The jinx is finally broken?

After my rant exactly a year ago, the "jinx" finally seems to be broken! For the first time since 2002, someone other than well-past-his-prime-as-a-leading-actor Amitabh Bacchan, performs-well-but-gets-awarded-for-the-weirdest-roles Hrithik Roshan and I-yam-the-self-proclaimed-khinggg SRK has won the Best Actor at Filmfare. Lets give a round of applause to the David who managed to defeat these Goliaths - Ranbeer Kapoor. Janardhan Jakkhad has managed to do what people like DJ, Radhey Mohan, Munnabhai, and Chulbul Pandey couldnt! Hopefully, this isnt a one-off year when the choices are sane and this will usher in a new era of unbiased and non-SRK-in-hammy-self-anointed-king-role-winning-for-bullshit awards!

The Filmfare winners this year are given below. My choices can be seen here.

BEST FILM : Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
BEST DIRECTOR : Zoya Akhtar for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

BEST ACTOR : Ranbir Kapoor for Rockstar
BEST ACTRESS : Vidya Balan for The Dirty Picture
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE : Farhan Akhtar for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE : Rani Mukerji for No One Killed Jessica
BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR :  A.R. Rahman for Rockstar
BEST LYRICS : Irshad Kamil for "Naadaan Parindey" from Rockstar
BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (MALE) : Mohit Chauhan for "Jo Bhi Main" from Rockstar
BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (FEMALE) : Rekha Bhardwaj and Usha Uthup for "Darling" from 7 Khoon Maaf
Best Debut (Male): Vidyut Jhamwal for Force
Best Debut (Female): Parineeti Chopra for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl
Best Debut Director : Abhinay Deo for Delhi Belly
RD Burman Award for upcoming talent in field of music: Krsna for Tanu Weds Manu
Best Film (Critics): Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Actor (Critics): Ranbir Kapoor for Rockstar
Best Actor Female (Critics): Priyanka Chopra for 7 Khoon Maaf

Best Dialogue: Farhan Akthar for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Screenplay : Akshat Verrma for Delhi Belly
Best Story: Sanjay Chauhan for I Am Kalam
Best Production Design: Shashank Tere for Delhi Belly
Best Editing: Huzefa Lokhandwala for Delhi Belly
Best Cinematography: Carlos Catalan for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Background Score: Ranjit Barot for Shaitan
Best Sound Design: Nakul Kamte for Don 2
Best VFX: Red Chillies VFX for Ra.One
Best Action: Action Concepts for Don 2
Best Choreography: Bosco-Caesar for "Senorita" for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Costume: Niharika Khan for The Dirty Picture

Fire in the belly

I had not expected Karan Johar to back such an intense, gritty film, and I am pleasantly surprised he did! Agneepath is a difficult film to make, especially since the original, in spite of being a pretty bad movie with hammy performances, continues to live in memory of the audience. Kudos to Johar and director Karan Malhotra for making their own film borrowing only the basic theme of the original!

Agneepath is NOT your quintessential masala potboiler. Whoever claims it is probably does not know what a quintessential masala potboiler means! It is a dark revenge drama, replete with excellent performances, strong but rarely over-the-top dialogue and above all, hardcore, earthy action. The direction is really good, especially for a newcomer, and it is to the director's credit that he manages to extract focused performances from pretty much the entire cast! Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala is a knockout, and it is wonderful to see him play an out-and-out negative character at this stage of his career, not bothering about screen image and length of role. THIS is how a superstar ought to age! Sanjay Dutt is brilliant as Kancha and invokes terror every time he is on screen. His expressions, his dialogues and his overall demeanor are worthy of a villain and after the Munnabhai series and Vaastav, this is another performance of his that will be remembered for years! Hrithik Roshan carries off the main protagonist's role with a lot of intensity and pathos. His eyes speak when his lips dont and not giving him too many lines is a masterstroke, for I have always found Hrithik weak in the dialogue delivery department. He tends to mumble a lot and comes off as incoherent when given too many complex lines to deliver. Which is why he excels even more in this role which needs him to talk less and emote more. That he is brilliant at the latter is no secret and he proves it once again with a near flawless performance. Its just the end of the first month of the new year and we already have a couple of brilliant, award-worthy performances from Agneepath! Chetan Pandit as Master Deenanath Chauhan and Arish Bhivandiwala as the young Vijay are really good in their roles too. Cinematography is brilliant and complements the proceedings very well. The dialogues deserve special mention for being impactful without going over the top even once.

Now to the downers. Priyanka Chopra sticks out like a sore thumb in this mammoth cast and in spite of having almost nothing to do, still manages to botch it up by acting like someone who needs to be in a mental asylum. Once a competent actress, she has surprisingly lost all talent since 7 Khoon Maaf, which was perhaps the high-point of her career, acting-wise. Zarina Wahab playing Vijay's mother, has to make do with a confusing role and although she doesnt do a bad job, you cant really tell what her issue in life is. Does she not realize why her son is doing what he is doing? Does she not know a way of trying to stop him from being bad? Does she not want her daughter to never know about Vijay? Maybe she is supposed to be confused, but she comes off as indifferent, due to the poorly sketched role. The songs act like speed-breakers and at times, spoil the realistic portrayal of the story. Gun Guna is idiotic and takes the movie down a notch or two while it is on. Chikni Chameli is energetic but wasted. Shah Ka Rutba has some unintentionally funny choreography, although it goes well with the proceedings. Deva Shree Ganesha is superbly picturized and aptly used in the pre-climax. The background score is top notch and fits the mood of the movie. Action is excellent and, with the exception of one hilarious bit in the climax, takes the movie to a different level altogether. Thankfully, it is not over the top and very believable, which is a relief after watching some ridiculously choreographed set pieces in Bodyguard et al.

Ultimately, Agneepath is an action drama with a strong story and commendable performances. Its violent, yes, but its also gripping and in spite of being almost 3 hrs long, manages to hold your interest for almost all the time, which in itself is no mean feat. In times when good, sensible movies are few and far between, Agneepath is one movie that gives you pretty much all you could hope for from an action drama.

Bye bye 2011

The year is almost over and its time to wrap up with lists and awards. So, here they are :)

My favorite movies of the year
1. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - Amazing!
2. I Am Kalam - Simple and beautiful
3. Pyaar Ka Punchnama - Packed with punches and so relatable
4. Dhobi Ghat - Poignant and impactful
5. Rockstar - So much pathos!
6. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster - Delicious and raunchy
7. Delhi Belly - Haha-fest
8. Saat Khoon Maaf - An interesting experiment
9. Yeh Saali Zindagi - Twist-filled story with Irfan on top
10. Shaitan - Zany
11. Ladies vs Ricky Bahl - Fun of the Lol Dimpy variety
12. Ready - Salman-tertainment

The worst movies this year according to me
1. Ra.One - Yuck!
2. Dum Maaro Dum - Shit-fest
3. Damadamm - Unbearable!
4. Singham - Not everyone can do a Dabangg!
5. Game - Why waste money on an Abhishek starrer, Farhan?
6. Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap - Terrible disservice to the legend that is Big B
7. Bodyguard - What the fuck were they thinking?
8. Mere Brother Ki Dulhan - Terrible acting by a bunch of non-actors
9. Don 2 - Yawn! Making a sequel is not mandatory, Mr Akhtar! And save the facial contortions for your mime shows Mr. Khan.
10. Mausam - Soooo slow and full of holes!

And now for the awards....


Best Film
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Pyaar Ka Punchnama
Delhi Belly
Dhobi Ghat
I Am Kalam

Best Director
Zoya Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Bijoy Nambiar - Shaitan
Kiran Rao - Dhobi Ghat
Nila Madhab Panda - I Am Kalam
Luv Ranjan - Pyaar Ka Punchnama

Best Actor
Hrithik Roshan - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Ranbir Kapoor - Rockstar
Prateik Babbar - Dhobi Ghat
Shahid Kapoor - Mausam
Harsh Mayar - I Am Kalam


Best Actress
Priyanka Chopra - Saat Khoon Maaf
Vidya Balan - The Dirty Picture
Mahie Gill - Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster
Katrina Kaif - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Vidya Balan - No One Killed Jessica


Best Supporting Actor
Farhan Akhtar - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Divyendu Sharma - Pyaar Ka Punchnama
Kunal Roy Kapoor - Delhi Belly
Randeep Hooda - Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster
Rajeev Khandelwal - Shaitan
Gulshan Grover - I Am Kalam


Best Supporting Actress
Monica Dogra - Dhobi Ghat
Kalki Koechlin - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Rani Mukherjee - No One Killed Jessica
Parineeti Chopra - Ladies vs Ricky Bahl
Poorna Jagannathan - Delhi Belly


Best Music
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Ram Sampat - Delhi Belly
Harris Jayraj - Force
A R Rehman - Rockstar
Amit Trivedi - No One Killed Jessica
Sohail Sen - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Sachin Jigar - Shor In The City

Best Song (Couldnt decide at all! They are all so good! Help me!)
Character Dheela - Ready
Sadi Gali - Tanu Weds Manu
Te Amo - Dum Maaro Dum
Saibo - Shor In The City
D K Bose - Delhi Belly
Der Lagi Lekin - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Teri Meri - Bodyguard
Sadda Haq - Rockstar
Ooh La La - The Dirty Picture

Best Male Playback Singer
Lehmber Hussainpuri - Sadi Gali : Tanu Weds Manu
Ash King - Te Amo : Dum Maaro Dum
Neeraj Shridhar - Character Dheela : Ready
Ram Sampath - D K Bose : Delhi Belly
Mohit Chauhan - Khwabon Ke Parinday : Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Shankar Mahadevan - Der Lagi Lekin : Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Ash King - I Love You : Bodyguard
Ali Zafar - Madhubala : Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Mohit Chauhan - Jo Bhi Main : Rockstar
Mohit Chauhan - Sadda Haq : Rockstar
A R Rehman, Javed Ali, Mohit Chauhan - Kun Faya Kun : Rockstar

Best Female Playback Singer
Shreya Ghoshal - Saibo : Shor In The City
Alyssa Mendonsa - Khwabon Ke Parinday : Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Shreya Ghoshal - Saathiya : Singham
Neha Bhasin - Dhunki : Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Bombay Jayshri - Chahoon Bhi To : Force
Shreya Ghoshal - Main Chali : Force
Harshdeep Kaur - Katiya Karoon : Rockstar
Shreya Ghoshal - Ooh La La : The Dirty Picture

Drum Roll

This post comes a bit late. But nevertheless, I am happy to announce that I had entered a couple of posts (this one and this one) from this blog for the Reel Life Bloggers contest by wogma and reviewgang and the Guilty Pleasures post won some recognition in the contest :) You can read more here.

After last year's Top Bollywood blog award, this comes as another pleasant surprise and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the readers of this blog. It is you and recognition like this that keep me going :) Thank you! :)

Con-Test

The Band Baaja Baaraat team is back this December and although Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is no patch on the super-entertainer from last year, its a pretty decent one-time watch. Generously borrowing its plot from Marathi play To Mee Navech, Hollywood turkey John Tucker Must Die, Jeffrey Archer's book Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less and YRF's very own Bachna Ae Haseenon and Bunty Aur Babli, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl manages to hold its own for more than 2 hours without inciting a yawn from you and that in itself is no mean feat!

The story is quite predictable, but the cons, although not totally believable, are well-written and engaging. The first half is a breeze except for the songs which stick out like a sore thumb. The second half is bumpy but not too stretched, and since there's an agenda all through the movie, time passes by pretty quick. The dialogues are quite good and the screenplay, although hardly believable, is taut and doesnt even pretend to make sense, and that works in its favor. The acting is okay-okay. Ranveer Singh does decently but cannot recreate the Bittoo magic. Anushka Sharma looks emaciated and pretty much indifferent in her role. Dipannita Sharma is monotonous while Aditi Sharma fits her part perfectly. Parineeti Chopra is the life of the movie and steals the show completely! She is amazing as the Delhi girl and brings the house down every time she speaks. Here's one actress with some sense of comic timing and hope she gets more roles to showcase her talent. The music is a huge disappointment - barring Jigar Da Tukda to an extent, all other songs fail - on the eyes as well as the ears. The climax is a cop-out and the conventional treatment could have been avoided. But in spite of all its drawbacks, the movie is a fun ride. If not for anything else, do check it out for the new kid on the block - Parineeti Chopra! She maybe Priyanka Chopra's cousin, but she has the capacity to leave her more celebrated cousin behind with her spunk and non-fake attitude!

The Busty Picture

Cleavage, boobage and thunder thighs - the life of an erstwhile silver-screen temptress is told through as many body parts as possible and while that in itself is not an issue, the corny template-ish treatment definitely is, and that is what made me walk out from the theatre un-moved after the movie ended. The premise is interesting, and so is the acting, but what kills this movie is the Madhur Bhandarkar-ish treatment which makes it a very un-entertaining, long drawn and unrelatable saga of make-believe pathos.

That Silk is played by Vidya Balan with loads of courage and spunk helps the movie a lot. Supporting her ably are brilliant actors like Nasseeruddin Shah, as a lecherous superstar and Emraan Hashmi as a I hate you (like I love you) arty director. And although both do a good job, their characters are half-baked because the director is in a hurry to pack an entire lifetime of the actress and wants to do it hurriedly when not required, while taking his time when totally unnecessary. The movie begins well, but loses its way soon after the intermission and goes totally haywire by the time it ends. Its not a particularly bad movie - the over-the-top dialogues and Vidya Balan ensure that much. But it makes the one cardinal sin that no movie should make - it gets boring very quickly and stays that way till the end. And ultimately, it is so busy focussing on other stuff that it forgets giving enough footage to invoking sympathy for the actress and her feelings.

I know this movie got great reviews and has raked in a lot of moolah, and I am happy to see it do that. If only we had a more heartfelt film with less weirdness like that forced cabaret dance-off and the silly red saree metaphor, it would have felt much better. Alas, the year has pretty much ended the way it began with No One Killed Jessica - another brilliant idea gone all ho-hum due to less-than-able direction and screenplay.

A flawed piece of art

Imtiaz Ali, A R Rehman and Ranbir Kapoor - take a bow! It takes guts to make a movie like Rockstar and although the movie is far from a masterpiece, its a class apart from most movies we have seen this year. Rockstar is, at its core, a love story, and yet, when have we last seen a love story portrayed so unconventionally? Rockstar brings back images of Dev D, and while it fails to rise to the dizzy heights of the latter, mainly due to a fractured screenplay and the interminably long second half, it does manage to make its mark in a big way.

Rockstar is carried beyond the safety line by the simply outstanding Ranbir Kapoor. He is a powerhouse of talent and showcases such a wide range of emotions that you cant help but admire this 4 year old actor for his guts and talent. Any other actor in this role would have failed to do justice to the part! And to think that Imtiaz Ali had written the role with John Abraham in mind! Thank God John did not understand the script and rejected the movie! Itna layered role kisi wooden block ke bas ki baat nahin! Kumud Mishra does a fab job as Khatana bhai. Piyush Mishra is effective as Dhingra, while Aditi Rao, the bhabhi from Genda Phool in Delhi 6, is decent. Its nostalgic to see Shammi Kapoor on screen and his jugalbandi with Ranbir, although shortlived, is a delight to watch! Nargis Fakhri is perhaps the biggest flaw in the movie - she is terribly miscast in a meaty role that she cant carry off for the life of her! She looks sweet in a couple of scenes and tries to act coy when the script demands, but her dialogues delivery and emoting is so flat, that she takes the movie a few notches down with her. A much better actress was the need of the hour and someone like Mahie Gill would have added so much to the movie! Alas, the die has been cast and much of the flak for the failure (yes, I dont see this movie making much money or gaining much following amongst the audience. I hope I am proved wrong though!) will have to be burdened by Nargis. Imitaz Ali does a fine job of portraying pathos and pain and gets a stellar performance out of Ranbir. The first half especially is not only poignant but also quite enjoyable. The second half, on the other hand, suffers from too much diversion and is stretched endlessly, meandering from pointless to shocking. Nevertheless, its the director's vision, even though flawed, so we dont have a say in how the movie should have been.

Last but not the least, A R Rehman's music is as much a character as Ranbir's Jordan in the movie! The songs are a heady mix of soulful, melodious and rebellious, and move the story forward beautifully. All songs sound so much better on-screen and enrich the narrative immensely. Cinematography is fitting and almost every frame looks beautiful without looking fake.

Rockstar is not for people seeking entertainment or logic. Its for those of us who enjoy the journey more than the destination. Not many movies absorb you into their guts and then, when they let go, you are compelled to carry at least a bit of them with you, forever. Rockstar may not strike a pot of gold, but it makes room in a small corner of the heart, and that is an accolade few movies earn!

No.One

Lets begin with saying that Ra.One is not as big a disaster as it is being made out to be - not because it is making so much money (although it's going to be tough to recover all its costs) and also not because it is a great film. Only that, in a world of Bodyguards and Readys, I am willing to give a substandard movie a chance. The VFX in places are very good, and a couple of scenes even leave an impact. What lets the movie down is ...well...everything else.

I am willing to suspend disbelief and grant cinematic liberties to the makers and ignore a lot of blunders. For instance,

1. Why would anyone make a game where the hero and villain are guaranteed to reach Level 3, no matter what, and the entire game essentially boils down to a single bullet fight, which can also end in a tie if both miss, or both take out their H.A.R.T.s or both just decide to collaborate and put the players in a quandary?
2. If not wearing your H.A.R.T. means the opposition cant defeat you, why would you carry it with you everywhere? Wouldn't treating it like a horcrux be a better way of dealing with the situation?
3. If Ra.One wants to kill Lucifer, why doesnt he do it on one of the innumerable chances he has?
4. If killing the irritating kid is Ra.One's only aim, why does he have to come up with elaborate and ultra-lame conditions for G.One like saving the local train and the people in it?
5. If the player can only play as G.One, why did they even make a Ra.One suit?
6. Why doesnt anyone miss the Chinese scientist Akashi for 2-3 days until the irritating kid goes back to the lab?
7. Why doesnt the gaming company give a tiny rat's ass about the fact that their latest game lab has been totally destroyed on the night of the game launch and their two chief game developers are dead/missing?
8. Why would you put a Tam-brahm in a coffin and then cremate him?
9. How can an android not be detected by metal detectors?
10. Why does Shekhar's Tamil accent come and go as per his whims?


I am willing to disregard all of this and more. Coz its a movie, you are not supposed to think so much. Enjoy what is being shown and have fun. Sure, I am ready to do that. Bring it on!

But...but....where is the fun? Am I supposed to find a kid saying "Condom condom" funny? Is it funny that a game launch party attended by friends and family of the team behind it, is graced by a large number of unwieldy butts? That the developer's wife decides to do away with the remnant of her dress in a party attended by her own 11-year old son so that she can titillate the crowd with her panties playing peek-a-boo? Is it funny that the kid's bday party has a highlight item number by his mom who drops her pallu, coz you know, that's what Indian moms do - they drop their pallus in a family party and dance away, baring massive cleavage? Is it funny that the security guard licks his lips seeing G.One's pierced nipple? Is it funny to grab, kick and generally salivate at the thought of a crotch? Is it funny to videostream a sex-tape of your teacher in class? The simple answer is no!

Coming back to the movie - it is fractured and poorly directed and edited. The dialogues fall flatter than Kangana's chest before she got the boob-job. Yes, I said that, and yes, it is inappropriate but then again, I did not promote my blog for 7 months as a blog for kids and I did not get a U certificate from the censors for the same. That statement is indeed offensive but I never claimed otherwise. So, at least I am not a hypocrite. The acting is horrendous - coming from talented people like SRK and Kareena. And Kareena can be forgiven, coz her role is half-baked and not terribly crucial. But SRK! Why would he make a fool of himself in a movie he has spent 175 crores on! Give me the charming Raj anyday over this pathetic Tamil stereotype character. Arjun Rampal is hardly there. Everyone else is insignificant - even the usually funny Satish Shah. The cameo by Rajnikant is just worthless - what a waste of so much star wattage! The cameos by Sanjay Dutt and PC are funny in parts but marred by horrible gfx and a jackass-like SRK in Veer's costume. The music sucks on screen - Criminal is killed by all that in-your-face booty shaking, while Chammak Challo is murdered by all the cleavage on display.

All said and done, Ra.One is a terrible disappointment - coming from SRK and given the fact he spent 175 crores on it. Its just plain bad - both as a normal movie and as a superhero movie. It has a couple of well done gfx sequences but that's not saying much given the costs. Bad direction, pathetic dialogues and ultimately a very boring movie! Please no sequel, please!

Bawdyguard :|

Mediocre with no redeeming factors. Ready and Dabangg seem like masterpieces in front of this one. And they are not. Time to reinvent self sir.

Dirty deeds

As we turned round a corner, I noticed him. He didnt seem much older than me - maybe 2-3 years. We stopped at the signal and that gave me more time to observe. Dirtyish white shirt, worn out pants, a glint in the eye. But the most striking thing was the piece of paper he held in his hands. Tidily written words on it said "Single dad, jobless for 4 months. FINALLY FOUND A JOB. But first pay-day on 12th August. Need money to feed my child. Anything helps." Something about that sign touched me. He wasnt the first jobless person I was seeing in this part of the world. But something in those words told me he was genuine. Maybe it was the "FINALLY FOUND A JOB" or maybe it was the "Single dad". Instinctively, I reached for my pocket to take out a 20 dollar bill, and then came the hesitation - what if he was a phony, what if he was just another junkie trying to dupe people for another pinch of powder, what if he had no intentions of working and was just trying to use his kid to make money, what if he....The signal turned green, my friend accelerated on the pedal of his swanky BMW and we sped away. The pang of regret that crossed my heart was unbearable. My slight hesitation might have cost a young dad and his little kid tonight's dinner. I hope it did not, but I cant cast the "what if" away. The moment is gone. The guilt continues to stay.