review - Hunger Games

Gen Next, tujhe Salaam! Hunger Games’ is based on a young adult novel, written by Suzanne Collinse, where humans kill fellow humans, in a battle for survival & one emerges the victor, in a televised reality show – all for the sake of TRP’s!!! Maan gaye, young ustaads! If only my weak ‘ole heart would stop going dhak dhak! (outta sheer fear & not Madhuri Dixit ishtyle)

Flashback to simpler times, when my friends complained about how they were clueless about what made their kids click & moi, with a stout heart, filled with determination, valiantly tried to keep up. The honeymoon at first, with Enid Blyton, Babysitters club, Richmal Crompton, Jaqueline Wilson, Louise Rension … lulled me into a sense of false security; when Beti S discovered the classics – the fabulous world of Tolstoy, Dickens, Austen, Fitzgerald, Orwell … I smugly high-fived myself & thought, yep “you’ve done it!
And then came “Twilight” – omg, creepy pale humans/vampires, some with fangs, instead of teeth, who look like teenagers, but are all 100+, they love, but may bite their girlfriends ….. I was a broken spirit! Unlike the Harry Potter series, which my daughter& I fought over to read first, “Twilight” mocked my efforts at ‘keeping up with the youngsters’! Sanely skipping the books, the hubby & I bravely attempted watching the first movie, only to be reduced to laughter & horror; we were officially forbidden to watch any of the films henceforth, by our firm, uncompromising daughter! That was the first blow!
Like a thick-skinned rubber ball, I bounced back with “hum honge kaamyab” enthusiasm, until a speed breaker, in the form of “Hunger Games”, happened; I mean, reality shows, in a human kill human contest, where young things meant to study, go to college, have fun & party, are plunged into a harsh, stark, man-made jungle, with brutal obstacles & cruel intentions ….
The scary truth about “Hunger Games” is, that it lures you into a state of belief; that all this carnage & bloody violence among youngsters, watched by a sadistic society, with no compunctions or conscience, is alright & the new normal!There are rumors afloat that an animated version is on its way - help!!!

Worse still, once the strong, sturdy & stunning Jennifer Lawrence, portraying Katniss Everdeen, wins you over, despite my queasiness, I started rooting for her, like the vicious audience in the movie; I recall with shame, that I cheered as she killed her competitors; AND you realize you are watching a very decently made movie, with a credible cast, led by the very promising Ms Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson as her male counterpart in the game, with whom a romance is created, to boost TRP’s, Miley Cyrus’s brooding, slightly dumb looking boyfriend, Liam Hemsforth & a host of senior artistes, totally unrecognizable under their grotesque, futuristic make up & styling – the talented Mr. Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson as the drunk mentor, with a heart of gold, Lenny Kravitz & Donald Sutherland, to name a few.

“Hunger Games”, the movie, thumbs-up!

“Hunger Games” as a teen cult sensation, chilling & a menacing glimpse into the mind-set of a future generation!

“Gap’ ‘aint just the name of a store, it’s that yawning divide, that separates generations & I embrace it. “Ours is not to reason why ….” Gen Next, may your tribe increase & “may the odds be ever in your favor!’

review - Pan Singh Tomar

Just before the credits roll, at the end of “Pan Singh Tomar”, the film offers a dedication, to all the unsung sports heroes of India – names of sporting heroes, who died, due to lack of medical attention, or were penniless & even a pathetic instance, when a bankrupt sportsman, who had won a gold medal for India, had to sell the same medal to survive! It is that quiet, stark moment, when you experience a deep sense of discomfort & yes, even shame, that this is one area where India, most certainly does not shine!
Paan Singh Tomar is based on the true story of an athlete, Paan Singh Tomar, employed by the Indian Army, who won a gold medal at the Indian National Games, but was forced by circumstances, to become a notorious bandit!

Apparently, the director, Tigmanshu Dhulia, who was an assistant director for the much acclaimed ‘Bandit Queen’, came across the story of Pan Singh, while doing research for the Shekar Kapur masterpiece & decided that this kahani needed to be told on the big screen some day.

Dhulia must have counted his blessings that he was in the industry at the right time & place : when Irrfan Khan was around, because doston, there’s no way anyone else could have played Pan Singh, apart from Pan Singh himself!
Irrfan Khan breathes life, vitality, intensity & that something more into his interpretation of Pan Singh – the first half is a happy breeze, when Pan Singh Tomar joins the army, shows an unbelievable ability & skill as an athelete & decides to switch to the sports division of the army – Why??? Not because of his passion for running, but simply because he loves to eat and sportsmen in the army get unlimited food! Cute, simple & uncomplicated!
As the outspoken, fiery, irreverent army athlete, Irrfan shines! His relationship with his coach, his love for his mother and family, his moments of glory on the international arena … endearing & entertaining!
In stark contrast, it is the second half which makes you realize that there are no happy endings here. Pan Singh returns to his village to realize that his dacoit cousin has taken over his land and betrayed the khandan. Frustrated by the corrupt system’s indifference to justice, circumstances force him to become a dacoit, with a band of merry men – if bandits can be called that!
So badla is taken & Pan Singh Tomar, ex army subedar, becomes a celebrity daku – he rues the irony of the fact that all the awards he won for his country as an athlete went unnoticed & unsung, but the moment there’s a reward on his head, he wins instant stardom!
There are moments when you wonder if Irrfan Khan & his performance are larger than the film itself. The journey from the village to the army & from there to PST becoming a dacoit does strike you as being a trifle easy; Maybe hte director is guilty of romanticising the tale, but then, kudos to him, for bringing this story, which definitely needed to be told, to life & for such spot on casting!
Sadly, this film may go unrecognized &unappreciated in the Indian awards circuit & yes, 2012 abhi baaki hai mere dost, for more movie magic, but Pan Singh Tomar, will remain a special movie & Irrfan Khan deserves a standing ovation!
Must see!!!

review - The Artist

“The Artist” – the most celebrated film of 2011, the darling of the critics & the toast of the Oscars. So dare I say this – just watched it this evening!

There was in me this inertia, a strange reluctance to take the plunge, where this movie was concerned – was it the hype, or that I was skeptical about a black & white silent film, or just the fact that the director & most of the lead actors were unknown to me? I was rooting for George Clooney winning the best actor award for the “Descendants” & regarded the lead actor of “The Artist” as the enemy!
The only thing I knew about the French director, Michel Hazanavicius, was that this dude has a great sense of humour. At the BAFTAS, when he accepted the ‘best director’ award from Brad Pitt, he announced he was thrilled & wonderstruck …. that Brad Pitt had pronounced his name right! I am sure that post-‘The Artist’; it won’t be just Mr. Pitt who will know how to roll that name off their tongues!
Silence being the medium, it is the craft & skill of the director, which makes this movie speak volumes – amazingly, you never miss the presence of dialogues or the spoken word – the sounds of silence cast their spell & tell a remarkably simple, touching & poignant love story!
Aided by a stellar cast; led by Jean Dujardin playing George Valentin, an actor who is at the peak of his career & the toast of Hollywood. Unable to sustain his success, with the advent of the talkies, he falls on hard times. What an effortless & utterly charming actor! We witness a budding romance between him and Bérénice Bejo, as Peppy Miller, an upcoming actress, who goes on to become a sparkling success.
While enough has been said about the Oscar winning director & lead artist, it is Berenice Bejo who shines – the feisty young starlet, who catches the attention of the hero, dances like a dream & looks like a million bucks. The chemistry between the lead pair crackles & sizzles & their tap dance finale – an audio visual treat, where they give Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers a run for their money!

Presenting “The Artist’ – the silent movie, which paradoxically made the maximum noise at the Oscars & deservedly so;
Applause!

review of 'kahani'

There is a jinx associated with leading ladies, winning the Oscar for Best Actress – apparently, post Oscars, they fade away, great roles don’t come their way & generally, their career goes downhill – its happened to Halle Berry, Hillary Swank, Nicole Kidman …
And then there's Vidya Balan – she wins the National Award for ‘Dirty Picture’ & even before she lays her hands on the trophy, with “Kahani”, she comes up with another winner; Vidya, gal, you are on a roll!!!
Please folks, leave the microscopes & binoculars home – sure, if you closely examine Sujoy Ghosh’s plot, the detective in you will be pleased to discover a lot of loopholes and gaps in the plot!

But this story deserves an unbiased watch, where you sit back and enjoy, an almost genuine ‘whodunit’ thriller & climax tak, 'sochtey reh jaaogey!'
Oh Calcutta – what a refreshing breath of realistic air – where you are spared the picture perfect, postcard images, of the capital of Mamta Di’s Paschim Banga. ‘Kahani’ takes you to a bustling, slightly dark, sometimes stark city, but strangely, the City of Joy has never looked more fascinating, or appealing.
Props to Bhidya, for immersing in a character, so unlike her avatars in ‘Dirty Picture’, the lovely Lolitha of ‘Parineeta’, or even the horrific “Heyy Baby’! For me she is the female counterpart of Aamir Khan – like a chameleon, she takes on the colours of whatever characters she is portraying, fearlessly & uncompromisingly refusing to be stereo typed – she dares to be different & how!
The supporting cast – haven’t got their names, but sure remember their work! The realist in me did wonder, whether it would be, oh so easy, to find such a bunch of loveable, amiable & helpful police officers, staff of a sleazy guest house or a chai boy – but sometimes you need to set your cynicism aside and just accept, that maybe the world is not full of people with the milk of human kindness flowing out of them, but movies are fictional, so why not dream & believe!

Amitabh Bachchan's serene rendition of 'Ekla Chalo' strikes a sublime note in a paradoxically bustling, yet lonely metropolis.
By now you must have clued in to the obvious – that while I have been waxing eloquently about the movie, you still don’t know what it is about! That’s the way it’s going to be - for me to know & for you to find out! The ‘Kahaani mein twist’ – dekho!