One Life, why so serious ?

Why Honda Jazz didn’t sell ? Cause it’s Sales Team said, ‘One Life, why so serious ?‘ Zoya also says the same thing. But interestingly that’s exactly why ‘ZNMD’ works.

" Dilon mein tum apni betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum…
Nazar mein khwaabon ki bijliyan leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum…

Jo apni aankhon mein hayraniyan leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum…
Dilon mein tum apni betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho, toh zinda ho tum...”

Calling this a review would surely be inappropriate. You will soon realize why.

When plot of this movie started appearing in Wikipedia, I strongly felt : using the ‘Inception’ technology, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti have stolen the idea of a get together from my mind and made a movie over night. Such is the advancement of technology these days !!!

This movie couldn’t have come at a better time. Since last three weeks, I am in the center of all arrangements going on for the 2nd ‘TRUE GET TOGETHER’ of 7 friends to be held on 13th August 2011.

After the terrible shock/disappointment of ‘Delhi Belly’ (1st time in last 10 years, Aamir Khan Productions has disappointed us with an unbelievable ‘slang-is-the-Gen Z formula-for-commercial-success’ film), ZNMD comes as the much needed source of inspiration and holds back our belief in Good cinema. So much so that it led me to write this blog.
Last when did you go on a trip with close friends where you simply eased yourself by returning to the good old childhood days…shared your present problems with friends…listened to their problems..helped solving them….of course apart from miles of tracking, bungee jumping, water rafting, para gliding, mountaineering…or if not anything else simply sitting idle while watching the scenic beauty around ???

Doesn’t sound different ? Dil Chahta Hai, 3 Idiots, RDB, Rock On.. the list is endless. Right. But what makes ‘ZNMD’ different is the unique and refreshing treatment of an extremely simple plot with the visual grandeur of picturesque Spain brought to life by a rock solid star cast who not only live up to expectation but also surprises through their never-seen-before chemistry.
There is no denial in this. ‘Friends are the ones who understand you best’. Its cause, they are the ones with whom you can be yourself..more importantly - Always. ‘ZNMD’, a title creatively derived from the title song of brothers Film ‘ROCK ON’, is a splendid visual treat for people from all walks of life to return to the basic : ‘It’s the journey that matters; not the destination’.

How mysterious and contradictory life is !!! Those who are kids, keep on fantasizing how they will grow old and be like their father/mother. And those who have attained the apex of maturity, want to go back to those curiosity /excitement filled childhood days. After all, what is life without those vigorous/ fun filled aura of friends/friendship ? Blame it on Zoya and Reema (The story writers), if the hilarious ‘Diamond Biscuit' poem , the ‘scary’ pranks, the children like fight and a recall of Doordarshan theme song make you nostalgic and take you back to that ‘na aayegi dobara’ moments of your school/college days.

‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.’ So true. Breathtaking are the moments for both the audience as well as ‘The Three Musketeers’ who indulge themselves in three extreme adventure sports as a Matter-of-PACT while getting over their phobias; namely scuba diving, sky diving, bull fighting. So captivating are the frames which take the audience to the non-ending depths of sea bed, the feel-like-bird flying experience & the run- for- your- life bull fighting that for a moment you doubt whether the makers would have tried one extra dimension for an added ‘immersive experience’. Carlos Catalan as cinematographer has accomplished sort of Bollywood milestone especially when it comes to shooting the underwater scenes. Also creditworthy is the Art Designer for the famous 'La Tomatina,' which has been re-created perfectly for the song ‘Ek Junoon’.

Any person like me who has grown up in a joint family and loves to organize events, get together will feel like being ON SCREEN for 135 Minutes ( the running length) of ZNMD. Thanks to Kabir, the anchor. And who else can better tell how difficult is to organize get-to of friends at a stage, where everyone has his own priority. In our case (real life), interestingly and unfortunately, Rahul, the very ‘character ‘who conceptualized this year’s get –to is not able to attend it because of his no-time-to breathe schedule in IIML. Work at office, No leave, Family commitment, classes, illness the reasons can range in billions, but the anchor shouldn’t give up. He/She should not only ensure that it happens as planned, but also make sure that everyone enjoys it to its fullest. And to a soon-to-be-married-bachelor, the very thought of missing all the excitements ,fun and pranks scares badly, takes all the smiles away as if they were never there. That too at the expense of marrying to a girl friend who takes the Diamond ring as your proposal not even bothering to think that it can be a gift intended for your mom’s birthday. Abhay,'the first ever non-Angry Deol', has undoubtedly played a Brilliant Kabir. And Kalki Koechlin (Dev D girl)starring opposite to him has also done justice to her role of over protective fiancée. Their proven chemistry works wonder once again.

Farhan as the soulful, jolly,care free Imraan with his situational poems reminds you of father Javed who has left no-stones-unturned to mesmerize us with his awe-inspiring poetic talent. Imraan is spontaneous. His larger-than- God treatment of a Ladies Bag which he visualizes as a Billion-dollar-lady, his scared-to-death fear for sky diving and the unlikely ‘Hindi’ romance with a ‘Spanish’ girl are moments which make you think that Farhan-the-producer has come out with a flawless Akhtar-the-actor.

Last but not the least it’s THR RETURN of Hrithik– THE ACTOR, which doubles this movie’s ‘Surprise Quotient’. After Kites – The Heights, Guzaarish – The Crisis, its ZNMD- Taarif milegi Dobara. As Farhan/Zoya clearly understand and go by the wise formula : ‘Use Hrithik’s dance talent only if the script demands’. We feel its high time for other film makers to follow suit. The magnificient transformation from an I-breathe-cash stockbroker Arjun to a man who just discovered meaning of life through scuba diving, to a love-struck, caring, emotional friend.. the other perfectionist, for heaven’s sake, returns to his charisma.

Katrina, after completing Nth movie with ‘Tees Maar Khan’, for critics delight, acts instead of worrying about ‘More makes-Ups. And her acting is convincing. Laila, the instructor is well cast and her pairing with Hrithik is certainly a welcome move and a praise worthy attempt by the makers.

A veteran like Naseeruddin Shah is not at an age, where we even think of judging his acting skills or performance. It’s his presence which speaks for itself. Even though for a cameo of 5 minutes.

Zoya who has to her credits the ONLY film with both Shahrukh and Aamir on board (although in different scenes) as evident from her debut 'Luck By Chance' knows the industry inside out. She has well accepted the challenge of delivering another off-formula movie which will surely lead ‘Excel Entertainment’ truly excel in the Entertainment business.

‘ZNMD’ is all about celebrating life and living each moment to the fullest. Go. Watch this movie with your friends. Who can guarantee that ‘such a LUCK, by CHANCE Milegi Dobara’ !!!

Rating : *****

-BnR Films

BnR Films Presents 'Dream Inc' : Entry for UTV World Movies Short Film Competition

BnR Films Releases 'Dream Inc' on 30th Jan 2011


"Four Bachelors. Four dreams. One fine day, call it sheer coincidence or destiny, one by one their dreams transform into reality and as a matter-of course they spring to dance to this new rhythm of life. Now they wont have to look back or return to their frustrated, thwarted, disappointed and anxious states. Not until..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxQdhprEXU

Review of 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey'

Now onwards, please read it as KHJJS.

There are two prominent ways period movie based on real incidents works with audience. One, if you have a captivating script and make it in an EPIC scale (e.g. Lagaan, Legend of Bhagat Singh, Jodha Akbar, Gadar,Border etc) and two make it as a PURE documentary with no-frills (e.g Blood Diamond) . Although there are not much 'Hindi' examples in this category, but looking into documentaries like 'Peepli-live' which have done extremely well in box-office, I dont see any logic that says same would not be applicable to period-films . But surely enough, if you are lost somewhere in between, then the result will be something as disappointing as 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey'

Yes, disappointing because the 'Rahman-like' music of 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' (by Sohail Sen)deserved a better foreground. The die-hard fans of such epics as Lagaan and Jodha Akbar deserved better screenplay. From a director who has time and again justified his ability to paint using patriotic colors (Lagaan and Swades), here is a school-play that even mayn't inspire school children or teenagers.

I sincerely appreciate (and admire) Ashutosh for his idea/objective of making 'Chittagong Uprising' 'THE Chittagong Uprising of 1930' by motion-pictuRISING 'Do and Die' : a book written by Manini Chatterjee. The story of our freedom fighters need to be told/retold however small they may be as we should never forget the pain, suffering, difficult times and hardship through which our fighters and revolutionists went to achieve what they dreamt yesterday and we enjoy today : THE FREEDOM. And hats off to these genre of directors who continue telling such inspiring stories. But given the motive and background of this movement, a much better option would have been to make a documentary by retaining the original set-up that could have gone well with an ALL-BENGALI cast and original language (Bengali) (with a Hindi/English sub-titling). What's more, a close look on the screenplay, reveals that the first half has taken the shape, although unintentionally, of a play with unusually small scenes (Remember : 'Gandhi, My Father') and dramatic dialogue delivery . This could have been easily avoided.

Strangely enough, Abhishek Bachchan as Surjya Sen is miscast. His character was supposed to be THE Protagonist of KHJJS, THE leader of Indian Republic Army, THE mastermind behind 'Chittagong Uprising', THE driver of the 'Do-and-die' movement. Instead he lacks leadership, he lacks attitude and more importantly, a single heroic-scene which will inspire generations not to mention the audience. The legendary war cry 'Inquilaab Zindabaad' has been (badly) given the form of an unknown 'Kranti Amar Rahe' which fails to excite the audience. There is no mention of the dare-devil attitude of the beginner of "Do-and-die' ( sometimes Surjya seems unsure of the 'Die' part). Adding to this woe, the much admired music has been grossly misused. Not only the awe-inspiring songs like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Yeh Desh Hai mera' have been moderately picturised, but also they have been made to start abruptly and fade away in the background even before half of their lengths. Sadly, its difficult to imagine this from a director who has been known for his understanding of importance of music , from a music-lover who has been much acclaimed for his grand creations like the song 'Marhawa (from movie Jodha Akbar)' . The only motivating (if not captivating because of its clear resemblance with 'Chale Chalo' of Lagaan) song is the title track.

And its high time for Ashutosh to try 'purity' . 'Jodhaa Akbar' worked in spite of all controversies because it was after all about the romance not the war. Ashutosh somehow fails to understand that the story of Chittagong uprising is just the opposite. It can never be in his hardest of attempts be a story of Surjya -Kalpana or Ambika-Pritilata romance. In this movie, the more he tries a romantic sub-plot/scene, the more the original-war-based-plot fails. The story should have been only about war and never about the 'no-evidence-yet' romances .

Far from expectation, the movie actually belongs to the characters played by Ganesh Ghosh, Lokenath Baul, Nirmal Sen, Ambika Chakrobarty, Naresh Roy, Sasanka Datta, Ardhendu Dastidar, Harigopal Bal, Tarakeswar Dastidar, Ananta Singh, Jiban Ghoshal, Anand Gupta and Pritilata Waddedar, who have their moments through execution of the planned attack which constitutes core of this plot. Feroz Wahid Khan as Loknath Bal is brilliant and manages to tickle funny bones in the disguise of British Officer. Samrat Mukherjee as Ganesh Ghosh is (pleasantly enough) to be the only true Bengali among the lead roles and impresses everyone through his role as a trainer for 'the army of teenagers' . Anant Singh played by Mahinder Singh is brave enough to press the trigger in front of armed policemen. And as a pleasant surprise, the real entertainers are the teenagers who have given a wonderful performance through their innocence, simplicity , humble, fear for death, anger for the British Raj, their demand for 'freedom to play football' and above all the passion to be a part of Revolution. Be it their sheer innocent discussions on 'What does the war cry Vande Mataram' actually mean' or a young rebel's assassination of SP ( a British) after cleverly reaching him defending a football, its these minors who make the movie worth the watch.

Art Direction and Cinematography as expected are praise-worthy. Undoubtedly, Ashutosh once again gets distinction for detailing and successfully recreating the pre-independence era.

Although most of the audience like me would have skipped 'What's your Rashee ?' (looking at the casting alone : Harman Baweja - A wanna-be Hrithik Duplicate and Priyanka Chopra - as if 'Lovestory 2050' was not enough), but after watching 'KHJJS' , one would surely like to know about the success of KHJJS/AGPPL (for starters, that's Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions Pvt Ltd) and uncontrollably ask Ashutosh 'What's your Raashee ?' :-)

Overall Rating : *** (3 Star)

New Lord for Engineers !!!

BnR films wishes u a Happy Engineers Week !!! :-)

(i got to know dat Thursday was Vishwakarma Puja- The Engineers Day...
i'l say gone are the 'days' of days..its the weeks of weeks)

...Baba Rancchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad (The new lord of 'True Engineers') ki jai !!!

Aal izz well that ends well !!!

Although the madness, the nostalgic phase will take time to settle down, I guess its high time to FINALLY write the review.

Review of Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na !

Release Date : 4 July 2008 * Review Release Date : 13 July 2008

STATUTORY WARNING

You are about to go through the review of a DIE-HARD Fan of Aamir Hussain Khan who loves Aamir’s movies and waits for the Audience Reaction much before their actual start of shooting. The Critic bears no responsibility for any ‘biased’ or insane opinion/view published in this article.

This story begins at the airport.With a story.

When Rotlu,Jiggy,Bombs and Shaleen offer to tell Mala the tale of Jai and Aditi,a match made in the pastry shop of heaven- Mala is convinced that she in for yet another clichéd love story with joys and sorrows,happiness and heart-breaks,laughter and songs,fights…and a climax at the airport.

And indeed Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na is all of that. And more !


Review of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF : The Film

21 years ago (1 March 1988 to be exact) Aamir’s uncle Nasir Hussain (production,screenplay,dialogue)launched him in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak which was directed by Aamir’s cousin Mansoor Khan.Now it is too obvious for anyone to have this superstition that this is Aamirs turn to launch nephew Imraan.However after watching the movie one realizes that contrary to popular belief this movie was never designed or produced as a Launchpad for Imraan. As usual Aamir focuses or believes only in one critical thing,i.e the script. As stated by Aamir , it turns out that Imraan just fits perfectly with the character of Jai. And hence incidentally Jaane Tu marks the directional debut of famous script writer Abbas Tyrewala’s as well as debut of Imraan Khan.

But the coincidence doesn’t stop there.

Qayamat se Qayamat Tak (or QSQT as it is known) came as a breath of fresh air when it was released in 1988.Not only did the film go on to become the biggest grosser of the year, but it also gave the Hindi film industry two sensational stars in Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla besides being one of the most memorable stories of young love ever seen on the Indian screen.
What takes the film that one notch above the commonplace is the treatment and the sure-handed direction by Nasir Hussain's son, Mansoor Khan making his directorial debut. Mansoor Khan takes much of the very same elements of Nasir but gives them his own take and modern sensibility and comes out with a glossy and technically slick (for its times) yet extremely believable young romance that caught the imagination of youngsters across the country. The storytelling had an innocence, cuteness, freshness and simplicity that was the film's biggest asset.








QSQT JTYJN

Now Jaane Tu.. seems to repeat almost all the elements of QSQT. Be it the, relatable freshness that characterises Abbas Tyrewala's delightful directorial debut or the deftly made story about friendship, fibs, and falling for the obvious or Imraan being Ranjhore ka Rathore (Remember Raj (Aamir) in QSQT was a Rajput), there is no denying to the fact that History repeats itself.
Abbas The One-Man Army : Direction and Lyrics
Three years ago,the prolific writer of Munnabhai MBBS, Maqbool and Main Hoon Na -- e appeared rather reluctant to direct a movie.Besides a story to tell, today, this 'one-man army’ has taken the resposibilty of directing the movie (apart from the script and screenplay) as well as penning the lyrics. Surely enough, he has done a great job of working within the constraints of the genre and budget to come out with the ultimate, clichéd college romance of our times which keeps the audience interested right through. As writer, director and lyricist, he’s understood his material brilliantly and not deviated from his own brief ever.
Storytelling Redefined : The Script and the Screenplay
The story as all of us know by now never claims to be a never-seen-before kind of love story.Instead we have saw it so much so that almost each scene in the movie reminds you of a similar sequence in some film or the other. Be it the climax at the airport ( similar to Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai), the Love Triangle between Jai,Aditi and Megha (reminds you of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) or the overall story which ressembles with “Socha Na Tha’ to an extent that you’ll feel it’s a copy.
What casts the magic here is certainly not the story but surprisingly the story-telling.
When Ratna Pathak Shah, playing Jai's mother, is shocked to see a sobbing Aditi being led into the house. Jai (Imran Khan) explains that she has just realised college is finally over. Aditi (Genelia D'Souza) nods, saying she doesn't know how the last five years vanished. Shah, fantastically supercilious and affectionate at once, delivers a line that will have mothers in the audience blowing wolf-whistles: ‘Phone pe beta. Phone pe.'
So welcome to the Gen Z style of story-telling. Informal, straight, humourous and to-the-point.Unlike Yash Raj movies (they were once the Moghuls of Romance),the hero here instead of claiming to be a great singer/musician, admits that “Gaana to aata nahin hai magar, phir bhi hum gaate hain”. Similarly during a serious discussion between Amit (Aditi’s brother) and Aditi where Aditi wants to know whether Amit likes Jai or not, Amit doesn’t hesitate to say “Ofcourse I hate him (Jai) as he is a very good boy “.Gone are the days of Karan Johar/Aditya Chopra,where we needed a bunch of Superstars, high-intensity dialogues followed by a whole lot of Songs and dance sequences in either Sarson-da-khet or snow peeked mountains ( locations preferably in Switzerland or New Zealand) This film marks the arrival of the era where even plain talk between friends just about anything can turn out to be an amazing love story given that the screenplay has been given justice.

Although technically,Chetan Bhagat was the one who introduced us to this new method through FIVE-POINT SOMEONE; his movie,a Bollywood version of his 2nd book One Night@ Call Centre (starring Salman and Katrina) has just come to floor and will be released much later. My sincere regrets for this talented writer.

Hats off to Pakhi (Abbas’s wife) : The Casting

As is the case with most films about friendship –what makes the film work is a rock-solid ensemble cast that is mouthwateringly perfect. Hats off to Pakhi, the Casting Director, this is a helluva nice set of good actors, with refreshingly unfamiliar faces.
Unlike the usual characters played by Debutants in their first movie Bollyood,here the hero is neither a good singer nor a Great Dancer and definitely not a fight-lover. Instead there's Imran, who comes out to be a disarmingly natural actor who grows on you sneakily. Before you know it, you're totally buying his act. And it's a simple, candid, relatable act -- no frills, no fuss, no muscles, no attitude. It's a solid, restrained acting job carried off with more dazzle than is evident.
Khan plays the peace-loving Jai Singh Rathore, and he's the straight man in his madcap gang: Alishka Varde does well as Bombs, the slow one; Karan Makhija adds character as the pessimistic Rotlu; Nirav Mehta is excellent as Jignesh, the one persistent yet affectionately etched caricature in the film; and then there's Sugandha Garg as the spirited, nickname-giving Shaleen.
Seriously though, the acting is top-notch all around. Ratna Pathak Shah is magnificent. Paresh Rawal as inspector Waghmare, Arbaaz and Sohail Khan as Ballu and Bagheera bhaiyya have their moments of glory with their one-liners.
Naseeruddin Shah as Jai's father, who speaks with his wife, Ratna Pathak Shah, from a painting in the wall, has played a perfect cameo.
But the best character that leaves his mark with his hatred and jealousy for Jai is Aditi's brother, Amit (Smita Patil and Raj Babbar's son making a brilliant cameo). The paintings -- when he takes Aditi for the first time into his room -- visually speaks for his loneliness and indifference shown by his sister after she meets Jai.

Rahman means Rejuvenation : The Music

The soundtrack is undoubtedly fresh and zippy which was an obvious expectation from the legend.The exuberant fragrance of teenage-hood serenades the air with the infectious beats of the opening track -- Kabhi Kabhi Aditi. Rashid Ali's funky rendition and Rahman's stylish and rhythmic pace makes this a case of love-at-first-sound.Up next, there's Pappu can't dance. Pappu mightn’t be a dancer,however Pappu and his left feet are a great entertainer on their own. It's remix by Krishna Chetan is a pleasant add-on!
The lines that caught my attention were
“Papa Kehten Hain…Bada Naam Kare Ga..
Mera Pappu To Aisa Kaam Karega…”
Which basically is a mimicry (executed perfectly) of Aamir's introductory song in the film, QSQT, where he is introduced at a college farewell party with guitar.The capricious melody of Nazrein milaana, nazrein churaana reflects the playful, dreamy and perplexed state of young 'uns with warm results. The mercurial tempo of the album continues with a nifty Rahman jazz-up the scene, quite literally and lovingly, if I may add in Tu bole... main boloon. It's a wonderful experiment and introduction in the Bollywood music scene and deserves much applause.Rashid Ali, accompanied by an exquisite Vasundhara Das, makes a surreal return in the soundtrack with the waltzing glory Kahin to. Rahman's frothy tonic of vibrant and breezily-tempered creations in Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na has already created waves among the audience.


God lies in details : The Production


Jaane tu..marks the HATRICK of Aamir Khan Productions. Aamir was once famous for his versatility in handling different kind of on-screen characters.But these days he is proving his versatility beyond acting. In his first production (Lagaan) he played Bhuvan as well as Aamir the Producer. In Taare Zameen Par , he played Shankar, Aamir-the director and Aamir-the producer.
No surprise that this time, in his third venture, he has played another different role Aamir-the Uncle along with Aamir-the Producer J .

It must be said that he has set a new benchmark in terms of Hindi film production.And as far as Aamir’s Characteristic ‘Perfection’ is concerned, needless to say that every technical aspect of the film is honed to perfection - be it Rajeev Soorti's vivid cinematography or AR Rahman's marvellously fountain-of-youth soundtrack. And Aamir understands that God lies in the details, which is why it's no coincidence that Imran's bedroom sign 'Deadlines amuse me' returns to bite the character in the posterior during that insane climax.


Box Office Collection :

Aamir Khan's Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na has worked wonders at the box-office by registering 100 per cent collections in the six days after its release on 4th July. This is not surprising, because even before the release, the excitement generated by Jaane Tu...- the debut film of Aamir's nephew Imran - was phenomenal and bookings began five days before the release.
It is a feat no movie so far released this year - not even the previous hit Race - could accomplish at the box-office.The exact up-to-date revenue from domestic and overseas markets is not available as yet. But judging from the box-office trend, it is roughly estimated that Jaane Tu... has crossed Rs 300 million mark by Wednesday, exactly the amount PVR cinemas invested in the puppy love story.Apart from the Movie’s own strength, this spectacular box-office performance of Jaane Tu... can also be attributed to Aamir's marketing plans. Instead of spending millions on production, he spent freely on promoting the movie.And he has been rewarded handsomely for taking the right decision.

Review of JODHA AKBAR

Release Date : 15th Feb 2008 * Review written on : 16th Feb 2008

There are basically two ways in which u can watch this movie. 1) Go on commenting each and every character or scene 2) Just get engrossed in that forgotten ERA and start getting the EPIC feel.
I did the second one.

JODHAA AKBAR

Period Films were a STRAIGHT ‘NO’ ‘NO’ for Bollywood until Lagaan was released .Then came a series of films including Saheed Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey,Umrao Jaan. Some of them did fairly well, some failed miserably. But this hasn’t stopped Ashutosh to stop dreaming about period films.

JODHAA AKBAR is Ashutosh’s answer to that world which believes MAINSTREAM CINEMA can’t go hand in hand with Period Movies. But this time he tells his story even with a new Dimension called HISTORY .He has yet again proved and outscored his class of movie making thru JA.

At a time, when people consider laughing at our own culture as ‘Cool’, he dares to present it even with more depth and vigor. Be it the Mughal or the Rajput, be it the Agra Fort or the Jaipur, each and every aspect of the movie has been done with mind blowing perfection. The cinematography and picturization is comparable to any International movie. A R Rahman’s scores have already created waves among the audience. The background score is even more inspiring. I doubt how many Music Directors can compose a devotional song as exceptional as ‘Khwaja Mere Khwaja’ At times ,Amitabh Bacchan’s narration seems just enough to make people stay glued to the screen.

The Choreography by Raju Khan in Azeem-O-Shaan Sahansa (Title Song) is one of its kind. The circular formations made by 400 odd dancers as well as their expressions give the ultimate thrill and excitement. I just can’t stop myself appreciating the Costume Designer who had designed the costume of each and every cast in the movie with great care giving the movie the much required ‘Period look’

Hrithik’s acting as well as expressions are just awesome in this movie. As they say ’Hard work never go in vain’. His dialogue delivery also needs to appreciated. Through sheer hard work, he has mastered even the extremely difficult Urdu words.And the flow of words were just too natural.

Aishwariya has also given complete justice to the character of JODHAA. The mastery Jodha had in Sword fighting or the Beauty she possessed as per history has been perfectly expressed thru Aishwariya


Each frame of the movie has been beautifully crafted by the extremely talented designer Nitin along with Ashutosh. Perhaps The ‘EPIC’ part of it lies in the EXTENSIVE RESEARCH done by Ashutosh and the toil thru which the crew has undergone to give it the shape which Ashutosh dreamt.

But of course, this no way means that the movie is all SHOW-YOUR-EXTRAVAGANZA or SHOW-YOUR-SETS or JEWELLERY- without –content. In fact surprisingly, the Larger-than-life Royal Era has been shown with such admirable substance and style that the EPIC feels come as natural as History. Contrary to the claim by the Director, the movie has more to offer than just Romance. The far stretched War fields echoing the Warriors war cries and the perfectly choreographed War scenes are perhaps India’s answer to the world as far as Capabilities are concerned..

LAGAAN, SWADES and then JODHAA AKBAR. One thing is clear that apart from the crew, Ashutosh has also retained his Class, level of creativity and film making.

I personally think this was the BEST POSSIBLE presentation of an historic ERA thru the tale of JODHAA and AKBAR.

EPIC : Exemplary and Perfect Indian Cinema

Even being a story of Romance, the pace at which the plot proceeds is wonderful. That’s why, at the end, only few ppl took the challenge of moving their eyes from the screen just to realize that 3 hr and 30 mins have passed.

The line

‘JITNA KAHEN HUM UTNA KUM HAIN…
TEHZEEBON KAA JO SANGAM HAI’ !!!

( from the song Azeem-O-Shan Sahansha) perfectly matches with the fact of such a wonderful team work of AGPPL group (Ashutosh Production company) coming together to make such a Marvellous movie.

U’ll love it if u can appreciate our centuries rich Indian culture, heritage and trend .Or u love to watch that unique blend of HISTORY and Geography presented with a commendable maturity level that is at par with any Hollywood movie..


Apart from the huge collection, undoubtedly, the movie will get applauds from all genres of people (Historician, archeologist, Cultural Groups and of course Movie Critics)

Hats off to the Creative Genious !!!

Hats Off to A R RAHMAN !!!

Hats Off to the whole crew and cast !!!

A promise is a promise !!!

Just while I get ready for THE PHONE CALL from Way Automotives, Jeypore (Orissa) - the Tata Motors dealer who is about to deliver THE NANO, THE EXAMPLE of a promise well kept , I realize that its high time to deliver what was promised to the readers ages ago : ‘Posting of all my previous reviews and articles in this blog’.

And can I have a better occasion than the Auspicious Birthday of my elder brother Babubhaina ? Before u ask the Obvious 1, please allow me to decode the links in a phased manner. Wait...did I say it has got something to do with my latest movie review ?

Happy 'New Year' !!!

There are two words in ‘New Year’. ‘Year’ being a celestial phenomenon is obviously in no one’s control. However ‘New’ is a word which purely reflects the excitement, curiosity, hope and dreams of a fresh beginning, something which is in our control.

May you live every moment to the fullest, so that the very next moment welcomes you with the same spirit and excitement which a ‘NEW YEAR’ unfailingly brings year after year on 1st of January…

Happy ‘New Year’ !!!

Hatrick @ Leela Kempinsky, Gurgaon

"Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva…
Mata Jaaki Parvati Pita Mahadeva…
Ek Dant Dayavant, Char Bhuja Dhari…
Mathe Sindur Suhai, Museki Sawari…
Andhanko ankh det, kidhan ko kaya…
Banjhanko putra det, Nirdhan ko maya…
Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva…
Paan Chadhe Phul Chadhe Aur Chadhe Meva…
Laduuonka Bhog Chadhe Santh kare Seva…
Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva…"

To release this blog, can we find a better time than the auspicious birthday of Vighnesha : the 'Remover of obstacles' , the Lord of Beginnings, the patron of arts & sciences, the Deva of intellect & wisdom and as relevant to this story.......................the 'GOD of Success' ?
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LIGHTS....on...CAMERA...rolling....ACTION…

The three golden words which never ceases to fascinate me…never ceases to remind of the STAGE where I enter with a confidence which comes after hours of rehearsal and the desire to see the audience waving from remote corners of the Auditorium.

It was not long back, when every ‘Cultural Nite’ at college meant hours of planning ,theme finalisation, days of casting, rehearsal and stage arrangement just to ensure that the Audience get their share of entertainment.

STAGE : Perhaps the most sacred word in an Artist's dictionary. For the audience it might be nothing more than a small piece of area but for an artist its a Temple where he/she must visit so as to get the chance of seeing the GOD (its audience) one day or the other. A simple 5 letter word, but surely as strong as the dedication of its performers, as vital as the focus of its artist while being as perfect as the audience in judging the Talent...all this while History is in making. Although decoration plays a major role in giving the much required feel to the overall performance of an artist, as known to the 'Performing world', the real talent lies in making the Best use of available Stage area however small it may be.

For me the STAGE CALLING dates back to 1996. From the first performance 'Daskathia' ( a well known Folk Dance of Orissa) to the now-popular play 'Once Upon a Time in REC Warangal' , it has been a 'Gratifying' experience for me in true sense of the word. Unfailingly, every stage has brought with it the pursuit to do something new and the excitement to see it come alive.

The recently held Engineering Conclave'09 ( an annual event organised by the R&D division of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd to showcase previous years achievement and 'the road ahead') was no exception. This time the challenge was twofold : 1) Creating an AV (Audio Visual) on ‘Best practices followed in R&D’ and 2) performing a theme song for the event .

Although it was the second time I was making an AV (Named “Living Life… the R&D Way), the experience, I must say, was entirely different. Contrary to the previous case (Delhi 6), where editing was done simply by using the available photographs , here the scope of work extended to making a COMPLETE movie. Story line : as decided by the TOP MANAGEMENT, Photography : as the Script Demanded and Editing, Sound Mixing : Using a Laptop that never lets its users miss the WINDOWS 98 environment (an avg of 3 Hangs per 5 Min).

(a 7 Second Preview of the AV)

In a nutshell, 2 script changes, 6 Hours of Photography, 12 Hours of Sound mixing, 20 Hrs of Management Review, 180 Hours of Editing, Innumerous Hangs, 15 ‘Hours’ of Last ‘Minute’ Changes.... And I was ready with the AV of ‘68 Seconds’ duration. Can't wait to watch the Full Version of such a unique AV ? Unfortunately, the copyright is not with the Production House.

To compensate, of course there was another side of the coin.

Based on this year's theme 'Engage, Execute, Excel : Drive the Future ', a theme song was composed by Mr. Ashwinder Singh (an R&Dian) and he was in the search of playback singers to complete the recording process. I was called in.
6th Aug 09 : 15.00 Hrs

Padpad ganj

Entering inside a music recording studio was definitely an unforgettable moment. The studio was located in East Delhi and belonged to Music Director Kuldeep Sandhuu, a thorough professional ( http://www.kuldeepsandhuu.com/) who has the experience of composing music

( The Theme Song : "Aao Chalen")
for about 12 Corporate firms and numerous albums. Although the recording studio was not-so-spacious, before our arrival, he had called all the artists (instrumentalists) to individually record their music in sync with the composed tune. When we arrived, he was more than eager to make us listen to the recorded tracks and complete the vocals with the help of his asst Jeorge. Although for us, the whole experience was one of its kind, perhaps what will remain even more special are the compliments we received from Kuldeep and Jeorge for our performance.

From the School-Days- Make Shift stage to college auditorium to the theatres at Delhi, I have felt the STAGE and have won many awards across regions. I knew the STAGE set for Conclave will be another such place which will critically evaluate my ability to please the audience.
But what if the same STAGE becomes the holy ground of Winning AWARDs for not the performance I was so keen of ..but for something beyond my expectation ?

Surprisingly since 2006, the month of August has been THE month of success. Coincidence has got a new Height. 11th Aug'06 : Placement at MSIL, 11th Aug 07 : Best GET Award (for best project in Prodn Division), 11th Aug'08 : Quarterly Achievement Award (Dept level). But this August was different. Breaking any further repetition of history, this year 11th August came as a busy day amidst review meetings, feedback sessions, Fine Tunings of the editable file from which I made the Audio Visual for the CFT Presentation : Ideas@Work.

CFT ? What is that ? Before you ask , let me clarify that 'CFT' means Cross Functional Team which has been formed to complete a given task and as the present case goes a PRESENTATION on the current issues and how new IDEAs can help solve these problems.

Slowly and steadily we were moving towards the D-Day. One week to go.

19th August 2009 - 10:30 Hrs

Leela Kempinski, Guragon

As planned, I reached the venue along with the 'Singers'. When we reached the first floor of this 5 star hotel, it was a brand NEW STAGE which instantaneously caught our eye. The STAGE which will set the mood of the evening. The STAGE which will judge the intensity of our preparation and strength of our performance.

After a couple of rehearsals off-stage, we went to complete one FINAL STAGE rehearsal while finalsing the direction and positions of ON and OFF Stage movements.

-----------------------------------------INTERMISSION-------------------------------------

14:30 Hrs
Leela Kempinski, Guragon

The 800 strong batallion of R&D Division has arrived.

Although the Menu in hand (Program Outline printed in the diary handed over to all the conclave participants) was long enough to scare the audience which has already started missing the much anticipated visit to the nearby AMBIENCE MALL, what came to their rescue were the shortest possible speeches by the dignitaries succeded by the 'Ligshting' event. ( Top Management 'Lighting the Lamp' )

Then started the CFT Presentations. As
expected, they delivered the 'Content of the Event' . My CFT,namely fourth, was scheduled at the end of all presentations. As part of the presentation, the AV made by me was screened while all the CFT members were standing on STAGE (My 1st STAGE Appearance of the evening). Later on, I was delighted to get inspiring reviews from the audience about the AV.

( Picture showing CFT Ideas@Work on STAGE )
Just after the refreshment break, the audience slowly began to realise that this Conclave is not just only about mere presentations. This has something much beyond simple pronunciation of the word 'Creativity'. It was as if SpititZ has cast a spell with their performance. Performed in the event, to depict the theme “Engage, Execute, Excel- Drive the future” this mesmerizing play evoked thunderous applause and standing ovation from the audience. Jai Ho Team SpiritZ !!!





One last sub-event 'Awards and Recognitions' and I will be on stage to perform the theme song.

As the names rolled on the screen, backstage, preparations were on for performance of the Group Song. The team eagerly waited for the
Award ceremony to get over so that they can enter the stage as planned. (Team SpiritZ receiving award from MD)

Amidst various categories of awards like Innovative Solution, New System/Process Development, Best VA/VE, Best Cost Saving , all of a sudden what flashed in the screen was the category ‘New Initiatives’. And it take me some time to believe what I heard next.

“ Biswanath Rath ENP Dept Plastic Proto Part Development for Design Trial of New Models “

It was my moment of the evening. For the third time (in last two years) I was getting an achievement award for the project work in my core field and in that evening,ON STAGE for the first time to receive 'an award for performance' instead of 'performance'. I felt as if once again the God of success has graced me and once again made me believe in my strengths .

With a heart filled with emotions, I rushed to receive the award from the MD Mr.Shinzo Nakanishi , Dir & MEO (R&D) Mr. K.Asai and MEO (R&D) Mr. I.V. Rao. A memory surely to be cherished for long.

But that was only the second time I stepped on the STAGE.

What about the Hat trick then ? ? ?

We would recommend a flash back to the 1st scene of this script…

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____________________________________________________________________ Although the new generation R&Dians abbreviate ENGINEERING CONCLAVE as ENCON, I prefer it in its ellaborate form which as per me is.....................................................................

The ENdeavour CONtinues...

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!!

" 15th Aug has become just another holiday", my friend said to me once.

'Freedom of Speech', I would call it.

But what he and perhaps many others fail to realise is that, this freedom hasn't been awarded as a Holiday which an Individual DEMANDS after six continuous working days, but in honour to those who refused to take any leave until they handed over the 'Traders (East India Company) of this country' their well deserved PINK SLIP.

The World hasnt forgotten their act. Neither Should We...The People of India...

VANDE MATARAM !!!

Wish U a Happy Independence Day !!!

Happy Raksha Bandhan !!!

No office today. Great :-) !

And luckily I have received the Rakhis as early as 29th july. Today morning (read 10.30 AM) when I tore the envelope, two beautiful Rakhis caught my attention. One of them, as you can see in the picture, has a Peacock affixed on it. Designer Rakhis, I would say. And surely,a perfect selection by my elder sister Pinkynani ( 'nani' in Oriya means elder sis).

The five fingers in this picture can be best described as my 5 sisters from whom I expected Rakhis. Although three more Rakhis are yet to be received, I have already received (the more valuable) Raksha Bandhan wishes from the oh-we-missed-the-target date sisters. I hope same is the case with my brothers 'Babubhaina' and 'Bububhaina' ( 'Bhaina' in Oriya means Big Bro)

Heartfelt thanks to the SPLENDID 5......

...and also to Cadbury and Nestle (Our Celebration Partners)

Wishing all of you (this includes the readers also :-)) a Happy Raksha Bandhan.

For those of you, who would like to have a 'Zoomed in' view of the Rakhis, here is a chance.

Review of Imtiaz Ali's

1) Imtiaz Ali is back after JAB WE MET

2) This is SAIF ALI KHAN (read ILLUMINATI FILMS) ’s production debut And

3) Pritam’s Music has already spelled the magic.

You are not to be blamed if you too had opted for FIRST DAY (and may be even FIRST SHOW depending upon how well you manage your time)

The story starts with a never heard before ‘break-up party’ between the protagonist Saif (as Jai) and Deepika (as Meera) complimented by Gen Z lingo like ‘Senti’,’Smarty’ and some even newer (and humourous) additions like ‘Aam Aadmi- The Mango People”. You expect the script to be the never-seen-before kind even in spite of the fact that SAIF ALI KHAN is playing his favorite (and of course the stereo type) role of being a confused, happy- go-lucky and cool (courtesy : the Yash Raj series HUM TUM, SALAAM NAMASTEY, TARA RUM PUM, THODA PYAAR THODA MAGIC (hey I am sure you didn’t dare to see the last one) . The initial credits starts rolling at such a perfect time (with the beginning of the song ‘ Yeh Duriyan’) and the duo play such a ‘smart and cool’ couple in the first 30 mins that you look forward to a smart story, smart screenplay and last but not the least ‘a smart climax’.

But that’s where your ‘smartness’ ends.

From nowhere, comes the character Veer Singh (although flawlessly played by Rishi Kapoor) who claims that he was looking exactly like Jai in his youth and starts telling his own LOVE STORY when asked by Jai, only to surprise the audience by saying that he had got a Jai-in-sikh-look in 1965. Now Karan Johar is surely wrong if he says “Bollywood is recession proof” . If that’s not the case, definitely SAIF would have gone for some other actor for playing ‘Veer Singh’. And they say ‘Om Shanti Om’ was illogical (I can surely DIGEST a Reincarnation story better than the Jai-is-Veer Theorem )

What goes then is the synchronized tale of two stories (that of Jai (LOVE AAJ -2009) and Veer (LOVE KAL – 1965) Contrary to Jab We Met screenplay where songs pleasantly complimented the on-going situation/scene, here the song and dance sequence appear as a BIG SAVIOR for relaxation/to bit the boredom, as the story line turns out to be nail-bitingly simple and predictable. But certainly, no comments for Pritam, who is one of those who have honestly done their (decent) part of job and undoubtedly maintained the level of intensity and expectation after JWM. Kudos to the music director.

In between the songs-follow –dialogues-follows-songs sequence, in Love Aaj (read 2009), Meera starts becoming sentimental (transformation from the modern day ‘Senti’ tag ) and delivers plastic dialogues. Too far from comparison with Geet of JWM (played by Kareena who atleast spoke with confidence and grace). The audience is in utter confusion whether to laugh or cry. They chose laughing perhaps taking it good for health. The only time she delivers her best is the song and dance sequences where she returns to her cool avatar. Same is the case with Jai (and also Saif the producer) who forgets what was shown in the first half and turns into Love-is-full of pain mode most of the time in second half. Post interval, their chemistry only works when they return to their once-shown cool characters which sadly is only for a duration of 15 mins .

What comes as a surprise (perhaps the only surprise) is the spectacular performance by Veer ( its Saif again) and Harleen Kaur ( played by a refreshingly new face Giselle Monteiro). No over acting, no high dose dialogues. These characters best depict simplicity and innocence through sheer expressions and dialogues. Rajendra Zutshi ( known as Raj Zutshi) as Harleen’s father manages to chuckle some funny bones.

Before I forget, let me mention the name of another artist who had sincerely performed his job : Cinematographer Natarajan . Fabulous are the ways, in which he had displayed the visual effects one of which includes transforming 2009- London Bridge to 1965-Howrah Bridge.

Personally speaking, the “Our special thanks” list at the end should also include :

1) Rahul Khanna as Vikram – For agreeing to repeat the Anshuman of JWM

2) The publicity and promo team – For choosing the ALL NEW font, color and styling for LAK

3) Giselle Monteiro - For agreeing not to appear in pre or post-release publicity and promos 4) Imtiaz Ali- for providing the minimal no of dialogues to Meera

What could have been a better option is to build a story completely in the 1965 era. It seems the director of such claimed movies like Socha Naa Tha and JWM has not only compromised in storyline but more tragically hadn’t cared for a full bound script (perhaps for the first time). He ends the reel in JWM pattern by putting an ‘Aahoon Aahoon’ number.

Perhaps the only common elements between JAB WE MET and LOVE AAJ KAL were (sadly all are technical ones) :
1) The titling (Usage of Hinglish- combo of Hindi and English words)

2) Music Director – Pritam

3) Cinematography – Natarajan Subramaniam

Because of the huge publicity, star cast and the music, the movie has been able to generate the second highest ever opening day collections (Rs 80 million/Rs 8 crore ) after Ghajini, which did net business of Rs 92.5 million (Rs 9.25 crore) on the day of its release (25 December, 2008). We hope it would be able to generate a near 50 Crore revenue (if not more than the revenue generated by JWM- Rs.55 Crore)

Overall Rating : *** ( Thanks again to Pritam’s Music )