Showing posts with label A R Rahman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A R Rahman. Show all posts

Thursday, July 4, 2013

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' !!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

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...