Cross-posting my FK review. For comments and discussions visit FK.
Theatre: Inox, Orbit Mall, Siliguri, West Bengal
Status: 20%
Show: 5 PM, 9th July
Off-topic: I had gone for a trip to Sikkim with my friends. We had to spent over 5 hours in New Jalpaiguri waiting for our train to Kolkata on our return. None of us where to keen to spent time in the sickeningly sultry Bengal climate. Luckily, we saw a mall on our way to NJP. Locked all our bags in the railway station and took a 16 KM Auto ride (with 10 of us!) to Siliguri to watch Delhi Belly and enjoy the AC.
On to the review: A rewarding experience for all the pain! The only disappointing fact was that the movie screened there was the dubbed Hindi version and not the English/Hindi original.
The movie captured my imagination from the first frame. Strikingly similar to our place in Bangalore. The songs and BGM gelled exceptionally well with the movie. Dialogues (the hindi ones) were top notch and evoked a lot of laughter. The plot is decent with strong resemblance to Guy Ritchie movies. Script has been executed pretty well with all characters getting ample space and significance. Direction is pretty good and there is an element of freshness in the frames which adds to the richness of the movie. There are lot of funny gags in the movies in the most unexpected places. Most importantly, it takes a lot of balls to mouth oft-used indecencies and show turd on screen. I really loved the way swearing was done in the movie and I wish we could have something like this in Malayalam.
Actors have all done pretty well. Imran Khan though the hero, does not hog the limelight and guys who played his friends gelled perfectly to the role. The villain takes the cake as the serious yet side-splitting big boss.
Delhi Belly is the Bollywood movie I enjoyed the most after Kaminey. Both movies are inspired from Guy Richtie school of making and has done it pretty successfully. You can claim Delhi Belly to be a rip-off (final shooting scene reminded me a lot about True Romance), but I would welcome more such movies if done right like Delhi Belly.
TL;DR: Delhi Belly is rollicking ride filled with lots of side-splitting gags. Must watch.
Rating: Excellent
Showing posts with label Bollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bollywood. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rakhta Charitra - 1 : A History written in blood
Posting the review I wrote in Forum Keralam.
Theatre: Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore, 24th October, 11:30 AM Show
Status: Balcony - No idea, must be around 80% First Class: 30-40% with 3-4 girls
To be frank, I expected a lot more violence looking at the various reviews. The movie sure has its fair share of it, but nothing revolting. I found it necessary and realistic enough for the topic tackled by the movie. Then again, it depends on the threshold of the viewer. The guy who sat next to often cringed and was hid his face when something gruesome was about to happen.
The film is based on the real life story of Paritala Ravi, a powerful politician in Rayalseema who lived and died by the sword.
Anantpur is place ruled by Narasimha Reddy, a powerful politician. Veer Bhadra is the trusted lieutenant of Reddy, who hails from the lower caste. Naga Reddy, the number two in the party is jealous of Veer Bhadra's relation with Narasimha. Naga Reddy manages to poison Narasimha's mind to turn him against Veer Bhadra which eventually culminates in Veer Bhadra's gruesome murder. This incident triggers of a spate of violence between the two factions led by Veer Bhadra's son Shankar played by Sushant Singh and Naga Reddy's son Bukka Reddy played by Abhimanyu Singh.
Shankar gets murdered and his brother Pratap Ravi played by Vivek Oberoi takes over the helm. The rest of the movie deals with how Pratap Ravi avenges the death of his father and brother, and how he transforms from a guerilla leader to a power politician.
The performances are top notch. You cannot name a single person who has underperformed or hammed in the movie. The best performer by far was Abhimanyu Singh. He plays the brutal Bukka Reddy to perfection. Bukka Reddy enjoys murdering people in the unconventional manner. Bukka kills people for pleasure and kills his own people when he is angry. A rampant womaniser who literally lifts women from the streets and rapes them. Abhimanyu is successful in creating the aura of unpredictability around the character and spite in the minds of the viewers. Vivek Oberoi has performed really well. Probably his best since Company. He is controlled when required and at his smouldering best in certain scenes. The surprise comes in the form of Shatrughan Sinha. Shotgun is left in the cupboard and he acts the smooth Shivaji Rao (probably inspired by NTR) to perfection.
There is a scene which shows how violence is a routine for the people. Bukka Reddy is smashing the pulp out a man's leg with a rifle butt in the front yard of his home. The lady in the house saunters out and asks Bukka whether he wants to come to the temple as if he is sipping tea. Bukka pauses, replies in the negative, and continues his work. The lady without a blink gets into a car and leaves.
The movie is filled with RGV signature shots. The close-up shots, wacky camera work. Fast frames. The director is near top form after a long time. For me, this is one of his better works and the best work in quite some time although the movie is nowhere near Satya or Company. Sound is very loud and felt a bit unnecessary. The BGM is over the top in most places. It felt grating in the beginning, but afterwards it synced with the tempo of the movie. Same holds true for the weird sound of the narrator.
The movie had a satisfactory ending making the viewer crave for more. A short synopsis of what is to be expected in the second part is shown in the end. Surya dominates the section and it sets the tone for the next part. Priyamani is also shown in the montage and probably Sudeep will have a bigger part to play. He was introduced as an intel officer after the first half with no part after that.
TL;DR: Rakhta Charithra is a must watch for the connoisseurs of political-thrillers, provided you can stand the amount of blood and gore.
Rating: 7.5/10
Theatre: Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore, 24th October, 11:30 AM Show
Status: Balcony - No idea, must be around 80% First Class: 30-40% with 3-4 girls
To be frank, I expected a lot more violence looking at the various reviews. The movie sure has its fair share of it, but nothing revolting. I found it necessary and realistic enough for the topic tackled by the movie. Then again, it depends on the threshold of the viewer. The guy who sat next to often cringed and was hid his face when something gruesome was about to happen.
The film is based on the real life story of Paritala Ravi, a powerful politician in Rayalseema who lived and died by the sword.
Anantpur is place ruled by Narasimha Reddy, a powerful politician. Veer Bhadra is the trusted lieutenant of Reddy, who hails from the lower caste. Naga Reddy, the number two in the party is jealous of Veer Bhadra's relation with Narasimha. Naga Reddy manages to poison Narasimha's mind to turn him against Veer Bhadra which eventually culminates in Veer Bhadra's gruesome murder. This incident triggers of a spate of violence between the two factions led by Veer Bhadra's son Shankar played by Sushant Singh and Naga Reddy's son Bukka Reddy played by Abhimanyu Singh.
Shankar gets murdered and his brother Pratap Ravi played by Vivek Oberoi takes over the helm. The rest of the movie deals with how Pratap Ravi avenges the death of his father and brother, and how he transforms from a guerilla leader to a power politician.
The performances are top notch. You cannot name a single person who has underperformed or hammed in the movie. The best performer by far was Abhimanyu Singh. He plays the brutal Bukka Reddy to perfection. Bukka Reddy enjoys murdering people in the unconventional manner. Bukka kills people for pleasure and kills his own people when he is angry. A rampant womaniser who literally lifts women from the streets and rapes them. Abhimanyu is successful in creating the aura of unpredictability around the character and spite in the minds of the viewers. Vivek Oberoi has performed really well. Probably his best since Company. He is controlled when required and at his smouldering best in certain scenes. The surprise comes in the form of Shatrughan Sinha. Shotgun is left in the cupboard and he acts the smooth Shivaji Rao (probably inspired by NTR) to perfection.
There is a scene which shows how violence is a routine for the people. Bukka Reddy is smashing the pulp out a man's leg with a rifle butt in the front yard of his home. The lady in the house saunters out and asks Bukka whether he wants to come to the temple as if he is sipping tea. Bukka pauses, replies in the negative, and continues his work. The lady without a blink gets into a car and leaves.
The movie is filled with RGV signature shots. The close-up shots, wacky camera work. Fast frames. The director is near top form after a long time. For me, this is one of his better works and the best work in quite some time although the movie is nowhere near Satya or Company. Sound is very loud and felt a bit unnecessary. The BGM is over the top in most places. It felt grating in the beginning, but afterwards it synced with the tempo of the movie. Same holds true for the weird sound of the narrator.
The movie had a satisfactory ending making the viewer crave for more. A short synopsis of what is to be expected in the second part is shown in the end. Surya dominates the section and it sets the tone for the next part. Priyamani is also shown in the montage and probably Sudeep will have a bigger part to play. He was introduced as an intel officer after the first half with no part after that.
TL;DR: Rakhta Charithra is a must watch for the connoisseurs of political-thrillers, provided you can stand the amount of blood and gore.
Rating: 7.5/10
Monday, August 17, 2009
Kaminey!
What a name for the first post of a new blog! As you may have already guessed, this is going to my movie review/preview/whatever blog. Yet another blog! Someday I am going to be rich by selling my blog network! Then again, AOL is sinking and I shouldn't keep my hopes up!
Anyways, back to our topic.
Anyways, back to our topic.
I read rave reviews of Kaminey, and a few of them insinuating that the movie is nothing special and reviews have been paid for. I decided to go and watch the movie.
This was my first movie at Rex in Brigade Road. 170 Rs is a bit too much if you ask me. Not remotely good as PVR, Innovative, or Inox.
Movie is the tale of two brothers. One good, one bad. The bread and butter of bollywood. But the treatment is what makes this movie special. For once, we don't get to see any opulent shit. No fancy bikes, no prancing around in Paris, and more importantly, no goody two-shoes heroine. What the movie has instead is splendid narration, vibrant characters, lot of goofiness, and witty dialogues.
There is no doubt that this is inspired by the Guy Ritchie classic, "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels." Inspired as in really inspired and not ripped of completely like most inspired Bollywood movies. The similarity starts and ends with the basic narration, goofiness, and similar events.
Shahid Kapoor has performed really well as Guddu and Charlie, the twin brothers. He has showcased the Charlie's lisp and Guddu's stammer to perfection. I was especially impressed with his stammer and gets the most convincing stammerer award from a stammerer himself! Priyanka Chopra was brilliant as the street smart and loud girl friend of Guddu. Her fiery marathi tirade and boldness is convincing.
The movie really shines due to the excellent supporting characters. The guy who played Mr. Maharashtra was awesome and so was Tashi, the big boss. I do feel that the Bengali Brothers should have been given a little more screentime.
Many people say the climax is ludicrous. I didn't think it was ludicrous while watching the movie. Director had me convinced about the ending. All 'kamineys' getting what they deserve. After all, movies are about make belief. It would be extremely hypocritical of Bollywood to say that the movie is unrealistic. Case in point: I would be fucking mad to make a list!
Verdict?
A solid movie. Vishal Bharadwaj has done a wonderful job. This is no Omkara or Blood Brothers, still its awesome in its own right. Personally, its been long time since a Bollywood movie appealed to me. I would rate it 8/10. Go watch it, if you haven't. No one has rigged the reviews!
P.S: Mr Bharadwaj? You know my bank account number right?
This was my first movie at Rex in Brigade Road. 170 Rs is a bit too much if you ask me. Not remotely good as PVR, Innovative, or Inox.
Movie is the tale of two brothers. One good, one bad. The bread and butter of bollywood. But the treatment is what makes this movie special. For once, we don't get to see any opulent shit. No fancy bikes, no prancing around in Paris, and more importantly, no goody two-shoes heroine. What the movie has instead is splendid narration, vibrant characters, lot of goofiness, and witty dialogues.
There is no doubt that this is inspired by the Guy Ritchie classic, "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels." Inspired as in really inspired and not ripped of completely like most inspired Bollywood movies. The similarity starts and ends with the basic narration, goofiness, and similar events.
Shahid Kapoor has performed really well as Guddu and Charlie, the twin brothers. He has showcased the Charlie's lisp and Guddu's stammer to perfection. I was especially impressed with his stammer and gets the most convincing stammerer award from a stammerer himself! Priyanka Chopra was brilliant as the street smart and loud girl friend of Guddu. Her fiery marathi tirade and boldness is convincing.
The movie really shines due to the excellent supporting characters. The guy who played Mr. Maharashtra was awesome and so was Tashi, the big boss. I do feel that the Bengali Brothers should have been given a little more screentime.
Many people say the climax is ludicrous. I didn't think it was ludicrous while watching the movie. Director had me convinced about the ending. All 'kamineys' getting what they deserve. After all, movies are about make belief. It would be extremely hypocritical of Bollywood to say that the movie is unrealistic. Case in point: I would be fucking mad to make a list!
Verdict?
A solid movie. Vishal Bharadwaj has done a wonderful job. This is no Omkara or Blood Brothers, still its awesome in its own right. Personally, its been long time since a Bollywood movie appealed to me. I would rate it 8/10. Go watch it, if you haven't. No one has rigged the reviews!
P.S: Mr Bharadwaj? You know my bank account number right?
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