The Ghajini mania beckons…

Swim against the tide, and you are true winner…said Aamir Khan in Ghulam, ten years ago. The line sums up the master’s stint in films, as an actor, producer, and as a director.

Now in 2008, that he is back to being the superstar again, with Ghajini; things could only get better. And going by the first look of Ghajini, which I was privileged to get a glimpse of, before the world is ensnared by it, there’s just one word I have to say…AWESOME!

From being the sensitive director with TZP, the man who does it all is out here to takeover the Indian Masala with this one. Talk of the elements of a commercial film, and Ghajini looks like a seven course treat for the cine-lovers to savour, to devour, to relish and to cherish…here’s one film, no one can miss!

Redemption Revisited!

What makes director Sanjay Gadhvi’s Kidnap really special is the way it treats the very notion of redemption. The revenge saga isn’t an unused theme in Bollywood so far, and neither is the rest of the paraphernalia in Kidnap an outcome of an outstandingly innovative thought process. But what really works for the film is the treatment of the story, apart from the dialogues, and most importantly, the way in which the message of the film is delivered.

The pace is just perfect, and it is indeed gratifying to see Gadhvi go beyond just glorifying hot bodies and celebrating the human triumph on the technological front. There is more meat in the story this time, and there is an agenda, a revenge, which at least justifies the life threatening and mind deafening pains which the characters take to make the film engrossing and entertaining, unlike his previous offerings, where all this and more, is a mere matter of tashan.

An interesting element of the film is that it actually makes its characters experience the thrill and the corresponding shrill which they are suppose to portray. Regardless of the impractical execution of the tasks, what I really liked in the writing is the attack on the thought process of an individual. To witness a crime, to hold someone responsible for it, and to make the person experience the act of crime are completely different phenomena, and this is where Kidnap transcends the boundaries of an average thriller, and goes beyond, on the story level.

And about the execution, rather the unfolding of the plot, there couldn’t have been somebody more suited for the role than Imran Khan. Just to say that he is superb would be an understatement. What makes up for the loopholes in the film is the bravura performance of Imran Khan. If Jaane Tu… was his arrival, Kidnap is his conquer; his victory all the way.

Whether Minissha Lamba’s career switched gears post Bachna… was quite debatable. But with Kidnap, she sure is speeding up to the top gear, and her songs in the film are a testimony to the same. This film doesn’t offer her too much in terms of histrionics, but she plays the part of a Sanjay Gadhvi heroine to the T. Her mass appeal will surely take a meteoric rise after this one. As for Mr. Dutt, it is generally a pleasure to have him on screen, be it as the sinister gangster, or as the adorable Munnabhai, and Kidnap is no different for him, and his fans.

In terms of story telling, Sanjay Gadhvi has done a good job this time around, mainly because he has a story. Of course there are flaws and lose ends, and then there are the cinematic liberties which keep coming every now and then, but most of them are strictly for the visual pleasures of the viewers, and the rest of them, though significant look tiny when compared to the larger issue which the film tackles, and the message it delivers. The film definitely is worth a watch, and the dark hours in the theatres, with a dark story are sure to brighten up the box-office windows.

Desperately Delirious

That is exactly how director RGV’s state of mind would have been, when he must have embarked upon this self proclaimed saga on voodoo, Phoonk which as it turns out almost every time in today’s scenario is nothing but a mere marketing brouhaha.

Set in an unpleasantly eerie house, which has some weird looking props all over (which typically parents with young kids would get rid of, but the couple here couldn’t care less) this is the tale of a non-believer. By virtue of being the sole bread earner of the family, he commands the relevant respect in the house, and everyone just bows down to the master’s ‘belief’, albeit reluctantly. He suffers a professional mess, and as destiny would have it, his rivals cast a spell on his kid, and how in the process of setting her free, he becomes a believer (sadly even his God comes out of thin air, just like the plot of the film) is what the story of the film is.

Unlike Bhoot, where RGV brought out the supernatural into the urban setup, where a layman in urban India could relate to it, here he goes the Ramsay way. Thankfully, he doesn’t (and hopefully couldn’t) go that bad, which is why one can sit in a multiplex and at least watch the flick. But for Christ’s sake(oops the mention of that word is blasphemous in this context), this is a house with kids, and in no way does the art director make an effort to make it look like one. Why in the name of God does the house have these wicked looking animals, a grim painting, depicting more somber hues to the already dim house, and why, why, why does it not have sufficient lighting? My problem with the film is that just to evoke the scary emotions in the audiences the entire setup is made out to be too ‘ghost-friendly’.

Also, when the camera tries out desperately to drive shivers down your spine, you wonder whether this is the same RGV, who managed to catch you off guard, every single time in Bhoot. What annoyed me the most is that he tried too hard to repeat the magic in every single frame of this film as well, but after all that, and after enduring the torturous traumatic ride called Phoonk, one still knows that all these were mere attempts!

On the positive side, the movie did enlighten me on the modus operandi of ‘black-magic’, it showed me how a lemon can be used, and what significance do the bone and the skull have and some more such stuff. And since I honestly didn’t care about all these, it was good (?) value addition! Also, Ashwini Kalsekar puts in a good performance, then be it as the wicked witch or the wounded tigress, she is highly competent, and given her previous track record, one can definitely say that she is versatile.

On the whole, Phoonk is a drab drama with dreary moments, which perhaps should be endured once, to get to know the psyche of someone who is desperate to get delirious and try and evoke the same emotion in his audiences, but fails miserably!

Yash ‘Raj’ is back…

Thirteen years ago, Aditya Chopra did it for SRK, four years back; Kunal Kohli did it for Saif, and now with Bachna… Siddharth Anand attempts to do it for Ranbir. By and large, YRF has been ruling the rooster with a quintessential chocolate boy hero and their fairy-tale like romances…while SRK is yet to recover from the blue-eyed boy mania of DDLJ and Saif would perhaps never be more adorable than he was in Hum Tum, the romance factory has projected yet another strong contender to carry the ‘Raj’ tag in Yash Raj further…

An unconventional yet formulaic story, this one literally pays homage to the YRF biggies of the yesteryears, then be it the all time classic DDLJ, or the director’s maiden venture Salaam Namaste, or then Hum Tum for that matter. What’s interesting is that several other moments from the film are an amalgamation of a lot of movies which are far from romance, but the context has been changed beautifully in the film, the prime case in point being The Devil wears Prada.

Casting wise, each of the women are so apt for their parts, and they actually build Ranbir’s Raj very well, then be it Minisha’s immature impishness, or Bipasha’s sizzling sultriness or Deepika’s enigmatic effervescence. The only big flaw in the narrative is Minisha’s character Mahi, which is scarred far too much by a tiny incident. Add to that, for the justification of the stereotype and also to raise the issue of good packaging versus good content, the writer’s have made Kunal Kapoor the ideal man, every woman would pine for. And Minisha’s cold behaviour towards him, borrows from Rani Mukherjee in KANK (though the adultery is absent out here) which is definitely a problem, and a strict no no. But unlike KANK, the Raj here, takes charge of the situation and hence the film doesn’t meander hither-thither. Ultimately all’s well that ends well.

Otherwise, the film is pretty perfect for a mainstream commercial Bollywood Masala film. The Deepika track may seem like a hasty execution, but then that can be ignored; coz with more meat into it and more build-ups for their finale, the detractors would have cribbed about the length. All in all, it is a perfect entertainer with dollops of romance and a dash of emotions and humour. And to add to the starry performances, there’s good music (Vishal-Shekhar in full form with able support by lyricist Anvita Dutt Guptan), excellent visuals (Cinematographer Sunil Patel does his career’s best job) and fresh choreography (Ahmed Khan adds to the charm).

But the two real stars of the film are director Siddharth Anand and the face of the film, Ranbir Kapoor. While the former takes giant strides on celluloid as compared to his previous films, the latter actually gets his due this time. In terms of effort and hard work, Ranbir is as earnest and honest as he was in Saawariya, and this time the story doesn’t let him down, so there seems to be a winner. Besides all this Bachna… is special for me, coz Yash ‘Raj’ is back!

Anarchy Rules!

A sequel to a powerful drama, and a film that marks the first ever collective on screen appearances of the people who are together touted to be the who’s who of Bollywood, Sarkar Raj, sure had it all that it takes to be the biggest ruler at the box-office. But alas, thanks to the anarchy in the plot, and the kingdom does fall flat.

Basically I didn’t think it was a bad film, but the biggest tragedy with Sarkar Raj is that I have to put it across this way. It should have been a good film, and that was the bare minimal that one would expect out of it. Amongst the several flaws, I think the very start of the film could’ve been much better, had Abhishek made a simple effort to analyse the project before he gave it his everything. Anyway the film bares a lot of unwanted stuff, so a scene or two which justified as to why Sarkar Junior gave in everything for this project could have made the narrative smoother. It is about being subtle and all is fine, but this scene works like a missing link in the entire plot, which in turn makes the character of Shankar completely half-baked, which in turn does contradict the original Sarkar. This is where the film loses its grip, as far as the plot is concerned.

The series of murders and the inclusion of characters which follow, do add to the dramatic twists in the film. And as much as I did like the background score, the frequency and the pitch of the score did make me feel like it was a soap on one of the channels. The constant usage of the sound does dilute the effect and most importantly the subtlety of RGV’s cinema (Aag excluded!).

The plot is interesting, though the execution isn’t as inspiring. From the writing perspective, I believe that Shankar’s character has been taken to a level, where he tries to be God. If attitude is what we are talking of, Abhishek’s screen presence bears resemblance with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s state of mind when he made Saawariya. And thus, his character turns out to be arrogant and over-confident, rather than a balanced benevolent one, which is what Sarkar was in the prequel. Shankar’s demise and the original Sarkar’s obvious resurgence into the power chair only justify the half-hearted effort that has gone into the character of Shankar, which is the primary flaw in the entire plot.

Amongst others, Senior B is his own self, which is why he can’t be bad. But considering the fact that he is the ultimate one in the industry, his performance isn’t that great. Ash on the other hand has done a great job. Be it her body language, or her expressions, I liked her, barring the ‘ek chai laana’ bit in the climax where I thought she looked like she was possessed by the ghost of Shankar. Abhishek lets down after the fab performance in the prequel. The camera work is good in pieces, but the bizarre angles in certain places, make the film look like a distant cousin of flicks like Jhoom Barabar… and Tashan.

If one were to analyse the plot, it does follow a standard format, wherein the sequel perfectly fits into the grid established by the prequel. One man rules, another one supports him totally, a third man is vying for the throne and the then the murders happen for several vested interests, and then there is a new found heir to the uncrowned kingdom, as the king has grown old. Barring the difference that the heir is replaced by an heiress, the template of the film is the same. A whole lot of razzmatazz, and a bunch of interesting characters, which pop up from nowhere and still strive to reach a level, which their half-baked description and characterization don’t let them achieve; it is the anarchy in the writer’s mind which prevent the flick from being coherent in terms of the story that it tells.

Back to Bollywood!

In an era of corporate Bollywood, movies also look mechanical many a times. Neither do they have the appeal which the Hollywood ones do, for all the reasons, nor do they have the inherent Bollywood charm these days. Thus, a film like Bhoothnath becomes special, as irrespective of all the new age Bollywood paraphernalia attached to it, the film is a celebration of the Bollywood spirit, in every way. It has a range of emotions, corresponding to the masalas of Hindi cinema, it has the twists in the tale (some forced, but some not), it has entertainment, it has stars and it has a message.

While the music may very obviously be considered as the weak link of the film, and could have been better, it is still less taxing while one watches it in the film, as opposed to a standalone hearing. But then there is humour, there is star power, there is a little bit of adventure, not in the treatment, but at a more fundamental conceptual level, and then there are dollops of emotions. As far as the star cast is concerned, this is perhaps one of the best ones in recent times, and not just as stars, but more in terms of the suitable actors. Senior B justifies in everyway why scripts should be written for him even today, and even if they aren’t how he can work wonders with them. Aman Siddiqui, the kid is adorable on screen and fantastic as a performer. As a personal observation, unlike a lot of screen kids of today (barring Darsheel of course) his over smartness on screen isn’t annoying and apart from him, the director should be given full credit for the same, and a lot of other things, but more about it later. As for King Khan, it is just a great experience to watch him on screen, yet again. While his character doesn’t really need anyone special, he makes the character special. Apart from his other special appearances, this one is more special coz of his co-star Juhi Chawla. The chemistry is just fantastic and not a single ‘family’ scene in the film lets one feel that the trio belong to different families in real life. As for Juhi’s performance, after Aaja Nachle and recently U Me aur Hum, this is the third film which makes you feel the real dearth of beautiful, elegant and graceful females who are performers as well in today’s cinema. She is superb, as the wife, as the mother, even as the endorser of Kurkure, and is a sheer delight to watch on screen.

Director Vivek Sharma has almost managed to tell a simple story simply. There is most definitely the unwanted Baghban angle to it. But then, almost every successful film has made such, sometimes wanted and most of the times unwanted appearances in the future films made by the director or the production house. The Baghban track of course does tarnish the feel of the film which is fabulous before it happens, but the rest of the film nice enough to ignore this aspect. The underlying message of taking the positive from anything, even a ghost and the concept of letting go in order to achieve Mukti are beautifully brought out in the film and that is the victory of the director.

Overall a nice family film for the holiday season I am not too sure whether the sequel in the making would again be a good film like Bhoothnath or end up being yet another product like most of the films of today. But Bhoothnath the film has a character and individuality; irrespective of the brand placements, it doesn’t look like a string of advertisements, and finally is a nice film, regardless of the bad Baghban enforcement in the plot.

Style…really??

This is it. Seriously I don’t think even all their cinematic mementoes of the yesteryears put together can collectively act as compensation for the audience woes on account of witnessing something that can only be described as the nadir of contemporary Hindi cinema, or for that matter cinema in general, and it is none other than the latest offering of India’s biggest production house, Yash Raj Films, the touted magnum opus, the multi-starrer, hype heavy, Tashan.

Watching any film with the YRF tag embossed on it, is sacrosanct to me, and hence when I watch something as crappy, as ludicrous and as pathetic as this, it isn’t exactly what YRF means to me. I agree that with the changing needs of the business of cinema, one does need to focus on business opportunities which have been hitherto untried. But Tashan is neither a cinematic jewel, nor is it a sound business proposition. I mean, till when would we only assemble the best on screen talent in the industry, give them pathetically shady roles, and expect to make a sizzling dish? We all know that Akshay rocks at comic roles, Saif is the quintessential epitome of the urban, English speaking lad of modern India, Anil Kapoor is amazing even in the most hideous of roles, and Kareena is irresistibly sexy, and yeah they all can act well. This is stuff we all know. Then why the bloody f*** are we tormented by the makers to sit through this excuse for a film? Did they have surplus reel to shoot a film, and couldn’t find a better way of using it?

The film deals with a couple of issues – there is the small town-metro clash, where the English language is the separating bridge, then there is the revenge story, there is a childhood love story, there is a theft story, and yeah, there’s loads and loads and more loads of style, glamour and gloss. But is this really what we define as style? Perhaps the film is a bold statement on the intellect of idiots like me, who earn money and waste it on a film like this, or maybe it is made with reference to a scenario where style means no substance. Everything about it is bad, then be it the incorrect timings for the song situations, or the lyrics of the song Dil dance maare or the irritating English Hindi dialogues, which become inaudible and lose their charm (?) as Anil delivers it, to mention just a few. And yeah, then there are the special effects. The car flying sequence at the very outset of the film, speaks volumes about what lies in store for the audiences is to sit and cry in distress.

Though on the positive side, Dil haara and Chhaliya have good videos and make an interesting viewing as they also amount for a decent hearing. But that’s it. While the stunts attempt to be a rendezvous between the Rajnikanth movies and the cinema of the 1970s, with the Hollywood inspired technology, and a distinct Bhojpuri twang to appeal to the masses, neither do they look hilarious as some of their original inspirations, nor do they have the appeal which Farah Khan managed well with Main Hoon Na, where irrational takes over the rational but at least the basic sanity is in place. And yeah, the three lead kids are invincible too. Even a bomb-blast can’t harm them, in anyway. While we expect to see tiny particles and body atoms of the lethal triumvirate after the powerful bomb blast, all we get to see is how well they’ve managed even their clothes; even Kareena’s hair still looks as gorgeous as ever after the blast. Even video games have better entertainment value and are less taxing on the thinking portions of the brain.

Vaibhavi Merchant has tried some interesting steps for Dil haara, and Ayananka Bose has used some interesting camera angles for the entire film, but his eerie obsession for the bizarre camera angles, which started off with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is still very much there and the weird hangover of the former stays with this one. In terms of the script, Tashan is so bad that the very fact that it got made is perhaps as ridiculous if not more than the idea of the script of Dhoom: 2 getting a booker prize for literary excellence, and in terms of the execution, honestly it looks like this film is being made to make Shaad Ali feel less guilty for making Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, which in comparison seems like a cinematic masterpiece by the way.

All in all, Tashan is special for one reason, since it has set the benchmark for Indian cinema at an all time low, and for all aspiring crappy films of the future, this one should hopefully not be defeated in the near future, for the sake of the paying public!