"Buddha Hoga Tera Baap"

Viju, as 'Vijay Dinanath Chauhan' of Agneepath is endearingly named in his most recent flick, is no Buddha, for sure. He may look a little old, in some scenes, he may even look a little(mind you, very little) tired, he still is no Buddha.
As he says in 1 scene, trying to explain who he is-
ye aj kal ke chhokre log mera gana gate hai, dance karte hai, original dikhau kya?

The film is just that. A reflection of what this man has been to Indian Cinema, if not to India at large.
He remains a figure almost every Indian praises and worships, and being from an era when the filmy people were so far-removed from the general public as if they were from another planet altogether, he has risen to the challenge of modernity and social media. His connection to his extended family on Twitter kinda woke up all the other silver screen baba- and baby-logs on FB and twitter, on which they calmly promote their or their pal's flicks, while this man holds court like an Emperor, who is just and who will listen to as many people as possible.
But enough praising the grand old man(oops, I said it). He was the first superstar, the first one to bring KBC to our screens(wow, those 9 o'clock emptiness on the streets - I though only cricket could do that to India), and lots of other stuff to his kitty. But let me tel you my experience at the theater, twice, while I gazed at the screen and enjoyed my quality time with him on screen.

The movie is a bit tacky, if you go by definition. But did I think so while i watched it? No. Not even the second time.
It has a very imaginative and hypothetically impossiblistic Climax. So? Who gives a damn. Its funny, and apt.
The movie is about the return of Viju(+scarfs, floral shirts, designer jeans, stylish shades, leather jackets, suits, blazers, multiple watches, and what not) to amchi Mumbai after 20 years. Viju is a sharp-shooter(Watch Angelina Jolie starrer Wanted), no no, un sab ka bap, looking for a job, and trying to reconnect with his now separated wife and son who live in the city. There is a definite plot outline, some characterizations, some sub-plots(Kammo, aka, Kamini = Raavina Tandan; sonu sood & sonal chauhan's love story; etc etc). Who gives a damn.
The music is good. The RAP/POP medley of old hits, or Sunidhi with 'Chandigarh di star', and of course, Big B crooning Haal-E-Dil.
Big B fills your senses and Puri Jagannath finishes of the film moments before you start to get a little distracted from the film.
GO watch it. Really.


ALERT: Big B, the big star he is, has attaracted all sorts of people to this film. The youngistan is in, to see what this man is made of. But there are also the 40+s, and the 60+s, maybe some 80s as well in the theater with you. And they have brought the toddlers along. So, noise alert.

AFTERTHOUGHT: Someoone said Makarand Deshpande is a talented actor wasted in the film. I disagree. There a not too many people around who can pull of his last scene in the film with such finesse.

A smelly corner on Bollywood street - Delhi Belly

When I generally sit down to write about a film, I would have already categorized the movie into good/bad/average, must watch/watch/time pass/leave it, ... you get the drift..

It was last saturday that I watched the movie thats going viral on the silver screen, street corners, office cafeterias and class rooms - yes - Delhi Belly. The songs have made their presence felt everywhere, and some dialogs have crept into our sub conscious. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more all through the movie. Didn't want to leave the theater at the end(when Amir was playing Dandiya with his handguns, dressed as the disco fighter). But still, I can't figure out what to write here.

The film was non apologetic in its mannerism - the "diamond" delivery (you know what I mean if you have seen the movie), the excessive gastro-intestinal noises, the dry humping in the hotel room, and a lot more.
The music is innovative, as well as catchy. Ram Sampath was a name I had only heard on MTv Desi beats - and I had no idea who he was. Now I bow before thou, Mr. Ram Sampath. Well done. DK Bose was a hit from the day it was cenceptualized, and Amir khan promoting his next "Return of Disco Fighter" at then end of the movie - 'Haye! Current marti hai'.. WOW.

There was a lot of sincerity in the comradrie in the gang, and a nice spunk to the character of Madam Special Correspondent. Laughter is drawn out easily scene after scene. Most characters held their own place in the narrative. Vir and Kunal have their space, and not overshadowed by the rising star Imran.
But for people who can't stand cuss words in every sentense(sometimes only cuss words in a sentense), this is not a flick you will enjoy. STAY AWAY.

Read here for some more interesting stuff about the film - http://unboxedwriters.com/2011/07/st-happens-and-how/

Also, lastly, this movie featured a song which is a tribute to the groovy 80s of bollywood. On sunday, I watched Buddhah Hoga Tera Baap, a tribute to the man himself, Sr. Bachchan. A post about that colourful film up next.

The Facebook notes - Now on the blog

Taramandal
by Korak Datta on Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 11:23pm


Potol Babu - Filmstar by Satyajit Ray was adapted by the Delhi tadpoles into a bedazzling Taramandal - with well timed silences, background score(which sounded like to have been inspired from Ray's compositions) with hindi and motzart(in the dark) thrown in for effect, a beautifully strung together bunch of stories - All showcasing a person's wish to act, monologues, and the original story, peiced together, created a mesmerizing effect. Yes it didn't create as much effect as Miss Meena yesterday, it still left me wondering how the creater came up with this concoction!

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Ugadi weekend, 2011
by Korak Datta on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 7:30am


It was destined to be a weekend of doom!
But well, Ye saali zindagi always turn out differently than we imagine it will, right?

So there was a night of joy watching the Final with Mahesh, Radha, DDY, Samy and Priya.
Then came the next day.
The next two days passed with Kerala cuisine, Ugadi food, Famous Icecream, and unbelievable Chinese food. All this came with perks, F.R.I.E.N.D.S - KK[P], Krishna and SSC..

It didn't go that bad, huh?

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Weekend
by Korak Datta on Monday, May 2, 2011 at 10:50pm


I did precisely 2 things over the weekend-
1) Read a book cover-to-cover: Chocolate Guitar Momos is a mushy romantic story with plots "inspired" by many flicks - in a good adaptive way, set in the lazy days and nights of Guahati. Its the story of a 27-ish year old musician in the quest for that special someone.. A good read for any romantic soul.
2) Watched Dum Maro Dum: I would rate it as a pretty decently made watchable entertainer movie - with paisa wasool thrill/suspense, except for some of the fight scenes(involving Jr. Bachchan) and the dancing shots of Deepika. The second one the worst bit actually.

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Dabba gull
by Korak Datta on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 2:40am


Remember the last time you were on a roller coaster ride?
That small point at the pit of your stomach you never knew existed suddenly starts gathering weight, and you feel exhilating and intimidated at the same time. The adrelanine rush prepares you for for the impending fall down, from the peak.
But after you finish the ride, it vanishes quickly, leaving you gasping for more, another ride maybe.

Thats not what happened today though. I think its been about 8 hours from the time when I finished the ride. And it was no roller coaster either. When I booked the tickets, I knew Amol Gupte's, oops sorry, Partho's "Stanley ka Dabba" was about a cute 4th std kid, who doesn't bring a dabba to school. He is a master story teller, weaving his thoughts through the imaginative realms of life to come up with engrossing tales for his classmates and teachers.
The movie opens with the best opening credits i have seen in a long time - old style animation. The first real shot is breathtaking in its own way, sunlight beaming through from behind a cluster of leaves, waving a silent hello to the viewers in a gentle breeze.
We are introduced to stanley, a cute kid, who looks like he has taken some beating in the recent times, but who happily goes and takes his place in the classroom. Slowly, we are introduced to Rosy miss(All of us had a rosy miss in school, the favourite teacher whol oved all her sweeties, and encourages every act from them), the snooty science teacher, Iyer madam("Is this global warming?" "No" "Parts of body?" "No" .... well, you can't dare to go off topic with her), all the teachers, the headmaster(Father), and the second character of the film who doesn't carry his dabba, Khadoos, the Hindi teacher, always salivating on other peoples food.
Amole Gupte takes us back to our schooldays, briefly disturbing the space-time continum. We are brought back to reality soon though. Atleast I was. THe camera angles and the editing left me with haunting images of a kid who drinks water inplace of food, and lies through his teeth to proclaim hightened senses of satisfaction with the food he is eating.
His classmates are like the ones all of had in school, jovial, loyal, and friendly, who don't wait a moment before proclaiming that they wil share their Dabba with Stanley till his mom returns from her trip to Delhi. And Amol Gupte plays Khadoos, the jerk, with finnesse mostly absent on the big screen.
When the movie ends, it leaves us, well, I don't know. It left me with a blocked nose, and tears streaming down my face. Don't get me wrong, it was not a sad movie. It was just, well, a movie with a biiiig heart. Go watch Stanley ka Dabba, only if you are not a crybaby like me, or if you are comfortable letting a few tears roll down your cheeks, because those, I promise, will make an appearance, at least when you get to know the story behind the real dabba of Stanley.
There are a lot of things to speak about the movie, its cast and the director. The story touches you, the characters make an impact, and the dialogs and situations tug at the strings of your heart with ease. But I have to stop. And before I do, I must thank Gupte sahab for the film. I must also thanks Stanley's classmates. Its not easy to act, and that too when you are a small kid. These kids, wel, were mindblowing. And at the end, I have to thank Partho, our Stanley. Maybe one day when you grow up ,and watch the film, you will really understand what you have depicted on screen. Til then, enjoy the innocent childhood you have. Becase to be fair, most children in this world, don't have it.

This is my Stanley Ka Dabba review. I have re-read it, and honestly, I think its no good. But I don't want to change it. So folks, read it. Watch the movie, and lemme know if you agree.

"Tere Andar bhi kahi,
Chhupkar baitha hai kya,
Koi STANLEY?"

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Mutant Chronicles: X-men : FIRST CLASS
by Korak Datta on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 2:09am


X-men First Class fell into that one hole that a prequel or a sequel often falls into.. Trying to tie up all the knots, and plug all the holes in the storyline.

It was enjoyable while it lasted(2 hours + some), but now that I look back into it, it was a tad bit disappointing.

Action sequences are good, some scenes are nicely done(technically, scenically, or with feelings). Magnetos rise is a thrilling ride(an I kinda agreed to his reasoning.. call me a traitor)..

But the whole theater went crazy in 1 scene.. 2 seconds on screen, and we know who is the real star of X-men.. Wolverine. wow.

Watch the movie if you are a fan, and can handle small disappointments..


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My review - Green Lantern
by Korak Datta on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 2:04am


Disclaimer: I am a comic-book loving, video-game gazing boy of 25 who has 2 hot wheels miniatures on his office desk.


That said, let me come to my review of "Green Lantern" (translates to a very funny hindi term).

Well, the movie has a lot of Corporate lingo - it has words like job description, behavior patterns of company managers who think too much of themselves, you know what I am getting too.
What it also has is some stylized set-piece action sequences - some of which use the 3-D tech to highlight the green will-power energy, or the sun beams, for that matter. Some of the sequences though, are done up in a way that they look right out from a in-game video [Is a green lantern game out already? maybe they jut did the video in it ;-) ]. But wth, this is content right up my alley of taste.. So great.
As for the story, its not as bad as the reviews said it was(at one point I was contemplating not going for the movie at all, after reading some of the stuff out on the net).
It has a cocky pilot-splitting image of his fearless dad, a woman leader of a company(his chaddy-buddy n love interest), a pal of a software geek, a metamorphosing once-human depressed scientist with evil powers, the thriving on fear villain, and a lot of weird aliens. What else do you need? Well, thrown in for bonus I guess, are nice punch lines too.
So guys, comic-geeks, fellow cartoon fans, this green lantern may not match up to the 'brother' we enjoyed so much in JLA, but cut the guy some slack, will you! Go watch it and enjoy a nice time out.

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Shaitani times
by Korak Datta on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 2:26am


Starting out on a very unrelated note at first:
When I heard the soundtrack of the now-famous "Slumdog Millionaire", wasn't really impressed. It was ok-ok stuff. But only after I experienced the magic on screen did the brilliance of the music hit me, how well it picked up from where our visual sensations took leave, and engulfed us in the movie sensation with the sound and score from Rehman.


This was a similar case with Shaitan. Only 1 track, Nasha, had actually sounded interesting in the audio release. But only once after I watched the movie late on Sunday night did I realise the beauty of the whole album.
The movie had a tight script(most of the times), and added with great camerawork and editing, was able to create its own space in my mind.
It has been compared many-a-times with the unreleased Paanch, Anurag Kashyap's first movie. Maybe that's why it attracted him. And thank god it did, or otherwise the movie-lovers would have missed a movie which falls short of reaching epic proportions not by much, considering its the first film from the director. He knows what he wants, and how to get it. Yes he does.
There are gut-wrenching moments, and also frames filled with camaraderie, and pain. There are signs of strengths, and weaknesses, and fragility, from all the characters - proving yet again the line from swades: Man se raavan jo nikale, Ram uske man me hai, although in a pretty crooked way.
The cast acts commendably, though I would like to see Kalki doing something different next time, Her innocent/naughty/daring character is one she has pulled off with aplomb before too. The other actors, especially DASH, are good. Rajiv Khandelwal does justice to his role.
2 sequences that make this movie memorable fr me:
1. Action/Chase sequence, when the cops find the German girl's body, parallely showing the friends running off from trouble. I knew these are different occurances, happening independently. But still, some how, I just kept believing, its not. Thats what great cinematography can do.
2. Khoya khoya chande remix is so so so damn cool(sadly, its not in the audio release).

Watch this if you can stand blood, gore, and deadly catch-phrases.

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Punched - Sucker Punch
by Korak Datta on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 2:19am


The story could have been better, but hell, you can't really control your imagination, and this movie is about imaginations. And I guess that's why the movie spins out of control.

The visual effect, most of them, are well done. How it never shows any of the misfortunes of its characters, and still conveys the feeling to us is good.

The creative team has grown up on a lot of fiction, mythology, fantasy, comics and gaming! Evidence? 1) Dragon scene - out of Harry potter, 2) Ogres - LOTR, 3) The train - Batman, 4) The sniper - out if a damn good sniping FPS, 6) Samurai fight - great version of any samurai stylized fight game, 7) Steam-powered undeads in WWII and humanoid robots- So DC comic-ish. And I can go on and on.

Inception had levels of dreams, this one has a multitude of levels of imagination from the lead female protagonist, who escapes into her make-belief world to escape harsh truths of her life. To be fair to the creators of the movie, we only figured out 1 level by the time the movie was half done, and the 2nd level was comprehended only at the end, so a good job done.

Only drawback I see is that it had huge potential that was not truly explored, but well, what was served at the end was good too.