Barfi gives "Kuch Meetha ho jaaye" a whole new meaning

The movie puts a smile on your face as soon as you enter the cinema. Its a beautiful cinema experience that is almost like the Sunday morning tea or a cozy blanket on a cold morning in the hills and appropriately enough the movie is shot in the hilly landscape of Darjeeling.

Although the movie involves a deaf and mute boy and an autistic girl in the backdrop of 1970s where this was considered a disease, the story is NOT about the hardships of people with special abilities but primarily about relationships. And trust me when i say this - each emotion is so well captured and each frame speaks a story on its own. Even though the protaganist hardly says even a word in the movie, yet your eyes are always glued on to the screen. Its very rare in today's world that cinema speaks to you without words and yet leaves a lasting impact.

The movie is about the life of Murphy - who calls himself Barfee as he cannot pronounce his name, played by Ranbir Kapoor. He’s a happy-go-lucky deaf-mute boy in Darjeeling, always playing pranks and running from a local cop (Saurabh Shukla). Barfi falls in love with a pretty Shruti (Ileana D’cruz), who is already engaged and cannot be with him. Later His life finds new meaning when he’s saddled with his childhood friend Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra), an autistic girl belonging to a wealthy local family, who he tries to kidnap to gather money for his ailing father.

The great thing about the movie is the simplicity of its characters. The whole cast performed brilliantly - Ranbir steals the show as the silent protagonist and adds so many shades to a rather simple character. Both the ladies in the movie have acted outstandingly especially the new comer Illeana D'Cruz, who shines as the lovely lass in love with Barfi, and conveys both love and pain through her expressive eyes. Priyanka Chopra gives a career-best performance as an autistic child never going overboard and keeping the character believable and very likable.The best thing about the actors was that they never made any of the character look caricature-ish or stereotypical, which most such stories tend to do.

One of the best scenes of the movie is when Barfi is conflicted and irritated about the fact that she chose another man yet wants to wish them well. In the next scene, Barfi wordlessly acknowledges that he is not a good choice for her by gesturing towards his torn pockets, his ripped shoe, his inability to hear or speak. At that point your heart goes out for him. And towards the end the scene where Jhilmil is calling Barfi and he's walking away and cannot hear her calling, Shruti is conflicted as to whether to tell Barfi and lose him to this girl or to keep walking and have him for herself, is performed so beautifully by the expressive Ileana.

There is a lot of old school charm in most funny scenes in the movie. They are chaplin-esque in nature and since these have been imitated several times on cinema all over the world, its difficult to make these moments look fresh. But Ranbir makes is seem enjoyable and charming with his acting skill and not surprising so considering his grandfather Raj Kapoor was considered Charlie Chaplin of India.

I cannot even begin to talk about the cinematography and photography as i was left speechless by the sheer skill. Each moment leaves a feel good smile and lasting emotional lump in the throat because it is so well captured, so beautifully portrayed that i can only stand and clap for the Art team of this movie.

Its not without its flaws and the storytelling becomes too slowpaced for my liking and flashbacks are somewhat confusing sometimes. But the overall effect of the movie is so beautiful that you ignore whatever was wrong about the movie and admire the sheer skill shown by the actors and the cinematographer. The beautiful moments far overweigh the flawed ones. Everyone who would come out of the theater will have a smile on their face.

Acting by the cast: Outstanding
Direction: Superb
Cinematography & Photography: Fantastic
Overall Impact: Beautiful Cinema Experience

Rating: 8.5/10

This Spider weaves deep webs

Writing a review after a really long time... Rusty fingers Eh..

If you are not a fan of the other spidey movies like me... then u are gonna love this movie and even if you are a fan, you still might like the movie. To tell u the truth Andrew Garfield as Spiderman looked lame misfit to me in the trailers as Toby seemed to have more mysterious personality which suited the portrayal of a nerdy confused Peter Parker. But I was pleasantly surprised with Andrew's performance as he added depth and silent charm with his personality and solid acting . 

Its the same old story of a young nerd who is bullied and his journey after being bitten by a spider, punishing bullies to finally saving the world, but each frame still feels so different that it feels refreshingly original. Despite being familiar with the premise, I still watched with full attention. Infact the movie starts with background to Peter Parker's early life and story of his parents which was good way to start a already know plot. Yes, its a little slow paced compared to fast paced action packed previous spidey movies, but at the same time much more mature & grown up portrayal of the spiderlike superhero


Andrew Garfield plays the character with a silent charisma and a lot of emotional depth and unlike Toby, this Peter Parker is not as nerdy as shown in previous movies. Infact in opening 10 mins i was wondering where the trademark Peter nerd Spectacles were. Emma stone as Gwen is way better a girlfriend portrayal than a icy expression-ed Kirsten Dunst. Their chemistry is sparkling and you want them to be together. Especially the scenes where he shares his secret and uses the web to catch her and swivel her towards him or the scene when he looks into her eyes before he throws her out of school window to catch her n save her. Don't wait for Irfaan's character with baited breath... he will be off screen before u know it


Its no avengers w.r.t action but still worth your time. Watch it for charming chemistry of the leads and Garfield's new approach to Peter Parker role. If this was facebook i'd say "LIKE" 


Rating: 7.5/10

Story is the real hero in "Kahaani"

The impact that i got after coming out of the cinema - Solid direction, Solid acting & Solid story.

Kahani starts with a story of Vidya Balan playing the helpless Mrs Bagchi, who has arrived from London in search of her missing husband Arnab. With a good-hearted rookie cop helping her in her search, Vidya walks through all corners of Kolkata. But all leads go cold – the guesthouse he was staying at, the National Data Center where he'd been assigned, even the Indian immigration authorities have no records of Arnab Bagchi. Giving out any more of the story would be letting out spoilers and it needs to be enjoyed while watching it.

The whole movie is shrouded in mystery and everytime it seems like you figured it out, the plot thickens. Sometimes the movie crawls at a casual pace but the twists and turns in the story keep the mystery alive right till the last scene. The story is so refreshingly original and shooting in real locations in Kolkatta adds a lot of character to the movie. The camera captures kolkatta so passionately that you fall in love with it.The movie wasn't about Kolkatta but it sure gave us a flavor of Bengali life. The cameraman deserves a pat on the back for paying attention to little details in portraying the story and capturing each moment vividly. The scene where Vidya falls off the platform to the approaching train was spectacularly captured. The movie is woven so well together that most times, i cant put my finger on what was better - the performance, the story or the art direction.

The star of the show was Vidya Balan who displays a quiet elegance about her acting and yet is instantly likeable as a character. But the real hero of the movie is the script/story (and the writer) which managed to be completely original and edge-of-the-seat gripping. Its very rare to find such good scripts on celluloid and great characters which add the real weight to the story. Each character in the movie stood out on their own whether it was creepy smiling assassin Bob Biswas or the simple good hearted rookie policeman Rana or even the chotu who does odd jobs at Vidya's hotel. Its amazing how little things from the movie like - daak naam & Bhalo naam and characters style of Bob Biswas have already become a part of Indian parlance after the movie.

Double thumbs up for the director, story-writer and Vidya (not bidya ;)), watch it for a superb story and a solid movie-making style.

Rating: 8/10

Rockstar is unconventional, Flawed and brilliant - Highly recommended

Unconventional, Flawed and brilliant  -Not the regular three word that would be used in a sentence to express a thought. Maybe that the best way to describe the movie – not regular. It’s a very unconventional attempt for India, the kind of movies which would hardly be made in India. We are not used to musicians with bad attitude (other than drunken performances of the legendary and extraordinary musician Pt Bhimsen Joshi).

It was so refreshing to see the kind of passion that went into making this film and a admirable execution of an unorthodox plot. Rockstar is essentially a love story with romance and pain constituting the central themes. The story is about Haryanvi boy Janardan Jakhar from delhi, who goes from being a desperate and struggling college singer/guitarist to a angry outlaw rechristened as Jordan. He falls in love with Heer, a Kashmiri girl who was the out-of-his-league girl in college when he befriended her and is now married in Prague. The story takes a turn when he realizes how much he likes the girl, this influences him to an extent that the musical stardom that follows is inspired by pain and love from his relationship with her.

The first half has lot of sharp wit at display and some scenes keep you in splits for the most part. Imtiaz Ali understand the nuances of portraying relationships on screen and never misses the lovely little moments. They do become cheesy sometimes but Imtiaz is not the one to shy away from it - little scenes like the one in which Heer covers both her and Jordan under white cover and calls it their world, was especially well captured.  The characters are so well defined and the chemistry is evidently burning, so much so that Heer becomes healthy and happy each time Jordan is around. The director tells the tale in an unconventional yet passionate fashion and story is seamlessly weaved together going back and forth flashback and then joining the present.  The use of sudden silence in the middle of a song sequence to deliver a story piece was also noteworthy.

The camerawork was outstanding whether it was the landscapes or close rock show angles in neon lights or even the last few dream like sequences, the frames looked brilliant and  fairly artistic. Especially the whole sequence showing transition from Jordan arrested in Prague to his outrageous rock performance to newspapers and album cutouts like a comic book, were a visual delight. Its followed by a scene in which Jordan records with shehnai artist Jamil Khan played by the legendary Shammi kapoor, is quite outstanding.

The movie is far from perfect but has the depth and passion, which is missing mostly in Indian cinema today. The script is flawed that it doesn’t convincingly translate into the assured storytelling style that we know Imtiaz for. To add to that, the lead actress kills the essence of most scenes when she appears on the screen.. She’s pretty, but at best can be described as a poor man’s Katrina Kaif.

The music plays a huge part in the movie and form the integral part in the storytelling. A R Rehman give a real rock music feel to the soundtracks and crooning painful voice by Mohit Chauhan draws you to the scenes in the movie. I have never heard Mohit Chauhan sing in those high before and I was pleasantly surprised. This is one of those films where the songs felt so much better in the movie than just listening to audio tracks.

But Ranbir Kapoor was the real star of the show. His performance towered way above the rest of the crew whether he was playing a simple Jakhar boy with rakish charm or angry and in pain rockstar, he did both with equal aplomb. If someone wants a lesson in “getting into character”, they should watch his performance.  A standing salute to a fantastic performance

Its not the best film ever made, but deserves a watch for an effort at unconventional cinema, Ranbir’s fabulous performance and the fact that it makes you think. Trust me it would stay with you long after you come out of the theatre.

Rating: 8/10

10 probable reasons why ZNMD is a huge hit

• It’s genuinely funny. It’s a great idea to have got Farhan Akthar to write the dialogues. Well, he produced it, his sister directed it – so, just glad he opened that writing pad and started writing. Charming, witty script –full marks on that front. It makes you LOL even when you are watching it alone.
• Well, the funny narrative had to be delivered suitably; hence a good cast was sought. And the good cast is not just good at dialogue delivery, Zoya made sure they are good looking too. Draw all types of women might as well been the plan– the arty falls for Abhay Deol, the smart ones for Mr Akthar and the rest for Hrithik Roshan. And these girls will make sure that their boyfriends are there. Katrina might have been the backup plan.
• Place good looking people in great locations with a good story – that’s a good strategy to start with. Throw in a talented director and cinematographer for good luck.
• It’s filled with surprises. Exploring the new country, the past, old friendships, new relationships –a tremendous range of emotions for a single movie to cover. The movie manages to do this with grace.
• It didn’t underestimate me. It didn’t underestimate the cinema going audience of India. It didn’t expect everyone to understand Spanish (the reference to a movie about flying objects made from paper merely coincidental). It didn’t hold placards or canned laughter – the story believed that you were with it at all times and good film making ensured that you were.
• Good music even in a movie without an actor or a story has created box office hits in the past. So good music in ZNMD was not a bad idea. It gives the movie a few more Filmfare entries. And the songs are fun. It’s nice to see Abhay Deol dancing, even though he looks as clumsy as an ice skater on rapidly melting ice.
• Good filming made everything look cool. Did you notice how it made even the Indian Airlines airhostess look cool?
• Katrina is particular preachy when with Hrithik. And Hrithik is particularly impressed every time she says advocates the obvious. “A man should be in a box only when he dies”, “Wow…you know how to live”, he exclaims. They don’t subject the other characters to this side show of theirs.
• It showed you things that you wanted to see. Things that the average movie goer wishes he could be a part of.. Hot girl rides the bullet, hot girl turns up as the scuba instructor, hot guys jump out of planes and then proceed to sing quite well- you get the drift, don’t you?
• There are moments in the film without back ground music. I don’t know if you noticed. But something about that made it more realistic. After all as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara so does life often happen without a background tune.   

The Three Musketeers is a silly yet fun adaptation

The Three musketeers is a silly yet fun adaptation of the literary classic of the same name by Alexandar Dumas(which BTW was one my 3 fav books growing up), although its been masalafied to make the movie more fun.

Directed by Paul Anderson, this movie is centered around the hot headed D'Artagnan and his three friends - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, respectively - the production follows the musketeers as they uncover secret plots, upset the local royals, and rescue damsels in distresss. They leap into action there are impressive swordfights, stunts, and smart quips. Individually they are charming, but it's also their convincing camaraderie that makes this plain good fun.

Cinematically its brilliantly shot and for a change the 3D did not look forced and unlike other movies i did not feel the need to take off the heavyweight glasses. Infact 3D added great depth to the panoramic shots and the exquisite palace sequences. The good thing about the movie was that in never drags and remains fun with a fair amount of attention to detail on creating old France. Although some of the character's like the king and queen were little "caricatured" instead of being the literary characters.

It's the bits between the action that are the problem, where there's rather silly and simply scripted plotting by mischievous villains trying to provoke war between France and England. Milla Jovovich as Milady is central to this; a double agent, she looked like a poor man's Catherine Zeta Jones (from entrapment) with spy/fighting skills along with being sly and charming. Jovovich gets to show off her stunt moves, which are all the more impressive for being done wearing a corset. Orlando bloom (plays duke of Buckingham) looks like he's carrying on the same costume from Pirates of the Caribbean and is hard to take seriously at any point.

They're an average bunch of baddies - not amusing, interesting or evil enough to interest us in their political games. The real fun is in the musketeers stopping them.

The last scene makes sure that the sequels to this franchise will go on for some years.

Overall, good job Mr Anderson (matrix pun intended)

RATING: 6.5/10

"Warrior" is well made and intense

Frankly i hadn't heard much about the movie until it hit the theaters last Friday. But what a nice decision to go and watch it. I'm a big fan of mixed martial arts and so glad the movie will give the sport its deserved spotlight. But even if you are not a fan of the violent sport, you'd like the movie for the characters and the intense emotional journey that they go through.

Warrior is a movie about two brothers - Tommy & Brandon, who enter the ruthless MMA tournament for their own reasons, but are pitted against each other in the finals. Although the fact that this would happen was predictable when the tournament started but the director keeps you engaged into the sequence in anticipation.
The two brothers were once close, but they haven't seen each other in 14 years. The only thing they have in common now  is a bitter hatred for their father Paddy (played by Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic whose drinking tore the family apart.

The beauty of the movie is that it is as much about the actual fights in a steel cage as it is about the emotional journeys of the characters from a broken family. Brandon played by Joel Edgerton is a likable character who's physics teacher but gets back to fighting to save his house. He shows sense of humor in the difficult and intense situations which make him a character most people would like. Tommy played by Tom Hardy is however a non nonsense tough guy who's mostly rude with a devil may care attitude but as the story progresses, you feel for the character as he's burning from inside. He becomes a hit on youtube when he takes down the local MMA favorite in a gym.
Even the fighting styles depicted in the tournament add to the characterization. Tommy comes to a tournament, where music and razmattaz forms a part of the intimidation techniques, with no music, no press conference and has mysteriousness shrouding him. He does not even wait for the referee to raise his hand or the crowd to cheer. He just walks away as soon as he knocks down his opponents and knock them down he sure does. His style is sledgehammer and tongs where he knocks down opponents in the first round and he is kinda of a favorite after crowd finds out about his ex marine status. The only time he acknowledges the crowd is when the US marine sings their anthem
Whereas, Brandon comes with Beethoven as his entry music and is not the knockout guy. He's a more ressiliant fighter and underdog who keeps coming back after taking a beating each time. He also takes out Koba, the unbeatable championship favorite after taking 2 rounds of beating. Seeing Kurt Angle play Koba has the fun part and i was screaming with the crowd :)

The fact that they are brothers is known to the crowds only during the final match and the climax although predictable makes you want to root for both of them for different reasons. Very solid performances from Edgerton and Nick Nolte. It did remind me at times of "the Wrestler" and "The Fighter" but the storyline is way better as the background of each character unravels slowly in front of you while you watch the fight sequences. It surely left an impression enough for me to write a review :)

Rating: 7/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, finally clears the dark mark

“No story lives until someone wants to listen” – J K Rowling

The Harry Potter series has had half the globe gripped before this book released and now before its finale movie, as this is where "it all ends."

David Yates (director of the last 3 books), steered this movie to a whole new fantasy experience with his movie making skills. Finer details were taken care off so well, the trip to Ministry to get started on the Horcrux hunting, to amazing and actually breathtaking visuals of the tale of the 3 brothers who got the Deathly Hallows, cheating death itself, and to exploring the depths of Gringotts with Griphook the Goblin on a roller coaster ride. Excellent screenplay and the characterisation of Dobby who makes you shed a tear, Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) who makes you hate her.

The trip to Godric’s Hollow, Harry’s birthplace and the village that saw Voldemort’s downfall, sends a chill down your spine. Nagini playing Bathilda Bagshot keeps you on the edge of the seat and you might let out a mild scream. The memory of Snape (Alan Rickman) was such a brilliant scene, a perfect performance teamed with a perfect edit, revealing his regret of joining the dark side and his true love for Lily potter, his trust in Dumbledore and how he endured Harry despite hating him. Some of the characters though matured well, didn’t come so strong in the movie like Ginny (Bonnie Wright)

Part 2 of the movie captures the story from Harry and friends breaking into the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, to the downfall and end of The Dark Lord in one night. But for me, the film lacked the epic feeling that I expected and hoped for. While exclusions from the book were acceptable, some essentials were really missed. The final duel between Harry Potter and Voldemort was supposed to be a spectacle that would leave everyone in awe, situated in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

But the duel here was fought between the two with no spectators and there was no sense of rejoicing and peace among the magical lot. Voldemort was to look foolish and deceived, unable to comprehend the alliance between Snape and Dumbledore. Why the Elder wand never worked for him, how love is always a stronger form of power that Lily Potter left behind, the need to have something to live for – friends. That is not to say that David Yates did not get it right. The action scenes were fun to watch and the background score was apt. There are light humorous moments that dip the pressure that has engulfed ones mind.

Some of the other doable scenes were, the Elder wand was to be returned to its true owner (Dumbledore) and Harry was to get back his old wand, fixed by the most powerful wand itself, instead of breaking it into two. The Third hallow didn’t make its appearance during the fight with the Dark Lord, which was disappointing. The epilogue could have simply been avoided.

But, it’s still worth a watch in 3D as it makes the story come alive and completes the decade long Potter era perfectly.

Rating - 8/10

Delhi Belly is a crass entertainer

If you have the belly for a crass entertainer which is designed to have a shock value, this is the movie for you this season. Most of the scenes are disgusting and yet funny to make you laugh your guts out. When you come out of the cinema hall after 90 mins (no interval), you don't feel like you did not take a break and are entertained by the end of it. Of course, some of us were more entertained than the others.

Delhi belly is not a very new story nor its is complicated, it won't leave you 'wowed' but it would leave you in splits. I call it the reverse parental guidance (PG) - DO NOT watch it with your parents ;)

The movie is about 3 friends who are struggling to pay the rent and live in disgusting condition mainly due to the laziness of the 3 characters. Tashi, played by Imran Khan, is a journalist with a nagging fiancée Sonia (played by Shenaz Treasurywala). An airhostess, Sonia unknowingly picks up a smuggled parcel she's promised to deliver as a favor for a friend. It all starts to go terribly wrong when the package is mistakenly swapped by Arup (played by Vir Das). The real "shit" hits the fan when the gangster, played wonderfully by Vijay Raaz, receives a stool sample instead, belonging to Nitin.

Nitin's "Delhi Belly" becomes the prime character of the movie as this upset stomach is what provides the constant twists to an otherwise simple storyline. Its disgusting and "in your face" (all puns intended) but also very funny. The other angle in the story is provided by Tashi's colleague played by Poorna Jagannathan, who is constantly trying to lossen up Tashi. All the characters in the movie fit like hand to glove and kudos to the casting director for a job well done. All actors shine on screen with superb performances but the silent scorchers of scenes were provided by Maneka and Tashi who's portrayal of physical tension/attraction was hard to miss.

The music of the movie is already topping the charts but it comes alive even more in the movie, Ram sampath's background score can be called another character in the movie. Claps and whistles were a plenty each time the audience anticipated the song. Although the showstopper was the funny spoof dance by aamir Khan at the end of the movie.

Delhi belly may disgust you but will entertain you enough to overlook that


Rating: 7.5/10

Shaitan is an engaging evil

My first reaction - This movie is like a namaste to Quen Tarantino :)

Anurag Kashyap and his production house never disappoints whether its Black Friday, Dev D, No smoking or Udaan. Extraordinary directorial debut by Bejoy Namibiar, who makes each scene look like a masterpiece. Having seen some of his short films (thanks to a friend of mine), i kind of expected it to be good but it turned out to be way more than that. The use of camera angles, capturing close up emotions, flashbacks and slow motion shots are simply superb.

The movie is about the story of 5 brash youngsters whose lives are aimlessly drifting and they waste their rich parents money for drugs, alcohol and make merry. When they run down two innocent people in a rash-driving accident, they must come up with big money to close the case. Going to their parents is not an option; hence one of them, Amy (played by Kalki Koechlin), an NRI with unresolved mommy issues, suggests that her friends fake her kidnapping so they can demand ransom from her dad. Obviously their plan goes caput very soon and this becomes a national issue for the news channels, and that's when the "shaitaan" inside each of them decides show its color.

Its made in a way that it seems like a dark movie but it has elements of drama, psychedelia, humor and violence. Each scene has so much directorial effort and each frame leaves so much impact, especially the ones where slow motion is used to draw parallels in the story. The movie questions our conscience at each level and each act. The background score and sound adds so much character to each frame and enhances the impact on the viewer by making it more dramatic.The use of "Khoya Khoya chand" as a narrative during parallel shooting/killing sequence is the highlight.

The central theme is that there is a "shaitan" of a different kind in each of the characters and Bejoy sticks to that. Rajeev Khandelwal shines in the movie with a stellar performance and makes even simple scenes look very convincing and engaging. The film loses steam towards the second half of the story but the technical flaboyance of the director keeps the movie afloat.

Only film after Dev D to have this much impact with its technical brilliance.

Rating: 8/10