Those really were the days....Part ii

All efforts from my side to keep this blog, chronological considering the episodic nature...

Post lot of running around, my mother had managed to get me an admission in St.Joseph's...considered as one of the good Christian Missionary Schools in the area...this was the school , where my grandfather, my uncle and then my cousins were studying....It was important for my mother that I studied in this School..

Class Teacher was Miss Lily , in Ist STD (figures in the photo above!!) and she was a tough disciplinarian...! Around the time of Unit Test, I was also being exposed to the good life and learnings from Islam...on the day of the paper I decided to put my faith to test. I had deep faith and was quite convinced that I dont need to appear for the paper since my Allah would help answer all the questions...I closed my eyes on receiving the test paper and started praying fervently to Allah to save me from this test !

Those were the non CGI / SFX days ...but I expected to see the miracle soon...Eyes closed I could hear Miss Lily's authoritative voice ; on the time left...I slowly opened one eye to have a look at my answer paper...EYES were soon Wide Open on witnessing the blank rule lined paper . What ?? Allah, could not help me...?? my faith was being challenged here... !!

I dont think I need to share what were the result for this test...soon better sense prevailed and the line that Allah Helps those who help themselves dawned on me...!

For Miss Lily, I became the prime candidate for Tuitions :-)

Recess Time was reserved to run to the small playground which looked BIG at that time so that I could sit on my favorite swing...before it is claimed by someone else !!

When the final bell use to ring , announcing the end of the day at school...I use to run along with the other kids towards the main gate...eyes searching for my mother amongst the crowd ! Always use to have an unfounded fear what if one day no one comes to pick me up from School...then what ?

Ist STD also was the time when I first saw Saad...and noticed that he was popular even then :-))

Dont recollect any close bonded friends from this class though...where the foundation was being laid on my learnings and for my growing up years...to follow soon !

Movie Review - FASHION

Mass Rating - **
Class Rating - *1/2

The non-issue (since he finds issues in nearly every subject!!) based movie director is back...Post generalizing Page 3(2005), Demonizing Corporate (2006) & Presenting the Microcosm at a Traffic Signal (2007)...he is back with his contorted magnifying lens trained on the Fashion world...

From the Bhandars of Madhur comes Fashion...the spur for making this movie being two infamous episodes from Fashion industry...Carol Gracias's Wardrobe Malfunction & the troubled life of Geetanjali Nagpal (refuted conveniently and vehemently by the producers and director though!!)...the writers cook and weave up story against the glittering backdrop of the glamorous and cut throat world of haute couture fashion world.

Initial parts of the movie was really like witnessing Page 3 at a Traffic Signal !!

As a movie-goer my crib against this director is his generalizing and stereotyping the characters...only extremes and caricatures do exist !! Like - models have to sleep to walk the ramp, designers are generally gays, substance abuse is rampant, amorous lifestyle is classified as being in VOGUE (pun un-intended!) ...

Will the real characters stand up...? No scope in this bioscope..but Madhur need not worry , there surely are audiences for his type of cinema as well....

What could potentially have been a realistic story of a small town girl with dream in her eyes, ambitious to become a super model and her journey therein...looses track in between the 17 reeler saga...

Production values are good, Music by Salim-Sulaiman Rocks...but pray tell me how come all the fashion shows depicted in this movie spanning around 4-6 years repetitively plays only 1 or 2 songs from the soundtrack...?? Was there a dearth of remixes ? Beats me...but you may call this cinematic liberties...

Small Town Girl role earnestly played by Piggy Chops. Her make up throughout the movie is so inconsistent as if she is the brand amma-se-dar of Fair & Lovely...skin shades kept on varying ...Erosion of her moral values and then the realization,was scripted half baked...

Mughdha Godse as one of the models is natural and is vivacious ...

For me,Kangana Ranaut packs a PUNCH in her portrayal of the troubled model..she has reprised such a character in her previous encounters as well (Gangster, Woh Lamhe and Life in a Metro)...Sometimes back I had read in one of the reviews written by ace critic - Rangan Baradwaj ; on Kangana that she needs to do a light role soon or else it would affect her personal life as well...I strongly agree!! But uff , what presence she has, right from the first frame to the tragic last...!!

Question IS how can the director expose under belly of a profession which essentially requires washboard abs...amply and proudly displayed !! :-)

Rest of the characters come and go throughout this..fare...mostly the regulars from the house of Bhandars....

Posters & Promo's are surely more enticing and promising than the movie !

May be reading old issues of VERVE or VOGUE (foreign edition please !) would be a better option, if you do not wish to spend on the price of the tickets.

PS-Last heard, the directors next venture is JAIL(on convicts)...(you should know what to expect next!!)

Those really were the days...

(A very old picture of the teachers along with the Father)

Nearly 19-20 odd years since I passed out of school...My school...St.Josephs High School...and it still does bring fond memories whenever I think of those good ol' days...I studied in an all Boys School with Convent Section being just across the road..(now before you stretch your imagination...hold on...those days...believe it or faint,I use to hate GIRLS!!!)

Many contacts are lost...dont even know where those friends are...todays age and time warrants every one to be busy...whether one likes it or not...Most of my close friends are successful in their own rights and every passing day achieve new milestones in their personal and professional lives...in the competitive world we live in....

I have been in touch (okay okay...not exactly in touch...ON & OFF!!) with Jolvin (good friend in school and better friend out of school!),Saad (the creative and multi-talented scorpio),Vaibhav (sharp and naughty class monitor), Muzaffar (from whom I picked up good handwriting) and Abidali (the silent class monitor...continues to remain silent even now...)!

We have had nearly 2 odd reunions and occasional and accidental meetings ...But whenever we meet...its reliving the past, those days, and various episodes...

A chance meeting with Saad yesterday and he mentioned that FLICKR does have some old B&W photos of our school...set on the task immediately and downloaded quite a few...discussed with him over length , the teachers...the sirs...right till their individual mannerisms...Goes without saying that it was our collaborative effort of inputs which completed the collage of the faded and fragrant memories...

Let me list down the name of my teachers....Miss Lily ,Miss Baretto, Miss Virgin, Baqar Sir, Kashyap Sir,Miss Shyamala, Miss Jacob , Miss Philips ,Miss Marie , Miss Dalvi , Miss Nath , Anwar Sir (Drawing Sir), Punjani Sir (Physical Training Coach), Miss Doyle (the librarian) Babban Sir, Miss Charlotte , Miss Sushila ,Nigam Sir, Nainan Sir, Manickam Sir, Siddiqui Sir, Vora Sir and the Principals...Disciplinarian Father's (dont remember every principal though)....

Each and every teacher of mine contributed in grooming me...in one way or the other.

I am and will remain indebted to them.

Over the next few days creative juices warranting I shall try to pen down whatever episodes I remember of my school days....till then...its time to jog down from memory lane.

Movie Review - TASHAN

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Tashan

TASHAN - The Big Porducshun House,The Isstar Cast,The Pharmoola,The Ishtyle...(Notice...no one said plausible ishtory)

Forget the rating and enjoy some cinematic moments...

Debut Director Vijay Krishna Acharya (dialogue writer for D(h)oom'ed0 series,Guru) comes out with a masala pot boiler ....
You know something is wrong with your film when your film needs the crutches of heroines size zero (for her bikini scene)
and new found interest in her personal life as the films initial publicity rather than known for story / performance....

Continuing with the trend of cross and double cross,which few weeks back was amply shown in RACE,comes TASHAN...Looks like GREY is IN...Being Virtuous is no longer a Virtue in The Times of Cinema Today....

The Narrative Format of the movie is like a tribute to the movie making style of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriquez and Tony Scott's of the world ...

Makes a very promising start,with snazzy credits (similar seen in Johnny Gaddar) and pulsating background score by the talented Ranjit Barot.

Opening scene of a red car swirling dangerously from left to right on a landscape lonely highway...before plunging into the river...(will someone tell me,why the number plates were different for the front and rear of the car ?may be the continuity dir was doozing off...)

Initial reels told from Saif's perspective...his life working for a Call Centre (Jeetendra kumar / Jimmy Cliff) and as a part time English Teacher. Pace,grip and witty dialogues bang on...where other characters are slowly and dramatically introduced...Kareena looking really anorexic...(Give me the curvy Kareena back any day....!!) Anil Kapoor as the outlandish larger than life gangster, the types only seen in our films, surrounded by extras redefining extra's and croony side kicks...Blabbering in sometimes funny and mostly unable to comprehend Hinglish....as an insult to the Queens Language...but hey remember we watching a masala film so you just need to sit back and ignore numerous cinematic liberties...

Akki,as the incorrigible and uncouth recovery agent from Kanpur is given a intro scene,the types that filmy heroes are given - front benchers surely going berserk for his bhojpuri dialogue delivery and body language...But hey the ram leela joke was lifted from Raju Shrivastava's joke from Laughter Challenge:-)No Sweat,it works here as well....

Some predictable Twists and lot of Unwanted Turns later the film reaches a climax which can surely put to shame any Rajinikanth movies...Akki doing his extended take on parakour (last seen in Casino Royale and the Thums Up Ad of Akki himself)...Action choreographed by Peter Hein (last did Sivaji, so m not surprised)...30 odd minutes of mindless,brain numbing action sequence...which the south indian audience may lap up without blinking...

You know what,in Bond movies whenever our sauve agent does something impossible or a dangerous stunts,its passed on along with the trademark BOND theme,numbing the audience as if to say-hey guys,he is THE BOND and can do anything...
Likewise, here any ridiculous action moment and the soundtrack blares...the TASHAN title song as the Get away song :-))

On the Upside,movie has visually stunning locales dizzyingly captured by the cameraman-Ayananyka Bose (last seen in JBJ),Pulsating,Youthful & Zesty music by Vishal Shekhar . Any good masala flick worth its salt is not complete without lavish song picturization ..Kareena sizzles starvingly (anyone for size ZERO??)in the bikini scene...:-))
Picturization of Dil Haara, Chaliyaa,Dance Maare (..kind of paying homage to Apna Desh)is spectacular,Witty dialogues,amazing chemistry between Saif-Kareena,Kareena-Akki and the goofy camaraderie between Saif and Akki...some funny moments by Anil Kapoor and his side croonies...

Hey this movie even marks the cute debut of Chote-Chote Nawab :-) Ibrahim Saif Ali Khan,as Saif Junior in the movie...

The point is we shamelessly copy movies from the west (sparring not even the posters!!) , why cant we also study,adapt and copy the logic,plausibility
and content from their movies as well ??...beats me,but then that day is not too far.... !

Catering to our wide spectrum of audience is indeed a difficult ball game for the movie makers, but please do not insult the intelligence of cinema watching nation !!

M S Sathyu's GARM HAVA

The year was 1973 when this movie was first released...and it was not until early eighties when I happen to watch this brilliant movie on a black & white TV set. Even at that time though I could not follow the finer nuances of cinema , it still did leave an indelible mark .

Unfortunately, in todays times there are no prints available in the market yet of this movie, depriving cine lovers of this masterpiece . I managed to somehow request a copy of this movie through a dear family friend, and relived the moments on a Sunday Noon...

The movie is based on a short story by Ismat Chughtai, adapted for the screen by writer Kaifi Azmi.

It is set in the late 40's post partition era , depicting the plight of a muslim family based in Agra, during those troubled times. One after the other, his brother and family and later his son along with his family migrate to Pakistan, not able to withstand the turmoil faced during that time....left behind is Salim Mirza, the eternal optimist along with his family. Balraj Sahni in a role of a lifetime. If anyone wants to know the definition of a subtle yet impactful performance, the reference point should be Balraj Sahni.

Watch the simple story masterly told by M S Sathyu, devoid of any traps of your regular commercial cinema. The shot taking methods used by the director is rarely seen and is way ahead of its time...There are some scenes in which the actor are emoting/conversing facing the camera as if the camera is one of the actors, amazingly deployed.

This movie has a wonderful Qawwali (and the only song in this movie) , performed by Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi for the Durgah Salim Chisti (Fatehpur Sikri)...mind you these was way ahead of its time, when Qawwali was not an item insertion.... The Picturization of this Qawwali at the Durgah while the lovers are visiting the shrine is again simple and still impactful. Imagine the entire Qawwali, without showing the Qawwali performers...only the shadows of the Saajindey (chorus), clapping to the beats, and camera focussing on the fingers moving on a harmonium.

Classical Background score by Ustad Bahadur Khan. Communicative Cinematography by Ishan Arya.

Then there is this Dadi ma (mother of Balraj Sahni in the movie), who does not wish to vacate the haveli, since it has memories of her life in every nook and corner....she hides in the house, when the family is moving out...and finally her breathing her last back in the same haveli (Post getting evicted)...hearing distant voices of all the members of the family with eyes wide open as if she is searching for the members those who have left the family house and moved to Pakistan....

Movie, also stars Farooque Shaikh in a miniscule but impressive and important role. Shaukat Azmi, A K Hangal, Yunus Parvez, Jalal Agha to name the few.

Reward yourself by watching this simple muslim socio-political drama for the performances,story telling skills by the director and most important BALRAJ SAHNI....

DVD Review - Atonement

Review of Atonement

a·tone·ment /əˈtoʊnmənt/ Pronunciation[uh-tohn-muhnt]
noun 1. satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

Though I do not like movies with the backdrop of war...so what if by the end every war movie either depicts the triumph of the human spirit or emphasises the futility of war...

Atonement - was a different movie experience all together. Movie based on the best selling novel by Ian McEwan. The journey of the story from the pages of this wonderful novel to being adapted for the screen is flawless...being a reader myself, I would still prefer reading to watching a screen adaptation...since human imagination can never be restricted by any budget and finally a movie is director / writer's interpretation of the book. Having said that.... it has still been wonderfully done.

A good cinema is definitely a great team work of all those behind the screen plus on the screen. Production Designer is such a key player in the team, actually giving the look and feel of the movie. This movie has sweeping Production design by Sarah Greenwood (she should have won the Oscar for this...)...

This movie won an Oscar for Music though by Dario Marianelli...with a mysterious and touching feel (dont miss the clickety clackety of the typewriter nicely entertwined in the music score) to the entire background score to this beautiful love story (okay okay...I know I am a sucker for Love Stories....)

Directed by Joe Wright, Screenplay by Christopher Hampton & the author himself.

Starring - James McAvoy (seen in The Last King of Scotland) and Keira Knightley (looking pretty but anorexic). The love letters exchanged between the lovers were so touching and poetic....

Quotes from the movie
Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume..... The one I had been planning on that evening walk.
I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life.
The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library.
The story can resume.
I will return.
Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.

I can go on and on to describe the beautiful moments of the movie...but would rather prefer the audience to watch it.

There is a 5 1/2 minute long take in the movie involving around 1000 extra's...watch this sweeping scene (Dunkirk beach scene) !

Those who have not seen the movie yet, do watch it either on DVD or when it releases on BIG SCREEN here....

But surely meant for lovers of good cinema and readers of good novels !

DVD Review - The Kite Runner

Happen to watch The Kite Runner , Adapted from the novel by the same name written by Khaled Hosseini.

Now Before I get on with my review on the movie, isnt it remarkable that Hollywood directors seldom get trapped / slotted in a particular genre ? Look at the body of work of Director - Marc Forster, popular being Monster's Ball (* ring Halle Berry)and Finding Neverland (* ring-Johny Depp & Kate Winslet) and currently under production Quantum of Solace (yes,the new Bond starrer)...Bollywood directors really have a long way to go and surely our audiences (referring to the masses here!) need to be more matured...

Watching this movie was actually like seeing the wonderful novel unfold in front of my eyes...

Story of childhood friends,Friend worth dying for,of relationship between father and son...at the backdrop of troubled Afghanistan.

Poignant Story of a Story teller,of envy,of guilt,of culture,of tradition, of values in life....

The movie has been captivatingly picturized by Roberto Schaefer (Marc Forster regular,yes camp/loyalist exists there too....!!),capturing with ease the barren land of Kabul,the busy streets of Pakistan and California. Mesmerizing soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias (with amazing eastern traces)..

How many times in the world which refuses to stop for a moment,have you paused and thought about an old school/childhood friend with whom you use to play and when time actually stood still? Of Connections lost...? Of Simple Pleasures Of Life.......Of Growing Up but ending up loosing out on YOU ??

The child artists were amazing since they were not acting but naturals. Some scenes of the movie may be disturbing for few,but these are important scenes which takes the narrative forward.

The kids running the kite amidst the busy market/street of Kabul has been magically picturized..Likewise there are many scenes/dialogues which will stay with the viewers long after the movie is over,that is a power of a good cinema...

If you planning to rent a DVD over the weekend and are in mood of a good drama, do watch this movie...It will surely touch your heart ...and for the book lovers, I am sure they would have read this novel!

As the Tag Line of the movie goes....There is a way to be good again!

Sure,theres always a way to be good again !