Dilwale

Movie Review

I heard a rumour - Shahrukh Khan now-a-days acts in movies only directed by his friends.  A rumour mind you, because I am sure a man who has been in this industry for a long time knows that a good friend and a good director do not necessarily go hand in hand. 
By all means act in mindless movies directed by buddies but please do not release it for the public who might just watch it expecting some kind of entertainment, instead of a two hour plus headache!!!
What is this movie, Dilwale??? Did everyone lose sense of what a story should be or how one delivered dialogues, or move towards more natural acting?? 
The garish over the top set, the strange lack of chemistry between Shahrukh and Kajol, and my total disconnect with the movie led to a very miserable two hours plus. Though I did enjoy one song, and to enjoy that I simply needed to shut my eyes.

So a good hearted mafia don, Kali, (hero), falls for the enemy'daughter, Mira (heroine) who stabs him in the back. Later, she falls in love with Kali and both are happy, when the enemy decides to kill Kali and his father. Showdown-- Mira sees gun in Kali's hand while enemy dies. No explanation required. She shoots Kali. End of Act I. 
Years later...  Raj, our hero, escapes the bullet and works as a car modifier, hero's 'mentally retarded' brother, (I thought he was) falls for girl who turns out to be Mira's sister. In between, Boman 'King' Irani pops in as a comic drug lord.
What a story!! And yes, the pictuesque locales with the cutout poses by the lead pair is really really jaded.
Another mistake I made -- I saw this movie a day after I enjoyed Bajirao Mastani.

Shahrukh, please have a little consideration for your audience. Maybe there are a few who are still waiting for a Chak de or Swadesh.

Bajirao Mastani

Movie Review (Hindi)

To be quite truthful, I did get a little biased with all the negativity I was hearing about this movie, how it had moved away from the truth and how the greatness of the Peshwas had been put down. 

Once I saw the movie, I really appreciated it. I did not remember the historical figure, Peshwa Bajirao I or the reality of the Maratha empire. What remained with me was the scintillating story of Bajirao, a straight forward and valiant General and his love for his land and his love for Mastani.

I think Ranveer Singh is one of the actors to look out for in the near future. He literally scorches the screen with his presence. Both Priyanka (as Kashibai) and Deepika (as Mastani) have done justice to their roles and Tanvi Azmi played the strong matriarch to the hilt.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali really knows how to create magic in every shot. The end was superbly shot. The cavalry galloping into the water and the Peshwa trying to fight them off is a scene I will keep revisiting.

A must watch just to remind us of the magic that is movies.

Angry Indian Goddesses

Movie Review

First of all, each of the actors was brilliant. 

Second of all, there was a tightly edited script that did not let you look at your popcorn. 

It began with quite a bang with each goddess showing her capabilities, not as sexual objects as the men would want them to be, but as individuals who could take charge.

We have a photographer, a businesswoman, an activist, a singer, a housewife, a maid, a struggling actress and a little girl. Friends gathered to celebrate a marriage and each one helps in building the story of the angry goddesses. 

I loved the way so many issues were integrated into this movie. Activism against mining, same sex marriage, legal hassles related to crime, drugs and depression, infertility, women in Hindi movies, single moms and finally rape and murder – each of these issues scorched the screen. The camaraderie and the squabbles among the women livened things up. 

Thank you Pan Nalin for this story, though I would like to know why the image of Kali remained blurred. 

But no matter, our Angry Indian Goddesses took over and gave Evil quite a chase.

Travel Tales 3

To Ellora....

Ellora is an hour’s drive from Aurangabad. What was surprising for me was that Ellora involved more walking and climbing! 

Buddha flanked by two Bodhisattvas

34 caves are divided between Jain, Buddhist and Hindu caves.  Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist caves where 11 are viharas and only one is a chaitya. These were created between 700 and  800 AD. Each cave is massive and similar in design to the caves at Ajanta. The viharas are very spartan giving an idea of the simple living the people believed in.

Shiva slaying demon Andhakasur with Parvati by his side

Caves 13 to 29 are Hindu caves dedicated mostly to Lord Shiva though we do see glimpses of Vishnu, Ganesh, Durga and Parvati and Laxmi. The sculptures are simply exquisite!

The entrance to the Kailashnath temple

The Kailashnath temple which is cave no. 16 is no doubt the most mesmerizing. The entire temple has been cut out of a single rock and has many storeys to it. Carving began right from the top and worked downwards as the main shrine of Shiva took shape in the upper storey.  The entire temple is said to symbolize Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva. 

A monolithic pillar at Kailash

Mahishasurmardini

Various pantheons of gods and goddess adorn the walls. But it is mainly about Lord Shiva since it is his abode. There are two monolithic pillars rising in the centre under the open sky, something akin to the Ashoka pillar. This temple was constructed under the patronage of the Rashtrakuta kings in the 8^th century.

The Indra sabha dedicated to Mahavir

Cave nos. 30 to 34, dated 9^th century AD, belong to the Digambar sect of Jainism which is older than Buddhism.  These caves have intricate decoration on pillars and walls and sculpted images of the Jain Tirthankaras, including Mahavir, Parshwanath and Gomateshwar. 

Next stop --- Daulatabad Fort