more,from the Ahktars!
Col Sanjay Kapoor VSM
Heartiest Congratulations to Zoya Akhtah for her marvellous direction of LBC.It was pleasure indeed watching Luck By Chance!
The Akhtar family is proving beyond doubt that talent runs in blood and is passed through genes.Farhan and Zoya Akhtar are not only making Javed proud,but are showing great promise and potential,and one expects more of such and even better work from then in future
Though the story of LBC is nothing new,and its all heard and all seen,still the presentation is great,refreshing and revealing!The movie bares the underbelly of the harsh Bollywood industry,but subtly,emphasizing more on the struggling of aspirants in filmdom,in the ruthless city of Mumbai.and meshed in this struggle is an unsuccessful love story.Farhan Akhtar plays a struggling star,who falls in love with a small time extra artist,who is waiting for a big break ,played by Konkana Sen Sharma.While she keeps waiting,Farhan,gets a break,luckily by chance,when,a superstar,played by Hrithik,leaves a movie,and the producer ,looking for a new face grabs him.The film has very naturally and undramatically depicted the change that comes in Farhans attitude to life and people around him,where he wants to compromise with nothing that may hamper his rise,even his one time girl friend and support.
Though the plot is old,and gives glimpse of many such movies on the Mumbai Film Industry,like Khoya Khoya Chand,Mein Madhuri Dixit banna chahti hoon,Last Lair,and many more,it still appears fresh,due to the lack of melodrama and the underplaying of events.The muck under the dazzling glow of the tinseltown and the shattering blows of the venomous pangs of the dream-merchants have been portrayed naturally and realistically.LCB has vividly portrayed the struggle in the film industry,the tough competition,the long wait for a break,the false promises,shattered dreams,exploitation,long and unhealthy working hours,intolerable work conditions,bitching,politics,facade,farce,disrespect for individuals,insensitivity to feelings,man-eat-man attitude,casting couch,power game and above all the ,thee success mantra of being at the right place,at the right time,with the right person and with the right attitude!
The story and the screenplay are entertaining and in spite of the slow pace of the movie,manage to steal the attention of the audience.Cinematography and picturization are good,with excellent music and songs.The background song bagia bagia,is not only touchy but also very apt for the movie and the situation.The choreography of the dance on the enchanting number ,Jhoomo re Jhoomo re,jhoomoo reaaa,picturised on a circus theme,and performed almost as an item number by Hrhitik,is really colorful,enchanting and melodious and reminds of the folk songs of Rudali and Paheli.Rishi Kapoor has done justice to his role,as the producer of the film,in the movie,and so has Juhi Chawla,as his wife and a typical rich punju lady from Mumbai.Dimple has looked ravishing,even at this age,as the superstar of yester years and proves that old wine always tastes better! It was nice to see Sanjay Kapoor on screen after we had almost forgotten his existence.
My vocabulary fails in finding words to describe Konkna.Her performance is par excellence and she definitely deserves all the possible praises and awards for this movie.Her husky voice,reminiscent of that of young Jaya Bhaduri,gives that real perfection to Konkanas histrionic talents.She is probably the only actor,whose moods and emotions are reflected not by the face,or the look,but by the overall appearance.She actually manages to look admirably and repulsively ugly when she is sad or dejected,bringing the scene and the character almost to life,something that I think none of the Indian actresses have ever managed to do.Farhan has really looked fresh and young and has acted as a novice with seasoned expertise.Though I have already become a fan of his acting,in just two movies,I have my doubts if he can diversify his versatility later.Though Hrithik is my favorite,I was disappointed by him in LBC,since he seems to have worked very hard here,to grab the lead role in Karan Johars next film,looking quite gayish in costumes and mannerism and noticeable effeminate in his dance on ,jhoomo re,Jhoomo re.In fact Farhan has looked and danced better,in the small part of the same song done by him in the end.
Kudos to Zoya Akhtak for her great direction,which has gone a long way,in helping the movie in earning the well deserved rare reviews ranging from three and a half to four and a half stars.We look forward to more,from the Ahktars!
Col Sanjay Kapoor VSM
Monday, February 2, 2009
GAJHNI
DOUBLE IMPACT !!!!!!!!!!!!
GAJHNI left me dumb and numb,by its double impact!The softness of the romance and the harshness of the violent revenge,both were intense,touchy and effective! It was a great movie,and proved once again that Amir Khan's dictum of concentrating on quality,really gives grand results,and the movie has proved beyond doubt that any project,attached with Amir,is an outright winner!
Amir not only takes pain,in conceiving the movie,but also in the minutest details in its creation.His involvement is commendable,and he not only eats,drinks,sleeps,but actually lives,the movie or the project he has on hand,during the production.And the best part is,that his involvement doesn't stop there,his campaigning and marketing are so beautifully planned,that the masses feel as if thy are a part of the movie and the production team,even before the movie is released.I think Gajhni had one of the largest , finest and most successful launch,and it actually deserved all the hype,and may be more
The movie is a love story - a simple La Bollywood,types to start with.A small time,model,accidentally spreads the news that she is in an affair with a great business tycoon,played by Amir,who meets her as a struggling model,on hearing this,and falls in love with her simplicity.innocence and beauty.When he is about to disclose his identity,and propose,the story takes a horrid twist.The heroine while travelling in a late night train,saves a few girls being transported,for flesh-trade,by an underworld Don-GAJHNI.The heroine is subsequently,ruthlessly killed by Gajhni and before dying could reveal the name to the hero,who too,is battered badly,but escapes,with severe head injury and a memory loss,where in he can remember things for only 15 minutes! The mission of the hero for the rest of his life,and the remaining movie is to take revenge,which he finally does.What makes this second half,special or rather different is the modus operandi of the hero to take revenge,in spite of his mental disability of almost total amnesia,while living alone and to complete his mission,single handedly,with meticulously planning,photographs,tattooing,chits and an incomprehensible intricate system.Joining with him,here was a medical student,who wanted to study the hero as a case of amnesia,and gets involved in the chase.
The movie actually seems to have two complete stories amalgamated into one.Even if it ended, after the initial love story,with just a last shot,where he reveals his identity as the multimillionaire eligible bachelor and they live happily ever after,it would have been a successful complete romantic love story.And had it started with the death of the heroine,then the revenge alone would have been able to carry the movie as a hit action cinema.Its the union of both,and the stark contrast between the two half's,ranging from the poppy love to the most ghastly violence,that gives the movie its uniqueness and the stunning effect.The portrayal was so realistic,that one felt sad,at the end of the first half,at the death of a great romance!
The story,plot and screenplay were excellent and beautifully presented,to involve the audience at every moment.The Cinematography,locales and photography were exemplary and direction and editing reaching the highest zenith of perfection,at par to the best of Hollywood movies.The movie has been superbly directed and the background scores , lyrics and music reach the heart.Choreography is great,especially of the number bahka yun bahka! Amir acting is better than his best,and Asin,the south Indian actress,doing the lead,has performed excellently,in the lead role,and has not only looked,cute,beautiful,realistic and charming but has done wonders to the role,considering this was her debut hindi film.Jiah Khan,the Lolita of Nishabd,has acted well too,as the medical student.In spite of the excessive violence,probably the most that has ever been shown on Indian cinema,the movie was a double treat to watch.
After having said that,I cant resist,bringing out a few drawbacks too.Firstly I don't think there is any such medical condition,as depicted in the movie,and if it exists,it would be short term memory and not short term memory loss,as it has been repeatedly called .Giving The movie the Title on the villains name.some how doesn't appeal to me,and being a remake of a south Indian movie,deprives it of some amount of credit.and lastly,the very concept of the movie is against my philosophy.Just like I found Devdas ,a weak personality,I somehow cant accept a dynamic person,ruining his complete life,to take revenge.Without undermining his love for his fiancé,and his passion to avenge her death,I feel nothing in life,is bigger than life,to bring life at a stop !
Gajhni is a movie that has impressed , touched and moved me,like very few have done in my life,and shall always be in top list of my favorite hindi movies
GAJHNI left me dumb and numb,by its double impact!The softness of the romance and the harshness of the violent revenge,both were intense,touchy and effective! It was a great movie,and proved once again that Amir Khan's dictum of concentrating on quality,really gives grand results,and the movie has proved beyond doubt that any project,attached with Amir,is an outright winner!
Amir not only takes pain,in conceiving the movie,but also in the minutest details in its creation.His involvement is commendable,and he not only eats,drinks,sleeps,but actually lives,the movie or the project he has on hand,during the production.And the best part is,that his involvement doesn't stop there,his campaigning and marketing are so beautifully planned,that the masses feel as if thy are a part of the movie and the production team,even before the movie is released.I think Gajhni had one of the largest , finest and most successful launch,and it actually deserved all the hype,and may be more
The movie is a love story - a simple La Bollywood,types to start with.A small time,model,accidentally spreads the news that she is in an affair with a great business tycoon,played by Amir,who meets her as a struggling model,on hearing this,and falls in love with her simplicity.innocence and beauty.When he is about to disclose his identity,and propose,the story takes a horrid twist.The heroine while travelling in a late night train,saves a few girls being transported,for flesh-trade,by an underworld Don-GAJHNI.The heroine is subsequently,ruthlessly killed by Gajhni and before dying could reveal the name to the hero,who too,is battered badly,but escapes,with severe head injury and a memory loss,where in he can remember things for only 15 minutes! The mission of the hero for the rest of his life,and the remaining movie is to take revenge,which he finally does.What makes this second half,special or rather different is the modus operandi of the hero to take revenge,in spite of his mental disability of almost total amnesia,while living alone and to complete his mission,single handedly,with meticulously planning,photographs,tattooing,chits and an incomprehensible intricate system.Joining with him,here was a medical student,who wanted to study the hero as a case of amnesia,and gets involved in the chase.
The movie actually seems to have two complete stories amalgamated into one.Even if it ended, after the initial love story,with just a last shot,where he reveals his identity as the multimillionaire eligible bachelor and they live happily ever after,it would have been a successful complete romantic love story.And had it started with the death of the heroine,then the revenge alone would have been able to carry the movie as a hit action cinema.Its the union of both,and the stark contrast between the two half's,ranging from the poppy love to the most ghastly violence,that gives the movie its uniqueness and the stunning effect.The portrayal was so realistic,that one felt sad,at the end of the first half,at the death of a great romance!
The story,plot and screenplay were excellent and beautifully presented,to involve the audience at every moment.The Cinematography,locales and photography were exemplary and direction and editing reaching the highest zenith of perfection,at par to the best of Hollywood movies.The movie has been superbly directed and the background scores , lyrics and music reach the heart.Choreography is great,especially of the number bahka yun bahka! Amir acting is better than his best,and Asin,the south Indian actress,doing the lead,has performed excellently,in the lead role,and has not only looked,cute,beautiful,realistic and charming but has done wonders to the role,considering this was her debut hindi film.Jiah Khan,the Lolita of Nishabd,has acted well too,as the medical student.In spite of the excessive violence,probably the most that has ever been shown on Indian cinema,the movie was a double treat to watch.
After having said that,I cant resist,bringing out a few drawbacks too.Firstly I don't think there is any such medical condition,as depicted in the movie,and if it exists,it would be short term memory and not short term memory loss,as it has been repeatedly called .Giving The movie the Title on the villains name.some how doesn't appeal to me,and being a remake of a south Indian movie,deprives it of some amount of credit.and lastly,the very concept of the movie is against my philosophy.Just like I found Devdas ,a weak personality,I somehow cant accept a dynamic person,ruining his complete life,to take revenge.Without undermining his love for his fiancé,and his passion to avenge her death,I feel nothing in life,is bigger than life,to bring life at a stop !
Gajhni is a movie that has impressed , touched and moved me,like very few have done in my life,and shall always be in top list of my favorite hindi movies
Thursday, January 22, 2009
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
MIXED REACTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We Indians are known to go aboard with our reactions and over-reactions to many a things but reactions evoked by Danny Boyle's latest film,from India and abroad have probably been the most that any movie has ever earned,not only in numbers or magnitude but more significantly in the wide range of difference in opinions,swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other,and including great admiration and outright condemnation( All It Boyles Down to-OUTLOOK,Jan 26,2009)
It evoked mixed emotions in my mind too,and frankly speaking,even including few thoughts like comparing it to Satyajit Rays,portrayal of poor India ,though not as intense as expressed in the Big B's blog.I also reacted the way I did to Water,a movie which though shall be in top ten of my favorite movies,disturbed me,as it appeared to me not only like washing our dirty linen in public,but that too in foreign waters,literally.
What amazed me more,were the intense articles published over last one week,which ranged from suggesting to the government to encash on our poverty,by selling it as Hamari Garibi Mahan,to the depressingly shocking revelation of the fact,that certain foreigners are actually including Dharavi,in their entourage of Mumbai Darshan,for firangi tourists.to show the life of slums! The latter shamelesslesly added that they did so,taking their clients in small groups and not very close,so as not to disturb the life in the slum,so much akin to our visits to wild life sanctuaries!
At the end of the day I reconciled with all the hulla bulla and settled the unrest in my mind with the following realizations
It is not an Indian movie,but a movie on India
Am thrilled at A R Rehman ,being awarded the well deserved Golden Globe,as I am his die-hard fan
Respecting the freedom of art,we should appreciate the movie for its cinematic excellence
Poverty and slums are a crude reality of our country and all out efforts should be made to eradicate them rather than have heated and outrageous discussions on their depiction or exhibition by Indians or foreigners.
Being a great cine lover,I,for one am eagerly waiting to see the movie,with great expectations !
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
We Indians are known to go aboard with our reactions and over-reactions to many a things but reactions evoked by Danny Boyle's latest film,from India and abroad have probably been the most that any movie has ever earned,not only in numbers or magnitude but more significantly in the wide range of difference in opinions,swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other,and including great admiration and outright condemnation( All It Boyles Down to-OUTLOOK,Jan 26,2009)
It evoked mixed emotions in my mind too,and frankly speaking,even including few thoughts like comparing it to Satyajit Rays,portrayal of poor India ,though not as intense as expressed in the Big B's blog.I also reacted the way I did to Water,a movie which though shall be in top ten of my favorite movies,disturbed me,as it appeared to me not only like washing our dirty linen in public,but that too in foreign waters,literally.
What amazed me more,were the intense articles published over last one week,which ranged from suggesting to the government to encash on our poverty,by selling it as Hamari Garibi Mahan,to the depressingly shocking revelation of the fact,that certain foreigners are actually including Dharavi,in their entourage of Mumbai Darshan,for firangi tourists.to show the life of slums! The latter shamelesslesly added that they did so,taking their clients in small groups and not very close,so as not to disturb the life in the slum,so much akin to our visits to wild life sanctuaries!
At the end of the day I reconciled with all the hulla bulla and settled the unrest in my mind with the following realizations
It is not an Indian movie,but a movie on India
Am thrilled at A R Rehman ,being awarded the well deserved Golden Globe,as I am his die-hard fan
Respecting the freedom of art,we should appreciate the movie for its cinematic excellence
Poverty and slums are a crude reality of our country and all out efforts should be made to eradicate them rather than have heated and outrageous discussions on their depiction or exhibition by Indians or foreigners.
Being a great cine lover,I,for one am eagerly waiting to see the movie,with great expectations !
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
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