Talaash - Finding the super natural way!

I find it hard to write a review for movies like these, since I am afraid that I might take away the "Thriller suspense" factor, which Amir khan had spoken about before the launch of this movie.

None the less, I will try this out...

Though the movie story line isn't much exciting or out of the world; but the screenplay and the actors have made it an amazing movie. Reema kagti after her debut movie Honeymoon travels, has done another good job, but there's definitely a lot more she could have done with the screenplay. The movie is able to build up a suspense through the initial 80-90 minutes but slowly the suspense factor fades away and at  the end it feels like "ahh! another supernatural movie!".


The story revolves round a police inspector who is not only investigating a suspicious accident case but also fighting a own personal loss of his only son. At one end he has this mysterious case and on the other hand he blames himself for the loss of his son, which keeps him awake night after night to find an answer as to how he could have saved his son . He finds himself in a tiring loop, searching for an answer in the present and the past . No other actor apart from Amir Khan and Rani mukherjee could have carried these roles with so much depth and intensity. Kareena kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have added zing to the whole screenplay.

Music is one of the most strong points of this movie. Ram sampath has used very unique and earthly tones, which gives us a fresh offering.  The movie is worth a watch, but only once! -after all it's a suspense thriller !!!

My Rating: ***

English Vinglish - Indeed a good one!

English Vinglish is a bright example how a simple story line can be presented in a very rich
and interesting way. The story revolves around an Indian housewife - Shashi (Sridevi) and
her yearning to learn english and earn the respect she deserves within her family.
Shashi, a housewife with two kids and a very busy husband, gets ridiculed by her family
members for not being able to speak english. But this is just one aspect, Shashi is an
'entrepreneur' as well and sells 'ladoos'.It's her story and revolves around how she stands
up and goes out all alone to learn english, make friends (the 'Learn English in 4 weeks' classroom is one of the major attractions of this movie)) and regain the respect that she
deserved.

One positive thing, the relationship between mother-in-law and Shashi has been shown in a
positive light !!
Sridevi has done an amazing job and so have the other actors. The songs are very meaningful
and melodious. the best part of the movie is its screenplay, it has a continuous momentum
which is neither fast nor boring.

I would recommend it as a must watch.

Rating: ****

Be Barfi!

Watching this movie sometimes reminded me of 'Sadma' ( the 80's movie starring Kamal hassan & Sridevi), sometimes it reminded me of  'Taare Zameen pe' and sometimes the romance of 'Kal ho na ho'.. this movie brought out a very mix feeling and the feeling of being "Barfii"...

Set up in the exotic location of Darjeeling, it is a story about a young chap called 'Barfi' (or should I say 'Murphy' !) for whom being deaf and dumb is not an obstacle at all...he enjoys life and love equally. He falls in love with a beautiful damsel - Shruti (Ileana) the first time, but it does not go well because of societal pressure. But that doesn't deter him, he enjoys his life and accidentally falls in platonic love for another autist girl - Jhilmil (Priyanka chopra). The most important thing across this movie is that it has been able to capture not only the relationship of Barfi , Shruti and Jhilmil; but it also captures other relationships like Barfi's relationship with his father, Jhilmil's relationship with his grandfather and the owner of the orphanage, Jhilmil's relationship with her caretaker, Barfi's relationship with his friend and last but the most interesting Barfi's relationship with the Sub-inspector.  A whole gamut of emotions is on play....

Ranbir kapoor and Priyanak chopra have done a fantastic job; I will not be surprised if this performance wins them a filmfare award or some critic accolades. Overall, the first half of the movie is a bit slow compared to second half, screenplay could have been made a bit more interesting. Pritam has given some good and fresh music specially the song 'Ala barfi'.

Overall I felt that this movies has a story line which is a bit 'hatke' from the normal comedy, romance and climax stories; hence people have welcomed it. It's in the same league as 'Pan singh tomar', 'Vicky Donor' but not in the leagues of  'Taare Zameen par' or 'Swades'.

It's a solid family entertainer and is a must watch for the family!

My rating: 3.5 star

Sahara QShop Advertisement analysis

Sahara recently ventured into retail through Sahara QShop. One of its advertisements has been doing the rounds but was recently replaced by an abridged version of the same. It had most of the prominent Indian cricketers chipping in to pass on the message that using/consuming 'milawat' (adulterated) products in our daily life is leading us to an unhealthy life.

The advertisement drew lot of flak from people, media and most importantly BCCI!

At first instance I felt that Sahara has got it all wrong. The commercial was too rude in showing a Yuvraj singh digging up a grave, Sehwag replacing a child’s bed with a hospital bed and so on.

I felt that Sahara was treading a very dicey path and the obvious loopholes were:

• The advertisement does not fit in well with Sahara's image
•  It was a very high risk game of band building based on quality. Even if a single case of quality is detected/reported down the line it will bring down the whole foundation of the brand.

I spoke to few of my colleagues and strangely all of them had similar thoughts.

But looking back I feel that there's definitely a tactical strategy behind it and that is:

•       One, arriving in the already crowded retail scene with a bang  - ensuring its arrival is noticed and
•       Second, creating recall value on the consumers mind.

 Well if that's the case then 'Rediffusion Y&R', the creative agency behind the ad, has definitely succeeded in the initial stage of this race. Now let’s see how the brand takes itself forward!

Have a look at the video and do let me know what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azr11RR9x6o

Movies with a twist !

Last weekend, I was able to watch two movies with very unique storylines. Though one of them is not recent, but in case you have missed watching it, then put it on your list.
Kahani - 2012
Raat GAyi, Baat Gayi - 2009
Lets start with "Kahani" first.
The strongest part of this movie is its script and direction. Offcourse I would not take away any credits from the actors (specially Vidya Balan); I think it is hard to rank when you have so many good things happening in a movie. The movie is set in Kolkata and has been weaved around the traditions of this beautiful city. Wmost movies set around Mumbai / Delhi ( no offence meant) this comes as a fresh respite.
It is a story about a lady juggling her emotions, fighting with the odds and add to that a lots of twists and suspense. Vidya has done a tremendous job of pulling through with the lead character role. Some very good acting by the actors from the Kolkata film industry - Like agent Khan, Inspector and others. I cannot say much about the story line as that will muck up the thrill of watching it. In a nut shell after a long time there's a movie which everyone should go ahead and watch!
My rating :****

Raat Gayi Baat Gayi (2009)
Again sometimes you need to be in a position to appreciate a movie and hence this movie might not go well with many of us; but the "married folks" out there can surely relate their own lives to one of the characters in this movie!! (If not thats fine)
It is not a normal masala movie, but a matured story twined around the lives of three married couples and their struggle to know "what happened on the night of a party ?"
The script could have been made a bit stronger, it is intresting but sometimes looses its intensity.Vinay Pathak and Rajat kapoor are good. I felt the music was good as well with some very good lyrics. Overall good watch.
My Rating: ***

Who's would lead the Blue team?

I was waiting for the Asia cup announcement...so Virat has been made the Vice-Captain. Now let me do some analysis (I agree too much of it can cause paralysis)
Present day scenario: Present captain Dhoni is almost 31 years...so he has roughly more 3-4 years of shelf life; after the next world cup i.e. 2015.
Gautam gambhir
Age: 30 years – Shelf life of another 4-5 years (not much)
ODI exp: 131 Matches
ODI Avg: 41
Test Exp: 48 matches
Test Avg: 45
Virat Kohli
Age: 23 years - Shelf Life of another 10-12 years
ODI exp: matches 82
ODI Avg: Average 42
Test Exp: 8 matches (Needs more experience)
Test Avg: 33

Considering the above two stats and the recent announcements:
Ø Gambhir from his temperament would surely be the next test captain, which would eventually be handed over to Virat and would take another 3- 4 years time. Yes, I expect Dhoni to relinquish his test captaincy soon.
Ø Gambhir might become the ODI captain for a short period of time (say 1-2 year), but Virat would eventually take over and would remain the captain for the longer duration. Intentions are very clear from the BCCI.
Ø Ashwin – Not leadership material at all.