Two Thoughts And A Pause | Editor's Pen

Hi All,

Some days back, I finished reading Sidney Poitier’s memoir ‘The Measure Of A Man’. In a white world of Hollywood of that era, he was the first actor to get an Oscar for Best Actor, a feat not many managed to achieve. The secret of his success somehow lies in the fact that he held almost no prejudices against anyone based on melanin content in skin. He broke the stereotypes and achieved what he wanted.

Another person who grabbed headlines in last fortnight was Vidya Balan for her convincing performance in a glossy The Dirty Picture which failed to impress many. Vidya delivered a fine performance as Silk loosely based on life of Silk Smitha. Her expressions were good and dialogue delivery was impressive. Well, nothing new. The script failed her. A weak script that considered Silk as a body than a soul. It was OUATIM of Silk.

This fortnight we gave farewell to one of the biggest star- Dev Anand. I don’t know how to express my grief. Something is gone forever… He will not rest in peace… he has been so energetic. I guess someone wants to make movies up there… that’s why they summoned him.

Regards

Sujoy

Dev | Romancing With Life, Literally | The Statesmen

Cinema in every era has an actor who is labeled as ultimate romantic hero. However, rarely we have a hero so convinced with the idea of romance that even after seeing 88 candles on cake; he is ready to dance around trees. Dev Anand was such an hero. No wonder he titled his autobiography as ‘Romancing with Life’. This December, we lost him… forever. But let me remind you, the romance is still there and will remain there. People die, their cinema keeps them alive.

In 1948 when Ziddi came, Dev Anand had a name though not a big one. He had a few hit movies with Suraiya but since Suraiya was a bigger star, she received all the accolades. His relationship with her was in shambles. Ziddi was the breakthrough he desperately wanted and fortunately got. Baazi, Taxi Driver and Nau Do Gyarah established him as a star. He charmed his fans with his style in movies like House No. 44, Pocket Maar, Munimji, Funtoosh, C.I.D. and Paying Guest. His style and stardom established him as a part of famous Dev-Dileep-Raj trio. These three icon ruled the cinema of 50s and 60s.

Guide gave him the character of life time. He realized the power of a woman’s sexuality and its social acceptance. ‘70s arrived and he was still a hero. He romanced with Zeenat Aman, Rakhee and Hema Malini to earn the title of Evergreen Hero. No one pulled off the stereotyped character of Romantic Hero like him. Even his ventures in ‘90 and ‘00s when his movies failed to impress audience, one can see the youthfulness in his vision.

People labeled him a crackpot when his movies failed in last two decades. Some people can’t understand what Dev Anand actually was. In his life, he reached the point where it was difficult to differentiate between cinema and life. I sense the hypocrisy when people snub his movie ‘Censor’ that spoke about liberation but go out and watch movies with skin show. The good thing was that Dev Sa’ab was convinced about his ideology and hardly gave a dime to what detractors thought. He worked till his last breath. Up there, I guess, apsaras must be pretty busy right now.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya... | RS Unplugged

4th of December, will always remain a black day in Indian cinema, because it brought to us the sudden demise of the legendary 'Dev Anand' Ji. A soul whose style and persona will be there in this world forever.

There are some people who come and go, and then there are some people who make their way into the world in such a way that they never go. Dev ji is a person who came with a style... his own style... his own trademark... that kept him in a completely different league.

We all know there are endless movies which he has contributed into, to make them classics. And the same goes with the music. His style of dancing, with his hands hanging down loosely accompanied by his innocent face and a childish smile, simply makes those lovely tunes, sound and look even better. His presence in the songs just gives me a feeling that no one else could have been here, as if he had composed the songs just for himself.

Khoya khoya chand, Tujhe jivan ki dor se baandh liya hai, Gata rahe mera dil, Pal bhar k liye koi, Hai apna dil to awara, Abhi na jao chhod kar and countless many. All the black and whites are just classics! It's really hard to choose your favorite one. With such melodies showcasing him, I am pretty that sure Dev ji had a good taste of music! However, as the years passed on, his choice changed. 

From Mohd. Rafi to Kishore Kumar, from S.D. Burman to Kalyanji-Anandji, there is nobody in who hasn't had a classic with him. But yes! I don't remember Mukesh singing for him. Maybe you guys can correct me in this, by finding a song where Mukesh sang for him.

He had always believed that youth is forever, and it clearly reflected in the way he did things. The legend will always be remembered through his fabulous songs, where his youth will be preserved... forever!

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

An Affair To Remember | Dev-Suraiya | Cine Talk

He was dashing. She was beautiful. He was getting success. She was successful. He loved her. She loved him. But they didn’t marry. One of the greatest romances in the cinema of this country faced a tragic end when Suraiya’s maternal grandmother, who was head of the house, rejected Dev Anand’s marriage proposal for Suraiya because he was  a Hindu and she was a Muslim. In today’s India, the issue seems to be very trivial given the fact that we have many multi-faith couples in cine world. However, in late 40’s it was a big deal partly due to pre-colonial reservations and partly due to partition.

After rejecting Dev’s proposal, Suraiya stopped working with him. Dev established himself as a superstar while Suraiya saw the nadir. He films failed and she finally stopped working in films. Rustom Sohrab released in 1963 was her last film. She never married and died of cancer in 2004. She was 75. Dev Anand didn’t went over for her funeral. He didn’t wanted people to raise fingers on her and speculate some secret affair, a pain Dev willingly bore. Dev Anand made a successful on-screen pairing with Kalpana Karthik and later married her. They had a child, Suneil. Suraiya, he never forgot her.

Just like Nargis and Sunil Dutt famous love story, Dev Anand and Suraiya fell in love due to an accident. A freak accident took place during shooting of movie Vidya when a boat tipped over and like a real life hero, Dev saved Suraiya. Suraiya fell in love with her savior. A true romantic Dev gave her a costly diamond ring to Suraiya at the sets of movie Jeet. But fate had some reservations.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Why This Kolaveri Kolaveri Kolaveri Di | Editor's Pen

Dhanush is more popular and acclaimed as an actor than being just Superstar Rajnikanth's son-in-law. Some of his performances can make his father-in-law very proud. However, he was kind of unknown face for about 25 states in the country... till last week.

For his upcoming movie titled '3', Dhanush created this song along with music director Anirudha and the viral caught the imagination of entire nation like anything. Thanks to facebook and twitter. Within a week or so the video touched the mark of 4 million hits. You can see this song all over your fb home and  is still trending on twitter. Blogs and newspapers are still discussing the craze and anthropologists are still confused over the fact that Kolaveri actually became such a big thing.

Virals can surprise anyone. What is the trick, nobody knows. It either clicks or fizz out. Kolaveri is a soup song. It’s have funny lyrics. Its hummable. It has a simple tune. So? At least 10 songs every year match Kolaveri on these parameters but none becomes a rage like this one. Life is heuristics...

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Story Of Two Villages And One Woman | Mirch Masala And Manthan | Under Lens

Among different shades Smita Patil gave life, character of a strong willed village woman is a prominent one. In Mirch Masala and Manthan you can see different hues of a village woman. The way Smita Patil interpreted these characters and played her roles is a case study for all heroines who wants to become actresses.

Manthan made by Shyam Benegal is one of the most inspiring biopics of Hindi Cinema. The movie talks about White Revolution and AMUL. Smita plays a role of a villager and is pivotal element in the growth of narrative. However the story remains about the person behind Amul and the character played by Girish Karnad never gets subsided. On the other hand, in Mirch Masala she plays a fiery character who is not ready to give in to a cruel subedar who lusts for women.

In these two characters of hers, Smita plays very strong characters having a personal identity and a strong will power to stand against the odds. These characters though based in villages echoed the contemporary feminism mostly exhibited in urban, something she stood in her life. Even after so many years, she is a poster girl for Indian feminism.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Thalapathi | Karna-Duryodhan Friendship | The Critique

A Tamil movie based on Mahabharatha directed by Mani Ratnam, camera work by Santosh Sivan, score by Ilaiyaraaja and starring Rajnikanth, Mammootty, Shobhana, Arvind Swamy and Amrish Puri won't be anything less than an epic. Thalapathi is an epic... in all measures. This movie is memorable for intense performances and deep dialogues.

Thalapathi is based on friendship between Karna and Duryodhana. Surya, dumped by a unwed mother, grows into a strong personality. In interesting course of events, he earns friendship of a local muscleman, Devraj. Slowly, Surya and Devraj start ruling the city and at their pinnacle are countered by an honest IAS officer, Arjun. In a sub-plot, there is a love story between Surya and Subbulaxmi who eventually marries Arjun. While, Arjun and Surya are taking on each other the secret is revealed. Will they fight and annihilate each other?

Rajni as Surya commands an amazing screen presence however, Mammootty as Devraj takes away the most of the scene. He underplays his character but still overwhelms with a stellar performance. Arvind as Arjun comes up as the third pillar of the story and matches the scale of other two legends. Music and cinematography both makes a mark on your soul. Direction, as usual, is awesome and can be rated as one of the best by Mani.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Middle Finger Of Rockstar | Cine Talk

There are many interpretation of Jim Morrison's middle finger act. One of the versions say that it was his defiance to his fans and rest of the world. The finger yelled "F*** you all, I don't care". A highly rated performer Jim was very different from a tormented Kurt Cobain but still died young at 27 under shady circumstances. There were certain reasons which pushed him towards semi-accidental death.

In 11^3 release Rockstar, the lead character Janardan/Jordan makes a note of this version of Middle Finger...  He idolizes him because Morrison achieved so much fame in his life. Even his act of defiance to fans is adored as a 'punch' act. Little he knows that one day he will hate this world and show his middle finger to his fans.

The character of Jordon wants to achieve success and become a big star but on his way to success he finds a big void in his life... Heer. His stardom becomes his biggest shortcoming because it doesn't allow him to heal his wounds. The mood swings and frustrations start taking a toll on him but his stardom doesn't allow him any respite. His angst either need to be quenched or given a vent. Beyond a point he doesn't give a damn to his ambitions, his stardom or his admirers because he is lonely while fighting his demons. The Middle Finger puts that across...

Hardly seen such metaphors in Bollywood. Loving fans is so hyped that you don’t see a point when someone hates them.

Conversation Between Ali and Sujoy

Gandu | Much Ado About A Little | Candid Krishnan

Q has a simple name. His vision for cinema is however a little complex. He subtly tells a story, garnishes it with forbidden elements and puts in front of prejudiced society. They puke on it and it serves to his purpose. His movie gets a moment of glory and despite of all bans, becomes a rage in underworld. Gandu does not have a high IMDB rating. It does not have great reviews to boast of. As a matter of fact it’s hardly the most amazing movie made over the turn of the decade… yes… its however, one of the most controversial movie of recent times.

As the movie starts, one might sympathize with the lead character. It has a kind of innocence though loaded with shamelessness and perversion. After a point the movie drags a little and the frustration of protagonist starts growing on you. Then the character of his friend comes into picture and you start liking it more than the protagonist. After a small phase of interesting flow of events, the movie loses its course and tries to breach the boundary between art and porn. One might feel offended by some of the scenes… The story has multiple layers and its really interesting the way Q handled it.  

Q glorifies sex, undoubtedly. Frankly speaking, a cine lover I have no qualms with that. But sex should not become the USP of a movie which have so many different layers. That widens the scope of movie and people appreciate your work more than appreciating or rather ogling at few scenes.

Written By: Krishnan

Rockstar | Thats Class | The Critique

It is such a divisive movie! I realized that there were reasons why people hated it. Even Citizen Kane doesn’t have an omnipresent fan base. Adulation, criticism, compassion, abhorrence are just some faces of showbiz. For me Rockstar works… It works more than any other movie released in India in 2011 and in all likelihood had worked more than any movie that might see the Silver Screen over next 45 days. Imtiaz Ali nailed it. He did it pretty hard.

Janardan is a typical Jat guy who wants to become famous like Jim Morrison. He wants to know what an heartbreak means but fails to understand it. He becomes friends with Heer, a Kashmiri girl, and their friendship sprouts unexplainable emotions in them. She gets married and goes to Prague. On the other hand, the character of Janardan alias Jordon goes through coming-of-age phase and brings out the music in him. Still he longs for Heer… As a member of troupe he goes to Prague where Heer is not in her best. There he realizes how much he wants her. He realizes what love is and what exactly pain is. His music grows manifold and he becomes an International face. But he does not want all that… he just wants his personal freedom and his love who belongs to someone else. The mix is violent and uncontrollable. Everyone wants a piece of Jordon but no one wants Janardan and that fills him with angst.

On screen the story comes up as a piece of modern Art where each pastel means something. The story juggles between past and present smoothly. It’s predictable at times but still comes out afresh, the way it should be. The growth of character by story and little play on senses with the montages collectively is the strong point of this movie. The way the angst brewing in the character, his escapism and denunciation of family and friends is explored on screen makes it a wonderful experience. Rock performances look like real ones.  Rahman’s music is kind of USP of this movie. The screen feel is awesome due to some good work in cinematography and editing department. In small patches it becomes slow though but just to allow you to revive. One need to let it grow to enjoy this movie… as criticisms are coming, I guess many viewers were not patient enough.

Ranbeer is simply awesome. This one eclipses every previous performances of his including Rocket Singh. In every phase of his character’s life, he looks like Jordon only. Nargis is perhaps the only setback. She acts bad and is not convincing even for a while. Her casting was perhaps the only thing that went wrong. Every supporting actor has done a decent job. Mohit Chauhan’s vocals and ARs music cracked the jackpot. Imtiaz… you are the man. Respect is the word for you… Rockstar was a difficult movie to make. It had an epic structure and you still pulled it off, and how amazingly.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Meeting With Movie Freaks | Editor's Pen

Movie Freaks is quite an interesting group on FB. We discuss movies and just movies. This weekend, I happen to go to Bengaluru and decided that would catch up with some of the freaks over there. In Forum Mall, Koramangala, I met two movie freaks Harish and Gyandeep. I know Gyandeep from his association with TRM. This was our second meeting. With Harish, first rendezvous.

Talking about cinema is such a guiltless pleasure. Our discussion started with the flavor of the season, Rockstar and followed it up with discussions on movies like The Murder On Orient Express, 12 Angry Men and its remake Ek Ruka Hua Faisla, Agneepath and its forthcoming remake. We also discussed movies of different languages including Bengali and Malayalam Cinema. We also discussed short films and it was very kind of Gyandeep to say some kind words about Itaanu Uttaram. It was a moment for me. We also spent some time on Bengaluru Film Fest and some innovations in the FB group. Interestingly, Gandu by Q was discussed in some length. We talked about different aspects about the movie and its merits and demerits. To spice up our chat we included movies like Gunda and Chitkabrey as well.

It was such a pleasure to find three people from different places and working in different companies bonding over a common passion… Cinema.

Adios

Sujoy

Climax | Amar Prem - My Take | Under Lens

Climax of a movie is perhaps the most important part of it. A climax should justify everything that has been shown and should plug every open question. It should be capable of unloading the emotional burden the movie has loaded on the viewer and should linger in memories for some good time. Shakti Samanta's Amar Prem has a climax that does exactly what I just mentioned.

Pushpa's life is full of ill-incidents but the incidents never deterred her from the path of good. Her life had two pillars, Nandu and Anand Babu... and when she is alone at the dusk of her life, destiny decides that her good deeds would reap great dividends for her. Anand Babu and Nandu return to her. In the closing scene, you see Maa Durga and Pushpa. Pushpa was mother for Nandu and just like Maa comes to our homes, Pushpa is going to her home...

The climax is really heavy on emotional quotient. In today's time, though it can be really difficult to relate to Nandu's emotional baggage, it does not take away anything from Samanta who presented such a beautiful climax to his movie. It justifies why a person should try to remain good in turbulent tides. Goodness is reward appropriately...

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Goodfellas | The Critique

Rarely a simple and straightforward movie wakes up all the grey matter in your head like this one. The narrative style of Goodfellas make it something beyond a cult classic, its a perfect case study. Martin Scorsese's movie based on book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi is well-made film that tasted success on BO as well.

Henry Hill is a born gangster. Elite crime is what he wants from life. He gets that. Under patronage of Paulie and Jimmy, he starts a promising career. He becomes pretty successful in his trade because he believes and follows the rules. However, fate looks at them with a vicious grin when they are trapped by  FBI. The darker side comes in open. Ray Liotta as Henry gives a fine performance. Joe Pesci in a brief role is brilliant and won the Academy for it. But show stealer was Robert De Niro as Jimmy. He gives a very refined and controlled performance.

The movie will be remembered for short and compact scenes moving between past and present give an interesting feel to the story presentation. Work by Scorsese is really commendable. Dialogues are powerful. Action is believable. Camerawork is good. BG score is good. Performances are great. Boy, he had 100 pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and he got all of them right.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Bhumika | The Role Of Life | The Critique

Loosely based on life of Marathi actress Hansa Wadkar, Bhumika also take subtle references from lives of many contemporaries as well. Directed by an accurate Shyam Benegal, the movie has an ensemble of amazing performers: Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Anant Nag and Amrish Puri. Each excelled in her own right.

Bhumika is fictional biopic of actress Usha (played by Smita). Usha is brought under spot light by a family acquaintance Keshav who later marries her. She becomes an actress and occasionally works with star Anant Nag. However things doesn't go the silky way. Keshav is a parasite. She decides to leave him.  It follows up with two more relationships, each turns out to be an abuse of some kind. The misfortune of her life is that she is suffers in all relationships in her life. People try to own her and she has to struggle to come out... and she end up trapped in a different trap.

The movie won two National Awards. Best screenplay given to Satyadev Dubey, Shyam Benegal and Girish Karnad. This explains why this movie had such an impact. And the second National Award was given to Smita Patil for her mesmerizing performance. Bhumika is perhaps one of the best biopic made in this country. It refrains from sensationalizing the story but keeps the sting intact. Respect is the word. Period.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana | The Critique

Pyar kiya to darna kya + Maine pyar kiya + Dilwale Dulhaniya le jaayenge = Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana

Oops !! this seems to be perfect copycat stuff of family dramas. But, though it is, the charming performances by the actors make this one a wonderful watch.

My personal favorite, Siddharth is awesome as both, happy go lucky NRI boy and devoted lover. The first time I watched the movie, I was simply amazed that how well he managed to look so adorable and cute while playing annoying tricks with Trisha, who is really beautiful and plays the part of a simple rural girl perfectly. I have already fallen for Siddharth’s comic timing. Srihari has done justice to his role as Trisha’s brother.

The story as stated above has already been told in many other movies. Even small sequences like that of ‘gajar ka halwaa’, is taken from Hum Apke Hain Kaun or rescuing from a Dog is taken from A Guy Thing. Yet, why am I praising this one, it’s because the packaging, which includes acting, direction, cinematography, music, in all is good. The debut director Prabhu Deva has kept its treatment simple and not attempted to add unnecessary gaudy elements. Moreover, at no time anyone can deny his dancing skills, which comes as a treat for viewers in one of the songs. Cinematographer has done his part well and the picturesque Andhra borders have been wonderfully used in songs.

With the course of changing cinema where we crave for fresh and offbeat stories and different treatment; this one has nothing much to offer. But yet you may try this one, if you are looking around for some light romantic stuff and have already watched classics over and over again.

Written By: Neha Jain

Me And My Friend Pinto | Editor's Pen

Hey People,

My Friend Pinto came up as a wave of fresh air. Simple characters and clichéd plot, nothing extraordinary but still filled with life. MFP is very much like Forrest Gump except that he has no psychological issue. He is just innocent. He is good hearted and is rewarded by life for his qualities.

As I said, My Friend Pinto has drawn subtle references from Forrest Gump, at least as a viewer I feel so. Pinto's fundas are quoted by his Mamma. He doesn't judge people by their life style or social status. He stands by his relationships. The story is about an extraordinary night in a chaotic Mumbai where a Goan is struck. Everyone he meets bump into each other and every third person has some issue with other. Highly clichéd but very potent when one intends to use it as USP. To some extent it worked in this case.

2011 is a very promising year. Many impressive movies. Lately, Ra.One came and after initial hiccups won the market. It’s an visual treat. However, doesn't work much on content part and have got scathing comments about the story line or the lack of it. I hope Rockstar would deliver the goods its promising.

Wishes

Sujoy

Death Of Smita | Hammers High

For all her life, she stood for feminism. She was one of the most vocal advocates of gender equality of her time. However, she was targeted when the news of her relationship with Raj Babbar graced the newsstands. In such kind of relationships, it’s totally unjustified to put the blame on someone... at least as a fourth person. Still, Smita was subjected to various kinds of abuses.

Raj and Smita were blessed with a beautiful child named Prateik. However, Smita didn't survived long and died due to childbirth complications after two weeks. Raj returned to his first wife, Nadira, a fine lady herself. In book Mrinal Sen: Over The Years, An Interview With Samik Bandopadhyay, Mrinal Sen implied that there was more than a headline in Smita Patil's death. She died due to medical negligence.

Medical negligence is not a rare thing. It happens. It happens to almost everyone in varying degrees. However, this one caused loss of an amazing actress. Over the years, many conspiracy theories have been suggested blaming colleagues and others for the death. Most of these cannot be anything more than wild figment of imagination... though some of them might have some gravity.

(In Conversation: Sujoy And Ali)

Thoovanathumbikal | The Critique

Mohanlal is an amazing actor, the least I can say. He is very natural actor and looks effortless on screen. This makes him an actor of a separate league. Thoovanathumbikal just asserts this fact. It’s a very simple, still little complex, Malayalam movie about love and is primarily woven around one single character Jayakrishnan played by Mohanlal himself.

Jayakrishnan is an outspoken flamboyant person who takes pleasure in making his friends happy. He can do anything for his friends, literally. His friends appreciates this and can happily pay back. He falls in love with a young girl Radha, who rejects him thinking him to be a nuisance. On insistence of a friend, he meets a girl Clara who wants to join prostitution to support her family. They make love and he finds that Clara was a virgin. Jaya made a promise that if ever he takes virginity of a girl, he will marry her. Slowly, he falls in love with Clara and decides to marry her. But Clara leaves. Radha comes to know about Jaya's truth and falls for him. One day, Jaya gets a mail from Clara... Now what will happen?

The production value of movie is not spectacular... Characterization is. Padmarajan's beautiful story and amazing direction makes it a quality movie. Actors played their role very subtly. The songs are beautiful. The presentation of 'rain' as a character is interesting and adds value to the story. It reminds me of Kalidasa's Meghdoot.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Aradhana | Rajesh Khanna's Way To Superstardom | The Critique

For ages to come, people would not be able to forget S. D. Burman's classic- "Mere Sapno Ki Rani". This song has a magical impact on the viewers. A romantic Rajesh Khanna trying to voo a beautiful Sharmila while latter is in a train and former is on a jeep running parallel to the tracks. Since then, many actors have tried this in one or another way, including Ajay Devgan in an action sequence in Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, but never had that impact.

Arun (Rajesh Khanna) who is an Airforce officer falls in love with Vandana. They marry informally without Arun's family's knowledge. Due to call of duty, Arun leaves and later dies on front. A pregnant Vandana is not accepted by her in-laws. Dejected, Vandana gives birth to a child who is adopted by a generous but childless couple. The couple readily accept her as child's caretaker. It serves purpose for both parties. As the fate would have designed, a relative of the couple tries of molest and the child unintentionally kills him to protect her. Vandana owns up the crime and goes to child. Would the mother and son ever unite?

Shakti Samanta gave another blockbuster that had a good story, fine performances and brilliant music. Remake of 1942 Hollywood classic To Each His Own, Aradhana is a case study for people who appreciate good remakes. Aradhana takes into account the Indian sensibilities and portrays characters beautifully.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Cinema... And Stars | Editor's Pen

Lately we have seen some good actors doing really 'bad' cinema. By 'bad' cinema I don't mean mindless comedies but movies which try to dwell between cinema and soft porn. Making a sex comedy is a different thing and using sex as an object is different. Without being hypocrite, I admit that in real we do crack non-veg jokes. Watching them on screen is also fine to some extent. But there is an undefined boundary which is being taken for granted nowadays. Ajay Devgan, Kangana and Sanjay Dutt's Rascal is a disturbing example.

Its beyong my imagination to figure out what these three gem of actors doing in a movie which had no sense, relied on stupid jokes and silly boy show? Sanjay and Ajay are well established. They can always fall back on good makers and improve their filmography but what is Kangana doing? She has some really good performances to her credit. She did Gangster, she did Life In A Metro, she did Woh Lamhe... she excelled in Tanu Weds Manu and now? Is this all for money?

I wish I can see her in better movies... else she will end up becoming something we don't want.

Wishes,
Sujoy

Amar Prem | Love Beyond Prejudices | The Critique

"Pushpa... I Hate Tears" is one dialogue from good old days which still make butterflies fly. This four words dialogue became a punch dialogue for every guy having a cry-baby girlfriend. Rajesh Khanna owe a lot to this epic love story by Shakti Samanta.

Pushpa (Sharmila Tagore) is a classic case of Chandramukhi after effect. She is sold to a brothel by a 'well' wisher from village. In brothel, she meets a businessman Anand Babu (Rajesh Khanna) whose marriage is flowing on the rocks. Apart from Anand Babu, there is a kid in her life- Nandu. Nandu is child of a widower of her village who remarried. Nandu's step-mother treats him badly. Both Anand Babu and Nandu turns to Pushpa for love and affection and she welcomes them both with open arms. But the world is too harsh to accomodate her.

Both Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna gave outstanding performances. This is definitely one of the most memorable performances by the legendary duo. The music of this movie especially a mesmerizing 'Chingari Koi Bhadke' and a numbing 'Raina Beete Jaye' slowly engulfs you. S.D. at his best. It sets the mood for a story that was a little rebellious. The story shows very strong human emotions painted in lighter hues. It judges love without any prejudices. If I have to compare it with anything... it would be Raja Ravi Varma's paintings.

Shakti Samanta gave us so many good films. Amar Prem is definitely one of his best standing with Aradhana which catapulted Rajesh Khanna to Super Stardom. Even after 40 years, the songs, the dialogues and the moments still remain with us.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Thirakkatha | Simply Amazing | The Critique

This is a movie you can fall in love with. Ranjith is arguably the best story teller among all active movie makers in this country. Thirakkatha reinstates this argument. Dedicated to actress of yesteryears Srividya, this movie take cues from her life and also from lives of numerous actresses of different eras. The narrative style used in this movie is almost Ranjith's signature.

Akbar (Prithviraj) is a successful name in Malayalam cinema after success of his debut. The first part of the movie talks about his new subject Malvika (Priyamani), an actress of yesteryears who saw a steep downfall and is now missing. He tells the story of Malvika and her love/estranged husband Ajay who is now a superstar. But in the middle of the movie, story halts at the question... where is Malvika?

Priyamani as Malvika is simply awesome. She simply takes your heart away in an emotionally draining role. Prithviraj does a fair job. Anoop Menon and Samvruta were apt. While performances are good enough, the script and direction is the real star here. The way scenes toggle between past and present and the way they hold the flow, the usage of drama and cliches is worth-watching. Thirakkatha means Script/Screenplay. So, true to name.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Smita Patil | The Real Talent | Statesmen

Ardha Satya, Shakti, Mandi, Manthan, Bhumika, Aakrosh, Bazaar, Chakra, Chidambaram and Mirch Masala... Most of the actresses in current crop would be proud of herself if she gets even 1 second presence in any of these movies, Smita Patil did all of them... mostly as lead and heavy duty roles. Her filmography boasts of movies like these and a few other acclaimed ones, experience of working with actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Babbar and Girish Karnad and  directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Mrinal Sen and B.R. Chopra. Uff... quite a list.

Smita was known as an intense actress. She had the power to hold a scene with great élan. Something Meena Kumari was capable of doing in a more romantic way. Smita carved her niche in a male dominated cinema and portrayed many strong female characters like Sonbai in Mirch Masala. Even in smaller roles, like the one in Shakti, she used to put in so much energy. She was not exactly a fit for commercial cinema but still made a mark in commercial hits like Shakti and Namak Halaal in which she was paired opposite to Amitabh Bachchan.

Her dedication for parallel cinema has no parallel. She was face of parallel cinema in 70s. She was a favorite of directors who spearheaded the parallel cinema movement. However, at a point, she was 'unceremoniously' removed from projects just to accommodate more commercial faces to make movies more commercially viable. What a shame it was? At that time, Smita decided to move to commercial cinema. Though the decision didn't work out much in her favor, she earned respect of likes of Ramesh Sippy and B.R. Chopra. Talent can earn respect anywhere, she proved.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Corpse Bride | The Critique

If you are finding the name strange, then let me tell you this movie is often included in to list of highly recommended animation movies, even tomato-meter gives it 84%. May be this was the reason that I watched it with too many expectations and hence landed up unsatisfied. The thing that I appreciated most is that this is a stop-motion animation and yet stands in competition with digital animations.

The film begins with a marriage being arranged by Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria’s parents. Victor is so nervous about the prospect of marriage that he fumbles with the ring, forgets his vows, during the wedding rehearsal. Dejected, he goes to the woods and practices his vows. He places the ring on a twig, but it turns out to be a female skeletal hand.  The “corpse bride” named Emily is now introduced who considers herself to be married to Victor and takes him along with her to the land of dead. The drama follows with whom Victor chooses to be and the world he wishes to live in. To let you know, this originally is a folktale that has been around for centuries.

The thing to appreciate is the director’s imagination that has even made the horrific corpse bride look beautiful, in a tattered wedding dress with bones reflecting behind the makeup. The gleeful dancing skeletons make you feel like having a tour through a haunted house. You will rarely feel that its stop-motion and not digital. The puppets themselves were fitted with intricate mechanics to create subtle nuances. Further, the contrast between the dark & gray real word and colorful & joyful underworld is also a big surprise as vice versa makes most common story.

The major setback for this flick is that its rated PG and story baseline about dead & corpses is not in adherence with the kids, which are the major targeted audience for animation movies. The jokes are identical, infact, boring & out fashioned will be the correct words, making it not a good watch for adults too. The story is dragging often & plot simply doesn't make sense, Victor is caught between two women with no reason for wanting to be with either !! The music score is also a mess, and though I tried very hard but yet couldn’t appreciate it.

As a movie buff, I realize how much labor and hard work is put into producing a flick, hence I will not call it a ’bad’ film. I would only say that the movie is not the worth as per the hype created for it. You may give it a try, if you are falling short of movies to watch.

Verdict : 2.5/5

Written By: Neha Jain

Use Of Symphony In A Clockwork Orange | My Take | Under Lens

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has a spirit of its own. It never ceases to bring peace to you. It’s something very kind very pure and very classic in nature... Like a running stream of fresh water. However, Stanley Kubrick used it in outrageously beautiful manner in A Clockwork Orange.

The phrase 'A Clockwork Orange' refers to mechanical conditioning of something natural like brain. The lead character Alex is a sort of devil. His ways are anti-social and is a perfect case of a misfit in a society. His violence and sexual-perverse can be a case study for many. He is conditioned to feel nausea whenever his violent nature comes to forth. However, in kind of collateral damage, along with violent nature of his, his affection for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony becomes a traumatic experience.

The use of Symphony in ACO is an exemplar one. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the usage was far more simplistic. In ACO, the usage was not only metaphorical, it brought an intensity to scenes. Beyond a point, it tends to drain energy out of you and you can feel your nerves going numb. It brings in an interesting effect to the visuals on scene. A mix of paranoia and violence.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Soundtrack | Rajeev Just Rocks | The Critique

How unfortunate it is that this movie might die an untimely death. It is one of the better movies of this year standing tall with likes of Shaitan and That Girl In Yellow Boots. Rajeev Khandelwal has pulled off a difficult movie almost single handedly. Anybody in industry couldn’t have done a better job; even the perfectionist we know.

Rounak is a composer who carves a niche for himself in a club as DJ. His sense of music is appreciated and he gets an opportunity to work with Anurag Kashyap. However, everything is on a high of heavy doses of booze and drugs. As he is working on music for Anurag's movie, he realizes that something is wrong with him. He is losing his sense of hearing, his biggest asset. His inner demons are taking toll on him and one day, accidentally he loses it all. A deaf DJ makes no sense in normal world. Rounak doesn't go... he remains t'hear'.

Remake of Its All Gone Pete Tong, Soundtrack has a fine script and smart dialogues. Performances are good. Rajeev is exceptional. Soha surprises you with a really good performance. Her accent is a little irritating but makes perfect sense. I really liked that touch. Work with camera and BG is good. Editing is crisp, really crisp. Direction is awesome. Really appreciated. Watch this movie if you value good cinema.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh 

Learning The Craft | Gaurav Karmakar | Golden Podium

I, as a budding actor and as far my knowledge goes in this field, feel that acting is more about being in that situation & feeling each and every bit of the surrounding that the director wants to create. Just forgetting everything about your own personal & professional life for that moment and living the life of that character is what I try to achieve as of now. And as far I feel I need a lot of meditation & concentration to achieve that.

I was unaware of these demands and the techniques involved in achieving them while shooting for our short film Zakhm. But after that I read some books, interviews of some good actors, watched some good movies, tried to feel the characters portrayed by some  good actors and tried to portray a different emotion of that character. Now after watching our another short film Itaanu Uttaram I myself felt that I have learnt at least something out of this hard work. I tried to be more concentrated & feel the character while shooting for Itaanu Uttaram and I feel I have succeeded at least 10% in that.

For portraying a character by feeling it, an actor needs to know each & every detail about the character. From where has he come, what he wants to do, what is his confidence level, how is he feeling at that moment, what he wants from that moment, is he an optimist or a pessimist and everything else possible. After knowing all this and preparing with full diligence when an actor comes up with a performance, the beauty that hard work creates on stage or on screen surpasses everything else around. The dream of being able to perform various characters and with this level of beauty is what gives me a kick and each step taken by me in this direction is what satisfies me for that moment.

I don’t have any particular role model, rather I try to appreciate and learn from every good performance. Some being – Ronit Roy’s performance in Udaan, Farhan Akhtar’s performance in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, Paresh Rawal’s performance in Hera Pheri, Irrfan’s performance in Life In A Metro and the list goes on...

Written By: Gaurav Karmakar

S.P.O.R.T.S. E.D.I.T.I.O.N.

Here We Go | Sports Movies Edition | Editor's Pen

Hi Dears...
The last two 'Genre' specials proved only one thing, how less we know about cinema. When we decided to zero upon 'Sports Movies Edition', Ali was a little doubtful. Even I had reservations. This genre is so difficult to pull off. So many movies and so many emotions. But we decided to stick to our choice and here we go...

Presenting the Sports Movies Edition.

We tried to write about some regular/mainstream/typical sports movies and some not so ones. We intentionally left out some major names because a lot has been written and sung about them. We tried to cover many different kind of sub-genres. We really hope that you will like this edition.

Greetings
Sujoy

PS: Its Ali's Birthday. Wishes from the entire team. :)

The Pride Of The Yankees | Critique

"People all say that I've had a bad break. But today...today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. " These two concluding lines say a lot about the speaker. A gentle and honorable person who gave his life to game and is very satisfied to the core. So was Lou Gehrig, the iconic first baseman of New York Yankees. TPOTY is a movie dedicated to the baseball legend whose career was curtailed premature due to a nerve disorder, which later claimed his life.

Unlike most of the sports-movies, this movie is more drama than game itself. Lou (played by a brilliant Gary Cooper) wants to be a baseball player but her mother presses him to follow path of an uncle who had a successful career. While he is pursuing engineering, his mother gets sick and he joins Yankees for a contract. In his first game he is mocked by a beautiful Eleanor (Teresa Wright). Later both fall in love with each other (another cliché) and marry. His career is blooming and along with Babe Ruth (another legend who did a cameo) is rated as the best in the game. But later his performance starts dipping and doctors reveal that he is suffering from a fatal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In the last scene, he says adieu to the game he loved the most.

TPOTY is perhaps one of the most lively biopics I have ever seen. The character of Gehrig, Eleanor and Gehrig's writer friend Sam Blake are beautifully crafted and adds only smiles. The movie hardly puts in any phase of depression and even in the moments where Gehrig's end is being shown, the tone is very hopeful. Direction is adorable. The movie, however, is known more for editing than any other technical aspect. Editing won the Oscar. The use of montages to show Lou's growth as a player is iconic. It takes out the monotony as the game is actually about the player and not about the game. The crisp editing makes the movie a memorable affair.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Invictus | The Game That Changed A Nation | The Critique

After the apartheid era, bringing South Africa as a nation was perhaps the biggest challenge President Nelson Mandela had. Bringing whites and blacks close as South African was anything but easy. The idea that once racism is condemned every difference would cease to exist was an immature thought. Mandela knew that very well. However, to make the nation, this was the first step.

Springboks, dominated by whites, represented SA in Rugby. However, Sports Committee dominated by blacks decides to oppose them as Springboks reminds them of the racism-inflicted past. Mandela sees this as a step backwards. He makes it a point that in South Africa, whites and blacks should behave like one. He convinces Sports Committee. Some people still oppose the idea but with their actions and behavior, Springboks manage to steal the hearts. How do they do that? Here lies the idea of the story. In the end one team wins, one loses, one nation rises, two races unites and one idea works for the betterment of common cause.

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Skipper Pienaar gave stellar performances in a rather difficult movie. The trick in this type of movies lie in moments but Clint Eastwood, the director, relied more on the understated emotions. This might not give you goose bumps but you might feel a heavy lump in your throat.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

The Greatest Game Ever Played | Critique

Everybody ruled him out as a golfer. His father hated his passion for game. He had no background to claim a spot. And... In the most important game of his life, he was pitted against his childhood idol. The game that was destined to change Golf forever, it was the greatest game ever played. Based book with the same title on early days of legendary golfer Francis Ouimet, the movie was directed by famed actor-director Bill Paxton.

Francis, a young boy from an under privileged immigrant family, grew as a caddy in a nearby golf course.  When he gets his first chance, his nerves ditches him and leaves him to lead a below par life. One fine day, luck decides to embrace him with a new lease of life in from of US Open. His father is not supportive but mother and friend-cum-caddy Eddie sticks with him. In the game which mattered the most, he ties for the grand finale against Ted Ray and Harry Vardon, two seasoned players from Britain. Will he make the most out of it? Another underdog tale that would hold your breath, even though you know that the climax would be.

Shia LaBeouf as Francis and Josh Flitter as Eddie steals the show. Their chemistry as Golfer-caddy is simply amazing. Though a kid, Josh leaves a deep long-lasting impact on viewers. Bill Paxton played with fire. This was a difficult movie to pull off. Most successful underdog-sports movies are loud and Dolby friendly. Golf is  game from the other planet. Bill did a brilliant job. The script and direction, both are extremely crisp and makes the movie a pleasant affair.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Love And Basketball | The Critique

The title of the movie might sound weird, but its nothing like the typical chick-flick love story or sports movie. Unlike other sports movie, it isn’t focused on a specific game, or a team overcoming odds. It considers the game in terms of career and passion. The best part being, its straightforward treatment of women's sports, a subject that is rarely covered without a special angle.

The movie is about Quincy, son of a NBA star who is determined to follow in his dad's footsteps, and his tomboy neighbor Monica who wants to be the first female player in the NBA, and their passion for the game and also for each other. The director has effectively broken down the movie into four quarters.

The two meet as 11-year-olds in the first quarter, and after some typical boy-girl hostility, they grow to become friends and fellow basketball players. The second quarter sees them as a couple during senior year in high school. The third quarter traces their turbulent freshman year at USC, when simultaneous turns in the big leagues sours their off-court relationship, setting the stage for the fourth quarter, which catches up with the two after college. The story is dealt quite maturely with no drama involved to manufacture excitement in the game or complications to pull apart the relationship.

Omar Epps is charismatic, likable, and more than up to the role's athletic requirements. . Sanaa Lathan is extremely convincing and carries the greatest emotional weight in the film, with tomboy stubbornness and womanly pride. Some extra shots : Lathan had no experience with the game, when she was initially cast.

Love & Basketball isn’t the kind of most exciting sports flicks with a Big Game having audience-pleasing jump shots at the buzzer, instead its about the athlete’s journey to that big game. This is for those who like something beyond the formula.

Verdict –It does not feel like watching a Game highlight. 3/5
 
Written By: Neha Jain

The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner | The Critique

TLOTLDR is very much like Shawshank Redemption and The Longest Yard. Its very unlike any usual we-gotta-win kind of sports movies and might not be labelled as a sports movie as well. It subtly highlights the mind of a runner and portrays how your past can influence your will to win. The movie is about an unusual candidate of long distance running and his life.

Colin Smith is arrested for a petty crime and is sent to reform school where the governor discovers the long distance runner in him. Governor looks upon this opportunity as his chance to prove his capabilities as a reform school head. Colin is given better facilities. His fellows look at him with contempt because he is being treated differently. Meanwhile, in flashback, his previous life is shown. His ailing father who dies, his mother and her lover and his girlfriend. In the climax, he runs for his reform school against a team from an established British School.

This movie is considered as one of the finest British Films and there are reasons why? The movie softly plays with the idea of long distance running because while running for long, runner has many things to ponder on (though his focus should be on race only) and these things can influence his pace andthe result of the race. He might even face a mental block and decide to quit or speed up himself to beat even the best in the trade. A lot is between your ears.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Ten Must Watch Sports Movies | Under Lens

1) Ali : Impressive biopic of Mohd. Ali played by Will Smith. It speaks more about the person Ali was rather than the player he appeared in ring.

2) Caddyshack: Interesting story of a caddie, golfers and a gopher. Considered to be one of the best sports comedy ever made.

3) Coach Carter : Inspiring tale of Ken Carter who wants his players to score in academics as many of them who never make it big in game, fail in life due to lack of formal education.

4) Invictus : After suffering apartheid for long, will people of SA support their team having Whites. Will they ever forgive? Can Mandela make it possible?

5) Jerry Maguire :  Amazing story of a sport agent who is trying to balance his career after being fired and having only one client with an average career.

6) Miracle : True story of an American Ice Hockey team which beats a very strong Soviet team in Winter Olympics of 1980.

7) Raging Bull : Boxer Jake La Motta's biographical movie made by Martin Scorsese based on a namesake book by the boxer himself. Movie shows how the rage in a man can ruin his personal life.

8) Remember The Titans : One of the most captivating story where a coach with his assistant fight with racism to make a team no one can forget.

9) Rocky : Sylvester Stallone in the memorable role of Rocky Balboa who has every quality to be successful in ring and faces big hurdles in face.

10) The World's Fastest Indian : Anthony Hopkins. Indian. Period.

Sportsperson Turned Actors | Under Lens

Many professional sportspersons like Kapil Dev, Babe Ruth, Vijay Amritraj etc have played cameos in movies however, only a few took acting seriously and took it professionally as well.

Alex Karras: A football player and pro wrestler, Karras is also known for the role of Mango in film Blazing Saddles. At a point he was under consideration for role of Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather. He also worked in few other films and TV series and also tried his hands on Commentary.

Vinnie Jones: He played for Chelsea and Leeds United. He played for Welsh team. He acted in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. He also acted in Gone In 60 Seconds, Swordfish, X-Men: The Last Stand and a few others. Quite a filmography.

Carl Weathers: People might not remember Chubbs from Happy Gilmore but definitely can't forget Apollo Creed from Rocky. However, professional football was part of his accomplishments before he made Rocky's nemesis turned friend immortal.

Jim Brown: His acting exploits were perhaps not comparable to his skills in football. He is perhaps one of the greatest American athletes and definitely the greatest Athlete turned Actor. The Dirty Dozen was perhaps his best work on screen.

Leander Paes: Known for his across the court skills, he is considered to be one of the finest players of doubles in tennis is going to silver screen as well. Details... aah, we will be back.

Force | Making An Impact | The Critique

Force is a remake of Kakka Kakka. If we forget that and consider it to be a fresh sapling, its awesome. Truly awesome. Nishikant Kamat has done a stupendous job with a bunch of good technicians. This movie might not move you but definitely delivers what it promises, some powerful and rib-crunching action. Why I said 'rib-crunching', you will feel it in the climax.

Force has two layers. First, the romance between Yash and Maya. Genelia has been herself and was impressive in the peppy scenes. John tried to carry from New York but failed in a role that needed more facial flexibility. Both were very awkward in heavier scenes though pulled off the peppy ones pretty well. The second layer... Action. Remarkable is the word. You don't see this quality of action in Hindi Films. Crisp and hitting. As John's nemesis Vidyut is a revelation. He acts well and has an awesome physique. Mohnish Behl and the other cop (the bachelor one) were really good.

As I said, technically the movie is very good. Action sequences can numb your nerves and cinematography is commendable. Most of the scenes are copy from the original but treatment is impressive. If you haven't seen Kakka Kakka or Gharshana, you will be happily surprised. Music is weak. Yes, it is. Lyrics don't suit the soul of songs. Editing and direction is good. In simple words, easily something between two and half and three.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Mausam | A Receding Mirage | The Critique

Watch any movie just after 2001: A Space Odyssey and its highly unlikely that you will find it slow paced. Though a little short of three hours, I didn't found Mausam as slow as its made out to be. However, Mausam is definitely lengthy which is pretty understandable because the canvas selected was too big. Mausam worked for me to some extent as I wanted it to be a soft slow love story which can its own leisure time to grow on me. Having said all this, the overall experience was a little disappointing. Two and a nothing from my side.

Plot is very simple. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl feels the same way. However dramatic circumstances lead to separation. They re-unite and confess just to be separated. And finally they unite once for all. This linear story was drawn upon backdrop of three major events: Babri Mosque demolition, Kargil War and Gujrat riots. Sounds good and in pieces came out really well. The problem comes in when people overdo the drama. The focus on love story is lost after a point and more of it becomes a frustrated search of beloved. Here the cinematic value falls after impressive buildup.

Script definitely needed a re-draft. They worked on fine details like having Indo-British Memento in rack and left out big loopholes in story like no matter how early someone has to leave, there is always some time for a phone call... and why the Ferries Wheel? It ruined the climax. At one moment you are impressed by scriptwriter's grey matter, the other moment you start doubting your own judgment. Direction was decent. You can see what Pankaj Kapur tried to do, though he failed. Editing was sloppy. Acting... Frankly speaking, I found this one as one of the best by Shahid. He has grown a lot as an actor. His dialogue delivery was little damp, though. Sonam was average. Supriya Pathak was brilliant. She along with Manoj Pahwa filled the story with life it desperately needed. Others were just okay.

Mausam is one of those movies which failed to deliver what it promised though it had everything needed... or maybe a little more. This more was the problem.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh 

The Story Behind Itaanu Uttaram | Golden Podium

When I read the story of Comrade Duch of Combodia who was held responsible for more than 16k executions, I was literally tongue-tied. For next few days, I kept thinking about it. On day four, when I had a fair idea, I shared it with Arun. That moment, Itaanu Uttaram came into existence. A story that carried a snippet about Comrade Duch and his Pastor.

Presenting a movie is perhaps the most difficult part and our biggest handicap was lack of resources and money, sometimes the former, sometimes the latter and sometimes both. After lot of brain storming, I decided to take a cue from Ranjith's Paleri Manikyam's first half where Mammootty narrates the story of Manikyam. I decided to have a presenter/narrator who connects the dots and completes the picture for viewer. It was a little risk I decided to take. From quick reviews I got, I feel we didn't screw this up.

I like to drop little hints as dedications. Like Ram holding a mug with Casablanca poster, use of Beethoven's classics in scenes of violence and pain hinting a dedication to A Clockwork Orange and few others. It’s a little tricky thing because most of the viewers might not pick these hints but then we would have a few who will understand the motive and would appreciate it.

Itaanu Uttaram is perhaps the best work of art... better than any story I wrote or any blog post or anything else. But I hope, this won't hold good for long. I will improve.

Love…

Sujoy

Promises Of A Rockstar | Editor's Pen

Imtiaz Ali is some talent. He has a vision. Though I am no fan of Love Aajkal, I loved his first two outings: Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met. Imtiaz knows how to play with characters and how to present stories on screen. His stories are simple and full of romance. However, Rockstar promos give you a different feel.

Rockstar has a very rough feel, pretty different from Imtiaz's other movies which had a very soft touch. The character is looking meaner than any other Imtiaz's leads. He is apparantly having an overdose of all the big Rock names and is ambitious to be one among them. He has that persona. Nargis is looking untamed. She is wild. A perfect one for the role. The music revealed has something likeable. Gotta hold it for a second.

Anyways, next edition will be 'Sports Movies Special' where we will showcase some usual and some unusual sports movies. Wait for them. Till then... take care.

Thanks

Sujoy