Rang De Basanti : A Review

An inspiration, a motivation and a superb concept. I never believed a film like this could be made in Bollywood. The trend of comedies, sex flicks and romances had me thinking there is no room for a change. But I was wrong.

Opening with Bhagat Singh’s immortal quotes, the film introduces us to a sensitive subject. It addresses the issue of today’s youth changing the face of the country. A group of friends who are so uncaring about their country live their own life in a way they feel is right. None of them thinks seriously about doing something for the country. Some can’t even fathom the idea of a 23-year old Bhagat Singh giving his life for the cause of freedom. But then something happens that makes them do the same the young revolutionary did, awaken the people.

Sue (Alice Patten) is a London-based director who wants to make a documentary on Indian revolutionaries during the Independence struggle. She has the diary of her grandfather who was a policeman during that time and was witness to Bhagat Singh and others’ hanging. She is inspired from what she reads and wants to make a film. But her firm doesn’t support it and so she leaves for India to do it on her own. She has a contact in India, Sonia (Soha Ali Khan), who tries to help her get actors for the roles in the film. After a futile set of auditions (this part is fun), she almost gives up hope until she meets Sonia’s ‘classroom’ pals. She gets introduced to DJ (Aamir Khan), Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), Karan (Siddharth) and Aslam (Kunal Kapoor). Watching them she feels she has her actors and pictures them in the revolutionaries role. DJ falls for Sue and she also starts liking him. After a bit of convincing she gets them to rehearse the parts and get into the characters. Pandey (Atul Kulkarni) is a man of principles, who is against the westernization of India. But he is glad to see a foreigner make a film on Indian revolutionaries and wants to join in. But he has a problem with Aslam, a Muslim and sometimes they have their tiffs. With DJ backing Aslam, he and Pandey get into a big fight where Sue decides that she doesn’t want to make the film as here people look for a reason to kill each other and this would hurt someone. But DJ and the others convince her to stay and continue and patch up with Pandey.

Ajay (R. Madhavan) comes into the picture as Sonia’s boyfriend. He is an Air-Force pilot, who is idealistic and want to do a lot for the country and is doing. He has his arguments with the others about the current situation of India and how the youth should change things. Things change when Ajay’s MiG-21 crashes and he is killed. During a mourning the police take violent measures to disrupt the protest against the Defense Minister who shakes off all responsibility. This event stirs up a hatred in the group, and they plan to take revenge. The last 45 minutes of the film are really good. Here is where the film is different.

The film not just wants to tell a story, it wants to teach us a lesson. Us is Indian youth. And the film accomplishes that. A new concept is born and I admire the director’s bravery to handle such a topic. He has done a good job. And he is well supported by the cast of the film. It’s rare to see all the actors in a film perform so well. Aamir is as usual, great. He doesn’t have that lion’s share of the film, but he surely makes his mark, shown as a 25 year old who doesn’t want to get out into the real world because of a fear. Kunal Kapoor does extremely well as a Muslim who is against the Hindu-Muslim fight. Sharman Joshi sees a fantastic job of the funny guy. He is a joker, and a character that brings a chuckle anytime he is on the screen in the film. Soha Ali Khan is surprisingly good. She may not be the best out there, but she does her role justice and I think I can safely say that she looks quite good in the film. Atul Kulkarni is always good. His role suits him perfectly and he has really mastered it well. Alice Patten is not the kind of firangis one sees in Indian films. I am talking about Rachel Stevens (Lagaan), Brande Roderick (Out of Control), not the good looking or hot types. But I must say she is sweet and does her job well. She even speaks Hindi well, though I am not sure how much she would understand. But this cute girl has acted well, and she is Aamir’s love in the film. But the most surprising performances comes from Siddharth. This guy is too good, and has a role as big as Aamir. He has been given importance in the film and rightly so, does everything perfectly. And he even adds a slight twist to the film in the end.

The film transitions between the past and the present showing how the revolutionaries fought and what things they did. It feels different and certainly not odd. And the music; Aamir said in an interview that Rehman has outdone himself this time. And I could think so too. The songs are fantastic, and the good thing about them is that they flow with the film. None of the songs are separate from the film. And the comedy, there is a nice touch of humor to the film. Touch is an understatement maybe. The film’s first half is quite funny, with Sukhi and DJ being the funniest.

All in all, a film worth watching. It was my first film in America and I was glad I saw this one. A film that entertains you as well as lakes you think a little. ‘Something different’, ‘Great concept’ are some of the short reviews you will here from people who have seen it. And if you haven’t, I suggest you do that as soon as possible. This one gets a 4.5/5.0 from me.

Aamir on the Big Screen again!!!

If Mangal Pandey impressed you, then you are a tremendous fan of Aamir, coz this film just sucked, and so did Aamir Khan to some level (let me remind all you out there that I am a hardcore Aamir fan, but he disappointed me). So, I am very much skeptical about his forthcoming film, Rang De Basanti. But Aamir, the kind of actor he is, can really turn a bad film into a good one on his performance alone. So, you never know, this could turn out to be another Dil Chahta Hai (boy that was a great film).
The story seems kind of similar to DCH, in terms of characters, college kids of the happy-go-lucky kind, uncaring for the world and living their lives like a game. Until a terrible event makes them look at life more seriously. They start living in the real world, fighting for the common man.
But someone the other day told me that's not quite the story. It’s about an English film-maker who wants to make a movie on the Indian revolutionaries and approached these kids in this matter. But the flatly refuse to help as the say they do not connect with these characters. But something about the film-maker and her motives makes them change their mind.
Now these two stories seem pretty different. And so I have decided not to listen or read about it until I see it for myself. Though I remember a few days ago I had read about this movie being screened specially for the Defense Minister and some others as it involves the MiG-21 crash theme. Now the story TOI had in that article seems the right one but you never know. That can be a marketing strategy. Like Manisha Koirala (remember her???) making news about her nude scenes and double they used in the film Ek Chhotisi Kahani. Apparently the double made more news than the film and Manisha.
Another strategic decision seems to be the postponing of the release to 26th. That sets the film for a National Issue theme. And I think TOI had it right. So what remains to be seen is how the film turns out to be. One thing is for sure that Aamir is going to be as good as he's always been. The songs have already been on the Charts (on my playlist atleast). So, wait for the 26th and a review from one of us.

Black sweeps them all!

At the recently concluded Star-Screen awards last week, Black swept away all the competition and garnered all the major awards.
No surprise if u ask me. Everyone who had seen the movie knew that it was headed straight for the Oscars! Although, some petty politics ensured that a more so-called 'Indian' film by the name of Paheli was nominated as India's official entry to the Oscars this year. Anyways, it makes no difference now!

Coming back to the awards, the screen awards are the first of the season and are a pretty good indicator of the things to come. So, it seems like a happy awards season for Black. More importantly, the Oscars of the Hindi film industry i.e. the Filmfare awards will be announced soon and Sanjay Leela Bhansali will be keeping his fingers crossed for the Filmfare!
The movie deserves every bit of the appreciation though! It was a bit of a shock for audiences initially as no one had ever expected a movie like Black. The story, screenplay, sets....everything was so enchanting that audiences just could not leave their seats for a second. The emotional bond between a teacher and a student is shown with utmost sincerity and honesty.
The performances are awesome to say the least. Amitabh Bachchan as the freaky teacher who later suffers with schizophrenia has given the best performance of his life and shown the world why he is considered as the ultimate superstar of Bollywood! Rani too is quite stunning to say the least. She does full justice to her author-backed role and excels in her role. The sign-language is portrayed authentically and the emotions of a deaf-blind person have been conveyed with full perfection. Ayesha Kapur as the young Rani is the star of the future. She gives a mind-boggling performance for a kid, which even had the legend Big-B praising her effort. What more can she ask for at such a young age!
Black for me was a revelation of Sanjay Leela Bhansali as a truly world-class director who can bring laurels to himself and India with his endeavors. He has always been considered as one of the best, but with Black he has proved that he is the best at present. The attention to detail is visible in his work and everytime he is able to extract that something special from his actors. These are good signs for the future. Lets hope his future ventures continue to surprise us with even more better work and that elusive 'Oscar' comes finally to India!

Who will win the race of 2005?

The 5 Best Hindi Films of 2005:

1> Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi:
Set in the era of Emergency,Naxalites and unrest, HKA's three protagonists play their part almost to perfection. Kaykay Menon as the rebel with a cause, Shiny Ahuja as a complex character with somewhat negative shades and Chitragada Singh as the love interest of both shine throughout the film. The film, portrays their story right through college life to the real bad world. Their life evolves and transforms as the story progresses.
The surprise package of the film is Chitragada Singh - a natural and passionate actor. The story sinks in as it unfolds, captivating the viewers. And the music of the film is undoubtedly amazing.

My rating 4.5/5

2> No Entry:
It wins hand-down as the best comic film of 2005. Bipasha Basu- the 'No Entry' girl, Salman Khan - the flirt, Anil Kapoor - the patni-vrata, Esha Deol - the pati-vrata, Lara Dutta - the suspicious wife, Fardeen Khan - the reporter in Anil's newspaper and Celina Jaitley - Fardeen's love interest all play their parts well. An extremely complex plot, which if not handled well would have caused the film to fall flat, is handled commendably. The film has rarely - if at all any - uninteresting parts. Good editing, good music and lovely comic timing are some contributor's to the film's status as the biggest hit of 2005

My Rating 4/5

3> Black:
The film, I believe, easily qualifies as one of the landmarks of Indian Film History. It pleasantly deviates from the routine to pure art. Unbelievable performances by Ayesha Kapoor (young Michelle), Amitabh and Rani in that order are truly out-of-this world. The relation between Michelle and her teacher are portrayed to utmost perfection. Superb editing and an applause to Bhansali and his entire team for their superlative work. Irrespective of whether the story is original or not - I sincerely believe that the film was tailor-made to get an Oscar and would have easily got it.Alas! politics is dirty and it spares none.
My gut feeling is that in fair award functions, it will win awards in every category for which it is nominated.

My rating 5/5

4> Page 3:
A serious and brave attempt by Madhur Bhandarkar to depict the empty and sick world of societies' celebrities. Infidelity, paedophile, homo-sexuality, wife-swapping, drugs, this film touches every issue. Konkona Sen Sharma as the 'journalist', who finds it difficult to handle the celeb culture, as always appears at ease playing her strong role. Good actors, a powerful script, able performances, nice music all help in make the genuine attempt to expose the gruesome realities of the glam world.

My rating 4.5/5

5> Iqbal:
Unfotunately, I haven't managed to see it completely yet! However, from whatever part I saw (and the word-of-mouth too), the film is brilliant to say the least.
And I can't rate it :(

Updated according to Anirudh's views abt Iqbal
"Iqbal would definitely be a 4.75/5...an excellent script..and awesome performances by shreyas talpade, nasir and shweta prasad....especially nasir who is simply amazing in his drunken coach role. Iqbal for me is the film after Black as far as ratings go!"

Lets' see who wins!!

Wedding Crashers : A Review

Wedding Crashers, the name really attracted me to the film. And also Owen Wilson, he’s a funny guy. And Rachel McAdams, man she’s HOT!!!
So, I saw the film and I can come up with this word…OK!!! The film is not a blockbuster; it is funny, but not very funny. It tickles you, but not in a way maybe a good Comedy would. But I can tell you that this is at least a one-time watch. It is funny as I say and that’s true.
The story goes as so, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are divorce mediators by profession but they also happen to be wedding crashers. Now those not familiar with this term (I wasn’t before I saw the film), it means that they go to weddings to pick up girls and have a great time. They become instant hits at the parties. The film starts with them planning out to go to wedding, Christian, Jew and even Hindu, they don’t matter. And they pick up girls there. They play their games and draw the women towards them and then basically screw them. Now after countless such weddings they are about to crack onto the ‘Kentucky Derby’ of all weddings, the wedding of the daughter of the Secretary of Treasury played by Christopher Walken. At the wedding they pick their targets, both happen to be the other daughters of the Secretary. But it seems that this time Owen Wilson has fallen for this one (Rachel McAdams). And he tries to get her every way. Vaughn goes for the younger daughter (Isla Fisher) and really hits it off. She confesses her love for him after their first time on the beach and tells him she’s a virgin. That freaks him out and he wants to bolt. Just then Owen Wilson has scored with McAdams and Walken, but finds out that she is already dating some guy (Bradley Cooper). Now he must try and win her. When Fisher offers to take them along to a beach home with her family, Wilson agrees and has Vaughn go with him reluctantly, asking him to bend a few rules of wedding crashing.
Here, Wilson tries playing his magic to win over McAdams. The Crashers meet with the girls’ nutty family getting into mishaps all the way. Meanwhile, Fisher really has Vaughn hooked up playing with him all the time, even at the dining table. Add to that a swearing, old Granny and a gay son of the Secretary and there are laughs all the way until their real identities are revealed.
What’s left to be seen is how Wilson goes into a destructive phase and Vaughn has planned to settle down and how finally everything turns out to be fine. This film is a real treat for Owen Wilson fans. He continues his good comic performance after Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights. Vince Vaughn is also really good. In fact, this guy is really funny. And he has you more than smiling many a times with his fast paced dialogues. Some of his scenes are really good.
All in all, this film can be rated as a 3.5/5. Not very healthy I know, but a 3.5 is a really good rating. Treat yourself to some laughs, but don’t expect to be holding your stomach in pain.

Some of my favourites!

Here are some of the additions to the list below from my side. These are those films which personally I am crazy about...(not to mention, all seen on numerous occasions). These films are not listed in any particular order as such.

1.> Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar - Starring Aamir Khan,Ayesha Jhulka
This movie is one of my all-time favourites. The perfect school love story combined with a competition in it. One of the most honest performances by Aamir and excellent music by Jatin-Lalit makes this movie amongst the best! The school atmosphere is perfectly created and the innocent love story makes it a winner!


2.> Coolie No. 1 - Starring Govinda,Karisma,Kader Khan
This is one of the craziest and funniest movies I have seen. After watching it umpteen no. of times, i still wanna see it again. The Govinda-Kader Khan combo is at its best in this one. An excellent stress-buster, this one is to be watched with your brains at home!

3.>Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - Starring Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan
This movie although may get a bit boring in some parts, is an excellent one overall. Ash has never looked so divine ever. Ajay Devgan for me is a revelation in HDDCS, his eyes do all the talking in this one, one of his best performances to date......I simply love the way his character has been portrayed. Salman too is tolerable for a change.

4.>Black - Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherji
This one actually stunned me.....I just wasn't ready for such a film to come in Bollywood. You just have to see it to believe it.Amitabh has given the performance of a lifetime......no one can even imagine to come even close to his performance in this movie. Here, he showcases all the emotions of joy, sorrow and anger to perfection. Perfectly matched by the awesome rani, This one's a winner all the way!


5.>Golmaal - Starring Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt
One of the all-time great comedies of Indian Cinema, Golmaal needs no introduction. A wacky Utpal Dutt gets under the skin of the character &delivers a memorable performance. Amol Palekar is at his comic best. Not to be missed this one!..Also The song "Golmaal hai bhai sab Golmaal hai" lingers in one's memory whenever u think about the movie!

6.> Sholay - Starring Amitabh,Dharmendra,Sanjeev kumar,Amjad Khan,Hema Malini, Jaya bhaduri
No list can be complete without the mention of Sholay. All the characters of this film have attained legendary status...be it Jai, Veeru,Thakur,Basanti, Mausiji or for that matter even Dhanno. Amjad Khan as Gabbar redefines the role of a villain with a performance of a lifetime....That laugh of his is still inimitable! All in all a true classic is what Sholay is!


7.>Chupke Chupke - Starring Amitabh,Dharmendra,Sharmila, Jaya,Omprakash
I have always been a fan of Hrishikesh Mukherji's films. His movies are so simple, yet entertaining and also manage to strike a chord with one's heartbeat. Chupke-Chupke symbolises all of the above. Omprakash as the 'Genius Jijaji' is harassed all the way by the naughty biology professor-turned driver Dharmendra. Their antics are amusing to say the least and combined with Amitabh the movie makes you laugh all the way!......."G-o gooo kyun nahi hota"?

8.>Anand -Starring Rajesh Khanna,Amitabh
This is one of the most endearing stories told in Indian Cinema. Excellent performances from both the lead actors and a heart-wrenching story are the pillars of this classic. The dying, yet so cheerful Anand played by Khanna, teaches a lesson in life to everyone around....Life life to the fullest!....The climax scene is simply captivating with Anand's recorded voice lingering away even as he lies dead on the bed!

9.>Jhankaar Beats- Starring Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose ,Shayan Munshi
This one may be a surprise addition to many, but i feel this movie broke new ground in Bollywood. The ease of dialogue delivery, the realistic portrayal of characters and the awesome music make this unconventional story of a wannabe band of boys a must watch!...Also Shayan Munshi's character somewhat reminds me of myself!

10,>Swades - Starring Shahrukh Khan,Gayatri Joshi
To finish off this list, Swades was a perfect choice. Not only coz I am a SRK loyalist, but also the fact that he proved to everyone that he could think outside the box and come up with a restrained, yet mind blowing performance. Mohan Bhargav was played with utmost sincerity and one could see that in the movie. Gayatri Joshi too was commendable in her debut film.


So, here is a small list of movies which i like and can watch any no. of times. There are many more which could make the list, but somethings should beleft for later!

All-Time-Most-Watched List

The List of top 10 films based purely on the number of times I have seen them.....


1> Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein - Starring Madhavan,Saif Ali Khan and Diya Mirza




2> Andaz Apna Apna - Starring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Paresh Rawal and others




3> Maine Pyaar Kiya - Starring Salman Khan, Bhagyashree




4> Karz - Starring Rishi Kapoor,Simi Garewal,Pran




5> Agneepath - Starring Amitabh Bachhan, Mithun,Danny




6> Karan Arjun - Starring Salman Khan,Shahrukh Khan,Rakhee




7> Lawaaris - Starring Amitabh Bacchan, Amjad Khan and Zeenat Aman




8> Hero - Starring Jackie Shroff, Meenakshi Sheshadri




9> Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - Starring Shahrukh Khan,Kajol



10> Nayak - Starring Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee


PS: Only Films that have been viewed more than 50 times were eligible... Wish I had the time and energy to list the Top 20!!