Author: farooq Page 21 of 45

Force 2 Review: Nothing works except the action

One particular scene straight out of counter-strike, where John Abraham beats up the baddies while constantly exchanging guns as he runs out ammo, is amazingly well-shot. This POV-sequence can make you feel as if you’re in control. Apart from this, there are quite a few seriously good action scenes spread across the film.

Alas! That’s all the good stuff that one can talk about this movie. The soul of this movie lies in action and it hardly moves an inch beyond that.

The storyline allows Force 2, the sequel to the John Abraham-Genelia starrer Force, to bring sub-plots within the main plot. However, in an attempt to do so, they deviate from the central plot.
John Abraham’s friend who happens to be a RAW agent gets killed and like the usual practice, government disowns him. Now, John is out there to catch the man who orchestrated it all. However, you never feel the angst of the hero to take revenge from it. Although there is a lot of effort invested by John and is clearly visible. The reason Force worked because of the “revenge saga” and that ultimate fight between John and Vidyut Jamwal.

There is no need of Sonakshi in the movie. Literally no need of her. You can eliminate her from the film and there won’t be any effect on the storyline. I bet you can cut out the scenes from the movie and it’ll still be the same. Not that she doesn’t act well but she’s as useless to the plot as any Vestigial Organ is to the human body.

While it is important to develop the character of the villain to make things interesting, just lending screen time does not mean doing that. Going by the image of our “Mumbai police” no-nonsense approach of John, it is baffling that he can listen to so much blabbering and not smack the hell out of him. At least as an audience, I felt like smacking him to make him shut up! In the prequel, Jamwal’s character made the role his own. However, in this case, Tahir Bhasin, couldn’t add that extra dimension to his character.

The movie has been shot well and is worthy of a good action movie. But you so wished they would have tightened the plot. Even though the movie isn’t very long, the presence of multiple storylines fitted into it,you’ll end up feeling it’s too much.
The force sequel isn’t worth your money if you are not an action movie fan. Unless you can watch a movie for its action sequences, you can definitely skip this one.

I’m going with 1.5/5 for Force 2. An extra .5 just for action.

The Questions

It’s funny right,  when you seek solitude,  you struggle to find it.  When it’s available at your disposal,  you find it repelling.

Your Introvert-cum-wannabe-extrovert self just cannot decide what you truly want.

Whether you just want to shut out the world and do nothing.  Or to shout along with the world’s company.

Or maybe find the nothing among the crowd or find company in solitude.

Life’s continued mystery.

On one moment you rue past decisions and on the other you’re happy that you had the courage to take them.  The missed chances seem God’s way of doing it right for you.

While telling yourself that “everything happens for the  better” keeps you content.  Not being able to keep it off from your head is a struggle.  The struggle is real.

Sometimes going back isn’t what you want.  Sometimes even when you want to,  you cannot.

Future is uncertain.  Present is a struggle.  While past wants you to only remember the good things.  Be selective.

You seek people who get you.  But you don’t find them.  The ones you do,  don’t seek you.

You question things.  You answer them yourself.  You’re left with more of the former.

They never end.  The questions.

Rock On 2 Review: There’s just too much going on in the Sequel

There’s just too much going on in the second installment of Rock on which was first released 8 years back marking the debut of Farhan Akhtar. On the face of it, this looks like a completely new film. Or perhaps too many films packaged into one.

Rock on was not a unique story but its subtlety in storytelling binded it all together with some great music. The best song of this movie is the new version of the original Rock On title song, which still cannot beat the original.

The first half has been edited nicely and the build-up keeps you interested but as soon as second half starts, the melodrama suddenly overtakes the storyline. So much so that the song “Jaago…” sounds like a wakeup call for the audience.

The sequel follows the band “Magic” and the changing life of its members. The lead singer, Aditya Shroff(Farhan), lives a life in a village in Meghalaya helping farmers with a co-operative. Joe Mascaranhas (Arjun Rampal) is a reality TV judge and KD (Purab Kohli) again seems to be the guy that brings the band together to make “music” again. Why did they stop? That forms part of the central plot of the movie.

Jia’s (Shraddha Kapoor) father in the movie is a well-known Music legend who disapproves of “fusion” music. While Uday (Shashank Arora of Titli fame) is a Sarod player who comes into Jia’s life and they together end up meeting the Magik band. Although Shashank seems to have been wasted or probably wasn’t needed at all!

The movie would have been sufficient had they stopped adding more to the storyline and just kept one theme as its central plot. But like many other sequels before, this one, also falls into the trap of “doing something more” than its prequel. The prequel worked because it focused on one thing, bringing the band together. Here it is not only about that (again), but bringing it together for a “cause”, then trying to tell how music isn’t limited to “one-definition”, relationships between children-parents, and a lot more. And all that in just 2 hours! Phew!

The time needed by the audience to invest in characters, especially when it comes to a drama, is missing.

What works for the movie is its acting. It is also commendable to notice the presence of local actors to provide it a refreshingly authentic look. Farhan, Arjun, Purab have done a good job. Shradha, however, ends up singing better than her acting and she appears out of frame in many of the scenes. The best scene of the movie is perhaps when a dejected Farhan after having come out of a tragedy drives around the hills. The Cinematography is amazing as well.

However, elements like these are far and few and the movie needed more of this than the over-the-top ones which have been pushed together towards the end of the movie.

Shujaat Saudagar, who dons the hat of the director for the first time, has put in the hard work to put life into the story and its characters. However, apart from the leads, the depth lacks in the characters. The presence of Abhishek Kapoor who directed the first one with perfection can be easily felt and a stark difference in approach can be seen.

I’m going with 2/5 for Rock On 2. If you’ve loved the first movie and your expectations are high, you might be disappointed. It isn’t a bad movie and is definitely a one-time watch for the acting of the ensemble cast.

Money Matters

While returning back to Bangalore from Coorg last evening, got this message in one of the groups which surprisingly was not muted, that “Currency Notes of 500 and 1000” were banned effective midnight. Like all forward mesages, I usually assume them to be fake unless verified. On verifying after a brief search on the Big G found out it was indeed true. Of course the “Notes will have NGC technology” was a hoax. See, never beliieve forward messages.
 
Thankfully I had no notes of 500 or 1000 in my wallet and was relieved that I wouldn’t have to make a trip to the bank for the exchange. All across the city, ATM lines appeared to be like the lines in Railway station.
 
Like many other salaried employees there wasn’t anything to worry for me. And with the orgasmic response on my Timeline made sure people were indeed delighted.
 
I’m not an economics expert and hence my views are limited to my own income/spending habits. It is a bold step towards a cahless economy. However, sceptically looking at troubling issues that can engulf the entire non-banking population (which is huge) just cannot be ignored.
 
Anyways, as Ravish said, The real test of this move will be when upcoming elections in UP happen. If the number of helicopters get replaced by cycle and the huge number of promotional campaign events come down, then this definitely has worked. And if it doesn’t… well.. Let’s see it then.
 
Till then, #PaytmKaro
 
[P.S Paytm didn’t pay me to write this :P]

Shivaaya Movie Review: A mountain might be easier to climb than watching this

Shivaaya has some of the best breathtakingly good looking shots throughout the movie, an attempt to up the action sequences where it swings pops up to superhuman level and Ajay Devgan at his best acting levels.

Unfortunately, that’s where all the good things I can talk about the movie ends. Yes, there are numerous emotionally charged scenes which are good but when they are in patches and in a 3-hour long movie, what’s the point? The problem is not only it is long, but it feels really long. As a viewer you can’t help but say, “What was the need of this scene?”. Clearly conflict between the director Ajay and the actor Ajay had troubling in cutting down the movie.

Shivaaya is about a mountaineer with superhuman skills of scaling Himalayan peaks like it was the tree in his backyard. He not only helps the Indian Army but also takes completely untrained people to trek or if it’s your 16th Birthday! Not only this, when he gets stuck in an avalanche with the leading ladies, swinging literally in a cliffhanger, he can make out with the ladies. Superhuman skills. And if all this sounds ridiculous to you, then you’re in for a treat.

Comparison with Liam Neeson’s taken were already being made and it was expected to be a Bollywood-version of Taken with added Drama. And even though you see shades of it here in the action-part and some might say even better, there’s just too much of build-up. The first half, comparatively, sails a little smoother as the story unfolds and gets your attention. However, the second half, especially the last 30-40 minutes are bluntly put, “Torturous”.

The actor Ajay has put immense effort to bring his A-game to the table but cannot say the same for direction. The casting of Ajay’s love interest in Erika Karr and his daughter (played by Abigail Eames) are appropriately essential to the storyline. But everyone else appears to have been stuffed in. In order to bring the concept of father-daughter story to the forefront, Ayesha Saigal (who debuts with this movie) and Girish Karnad have a parallel story running as well. Not just that, a forced induction of Vir Das, seems an addition that could have been not needed.

The movie might have worked better if they had tried not to do way too much in making the story complex. It is an honest attempt and filled with amazing action sequences but one can be easily disappointed, all thanks to the expectations.

Shivaaya is definitely avoidable and even if you are an Ajay Devgan fan, the length of the movie is definitely going to put you off.

I’m going with a 1.5 for Shivaaya. It’s a movie which takes too much time to preach its message and bores you out. A mountain will be easier to climb (as Devgan shows :P) than watching this.

Reveries through the Window

Looking through the windows of this café, as the traffic rushes away, while I jot down words for my long pending Travelogues, there’s a flurry of thoughts that run through. Like the traffic outside.

Thoughts. My reveries, they stay. Unlike the words or the traffic.

I seek life’s answers. Not in a forest doing meditation nor staring through the meadows of mountains. Sipping the expensive coffee which I could make better at home, I dive down to try and brew my thoughts.

Remembering the conversations that never felt like one and the ones which still echo loudly. Word by Word. Ahh, stupid memories.

Then: I shouted through the roof. With my faults. Baring myself. I let it use the trumpets as well. I want to share my fault lines too. Perhaps they’ll meet somewhere some other time. With hers.

It never did.

Now: I could actually see through. See through the soul. The hollowness visible from the shades of her artificial self. Of thoughts tumbling down, making coherent noises, through an empty vase which looks appealing. From outside?

Maybe I like the vase. Or the hollow sounds. The different sound. The opposite. A positive and a negative, maybe?

What would a life be, if we had all the answers? If everything went according to “our” plan?

Boring.

We try to make it work. Try. That is all we can do. Try to make things work to our plans. Adjust to suit their thoughts, expect them to do the same as well.

Yet, we’d like to strive to make that happen. Try, Try and Try again. Not bad for Mortals. Right?

Or maybe I’m tired of yet another, Try.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Review: It’ll be mushkil for your Dil to not like this

Heartbreaks are the USPs of a good love story. Add a dose of unequivocal love as the central theme and you have a story that clicks. Ae Dil hai Mushkil does just that. The time when the hero leaves with his bag, as firecrackers burst in the sky, with teary eyes and an Arijit Singh song in the background. You get the picture, don’t you?

It’s a drama minus the melodrama even with cliched caricatured characters to sell its point across. But it does succeed in telling the story in all its sincerity.

Karan Johar’s Ae Dil hai Mushkil is about One-sided love and the repercussions it can have on relationships.

The Cast includes Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai and the prodigy from across the border Fawad Khan, who is hardly there in the movie. Even Salman Khan had a bigger role in Kuch Kuch Hota hai than Fawad. But hey, whatever keeps the jingoism alive, right ?

Ranbir seems to have worked really hard to get into the introvert character of Ayaan and definitely succeeds. Aishwarya Rai brings out a good performance perhaps after ages. But it is Anushka who shines in a role with a matured performance. She keeps the story together and anchors it to make it work.

The film works because it connects with the audience by never loses its central theme of “one-sided love”. Subtlety of the screenplay reflects the emotions brilliantly. You never get to hate or root for any character but instead understand the story from their vantage points even when the lead character is of Ayan, played by Ranbir, who narrates the story. I’m glad that it isn’t pushing those views but involving you to paint the picture, and makes you believe that you’re painting your own story in some form.

You can relate to Ayaan(Ranbir) or Alaiza (Anushka) or even Saba (Aishwarya) or all of them at different phases of your life, which was perhaps how Karan envisioned the story.

The music adds to the charm of the flow of the story and the background score isn’t a hindrance to it. The dialogues, even though are poetic and include a lot of Urdu words, doesn’t sound filmy. Surprisingly.

Talking about surprises, well, special guest appearances should be expected.

However, the movie does falter in how it plans to end the saga. The way you start relating with the characters till this moment suddenly changes. It’s akin to someone taking over the steering of the car while you sit in the backseat. Of course, the director drops you at a destination, but you do feel something amiss about the way the journey ended.

Even with the few faults, mostly towards the end, the movie is a ride you should experience. It answers the questions it throws at you and convinces you of those answers as well. It is one of those movies which you’ll keep in your hard-drive to be watched again and you’d never be tired of it.

I’m going with a 4/5 for Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. It will be very MUSHKIL for your DIL to not like this.

Delhi Monuments: Marvels of Architecture

The Marvels of Architecture

One of the prime reasons which, from as long as I can remember, always got me excited about visiting Delhi were these! The Architectural marvels of Delhi.

Spread across the city, the monuments had decorated the pages of numerous history books I’ve read as a child and something I still find appealing. Delhi has traditionally been the “favorite” capital city of most of the kingdoms which ruled the Northern part of our country.

An early-morning-start believing that I’ll try to cover most, if not all, of the monuments which Delhi had to offer.

The Qutub Complex

Qutub Minar Delhi

The magnificent stone tower looming out from a distance is a marvelous sight as you walk inside the complex. A cloudy wintery Delhi day in the midst of this monumental complex, which comprises of the Qutub Minar,  Quwattul Islam Mosque,  Khilji gate, and Iltutmish tomb standing adjacent create a historical retreat for anyone walking in.

Khilji's Madarsa

From the Great Khilji to Qutub, and even Iltutmish,  Iltutmish Gate in Qutub complex, Delhithe individual contributions are evident in the architecture as they stand bearing testimony. It took almost 500 years for them to perfect the shape of the “Dome” or Ulti katori as they used to refer the dome as.

This wasn’t written anywhere but heard it from a really cute history teacher, who was explaining this to her students. Not to mention, I was one of them.

Humayun’s Tomb

Beyond Qutub,  there is the Humayun’s tomb.  The Mughal architecture in their trademark style is beautifully captured.  Built in the memory of Humayun and countless other Mughals, the tomb has earned the designation of being referred as a “tomb gallery” of sorts.  Close to 160 Mughal royals have been buried here.

Humayun's tomb Delhi

The tomb complex has 4 smaller tomb-like structures, with a gate used for shipments and labor from Persia in those times. Humayun’s tomb was built by Hamida Banu Begum. It also remains the first garden tomb monument in the Indian Subcontinent. The Char Baagh concept of gardens remains essential to the Persian architecture style as always. In my Jaipur travelogue, you can also see something similar.

There are mosques and smaller tomb-like structures inside the complex along with attached gardens. The entire complex is nothing but an ensemble of other smaller monuments.

Red Fort

Red fort Delhi

Red Fort is huge.  The Mughals were very detailed when it came to monuments and the interiors of the fort bring out this distinctiveness. Be it the numerous diwans or the hamams, or the even the Sheesh mahal, bears testimony to the royal life that was lived.

Inside Red Fort comple Delhi

Inside Red Fort

Inside Red Fort Delhi

The Zeenat mahal has now been turned into a mini-museum, which displays letters (farman) and clothes, to even utensils used during the period to artillery.

Jama Masjid

Jama masjid view Delhi

Jama Masjid area is always bursting with people.  A fine exhibit of overpopulated of this old city.  The Mosque has been reduced to one exhibit of this problem. The lane opposite to the Mosque is lined with eateries,  kashmiri clothes merchants,  and hordes of small shops and vendors.Jama masjid in delhi

The architecture of Jama Masjid, like other Indian Monuments, is entrenched into the heads and apart from the security entrance and the gareebi around, remains the giant mosque as I had pictured. Ended up offering my Namaz and then headed off for food.

Jama Masjid wazoo khaana
I had my breakfast and also experienced something wonderful- a small eatery distributing free food to the homeless. Not just in the one I was eating,  but across the lane in many of the eating joints. There’s so much of visible poverty which disturbs you with their plight. And a multitude of similar stories visible in the vicinity of Red Fort and Jama Masjid area.

India Gate

India Gate Delhi

Snack stall near India Gate Delhi

I also went to India Gate and even though it is not architecturally satiating, it is a symbolically to what is referred to as ‘New Delhi’. The thing that excited me here were these carts put up by differently-abled people.

They had these mechanical ovens from which all sorts of puffs and buns were served. It is great to see them empowered.

Masjid Khairul Manzil

Masjid Khairul Manzil, Mosque near Purana Qilla, delhi

On my way to the Humayun’s Tomb, it was time for Zohar prayers and hence I stopped here at this mosque. The picture is intriguing, right? This is  one old mosque which hasn’t been revamped or any attention paid to it.

wazoo khana mosque

The Wazu-khana, where an elderly gentleman is making wazu doesn’t have water and one needs to draw it from the nearby well. The look and smile on the few present inside the mosque made me realize they knew I’m from somewhere else. Strange how looks can speak.

prayer-timings-board-old-mosque-delhi

This prayer timing board hanging outside on the tree was an adorable sight.

Khairul Islam mosque was commissioned by Maham Anga. She was the foster mother of Akbar when Humayun (his father) was in exile along with his mother.

The interiors of the mosque are not in the best of condition than the famished look of the building outside.

There was renovation work underway in the adjacent complex and I do hope certain care is taken for this as well. It was built in 1561!

I covered all of it in just one day and definitely could have spent a lot of time around, especially in the Qutub Complex and Humayun’s Tomb. There’s so much to learn and refresh what you’ve learned in history books.

I’ve always been intrigued by the Mughal architecture and Delhi is one of the best showcases of that heritage.

MS Dhoni Movie Review: It’s entertaining but nowhere close to perfect

Watching the untold story unfold in a theater is an experience that takes you back in time. Back to where “tum” is “hum”. Back to a place we call home.

For every Bihar/Jharkhand native, this movie is more than just the story about MS Dhoni. It is more than being about Cricket. It is about the journey that many have lived and only a few like the man himself have succeeded in. It is about the friends who’ll stick with you in thick and thin. Your family who wishes the best for you. Where your success is everyone’s success too.

If you happen to be a Dhoni fan or have grown up in the old Bihar or the younger Jharkhand, you’ll have a ride full of goosebumps. Instead of just being a movie, this is more of a melodramatic Documentary.

The research done to make places, people and scenarios appear as real-like is tremendous and kudos to the team for choosing the right brushes to paint.

Sushant Singh Rajpoot is believably a good reel version of the Captain Cool and this is perhaps one of his biggest role till date. There’s nowhere you’ll feel he has not given his 100 percent in essaying the role.

Anupam Kher’s portrayal as the father strikes chord with the familiar sense of concern visible across every father’s face and the joy of success when their kids succeed.

In a particular scene when MS calls up his father and asks, “Aap khush to hai na ?”, he replies, “Khud ko galat saabit hote dekh, kaafi khush hoon”. It makes you search for your own dad in him.

Another great insight the movie gives is on how Dhoni handles the setbacks from his life and how he doesn’t allow anyone else to know what goes behind the perceived “coolness” associated with him. How he lets himself away from the crowd to process emotions and tries to hold it all in, and how that has shaped him, is baffling.

Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni biopic is unlike any of his movies and yes it does have flaws. The biggest is in its editing. The effort to fit in everything ends up making the movie long. As a fan, you’d feel like more could have been added to the story, however as a regular movie-goer you’d feel that a lot could have been edited out. The purpose of few of the scenes are to highlight, Dhoni doesn’t drink or that he meets his old-colleagues even after becoming a “big sensation”. The execution here just doesn’t seem right.

Another thing that irked me was the choice of superimposing Sushant’s picture on a young Dhoni which could have easily been played by any other youngster. A case in point is the much appreciated Netflix drama- Narcos, where the real-life Pablo Escabar features in the original footage to keep the story appear real. They could have even left the real-life footage of matches untouched and it would have brought even more cheers than it actually did.

Songs are good but the addition of this many could have been avoided. The leading ladies of the film, Priyanka played by Disha Patani and Sakshi played by Kiara Advani in the movie have done their part well. Although they do appear to essay almost the same character. But maybe that’s how they both were in real life as well.

However, even with all this, it does click the boxes of being an entertaining movie. The movie doesn’t bore you at any point in time. Neither the pace nor the content makes you take your eyes off. Even the authenticity of the accent and the life in general always keeps you hooked.

MS Dhoni: the untold Story is entertaining even with editing issues, gets you high and gives access to what goes in the mind of one of the most successful Indian Captain. Watch it for the entertainment value it brings with it. It is a good attempt to bring out the untold story of the Cricketer’s life but could have been perfect.

I’m going with a 3/5 for Ms Dhoni: The Untold Story. Go ahead and watch it. It’s Entertaining but nowhere close to being perfect.

 

Pink Movie Review: Why Pink is a must watch!

Pink Movie Review: Why Pink is a must watch!

The best thing about Pink is that it isn’t melodramatically over-zealous nor does it solely rely on the emotional appeal of the subject at play. It captures the deeply entrenched male chauvinism of our society subtly and yet packs a powerful punch. The message isn’t just another footnote in the ending but the entire movie itself.

pink-movie-review

Powerful performances from Tapsi Pannu (who plays the role of Meenal) and the seasoned Amitabh Bachchan who bests his Piku and Wazir performance. Kirti Kulari (plays the role of Falak in Pink), who had previously acted in Shaitan, also adds in a powerful performance.

Related: You can check Amitabh’s Piku and Wazir reviews here

The movie’s story follows an after-concert party-gone-wrong resulting in an assault case filed against the “outgoing” and “independent” girls. Pink is about the struggle of women against law (and society) and how a retired lawyer, who’s battling his own illness, comes to their rescue.

The story isn’t limited to the plight of the girls but is also about the society’s reactions. Reactions, deeply embedded with chauvinism, directed against them. It describes the general perception of our men-centric society and how they measure the ‘character’ of the women by the length of the clothing she chooses to wear. This attitude has seeped too deep in our society and has made even the women become part of it. This, among other things, is what Pink tries to uncover.

The film is a mirror for the society and to every viewer to watch and introspect. How loosely used terms, for e.g., calling every random girl a “slut” (or an equivalent term in their own regional language) just based on what they wear, how they speak or whom they chose to befriend, is bizarre.

Apart from the story, the strong performances, and the message, there are a few issues that did irk me. Is the world around so superficial that no one comes to stand alongside the girls in this fight? Sure we as a society have deeply rooted favoritism for men but does everyone lack even this much of an empathy towards the female gender?

Definitely, the makers might not have wanted to tread down the same path of media activism and public outcry and the strong story doesn’t let you think of any of it. More than anything the way every emotion, frustration and the pain, has been captured and brought out by the characters, is powerful.

This happens to be Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’ first Hindi movie and I’m intrigued to start watching his Bengali movies. Yes, Pink is that good.

Any movie which has Shoojit Sarcar’s name attached naturally adds certain expectations and each time he surpasses those. Credits to Ritesh Shah for a binding story and screenplay. Interestingly, we are only shown as to “what actually happened that night” in the end credits. This keeps us, as viewers, to keep questioning the narrative and be involved.

The movie Pink makes you think of the society, while you’re watching it, but also makes you take away a part of it, long after you’ve left the theater. Pink is a must watch for all men, all women, and even the grown-up kids to realize why “NO means NO”. It strikes hard where it should.

Final Ratings: Pink Movie Review

I’m going with 4/5 for Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary’s Pink. Without a doubt, it’s a must watch. Go catch it in a theater near you. It is hauntingly tensed and wakes you up with a strong message.

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