Movie Review – Student of the Year (Hindi) – A Bromantic Tragedy!!

“Breaking” from our research team!!
You realize you are watching a Karan Johar film if…

1)  An underdog student filled with aspirations joins a school whose demographics are divided into TATA bacchhe and BATA bacchhe.

2) A super-brat child of rich parents is never happy with his family.

3) A top-to-toe-designer-clad gal is split between two guys.

4) There’s no novelty despite showcasing brand new talent.

5) One of the principal characters is a gay and lusts after his colleague.

6) The heroine is introduced in gayish pink attire amidst loads of candy-floss.

7) A movie is a hotchpotch of many of his earlier films and he doesn’t even spare the dance movements.

 

8) There are traces of 3 Idiots, Dil Chaahta Hai, Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Arya (Telugu), Happy Days (Telugu) and umpteen TV series (both Indian and Western).

9) The real love story is between male protagonists – That’s BROMANTIC!!

10) You watch shoddy remixes of old melodies such as Papa Kehte Hain, Yeh chand sa roshan chehra, Gulabi aankhein jo teri dekhi.

11) The entire South Bombay sporting Louis Vuitton handbags is seen in one school.

12) There are anachronisms – When the story happens circa 2001, a student reads Manorama Year Book 2011 for an IQ test. Another blooper comes in the form of an allusion to the dance number Pappu can’t dance from Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na that was released in 2008. Phew!!

13) Alia Bhatt’s lip gloss is a result of her consumption of 99999 bottles of red lipstick.

14) Varun Dhawan copies Salman Khan, Siddharth Malhotra copies Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt copies Kareena Kapoor.

15) The film gets a Filmfare award nomination for Best movie in Child Category.

16) It’s shown to be legal to drive on school campus.

17) There’s a cameo of Farah Khan and Kajol. That’s the only endearing moment of the film.

18) The movie is loaded with rich people, poor people dressed like rich and poor screenplay.

19) An athlete captures a spectator’s facial expression while running a 100m race for the most coveted title (as projected in the film).

20) Male torsos are flaunted more than that of females.

21) The grandson dances around trees, under a snowfall, when his grandmother is dying in hospital.

22) There’s all fluff and no stuff – all style and no substance – all color and no content.

23) The characters are mere caricatures. The emotions surface only on the faces and never reach their depth.

24) You listen to cheesy one liners such as Tumhari Jodi RAB ne nahi, Ammero ki CLUB ne banaayi hain and acronyms such as ABC – Ameer Bacchhe aur unke Chamche.

25) The audience LOSES their patience despite whoever WINS on screen.

Whoa! That’s a SILVER JUBILEE. Kudos to our research team for unearthing many mighty gems from a KJo film.

Bottom-line: Some call it a school/college love story, some call it India’s answer to TV series such as High School Musical, Glee, Gossip Girl, Community, and some even call it an eternal tale of love, but we prefer calling it DISASTER of the year.

Wait, the acronym SOTY is making waves on social media and our version of that is Stupidity of the Year. Now, please don’t ask us about acting, cinematography, characterization, editing and esp. direction. When KJo wants to stay away from them, why should we poke the pie?!

The real purpose of Student of the Year is to show how good My Name is Khan was in comparison!!

My Rating: Expectation – 5/10; Reality – 3/10

P.S. Please don’t get carried away by the trailer, and this time I am a bit generous in my rating.

Movie Review – CGTR (Telugu) – Pawanism + Purism + Powerism + Pogarism!!

The new acronym that’s flooded the tinsel town: CGTR – Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu.

In this session we will learn more about the film along with few doses of English.

SYNONYM

1. A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language.

2. A word or an expression that serves as a figurative or symbolic substitute for another.

Let’s learn a few synonyms.

1) MULTIFARIOUS: diverse, varied, comprehensive, manifold, many-sided, CGTR.

They say great films are made by great directors. Yes, it is true and CGTR is a living testimonial to that adage. The film’s central theme revolves around media and it goes strong is highlighting every nuance of it. Puri Jagannadh’s immaculate research can be seen all through the film. It’s good to see him break out of the shell of Mafia, Bangkok, romance etc. The bone of contention as presented in the film – Are politicians fueling the media or is it the other way around?? What are media rights, what is its reach?? Do they need to report news or present news, or even create news?? All such questions are answered with a striking repartee between the protagonist and other characters. The director makes a valiant effort to bring all the elements under the ambit of the film. He cleverly recreates present political turmoil in the film.

2) POWERFUL: influential, commanding, supreme, strong, puissant, CGTR.

In the past, many actors delivered powerful performances in a role that’s etched to do good for the society. NTR did it in Na Desam; Krishna did it in Eenadu; Kamal Hasan did it in Bharateeyudu; Chiranjeevi did it in Tagore; and now it's time for Pawan Kalyan who does it with aplomb in CGTR. If there is a film that’s showcased the power-packed performance of Power Star, it is CGTR. Pawanism surfaces in every scene, every frame, and every dialogue. Right from the word go, heroism takes the forefront. Most of the scenes are a treat for Pawan’s fans and nothing can stop them from shouting and whistling. He conjures the audience by speaking his mind in most of the scenes, but when it’s time to emote his heart takes over his mind. A well-crafted character by Puri, and Pawan garnished it with all the available condiments that are truly Power-starish!!

3) EXTRA-ORDINARY: remarkable, special, wonderful, amazing, fantastic, CGTR.

Nah, nah… I am not referring to the song. I am referring to Puri Jagannadh’s potential to elevate an ordinary hero to an extra-ordinary one. All his heroes are strong in their conviction, so as Rambabu. CGTR is the story of an ordinary mechanic turned into extra-ordinary TV reporter. With his natural flair of writing, Puri outshines himself from his past outings. The way he weaves in elements of social awakening, songs, fights, dances, witty dialogues into a fine tapestry is laudable. His use of inspirational quotes of Sri Sri and Chalam in a 4-minute pre-climax speech shows his respect to the great writers. Some scenes are nerve-biting, and some scenes are equally rib-tickling.

4) COLLECTIVE: joint, unified, combined, concerted, unified, co-operative, CGTR.

This praise-worhty film is a result of the collective effort of many people. Tamanna with her bubbly and radiant performance steals your hearts. Though she is dressed in Ts and jeans all through the film, she is a treat when it comes to songs. So, you can savor all of her in the film. Brahmanandam and Ali as creative heads paint a hilarious shade on the film’s canvas. Prakash Raj's performance come as as a benison. He plays a typical Puri villain but his magnetic screen presence makes you spellbound, and you can’t imagine anyone else in that role. Kota Srinivasa Rao (dresses like Karunanidhi) and Tanikella Bharani’s performances are laudable. Sam K Naidu’s cinematography is a great asset for the film. The way he dabbled with different lighting techniques and the way he canned breath-taking film sequences takes the movie up by another notch. Mani Sharma’s theme music brings out gutsy heroism on screen and Melikel Thirugutunte song makes your feet tapping. The re-recording is superb. Bhaskarabatla’s inspirational song Tala Dinchuku Batukutaava is played at the most opportune time and acts as a catalyst for the magnanimous climax.  

5) DRAWBACKS: disadvantage, trouble, difficulty, obstacle, defect, flaw, CGTR.

HIP (Homage.Inspiration.Plagiarism) alert: Pawan Kalyan’s character is loosely based on that of Nagarjuna’s from a 90s movie.

The art direction should have been more elegant and appealing so as to give a pleasant and relaxed viewing experience.

Albeit most of the movie takes an innovative route, some scenes are predictable miles ahead.

I know the hero has got an innate potential and social responsibilty, but is it so easy to become a TV reporter?

In the process of inducing heroism in every scene, Puri forgot some basics. Sir, even if the reporter is Power star, he can’t slap an opposition leader. That would have definitely created a stir in the state politics.

The second female character is a misfit and her presence fuels some monotonous follow of events.

Item numbers are FUN, but an overdose of them is PAIN.

You can find many traces of Puri’s film Businessman in his execution style.

If you are expecting an outright entertainer akin to Gabbar Singh, this one is not your cup of coffee, err, tea.

Bottom-line: The pace of the film is brilliantly controlled; the tension rises at many places and takes you to the edge of your seats. The end, when it comes, is unexpected, a truly shattering climax to a film that kind of tried to think out of its box. The sharp dialogue and slick editing combine to give an originality and style which would inspire countless copies and set Puri Jagannadh on his way to become one of Tollywood’s big players. CGTR stands apart as a fantastic film in its own right with its quirky, funny and heart stopping moments. Above all, the movie makes you THINK!! Puri Jagannadh is one of the few directors who believe that every film should be liable to society, and this time he stays with his ideology by delivering a masala coated - message filled - meaningful entertainer.

My Rating: Expectation – 6/10; Reality – 7/10

Movie Review - Brothers (Telugu) - A laudable effort goes haywire!!

Creativity and imagination have always been the hallmark of film-making. There is a constant churning of the minds with each film-maker trying to out-do the other and also out-doing oneself. Brothers is a tale of director K V Anand outdoing himself compared to his former outings: Karthavyam, Veedokkade and  Rangam. This year is still wearing a lean patch with only couple of surprises from Tollywood – The ultimate revenge story of a little creature amused us and a youngster playing a Good Samaritan by recovering the stolen money from a bank bemused us. Apart from these two there aren’t any praise-worthy cinematic moments and the gap has been widened.

Brothers (dubbed version of Tamil film Maattran) tries to fill this gap with its novelty. Spreading the message of social awareness through films has become a tight rope walk for film-makers, and embedding this message in a commercial potboiler is a task that seems to be herculean. Anand's first film was on water crisis; his second venture was on drug and diamond trafficking; then he made a thumping impression with his take on youth politics and naxalites in his third offering; and now he tries to strike the genetic-engineering chord alongside other elements in Brothers. As most of you know, the movie is a story of conjoined twins, but the movie traverses through multiple sub-plots such as USA and USSR bilateral relations, Olympic Games, some historical incidents from world war that give it a thriller-ish tinge. Sometimes, you get a feeling that is this film a sequel to 7^th Sense??!

The way conjoined twins with contrasting personalities live; their way of showing affection to each other; different moments surrounding them; were shown with precision. You never get a feeling that you are watching a hero-donning-a-dual-role film. The way writer duo SuBha etched the characters of the twins show their mastery over the craft. You laugh with them, you cry with them, you pray for them when they are in trouble esp. during the pre-interval fight sequence on a giant wheel, you see them as if two different people are portraying the role of twins – thanks to VFX and slick editing. But as the story moves on many unanswered questions pop in the viewer’s mind. The director addresses all of them with a heart-touching pre interval sequence.

The first half takes the movie-watching experience to sky high and the viewer expects more from the later half. But the tables turn and the movie loses its fizz slowly. Around 45 minutes of the time is occupied by overseas locales and restless action. Some historic incidents are plugged in this fiction drama, and an action scene suddenly slips into a scene revealing a mystery, and this goes on. Though the end product is a seamless mosaic of action scenes, the audience reaches a point of saturation and can’t stomach any more. Adding insult to the injury is the antagonist’s mystery which is revealed in the first half and the later half is set-up to break his nexus. But one good thing about the second half – it adds a Hollywoodish flavor to the film.

 

Surya Sivakumar shines as a happy-go-lucky-dude. He fires all his cylinders in action and emotional scenes. When an actor plays two contrasting characters that are juxtaposed on screen, it’s difficult to fix the emotions. Surya does it with aplomb and his effort is commendable. He’s mastered the art of cherry-picking challenging roles. Kajal Agarwal gets a decent and justified role. The one who steals brownie points from other actors is Sachin Khedekar with his role that’s got multiple hues. Anand’s way of shooting picturesque songs in post-cardish locations moves up another notch. Sounder Rajan’s camerawork that is classy and knew no bounds.  He should be appreciated for his angles, frantic pace and lighting in the scenes involving conjoined twins. He shows his prowess in the brilliantly shot song sequence Rani Nanni in exotic locales of Norway. Harris Jayraj impresses with seemingly different background score - the fusion of sitar, flute, tabla, etc. with their western counterparts can be felt in many places.

Bottom-line: Brothers is a film that wants to tell so many things in its run time of 3 hours. Had the elements been spread over some time, the viewer could have got an out of the world experience. The movie HIPed the flagship scene of Sriram Raghavan’s Ek Hasina Thi and also a plot element from A Scandal in Belgravia of Sherlock TV series on BBC One. Watch the movie for some stupendous moments of film-making, Surya’s electrifying performance as conjoined twins, father-son relationship, adrenaline rushing action sequences, international locales, unconventional yet emotional climax, and above all ‘the social message.’ Albeit the key strengths of the movie were not used to their optimum, it's no less than a wonder!!

My Rating: Expectation – 8/10; Reality – 6/10

Music Review – Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Hindi) – Welcome to RahMANIA!!

Here’s great news to music lovers. The biggest album of the decade is finally out to cast its romantic spell. As Yash ji announced his retirement, the movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan will be the last one in the list of Yash Chopra’s romances. It’s saddening to digest that there will be no more honey-laced love stories such as Silsila, Kabhi Kabhi, Dil Tho Pagal Hai etc. from him.

Heard of clash of titans, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a combo of titans. The film marks the first and last time collaboration of heavy-weights - Yash Chopra, A.R. Rahman and Gulzar. I really wonder why it took so long for these geniuses to come together for a project. Had they done it much earlier in their careers, we would have witnessed many more gems from this deadly combination. 

Let’s walk though the album and taste every bit of RahMANIA. As we know Challa has taken the nation by storm raising the expectations of musicphiles across the globe. People were eagerly waiting for this album’s launch like they did for the launch of next version of an Apple iPhone/iPad. Now the wait is over and the most awaited album is waiting for us to be listened and savored.

The album opens with an addictive guitar interlude that we have heard in the movie’s teaser. Challa is an extended version of that and transforms into a complete lover’s chant.

That’s poetic. Challa ki labda phiren means What is the lover searching for? The song was sung by Rabbi Shergill (of Bulla ki Jaana fame). A perfect selection by ARR as the song needs the voice of a Sufi singer who can add a tinge of Punjabi, and Rabbi proves his mettle.

One can’t imagine a Yash Chopra film without a track replete with romance. Here’s the scintillating Saans with heavy dose of strings that creates magic. The song opens with heavy string arrangements, taken from ‘Oscar Sangamam’ – Rahman’s collaboration with Hans Zimmer, and Shreya Ghoshal’s voice takes over slowly. Ghoshal has shown sheer brilliance in her rendition and her voice emanates spirit of joy.

Only complaint with the song is Mohit Chauhan singing along with Shreya Ghoshal. Mohit is charming as a standalone singer, but with Shreya he seemed to be overshadowed. That raises my eyebrow for his inclusion, and don’t know how others take it. After riding on the success wave for being the poster boy of Rockstar, it’s sad to listen to him only once in the entire album.

There’s a much sadder Saans - Reprise version sung again by Shreya Ghoshal. The song is mesmerizing and it’s arguably this era’s version of Rahman’s Kehna hi Kya from Bombay.  

Then there’s Ishq Shava - a club song - that may soon find its place in all the dancing parties and loads of dance based talent shows on TV. I am waiting to watch it on screen for its choreography – Hope SRK and Katrina has put in some nice moves. The song has the voices of Raghav Mathur and Shilpa Rao. Raghav’s voice has a close resemblance to that of SRK and oh boy, Shilpa’s voice is so husky and the way she keeps up the momentum of the song qualifies her as a modern day singer. 

Harshdeep Kaur who sang Kathiya Karu in Rockstar makes her presence felt with the Punjabi number Heer. Though I could not understand a major part of its lyrics, the melody made me spellbound. Harshdeep’s singing awakens poignancy and highlights the scattered remains of gloom in her voice. Albeit the song is simple, it soars high on melody – a typical ARR touch.

After giving much intensity in the earlier numbers of the album, ARR chills us with a breeze – Jiya Re. It’s sung by Neeti Mohan (winner of Channel V’s Popstars who subsequently became a member of pop group Aasma). With Neeti’s fresh voice, the song is peppy and interesting to hear. Pay attention to different flute patterns in both the interludes; it’s a dash of Indian meets western. My guess – this can be the introductory song for Anushka Sharma, fingers crossed.

Now let’s make way for the title track Jab Tak Hai Jaan sung by Javed Ali and Shakthishree Gopalan. The song is a mélange of numerous single tracks. This number takes off with Javed Ali’s frenzied croons and flies onto hardcore Indian beats. Shakthishree comes in with her heavy-duty voice and takes the flight (read it as song) to another altitude, and then both join to sing it. This must be the most sought after song that’s extensively shot in Switzerland under the direction of Aditya Chopra!!

Ishq Dance is a a dance-worthy, bizarre instrumental track loaded with relentless drum beats. Alongside there are intermittent shouts of Hey Hey by the chorus. But will it be as successful as The Dance of Envy from Dil Tho Pagal Hai, Raga Dance from Taal, Dancing Jodi from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, or even Tango for Taj from Rockstar. Fingers crossed again. I relished hearing it and now I am looking forward to watch it on screen.  

Every good thing comes to an end, so as this album. The culmination point witnesses the famous poetry that’s making waves all over. Shah Rukh Khan recites the poem Jab Tak Hai Jaan to the tunes of ARR. The poem is a stunner with its lyrical loveliness and it breathes life into the movie’s first theatrical trailer. But the poem’s orchestration pattern has a striking similarity to theme of The Motorcycle Diaries by Gustavo Santaolalla. The poem, last in the album, is placed aptly thus giving an appropriate end to Yash Chopra’s legacy which’s spanned across decades.

Bottom-line: The album is definitely not ARR’s best work, but in a way it’s his best experimentation till date. You should listen to it with an open mind and the songs take their time to grow on you. Rahman’s melodious music and Gulzar’s poetic lyrics make the album scale new heights. Rather than calling this piece of writing as a music review, I prefer calling it a musicALL journey with a magicALL experience. Or simply, RahMANIA!!

My favorite songs: Challa, Saans, Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

My Rating: Expectation – 10/10; Reality – 8/10

Movie Review – English Vinglish (Hindi) – Succulent. Sensitive. Slice-of-Life!!

She is replete with candor, charisma, and comeliness. She is like a string of pearls where the string is tight when she’s cooking her favorite ghee-laced ladoos and attending daily chores at home, and breaks loose when asked to speak up and be part of social gatherings. She has got a husband, a cherubic son and she pleases everyone, but her incognizance of English intimidates her hyperbolic teenage daughter. She is a safe bet for her husband who can easily demand whatever he wants from her. You see her to be Sridevi but you call her Shashi Godbole - a traditional Maharashtrian woman.

The premise of English Vinglish set by writer-director Gauri Shinde is straightforward: A woman coming from a vernacular-medium education struggling to sail through Anglicized waters. How she changes the situation in which she’s struck, how she starts loving her own self, and how she gets the love of her family forms the rest of the story. It sounds like an engaging theme for a film stuffed with thrilling prospects – an underdog’s struggle against all odds to emerge victorious and gain her identity back.  Shinde paints a cheerful mood from the start with linear brush strokes. Though predictable, the picture shines with appropriate usage of colors.  

Shinde achieves equipoise and gives space for remission and reconciliation. The feminist thread of the movie’s fabric is befitting, and embellishes the film’s apparently crowd-appeasing characteristic. A song, a wedding, a classroom and a simple yet charismatic Sridevi makes for a perfect film that most of us can identify with. The most endearing moments are the ones that happen in the classroom where you see a diaspora of people. Although tongue-in-cheek, my only complaint with David sir – Indefinite article an is placed before a vowel sound and not a vowel.

The movie seems to be written for Sridevi, who is its life-line and breathes life into her character. She never throws any trace of banality even when she is present in some stereotypical situations. She handles wittiness and sadness with poise, and this role allows her to span a wide array of emotions. She is sweet and constrained in spite of her shrill and shaky voice – perfectly set to with hold the fragility in her character. A natural uneasiness with English shown by her is so convincing and utterly charming. Her ability to emote in a controlled manner adds many feathers to her acting cap and orients the film away from melodrama.

Some of the supporting cast is forgettable, especially Adil Hussain with a caricatured role as Sashi’s husband. Priya Anand is given a bubbly shade as Sridevi’s niece. Amitabh Bachchan’s cameo with some wisecracks is magnetic as usual. Apart from the two ladies – Sridevi and Shinde – the other winner is Amit Trivedi with his lilting tunes. He’s impressed us with stupendous compositions in Ishaqzaade and here in the background score he nurtures a hallmark of Ilayaraja. May be producer R Balki (husband of Gauri Shinde) is involved in bringing out classy stuff out of Trivedi. Balki’s involvement with Maestro for his two films Cheeni Kum and Paa speaks out in this film.  

What puts the movie down is a lack of distinct visual schematic to underscore the story. Some of the imagery is tawdry, one such is an introduction to Manhattan – Aadmi Topi and forgot whatever Priya said at the end – that is shown with a haywire footage complemented with a peppy track with multiple usage of the word Manhattan. And the cinematic technique goes for a toss because the film is painfully deprived of imagination. But these understatements are superseded by uncompromised production values and tasteful costumes.

Bottom-line: English Vinglish is like a whiff of fresh air. The movie with quintessence of a woman’s journey is heart-warming and is watchable for its lead actor’s endurance through turbulent times. You will definitely empathize with her character all through the film. She never puts her performance on a downward spiral, not even when the film travels on a shaky terrain. Gauri Shinde shines as a writer by penning an incisive script and she outshines as a director by creating an atmosphere in which everyone can relate to the subtle nuances of her characters. After watching the film you will wear a big smile on your face. It’s English-WINglish!!

My Rating: Expectation – 5/10; Reality – 7/10

 

Newsroom - The first Indian historical film in 3D

Actress Anushka Shetty who wielded a sword in the blockbuster Arundhati will be seen in a similar avatar protecting her kingdom from invaders in Gunasekhar’s magnum-opus Rani Rudrama Devi. With Nagarjuna starrer Damarukam on the anvil, where she plays a glamorous role, the lanky beauty has again become the most sought after actress in Tollyland. Gunasekhar after making lot of duds such as Sainikudu, Varudu, Nippu etc. in recent times is planning to take up this magnanimous project with a budget of Rs 40 crore under his newly floated banner Guna Team Works.
 

The movie will be replete with visual grandeur and will create history for being the first Indian historical film to be shot in 3D stereophonic sound. Albeit Gunasekhar is yet to finalize most of the cast and crew for this multi-lingual colossal film, a few revered members of his team he zeroed in on are: Costume designer Neeta Lulla; Art director Thota Tharani; VFX supervisor Kamal Kannan; and Music director “Maestro” Ilayaraja.