Singham: Celebration of all Indian films on Police Force

“Cinema is more an entertainment and less a creating social awareness, or societal change, more than change driven, cinema is the depiction of society.”

This is the interpreted statement commented by two Superstars of Bollywood   Amir Khan and Shahrukh Khan, though I been fan of their contributions in society driven movies like Chakde India and Tarre Zameen Par.

Considering this, sometimes we truly tend to forget that Cinema is truly made for entertainment, that’s the reason why we aren’t able to forget mass entertainment like Sholay, Zanjeer, and Qurbani or latest being Dabangg.

So here we have one more film based on police, fighting the political system, but not like an underdog, but an avenging lion. There are Three Heads of Lion for Asoka Emblem on the police cap, the fourth being the head bearing the three, so why should he be an underdog?  Why should his family always go on toss? Why should there be an extensive fight sequence at the end of such film?  Why should an honest police officer pass through acid test to entertain the audience, why this overloaded, hyperacted melodrama? Cut the crap yaar!, roaring out  is Rohit Shetty’s new outing, Singham.

Singham one liner: “Apne Ghar mein Kutta Bhi Sher Hota Hain, Bahar aaa....!”

Lion is the king of the jungle, so is Bajirao Singham, the saviour of Shivgad, but what if Lion changes the kingdom and enters into other Lion’s den; such is the plot of Rohit Shetty’s  Singham.

Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgan) insults egoistic godfather of Goa Jaykant Chikre (Prakash Raj) in Shivgad, Jaykant in turn brings Bajirao in his own turf Goa and begins to humiliate, torment him,

Excellent tussle between two equals forms the zest of Singham

The premier credit must go the writers of the film, though the film is predictable made on a repetitive subject it does not succumbs to clichés followed by previous movies on police like bad guy holding the family of the police, captive; political pressures; extensive fight at last with unnecessary use of blasts and miraculous victory of hero over the system like shown in Shool, Kurukshetra, Garv or latest being Dabangg. Singham, though equally entertaining as these movies, lives to its name i.e. “lion cannot be held captive” Ironically, it’s a parody on the most favourite topic for Indian filmmakers.

Ajay Devgan, known for his choice of films and script driven films, carry the mantle of mass hysteric Bajiro Singham effortlessly.  Observe him when he walks the life size screen when title track rocks the cinema halls, adrenaline levels of the audience just pump out.

Any words of appreciation for Prakash Raj’s Jaykant Chikre, would be an understatement, such fluent shift between two different moods (comic and dreadful) can be done with panache only by a National Award winning Actor. Jaykant Chikre is flesh and blood. It is his larger than life godfather acting in absence of Bajirao and dumb, caricatured don in his presence makes Bajirao Singham look even bigger.

Special mention to around 13 Marathi artists in the background, be it  simple corrupted yet seeking redemption Ashok Saraf, or most remembering character Gotya(Gautam Bhosle) played by Theatre genius  Sachin Khedekar. Kajal Aggarwal plays her part of adding glamour uniquely to the mass hysteric action movie well.

Ajay Atul  (Natrang, “Ganeshya Dhemayi”  fame) makes a confident comeback as the music composer duo in Hindi film Industry after taking Marathi Film music to zenith.  Title track effectively defines the mood of the film; where as light romantic songs like “badmassh dil” keep the melody in the film alive.

Over all three cheers to Rohit Shetty for churning out an ideal recipe for mass entertainment, every spice added is perfect and in sync with the concept, that’s the reason why gravity defying stunts which could even force makers of Matrix commit suicide,  look amicable.

With least usage of the human brain, this is the most entertaining movie from the Hindi film industry this year till now.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Catastrophic Ecstasy

Thought for long about an apt caption for the 3^rd edition of the Transformers, the confusion of judging this motion picture has came out of the caption.

Only a mentally psychic person would underestimate the efforts taken by the world’s greatest animators working for this movie, the robotic appearance of Optimus Prime, Bumblebie, and Megatron are flesh and blood, which is the reason that drove me to watch this film either by hook or by crook.

Flattered by the personifications and intricacies in making of these robots in first 2 editions, I made a firm will of watching the third in the theatre that too in 3D. The trailers of the film were projecting the next big thing post cinematic events like Avatar, Inception, and LOTR trilogy.

Transformers was never the best in terms of its story but this time its hunger for intricacies have consumed him, turning this gigantic visual into a catastrophe.  As a diehard fan of Michael Bay (Pearl Harbour, Armageddon, Transformers) expectations from the third edition were high, but in the end what we get is more robots, that too with no life in them.  Michael Bay is known for bringing life and emotions in the nonliving, the best example for this could be the scene in the first edition where auto robots hide in the house of Sam with panache, those moments are missing here.

The Dark of the Moon miserable fails on the emotional quotient which was the speciality in first 2 editions; there are many missing links in the apocalyptic fight at the climax too.  How do so many spaceships having the robots supporting Decepticons get defeated so miraculously, that they don’t even engage in fight against the human‘s best.  The climatic battles between the evil and good citizens of Cybertron on Earth were believable in first two editions, this time it looks like a near impossible battle was won at the blink of the eye, as if there was a delete button with the audience to skip the colossal torture in 3D. The only exception was the fabulous serpent destroying a glass building like a python kills its prey, everything else looked plastic.

At last when everything from story to ineffective 3D effect for this plastic world turns into the catastrophe, Sam’s love for his robots is diminishing yet the personifications of this magnanimous robots instigate , and bribe us to complete this colossal disaster

Some more snaps from the movie which made me to hold my breath but could not strangulate me.

  

Defiance: story with a heart, vision in the shadow!!!!!!!!!!

Some questions in mind…………

How many movies are made on world wars?????? The answer could be dozens, Saving Private Ryan and Spielberg’s specials would top the list…..don’t they.

How many movies are made on people who were natives and actually faced the problems??? The counts come down, distinguish remembering is Roberto Benigini’s Life is Beautiful.

How many movies are made on holocaust and suffering of Jews??? Again the list goes on starting Schindlers List.

But how many movies are made on Jews showing Defiance???? Hmmmmmm..

Well here is a movie which has a sincere message by heart that Jews also had their own heroes, America (read Hollywood) need not create them. Sometimes it makes me think the situation of Hollywood, had Adolf Hitler wouldn’t have rose to power. Though America politically benefited, it much commercially benefited America most popular and important industry…HOLLYWOOD

Here is a story about resilience of group of free Jews against the German encroachment.  Noble by heart a story of hope and humanity is what distinguishes the story of Defiance from the other Hollywood movies on world wars. Though by the treatment given to the concept the film struggles hard to differentiate itself from the Hollywood World War movie. The ambience created in the story is not different from what previously seen in masterpieces by War expert Spielberg like, Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan.

The story revolves around Tuvia and his brothers Rus and Asael Beilski, of Belarusian origin, who have seen their parents been killed by Nazis and they run in the forest to hide. Soon they become aware that there are many of their kind in the forest. Rus and subsequently Tuvia learn about their respective wives death from the people joining them. A group of brothers is now transformed in a small community of fled Jews from nearby villages. They form their own brigade and how this brigade faces the test of human behavior among themselves; form the rest of the story.

As story goes ahead the filmmaker Edward Zwick substantively captures the anguish, disturbance as Jews struggle among themselves, forgetting the situation that lead them there. It considerable fails to make audience relate with various characters, as the character and their relations slowly look like prototype making story predictable, and far from real.

Till the end of the film, filmmaker firmly relies on his three main characters and their transition through the story that justifies the plot to considerable extent.

The acting by various actors in the film is quite sincere. As the film is about human relations the film gets the advantage of the sincere efforts by the artists.

At the end of the film the audience might find difficult to relate their brains rationally though, film effectively connects to the people’s hearts, and at the end that’s what matters.

Rang De Basanti : a well crafted film

INT. DAY/ ALL INDIA RADIO, DELHI

Karan: “Maine aur mere sathiyon ne milkar Defense Minister Shastri ko mar dala”

Can anybody believe that Defense Minister of world’s 2^nd largest standing army could be assassinated so easily in his own backyard????

Well a maverick filmmaker made it believe, though not convincing, yet he did, his name is Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the film is Rang De Basanti.

Rang De Basanti not only revolutionized the mass movement in India, but also the technique of filmmaking.  Viewing the trailer of the film at initial promotions, anybody would have hardly predicted that they are going see one more Bhagat Singh movie. As many as half a dozen movies on Bhagat Singh were already been made in the same decade and most of them were box office nightmares.

So what drove this film that it generated a wave in the youth and masses??  RDB related the legends with the problems and anguish faced by youth in India, a bonding that was hardly seen in previous movies. RDB is perhaps the best case study to study consumer buying process, see how the filmmaker sells an almost impractical idea so flamboyantly. First half of the movie clearly dedicated to set the ground for so called impossible climax (Assassination of Defense Minister). Effectively controlling the emotions and charging the young guns of India with patriotism Rakeysh Mehra effortlessly executives the plot in the second half.

Considering the flow of the movie filmamaker was well aware of his offering. He knew that the climax is the biggest loophole in the script. But with effective visual narrative and referencing the act with heroics of most popular revolutionaries, he succeeded in it.

Apart from one of the extraordinary screenplays Rang De Basanti was also a technically sound film.  The cinematography by Binod Pradhan is excellent. It’s a treat to watch him bringing both eras live and switching between both with panache. RDB is perhaps the best work of A.R. Rehman apart from a Mani Ratnam movie. Dynamism in the music of Rehman is so brilliantly exploited that there is nostalgia and energy at the same time. Well to mention about his music in RDB and not mention the ethereal, nostalgic Luka Chupi by Lata Mangeshkar would be an understatement. Special mention must be there for sound recording and editing, as switching of eras would require them to understand the mood and the ambience, which they did brilliantly.

Amir Khan proves yet again his metal. He yet again shows that why he is an actor first and then a superstar, allowing the Director to take a lead as it was a director driven movie.  Siddharth is yet another discovery in the movie and lives Karan with flesh and blood. The chemistry between Atul Kulkarni and Kunal Kapoor is one of the highlights; see the scene in which Atul confesses his guilt in Kunal’s house.

Though the film is best in all the departments, there is a small loophole; the act of assassinating the Defense Minister should have been shown in more detail as it appears very casual on screen.   But this loophole is been covered by the dynamism of the movie from the word go. The climax at the AIR is one of the heart wrenching scenes that will sure tug the tear buds of the audience and will keep the film in the memory even if they leave the theatres.

Finally Hats off to Rakeysh Mehra for such a brilliant film ………………

New Hope at Shawshank

Been given a thought for long about writing a blog,

Ideas were many, words were none,

Inspirations were hundreds, expression was none,

In the darkness of confusions came a ray of hope,

Seeking my own redemption for skipping of thoughts,

Excuse became Shawshank Redemption.

Hearing long about the critical acclaims that the movie got, including its IMDB ratings, I began watching  the chronicles on the life of Andy Dufresne at Shawshank Penitentiary in Maine, US. The protagonist played effortlessly by Tim Robbins falsely convicted for double life sentences for murder of his wife and her lover, passes through humiliation and embarrassment in the initial phases of his sentence at the prison. In his initial days of horror in an unknown, murky world, which he thinks as, dreadful dreams start to become a reality when he hears about the screaming of other inmates in the night and sexual assaults by a group of inmates in the day. Through these nightmares comes a ray of hope as Andy befriends Red, an authoritative inmate who is been in the prison for 20 yrs.

The life in the prison becomes simpler for Andy when he helps Captain Headley in avoiding taxation for inheritance by finding loopholes in the system. Headley makes Andy's way to more comfort and also instigates his other colleagues to take his benefits. In Andy's life at prison, lotus was not only blooming in the muddy background but also the bugs also crushed (gang of assaulter)

The days of grapes pass on with the death of old inmate Brookes Hatlen, and arrival of young inmate Tommy Williams. Revelation of Tommy on innocence of Andy creates a series of events starting with non cooperation of Warden, who was not interested in leaving Andy for him using Andy as shield for corruption in the prison. The face off between warden and Andy leads to murder of Tommy and escape of Andy from Prison after 19yrs through a sewage pipe.  

A story of hope and redemption, where Andy finally lives his hope for freedom with dignity by unearthing the corruption, is uniquely directed by Frank Darabont. Effectively adapted from the novel by Stephen King the film engages the audience with the state of mind of the protagonist.

The camera movements and background score create apt ambience for this straight through heart narration, without glorying the prison life. Morgan Freeman gives a veteran performance and his voice as the narrator show a realistic portrayal of the prison.

Missing THE LAKSHYA..............

This is thy dream, thou foreseen it,                                                                                               

 This is thy dream thou identified it,                                                                                                     

  Let thou not stop winds, neither sky nor earth,                                                                       

 Thou shall achieve Objective.

These were the inspirational lyrics coined by none other than Javed Akhtar for the title track of Lakshya.  The film written by Javed Aktar and directed by Farhan Akhtar narrates the quest of Karan Shergill living in cozy life of Delhi, to find his aim in life.  The quest passes from trivial fight with parents and breakup with girl friend to not so trivial scaling a cliff of 900ft in mid of Kargil War. Though the film firmly establishes its non-war genre by dedicating first half to the life of Karan in Delhi but it equally fails to establish the protagonist, the reason why Dil Chahta Hain became a cult. At almost 3 hrs the film is too long, linear narrative of the film takes too much time to establish the background. The transition of a careless Delhi boy Karan to matured, responsible and sensitive Lieutenant Karan Shergill is so heroic that he can hardly be related.

So, what’s there in this movie that even after 7 yrs of its release, it still instigates me to watch this movie?  The reasons are many. Firstly, though the protagonist is not well established, the other characters in the movie are well crafted and well presented. Perhaps one reason for watching this movie is missing of realistic and convincing war movies in Indian Cinema. Characters of army personals played by Raj Zutsi, Sharad Kapoor, OmPuri not only convincing but they are in flesh and blood. 

Hrithik Roshan stands out with a performance as Karan Shergill not allowing the character look amateurish.  Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, Boman Irani, again confirm their legendary status by pouring life in small but well defined characters. Though in small supportive roles, these legendary actors of Indian Cinema anchor the film effectively, deluding the audience from the loophole to large extent.

Musical scores by Shankar Ehsaan Loy are not only mesmerizing but also inspiring so are the lyrics written by Legend Javed Akhtar. Cinematography by Christopher Popp is one of the excellent works by camera in India. Last but not the least, Director Farhan Akhtar effectively visualizes the story, a story which could have been even better, had Protagonist of the film was as well crafted as the other elements.