Suspenseful Play - Don Wajun Baawees Minitanni

 It means - at 2.22, and is a play in Marathi. Very engrossing, about a possible ghost or a haunted house in a remote place, where a couple has just moved in. Another couple who is friends with them visit, and a long argument goes on about rationality and beliefs that defy it. The direction and acting is superb, and all the build-up leads to a completely unexpected resolution. Great stuff. Hats off!

Filter Coffee- Marathi Play

 This is written and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. I am convinced that 'kar's  can do creative stuff! A good tale of a conman and his female victims, and how his scheme pans out. There are some twists in the tale, and the characters are quite interesting. The coffee does play a role!!

Good acting, all around. A driver/servant character adds a comic element throughout. This was the first show in Pune we saw. Worth a watch!

The cast and crew including Mahesh Manjrekar take a bow- 

Above- Rangoli at the entrance to welcome audience- Balgandharva Rangamandir

Ulajh- Film Review

 It's a 100 times better than the nonsensical Kalki (that was the last one I saw). Better story, direction, acting, editing. 

It's the story of a young Indian lady appointed to a position beyond her experience level, for unknown reasons. The reasons become apparent only towards the end, as the complex web of interactions among the major political players unfolds.

The script is taut and the editing keeps you interested in what's happening, and in anticipating what might happen. The ending is handled pretty well, and so are the dilemmas in the young girl's mind at various points of time. The acting is decent, from all the major characters.

Worth a watch, definitely, in my view.

Hollywood - An Objective Look

 A lot of Hollywood films are masala of a different kind. A few are good, in various genres. But overuse of technology and special effects/VFX have spoilt the kind of good films we got to saw earlier in decades gone by. This also seems to be happening in India to an extent, with tech playing a larger role than before.

When I started watching Hollywood films in the 70s and 80s, I did not understand the accent, always. But some movies made a mark with good action, comedy and so on. Slapstick was also a part of some. Laurel and Hardy were early favourites in childhood. Until we came tp appreciate Charlie Chaplin and his social commentary/satire, in Modern Times and The Great Dictator.

In humour of a different kind, fell Mel Brooks and Woody Allen. I liked both. Some action films like Guns of Navarone, Mackenna's Gold, or Where Eagles Dare were awe-inspiring. I did not dig the ovies that relied on special effects all that much. Star Wars  or Close Encounters or disaster films like The Towering Inferno, I mean. Lawrence of Arabia seemed like a meaningful film, about the history of the Arabs.

Lately, I have liked the trilogy starting with Before Midnight which was really made well. Before that, some capers like Romancing the Stone, or A Fish Called Wanda were also fun watches. 

A really good suspense film- apart from Hitchcock films- was The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, remade badly as Karz. The original was deadly!

Knives Out- A Play

 Views of my blog have been 776668 till date. So I trust I have some regular (loyal?) readers, and some who browse and stop by.. so I want to share an experience of a live play performed by IIM Indore students starring some friends, and superbly directed by another friend Shweta Kushal. Knives Out, adapted from a film of the same name, was staged on Feb. 17th. Some of the excitement is captured in these pics-

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Some of the cast including Prachi and Aakansh. 

The private detective and the policemen.

The immigrant nurse with the detective

Other important characters - members of the family

Aakansh looking old- older than me, he joked.

Some more caught in the act!

The audience is important too.. Pratishtha and Neeti behind us- Sohni with me.

Before it all began.. Sleeping Beauty Prachi and a part of the set- well designed.

All in all, a great show! 

Review of The Body (Hindi Film)

The plot is very interesting, and suspenseful, till the end. Not original, though. I understand it's based on a Spanish film. Nevertheless, it's remade competently. There are some twists/red herrings in the story along the way, that will keep you interested and guessing. There is a dead body that seemingly walks away from the morgue, and that starts the game.

The film essentially is carried by Rishi Kapoor, though Emraan Hashmi seems like the protagonist, and the two women in the lead roles are probably playing second fiddle, as they keep coming or going, sometimes in flashbacks.

Not bad to try and guess whodunit, and keep your brain active. And yes, there is a mandatory kiss, given the star-cast.

Judgemental Hai Kya- Film Review

I liked the film. That does not mean you will like it. It's that kind of film (isn't all art?). It is quirky, with an uneven pace (probably deliberate, and may be because mental imbalance is one of the subjects it deals with through its main character), and is full of switches between the present and the past- flashbacks, if you will.

Still, I give it full marks for keeping the suspense going, and for interspersing the serious plot with comedy in the form of some of the supporting characters- Kangana's boyfriend (who is not sure of his status- ha, ha), the two cops (Satish Kaushik is one), and Jimmy Shergill, who is not into comedy, but is a refreshing add-on.

The idea of using characters from the Ramayana, is great, and the sets of the rehearsals for the Modern Ramayana were brilliant pieces of art. Weaving in Duniya mein logon ko (the song) is also a nice touch, and so is the intro to the art of dubbing for films-we rarely get a look at the post-production activities that go into film-making.

It has lots of good things, if you are not too judgemental!

Entertainment From Elections and Thereafter

Apart from the political outcome of an Indian election (serious side), there is a comic or entertaining side to it. The great drama that precedes it, the announcement of dates, candidates, (not the Communist) manifesto and the promises, but most of all the speeches. We don't yet have debates, unlike the U.S. Presidential candidates. But the barbs flying from all sides make the whole thing akin to any other great Indian event, which I think we specialise in. And we have lots more of parties-political parties-than they do.

But it does not end there. The exit polls, the fracas on TV between party spokespeople, the anchors, the fortune-tellers, the analysts, and so on add to the fun. The voter is sometimes hung by a hung Assembly or Lok Sabha, and the suspense is killing, better than an Agatha Christie mystery. The mystery is finally solved when the new C.M. (or P.M.) is installed, and wins a vote of confidence-or otherwise.

I am reminded of an old joke from a column in Filmfare.

Who is a politician?
One who shakes your hand before the election, and your confidence afterwards.

Resemblance to real events is purely coincidental. Jai Hind!

Nice Hollywood Films

Mackenna's Gold
Guns of Navarone
To Kill a Mockingbird
Lawrence of Arabia
Where Eagles Dare
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Pink Panther series with Peter Sellers
Diamonds are Forever
The Man with the Golden Gun
Herbie Goes Bananas
Romancing the Stone
Death on the Nile
Murder on the Orient Express
A Fish Called Wanda
The Man with Two Brains
Dead Poets' Society
Silent Movie
Blazing Saddles
History of the World Part 1 (Part 2 was never made, though there was a trailer with Hitler on skates)
The Loves and Times of Scaramouche
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
Star Wars
The Omen
The Mask
Gone With the Wind
Modern Times
The Great Dictator
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
Julius Caesar
Who's Afriad of Virginia Woolf?
Titanic
The Naked Gun
The Birds
Dial M for Murder
Casablanca
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Oh, God (starring George Burns)
Airplane
Annie Hall

Top Films

I am approaching this top twenty (or more) from a different angle. I will try and list a few films from different genres, and see if they make sense in a list like this.

Simple Tales

Nil Battey Sannata, Rajnigandha, Chitchor

Suspense

Jewel Thief, Teesri Manzil, Ittefaq, Dial M for Murder, Shikaar, Aankhen (both Dharmendra), The Reincarnation of Peter Proud

Serious Cinema

Anand, Arth, Aakrosh, Manthan, Mere Apne, Ingmar Bergman's films, Zorba the Greek

Romance

Bobby, Aradhana, Tere Mere Sapne, Ankhiyon ke Jaharonkhon Se, Casablanca, Amar Prem, Bridges of Madison County

Comedy

Chhoti si Baat, Chashme buddoor, Gol Maal, Chupke Chupke, Namak Halaal, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Padosan, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Finding Fanny, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Silent Movie, History of the World Part 1, The Loves and Times of Scaramouche

Action

Where Eagles Dare, Mackenna's Gold, Sholay

Period Dramas

Mughal-e-azam, Bahubali,

Foreign Films

Many Iranian films like The Salesman, The Separation, Kurosawa films like Red Beard, Seven Samurai, a couple of French and Italian films, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady (this could go into the comedy list too)

Mindless Formula

Hathi Mere Sathi, Seeta aur Geeta, Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Hum Kisise Kam Nahin, Amar Akbar Anthony, Jugnu, Roti, Humjoli, Some Govinda films, Some Telugu films with NTR, James Bond Films with Roger Moore, Tamil films with Prabhu Deva..

Naam Shabana- Film Review

This could have been titled Baby se Pehle, as it is a prequel to Baby which starred Akshay. This one stars Taapsee Pannu, who is worming her way into my heart with her performances in Chashme Baddoor, Pink and now, Naam Shabana.

She is quite credible as a secret agent, but also credible as a young lady with a mind of her own. She faces tragedy with guts, and comes out on top. That message itself would be enough to go make you watch this film. But the film also works as an action film (a la Bond), with good editing to keep you guessing till almost the end, as to what will happen next. The other actors-Akshay, Danny, Anupam Kher are useful to keep you interested. Manoj Bajpayee is very good, and so is the lady who plays Shabana's mom. The villain is Prithviraj, I think from Mallu films. The nondescript "cable guy" is hilarious, when he says "People love free offers."

I enjoyed the film. Get some popcorn, and get going. The combo would be worthwhile.

Kahani 2- Film Review

I had Vidya Balan on my top ten list of heroines. She vindicates my choice, with yet another stellar performance. The story is a bit more linear than in the first, but manages to keep you glued, rather than bored.

The ending is a bit melodramatic, but I was happy just to see this genre of suspense/drama reappear on Hindi screen. It does not have many takers, and Sujoy Ghosh must be a rare director-to be complimented for it. And doing it well too. Reminded me of old films like 36 Ghante, Faraar and Ittefaq.

The other actors who play the daughter, the wife of Arjun Rampal, his boss, and the corrupt policewoman, are also good. Arjun and Jugal Hansraj play their parts well. The cinematography is good and the editing tight. The pace is good, and keeps you engrossed because there are hardly any unnecessary diversions.

I would say, go watch it if you are either into suspenseful dramas or Vidya Balan.

Now You See Me- Film Review

This film is pure magic. Literally and figuratively. It is so engrossing that I did not want to miss a scene. A car chase that seems pointless and stereotyped also turns out to be more than the eye can detect. In fact, the entire movie is full of deception that is hard to catch.

The story is of four magicians who hit the big time with shows in Las Vegas etc., thanks to a billionaire benefactor (played well by Michael Caine). They come up with a jaw-dropping illusion- looting the bank mentioned by an audience member- in Paris! This turns out to be a real robbery, but the magicians have a perfect alibi. They were in Las Vegas at the time! So they can't be booked for the crime.

They go on to perform two more stunts in live shows, one that empties their benefactor's bank account in favour of audience members. The benefator then turns to another magician who has exposed tricks of a guy called Shrike earlier (Morgan Freeman, excellent as always) to stop the Four Horsemen (the magicians) from doing their next trick.

There are run-ins with the FBI duo ( a guy and a girl-French, from Interpol) that keep the suspense up, and the magicians always come up trumps. The secret is revealed at the very end.

Not sure if Dhoom 3 was inspired by this, but could have been- partially. But this one is superbly edited and directed, and a must-see. In my view.

The Sense of an Ending- Book Review

Julian Barnes is an author I discovered recently, accidentally. While browsing with friends opposite IIT Delhi at a bookstore. That book was Nothing to be Frightened Of, about death. Non-fiction.

This is a novel, a humdinger- if that is the right word. Keeps you gripped throughout, and does not let go, till the last page. Ends with such a twist that it leaves you gasping, or rather, gaping. You don't know what hit you. I also liked the decsription of dating in Victorian (1960s) England, sounded like our own times, almost. The humour in the writing is very British, and very good. In the other book too.

Not too long ( a quality I appreciate these days), I was able to finish it in two sittings interrupted by some work (more on that later).

I think it won the Man Booker. Must say, it beats many other winners that were unreadable- at least to me!