RUPKATHA NOY : A fine script!

One of the finest films of last year, Rupkatha Noy is all about good story telling! A well knit screenplay coupled with some crisp editing, the film revolves around an old man with a constant urge to look out for thrills in the nitty-gritty of everyday life, propels him to reach out to some lost souls, sitting in a park, listening to & lending a helping hand while changing their respective lives in the process. Also noteworthy is the fact that the director cleverly stays away from unnecessary dialogues throughout the film, which makes it for a more compelling watch. None of the scenes or moments seem monotonus. Though the film belongs to Soumitra Chatterjee but the girls (all three of them- Radhika Apte, Sohini Sarkar, Nina Chakraborty) are equally brilliant in the film. Wonderful to see Radhika Apte with such a nuanced performance, such a fine actor! And glad to see that her dubbing had been done really well this time (unlike Antaheen) Special mention to Anwesha Gupta's beautiful number 'Saara din saara raat'.

She smiles through Boba Tunnel...

In Chotushkone, Koneenica hardly had a significant role, her plot doesn't add up much to the plot anyway. Few dialogues, yet her character, even in that short frame leaves such an impact! And in Boba Tunnel, her character, Shree comes out so fluently! Here's a girl, involved with a man (Diptyo) almost her father's age. We hardly notice any emotional bond between the two. Also because Diptyo, somewhere deep in his heart, still craves for his ex flame, the aging superstar/director Trina. Shree strikes a bond with Diptyo's son, after an initial heated argument, they eventually bond over a joint-roll and a song. 

And then there's a brilliant shot, where, post sex, she is lying next to Diptyo in bed, while Diptyo watches a yesteryear B&W film starring Trina on tv, totally oblivious to Shree's presence next to him, she is lying with her face turned towards the opposite side with a content smile masked all over her face, the contentment of probably finding something or someone she had been looking for in Diptyo, but which she eventually,(unexpectedly) found in someone else!
More than half of the credit for the song 'boba tunnel' should go to Koneenica Banerjee for her charming, effortless act.Watch out for her exuberance flowing throughout the song. No lip sync, no melodrama! Just gyrating to the song in her own way! The twinkle in her eyes and body language speaks so much! A perfect execution of a song on screen does not always mean a Sanjay Leela Bhansali marka opulence, what i look out for is the actor / actors involved in the song, who are atleast capable of letting themselves go with the flow of the music, the rhythm, while specifically working on their eye movements, body language and gestures and that do not always require lip syncing with the tune at all!
Few of my friends said that this sub plot was unnecessary, but i'd say this almost a 'quadrangle' between Diptyo, Shree, Trina and Trina's husband Moloy (still working out to ignite the long lost flame ) might not add up to the larger frame of the storyline but nevertheless, it had its own sweet moment. Watch out for Barun Chanda (as Moloy) in the last frame of the movie when he looks back once with an almost 'waving goodbye' smile while his wife weeps over her ex boyfriend's shoulder.

DAAWAT-E-ISHQ : Serving some well succulent kababs but alas! not a hot steamy Biryani !!

At one point in the film Gulrez tells the garishly flamboyant Tariq ‘ you are a high school drop out, your english is pathetic, you wear tacky shirts , chew paan and burp!’, well but that’s not evident in the film though! And that's what was probably essential in Tariq’s character that could have worked out more so if he was made more vacuous rather than the ‘laugh a loud, good at heart lucknovi chap. Their hasn't been enough timing for the romance to develop between the lead players hence you don’t feel bad for Tariq when he is betrayed by Gulrez.

Having said that, Aditya Roy Kapoor is likeable & attractive,no longer camera conscious or droopy (like his previous projects), he shines as the robust kohl-eyed Tariq. 

Parineeti Chopra with her spontaneity & vivaciousness evident from her very first film is sadly restricted here within this regular glamour doll image with huge dollops of make-up, pan cake and flashy attire,not at ease ,at times, misfit to her character Gulrez! Save for that Hyderabadi accent slipping and falling back into place every now, the dynamics of Parineeti’s role isn’t all that we haven't seen before, but nevertheless, she is always a delight to watch!

It’s a light hearted film focussing on the menace aka dowry, the misuse of section 498A & a father-daughter duo’s plan to con a rich guy who demands a hefty dowry forms the basic premise of the film. The actors should have undergone some strict workshop sessions to get their hyderabadi & lucknowi accent correct, or maybe a few lessons from Shabana Azmi’s Mandi ! The father and daughter’s big, well executed con job is lame and unbelievable! Tv actor Karan Wahi is so bland in the film that one wonders whether he is just out of a drug rehab centre with that anorexic frame and excess baggage under his eyes. Anupam Kher is a delight to watch and it’s good to see him in a charming role after a long time.

The note able landmarks of Hyderabad – Charminar (the film starts with it as the background), Hussain Sagar and Nehru Zoological Park making way for Lucknow’s grand Bara Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and bustling Aminabad in the second half, unfortunately, hasn’t been utilized properly by the DOP . Sajid-Wajid’s dragging soundtrack, a reminiscence of the 90’s tracks is such a waste barring the title track which has been utilized well into the narrative with some yummy cuisines on display. The film is surely one time watchable because of the sparkling screen presence of the lead cast and Anupam Kher . A much tighter screenplay could have made a lot of difference to the narrative.

MARY COM (review) : Mother Mary shines!!

In one scene, the selectors at a boxing event unfairly rewards and selects Mary Kom’s opponent (hailing from Haryana) and Mary throws a chair at them yelling ‘You did that to me just because I hail from Manipur’. Those who have suffered, can feel her frustration and hurt. In yet another scene, Priyanka is seen cut-pasting newspaper clips while her baby rests on her side over a pile of newspapers featuring her on the front pages, eventually when the baby soils those papers wet, she crunches the papers and throws them away. The movie brings out some noteworthy issues like the plight of our sports stars,who despite winning medals for our country, face poor treatment at the central officials' hands and sometimes have to sell their medals in order to survive, also the opportunist and vindictive federation officials in India who make it almost impossible for people who hail from the north eastern part of our country to make it big!

But i have a complaint, when u say you are making a biopic it means you are trying to tell the life story of a person and present it on celluloid just ‘as it is’! But if you take cinematic liberties in re-telling your story keeping the box office in mind, then why not say ‘inspired by a boxing champion’s life, rather than ‘a biopic’? (i had the same feeling while watching ‘The Dirty Picture’!) For example , here director Omung Kumar while trying to get the tear ducts flowing, resorts to same old gimmicks like showing Mary Kom’s son almost dying in the hospital while she is in the finals of the World Championship, which did not happen in real Mary Kom's life at all! Hence the film becomes an entertainer as it treads & weaves her life story look like a film's script, complete with her early year’s struggles, victories, familial conflicts, the hardcore training sessions, and the amazing comeback post motherhood.

The film is possibly let down by the pathetic dubbing artists! Instead, the actors should have dubbed themselves which might have kept the Manipuri-hindi accent intact, adding more flavor. And when shall our film makers stop promoting products through their films (iodex and sugar free in this case!!)
Another let down in the film comes in the form of some unnecessary songs turning up every now and then!
Priyanka shines as mary kom, totally committed to her role even though her physical appearance is nothing like the real-life Mary Kom, Chopra manages to get inside the skin of her character, and gives you a couple of genuine praise worthy moments, but we know she is capable of that,she has done that before, so even though mary kom is yet another feather to her shining cap, the cap still shines brighter with her roles from Barfi , Fashion or Aitraaz ! The rest of the cast is just about okay!

Fictions : Personal favourites!

Books that i have re-read, cherished and loved reading it all through these years, selected ones!

MARDAANI : Brave attempt!!

Underage girls from different parts of the country are being lifted,kidnapped, dozed off with drugs intermittently,stark naked, they are left for their 'buyers' to explore them quite mercilessly!

The atrocities of the malicious & cruel business of child trafficking is shown quite brutally, raw & gritty,yet it seems straight & very much realistic ,so much so that you can't stop thinking about the endless tv / newspaper headlines that pop up quite

often, feeling helpless for the poor, hapless victims! Hence, the best part about the film comes towards the finale when the cop leaves it upto

the victims, letting the pimp getting kicked in the nuts by a bunch of

girls he had sold into trafficking, that is when the film succeeds in

getting the applause, whistles and claps from the audience that it

truely deserves!

Pradeep Sarkar tackles the issue quite sensitively, keeping the track

focussed & with as much 'realistic' approach as possible (given the

banner!), without turning it preachy or too melodramatic. Rani Mukherji

after a long (really long!) time gets a role that did full justice to

her craft (special thanks to the writer & director for not turning

her into another 'Chulbul Pandey') & she plays it subtly without

being too loud (like Meera of 'No one killed Jessica)

Newcomer Priyanka Sharma is truely believable as the victim Pyaari while

with just two scenes Mona Ambegaonkar is brilliant in her menacing,

spine chilling act,specially when she turns from the hospitable host of

the house at first to the vengeful lady. But the film did make more of

an impact because of the perfect foil to Rani's cop act is the

antagonist Tahir Bhasin, playing the cold blooded, 20

something,suave,video game addicted criminal maintaining a cool demeanor

brilliantly! Same goes for the rest of the wonderful supporting cast.

Though the film slips in few occasions with some minor glitches here

& there, yet it turns out to be a thoroughly engaging, well made

fare for sure! Must watch!

BLUE JASMINE : ..much much more than just a cascade of tears & mascara !

What i liked most about Allen's remake of Tennessee Williams's classic play is that his Jasmine Frenchis is an epitome of inconsistency and whimsicality but at the same time, vulnerable! ( Let's not compare it with Vivien Leigh's act in 'A street car named desire'). Jasmine is selfish, neurotic, delusional, alcoholic, self destructive..yet classy, charming, scared, and feverish at the same time. She is ashamed of herself, of what she became, of how low she has fallen, while she believes that she is entitled to the classiest things in life. There is obvious pretention & guilt that she carries with her. She tries to adjust to her present surroundings  but she has no skills for survival in it on her own. With one gesture, one look, one change of facial expression, Cate Blanchet takes her character from high hopes to turmoil to despair & disaster, from glitz and glamour as a high profile socialite of the recent past to the uncertainty and fear of her shabby present, and watching her impetuous sudden transformations is heart wrenching, yet comic at the same time . She also mines the sharp, class- based humor in Jasmine's struggles with some notable highlights like:

i) the scene where she attends to the call from Dwight in between her spells of hysteria in a calm poised manner,sets up a date, asks him to pick up, ends the call & then breaks down uncontrollably for her pitiable situation.

ii) a hilariously executed scene in a pizza restaurant where she explains to her confused nephews to "Tip big, boys".

iii) the climax scene where she is talking to herself on a park bench.

iv) The neurotic spookiness on her face when she lies to Chili & Ginger about her plans of moving out of her sister's house & living in with her 'new found' rich boyfriend Dwight.