MADRAS CAFE Review

MADRAS CAFE

Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri.

It’s refreshing to return to the theatres for a film that expects you to be educated, informed and attentive.

For sure, it’s informative, enriching and lack the pushes and winks to standard entertainment. No complimentary elements of hippy-hoppy shakes, treacly romance, full melodrama. Moreover, the violence – ingrained to the subject – is kept under control, using black-and-white photographs and snappily edited footage of killing in the time of insurrection.
Director Shoojit Sircar’s 'Madras Café' – a docudrama, although marketed as a spy thriller – deserves credit for striking out in the right direction.

In the first frames, we are somewhere in Sri Lanka, where armed men in trucks make their way through a stunning green landscape. They kill a busload of people in cold blood, singling out the last remaining child in a striking act of brutality. Cut to Kasauli, India, in 1993, with the whirr of a helicopter being used to transition between past and present. A man with an unkempt beard wakes with a start from his black-and-white nightmares of those same events, only to hear on television the announcement that the Sri Lankan president has been assassinated. It’s a good, stiff beginning, especially for a thriller that will unfold in flashback.

Unfortunately, the exposition of the civil war in Sri Lanka during the 1980s, and the 1991 assassination of the ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, tends to get too dense and confusing structurally. There are far too many rewinds (including a flashback within flashbacks, which destructs scripting grammar), an excess of locations, dates to keep count of. Plus, the supporting ensemble characters – particularly of the ‘LTF’ rebels – are rigidly one-dimensional.
Also, quite a few of the shot takings are much too flashy and quick, straight out of ad films. Indeed, slickness of the derivative kind subtracts from the film’s theme. Take the pretty shot, then, of helicopters silhouetted against the huge obelisk of an orange sun, which seems to be stock footage.

The conversation with the priests takes us to the present and officer Vikrams lands off to Sri Lanka and there he encounters war correspondent Jaya (Nargis Fakhri), from the U.K. Thank god there was no love scenes between the two of them. ;) And every event lead to another in a simple way and finally it ended with a positive message and one could actually connect with all those who lost their families in the war.
The overall outcome is technically polished, particularly in its crisp sound, background score went very well with the story. A must watch it is.

Ratings: 3.5/5

The Sheroes Summit by Fleximoms.in at Hotel Orchid, Mumbai

The SHEROES SUMMIT. 2013,MUMBAI
Covered for: Photokatha

Lack of Confidence, Fear of Failure hold Women back from being Entrepreneurs. Women often don't think they are capable of launching their own businesses, which is one reason there are significantly fewer female entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs. What's more, women report being generally more afraid of failure than their male counterparts. A group to connect Women Entrepreneurs who have 'been there and have done it'.
The SHEROES Summit 2013:
• Is India's largest OpportunityScape for women looking at a variety of options to advance their careers.
• Is about issues that matter to women at work.
• Celebrates the spirit of love, diligence, care, balance and making your own road.
• Brings the finest businesses that value women at work to engage with women professionals.
• Puts a spotlight on Sunrise sectors, Entrepreneurship, Diversity at Workplace and Personal Growth.

The event started with an introduction by Sairee Chahal, Founder, Fleximoms, Convenor, The SHEROES Summit.

It was followed by the first panel of speakers which included:
• Anand Lunia, Founder, IndiaQuotient
• Ansoo Gupta, COO, Pinstorm
• Deepa Soman, Founder, CEO, Lumiere Solutions

The cultural expectations of women affect the likelihood that they will start a business. For example, women are largely expected to take care of their children and parents, making it much harder for women to take an active role in running a business. Moreover, many nations have longstanding cultural traditions that also discourage women from working outside the home and from taking leadership positions.

But the speakers had a different approach to it. “I believe that women are tremendous, untapped investments that yield huge returns for entire communities," says, Anand Lunia. Proper education, guidance and training play an important role in improving the economic position of women. Today, when digital media is controlling humans and ‘Google’ is the ultimate solution to every problem, nothing can stop a woman from learning, it’s just the passion that takes you ahead.

Overall, the first round of panel discussion covered the top trends in business, the key skills at work, women at work and rules of engagement. It was followed by the second round of panel discussion which brought forward the personal experience of some renowned entrepreneurs like:
• Prajakt Raut, IAN and Hub for Startups
• Rashmi Bansal, Author, Entrepreneur
• Rashmi Putcha, Founder, DMTI
• Akancha Srivastava, Founder, Azure Online

"We have powerful women leaders and an urban population that is very forward thinking," says Rashmi Bansal, who shares her experience of interviewing women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs without MBA degree. She concluded, not always it’s your passion but also responsibility turned into passion. It’s just about your vision. ‘JUST DO IT, ’
It ended with a positive message: “respect the choices which a woman makes. They deserve the chance to realize her god given potential."

The delicious lunch made everyone sleepy but Jagat Rathore, Executive Coach and Keya Rathore, Executive Coach were all set with the most interesting session on Powering Life – My Way.

Believe in your dreams and be ready to make the change. Don’t just see at your goal, see what’s there beyond your goal. Jagat and Keya made the session even more interesting with some practical guidance and ended it on a positive note: “Just say, I can do it and I will do it”

The last round of panellists included:
• Rohit Reddy, AVP, Partnerships, Aegon Religare, Career Innovations – How Women Matter
• Prashant Bhaskar, CEO PlugHR, Building Future on Workflex Brand You – The Hidden Opportunity,
• Punit Modhgil, Founder, Octane and Marketing professional
• Kris Nair, FusedCow, Design, Freelance Economy’s Shining Gem?

It covered the Opportunity Scape - Emerging Patterns in the industry. Various job opportunities available for women and also discussed about the attitude everyone women must have. “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” ―Virginia Woolf, Well, its' quiet time anonymous should claim their standings.
I Dream, I Imagine, I Create, I am a Shero. A well appreciated summit ended with a positive hope for all the aspiring entrepreneurs.

Lootera- Review

LOOTERA
Watched on: 16th July, 2013
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane

Lootera‘s first look itself made a good impression in an average movie buff’s mind, and there was an eagerness to know what the film would be like. In the promos and posters, Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha looked like the retro love bird, made for each other,. But their romance in the film is not that perfect – in fact, far from it. A beautiful woman, a con-man, a love story, and beautiful locations – all this in the hands of a director still Lootera fumbles as a love story.

Falling leaves of an autumnal tree and a girl who is stormed by thoughts of dying – the two essential components of the O Henry short story (The Last Leaf) that provides the basis of the narrative – are the principal elements in Lootera.

The film is a period drama that unfolds over two years, 1953 and 1954, a time of great upheaval for the Bengal aristocracy. Zamindari is abolished and the world of the Zamindar of Manikpur is on the verge of collapse.

The lootera himself, Varun Srivastav (Ranveer Singh) is more predictable. Neither the script nor Singh’s acting betray any detail about Varun’s personality. The only thing we know about him is that he is a thief. Each time he reappears, it’s because he’s part of a con job. Posing as an archaeologist, he earns the zamindar’s trust with incredible ease. Predictably, Pakhi falls for him. They stroll through leafy lanes and sit by lakes, making flirting in the 1950s seem like a lazy affair.

By the end of the first half, Varun has broken Pakhi’s heart, reduced her family to poverty and effectively caused her father’s death. It’s difficult to believe she would ignore all this for the memory of his grin and a few painting lessons
The lead pair’s chemistry is unique in its love-hate nature. But one feels let down by the lack of more romance in the film. Pakhi and Varun’s romance story wobbles awkwardly. For instance, you have to wonder how loving a relationship is when a woman learns the man she loves has been shot, but doesn’t ask him anything about his injury. . Still, scenes like the one where Varun forces an injection down Pakhi turns out well and shows more chemistry between Ranveer and Sonakshi than their much publicised ‘intimate’ scene.

The songs of Lootera blend with the story, and thankfully there’s no running around trees in the snow-clad Dalhousie. The background score works well and gives you the feeling that you are watching a classic. The set design, costumes and production are near-perfect. So what goes wrong?
The movie might be set in the ’50s but giving the pace of that era to the story might not work with the younger audience, who will be yawning, and yearning for speed to the proceedings. Lootera will stay with you if you like to see classic, slow romances that take time to unfold and invariably have some tragic element.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

A wait too long.

"You are not at all an intelligent student."
I agreed but to some extent I proved it wrong...but the tag continues.

"You are not at all a beautiful girl."
I agreed..bcoz I know im fat... Ok so i stopped eating...did alot many things..but what's my fault when it is also a god gift to me.

"Even if it's a catwalk for everyone..but definitely a mountain trek for me"
I agreed.. Bcoz it's fun...but not always and specially when you are a step away from the top and you fall.

"Your close ones will leave you"
I still agreed...prayed, cried but lost faith from life , but you have to move on.

"Then came the question about career... Took a decision...proved again ..that yes I made a right decision...but still im made to believe that I failed.
I agreed.. Bcoz till now future is not set .

When you can see that the things are slipping away. But still you are not allowed to loose hope or cry bcoz then you are cribbing.
I agreed..bcoz sometimes its just sharing but is taken as cribbing.

"You have friends all around. Always help them, but in return ...i should know how to solve MY problems alone.Bcoz everyone is busy with their own problems.
I agreed...but still consider my friends not less than a god gift.
( p.s. Don't take it personally)

Im fat, ugly I know it..and is suffering the consequences..but when I look at the ones who are somewhat exactly like me or even worse ( I don't want to hurt anyone..do not take it personally) are happy and are full of confidence...oh stop I should look at the ones who are perfect slim and beautiful. Bcoz we should always look at the one better than us..so when I look at the ones who are on the top positions in companies and sometimes even when they don't deserve..then again im stopped and is asked to look at the ones who are struggling..
Confused??
But still I agreed.

Everyone says that its just the testing period...god is there for you. Don't worry
I agreed and is waiting.

But till when I have to agree to the things everyone or the world asks me to.

I believe in god and also that one day everything will be fine, but till when...where's the fault??
If im at the fault. What should I do?

Yes miracles happens but when will I experience one?

What if I quit before?

Father's Day

Dearest Dad

Sitting here thinking about you,
I here you call my name,
gudia,gudia

As I turn to see who's calling me
I see no one, only hear your voice.

I glance across the room,
To see if anyone else hears it too.

But no one seems to notice the look on my face.

I miss you so much,
I keep telling you,
But you don't seem to hear me.


As the tears rolled down my face,
I glance around the room,
And see you amongst my family.
The look upon your face says you're peaceful now.

I realized it was time to let you go.
Although I will always love and miss you.

I turn my head to see if anyone notices you.
Then I turn back, and you're gone.

I hear you, so very gently say,
"I love you", "Good- Bye!"
Take care.
Don't cry bcoz life goes on....

"Bye", I said . . .

Because I feel Blessed

They say that you should never judge a book by its cover, and, especially regarding people, it’s true. I was about to meet someone, that too after hearing a lot about her from others. Was waiting to meet her and I guess it was quite natural that even I started to draw her personality sketch in my mind. After many experiences that I had, almost every time I failed to draw the true character sketch of a person. It’s so hard to understand people because what they show is actually what they are not. So, the first thing that clicks to my mind is the negative qualities that one can have. But, for her, I was so confused even in making a rough, vague sketch in my mind so I said: leave it and let’s meet her.

“Hi, I’m Nidhi Shah
Hi, I’m Megha.”

And here comes a stranger initially but a true friend now in my life that made a difference. Throughout my life I have met with different people who have changed my perspective of life. Everyone says life has many ups and downs, but the only way to climb over the difficulties are to work hard and never give up. It’s easier to give an advice. But, when you have a friend like, Nidhi who will support you at every step you take, then automatically life seems easier. She always carries a smile on her face. Ever since I met her, I also have a smile on my face. The fun loving, always ready to help, makes you eat lots of tasty food, listening to you, giving the correct advice every time you are confused, all this perfectly describes her. Over the past 2 months of my life she has always been an important person who has an impact on me in many different ways.

I still remember the first day we met
It's funny to think back to that time
because now we're having a crazy time!

Our bond is extremely special
It is unique in its own way
We have something irreplaceable

We've been through so much together
In so little time we've shared
I will never forget all the moments
that you've shown me how much you cared.

Friends are forever
especially the bond that you and I possess
I love your fun-filled personality
Somehow you never fail to impress.

The world could use more people like you
it would certainly be a better place
I love everything about you
You are someone I could never replace.

You are always there for me
When my spirits need a little lift
I cannot thank you enough for that
You are truly an extraordinary gift.

You are everything to me and more
I could never express that enough
Life is such a two-faced journey, and
Without you it would be even more tough.

Our story will continue to grow
With each passing day
Because I trust that with you by my side
Everything will always be Okay.

You are so dear to me
You know I will love you until the end
I will always be there for you, and
You will always be my best friend.
The next thing that comes to my mind is “How do you say thank you to a friend for simply being there? Or for helping you out when you need a hand? Or for the endless care you get? There are so many ways to express your love, gratitude and appreciation. But is that enough? Because what she has done for me I can’t do in my whole life. Someone said one day: “when someone gives you something, it’s better to give something in return”.

So,keeping that in mind,for everything you did for me, in return I PROMISE TO BE THERE FOR YOU. You might have lots of friends to help you and support you more than me, but still remember I'll be always there to make you smile.

Because you are one of the reason for "my smile".


Cheers to our friendship.
All the Best.

Brain Cells on a “FIGHT”

I have read a lot many times that the more we think, the more problems we create for ourselves. But then tell me just one way to stop my brain from thinking especially when every other thing happening makes your brain cells active.

Then someone said when you have lots of things in your mind the best you can do is share it with someone and in worst case when you have no body to share ‘WRITE IT DOWN’.

To say that I am lost would be an understatement. I had no clue who I was and I had no clue what I wanted from life— all I knew was that it sure as heck wasn’t this. Conventional wisdom would say, “Think hard and figure your problem at all costs.” Instead, I did the opposite— I dropped the exhausting notion that I had to have it all figured out, and I dove head first into the deep waters of uncertainty.

The question that I ask myself is: can life ever be certain?
Is it even possible to have it all figured out? Does such a thing even exist? The one’s I consider my friends are really my friends? The one’s according to me our happy, are really happy? Why on earth I’m the one overweight and have to compromise on normal stuff? If I’ll ever find someone who’ll love me the way I am? When will I feel that yes I have achieved something? When will my dreams come true?

Not to be depressing, but life is weird.

Who’s to say that any single thing in your life might not change in an instant?
Maybe life is a never-ending mystery, and your only job is to learn to be ok with that. But till when? Why is that every time I have to compromise with my dreams and wishes and especially when the compromises I’m doing is just because of the not so fair life. I can rest in the questions; I can live in the bittersweet mystery.

Life it is confusing, rough, and twisted. Every single one of us has a destined road –imposed to us. I believe paths can be switch; fate can be change, for everything is possible if we just believe. Everything's racing through my mind but mixed, so mixed and confusing!
What should I to do at first? Is this, what I have to start with?
Or is this more important? I have to decide what's better, what's more important, and what’s more efficacious!
Why is everything difficult?
How can I then trust myself? And how can I achieve something when I'm deciding always to go in the wrong direction? Time After Time, I find I question my life. How I went wrong? Will it ever be right? Will I rise? Will I fall? Stand tall? Continue asking but, only God knows."

I still feel lost.

But just as I had done before, I gave myself permission to feel this way. I learned to hold the uncertainty and to live in it until it was no longer an enemy. I learned to rest in the open-ended question that is life and to let myself steep in the mystery and the wonder of it all.
But at the same time, I have things figured out more than I ever have before. I’ve learned to look less to others for definition and more to myself. I no longer need your attention to feel like I’m somebody. For the first time in my life, I’d rather be alone than be untrue to myself.

Woke up this morning glanced outside my bedroom window I can see my life so clearly, in this place I’m supposed to be. I can see the light now, kind of dim really aren’t that bright now but still giving me a ray of hope. If I want to survive doing it now is the right time I got to try and save me, anything I got to do, I got to do perfect.

It's too much too handle. I'm happy with life but, I got this feeling I'm not fully happy on whom I am. It’s all confusing but I know the major problem is that I think too much. But do I have a solution to it?


"To make decisions and find solutions to your problems is one of the hardest things to learn and a big step to become older, wiser"
said once my mother, and she's right!

So I sit down and think about the things that I've done and I will do....tomorrow, today and yesterday. Maybe I will sit down and think about the things I did. And then I would see the right decisions that I've should made.
And so I would stand up again and would see in my mind what to decide next. And then I would think about it longer than normally.
And then I would find the way out to a bright place.

I RESPECT YOU

“The feeling came from the melting drops from the rain...
The moment has come close to my heart…
But when I looked back and think of the few meetings we had….
I cherish the moments…
And bcoz it’s not easy to say…
I’ll send the message through the wind...
I Love you…
more than that I Respect You.”
I came to Hyderabad with many dreams. The greatest one was to become a producer and I was so passionate to fulfil it. But even after a lot of struggle I couldn`t do justice to it. Everything I did seemed lacking. I started being so insensitive about some important things in life.
But then suddenly I began to feel a strange connection with the city and also with my work.

What lay at the core of this connection?
This exciting new city, my new apartment (blahhh i am sure this is not the reason) my unusual independence or it’s because of the people I met?
What has this city given me that makes me sad when I want to leave it? Actually the answer had been quite apparent it had been in front of my eyes just a few steps ahead of me, but I had not noticed it. Someone truly said “You’ll realise one’s importance when you go away from them.”

When I had first come here I had my goals straight. My strength was production and production only but now I know that the joy of achieving these goals is meaningful only when shared with someone else. Sometimes while running after our goals being engrossed in one particular thing we lose sight of many things that really matter.
Only now do I see that my straight love for this city and to some extent work is actually because I met someone, though I already knew her by her name, my first friend, I guess because I thought we have mutual friends so indirectly we are also friends.
.
A stranger, a team head, a new mate, a companion, just someone. As everyone says that we learn from our past experiences so I was so sure that in this new beginning I am not going to make “Friends” or to be very apt “Close friends” but things never goes according to what we think. After meeting her I got to know she surely knew how to enjoy her life. The positive attitude for all things, the way of handling things, the way of making me understand things made me think over my past decisions. And I’m glad I changed my minds. It shows “Miracles happens”

When I look back I wonder if the joy of being in Hyderabad would have been the same without her thoughts, I look back at the lonely sad nights made less lonely and sad because I know she is there.

Many will laugh and gossip about this, but does it really matters? What matters to me is what I feel. No one can understand till the time they experience it on their own. From the very first day she was there to support me; I took time to believe it, and it’s just because it’s hard to find people who will do anything for their friends and sometimes even neglecting their own problems.

How come you are on this planet? This is what I asked to my friend. In this mean selfish world it’s so tough to have friends who will do their best to make you smile.

It has meant so much
Having you as a friend
You will always be a part of me
Until the end

When times are tough
You are always there
It has brightened my world
Just knowing you care

Since we met
Our friendship has grown
While you're in the world
I will never be alone

I feel blessed to have met
Someone like you
And to have found a friendship
So special and true

It is said that “a friend in need is a friend in deed. There may be many friends at the time of prosperity. But most of them desert at the time of adversity.” It was just a quote for me but now I have experienced it. Friendship multiplies our joys and divides our grief’s. Your life is blessed, if you have a faithful friend.
Life teaches you a lot many things some directly and some indirectly. And in this case I have learned that we should value our friends because this is directly an indication from God that “I exist”.
To be very clear I’m not being emotional, it’s just the respect that made me write this. I know very well that what she has done for me and is doing, in this life I can never do something for her.


I don't think you will
Ever fully understand
How you've touched my life and made me who I am
I don't think you could ever know
Just how truly special you are
That even on the darkest nights
You are my brightest star
You've allowed me to experience something very hard to find
Unconditional love that exists

You are an amazing person
And without you I don't know where I'd be
Having you in my life
Completes and fulfils every part of me.

In the end, I just want you to know that I Respect you to the power of infinity. I might not be able to help you but I PROMISE that I’ll be always there for you.

Your SMILE matters to me the most.

Thank you so much Sarah Deepti Swaroop.

Ek Thi Daayan Review

Ek Thi Daayan—kahan thi Daayan?

Director: Kannan Iyer

What really is Ek Thi Daayan: an out-and-out horror film, a creepy paranormal thriller or a twisted psychological drama?

Do ghosts/spirits exist? What about black magic? Is it a myth? Does it really work? Last year, films like RAAZ 3 [a fading actress indulges in black magic to settle scores with an upcoming actress], TALAASH [the spirit of a dead woman kills the perpetrators of the crime] and more recently, AATMA [the fight between a woman and her dead husband over their child] took the spectator into the world of aatmas and spirits. EK THI DAAYAN may come across as yet another fare that talks of ghosts.

Our country is pierced with superstitions, fallacies and invalid beliefs. We have heard tales of witches. Myths such as daayans can be good looking, their feet are turned inwards, their power lies in the plait [choti], so on and so forth end up making the spectator believe in stories surrounding evil, paranormal, supernatural and mystical powers. EK THI DAAYAN makes you react to the rituals/practices that have existed since time immemorial, but, I'd like to clarify, it does not glorify the practice.

Bobo [Emraan Hashmi] is India's leading magician. But unknown to even his girlfriend Tamara [Huma Qureshi], Bobo's life is falling apart. His constant hallucinations leave him with no option but to seek psychiatric help. Going through hypnosis, a terrifying story about his childhood surfaces involving a evil power called 'Daayan', who has not only destroyed his family, but also promised to return to haunt Bobo.

Bobo chooses to ignore it and move on with his life. Just when his career and love life is at full throttle, enters the irresistible Lisa Dutt [Kalki Koechlin]. Bobo is convinced that she is the daayan.

There is something out there that is inexplicable, that is beyond the realm of human comprehension that EK THI DAAYAN taps grippingly. Director steps forward to offer something radically different in this genre and for those who believe in daayans -- even those who don't -- will take to the plot instantly because Kannan's storytelling is lucid and graspable. The flashback portions in the first hour are noteworthy, with Emraan revisiting his childhood. At the same time, director ensures that there's a love story running parallel to the main story.

Thankfully, EK THI DAAYAN is not the standard horror fare and the storyteller does a volte face in the concluding reels. The suspense -- when it unravels -- is sure to hit you like a ton of bricks. However, the film tends to get a bit predictable at this point and the pacing too slows down soon after the interval, but the scare quotient and the twist towards the final stages more than compensate for the shortcomings.

Emraan Hashmi nails his character. He carries the film on his broad shoulders, bringing plenty of soul to his character. This is amongst his finest works, undoubtedly! EK THI DAAYAN marks Konkona Sen Sharma's meeting with the horror genre and given her acting experience, she delivers a terrific performance yet again. After portraying the part of a small-town girl in her first two films, Huma Qureshi exudes coolness and confidence in this new avatar. Kalki Koechlin looks perfect for her part, but her character tends to get a bit confusing towards the final moments.

On the whole, EK THI DAAYAN is an imaginative and appealing supernatural thriller. The film is placed in a relatable world, with myths about witches expertly intertwined in its absorbing screenplay, something which a spectator can effortlessly identify with. Exceptionally novel and attention-grabbing, it's a first of its kind. Watch it for the sheer novelty it puts on display in its genre!

Ratings: 3/5

Don’t take your brains…else Zombies will eat your brain

Go Goa Gone

Director: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.

When I first saw the trailer of Go Goa Gone, I was NOT impressed. And I was sure that I’ll not watch it, because first the concept can’t work with the Indian audience and secondly I was so sure that the directors will not be able to do justice to the concept and they failed.

The intro part of the three main leads was also a flop, it seems like I have seen this thing hundreds of times. The first 20 minutes of the movie are kinda forgettable, but I guess, necessary — same old one-liners, same old activities — one bad boy duped by his girlfriend, the other losing his job and then the two of them piling on the nice guy and off they are to Goa.

The fun starts only when we have our first sighting of the zombies. Like all zombie movies, they have a SILLY explanation for why there are zombies. Usually, zombie-fests are blamed on military experiments and viruses imported from some godforsaken, but here they just put it on to a drug, which is apparently the baap of cocaine and other such substances and screws you up pretty good.

The message is simple: Drugs turn you into a zombie.

Saif Ali Khan as Boris, alternating between a Dilli accent and a Russian accent, is in very good form. In a scene where he interrogates and intimidates Kunal Khemu’s character while checking for possible signs of the zombie virus, both actors shine as they play off each other. Having said that, Go Goa Gone is a fun watch. There are plenty of innocent-sounding, slow-exploding one-liners, which are funny.

Also, the background score and the sound design is kinda weird. And the weirdest part was showing of pics of Soha Ali Khan as the real love. Dumb. It’s a pity then the writers don’t know what to do with the script post intermission. So they’re persistently pursued by swarms of zombies through forests and beaches and an abandoned home. Because these monsters inspire neither fear nor laughs, the film’s extended climax doesn’t feel merely convenient.The directors should have atleast thought of a better climax.

Ratings: 2.5/5

It’s all about the SONGS! - Aashiqui2

Aashiqui 2

Director: Mohit Suri



How Aashiqui 2 qualified to be called a sequel of Aashiqui? Going by the dictionary definition, a sequel means, ‘something that takes place after or as a result of an earlier event.’ Aashiqui 2, is neither. Started as an interesting story idea -- troubled artists, dynamics in a relationship -- eventually got buried under the waste of random motifs.

Rahul Jaykar (Aditya Roy Kapur) is a singer fighting his demons, with the help of good pal. Aarohi Shirke (Shraddha Kapoor) is a girl who worships Lata Mangeshkar and wants to be a singer. For reasons that are never explained, Rahul's constant companion is alcohol. But he is not so used that he can't spot talent: he hears Aarohi sing in a shady Goa bar, and knows she is the next best thing. Then back to Mumbai, why and who had problems with Rj and why are they harming him?? Not explained… the songs make you forget the script. As the story moves, the sript loses the interest the only thing that will ask you to sit is the songs. The film is obviously meant for a youth audience, which is probably not the easiest segment to trick. But now day’s even youth looks for sensible love story. The climax was the biggest blah..flop..and impractical. Giving your life for the sake of your love is not call TRUE LOVE it’s called as Stupidity.

Still on the music front, new talents have come up with super awesome singing. I am still addicted to the songs and I don’t remember the story.

Ratings: 3/5

Happy 100th Anniversary -Bombay Talkies

Aim: We love Cinema

Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar & Anurag Kashyap

Four directors, four stories, one film, is there a common link? Maybe. One of the characters in each of these stories is extremely influenced by some aspect of Bollywood – old Hindi film songs (the street child who is a gifted singer), acting (a talented theatre actor who never really pursued his dream), dancing (a small boy aspires to become a dancer like Sheila) and stardom (Vijay who comes all the way from Allahabad to meet Amitabh Bachchan), each of them has his or her own USP and they play to their strengths.

As you read the names – Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap, it is evident why these directors can actually attract audiences at the ticket window. With each one of them being successful in delivering commercial hits, Bombay Talkies offers them a platform to indulge and explore another side of their creativity. It’s delightful to see Karan Johar recognize that his core strength is relationships and not mush. KJo steps away from his usually colours and glossy sets to tell a very real story about a married couple which stumbles upon the realization that they have actually been living a lie. Each actor Rani Mukerji, Randeep Hooda and Saqib Saleem essay understated performances with flair and sincerity.

Dibakar Bannerjee’s story about a failed actor who gets a chance opportunity to do a bit role in a Bollywood film is a captivating tale. Two remarkable scenes that stand out; first, where Nawaz practices Big B’s famous dialogues before he realizes that his little role hardly has any lines to mouth and second, the last scene where he doesn’t have a single dialogue but his histrionics speak louder than any other line in the whole film. Siddiqui’s face conveys many emotions as he runs home to his daughter after his performance.

Zoya Akhtar’s little child star is pushed by his ambitious father to learn football because that’s what boys should be doing. Our 12-year-old however aspires to become a dancer like Sheila (Katrina Kaif in ‘Tees Maar Khan). It’s a heartwarming story as an kind elder sister understands her kid brother’s dreams and they are oblivious of the implications that this unusual choice of vocation might have. It tells you age doesn’t matter, everyone is attracted to cinema.

Anurag Kashyap’s protagonist travels all the way from Allahabad to meet Amitabh Bachchan in Mumbai because his ailing father believes that will save his life. Vineet Singh is spot on as the fan desperate for a glimpse of the superstar. He gets even the little nuances right like, calling Big B, “Amita Bachchan” instead of “Amitabh Bachchan”. Kashyap’s story is an honest tribute to the Shahenshah of Bollywood. But was it suppose to be??? Wasn’t it a tribute to Indian Cinema?

The stories, each roughly thirty minutes in duration, have no common link, except for a shared love and celebration of the movies. ‘Bombay Talkies’ is an engaging watch. You may have a favorite amongst the four stories, because yes, this is cinema, and it touches different chords in different individuals. But there’s no denying that Bombay Talkies is a breath of fresh air – a wonderful gift to audiences on the 100th birthday of Indian cinema. Bombay Talkies is a format that needs to be praised for its concept. The sequencing of the stories works and the pace is swift, never showing signs of lethargy.

Ratings: 4/5

Result: Hence Proved

The Reluctant Fundamentalist-Review

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Watched on: 19-05-2013

Directed By: Mira Nair

Based on a honored novel , this schematic film interweaves two narratives in 2011 Lahore. The film is a blunt, slow and pretentious work of art. It's about the dramatic rise and fall of a Pakistani migrant in the US. The 130-minute narration meanders for the first hundred minutes and rapidly picks up pace during the last thirty minutes in a very melodramatic manner.

The film begins with an intimidating situation, where an American professor at Lahore University is kidnapped. The CIA with the help of Bobby ,an American journalist, tries to search out information about the kidnapping through Changez Khan, also a professor,in the tense atmosphere of a cafe frequented by student activists. Bobby’s task is to discover whether Changez was involved in the kidnap of an American visiting professor at the local university.

The second strand centers on Changez insisting upon telling his life story as a pro-western upper-class Pakistani, educated at Princeton, drawn into the world of western capitalism as an economic analyst specializing in corporate downsizing, and in love with an American conceptual artist. Suddenly 9/11 makes him question all his values, and he returns home to become a lucid exponent of anti-capitalist ethics and principles. But does this make him a fundamentalist or a spokesman for terrorism? But where Nair is wonderfully spot on is when Changez, hopeful of a great future in the US, takes his first tentative steps into his workplace and, almost simultaneously, a life-altering romance. The film unfurls in a non-linear manner and that layers the narrative with series of incidents that are predictable. With the protagonist being on an even keel, the script does not investigate deeply into his psyche, but operates functionally on the situational complexities of the plot; hence it is unable to involve the audience emotionally.

Ahmed's portrayal of Changez's transition from a practical and efficient business analyst to a patriotic professor in his country is superficial. The intensity of neither his humiliation nor his pain reflects in his manner. This is evident in the two scenes that could have changed the equilibrium of the film. The first scene is where he disagrees with his boss to sack the editor publisher of a publication in Turkey and the other scene is at the art studio, when he is angry with his girlfriend Erica when she displays her indulgent art exhibits, but this is what I think.

Performances are solid but add little beyond their characters' stereotypical American reactions to Changez's decisions. Om Puri as Changez's father is a fascinating personality, but his limited screen presence is a shortcoming Shabana Azmi as Changez's mother walks through her role nonchalantly. Imaad Shah as Sameer, a student activist, appears comfortable on familiar grounds and is noticeable.

The only plus point in the movie is its soundtrack. The film kickstarts with the qawaali and brilliantly sung "Bijli aaye ya na aye" steals the show.

Mira Nair has taken great pains to ensure the authenticity of the settings. The smooth flow of the visuals, though appealing, is often broken with the unsteady hand-held camera work. So the rapid edits, especially during conversations, are jarring.

So on the whole, Mira Nair tried to show the same old concept but with a different touch.

Ratings: 3/5