Posts Tagged ‘Movie review’

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is Superb! Must-see film..!

Posted: July 14, 2013 in Uncategorized
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bmb_titleI was in for a wonderful treat on the Sunday morning.

Yes, totally loved Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for many reasons!

I was reminded of ‘Chariots of Fire’, a film I had seen many years back, but which remains one of my favourite films till date. There is a certain excitement about stories based around sport, and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, is of course, in that genre. The sweat and toil, the determination, the hard work, the competitiveness, the rivalry, all of these are emotional elements and they draw the audience in.

At the outset, here was an extremely talented team at work!

Starting with the director, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, one of the sharpest and most talented young filmmakers in Indian cinema today. I had found his first venture, Aks, to be a very interesting experiment. And then of course, Rang De Basanti was an iconic film. I had liked his next one, Dilli 6 also. So this one comes as yet another great piece of work by the young man. bmb_rom

His partner in crime from RDB and Dilli-6, Prasoon Joshi is very much present here as well!

He takes care of a super story, screenplay, dialogs and lyrics. His brilliance shows in all of these aspects!

Binod Pradhan does a fabulous job with the camera, especially on some scenes filmed in Ladakh. Shankar Ehsaan Loy put together a very credible composition for the times when the story has been based.

That’s an awesome team working at the back.

Of course, the one hero is the original story, and the man himself, the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh!

It is amazing to see and note the life that he lived.

A child of the partition days, he saw the extreme pain and angst of separation, was brought up in very tough environs, took to stealing coal to make some money, and from that kind of background, emerged to be one of the best athletes that India have produced, and perhaps one of the best sportspersons that India has every produced. Now that’s quite a rollercoaster of a life!

Kudos to Farhan Akhtar for delivering Milkha Singh to us!

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His is an absolutely brilliant performance. He has clearly put in massive effort to get it right. From the physical development, to the running style, the look, the accent, the Punjabi language, the dancing.. everything. And he delivers well on all of these. Clearly, he seems to be the perfect fit for this role.

Some great shots he delivers include the extreme face crunching pain that he feels as he runs hard on the tracks, or when (the many times) he falls and gets hurt, or his scenes with his sister, or the time when he returns back to his old home in Pakistan, or when he comes back with his medals and gives a medal to his first coach and falls at his feet, etc. etc. All great scenes, very well acted!!

There are good supporting performances from Pawan Malhotra and Yograj Singh as the coaches, and Divya Dutta as Milkha’s elder sister.

Divya Dutta and Pawan Malhotra were in Rakeysh’s Dilli-6 too, and are also two really good supporting actors, who leave their mark, even in short roles.

Sonam does not have much of a role in the film.

The young boy who plays Milkha Singh as a child also delivers a fantastic performance.

It was very interesting to see the country glued on to the radio when Milkha Singh was taking on his Pakistani counterpart, and when he emerges winner, the kind of celebrations that India witnesses, were bigger than what we see these days, when India beats Pakistan in a cricket match!

Overall, Milkha Singh’s story is told very well, in interspersed flashbacks, in almost a similar way that Mehra had mixed the characters and story of India’s pre-independence revolution with modern day characters in Rang De Basanti.

In summary, this is clearly the best film to be released so far in 2013. There is a good chance that the Best Director award for the year is already decided in favour of Mehra, and even if that were to be in doubt, rest assured that the Best Actor award’s a taken now! Others will be competing for 2nd place to Farhan Akhtar.

Not about the movie, but here are some life lessons that one picks up from the movie:

1. Sometimes there is a deep rooted event or incident that provides the maximum motivation / drive

2. Everyone could screw up. Recognise what’s happened, refocus, ensure elimination of the screwup factor, and dedicate yourself back to the motive

3. It’s all about FOCUS.

4.There are no short cuts in life. Hard work, dedication, obsession about one’s goals.. that’s what it takes to succeed.

5. A good coach makes a huge difference

6. A good coach will drive you to your limits, as he knows what you are capable of, and wants you to deliver it all

7. You need to consciously switch OFF your distractions if you want to get your ultimate goal
Cheers!

Go, see Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.. !

 

 

Jab Tak Hain Jaan: see it for Yash Chopra

Posted: November 14, 2012 in movies, Uncategorized
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If you are a fan of Hindi films, just watch Jab Tak Hain Jaan (JTHJ) for the beautiful tribute to Yash Chopra, at the end. For the wonderful entertainment that he provided to us, all these years, the excellent 3-4 minute salutation (almost certainly, an Aditya Chopra piece of work) with the titles at the end, was very touching.

There are other reasons to see this film too, though many of those connect back to the man himself, Yash Chopra.

1. Yash Chopra uses the camera like a pen, and creates poetry out of the sheer brilliance of the camera. And this is not just the superb locations that he has caught on camera or the near perfect sets, but also the emotions that he captures from the actors, just via his camera.

2. Beautiful sites of Ladakh revisited in a film again, the countryside of UK, made for great viewing on the screen.

3. Gulzar for lyrics and A R Rahman’s music. Two of the best proponents of their respective trades contributing to the beauty of the film. On their own merits, and without any other support, these two giants would lead a movie to great heights. Here of course, they are a part of a large canvass.

4. For a change, Shah Rukh Khan does not overact. In fact, he acts “just right”. The intensity of his face, the underplay of his emotions, serves his character really well. Thank God for the absence of his hee-haw way of talking (or is that reserved only for Karan Johar films – either ways, thank God!). I am sure Yash Chopra had a role to play in bringing out the best from SRK.

5. Anushka’s role could have easily have been a two-bit extra kind. But the spunky girl that she is, she makes the most of the opportunity and turns the role into a substantial one. Comes out strong and significant.

6. Katrina looks good. Period. 🙂

7. After Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, once more Katrina is shown on a two wheeler with a helmet on, and then getting more to her lips than the Slice mango drink, viz. another lip lock scene, this one with SRK, of course. After ZNMD, directors who cast her, may make this a habit, and she could soon challenge Emran Hashmi for being most kissed star?! #JustSaying #NotThatIMind

8. The trench coats. Burberry, I presume. The bike rides in the mountains. Looks majestic.

9. Aditya Chopra’s poetry and dialogues. Some good lines through the movie.

10. Katrina looks good. Did I already say that earlier?

So is it all good? Not really. There are some misses, and some questions, and some general observations:

1. Not much of  a story. A bit far fetched. But the glitz covers up for this.

2. Are there really so many bombs needed to be diffused all the time? And while the one guys playing with death can walk into it, unprotected, do the other folks around him have to be equally casual??

3. Does a foreign country policeman allow a brown faced Indian to casually walk in, claim himself to be an Indian Army person (no checks) and attempt to diffuse a bomb? It’s like on a flight, someone falls sick, and they call out, “is there a doctor on the plane?” – don’t think they’d do that for bombs, “is there a bomb diffuser around here?”!!

4. The second time in a Yash Chopra film that someone bought birthday gifts year after year, but did not give them to the child. Saved them till later, with letters, and the person ended up getting them all together, years later. Lamhe and now, JTHJ. No new ideas around this, Yashji?

5. The film was looong. At least in our theatre. Perhaps because of a long interval too, with lots and lots of ads running in the break. Took nearly 4 hours by the time we were done and out. The film could do with a tighter edit too. Cut 15 min off at least.

6. What’s this obsession for moms to give their wedding wear for their daughters to wear?? Don’t they realize that: a) 25 years is a long time for that dress to be totally out of fashion and b) don’t you feel for the fashion boutiques who will go out of business, if this trend continues and becomes popular?! 🙂

7. The other characters in the film, like SRK’s cronies in the army and in UK, Anupam Kher, and all others, have pretty much, no role. Those characters are just not developed. Seems like a waste.

Outside of the film, noticed that advertisers are back with in-theatre advertising. For the multiplexes having rare full houses, the additional income from other sources, including advertising, builds sustenance.

A closing word on Yash Chopra. Where other directors of earlier times seem to have lost their connect with the new audience, Yash Chopra continued to evolve himself, kept pace with the changing generations, and kept making his films look good for the times. He made his heroines look good, with the best fashion of the times, even as he evolved from silk and chiffon sarees to bright and colourful short dresses.

Priyadarshan’s Aakrosh with Ajay Devgan: tight and powerful

Posted: October 16, 2010 in bollywood, Movie Review
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Priyadarshan claims to have not ‘directed’ Aakrosh. He claims to have ‘filmed’ it. If you go by the titles…

Well, film or direct, he has made a good movie, and I enjoyed this power packed, action thriller!

A 10-30 pm show on a working day is a film’s challenge – to keep me awake and attentive. Aakrosh not only kept me awake, but it also kept me engrossed, right from the word go, and till the end. This speaks for excellent editing, where no scene was ‘wasted’. From making comedies, Priyadarshan makes an excellent transition to a reality inspired, action drama.

The story is inspired by the scores of ‘honor killing’ realities that one reads about in the papers. In places like UP, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, etc. All those stories make you aware that this is a reality even in modern day India. But for city folks like us, to get a close view of the reality, is shocking, to say the least. That some people in power can so easily take the law in their hands, not care two hoots for media, nor for the CBI or the Centre, and pretty much continue to live their lives, on their own terms, is unnerving. Is this modern India? And if so, why is it that way? Why have we remained these two distinct countries?

What works in the movie?

The story line is thrown open right at the outset. Not much ramble to take you to the core point.

Except for the one romantic song between Ajay and Bipasha (must have been an after thought to cover the box office?), rest of the scenes and the locales look very real.

Even the smaller characters have been developed well, and appear to be very realistic of that life.

Some great action scenes are shot. One awesome foot chase with Ajay going after a goon, is brilliantly captured. In his debut film, Ajay had put his two legs on two motorbikes, and standing on these two moving bikes, he had made an appearance. That was a great scene. In Aakrosh, he stands atop a running jeep, in similar fashion.

Ajay Devgan is a perfect natural for such roles. He has done many similar characters in the past, and does very well, here as well. Akshaye Khanna is good too. Bipasha has a small role. Not much to do.

Paresh Rawal returns to his naughty villain role types. And puts a smashing performance in that.

Overall, the film worked for me. This is the kind of cinema I enjoy.

And I reckon, you might like it too.. !

Rajneeti: In short, “What Shit, man!”

Posted: June 6, 2010 in Uncategorized
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I could have just said what I say in the title, viz. “What Shit”, and that would suffice to describe my reaction on Rajneeti. But to share with you, why I feel this way, I will dwell on this some more.

I was really looking forward to Rajneeti. God knows, I have let it be known via Facebook and Twitter. The promos had impressed me. And there is a lot of potential in a political drama. But the film disappointed sorely!

Two great epics that a lot of filmmakers have drawn inspiration from, are the Mahabharat and Godfather. Prakash Jha takes inspiration from both. Which is fine by itself. Except that Prakash Jha forgot that he was making a political drama, and not a gangster film. Turned out that he made it more of a Godfather, than a Chanakya-esque political play.

And that is my biggest problem with the film. The excessive and random violence, which just seems unbelievable. Can you really win an election by gunning away all the top political leaders of your opposition? Like, what’s going on?!

** SPOILER ALERT: If you are planning to see the film, and want to be surprised, you should not read further! **

So here are my thoughts on the film. First the good parts – yes, there are few:

The initial was decent. There clearly seemed like there was potential here, and that the film will turn out to be an interesting dramatic screenplay. Most performances are decent, especially Arjun Ramphal, Ranbir and Nana Patekar. The sets are decent, and give you a feel of the political landscape.

Yeah, guess that’s about it. From here on, its all downhill.

And so here are the rants – what I found strange or incomprehensible, or purely unbelievable:

1. A fundamental inconsistency in the characters:

a. Ranbir – he is the Al Pacino from Godfather, like a reluctant entrant into the dirty world of politics. But what is the person that is his character?? He is supposed to be clean, sincere, educated, a man of the world, a person with genuine feelings. That he can be smart to do political manipulations is fine, but can he be ruthless to go on a killing spree, or to trade his close relationships for political gain. And who again, still feels for his unborn child or his American girlfriend. If there are shades to his character, why and how he shifts from one to the other shade, is not powerfully shown. I mean, if he is clean, but there is a frustration that drives him to violence, the development of that frustration, his internal agony, a despair that drives him to be so different, is not apparent at all. Its more like a comfortable Jekyl and Hyde existence, it would appear!

b. The mother: one who at one time, rebeled against her politician father, and joined up with a revolutionary leftist, but meekly accepts a political marriage. And also allows herself to be a pawn in the political battle, while planning a wedding with Katrina, for her son. One who’s spent 30 years doing donations at a temple, for her first son, whom she lost, but who, after locating him 30 years later, in her first meeting with the son, makes him a political proposal. What is her real character??

c. Nana Patekar feels for the son of his sister, whom he locates, and does not kill him. Cries for him, in fact. But who at the end, comfortably encourages Ranbir to finish him off. So what was the real Nana?

d. Katrina, proud, confident, independent girl. But easily agrees to a wedding of manipulation, without any serious resistance?

What are the real people like? Such swings in the character map. Does not show consistency at all.

2. So what was the problem that Prakash Jha and Nana Patekar had? I think Nana has a very interesting role, a combination of a Bheeshma and Chanakya. If anyone should have a grouse, it should be Ajay Devgan! His character has not been given a chance to develop and he just hangs around, sort of. Likewise, Manoj Bajpai who could have been a strong Duryodhan, is made to look like a comedian, almost. Not sure if its the ensemble cast that has prevented Prakash Jha from developing better characters for everyone. But Manoj’s was a real let down. Katrina’s like a fly on the wall. So much for it being a momentous role for her career. No big deal at all.

3. So you are trying to show reality in politics, Mr. Jha! At high places, at levels of CM, we do not have a reality of random killings. Perhaps in Bihar, smaller level of politicians could be getting bumped off, every now and then. But do we have Godfather like mass killings? No, we don’t.

4. If at all, crucial CM-level candidates are killed, and more than one, I would believe that Emergency would be imposed in the state. You can’t just shoot out opposition leaders, and election still goes on fine, and you can come out winner. That is a little unbelievable.

5. Why the annihilation finally? When you have already lost lives at your own end (and hence you know how vulnerable you are), and with some efforts, you have secured the political victory, why would you still go after opp leaders / your cousins, to finish them off?? Its not a gangster film, with only the “last one standing”?! It is not a Mafia film?! But Prakash Jha makes it look like one.

6. And what about pregnancies?? At the rate at which single night stands convert to pregnancies, right through the film, one would wonder about the fertility levels! Also hasn’t anyone heard of birth control methods??

I think finally, what caused my ultimate adverse reaction were two things:

1. The end was really bad. And that is what remains with you, as you walk out, and ponder about what just happened.

2. Like in case of Kites, it is an expectation thing. In Kites, I went with low expectations (as by that time, people had run the film down), and was reasonably satisfied with what I saw. Here I expected a lot. Reviews were good. So really thought this would be one good film to watch. And it turned out to be drab!

In fact, looking at the violence that prevalied, I almost expected at the end, that when Ranbir’s being taken to the airport, driven by Ajay Devgan’s father, he’ll blow him up too. In keeping with the rest of the random violence!!!

Well done Abba: Well done Shyam Benegal, Well done Boman Irani!

Posted: March 28, 2010 in Uncategorized
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A movie in the time of IPL, is almost like love in the time of war.. !
Unthinkable? No great movies get released for a month or more! What a blow IPL has given to the film industry.

And yet, in the midst of IPL, this Shyam Benegal film, “Well done Abba” released, and I overcame my film-withdrawal symptoms and landed up to see it.

I am glad for the likes of Shyam Benegal and Vishal Bhardwaj, for showing us a real ‘other India’. Away from the gloss of the city life, or the underbelly also (the so-called multiplex ‘life in a metro’ genre), away from the jazzy foreign locales of Chopras and Johars.

Bhardwaj is all about UP, and Benegal this time, takes us to small town Andhra Pradesh.

The film, in terms of story and treatment, is close to an “Office-Office” kind of television serial. Exposing the corruption all over, and the exploitation of the poor, via the various yojanas and all. In that respect, the story is not really such good film material, and might have been better delivered on the small screen.

But add to the story, the elements of viewing life in small town AP, and that adds an additional value element to the cinematic experience. And makes it worth the 2.5 hours.

You end up ‘feeling’ for the Muslim mother of 5 daughters, with the husband working in the city somewhere, and having to face the burden of getting the girls married. And who finds the match with an Arab sheikh to be a good one for the eldest. You also feel disgusted at seeing what you already know – the complete chain of corrupt apathy – which results in the poor not getting a basic requirement like water!

Boman Irani gets to play virtually a solo hero. He proves that he can carry a film on his shoulders. He gets into the skin of the Hyderabadi Muslim, with accent, mannerisms and all, completely.

Minisha Lamba’s is a spunky character and she delivers well. She’s done it again, after Yahaan, where she was a Kashmiri girl in similar circumstances. She needs to be seen in more glamorous roles too. I believe she has it in her, to deliver those as well.

But wonder about the creasy line that comes up on her cheeks, every time she grimaces?! Kind of funny..

The film is slow. No typical masala film elements. So a huge departure from routine stuff. Not everyone will like it. But a good break during IPL as you already have enough of glamour and glitz (Shilpa, Preity, Deepika + cheerleaders) there. So Well Done Abba is refreshing change then..

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire is good but..

Posted: January 25, 2009 in Uncategorized
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Slumdog Millionaire, although an India focused story, released in India much after it’s international release.

By this time, it had already won Golden Globe awards. It had already become one of the high grossers of the year. And it had already been nominated for 10 Oscars.

Given this backdrop, when I walked into the cinema hall to see it yesterday, I carried with me, a helluva lot of expectations. And I was sure that the expectations will be belied. They usually are, when they hype is so much.

So here’s my take on the film.

Yes, certainly a nice story, well depicted. An underdog’s tale is an age old formula milked by many a filmmaker, and the audience always laps it up. As it did this one. Born is abject poverty, in Mumbai slums, can life get worse? Yes, it did. When the mother dies in the communal riots, their ‘slum house’ is burnt down, and all that the two brothers have, are each other. That they remain cool and calm, and not cry their guts out in self-pity, is perhaps an indicator of life in the trenches, in poverty of that kind. Which is something that perhaps, more fortunate people like us, may never identify with. A typical Ekta Kapoor soap opera would have dragged the scene of a mother dying in this manner, over 4 episodes at least, with white clothes galore, and tons of glycerine used in tears, and sharp close ups of ladies with teary eyes and what not.

In SDM, life carries on. Beyond crying for mom, there is a life to live. There is survival at stake. The same ‘selfish’ survival attitude is seen at least on couple of other occasions. Once, when the brothers after trying hard to get their third musketeer girlfriend to join them inside a running train, don’t manage it. They don’t dramatize and come back to the scene of risk again. They feel bad, but they move on (well, the ‘hero’ returns later.. that’s different). Likewise, the elder brother, gets a break to move into the higher echelons of the crime world, and better prosperity, and chooses to move on. If his brother does not come, or is languishing somewhere, too bad. Each one’s to fend for himself, in this ‘real world’ that many of us don’t have a clue about.

Nor is there over dramatization of the communal feel. That their mother died at the hands of another community’s rioters was accepted by the kids as an incidental happening. In today’s terror spewn world, I suspect that the Gen Y feels quite like that. Or close to that. Like we Gen-Xers might have thought about Cancer. That it’s tough. But it happens. And we can’t help it. And we must move on. Does Gen Y feel like that, about terrorism? I wonder…

The story shows how events leave an indelible mark. In the film, these marks come back by sheer coincidence, as answers to the millionaire contest questions. The larger understanding that I take, is that events that have left a mark, shape your destiny for sure. In one or another way.

When I used to see young kids coming out at traffic signals in Mumbai, and selling interesting bits, and I could see a perfect sales person in them, I had admired their enterprise and their amazing survival instincts. In fact, I had dedicated a post to them, many months back!!

Those same survival instincts are shown to the fore here. Hanging on for dear life on top of running trains. Taking on local hoodlums, standing across of them, with a revolver in hand, and realizing that they will never forgive, even going ahead and killing them. Finding a way to sell wares in trains, becoming an impromptu guide for the Taj Mahal on the view of a dollar bill, and such other incidents, showcase the same fearlessness, from the characters. And I am sure these exist in abundance, in any street kid of their type, found in ample numbers on the streets of Mumbai.

The learnings on the street, the daily survival grind against enemies known and unknown, prepares the hero well. At the crunch time, in the Millionaire contest, when the celebrity anchor pretends to assist him out of sympathy, the hero knows. Whether to trust or not! That judgement has come out of the hard grind on the survival mills.

In terms of the cast, first the desi ‘stars’. Irfan Khan, the wonderful talent that he is, has not much to do. And he does that well 🙂 Likewise, another great, underrated talent, Saurabh Shukla, the pot bellied cop, is decent in the small role that he has. Anil Kapoor is the one ‘miss’ in the film. He just does not get the role as the anchor of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He is too subdued, too casual. I think the show, at least from what we have seen of it, in its Indian versions, has a lot of drama, a lot of poise, and where the anchor is the real star. His pauses, his sudden outbursts, his loud emphasis on the word, “Millionaire’ (Karodpati in India) are what make the show, the show. Anil Kapoor, in spite of having such excellent reference points to see in Amitabh Bacchan and Shah Rukh Khan as anchors, does not deliver well. Freida Pinto, for all the acclaim that she is getting, again has a small role. Madhur Mittal, as Salim, is again not a powerful portrayal. He is okay. Could have done a lot better. And which leaves Dev Patel as the protagonist. He does a sincere job, conveys the innocence as well as the street smartness, the fear as well as his love, equally well. Still, from an Oscar nominated film, I cannot even mention Dev Patel and Tom Hanks together, in the same sentence. Dev Patel’s is a good debut performance, and one can see hope of a great actor emerging. Period. Golden Globe worthy?? I wonder.. !

All in all, all these make for a fascinating story, and an enjoyable 2.5 hours in the seat.

But…

Yeah, there is always a ‘but’!

But…

  • The expectations that I carried were more than a good story, well rendered. I was looking for exceptional scenes, exceptional acting, inspirational ideas. I did not really see them.
  • I was looking for some incredible music compositions for warranting 3 Oscar nominations for A R Rahman. Well, there was good music, but I have obviously heard so much better stuff from A R Rahman.
  • I was looking for material justifying TEN Oscar nominations. No, I really did not find that here.
  • Acting of Anil Kapoor, Madhur Mittal has clear flaws. Dev Patel’s is also a good debut, but that’s it. I presume Danny Boyle might have also set out to make a ‘good movie’ and may not have had any pretensions of the kind of fame that the film has ultimately got. If he had any clue that he was working with Oscar-level material, he would have gone for a better actor than Anil Kapoor, or at least take few more takes from him, till he got it right!
  • Some of the characters could have been developed a bit more. We see the pain in Freida’s eyes at the end. But we do not get much of a glimpse into her mind. Anil Kapoor’s character has his sense of jealousy with respect to a chai-wala going on to win so much, in his game. He is sarcastic, and even goes to the point of misleading him. Why does he do that? Why is he carrying such a strong feeling against the hero? That’s left to our imagination. Wish some of these could have been developed a wee bit.

So why did the film receive the extent of acclaim that it has done? My takes are:

  • That it was probably a very ordinary year for Hollywood, otherwise. Maybe there was no exceptional cinema (or not much, anyway) that came out this year. And so, one likes the few that make the basic cut. And Slumdog did that. For example, if I glance over some previous Best Film winning movies, I cannot see Slumdog having much of a chance, as a comparable film also, against the likes of Million Dollar Baby, Chicago, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, Titanic, The Last Emperor, Gandhi, etc.
  • That western audiences have about had it, with the sci-fi, fantasy bits, pedalled about, for long, as good cinema. I have never been fascinated by the utter make believe in the name of science fiction. And I have questioned whether writers have completely run out of story ideas that come from real life, the kind that we can identify with, and understand? Well, Slumdog offers that kind of a story, and perhaps people want those back now!
  • That India remains the flavor of the day. Where earlier, the snake charmers and the elephants are what the western world knew India as, today, with the increasing relevance of India in the global economy, there is a curiosity in the western world, about “what the real India is like”? And surely, it could not have become as good as a western country (‘it has not’!) in terms of lifestyle and all that jazz. So what is that real India like? Danny Boyle gives it to them, and the curiosity of the western audience ensures large success.

All this of course, is my speculation, as I try to understand the success of Slumdog Millionaire, and specifically, the EXTENT of success, what with 10 Oscar nominations and all that!

Well, some people struggle for success, others have success thrust down their throats 🙂

Sorry, I am being uncharitable. At least I can say that Slumdog Millionaire was lucky to be in the right place at the right time!! JAI HO… !!

Dil Kabaddi – Highly Recommended for Married Couples

Posted: December 21, 2008 in bollywood, Dil Kabaddi, Irfan Khan, Konkona Sen, Movie Review, Rahul Bose, Soha Ali Khan
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Caught a Sunday matinee show of Dil Kabaddi. And enjoyed it throughly.
It’s a modern day story of DINK couples (Double-Income-No-Kids). Especially related to the games people play in marriage (yes, the spouses.. with each other..), infidelity in modern day marriages, and especially the sexual interplay in marriages. A kind of adult topic, its been handled very openly for the first time.

But mistake it not for a serious arty movie or anything like that. In fact, its a helluva funny movie. Very enjoyable.

The cast is just perfect. All of them have done a great job – Konkona, Rahul Bose, Soha Ali Khan and Irfan Khan. Especially Irfan Khan. He’s amazing talent. Rock star material!

We saw it in a cozy 40-seater theatre (almost like watching in a large hall of someone’s home!), and it was pretty much filled with couples like us, and there was so much laughter all over. I guess everyone was seeing a bit of their own marriages in the film.

Highly recommended to all married couples. Go and have fun. And you will start seeing the funny side of your own marriage 🙂