Karwaan (Hindi)- Film Review

Irrfan and the dialogues (by Hussain Dalal) are riveting. Mithila Palkar reminded me of every teenager who rolls her eyes and says "whatever"every chance she gets. Salman (not that one) is a revelation, with an underplayed hero's role if there ever was one.

The direction reminded me of the best in this genre. Akarsh Khurana is a debutant director? Hard to believe. Every frame of the screenplay is crafted to perfection, and flows seamlessly, from the first scene in the bus headed for Gangotri, to the last, set in Kerala. The Kerala shots reminded me of Chef which was also shot there, among beautiful surroundings.

Kriti Kharbanda, who has made it big in Kannada films, has an endearing small role.

But just for Irrfan and the dialogue, the film is a must-watch (mast watch too). 5 stars from me.

Favourite Actors

First, the women.

Smita Patil was really classy, in my view. Top spot.

Tabu comes close. I liked her in Cheeni kum, Hera Pheri, The Namesake,..

Vidya Balan. Takes your breath away, in some of her roles, like Parineeta.

Deepti Naval. Chashme baddoor!

Nimrat Kaur was very good in The Luchbox. Taapsee Pannu in Pink. Nandita Das in Fire.

Rekha in Khubsoorat.

The Men.

Irrfan in almost any film of his.

Naseeruddin Shah in Masoom is the one I remember the most..and Jaane Bhi Do Yaro, the greatest black comedy.

Om Puri in Ardh Satya. Ditto.

Amjad Khan in Sholay.

Abhay Deol.

Rahul Bose.

There are favourite stars too, for different reasons.

Hindi Medium- Film Review

It is rare for Hindi films to touch on poverty in a realistic manner. This one does. It also exposes the rot in our systems where anyone can fake documents and get benefits that are meant for the needy.

The obsession of parents to go to any length for their kids' school admission is the immediate theme of the film, but the sub-text is our own lack of a sense of right and wrong. Some scenes are very touching, and I liked the second half better than the first (except for the consultant for school admission, I did not find the first half funny).

The actors, led by Irrfan and Saba Qamar do a great job, but it is a well-written and directed film that touches your heart. The guy who really steals the show is Deepak Dobriyal as the poor neighbour who sacrifices everything for the new neighbours in his poor neighbourhood. His wife also plays her role well.

A good film to watch, it makes you think about how little it may take to put many of our systems back on track again.

Heroes and Heroism

The Hindi film's idea of a hero is a guy who bashes up the villain's henchmen into pulp and saves the heroine, or his mother, from their clutches. In childhood, we lapped up this theory. Now, of course, we know better. So this is a tribute to some unlikely heroes who may not be young, tough, or even good-looking. They might be too, of course.

Naseeruddin Shah. A gawky and awkward-looking actor, but a powerhouse performer. Unforgettable in some of his roles. Masoom is one where he does the right thing by his child out of wedlock. Not to mention his great comic role in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, with Ravi Baswani, Pankaj Kapur and Om Puri.

Om Puri in Ardh Satya was better than any conventional hero of those times.

Amol Palekar never bashed up villains, but he was terrific in Chitchor, Rajnigandha, Chhoti Si Baat.

Irrfan in the Lunch box was a powerhouse performance, in my view. So was the one in Paan Singh Tomar.

Farooque Shaikh was a great actor, in fiilms like Bazaar, Chashme Baddoor, Maya Memsaab, and many others.

Shah Rukh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is my favourite role of his.

Rajesh Khanna in Anand or Namak Haram. Or Bawarchi.

Dev Anand in Tere Mere Sapne.

Amitabh in Chupke Chupke. Dharmendra, likewise.

Nana Patekar in Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayein.

Piku-Film Review

This is an unusual film, but an endearing one. And contains two of my favourite actors as of now- Deepika and Irrfan. Irrfan won my heart with his Lunchbox performance, and Deepika with hers in Finding Fanny recently. It is unusual in its choice of subject- the bowel movements of a seventy-year old man, Deepika's father in the film. His obsession with his constipation is the major point of discussion in almost all the scenes in the movie, from Delhi to Kolkata, where the story moves. The really unusual thing is an irritating dad, instead of an ideal maryadapurushottam type-quite real.

But it is the realism which makes the film endearing. The acting, the dialogue, the situations are all quite normal in a middle class (ok, upper middle class) family. The additional factor that made it easy to understand for me, is that I lived for a year in CR Park, the Bong enclave in Delhi where it all starts- Bongs are a unique species in many ways, and the Kolkata part of this film brings it home more starkly.

Anyway, like the Sherlock Holmes story, it is important to note that what is NOT in the film is also notable-violence (except verbal), item numbers, garishness of any kind (except in wayside dhabas), and vulgarity. The doctor's and the servant's characters are also interesting, and make you nostalgic.

Behind the simply narrated story, there are several messages. See if you get them by watching Piku. That's Deepika's nickname, another Bong tradition.