Adios 2013!

As 2014 begins, it is time to list out what appealed to me (and hopefully at least a few cinegoers) most and what repelled me in 2013.

Movies I absolutely loved...
Kai Po Che - Delightfully heartbreaking tale of friendship and ambitions stymied by fate!
Raanjhanaa - Wonderfully realistic and irrational love story that ends as tragically as it begins
Raam Leela - A brash, colorful take on the bard's eternal love story accentuated by spirited performances
Madras Cafe - A hard-hitting docu-drama that takes sides but reveals enough while doing so
Lootera - A slow, yet impactful retelling of O. Henry's Last Leaf with melodious music and beautiful frames

Movies that were flawed but watchable...
Special 26 - A trying-to-be-smart film, which has its monents but which goes a tad too far in trying to swindle the viewers, not to mention the damage done by unnecessary songs and a tame romantic angle
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag - An at-times gripping biographical with unnecessary songs and bravado scenes to live out the fantasy of Milkha Singh
B. A. Pass - Faithful translation of Railway Aunty that focuses more on the lurid and less on the emotions
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns - Interesting story brought down by the hammy Mahie Gill and the underwhelming climax
Aurangzeb - Interesting take on Don and The Devil's Double that is a little stretched and often underwhelming
Bombay Talkies - A couple of fantastic stories (Star, Murabba) marred by a couple of cheesy ones (Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh, Sheila Ki Jawaani)

Movies I thought were overrated...
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani - A coming of age film that focuses too much on long legs and pretty visuals and delves very little into the subject matter
The Lunchbox - A pretentious and boring film with some good moments
Shuddh Desi Romance - Unrelatable yawn-fest, where you lose track of who wants what as quickly as the characters in the film
Ghanchakkar - Too underwhelming for its own good

Movies I hated... 
Grand Masti - Unfunny, boring and lame
Zanjeer - Ghastly!
Chennai Express - Squanders some interesting ideas to deliver a stereotypical unfunny comedy with a hammy SRK in every frame
The Attacks of 26/11 - Terrible attempt at homage to the dastardly acts, punctuated with irritating background music, pathetic camera angles and deliberately bad acting
Chashme Baddoor - Bad remake of a really funny film, even Dibyendu Sharma couldnt save this one
Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara - Yawn-inducing soporific film about clowns who happen to be gangsters

And now for the awards....

Best Actor
Sushant Singh Rajput - Kai Po Che
Akshay Kumar - Special 26
Dhanush - Raanjhanaa
Farhan Akhtar - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Ranveer Singh - Lootera
Ranveer Singh - Raam Leela

Best Actress
Deepika Padukone - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Sonam Kapoor - Raanjhanaa
Sonakshi Sinha - Lootera
Deepika Padukone - Raam Leela
Shilpa Shukla - B. A. Pass

Best Film
Kai Po Che
Raanjhanaa
Lootera
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Raam Leela
Madras Cafe

Best Director
Abhishek Kapoor - Kai Po Che
Subhash Kapoor - Jolly LLB
Anand L Rai - Raanjhanaa
Vikrmaditya Motwane - Lootera
Sanjay Leela Bhansali - Raam Leela
Shoojit Sircar - Madras Cafe

Best Supporting Actor
Rajkumar Yadav - Kai Po Che
Amit Sadh - Kai Po Che
Saurabh Shukla - Jolly LLB
Boman Irani - Jolly LLB
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub - Raanjhanaa
Paresh Rawal - Table No. 21
Rishi Kapoor - Aurangzeb
Nawaazuddin Siddiqui - Bombay Talkies

Best Supporting Actress
Kalki Koechlin - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Swara Bhaskar - Raanjhanaa
Konkona Sen Sharma - Ek Thi Daayan
Supriya Pathak - Raam Leela

Best Music Director
Amit Trivedi - Kai Po Che
Mithoon, Jeet - Aashiqui 2
Pritam - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Amit Trivedi - Lootera
A R Rehman - Raanjhanaa
Sanjay Leela Bhansali - Raam Leela

Best Song 
Maanjha - Kai Po Che
Tum Hi Ho - Aashiqui 2
Sunn Raha Hain Na Tu - Aashiqui 2
Badtameez Dil - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Manmarziyaan - Lootera
Raanjhanaa - Raanjhanaa
Lahu Munh Lag Gaya - Raam Leela
Ambarsariya - Fukrey
Zinda - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Male Playback Singer
Amit Trivedi - Manjha, Kai Po Che
Arijit Singh - Tum Hi Ho, Aashiqui 2
Ankit Tiwari - Sunn Raha Hain Na Tu, Aashiqui 2
Amit Trivedi - Ghanchakkar Babu, Ghanchakkar
Benny Dayal - Badtameez Dil, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Sukhvinder Singh - Piya Milenge, Raanjhanaa
Shiraz Uppal, Jaswinder Singh - Raanjhanaa, Raanjhanaa
Javed Ali - Tum Tak, Raanjhanaa
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Ankahee, Lootera
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Shikayatein, Lootera
Siddharth Mahadevan - Zinda, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Arijit Singh - Laal Ishq, Raam Leela
Shail Hada - Lahu Munh Lag Gaya, Raam Leela

Best Female Playback Singer
Shreya Ghoshal - Sunn Raha Hain Na Tu, Aashiqui 2
Shruti Pathak - Shubharambh, Kai Po Che
Sona Mohapatra - Ambarsariya, Fukrey
Rekha Bharadwaj - Kabira, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Shalmali Kholghade - Balam Pichkari, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Shreya Ghoshal - Banarasiya, Raanjhanaa
Monali Thakur - Sawaar Loon, Lootera
Shilpa Rao - Manmarziyan, Lootera
Shreya Ghoshal - Nagada Sang Dhol, Raam Leela

Best Lyrics
Mithoon - Tum Hi Ho, Aashiqui 2
Irshad Kamil - Milne Hai Mujhse Aayi, Aashiqui 2
Swanand Kirkire - Manjha, Kai Po Che
Swanand Kirkire - Shubharambh, Kai Po Che
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Khoon Choos Le, Go Goa Gone
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Badtameez Dil, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Irshad Kamil - Tum Tak, Raanjhanaa
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Shikayatein, Lootera
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Manmarziyan, Lootera
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Sawaar Loon, Lootera
Prasoon Joshi - Zinda, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Siddhartha-Garima - Lahu Munh Lag Gaya

Worst Actor Imran Khan - Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara
Shah Rukh Khan - Chennai Express
Ram Charan - Zanjeer
Vivek Oberoi - Grand Masti
Ranbeer Kapoor - Besharam

Worst Actress
Sonakshi Sinha - Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara
Sonakshi Sinha - R... Rajkumar
Amisha Patel - Race 2
Priyanka Chopra - Zanjeer
Pallavi Sharda - Besharam

Worst Film
Himmatwala
Race 2
Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara
Zanjeer
Besharam
Boss
Gori Tere Pyaar Mein

Worst Director
Sudhir Mishra - Inkaar
Abbas Mustaan - Race 2
Ram Gopal Verma - The Attacks of 26/11
Abhinav Kashyap - Besharam
Apoorva Lakhia - Zanjeer
Milan Luthria - Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara

Previous years : 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 (best and worst), 2008 (best and worst)

Sanjay ki Leela ka Raam, Sanjay ke Raam ki Leela!

I had given up on Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Not that I was ever a huge fan of his, but his last few efforts - the much-overrated Black, the dull and soporific Saawariya and the good but too-long-for-its-own-good Guzaarish had left a lot to be desired. Gone was the innocence and honesty of the free-spirited Khamoshi, the playfulness and youthful romance of the wonderful Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or even the grandiose and drama of the resplendent Devdas. There was no hope and in fact, I had resigned and moved on.  And then, I happened to watch SLB's latest last week. And was I mesmerized or what!

 GKR Raam Leela or Raam Leela, for short, as it was originally intended to be called and as it should be called, some prudes in the country notwithstanding, is a fantastic movie with great dialogues, excellent direction and spirited performances. This movie reminds once again what a good director can achieve. SLB has done a great job writing and directing the film and has brought out the best in all his actors. I wasnt sure how Ranveer Singh would do in a complex role and cringed throughout his entry song. But he rose to the occasion and how! He is just fantastic and I cannot imagine many other actors who could have done his chichora-with-a-heart role so well. Deepika is delightful and dances with aplomb, and although she falls short of being brilliant like Ash in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Madhuri in Devdas, she is miles ahead of all actresses of the current generation (perhaps except Vidya Balan). Glad Kareena did not do this film. She would have got rid of all the intimate scenes with Ranveer which were essential to establish the attraction between the lead pair. The Ranveer-Deepika chemistry is outstanding! Supriya Pathak shines in an author-backed role and effortlessly chews the screen when she is in it. While you can see Deepika is putting in a lot of effort to carry off the role, and Ranveer is taking it easy, Supriya Pathak is completely effortless and that comes only with experience. All supporting actors do their bit well. Music is fantastic and beautifully used. Especially, Lahu Munh Lag Gaya, Ang Laga De and Laal Ishq are haunting; Ram Chahe Leela, Nagada Sang Dhol, Ishqyaon and Tattad Tattad are appropriately placed and lift the movie a couple of notches. Dialogues are superb and bring freshness and fun to the proceedings.

There are a few glitches in the script like the ridiculous contract scene in the end, and the movie could have been about 20 mins shorter, but with the rest of it being so enjoyable, you would be willing to gloss over the glitches. SLB is the real hero of this venture and now I am looking forward to seeing his next. He is back with a bang!

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013

The year is over and its time to wrap up with lists and awards. So, here they are :)

Movies I absolutely loved...
English Vinglish - Delightfully simple and well-told story with super acting by Sridevi
OMG Oh My God! - A difficult concept portrayed in an effective way
Kahaani - Taut, well-paced, suspense thriller
Barfi! - Fun, bitter-sweet movie with great acting by all leads

Movies I enjoyed...
Agneepath - Intense masala done well with very good performances
Vicky Donor - Novel concept executed with great impact
Rowdy Rathore - Massy masala done in the most entertaining way possible

Movies that were flawed but watchable...
Talaash - A very gripping suspense till the climax, after which the movie goes downhill
Cocktail - An on-off urban tale of relationships
Agent Vinod - An overlong spy story with some great scenes and movie references
Ek Tha Tiger - Decent first half, wayward second half; overall a dull but watchable Salman movie after years

Movies I thought were overrated...
Gangs of Wasseypur I - Over-indulgent, overlong and stupefyingly boring tale with a one line story
Gangs of Wasseypur II - Takes forever to come to the point and the point is excruciatingly stupid
Ishaqzaade - Waters down a crackling start and sparkling performance by Parineeti with some overwhelmingly stupid twists and a never-ending last hour
Dabangg 2 - Laziest sequel ever; nothing even remotely interesting happens in the movie

Movies I hated...
Kya Super Kool Hain Hum - As crass as it can get
Jab Tak Hain Jaan - As dumb as a story can get

Movies I decided to miss...
Housefull 2 - Could not bear the thought of watching John and Akki in a Sajid Khan comedy
Bol Bacchan - Ajay Devgan is terrible at comedy!
Joker - The trailer made things amply clear
Son of Sardaar - Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt are both awful at comedy
Khiladi 786 - What crap!

And now for the awards....

Best Film
Kahaani
Agneepath
Barfi!
English Vinglish
OMG Oh My God!

Best Director
Sujoy Ghosh - Kahaani
Anurag Basu - Barfi!
Habib Faisal - Ishaqzaade
Karan Malhotra - Agneepath
Gauri Shinde - English Vinglish

Best Actor
Hrithik Roshan - Agneepath
Ranbir Kapoor - Barfi!
Irrfan Khan - Paan Singh Tomar
Akshay Kumar - Rowdy Rathore
Paresh Rawal - OMG Oh My God!
Ayushman Khurrana - Vicky Donor

Best Actress
Vidya Balan - Kahaani
Deepika Padukone - Cocktail
Priyanka Chopra - Barfi!
Parineeti Chopra - Ishaqzaade
Sridevi - English Vinglish

Best Supporting Actor
Rishi Kapoor - Agneepath
Boman Irani - Ferrari Ki Sawaari
Saurabh Shukla - Barfi!
Anu Kapoor - Vicky Donor
Abhay Deol - Shanghai
Akshay Kumar - OMG Oh My God!

Best Supporting Actress
Diana Penty - Cocktail
Ileana D' Cruz - Barfi!
Dolly Ahluwalia - Vicky Donor
Kareena Kapoor  - Talaash
Huma Qureshi - Gangs of Wasseypur II
Richa Chaddha - Gangs of Wasseypur I & II

Best Music
Pritam - Cocktail
Ajay-Atul - Agneepath
Amit Trivedi - Ishaqzaade
Pritam - Barfi!
Ram Sampath - Talaash
Amit Trivedi - English Vinglish

Best Song
Tumhi Ho Bandhu - Cocktail
Chikni Chameli - Agneepath
Pani Da Rang - Vicky Donor
Pareshaan - Ishaqzaade
Aashiayan - Barfi!

Best Male Playback Singer
Ayushmaan Khurana - Pani Da Rang (Vicky Donor)
Arif Lohar - Jugni (Cocktail)
Sonu Nigam - Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin (Agneepath)
Mohit Chauhan - Barfi (Barfi!)
Nikhil Paul George - Main Kya Karoon (Barfi!)
Phir Le Aya Dil - Arijit Singh (Barfi!)

Best Female Playback Singer
Shalmali Kholgade - Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade)
Kavita Seth - Tumhi Ho Bandhu (Cocktail)
Shreya Ghoshal - Chikni Chameli (Agneepath)
Neeti Mohan - Jiya Re (Jab Tak Hai Jaan)
Shreya Ghoshal - Radha (Student Of The Year)

Best Lyricist
Irshad Kamil - Luttna (Cocktail)
Irshad Kamil - Tumhi Ho Bandhu (Cocktail)
Javed Akhtar - Jee Le Zara (Talaash)
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Abhi Mujhe Mein Kahin (Agneepath)
Swanand Kirkire - Aashiyan (Barfi!)
Kausar Munir - Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade)
Ayushman Khurrana, Rochak Kohli - Pani Da Rang (Vicky Donor)

Best Story
Gauri Shinde - English Vinglish
Bhavesh Mandaliya, Umesh Shukla - OMG Oh My God!
Tigmanshu Dhulia - Paan Singh Tomar
Sujoy Ghosh, Advaita Kala - Kahaani
Anurag Basu - Barfi!
Juhi Chaturvedi - Vicky Donor

Best Screenplay
Gauri Shinde - English Vinglish
Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair, Nikhil Vyas - Kahaani
Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar - Talaash
Shiraz Ahmad - Rowdy Rathore
Bhavesh Mandaliya, Umesh Shukla - OMG Oh My God!

Best Dialogues
Juhi Chaturvedi - Vicky Donor
Zeishan Qadri, Anurag Kashyap - Gangs Of Wasseypur I
Zeishan Qadri, Anurag Kashyap - Gangs Of Wasseypur II
Bhavesh Mandaliya, Umesh Shukla - OMG Oh My God!
Habib Faisal - Ishaqzaade

Previous years : 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 (lists and worst)

Jab Tak Thi Jaan

Jab Tak Hain Jaan is a story of some of the most stupid characters you have seen till date. Check this out -

A Punjabi NRI girl who bargains with Sir Jesus for every damn thing in life, ultimately bargaining for the life of someone she apparently loves immensely (while engaged to someone else, but we'll forgive her for that) in return for not loving him again ever (or as it seemed from later parts, not to sleep with him, coz you know, that's what true love is all about - sex). Dont even get me started on the lack of bottoms in her wardrobe - apparently someone told her women dont need to wear anything below the upper thighs, for that part is made of pure plastic. Incidentally, that is the same material as her face.

A wannabe, yuppie modern 21 year old missy, who makes out and breaks up with guys at will and considers that one of the achievements to list on her resume along with being a topper in every subject, being a champ at every sport, not to mention a National Level swimmer and deep-sea diver who doesnt realize the water in Ladakh lakes is cold before she dives into one for a bet as measly as her budget for clothes and almost drowns in it before being rescued by a brooding armyman who waits till she chokes under the water before pulling her out. Some National swimmer she is!

And finally, we have the hero of the movie, the kind of guy you feel bad for because he is saddled with dumb and dumber as the choices for his mate in bed. Why am I being crass, you ask? Coz that's what he wants most of the time - to do the dirty. Dont blame him though, for the plastic looks really good and National champ has a penchant for chaddis shorter than a purse and tops that will make a tank-top look like a burkha. Any man who can remember what that means will fall for that.

Which brings us to the worst enemy of the movie - the plot. The plot is so skimpy, it competes with Katrina's skirt and Anushka's IQ for brevity. Its something even Sherlyn Chopra would be wary of wearing. Or maybe not. The story is ridiculous to say the least and borrows liberally from children's stories - for instance that part about keeping your promise with God. It also makes a mockery of the Indian Army and the noble profession of bomb diffusion. The innumerable plotholes are not even worth getting into. The music looks bad on-screen, the hammy cameos by Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh are embarassing and saddled with unbelievable logic. The background score is remarkable and keeps you awake through the 3.5 hrs. The cinematography is breathtaking and gives the film a fresh and majestic look - something the film is quick to counter through trite dialogue and cring-worthy scenes. Katrina is a mix of John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh. Anushka is a mix of Preity Zinta on coke and Zayed Khan not on coke. SRK is okay as the 25 year old Londoner (although he cant pull it off that well anymore due to age) and really good as the armyman. It was good to see him not resort to buffoonery after years! Sadly, he is screwed over by a terribly written film. The saving grace is the last song showing Yashji directing the movie. It is a delight to watch. Unfortunate that he didnt sign-off his directorial career with the evergreen and entertaining Dil To Pagal Hai. Jab Tak Hain Jaan takes whatever life was left in viewers after watching ignominies like Ra.One, Mausam and Bol Bacchan and dunks it into the freezing Leh waters. And there's no brooding armyman waiting to resuscitate you back to life.

Sweet!

Barfi! is the kind of film that makes you care about the characters - smile with them, feel for them, empathize with their situation, root for them and ultimately, be with them in spirit in their journey. For this reason alone, it is a film that needs to be commended and promoted. That it achieves all of this and also manages to entertain is a complete bonus, and a delightful one at that!

Anurag Basu shakes off the effects of the monstrous snoozathon, remembered as Kites by the more adventurous who dared to watch it, and as the-Sphinglish-movie-that-almost-killed-Hrithik-Roshan's-career by others, and returns to his Gangster and Life..In a Metro roots to cook up a tasty, heart-warming, feel-good movie that focuses on characters and their lives rather than the audience's money. The story is beautiful and maturely handled. The cinematography is top notch. So is the background score by Pritam, which adds even more life to the movie. The music is perfect and used exceedingly well in the proceedings. The dialogues are minimal, given the predicament of the main protagonist, and yet, the few that exist, are well-written. The feel of the movie is cheerful, and in spite of the grave topics touched, remains happy throughout. The silent dramedy genre is not tried too often in Hindi cinema, and when it is tried so well, all you want to do is stand up and applaud. The supporting cast is apt and Saurabh Shukla in particular is delightful as a harrowed cop troubled by years of misdeeds by the protagonist. When you compare his portrayal of the character with something similar shown in typical Hindi movies, like Amitabh's character in the God-awful Bunty Aur Babli, you can see how we as an audience, have always valued star wattage more than good acting. And 7 years hence, things havent changed much. Even today, an Akshay Kumar for a Rowdy Rathore or an Ajay Devgan for a Bol Bacchan continues to get more acclaim for their "different" roles, over someone like Saurabh Shukla in this film or Anu Kapoor in Vicky Donor. Not to take anything away from Kumar or Devgan. They just happen to have larger fan bases. Ultimately, it is gems like Barfi! that wake us up from our mediocre slumber party.

The direction is of top quality, and in spite of loopholes like the predictable whodunit track, or the shaky back-and-forth in timelines, it does complete justice to the written word. The screenplay is brilliant and easily the best of the year yet. Coming to performances, Ileana exudes charm and confidence in her Hindi debut and fits her Bong character to the T. Hardly can you guess from her portrayal of Shruti that she is a born Goan, who has been working in mindless Telugu masala for 6 years. For someone whose hips, rather than emoting skills, have been the focus of much discussion for years down in Tollywood, Ileana does very very well and has Anurag Basu to thank for, for sketching such a meaty character for her debut. Priyanka Chopra packs a complete surprise! I had expected her to ape SRK from MNIK and was cringing at the thought of enduring that through the movie, but she plays the role subtle and subdued, with the right amount of energy when required. After Saat Khoon Maaf, here is another performance she can be proud of, when she eventually hangs up her boots. And finally, to the star of the show - Mr. Ranbir Kapoor. After wowing us in Wake Up Sid, RocketSingh, Raajneeti and Rockstar, RK delivers another masterstroke in and as Barfi. It is a very difficult character to play at any stage of your career, let alone so early, and I cannot imagine anyone doing as much justice to it as Ranbir does. He immerses himself completely and makes you smile when he plucks his heart out for Shruti, feel for him when he discovers he has no chance with her, and root for him when he is out to help Jhilmil. Doing physical comedy is no mean feat and the only one who has managed it well in the last 20 years is Govinda. RK however does a very different take on physical comedy, more of the Chaplinesque variety, and manages it with aplomb. No words can describe the brilliance of his performance. He is sure to sweep all awards and critical acclaim this year as well.

Ultimately, Barfi! is a film which deserves being seen, for few films are so sincerely made and yet manage not to take themselves too seriously. Missing it will be like missing out on something truly not worth missing, like a ummm....well made Barfi? :)

Identity crisis

**Spoilers!!!**

While watching Ek Tha Tiger, the thought that kept hitting me again and again was that throughout the making of the film, the makers faced a dilemma and were unable to decide what kind of movie they wanted to make. Did they want to make a realistic story of spies and their world, or did they want to make a full-blown, no-holds-barred, quintessential Salman Khan entertainer which defies logic and earns whistles and claps in abundance? They couldnt decide, and finally, they ended up making a movie that is neither here nor there.

Don't get me wrong. Ek Tha Tiger is not a bad movie. In fact, far from it! It has a decent plot, it maintains its tone and tempo and even has some stunning action scenes. But it is not a very entertaining film. At the same time, it is not the best Salman Khan film ever, as is being touted. Nor is it the best Bollywood action film yet. Heck, it is not even the best spy movie to come out of Bollywood this year. But before we get into comparisons, let's talk about what worked and what did not.

The story concept, although not terribly complex, is interesting. What happens when a spy decides he/she wants to lead a normal life? Can someone who has been trained and who has sworn to put country before self for all his or her life revert the decision at some point of time in life and start a new life afresh? There are so many possibilities there and Ek Tha Tiger pretty much skims over them. The screenplay is quite dull and underplays everything. The stakes dont rise high enough - not in the emotional scenes, not in the funny scenes and surprisingly, not even in the high voltage action scenes. The action scenes are excellently choreographed though, and do appear slick and sophisticated. They are fun to watch but the experience continues to be underwhelming, because the stakes arent high enough, and as an audience member, you dont feel the action has an end purpose that you care about. The culprit here is the direction, which underplays everything and ends up making the entire movie look like a ho-hum effort. The background music is apt and does improve the impact of the scenes in places.

Music is a mixed bag. Banjara is the weakest of the lot and is picturised very typically. It also comes at a point where the momentum of the film is already low and acts as a speed-breaker. Laapata is easy on the eye and comes as a refreshing change in the movie. Saiyaara is perhaps the best placed song, but lacks good visuals to accompany it. Maashallah comes off as the best of the lot, especially since it appears at the end as the credits roll, and there is nothing it can do to spoil the effect of the movie. It is easily the most energetic song of the album and, in spite of an uninspired display of dance moves by the lead pair, manages to entertain. Cinematography is excellent and every frame looks beautiful and adds to the scene. The direction by Kabir Khan, who gave us the very interesting Kabul Express and the fine-till-the-muddled-climax New York, is confused and, for lack of decision, makes a meddle of a good story idea and opportunity.

The supporting cast is pretty good and does a commendable job. Girish Karnad and Ranvir Shorey are a delight to watch in particular. Katrina Kaif is ill suited to the role and although she does her action scenes with aplomb, her emoting is wooden and listless. A better actress could have done wonders in this role, which itself needed more fleshing out. Salman Khan does well as a RAW agent, especially in the first half where he is under disguise and in the action scenes. He plays his part with conviction, without going over-the-top and without his usual low-brow humor. It is refreshing to watch him do simple stuff without hamming or overacting. Where he appears unconvincing is the romantic angle, and that is because the romance is half-baked.

Ultimately, Ek Tha Tiger is a well-meaning film, which at only 2 hrs 10 mins takes too long to come to the point and then makes the point very meekly. In the process, it does not entertain enough and ends up being a middling effort. It is neither a massy film that caters to Sallu fans nor one that will win critical acclaim for its finesse. Again, it is not a bad film, just an underwhelming one. And all this because it faces an identity crisis.

The Tiger Roars...Review

Coming soon....

Ek Tha Mish-mash

Ever since the movie was announced, there has been a lot of anticipation for seeing darling of the masses Sallu bhai in a classy action role sans the juvenile humor that is usually part of his movies (and that drives me nuts! Why does he need to do those pathetic jokes in every single movie!). I was looking forward to the music even more since it is composed by Sohail Sen, who delivered very enjoyable music in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan last year. The album is finally out.

The album starts off with a very, very ordinary Mashallah, sung by Wajid and Shreya Ghoshal and also composed by Sajid-Wajid. Wajid screws up the track to some extent with his uninspiring vocals. And Shreya is the wrong choice for the song. Sunidhi would have been perfect. The Arabian theme is good but the execution is where the song falters.

Next up is Banjaara, easily the best song of the album. I had been looking forward to this song since I saw the shoot clips in Jan. My first reaction to the song was it is underwhelming. The violin tune playing throughout the song is lovely, but Sukhvinder is not in form. His part lacks energy. The song starts off classy, even reminding one of Dil Gira Dafatan from Delhi 6, then moves on to a massy base, and ultimately cant make a choice between being classy and massy; ends up being a middling effort. But after repeated listens, it is starting to grow on me.

Next up is Laapata sung by KK and Shreya. It is okayish and sounds like a leftover from Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. These kind of songs suited Sallu during his Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge days when he put loads of energy into the dances.

The album concludes with Saiyaara, which is another neither here nor there effort. Mohit Chauhan does well but is not in top form. The song sounds like a wannabe great emotional number but ends up being just that - a wannabe.

The Tiger theme is decent, but nothing great. Overall, I am disappointed with the album, although it isnt the worst of the year. Its just about average. Expected a lot from it and Sohail Sen after his chartbusters last year. Hope this is one of those cases where okayish music does not spoil the effect of the movie (think 3 Idiots)

Two sides of the same coin?

I finally got around to watching two of the most hyped Marathi films in recent times - Deool and Shala - and I must say the experience was a bit like having a Krackjack biscuit. Lets talk about Deool first.

Deool is a very well-directed, well-enacted tale of beliefs and how man uses God for his own benefit. Its starts off slow and slightly difficult to decipher, but grows with each scene, until it reaches a high-point by the intermission. The scenes in the second half are well etched too and the end is just perfect, fittingly allowing Girish Kulkarni a couple of scenes of his own with "his" Datta. The village setting, the lingo, the playful politician couple, the mandatory female Sarpancha backed by a stronger hand, the older generation's obsession with TV soaps, the youth leader's mental tussle between backing his uncle who brought him up and backing his instincts which could open more doors for him, the transformation of the village from a serene place to a bustling worship-center, the economic upturn and its downsides, the demoralization of a good-natured man who wants to do good for his village but cant make others see it, and ultimately, the mental turmoil of the simpleton who is the reason for the change but not the beneficiary - it is all protrayed so well, that the director Umesh Kulkarni deserves a pat on his back. He has tried hard to stay on course and although there are a couple of weak points - like the item song under the garb of using a celebrity show for publicity and using a famous actor in a gimmicky cameo in the climax - those are minor abberations in an otherwise well-conceived project. All actors do full justice to their parts - right from Dilip Prabhawalkar as the well-meaning Appa, Nana Patekar as the chameleon-like Bhau, Hrishikesh Joshi as the ridiculously-named Tomya, Srikant Yadav as the seething-with-anger Anna, Sonali Kulkarni as the flirtatious Vahini saheb, and last but not the least, National award winner Girish Kulkarni as the god-fearing simpleton Keshya. The dialogues strike a perfect balance between being hilarious and poignant, and the irony in the scenes takes the movie several notches higher. The songs are just awesome - especially the bhajan Deva Tula Shodhu Kutha and the parody Phoda Datta Naam Taho. They are not only well sung but also brilliantly penned and add to the sarcastic nature of the story. The end is very apt and makes you cry for the poor Keshya who has lost his cow to the commercialization of God, but who finally comes into his own by sending a message back to the establishment, even though he knows it will have only a minor effect. Deool entertains and also makes you think about what is wrong with the way we view progress and the cost at which we achieve it. A movie you cannot afford to miss!

Shala, on the other hand, is a take on adolescent love in school days, with the backdrop of emergency. It tries to provide an unbiased view of how teens think and behave, and what shapes their thoughts, without being judgemental. Shala is helped by a very good performance from Anshuman Joshi as the main protagonist Joshya, through whose eyes we see the world. The setting is authentic and the camaraderie between Joshya and his buddies Fawdya and Mhatre is sure to bring back memories of your own buddies from school. Ketaki Mategaonkar is sweet as Shirodkar and you can see why Joshya falls for her. Most of the teachers do a good job and a few scenes like the one which draws parallels between what is happening in the country at the time of emergency and what happens in the classroom when Shirodkar doesnt put a brown cover on her book, or the one where Joshya's father listens to his side of the story considerately before reaching a conclusion, are very well handled. Where the movie falters big time is in its direction, in all senses. The story does not have any direction, and while it is quite understandable that debutant director Sujay Dahake wanted to come up with a slice-of-life film, Shala does not have enough entertaining or interesting moments to keep you hooked for 98 mins. Now when a movie cant do that for such a short span of time, its asking for trouble. Most topics broached are just poked at and then left alone, which left me tremendously dissatisfied as a viewer. For eg. the parallels between emergency and classroom atmosphere started out very well but the emergency angle petered out very tamely in the end. The issue of a newly admitted Bandra girl trying to commit suicide because her classmates tease her using their favorite teacher's name was handled very very amateurishly. If the issue was not important or did not deserve a proper conclusion, why bring it up at all! The character of Joshya's uncle was half-baked and did not go to its full potential. Even Joshya's own philosophies were under-developed, and while that is understandable since he is only 14 years old, the message that the movie gave out was terribly confusing and that is not pardonable. Every movie need not have a message or take a stand, but a half-baked, lily-livered message is worse than no message at all. Shala succeeds on one count, and that is invoking nostalgia. Unfortunately, it fails on most other counts - story-telling, entertainment and holding the viewer's interest. Its not so much a bad film as it is an amateurish attempt at making a feel-good film. Ultimately, it ends up being a pretentious, wannabe film, that could have been so much more.

A twist in the tale

Now this is a story Jeffrey Archer would have been proud of. I must admit I went into Kahaani expecting a good movie - a deep, meaningful film with great performances - and came out getting a taut, riveting thriller that is hard to second guess! And yes, it had great performances too. Giving anything out about the movie and its story will be a gross disservice to those who havent seen it yet, so lets just focus on the other aspects.

Kahaani has a great story, which ties up almost all loose ends and manages to be totally convincing. Yes, there can be one or two minor issues you may have with the story (I have a couple, hit me up if you want to get into a discussion), but those are inconsequential when compared to the masterful direction by Sujoy Ghosh. This guy had lost his direction (no pun intended!) with the terrible money-waster Aladin a few years after starting out brightly with Jhankaar Beats, a deliciously fun film with great music, and Home Delivery, a movie that bombed but also one I enjoyed in parts for its superfun spoofy format. He is back on track with Kahaani and I am eagerly looking forward to what he comes up with next.

All the actors are in great form, not the least of them Vidya Balan, fresh from the success and accolades earned for The Dirty Picture (which I found a tad overrated). She gives a fine, controlled performance and barring for a couple of out of place laughs and smiles, she carries the film on her firm shoulders. Nawazuddin Siddique is real as IB officer Khan. But the show is stolen by Saswata Chatterjee in the role of Bob Biswas. He is killer! Technically, the cinematography and editing are apt and the background score fits the mood. The songs are not used much but wisely used wherever they are used.

In the end, Kahaani is a work of a master director. If movies like Johnny Gaddar and Samay are your cup of tea, Kahaani is an exotic chai you shouldnt miss.