Dev D - Music Review

The Scintillating audio tracks of "Dev D" enchant us completely with its revitalizing melody. No doubt that "Dev D" is the best soundtrack of this year so far. The music is rhythmic and at the same time soothing to heart. It’s a brilliant fusion of folk and western music. The rule breaker, Anurag Kashyap comes each time with something bizarre. He had done that with Black Friday. And now recreating the history with "Dev D", which is high on emotions and "emosanal atyachar".

Talent is pouring in for bollywood and the latest in the brigade is Amit Trivedi. Amit Trivedi has done a brilliant job in his second film as a Music Director, after his debut with "Aamir" last year. He has done a wonderful rendition of folk and western. The music conveys the sentiments of the different characters supremely.

Each track has its own emotion to feel your heart. "Emosanal atyachar" is topping the chart everywhere. The new age love anthem creates magic on the matrimonial beat. "Saali khushi" is a nice composition. Listening to "Nayan Tarase" carries you away with its deep feeling. Another brilliant composition comes as "Pardesi". It’s a mind boggling fusion of folk and western. "Payaliya" is like a fresh air. You can’t stop tapping your feet while listening to “Hikknaal”, a bhangra with great nuances of dhol. "Ranjhana" is a soulful rendition about the separation of two souls. The fragrance of folk creates magic with the wonderful "Dhol yaara dhol". "Ek hulchul" perfectly expresses the wanderlust and lack of direction of the character at the same time. The remaining songs of the album "Aankh micholi", "Yahi meri zindagi" and "Dil mein jaagi" keep the mood of the album alive.

Kudos! to Amitabh Bhattacharya for his catchy yet brilliantly poetic lyrics, for inventing a new definition of heart break with "Emosanal atyachar". We could feel the loneliness of a lover in "Nayan tarase" and longing for happiness in "Saali khushi".

Best of 2008 - A Wednesday - Movie Review

"A Wednesday" could very well be the best movie of the year 2008. It's a fresh air and it gives a new dimension to the film making in India. An original concept, unpredictable tale and brilliant performances, this film has got all the elements to be a numero uno. The narration of this high pace thriller makes what first appear to be stereotypes ring with an unexpected depth.

"A Wednesday" is a story about an event that took place on a Wednesday in Mumbai. This was the most unusual case in the entire career of Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), Commissioner of Police, Mumbai. The case is nowhere in record. But it still lives in the memory of Prakash Rathod.

Flashback starts. In afternoon Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), Commissioner of Police, Mumbai gets a call from an anonymous caller who claims that he has planted bombs in various parts of Mumbai. The man calls again and this time demands the release of four militants if millions of lives have to be saved. Is it a real threat or merely a crank call to panic the police department? The suspicion dismissed when some explosions are actually found in the police station just opposite the Police Headquarters. So who is this caller? What is his identity? From where does he operate?

For Prakash Rathod the biggest challenge is to crack the case in time without spreading the panic in public. He calls his best men and puts them in action to get all the information about the anonymous caller. The whole unit is doing there best to grab the man behind the plot. But no results so far. The deadline gets nearer and finally Prakash Rathod gives it up and decides to hand over the four militants to the anonymous caller. Then comes a sharp turn in the tale and whatever happens after that surprises us completely.

“A Wednesday” is not only a well-made film, but is itself a revelation of common man’s guts. For a long time life has become mourning hush for a common man who is not sure if he will reach his home safely. Though, the incompetent system has failed to protect him from the inhuman act of some cold-blooded fanatics, he will no longer be the victim. He will fight back.

Director Neeraj Pandey, in his first film, has turned his own written words into a melancholic tale of images. The wonderfully crafted script keeps the audience guessing until the very end. The film’s cinematographer has given him full support with the sharp movements of camera. The rest is done through effective editing and fine performances, especially by Naseeruddin Shah with strong support from Anupam Kher. There is no doubt that they are the most versatile actors currently we have in the Indian Film industry. Another best performance comes from Jimmy Sheirgil. His acting throughout the film is first-rate. Aamir Bashir has done a brilliant job as the fellow police officer. All the other actors are perfectly suited to their roles.

In one word I would say bravo! Don’t miss it

Cast:
Naseruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Aamir Bashir, Deepal Shaw, Gaurav Kapoor

Crew:
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Producer: Anjum Rizvi, Shital Bhatia
Editing: Shree Narayan Singh
Cinematography: Fuwad Khan
Screenplay: Neeraj Pandey
Background Music: Sanjoy Chowdhary

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - Movie Review

“Dikhane mai simple hain….rahan sahan mai… kaam karne mai…. sab me bas ek mamuli aadmi…par mujhe unme rab dikhta hai…” and aam aadmi charms with his simplicity.

Here comes an extraordinary love story of an ordinary man Surinder sahani (Shah Rukh Khan) and a vivacious girl Mani (Anushka Sharma). It’s a different take from Aditya chopra comparing to his earlier blockbuster "Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge". The streets of Amritsar have replaced the landscapes of Switzerland. The simple, sober shirt-pant and salwar-kurta have replaced the designer outfits and accessories.

Surinder Sahani, a simple man working for Punjab Power meets the fun-loving and bubbly Mani. Mani's full of life persona fascinates him so much that he is ready to fall in love with her. In an unexpected situation, Surinder has to marry Mani. But this marriage is more of a compromise for Mani, who always had dream of a prince charming. On the other hand Surinder is very happy with her sudden presence in his life and feels "Mani ko bhi haule haule ho jayega pyar". To win her heart Surinder transforms into Raj and meets her in a dance competition. They both hit it off and become dance partners. The story takes a twist before the finale of the dance competition and the climax of the film is full of emotions.

The initial scenes between Surinder and Mani are really interesting. Whenever Surinder Sahani appears on the screen he brings a sweet innocence to the film. The film could have been a remarkable love story of the year. But it fails miserably as the narration goes further. A definite flaw in the film is that a wife cannot recognize her husband if he shaves his mustache. After a makeover a wife is not able to distinguish between her husband and someone else. Isn’t it silly? It makes fun of our intelligence. But as long as we are getting some cute emotional moments for our heart we don’t care.

Shah Rukh is outstanding in both of his avtars of the simple Surinder Sahani and the funny, outgoing Raj. Newcomer Anushka surprises with her acting and screen presence in her very first film. Vinay Pathak is unmatched in the role of Surender sahani’s friend Bobby. Obviously, we expect much more from the veteran director Aditya Chopra. The story could have been more engaging if it would have got more of Surinder sahani. Some sharp editing could have made the film crispier. Film’s cinematography is superior.

Salim-Sulaiman’s music has some good melodies. ‘Haule Haule’ and “Tujhme rab dikhta hai” are nice compositions and ‘Dance Pe Chance’ is a good foot-tapping number. Overall music is good and suits the mood of the film.

In a nutshell Rab ne bana di jodi is a heart touching emotional love story and it brings back the cute innocence of aam aadmi to the Silver screen. It’s not a “Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge” or a “Mohabatay”, the earlier blockbusters from the director but it’s really worth a dekko.

Cast:
Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak

Crew:
Still Photographer: Abhay Singh
Cinematographer: Ravi K. Chandran
PublicityDesigner: Fayyaz Badruddin, Yash Raj Films - Design Cell
Music Director: Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant
Lyricist: Jaideep Sahni
Story Writer: Aditya Chopra
Costume Designer: Aki Narula
Director: Aditya Chopra
Producer: Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra
Production Designer: Muneesh Sappel
Banner: Yash Raj Films

Dostana - Movie Review

The new age romantic comedy Dostana is a delightful film, which fascinates you from beginning to the end. Funny, beautifully acted, and attractively filmed, it has already earned all the appreciations from the audiences.

The story is set in Miami, and brings together three characters of very different personalities, all beginning as casual acquaintances with their own personal problems. Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) who is professionally a nurse and Kunal (John Abraham), a fashion photographer are struggling to get a house to settle in. The search of a house brings them together to Neha’s (Priyanka Chopra) house. Neha works for a fashion magazine and is looking for tenant to rent two rooms of her huge house.

After the very first glimpse of the house, Sam and Kunal don’t want to miss it. But, it’s not so easy for Neha who is looking for babes and not the babas(guys) to rent her house. So what’s the way in, anything for the house? Sameer and Kunal decide to enter the house pretending a gay couple. They successfully convince Neha and her aunt that they are a gay couple. The relationships that form among the three gradually grow into a deeper bond of appreciation and friendship. The story gets more interesting when both Sameer and Kunal realize that they are in love with the sexy and gorgeous Neha. And then Abhimanyu (Bobby Deol) comes into the picture.

There are moments of overly cute comic and the laugh lines. Being a comedy, it naturally has a happy ending, yet at more than one point there are serious doubts about how exactly the various conflicts will be able to resolve.

Dostana is a new offering form the Karan Johar’s production, Dharma Films. This time one of his assistant directors, Tarun Mansukhani is in charge of Direction. A well written script and an equally good screenplay by Mr. Mansukhani. It’s a brave step to make a commercial film where the film’s central characters are a gay couple. It’s really a worth attempt and kudos for the director.
All the actors are perfectly suited to their roles, bringing out best of the characters. Abhishek and John have delivered a few good scenes as a pretending gay couple. Priyanka looks fresh and stunning in her ultra modern look. A well depicted performances by all three of them. It’s nice to have really good actors in the smaller roles as well as the bigger ones. Boman Irani and Kirron Kher have done fair job in their small appearances. The film has also a very good cameo by Bobby Deol. And last but not the list, we cannot forget the special appearance of Shilpa Shetty in the film's opening dance number. She looks sexier than ever.

Beautiful cinematography and tight editing give an extra edge to the film. The background music by Salim - Sulaiman tunes well with the mood of the film. Vishal and Shekhar’s music is good and songs are well choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant and Farah Khan. “Maa ka ladla” and “Desi girl” are the hit numbers. Other songs are average.

It is a must-see for its freshness and wittiness.

Cast:

Abhishek Bachchan as Sameer
John Abraham as Kunal
Priyanka Chopra as Neha
Bobby Deol as Abhimanyu
Shilpa Shetty
Kirron Kher

Crew:

Cinematographer: Ayananka Bose
Costume: Aki Narula, Manish Malhotra
Music Director: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani
Lyricist: Anvita Dutt Guptan, Kumaar, Vishal Dadlani
Editor: Manan Sagar
Story Writer & Screenplay: Tarun Mansukhani
Director: Tarun Mansukhani
Producer: Karan Johar, Hiroo Johar
Banner: Dharma Productions