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

LSD (Love Sex Aur Dhokha): Fresh, different and bold. Go get a high.

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Cast: Anshuman Jha, Shruti, Raj Kumar Yadav, Neha Chauhan, Amit Sial, Arya Devdatta and Henri Tangri

The two words that I used for Dibakar Banerjee’s first movie ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ were ‘fresh’ and ‘different’. For his third venture ‘Love, Sex and Dhoka’ (LSD) I would repeat the words ‘fresh’ and ‘different’ and I would add a third one to it, which is ‘bold’. Drop all your inhibitions as well as preconceived notions of not only movie making, but also movie viewing, especially in the Indian context.

The movie involves three separate sub-plots. However director/script-writer makes it beautifully interesting as the three stories crisscross each other, albeit just tangentially so. In the first story, a film student Rahul falls for Shruti, the leading lady of his diploma project movie. The two fall in love during the shooting of what is Rahul’s modern day yet comical take on one of the greatest Bollywood hits ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’. In the second story, a jobless youth working at the departmental store of his uncle, and claiming to be a MBA, is a habitual con. To make some quick - and hence unfair – buck, he plots to make a sex MMS video by duping one of the girls working at the store. The third story is about an Indian pop star, going intriguingly by the name of ‘Luki Local’, who asks aspiring models for a ‘compromise’ in return of casting them in his video album; and how one of such models, after feeling exasperated, decides to do a sting operation on him.

The screenplay of the movie is something that you have never seen on the Indian screen before, and for a few exceptions which you might be able to count on your fingertips, this is a new even by Hollywood standards. The film is shot digitally, with deliberately patchy camera angles and camera jerks. Also, the screenplay is a fine interplay of documentary style and the regular story telling style (a la ‘The Blair Witch Project’). It is this aspect of the movie, which is so fascinating, as it is so intricately done.

With new sex scandals and sting operations coming out in open day in and day out, the movie couldn’t have come at a better time. The movie takes a dig on issues like sting operations, casting couch, the overzealousness of hype-hungry media, MMS scandals, deceit and honour killings. It is also, in part a comment on today’s society hooked on to the high of reality shows and titillating voyeurism.

The tone of the movie is bold, disturbing, dark and yet originally witty. There are some genuinely funny moments, like when Rahul is forced to put an ‘item number’ in the ‘mehndi’ scene of his movie. The dialogues part, which though is more like a part of an everyday conversation of lot of us, is absolutely refreshing and riveting. In fact, it is one of the foremost elements making the movie an engaging view. The freshness aspect of the movie extends to and emanates from its cast as well. All most all of them are unknown faces, yet each of them delivers a superb performance. They play the roles of everyday life characters to a T. Just like in his previous ventures Khosla ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky, the setting and mannerisms of Dibakar’s characters are quintessentially Delhite.

Dibakar wonderfully manages to stay original in his third movie. Watch this movie for its freshness and boldness. Throwing up some disturbing questions that plague our modern day society, the movie is aptly acronymed LSD (which also stands for a psychedelic drug Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD) and the pun is intentional. Go, get a high.

Rating: 3.5/5

‘Avatar’- A Sumptuous Visual Feast. Go Hog.

Nothing is going to quite prepare you for this. Reviews and promos are all right, but 10-15 minutes into the movie and you know that it was all inconsequential. Come to watch ‘Avatar’ with an open mind, because you are going to need all of it, just to keep pace with the events that unfold on the screen. Don’t even bother analyzing it. Because quite frankly you can analyze a movie, but how do you analyze or rate a wild extravagant joyride? So just put on your seat belts, hang on and relish the ride. Because you haven’t had such an experience in your life so far, neither are you going to have another one like this in near future.


The basic plot is not very intricate (please do not do injustice to yourself and the movie maker by focusing on the plot though). Its year 2154, and human beings have landed on a planet called Pandora. Their aim is to extract the rare mineral called, quite intriguingly, ‘unobtanium’. However, the native tribe called the ‘Navis’ inhabits the place having the richest deposits of the mineral. Human beings are faced with the situation of moving the tribe from there; either by gaining their confidence and seeking their co-operation or by using force (read war and extermination).

As a part of exercising the first option, the scientists have created this ‘avatars’ (part navi and part human). Every individual on ‘avatar’ mission has his or her own unique ‘avatar’ (corresponding to his/her own DNA). These ‘avatars’ are mind controlled by their corresponding humans by ‘plugging on’ (a la Matrix). Avatars then mingle with the Navis, in order to learn about them and eventually win them over and convince them to relocate. Jake Sully is an ex-marine who is on the avatar mission. He (or rather his avatar) is the one who gets closest to ways of the tribe and in winning their confidence. In the process he also falls in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) the daughter of head of the Navi tribe, and starts getting sympathetic to the cause and the rights of the tribe. However, the patience of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who is leading the attack forces is running thin, and decides to pull the plug on Jack and other avatars; and launch a full-fledged attack against the Navis. But Jack, with the help of a few others in the mission who are sympathetic to the cause of the Navis, manages to get back into his avatar and organize a massive defense against the human attack. Poetically, the Navis prevail in the war, mission gets curtailed and most of the humans leave Pandora for the good.

But ultimately and decidedly, this movie is all about one thing- Pandora, and one man- Pandora’s creator (James Cameron). From the moment when the camera sweeps over thick green vegetation in the opening sequence, you are left wide-eyed (literally and figuratively) and agape (you must and should watch this movie strictly in 3D only). After that, right throughout the movie, Pandora keeps opening up to you, one startling thing at a time. To say that Pandora, with all its vegetation & foliage and creatures (especially as seen in 3D) is mesmerizing would be an understatement of the millennium. There are luminescent flowers and trees, waterfalls, floating mountains. You have floating jelly fish look-alikes, horse like creatures with six legs and a snout, archaeopteryx like birds. There is so much thrown to you in every single shot. The screen doesn’t seem big enough to contain all the elements shown, and at times you are left trying to decide which side of the screen to focus your eyes on. Pandora is humongous. Pandora is whopping. Pandora is in your face (literally only). It is a never before visual extravaganza. Its like being a part of the most vivid and stark video game ever.

With James Cameron in the chair, you can also be sure of some futuristic gadgetry: transparent touch screens, transparent 3D simulation, futuristic choppers and jets, etc. The effects- like when Jack dives into the water, or as the Navis and avtaar go about nimbly jumping from one tree to another are simply awesome. This is taking CGI and movie making technology to an all new level.

There are also some ethical overtones thrown in. As the Colonel talks of ‘pre-emptive’ strikes to create some sort of ‘shock and awe’; you cannot but miss the subtle hints at America’s war-mongering policies. You are also hinted of the debate about nature’s conservation and the rights of various native tribes and people over their natural resources.

On the downside, the movie does tire you down a little bit in the second half, once the feeling of awe starts wearing off. Because quite honestly, you do not expect any joyride to last two and half hours; lest it starts getting dizzy. The internal (ethical) bickering of the humans and the later part of interaction between avtaars and Navis seems to lack a punch. The depiction of fairytale rituals of Navis looks insipid and threatens to create a drag on the movie.

Watch ‘Avatar’ just to see what new realms can movie-making touch. Watch it to appreciate and be awestruck by one man’s imagination and his audacity to capture it on screen. The make-believe has never been so breathtaking and overwhelming. ‘Avatar’ is one sumptuous visual feast. Go hog.

Rating: 4/5