Aamir's intolerance drama

It's all too easy in the end for Bond despite SPECTRE

SPECTRE falls flat despite the hoopla

SPECTRE sets off with a sequence in Mexico city on the 'day of the dead' which has been shot brilliantly, including the initial long shot which introduces Bond. What comes next is a dark world with laden London sky and snow-clad mountains of Austria.

Daniel Craig, who has made this bond his own, comes up with another subtle portrayal of 007 with his brooding but ever stylish mannerism. Some of the action sequences lacks the adrenaline rush which is the forte of this franchise. It also lacks the gizmo's freak show which Bond is known to pull off when he comes on screen in chase sequences. Also some of them were too predictable, something which has been done and dusted in many films.

Christoph Waltz, who plays the main antagonist in this 24th edition of the franchise, however, somehow lacks the dark and menacing presence which he is capable of. For someone who claims to be the 'author of Bond's pain', Waltz's character lacks the ferocity which could have taken it to the next level, something which was a requirement for a movie which is supposed to tie up the open ends from the previous franchises.

Also the song 'Writing's On The Wall' by Sam Smith during the pre credit lacks the punch which Adele produced in Skyfall. Overall, Sam Mendes' second consecutive Bond outing is good but not the best bond movie. It fails to quench the thirst of 007 fans.

An open letter to Mr Pankaj Kapur

     Sir, I watched 'Mausam' last night despite being warned by film aficionados. I was always curious why it was a failure. I think I learnt few things as an audience about film making. Your idea of weaving a love story around the history of violence that this country has seen was commendable but I think you stretched it too far and left too much weight on your son, Shahid's shoulders. If Salman Khan was in this film he could have pulled it off by his sheer stardom but Shahid is still not that big a star.

Sir, I think you didn't follow your heart all through out, specially in the last 45mins or so, where you decided to make the protagonist a super hero. In fact, the treatment of the film also left me confused. It looked two different films in that mammoth 2 and 47 minutes run time and the audience got completely bored to death by the end.

The music was one of the plus points. Shahid and Sonam tried. But no offense, there is something in Sonam which doesn't appeal me as an audience. I think she will need more time to understand the pain of the scars which life leaves us with and such violence and pain which was a constant presence for the characters. The portrayal must have been deeper.

The film was good in parts in a few scenes but Shahid's physical features makes him look too young and he tried his best to portray the super hero. For him to carry out such depths, he will need more direction something which Vishal Baradwaj provided.

Unfortunately your script demanded a star more than an actor. It was important to show the protagonist as human like you and me, us. Sorry, but the audience became completely unforgiving when Gujarat Riot started. You could have still had few more fans if that would not have happened. It was too dramatic in the end.

Sir, you are one of the few Indian actors I admire and I know you can bring the depth you achieve in your acting in your direction as well. So hope to see your films again. Best of luck next time.

Suggestions:

1. I think you should have kept it to 2 hours.

2. The narration could have started with his plane going down mid air and then the film going into flashback.

His struggle to get his life on track and his inner turmoil would have given the film a poignant setting and the flashbacks to tell the stories could have kept the audience interested.

The story could have connected midway something that have been used in films such as Saathiya or Namaste London. And then in next 14-20 mins you could have finished the story instead of making him a super hero in the last 40 mins.