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Hum Tum Aur Ghost (2010)
A lovingly haunting experience
The crux of the whole movie rests at just one place. The character played by Dia Mirza running towards the light after death and then turning back. Something that really does never happen but what so many if us wish could magically happen somehow.
Neerja (2016)
A much needed change for a change.
The true credit for making the movie outstanding goes to none other than the late Neerja Bhanot herself. She is the cornerstone of the whole project and when I had read about her 28 long years after the incident I had felt really sorry for myself that I had missed out on her story for so long! Now 30 years later her deeds are finally getting the fanfare that it had really deserved.
It goes on to show the weight of duty associated with the space that is allotted to you in this world whatever time it is for. That space can be filled up by no one other than you. Therefore it is not about what you have to do to fill it but how you want to go about filling it.
Given the kind of many sexist jokes that air stewardesses are subject to and given the fact that the movie didn't have a standard hero of the "bollywood" kind this one was really needed.
Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge (2002)
Popcorn stuff with unexpected depth
The movie reminds me of a delicacy with a surprise element(and then what are thrillers for). This is one movie which keeps you engaged with its comical and romantic moments right from the start and puts you entirely at ease in the first half. For those who would be expecting a run of the mill romantic movie, avoid the second half and watch the end. For those who came expecting an action movie as the reviews may have it, the first half is boring and apparently pointless. But the suspense builds up slowly without crying out loud. And all elements in the first half are woven pretty well for the "two halves" to create a decent whole. What I found eye-catching was the way the two elements in the movie were combined. Arguably one of the better Indian movies.
Benson & Hedges World Cup Cricket (1992)
Unexpectedly action packed and eventful
When the schedule of the Benson & Hedges World Cup was first proposed, India were to face Pakistan in the very first match. On hindsight if the original schedule was to remain unchanged and the matches resulted the way they did later, it would have robbed the viewer of much drama that was to unfold.
History had it that the original schedule be modified due to the late inclusion of South Africa,liberated from political isolation adding the much needed unpredictability factor even before the first ball was bowled.
It will also be remembered as the only World Cup where everyone had to play everyone at least once besides being the last tournament with no third umpire as also the first World Cup to use the stump camera.
A stand out facet of the tournament, besides the game itself were the outfits themselves. It was indeed the beginning of the end for cream clothing and the beginning of the new era where even day cricket was to be played in colored uniform.
Australia, defending champions fresh from their overwhelming triumph in the Benson & Hedges World Series Championships over India and the West Indies were considered runaway favorites. New Zealand fresh from a home series defeat against an English team hungry for a win since a long time were thought to be veritable push-overs. England was seen as far too 'manageable'. West Indies in spite of being strong on paper were given to unexplained batting collapses. South Africa provided the surprise element however, in no way were they expected to put up the show which they did. Sri Lanka were seen as pushovers while Zimbabwe were still seen as the babes of cricket. This left India and Pakistan to challenge Australia.
The first match in the tournament proved the belief wrong that Pakistan and India were the two teams to challenge Australia when 'manageable' England beat India and New Zealand under the strategically innovative Martin Crowe beat Australia thus making even the most passive viewer sit up and take notice as match after match seemed to be nails in the coffin for the existing world order that seemed to exist just before the World Cup started with Australia at the top.
The tournament was best summarized by the battle of the wooden spoons. Something that was to be a mundane affair turned out to be the most statistically significant in terms of runs scored as Zimbabwe notched up its highest one day total since they started playing international cricket. At 312 for 4 Zimbabwe were ready for an upset however, Ranatunga ensured that the match went to the final over as Sri Lanka created a record for highest number of runs scored by a team batting second to win.
England and New Zealand had some confidential plans for the World Cup which they began executing systematically and mowed down their opponents one after the other. On the other side South Africa grossly underestimated in spite of the pace of Allan Donald, pulled off a thumping 9 wicket upset over Australia thus further tearing the mini world order apart. The tone of the tournament was strongly underlined with another match that proved to be the nemesis of the supposedly strong Pakistan batting line up as they were bowled out for 74 against England - the lowest score by any team in the tournament. The wash out of the match resulted in Pakistan getting a point which was to go a long way to bring more drama and stamp the authority of fate on the tournament over any other factor.
With every passing game the main protagonists to be seemed to fade with England, New Zealand and South Africa stamping their authority on the game. As if the laws of probability were the deliberate target of some secret cosmic conspiracy, just when they were looking strong, South Africa unexpectedly slipped to Sri Lanka thus adding to the drama.
Halfway, with the top three being almost decided between New Zealand, England and South Africa in that order, attention now turned to the 4th spot. When the Pakistan vs. Australia game took place little did anyone know that it would yet prove to be crucial even though both were looking drained and anyone of them could take the 4th spot with a lack luster West Indies also in contention. Pakistan's victory over Australia did not get as much notice or at least for the right reasons. However when Australia beat the West Indies requiring a certain New Zealand win over Pakistan to make it to the semis the unexpected again took over with Pakistan stealing a win over yet to be beaten New Zealand to reach the last four leading Australia and the West Indies with the solitary point attained owing to the washout against England! Elsewhere, in tune with the general mood, Zimbabwe successfully defended a total of 134 against an otherwise strong England to register its first win since the 1983 world cup win over Australia! The semi finals involving Pakistan and New Zealand was the stuff drama was made of. Down in the dumps at 140 for 4 and requiring 123 more runs to win Inzamam arrived at the cricketing scene with a bang to take Pakistan to the final. The other semi final will always be remembered for the wrong reasons as rain and rain-rule prevented South Africa reaching the final with them requiring 22 runs off 1 ball.
The final saw Pakistan making a slow start to put up 249 before destroying the English batting to clinch the world cup for the first time.
Thus Pakistan were rightful challengers not to Australia but to England and New Zealand.
Chom và Sa (1978)
Reality Bites
Set in war ravaged Vietnam, Chom va Sa paints a grim picture of conflict. When I saw this movie, I was all of 8 and I was expecting a run-of-the-mill kiddie movie. The movie was indeed about kids, but with the difference that the theme was neither childish nor too silly. In fact I spent most of the movie with eyes shut and looking at the EXIT. But from what I saw with eyes open, I feel the movie best describes the plight of people affected by factors completely out of their control. Chom and Sa are peasant children in rural Vietnam, helping their mother in the rice fields, when the tragic news of their father's death arrives. Immediately after the village is bombarded by the French Air Force thereby leaving the village in ruins. The Children with their mother are forced to fend for themselves. Though the movie has a happy ending, the movie is extremely gray hued for the most of the 70 minutes.
Baharon Ki Manzil (1968)
Murphy's Law?
A movie based on a paranoid idea, Baharon Ki Manzil is about, what it would be like if we were to realize one fine morning(and I mean literally one fine morning), the mother-of-all support systems i.e. our family isn't what we thought it was until the evening before the morning. The character played by Meena Kumari suffers a shock when a cracker goes in her face and (no she doesn't forget anything), she suddenly remembers what happened years ago.. when a similar incident on a much larger scale.. devastates her memory and distorts reality... until now. The movie takes an extremely pessimistic(if that is the right word) take on the baseless fears that afflict the paranoid - something is out there before you know it.
Eena Meena Deeka (1994)
Turn off your brains
A particularly hilarious plot (now where have I seen this before), involves, Deeka (played by Vinod Khanna), who has committed various crimes, but ends up in jail only when he decides to give himself up to DCP Bully (Anupam Kher) to escape from the clutches of gangster Bhujang(Kiran Kumar). After spending many years in jail, he goes to the bank to withdraw money, where he is involved in a bank robbery done by Inder a.k.a Eena (Rishi Kapoor). The police led by DCP Bully get the idea that Deeka is the bank robber, while Eena is a poor bystander taken hostage. Deeka in order to avenge the baseless charge kidnaps DCP Bully's daughter Meena (Juhi Chawla). If you manage to turn off your sense of logic, this movie may make perfect sense to you.
Rani Aur Lalpari (1975)
Elaborate Kid Stuff
Movies for the young audience, is hardly taken seriously in India, I believe and very few attempts have been made to make movies that cater to young minds. Too often what we get in the name of Children's Films is actually what they dish out to the adult audience (most of them perfectly watchable for kids). Rani and Laal Pari too often takes the same course... but this one was one I managed to connect most with. It was an absolute tear-jerker to say the least(which Hindi movie isn't to some extent?). The characters are easily identifiable with and that is where the movie scores. Besides we have a high profile star cast delivering exemplary performances. It is a typical Hindi formula movie.. except that it takes the viewpoint of the child in the family as its main theme. At one point it just seems that the movie is going on and on... reiterating the same point again and again.. but the last half an hour really justifies the repetitiveness earlier in the film. On the whole here we have a story told more from a child's perspective yet perfectly palatable for everyone.
Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne (1990)
About Muzzled Hopes and Dreams
"Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapne" was about the doomed hopes of a typical middle class man(Mungerilal, played by Ragubir Yadav), who thinks very high.. but doesn't have the wings to fly. He dreams of being the boss.. about dating his beautiful colleague and that his wife actually listening to him and valuing his words.. The dreams have been enacted in a very funny manner... but the best was always saved for the climax, when Mungerilal's dream comes to an end... The acting on the part of the other cast was scintillating and no wonder you could hear people talking about it all day long.. It was a voice for the mellowed Indian middle class who was not very well represented anywhere... the ones who preferred to keep to themselves, but were always dissatisfied with life, and always dreaming to make it big... and slipping on the way.
Mammo (1994)
Aftermath of Partition and the Simple Truth
Shyam Benegal does it again.. with slow pace and original lighting - with it, without it, in-spite of it the director cum story writer conquers hearts at will. Without poetic dialog and without any song and dance sequence, Mr. Benegal is able to do what most other people haven't quite succeeded. Show to someone who doesn't know anything at all about the Partition - not why it occurred (now this is no political commentary) but rather what came out of one of the most painful episodes in the history of India. Mammo basically manages to paint a picture of the emotions - estranged ones go through. It shows, what happens when people and places we take so often for granted... become lost forever..
Trikal (Past, Present, Future) (1985)
An original work amidst nonsense
Here is a genre of parallel cinema, as they call it in India, which leaves you absolutely spellbound. This movie was created at a time, when the so-called "commercial", popular version of Hindi cinema indulged in pure air-headed fantasy as far as Catholics in general and Goans in particular were concerned. I wouldn't say it was without flaws, and it was a perfectly objective masterpiece. But the attempt on the part of the author of the story and the director (Shyam Benegal in an unusual twin role) was there to portray reality, rather than deliberately shut all eyes to reality, to make something enjoyable. The acting was average, and no one particularly stood out. The slow pace and the original lighting associated with this movie were absolutely justified given the context in which the tale is told.
Rivers of Fire and Ice (1964)
A journey through unspoilt Africa
Photographer and animal collector Ron Shanin takes us through the dark continent, exploring its immense diversity (whoever knew such diversity existed) ranging from scorching deserts to the frozen heights of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It takes us through the life of the average African native and paints a colorful picture of life amidst struggle against all odds. We have always expected Africa to surprise us one way or the other, the movie lives up to its expectations in providing the surprise element that keeps you wide-eyed in front of the screen wanting more yet not knowing what to expect next. Africa has been known as an extremely tough place to survive, and the movie does well to exemplify it. The volcanic eruption atop Mt. Kilimanjaro is just the icing on the cake, towards the end.
Zindagi (1987)
Classic Stuff
Indeed it is difficult to believe - such fine masterpieces did exist in the later half of the 20th century on Indian Television. The Series will always remain in my mind as a symbol of the hopes and dreams of the 1970-1984 generation, that was just beginning to discover the world at that time. The story was indeed socialist in its outlook and attempts to integrate the old line of thinking with the inquisitive, scientific approach of the time. Despite its slow pace, it took a highly positive outlook on life.The ending could have been made slightly more purposeful. I just have a feeling that the script got a little awry in the end.