Archive for the ‘Year end special’ Category

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best bollywood films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

To read the scripts of best bollywood films of last few years, click here. From 2016, script of Neerja is here, Kapoor & Sons is here, and Pink is here.

raman-raghav

 

After the disaster of Bombay Velvet, Anurag Kashyap was back in form with this quickie, Raman Raghav 2.0. The film had everything that Kashyap excels in – a smart title, black humour in abundance, terrific atmosphere, quirky characters and punchy dialogues.  Inspired by the true story of Raman Raghav, Vasan and Anurag’s screenplay, which was divided into chapters, was one of the smartest spin of the year.

Happy reading!

(Please do note that this is not the final shooting draft of the film. This is the script of the international version of the film, the one which played with the title, Psycho Raman.  We thought this will be a good learning exercise – to compare the notes between this draft version and the film we have seen)

Film : Raman Raghav 2.0

Director : Anurag Kashyap

Written by : Vasan Bala and Anurag Kashyap

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best bollywood films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

To read the scripts of best bollywood films of last few years, click here. From 2016, script of Neerja is here and Kapoor & Sons is here. Here’s the script of Pink.

pink

In bollywood trade terms, this was not a pre-release or weekend-numbers film. The title was Pink and the poster had three actresses who are really not big names. But apart from turning out to be one of the most profitable films of the year and receiving universal critical acclaim, it also gave us this year’s most powerful cinema slogan – No means no. Ritesh Shah’s writing and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s direction made sure that the audience remained glued to the screen.

Happy reading!

(Please do note that this is not the final shooting draft of the film. Some dialogues were changed during the shoot. But we thought this will be a good learning exercise – to compare the notes between the film and the script)

 

Film : Pink

Director : Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Story : Shoojit Sircar, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Ritesh Shah

Screenplay & Dialogues : Ritesh Shah

 

If you love Hindi mainstream cinema but are disappointed with the quality of cinema being made in the country right now, and believe that online content has taken over, then this is for you. By the end of this post you might realise that it may have been an underwhelming year at the movies but yet there have been few things that we all need to cherish.

Listing my favourite cinematic moments from the Hindi films that have released in the year 2016.

Airlift

1. At the end of Airlift the tricolour is waved and Vande Mataram sung by KK plays in the background. Now, i’m not the one for jingoism but the way they did it in Airlift, it got me. The build up to this point with the an Argo-ish execution by director Raja Menon was A-class.

Neerja

2. Neerja Bhanot’s mom delivers a speech in the end of the movie. I saw the film first day first show with a half-full auditorium and i can say for sure that almost all of us were in tears when she said the line, ‘meri mamma sey kehna, Pushpa i hate tears’.

Kapoor & Sons

3. The Plumber scene. A plumber is repairing a leak in the house while all the family members are fighting. He becomes a part of the chaos and witnesses the fight between the family members. As his work is completed, he goes and announces that he is done. Rajat Kapoor asks him, ‘kitna hua‘. He says ‘is bure waqt pe jo theek lagey‘. The line was delivered with utmost seriousness but the audience (including me) burst out laughing out of sheer nostalgia. It’s almost as if we all have had this scene play out in life at some point.

Nil Battey Sannata

4. The interview scene with Pankaj Tripathi, Ratna Pathak Shah & Swara Bhaskar is incredible. Imagine a mother wanting to get admitted in the school where her daughter studies.

Udta Punjab

5. At a point in the film Ik Kudi reprise plays in the background and there is a high speed sequence in which Shahid Kapoor’s Tommy fights some goons, and then cycles his way to find Mary Jane played by Alia Bhatt. The build up to this moment by writer Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Chaubey is nothing short of spectacular and the pay-off is a HOOT.

Sultan

6. Many people love the moment when Salman Khan looks at his paunch but for me it is the jag ghoomeya step in the movie. The song itself is one of my favourites of this year, and i think the magic is in the step too. It’s not some extraordinary dance move but the fact that Salman Khan made so much effort and pulled it off with so much élan tells us how serious he is for his craft. In what is perhaps the golden phase of his career, he is the one setting the guidelines for the rest of the industry by working with talented directors and doing content driven films.

Rustom

7. The track between Anang Desai (as the judge) and Kumud Mishra (as the tabloid editor) had me in splits. It seemed out of place in an otherwise serious movie. But in isolation it’s hilarious. Full playing to the gallery and seeti maar stuff. The small town front bencher inside me loved it.

Pink

8. In a moment during the courtroom sequence Mr.Bacchan explains the meaning of consent to Angad Bedi’s character who comes from a typical patriarchal mindset. That was gold.

M.S.Dhoni  – The Untold Story

9. Dhoni may not have been the greatest film of the year but it sure had some really fine moments. Sushant Singh Rajput is talking on the landline without a wire and his friend who is visiting him thinks he has gone nuts as his career is not doing anywhere. It turns out to be a prank.

10. Pre-Interval moment when Sushant’s character finally decides to follow his dreams and gets into the running empty train.

Ae Dil hai Mushkil

11. The love in the eyes of Ayan played by Ranbir Kapoor for Anushka Sharma’s Alizeh as she walks around with her friends just before her nikaah. The look that Ranbir Kapoor had in his eyes is what i call the ufff-moment. So is the entire song. I dare say that channa mereya is the best directed song of Karan Johar’s career.

Dangal

12.Geeta played by Fatema Sana Sheikh comes back to her hometown after her stay at NSA where she has been exposed to new methods of wrestling, and she believes that her father’ Mahavir Phogat’s (Aamir Khan) coaching methods are outdated. The father-daughter get into a bout and it turns out to be one hell of a fight.

Sairat

13. The climax where Archie and Parshya’s son Tatya walks back as we follow the footsteps drenched in blood. One of the most powerful and heart wrenching moments at the movies this year. Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat went on to become a classic, and this powerful scene was our take away when we left the theatres.

Dear Zindagi

14. Now, Dear Zindagi may not have been one of the best movies of the year but one particular moment in the film made me smile no end. The point when SRK’s Jehangir khan sits on the chair after Alia’s Kaira walks out and the chair’s creeking sound signify the fact that he may have feelings for her.

Waiting

15. Kaliki : How long have you been married for?

Naseer : 40 years.

Kalik : FUCK!

Naseer: You mean, ‘how wonderful’.

The scene with this dialogue exchange between the two leads who are waiting by the bedside of their respective spouses was truly wonderful.

16. And in case you are wondering about the 16th one, well, i want you to discover that yourself in the criminally underrated and under-watched movie, Buddhia Singh : Born to Run. Had an Aamir Khan backed it, it would have been a sure shot winner at the box office and found its audience.

So yeah, by this point i hope you would want to believe that the year has not been that bad.

Please do comment and tell me your favourite moments/scenes from this year’s movies.

Navjot Gulati

(PS – I know Sairat should not be in this Hindi film list but i do believe that the film had a greater impact than any of the movies released this year. It’s a film that transcended across language barriers)

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best bollywood films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

To read the scripts of best bollywood films of last few years, click here. For this year, so far we have posted the script of Neerja. And here’s the script of Kapoor & Sons.

kapoor-sons

Shakun Batra’s Kapoor & Sons was not just commercially successful and critically acclaimed, but it scored a rare achievement. His sophomore feature better was than his assured debut, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Most filmmakers in bollywood falter after making an impressive debut.  What’s also praiseworthy is the way the film presented its stars and characters. A leading character in mainstream bollywood film was gay without being caricatured and a leading star was seen in a supporting role.  No wonder that this film is in everyone’s list of top films of the year.

Film : Kapoor & Sons

Director : Shakun Batra

Written by :  Ayesha DeVitre and Shakun Batra
(Shoot draft – July 2015)

adhm

This year was mostly dull, film songs wise. The clutter was celebrated by digging the same old formula to return a fake spectacle of sanitized arrangement, auto-tune overload, and, in most cases zero relevance to the film which the album represented. My ‘top film songs’ are as under. Yes, it features a song from a Sunny Leone film and another song from a film you might not have heard about. These songs remain in my playlist, till today as we close the year.

I would suggest you click the play button and then keep scrolling down to read the post. The songs will play in the sequence you will read about them.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjSt-NL0s8k7YW0R-WV38dBGyQqfXfgiO

Dug dugi dug (Jugni) Vishal bhardwaj‘s voice, Clinton‘s free flowing composition and Shellee‘s beautiful poetry, all made up for a fantastic song that lasted the whole year in spite of the fact that the film released in January. The album was quite ok but nothing lasted longer than Vishal’s balm of a voice in this song.

Dil mein hua ghotala (Saala Khadoos) – Now I am mindful that there is an ‘original’ of this song in another language, but I don’t think most songs retain their charm when they are reborn as a Hindi film song. Ok jaanu?  That said, the frisky vocals of Monali and the ‘toom toom’ in the song made it impossible for me to take the song off my playlist. Santosh Narayanan gets full marks for using strings which are intertwined beautifully in the song. Monali Thakur, sing more?

Haminastu (Fitoor) – Rarely have I come across a song so beautiful about Kashmir. Tapas’ superlative string play, Zeb‘s spirited singing and Amit Trivedi‘s talent culminated into a magnificent song that will outlast us all.

Bollywood Diaries* – I wish I could write a recco post about this beauty. Oh wait! I did! You can read me raving about the album here. Vipin Patwa‘s music and Dr. Sagar‘s lyrics were beautiful and devastating in equal measure. Hear Titli (By Papon), my pick of this album. It might have escaped your attention but tell me if it doesn’t affect you as a song, as an album. Highly recommended.

Single chal reya haiMohit chauhan got the bhopali accent right and Krsna‘s composition made the song even more adorable. I do suspect that the lyricist Rajshekhar has paid a tribute to Javed Akhtar by mentioning him, subtly. Anyway, the cute song’s high point is – Tu hai ab tak akeli, humko khal reya hai…ha! what fun!

Le chala (One Night Stand) – Jeet Ganguli can melt us with his romantic tune is old news. For One Night Stand (the film), he teamed up with Jubin Nautiyal for a song that deserved much wider audience than it got. This is one of the better penned songs by Manoj Muntashir and even if you are rolling eyes thinking ‘Sunny Leone’s film? really?’, give this song a listen, you will know what I mean. A romantic song, done right.

Waiting* – Mike Mccleary is much more than someone who makes ‘English-type’ songs. He has a distinctive sound and it is time for the ‘gyaani’ mainstream people to fuse his sound with good lyrics. The effect of that would be something to look forward to, just like it was in this album. My pick is tu hai to main hu, of course.

Mehandi (Dhanak) – While the album didn’t set my playlist on fire, this song from Dhanak rocked and how! Tapas Relia‘s earthy fusion and raw singing by Anwar, Swaroop & Niyaz sounded just too good to miss. Do not miss the khadtal all throughout! This is just a glimpse of what we can achieve in bollywood music if our neeyat is at right place.

Udta Punjab* – This album by Amit Trivedi didn’t soar exactly but gave us the delightful Kanika Kapoor in memorable da da dasse, Splendid re-imagination of ik kudi, and my favorite title song of the year – Udta Punjab. Disclaimer – Now the lyricist is somewhat related to our blog, but trust me when I say this – Haven’t heard such wildness in a song this year. Andar da kutta, rifle dikha ke mushayre lutiye forever! Also, fuck disclaimers! Amit trivedi and Vishal dadlani should be fined for sounding this good with a song that has Bakaiti written all over it.

Jag Ghoomeya  (Sultan) – Salman, err! Sultan had some decent tunes to its credit but Neha Bhasin’s affectionately sung version stole my heart and hid it somewhere in those strings that accompany her throughout the song. A song for bonfires and those mushy evenings. Kudos to Vishal-Shekhar and Irshad Kamil as well.

Chu liya (Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara) – We don’t come across such simply composed songs anymore. So kudos to Ajay Singha for creating this song. Papon and Neha Rajpal sound like fragile lovers. (Fun fact – The central riff of this song is pretty similar to Bipul Chettri‘s asaan from the album that we featured here 2 years ago. Still it is a damn good song.)

Mirzya* – If only music could save the fate of a film! I was quick to pronounce Mirzya as the album of the year in my post here and it pretty much remained so till someone else invaded the playlist. More on that later. Mirzya, if not the best, can be surely called as the most experimental album of the year. We have included the title song of the film in the playlist but the entire album remains our favorite.

Dariya (Baar Baar Dekho) – Granted that the song is a case study in excessive auto-tuning, still, I love the way Arko has retained the emotion so well in lyrics and the way he has sang this. Hopelessly in love, flowing like a dariya.

Besabriyan (MSDhoni – The Untold Story) – Amaal- Armaan Malik are good guys but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find out which song of theirs belongs to which album. Still, this gem from ‘Dhoni’ makes me soar the way Udaan‘s music did. Yes, big statement, but Manoj Muntashir has penned a beauty and full marks to Amaal and Armaan for such a fabulous effort.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil* – For me, the album of the year. For me, the album that should get Amitabh Bhattacharya and Pritam all the awards. The way songs came together and helped the narrative was unparalleled this year. Channa mereya is where I have been living since I heard it for the first time, I don’t think I will ever relocate from there. It has a destructive pleasure that lucky few among us have experienced. Give all the awards to Arijit Singh already!

Haanikaarak bapu (Dangal) – While I love Raftaar‘s Dhaakad a lot, I go crazy at the smart lyrics and crisp presentation of this song. Sarwar Khan & Sartaz Khan Barna are such a treat! Also, Amitabh Bhattacharya should be weighed in gold for every word, and the way he has used them here – haanikarak, baapu, torchar, vaahanchalak, mogambo, khalnayak…wooot! Total riot.

This does it! Yes, this year had Mr. Rahman coming out with an inconsequential album that neither sounded true to its time nor the present. This year also had Neerja which fit the film well but sadly didn’t stay in my playlist beyond the film’s release and stay in theaters. We had almost Sanam Re which was almost instructive in telling us not to expect much from the songs as it is. Then we had embarrassing attempts like Zubaan, Terra Surrooor, Fever and so on.

That said, we have a ‘Dhinchak Bollywood’ playlist as well that we will share in our post about the non-film songs of the year. Till then, share your favorites and let us know what you think of this playlist.

Rohwit

(* signifies that I liked the entire album but in the interest of keeping the post shorter than an Ashutosh Gowarikar film, I had to pick one song)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjSt-NL0s8k7YW0R-WV38dBGyQqfXfgiO

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best bollywood films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

To read the scripts of best bollywood films of last few years, click here. We are starting this year’s series with Ram Madhvani’s Neerja.

neerja

Not many remember that Neerja isn’t Ram Madhvani’s debut film. He made his debut in 2002 with a small underrated film, Let’s Talk. It’s good to have him back after more than a decade.

The film broke an important bollywood myth – a Hindi film with a solo heroine in the lead that can work wonders at the box office and can get critical acclaim too. Yes, it’s possible. And there is lot to learn from the film’s writing and direction. Ram’s direction and Saiwyn’s story/screenplay showed us how to build a 2-hour film revolving around a single incident. Everyone knew the story, the act of bravery, and even the climax. But still how do you hold audience’s attention? This one did the magic from the opening scene. Sanyuktha’s dialogues in just one monologue (by Shabana) showed us the power of the words that made us reach for the tissues. So here it is, the script of Neerja.

Happy reading!

Film : Neerja

Director : Ram Madhvani

Story & Screenplay : Saiwyn Quadras

Dialogues : Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

In our “Best of 2015” series, earlier we shared the script of Neeraj Ghaywan’s MasaanMeghna Gulzar’s Talvar, Navdeep Singh’s NH10, Kanu Behl’s Titli and Sharat Katariya’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Badlapur was missing. So here it is.

badlapur

A Sriram Raghavan film always has a lot to offer. Sadly, his last few films received the critical acclaim but never got the box office numbers. This time, with Badlapur, he scored on both counts.

A revenge film unlike any, where the morality tables are turned, and you keep wondering with whom should your sympathy be. Aha, so delicious. Apologies for delay in posting this. And thanks to Sriram for making the script available. And before you start reading the script, here’s a small note from him about the draft –

Too many drafts to hunt from and sift through. Finally found one…still work in progress but there are couple of scenes that are different, or were written but never shot…etc etc. Some cringe lines which we later realized and so on. As always, the process is magical. (at least most of the times). Hope you have fun reading it.

Film : Badlapur

Director : Sriram Raghavan

Story : Story – Massimmo Carlotto

Screenplay and Dialogue – Sriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Pooja Ladha Surti

Anurag Kashyap’s Top 10 Films Of 2015

Posted: January 1, 2016 by moifightclub in Year end special
Tags:

anurag kashyapAnurag Kashyap was championing films of other directors much before bolly celebs took to twitter to blindly endorse any film which has been made by their family, friends or fraternity. And it killed the ‘championing’ bit completely. Everyone says good things about every film on twitter, completely defeating the purpose, and making it look like a PR exercise.

On his Facebook, Kashyap has posted the list of his Top 10 films of the year. Technically, it’s 15 films in total.

And it comes with a caveat of what all he has not seen yet.

2015 the indian films that I liked , cried , laughed, was moved by and impacted by. Unfortunately I did not see Killa The Film .. Avinash Arun pls forgive me. And yet to see Bajirao Mastaani and Angry Indian Godesses (which I will wait for a DVD from abroad for an uncut version) and haven’t yet seen Chauthi Koot despite of the film lying on my table. And I am waiting for DVD of Talvar as I was shooting when it released. Not that it matters, but as a filmmaker I feel so challenged by all of them and today is actually the best time to be a filmmaker in India with so much inspiration around.

1. Visaaranai
2. Titli
3. THITHI / Court/ MASAAN / Piku
4. Hunterr
5. Badlapur / NH10
6. Tamasha
7. Bahubali/ Bajrangi Bhaijaan
8. Margarita with a Straw
9. Dil Dhadakne Do
10. TWM returns

Many internationally renowned filmmakers do put out their Top 10 list. Steven Soderbergh puts out the complete list of what all he has seen and read. His 2014 list of films, tv shows, books and plays is here. If you have come across more such lists, do add in the comments section below.

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

In our “Best of 2015” series, earlier we shared the script of Neeraj Ghaywan’s MasaanMeghna Gulzar’s Talvar, and Navdeep Singh’s NH10.

Titli_Still_21

Yashraj Films produced 2 kickass films this year – Kanu Behl’s Titli and Sharat Katariya’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha.

Titli was one of the best debuts of the year. Violent, brutal, of people on the fringes whom we hardly notice otherwise, and a family film unlike any, at least in bollywood. And still, at its core, there’s a beautiful love story about two doomed people who can’t escape their fate and are forced to be together. With some excellent performances by its ensemble cast, this is what an assured debut looks like.

Film : Titli

Director : Kanu Behl

Writer : Kanu Behl and Sharat Katariya

 

 

dum-laga-ke-haisha_022615054156

The other film is Sharat Katariya’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Interestingly, Sharat also co-wrote Titli. A over-weight lead actress is a strict no in bollywood. Sharat turned it into a novetly factor for his film. Dipped in Kumar Sanu’s 90s nostalgia and flavours of small town’s lazy life, it felt like riding a time machine while you kept smiling at the love story of the unlikely lead pair.

Film : Dum Laga Ke Haisha

Director : Sharat Katariya

Writer : Sharat Katariya

Here’s the script of Sharat Kataria’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Like other scripts we have shared, this one is also a pre-shooting draft. Some scenes here are missing from the film and a couple of scenes in the film are missing from this script. Especially one scene I loved while reading (the very first scene!) is not in the final-cut of the film. One of the most fun scripts to read this year, in my opinion – Varun Grover

 

As we have done in the past, this year too we are trying to source the scripts of some of the best films of the year. As most of you know, the scripts of Hollywood films are easily available online, even the unreleased ones. But we don’t have any such database of Hindi or Indian films. So that has been the primary reason for this initiative. And it has been possible only because some of the screenwriters and filmmakers have been very supportive about it. It’s only for educational purpose and much like the spirit of the blog, is a complete non-commercial exercise.

In our “Best of 2015” series, earlier we shared the script of Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan and Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar.

NH10

Navdeep Singh made his debut with a critically acclaimed film, Manorama Six Feet Under. But unfortunately, it didn’t work at the box office. This time, with NH10, he has scored on both the counts – box office as well critical acclaim. A revenge thriller which constantly kept you on the edge as things become murkier, darker, and completely unpredictable. With its lead actor turning co-producer and backing the film all the way, it showed how it is possible to make content driven film in the right budget and make it work.

Film : NH10

Director : Navdeep Singh

Writer : Sudip Sharma