Saturday, December 20, 2014

PK !

#PK :It is not easy to review a Raju Hirani film. On one hand you are biased towards his uncanny ability to pick up a story of social relevance & send a strong massage using humour as the tool, on the other hand you have to deal with your own unnatural expectation from his ability to deliver & make a difference.  Yes, Hirani is well aware of this skyrocketing expectation. Hence half a decade after his last release he decides to take on the Godmen and blind religious belief.

The film opens with a space ship landing in the desert of Rajasthan and a full naked and curious Aamir coming out of it. No sooner he lands on earth the remote control of his spaceship is stolen. Helpless alien Aamir starts his search for the remote, the only tool that can take him back to his galaxy. What he encounters in the process, besides being rechristened as PK, is a cruel world full deceit and blind religious faith.  PK’s journey has uncanny similarity to the journey of any new born innocuous child – all of them are born naked, their soul in its purest state , as they grow up they start covering their bodies with robe while the mind gets contaminated with parochial feeling.  PK questions the fundamental of religion and drops enough hints on the complexities of human mind.

Throughout the narration Hirani stays true to his style of storytelling, using humour to drive home his point. Subtlety has never been his strength and once again he depends on heart rather than logic to bring lump to our throat and make our eyes moist. Aamir is astounding as PK. This is by far his toughest role and he has put in an amazing effort to get into the skin of the role. Anuska effortlessly plays the role of Jagat Janani . During a time when the world is suffering due to religious fanaticism full marks to PK for being bold enough to unmask the veil.

So is PK , Hirnai’s best till date . An emphatic NO. The screen play is not as water tight as it should have been and hence couple of unnecessary love affairs spoil the pace and narration. Boman Irani who has such impactful presence as Dr. Asthana & Virus in Mummnabahi & 3 idiots is atrociously under used in PK. The film is stretched and the last scene is too convenient to be effective. Music which plays such a big role in Hirani films is average. Even though there is an attempt to keep the narrative & treatment different, still there is uncanny similarity in the plot with 2012 hit Oh My God.


However even an above average Hirani film can be better than the rest. I will go out with 3.5 out of 5. PK may not make to your all time best list, but I can assure you will enjoy & it won’t be a “Bhaste of time” ! 

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Sulemani Keeda

#SulemaniKeeda: Cinema, for that matter Art, for some is an escape from reality, for some other it is a reflection of a slice of life. In Bollywood, success for most is box office collection, for  few others it is about getting a creative orgy. Write director Amit Masurkar dares to tread on the path less trodden. Sulemani Keeda is an urban indie about so many young aspiring script writers who spend innumerable years running around the offices of producers till they “compromise” or run out of their mojo or decide to continue writing something relevant at the cost of being treated as irrelevant!

Made on a shoe string budget it is a witty & whacky comedy revolving around the lives of two struggling screenplay writers Mayank & Dulal. Their aspiration to make it big in bollywood is so identifiable. Their bonding suddenly reminds you of that flatmate of yours with whom you would have gone to malls & pubs to find potential girlfriends, the one you fought with and shared life’s secrets. 
                                                                    



While Dulal is a well read emotional guy who recites Sahir Ludhianvi and tries to immortalize his relationships through his writing, Mainak is quirky & doesn’t believe that a writer should read much. Along their journey Dulal meets and falls in love with Ruma, played by a brilliant Aditi Vasudeva , who is quite level headed  and knows how to live life. It is this contrast that makes their relationship interesting.

While the plot is familiar, it is the matter of fact treatment, witty one liners and deadpan humor that makes Sulemanikeeda so endearing. There are few scenes like the confrontation between Film & Serial screen play writers and scenes where a handkerchief plays a metaphor to life are so real , philosophical yet so hilarious.  The beauty of Sulemani Keeda lies in the fact that even while making a statement on something as important as a screen play writer’s struggle the film doesn’t take itself  seriously. At 89 minutes the editing is crisp and Mayank Tewari as Mainak is refreshing.

In a world where unfortunately star cast & promotion budget & not script decide a film’s fate, SulemamaniKeeda is an honest attempt that needs to be watched, applauded & encouraged. It may not yet be time for “Happy New Year” but it surely deserves a “Happy Ending”. Go watch it!