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'.

Ghanchakkar and Lootera -- two interesting films in next 10 days

     Raj Kumar Gupta and Vikramaditya Motwane -- Two very young directors will be bringing two drastically opposite films --  Ghanchakkar and Lootera -- in the next 10 days. Both Raj Kumar and Vikramaditya are brilliant screenwriters as is evident from the kind of cinema that they have written in their career till now.  

     Raj Kumar had burst into the limelight with his political crime thriller 'No one killed Jessica' but it was the critically acclaimed Aamir which was his first writing project. The film explored how an urban Muslim is exploited by Islamic extremists.

     His next writing project was the realistic but enjoyable comedy 'Barah Aana', which shows three working class men trying their hand in crime for quick money. It had the veteran Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz in main roles but the film flopped, mainly because of lack of publicity.

     Vikram, who won seven Filmfare awards for his directorial debut 'Udaan', too is a writter with panache. Along with Anurag Kashyap, he co-wrote 'Dev D', which was a modern-day take on the classic Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. He was also one of the writers of the film 'Goal', which is one of the rare sports film coming out of India.

     Ghanchakkar and Lootera have very different themes. The former is a comedy which deals with heist and amnesia at its center, while the latter is a period romance drama. Both the film has an interesting cast. While Ghanchakkar brings together Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi after their success in 'Dirty Picture', Lootera will have Ranveer Singh opposite Sonakshi Sinha.

It would be interesting to see how Ranveer stars in a period film after doing the ultra smart act in 'Ladies vs Ricky Behl' and 'Band Baja Baraat'. His role has shades of grey and needs to be carried out subtley. Sonakshi has done nothing in her career til now apart from starring in 100-crore movies where she had nothing substantial to do. So in a way, it will be a test of her acting.

     Interestingly, both the films have music by the supremely talented Amit Trivedi. The title song and 'Jholu Raam' from 'Ghanchakkar' have already touched a chord with the audience, while Lootera has equally soothing Sawaar Loon"  and 'Zinda'. Amit should be a contended man given that his drastically different compositions have already topped the chartbusters and two of the songs have been sung by he himself.

Rendezvous with Formula One

Sounds can be intoxicating but on Sunday, it was seducing, enthralling and deafening at the same time. It was the sound of 24 formula one cars, travelling at more than 200 mph at the Buddh International Circuit at Greater Nodia.

For someone, who has burnt enough midnight oil playing 'Need For Speed' games, it was time to get face-to-face with the sport and I can say now, the rendezvous was sumptuous. The first thing, I noticed the moment I stood in queue to enter the picnic stand in BIC was the 'sweet' sound of the vrooming cars. It was seducing and intoxicating.                                

But the moment, the chequered flag waved off and the cars started their lap, there was no stopping the adrenaline rush. The whole stadium was plunged into a deafening sound of the engines roaring past the stands in no time.  Some blocked their ears, while some just stood there applauding the drivers, most, I assume, without a clue who all were racing. I too stood there soaking in the ambiance. 

The cars set ablaze the track and soon cameras were out with the spectators trying to capture whatever they could with their cameras and mobile cameras. Friends and families huddled together, while the photographer had the challenging job of capturing the zooming cars at the background to create the mood in the pictures.               

After sometime, people relaxed. Some sat on the grass, while others lied down comfortably. Like many enthusiasts, we followed the cars initially but gave up after sometime as the race heated up.

Even as the race touched a crescendo, I sat there, still hearing the sound. The voices inside my mind were drowned in the maddening ambiance and I let my imagination flow. I closed my eyes and could almost visualize the slowing down and the acceleration of the cars, of course they were not correct or even if they were there was no way of finding it out then. I let my mind waver a bit.                    

When I was out of my reverie, it was almost time to leave. For the last time, we feed our eyes. Red Bull's Sabastian Vettel was racing away to victory and Fernando Alonso was trying his best to make a statement. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg was behind but still in the race. I took one last look at the watch and then we walked away, almost tearing our eyes away from the action.

When we came out, the only sound that we could still hear was the 'sweet sound' of the cars. Well, sounds can be intoxicating  but on Sunday, it was seducing, enthralling and deafening at the same time.

Yash Chopra: A life lived in films

"Main pal do pal ka shaayar hoon, Pal do pal meri kahaani hai, Pal do pal meri hasti hai, Pal do pal meri jawaani hai..., this song penned by Shahir Ludhiyanvi from the film 'Kabhie Kabhie', probably describes best the life led by Yash Chopra.  Even though he lived for 80 years, he always lived in the present and his films reflect his deep philosophy of life.

Right from 'Dhool ka Phool' to 'Daag', from Deewar and 'Trishul' to films such as 'Kabhie kabhie', 'Silsila' and 'Darr' and 'Lamhe', Chopra always tried to re-invent himself and weaved his stories, which sometimes portrayed the socio-political scenario while at times, talked about the changing nuances of relationships.

It was Chopra, who reestablished Amitabh as the 'angry young man' with 'Deewar' or brought the concept of anti-hero in Bollywood with 'Darr' starring a young Shah Rukh. To his credit, he never allowed his films to get type-cast for the major part of his career.

From hard-hitting political dramas to thrillers, he juggled in all kind of cinema. Some were hit with the audience and some received flak. Even his romantic films, always raised some questions and his depiction veered on aesthetics and nuances of human relations rather than candyfloss portrayals.

A director of his stature, Chopra could have continued making a series of action anti-establishment films like 'Deewar' with Amitabh, but he decided to explore the more myraid aspects of human heart and once again cast Big B in roles which challenged him as an actor.

Even in the 80s, even though his films like Mashaal and Silsila flopped, they went on to achieve cult status in the later years. It was only in the last decade that he decided to stick to romance and made successful films like 'Dil Toh Pagal Hain' and 'Veer Zaara'.

It is ironic that Chopra had already announced 'Jab Tak Hain Jaan' as his last directorial venture and it is sad that he could not see the release of the film. But then in films, there are no fairytale endings in life as well sometimes.

For a man, who scripted the careers of so many actors by challenging them with varied roles, he too could not have imagined that life would write such a shocking script for him.
It was just a month ago that he had celebrated his 80th birthday and in less than a month we are now condoling his sudden death due to dengue.

True, there won't be anymore 'lights, camera and action' for Yash Chopra, the man who changed the face of Indian film making, but his legend will continue to inspire for generations to come.

"Main pal do pal ka shaayar hoon, Pal do pal meri kahaani hai, Pal do pal meri hasti hai, Pal do pal meri jawaani hai..., this song penned by Shahir Ludhiyanvi from the film 'Kabhie Kabhie', probably describes best the life led by Yash Chopra.  Even though he lived for 80 years, he always lived in the present and his films reflect his deep philosophy of life.

Right from 'Dhool ka Phool' to 'Daag', from Deewar and 'Trishul' to films such as 'Kabhie kabhie', 'Silsila' and 'Darr' and 'Lamhe', Chopra always tried to re-invent himself and weaved his stories, which sometimes portrayed the socio-political scenario while at times, talked about the changing nuances of relationships.

It was Chopra, who reestablished Amitabh as the 'angry young man' with 'Deewar' or brought the concept of anti-hero in Bollywood with 'Darr' starring a young Shah Rukh. To his credit, he never allowed his films to get type-cast for the major part of his career.

From hard-hitting political dramas to thrillers, he juggled in all kind of cinema. Some were hit with the audience and some received flak. Even his romantic films, always raised some questions and his depiction veered on aesthetics and nuances of human relations rather than candyfloss portrayals.

A director of his stature, Chopra could have continued making a series of action anti-establishment films like 'Deewar' with Amitabh, but he decided to explore the more myraid aspects of human heart and once again cast Big B in roles which challenged him as an actor.

Even in the 80s, even though his films like Mashaal and Silsila flopped, they went on to achieve cult status in the later years. It was only in the last decade that he decided to stick to romance and made successful films like 'Dil Toh Pagal Hain' and 'Veer Zaara'.

It is ironic that Chopra had already announced 'Jab Tak Hain Jaan' as his last directorial venture and it is sad that he could not see the release of the film. But then in films, there are no fairytale endings in life as well sometimes.

For a man, who scripted the careers of so many actors by challenging them with varied roles, he too could not have imagined that life would write such a shocking script for him.
It was just a month ago that he had celebrated his 80th birthday and in less than a month we are now condoling his sudden death due to dengue.

True, there won't be anymore 'lights, camera and action' for Yash Chopra, the man who changed the face of Indian film making, but his legend will continue to inspire for generations to come.

How night grows old

Every night, I stare at the endless structures which stand in front of my eyes, blocking my vision of the horizon that lay far beyond my sight. I would have loved to stare at the wide open where there would be nothing but the endless skyline adorned with the celestial bodies, mainly stars, and its different patterns and structures which emerge by their location in the great vastness. These shapes and sizes, which defy our structured thought process and knowledge, intrigues and challenges me, makes me think to find meaning in its layout. Often these patterns goes beyond anything that we know and sometimes there are hidden codes, like a cryptic message waiting to be found. I stare, gaze and observe them till my eyes grow heavy. Often I come up with my own theories which fluctuate from cliches to absurd with occasional 'eureka' moments, when I feel like the great astronomers of yesteryear.

But all these feelings I go through only when I have the chance of starting at the wide open. Nowadays, there is hardly any skyline, all that we are left with are the innumerable, identical match boxes which sprouts from the land, which once upon a time were jungles and barren land, perhaps not even ruled by bandits. Now the sky has shrunk and I can see them only through the gaps which these match boxes leaves between them. Soon these too would be plugged and all we would be left with is boxes of different shape and size, walls after walls after walls, all arranged in pattern, like a mathematical formula,  which spring up and shape our world. Perhaps then we would stand in front of these walls and speak to them about our pains, the way we used to do it with nature in my childhood days. There won't be a river to cry with, no breeze to sooth the soul, just air-conditioners which will caress the wriggled souls of the privileged and smoke out the under-privileged. There won't be grass or shurbs or trees of any nature, all that we will have are wires, something like 'Brazil' and 'Matrix' movies which speaks of a dystopian world.

Nowadays, nights are more older. They are growing old with each passing day. I at times wonder if it is the nights or me which is growing old. Perhaps, it is better to put the blame on the night, it is more convenient. As night grows old, I find codes and meanings in everything, the air we breath, the darkness that envelops us, the neon lights that keeps the streets illuminated, the moonshine and the stars which cast its shadow on the earth at night and every other things which is still unfathomable for me. Every time, I look closely at one of these things, something new is born inside me, but I am not good enough to hold on to it, to treasure it, because they die within sometime or change direction, almost at a sputnik speed. I plead, I beg and sometimes bribe myself to remember the 'new borns' but my struggle continues. Each moment a thousand things are created and destroyed. I try to control them, force them to obey my rules and commands but they are epitome of freedoms, because they don't hold captive to my tactics. 

So every night, they leave me in tears, tears which washes away the guilt of not being good enough, the guilt of incompetence. Perhaps that why I am able to get over these wasted feelings and once again look at the structured blocks which stand like soldiers in the night. I call these walls and structures as soldiers, because they protect the hidden secrets of mankind, they protect the thousands of complex layers which we have made our skins, layer which have become important to keep us safe from the brutal world outside, to save us from the eyes of the beholders. I look at these match boxes and follow the clues which are left behind by the remnants of moments that passes by. Sometimes these clues, led to another clue and then another and a new story emerge, a new born once again, while sometimes, the clues are washed away by the a flickering of my focus. 

Sometimes I get tired of watching these blocks, I move away from them and lie down on my back at my terrace and gaze at the wide open into the great void and often than not it is a joy ride into the vacuum which have grown inside me over the years. The more I gaze, the more deeper I travel, the more deeper I travel, the more close to the lost spaces I come as the night keeps growing old around my existence.

A biker's tale

                                                 credit


On a bright sunny day, standing in the middle of an endless queue of vehicles, which waits patiently in a zigzag manner at the traffic signal on a BRT corridor, can become very unnerving for a biker who doesn't have any way to escape the wrath of nature's fury. His eyes get tired looking at the light which doesn't show any sign of turning green, his skin smells of roasted human meat, his head pounds every time some one honks at his back or ahead of him, he can feel sweat buds which grows on his skin before slipping down and he can almost hear and count the sounds of his heart beat under his skin.

Those two minutes seems like two hours because time slows down then and the images which he sees in front of his eyes unfolds in almost a languid pace. His tired eyes veers to the different faces, moments and incidents that happens around him. Its like his eyes captures different camera frames of the slice of life and tries to find meaning in them. Sometimes, he observes the sudden gust of breeze that brushes the dust from the streets, makes it spiral in the air, before slapping past him. 

Once in a while, he steals a look at the traffic light in anticipation before sinking back to his helpless state of mind. He peeps inside the four wheelers and three-wheelers, scanning the different faces and their indulgence in this two minutes of leisure. Sometimes he feels envy, and sometimes feels pity and sometimes a sense of stoicism is all he feels. He lets his thoughts take wings, as they float languidly around him. 

A sense of commotion breaks his reverie, his thoughts are cut short and are brought to the ground as quickly as they had taken wings. The moment the light turns green, as if a sort-of energy runs through the vehicles and humans alike, connecting each other and waking them up from a stupor. Life kick starts once again and serpentines through the roads in top-gear, living behind a mirage which will soon be lost in the depth of the myriad of conscious.