Movie Review - "Paa"

In a sachcharine filled artificially sweetened world of Bollywood movies with it's make believe plots and uber cool families, where Paris stands in for patiala and where caricature rules the roost, comes a film that stands out with it's pure heart warming tale about a boy named Auro.
The biggest superstar with his trademark face and baritone decides to give those up, and to deep dive into one of the most difficult roles, and manages to enthrall the audience with a superlative performance.
So pure and simple in it's narrative, Paa is one of the best movies of 2009. No shaadis, no hip hop, no foreign dancers or the melodrama that accompanies a bollywood vehicle.
Sumptuously filmed and brilliantly acted by the principal cast. Paa is not a weepy film like Black. It's not a sentimental journey into the progeria affected world of Auro. It's a celebration. Abhishek plays it straight and Vidya Balan who seems to have finally got her styling right, is brilliant. Nag is fantastic as the mother who is a friend to Auro. And surprisingly it's not a big b vehicle. It does not star amitabh Bachchan. It's star is Auro. A brand new actor who makes his Bollywood debut. So believable, so lovable and so brilliant. In a role that is sure to get amitabh his second national award amongst all the other ones, he plays a role never done before. In perhaps the biggest gamble in his acting career, he gives up all that he is famous for, all the traits that the world knows him for - his looks, his gait, his voice, his dance, his image and replaces each with a unique and mind blowing brand new alternative. For not a single moment does one see amitabh on screen. Auro regales us with his sense of humor, and is the epitome of all things positive. The entire casting is spot on and they should all share the limelight for making this movie so believable and so unlike a bollywood movie.

Balki strikes the real believable and heart warming chord once again after Cheeni Kum. In a poignantly directed film he lets the characters play out their roles without being seen. No gimmicks no punches pulled. Just tells the story as is. Maestro Illaiyaraja is in vintage form. Brilliant. His tunes complement the movie and the songs and background score are brilliant. Beautifully shot and edited Paa is the Baap of all bollywood movies. If there's one movie that needs to be seen it's this. For the sheer courage it has taken the team to bring this to life.

Go see the movie on the big screen.

MOvie Review - "Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year"

Over the past three yrs Real Cinema has emerged out of the woodwork of Bollywood. Dibakar Banerjee with Khosla and Oye lucky, Balki with Cheeni Kum and Paa, Anurag with Dev D and Black Friday, Shashant Shah with Dasvidaniya, Sagar Bellary with Bheja Fry, and Shimit Amin blessed with the backing of YRF has given us Chak De India and now Rocket Singh. What sets apart these films? Do they have a secret direction rider that states no foreign locations, no helicopters, and no Russian dancers? We will never know. But what we do know is tht these movies have a "real" touch to them. Honest storytelling is the main motive. Stories that are about people and ordinary lives, and not about manhattan and mehndi. Rocket Singh is the story of one man's journey into the big bad corporate world of salesmanship. And everything about him and the story is real. Yes he is a Sardar and they speak Punjabi at home, but he does not count stars or talk about Chandni chowk and wear Armani or strut the London bridge. It's a heartwarming tale of a man who fights the odds and lives life on his own terms through the world around him maybe corrupt and bad. I don't want to talk about the story as the magic will be lost. And cleverly written lines of mine will not give you the whole picture. So. The movie is very. Well written and it's glorious to see Prem Chopra not as a paraplegic comic in a B grade comedy caper but as a doting grandfather who has a great sense of humor and is a perfect foil to Ranbir. Well cast the actors play the characters and Gauhar Khan is a revelation. But the cherry on the cake is Ranbir Kapoor. A brilliantly understated performance that gives him the tag of an actor. No towel-wearing silhouettes, or dancing on Greek islands. We always knew he had great comic timing, the charisma to pull off solo hero projects. But this movie will make you take him as an actor. The script is brilliant and detailed. The direction is flawless and after ages comes to a movie that relies not on montage, gimmicks, and stars but on the script and the lines. Without a song, the movie is a slice-of-life film. It's not a multiplex film. It's good cinema. Blessed by a studio budget Shimit Amin utilizes the budget to tell a story well like he did in Chak De. And big studios should support such real cinema. What started off with Bheja Fry has now given the chance for good scripts to emerge. Rocket Singh is poignant, funny, touching and like Chak De it's an underdog story told well. The art direction is brilliant and blends into the movie brilliantly. Real. Watch Rocket Singh.

Movie Review of "3 Idiots"

There is a difference between something good and something great. It's the slip between the cup and the lip. So in terms of Indian movies sholay is great, taare zameen par is great, munnabhai is great. In fact the three films are more than great. But 3 idiots is not a great film. It's a good film. Do I hear outcries of anger when I say this?it's my opinion and it's subjective. 3 idiots is a very likeable good film. It's got a kick-ass cast of actors the finest perhaps in the country, with Aamir leading the way. It has been gloriously filmed, the music and songs are good, the milieu of the engineering college captured efficiently and that is what makes the first half of the movie so likeable. But it's a character that Aamir has done many times before - the lovable comic underdog. And boman returning in yet another of avatar of the principal seen in munnabhai is now too familiar a move. That does not mean he does not excel in his role. My belief is that boman can do any role. And here too he is fantastic. But the character does not rise above what he had achieved with Asthana. And of course the expectation of the RDB trio returning is high. As for the chemistry between them - it's good but not as great as it was in RDB. As for individual performances Sharmaan shines. Madhavan is good. Aamir is good. But this is where the movie stands. It's a good film. Intact a bloody good film. But not a great one. The length is too long, the implausibility of the second half with Javed jaffrey, and what was with the baby delivery sequence? If Virus needed to be taught a lesson could it not have been better to do it the way Rocket Singh dealt with hi nemesis. Stuck to his guns and ideals - no melodrama. Could it have been dealt differently? Who knows? We see what we see on the screen. Finally, Kareena Kapoor. It's a miniscule role. Yes it is. If anybody told you that this movie is not an Aamir Khan vehicle then they would be lying. It's an out and out Aamir film. Kareena shone in Jab we met and Chameli. Here she does not disappoint in whatever little she has been given. Munnabhai series upped the ante in movie making and story telling. And Rajkumar hirani had shown us what a great film maker he is. And the expectation indeed was high with 3 idiots. Is itvthe story? Or is it just the whole product? It's a movie that has to be seen just like munnabhai, taare zameen oar, rang de basanti. When I walked out of the theatre after watching the three mentioned films I was moved. And so was the nation. Sending bouquets, and standing up for justice became the mantra of the nation. But after 3 idiots all we take back is All is well. And that is where lies the little chink in the armour. Unlike the three movies mentioned which had very strong messages and often multiple messages, this movie has just one message of allowing people to chase their dreams. And it gets stretched across almost three hours. Do watch 3 Idiots - it's a good film. A film that the team should be proud of producing. And as viewers we should definitely watch. But pardon my observation - it's not a taare zameen par, nor is it munnabhai. It's a good film not a great one. Actually I am being very generous when i say it's good. It's a very average film. Amen.