This dark film captures the depressing spiral of a life that’s marked by a series of unfortunate events. Shilpa Shukla is a manipulative house wife who takes advantage of the young Shadab Kamal and changes his life. The audience then witnesses the slow and painful stripping of the human soul of every shred of dignity.
Director Ajay Bahl ventures into bold territory, not because of the sexual nature of the film, but the myriad of human emotions he attempts to capture in his directorial debut. Not only does he manage to do that, he translates them into a very explosive drama.
The effects of this well made film linger far after it is over.
Khalujaan and babban are back, not with a vengeance but with the 7 stages of love. While the chemistry and ‘loyalty’ between the Naseer and Arshad was the highlight in the first film, here it provides the comic relief.
If ‘Ishqiya’ was raw and rural in its appeal, this film is the stark opposite with beautiful Urdu poetry and Lucknowi manners. But I wish they would have retained the utter twisted nature and punches that were thrown at the audience in Ishqiya, in this one too. Here we were stabbed, but with a nawabi etiquette.
Madhuri enchants with her dance and beauty. Her character has various shades, suits her age and her diction of the lyrical Urdu is perfect. Huma as Muniya is the raw woman who actually makes a man doubt his manhood. Together they make a sensual team who are a force to reckon with for our fraud duo.
The true hero though, of this film, is the authenticity. From the location, to the sets, the costume, dialogue, the colour palette and music, everything is original and transports you to an era where the story and its characters are not only believable, but comical too. The plot unfolds slowly, the language shocks, entertains and romances the audience, while we know there is more to the niceties than meets the eye.
Director Abhishek Chaubey, Producer/Dialogue writer Vishal Bhardwaj and Lyricist Gulzar get full points to create the ambiance, which is peppered by manipulation, love, lust and revenge.
After having numerous discussions with many friends, I have put together a little piece, which I hope will entertain you at the very least, if not enlighten you.
Trying not to sound like Dr. Ross Geller, I have specified 3 main categories for attraction:
1) ‘Across the room’ attractive: The person’s smile, voice, body language, form, dressing, the way they hold a drink or a conversation, what they drink, how they dance. Some were drawn to the mysterious quiet type, while others liked the chirpy energetic type. Some wanted the other to make the first move, some thought that their own move should be read well by others. Few were turned on by how successful people were, whilst some openly said ‘richie rich’ was the only type that caught their attention. While all these things are what may draw you to the person, they may not keep your attention for long.
2) ‘When you get to know someone’ attractive: Sense of humour. Sarcastic Wit. Intelligence. Vocabulary. Conversation skills. How they treat other people, especially waiters. Their scent. Table manners. If they get your jokes. If they hold the door and pay/split the bill. Plan the plan and embrace the spontaneity. Enjoy the same things, activities. Eye contact. The chemical reaction that happens when they accidently touch you. A good listener. This is where you ascertain that people are not telling you what you want to hear, but are actually being their true selves.
3) ‘When you love someone’ attractive: Here is where the ‘fundamentals’ come in to play and ‘the list’ from category 1 goes out the window. Comfortable silences. When you want to wake up with someone and see them at their most natural. While talking to them you don’t see their face, not even their eyes, but the light inside them. When you remember each and every detail about their form, and find every little hair, spot or scar beautiful. When just their thought can excite you. When you complete each other’s sentences. When you pick the same thing from the menu, the same song from the list. When you see them stand for what’s right. When you see them defend you. Actions, rather than attributes, become attractive and sought after at this stage. When your thoughts about what is really important are aligned with someone else’s, when they can always make you laugh, then you have an attraction that will not fade with physical aging.
In the heated and sometimes hilarious discussions of what does and doesn’t get the temperature soaring, I was asked what I think of this subject. I was very clear on the issue. Being attractive is something you develop, it is not based on your looks. Yes some are born beautiful or handsome, photogenic and proportionate. Many of us work hard to keep fit and groom ourselves. But we have certain personality traits that maybe desirable and improved, yet others have to be kept under control. For me loyalty and communication were key in attraction. Of course loyalty takes time to assess, while communication is more easily gauged. A quality which is very attractive these days is a cool headed and patient personality. It comes in handy in our stressful lives.
When I remember admiring someone, the strongest feeling I recollect is how I felt being around them. If I was comfortable, wanted to spend more time and couldn’t wait to see them again was a sure enough sign. So the funny thing is how attractive someone else is has more to do with you, and your perception of them, than them individually. What qualities you see in a person may only be visible to you, either because you care enough to actually pay attention or because they are trying to reach out only to you. I recollect how I was warned against a ‘player’ type personality. I couldn’t see it. Sometime we wish to learn lessons the hard way and not heed the advise of our friends. Sure enough, a few months later, voila! Exit the Charmer, Enter the Player!
So get out there people, be the kind of person YOU would like to be around, and leave the rest to chemistry. Or was it biology? I was never any good at the sciences 😉
I end with a line that deeply resonated with me, from a recent film I saw, The secret life of Walter Mitty:
Excessive, shocking, loud, crass, filthy rich, mind numbing, sense dumbing are the words that come to mind when I think of this film. I wanted to check into rehab after it, that’s how abusive it was, along with its 3 hour length.
Martin Scorcese is such a crafty story teller, that not only has he captured the essence of the story and era, but he makes you feel it with all your senses. The end result may not be entertainment, or a film where you enjoyed every scene, but EVERYONE will take one, or more scene(s) home with them.
Leonardo Di Caprio has done a variety of roles in the past, but this one surely stands out as one of his best. Exceptionally unpredictable, he does with ease what we couldn’t even imagine as a fantasy for ourselves. Other actors lend able support as the many elements in his life, ranging from crazy and eccentric to the loyal girl next door.
There were many scenes that were censored, but there was enough to let you guess what you missed, mostly because of their graphic nature. One very erotic scene was surprisingly not cut, as it was important to the story.
Watch it only if you can see it for what it is, a real story which is as far removed from reality as possible. I could not digest the fact that this is not fiction 🙂
Director and principal actor Ben Stiller plays an usual character in this ‘day dreamer’ film. He has a habit of zoning out of his not so confident and awkward life situations into bizarre and comical scenarios of the same. The result? Constant, unpredictable entertainment for the audience!
The twist in the plot is when he has to go on a challenging chase across exotic locations to save his job. The line between fantasy and reality blurs here, and we are constantly guessing if it’s real or not. The film has a lot to do with photography and as such appears as a beautiful montage of aesthetic rare pictures itself.
There are many profound statements which are made, one about true beauty really stood out. The film is so unique because it dares to confuse and entertain audiences at the same time. Its comical approach belies a sensitive and layered view of Walter Mitty’s life, and the people involved in it. Ben Stiller embodies a stone faced character whose eyes may seem glazed on the outside, but are steeped in vivid imagination on the inside.
It is a light and fun film to watch, with stunning cinematography. Be prepared for spoof like moments in a visual treat of a collage!
Sorry this review is late, it’s the last one of the year and I could have saved a lot of people time and money, but I guess some divine force was protecting me, until yesterday.
Aamir Khan mentioned he did this film because he liked the script. I would like to see ‘said script’ and ask him squarely, “Why did you do this film?” Frankly I am shocked that he agreed to do it. I guess screen time was the carrot they dangled in front of him. Batman himself would be envious of the motorbike that Aamir has, and his set up would rival that of Iron Man.
The film was flat from the beginning. Basic story telling had taken a back seat. Where was the complication? The motive was so weak. There were fundamental, gaping holes in the screen play, logic was not meant to take a back seat here, but it did. The heist and everything about it lacked reality.
Touching the 300 crore mark as I write this, it makes you wonder why such films do well and other really good ones don’t. The film was well shot, the choreography and spectacle scenes were great to watch. But you don’t take anything home with you, except the feeling that you have been cheated. Aamir is expected to perform well, but here it seemed like a clear recipe for spinning money, which worked. The action scenes are laughable though the effects are decent, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Aamir has done better and more varied work in the past, this time round it was average. Abhishek and Uday are mere props. Katrina has 3 songs and 3 scenes I think, great dancer, that’s it. She also had a hell of a time at ‘the wake’. A joke you will get if you sit right till the end. In which case you also have my condolences.
What an interesting second half of the year this has been! A lot of writing! Falling in love with the Minions. Completing 3 years in Mumbai. 20 questions. Floating Infinity @ level 57. The Phantom of the Opera. Janmashtami & the Good News. Ganpati & Saying Goodbye. Meeting Kunwar ji. Internal Dialogue. EATC. Reiki. Keep the chin up soldier. 20 years. Multiple birthdays. The 35th. Ram Leela. My Namesake. Spanish. The Cathartic night. The desert, the sea, the stars and the skies. Chicago. Xmas eve @ level 122. 10 questions. Dedications. Koffee, Tea, Triffle. Dubai x5. A Resolution. YJHD on DVD! Thankful for the year gone by. Excited for 2014. A very special year heralding many milestones and happy moments. Keep all of us safe God. Good Health everyone!
Director Aman Khan who also made the animated film ‘Krishna’ in 2006 brings us this tale in 2013. The interesting approach was to have the character’s facial features match the actors who were doing their voiceovers. The tale is known to all, but it was compressed well to fit the 2 hour film format, covering all the highlights.
It is very expensive to make good quality animation films, and takes a lot of time. When Hollywood releases such movies, their estimated production budget can be anywhere between $100 – $150 million dollars. The aspect which suffers here is the very unfinished and amateur animation which we are forced to consume. This could very well be a rough draft brief to an animator, but alas, it is the finished product.
There will not be a market big enough for such a film, though ‘Bal Ganesh’ and ‘Ganesha’ were a rage with children. I understand why much money couldn’t be pumped into the film to give it the look it deserved. Close up shots show us major faults and lack of expressions, such important details for an epic like this.
It can be educational for children, but even the stellar voices cannot save the film for adults.
When we speak of Lily’s Love that protected Harry, we tend to overlook that it was not only that person’s love at work. What Lily did for Harry was what any mother would do, cast herself in front of a danger that would take her life instead of her child’s.
The love that I am speaking of, started much before Harry came into existence. It started when a socially awkward Severus Snape fell in love with a young Lily. The night Lily died saving Harry’s life, we can say one form of her perished, but another very significant part lived on.
If Snape’s unrequited love died with Lily that night, Harry’s story would have turned out very differently. It was Snape who actually showed what love is all about, even if the other person didn’t know it existed. He saw Lily in Harry’s eyes, and though was not fond of him as he was much like his father James, Snape played his part extremely well, till the end.
The protection therefore was provided by everyone else, the unwilling Dursleys, the caring Weasleys, Harry’s many friends at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, Dobby and others who fought with the Order and of course Albus Dumbledore. He was instrumental in seeking out Tom Riddle, a most unfortunate credit to his name, amongst his many merits.
But the one person who had lost everything dear to him and protected in the name of a memory was Severus. It is said eyes are the window to the soul, and part of his died seeing Lily’s lifeless gaze the night Voldemort cast the killing curse.
Much is spoken of the love that binds two people, the love between parents and children, siblings, friends, but what of the unrequited kind? That is the clear hero of this tale.
Movies&Musings 