A good start to 4 weekends of expectedly good movies....

It's a good feeling when producers who traditionally make movies that are poles apart, come together to make cinema.. I guess it all started when Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar worked on a compilation of films dedicated to 100 years of Indian cinema - Bombay Talkies.. Their next collaboration brings together 2 faces of the youth of Hindi cinema.. The lady in question has proven herself before, and carries the weight of expectations on her shoulders.. The man wasn't able to stand out amongst 2 other newcomers in his debut, but the film fraternity seem to be concurrent in their opinion that he has a bright future.. Of course, we're talking about Parineeti Chopra and Siddharth Malhotra..

Siddharth's second coming shows that the expectations that his peers have aren't misplaced.. The young lad who came to Bollywood to become a director shows that he does have the talent to pull off a role which we have seen all too often, but yet, make it his own.. The character Nikhil is beautifully crafted and even better acted.. Second time is extremely lucky for Sid and I surely hope he carries forward the good work in the future too... 

Parineeti is already hailed as a powerhouse performer, since she stood out amongst the ensemble cast of Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl, and then reinforced that with Ishaqzaade and Shuddh Desi Romance.. She has an uncanny knack of choosing roles that are completely 'hatke' and delivering brilliant performances in each one.. Her role as Meeta will make you laugh and cry, all in the span of a few minutes, at different times during the movie...

Onto the director, Vinil Mathew delivers a powerful film in his debut feature... He's quite experienced behind the camera, having directed few of the recent Cadbury ads and classic jewelry store 'Men will be men' ad.. The film is well paced and even a minute missed will be regrettable later on.. The supporting cast is excellent and performs their roles perfectly.. Manoj Joshi is memorable as a stern Gujju pappa with a soft heart for his daughter... There's also a surprise package in 'Daya' who turns out to be a gem of a performer, with talents beyond acting

All in all, Hasee toh Phasee is a power packed 2 hrs 20 mins which will definitely be part of my collection forever... 

P.S. - I've tried very hard not to give away anything in my blog, because I do want everyone to go watch it ! 

Ambarsariya se Banarasiya via Agra

It's rare that the last 3 movies I saw in cinemas were all movies that I an watch a million times over and over again... I cant remember the last time this ever happened (if at all)...

The title of the blog should, as always, give the clues to the movies I'm talking about...

Fukrey is the 1st one.. This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time... It seems to be inspired by Delhi Belly, especially considering the amount of twists & turns & mistakes & misunderstandings.. Hunny, Lali, Zafar & Choocha take us through a entertaining, if unlikely, ride through Delhi... They are accompanied by Neetu ma'am, Priya and Panditji, while being pursued by a villain called 'Bholi Punjaban' (Innocent Girl from Punjab)... The funniest amongst them is no doubt Varun Sharma making his screen debut as Choocha...  The performances are exemplary, even if the storyline is a little loose... All in all, a laugh riot !

The next was Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani... Ranbir Kapoor is becoming one of the most bankable stars in the Hindi film industry, with this becoming his third superhit in a row (Rockstar & Barfi previously)... This is more commendable considering that this is only his 10th leading role... The film is definitely entertaining, though hardly original... The director, Ayan Mukherji, probably got lost in getting inspired by too many movies, so he tries to retain some of his charm from Wake Up S!d, while adding a bit of a road trip with friends theme from ZNMD, and topping it with a love story from an Imtiaz Ali movie... Well, going by the box office returns, it seems that Ayan mixed 3 winning formulae to get a new & improved one ! So what if Aditya Roy Kapoor looks like he just continued his character from Aashiqui 2... So what if Farooque Sheikh's role got overshadowed by his cross-eyed-ness.. The truth is that the songs are amazing, the production work is awesome, Deepika looks gorgeous (and is learning how to act!) and Ranbir, is as charming as ever... YJHD is a film that I can watch over & over...

Last, but definitely not the least, is a love story called Raanjhanaa... This is a movie that most people discounted after looking at the lead actor, K Dhanush Raja... The general buzz was that this ugly looking dude cannot possibly pull off a hero's role in a Hindi movie... Well, Dhanush has proved everyone wrong... He should now be asking the Hindi audience 'Why were u so Kolaveri?' To be fair, even I did not expect much from him... The only reason I wanted to watch it was because I had loved the director's last film, i.e. Tanu weds Manu... A 140 minutes later, I was left with a gaping mouth... 'This guy is awesome' ... Dhanush has pretty much the most expressive face I have seen on an actor, ever... The effortless transition from a school kid to a twenty-something was simply amazing... And his character of a 'Die Hard' romantic could not have been played better by anyone... I should not discount the rest of the cast, however... Sonam proves yet again how under-utilized she is as an actress... Abhay Deol is effortless as usual, and is immensly likeable in his little screen time... The best friend 'Murari' played by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayuub is outstanding, as is 'Bindiya' played by Swara Bhaskar... Aanand L Rai loves to shoot in real locations, and it shows... A R Rahman's music grows on you like it should, and 'Tum Tak' refuses to leave my mind alone... The story is intriguing instead of being predictable, which adds so much more into the experience... My final word, 'Must-Watch' !!!

Khwabon ke, tinko se, chal banaye aashiyaan...

I had heard a lot about 'Barfi! before I finally saw it... The music was some of the best this season, and that alone would have sufficed to pull me to the cinema hall... The cinema-goers of Bangalore, though, had other plans for me... A house-full first weekend ensured I had to wait a bit longer... This did turn out to be a blessing, since I got to watch it with my significant other... :)

Back to the movie... Now, I'm not going to comment on the merit of the selection of this movie as India's entry to the Oscars... Now that it is done, I trust the Oscar jury much more than the folk who shortlisted it here, to make the right choice...

That said, this movie is definitely near the top of my list of best films this year... A simple, heart-warming story, with a suspense angle to boot, it is further propelled by the stellar performances of the entire cast... We must doff our hats to Ranbir, who continues to pick roles very few others would have, and make them his own... I think he's chosen some excellent films in the past couple of years, and has graduated with ease from the typical casanova roles to the niche Jordan & Barfi... It would be unfair of me to ingore Priyanka Chopra who, like Ranbir, has pulled off another excellent performance... I have always maintained that she's showing an amazing improvement with every film, and there is no exception here... The romance that follows is touching to say the very least... Ileana is the also extremely good in her first Bollywood appearance, and I will not be surprised to see more of her soon... Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rupa Ganguly and the rest of the cast all deliver and make this film an all round joy to watch...

Some people called the movie 'slow' but I believe it was the correct pace to show the story of Barfi. The script is amazing & some of the scenes will definitely move you to tears (atleast they did for me)... Anurag Basu has given us a romance which we will not forget for the rest of our lives...

Thoda sa tera sa hoga, thoda mera bhi hoga... Apna ye Aashiyaan...

Movies... Where dreams are made...

Hi... After another prolonged absence, I return to writing today... I stand inspired by Martin Scorcese, who's directed a cinematic masterpiece that opened in cinemas in the US in December... The name of the movie is Hugo...

Hugo is adapted from an illustrated book by Brian Selznick and is about a boy name Hugo Cabret... That's all I'll say about the story, because frankly that's not what impressed me about the movie... In fact, it's a little slow and I stopped watching it the first time around because it just went on without really going anywhere...

However, the next time I started looking at the other aspects... The movie is simply awesome to look at... The visual appeal is simply stunning... And I saw it in 2D whereas the movie is shot in 3D, so I can only imagine how good it must have been with another added dimension... The cinematography is amazing too (possibly why it won the Oscar for it)...

What interested me even more was that it was more of a telling of the roots of cinema than a simple story... It shows the genius of a man named Georges Melies who pioneered some of the earliest special effects in the movies (way back in the late 1800s & the early 1900s)... Even the Lumiere brothers, who practically invented the moving picture, credit Melies as the 'creator of the cinematic spectacle'... Well, its a fitting tribute by Scorcese, who's created another cinematic spectacle for Melies... However, this part is relegated to a mere 30 minutes in a 2hr long film... The rest of the movie is dedicated to Hugo searching for the truth about his father's death, and that's where the plot is lost... In creating a cinematic spectacle, someone forgot to include a compelling story-line.. That's probably why even though it was met with critical acclaim, it failed to set the cash registers ringing and didn't really earn up to it's potential... Even at the Oscars, the awards it won were all technical ones, Cinematography, Art Direction, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing & Sound Editing...

Well.. I will next attempt to watch another tribute to cinema of the mid-twentieth century, namely The Artist.. This movie pretty much took away all the other big Oscars this year, and promises to be an exciting watch... Till then, au revoir !

P.S.: The title of the blog is a para-phrase of one of Melies' dialogues in the movie to a young boy in his studio - "If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around... This is where they're made".

Oh Nadaan Parindey, Ghar Aa Ja...

Yes.. This had to be the movie which brought me back to blogging, it being Imtiaz Ali's latest offering to cine-goers... Have there been other movies since July which have been worth blogging ? Hell yeah.. I can count off Delhi Belly & ZNMD right away, apart from a bunch of Hollywood flicks.. But lets not go there today.. Today belongs to Ranbir in & as Rockstar !

Ranbir as Janardan Jakhar (aka Jordan) catches the attention from the very start and shows the immense talent & range he possesses... From a student having fun in the corridors & lawns of Delhi University to an angry musician, it all comes across as a natural performance that few others could have pulled off... It is said that the initial story idea had been pitched to John Abraham who had agreed, but was later replaced since the script demanded someone much younger... I think they made the right choice.. ;) What also works in Ranbir's favour is the amazing chemistry between Nargis Fakhri & him.. Though it is amply clear that both acting & Hindi language are not her best talents yet, she does manage a decent performance as Heer Kaur... For her part, she looks gorgeous for the better part of her presence on screen & that should be enough for most audiences... As a character, Heer is rebellious & adventurous like most of Imtiaz's heroines but at the same time respects her family enough to try & draw a line between family life & naughtiness... Piyush Mishra is his usual brilliant self as a ruthless music studio boss & Kumud Mishra puts in a commendable role as 'Khatanaji', Jordan's well-wisher & manager... Aditi Rao Hydari, Shernaz Patel & the two young ladies playing the roles of Jordan's niece & Heer's sister also give good performances...

Mohit Chauhan does well as the 'voice of Jordan' and this movie could easily bring him back into the league... A.R.Rahman as usual pulls off an amazing set of musicals which seem to be perfect for every setting, be it the live & angry 'Sadda Haq', the sufiyana 'Kun Faaya Kun' or the haunting 'Tum ho'....

To those of you who haven't watched it yet, please do... Rockstar is easily Imtiaz's best from a direction front, though I tend to agree with many that it lacks a certain something in the story... That is made up for by excellent performances, music & overall techincal aspects which make it my current favourite...

Summer of Cinema

There have been a range of releases in the past month or so... I had left off in the 1st week of May and had planned to watch 3 movies then.. I did watch 2 of those... Chalo Dilli & Fast 5... Chalo Dilli was very average fare though Vinay Pathak impressed as usual... Fast 5, however, was quite the entertainer... The action is well-paced & doesn't leave you time to blink... Vin Diesel & Paul Walker have their customary roles & are pursued by Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson... There's no use going into a storyline, since, there isn't one... :)

After this, there came Ragini MMS... Now, this was a movie big on hype & marketing & had a lot of expectations around it... Well, the actors do not disappoint for sure... The performances are fantastic to say the least... The story, however, lacks depth, when you keep in mind that it is a psychological thriller...

Stanley ka Dabba, was the next in line, and was a treat to watch... A simple story-line, with stellar direction & amazingly natural performances that make your heart melt... This is one that should not have been missed...

After that was the run of the biggies from Hollywood... Pirates - 3, Hangover 2 & Kung fu Panda 2... Pirates was a bit of a bummer & come to think of it, I can't remember the plot all that well apart from a couple of mermaids and Penelope Cruz... :P

Hangover 2 is a fitting sequel to the hilarious comedy & follows the capers of the wolf-pack in Thailand... The follow-up is more explicit, shocking & about as funny, and even has time to pack in a car chase... Can't see how that could go wrong... And for that added bit of luck, there is another cameo from Mr.Tyson as well ! This was a hangover you wouldn't want to get rid of...

Kung Fu Panda is a film that I caught very late, last week in fact, though it has been in theatres for about a month... I really enjoyed it and will leave out any further explanations with the expectations that you watch it too...

X Men - First Class is another of the big hollywood releases that came our way & this too was a good watch.... The film provides a look into the origins of some of the other central characters from this much-loved super hero series... Magneto & Prof.X find their respective characters in the movie as they leave their alter-egos, Eric & Charles behind... We are also introduced to a younger Mystique, a newly created Beast & many other characters that will probably enthrall us in the years to come...

Rounding up the Hollywood brigade was the 3rd Transformers movie... This was released with much fanfare (on a wednesday, at that) so that it could be coordinated with the world release dates... Though the film delivers on the promise of action & excellent visuals (in some of the best 3D seen so far), the plot is too long drawn and one tends to lose interest as the film unfold... At 2 and a half hrs, it is one of the longest Hollywood productions in recent times, but fails to hold the audiences' attention for the most...

At the time of writing this, I have just returned from another film which was been eagerly anticipated... However, this film is deserving of its own personal space.. Hence, I will attempt to write a bigger piece on this movie soon... Bhaag, bhaag ... :)

3 nights, 3 movies

After a long hiatus, this week had a lot to offer for cinema enthusiasts.. As I flipped through the newspaper on Friday, I could see ads for 6 movies which I had been wanting to watch.. As I write this blog, I have watched 3 of those movies and plan to watch the rest over the next 3 days..

The first movie is 'Shor in the City'... I started to want to watch this movie only after hearing the positive buzz it had created in the days leading up to its release... I was not disappointed after watching the excellent performance from the cast, outstanding technicals by the crew & all-round brilliant direction from the film-makers... The script is taut & unpredictable, yet believable (probably since it was inspired by true events)... And the fact that the film-makers have used mostly fresh talent is even more note-worthy...

The next movie was 'Thor'.. For the uninitiated, Thor is one of the comic book super-heroes who forms part of the 'Avengers', the team of super-heroes from Marvel Comics... Marvel studios has been working on the series of films that will tie-in with its 'Avengers' movie (due for release in May'12).. The previous films in this series have been Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk & Iron Man 2.. Thor is the 4th film, and will be followed by 'Captain America - The First Avenger' which is due for release in July this year... Now that the introductions are through, Thor proved to be an engrossing watch, though, for obvious reasons, it is not an 'intellectually stimulating' movie... There is plentiful action, that too in 'glorious 3-dimensions' and the inevitable subtle tongue-in-cheek reference to the most successful films in the series so far, i.e. the Iron Man duology... The titular character is one that the audience will immediately identify with even though he is derived from a Norse myth - arrogant, chivalrous, brave, powerful... The other familiar faces in the ensemble are Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Rene Russo & Natalie Portman...

The third movie was Source Code... Wikipedia describes it as a 'mystery techno-thriller' and I broadly agree... The concept for the movie is new, even though it will warrant inevitable comparisons with other films like Deja Vu & even Inception... At the risk of giving something away, I will refrain from revealing any more, but I will recommend it was a good watch...

The next 3 I have in my sights are I Am, Chalo Dilli & Fast 5... I'm hoping to catch these over the next 3 days and will make sure to scribble here about it when I do...