Dil Kabaddi

Imagine Irfan Khan wearing a g-string and a sports bra !!

Grossed out :D ? Don’t worry, they don’t show him in it :)

Just an indicator of the level of openness we have come to accept in hindi movies. Even 5 years ago, talk like this would have gotten movie posters burnt etc. But now its quite cool to talk about spicing up your sex life with such ideas. Ofcourse the g-string idea itself is quite stupid :)

Dil Kabaddi is a take on modern-day urban relationships - with Rahul Bose & Konkona Sensharma and Irfan Khan & Soha Ali Khan playing couples – who are outwardly happily married, but troubled inside. The movie claims to be a fun take on marital (and extramarital) affairs – and especially the trailers of the movie promise a lot of debauchery and goofing around.

So does Dil Kabaddi deliver ?

Yes – but not quite.

The story begins with Samit (Irfan Khan) and Mita (Soha Ali Khan) fighting on their way to meeting Rishi (Rahul Bose) and Simi (Konkona Sensharma). We come to know of Samit’s … err … overenthusiasm for all matters sexual and Soha Ali Khan’s preference for romance and ‘huggy-huggy’ at night – among other things. And they proceed to calmly inform Rishi and Simi that they are separating and Samit is moving out of the house.

And so begins the fun for Samit as he moves in with his ‘aerobics instructor’ Kaya (Payal Rohtagi) the very next day. Mita takes things hard at first but then Simi introduces her to Veer (Rahul Khanna), and they hit it off as well.
These events have their effect on Rishi and Simi who question their own status quo and start considering other people surreptitiously. Ofcourse, what happens next is for you to watch and find out.

All the four major characters are deeply flawed – Rishi a little less than the others – but flawed nevertheless. However, because of Samit’s over-the-top actions, his and Mita’s story doesn’t seem quite realistic while Rishi & Simi’s story seems more plausible. Among the other characters, special mention has to be made of Payal Rohtagi. She is depicted as a caricature, but even then she is so loud and screechy, it becomes a pain to watch her in the latter half in the movie. Her only highlight in the movie is her scene with Rahul Khanna. The other cool character not mentioned so far is Simi’s ex-boyfriend (cant remember his name). Bucking the trend of showing exes as losers (like in Jab We Met), this guy is shown as quite cool and forms a very important link in the narrative.

The chemistry between both the couples is very good and I personally found Soha Ali Khan quite attractive for the first time (and kinda hot, though there is no skin show). And though Irfan Khan gets a lot of wacky humour scenes, I found the scenes between Rahul Bose and Konkona more enjoyable – and Rahul Bose is right in his element.

The movie ends with a unexpected twist and is liberally strewn with gags and sexual jokes. Yet somewhere along, the director loses the balance between realistic and ridiculous fun - and somewhat disconnects with the audience. Like Pyaar Ke Side Effects, you will enjoy this movie just a little bit more if you are married or have had a significant other for sometime. Overall Dil Kabaddi is a lot of fun, but just not quite satisfying.


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RocknRolla

Lets face it – Tarantino or Scorcese may make arguably the greatest gangster movies - but the combination of British humour and gangster movies is equally irresistible !! For those who aren’t familiar with the director Guy Ritchie – he is the guy who made the iconic Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and the much acclaimed Snatch. However you may recall him more easily given that he is married to Madonna (though only for a few days more).

This movie follows the classic Guy Ritchie formula of a number of crooks and one grand prize. In RocknRolla, the real estate is booming in London and everyone wants a bite out of the real estate pie. Russian millionaire Yuri wants some city permits tweaked for a building project of his – and he gets in touch with Lenny, an old school mobster who has contacts in the city council. The payment to Lenny has to be made in cash and here starts the wild chain of events which involve Yuri’s accountant Stella (and her gay lawyer husband), Lenny’s right hand man Archie (Mark Strong), bunch of small-time crooks called the Wild Bunch – One Two (Gerald Butler), Handsome Bob & Mumbles – and Yuri’s two Russian henchmen. Oh I almost forgot – the recently deceased junkie rock’n’roll star Johnny Quid & his managers Micky and Roman.

If this sounds too much to you, well in a way it is. The only flaw in the movie is that it has couple of characters too many. The first half of the movie is spent introducing the characters – and with so many of them, the going is a trifle slow. But the scenes are interspersed with some superb British humour in their trademark cockney accents. The look of the movie is similar to gangster flicks – dark, grimy but stylish – and the dialogues are sharp & witty. Oh and the characters themselves - the goofy thug Gerald Butler, the deadpan Mark Strong and the weird accountant Thandie Newton are a delight. (Wife insists Gerald Butler’s acting had more than traces of George Clooney)

Johnny Quid is the dark horse in the movie, composing music while hopelessly stoned, and spouting some arbit philosophy, yet capable of destructive violence – which partly explains the title of the movie. And the linchpin of the movie is a ‘lucky’ painting of Yuri, which intriguingly, is always shown from the back – you never get to know how the painting looks.

There are so many great moments in the movie – the best being the robbery sequence with the two Russian strongmen - the scene was friggin hilarious. ‘Archie slap’ and Gerald Butler’s slow dance are other scenes which will make you grin much after you have exited the movie. Camerawork is great and the music, while not very impactful in the beginning, is definitely rocking in the finale. The finale brings all the characters together with some hilarious co-incidences and ties out all the loose ends.

Combination of wise-cracking wacky gangsters and even wackier russian gangsters in sitcom-like situation makes one hell of a cool movie. So if you like your gangster movies, then this is definitely the movie for you. And if you haven’t watched anything in this genre, you couldn’t have asked for a better introduction.


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Sorry Bhai

I feel sorry for Sanjay Suri, poor guy - three movies in a row he has been shafted by Onir. Yet he doesn’t mind working with him :D !! Incase you don’t know what I am talking about, Onir is the director of My Brother Nikhil, Bas Ek Pal & now Sorry Bhai. If you recall, Sanjay Suri is the loser character in both My Brother Nikhil & Bas Ek Pal (ok, in the first one he was dying with AIDS but still the sad, loser kind)

So no surprise when he is the guy who loses the girl in this one also. Sorry Bhai is set in beautiful Mauritius – and opens with Harsh (Sanjay Suri) giving a sudden call to his parents (Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi) that he is getting married by the end of the month and that they should come down to Mauritius to attend the wedding. And knowing mom’s temper, he entreats younger brother Siddharth (Sharman Joshi) to make sure that they come. Siddharth is a slightly forgetful scientist, who is his mama’s boy, plays the saxophone – and is striving to make a wooden dog fly !

The trio – parents and Siddharth - fly down to Mauritius to attend the wedding and well, the fun begins. Harsh is busy trying to set up an office in New York – so he makes Aaliya (Chitrangada Singh) show them around the island. And somewhere in those 3 days, Siddharth and Aaliya get attracted to each other. What happens next – well you don’t expect me to give the full story, do you ?

Even though I admire Onir for making a story on this controversial topic (and there were enough snide comments from the audience about it), I cant recommend the movie.

Here’s why –
In this movie, the linchpin should be the romance between Siddharth and Aaliya – how they both cant help getting attracted to each other even though they know its forbidden. The chemistry between them should be smoking – the audience should have no doubts that they are made for each other. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case !

Aaliya is a little unhappy because Harsh has been too-busy with work lately. Siddharth is this goody goody (kinda cute) boy who loves sliding down staircase railings, loves jazz - and has idealist notions of making everything fly with his ‘Everything-Alive’ theory. And that’s it – no intelligent romance, nothing. Spend three days doing stuff around Mauritius and you are ready to challenge a 5-year-old relationship and society itself ??? C’mon !! Maybe you wouldn’t understand my disappointment just by reading this review – but believe me there are just no sparks in their romance.

However, if you do decide to watch the movie, do it for Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani – especially Shabana. She is the central figure in the movie, specially at the latter part. Her character is a very written one – she doesnt like Aaliya at the beginning (like any mother in law), but accepts her whole-heartedly later - confessing that she always liked Harsh more and she wouldn’t have minded Siddharth leaving her and going off to work somewhere. And her chemistry with Boman is rocking – that’s where the actual sparks fly !! They make a superb couple – seeming to carry on from where they left off in Honeymoon Travels. Boman Irani is the source of the laughs in the movie – and is a hoot as usual.

The ending is a little weird I think – and they could have completely bypassed that angle and done with just an emotional scene – but its not a major negative.
However Chitrangada’s tummy is :) !! She looks very beautiful and attractive – but only as far as her face in concerned. Her belly pokes out markedly from all her dresses (don’t know if the costume designer was sleeping) – and it makes her look pretty bad. And even more disappointing is her acting - her Hazaron Khwaishein performance was really good but here she is just bad. And more personally, she appeared to be a beauty with brains when she first came on the movie scene - in this movie, she just comes across as dumb ! Majorly disappointed !!

So that’s it I guess – Sorry Onir Bhai but only

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Oye Lucky Lucky Oye

I confess that I am a huge Abhay Deol fan and I was really looking forward to this movie - you only have to look at his previous movies to see that he does very interesting - and intelligent movies. And guess what ? Oye Lucky didnt disappoint at all !!

The story - well there isnt much of a story - is about a thief called Lucky (Abhay Deol). To describe Lucky is a huge challenge - he is unapologetic, streetsmart, pulls off the most brazen heists in broad daylight, has a big ego and taste for good things in life - AND steals some really arbitrary things !! And ofcourse, has a boyish charm and earnestness - which make Lucky lovable. Believe me when I say - no other actor could have pulled this role off (except for maybe Akshay Kumar).

The story is set in Delhi, like the director's previous venture Khosla Ka Ghosla - and this movie seems to continue in tone and tenor from where it left off. There is something very enjoyable about the Delhi-Punjabi way of talking - their use of swear words in every other sentence, their ostentatiousness, emphasis on class/society, and general addressing of everyone with 'aap'. The director seems to have a very good understanding of the Delhi psyche and uses it to gently ridicule them from time to time.

The humour in the movie is understated like in Khosla Ka Ghosla - and maybe would not appeal to everyone as much. Its not slapstick - so dont expect a Singh is King. But all the same, watch out for the audacious stealing scenes - and the police station sequences. Even the now-common news channel-bashing turns out to be a hoot.
There are moments when the movie slows down and the director explores other themes like betrayal and family values etc. But then unerringly, the director focusses back on Lucky and he delivers.

Credit is to be given to the young sardar who played Lucky junior - he does it very well indeed. The director Dibakar Bannerjee is to be commended at recreating the Delhi feel - and for not deviating too much from his mold - while creating a completely new movie. But the main praise is for Abhay Deol. He is what makes the Lucky character believable - and lovable :)

Wont say anything more but hope I have interested you enough that you watch the movie :)


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Tourneuse de pages, La : The Page Turner

After happening to like the last two foreign movies we watched, I was all enthusiastic about catching this one this weekend itself, and dragged the less-than-enthusiastic wifey all the way to PVR. However I guess law of averages catches up pretty soon :)

(Lately PVR has been taking the distribution rights of a lot of international movies in India and releasing them first at PVR cinemas. While this has meant that people like me always keep a lookout at the PVR website on Fridays to see if they are screening a new international movie, it also means that most of the time, the movies go unnoticed by the majority of the viewing public.)

However nothing is lost with the ‘Tourneuse de pages, La’ or ‘The Page Turner’ this week. It’s a movie about a gifted young piano player Mélanie Prouvost, who stops playing after she fails an all-important exam – due to Ariane Fouchécourt (the head of the jury and a famous pianist). The 10-year-old Mélanie falters because Ariane was signing autographs for fans in the middle of her performance. 10 years after this incident, Mélanie happens to get a chance to become a governess in the Fouchécourt residence and a chance to extract her revenge.

The story is not very unique, sharing elements with ‘The Hand That Rocks The Cradle’ and its numerous remakes (including our Indian adaptation “Khal-naikaa” starring Anu Agarwal & Jayaprada).

However where The Page Turner fails is the thrill and suspense department. It shows us the reason for vengeance by young Mélanie at the beginning of the movie itself. But the revenge is never remotely exciting – you never get edgy about what is she going to do next. Probably because she never declares her true intentions. There ARE a few scenes here and there which do sit up and watch – like Mélanie pushing Tristan's head down into the pool when he is trying to surface, but these scenes are really rare. The blame for it goes to the screenplay. It chugs along at such a monotonous speed – neither accelerating nor braking – that it makes for extremely dull-viewing.

Revenge is a dish best served cold indeed.

But the revenge employed by Mélanie almost borders on the bizarre. She depends completely on luck to get her revenge – she couldnt have possibly predicted that Ariane would take her as her page turner when she was employed just as a governess. Or predicted any of the other thorns that she plants in Ariane’s life with any certainty. Basically Mélanie got ridiculously lucky in her revenge.

Both the lead actresses do their parts well. Mélanie as the wronged woman who is seething inside, but forced to act normal. Her intense facial expressions however, give some hint that things are not what they seem. Similarly, Ariane as a famous piano player who doesnt really care about anything else – her friends, house, her own son – or her loving husband. She’s does the egocentric part very well, looking haughty and imperious throughout the movie - except where she is taken over by stage fear (caused by a road accident 2 years ago)

However what was really the breaking point for us in the movie was the ploy Mélanie uses to destroy Ariane’s marriage. I mean how could Mélanie have possibly been sure that it would turn out the way it did ? I cant say more without giving away the main revenge, but trust me – its absurd to even consider Mélanie planned it out.
(I have noticed an attribute in other French movies and which was reinforced here - was that the French, as a people, are decidedly colder - less jovial and happy – slightly wooden.)

One of the small positives in the movie was that Ariane doesn’t know what hit her or why, at the end – Mélanie quietly walks off into the morning, just before the final chapter of her revenge. The soundtrack, classical western, was pretty good too.
To sum it up, the director fails completely to keep the audience involved in the proceedings with the flat screenplay and the story itself cannot be called a planned-revenge by any stretch of imagination. This movie is therefore probably better ignored.


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Dasvidaniya

Usually all of us make movie-watching decisions based on the reviews we read – IMDB, Rajeev Masand on CNN-IBN, Khalid Mohammed in Hindustan Times or Raja Sen on rediff. (Ofcourse I like to think atleast one or two people take this blog into account too :D). If you read atleast a couple of these reviews, you usually get a very good idea of what a particular movie is like. I have another personal test – admittedly a sort of rough indicator. In case of mainstream hindi movies, just look at the schedule of a multiplex when the movie is released. So if a movie has 4-5 shows a day, it’s a decent movie – while movies with just 1-2 shows in the first week are just bad. Incase of a ‘multiplex movie’ like Johhny Gaddaar, it’s the second week schedule to watch out for.

However, sometimes these calculations go quite wrong. Dasvidaniya is one such movie. (In its second week, its running just 2 shows a day in all multiplexes – and all major reviews have given it two stars, blaming the slow narration and/or ridiculing the contents of the final list). And I thought it was one of the best movies of this year.

Just for those few of you who don’t know what the movie is about, it’s about a common man – Amar Kaul – who leads a very dull and inconsequential middle class life, with nothing to look forward to except for his obsession with ‘to-do’ lists. He makes them everyday, ticking off things that he accomplishes – till he gets to know that he is terminally ill and has just three months to live.

As he did during his lifetime, he decides to make a final list – ‘Things to do (before I die)’ and sets out to fulfill them.

But this movie is too much to be summarized by just this one line! Sure that’s the essence, but the movie has to be watched to appreciate the wonderfully tender moments captured by the director. Vinay Pathak plays the man with just three months to live, who suddenly has to fulfill a lifetime of ambitions – wishes which had been buried under the daily grind of existence. And the beauty of the script is in the things he chooses to put on the list. Nothing exotic or deliberated. Just simple heartfelt desires that probably most of us have – buying his first car or going on his first 'foreign trip'. Seeing his first and only crush Neha one final time - or meeting his childhood best-friend Rajiv before he dies.

Some experiences are heartwarming, like his mom’s reaction on seeing the new car - and some bittersweet, like finding out Neha is now married and a mother. There are many more touching moments - the final parting between Rajiv and Amar and making peace with Vivek – which linger on after the movie. Vinay Pathak gives a wonderful performance, first reflecting desperation, then a breakdown and finally a wistful acceptance of fate.

Kailash Kher has given his unique touch to the music – and while Alvida is the number which everyone is humming, the Maa song is very nicely picturized (without too much overt sentimentality) – and is catchy too.

Not all is perfect with the movie though – Amar’s alter ego’s appearance is a little jarring and he should have had less screentime. The russian’s popping-up act is also a little weird – but it also gives the movie its unique flavor. And if you think about it, how much money would an account manager’s provident fund be left with, after a Rs. 9 lakh car and a round trip to the US ?? And wouldn’t you want to leave it all to your mother instead?

But inspite of these loopholes, this movie is one of the most warm and thoughtful movies to come out of Bollywood in sometime. The director cheekily doffs his hat to mainstream movies Kal Ho Naa Ho and Munnabhai – and indulges in a bit of genuinely funny situational comedy, but you would remember the movie for touching your heart in its earnestness and simplicity.




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The Hunting Party

I guess most of us do not know much about Bosnia/Serbia except that its a small country somewhere in Europe where there was some trouble in the 1990s and there was US/NATO military intervention. (For those unfamiliar with the Bosnian war, there is a small paragraph at the end of this review). This movie is set in Bosnia in the year 2000, 5 years after the war ended.

Richard Gere plays Simon Hunt, a washed out reporter, out to bag an interview of a lifetime - with one of the most notorious Bosnian war criminals, The Fox - who also happens to have a $5 million bounty on his head. Along with him is his erstwhile partner and cameraman Duck (Terrence Howard), and a greenhorn reporter Benjamin Strauss, son of a network VP, who wants to prove to his dad that he has what it takes. Apparently inspired by a true story about five journalists who set out to find out war criminals for themselves, this movie is a fascinating yet witty account of their endeavour.

The movie is narrated by Duck, who formed an award-winning team with Simon - covering wars across the planet. However, after a massacre in a Bosnian muslim village in 1995, Simon has a meltdown on national tv - and loses his job and credibility. Now he is struggling to make ends meet, indebted to various loan sharks, while Duck does well in life and now has a cushy job in the network headquarters as well as a sexy girlfriend.

Travelling in a noisy old Mercedes, the odd trio try to track down The Fox - but get mistaken for a CIA hit squad instead. Mention must be made of the Indian UN official, who is training the Serbian police (the same guy who played NRI Mr. Kohli in Bride & Prejudice). The story is a little slow to start with, but soon becomes quite gripping, with some fast paced action, interspersed with some very witty dialogues. Both Richard Gere and Terrence Howard play their roles perfectly - showing an easy camaderie which makes it look like they REALLY are part of an old team. The junior guy Benjamin fits in with the older guys well too.

It is not all funny lines though - a flashback shows what caused Simon's breakdown on that fateful day - just one example, but enough to tell you about the brutalities perpetrated on the Bosnian muslims during the war. A very intelligently done movie on a serious premise - it could have been a classic if only the ending was a little more rational. When it was establised that The Fox is VERY well guarded, I couldnt understand how our trio could pull off their trick at the end.

But a very good movie nevertheless - with a short run time of 100 minutes. And do not miss the picture comments at the end of the movie :)



Background : Bosnia and Serbia (along with Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro & Slovenia) are small countries that were part of erstwhile Yugoslavia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, Bosnia found itself with three ethnic groups - Bosniaks (or Bosnian muslims), Serbs and Croats. Bosnian Croats and Serbs declared independent republics in Croat and Serb dominated areas of Bosnia - with the support of their respective countries. And so started the Bosnian War. In an attempt to strengthen their claim over those regions, Bosnian Croats and Serbs started ethinic cleansing of the Bosnian muslims from those areas, killing and raping at will. The war lasted till 1995, when finally NATO intervention stopped it.
About 100,000 people were killed in the war and about 1.8 million displaced. However the telling figure are the civilian casualties - about 39,000, out of which 85% were Bosnian muslims. According to a well-known CIA report, 90% of the Bosnian War crimes were committed by the Serbs - and Ratko Mladić, the commander of Republic Srpska army is still missing ....

More information - Wikipedia
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Dostana

Imagine a scene where a muscular John Abraham takes his first step into the house by tipping over the kalash full of rice (in slow motion) and Kiron Kher gives him her gold bangles saying "Mujhe pata nahin tu meri bahu hai ya damaad .... aur Karvachauth ka vrat zaroor rakhna" - while Abhishek Bachhan watches helplessly.
If you think that is funny, then Dostana is for you. Even if you have difficulty imagining something like that, goto your favorite theater and watch Dostana - you are sure to have a blast.

As the makers have been shouting from the rooftops, this movie is about two straight guys - Abhishek Bachhan and John Abraham - who pretend to be gay in order to get a super flat on rent. Only, the third occupant/owner of the house is super-hot Priyanka Chopra. Needless to say, first friendship and then love follows - as both the guys fall in love with her - while she thinks they are gay. (I wonder why someone as gorgeous as Priyanka would still be single at 27, but then lets not start about plot loopholes). Then it becomes a 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai' as both the guys try upstaging the other - with somewhat funny results - all the while struggling to let her know that they arent gay.

The highlight of the movie is the gay fun in the first half. Getting two macho guys like John Abraham and Abhishek Bachhan to play a gay couple was a casting coup! No doubt the depiction is caricatured - but seeing them act like pansies is just too funny. Ofcourse there are some contrived situations but even those are made immensely enjoyable by the lead pair.

Abhishek Bachhan puts up a great performance - which is by far the best in the movie. He seems to have really delved into the character, and shows a fabulous comic timing. John Abraham doesnt have that much dialogue but he is the eye candy in the movie. I mean Priyanka looks really hot in the movie in a lot of bikinis - and Kidnapesque clothes :D - but John Abraham is fabulous too. Just look at his body - I'm a guy but even I am impressed - he'd make any clothes look good !! Ofcourse for females its a must-watch - he is on display wearing just a boxer (really short ones too) !

Vishal Shekhar have given some really good music and all the numbers are foot-tapping.

The only weak part is Bobby Deol - yeah he is there in the movie too. Compared to the other three, he just looks ugly and acts with a plastic expression on his face!! He seems so out of place in this young movie - someone else ..... maybe Kunal Kapoor should have done his role !! (he seems to be doing cameo roles pretty well these days :D)

The first half of the movie is a gag show where the jokes - some situational and some forced - just keep on coming. The second half becomes a bit more serious as we move into 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai' territory. The climax - well there is definitely a surprise there - thats all I can say.

Goto to this movie for a fun time - and you wont be disappointed.


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