Dil Chahta Hai Jo Jeeta Wohi Harry Potter...Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa??

Just when you start feeling that I have completely lost it, let me justify the title of this post!

I went to watch "Student Of The Year" expecting a typical KJo flick and the film completely lived up to my expectations. It was an extremely over-the-top candyfloss story. However, it was definitely worth that one-time-watch.

The story is set in a out-of-this-world fancy school named St.Teresa's, which is kind of a blend between Gurukul (Mohobbatein) and Hogwarts in terms of sheer size and magnitude. The three leads, Rohan Nanda, Shanayah Singhania and Abhimanyu Singh are among the most popular kids (sounds like Ron, Hermione and Harry??). No points for guessing who is a rich brat and who is poor. Thanks to our endless number of movies, names like Nanda and Singhania are synonymous with wealth and abundance!

So, the story mainly revolves around this group of 7 kids, their effeminate principal and the sports coach (and the principal's dream-boy :-D). The two dudes are great at sports, academics and whatever else they do. The babe is good at being sexy. Then there's this fat, studious guy and a sardar to attempt comedy. There's also a chamcha of the rich dude, a "best friend" of the babe and another wannabe babe. The entire film focuses on school life, romance, friendship, competition, betrayal, revenge and reconciliation. The story is simplistic. The first half opens with a Dil Chahta Hai-esque hospital sequence with a story telling similar to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. The second half focuses on how they try to win the prestigious "Student of the Year" trophy. This part is a mixture of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar  and Harry Potter. Overall not a bad one though...

Out of all the new comers, I personally liked Varun Dhawan the best. However Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt are a close second. Kayoze Irani also stands out. I was kinda surprised to see Sanaa Saeed after so many years since Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Rishi Kapoor is damn cute in the gay-ish principal's character! The rest of the supporting cast is alright although I feel Ram and Gautami Kapoor are an incorrect choice as parents of a 20 year old!!

Overall, these students have made their mark and am sure will go a long way! Kudos to KJo for maintaining the candyfloss quotient with this goody goody movie! Whatever everyone else says I thoroughly enjoyed it!

God-Damn-Awesome Movie!

I decided that I wanted to watch "OMG" the moment I saw the first promo. It definitely seemed like a light-hearted take on God and religion. Not being a very God-loving/God-fearing person myself, I wanted to see how the man vs God concept panned out.

The film turned out to be very smooth-flowing and simple from the beginning to the end. There is not a single dull moment.

The central character, Kanjibhai, is a total atheist and a very practical person. When an act of God(earthquake) destroys his sole source of livelihood, his antique shop, and when the insurance company refuses to pay, he decides that the one who has destroyed must pay up. That's when his courtroom battle with God begins.

The story then progresses to explore the various facets of religious leaders and god-men and how religion has become a mere business in today's day and age. It exposes the mockery made out of god-fearing/god-loving people by the so-called sadhus/babas/gurus. Worth mentioning are the performances by Govind Namdeo and Mithun Chakraborty as religious leaders, though I still fail to understand why Mithun's mannerisms are so gay!!

Comedy is a major ingredient in this film and definitely proves to be the highlight. All the jokes are witty and light-hearted and most of them do make sense! To cite an example, when the defendant lawyer asks why Kanjibhai is suing the religious places like temples and ashrams when his fight is with God, Kanjibhai simply responds that when we have an electricity problem with Reliance, we go to a Reliance office and not to Anil Ambani directly!!

Paresh Rawal is simply superb as Kanjibhai... no one could have played the role better! Akshay Kumar as the modern day "Krishna Vasudev Yadav from Gokul" gives an effortless performance. All the supporting actors are apt.

Overall, a very interesting storyline and a full-fledged family entertainer. Although some people may feel that it is an insult of religion, it should be taken with a pinch of salt. The film-makers have made a good effort to expose the business that takes place in the name of religion. Definitely a must-watch film in my opinion!

2012 ki cheer faad!!

Just felt like making a list of movies that I liked this year. Thought it will take some effort and the list will be pretty long. Excited, I went on the Wikipedia page for 2012 and was disappointed to see that very few movies really made a mark. The rest of them were either mediocre or just pathetic! Well, still 3 months to go in this year, and one movie each of all 3 khans is expected...so lets keep this list incremental hoping to add some more names by the end of the year.

So, here goes...

What I Loved

1. Kahaani
2. Barfi!
3. Vicky Donor
4. Ferrari Ki Sawaari
5. Paan Singh Tomar
6. OMG (Oh My God)

Watchable

1. Housefull 2
2. Ek Tha Tiger
3. Bol Bachchan
4. Tezz
5. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
6. Ishaqzaade
7. Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi
8. Dabangg 2
9. Student of the Year
10. Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Could have been better
Jodi Breakers
Student of the Year
Talaash

Absolutely Pathetic

1. Agneepath
2. Players

Some that I missed and do wanna watch

1. Ishaqzaade
2. Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi
3. Shanghai
4. Gangs of Wasseypur (1&2)
5. Maximum
6. Yeh Khula Aasmaan
7. Heroine

Baffeeee!.. Not just a sweet love story!

Creating hype about movies is a routine in India. Barfi started generating a "blockbuster" vibe right from the first promo. I was one of the millions who were desperately waiting to watch this film. When I could not watch it over its first weekend after release, I was extremely restless. It felt like I was missing out on something life-saving!:-D Finally, I got the opportunity to watch this delightful film the next weekend.

And boy was it a treat!! I did not find a single dull moment through the entire journey called "Barfi". I will not say that its an "out of this world" story or that it is "mind-blowing" direction... but all in all it is a  delight to watch. I must say I have rarely seen such a clean, pure and innocent love story. A complete "U" rated love story after a really long time! 

All the characters are well-etched and performances top-notch. Ranbir Kapoor is brilliant in the title role. He woos both the ladies with so much charm and innocence.. I admit I got "wooed" myself! ;-) Priyanka Chopra is excellent as Jhilmil. I loved her look...the hair, the chubby cheeks, the dresses...everything is just purr-fect for the character! No comments required in the acting department...Priyanka is very versatile and can play an autistic girl and a glam-doll with the same ease. Ileana D'Cruz is also lovely...pretty looking and decent performance. All the supporting actors are perfectly cast. 

What I loved about this film is that it has the right mix of ingredients required for a superhit movie. It has a handsome hero, a beautiful heroine (or two!), good comedy and a love-triangle. The music is hummable and sweet sounding. The "bird" dance is simply cute! Although some sequences are inspired from other films, I never felt that it is a "copy cat". Getting inspired to create such beautiful cinema is not wrong!!

This Barfi is not just sweet...it has enough masala to hook one and all. A brilliant effort by Anurag Basu...a sure-shot blockbuster and a worthy nomination for the Oscars! Well, if people could nominate a mediocre film like "Slumdog Millionaire" for the Oscars, then Barfi is at least 100 times better!