Likely turkeys! :D

The following movies IMO are most likely the worst we'll see this year...Thankfully, Subhash Ghai hs no projects coming up (hopefully forever :D ) else i wud hv stopped watching movies altogethr :)

1. Billu Barber - altho the story revolves around Irfan Khan, the way SRK is being promoted as the face of the movie, it is likely to be a huge disappointment...and i dont really hv any respect for Priyadarshan's directorial skills...he stopped making good movies aftr Virasat...did i hear some1 say Hera Pheri ws a good movie?? well yeah, true, but essentially bcz of Paresh Rawal!

2. Veer - Sallu and screenplay writing!!! :O WTF?!! he did tht wit the insanely hilarious and crappy Chandramukhi 16 yrs ago and some ppl stil hvnt recovered frm laughing thr asses off! and aftr i saw this pic of Sallu, whr hes supposed to be a good samaritan-warrior frm ol' times, i cud barely stop myself frm puking!! :O Salman hs lost it (i kno, i kno...long back!!)...and whn u hv Anil 'Gadar' Sharma navigating the ship, it sure is a disaster waiting to happen! actually its one of those rare bad movies m actually lookin fwd to! hvnt ROFLd in a long tim :D

3. Main Aur Mrs Khanna - its a movie abt extra-marital affairs (how innovative!!) whr Sallu and Kareena play Mr. and Mrs. Khanna....and Sohail Khan presumably plays the 'affair'! :D with a debutant director at the helm of affairs, the Khan bros r sure to sabotage the project and serve us some yucky stuff tht wil leav a horrible after-taste! M sick of watching Salman and Sohali act 'funny' wit thr pelvis-crotch brand of humor!

4. Kajraa re - A 'realistic' movie abt Pakistan's infamous Heera Mandi area directed by Pooja Bhatt and starring Himess Bhai!! Noooooo...spare me the horror! :D

5. Hook Ya Crook - Directed by David Dhawan, John plays a cricketer in this movie :D :D :D and to top it, its touted as a thriller with a sprinkling of comedy and romance :D ha ha ha :D LOLs

6. Hidaba (watevr tht means!) - this one stars Rani Mukherjee as a girl who wants to play cricket and hence, she puts on a moustache and, hold ur breath, joins the boys team to play alongside Shahid Kapur.....ROFL :D :D :D to top it, Rakhi Sawant is said to hv a major role....all the more reason to watch the movie they feel :D and to top it even more, its a YRF film!...yikes :O sounds lik anothr Tashan to me! :)

7. My Name Is Khan - The mere fact tht SRK plays an autistic character in ths KJo venture hd me in splits whn i heard it for the first time! SRK and autistic!! aur kitna ham-overact-ham karega yaar!!!

8. All Govinda starrers - tht guy is back on hs ego-trip tht he hd to abandon mid-way in 2002 bcz of heavy public backlash...but one (thoroughly pathetic) Partner in his kitty and hes feeling euphoric again!

9. All movies Sanjay Gadhvi associates himself with - Mr. Gadhvi, seriously Dhoom2 and Kidnap are enuff! Get lost!!

10. All Akshay Kumar movies - i am sick of this guy...he made me cry wit every movie of his aftr Namaste London - be it Bhool Bhulaiya, Heyy Babyy, Singh Is Kingg or CC2C...no more Akki for me please!

i hope u all tk my cue and stay away frm these turkeys! lets b safe out thr! :)

An inside story...for the inside people...

Luck By Chance is a true sign of a republic- in the sense that it is a movie by the film fraternity, of the film fraternity and for the film fraternity! Zoya Akhtar makes her debut with this long-in-the-making movie (or more appropriately, docu-drama) which is subtle, intelligent, insightful, realistic (if i may use the word!) and pretty impressive...but alas! as i said, it is a movie for movie maniacs- ppl who love films and not just as a means of entertainment....its for ppl who like movies for wat they r, ppl who care abt how they r made, ppl who r not looking just for thr money's worth but somthng more....and diffrnt....its not a mass-entertainer...

What the team serves us is a delightful dish which hs a lot of meat in it, but which is also a bit bland, sans any masala....the movie gives an insider's view of the hindi film industry and it does a commendable job at tht! the subtlety and underplay is brilliant...the scenes with most of the special appearances are excellently written and executed, especially the ones with Anurag Kashyap, Akshay Khanna, Abhishek Bacchan and SRK...the inside jokes are really clever but not everyone will get them bcz u need to know abt these ppl and hw the industry works to undstnd wt they r driving at...Farhan and Konkona prove to be sincere and worthy actors....Farhan especially is very good in his protrayal of a struggler when he arrives for the auditions and suffers from insecurities after seeing his competitors...Hrithik, Sanjay Kapoor, Juhi, Dimple, Isha, Aly Khan, Arjun Mathur-everybody plays thr part to the T...however, the show stealer is undoubtedly Rishi Kapoor, who is hilarious as well as sensitive in the right proportions...he is just awesome! music is good but surprisingly, not as effectively utilised in the narrative, as it cud hv been...the opening credits deserve special mention...and amongst the appearances, Anurag Kashyap and Akshay Khanna, are especially emphatic....

However, the direction is a little too elite and tht makes the movie undecipherable for some...i saw the movie wit some of my frnds and not all of thm appreciated the subtlety...since tht makes the motive behind the scene difficult to comprehend for all and sundry...as a whole, the movie lacks the punch tht cud hv made it create a lasting impression....i kno, underplay is emphatic too, but too much of it can kill the narrative, jus lik too much of in-your-face humor can!

Its difficult to predict how many people outside the film fraternity, barring a few movie maniacs, will appreciate the movie...it will most likely face rough weather at the BO....so commercial acclaim seems a distant dream...but critical acclaim, it wil (and has!) definitely garner in loads....it IS good cinema after all...only thing is it isnt half as entertaining as it cud have been....guess thrs no answer to the question 'Should i watch this movie?'. Good, it certainly is....Entertaining, i wont say! Not every1s cup of tea! :)

The circle of life...

wake up....groan...get ready in a jiffy...look at the watch...groan...make a dash for the bus...see the bus pass by towards the stop...groan...lurch towards it...miss getting hit by fast cars...run...shout...get in...plop on a seat...heave a sigh of relief....pull out a book...read...converse....read....converse...watch a bike-rider almost meet his death....watch him smile moments aftr hes narrowly escaped...wonder....read...converse...read...doze off momentarily...read...screech to a halt...get out...get in....hit the gym...change...kick ass...get ass kicked...change...stand in a queue...order food...wait...groan....get food....gorge....smack lips...lick off the last bits...climb stairs...avoid getting in the way of people...avoid people getting in your way...reach cube...plop on chair...check mail...check 'to do list'....groan...focus...wade through code...try to find somthng...groan...check new mail....listen to music...wade through more code...focus...relish the 'moment of awakening'....write it down...wade through more code...get cald for an 'important' meeting....groan...lock pc...enter conf room...listen to people droning away unenthusiastically...focus....lose focus...dream....day-dream...focus...answer questions...lose focus...dream...look at watch...yawn...get up...leave room happily...unlock pc...more code...more groans...more enlightenment...get up...go downstairs....order lunch....wait in queue...hum...look around...check the better looking chicks...get food...try to find a table...roam around...keep trying...get a table...sit...eat...enjoy the food...chat...crack jokes...laugh...smile...enjoy....laze around...roam...go back to work...more code...more mails...more music...more meetings...more work...look at watch...rush to cafe...fill up water bottle...pick up bag...rush downstairs...run towards bus...grab the door handle...jump in...find a seat...sit...smile...heave multiple sighs of relief...smile at self...plug headphones into cellphone...play songs...lip sync word for word...enjoy...wallow in the music...feel happy....feel content...feel lik ur alive an' kicking...love every moment...converse...relish the music...reach stop...get down...walk home enthusiastically...enjoy the chirping birds...and the walking birds...reach home...put the music on loudspeaker...sing aloud...change...keep singing...dance around on the beats...live in the moment...switch on laptop...check mail...check regularly visited sites...chat...look out the window...enjoy the dusk...call a frnd...go back to old times...talk...talk some more...hang up...get ready to cook...cook...enjoy the smell of home-cooked food...simmer...cal home...talk...switch on mtv...check out the latest songs...start dinner...laugh....talk abt the day...finish dinner...wind up...go back to laptop...check mail...chat....enqueue the next episode of Friends/HIMYM/Two and a half men in WMP...watch...smile...laugh....enjoy...watch one more episode even tho its late...check blog...chat...switch off laptop post midnight...set alarm...sleep...dream...snooze off alarm...snooze more...snooze some more...turn off alarm...doze off...wake up...groan...get ready in a jiffy...look at the watch....groan....make a dash...............

Parallels...

The music of Dev D makes me feel the same way the music of Pink Floyd does...

A precursor of 09...

easily the best and most intelligent 'predictive' post i hv read in ages!!

http://wokay.in/2009/01/18/2009-in-preview/

Of dashed dreams...

SEL hv come up with a brilliant single in Luck By Chance and the lyrics hv swept me off my feet every single tim i hv heard the song! Here they are...

Song: Sapnon Se Bhare Naina

Bagiyaa Bagiya Baalak Bhaage
Titli Phir Bhi Haath Na Laage
Is Pagle Ko Kaun Bataaye
Dhoondh Raha Hai Jo Tu Jag Mein
Koi Jo Paaye To Man Mein Hi Paaye

Sapnon Se Bhare Naina..
Toh Neend Hai Naa Chaina..
Sapnon Se Bhare Naina..
Toh Neend Hai Naa Chaina..

Aisi Dagar Koi Agar Jo Apnaaye
Har Raah Ke Wo Ant Pe Rastaa Hi Paaye
Dhoop Ka Rasta Jo Pair Jalaaye
Mod To Aaye Chhaav Naa Aaye
Raahi Jo Chalta Hai Chalta Hi Jaaye
Koi Nahi Hai Jo Kaheen Use Samjhaaye

Sapnon Se Bhare Naina..
Toh Neend Hai Naa Chaina..
Sapnon Se Bhare Naina..
Toh Neend Hai Naa Chaina..

Door Hi Se Saagar Jise Har Koi Maane
Paani Hai Wo Ya Ret Hai Yeh Kaun Jaane
Jaise Ke Din Se Rain Alag Hai
Sukh Hai Alag Aur Chain Alag Hai
Par Jo Ye Dekhe Wo Nain Alag Hai
Chain To Hai Apna Sukh Hai Paraaye

Sapnon Se Bhare Naina..
Toh Neend Hai Naa Chaina..
Sapnon Se Bhare Naina..
Toh Neend Hai Naa Chaina..

Movie Name : Luck By Chance
Singer :Shankar Mahadevan
Music Director : Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Lyrics : Javed Akhtar

Music to the ears!

What a start the yr 2009 hs hd music wise!! Slumdog Millionaire, Dev D, Luck By Chance and nw Delhi 6! Awesome!

Slumdog hs ARR at hs brilliant best, esp with O Saya, Paper Planes and Mausam & Escape...

Dev D is an awe-inspiring composition...Most of the tracks r brilliant with Saali Khushi, Aankh Micholi, Duniya, Nayan Tarse and Yehi Meri Zindagi taking the cake...but the true show-stealer is Emossanal Atyachar...the brass band version is diffrnt to say the least...whil the rock version is probably the only hard rock song ever in hindi movies (not counting Zahreelay frm Rock On!!) and its brilliant!

Luck By Chance hs some classic SEL stuff...Sapnon Se Bhare Naina, Yeh Zindagi Bhi and Baawre rock the scene! An amalgam of classical and techno, vintage SEL stuff ths!

Delhi 6 hs ARR at hs maverick best...the title rap is lilting...Dil Gira Dafatan is superb...Rehna Tu is very Jaane Tu-ish but still very good...and Masakali will probably turn out to b the most captivating song of the yr! Its been sung superbly by Mohit Chauhan...

So our ears r in for a treat ths Jan...turn on the speakers full volume at the right equalizer setting...and jus let ur hair down! :)

Slumdog is an interesting movie....

Watched the movie more thn a week ago but getting tim only nw to write smthng abt it...the movie is an underdog-cum-triumph of the human spirit story, which hs its breath-taking moments....altho the plot hs a few gaping loopholes, the direction and razor-sharp editing more thn make up for them...and thrs tht meastro touch by Rehman, tht elevates the movie to a diffrnt level altogethr...the performances are awe-inspiring, esp by the kids...gr8 work thr by the director again...

coming to the accusations tht the movie portrays india in poor light, i wud lik to say, ths is a movie and if u cant digest the truth, go watch drona...also, if ths movie portrays india in poor light, wt picture do u thnk movies lik tashan, cc2c and rab ne present to the outer world of india? bacchan can go tk a break...i never expected an actor of his stature and maturity to say smthng lik ths in hs blog! gues hes not as sane as i thot he ws!

all the gimmickry of glorifying the west and the cliched item dance in the end aside, ths is an awesome tale told wit aplomb and finesse by the team...so much so tht u r willing to accept watevr they present on ur platter...and there-in lies the victory of the movie! Brilliant with a capital B!!

The worst of the year is here....

Along the line of Razzies in Hollywood, I am dying to honour the ppl out here who made us tear our hair out, and pushed us to the point of no-return...our lives r never gonna b the same....and the only ppl responsible, r honored below :)


Worst Film

Tashan
God Tussi Great Ho
Kidnap
Drona
Love Story 2050
Karzzzzz


Worst Actor

Salman Khan - God Tussi Great Ho
Sanjay Dutt - Kidnap
Abhishek Bachhan - Drona
Harman Baweja - Love Story 2050
Anil Kapoor - Tashan
Himesh Reshamiya - Karzzzzz


Worst Actress

Minisha Lamba - Kidnap
Rani Mukherjee - Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
Urmila Matondkar - Karzzzz
Katrina Kaif - Singh Is Kinng
Anushka Sharma - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Worst Director

Harry Baweja - Love Story 2050
Goldie Behl - Drona
Sanjay Gadhvi - Kidnap
Abbas Mastan - Race
Satish Kaushik - Karzzzzz
Aditya Chopra - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Subhash Ghai - Yuvvraaj


If these ppl hd exercised some restraint, we wud hv been spared some precious moments of our lives and some crucial portions of our sanity....but alas! the damage hs been done and v hv been scarred for life!

And the winner is.....

With the awards season round the corner, i decided to indulge a bit and come up with my own nominations and awards for the year 2008....lets call thm the Ozzies... ;)
The nominations are given below and the winners have been bold italicized...

Best Film

Ghajini
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
A Wednesday!
Dasvidaniya
Rock On!!
Oye Lucky....Lucky Oye!!
Mumbai Meri Jaan

Best Director

A. R. Murugadoss - Ghajini
Abbas Tyrewala - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Abhishek Kapoor - Rock On!!
Ashutosh Gowarikar - Jodhaa Akbar
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday!
Nishikant Kamat - Mumbai Meri Jaan

Best Actor (Male)

Hrithik Roshan - Jodhaa Akbar
Naseeruddin Shah - A Wednesday!
Aamir Khan - Ghajini
Abhay Deol - Oye Lucky...Lucky Oye!!
Vinay Pathak - Dasvidaniya

Best Actor (Female)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - Jodhaa Akbar
Asin Thottumkal - Ghajini
Genelia D'souza - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Kajol - U Me Aur Hum
Priyanka Chopra - Fashion

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)

Anupam Kher - A Wednesday!
Arjun Rampal - Rock On!!
Irrfan Khan - Mumbai Meri Jaan
Paresh Rawal - Mumbai Meri Jaan
Jimmy Sheirgill - A Wednesday!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)

Bipasha Basu - Bachna Ae Haseeno
Kangana Ranaut - Fashion
Mugdha Godse - Fashion
Shahana Goswami - Rock On!!

Best Actor in a Negative Role

Akshaye Khanna - Race
Kay Kay Menon - Shaurya
Dilip Prabhawalkar - Sarkar Raj
Ila Arun - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Actor in a Comic Role

Abhishek Bachchan - Dostana
Tusshar Kapoor - Golmaal Returns
Hiten Paintal - Bachna Ae Haseeno
Sohail Khan & Arbaaz Khan - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na

Most Promising Newcomer (Male)

Farhan Akhtar - Rock On!!
Imran Khan - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Prateik Babbar - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Rajeev Khandelwal - Aamir

Most Promising Newcomer (Female)

Anushka Sharma - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Asin Thottumkal - Ghajini
Prachi Desai - Rock On!!
Shahana Goswami - Rock On!!
Mugdha Godse - Fashion
Sonal Chauhan - Jannat

Most Promising Debut Director

A. R. Murugadoss - Ghajini
Abbas Tyrewala - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday!
Nishikant Kamat - Mumbai Meri Jaan
Rajkumar Gupta - Aamir
Tarun Mansukhani - Dostana

Best Music

A. R. Rahman - Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
A. R. Rahman - Jodhaa Akbar
Pritam - Jannat
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - Rock On!!
Vishal-Shekhar - Dostana

Best Playback Singer (Male)

Rashid Ali - Kabhi Kabhi Aditi (Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na)
A. R. Rahman - Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Jodhaa Akbar)
Benny Dayal - Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini)
Benny Dayal - Tu Hi Meri Dost Hai (Yuvvraaj)
Kamran Ahmad - Judaai (Jannat)
KK - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Amanat Ali, Raja Hassan - Khabar Nahi (Dostana)
Sukhwinder Singh - Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Best Playback Singer (Female)

Dominique Cerejo - Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein (Rock On!!)
Shilpa Rao - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Shreya Ghoshal - Teri Ore (Singh Is Kinng)
Shreya Ghoshal - Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini)
Shreya Ghoshal - Tu Hi To Meri Dost Hai (Yuvvraaj)
Alka Yagnik - Tu Muskuraa (Yuvvraaj)

Best Lyrics

Gulzar - Zindagi (Yuvvraaj)
Anvita Dutt Guptan - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Anvita Dutt Guptan - Khabar Nahi (Dostana)
Abbas Tyrewala - Kahin To Hogi (Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na)
Prasoon Joshi - Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini)
Sayeed Quadri - Zara Si Dil Mein De Jagah (Jannat)
Javed Akhtar - In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein (Jodhaa Akbar)
Javed Akhtar - All songs from Rock On!!!

Best Dialogue

Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Dostana
Bachna Ae Haseeno
A Wednesday!
Rock On!
Mumbai Meri Jaan

Have refrained from giving away the technical awards as i wud lik to keep my choices to myself...look out for the razzies of the yr in the next post :)