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.

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!

Dum Maaro Dum

This movie reminds me of the 70s bollywood. With the perennial theme of drugs & gold smuggling...remember the eternal dialogue; "boss aaj raat versova beach pe maal utarne wala hai"?!! Dum Maaro Dum talks about the drugs racket in the hippie haven of Goa. Corrupt cop turned honest, after the accidental death of his family, Abhishek Bachchan is given the task of eradication of the drug mafia.

The movie is shot in low lights and sepia tones, with brilliant performaces by Govind Namdev and Aditya Pancholi (who seems to be back from his hibernation!). Abhishek Bachchan plays the cop with his characteristic attitude (it suits his personality really well, does'nt it?). Vidya Balan plays the role of AB's dead wife and then there is also Bipasha Basu, Prateik Babbar and Rana Daggubati...no great performaces here and these characters could have been played by just about anyone.

The movie has been in the news for the remix version of the classic Dum Maaro Dum by the great R D Burman. We have seen many mutilated versions of classics and this one is by far the worst. We know Deepik Padukone can't act (she has proved it time and again)and now she proves that she can't dance either. The ridiculous lyrics don't help the cause either. Note to all film-makers and music directors: Please don't touch the classics.

Stricly ok movie, for when u have nothing better to do.

Teen Thay Bhai

Finally managed to catch "teen thay bhai" and am certainly glad I did. Thanks to the "multiplex culture" small budget movies manage to make a big screen presence alongside the mega-budget ones.

The movies is about 3 brothers (as the name suggests!)played by Om Puri, Deepak Dobriyal and Shreyas Talpade. The estranged brothers are brought together by the death of their grandfather. The trio finds out that there is a will left behind their grandfather, dividing the property amongst them. With a tiny "conditions apply" asterisk! The 3 of them have the spend the death anniversary in a desolate bungalow, for no less than 3 years! You can very well imagine what follows next!

Om Puri is brilliant, hands down a fabulous actor and completely fits the bill of the eldest brother Chixie Singh, who is struggling with his garments business and the with the larger issue of getting his daughters married. Deepak Dobriyal plays a quack dentist, whose solution to all dental problems is simple: tooth extraction! But my favorite of the 3 is Shreyal Talpade who plays the youngest brother Fancy Singh. A wannabe actor with a limited quota of luck and brains! All 3 come together for a fantastic comedy.

Very good for a few laughs. Leave-ur-brains-at-home comedy!

Patiala House

A movie about the clashing ideologies of father and son. Now where have we heard this one before?! Anyway, moving on!

It is always a delight to see Rishi Kapoor on screen. One of the most popular Kapoor of his generation, he manages to make his mark and hold his own even today. So be it the lovable cafe owner cum love guru to Saif in Love Aaj Kal, a middle class school teacher struggling to make ends meet in Do Dooni Chaar, and now as the patriarch of the Kahlon family in Patiala House, Rishi Kapoor lights up the screen.

The movie talks about the racism faced by 1st generation Punjabis in the 50s & the 60s in England. Bauji (Rishi Kapoor) becomes the face of the Punjabi community fighting for respect and individuality in Southhall. This means that he abhors the English and does not want an iota of their influence/culture into his family. As is the case, their is a flip-side to this stand. The entire family has to adhere to his diktats, which means that their dreams and aspirations are put on hold. So in keeping with Bauji's wishes Gattu (Akshay Kumar) gives up his dreams of playing cricket as a member of England's squad. Years later Gattu, by quirk of fate, is given a second chance to play for England and realise his dreams. The entire family conspires to help Gattu realise his dream in the hope that they, too, might be given a chance to live the life of their choice.

Anushka Sharma plays the love interest of Akshay, even though the movie is less a love story and more a story of father-son conflict. It must be said that Anushka manages to hold her own ground in front of stalwarts like Rishi Kapoor & Akshay Kumar. She seems to have effortlessly endeared herself to the audiences with her chirpy charm!

This is Akhay Kumar's most restrained performance and he totally excels in his portrayal of a man conflicting between his respect & loyalty towards his father and his love for the game of cricket. Wish his many such roles of substance and less of buffoonery!

Dimple Kapadia plays Rishi Kapoor's wife in the movie, and yet again they make a lovely pair.

Music of the movie is good, and we have another wedding anthem of the season, although you will have to wait till the very end of the movie for it!

Tanu weds Manu

Never judge a book by it's cover, they say. Never judge a film by it's teasers, I say! With all the reality shows on the idiot box, marketing a movie has become really easy. And the slickly edited promos make the job really difficult for the audiences to judge the movie.

If you haven't seen Tanu weds Manu as yet, take my word for it...do not waste ur time or money! If u want to decide for urself, go ahead, watch it, just don't tell me, I didn't warn u!

The movie opens with London based Manoj Sharma (Madhavan)coming to India to get married. His parents have lined up a bevy of girls for him to "see" and "select". First girl he meets is the Kanpur based Tanuja Trivedi (Kangana R), who, he, falls in love with...without even exchanging a word! The kahani mein twist is that Tanu is in love with someone else, what follows is useless nonsense.

Madhavan is completely wasted in the insipid role. Jimmy Shergill, likewise. Ravi Kishen is in blink and miss role. The only saving grace are Deepak Dobriyal & Swara Bhaskar, both of whom are very fine actors. About the rest, less said the better.

The music of the movie does not help it either. "Rangrez", with it's Sufi bent manages to make a mark. The movie also gives us the wedding anthem of the season with "saadi galli".

Rajneeti

Once in a while something comes along that makes us see a long existing thing in a new light. Rajneeti is just that something. For all you who thought the Mahabharata was a historical, moral epic that along with Ramayana form the base scriptures of Hinduism, this movie will make you alter that perception. It will force you to think of this as a political saga, a blockbuster of sorts when you see the modern day rendition of the so-called religious epic. You will once again question dharma. Not only that you will also question the god himself – Krishna.

The Mahabharat is the greatest lesson in politics. And it also forms the basic premise of the latest offering by Prakash Jha…Rajneeti. Many characters from the Mahabharat find their way into the modern day tale of the epic. Karna, the eldest brother of the Pandavas, a prisoner of birth, spends his whole life carrying the burden of one moment of insanity and passion of his mother. His fate is sealed at conception itself. And then there is Duryodhana, what do we say about him? Born into royalty, the rightful owner of the throne, but a cruel twist of fate robs him of his destiny, the quest for which means self-destruction. But, in the modern day Mahabharat of politics, there is no place for the Dharmaraj Yudhisthir, the eldest of the Pandavas, and his modern day counter-part has principles and equal no. of flaws and short-comings to make him believable and human. Yet, plenty of place for the deceiving, conniving and the wily Krishna…the master manipulator, the king-maker and the ace strategist. Ditto for Arjun, who only focuses on the target; the eye of the fish; the seat of the supreme power, and the he will not rest unless he attains it, no matter what the means and the price. All is fair in the treacherous game of politics. Indeed what a game it is, where there are no permanent friends or enemies, where friendships of convenience are forged just as easily as enmity is forgotten and pride is swallowed for the bigger reward. Even the dead have a role to play, who come back to haunt from the grave. In politics it is self first, self above all and indeed it is imperative to save ones own rear rather than dwelling on petty and insignificant issues of loyalty and kinship…and why not, with only one seat of power and many players. Kings are pawns themselves too. The lust for power is all consuming.

On this treacherous and murky web of deceit and ambition is based Rajneeti, which, with its brilliant star cast, stellar performances and edge-of-the-seat pace seems to be a sure winner. Manoj Bajpayee, after having done some insignificant and almost ridiculous roles, is back with a bang. If you thought Arjun Rampal is just a clothes-horse, think again, as he comes up with an ace performace. Ajay Devgan is his usual intense, brooding self, and then there is Nana Patekar, in his most restrained performance ever…no loud dialogues and no exaggerated hand movement!! But the surprise package is Ranbir Kapoor, in his most intense performance till date. That of the son, who by twist of fate is pushed into the political arena and once on the battle ground he emerges as the modern day Arjun who will stop at absolutely nothing to avenge the family honor and to return the power to the rightful owner; he has enough mind that he almost does not need the wily Krishna and his scheming mind. Then there is the lovely Katrina Kaif, an unwilling participant in the dangerous game, a mere pawn used to further ones own greed for power and supremacy, who loses all to emerge as the prime candidate. A small yet significant role. A must watch movie; it is not for the faint at heart. The only short-coming…a complete waste of Naseeruddin Shah.