Uttkrishtt 2011 | Most Memorable Hindi Film Dialogues

Here We Go... | Editor's Pen

First thing... Happy Independence Day!

Another opportunity to salute our motherland and think how can we make our country better. This Independence day begin on a sad note. Shammi Ji left us. Its a terrible loss to the Hindi Cinema. Of all the actors of yesteryears he was perhaps one of the most underrated one. He is remembered as a rebel star. But the actor in him definitely deserved more. RIP Shammi ji.

As promised, we have unveiled Uttkrishtt 2011.

Every movie buff believes that script is the soul of a good movie. Dialogues are like ripples on surface of water. They tell us the vastness of the waterbody. Dialogues tell us the quality of a script. Over the years, when we tend to forget the plots of movies, good dialogues keep coming back to us... sometimes are etched on to our memories.

Uttkrishtt 2011 Celebrates the most memorable dialogues... from Hindi Films. Please Vote and Show Love.

Thanks

Sujoy

Most memorable Hindi Film Dialogues | Uttkrishtt

Voting Closed!!!

Uttkrishtt And Some Changes | Editor's Pen

First thing first: Update on Uttkrishtt- After a lot of brainstorming, The Reel Mag team has decided to tweak the format of the Survey a little. On 16^th, we will bring forward a list of 25 Most Memorable Dialogues of Hindi Cinema and you would be able rate them. Based on your ratings, TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE HINDI FILM DIALOGUES would be announced on September 01 Edition. Yes… unlike the last time, this time Uttkrishtt would be a two edition affair. The first part will discuss all the nominated dialogues and second part would analyze the results. Voting will begin on 16th August...

Now... the inevitable change funda. Lately we have been feeling good about the CineTalk articles. They give an immense pleasure as writers and we feel content. So, for some time now we will be shifting our focus from other sections to just three of them: CineTalk, The Critique and Statesmen, apart from regular columns. Also, we are planning to be more analytical than informative.

Please let us know how would you like to see TRM grow...

Thanks

Sujoy Ghosh

Flatland | The Critique

In a mood to utilize the Internet connection at my home allowing unlimited download, I gave Google, the task to fetch me list of movies to be watched. And on some site, I came across the above name.  Now it was time to verify with Rotten Tomatoes, and to my surprise…………..83% users liked it!!

This is an unique animated movie released in competition with other 3D movies about a 2D world. It’s based on a novel, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott. Though the animation is crude, musical score is a mess, but makers have effectively covered various social issues like racism, chauvinism, extremism, political purges, bureaucracy with such simplicity, that their imagination deserves acknowledgement. The same goes for the inter-title cards that tell us when ‘important’ moments are about to occur, though not much humorous but an innovative attempt again

The story is set in a 2D land whose residents are all Polygons and is narrated through point of view of ‘A Square’. It seems simple, a Square having, a eye and a mouth, moving around and talking, haven’t we seen similar flicks earlier, be it Toy Story or any other. Dear friend, you are mistaken here, it’s not just imagination, it’s very close to reality too. They discuss ‘Art of Sight Recognition’………….. Just think when one polygon sees other polygon in 2D world, it just sees faces (sides) and not shape!! Interesting concept, isn’t it? These polygons are such animated, that you can see their brain, lungs and kidney, sounds crude, but think, it’s a 2D plane and has no other plane to cover the body parts.

Their social status is determined by their regularity and the number of their sides, a Circle is considered to be the "perfect" shape. Women there believe in zero figure too [;)], kidding, they are just a single line.  The stinging social satire includes a fascinating system of hierarchical white shape recognition and the threat of a colored revolution, Chromatism. The major twist, comes when square makes his evolutionary leap to the next dimension of Spaceland. Unfortunately, square’s enlightenment is so complete that not only does he return as a pariah of his own society, even his savior Sphere is offended at the suggestion that still higher gods and dimensions must exist above him. A typical example, of human nature, thinking themselves to be the Supreme being in nature!!

Verdict: Not a Must Watch, but definitely the uniqueness needs to be appreciated.

Written By: Neha Jain

Dharm | Redefining Religion | The Critique

When I saw Eklavya, I literally puked. I closed my ears when I heard that for Oscar's entry, it was chosen oven a certain Pankaj Kapoor movie 'Dharm'. I sensed a scam when I saw Dharm. What kind of weed were the 'so-called' committee members were smoking when they chose a silly and over-the-top Eklavya over an intriguing Dharm? It’s like comparing sour grapes with fine strawberries.

Dream debut is one thing and having a debut with a movie like Dharm is another. Such a movie is once in a decade thing, if not more. Dharm is about religion, as the word literally mean in English, and explores religion in a new way. We have seen many movies where orthodoxy is slammed but Dharm justifies it beautifully and slowly transcends into a secular mode which, again, is affirmed by Dharm only. Religious faith is not seen with disregard but with respect. Rituals are not panned. They are redefined. Its story of a priest known for his values. He is a bit rigid with what he follows. In times of communal riots, his world is toppled when he comes to know that the kid he adopted is Muslim. He wants to repent and what follows has definitely no parallel in whatever cinema I had witnessed till today.

Pankaj Kapoor as Pandit Chaturvedi and Supriya Pathak as obedient wife raised their bar of acting to a new level. As son Shahid will be proud if he can give even 5 minutes of performance that can match his father. Every actor, from the errant son of temple's owner to the business minded pundit, has given fine performances. At times words and metaphors have been used and at times expressions were enough. The backdrop of communal violence added more gravity to the entire plot. If one scene has to be picked, I would pick the scene where Pankaj Kapoor decides to take Chandrayan Vrata.

Editing is brilliant. It’s crisp and very expressive. There is not even one unwanted moment. Background score is impressive. Cinematography left me spell bound. But the winner is definitely the script and direction ably complemented by fine performances. Bhawna Talwar has done a brilliant job as a director. Even for seasoned directors making a movie of this quality is such a feat to achieve. Respect is the word. Comparing it with a sham like Eklavya is an insult.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

You Complete Me... | Jerry Maguire | My Take | Cine Talk

This is not about the iconic romantic climax. It’s about a small meaningful scene that takes palce early in the movie and comes back to you, just to bring a smile on your face, later in the climax. 'You Complete Me...' from box office winner Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger.

Jerry Maguire, star sports agent of his company has been unceremoniously fired after he writes a memo citing his thoughts on the prevalent work culture... which had no takers in the management. He openly offers jobs to his teammates and only one person responds- a single mother Dorothy, who has a crush on him. They leave the office and are in a lift when a differently able couple comes and convey love for each other in sign language. Jerry wonders what they were talking about and then Dorothy who happens to know sign language tells him that the person said- 'you complete me'. This sentence doesn't seem to have any importance till this point... however, as the reel flows, the dialogue grows on you. It has an unimaginable impact on you.

Everybody, no matter how successful, has something missing in him or her. Somebody in his or her life completes by adding taht value. Jerry had values and ethics, he knew the game well and had no reason to think why he might fail... however, he was not able to get what he wanted. He was failing. He lacked that human connect with his clients and his interaction with Dorothy and her son made him understand what a relation means. When you hear this dialogue in the climax... you are not surprised.

One dialogue... that completed the movie...

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

The Secret In Their Eyes And Paleri Manikyam | Same Feel Same Class | Cine Talk

*Based on conversation with my friend Arun Purushothaman*

The Secret In Their Eyes is an Argentine movie speaking Spanish and Paleri Manikyam is an Indian movie speaking Malayalam. Both have a similar plot: An investigator turned writer (and the other way round) investigating a case in past unfolding some hidden truths. In The Secret... the lead actor is writing about a murder he investigated and in course of his research of people involved, he finds something totally unexpected. In Paleri... the lead actor is investigating and writing about a closed case and finds his relationship with the deceased. To the core, both stories have similar story lines.

Just like Mammootty, Darin is also a very capable actor. His charisma lies in subtle hints he drops rather than saying/acting loudly, which is a very common problem with usual cinema. Both tend to act with their eyes and body language. Their characters in Paleri... and The Secret... demanded the same. In some scenes, when their personal attachment with the deceased surfaces, their eyes speaks volumes. Dialogues though good, fail to take the forte. There individual performances take the experience beyond the script. Pretty ironically, both characters are very astute in their personal dealings and are in complicated relationships with a woman who become an important part of their journey. Now about the victims. Paleri...'s Manikyam and The Secret...'s Liliana Coloto, both are very similar caricatures. Both are young brides and in love with their husbands. Both are being brutally raped and murdered.

Both the movies can boast of fine script, fine direction, brilliant performances and convincing presentation. Both the movies have somewhat out-of-box way of presentation and demands some intellectual audience. Both can turn off people looking for some masala thriller.

Arun's Choice: The Secret In Their Eyes

My Choice: Paleri Manikyam

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Bollywood Music In H'Wood | RS Unplugged

Well, how many of you have watched ‘Inside Man’? ... Yes, the movie featuring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster. If you have watched it, then you can certainly guess what I am going to speak to you about, today. And, for all those who haven’t watched it, I am not breaking the suspense now but I will just give you a hint… it starts and ends with a filmi blockbuster song! (Do let me know if you liked it or hated it or found it bizarre!J)

I have already spoken a lot about filmi music, its growing scope and its growing popularity. Today, let’s focus on one of the outcome of its popularity.

You must be knowing about ‘Moulin Rouge’ (By Baz Luhrmann) and the song ‘chamma chamma’(by Anu Malik, from the movie China Gate) being showcased in it as OST. It was the first case when I heard a Hindi song being featured in an English movie as OST, and the way it blended into it was simply fantastic! Luhrmann was inspired by Bollywood musicals when he made it. And this is not the only case; there are a lot many instances where the Hollywood filmmakers preferred Bollywood (or Indian) music instead of English tracks, as their OST. The movie ‘Lord of War’ also featured some Tamil songs as OST, my favorite in it being the theme music of BOMBAY (by A.R. Rahman). The movie ‘Ghost World’ featured the song ‘Jaan Pehechan ho’ from Gumnaam (1965). Similar was the scene with ‘The Accidental Husbands’, in which many Indian songs were featured, one of which was ‘Rang de’ from Thakshak (by A.R. Rahman).

Bombay Dreams was a musical that was well acclaimed by the international audience. It was fabricated entirely from Bollywood music. But, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ can be considered as the best example of the growing popularity of Bollywood music in Hollywood and a perfect example of how filmi music is taking a place in the world of OSTs, in Hollywood films. And by grabbing Oscars, it just certified this.

Such measures purely showcase the internationalization of music. Music should never be compacted in geographical boundaries. Pakistani music has been inspiring Bollywood music since years, but in this case the cultural difference is quite less. Indian music entering into English movies is certainly a bigger step towards the internationalization of music. Language, in this case, matters less than the meaning and the melody. In the end it doesn’t matter whether Indian films feature western tracks or the vice-versa. All that matters is that the music is getting its due recognition, which is, in fact, of prime importance. RS hopes and wishes that this trend continues.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

Paresh Rawal's Difficult Moment | Cine Talk

One legend says thats Sardar Patel was in court defending his client when he received a note informing him about his wife's demise. He was visibly disturbed. Any other person would have asked the court to postpone the proceedings and leave at the earliest. However, he had a will of iron. He stayed back and left only after the hearing was over. Impressive is an understatement.

The character of Sardar Patel was played by a very capable Paresh Rawal in movie 'Sardar' made by Ketan Mehta. Rawal shot to acclaim just like Anupam Kher did with Saraansh. The movie beautifully depicts the insecurities and reservations of a politician as well as his large heartedness for a greater cause. How he had second thoughts on Nehru as a national leader but readily gave up his claim in favor of a younger leader. His handling of Princely states like Junagadh and Hyderabad was also shown.

Cut to 2011. Paresh Rawal was shooting for Ready. He got a news. His mother expired. A difficult moment. Next flight to Mumbai was in night and he had no other option but to stay. What you would have done? Waited for the flight in Vanity Van? Paresh Rawal acted. He went onto the sets and completed the scenes. This is showmanship... no matter what comes, the show must go on.

Ready was not one of Rawal's best performances. Its difficult to wipe out Brahmanand's brilliant act in the Telugu version. But given the trauma he went through... Hats Off...

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh