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Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020)
Beeps think giving fake reviews will bring back SSR
A wonderfully crafted movie. It was an enthralling experience. Janhvi has grown so much as an actor, and sadly it could also be attributed to her mom passing away. Pain always matures a person but there is always a silver lining . She's on the right track and should soar higher with the right scripts -just needs diction training.
I wept like a child just like I wept while watching highway. Alia is a solid actor but with the right workshops and correct exposure to how to handle emotionally heavy scenes , janhvi can fly too.
Her sincerity and effort shows. Perfectly edited, it wasn't too long or short. The music came in at the right moments. The screenplay and cinematography were excellent .
Angad Bedi infact couldn't act. It's not easy to share a screen with Pankajji but Janhvi held her own against a legend who doesn't seem like he's ever acting .
I hope this is released post Covid, atleast the hall going audience isn't as v*l* as netizens. This is a clear hit in my books .
Bhoot: Part One - The Haunted Ship (2020)
A murder mystery with paranormal coincidences and amazing acting.
I'd seen all the BTS videos, read the articles on the technical aspects of the film that included the ageing process of the ship , coffee being used to show rust, Vicky getting over his fear of water for the film, and was instantly excited to watch the film.
Prithvi is a haunted man- much like the ship. The hull of his heart, has never ending corridors of unanswered what ifs and if onlys which have corroded since the death of his daughter and wife, decaying over time with guilt , creaking under the weight of his helplessness.
A freak accident while white water rafting kills his wife and daughter . His guilt manifests as hallucinations and he is happy to not take his medication for he fears that his hallucinations will stop, and he will forget the faces of his wife and daughter. The PTSD which is as it is in overdrive , spits out his nightmares as soaked to the bone images of his wife and daughter who want to come back and who blame him for not taking precautions with the oversized life jackets. Precaution or not, adventure sports combined with the fury of nature , can take the life of the most prepared people out there just like many people die from lung cancer never having smoked a cigarette in their lives, Michael Schumacher in a vegetative state after a freak skiing accident , Paul walker dying in the passenger seat of a car that crashed in the most freakishly abnormal way possible, Kobe dying in a freak helicopter crash-the list is endless.
The more control he loses over his life, the more in control he wants to be at his job and him saving young girls from being trafficked establishes that his heart is in the right place. He just wants a semblance of control and relief, not a medal for being a hero.
Seabird washes ashore and the "ghost" gobbles up a lovesick couple the very first night. The media frenzy is hysterical with accusations about a mysterious conspiracy very much like the Trojan horse, and the chief is under tremendous pressure as he is close to retiring.
As the surveillance officer, Prithvi is tasked to investigate the seabird and his investigations land him in the cross hairs of a "ghost" that looks like a teenager and very close to Samara from the ring. His investigation leads him into finding old ship records, a shut engine room, and fried CDs with barely any recoverable data. Each time he returns to the ship, he ends up being flung around by the ghost, or scared to death in his own home where mirrors creak, dolls Appear and the beer pong red cup starts pulling him closer towards the real truth.
His friend's wife takes him to a professor who is an expert in the field of paranormal activities and his ghost metre turns red and starts beeping when Prithvi stands in front of it. Prithvi's drawings of shadows and upside down ghosts look very similar to the "ghost" on board but Prithvi explains them away as his hallucinations and that he hasn't come to terms with the death of his wife and daughter.
The glitchy videos reveal broken snippets of the crew jumping to their deaths, a birthday party and a young woman who has filmed all these footages. A young man with an easy smile is seen standing on one of the decks in the film, looking fondly towards this videographer and these lead Prithvi to dive deeper into the mystery that is sea bird.Dive pun intended.
It is revealed that no one survives the seabird as each crew member has either passed away or missing. Prithvi pieces together the timeline to confirm his doubts that the "ghost" is indeed alive. She is the same 3 year old blowing out her candles in the glitchy video from 2001 but has aged to being 13-14 and SHE is the one who is being possessed - but by who?
Prithvi and his friend find the sole surviver of the 2001 mass suicide aboard seabird - a church going, saved by fisherman , looked duplicitous from the minute I saw her- Vandana. Vandana reveals the nefarious and illegal activities aboard Seabird where the captain had constructed a secret vault to hide the smuggled loot and regularly got drunk and beat her up and would throw any worker into the raging sea below if they dared to disclose what was happening in the secret vault. Tired of his beatings , Vandana finds comfort in the arms of Amar (lol so meta to call a ghost immortal), a fellow crew member and love makes her secretly film the illegal happenings on board and they decide to expose the captain in time. Amar decides to shoot some more footage without Vandana's knowledge , who is pregnant with Amar's unborn daughter, and the captain finds out only to beat him to pulp , and he succumbs to his injuries. The professor has an epiphany that surely it is Amar's spirit that is possessing the teenager and has kept her alive because he wanted to be with his unborn daughter who he couldn't live long enough to see. Vandana reveals that Amar's body was never recovered from the ship, and she continued to live on with the crew for 3 years after his murder till 2001, where everyone committed suicide and she was saved by a fisherman.
Armed with fuel and determination, Prithvi, Professor , his friend Riaz and Vandana reach the deck of Seabird and Prithvi tells Vandana to stay outside no matter what and radio them towards the secret vault where they would locate Amar's skeleton and burn it to rid their daughter (Amar and Vandana's ) of his possession. The professor has already pre warned everybody to tread lightly because if they try to outsmart the spirit he might kill his daughter , so the only way to tackle him is to draw Him out. Riaz is locked out as soon as he enters the inner cavity of the ship but he manages to find the top deck where all the diesel is stored, and his presence of mind ends up saving the day later. Vandana has been dragged into the ship by the apparition of her 3 year old daughter but she manages to open the latch that leads Prithvi and the professor into the secret vault where they are scrambling in the murky waters to locate Amar's skeleton. Prithvi discovers that Vandana is the one who has opened the vault and tells her off for not listening to him about her safety. As he is reprimanding her, his hands end up holding her forearms and he gets a psychic flashback to what had actually happened. Amar was very much alive after the captain tortured him. It was Vandana who stabs him in the back from the front and the shock of betrayal never leaves Amar's eyes as the light in them dims and he dies - a victim of a vindictive woman who stabs him multiple times for self preservation. Even when she had begun dating him, she continued to see the captain and that was my first hint that she wasn't a good person. Even after killing Amar, she continued to be a part of the crew , a part of the smuggling network and only after being saved by the fisherman , did she choose to live a quiet life ,rescued by the missionary , all this while thinking that her daughter was dead.
Amar materialises out of thin air and slashes her throat as an act of revenge- the slash very much resembling that of an actual knife but he's not willing to pass on as he's deathly attached to his daughter and flings the professor unconscious as he is reciting some mantras. Prithvi spots Amar's skeleton right above him , hanging from the chains and he dashes up the stairs to slash the chain to drop the skeleton in the diesel filled vault to light it on fire. Amar's spirit tries to strangle Prithvi but the diesel lit fire finally catches up with his skeleton and Amar's spirit goes up in smoke.
Prithvi saves the girl and fastforward to present day where he seems to have made her a part of his life and the movie finishes with him teaching her how to hold a fork , twirl the strands of Maggi around it and slurp it into her mouth.
The finish is both complete and abrupt at the same time in case Dharma doesn't want to go ahead with the original trilogy plan but I think they should. Never have I seen a movie where a daughter is possessed by the ghost of her father who was murdered in cold blood by her mother , thus robbing him of seeing her being born , stealing those crucial firsts from him as a father, not giving him an opportunity to love Her and watch her grow. There was a scene in the movie, where he brings her food and lets her eat in peace before repossessing her. The human world betrayed Amar, stole his life and what it would be like growing old with his daughter. So he stole everyones loved one who came on board sea bird. He was played by a vindictive woman, so he played with the lives of everyone who came in contact with seabird thereafter.
Minus the ghost graphics I cant complain much about the film's technical angle. The suffocating camera angles were a delight. Jump scares and the usual tropes are boring but the rest of this unique story was engrossing enough for me to ignore those. Prithvi's drawings and the ghost metre beeping when he came close to it are still unanswered questions but I hope to get answers in part 2.
Vicky Kaushal was a delight. For an actor who played an army officer, he could play the suffering from PTSD officer with aplomb. He is such a natural and horror is not easy to do, as there is literally no co actor - the ghost isn't a person with prosthetics but CGI, so he was reacting to nothingness.
Don't go by the fake critics and the fake woke millennial crowd that is pretty much like the Kangroli Sisters.Communism will raise its head again because millennials love nothing more than uniform wallowing and complaining. Collective failure is far more comforting than sticking out like a sore thumb so as most people end up failing, they like nothing more than to drag successful people down with them because they cant handle that someone else is rich and they're not. So the bad reaction to the film isn't about the film , its about how dare KJO make a film that is different AND good? Go watch this brilliant take on unrequited love, betrayal, loss, acceptance and finally a happy end.
Student of the Year 2 (2019)
Dont let Kangana keep you from plain old entertainment
Since the influx of Netflix and other streaming services from abroad, the wannabe Indian millennial thinks theyre way above Bollywood romcoms.
Add to that Kangana's attack on the industry when she herself is in it because of nepotism. Pancholi is an insider and she not only "befriended" him she had an affair with him in his house in front of his wife. Shows character.
Karan and other insiders don't badmouth her she does- which shows her classless personality. You may not believe Hrithik Roshan at all, but believe the pages of the passport put up by the authorities which did not have the Paris / Schengen visa where HR apparently proposed to psychopath.
In today's day and age if someone was dating anyone a) there'd be pictures and kangy Didnt have any and b) at least one paparazzi picture would have been shot given they are stars.
To think she's more talented than alia is such a joke but people relate to kangana more because the average Person is always blaming the richer and better looking person for their own failure.
Nepotism isn't just rich insiders helping rich insiders its every common man who asks his or her friend to forward their CV or who sleep their way to the top. The quota system is the biggest government supported nepotistic drive which no one talks about. Merit is rare anywhere and we the common people suffer when we get bad service and I have suffered with the quota system at hospitals and in law courts.
Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra are the biggest failures so at the end of the day your name can only get you in the door but your success rides on the success of the movie and your acting. In real life jobs irrespective of your failure to deliver you can go on working way past your retirement if you're in the government or an old employee of a private company. Unlike 9-5 desk jobs , the movie industry is not a traditional job and it's a business so in any business the father will want their kid to try their hand out so what's wrong with that?
Only outsiders have thrived and become insiders - and think of any big movie personality now they were all outsiders.
Ok gyaan session over -
Like we have a diet that differs everyday - one day we want ghar ka khana, the next pizza and the day after, some complex dish- similarly my movie diet is varied. When I want Ghar ka khana I'll watch a Wednesday or a Sarfarosh because it comforts me that Bollywood can write scripts. When i want a complex Movie I'll watch an andhadhun or drishyam. But when I want pizza , when I want to hang out with my friends and enjoy teenage pop culture - I'll go for movies like SOTY 2.
We can't compare the genres.
When it comes to SOTY 2- it was better than SOTY 1.
In SOTY 1 I didn't even sit up and watch the actors. Alia was actually launched in Highway, Varun in Badlapur and Sid is always a nice screen presence.
In SOTY 2 I sat up and saw Ananya Pandey- she's funny and grounded off screen and really impressed me for her first movie which even my favourite Alia did not with SOTY 1.
The movie is bubblegum on crack but very entertaining. I prefer modern students strutting around in sports bras that they chose to wear , than "authentic" directors adding item songs in their films to grab the audience by the balls.
Ananya's character Shreya is my favourite. Once you see the whole film, you understand why she is the way she is. The dignity cup feels like Diet Olympics. The sets and design are a masterpiece. Especially the classroom set in the Jawaani song - loved the chalk scribbles backlit floor and walls and fluorescent post it notes. Also loved the Mondrian inspired white and yellow wall in one song.
Loved the music in Ananya's solos - they were some English lyrics but they are not officially a part of the OST .
Did not like the screenplay at all. It was very clunky.
Tiger is a tiger as always but I prefer him in Action movies than in romcoms.
The other actors were forgettable and Tara Sutaria is the bimbo combination of all the 3 young actors from Mohabattein. Expressionless and annoying AF.
Karan too has evolved from casting only stars to casting newcomers and this movie had no big names. I think it should work in cities and if it crosses 85 crores and I don't see why it should not- it will be called a hit and I want a bonafide hit for him. Kangana hasn't delivered in anything except Gangster fashion and Queen and the script gave her national awards not her personality and definitely not her acting as she is very replaceable.
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, kiron kher- they are better actors than Kangy and AB has national awards too- he is humble and has worked with Karan and no one in the industry badmouths anyone. That may be fake but it is classy to stand together in unity - which is not something Indians understand. Definitely something Kangy understands. Give her a mic and she will go on a rampage and Indians will clap.
There is a lot of emphasis on coming of age and team spirit in SOTY2. Loved that they made kabaddi the main sport instead of boring cricket. It was Nice to see some Indian sports getting recognition.
The class divide is believable and I loved the DIY scenes where Tiger makes his own cool as hell wardrobe. Which is a big step from Sid's poor background in SOTY 2 as he enters school in Ray bans. It wasn't unrealistic to me even then because to fit in, in this EMI age, even the most basic person Splashes out. But here, tiger is shown as a commoner who is not insecure like his rich or poor classmates and does not want to fit in. He owns who he is and that is the strength of his character.
The competition goes inter college between 8 colleges and the competition itself was very entertaining. There are 2 "study" scenes but I don't like to dissect everything- this isn't a Inception.
Sure the movie has its flaws because romcoms inherently do. But there are days you want avengers end game quality(which India is Incapable of but The Krish series is amazing) and there are days you want to just get entertained and not in a sleazy double meaning kind of way- then SOTY 2 is the movie.
Hated the OST but the camera work in all the songs was amazing. Costumes were amazing too. Movies are purely fictional so reviewers picking apart the not a hair out of place blowdries , the fancy cars the campus - they need a life. There are many girls who doll up for school and college. There are many rich kids who come in fancy cars but it's driven by drivers in India. And larger than small cities campuses prettier than Kjos campus, exist in the real world where Harvard and Oxford have their own cities inside the university towns they're in.
When Harry Met Sejal is the worst movie to exist, but people went for it anyway. Why? Because it wasn't made by Karan Johar so Kangana wasn't after it. She hadnt brainwashed the scandal loving janta. If you count your pennies that it is such a waste of money etc to go for Bollywood movies then movie theatres aren't for you.stick to Netflix.
This is a fun movie. Try to have fun people.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
How to trust your dragon
I missed skipping out of a theater like a child. Its been a good 10 years since a I have seen an innocent coming of age film that did not push an agenda. The magical journey from self doubt to self discovery as a united family of Vikings and Dragons, was a breezy watch with many life lessons strewn throughout the film like gems hidden in plain sight, waiting for our young chief to discover each, at his own pace.
Men, women, children and dragons- walked foot and paw in tandem in this Utopian Viking tribe called Berk, as equals. Most importantly, they had Hiccup's back even when Hiccup hadn't discovered his. Instead of snuffing out his light like adults often times do, they let him run amok, ,make his mistakes, dust off and stand tall, brimming with confidence and purpose.
This is a library movie for anyone who wants to preserve the innocence of their child for as long as possible. Far away from labels and debilitating media spun narratives. Hiccup is as doubting of his capability without his beloved Dragon, as Harry was without his magic, or Spiderman without his suit. Self Doubt is not only normal but essential.
This is a story of knowing the difference between love and possession. That as hard as letting go is, it truly is liberating once you do it. We don't need dragons and wars to understand the true essence of life, life throws at us villains all the time to test our perseverance as it is.
The animation is both magical and real. They've used true tone colours to show that despite the animation , it is not as perfect as Avatar, and that is a good thing. the dragons are stunning. The underground world beneath the waterfall was a visual treat. The vikings don't look like MCU heroes, but regular folk being heroes.
The love story is as minimal and uncomplicated love should be. A dragon taking cues from his friend and chief, to woo his lady love is so.... equal. That the dragons don't talk, all the emotions are felt, and not said.
I think everyone should go watch it!
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
14 Million Infinities
In a nutshell, Infinity War is Marvel's version of Inception. Time is of the essence or is it? One shot at survival and 14 million chances to get it right? Baby Gamora balancing the weapon like the totem in Inception balancing the countless spins reality could take?
Amongst the rubble of Titan, Dr. Strange sat like a static hissing telecommunication system, using his time stone to forsee a future where the Avengers get one shot and one shot alone, to set things right- to win the "infinite" war against Thanos. (The title of the film itself is very evocative.)
The irony of Thanos's "mercy" where he "spares" Toni's life is not lost to me. But hey we have a villain who keeps his word(in exchange fo the time stone). The Avengers have their super powers but Toni trumps them all because his gift is his mind. And that mind will resurrect and reboot the Marvel universe- no more tricks Thanos told the good doctor very sternly, well well Voldemort-Shrek hybrid, you have been played by the wizard. It's all about the long con, and those who think outcomes through patiently, don't lose any war, because they see beyond their pride and know when to attack- but most importantly when to retreat.
Its "strange" how alike Toni and Dr. Strange are in their characters and yet one is flamboyant and the other restrained. No matter how he comes across, Toni is arrogant sure, but he's level headed, logical, genius and most importantly not egoistic.
The Dementor like creature that told Thanos to sacrifice a soul to get the soul stone out of Vormir, was nothing but a version of Thanos himself(like a horcrux), who is banished to Vormir, and left powerless, by the Avengers, who win the war in the infinite future. Its genius really.
From start to finish, it was a visual treat. The battle in Wakanda, was something else entirely. Thor getting his new hammer and arriving in style in Wakanda, The tenderness between Vision and Wanda, gosh there are so many mouth watering treats, scene after scene. And the humour laced with the impending doom.
The heroes of the script apart from the writers, are the visual superheroes , the animators. Cant wait to see Marvel top this and set a new record by breaking their previous one.
Quantico (2015)
Fun.Brave.Interesting.
I love people who are open to change, challenge and risk. Passion for the craft or/and good writing is all good, after all we are in the golden era of great scripts both for the small screens and the big, but its another ball park altogether, to straddle ethnic ambiguity. From shattering glass ceilings, to talent taking the drivers seat over colour and race,creativity has come a long way. Art has finally won. Since the buzz is around Indian actor Priyanka Chopra let me roughly quote from one of my favourite Indian movies, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, where two complete polar opposites predictably fall in love and during one deep reflection on life lying face up under the star lit sky, the woman tells her very anal (in the box,uptight) boyfriend that a person should only be in a box when they're dead. A sentence so seemingly effortless,but in fact holding the essence of life. Society has had us in a box for far too long, and be it cinema,TV,LGBTQIA rights,or social media,we are finally united as people with opinions and personal quirks and not segregated like in olden days by colour and race.Whether this is a PR exercise or real change, Ill take it, because its long overdue. Is this show a mix of Homeland, How To Get Away with Murder or Greys Anatomy? No. Not even close. Its not as real and technically sound like Homeland or sinfully delicious as HTGAWM and not having characters you love more than the script like in Greys, but its interesting enough to make me want to tune in next week. People are criticising the lack of plot or the comical escape of Alex Parrish from the FBI van, but when have people taken to anything without criticising it first? Was Greys crossing all the Ts and dotting all the Is on the surgeries?Can law be practiced the way Annalise practices it?Not at all.This is pure entertainment with just the correct amount of realism to make it interesting. The cast is cast to perfection,and even though we are yet to find out their backgrounds and motive to join the FBI completely, the heaviness of ones battle scars called life and the challenges it throws at you, moves like shadows on their faces which is credit to each actors talent. Like Shelby looks numb,Ryan is stoic but sensitive(also his presence feels like he'll keep everyone safe), Nimah is untrusting,Golden boy has a nefarious side.Too bad complex Caleb is no longer with us but he was interesting. Its refreshing to see Priyanka tone it down several notches. Her body language is not of an International superstar but of someone still learning the ropes which is a shout out to her massive talent. I must admit, her attitude and sometimes OTT dialogue delivery in Hindi movies does get to me, but she's very genuine and balanced in this role. Her chemistry with her fellow actors is believable and some minor glitches are expected, because its a drama and not a procedural documentary. I already like the layers to Simon and how perceptive he is. The quiet ones are usually the dangerous ones... At least we as audiences are set for two seasons because ABC is famous for keeping things airtight for 2 seasons and then they fizzle out and become worse than B grade Hindi movies or K Pop. Loved the premise of PLL initially, and look how they've butchered it.Same goes for Greys amongst others. Love the two timeline concept and the chemistry between Ryan and Alex. The show begins with a terrorist attack on Grand Central and jumps back to how the recruits settle into Quantico. The training is intense from the very get go and one of the assignments is to dig into a peer's past, something off book. One murder, one suicide and one framing later, the new drama series leaves the viewer with immense curiosity to come back for more. Im adding this show to my fall watch list along with NBC's Blindspot and Fox's Scream Queens. Cant wait for my staple CW shows to come back from their respective hiatuses and for Homeland. And finally, I hope they get to act more and excited to see individual missions because someone mentioned that they have a real ex FBI agent helping them keep things real so excited for that!
Kick (2014)
What A Devil!
Every Hero needs a love interest in a Bollywood movie - so how about we give Salman Khan an epic love story by getting him married to a storyline next time? Im no industry insider so maybe someone reading this can shed some light on my curiosity - that what changed in Bollywood, or with Salman's equation with the directors that he's just left out to dry post Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam! Im not a fan of mindless movies so I make a special effort to watch Salman Khan movies because I actually like the guy and the actor. He comes across as a warm person and hes proved in the past that he can act, and not useless as his movies make him out to be. I find it very insulting that the industry just writes things like oh its a bhai movie which only runs on his 'andaaz' and no script or acting is actually required. I love two scenes, one when the immensely talented Nawazzudin Siddiqui is getting electrocuted to death and Salman puts on a menacing look with a smirk on his face and copies Siddiqui's bottle opening pop sound followed by his very Aks like laugh. Also when he has an emotional scene with that little girl whose terminally ill on the swing in the hospital park. Salman has a tremendous range as an actor because he seamlessly switches from serious to funny from menacing to childlike innocence in a heartbeat. Even at his age, he looks ten times fitter than most of todays crop of actors . So I fail to understand why important directors to whom script matters, haven't approached him to showcase his powerhouse of talent! He'd make the perfect villain, because no one thought that Rishi Kapoor with his chocolate boy looks could ever pull of negative roles with so much aplomb as much as he did in Agneepath.I can see Salman playing a negative roll that is pure evil and I can see him doing seriously meaty roles minus the nonsense hes given and minus an actress by his side. And the best part is that hes not my favourite actor I just crave good cinema and I know whose talented and whose not. Out of the 50 movies that come out per year, 48 are trash, and for a person who loves movies, be it in any language, I just feel cheated. I know the mass don't like substance they'd rather have double meaning dialogs and tacky comedy and an item number but it wouldn't kill the directors to make something for an audience that looks to use their brains to watch a film! And Im tired of this statement that brainy scripts flop because A Wednesday didn't flop, Sarfarosh didn't flop,neither did Highway, and I can give you a 1000 other examples. Go for this movie just to watch Salman in his element, but this time its not tacky like Dabang its got some slick action sequences and hes acted a little. Jacqueline Fernandez's role doesn't even make sense- although I love her Gucci frames because glasses do make you seem like an intelligent doctor. I loved Randeep Hooda in Highway, and hes likable with a good screen presence. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of my favourite actors, and hes a delight to watch, when he breaks into his villainy chops. He's such a natural that whatever role he slips into he makes it his own be it lunchbox or Kick. The family of both characters are an unnecessary addition they just make you yawn some more. The music (not the lyrics) is surprisingly good, i love the tune and the cinematography and choreography. Jacqueline does deserve credit for that 30 second sequence on Jumme ke Raat, I knew she was flexible (from Race's lat lag gayee) but she's a surprisingly good dancer. Also, Nargis Fakhri's item song was very nicely timed and had a haunting touch to it. My only problem is the lack of script.Dabang was a minus 10 for me so me give 5/10 to Kick only means that at least the movie made an effort- to make Salman dance better, to push him to genuinely act, and for slick cinematography. The movie maybe a 5/10, and the script a 3/10 but Salman and Siddiqui were a perfect 10! Now directors- please give him a meatier role for us to remember him by because our incompetent government may throw him in jail for a case 12 years old.
Talaash (2012)
Murder on the Orient Express
I can't help looking over my shoulder, as I sit down to write a review for Talaash. Blame it on Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar. And their brilliant story telling. I have not been visibly shaken like this since Kaun (1999 Starring Urmila Matondkar & Manoj Bajpai). The movie opens on a deserted street flanked by the Mumbai sea face. A dog, 2 beggars & a man on a cycle witness a high profile accident of Armaan Kapoor( a famous celeb). And the movie rolls from there,with Aamir Khan(Suri) playing a cop, Rani Mukherji(Roshni), the dowdy housewife with a painful secret, & Kareena Kapoor(Rosy), a prostitute, whose life story, when narrated will leave the audience gasping for breath.
Suri is a no-nonsense cop investigating the accident/murder of the celebrity. He has not slept a wink since his kid died & shares a strained but civil relationship with his wife Roshni. A psychic ambushes Roshni telling her things about her son that only she & Suri know. Roshni believes that some people have the ability to communicate with spirits. Karan, goes & comes at will from the other side, communicating with his mother through the psychic. He is not the only spirit with a message.Suri befriends Rosy, who helps him solve the mystery of Armaan's case, by linking the past, 3 friends, a call-girl broker, & a man Friday in a convoluted twist of events. Blackmail never ends well, & the collateral damage is death. Suri's eyes see things, & his heart makes him believe things that do not by definition exist. His only solace lies in his daily heart-to-hearts with Rosy, in the middle of nowhere,where the silence is a welcome noise. The water crashes nearby, wave after wave, serene & powerful, just like the script itself. The story is not a shallow cat & mouse chase, nor is it a hunt for the murderer. The story is about lost souls & how coincidences lace these pained souls for redemption. Suri's-whose soul is so warped in pain that he is haunted by the biggest question: what if? Rosy's- who can't escape her reality, a lost soul waiting to be salvaged.& most importantly the soul of the audience- who are forced to rewind to a memory which triggers only one phrase:" If I could go back...do it all over again, I would do it differently..." A clever journalist would ask the script-writers just one question: " is this your story?" It could be some old journal from some old fort, or it could be a life altering experience penned down anonymously. Whatever the reason be- this movie is a must watch. And trust me when I say this- the auditorium around you will suddenly turn eerily chilly,& the guy delivering the lavash platter you ordered, in the pitch black light, will feel like...
Barfi! (2012)
Mirada!
In Spanish the word mirada means "the look". An unspoken telepathic bond sealed with the expression in one's eyes. Barfi! manages just that- it laces humor, love, & tragedy in a neat 2 hours & 33 minute film which leaves you blinking at people around you in the theater, every eye emoting, mouths slightly ajar in pin drop silence. & for once, the Indian audience should get an award for shushing their children and keeping their mobile phones on "silent". Ranbir Kapoor is the find of his generation. Rishi Kapoor & his son share the same charm & range, Priyanka Chopra is as flawless as ever, lighting up Jhilmil like the glowworms of the Darjeeling forest & Ileana just bends with the breeze, the best debut ever! Barfi! defines the deaf and mute boy inside him as the new normal!For once the differently abled individuals in India will receive some respect & love instead of the constant staring & murmuring! Barfi! embraces his disabilities just like the Londoners do their crazy weather!His tragic yet comic life is reminiscent of the late Charlie Chaplin. The similarity with the black & white classic ends where Barfi! finds the grey area of love.The actors have to dig deep & kudos to their acting skills that they deliver such powerhouse performances,depicting a romantic love while keeping it clean & raw at the same time.Its a continuous start-stop grinding game of tennis. RK will need a bigger trophy closet by the end of the season :) & although I don't like Barfi! ( the Indian sweet) I love Barfi! ( the movie!).