folkpoet80 Reviews

Aashayein (2010)

Fascinating Tale without any unwanted masala

[9/10 · 5 February 2011]

It does not surprise me that the so-called critics did not think much of this movie. I think it's just the times we're living in - movies such as Aashayein fare poorly at the box office because majority of the people neither have the patience nor have the IQ to watch such movies.

This is the 3rd movie of John Abraham I have watched after Kabul Express and New York, and he has just continued to show what a tremendous actor he is. Despite his other masala movies, he seems to find an off-beat movie and leaves his mark. Anaitha Nair acted excellently in a role that was very different than her role in Chak De India. She fit greatly in her role of a hospice patient. Supporting cast of Farida Jalal and Girish Karnad filled in their roles well.

The little boy Ashwin Chitale's role was mystic and portrayed well. Music was by and large melodious and lyrics were fresh (change to today's bollywood junk). Ab Mujhko Jeena, Shukriya Zindagi, Chala Aya Pyar were the best tracks and rest were good too.

I'm rating this movie 10/10 easily simply based on the fact that I can watch it again. Must see for serious movie fans that enjoy a strong story line and sensible movies.

Ho Sakta Hai! (2004)

Please stay away from misleading ratings

[1/10 · 21 March 2010]

It's been a while since I wrote a review along with rating a movie. First off - I would like to say that the 7.3 rating from 15 votes is completely bogus and possibly rigged. From start to end - there was not a single moment that was worth watching. I was completely fooled by the rating and Victor Banerjee (I have no clue WHY he acted in this movie).

Script, Story: Absolutely non-convincing Cinematography, Sounds: Non-existent Cast: Avoidable. There was no dialogue delivery what so ever and it seems everyone was just speaking whatever came to their mind.

For the reviewer who said that this is the "best horror movie to come out of India" - has either not seen much of Indian Cinema in this genre or is completely lost. I watched the entire movie at 4x speed and would like to plead everyone to stay as far away from this movie as possible. If you have an afternoon to waste, you can at least watch Vastu Shastra, 1920, 13B (great movie), Raat etc.

I gave it 1/10 because Zero was not an option.

New York (2009)

Surprisingly Good!

[8/10 · 15 September 2009]

After Kabul Express, I was very eager to check out Kabir Khan's New York. Although Kabul Express was a totally "no-masala" movie, I absolutely liked the story, performances and the direction of the movie.

Although New York has some songs, but over-all the movie stuck to its original storyline and good message. John Abraham, whom I could not stand previously has performed even better than Kabul Express. Neil Nitin Mukesh looked well in his role. Katrina was OK in her part, but there wasn't much for her to do. Pick of the actors was Irrfan Khan who looked great in his role of FBI Agent.

I loved the acoustic song "Hai Junoon". Good lyrics and nice composition. Overall, such movies still keep my hopes about Bollywood alit. Do check this one out! 8/10

The Lions Are Free (1969)

An ode to the free and the wild!

[8/10 · 20 June 2009]

This is a commendable documentary movie made by Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. I really have no words to describe the movie. While featuring the lives of the Lions that were in the movie, Born Free - this production also screams out to the world begging to help keep the wild-life FREE and WILD as they should be. Despite scientific rationales to keep Zoos active (prevention from extinction, etc.) - most people know and agree that an Animal can hardly live a purposeful life behind Bars as Virginia says in this movie. "Would I be happy behind bars"? NO! George Adamson, who devoted all of his life to keep the wildlife free and chose to live with his Lions - far away from the so called civilization and the Luxuries it has to offer - will never be replaced, but his work will always be remembered. I am still surprised to see that only one documentary other than this movie has ever been made on the life of George Adamson - and that too by UK based Yorkshire Television Ltd. shortly before he was mercilessly murdered by Somali Poachers.

I think BBC or National Geographic or any of the other major channels must make an extended documentary on the life of George Adamson aka Baba ya Simba aka Father of Lions. The man whose ultimate trust and friendship with his lions was and will always remain beyond human comprehension. I bow down in respect to this great man and salute the efforts of Bill Travers, and Virginia McKenna and Bill's son and the others who continue the work of wild-life rehabilitation and conservation..

The Other End of the Line (2007)

Fresh movie with awesome moments

[8/10 · 13 April 2009]

I won't think twice about rating this movie 8/10 mainly because: 1.) It's like a fresh breeze amongst all the stupid Indian movies that come out these days (barring masterpieces like A Wednesday, Shaurya, etc.) 2.) It's an unbelievable idea yet you can easily see it happening in real life. 3.) Even though it is a movie, one can relate to many moments in the movie. I liked many!

Shreya Saran acted very well even though I had never even heard of her name. She is pretty and did her part really well (even the fake accent was decent). Tara Sharma didn't have much to do, but she filled in OK. Anupam Kher was also funny yet did not turn into an idiot as many such roles do. I have no clue why this movie is rated so low. I just hope that haters stay away from this movie. I will highly recommend that you watch this at least once and I'm sure you'll love this one!!

Dasvidaniya (2008)

Simple Story about a Simple Man. Enchanting!!

[8/10 · 29 November 2008]

Vinay Pathak just keeps on amazing with his acting skills. He reminds me of the magic that Farooq Sheikh and Amol Palekar created in the early 80s with simple stories and outstanding acting. I think most of us can identify with Amar Kaul in one way or the other. Neha Dhupia whom I never thought of as an actress looked beautiful without her make-up and player her sweet cameo beautifully. Rajat Kapoor and all others were equally good in their roles. Neha's episode was my favorite when he acknowledges love for her in the rain. Also the Russian girl did well. All in all, everything was perfect for me in this movie with no overly-done melodrama.

The only thing disappointing was the lack of the ending theme (piano/guitar part) on the OST CD. Kailash Kher has created a poignant yet soulful melody. The ending scene where Amar's brother and his friend go over his list was the strongest scene (and the following theme) along with Neha's scene.

I will definitely rate this and "Amal" as one of the strongest movies to come out of Bollywood in a long long time. 10/10

Shaurya (2008)

This is called a Movie

[10/10 · 17 May 2008]

I think if you go with a "it's a copy" frame of mind, there is no way you can be fair to the movie. To me, I haven't seen a movie as strong as this one in a while. Last one was Taare Zamee Par and may be Maine Gandhi ko Nahi Maara.

The coldness on KK (Brigadier's) face was outstanding. His dialog about "how a cup of coffee is made" and "pigs sweat men perspire" showed how great of an actor he is and how underestimated. I liked Minissha for whatever role she was given. I have been gaga over her since "Yahaan", which was another great movie.

It is always a treat to watch such movies out of all the junk that bollywood throws out. I agree that the starting of the movie could have done without the Bar song, but by the time the movie ends, you're left wondering. For me, Kay Kay stole the show, where as Rahul Bose again proves his caliber that he showed in "Mr and Mrs Iyer". Go watch this!

Amu (2005)

True face of India

[9/10 · 9 January 2008]

This was a very well made movie and a very daring movie. Such movies usually fade away in India. Konkona Sen acted well and her American Accent was almost perfect and commendable. Shonali has poured everything in the movie. Konkona Sen shows why she is clearly apart and far above the run of the mill actresses of Bollywood. Other artists did their part well. About why the Great Govt. of India has banned the movie, there could be several reasons. Apparently the common reason is that the movie might have "raked up the long lost past". I'm not sure about that. Every sane person knows that the Govt. had a large role in the riots of '84 and I'm not saying this because I'm a sikh (because I'm not). I'm saying this as an Indian. Just like there was hand of the govt. when innocent Muslims were butchered in Gujrat a few years ago. Truth is easily suppressed in a country like India, but that didn't stop Shonali Bose from creating an award winning movie. Go see it.

My Brother... Nikhil (2005)

Just Superb

[8/10 · 3 December 2007]

Even though I'm a guy, I can admit that this is one of those movies that will make you cry. The title music and the song "Le chale" is an outstanding song..one that you can never get tired of playing on your Guitar. Amitabh Varma is at his best at writing poetry and Vivek Phillip's music goes straight to the heart. Sanjay Suri impressed me in his cameo role in "Dhoop", but he has acted out of his skin in this movie and deserves an award for his acting. His poignancy and facial expressions reminded me of Raj Kapoor at times. Great movie about a very serious issue. The soundtrack is superb as well. Other than the Le Chale song, there are some instrumental versions too, which are great. Other actors acted well too. I give it 10/10

Darna Zaroori Hai (2006)

Don't bother..

[6/10 · 4 July 2006]

OK, this may contain spoilers. I'll start with the start. The first episode was pretty witty, where the guy dies by looking at the poster of the movie itself. Pretty witty, but nothing scary.

Amitabh episode left me pretty baffled. My copy ended when the student looks at the "image" in the mirror. Did something else happen after that or was my copy complete?

Arjun Rampal episode was a complete REPEAT of the Nana Patekar episode from Darna Mana Hai. I had an impression that Arjun would be the dead guy. Nothing special in the episode.

Rajpal Yadav/Suneel Shetty episode was the WORST. I have no clue what the message was unless I miss something. I can't believe after so many years, Suneel still speaks such pathetic Hindi. His dialog delivery was horrible. Rajpal Yadav is a brilliant actor (Main Meri Patni Aur Woh! YES!!), but here his role didn't do any justice. So he dies at the end. What's scary in that???

Anil Kapoor/Mallika Sehrawat episode was funny, not scary, and probably the best in terms of acting. Poor guy dies thinking that she was a spook. Witty again!

Randeep Hooda episode was a cheap B-Grade Story. A soul acquires a body, and kills her killers.

Overall, Darna Mana Hai was a great movie and really had good direction and mature acting, even from unknown faces. This movie, although much anticipated, was a waste of time. I'm sorry, but so many directors, a hoard of actors, still couldn't save the poor screenplay. 3/10

The Ring (2002)

True Horror has come

[9/10 · 25 May 2006]

I watched this movie last night and I must say this is the best horror movie out of Hollywood, I've ever seen. Earlier this year I saw "Shining" and "The Exorcist" - which everyone had been telling me about and saying that they were the scariest movies of all time.... In the end - after watching those two I knew I had wasted time. There was nothing scary, but gore cursing and other stupid effects in both those movies. This movie had some extraordinary direction. Each frame/scene ends leaving you thinking that something will happen.

I had to turn away couple times so I wouldn't have to look at the faces of the girl who dies in the start and Naomi's husband who dies in the end. Not that I was scared, but I don't believe looking at those gruesome images is any good, mentally. A true horror classic with no gore, no nudity, no cursing and other B grade horror movie stuff. I would rate this and "The Others" as the best ones I've ever seen. I live alone in a studio apartment, but I wasn't scared or anything. It's simply a matter of what you want to believe.

Wolf Creek (2005)

Avoid at all costs

[1/10 · 11 May 2006]

Before I say anything, let me be clear that this is NOT a horror movie. Please! I think the appropriate genre would be a D grade Gory murderous movie. ******* I don't even know where to begin. I read some reviews on IMDb and finally decided to rent it. Now I hope I'd rented "The Ring" instead. This is a bloody, vulgar presentation of something that the director wants to call a story. I don't care if it's based on true events. I switched it off when there were about 45 minutes left. As the guy with the knife started to chop off fingers, I thought I'd seen enough of this stupidity.

It slightly reminded me of "Wrong Turn", which on the other hand had some really good actors and fast paced story. This one is a D grade movie with nothing to scare you. It will only make you sick. Jus avoid at all costs and find something better to do. Too bad I won't get back the hour I wasted on this crap.

Bhopal Express (1999)

Bhopal Express

[7/10 · 17 March 2006]

Aside from the fact that no movie can ever do justice in portraying the plight of people who were and are still being affected by the horrible tragedy that struck Bhopal in 1984, this movie is decently made, but still leaves quite a bit to be desired. Naseeruddin Shah did his cameo well. The lead actor acted well and the actress didn't have much role to play, but her facial expressions were quite good for a newcomer. I personally feel that too much time was spent in shooting the 'bar' scene. Aside from showing the gas leak and minor aftermath, there was nothing in the movie that one hasn't already seen in tons of other documentaries. It is still commendable that the crew picked such an important topic. 7/10

Fauji (1988)

Great Memories

[26 January 2006]

This is another unforgettable show from the 80s-90s era when Doordarshan ruled and one after another great show kept us all enthralled. Good thing about this show is that everyone contributed. Shahrukh Khan was pretty much a nobody at that time. All the actors fit well in the commando school shown with a light sense of humor. Col. Kapoor directed it well. Shahrukh's beloved in the show, Capt. Madhu (not sure if she ever did anything after this show) also acted well. She looks pretty in a simple Indian way and carried her role well. This whole show is now available on a 2 DVD Set. I think it's been great how the old shows are now available on DVDs (go to nehaflix.com and search for it). For all those who grew up in the 80s and 90s are familiar with Street Hawk, Mirza Ghalib, The Wonder Years, Malgudi Days, Flop Show, and now Fauji.

With all the garbage that is shown on TV these days (esp. the annoying soaps in India), these shows bring back good old times!

Hero Hiralal (1988)

Charming & more Charming!

[8/10 · 12 January 2006]

Little flavor of 80s (long skirts and no obnoxious dresses), Good music, Naseeruddin Shah at his best as usual, and add a new face on top of that. That's Hero Hiralal for you. People said that it was an inconsequential movie. May be so. What could we expect at the time when Govinda, Anil Kapoor, and other actors were churning out non-sense in the late 80s. Hero Hiralal was a breath of freshness, which was obviously not meant for the masses, however, it may have seemed so. All shots that focused Naseer and Sanjana together were superb in terms of photography, facial focus and dialogues. True that Sanjana couldn't speak Hindi without an accent. What do you expect from an Anglo-Indian girl? But ironically, I still find hers better than the accent of some of today's actresses who speak Hindi like they were born and raised somewhere in Midwest USA.

I found Sanjana quite charming (much more beautiful than her nieces Karishma and Kareena). Sapno Ki Duniya (slow version) was a terrific song, obviously lost due to movie's commercial failure. Saeed Jafri, Satish Shah and Mr. Yogi fame actor were good in supporting roles. Deepa Mehta was OK and others merely filled in. This is a movie with no frills, no beach dances, no non-sense. A simple and pure means of entertainment meant for the whole family.

It's unfortunate that Sanjana's career didn't click in Bollywood. May be it was her accent or may be it was her timing. Or may be she was just meant for Prithvi Theater. A great movie. Watch it at least once and then decide. By the way, finally the DVD is out for this movie. At least someone recognized the movie!

Malgudi Days (1986–2006)

Absolute MAGIC!!!!!!

[9/10 · 30 December 2005]

I'm sure a lot of Indians who grew up in the 80s treasure this show as one of the best ever aired in the history of Television. Others in the same league were Katha Sagar, Flop Show, and Mirza Ghalib with a few others. RK Narayan's epic lit the screen like anything. I'm not going to waste time in singing praises of this awesome show, which needs no introduction. The good news is that after almost 20 years when it was aired on Doordarshan in India, it is finally out onDVD!!!!! Remastered using the latest technology, this 2 disc DVD brings this masterpiece of cinema to millions of R.K.Narayan fans and others thirsting for a good story the whole family can watch. Please go to http://66.223.111.68/datacart/products/template_dvd.asp? and search for Malgudi Days!

UPDATE: I have seen the whole 2 DVD set. There is only one episode that is in Hindi (2 Goats). Rest all is in English. I think when Doordarshan showed this back in 1986, they showed the dubbed version. The show seems to have been made in English Originally. It was great to see Anant Nag and Swami again!!

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

Enchanting

[8/10 · 10 December 2005]

This was one of those movies, which had everything in it. Drama, tears, outstanding humor, you name it. I almost didn't watch it after everyone I spoke with, labeled it as a "chick-flick". Forget about it. This is a grand movie. Probably one of the best from the 90s. If you enjoy movies that are made from the heart, you'll love it. I've seen some great movies like Somewhere in Time, Love Story and this one easily falls in the same league, at least for me. The guy with the British accent gave a great performance and did his humor outstandingly. Julia Roberts acted superb. Cameron Diaz, who I'd never see act before fulfilled her part decently. I can't digest a rating of 6.3 on IMDb. Leads me to believe how biased IMDb's ratings can be sometime. Forget about what any one says. If you like great movies with a message, Then see this one today!!

Wicker Park (2004)

Let's see

[7/10 · 9 December 2005]

I gave this movie 7/10, but I simply sat through the movie thinking I can't believe this stuff. This movie reminded me of "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" so many times. Too many flashbacks. But at least this one made sense to me. Guy from the Black Hawk Down acted pretty well. Story was a bit confusing to start off with, but picked up pieces later. The only reason I gave this movie 7/10 was because of the song that plays during the airport scene in the end. "The Scientist" - sounded more like a piano ballad from the good old 70s. Given my folk and old music taste, I don't care much for new bands. But Coldplay did a marvelous job in this song. Lyrics were simple and the piano melody was outstanding!!!!!!! This song made up for whatever the movie lacked.! Watch it at least once.

Mirza Ghalib (1988– )

Mirza Ghalib - A Star that'll never fade

[10/10 · 25 November 2005]

This show will stand out in the years to come as the Ultimate Production that ever came out of Show business from India. Mirza Ghalib, unarguably the best Poet of Urdu Language has been portrayed remarkably in this show. None other than Naseeruddin Shah could have played this role. His persona and dialog delivery along with outstanding facial expressions made him look like the real life Mirza Ghalib. Music by Jagjit Singh simply can never again be made. It's one of those few things that are produced and never be replicated by anyone. Kaifi Azmi and Gulzar did ravine deep research before going ahead with the series. Most actors were stage actors including Rajendra Gupta, Shafi Inaamdar and others. Tanvi Azmi did well in her cameo and so did Neena Gupta. Every single Ghazal sung by Jagjit Singh simply takes you back to the Delhi of 1800s. Naseeruddin Shah himself notes that Ghalib's role is the number achievement of his acting career. Finally an official 2 DVD Set is out of this show. Quality is about 8.5/10 I would highly recommend people to purchase it. I have done quite a bit of research on Mirza Ghalib, visited his Haveli in Old Delhi this summer and count this show as an all time favorite of mine.

10 STARS!!!!!!*********

Parineeta (2005)

Wonderfully done

[6/10 · 13 November 2005]

This would count as the greatest work by VV Chopra so far. He didn't make a 3 hour long movie to justify the theme. Music was serene and everyone did their best. Saif Ali khan has matured as an actor over the years, which we've seen in Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho and now in Parineeta. I'm not sure how much he really stuck to the original novel, since I haven't read it. The new-comer Vidya Balan has done an outstanding job with her facial expressions. I really liked her part. I'd never seen Raima Sen before, but she seemed to have provided a good supporting role. Sanjay Dutt was good in his own part. Overall, the movie was of an apt length with good music and some good tearjerking moments.

10/10

The Terminal (2004)

Wonderfully done

[8/10 · 10 November 2005]

I was a little hesitant before I rented this one, especially after reading poor reviews on Amazon and Netflix. But Tom Hanks superbly carried the movie on his shoulders with great support from the supporting actors. A man who is simply stuck thanks to the indifference of the authorities, finds refuge and friendship on a most unusual place, an Airport. Comedy was well mixed with momentary drama. Although the ending was realistic, but could have been better if it had focused on Catherine Zeta Jones. So she basically walks away in the end. In any event, may be this is not something you can watch everyday, but definitely worth seeing once. 8/10

Calcutta Mail (2003)

Not convincing

[4/10 · 6 November 2005]

This was one of those movies that had a good cast, but was scattered all over. Let's forget about the Music before we even start the review. I forwarded all the songs. Good first half of the movie can easily turn many viewers away, as nothing core was in it. Anil Kapoor walks around in a 'chaal' looking for someone in Calcutta with Rani Mukherjee appearing in between. Whoever wrote the little summary created a fully unjustified and false image of the movie, portraying it as a great suspense movie. There was no suspense in it. Simply a story of a kidnapping shown in 2 hours. Anil Kapoor is the only thing watchable in it. Move on and find something else to watch. 4/10 I can't believe that 9 has been the most frequent rating for this movie.

Let's Bring Our Heroes Home (2004)

Good subject

[7/10 · 5 November 2005]

Two movies back to back which dealt with Indian POWs; Veer Zaara and Deewaar. Although Veer Zara was a love story of a guy who gives everything up for someone, Deewaar focuses on the main subject itself. It is not hidden that many Indian POWs are rotting in Pakistani Jails for years - for whom neither Indian Govt. has time or sympathy nor the other side. I'm sure some of Pakistani POWs are in India as well, but let's focus on the movie. Full of actors. Some were stage actors like Raghubir Yadav, Rajendra Gupta, etc. Amitabh Bachchan who plays the role of a Major, acted well. Akshaye Khanna did his part well. There was nothing for Amrita Rao to do than a few giggles and couple songs. I think Sanjay Dutt's role was most solid even though it wasn't too long. He acted really well here and his dialog delivery was also impressive. If you compare it to LOC, which was nothing but a day long movie with story going in all directions (if it HAD a story) - Deewaar is a well directed movie that keeps a good pace and does justice to all actors. 7.5/10

Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999)

Not convincing

[5/10 · 4 November 2005]

After reading some reviews, I decided to give this one a shot. Complete waste of time and some of the scenes were typical bollywood crap. Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya are great actors. I've seen them in Taal, and they were so great. But this movie just had no story built in. Only thing watchable was Jaspal Bhatti and Kader Khan. Aishwarya did her part well and so did Akshaye Khanna. But there was no story. Too many stereotypes. Travelling for 18 hours in a suit and tie?? Give me a break. Some things were really immature. Please don't even bother with this movie. I don't always trust IMDb ratings, and some of the movies that have had low ratings here did turn out to be good. But this one was an utter drag. See beautiful movies like Yahaan, Taal, Raincoat. Sorry, Rishi - other than the Raj Kapoor's old music from SANGAM, there was nothing memorable in this. 5/10

...Yahaan (2005)

Wonderfully done

[9/10 · 3 November 2005]

This was the only movie after ROJA that addressed the Kashmir issue in a real manner, and being from Kashmir, I could feel it. Jimmy again proves that even though he is not working with big names, he has caliber. I have seen him in Maachis, cameo in Munnabhai, and Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar. He is a good actor. I've read that Lead actress didn't act well, but I thought she did a very good job for a newcomer. Her accent, although was not kashmiri in any sense, still carried weight. Her interview scene was really moving and showed her talents well. Mukesh (Shaqeel) did his part well, and so did the others. The little mute girl was outstanding in her expressions. The only con would be that there was not a single actor who had Kashmiri accent. Not even bystanders, or anyone from the general public. The director should have taken at least one native to make the movie touch its ground. Music was serene and flowed well with the story. Ending song (which probably was the same as the one before) had a good melody and I could play it on Guitar easily. Overall, a clean movie - which sends the message out loud. Guns can only bring blood. I hope peace would have its chance somewhere along the line. 9/10