Taare Zameen Par ------- Changing Mindsets, Enriching better Upbringing, and Appreciating every Individual !

Cast: Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma, Sachet Engineer, Tanay Chheda.
Director and Producer: Aamir Khan
Writer: Amole Gupte
Genre: drama for audience of all ages.
Rating: ****
Official Website: http://taarezameenpar.com/

The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. Minor details may have been divulged for proper review!


Thank goodness, we Indians are finally learning lessons in understanding the need for expressing love and appreciation to our kids; Listening to our kids and understanding that each kid is special, and enriching his or her skills; and encouraging and nurturing the best in each child. Indian/Asian parents have known to be disciplinarian, conformist, expecting over achievers, and judgmental about the creative, laid back, uncompetitive child, or even unacceptable and shameful about a kid with special needs. I am glad that things are changing and hopefully many an Indian/Asian mindset will get open with movies like these.


It’s a beautiful movie which touches hearts. The child actor in this movie, Darsheel emotes so well, that you forget you are watching a movie acted out. He plays the dyslexic kid, Ishaan who is highly creative and imaginative but fails to do well in the rat race of over achievers, insensitive teachers and parents with high expectations. Hence he goes through a lot of trauma and punishments, which robs his passion for displaying his imagination in color.


The second half of the movie brings Aamir Khan, as Ram Shankar Nikumbh, an intelligent and creative art teacher with ‘out of the box thinking’. This teacher knows there is potential in each child and believes there is a winner in everybody. He helps nourish Ishaan Awasti ( Darsheel Safary), and makes him aware of his self, while helping him improve his shortcomings and encouraging his passions.


Amole Gupte , the Script writer should be applauded for writing such a sensitive story, Aamir Khan is one intelligent actor and now an accomplished Director who has made Taare Zameen Par, such a compassionate and exceptional movie. And Of course the brilliant performance of Darsheel Safary is amazing and touching.


The Songs and their beautiful lyrics are uplifting and poetic. Check out the songs and lyrics and the English version too on http://taarezameenpar.com/.


This movie may help many an individual in realizing self worth and every parent in bringing up the stars of their lives. I strongly recommend viewing of this movie for its beauty and it content.

OM SHANTI OM- A Spoof on Bollywood!

Official Website: http://www.omshantiomfilm.com/


Director, Choreographer & Story: Farah Khan
Producer: Gauri Khan
Music Director: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Ramphal, Shreyas Talpade, Kirron Kher.
Duration: 2:45
Genre: Melodrama, Parody, Romance
Rating: ***1/2

It’s a parody, an extravaganza, a satire on filmi reality, a comic medley, a circus, a spectacle of many events, a total Bollywood masala all crammed into one movie!!

Loosely based on 1980’s Subhash Ghai’s super hit ‘Karz’ , ‘Om Shanti Om’ has the reincarnation of the hero and revenge on the villain theme, woven along with a common man’s Bollywood dream, but besides this, it’s the revivification of 70’s ambience, style, fashion, acting, eccentricities, mannerisms,…the whole nostalgia.

This is the story of ‘Om’ and ‘Shanti’ and ‘Om’! Om Prakash Makhija is the small time actor of the 70’s and ‘Shanti Priya’ a popular superstar of her time. He adores her and idolizes her; she is friendly and responsive but not necessarily reciprocative. A major fire incident changes their lives, one to death and another to rebirth of ‘Om’. Om Kapoor is a successful Filmfare awarded Bollywood actor, enjoying all the big and small desires and dreams he had in his previous life. Born with a fear of fire, he has flashes of memories of his old life, and on further exploration he remembers everything. This leads to avenging the deaths of ‘Om’ and ‘Shanti’.

But ‘OSO’ is also a story about Bollywood. It integrates the fun, funny and sad details of the film industry. It brings out the lives of the junior artists trying to make it big in the industry; It shows that surnames like Kumar, Kapoor, Khan matter for success with references to Govinda Ahuja, Om Makhija ; It features histrionics of an overacting filmy Maa’s ( Kirron Kherr); Highlights trade mark gestures of famous actors (Manoj Kumar episode) ; It models the 70’s dressing along with Bell bottoms and Elvis Presley hairstyles and artificial song settings ( Jitender white pants; badminton song sequences); Mocks the South Indian movie’s wacky gimmicks and jargon ( Rajnikant style ‘yenna rascala’, ‘mind it’!); Rakes up details on star son’s tantrums, fashionably late star schedules and superstars’ powers in influencing the direction of their films( introducing item songs like dard -e- disco) ; It explains how married actress are not easily accepted as heroines(the movie’s secret); It reveals the award ceremonies and their fanfare and favoritism; one actor nominated for multiple movies for similar roles ( Om as Rahul with Amisha Patel ; Om as Rahul with Diya Mirza ); It mocks the heroines’ common reaction to rumors “we are just good friends”; and innumerable such incidents are through out the movie.

Many a personal and biographic detail of Shahrukh Khan is also threaded into the movie which makes OSO so much personal for him! SRK started as a Television actor with a very encouraging mother, he used to have many a dream and desire before he made it big, which he fulfilled in his stardom like his home “Mannat”. He is often critiqued for overacting, which he makes fun of as ‘khandani’ in OSO.

Om Shanti Om will also be talked about for its amazing number 'Dewaangi, Dewaangi' for hosting 31 superstars in one number. It reminds you of Amitabh’s ‘john jani janardhan’ number in Naseeb(1981). The item number ‘Dard-E-Disco’ may not be ‘Dard -e- Dil’ but is good specially with SRK’s newly acquired six-pack abs. 'Dhoom Taana' is 70’s-80’s style pleasant number with unique specials effects of Deepika Padukone dancing with Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Jitender besides Shahrukh. Both 'Ajab si' and 'Main Agar Kahoon' with very good lyrics sound melodious old time numbers. Jag Soona Soona Lage is sad and soulful.'Daastaan-E-Om Shanti Om’ doesn’t make the mark and falls short of Karz’s ‘Ek hasina thi’.

Shahrukh Khan acts and looks like Bollywoods superstar. Though his 70’s style image made him look old, the later image was his usual chirpy and charming self. Deepika Podukone makes an excellent debutante. She has a lot of grace and beauty. Shreyas Talpade is a confident actor whatever the role. Arjun Ramphal should continue in his villainous roles, he does a menacing job.


The overdone overacting and the movie racing through scenes shows lack of depth in characters, hence you don’t feel for the characters and situations. But the idea of the whole movie was to continuously wow the viewer, not necessarily make a sensible and logical story. Farah Khan seems to have a blast making the movie, her idea of having fun overflows into the movie. Her style of direction is unique and distinctive, but at times she looses the reins of the glitzy wild fun ride called OSO. Her acknowledgment of every member of the crew of the movie in the end titles shows great team spirit.


This movie can be enjoyed in theatre with a bunch of friends who can relate and laugh with you, about 70’s or 80’s! I did this hence it may have been more enjoyable then otherwise.

Evolution of Bollywood and Rise of a Superstar!

Book Review
Title: King of Bollywood – Sharukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema.
Author: Anupama Chopra
Rating: ***
Book Genre: Non-Fiction/Pop Culture
Price: $24.99/U.S.



King of Bollywood…… may be a good book for Shahrukh Khan Fans wanting to know more about him, but the book is not all about him! The author has a lot more to pen about, focusing not just the life and rise of Shahrukh Khan as a phenomenon, but also on evolution of Bollywood, film making, films, and image of Bollywood, Bollywood dreams, audience psychosis and even boom of Indian economy!


The book traces the life and dreams, realities, fears, and even rumors of Shahrukh Khan. Born and brought up in a middle class Muslim family of Meer and Fatima in Delhi, his family roots are tracked to pre partitioned Pakistan. The book unveils details about his father and his death due to cancer, his mother’s daily struggles, but belief in Shahrukh’s good future, his college days, early acting in theatre, his mother’s death, and his stint in television and launch in movies. The actor’s ‘filmi’ style love affair with Gauri and married life in the film industry, his unconventional roles in many movies, his successes and failures, his production ventures, his competition, his diplomatic stance under mafia terror, his endorsements and brand image, all are talked about in relation to the film industry.


The author Anupama Chopra, a film critic and journalist, married to director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, sister of director Tanuja Chandra and author Vikram Chandra, and daughter of scriptwriter Kamna Chandra, has written two other books, including the British Film Institute-published Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge ("The Bravehearted Will Take the Bride"), which incidentally is what inspired her to work on the story of Shah Rukh Khan.


Here in this book, Chopra subtly says that Shahrukh may not have been the best actor of his period, but is a superstar more for his charisma than craft! She writes about how young directors like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar shaped the new romantic hero and marketed the fantasy that shaped Shahrukh’s success. She also brings out the character traits of SRK’s persona of being a mercurial, spirited extrovert who seeks what he wants with energetic passion, but at the same time he is a very private person who internalizes his failures and disappointments. This also justifies what his wife Gauri says there are two Shahrukhs: Shahrukh One and Shahrukh Two. “One is saying one thing; the other is saying the complete opposite, and both in the space of a minute.”


The book is technically not a biography of Sharukh Khan as it has few direct interviews with Shahrukh Khan and hence lacks personal anecdotes and intimate details of SRK. Chopra focuses more on Bollywood and its growth and relates it to the reigning superstar of Bollywood! Her documentation of events and introduction and evolution of Bollywood is also very prosaic and colorless. She seemed to have crammed the content of many a film interview of her journalistic career into this book. The book doesn’t personify the flamboyant SRK; it even begins very uninterestingly, with an anecdote of fan in Georgia. The book leaves you disillusioned with the title ‘King of Bollywood Sharukh Khan’. It’s all about the subtitle ‘the seductive world of Indian cinema’.

Unfair Endorsement!

When will Indians understand beauty? It used to be ‘Fair and Lovely’, now its also ‘Fair and Handsome’!!! India and Indians are making waves, setting trends, and moving ahead, but some perceptions and prejudices will leave us backward in thought, hence lacking that balance and sensibility of life!! The worst part celebrity endorsements by iconic Bollywood star like Sharukh Khan can have a larger influence on the psyche of our population. This is not the face or the visage we want to see in our new generation……

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7010000/newsid_7011600/7011608.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1


http://www.fairandhandsome.net/tv_com.jsp

Chak De India

Cast : Shahrukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Anjan Srivastava, Javed Khan, Vibha Chibbar
Nakul Vaid, Sagarika Ghatge, Chitrashi Rawat, Shilpa Shukla, Tanya Abrol, Anaitha Nair, Shubhi Mehta, Nisha Nair, Sandia Furtado, Arya Menon, Masochon V. Zimik,
Kimi Laldawla, Kimberly Miranda, Nicola Sequeira, Raynia D'Souza, Mohit Chauhan, Joyoshree Arora, Vivaan Bhathena

Director: Shimit Amin
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Genre: Sports oriented movie
Rating: ***

Chak De India is the story of a hockey player who was victimized for his religion; the story of a coach who motivates an underrated women’s hockey team to victory; the story of a team which unites despite the diverse, racial, regional and personal prejudices and differences into one spirited team; and the game of hockey.

The movie has many an issue, cause and bias, at the same time showcases the sport of hockey. Chak de… is also loosely based on life story of former Indian hockey team goal keeper, Mir Ranjan Negi who was condemned for India’s 7-1 defeat to Pakistan in 1982 Asian games final, and later coached the women’s teams to win a gold medal in commonwealth games in 2002.

The director Shimit Amin handles multiple issues such as image bashing of minorities, the prejudices and narrow mindedness in regard to different Indian regions, urban vs. rural bias, discrimination of the male chauvinist society towards women, and more such with equal sensitivity. But he deftly brings out the unfair standing of a Muslim in Indian society, where a Muslim is labeled guilty, till he proves himself innocent unlike judiciously – One is innocent till proved guilty! (Homo praesumitur bonus donec probetur malus)

Sharukh Khan plays Kabir Khan, who has a tarnished image as ex- captain of Indian hockey team who lost to Pakistan in world finals. He is accused as ‘gaddar’ or traitor for losing the match to Pakistan! After many years of trauma, he returns as the coach of women’s hockey team and leads them to world cup victory, proving his patriotism to the country and zeal for the game. His dream is to win the elusive gold medal, and belief is that nothing is impossible if you are motivated and spirited.

The movie has inspirations from many a Hollywood sport oriented film, but some strong motivational and zealant dialogs and scenes like “Mujhe sirf ek mulk ka naam sunaai deta hai-India” are picked from the movie ‘Miracle’ The movie was about ‘miracle on ice’ , the legendary ice hockey game played between USA and USSR during cold war timeframe. Here coach Herb Brooks of US ice hockey Olympic team asks the same question “ who do you play for” to which he gets reply’s like Mike Eruzione, (from) Winthrop, Massachusetts", Only when Eruzione responds with the answer "I play for the United States of America!" Brooks concludes his rigorous drill.

Excellent acting and mature look of Sharukh Khan with stubble in a different kind of role, makes us believe Sharukh is finally maturing! The hockey team of newbies is pretty good. Songs have a lot of energy. Chak De despite all the features of a good movie is not necessarily entertaining! But this is one decent movie we could watch with kids of the very many recent releases.


Positives: Motivation and team building lessons; confronts the discrimination against gender, race, region and religion; Good example for kids in team sports.

Negatives: Interesting, but lacks the entertainment factor!

Sanjay Dutt Jailed- Ridiculous and Very Sad.

Sanjay out on Bail!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6959708.stm




Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has been jailed for six years

More News below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6923456.stm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Sanjay_Dutt_gets_six_years_RI/rssarticleshow/2246619.cms

Cheeni Kum - A Mature Romance!

Ingredients- Salt, Pepper, Sugar, Spice, Lemon, Rain and Rice!


Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Zohra Sehgal
Direction: R Balakrishnan
Genre:
Rating: *** ½
Official Website: http://www.erosentertainment.com/cheenikum/


Cheeni Kum falls in a different genre of movies, not like any Hindi Movie. It’s a mature romance with out bells and whistles or song and dance. The humor is subtle; the dialogs are caustic and straight forward; the cast is perfect, each actor has an outstanding performance; the music and songs are very pleasant; script is crisp and movie entertaining.

64 year old acidic bachelor, chef and owner of London Restaurant meets his match in the 34 year old strong minded quick witted unmarried tourist and patron at his restaurant.
Passionate & perfectionist in his art of cooking, but himself a simple vegetarian; arrogant and self assured, but sensitive of older mother and neighborhood kid; He is Bhuddhadev or fondly called ‘Ghass Phus’! The spirited, confident woman who hadn’t yet found the man to match her rational, straight forward attitude and wit is Neena also dotingly called by Bhuddhadev as ‘Tangdi Kabab’!

Zafrani Palao helps make their acquaintance, and London rains and one dear umbrella helps their relationship blossom. Their romance is matter of fact but their chemistry is amazing. Another interesting part is broaching and convincing the 58 year old retired, food and cricket lover and part time Gandhian, Neenas dad, Mr Verma about accepting their marriage!

Cheeni Kum makes a very interesting unconventional movie to watch. Good script and direction by Balakrishnan, who beautifully and positively handled an odd subject among Hindi audiences. Beautiful songs by Illayaraja- Cheeeni Kum, Sooni Sooni, Bathein mein, Jaane do, all are good to hear and hum. Amitabh and Tabu make an extraordinary pair with amazing performances as the pony tailed brattish old man Bhudhadev and brilliant acting by Tabu in a role perfectly carved for her. Good performances include Paresh Rawal’s, Zohra Sehgal’s and child artist Swini Khara’s. The Ironic romance and an urbane setting make it a delightful sugar free treat!

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - Spins tall tales without a story.

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, Lara Dutta, Amitabh Bachchan (special appearance)
Direction: Shaad Ali Sahgal

Genre: Musical
Movie Overall Rating: *** (2.5 stars out of 5)
Length: 138 minutes


The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. Minor details may have been divulged for proper review!

Its crazy, outrageous, brainless, script less, bizarre, also different, glitzy and funny! But as advised by a family friend before we entered the theaters, leave your intellect, and logic behind!


Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is on the lines of Shad Ali’s favorite topic-spinning tall tales and fabricating inconceivable fantasies, ala Bunty aur Babli. Here the fibbers are laidback desi Londanite Abhishek as Rikki Thakral and Preiti Zinta as Pakistani Britisher Alvira Khan. Both having outrageous romantic stories to swap while waiting at a train station to pick passengers arriving from Birmingham. While narrating their love stories set in Paris with theatrical songs at Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe and other in London singing with Madame Tussauds supermen, this very unlikely pair - the Bhatinda born small time entrepreneur of illegal businesses who keeps saying “I have class!” and polished prim and proper Lahori British girl get smitten with each other!


The other characters in this farcical ludicrous love story are Pakistani Parisian Ritz manager Anaida Raza ( Lara Dutta) and Punjabi Britt millionaire lawyer Steve Singh( Bobby Doel).


Jhoom Barabar … starts and ends and jhooms intermittently with the bohemian gypsy Amitabh Bachchan’s singing and dancing in London’s Waterloo Station . His outlandish colorful designer jacket, feather hat, double-necked guitar, necklaces, rings, jeans and boots, makes him look like a cross of Carlos Santana, George Clinton and Jack Sparrow!


Except for the title "Jhoom" song, the rest of the songs in this musical movie are colorful wacky numbers! “Ticket to Hollywood” has Lara in micro miniskirt with ostentatious & theatrical back up dancers, “kiss of love” is horrendous with blonde Bobby dancing in court with superman and batman wax statues in background! “Bol Na Halke Halke” leads us to Indian railways,roadways, patli galis(bylanes), Taj Mahal and even Humayun ka maqbara with ridiculously confusing dream sequences. The dance contest with the elongated jhoom barabar song tries our patience.


Abhishek Bachchan carries out his funny guy character with aplomb. If JBJ does well for any reason, it will be for him! But this is his third movie with a similar character after Bunty aur Babli and Bluff Master. He should stop repeatitive roles even though he does it well. But as Thakkral, he overacted a little specially on the british colloquial "blimey". Preity is pretty as always. Lara Dutta is very accomplished in both her characters. She is equally at ease in her french accent and her south hall street foul talk. Bobby Doel both as the blonde lawyer and the gay optician looked and acted miserably. Huffy bhai aka Hafeez bhai, Rikki darling’s partner and associate in crime and illegal business is an interesting character. Played by Piyush Mishra who wrote his own poetic dialogs, added a witty dimension to the film.


The movie has some funny moments, some silly, some you may just laugh because you paid to watch it! There are some mistakes and many gimmicks too. - Preity’s butterfly tattoo changes from left to right in different scenes. Shaad Ali as a director is so enamored with films he grew up with, that he likes to bring in a thread of those into his own movies. -Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Doel ride a motorcycle and sidecar just like Sholay’s Amitabh Bachchan and Dharamender, with the song playing in the background. -In a dream sequence, Abhishek acts like coolie with red shirt, just like his fathers movie - Shad Ali repeats the Bunty Bubli scene of wedding at Taj in another song sequence. - Abhishek snickers and talks about ashji and amit ji in Madame Touassads...... JBJ seriously needed a better editor and more importantly a script writer. What it had for sure was a choreographer and flamboyant dress designer!

Jhoom barabar jhoom is good when you have nothing to do and want to rest your brain!

Provoked to Act!

Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Naveen Andrews, Miranda Richardson, Nandita Das,Robbie Coltrane, Steve McFadden, Raji James, Rebecca Pidgeon

Director: Jagmohan Mundhra
Writer: Carl Austin, Rahila Gupta
Genre: Drama
Length: 113 minutes
Movie Rating: ***

Aishwarya can act! Provoked may be the first movie where Aishwarya makes an effort to be not herself but the protagonist Kiranjit Ahluwalia. Here she shows very less of the “I am Aishwarya Attitude”, a trait which made all the roles in her movies, seem like her!



Provoked is based on a real life story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia ( Aishwarya) a battered London housewife from Punjab who after ten years of domestic violence and abuse gets provoked to kill her husband –( Naveen Andrews) and is charged with third degree murder. But this landmark case re-defined the word “Provocation” in the British judicial system and changed the verdict.

The narrative flows well with intermittent flashback sequences of domestic violence and abuse. The movie based on the novel ‘Circle of Light’ an autobiography of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, shows her saga of torture, fear, freedom (ironically in prison!) hope, self transformation, and real freedom!

Aishwarya surprises with her ability to act! Her delicate helpless look empathizes with the character of the movie. But Aishwarya can’t stop being Aishwarya and does show her fashionable attitude in the later part as the confident transformed Kiranjit! Nandita Das as the South Hall Black Sisters’ social activist portrays the dedication and zeal of the character suitably. She is little dramatic at times, but it demonstrates the characters zest. Naveen Andrews impeccably plays the brutal husband Deepak and makes you resent and hate his character. Miranda Richardson as the sweet and friendly fellow prison inmate who develops Kiranjits confidence and demeanor and finally aids in her final fight for freedom is excellent in her performance.

Jag Mohan Mundhra makes a good movie but it may be because of the story itself ! He overall doesn’t make a directorial impression or impact. Mundra’s choice of Aishwarya may have benefited the movie with a larger presence and popularity, but also his bollywoodization of the story softened the provocation!

Hopefully such incidence of domestic violence and brutality will come under check with more such awareness.