Movie Review - Boss Engira Baskaran (Tamil)

Disclaimer – This post comes from an author whose knowledge of the language isn’t expert. Although I could understand most of what was going on-screen, I did find it a little difficult to catch up with some of the dialogues. So, my review is purely based on my approval and liking of the concept & narration, performances and other production values.
Also, since im gushing about the film, I might accidentally mention off some spoilers to make my point. Pleej excuse!!

I was thrilled to be able to squeeze in time over the weekend in-between the festivities to catch the three movies that had been on my watch list for quite some time. The three ‘big banner, big star names’ films –Dabangg, Boss Engira Baskaran (Tamil) and Komaram Puli (Telugu) had me intrigued for different reasons, which you will know more about when you read further.

 

Director Rajesh after his winning debut ‘Siva Manasula Sakthi (SMS)’ returns with a romantic-comedy ‘Boss Engira Baskaran’ (also written as Boss (A) Baskaran). A=alias!

Set in Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu), the easy-going Baskaran (Arya) fondly called Boss, is a ‘happy go lucky’ typical small town youth who is endlessly busy running errands for others but has no job or degree of his own. He loafs around at ‘Thala Thalapathy’ saloon run friend-cum-advisor Nalla Thambi (Santhanam). To top it up, his family of adoring mother (Lakshmi), brother Saravanan (Subbu Panju), and sister who want to be an anchor spoil him rotten. During one of his repeated exam attempts, Chandrika (Nayanthara), an intern supervisor catches him copying, confronts him and true to all filmy ways fall in love. Typically, her father opposes the match of his daughter with the ‘good for nothing’ fella. How Boss vows to reinvent himself and win Chandrika forms the rest of the story.

Filmy Beat! ! DOSE AND DIAGNOSIS OF ALL THAT GOES AROUND IN CINE WORLD.! !

Talk around Tinsel Town

*  So the weekend gone by, the week coming in (& many more hopefully), will be all about going boing-boing over CHULBUL PANDEY and DABANGG!! Salman starrer has broken the record of Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots. Dabangg opened to Rs 14 crore on Friday, while 3 Idiots collected Rs 13 crore on its first day.

* The other Khan, Aamir is at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to attend the screening of wife Kiran Rao’s directorial debut ‘Dhobi Ghat’ 

* And, how can King Khan be left behind. SRK lost so much weight sweating in the body-hugging suit he was supposed to wear for Ra.One that his wedding ring kept slipping of his finger. He is also the new ambassador for a paint brand, which was earlier endorsed by the Shahenshah. 

* Kajol delivered a baby boy early morning on Monday, 13^th Sept. Papa Ajay Devgn is a proud father the second time. Hearty congratulations!!

* Arjun Rampal to launch his own brand of perfume called ‘Alive’. Alive is an evening perfume exclusively for women, been designed by a French company, and Arjun was actively involved during the making, in the selection of the fragrance and even met the company's executives when he was in Europe last month. 

* After the Commonwealth Games (CWG) theme song got a lukewarm reception, composer AR. RAHMAN gave in and tweaked the song. 

 * If you digged Katrina's look in Blue, there is going to be more of that in her upcoming flick with Imran Khan-starrer for Yash Raj. She will be sporting tattoos (possibly fake ones). 

* Also, Katrina is the new ‘Jumma Chumma’ girl, will dance to the iconic song under the expert choreography of Farah Khan. 

* Psst! Psst! Just days after he was the first one to exit the show, there are rumours that Milind Soman will be back in Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK3) with a wild card re-entry.

GOLMAAL 3 IS COMING SOON!

ACTION REPLAYY Trailer launched on Akshay's Bday on Sept 9th and it looks FAB! Film releases on Nov 5th

First Look of 'Do Dooni Chaar' launched at an event in Bombay by Rishi & Neetu Kapoor.

What’s brewing this week!

Arjun Rampal will share the stage with Hollywood Diva Scarlett Johansson at the Moët and Chandon champagne harvest and red carpet celebration in Epernay, France.

Dvd launch of ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ on 13^th Sept at Mumbai, where Imran Khan and dir. Punit Malhotra will be present.

Soha Ali Khan (Brand Ambassador of ITC Classmate) will be having an event of classmate ideas for India Challenge' on 14th Sept.

Tweet (le) birdie told me! (Kyunki har Tweet kuch kehta hai!)

(Disclaimer: No vocabulary/grammatical corrections done. Decode at your own risk :) )

@beingsalmankhan Thank u bolna banta hai boss so thank u n wish u a v happy eid n ganeshchaturti . Hope sub ke salaries increase ho jaye marks bard jaye .

@realpreityzinta Friends r complaining dat I am bad company cuz I am stuck 2 twitter ! My answer.. Its my only connect with real people :-) what say u guys ?

@priyankachopra Off to Delhi! Feel like I just touched Mumbai for ganpati puja and now I'm off again..it's gonna b mad the next few days with aa on release!

@iamsrk Ok then...neo in shervani and all the lovely ladies...having a beautiful time with my friends. http://twitpic.com/2nilgl

@ashabhosale Celebrating Birthday in Air! with Mr. RM Kadam-Advocate General of Maharashtra, his wife & Sudesh Bhosle, http://twitpic.com/2mrhfb

@rgvzoomin An unknown brother of anurag directs a bigger hit thn chopra johar bhansali gowarikar maniratnam etc nd tht's wht a big kick is really about

@vivek_oberoi Next time ur at Goa airport, be on the lookout for this! Hahaha...loved it!!! http://plixi.com/p/44719347

@shahidkapoor Eid coming up soon ... Some of my most memorable fun memories attached to eid !! Eidi milne ka maza alag hi hota hai !!

Filmy Beat! ! DOSE AND DIAGNOSIS OF ALL THAT GOES AROUND IN CINE WORLD.! !

Talk around Tinsel Town

Censor Board has banned the trailer for Knock Out, because of a comment made by Irrfan Khan's character. Apparently, in the trailer, when someone wonders aloud why the Rs 1000 note is pink in colour, Irrfan retorts, "Because it is created from the blood and sweat of the common man."

Salman takes a dig at Himesh Reshammiya. When producer Bhushan Kumar showed Salman Khan, the trailer of his forthcoming film Kajra Re, which stars Himesh Reshammiya, Salman apparently said, "Yeh tune kya kiya? HR (Himesh Reshammiya) ka chehra kisi aur ke chehre se morph kar do."

Priyanka Chopra has been finalized for Race 2 while director duo Abbas-Mustan and producer Ramesh Taurani (Tips) are still on the lookout for two more heroines. 

ShahRukh Khan dismisses Ra.One release rumours for 3rd June 2011. "Nice to know that the release date for Ra.One has been fixed by someone... somewhere. Maybe they can now come and finish it as well," Khan posted on his Twitter page.

 

Murder, robbery, drugs or extra-marital affairs -- whatever the problems, item girl Rakhi Sawant - who has a knack for getting into controversies - will now be seen solving problems on 'Rakhi Ka Insaaf'. Known for her glamorous and often outrageous avatar, Rakhi looks forward to connecting with masses and common people through the show that will be aired on Imagine TV.

Abhishek-Aishwarya, Sridevi and family attend engagement, marriage ceremonies of Rajnikant’s younger daughter Soundarya in Chennai.

As part of Dabaang’s promotional campaign, Salman Khan sends out a 'don't cheat' message on satellite television. Salman appeared on the show ‘Emotional Atyachaar 2’ on UTV Bindass. Salman's inspecting the case of Sudhiksha, who suspects her boyfriend isn't loyal to her.  Finally when asked what he'd do if such a sting operation was done on him, Salman laughed saying, "If emotional atyachaar was ever done on me, you guys would get stuff that you'd never be able to put on TV."

Kangana Ranaut opts out; Deepa Mehta has roped in Shriya Saran for her ambitious project that is an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s cult novel Midnight’s Children.

What’s brewing this week!
Abhay Deol chosen to be the brand ambassador for Indian Terrain men's apparel and accessories. Event to be held in Mumbai.

Khatron ke Khiladi Season 3 telecasts begin Monday, 06th September. Priyanka Chopra takes over as host from Akshay Kumar.

September 6 and 7 will see the Indian Magazine Congress (IMC) 2010, organized by The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM)

Cine-scope this Friday! (Films releasing 10th September 2010)

Dabangg (Hindi) – Starring – Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha (deb), Arbaaz Khan, Sonu Sood

What works: In couple of hours within it being uploaded Dabaang promo made it to the number 1 spot in the “Most Wanted’ videos on a leading website portal. The promo is also the most talked about subject on Twitter. After Wanted, seeing Salman in a corrupt police officers role with humour and brashness of Central India has gained wide mass appeal. Shatrugan Sinha’s daughter Sonakshi, has also gained eyeballs for sizzling onscreen presence and chemistry with Salman. Action, humour, Salman and a hot item number featuring Malaika Arora, the movie has all ingredients for a commercial masala potboiler.

What does not work: Film releases on Friday, 10th coinciding with ‘Ramazan Id’ which falls on the same day. The next day Saturday, 11th is Ganesh Chaturthi. While most section of the audience will be busy in the celebrations of the 2 major festivities, its unlikely that audience would take out time during the day to watch the movie. Secondly, the movie is an out-an-out action which would not be sutiable for the younger section of the audience.

On second thoughts: Salman isn’t sporting his turquoise bracelet in this movie. I’m tempted to see if this fact makes or breaks the ‘luck’ superstitions

Tweet (le) birdie told me!
(Disclaimer: No vocabulary/grammatical corrections done. Decode at your own risk :) )

@vivek_oberoi - This Janmashtami give the gift of hope & education to a child in Vrindavan thru ProjectDEVI! http://bit.ly/9575tz

@priyankachopra - On my way to work guys.. Woke up at five n went for a run along copacabanna .I'm gonna miss that when I leave but dying to get back home now. That's copacabbana!! At 5! Beautiful eh?? Sent from my NokiaE72 http://yfrog.com/n7ea7lj

@beingsalmankhan - Wat to say now http://twitpic.com/2ku7iw

@realpreityzinta - Someone asked me what is the secret 2 making friends ? I said all u need is a warm smile, non judgemental attitude and a sense of loyalty !

@iamsrk - having a good feel day so far.lost at video games to daughter.son lost fone.house upturned.late for shoot.everything nicely out of control

@R_khanna (Rahul Khanna) - Lying in bed, re-reading parts of 'Love in the Time of Cholera' is a good way of spending a Sunday morning...

@konkanas (Konkana Sen Sharma) - We wanted you to read it here first but... We got married! Yay!

@ashabhosale - Practising song Aaja Aaja in the car, my driver thought I was having a heart attack & wanted to rush me to the hospital.

@iHrithik - Wow ,just came across this pic from the sets of karan arjun when I was assisting dad as the clapper boy!! An amazing memory!! Enjoy.:) Here it is.. http://plixi.com/p/43193394

@bipsluvurself (Bipasha Basu) - 1of thse dys whn u luk bck in life n think abt al d good things tht hve hppend 2 u.4 me it hs bn hving my friends around thru thick n thin.

@AnupamPker - My poster of the play Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai at ITC Sonar, Kolkatta. Enjoy. :) http://plixi.com/p/43171851

@TheShilpaShetty Shifting home. .bringing home Ganpati for the 1st time,hubbys bday,professional commitments..,so many arrangements..but enjoyin it all.

Review 'We are Family' -'kyunki Dharma bhi kabhi acchi picture banata tha!'

Bollywood continues its tryst of adopting firangi scripts adding desi garam masala to satiate the supposedly naive Indian audience (or is it the NRI segment) and then proudly walk an international carpet as an ambassador for Indian cinema. Blah! Let me make it clear – I don’t have any issues with remakes. Some of the adapted works are truly commendable. What I do detest is filmmakers choosing an Indian family, adding Indian sentiments, tailoring it to fit Indian sensibilities and then giving them a firang setting. Why couldn’t the family reside in Indian metropolis? Do we not have the visual allure? Blasphemous! 

Anyhoo… Another week, another remake. Only this one screams, stamps, legitimate, permissions et al.

Johar & co. finally bored, rid of the copious NY setting (or possibly USA took offence & refused to let them shoot there anymore). So this time we move to another continent of sun & sand where resides Aman (Arjun Rampal) & Maya (Kajol) with their kids Aaleya , Ankush and Anjali. Add to it Dharma’s favourite ingredients of now hot-now cold relationships, extra marital affair, adjusting to daddy’s new life, oops!-wala  sudden medical diagnosis, and the audience is taken through a square four sided love-hate tale to an ending so appalling that you want to say ‘picture abhi baaki nahi honi chahiye’.

The mood is glum, ‘I don’t want to die’ is the mantra of the dying mum but because it’s a movie out of KJO’s stable, glam dikhna or elvis ishtyle dance karna toh banta hai boss. 

Just because they credit the film to its original Chris Columbus' Stepmom (1998) Scriptwriter Venita Coelho (why did the movie need one anyways?) & debutant director Siddharth Malhotra (offcourse he assisted Karan during his heydays! How else would he get the right to dish such absurd stuff?!?) refuse to let audience indulge in brain teasers of any sort. The entire film from the word go is lifted scene-by-scene, laid down on a golden platter with nothing new to boast of. Copied scenes (oops sorry adapted) in the film are countless and in your face every time you turn around, which makes you feel bored and edgy because its predictable which path the film is going. By the time the film staggers to a melodramatic a la Ekta Kapoor style ending, you steal a quick glance at your watch wondering how many years actually passed away. Booo-ringgg!

Yes, the performances border on the thin line tilting towards good, but the treatment of the subject is devoid of any warmth, which doesn’t arouse any compassion or interest at all. Moreover, if you thought that wasn’t enough, Iyengar’s corny dialogues laced with Karan Johar’s artificial sweetener touches is the final recipe for doom. OUCH!

Pray do tell - what exactly is Siddharth Malhotra’s idea of family?!? Obviously, he wasn’t considering the audience as a part of it.

Verdict: For those who have watched Stepmom, stay AWAY from this one.

For those who haven’t seen stepmom, stay away as well. Catch any of the saas-bahu epi’s or go watch ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ just for SRK’s ‘I am dying of cancer but won’t let its fear kill me’.

On second thoughts – What is with all our filmmakers wanting to kill the leads with the dreaded C-word.. Haven’t they met/heard about survivors Lisa Ray, Barbara Mori?! Among the other millions who fight it every day.

Movie Review: Aashayein 'lost all hopes'

Before I begin my take on Aashayein, I have a small confession - I have seen almost all of the 30+ movies (theatre/small screen) that John Abraham’s filmography boasts of. Not because I believe he is a terrific actor (which he is not!) or someone who’s acting prowess I admire (he has his good moments but has a long way to go). The truth is that I have a special soft corner for John (and Ritesh) because we share birthdates. Therefore, I am a JA loyalist and despite his average performances, will continue to be one. However, for the benefit of my 10-odd loyal readers, I am going to be completely unbiased and write an upright review of the film.

For director Nagesh Kukunoor, it has mostly been about realistic cinema. Stories you hear in neighborhoods, human tales you empathize with and news you read in dailies. Luckily, for him, audiences are in the day and age, caught between OTT popcorn productions and illogical condescending potboilers with nothing to fill the void. Films with a humor-laced message like Peepli, Udaan, are more acceptable today than ever. With Aashayein, does the engineer-turned-filmmaker manage to keep his art intact after Hyderabad Blues, Iqbal and Dor or does he fall prey to the commercial masala demands of the masses. Read further to find out.

Meet gambling addict (we hardly get to see his obsession) and chain smoker Rahul Sharma (John Abraham) and girlfriend Nafisa (Sonal Sehgal). One gambling win and a proposal later, Rahul slumps to the floor at a party amidst laughter and conversations. Diagnosis reveal that Rahul is suffering from lung cancer and has only few months to live. After a few mockery, rain sprinting and understandably piteous moments, Rahul decides to move into a hospice breaking all ties with Nafisa and the world in general.

In the hospice, Rahul meets a mixed bag of characters - Padma (Anaitha Nair), Madhu (Farida Jalal), Parthasarthi (Girish Karnad), Govinda (Ashwin Chitale) all having a common purpose among them - to make the most of their remaining days.

I am not being bias, but genuinely, John Abraham has put in probably the best/toughest show of his career. He is intense, distinguishes well between all his relationships, emotes and justifies the role largely to an extent that there are some scenes, wherein you forget John, the Bollywood star and only sympathize with Rahul. Undoubtedly, the bright star of the film is Anaitha, whose eccentric ways strike a lovable chord. Anaitha does an extraordinary act of the estranged cancer patient, a fine supporting act.

The idea is noble, the subject is right; the casting of the leads and more importantly the supporting acts is satisfactory. However, despite all this, the script falters in a major way influencing the entire outcome. The incorrect mix of art and commercial cinema is one of the key weaknesses. The filmmaker intends to put across many ideologies, but trying to fit everything in, he misses the key essence and lacks compassion.

For a film with a sensitive topic around the much-dreaded C-word, there are hardly any tear-jerking, hearts wrenching scenes. Emotions are over quicker than the credit roll and the story hardly manages to leave an impact.

Aashayein starts favorably, but post the first half; it collapses like a pack of cards, owing to directionless story and venturing into sub-plots hardly relevant to the narrative. Nagesh plays a solid part of trying to steer his messy storyline, but with an added highly amateurish ending, the film will hardly manage any hopes for itself.

Verdict: the only ‘Asha’ this film could hold is hopefully for John’s career, as the actor has managed to draw some fabulous scenes to his credit.

On second thoughts: most films these days are boasting of better performances from supporting casts rather than the leads. About time, Bollywood cashes in on these small actors rather than chasing big names.

Lafangey Parindey: for the free spirit inside all of us.!

From charms of Kolkatta in Parineeta, to the warm visuals of Varanasi in Laga Chunari mein Daag, Director Pradeep Sarkar next Lafangey Parindey, moves to the Mumbai gallis (streets). Where matchbox sized flats stand side by side to sprawling towers, dandiya is celebrated with, as much gusto as govinda dance during Ganpati festivals and dreams are bigger than the pockets.

In a chawl in the bylanes of Mumbai resides Nandan Kamtekar aka one-shot-nandu (Neil NM) and his gang of loafers, who going by Mumbai’s tapori reputation, ride bikes into the dark night, speak Mumbaiyaa slang and wile away time playing carrom or throwing random digs at passer-bys. When not diddling-dawdling around, Nandan wins fights in a boxing ring for bets put by boss Usmaan bhai (Piyush Mishra) (reference check: Salman in Karan Arjun). Nandu’s USP – he fights blindfolded and can take down his strongest opponent with a single blow (that’s why the nickname, for all those who didn’t put it together yet!). Among the lafangeys, lives Pinky Palkar (Deepika Padukone), a free spirited chic co-basti-walli, who lives small, dreams big and aims to win a talent competition as her exit route from the chawl’s humble existence. Working in a shop, she dances on rollerskates like a doll in a music box.

Couple of reels later an accident brings Nandan and Pinky together. Dreams that come crashing down, destinies that are rewritten and odds that are fought together form the remaining story of Lafangey Parindey.

Both leads, whose histrionic skills are questionable, put in engaging performances. Deepika Padukone’s act is effortless. While she is extremely graceful in her dance sequences, she exudes intense confidence as the strongwilled optimist. Neil’s restrained act complements chemistry with Deepika beautifully. Unfortunately, his looks impede the realism as he does not fit into the chawl class at all. No amount of tattered wardrobe and fake blood veil Neil’s golden locks and fair rose complexion. Body language is spot on, body features sadly fail. The scenes where he fights his inner conflicts, initial feelings for lady-love and emotions shown through eyes are the mark of a very promising actor.

Music by R. Anandh, lines by Swanand Kirkire, songs ‘mann lafanga’, ‘dhatad tatad’ are contagious to any true-blue matki-phod mumbaikar.

The biggest strength of the film undoubtedly lies in Gopi Puthran’s simple storytelling. The narrative maintains its horizontal plane with enough twists suitable to its theme, but luckily does not venture the path of unwanted characters and redundant sub-plots.

Hiccups? Yes, heaps of them. Lafangey Parindey is neither a winner nor a loser. The substance is raw, similarities are many, and story is as predictable as it gets, yet between the flaws and grinds is an earnest youthful resonance and a wholesome human experience that celebrates the spirits of underdogs who are down in dust but don’t give up.

Watch it if you can digest a pure masala movie without getting extremely judgemental or making parallels with any other film.

Watch it if you’re a fan of Ms.D, pink-cheek Neil or Pradeep Sarkar.

However, moreso, Watch it because it is an inspirational and poignant tale of any third person amongst us.

Happy Birthday India!

"At the stroke of midnight, while the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom", said Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of 15th August 1947.

63 years later, we woke up again – yet to a different sentiment this time. We woke up to a lazy Sunday, a day of family trips to the mall, a day of catching up on the movies missed during the week, a day to binge on the alcohol that was stocked the day before, a day to indulge in the numerous sales, a day to relax the competitive professional batteries and a day to prepare for the week ahead. And life went on, and soon it will be the 64^th year.

To India,

Caught between hell and heaven,

a subcontinent torn by wounded partition

the day was 15^th August 1947

you were born - a new nation!

Refugees scoured to start a fresh life,

Separated from loved ones, lonely and forlorn

Eyes filled with agony, seeking many answers
Heart heavy with sorrow, body frail and torn.

As each day passed, problems grew,

freedom gave way to greed, we tried to start anew

You tried to keep them together,
your children wanted different paths,

they had their own plans,
some became Hindu, others sought Islam.

Bloodshed increasing by the hour, All in the name of religion and caste

A part of you sits in quiet oblivion, while a part of you is still being ripped apart

One one side is a deprived child staring into his empty plate

On another is a filled restaurant with ambience so great,

While a section fights for basic food, clothing and shelter

Another lives in palaces and owns expensive cars

While mercilessly, life of a girl child is being sacrificed in small towns

Sushmita, Aishwarya put you on the global map with their crowns

Been born to rich parents,
a child is blithe and lives lavishly
Yet another child having to take care of his ailing mother,
toils through the day for a paltry salary 

Watching your children divided by class & pride, you groan in quiet pain,
while your children desert you for far-lands, joy & equal ache you maintain.

Today on your 63^rd birthday, you have come so far,

no words are enough to tell you how proud we are

to be born to you, you’re my motherland

While your children wound and cause you pain,

you still embrace us with your open arms.

As I sing Happy Birthday, my heart whispers silent prayers,

Hope you continue to prosper and grow for many many years!  

And on that note, I leave you with one of my all-time favourite patriotic song.