Bollywood of the decade : My picks

As the year and with it, the decade comes to an end; I have decided to list out my favourite Hindi movies of last ten years. Movies released in the period 2000-2009. I must admit Bollywood has started to disappoint me to a great extent - or is it that I am getting more and more skeptic? Whatever, I feel the magic touch of 70's and early 80's (I try not to think of horrible 90s of Hindi cinema) is wanning somewhat. But still, there comes a movie every now and then that lifts my heart and demands to be recognized as one of my cherished cinematic moments. Without much ado and before I get too monotonic; here are some of my favorites of the decade (It is not easy to think of and compile this list in one go; I shall come back and add new titles):

1. Dil Chahta Hai (2001): Refreshing, funny, enjoyable to its core - Dil Chahta Hai was a revolution in Hindi cinema. It blew away the trend of unbearable family drama, stupid action flicks and deviling NRI romance with a daring script about friendship, youth and love. With his directorial debut, Farhan Akhtar proved he is a true genius when it comes to movie-making. Revolving around the lives of three friends - Akash (Aamir Khan), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) and Siddharth (Akshaye Khanna) - the movie portrays their friendship; their individual lifestyle and how these two aspects of their lives crossed paths. With powerful story-telling, unmatched acting, witty dialogs, moving music - this movie eventually went on to register a cult status for all youth movies made thereafter (of course, no other youth movie could even come near this one till date). It also gave Saif Ali Khan a complete career make-over and helped him establish himself as a true actor rather than an annoying side-kick of 90's stupid action dramas. It gave Aamir Khan his second big hit of 2001 after Lagaan.

2. Rang De Basanti (2006): Another revolutionary movie from a fine director - this time I mean literally. Blended with sheer perfection - two stories of young Indian generation belonging to two completely different ages - this one was a concept never experimented before on Indian screens. A young English filmmaker Sue arrives in India to make a documentary on Indian freedom fighters and revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and their associates and aides. She chooses to involve some modern-age Delhi University students for her project which eventually turns out to be an eye-opener and life changing experience to those young students. The movie effortlessly switches between current day lifestyle and struggle of young Indian generation and the society as a whole and that of Bhagat Singh and his era. In a nutshell, Rang De Basanti was a triumph for Indian cinema; a milestone for direction and music - a complete entertainer.

3. Taare Zameen Par (2007) : An eight-year old boy affected with Dyslexia is struggling to cop up with the expectations of his parents and teachers to score high on exams; to do his homework and to do everything he doesn't like doing. For him, the world is simple - it is beautiful - full with colors, paintings and nature. But for a society driven by the notion that scoring high on exams means scoring high with life - Ishaan Awasthi (played by sensational child star Darsheel Safary) is a complete failure. But then there came, like an angel, their new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (again incredible Aamir Khan) who seems to be the only one who understands Ishaan. He helps Ishaan to become what he really can become - a bright Star on this earth. With this directional debut, Aamir Khan proved that he is not only one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema; but also one of the finest movie makers. This movie grabs you by your collar and demands you see what is right for the kids in today's world. Open your eyes to enjoy their world - to be happy with them - to experience their pain.

4. Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006) : A small budget film; a glorious comedy - Khosla Ka Ghosla - probably was the most underrated movie of the decade sadly deprived of the true recognition it deserves. A small, simple middle-class family comedy that lights up my mood everytime I watch this one. Hailing from a middle-class family myself; I could not think of any other such perfect depiction of lives of this section of the society. Both Anupam Kher and Boman Irani had been phenomenal in their roles perfectly supported by other cast members. The best thing is there was no big star in the movie; that could have taken away the simplicity - the real beauty of this gem. A must watch for those who can appreciate a no-nonsense plain and hilariously comic movie.

5. Swades (2004): For me, Shahrukh Khan was a super-star with a great personality and charismatic charm without much talent of acting. And then there came "Swades" and I was blown away. Mr. Khan proved that he is no shallow star - in fact he is one of the best in the business. So effortlessly and movingly he portrayed the character of Mohan Bhargav, the NASA NRI scientist visiting a remote village of India that I was enthralled and deeply affected. Swades touched a number of social issues of Indian society, especially in remote parts of the country. This was a movie with a heart; only the ones who do not have one or have one made of stone can remain untouched by this film. How can we not feel the agony of the farmer to whom Mohan did go to collect the 'karz'? How can we forget the face of the young kid selling a 'lota' of water on the railway platform and the shaking expression of Mohan (read SRK) while drinking the water? How can we ignore the messages loudly sent out about caste-ism, partiality, poverty and patriotism? The mind-boggling music of A.R. Rahman  made this movie far more memorable. And Mr. Khan - you truly deserve the incredible fan following you have around the globe; add me to the list.

(to be continued......)

The magic has been cast - You just need to experience it.

Movie review: Avatar (2009)

I do believe there must be a law against those who do not keep their mobile phones in silent mode or switched off in theater. To my utter dissatisfaction, the annoying ringtone of the person sitting next to me dragged me back from year 2154 making me travel through space some 4.3 light years from the beautiful world of  Pandora straight back to a movie hall in Bangalore. But when a true magician is pulling his greatest magic tricks in front of you, how long can you stay away from entering his magic world? Soon I was back.

Yes, James Cameron is a masterful magician and "Avatar" is his greatest magic trick so far. Cameron dreamt his magic world; spent years to shape his dream and then presented it before the entire world. And the world lived his dream. The world has been spellbound !! There are movies with strong storyline, exceptional acting and moving emotions; and then there is "Avatar" - an experience beyond cinema, beyond words - an 'expression of beauty' beyond vision - a thrill beyond imagination.

And yes, "Avatar" has a story-line too. Even if it doesn't; it would have been the same overwhelming experience. After all, how many times your dreams have a perfect story? Set in a future world, "Avatar" is set in a distant moon in the galaxy called "Pandora". The life in Pandora is simple, bound by nature and its energy. The world is unimaginably beautiful covered with vivid colors, filled with various forms of animal life. US Marines are on a mining mission on the moon to extract invaluable minerals from Pandora and to use it back home. To be successful in their mission; they must persuade the native tribes of the moon, the Na'vi, to surrender their land and move away. Marine Jack Sully (played by Sam Worthington) agrees to assist in the mission as an Avatar, genetically created Na'vi like figure, in exchange for the costly treatment of his paralyzed legs. But soon he was caught between the two worlds - the nature-loving, simple Na'vi s and greedy, arrogant army of Colonel Miles Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang).

The movie is so visually stunning, the 3D effects are so exceptionally developed that you cannot help wondering if cinematic achievement could be this grandeur. For me, those 2 hours 40 minutes had been such a fun - such an experience that however cliche it may sound like; I have to say, "I have lost words to describe". That's why they have invented the word 'experience', I guess. Watch "Avatar", watch it in 3D, get awe-struck and then? Well then what mate? Of course, then watch it again, get awe-struck again.......