Para Athma

Once a good film maker will never remain good forever. This proved in case of ace movie director Mr. Yograj Bhat. The man with the fame of Mungarumale, Gaalipata and so on didn’t live up to people’s expectation in his recent movie Paramathma. Niranjan and I decided to watch this movie for the same reasons a) It’s Yograj Bhat- who is known for his interesting scripts b) It’s Puneeth Rajkumar- who has certain standards in Kannada movies and comes with certain sense of responsibility. I have always liked Puneeth’s movies in the past and it’s a great disappointment to watch him in this movie. The much hyped movie hits rock bottom with its poor story line and narration. I decided the fate of the movie in the first ten minutes. Puneeth Rajkumar has done a good job in terms of his acting, it’s something  new that he has tried out. Apart from that there is no substance in the movie, it has been dragged till the end.

Mr. Yograj Bhat,

I have a particular question for you, where did you get the heroine from? Has Kannada movie industry deprived of good heroines? Why did you create a character that has a grumpy face all through the movie? Not only she is irritated in the entire movie, she also irritates us with her acting skills. We can't make out whether she is crying or laughing. She seriously needs some acting lessons. If people have complimented you for your sense of humour in the past; let me tell you that it's history now. It just annoys us. The humour in this movie is stale. You need an introspection!

Why do you make all the characters in the movie to talk so much? If you think it entertains people, sorry to say that it irritates us. C’mon we have already heard in your previous movies. It’s the same story, same shady dialogues and to top it all it’s the same people who act in all your movies. Enough! We can’t see the same thing again and again. If you are really talented show us that by doing better movies. Every movie promotion you complain that people don’t come to theaters to watch movies. If you give crappy movies like this, who do you think will come and watch?

I am a true Kannadiga and I will support Kannada movies but not at the cost of my time and money. So give a serious thought of making good movies.

Undoubtedly I have liked few movies in the past. What I am unhappy about is the stereotype. We all know that you are talented, so make some meaningful movies. I have rumbled too much on the negatives about the movie, time to say some good things. What I liked in the movie is Jayanth Kaikini’s lyric and Sonu Nigam’s song (Paravashanadenu). Hats off to you to make our Karnataka look stunning on the big screen! Thanks for discovering and making us see some of the remotest places in Karnataka which is unbelievably beautiful. I think that’s the USP of your movies. I don’t think anyone can do better than you.

Disheartened kannada movie watcher

Image courtesy: Google

Sanju Weds Geetha

Sanju, an engineering student passed out of college goes to his hometown for a vacation. He is bowled by the beauty with a philanthropist Geetha. After a lot of perseverance Geetha finally falls in love with Sanju. Wait a minute; I am not going to kill the suspense of the movie by revealing the story. It’s better to go watch the movie without knowing the story.

Sanju weds Geetha is a well made movie with apt script. The USP of the movie is the cinematography and performances. The rain, mist and the clouds are shot really well. While watching this movie on a hot summer day, anyone would crave to get drenched in the rains. The director should be given credit to handle such a serious subject very maturely with a good selection of characters. Kudos to him for making a beautiful film without item numbers and double meaning dialogues. The first half of the movie is fast paced with the combination of romance, comedy and action sequence. The second half tends to be a little slow paced. Kitty’s and Ramya’s performances are brilliant. The on-screen chemistry between the duo is worth watching. Ramya looks very natural (less make up) as a next door girl. Though it’s Ramya centric movie from start to end, Kitty steals away the audience with his exceptional acting skills. Undoubtedly Kitty is a versatile actor who has matured over the years. He is a great asset to the Industry.

Having said that, the minor shortcomings of the movie could have been avoided. Director seems to be hell bent in turning the movie into a tragic end.

• Geetha’s character is so popular in that small town, but difficult to trace her when she goes missing. People don’t recognize her when she wandering away.
• How come her parents let her stroll on a rainy day when she is pregnant and suffering from memory loss?
• Geetha’s uncle being one of the best criminal lawyers couldn’t think of getting Sanju out of the jail at the earliest.
• How did the prisoner get three lakh rupees inside the jail? Is the security system inside the jail so feeble?

This is the best performance of Ramya in her career; she looks stunning in her tastefully selected salwars and sarees. Kitty too looks young with his weight loss. Although I personally feel he has underplayed his character in some scenes. He is one of the greatest actors who has done some challenging roles in the past. They haven’t made use of his potential to the fullest. The movie has some great music. I loved the location of the song ‘Gaganave bagi’. Even the background scores has added up value in the movie. The song which depicts the cultural activity in the jail was not needed, it’s a total spoiler.

In spite of all the glitches, you would not stop enjoying the movie. Please go to the theaters and do watch. It’s is a perfect family entertainer.

Dhobi Ghat

I am just back from a great weekend. A weekend that was filled with some relaxation (Bangalore bandh), a movie (Dhobi Ghat), catching up with friends (Dhivya and Sandy) and of course shopping!

Dhivya and I planned to go for the movie on Saturday but the movie show got cancelled because of Bandh. Anyways I stayed at home relaxed adequately and decided to catch up for the movie on Sunday. I was totally wooed with the trailers and fanatically waiting to watch the movie. I was a little disappointed with the outcome.

This is my take on the movie:

Dhobi Ghat, a movie which does not appeal to masses and crowd. One needs to have loads of patience to follow the movie. Watch out, it’s a 95 minute one-stretch movie without an interval. I am not used to watching a movie without an interval, so I definitely missed my share of pop-corn. Kiran Rao has done an excellent job with her debutant movie. It’s a deeply thoughtful movie which runs around with the lives of four different people. The movie is shot incredibly well in and around Mumbai city. It refreshed my memories of visiting Marine drive, Gateway of India and the crowded slums of Mumbai. Two things can surely happen while watching this movie, it can either sink into your skin giving you a slow ache or it can be a downright boring. The unseen side of the city has been showcased very well. The buzzing traffic, fast life of people, energetic street life, packed slums, and heavy rains have played a pivot role in the movie. I just love the portraits in the movie-awesome photography!

Amir Khan is undoubtedly an exceptional actor. There are some scenes where he does not speak a word, yet his silence speaks everything. Amir Khan a top-notch film maker who has always worked on commercial movies has lent his shoulders to an art movie for his wife (debutant). Kiran too like her husband aspires to fill every nook of her film with perfection. I heard that even Amir had to audition to get a role in Dhobi Ghat. I liked Kiran’s style of narrating one of the character through the video tape. That was something interesting and unusual. She proved to be a good story teller. The characters portray various moods like longing, loneliness, love and loss. The background score and the sound track in the movie is brilliant. The scenes which they have shot in the crowded (Mohd Ali road) during Ramzan is terrific. Prateek is lot better in terms of his looks and performance when compared to his last movie (Jaane kyun ya Jaane na).

All in all, the movie is a realistic portrayal of characters. If you are game for a hatke kind of movie, take a shot watching this. I am sure you will experience something different in a non-masala flick. My expectations from the movie was too high, so it kind of disappointed me.

No one Killed Jessica

"What has become of our nation? The human life is less than the cost of a drink."
If you’re wondering about this quote, yes this is a quote by Sabrina Lall, sister of Jessica Lall.

The Jessica Lall murder story (1999) is known for its tragedy and injustice. It’s very disheartening to know that Jessica Lall was brutally shot in front of 300 people and not a single eye-witness, who could tell the truth. The reason for her killing was a refusal to serve drinks for three guys- while she worked as a bartender in a hot-shot private party. In a fit of rage, one of the guy (son of a politician) shot her dead.
All thanks to our corrupt judicial system, the guy who killed her was set free. It also proved that anything can be bought in India with money and political power. You can very well see how manipulative our so called high-profile people.

The reason why I am discussing about Jessica Lall is I just came back watching the movie “No one killed Jessica”. This movie is an inspiration of the real-life story of Jessica Lall. Even the title of the movie is directly taken from the newspaper headlines. You should go and watch this movie for two reasons. Firstly to know how corrupted our judicial system is and secondly what a common man along with the media can make a difference to our system. It’s a very well made movie, where the director has put his heart and soul into it.

What really impressed in the movie is about the dynamic NDTV reporter who re-opened the case and got justice. The movie primarily revolves around a helpless girl Sabrina Lall, who battles hard to get justice for her sister and the court room trials following the murder. The film made me feel angry, frustrated, sad and bitter about the umpteen number of flaws we have in our police and judicial system. At the same time, it also filled a hope and confidence in me about how a common man can make a difference in our system. The screen play and dialogues holds your attention till the end. I personally feel all the artists have put life into the characters. Though Rani Mukherjee is making headlines in the news paper for her on-screen smoking and usage of cuss words; she looks brilliant in her uptown journalist role. Vidya Balan sweeps away her emotions in a best way. The only thing I didn't like is her dowdy dressing sense. One such role which left a strong impact in me is the police officer, who takes a bribe for not beating up the politician's son in his custody and yet does anything and everything to fight for justice.

Overall it’s a good effort to bring back the memories of Jessica Lall-which was almost forgotten by public. It’s good to know that the public cry and the media intervention brought the killer behind bars. What pricks me is that it took seven long years to get the justice. I felt bad for Jessica's family to go through such a trauma for so long.

'No One Killed Jessica' is a must watch movie of two women struggling for justice and it is a remarkable blend of facts and fiction inspired by a series of real life episodes.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuper!

Movie name: Super
Cast: Upendra,Nayanthara

After a long day of work my crazy brother drags me to watch a movie at PVR. I reluctantly agreed to him as it was Upendra’s “Super” movie. I am not a fan of Upendra and definitely not ready sit through the torture getting killed by his dialogues.
To my surprise, ‘Super’ caught my interest superbly from the beginning itself. The movie has an unusual entry with interesting/funny title cards. We haven’t seen like this in any other sandalwood movies. I am not going to narrate the story here (I am not good at it). This is just my perception of the movie.

Super is a futuristic movie where Upendra takes all of us to 2030. It’s very impressive to see how Bangalore and Mysore would look at 2030. I wish we can witness the same way it’s been projected. The entire movie has references on how British ruled India. Upendra has captivated everyone with his punch dialogues and his antics. The movie also depicts the corrupt political system of Karnataka. It has references to what’s happening currently in Vidhana Soudha. The emotional drama of our beloved chief minister Mr. Yediyurappa gives us a good laugh. Not to forget the Reddy brothers (shown as Chaddi brothers) mining scam is evident in the movie.
The best scene in the movie is when Upendra abuses the common man for silently sitting and watching the political dramas played by our honorable politicians. It’s truly hilarious and done with lot of passion. Every word is so true!

Every shot in the movie is well made and looks like he has spent ample amount of money on it. Your eyes will definitely catch those wonderful bikes and cars. You will not realize how the first-half of the movie goes- It’s in such a fast pace. The movie is crowded with people onscreen (of screen as well). The first ten minutes of the movie is silent and narrated well by Yogaraj Bhatt. Only after Upendra’s entry; comes the bash, loud, style, crowd and grandeur. His dialogues are breathlessly long. Phew!!! I wonder how easy it’s for him to remember all of them. Whenever he was delivering the lengthy dialogues- I was gasping for air.

I guess Upendra has taken a pledge to confuse his audience (movies like A,Upendra). The same continues in this movie as well. With all the twists and turns in the movie it’s slightly difficult to follow.

How can I not talk about his style/costume/hair?
Uffff! You need to have lot of courage to even portray such characters. His costume and hair style is simply terrific. I like his guts and patience (to sit through for those sessions).

“Super” is a high style extravaganza in terms of cinematography, editing and grahics. All three gets a good score. In all my honesty, I didn’t like the music, it was too loud and even difficult to understand.

Since it’s an “Upendra centric” movie, there is so little for others. Nayanthara (heroine) has performed well. Her screen presence and expressions are elegant. She looks stunning after losing all the excess weight.

Despite having all the plus points, the movie has some weaknesses too:

• India at 2030 is notable but not realistic
• It’s not easy to change our society and our people so easily
• It’s definitely not a cake walk to become the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
• The guy who is been living in London throughout his life wouldn’t dress up so funnily
• The guy who knows so much about India through books never know the reality

Last but not the least, it's a one time watch movie. If you are a die-hard punch line fans, I bet you'll enjoy this movie. Hope the vision of Upendra to live united and lead a clean life is fulfilled.

Special note for AOLers: It's a treat to watch our AOL office on screen. Our conference rooms. training room, reception, games room look so colorful.

Guzaarish

Looks like Bollywood film makers are inclined towards making movies which creates awareness among people about some ailments. Let’s take a quick look about such movies in the past:

• Black: Amitabh is affected with Alzheimers
• Taare Zameen Par: Amir Khan portrayed problems of Dyslexic children
• Gajini: Amir suffers with short-term memory loss
• PAA: Amitabh is affected with Progeria
• My name is Khan: Sharukh suffers from Asperger disease
• Karthik calling Karthik: Farhan Akhtar is a Schizophrenic

Likewise Guzarish is also a movie where Hrithik is a quadriplegic and is partially paralyzed. A very well made movie by Sanjay Leela Bansali. I am a fan of Bansali’s movies. I like all his movies (except for Saawariya which was a total disaster). I decided to go watch this movie for two things. Firstly it’s Sanjay Leela Bansali’s movie and secondly it’s Hrithik-Aishwary pairing. I was impressed with the movie reviews in the paper. I would have anyways gone even if the reviews were bad. My initial response after watching the movie was “Oh my god, what a movie!”
Guzaarish is a special movie in its own way. Everything is good about the movie including the story, performances, camera work and the direction. It’s an intense and a serious topic. This is a movie about Euthanasia/mercy killing. Euthanasia itself is such complex term and it’s still not legalized in India. I am not going to tell you the story. It can only be narrated by a story teller who has the art of telling stories most convincingly. I know I am not good at that, will leave it to you guys to go and watch.
Personally I feel this is one of Bhansali’s best works so far. It has strong performances and there are several scenes, which genuinely move you. You get carried away with the character so much that you need some time to come back to reality.
All in all, if you are bored with all the love stories and family sentimental movies, take a break and watch this movie.
Do let me know your thoughts.