Kapoor and Sons (since 1921) - Film review

Not very often, does a film comes, which has this great attention to detail. The last such movie I watched was Khosla ka Ghosla, which came like years ago.

Kapoor and Sons, on face of it is a very simple family drama. Parents, two sons, an old grandfather, a dog and a servant. All living in beautiful Coonoor. I can vouch for Coonoor to be beautiful as its my favourite holiday destination. 

Each character has been given space and time to develop. Even Kishor, who is some random servant for Tia, played by Alia Bhat. It is amazing how this movie does not interpret life as happiness and sadness divided by an interval, which most movies do.

This movie carries it all together in the moment. There is always happiness with an undercurrent of tension. Between parents, between brothers. I think thats a very real portrayal. 

The director, Shakun Batra, has done a splendid job. Hats off. And a movie that sensible coming from Karan Johar stable, is another very happy surprise. That shows Karan Johar will still support substance, even if the movie does not make 200 crores. This is a movie which a lot of people can relate to very easily, just due to the simplicity of story-telling and due to how sometimes in life, one weekend is great and another is not so great. Or some times, the Saturday morning is crappy but things sort of sort themselves out towards Sunday.

From an acting perspective, Alia Bhat is impressive. Very real acting. So is Fawad Khan. I would like to see more of his work. Rajat Kapoor was his good self. Ratna Pathak-Shah, is out of the world. I mean what else can be said, she looks every bit in each of the scenes. I think we need to make more such movies where we can have her play great roles. Siddharth Malhotra, although had a simpler role, comparatively, plays it well. Last but not the least, Rishi Kapoor, as a 90 year grandfather was fantastic. He had a powerful stage with this role and he made the most of it. His character is this all knowing grandfather, who does not want to force the decisions, but guide folks together in this very subtle way. I think he did full justice to his role.

The music was good. Not too many songs, but were outstanding. I loved Buddhu sa Mann, Bolna and even Kar gayi chul. Badshaah, Amaan Malik, Armann Malik did a splendid job overall. Great compositions. Fast and slow, melodious. Again, very refreshing.

The screenplay, written by Ayesha Dhillon and Shakun Batra was very tight. Each scene was very thought through and had a life of its own. The way, the scene starts and the way it develops over time is fantastic and very complicated pieces come together as part of this development of the scene.

I haven't watched something as complex, put together that simply before. I think its a great team effort with great acting, story/screenplay, music and direction.

Imminently watchable. Multiple times.

Great movie.

Inception - movie review

Watching Inception. It's one amazing movie. May be I am not understanding it or may be I am, it is based on weird thing like dreaming.

I have thought a lot on dreams and thr weird dreams I get sometimes that I am a gangster and running from other chaps in similar profession and of course winning against them.

Very odd people coming for help, the ones I haven't seen, met or spoken to in years. Almost a Don movie running through. These dreams have come quite a few times.

So I have always been intrigued by dreams as such. Some of my friends think that dreams are B&W. I dont think so as I can remember the colours in my dream. My violet car with black windows when I was playing Michael Corleone. The steel of guns, robbers in one of my childhood dreams wearing a weird blue trousers and pink t-shirts. No hair, or may be they were masked.

Anyways, the concept of the movie is very good, dream within a dream and then again another one and how it affects the subconscious.

Controlling the dream is again a very simple scenario, you can actually script your dream to move in a direction, sometimes you can control it to nth degree.

They have taken this to the next level, pretty well done. Leonardo de Caprio is an actor who has changed completely. Compared to Titanic where he was ok to now in the Departed, Catch me if you can, Blood Diamond, the Aviator and now Inception. The guy is fantastic.

Would want to watch it once more, may be in Hindi this time to ensure that I didn't miss anything :).

And I finished the the review without reveling the story :).

2 idiots

Now I hear Mr Bhagat (Chetan Bhagat) is very unhappy with Rajkumar Hirani because Mr Hirani and Mr Aamir Khan claim that the movie 3 idiots is only loosely based on Bhagat's book - "Five point someone".

Well, I think the movie is good only because its not fully based on Mr Bhagat's book. Now, dont get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for Mr Bhagat, its just that I dont think he is any good as a writer.

Now Mr Bhagat, dont get so upset, at least your name is associated with the biggest hit of 2009. Stop behaving like an idiot.


This is one, who is another, well add Mr Arindam Chaudhary from my side - Chetan Bhagat reminds me of Mr Chaudhary quite a bit, may be they should make a movie together. It might still work, in spite of both of them.

Next movies to watch

1. Did you hear about Morgans? - Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker
2. SALT - Angelina Jolie
3. Rocket Singh - Ranbir Kapoor and Shazahn Padamsee

All of them to release shortly in theaters near you.

Today - saw TinkerBell - Lost Treasure in BIG Cinema, R-City Mall - Arjun's second movie in theater, loved it.

Dil Bole Hadippa - movie review

Loosely based on "She is the man". Tried watching this movie for more than half an hr before I started writing this post. Rani tried playing Amanda Bynes in the movie. Rani looked really nice. She was a sardar in more than half the movie.

Shahid Kapoor has a sort of confidence as he thinks (or maybe he almost believes) that he is a good looking guy who can act well too. Unfortunately, none of this is true yet.
In this movie, he gave a tough competition to Sherlyn Chopra by showing as much cleavage as she did.

Anupam Kher is wasted, the cricket theme and the plots around it are idiotic and out of context.

Yashraj films and Aditya Chopra want to experiment, which is good news. When we try changing something, going beyond our comfort zone, initially some of us fail miserably. Dil Bole Hadippa is exactly that failure for Yashraj and Aditya Chopra. I wish them all the best for next movies.

Movie review - Love Aajkal

Watching this movie called Love Aajkal.

In the first 10 mins it goes from atrociousness to ridiculousness. In the next 5 mins, it keeps swaying back and forth. Post that the movie is good.

I didnt dislike it. I didnt see it.

Rock On!!! - Movie review

Rock On!!! Nice movie overall. Can easily be watched almost once. Almost because, at some point, it feels like its become longish... Not long, just longish.

Very strong theme, "Do what you passionate about", "Go for it" types. Story goes like this, four guys formed a band while in college and later because of some reason, break up. Now all of them have not met for ten years. They are all doing various things and are successful /unsuccessful in various ways. The name of their rock band is "Magic". Can you believe it? Its such a weak name for a rock band. I would never make a movie around the name Magic. Anyways, out of the four, Poorab is ok, he tried copying Aamir Khan in DCH. I liked Luke Kelly - very normal acting but natural. Farhan sucks, sings well though and Arjun Rampal was ok cos he looked very old compared to the others.

All and all, the movie surely would have been good had Farhan Akthar directed it rather than Abhishek Kapoor. The story was very mediocre, screenplay was almost non-existent.Direction was weak. Farhan sucks as an actor, the only reason why the movie is worth-watching is because it has a very strong theme.

Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy impressed once more and Farhan was a good find as a singer.

Bombay to Bangkok - Movie

Another one from Nagesh Kukunoor. This is what I feel about the movie - this is one of the worst movies I have seen.

After watching this movie, I realised how wrong I was about Dor which I thought was one of the worst movies Nagesh Kukunoor has ever made and acted in. I cant even begin to compare the two movies. At least there was something good about Dor - Shreyas Talpade and Rajasthan, here there is absolutely nothing.

The more I am watching Farhan Akthar, I am beginning to appreciate his movie making skills - from DCH to Don to Rock On. Amazing stuff and the more I watch of Nagesh Kukunoor, I aver that Chemical engineers SHOULD NOT make movies.

The story of Bombay to Bangkok is nothing. Its just a movie you MUST NOT watch - even if someone is paying you for this. Earlier I thought he (Nagesh, who else) is trying to make a descent porn movie - but then I realised its not even that.

Shreyas Talpade is very ordinary, there is nothing for him to do anyways. The rock star villain added some idiotic comedy. Lena Christensen has good body and should try to learn acting. I don't know what else to say about her. There were no expressions and of course - not even an iota of acting.

Surprising part is - music is good. "Dheere dheere" is a fabulous song. That's the only song worth remembering, think it comes twice in the movie (probably broken down in two parts).

All in all, I take everything back I said about Dor. Its not the worst movie by Nagesh - but this one (B2B) surely is.

Great job Nagesh - you out-performed yourself.

My movies wish-list

Well it has to start with ‘A few good men’, so this is how it goes… not necessarily in the same order. These are the movies which I am not sure if I like anymore. But had a lasting impact on me when I saw them… then.

- A few good men
- Cast Away
- Forrest Gump
- Speechless
- Lagaan
- Gadar - ek prem katha
- Jo jeeta wahi Sikandar
- Jhankaar Beats
- Monsoon wedding
- Dil chahta hai
- Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge
- Teesri manjil
- Border
- My cousin Vinny
- The Independence Day
- Top-gun
- Pretty woman
- Dil chahta hai
- Mr India - because of Sridevi
- The Rock
- Fir wohi dil laya hoon
- Rajkumar - the old one casting Shammi Kapoor
- Deewar of Amitabh Bachchhan
- Choti si baat
- Sholay - obviously the old one and NOT the new one by Mr Verma
- Dil chahta hai
- Munna bhai MBBS
- Satya
- Amar Akbar Anthony
- Company
- Shaukeen
- Goolmaal
- Chupke Chupke
- Naram garam
- American Desi
- The Lion King
- Never say never again
- The world is not enough
- Swadesh
- Sarfarosh
- Gangajal
- Omkara
- Maine Pyaar Kiya ( How can I forget this one? )
- Hum aapke hain kaun ???
- Muskurahat
- Dil chahta hai

Anyone, anything you guys wanna add...

Dor - Hindi Film

I watched this movie called Dor this weekend. Probably the worst movie Nagesh Kukunoor will ever make and act in.

The cast is a disaster. Nagesh himself looked so bad that I am sure he wont even like watching the movie the second time. It’s a very normal movie about two women, one of whose husband dies and other’s is convicted in charge.

Gul Panag (Zeenat) played the wife of convicted - Aamir. If you watch the movie, you will know why she is not doing well in mainstream cinema. Her body language is almost non-existent. Droopy shoulders, lack of expressions and she was playing the wife who travelled so much to save her husband.

Ayesha Takia (Meera) is ok. Normal acting, nothing bad, nothing great also. Probably she is too sofo for the role she was doing. Her voice modulations were clearly matching that of a South Mumbai born and brought-up and convent school educated girl rather than the Rajasthani widow she was playing.

Shreyas Talpade (Behroopiya) was the saving grace. He is good in the movie, the only other thing in the movie. (The first thing of course is Rajasthan itself). He however has a very distinctive maratha beard and so one can say he is the odd man out in the setting, but other than that, he was good. He picked up the language and dialect well. He was a pleasure.

Nagesh Kukunoor – Chopra, playing a businessman was pathetic. He neither looked nor acted like Chopra. I would have seriously liked Shakti Kapoor better in that role.

The other person who has the only good dialogue of the movie is Dadi, herself a rajasthani widow. The last dialogue of her’s is really good and that’s the only good dialogue in the entire movie.

Music – wherever there is original music by the music director (as in most places, they have used standard hindi movie songs) is good. Never heard of Salim Suleiman but he was impressive.

So this is one movie which can easily be ignored and one should not think twice if they have not watched this movie.

So, all in all, a not-so-watchable movie.

Iqbal - movie review

Watched this movie on TV. Never thought will do. Pretty straight forward movie. Same old story, a good side, a not so good side. Two good players (one better than other), on each of the sides.

The player on bad side also happens to be rich, still the talented one gets through in Indian criciet team. What happens after that, they have not covered.

Overall, the same old story we have seen in a lot of this sort of movies. A good combination of Awaal Number and Nache Mayuri. A challenged boy on the doing the right thing tries to get to Indian cricket team and in the end gets there.

Shreyas Talpade who played Iqbal did a good job. He looked really at ease with the role, also looked as he is a fast bowler. Being from Mumbai (land of cricket) helped him out.

Naseeruddin Shah who played the coach - Mohit also was good. Nothing challenging about his acting though, one of the simpler roles he has played. So, he was good as usual.

I think the difference about this movie and a few others based on sports was probably the focus on the subject. There was no heroine, no songs and dance, only cricket.

A good watch, still not in the category that you buy a DVD for it or go to theatres, but should watch if its on a TV channel.