I know, I know. I am quite late in coming up with this review, but I just got to watch this movie and this is one of those movies which need to be taken note of.
Anurag Kashyap has not reinvented the wheel, but he surely has redesigned it. This is the dark story of a young man who wanders through life hell bent on self destruction. Who doesn't recognize A Good Thing (TM) when he sees it, one who believes that the world exists for his gratification and one who just believes in enjoying his perceived rights without giving any thought to his responsibilities.
Now this story has been told many times on the silver screen by different people with different takes. Most of them have romanticized the hero, what Anurag Kashyap has done is presented him in the raw, the way he is. And left it up to you to decide whether you sympathize with him or not. Most of us in real life come across people who have the characteristics of Dev in varying degrees. I sure have and I remember them for the damage and the heartburn they have caused in their wake.
Abhay is good but Mahi and Kalki are even better and they have done complete justice to what the director and the script required. This film tackles many taboos head on and is a path breaker in many respects. The sexual content and dialog might be offensive to some but it is in tune with the times we live in. This is the story of Devdas as it would have happened in this age.
The music is good. The only gripe I have is about the length of the movie. With tighter editing, the movie could have been brought down to around 120-130 minutes and then it would have been a pleasant experience.
Definitely a must watch and perhaps another watch again.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Billu Barber Review (no spoilers)
The youngest one hasn't been feeling well the last week, due to a viral infection which got exacerbated by a dust storm here and so she had to be cooped up at home for the last few days. Since the dust storm has cleared and the weather is much better, decided to go watch Billu Barber last night at the local multiplex, to give her an outing.
Take away the item numbers and with some tighter editing, the movie would have been really powerful. Though I understand the compulsion of commercial cinema and the requirement for the glamor quotient. Even with the item numbers, the movie is the right length at 135 minutes. A shorter film would have had viewers complaining, although a few people might have appreciated it more.
Irfan Khan is just brilliant and Priyadarshan is very good at his craft. This is not an SRK film in spite of what you might have heard. He is just playing himself and does not need to do any serious acting till the end of the film. Even though this is his home production, SRK has given Irfan Khan the whole canvas instead of trying to dominate the movie. And Irfan has performed exceptionally well the character he was supposed to play. The director could have portrayed Billu as a man with a heart of gold with some minor tweaks, but he decided to paint him as just another normal human being, with all the uncertainties and confusion that one faces in life, and Irfan shines through.
Definitely a must watch.
Take away the item numbers and with some tighter editing, the movie would have been really powerful. Though I understand the compulsion of commercial cinema and the requirement for the glamor quotient. Even with the item numbers, the movie is the right length at 135 minutes. A shorter film would have had viewers complaining, although a few people might have appreciated it more.
Irfan Khan is just brilliant and Priyadarshan is very good at his craft. This is not an SRK film in spite of what you might have heard. He is just playing himself and does not need to do any serious acting till the end of the film. Even though this is his home production, SRK has given Irfan Khan the whole canvas instead of trying to dominate the movie. And Irfan has performed exceptionally well the character he was supposed to play. The director could have portrayed Billu as a man with a heart of gold with some minor tweaks, but he decided to paint him as just another normal human being, with all the uncertainties and confusion that one faces in life, and Irfan shines through.
Definitely a must watch.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Shades of grey
I have been numb for the past few days. I have been staying away from the TV and the computer trying to make sense of the world around me. Partly because of what has been happening in Mumbai and partly because I happened to witness a racist incident yesterday. Which is not too uncommon in this part of the world and happens to almost everyone living in this country, sooner or later.
And then today I decided to sit down and watch a movie on the telly and I thank my lucky stars that I happened to stumble on to Crash. By the time it was over, I was overwhelmed. The movie makes you realize that people can not be classified as either good or bad. That there are no completely black or completely white characters in this movie or life in general. That there are many shades of grey and that sooner or later, people get a chance to redeem themselves. That there is latent goodness in everybody and that all it needs is a nudge from your conscience to do the right thing. And that there is latent evil in everybody as well. That the victims are guilty of the same crimes that they accuse others of and that they too participate in perpetuating racism.
A very good movie that makes you identify with what is going through the hearts and minds of the characters and definitely worth a watch.
And then today I decided to sit down and watch a movie on the telly and I thank my lucky stars that I happened to stumble on to Crash. By the time it was over, I was overwhelmed. The movie makes you realize that people can not be classified as either good or bad. That there are no completely black or completely white characters in this movie or life in general. That there are many shades of grey and that sooner or later, people get a chance to redeem themselves. That there is latent goodness in everybody and that all it needs is a nudge from your conscience to do the right thing. And that there is latent evil in everybody as well. That the victims are guilty of the same crimes that they accuse others of and that they too participate in perpetuating racism.
A very good movie that makes you identify with what is going through the hearts and minds of the characters and definitely worth a watch.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The movie, A Wednesday
This is embarassing, but I have to confess to it. I just stumbled into this movie today. And it proved to be even more rewarding than what names like Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah could promise. The movie has a rating of 9.0 with 385 votes, including mine, at imdb and if you ask me, it is well deserved.
No spoilers here, you will just have to watch the movie to appreciate it. The two protagonists, Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah provide a balance at both ends of the sprectum, one a keeper of law and order, while the other the extortionist. The tight action packed thriller was surprisingly short for a hindi film, with no songs or dance sequences. Although I would have been happier with less drama and more realism at the end of the film, I will be watching out for other movies from Neeraj Pandey, the debutant director.
No spoilers here, you will just have to watch the movie to appreciate it. The two protagonists, Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah provide a balance at both ends of the sprectum, one a keeper of law and order, while the other the extortionist. The tight action packed thriller was surprisingly short for a hindi film, with no songs or dance sequences. Although I would have been happier with less drama and more realism at the end of the film, I will be watching out for other movies from Neeraj Pandey, the debutant director.
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