Posts filed under 'Movies'
There cannot be a perfect culmination to my long Christmas break then watching
Taare Zameen Par (TZP) in the theatre. Before I begin talking about the movie itself, I must first congratulate
Aamir Khan who has taken a grave risk (as always) by opting to produce, direct and act in what seems to be a complete non-commercial storyline. In other words, to a lay man this project would have looked good in a book or a short story somewhere in a children’s magazine. But it only proves that Aamir is (who else?) the only commercial actor in the Hindi film industry in a class of his own who believes in making meaningful cinema — one you can easily relate yourself with.
The movie bought back some old memories of my childhood. The days when I would be woken up by my mom and was helped to prepare my school bag and so on. The lunch box and the homework and most importantly the mathematics class which I hated so much (I am still hating maths no doubt). Most importantly it reminded me of some classmates who were “duffer and idiots” just like the protaganist from the movie and I cannot help but think if they were suffering from a similar situation that went unnoticed. It’s a movie that proves that every child is indeed special (that’s the tagline) and that we must find that speciality in our children rather then pushing them into a rat race.
Before you watch the movie it is necessary that you DO NOT know anything about a disorder called Dyslexia. I am serious! and I am also aghast at how the media played out this story about a kid suffering from this disorder even before the movie was released. The entire fun and the tribulations of the kid is lost when you preempt him to be suffering from something. I realised that his actions in the first half of the movie were making sense to me and the “suspense” of knowing it all was lost forever. This was my personal experience because I had prior knowledge of the symptoms of Dyslexia to some extent. Anyway, I was talking about Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary), the hero of the movie, the boy-next-door, bucked teeth 8 year old who has little interest in what is being taught in school but loves to dream and paint all day apart from the little fishes in the school gutter. Along the way he meets Ram Kumar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan), the over zealous lover of children who notices something unusual in the young boy and grooms him to achieve the unachievable.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is soothing and pretty much childish if I may say so. When the songs are used at specific portions of the movie it creates an even bigger effect around like the title song which is the icing on the cake. Talking about which, there are some parts which you cannot experience without a lump in your throat at all. Just to inform you that the end credit titles carry short snippets of kids from across the region that you must wait till the end to see it. It’s a great experience in itself — kids are playing, some are bathing, some are doing their own funny little tricks that make you feel cuddly and cute and lovable while the title songs plays in the background. TZP is a must watch movie. One which deals with the basic facets of children’s lives and one which I believe is made with a lot of conviction and truth. This one is for the young crowd of India and the parents of course who might find it necessary to understand this fairly old brain related disorder.
Important Notice - This is a movie for the children and NOT a children’s movie and it’s highly imperative that parents take note of this difference before taking their kids to the cinema halls. The storyline appeals more to the parents then the kids and they may find it boring to watch.
Technorati Tags: aamir khan, bollywood, dyslexia, taare zameen par
December 25th, 2007
The computer at my place has been inaccessible for the past 5 days because my house is undergoing some renovation work as we speak. The flying dust and flowing sweat has become unbearable for me. On the other hand, the new office I have just shifted to is fun to work in. I am realising the benefits of the peace and tranquility around me not to mention the wide open spaces and brightness as well. Anyway just to tell you that I like to write only when I have something interesting to share with the rest of the world. So here’s something worthwhile now.
As you’d know, Aamir Khan has become a director with his forthcoming venture Taare Zameen Par (TZP) and he has launched the movie website last night. TZP is produced by Aamir himself and it is a story that deals with a dyslexic kid being played by Darsheel Safary. Watch the curtain raiser which I think is classy — in true Aamir style.
I also admired Aamir’s thoughts on his previous blog. He has now launched his official website/blog which appears to be the first instance of a bollywood actor posting some of his frank opinions online. There’s also a chat application so one can have a 1-1 session with Aamir Khan himself! All my best wishes are with Aamir and I wish Taare Zameen Par becomes a landmark movie in Indian cinema.
Quick Links
Aamir Khan’s Website: www.aamirkhan.com
Taare Zameen Par (Official Website): www.taarezameenpar.com
Technorati Tags: Aamir Khan, Bollywood, India,
October 11th, 2007
From pre-historic times to now, Africa has always remained a mysterious continent. The weather, the regime and the social customs have intrigued generations and helped shape the myriad realities of life in this vast expanse of land; besides crafting stories of survival and fight in the face of oppression and tyranny. Such factual accounts of the African life have been presented marvelously in 3 good movies which I would like to write about today. I prefer to call them my African Movie Trilogy. These movies were abundantly successful in capturing the essence of the African way of life both technically and in story-telling, the strife that plagues the region and the ideology behind the true struggle. The best part is that these movies educate the people in the facts behind the dissent in the corners of the dark continent. These are award winning and critically acclaimed movies which I hope you will see in the future.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Directed by - Terry George
Starring - Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte
I will begin with my first movie called Hotel Rwanda. It delves into the heroic exploits of man called Paul Rusesabagina who stood against the barbaric forces to save his people. The story takes you back to 1994 during the Rwandan civil war. The assassination of the Hutu Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana commences a bloody episode in the history of the continent, now known as the Rwandan Genocide which sources estimate killed around 800,000 people in a space of 100 days. The film narrates the brutal fighting between the 2 main ethnic groups - the Tutsis and Hutus and recounts the life of a messiah in those difficult times who saved the lives of many.
Paul, a Hutu is the manager of Hôtel des Mille Collines in the capital city Kigali and is under the protection of the United Nations forces. The atmosphere around the city is deteriorating with the incessant killing of civilians as the civil war breaks out again and Paul fears his wife might be targeted as she belonged to the rival Tutsi group. Amidst the growing chaos in the city and the shortening supply of basic items, he works tremendously hard to maintain the luxury of the guests in the hotel and turns it into a haven for the locals who are saved from the blood shed.
Hotel Rwanda did not win any of the 3 Academy Award nominations including Best Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay. Don Cheadle’s strong portrayal of the moderate Paul Rusesabagina won him a nomination for the OSCAR Best Actor but lost out.
Blood Diamond (2006)
Directed by - Edward Zwick
Starring - Leonardo Di Caprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou
The second film in the list deals with a story set in Sierra Leone, where diamonds are found in abundance and traded in order to fund the war. Such diamonds are hence termed as ‘Conflict diamonds‘. Set in 1990s Sierra Leone civil war, the movie is called Blood Diamond.
The film shows gruesome atrocities perpetrated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) which include chopping off the hands of people who disagree to work for the rebel army. The RUF employed brutal measures in its confrontation with the government which included recruiting child soldiers to fight the war. Daunting display of young boys holding automatic weapons, sometimes smoking and even subjected to drug abuse are plenty in the film. Must remind you here that there are few scenes in the movie which some individuals might find disturbing and offensive in nature.
On one fine day a fisherman called Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) comes across his village being attacked by the RUF with sheer force. In the commotion that follows he gets separated from his family; his wife and 2 kids. Solomon is captured and forced to work for the RUF at a diamond field where he finds a rare pink diamond which is worth millions in dollars. He sneaks it past the watchful eyes of the rebels and hides it at a safer place just before the camp is raided by the government forces and Solomon is captured. Back in the prison, he meets Danny Archer (Leonardo Di Caprio) who is a close aide of the RUF forces and a mercenary from “Rhodesia” (present day Zimbabwe) who helps the rebel commanders with their supply of weapons and cash after selling the conflict diamonds. Oblivious about Danny’s dark credentials, Solomon strikes a deal to lead him to the hidden diamond in return for finding his lost family.
Always noticed for his acting and one of my favorite actors, Leo in this movie delivers his lines in a typical Zimbabwean accent which is quite noticeable. Blood Diamond managed 5 nominations at the OSCARs including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Leonardo Di Caprio and Djimon Hounsou respectively.
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Directed by - Kevin MacDonald
Starring - Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington
Although not quite a reality-based film, ‘The Last King of Scotland’ is an account into the personal life of the dreaded dictator and president of Uganda General Idi Amin Dada, who ruled over this east African nation from 1971 to 1979. The movie is a cinematic version of the book by the same title which is written by Giles Foden.
Young and a fresh graduate, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan resolves to work for the poor in the African continent and chooses Uganda. He joins Dr. Merrit and his wife Sarah (Gillian Anderson) where his job entails serving the poorest of the poor. On one such event, he’s summoned by the guards of president Idi Amin, who has met with a freak accident on the country road and needs some urgent treatment. The minor sprain in his arm is treated leaving Idi Amin quite impressed by the young man’s wit and charmed by his Scottish descent. Soon after much persuasion by the president himself, Garrigan accepts the invitation to become his personal physician sacrificing his objective of serving the impoverished and embraces an affluent lifestyle complete with cars, suits and women. Meanwhile as time passes the heroic and egalitarian image of Idi Amin is slowly replaced by a more brutal and oppressive human being, exposed by some incidents in life. It’s too late for Garrigan to go back to his native country though. The dictator certainly won’t allow him to leave Uganda now. Garrigan is turned into a virtual prisoner from an honoured and respected guest in no time and yet he must agree to work for the General to avoid being murdered or tortured brutally.
Though based on a book, ‘The Last King of Scotland’ is not a direct representation of the same and a lot of creative liberty has been taken to weave the final script. For his brilliant portrayal of the tyrannical dictator General Idi Amin, Forest Whitaker won the Best Actor OSCAR in 2007.
Technorati Tags: Africa, Hollywood, Movies
July 15th, 2007
After all the hype created (the staff at a local multiplex was dressed up in the movie costume) and fueled by the Daler Mehndi
controversy, Shaad Ali Sahgal’s (
Saathiya, Bunty Aur Babli) latest film
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (Dance Baby Dance) turned out to be an all-gloss-no-substance film. Neither a romantic comedy nor a musical, basically there’s no story to be told here
per se. Expectations from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music were heightened after their previous hit with
Bunty Aur Babli (remember
Kajra Re) but they fail to make hearts go
Dhadak dhadak this time. And Amitabh, he’s been wasted. Wearing a colorful tapestry coat with a feather hat, strumming a strange guitar and prancing to the title song at a railway station, with dancers juggling around. Ultimately, by not uttering a single sentence in the movie, we are left wondering what role was Amitji enacting anyway?
Lottery loving Rikki Thukral (Abhishek Bachchan) and British born Alvira Khan (Preity Zinta), are both engaged to Anaida Raza (Lara Dutta) and Steve Singh (Bobby Deol) respectively have come to receive their partners at the Waterloo station. The train delay meant they spend time in describing to each other their corresponding love stories in detail (yawwn). By the time the slow mo first half reaches a drowsy conclusion, both Rikki and Alvira start liking each other wondrously. Nothing more could be said about this film even as an insipid revelation sequence was needlessly stuffed right at the end. The 2 hour experience compels me to say Fume Barabar Fume.
A few bright spots of show - Abhishek doling out exquisite north Indian one liners (not to mention his new look) and Piyush Mishra as Habibchacha with eloquent Hyderabadi hindi. For the information geeks, Bobby Deol and Abhishek Bachchan are opposite each other for the first time. There’s also that famous Sholay (their fathers Dharmendra and Amitabh acted in it, remember?) motorbike version rehashed with Bobby and Abhishek riding in police helmets (what!?). As for you, catch Bunty Aur Babli on DVD instead.
Technorati Tags: Yashraj Films, Shaad Ali, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
June 16th, 2007
True to its name, this is no sugary-candy-floss romance.
Cheeni Kum (Less Sugar) is a recipe that splices a legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan with the youthfulness of Tabu to create a magical flavor. This is Bachchan’s finest attempt at breaking away from his cliched dramatics.
Spice6 is a restaurant in London, owned by the pony-tailed egocentric chef called Buddhadev Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) who considers his culinary skills to be no less then an art form, nay bigger than any talent on this holy earth. This confident cook is also intolerant of any indiscipline in the kitchen, including loud ringing mobile phones. He could very well be passed off as the new age kitchen dictator. The trouble starts to brew when his deliciously made Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulav is sent back by a customer Nina Verma (Tabu) with not-so-sweet comments about its sugared taste instead of spicier. Not in least an individual who can take critiques kindly, Buddha confronts the poor lady on her inability to differentiate between the original and a fake pulav and asks her to call up home in India to know the real taste. In her strongest reply, a dish of Zafrani Pulav (the original one this time) is proudly presented to Buddha by Nina herself. The love story begins to cook. An old egoistic loner and a matured woman bond with the passage of time.
Fresh after the success of her acting talent in The Namesake, Tabu is refreshingly energetic as the cultured Nina. Must mention Baby Swini Khara as Sexy (yup that’s her name in the movie) who’s suffering from a terminal disease. Portions of the movie between her and good friend Buddha are cute, hilarious and mellowed at other times. As such the movie is full of comical one liners and smart retorts between the protagonists. Zohra Sehgal, the nonagenarian is playing Buddha’s mother while Paresh Rawal is the Gandhian-modeled father of Nina. Most importantly, the actors are enacting roles that suit that their age and fit accordingly to the script which makes the movie much believable. K. Balki helms the director’s role and does an excellent job piecing the meal together. This movie also marks the return of Illaiyaraja (my favorite) back to Bollywood with 2 of my favourite compositions; Cheeni Kum and Jaane Do Na, both sung by the effervescent and gifted Shreya Ghoshal.
Such an ensemble of talent can only produce sweet memories and an even sweeter experience. Do watch Cheeni Kum even if the title means the opposite.
› Visit the Official Website
Technorati Tags: cheeni kum, amitabh bachchan, tabu, balki, bollywood
June 3rd, 2007
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