Mon Avis: Rang de Basanti: A patriotic splash!!!

If you want to look and feel young like 20’s while at 40’s whom do you call? No, not Baba Ramdev but Aamir Khan. He has mastered the art and science of it all! And if you thought that Rang de Basanti was all about fun and frolic, here is a realitycheck for you. The movie dabbles in the past , contrasting with the present and leaving a hope for the future (phew!! So much in one!) Well, the saga of modern youth scurrying from one masti floor to another is drawn into a parallelism with Azad,Bhagat Singh and Rajguru! And take my word for it, Mehra the director, has been extremely stylish in his execution. After all, his earlier, Aks was a pathbreaking movie too.

I wouldn’t delve into the story for then I will be tempted to reveal the ending and express my disappointment at that too! Along with some spunky tracks from AR RAHMAN and novel dance jigs, Prasoon Joshi has caught the pulse of youth with his cool lyrics (Joshi who? The adguru behind Thanda Matlab Coca cola)…

All in all it takes a step further from Dil chahta hai, leaving a soulful message but falls short of the rustic charm generated by Lagaan.

I betted heavily on it and sure, it was worth all the hype!!! A technically perfect flick: has a firangi chick( an amateurish lip lock between khan and this chick)…Waheeda Rahman, Anupam and Kiron Kher, Om Puri and the theater ace , Atul Kulkarni and my fave funny guy Cyrus Junior, the VJ from MTV.The rest of the cast must already be known to you.

Superb movie showing camaraderie, new found romantic patriotism and of course breathtaking, perfectly etched out characters played with flair by all.

PS: Go to this movie in a gang and you shall enjoy it all the more.

Warning: Aamir does not and I repeat does not hog all the show. The other muscle flaunting boys vying for the skies (Mig 21- All computer generated shots) have done gem of a work.

So “a generation awakens’ to the blockbuster of the year…

Also, I saw a teaser of Krish.. and by heavens!! If I wasn't dreaming, then it had never before seen special effects in Bollywood. ... It showed Hrithik hopping and posing like Keanu in Matrix.

Mon Faves : Hollywood 2006 presents...

For a start, I love the professionalism shown by Hollywood. It makes public the date of release well in advance.

So it does for 2006. List is out , the Hollywood movies to look out for. The catalog is not complete and the dates of release are meant for US and no declaration of simultaneous release in India. Cummon, we are a piracy ridden country, we don’t mind that!!!

The sequels first, BRAND power

1. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 : A movie I will kill for ! Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) returns with a new operative Keri Russel and a new enemy. It will only get better with this !!! Watch out the teasers on the web
The movie hits theatres in 5th May


2. X MEN III: Need I say anything. Watch the same cast from previous X Men join hands once again in battle between mutants and humans. Hits US theatre on 26th May


3. SUPERMAN Returns : Well, those who couldn’t see a Superman flick being made during their conscious times, here is the one for all of you. Will be exciting to see what can Superman do almost 20 years hence. What can latest FX technology can do….Up Up and Away !!!


4. CASINO ROYALE : Yes, we may not be ready to accept Daniel Craig. But it is official, He is Bond…. James Bond. Her Majesty’s service. Licensed to kill. The bond Girl, though, is still to be named. We know it is not Aishwarya or even Charlize Theron

5. SCARY MOVIE 4: The fourth installment of the scary movies hits theaters on April 14th. Anna Faris returns as Cindy in “Scary Movie 4” which spoofs plenty of movies including a Dr. Phil and Shaquille O’Neal take on “Saw”. Can be hilarious !!!

5. THE DA VINCI CODE : Going by the popularity of the book, this movie shall be a runaway hit in India. Ron Howard brings the controversial book to the big screen on May 19th. Is there a deadly secret that’s tied to the life of Jesus? Tom Hanks plays Robert Langdon who is trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. “The Da Vinci Code” also stars Audrey Tautou as Sophie and Ian McKellan as Sir Leigh Teabing.

6. THE VISITING: Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (James Bond Elect) star in “The Visiting”. A woman (Kidman) discovers that her son may be the key to stopping a deadly alien epidemic. This sci-fi movie is scheduled for an August 11th release.

7. THE CHARLEOTTE’s WEB : Did I say there would be no Julia Roberts in 2006? Julia Roberts voices the title character of Charlotte, a spider who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Wilbur, a pig, in this beloved children’s book turned animated feature. Look for “Charlotte’s Web” in theaters on December 22nd.

8. The Good Shepherd : This is another one to look out for!!! It has more than just a life of a CIA agent laid bare… Robert De Niro, Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.


There will be more.. But don’t these already look like promising block busters…All we can do is wait…

Mon Avis : ZINDA... A slick flick

Any one looking for an exotic effort in cinema? Here is the one for you… Zinda may be a lifted script, a remake of Oldboy, A Korean Hit, nevertheless, it is a nice alternative to the dubbed version. From Dutt’s rugged look to the hunky John’s chic demeanour, from screenplay to music, from locales in Bangkok to a glass studded studio in Film City(Zinda hoon main…feat Lara Dutta)…Sanjay Gupta scores on all fronts. Yes, so what if he has disappointed us with crap like Kaante and Plan and other such forgettables, this man deserved a second chance.

Story may be a little too mature to handle but anyone with good taste in movies will swallow it with ease. For the interest of the prospective viewers, I wont give away the story. Sure, it is a thriller from first frame to the last.

Precautions : Junta with a love for maudlin and mushy run-of –the mill , running around the trees romances are strongly advised against giving an audience to the movie. They may end up baffled and longing for usual cinema.

USP: No songs. Not atleast amidst the storyline. Watch out , though, for a remarkable number by Strings ( Yeh meri Kahani..,) with John Abraham in a voiceover sher.

Overall a slick execution to the plagiarized OldBoy

I think a simple “Hi” would do for I hate to be formal even to strangers.

So finally my new year resolution has taken shape. Though I have been following some really brilliant pieces of writings all across the “blogsphere”(I dint coin it!!!), I was always too lazy to have a regular one myself. Reasons for that are aplenty. Few of the initiation phobias that one generally experiences are enlisted below. The list is certainly not exhaustive.

1. The Big Question” What the hell will I write about?”. Yes, the battle between the eagerness to sound interesting(spice it up !!!) or writing the pure bland truth (Usually, a dreary drag) begins.

2. Another corollary question “Who the hell is going to read it?” Well, whats the show without an audience. In case you dint know even words do affable theatrics.

3. Then of course, “ Am I a writer enough?” Well, simple shero shayari will not make a good blog. Look beyond. Don’t mind grammatical errors. Look for creativity.

4. “Is the process really interesting?” Now……. This one I can’t answer……

5. Then the baap of all questions…”What do I name the damned blog?” Believe me when I say, this point haunted me for all these days since the start of the year. God knows, how many blogs I have kicked-off and then kicked-out coz of names.



Now this is how I answered these questions…

1. The Big Answer….” Any damn thing that I come across.” Hell I don’t need to be a J.K.Rowling to spin an interesting folk lore. I mean look around. Anywere and everywhere you find an interesting occurrence. You don’t have to look far to find fascinating people. So this question doesn’t bother me. I can write about what I comes across my five senses (may be sixth too)

2. Corollary answer…” Any one who has faltu time, wants a cursed opinion, wants to read about himself/herself mentioned, wants to know my mental state, wants to abuse me or simply want some brutal views. No, I will not write about my past and present love lives or in general about those who are very dear and near to me.

3. Answer “You never know till you begin”. I may not be an oxford graduate but I do know the basic fundamental of communication skill. If you have successfully conveyed what you wanted to, your communication has succeeded.

4. Well……… Dint I say. I can’t answer this one. No questions to be asked.

5. I really did take a long time. Then every answer must come from the question itself. Why do I want to write? Because I am a compulsive expressionist.

So here it is… an expressoholic for you….
One more thing.. I am very OPEN to all kinds of criticism…
So do write in your reckonings…