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