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.......

Tarantino, Waltz, Pitt - the "Basterds" have pulled it off

Movie review : "Inglorious Basterds" (2009)

"Now if one were to determine what attribute the German people share with a beast, it would be the cunning and the predatory instinct of a hawk. But if one were to determine what attributes the Jews share with a beast, it would be that of the rat. If a rat were to walk in here right now as I'm talking, would you treat it to a saucer of your delicious milk?" - And follows an absorbing funny interesting dialog involving rats and why human possess a sense of animosity towards them. The opening Chapter is probably the most engrossing sequence. The long, relaxed scene is built-up slowly with razor-sharp dialogs and created to instill a mood of suspense in the minds of audience. The masterful way Col. Hans Landa persuaded Monsieur LaPadite to reveal the secret he wanted to know is such a delight to watch.

"Inglorious Basterds" is Tarantino's yet another gift to the world of cinema. "Quentin Tarantino" is stamped all over the movie from its opening scene till its rolling credits. And he has done it again; with his unique style of film-making; exuberantly lengthy sequences, crisp and witty dialogs blended with some memorable outstanding acting of its cast - "Basterds" is his masterpiece. Only a movie-maker like Tarantino can dare to make a movie that is based on history weirdly twisted and fabricated at his own will and still come up with something magical.

The plot revolves around one Jewish-American group knows as "The Basterds" lead by Lt. Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt) who was on a secret mission to spread panic among the Third Reich by brutally killing the Nazis. We also see a parallel story unfolding revolving around a beautiful Jewish French girl Shosanna (played by Mélanie Laurent) whose family was mercilessly murdered  by Hans (played by Christoph Waltz) and who is now all determined for vengeance. The movie is about how these two stories collide and its consequences.

For most part of the film, it's just conversation. Witty, piercing, slow, riveting conversation. And that just adds to the beauty of this quite differently made movie. Brad Pitt is funny as Lt. Raine with his unusual accent and voice and that grin all the time. Personally, though I feel he probably a little overdid his role. Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent - all were perfectly cast in their roles. But the real star of the show - the one who completely steals the limelight outdoing everyone else - is, beyond any reasonable doubt, Waltz as infamous Col. Hans aka "The Jew Hunter". Spiteful, vindictive yet cool, composed - the smiling assassin; the type of character that you will hate from your heart and that will infuse chill in your spines. His presence in the screen is so powerful, so dominating - it was a spellbound experience to watch.

After Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill - the expectation from Tarantino was too high for me. And fortunately, I wasn't disappointed a bit - add this to the list of his outstanding cinematic achievement. Do yourself a favor - go and watch this movie in a theater near you.

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/

Advertising India - the new age of television ad making

"Ek chidiya, anek chidiya..." Remember this Doordarshan ad telecast in eighties and early nineties dispersing the message about India's unity in diversity. All of us who have come across those early Doordarshan days still remember some of those popular television ads (Pan Pasand, Zhandu Balm, Coca Cola ads?). Indian ad industry has evolved a long way from those early days. After India had entered the free Economic world; the competition in every field of business has increased so much that companies today have little option than investing hugely in marketing and brand-building. And television advertisements are the most influencing instruments in today's dynamic industry verticals to get a product to its consumers.

In those early days of television, creativity in ad making was not the top priority. With only a few television channels and fewer competitors; companies can get away with creating just some ad campaigns to sell its products. But in today's Indian economy; where consumers are flooded with numerous choices in each category of products; and with so many television channels to go with - it's the creativity, innovation and the captivation of an ad campaign that matters as much as the quality of the product being advertised. And I can feel Indian ad film makers have stood firmly to this challenge giving us some of the best intuitive and creative advertisements in recent times.

Leading this revolution of new-age ad making are the gum companies like Mentos - Chlormint - Center Fresh, adhesives like Fevicol and the telecom majors. I still think the "Evolution" ad created by Mentos, the one with the donkey and prehistoric sapien, is one of the most creative ads coming out of Indian television. So are the ads by Center Fresh and Chlor-mint. In telecom field, where Vodafone is known for its intuitive ad making; its rival Airtel has adopted the technique of emotionally impressing its consumers. The Vodafone Zoozoo campaign during this year's IPL was probably the most sensational, and popular ad series ever. The famous Vodafone (originally created by brand Hutch) "friendly dog" ads are some of those simple feel-good commercials. Airtel, on the other hand, is known for its emotional ad making exercise. Take, for examples, ads like "Beyond boundaries", "the poor-son-of-land getting elected to represent real India" and recent "Dil Titly (Heart is a buttefly)" featuring Saif Ali Khan. And what should I talk about those plain, no-nonsense extremely creative and appealing ads of Fevicol - they always bring smiles to my face. There are other serious ad making companies like the Cola companies, the Deo ones and the automobile industry.

These new age TV commercials have shown the importance of good marketing and brand building for a greater share in today's extremely dynamic and competing consumer market. And as a consumer and a television viewer, I can hope to see some more creativity being exercised in television advertisements.

I never thought I would appreciate "Kaminapan" one day....

Why is "Kaminey" so good? Well you tell me. Take the most overused, outdated formula of Hindi Cinema - Judwaa Bhai (Twin brothers); dare to make a movie on that theme for today's multiplex generation and yet turn it into such an enjoyable ride that you yearn for more. Now if that is not incredible and supremely innovative - then you tell me what it is. It's a "coming out of the age" movie for Bollywood. I did expect this from Vishal Bharadwaj; especially after watching his previous movies - Omkara and Maqbool - two gems of Hindi cinema. And he outdid himself.

Kaminey has a strong script, witty dialogs, great music and marvelous acting from everybody including those assistant henchmen. It's visually stunning, dark at times, and most importantly funny - not overdoing the jokes. Take "Chalie's dream" for example - a masterful visual - and horse's sound in sync with Charlie's shout. Only a director with a heart to create something daring, original and new could come up with such subtle style. Now hold on - are you going to snag me when I say "original"? Are you going to quote Tarantino or Ritchie here? Get it right guys: there is nothing wrong in being inspired by some of these great Hollywood directors. Even though I agree the plot formation and specially the style of the climax may look similar to Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two smoking barrels"; there is nothing that you can term as "rip-off". At least nobody is stealing scene-by-scene from a foreign film and claiming it to be "original idea" like some of those shameless movie makers.

Shahid Kapoor - wow, I am now convinced - he is the new generation of Bollywood heroes. Mind blowing in both the roles of the movie. Priyanka - very cute, funny and lovable. And the villains - I strongly believe it is the villains that makes a movie more enjoyable. And in this case; there are plenty of them - and interestingly many of them (well almost all) are funny. They did a great job to keep the movie thrilling till the end. And whatever you have to say, I liked the ending. Perfect climax for a movie like this.

I am very happy and hopeful to see fresh ideas being tried in Bollywood. And directors like Vishal can really make a difference. Hope to see more "Kamineys" in coming days!!!

The Champion : On the grass and off it

"Sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off", and he did. And he did it remarkably for 4 hours and 16 minutes. Andy Roddick was way above his usual game on Sunday, the 5th July 2009 giving us another consecutive intriguing, epic Wimbledon final. Roddick deserves a laudable appreciation for his game that day. At one point during the last set, I almost wondered, "Will it ever gonna end?"

But it did. There was no upset this time; no daze for the Champion, the greatest player that the game of tennis has ever witnessed. Roger Federer regained the top spot; and he did it in commendable style in an occasion that couldn't have been any better. He has become the first tennis player ever to have 15 majors under his belt. He has won it all - including the ever eluding Roland Garros (French open). Over the last years of his reign on tennis courts, I have been deucedly impressed by his sublime style and aeonian class. Always cool, always in control of his game and emotions - a true professional sportsman. He has excelled in all areas of this game; he has proved that he is the Master with the racket.

In Sunday's match, he did hit an incredible 50+ aces. Many may argue this may not be his best game considering he almost stepped on the brink of the defeat at least twice during the match. Nevertheless, to see this magician of tennis at his work on green grass itself is a treat for the eyes. His effective services, spinning back-hand, powerful fore-hand and those marvellous drop volleys - everything is so stylish, so composed. He has given tennis a new meaning, a new beauty and hundreds of thousands of fans across the globe like me.

Way to go Roger, keep running your dream run !!!

The Hangover : hang your worries over and just enjoy

I couldn't remember when was the last time I had so much fun in cinema. And considering the fact that I was having one of the most boring, lonely and ****ed-up (a common phrase used throughout the movie too) weekend; I could not be more thankful to this gem of a comedy. I had been waiting for this movie ever since I had seen its trailer. This one promises to be plain, simple, no-holds-barred comedy and this is exactly what it delivers. The jokes keep coming at such a pace that you can hardly have time to breathe. They just keep you rolling. At times, they are quite outrageous, coarse and gross; but that's what makes this movie so enjoyable.

Set in Las Vegas, "The Hangover", directed by Todd Philips, centres around three buddies who took their close friend to throw a bachelor party just two nights before his wedding and ended up losing him. As they say "What could possibly go wrong in a bachelor party in Vegas?" The answer, "Everything !!!". All of the three woke up next morning in a hotel suite with a chicken in the room, a (this part is amazing) tiger in the bathroom and a baby in the closet. And the weirdest thing is none of them could remember a single thing about what had happened the night before. They must trace back their friend and to do so, they must trace back the events of the night. Now you get it - a perfect setup for a hilarious comedy, isn't it? Watch it to enjoy what happens next.

Bradley Cooper (as Phil Wenneck), Ed Helms (as Stu Price) and Zach Galifianakis (as Alan Garner) are all incredible in their respective roles. Phil was the smartest and coolest of them all. Stu, a dentist by profession, is pretty impatient and being constantly nagged by his annoying girlfriend. But the character Alan is way different than the rest. When he delivers, he does it in such a manner that everybody in the audience just goes crazy. There are some other incredibly funny characters in the movie including a Chinese guy Mr. Chow among the bunch. And don't miss the wedding song towards the end of the movie, you may never hear anything like this one again.

At conclusion, I must say this movie may well be the best comedy in years. Go with a gang of your buddies and have the time of your life.

(Caution: The movie has been given "A" certificate [adults] in India and given the nature of the jokes and some scenes, rightly so)

The good life : In memory of my lost college days

Note: Most part of this post is written in Assamese, an Indian language and my native one. Your browser/OS needs to support Unicode for Assamese/Bengali fonts for displaying the text correctly. Please google for details as how to enable unicode support.

Those liquid nights, those sunny days. Chilling mornings and playful afternoons. They are lost, we moved on, we became professionals, carrying a feeling of solitude in throng ! Every phase of life has its own significance, charm, sadness. But I strongly feel wherever we be, however happy we claim ourselves to be, the college days, particularly the hostel days have an unforgettable fascination. Hostel exposed me to the real world, a more practical, a more diversified, more colorful world. Isn't it amazing as how you can co-exist with so many individuals each one of whom is completely different from the other in one premise for so many years (for me, it was 4 years of engineering) and still enjoy your life at its fullest? Yes we do study in college, but we study lives more than books. We experience, we learn, we argue, we fight, we play, we cry, we laugh and we resent.

I did my engineering from Jorhat Engineering College, a state-run engineering institute in Assam, India. From outside it may not look a starry, dashing and so-called "reputed" (a despising cliche often used for educational institutes with big names) one; but from inside it is warm, playful, smiling, robust, united. The hostel life is unexplainably fun and enjoyable. And the pleasant climate of upper Assam makes it more exciting and memorable. Gosh !! I miss my college, my hostel. I hope the memories will forever be as fresh and as pleasant as they are today.

For Assamese readers only, the following poem was written by me during my last year of engineering as a souvenir to my college.


অৱলোকন
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জুৰিৰ পানী আৰু পানীত হাঁহি |
প্রতিবিম্বিত প্রেম আৰু কিছু আলাপ |
সিহঁত আৰু সিহঁতৰ বিপৰীত |
হাঁহি খিকিন্দালি আৰু চিঞৰ বাখৰ |
ব্লেকবোর্ড আৰু ফুচফুচনি |
গালি গালাজ আৰু মাৰপিট |
কনিষ্ঠতা নাইবা জ্যেষ্ঠতা |
প্রথম দিনৰ চকুলো, শেষ দিনৰ চকুলো |
'অ'হীন অখাদ্য নাইবা দামী ৰেশ্টোৰাৰ সুস্বাদ |
খেল, খেলুৱৈ, দর্শক, সমর্থক |
উদ্দাম আৰু হতাশা |
সন্মান আৰু মৰম |
নিয়ন্ত্রণ আৰু উদণ্ডতা |
কলম অথবা কমপ্যাক্ট ডিস্ক |
কিতাপ অথবা পৰিকলন |
নতুন খেলৰ নতুন প্রস্তুতি, নাইবা
আদিম খেলৰ নতুন ৰূপ !
ধোঁৱা আৰু পানীৰ ৰাতি |
উচ্চাকাংক্ষী ভাষণ আৰু তাৰ প্রত্যুত্তৰ |
ইতিকিং আৰু সমালোচনা |
সুহুৰি আৰু মিচিকিয়া হাহিঁ |
আলোকিত মঞ্চ, প্রতিভাৰ নাচোন |
বহুৱাৰ বহুৱালি অথবা বান্দৰৰ বান্দৰামি |
শিক্ষাৰ ৰাজনীতি বা ৰাজনীতিৰ শিক্ষা |
ব্যৱস্থাৰ কেৰোণ আৰু ধর্মঘট |
আত্মকেন্দ্রিকতা আৰু অৱহেলা |
অস্তিত্ব, অনস্তিত্বৰ যুজঁ |
নীৰৱ দর্শক নাইবা সৰৱ পাগল |
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তোমাৰ সকলো দোষ, তোমাৰ সকলো গুণ -
তোমাৰ বিচিত্রতাত বিমুদ্ধ মই |
কাৰণ মই যে তোমাৰেই অংশ |

© Srimay
Composed on: May 1st, 2004