Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota, use perfect banana padta hai
Consider this a (very) belated review of Rang De Basanti. This was originally submitted to Rediff as a reader review, but they didn't like it I guess. It's their loss. :) This is a modified version of the review I submitted :
There are two kinds of movies in this world : movies that are crap and movies you enjoy. On Saturday, January 28, 2006, I watched a third kind. You see, some movies are special. And RDB has a special characteristic that very few movies possess : it messes with your head. My friend who accompanied me to the movie was reminded of how The Matrix messed with his head, back in 1999. Mind you, it's no mean feat for a movie to mess with your head. I will not hunt through the thesaurus to look for alternatives of “terrific”. Rang De Basanti is actually too good to be worthy of praise, it’s simply good – that’s it!
After watching it for the first time, I just couldn’t get it out of my system. The whole concept amazed me to no end. Even now, my mind just boggles at the thought of the movie. At the thought of a particular scene depicting the camaraderie or serious discussions between the friends (“ik pair past mein, te ik pair future mein, tabhi toh hum aaj pe moot rahe hain”). At the thought of the ending, I mean what the hell was that!! It's haunting me in an indescribable manner; I’m not sure if I want to be inspired by the movie or heap praise over the way it’s been made. Cricket boggling the mind is still bearable and forgivable (e.g. dramatic results in the India VS. Pakistan ODI in Karachi, 2004 or the India VS. Australia Test in Kolkata, 2001). But for a movie to have such an effect on me was a first.
And now for a snippet of the current Bollywood situation. There’s no doubt that Bollywood is churning out loads and loads of crap these days. It’s become even more evident in the wake of competition in the recent years. That’s another thing I don’t understand. Competition is supposed to raise the standard of quality; things don’t quite work that way in Bollywood. The Bollywood industry provides its audience with all genres of movies. But what’s the point if the viewer is left to decide which the lesser of the pathetic crap is. It’s pretty much a lose-lose situation for the Indian movie-goer. RDB is a refreshing change, a world apart from the rest of contemporary Indian cinema. It’s commercial, and yet very meaningful.
Back to RDB then. And its most talked-about aspect : the ending. Should they have killed the Defense Minister, and more importantly, did all of them have to die at the end? (If you didn’t know this, then you haven’t watched the movie. Shame on you!! But it’s OK. I believe in forgiveness, and you can redeem yourself by buying tickets for the next show or even renting the DVD). Should they have killed the Defense Minister? It was probably a very drastic move, an extremist decision. I think it just signifies that circumstances are so pathetic in India right now that it requires such drastic measures to repair the system. But, according to my friend, there is a silver lining to people’s dislike for the ending. At least, there are people who realize that killing a minister might not be the right way to change the system, that there are non-violent and less drastic solutions to cleaning the system (you might want to check out Yuva which deals with a similar issue).
Of course, there are also aspects of RDB which are pretty flawless. I don’t think I’ve met anyone so far who hasn’t enjoyed the first half. The amazing thing is that all different aspects like the performances, music (including the superb background music – should be sold as a separate CD) and the dialogues seem to gel together perfectly.
I’m not sure if RDB has inspired me to do something about the Indian system or made me a more patriotic person. But it was one hell of a movie experience! And to all of you so-called Bollywood producers, directors, writers (etc. etc.) : kuchh seekho, picture aise banaate hain . . . .
Recommended song (Hindi) : Aa chal doob ke dekhe (Sunset Point)
http://www.raaga.com/channels/hindi/movie/V000168.html
Gulzar is probably the only lyricist who can pull this one off. He will definitely feature more often in my "recommended song" section in the future.
Aa chal doob ke dekhe
Ek do chaand se kude
. . . .
Arre, chal jebein bharle taaron se
Daane chhitkaate chalein
Arre, chal muffler pehenke baadal ke
Baarish barsaate chalein
Kuchh aisa karein jo hua nahin
Jo hua nahin woh karein
If you like this kinda music, check out the other songs of this album. Some are quite nice.
There are two kinds of movies in this world : movies that are crap and movies you enjoy. On Saturday, January 28, 2006, I watched a third kind. You see, some movies are special. And RDB has a special characteristic that very few movies possess : it messes with your head. My friend who accompanied me to the movie was reminded of how The Matrix messed with his head, back in 1999. Mind you, it's no mean feat for a movie to mess with your head. I will not hunt through the thesaurus to look for alternatives of “terrific”. Rang De Basanti is actually too good to be worthy of praise, it’s simply good – that’s it!
After watching it for the first time, I just couldn’t get it out of my system. The whole concept amazed me to no end. Even now, my mind just boggles at the thought of the movie. At the thought of a particular scene depicting the camaraderie or serious discussions between the friends (“ik pair past mein, te ik pair future mein, tabhi toh hum aaj pe moot rahe hain”). At the thought of the ending, I mean what the hell was that!! It's haunting me in an indescribable manner; I’m not sure if I want to be inspired by the movie or heap praise over the way it’s been made. Cricket boggling the mind is still bearable and forgivable (e.g. dramatic results in the India VS. Pakistan ODI in Karachi, 2004 or the India VS. Australia Test in Kolkata, 2001). But for a movie to have such an effect on me was a first.
And now for a snippet of the current Bollywood situation. There’s no doubt that Bollywood is churning out loads and loads of crap these days. It’s become even more evident in the wake of competition in the recent years. That’s another thing I don’t understand. Competition is supposed to raise the standard of quality; things don’t quite work that way in Bollywood. The Bollywood industry provides its audience with all genres of movies. But what’s the point if the viewer is left to decide which the lesser of the pathetic crap is. It’s pretty much a lose-lose situation for the Indian movie-goer. RDB is a refreshing change, a world apart from the rest of contemporary Indian cinema. It’s commercial, and yet very meaningful.
Back to RDB then. And its most talked-about aspect : the ending. Should they have killed the Defense Minister, and more importantly, did all of them have to die at the end? (If you didn’t know this, then you haven’t watched the movie. Shame on you!! But it’s OK. I believe in forgiveness, and you can redeem yourself by buying tickets for the next show or even renting the DVD). Should they have killed the Defense Minister? It was probably a very drastic move, an extremist decision. I think it just signifies that circumstances are so pathetic in India right now that it requires such drastic measures to repair the system. But, according to my friend, there is a silver lining to people’s dislike for the ending. At least, there are people who realize that killing a minister might not be the right way to change the system, that there are non-violent and less drastic solutions to cleaning the system (you might want to check out Yuva which deals with a similar issue).
Of course, there are also aspects of RDB which are pretty flawless. I don’t think I’ve met anyone so far who hasn’t enjoyed the first half. The amazing thing is that all different aspects like the performances, music (including the superb background music – should be sold as a separate CD) and the dialogues seem to gel together perfectly.
I’m not sure if RDB has inspired me to do something about the Indian system or made me a more patriotic person. But it was one hell of a movie experience! And to all of you so-called Bollywood producers, directors, writers (etc. etc.) : kuchh seekho, picture aise banaate hain . . . .
Recommended song (Hindi) : Aa chal doob ke dekhe (Sunset Point)
http://www.raaga.com/channels/hindi/movie/V000168.html
Gulzar is probably the only lyricist who can pull this one off. He will definitely feature more often in my "recommended song" section in the future.
Aa chal doob ke dekhe
Ek do chaand se kude
. . . .
Arre, chal jebein bharle taaron se
Daane chhitkaate chalein
Arre, chal muffler pehenke baadal ke
Baarish barsaate chalein
Kuchh aisa karein jo hua nahin
Jo hua nahin woh karein
If you like this kinda music, check out the other songs of this album. Some are quite nice.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Black .....
That's right ... today, I watched, apparently, the most awaited Bollywood movie of 2005 (according to www.indiafm.com), BLACK.
First of all, I wasn't very keen on watching the movie. But as it is with movies, if your friends are going, you gotta tag along !! The most surprising thing was when we entered the theater, the only people were my friends and me !! ..... Hmmmm ... The most awaited Bollywood movie of 2005 .... sahi hai !! :D ... A few more people (mostly comprising of Uncles and Aunties) joined us in the theater later.
Right from the start, I got the idea that this wasn't your usual Bollywood movie, which is good in a way ofcourse. I had read a lot on the Internet about how it was technically well made, after reading the interviews of the director, actors and cinematographer. But right from the start, you also know that it's going to be a slow movie.
The first half is good; it kept me interested. Special mention for the scene in which the little Michelle says "Maa" and "Paa" for the first time. It was very touching and the background music at that point would've left most people in tears. Hell, I almost cried in that scene ... !! I was smiling throughout the scene. Very good.
But the second half really drags. Especially the end when they focus on the romantic relationship between the teacher and the student (sorry, if you haven't watched the movie ... I might've given it away).
Ayesha Kapur, the kid who plays the role of the younger Michelle, has acted very well. As for Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherji, I think they have overdone their parts. I think they overacted in most of Black. I agree the characters they are playing extraordinary and inspring, but I'd still like to feel that they are real. Their characters didn't seem to come through as real. I don't know ... it's just my small opinion. And it's not even like I don't like their movies. I love Deewar and I still feel "Main Azaad Hoon" is the Big B's best performance to date. And I liked Rani Mukherji's acting in Yuva as well.
Well, atleast the good part is I wasn't disappointed !! I didn't expect much from Black, and it lived up to my expectations ... !!
Chalo bhai ... bahut lamba ho raha hai ab !! :)
Recommended song (English) : Boulevard of broken dreams by Green Day. I'm not a big fan of rock music. But this really gives me the kick. The guitar in the song is just amazing and uplifting. And I think this song is already very popular on FM stations in the US. By the way, it is also one of the theme songs for Smallville, a popular TV show about Superman in his younger days.
First of all, I wasn't very keen on watching the movie. But as it is with movies, if your friends are going, you gotta tag along !! The most surprising thing was when we entered the theater, the only people were my friends and me !! ..... Hmmmm ... The most awaited Bollywood movie of 2005 .... sahi hai !! :D ... A few more people (mostly comprising of Uncles and Aunties) joined us in the theater later.
Right from the start, I got the idea that this wasn't your usual Bollywood movie, which is good in a way ofcourse. I had read a lot on the Internet about how it was technically well made, after reading the interviews of the director, actors and cinematographer. But right from the start, you also know that it's going to be a slow movie.
The first half is good; it kept me interested. Special mention for the scene in which the little Michelle says "Maa" and "Paa" for the first time. It was very touching and the background music at that point would've left most people in tears. Hell, I almost cried in that scene ... !! I was smiling throughout the scene. Very good.
But the second half really drags. Especially the end when they focus on the romantic relationship between the teacher and the student (sorry, if you haven't watched the movie ... I might've given it away).
Ayesha Kapur, the kid who plays the role of the younger Michelle, has acted very well. As for Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherji, I think they have overdone their parts. I think they overacted in most of Black. I agree the characters they are playing extraordinary and inspring, but I'd still like to feel that they are real. Their characters didn't seem to come through as real. I don't know ... it's just my small opinion. And it's not even like I don't like their movies. I love Deewar and I still feel "Main Azaad Hoon" is the Big B's best performance to date. And I liked Rani Mukherji's acting in Yuva as well.
Well, atleast the good part is I wasn't disappointed !! I didn't expect much from Black, and it lived up to my expectations ... !!
Chalo bhai ... bahut lamba ho raha hai ab !! :)
Recommended song (English) : Boulevard of broken dreams by Green Day. I'm not a big fan of rock music. But this really gives me the kick. The guitar in the song is just amazing and uplifting. And I think this song is already very popular on FM stations in the US. By the way, it is also one of the theme songs for Smallville, a popular TV show about Superman in his younger days.
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