Part 2 - Bollywood movies in 2015 that made me think

Part 1 of the series can be found here. Continuing with the top movies in 2015 that made me think -

6. Bajrangi Bhaijaan - 

Second surprise of the year for me. Salman Khan movies are normally all about his charisma, his body, his dance moves and dishoom-dishoom. This movie was a refreshing change and had a good story too. If you are one of those few folks who haven't seen this movie, this is about a Hanuman-bhakt (Salman) who meets a Pakistani girl lost in Indian shores. He helps her find her family in Pakistan by going to Pakistan without a visa. What he encounters and viewing the same in the larger context of India-Pakistan troubles, forms the crux of the story. I seriously don't know why Kareena Kapoor Khan was cast in this movie as her acting talent was rarely utilized. The child actress, Harshaali Malhotra, became an instant favorite amongst movie goers and for all the right reasons. I normally don't say this, but watch this movie for 'bhaijaan'!

7. Drishyam - 

First of all, I have seen the "original" movie released in Malayalam. That was simply awesome. Till the last scene, most of the audience weren't able to join the loose threads. In that context, Bollywood's Drishyam was a carbon copy of the Malayalam movie and it had to be good as far as story was concerned. The main actor's role is critical to the movie and hence, I had my doubts when it was revealed that Ajay Devgn will reprise Mohanlal's role in the Hindi version. Ajay Devgn's persona and his recent (action) movies make it difficult to believe an out-of-shape police officer hitting a muscular Ajay Devgn and Devgn, on his part, is simply begging for mercy. But I commend the risk Devgn took and am sure it will work wonders when the award season begins. Expect a few "Best Story" awards for Drishyam and maybe a best actor award too.

8. Manjhi - The Mountain Man - 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui all the way. This is his movie. From start. To end. If you want to see genuine acting talent, look no further. The guy may look small for a typical Bollywood actor, but don't be fooled by his physical stature. He is one of the best there is, in the industry. Manjhi further cements his position in the film industry - as one who is full of talent and can play any role with full dignity. The thing about Nawazuddin Siddiqui is that you tend to remember the character he performs and not the actor. That's the quality you need in your stars. And I haven't even started with the story of this movie! This is a must watch, and primarily for the main lead. Hope we get to see such movies in future too.

9. Talvar - 

I had seen the 1st movie made on the Aarushi Talvar case (Rahasya) which was more un-biased. I still wanted to see Talvar, primarily for Irrfan Khan. And I had no regrets. The movie is more or less on the similar lines as Rahasya. The role was tailor-made for Irrfan and he, as always, did a splendid job. In terms of relevance to actual story and keeping a balanced view on an issue that has plagued the nation, Rahasya was better. Talvar seemed to take a sympathetic and biased stand towards one side. However, in terms of acting and story-telling, Talvar was better than Rahasya.

10. Bajirao Mastani - 

Third surprise of the year. I am not a fan of Ranveer Singh. I still am not. However, he took this movie to an altogether different level by his acting and intensity. Deepika reprised the role of Mastani and did a good job at it. Priyanka did their part well, although I felt she should have got a meatier role. In a way, her acting talent was somewhat wasted in the movie. Bajirao Mastani is not the best movie of 2015 but it's one of the movies you should watch once. The sets and color combinations had Sanjay Leela Bhansali written all over it and makes it a visual appealing.

If you observe my list carefully, you will realize that 3 of the these movies have Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as main / side characters each. You may feel I am being biased towards these actors, but hey, their movies were great too. Let me know if you think otherwise.

Other Notable movies of 2015 that didn't make the cut but still worth a dekko (in the order of their release) - 

1. Rahasya  - similar to Talvar.

2. Shamitabh - watch it for the chemistry between Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush.

3. Dum Laga Ke Haisha - cute love story and nice acting.

4. Dharam Sankat Mein - another movie on religion by Paresh Rawal. Not as involving as "Ohh My God".

5. Margarita with a Straw - top class acting by Kalki and Revathi, as always. 

6. Baahubali - for the special effects, one of a kind.

7. Masaan - for Sanjay Mishra's acting.

Happy New Year guys. God Bless!

Part 1 - Bollywood movies in 2015 that made me think

Welcome to another edition of top Bollywood movies of the year. This is my 5th year of publishing a post on top 10 movies in Bollywood that made me thing. Yes, 5 years! 

These are my posts on top Bollywood movies from previous years - 

2014 - Part 1 | Part 2

2013 - Part 1 | Part 2

2012 - Part 1 | Part 2

2011 - Part 1 | Part 2

2015 was a year of the "non-Khans" in my honest opinion. And by Khans, I mean the 3 Khans - Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan. No Aamir Khan movie was released (which means there can more than 1 movie scheduled next year), one super-hyped Shahrukh Khan movie was released which was apparently beaten down on social media and two Salman Khan movies were released, one of which had a story (yes, seriously).

Before I talk about the movies, one word of caution. These are the list of movies I think were worth watching. You, obviously, can chose to disagree. 

Without further delay, these are the top 10 movies (listed in the order of their release) that actually made me think - 

1. Baby - 

Every once in a while, Akshay Kumar comes out of his funny-simpleton roles and delivers a baby (sic). Why am I making this statement? Because his last two movies before "Baby" were "Entertainment" and "The Shaukeens" which were released last year Last year also had a much acclaimed movie "Holiday". This year, it's "Baby". Despite what the name of the movie suggests, the story is about a secret mission and how the Indian forces get hold of the terrorist perpetrators. The movie is a bold statement and something which can be termed as fictional and cannot happen in real life. Akshay Kumar is simply great in "Baby" and is strongly supported by other actors in the movie. And by the way, this movie is from the same director (Neeraj Pandey) who gave us "A Wednesday" and "Special Chabbis". Any reason not to watch the movie? I don't find any. 

2. Badlapur - 

Dark. Very dark. Brutal. That's how I should define this movie. I feel this is Varun Dhawan's best. Huma Qureshi did justice to her role. But, Nawazuddin Siddiqui took the cake! Its a revenge story of a hero (Varun Dhawan) whose family died when the villain (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) was running away with the loot. But as the movie unfolds, the audience is forced to change the perspective of their hero and villain and eventually, you tend to realize that the villain lost the battle but won the war and the actor, despite winning the battle, lost everything in the process. This movie is by far the best from Sriram Raghavan's stable.

3. Qissa - 

Few facts first. Qissa is technically a Punjabi film, although it has been perceived / promoted as a Bollywood film. Second, it belongs to parallel cinema genre. Third, it's a tale where you have to believe certain things that are not scientifically correct. Why watch this movie, you may ask. Because of all the reasons above, I say. Qissa is a master-piece in its own right. It's a tale of a Punjabi guy (played by Irrfan Khan) who wants a son to carry forward his legacy. When the fourth child born is also a girl, he decides to raise the child as a guy. Irrfan is shown as a guy who is desperate to raise his daughter as a son, who beats his daughters for having a fight with his 'son', who marries his 'son' off to a girl. Everything he does is illogical yet his portrayal makes you feel he is right to do what he is doing. That's what top actors do, they make you feel that wrong is actually not wrong enough. Qissa exceeds all expectation you have of parallel cinema. A word of caution, if you are not a fan of parallel cinema, stay away. If you are, don't miss this movie.

4. NH10 - 

First genuine surprise movie of 2015 for me. When you have a actor who is also a producer, I feel the movie will be about the actor marketing himself / herself. Anushka Sharma is the main lead and also the producer of NH10. The trailors proved the aforementioned feeling I had. But I was wrong. The movie was pure acting and not about producer promoting herself. Yes, she was the main lead and there was no popular actor cast alongside her. But she singlehandedly delivered. One of those movies where acting, story and dialogues were top-class. And yes, women-centric movies work in India. 

5. Piku - 

Another women centric movie that worked. You have to commend Deepika Padukone for acting alongside stalwarts like Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan. Piku is the name of Deepika Padukone's character who has a dad with constipation problems. The movie is a sweet and funny take on dad-daughter relationship with constipatio providing the humor. And no, its not toilet humor which is why the movie is classy. Piku is easily the best light-hearted movie of 2015. You have to watch Piku, if you haven't. You have to watch Piku again, if you have watched it before. Must watch. 

As always, there are 5 more movies that make this list. You can read about them by clicking here.

Did The Joker kill Heath Ledger?

Rhetoric question, you may ask. Did I hear someone say "absurd"? You may even take offense to it. That’s exactly the way I felt when I heard about a new documentary titled “Heath Ledger: Too Young to Die”.

I am a big fan of the Batman trilogy. I am a fan of Christopher Nolan. And a huge fan of “The Joker” character from “The Dark Knight”. Joker is the only reason why I love watching the movie again and again. Heath Ledger took the character to a level where, I felt, that Joker was the real hero rather than Batman. His presence lit up the screen and his next move was always a surprise / shock. The dialogue delivery, the make-up, the laugh and other expressions made The Dark Knight a must watch – many times! And the fact that we didn’t see the actual death of the character prompted me to believe that Nolan will bring him back in the 3rd edition “The Dark Knight Rises”. However, that was not to be; primarily, for reasons well known to all of us.

In one of the interviews in 2007, Heath Ledger said the following about his role and the preparation involved – “It's a combination of reading all the comic books I could that were relevant to the script and then just closing my eyes and meditating on it. I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices - it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath - someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts. He's just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown.”

Now, we have a German documentary (yet to be released) that claims to reveal the details of the diary maintained by Heath Ledger. They claim the details in the diary are shocking and, perhaps, have a link with his eventual untimely death. Heath Ledger’s father is also part of this documentary which, some may believe, gives the documentary a certain amount of credibility.

From what I can gather, the documentary is totally based on two aspects of Heath Ledger’s life – 

1. A diary maintained by Heath Ledger while he was preparing for his role as Joker. He was living inside a hotel room in London for almost a month trying to get into the much-acclaimed character. He practised with various voices, conceptualizing and interpreting the comic strips and developed that iconic laugh. All this has been jotted down on his diary with pictures etc. 
2. Heath’s health Issue: If you read about his health issues on Wikipedia, you will realize that he had sleeping issues and would usually fall back on medications. The autopsy report also suggests the same as the possible cause of his death. 

Add 2 and 2 together and you get a probable conspiracy theory, which is what, I think, has been highlighted in the documentary. Personally, I don’t want to believe the documentary, especially the emotional side of me. If the sacrifice for making an iconic, epic, memorable and once-in-a-lifetime character was one's own life, I would have been content with the “scarecrow” and “Bane” type of villains (no offence to these characters) for Batman trilogy with Heath Ledger alive and kicking. If the documentary starts making sense, then Heath has literally sacrificed everything, even his own life, for his role as The Joker. 

I will sign out using one of Joker's most memorable quotes -

Long live ‘The Joker’. Long live Heath Ledger. His legacy lives on, with / without documentary.

Ek Nayi League: What could it be?

The other day, I was surfing the net and reading sports articles when I accidentally saw one of Kapil Dev’s 1 minute video. He was talking something about playing “dil se” and why it succeeds. But towards the end of the video, he said we will fail if we play “dil se” in “Ek Nayi League”. This got me hooked. I searched for “Ek Nayi League” and came across this website - http://www.eknayileague.com/

The aforementioned website has more videos where Kapil Dev described about a renowned Indian person (Dhoni, Yuvraj, Sania for instance) and talks about how passionately they have achieved all the success in their area of expertise. How they have battled all odds (Yuvraj Singh from Cancer and Sania Mirza for elevating Women’s tennis in India). Kapil Dev think MS Dhoni shouldn’t retire after developing such a fantastic Cricket team. But one common thread that binds all these videos is that these champions will fail if they play with all their heart in a new league codenamed “Ek Nayi League”. 

Kapil Dev ends his videos by saying he will reveal the concept of the league soon. When a living legend, who brought India on a global Cricketing platform, tries to describe and tease you with something new, you better stand and take notice. I am no different. So I thought, why can’t I take a calculated guess as to what the new concept / new league is all about? 

Image courtesy: http://www.eknayileague.com/

Key takeaways from the videos and Kapil Dev’s image from the website – 

• Top performers will fail if they play with their heart
• It’s more to do with the mind than the heart
• The concept has to be something to do with renowned people in society, at least their examples are sought to put forward the point
• Kapil Dev is involved, either as a brand ambassador or as a host of the league

Here are my guesses – 

1. How about a “reality-show” league where a certain number of celebrities will compete either as individuals or as teams. There will be competitions where participants have to use their intellect to succeed. Individuals / teams will play against each other and points will be awarded. There will be a points table, similar to the IPL competition. Once the round-robin competitions are done, there will be a grand finale, typical of a reality-show, to decide the winner. This seems possible since such a game show is not present in Indian television at this point. Celebrities will also bring in more viewership. Kapil Dev’s teaser campaign suggests that the makers are confident of the concept and hence take a risk with such a marketing concept. 
2. If this is not about a television show, then it must be an advert of a product. The climax of the teaser videos by Kapil Dev will culminate in revealing an existing product category with a different concept. Now, as per the takeaways mentioned above, what could that product possibly be? Something to do with the mind. In one of the videos, Kapil Dev suggests Dhoni should not consider retirement. This makes me believe that the product category should be something that either prolongs retirement and / stimulates intellect. If my presumptions are correct, then it could be an Insurance advertisement of a new insurance product. Kapil Dev as brand ambassador also adds added weight to a product where trust in the brand matters.
3. One of the few sports where mind rules over heart is the game of Chess. We have had IPL-like concepts replicated in Badminton, Lawn Tennis, Kabaddi, Hockey. Will Chess be next in line? Some of the takeaways mentioned above support this line of thought – mind over heart and the fact that retirement can be delayed. But it doesn’t connect all the dots. Also, an IPL like league for Chess will cater to a niche audience. This appears to be a remote possibility, but a possibility nevertheless.

Let’s now wait and see what Kapil Dev has up his sleeve. Will it be a bouncer or a Yorker? Time will tell.

Abhor the message, not the messenger

Now-a-days, filming, releasing and sharing 2 minute videos have been a trend – an instant means to increase your “klout” in the social media. Almost everyone is following the trend, which means we have some amazing videos, some boring ones and some that we outright reject. Some of the common responses to such a video would be – 

• Awww, that’s so cute (almost tears moment)
• Wow, I didn’t see that coming (a typical what-he-does-next-will-shock-you video)
• What the hell! Who does such a thing?

The reaction is usually the first two for most of these videos. However, one video was released recently that made most of the Indians go “what the hell!” And for rightful reasons, I might add.

Vogue released a video which they thought would stir the ocean and force people to think and eventually empower women. It achieved its objective, albeit for altogether different reasons! It did stir the ocean; it surely forced the people to think and it empowered women to completely abhor the message propagated by the video. Hey, ends justify the means, right?

When I clicked on the play button, I saw Deepika Padukone describing what “choice” means to a woman. The dialogue writing seemed apt and I began appreciating the video till it came to a woman’s sexual choices / lack of it. I honestly didn’t understand the logic behind the statements the first time and I thought of seeing the video again (that’s my part in making this video cross 3 million viewership). Deepika actually said “having sex before marriage is her choice, having sex outside of marriage is her choice”. While I am no one to judge any person’s choice, doing anything against the law of the land is a choice, but a bad one in the end. Social media decided to act against the video and they have done a good job. Parents are happy their children hate that video. Husbands are happy their wife cannot relate with the video. Kids are happy because umm… well… its vacation time!

For the record, I don't agree completely with the video and its message.

Throughout all the rebuttals, some chose to rebut and, unfortunately, despise the actor who was representing “all of womanhood” in the video. Yes, the video messed up. The characters in the video probably didn’t think of the message the way it was eventually portrayed. I would like to believe that the concept of the video had its heart in its right place – women having the right to make their own choices in a largely male-dominated society. It’s just that the examples shown in the video went against our own ethos, are illegal and something that a right-minded person would never choose. The actors (including the lead actor – Deepika Padukone) probably decided to do this project with a different thought-process and the end product was totally different. Haven’t we seen this in movies too? Actors play certain roles which they think will be portrayed in a certain way and the end result is a total disconnect with the public. It works sometimes and messes up on occasions. Despising the actors for this is totally unwarranted. After all, the same Deepika Padukone recently had an interview discussing the perils of depression and how she came out of it, which was largely motivating and well received by the same audience. Just like adultery is against our ethos, despising someone (let alone a lady) for a choice s/he made is also against our upbringing. It was her choice to do this video and she will live with the repercussions. Personally, I would like to think of this video as a branding exercise for Vogue that went terribly wrong. And they now have to do some serious re-branding to get back in their target audiences’ mind. 

Despise the message. Don’t despise the messenger, Deepika Padukone in this case. It’s my choice. And I will live with it.

Aren't we all the same?

The whole of socially active Indians are talking about “freedom of speech”, “freedom of expression”, right to be heard and having the option to make a choice of deciding what one wants to watch / experience. Post the 3-part episodes of AIB knockout that were released on YouTube, a furore of gigantic proportion erupted over the content of the episode, the language used and how much it is against our culture and the whole concept of “insult comedy”. For those not in-the-know of things, here’s a small backdrop of the incident – Some stand-up artistes decided to have an event that insults stars in a light hearted way.  The stars on their part are sporting enough to be insulted in front of live (and online) audience. So basically, people insulting each other and we, as outsiders, are watching it for fun. Harmless fun, I may add.

Not that my opinion matters compared to the popular ones on the Internet, but I still have an opinion and I have a platform where I can write about it – my blog. I saw all the 3 webisodes and found it quite entertaining. These were not awesome, but good enough to watch. Some of the jokes were really funny, some were ok, some were repetitive and some were not funny at all. But overall I enjoyed it and kudos to the team and the participants to even dare such a concept in India.

But there’s a problem. The ‘who’s-who’ of India perceived it differently. Some found it offending. Some compared this to porn. Some found it against Indian culture. Are you surprised by this reaction? Not me, for sure. 

To be fair to the AIB guys, the video started with a statutory warning and the way AIB roastmaster was introduced should have set the platform for what we are about to watch. The people who found it offending should have seen it coming. The people who compared this to porn, well, are ignorant. The people who found this against Indian culture need to test the ground reality by being a silent spectator to any teenage group conversation anywhere in India. During my teenage days, it was a fine balance between constructive discussions with a few cuss words thrown in between. The balance was maintained those days. Now the balance has tilted. 

So much enrage has happened on this issue that even FIRs have been filed! Wow, tough times ahead.

But that’s just one side of the problem. The other side of the problem is the reaction of ‘freedom-of-expression’ supporters towards those who are opposed to it. One Khan from Bollywood voiced his opinion and we pounced on him, called him a hypocrite for producing a movie “Delhi Belly” which had an objectionable song. Aamir Khan used his freedom of expression and we found it objectionable. A certain Khanna, ex-actress and now a writer, wrote about the hypocrisy of Khan and we commended her! So, what does that tell us? We will appreciate those who are in line with our thoughts but will also pounce on someone who does not support our version of the argument. Aren’t we also hypocrites in that regard? When a movie on god-men (demeaning them) hit the theatres, some of us silenced those who opposed the movie using the “don’t-like-don’t-watch” card. But when another movie on god-men (promoting them) was released, some of us went ahead and made fun of it. Isn’t the whole AIB-controversy also on the same line? Maybe what we fail to realize is that “The best way to explain our point of view is to walk the talk”. 

So what’s the bottom-line of all this? I genuinely felt AIB was good, it had an interesting concept and should not be a one-show wonder. The show must go on. People who like / support this concept, let’s show the other group how to support freedom of expression by practising what we preach. People who don’t like the concept, please close your YouTube window or watch some other video. The choice is yours.

Part 2 - Bollywood movies in 2014 that made me think

Part 1 of the series can be found here. Continuing with the top movies in 2014 that made me think - 

6. Filmistaan

Filmistaan was ready in 2012. After successful screening in various film festivals in 2012 and 2013, it was theatrically released in 2014. This movie also won a national award in 2012 for best Hindi film. Filmistaan is an India-Pakistan unity film. A film “shooter” from India is mistakenly kidnapped by some Pakistanis, who are shooters of a different kind. This leads the Indian guy to mingle with the Pakistani folks and learn that both India and Pakistan love the same things – movies and cricket. Later on, his newly found Pakistani friends help him escape Pakistan and reach India. Sharib Hamshi, actor, is awesome in this movie. His expressions are one of the main reasons you have to watch this movie.

7. Holiday

Every once in a while, comes an Akshay Kumar movie which you have to sit and take notice. Last year, it was Special 26. This year, it’s Holiday, a movie on sleeping cells. I know many will not subscribe to my thoughts in regards to having this movie in my list. Although Special 26 was class apart, this one takes the cake as far as Akshay Kumar is concerned. This is an out-and-out Akshay Kumar film with a meaning and purpose. Support cast are included just for support. Action sequences will excite some. Fighting for national security will excite some more. Whether you like Akshay Kumar or not, you should think twice before giving this one a miss.

8. Mary Kom

I guess every year there will be a movie on sports star. We already had Paan Singh Tomar, then on Milkha Singh and now it’s Mary Kom. In my opinion, Priyanka Chopra was apt for this role. Mary Kom has been one of our stalwarts in the field of Boxing. But spotlight on Cricketers and the lack of Boxing events on a regular basis meant she was sidelined for most of her career. A book and a movie on Mary Kom is the least we can do to repay her. Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom put in her sincerest attempt and will be the leading contender for Best actor (female). 

9. Haider

In my opinion, Haider is the best Bollywood movie released in 2014. Vishal Bharadwaj is a master of story-telling. He did it with Maqbool and Omkara. Haider is as good as the other two and with Haider, Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted a trio of Shakespeare’s best. Haider, as with the other two movies, has Bharadwaj’s own twists and turns to make it an original. Haider has multiple sub-plots which make the climax debatable – in a good way. The actors in the movie are character actors and have done their roles wonderfully well. Tabu, KK and Irfan Khan do complete justice to their roles. But this movie belongs to Shahid Kapur. I will be surprised if he is not a serious contender for Best Actor (Male) and the movie in the best movie category. Although we all know the top honors go to the mainstream commercial actors and their mindless commercial movies.

10. PK

And finally we end with PK. A movie that took almost 5 years in the making has all the ingredients to be successful – Aamir Khan, duo of Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a novel concept and brilliantly done teaser campaigns. First things first, conceptually this movie is better than Aamir Khan’s last money grosser – Dhoom 3. This movie addresses one area where we need a mirror to change our blind habits. And to an extent, it is working. It is on its way to be one of the most successful films of 2014 – financially and critically. I have not seen a Bollywood film that has polarized the masses the way PK has, unfortunately I might add. But for all the criticism surrounding the movie, it has made its place among the echelons of Bollywood films in 2014. Yes, the 2nd half doesn’t live up to the 1st one and I felt the love angle overshadowed the godman angle. But overall, its definitely worth a watch! Watch it for Aamir Khan.

Notable omissions – 

1. Highway

2. Mardaani

3. Rang Rasiya

4. Ugly (only because I haven’t seen it yet)

My top Bollywood movies from previous years – 

2011 – Part 1 | Part 2

2012 – Part 1 | Part 2

2013 – Part 1 | Part 2

PS: All images are movie posters released by respective movies for promotional purposes.

Part 1 - Bollywood movies in 2014 that made me think

Another year passed by. Arguably, a successful year for Bollywood in general. Many movies, albeit mindless and heartless, made a lot of money. Bollywood biggies released their movies to much fanfare. Shahrukh Khan had a “Happy New Year” released on Diwali. Salman Khan had a “Jai Ho” and a “Kick” while Aamir Khan had “PK”. Ajay Devgn established himself as an action star with “Singham Returns” and “Action Jackson” though with mixed success. A lot was expected from Pyaar ke Side Effects sequel, but I think its fair to say it didn’t live up to the expectations. Thanks to wikipedia, I came to know that a lot of movies with weird titles were released in 2014 – Babloo Happy Hai, W, Dishkiyaoon, Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, 6-5=2, Golu Aur Pappu. Interesting, isn’t it?

Anyways, there were some that mattered. Some movies were different from others. Something was different in a good way. It was maybe the concept, story, characters, actors or the director who made a difference to the end product. Some of the movies may not have worked commercially, but there was something that worked and can be explored in the future.

Following are some of the movies released in 2014 in the order of their theatrical release –

1. Dedh IshqiyaImagine a movie having star performers like Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit and Arshad Warsi. Imagine a movie with a strong story. Imagine a movie which is of the “Ishqiya” brand. Imagine a movie associated with Vishal Bharadwaj. This had to work, isn’t it? And it did. What a way it was to start year 2014! Characters were developed with selfish desires and how they go after their own needs made this movie worth a watch. Although, I must admit that Ishqiya was much better and more unpredictable than this one.

2. Queen
Kangana Ranaut was getting stereotyped as a single character actor – who is good as a drunkard, but hardly anything beyond. With Queen, she proved her critics wrong. Queen has fast-tracked Kangana as one of the mainstream actress who is not only beautiful but can also deliver a power-packed performance. The elan in which she portrays the character of a fearful person in an alien country to somewho who’s comfortable with herself is worth applauding. Lisa Haydon and Rajkummar Rao are fine in their support roles. This is sure to be one of the best movies of 2014 but will have stern competition from Mary Kom and Haider.

3. Ankhon Dekhi
The Rajat Kapoor gang (of the Bheja Fry fame) is back and this time they have made a movie that’s hilariously heart-warming. It’s a story of a 50-something year old man, Sanjay Mishra, who has a simple life and can only believe something when he sees it. Directing a movie with no “mainstream” actors is always risky and the movie / concept should be strong enough to guide the film. The film has a nice story, narrated in a wonderful way and has strong performances to back it up. I love it when this gang comes up with a new movie which is always different and is worth all the accolades on a shoe-string budget. Some movies don’t need money, lead actors and marketing to succeed, heart is enough it its in the right place. Ankhon Dekhi is one such film.

4. Hawaa Hawaai
This was the Iqbal of 2014, a movie of hope and achievement despite hardships. The father and son are awesome in this movie (Amol Gupte is the director and son Partho, an actor). Their last move together – Stanley ka Dabba – was wonderful too. The friendship angle in this movie reminds you of your childhood friends and everything we all went through to support each other in spite of hurdles. If you like Iqbal type movies, this one is a must watch.

5. Citylights

This is a simple story of a guy coming to Mumbai to realize his dreams. And his dream is to earn a living to feed his family. That’s where the simplicity of this movie ends. This movie touches upon the pressures of living in a metro and the circumstantial and unlawful decisions made to survive and eventually the consequences. The songs are heart-warming too. This is one of those movies which will make your tear glands work more than anticipated. CityLights is a bold attempt by Hansal Mehta who won a national award for “Shahid” last year. 

There are five more movies in the list. You can read about them by clicking here.

4 changes Mumbai Indians need to do ASAP in Pepsi IPL-7

If you are watching IPL for the first time, you will not believe if I say Mumbai Indians are the defending champions and also the current winners of the Champions League – and for justifiable reasons too. After 4 games, Mumbai Indians are languishing at 8th position without a single win to their credit. 

What’s going wrong? Many say their team looks low on T20 talent. I beg to differ. One of their bowlers (Malinga) is part of the the winning squad of the recently concluded World T20. Mr. Cricket himself (Hussey) plies his trade for Mumbai. The hottest prospect in T20 is in the squad (Corey Anderson). One of the most gifted players in the Indian team is the captain of Mumbai (Rohit Sharma). Indian cricketers who have served their country diligently in the recent past (Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh) have 8 crucial overs between them. Include the wily Pragyan Ojha and the slinga Malinga and there are 16 overs of tight and attacking bowling. Yes, they have lost players like Maxwell (now playing for Punjab), Dinesh Karthik (Delhi), Dwayne Smith (Chennai) this season due to IPL auction and the retention rules. But that’s the beauty of the game. You lose some players, but you also gain some.  The replacements are equally talented; it’s just that they haven't performed well this season. 

Mumbai Indians have to deep-dive to reverse the sorry trend. They have the biggest fan base of all IPL teams and most aren’t happy with the string of losses. Something’s got to give. Some harsh decisions have to be made for the betterment of the team. Here are the 4 things Mumbai Indians need to do – ASAP:

1. Replace Michael Hussey with Ben Dunk: If your player is not performing, you ought to replace him. How difficult is it for anyone to understand this statement? Michael Hussey has been phenomenal while playing with Chennai Super Kings. But that was last season. This season he has been ordinary, at best. He is needed to lay the foundation as an opener. That hasn’t happened yet. Sending him in the middle order was counter-productive against Delhi. What Mumbai terribly needs at the moment is a steady T20 opening partnership to lay the foundation for the big hitters to come and do their work. Do they have a replacement opener? Yes – Ben Dunk. An Australian who has been in great nick in the Big Bash and scored some quick-fire runs as an opener. What’s more, he can double up as a Wicket-Keeper too! There’s no harm trying someone new and experimenting. At worse, the results aren’t going to improve. If Ben Dunk fails, replace him. After all, the league position empowers the team to try out innovative (and at time, silly) things.
2. Change the opening pair: Ben Dunk should team up with arguably the best batsman Mumbai Indians have at their disposal. And that’s the captain himself, Rohit Sharma. Yes, he is erratic at times. He is known to give away his wicket when starting to strike form. But you have to use the best resources available to you at their best positions. Rohit Sharma has been opening for team India. Opening against Delhi (despite the unfortunate run-out) should be just the beginning. Rohit Sharma and Ben Dunk will also provide a right and left hand combination at the top. Rohit Sharma can play a waiting game (something expected from Hussey) and Ben Dunk will go for the jugular.
3. Send Kieron Pollard at No 4: This is a perennial argument that the fans of Mumbai Indians have always lost. For reasons unknown, Pollard has been held back in the line-up. He usually comes in the last 5-6 overs when Mumbai needs to up the ante. Pollard is expected to wield his batting wand to score those biggies. Mumbai Indians consider him as a game-changer (and for rightful reasons). What they forget is that he, like any other batsman, needs time to get his eye in. And in an innings of 20 overs, he may not have that luxury of settling in the middle. Bringing him at #4 will allow him that luxury. If Mumbai treats him as a game-changer, he needs to move higher up the order. Pollard can be for Mumbai Indians what Maxwell is for Kings XI Punjab.
4. Utilize Corey Anderson / Ambati Rayadu / Aditya Tare based on the situation: Corey Anderson is a middle order batsman. He can lay into the bowling line-up just the same way as Pollard. In more ways than one, Pollard and Anderson are similar. Let Anderson do what Pollard is supposed to do – finishing. Ambati Rayadu is flexible enough to play anywhere in the top 6. He can come in ahead of Anderson if there’s a collapse or can drop down the order if there are only few overs remaining. If Ben Dunk loses his wicket, Tare can come in to continue the momentum. Rohit Sharma’s dismissal can bring in Rayadu to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking. This will also ensure the opposition captain needs to alter his strategy based on whose coming next. 

This is how the final line-up should look like – 

All is not lost – yet. At least mathematically, things can still go Mumbai Indians’ way. T20 is known to be an unpredictable game. A string of losses can be followed by a string of victories. A change of scenery (back home in India for their next match) could also swing the pendulum their way.

Can you really fall in love with "HER"?

Disclaimer: If you have visited this page thinking that I am going to reveal everything about my past / present / secret / "what-nots" with an actual woman, gotcha! This post is about the movie "HER" and contemplating the possibilities of this scenario actually happening in real life.

Short review of the movie - "HER"

"HER" is a movie where the protagonist falls in love with an OS. Yes, I know, it sounds awkward and ridiculous. But watch the movie completely before you make a judgement. Its a futuristic movie in terms of technology. Talking to your machine while it records everything correctly with punctuation is the norm. The hero (Joaquin Phoenix, awesome) of the movie is passing through a painful divorce. One day he overhauls his existing OS (Operating System) with a new one with Artificial Intelligence. He goes ahead and discovers that the OS has a voice - male / female. He chooses the female voice. The concept of the OS is to understand the user and evolve the intellectual capability accordingly. She (since the voice is feminine) is just like a personal assistant who can help clean up everything that's remotely digital. The protagonist starts understanding the OS and vice versa and this develops into a relationship which neither can avoid. Then some cracks arise (akin to a real human relationship) and the way they sort it out and then eventually the climax (revealing it will spoil everything). I personally found the movie intense, "A" rated, emotional, sensitive and completely based on justifiable situations. Kudos to the director (Spike Jonze) to come up with a concept like this and actually making it work! The only negative aspect of the movie was the length (2+ hrs). The emotions displayed are so stretched to make this movie into a semi-art film. However, a movie worth watching.

Now the question - Can this really happen? Can you really love "HER"? Can anyone fall in love with an OS?

Your immediate answer would be a resounding "NO". This is bizarre to say the least. I agree with you, I felt the same way too. But then don't you think that a lot of things happening in this world are actually bizarre? Don't you think we are slowing moving towards anticipating such a relation to happen somewhere in this world. Isn't the technology moving towards making our gadgets more human with emotional feel? Samsung tagged one of their mobile as a phone with a "human touch" and "Life Companion". Nokia allows users to "dress up" their devices with various colors giving it a distinct persona. Even my device (Galaxy S3) knows what I am searching in Google (using Google Now app) and suggests me options based on my search. I don't even need to search on my device, I can search on my laptop or any other device in this world provided I am logged in to Google. You can call it intrusion, but you won't deny the fact that its actually a personal touch. I mean, my phone knows what I am looking for and is trying to help me out. Isn't the movie an extension to what's currently happening in this world?

We humans have a tendency to share our emotions with others - be it happy, sad, elation, nervousness etc. The "others" I mentioned are usually considered as humans / God. That someone can be a family member / friend / even a stranger. Just a walk in the park will convince you that most of us are interacting with their gadgets - listening to radio / playing games / chatting on messaging apps / talking. There's an headset always attached as if its actually a part of the human body. Now consider this - what if the device starts talking to you and helping you use the gadget better / rearrange your life better? Isn't that possible? In that case, wouldn't you be more inclined to share your feelings with the device? After all, you are always with your device 24*7 even if the same duration doesn't apply to your close ones.

The world was intended to be a place where we interact with fellow humans and share the best practices to live a happy and safe life. Then gadgets emerged primarily as a need to interact with people not physically present near us. Dependence on gadgets have increased to such a level now that we don't even need humans around us. Gadgets have actually replaced humans. That's where this movie is relevant. As much as I hate to say this, I strongly feel we are just a decade or two away from such a relationship to emerge. And when it does emerge, we will only have ourselves to blame.

Part 2 - Bollywood movies in 2013 that made me think

Part 1 of the series can be found here. Continuing with the top movies in 2013 that made me think - 

6. BA Pass - 

If you thought this movie was all sex and sleeze, you couldn’t be more wrong. After all, this is a movie that has been recognized in International Film Festivals. So, there has to be something worth watching in this movie, right? It has a great story to start with, decent acting, Delhi background and the hierarchical system described in utmost detail. Not to mention the final twist that forces the viewer to relive the story again and changes the whole perception of the movie. If you left this movie thinking it could be a ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade movie, you need to give it an opportunity to win your heart.

7. Madras Café - 

John Abraham is getting into unchartered territories (Read: Risk). He’s acting in and producing movies that are different and thereby ready to take risks in terms of revenue. This movie touches upon the issues Tamils faced in 1990's and the way in which our ex-PM was killed by a suicide bomber. What were the strategies that went into it, who did what and how were the foreigners involved? – all this and more are covered in the movie. Here’s hoping we get more hard hitting movies in 2014!

8. The Lunchbox - 

One of the best and sweetest movies ever made in India.  Very few (if not none) movies can match up to this one. Sad that this movie was not considered as India’s official entry for the Oscars! And yes, another gem from Irrfan. A simple story of 2 individuals interacting using letters kept in lunchbox. One tiny and rare mistake by the Dabbawallas and this is what we get! Irrfan, as usual, charms the audience by his tough exterior performance. Nawazuddin Siddique ably supports the protagonists and has his own little story.

9. War Chhod Na Yaar - 

A brave attempt and that’s the only reason why this movie is in my list of top 10 movies in 2013 that made me think. A war movie in India always evokes patriotism to win the battle, emotion at the loss of a key personnel and is full of bullets, bombs and mines. Now imagine comedy infused in a war movie. That’s what this movie is – India’s 1^st war comedy. Sharman Joshi and Javed Jafferi have done a commendable job. However, this is NOT a well-crafted movie, lacks continuity and has an simple and obvious end.

10. Shahid - 

The story of Shahid Azmi, the lawyer who went on defending the Indian Muslims accused for terrorist activities in India. It takes guts to make such a movie. The media, usually the entity that drives our thinking, initially forced us to believe that Shahid Azmi was protecting the culprits. This movie gave us a story from his perspective. All the real life events / terrorist activities that became popular in India are covered in this movie. The guy fought against the powerful and mighty, against the popular media perceptions and emerged victorious as long as he was alive. If you haven’t seen this, I strongly recommend this movie.

Notable omissions –

• Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
• Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
• Inkaar
• Kai Po Che!
• Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
• Ship of Theseus (simply because I missed it when it was released in the theaters and they haven’t released a DVD yet)
• Mickey Virus

Hoping for a Bollywood with less records breaking senseless movies and more in terms of soul and meaning! 

Part 1 - Bollywood movies in 2013 that made me think

Bollywood in the year 2013 will be known mainly for the records - 100 Cr, 200 Cr, 300 Cr et. al. And very few of those movies have been thought provoking. Yes, I agree, movies should be entertaining. But they should also lead the audience to have a alternate thought and to show the reflection of a society we live in. In that regard, Bollywood is way behind. Its not all gloom however, there were movies in the past that had adequate amount of entertainment and left us with a thought. It happened in 2011 (See this and this for my list of thought-provoking movies) and in 2012 (see this and this).

Now that I think about it, this is a hat-trick of sorts. I did the same in 2011 and then in 2012. This also means Bollywood is waking up to these kind of movies too. Here's my list for 2013 (sorted in the order of their release) - 

1. Special 26 - 

One of the best Akshay Kumar movies to have hit the theater in the recent past. This one is meaningful, has a soul and a twist in the tale. Having actors like Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill and Manoj Bajpai has uplifted the standards of this movie in terms of overall quality. A story of few men posing as IT staff raid and loot influential and rich people and the actual IT staff is not at all aware of this. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you are missing something!

2. Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns - 

Dark, Classy and awe-my-god-some acting. I have always felt Irrfan is one of the best actors in Bollywood and this movie is another example justifying the same. But as was the case in the 1^st movie of this series, story is the king. Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill carried the form and charisma from the 1^st part of the series. Soha Ali Khan is an interesting and graceful addition. If you appreciate dark comedy and movies with shades of grey, then this is a must watch.

3. Jolly LLB - 

Jolly LLB has proved beyond doubt that Arshad Warsi can be a solo actor and a successful one at that. A movie centered around justice for the poor and powerless in a world where laws are flexible for the powerful few. Boman Irani also packs in a punch with performance worth applauding. A story of a less known advocate who takes up the case and win against all odds is worth a watch!

4. Bombay Talkies - 

Bombay Talkies is an anthology movie composing of 4 different stories. Four acclaimed directors have contributed – Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap. This was the only reason that drove me to watch the movie. Four different stories for different target audiences with different tastes. A story of a married guy revealing himself as gay later on in the movie; a struggling actor trying to prove his worth to the world and more importantly to his daughter; a small Katrina Kaif fan who aspires to be a dancer and a guy from Allahabad whose father’s wish before dying is to give ‘murabba’ to his favorite actor – Amitabh Bachchan. And yes, Amitabh Bachchan appears in the movie too. All 4 stories are wonderful – my personal favorite is that of a struggling actor played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. This guy is a genius.

5. Fukrey - 

Fukrey or “worth for nothing” is a movie about 4 friends who are just that – “worth for nothing”. In search of quick money and stability, they get into areas they never dreamt of. Talking of dreams, one of the ‘fukrey’ always has a dream which the other one funnily interprets and they go about achieving that dream! Richa Chadda is awesome as a local goon. Her dialogue delivery and screen presence is simply great. The chemistry of 4 fukrey’s is wonderful, so are the songs and the story. 

There are five more movies in this list. You can read about the remaining five here.

Book Review: Complete / Convenient

First things first. Ketan Bhagat is actually Chetan Bhagat's brother! Secondly, their writing is as same Chalk and Cheese. So this is not a "same type of book" from people with the same surname. I am not so sure I understood why the book is titled "Complete / Convenient". it could be a rhetoric question asking the readers if they prefer a complete life (in home country with extended family, true friends and a stable job) or a convenient life (including living in different parts of the world and experiencing different / difficult situations). The tag-line "there is more to men than bromance" points in that direction too. The book cover is divided into two parts - one Indian and the other Australian.

Target Audience:

1. Information Technology folks - for you will know what it means to stay at onsite.

2. Punjabis - If you are a Punjabi, you'll love it for sure. This book is all about them and their lifestyles written in a humorous way. 

Plot: The reader is introduced to Kabir, the central character in the plot. He is in love with Myra and hangs out with Ramesh and Tejas. He works in Satyamev, an IT company headed by a certain Raju (co-relations anyone?). Kabir is one the outstanding performers in the sales team. He is immediately called to Australia for deputation. Ecstatic as he is, he unknowingly / indirectly informs Myra about being together. Myra understands this as a marriage offer. And there you go! Before Kabir leaves for Australia, he marries Myra and takes her along with him. That's when the novel really starts. From searching for apartments, friends, places to hang out, friends / colleagues to hang out with, new account for Kabir, everything starts with a mess. But everything finds a way too. Kabir and Myra realize that love before marriage was a lot easier, living in India with family was much better and so on. The internal fight between career growth and family forms the rest of the story.

Writing: Author has adopted a simple way of narrating the story. The writing is simple too. There are regular comparisons between living in India and overseas, their pluses and minuses. So, people who want to relocate can easily finalize their decision after reading this book! Even the people planning to relocate overseas can go through the different arguments you will eventually face. After reading the entire book, I thought the story could have been accommodated in about 275-300 pages. The author has explained every situation / surrounding in so much depth that the reader might feel off-track in between. That's the only minus point of the book. And yes, Ketan has a different writing style with less masala than Chetan.

Overall, the Bhagat family lived up to their reputation of publishing a gem of a debut novel. This one is as good as Five Point Someone. Now the challenge is to upheld the same quality in Ketan's next novels, if he is planning to.

My Rating: 4/5

Part 2 - Bollywood movies in 2012 that made me think

You can read Part I of the series here. Without any further delay, let's move onto the next 4 movies that made me think.

5. Barfi! -

When the official trailer was released, I was hooked! Anurag Basu tried his hand at a love story that goes beyond language.. and failed (Read: Kites). This time he went a step further and directed a love story that goes beyond words.. and succeeded! I am not that big a fan of Bollywood love stories, but this movie was different. Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra were amazing in the movie. Barfi! was selected as India's entry to the Oscars (I have my apprehensions about it) and lost in the first round. There were criticisms that the movie has been copied from various Hollywood movies. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me at all. I won't mind watching the movie all over again.. and again..

6. OMG: Oh My God -

A very very bold topic. Atleast in India. You don't mess with the religious sentiments in India. Period. If you tread that path, forget about the movie - your own existence will be in jeopardy. A certain Paresh Rawal decided to make that bold step.. and succeeded. The film starts with due credits to the Gujarati play and the 2001 Australian movie (The man who sued God). The movie had its moments criticizing the God-men of our country and taking a totally different angle to solve the case with the Insurance company. Akshay Kumar plays the role of Shri Krishna and makes an impact as the side hero. The movie belongs totally to Paresh Rawal. The dialogues and the debates in the court-room are all class apart.

7. English Vinglish -

Sridevi's comeback movie. And what a comeback. I remember watching her movies when I was a little boy and used to compare her with Madhuri Dixit. This is the story of an Indian home-maker who is ill-treated by her own family as she cannot speak English (sounds familiar?). Situation lead her to US and she then decides to join an English learning course. Her speech in the climax was worth every penny spent on the movie! Welcome back Sridevi, today's actresses still need to learn a lot from you!

8. Talaash -

I think they didn't mention this to be a super-natural thriller anywhere in the promos (or maybe I might have missed it). But the story came as a surprise to me. I watched the movie solely for Aamir Khan. If he has selected to act in this movie, it better be good. Now, you might not agree with me on this, but I genuinely liked the movie. I can understand that the super-natural aspect was a letdown to most. Loved Rani Mukerji in a non glamorous role. Loved Kareena Kapoor in a glam role too. I also enjoyed the way all the dots were connected in the climax.

Notable Omissions

1. Gangs of Wasseypur

2. Gangs of Wasseypur II

3. Ek tha Tiger

4. Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana

5. All top grossing movies. Most were masala movies (where you hardly need to think)

Here's hoping 2013 has better movies to offer. Happy New Year everyone. God Bless.