Airlift

अच्छा तो भाईओ और बहनो, बात उस ज़माने की है जब (no) thanks to economic and diplomatic discords, Iraq ने Kuwait पर रातों रात हमला कर दिया. The result of this invasion was that for all practical puposes Kuwait की तो लग गयी वाट. The Kuwaiti royal family fled to Saudi Arabia, leaving the citizenry to fend for itself . Amongst these hapless victims of दो मुल्को की राजनीती were Indian citizens, who now found themselves at the mercy of Iraqi troops.

Akshay Kumar plays a hard-as-nails businessman, Ranjit Katyal who calls himself a proud Kuwaiti and completely shuns his Indian roots. All is well. Ranjit and wife Amrita (Nimrat Kaur) stay in a beautiful mansion with their daughter Simu. Little do they know that trouble-in-paradise is just around the corner and life as they know it is about to change forever. What is first believed to be border skirmish soon turns into full blown "Gulf War".

Ranjit is given an option to fly out with his family, but something has changed, this is not the same ruthless business man whose only aim was profit. Seeing the plight of his fellow Indians, he decides to stay back much to the chagrin of his wife. Thanks to this proverbial change of heart, Katyal becomes the mediator between the Indians refugees and the Indian Government not to mention the Iraqis. His aim is to evacuate all Indians to safety.

A task जो कहना आसान था पर करना मुश्किल, क्योकि एक तरफ थी Indian Government और दूसरी तरफ सन्की Iraqi. अब करे तो क्या करे, जान तो बचानी ही थी.  Oscillating between the indifference of two and a lot of heartache, Kaytal finally manages to get all the evacuees to Jordon from where they fly to safety.

This was the largest evacuation in history, with Air India operating 488 flights over 59 days to complete this mission.

Moral of the story : जान बची तो लाखो पाए !

A heart wrenching movie which will have you by the edge of your seats. Absolutely stellar performance by Akshay Kumar, one of his finest. The surprise package is Purab Kohli, its a pity that such actors are not seen often on the big screen. The hugely talented Nimrat Kaur holds her own paired with Akshay.

There has been a lot of criticism targeted towards the movie for distorting facts, so much so that the MEA has also stepped in to clarify the department's position in the Gulf War evacuations. Calling the movie "good entertainment" but "short on facts". The MEA played an active part in negotiating the safe evacuation of Indians; the then foreign minister I K Gujral had personally met Saddam Hussain to ensure safe passage. Plus the movie gives full credit to Rajiv Katyal for the evacuation. In reality this task was accomplished by the combined effort of Mathunny Matthews, Harbhajan Singh Vedi, the AI pilots and the staff & ministers of MEA. Should we blame this disparity of facts on the often (mis)used "creative license"? To the fact that this is a movie not a documentary.

The panel is open to विचार विमर्श...

Whatever the case, this movie is not to be missed. देखिएगा ज़रूर.

Wazir

सौ बात की एक बात यह है की इतनी सारी Bollywood movies देखने के बाद पिक्चरों के twist समझने में देर नहीं लगती.

So the whole thing is that, very soon in the movie you kind of understand की चल क्या रहा है!

Farhan Akhtar plays an upright cop, Danish Ali, who loses a dear near one while answering an unexpected call of duty. A loss of a child is not an easy loss to bear and to top it up, this puts heavy strain on the marriage. Danish and his wife - played by the very beautiful Aditi Rao Hydari, decide to take time out. Danish is also made to go on leave from the police force. What seems like a hand of destiny, Danish Ali lands up at Pandit Omkar Nath Dhruv's house. Panditji played by Amitabh Bachchan, invites Danish for a game of chess. After all they both are united by the shared loss of a child. What conspires next is the stuff Bollywood is famous for. Chance encounters that lead to a more meaningful end.

Life after all is very similar to a game of chess. Everyone has the same set of pawns, same rules to follow, and same boundaries to adhere to. But then why is it that some win and some lose? Because the winners are shrewd in using their pawns, there is no hurry to commit a silly mistake, a calculated and well thought out move is better than a brash decision.

And Panditji - the master mind of chess plays his pawns well enough to achieve what he is after. अब क्या है वह लक्ष्य यह तो फिल्म देखने के बाद ही पता चलेगा. कौन है वज़ीर जो सब को अपने इशारो पे नचा रहा है?

Although as I mentioned earlier that one can make out the कहानी में twist, pretty early on. But there is still more to come at the end.

The music is soulful and best enjoyed on the iPod.

Farhan Akhtar is of course a delight to watch on screen, but the surprise is Aditi, who looks beautiful, its a pity we don't get to see her more often. Neil Nitin Mukesh कहां हो यार, आज कल दिखाई भी नहीं देते? John Abraham, cameo ही सही नज़र तो आये. लेकिन all said and done the movie very obviously belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. The man rules. As he says...

खेल खेल में
खेल खेल के
खेल खेल यह आजाएगा...

क्या है यह खेल, कौन खेल रहा है यह खेल...there is only one way to find out.

Bajirao Mastani

जूनून जब सर चढ़ कर बोलता है तो रातों की नींदें छूमंतर हो जाती है!

कुछ ऐसे ही जूनून ने Sanjay Leela Bhansali की नींदों पे कब्ज़ा कर रखा था 15 सालो से. A dream that took shape 15 years back, a dream that was supposed to turn to reality after Dil De Chuke Sanam, a dream that refused to die, dream that gives sleepless nights, a dream called Bajirao Mastani. And what a realization to one crazy dream. A movie of epic proportions which needed a mad-hatter to bring it to life. Then who better than SLB? The crazy dreamer, who dreams larger than life to wipe off इतिहास के पन्नो पर जमी हुई धुल, to give us this visual extravaganza.

The film opens in the court of Chatrapati Sahu, where the council of ministers have gathered to nominate the next Peshwa. Bajirao known for his swift & decisive military leadership is chosen. Ranveer Singh, plays the role convincingly, and one could only imagine the hard work and preparation that goes into playing a character like Bajirao. He has also managed a cute Maharashtrian accent. His wife Kashibai is played by the Priyanka Chopra. All is well in their paradise, until Mastani decides to show up. The daughter of Maharaja Chhatrasal, Mastani bai seeks military help from Bajirao against the Mughal force led by Muhammed Shah Bangash. It's love at first sight, and when love comes into the picture, sanity bids good bye.

The feisty Mastani, packs up her stuff and lands in Shaniwaar wada with bag, baggage, maids and generous gifts for the Peshwa for helping Chhatrasal. She is promptly told by Aai Saheb, the matriarch of the Peshwa household that the gifts are most welcome but she isn't. Never accepted by the Peshwa's family, she holds her own thanks to Bajjirao's support.

The film has absolutely beautiful sets & costumes. The Aaina Mahal, where the song Deewani Mastani is shot is completely covered by shards of glass. The costumes of the actors are richly detailed & breathtakingly beautiful. An absolutely fabulous job by Anju Modi, one can only imagine the research that goes into a project like this. A special salute to all the kaarigars who brought the sketches to life.

I love the casting of the film, lots of actors were considered but the final casting that we see is fabulous. The surprises were Milind Soman and Tanvi Azmi, wish we would see them more often. Ranveer of course fits the bill completely. The gait, the accent, the action scenes all very well executed. Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai is adorable. The girl is going places and making all of us proud. The latest feather in her hat is the Padma Shri. Congratulations Priyanka. कौनसी चक्की का आटा खाती हो बेहन ? Deepika shines as the warrior princess, looking absolutely luminous. Not just that, her immersion in the character is so absolute that she has "become" mastani. After Tamasha, this role is at the complete opposite spectrum, and she owns both of them as the BOSS. No wonder she is the ruling queen of Bollywood.

The music is मज़ेदार; something to be savoured. From the soulful deewani mastani to the foot thumping victory song Malhari to the spin on Ganesh Aarti...all beautifully composed. Don't know if Bajirao ever danced with his troops, but if he did, it would be quite like Malhari...एकदम झकास choregraphy by Ganesh Acharya.

Talking about music brings me to the controversy the film finds itself in. Especially when it comes to the song Pinga. It has caused much outrage and protest from the descendants of the Peshwas. Rightly so, one would argue, anyone who even has a whiff of Peshwa history would know that Kashibai wouldn't even have tea with Mastani, let alone dance with her! Which brings us to the question of creative license which the film makers are bestowed with. How far does one stretch it? Should one use it to interpret history in such a way that it starts bordering on the ridiculous? This debate will be perpetually open.

Last word: I loved it. It transported me to the Shaniwaar Wada, to the time of the Peshwas. A film of epic proportions which only a passionate person could have conceived and executed.

Hats off SLB जियो गुरु!

Tamasha of Life

"Be yourself" seems to be the mantra of our age. Look around. Our advertisements are urging us to conquer our fears, live the life we dream, follow our passion, "BE YOU"...the world can adjust...essentially बाकी सब गए तेल लेने; or whatever else they are supposed to be doing while your are busy being "u". Look at Facebook, it just cant get enough of this "be you" "follow your passion" messages. Buddha, Rumi and all & sundry have said tons of this subject and thanks to Facebook we seem to have discovered hoards of their quotes. तो फिर क्या ...share, share & then share some more. And while we are basking in the glorious "be you" sunshine, why should Bollywood not take a dip in बहती Ganga and make hay?! Coming to the point, I am talking about the latest Bollywood offering Tamasha

हाँ तो भाइयो और बहनों ; कहानी कुछ ऐसी है ...अपनी heroine, Deepika, Tara, is stranded in Corsica without a passport & money, तो क्या ? तो अपना hero Ranbir Kapoor come to her rescue. Passport & money will take some time to come, till then they decide to explore Corsica together but with a promise to not know anything about each other. They both decide to not ask anything about each other...not even their real names. और फिर वो दिन आ ही गया when Deepika gets her new passport. Time to leave, with a promise to never meet each other.

लेकिन in true Bollywood style कहानी में twist तो बनता है boss; who life ही क्या जिसमे everything works according to plan? Tara (Deepika) comes back home to Kolkata and is shown moping around for 4 years...you guessed it right...she has fallen in love with Ranbir and now wants to reconnect with the happy-go-lucky bloke.

तो अब शुरू हुई the real कहानी. We are all different people of a holiday, aren't we not? No household chores, no office, no deadlines. In short a stress free couple of weeks before we leave the free spirited alter ego to get back to the grind.  So Ranbir AKA Ved is back to the रोटी-कपडा-और-मकान rigmarole. This is the "real" Ved. Not the happy-go-lucky Corsica dude. So when Tara meets Ved, the sparks don't fly, no दिल में बजी घन्टिया, the Corsica magic seems to have been left behind in Corsica. The thought of losing Tara makes Ved rethink his priorities. All of us want to be "different" but ironically everyone is trying so hard to fit in, blend it!

So Ved goes on a quest to connect with his soul, his real self. Hard questions need to be asked and answered. People need to be confronted & tough decisions need to be made. No one ever said following ones heart is a walk in the park. Many of us grapple with unhappy professions, suffocating relationships and a yearning for what could've been. Agreed that all of us cant just quit our jobs and pursue our "passion". But then passions don't need to die, don't have to be forgotten. We need to make an effort to accommodate them with our daily lives, to spare weekends for them.

Getting back to the movie, it takes time to grow on to you. For me a brilliant movie, with amazing music, Irshad Kamil तुस्सी great हो Sir जी and Ranbir at his best. Isn't he the most promising Kapoor of his generation? Deepika seems to be getting better with every movie.

Its wrong to compare this movie with Imtiaz's earlier ones. Now he cant be doing the same thing again & again & again.

Love the Tamasha of life, this movie portrays.

Forgotten Hero.

In our cricket obsessed country, other sports vie for attention; which unfortunately seldom comes their way. Sure we know of tennis, thanks to Mahesh Bhupati, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza. Most of us, only heard of Mir Ranjan Negi after Shah Rukh Khan played his character in Chak de! More surprising fact is that the Indian (men's) hockey team won 11 Olympic gold medal; 6 of them succesive wins! And we have no idea who the players were, and what happened after the fame faded away. Many died penniless without any help from the government. Many vowing to never let any of their family members play the game. Hockey players weren't the only ones subjected to such apathy, many such sportsmen died forgotten by the country.

Amongst many such unsung heroes is the following...




Failed to recognise him??

Ok here's a hint...




Yes, that's the real Paan Singh Tomar, the 7 times national steeplechase winner. He also represented India at the 1958 Asian games in Japan. Despite bringing much glory to the country, he was left to fend for himself with little help from the government. Forced to take up arms, Paan Singh Tomar became a dacoit in the notorious Chambal valley to safeguard his family. He would have remained forgotten in the pages of history; but for the biopic "Paan Singh Tomar" written by Sanjay Chouhan and directed by Trigmanshu Dhulia.

Paan Singh Tomar is played by the very talented Irrfan Khan, and after watching the movie, one can't imagine anyone else playing the part. Irrfan Khan plays the role to perfection and is a delight to watch.

2012 will see and lot more movies; big budget, bigger stars, but I doubt anyone will come even close to Paan Singh Tomar. It is unarguably the best movie of the year.

If there is one movie that you just can't miss; it is this.

Limitless

Imagine, if someone were to offer you a pill, which promises to help utilise ur brain to its fullest capacity? 100% capacity? Would u really bother about the side effects, let alone question if it's tested & approved? This is what happens to Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper)an uninspired writer, just been dumped by his girlfriend, when he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law, who hands him the pill. Within 30 seconds of taking the pill, the brain gets activated. All the information that has been lying idle in the subconscious comes to the fore and is categorised for easy access. The novel that Eddie has been struggling for 3 months, is finished in 4 days! He can now learn a language in 45 mins, not only this, he learns the piano in an hour, martial arts by just watching a video! Addicted to the pill Eddie decides to enter the share market and makes millions in a couple of days. All this while u r left wondering at the absurdity of the concept!

Everything has a flip side and so does this pill. The supply is limited, the gruesome murder of the brother-in-law does not help matters. Giving up the pill is not an option as this would mean not just losing his professional standing but also his life! So what now??

Here's the thing with short-cuts, u get the results fast but over a period of time their permanence seems dubious and they seem to disappear before u can realise. Then how do we make sure that success stays and profit does not wither away? Maybe, take the longer route of hard work and perseverance? Harness that mind to its full potential without the aid of artificial stimulation? Coming back to the movie...Eddie soon realises that fatality of the drug...and works on some long term measures...u need to see the movie to realise what that is!!!

Bradley Cooper does a good job playing Eddie Morra, that movie also stars Robert De Niro, who is completely wasted in the role.

Good one-time watch movie!

Chalo Dilli

It is always a pleasure to see Vinay Pathak light up the big screen with his brilliant acting skills. He is back with "Chalo Dilli" where he plays Mannu Gupta, a happy-go-lucky resident of Chandni Chowk, with a ladie's saree & dress materials shop in Karol Bagh. And then there is Mihika Mukherjee, polished, suave career woman, who is the head honcho of a finance company. Two very different people who happily exist in different parts of the world. Their worlds are not supposed to collide, but what happens when they do? Cheese meets chalk and "Chalo Dilli" happens.

Both of them are travelling from Mumbai to Delhi. Due to a technical snag at the Delhi airport, the flight is diverted to Jaipur. And so the journey begins...from travelling in the general compartment of a train, to finding themselves in the middle of feuds between local gangs of Haryana (or is it Rajasthan?)to finding themselves in a dingy hotel called the "Tomato Palace" (yes, really). Vinay Pathak endears himself with his brilliant performance and superb comic timming (can't wait for Bhaja Fry 2), Lara Datta (Mihika Mukherjee)plays her part well, and then there is Akshay Kumar in a guest appearance.

On the music front another mutilated version of a classic; this time its Laila Mein Laila. Terrible performace by Yana Gupta, and completely useless. Movie could have done without it. Again, at the cost of being repetitive I have to say an original is an original, & copy is a copy. Lets steer clear of them!

Must watch movie!