Movie Review - Pink

5/5 stars.

Pink - the film - is a movie that stays with you even after you leave the theatre. It is a work of art which carries a very important message. It does not preach, it questions your conscience.

Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, written by Ritesh Shah, and produced by Rashmi Sharma and Shoojit Sircar starring Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Piyush Mishra, and Dhritiman Chatterjee, Pink is movie that should be made compulsory in schools, televised often on the small screen and made mandatory for families.

Yes, it is that film.

Pink starts with a party of three men and three women talking in the background. A politically well-connected man gets thrashed by a woman whom he seduces forcibly. What follows are threats, molestation, allegations. The twist here is that the women don't give up and stand on their two strong feet refusing to bow down before the corrupt system and undignified men. 

Amitabh Bachchan, their neighbour and a retired lawyer, stands by these women. The court room drama that follows is what makes this movie a masterpiece. 

Pink talks about the stereotypes we attach with Indian women that make them 'characterless' - short dresses, late night parties, drinking, hanging out with men, losing their virginity early on. Pink talks about how women 'provoke' innocent men. Pink talks about how the modern Indian woman is a stain to the society and what she should and should not do. And then, Pink talks about consent.

It all boils down to consent. The movie doesn't preach how we should judge this independent woman but how her choices must be respected. Every woman can relate to the second half of the movie, and every man can take away so much from it. 

The screenplay keeps you glued to your seats, the performances spellbind you and make you teary eyed, the story is crisp and to the point. I didn't know many actors from before, but each left a mark. Amitabh Bachchan is the greatest actor ever lived - I don't even have words for his contribution to this film and the message he is trying to convey in the way only he could.

I wish every Indian citizen could watch this. We live in times of a new era which is difficult for some to accept. A film like this could help people realise and understand so much. I seriously salute every individual associated with this movie. 

Movie Review - Kapoor & Sons

3.5/5 Stars

I went to see Kapoor & Sons expecting the same old love triangle. Since I like to watch all romantic Bollywood flicks, I had to go, but with very low expectations.

The film, frankly, surprised me. It had little to do with a love triangle (or a lack of it, go watch!) but more about family dynamics. The movie begins with the reunion of this middle-class family in the beautiful backdrop of Coonoor after five years when the grand-father has a heart attack. Before going further, I want to applaud Rishi Kapoor’s role as the grand-pa. He gives the much needed punch lines that make the audience laugh between intense drama amongst other family members.

The two brothers Siddharth Malhotra (Arjun) and Fawad Khan (Rahul) have had some feud in the past and so their relationship has been rocky. They have been leading separate lives in London and New Jersey, respectively. The parents, Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, live in the beautiful town of Coonoor and have trouble in their marriage. The love interest, Alia Bhatt (Tia) has a home in the same town and has her own family issues which I don’t want to reveal here.

The movie basically shows the crisis in the lives of each character, their relationship with each other, their problems and how they deal with it. The concept did remind us of Dil Dhadakne Do, but this was an absolutely different plot and set-up. It had interesting twists and turns and surprises that none of us expected. I am glad it was not the same old love triangle that we thought it would be.

The songs were woven well into the movie. Alia is chirpy yet intense, Siddharth is the boy you adore, Fawad's role as the favorite son is played well, but Rishi Kapoor was definitely the show stealer with his amusing role. There was nothing that I thought was larger than life or unbelievable in Kapoor and Sons which is rare in this genre. The story would make you value your family much more than you already do. I guess it is better to have a boring family than one with so much drama! Go watch it after the India – Pakistan match tomorrow. I know you won't, can't miss that!

Movie Review - Tamasha

You will read a lot of negative reviews – my facebook feed almost made me regret that we had already booked tickets for Friday evening. They are not all false. Yet, there is a lot in the movie which is likeable and would not disappoint you.

All of us wear masks. All of us are who we are not. All of us do some Tamasha. The movie explores a character whose life is probably a much bigger tamasha and how it affects his entire being. If you see a little bit of yourself in the story, which all of us will, you will love the movie. If you don’t, you might trash it like a lot of people.

I would say you need to get through the first thirty minutes for the movie to actually look good and make sense to you. For me, even the song Matargashti, which is introduced in the first 15 minutes, could not cover the boredom I was feeling. The first sequence in the movie doesn’t make sense, atleast in the beginning, and you tend to worry what is the fate of your next two hours!

But once Corsica ends, which had super-hot Deepika Padukone and even a hotter Ranbir Kapoor and beautiful locations, the real movie starts. You will realise that the movie is deep and meaningful and much more than a love story.

I don’t want to say anything about the story because the way it unfolds is actually interesting. The highlight of the movie is Ranbir’s acting – it is flawless. He made me admire his talent once again and the director, Imtiaz Ali's, ability to extract that talent out of him. The songs fit well into the movie. The pace is fast moving. I especially loved an emotional sequence between Ranbir and Deepika and also a scene between a particular story-teller and Ranbir - it all came out so beautifully.

I’ll give it 3.5 stars just because of the boring and difficult-to-understand first 30 minutes. I loved the movie otherwise.

Happy watching!

Movie Review - Daawat-e-ishq

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Daawat-e-ishq or the feast of love(!!) is set in the food havens of Lucknow and Hyderabad. Even though the title was repelling, I went in to watch only because I wanted to revisit my hometown and drool over the yummy Aditya Roy Kapur! Since I was able to do both, the movie worked for me.

The movie starts in Hyderabad where Gulrez (Parineeti) is looking for prospective grooms for herself. She is a well-educated, confident girl who refuses to settle for any Tom, Dick or Harry. Her father (Anupam Kher), a clerk in the High Court, has collected over 15 lacs to pay for her dowry. Since the amount is pretty less, Gulrez attracts only less-educated, mediocre guys. This frustrates her and so she plans a rather devious scheme to make her future brighter.

This plan lands her in Lucknow where she meets the charming Tariq who, obviously, runs a Kabab shop. I would like to add here that Lucknow serves the BEST Kababs and Biryani there ever is. I mean, you can make biryani at home, you can order it in restaurants, but the one you get in the streets and the dhabas in Lucknow is so different and sumptuous. My mouth was watering during the introduction scenes, and rightly so!!

They even serve this paratha with Kababs which you will not get in any other part of the world. That combination of succulent, melt-in-you-mouth delicacy is to-die-for.

So, yes, Tariq is not as educated as Gulrez, but his charming personality and humility makes her (and me!) fall in love with him. What follows next is for you to see because I don't believe in revealing plots here.

I thought the movie was fast-paced enough to keep us entertained. The trio acted very well all throughout. The music is awful. I mean, I didn't like a single song!! I think Hindi movies should start having just 2-3 songs for promotional activities and not incorporate these songs in the movie. They really make no sense.

Daawat-e-ishq deals with a very serious subject in a light-hearted manner. There are lots of how-can-this-happen moments in the movie which makes it a typical Bollywood affair. But in the end it leaves you with a smile and that is what really matters.

It also leaves you very hungry, especially for the authentic Indian food, which you will end up eating after the movie no matter what you planned for before entering the mall. So, Bon appetit!

Movie Review - Finding Fanny

My Rating:

I was very eager to watch Finding Fanny from the day I saw its trailer. It seemed like a refreshing tale and I thought this movie would be hatke.

Well, indeed it was hatke. The movie starts in a small, sleepy town in Goa called Pocolim. The people who live there lead a slow but eventful life. The main inhabitants of this town include the gorgeous Angie (Deepika Padukone), who was widowed within 5 minutes of her wedding. She lives with Rosie (Dimple Kapadia), her mum-in-law, whose 'dead' husband story seems rather mysterious. Her best friend is an old, ex-postmaster, Ferdie (Naseeruddin Shah), who does little apart from singing in the Church's choir. And then there is an outsider, 'talented' artist Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur), who comes in search of his muse and finds it in Rosie's round figure.

These 4 along-with Savio (Arjun Kapoor) who was Angie and her husband's best friend go on a road trip to find Fanny, Ferdie's love of 46 years. What happens along their journey and at their destination is for you to see and relish.

This movie, for me, was like reading a short story from a great author. It had simple settings, subtle humour, heartwarming characters, easy narration and something to look forward to always. There is nothing that will wow you and nothing that will make you yawn. My husband didn't once look at his phone's screen which itself says a lot about the movie!!

Thankfully the director, Homi Adajania of Cocktail and Being Cyrus fame, doesn't try too hard to add over-the-top humour. The characters play their age and act like normal people do. It is one of the few movies in which none of the actors disappoint with Naseeruddin Shah stealing the show. Well, ofcourse.

The movie is like an easy-going evening on a beach in Goa. Now who wouldn't like that?

Kitney Aadmi The?

...Not many - you say, when you go to the theatre to watch an off-beat film.  Barfi!, Taare Zameen Par, Talaash, Lagaan, Chak-de India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag...are a handful names that come to our minds when we think of big banners achieving success with hatke cinema. But most of the other unconventional ones have come and gone with the blink of an eye because they were not hyped as much.  

However, these are those flicks that take Indian cinema from meaningless gaana bajana to portraying life as it is. For every 100-crore flick that makes you think twice about our talent pool, there are hundreds of extraordinary stories that reaffirm our faith in Bollywood. While some big movies manage to take our breath away, quite a few low key ones make us yearn for more like them.  

So one of these winter weekends, curl up in your blanket and watch one of these precious gems from a huge treasure trove that make Hindi cinema what it is:   

Table No. 21

A couple is on a vacation and needs to answer questions or carry certain tasks to earn 21 crores in prize money. Mind you, this entire if-you-lie-you-die game show is not meaningless for it carries a suspense in the end and a strong message at that. I am exceedingly clever when it comes to guessing the mystery – but even I failed to do so!

This Rajeev Khandelwal – Paresh Rawal thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat. Just watch it, won’t you?

Club 60

This Farooque Sheikh-Sarika starrer was released in the December of 2013. Little did we know that we will lose him in the same month. Although I sat to watch it in his memory, the movie’s simplicity made me fall in love with it.

It is a story of an old couple who lose their only son and learn to live life again. In the process they meet several people who help them. These veteran actors (Raghubir Yadav, Tinu Anand, Satish Shah) add humour to this story of love and loss and in subtle ways make you realise that no problem is big enough to make you lose your life over it.

Club 60 is a must watch to learn the art of growing old; to learn the art of living life to the fullest and; to learn the art of surviving your ordeals.

15 Park Avenue

Konkona Sen Sharma and Rahul Bose have acted in some hauntingly beautiful movies that make their mark and stay in our hearts forever. 15 Park Avenue, directed by Aparna Sen and released in 2005, is one such movie. 

The movie is about 27-year old Meethi who is schizophrenic and believes she has a husband and 5 children who live at 15 Park Avenue in Kolkota. Her character is so endearing that you want to take care of her just like her intellectual elder sister (Shabana Azmi) who herself is dealing with her relationship problems. 

The story gently explore the thin line between reality and delusion. It is not about a patient or her journey, the movie is about the world that exists and the one we imagine. Mithi’s world is as real as ours, her truth is as correct as ours. She perceives our world as gibberish; we find her’s insane.

Who is right? – The movie doesn’t answer that. It leaves us thinking and that makes it so extraordinary.

Dor

A rural woman loses her husband. Another, from a far off land, has to find her in order to save her own. This story of love, betrayal, friendship, forgiveness and redemption is beautifully directed by Nagesh Kuknoor in the deserts of Rajasthan with Ayesha Takia and Gul Panag as it's leading ladies.

The two songs which remain my all time favourite – Ye Hosla and Imaan ka Asar – form the crux of the story. Watch this movie to learn what courage really means. And how it can turn your life around.

Aamir

How can a list of films be complete if it doesn’t touch a story that revolves around religion and how extremism and fanaticism can create havoc in someone else’s life.

Dr. Aamir Ali is a doctor who arrives in Bombay from London. Bikers hand him a cell phone and he receives a call informing him that his family is being held hostage. These terrorists give Ali five hours to plant a bomb on a bus, or his family will be executed. They show him that their people are suffering with abject poverty and this act will be beneficial to his community.

Aamir’s gripping and gruesome tale makes you rethink about the ruthless discrimination that we consciously or unconsciously do in our everyday life. It doesn’t scream religion or patriotism like we have seen before. However, the underlying message is much stronger.

Just like all other movies that I have mentioned. They are all five starrers!

This post is a part of the Miss Lovely Activity in association with BlogAdda.

Miss Lovely, an off-beat film directed by Ashim Ahluwalia is set in the lower depths of Bombay’s “C” grade film industry. It follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sex horror films in the mid – 1980s. A sordid tale of betrayal and doomed love, the film dives into the lower depths of the Bollywood underground, an audacious cinema with baroque cinemascope compositions, lurid art direction, wild background soundtracks, and gut-wrenching melodrama. Miss Lovely is scheduled for commercial release on 17 January 2014. (Blogadda)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!

The world forgetting, by the world forgot.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!

Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d”

― Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard

In simple words, this quote means that virgins/nuns (vestals) forget about the world and the world forgets about them as well. In this scenario (spotless mind), when they speak to the lord, all their wishes and desires are fulfilled and they receive eternal happiness (sunshine). Although, in the context of the poem vestal means virgin, in the context of the movie it could mean a clear head.

So I saw this movie yesterday (a tad too late I guess) and it has now become one of my favourite movies ever. The thought behind it aside, the narration of this love story is so unique and beautiful that it totally blew me away.

ESoaSM is a story of two individuals who fall in love and then separate due to circumstances. They then decide to undergo a procedure which helps them erase that phase of their life. But even though they forget each other, their feeling towards each other reunites them in another mysterious way. When they find out the  nasty things they said to each other before separating earlier, they feel that they will yet again face similar problems and decide to go different ways. But it’s not easy... is it?

When the movie began, we thought that this procedure was the best thing in the world. It would make heartbreaks and deaths so easy. It would make ‘a fresh new start’ a reality. However, as the story went ahead, I realised how important memories were. Even if you try to kill them, your feelings don't change. Sometimes you need to learn from mistakes. At other times, you need memories to feel the warmth a million times over. 

The movie made me realise that a spotless mind may not be the happiest. You need to let go of certain things and live in the moment. You need to love and learn from your past to get eternal sunshine for NO life is beautiful without the experiences you’ve had, the memories you are making and the things you will remember for the rest of your life.

Movie Review - Lootera

Still from the movie Lootera

Certain movies touch your heart in a zillion ways. I thought Lootera was one of them. I admired the creativity in each canvas. And cried oodles for the characters.

My expectations were set low because I was told that the movie is very slow and boring. And then, I read a few good comments. Just to let you know, I never read reviews before watching a movie. What you like and what I like can be totally different. Reading a review is like reading the last page of a book first - total spoiler.

Having said that, I write reviews for people who would want to read and go! It is a personal choice, right?

Anyway, the tragic story of Lootera is a about a girl Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha) who falls madly in love with a man Varun (Ranvir Singh). The man reciprocates but due to circumstances they depart on sour terms. The girl then turns into a recluse unable to get over the heart break. What happens next is for you to watch... I don't tell detailed accounts of the story.

I am not a big fan of the two actors and so I found it hard to watch them romancing. What kept me glued is the way the movie is directed. And then when the plot turned and twisted, my eyes stuck to the screen till the last shot. The movie is beautifully filmed for the 1950's. The old world charm is stunningly captured with vintage cars, telephone rings, romancing under the trees and ink pens. I thought the scenes with snow fall were awesome.

What is still creating a ruckus in my head is the character of Pakhi. She loved a man to bits and turned her life upside down when he left. Agreed that there were a couple of more tragedies that magnified her grief, but aren't we suppose to 'rise in love'? The boy was in her life for hardly a month, how could someone get so close in such a short span to let him ruin her life?
Then again, love is mysterious. Some find the ability to get up and get going while others hold on to it like it was a crime to let go. No matter what, when it touches you deeply, a part of you stays put forever. But holding on to something that can never be yours and mulling over it for the rest of your life - that for me is criminal. Love is too beautiful to make you lose your life over it. If you want to celebrate that love, celebrate life and the fact that you had a chance to feel it...

I thought Pakhi's character was one of the most beautiful ones ever written. Watch Lootera for that. It will make you question a lot about love.

Movie Review - Raanjhanaa

So the Boy was out on Friday night. He had read the story of Raanjhanaa like all Bollywood sceptics and discarded it as a story of a loser who tries to reunite the love of his life with her boyfriend. Since it is his least favourite genre, I thought I would have to watch it alone. Also, how could I miss something he would hate?

Anyway, it’s one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t had the chance to watch it, I would advice you to give it a shot for you’ll love the characters, the plot, the direction, the dialogue, the setting, the music...the works.

For starters, the movie begins with a small Hindu boy Kundan (Dhanush) falling in love with a girl Zoya (Sonam Kapoor). When they hit adolescence, he confesses his love. The girl hesitates and then agrees. Her Muslim family obviously disapproves and sends her to Aligarh to study further. After 9 years, when the girl returns to the hometown of Benaras, the boy is still in love with her. But the girl had moved on. The boy then helps her reunite...

That’s just half the movie. I guess that’s where most people stop reading and trash the movie as a boring love story. What you don’t read in the reviews is the acting, the one-liners, the conviction... Sometimes, genuine movie buffs (like moi!!!) don’t give out the entire movie. You really have to watch this one to know what lays ahead for Zoya, Kundan and Jagjit (Zoya's new boyfriend).

Since it’s a movie, something is bound to be illogical. But the unconventional take on love keeps you glued. Zoya is an extremely strong character and a true depiction of the bold woman of today. Dhanush is a lovable, sensitive man whom you fall in love with. He is actually brilliant in the film and proves that you don't have to be goodlooking to be a star.The supporting cast makes its mark as well. The story – it racy enough to keep you interested.

I am going to convince the Boy and watch it again with him. Do watch it once, it is soooo much better than Ye Jawaani hai Deewanis of today.

Movie Review – Special 26

Before entering the theatre, I had no idea about the movie. I had not seen the trailer, I didn’t know who was in the movie and I had no clue what was it about. We just saw that people were rating it 4/5 and thought what the heck - if we can get through Race 2 and Jab Tak hai Jaan, we would get through this as well.

But Special 26 is one of the best movies we have seen in a long-long time. It is an intricately crafted drama based on real life heist in 1987 by a gang of con artists who portrayed themselves as the CBI and performed raids at huge business houses and homes of rich politicians. The script writer has done an amazing job weaving the story around these real life incidents. The narration is flawless and racy, the acting is superb and the dialogues are succinct. Things could have easily become Bollywood, but the director Neeraj Pandey of A Wednesday fame did a splendid job for second time in a row.

Also, since it's suppose to be 1987 in the movie, they have taken a lot of care to show old Fiat cars, Lijjat Papad ad in the background and empty Delhi streets. The movie has an air of nostalgia which is quite over-whelming.

I don’t want to say anything else about the story because I want you to watch it just the way I did. It’s a fast paced, no-nonsense film. I kept waiting for a moral because, well, we always have one! Watch the movie to find out if it has one or not.  

I give this awesome movie 4/5 as well. Minus one because they had a romance angle that sucked! Maybe the director was looking for commercial success which he should get anyway. Watch this one if you are a sucker for good movies. 

Mahi and Manmohan - The (il)logical Review

The movie Heroine is so bad that the only (il)logical similarity I could  come up with was the present government - United Progressive Alliance. The two have been making headlines this weekend, both are highly depressing and intolerable, both could have done so much better, and so, read on before you waste your time on either!

*When you enter the theater, you look forward to some spicy gossip, bedrooms stories and an insight into an actor’s life. This is something refreshing and has never been done before in Bollywood. You are excited and confident of a repeat performance by Madhur Bhandarkar.

*The UPA looked reassuring as well in its second term. India was glistening before 2009, just like Fashion and Page 3. We looked forward to Dr. Manmohan Singh and his army to rock the stage.

**Mahi Arora (Kareena) is a leading actress who looks quite glamorous initially. She is in an insecure relationship with a married co-star who uses her position for his own good. Although he tries his best to form a decent relationship with the star, her madness and insecurity leads to their split. You don’t understand whom to feel sorry for. 

**Now Dr. Singh is a sincere man. He has tried his best to keep his allies together. But they are like small children who wouldn’t agree to the smallest of things without saying a NO.  Didi, Behenji and Amma have shown their doubt time and again. Behenji broke up long time ago and Didi took a divorce because she doesn’t like Walmart. You really don’t know who the bigger fool is.

***Mahi’s madness leads to her downfall. New actors come and take her place. She isn’t considered a good actor and so she takes up a small time film on prostitution which is performance oriented. As luck would have it, the movie gets shelved. And oh, in between she falls in love with a cricketer (read: poor Yuvraj Singh) and leaves him because he wants to commit a criminal offense by marrying her. She also spends a night with a female friend and a well-wisher. She then leaves her because she thinks she was used! 

***Raja, Adarsh, Kalmadi, Inflation, Lok Pal, Sensex, Rupee, etc hit headlines in the last few years. Scams came and scams went. UPA predicted a growth story of 9% but sorry, it got shelved for its own reasons. We did better than the world on paper, but in reality, our top States went powerless for hours showing weak signs of growth.

Unfortunately, no one fell in love with the UPA. And we are yet to hear about Lesbian/Gay stories!

****No one would trust Mahi. She made a low budget film but there was no way she could attract audience. In an attempt to get rapid publicity she leaks a sex tape of her and her co-star who was in love with her for the second time. You are forced to think about the Shahid-Kareena and Riya-Ashmit MMS but can’t draw any similarity. Anyway, Mahi realises how low she had stooped and so she leaves the country to end her suffering.

In the course of the movie we also see how she refuses to sleep with an actor who subsequently cuts her scene from an important movie, her gay fashion designer (Manish Malhotra?) who gives her all the gossip, her PR Manager who asks her to do cheap tricks to gain publicity, wives(Gauri Khan/Suzzane Roshan?) controlling their director/actor husbands, superstars from yester-years losing respect in old age, and the other dirty pictures of Bollywood. Overall, Mahi is a highly insecure cry-baby popping pills at every given opportunity. All the time you wonder who really does that!? The character is so depressing that it makes her despicable.

****UPA has lost all its charm. The government is facing wrath from all sectors. We don’t hear anything about the Common Minimum Programme. You never know when the government will fall and so the cheap tricks have started. We saw the PM come live on TV for the first time in 2.5 years. He looked like a robot talking about money and trees. A whopping 100 Crores is being spent on an image makeover. What are they thinking? We’ve seen the ridiculous Monsoon session, we’ve witnessed the rise in violence all across the nation, we’re noticing the alarming rise in prices, we’re distressed with the state of roads and general infrastructure, the list is endless. All this combined makes the UPA, you guessed it right, despicable.


*****Heroine fails to impress because it has tried to cover too many things in one small movie. Moreover, the character of Mahi is so insecure and depressing that you fail to sympathise with her. All the while you feel she deserves the treatment she gets. The moment you begin to like her she does something extremely foolish and you start to curse her again. Even Halkat Jawani fails in such a scenario. You get through the film only because you keep looking for familiar characters and want to know more about them. You get through it only because you wait for something interesting to happen. Sadly, it doesn’t and really, it’s all Bhandarkar’s fault. He could have done so much better.


*****What can I say about the UPA? When you look around and you see countries developing at a fast pace, you feel sorry for India. We have so much potential but our politicians have failed us. If Madam had not taken the tax payers money to Switzerland, if Dr. Singh even had minuscule control over his team, if growth stories had made more headlines than corruption stories, if the Government stuck to the most important reforms, if…

We are a nation of hopefuls. Even if we need 7 runs to win from the last ball and Harbhajan is at the crease, a small corner of our heart believes that we will win. That’s the only reason we are tolerating this government. UPA could have done so much better.

Movie Reveiw - Ra.One

I’m not a Shahrukh fan. I’m not a superhero fan. I’m just a Bollywood fan but from now on, I’ll neither trust Mr. Khan nor any superhero made in India. Ra.one is a complete disaster. Nothing, absolutely nothing in the movie is worth praising. After a while even Kareena’s glowing skin couldn’t make up for the damage.

I went with another couple with a five year old kid. The kid was crying the entire time seeing the horrific Ra.one and hearing the blaring sound. The movie is not for adults and from the little girl's reaction, certainly not for kids!

I don’t have the patience to recollect the torture and write here. Please don’t waste your time and energy. Go to a restaurant, sit outside, enjoy the lovely weather, have tea/beer/sheesha, and thank God for being spared!

Jai Ho!

First things first, it’s great that a movie that’s Indian in a large way has won 10 Oscar nominations. Yeah, Slumdog Millionaire has done us proud.

But the debate that’s doing its rounds in India is whether the movie is putting up a wrong picture in front of the whole world about India being a land of the poor.

Well, I am yet to see and form an opinion on the movie since it is releasing tomorrow. Nor have I traveled the world as such to know what the present opinion of the world about India is. From what we hear and read, India is known as the land of many cultures, traditions, festivals, and diversity in various forms. I guess it’s a widely known fact that India has one of the largest populations with masses living in utmost poverty.

Unless someone knows an Indian abroad he will not know the true picture of the country from outside. When Aishwarya was on Oprah Winfrey show, Oprah was shocked to know that Indian kids live with their parents even after they graduate. She didn’t know that virginity was considered a Big issue in our country. She was somewhat unaware of the Saree as well. If she didn’t know much about our value and family system, it’s very difficult to expect it from an ordinary American citizen.

That’s just one very different example that I know of. What I'm trying to ask is that what is the true picture anyway? Isn’t poverty a major part about our country? If someone was watching CNN a month back, wouldn’t he know about the terror attacks? Will he conclude that India is always under terrorists?

I hope not. Sure it would evoke some thoughts, but an intelligent person would not generalize the whole thing. And for those who want the world to paint only the rosy picture(read : all of us), lets hope after this movie loads of film makers will throng India and someone would definitely show the India that we dream about.

Lastly, I’ll watch this movie and hope it’s as good as our expectations. Hopefully it will make lots of money and it will do nothing to our ‘image’ abroad!I've also heard that the producers might share the monetary success of the movie with the Indian slums.So, all is well. Why the fuss?

Rock On - rocks!!

I'm a huge Bollywood fan. I love all kinds of desi flicks - be it comedy, romance, drama, action, the works. Lately, big films with good star cast has been putting up a sad show and that's disappointing.

Amidst the hoopla around Bachna Ae Haseeno and Sing is King (which were BIG disappointments) comes Rock On. A simple film on life, love, passion, friendship, trust, belief and a whole gamut of emotions that's missing in all other films these days.

So Rock On is a FIVE STAR. Really. The film's script is never let lose. You always want to know what happens next. The story telling is dealt in the most amazing way ever.

The performances are outstanding. Farhan Akhtar is one God of Hindi Cinema. He's fabulous in the movie...with long and short hair both! Arjun Rampal is like a Greek God - just fell in love with him. Purab is a sweetheart. You'll love him for his one liners and his flirty character. Prachi Desai doesn't look like a bahu from the small screen. She's done a fab job as well.

The direction, the locations, the whole feel of the movie is superb. I can go on and on, but you have to watch it to believe it.

Last but not the least, the music. I'm no Rock critic. But the music makes you tap your feet and applause. You want to get up and dance, but sadly we dont do that in theatres. I really wish we could!

There's love, there's heart break and there's masala that you look for in a Bollywood movie. But with that, there's a message - Believe in your dreams and never let them go. The movie touches you and inspires you. You really shouldn't miss this one, trust me.

Chak de India!

Just when I thought Bollywood directors had lost it, they hit back. Chak de India is a must watch for every Indian. Not only because its patriotic, gripping, entertaining and inspiring, but also because its revolutionary in many ways!

From the moment I grabbed my seat till the screen was jet black and they wanted us out, I was zapped! Kabir Khan is coach India...and he does a splendid job. Shahrukh's acting is remarkable in this movie. His dialogues have finesse that not many movies have.


A bunch of girls whom you never knew take your heart away. The tom boy from Haryana is an absolute entertainer. The damsel from Chandigarh speaks with her eyes! Punjabi girl shows way to every Indian girl - of how to fight your own battles. And the most experienced player of the team - Bindya has a role in the movie whom you hate initially but ultimately fall in love with!

The movie inspires patriotism when you watch your flag rise high, it weaves the path for Indian woman to come out of her cocoon(if she still haven't), it shows everything is possible if you have the talent, and it touches male chauvinism from time to time and subtly every girl defends herself from it. My favorite scene in the movie is when these girls fight guys teasing them. Thrill to watch!

The movie could have easily become boring with all the hockey matches. But full points to the script, they never let it lose. They could have easily shown a lot of unrealistic scenes, but they did not. And that makes the movie special.

I generally don't do such a lot of tareef! So get your ticket and be ready to cheer for team India. Anyway, we get rare moments like this these days!

Harry Potter and The order of the Phoenix

Well, I'm no ardent fan of Mr.Potter! But i love to have fun...and so early morning(10:40 a.m.!!!!) me and my friend headed for first day first show of the new Harry flick!

To say I was disappointed would be too harsh. Lets just say it wasn't up to the expectations. You wait and wait for something thrilling to happen, as in all Potter movies, and when something happens, 10 minutes and the movie is over.

Harry is accused of lying by saying that Voldemot is back. Nobody believes him and so he forms his own army against him. Some(5 maybe!) fun moments, some(umm..1..cant even call that a fight though) fighting scenes in the last 10 mins, Harry is proved right and THE END!

I missed laughing, I missed being captured by fights, I missed the fun matches, I missed Dumbledore and Hagrid and I hated the fact that Potter loses his Godfather in this one. Also, Potter kisses Cho...just for a few whistles by some sick audience(lol! well, where i live, it happens!)...and thats all...no emotions anywhere at all.

The people who have read the book(I haven't) say that a lot of things were missing. Guess that happens with all books that turn into movies 'coz there is little time.

The silver lining - Prof Pinky...oops...Umbridge was a lottt of fun to watch, and so were the Weasely twins. I've always loved Hermione's assertiveness and she did justice this time as well. Rest, well, I know all Harry fans would watch this one, but Im sure they'll think how much better it could have been.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - The movie!

If you like songs with abstract lyrics, if you like a movie without a script,if you like romance without emotions,if you want to watch Amitabh Bachchan - the legendary actor of bollywood - to just boogie for one song and laugh in the end for a stupid reason, then please go and watch this movie!

This movie also seems to be a reply to Ash by Abhishek 'coz he gets to kiss both the actresses! Girl meets boy, boy meets girl. They lie to each other and then try to undo it because they fall in love! Now there seems to be no real reason for the 'love' as well. But then thats justified in the end by a monologue that this generation doesn't believe in mushy love stories and is unconventional. Are we?

Two things that are good about the movie are - the beats that the songs have(spoilt due to the pathetic lyrics) and Abhishek Bachchan's cute and natural acting. He's an absolute darling in the film. Watch Jhoom Barabar Jhoom for him if you want to, otherwise the movie really sucks.