Shanghai - Dibakar Does It Again!

What?

Shanghai – A political thriller drama around an apparent assassination of an activist and the consequent investigation.

Who?

Dibakar Banerjee directs Abhay Deol, Emraan Hashmi & Kalki Koechlin among others.

Why?

Dibakar Banerjee. That’s why. The trailers didn’t say much but still managed to showcase something different. It successfully created the initial interest that is required to capture the attention of the filmgoer who has a slightly above average intellect. Not saying people who loved Rockstar or Love Aaj Kal or Jab We Mate are dumb. They’re just special children of God.

What is most impressive about Shanghai is that it takes a fairly common story of ‘bad politics’ but showcases it wonderfully well. It is brilliant and one of a kind. After KKG, OLLO & LSD Dibakar Banerjee has reached new heights with Shanghai. It is unique in its own right and it’s a film that will make you think about what you just saw and will surely generate some interesting conversations between different people who’ve seen it. Conversations which might not always be pleasant. Read: opposing views.

Just like his other films, Dibakar has made something completely fresh with Shanghai but has managed to bring out the constant ‘Dibakar’ element that can be seen in all his films. If you’re his fan then you’ll see how the film is nothing like his earlier work but you still manage to notice that it’s Dibakar.

What works for this film is the treatment. What’s shown has been shown before but never in this way. It’s very Coen-ish. Not to say that anything’s been copied from any of the Coen Brothers films’. To show a political thriller drama of sorts without going over the top is what I am talking about. The slightly slow build up, individual scenes making sense but that wonderment about what’s going on in the film as a whole, things patching up towards the end and making sense, and a not so definite beginning or end will only keep the film lingering on in your head. This kind of ‘feel’ has earlier only been seen in Hollywood films, save for a couple of Hindi ones, especially the kind of cinema Coen Brothers make.

Starts off a little slow in a town which is 2 hours away from Delhi (by road, air, or rail; we’re never told). And the best part? You never find out which town they are in. Things don’t make sense initially but it gradually picks up. The acting is brilliant almost all the time. Abhay, portraying a South Indian, falters a little every now and then. Emraan in a not so flashy role takes time to really get inside the character. Kalki, who I’d written off after debacles like Shaitan and Yellow Boots, proves me wrong and gives her best performance after Dev D. The supporting cast is ‘real’ and adds to the feel. I loved seeing two unknown actors from Shor In The City (one of the best films of recent times) in Shanghai. Vishal-Shekhar disappointed with regards to the music. Amit Trivedi could’ve done better, maybe? A good background score could’ve really worked wonders. But it wasn’t all that bad either.

Definitely watch this movie if you liked Dibakar’s earlier work. If you like movies which make you use your brain, leave you wondering about what happened, this one is a treat. If you just want to watch something new and fresh, again, Shanghai is the film. But be open minded enough to accept the fact that it takes guts to make a movie like this. It might not be perfect, it will have its flaws, but it’s in the right direction. You might like it or maybe not, but in the end you will appreciate the efforts.

If you think Om Shanti Om rocked, Deepika Padukone can act and Imtiaz Ali can direct, please skip this and wait for Cocktail and Teri Meri Kahani. Rest of the junta, go for it.

This film was worthy enough to make Sir Rachit Varma to come out of his sabbatical and write a full length review after ages means something, right?

Rating?

7/10

This Udaan flies high!

Udaan

First time director Vikramaditya Motwane has done a brilliant job with Udaan. This film was truly worthy of a screening at Cannes. The simplicity of this movie is probably what makes this movie wonderful. Its a story which is not too uncommon in India, but the way its been shown, is what brings the freshness in the film.

Rohan(Rajat Barmecha) has just been rusticated from his boarding school along with his 3 friends for they were caught watching an adult film of sorts(Kanti Shah ke Angoor) by their dean. As it turns out, Rohan has to go back to his home in the small industrial town of Jamshedpur, To add to his woes we find out that he hasn't met his father(Ronit Roy as Bhairav) in 8 years and he doesn't even know of the existence of a step-brother(Aayan Boradia as Arjun) at his home. Reaching there he learns that he has to work with his father at his factory and enrol in engineering college. And the disciplinarian his father is, he can't even question him. As he is stuck there with his dream of becoming a writer seemingly getting shattered, he learns to cope with life. He learns to love his kid step-brother, manages to write between work and college, sneaks out for a drink or two at night, but inspite of all this, he is getting suffocated. He wants to escape. He wants to fly.

Udaan is a simple, emotional story about a boy in a small town, learning to live with his disciplinarian of a father. It is actually as simple as that. It might not sound interesting like this but the fact is that the way this normal coming of age story has been showed is just brilliant. There is nothing 'bollywood' about this film, its as if this movie was shot with a handycam, capturing the lives of a real family. But that doesn't make this one bit boring, because obviously there are some exaggerations, some gags, some drama but all in all its very real and believable. I'm sure everyone one of us would be able to relate to this film in some way or the other.

The high point of the movie is the performances by the leading men(there are hardly any women in this film). Ronit Roy as a single father has done his job with perfection. He drinks, smokes, but still goes for a jog every morning, which also turns out to be a very important aspect in the story. He sometimes loses his cool, uses force in teaching his kids a lesson, but at times we also see that he is caring and probably a little vulnerable. He's acted so well, that you can feel it when he is drunk, you even get scared when he is angry, that good is his screen presence. I was wrong to write off this TV actor. Rajat Barmecha too has done an impeccable job in portraying a kid, who has lived his life in one of the best boarding schools of India and now is stuck in a small town. He does the usual, sneaks out at night for drinks and smoke, steals his fathers cars for doing so, but still makes it on time in the morning for his daily run with his dad. His writings are beautiful too, so credit must go to the original writer as well. But the award must go to Aayan Boradia who is one of the best child actors I have ever come across in Indian cinema. He is so real, so cute and you will just fall in love with him. He is somewhat aware of what is going on but obviously at his age he just can;t do anything about it as his understanding does not go that deep. And then lastly Ram Kapoor as Jimmy, Bhairav's younger brother brings a very good contrast between his authoritarian brother and his practical chilled out of sorts character. He understands Rohan's dreams and aspirations but he can only do so much to convince his big brother to change his mind. A very intriguing relationship between the two brothers I must say.

Running time of over 2 hours, this might at times seem a little slow, but you gradually understand the importance of those long silent shots as the film progresses to its climax. There are scenes that will send chills down your spine. There scenes that will inspire you to 'fly out of a cage' if you are in one, metaphorically speaking of course. Its just filled with those moments that will be with you for sometime to come. It won't be easy to forget this movie soon. And let me assure you, you will come out highly satisfied after watching this movie. A big thumbs up for Motwane! Looking forward for more! Cheers to all the actors as well!

8/10

Sir Rachit Varma

Stay away from this Raavan! Its Scary!

Raavan

Beera(Abhishek Bachchan) is a local outlaw who kidnaps Cop Dev Pratap Sharma's beautiful wife Ragini(Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). Now Dev Pratap is out to capture Beera, who he has been chasing for some time, and in effect save his wife from his clutches as well. Beera on the other hand has a personal vendetta against Dev Pratap, but after managing to kidnap the most wonderful Ragini, he falls for the woman of his enemy. By the end of it Ragini is also in two minds about where her heart really belongs.

Raavan is a modern day adaptation of the Ramayana directed by the great Mani Ratnam. But the film turns out to be quite a dud. At time you wonder why was this film even made? It seems like a RGV version of Ramayana but sadly made by Ratnam. Its a disaster in almost every aspect.

Lets start with the acting. After a wonderful performance in Guru, Abhishek Bachchan has hugely disappointed with his role as Beera. Every now and then he will randomly have a fit and start saying something absurd and hits himself as if he was some escaped patient from a mental institute. Really pathetic mostly. Although at times you feel like its alright. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the other hand hasn't got much to do but look good and she does. She looks beautiful in almost every frame of the film in which she is there. But you can forget acting. As always. Vikram on the other hand is the biggest miscast of the film. If an actor cannot speak in Hindi comfortably why force him/her? Miserable at best. Govinda and Ravi Kishan on the other hand in their short roles are pretty cool.

A.R.Rehman has totally lost it, it seems. After the international success that he got with Slumdog Millionaire, which was one of his worse music creation, it looks like he is still riding on that and has forgotten the beautiful music he used to create back in the days. We want the old Rehman back.

The only good thing about this film is the cinematography. Mani Ratnam, along with his crew, has chosen some of the most beautiful locations in India to shoot his film. And probably he created some of them. At times they look like a set right out of the LOTR franchise, which is quite a compliment I feel. Its like every frame of this film has been worked on so that it looks beautiful throughout. But that alone cannot make a film good. But it sure is a visual masterpiece. Job well done!

But in a overall sense its a total no-no. Forgettable acting by all. Poor music. A torture really.

2/10

Sir Rachit Varma

Inception - Review

Inception

Pinch yourself after you're done watching Inception, you'll feel like it was all a dream! Christopher Nolan has done it again. After giving us films like Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight; Inception is yet another masterstroke by the maverick director. This time he has delved into the world of dreams. A world within a dream. He goes deeper and deeper into the world of dreams and subconscious. And he does it brilliantly.

Cobb(Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief who steals ideas. But his ability has made him a fugitive and that keeps him away from his family. Saito(Ken Watanabe) is a businessman who hires Cobb to do the impossible, Inception. He wants Cobb to plant an idea in the mind of a rival businessman Robert Fischer, Jr.(Cillian Murphy), so that he dissolves his father's business. And in return Saito guarantees Cobb that he'll get his life back. And all Cobb wants right now is to get back to his kids! So will he be able to do the impossible? Inception?

If you think Inception is as simple as what is written above, you're badly mistaken. Its much more than that, its much more than just a story about a man wanting to get back to his normal life. Its not just a film that you will watch, its an experience. It makes you think. It makes you question what's real and what's not. You wont come out watching this all happy and satisfied, you'll want more. You'll want more clarity, you'll want to discuss this over and over again. You'll wonder 'What if?'.

After a long time a movie has come out which is completely original. We see movies these days, based on a book, out of a franchise, sequels, etc. etc. But this one is totally original and refreshing.And this, in my honest opinion, is its biggest strength. After 'The Matrix', this is probably the one which will force you to question yourself about this world. Its a benchmark on its own. It hasn't created a whole new world, but what it does is, it gives you an 'idea' that you can create your own world. A world in your dreams. And who knows, maybe its possible.

Leonardo DiCaprio has come a long way since Titanic. Someone once told me that he'd read a Leonardo DiCaprio interview somewhere and he'd said “Titanic was the biggest mistake of my life”. In all probability this is a false statement, but that's not the point. The fact is that it took him a lot of movies and a lot of courage and brains to get out of that chocolate boy image he had created unknowingly. I'm sure you remember how the whole world went crazy about that blue eyed blonde cute boy from Titanic. But after movies like 'Catch Me If You Can', 'The Aviator', 'The Departed', 'Shutter Island' and now 'Inception', you can definitely say that he's grown immensely as an actor and probably none compare to him today. You give him whatever role and he'll carry it off with panache! And he's done a brilliant job in this film as well. Ellen Page as Ariadne has done a pretty decent job I must admit. She plays a young prodigy of sorts, and she does it highly convincingly. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur plays a calm and collected character, which is kind of a polar opposite of Cobb, which in turn provides a nice contrast between them. Although Michael Caine has a tiny role in the film, we clearly see his impact on the film as whole. Kudos to the rest of the cast as well.

Technically this film could've been better I feel. There are certain scenes which very clearly look shot on a miniature set. I mean, comparing the best 'effects' these days, of 'Avatar', this kinds of fades in comparison. But it makes up with a great storyline, intense action sequences and some great storytelling. But mind you, some of the special effects will just leave you gaping at the screen in pure amazement, not because of their technical brilliance, that is there, but because of the pure imagination put into what's shown to us. When you watch it, you'll know what I am talking about.

There is not a single moment in the film when you can take a break, go to the loo, even chewing on your pop corn will disturb you. Even with proper concentration, you are bound to come out a little confused and with a few questions in your mind at the very least. You'll understand the basic story and the concept but to know the details and the preciseness of the story, this film needs another viewing. And that is the genius of Christopher Nolan. He creates such mind boggling stuff that it leaves the audience wanting more and more and more. This film is bound to create a madness online with people giving out different concepts and theories on what exactly happened in the film. And that's the least it deserves.

If I had to describe this film in one word it would be 'crazy'. Not crazy in a disturbing sense but the fact that even thinking of something as complicated as this can confuse a normal human, that guy creates a whole story around that concept. Hats off to you Mr. Nolan. You have outdone yourself, yet again. Thanks for making movies! Looking forward to your next venture! Great stuff!

8/10

Sir Rachit Varma

Knight and Day - A Review by Sir Rachit Varma

Knight and Day

Knight and Day passes for a decent romantic action comedy flick. Considering the amount of rom-coms coming out these days, more than half of which are below average, Knight and Day is rather watch-able.

June Havens(Cameron Diaz) is a hot looking woman in her 30's, but one who has not lived her life yet, hasn't been out of the country, a rather sad and boring life altogether. In comes Roy Miller(Tom Cruise), an apparently rogue CIA agent, who meets June at the airport 'by chance'. June is going to her younger sister April's wedding when this so called 'accident' happens when she bumps into Roy Miller twice at the airport. They end up taking the same flight wherein she kinds of falls for the cool and macho looking Tom Cruise and decides to make a move. Once she is in the loo, Tom Cruise sets off on killing all on board, there aren't many, and at this point one doesn't know who they are and what they want really. As June gets out of the loo, not realising there have been gun shots fired, makes her move. Sadly things don't go any forward since the pilots are dead too and Roy has to crash land the plane. Then begins a series of events where Roy and June end up going to places all over the world, from the US to Spain to Germany to Austria to a random undiscovered island somewhere! The bad guys, there are many, want something from Roy. And now since June is involved too, they both are making a run for it. A couple of more characters are included in the film, but they are of hardly any importance. That's all there is to this film really. But that is what works best for it too. You don't need to think too much!

Cameron Diaz looks surprisingly old in this flick. Although in some scenes she does manage to look her old gorgeous self, but mostly her face looks like she's got 3 kids. But in-spite of all that she still has those moments when you totally fall in love with her. There is still that old charm from 'The Mask' left in her. And she can still act pretty decently, at least in a film like this. Tom Cruise is still the same cool looking dude that he was in 'Top Gun', although obviously older and a lot bigger it seems. But he still looks nice and plays his role in a pretty nice and sober way. No over the top jumps on the couch this time around!

After films like 'Identity', 'Walk The Line', '3:10 To Yuma', director James Mangold has tried his hands on a rom-com and done fairly well, although the film could have been much much better. The action sequences are way too fake to give you a real roller coaster feel, Tom and Cameron escaping thousands of bullets from 10s of bad guys reminds of you good old action flicks of the 90's in India where Sunil Shetty was the hero! The soundtrack is nice and happy. The locations in some of the scenes are breathtaking. Overall I'd say its a job well done. You won't feel your money is wasted once you're done watching this film. And I am sure all you Cruise fans out there are going to love this film. Cameron fans are in for a treat too. Cheers!

5/10

Sir Rachit Varma

The Karate Kid - Review

The Karate Kid The Karate kid is a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. Now if you've seen the original, which was good enough to produce 2 sequels, you're going to get disappointed with this particular remake.

Dre Parker(Jaden Smith) is a 12 year old boy who lives with her mother in Detroit. But when his mother's job has been transferred to China, his life, it seems, has come to an abrupt halt. On reaching China he almost immediately falls in love with the cute Meiying(Wenwen Han). But with that comes trouble as Cheng(Zhenwei Wang) is Meiying's family friend and probably likes her as well, so he starts bullying little Dre and shows his Kung Fu skills in the process. This leads to a lot of trouble and then enters Mr. Han(Jackie Chan), the maintenance man of the apartment where Dre resides with his mother Sherry Parker(Taraji P. Henson). Dre finds out that Mr. Han is a Kung Fu master and convinces him to teach him some of his moves so that he can kick some ass too. So begins the story of our little Dre who goes on to learn Kung Fu from old Mr. Han, and take part in a grand tournament where he has to face his fear as well as his nemesis. Its completely like the original version but what it lacks is the innocence and the small-time charm of the original.

This film is about Kung Fu, its about fights, its about bullying, its about blood, its about survival. Now considering all that, casting a 12 year old boy to deal with all of that is probably the biggest drawback of the film. You don't really expect a kid so young to get into fights where he could really hurt himself serious. So this takes away the authenticity of the injuries and the intensity of the fights. Although the moves shown are pretty awesome but they too are not clear and that should be blamed to the modern cinematography these days which have special effects and quick cuts. Old school style of showing fight scenes is probably still the best, as they look more believable and the moves are readable to the viewer. Jaden Smith starts off pretty dull, he even looks stoned in some scenes in the beginning, he's that slow and expressionless. But as the film progresses so does his acting. You can clearly see glimpses of Will Smith in him, but feel that he's trying a little too hard. He should create his own style rather than copy his dad's which doesn't suit his age. Comparing him to other young actors of today, he is lagging behind a little. Although he did a decent job in The Pursuit of Happiness, his performance in this movie is just about average. He still has a long way to go. But credit has to be given to the fact that he has prepared well for this movie but at times it looks like he has been overworked. I mean a 12 year old boy with a six pack? This is the age when he should be enjoying life, playing games, studying, rather than spending time in the gym.

Jackie Chan plays an old, defeated man in the movie who gets a new motive when he meets Dre. He has played his part in the movie. There is nothing too great or too good about it. He has simply done his job. Although Miyagi in the original version was much better than Han in this one. Taraji P. Henson as Sherry Parker is totally ignorable. The humour of the film is below standard and hardly makes you laugh except for an odd fluke here and there. The shooting locations used by the director are pretty nice at times like when he shows Dre and Han practising on The Great Wall of China. The music is alright in bits, nothing to talk about really.

A very average film at best. You won;t miss too much if you miss this one!

5/10

Sir Rachit Varma

Raajneeti - Review

Raajneeti

Welcome back to the world of Hindi cinema, where movies have a huge star cast, are 3 hour longs and actually have a good story line. Raajneeti is a good mix of modern-day Mahabharata and The Godfather, which turns out to be a pretty deadly combination. Its about a political family which has just lost its leader in the midst of the upcoming election. This in turn sets his family at war as the leader chooses his brother and his son Prithviraj Pratap(Arjun Rampal) as his heirs, rather than his own son Veerendra Pratap(Manoj Bajpai). This angers Veerendra Pratap and he decides to take matter into his own hand. To help him out in this scenario is the Dalit leader form the village Sooraj Kumar(Ajay Devgn). So begins the saga of murder, vengeance and the want to gain political power by any means. In this process gets stuck Samar Pratap(Ranbir Kapoor) who had just come for a leaisurely visit to India from New York to attend his uncles birthday. Turning down a teaching job in New York he instead stays back in India to help out is family. In him we see shades of Michael Corleone as a young leader who at first was hesitant to join the dirty family business but reluctantly has become a major part of it, and has started taking all the major decisions. There's also the lovely and innocent India Pratap(Katrina Kaif), his childhood friend who gradually begins to see what kind of a person Samar has become. And to help Samar there's Brij Gopal(Nana Patekar), his mother's brother. He is the all wise, all knowing Mama who can be sweet and mean all at the same time.

This film in the beginning can get a little confusing to its viewers as there are way too many characters who are introduced, and who actually play an important part throughout the film. But as the movie progress the confusion diminishes and you start seeing the clear picture and you probably start taking sides. There is no pure good or evil here, everything's in a shade of grey, like they all believe that the means justify the end. You take Ajay Devgn who is a local village fellow, a Dalit leader, in the beginning he seems all nice and right, but politics as we know it is not a nice guys game, at least in India. Ranbir turns from the innocent American student to a smart schemer who'll do anything to protect his brother. He even fakes it with his American girlfriend Sara(Sarah Jean Collins) when she decides to give him a surprise visit to India. Be it true or not but this movie shows you a pretty interesting insight of politics in India. Its a brother kill brother world out there.

Acting wise everyone has done a good job I must say but special credit goes to Ranbir Kapoor who has shown that he can actually act in films other than romantic comedies in which he plays a chocolate boy lover trying to woo a girl standing in the balcony. Nana Patekar is not his usual self hurling abuses and shouting dialogues at the top of his voice, he is a smiling, silent planner who is very subtle throughout the film and acts only when necessary. Ajay Devgn is also in the background throughout the film, which is very unlike Prakash Jha as we have seen in his previous films like Apharan and Gangajal. But it is nicely done on his part. Katrina Kaif has probably taken acting lessons and is very sober in this film, and looks amazing as always. Arjun Rampal in my opinion has 'acted' for the very first time and by the end of the movie you feel satisfied that he didn't ruin it by his dead, expressionless face. Manoj Bajpai has a typical role, so no surprises there.

Go watch this movie if you want to see a wholesome Hindi film with substance. Its got your abuses, gruesome action scenes, a couple of lovemaking scenes put in here and there, a few songs in the background, nasty cops, hot Indian summer, everything that you need to enjoy your 3 hours in an air conditioned theatre!

7/10

Sir Rachit Varma