grande_illusion Reviews

Shikara (2020)

Surprisingly beautiful

[9/10 · 5 April 2020]

I was not so keen on watching it after seeing the poor ratings but when I saw the movie recently I was surprised at the sensitive way it's been handled. End of the movie you feel a deep empathy for Kashmiri Pandits and the situation they are in. The direction is good and so are the performances. Its definitely worth watching and I am dissapointed at my Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters who have given negative ratings just because it does not measure up to their anguish. Nothing ever will! .

Haider (2014)

Best adaptation of Hamlet

[8/10 · 4 October 2014]

This is the best adaptation of Hamlet in a Bollywood movie. The Kashmir setting makes it even more interesting and I should say the film script does a great job in dealing with this complicated backdrop to the story. Moreover, the dialogues are well written too and some of them would become memorable ones. Among the performances, Shahid Kapur comes into his own in this movie and it is probably his best one so far. The best shot is where he is performing before a crowd in the second half. The script really takes off to a different plane here. The energy Shahid exudes in the second half is par excellence. Tabu looks a little washed out but that may be because of the character. Overall the movie really grips you and takes you through the troubled land of Kashmir and its people. Fundamentalists may find the treatment of the Kashmir issue unpalatable, but the film cleverly skims the surface as it remains focused on the main plot. And it does deliver a subtle message on the "means to the end" question in such conflicts.

Madras Cafe (2013)

Objective portrayal of LTTE struggle

[8/10 · 26 August 2013]

The political opponents of this film have been proved wrong. Politicians and their sidekicks should first watch the movie before they start screaming "ban, ban"! The film manages to take a cleverly done objective stance of the LTTE fight for Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka and the circumstances that led to the killing of former India PM Rajiv Gandhi. The film could have a better impact if it used names of the real people they trying to portray instead of resorting to semantics to camouflage their identities, while at the same time making it so obvious as to who the characters represent. However, overall it is a thriller which works well unlike Kamaal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam" released few months ago, with a similar theme.

Planet Earth (2006)

Awe inspiring series leaves you gasping at the beauty of Planet Earth

[9/10 · 2 May 2013]

If there is a series which has exploited the technology of TV and visual media to it's max then this is it. The visual delight can only be experienced. You are left with a sense of responsibility for the planet and you get a deep sense what it means to destroy this beautiful creation of nature. While each episode is just a brief introduction to each element of nature, it shows the depth of beauty and power of nature in shaping each of these elements. Richard Attenborough voice over has the right timbre for such a beautiful kaleidoscope of nature. There may be other films which capture many other features of nature, but to weave it into a story is what this film has done best. This series should be a must see, especially for high school kids and teachers of natural science.

Vishwaroopam (2013)

Disappointing

[6/10 · 5 February 2013]

This movie suffers from over-hype and may do well because of the row. After seeing the movie I am wondering if the row could have been engineered to drive the traffic? Anyway, the movie is quite boring in the beginning and Kamal's character is overdone. Though I love watching him on screen, have to say he seems to have gone over the hill in this one. The plot is a little convoluted and of course this is another superman agent character created more for the fans. Have to say though that those who created a row over depiction of their community are unemployed, publicity-seeking cartoons or worse may be linked to Jihadi terrorist organizations because frankly it does not show the entire community in bad light but it is just that the plot and characters require depiction of the Islamic terrorist organizations. Of course the remote possibility is that the entire row is a fake one.