Hansal Mehta to complete his poetic masterpiece with Aligarh

Who would have known, Mr Hansal Mehta would be a poet? 

I certainty didn't. 

I realised only after I watched Shahid and City Lights. 

To pour the lives on those unfortunate souls on the canvass of his films is poetry indeed. 

The way he narrated the pathos of Shahid and Deepak Singh and his wife in City Lights seemed like pure cinema is standing bare naked for the world to see but as always the world doesn't always care. 

But the fact that in this times such poets too have a canvas to play with their brush show probably that not everything is wrong with this world. I'm now waiting for him to finish his trilogy with Aligarh.

Rajkumar Rao too have braved this troubled waters of human frailties and swam back to give us some precious jewels which the coming generations will remember. He is turning into one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. Hope Aligarh can complete the cycle of life.

Manoj Bajpai, who will be carrying the film on his shoulders in Aligarh doesn't need any introduction. Needless to say, he has always been like that soil which can produce any character once you put that seed in it. Whether it is Bandit Queen or Satya or Gangs of Wasseypur, he is a master craftsman and his presence ensures that the painting will never be spoiled. So for now, I m awaiting Aligarh.

Tamasha is a journey of self discovery

TAMASHA is not as much a love story as it is a journey of self discovery. Imitiaz Ali dares to peel off the dust that piles on us as we get lost in the race of life in the concrete corporate world.

The premise is promising but Ali probably could have wasted less time in establishing the dreamy world of the protagonist, Ved. When he reaches the picturesque Corsica, he seemed to be in haste to get over with that sequence where the two prime characters meet. Probably a little more detailing (like the restaurant and forest scenes) could have made it apt as there were many scenes were it seemed the two characters where left on their own.

Also while Dipika sets Ved on his self discovery, I was wondering why did she had to wait for so long after meeting him in Delhi to tell him that he was diametrically opposite to the person she met in Corsica? After all, it was his infectious crazy energy that she had fallen in love with.

The trailers of the movie gave the impression of a love story, something which have become a forte for Ali but this could be misleading and can disappoint fans who are going with the expectations of watching how Ali peels of another layer of relationship.

The positive thing about this movie is that it tries to talk about keeping alive the child, who slowly suffocates to death inside us and three cheers to Ali for bringing this on the Indian screen, which the most powerful medium. I just wished Ali had spend more time in writing and done away with the haste.

The narration of the movie is also slightly complex as it goes back and forth and an average Indian audience might lose the track amidst their popcorn, nachos and coke. But that should not discourage Ali because that's something which I liked about the film.

Ranbir Kapoor is one of the rare popular actor who has always done justice to complex characters and here he once again brings that confusion and inner turmoil beautifully. Dipika Padukone, who had much fewer scenes since the film is more about Ved's journey, does justice to her character, pulling it off with just the right dose of aplomb. Piyush Mishra as the story teller was also superb in this small but important role.

Overall, the movie compels us to rethink what we are and tries to reiterate that we still have a choice of becoming who we want to be, of course it is not as easy. Probably, the film could have ended with this realisation without showing him achieving his dream in the end, which again seemed to be hastily done.

In fine, if you can see through the initial half an hour, chances are that you will not repent your decision of going to the theatres. 

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.

Lootera is a visual treat!!!!

In his world,love speaks in whispers and murmurs and expresses itself in silent glances. In his world darkness and shadows are as beautiful as peeping sunshine through the window panes. In his world love is pure and pristine like the virgin nature and also helpless and painful like the shedding leaves of the trees. 

Vikramaditya Motwane takes the audience to that world where once silence spoke a language. With cinematographer Mahendra J. Shetty, Vikramaditya shot his ambitious 'Lootera' like a beautiful painting, while Amit Trivedi instilled life in it by his music and background score and he deserves kudos for his renditions. 

The cinematography and music makes the film a delightful watch. In terms of acting, the lead pairs Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha put their best and their portrayal was subtle and apt. 

Ranveer has left behind his street smart act behind in most parts of the film, while Sonakshi's transition from a love struck girl in the first half to a hopeless n depressed lady in the second half is well acted. Their acting is fresh and though there is no flaw in their acting but probably two more experienced actors could have taken the film to an altogether different level.

Despite Ranveer and Sonakshi's love story, there was something missing in the bonding that they shared on screen. Ranveer could not bring the pathos of the character in the final phase of the film. Rest of the cast has too little to do but they fit in nicely. 

The filmmaker dares to tread a path less travelled and leaves a mark behind. He didn't ever try to impress the audience and stayed true to his craft till the end. In short, after Udaan, Vikramaditya has proved once again he is a master story teller and with Lootera he surely has sealed his place among the elite directors of the new generation. In times to come, a lot would be expected from him.

What Raj Kumar Gupta can learn from 'Ghanchakkar'

From the high of 'No one killed Jessica', Raj Kumar Gupta hit a low with his 'Ghanchakkar'. Well, it did decent business in the weekend but the expectations (because of the publicity) was so high that it left audience confused and their hopes crushed. 

First things first, Ghanchakkar is not the worst film of 2013. It is much better than the matrix-inspired, logic defying action films which has nothing apart from a big star. It's comedy is subtle and much better than the slap-stick homophobic comedy movies which are released nowadays in the name of cinema. But then, Ghanchakkar missing the train because it somehow fails to tell a story. Audience are left waiting for a thrilling finale where all ends would be tied but what they get is a shocking revelation and a new character, who was no where in the scene for the first 20 minutes of the film. So can't blame the audience for feeling cheated but then I have felt worse sitting in a hall and for me it was just plain 'okay'. 

Raj Kumar Gupta might crib for his film got bad review and ratings, which impacted its success. But instead of crying over split milk he should try to understand why audience didn't like the movie, where did he go wrong. 

First, a film cannot win the heart of the audience (especially whom he is targetting) without a story. 
Second, if you want to make a movie with four characters, you got to write their story well, give the audience something to feel or connect to them.

Third, don't underestimate the intelligence of the audience, who have grown up watching thrillers -- films, books and TV series -- much before they learnt walking. So if you want to create confusion in the mind of the audience, make sure they are not able to guess the twists and turns or else you will hear yawns in place of gasps in theaters.

Fourth, a pair which has done well in one film, may not do well in another but still if you want to cash in on their chemistry then you have to give the audience something which is fresh. Vidhya Balan needed to put on weight for a reason in 'Dirty Picture' but in Ghanchakkar to play a nagging Punjabi wife with a heavy accent, she need not be a fat ass with an obsession for style.

Fifth, Never introduce a new character in the end if you can't justify it.

Things which you could have done right

First, you could have given the characters shades of grey. The characters were one-dimensional. I didn't understand why Emraan was sulking and angry right from the start and stays a ghanchakkar till the end. Probably, he himself could have turned out to be the master mind or probably, Vidya, though did good with her over the top clothes and "Haaaaaa" punjabi accent, could have turned up as the vamp if you could have justified it, made her role a little more meaty. Mr Gupta, the robbery scene was spot on especially due to the masks and secondly, the music was also apt for the film. 

Well, for someone who knows the difficulty in making a film, I might not have got bored but if you want a much wider audience and appreciation, its better you pick up your socks before making another film because you are one of the most promising filmmakers and but your transition into a master filmmaker will depend on how you can better tell a story. I for one, will be waiting for your next release and hope that you enthrall us the way you did with 'No one killed Jessica'.

Chiller Party is a story of courage, hope and friendship

     Bollywood has never been known to produce films for children. It was only after 'Tere Zameen par' that this genre of movies was taken seriously by the filmmakers and although even today there are very few movies being made for kids, films such as 'Stanley ka Dabba', Makdee, 'Blue Umbrella' and now 'Chiller party' gives a lot of hope to this genre of movies.
     Chiller Party is an honest film made with a lot of heart by directors Nitesh Tiwari and Vikas Bahl. The film, co-produced by Salman Khan Being Human Productions (SKBH) and UTV's Spotboy, is a story of courage, hope and friendship that transcends all borders.
     The film, mostly shot inside a colony in suburban Mumbai, is about a group of young boys living in the colony, their camaraderie and their friendship with a boy, who comes to the colony to work as a car washer, and there fight to keep his dog 'Bidhu' from being taken away by the dog catchers.
     The film doesn't have any big name and it doesn't need one. Though there are a number of character actors but the main USP of the film are the kids, who made this film worthy of more than just a watch.
     The film gathers steam right from the start as the different kids are introduced to the audience one by one and simply sails through as the kids goes about their job and leaves no stones unturned to save their friend Bidhu. They take the help of the media, conducts 'chaddi' rallies -- all without the help of their parents. There are moments were it becomes a tad slow but it keeps its feet on the ground althrough.
     It is a heart warming film which also passes on enough messages to the adults without sounding preachy. Overall a good watch!!!!

Primer is a intense, dialogue-based sci-fi movie

To make a Sci-fi movie with an intriguing plot is any day a very difficult task and to make it on a low budget could spell doom for the director's hopes. It is here that Primer steals the hearts of the audience because it is not only fresh and intriguing, but has been made at a shoe-string budget of USD 7,000.

    A 2004 American Sci-fi drama dealing with time travel, 'Primer' is a winner because of its meticulously and methodically constructed narration and editing which keeps the movie buffs glued to the screen till the last scene.

    The film starts with four young office-goers spending their extra hours inside a garage involved in a discussion on a scientific project which unexpectedly leads two of them to the discovery of a device that makes it possible to travel backwards in time by a day or two.

    'Primer' is dialogue-driven and is full of scientific jargons which are not explained. Nothing in the movie is explained and it takes a lot of attention to understand which actually is happening on screen.

    The narration is linear but the sharp twists and turns and the characters travelling back and forth makes it edge-of-the-seat but equally hard to follow. Primer is a movie which needs viewing more than once and it is quite impossible to completely decipher what is happening on screen.

    Like Christopher Nolan's Memento, in 'Primer' writer, director, producer, musician and actor Shane Carruth puts the audience in the state of mind that the characters are going through and that makes it all the more immpressive.

    However, it can also put one off, especially because we all are habituated to watching hi-fi Sci-fis with visual graphics but Primer have absolutely no stunning visually stimulating scenes which can leave you mesmerised.

    It is more of a thriller which deals with the emotional implications and how greed can take over and break down your relations after you come up with such an exciting discovery like time travel.

    It is not the greatest Sci-fi film ever but has a strong tight script and a story which is experimental to the core and demands load of patience given its intricacies.

I imagine Paradise as a library of cinema

                                                                          credit
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” -- said Jorge Luis Borges once. He must have imagined it to be a book library but for someone like me, I have always imagined it to be a room full of racks loaded with cinema and music. I wonder if paradise will have walls, if it does then a high-definition LCD screen supported by a high-decibel sound system won't be a bad idea, of course needless to say about the couch.

But then I wonder, paradise must be a peaceful place where someone, perhaps some guards or doorkeeper would insist on maintaining silence,like my school teachers who would shout at the top of their voice: "Pin drop silence". Although in school, we never bothered to listen to the teachers, paradise perhaps would have stricter rules. so I might need a good piece of earphones, wireless would be better. If this really is what paradise looks like, I would have no qualms of leaving now for the sojourn.

But then again I wonder that people say one has to earn his or her right to be in paradise. It is something sort of an elite community, where getting membership is too tough and a lesser mortal like me, who
have never been a part of any elite group ever, sneaking in could be a bit difficult.

But then, paradise must be having different set of rules and criteria such as weighing one's sins and vices against one's virtues and good deeds. I mean, at least that's what my grand parents and then my parents used to say and even the 'Sadus' and 'sants' propagate that at the jagrans and TV channels. But looking at the current state of things in our world, I wonder if paradise too have made some concessions, I mean making the rules a little flexible. Also if the concept of 'jugaad' is acceptable in paradise.

Well, there is no limit of imagination, no sky can bind the flight of imagination and so many such things keep visiting my brain from time to time at the dead of the night. After grappling for sometime with this
thought of paradise, I give up and settle for a better idea: Lets make that paradise here on earth. And thus starts another day of slogging to keep that idea alive.

The first installment of 'Three colours -- Blue', directed by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski is a film about pain, loss and its eventual freedom from human emotions. It is a poignant tale of a wife and her struggle to come in terms with the loss of her composer husband and daughter, who dies in a car accident. 

The film unfolds in an almost poetic pace, which is slow but doesn't put off the audience. The elements of 'blue' keeps reoccurring in various ways from attires, paints of the wall, a chandelier, swimming pool and even chocolate. 

The subtle performance of the protagonist, the ethos and pathos of the character perhaps could not have been better performed than done by Juliette Binoche. The film is completely carried forward by her and is her emotional journey after the death of her family. Her attempt to give up everything and live a lonely life, which eventually ends up in releasing her from all emotional bindings is an enticing tale which is very real and close to heart for many. 

Add to this the background score and one gets a beautiful rendition of the colour blue through the montage of shots, some of which are simply exotic. Overall it is a wonderful watch.  

Blade Runner: A must watch sci-fi movie

A science fiction dealing with rogue androids may not seem to gather much interest at a time when such scripts and films have been over done with, especially those cheap movies which tries to entertain the audience with its bloody and violent scenes if not those sexually explicit content.

But Blade Runner, a movie made in 1982, is a masterpiece in that sense because of its futuristic visualisation and also for its script that tries to encapsulate the sensitive sides of the Nexus, as they are referred to in the film. The sensitive fabric of the movie coupled with an melancholy background score, gives the movie a must watch for the cinema aficionados, especially who love sci-fies. It raises a very important question: what is it to be human?

Humans have tried to play GOD not only in reel but also in real life and are still trying with umpteen experiments which have led to many discoveries which have helped mankind. But there is another spectrum too. We have tried to create artificial intelligence and that quest perhaps will prove to be our doom.

The continuous attempt to create a life form (bio-mechanics) which can be perfect and at the same time do not out do humans in the long run and are also under control of human being has been going on since time immemorial. But in this quest, perhaps it will trample their rights in the future. After all who are we to create life and decide its longevity?

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner shows a 2019 Los Angeles, littered with high rises and neon-lit dark alleys. The set is immaculately designed, dipped in darkness and coupled with a continuous rain, gives a feel of an dystopian world. There is hardly any scene where we can see the clear sky. Even the rooms are dark and always lit by artificial neon lights.

The film is a quest of immortality by these androids, who were created with a limited life span and enslaved to work in the exploration of some other planets and how humans try to hunt them down, when some of them defy the norm. It puts the audience in the hot seat asking questions. Truth is after all a perception, isn't it?. How you see it? Life threats makes a villain out of a man and so it does to these androids? The fear to die is as normal phenomena both in humans and androids.

Harrison Ford may have acted in sci-fies like the Star War trilogy but this is one of his best. It is dark and gritty and has many shades and layers of personality. Even Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the leader of the androids, has given some poignant lines in the climax and of course Sean Young looks lovely.

The film is roughly based on the book Philip K Dick's 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and has many similarities to the characters and plot. The complex fabric which deals with identity, life and being human gave the movie a cult status. But there is a rider, if you are a fan of tube-light fights and flying saucers then this one is not for you. Otherwise, it is a movie not to be missed.