RAAVAN A Mani-Ratnam-made Disaster !!

Yes...u read it correct...finally we have a BAD movie from Mani Ratnam. One of the accomplished directors, with an illustrious career comprising of movies like NAYAGAN, , KANNATHIL MUTTHAMITTIL, DIL SE (Yes..i found it engaging ..enough!!) and the more recent ones YUVA and GURU. I've been observing this for the past two years that all the BIG film-makers are having a tough time making movies that correspond to their reputation. Most of them were duds. Take..for that matter Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakeysh Mehra, Raju Hirani, and now the latest addition to the list the perfectonist
Mani Ratnam !!

The film opens with an audacious opening scene where Ragini (Ash Rai-Bachchan) is kidnapped. That was it...the last best thing about the movie. AB Jr has the potential, that Ratnam sees in him, But this is ones just bad writing, no character development for neither of the lead actors. Ash has to look beautiful (Bloody beautiful ...!!), indulge herself in some adventure sports and scream every time she regains consciousness. Vikram is wasted in a role that could've been so much more,(he was more frightening than Beera. Credit to him for that). AB Jr could not do much because of his half-baked role. His is a case of missed opportunity. Beera could've very well become the new GABBAR SINGH or LANGDA TYAGI...but instead he is nothing but a re-done avatar of (his Yuva-character) Lallan singh !! He lacks the sinister-charm to fright u .. everytime he is on screen (that too is the writer (Ratnam's) fault) .From the supporting cast Govinda, Nikhil Dwiwedi and Ravi Kishen do their best with what they have, adding some spice to the brain-dead lines.

The photography is very good. Internationally acclaimed technicians Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan do a splendid job to make sure that the audience don't leave the movie midway and atleast watch it for the eye-watering scenic beauty. Art Director Samir Chanda puts up some extra-ordinary sets in the forest (deserves recognition !!).

The Music is haunting and fun at the same time. ARR does experiment (as always !!) for some western- cum-african background orchestration. "Jaa re...udh jaa re..." is one of the classics of the year and the accordion will haunt u even after u come out of the theatres. The picturisation of the songs are fresh, even though the narrative does not completely convince us for its necessity.

I won't delve any deeper for the rest of the movie, because its just plain BAD !! But...all hope is not lost. Sometimes even Sachin gets out for a duck. Its just one of the bad days for Mani, which i'm sure he'll overcome. Expecting LOTS of good cinema from u Mani .....

My rating: *

A lazy sunday evening......

Here i am....all bored....!! Nothing substantial to watch on TV, not in the mood for movies, and certainly not in the mood to reply to "Hiee, hows you??" OR "wats up dude ?"

Life's become bland...as it usually does...!! Have a deadline tomo to adhere to...a report to be submitted. Tomorrow @ 5.30 pm. I wish i could just experience freedom like a bird, just fly away...where ever u want to...for a week or so...

Watched DONNIE DARKO the night before last (One hellofa movie !!) prompted me to think as in what do i want in life ?? I don't wish to define my goal as a certificate to be attained. The Last line of the movie still haunts me....where the protagonist says, "I wish the world would come to an end, so that i can breathe a sigh of relief...because then there will be so much more to look forward to..!!"

FIFA World cup just started, and everybody is "sharing" the "Waka Waka"-song .....Shakira's one singer...who is able to switch sounds with utmost ease, without sounding uncomfortable at all.

I'm just putting down random thoughts....which i picked up from a child-hood friend recently. "It helps u clear your head." she says.

Bhopal's injustice - a slap on the face for each citizen of India !!

I'm angry. Very angry. Disgusted.... to say the least.
Just saw on prime-time news that the accussed in the Bhopal gas tragedy have been let-off with Rs 1 Lac-fine and immediate bail. I mean..what the hell is wrong with the indian judiciary ??! Its the saddest day since 26/11. In a layman's words, sadly "the constitution has been molested with in broad day-light by hot-shot lawyers, UCIL, and the Bureaucracy of India". This letting-off is a reminder that the Constitution and the Law they're just words on a paper, which can be twisted and turned to be used by the trickerists (lawyers, Politicos ) for their own good. The Judiciary has let the victims down very badly.

After 26 years, 15000 deaths, a million injured, and destruction of a whole generation (born Paraplegic or deformed beacuse of the gas leakage) all that the judiciary did was fining the accused ?! The Govt. promising all kinds of financial help has not paid a single paisa till date (even 26 years later !!).

But what have i got to do...?? I can just ignore it, and rather worry about , what train i have to catch to reach office on time, what i will have for Lunch ??Dal makhani OR Paneer kadai ?? thats what we do...right !! I mean come on we are the middle class, what else CAN we do ?? I have to worry about my degree, a decent job, a beautiful life-partner ...thats all there is to life, isn't it ???

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH US ??? HOW LONG....are we going to ignore Dharavi, and rave about Bandra ??? Talk about a Developing Super-Power in the making and keep our eyes shut to such disaster-judgements ??? How long ??? I've had enough of the system-argument...i've decided to do something on my own....that is "WRITE ABOUT IT" until i can do something concrete for the victims.
Lets stop being content, and ignoring the trash our country possesses. Lets circle them out , and throw them out of the country. Swear an oath now.... 'cos tragedies have become routine these days. YOU COULD BE THE NEXT VICTIM, and there won't be anyone to defend u.

KITES – Movie review !!

After hours of deliberation of discussing the minute details of the film I watched less than 24 hours ago, and finally finding no one with the patience to undergo a gruelling session of debating with me...i find myself with the only option left – WRITING IT DOWN !!

Now, arises the colossal question; “Is it just the desire to sound different or did I genuinely like the movie ?”. After hours of introspection I conclude that it is in fact the latter. I have never been a fan of cheesy romance, nor have I ever hated “Relationship-Potboilers” like K(abhi) A(lvida) N(aa) K(ehna).
So where does KITES figure in this map ?! It does have some very clunky dialogue like Kabir Bedi's character says in one instance in the movie “Bob ko Vegas mein koi na nahi kehta !!” Come on thats lame, and I know it ! The center of action are always Hrithik and Barbara, which somehow makes the supporting cast look like caricatures including a “vulnerable-Kangana Ranaut” (who sure did surprise me with her salsa). A word for Nick Brown (Tony) whose character is the dumbest i've seen since Sameera Reddy's in RACE.

Now the pros of the movie. Anurag Basu gives us some moments, which I as a movie-goer will cherish for years to come. The awkward silence for the entire drive during Hrithik & Barbara's first date is beautiful to watch. The one in which they make shadow-puppets is very much what we call “communicating without words”. Basu is one director who can give us a gem of a scene on one hand, and still look tacky in another. Special Mention : Ayananka Bose (DOP), that kid sure knows his craft very well. Impressed in JBJ and Dostana...and doesn't fail to capture the harsh terrain of the Nevada desert without making it look so good. The action sequences are just like u would have expected. The film's got style, and u cannot deny it.

But the film's soul remain the lead pair – Hrithik Roshan & Barbara Mori.
Hrithik is something rare, which I am admitting for the first time. This guy has the looks to kill, moves to make u feel like you're 50-already, and also a heart-melting sincerity for which u could forgive any of the shortcomings his character may have. He is such a cracker on-screen, every time he is there, he makes sure u cannot take your eyes of him. Barbara Mori too gives an earnest performance and the chemistry makes u feel for the pair as they are on the run. The length of the movie is roughly 115 mins which is why it did not bore me at all. I was hooked till the very last scene. To tell u the truth, I was devastated in the climax, and ironically it also did give me some peace to watch them get-together.

The film is technically sound, the script is not entirely original, but still the lead pair's performance is what saves it from the blushes. The blood and the sweat of the crew is visible and so is their effort to experiment and break the barriers. Hrithik Roshan is a fine actor, only if he had the same cinematic-taste, and would undertake such experiments more often. It just feels unfair to call it a “potty-movie” as a friend of mine mentioned earlier this week. Its one of those films like “Lakshya”, “Delhi 6” where the audience just hate the movie unreasonably because they did not get good reviews.

My rating - ***.