I dont feel like watching movies any more

7. Sita Sings the Blues (4/10)
This film is an interesting animated version from the director's vision. It intersperses events from an episode of the Ramayana, illustrated conversation between Indian shadow puppets, musical interludes voiced with songs and scenes from the artist's own life. The ancient mythological and modern biographical plot are parallel tales, sharing numerous themes. One of the parallels of what is happening in a couple's life in modern day is actually autobiographical.

6. Kirayadaar (Hindi) (5.5/10)
It was good to go back in time and watch one of those middle class targeted Basu Chatterjee's movie. Padmini Kolhapure lives in a flat in Mumbai with Mother Vidya Sinha for 15 yrs. The flat is owned by Utpal Dutt who lives in Lucknow with son Raj Babbar. When he gets a job in Bombay, Utpal Dutt wants them to leave the flat but they refuse. They ultimately get in a court case which is going nowhere because the lawyers are just getting money out of the whole deal. Of course all's well that ends well and the hero heroine get married. Not to much fun to watch in today's times but still much better than the crap that is coming out these days.

5. Runway (Hindi) (2/10)
Amarjeet is a young man who loves Deepal Shaw. She is into drugs and now needs liver transplant. To earn money for that, the hero works for a don, kills a guy and now someone is after his life to kill him. On the run, he meets Tulip Joshi who helps him save his life and go back to India. Terrible movie, contrived plot and ridiculous acting.

A good start to July

4. The Hangover (6/10)
4 friends go for a bachelor party. The next day they wake up with the room missing, room completely shattered with a baby and a tiger. What follows are hilarious sequences of what happened that night and where did the groom disappear. The film is funny in lot of parts and completely college fun filled film that you will bound to enjoy with friends.

3. New York (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Dealing with terrorism, this film starts with 3 close friends. Seven years after 9/11 FBI asks Neil to work for them to prove that John is a terrorist or else they will put Neil in detention. Neil doesn't believe but still agrees. John is now married to Katrina and has a baby. Neil soon finds out that FBI was right but also now understands the reasons why John is doing what he is doing. A very interesting take on terrorism and on what Muslims in different pats of the world had to face. Enjoyable.

2. Let's Dance (Hindi) (4/10)
New girl Gayatri Patel is an exceptional dancer. She runs a dance school and wants to make it big but doesn't want to compromise on her principles. She gets a chance but cannot make much out of it because she refuses to sleep with video director. She ultimately makes a team with students including with roadside goondas and presents one of the best shows the city has seen. The only good thing about the movie was excellent choreography. Gayatri can move.

1. Glass House- The Good Mother (2/10)
Teenage Abby and brother than move with foster parents after their parents die. BUt all is not hunky dory. Abby son realizes that there new parents are crazy and the mother has the psychiatric disease where she slowly poisons her kid and kills them. She has so far killed 4 foster young boys. Abby finds out about this and helps herself and brother escape. A story with lots of loopholes ideally suited for a 1 hour TV episode. Poor acting.

Number for June is 18 :(

18. Paying Guest (Hindi) (6/10)
It wasn't a bad film (like I was expecting). This is story of 4 friends who pretend to be 2 couples to get room in a big house (Shreyas and Javed Jaffri pretend to be woman) after they lose their job and original room where they were living in Bangkok. They live in Johny Lever's house and a lot of funny incidents follow involving these 4 friends and their love interests. A total time pass film. It doesn't let you get bored but just dont think too much while the film is on.

17. Aparichit (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Dubbed from Tamil film Anniyan, I wished I had seen the original version with real voice than fake dubbing. Vikram suffers with multiple personality disorder with 3 dominant personalities - simple village man in love but the girl doesn't reciprocate and strict follower of rules, aparichit who can kill people whoever goes against the laws and principles and a very modern young man who finally sweeps of the girl. Very well made film it has a very interesting premise and well directed by Shankar. Why dont more mainstream bollywood film makers look for similar subjects?

Some regional movies are sooo good

16. Knowing (3.5/10)
I usually like natural calamity movies but of late they have been not good. Add this film to the list. Nicolas Cage plays MIT professor who gets hold of a paper from tim capsule from his son's school which actually has some chilling predictions of the natural calamities and disasters that happened and will happen. How will he save the world (if at all he can) goes on in the movie. But the world does come to an end but there is a hope because the son and a young girl are saved by aliens (or whoever they were). A very stupid movie which takes viewers intelligence for granted.

15. Quinceanera (Spanish/English) (7/10)
Sometimes its the simplicity of the film that bowls yu over. Thi sis one such film. Simple yet brilliant. As Magdalena's 15th birthday approaches, her working class family prepares for the all-important Quinceañera - a lavish coming-of-age celebration. But when her father discovers she's pregnant and refuses to believe the incredible truth - she's actually still a virgin - Magdalena moves in with her elderly Uncle and gay cousin Carlos. Her newfound family is soon put to the test, however, when an unexpected crisis threatens to tear them apart, and Magdalena learns what it truly means to come of age.

14. Tell No One (French) (8/10)
Tell No One tells the story of pediatrician Alexandre Beck who still grieves the murder of his beloved wife, Margot, eight years earlier. When two bodies are uncovered near where Margot's body was found, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. The mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous e-mail with a link to a video clip that seems to suggest Margot is somehow still alive and a message to Tell No One. One of the most suspenseful thrillers I have seen in recent times, this one has so many twist and turns that you will love it. Brilliant acting by one and all.

13. Confessions of a Shopaholic (6/10)
Isla Fisher plays the title role here. As clear by the title she is a shopaholic. Desperate to work for a fashion magazine , she lands up a job in a sister magazine where she has to writ articles of managing finances (clearly an oxymoron). But her column becomes a hot and she also falls for her handsome boss. The film deals with how she overcomes her craze for shopping and saves her love and friendship. Actually not a bad film (which I had thought of it initially)

12. Forever Fever (Singapore/English) [That's The Way I Like It] (5.5/10)
An interesting dance based film set in Singapore sometime in future when English is the official language. The lead character is a Bruce Le fan who is big fan of motorbikes but has no money to buy one. Initially bored, he comes to life when he watches cool dance moves in a dance flick. He joins dance classes with his friend hoping to enter dance competition and win big money for himself. He struggles through his friend, a girl whom he likes in the class, the bad guy and also his own family issues. Like all films, he hero is ultimately the winner and alls well that ends well. Good basic 80s dance moves (although film is from 98) but not boring at all

The numbers for this month are just ok

11. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (6/10)
It was again nice to go in a movie knowing nothing abut it. Sometimes lack of knowledge does pay off. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is about the young son of a notorious gangster who spends his last teenage summer roaming around with two friends. The interesting twist is that the guy then has to choose between those 2 friends, incidentally a guy and a girl. What he has to struggle and find out that if that is bromance, really close friendship or love. I just found out that the film was based on a book and now I am gonna have to read the book

10. Happy Endings (7/10)
Wow! Finally a good film. The humor in this film was the kind I saw in 'In Bruges'. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Following a few parallel stories (of course they are related in some way to each other), we have Lisa Kudrow, an abortion clinic counselor with a massage therapist lover, Javier, who gave up her baby for adoption which she had 18 years ago with her gay stepbrother Charley. One day, Nicky Kunitz, a sleazy filmmaker, shows up and plans to blackmail her with information on her child's whereabouts so that he can film the reunion and use it to get into the AFI. Charley now runs his father's restaurant with his lover, Gil, and suspects that their lesbian friends lied about using Gil's sperm to create a child so that they wouldn't have to share him with them. Jude (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has been kicked out of her cousin's house and is now living with the latent Otis, who lives with his widower father. Otis is gay and Father gets obsessed with Jude. Initially in for money, Jude soon falls in love with Frank. Everyone ultimately has a happy ending.

The film 'mela' continues

9. Ken Park (1/10)
A total waste of time. Its more like a soft porn rather than a feature film. The film focusses on several teenagers and their tormented home lives. Shawn seems to be the most conventional. Tate is brimming with psychotic rage; Claude is habitually harassed by his brutish father. Peaches looks after her devoutly religious father, but yearns for freedom. They're all rather tight, or so they claim. But they spend precious little time together. They have various troubles and at the end they meet and Shawn's brother commits suicide. There is no logic, no reasoning. AVOID

8. Jumbo (Hindi) (4.5/10)
Another animation film from Bollywood or so they claim. Apparently the film was originally made in Thailand and some producer just bought the rights and got it dubbed with Indian stars. Still the animation quality was good, it had a storyline and as a kid it would hold on to your attention. Same old story of good vs evil and a son taking revenge of his father's death albeit they all being elephants. Just for kids. Adults are bound to get bored.

7. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (Hindi) (8/10)
I mean why would I even write anything about the film. I probably saw this film for the 35th time and this time to sow my American friend what a typical bollywood musical is filled with Indian traditions and customs. What better than this. I loved it yet on more time and he loved it too. One thing which is funny is how awful was the film industry's fashion sense in early 90s. Madhuri's and Renuka Shahane's smiles were and are to die for

6. 99 (Hindi) (4/10)
I had few expectations from the movie but was disappointed. The film was sometimes so slow that you could easily take a nap, continue watching and you wouldn't lose anything. 99 is about 2 crooks Kunal Khemu and Cyrus Broacha who steal a car which ends up being of a gangster. He then hires him to work for him because they cannot pay. On other hand we also have Boman Irani who is a compulsive gambler and bets on cricket and has taken lot of loan from the gangster. the 2 friends are sent to Delhi to collect money from Boman. They eventually become foes turned friends and make money out of betting in a bizarre twist and turn of events. Plot could have been much funnier. I like Kunal Khemu . He is such a natural performer. One thing I did not understand is why was Cyrus made to wear the fat body suit. It jut did not make any sense.

5. How To Lose Friends And Alienate People (4/10)
A small time British journalist Sideny is hired by an upscale film magazine in New York after he catches attention by some ridiculous events in an event. He thinks he will make it big but all his plans fall flat. Sidney possibly the most annoying person you will meet first puts off his colleague (whom he ultimately falls in love) and gets involved in one mad incident after other> How he keeps alienating people which at one point almost makes him lose his job and how ultimately he compromises his principles to make it big in journalism is what the film about. I personally did not think too much abut the movie. It was made just for the heck of it. I agree it was funny in bits and parts but overall it did nothing for me

June starts

4. Straight (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Vinay Pathak owns a restaurant in London. he tries but cant get married because somehow the girls are not into him. He has hired Kamlesh as a cook and Gul Panag as cashier in his restaurant. The three of them become good friends. Kamlesh is a very happy go lucky kind of guy and one day he just randomly kisses Vinay. Now he starts thinking that maybe he is gay. He doesn't know what to do and there is no way to confirm him. There are a few hilarious moments when he goes on a date with couple of girls but all in vain, thereby increasing his confusion. Ultimately he realizes the truth, falls in love with Gul and things are all great. There are so many light moments in the film that I loved. I thought it was a very good film, very sweet, nothing over the top. The acing of all 3 principal characters was very good. Guy playing Kamlesh was very natural. Another good film from director Parvati Balaopalan after Rules pyar ka superhit formula.

3. Romancing The Stone (3.5/10)
I was recommended this film because apparently it involves treasure hunt and I love those films. Treasure hunt it was but that was probably 5% of the film. The other was about romance and love and deceit and just some random things. I guess, a typical 80s film. It was fun to watch Michael Douglas though. There were so many dumb moments in the film when I was like, does the director think we are stupid, but again then thats the fun when you watch an 80s film. It was allright but I probably would still skip it.

2. Blindness (1/10)
Now his one has to be one of the worst movies I have seen and believe me I dont say that very often. A man suddenly one day turns blind and the disease apparently is communicable. Slowly a bunch of people turn blind including the doctor. But for some reason Doctor's wife is fine. When all blind people are detained in a government cell away from the world, the wife sneaks in too. They are treated worse than prisoners. Blind people form various groups in there and there are fights, murders, rape etc. N explanation as to when the wife can see everything, why doesn't she do anything about it. It was so weird and unfortunately the movie went on and on. God knows why all the blind societies were doing all those protests when the movie released. I guess everyone needs a little attention.

1. He Is Just Not That Into You (5/10)
Having watched the reviews for so long, I wanted to see this film expecting a lot of comic moments but sadly the comic lines were very limited to just the ones that they showed in the previews. As the name suggests, the movie walks us through life of few girls, one desperately in search of love, one been with boyfriend for 7 years but not ready for marriage, one married and loking to save it and the other one just looking out for it. The film shows some cliches on what men mean when they say certain things on a date. Film ends on a good note that everyone needs love. It was ok but I had huge expectations.

37 Films in May

37. Awake (3/10)
A psychological thriller about a common occurrence called "anesthetic awareness" a horrifying phenomenon wherein a patient's failed anesthesia leaves him fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery. During such a surgery, the lead in the film finds out about a plot to kill him for his money driven by his doctor friend and wife. Nice thought on paper but silly execution with too many loopholes and medically not possible things. Waste of time.

36. Breach (6/10)
This is based on a true story about the biggest breach in US history in FBI around year 2001 timeframe. The bureau suspects a chief to be giving US secret information to Russia but the guy being so smart, they cannot arrest him because of lack of proof. A new division, a new team and a wanna agent are put on case to keep an eye on him and catch him in action when he drops information next time. Interesting film although at times it can get a little confusing because of too detailed technical discussion. It still makes for a god tea time watch.

35. West Is West (Indian English) (2/10)
A movie with this name feauring Ashutosh Gowariker in the main lead gets your expectations high. Ashutosh arrives to SF but realizes that his sponsors have moved to India, he has not gotten into college and is running out of money. He lives in a chap motel run by Pearl Padamsee and starts working there. Constantly harassed by immigration officials, the only option he is left with is to marry an American girl whom he made friends with. He realizes then he doesn't see any reason to stay in US and goes back to India. Months later his wife joins too. This ne was such a silly and bad film that its hard to even write how bad it was. Apparently made in 1995, the production looked like 70s film and the acting was bad, just bad from each and every person. Well maybe not from Pearl Padamsee. She was charming as she always is.

34. Baran (Iran/Persian) (7.5/10)
My first Iranian film recommended by a dear friend and boy did I love the film. It was a wonderful experience to watch love in the purest form. 17 year old Lateef is a man working on a construction site. He just kills time, picks up fight rather than working hard. When another construction worker injures himself, his 15-16 year old son Rahmat becomes the bread earner and joins the site. Soon enough Lateef realizes that Rahmat is in fact a girl Baran posing as boy t get work. His life changes because he gets drawn irresistibly towards her. He sees her working hard, cries for her and wants to help her. In the process he ends up losing his money, identity and everything just to make her life a little better. The family soon leaves for Afghanistan and Lateef could never even tell the girl how he felt for her. Must watch film.

33. Hallam Foe (5.5/10)
Hallam, a young man suspects that his stepmother may have had a hand in the sudden death of his biological mother. Fleeing the family home (which is like in middle of woods), Hallam takes up residence upon the rooftops of Edinburgh, it's not long before he is drawn into a voyeuristic obsession with a young woman who shares more than a passing resemblance to his mother, who is older to him and actually employs him. Changing equation of Hallam with the girl and how things end is this film. The film is interesting in bits and pieces. With a tighter and faster pace, he film could have been better,

32. Karma Aur Holi (Indian English) (3/10)
The film finally released and yes it was torture to watch the film. A very amateurishly directed film, its a classic example of how you can waste money and talent of people involved in the film. Randeep and Susmita are a couple living in NY suburbs who are hosting Hli bash at their huge suburban mansion. Different people with different backgrounds ultimately end of sharing a secret about themselves that no one knows which ultimately can change their lives. Neither the people not their secrets were exciting at all. See this film to know what bad acting, bad dialogue delivery is all about.

The May end number is.. still counting

31. Last Chance Harvey (5/10)
Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are 2 lonely individuals. When he visits London for his daughter's wedding, his chance encounter with Emma changes both of their lives forever. They teach other that they need to take chances in life and how its important to love and respect their family. He gets a last chance before he can decide whether to return back to US or spend his life with Emma whom he has hardly known for not even 2 days. A decent plot but it has ben done to death so many times that for me to had nothing new to offer

30. Bicentennial Man (7.5/10)
A robots journey over the course of 200 years where he struggles to fit in the human world, trying to understand their life and ultimately trying to become a human himself so that he can marry and live his life with the girl whom he loves so deeply. It was a very very interesting film. Had my friends mom not told me about it, I would have neevr seen this beautiful film. A bit lengthy but its marvelous. Robin WIlliams does a brilliant job.

29. Rachel Getting Married (7/10)
Few minutes into the film, it kind of reminded me of Monsoon Wedding. Inspired yet very different. Anne Hathaway is visiting her family from rehab for her sister Rachel's wedding. The entire film is dedicated to various functions and festivities that go on in the family and the fights they have because Anne is still going through her rehab days and how he cannot let the guilt of possibly being responsible for her brother's death out of her mind. Brilliant performance by her. A rightly deserved Oscar nomination. A simple indie film.

28. Marley And Me (6/10)
It started out fun. I am not big fan of dog films but just witnessing the kind of dog Marley was in fact fascinating. The film is about this couple who has a god Marley, their life, aspirations , career, kids and how in all this Marley , the dog plays an important part in their life before ultimately succumbing to death after living his full course. Comical performances by the dog, Jennifer Aniston and Owen wilson. Time pass flick

27. Faltu (Bengali) (6/10)
This is a story about 20 year old guy Faltu who is in search of his roots (who his father is) and is looking for love. It is also the story of a small village and its people and the story woven around these characters who have helped Faltu to grow in a mature young man but they never want to talk about who his father is. Every person in the village at some point raped his mother (who was a mad woman), so no one is sure of who the father actually is. The guilty feeling of raping Surikhepi haunts almost every single male in the village. That is when a twist in the tale ensures Faltu and his love don't get married. The story and direction is very fascinating. It is still so difficult to understand human relationships and desires and Bengali cinema has time and again shown us different facets of it.

More movies in pipeline

26. Happy Go Lucky (6.5/10)
Sally Hawkins play this free and effervescent high school teacher whose unstoppable optimism guides her life. Bubbling forth with giggles, laughter and jokes, life's a bowl of cherries even when she comes across a few pits. Whether it's a cranky driving teacher or a fiery flamenco instructor, Poppy embraces life on the sunny side of the street. It's a joyous, feel-good film you'll find irresistible. Great acting by Sally and she totally deserves the golden globe for this.The film just reminds you of how different things can be if you look at bright and positive side of all events that happen to you.

25. Igby Goes Down (6.5/10)
Igby is a teen struggling to find any purpose or meaning to his life; surrounding him are his tyrant mother Susan Sarandon, schizophrenic father, wealthy and deceitful godfather D.H. and a cold brother - all of whom have their own problems. While evading being sent to yet another boarding school, Igby seeks solace with two women: a drug-addicted dancer who's D.H.'s mistress, and Sookie, a college student who becomes perhaps his only friend and his brother's girlfriend. Brilliant acting by everyone, this film makes you realize and remember some of your own teenage issues.

24. Kissing Cousins (Indian/English) (4.5/10)
A weird title, isn't it. Story is about this boy in LA who works as a relationship terminator (who gives the bad news to people). He has group of friends but they are all couples. They want him to have a girlfriend. When his cousin visits him, they pretend t be a couple just for fun, thereby making the dude realize that he too is capable of love. The cousin returns back to her boyfriend and our man is ready for love. Ordinary story and ordinary acting. Supposed to be a comedy, it hardly evokes any laughter but still makes for a time-pass watch

23. Ru-Ba-Ru (Hindi) (7/10)
Another bollywood adaptation of an english film 'If Only', but this movie surprised me. The story and above all the acting by Randeep Hooda and Shahana Goswami is pretty awesome. She reminds me of Konkona's natural talent Their chemistry, fights, interactions are so real and natural. Randeep gives prefernce to work more than love and happiness and ends up losing Shahana. Next day, he sees the events of the previous day repeating itself and he tries to change them by being a more sensitive and sensible man.

Theatre time

22. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (5.5/10)
Wolverine lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (who will later become Sabertooth) for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program. The movie was visually good but plot was little weak. I did not have many expectations so it was ok for me. I cant say that acting was exceptional or anything but it definitely did make a good time pass viewing.

21. Angels and Demons (6.5/10)
I loved the book. Much more than Da Vinci Code and had been waiting for this film for a while. I knew it was hard to squeeze all that was in the book in a film. The director tried best but the thrill which the book creates and the way clues and puzzles are solved, it didn't come any closer to that i the film. I still feel Tom Hanks is not the right choice for Robert Langdon. Book is better any day but I would still not mind watching it just to visually see the pages unfold on big screen

20. Star Trek (8/10)
I wasn't too sure to watch this film but I am glad I did. Watching it in IMAX really did the trick. Plus actually the storyline was also pretty interesting and gripping. Having no background of Star Trek, I was still very much drawn into the film, the characters, the visuals, the space, everything. From the first stunning visuals of a pre-Enterprise time to the final iconic sweeping space shots Star Trek is fully and wholly back, completely engaging for Fan and newcomers alike

Its time to make up and watch films

19. Rihaee (Hindi) (6.5/10)
It was good to watch an 80s artsy Indian Cinema. The story is about a village which is mostly inhabited by women since their husbands have gone to the city for work and come at most once or twice a year. A village man Naseeruddin Shah returns from Dubai and every woman in village gets attracted to him, two of them ultimately getting pregnant including Hema Malini. She refuses to get abortion like the other woman. When the husband returns there is a huge debate on whats right and whats wrong and the woman has an equal right to live her life. Excellent performances by an ensemble cast, I loved it and I was glad that I saw it.

18. Kaash Mere Hote (Hindi) (1/10)
Another one of those fatal attraction movies where a teenage girl is obsessed with a man who already has a lover. Terrible acting by each and every single person, be it newcomers or Sneha Ullal. Its a torture to watch and you cant feel anything but pity for Rajesh Khanna, superstar of his time who has to do these kind of roles.

17. In Bruges (7.5/10)
Brilliantly made movie. One of the finest ever. Killer friends are asked to go to Bruges by Harry who gives them work. Once in Bruges, one of them is asked to kill the other one because he accidentally killed a kid. BUt he refuses. How Harry shows up there and things end is very interesting. I loved the way the whole film is in a subtle comic tone trying to keep the drama going at the same time. Its hard to explain but it is brilliant. Loved it. Must Watch. Deserves all praises for direction , acting, photography, story etc.

16. Seven Pounds (3/10)
Will Smith has had an accident in which his girlfriend dies. He is looking for redemption by radically transforming the lives of seven people he doesn't know. Once his plan is set, nothing will be able to stop him. At least that's what he thinks. But he ends up falling in love. Even that doesn't stop him and he ends his life to give them new beginning. It was a confusing film. For such films, you have to connect with the audience but I could not feel the connection. Also the proceedings were a little confusing to understand why and what is going on. A downer!

Five more down under

15. City Rats (UK) (5.5/10)
Eight f****d up haunted people meet and fall apart - looking for redemption in each other. Jim is testing affects of suicide when he meets Sue on adjacent roof trying the same. Her ex boyfriend Dean is dealing with his creativity issues and is looking forward to his muse in a prostitute in his building. After one time fling with Dean, Olly is lost in a world of sexual confusion. He also has to look after his deaf autistic brother who incidentally is gay and comfortable with it. Their eldest brother Pete is stalked by an old lady Carol who is looking for her son whom Pete knows from his druggy days. By the end, each lost soul finds a solution in darkness or in light. Interesting stories and interweaving of them . A pretty decent watch with multiple simultaneous stories.

14. Frost/Nixon (7.5/10)
Amazing movie. Well deserved academy nominations. When disgraced President Richard Nixon agreed to an interview with jet-setting television personality, David Frost, he thought he’d found the key to saving his tarnished legacy. But, with a name to make and a reputation to overcome, Frost became one of Nixon’s most formidable adversaries and engaged the leader in a charged battle of wits that changed the face of politics forever. It was interesting to see certain chapters of US history which I was oblivious to. Brilliant acting and direction.

13. Dhoondhte Reh Jaoge (Hindi) (4.5/10)
Paresh Rawal needs superstar Sonu Sood to get financiers for his film. Meanwhile the poor Kunal Khemu needs to make money so that he can impress girlfriend Soha, a wannabe actress. Kunal Khemu comes up with a scheme according to which they will make a flop film, get money from various financiers and have all their money. They make a mish mash of al recent superhit films. The film turns out to be hit instead of flop and the two guys then end up in jail. The film is funny in parts. The actors are passable except Kunal Khemu. He is definitely talented. All he needs is that one project that he can prove himself.

12. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (French) (6/10)
This is an inspiring true story about the awesome power of imagination. After having a stroke, Jean can move his left eye and through that he learns to communicate one letter at a time. With the help of his therapist and a stenographer. he writes the stunning memoir The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Brilliant concept and direction. The movie is slow at times but there is no other way to portray the sufferings and idea except the way the director did. Very good.

11. 8x10 Tasveer (Hindi) (4.5/10)
Akshay Kumar has power to see the past through a photograph. When his father dies in a mysterious boat accident, he needs to find all about it. As he discovers clues he realizes that his father was actually murdered and that everyone on the boat had a motive. Now on a mission to unmask the killer, he undertakes the dangerous journey of visiting the past repeatedly. The ultimate truth turns out to be scary and shocking for him which he never expected. How does he get out of the past and take revenge is this movie. Akshay gave a decent performance but the punch to run on box office was clearly lacking in the film. Nagesh Kukunoor took certain things for granted and they should have been better explained. Good time pass.

I am cruising along good

10. The Wrestler (7/10)
Mickey Rourke plays a heavily scarred and battled wrestler who was at peak of his career 20 yars ago. He still gets involved in second rate fights to make money and nursing his pride. He goes to a strip club and flirts with Marisa Tomei. A day he gets a heart attack and he cannot fight. He tries to make mends with his daughter because he is scared to be alone but that doesn't work. He finally realizes that his family are the people who come to watch him. Excellent performance by Rourke. What a comeback! The film was very depressing to see the fall of a star and how he lives. I have never felt like that in a movie.

9. Chandni Chowk To China (Hindi) (5.5/10)
The film got bad reviews and hnce my expectations were low but it turned out a decent DVD watch. Villagers in China mistake Akshay to be reincarnation of their saviour. They take him to China to fight against the bad guy. Meanwhile Deepika Padukone goes to China in search of her twin sister who it turns out is with the bad guy. How and why ultimately Akshay learns Kung Fu to fight against the bad guys and how Deepika's family finally meet each other, is this film. Lave your brains and try to enjoy. Its really not that bad.

8. The Other End Of Line (5/10)
This I believe is an Indo-American venture. Shriya Saran working in Indian call center poses as an American working in SF and calls his customer regularly. She somehow thinks there is a connection and falls for him even though she is engaged. She decided to go to SF to meet the guy but i scared to tell the truth. Eventually they become really close but there are misunderstandings which finally get cleared and everything is fine. It was a decent film with good performances. Some things didn't make sense but when the film is supposed to be a rom-com, who really cares.

7. Aasma (Hindi) (2/10)
A bunch of friends decide to start a theatre group. They have certain challenges when it comes to raising money which causes some friction between few of them. Meanwhile the lead character instrumental in starting the group is dianosed HIV positive. How this fact brings the friends and family close makes this film. Interesting concept but bad film. Poor acting and direction. Everything was so fake and artificial.

6. Quemar Las Naves (Spanish/Mexico) [Burn The Bridges] (7.5/10)
Brother, sister and an ailing mother. Sister takes care f her mother and brother who is 18. AFter the mom dies, the siblings dont know what to do. The brother is getting attracted to a local boy, wants to leave the town with him but somehow he can never leave because he feels he is responsible towards the sister. Sister meanwhile is locked always in the house and has odd feelings for her brother. Finally she realizes what's right and tells her brother to leave and do whatever he wants and she also would move on in life. This is one of the better films I have seen. The strange chemistry between the siblings might make you uncomfortable but thats the directors vision. Brilliant acting by every character. Very good.

5. Swing Vote (4/10)
Kevin Costner plays this average Joe who lives with his daughter Molly. During presidential elections, by a turn of events it boils down to his vote to decide the candidate. WHat would the candidates do to get his vote and how finally, his conscience will wake up and he will decide fairly is what this movie is about. You dont have to put too much brains for this film. Just an average mindless, trying to be funny film.

The start of May

4. Secret Window (4.5/10)
Based on Steven king novel, Johnny Depp plays a writer, depressed and nearly divorced, who's stuck in an isolated cabin when a stranger arrives, accusing him of plagiarism. The stranger slowly starts getting aggressive and violent over a few days while Depp is trying to gain more evidence. With a twist in the end, the viewer is shocked to know who was the stranger. The story was interesting but somehow I expected what's going to happen. Plus expectations from Depp's movies are big

3. American History X (7.5/10)
Edward Norton is dangerous, a coiled fury of hate who leads a neo-Nazi gang. But time and events start to change him. He reassesses his ways while doing time for manslaughter and emerges from prison eager to keep his younger brother from falling victim to the thug cycle of violence and payback. It may be too late. Weaving in and out of events past and present in his life, American History X is revealing in its look at white-supremacist gangs and impassioned in its message that hatred and bigotry can be unlearned. It was very interesting for me giving some insight in those years of America.

2. Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang (Hindi) (3/10)
The animation flick is about 2 rivals ant gangs (red and white). The black ants and red ants are at war and one mediator named Ghunn double-crosses both kingdoms for his personal gains. Of course, the kids of both kingdoms are in love. As if the poor animation was not enough, the story line itself had nothing to boost off. Pretty sad. I doubt if even the kids will like it.

1. Kaalpurush (Bengali) (5/10)
A man struggles to come to terms with the memory of his powerful father, which prompts a plunge into long-hidden secrets. Rahul Bose is caught in a world that he doesn't really belong in, and retreats to the comfort of memories, both real and imagined. His father had long ago left home and his wife Sameera Reddy is having an affair with another man. She keeps blaming him for not being able to achieve anything in life while she herself seeks success as an author. The film was a little too poetic. I have loved Bengali cinema but this was somehow was not for me. I will stick to Rituparna Ghosh's films.

Its 19 for April

19. Doubt (7.5/10)
Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn (Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she's uncovered the ultimate sin when she hears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt. The movie leaves you with questions and your individual interpretation of what the truth is but no one can deny that film has the 4 most powerful acting characters I have ever seen. Streep and Philip Seymor were superb.

18. Step Brothers (5/10)
A 39 and a 40 year old live with his mother and father respectively. When the parents meet, they fall in love and get married hence making the 2 guys step brothers. As their laziness threatens to tear the family apart, these two immature, overgrown boys orchestrate an insane, elaborate plan to bring their parents back together and form an unlikely bond that between them. It wasn't a boring film but a decent time pass watch.

17. Bride Wars (6/10)
2 best friends have always dreamed of the perfect weeding. When they both get engaged, there i a mix up with reservations and their wedding ends up being on the same date at same place. SInce both of them had dreamed of it, neither backs out and the friends turn against each other in a hilarious battle. It was a fun movie to watch on dvd but I would not have paid for it on big screen

Time for some bollywood masala

16. Jugaad (Hindi) (2/10)
Manoj Bajpai own an advertising firm which one day gets locked because it is in a residential area. What follows is string of events and how different people give different idea and do things that need jugaad. Manoj doesn't agree because he believes in karm. But everyone else believes in jugaad. Ultimately karm wins. They thought they were making a Leader kind of film but it was so bad that no one should waste their precious 2 hours on a film like this.

15. Gumnaam - A Mystery (Hindi) (4/10)
Mahima Choudhary is murdered. The bad guys find out a struggling girl who resembles Mahima and sign her up for a film. Soon Mahima realizes that something fishy is going on. BUt she is trapped. It turns out original irl is worth 800 crores. Dino finally rescues her and everything is fine. A bad movie which made no sense at so many places. Random songs, poor acting by everyone.

14. Meerabai Not Out (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Zero expectations and turned out to be a decent film, a bit long though. Mandira Bedi , a school teacher is passionat eto the core about cricket. After a long time, when she finally meets her man, she runs away to watch a match on her engagement day. How she wins back hearts of people and still justify that her passion for cricket is not wrong makes this film. The film has good mix of everything. You dont get bored but it definitely can be edited well and made more crisp.

13. Oh My God (Hindi) (5.5/10)
At leat this movie was something different and tried to be hilarious in parts. Vinay Pathak is a happy married man who wants to make big money but a money sharing/investment scheme. He is passionate/annoying for this that God decides to come down and make him rich but he refuses because he wants to make money n his own terms. Then starts the game where God plays with his mind between money and his brochures and making a man realize towards the end that money is not everything. A happy family is much more important than anything.

12. Ek - The Power of One (Hindi) (4/10)
A typical masala 80s kind of film. Usual story of a man running from cops for the murder of a minister ends up in a village where a big Punjabi family mistakes him for their lost son and he starts transforming and helping the entire family in need. His heart changes. Following all this is an annoying cop Nana Patekar who wants to nab him. I dont know why they made this film and why the weird title. Waste of money and audience's time.

I need to catch up

11. Aloo Chaat (Hindi) (5/10)
Interesting start. I thought it will get further spicy just like aloo chaat but on the contrary it got repetitive and boring. The characters had a very punjabi Delhi flavour which I loved. Aftab loves Aamna who is a muslim girl. To make sure his parent accept her, they do a drama in which he brings in a American girl to show he is marrying her so that by the end his family ends up preferring Aamna over American.

10. Aa Dekhen Zara (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Innovative idea but somehow the excitement of a thriller was completely missing. You didn't feel too much for the character or the storyline or the chemistry between the pair. Neil finds camera that clicks events that will ocur in future. H uses this initially to make a lot of money. Soon he realizes that his life might be in danger and how he tackles the bad guy and saves the camera from falling into wrong hands. Bipasha is just for glam quotient.

9. The Time Machine (4/10)
A man invents a time machine that allows him to travel 800000 years into the future. He is looking into answers as to why he can't change the past. He ends up in a new home with the peacefully primitive Eloi. There he realizes that things happen for a reason and decided to just stay there after his machine gets destroyed while fighting the evil. I did not like the film. There was nothing in it for my taste

Why don't we make any more good movies

8. 13 B (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Its not right to put this movie in horror genre. It was more like a thriller. A family moves into a new house and soon the owner realizes that things that are happening in one particular TV serial are exactly the same that later happen in their house. Trying to solve the mystery, they unfold a past 30 years ago about a family who was brutally murdered in the very same area and how they want to contact the world and take revenge about it.

7. The Fan (5/10)
Robert De Niro plays a pathological baseball fan whose obsession is focused on a San Francisco Giants all-star outfielder (Wesley Snipes). While the newly signed baseball star is having trouble getting his favorite uniform number from a competitive teammate, De Niro is having career troubles at the knife company his father founded. To boost morale of his idol, DeNiro kills the competitive team mate and in the process gets so obsessed with Snipes life that he kidnaps his son. What follows is some many a time seen scenes of an obsessed individual (in this case a fan of a baseball player)

6. Maharathi (Hindi) (5.5/10)
The movie started off very good but somewhere round the line lost the steam. Very interesting story wherein a driver played by Paresh Rawal plots with his master's wife to prove his suicide into murder because thats the only way wife can get the insurance money. The wife also has an accomplice in the form of Boman Irani, the lawyer. The game of cat and mouse between all these characters and who can ultimately get the 24 crores in the jist of story. Excellent cast, the film lacked pace of a thriller. It looked more like a TV drama series. Nevertheless, very interesting story.

5. Role Models (4/10)
Its hard to put this film in a genre. It wasn't really a comedy either. The 2 main characters crash the company truck and mess with the cops. COurt orders them jail or community service of mentorship. They become mentors for 2 young kids and the problems and what all they have to o through with it even though they dont want to makes this film. In the process they realize their mistakes of life and try and grow up. Paul Rudd was decent but thats it. It made me laugh at very few places except one scene when Paul Rudd goes to the king for forgiveness.

April Begins with some decent flicks

4. Body Of Lies (5.5/10)
The CIAs hunt is on for the mastermind of a wave of terrorist attacks. Leonardo is the agencys man on the ground, moving from place to place, scrambling to stay ahead of ever-shifting events mostly in middle east. An eye in the sky a satellite link watches him. At the other end of that real-time link is the CIAs head Russel Crowe, strategizing events from thousands of miles away. And as Ferris nears the target, he discovers trust can be just as dangerous as it is necessary for survival. A well made movie, it moves at a slow pace for almost an hour trying to build the background. My only problem is that of late we have seen too many similar movies and the subject just doesn't interest me anymore

3. Shoot On Sight (UK) (6.5/10)
The best thing about this movie was performance by Naseeruddin Shah. He plays a Muslim police officer in Scotland Yard who is asked to hunt down the suspected killers of July 7 bombings in London. Being a Muslim he has to face tough terrain. A innocent Muslim is killed in the process by a British officer. he story progresses how Naseer tries to investigate the issue at the same time dealing with the harsh reality that maybe his own nephew is one of the terrorist squad members. A sensitive issue delicately handled by director Jagmohan Mundra makes for a good watch for lovers of meaningful cinema.

2. Molière (French) (5/10)
Molière, a down-and-out actor-cum-playwright is up to his ears in debt. When the wealthy Jourdain offers to cover that debt in return that Molière's theatrical talents might help Jourdain win the heart of a certain widowed Marquise, various things happen. Disguised as a priest, Molière becomes a guest in Jourdain's palace on the pretext of teaching Jourdain the craft of the stage, which annoys his wife, Elmire. But, soon after, the confrontation between Elmire and Molière turns seductive. Too busy to notice, Jourdain enlists the aid of a well connected and scheming acquaintance, to help him pursue the young widow. Finally he realizes that he cannot win over the Marquise and Molière in the process realizes that he is an actor made to do comic roles.

1. Dev D (Hindi) (8/10)
This is one of the best ever modern adaptations of any literary work in Indian cinema. Right from direction, to presentation, to acting, to background music, everything is just set perfect. It tries to remain close to the basic stroyline of Devdas with a very modern twist and interpretation. Anurag Kashyap definitely deserves a pat for this beautiful movie. And as I read somewhere, this movie is for the entire family albeit every member should watch it separately.

A sad number 16 for March

16. Duplicity (5.5/10)
Julia Roberts working for the CIA and Clive Owen working for MI6 play competing undercover corporate high level top secret business spies who may or may not be conning each other. The movie shows us what lenghts mega corporations will try and go to keep their new product information out of the hands of their competitors. The spys in this case will not even acknowledge their relationship as a sly parallel to regular relationships. BIG disappointment for me. Its very hard for a common man to understand all thats going on. Plus ther are so many loop holes. Did not work for me

15. Monster (7.5/10)
This is one movie I have been wanting to see for a long time now and finally it happened. A true story on the US's first woman serial killer make s avery depressing and shocking film. A well deserved Oscar for Charlize Theron. Must watch

14. The Accidental Husband (5/10)
I like romantic comedies but this one was way too predictable and not spicy enough. Uma Thurman, playing a doctor and RJ n radio suddenly finds herself married to a man on papers just 2 weeks before she is actually going to marry her love. Turns out the guy she is accidentally married to plotted all this to revenge on her. How her life turns upside down and how she eventually falls in love with her accidental husband is the story.

13. Last Train To Mahakali (Hindi/TV short film) (6/10)
I am so glad that I got to watch this short film directed by first time director Anurag Kashyap and powerful performance by Kay Kay. The story is about this medical student who is very odd and wants to do research in field of having a cure for virus. The story begins and ends with how he ends up in jail in attempts for murder of people on whom he tries to experiment with his drug. Interesting concept and well done for standard of Indian television in 90s

More letdowns and a not so impressive March progress

12. La Haine (French) [Hate] (3/10)
Big expectations and huge letdown. STory f 3 friends; a Jew, and Arab and a African American guy who are jobless in France. ONe day they find a lost policeman's gun and what they do with and how their life goes on in a span of one day and the events that happen with him. Its sounds interesting but honestly, the film did nothing for me. Maybe it was a little too intlligent for my tastes.

11. Showgirls (2/10)
The less said the better about this film. It was sooooo bad that at the end you dont even want to think about it. We friends have never had so much discussion about any movie as this one. Everything about this movie was wrong. Unnecessary story, nudity and horrible and terrible acting by everyone. This film might as well be a cult in the porn film world. r as my friend would say, its worse than a porn film because they at least get you off.

10. Victory (Hindi) (6/10)
Victory was actually not a bad film. Hurman acted decent. The only thing he needs to work on is his dialogue delivery. It sounds childlike in a lot of emotional scenes. Victory is a story of a boy from Jaisalmer who dreams of being a big cricketer. HIs dream fulfills but soon he is lured by the money that comes with branding and not the game itself. The story ends with how he redeems himself and rises back from the ashes.

9. Jai Veeru (Hindi) (4/10)
I had to watch the film just because I have to watch all hindi films. I thought at least the film would be interesting but it was a usual mix of action, emotion, drama, music, comedy, a mish-mash of all that used to happen in 80s films but doesn't work anymore. A story of friendship where one man turns out to be a cop and another a suspect. The actresses would randomly come for singing and go away. Only saving grace was Kunal Khemu's performance. People, please stop giving films to Fardeen. He can't act for nuts.

The movie journey continues

8. Boys On The Side (7.5/10)
Three women; a club musician, a demure real estate agent and a flaky drug-dealers girlfriend make a break with their pasts and form an unlikely family while traveling across the country together. The film is a mix of love, tragedy, comedy. The director makes you fall in love with the characters. You feel their pain, their love and loneliness. I thought it was a brilliantly done film.

7. Under The Same Moon (Spanish/English) (6.5/10)
Carlitos's journey to meet his mother Rosario who left him 4 years ago in Mexico to work in LA so that she can have him a good life. This journey is full of ups and downs, knowns and unknowns, filled with lot of emotional moments. Its truy said that never act with children. They will make you look bad. The kid in this film was superb.

6. The President Is Coming (Indian English) (6.5/10)
A hilarious take in a mockumentary style is the best way to describe this. What would people do and lengths they would go to shake hands with President Bush on his visit to India. Konkona as always is the best but even others are very good. The various competition rounds between the participants have fair share of good comic moments.

Different language Different Genre

5. Ma femme est une actrice (French) [My Wife Is An Actress] (5.5/10)
A "normal" guy who is married to a hot actress gets worried that she is involved with her costar. This worry turns into jealousy and causes problems in their relationship. This is a story about trust and a comedy about the actions between men and women. They tried to show the movie in a comic style but it was just strictly ok. They could have dealt with more pros and cons.

4. The lookout (6.5/10)
Chris, whose once-bright future has been dimmed by a severe head injury because of an accident, is a night janitor at a bank. Lonely having just one blind friend and frustrated, Chris falls prey to a con man’s seductive promise of romance and a better life, and agrees to help rob the bank where he works. What happens before and after and how he deals with his disabilities makes for a very interesting watch. Beautiful performances by everyone.

3. Dosar (Bengali) (7/10)
Yet another beautiful film by Rituparno Ghosh With an awesome and beautiful performance by Konkona Sen Sharma. This girl never stops surprising me. Shot in b&w, the story is about this husband who gets into an accident and in the process the wife finds out hat he was cheating on her. How she deals with the whole situation makes the crux of the film. The emotions Konkona portrays of a betrayed wife but still being very strong is just unbelievable.

Looks like even March is going slow

2. Brideshead Revisited (5.5/10)
A middle class man CHarles manages to be friends with the rich scion Sebastian and is invited over to his houe for summer, things turn when Charles meets Julia, Seb's sister. Charles becomes seduced by the opulent lifestyle of the Marchmain family, and by Julia, Sebastian's sister. As their romance deepens, repercussions follow, and Charles discovers that at Brideshead, love, money and power come at a price. It was decent film but towards the end it started dragging and too many isues were being handled at the same time. It probably would be a good read.

1. Der Junge Törless (German) [Young Törless] (4/10)
The film is set at a boarding school in the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire. When a pair of students find out about their classmate Basini stealing money, the two decide that rather than turn Basini in to the school authorities, they will punish him themselves and proceed to torture, degrade, and humiliate the boy, with ever-increasing sadistic delight. Törless is a passive member of the group but observes rather than participates and frustrates the tormentors by dryly analyzing their behavior. A weird film. I was expecting something else but it turned out different. Definitely not of my taste.

A rather disappointing number in February - 18

18. Raja (French/Arabic) (2/10)
Raja is an orphan literally and figuratively scarred by life. Fred is an emotionally bankrupt westerner living amid his plush garden. Fred's attempt to seduce Raja, and their mutual attempt at manipulation, are fractured by their gross disparity of income, age and cultural sophistication. I really did not get this movie. I tried hard but I just did not get it. Its got good reviews but hey what do I know. :) oh btw: great acting by the leading lady for sure.

17. The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnamese) (3/10)
This one has t be the slowest film that I have seen in my life. It you take all the scenes which had some dialogues to it, the movie would probably end in like 20 minutes. A little girl, Mui, went to a house as a new servant. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mui's age. In her mind she treated Mui as her daughter. 10 years later Mui (now a young woman) was sent to another family, a young pianist and his wife. The musician falls in love with the peasant, he taught her literacy and they eventually married. The only good thing about the film was that it was visually beautiful.

Its hindi films time

16. Phoonk (Hindi) (5.5/10)
After somehow managing to get courage to watch a scary film, I saw Phoonk. Apart from initial few scenes, the movie wasn't actually horror. It was more thriller with elements f black magic thrown it which made the proceedings interesting. It was interesting premise and something new for Indian cinema. The young girl acted well. Watch it. Its a god time pass. You definitely wont get bored. I am scared but you probably won't.

15. Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye (Hindi) (3.5/10)
A decent concept gone horribly bad by poor direction, poor screenplay and very bad acting. Raima's husband Arbaaz cheats on her and has made her loose the confidence. How she manages to do something with her life by dreaming of this imaginary man whom she shares with everything. First few times it was fine but then over the top imagination scenes were getting on my nerves. This film can be totally ignored.

14. Delhi-6 (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Sometimes expectations soil the movie. Great music and wonderful ensemble did not ensure a good film. It was just amish mash of characters, with a paper thin plot. Agreed it was shot beautifully but we ned more. Worse is that Rahman's music has not been used well at all in the film. I was so angry. The only good thing for me in the film was Sonam Kapoor. She was great. And Abhishek Bachchan, please loose weight, shave and start looking like a hero.

13. Tahaan (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Its so refreshing to see a director try something new. This film based in Kashmir is about a story between a young boy and his donkey, who has to be sold to the local money lender to repay the loans. The boy will do anything to get his donkey back. And of course, people trying to take advantage of his innocence in Kashmir by giving him bombs etc. Very natural acting by everyone specially the kid and Sarika. Rahul Bose surprisingly seemed complete misfit in the whole proceeding. Watch it for its simplicity.

Not every film I watch is good :(

12. The Heartbreak Kid (4.5/10)
Premise sounded interesting but barring a few funny scenes here and there, the film in a whole was not fun. Story of a uy who thinks he's married the perfect girl realizes soon after that its a big mistake and there is something not right with her. How his world changes , he falls for anther girl etc. A romantic comedy gone wrong.

11. Billu Barber (Hindi) (6.5/10)
I had very low expectations form this film somehow. I was not super charged to watch it but I still did. Surprisingly it was good. Very real. Irfan was brilliant and Shahrukh was thankfully not bad. As everyone said , last 20 minutes are very real and can choke you if you watch the film with heart. Priyan has done a decent direction.

10. Righteous Kill (4/10)
Big expectations from a De Niro and a Pacino film but somewhere something was missing. They play 2 Turk and Rooster, longtime NYPD detective partners who are faced with a serial killer who is murdering sociopathic criminals. They both have personal issues, and when they start working with a younger team, Perez and Riley, tensions between the pairs of partners is inevitable, especially since Turk is now living with Perez's ex-girlfriend, also a homicide detective. Decent acting but a non gripping plot

2 beautiful wonderful romantic films

9. The Bridges of Madison County (8/10)
THe films is about following your heart and do everything it takes you to be happy. SOmetimes its better to think about what makes you happy rather than worrying about people around you. World-traveling National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid and Iowa housewife Francesca Johnson aren't looking to turn their lives upside down. Each is at a point in life where expectations are behind them. Yet four days after meeting, they wont want to lose the love they've found. Its hard to explain in a few words how brilliant Meryl Streep and CLint Eastwood are in the film. The film is bound to make you cry. Watch it with a loved one. YOu will feel special

8. The Notebook (7/10)
I saw this film for the second time and I still loved it. Sometimes love is so pure, real and last forever and this film is all about that. Its old fashioned tear-jerker with cheesy sugar syrupy love but who cares. I love it. Teenagers meet, fall in love and separate. Reunite after 7 years and all these years they had never forgotten each other. Time makes them make tough choices. And how even though in old age after suffering from senile amnesia, he husband is still very much in love with the wife. Brilliant !

3 more different films with varied genres

7. Sexo por Compasión (Spanish) [Compassionate Sex] (5.5/10)
A very different film subject. Personally I would enjoyed the film much more if it had more comic angle rather than taking it seriously because clearly it has to be fiction. Dolores is a mature and kind woman whose husband abandons her because he can’t stand her uncanny generosity. Desperate to get her husband back, she devotes her life to works of charity, which results in her "soothing" all the village men as Lolita with remarkable results. Even the wives are pleased with the results. It is through her compassionate sex that she literally brings back the color and the happiness to her community.

6. Into The Wild (6/10)
True story of Christopher McCandless, a freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead, walked out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. A fearless persn who tried to understand the balance between man and nature. A very interesting film by some great performances. You should watch this film in a certain frame of mind and you will like it. It teaches you a few things.

5. Starting Out in the Evening (4/10)
Aging novelist Leonard Schiller is slipping into literary obscurity. Formerly a famous author, Schiller has been all but forgotten by the readers, colleagues and critics who once praised him. But when Heather Wolfe, an ambitious graduate student, convinces Schiller that her thesis could reintroduce his writing to the world, the reclusive writer is forced to confront his past regrets. The film was strictly ok. Too much talking and not much going on. I usually like these kind of offbeat films but there was definitely something missing for me in the film

Lets see how February goes

4. Se, jie (Mandarin) [Lust Caution] (7.5/10)
Set against the backdrop of a transforming country, a young woman finds herself swept up in a radical plot to assassinate a ruthless and secretive intelligence agent. As she immerses herself in her role as a cosmopolitan seductress, she becomes entangled in a dangerous game that will ultimately determine her fate. Brilliant acting and direction. After the initial inhibition of maybe 15 minutes of not understanding what's going on, give it a chance and you will love the film. The climax was good too.

3. Amal (Hindi/English) (6/10)
Auto rickshaw driver Amal is very happy and content driving people in and around Delhi safely and quickly. He i snot money minded at all. But his sense of duty is tested by an eccentric, aging billionaire, who, moved by Amal's humility, bequeaths him his entire estate before passing away. The story is woven around different people who have amjor role to play in and out Amal's life. A little naive act by the male lead but still watchable.

2. The Last Lear (Indian English) (4/10)
An agin Shakesparean who takes up a challenging role for a film after much co axing from the director. I am surprised at people who say this is Bachchan's one of the best performance. It was so over the top; it was unbelievable. I have liked Rituparna's most movies but this somehow was no way close to his previous works. Only savinggrace according to me was Shefali Shah. She has never disappointed me in her acting.

1. Coeurs (French) [Private Fears in Public Places] (5.5/10)
Seven lonely lives in Paris: a middle-aged estate agent; his co-worker whose Bible is close at hand in times of stress; her late-night charge, an angry, nasty bedridden old man; his son, a patient bartender; the bartender's best patron, an ex-soldier; his fiancée who doesn't now why she is still with him; and, the estate agent's much younger sister, who answers ads in the personal. Will any connect? Can open hearts trump fears? Decent performances but there was something lacking in the direction. Maybe pace or the direction

January number is 34

31. Oceans Thirteen (7/10)
When one of the senior Ocean member is double crossed by Al Pacino, The Ocean's team is back together this time with the help of an old enemy to bust the opening night of the casino and steal the diamonds. The film was fast and pacy. I personally liked it better than 2nd part.

32. Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi (Hindi) (6/10)
Dont hate me for saying that I liked this film. I know its romantic, very cheesy but what can I do if I like these kind of films. ONly annoying thing was the heavy dose of songs. Worse is they weren't even melodious. The movie was good but Barjatyas need to come out of their regular mould, please.

33. The Boy In The striped Pyjamas (7.5/10)
Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. A depressing film with a very shocking end, I loved this film. Very good.

34. Luck By Chance (Hindi) (7.5/10)
Another hindi film that shows us what happens behind the scenes of a hindi film. But this one according to me is very realistic and shows us different facets of different people realistic and fake both. A very brave attempt by a first time director and excellent performance by my favorite Konkona. Farhan is good too.

Reaching number 30

27. Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (Hindi) (7.5/10)
Inspired by the incredible true story of Lucky Singh, an extremely charismatic and fearless confident man and thief who socialized with the rich, famous and influential of Delhi society and then proceeded to rob them blind. He robbed both the rich and the poor without prejudice. Funny film with a full on setting of Delhi. O love Abhay Deol's film. He deserves all praises and I hope he keeps doing all these wonderful films. Cant recall any of his film that I did not like

28. Sukkar banat (Arabic) [Caramel] (8/10)
Six women in Beirut seek love, marriage, and companionship and find duty, friendship, and possibility. Four work at a salon: one is engaged, second is divorced mother fearing getting old; third is a attracted to a clinet and fourth is in love with a married man. There's also Rose, a middle-aged seamstress, who cares for Lili, old and facing dementia. Excellent excellent movie. The sheer direction, spontaneity, natural acting and everything brings this film to life.

29. Waitress (4/10)
An unhappy waitress Jenna who makes excellent pies but wants to run away from her husband once she has enough money. BUt she can't because now she is pregnant. Enter a handsome young doctor and life changes. She is having an affair and cant get away from Earl, her husband. Finally when the baby is delivered, she gets the courage to separate from husband and make a life of her own. A very very ordinary fare. Nothing great about it. I like the southern accent though.

30. The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (5.5/10)
The third and latest in the Librarian series. This one was the least interesting among the three. This time he has to make sure that the vampires who are still living hoping to bring themselves to life using Judas Chalice cannot do so. A good girl vampire is this time his associate who helps him in his challenge. There were no thrills in this one at all. A downer.

7 more in a few more days (3 were awesome)

20. DIl Kabaddi (Hindi) (5/10)
A supposedly comedy based on lives of 2 couples and how each one of them is not too happy with it. Everyone has different reasons and is just not honest enough to share that with their partner. A few extra marital affairs, very few laughs and realization of mistakes, this film could have been edited much better and ended sooner than 2 hours. Always dependable Konkana was best of the lot.

21. First Snow (4.5/10)
A guy's life turns tailspin after a psychic tells that his life is limited but he is safe till the first snow. Very later that he can use this opportunity to plan for future of people around him after he's gone. He does certain nice things. After he miraculously escapes a killing from his ex best friend whom he feared al his life, he ends up dying in a car crash on a nasty snow day. A very slow film for me with decent performances. It seemed like a TV film.

22. Ghost Town (6.5/10)
Dentist Dr. Pincus, is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. The movie was funy in a weird way. I liked it specially Dr Pincus.

23. Revolutionary Road (7.5/10)
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Amazing amazing performances by Leonardo and Kate but the film was a bit too slow for me.

24. Kadachit (Marathi) (6/10)
A famous surgeon's life turns upside down when her father returns after a 20 year life imprisonment for killing his wife based on his daughter's testimony. It turns out that it was all imagination of the doctor as a little girl and how her confidence on herself starts getting down. Brave performance by Ashwini Bhave and others.

25. Gran Torino (9/10)
Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. Excellent performance by Clint Eastwood. The movie had small instances of humor even without trying hard.

26. Defiance (8.5/10)
I wasn't too sure about this one. But what a surprise it was in every aspect, be it story, direction of performance including Daniel Craig. Three Jewish brothers escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and others in danger. A must see film

4 more down and under

16. Roadside Romeo (Hindi) (4/10)
India's first joint venture with Disney to give an animation film. Romeo a street dog used to have a good life. Now that he is on streets, he has fallen for Laila, another cute dog and he will have to fight with gangster dog Charlie Anna to get his love. Very thing story line with nothing new except the whole animation experience to offer.

17. Hamlet 2 (5.5/10)
In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher rallies his Tucson, AZ students as he conceives and stages politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. This was a satirical comedy with a very interesting finale when the actual play is staged. A very decent fare.

18. Man On Wire (Documentary) (6.5/10)
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century." Its good when you see it as a documentary. What surprised me how the whole event unfolds of preparation like a sit film. It was good and interesting

19. Vantage Point (7.5/10)
This is a very very interesting political thriller. During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. A very intriguing story with many twists.

I am making good progress

I think I am watching a lot of films (well who doesn't know that). Hopefully the saga will continue

14. The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (6.5/10)
The next in 3 part series so far, this movie sows us next step journey of the librarian to the king solomon mines. As is always the case in these movies, the ultimate bad guy turns out to be the one whom you never expected. One thing that I just dont understand is how come the main protagonist faces all these hurdles to reach the destination and the bad guys are always there so quick. Fun for me because I like these kind of films.

15. Ramchand Pakistani (Hindi/Urdu) (6.5/10)
Now this on was interesting. Ramchand, a hindu dalit pakistani mistakenly crosses the border and his father follows. They are arrested. What follows is their trials and tribulations in the jails in India and how his mother played beautifully by Nandita Das copes up with the situation back in Pakistan not knowing about their whereabouts.

Films that I saw in past 9 days

Starting this year, I wanna see and keep a tab of how many films I watch. The goal is to see if i make it to the magic number of 365 (less or more) per year. So in very short, I am going to write names, few sentences and what I thought of the movie.
So here's what have I seen so far in past 9 days:

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (7.5/10)
A brilliant story that takes us on a journey of a man who ages reverse. Brilliant concept and acting by both Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt. I thought it was superb.

2. The Day the Earth Stood Still (3/10)
A remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth. Even with Keanu Reaves, the fate of this film could not be salvaged. This was bad . Period.

3. Yuvvraaj (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Thee kind of stories dont work in these days but still it was pretty decent attempt. If nothing else, the locales in the film were brilliant and songs were very melodious.

4. Khela (Bengali) (6/10)
A film director, a bored housewife tired of her husband. The director plans a film with a child an din the process comes closer to understanding children , something he never was ready for. Manisha was decent, Prasanjeet was great and so was the kid.

5. The Reader (9/10)
BRILLIANT. Thats one word to describe this film. Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Burk re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial. How does Kate Winslet do it every time, its unbelievable.

6. Finding Amanda (5/10)
A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab. A cross between drama, comedy and message, a short budget film which was a decent watch. Not bad

7. Things We Lost in the Fire (7/10)
I loved it. If only it was not stretched towards the end, I would have loved it more. A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss. Hale Berry and Benicio Del Toro gave performances to die for.

8. The Princess Bride (7/10)
A very good mix of fantasy, modern day, fights, swordplay, evil prince, beautiful princess. I wasn't sure before the movie. But the movie is very very entertaining. Its a must for kids.

9. Sorry Bhai (Hindi) (7.5/10)
I really dont understand why people did not like this movie. It was so natural slice of life and very believable. Al the characters were so true and real. Brilliant performances specially by Sharman. I loved it. I love Onir's films

10. Karzzzz (Hindi) (3/10)
The less, the better. Awful acting, direction and songs. Everyone was so over the top. The plot was not developed properly ad the film it seemed was made just for the heck of it. Himesh bhai.. please hamein maaf karo.

11. Penelope (4/10)
A modern romantic tale about a young aristocratic heiress born under a curse that can only be broken when she finds true love with "one who will love her faithfully." It could have been so much better but somehow somewhere it lost the steam.

12. The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (7/10)
When a magical artifact is lifted from his library, a meek librarian sets out to ensure its safe return. Exactly the kind of films I like. Thanks to Manu for recommendation. Cheesy treasure hunt type. Perfect!!

13. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (8.5/10)
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelery store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife hurtling towards a shattering climax. Brilliant acting by Philip Seymour and Ethan Hawke, this film will keep you on your edges. Crisp editing and one of the best. MUST WATCH

PS: I see many many more 'my kind of' films than I will actually write here but there is a separate blog for those special films. If you are interested, I can send you the link. Read at your own risk.

Cheeni Kum - Melody Jyada

Now this is one album that is hugely under-rated. Music maestro Ilayaraja has created some soulful melodious music for this less sugary romantic flick between adults. To be very frank, I have never been fond of his music. I felt that there was a lot of touch of south indian music even for the movies with a noth indian background, but I am glad that I have been proved absolutely wrong with Cheeni Kum.

The album starts of with the brilliant 'Cheeni Kum Hai' by Shreya Ghosal. Melodious to the core is how you can describe this song. The most surprising part is that there is no music prelude before the lyrics. I can't jog my memory to think of the last time when such a thing happened. The startingis not very impressive but the moment song goes to antara, u cannot help close your eyes and just enjoy the melody.

The next 2 songs are my personal favourite. 'Baatein Hawa Hain' and 'Jaane Do Na' both sung again by Shreya Ghosal. While the former can be appreciated for the simplicity of the music and briliantly written lyrics, the latter has that 60s-70s feel of a chhed-chhad song between the main protagonists. Every time I hear these songs, I have a smile on my face and a I feel good listening to them. Some people feel that 3 songs in succession sung by Shreya is a downer. But I say that this is the best part. And if you are a serious melodious music lover like me, you will know what am I talking about. Thanks to Saregama and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for introducing us to Shreya Ghosal. I love this girl.

There are a couple of music pieces and different versions of Baatein Hawa and Cheeni Kum which are good but even if they weren't, I would just go ahead for the album just for the sheer magic of first three songs. Listen to them if you say that love Indian melodies and complain about the music situation in our films these days. After going through the album, one really expects to hear some more heart- warming soundtracks that have been missing in Bollywood for quite long.

This is truly a BHEJA FRY

I finally managed to see this movie after it was out on DVD. The fact that this movie was made in mere 70 Lakhs and has made approx 8 crore of money really made me look forward to it. I mean , this movie should have something in it that everyone from common man to Madhuri Dixit has become a fan of Vinay Pathak and the movie.

There is a group of friends whose only stress buster is Friday night dinners where they invite an IDIOT ( you read it correct) and make fun of him. The idiot of course is oblivious to all this. Rajat Kapoor heads this group and is the one who usually looks out for this murga. This time fortunately or otherwise, he finds Vinay Pathak and invites him over to his place before dinner so that he can test him out. Till this point the movie is strictly okay but the real fun begns when Vinay Pathak arrives at his home.

Rajat's wife Sarika has just left him and he is in severe back pain and can hardly move. Vinay Pathak joins him in this situation and what follows is a laugh riot, mad caper, witty dialogues and hilarious situations. Small incidents like Vinay calling the wrong number, non stop bragging about himself, carrying his childhood blog, talking just about anything makes it a worth a watch. In short rather than Rajat making fun of Vinay Pathak, he ends up getting his Bheja Fried with all the nonsense antics that he carries.

There are cameos played by other actors like Ranvir Shorey, Milind Soman who act decent. Ranvir is strictly ok (for a change). Milind Soman and Sarika have acted decent. The two performances that stand out are that of protagonists Rajat Kapoor and Vinay Pathak with special mention to the latter. This is his movie all the way. Its difficult to imagine anyone else after seeing him in this role.

Go for this movie if you haven't. You will like it and may be after this your perspective that bollywood dishes out only crappy song and dance boy meets girl story might change.

"Aaj Ki Raat" - DON

Picture these lyrics
"Shaam Hai, Jaam Hai, Aur Hai Nasha..... Tan Bhi Hai, Mann Bhi Hai, Pighlta Hua"
(Its evening with a drink and fun... Both body and heart are melting down)

"Aaj Ki Raat...Hona Hai Kya....Paana Hai Kya....Khona Hai Kya..."
(Tonight, whats going to happen, whats to loose, whats to gain)

Well nothing great in these wordings but when you start hearing the song, you get a very sensual feeling. The song starts with very 70s retro n modern beats and maintains the tempo throughout. One always thought that Alisha Chinoy was the best singer for these kind of songs , which is true here as well; but the real surprise comes from Mahalakshmi. You haven't heard anything lke this before from her. And this girl doesn't disappoint a bit. If Alisha is sensual, then Mahalakshmi is sedate. Sonu Nigam joins later and fits in well.

Don't be surprised if the retro lounge number with brass walls, techno effects, lots of ambience sounds and a catchy chorus line reminds you of "Raat Baaki Baat Baaki". Its a haunting and goose-pimple evoking song. One of the best compositions to come from Music trio SEL, this is definitely a number to look out for this year. I can't wait to see some hot-n-happening choreography on the screen when Kareena (or would it be Isha) and Priyanka burn the floor on fire.

Well , then am I saying that is the best thing about the music of DON? Hell, YES!!! Yes with a capital Y. Go for the album just for this foot tapping number.

MM Kreem - A diamond we still need to relish

M M Kreem : I clearly remember the first time I actually heard about this name was when music of 'Zakhm' was released. Well, I had definitely heard the name but nothing special about this composer had stuck me. But with this film things changed. The oh so melodious "Hum yahan tum yahan",the naughty "Raat Saari bekarari mein guzari", the very sensitive "maa ne kaha".. they were all musical gems among all the beautiful songs of this film. I remember those were my engineering days and my room mates were music fans like me (may be not as crazy as me) but all of us used to love Zakhm songs. And this was when I had to find out more about the composer.

How many of us remember songs from the film RGV's 'Drohi'. Out of the 2 songs I remember, I cannot forget 'Dhadkati Mere Dil Ko Aayi Tu'. Like most of us even I used to think that it was a RD Burman composition as were the other songs of the film but it turned out that this one was Kreem's. I remember as teenage i actually used to dance on this song (yeah.. believe it or not). Kreem's so called break actually came with "Tum Mile Dil Khile" from the film 'Criminal'. This song was lapped up by everyone but did not get as popular since the film bombed. Frankly saying, I used to like the song but never thought of it as anything out of the way special or something. And I guess thats the reason the name MM Kreem never stuck me even then.

'Chup Tum Raho' from 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin' was one song which was neglected by everyone including by the promotores of the film. Showing his singing skills, Kreem proved that given a chance e could do something amazing with the music. 'Mere tere Naame Naye Hain' is a beautiful song. You might take some time to like the song but believe me once you give this one a patient hearing, you get hooked to it. 'Pehli Nazar Mein' was a non-film album released by T-Series. Its tile song by Kreem himself alongwith Anuradha Paudwal is still one of may favourites. Beautifully sung, the song would have a different history if it was a part of some movie.

Pooja Bhatt gave another chance to MM Kreem after Zakhm with Sur. The film was musical brilliance. 'Aa Bhi Jaa' gives you goose pimples when u hear it even today. 'Kabhi Sham Dhale' sung by Mahalaxmi according to me was the best composition of the film and was so appropriate with the film. With 'Jism', he was on an all time high. Each and every single song was something special. Lyricially or musically they were all great. I wont even bother to go into details of these songs. They were and are pure gems. He composed just one song for 'Saaya' but "O Saathiya" was the best thing to happen to the movie. This was foolowed by 'Rog'. The music according to me was a little deviation from the usual Kreem music and was pretty good. "Maine Dil Se kaha" and "Khoobsurat Hai woh itna" are my favourites.

2005 saw a poor film 'Kasak'. Frankly by now expectations are MM Kreem are so high for me that i found this just about OK. 'Saansein Madham Hain' is only worth mentioning sng though after a few hearings I started to like Jagjit Singh's version of "Jaana Hai Jaana Hai". Still not much can be said about the music.

After giving music for Bhatt's movies and an odd Kasak, his commercial big break came with Shahrukh Khan starrer 'Paheli'. "Dheere Jalna" is an awesome song brilliantly sung by Sonu Nigam. Other songs gelled with the Rajasthani theme of the movie and he incorporated it very well for the film. "Laaga re Jal Laaga" is my another favourite.

Film-makers.. its high time that you start recognizing the real talent and give the audience and listeners a chance to listen to some real music rather than some odd pop beats here n there with remix versions. MM Kreem deserves much much more than what Bollywood has offered him till now.

My top 10 Favourites of MM Kreem in no particular order:
1. Chup Tum Raho (Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin)
2. Pehli Nazar Mein (Pehli Nazar Mein)
3. Hum Yahan Tum Yahan (Zakhm)
4. Raat Saari (Zakhm)
5. Kabhi Shaam Dhale (Sur)
6. Aa BHi Ja (Sur)
7. Awaarapan Banjarapan (Jism) and all others
8. O Saathiya (Saaya)
9. Dheere Jalna (Paheli)
10. Maine Dil Se Kaha (Rog)

And you thought only Gulzar could write poetry

No one would ever argue that Gulzar is an excellent lyrics writer with all the mastery he has on the hindi and urdu language. Everytime he writes something, he makes amazing comparisons of beauty with nature. If you thought that he is the only person who could do this brilliantly, then what would you think of these lyrics

jheel ek aadat hai, tujhme hi to rehti hai
(Lake is a habit, it lives within you)

aur nadi shararat hai, tere sang behti hai
(and the river is naughty, it flows with you)

utaar ghum ke moze, zameen ko gungugane de
(remove the socks of sadness, let the earth hum a song)

kankaron ko talwon me, gudgudee machane de
(let the pebbles tickle your feet)

These beautiful lyrics are written by Prasoon Joshi. His claim to fame started with Kunal Kohli's Hum Tum. I am not saying that I am particularly very fond of Prasoon but having heard this song many a times made me write this. I really love the lines above , specially 'kankaron ko talwon me, gudgudee machane de'. It proves that the guy has talent. He has already proven this with his other projects like Rang De Basanti and Fanaa. It wuld be harakari not to mention SEL for theor efforts in composing this beautiful number sung brilliantly by Bombay Jaysree. After 'Zara Zara' from RHTDM, this is another song that showcases her incredible talent.

“Khul ke muskuraale tu, dard ko sharmaane de. Boondon ko dharti par, saaz ek bajaane de. Hawaaein keh rahi hain…aaja jhule zara. Gagan ke gaal ko chal… jaa ke chule zara.” This is definitely a gem in the album "Phir Milenge"

UTSAB - Rituparno Ghosh's classic

My fascination of movies isin't news for anyone. I have started watching movies in other languages as well these days. Recently I had the opportunity of watching 'Utsab', a Bengali movie by Rituparno Ghosh. A family movie set in the background of Durga Puja, it lets the viewers inside a family re-union for the puja. The director tries to express the complexities of various relationships and the importance of communication within family members through various metaphors.

Bhagbati's 4 children come back to their mother's ancestral house for the puja celebrations as they do every year. The eldest son Asit is trying to solve all the problems and his wife is mostly devoted toall household chores. They have a daughter Shompa who is aamazing singer. The second son Nishit, is having problems at work. He tells about it only to his borther but not keeps it a secret with his wife because he doesn't want her to take unnecessary tensions specially because she belonged to a very well to do family before marriage. Eldest daughter Parul, is married to a rich family against her wishes. Her husband still taunts her about her affair with one of her cousins Shishir even though they now have a 21 year old son Joy. Shishir previously a poor man is now a very rich builder. Younger daughter Keya married against family wishes to a passionate politician Arun who after having failed in the political games has succummed to drinking and now theyhave problems in their marriage. Arun is visiting his in laws first time after 3 years of their marriage.

The movie slowly unfolds and you first come to know about the various characters, then there fears, there dreams, there past there future and what is there position in the current scenario. Like real life we misjudge certain characters at start and understand them better later.Shishir wants to buy this ancestral home now and hence starts the play of emotions of each of these family members. Parul's past keeps haunting her because of Shishir. Keya doesn't knnw how to tll her family about the problems she is having because she married against their wishes. Nishit wishes to start business soon so that he doesn't have to be ashamed in front of his wife.

The family members strike an instant chord with the audience as the story starts unfolding about each of the characters. Suppressed emotions hide in shadows and happy ones play with bursts of light. Even though you may feel that the movie is slow and mundane but the amotions are beautifully constructed to build the whole theme. When the movie end you can'thelp thinking about these problems and stories and enjoy it. Mostly because they are so real that you or someone from your family could have been easily as one of the characters.


Its again shown how communication is important within the family. The characters first try to hide there problems, but later they open up and confide things to there siblings/son. The way Parul cries and tells her son why even after 21 years is she still being taunted about Shishir. Keya tells Parul of her problems with Arun. Nishit tells Asit about his work problems.

Finally, the director shows how history repeats itself depicting the construction deconstruction process. Joys uncle Asit wanted to study literature but bcause of his mother, he ends up learning economics. And in present Joy wants to learn film-making but his father wants him todo MBA and now he is going to US soon. The way Shishir-Parul's relationship was there in past is repeating itself with the way Parul's son Joy is shown to have a liking for his cousing Shompa.

Handling so many characters, showing there individuality and at the same time narrating the story in an interesting way is not an easy task to do. Rituparno ghosh has done it beautifully. No wonder that he was awarded the Best Director's National Award for the film. The story progresses mostly on words rather than on any visual action. Even the past incidents are narrated in terms of dialogues and not as flashbacks. But he does not waste any of the dialouges. Every single dialouge in the movie adds to the overall structure and is an essential piece of the story.

Everyone has acted very very good. Specially the roles of Keya and Parul played by Rituparno Sengupta and Mamta Shankar. Avoiding all complexities the film ends at a postive note. All the family problems are now just beautiful memories.

MUST WATCH for the fans of thinking cinema (or what you may call parallel cinema) and classy products.

Namak Issk Ka

Ocassionally comes songs when you hear them the first time, it sound just yet another average song. But when you repeatedly hear it, you can't help getting hooked to it. 'Namak' from the film OMKARA is one such song. On first hearing you never think anything special about it but if you are someone like me from Utaar Pradesh (A north Indian state), you can't help it when the song brings a smile on your face. Ever wondered why that happens??

Well the song and the music has that rock salt countryside music earthiness that one is used to hearing in village festivals (mela). If you have ever attended any of the melas, you will know exactly what I mean.
Picture these words

bheeter bheeter aag jale, baat karoon to sek lage
(its like a fire inside but when i talk it gives me a warmth)

main chand nikal gayi sainyan re, ang pe aise chhale pade
(i ended up swallowing moon because there were so many blisters on my body)

tez tha jhonka kya karoon, see see karti main maroon
(the wind was so hard that i died making the sound 'see see')

jabaan pe laaga re laaga re
(its now on my tongue)

namak issk ka.. haiiiii tere issk ka
(love of salt..... of your love)

Notice how singer Rekha says Jabaan instead of Zabaan and Issk instead of Ishq. And they way she says 'haaaiiiiii'....... Oh man!! that just kills me.
Its small things like this that make you notice this song. This song is actually a mujra number (a form of dance performed for entertainments of nawabs and wealthy landlords). Mixed with qawalli like feeling, you can easily imagine a village lady sitting on a stage making naughty expressions on her face, with thousands of lights all over her face with a quirky smile and battling of eyes just to excite the locals and add seasoning to the spicy fare. And if you thought the song is vulgar, then re-think... Its naughty but not vulgar. The raw countryside music feeling is what gives this song the extra edge.

Wonder why these lyrics always touch me whenver I listen to them

There are lyrics in bollywood songs which makes u feel ashamed but then there are times when certain lyrics just catch u unaware. These 3 short phrases (definitely nothing great by any means) are not from any popular songs or anything but still whenever I hear these verses, I just can't help but think about these sentences. How would it be like to live these sentences?? Or wait a minute... Am I living these sentences?

par tum meri koi nahi,shayad mujhe hai yakeen
ho jab meri koi nahi
kyun lagti ho mujhko parayi nahi
(but you are nothing for me, i think i believe this
and since you are nothing for me why don't u feel like a stranger)
[socha na tha - mera tumhara]


door hokar bhi door tum nahi
paas ho lekin paas tum nahi
(Being far also , u r not far from me
U r close to me but still not close)
[jhankaar beats - suno na]

meri pehchan ka ek shaks isi shehar mein hai
main bhi zinda hoon, zara usko batade koi
(A friend of mine is in this city
I am also alive, can someone tell him)
[jism - mere khwabon ka]

Bollywood Songs of 2005 - These never got the credit they deserved

Back after almost a gap of 8 months. I know its kinda weird to write a blog and not be regular about it. Let's see if I can maintain it this time. To start with I have compiled a list of some songs from 2005 which according to me never got the due crcediit they deserved. As an avid Bollywood music listener, it hurts when some of the beautifully and soulfully made music numbers don't get the credit they deserved just because they weren't publicized properly. People actually don't even know that there is a good song like that. In cases they know, the channels or the produers didn't promote the songs as well as they should have OR may be the film didn't work and hence the song dies.

1. Rog - Maine Dil Se Kaha
The most under-rated music directors MM Kreem once again showed he is no less than anyone else. KK's magical voice is treat to ears. You may not like the song in the starting but wait till the antara starts and you get hooked.

2. Socha Na Tha - Mera Tumhara Kya Rishta Hai
Though it was 'Yara Rub' and 'Abhi Abhi' that became popular, it was this song composed and even sung by Sandesh Sandilya that touches you. The song is more like a dialogues but if you are a hard core romantic person, you will love it.

3. Karam - Tinka Tinka Zara Zara
Of course people have heard of this song but how many remember? Alisha Chinai was way way better as a singer in this song than Kajra Re. Sadly, bollywood gives awards to popularity rather than the quality. Alisha's sensual vocals, soft music and poetry of words makes me wonder why does the song have only 1 antara. Classic example of a film flopping and taking the song down with it.

4. My Brother Nikhil - Le Chale
Hear it to believe it. There is no way that the lyrics and the composition will not touch your heart even if you can't relate to them. KK, Shaan and Sunidhi all 3 of them sung it solo and its really hard to say who has outdone whom. And then once you hear it from films perspective, you can't help if tears come in your eyes.

5. Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi - Bavra Mann , Mann Yeh Bavra
I had to mention both these songs. Everyone know Shubha Mudgal is a great singer. But hear the versions sung by Swananad Kirkire and the outcome is fantastic. If you have that inclination towards the classical touch based songs, this is the one for you. Wish this singer gets more opportunities.

6. Sehar - Palkein Jhukao Na
This is one romantic ballad which was never publicized. Had this been in one of the Johar/Chopra movies, this would have been one of the most famous romantic numbers to come in ages. The way Alka Yagnik and Adnan Sami sing in superb. I am still so mad at whoever is responsible for not promoting the song.

7. Fun - Jal Raha Hai Badan
ok..ok.. I know some of you must be laughing. But believe it or not this film and the one after this had one song each which would have been popular had they not been in a sleazy movie. Shreya Ghosal sings this sensual number and the subtle orchestra takes the song to greater heights. Not a great number but definitely worth to keep in your records as one of the good songs.

8. Men Not Allowed - Yeh Jo Saundhe Saundhe
Now this is the ghazal based number which is more like the Vishal Bhardwaj's music style. Shashwati sings this number with grace and elan. I am gonna say something really big here now. Don't be surprised if while listening to the song you are reminded of 'Mera Kuch Saaman' from Ijazat.

9. Dil Jo Bhi Kahe - Kitni Narmi Se
One of the usual romantic numbers but the way Sonu Nigam renders it, takes it to a different level. SEL compose the song and was definitely one of the beter tracke to come out last year.

10. Main Meri Patni Aur Woh - Doob Jaana Re, Guncha
And under rated film and an equally under rated music. These 2 songs are pure gem, literally. Doob Jana Re reminds of those 70s films romantic numbers like janeman janeman. Sung by Sonu and Shreya this definely deserved much much more. 'Guncha' sung by Mohit Chauhan (I have no idea who he is) relies solely on vocals. Music is almost not there but the way the singer sings the ghazal is amazing. Like i said the album deserved much better.

11. U Bomsi And Me - Whole album
I just cannot tell you how great this album is except for one pop/bhangra song which I dont like. Its hard to pick up any one song from the album. No one knows that such an album came, forget hearing the songs. The album is a soulful experience and if you are a music lover, believe me you woul want to have it in your collection. You can thank me later .. hahahaha.. On my part, i have been listening to the song 'Kahan Ho Tum' at least twice every single day till today.

khali dimaag ya boriyat

aaj bahut dino ke baad fir se kuch likhne ka mann kiya. pata nahi kyun!! shayad zindagi mein bahut se sawaal hain mere paas jinka koi jawab nahi. na mere paas and na hi koi aisa jisse main woh sawaal kar sakoon. kabhi kabhi akela hota hoon. doston ke saath hokar bhi kahinkhoya rehta hoon. shayad bore ho gaya hoon. par kisse? yeh to main bhi nahi janta.

2 din bad India ja raha hoon. Mujhe yaad hai ki lst time main kitna jyada excited tha. Is baar to there is no feeling at all. na achhi na buri. Its like, kya farak padta hai. Pata nahi yeh attitude kyun aa gaya hai. There's definitely something thats bothering me. I wish I Knew what was that.

khair, umeed hai ki in shabdon mein hi shayad mujhe kisi din koi jawab mil jaye...

BLACK - bollywood ka jaadu

aakhirkaar maine BLACK dekh hi li. jitni ummedein thi film se usse kahin jyada behtar paaya. Sanjay ki har film ki tarah , main is film mein bhi uska kayal ho gaya. Kya khoob adakari ki hai sabhi paatron ne. Amitabh, rani aur sabse jyada woh chhoti ladki: sabhi log jaise us paatr mein doob gaye the.

Yeh film dekhne ke baad lagta hai ki kabhi hindi film isse bhi behtar ban sakti hai ya nahi??

New Orleans : mast mazaa

yeh gaye saptaah ke ant ka hum kuch log besabri se intezaar kar rahe the. New Orleans mein jab hum log gaye to wahan 'French Quarter Festival' tha. Bahut maze kiye hum 5 doston ne. Khana, ghaas pe letna, jazz sangeet suna, sadak pe ajeeb (matlab aankhon ko sukoon dene waale :D) kapde pehne logon ko dekha. Kul mila ke aaram kiya aur waqt khoti kiya. Is sab mein lekin mazaa khoob aaya. Jis jagah hum logon ka theherna tha, uski buraiyan kaafi suni thi par upar waale ki kripa se woh itna bura nahi tha. Hum log zinda wapas aa gaye aur aaj main yeh likh pa raha hoon.

Kabhi to fir se zaroor jana hai yahan wapas. kab? pata nahi !!

Uff !! yeh hindi filmein

Ab main kisi ko kya dosh doon hind filmon ke liye. Nirdeshak to kuch bhi bana hi dete hain muh uthakar par hairat is baat ki hoti hai ki mere jaise pagal log yeh sab dekhte bhi hain :)

Seedhi baat pe aayein to, maine kal 4 filein dekh daali. (yakeen nahi hota hai na. Mujhe bhi nahi hota). Lekin aap to sab log jaante hi ho mere junoon ke baare mein. Aashcharya ki baat to yeh thi ki har film pichhli film se jyada bakwaas hoti thi. Bboriyat ka aalam tha aur main filmien dekhta gaya is umeed mein ki shayad koi to achhi hogi. Aakhirkaar, maine jo film ant mein dekhi, woh fir bhi baakiyon se kaafi behtar thi.

chaahat-ek nasha, jurm, julie : aap soch sakte hianki kya guzar rahi thi mere upar jab main yeh filmein dekh raha tha. :((
Woh to bhagwaan ka shukr hai ki maine sone se pehle ek dhang ki film dekh daali (knock knock.. i am looking to marry) to neend theek se aa gayi. Nahi to poori raat hindi filmon ke darawne sapne aate. Vaise yeh film bangalore mein bani hui ek bhartiya angrezi film hai. Is film mein dikhate hian ki aaj kal ke yuva shaadi ke liye apna jeevan saathi kaise dhoondte hain. Kuch to kaafi mazedaar drishya the.

Lekin is sabke bawajood..... BOLLYWOOD ZINDABAD