January 2017 – Films watched and rated

I have been maintaining a list of movies I watch since 2009. This year I have decided to put them out after the end of every month. Here it is, January 2017 – Films watched and rated.

1. Toni Erdmann – ****
2. Punch : Drunk Love (revisit) – ****
3. I,Olga Hepnarova – **
4. Julieta – ****
5. XXX Xander Cage – **
6. Blue Jay – ***
7. Hacksaw Ridge – ***
8. Raees – ***
9. Kaabil – **
10. Captain Fantastic – ***
11. A Monster Calls – ****
12. Inferno – ** 1/2
13. Patriots Day – ***
14. Suicide Squad – ** 1/2
15. The Girl On The Train – **
16. The Legend of Tarzan – **

 

Characters that owned 2016

I belong to that film club, in which craft scores over story and characters make inroads in the mind for a long stay. I watched very limited Hindi films this year. Here, I look back and list characters (in no particular order) that resonated, left an indelible mark and made for rumination.

 

Kapoor and Sons – Rahul Kapoor – Fawad Khan

The inner turmoil of having to hide away an important part of his life from his family, shouldering the cumbersome mantle of a ‘perfect baccha’ and living with guilt for an act in the past was brilliantly portrayed by Fawad. Is it devious if someone wants to be selfish and carve his life away from the dysfunctions of his family? Rahul’s character left me pondering.

Phobia – Mehak –  Radhika Apte 

Phobia wouldn’t have worked if Radhika Apte would not have nailed the character of Mehak, suffering with agoraphobia. In the guise of a thriller, the film is a depiction of Mehak’s fight to get over a traumatic incident and find catharsis in the process of working through her fear.

Raman Raghav 2.0 – Ramanna – Nawazuddin Siddiqui 

Ramanna makes your flesh crawl and unnerves you with his words and actions. The triumph lies in the way a character very easy to despise is also rendered as one to be empathised with.

Aligarh –  Professor Siras – Manoj Bajpayee 

Professor Siras still haunts me almost a year after watching Manoj Bajpayee breathe life into him. Images of him drinking alone and listening to Lata Mangeshkar songs still keep coming back to me. Loneliness thy name is Siras.

Fan – Gaurav – Shahrukh Khan

A simple wish of meeting his idol changes the course of Gaurav’s life. This is heartbreak of a different kind. The disappointment on Gaurav’s face when Aryan Khanna rebukes him makes for an unforgettable cinematic moment of 2016 and sadly, an overlooked performance.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil –  Ayan/Alizeh – Ranbir Kapoor/Anushka Sharma 

Is the love that comes to you in an unconventional form still love? Ayan grapples with this mirage in the film. “It’s complicated” got torchbearers in these two characters. Alizeh ‘friends’ Ayan while  Ayan ‘loves’ her. The beauty of the film is in the reconciling of these opposite states and conflicting characters.

Udta Punjab – Mary Jane – Alia Bhatt

 

Mary Jane represents those who go through life’s traumas by committing themselves to an elusive hope of ‘good times’. Her boldness comes from her vulnerability.

Dear Zindagi – Kaira – Alia  Bhatt

One need not wait for a life altering event to seek therapy. Even the most mundane events can trap you and prevent your emotional growth. Parental neglect that shapes the adulthood of Kaira cut close to the bone. Not fair to squarely blame her parents for their tough choices but the collateral damage was done. Undoing the past one scar at a time is what Kaira stood for.

Dangal – Geeta- Fatima Sana Shaikh

Forced into fulfilling her father’s ambition Geeta’s journey made me wonder about the possibility of her following her own passion instead. Is she happy for herself? Where does she go from here? Would she be an achiever without her father/coach’s tough love?

Dangal – Babita – Sanya Malhotra 

Shadowing her elder sister, almost sandwiched between her father and sister, Babita was the understated character that appeared like the perceptive observer. The pressure she must have lived through while watching her elder sister take those giant strides must have been daunting.

 

November/December at the Movies – Reccos

Love (2015)

Dipti’s take – The film is full of exquisite imagery of intimacy but the characters lack soul. For a film that intends to depict ‘sentimental sexuality’ (in the words of the main character), this is a huge drawback. Insipid dialogues steal quite a bit of the joy of the narrative. The idea of how desire can be devastating could have been more effective if it were not for the underwhelming voice-over.

Rony’s take – To quote Gasper Noe ” I don’t think this movie is made to arouse anybody or to arouse them in an emotional way. This isn’t an erotic film. It’s more sentimental.”Though it is filled with explicit graphic sex, Noe envelopes it with a tender touch with the use of visuals, music and edit. Emotional erotica that is so beautiful to look at. Hard on for the eyes and ears.

Tamasha (2015)

Dipti’s take –  In the past, the Imtiaz-Irshad-Ranbir combination gave me a character that occupied the real estate of my mind for a long time. It still does. Jordan and his angst had a lingering effect. As is the  case with Imtiaz’s previous films, Tamasha too is about the evolution of the lead. It didn’t come across as a love story as much as a tale of transformation – where ‘love’ is the supporting character, powering the narrative. The brand of love in Imtiaz’s films dwells on helping the lovelorn, unearth the best versions of themselves.

Ranbir compellingly depicts the anguish of being imprisoned in an identity. It’s the kind of self-loathing that people stuck in jobs they hate or in existences full of deferred dreams, can relate to. Even the child artist who plays Ved lends an endearing quality to the character.

The ebullience and epiphanies that beautiful landscapes impart, allow us to conjure many existences. Following one’s heart is not always as simple but Tamasha’s Ved makes you want to believe in the leaps of faith. There are times when you literally want to shake him out of his delusions. Ranbir would qualify as the perfect lead if Kaufman’s Anomalisa were to be remade for Bollywood.

The act of making this film itself echoes the philosophy of it – that of being true to oneself. The tropes of travel as a tool for liberation, the wild-child syndrome, incomplete sentences and eloquent emoting – we’ve seen it all before but the cliches don’t deter Imtiaz from exploring his leitmotif in the able hands of Ranbir and Deepika – the evolved Jordan and Meera. Though the lead pair breathes new life into the redundant themes, I wish Tara’s character was not so underwritten. She was reduced to a mere catalyst in Ved’s voyage but every frame with Deepika in it scintillates with her mature grace. Some of her best scenes are the non-verbal ones like her range of reactions, from being baffled to disappointed after meeting Ved in Delhi.

If the ‘What happens in Corsica, stays in Corsica’ rules were not so chaste, the film would have been a more believable take on contemporary relationships. It is the second half, when Ved’s character disintegrates that the film comes together. Though the tone of the verbal exchanges is mostly conversational, if the dialogues had risen above banality, the first half of the film in Corsica could have been a Linklater-kinda-delightful-watch. The title itself affords the liberty of some hyperboles.

Lastly, the crux of Imtiaz’s films unfurls in his songs. Your journey as a viewer can begin with the OST, if you’re willing to listen to it on repeat mode, weeks before watching the film. It lends a perspective akin to adjusting the lens on a DSLR camera. Once you discern the subject from the background, it’s easier to connect with the filmmaker’s process.

Watching a director’s film for his signature style is like finding validation for a worldview. It is like drinking variants of beverages, with the choice of your poison for both – a taste of adventure and the safety of predictability. Imtiaz’s Tamasha has a similar effect – a comforting familiarity that leaves you yearning for more fulfilment.

The Body (El Cuerpo) (2012)

Dipti’s take – An interesting blend of mood and thrills, the film efficiently misdirects to push you further from the truth.

Rony’s take – A woman dies in the afternoon and her body goes missing at night. Taking off from a simple one line idea and set across one night, director Oriol Paulo ( Writer of Julia’s Eyes) crafts a delicious thriller that will keep your eyes riveted to the screen. It’s strange that Paulo has not made a film since 2012. Eagerly awaiting his next.

Extraordinary Tales (2015)

Rony’s take – Based on short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the tales might not be extraordinary but the animation will leave you spellbound. Five stories, five styles of animation and one of them is voiced by Guillermo del Toro. Horror that is a visual treat.

Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay star in “Room.” (Ruth Hurl/Element Pictures)

Room (2015)

Dipti’s take –  It is in equal parts gruelling and moving. It will make you feel grateful for all the seemingly tiny wonders of this big world and, more importantly your small house will feel like a mansion. Jacob Tremblay’s performance is one of the most layered ones I have seen this year, coming from a child (after Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation).

Rony’s take –  Missed out on this one at MAMI this year. It is brutally chilling and manages to make you feel the claustrophobhia that the two leads feel stuck in a room for almost five years. Jacob Tremblay should be nominated amongst the leads at the Oscars this year, he is terrific as Jack. Room is about what happens to characters after a happy ending that you see in films of this genre. One of the best films, I have seen this year.

Star Wars The Force Awakens (2015)

Dipti’s take – The joy of communal movie viewing is felt most when franchises of cult films like Star Wars grace the screens. In this case, the fanboy excitement was infectious but the film didn’t holistically live up to the expectations. The inclusion of old characters didn’t serve much purpose beyond the passing of the baton ( in this case, the saber) and evoking nostalgia. What it lacked in terms of zany dialogues and wow-inducing action sequences, it made up with a feisty female lead and the winsome droids. When non-human characters manage to elicit emotion, you know you’ve enjoyed the film. Special mention for Maz Kanata.

Rony’s take – After J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek, he successfully takes forward Lucas’ legacy with this franchise. Cut from the same template as ‘Star Wars A New Hope’ this one is a treat for fanboys and girls of the original trilogy (IV, V and VI). It manages to ride on the nostalgia and sets up the new characters for the next set of instalments. The force is still alive and kicking. Rey (Daisy Ridley), BB8 and Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) are the characters I am looking forward to in the next instalment.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Dipti’s take – Netflix is killin it! Utterly authentic yet compellingly dramatic, visually rich and relentlessly visceral from start to finish, Beasts of No Nation is an engaging study of manipulation and childhood interrupted. Much more than a chilling war drama, the film is a nightmarish coming-of-age tale of Agu (brilliantly played by Abraham Attah). It’s difficult to through sit through this one without cringing, thanks to the brutal performance of Idris Elba, depicted almost as demigod. Beasts of No Nation belongs to the league of realist films that make a strong case for hopeful rather than happy ends.

Rony’s take – Cary Joji Fukunaga is on a creative high. After directing the atmospheric TV series True Detective, he jumps headlong into this war drama that charts the journey of Agu (Abraham Attah) a child soldier taken under the wings by Commandant (Idris Alba). The journey from innocence to becoming a cold-blooded ‘beast’ is rivetingly portrayed by Abraham Attah. Right from the beginning, I felt so protective towards Agu that his violent journey of transformation was emotionally traumatic to endure.” I saw terrible things… and I did terrible things. So if I’m talking to you, it will make me sad and it will make you too sad. In this life… I just want to be happy in this life. If I’m telling this to you… you will think that… I am some sort of beast… or devil. I am all of these things… but I also having mother… father… brother and sister once. They loved me.” – Agu. These heartbreaking lines define the film for me.

 

 

 

September/October 2015 at the Movies -Reccos

The Nightmare (2015) – A documentary on sleep paralysis that is effective and told well but could have been shorter. After a point it gets into a loop of saying the same thing again and again. Nevertheless, a good watch for horror lovers.

Everest (2015) – A hurried third act, but quite an immersive experience. Glad it didn’t follow the disaster films template and focused more on the humane stories and the process of mountain climbing. Salvatore Totino’s(Any Given Sunday)cinematography scores over William Nicholson(Gladiator) and Simon Beaufoy’s(127 Hours) script. Watch it in Imax.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) – Coincidentally in the weekend that Katti Batti opened to bad reviews, I chose to watch this at home rather than venturing out for the former. This film should be a reference point for anyone who wants to tell stories of the young and restless. It is inventively told and has some hilarious movie homage weaved into it’s narrative. Fresh and low on sappy melodrama, this one is an ideal rom-com for a rainy day.

The Visit (2015) – Not giving up on M Night Shyamalan has borne fruit. The Visit is terrifying, hilarious and neatly tied up with a strong emotional core. Perfect casting, tight script with the right amount of scares. It’s a must watch for horror buffs and a moment of joy for Shyamalan fans.

Talvar (2015) –  is an absolutely riveting watch and a sharp comment on the circus of investigation. It makes one feel guilty for laughing at the black humour. Even though I have read Avirook Sen’s Aarushi very recently, Vishal Bhardwaj’s script kept me engaged all through the film.13 years after her assured debut, Meghna Gulzar makes a film that should make Papa Gulzar proud.

Kaaka Muttai (2015) – Finally saw this film, and I request everyone, please do not miss this film at any cost. Show it to your children, see it with your families. This is not poverty porn, but a slice of life about people who live around you, but are mostly invisible to your eyes. That little kid is so adorable that I was praying nothing bad happens to him in the film. One of the best films of the year.

The Martian (2015) – The Martian – Throw a character (Matt Damon) with lots of positive attitude in Mars, and what you get is a feel good survivor story, that is also a visual spectacle. Ridley Scott is in terrific form here, aided brilliantly by Drew Goddard(Writer) who has created/written ‘Daredevil(series)’ and co wrote and directed ‘The Cabin In The Woods’) And yes, Matt Damon gets saved, yet again, successfully.

Movie Review – Tamasha

In the past, the Imtiaz-Irshad-Ranbir combination gave me a character that occupied the real estate of my mind for a long time. It still does. Jordan and his angst had a lingering effect. As is the case with Imtiaz’s previous films, Tamasha too is about the evolution of the lead. It didn’t come across as a love story as much as a tale of transformation – where ‘love’ is the supporting character, powering the narrative. The brand of love in Imtiaz’s films dwells on helping the lovelorn, unearth the best versions of themselves.

Ranbir compellingly depicts the anguish of being imprisoned in an identity. It’s the kind of self-loathing that people stuck in jobs they hate or in existences full of deferred dreams, can relate to. Even the child artist who plays Ved lends an endearing quality to the character.

The ebullience and epiphanies that beautiful landscapes impart, allow us to conjure many existences. Following one’s heart is not always as simple but Tamasha’s Ved makes you want to believe in the leaps of faith. There are times when you literally want to shake him out of his delusions.Ranbir would qualify as the perfect lead if Kaufman’s Anomalisa were to be remade for Bollywood.

The act of making this film itself echoes the philosophy of it – that of being true to oneself. The tropes of travel as a tool for liberation, the wild-child syndrome, incomplete sentences and eloquent emoting – we’ve seen it all before but the cliches don’t deter Imtiaz from exploring his leitmotif in the able hands of Ranbir and Deepika – the evolved Jordan and Meera. Though the lead pair breathes new life into the redundant themes, I wish Tara’s character was not so underwritten. She was reduced to a mere catalyst in Ved’s voyage but every frame with Deepika in it scintillates with her mature grace. Some of her best scenes are the non-verbal ones like her range of reactions, from being baffled to disappointed after meeting Ved in Delhi.

If the ‘What happens in Corsica, stays in Corsica’ rules were not so chaste, the film would have been a more believable take on contemporary relationships. It is the second half, when Ved’s character disintegrates that the film comes together. Though the tone of the verbal exchanges is mostly conversational, if the dialogues had risen above banality, the first half of the film in Corsica could have been a Linklater-kinda-delightful-watch. The title itself affords the liberty of some hyperboles.

Lastly, the crux of Imtiaz’s films unfurls in his songs. Your journey as a viewer can begin with the OST, if you’re willing to listen to it on repeat mode, weeks before watching the film. It lends a perspective akin to adjusting the lens on a DSLR camera. Once you discern the subject from the background, it’s easier to connect with the filmmaker’s process.

Watching a director’s film for his signature style is like finding validation for a worldview. It is like drinking variants of beverages, with the choice of your poison for both – a taste of adventure and the safety of predictability. Imtiaz’s Tamasha has a similar effect – a comforting familiarity that leaves you yearning for more fulfilment.

– Dipti Kharude

Faadu,Mast and Theek Thak – Best films of 2014 (Jan to Aug)

 

The first half of the year 2014 came to an end at the movies and its time to bring out the list and share reccos. Wait, I am late by two more months for this half yearly list.  So, this list will be from Jan to August 2014.

 

When I look back at my viewing habits, I realized that for the past three months my theatre visits have come down. One big reason is that I stopped reviewing movies actively a few months back.

 

So, in this first half of 2014,  I consumed 109 films in both desi (Bollywood and Regional) and videsi (Hollywood and World Cinema) languages. Interestingly out of these 109 films I watched, 98 films were viewed at home on my laptop.  

 

Since now there is no compulsion to review movies, I have observed that it takes a really good film to drag me to a theatre. I don’t have the patience for mediocrity, especially on the big screen.  It can happily find a place on my laptop.

 

Also, thanks to my friend Ranjib Mazumder, my dose of classics and some ‘landmark films that I missed out on’ is being taken care of. He nags me until I see the film that he raves to death about.  I am thankful to him for his habit of shoving great cinema down my throat.  Some of the films that follows in the next lot of list are his reccoes.

 

Earlier,I had thought of writing a few lines for the films, but since  it’s a long list and I am feeling lazy and also don’t get the time I will just sort them into different headers. So, here goes my ‘best of’ list from what eye watched in the first half of 2014. The list is in no particular order.

 

 

Bollywood & Beyond:

 Faadu Hai

Highway

Queen

 Mast Hai

Miss Lovely

Hasee Toh Phasee

Aankhon Dekhi

Kalyana Saamyal Saadham (Tamil)

Fandry (Marathi)

Bhooter Bhabhisyat ( Bengali)

 

Theek Thak

Dedh Ishqiya

Xpose (Guilty Pleasure)

Filmistaan

Citylights

Entertainment (Guilty Pleasure)

Mardaani

 

Hollywood:

 Faadu Hai

 The Wolf of Wall Street

Inside Llewyn Davis

American Hustle

12 Years a Slave

Dallas Buyers Club

X Men Days of Future Past

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Nebraska

Her

 

Mast Hai

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Lone Survivor

Gozilla

Edge of Tomorrow

 

Theek Thak

Raid 2

The Fault in our Stars

Chef

 

The ‘Best of…’ list of films i saw at home will follow soon…I would like to know how many of these films you have seen and what is your list of Faadu,Mast and Theek Thak films.

Movie Review – The Xpose

In one of the scene in the film, a journo asks Himesh Reshamiyya “film ka hero toh who hai(referring to another actor) to aap isme kya hai?” Himesh with his trademark attitude replies “Superhero”. The joy of enjoying ‘The Xpose’ is to watch it with your humor glasses on. Then, everything Himesh Reshamiyya does will entertain you. He writes,creates music and produces this film for only one single purpose, That is, to pitch himself as a star.

The death of an upcoming starlet Zara Fernandes takes the story of this film into the world of the late 60’s Bollywood. There are two rival directors, two rival actresses, a music director(Yo Yo Honey Singh) who sells the same tune to two people and gets away with it and an ex cop turned superstar in south who is making his Bollywood debut. All are suspects.

The Xpose could have been a good cheesy campy film if it could have shed off some of its seriousness.  The love story takes the fun and intrigue out of the supposedly mystery suspense film. Except the song Ice cream khaungi, a Himesh film without hit chartbusters adds to the flab on the screen. The script spends way too much time in the flashbacks, rather than getting on with the murder mystery. The reveal of course can be sniffed out, long before the script even tries to create a web around it.

The reason I don’t think it’s a bad film is because of it’s execution. Director Anant Mahadevan does not make a sloppy film that is lazily directed film. It is shot well and doesn’t make you tear your hair out, like most of the films with big stars do.

Ultimately it is a solo Himesh Reshamiyya show, in which he fights, sings, romances and most of all gets to mouth some dhansoo dialogues, which alone is worth the ticket cost

Word of mouth – na dance, na expression, na pose sirf His Himesness ka solid dose.

Ticket Meter – worth 150 bucks

 Rating – ** ½ (wont kill you)

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

Growing up with the movies – Saboot (1980)

 

Flash. I am in an auto along with my aunts. We are on our way to a theatre called Bahar(in Vile Parle).Flash. A person is pulling a dead body down a staircase. These are two flashes of memory that I have of my earliest childhood visit to a theatre and probably the beginning of my love for horror films. The 2nd image gave me sleepless nights after I saw the film. Sadly the cut I saw on youtube didn’t have that scene. It makes me wonder whether that shot was a figment of my imagination. These two images from Saboot are crystal clear to me even now.

Saboot was released on 28^th February 1980 (according to imdb). I was almost 3 years old when I saw it. Directed by Tulsi Ramsay and Shyam Ramsay the film is more of a suspense thriller cum horror film.

Asha (Vidya Sinha) and Akash(Vinod Mehra) are a newly married couple singing ‘Jeena bhi koi jeena hai jisme tera saath nahi’. Minutes later tragedy strikes and Akash is killed in a plane accident. Tragedy ka baap follows when Vidya Sinha’s father Dharamraj (Trilok Kapoor) is murdered by his business rival Dhanraj(Prem Chopra) with the help of Ashok Gupta(Narendra Nath), Manmohan Saxena (Roopesh Kumar) and Rita (Padma Khanna). While burying the laash Padma Khanna tells them “yeh zinda hai, yeh zinda hai” and “kehte hain kisi zinda insaan ko agar dawan kiya jaaye toh uski aatma uski rooh apne maut ka badla apne kaatilon se leti hai”

Thus begins the one by one murder of the people who killed Dhanraj by his ghost. Amongst all this there is Ananad (Navin Nischol) investigating the murders and side mein making time for romance with Vidya Sinha’s sister Kaajal (Kaajal Kiran). Then there are Dhukiram (Rajendra Nath) and Sukhiram (Paintal) in what used to be called a ‘comedy track’ in those days.

Since I don’t have memories of the first viewing this revisit was almost a fresh viewing except the suspense part of it which I had remembered very clearly. Most of the people remember this film because of the suspense.

Here are some of the gems I found in the revisit. You decide if it inspires you to visit or revisit this little gem from the 80’

 High points of the film:

A Lift, a cold storage godown and a grave guard are three settings for the murders in the film. They don’t come close to the murders in Gumnaam but for it’s time the murder sequences were quite well done.

The background score of this film can teach the current crop a thing or two about creating a haunting theme and mood for a horror film.

Rajendra Nath’s wiper wale glasses and the ones with mini headlights on them. These trademark glasses can be seen worn by him in other films too.

A slo mo shot of kaajal kiran running in a one piece swimsuit near sun n sand swimming pool. If you are watching the film on YouTube it is at 01.18.18.

The hilarious one track investigation by Navin Nischol, in which every time there is a murder he lands up at Vidya Sinha’s house to see if Om Shivpuri is at home who is his only suspect.

Songs:

‘ladki ho ladki kaise bhi chalegi paise wali ho yaa kadki’ sung by Bhappi Lahiri and Amit Kumar.lyrics by Amit Khanna  featuring Rajendra nath and Paintal.

‘dooriyan mita do’ for fans of Kaajal Kiran ( if there are any)

Dialogues:

“Paisa bahot buri cheez hai” – Prem Chopra

“meri akkal yeh kehti hai” – Rajendra Nath’s takiya kalam

“Iss laundiya ka kaam hai khaali jaam bharna.bistaar aur zevar se mohabbat karne wali iss jawaani ko iss kabr ke mitti ke paas kyun le aaye” – Narendra Nath talking about Padma Khanna

Trivia:

This was the first time writer J.K. Ahuja worked with Ramsay’s. He wrote the story of Saboot. Later he wrote the story for 6 more Ramsay horror films. He is a person I would love to have a chat with.

Since it’s a murder mystery the revisit didn’t appeal to me much but would love to hear from whoever plans to see this film If they are able to tell the suspense kyunki “Saboot chhode nahi jaate.dhoonde jaate hain”.

 

 

Growing up with the movies – An Introduction

In this series called Growing up with the movies I will be revisiting movie from the 80’s I grew up with.

why am i doing this? i am doing to revisit those days….

those days when we are not cynical about the movies we saw

those days of playing ‘dishum dishum’ in the water of juhu beach

those days of  holding a vhs in your hand and thinking  all the stars are in there in that long black reel

those days when we used to watch movies umpteen number of times

those days when ganesh chatutrthi meant sitting on a gonpaat ( gunnysack) watching back to back movies being projected on a white cloth

those days of watching saapthaiki and making notes of the movies to watch

those days of chhayageet, chitrahaar and phool khile hain gulshan gulshan.

those days of collecting bunch of cards that had movie posters and stills on it and playing card games with it.

Those days that will not come back and the only way to bring back a tiny part  of those wonderful days is to write about…. those days

It feels as if my memories are stored safely in a locked box in my mind and the key to it is cinema.

Indian cinema is in its 100^th year and as I was thinking of writing something to celebrate it. I went through a series of sight and sound images in my head that involved my personal experience with cinema. Songs and visuals I have grown up with.

Fortunately, though I was born in the late 70’s I have been exposed to Hindi cinema of the 60’s and 70’s thanks to a family obsessed with movies. Right from my parents to my uncles and aunts different tastes of cinema has had a strong influence in shaping me as a movie buff.

Though I believe that I have a weak memory and my recall of my past is low but every time I hear a song or a visual of an old Hindi film I feel a rush of memory coming back to me.

This series called ‘Growing up with the movies’ is an attempt to revisit those movies and write about the experiences I have felt associated with those movies. In this series I will be covering mostly films of the 80’s starting with Ramsay’s Saboot because this film has the first visual image i remember of having seen the big screen for the first time in my life.

Watch out for the next post…

Movie Review – Vicky Donor

Feel Good Sperm

In the early 2000’s I had a regular job, was not writing reviews but was still watching movies FDFS. I had figured out an instant test to rate if a movie was really good. The test was that if after coming out of the theatre I was in such a happy state of mind that I felt like taking a day off from work and just day dream about the film that I just saw, that film was good. Vicky Donor reminded me that the test still holds up well.

What’s it about? – Vicky Arora (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a good for nothing who lives with his mom Dolly (Dolly Ahluwalia) and Biji (Kamlesh Gill). He is spotted by Dr. Chadha (Annu Kapoor) who is looking for a healthy Sperm Donor. After much persuasion he Vicky is convinced into the business of Sperm Donation. The business starts booming, money starts flowing but then Vicky falls in love with Aushima (Yami Gautam) and then…

How is it? – Good.

My take – Half of the films screen time is spent on the day to day life, interaction between Vicky and his family, Dr. Chaddha trying to convince Vicky to become a sperm donor and Vicky’s attempt in wooing Aushima. These parts are where the film peaks with its energy. The interaction between Dolly and Biji are the high points in the film followed by Vicky’s interactions with Dr. Chaddha. The film scores in tackling a subject like Sperm donation with utmost ease without an ounce of vulgarity or sleaze. The performances and the dialogues are what stayed with me after the film was over. When you see a good film and tell your friends about it most of the times you talk about the characters, the scenes you liked and the lines that cracked you up. This film has plenty of those.  It is only when the conflict comes into the picture that the film loses its energy and is hurried towards a predictable ending. After that gem of a debut in Yahaan, Shoojit Sircar gives us a feel good film written brilliantly by Juhi Trivedi. Even though at times I feel fatigued by bollywood’s obessesion withDelhiand Punjabi, a film like this comes along and still makes it work. Minor quibble that crosses your mind is that Vicky’s character has no grey area and he screams only once throughout the film and that too at his uncle. But since you are enjoying the ride so much you tend to ignore such minor flaws because there are so many things that work including a laugh out loud wedding sequence not seen in Hindi Cinema since Monsoon Wedding.

Word of mouth – Iss film ka sperm count correct hain. A film about sperms that is fit for family viewing.

Rating – *** ½ (Good)

Ticket Meter – Worth 200 bucks.

 

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