Top 11 Hindi films of 2012

 

This year has been very good at the movies. Out of the 75 Hindi films I saw it was a dubbed film and a documentary which impressed me the most. That’s why they go straight at the top of my list of the best films of 2012.

11. OMG oh my god – tacky yes but gives out such an important message in an entertaining way. It is the only Akshay Kumar film in recent times that I respect.

10. Vicky Donor – who would have thought that we will get a Hindi film about a sperm donor? Juhi Chaturvedi’s writing helps keep the film from coming across sleazy. It’s a film that works for the family in spite of it’s out of the box subject.

9. English Vinglish – more power to the homemaker. “Only when you stop loving yourself you fall out of love with things around you”. This line from the film sums up the theme for me.

8. Barfi – Bina soche samjhe pyar karo toh zindagi barfeen ho jaayegi. It might be copied, inspired, plagiarized but Bari’s soul is original.

7. Kahaani – The climax was a copout but still a very well crafted thriller. My 2^nd viewing of this film happened yesterday when I read the script. Even though I had seen the film the script read like a fast paced thriller. I finished reading it in one go.

6. Talaash – a suspense drama that made me cry at the end. Scratch the suspense surface and what you get it is an emotional drama about parents dealing with the death of a loved one.

5. Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 – This film is the masala entertainer of the year. It is pure cinematic orgasm. Also, it has the best climax I’ve seen this year.

4. Shanghai – loved it for the craft, the mood and the therav. I said it then I say it now it is Dibakar Banerjee’s best film yet.

3. Paan Singh Tomar – generally I tend to go for a repeat viewing of films that I love but strangely even though the film still lingers in my head I have not been able to watch it for a second time. Strange!!!

2. Supermen of Malegaon – if you have not seen this film you should stop calling yourself a movie buff. Period.

1. Makkhi – though it’s a dubbed film it is the freshest film of the year. One fly that beat the entire Khan’s, Kapoor’s and Kumar’s put together.

Would love to know what your top Hindi films were. The comments section is waiting.

Movie Review – Hansa

 

Hill View

In my limited travels to the hills I have always pondered about the lives of the people who live there and how they deal with this tourist influx. Is it helping them or is it destroying them? While watching Hansa all those travel memories kept coming back to me.

Hansa(Suraj) is young boy whose father has disappeared leaving behind a pregnant wife, a mother and an elder daughter Chikoo ( Trimala Adhikari). An estate agent wants to take over the land to build a resort. The rich man ( Kumud Mishra) of that area is waiting to lay his hands on Chikoo while she is desperate to find the whereabouts of her father.

The triumph of this film is that even though debutant director Manav Kaul comes from a theatre background he uses the cinematic language so beautifully that it felt like you are living next door to these people and peeping into their lives.

The adventures of Hansa and his best friend (the best performance in the film) reminded me of the two kids from Moonrise Kingdom. Their track was my favorite in the film. Chikoo’s track is all about how growing up changes our lives, especially a sudden event that forces you to grow up depriving you the joys and innocence of childhood.

Word of mouth – Watching Hansa is like sitting in the hills and peeping into the lives of its people. Manav Kaul makes the hills and its stories come alive.

Rating – *** ½ (Good)

Ticket Meter – worth 200 bucks

 first appeared on www. desimartini.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why the word RAPE makes me go numb.

I am married to Nayana a woman who I think is far stronger and braver than me. From the time I have known her I have never seen her scared. But that one night I saw fear in her eyes and on her face for the first time. That night she could have become a prospective gang rape victim.

We were in a train to Jammu from Bombay. By night our coach got almost empty. After having our dinner we got ready to sleep. A little later a commotion woke me up. A railway cop was arguing with a bunch of guys because he found them drinking in the train. The guys were trying to bribe them. After some coaxing and cajoling they succeeded in convincing him to look away. The cop moved away. I was half asleep and was listening to all of this. A little later the conversations became loud.

Some of the things I heard was “tu apna yaar hai. Tere liye gala kaat doonga kisika bhi”. “hum log jaat hai hum log kuch bhi kar sakte hain”. All this while they were walking up and down the compartment glancing at us. We were the only couple in the coach. But, the line that scared the shit out of me was “tujhe ladki chahiye abhi dila sakta hoon ladki. Koi mera kuch nahi ukhaad sakta hai”. “Kisko bhi yahan nanga nacha sakta hoon”.

All this while my wife thought that I was sleeping but I was listening to the entire conversation. Some of the thoughts running through my mind were what will I use as a weapon if something untoward happens? Will people come to help us? Should I start praying? I didn’t have the courage to go and confront them for disturbing our peace. I was scared. Those few moments were one of the most fearful moments I have lived in my life.

Thankfully after some time the noises died down and we felt relieved but in that small span of time I was horrified & thoughts about what a gang rape victim must be going through were crossing my mind.

I thought I had forgotten about this incident but the news of the gang rape in Delhi brought back those memories and the emotion of fear was fresh again.

That was one day I saw fear on the face of my otherwise brave wife Nayana.

Every time I read, hear or see something about rape I go numb. I can’t react. Every time, that moment of fear comes back to haunt me.

Movie Review – The Last Act

 

In today’s times Give a person a digital camera and he can become a filmmaker. In India there are so many short films floating around on the internet that it would take an exhausting curative exercise to select the best from the lot.

Amongst all this Anurag Kashyap, Sudhir Mishra and Chakri Toleti embark on an adventure of discovering new filmmakers through this experimental film called The Last Act.

Though it claims to be India’s first collaborative feature I think last year’s Project 11 was the first one to attempt something like this.

The film takes off from a plot written by Anurag Kashyap which is about a mutilated dead body found with 12 clues on it. 12 directors from across India were chosen to make 12 short films that would connect the dots and make sense of it as a full length feature film.

Starting off with Mumbai the film travels to Ghazibad,Kolkata, Delhi, Kalyan, Pune, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Hisar, Lucknow,Chennai and Gwalior.

Out of the 12 short stories the ones set in Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Kalyan and Pune are quirky and interesting. The Pune and Kolkata act stands out amongst them and the actor in the Pune act leaves a strong impact. The Pune act also has the best humour in the film.

The film derails in the 2nd half. The Chandigarh act is the worst amongst the entire lot in the 2nd half. It felt that either the director is highly inspired or was giving his personal tribute to Anurag’s No Smoking. Post that every act starts crumbling under the impressive acts put up in the 1st half.

By the end the film became loaded with too much information and stories to handle and retain. With 4 acts less it could have been a tighter and better film.

Even though it doesn’t work as a whole there is a lot going for it in parts.

Most of the directors show talent within the limited means but I would like to see more of the ones who directed the Kolkata and Pune act.

Word of mouth – The Last Act is an interesting experiment that needs to be seen. It should be aired on T.V. as a miniseries

Rating – *** (above average)

Ticket Meter – worth 150 bucks

first appeared on http://www.desimartini.com

 

Movie Review – The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey

 

An Expected But Rewarding Journey

After the three LOTR  movies my fear was that ‘does Peter Jackson still have some adventures left in him about middle earth?’ the trailer of The Hobbit didn’t look exciting but i had faith in Peter Jackson and he doesn’t disappoint at all.

Wizard Gandalf( Ian McKellen)  takes a reluctant Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) on a adventure  towards the lonely mountain. accompanying him  are 13 Dwarves  who are led by Thorin ( Richard Armitage).  Lonley Mountain is home for Thorin and he has to take it back from a dragon called Smaug  who has taken control of it.

the film has the same template and structure as LOTR but even then it constantly fires new set pieces at you keeping you engaged all the time with one spectacle after another.

the film’s writing  fails  in making any of the new characters memorable. they dont  leave a lasting impression like it happened with the first LOTR film. maybe, they will come into their own in the 2nd film.

Gollum’s ( Andy Serkis) brief role steals the show from everyone around . the scenes between Bilbo and Gollum are my favorite scenes in the film.the take back in terms of character’s are the ones which were part of LOTR.

at almost 3 hours of running time it didn’t bore me a minute but dont take my word for it. for me even repeat viewings of LOTR is not boring.

the moment Martin Freeman appears on screen he reminded me so much of Aamir Khan that i felt this would have been a perfect film for him to crossover.

Word of mouth –  The Hobbit is a rollicking adventure ride.The only thing disappointing is the long wait for the next one.  till then we will have to live with the image of the eye of Smaug.

Rating – 3.5  (Good)

Ticket Meter – worth 300 bucks

first appeared on http://www.desimartini.com

 

Talaash – Movie Review

 

The search within

A suspense drama that made me cry at the end. Don’t remember the last time a film in this genre did that to me.  Talaash works more in its psychological exploration of loss and a human’s attempt at dealing with it.

A death of a movie star brings three worlds together. A world of a couple Surjan Singh Shekhawat(Aamir Khan)and Roshni (Rani Mukherjee)grieving a loss in their life , a world of pimps and prostitutes surviving an ugly destiny and searching for that elusive happiness, among them is Kareena and a world of the rich who think money can keep them safe.

On a surface level it is about Aamir searching for clues to solve the mystery surrounding the death of Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena)  but on the other level it’s about his and Rani’s coming to terms with their loss which involves a guilt complex. It questions what you believe and your ability to have an open mind to accept things which cannot be explained.

It’s moody, atmospheric and works on its own pace but keeps you riveted, interested and engaged on an emotional level. The suspense angle builds up well but is a letdown towards the end. Halfway through the film I was watching it more as a drama than a suspense film. Aamir, Kareena and Rani make you invest emotionally in their characters, fabulously supported by a fantastic ensemble cast. But above all it is Reema Kagti’s clear vision as a director and the faith with which she narrates the story that makes this film a cut above the regular suspense films. Even though it has a huge star like Aamir khan it is not a star vehicle but a director’s film all the way.

I think women are better in finding a way to deal with loss in their life than men. At least in this film I found it interesting how Rani is more open to an idea which is nontraditional and alternative if it helps her deal with her pain and can bring back her present life that drowned with the death of a loved one. Her closure is more hurried compared to Aamir and Kareena.

There are traces of two Hollywood films which I will not name for obvious reasons. A book which I have read has a strong influence in the plot.  Since I have read that book and I am on one side of the fence when it comes to certain beliefs it was easier for me to buy into the climax of the film. For skeptics and people with a close mind the end might be a bit underwhelming.  

Final few words – Talaash works more as a drama than a suspense drama.

Rating – 3.5 (Good)

Ticket Meter – worth 250 bucks

first appeared on http://www.desimartini.com