Ae Dil Hai Mushkil- Film Review

A serious film review may not serve much purpose, because this review is a bit late- half the population would have seen the film, either because of Fawad Khan, or to snub Raj Thackeray-oh yes, Ranbir too (not to snub him, his fans). Also, it's a Karan Johar film. So I will only give you a summary of where I think he has copied from, various segments of this film.

First, the last segment is a straight lift from Sweet November- the cancer bit.

The first segment seems like some leftover shots from Tamasha, with Anushka getting into Deepika's skin. Maybe technology has advanced to enable directors to do that.

The party shots are copied from Irrfan Khan's spoof on party songs. And the club remains the same, no matter which country Ranbir and Anushka are in.

In between, Farah Khan's influence shows- no story, Bollywood songs of yore, and cuteness overload. Shah Rukh too.

In summary, though an hour too long, it's not a bad film, if you keep expectations at floor level.(surprise..I was impressed most by Aishwarya) ...and at the risk of alienating my female readers, Fawad is no big deal, as Ranbir keeps insisting in the film. But then, I am not a female.

Tamasha-Film Review

Could have been a lot better, is my first reaction on watching this movie.

Notwithstanding beautiful location shooting in Corsica (this is in France, not Italy), and some fun moments few and far between, like the take on Don and Ajit (Mona Darling is his moll)  the film is unnecessarily melancholic, and too long. The brooding of the hero is unconvincing (he does not behave like a grownup) and Ranbir looks unconvincing in those moments too. He is at his best in the humorous and upbeat segments. The scene where he gives up his job is in poor taste and looks like forced comedy of the worst kind.

If the idea was to show something different, it's not entirely achieved, as I could have predicted the story. The ending is regressive and cliched in a way, because it seems to suggest that a man has to have the final word in a relationship.

The film has some good music and photography, but too much of rambling makes it lose focus on the storyline. Deepika does a good job within her restricted scope. The technique of storytelling reminded me of Moulin Rouge, but that was far more effective. In summary, could have been better.

Holi Matrimony

Some thoughts about Holi and matrimony.

Both are colourful, especially the clothes bought/coloured and the language used in marital fights (the martial arts).

Both are confusing. Which day is Holi, exactly, for instance? And who is to cook in the married household, for instance.

Holi gives you excuses for chhed-chhad. Or used to, before various laws were enacted to take better care of women. Now, one less excuse to be inebriated with ''manly" power, I guess.

Just when you thought all the Holi songs had been written, there comes another. I think Ranbir and Deepika starred in one recently. On marriage, there are only jokes. Bollywood (happy) songs are all pre-marriage. What is the significance of that?

Marriage is supposed to provide security. And it promotes GDP growth. How? Married couples need a house, a car, a fridge, a washing machine, a cooking gas, restaurants, work to pay all the bills,...

So all you need to do to increase GDP growth to Chinese levels and beyond...you guessed it. Promote holy matrimony.

Barfi- Sweet Little Film

Barfi makes you want to fall in love of the sort that teenagers fall into. An innocent kind of love. Of course, it's filmy because it does not tackle all the realities of life, but it tackles some. And with a cast that is two-thirds handicapped. Out of the three major players, only Ileana is normal with all her faculties intact. Priyanka has a major issue, and Barfi the lead is deaf and dumb.

But the film is magical in that it makes you forget the handicaps of the characters and takes you on a roller-coaster through their loves, life and various other things like entanglements with the sympathetic cop. But mostly, it's about lost love in Ileana's case, and real love (as per the movie's definition) between Barfi and Priyanka. A comic sense pervades the film throughout, making it breezy mostly.

The supporting cast is good, the camerawork is brilliant, and the Darjeeling locales, captivating. Songs are hummable too. I think this one is a winner! I saw Ileana long after the Telugu film Pokiri, and liked her here.

Lips Don't Lie- Review of Rockstar

This movie (Rockstar) has to be one of a kind. It gives immense scope to the heroine's lips. They dominate the scenes in which she figures, to the exclusion of everything else- by design or accident, one does not know. So much so, that Shakira of the 'Hips Don't Lie' fame could have serious competition. And an aside for those in the weight-reduction business- liposuction does not mean a de-fattening of the lips.

Anyway, coming to the serious stuff, Nargis Fakhri (of whose lips the para earlier speaks) looks gorgeous, though she seems weak in the acting department, a little like Ash in her first film. Her Hindi diction can improve too. Ranbir acts well, looks cool, and convincing for the most part. The songs are good, and may grow on one after multiple listening occasions. The support cast- Aditi Rao Hydari is competent, and could be one to watch out for. The funniest character in the movie is that of the music company tycoon Dhingra, and his 'being-massaged-by-a pehelwan' (a metaphor for an ego-massage, maybe?) scene was an ROFL kind (to me at least). Shammi Kapoor's role is small but endearing.

The comments about the life of a superstar being lonely and frustrating are probably true for many of the ilk, given our intrusive public and media, and a complete lack of sensitivity for the person behind the persona. Some of the anger and outbursts Ranbir's character shows are totally understandable.

The pace of the movie could have been a bit faster, but the idyllic locations in Prague make up for it a little. Thank God, we've had enough of Switzerland in the seventies.

Definitely worth a watch, is my conclusion. Though judging by the audience reactions, it could turn out to be a cult film- the lips notwithstanding.