Desi Boyz Review

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Surprisingly, the film isn't as bad as the reviews I came across. A popcorn-munching entertainer, Desi Boyz makes for an enjoyable, paisa-vasool film.   

What's good - 

** Akshay and John as best buddies are as entertaining as Jerry and Nick as Rocco and Hunter, with great comic timings. Deepika, for a change, is tolerable and even looks good. Omi Vaidya of 3 idiots fame is hilarious as Ajay. John ups the hotness quotient. Check him out in the title track (girls, I bet you won't blink ;)

** It keeps you hooked through to its two hours of fun (save the courtroom scene which could have been done away with) and some amazing foot-thumping soundtracks which keep the film alive and kicking. 

** After a long long time, Bollywood made me laugh. 2011 has been a letdown in terms of the kind of films it has produced despite all the brouhaha. But I can count DB among the best films of this year. I just wish they'd come up with a less frumpish title. 

Girls, it's going to be a treat for you. Don't miss it ;) 

The Movie Antakshari - Masoom (movie review)

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The Movie Antakshari, an attempt to recollect Bollywood's most memorable films, brought to you by EatPrayLove and Bolly Hood, is now in full swing. We're almost a month into it now but here's a quick recap for the ones who've just joined in.
The Movie Antakshari is much like the song antakshari that, I'm sure all of you have played at some point - school trip, college canteens, office cafeteria. For the ones who haven't, this is how it goes - Pick a song and the next person picks a song with the last alphabet of your last word. Easy? Just replace 'song' with a 'film title,' which is what we're playing here. 

Here are the entries until now - 

Hum, Maine Pyar Kiya, Amar Akbar Anthony, Yahaan, Namak Haram. 

Bolly Hood, left me once again with 'M.' So here goes my pick -

 
Masoom (1983)

Based off a novel Man, Woman & Child by Eric Segal, Masoom released before I was born but I remember watching it over and over with my mum on our VCR. It was one of her favorite films. I didn't completely understand the plot back then. Today as I watch it, 20 years hence, it brings back memories of how I'd cuddle up with her and watch the film while trying to make sense of whatever I possibly could.   

The beauty of Masoom lies in how delicately delightfully first time director Shekhar Kapur explores relationships - the tensions between a husband and a wife, the tenderness between a mother and a daughter, the bond between a father and a son. Naseeruddin and Rahul's (played by Jugal Hansraj) father-son chemistry works tremendously and is one of the reasons why you should watch the film. There's also baby Urmila Matondkar in this film playing Naseeruddin's daughter but its his younger daughter Aradhana who's the more vibrant and noticeable of the two. You'll love her for her playful ways. 

While each character is appreciable, your heart goes out for Rahul. His onscreen presence is enough to move you. Unfortunately, Hansraj hasn't had much success in films after growing up. [I saw him in Mohabbatein, Papa Kehte Hain, Salaam Namaste (cameo)].
Masoom, while being a good film, also gave us some of the most memorable songs. Lakdi ki kathi (I'd be surprised if you haven't heard that song as a kid), tujhse naraaz nahi zindagi, do naina ek kahani thoda sa baadal thoda sa paani.

Overall, what works is that Masoom goes beyond the the cliched Bollywood clutter. Next time you hear someone rubbishing Bollywood, you know what to recommend!


@Bolly Hood - It's over to you now. And the letter is 'M.' Go for it!

Rockstar Review

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Rockstar definitely doesn't live up to all the ballyhoo it created. Or probably, Imtiaz is a victim of his own success.   

WHAT WORKS

**  After proving himself in films as assorted as Sawariya, Rajneeti, Bachna Ae Haseeno and Wake up Sid, it's no surprise Ranbir delivers without a hitch. His Janardhan Jhakar act is as convincing as the maverick, non-conformist Jordan. It's truly his film and if it does turn out to be a hit, it's courtesy him. 

** Ranbir-Fakhri chemistry. Bollywood's long lost charm in a love story is back and how! And quite like Jab we Met, there are no cliched 'i love you's' and 'do you love me.' 

** The film has got an amazing look and feel. The cinematography is slick. The Kashmir scenes and the stage shows, particularly, are shot brilliantly. The magnanimity of it is over-whelming.

**Rahman lends soul to an otherwise dry film. Had it not been for his music, (I would've been asleep halfway) there isn't much for Rockstar to bank on. Kun faaya kun (which has been so beautifully woven into the film) and the shehnai-guitar jugalbandi between Shammi Kapoor and Ranbir is NOT to be missed.

WHAT DOESN'T

** Nargis Fakhri robs the film off its what-could've-otherwise-been some of its very  precious moments. Add to that her dialogue delivery, which is mostly gawky. Her character is weird to the T. There was nothing amusing about the whole 'junglee jawani' thing which was played up a bit too much. Her idea of fun is as quirky as her character. A distorted version of Katrina, Fakhri was an appalling choice for a role like this.

** The screenplay is as random as it could get. Tediously lengthy, Rockstar could've been wound up far more quicklier.

** The film gets going on a strong note but dwindles midway leaving you in the hope that it would eventually pick up pace, which it does, but that's only short-lived.


** Most characters exude staleness from Piyush Mishra (who's a brilliant actor otherwise) to Fakhri's mother. 

Despite the grandiosity of it all, there was something missing in the film. It leaves you wanting for more. Strictly for Ranbir fans. Others wait for the DVD.

Here's the song that's been on a repeat mode in my head ever since I left the theatre.

RAJ: Aditya Chopra's Love Trilogy

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After our DDLJ post, I started to re-watch the only three films directed by Aditya Chopra.
In Bollywood, love is a given. It is the foundation of every blockbuster. Without a love story, the characters have no motivation. No likability. No impact on the audience. And a hero who doesn't love can't save the world. He can't fight 100 thugs without a scratch. He can't survive after taking 5 bullets.
A hero who doesn't know love can't be a hero.
And if you have lived in India in the last two decades, you may have noticed (or will notice post readin this) that the words "hero" and "love" have been moulded into one idea: Raj.
Aditya Chopra introduced the idea of Raj to the world in 1995 with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. DDLJ's Raj is the ultimate lover. He will do anything for his love. But he has one condition, one ingredient that makes him Raj: he will always do the right thing. Whether that is to respect the girl's parents' wishes, or saving (read: not killing) the bad guy who is trying to steal his love from him. He is a man every women (presumably) would want. With this Raj, and with DDLJ, Chopra set up the benchmark for love stories.

So, a quick survey about DDLJ (with answers due to the one-way-ness of this discussion) :


1. Is it the greatest love story ever told?
2. Is it possible to make a better complete story (one with the right blend of action, drama, comedy, good music, and romance)?
3. Is it possible for the person who masterminded this film to make an even better love story?

The answers:
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes, but let me explain.

The Movie Antakshari: Yahaan (movie review)

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Thank you for all the love on the Movie Antakshari feature. Here's a quick recap - 


The Bolly Hood began with HuM. I followed with Maine Pyar KiyA and he took off with Amar Akbar AthonY.


Hum (The Bolly Hood)
Maine Pyar Kiya (EatPrayLove)
Amar Akbar Anthony (The Bolly Hood)
The Bolly Hood left me with a rather tough choice. Y. But Yahaan made things simpler. I only picked up the film recently. 
Yahaan is an impassioned love story set in strife-torn Kashmir. Captain Aman (Jimmy Shergill) falls for Adaa (Minissha Lamba), a Kashmiri civilian. For him, it's love at first sight. But it isn't fleeting. "I want to grow old with you," he tells her in one of the letters they exchange. The consequences, however, will have to be borne. 

100th post - My romance with DDLJ

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For the Hindi cinema-ignorant, DDLJ is short for the inimitably popular Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
I vividly remember that day. Running late and mighty anxious if we would make it, we called in to check for the tickets, while already on our way to the theatre. PVRs and the likes didn't exist then. (I'm talking 1995). We had single-plexes playing four shows a day. 12-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12. The voice on the other line told us, 'hall bharne vala hai (the house is almost full).  
My heart sank. I had waited the whole of October and November for this one. As our car pulled up outside the theatre, we rushed to the ticket window hoping we'd get lucky.
"How many", he asked? 
"4", I yelled back, cutting out the noise around me. "What row?" I inquired.
"4th from the front." 
Hell! I'd get to see him closer ;) I rested easy.
Today, as I write this piece, 16 years hence, DDLJ gets me as excited. We've seen countless romcoms come and go - the ones we watch, re-watch, fast forward through to our fav scenes, cut to our favorite songs. I've done that with Jab we Met, Salaam Namaste, Saathiya, Hum Tum, Band Baaja Baraat. But I can quite frankly watch DDLJ over and over, frame by frame, without touching that remote.