Patiala House (2011) - movie review

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Old wine in a new bottle. The whole Bollywood redefined rhetoric comes to naught with films like these. PH offers a dry script with a tediously commonplace screenplay. The first few scenes (that capture the rift between the Sikhs and the English), set the mood of the film. Akshay Kumar is completely in the character and you want to believe he's going through it all.

But after a point, he appears as miserable and lifeless as one of those Ekta Kapoor characters who's lost all hope and only exists to live for others. You almost want to reach out to him and tell him ENOUGH. Dimple Kapadia (playing Akshay's mother) is as good as furniture in the house.

You sit there out-guessing every dialogue, waiting for something less predictable to happen. (Anushka's "Do what you're born to do" with exclamatory expressions works as good as Ekta Kapoor's trademark camera effects ;). Anushka repeats her Band Baaja....'s cutesy, adorable act. But one more time I see her doing that I'll be bored.

It's sure to do well in Punjab and our Sardarjis in K for Caneda are going to lov it. For me, the only good part about the film was Shafqat Amanat Ali's song kyu main jagoon which plays in the background on and off.

Repeat Value - If you've endured it once, it's more than a favour to Nikhil Advani!

Chandni (1989) - movie review

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Boy (Rohit) meets girl (Chandni), falls for her, woos her, and is all set to marry her when due to some unforseen turn of events, life does a volte face for the two. [One of my most loved films, Chandni brings back memories of kindergarten when I'd danced on one of its songs and won the first prize :) Still wonder if it was really in recognition of my dancing skills ;)]

 

The YRF-typical love story was a welcome change for it came at a time when Bollywood was flush with the violent dhishoom-dhishoom drama. The film celebrates romance. It celebrates music. And more than anything it celebrates Sridevi.

 

From her playful smile to her infectious laughter, to her zillion-a-second expressions, Chandni eulogizes Sridevi all the way. Rishi Kapoor, even with a few extra pounds ;-), proved true to Kapoor blood. He is one of the most natural actors, the industry has ever had. The film made for a great watch back then, whatever little I understood of it :) I would go back to it again and again, in school, viewing it in bits and parts. All in all, a must watch more for Sridevi fans than Bollywood fans. [Titbit - Rekha was first offered to play Chandni. She refused but recommended Sridevi for the same.]

Down the memory lane...

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This one's going to be a series of the first few Bollywood films I saw :) And I'll begin with my first and favorite.

Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)

It's hard to imagine that I was only 4 when I saw it first. It's tough to count how many viewings I've had of this one. More than, possibly, any other Bollywood film. And that prolly explains my louve for romantic flicks. (It was MPK I grew up watching after all ;)

From the songs to the star cast [I was in love with Salman then, Bhagyashree unfortunately vanished after her first and only film, Reema Lagoo is by far the bestest mother onscreen] to the story, screenplay, dialogues [I can recall almost all till date :)] to the Antakshari bit woven neatly into the film, it was a complete entertainment package.

If I watch it today, I obviously find the idea of romance old world and difficult to relate with (we've moved past Kabootar to twitter ;) but it's the innocence of it all that makes it special for me even today. @Bollywood lovers, don't miss this one!


Up Next - Chandni (1989)

Mixed Doubles (2006) - movie review

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Mixed Doubles comes alive with its intriguing characters and a believable setting rendering a sense of lived-in reality. The film with its smooth screenplay gives a peek-a-boo into the married life of a couple that has lost all spark-that-used-to-be and their quirky attempts to restore it. The 90-minute dramedy is, for most part, engaging.

The pre-climax bit seems to have been dealt with too hurriedly after all that Rajat Kapoor does to build it up. 

Every character is at his best. Konkana Sen as Malti is her convincing-self. She brings freshness to every role she plays. You can't not love the weird yet adorable Vinay Pathak with his absurd ideas of love and life. Ranvir Shorey is doing what he does best. Comedy. His expressions are enough to tickle your funny bone.

The film didn't go down too well with the masses (hence, prolly unheard of) but if you're game for some experimental cinematics, go for it!

Hollywood Money: 2010

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The following list is how much money each person made in 2010. The list is the top 7 people.

Hate them. Be Jealous. Admire. Appreciate. Enjoy.

Again: This is not personal total wealth, it is what they made in 2010 ONLY.

1. James "Avatar" Cameron: $257 Million



How: Avatar. $2,781,505,847 in ticket sales. Not including DVD (so he'll continue to make money for years from these sales). And he is famous for taking a smaller director fee (not THAT small) and compensates with a percentage of every dollar earned.

2. Johnny Depp: ~$100 Million


How: 3 Films.

a) Alice in Wonderland was disney's biggest hit last year, earning an unexpected 1 BILLION dollars. His fee was $50 million.
b) The Tourist. Not a good movie, didn't make crazy money, but Depp charges over $20 million per film, so success isn't necessary.
c) Pirates. Pirates. Pirates. Pirates. The 2nd trilogy (beginning with the fourth film starting this may) is easy going to make over a 100 million for him over the next 4-5 years. Constant, stable revenue - the power of franchises.

3. Steven Spielberg: $80 million


How: 2010 was a slow year for Spielberg. He was filming two films most of the year, "War Horse" and "TinTin" (trilogy-expect a new billion dollar franchise), and only released two films as producer: "Hereafter" (decent revenue), and "True Grit" (huge hit).
BUT he has so much revenue coming in from licensing, theme parks, dvd sales, syndication, oh and his studio "Dreamworks", which released "How to Train Your Dragon", one of the biggest films of 2010.

4. Inception Geniuses: Christopher Nolan ($71.5 Million), Leonardo Dicaprio ($62 Million)

How: For Nolan, only Inception. Worth every dollar. For DiCaprio: two films, Inception and Shutter Island, both big hits.

5. Tim Burton: $54 Million

How: Directed Alice in Wonderland. Overrated film, but the audience disagrees.

6. Taylor Lautner: $33.5 Million

(no picture necessary)

How: "How" is easy: Twilight, and then other project signings.

But, "WHY?": I have no idea.

source: http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/james-cameron-tops-hollywood-moneymakers-dolla-dolla-bill-yall/

Gulaal (2009) - movie review

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Anurag Kashyap may have an ordinary script but it's his edge-of-the-seat story-telling that scores every time. Just when you think you know what's going on, he throws you off with his unlooked-for treatment. His passion for cinema seeps through every frame, every shot. He captures every emotion admirably well. Gulaal is a film about dirty politics (and the murky elements that surround it), about revenge, greed, betrayal, love. But what overpowers the film itself are its carefully etched characters, that go beyond what meets the eye. They'll haunt you long after you've seen the film. 

From the shrewd, hardheaded Dukey bana (Kay Kay Menon) to the mild-mannered Dileep (played by Raj Singh Choudhary, who's also co-written the film with Kashyap), from the cocky Rananjay Singh "Ransa" to the peacemaker Prithvi bana (Piyush Mishra), every character is hard-hitting. The film is not to be missed. Repeat value - more than a one-time watch!