Movie Review: Hunterrr

This post comes a little late but I finely found time to share my two bits on the most talked about Hindi film of 2015 so far.

Hunterrr is a slice of life film, a slice from a sex addict’s life. Mandar Ponkshe is your average middle class boy who grows up from a curious teenager to a horny ladies killer. Sex is a physical need, he says out loud going as far as comparing it to...well, taking a crap. He has little to do with the emotional side of the relationship. The men who were boys in the 90s will find a bit of themselves in Mandar. He charms girls his own age and seduces house wives. The trick up his sleave is knowing the needs of a woman or as he puts it "vaas lene ka". He plays romantic games with college girl Parul (shy and awkward Saxena) but goes straight for the kill when he meets housewife Jyotsna, played by a fiesty Sai Tamhankar who knows what she wants. And, when he wants to settle he falls for the independent Trupti (played brilliantly by Radhika Apte) who’s open about her relationships, even physical ones.

Gulshan Devaiyah’s Ponkshe is a regular guy but with hidden passions. You might see him in local trains or even in your office but you might never find out about his nocturnal adventures. His relationship with Trupti is the most interesting part of the film. He never tries to play the hunting game with her, builds a bond and eventually falls in love. Radhika Apte lets her eyes do most of the acting, charming the audience with every scene.

Hunterrr is funny, touching at times and nostalgic but in no way demeaning to women. The women that Ponkshe supposedly "preys" on know what they want especially Jyotsna who makes the first move. The songs will touch a chord with all 80s and 90s kids who’ve grown up listening to disco king Bappi Lahiri and the qawwali rage Altaf Raja. Harshavardhan Kulkarni’s Hunterrr is fresh, light and a must watch.

P.S. - Please don't watch it with your parents.

300 Rise Of An Empire – Movie review

This review was first published on Know Your City, burrp!'s features section.

Director: Noam Murro

Cast: Sullivon Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro

b! Says: **1/2

Chiseled bodies, an army of roaring Spartans, drop dead gorgeous Gerard Butler and blood soaked wars; this is what 300, released in 2006, was made of. The sequel, 300 Rise Of An Empire portrays the war beautifully but lacks the rest of the elements.

Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel Xerxes, this chapter follows the story of Greek general Themistokles (Sullivon Stapleton) who takes on the Persian God king Xerxes’ (Rodrigo Santoro) navy lead by Artemesia (Eva Green), their vengeful commander. The war in the sea runs parallel to the Spartan leader Leonidas marching with his 300 men to meet the army of Xerxes.

Unlike its prequel, 300 Rise Of An Empire has been shot in 3D but doesn’t do complete justice to the technology. However, some shots are brilliantly captured. There’s this same hazy, dark look to the movie which was there in 300 too. Almost all the film is based in the sea and there are some really spectacular underwater shots.

There’s a lot of blood and gore shot with stop motion camera. This has been the USP of the franchise and is consistent in both the films. However, there’s no newness about it. You yearn for something more maddening in the film.

The most interesting part of the film is the story of Xerxes and we wish there was more of him. The comparisons between Gerard Butler and Sullivon Stapleton are bound to be drawn and if you do you’ll always find the latter a tad weaker. Lena Headey fits in her role of Spartan queen like a glove, more so after portraying the role of scheming queen Cersei Lannister in Game Of Thrones. Eva Green looks both beautiful and evil as Artemesia.

Director Noam Murro creates good visuals but falls short on creating the same magic as Zack Snyder, the director of 300. There’s not enough adrenaline rush which is required for a film like this.

300 Rise Of An Empire is a good one time watch only if you keep the comparisons at bay.

Dallas Buyers Club - Movie Review

This review was first published on Know Your City, burrp!'s features section.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallee

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto

Rating: ****

When Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia released in 1993, HIV/AIDS was still a closeted disease. In 2014 there’s much more information about the deadly virus and lesser apprehensions. While Tom Hanks’ Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia fought against the discrimination of HIV patients, Matthew McConaughey’s Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club fights for something more basic, their right to survive through medicines.

Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), an electrician and hustler in 1985’s Texas, is happy with his manliness; attracted to women, alcohol and drugs. So when he is accidentally diagnosed HIV positive he violently proclaims that he isn’t a "faggot" and walks out showing a middle finger to the doctors. Reality strikes him in next few hours when his friends and colleagues steer away from him.

His homophobia loses its ugly face when he starts Dallas Buyers Club with Rayon (Jared Leto), a drag queen and HIV patient. He works his way around the system to sell medication to HIV patients; drugs that are not approved by the US Food And Drug Administration (FDA). Doctor Eve (Jennifer Garner), who doesn’t approve of the testing of HIV drugs on her patients, supports Woodroof.

Dallas Buyers Club treads a zone which is still a taboo in India; homosexuality and AIDS. Hence the struggle still makes sense here if not in America. While the film never gets preachy, it’s intense at times. The numerous medical references, drugs, alcohol make it a heavy watch but Woodroof and Rayon provide for some lighter moments too.

Jared Leto excels as a tormented man hidden beneath layers of makeup, shiny lipstick and colourful attire. Jennifer Garner is convincing in easily one of her best performances. As a quiet supporter of Woodroof’s initiatives, she underplays Eve well.

Mathew McConaughey stands tall carrying almost the whole film on his lean (he lost tremendous amount of weight for the film) shoulders. He portrays the frustrations, longings and determination of an HIV patient aptly especially in the scene where he breaks down in his car. As an audience your emotions for his character grow from pity to sympathy and finally appreciation. It’s unbelievable to see a rom-com star delivering one of the most Oscar worthy performances this year. If you couldn’t forget McConaughey’s hard hitting 5 minute role in The Wolf Of Wall Street then you must watch Dallas Buyers Club.

The Lunchbox satiates your hunger!

A day after watching the heartwarming film 'The Lunchbox' I read someone trashing it on Twitter. The guy said that he hated the film and walked out halfway. The film is the story of life and it could be anybody's life. It was difficult for me to understand that how can someone hate someone's life. However, there are all sorts of people in the world. Some who are honest about their emotions and some who hide under layers of hatred.

Coming back to the film, I won't say that it's the best film ever made or the best story ever told. But it certainly is the story that you want to be told. A simple love story of people who've never met; we've definitely heard many such stories. But there's more to just romance in The Lunchbox.

Sajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) and Ila's (Nimrat Kaur) paths cross when the Dabbawallah delivers the lunchbox to the wrong address. A widower Sajan and neglected by her husband Ila find love through letters and lunch. The characters portray an aching sense of loneliness which this city brings and which everyone of us must have experienced at some point of life.

Ritesh Batra touches a middle class life in Mumbai and portrays the city the way we see it, somewhere between the slums and the high rises. He shows you everyday Mumbai. His characters are beautifully sketched and scenes detailed and well thought out. A scene where Ila answers the door and you can hear Sanjeev Kapoor's voice in the background giving the recipe of paneer tikka masala gives you a glimpse of a lonely housewife's life. For the first time you can understand the bhajan singing dabbawallahs in the local train, probably that's the only thing that keeps them going.

In the midst of all the loneliness and pain there's Aslam Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) whose spontaneity brings humour. And not to forget, Deshpande Aunty who we only know through a voice and a basket hanging from her window.

Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur bring the characters alive, so much so that you can find yourself in those characters. Like any of his previous films, Irrfan Khan's eyes say more than the dialogues do. A lot has been said in the film through poignant silences and empty eyes. There are no Bollywood or Hollywood twists here because life does not have twists, it just goes on. As for the film, it doesn't matter that it's not picked as India's Oscar entry. The Lunchbox stirs your soul.

Of books, films and blogs: The year that was

2012 was the year of a lot of learning and meeting new people on twitter and in person. It also included a lot of reading thanks to Blogadda's book review program I signed up for. Here's a post dedicated to the year that was with a list of my 3 fav films I watched, books and blogs I read in 2012 (in no particular order).

Films:

Gangs of Wasseypur I & II
I don't need to talk much about this film. GoW gave a new wave of storytelling, actors and film making to Hindi cinema and despite people accusing Anurag Kashyap of indulgence I think that this was one of the best works of Indian Cinema. Read my review Here

Paan Singh Tomar
The film has it's flaws but Irrfan Khan makes up for them. It is impossible to not love an actor who can give you goose bumps with just an expression of his eye. Read my review Here

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
Of-course I didn't see Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro for the first time but watching it in the theatre for the first time was a different experience altogether. The satire is as relevant today as it was when the film released. Here's my post that I had written after watching the film in the theatre thanks to PVR.


Books:

The Secret Of The Nagas by Amish
While I finished the first part The Immortals of Meluha in 2011, the second part got over in Jan 2012. I find The Secret Of The Nagas more fast paced than the first book. It is darker and keeps you on the edge. Of course some overly melodramatic sections can be easily edited out but apart from that the book tells a brilliant story. I am now waiting for the third part of the Shiva Trilogy, Oath Of The Vayuputras slated to release in March.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro by Jai Arjun Singh
I picked up this book after a movie buff friend recommended it on twitter and it's a gem for those in love with the cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. I will not say much about the book in this post and will take you to an earlier post that I wrote after reading it. Here

Raag Darbari by Srilal Shukla
Raag Darbari was on my to-read list since a long time and finally I picked it off my brother-in-law's shelf who swears by it. The book doesn't have a set story and is in fact a description of life in a small village in the post Independence India. The language is full of sarcasm and Awadhi slangs and will keep you in splits.

Blogs:

Calcutta Chromosome
I came to know about this blog through a book I reviewed for blogadda.com. Diptakirti Chaudhury, the author of Kitnay Aadmi Thay, the book and Calcutta Chromosome is a Hindi film buff and it is a lot of fun to read through his lists, agree and disagree with them and add your own favourites.

Sumthinz Cooking
A food blogger, baker and a friend Reema Prasanna who I met this year thanks to my profession. I love reading her blog for the simple recipes she shares and all the stories she weaves around food. Reading her posts are more fun if you know her personally because then you can picture her expressions and mannerisms in your head. And yes, we share a common hatred for khatti jalebis. Follow her on twitter @ScrollsNInk to learn from her #BakingGyaan

Going Bananas
The 17 year old Paloma Sharma writes about issues on her blog that we so called adults try to shun. She is bold, atheist and is ready to take flak from the so called protectors of religion. Follow her on twitter @PalomaSharma and @GoinBananasBlog to discuss all the issues that in her words "plague us all".

Jaane Bhi (mat) Do Yaaro

A month and a half before the 1983s cult classic was re-released by PVR, I laid my hands over Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, the book written by Jai Arjun Singh. And, as I've said before the only thing as interesting as watching movies is to read about them. So, I bought the book to read about what went behind making this classic and I found out that Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is a labour of love, passion and a lot of madness.

As I was reading the book the re-release was announced and it only made sense that I watch it, again but this time on a bigger screen. And I am writing this post just after watching the film, the madness, the satire and the message which is still as relevant as it was back then. This post is not a review. It's about my experiences with the film clubbed with a little trivia from Jai Arjun Singh's book. I would like to thank him for writing it and taking me closer to the film I've loved and lived.

I don't exactly remember how old I was when I first watched Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, around 10-11 maybe. Not too old to understand the darkness of it but old enough to understand that there was something more behind that laughter and insanity. Growing up watching my dad's plays (he is a theatre actor and director in Gorakhpur) helped in a way to develop that kind of understanding. I remember when I watched the last scene I asked my dad if Sudhir and Vinod died. His explanation was that it's just metaphorical, to explain in one scene that "phansta common man he hai." I wasn't too convinced and was taken aback by the sinister hand movement of slitting throat. It was a direct, in your face statement telling us that this is the reality. The laughter and comedy is just a mask. Dad wanted an ending inspired by this for a play he was directing called  'Wey Hi'. As I remember the play, he managed to do that pretty well.

Then came a time when the film was watched multiple times and some of the dialogues became a part of our conversations. We still say "shant gadadhari Bheem shant" when someone is worked up or "CIA, humko bahar tak chod aiye" when we are seeing each other off. "Adharmi, paapi, bhrashtachari, durachari, bol sorry!" is our favourite line to abuse. According to Satish Kaushik who wrote the dialogues, the most loved Mahabharat scene was the easiest to write. A trip to a road-side comic vendor was all it took for them to figure out a befitting scene to conclude the madness.

Surprisingly, Kundan Shah didn't imagine the final product the way we see it now. A lot of scenes that were close to his heart were mercilessly chopped off. Reason was that it needed to be shorter than 2 hours 25 minutes to reduce the taxation. A little known fact that Anupam Kher too was a part of the film took me by surprise when I read the book. He played a mad Disco Killer and was envied by everyone for bagging the craziest role. But the whole footage was chopped off to shorten the length of the film. Sadly, there's no record of Anupam Kher's first ever film since the footage was lost. Imagine if we had that character in the movie it could've beaten Crime Master Gogo in creating that genre of villains. There are more such scenes which were edited out much to Kundan Shah and Ranjit Kapoor's (co writer) grief.

A couple of scenes were inspired from Kundan Shah's real life experiences one of them was the whole satire built around 'gutter'. In today's time of Aquaguard and Kent Water Purifier we might not understand the irony behind the dialogue, "America mein gutter ka pani alag aur peene ka pani alag" but it was and still is the reality for many people who still get drinking water as bad as the water in their sewers.

Kundan Shah is honest in accepting that Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro could've been much better but with the limitations they had it's hard to do even now what he and his team did back then. Their were a lot of patchworks to hide the continuity disasters and shooting mishaps. And still we know that a better movie in this genre has not been made again.

The madness is only enhanced by the brilliant actors who despite thinking that whatever was happening was insane kept playing along. While shooting 'Albert Pinto' scene Naseeruddin Shah thought that two people standing in the same room and talking over phone with each other was plain stupid but he still enacted the scene with full conviction. Every actor added his/her two bits in the character and made it his own. Om Puri's exaggerated Punjabi accent, dead DeMello's changing expressions according to what's happening in the scene, Pankaj Kapoor's dead pan and sinister Tarneja and to top it all Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani's innocence and buffoonery was par excellence.

A film like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro can not be made again and that is why we go and watch it in theatres 30 years after it was first released; cheering, clapping and mouthing the dialogues along the scenes, "aisi sati ki jai ho...jai ho!"

The (not so) Amazing Spiderman

It was tough to recreate what Toby Mcguire created with Spiderman 1, 2 and 3. Still, just one successful film old Andrew Garfield took on the challenge. Expectations were built; The Amazing Spiderman in 3d, a Spiderman movie with a difference and then there was Irrfan Khan too who has recently become Hollywood's latest discovery in Bollywood and every Indian's new fav actor... especially after the super duper successful Paan Singh Tomar. Our Indian hearts were pounding with excitement to see an Indian actor as a full fledged main villain in a big budget, mainstream Hollywood flick (I am out of breath at this point).

But like all the over blown bubbles, this too burst. All the banter about 3d was just an eyewash. There were a total of 5 scenes with 3d effect and those too were computer generated scenes. Irrfan Khan had all of 3 scenes and his character was unceremoniously dropped in the middle of the film. So much for the big Hollywood dream.

The story is bad and the patchy editing makes it worse. Every time there's a hope of something big happening it's ruthlessly shattered by the bad direction and unnecessary romantic scenes. Sure, they got rid of emotionally vulnerable Mary Jane Watson and replaced her with smart Gwen. I Blinked twice and a romance between the two was already brewing...no wasting time there. The story is so linear that it gets boring after a point. Looser Parker gets power, shows off a bit, wins the girl, clumsily fights the baddie and defeats him without much effort.

If the producers are planning a sequel I'd hope they come out with something extraordinary to make us forget this disaster. And those who haven't seen it yet please save yourself for The Dark Knight Rises.

Gangs of Wasseypur – Movie Review

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadda, Piyush Mishra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi

Rating: Keh ke le li

Films invoke different emotions in the audience. Gangs Of Wasseypur invokes disgust with its gore and I say what’s wrong with that? It can't be kabhi khushi and kabhi gham all the time. Despite that feeling that it arises in you GoW is very commercial with all the masala intact; there's violence, there’s love, there’s sex and there’s music. And last I heard these very ingredients make a commercial film.

From the very first scene Anurag Kashyap establishes what the audience should expect and then he goes ahead and does the unexpected. It’s no fast paced thriller where people are chasing each other on horses and jeeps. It’s more of a game of chess, they all are facing each other and making their moves.

The story spans from generations when Shahid Khan, a dacoit who was ousted from Wasseypur by the Qureshi's and eventually killed by Ramadhir Singh, a coal mine owner turned politician. Shahid's son Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee) grows up with a single point agenda which is to avenge his father. He starts destroying Ramadhir Singh’s (Tigmanshu Dhulia) empire and building his own and is helped by his two sidekicks Farhan (brilliantly underplayed by Piyush Mishra) and Asgar (Jameel Khan). In the process he also marries Nagma (fiery Richa Chadda) and is seduced by Durga’s (Reema Sen) sensual bare back which has more expressions than her face.

The story is a bit complex but Piyush Mishra’s narration makes it easy while you can concentrate on the characters and the dialogues. Especially when there are gems like; “Soongh ke batao mantriji nasta mein ka khaye hain?” “Joroo ka mar.” There is humour in the most horrific of scenes which will have the audience letting out a nervous laugh. A very Tarantino inspired style of film making. There are hints of inspirations from Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese too. The romantic angle of Sardar’s two sons Danish and Faizal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) makes for funny moments in the second half especially where Faizal tries to hold Mohsina’s (Huma Qureshi) hand and gets blasted in return. Bihar, as a backdrop provides for the use of colourful language and if you don’t go all red at the mention of a cuss word you’ll enjoy it thoroughly.

Anurag has craftily incorporated music in all the bloodshed without disturbing the pace of the film. The title track ‘Teri keh ke loonga’ plays in the background in most parts. The visuals of ‘Bhoos ke dher mein rai ka daana’ might remind you of ‘kaun kisi ko baandh saka hai’ from Kaalia only difference is that it’s less heroic and more rustic. The Chutney music (contemporary fusion of genres created by Indo-Caribbean people whose ancestors were from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and the South Indian area around Madras) inspired ‘I am a hunter’ sounds great on an mp3 player but the video is a bit of a downer. The highly awaited ‘Jiya ho Bihar ke lala’ sung by Manoj Tiwari comes in the end and at a time when you won’t expect it at all. Giving too many details might ruin the fun of watching it so I’ll stay shut.

Our Sardar Khan is no hero with high moral values. He’s bad and he takes pride in it. He kills like a skilful artist and doesn’t blink while doing it. There couldn’t have been a better role for Manoj Bajpayee to come back with a bang. Tigmanshu Dhulia is controlled and plays the badass minister with an air of comfort around him. Nawazuddin has taken a back step in this one but I can’t wait for the second part to see him as the full blasted gang lord. The highlight of the acting department is Richa Chadda and over powers even Manoj Bajpayee in certain scenes. We’ve already seen a glimpse of her acting prowess in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye but she’s a powerhouse in GoW.

Gangs of Wasseypur Part I is just an entrée, the main course is yet to come.

Why Shanghai is an excellent film?

I won't say that its Dibaker Bannerjee's best work cause he created his masterpiece when he made Khosla Ka Ghosla; a film which according to me is a complete film making school in itself. But I would definitely say that Shanghai is superior than any other so called brilliant movies made this year. If you follow my blog you'll know which film I am talking about here.

Shanghai is brilliant because it is not pretentious, doesn't exaggerate and does not try to entertain people. Its predictable and still has a shock value but this shock doesn't come with a bang...its subtle. It has a slow pace but there's something new happening in every scene. Dibaker doesn't take forever to establish a character or a situation which results into a tight script. The dots are not connected for the audience. If you still don't understand what happened in the end you seriously are living in a bubble.

Performances are worth all the applauds and kudos to Dibaker for introducing us Hindi speaking janta to an actor like Prosenjit. Abhay Deol deserves multiple awards for playing a South Indian (Tam-Brahm to be precise) with such subtlety never seen before in Hindi cinema. Thank you Mr. Bannerjee for not playing on the stereotypes set by the industry. And, not to forget thanks for digging out an actor from a guy who has been used and abused as a 'serial kisser' repeatedly. Although helped by a lot of props and makeup yet Emraan Hashmi did well to show the world that he ought to be taken seriously.

Shanghai is a good lesson for Prakash Jha on how to make a realistic film on politics and for Sujoy Ghosh on how to leave certain things unsaid.

Kahaani - A mother of loopholes

Now that almost everyone has seen Kahaani and sung praises for the film I can take the liberty of pointing out the loopholes in the movie. No, I am not acting like a Hollywood loving snob here whom no Hindi movie can please. I liked Kahaani because it maintains the suspense till the end, has filmed Kolkata beautifully and above all has given us Bob Biswas. But despite the good things I couldn't ignore those mistakes that stood there, in my face, asking to be noticed.

Caution: There are spoilers so please don't read if you haven't seen the film, yet.

My first issue with the movie; why is there a need to show Vidya Bagchi's history? I am sure a lot of people would agree with that. Why doesn't the movie ends with a mysterious air around her character? Sujoy Ghosh could've given clues in the movie and let the audience find out her true identity. The flashback in the end is a complete killjoy.

The ex IB chief who has trained Milan Damjee, trains Vidya just in a year or two. The Ninja like moves that she makes in the end does not look like a work of two years' training. My logic is, why did Sujoy Ghosh show Vidya as the wife of the slain IB agent. She could've been an agent who was secretly being trained by Darshan Zariwala's character. No one learns to be a spy in a year.

In the scenes where Vidya is alone in her room, why is she still sporting that fake belly? I am sure that it wasn't convenient to carry it around and the super spy wouldn't mind putting it away for a while. Sujoy should have just shot her neck up.

Rana who is with Vidya like a shadow all the time doesn't even for a moment doubts her, accepted. But suddenly at the end he has a happy realization that she was using them to get to Milan Damjee. Rana's cute face made me ignore his folly for a while but then again, a folly is a folly.

When Khan sees Arnab Bagchi's resemblance to Milan Damjee why isn't he alarmed? Why doesn't he do a background check on Vidya? After all, she would've been married to Milan. Why aren't even Milan and his people interested to know why is she carrying his photo? Probably every one is too sure that he is just a look alike.

Spies don't randomly go on a killing spree. They won't kill a person until he is completely useless. Here a mastermind like Milan and the IB chief are not interested in getting the information out. They just killed Agnes for no reason at all. Was she that big a threat?

When the current IB chief is himself involved with the terrorists why does he himself go to Zariwala's house to pursuit him to join back? I am sure he didn't want him to. It could've just been a brief conversation over the phone.

I am sure that the counter to all these points would be 'don't think too much, just watch the movie.' But if I have to leave the logic at home why should I go and watch Kahaani instead of a Housefull 2? Think about it.

Paan Singh Tomar: Movie Review

this article was first published on burrp!
http://bit.ly/zi5cTC
 
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Zakir Hussain, Nawazuddin

Rating: ***

There was a time when actors like Sunil Dutt made dacoits glamorous. Their larger than life characters had a heart of gold underneath the tough bodies. The time changed and ferocious Gabbar Singh took over. The almost animal like daaku terrorized Ramgarh for the longest time. Years later Jageera in China Gate attempted a Gabbar Singh but ended up being nothing more than a mockery. Shekhar Kapoor helped shed the glam quotient with his true-to-life depiction of The Bandit Queen.

With the latest release in the same genre director Tigmanshu Dhulia (Haasil fame ) has taken Kapoor’s legacy further and told us an unheard story.

Paan Singh Tomar joined the army in the 1950s. He hailed from Chambal and according to him the dacoits are actually good people who turned rebels. In his own words, “beehad mein baagi hote hain, dacait toh Parliament mein hote hain”. Afraid of his rebellious instinct and seeing his exceptional running abilities his seniors shift him to the sports department. He runs for the country till he plans to take a voluntary retirement to take care of his kheti.

Rest of the film is a transition of an Army Subedar to a national level athlete and finally a dreaded name in the valleys of Chambal. What triggers this transition is the cunning cousin who wants to take over his land, destroys his crop and tries to kill his family. The police and the system offer no help leaving him with no choice than to take the matters in his own hands. The man who was denied the opportunity to fight in the war (because he was a sportsperson) picks up the gun for revenge.  The rebel in him who is suppressed comes out in the second half of the film. Paan Singh is no Robinhood, he kills for revenge and kidnaps for money.

The film also throws a light on the poor conditions of our national level athletes, the unsung heroes who died an unknown death.

Irrfan Khan is Tigmanshu Dhulia’s lucky charm. He was a thunderbolt in Haasil and is nothing less than that in this one. All those who have seen him grow from Banegi Apni Baat should be extremely proud. His Paan Singh Tomar commands respect and makes you sympathize with him just through his expressive eyes. Nawazuddin appears in a small role but after his critically acclaimed role in Peepli Live this one doesn’t do justice to his acting abilities.

What makes this film special is Tigmanshu Dhulia’s love for the raw appeal. He inspires you to look beneath the polished layer. His characters, locations and language are crude. He does not try to refine them for your viewing pleasure.

Paan Singh Tomar with all its shortcomings (read stretched second half, off sync dubbing, occasional dramatic dialogues) is a film that should be watched mostly for Irrfan Khan and also for its story.

The Artist - Movie Review

This article was first published on burrp!
http://bit.ly/AfLUDt

Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman
burrp! Says: ****1/2



When was the last time you watched a movie in the theatres that had the good old title cards, was black and white and silent. Let me guess, never? Book your tickets for The Artist first thing.

George Valentin is a silent movie star of the 1920s; the time when a perfect smirk and a stylish walk was enough to win over hearts. While George rules Hollywood, the talkies slowly creep in and he finds himself unfit for this new wave of cinema. He makes his own silent movie which falls flat on its face against the talking film. The sun sets on his career as he goes broke and further into oblivion. The current reigning star Peppy Miller, with whom Valentin once had a fling keeps a watch on him and tries to help him out.


In times when a film has various dimensions, making one without dialogues is a risk. But for Michel Hazanavicius, the risk is well taken and puts him instantly in the bigger league (read Oscar nomination). Despite the lack of voice and colors, the story and its treatment keep the audience thoroughly interested. The scene where Peppy seduces Valentin’s tux by putting her arm in it is imagination at its best.

The build up towards the climax keeps the audience at the edge of their seat and that is when you realize the beauty of silence. Full marks to the art director for recreating the flawless classic era. The soundtrack is continuous and in perfect sync with the emotions on screen.

Jean Dujardin is stellar as George Valentin with his mid parted hair, trimmed moustache and charming smile. It seems he has traveled in time, straight from the 20s to act in this film. His chemistry with his pet dog is funny and endearing at the same time. Berenice Bejo portrays the bubbly Peppy Miller and keeps the character true to its name.

Although there are various movies based on the rise and fall of an artist but what’s special about The Artist is its treatment making it worthy of all the acclaim.

Moneyball - Movie Review

This article was first published on burrp!
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Director: Bennett Miller
Cast: Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill
burrp! Says: ****


Unconventional, that’s how the truth is. And when you don’t meddle with the facts you make a film like Moneyball.

Upset at Oakland A’s defeat by New York Yankees, the General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) tries to put together a new team. Oakland being the poorest club of all, the biggest challenge for him is the financial constraint. He hires Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), an Economics graduate from Yale who has radical ideas on how to assess players based on their statistics. Through the computer-generated analysis Beane and Brand put together a team for 2002 season.

After initial hiccups the team goes on a winning streak with 20 games in a row making a record. But unlike most of the underdog stories this one doesn’t end with a major win. Oakland A’s loses the finishing game but Beane changes the game by creating a successful team with the least resources.While it’s inspiring to see the hero winning, the realistic end keeps the film grounded.

Moneyball is based on true events and is more about the statistics of Baseball rather than the real game itself. It will keep you hooked whether or not you are a fan of the game. If Baseball is not one of your favorites relate it to any other game you like and the story will fit right in.

Six years after his acclaimed film Capote, Bennett Miller has once again churned out a masterpiece. Brad Pitt makes most of the film a one-man-show running it on his strong shoulders.

With numerous Oscar nominations (including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor) already up its sleeve, Moneyball is worth losing few bucks this weekend.

Chaalis Chauraasi Movie Review

this review was first published on burrp!

http://know.burrp.com/arts-entertainment/chaalis-chaurasi-movie-review/35241

Director: Hriday Shetty
Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Ravi Kishan, Zakir Hussain

Burrp! says: **

Look closely at the cast of the movie. Does it attract you? Call you to the theatres? Yes! Victim no 1 is none other than me. And now I am looking for Hriday Shetty with pain in my heart and questions in my head. How can you get away with committing such a crime? How can you cast Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon and Atul Kulkarni in an excuse for a film?

Moving on to the story, a professor turned wife-murderer turned driver (Naseeruddin Shah), a pimp (Atul Kulkarni), a drug peddler (Ravi Kishan ) and a car thief (Kay Kay Menon) hatch a plan to steal money from a gang that supplies fake currency notes. They dress up as cops, steal a police van and are headed to Kalyan for the big night when a real cop stops them. The second half is as the song suggests, ‘a crazy night, a hell of a ride.’

The script that looks good on paper turns into a disaster on screen. At certain points it reminds you of ‘Ek Chalis Ki Last Local’ but the direction isn’t as crisp and edgy. The flashbacks are craftily created to throw item numbers at an unsuspecting audience. The first one hits you within 10 minutes in to the movie and by the time the third one arrives you’ve already sunken low in your seats. However, there are some funny lines in between and for the rest of the film you are laughing because it does not make any sense at all. The climax does remind you of the crazy laugh riot ‘Pineapple Express’ only that it’s badly done. The leading men walking in slow motion like ‘Reservoir Dogs’ has been repeated till you finally scream, “Move it faster, dude!”

The director/producer tried creating a buzz by getting the 90s Pakistani popstar Hassan Jahangir to sing his then hit ‘Hawa Hawa’. My one suggestion to such creative geniuses; please let that music stay in that era. It’s good the way it is, don’t kill its essence with those stupid remixes.

Coming to the cast; the director managed to get the cream of the industry but as they say, wild cats don’t work in packs and these actors definitely are the tigers. We’d rather watch them separately in different movies than all of them getting together and making a mockery of themselves. While we loved Naseer Sir spoofing the 80s heroes in ‘Ooh la la’ (The Dirty Picture) we definitely didn’t like the site of him gyrating hips on a ‘Munni’ like number. Kay Kay plays the street smart car thief with as much ease as he plays a cop or a military person. Atul Kulkarni looks odd in funky t-shirts and dyed hair and the discomfort reflects in the performance as well. Ravi Kishan is decent and flexes his muscle too many times probably to shift focus from his jiggling belly.

To sum it up, Chalis Chaurasi is a bad product packaged well. I recommend you watch The Dirty Picture, Gulaal and Natarang back to back if the star cast of this movie lures you.

Inko (Abbas-Mustan) buddhi do bhagwan!

Film: Players
Director: Abbas-Mustan
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bobby Deol, Sikander Kher, Omi Vaidya, Vinod Khanna
Rating: It's so bad that it's good!

I haven't realy understood their (Abbas-Mustan's) motivation behind making this movie or any other as for that matter. Let's get into the whole process;

The Burmawala Bros. have money and they have no idea what to do with it. So, they plan to make a movie. Story is not their concern at all since their are many, piled up in a video library. They take out their check list which goes like:

• Story from a Hollywood action thriller - Check
• Innumerable twists - Check
• Macho hero - Check
• A side hero who'll die - Check
• Bipasha Basu's hot number - Check
• A love triangle or sometimes quadrangle - Check
• Inane dialogues - Check
• Pritam's music - Check
• A car chase - Check
• A not so slick desi style dhishoom-dhishoom - Check
• Johny Lever - Check
• White clothes - Check

Going by these ingredients Players is a perfect film. It insults your intellect to the point that you are left with no other option but to enjoy it. The story goes like this; Charlie a CA who also is a smooth criminal steals necklaces from big stores and talks about the robberies in a most profound manner. He plans to steal the gold that's been taken to Romania from Russia in a train. He gets a team of the best players with the help of his guru Victor Dada (an old and tired Vinod Khanna). So Charlie gets a Bipasha; a motor expert who can seduce the living hell out of any thing that moves, Sikander Kher; a bomb expert who is deaf, Omi Vaidya; a prosthetic expert with the weird 3 Idiots' accent and Bobby Deol; an illusionist with broody expressions. The only player that's left is the 'best hacker of the world' Spider (Neil Nitin Mukesh) whom no one can trace. Well, not really cos he is traced by Sonam Kapoor who incidentally is Victor's daughter and an ethical hacker. They execute the robbery and are double crossed by Neil who tries to kill them all. Post interval the rest of them form a team against Spidey and take the revenge.

Now, logic doesn't play much role here. A robbery timed for 10 minutes time stretches itself to 15 good minutes. The Russian general is seduced by Bipasha and dances on 'mera joota hai japani' with his pants off. Strangely he doesn't find anything odd the next day when he wakes up from his unconsciousness. The most absurd part comes where Johny Lever, a car mechanic creates cars from the stolen gold within half an hour. If only Tata could hire a guy like that their production will increase 10 folds.

Acting department completely relies on Neil's shoulders and he impresses with his mean act. He has a potential to fill the void in Hindi films created after villians like Amrish Puri and Gulshan Grover. Abhishek Bachchan looks...well...ugly. While Bipasha looks hot even in drabs, Sonam Kapoor tries hard to match up with her. Her seduction dance for Neil Nitin looks more of a mockery. 

The film is an insult even to the masala genre. If you still want to watch it I recommend you go with cynics who would laugh at every scene and make you forget that its an 'action thriller'.

New Year’s Eve – Movie review

What did Garry Marshall do after directing the beautiful Pretty Woman? He made Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve in quick successions and ruined it all. There can actually be a contest; spot 10 differences and win prizes. The two are almost replica of each other with even the posters looking same.

Apart from the excess amount of sugar, love and hope the movie has a story which is set in the bedazzling New York city on the new year’s eve. The stories of different individuals begin or end at the strike of midnight hour. As the big ball at The Times Square drops, speeches are made, wishes are fulfilled and kisses are exchanged. Read more...

Deool - Movie review

Incase you are wondering whether or not to watch the latest Marathi release Deool, here's my review for the film. I watched it during the Mumbai Film Festival. I am not a native Maharashtrian nor do I understand the language still I absolutely loved the movie. For me a good movie is something that goes beyond the barriers of language. However, the length of Deool is something that bothered me because when you are making a film for the International audience you have to keep it tight (which it is) and short. 

Marathi cinema is several notches ahead of mainstream Bollywood. This has been proved time and again with films like Shwaas, Dombivali Fast, Harishchandrachi Factory and Natrang. Deool, which premiered on the second day of Mumbai Film Festival, can easily be listed in the same category.


The story is of a simple village youth called Kesha (Girish Kulkarni) who has a vision of Datta (God) under a tree. What follows is how the local netas publicise this for their own political benefits. A temple is built instead of a hospital. The village becomes a pilgrimage centre and gets crowded and dirty. The temple’s committee starts raking in money from the devotees and splurges on alcohol and celebrity dance shows read more

AND.....it all ends...

Spoiler alert if you haven't read the book.

A certain kind of excitement surges through your veins when a relationship reaches its peak. A similar emotion crept in me since the promos of the latest edition (which also happens to be the last) of Harry Potter series came out. This was going to be the end of my relationship with the series that started 10 years ago when the first movie released. But it was only 5 years back that I grew fond of the books as well.

So, after a sleepless night (like the ones you have a day before the school picnic) I was finally face to face with some of my favorite characters of the literary world.

Harry Potter and the deathly hallows Part 2 starts from where the part 1 ended. Voldemort (its not you-know-who anymore as Professor McGonagall says "call him Voldemort, he will try to kill you anyway") finds the Elder Wand and its Harry whom he wants now. Harry on the other hand is busy looking for the rest of the horcruxes with Ron and Hermoine. The trio goes on a roller coaster ride at the Gringotts, escapes on a fire breathing dragon and reaches Hogwarts for the final showdown. To be honest, my eyes got a bit moist watching Harry reunite with his fellow Gryffindors.

The beloved school of magic is attacked by Voldemort and his followers who have to fight Harry, his team and 'The Order of the Phoenix'. Amongst many expelliarmus, crucios and avada kedavra Hogwarts witnesses the biggest duel of its time between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.

The war ends with Dark Lord's death. While we cheer to that, there's pain of losing the best ones too (Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin). Severus Snape, to everyone's surprise, turns out to be a nice guy but is sadly killed by Voldemort. Molly Weasley's attack on the notorious Bellatrix Lestrange is worth a clap. Neville Longbottom comes out to be a hero this time as he kills the Nagini with Gryffindor's sword. I missed Hagrid in the first half but makes for his absence when he carries the dead Harry in his arms.

The last film is a great end to a brilliant journey. Kudos to David Yates for the great work. I just love the way he turned the kiddy movie into a dark fantasy since he made the 4th part (Harry Potter and the goblet of fire). Although the end where we see the 36 years old Daniel Radcliffe and others is a little disappointing and you rather leave the theater before '19 years later' flashes on the screen.

Although there wont be any potion classes to mess with and no quiddich matches to look forward to yet the end couldn't be any better.