Movies I watched at MAMI - Mumbai Film fest

This movies has FESTIVAL written all over it. The director tests your pateince throughout the film. Its also about illegal immigration of mexicans into america and their lives, work etc. Its about 2 guys who finish their work of the day and then go for a special job to kill a lady. The movie starts with a 10 minute still frame with nothing happening. I certainly slept through half the movie. A brilliant shot in the end was alls that was exciting to me. rating - 5 / 10


YANG YANG - This taiwanese film is my most favourite film off all the movies in this fest. Its the story of a girl named Yang Yang, whoes mother marries her athletics coach. Evreything starts off well, but soon things turn sour between her and her step sister. The movie is made out of several big shots - continuous filming and hence the performances have to be spot on and they are. Brilliant direction , amazing performances make this movie awesome. And more importatly this movie scores of emotions and sensitivity. I loved it. rating - 9 /10


VIHIR - Umesh Kulkarni .Another winner from this most talented Marathi director who previously made VALU. Vihir is a brilliantly written story of 2 cousin brothers. the younger one looks up to the elder brother, and always tries to emulate him. But when the elder brother dies, the younger brother goes thru a lot of pain and several questions of life, relations, death spring to him mind and he leaves on a quest to find these answers. Awesome cinematography and acting. A must must watch rating - 8 / 10


Twenty Bist - Iranian film. Like most Iranian films, its a simple film about human emotions. But this is a film full of misery. Its about a HALL owner and his employees. When the HALL owners health begins to deteriorate, he deices to close down his HALL, which puts his employees in a tough spot as they depend on this job to live their life. This film is full of misery - one life full of misery to another. It also comes to a very morose end. Anyways, this movie is a thoroughbread festival film. Catch it if you must. rating - 6 / 10


The waiting City - An australian film by Claire McCarthy shot in Calcutta. An australian couple comes to adopt an indian girl. The red tape in the system holds up the adoption for many days and they have to play the waiting game within which they not only have to get to grips with the Indian culture , way of life etc but also try to smoothen their own crumpled relationship. A very nice film which lives off the performances of the lead actors. A film worth watching. rating - 7.5 / 10.


My fest started with this film and its a simple, beautiful film. Its shot in 2 places Italy and Romania. Its about a Romanian girl who comes to Italy to earn some money by taking care of an old Italian lady. Its the story of how the relation develops between the 2. Sweet film.
rating - 7 / 10


Konkani film "MAN BEYOND THE BRIDGE" The surprise Package of the festival. I didnt even know before this that konkani films exist , but am totally blown away by it. This film is about a relationship that develops between a lonely man and an outcast,mentally challenged girl. Loads of dynamics involved - what the villagers think, religion, faith. 2 thubs up for this film. A must watch. rating - 8 / 10


A filipino film, for which the director won the best director award at Cannes. This movie really tests your patience. Its a movie about a group of corrupt cops who go on a journey to kill one prostitute who has betrayed them. In this journey they are joined by a new recruit. This film meanders and keep trying to grab loads of tension and finally the police carry out the gruesome act. Kinatay is one hell of a festival film, but it really tested my patience. rating - 6 / 10


Happy Go Lucky is about a girl who is happy go lucky. In this cruel , bad world, what if you could keep smiling and be an eternal optimist. Will this world let you be that way or wwill it pull you down. Thats the premise of this film. Again a must watch.
rating - 8 / 10



A french film EDEN IS WEST made by costa-gavras, is a tragicomedy, something like a Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, where the protagonist goes through the shit of the system or the world and then ends up all screwed up. Its a kind of a statement on the illegal immigration that happens from poor countries to countries like France. Engaging film.
rating - 6.5/ 10



A film from a small little country named Bulgaria. The movie ends pretty much as it starts. There is no plot, just a statement. There is no end, but a possibility of a new beginning. It shows the politics, the culture of Bulgaria through the life of 2 brothers and just leaves us there. Brilliant acting by the lead actor -Christo Christov (who passed away a few days after shooting ended- sad) rating - 6 / 10



Dogtooth - a greek film, is one of the most interesting films I saw this week. Its about a couple who keep their children locked within the confines of their home for 17 years. They are taught, bread there and made to believe that the world outside is evil and they would die if they try to go out. But one outside influence kindles their curiosity and everything goes haywire. A must watch for its weirdness. rating - 8 / 10


Imagine a movie where 80% of a movie 86 mins long is showing just the face of the protagonist. Thats APPLAUS for you. N even then this film from Denmark scores, because of Paprika Steen's phenomenal performance. - Plot -A stage actress is turning old and is trying to pick up the pieces of her life.
rating - 6.5 / 10 - simply for the performance.


A rather timepass film for a festival. 7 minutes is about a dating service in which you can meet different guys and gals and discuss for 7 minutes after which you have to decide whether you want to date them. Nothing special here except a few explicit scenes that could excite teenagers. rating - 4 / 10

BLUE- a perfect disaster

Blue_ rating 2 out of 10


Like akshay kumar has decided to beat his own record of giving consecutive CRAPS here comes another DISASTER .


Story has nothing new to offer , a group of criminals , younger brother trapped between bad guys and for his life elder brother goes for what he had decided not to do. A sexy girlfriend who was on gunpoint of bad guys and finally a fox like friend….


If it was not enough an international pop star’s cold special appearance .


Performance ? yes nobody has performed because director’s role was missing .
Like akshay kumar has written his own pathetic dialogues . every time he opens his mouth to shoot pathetic dialogues if u see his performance zayed khan has done better than him in the movie. Sanjay dutt , why director had chosen him is a big question..
sanjay dutt was not looking in shape and not at all a deep sea diver . he was looking tired and FAT. Lara dutta had nothing to do accept to do a bikini song.


Stunts of B grade Hollywood movie would be better than this .and if one wants to see underwater marine world, he should see discovery channel but not this.


Biggest disappointment was from director’s side. he has made it without any planning.


Total waste of producer’s money and people like me who went to see this crap.

Inglorious Basterds - The ultimate war fantasy!

Genre : Drama

There is something about Tarantino yaar. He has this amazing ability to make even 10 minute conversations interesting. His prowess as a director is peerless.

Inglorious Basterds is a fictional war drama. It's the ultimate war fantasy played out over 3 hours. The climax is so outrageous that I guess only Tarantino can pull it off. But then the movie is not about the climax, its about the journey. As Tarantino likes it, the movie plays in Chapters. The first being the most amazing one. You simply cannot miss that. Its about a German Colonel ( Col. Hans Landa ) visiting a farmer's hut and verbally forcing him to reveal a secret. The exchange has to be seen to be believed. The snake like character of Col.Hans Landa has to be one of the most devilish characters written for cinema. Without using a single threat or without using any force, he breaks a resolute man into submission. And that scene sets the pace for the film.

One thing amazing about Hollywood actors is that they are not greedy. They look at a role rather than Meat and their persona. Brad Pitt plays a rather insignificant role in this film ( the scene is stolen by Christoph Waltz - Cl.Landa and Melanie Laurent - Shosanna Deyfuss ). You cannot imagine a Bollywood superstar playing second fiddle to so many characters. Also, in Bollywood characters are written keeping in mind the stars , while in Hollywood actors have to mould themselves into a character. We should come of age in this area.

Anyways, even though the amount of violence and the bodycount in this film is much lesser than Kill Bill, the tense undercurrent, the witty exchanges make for an amazing watch. Also, as always Tarantino has some extraordinary background tracks. The acting is top notch. The whole ensemble cast is in top form, but the film belongs to Waltz and I am sure he is going to win a plethora of awards for the same.

Even though you might towards the end say "Kuch Bhi" the child inside you might say WHY NOT? In the realms of fiction , anything is possible :)

Rating : 8 / 10

Movie Review - WAKE UP SID - a somnolent awakening....

Genre : Drama

I am a little confused. When you see something so personal, you tend to think before passing judgments; but then again when you pay 300 bucks for it , it becomes a public issue! Ok, first time director Ayaan Mukherjee, clearly was too attached to this subject, because he langorously delves into the story of a spoilt brat and his awakening. But unfortunately half the theater snores ( especially the guys !) as he awakens.

No this is no Lakshya. Here too the first half is about a boy who is content spending his fathers hard earned fortune. He goes about in merriment untill one day he fails his exams and realizes the gravity of the situation. His parents arent impressed either and this seems to be the last straw. So he leaves home and finds a refuge in a friend's place. And slowly (really slowly) he begins to understand his responsibilities and that he needs to do something worthwhile in his lifetime. His friend ( an independent Bengali girl ) plays a big part in this.

Yeah, many many people could relate to this. And hence, in some parts the movie touches chords but then thats about it. As one of my friends would aptly put - "Director bechara Bhawnaaoo main beh gaya" because the film is too self involved. The director seems more interested in making the shot look impressive and colorful; and less about what the audience must be going through. Because even though there is a point to this story, it takes a rather long time to make it. Clearly the scissors should have been out before the film was.

Also, the story suffers because of enormously lengthy and sometimes preachy scenes. The director does come up with some colorful characters , but never uses them. There are no interesting subplots going along as the main plot drags. The very first sequence between Randhir and Konkana drags for pages and pages of dialogues. Yes, the dialogues are realistic but then in a film you need to keep a scene crisp unless really necessary.

As far as the ART direction/ cinematography is concerned, its fantabulous. Effort has been put in to make the movie look impressive and it does. Also, the music is peppy and does give you a reason or two to stay awake!

Ayaan certainly has great potential as a director. Some of the emotional scenes are handled brilliantly and I am sure, now that he has gotten over this extremely personal film he would think more objectively and come up with a more entertaining film. He could have taken queues from Farhaan when he made this film, on how to make this story into a better script.

Konkona Sen is in familiar territory. Its so sad to see that she has been typecasted into this typical Bengali independent girl who reads big novels and dreams big. Come on! she is much more talented and should definitely choose a different character to play. It seems like she walks out of the script of Page 3, right into this film. Anyways, this film belongs to Ranbir completely. As the spoilt kiddish arrogant brat Ranbir is spot on. Its a totally believable performance. He has this effortless screen presence ( very much like his father) and gives a rough idea of the range he possesses.

Finally, Wake up Sid, was a very good opportunity. But somehow the director could not make it very interesting. He tried to make it thought provoking, but most of the things you see on screen seem to give you a sense of de javu. It's probably doing the same thing differently.

Good luck to all the college guys who would be forced to go to this film by their girlfriends. And probably you would be snoring while they drools over Ranbir! Probably a one time watch , but then guys "INGLORIOUS BASTERDS" might be playing on the adjacent screen!

Rating : 5.5 / 10

Movie Review - What's Your Rashee -- Onerous , over-indulgent and Overbearing.

A trip to the theater can be many things. It could be a edge of the seat experience, or could be an easy going popcorn fiesta, or probably a rollicking time. What “What’s your rashee” is like sitting in a preheated oven! First the warmth is quiet pleasing, then the temperature begins to rise and you start to feel the heat and slowly as the temperature starts getting unbearable, you start to burn, but the heat is relentless and you come out completely overcooked; infact burnt !

Please bear with the length of the review. And no it is not the case of “If I had to bear it , so should you” It’s just that this movie requires such an analysis. But I believe that this would definitely be worth the length. Also, I made it a point to sleep on it and then write this, because right after the film, you feel like ripping it apart.

Its plot is something like this. An NRI is looking for a suitable bride, so that he can inherit his uncle’s fortune and save his brother who is a lot of debt. He has read this book which says that there are 10 varieties of girls according to their Sun signs. So he decides to meet 10 different girls of corresponding Sun Signs.

Now, let me take a less than conventional route to review this movie. See the plot line for an average film is something like this –

The movie starts with its usual introductions, then it turns a corner and gives us something new to think about and then some song arrives, some comedic interludes and then it unravels some more until it reaches the interval and leaves us with a twist or a sudden increase in pace; after which it unfolds some more and gives us a bit of a rest with some more songs and comedy and then finally runs at full steam towards the finish line.

On the other hand Whats ur Rashee has a very simple one dimensional plotline. Something like this


The movie starts with the usual introductions, sets up the problem and then the solution of the problem takes a decade to unravel. Its just one meeting after another; and another; and another. It provides only a few variations in terms of character definition but overall it remains absurdly one dimensional. Many films are like this, but none is almost 4 hours long!! The plotline resembles that of a dying patient ,who finally passes away and that’s what happens to you in the theater!


Now when you write a story/screenplay for a movie the most important requirement is how to manipulate the audience interest level / involvement in the story. The ideal involvement of the audience is something like this –

The audience comes in with certain expectations and then as the story unfolds the level of interest keeps growing uniformly. But in realistic terms the graph would look something like this for a good film.

The level of interest increases and then keeps wavering till you finally reach the climax where the involvement is at its peak.

For an epic Saga like “Whats ur Rashee” the graph looks something like this.

Now, you come in with some minimum expectation and then you get involved. Its quiet pleasing for the first hour. For a bit later, the involvement increases, beyond which because of the one dimensional plot line, the interest begins to waiver and then starts declining and declining, until it turns to a certain level of disinterest. When it reaches its 4th hour of running (D) your level of disinterest is as stagnant as the plotline and finally there is spike towards the final lap. You are enraged now and feel like ripping the seats of the theater.

There is no doubt that Ashutosh Gowariker is a master director, but sometimes masters become narcissists or extremely self indulgent. Suraj Leela Bhansali / Kamal Hassan for instance. To make a movie on an easy going, one dimensional script is alright, but to then stretch it to an almost neverending saga is plain stupid. The same story in 2 hours would be extremely charming. He could well have fast forwarded through a few dames / sun signs and focused on a few. Approx 2 hours of this movie, off and on, shows the true class of the master director because this movie has some brilliant moments. Some instances are brilliantly scripted.

Also, the decision to insert a song for every sign is simply unforgivable. Every time a song arrives you think you are in a concentration camp being slowly poisoned to death. Though the songs are not that bad, but there is a limit to everything.

About the performances. Well Harman Baweja looks and acts like a true “Champu”. Though there is some level of potential in there somewhere but right now he does not have the personality or the screen presence or the talent to handle a movie singlehandedly. Fortunately, there is Priyanka Chopra, who sleep walks through the plethora of roles. Though everytime she comes in a new avatar you somehow feel it’s the same person, but she does it with such ease and panache that you surely believe that this is an actress in top form. There is one character I liked the most and that was of DiIip joshi. He has supreme comedic timing. Awesome.

Well, I could tell you some more about the useless subplots , the absurd explanation given by the grandpa for all girls looking similar to this guy or about the ridiculously brain dead ending, but I should also probably conclude this epic review by thinking “what if the director had edited this movie crisply, penned it considering the audience in mind?” then this would have been an extremely enjoyable film. Or else he could release it in parts on television as a series. But as off now, it is a test of endurance. Watch it if you must in a theater else wait for the DVD release. But surely a DVD viewing is highly recommended because it does have its bits of pure genius.

Leaving you with one quote from the several that the audience shouted out... Towards the end after seeing 10 girls and after some 3 and half hours, the hero is still indecisive. His mom asks him has he finally decided on a girl when he says " Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha", just then a person pipped "Maa main Gay hun" !!! Figures !!! :P Scope for part 2 ... hehehehehe

Rating : 4 / 10 –– 1) because 50% of the movie is awesome 2) Priyanka’s performance !!! 3) Ok, it definitely needs to match “Wanted” …

Movie Review : Wanted - Some Hajmola.....

Genre - Action

Ek thi "Ghajini" aur ek hai yeh "Wanted" but woh bhi tha "Kuch Bhi" aur yeh bhi hai "Kuch Bhi". Beware guys the South Falvour is moving Northwards ! Frankly when I watched this film in Telugu - Pokhiri it seemed believable but in Hindi - Baat kuch hazam nahi hoti. The only change is probably the mindset.

Wanted is a perfect vehicle for the beefcake Salman. No, he did not have to work out and prepare for this film, coz he was made for it, or u might say the role was made for him. This film probably has all the requirements Salman would want in a film - 1) He barely has to act - Check , 2) He has to vomit style all over the screen - Check 3) He gets some fast songs to show his signature dance steps - Check. Waise if there was an Oscar for the Most Style Exuded in a Film by an Actor - Salman would win it hands down for this film. Har dialogue main attitude ki barsaat. In some places he is so full of himself, he forgets to act, but thats alright - Salman Bhai hai , Acting kisko chahiye.

So in this all Brawn no Brain film, you have a plethora of Villians. They are the ruthless underworld of Mumbai puppeteered by a Bhai sitting in some South East Asian city. Salman Khan - urf "Radhe" is a roadside ruffian who blasts anybody who comes in his way and can do anything for money. He can change sides, at the drop of a hat full of money, in this Mafia war and work for any side who pays more. Then there is this a damsel in distress - Ayesha Takia who's family is being blackmailed by a lecherous police inspector - Mahesh Manjeraker. Well, without delving too much into the story the movie is how this roadside ruffian keeps saving the damsel in distress from this lecherous police inspector and in between keeps pulverising and smashing other gangsters.

You dont require a story for such a movie. You sketch some action sequences, compose some groovable songs which might or might not make any sense and write some stupid comedy sequences to fill in the blanks - ranging from the extremely crude to the rib tickling. Then probably you can go for the old fashioned twist in the end which explains everything.

Prabhu Deva is the king of dance, and today I seriously believe that. He can not only move each and every muscle of his body but also make the Camera dance. The amount of work the camera does through out the film is phenomenal. Salman does not turn, the camera turns. Salman does not have to move much in the songs, the camera dances for him. Sample the first sequence where the Main Villain is watching a kickboxing fight and you will know what I mean. The camera zooms past the crowd, swirls, swishes, turns and comes to a grinding halt into the nostrils of our Villain. Its not that I am against such a style - but sirf style ke liye itna naach is too maach ,oops much!

Ek tha woh Angry Young Man in Deewar aur yeh hai aaj ka Angry "Pretending to be" Young man - Zameen , Aasmaan ka farak. This is for die hard Salman fans - coz as I said earlier the role was made for him and and this film can also work for man-eaters - with enough pulp to satiate even their desires. Ghajini broke all box office records, but I am not sure Wanted can do the same - some stories work only in the south but ofcourse the STAR POWER can push it.Afterall, Salman is doing in this film what he does best. But if you ask me, Itna masala bharaa hua hai ki seriously some "Hajmola" is Wanted !

Rating : 4 / 10 -- Buss Kya --- Salman deserves this much atleast.

Movie Review : District 9 - Sci-fi-licious....

Genre : Sci Fi

Whats it about - The most amazing thing happens. An alien mothership gets stranded in Earths atmosphere. After days of waiting, humans enter the spacecraft to find millions of alien beings. These are then relocated onto earth in District 9. Initially humans accept them, but slowly they cannot tolerate these aliens so close to their city and want them out of their territory. The movie is about a private company trying to relocate the millions of aliens from District 9 to a new District remotely located.

This film is shot brilliantly. A very unique storytelling technique is used. The whole film is shot like a documentary. The events unfold as people narrate parts of the story. Its shot on a medium scale budget but can be a lesson for big budget movies like Terminator, Transformers on how to make an engaging and entertaining movie without splurging millions. Plus the main protagonist and the other supporting cast are completely unknown, yet their performances speak volumes. It shows that you do not need superstars to make an awesome film.

The director seems to be making a very pertinent point in this era of extreme prejudice. Everywhere people are beginning to look at non-state people as aliens. Indians are treated as aliens in Australia, Asians are looked on as aliens in America, North Indians are looked upon as aliens in Chennai, UPites are not welcome in Mumbai and so on as so forth. There is so much intolerance. This literally puts aliens on earth and shows our animosity towards them. It turns the alien genre on its head and makes us the predators.

This film is a must watch. Do not miss it if u r a sci-fi fan , coz this is simply sci-fi-licious...

Rating : 8 / 10