Kahaani directed by Sujay Ghosh

You get an immense shock of a revelation. A twist that leaves you grappling with the realization that you have been taken on a merry go round for the 99% of the movie. All the beliefs and convictions that you had built up during watching the movie is shattered completely. You start seeing the whole story from a radically different perspective and you get that A-ha moment when you pinpoint the places that you were taken for a ride. And you realize that there were no flaws and that indeed there were two stories running in parallel - one which you were being told and one that was actually happening

The best of the suspense thriller aims to do exactly this. Ask Hitchcock. And as any avid movie watcher knows, such movies are truly hard to find. Among Hindi movies, one that springs to mind is "Kaun", featuring Urmila Matondkar and to some extent "Khamosh" starring Naseerudin Shah.

What do you get when you start off with a terrorist attack, then get a pregnant woman searching for a missing husband in the crumbling magical city of Kolkata, a mole in the Intelligence beareau and a race against time to uncover a mystery that seems to become unsolvable by the minute? You get "Kahaani" or a "Story". And unless you see the end, you would not know what a perfect yarn has been scripted

After seeing "Kahaani" one can say with belief that this one will go down as one of the best well made movie of this genre. Not only is the story impeccable, not only is the premise well thought through but what makes the "Kahaani" complete is the environment. The sounds, sights, the camera work, the music, the hotel room, the chase through the alley way, the puja preparation, the poignant flashbacks. Everything makes this a complete delightful package

And a big part of the environment is the city in which everything takes place - Kolkata.

Kolkata is a magical place for a lot of reasons. But the Kolkata brought alive in "Kahaani" is truly a delight. By turns eerie, by turns old world charm, always colorful both in characters and happenings, Kolkata in "Kahaani" is one helluva interesting place. And for once the Kolkata depicted is not the cliché Kolkata depicted in movies like "City of Joy" or the invisible one in "Yuva". The sights and sounds and the people are much more authentic than anything else you have seen.

The characters in "Kahaani" gives it the special edge that a movie. Bob, the harmless looking insurance agent who is actually a hitman is probably one of the creepiest character to be shown on screen; Rana, a newbie Kolkata sub-inspector, who starts off getting involved out of a sense of gallantry and then gets enmeshed in something much more sinister; Khan - the Intelligence guy who is a ruthless pragmatist.

And Vidya or as the Bengalis keep insisting - Bidya. Vidya Balan is truly an actor to watch out for. The sheer versatility she is capable of not only shows in the difference between her "Dirty Picture" and "Kahaani" but also within "Kahaani". By parts vulnerable, by parts pragmatic, by parts manipulative, by parts teasing, "Kahaani" is a powerful vindication of Vidya Balan's ability to carry a movie completely on her shoulders. Never did you feel the need for a hero, so completely she dominates the story. It helps of course that she had a powerful story and a talented cast to back her up. But nonetheless, take Vidya Balan out of the movie, there would be a glaring vacuum.

Vidya as the pregnant woman searching for a husband who for all purposes seems to have abandoned her is one of the most memorable character in recent Hindi movie history. She manages to exact your sympathy and your awe at the same time as she struggles against an  advanced pregnancy to follow up every lead on her missing husband. And as she slowly gets enmeshed in a much bigger plot, as her life comes under danger, you get involved completely in trying to solve the mystery for her, working out every possible angle in your head

Every possible angle except the one that is right!!!

The ending makes this perfect movie complete. The five minutes of shock you experience as you digest what has been revealed is worth every paisa you have spent in getting that movie theatre seat or in buying the DVD...

This is a movie that can be enjoyed only in its seeing. Nothing else comes close. Just go and see it!!

Labels: Hindi, kolkata, mystery, terrorism, thriller

posted by Protik Basu @ 12:37 AM 3 Comments

(Movie) Rajneeti directed by Prakash Jha

Ok, this is a review that I had been wanting to write ever since I saw it three weeks back. In that time, I saw, much to my surprise, that it was becoming a grosser…I wonder why…

But first of all my impression. It is plainly apparent that Jha is a big fan of the Godfather series and that he has borrowed heavily from the movie (he admitted as such – he used the word ‘inspired’ not borrowed though). In the mixture, he also put in themes from Mahabharata.

For someone who has literally grown up on the cult classics like the Godfather (both the movie and the book – both masterpieces in their own right), ‘Rajneeti’ proved to be a sort of a farcical déjà vu.

Scenes have been lifted unapologetically from the movies – the hospital scene, the horse head scene , the killing of the traitor in the car, the shooting of the don, the car bomb scene which effectively combined the Sonny shooting scene and the death of Pacino’s pregnant wife, the transformation of the reluctant youngest son to the ruthless don…though none of them came close to the drama of the original

It was really too much. He should have just labelled the movie – ‘Rajneeti – Godfather scenes included’ or something. I don't quite fathom how someone like Jha could stoop so low to become akin to Anu Malik of direction. Either he thinks that the Indian audience wont care that the movie that they are seeing is a rip off (in which he seems to be dead right) or that the majority have  not seen the original or both…unfortunately, he seems to be right…

Labels: Hindi, movies, Political

posted by Protik Basu @ 12:51 PM 0 Comments

(Movie) Raat Gayi Baat Gayi directed by Saurabh Shukla

Well, this is another from the stable of the team that gave us movies like “Dasvidaniya” and “Mityha”. And you like this one for the same reasons you liked the others – its quirky, has a story told differently and it has actors that look good together. It has a very urban setting and deals with people who look and act real. The songs are different and blend in nicely with the movie unlike other commercial movies where the songs are a movie in themselves. And yes Neha Dhupia looks hot, with or without the backless dress!!!

The story is about a party and how Rajat Kapoor just cant seem to remember whether he did it with Neha Dhupia, a girl whose name is fake and whose phone number he might just be able to remember. He wakes up in the morning with a terrible hangover to find his wife behaving very strangely. So starts the day in which the mystery is unravelled. Of course that is not the only thing that seems to have happened at the party. And Rajat Kapoor’s relationship is not the only one to become somehow rocky after the party.

What I liked about the story is how the story seems so utterly real. The  problems, the reactions, the fears of the people involved all seem like things that you would mimic in a similar situation. The three couples are different but yet have something very similar. The movie does well to bring the nuances of the relationships out…

The characterization is not very deep but is not necessary for the movie. You get to know enough about everyone to bring out the flesh and blood in the characters and to make you relate to them.

A special mention about the humour. Its understated and very natural, like a normal conversation you would have with your friends…

By the time you end with the movie, I realized how much I enjoyed it. Its not in the parts of the movie or any particular scene that makes it but the whole sum of it, together…

Hoping that this team brings out more and more movies. They are such a welcome break from the normal Bollywood costly junk…

Labels: Hindi, humour, movies

posted by Protik Basu @ 7:06 PM 0 Comments