Phata Poster Nikhla Hero is NOT FUNNY enough!!!

First the disclaimer. I've a bais towards Shahid Kapoor. This is because I have always appreciated the fact that like a few other actors in India, he is a hard working and self made actor. He never got any favour for being Pankaj kapoor's son and so when he took a emotional decision to not sign any film for two years since he wanted to completely give himself up for his father's project 'Mausam', I could understand why he was doing it.

I was excited to watch him on screen after he had proved his worth in films such as 'Jab We met' and 'kaminey' but then at this peak of his career, he had taken that decision of not working in any other film beside 'Mausam'.

So naturally, when the teasers of 'Phata Poster Nikla hero' (PPNH) was released, there was a slight excitement in his fans to watch him on screen again. The fact that, it was Rajkumar Santoshi's film after his 'Ajab Prem ki Gajab Kahaani', made it all the more enticing but with a heavy heart, I have to say, PPNH was a big let down.

Shahid has done his role to perfection. As he himself puts it in the film that he danced, fought, was romantic, was Maa-ka-lal and blah blah, but then there was no story in the film. It seemed it was an 1970s storyline where Ma (Padmini Kolhapure) wants him to be a police inspector, while son wants to be a hero and how he fakes a policewala act but then when Maa ko shock lala, son decides to give up his dream and works with the police.

The film could have been a good comedy but Santoshi fails to use the actors such as Sourabh Shukla, Zakir Hussain, Darshan Jariwala and sanjay Mishra. But then there was not much to do for them in the film as there scenes and dialogues were not funny enough and so what we get is a cake which was left half baked.

The comedy quotient of the film was never consistent. Few of the scenes and dialogues were funny but then the next scene was cliched and irritating. The fight scenes could have been better, while the songs were clearly forcibly inserted  into the scenes and completely disrupts whatever flow the script could manage.

The first half was fairly decent with a few funny situations but the second half tired out the audience with the revelation of Napolean (the villain) and with scenes which seemed where last minute inclusion to give poor Illeana D'Cruz and gang some reel time because the actress especially adds absolutely nothing to the film. Sanjay Mishra was wasted and his best scene is the one shown at the teaser. Sourabh Shukla too could have been given much better scenes and dialogues.

Shahid acted well, whether it was convincing Tinu Anand for landing a role or imitate Dev Anand in the climax. In fact, the Tinu Anand scene was so powerful that for a moment it felt it could have been better if he had done such an intense role rather than comedy.

Talking about climax, Santoshi tried to recreate the confusion of his 'Andaz Apna Apna' but fails miserably. In fine, this could have been a good vehicle for Shahid to once again rise his stakes as an actor, if only santoshi had spent more time on the script and dialogues.

Overall, I would go with a 2 and a half out of 5 for this film.

An Open Letter to Prakash Jha

     Dear Jha, I always had a lot of respect for your work because I always considered you to be a daring filmmaker who have the guts to tread untraveled regions. With films such as Mrityudand, Gangajaal and Chakravyuh, you had shown us how a social issue can be addressed staying within the perimeter of Bollywood. Your films always touched a chord because of its raw energy and fresh content which reaffirmed our faith that the days of good cinema are not over yet.

But then something snapped, something intangible. You made Aarakshan, which despite its right intentions ended up being only a half-hearted attempt to speak about the issue of reservation. You ended up making it a bizarre battle between two individual -- one in favour of treating education as a business while the other treating teaching as a noble profession.

With Satyagarh, this time too, you have decided to remind Indians about the Anna Hazare protest, which made headlines a year back and weaved a story keeping this issue at the center of it. But then once again, you didn't put your heart in it. It looked enticing as it had all the ingredients of a delectable dish but ended up becoming something else. After watching the film, I had a number of questions in my mind which I thought if I could ask you someday.

To start with, what was the provocation of having an item number (although the song was good) at the beginning of the film? Why Kareena Kapoor was making faces and smiling (irritatingly) while covering a Dharna? Why there was a rock band performing along with the crowd? Why Amrita Rao was sleeping at the police station? Don't they have any visiting hours?

Moreover, do you really think a chief correspondent of a leading news channel will leave a PM's assignment for a small developing story just because she receives a call from a person whom she met only twice. Okay, even if she does, do you think a senior journalist will be living in their house and that too not for a day but for 30 days? 

One more thing, a journalist and a cameraman are two separate professions, demanding separate expertise, though we have a few people i the industry who do both the job but once you showed Kareena as a senior journalist (whom the politicians and corporates are scared of), how can you hand over the camera at crucial moments of the film at the same time. 

The film does have some very good performances by BigB, Manoj Bajpayee and Ajay Devgan, but Kareena should not have been in this film. I guess, it is high time you stop repeating your actors in your films because it takes away the novelty while watching a film. Sometimes, it is also about the curiosity of watching a new actor perform some shady roles.

Despite Aarakshan and Satyagarh, Mr Jha, you still remain one of my favourite directors because there are very few like you who still try to tell a story and that too a real one. I have not given upon you yet and I hope I don't need to in the days to come.

Madras Cafe is the best Indian political thriller

How many political films have been made in India? Very very few. Infact, even after probing my mind for sometime, I could just come up with Aandhi and Chakravyuh. There is no dearth of films which tries to weave a story keeping the politicians at the background. Most of these films talks about the politician-criminal nexus and the criminalization of politics in different states such as Bihar, UP or Mumbai, but there is no film which can be compared with a film like 'Madras Cafe'.

'Madras Cafe' takes off at a breathtaking pace and keeps the audience at the edge of the seat all through out. It is an espionage thriller but it can't be compared with anything that has been seen on Indian celluloid. There is no time for romance or emotions because there is a job at hand -- saving the former Prime Minister from assassination.
Even though there are bullet-ridden bodies tumbling across in Jaffna as the civil war rages on, the blood doesn't make one nausea because the camera doesn't linger on a scene for long. There is so much information given at a breezing pace and characters (who are important pieces in this conspiracy) are introduced and removed that there is no time for the audience to get swayed away for anything else than the main plot. There are no unnecessary sub-plots, which kills a good story.

The director Shoojit Sarkar was so dedicated to his craft that he didn't give John Abraham a single scene extra nor did he provide Nargis Fakhri an extra frame. There are no cliched scenes nor any run-of-the-mill dialogues. The film stays grounded all through out and truly committed at telling an unsaid story. Abraham and Nargis are good at their portrayal, while Prakash Belawadi is brilliant as Major Vikram Singh's superior at Jaffna. Even Siddharth Basu makes an interesting debut.

The film will go a long way in educating the country about the then situation in Jaffna and the Sri Lankan issue which not many people might have known otherwise. However, one note of caution, if someone is not at all aware of LTTE or the civil war in Sri Lanka, he or she might find it a little difficult to get a hang of the story and the pace early on.

What is commendable is to see Shoojit trying to tell such a different story after the huge success of Vicky Donar. The 'Yahaan' director, who produced 'Aparajita Tumi',  gives a big hope to the future of Indian film industry. In fine, a welcome relief after 'Chennai Express' and 'OUATIMD'.

'Chennai Express' ka Punchnama

First the disclaimer: I am neither a SRK fan nor m I a SRK hater. I am also not a Rohit Shetty loyal, neither I have the hots for Deepika Padukone. I am a pure film aficionado who 'eat, sleep and breath' films and can't help speak in gibberish tone.

Now, it has been two weeks since 'Chennai Express' hit the theatres and ever since it has broken one record after another and is on its way in becoming the highest grosser ever in Bollywood (I am not saying Indian cinema coz they don't earn money).

While, on one hand, there has been a complete frenzy over the film, there are sections of society who are feeling ashamed to watch CE and are also mourning the death of good cinema with such commercial-over the top-no brainer-potboilers bringing in all the moolahs.

I too watched the film (ofcourse under duress) but then I am not feeling too ashamed because I had a much below expectation from CE. I never considered CE to be a film, rather right from the first time I watched the trailers, I knew it is a business master piece which SRK has pulled off with Rohit Shetty.

When the trailer was released, three things strike me: First, it is aimed to cover the South Indian movie buffs and extend SRK's fanbase. (Since North India and oversees people bow in the name of SRK and they can create a riot at the theatres just by the mention of his name)

Secondly, CE had Rohit Shetty behind the camera, a man who has successfully pulled off the first of its kind Indian movie franchise in the 'Golmaal' series. A man, who after giving hits such as 'Singham' and 'Bol Bachchan', himself enjoys a sort of loyalty from his audience. SO, it meant SRK fans + RS fans.

Thirdly, interestingly, the trailer didn't reveal the plot, which kept SRK fans interested till they go to the theatres. Also Deepika was in a very different role with her 'bokwaas' accent creating a lot of curiosity.

From the time, the CE trailer was released till the film hit the theatres, SRK and RS didn't leave any stones unturned to promote the movie. They gatecrashed/bought/threatened/entered every Tv serials and reality shows to spread the news of CE. No points for guessing what a shrewd and tactical business man Mr SRK is and he went all out for the film.

Interestingly, during the promotion, we also came to know that it was not the script that RS had in mind and infact, it was an old script which RS had in his disposal and it was only at SRK's insistence that he decided to make this film with the super star.

Now the critical discussion. I don't understand why people are ashamed to watch the film. I guess, each and every person who walked into the theatre had a clear idea how the film would be, it was screaming out loud in the trailers that it will follow the trends of a typical Rohit Shetty film with an SRK topping. CE or such films are made but no one forces the audience to come to the theatre but still there are hordes of crowd making a beeline in the first weekend itself. I was shocked to see an 80-year-old lady who could barely walk with a stick, walk out of a Noida theatre. I saw old couples, children alike throng the theatres. So why this hypocrisy now. Moreover, there are many films which are worse than 'Chennai Express'.

However, PERSONALLY, I don't endorse making only such kind of film making and turning the world of cinema into a money churning affairs and killing the art completely. I know this unfortunate trend will continue for sometime because film making has completely become a business and actors such as SRK, Salman Khan and Amir Khan have become big brands in themselves and they not only act but also produce the films, which means they held all the aces and call all the shots.

Somewhere, it is important also for such films to exist because such films keep the producers, distributors, theatre owners and every people connected happy, what bothers me more is why can't these actors or directors after making a 100 crore film, invest the money in making at least a couple of good films. If they can't act or direct them, at least give someone a chance. There are a line of independent directors and actors who are struggling to make a mark for themselves.

Among all the super stars, Aamir Khan is an exception in this regard because he is sharp enough to not only enjoy the 100 crore status but also avoid the brickbats. Ranbir Kapoor also so far has chosen his film intelligently and even without doing such mindless movie, he managed to be in the 100-crore club.

There are others too like Anurag Kashyap, Shoojit Sarkar, Anurag Basu, Vishal Baradwaj and Imtiaz Ali, who have successfully touched the chord of the audience and for them probably a good story is more important than joining the 100-crore club. I hope such filmmakers don't follow RS-SRK example and go astray because then it will truely be the demise of  Indian cinema.

Can we pass on the 'moral science' to our kids?

I still remember those slim, rectangular books that had the pictures of Gods and Angels. I remember, how they spoke about the virtues of life, taught us  what is right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies. ''To err is human and to forgive is divine''-they used to read and we used we say in unison-those were the books of 'Moral Science'.
     At home parents used to teach us to speak the truth and to be good always, to be giving and forgiving. Even those fairy tales, which we listened with utmost silence as our Grand parents narrated them with alacrity, creating pictures in front of our eyes and as we slept we dreamt to be one of those noble kings, when we grow up, spreading the goodness around, felt so true and beautiful. Those were the stories of honesty and truthfulness, of virtues and tolerance and of forgiveness and all of them had one ending--Truth always wins, overcoming the evil.
     But now after  26 years of my life, when i look back at all those moments i feel so futile about the stories. The world that we our parents tried to show us, perhaps never existed and if at all it existed it was a 'neverland' that is still to be discovered.
   I have always felt the hardest thing in this world is to be a parent. Growing up your child into a nice human being who can face the world and move with his or her head held high, well, not all parents can do that. I really wonder how difficult it would be to be a father or a mother--always answering the innumerable questions that the inquisitive mind of the youngs are clouded with, saving them from the worldly evil forces, nurturing them everyday with diets of nobility, instilling in them the confidence so that they can take on the world in the future. It is difficult, but our parents managed it.
  But can we do it with same amount of efficiency? can we conjure up images of the same wonderland in front of their eyes? can we still impart the lessons of virtues of life? Honesty, truthfulness, tolerance, forgivenss and hardwork--won't all these things sound alien to them? Will they believe us? perhaps not.
   The world is shrinking so fast, thanks to globalisation. Today we are exposed to every little thing in this world and that too just at the click of the mouse. We can see, listen, and say whatever we want. Our life is no more ours, it is a public property. Even without your knowledge there might be a peeping tom around exposing ur personal life to the world.
  In this overt world, can we succeed in showing them a rosy picture of the world? I don't think so. But does that mean we shoud give up? No.
  In this 'maddening' world, where everyday truth dies an unceremonious death, where honesty and hardwork are ravaged by the power and money clout--it is important for the parents to teach their kids to be tactful, they should know the art of manipulation so that he or she can protect themselves from vices and demons of the world, they should be shown the real picture. It is important to instill in them the art and tenacity to fight with the biggest monster-the 'self' coz if they can win over it, they can rule the world.
  Don't try to change the society, no one can change it-these are bookish things that should remain confines to the boundaries of books only. If you want to change anything then change your attitude towards life, whenever your belief shakes and you start to fumble take the course of your life in your hand. If you can protect yourself from 'the demons of the world' then you can change the world---these is the truth of the present world and that's what the parents should teach their wards.

A day in Choton's life

Have a look at this short film. I shot it during May, 2013.

Dancing to the tune of 'Ojha'

A documentary on ojha dance, a traditional form of art which is on a decline and soon may cease to exist.