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Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
RA . One
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami, Master Armaan Verma, Tom Wu, Dalip Tahil, Suresh Menon, Satish Shah, Special Appreance : Sanjay Dutt, Priyanak Chopra
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Producer: Gauri Khan
Music: Vishal Shekar
Before adequately warning children against trying any such stunts, the super-hero leapfrogs over and at right angles of a running train. Background score is ‘70s RD Burman imitation. Brown walls of the majestic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus eventually start to crack, statue of Queen Victoria alongside falls as the suburban train, running at top speed, its brakes not working, collides on to the CST railhead, juts out of the station, on to the main streets.
Round your lips; curl your tongue; whistle out; loud. Finally, the heroine drops from the sky as the super-hero holds her in her arms. This is the highlight scene of the film. It’s novel, because of the touch of Mumbai local. Disaster movies are usually Hollywood, and set abroad. You must applaud. Except, you’re not sure about the point of this moment, while you do know its purpose. They just haven’t weaved this stunning sequence into a coherent plot for you to truly care. This super-hero G.One, until now, or thereafter, didn’t exist to save the world. Neither was the super-villain, RA.One, out there to destroy it. Motives of both remain plainly fuzzy, or too tepid, trivial to match their scale.
Strangely, for a film that’s titled after the villain, he has a specific form, but no particular face or body. More on the lines of Terminator 2, he adopts a wandering human being’s body. This completely dilutes RA.One. The fellow's been a Chinese man, for a bit even Kareena Kapoor, and for some crucial, climactic portions, Arjun Rampal. G.One is singularly Shah Rukh Khan. SRK. Make no mistake. Light bulbs at the heart of armoured suits suggest these are all descendants of Iron Man. But all this happens later, after perhaps, half the film is over. For most parts, this doesn’t seem a super-hero movie at all. It’s more of a weirdly boiled, Bollywood please all: vaguely soppy romance, Salman-type sasta comedy, narcissistic SRK set piece. Die-hard fans of all three genres are likely to be disappointed.
Neither here nor there, everything appears so visibly constructed and all over the place that you can look through the wires, rather than blend in with the experience. The latter may be necessary if you’re not playing this film’s version, available on Playstation 2. Connect with video game’s characters are easily instant; the illusion is under your control. Films demand more. They’re worth your penny, only if that penny drops. Old-timer Rakesh Roshan has that knack for simplicity. With Krrish (2006), he had a sincere actor, and a one-line plot line – “Baap Ka Badla”, as I suppose is the complicated attempt here. He could see it through successfully. Shankar’s Robot similarly played it straight cloning sci-fi machines taking over the human world as Rajnikanth in the film by that name (oh, it was the other way around).
This is a movie from the director of Dus, Tathastu, Cash. Its genre's traditions are western. So is
the film's primary location: London, I guess. It’s been converted into 3D as well. I saw it in its two-dimensional glory. Poster of Michael Jackson’s Bad on the wall suggests we’re in circa 1985. Graininess of the big screen sort of confirms the suspicion. A bumbling gaming programmer, south Indian Shekhar Subramaniam (Shah Rukh, expectedly unconvincing) designs a deadly game for his son, where the villain’s stronger than the super-hero. The villain instead develops a life of its own to take on the developer’s son, who was playing against him last. Flying hero enters earth to save boy. No one in the planet is surprised, or is even aware. The boy’s father’s dead, his colleague’s no more, cars collide. Head of gaming company is busy selling that same software like nothing happened. The only thing the writers are worried about is how G.One will get through security on a frikin’ flight.
Which gets you to think about who G.One really is. This supposedly emotionless, part-time gaming super-hero, in designer suits, regular clothes, human skin does everything, short of
actually crying: smiles, hugs, quotes the Gita, shakes his pelvis to ‘You Be My Chamak Chalo’. His nonchalant hostess (Kareena Kapoor), a grieving widow, takes it quite well; it’s like any other day for her. She understands people have flocked to movie theatres for this! They must have, basically for two reasons: SRK, and the special effects. No surprises, they’re both there, in good measure. Full marks for the effort. But that you already knew. A year of relentless hustling, hype and expectations inevitably numb achievements, whatever they are, into the obvious. You wish to figure if this was worth this much fuss. Look at the film. The fuss was necessary! Producers make plans of a franchise obvious with the final scene. That, I fear may have G.One with the wind. But then you never know, right? Seriously. From the very onset, this classy sci-fi film sets the viewers’ adrenalin soaring. It also educates, entertains and eulogises our culture. And, very predictably, from the very beginning you know that the crux of the film is about how good triumphs over evil.
“Ra.One” dwells into the virtual world of today’s youngsters who are hooked on to technology and video games. Prateik (Armaan Verma) is one of them. For him the villain is the hero simply because he does not play by the rules. It’s winning, by hook or by crook, that matters to him. Shekhar Subramanium (Shah Rukh Khan), the clumsy, nerdy game developer father of Prateik, lovingly tries convincing his son with, “Allow me to quote….” and quotes Mahatma Gandhi and such like. The youngster is unimpressed, thereby revealing the generation and cultural gap between the two of them.
Disheartened by the strain in the father-son relationship, Shekhar develops the invincible Random Access One (Ra.One), who can take any form, to please his son. Still not fully convinced with his own creation, as a standby he also develops Good One (G- One), who could exterminate Ra.One if need be. Excited with his father’s creation, Prateik plays Ra.One with a screen name, Lucifer. He manages to cross level two of the video game, thereby antagonising “Ra.One”. Unknown to Shekhar and his team, Ra.One steps out of the game into their real world to eliminate Lucifer, thereby threatening Prateik’s life. This concept of the characters sliding from the virtual world into the real world seems to have been inspired from the Hollywood film, “The Purple Rose of Cairo”. “Ra.One” is an outright Shah Rukh Khan film.
The way Shah Rukh gracefully slips into the roles of Shekhar, Ra.One and G-One, leaving no room for confusion, is remarkable. He is the superhero of the film. That’s because the script was skillfully and convincingly put together by Anubhav Sinha, Kanika Dhillon, Mushtaq Sheikh and David Benullo. The dialogues by Kanika and Niranjan Iyengar are good in parts. The little gimmicks by Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra and Rajnikant add to the lighter moments of the film but take the story nowhere. Shahana Goswami as the employee at the electronic company and Arjun Rampal as Ra.One look fine for the roles they play but have very little to deliver. Armaan as Pratiek is impressive.
The outfits of Ra.One and G-One designed by Robert Kurtzman and the bright production design are worth a mention. Vishal-Shekhar’s music and the background score along with the awesome stunts and thrilling chases are electrifying. The film would not have been what it is if it was not for Resul Pookutty’s sound design, Sanjay Sharma’s editing and for the visual and special effects team. With all the minor blemishes, this movie is still worth seeing at least once. This high energetic film is loaded with antics, animation and action. With many thrilling sequences mounted with grandeur, it gives you the feel of a live video game. It is probably one of the classiest movies seen in the Hindi film industry and a feather in Anubhav’s hat. Here's a movie the Hindi film industry can be proud of. "Ra.One" can be touted as the first Hindi film that blends the elegance of Hollywood with Indian sensibilities.
From the very onset, this classy sci-fi film sets the viewers' adrenalin soaring. It also educates, entertains and eulogises our culture. And, very predictably, from the very beginning you know that the crux of the film is about how good triumphs over evil. "Ra.One" dwells into the virtual world of today's youngsters who are hooked on to technology and video games. Prateik (Armaan Verma) is one of them. For him the villain is the hero simply because he does not play by the rules. It's winning, by hook or by crook, that matters to him. Shekhar Subramanium (Shah Rukh Khan), the clumsy, nerdy game developer father of Prateik, lovingly tries convincing his son with, "Allow me to quote...." and quotes Mahatma Gandhi and such like. The youngster is unimpressed, thereby revealing the generation and cultural gap between the two of them.
Disheartened by the strain in the father-son relationship, Shekhar develops the invincible Random Access One (Ra.One), who can take any form, to please his son. Still not fully convinced with his own creation, as a standby he also develops Good One (G- One), who could exterminate Ra.One if need be. Excited with his father's creation, Prateik plays Ra.One with a screen name, Lucifer. He manages to cross level two of the video game, thereby antagonising "Ra.One". Unknown to Shekhar and his team, Ra.One steps out of the game into their real world to eliminate Lucifer, thereby threatening Prateik's life. This concept of the characters sliding from the virtual world into the real world seems to have been inspired from the Hollywood film, "The Purple Rose of Cairo".
"Ra.One" is an outright Shah Rukh Khan film. The way Shah Rukh gracefully slips into the roles of Shekhar, Ra.One and G-One, leaving no room for confusion, is remarkable. He is the superhero of the film. That's because the script was skillfully and convincingly put together by Anubhav Sinha, Kanika Dhillon, Mushtaq Sheikh and David Benullo. The dialogues by Kanika and Niranjan Iyengar are good in parts. The little gimmicks by Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra and Rajnikant add to the lighter moments of the film but take the story nowhere. Shahana Goswami as the employee at the electronic company and Arjun Rampal as Ra.One look fine for the roles they play but have very little to deliver. Armaan as Pratiek is impressive. The outfits of Ra.One and G-One designed by Robert Kurtzman and the bright production design are worth a mention.
Vishal-Shekhar's music and the background score along with the awesome stunts and thrilling chases are electrifying. The film would not have been what it is if it was not for Resul Pookutty's sound design, Sanjay Sharma's editing and for the visual and special effects team. With all the minor blemishes, this movie is still worth seeing at least once. This high energetic film is loaded with antics, animation and action. With many thrilling sequences mounted with grandeur, it gives you the feel of a live video game. It is probably one of the classiest movies seen in the Hindi film industry and a feather in Anubhav's hat. 'Ra. One' has finally released and one thing is obvious - It is indeed a brave and fruitful effort for sure since nothing like this has ever come out of Bollywood. From the sheer experience perspective of seeing something as big as this being unveiled, 'Ra. One' turns out to be a major win for the makers as well as the industry.
It is established in the very opening sequence of the film that with the way technology has advanced, there is a thin line between real and virtual world. This pretty much happens in the real life of a game developer as well (Shahrukh Khan) who creates the biggest ever virtual villain (Ra. One) who ends up entering the real world as well. However the villain's endeavour here is not to destroy the whole world; it is basically a game of one upmanship (pun intended) where all he wishes for is to get even with the developer's son (Armaan Verma) who had once challenged him on the game. With a plot like this, it is pretty much announced that the superhero 'G. One' has one basic task cut out - Save the young boy and get 'Ra. One' way from him forever. Now this basic virtue of the plot has it's strengths as well as weaknesses. Strength, because most in the heartland of India would relate to a father-like figure standing up for a boy instead of someone who is trying to stop a global warfare. Weakness, because those exposed to the superhero flicks from the West can well be expected to become impatient whenever the focus moves from action and thrills to family affairs.
This is what happens in 'Ra. One' as well where initial 15-20 minutes are dedicated to typical moments around a nerdy father, his supportive wife (Kareena Kapoor) and an evasive son. However it's the points after the interval where 'G. One' accompanies Kareena and Armaan to their ancestral house where the film slackens a bit. Attempt to create emotional moments between Shahrukh and Kareena don't quite bring a lump in your throat while humour too passes muster as one keenly awaits 'Ra. One' to return on track. Thankfully it's the thrills and action which ensure that 'Ra. One' stays on to be a largely engaging affair. Creation of 'Ra. One' in the lab, the sequence where it accumulates it's powers, the one where it takes on Chinese game developer (Tom Wu) or the point where he comes face to face with Shahrukh for the first time - one can well experience the kind of grandeur that is about to explode. However the best is reserved for the sequence just before the interval point where 'Ra. One' runs after Kareena and Armaan on busy London roads. This action sequence could give any Hollywood action film a run for its money. The train sequence is simply fantabulous and though there would be obvious comparisons with a similar sequence in Rajnikanth's 'Robot', this one not just stands on it's own but also manages to surpass it.
On the other hand the sequence just after the interval point (outside the Mumbai airport) is good, though not extraordinary. Even much talked about Rajnikanth sequence doesn't quite build on well after a good promise. The fight in the climax between Shahrukh and Arjun is fine though not exceptional. A film belonging to this genre can't be expected to have too many songs but still 'Chammak Challo' (though arriving all of a sudden) brings the right energy in the film and so does 'Criminal'. However the background score (also by Vishal-Shekhar) is terrific and boasts of international standards with a good 'desi' touch coming in during the train sequence with 'Raftaarein' playing in the background.
Shahrukh does well in playing his role well though there isn't scope to get any histrionics in place. While he is fine as 'G. One', he is endearing as the nerd. Kareena does what is expected from her though she does look like a million bucks in both of her dance numbers. Armaan is efficient and thankfully doesn't go overboard. Arjun appears only towards the later part of the film's second half and one does miss his presence for a long time. Let's admit it today everyone and his grandmother as well as the driver is aware of the fact that Anubhav Sinha directed 'Ra. One' is the biggest movie ever to come out of India. In that aspect results can be pretty much seen on screen with all the crores spent on the making being quite visible. It is indeed the hugest ever film that one could have ever imagined to be emerging from Bollywood in the current times and that by itself is a good enough reason to check out what the film is all about.If there's one thing people have been looking forward to on Diwali more than the festival itself its Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One. And after months of exhaustive publicity campaign the film finally sees the light of the day. There have been ample speculations and predictions around this film whether it will be good or bad. We give you an insight into what this film is all about.
Shekhar Subramaniam (Shah Rukh Khan) is a techie geek. A dimwit otherwise, Shekhar is more of a shame to his son Prateek (Armaan Verma). In a bid to impress his son, Shekhar creates a game in which the villain is more powerful than the hero as desired by Prateek. Hence originates Ra.One (Tom Wu, Arjun Rampal). Courtesy some confusing analogy about artificial intelligence, Ra.One starts programming its own self and transports from virtual world to real world to kill Lucifer (game name of Prateek) who challenged him in the game. Now that Ra.One is out in real world, how can G.One stay behind? Thus starts the battle between Ra.One and G.One coupled with some emotional drama between G.One, Sonia (Kareena Kapoor) i.e. Shekhar's wife and Prateek.
The initial 40 minutes of the film are a complete drag replete with cheap jokes that make you squirm in your seats. Sample this -
Kalnayak (Sanjay Dutt) has Desi Girl (Priyanka Chopra) kidnapped while Shah Rukh Khan as the superhero Lucifer comes to save Desi Girl. Amidst cheesy spoofs on many a films including a background score of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and also jokes like Bruce Lee's three apparent sisters Iski Lee, Uski Lee and Sabki Lee, Lucifer saves the day. A black fat woman who's the teacher of Prateek happens to be having her sex tape where she is spanking herself that gets leaked in the class.
While being frisked at the airport security, a heavily pierced SRK shows off his pierced nipples. The frisking machine even throws an alert towards SRK's crotch. Now the least I say the better. Needless to say director Anubhav Sinha surely may have undergone a lot of research work to get the content of this film right. We anyway see glimpses of Matrix, Bicentennial Man, I Robot, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Toonpur Ka Superhero among others. The real deal starts with Ra.One becoming a part of the real world. However, by then your patience is tested quite enough. The entire first half and a major portion of second half doesn't even have a glimpse of Arjun Rampal. The first half has Ra.One played by Tom Wu. So much for keeping Arjun's look under wraps for a very long time during film promotions.
Shah Rukh Khan's enactment of a South Indian dimwit is annoying. Wonder what the idea behind sketching such a character was; make him appear endearing or annoying? Second half picks up pretty well as it has enough action, stunts and flying cars to keep you glued to the screen. Though the Bicentennial Man type emotional drama between Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor is much of a hindrance to the action scenes. The end does become much a cliché but then blame it on the Bollywood style film making. One cannot blame the film maker when all that works in the end in Hindi films is happy ending.
Coming to the VFX work, there are some scenes especially about the car flying in the air are brilliantly executed, even the final combat between G.One and Ra.One is one of the rare effects seen in Hindi Cinema but there's inconsistency even at that. There are some shots which are extremely tacky and easily identifiable. Specially the shoddy graphics work done on Rajinikanth in his cameo scene. The film structure is more like the kinds we saw in the 90s with songs popping without context. The music is good and has already grown on people courtesy excessive promotion on TV, Radio etc. Armaan Verma deserves a special mention. The kid is very confident for a first film appearance. A great find. Arjun Rampal keeps gritting his teeth in a bid to act tough and has a very small role. Kareena Kapoor looks very pretty and pulls her part well. Shah Rukh as a producer excels in marketing his film well. He makes his film bigger than him as well. However, as a film he fails in delivering a flawless film. Even as an actor he is average at best. Over all, Ra.One is visually appealing but not for the ones looking for sense in this piece of cinema.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
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Monday, May 2, 2011
I AM
Cast: Anurag Kashyap, Sanjay Suri, Radhika Apte, Shernaz Patel, Pooja Gandhi, Rahul Bose, Arjun Mathur, Abhimanyu Shekhar Singh, Kalki Koechlin, Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala
Director: Onir
'I Am' has travelled in film festivals for last many months and rightly so since at the core of it this movie has a shelf life beyond the theatrical release. Yes, it has seen a mainstream release for itself but then it is made strictly for the niche audience which can digest films that don't quite lend a comfortable outing and instead make you think along as the drama unfolds. The fact that the man at the hot seat, Onir, has kept the sensibility and the sensitivity of the narrative intact only makes 'I Am' a must watch for those looking at quality cinema that dares to tell different tales. What strikes most about 'I Am' is that it carries a rich and polished look to it which is especially commendable since by no means is it a conventional commercial entertainer that are generally known to have a dependency on strong production values. Most of the scenes are filmed outdoors in locations across Kolkata, Kashmir, Bangalore and Mumbai which adds on to the visual appeal.
The beauty of 'I Am' lies in the fact that majority of the four stories in the narrative aren't stretched beyond the point. The best of the lot is the final story, the one involving Rahul Bose and Arjun Mathur, which begins as a love story of two men. There is a chuckle here or there and also a full-on shock appeal for the mainstream audience once the two share a lip lock. However it is all forgotten once Abhimanyu Singh (the cop) comes into picture. The sequence is truly shocking. On the other hand despite it's serious theme, the story involving Nandita Das and Purab Kohli brings a smile on the face for most of it's 30 minutes duration. Purab's discomfort, the nurse asking him about the 'three days fast', his subsequent crush on Nandita - all of it does keep the proceedings light hearted. The ending is just apt too and non-flimy.
The story which is not as high-impact though is the one featuring Juhi Chawla and Manisha Koirala. Both actresses seem to be bogged down by the 'comeback bit' and it is perhaps due to the limited space (30 minutes) available to them which doesn't allow a rise in the character graph. The theme of both Hindus and Muslims losing their own share of happiness due to militancy in Kashmir is well intentioned but the result is neither hard hitting nor heart rendering. The story featuring Sanjay Suri and Anurag Kashyap has it's moments of scary silences but thankfully Onir keeps the element of paedophilic overtures limited which doesn't make one overtly uncomfortable with what happens on screen. Of course at numerous junctures you are reminded of 'The Great Indian Butterfly' which was again about a youngster being confused about his sexuality. However the twist in the tale which is that of the boy here being a party to the proceedings does make the story different from many other child-abuse stories. Music is just apt as well with each of the songs making a good impression as they play in the background. Performances by majority of actors is top notch with Nandita Das, Sanjay Suri, Rahul Bose and Abhimanyu Singh sharing the top honours.
Let's face it though, 'I Am' is not for that segment of audience that frequents theaters with a family to watch the likes of a 'Dabangg' or a 'Yamla Pagla Deewana' or a 'Band Baaja Baaraat'. This means that the feel-good factor is definitely out of question here as the film not just throws in some shocking visuals but also makes you constantly ponder over what would happen next and then also think about it long after the end credits start rolling.“Kaafi garmi hai (It’s quite hot),” is a young college kid’s (Purab Kohli) lame opener. The woman sitting next to him understands the boy’s discomfort at making a conversation. “You don't have to talk, if you don't want to,” she, Afia (Nandita Das), tells him. It is a weird situation. The two are at the lobby of a fertility clinic. The boy’s a sperm donor -- the woman, the recipient. As per rules, they were never supposed to meet. But she was adamant. Through flashbacks, we figure how this single woman, once married to a cheater cock, got to where she is.
I Am, strictly speaking, is not a feature film. It’s a bunch of four entirely unrelated short films. Given lowered attention spans among audiences in general, this may well be how movies could be watched in the future. I’m of course making this sweeping prediction in the same vein VS Naipaul had once famously prophesied the demise of the novel. Afia has a buddy called Megha (Juhi Chawla), which is the loose connection for her story that follows. These casual links justify all shorts within this common package.
Megha, a displaced Hindu pandit, goes back to Kashmir to sign away her ancestral property on a dotted line finally undo her ties with the heaven on earth she once called home. Hers is a sensitive conflict. She meets the current Muslim occupants, ones who were once her friends and neighbours. They’re now set apart by terrorism and a curse called organised religion. Manisha Koirala plays Megha’s Kashmiri childhood friend. It’s been a while since we saw Koirala on screen. It’s still not hard to tell how Mani Ratnam saw a suicide bomber (Dil Se) in those intensely feminine looks. As the two separated friends spend time together, it becomes unclear whose life is better now: whether the Hindu woman found actual freedom, because she was forced to leave Kashmir. Did those who she left behind find only potholes in a place they once considered paradise. You are made to think, therefore, I guess, I Am. Which is a good thing. Two films down. Two more to go. Through each of the shorts set in four different cities, you sense as well the sights and sounds of Kolkata, Kashmir, Bengaluru and Mumbai that make for a changing Indian landscape.
The third pic is a pretty predictable account of a man (Sanjay Suri) who was sodomised by his uncle (Anurag Kashyap) while growing up. The victim somehow used that to his selfish advantage. This is almost in the same way, the final film, starring the incredibly uninhibited Rahul Bose unusual for Indian leading men shows how the marginalised homosexual community in the country, living under an antiquated law (now repealed), are abused, harassed for all sorts of personal gains. Clearly, the director’s picked up strongly engaging conflicts. It should also be as noted achievement for online social networks that, along with professional producers, the filmmaker found 400 unknown investors from across 45 cities of the world to back this vision.
Given that you do end up with four movies, instead of one, it’s only fair that one points out their personal favourite. Mine will have to be the first: a recipient who meets her sperm donor. It’s short-lived. A few steps ahead and this could have been a story with very world-class, Pedro Almodovar (Talk To Her, All About My Mother) sort of sensibilities. For now this would do.How and where does one begin to describe the infinite satisfaction of watching a film that emerges from the closet with some arresting and disturbing home-truths on what goes on when the lights are off? Tiptoeing through the darkest corridors of the human heart, director Onir in "I AM" comes up with four stories on the question of individual, sexual and geo-political identity.
There are no happy beginnings or endings for any of the four protagonists in "I AM". Each one creates a universe of sublime sorrow spearheaded by an inability to well, fit in. Squares among circles? So be it. Onir revels in creating damaged but empathetic worlds for his four heroes. No, these are super-heroes in their resilience and determination to tackle discrimination without succumbing to their internal injuries. then Afia in the first story, played by the Nandita Das, asks her buddy Juhi Chawla if she'd lend her brother for some serious sperm banking, Juhi, who we get to know in the next story is Megha reclaiming her heritage in Jammu and Kashmir, walks away in disgust. We can't. We don't want to.
Artificial insemination gets a cinematic treatment in the story as Nandita meets her sperm donor (Purab Kohli in a timid mode). As they speak gently into the night, a warm fertile relationship grows between them in the fertility clinic. No they don't fall in love. Where is the space for that to creep in? The punctuations in the first story are bolder, more aggressive than the other three, as though Onir wanted to get all the 'cinema' in his film out of the way as early as possible. For the second story "I Am Megha", Onir takes his compelling drama of the damned to Jammu and Kashmir. The location is treacherously pretty. The dreaded M-word stalks the streets with unrelenting impunity. Here under the shadow of militancy, two dignified women, one a Kashmiri Pundit (Juhi) and the other a local Muslim (Manisha Koirala), interact with restrained annoyance. They are upset and angry. But they won't colour the ambience with their prejudices.
Thanks to Juhi and Manisha, who play out the Ingmar Bergmanesque drama in the deceptive tranquility of the valley, "I Am Megha" comes to life as a chamber-piece set in the outdoors. The third story "I Am Abhimanyu" on child abuse is understandably a portrait of acute complexities brought to a virile fruition by the director's determined evasion of any self-pity in the abused child's character. Rather, Abhimanyu (Sanjay Suri) grows up as quite a manipulator, not sure of his sexual preferences but sure that he'd milk the ambivalence of his tortured past for all that it's worth. Amazingly Onir goes through the three phases in Abhimanyu's life, as the abused child going on to a manipulative adolescent and thence to whining adulthood, in just about 15-20 minutes of playing-time. Portable epic, indeed!
This story also has the most intriguing array of actors, from Suri to Zain Salam as the adolescent Abhimanyu to Anurag Kashyap as the sexual molestor, to Shernaz Patel as the mother in denial and Radhika Apte as Suri's bohemian sounding-board who knows she may not be able to have sex with the man she so openly loves because of his tortured past. The sexual candour of this episode makes for remarkable viewing. Onir desists from making any judgement on those who scar the wounded.
The rawest, most guttural and devastating story is saved for the last. "I Am Omar" is a story straight out of every gay person's favourite nightmare. While making out in a car with his newly-acquired partner Omar (Arjun Mathur), Jai (Rahul Bose) is accosted by a vulgar homophobic cop. Abhimanyu Singh as the cop on the bawdy beat comes up with the most bludgeoning performance in the film. His filthy language and his even filthier intentions towards the cowering gay man are brought out by the actor with a ferocity and clarity that provide an entirely new definition to credible characterization. This story is shot with the quivering conviction of a crime reporter with a video camera who has suddenly chanced on a scene of atrocity that far exceeds his call of duty. The enormity of the crime is represented in the beads of sweat that appear on the brow of the victim of the police atrocity. Rahul is full of righteous damnation.
"I Am" can happen to anyone who doesn't conform. The isolation of the unorthodox is palpable in every precious breath that the four-storeyed tale takes. The quartet of stories is backed by the most wonderful team of actors and technicians. These are not "happy" stories. How can they be when the people in them are so intrinsically unhappy? The challenge for Onir is to make his tortured characters acclimatized to their pain and suffering without making them look like resigned victims. Though all four stories are shot by one cameraman Arvind Kannabiran, each one conveys its own mood, texture and urgency. Though all are joined at the hip, each story has its own unique rhythm. There are no empty symbolic gestures of reconciliation in this world of disaffected derelicts. Each protagonist carries his burden of guilty and grief to the last. There is no getting away from the despair. But there is no sense of pessimism in the telling of the stories. That's the beauty of this little gem of a film. You get affected. But you don't lose hope. At the end of the tunnel there is a beam of light. You can't miss it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Toonpur Ka Superrhero
Star Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Tanuja, Sanjay Mishra, Delnaz Paul, Mukesh Tiwari
Director: Kireet Khurana
Toonpur Ka Superrhero cannot be described as a must watch type of a movie but it is a light and a fun-filled movie with lots of colorful cartoons along with the charming Kajol who plays the role of Ajay Devgn’s wife. Toonpur is a cartoon land and the hero Ajay Devgn somehow gets trapped in that land and after which he needs to defeat the bad cartoons called Toonasurs to aid the good ones called Devtoons. The script is loosely connected to the Hollywood flick Space Jam of 1996 in which the protagonist of the flick also gets trapped in the cartoon world. However, the Bollywood script has some flaws which fail to glue the audience. The characters of the movie are bit filmy with a character called Guppy which is a Bappi Lahiri look alike. One of the cartoon characters is also shown to be a Bollywood fan and it copies Shah Rukh Khan’s character in the flick Darr.
The only thing about this movie is that it’s not only dedicated to the kids but, even the grownups will find it somewhat interesting. Obviously the movie is not fantabulous, but one thing worth mentioning is the effort put into it. The concept of the movie is new to Bollywood and good work has been done by director Kireet Khurana. The story revolves around the protagonist of the movie Ajay Devgn as Aditya Kumar who has a happy family with wife Kajol as Priya and two lovely children. However, the kids wish that their dad should be a real life hero and from there the plot starts. So, when Aditya miraculously finds himself trapped in the world of bizarre cartoons he gets an opportunity to prove his heroism to his kids.
Though the movie is not quite catchy at the start, however, gradually the movie starts becoming interesting and the characters of Rubdoot and bad guy Jugaro are also quite exciting. However, the climax of the movie is nothing outstanding though it cannot be called bad either. So, if compared to the famous animation movies like the Toy Story 3, Toonpur Ka Superrhero has a long way to go. The bad part of the movie is the loose script which becomes very monotonous. Though the movie may not be a blockbuster, but, it is a good and light movie which can be watched at our leisure time when one has nothing else to do. Christmas is a good time to release a movie for children because both the kids and parents are off work. And Toonpur Ka Superrhero aim to plug the benefits of the season. Relatively higher budgeted than the regular children's movies that are made in India, TKS also has an appealing storyline apart from the fact that it is the first Indian live action animation.
Aditya Kumar (Ajay Devgn) is a film star but his kids consider him a fake hero who gets his stunts done by body doubles. However the toons from the toon-world believe that Aditya is a real superhero and the only person who can save their world from constant wars. So they kidnap him! Soon they figure out Aditya is only an actor and no good when it comes to real fighting. But Aditya takes up the challenge to prove to his kids that he can be a real hero too and goes about helping the 'Devtoons' - the good toons who are fighting the bad toons called 'Toonasurs's. Though the film has everything that would keep the kids engrossed it falls short on a few parameters. The film which took almost three years in making clearly needed more planning. The director's attention in keeping the animation right probably led to a bad job in the writing, which goes stray track at some points. While the first half is slow the second half is quite exciting. The film ends on a good note.
The film scores on animation. As mentioned earlier this is the first time such a film in India and the entire work is done in some of the country's best animation studios. It is not exactly in the category as Hollywood greats in the same genre but this is advancement in Indian standards. On the scale of performances Ajay Devgn deserves kudos. It is not easy by any means to act in a live action animation film, where you are supposed to be talking to character who are created later graphically. Kajol has relatively lesser job to do but is good in what she does. Overall, Toonpur Ka Superrhero should keep the children's attention while not boring the adult audience outright - at the least kids who less than 10 years old. Without a doubt it could have been many notches better but we cannot deny that this is a good start!
Toonpur Ka Superrhero' is a visual experience that needs to applauded for the sheer attempt that has gone into it's making. As for the story of 'Toonpur Ka Superrhero', it is the kind that can be instantly grasped by children, its target audience. There is a world somewhere far far away and it is called 'Toonpur'. There are good toons and bad toons. And then there is Ajay Devgn, a screen-hero, whom the good toons rope in to defeat the evil ones. The film is just ordinary when it comes to the scenes involving real characters. The opening action sequence with a motorboat chase belongs to 90s and is hardly thrilling. Also, the sequences involving Ajay, his secretary, his family etc. have a ‘seen it done all’ feel. Frankly, if there was an attempt at bringing on some emotions here, it doesn't quite work. Also, there is no spark that one sees on screen despite Ajay and Kajol coming together.
The world of toons though is better laid out though none of them - whether it is the Gujarati woman, the Sikh kid, the Marathi 'hawaldar', the Bengali performer, an Einstein kinda scientist or the Christian hottie - have much character depth to them. Of course no one expected a full-on detailing around their past, present or future but still there could have been something about these characters that would have made audience emotionally connect to them. This is the reason why the second half of the film works because while emotions just didn't work in the first hour of the film, action dominating the second half more than makes up for it. A massive first step in this direction is taken with the song 'Rubdoot'. This is when you actually clinch your fist and exclaim - 'Yes, we have arrived when it comes to world class animation'. In fact portions in and around this scene leave a major impact as well. The villain's den, his bunch of 'goondas', the fight that takes place soon after and then the announcement of battle lines being drawn between Ajay Devgn and Toonasurs - there is a promise of some superb action ahead.
In fact there is much more delivered with the entire climax made of three stage gaming. Watch out for the manner in which Ajay Devgn (who is later joined by Kajol) wins his first two rounds. However the final combat (set in an arena) could have been better. It turns out to relatively easy, hence leading to a climax that also seems like a little abrupt. Nevertheless, in the times when all that one gets to see in the world of animation films are one mythological tale after another, it is wonderful to see someone (Ajay Devgn here) backing a project like 'Toonpur Ka Superherro'. Now if only the film would have been as exciting from start to finish, it may just have been the perfect outing that a family may have been looking for.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Robot
Director: Shankar
Actors: Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa, Karunas, Santhanam, Kalabhavan Mani
Rajnikanth is back. And what a bang he makes! At 61, the much worshipped Indian star does the unthinkable. If you thought only Sylvester Stallone could do an action film at 60 plus, you got to watch Robot. The film is yet another show-reel for the star who so effectively went on to become one of the biggest India stars internationally. But more importantly it is a show-reel for director Shankar and an example for other Indian directors to emulate.
Robot (Enthiran) does not essentially have the most interesting story. Nor is it believable. It's about a robot, which is developed by ace scientist Vaseegaran (Rajnikanth). Vaseegaran invests 10 years of his life on the robot with a dream of gifting it to the Indian army. But when he is done the robot is branded as dangerous as it does not have emotions. Vaseegaran works on it and tried programming emotion into it. While his experiment works, it creates clashes in his personal life as the Robot falls in love with his girlfriend (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). There is also Vaseegaran's guru Professor Bohra (Danny Danzongpa) who has his evil motives and wants Vaseegaran's creation for himself.
We have seen emotions in a robot in Bicentennial Man (1999) and we have also seen machines going bad in movies like I, Robot (2004). But Robot is not similar to any and has its own storyline.
The screenplay moves to a definite end. The dialogues (Hindi) have been done well and they manage to keep the comic element alive, wherever necessary. The film is shot extremely well - money spent on it showing on each shot that is taken. It is edited stylishly. Sound designing - a key area in a science fiction like this - is top notch. And so is the background music. The only glitches probably are the songs. They lyrics are not exactly poetic and neither is it AR Rahman's best work. But then, you would hardly listen to lyrics considering the visuals are as arresting and choreography as grand.
Rajnikanth scores in his performances. He carries two roles really well. While on one hand he needs to play an absorbed scientist he plays the mechanical robot with equal ease. Aishwarya looks ravishing and does her bit very effectively. It's remarkable that both leads don't look anything close to their actual age. Ditto with Danny, who looks dapper and puts up class act.
But then the real star of the film, while giving due respect to Rajnikanth, is the special effects in the last half an hour. The final action sequence is equivalent to top-grade VFX shown by a top grosser internationally. Director Shankar truly deserves a pat on his back for his vision and managing to pull this up. This is easily the best in Indian films ever.
Overall, Robot is going to be a trendsetter. Shankar shows that he could very well keep the Indian sensibilities intact while making a top of the line science fiction in line with Hollywood films. Of course at almost 3 hours long Robot is a very long exercise and that takes away some marks. But watching Rajnikanth - the boss perform is priceless!
At the start of this film, after the presenter's name (Sun TV's Kalanidhi Maran), and before the film's title (Robot; Endhiran in Tamil), the screen screams out letters in a font twice the size of both. The silver alphabets spell out 'Superstar Rajnikanth', the hero's name. I was at a theatre sparsely populated, low-key, given a press show. I could hear crowds going berserk at that moment. Audiences in Tamil Nadu, I am told, would have lit up fire crackers indoors by now, thrown coins at the stage, cracked open coconuts, begun their biennial prayers like religious rituals inside the movie theatre. They're probably doing so, as we speak. Stuff like this makes films for films' sake redundant. And opinion of any kind, quite pointless.
Rajnikanth is the closest human approximation to god from an organised faith. Both are ageless in their airbrushed figures. Both demand believers, and complete devotion to unquestioned legends. You can't explain God. You can't explain Rajnikanth. Being critical of either can invite extreme public wrath. Blasphemy is best avoided. I tread on thin ice, you can tell! No sweat still.
This is India's most expensive blockbuster. Each crore spent over every minute of this movie shows, if you watch it for the spectacle alone. The sheer scale and special effect of this film remains hitherto unsurpassed in Indian cinema. The film smartly borrows from the genre's Hollywood tradition, right from Terminator to Transformers. Which is to say, there is yet an emotional connect.
While I haven't been on Rajnikanth's previous pilgrimages called Baba (2002) or Sivaji (2007) to figure their universal appeal, it's easy to judge, Robot takes Superstar (that being his first name) beyond the mythology of his home state. For one, Rajni Sir, in this movie, isn't a folk hero testing the bounds of human antics. He is himself an "andro-humanoid". There is external logic to the madness on the movie screen.
Most of India that calls a restaurant a hotel, calls robot, Robert. The pretentiously suave pronounce it with a silent 't' ('ro-bo'), and those on a diet of American films call it robot (as in 'ro-bought'). This one's called Chitti. He has a memory of "1 zeta-byte", speed of "1 terra-hertz" and combined creative intelligence of 100 humans. His inventor (Superstar, again) is a top scientist at an artificial intelligence lab in Chennai, who bears Carnegie Mellon and Stanford as legit stamps on his CV.
Chitti needs accreditation from the government to be recruited in the army as proxy for mortal soldiers. He can be of practical use to his country. There's one issue. The guarantors demand he be fed with human emotions to respond subjectively to instructions. You see the point. He could go wild otherwise.
But these feelings the robot is forced to learn causes problems of its own. Chitti falls for his creator's girl (Aishwarya). He becomes prone to human manipulations, especially the villain's (Danny Denzongpa), who eventually reassembles him into a callous weapon of mass destruction. Chitti goes bang bang. This is sweet premise for any sci-fi pic. And yet there you go: there is Superstar Rajni as the hero (the loved robot), the villain (the bad robot), and the geek (the scientist lover). In that din of his devotees, one rarely credits this 61-year-old leading man for his acting prowess. This is super stuff by any performance standards.
Very soon as bad Chitti begins to mutate himself, design his own clones, there are so many Superstars on screen, you literally lose count. A planet full of humanoid Rajnikanths, on serious rampage, or as slate.com subtly describes him, "If a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be" this!
Leave aside jokes running on the Internet. This film, just a few feet too long, is fine entertainment by itself. I'm evidently an atheist to this religion, so I guess, you can trust this note.
Those in the know are aware that 'superstar' Rajnikanth is perceived to be in the image of god. Rajni makes fewer mistakes during the course of a film, than god. In "Robot" this perception is taken a step further as Rajni creates a robot - in his own image.
Robotics scientist Vashikaran (Rajni) creates a humanoid robot Chitthi (Rajni). After Chitthi's inability to feel causes him to be rejected from inclusion in the Indian Army, Vashikaran tries to create feelings in him, and thanks to a freak of nature, succeeds. Only it causes problems, as Chitthi falls in love with Vashikaran's fiancee Sana (Aishwarya Rai). As the creator and creation are locked in a jealous battle against each other, the jealous robotics scientist Dr. Bohra plans to misuse Chitthi for wrong objectives.
Anyone who has seen a Rajnikanth film understands that often it is not the story that makes the film a success, but Rajni's antics. There are plenty of them in the film. And, for once, his conception as a robot gives Rajni the logic, to lack logic.
There are gravity defying stunts, shooting with a finger, running horizontally at high speed on the side of a train, flying cars and bikes, corny but hilarious dialogues -- e.g. after grabbing and pointing scores of guns at the police, he says 'Happy Diwali' before firing a salvo of bullets; or when the robot is asked his address and gives his IP address. It's not just god, the universe and its logic itself is recreated in the film.
Director Shankar who has a penchant for double image, multiple images and split images of his heroes returns this time with hundreds of images of Rajnikanth. The inspiration of Hollywood, most predominantly the "Matrix" trilogy (stunts choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping of "Matrix" fame), "The Mask", "I, Robot", and many Frankenstein movies are evident, but not overbearing.
Where Shankar scores is the ingenious conception of stunts. The allegedly 'poorer' cousin of Bollywood, the south Indian film industry, has been growing leaps and bounds in the special effects department. And with a little help from Hollywood, like in "Robot", it soars.
"Robot", however, cannot boast of good music, so crucial for an Indian film. A.R. Rahman's decision to rely on robotic sounds, which we have heard close to three decades back in films like "Robocop", fails to inspire. He could have at least conceptualised them more intelligently.
The Hindi dubbed version is saved by Swanand Kirkire's translation that prevents the dialogues from becoming jarring like previous dubbings of South Indian films. Yet, he could not salvage the songs, whose gibberish lyrics are seemingly out of a time warp from films in the 1990s (remember the Prabhu Deva starrer "Kadhalan" again directed by Shankar with music composed by Rahman).
Aishwarya's character is as conventional as expected. She's the chaste love interest, the damsel in distress who has time and again to be saved from being raped, and who is nothing more than eye candy.
Two words begin with the letter 'R' and are synonymous: Religion and Rajnikanth. A third has now been added to cinema folklore, 'Robot'. And with the largest number of prints ever for an Indian film and a global release, this sexagenarian actor might still enter world cinema folklore. After all, Rajnikanth can make no mistakes.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
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