The Lunchbox: Anupama Chopra's review

Poignant, Powerful

The Lunchbox is my favourite love story of the year. It’s sweet, sad and deeply aching. Debutant director Ritesh Batra captures the harrowing loneliness that a metropolis like Mumbai fosters, the hope of happiness that glimmers and enables us to go 

on.


The Lunchbox

Direction: Ritesh Batra

Actors: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Rating: ****

The Lunchbox is about two desolate individuals who make a tenuous connection when the famed Mumbai dabbawallas mess up and deliver lunch to the wrong man. Saajan, played by Irrfan Khan, is a widower on the verge of retirement.

Ila, played by Nimrat Kaur, is a housewife, frayed by neglect. Their relationship – expressed entirely through notes exchanged in the lunchbox – develops into love. Every detail in this lovely film speaks of the care with which it has been crafted. So, as Ila does the household laundry, she listens to recipes of paneer do pyaaza on the radio.

Saajan, who is Catholic, writes to her that he has been offered a vertical burial plot – “I’ve spent my life standing in trains and buses,” he says, “now I will have to stand even when I’m dead.” The writing is enhanced by terrific performances. This film is a triumph for all its leads – Irrfan, Nimrat and Nawazuddin Siddiqui who is endearing as Saajan’s junior.

Irrfan, who also co-produced the film, is its backbone. His gait, eyes, even his slight smile, captures Saajan’s melancholy. Irrfan and Nawaz are two of the finest actors working today but this film wouldn’t be what it is without Nimrat’s heartbreaking performance. The Lunchbox is poignant and powerful. It will make you laugh and cry. And it will also make you hungry – I was dying to eat paneer kofta and bhindi when it finished.

I absolutely insist that you see it.

Phata Poster Nikla Hero: Review- Courtesy Hindustan Times

Rajkumar Santoshi's Phata Poster Nikla Hero has not managed to garner appreciation from the critics. The film, they say, doesn't offer anything new but Shahid Kapoor is the only possible reason to go for it. 

Going by the reviewers, the film attempts to be a comedy and it fails 

miserably. Simantini Dey of Firstpost sets it straight, "If Phata Poster is meant to be a comedy, it isn’t funny. If it is an action film, then it’s so last decade. What it definitely is, is a disappointment."

Dey gives credit to the lead actor and feels there is no meat in the film except him. The critic says, "Shahid Kapoor owns whatever there is to own in this film. His face is like all the emoticons that you have ever seen, rolled into one. This could have been a bad thing, but when Kapoor pulls all these expressions, he manages to make it work. He is delightful in dance numbers like Khali Pili and Dhating Naach. However, there is only so much that he can with a half-baked character and a messy plot"

Mayank Shekhar seconds that, "This movie is supposed to be a comedy, though it’s cacophony for the most part with assorted dons, fake cops, real cops, and general unexplained madness."

Shekhar further adds: "You feel sorry for the director, swallow some pride on his behalf. But the lead actor here wanted to be a Bollywood hero anyway. The pint-sized star like Singham drops from the air on his feet over flying dust, his body horizontally swaying over the earth as villains come crashing down, he travels to desolate beaches for the Sufi song, dances on the stage for the item track, weeps for his mother, hugs his father, mimics Dev Anand, Amol Palekar for comedy. You wish him well, quickly pop a Saridon, along with the popcorn, and safely go home."

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama too feels the film is full of clichés. "It's a frothy comedy that would have gone astray and misplaced its luster had it been delegated to a lesser talent", he believes.

I Am Kalam - Review

I Am Kalam


Director: Nila Madhab Panda

Producer: Smile Foundation

Cast: Harsh Mayar, Husaan Saad, Gulshan Grover, Pitobash, Beatrice Ordeix



Once in a while, you come across a film that makes you a 'softer' person after just one watch. Yes, I truly believe that movies have the power to make you a better person, even if just temporarily. I Am Kalam, which revolves around seemingly impossible dreams of an 11 year old, is one such experience.


Chhotu (Harsh Mayar) comes from a really poor family and works at his uncle Bhati's (Gulshan Grover) dhaba. At the outset, the story appears simple enough. But as it unfolds, deeper layers unfurl in the most magical way. Chhotu befriends Kuwar Ranvijay Singh (Hussan Saad). The rich prince suffers from loneliness until he meets Chhotu (flashing his trademark confident toothy grin) teaches him a few lessons, some obvious and some more subtle. While Chhotu's bullying and insecure colleague at the dhaba, Laptan (Pitobash) is a die-hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan, Chhotu has bigger aspirations. The kid is so inspired by former Indian President APJ Kalam that he confidently rechristens himself Kalam, thus explaining the title of the movie.

Nila Madhab Panda makes a confident directorial debut, with his head and heart in the right place. Among other things, I am most impressed by the way Panda cleverly passes on a social message that a child's brilliance shines through even the dreariest of circumstances. And in direct contrast, a child can't be made happy by bestowing him with costly toys and other comforts.

This film is the right combination of sparkling intelligence and well-placed emotions. For millions of child labourers across the country, there couldn't have been better representation of them than Chhotu, with his genius and undying optimism. The best thing about this movie is that it is happy, despite the grim reality of life it portrays. The positivity somehow manages to touch a chord.

While Harsh Mayar steals your heart right away (the National Award was so well deserved), it's the other child Hussan Saad who also impresses with his clear diction and natural performance. Gulshan Grover as a kind man, who has a secret crush on a French woman Lucy (Beatrice Ordeix), is very good as usual. Pitobash does a very good job too.

I Am Kalam stands for what Chhotu firmly believes in. You make your own destiny, which he picked up from a speech by APJ Kalam. At a time, when children seem bereft of the right idol to emulate, I Am Kalam shows the way.

Source: Mid-Day

Tanu Weds Manu - Review

Sukanya Verma reviews Tanu Weds Manu.

A London-based Delhi [ Images ] boy and his family arrive at a Kanpur household kicking off a vibrant ruckus of prattle and curiosity.


Following a black eye fix from a local ruffian at the railway station, the jittery visitor and Co. lose some of their inhibitions after they're greeted by a naked tot waving at them with a cutesy, 'Aaiye, aaiye.' Meanwhile, the typically enthusiastic hosts indulge them with obligatory chit-chat and (presumably) Thaggu's ladoos.

The vocabulary, disposition, sensibility, camaraderie and milieu is fond, familiar and stems from a classic set-up in upper middle-class, non-cosmopolitan North India [ Images ]; all these elements composite into giving director Aanand L Rai's Tanu Weds Manu, travelling to and fro between Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow [ Images ] and Kapurthala, a sense of accessibility and realism.

What ensues after the afore-mentioned scene is, however, not a commonplace eventuality. Although it's a routine arranged marriage layout for boy-meets-girl, the lady in question, is no Geet or Simran [ Images ].

A quirky creature with a picture of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara in her bedroom, Tanu (Kangna Ranaut [ Images ]) is the kind of girl with no real focus, only cosmetic aggression. Although she's educated, her idea of liberation is hollow rebellion -- hanging out with crooked fellas, drinking, smoking, occasionally swearing -- which gets all the more highlighted because her parents appear to be exceptionally accommodating.

For all her care-a-damn attitude, Tanu, just like her fierce curls and gentle countenance, is a fascinating paradox hopping between edgy and erratic, a soft head who sulks randomly, giggles comically, indulges in all possible shock tactics but ultimately does think there's not much difference between her and a 'bandariya.'

There's a thin line between silly and stupid but Kangna Ranaut makes Tanu work with her chirpy appeal and energy. Not really known for dialogue delivery, Ranaut uses her lumbering tongue to Tanu's advantage lending the rom-com some added lightness.

Then there's Manu (R Madhavan). Manu, like Mohan Bhargav of Swades [ Images ], is exactly the kind of too-good-to-be-true guy for whom terms like 'instantly likeable' were coined. And Madhavan suits the role to the T. He's perfectly cast as the genial, composed doctor head over heels in love with Ms High Maintenance.

Of course, they're no Joel and Clementine but the disparity is along the same lines. There are more layers to Manu than meet the eye but they're never underlined by writer Himanshu Sharma. Tanu Weds Manu engages best if you can read in between the lines and draw your own sub-text.

Sharma fails to maintain the zing till the very end though. A disappointing, lengthy and gabby third-act makes Tanu Weds Manu's running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes longer than it is. It's a shame for a script that has previously recognized the strength of communicating in silence or subtlety.

Some of the best scenes in the movie do not involve any talking. Rai captures the simplicity of eye contact and an innocuous smile in the scene when Manu helps Tanu pick a pair of earrings or her wedding lehenga. Even the talkie portions are on the crisp, terse side before Jimmy Shergill [ Images ] comes in to spoil the party and go on and on about what a threat he is. That last scene could have simply done away with all that filmi bak bak. Jimmy's verbal shimmy aside, Tanu Weds Manu is a pleasant experience for most part.


Wedding celebrations often make for a dazzling backdrop in romantic capers, be it Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! or Band Baaja Baarat. Tanu Weds Manu, too, employs the joie de vivre vibe to create resplendent song and dance spectacle with much help from Krsna's effervescent score ranging from thumping bhangra to rousing Sufi.


Besides its two titular characters, Tanu Weds Manu is blessed with an almost flawless supporting cast of actors like Rajesh Dobriyal as Manu's fretful, fast-talking pal, Pappi. He's especially droll in the Jai Mata Di sequence while haggling with a utility services attendant. On Tanu's side, you sit up and take notice of Swara Bhaskar as her blunt and plucky BFF alongside Eijaz Khan [ Images ] as her fiery 'n' fun groom. Reliable veterans like K K Raina, Rajendra Gupta and Navni Parihar competently fill in the shoes of Tanu and Manu's concerned yet harmless parents.

In a candid moment, Manu's father tells Pappi that he'll be happy if his son gets married and settles down but even if he chooses not to, 'Main apne ghar mein khushi se baitha hoon.' That's Tanu Weds Manu for you. It doesn't take offense at anything but will charm you anyway

7 Khoon Maaf - Review

Imagine a cocktail party full of dangerously beautiful women and handsome but decadent men. Imagine a home where such a party is thrown--inherited furniture, heavy drapes, smoke filled air and a butler who knows the bar as well as who drinks what. Now imagine a film where a succession of such men trip in and out of the door. It makes a wonderful series of vignettes, with Susanna, the hostess, played by Priyanka Chopra, graciously allowing herself to be used and abused. Sadly, though, it's no more than that.


Moody, atmospheric, marked by tremendous performances, and yet somehow the parts don't make the whole. Not for lack of trying. Susannah (Priyanka Chopra) is a tigress on screen. Sometimes slapped around, sometimes loving with abandon, sometimes happy in lust, and sometimes plain jaded, she is a woman of any freedom-loving woman's dreams. Mistress of a sprawling home, with no particular known income, she lives in decaying splendour like our very own Scarlett O'Hara. She has an ancient maid (Usha Utthup, in a surprise appearance), a discreet butler, a one-eyed jockey (for she is the mistress of several racehorses) and a loyal little boy whom she decides to put in school (a bitter-sweet debut by Naseeruddin Shah's younger son, Vivaan).


The plot is over-written as is to be expected in a film which becomes an extended cocktail party. The guests are fascinating, representing her lucklessness in love. There's the cruel army major (Neil Nitin Mukesh, excellent), the rock star (John Abraham, as good as he can get as the drug-addled, sex crazed Jimmy Stetson aka Jamshetji Rathore), the sensitive poet with a nasty streak (Irrfan Khan, as always brilliant), the kind doctor (Naseeruddin Shah, with a jolly Bonglish accent), the lascivious police officer (Annu Kapoor), and the handsome Russian (Aleksandr Dyachen, who should immediately be imported to Bollywood). All of them have their kinks and claws, and the pleasure is in discovering them.


Susanna Sahib's search for love takes her into territory that is often horrifying, but somehow the writing ensures that each episode remains a brilliantly shot and enacted short story, never quite integrating into a whole, introducing us to several guests but not quite involving us. Vishal Bharadwaj makes Priyanka act out of her skin, and she tries hard, subjecting herself to things onscreen most Hindi film stars wouldn't (don't get your hopes up, boys, Hindi film heroine standards are low).


Bharadwaj tries to give Susanna (sometimes Sultana, sometimes Sunaina, sometimes rock groupie Susy and other times the mysterious Anna) a reality by rooting her struggles with that of India. Oh, look, as Susanna marries her first husband, Operation Blue Star is happening. Oh, look, there's the Babri Masjid demolition as she meets her Kashmiri poet, oh look again there's the Pokharan nuclear explosion. And yet again, the IC-814 hijack.

It's not to say that there is no joy in watching Saat Khoon Maaf. Not at all. There are several. Priyanka Chopra, for one, showing tremendous courage. The men, for being uniformly engaging. The cinematography which succeeds in creating an atmosphere of lurking menace. The art direction, which almost threatens to overwhelm the film. The music, which is so perfectly matched to the movie. And yes, even Ruskin Bond, the writer, in a special role, saying the line that sums up the movie: It all comes down to love, sweetheart.

Indeed it does. Pity then that the film is a series of one night stands. What we wanted from the operatic Bhardwaj was an affair to remember.

Source: IndiaToday

Dhobi Ghat Movie Review by Taran Adarsh

Irrespective of its genre, an Aamir Khan production is looked forward to with super-enthusiasm. Films like LAGAAN, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, JAANE TU YA JAANE NA and PEEPLI [LIVE] have redefined cinema and in their own small way prompted film-makers to think beyond the stereotype. That automatically raises the bar for AKP's new endeavor DHOBI GHAT.

Mumbai - this vivacious, lively and spirited city has inspired many a film-maker, novelist, writer, playwright, poet in the past. Kiran Rao's DHOBI GHAT takes a look at four different characters in this dynamic city. Interestingly, instead of opting for the usual candy floss entertainer in her directorial debut, Kiran chooses to make a film that's very real and also that comes across as personal memoirs that have found a place on celluloid. It's more of a video diary on the inhabitants of this bustling metropolis. More importantly, this is a story about four different people - all from diverse walks of life - and how their lives crisscross in this voyage and how they cope with yearning, solitude, affection, friendship and loss.

To me, Mumbai comes across as the fifth character in this film. The constant clamor of traffic, the sea of people, the energetic street life and the heavy and torrential rains dominate the goings-on from start to end. In fact, Mumbai comes across as a silent spectator here, watching each of those four characters mutely. Much like a septuagenarian [Aamir Khan's neighbor] in the film.

What catches one's attention is the fact that DHOBI GHAT tells four different stories in those 95 minutes in the most pragmatic manner. The characters are real and so are their stories, their emotions, their relationships, their smiles, their tears, their dreams, their desires, their fears and their tragedies. It comes across as factual and authentic as your eyes would observe and witness in real life. Sure, we got a flash of the assorted people of this city in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, but DHOBI GHAT doesn't follow the conventional route. It is far more subtle and restrained.

DHOBI GHAT [Mumbai Diaries] is the story of four people from very different backgrounds, whose worlds intersect and leave them forever altered. As they find themselves drawn into compelling relationships, the city finds its way into the crevices of their lives, separating them even as it brings them closer...

Fragments of their experience -- seen through a naive video diary, black and white photographic images and painting -- form a portrait of Mumbai and its people bound together as they journey through longing, loneliness, loss and love.

Like I pointed out earlier, Kiran Rao encompasses emotions, dreams and aspirations most convincingly. In fact, every sequence of DHOBI GHAT tells a story, every image matters and that, in my opinion, makes this first attempt by Kiran nothing short of an achievement. Filmed in guerrilla style, with hand-held cameras and moving shots, DHOBI GHAT captures the real flavor of this populous city. Generally, film-makers try to stick to the right frames and procure permissions for the most eye-catching location, but not here. From opulent and classy apartments to the slums, DHOBI GHAT is an authentic piece of work.

DHOBI GHAT catapults Kiran Rao alongside the likes of accomplished storytellers like Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta with her intensely intelligent script. Besides throwing light on the daily routine of these characters, DHOBI GHAT juggles a recent past and the present time skillfully. Also, this one's a love story inherently; not a triangle, but a square. In fact, each of the characters is vividly sketched and each of them long or aspire for that someone special. Thanks to a watertight screenplay and eye for detail, Kiran's characters feel, look and sound genuine.

Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray shoots the film as if one were watching the story unspool live in front of one's own eyes. Academy Award winning Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla's [BROKEBACK MOUTAIN, BABEL] background score is captivating, also non-Indian, yet fits the varied moods, from melancholy to elation, admirably. The sole area where the film fumbles is its pacing at places. The results would've been even more impactful if the film was tightened a bit on the editing table.

The film marks the debut of Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra, who are exceptional and deliver natural performances. As for Prateik, the ease with which he speaks the slum lingo or converses with his pal or the gentle tone while speaking to the woman he loves [the urbane and classy Shai] proves what a dependable actor he is. The most memorable sequence for me is the concluding one when Prateik chases Shai's car. There's no doubt that he's a complete scene-stealer and a star in the making. His unconventional looks and captivating personality only adds to this performance.

Very much like his performance in TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, Aamir Khan very willingly lets his co-actors eclipse him. Sure, he's super as a cloistered artist, but this film is not about Aamir Khan, the superstar. It's primarily about four stories, with Aamir merely enacting one of the four pivotal characters. In fact, he underplays his part magnificently and munificently allows his fellow cast to be conspicuous in their respective parts. In actuality, not many actors in moviedom would dare to even think that way!

Kittu Gidwani is alright. The actor enacting the role of Prateik's friend does a fine job.

On the whole, DHOBI GHAT is an imposing and vibrant cinematic portrait, appending itself to the new wave of independent Indian cinema which I am extremely pleased to applaud. It is art house cinema with European sensibilities, embellished with a well thought out story that's devoid of cliches. This ingenious motion picture caters more to the intelligentsia and connoisseurs of world cinema and will therefore garner more patronage and benefaction from the metropolitan audience in India chiefly and global spectators predominantly.

Courtesy:- Indyarocks.com

Housefull

Film: Housefull

Dir: Sajid Khan

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone

Rating: ***

Welcome to yet another ‘leave your brains at home’ kind of comedy. An almost impossible task I think, to surgically remove your brain, and then to make your way to the cinema sans it.

Though I think, if you don’t already possess a brain, or your intellect has been considerably eaten away by recurring cinema such as this, then you may actually force yourself to patronize this stupid starry ordeal. I sadly caught myself chuckling a few times in a bid to recover my 320-rupee ticket price, a hefty sum for such little ‘entertainment’.

The unlucky Aarush (played by Akshay Kumar) must marry a girl to change his fortunes. His best friend Bob (Riteish) and his girlfriend Hetal (Lara Dutta) take him to a lavish London party where he meets the eccentric and drunk host, Randhir Kapoor (hic!). Aarush and Randhirs daughter Jiah Khan meet and instantly fall for each others traditional Indian values and within a few seconds the drunk dad announces their marriage, bequeathing a few million pounds to the lad he just met.

It didn’t make sense. So I swung a cricket bat and knocked the side of my head, subjecting my brain (which I had to bring with me) to a nasty blow. It still didn’t fly.

So Aarush and Jiah are on holiday in Italy/Greece/Film City or wherever the hell this exotic resort is and Aarush is thrilled to have better luck. The resort is run by a loud and irritating Indian who speaks in an Italian accent and is imaginatively named ‘Aakhri Pasta’ (Chunky Pandey). ‘Pasta’ cant keep his hands off Aarush’s bride (Jiah Khan) and Jiah cant keep her hands off a hairy and expressionless white man. Aarush is shocked to learn that Jiah and 'hairy white man' are lovers and that his marriage is a sham.

Enter Sandy (Deepika Padukone), who rescues a drowning Aarush and then dances with him in a sexy song sequence. It must be true love! What makes Sandy’s heart beat faster for the forlorn loser is ‘Aakhri Pasta’s’ lie that Aarush’s wife died on his honeymoon. Why the lie? You ask? I am clueless. I suffered another blow to my head with the cricket bat. My brain refused to shut up even then.

Well, If we must go further; you can expect inane misunderstandings between the two couples and then add characters like a farsan making Gujrathi father who sleepwalks, a man eating old heiress who is less entertaining than the man eating tiger on a couch, A parakeet that gets sucked into vacuum cleaner and a monkey that gets into a fist fight with Aarush.

Menaka Gandhi, fret not, the self respecting monkey gives it back in equal measure.

While the situational ideas have the potential to entertain like in a ‘Dumb & Dumber’ or in an ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ sort of slapstick way, the execution and smugness of the making, leaves you baffled as only the cast seems to get most of the jokes. The exaggerated climax, where laughing gas is released into Buckingham palace, is anything but funny. As you watch white skinned extra’s and red-faced Indians laughing uproariously on screen, you are deafened by the silence of the audience in the cinema hall.

There are racist jokes; like the Gujrathi father looking at a black woman and disdainfully calling her ‘Surpanakha’ (Ravan’s ugly sister), bad Italian accents with the use of words like pasta and De Niro to frame sad sentences and even done to death closet gay jokes; where the Gujrathi father seems to find the boys in compromising positions. Sadly Unoriginal.

Yes, we’re looking for entertainment and not necessarily intellectual stimulation all the time. But recent films like ‘3 Idiots’ have proved that our cinema can be 'silly funny' and yet have heart. That we can laugh at jokes and gags without having to surgically remove our brains or knock them out cold with cricket bats.

As we settle back into cinema halls post the IPL season, and look for entertainment worth the insane ticket prices, we must remember this. A lavish and starry production with a great marketing budget is no compensation for amateur dialogues, predictable screenplays and hammy acting.

Instead, you could watch Amitabh Bachchan in the 1981 hit ‘Kaalia’ on the telly this weekend.

Source: chakpak