Watch it for exceptional 3D effects.

Film: The Croods

Director: Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco

Voices: Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy 

Dreamworks’ latest offering “The Croods” relies strongly on spectacularly luminous 3D effects and slapstick comedy as it doesn’t have anything new or significant to say in terms of story.

Set in pre-historic age, The Croods family consisting of six members led by Grug (voiced by Nicholas Cage) works in sync to - gather food, fight dangerous creatures and persist against various violent geologic events. Grug is a responsible, caring father who manages to take care of his family in hardest of the times but in doing so he becomes over-protective, encouraging his daughter to follow the certain set of rules which according to him is the master- key to survival. His sprightly daughter Eep (voiced by Emma Stone) wills to break and bend those rules to see the world she is never permitted to. She thinks world she hasn’t seen yet must be beautiful. She is filled with hope and curiosity. Grug thinks curiosity can thwart their lives so curiosity ends up being tagged as sinister. There’s nothing Eep can single-handedly do about it. Whole family mostly lives inside the cave (or you can say they are stuck!) but on one fine day tectonic plate shifts vicissitudes the course of their boring lives by destroying their cave. It's the end of darkness they've been embracing since years. What follows is an exhilarating adventure with a smart chap named Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) which changes their lives forever.

If you are an ardent fan of animation films, you’ll easily conclude that the tiff that transpires between father-daughter is no different than Hotel Transylvania and Ice Age 4. “Follow the light” and “adaptability” are the messages this 93 minutes long animation film strappingly focuses on. 6-13 year olds will find it inspiring unlike adults who are generally cynical about life. Apart from that, those things are already said by other animation films, in a more subtle manner. The thing which they were trying to convey through pets seemed hurried. It just didn't work for me.

Weirdly funny characters, excellent voice work (by whole cast) and 3D effects make up for simplistic plot. Guy’s pet Belt impressed me with his cool tricks & outstanding IQ. Guy and Belt are my favorite characters amongst all. Simple reason for that is: they are imaginative and can provide timely solution to a problem. Isn’t that a rare combo ?

There’s no denying that 3D effects are exceptionally charming. Children and even adults will actually try to experience the gorgeously colorful flora and fauna by touching them. I myself tried it more than twice. Animators here had the ample opportunities to explore as they were supposed to animate varied landscapes. And by utilizing wide varieties of bright color palettes, they triumphed, literally. Each and every frame of this film is colorful enough to set it as desktop wallpaper.   

It’s not a great, path-breaking animation film but it easily manages to deliver wholesome entertainment, despite the clichés and melodrama. Believe me, no matter how old you are, you are not too old to enjoy this film.

For age groups 4-10 year olds.

Film: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

Director: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier

Voices: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Like everyone else, I have also cherished previous Ice Age films to the core and being a fan, I was very much keen for their latest outing. When I actually witnessed it, I not only felt disappointed but also lost faith in the genre itself. Reason is not the latest Ice Age film. In this season, we also passed by Pixar’s melodramatic ‘Brave’ & Dreamworks’ not-so-creative ‘Madagascar 3’. Problem isn’t that they are bad, problem is they are just not meant for adults. Just like board games, these films also should’ve come with tagline “for age groups 4-10 year olds”.

Opening scene of Ice Age 4: Continental Drift expectedly shows Scrat (voiced by Chris Wedge) chasing his prized acorn. Alike previous three films, this time also it’s hilarious and raises the expectations of the viewer. That emotional & enthusiastic chase of Scrat causes cataclysmic event of continents setting apart which departs Manny the mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano) from his family. Along with him are his faithful friends, brave tiger Diego (voiced by Denis Leary) & noticeably funny & innocent buck-toothed sloth Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo).

In their adventure to return home safely, they meet dangerous pirates who of course are villians. Pirates here are a bunch of nonsense, totally unentertaining & badly written characters which make this film uninteresting. To add predictability to the plot, there’s a humdrum teenage drama plus one love story and if that’s not all we also have one granny. At certain point it felt like Ice Age 4 was inspired from Balaji Telefilms’ daily soaps. 

Mind-blowing set pieces and glorious 3D add much required thrill to the action sequences and are praise worthy but nowadays 3D & set-pieces look so common that they can’t act as the yardstick to measure any film’s strength.

Film still is consistently humorous, thanks to ever funny Sid whose actions and reactions are so unpredictable and amusing that you wish for more scenes featuring him and only him. Another reason why this film works is, Scrat. Scrat is the kind of character for which one can cheer devotedly.

Sid in the film utters that there’s rainbow around every corner. Hope, the makers will find that corner next time around.

Rating: 3/5   

Soaring high, with pride & passion !

Film: Gattu

Director: Rajan Khosa

Cast: Mohammad Samad, Naresh Kumar

Genre: Drama

Famous film-maker & actress Nandita Das is about to complete her tenure as a Chairperson for CFSI (Children’s Film Society India) and this is her last gift to CFSI. No distributor was ready to touch this sweet little gem of a film because it didn’t promise BO success as it was devoid of any known face. With all the hardships, Nandita Das managed to get a commercial release, thanks to generous Rajshri Productions. In the last 57 years, no other film (total 250 made so far) under the banner of CFSI has got commercial release so Gattu is also a cape of good hope for them.

Set in Roorkie (mostly known for IIT situated there), Uttarakhand, Gattu is a simple and straightforward film which endearingly delivers a significant social message. We’ve already seen I am Kalam (released in 2011) so how different is Gattu ? To be honest, it’s quite similar. This film also deals with the issues like child labor & RTE (Right to Education) but if you look at the final outcome, it’s done so nicely that you can’t resist yourself from cheering for lovable & cute protagonist.

Gattu (played by eight-year-old Mohammad Samad) is a street brat who reluctantly works in his uncle’s scrapyard & whose vision & mission are so clear that stopping him to achieve his goal is quite impossible. His passion for kite-flying is invincible which he proves by chopping-off his friends’ kites confidently but he’s not able to cut the Kali, it’s a black colored big batman-like Kite which is famous in whole town and everybody thinks that it’s not possible to cut it off from blue skies. Gattu is all set to make this unachievable goal achievable & for that he must get to the highest peak to get proper wind and that leads him to school where he not only learns the essential fundas like gravity but also treasures valuable principles & aspects of life.

Rajan Khosa’s ‘Gattu’ is a well-made and well intentioned film which deserves a watch because of its simplicity. No surprise that it won international acclaim at prestigious film festivals (the Berlin International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Indian Film Festival and film festivals at New York). From 12 different schools, total 200 students were auditioned & it was Mohammad Samad who made it and he has flied kites in films on his own. Well, it appears. His acting skills too are terrific and he is totally believable as “Gattu” which makes him win empathy easily. In his uncle’s role is Naresh Kumar who plays the character with equal conviction.

I am sad for the fact that it has released in the time when commercial films are roaring real loud but I do wish that maximum number of people watch it and spread the word. It’s a beautiful film which needs a little help from everybody. Just don’t miss !

Rating: 3.5/5

Rise !

Film: The Dark Knight Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom hardy, Sir Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman

Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller

The film which acted like fodder for gossip for months has finally released. Isn’t that great ? Yes, feeling is amazing. The Dark Knight (released in 2008) was perfect and it’s not an easy task to top the perfection but still Christopher Nolan dared to go beyond it and made The Dark Knight Rises. I’ve never ever seen fans participating in the strategic viral marketing this actively for a particular film. Therefore, The Dark Knight Rises is the most awaited film of 2012 and it wisely pretends to be the greatest superhero film history has ever witnessed.

Film involves lot many characters and hence, elongated drama. 8 years have passed since Harvey Dent’s death and city under the Dent act is crime-free. No one has seen Batman/Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) in this span and now when Gotham city is under the threat & claws of masked beast-like terrorist Bane (played by Tom Hardy), he must come and do the needful (like always). There’s more to it and I won’t tell because I want you to get goosebumps.

Bruce Wayne is between the harbinger of pain & depression so it’s not possible for him to show up instantly so we witness mostly drama in the first half. Christian Bale is flawless throughout the trilogy. I can’t imagine any other actor playing it more convincingly.

Every character in this film is smart but Catwoman/Selena Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway) is the smartest of the lot. She has the pace; she is sexy, smart & is the distinguished thief. Ever faithful butler Alfred (played by Sir Michael Caine) once again does everything he can to save Master Wayne from suffering & great actor has done a commendable work. He made the drama relatable and also evoked emotions which were much necessary to root for the ultimate hero. Commissioner Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) is not alone this time. For all the investigation and chases, he has got courageous Officer Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in whom he can invest his trust.

My favorite character of this film is Blake and not Batman. Joseph is just terrific and is consistently getting better and better with each film passing by. Whether he’s catching the guilty, searching some clue or chatting with character(s), he has performed superbly in each and every scene. Presence of Miranda (played by Marion Cotillard) will surely be felt at certain point and last but not the least, gadget guru Lucious Fox (played by Morgan Freeman). Fox returns with one hell of a surprise.

Even if Bane was audible, it wouldn’t have made much difference. Tom Hardy has successfully managed to transform himself into monster & I appreciate but he is not even 1% of what Joker was. Hope that sums up everything.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy isn’t just about action. It speaks much more than that. But action here is pretty remarkable. Witnessing Batpod rocketing on Gotham streets & performing some magic with its front wheel was a tremendously joyful experience & the last chase sequence comprising all the Batman mean machines made me totally speechless. 1 hour of the film is shot in 70 mm IMAX camera and you know what, it appears. Gotham’s horrific condition is captured marvelously & of course there’s that spectacular football field scene which is absolutely thrilling. For all that, lion part of credit also goes to the film’s cinematographer, Wally Pfister.

Background Score by Hans Zimmer is rich & deep enough to make you drown completely. Chant ‘Deh shay’ (meaning Rise) will surely stay in memory for long.   

Nolan brothers have given TDKR some smart twists and dialogues too are impressive but still it doesn’t outrun The Dark Knight. TDK still remains the greatest superhero film ever made. Psychological browbeat between Joker & Batman made it special but here there’s a physical combat which isn’t up to the mark plus there are some loopholes which you don’t expect from the man who utilized his god-like imagination & gave us some extraordinary mind-bending films. But I’d still strongly recommend everybody to watch TDKR because no other superhero will touch your emotional chord like Nolan’s Batman touches. To enjoy the finale to the fullest, one must have watched its predecessors.

Rating: 4/5

No, not amazing !

Film: The Amazing Spider-man
Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan
Genre: Action | Fantasy

I am unhappy to reveal that my kind heart couldn’t appreciate the insensitivity with which Marc Webb has rebooted my favorite superhero. Yes, Spider-man is my favorite superhero because when I was 12 years old, batman movies weren’t as gruesome & enthralling as they are now & at that time, Avengers were not cinematically present. To be honest there are some very sweet memories attached with Sam Raimi’s Spider-man (released in 2002).

If one’s re-booting a superhero film first thing which need modifications is a storyline. And story of The Amazing Spiderman is absolutely pale and uninteresting. First half of the film will not only make you realize how good Raimi was in constructing simple heartwarming moments but will also make you angry for the absence of novelty this film has. Basketball sequence reminded me of Koi Mil Gaya and even in that film I knew the obvious outcome (like everybody else) but I enjoyed it much more than this one. May be because today I am no more a kid or may be because today’s kids are smarter & they deserve something funnier & clever than utter silliness.  

Director Marc Webb has used his key-strength wisely and luckily, there’s one aspect in this film which is pitch perfect. Romance is marvelously rendered. Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield) & Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) have enough chemistry to win your heart. But hey, superhero films are basically about good vs. evil and not romance. If we underline that fact, The Amazing Spiderman fails though not completely.         

Andrew Garfield injects everything he had into Peter Parker and he succeeds. There’s not even a single scene in which one can notice imperfection from his side. And same can be said for Emma Stone. She makes Gwen a believable brave character & comfortably replaces arty Mary Jane.    

I seriously missed parker’s best friend - Harry Osbourne (played by James Franco). He is one of the significant elements of previous spider-man films and James Franco was remarkable in it. Harry’s love and hate relationship with peter parker really was riveting. Story is somewhat changed and I guess there’s no scope for that character but something substantial is much needed to fill that void.  

Coming to the action & CGI part, it’s all getting repetitive & there’s nothing much to say. 3D could’ve been more effective with some more wall-to-wall climbing & swinging scenes. There’s one scene which I immensely liked irrespective of the fact that it was devoid of tension, thrill & suspense. Idea of making 6 cars dangle on the bridge at the same time alone is worth appreciating. Webb has beautifully executed the imagination in that particular scene.

I won’t comment on the choice of villain but his motives seemed vague & Lizard / Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans) wasn’t menacing at all. And he is the weakest point of this ambitious film. Plus predictability also kills much of the film’s gusto.

So far I’ve not mentioned anything about our talented Irrfan Khan. You know why? Because it’s not worth mentioning.

Uncle Ben’s famous words go like this: With great power, comes great responsibility. Sony Pictures have given Webb a great power to reboot the spider-man in his own way and for the sake of good, he should better understand the latter part as soon as possible.

Rating: 2.5/5

Action at its best.

Film: The Raid: Redemption
Director: Gareth Evans

Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy
Genre: Action


The Raid: Redemption is gonna satisfy those nerds who have deep affection for PC games & also those who have always enjoyed Tony Jaa’s work.

Plot is like that of video game only. Platoon of local police is supposed to catch a gangster who resides in a 15 storey-building. Building is studded with loud speakers, cameras and main villain’s tapori gundas and whole film is shot in the same building. Gundas here are skilled, they know martial arts very well and they also possess weapons viz. machine guns and knives, with which they easily destroy whole platoon. Platoon of course was not capable enough to reach and grab the main villain and whole plan was actually a conspiracy but one man, Rama (played by Iko Uwais) as expected rises above the expectations of everyone, successfully turns the table and film is centered on his conviction to achieve impossible.

Length of the film is just 103 minutes and it has no dull moment. It’s all about cheese, we know it. But the way film is made, it’s just stupendous. Camera work here is purely magical; camera brilliantly takes us through and inside wall of the building. No cables, no CGI, no vfx – how hard is that to imagine in this era! But that’s how this film is made.   

Hand-to-hand fight sequences are undeniably remarkable and that’s the very main reason why this film works. Last fight portraying two vs. one is the film’s longest combat sequence and is the most excellent action sequence I’ve seen in recent times which in point of fact rejuvenates the traditional Indonesian martial-arts. All the three actors (Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah & Yayan Ruhian) who performed the last fight deserve a big round of applause for representing the extreme level of enthusiasm in the most authentic way.

The Raid: Redemption is bone-crunching, skull-smashing & furiously paced actioner which I liked very much and all those who love action films are sure to adore this film.   


Rating: 3.5/5

Just run of the mill !

Film: Battleship
Director: Peter Berg
Star Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Nesson, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna
Genre: Crash-bang-boom

Thanks to lavish Hollywood, Aliens are invading our planet cinematically at least once in year. Is that some way to pay tribute to aliens or is it the constant reminder of the fact that aliens do really exist? Those makers can only tell that. Peter Berg with ‘Battleship’ proves absolutely nothing.

Alex Hopper (played by Taylor Kitsch) is a reckless 26-years-old guy who gets into Navy because his brother wants him to. With respect to his rogue attitude, Admiral Shane (played by Liam Nesson) announces that his career in Navy is more or less finished. Aliens invade the earth and like every time, it is west. Alex along with Japanese officer fights them bravely and everything falls back in place. To transport more ordinariness to the film there is Brooklyn Decker as lady love of Alex, whose bouncy breasts and tiny outfits very well justifies her presence. Raikes (played by talented singer Rihanna) assists Alex in the combat sequences and is very energetic but to be honest, it was a lukewarm debut. Not her mistake though.

Producers spent huge sum of 200 million dollars to show us some impressive battle sequences between Aliens and humans which are equivalent to Michael Bay’s visually spectacular & irrational Transformers’ series. Only difference is that most of the action sequences in this film are set in the middle of an ocean. Ships sailing fiercely & cutting waters and naval battle scenes are so exhilarating that you genuinely wish to experience them in 3D.

Mission of aliens is to build a power source in ocean & this time around they remarkably destroy one of the good-looking towers of Hongkong, chopping it from the middle giving humans a clear sign that they’ve arrived (again!). In addition, they ruin 3 navy battleships by dropping large number of strange-looking missiles on them. There also is one extraordinary scene in which 2 gigantic metal balls consisting gears are rolled over Hawaiian island and we see cars, helicopters and even bridge getting destroyed causing some effective explosions. But sadly none of them appropriately fix film’s customary flaws. It precisely is misuse of CGI & other latest technologies available to mankind.

Introduction is lengthy, post interval part is way too monotonous and climax of course is very predictable and hence, tasteless. Film easily could’ve been shorter & better. They’ve got every ingredient required for making a good action film. Don’t know why they are spending millions to portray the same thing in same ‘Bang n Boom’ manner each year.   

Rating: 2/5

Pure Bullshit

Once upon a time, I watched Sajid Khan's Blousefull. 

Director: Sajid Khan (aka Chutiya)

Star cast: Aksay Kumar, Deepika padukone, Lara Dutta, Riteish, Arjun Rampal, Jiah Khan

Genre: Pure Bullshit

When it comes to Akshay`s movies, heart says jump for it and brain says don`t go near it. Finally we listen to the heart and what we get is a mere disappointment. This time also there`s nothing different with Housefull. Sajid khan, instead of moving one step ahead after Heyy Baby goes many steps backwards and presents a comedy which is ridiculous and stupid at each and every point of time.

Akshay shown as aarush, the most ill-fated guy on the planet is tired of his life and returns to his friend with a hope that his life may improve. Then comes the things on screen which we have been through innumerable number of times like altering of wives, stammering, slapsticks, using cheap language like homo and gay etc. Already tested formulas are utilized here and none of them succeed to lit a big smile on a viewer`s face. One after the another slapstick might make you laugh for once but gay angle shown is completely worn out one.

An established joker of bollywood (aka Akshay Kumar) who plays fool of himself every now and then completely fails this time to tickle his audience. His naïve look is getting repetitive and absolutely boring. The lead guitarist(Arjun Rampal) of Rock On is completely wasted here and Riteish even adds nothing to the movie. Gujarati character of Boman as Batuk patel could have been more entertaining than actually it is like the one of Kantaben. Chunky Pandey as Akhri Pasta delivers some fresh jokes.

The director instead of exploring even a bit of acting skills from his actresses goes other way round and explores their skin. At some instants you will feel like you are watching Kingfisher Calendar and not movie. Music from the reputed band (SEL) also stinks here. Surprisingly, even they don`t have anything original to offer.

Some of the jokes are barefacedly placed from Mr. Bean series. In the closing stages, when you are undoubtedly praying to almighty for ending this cheap movie, laughing gas leaks out and the assembled cast bursts with fake and loud giggles which adds nothing but gasoline to the fire.

There are chances you may leave the cinema hall halfway. Even crocin and disprin won`t make you feel any better after watching this crap of Sajid Khan. This movie proves that without a proper story line and original comic dialogues, using good musicians, star studded cast and exotic locations can be just in vain. To the director who claims his movie as an “entertainer”, I would suggest him to watch Hera Pheri and Awara pagal Deewana. They might change his definiftion of an “entertainer”. Hangover would be difficult for Sajid to understand. Have some mercy on yourself by avoiding this one. Watching local circus in your city would be a far better alternative! 

Enthralling !!

Film: Kahaani 
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee & Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Genre: Drama | Thriller 

Kahaani is truly a jack-in-the-box surprise. Kahaani is that rare film which gives each and every person associated with it an equal opportunity to shine.

After watching smarter than the smartest BBC show ‘Sherlock’, I never actually expected ‘Kahaani’ to work for me. But the film rose over and above my expectations. From the very word ‘go’ till its shocking climax, it made me bite my nails. Surprise and suspense are very well blended by director Sujoy Ghosh and am happy to announce that film is ‘original’.

The movie centers on 7 months pregnant Vidya Bagchi (played by Vidya Balan) who travels far & wide, all the way from London to Kolkata to find her missing husband, Arnab Bagchi. In Kolkata, she goes to the local police station for help where she’s treated nicely and is given the necessary attention & aid.  Film takes plenty of U turns & atmosphere becomes frightful when this case gets interlinked with the terrorist who is responsible for the metro massacre which killed hundreds of innocent citizens. So cops opt to catch that terrorist first and what about Vidya Bagchi’s husband? Right. What about him? Well, there is a question mark on his existence but there’s a hope too.

Vidya is proficient enough to hack servers of national data center and tries her best to find her better-half but police instead of taking her case into consideration begs for her help to hack that system again so they can grab hold of main culprit and poor lady instead of walking away helps them, but with blatant disappointment in her eyes.

Central character is so beautifully sketched that however stone-hearted you are, you will sympathize. With Kahaani, Vidya makes sincere effort to win National Award next year. The way she befriends kids in the movie is really cute and from pain to disappointment to wrath, each phase is skillfully rendered by her. Actress confidently delivers yet another memorable performance.

Anurag Kashyap’s ‘That Girl In Yellow Boots’ had plenty of characters and characterization was vague plus their presence remained unjustified till the end. But writers (Ritesh Shah, Sutapa Sikdar & Sujoy Ghosh) triumph here. All the characters here are for a reason and each and every actor is gifted with very-well written character. 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as hyperactive cop delivers credible performance and he definitely is the man to look forward to in upcoming days. Every time you see him in a conversation with Vidya, you expect something phenomenal to happen and that’s the charisma of his personality. However, my favorite character is - Rana (played by Parambrata Chatterjee). Throughout vidya’s journey we see cop Rana helping her without any personal interest. Honesty is not only in the character he plays but in his performance too. He is the most endearing character in the film. Also, there’s a funny-looking but impious contract killer who kills witnesses with ease. Yes, just like Bourne films.  

Severe problem of Vidya Bagchi seem surmountable when legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan lovingly sings "êkla chôlo re". It’s undeniably the best moment of the film. 

I also loved the way humor sprouts in the film. You’ll literally smile when local Bengali people instead of uttering Vidya will utter “Bidya”. And ignorance of computer in police-station is dramatically depicted.   

Kolkata clad with the luminous decorations of Durga Pooja is a feast to eyes. Film is gloriously shot by cinematographer Setu. He wisely takes actors and viewers for a jog in the heart of Kolkata.

Above mentioned aspects of this 115 mins long film easily overcome its only drawback i.e. leisure pace. Not a problem but still brisk pacing could have acted like cherry on top.

There is much more than what I’ve written so don’t let your imagination fill in the rest, go watch this enthralling thriller right away !

Rating: 3.5/5

For all those of you, who loved 'êkla chôlo re'


Bengali Phonemic transcription


Jodi tor đak shune keu na ashe tôbe êkla chôlo re,
Êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo, êkla chôlo re.
Jodi keu kôtha na kôe, ore ore o ôbhaga,
Jodi shôbai thake mukh firaee shôbai kôre bhôe—
Tôbe pôran khule
O tui mukh fuţe tor moner kôtha êkla bôlo re.
Jodi shôbai fire jae, ore ore o ôbhaga,
Jodi gôhon pôthe jabar kale keu fire na chae—
Tôbe pôther kãţa
O tui rôktomakha chôrontôle êkla dôlo re.
Jodi alo na dhôre, ore ore o ôbhaga,
Jodi jhôŗ-badole ãdhar rate duar dêe ghôre—
Tôbe bojranôle
Apon buker pãjor jalie nie êkla jôlo re.


Translation into English


Here is the translation in prose of the Bengali original rendered by Rabindranath Tagore himself. 


If they answer not to thy call walk alone,
If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,
O thou unlucky one,
open thy mind and speak out alone.
If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,
O thou unlucky one, 
trample the thorns under thy tread,
and along the blood-lined track travel alone.
If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,
O thou unlucky one,
with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart
and let it burn alone.

Blah Blah Blah. . .

Film: London Paris Newyork
Director: Anu Menon
Cast: Ali Zafar & Aditi Rao Hydari 
Genre: Romance

Debutant Anu Menon’s LPNY borrows apparatus from Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. So, film has just 2 characters and throughout the film we witness their conversations and emotions. This is bollywood. Hence, songs are also there plus one of the most legendary cliché also comes into picture in the final moments of the film i.e. heroine’s dad.  

Protagonists Nikhil (played by Ali Zafar) & Lalitha (played by Aditi Rao Hydari) meet at London Airport and they merrily spend a day together and gentle emotions & spark of love ignite during the time of departure. They take a vow to meet again but in the meantime, no one’s supposed to call/write each other. In fact, they don’t share details like phone no./e-mail but they decide to see each other after a certain span of time. Sounds cool, eh?

As the name suggests, film criss-crosses across three dazzling cities of our planet and out of those three cities, our leads meet at two cities (London & Paris) and spend a day together. During their meet in third city (New York) they finally take a long-lasting resolution which I don’t think is worth appreciating because we’ve witnessed 4 rom-coms in past 4 weeks. It’s fine, just fine but because of overdose I am not able to connect to it.

Best thing about Anu Menon’s film is that it’s just 100 mins long and worst thing is that even in that short duration film unintentionally requests you to stare at your watch, yawn & even take a nap. ‘Before Sunrise’ had sharp & captivating conversations. It had power to hypnotize viewer but LPNY doesn’t have such power. Only two scenes stand out in the whole film, one’s when Lalitha translates one couple’s cocky & sexy discussion in male voice in our national language & another one’s in climax when Nikhil portrays his frustration & rage.  

Acting of both fluctuates after every few minutes and as the film contains only them it becomes easy to point out. Both look charming, both have enormous sex appeal but their absurd dialogue delivery & inconsistency in acting is unapologetic.

And yes, Ali Zafar’s music qualifies to enter my playlist but I am sure it won’t stay for long time. Cinematography is splendid & glowingly captures the essence of all the 3 cities. 

Concepts of feminism and banter related to “mills & boon” are sure to bore you but if you are in dilemma about where to go for honeymoon then you should watch this film. 

Rating: 1.5/5

  

Laughter Barrel !!

Film: Carnage
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet, Jodie Fosterand & John C. Reilly
Genre: Drama | Comedy



Plot of Roman Polanski’s ‘Carnage’ reminds me of my school days. When I used to exchange blows in school with fellow mates I used to set one condition in advance i.e. after the fight is over, however wicked is the consequence, none of us is allowed to drag parents to settle the accounts. Here, kids are not having any ethics. One nefarious kid breaks other kid’s two teeths by smacking them with stick and their parents meet to establish peace treaty.


Alan and Nancy Cowan (Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet) are actually the winners because it was their son who understood Charles Darwin’s theory at an early age and smacked other kid but if one thinks logically then one may reach to a conclusion that kid must be a die-hard Salman Khan fan. Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Jodie Fosterand & John C. Reilly) are the sufferers, who invite Alan and Nancy for sorting out this despicable event. 

Polanski’s film is based on Yasmina Reza’s play “God of Carnage”. Clocking at around just 75 mins, film offers hell lot of laughs. In their juvenile & brainless effort to solve the issue, we witness everything from outrageously silly comments to that four letter word being extensively used to appropriately convey their anger, frustration and pain. Soon they forget the real issue and brag about their disgruntled married life. One of the prime reasons why this film works is the atmosphere of dubiousness created by Polanski. At every next minute, characters come up with something unimaginable and infinitely stupid. I must say, no other film in recent times has used cellphone so cleverly. 


All the four actors are in top form, but ladies deserve applause. Nancy on one hand is sorry for Penelope’s son but on other hand she’s not ready to admit that her son was the root cause of the quarrel. Both ladies succeed to portray mother’s heart. 


Carnage is fantastically adapted & offers non-stop laughter. After a long time, I enjoyed foolhardiness of characters. 


Rating: 3.5/5

Not just baseball !!

Film: Moneyball
Director: Bennett Miller
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt,  Kerris Dorsey 
Genre: Drama | Sports


At some point in our life, we all confront challenges which unavoidably demand change in our thinking. Bennett Miller’s biographical sports drama ‘Moneyball’ adroitly talks about that change, which actually is precondition for living. It is a poignant story of an Oakland Athletics baseball team which is consistently performing poor and all of a sudden does wonders when Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) adopts new approach to the game.    


Oakland baseball team is not only morally down but is also financially kaput. Departure of 3 key players from team just adds fuel to the fire and now Billy Beane, the general manager of the team along with a cluster of experienced scouts is supposed to change the fortune of the team.

In Cleveland Indians, Billy meets rotund nerd Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill) who at first sight & dialogue seems extremely foolish but later on proves that he’s a whiz kid. His impeccable statistics of player analysis helps Billy reconstruct the team. Consequence is far beyond anyone’s belief. 20 consecutive victories (world record!). And this takes Billy Beane’s career to orbit.


Billy has been a dismal failure as baseball player, his marriage is already broken & he is on verge of losing job. Character of Billy Beane has enough depth to make viewers sympathize for him. Pitt easily manages to depict frustration and his acting is so impressive that it didn’t look like he was acting even for a second.


On other hand is Jonah Hill who’s undeniably film’s biggest and most pleasant surprise. His naïve expressions, ability to represent character’s passion for the game and excellent dialogue delivery establishes that no other actor could’ve possibly done that sort of justice.

Screenplay of  Moneyball is outstanding. And how can it not be ! Duo Sorkin & Zaillian have injected tremendous energy to table conversations. Body language is a vital asset of people associated with sports. I was immensely impressed with Pitt’s body-language during the table conversation when he takes the charge and expresses his idea with sheer buoyancy.


One of the most touching moments of the film comes in climax when Billy while driving listens "the show" sung graciously by his daughter Casey (played by Kerris Dorsey) which surmises his entire life.


Potency of the film lies in the fact that even a viewer with bare minimum knowledge of baseball will be able to cherish it and more importantly, feel it.

Rating: 3.5/5

Ekk Deewana Tha: is partially enjoyable !!

Problem with Ekk Deewana Tha starts with opening credits itself. No other film in recent times has been so old fashioned as Ekk Deewana Tha is, in terms of opening credits.

Gautham Menon is so much in love with this film, that he’s making it for 3^rd time. Before, film was made in tamil and telugu. Both were hits. But this time, it won’t happen because film is just partially enjoyable.

Why the protagonist of Gautam Menon’s films has to be mechanical engineer only? Remember Madhav Shastri of RHTDM?  I guess it’s because Gautham Menon himself is a mechanical engineer.

Despite being a mechanical engineer, protagonist of the film Sachin (played by Prateik Babbar) chooses to maneuver his career towards cinema. He is also madly in love with gorgeous Jessie Thekkekutu (played by British model - Amy Jackson) who in film is malyali christian by religion and in her whole family there’s a viral that goes like this: Watching films and getting associated with it is sin.

But you know magnet theory, don’t you? Hiccups between them are portrayed childishly and there’s hardly any difference between Nargis Fakri & Amy Jackson, if compared in terms of acting. Second half is a complete drag. Being film-maker is not a cake-walk. But it is, according to Gautam who wrote this film.  

It’s first half that works and it works wonderfully. It has got plenty of charismatic moments and smart one-liners. Making fun of malyali language is fun, indeed.

Clumsy behavior of Prateik is entirely adorable and his nervousness to look right into the eyes of Jessie is way too interesting to witness. He just looked like another vella (jobless) from my street, his hairs are uncombed, he elegantly plays cricket and drives Pulsar. So, every lad can straightforwardly connect with Sachin.

Anay (played by Manu Rishi) is a cameraman who helps Sachin to step into the world of cinema and also helps to follow his love. He is a faithful friend & totally nuts, just like Shrek’s donkey. His fantastic dialogue delivery is one of the aspects which makes this film quite tolerable.

Rahman’s music works like magic at two instances. One’s when Sachin climbs to Jessie’s house in Kerala and expresses his honest feelings & another one’s in the climax when Sachin leisurely reveals his relationship status. Songs are forgettable. And yes, Prateik didn’t understand even a single thing about songs so he performed like a junior artist in each and every song.

It’s a watchable film, only if you possess utmost affection for rom-coms.

Rating: 2.5/5 

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu: is a boring film !!

How many times will they make Imran Khan look like a cute doll and present us on screen ? And how many times will he readily accept such roles ? Hell again, a tasteless bollywood rom-com.

Thanks to prosperous production house, film is shot lavishly (Las Vegas). Not only that, they've hired trademark musician Amit Trivedi. Sadly, soundtrack is just average. Cinematography of David Mac Donald is truly glistening and mood of the film is exactly analogous to Abbas Tyrewala’s Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Naa. If you loved that film then you are sure to relish this one, unlike me.

Rahul (played by Imran Khan) is the sweetest kid you’d have ever seen on Earth. Which boy listens to his parents till the age of 25? Answer is: Rahul. Yes, such impossible creature is the creation of the script writers (Shakun Batra & Ayesha DeVitre). Color of the tie which Rahul puts on every time before stepping out of his residence is decided by his Dad (played by Boman Irani) and his modern mom (played by Ratna Pathak) insists Rahul to chew food 32 times before swallowing. So basically Rahul is a pet. 

Riana (played by Kareena Kapoor), is a hair stylist and a bubbly but terribly spoilt girl. Charming leads meet at store, then at psychologist centre & then accidentally on a christmas night, Riana urges Rahul to drink, drink in abundance. And in the drunk state, shit happens i.e. marriage. Now legal demolition of marriage demands minimum 10 days of patience and we are shown that span. In that span of time, we witness unemployed & frustrated Rahul discovering his inner self and falling in love with the girl who doesn’t possess “that” kind of feeling for him.

Script is nothing but a jumbled combo of What happens in Vegas & Wake Up Sid. But truth is EMAET doesn’t comprise even 1/4th of the total humor which What happens in vegas had. In terms of music & acting, film is not eligible to be compared with Wake up Sid. When Rahul presents his will to become photographer, neither are we shown his passion to become one nor are we blessed with glimpse of his achievements in that field. At least, they could’ve shown us something. Other characters in the film have enacted their part perfectly and climax is superior compared to other bollywood rom-coms. But in a rom-com when chemistry & humor goes missing what else is left?

110 minutes are more than enough for a film like this.

Don’t want to comment anything on Shakun Batra who directed this film (as it’s not worth) but releasing a rom-com close to Valentine’s Day surely makes Kjo a wise businessman.  

Rating: 1.5/5 

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - is a stunning blend of 3D & CGI.

Is it appropriate to think logically while watching a B grade Hollywood film whose clear objective is to entertain the viewers? Is it even appropriate to think? Sometimes, it’s way too fruitful to suspend the disbelief.

We weren’t familiar with 3D in 2008 and in that year, Journey to the center of the earth was released, in 3D. Film flopped but brave makers are back with a sequel “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” which surprisingly is a watchable film. 

Protagonist Sean (played by John Hutcherson) wants to save his grandfather (played by Michael Caine) who’s stuck on the fanciful & dangerous island. He must solve a riddle to get the map. Map will lead him to that mysterious island.

Hank (played by Dwayne Johnson) is Sean’s stepfather who not only gets him map by solving riddle but also accompanies him in his precarious adventure. By the way, he was quicker than Sherlock Holmes in solving riddle. Gabato (played by Luis Gazman) is a navigator who takes them to that island via. aged helicopter. We also have one more passenger in this journey i.e. Kailani (played by Vanessa Hudgens) who acts as eye candy and obviously is the ladylove of Sean.

Sean manages to locate his grandpa but the mission now is to vacant the island before it gets drowned. 

Banter between the characters at times is mildly funny but mostly it’s tasteless and ridiculous. Thanks to the wooden expressions of Dwayne Johnson, family drama here fails to strike the right emotional chords.

Seeing characters battling their lives in adventure films is always exciting and thrilling but for that unpredictability is pre-requisite & Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a film devoid of astonishing twists and turns. Acting by each and every actor is of third rate. At last, film survives because of kick-ass special effects. Gorgeous 3D and CGI are used so wisely that you don’t care for anything else. Makers have injected “fun” element in abundance to keep you glued to your seat. 

Director Brad Peyton has really emphasized the word “mysterious”. I came to that conclusion when I witnessed characters riding bees, fighting gigantic lizard and strolling through the heart of the lush green island clad with waterfalls. And how can I forget the volcano of gold. That really was imaginative.

Island here is not as naturally blessed as Omaticaya (Avatar) but it surely has the exquisiteness which makes up for all the faults of the film. Pretend that you are a kid while watching and I assure you, you won’t criticize. 

Rating: 3/5

PS: One more film is coming in this series. You must check the title of that film. 

Agneepath: Bland Celebration of Cult

I am keen to know what exactly led debutant Karan Malhotra (director of the film) to remake Agneepath. If one wants to pay tribute/homage to an old cult film, then one should just distribute its original DVD to his friends free of cost or one can also glue a 5 ft. long poster of that film exactly beside bed. If that is also not enough then one can always brag about it on social networking sites. Instead of poring their efforts in remaking the cult, they can make something original.  

This vendetta saga goes like this: In the village mandwa, there’s an evil drug lord Kancha (played by Sanjay Dutt) who wants to capture the land of the villagers. In his path of petulance and pettiness, only one person acts as boulder. None other than Dinanath Chauhan. Kancha hangs him till death in front of whole village. Vijay witnesses his dad’s death along with her mother (played by Zarina Wahab) and takes an oath that one day he’ll return mandwa to take revenge.

He leaves for Mumbai and he grows under the shadow of Rauf lala. No, he’s not a comedian we saw in laughter challenge. Rauf Lala is another drug lord (played by Rishi Kapoor) who later becomes ladder for Vijay. There’s also an inspector and protagonist's younger sister. Rememeber cinema of 90s? These characters are pre-requisite for a full-blown melodrama. Om puri dons the role of “inspector gaaytunde” who is hell bent on catching these drug lords and also, Vijay. Om puri is a fatherly figure to Vijay so he not only respects him but saves his life too. Yes, we have reached climax after fulltoo draamebaazi and there’s just one predictable hand-to-hand fight remaining for us.  

Well, director has worked as chief assistant director for Jodhaa-Akbar. It appears. Each and every frame is lit gorgeously. Film is shot in Diu and some mill in Mumbai. Art-direction (by Sabu Cyril) is of top-notch and one of the best in recent times. Film easily convinced me that I was watching a film, set in 70s. Songs are strictly okay and loud background score goes hand-in-hand with cheesy dialogues. 

Agneepath indeed has some touching moments and for that, credit goes to Hrithik. Emotional scenes are timed very well by Hrithik. My favorite scene in the movie is when he leaves the dining table with painful tears and eats outside, on stairs of his house. Great actor competently portrays quantum of calm, anger and insufferable ache. He really explored the horizons and played Vijay Dinanath Chauhan convincingly. 

Rishi Kapoor is terrific as Rauf Lala. And actually much much better than the dangerous looking Sanjay Dutt who as main villian delivers just an average performance. And that hampers this film. Kaali (played by Priyanka Chopra) is Vijay’s love interest and throws some naïve humor which is fairly enjoyable. 

Original Agneepath had running time of 174 minutes and this remake also has almost same duration. But times have changed. People don’t like 50 over game anymore. If the director wishes to make 3 hour long movie (without hiring editor) then he should be capable enough of delivering shocks and thrills. This one hardly has any.

Those who have habit to sit patiently for 3 hours to see a film which is devoid of “happenings” then they’ll surely enjoy Agneepath. It didn't work for me.  

Desi Boyz: is a pleasant surprise !!

Rating: 2.5/5

Congratulations to David Dhawan's son, Rohit Dhawan, who has made "Desi Boyz". His debut film is indeed better than David Dhawan's  previous 5 films released in the span of last 7 years.

Each and every element essential for making a watchable commercial film is present here and it's in "almost perfect" quantity. This is really a surprise package. I went into hall with zero expectations and may be that's why I was able to overlook few faults of this simple and amiable entertainer, set in London.

Jignesh Patel aka Jerry (played by Akshay) is a college drop out; works as guard in mall and so, most of his expenses are suffered by his best friend and room-mate, Nikhil Mathur aka Nick (played by John Abraham). Jerry has responsibility to merrily raise his nephew, Veer (played by Shraman Jain).

Nick is having a well-paid investment banking job and a hot girl friend, Radhika (played by Deepika) with whom he is supposed to tie a knot with.

Life of Jerry and Nick is absolutely happy-go-lucky until the day in 2009 when both of them are thrown away from their respective jobs due to recession. They are totally bankrupt now. With no other options available and chiefly for the sake of raising Veer, they accept the offer of becoming Male Escorts presented by Sanjay Dutt. Their life again becomes joyful with the new tags “Rocco” and “Hunter”. Film then gets caught into the paws of regular bollywood clichés and melodrama makes its way. Radhika gets shocked with Nick taking up such cheap job and that results into multiple break-ups, one between Nick and her and another between Jerry and Nick. Now Jerry is back to college to complete his unfinished graduation and over there, he romances Tanya (played by gorgeous Chitrangda Singh) who teaches him Economics in a style which no other professor likely can. Film ends comfortably with all the characters getting everything they wished for.

After a long long time, I was able to tolerate Akshay Kumar. It has become a habit to use word “tolerate” when it is Akshay’s film but this time I didn’t actually tolerate him, I cherished his act. His Gujarati accent managed to make me laugh for plenty of times and thank god, there was no slap-stick humor. Hope, he won’t disappoint with his upcoming films. John finally acted. Cheers !! He successfully threw some funny one-liners and his efforts in getting back his love looked somewhat genuine. Acting by leading ladies wasn’t much required here. They were supposed to look lovely in sexy outfits and both of them did that commendably. Omi Vaidya’s cameo was film’s silliest portion but to be honest, it was the goofiest portion. He added humor effortlessly with his brilliant act. Pritam’s music is unproblematic this time.            

Coming to the flaws of the film, Sanjay Dutt’s uninteresting and nasty cameo with Khalnayak’s music playing in background could have been much more funnier. If they don’t have bucks to pay rent then Why can’t Nick sell his Yamaha V-max ? You know, that bike costs 20 lacs. Hell lot of money. No? Script wastes so much time on Nick and Radhika in second half that movie becomes bit humdrum.     

It could have been sexier, funnier and little less melodramatic but it’s by a debutant whose sincere efforts to make a watch worthy commercial film are visible and Akshay again seems to be in form, so faults can surely be ignored.