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!

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!

Just Go With It

This concept has been done to death. The lame old story...a man falls in love with a good-looking girl, dutifully helped by the assistant, only to realise in the end that all that he was looking for was right in front of him all the time...his assistant. Nothing hatke for sure!

The movie opens on Danny Maccabee's (Adam Sandler)wedding day. Danny overhears his would-be bride confiding to her girlfriends that the real reason she is marrying Danny is because he is a doctor! The wedding is called off, but the wedding ring stays; Danny's twisted logic being it attracts the women. Some 10 years later, the ring is still on the finger. Until one day Danny runs into Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), and realises this is the girl he wants to be with. But first he needs to explain the ring, enter Katherine Murphy (Jennifer Aniston), a single mom and the much needed assistant. Soon Katherine finds herself playing Danny's soon-to-be-divorced wife. One lie leads to another and soon Katherine's children also get involved. And before we know it the entire party finds itself in Hawai, along with Danny's cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson).And then the realisation strikes home! Happily ever after!

Not an award winner, but a cute movie with brilliant chemistry between Jennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler, which makes me wonder; why haven't they been paired earlier?! Adam Sandler is in a unusually restrained avtaar (as compared to his earlier movies)and Jennifer looks fabulous (what does she eat? if she ever does, that is!). The kids are fantastic especially Bailee Madison (am sure we will see a lot of her in the near future).

And yes, did I mention the film also stars Nicole Kidman (when was the last we saw her?)

No Strings Attached

Is it just me, or is there really a dearth of good movies? After the highly disappointing Tanu weds Manu, the case in point is No Strings Attached.

The movie opens to show chance meetings between Emma (Natalie Portman)and Adam (Ashton Kutcher)and before long they end up in bed. Both decide to keep the relationship about sex, yes you guessed it, without any strings attached. No dating, no flowers, no interference in each other's life. They are free to see anyone they want, although, they don't is another matter! This situation works out well for both of them, as Adam is in no mood for a relationship after his girlfriend ends up with his dad! and Emma is a cynic who wants no emotional dependence. So far so good. The problem starts with Adam actually falling in love with Emma; who wants none of it (case of role reversal!)

Nothing ground-breaking happens next, except Adam trying to win her over with his "love". She finally comes around. Lo and behold...a happy ending.

There is nothing romantic or comic about this romantic comedy. no endearing moments, nothing to hold it together. The chemistry between the lead pair is zilch, so much so that they appear almost uncomfortable with each other.

Completely avoidable.