Who let the Dog out?? Danny ??

Christopher Nolan must be very proud with how well the "Anachronous" way of story-telling been down with the masses. Filmmakers and viewers are now acknowledging the great art, which can make simple stories look extra-ordinary.

Kudos to Danny for showing the slums as they are. I don't see any great bollywood actor making so much fuss about it without even giving it a peek. That too when the child actor in the film jumps into the shit-hole (literally) to get his autograph (though later sold off by his brother at Rs 3 only).

Chase scene (policemen after the kids playing on airport) has been shot exceptionally well. Both the child actors Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (Jamal) and Azharuddin Ismail (his elder bro Salim) and their adolescent counterparts have made their characters look real.

From slums to the mumbai riots (brief hints) to trap by "Beggars' Mafia" to escape to losing-founding saga to bhai turning hitman everything is shot convincingly as this was going to be the film's backbone as they explain how did the Slumdog know the answers.

Somewhere down the line the characters (the adolescent guys) speaking English couldn't go down as well as those who did in Gandhi. For perhaps if not had been that way film might have ended up with competing in "Best Foreign Film" category.
But as a movie is best owned by its director, so no issues.

Freida Pinto's performance is average. Dev Patel does impress a lot with his journey from chaiwallaah in a call centre, who knows more about the Red Carpet than any other student in the training room to The Millionaire, who ended up annoying Anil Kapoor with his rags to riches story in 1 hr Show rather than latter's struggle (briefly mentioned). The grey shades in the Quiz-Master's role might have driven Shahrukh away from it.

Time for some technical flaws.

The KBC or "Who wants to be a millionaire" is never live, for the fear, that if a person choses phone a friend, encarta/wiki can help him before even the call is made.

How often "The Three Musketeers" taught in a Slum-School?

Policemen grilling Jamal speak in so much an Indian accent english. So how does our Slumdog acquire a foreign accent? Even if our chaiwaalah learned that in the office he served, but how does our heroin who had been at a Mafia's place since years. And we know what accent is borne in there?

How often a person of Lower strata of society when plays reality shows like this, are insulted by the game host?


Amidst all the flaws, the story does strike a chord for the majority of the 120 minutes, losing steam only in final 10 minutes.

The film will inspire a generation of directors and story-writers, seeing kind of media exposure it is getting across the globe.

Go watch slumdog for the Oscar nominations. For some seemingly funny but realistically agonizing slum life. For the great soundtrack courtesy A.R. Rehman.

I genuinely feel It should win an Oscar for India. Feel like "It's Written"


***

A very happy new year!!!!

A very happy new year to me and all.

A very happy bdday to me (5th Jan)...

Congratualtions (for managing an IIM GD/PI Call) and Best of Luck (for conversion) to me.

Next post will be a Movie Review of Chandni Chowk to China.....

Cheers

Ghajini-A belated review

The clock just struck 0000. It was a good 2nd last day of 2008. Returned about 15 minutes ago. Was watching "Ghajini" with office friends, courtsey the farewell treat by my (now ex) manager.

I can't resist writing a review. Though it is not to help others decide whether to watch the movie or not.




So is Morugdoss really a grt director? I feel a bit dishonest to admit so. So what exactly has he done to make a movie that rakes 100cr moolah within 5 days?

Sometimes characterisation (which is of course copied to 95% from Memento) overpowers the weak (too predictable) storyline. Ghajini is such case.

Ofcourse those who haven't seen memento may get impressed by a part of storyline, i.e. the characterisation of the protagonist.

Sajay Singhania (Amir), who is a fusion of Anil Ambani (Papa ka sapna har hath mein mobile apna) and Sunil Mittal (Air Voice does resemble AirTel), is a name which every Tom, Dick and Harry knows but hasn't seen his pictures (like Howard Hughes).

The movie has its share of fun moments with puns revolving around his mistaken identity by Kalpana (Asin), who is "Helpin all selflessly" girl. He begins to love her and wants her to love him back, before he should reveal his identity.

Amir's brief face-off with shahrukh's lookalike (the guy from Kya aap Panchvi fail champu hain) is worth some smiles (not for shahrukh though).

She does love him back, to an extent that she sells off her 2nd hand purchased Ambassador for Rs1,35,000 (somebody got cheated), to pay for amir's falsely told ill mother at amir's village.

Before Amir's return trip from UK, Kalpana gets herself into trouble by pissing off the goon ghajini, resulting in him sending his sidekicks to finish her off. Sanjay reaches in time to see her dying, before being hit by Iron bar on his head, resulting in his anterograde amnesia.

Morugdoss(MD) lifts the term from "Memento" without conceptualising it correctly. The term means, man's memory before the accident is intact but he can't make new memories. MD messes up with Amir's total memory.

Now Amir with help of his tatoos,photographs, (unnecesaary) maps and wallpapers (all lifted from memento) along with some infallible help from Jiah Khan (a medical student) hunts Ghajini down.

The film is a good attempt. But, could have done away with predictabilty and weak storyline which were so unnecessary for audience to connect with Amir's medical condition. The result: audience laughs are loud enough when amir goes haywire hitting goons all around and suddenly loses the plot of the things. The good version should have held the audience in awe and palpating when he is humbly duped by the goon, who is about to attack from back.

A good commercial product for Amir's Fans and everybody. Amir is really good with his anger, action and bod, not to mention. A heart put out act by him deserves him the biggest blockbuster of the year at least.

My only wish; rather han making a Tamil Film remake, they should have made a remake of Memento out and out.

Watch Ghajini and then watch Memento. You will enjoy both.
You will prefer you don't do vice versa.


2.83/5 (Being a perfectionist as Amir)

Cheers
Have a great new year ahead.

Yes Sir No Sir......

It's happened more than once in recent times. Something seems to me as a great idea first, I even volunteer to carry out a perfect execution. Then suddenly a wave of lathargy comes and takes me away from it. I feel the idea to be hacknayed, uninteresting, not worth my endeavours to put forth for.

I feel the overwhelming guilt at times. The situation becomes gloomy. The time retains the status-quo. And amongst these all I am lying aimlessly looking for an excuse why I shouldn't/couldn't do it.

I keep telling myself, do not promise something on the pretext of beleiving- If I promise, I will do it. The flame kindles with a spark, and extinguishes in absence of the fuel supply. I am looking for that eternal(life-long) fuel supply, that will solve my Energy Crisis!

Hi Again!!

Its been ages since I wrote my last entry. Its year end so I felt a need to revive a good habit in making. So, why exactly was I writing this blog? The answer is perhaps for "Myself". As like those daily soaps/ movies I can't imagine my voice hitting inside my head. Its always so quiet , in terms of sound. Otherwise its helluva time in and out of my mind.

So what have I got to catchup with myself.

Diwali: Was good. Celebrated at our new home with Mum Dad. Uploaded the pics already in my Orkut Album. Still pasting one here.




Then Mumbai Attacks. Don't want to paste those pictures here. A lot was/is being written/spoken about it all around.


Then we had our company offsite. This time it was even beyond manesar. Never expected it to be a fun like it turned out to be. See I am enjoying it:




Got few late nights following offsite. Some cuz of work, some cuz of Parties/Movies.
Mom got really very pissed off as I arrived quite late on 25th. So I have decided to call off all party invitations for a while and spend some time with family.

Rab ne bana di jodi was an average film. Went to see Ghajini Premier Show. It turned out to be a Preview. Saw High School Musical 3 instead (was recommended by someone). Now there was this girl who had a discount coupon which said 2 tickets free with 4 tickets. She was delighted to know we wanted 4. She was playing cheeky. while explaining the offer to my friend I apprised all of the fact that she has agreed to part with the 2 free tickets with us. The couple had a smile like they were being cheated. How on earth were they expecting that gesture from the "Cunning Me".

I was lauded by my 3 friends for that. It reminded me of Spiderman3 Premier I attended during college days......

My few female friends got married. I haven't heard much from them since then. Which is kind of good, I presume, that is in congruence with them being over occupied with happiness and not with boring people like me.

Many heartful wishes for a wonderful new year! To me! and to You! :)

A moment which I recalled...

Class 8th(or 9th)

I was sitting on a bench alongside the bench of "my" 3rd Crush of life. To say "my" would be a bit unfair cuz "my" doesn't include "couple of dozen others".

GIRL (along with her Specy fried; I found her cute too.. ;))
Hey Praveen, Have you ever read Blue Magzines.

I: Of course.
(saying, with esteem and thanking god that a couple of months ago a friend of mine told me what blue magzines are, infact he told me he had a magzine called "Playboy" with a topless picture of someone called "Pamela Anderson")

GIRL: How many have you gone through?!
(excitement was growing in her voice..)

I : A dozens, my dear (I never believed though such magzines existed. After all how the hell can anybody strip in front of a camera?)

GIRL : What all things are therein? (She was curiously forcing me into inquisition. Though I Was loving it

I : Oi...its adults' magzine. Lot's of that kind of stuff.

DON'T REMEMBER MUCH AFTER THAT....



A scene after about couple of months of this conversation:

I found a keyring in the feild. I was bioscope-camera-slideshow hybrid. Hoping to see something interesting I slid the roller on.

YUCCCKKK...SHIT...AARGHHHHHH....(I tried to vomit there and then)

After all first unexpected porn exposure can cause that much....


DON'T REMEMBER MUCH AFTER THAT EITHER....


These memories will stay with me for life as also some of these:

1. An LKG Kid who asked Ma'am for her permi ssion to go to toilet. But was denied. And after he did the enevitable. He is taken to his home, though a block across the road, but his pants off!

2. A kid who flunks in his admission test for class 1.

3. A kid who came 2nd in class 1, 1st in class2 and when he came 1st in Class 3, he cried saying to his mom "Mom, sorry i broke the trend, the series 212121212...."

4. A Class 3 kid who is afraid to go to school, because of a Class 4 Bully kisses him on his cheeks at every oppirtunity he has.

5. A Class 5 kid running in school corridore with 5 girls chasing him to pull his cheeks and kiss them. (I feel lke kickin myself now for that.)

6. Few Class 6 Guys laughing and bullying another guy who read from his Doc Father's book how babies are produced.

7. Bio Lecture of Life Processes-2 in Class 7 and revisited in Class 9, though by a female teacher in bromidic tone)

8. A girl who stays back with 11 Class nerd in PT period, to know more about Organic nomenclature, with her legs rubbing against his. And her ***** against his elbows as she leaning over so much on him getting involved in the book. He thought that might have happened due to cramped spaces and continued the lesson.

9. Perfect 4 years of college life, which I wouldn't ever forget. It had drama, suspense, thrill, action, romance, sleaze, friendship, trust, mistrust and of course 8 semesters with 68%!!!

Raping...In the name of God

It haapened in 1947 (partition), it happened in 1984 (riots following Indira Gandhi's assasination), it happened in 1990 (after bombay blasts), it happened in Gujrat (after Godhra) and it happened again in Orissa (following a VHP leader's assasination).

In world's largest democracy, everytime there are people who would hold ransom, the entire nation, stripping everyone, even of the fundamental rights.

There are some satyromanaic men (mind you many men are satyromaniac) who look for these opportunities to rape women, without being held by law.

Either they are restive or people at concerned positions unwilling to reign them in, I can't comment, precisely.

Recently, I read in a newspaper, An orphanage was ransacked, a few of teenage girls were taken in a room and brutally raped. Later the room was set ablaze by the same incendiaries. They did all that in the belief that the girls were Christians. Later it did turn out they were Hindus.

As a sign of no remorse, these Terrorists (I prefer to call them so, they had done nothing less than those crossing over border, in kashmir) blatantly continue to commit futher atrocities, swaggering around the streets like they have salvaged their religion.

The nation's soul is being pushed into a inquisitorial room, with questions being thrown into left, right and center from every corner of the world.

I feel ashamed that in this land of "Maryaad Purushottam ShriRaam", the women (even in national capital) are nowhere safer than the red-light areas of the West. All they fear, if a riot is waiting round the corner of next street.....