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!

Chak De Lagaan....She's the Man

When I first saw the promos of "Dil Bole Hadippa" I was almost sure that this was going to be a Yashraj tried-and-tested formula film, with a punjabi theme, a romantic element, and comedy. I was very keen to watch it nevertheless because I love Yashraj movies! I even loved 'Mohobbatein', 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge', and 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hain'....toh yeh kitni buri ho sakti hain. :D With this thought and the least expectations, I went to see this movie.

Now, coming to the title of this post, you might be thinking that I've totally lost it! Let me assure you that it's nothing like that....it's just a few of the movies that Hadippa reminded me of.

The story opens with Veera Kaur, a worldclass right tey left hand batsman! Our buffalo girl worships cricket like most other Indians. The difference is that she is an excellent player waiting for her talent to be tapped. However, such an opportunity never comes up in her small village in The Punjab until a star cricketer dude from"The English" shows up to help his father (Anupam Kher) build a cricket team to win the Aman cup against the team from Lahore. Circumstances force Veera to become Veer Pratap Singh in a desperate attempt to fulfill her dream. This reminds me of the movie called "She's the Man", the only difference being it was soccer there instead of cricket.

What follows is very predictable and yet absolutely enjoyable. Its fun to watch Veer/Veera juggle the double-role act. Rohan's (Shahid Kapur) tough coach act kept reminding me of Kabir Khan (SRK) from Chak De! India all the time. There is also a love story between Veera and Rohan (obviously...duh!). She brings out the desi boy in him and brings him closer to his roots. The "Ishq Hi Hain Rab" song is reminiscent of "aisa des hain mera" from Veer Zaara.

The climax is but obviously the Aman cup cricket match...no points for guessing that! It's a Lagaan-esque cricket final. It includes a few dramatic situations, a few revelations, and a few tears. Again, no points for guessing who wins and who scores the most! The presentations after the match include a "veer ka parda faash" scene and a bhashan about how girls don't get an equal opportunity when it comes to cricket...blah blah blah....

Acting-wise, Rani is more adorable as Veer than as Veera. I loved the cute little Sardar act of hers :D Shahid Kapur is good....somewhat a repetition of his Jab We Met act, though every time he runs, I remember him running in Kaminey with all those muscles flashing! :D The other supporting cast includes Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Rakhi Sawant, Sherlyn Chopra, Vrajesh Hirjee, Poonam Dhillon, and Vallabh Vyas. All of them are well suited to their characters and support ably.

The music is pretty good, with a lot of bhangra beats, as aptly said in one of the songs..."discowale khisko ... desi beat bajani...". I personally liked the title track the best, but it was adorable to watch Rani romance Rakhi in the "bhangra bistar beer bater" song.

Overall, this movie is not the greatest or the best, but definitely at par with the rest. It is a good entertainer and definitely worth a dekko. Toh bhool fikraa...hain jigraa...toh sang mere bol hadippa...

U Turn

I had heard a lot of good things about the award-winning Marathi drama called "U Turn". And I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story is about the relationship between a lonely man and a woman in their fifties, and the obstacles they face. Dr. Girish Oak plays Major Sudhir Vaidya, a retired army-man, divorced, with a young married daughter living in a different city. Ila Bhate plays Rama Gokhale, a widow, whose only son is well-settled abroad.

Circumstances bring these two together and even though they are as different as chalk and cheese, a beautiful bond of friendship and understanding develops. As in most of our films, the main problem is the belief that"ek aadmi aur aurat kabhi dost nahi ho sakte". Major is seeking a companion and Rama seems like the perfect candidate. They eventually start living together as companions. Both are confident that their children are mature enough to understand their relationship and their loneliness. Major is desperate to forget the past due to the bad memories, while Rama loves dreaming about all the beautiful moments from the past. However, both decide to live only for the present, forgetting everything from their past life. As time progresses, both realize that it is very difficult to forget things that are imbibed deep in your heart. Also, kids from both sides resist strongly, and it becomes difficult to move on. In the end, it is a dilemma between doing what you want and ignoring the kids you love or doing everything for the kids' happiness as you have been doing all your life and lead a lonely life forever.

Will Major and Rama choose their happiness and continue living together? Or will they make a sacrifice for their kids again? I guess you should watch the play to find out. It has a common but well scripted story, excellent performances by both the actors, and also a few comic situations and lines. All in all, a very nice play and a great one-time watch.

The Name Game

Shakespeare once said "What's in the name?", ya jaise humare filmo mein kehte hain "Naam mein kya rakha hain?". However, as far as Bollywood movies are concerned, name is a very important part of the package. It is one of the primary things that enables people in making a decision about watching or not watching a movie.

Our movie names fall into the following major categories:

Jaisa Naam Waisa Kaam

These are the films with straightforward and clear names. What they name is what they mean. You know whether you fall into the intended audience for the film simply by reading the name. You can also make out the genre and the overview of the story from the name.

Some examples that fall in this section include

• Luck
• Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
• Kuch Kuch Hota Hain
• Road
• Love Aaj Kal
• Chandani Chowk to China
• Hum Aapke Hain Kaun
• Maine Pyar Kiya
• Yeh Dillagi
• Kaho Na Pyar Hain
• Mohobbatein
• No Smoking
• Jism
• Coolie
• Biwi No. 1
• Atank Hi Atank
• Prem Deewane
• Sanam Bewafa
• Bhoot
• Judwaa
• Pati, Patni, Aur Woh
• Jeena Sirf Mere Liye
• Bachna Aye Haseeno
• Fightclub
• Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
• Main Madhuri Dixit Banana Chahti Hoon

and so on....

Dikhane Ke Daat Aur Khaane Ke Daat

This category proudly boasts of those films jinke naam aur content mein koi taal-mel hona zaroori nahin hain. Films with abstract names also fall into this section.

You cannot make out the content of the movie by simply reading the name, and thus, this doesn't allow a yes/no decision making process as far as watching the movie is concerned. The viewer is expected to think and read between the lines to understand the significance of the name.

Basically, you just watch the movie because you want to or because you have heard it is good, but if you want to find out the significance of the name, you need to put your grey cells to work.

Some such movies include:

• Parineeta
• Dor
• Black
• Taare Zameen Par
• Manorama Six Feet Under
• Dhoop
• Kachche Dhaage
• 3 Deewarein
• 99
• Bheja Fry
• Parzania
• Astitva
• Maharathi

Kya Farak Padta Hain

The films that fall into this category are either those that are so pathetic that the name doesn't matter, or those made by established film-makers or actors for which the maker's or actor's name is far more important. In either case, they arouse a lot of curiosity and attract strong viewership at least initially after the film opens. The films kismat ultimately depends on the viewers' response.

Some examples include:

• Kaminey
• Black
• Silsila
• Maqbool
• Lamhe
• 15 Park Avenue
• Mr. India
• Ta Ra Rum Pum
• Baabarr
• Gajagamini

There are some names that have been used and reused for ages. Some examples are "Dosti", "Yaarana", "Naseeb", "Kismat", "Jaaneman", various versions of "Dil" and "Pyar" etc. Are we at a loss of creative names for our films? Also, in modern times, a long name and a neat shortform increase the coolness factor of a film. This has nothing to do with the content; people just like to use nicknames! For example, I don't remember the last time I referred to "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" by its full name...it is always "DDLJ" and similarly "Dil Toh Pagal Hain" is always "DTPH" and "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" is always "KANK". I doubt whether people in the black and white era ever called "Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi" as "CKNG" or "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" as "DABH"!!

Anyway, to stop my endless babbling, the conclusion of this entire discussion is that how much ever we try, it's very hard to figure out the nitty-gritties of the name game, the repetitions of some name over generations and the most recent addition - numerology!!

The fact remains that the name shouldn't matter and neither should the "star" cast...the success factor should always be the storyline and the performances! (How idealistic of me to even draw such a conclusion!)