GHAZINI-MOVIE REVIEW

And at the end of this year, there's a bedazing blockbuster in Indian Box office. Here comes our maestro of perfection swaying on with a different genre from his previous ventures. Merely, producers wouldn't have considered Ghajini as an 'Empaling Speculation' for enormous reasons. Well, when you've South India's top-charting Director, Bollywood's superstar, Musical Maestro and versatile technicians teaming up, undoubtedly results are off grandeur. On the buttons, 'Ghajini' is so tremendous on all panoramas of narration and technical aspects. The film had raised everyone's expectations across far-flung corners as Tamil and its Telugu dubbed version had walloping critical acclaims.

So, what's special about Aamir's Ghajini? Thank God! It isn't a copycat of Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' and carries more divergence from Tamil version in latter half. Well, even for those who had soundly watched Tamil version, they're gonna experience an enhanced spirit on emotions. Of course, tho' it's an action-packed thriller, emotions are boundless….

Perhaps, Murugadoss's gripping motif, script and polished screenplay shores on corking grounds with Aamir's more have-to doe with on all vistas. Fine! Let's pretermit Direction and Music, just pick out editing… Mr. Perfectionist's touch is more revealing on Antony's editing. It's more illustrious with each and every cut in 'Bekha'.

Tales centering on amnesias aren't something new in Bollywood, but a unique of its type 'Short Term Memory Loss – An individual losing out his memory for every 15mins' surmounted everyone's expectations. And what else? Aamir's eight-packs had its turn of grabbing everyone's outlooks prior to film's release.

The film isn't as complicated as Memento. Ghajini is a head-spinning venture of Sanjay Sanghania (Aamir Khan) who has determined to avenge for his girlfriend Kalpana's (Asin) death. Protagonist seeking revenge for his ladylove's death; its so clichéd, isn't? Nevertheless, his greatest stumbling block is that his memory loses every bit of details for every 15mins. And what doesn't get bleached from his deep memory is death of Kalpana and the name 'Ghajini' (Pradeep Rawat) who murdered her. Again, the biggest obstruction is that Sanjay doesn't remember antagonist's identity.


With a Polaroid camera, a cell phone in his hands and alarms beeping on every 15th minute, Sanjay has to tread settling his scores.

Screenplay is narrated on two separate chronicles; present life and flashback sequences of Sanjay. It's so gripping that you would ne'er feel restless or look at your watches throughout the complete show of 180mins. Except, 45mins of next-to-last sequences, there isn't any slight changes from original version and characterizations have been marvelously depicted.

'Wordlessly stupendous' – Aamir Khan or Mr. Perfectionist, whatever you like to call him, he is simply brilliant. Just note this down, unlike his previous flicks 'Rang De Basanthi', 'Fanaa' and 'Taare Zameen Par'; he has nothing do with dialogues. Perhaps, it's Asin, Jiah Khan and Pradeep Rawat who jump on uttering more words. For everyone, who were fond of this line 'Actions Speaks More than Words', you'll witness it with Aamir Khan. He emotes spectacularly with his facial expressions and gestures. For instances, watch him out in 'Bekha' where he spells the most minute expressions with brightness. While taking revenge, it's not the furiousness that's disclosed on his face, but the outburst of emotions for his lost love.

Of course, Asin deliver an over-the-top performance on every scene. She doesn't strain a lot but creates a deep impact on everyone with her role. She's got a great time here in Bollywood and she will rock with her well-brought-up show.

Don't expect a lot from Jiah Khan, if you were spellbound with her performance in 'Nishabd'. It's about doing justice to her role and her well-enhanced show is evident in penultimate scenes. She has to thank Murugadoss for depicting her so exquisitely.

Pradeep Rawat takes on with a decent role and his portrayal is as powerful as his characterization is so powerful than Aamir.

A.R. Murugadoss – He crowns each of his films with 'Success' and his debut directorial in Bollywood isn't an elision. With a trenchant script and screenplay, he reveals of a detailed work on every frame and shot. Working with Aamir Khan, should've made him fine-tuning his before-now version that yields his laurels from universal audiences. A hunky-dory of its kind, you'll witness a vivid groundwork put forth by the auteur, especially a fine-ending unlike Tamil version. As you step out of theatres, it's all about good shades of protagonist arresting your senses and not about hero's act of vengeance filled with bloodsheds.


A.R. Rahman with his tranfixing tunes steals the show. In particular, as everyone starts heeding to Mandolin's interlude on 'Guzarish', its claps, hails and whistles. Scenarios persist with 'Bekha' and getting to watch Aamir's acts and 6 get-ups, it's an appreciably innovative. 'Kaisa Mujhe' is sure to remain along with these two numbers on the charts of evergreen tunes.

Ravi K Chandran's cinematography requires special mention. Don't miss his stylish shots on exotic locations of 'Guzarish'. A grand round of applause for Location Manager for zeroing down an unforeseen never-never land. Costumes are so convincing and it's so nice to see Asin on finest looks in 'Aye Bachu'.

A matured touch of 'cuts' by Antony brightens up visual quality. Be it exposing Aamir's physiques or catching up for the mood of 'fast running notes in Bekha', he deserves best credits.

The film has whole lot 'A-FACTORS' of Aamir, A.R. Murugadoss, A.R. Rahman and Allu Aravind. Naturally, it's A-ONE quality rendered on their roles.

On the whole, Ghajini ends this year with a great Dhamaka for all universal audiences. For those who watched this year's releases with tentative thoughts, can head for Ghajini to witness 'The best film of this year'. For sure, all Khans, Chopras and Kumars should be eyeing on Murugadoss now while rest of the cast-crew would witness a great new dawn in Bollywood for this New Year.

Review of bommalattam

After watching Bommalattam, Bharathiraja's bilingual venture, one cannot help being overawed by the excellence of Nana Patekar – easily one of the best actors India has ever produced. Designed as a film within a film the movie explores the quintessential life of a talented film director viewed as an eccentric from time to time.

Bharathiraja is a name known for bringing rural India to life with scripts that are highly metaphorical in nature. The director who had also rendered an exquisite film noir in 'Sigappu Rojakkal' decades ago is back with a film that treads along the lines of murder under vicious circumstances.

The fallacies of a world that fails to recognize creative angst has been captured on celluloid rather effectively. Arjun plays a CBI officer (Vivek) thirsting after the truth while Rukmini Vijayakumar plays the heroine of the film that is shot by Rana (Nana Patekar).


The life of Rana (at the work place and at home) is shrouded by his eccentric nature that keeps all people around him not knowing what to expect….and yet a girl (Kajal Agarwal) who has a penchant for poetry admires him for his creative genius. From Rana's viewpoint she comes across as a breath of fresh air who even succeeds in revealing a pleasant side.

Filmmaking is tough work with provocation coming in as distraction all the time. This obviously irritates Rana….to boot there are dead bodies that are discovered. The CBI investigates the film director on suspicion of multiple murders. Flashes of the director's life are showcased and the audience do get engulfed with the suspense element from time to time.

Why does the director have such an affinity for his heroine? How can a man who loses his temper at the drop of a hat be calm and even sweet to some people? Who is responsible for the murders? These are the questions that are answered as the film unfolds.

Comic relief is provided by Vivek and Manivannan. Although funny at times their interludes derail the intensity of the story big time. Compared to the brilliance of Nana Patekar, every other actor appears ordinary except Rukmini Vijayakumar who has done justice to her role.

Cinematography is brilliant and the background score is passable. None of the songs impress. Though nowhere in the vicinity of Sigappu Rojakkal's brilliance, Bommalattam does succeed in arresting audiences' attentions during a major twist in the story which in actuality is the very crux of the film.

Nana Patekar's brilliance has been watered down considerably with an inappropriate voice (Nizhalgal Ravi). The Bommalattam think-tank could have had second thoughts on this and probably introduced a voice that goes with the intensity of the lead character.

review of ghazini music

On grounds of reality, one fine factor should've got your adrenalines shot with 'Ghajini'. Aye! 2-A factors (Aamir Khan-A.R. Rahman) had enthralled nook and corners with their previous ventures 'Rangeela', 'Lagaan', 'Rang De Basanti' and Aamir's Production 'Jaane Ya Tu Jaane Na'. And now, guess what could be your verdicts after heeding to album of 'Ghajini'. Well we've got it spelled on the tagline 'Run-of-the-mill musical' and merely it's passable score from ARR who fascinated with his spellbinding style in 'Yuvvraaj'. The maestro had hop-skipped different genres with each song to another; be it 'Dil Ka Rishta' or 'Mastam', they sounded great with grand orchestras and unique style of composition. Of course, it's been a mixed bag of simultaneous hits 'n' misses lined up from Rahman with his 'Rang De Basanthi'- 'Guru' – 'Jodha Akbar' – 'Jaane Ya Tu Jaanena' – 'Yuvvraaj' and now 'Ghajini'.

It's not just his directorial debut in Bollywood, but the first time we see Murugadoss and Rahman gearing up together (they hadn't teamed up for Kollywood projects). Tamil version of Ghajini had Harris Jayaraj tuning in laudable melodies and maestro strides with his own élan in the remake. The album comprises of 6 numbers with a duet, an instrumentals and rest of solos…

Guzarish – Elegance unveiled Listen here

Singers: Javed Ali, Sonu Nigam

Perhaps, with the sensational promos continually screened all over, 'Guzarish' should've really grabbed everyone's senses much before audio hitting the markets. All praises for Javed Ali as he turns entire glares with huskily-toned voice. Right from alpha; with his mesmerizing hum, Javed carries off the entire song with his plushy intonations. Well, does the song possesses Rahman's USPs? Obviously, synthesized-beats aren't so catchy. But don't miss the fantastic vistas of transfixing vocals filled-in and mandolin played by Seenu. Overall, it's a song that'll go straight into everyone's stereos and Ipods undeleted for long time.

Aye Bachchu – Suzanne's show Listen here

Singers: Suzanne

Hah! It's a bedazing piece from Suzanne. Her style of vocalizing illustrates her unstrained approach on rendering this song. Of course, she impinges on with her bold voice that more or less goes the same as Sunidhi Chauhan. Awesome indeed, the rhythmic notes on lead guitars by Ivan, Neil and Sanjeev make it happen as a live concert of western rock (but not the best as Shankar-Ehasan-Loy's score on guitar in Rock On). Srinivas' supervising on Suzanne's shifting of paradigms of vocalisms are over-the-top and somewhat noteworthy. Beguiling combos of percussions, guitars and fill-ins of single notes on bass instruments make the show more lavish. On the dot, Rahman seems to have coalesced Madonna's style of voice and rhythmic patterns that sounds alike ones in Backstreet Boys.

Kaise Mujhe – Heart-binding duet Listen here

Singers: Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghosal

Its synthesized harpsichords and fortepiano played on interlude with simple percussions mingled in the following seconds. With Andante cantabile set on rhythms, it's a melodious duet rendered by Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghosal. Well, both singers and brightly-spotted instruments tantamount and song would peak to the best once it goes on visuals. Nevertheless, this isn't as extraordinary from the trio Benny Dayal-Shreya Ghosal-Rahman as with 'Tu Hi Meri Dost' in Yuvvraaj.

Bekha – Off an unusual panache Listen here

Singer: Karthik

And again, the teasers are sure to have got the tunes lined in your minds. Bekha seems to be appearing on the screens as young lad falls for the beauteous missy. As the courtesy goes, couple of samples on rhythmic tunes seems to have been picked from samples4.com. Martin's booming saxophone adds rich colors to the tango-typed rhythms. The entire song is about Karthik's ostentatious modulations on tongue-twisting words that have been fabulously enunciated. Saxophone, trombones, strings and piano keeps flowing simultaneously for the complete 5mins. Yeah! Getting to watch Aamir Khan in 6 different stylish get-ups should again make it more pop.

Latoo – Middling on all vistas Listen here

Singer: Shreya Ghosal

Be it style, rhythms or kind of sound; nothing sounds the best as other numbers. Possibly, lets us doubt is it straight from the shoulders of Rahman? Nothing of his archetypal elegance is spotted other than choral vocalisms of Tanvi, Sakthi, Anisha and Suvi along with Benny, Karthik and Tippu. Shreya Ghosal's decent efforts look more appealing and Pravin Mani's English lyrics with atypical rhythms may sound more in disco floors.

Kaise Mujhe (Instrumental) – All praises for Kiran Listen here

Symphonious instrumentals of classic 'n' western styles mingled get us for a soothing ride of melodious tune. Fine! It's Kiran's flute that eclipses every bits of tunes including Shreya's voice in the second minute of song. Perhaps, Neil Mukherji's pleasant-sounding notes on guitars accompanies for making it more glistening. Interlude in the initial seconds played reminds us one of Rahman's recent tunes in Tamil (similar to 'I Miss You Da' from Sakkarakatti). Exquisitely as background scoring, the instrumental may enhance the emotional feel on screens.

On the whole, Rahman's musical on 'Ghajini' looks quite middling as compared with his trenchant work in 'Yuvvraaj'. Indeed, amongst all his ventures with Aamir Khan, the melodies spelled by maestro aren't attention-getting. With promos continually hitting the screens of television round the clocks, Aamir Khan would extend his brilliant tactics and make the songs topping out.

Verdict: Moderate-yet-impressive

review of vaaranam aayiram

Varanam Aayiram - Memoirs of a heart with abounding memories


The film designed as a tribute to Gautham Vasudev Menon's father comes across as emotions spelt out in a reserved manner and thereby proves to be a tame affair. One can understand the director's angst at losing a parent, and trying to make a film about the loss, but then the man's (father) enigma never takes center stage throughout the film. Probably the biggest drawback of the film.

The narration of the film has been designed to follow a 'classic approach'. Unfortunately, all the ingredients that go into the making of a classic are missing thereby making the screenplay stagnate at times to irritable proportions. All films that have been successful in being called classics portray enduring human emotions that can be related with instantaneously. Gautham has most definitely missed the plot with 'Varanam Aayiram' giving more emphasis to incidents rather than connecting them well. The story follows the lead characters (the protagonist and his father) through decades. Much effort has been taken to bring out authenticity to the 'period' effect which is praiseworthy.

The story starts off with a senior citizen Krishna (Suriya) getting his hair trimmed in a saloon only to die after reaching home. The news is conveyed to his son, Major Suriya (Suriya) who is part of a rescue mission. With gritty determination, the young man declares he wants to go ahead with the mission. But the son in him overwhelms the Major that he is and events of his life unfold as flashes in his mind.

What a fantastic dad he had had! The story is narrated through montage sequences – the time his father had met his mother in college (as told to him by his mother) and the innovative way he had made known his love for her – his birth and the way he had always looked up to his dad as a real hero – his sister's birth and the happy little family that they were – his peek at adolescence – his misadventures and the moment he was engulfed by the electric sensation of love etc.


Suriya's adolescent days come across as a breath of fresh air. The antiques he indulges in once he sees Megna (Sameera Reddy) on a night train and his train of thought that goes on in his mind to woo her, gets across to the audience very well.

After the interesting introduction, the determined Suriya goes to her house to see her. Megna is surprised but then is not convinced that his love for her is true. She reveals her plans to study in America and her preparations to leave in a week's time.

The happy-go-lucky Suriya does some business and using the gift of being a good guitarist makes money. And then he is off to America, not for a career, not for studies but to win his girl's heart and marry her. They do meet in America and the interesting character that he is wins Megna's heart. An unfortunate incident happens and Megna dies.

A reckless Suriya then starts smoking, drinking and becomes a horrible drug addict. His parents take care of him through these torrid times. His parents even want him to go away somewhere to find himself and come back as the person that he really is.

Suriya walks the streets of Kashmir and Delhi and even indulges in daring endeavors like rescuing a kidnapped child. Then the military bug bites him and he joins the armed forces. It is about this time that the director has made maximum usage of his good looks and the famous six-pack ab. After six years in the armed forces, he becomes a major and also has loving thoughts of a girl (Priya played by Divya Spandana) he had known for a long time but had really not given any kind of attention to. Does time wither away the association they had had?


The flashes of reminiscence stops and reality dawns….he is part of the rescue mission now, fighting terrorists….

The earthly presence of his father might have gone away forever….but will always have a home in his heart….probably thoughts that Gautham Vasudev Menon has….

Suriya the actor rocks throughout. The variety of emotions he has portrayed is very good and a strong mention has to be made about his good looks and charm. He looks unbelievably like a person in his early twenties in some sequences that require him to be so. Something very few actors can really do.

Harris Jayaraj has rendered a beautiful set of songs with this film. The Background score is good in patches and compliments the brilliant cinematography by Rathnavelu. The cinematographer needs special mention for a refreshing tone which he has infused especially in the youthful sequences.

Sameera Reddy has been casual and fits the role aptly. Simran has garnered all her experience and does justice. Divya Spandana with her girl-next-door looks performs a role that lightens up a depressed protagonist with good effect.

One gets the feeling Gautham could have used all of Suriya's efforts with a better narration AND with all-round emotions to connect all the incidents in the script which would have made it more interesting.
More about 'Varanam Aayiram'

review of phoonk

Ramgopal Varma returns with ACE picture company- Praveen Nischol and Azam Khan-‘One more thought productions’ for a horror flick this time. It’s been a while since Ramu has done a horror flick unless the viewers of ‘Contract’ would love to believe otherwise.

Ramgopal Varma who excelled with ‘Bhoot’ and made people quiver , this time around dares the viewers to watch this movie alone. ‘Phoonk’ fuses in the black magic elements to bring forth some amount of fear. Well , does this flick live up to all those tall claims?

Synopsis….

Rajeev(Sudeep) , a successful Construction Engineer with a loving wife, and two children aged 10 and 8, is an atheist to the core. He scowls at God and even more at people who believe in the dark forces till one day when an evil was let loose in his happy home threatening to destroy his family and shake up the very foundations of his convictions and belief system.

To begin with , Ramgopal Varma seriously needs to look beyond scaring the audiences with gimmicks that have been overdone time and time again with his flicks such as ‘Bhoot’, ‘ Vastu Shatra’ etc. The slow movements of the camera is just not enough to scare today’s masses who in and out are exposed to films such as ‘Exorcism of Emily Rose’, ‘1048’, ‘JU-ON’, etc.

The screenplay of the film is a big setback and lacks a clear vision. Though the basic plot line may just be ok , Ramgopal Varma could have developed and executed things much better. It’s high time he does away with the focus on some lame dolls in the house and the overuse of the household maid; an attempt to scare that falls flat.

With not much movement in the storytelling, the overdone shots of the gates of the ‘Ambe Villa’ and the constant repetition of the SUV driving in and out , gets annoying.

The moment you think the film is going to get better and scarier, it just disappoints. The maid is not even close to what Seema Biswas did in ‘Bhoot’. The grandma just gets annoying with her constant head nodding and her hand stretching sequence was hilarious rather than frightening.

Lilette Dubey comes in from nowhere and gives her scientific view and justification for the proceedings. Zakir Hussain a very talented actor is quite wasted here as his body language and attire make him look really weird. There is no proper justification to his character and he is underused.

Ashwini Kalsekar starts off real well with her scary expressions and the focus into her eyes etc but eventually her laughter makes you giggle. Her character as the witch is pretty ok but the climax of the film was seriously poor on the special effects and thus was a major setback.

Kannada film’s renowned actor Sudeep does ok and the film doesn’t offer him much scope to prove his bit at bollywood. Amruta Khanvilkar is apt as the mother.

Ehsaas Channa is the best performer of the film (keeping aside the crow). One of the best things is that Ehsaas finally plays her character as a girl . She has matured as an actor and tries real hard to scare with the exorcism sequences.

On the whole, ‘Phoonk’ stands way behind Ramgopal Varma’s ‘Raat’ and ‘Bhoot’. It’s high time the director should seek a revival. He needs to win the confidence of the masses and bring back the three letter ‘RGV’ brand essence.

Go ahead Ramu and bring back some ‘Rangeela’ sort of film, you need a break from the dark side. Let the light seep in!

about the new windows 7

When Microsoft announced Windows Vista everyone had high expectations for that Microsoft operating system and it’s pretty safe to say that Windows Vista could not live up to those expectations in many areas. Expectations for Windows 7 are therefor directly related to those that Windows Vista was not able to deliver.

Windows Vista was not a failure but it had the problem that Microsoft was creating expectations that Windows Vista could not match. A lot of Vista users are perfectly happy with their system but there is probably an equally large number of users who do not like it and stick with Windows XP instead.

There are several key areas where Windows 7 has to make an improvement over Windows Vista. It’s not only a performance issue although that one is definitely pressing. Windows Vista has hardware requirements - and I’m not talking about the suggested hardware but hardware where it runs solid on - that caused disappointment in many users who updated from Windows XP to Windows Vista with their old computers.

Users who bought a new PC with Windows Vista did not encounter that many performance issues because their PCs were usually equipped with better hardware.

Windows 7 Expectations:

* Resource Friendly / Performance: Windows 7 should not continue the trend of Windows Vista and put computer hardware of the last year to the limit. Performance issues are the biggest complaint of Windows Vista users.
* Edition Chaos: Vista Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, Vista OEM.. I’m not sure why Microsoft decided to fork out that many Vista editions for the market but I can definitely say that this leads to confusion by the consumer. Four Editions are definitely enough: Windows 7 OEM, Windows 7 Home, Windows 7 Business and Windows 7 Enterprise
* Listen to the customers: Many users have the feeling that Microsoft is not listening to them.
* Modularity: Windows “forces” several features and functions on the user even if he does not want or need them. Modularity would be helpful where the user could turn those features on and off without interfering with system stability and performance.
* Layout: Giving the user more choice in how he places the elements on his screen. For the Taskbar it could mean: Resizable Taskbar, moving the Start button from left to right or top to bottom, removing and adding elements to the taskbar, configurable clock output

Do you have expectations ? If so let me know about them so that we can collect a nice list.

review of jaane tu

Big bang for big bucks. That's my verdict. Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan join together to recreate the magic of the Summer of 1988, QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK.

JAANE TU... YAA JAANE NA... is a simple love story repackaged with intelligence. The coup lies is in the casting, backed up by a simple narrative in flashback and held together with some mind-blowing music by the maestro himself - A R Rahman. Every character actor rocks. And it is plain to see that there is a casting director in place who has understood the subject and worked in close proximity with the producer and the director.

The group of friends on whom the story rests simply rock. Everyone knows their part and pitch in to compliment the other with their intrinsic characteristic etched out for them by the director. No one goes overboard here. There's Nirav Mehta (Jiggy), Alishka Varde (Bombs), Karan Makhija (Rotlu), and Sugandha Gargh (Shaleen). They together with Imran Khan (Jai Singh Rathore) and Genelia D'Souza (Aditi) form the core group that carries the film through.

The story begins when the four friends are on their way to the airport to fetch Jai and Aditi who are coming back from the US. They have with them a new member, Mala, Jiggy's girlfriend. Since the flight is delayed and Mala is confused as to why she came to the airport when she does not even know the two, the four decide to tell her a story. She agrees when told that this here is no ordinary love story. So along with Mala, director Abbas Tyrewala begins telling us the story of Jai and Aditi, two inseparable friends all through their college life and whom everyone thinks are serious about each other. When Aditi's parents broach the topic of marriage to Jai, everyone is in shock, because their friendship is truly platonic. Or is it?

Now for the performances. First Aamir Khan's nephew, Imran Khan. The boy stands tall, literally. He carries off the role with aplomb. As a Rathore who hates violence and as someone who is trying to find his footing in life, especially love, he brings to the fore every emotion one goes through at that age. Not overtly muscular, no great dancing steps, no stylish stubble to flaunt... just plain, simple 'boy next door' 'confused in love idiot' that he plays to the 'T'. Genelia had a tailor-made role to bite her teeth into. Here is a role any actor would want to grab with both hands, but she falls short.

Paresh Rawal (Inspector Wagmahare), Rajat Kapoor and Kitu Gidwani as Manjari's parents, Jayant Kriplani and Anuradha Patel (Aditi's parents), Ratna Pathak (Jai's mother) and Prateik Babbar (Amit) stand out in their small roles. Even Naseeruddin Shah, Jai's dead father has his moments from the 'frame' where his image is hung! Rawal is excellent, Sohail and Arbaaz as the cowboys who ride on horseback in the city are hilarious. Rajat and Kitu as the 'always fighting' couple give a telling performance while Jayant and Anuradha express well what every teenager's parents go through. Manjari holds her own in her few scenes as someone who is fiercely in love with her parents. Nirav as the Gujju lad is awesome, so is Sugandha. She has a striking screen presence and is a spontaneous actress. Prateik is a revelation. It shows that acting is indeed in the genes.

It's a complete love story with a few 'familiar' scenes. Overall, the approach is new. It hooks you from the first scene, until the last.

Another fruitful outing for Aamir Khan. This man certainly knows what he is doing.

review of dasavatharam

After watching Dasavatharam- the so called magnum opus of the year- an ardent fan of Kamal Hassan will ask why indeed it is called a magnum opus in the first place. Why was all the hype, tension, cases, expectations and unnecessary expenses wasted on this average film. Once again, Kamal fails to attract Tamil audiences with his own script.

The story starts with an incident taking place in 12th century during the rule of the Chozha dynasty when Hindus were divided into Saivites and Vaishnavites. Rangarajan Nambi (Avatar No.1) is a loyal disciple of Ramanuja Azhwar. King Kulothunga (Napolean - what a fantastic performance!), a follower of Lord Siva, compels Nambi to change his religious beliefs and worship Lord Siva instead ofLord Vishnu but Nambi refuses.

After this meaningless first avatar, the movie shifts to the present scientific world. Govind (Avatar No.2), an American scientist invents a dangerous bio weapon in his lab but wants to destroy the same after realizing its dangerous consequences. But the US Govt and scientists don't allow him to do that. One fine day, Govind runs away from the lab with the bio weapon but Fletcher (Avatar No.3), a former CIA officer turned villian, chases him to get the weapon back to destroy other countries.

The weapon is mistakenly sent to an Indian address by courier where a 95 year old lady (Avatar No.4) receives the parcel. Govind immediately rushes to India and traces down the address. He is followed by Fletcher who is accompanied by his prostitute cum translator (Mallika Sherawat). The old lady refuses to give the weapon to them without understanding the danger it could cause and puts it inside a statue of Lord Vishnu.

The scientist captures the statue and starts running with it pulling Asin close relative of the old lady, along with him. Fletcher chases him till the end of the film. A foolish police officer Balram Naidu (Avatar No.5) too is in the race always chasing both these characters.

In between a Punjabi singer (Avatar No.5), US President George Bush ( Avatar No.6), a tall Muslim ( Avatar No.7), a martial arts trainer ( Avatar No.8) and a Southern district resident Annachi ( Avatar No.9) comes, does something and disappears.

Finally the tsunami comes to the rescue of the Scientist and destroys the weapon along with drowning Fletcher . The statue of Lord Rangaraja which was immersed in the sea in 12th century also appears on the shore after the tsunami.

What did Kamal Hassan really want to convey? Lord Ranganatha, the almighty who is sleeping inside the sea for centuries, finally sends a tsunami to destroy the bio weapon along with the bad guy. No doubt, Dasavatharam is really an average movie with a poor plot and characterization that fails in most of the departments and fails to attract the viewers.

What is the necessity or compulsion of portraying Kamal in 10 different get ups?To create some mindless hype or register it as a record in the Industry? Highly idiotic! Particularly the role of Punjabi Singer, Muslim tall man Kalifullah Khan, Annachi and Japanese martial arts trainer unnecessarily intervene in the flow of story.

There is no professionalism in makeup also. For most of the characters, the makeup looks very amateur. Kamal looks like an animation character playing the bad guys role because the makeup is over done. However, one must appreciate him for the hardwork put into playing so many different characters to perform in many roles simultaneously at this age.

Apart from Kamal, Asin plays dual roles for the first time but nothing is special in any of her get ups. Her performance is also not par excellence. Jayapradha appears in few scenes and does well in them. Nothing is special in Himesh Reshammiya's songs or Devi Sri Prasad's background score. Ravi Varman unnecessarily lifts the camera to top angle and shakes even inside a house.

Technically the film is far superior to any other Tamil movie in some scenes, particularly in the tsunami climax. The special effects of Jennie in the last 15 minutes simply rocks. Also the body language of Japanese Kamal is simply excellent. Watch this movie to see Kamal in 10 different avatars. But is it really enough to make a fan to watch a film? This is a big question stand before Kamal fans those known as the lovers of good movies like sensational Mahanadhi or Kuruthipunal!

Kamalji, we expected a lot from you!

Verdict: Not up to expectations! Credits
Cast: Kamal Hassan, Asin, Jayapradha
Music: Himesh Reshammiya
Camera: Ravi Varman
Direction: K.S.Ravikumar
Producer: V.Ravichandran

review of jodha akbar

Jodha Akbar directed by Oscar nominated film (Lagaan) director Ashutosh Gowarikar is a historical love story featuring superstar Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Akbar and Jodha. The movie has been in the making for the last 2 and a half years. The first release date was October 12th 2007, but soon postponed to January 25th 2008. Ashutosh suffered from a back problem and again the movie was postponed to a day after Valentines day, February 15th. The movie was also surrounded by a lot of controversy which helped build up the curiosity level. Jodha Akbar is Hrithik Roshan’s first release after Dhoom 2 (2006) and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s first release post her marriage to Abhishek Bachchan.

Let’s get one thing straight: You haven’t watched anything so opulent, so magnificent like this in a long, long time on the Hindi screen. It’s not just body beautiful, but there’s soul as well.

It requires courage, prowess, patience, aptitude, knowledge, passion and of course, loads of currency to attempt a movie like Jodhaa Akbar. But more than anything else, it requires your firm belief in the subject, the belief to attempt a historical when historicals are considered an absolute no-no in the industry, the belief to spend almost Rs 40 crore in a film that could go either ways.

Only when you’re convinced yourself can you convince millions of moviegoers. And convinced you are after watching Jodhaa Akbar, a film of epic proportions.

Now let’s clear a few misconceptions pertaining to the film…

It’s blasphemous to compare Mughal-E-Azam and Jodhaa Akbar. While Mughal-E-Azam was primarily about the legendary romance between Salim and Anarkali, a subject that has been attempted quite a few times on the Hindi screen before, Jodhaa Akbar is about the relationship that the young Akbar shared with Jodhaa.

A lot has been said and written about its length [3.20 hours]. Does the viewer of today have the patience to watch a really lengthy film in today’s times? But once into Jodhaa Akbar, the sequence of events, the drama, the romance, the war… every aspect keeps you mesmerized. Oh yes, the length does pinch you at one crucial point [second hour, which is relatively shorter], when a song breaks out. Otherwise, the 3 + hours are very well spent.

When you watch historicals like Mughal-E-Azam and Razia Sultan, the usage of chaste Urdu is difficult to comprehend at times. Not here! The language is simplified - Akbar speaks in Urdu, Jodhaa in Hindi - and it’s easy to decipher.

As a cinematic experience, it would be wrong to compare Jodhaa Akbar to any of Ashutosh Gowariker’s previous endeavors. Why, it would be erroneous to compare the film with any film ever made before in this genre. This one stands out and stands out the tallest.

To sum up, Jodhaa Akbar leaves you spellbound, enthralled, entranced and awestruck. Ashutosh Gowariker makes the legendary characters come alive on screen.

Set in the sixteenth century, Jodhaa Akbar is a love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa. Little did Akbar [Hrithik Roshan] know that when he married Jodhaa [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], he would be embarking upon a new journey — the journey of true love.

The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer [Kulbhushan Kharbanda], Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar’s biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of this defiant princess.

One of the prime reasons why Jodhaa Akbar works is because the present-day viewer is unaware of the romance between Akbar and Jodhaa. Sure, we all know of Akbar as a great emperor, but the love story makes for a refreshing subject. And the execution of a number of sequences makes Jodhaa Akbar extremely special.

Some instances:

• The war sequence at the very outset. You realise the scale and magnitude of the film at the very beginning.
• Hrithik taming an out-of-control elephant. It’s hair-raising.
• The two pre-conditions set by Jodhaa, before her marriage to Akbar. Very interesting.
• The confrontation between Ila Arun and Ash at the kitchen, when Ash decides to make the meal herself.
• The immediate sequence, when Ash is asked to taste the food herself by Ila before she’s about to serve the food to the Emperor and his associates. Once done, Hrithik demanding that he be served the meal from the same platter that Jodhaa had used.
• The intermission point, which sows the seeds of a misunderstanding between Hrithik and Ash.
• Post-interval, Hrithik returning to Amer to get Ash back to Agra and the welcome ceremony by his mother-in-law [Suhasini Mulay].
• The sword fight the very next morning, between Hrithik and Ash.
• The Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah track, when the entire kingdom hails Hrithik.
• The fight in the climax [reminds you of the fight between Brad Pitt and Eric Bana in Troy].

Amazing moments indeed…

Ashutosh Gowariker knows that historicals have to be simplified while narrating on celluloid so that the moviegoer is able to grasp and comprehend the plotline and the sequence of events. Thankfully, Jodhaa Akbar is not in the least difficult to decipher. Gowariker’s handling of the subject deserves the highest praise, for it’s not everyday that you come across a film like Jodhaa Akbar.

A.R. Rahman’s music is not the type that you take to instantly, but yes, it gels beautifully with the mood of the film. Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah and Jashn-e-Bahara are the best tracks in terms of tune. In terms of choreography, Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah is awe-inspiring, while the execution of Khwaja Mere Khwaja is outstanding. Rahman’s background score is simply extra-ordinary.

There’s no room for dullness in Haider Ali and Gowariker’s screenplay. The writing is tight, the drama keeps you hooked and the romantic track is wonderful. The film also talks of secularism, an issue so vital in today’s times. K.P. Saxena’s dialogues are amazing. At places, soaked in acid. The writer comes up with several gems, yet again. Kiran Deohans’ cinematography matches international standards. The movement of camera at various places, especially in the battlefield, is breath-taking. Also, the D.O.P. captures the grandeur to the fullest. The production design [Nitin Chandrakant Desai] is, again, awesome. Recreating the bygone era requires not just money, but also the vision and Desai proves his supremacy yet again.

Be it the war sequences or the sword fights or general action, Ravi Dewan’s contribution to the film is incredible. Especially noteworthy is the fight between Hrithik and Nikitin Dheer in the climax. It’s simply outstanding! Editing [Ballu Saluja] is perfect, although the romantic song between Hrithik and Ash can be shortened in the second hour. The costumes [Neeta Lulla] as also the jewelry also deserve special mention.

Jodhaa Akbar also works because of the right casting. It’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the role of Emperor Akbar. Hrithik seems born to play this role and he enacts it with such precision, such flourish, such confidence that it leaves you asking for more. A mind-boggling performance without doubt!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is superb. Oh yes, she looks ethereal — a compliment she has heard a trillion times before. What’s new in that? But watch her emote in this film. You realise the amazing talent that has hitherto not been tapped by any movie maker. A flawless performance indeed!

Jodhaa Akbar has a host of characters, but the ones whom you carry home, besides Hrithik and Ash, are Sonu Sood [excellent], Nikitin Dheer [fantastic], Ila Arun [electrifying; her finest work so far], Punam S. Sinha [graceful], Kulbhushan Kharbanda [perfect], Raza Murad [effective] and Rajesh Vivek [good]. Amitabh Bachchan’s rich barritone voice adds lustre to the magnum opus.

On the whole, Jodhaa Akbar is, without a shred of doubt, a brilliant film in all respects. This historical has all it takes to prove the first blockbuster of 2008. Very strongly recommended!