Reviews: for heck of it

I am not a movie buff.  I'd rather read a novel and leave it to my imagination than see only the movie. So for me films was one of the not-so-fav subjects in my communication studies. Viewing an assortment of films - some in regional and foreign languages, made by some famous, some unheard-of directors, and grappling with concepts like realism, surrealism, romanticism etc in putting them to perspective  - all of which was a totally new concept to my blinkered way of thinking. Though I was pretty lost at that time, I am only grateful to the exposure which broadened my awareness and knowledge. I was then struck by the fact that our education system is so strait-laced and limiting.

Monday afternoons were for film screening, using projectors,  and  in our darkened classroom  we saw the rarest of rare(a very fancy term touted by  our politicians of late, but I digress)  films. And that was the good part. Then came dissection - frame by frame. The plot, the form, the characters, sequence, techniques like mis-en-scene and montage, camera angles, POVs. And then would follow discussions on stereotyping,  messages and manipulations of it, symbolism, metaphors, yada yada. Mostly I had a tough time to keep myself awake during the screening. I remember I used to scribble the scenes in my book while keeping my eyes on the screen and would end up with pages of illegible scrawls. No idea how it helped:)

Which is why when I read comprehensive film reviews I am full of respect. In a single viewings if someone is able to  critique the storyline, the plot, comment on the form, critically appraise the acting, casting, direction, score, etc, hats off. And if they are able to quote dialogues, and spare a glance at the supporting characters, then I am a  fan for life.

So the reviews I am attempting are merely indulgent. Easy first, recently saw Cheeni Kam - finally:) A love story between a 30-something Tabu and a 60 plus Amitabh Bachhan, set in the city of London. I liked the pace of the story, slow and realistic, the use of the umbrella as a prop to all their planned or accidental meetings, the way their different temperaments are show-cased - Amitabh, a chef, with his super huge ego and how he can never say sorry or even ask her out in a straight way and loved Tabu's nature - a mix of womanly-wise and saying the most unexpected thing and making him laugh. And the nick names which they have for each other - Ghasphus and Tangdi Chicken. No twists and turns in the story besides the expected and dramatic show of disapproval from Tabu's father (played by Paresh Rawal) on the match. Also thrown in an indulgent Zora Sehgal as Amitabh's mother and an endearing little girl 'Sexy' who is Amitabh's neighbour, suffering from leukemia  but a strong willed and opinionated kid who sweetly takes Amitabh to task on his shortcomings. Found a couple of songs hummable. Tabu was gorgeous and the character of Sexy was well-played too. The play on Gandhi-ism etc by Paresh Rawal was strictly an attempt at comic relief, did not work for me. Not a must-see but will not disappoint either.

Talaash - This is a suspense thriller by director Reema Katgi of the Honeymoon Travels fame. The main protagonists are Aamir Khan (playing a  cop Surjan Singh Shekawat), Roshni (Rani Mukerjee) plays his wife and the other main character is Rosie, a prostitute played by Kareena Kapoor. A gamut of emotions - grief, feeling of betrayal, deceit depicted in the extreme here, showing how they shape the lives and actions of the characters. Aamir and Rani have also lost their young son due to unfortunate negligence a few years ago. They both are still to come to terms with it and are shown emotionally estranged with each other. Amir blames himself and has turned into an inmsoniac workaholic.

 In the opening scenes he is shown as newly transferred to the area and responsible for investigating rhe mysterious death of a prominent actor. On one of his nightly mystery-solving roves, , he meets Rosie, a prostitute who provides clues to his case. He is drawn to her as someone who is non-judgemental and seemingly with no history! The story has it's twists and turns in introducing the character of Temur, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a limping guy from the brothel involved in some money deal and his soft side in his love for a prostitute. Then there is the character of  the nosy neighbour Frenny who acts as a medium in a bid to help Rani to connect with their son - this thread attempts to introduce both a closure to the parents' suffering as well as the concept of paranormal which is actually revealed towards the end. The husband-wife confrontations also make for a realistic depiction of a couple's journey. The movie has parallel threads of narrative which give you a layer by layer understanding of the characters and their lives and a chance to resolve the mystery before the end. The scenes shot in a red-light district, which is also the scene of investigation, are very dark and believeable.

Aamir plays to perfection the role of a grieving father, driven cop, Rani plays the role of a wife and mother with sensitivity and Kareena is a typical flashily dressed prostitute. Did not care much for Kareena's pithy dialogues but I guess they were in line with her role. For me the ending was a big anticlimax, more an attempt to tie everything together. But I loved the pace of the movie and the suspense. Overall, it was a a very well made movie dwelling on complicated human emotions and relationships. Definitely a must see.