Archive for the ‘cinema’ Category

Vikramaditya Motwane’s debut film Udaan selected for Cannes Film Festival 2010!

Posted: April 15, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, Breaking News, cast & crew, cinema, Film Festival, News
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And yes, its an official selection. The film will be screened in the Un Certain Regard Section of the festival. Its NOT like flying KITES at Cannes!

Udaan is directorial debut of Vikramaditya Motwane and is produced by Sanjay Singh and Anurag Kashyap. It stars Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor, Rajat Barmecha and Ayan Boradia. Its a coming of age story revolving around father-son relationship.

Motwane co-wrote Dev D with Anurag Kashyap and has worked in various capacity (read sound, choreography & more) before that. And he must be the only common factor between the cinema of Bhansali (sound designer n AD on Devdas) & Kashyap!

Nikhil Advani had signed him earlier and was supposed to produce Motwane’s debut film. But somehow the film never happened. Thats when Kashyap stepped in and decided to produce Udaan. Nikhil Advani went on to produce Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai! What a deserving tight slap!

Click here to read the complete list of films selected for Competition, Out Of Competition and in Un Certain Regard Section.

Help Karan Johar pick a title for Stepmom remake!

Posted: April 14, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, News
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The first question is why would anyone want to remake Stepmom. Ok, now that they have already done it, there is another issue. The film is yet untitled. It stars Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal and is directed by debutant Siddharth Malhotra.

Karan recently tweetd the three (or is it four )options that he has shortlisted…

The first three titles surely do sound like KJo film titles – Love You Maa, We Are Family, Hamesha & Forever. And here is our pick – Kabhi Mom Na Kehna (KMNK). And there is more. Chhabs came up with something more interesting  – Kabhi Ma, Kabhi StepMa (KMKS). And Envyas added the punchline – Its all about losing your parents. Well, one of them atleast. Now, thats what we call Instant Classic! Whats your pick ?

Film Reviews : Well Done Abba & Hum Tum Aur Ghost

Posted: March 29, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film review, News, reviews
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This weekend there are two releases. Shyam Benegal’s Well Done Abba and Kabir Kaushik’s Hum Tum Aur Ghost. At 76, Benegal is still in no mood to rest. Well Done Abba stars Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba and Samir Dattani and like many of Benegal’s films, its a social satire.

Anupama Chopra (NDTV) – The end result is that Well Done Abba is heart-felt and intermittently funny but not flat-out delightful like Benegal’s last film Welcome to Sajjanpur. You need oodles of patience to enjoy this one. I recommend that you wait for the DVD so you can speed up things yourself – 2.5/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – Despite some genuinely comic portions in which Benegal exposes the extent of double dealing and bribery involved in Indian rural politics, the film as a whole is hard to enjoy because of its sluggish pace, and because of your inability to empathize with Armaan Ali – 2.5/5 

Mayank Shekhar (HT) – Benegal’s certainly locked in a lyrical, layered screenplay here. The subject’s grim. The optimism is unique. Armaan realises along the way the power of an election coming up, the RTI Act, the mike, and the media. The state legislature debates a stolen well. The film remains a fine black comedy, which could only disappoint in parts for its weakened pace, or the director’s discomfort with a soundtrack to help with the movie’s commerce – 3/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – But the downside of `Well Done Abba’ is that it is too lax, and, after a point, too stuffed. The pace picks up so slowly that you nearly tune out, and when post-interval, everything seems to be settling down nicely, Benegal starts throwing about long winded acronyms : spelling out the Right To Information Act can stop a movie dead – 2/5

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – Despite being a trail and tribulation journey, Benegal’s direction has a feel-good charm to it. The simplicity in his storytelling is so charming that even when the film extends beyond its climax into a celebratory song, you don’t mind much. The authenticity of a rural setting is something that can never go wrong in a Shyam Benegal film – 3/5

Kaveree Bamzai (India Today) – It’s not the work of a helicoptering writer. It is the work of someone who has watched this life closely and carefully, so well done Ashok Mishra for the screenplay. It’s a place where there are ever more creative terms for bribes–from Diwali to Dussehra to peele Gandhiji. Where dowry is asked for three-door fridges and deewar-wala TV. Where police stations spend time registering thefts of hens, breaking the bakri’s leg, or stealing a door. Watch it and laugh. And wonder at what we have all come to. Pity about the songs though. We could have done without them – 3.5/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – Well Done Abba is a sweet, whimsical political satire, quite a rare breed in Bollywood. Veteran director Shyam Benegal explores the familiar theme of corruption and inefficiency in small town India in his wry, deliberate manner, a refreshing change in these hypercharged days – 3/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – The film is a sheer delight, with the events unfolding in a breezy, comic vein which keeps the ribs relentlessly tickling. But what’s more alluring are the colourful characters and the multi-layered approach to the problems of a village which becomes a microcosm of the entire nation – 4/5

Kabir Kaushik made a brillant debut with Sehar. But nobody knows what happened to Chamku. And now its Hum Tum Aur Ghost, which looks similar to GhostTown. Arshad Warsi turns producer & writer with this one and stars alongwith Boman Irani & Dia Mirza. So, is it really Ghost Town or just another coincidence in B-town ?

Anupama Chopra (NDTV) – At the end of Hum Tum aur Ghost, a character declares: kisi ne sahi kaha hai, love conquers all. Not quite. For one, love cannot conquer this muddled script, which veers between rom-com, drama and high emotion, in the most meandering way possible – 2/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – Ultimately the film is predictable and tiring because it’s an interesting idea that’s been stretched way beyond its potential. The usually dependable Arshad Warsi delivers a few light moments, and Boman Irani as a friendly ghost helps muster up a couple of laughs. But director Kabeer Kaushik, who gave us the gripping cop drama Sehar, doesn’t seem to have the light-handed touch required to turn this flimsy concept into a fun-filled ride – 2/5

Mayank Shekhar (HT) – Body dies, soul remains, and we all seek ‘mukti’ (salvation), is a very Hindu belief. It appears a natural subject for a Hindi film. The lead actor, also the producer, credits himself for the film’s story. He could’ve acknowledged the little help from David Koepp and the makers of Ghost Town (2008). The protagonist there has his dead buddy, a ghost, follow him around for a purpose. Here he makes contact with an entire town full of ghosts – 1.5/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – The pow-wows between the ghosts and the sole human who can see them range from the funny and the lachrymose ( cue, close-up of Warsi, eyes brimming over), but the former are few and far. The interactions between the humans are equally contrived : Armaan’s girlfriend, the glamorous editor of a fashion magazine, is always dressed to the hilt ; his assistant exists solely to declare that she’s lesbian. Gosh. All of these are actors who can make a film thoroughly enjoyable . But `Hum Tum Aur Ghost’ is not that film – 1/5

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – Arshad Warsi’s debut as a writer is so ‘lifeless’ in Hum Tum aur Ghost that even his ‘spirited’ performance isn’t able to save the dead slow film from dying a slow death – 2/5 

Kaveree Bamzai (India Today) – I couldn’t decide what was more grating. Dia’s mile wide smile? Warsi’s scruffy drunkenness? Irani’s desperate attempt to breathe life into a leaden script? Or Shernaz Patel’s faux seriousness as Warsi’s psychiatrist (by the way, why do Bollywood psychiatrists wear spectacles and speak in an accent like Shefali Shah in Karthik Calling Karthik?) And why has Bollywood suddenly discovered diseases? It doesn’t matter. The film is so boring that it threatens to put you to sleep. Hum Tum Aur Ghost is guaranteed to make you wish someone dead – 1/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – Whenever the screenplay sags, which is quite often, Arshad starts clicking babes in bikinis or the lovebirds start singing a song, both of which merely titillate to deceive. Arshad tries his best but seems lost through the film, Dia is ditzy but decent, Boman is quite wasted while Sandhya stays spunky – 1.5/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – When it comes to performances, it’s the Arshad-Boman chemistry that crackles and invests the film with sparkle and wit. Dia Mirza too has her moments as the feisty girlfriend while Sandhya Mridul ends up mostly wasted as a sidekick. What’s even more disappointing is Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s audio track which fails to throw up a single hummable tune – 2.5/5

Well Done Abba seems to be clear winner this week but the reviews are not as glowing as it was for Welcome To Sajjanpur.

First Look : Yashraj Films’ Badmaash Company (theatrical trailer)

Posted: March 25, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, first look, News, pics, songs & videos
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Con job again ? Bunty-Babli Redux plus two sidekicks! Thats what it looks like. Yashraj Films new film Badmaash Company. Written & directed by Parmeet Sethi and stars Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chang and Vir Das. Anybody interested ?

Is Dibakar’s “Love” story in LSD similar to Abhay’s Udaan ?

Posted: March 22, 2010 by moifightclub in Aao guess karein, bollywood, cinema, News, songs & videos
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At least many think so. A friend mailed us this video to check what we think. Since its really not a high concept, don’t think one can claim much at the concept level. The story and screenplay of “L” story in LSD also has much more that just a love story. And nobody can have a copyright on the treatment of “handycam” view.

Those of you who have seen Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhoka, do watch this short film Udaan by Abhay Kumar and let us know what do you think.

Film Reviews : LSD, Shaapit & Lahore

Posted: March 20, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film review, reviews
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Dhen Tedan! Its friday! And the dope is out. Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhokha. Plus Vikram Bhatt is back again and is still struggling to scare us. Sir, aapka naam hi kaafi hai ab!  He has competition only from Ramu. And the third release is Lahore. First, its LSD. Click here to read our take on it.

Anupama Chopra (NDTV) – LSD falters in the second half. The second story feels too long and the last isn’t as smoothly done as the first two. But the film is a worthy experiment created by one of Bollywood’s most imaginative and original directors. Let me warn you that it is a polarizing film. You’re going to either love it or you’re going to hate it. But I strongly recommend that you don’t ignore it – 3.5/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – In the end, Love, Sex aur Dhokha is consistently gripping, although the third story strikes me as a tad contrived. You will be shocked, you will be startled, but walking out of the theatre, you know you have just seen what is possibly the most important Hindi film since Satya and Dil Chahta Hai. Not only does it redefine the concept of “realistic cinema”, it opens a world of possibilities in terms of how you can shoot films now – 4/5

Raja Sen (Rediff) – It is, as the oft-abused phrase goes, an ‘important’ film, and one you should watch if only to acquaint yourself with the way things inevitably work. It’s bleak, bittersweet, funny and markedly unglamorous, and yet you come out humming the theme tune, your head blown clear off your shoulders. Hell yeah. Welcome to adulthood, Bollywood, can we get you another beer? – 5/5

Shubhra Gupta (IE) – It holds up an unflinching mirror to the primal screws that the world turns on, and shows us the way we are. I have one minor grouse : I wanted it to be edgier, darker, but it still took me to a place where practically no current Hindi filmmaker, barring an Anurag Kashyap or a Vishal Bharadwaj, has transported me to – 4/5

Kaveree Bamzai (India Today) – With Love Sex Aur Dhokha, he has shown how far a Rs 3 crore budget can stretch if you have ingenuity and courage. He tells the story of three intertwined couples, Rahul and Shruti, two film school students who elope with tragic consequences; Rashmi and Adarsh, who work in a store; and Mrignayana and Prabhat, a sting specialist and a wannabe star from Meerut. It’s partly hilarious, mostly sad, yes quite misogynistic but also very unusual – 4/5

Mayank Shekhar (HT) – It’s a sort of flick you ideally discover without burdens of expectation: a caveat you must bear in mind, in case you were planning on rushing off to cinemas right away. Where any Bollywood movie without a gyrating, lip-synching hero perceives itself as ‘different’, this one, from an audience’s point of view, is truly an experiment – 3.5/5

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – Love Sex aur Dhokha shouldn’t be restricted with tags like experimental, offbeat, path-breaking, low-budget or multiplex cinema. While it happens to be all of these, it goes beyond with its smart story and superlative storytelling to be a brilliant and entertaining film. This autobiographical account of a camera is absolutely recommended! – 4/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – For today’s liberal, urban, rich India, Love, Sex Aur Dhokha is the new age roti, kapda aur makaan, a trio of issues that need urgent undressing, sorry, addressing. LSD is totally recommended to all adult citizens, regardless of gender or political affiliations – 4/5 

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, LSD is original, innovative and ground-breaking cinema, which will shock and provoke you. The film is definitely not for the faint-hearted or those who swear by stereotypical fares, but for those who yearn for a change. The youth, especially in metros, should fall hook, line and sinker for this one. The volatile title as also the explosive content should make this low-cost film [budgeted at approx. Rs. 1.5 cr.] a commercial accomplishment! – 4/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – Don’t expect time-pass entertainment. Think beyond run-of-the-mill and see how Ekta Kapoor re-invents herself as the producer of contemporary Indian cinema’s first full-blown experimental film – 3.5/5

Vikram Bhatt’s Shaapit marks the debut of Aditya Narayan. There is something really irritating about his face. Think that might easily lead to some fear factor. Lets check if it scared the critics or not.

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – Horror films are meant to get your heart racing pumping. At the end of this film, you’ll have to check for your pulse – 1.5/5

Shubhra Gupta (IE) – Bhatt’s `1920’ gave us a ghastly ghost who hung upside down, and a couple of shivery moments. Practically nothing about `Shaapit’, which has the youngest looking debutant hero after Shahid Kapoor, is scary : not the bag of skeletons which floats around a 300 year old castle, not the wailing and the screeching, and the moaning and the groaning – 1/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, SHAAPIT is truly a scary movie, which comes across as a worthy follow up to RAAZ and 1920. If you are a fan of ghost stories, SHAAPIT should be on your list of ‘things to do and watch’ this weekend. Go for it and be prepared to be spooked! – 3.5/5

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – You won’t curse yourself on watching Shaapit . But then again it’s not blessed with anything extraordinary – 2.5/5

Nithya Ramani (Rediff) – There are some genuinely frightening scenes that will make you jump off your seat. Those looking for chills won’t be disappointed – 4/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – The film works not so much due to its story. Rather, it’s the way Vikram Bhatt tells his story — with a certain polish and pizzazz — that draws you in. Also, it’s Pravin Bhatt’s multi-hued cinematography which adds a lyrical quality to the film – 3/5

And the third release of the week is Lahore. Directed by Sajay Puran Singh Chauhan, it stars Farooque Shaikh, Saurabh Shukla and Sushant Singh.

Shubhra Gupta (IE) – The recently-released `Invictus’ gave us the true story of how Nelson Mandela used rugby to cement ties between blacks and whites in post-apartheid South Africa. `Lahore’ uses another sport–kick-boxing– to suggest how India and Pakistan can come together, but to much less effect – 2/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – It’s well-intentioned, has its heart in the right place, and it’s an engaging enough watch. But it never rises above that to become a film that could truly make a difference – 2.5/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – Lahore is a decent effort, a sports film with a political backdrop, both genres being a relative rarity in Bollywood. However, if it had been 20 minutes shorter, with clearer purpose, less dialogue and tighter direction, Lahore could have been a good film – 2/5

Kaveree Bamzai (India Today) – It’s a film that could have done with less length and more effort to find a better lead. Fewer cliches too. But for anyone who likes the crunching of bones, the slam of fists into each other and the twisting of muscle, go right ahead. Make your day – 2.5/5

Sukanya Verma (Rediff) – Though limited in its story-telling and undistinguished in execution, Lahore redeems itself somewhat by intently playing on the paradox of pacifist intentions realised in the face of a seriously hostile sport – 2.5/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – Lahore tells a fiery story, gently and lyrically and is embellished with some great cinematography (Neelabh Kaul) and action choreography in the kickboxing sequences (Tony Ching Siu Tung). But most of all, it boasts of a stellar act by the performers with Farouque Sheikh walking away with most of your applause as the genteel Hyderabadi who must train a team of winners, despite political and bureaucratic interference – 3.5/5

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – With a perfectly predictable plotline, if a film still keeps you riveted through its runtime, you know there’s something earnestly right about it. Lahore has a right director. Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan has the finesse to package the standard story with the requisite action and intensity that a sports film demands – 3/5

Roshmila Bhattacharya (HT) – Even though a Pakistani kickboxer has a hand to play, literally, in the story’s shocking turnaround, there’s no attempt to get into jingoistic spiel or whip up pop patriotism. So Pakistan’s decision to ban the film comes as a surprise. Lahore is not without its flaws but it still leaves you wanting to punch the air! – 3/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, LAHORE is a small little gem that takes you by surprise and catches you completely unaware. The finale in the boxing ring itself is worth the price of the ticket and more. I suggest, you make time for this one – 3.5/5 

Guess its not difficult to figure out whats the film to catch this weekend. Go dope! And if you can, do watch Umesh Kulkarni’s marathi film Vihir.

Umesh Kulkarni’s Vihir (The Well) is bloody brillant, cinematic masterstroke and a must watch!

Posted: March 19, 2010 by moifightclub in cast & crew, cinema, film review, Must Watch, News, pics, Regional, reviews, songs & videos, Story / Plot / Synopsis, Thoughts
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Now that the post header has made you curious enough to book your tickets, do give the film some time and space. Its not your corn and cola cinema. For that you can wait for pottymaker’s Housefull!

As I returned home after the screening and looked at the bucketful of water in the bathroom and the reflection of the light on its surface, I could not look beyond. A bucketful water never meant so much. Never held my attention. When you go to a theatre to watch a film, its entertainment but when you come back home with a cinema inside you, you know its a masterstroke.

Vihir is one such cinematic masterstroke. Directed by Umesh Kulkrani and written by Girish Kulkarni & Sati Bhave, its devastatingly gorgeous, warm and heartwrenching tale of two freinds and their adolescent days. Of lost and found. Of life and death. Of hide and seek. Of love, lost and longing.

According to the official release, the synopsis of Vihir is as follows…

A story of two adolescent boys Sameer and Nachiket (cousins who are best friends) standing on the crossroads of life… to choose between the life that leads to petty worldly small existence or the life of free existence that would let them spread their wings and soar high in open skies…

They play a game of hide and seek in a rather unusual way. Where one cousin hides in death and the other is looking for him in the life around him. . . . Samir’s search leads him towards the experience of oneness where he can unite with Nachiket again!

Scratch the surface and you will find that the water runs really deep. There is family politics, pain of growing up, existensial crisis, chinese whispers, detachment and finding that “best friend” during one of the most difficult & exciting time of life – adolescent days. When suddenly one day you spot some soft hair strands slowly making a thin line just below your nose, you dont remain the same anymore. You want to talk to someone who belongs to the same club. You try to make sense of the world.

And like me, if you have spent your summer vacations at your nanihaal or mamabadi or mamaghar or Grandma’s place, you will instantly connect with it. Uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents – all under one roof. Things that you should not have known, tales that you should not have heard and incidents that you should not have been part of – you grow up then and there. You become Adult. Vihir moves in similar territory as Sameer & his Nachiketdada try to decipher the meaning of life around them. They are not only cousins but best friends too. One (Sameer) idolises the other but the other is lost. He is also trying to find himself. And its through one’s loss, that the other discovers himself.

But what kind of loss is it ? Is it just being invisible ? Or more than that. Here comes the maturity in the writing and direction part.  And now slowly all the dots connect. The simple game of hide and seek & chinese whispers dont remain the same anymore. Dont want to write more here to spoil the experience for you.

The character actors are all familar faces of marathi cinema. Lead actors Madan Deodhar (Sameer) & Alok Rajwade (Nachiket) say it more through the silences and gestures than the dialogues. Alok was also the lead in Siddharth Sinha’s FTII diploma film Udhedbun which bagged the Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival in 2008. Shot gorgeously by Sudheer Palsane, the camera takes you straight inside the family affairs. The acting across the board is so natural that it looks like someone just put a camera there. Am not sure if the actors spent some time together before the shoot or what lead to such strong bond on screen but its pure magic.

When the first half got over, I was bit lost wondering if its the end of the film. And it could have been a superb end there. As i came out and met few other film buffs, realised that others also felt the same. So now what ? What will he do in the second half ? How will he wrap up ?

Fuck Syd Field and fuck all plot points. Umesh Kulkarni’s second half is pure visual delight. Mood piece. At one point, some 20 minutes of the film is complete silence. No dialogues. And once you are with the character, you know what that silence means. If you have ever loved and lost someone, you know its difficult to find a way out.  You dont want to hear people talking. They just dont make sense. You need no gyaan. You need that journey to nowhere. Remember last year’s Dev D ?

In the secod half, I felt the same once again. When “the well” scene comes, I thought here is one more end. But then there is some more. Its a journey of self-discovery. So, no point trying to figure out an end to join the dots. Let it go on.

And as a killer line in Rocket Singh song goes…Uljhe nahi to kaise suljhoge…bikhre nahi to kaise nikhroge. Nobody grows up in years, its always in deeds.

Water is life. And death too. In every drop. Everywhere. The subtle hints, the subtext and the layers – by the end it seems nothing is as simple as it looks.

(PS – Its great that AB Corp produced it. All respect. Hope they do more such films. And those of you who still think that am biased against the Bachchans, doesnt this post say enough to shut you up! We all love to champion a film that we like. Rest doesnt matter. It seems Jaya Bachchan was the key person for making this happen. This surely is one tight slap on the face of Raj Thackeray and his supporters who claimed Guddi buddhi zali, tari ajun akkal nahi aali. And do watch it on big screen. You need to dive into that water. The dark theatre and the big screen sets the perfect mood. )

Click on the play button to see the opening scene of Vihir

For more on Vihir, click here.

LSD Review : Kartik Krishnan says LSD is Loh-Shakti-Dibakar!

Posted: March 16, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film review, reviews
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Yes, we did it! Saw it. The UNCENSORED version. Now you guys go green! Have been told that not much has been cut out but its either beeped or pixalated.

Before you start reading Kartik Krishnan’s post, here is my twitter review. For lazy bums like me, 140 characters is just pure thrill. Also its a great tool to see if the film is interesting enough to hold your attention or not.  

Tweet1 – #LSD – d middle name is not sex. Its shock n superb. Welcm d new gramar of filmmking by @dibakarbanerjee. gr8 fun, superb acting n superfast.

Tweet2 – And Three films – all so different in genrae, tone, treatment. N its a hattrick. @DibakarBanerjee is the man!

Go book your tickets and read on.

Was always a fan of Khosla Ka Ghosla & Oye Lucky Lucky Oye albeit some minor reservations. I remember watching OLLO and not ‘understanding’ it fully in the theaters (a day after the 26/11 attack). In repeated DVD viewings, the film became a much more enriching experience to me.

Was looking forward to LSD with not so great expectations, and in fact skepticism. What is there to say about Sex scandals/MMS clips /Sting operations as they have been potrayed/spoofed endlessly in hindi films (Teesri Aankh, Kalyug, DevD, Madhur Bhandarkar’s films with ‘sensational news stories’ and of course Dibakar’s previous release itself having the brilliant ‘sansinikhez’ Rajendir Sethi reporter). These films and others I might be forgetting to mention are rarely good, often bad and mostly ugly.

Uptill now.

LSD is a landmark film. It deserves every praise we can shower on it. Scary, shocking, entertaining, mildly depressing, natural, pathbreaking in format. Just like how a Shiva, Roja, Satya, Lagaan, Black Friday are not just brilliant films but also a milestone in the “history of hindi cinema”; I sure hope LSD becomes one of these milestones. LSD may or may not be brilliant film (yes we can debate that after friday, though I feel it is brilliant), but it deserves to be listed in the aforementioned category.

You might ask “Aren’t you placing too much on the film ? Is it really that great”

I would nod my head and request you, beg you, plead with you to watch it (disclaimer – No I don’t do this hoping that I might get to work on his next film). Go watch it without any biases whatsoever & with an open mind. And I will try to list my reasons for the lavish praise I might be bestowing on this film.

1. Story(ies) – More info on the stories can be found here. Stark, shocking, straight out of life characters, stories that we keep hearing on the newspaper discussions over chai-ciggerettes, Porn clips that we keep exchanging on those shady pen drives, as “real” as people do/talk/behave without being filmy/dramatic (ok ok I admit the first story might appear “light/filmy” but that is how it is intended to be). The conclusions of the story do not leave you. Yes you might have heard it before, but in keeping with the “reality” of the film & the treatment, they f***ing grab you by your throat.

2. Dialogues/Scenes – Superb. Never seem forced. Funny and yet realistic at the same time. A very tough tight rope to walk on. And yet all characters talk “in character”. Slice of life and yet intresting. 

 3. Performances – Not a single actor/actress who is known. All new faces and all have been casted superbly. It never looks as though they are “Acting”. They are natural as hell. It never looks as though you are watching a “film”. Long takes and the actors still hold your attention. The FRIGGIN FILM doesn’t bore you. You are always in the roller coster ride enjoying it. All the characters are people who you might meet in everyday life. And who is the guy who plays Shruti’s Dad, and the bitchy Sonal at the supermarket ???

4. Technique & Craft – Dibakar has employed the three different unconventional types of approaches. The handy-cam feel (for ref see paranormal activity, blairwitch project), the security-CCTV cam (wide shots – for reference see Snatch opening robbery sequence) and the small-hidden cam which can be put on a shirt/lady’s purse etc.

All new grammar as far as Indian screen is concerned. Yes digital ‘short’ films have been employing such techniques for quite some time as of now but this might be the first time on the hindi film screen. And to such a hard hitting effect. Editing, Camera work is top notch. Yes actors are sometimes out of frames, their heads popping out, the camera not necessarily creating the most “visual” picture-postcard frame; but again that is never the intention is it ? A security cam/hidden cam/handy cam will never give you the conventionally formatted visually “normal” picture (how any hindi film might look). This is perhaps the biggest experiment and it works. Because here the stories have been written which need such treatment. It’s not the style over substance. Because of the content, it is how it is. Brave.

5. Music – The score is not available in the market place. Nor does the film have “song sequences” but they play in the background. But a kickass and perhaps a path breaking musical score with lovely lyrics by dibakar himself.

I want to go on and on but restrict myself for the fear of not giving any spoilers. Set aside your inhibitons, have patience, allow the film to take you in. It is a new experience but it will bowl you over I promise. Screw the fact that the music has not been publicised. Screw the possibly “sleazefest looking promos” if that’s how you feel about them. But please please go watch the film. Do yourself a favour. Highly recommended. Hell I’m watching it again this friday.

P.S – Sorry for the awkward heading. But could not come up with anything appropriate using LSD and which also sums up my thoughts. Though Dibakar surely deserves to be called an iron man for making such a film.

(PS – If you are still wondering who is Kartik Krishnan, click here and read the intro. Too lazy to write one more intro for him) 

First Look : Bipasha Basu starrer Pankh (trailer)

Posted: March 13, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, first look, News, songs & videos
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The film has been ready for quite sometime and made few headlines because of some nude & kissing scenes. Finally the first trailer of the film is out. Scroll down and check out the video.

The film is directed by Sudipto Chattopadhyay and stars Bipasha Basu, Maradona Rebello, Mahesh Manjrekar and Lillete Dubey. Its produced by Sanjay Gupta’s White Feathers Art House Films. Yes, yes, you heard it right. Please dont ROFLOL!

Hrithik Roshan’s Kites – new trailer & the kites connect!

Posted: March 13, 2010 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, first look, News, songs & videos
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A new trailer of Hrithik Roshan starrer Kites is out. Produced by Papa Roshan, its directed by Anurag Basu and co-stars Barbara Mori and Kanagan Ranaut. For those of you who have scratching your head wondering why is the film called Kites and whats the connect, check out this promo. Finally they have figured out the “Kites” connect, somehow!

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