When Husband And Lover Confront In Kabhi Kabhie | My Take | Under Lens

In Deewaar, Shashi Kapoor asked Amitabh Bachchan if he will sign the papers and surrender or not. Amitabh says no and questions the morality of his question in light of natural justice. In Kabhi Kabhie, a deja-vu moment comes when Shashi Kapoor comes across the fact that during college time, his wife played by an elegant Raakhi and Amitabh had an affair. He tells that he would have appreciated had he come upto to him upfront and told the truth.

 

The beauty of the entire sequence lies in the fact that as it begins, you know that Shashi Kapoor is very upset but is hiding disappointment. Then he curses himself because he doubted the faithfulness of a lady who is married to him for 20 years and gave up all her joys. He asks why all these years, they ignored each other. He tells that he would have appreciated their frank confession rather than knowing about it accidently. The transition of his character reveals the character so beautifully that one cannot resist giving a standing ovation.

 

The sequence follows up with Amitabh’s monologue expressing his reasons and defending them strongly. He defends Raakhi as well. Yashraj always brought an amazing streak to their characters. The way the conflict and mutual admiration between lover and husband of a woman has been explored in Kabhi Kabhie, its an example to follow.

 

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Heroes Of Hindi Cinema | Uttkrishtt 2012

We can always argue who is our favorite hero. Definitely a matter of subjective evaluation. However, that should not undermine the popularity of characters and appreciation by masses. Presenting Uttkrishtt 2012 Results – Heroes Of Hindi Cinema...

A quick analysis can tell us that people didn’t voted much for larger than life characters. Most of them walk among us. They represent masses. They fight for causes so omnipresent that usually we chose to ignore. Not every hero wins. In fact, some lose their battle. But their fight is not about the outcome. It’s about their values... You can lose a battle provided you fight well.

1. Common Man (Naseeruddin Shah - A Wednesday) : What can a common man do? We need heroes to do the struggle on behalf of common man. But on a Wednesday things changed when a caller brought entire Police Department on knees and successfully orchestrated killing of four deadly terrorists. As it turns out, he is just another common man, without a name and to some extent, without an identity.

2. Raghu (Rajesh Khanna - Bawarchi) :  He is street smart. He can manage house and people like a magician. But what makes him different is his inherent goodness. His ability to teach people a few nuances about life. He picks a family where harmony is a matter of past and becomes a part of it, only to teach them small things to make life better and leave them forever... in search of a new house.

3. Radha (Nargis - Mother India) : Mother - whenever this word is uttered, Nargis drenched in sweat while working in farm is one of few images which comes up in mind. Radha's life is a ballad of struggle and resilience. Her husband leaves her with debt when he becomes invalid. Lala who lustfully approaches her. The famine and never ending financial problems. She refuses to bow down and remains righteous. In the end, she even kills her own son in order to save the honor of her village which she believes to be not different from hers.

4. Suresh Sinha (Guru Dutt - Kagaz Ke Phool) : A successful film director whose marriage is on the rocks finds some solace in affection of his new actress. As his romance faces trials, his daughter is not happy with the situation. Unannounced, actress leaves him. His work betrays him and slowly becomes irrelevant in cinema. In the end, he dies a tragic death.

5. Usha (Smita Patil - Bhumika) : Usha is a strong willed woman who wants to make her career in cinema. Her manager, who later becomes her husband, arranges work for her. After a point she wants to leave her profession much to dislike of her husband. She leaves her and pursue a relationship with a director which doesn't work out. It follows up with a relationship with a businessman who is too orthodox. In the end she returns to her husband and try to redefine her life.

6. Vijay Deenanath Chavan (Amitabh Bachchan - Agneepath) :  Revenge is a dish best served cold. Kancha was responsible for murder of his saintly father and he decides to take his revenge. Vijay wants his village back. His violent means are not appreciated by his mother but his goodwill has many takers. He is a character who breaks laws but doesn't break hearts of poor. A person with heart of gold and blood in eyes.

7. Yeshwant Lohar (Nana Patekar - Yeshwant) : Hot-head. This one word describes Yeshwant. However, he is not only a hot headed cop, he is a very honest person who would not let anything bypass law. He inspires his wife to become IAS. When he realizes that he was wrong in doubting her, he apologizes sincerely. He is a temperamental but un-tampered character.

8. Kabeer Khan (Shahrukh Khan - Chak De! India) : A disgraced captain of Indian Hockey team whose religious identity becomes a subject of suspicion takes up a difficult task of training a women's Hockey Team and win the World Championship, something literally unheard. He fights against the system, his demons and resistance within the team. In the end, when his hard work pays back and the color of medal changes to gold, he silently leaves in his own little world.

9. Adinath (V Shantaram - Do Aankhen Barah Haath) : A young jail warden who believes that goodness exists in even most dreadful criminals and this goodness can help them their demons and become good citizen. He takes six criminals with him and tries to rehabilitate them in a farm. His firm belief in his ideology works and six criminals becomes good citizen. The purpose of law and punishment sees the daylight.

10. Raju (Dev Anand - Guide) :  Raju, the guide, falls in love with dancer-wife of archeologist. Dancer is lonely as her husband doesn’t care for her talent. Raju makes her a professional. As money comes, greed develops. Eventually, he is arrested. After release he takes shelter in a famine-ridden village. Due to miscommunication, people start believing that he is a saint. They start paying respect and much more. Some more miscommunication happens and message 'he won't eat till it rains' goes out. After a lot of dilemma, Raju decides to stick to the message.

Others Who Missed The Final List | Uttkrishtt 2012

These characters won our hearts over ages. They inspired us. They helped us push the envelope. They taught us lessons no textbook shared. They are our heroes...

Ajay Rathore (Aamir Khan - Sarfarosh) : A young IPS who opted IPS over IAS because he wants to weed out criminals proactively. With a small team he takes on naxal-terrorist nexus spanning across borders. His challenges include people in masks and political interventions. In difficult times he keeps his ethics and moral values above everything including his personal welfare.

Bhagat Singh (Manoj Kumar - Shaheed) : Sardar Bhagat Singh is perhaps one of the most respected revolutionary of Indian Independence. Born in family of revolutionaries, Bhagat Singh had patriotism flowing in his veins. When he grew, he took up the challenge and emerged as one of the biggest threat to British Empire in India. He was instrumental in giving direction to the armed revolution. 

Mahesh (Mehmood - Kunwara Baap) : It doesn't take herculean tasks to be a hero. Sometimes even simple acts of generosity count more. Mahesh finds a destitute and despite of his meager resources, decides to adopt him. He assumes the role of father. When the child suffers from polio, he does whatever he can do. However, the child-father bonds suffers a setback when the real parents reconcile. At this point, Mahesh does the right thing despite of the fact that he cannot imagine his life without the child.

Murli Prasad Sharma (Sanjay Dutt - Munna Bhai MBBS) : Munna is a local goon. A simpleton who has adopted to the lifestyle of Mumbai underbelly. However, his family in village believes that he is a doctor. When his secret comes out, he feels embarrassed and decides to get a medical degree. He forges records and exams and get admission in a reputed college. Though he doesn't become a doctor he teaches doctors a couple of things about their profession and humanity in general.

Pradhan (Anupam Kher - Saaransh) : What an old man can do? Pradhan's son died in an mugging incident in US and he is running from door to door to get his son's ashes. He also fights a local politician who took advantage of a girl by promising her marriage. His success or failure becomes secondary as the objective is so strong.

Raj (Raj Kapoor - Shree 420) : There are three stages in life of a hero - beginning, fall and rise. Raj is a simpleton who is adorable is his own ways. He falls in trap of greed and becomes a fraud. He cheats numerous people and becomes rich. Later he realizes that in this process he killed his goodness and decides to do the right thing.

Raj (Shahrukh Khan - Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) : Raj loves Simran but Simran's father has fixed her marriage to his childhood friend's son. Though Raj can run away, he decides to win hearts and take away his girl with honor. Raj proves a point by being a good lover-boy, a good son and a good person.

Raju (Raj Kumar - Waqt) : Raju is an embodiment of manliness. He is not a gentleman. He is more or less a crook or thief with some ethics. He has some rules by which he plays his game. As the story progresses, he comes out as a very strong character with a heart of gold. Circumstances might have rubbed against him badly, he still is person one can vouch for.

Ramprasad Sharma (Amol Palekar - Golmaal) : A street smart young man who tricks his boss into believing that he has a twin brother. Problem comes up when boss wants to see his brother and give him a job. He decides to play double role. To keep the story going, he creates a fake mother and his mother creates a fake sister of hers. Th spice it up all, boss' daughter falls for the non-existent brother.

Shambu (Balraj Sahni - Do Beegha Zameen) : Shambhu is poor but has his self-respect. His father Gangu took a debt and worked hard to pay it off. But ever after hard work, due to cunning ways of Zamindar, Shambhu has to pay 235 rupees for his land. He decides to go to Calcutta. He works hard but remains honest under all circumstances. But fate want it other way round. Shambhu loses his land.

Vijay Verma (Amitabh Bachchan - Deewar) : Vijay's father was humiliated and he was branded as a child. The angst against the world puts him on wrong track. The rebel in him is to be feared. The brilliance in him is to be admired. His sensibilities are directed only towards his family and love. He is a person who has seen so much hatred from world that he can only return in the same currency.

Agneepath And The Cult Status | Under Lens

While Hritik’s adaptation of Vijay Deenanath Chavan impressed critics and masses, it polarized opinions on net. Some people who watched the older version for the first time in recent times due to curiosity developed by the remake, were not able to figure out why the ’90 flop is so much lauded by cine-pundits. It lack a streamline flow in story, it is full of clichés and surprisingly, boasts of loud performances. It bombed on silver screen when it was released and along with some other movies of that era like Khuda Gawah and Hum, marked the end of ‘Young’ Angry Man. Still, awards were showered. Still, many ace directors consider it to be one of the finest Bachchan movies. Still, huge... really huge fan following exists and a huge portion of that expressed displeasure when the remake was announced. What makes Agneepath version 1.0 such a cult movie?

Vijay Deenanath Chavan... Poora Naam: Amitabh Bachchan always had a rich baritone in his voice. In Agneepath, it’s a little coarser. You can hate this voice if you have it but when you hear it on screen coming from a person who has a larger-than-life character; it’s enjoyable in a little sadistic way. The pain and angst in life of Vijay Chavan comes out strongly in his voice. This one dialogue sets the mood for the film and doesn’t look awkward in the flow of movie.

Clichés And Stereotypes: A strong willed righteous mother (both cliché and stereotype), a Madrasi trustworthy friend falling in love with sister (a stereotype and then a cliché), a strong willed friendly cop and a greedy cop (cliché and stereotype) and murder of father for being honest and right... mother of most of the cliché’s. When you see one cliché, you smile. When you see many, you feel a sting. You somehow start to connect with the story.  This is one of those things which make Agneepath such a popular movie.

The Villain Kancha Cheena: The name itself can cause goosebumps. Danny in role of a sophisticated criminal, is brutal and classy. He is smart and doesn’t give a damn to deterrents. While playing games, he keeps a card in pocket and this makes him very dangerous. Kancha Cheena belongs to a different league of villains. He is more hollywoodish than any other iconic villain. He has a charm which makes presence of moll totally natural.

Story: Agneepath has some very convincing scenes which bind the story strongly. Be it the prologue where Master Deenanath is brutally killed by mob, be it the scene where Vijay expresses his lack of trust in the system in front of Gaethonde, be it the scene where Krishnan saves Vijay, be it the scene where mother asks Vijay to wash his hands, be it the scene where Krishnan fights to save Vijay’s sister, be it the scene where adult Vijay meets Kancha, be it the climax where his last few words explains why its Agneepath Agneepath Agneepath... Story has huge loopholes and lack of consistency but the scenes compensate well.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Chupke-Chupke | The Critique

Hrishikesh Mukherjee is one of the finest directors Bollywood has had, and his comedies are certified timeless classics. You will find his audience in each and every segment of the society. Also, it’s possible for all the age groups to sit together and enjoy the flick. You might not hold your stomach laughing at each and every scene, but you will always hold a smile on your face, and that is what is special about  Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s style of cinema. I must describe it as a completely different genre of comedy. His comedies are always heartwarming, and never compromise on entertainment. Chupke-Chupke being one of my favorites.

The story is simple and straight. A newly wedded husband plays a practical joke on his wife's family with full support from his wife and friends. The husband (played by Dharmendra) is sick of praises of his JIJAJI (played by Om Prakash) by her wife (played by Sharmila Tagore). So he plans to deceive JIJAJI’s intellect & prove his wife wrong. What follows is a lie behind another. 

Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as husband’s friend is phenomenal, who is made to present himself as the biology professor (as the fake husband), although he is into English. His nervousness, anxiety & the efforts that he makes to fake Jaya (and rest of the family) are the funniest moments in the movie. Jaya Bhaduri, Asrani, Keshto Mukherjee and many others deserve equal applause and credit for the justice they did to their role.

The characters, and the situations in which they fall, make you laugh, uninterruptedly. The dialogues are hilarious, especially the ones dealing with botany & pure Hindi. The performance of the actors and the wonderful music, by legendary S.D.Burman complements the movie brilliantly. Sholay was another movie which was released in the same year that showcased Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Jaya Bhaduri together. You can proudly witness the versatility of these actors. It’s a must watch for every cinema fan!

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

Abhimaan | The AB-Jaya Story | The Critique

When Amitabh Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri in early seventies, it was a big news. While the bride was an established actress having the respect of both classes and the groom was a struggling actor who impressed the critics but his movies were not working. In 1973, a movie came that gave a déjà vu feel to this scenario. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Abhimaan starring the very two actors- Amitabh and Jaya. However despite of similarities, this story was not based on AB-Jaya story and Jaya’s decision to stay away from cinema ensured that anything of this sort won’t affect their matrimony. This story was loosely based on the life of Kishore Kumar and his wife Ruma Ghosh and took little cues from many other estranged couples of Industry.

Subeer is a singer who is scaling new heights in his career. Marriage is not on cards however, this changes when he meets Uma. Uma is a beautiful girl with golden vocals. Subeer falls in love with her and both marry. Uma also starts singing professionally and her career starts blooming. Unfortunately, Subeer falls prey to destiny’s spell. His career sees a downfall and just like another man, his ego is not able to adjust to his falling popularity while his wife is getting all the appreciations.

This movie boasts of some of the best works in music by S.D. Burman. Songs by Kishore, Rafi and Lata on lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri ruled the charts for some time.  Remember ‘Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina’ and ‘Teri Bindiya Re’? Camerawork was commendable. Subtlety is a difficult thing afterall. Sensibility and sanctity of story was maintained beautifully.  Handling a difficult subject with such objectivity and controlling actors and their personal chemistry is a tough nut to crack Hrishi Da did exactly what was expected…

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Destiny And Amitabh Bachchan | Part 1 | Cine Talk

Sujoy: Hey Ali… I happened to see this wonderful movie called Saat Hindustani about two-three months ago. Seeing a lanky Amitabh Bachchan was quite a pleasure. I wondered how he survived and reached these heights. Fate was definitely a big factor. He suffered many setbacks, was ruthlessly grounded but every time he rose like a phoenix. You remember Zanjeer? That role was first offered to Raaj Kumar and then to Dev Anand. Finally, it went to him. Destiny…

Ali: Yeah destiny is a funny thing. He happened to get Zanjeer due to Bombay To Goa!! Although he was protagonist in the movie (BTG, he had a small role. He has a fight scene, in the movie, which actor Om Prakash (of Daddu from Namak Halal) got impressed with. He told director of Zanjeer, ’there is this new lad, who has come in Bombay to Goa; you might want to look at his work ’. And pretty soon he was in for role of a lifetime. But if you notice in Zanjeer there were strong artistes like Pran, Om Prakash and Ajit (of ‘sara sheher mujhe Lion ke naaam se jaanta hai’) to support the film, to pull in the crowd if this young lad is not able to pull it off by himself. But that was not to be, AB pulled off Zanjeer in style.

Sujoy: Pull off is an understatement. BO went crazy that time. But Zanjeer was just the second step after a humble Anand. Anand and Parwana gave him recognition. Abhimaan, Saudagar and Namak Haraam helped him strengthening his feet in bollywood but he was still trailing behind Rajesh Khanna who was the king. In1975, 3 movies came and changed his life forever. Chupke Chupke, Deewar and Sholay. While Sholay went on to become one of the highest grosser ever in India, I think, Deewar was the movie which cemented his image of ‘Angry Young Man’. His portrayal of coolie turned criminal, Vijay, is legendary. The character was sculpted on real life smuggler Haji Mastan. You know, Navin Nischol who was the lead actor of Parwana rejected the role of Ravi (later played by Shashi Kapoor) allegedly saying that he cannot play second lead to a second grade actor (referring to BigB; Nischol was considered to be next Rajesh Khanna that time and BigB was still struggling with average successes). What a miss… Both Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan had a role of their life in this movie.

*** Based on conversations between Sujoy And Ali. ***

Mere Paas Maa Hai | Deewaar | My Take | Under Lens

From Mother India to Tare Zameen Par, mothers always had a special place in Indian cinema. The emotions for motherly love have no parallel. Even love for spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend stand no case infront of love for mothers. So, when Amitabh Bachchan crosses the entrance of a temple for well being of his mother, it evokes same emotion in every person watching that scene. However there is another dialogue from the same movie that is remembered as arguably the most iconic of all the dialogues involving a mother... 'Mere Paas Maa Hai'.

Vijay is worried about well being of his younger brother Shekhar who can fell prey to the vicious plans of criminals. He wants Shekhar to leave his job of police and stay with him. A righteous person, Shekhar, is not ready to leave the path of Right. Vijay tries to lure and challenge him with his iconic statement... "Mere Paas Bangla Hai Gaadi Hai..." His anger  is evident. There is a hint of mock as well. Shekhar, in his job, can't even dream of having all these luxuries of life. His stubborn behaviour won't reap any dividend.

Shekhar replies with... "Mere Paas Maa Hai". He puts their mother on balance against all the luxuries of life and finds that she is the most valuable asset of their life. Vijay might have accumulated all the wealth but is still poor because he is deprived of the love of their mother. He took so much trouble to get all this success but their mother is not ready to accept all this because his ways were wrong, his money is dirty.

The location and mood of the scene is perfect. Its well complemented by some brilliant background score. Direction is remarkable. Though its a simple scene, its execution might have been very difficult. The dialogue delivery and emotions should match every technical hook. Finally Actors. Do I need to say anything?

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas | Statesmen

K.A. Abbas is well known name for many reasons. A novelist, a screen writer, a film maker and columnist of the longest running column- Last Page. One of the most accomplished work of cinema crafted by him was the movie ‘Saat Hindustani’ which saw advent of a lanky young man who rewrote the history of cinema and influenced the entire country for next 40 years… Amitabh Bachchan.

Born in a family proud of being the bloodline of Aiyub Ansari who was a companion of Prophet Muhammad, martyr of 1857 rebellion Khwaja Gulam Abbas and poet Khwaja Altaf Husain Hali who was a student of Mirza Ghalib, K. A. Abbas made a niche for himself. Literature was his natural forte. In about 75 books he wrote, Abbas reflected his socialist and open outlook. His most celebrated work Inquilab is considered to be one of the best pieces of literature in Urdu. It reflected the trauma and pathos of common man in struggle of independence.

His directorial debut was Dharti Ke Laal. With iconic Balraj Sahni, this movie was made for IPTA. The movie dealt with Famine in Bengal of 1943. Around this time only, he wrote Neecha Nagar and Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani for Chetan Anand and V. Shantaram. Former won Golden Palm at Cannes and till date is the only movie with the honor. He also collaborated as writer with Raj Kapoor in thought-provoking movies like Awara, Shree 420, Jaagte Raho and also in likes of Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Heena. Two other highly rated movies he made were Saat Hindustani and Do Boond Paani. Both were awarded Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Not many people in cinema can boast of such acclaimed profile.

K.A. Abbas’ strength was his sensibility and wide spectrum of knowledge. He had an instinctive sense of film-making and knew how to make a statement with a dialogue or scene. His works were thought-provoking and revealed the reality in a poetic way. If you want to see his genius, watch the last scene of Saat Hindustani where all men come together…

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Amitabh-Rekha | Axed Reel Romances In Bollywood - Part 1 | Under Lens

Silsila… dubbed as semi-autobiographical account of one of the most comfortable on-screen couple of Indian Cinema. However it was not the case. There was much debate and discussion in magazines about this movie because it had three actors, two of them married and two of them allegedly in an extra-marital relationship. Amitabh and Rekha never worked together.

Amitabh and Jaya married after Zanzeer. Though much in love; there were obscure speculations about this couple. Then came Rekha. Sparks flew between two actors who looked brilliant together on screen. Amitabh never looked so good on-screen with any of his leading lady. Not even Parveen Babi. There was certainly something magical about this pair.

Picture this: Movie, Muqaddar Ka Sikander. A heart-broken Amitabh (Sikander) comes to her place for some solace. She finds a real man in him. A person who is at her door steps not to see her sensual performance, but to heal his own heart. She fells in love with him. Interestingly, Sikander has no such feelings for her. She is just a good friend who gives him few moments of peace. He is in love with another lady…

Amitabh and Rekha starred together in numerous movies. Most of them became big time hits and it was pretty natural for gossip magazines to fill their pages with stories involving the hot couple. Their chemistry simply set screen on fire and the rumors started becoming believable. They never accepted any relation between them. But at the prime of their career, they decided (definitely not officially) not to work together (maybe they were fine with it but nobody offered them anything good; I am not buying this) after epic Silsila.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Manmohan Desai | The Statesmen

MANMOHAN DESAI (1937-1994)

The best part of Indian cinema is the ‘masala’ that it holds. Many a lot Indian movies have been made, that surely win all the critical acclaims, but the ones that rule the box-office are the one that contain this ‘typical and special ingredient’. One person who has made the most efficient recipe with it is non other than MANMOHAN DESAI.

Movies like Amar akbar Anthony (my all time favourite), naseeb, coolie, suhaag, roti, … and a lot more to name are the ones that make him true father of ‘masaledaar’ bollywood.  Mostly his movies used to start with a huge line up of tragedy (usually having Nirupa Roy as a blind mother), and have all the family reunited by the end of the movie. Probabaly where I consider the concept of “Happy Ending’ was invented. The imagination had no limits. Almost anything was possible in his flicks!

He entered the film industry as a screenplay and storywriter. It was during the sixties and early seventies that he gave many hit movies. In 1977, he started his own movie production company, MKD, by launching Amar Akbar Anthony as the producer as well as the director. This was infact the most successful year for him, giving 4 blockbusters in the same very year (Dharamveer, Chacha-Bhatija and Parvarish).

Majorly Amitabh used to star in his films, giving Manmohan Desai his biggest blockbusters, but he also casted Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Jitendra. Even if they had any of them, the major part in the movie was played by Amitabh only. He thought that only he can give justice to the flights of fantasy that the director cooked up. Music during this time in all his movies was given by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, who contributed to his blockbusters by composing music that added zing to the flavor.

His downfall started in the 1980s, when he gave movies like Mard and Ganga Jamuna Saraswati. Even his son tried his hand on the movies, but no success was seen (Alla Rakha & Toofan). But that doesn’t belittle his contribution to the Indian Cinema. His style of filmmaking will always live, and rule in our hearts, as long as The Bollywood lives.

Written By Rishabh Shukla

Kaante - Reservoir Dogs Mega Review | Critique

Rating: Reservoir Dogs - 4 Stars; Kaante – 3 Stars

The film that launched career of much loved director Quentin Tarantino, 'Reservoir Dogs' is an evergreen cult film. It is a heist movie, but with a difference.

There is no Heist shown in the movie. The movie is set on events after the Heist. Partly, because of budget constraint and partly by design, so that film remains about what happens after the robbery.

Unofficial Hindi remake came in the shape of ‘Kaante’. It was released after multiple delays in release date. (It probably became only delayed film to get such success). Spiced with songs, loads of the choicest curse words and surprise package in the form of Mahesh Manjrekar’s superb debut as an actor, it worked big time for Indian Audience. In fact, it was probably the biggest hit of the year.

Considering the fact that Hindi movies have a longer running time they incorporated Heist and back stories of almost all characters as opposed to Reservoir Dogs. They played to the gallery whenever possible, thus taking out many shocking scenes from the original such as Torture scene of the Kidnapped Police Officer; it had a scene where thugs in kill of an arms supplier of Kashmir, silly if you ask me but it clicked.
 

At time of release of Kaante there were voices of concern from Hollywood about it being copy of Reservoir Dogs, but if you study Kaante closely, it is a loving remake of Reservoir Dogs.

 Moreover, the original parts of Kaante were actually good. Many twists of original were improvised and are not blind copy paste of ‘RD’ (Ok many have been taken of ‘Unusual Suspects’). In fact, detailed back stories each character in Kaante had, was praised by Tarantino himself.

In fact, for many Indian audiences (including me), Kaante was first introduction to Reservoir Dogs and thus to Master Tarantino himself. What else can you ask of a remake?

Written by- ‘Ali Naqvi’.

Aankhein Movie Review | Critique | Hiest Movies Special

Rating-3/5 Stars

Aankhein came out in 2002, with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan towering over the rest of the cast in terms of strature. Others included Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Sushmita Sen and Paresh Rawal.

What if you have a HUGE ego and intelligent criminal mind and somebody takes away only thing you ever made? Wrath. One, Vijay Singh Rajput (Mr. Bachchan) plans a heist to rob his former bank, to teach them a lesson. He makes an ingenious move to get three blind men to do the job. He ropes in Neha (Sushmita Sen) to train 3 such men.

3 men picked for the job have interesting characters. Iliyas (Paresh), the clown of the three, was made blind as a boy to beg on the streets. Arjun's, the simpleton, later developes feelings for Neha. Vishwas (Akshay) is the smartest of the three, having an acute sixth sense.

It works as a heist movie as it has an element of looming danger, an interesting premise, comic relief in form of Paresh Rawal. The sequence of their training has been put together really well; The replica of bank that is set up for training; Vishwas who many times nearly finds out presence of Mr Bachchan during the training are shot brilliantly.

Written by 'Ali Naqvi'

Angry ‘Vijay’ Characters | Under Lens

Amitabh Bachchan has lived the name Vijay innumerous times. With time, the name aged as a symbol of youth and rebellion. From Zanjeer to Agnipath, AB has donned the name and the color of rage many times with great charm.

In Zanjeer, he is a cop who is filled with ethics and anger against a person who wears a special bracelet. He is the villain. As a young cop he weeds out the criminals and poses a threat to that very person. Vijay is an ideal character in Hindi cinema. He fights against the criminals but don’t hesitate in helping ones who promise to change their ways. This once goes against him and on the other hand creates an iconic friend who stays with him till the end.

In ’75 saga Deewar, he is a coolie turned criminal. He is inherently a good person who indulges into the world of crime to earn all the luxuries of life. He has suffered so much that the difference between wrong and right is very minuscule for him. He is a criminal brother of a cop who prefers rags over tainted riches. The character loosely based on Haaji Mastan, is one of the most remembered images of Angry Young Man… Shashi Kapoor might have mother, AB had the whole movie with him.

Agnipath Agnipath Agnipath… Whenever AB has to recite a dialogue of his choice, he starts with Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. Why? Agnipath perhaps was the dusk of Angry Young Man’s Amitabh version but still made an unforgettable image of the character. His father was fixed by a local goon by sabotage and he vows to take revenge. He grows into a big don of Mumbai and begins his journey of bringing respect to his dead father. His principles are ethical and he is a righteous person in a wrong business. Very similar to his role in Deewar, though this is a loud avatar.

Looking forward to more such characters… see you.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Viruddh | The Critique

Jessica Lal Murder case and similar incidents have inspired many movies, Viruddh is one of them. Largely inspired and beautifully written, movie is very straightforward in story telling without anything that can be edited after the final print released. Director Mahesh Manjrekar is credited with some great works of cinema like Vaastav and Astitva, and Viruddh is in the same league.

An old couple is living a peaceful life and to add more pleasure, their son comes to India from London with his girlfriend. Happily couple gets them married. Everything is pictured perfect till now but not after that… On eve of his birthday, son gets killed outside a pub while saving some girl. Aghast at the episode, couple lodges complain against a bigshot who with the help of his links proves that their son was a drug peddler. Now, what will the old couple do? Live with the stigma that their son was a criminal. It’s an insult to their son who was perfect in all possible ways.

Amitabh Bachchan as father Vidyadhar and Sharmila as the strict yet loving mother Sumitra was perfect as couple. The chemistry between them was just perfect. May be I underestimate it when I say perfect. The small fights and sweet romance were the moments of first half while their care for each other was simply spectacular performance-wise. Sanjay Dutt’s role as a neighbor was a small one but his impact was outstanding. His support shaped the climax. John was apt. This was one of his better performances.

Watch this movie to see this scene… In a tough moment, when both Vidya and Sumitra are about to cry, Vidya asks for tea. Sumitra leaves and cries in isolation. Next scene, Vidya and Sumitra comes to bedroom and Vidya asks for tea. Sumitra says that she forgot about it. Vidya says that he no longer wants it. Such scene might have been repeated in Indian Cinema umpteen times but the chemistry between the two legends is simply incomparable.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Paa Movie Review | Critique

The hall was completely silent when Auro entered the frame. Not a single person made the slightest sound. Including me. I, alongwith, several others were witnessing something of a phenomenon. Amitabh Bachchan-virtually unrecognizable, the famous baritone of his vanished- I sat there bewildered.

Amitabh Bachchan, THE MAN has exemplified the very fact that no CGI, no prosthetics can take away from the character. In this character AB finds a rein, grips it and goes galloping. he becomes the character. Such is AB's performance.

PAA the second outing from director R. Balki is a humorous and emotional take on a 12-year old kid named Auro (played by AB) who is suffering from a rare disease Progeria. It is a condition which makes Auro look like a 12 year old trapped in a body aged about 65. The characters who form the world of Auro are played by Vidya Balan (his mother), Arundhati Naag (his doting granny), Abhishek Bachchan (his father) and a few friends. I don't believe that a critique should emphasise on providing the story to readers. So, my advice, my sincerest advice actually- you need to go see PAA, pronto! It is not without its share of faults, yes. There are cliches and a lot of digressions but overall, the film is a well-balanced product. (albeit with that extremely manipulative ending).

There are some moments which will cause a lump in your throat and also some in which your sides will ache from continuous laughter. Much of the humor is provided by the excellent Prateek Katare who plays Auro's best friend Vishnu. A quirky little character, he delivers lines with furious confidence that generates genuine laughs, not forcefully. Vidya Balan as Auro's mother is spot-on as she delivers one of her finest performances. Her pain resides in her eyes and is almost tangible. Except for once scene where she goes yackety-yak shouting "Just because you gave me your bloody sperm doesn't mean blah-blah-blah".. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat because that piece of gratuituous dialogue took away much of the friction from the confrontation between Abhishek and Vidya.

Arundhati Naag is excellently cast and she is delightful as Auro's granny.

Abhishek Bachchan doesn't do anything different except trying to be too uber cool. No, I am not saying he turns in a ridiculous performmance but that smug look on his face has to go.

The film could have done away with some of the meandering moments like Abhishek's politics. It extends for the most part and overstays its welcome. The music by Illaiyaraja is soothing and varies largely as well. PC Sreeram's cinematography lends to the films lushy and frothy look. And what is with the quick-cuts the editor is obsessed with? It is an interesting device but too quick to jump the gun just defeats the fun.

So, that leaves us with the Big B. AB is the heart and soul of this film turninng in what can be best described as a text-book performance that film students will be happy to do the anatomy of. There are many reasons to prove that AB is God and PAA is just one of them. Make room Pacinos and De Niros, for when AB cometh, you better give him his space.

PAA deserves to be watched because some of the spectacular performances and also because the disesase is not the centroid of this film. If you take the Progeria factor out, Auro is the same mischievious boy whom you sat next to in school. PAA is good....just not the great film it aims to be

Still, it deserves a watch. AB fans have all the right reasons to celebrate.

Rating - ***

Written By Gyandeep Pattanayak

Statesmen: Yash Raj Chopra

Some people are born great and some achieve the distinction but there is a rare class that belongs to both. They are born great and they achieve new heights of greatness to assert the fact. Yash Chopra is a fellow of the league. The man behind the biggest banner of India and some timeless classics, Yash Raj is a person of ethics, values and traditions.

Yashraj saw many successes and few failures. Silsila achieved cult status. Deewar is often rated above Sholay. Dag, Kabhie Kabhie and Veer Zaara established new definitions to love and trust. Dharamputra and Lamhe failed on screen but sizzled on silver discs. Darr, Parampara and Joshila gave new color to story telling and… who can forget Dil To Pagal Hai.

Two path breaking movies by Yashraj were Silsila and Lamhe. Silsila was a complicated movie with a touch of reality and Lamhe failed on celluloid but meant a lot to the maverick.
Silsila had Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha. Jaya and Amit were real life pair while the hottest news of the era was affair between reel life pair Amitabh and Rekha. In the classic, Amitabh was paired with Rekha who under unfortunate circumstances married Jaya. Yashraj poured all his efforts to bring the trio and with a brilliant script and excellent music, colored the screen.

Lamhe was an interesting movie. Anil Kapoor was in love with Sridevi who maries someone else and Sri’s daughter (again Sri) meets him after her parents death. She fells in love with him. Without a moustache (rare) Anil was brilliant and was greatly complemented by Sridevi in double role. Movie was atleast two decades ahead of time. Verdict Flop!!

But success or failure cannot define greatness. From Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor to Anil Kapoor and Shahrukh Khan… from Rekha, Rakhi to Priety Zinta to Rani Mukherjee… every star felt the aura. Yash Chopra is to Bollywood what no body can be to Hollywood.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Statesmen: Prakash Mehra

There are certain people who create myths. Prakash Mehra was one of them. The showman who created the legendary myth of The Angry Young Man.

Born on July 13, 1939 in Bijnaur (U.P.), a small town by all means, he rose to the podium of Indian Cinema as a director. In his first attempt, he directed Haseena Maan Jayegi with Shashi Kapoor in lead. But his first big blockbuster was Zanjeer (1973) that carved a star out of Amitabh Bachchan. In Zanjeer, he created the myth of The Angry Young Man that was taken to a higher level by Saleem-Javed duo in Deewar.

Bachchan did seven more movies with him. The list included some timeless classics like Muqaddar Ka Sikander and Sharaabi. Laawaris and Namak Halaal were two other great movies of this Actor-Director team. As a team, Jaadugar was their last venture. As director, Bal Brahmachari was his last movie that was launching pad of Puru Raaj Kumar, son of Raaj Kumar who refused to play a role in Zanjeer. Amitabh Bachchan later essayed the dream role.

In Cinema, he is known as a great showman. He was not only a great director but also a fine critic. His cinema portrayed stories in a simple way. He always believed in the power of script and maintained that the power of leis in paper and not in camera’s artistic movements. He was also a musician in his own realm and the music in his movies had a lot from him only.

On 17th May, 2009, he left the materialistic world for ever. The connoisseurs of Cinema would never forget his contribution.

For The Reel; Written By: Sujoy Ghosh