Daayen Ya Baayen Movie Review- for the dreamer in all of us

Note- this is not a regular review of the film but more about my feelings for the film.

The last one week had indeed been special due to MAMI 2010.After watching a wide variety of films across genres, both Indian & International I’m even more convinced that a filmmaker’s victory lies in connecting with the audience through his/her film, whatever be the kind of film. And if the filmmaker is able to also make an honest film without making many compromises, the victory only becomes even sweeter. Daayen Ya Baayen ( DYB from hereon ) which released yesterday is one such film according to me. In these days when most filmmaker’s and producers are wondering which overseas location to base their film in, any film set even in the Indian metro’s is welcome indeed.

And out of the blue when you hear of a film based in a tiny hamlet in the hills of Uttarakhand it certainly makes a cinephile like me to get all excited. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that the writer-editor-director of the film (Bela Negi) and the leading man (Deepak Dobriyal) also hail from Uttarakhand. This made me feel a lot more confident about the chances of the film being honest. Hence when I got an opportunity to watch the movie at a preview arranged by the director I went in with some hope of watching a good film, nothing more nothing less.

But as the film unfolded I found myself to be not just liking the film but also chuckling along at various moments. Right from the moment when the hero reaches his village and is welcomed at the bus-stop by his family, the movie is a fun ride. I’m not from Kumaon myself but having travelled extensively in the Country it’s not difficult for me to make out if the local milieu and nuances have been captured well in a film. In the case of DYB I can proudly say that Bela Negi & her team have been very faithful indeed to the grass roots of Uttarakhand. Definitely praiseworthy is the cinematography of Amlan Dutta as he makes us experience the hills of Kumaon whether it’s an outdoor shot or an indoor one.

In fact it’s not just the main characters essayed by Deepak Dobriyal, Manav Kaul, Bharti Bhatt and Badrul Islam who provide the spark. Even other characters like that of the school principal, the teacher who’s more interested in knitting rather than teaching, the old lady who has now become rich thanks to a Govt.aid for freedom fighters etc are well utilized in the film. The television is a very important symbol in the hamlet and the soap operas and the advertisements give the glimmer of hope to the people about a life that’s a lot more exciting and ambitious.

Bela Negi also reminds us through the film that some things never change about the human psyche whether it’s in a rural or urban atmosphere. This is best illustrated in the way there is a turnaround in the way the whole hamlet starts looking at Ramesh (Deepak Dobriyal ) once he wins a shiny red Chevrolet by winning a jingle contest on television. Someone who was being looked at with ridicule suddenly becomes the centre of attention all over again, something that Ramesh himself had not bargained for.

Ramesh’s character also reminds us that there is a dreamer in all of us. In his case for whatever reasons which is not really mentioned to us, Ramesh has decided to forget the life in the city and create a mark for himself in his native village. While Ramesh dreams of opening a ‘kalakendra’ in his village, it also symbolizes the deep seated desire/aspiration that all of us have- yes all of us indeed. This weekend will soon get over and another indie film’s theatrical journey will also come to an end. But before that at least whoever feels that they support the small indie film should go do their bit by watching the film. And for all those who think all such films are serious issue oriented films then you may re-think after watching this film.

That such a movie got made and eventually released is in itself an achievement. It’s a pity that the producer who thinks of himself as a pioneer of the indie film movement in Hindi Cinema is not doing anything to promote the film. While we cannot do anything about it, the fact remains that we can do our bit by supporting the movie in some way or the other.

For those who maybe interested given below are the show timings in Mumbai-

PVR Lower Parel 1:30, 8:25 pm; Juhu 1:15, 8:35 pm; Goregaon (E) 10:50 pm BIG CINEMAS IMax-Wadala 3:45 pm; Mulund 3:15 pm; R City Mall Ghatkopar 12:30 pm; Vashi 2:15 pm INOX Nariman Point 1:00 pmCINEMAX Versova 1:45 pm FAME Malad 1:00, 5:00 pm MOVIETIME Goregaon 12:00, 8:15 pm BROADWAY Bhandup 3:00 pm

Originally published in PFC- http://passionforcinema.com/daayen-ya-baayen-movie-review-for-the-dreamer-in-all-of-us/

Tanu Weds Manu Movie Review :Sometimes nice guys do get the girl

This post is dedicated to my friends N and M who having been through a lot in their life, found each other (again?) and have just recently got married.

The process of getting married can be exciting, funny and even irritating at times. All these depend on how you are involved in the whole process. Those of you who have probably got “settled” by your family’s standards would probably understand what I’m trying to say. So how often do we hear of people finishing a post graduation from a prestigious institution or getting a good job being faced with pressure from family to get married immediately? I’m sure the numbers would be huge and probably many of us have faced it as well. Now whether one succumbs to the pressure straight away or battles it ahead to chart his/her own course depends purely on the individual. So why am I talking so much about marriage and associated stuff? Well once you watch (or rather while watching itself) Tanu Weds Manu ( TWM from hereon )you just cannot help but think along these lines.

1.Image 1- you are far away from your family/motherland and its probably old nostalgic Hindi film music that keeps you going and helps you stay connected 2.Image 2- small town India (in this case North India- U.P and Punjab to be more specific) being showcased for all their glory 3.Image 3- you fall in love with a girl at first sight without even sharing any dialogue with her, you know its strange but its also true 4.Image 4- you go through the ritual of “ladki dekhna” to keep your family happy but mentally you know that you are putting on an act, since your heart is no more with you 5.Image 5- life can be made a lot more interesting at times by people around you, with you and those who care for you

If you are the type who can relate to most of the images mentioned above then TWM is just the film for you. Before I elaborate more on the images let me briefly talk about the movie itself. By now all of you must be aware that TWM is all about Tanu (Kangna Ranaut), a girl who believes life is cool only when you rebel and Manu ( R.Madhavan ) , a doctor from the U.K who is on vacation in India. Well his parents feel he’s been living alone for rather too long and hence want him to get married soon. So “officially” Manu and his parents go across to Kanpur to meet Tanu and her family. Manu doesn’t actually talk to Tanu but falls in love with her nevertheless. But just as the whole family is all set to take the blessings of Mata at Vaishno Devi the bubble bursts as Tanu tells Manu that she likes someone else and cannot get married to Manu.

The action then shifts to Punjab as Manu goes there with his trusted aide/friend/companion Pappi (Deebak Dobriyalat his effervescent best) to attend the wedding of another friend,Jassi ( Eijaz Khan ). So for all of us who have been watching romantic movies from time immemorial, its not difficult to fathom what happens next. However having said that I’d say that there is still a lot of earnestness in the film when it comes to showing the story of Tanu and Manu. The 1st half is interesting, funny and has some really wonderful moments. When Maddy tells Jimmy Shergill on the rooftop that he’s got nothing against marrying his sister but his heart is not into the prospect of getting married, I could feel what Maddy was going through. Also the scene at Vaishno Devi as Deebak Dobriyal implores Maddy to break the “news” to his folks will put a smile on everyone’s face.

So for all these itself the director Aanand Rai and the writer Himanshu Sharma deserve a lot of credit. Aanand Rai also deserves credit for capturing the nuances of small town India be it a Kanpur or a Kapurtala very well. What’s also interesting is the choice of actors in the film. It’s refreshing to see veterans like K.K.Raina and Rajendra Gupta essay the roles of the fathers of Manu and Tanu respectively. These are 2 actors whom we have gone on to look up to over the years and yet who continue to appeal to us and are not over-exposed. Rajendra Gupta doesn’t speak much in the film but nevertheless conveys a lot through his expressions. When K.K.Raina explains his feeling of pride on what his son is doing or when he conveys that he understand his son’s feeling, you root for this character. What do I say about Deepak Dobriyal who thankfully has been given a role, which is right up his sleeve. As Pappi, Deepak is completely in control and remains in character right till the end. Also to be singled out for sure is Swara Bhaskar as Payal, the friend of Tanu and the one who gets married to Jassi.

Kangna Ranaut may have her share of detractors but I felt she did a fairly decent job as Tanu. The role of Manu required Maddy to underplay himself and he did that wonderfully well.The film has an amazing soundtrack composed by Krsna, with lyrics by Rajshekar and the songs are already very popular. Chirantan Das’s camera work acts as the right foil to the narrative. Having said all this does this imply that it’s the perfect romantic film? Of course not- the film has its fair share of flaws as well. For a film that starts off rather well and leaves you completely smiling at the interval point the 2nd half, especially the later half of it is a dampener. Probably the biggest culprit here could be the way the character of Raja (Jimmy Shergill) has been conceived. Towards the end you do wonder as to why the flow has been disturbed this way. Though I’d not prefer to compare I’d still say that the film lacks the consistency that a film like Band Baaja Baaraat (a film that I feel is a benchmark now for films of this genre) has. Having said that I’d still say that it’s a worth a watch as the positives far outnumber the negatives.

Tanu Weds Manu- of course unlike poles attract

Originally published in PFC- http://passionforcinema.com/tanu-weds-manu-movie-review-sometimes-nice-guys-do-get-the-girl/

Delhi 6- "Why and Why Not"

( Spoiler alert- beware those who are yet to watch the movie)
Initially I did not have any idea to review or write anything on Delhi-6. After all I had seen the movie on the day of release, found it to have some interesting moments, great music and excellent camera work- but that was all to it. Also with so many others writing about it I did not really feel I would write anything new on the movie. But I write this now for a special reason- I’ve just finished seeing the movie once again & what’s prompted me to do it is my fellow PFC author Amanda’s write- up on the movie(Check out- http://passionforcinema.com/a-collection-of-thoughts-on-delhi-6/ )So impressed was I with the write-up that I felt the movie deserved a re-visit from my side & so I did exactly that.
So now that I’ve done it, has my opinion changed? Do I think the movie works or do I still feel the same? Well to be honest rather than blindly answering these questions I would say that I’ve been able to understand the movie & ROM’s thought process much better now after seeing it again.
Here’s why I think the movie needs to be seen-
• Music by ARR is simply brilliant- each song speaks for itself
• Binod Pradhan’s camera work stands out- excellent
• Level of detailing done by ROM is amazing- check out the scene whenAbhishek after landing in India reaches home & wants to go the loo. Just when he is about to go in with a bucket in his hand, he gets a call from his mom. Check out the way Abhishek shows his discomfort by bending his legs repeatedly
• Deepak Dobriyal, Atul Kulkarni and Vijay Raaz stand out impressively in theirportrayals of their characters among the phenomenally impressive supportingstar cast.
• Lots of brilliant moments- though Om Puri & Pawan Malhotra are not in good terms, when Waheeda Rehman is being taken to the hospital, Pawan says LodhiHospital & Om Puri in turn asks people to move to Lodhi Hospital
.• Both brothers are seen to be having their daily quota of drinks in the same manner at the same time with just a wall separating them- amazing
• Amidst all the drama when Abhishek’s heart stops while the ambulance gets stuck and the doctor is trying to revive him- watch out for Vijay Raaz & Deepak Dobriyal. Deepak is handcuffed and slowly Vijay Raaz lets him go – nice gesture and very well shown
• The scene towards the end when Prem Chopra and K.K.Raina both attend to a nature’s call in a gali & then become friendly again putting the blame on ‘kaala bandar’ was interesting
• The way Atul Kulkarni keeps imitating the baba ( Akhilendra Mishra) by saying-baba sab theek kar dega- ok was simply hilarious
Here’s why I think the movie somehow doesn’t deliver what it promised-
• The character of Roshan played by Abhishek takes a long time for the audience to take a liking to. Initially he plays the typical NRI who finds everything interesting around him. It’s only when he stops fooling around with his Motorola phone that he begins to look serious enough.
• Bittu (Sonam Kapoor) comes across as an unconvincing character. Fine she wants to be an Indian Idol, but why would she be so dumb to want to run away with a nukkad wala, especially when she has some feelings for Roshan?
• The ending looked very forced and very cliched
• From the very beginning the movie was projected more as a revisiting of one’s roots based on ROM’s experiences during his childhood/youth in childhood, but the movie is much more than that and is full of metaphors and has a larger story to tell- but something that the people at large cannot decipher so easily.
• While the movie has plenty of interesting moments like the one’s mentioned above, overall the film does look disjointed and the message seems to be conveyed in a very convenient way and hence doesn’t look very convincing.
• I was lucky enough to be able to see someone’s passion and thus get passionate myself and go watch the movie again. How many such people would want to do the same? ROM & UTV believe that there are many who would do that- it’s a point that I would vehemently debate.
All in all I would say ROM has his heart in the right place as far as Delhi-6 is concerned, but the way he has executed the same leaves a lot to be desired. A collage of interesting moments, great music and excellent camera work, it falls short of making me satisfied with the overall product.

Originally published in PFC- check it out here- http://passionforcinema.com/delhi-6-%e2%80%93-why-and-why-not/