Gangs of Wasseypur - The art of film making and the knack of watching one!

Coming from one of the modern masters of the art of movie making, Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW) begs for another kind of art – that of movie watching! Thanks to the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Bollywood appears more evolved and is not shying away from dishing up bold and honest fare. And the not-so-brave and pseudo custodians of Bollywood who have been dealing in mediocrity behind the cloak of ‘an audience that is not evolved’ have realized that times have been changing. GoW, to my mind, comes with that kind of an intention. It comes to a more aware audience. That’s not to confuse with a more intelligent audience or an audience that loves only non-mainstream cinema. But simply, a breed that knows what to expect out of a particular movie/banner and what not to expect.   

A strong script and its methodical cinematic rendition is something that sets AK apart and GoW is no different. Besides being methodical, it is done with an honesty that bears a signature brutality. His movies are also lavishly sprinkled with lots of elements – I am using this word for the want of a better one. It could be anything, from an idiosyncrasy of a character or a character itself. In comparison to Dev D and Gulaal, GoW has less ‘cinematic elements’, but the sheer number of characters that GoW has is mind boggling. That also turns out to be a weak link of the movie. But before that, a brief synopsis of the plot.  

GoW is the story of enmity between two gangs/families in Wasseypur which is located in the coal rich region of Dhanbad. While it does start with coal mining and the spoils that go with it, coal becomes only incidental as the story evolves. Starting out before the independence of India, It spans a period of over 50 year as it traces the hostility across generations.

The cast of the movie is its unmistakable strength. Performance from a bunch of talented actors led by Manoj Bajpai is clinical and honest. One expression that Manoj Bajpai wears as he is lecherously eyeing a woman is a killer. There would be very few moments in the history of Bollywood that would match this one in terms of an actor’s skill! The music is quirky, fresh and earthy. The background score is riveting, complements the pace of the movie and has a hint of Tarantino to it.  

      

But with its long drawn out plot, the movie does wear you down. There would be moments when you would be asking yourself what is happening and why? With infinite gore and brazenness suffused all over, the handling of the plot appears one-dimensional and sometimes forced.

Blemishes notwithstanding, GoW is in a league of its own and an experience worth having. GoW is not just about honest and brave film making, it is also about honest and evolved art of experiencing cinema.

Rating: 3.5/5

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara – Could Do With Some Salt

Ever walked into a swanky, expensive restaurant with hunger pangs at their peak. You place order diligently,  salivating all the while and wait impatiently for the food to arrive. The food does arrive after keeping you waiting for a considerable period of time. You dig into it, your mouth flush with water, only to find out that the food is a tad insipid or bland. Maybe the food in itself is not so insipid, but the build-up of the situation got to you and you expected an unreasonably delicious fare. Or that the last time when you had food here, it actually tasted much better, or that you were in a better company then. Whichever way, you end up with your appetite insatiated.

Well to cut a not-so-long story short, this is exactly what you are likely to feel after watching ZNMD. It is a story about three friends – Kabir (Abhay Deol), Arjun (Hritik Roshan) and Imran (Farhan Akhtar) - who embark upon a long cherished and repeatedly put-off road trip which also doubles-up as Kabir’s bachelor get away before his marriage to Natasha (Kalki). On their trip, they meet Laila (Katrina Kaif), a diving instructor and also confront their individual fears one by one. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, ZNMD comes across as an opportunity missed; something which doesn’t deliver on the promise, or at least the title and promo in this case. Let’s count the positives first. One, cinematography – the film is well shot. The locations are exotic and beautiful and are well captured in the camera. Two, Hritik and Katrina look great. That’s it with the positives. End of list.

Now what are the negatives. Actually these are not so much negatives, but rather things that do not work. Things which if well executed, could have taken the movie a couple of notches higher. Script, the backbone of any movie, is the weakest link here. In the end, there’s not sufficient fodder in the plot to keep you absorbed. Plus, the predictability factor also works strongly against whatever storyline the movie has. Compounding the predicament is a sluggish screenplay and some very very mediocre dialogues.

The performances are quite all right but something just doesn’t add up in this department as well. The camaraderie amongst the protagonists is nowhere close to that in Dil Chahta Hai. Which brings us to yet another element that goes against ZNMD – comparison. Pitting ZNMD against Dil Chahta Hai is definitely not out of the place, if not completely unfair. DCH, directed by Farhan Akhtar, was a completely fresh and non-conformist kind of a take on youth and their everyday dilemmas. ZNMD has nothing new to offer. Plus there is Amir Khan Factor that is conspicuous by its absence. Naseerudin Shah is outstanding. He comes for a very very brief cameo, but even just five minutes of footage is enough for the stalwart to overshadow the younger lot of actors. Music is hummable but fails to lift the movie.

There are some genuinely fresh moments in the movie, but in the end ZNMD ends up looking more like a leisurely done promo for Spain tourism. It is a decent weekend watch but nothing that will make your life flash in front of your eyes and compel you to make your own bucket list and pursue it.

Rating: 2.5/5

No One Killed Jessica: Though not a knockout, packs ample punch.

The movie claims at the beginning that though based on true events, it is a mixture of fact and fiction, and that it is not a biography. However, for those who have followed the case closely would appreciate that the claim is more a preemptive precaution, as the plot with all its finer detailing, is very close to what actually transpired in this high profile case. The movie is based on the real life murder of model Jessica Lall at a pub in Delhi and its subsequent legal and media trial.

Jessica Lall, a celebrity bartender, was shot dead at a Delhi pub in 1999 for refusing to serve drinks to Manu Sharma and his friends. Based on true life events, director Rajkumar Gupta (Aamir) does a good job in handling the intriguing plot and its minor details. He etches out pretty nicely the culture of Delhi and everything that is wrong with the capital of this country: SUV driving urchins whose only claim to manhood is their trigger-happy finger and a brazen libido both drunk on unbridled alcohol and power; the clout and power-game which permeates the society and has become a way of life – like Rani Mukherjee says in the narration ‘Everybody in Delhi is somebody, no one is nobody’; the hypocrisy and guile of the administrative machinery, the movers and shakers of the city and even the ordinary men. So if you are one of those who love to hate Delhi, welcome to the club. Be it swindling of money or a murder, you can get away with almost everything if you have the ‘Jugad’! (Let me get this straight for those who take pride in this Indian invention – ‘Jugad’ is as undesirable as anything can get and as a nation we should get rid of all the negative connotations that the word carries.)            

The film follows the ensuing and long drawn out legal trial in which the accused are let off by the lower court after all the witnesses turn hostile. Vidya Balan plays Sabrina Lall (Jessica’s real life sister) while Rani Mukherjee plays a TV journalist who pursues the case. A public outrage and media coverage that followed the acquittal of the accused makes the high court reopen the case and fast-track it. Finally, after almost a decade of Jessica’s murder the Supreme Court upholds the high court’s conviction of the accused.  

The movie has some very nice moments and plays at a very nice pace except at a few places. Amit Trivedi again delivers a superlative sound track (look out especially for the track ‘Aitbaar’). However there are certain things that keep the movie from delivering a knockout punch that it could have: lead actors Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee have done a good job, but these are highly talented and fine actors and you expect more from them; the supporting cast could have been better - except for the investigating officer (his is a stand out performance) played superbly by Rajesh Sharma (Munjal of Khosla ka Ghosla); also the characters (including that of Rani and Vidya’s) could have been built more clinically as they seem either to be caricatured at times or a little forced (Rani’s character is a case in point) at others.

Jessica’s character (played by newcomer Myra) is built very believably, especially the looks of it. Screenplay is good but it goes a bit loose at places especially in the second half. Dialogues could also have been a bit tauter and the narration, in Rani’s voice, doesn’t sound very convincing. A significant yet often overlooked part of movie making, particularly screenplay, is the manner in which initial credits roll. But the moviemakers off late, having taken cognizance of this, have been doing a fairly good job of it – the animation of Taare Zamin Pe is an excellent point case. The credits are no longer mundane but are fresh and creatively thought out. This applies to No One… as well, though nothing in the class of Taare Zamin Pe.       

All in all, No One…is a very good watch and promising start for the year 2011 at the silver screen.  

Rating: 3.5/5

The Social Network – Ivy League Entertainment

Let me begin by posing one very elementary query: what is the exact definition of ‘thriller’ as a genre? The basic notions that come most handy to the mind are that the plot should either have one or all of the following: suspense, murder, adventure, mystery or crime (in its conventional sense i.e.). The Social Network, in such a classical sense of thriller as a genre, has none of it and yet I would classify it as one. I mean it’s drama for sure, but an ‘at the edge of your seats’ one. Or denying myself the liberty of using the noun if I must, I would at least rope it in as an adjective: The Social Network is a ‘thrilling’ drama/biopic.

Directed by David Fincher, and based on the book ‘The Accidental Billionaires’ by Ben Mezrich, the movie tells the story of the biggest fad on the internet – second only to the web mail, I guess – the Facebook and its creator or should I say creators? Mark Zuckerberg (the official creator of FB, played by Jesse Eisenberg) is a Harvard student (eventually a dropout) who creates a website of sorts after hacking the pictures of girls hailing from various halls and departments at Harvard. The website, though not entirely legal or unobjectionable in nature, is an instant rage on the campus. Impressed by the genius like stuff pulled off by him, three fellow students (the Winklevoss twins and their friend) approach him with the idea of setting up an exclusive networking site for the Harvard fraternity. Zuckerberg does go on to make a networking site - the facebook – initially exclusively for Harvard, but which later goes on to take the shape which it now has. But he does so, on by his own to the exclusion of the Winklevoss brothers who suggested him the initial idea, and involving his own friend Eduardo Saverin (as the CFO & cofounder of FB) instead. Later he also involves Sean Parker, the creator of Napster (the music sharing website) in the expansion of FB, while diluting the share holding of Eduardo in a rather underhanded fashion. And if you are in the US of A, can a law suit ever be far away? Zuckerberg gets sued both by the Winklevoss twins and Eduardo for his sneaky, if genius, ways.

The Social Network is the story of ‘genius meets ambition’. While genius in itself can be innocuous, it is the amalgamation with the ‘A’ word (ambition) that makes for combustible matter needed to blaze one’s trail. And in doing so, the genius often treads the fine line between right and the wrong. And almost every other genius who has made it big would every so often bend the right but only so much that it doesn’t entirely become wrong at the same time! It’s just a matter of how much can one bend (the right) before it gets labeled as outright deceit.

Hats off to the director for shaping a rather straight forward plot into such a compelling watch. The performance of the entire cast is impeccable. Jesse Eisenberg plays a genius nerd to the perfection. Andrew Garfield (as Eduardo Saverin) and Justin Timberlake (as Sean Parker) are outstanding. The screenplay (by Aaron Sorkin) is a class apart and takes the movie a couple of notches higher. The background score draws you into the plot and catches hold of you, leaving you only when the final credits roll.

One also gets to taste a little bit of the life and education at an Ivy League institute. The twenty-somethings and even the hardly twenties, go about with an air of sophistication that truly ‘rich’ education brings with it. The Winklevoss twins for example - having commendable grade point average, discussing companies and making real investments as a part of their project work - also by no mean coincidence happen to be on the Olympic Rowing team in Beijing representing USA! Ivy League education and ‘wholesome’ education did I say? Even a cinematic look at the standard of education at a place like Harvard and you know why a place like IIM doesn’t figure in the top 50 list of institutes worldwide.

Ultimately, it’s a Matt Damon (of the Bourne series) like take on the sheer genius of the founder of FB - makes for an absolutely riveting and refreshing viewing. Do not miss this one.

Rating: 4/5

Peepli Live: Entertains, Moves, Makes a Point.

Cast: Omkar Das, Raghubir Yadav, Naseeruddin Shah
Directed by: Anusha Rizvi
Rating: 3.5/5

Brothers Budhiya (Raghubir Yadav) and Natha (Omkar Das), are farmers who are on the verge of loosing their mortgaged land to the bank due to their failure to repay a loan. They approach a local politician and headman for help, who mocks at them and suggests that one of them, should commit suicide, which was one way of getting some money in the form of compensation from the government. Natha (who is the younger brother) is made the fall guy as he reluctantly and naively commits to committing a suicide, never for a moment giving an impression that he, or anybody else around him for that matter, is even remotely serious about it. But what ensues is a brazen game of political and TRP one-upmanship played out by making the death/suicide of Natha into a farcical spectacle.

Peepli live, more than anything else, wonderfully manages to do what it probably seeks out to do – make a statement. It makes a statement on the hopelessly lamentable state of affairs of the pivotal pillars of any democracy – its polity and its media. The screenplay of the movie is top notch. Anusha Rizvi does excellent job, bringing due credibility and respect to the director’s chair that she adorns. The rustic ways and gullibility of villagers have been captured beautifully. Outside of Naseeruddin Shah, the fact that Raghuvir Yadav is the only well-known face, speaks something about the newness of the entire cast. Not that anyone of them disappoints, in fact, each one of them has put up a delightful performance by either being naturally suited for the role or getting perfectly under the skin of their characters. Either way, the casting of the movie is not only brave but is also spot on. (Watch out especially for Amma – played by Farrukh Jaffar - the mother of Natha and Budhiya) The background score and music is melodious, giving an apt packaging and feel to the plot.

There are some genuinely funny and satirical moments in the movie. Sample this: the agriculture minister (played by Naseerudin Shah) suggesting ‘industrialization’ as the solution to the endless woes of farmers; the village hospital where the unaided patient is left to fend for himself as he hooks up the saline drip on his own, or Natha’s son asking him “bapu tum kab mar rahe ho batao na?”. Media receives its own share of pungent ridicule – to a great extent, rightly so - as you hear about a ‘Kaddu Main Om’ story that had made waves, the mad dash of OV vans to Natha’s house for covering ‘Live Suicide’, or the planted bites the journos get out of the villagers. Of particular mention is the analysis by one sham of a journalist of Natha’s turd, linking the colour of the stool to the psychological state of the person! (Yuk guys, seriously shame on you. You are actually capable of doing this.)

Politicians are also scoffed at and the administration is quite rightly depicted to be as rule bound and insensitive. The scene in which the officials, quite hurriedly arrange to give Natha and his family a hand-pump – named Lal Bahadur – as a solution to their plight, is hilarious. All this while, Natha remains a helpless spectator to his own impending death. The climax of the movie is also interesting and the slightly twisted end is actually befitting to the plot and the entire screenplay.

While, what Peepli Live intends or chooses to do is undoubtedly top stuff; the things that it chooses not to do or leaves half-done, threaten to bring the movie a notch down. Amidst all the politics and media bashing, Peepli Live does touch upon the plight of poor farmers, but only in a very subtle and limited manner. Peepli Live drives home a point while paying only a cursory tribute to another, probably more important one.

Peepli Live entertains, moves and most important of all, sends a message. All of you who always wanted to slap those unscrupulous politicians in their face or show a middle finger to the frivolous and irresponsible ways of the absurdly burgeoning news-media, here’s your chance to get some vicarious and metaphorical pleasure

Udaan – Cute, Confident and Intense Piece of Cinema (3.5/5)

The plot of Udaan revolves around a boy, Rohan Singh, who gets expelled from a reputed boarding school after getting caught playing yet another prank. While his fellow pranksters, who are also expelled, return to an apprehensive yet not-so-difficult parents and home climate, Rohan has to go back to a home that he is completely unprepared for. He returns to an abusive, strict and obsessive father (played superbly by Ronit Roy) and a six year old step brother he didn’t know existed. Udaan poignantly captures how Rohan goes through the motions, struggling to express himself in front of his violent and abusive father.

Directed by the first-timer Vikramaditya Motwane (writer of Dev D), Udaan is a compelling movie. The director daftly handles the simplistic plot, giving it a fresh and convincing treatment. The screenplay, though a little tentative at a couple of places, is very taut, engaging and refreshing. But more than the direction and screenplay, two things that lift this simplistic script to such a high level, are the characters and music of the movie. Ronit Roy sweeps you off your feet as an abusive, frustrated and violent father. This surely is coming-of-age for an actor so far typecast in some creepy saas-bahu soaps on the small screen. Ronit breathes life into the character by his stellar performance. Rajat Barmecha, as a seventeen year old boarding school-returned boy, struggling to give voice to his personality under an abusive father, is excellent. Arjun, Rohan’s step kid-brother, played by Aayan Boradia, is cute to the hilt. With Rohan’s dislike for the kid, the relationship between the two brothers starts off as cold but soon matures into a loving and caring one. With both of them suffering at the hands of their father, they find unspoken comfort in their relationship. The chemistry between the two is outright adorable. Music of Udaan, composed by the talented and much-in-demand Amit Trivedi, is another high point of the movie. Backed by compelling and inventive lyrics, the music lifts up the tempo of the movie from time to time.

Apart from its cinematic high points, the movie also comes across as a slightly disturbing one, throwing up some pertinent yet unsettling questions about society and the human psyche. The scenes in which Rohan’s abusive father burns up his book in which he has fondly penned down his poems and stories or the one in which little Arjun has to be admitted to a hospital after being beaten black and blue by his father, are very disquieting. The movie paints a disturbing picture of things and events that a normal household would take for granted viz. the unnatural childhood of kids who are brought-up without mothers, or the personality development of kids having abusive and violent parents. For those of us who have not witnessed any of these, the movie comes as a timely excuse to thank our stars.

The initial plot and treatment, especially the music would remind you of Rockford, but Udaan is a far more mature, complete and compelling piece of cinema. While Rockford was about the boy rediscovering himself in the environs of a boarding school, Udaan goes beyond that. Udaan is a beautiful little story about the struggle of an individual’s freedom and self worth against oppression of an abusive father. It is a cute, confident and intense piece of cinema – go for it!
Rating: 3.5/5

Phoonk 2: Stale and Disappointing.

Director: Milind Gadagkar
Cast: Sudeep, Amruta Khanvilkar, Ahsaas Channa

Rajiv (Sudeep) and Aarti (Amruta Khanvilkar) along with their children Raksha (Ahsaas Channa) and Rohan, shift to a new house by the beach and forest at the backside (Quite intriguing this! Where do you find such locations in real life, Konkan is it?) They come to be haunted by the ghost of Madhu (from Phoonk1); till they finally get rid of it after a battery of corpses has fallen. That’s the plot, lame as they come, nothing more and nothing less.

Like I mentioned, the plot of the movie is completely unimaginative; though a sequel of Phoonk, the plot looks more like a copy-paste of the Ramu’s previous horror venture (as a producer) ‘Vastushastra’ – a family moving into a new and deserted house which is haunted by a ghost. All the elements purported to create horror are much beaten one and mostly fail to create the chills – camera repeatedly and mandatorily strolls the house back and forth, there is this abandoned doll, abrupt and explosive sound effects (including that of flies buzzing), startling reflections in mirror, polyphonic babbling by the ghost, tantriks, etc.

The lack of imagination runs amok as you get to see white powdered face and lensed-eyes popping out, for a ghost (yawn). While the ghost goes about killing rest of them with all the might of the Mt. Everest, why does it have to resort to more basic form of killing – by brandishing a knife, and playing chase – when it comes to killing the protagonists? Why not just twist the neck, snap the spine or behead them for that matter? The ghost even has a hand-to-hand duel with the protagonist, in which the ghost is KO’d. The director fits in some Enya-like music to make the ending a bit melodramatic (wider yawn)!

The performance of the cast is all-right – nothing to brag about, neither much to complain. The dialogues, or whatever there is of it, are halting and crippled. Count the number of times the characters spew out “just relax” (snore)! Surprisingly, the screenplay of the movie is very disappointing. Because, a skewed plot or not, Ramu gets a decent job done when it comes to screenplay. The director is absolutely clueless, as to how and where to carry the storyline after the initial build up, leaving the audience with the impression that the script was written extempore each day as the shooting progressed.

Making a horror movie is a difficult art. With hardly any genuinely chilling moments in the film, debutant director Milind Gadagkar fails to do a decent job. Phoonk 2 is disappointing. This one difinitely pales in comparison to Ramu's 'Bhoot', which was a much better effort. Steer clear, save yourself some money.

Rating: 1.5/5