Taare Zameen Par: Finally, Bollywood shows a kid acting as a real kid

Yes folks! Taare Zameen Par is that rare Bollywood film where a kid acts like he is a kid and not like a mini version of a melodramatic adult. I can count on one finger how many Bollywood films show children as they really are (the only movies I remember are Masoom and Anjali, which was a remake of a south Indian film). Anyways, Darsheel as Ishaan is your normal 9 year old....messy, naughty, bratty but still retaining the innocence of childhood.

So the first half of the movie where Ishaan day dreams through class and expresses himself through paintings is a treat to watch. Also, the portrayal of the pressures that schools and parents put on children whether they are good or bad performers is very realistic. However, the movie goes a bit downhill in the second half where Ishaan is sent to a strict boarding school to be whipped into shape. There is no lack in Ishaan's acting...he is superb as the kid whose vitality has finally been subdued by the repeated insults and trauma that he suffers from all sides. The reason is Aamir Khan and his desire to give the movie a happy ending. It would have been enough if he had succeeded in identifying the problem and convincing the parents and teachers that the child did not lack brains, he had dyslexia, a learning disorder that could be successfully overcome.

However, the movie goes into overdrive, showing Ishaan making rapid progress and in the final instance winning the painting competition. This movie would have been Oscar material if it could have retained the level of reality it had in the first half.

Om Shanti Om - Truly a Masterpiece

Om Shanti Om (aka OSO) is a revealation. I expected a completely over-the-top albeit entertaining Bollywood Masala movie. It is all of that but much more too. I expected to be entertained but did not expect it to hold my interest as it did till the very end. I had truly underestimated the capability of Farah Khan (the director) and the magic of SRK (aka Shah Rukh Khan aka King Khan). The first half of the film has SRK playing a junior artiste and dreaming of becoming a star. But that is not his only dream. He also dreams of Shantipriya (Deepika Padukone), the superstar of that era(the 70s). Only SRK can portray the role of the intense lover with just that right dash of mushiness and intensity. I think the secret of SRK's success lies in the fact that his portrayal can send a chill (and thrill) down the spine of almost all women between the age of 15-50 and beyond. The film pokes good natured fun at the film industry, takes digs at the star power of surnames, parodies the mannerisms of stars -- all this without resorting to offensive jokes or vulgarity. The highlight of the first half though is SRK impersonating a South Indian movie star (presumably Rajnikant) to impress Shantipriya. Whether spouting gibberish or fighting a toy tiger or doing the sun glass flip of Rajnikant or saying "enna rascala Mind it" after every few minutes -- SRK is a riot!

As everyone knows by now, the story is of reincarnation ala Karz. So we have SRK and Deepika dying in the first half. The second half has SRK reincarnated as a super brat son of a famous star. The laughs continue with SRK playing roles such as Mohabbat Man and stars in "Apahij Pyar" as the lover who can't see, hear, speak, doesn't have hands or legs. But the second half is also when things start getting serious. SRK meets Mukesh Mehra, the psychopathic producer, superbly played by Arjun Rampal. He regains his past life memory and starts plotting revenge.

Farah has shown a deftness in directing that is commendable. There is overacting and melodrama where it works and exactly the opposite where it doesn't. So while Kiron Kher is the filmy mom, Rampal is chillingly understated. A word for the new actress, Deepika Padukone. She is excellent...beautiful, poised, vulnerable, and dignified. This is a definite must watch for all Bollywood lovers. It is not cerebral in any way but an excellent spoof on the industry.

Lagaa Chunri Mein Daag - A Journey of a Woman

I have always loved Manna Dey's rendition of "Lagaa Chunri Mein Daag" in the movie, Dil hi to hai. The title track of Pradeep Sarkar's directorial venture, "Lagaa Chunri Mein Daag" has Shubha Mudgal crooning the song, interspersed with Mita Vashisht's poetry, "Manva mein mere toofan uthe madmast khadi hoon main". The choreography of the song is the high point of the movie.

How many times have we come across the same plot in Hindi movies: poor village girl coming to big city, not finding any work, getting hounded by big city wolves, resorting to prostitution? And Pradeep Sarkar chooses the same plotline albeit some modern touches. The usual kotha is replaced by fancy hotels and high rise buildings. Rani Mukherjee becomes a high class call girl, hob nobbing with the rich and the famous. Till Rani's transformation into a call girl the movie is quite watchable. But then it goes downhill. In his zeal to be politically correct, Sarkar has gone overboard trying to show the characters as modern and broadminded. Abhishek and Konkona as the love interest and the younger sister respectively have very little depth. The fun part of the movie is the chemistry between Kunal Kapoor and Konkona. The only believable character was Jaya Bacchan as Rani's mother.

Pradeep Sarkar had a brilliant cast but he chose to play it safe. This is film that could have been one of the landmarks of great cinema but ended up as a confused venture....neither hardhitting enough to appeal to the intelligentsia (or the arty type) nor commercial enough to appeal to the masses.

Khoda pahad nikla chuha: Johnny Gaddar

Thrillers and Hindi cinema are not a match made in heaven. Most of them are pathetic (that is not to say Indian cinema has not produced good thrillers...for reference watch Satyajit Ray's Sonar Kella or even the Byomkesh Bakshi series on TV). That's why I was completely hooked after watching Sriram Raghavan's earlier film, Ek Hasina Thi. It was an out and out thriller with an awesome ending. It had set a precedent for me in terms of genre. When I heard that Johnny Gaddar was Raghavan's film, I was scared. The track record of Indian directors when it came to sustaining the high of a first film wasn't great (think Ram Gopal Verma's Rangeela and then his latter films).

However, the film started with great promise. The atmosphere was perfectly set: pouring rain, a man opening a garage door, a gloved hand holding a gun and boom....blood everywhere. The film then begins in the form of flashback. Five business associates, Sheshadri (Dharmendra), Prakash (Vinay Pathak), Shardul (Zakir Hussain), Shiva (Daya Shetty) and Vikram (Neil Nitin Mukesh) plan a business deal to make a fast buck. Vikram decides to double cross the gang and run off with the money. His reason though is not purely mercenery. He wants to elope with Shardul's wife, Mini (Rimi Sen). An accident leads to murder and the chase to find the betrayer begins in earnest.

While the identity of the "gaddar" is no mystery, one somehow cannot believe that things are that simple. My friends and I kept trying to guess the real identity of the "gaddar". But as it turned out, there was no other "gaddar". It left me with a curiously unsatisfied feeling. "Khoda pahar nikla chuha". That's an apt epitah for the movie and that was also the reason why I was curiously uninspired to write a review of the film although I did enjoy it. However, the movie had its moments. The way the "gaddar's" identity is revealed to the last surviving gang member is a brilliant touch. That one scene shows that the director respects his viewers.

A word for the new comer, Neil Nitin Mukesh (he is Mukesh's grandson). He is a treat to watch. Although he doesn't revel in blood and gore, he kills without a qualm. For him, its just a logical step that he needs to take if he wants to succeed in running away with his lover. Each actor is good in his respective role although the only weak one is Rimi Sen. She doesn't really add much to the role and plays the stereotype of a damsel in distress on expected lines. Rasika Joshi as Pathak's wife is commendable.

Chak De India!

Chak de India has convinced me that there is goodness in every person (or every production house). A film from the Yash Raj stable which (gasp!) unabashedly promotes women's empowerment, has no frothy romance and no hamming from SRK aka Shah Rukh Khan. Seems almost too good to be true, doesn't it, but Chak de India has it all and more. While the plot of the underdog team fighting all odds to win the big match is as hackneyed as they come in Hollywood, this is a first of its kind in India. There was of course Lagaan but that had a different sub-theme to it with the requisite star cast, songs, romance etc. Chak de just concentrates on hockey, a game which has been given the short shrift in India although we used to be good at it. It touches upon many contemporary issues: branding someone a traitor on circumstantial evidence just because he's a Muslim; treating women in sports with complete contempt; sexual harrassment; regionalism and parochialism. All of this makes Chak de sound like a preachy art movie but amazingly enough it is not. It is an exuberant movie which celebrates women. There are no preachy sermons about wifely dharma when Vidya Sharma (the team captain) is forced to choose her game over her husband's unjust demands nor does it brand Bindiya Naik (the most experienced player) as the vamp when she offers to sleep with the coach in exchange of retaining her captain's cap. Kabir Khan (the coach) turns her down gently but firmly without any excess melodrama and when he asks her help in winning a crucial match she gives her best. A special mention for Preeti Sabharwal, the girl who rejects her cricketer boyfriend's marriage offer because of his chauvinistic attitude and complete contempt toward the game. Though she is yet to evolve as a good actress, she did handle her role quite competently. However, the trio who steal your heart are Komal Chautala (Haryana), Balbir Kaur (Punjab) with their rough accents and Suimui (Jharkhand), the tribal girl who can't speak a word of English or Hindi but excels at the game.

However, the movie pivots around SRK. He holds your attention with his understated acting and his passion for the game. I think this might actually be one of his best efforts. Instead of romancing some chiffon clad heroine he excels as the tough, no-nonsense coach whose only goal is to lick the rag tag women's hockey team into shape so that he can blot out the ugly tag of "traitor". The music is hummable but nothing spectacular. It however gels well with the overall theme of the movie.

PRS goes to Parliament

PRS organised a guided tour to the Parliament on August 1, 2007 for the core team, summer interns and the new MP interns. Although I have gone to the Parliament thrice before (twice to watch the Question Hour and once to meet a CP(I)M comrade), this was different. We had a guide who took us to both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha gallery as well as the chamber where joint sessions of Parliament are held. We learnt a whole lot of new things. First, the upholstery in the Lok Sabha is green because the MPs are elected by the public ie the grassroot! However, the guide had no suitable explanation of why the same was red in the Rajya Sabha (sign of royalty, maybe). The most interesting was the chamber where the joint session of Parliament takes place. It has the second highest dome (next only to the dome in Bijapur). Also, there are standing fans, which look like inverted windmills placed all over the room. Looks very high tech and slightly surreal. There were also pictures of all former Prime Ministers and other important leaders of the independence movement. Chakshu's excitement at Netaji's portrait got noticed and he (or was it Madhavan) got asked whether he was the "sanyal" on the list...the bong connection:) We then adjourned to Congress MP J P Aggarwal's office to partake of tea, sandwiches and biscuits.