Watch 'Zero Dark Thirty'!

Zero Dark Thirty – still not sure what the title means. But that is the only thing I don’t know about this much acclaimed movie, about the greatest manhunt, for the world's most dangerous man, which is making its presence felt in the Awards season. Its late release (but better late than …) in the Middle East meant, that most had already watched the movie, formed opinions, written their reviews, cast their votes … so what more can this wannabe film critic add?

The biggest wisdom one takes away from this film, is the realization that dawns on the unknowing public, for whom, the headline in the newspaper & the ‘Breaking News’ on TV, is the beginning, the middle & the end.

ZDT takes us behind the headlines & the news –

There maybe those who objected to the intense torture scenes. Confession, having been warned & being an escapist, simply closed my eyes for all these disturbing scenes. But then, I was sitting next to my husband, my reality check meter, who reminded me, that those being tortured, had also been responsible for the death of hundreds across the world, innocent victims, whose families lost sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, loved ones, for no fault of theirs.

But what staggers you is the painful years of hard work, research, determination, hanging on to your convictions when people around doubt you, meticulous effort, money, bloodshed, technology & so much more, that Zero Dark Thirty takes you through, to hunt down an individual! The sum of it all is that article, which you & I read, or gasp over, while watching the news, in between sips of our first shots of caffeine for the day, while packing lunch bags for the family!

AND then there’s Jessica Chastain. All those awards she has picked up already, tell a tale of their own! As Maya, the CIA operative, on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, she goes from vulnerable & reluctant to step into muddy waters, to fearless, unemotionally determined to get the job done & uncompromising. From her first experience of ‘gain information, through pain’ torture scenes, which leave her drained & exhausted, the movie chronicles her growth into a confident, zealous operative, who becomes obsessive with the hunt for Osama Bin Laden!

So why did Kathryn Bigelow miss out on an Oscar nomination?

Jessica Chastain has gone on record to say that she modeled Maya on the strong personality of her director & was totally guided & followed her vision.
Some say that it has to do with the controversy about the inaccurate depiction of the torture scenes. There are others who found ZDT slightly documentary-like, without the emotional quotient, so evident in her previous Oscar winning film, ‘The Hurt Locker’.

Hard to ignore the fact ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ climaxes with the death of the ‘Father Of Terrorism’, which fills your heart, as a viewer, with a sense of deep satisfaction. Even if you don’t approve of the director’s version of CIA interrogation, even if some liberties have been taken, even if there are areas of fiction over truth, watch ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ & participate in the celebration, to mark the end of one chapter, in the war against terrorism!

Race 2 the exit!!!

Race 2 – the final verdict.

Recommendation to the unsuspecting audience is to ‘Race to’ …. the exit!!!

Admit that no one held a gun to our heads, forcing us to watch – we must be masochists, for voluntarily enduring this mess of a movie! But then we managed some laughs, which were the silver linings!

Aditya Panscholi, for those of you who know who he is, making an appearance in a dandy tuxedo, as ‘Godfather Anzaa’, made the torture of watching this slap in the face of the audience, almost worth it!

Abbas-Mustan – the ‘Director Duo’, as they describe themselves, are masters at a twist, within a twist, within a twist … while ‘Race’ worked as a taut, slick, mystery, with a lot of edgy surprises, the sequel seems contrived & is let down by a shabby plot & a lack-luster narrative!

The real mystery is the ‘Incredible Hulk’ of Bollywood, John Abraham, who appears in every scene from the start of the race, to the finishing line & has more screen space, than Saif Ali Khan, but his presence is described as a ‘special appearance’ in the credits!?!?

Good timing - the young Nawab of Pataudi, getting married to Kareena Kapoor. He tries hard to play ‘hero’, but seems past his prime! Not that we have to worry for him, because Bebo will keep the home fires burning!!!

Little shocks me these days, but Anil Kapoor’s double & triple meaning dialogues, left me reeling! There is funny & there is downright vulgar … Mr. Slumdog Kapoor crude one liners represented the latter; can't even illustrate my point with examples, because this is a phamily phorum!

You don’t have to be clairvoyant to know the the girls contracts, would have made it mandatory, for every dress worn by Deepika & Jaqueline, to have a minimum of three thigh-high slits; while acting skills may not have been a requirement, they probably passed the 'pout & pose' tests, vital for 'Race 2'!!! Deepika was hailed as an ‘actress to watch out for’, after ‘Cocktail'. Post ‘Race 2’, I believe it may have been a ‘one film stand!’

Jaqueline whatever, reminded me of a hard, plastic Barbie doll. I think my daughter’s Barbie wore more clothes!

Amazing, but in retrospect, after witnessing the disastrous performances, by the leading ladies in ‘Race 2’, you looked back & realised, omg, Bipasha Basu & Katrina Kaif, were fine actresses - it's all relative!

A shocking truth is revealed in ‘Race 2’; you need more than fast cars, Armani suits, six pack abs, gaudy nightclubs, glamorous girls & gelled hair, to make a movie! The scene where the aircraft catches fire & a trapped Saif escapes, driving off the plane, in a car & as it plunges downwards, miraculously, four red parachutes open, to navigate it serenely to Mother Earth, who perhaps, collapsed laughing; that’s when you seriously question your sanity & wisdom, for continuing to watch this farce & be a participant in this madness!

I was the guinea pig. This was social service; Yours truly took the bullet, so that all of you out there could be warned & spared the torture ....I totally collapsed after the experience & am still recovering; So need some TLC & the doctor recommends visitors, flowers,wine, presents … Call me Baby!!!

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola-Vishal Tussi Gr8 Ho!

Vishal Bharadwaj is an acknowledged ‘Master of Adaptations’ - ‘Omkara ‘from ‘Othello’, ‘Maqbool’ from ‘Macbeth’ … brilliantly customized to India!

‘Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola’ (took me while to get that title right!), owes its inspiration, not to our favorite bard, Shakespeare, but the dark & murky story of ‘Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’! But then, it also has to be the most whacky, but crazily creative interpretation of RL Stevenson’s masterpiece!

Meet Mandola, the cold, cruel, tyrant, who is head of a village named after him (so we get the ‘Mandola’ part of the title!) – he rules the villagers with an iron hand, exploits the villagers & tries to get them to write their only means of livelihood, their land, to the Government, for peanuts, to fulfill Mandola’s cocky dreams of replacing the fields with machinery, factories & malls! This is Mean Mandola by day!

By night, with a few or more drinks inside him, he becomes benign, friendly & Robin Hood style,gate-crashes the panchayat meeting, which is held to discuss how to handle his tyranny & encourages the bewildered villagers to protest against himself!
Pankaj Kapur once again proves that he is one of the finest actors on the Indian horizon, with his masterful portrayal of Mandola & Mandola!

Enter Matru, Mandola’s Man Friday, again a split personality – He is his master’s drinking partner by night & the mysterious savior of the farmers, who calls himself ‘Mao’ & tries to protect their interests! Valiantly & sincerely played by city-bred lover boy, Imran Khan, who almost, just almost, gets it right!

Ah yes, the final piece of the puzzle of the title – Bijlee, played spunkily, by Anushka Sharma, as Mandola’s daughter, who tries to come to terms with her upcoming marriage to a corrupt politician’s (Shabana Azmi) son (the absurdly goofy Arya Babbar!) because of his riches, but actually loves Matru!
Shabana Azmi is delightfully good at playing bad – I guess there are plenty of corrupt women politicians in India, who could have been her role models!

Whew, kya cast hai & what a tangled web of a plot, which the Master of Ceremonies, the very talented Vishal Bharadwaj, skillfully turns into a brilliant entertainer!
A first for Vishal, are the messages of social relevance, which he weaves into the movie with such finesse. MKBKM is a commentary on the sad plight of the farmers, who are exploited by greedy middlemen & the ambitions of a corrupt political system.

The same politicians, who hold yagnas to pray that it won’t rain, so that the lands will remain barren & the fields can be turned into malls, rejoice, when it finally rains, so that the harvested crops gets destroyed – they celebrate, while a village goes into mourning! Gut wrenching, but this is what happens in Mera Bharath Mahaan! Those farmers don’t commit suicides without reason!

The relationship between the wily politician & her moronic son, played with such comic exaggeration by Arya Babbar, you wonder if it is a reference to the our famous, “Mummy-ji & Rahul Baba Jodi”?!

Vishal Bharadwaj manages the almost impossible: creating an enjoyable, sometimes absurd, but mainly comical entertainer, which at the same time, delivers punches, which reveal a social conscience – way to go, Mr. Bharadwaj!

Another first: The ‘item’ of MKBKM – a big, bright pink buffalo called Gulaabbo! Vishal, Tussi Great Ho!!!

‘Les Misérables - far from miserable!

The movie ended in a grand crescendo & I sat down quietly, in the dark cinema hall, giving myself a moment, to catch my breath. ‘Les Misérables’, an audio-visual treat, stirs your soul, fills your heart with music & leaves you breathless!
Translated, ‘Les Misérables’, means “The Wretched”. The brilliance of Tom Hooper is, that despite the grim period of the French Revolution, the horrific first scene, where prisoners are treated as slaves, the presence of the cruel & relentless police officer, the utter poverty, the pathos of a woman having to succumb to the oldest profession to feed her child …. the director creates a movie where the music soars in your heart, & the story moves forward, yes through depressing times, with a sense of hope & optimism!

When the creator made Hugh Jackman, he was being unfair – talented actor, drop dead gorgeous looks, essentially good guy …. & now we know that this dude also sings magnificently! Jackman, as ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, carries the movie on his sexy shoulders & through the length of the movie, in his journey from prisoner, to thief, to Mayor, to being a father, to being a man on the run, this powerhouse of an actor/singer leaves you spell bound!

But it is Anne Hathaway, playing the wretched Fantine, a factory girl, who has to sell her hair & her dignity, for money to send for her daughter, Cosette, who haunts you with her song, the iconic “I dreamed a dream” & whose pathetic state, tugs at your heart strings – this Princess from the Diaries, can sing, & how!!! Long after you have left the theatre, images of the waif like Fantine, her desperate eyes & her beautiful voice, linger on … I think with this performance, ‘the best supporting actress’ category, in the awards season ahead, are in Ms. Hathaway’s pocket already!

When Fantine dies, you wonder whether the film will also die a slow death. But Tom Hooper has other characters up his sleeve and the best parts of the book summarized for screen, so the treat continues; with the awesomely talented Sacha Baron Cohen & Helena Bonham Carter ... as the evil caretakers of Fantine’s daughter, Cosette, they simply light up the screen with their perfect comic timing & madness! The pair look so good at being bad & are perfectly cast!

The Gen Next of ‘Les Misérables’ impress; the young pack is led by the immensely talented, Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn), as Marius. In fact, when this very handsome & gifted actor sings, he transports you to Broadway. Hope we see more of him! Amanda Seyfried, despite her 27 years of age, manages to look fresh, dew-drop innocent & has a sweet voice to match her pretty self!

My daughter, our resident expert on everything ‘Les Misérables’, tells me that the only actor from the actual Broadway version, to be cast in the movie, is Samantha Barks, as the hopelessly in love, Eponine, who loves Marius, who loves Cosette, who loves her papa! You wait, with fingers crossed, for the best song of the movie, "On My Own" & then you give Ms. Barks, a willing thumbs up, for her rendition of the famous song!

Perhaps the only error of judgement, is the casting of Russell Crowe, as the policeman – he sings uncomfortably, like he has a laddoo stuck in his throat & not quite sure what it is, but is a misfit in this otherwise perfect ensemble cast, who get it so right.

Warning: you have to be a fan of musicals, to be able to enjoy the movie.

‘Les Misérables’ is far from miserable! An uplifting experience, in almost Bollywood style, the story celebrates the ultimate triumph of good over evil, has a pretty love triangle, drives home the virtues of patriotism, friendship, love, gratitude, loyalty & goodness, proving that every dark movie, set in depressing times, has a musical, magical silver lining!