Movie review (Hindi)

The Lunchbox

Yes, the central character of the movie is the Lunch box or Dabba as it is known in Mumbai where the movie unfolds. It is the story of a stainless steel lunch box with four container contained in a green bag which is delivered from Ila (Nimrat Kaur, the female protagonist) to Fernandes (Irrfan Khan, the male protagonist). The twist lies in the fact that the dabba is delivered to the wrong person. The dabba lands up on the wrong table for several days and so we have this unique story unfold with every letter sent in the box.

Kudos to the director for fusing documentary and drama. The Mumbai local trains, the dabbawallas, their singing together – it’s all a slice of reality and seems to be happening somewhere in my neighbourhood. And thanks to the producers for having landed such a talented cast with Nawazuddin adding to the magic. The voice of the neighbour is an interesting touch to get the movie going ahead since Ila has no one to share her dilemmas with, which again showcased lives in the city. Hard hitting stories of Ila’s mother, her brother, her unseen neighbour, her husband’s affair add on to the bigger picture.

So does the lonely housewife and excellent cook, Ila get to meet the middle-aged Fernandes? Cunningly, the director leaves us to decide that.

Two to Tango, Three to Jive

A comedy by Saurabh Shukla - These five words should say it all if you know the genius of Shukla. Nevertheless, it is worth writing a few lines about this play in Two Acts which was staged at the Turf Club, Pune, India on 21 Sept 2013.

Middle-aged Parminder Sethi wants to have an affair, and so three women come into his life. The three women are quite interesting and quite different from each other. The rendezvous is Sethi's mother's house in her absence. Unfortunately, the much needed affair never happens, but in the process of trying to have one, a lot of other things happen.

The comedy deserves mention because of its witty dialogue, perfect comic timing, great acting and thought provoking premise. Saurabh Shukla, Achint Kaur, Sadia Siddiqui and Preiti Mamgain have showcased their acting skills, no doubt. Also the country music playing in the background was well selected keeping in mind the perky name of the play.

I only wish the venue was a better one (a real auditorium, I mean). At times I had to crane my neck or twist my body to catch a glimpse of what was happening on stage, as two very tall people sat right in my line of vision!!

Of God men and Good men

God men and Good men seem to contradict each other. This fact took me by surprise. I had innocently assumed that any person who establishes himself as the link between god and lesser men has to be a good man, in fact a saint. So I looked up to Guru Nanak and Shirdi Sai Baba and knew them to be men a little above the rest, who loved mankind as if each one was their own kin. So they were elevated to the status of gods themselves. All prophets through the ages have led humankind through the mysteries of life helping them face problems and find solutions. Most importantly giving them solace, a place to go to when all else fails. That is what God men are all about.

But let us shift focus on today’s God men. They are mired in corruption charges. They own huge bank balances, vast tracts of land, institutions, run schools and ashrams, apparently for societal good. They get mired in controversies dealing with corruption and sexual assault. They are at loggerheads with the State.

The funny and sad part of it all is that their followers turn a blind eye to all this and continue to hang on every word the Baba says. Why? Is there such a lack of faith in one’s own self? Is it necessary that I need to have a so-called Guru who shows me how to live life? Why do we need to be spoon fed on ways to lead a good, righteous life? Are we so lost that we are confused as to what is the right thing to do?  If we commit a crime or are facing problems, no amount of worship through havans and dips in the Ganga can see out of our situation. We have to bear the onus of our wrongdoing. No gems and no fasting to appease the gods is going to give us a short cut to redemption. But the Gurus have a whole list of curative measures lined up. How will appeasing a certain god on a certain day get you a job if you don’t work on your qualifications? Think about it.

And the situation is so strange today that people raising their voice against such blind faith are killed. So, you tone down your voice out of fear. That is the only way the false men of God know how to keep blind followers in their camp. People who have lost the capacity to think or meditate on their own are anyway lost forever. They will forever be puppets in the hands of these puppeteers who know exactly what will make these faithful happy with themselves.

After all God men are not necessarily Good men.

Movie Review - Bollywood

Lootera (The Thief)
After hearing rave reviews of this Hindi movie, I decided to take a look myself. Another reason why I do not watch a movie after going through the reviews. I either have very high expectations or just don't have any. Lootera suffered because of this. The film is well shot. A lot of importance has been given to each shot which is great and a welcome change. But the story did not really work for me. It reminded me too much of Fanaa (the Kajol-Aamir Khan starrer). Boy meets girl, falls in love and then ditches her coz his line of work does not allow for love. Ditto here. Then there is more of Fanaa at the end with snowscape and the hero's death. I was really glad the writer did not get a child into the mess.
But the best of all was the use of the O. Henry short story, The Last Leaf. The artist in the story claims to paint a masterpiece at some point in his life and finally the masterpiece is the last leaf painted on a wall that helps a young woman live, while he dies of pneumonia. The story was, of course, used in pure Bollywood style in Lootera. But I thank those responsible for this tribute to O. Henry.
P.S. - Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh are good actors.

Movie Review

World War Z
I was quite excited about this movie starring one of my favourites, Brad Pitt. Maybe, it was too much excitement. I was disappointed with this movie about Zombies. Does the Z in the title stand for Zombie?  
I thought I had seen all that with I am Legend. A disease let loose on mankind through some bacteria or virus and then men turn into zombies who bite each other to spread this diaease. But mind you, they are only looking for healthy hosts and therein lies the solution to the problem. Watch the movie if you like Brad Pitt. There is no takeaway from this one. :(

The Heat
Again went to see this movie coz I am a Sandra Bullock fan. Again was disappointed. The script was quite loose. However, this all women movie with a name like The Heat is a good change. Loved Melissa McCarthy. Both Sandra and Melissa have impeccable comic timing and that is what worked for me.

Documentary Film Festival

My film, A Life Relived, co directed by two others, was screened at the 6th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala in Trivandrum (7 - 11 June 2013). For me this was a learning experience. Seeing so many documentaries and shorts and meeting so many film makers, exchanging ideas --- all of this plays an essential part in the growth of a film maker especially a first time film maker like me.
What is saddening however, is that there is hardly any funding for documentary films whereas ridiculous films made in Mumbai have crores spent on them, which are gobbled by the public.
When will docus get their rightful place in theatres? Also there is no awareness among people about what a docu is all about. There is a lot to be done and I do hope like-minded people who wish to make a change in the world will help finance and distribute such films.

Movie review

Flight 

This movie proves why I have Denzel Washington on the top five list of my favourite actors. A pilot addicted to drinking and drugs flies while there is too much alcohol in his blood. He drinks while he speaks to the passengers. He sleeps in the cockpit. But he also rescues the plane from complete annihilation. Nevertheless, his alertness is questioned and he lies with impunity about his alcoholism. But just when I gave up on his character ever having any moral values, he pulls back from hell and admits to the charges leveled against him. He cannot falsely implicate his (dead) crew member blaming her for what he did.

His life in prison, his uniting with his estranged son and his own self, this simple yet so difficult act of acceptance brings about a positivity in his life, And only an accomplished actor like Denzel could communicate his angst and his corrupt self fighting the system, with such ease (or so it seemed).