Sunday, December 27, 2009

Movie Review - 3 Idiots

If you have seen Dil Chahta Hai and Rang De Basanti (which you should have, if you understand Hindi and appreciate even a bit of quality cinema), you are in for a dissapointment with this one.

When it comes to an Amir Khan movie, the expectations are always sky high. I guess, this weight of expectation might compare with what Sachin Tendulkar would have felt in the 90s when he would come in to bat. Due to Amir's past of Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, it's but natural to expect 3 Idiots to be of the same calibre. Unfortunately, in my frank opinion, 3 Idiots doesnt fit in that same league. In fact, in comparison, it's quite bad.

Throughout the movie, Amir Khan's body language doesnt seem that natural; he looks rather concious of his appearance or his acting, than he should have while carrying off that character of a 20-something. And contrary to what people are saying, I felt Amir, at ~45yrs, didn't look a 20-something at all. He looked a bit too mature and reserved for his age and character.

Worn Out Jokes

3 Idiots being a movie about engineering college students, being based on the amazing 5-Point-Someone book, obvious expectations were a laughter riot with quality jokes. But even on that front, the film doesnt deliver much. There was no novelty in most of the jokes, as they were heard/read/seen before. Like, for example, the space pen or the induction motor startup and many other.

Way too Much Masala

The thing that surprised me most was the amount of masala scenes that defy logic and sensibilities in order to appeal to the mass public. This movie is full of such blatantly masala scenes. Something that people hardly expect from an Amir Khan movie. Time and again, you are reminded that you are watching a Hindi movie; like when Amir Khan drives the moped right into the hospital, or when baby is delived using a vaccum cleaner running on an inverter which in turn is running on car batteries or when the delivered baby doesnt cry but kicks on 'hearing' "all is well"!! Even a Mithun Chakravarty movie would have made more sense. Another thing I remember in the last scene, when the newborn baby doesnt cry for a long time, everybody thinks the baby is dead on delivery and then, this guy tells the mother to keep her hands on her heart and say 'all is well'!! I mean, there lies this lady whose newborn baby is supposedly not alive. Imagine the trauma she would have been going through. And in such a situation, how insensitive it is to tell her to say 'all is well'...?? What nonsense!!

Brownie Points

Though the overall impression of the movie is pretty bad, there are few scenes which are really hillarious. First scene that comes to mind is the chamatkar-balatkar-dhan-stan scene, which though seemingly little manipulated, generates huge laughter. Another would be one when both Rancho and director Virus throw the keys to director's office for fetching some instruments. Boman Irani, as usual, creates a masterpiece of character as Director Viru Sahastrabuddhe aka Virus.

Conclusion

All in all, I would say the movie is definitely a one-time-watch, but at the same time, dont expect too much from it. To reiterate, it's not in the league of DCH or RDB, as one would like to expect. This time, surprisingly, Amir slips on the high standard that he has set for himself.

Rating?? If I were a film critic, I would have given it 3 stars out of 5.

Movie Review - James Cameron's Avatar

Actually it's quite a long time, almost couple of week, since I saw Avatar, but had quite a few opinions about it, which I very much felt like putting into a blog.

First things first. I saw Avatar in probably the best location in India - the IMAX Dome in Wadala, Mumbai. The screen there, was monstrous, in comparison with what I had seen till date - 3 to 4 times larger than normal screen I guess. We were almost in the first row. I dont know how it was from the back rows, but I actually felt myself in an advantageous position when the 3D promos of animation films started.

First time in my life, I experienced 3D. Before IMAX, I had a really horrendous experience in E-square Pune, with almost non-existent 3D for Ice Age 3. So this time, when I learnt that Avatar was being tipped as the best 3D film of the decade, I realised it was time to 'experience' 3D in the best location possible. IMAX dome has been touted as the biggest screen in Asia, and when you step in, you realise, that's not mere marketing. The screen is really huge.

The 3D promos themselves knocked us out, with the objects being thrown in our face, and we literally ducking under to avoid it hitting the face!! When you do that while watching a promo, with full knowledge of the virtualism involved, you know you are in for a treat with the main movie.

On that count, Avatar was mind-blowing. The experience was superb. The feel was awesome. The meeting places, the science labs they were all rendered 3D, and it felt like we were sitting right in the midst of it, and things were happening around us. We were blown away with respect to 3D and the highly detailed graphics. As has been said around the world, graphics in the film is amazing, with attention to tiniest of the details. It inspires awe. It was so good that, coupled with the 3D effects and the huge IMAX screen, we didnt realise that the film hardly had anything else to offer!!!

Poor storyline, bad acting, horrendous technial mistakes, all make the impressive graphics look excessive, in the hindsight. So much so, that you start wondering, if it's the same James Cameron who created Titanic. Also, few of the key concepts, are not novel either. The concept of donning an Avatar by connecting to the scientific cube, immediately reminds you of Matrix. The alien objects shown, bear so much resemblance with the humans and creatures on the earth that, you end up feeling like the Na'vi are living somewhere in the Amazons, untouched by humanity till date. The horses, the trees, the wild animals (resembling wolves and monkies), the social setup of the Na'vi all remind you of the similar things on Earth. So no novelty there either. Only the concepts of suspended mountains and Eiwa, with upload download of ages of knowledge, using their hair-connectors, seemed really cool and a very techie thing.

The abundant technical mistakes and logic defying, unbelievable scenes really dissapoint. Biggest one being - when Jack gets trapped in the jungle, alone, for the first time, what does he do to scare away wild animals? He uses a matchbox to light fire!! Now correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't pandora supposed to be an oxygen-deficient area? There are many such occasions, when you can't help but feel cheated(!).

Conclusion

Avatar is all about graphical effects and 3D. Don't expect too much from the storyline or try to apply logic. Hollywood class remains limited to graphics. It doesnt spill over into acting, story or even direction. To reiterate, given the poor storyline, bad acting, hasty screenplay and lack of conceptual novelty (which you come to expect with every movie dealing with aliens), the impressive graphical and 3D effects in the film, start looking excessive in the hindsight.

It's about 3D, so experience it in the best 3D location possible. I would definitely recommend IMAX Dome in Wadala, Mumbai.

If I were a film critic, I would not rate it more that 2 stars out of 5. And both stars exclusively for the graphics and 3D experience. Technorati Tags:

Thursday, December 17, 2009

माझा पहिला हिंदी शेर

ऑफिसमधल्या एका मित्राच लग्न ठरलं असं कळल्यानंतर त्याची खेचत असताना त्यानं एकदम विचारलं, "तुम्हारा क्या? कब कर रहे हो शादी-वादी? कोई गर्लफ्रेंड तो होगीही???"

त्यानं माझ्या मधे एवढा विश्वास(!) दाखविल्यावर सुचलेला हा शेर.

वाचण्याआधी चप्पल लांब बाजूला काढून ठेवलीत तर ती उचलून मारायची बुद्धी होणार नाही आणि तुमचाच मनस्ताप थोड़ा कमी होइल बाकी काही नाही. असो. नमनाला घडाभर तेल नको. मला सूचलेला तो शेर असा -


जालिम मुहोब्बत तो हमें सिर्फ सितारोंसे होती हैं
कंबख्त मुश्किलें भी देखो हमें कैसी कैसी आती हैं
सितारें जमीन पे कभी आ नहीं सकते
और जीतेजी हम आसमान में कभी जा नहीं सकते


वाह वाह वाह वाह ..... चप्पल बाजूला काढून ठेवल्याचा उपयोग झाला की नाही सांगा?


Updated ( जानेवारी १०): शेर मधल्या शेवटच्या दोन ओळी बदलून शेर थोडा फेक्टिव करायचा प्रयत्न केलाय.