Bridge of Spies

Movie Review (English)

If you haven't seen it yet, What Are You Waiting For?? The electric combination of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg gave us this fast paced movie set in the 1950s. It's the time of the Cold War, something that we really cannot think of today.

 An American lawyer, James Donovan (Tom Hanks) takes on major powers like Russia and Germany singlehandedly. The Berlin wall rises and divides. A Russian spy is caught and then defended by the American lawyer. Now the lawyer is targeted by his own countrymen for defending an enemy. 

The movie revolves around the exchange of two prisoners and with characteristic cleverness, Donovan converts a one for one exchange to one for two exchange. 

Loved the character of the Russian spy Abel (Rylance). Donovan asks, " Aren't you worried about the trial?" Abel's reply: "Would it help?" Quite a simple matter of fact answer really. 

The best part -- the movie is based on real events.

The Joy of Giving

I am sending out an SOS to all of you on behalf of my 107 students whom I teach as a Fellow of Teach for India.

Do lend a helping hand and help them march towards their dreams.

http://www.giveindia.org/iGive-educationalinequity

Talvar

Movie Review (Hindi)

I was intrigued to see that a director would dare make a movie on a real double murder case and clearly show the lack of evidence which anyway led to a guilty verdict. Meghna Gulzar, the director, has brilliantly executed the happenings of the tragic night and the days that followed, the goof ups by the police and the rivalry within the CBI leading to more goof ups.

 
It is scary to note how the so called law protectors (the police and the CBI) completely lose their game, making the common man's tragedy a humongous one.

I do not understand why the parents of the victim (young Aarushi) should be sentenced to life if the evidence is not concrete. The murder of the household help, Hemraj, also complicates matters. But such is the imbalance of justice. 

The film is fast paced and the director has chosen her actors carefully. Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi are really accomplished actors. There is a documentary feel to the movie as if no one knows there is a camera filming their every move. The different versions of the night of the murder is a master stroke.