Double Review- Madaari and Kabali

The two films couldn't be more different. But both are very watchable.

Madaari is actually a plot that could have gone awry, without careful handling. That it doesn't owes itself to Nishikant Kamat (the director), and the two major actors-Irrfan and the kid he kidnaps (unintended!). The unravelling of the reason for the kidnap (cinematically speaking) takes a little too long in my view, but the climax is worth it. A sort of "A Wednesday" feeling, another film that had superb performances from Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. Here, the Jimmy Shergill (cop) part is done competently, if not excellently. If you are an Irrfan Khan fan, it is a must-watch.

Kabali. What can one say? The Rajni legend lives, and how! Even the most ordinary scene is lit up by his presence- you remain riveted in a series of action sequences, from Malaysia to Pondicherry. His style in some scenes is still awesome, and he is playing his age most of the time. Explaining the phenomenon that he is will continue forever, but he defines charisma, or screen presence, before which nothing seems to matter-the story (gangster war in this case), the dialogue, the direction, even the heroine. Though I must say Radhika Apte (and the supporting cast) does a pretty good job in this. Go watch it just for the fun of it. Because you kant (intended) miss a Ranjikant film.

Haider and More

Saw Haider and liked it, but there are a few improvements that would have made it a classic for me. Mostly, it's the pace. It is slow in the first half, which as a marketing man, I find difficult to take. The story is quite static in half one. It takes too long to just establish the fact that Haider (Shahid Kapoor) was sent away to study, his father taken away by cops, and that Shraddha loves him. The cinematography keeps it going, with lovely shots of Kashmir.

The screenplay and editing needed to be crisp, for a story like this one. The complexity of the relationships and the dilemmas of all the characters does come through, but at the cost of early disinterest in the happenings. If it was an adventure like Sholay, the action would keep you glued, but here, it should have been edited far better. Sequences with Shraddha's brother, the army interrogation, and a few others were just superfluous, and added unnecessary drag.

Most Hindi films suffer from this malady, though. The locales, the acting and the action in the second half are really good. Usually, the first half is more satisfying in Hindi films- here, it's the opposite. I liked Irrfan the best, though his role is short. I was reminded of the Himalayan shootouts in Rajesh Khanna's potboiler "Roti" at the end.

Moral of the story? Your dilemmas can kill others. Watch out!

Also re-watched a few comedies over the last few days, all different from each other. Mel Brooks' History of the World Part 1, Carry On in The Jungle, and Naked Gun 2 and a 1/2. All great fun, but done very differently. 

The Lunch Box- Movie Review

This stuff is delectable. I did not have this kind of a feeling, for a long time. I wished the movie wouldn't end when it did. Often, it's the other way around, thanks to poor editing.

Out here, everything is flawless. I generally don't go gaga over a Hindi movie. But I have to hand it to the director (haven't heard of him either). In the bunch of mostly meaningless masala that Bollywood churns out, this comes like a bolt from the blue.

There are innovative touches, like an 'aunty' who lives above the heroine's flat, and communicates through the window/balcony with her (and whom you never see), and using the reviews of the dabbawalas done by Harvard and Prince Charles in unexpected places. Also their song while travelling in Mumbai trains, used so effectively in the end...

The acting to me was truly electric, with the first-timer, Nimrat Kaur, doing even better than the veteran Irrfan Khan. She reminded me of Smita Patil a lot. Nawazuddin is also very effective with his act that acts as a foil to the 'serious' love story developing around him.

Fabulously understated and minimalistic, yet packs a punch. Need more of this stuff coming out of India-this is an Indian-French-German co-production, I believe. But it's all India in its story and treatment.

Paan Singh Tomar

Actually, the title sounded weird, and I put off watching this movie partly due to its title. But in the light of many positive reccos, bought a VCD (poor man's DVD). And was really impressed. The lingo is a bit strange (some rural dialect of Hindi) and takes a bit of getting used to. But a powerhouse performance by Irrfan Khan, that would thrill his fans, and a taut screenplay makes it well worth a watch. And there is a message in it too. That we usually treat sportsmen badly- particularly our athletes.

There have been many good anti-establishment films made by the likes of Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal and so on. Ardh Satya, Aakrosh etc. tackled themes from farmer's problems to corruption and ganglords, and this is another in the category. A bit unusual, like the name of its director, Tigmanshu Dhulia.

Rural India probably has a lot of problems unlike the ones we have (traffic, noise, angst), and this movie makes you aware of some. Sibling rivalry over land is one that is tackled here, without any convincing solution. Like the angry young man who seeks to solve everything by throwing his fists around, the solutions are simplistic. And they may not actually work. Israel-Palestine and Indo-Pak wars are a good example that violence may breed violence endlessly.

Two Films and a Lecture

Saw two movies this past week. Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji by Madhur Bhandarkar and Yeh Saali Zindagi by Sudhir Mishra. Both are very good, in different ways. The first is a nicely flowing film with a surprise ending, about three guys and their love stories. Ajay Devgan has acted really well, and his love interest brings a freshness and vivacity to her role. Emraan Hashmi is competent, but funnyman Vaidya who debuted in Three Idiots is the one who makes a greater impact as the innocent poet-ardent lover.

The other, Yeh Saaali Zindagi, is a black comedy about a bunch of gangsters and two love stories connected with two of them. The scene-stealer is actually Saurabh Shukla, a third gangster. Very intricate plot, a tight script which brings the complexities to a very interesting climax, and good acting by Irrfan Khan, Chitrangada Singh, Aditi Rao (her debut) and Arunoday Singh, and most others makes this a treat to watch. It has shades of Johnny Gaddar in terms of pace and type of plot, but this is probably a tougher story to tell.

Also had a couple of directors of a company, golftripz, coming in for a guest lecture yesterday at IMT. Jogeswari, a former student at Kirloskar, and her co-director, Madhav Misra, were the two guests. They explained the genesis of the company in 2009 April, and what their plans are to take Indian golfers on golf tours outside the country. A very interesting concept, it elicited a lot of questions from students. We rounded it off with an interview recorded for a possible case study, and a round of golf at our institute's greens on the campus.