aakash-vasa Reviews

Breaking Bad: Ozymandias (2013) Season 5, Episode 14

Get the 10/10 back!

[10/10 · 23 May 2017]

Who are the idiots who downvoted this episode just for the sake of denying it the perfect ten?

Seems like some Game of Thrones fans couldn't bear to see their show getting beaten by what's simply the greatest drama in television history.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)

In what is his most mature film to date, Johar concocts a beautiful tale of unrequited love, broken hearts, and above all, friendship.

[9/10 · 4 November 2016]

Just before the final act of Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, the brilliantly orchestrated title track begins, with a close-up of Ranbir Kapoor, lip-syncing in earnest, to Arijit Singh's melancholy voice. It is an uncharacteristically long shot. A shot that focuses on his somber, unflinching, eyes. It requires an actor of Kapoor's caliber to maintain that intense gaze for a minute and a half, such that even the beautiful song is relegated to the background.

The journey leading up to the said song (and the song itself) is trademark Karan Johar, and yet it isn't. The movie has his cinematic stamp all over it, what with the sheer Bollywood-ness of the proceedings. However, this time around, he lends each character a certain credibility, rather than the larger-than-life, family- value-toting protagonists that he usually prefers.

Make no mistake, this isn't a movie with amped-up pathos, and unnecessary slow-mo shots. Surprisingly, neither is the movie about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, but more on that later. Superfluousness takes a backseat, and instead the characters live, laugh, talk, love and even hate like any normal person would.

Ranbir Kapoor's Ayan Sanger is a budding singer stuck doing MBA in London, per his wealthy father's wishes. He chances upon Alizeh at a party, and one meet-cute and two sloppy kisses later, they become friends.

Both are shown to be Bollywood fanatics, as evidenced by them constantly hamming dialogues from popular movies of the past. There is even a nifty little sequence in the beginning where both Ayan and Alizeh make pop-culture references straight from Dharma Productions' movie list.

They get along well, too well, in-fact. Ayan falls for Alizeh, but she doesn't reciprocate that attraction. Her past love, Ali (Fawad Khan) resurfaces, and she gets married to him. How Ayan copes with not getting the love that he so passionately yearns for from Alizeh forms the rest of the story.

Pop-culture would give Ayan's predicament a cringe-worthy name - being 'friendzoned'. It is a pathetically convenient term to an unfortunate, complex situation. Johar, who has confessed that this movie is semi-autobiographical, goes out of his way to convince us that the 'friendzone' isn't really a terrible thing, and succeeds.

As far as the performances go, Kapoor is mesmerizing. He borrows various aspects of his personality from his past characters - the angst of a broken heart from Rockstar, the man-child behavior from Wake Up Sid, and his vulnerability from Tamasha, bringing all of them together to add another feather to his stellar acting cap.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who essays the role of a poet (Saba) who Ayan has a (primarily sexual) relationship with, while trying to move on from Alizeh, is the biggest disappointment of the movie. She has barely fifteen minutes of screen time and one song. Johar portrays her like an ethereal goddess, her character is scarcely believable. A world- famous divorcée poetess living in Vienna looking for a fling, conjuring up Urdu couplets for breakfast just isn't convincing enough, in a movie trying it's best to be grounded in reality. It seemed like Johar was so happy with himself that he managed to finally direct Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, that he forgot to give her a role.

Fawad Khan has two scenes and three dialogues in the entire film. That's a costly fifty million rupees!

Speaking of Khans, Johar's favourite Khan, makes a fleeting appearance, espousing the central idea of the film in a crucial piece of dialogue, paving the way for the film's denouement.

But this movie's show-stopper is Anushka Sharma. Alizeh is a complex character to play, simply because she becomes the 'villain' of sorts. And yet, you can't help empathize with her. Sharma, in her best acting performance till date, wins you over. Whether she is embracing her Bollywood-fan-girl dreams, resigning to the fact that she's still in love with her ex-boyfriend, or breaking down at the sheer helplessness of the situation she finds herself in, Alizeh is the character you want to root for, throughout the movie.

There is a scene, the only one with the troika, referencing Noor Jehan's famous rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's words. As Ayan completes aliases recital of 'Mujhse pehli si mohabbat', with the devastating 'mere mehboob na maang', Alizeh's piercing eyes could smash a thousand glasses. That look alone, is worth the price of the ticket.

The movie makes use of songs beautifully. Two of them, the title track and Bulleya, have gone on to become chart-busters, and their depiction on-screen, is perfect. The highlight of the soundtrack, though, is Channa Mereya, a typical Johar tearjerker, which plays out during what is the movie's best-acted scene.

'Friendship over love' is an ideal that has tasted little to no success in Bollywood. What impressed me most was Johar's resistance to going with the conventional movie ending, especially considering his body of work. Yes, the last half an hour is a contrived, almost unnecessary final act, which could have been handled better. But for the most part, the direction is top-notch.

What is most surprising about this venture is how Johar manages to make the film remain realistic throughout the ups and downs of the characters. There is no magnum opus feel; protagonists don't wait for background music to support them while proclaiming dramatic dialogues. Instead, Johar focuses on establishing the fact that love need not be limited to romance, underlined by Alizeh's last-ditch appeal to Ayan in the film's climax. Disproving Mohnish Behl's infamous line from Maine Pyaar Kiya is no mean feat, but Johar, through Alizeh and Ayan, does it with utmost grace and conviction.

In his debut movie, Johar convinced us that friendship is love. With this one, he drives through the point that love is friendship, and I couldn't agree more. Sorry, Shah Rukh Khan, but this adage rings true more than that one ever could. 'What's the difference?', an apathetic person would ask. Everything.

Fan (I) (2016)

Go watch Fan to remember why you fell in love with Shah Rukh Khan in the first place.

[8/10 · 23 April 2016]

The pre-movie disclaimer, a pretty standard one these days, drew a chuckle out of me. It went:

"The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any resemblance to the names, characters or history of any person living or dead is coincidental and unintentional."

Seriously, Aditya Chopra, you think anyone is going to buy that?

For Fan is anything but coincidental or unintentional. It's a film that was waiting to be made since the day Shah Rukh Khan became a superstar. It's also a reminder of why titles like 'King Khan' and 'Baadshah of Bollywood' were coined for the man.

The story centers on the eponymous fan and his misplaced sense of entitlement from his idol, both of whom are played by Khan.

As the fan, Gaurav Chandna, behind the jaw-dropping visual effects and makeup, lies a Shah Rukh Khan, stripped of all his stardom and completely vulnerable. After going through the motions in his last few pointless money-spinners, Khan shows us that when he starts acting, not many can match him.

Delhi-boy Gaurav's complete and utter surrender to his idol is brilliantly showcased, right from his room decked with photos of his idol (named Aryan Khanna), the wallpapers of the computers in the cyber café that he runs, to the need to travel WT (even at the cost of his life) to Mumbai and stay in the same hotel room that his hero stayed in.

Very soon, that fanaticism turns to hatred when his bubble breaks after the meeting with Aryan doesn't go as planned. Then the movie moves swiftly to London, Croatia and back to the by-lanes of Delhi, as Gaurav decides to destroy Aryan.

Maneesh Sharma's experiments with this movie are not just limited to a unique storyline. It's an action-packed thriller, devoid of any songs and without a lead actress or a semblance of a romantic track.

What I was expecting (and missed sorely) was more nods to Shah Rukh Khan's past works, and his journey and rise to become a superstar. A brilliant mela performance right at the beginning of the movie captures Khan's performances through the years. And, there's a song or two from his movies playing in the background, but that's about it.

If only Sharma had been bold enough to blur the line between fiction and reality, Fan would have made for a deeply intriguing watch. For starters, Shah Rukh Khan should have played himself, with his own name. Hiding behind the facade of Aryan Khanna robs the movie from a bit of its spunk.

Twice in the movie, there are establishing shots of Khan's home in Mumbai, Mannat. The scores of fans that rush towards it as he makes an appearance just to have a glimpse of their idol, is so beautifully captured, and goose-bump-inducing, mainly because it's inexplicably true. As the movie makes clear, such is the madness and utter passion of the fans, that even the actor who they are fans of, can't seem to grapple with it.

By no means is Fan a perfect movie. It is strewn with logical inconsistencies throughout. For instance, Gaurav's uncanny resemblance to Aryan isn't noticed by anyone for half the movie. A middle-class boy from Delhi seems to have unending resources to travel to London and Croatia, and also has direct access to the mobile number of the biggest superstar in the country.

A couple of chase sequences, while beautifully captured by cinematographer Manu Anand, seem to go on and on, while the climax isn't entirely going to please a legion of SRK faithfuls.

However, all of that is overshadowed in comparison to the fan himself. Gaurav Chandna is a Shah Rukh Khan protagonist antagonist (?) that will further cement his legacy. He brings together the maniacal obsession of Rahul Mehra (Darr) and the ruthless, vindictive streak of Ajay Malhotra (Baazigar).

This movie is strictly for Shah Rukh Khan loyalists, those of us who've 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed when he tells Simran to 'palat', or when he brings Pooja 'aur paas' or when he's talking about the importance of 'sattar minute', or scores of other moments that have made men and women alike, swoon over him.

Go watch Fan to remember why you fell in love with Shah Rukh Khan in the first place.

And for anyone who finds this movie ludicrous, rehne de, tu nahi samjhega.

Fitoor (2016)

Whether you should watch Fitoor, ask no questions and you will be told no lies!

[4/10 · 15 February 2016]

When a novel as renowned as Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is adapted for cinema, there's not much that can go wrong with the plot, right? After all, the original piece of work received worldwide critical acclaim, and is revered as a classic.

Abhishek Kapoor's Fitoor begs to differ. This is a pointless film, meandering along in no particular direction, stopping and starting until finally it stumbles to a rather boring halt.

For the uninitiated, Fitoor tells the story of a poor orphan boy and his childhood love for a girl who is from a rich elite family. How their social status comes in the way of their romance forms the rest of the story. Oh, and somewhere there's a disjointed flashback as well.

Aditya Roy Kapoor plays Noor (Pip) to Katrina Kaif's Firdaus (Estelle). Kapoor looks alright for the role, but his character is obsessive to the point of creepiness. It's hard to sympathize with Noor when he does the most stupid and desperate things in the name of love, shredding every bit of his self-respect.

Kaif does what she does best: look pretty and not act.

Abhishek Kapoor casts Tabu as Firdaus' mother, Begum Hazrat (Miss Havisham) and despite being burdened with a role where she hardly gets scenes to shine, she's a treat to watch. Her Urdu diction is impeccable and there's a striking resemblance to her portrayal of Ghazala from Haider. She rightfully gets top billing in the opening credits as well.

If there's one thing Abhishek Kapoor did right, it was to make Kashmir the setting of this movie. The place is majestic, as evidenced by the beautiful shots cinematographer Anay Goswami has captured.

Amit Trivedi's music stands out once again, like it always has, in a movie that doesn't deserve it. Pashmina is a gorgeously mounted song, setting the tone for the rest of the movie, only to amount to nothing.

A lot was expected from Abhishek Kapoor after his refreshing Rock On!! and the fact that he made Chetan Bhagat's worst novel into a passably good film in Kai Po Che, but here he definitely falls short of the mark.

Fitoor is a pointless adaptation, and a disjointed film. Not only does it add nothing to the original source material, but it can't even manage to do justice to Dickens' vision.

As to whether you should watch Fitoor, ask no questions and you will be told no lies!

Tamasha (2015)

Tamasha is a mind-boggling idea which Ali fails to completely execute, and yet fails so gloriously, one can't help bow down to the man.

[9/10 · 20 December 2015]

At the interval point, a fellow moviegoer, evidently frustrated by what he was seeing, remarked "This movie shows the Tamasha inside Imtiaz Ali's head." Another bloke opined, "This guy must have been high when he was scripting this movie."

While these comments were made in an offhanded manner, they had a semblance of truth in them. Yes, this could very well be a quasi- autobiographical movie. And pulling off this kind of a complex subject matter may just require a slight kick.

Never before has a movie stayed so true to its title. For Tamasha, in all its glory, is a literally a spectacle. A mighty ambitious project, something very few filmmakers would dream to pull off, Tamasha is a mind-boggling idea. An idea which Ali fails to completely execute, and yet fails so gloriously, one can't help bow down to the man.

Love, through the ages, has been a great spectacle. The same love story has been recycled, lending and borrowing a few tidbits from other tales, eventually ending in the same way. The prologue, orchestrated fabulously to Rahman's Chali Kahani drives home that point.

Imtiaz Ali has been the master of the flash-forward - flashback narration technique, as evident from his past movies, and Tamasha continues that trend of non-linear storytelling. Divided into four wackily-named acts, the narrative oscillates back and forth, sometimes leaving the viewer exhausted. And yet, there is much to be loved; the way he seamlessly weaves together anachronistic scenes to tell his (and Ved's) tale is commendable. Look out for the montage of Ved's daily schedule, and its stunning payoff scene.

Ved's obsession with stories is skillfully depicted by Ali. His need to make every bit of his life a memorable story is touched upon brilliantly. Indulging himself a bit, words like 'epiphany' and 'bipolar' are thrown into seemingly-innocuous conversations, hinting at the state of mind of the protagonist and also his future.

Three scenes stand out. The first one, where Ved breaks free from his boss, provides much-needed comic relief, in the most unexpected manner. The second, when Ved returns to confront his childhood storyteller, seeking out answers for his life's story. And the third, the scene of the movie, when Ved finally has an epiphany and comes clean about what he is.

And then there's the delightful original score by Rahman. Song placement is of utmost importance in a movie, and many filmmakers seem to forget that. But not Ali. Just like the scenes, the songs flit back and forth to suit the mood, Irshad Kamil's words providing just the right setting to the protagonists' state of mind. Three songs in particular stand out in their picturisation. The first, Heer, captures Tara's emotional roller coaster perfectly. The second, Wat Wat Wat, brings about the deus ex machina in an unexpected form, leading to hilarious results. And the third, Chali Kahani, encapsulates the entire movie's premise in five minutes.

Ranbir Kapoor, arguably, gives the performance of his life. Bollywood hasn't seen such a complex, bipolar character in ages. Whether he's pulling off Dev-Anand inspired gimmicks, having an outburst, or narrating a story, he's stellar. The way he builds his character's arc throughout the journey of self-discovery, gives us extraordinary glimpses of his acting prowess.

Ali's actresses have always been strong-willed, independent women who've stolen the spotlight from their male counterparts in all his films (with the exception of Nargis Fakhri). That's why, it's a shame to see Deepika, easily the best mainstream actress in Bollywood right now, wasted. Her Tara fails to sparkle (pun intended) to her potential, and she's just a shadow of Meera (Love Aaj Kal). This is a story of Ved, and every other character only drives his story forward, leaving very little for her to do. There's zero character development for her and she's reduced to as little as three scenes in the second half. Despite that, she is a joy to watch, her eyes expressing more than she could possibly speak. A confrontation scene with Ranbir where she just falls to her feet in helplessness deserves special mention; her performance is gut- wrenching.

Tamasha is a wasted opportunity of sorts. The potential chemistry between Ranbir and Deepika (which doesn't need much impetus) simply fails to crackle. Their entire love story seems too rushed, not giving the viewer an opportunity to truly care about their romance.

The movie deals with just too many themes and ideas, eventually making it a hotchpotch, where most of the essence of the film is lost. The denouement, while moving, is far-fetched and too perfect to believe, especially in a movie tag-lined 'Why always the same story?'

Whether it is deliberate or not, Ali feeds on the same tropes that makes every story the 'same story'. It still begins with 'once upon a time' and it ends in 'happily ever after'. In fact, the outline of the movie is no different from the classic love stories through the ages, except for that ending shot, wherein Ali doffs his hat to Guru Dutt's Pyaasa.

The movie doesn't boast of in-your-face entertainment, nor does it conform to the standard Bollywood fare. In fact, it is not a commercial film at all. It's unfair to rate this movie, as the parameters to judge this movie are totally different. This is Ali's foray into art-house cinema, as evidenced by the huge amounts of indulgence on show, and it's heartening to see him take the plunge.

In essence, while mocking the same old story, Tamasha points out to a bigger truth, that our entire life is just one big Tamasha. We can't run away from it, and we even feed on it. And the 'why' in the tag- line has been just a facade.

The truth is: we always want the same story.

Well played, Imtiaz Ali. Well played, indeed. Aapne Tamasha bana ke rakh diya hai.

Bajirao Mastani (2015)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's twelve-years-in-the-making dream project was worth the wait.

[8/10 · 20 December 2015]

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a showman.

Yes, Subhash Ghai has been holding on to that title for quite a while now, but it's high time Bhansali gets his due.

For Bajirao Mastani, Bhansali's twelve-years-in-the-making dream plays out like a perfectly carved-out setpiece.

Despite being used to the visual grandeur and the beautiful aesthetics on show in every movie of his, one can't help being in awe of the scale at which he shoots each of his frames.

Filming a costume drama is a task of Herculean proportions. Add to that, dramatizing the love story of a fabled Maratha warrior poses another arduous challenge, that of being true to the source material, while exercising creative liberty.

This is not a film that could be made by any director. Nuanced sensibilities of the kind that Bhansali possesses isn't a gift everyone has. And this skill is on full display. An auteur in the true sense of the word, he takes on the role of director, producer, music composer and storywriter, stamping his distinct style on each frame.

Set in the 1700s, the movie chronicles the rise of Peshwa Bajirao, a man who was undefeated in over 41 battles, and his passionate love story with Bundelkhandi princess Mastani. The eponymous duo, portrayed by Ranveer and Deepika, has to combat Mastani's religion- based ostracization, along with Bajirao's first wife, Kashibai (Chopra) in their bid to be one.

In terms of performances, Ranveer Singh gives his career's best. His portrayal of Bajirao is bang-on, right from his look to his distinctive Marathi accent. Whether he's swordfighting in battle or giving out orders, dancing exuberantly or romancing either of his wives, Ranveer effortlessly slips into the skin of the character, his natural energy on full display! He might as well start preparing his acceptance speeches.

Deepika's Mastani is graceful and dignified. She looks stunning, and lends her character a beautiful sense of vulnerability. Her chemistry with Ranveer, which was clearly evident in Ram-Leela, is more subdued, but nevertheless, still crackling.

But it is Priyanka Chopra, who steals the show! Bhansali gives her a meaty role, and she digs into it remarkably. Kashibai's character has almost no reference point in the history books, so it's entirely on Chopra to execute the director's vision. And she does it beautifully. Her journey from being hopelessly besotted with her husband to helplessly coming to terms with the fact that he loves another woman is gut-wrenching.

Bhansali's sets are opulent and his war scenes are majestic. The money spent to create this epic clearly shows on screen. There's a slight sense of déjà vu in the action sequences, as we've seen all this earlier this year in Baahubali. But that doesn't take away the fact that it is still a sight to behold.

The music, while not matching up to the quality of Bhansali's last outing in Ram-Leela, suits the movie just fine. The songs don't seem forced, and along with the thumping background score, they maintain the grandeur of the movie.

However, one song in particular, stands out. Deewani Mastani will be the song this movie is remembered for down the ages. The sheer grandeur and scale Bhansali manages to reach is commendable in itself. The song is the pinnacle of the movie, where we see Bajirao irreversibly falling for Mastani, and the beginning of the devastating heartbreak that Kashibai is going to suffer. Again, top notch acting from Chopra.

Period dramas are slow-burn and long, and so is Bajirao Mastani, clocking in a 157-minute runtime. The movie could have done better with a tighter screenplay, and certain scenes were definitely unnecessary. Certain characters, like that of Adiya Pancholi, disappear midway through the movie, only to never be seen. The end of the movie feels rushed and overtly anticlimactic. However, these are minor flaws in a truly grand epic.

Bajirao Mastani re-establishes Sanjay Leela Bhansali as the master of aesthetics, with his gorgeously lavish sets and his characters' stellar performances. His movie is an epic in every sense of the word.

Go watch it for the trio and their master showman.

Dilwale (2015)

Dilwale is Rohit Shetty's worst movie. It's painfully fake and hopelessly contrived; an assembly-line piece of garbage that mistakes the audience for a fool.

[2/10 · 20 December 2015]

Here's the thing with Rohit Shetty movies: we know it's going to be the leave-your-brain-behind type. We know it's not going to make any sense. We know the internet trolls and the twitterati are going to bite into the movie even before it releases.

And yet we watch it. For the simple reason that he makes us laugh.

Somewhere in the middle of Chennai Express, the jokes had dried up, the quips and the crisp dialogue had thinned, and the monotony was there to be seen. Singham Returns exposed that even further.

But this one takes the cake.

Dilwale is Rohit Shetty's worst movie. It's painfully fake and hopelessly contrived; an assembly-line piece of garbage that mistakes the audience for a fool.

So we have Shah Rukh Khan playing Kaali (go figure!), a retired son of a mafia boss, who lives with his younger brother Veer (Varun Dhawan) in Goa, the setting of many of Shetty's films. Veer's love interest is Ishita (a lovely Kriti Sanon). And Kaali has a brief, turbulent love-hate past with Meera (Kajol) in Bulgaria, which catches up with him later in his life.

In the midst of all this there are mafia bosses, a local Goan don for the villain, a sidekick (Varun Sharma, aces it) and the usual Rohit Shetty comedians thrown in for good measure.

This is a movie laced with stereotypes. Be it the step brothers with one of them being an orphan, or the painfully obvious plot twists, ones which can be seen from a mile away.

In terms of performances, there's not much to do for Kriti Sanon except for looking really pretty. Varun Dhawan has done this kind of goofy man-child role in Main Tera Hero before; he's pretty much the same here.

Kajol looks simply stunning, she's aged beautifully. Her acting credentials were never in doubt, but she's saddled with such a hopeless role and cringeworthy dialogue.

Shah Rukh sleepwalks through this role, just like he's done in Happy New Year and Chennai Express. He's an absolute bore; his eyes grim and his face stoic.

What is most disappointing is that the hullabaloo surrounding this movie was about the coup that Shetty managed to pull off with SRK and Kajol, unquestionably Bollywood's most chemically potent pair, and yet their chemistry is almost non-existent in Dilwale. Not being able to capitalize on SRK-Kajol's pair just goes to show what a shoddy mess the movie is. Yes, there are the occasional sparks, like the silent nod to the 'palat' scene from DDLJ, but those are few and far between.

Almost all the lines fall flat, which is disappointing, especially coming from dialogue writers like Sajid-Farhad. The scenes look farcical, the acting extremely fake, and the jokes forced. Barely a couple of laughs are generated, mainly due to the ever-reliable Johnny Lever and another Priyadarshanesque montage leading to a hilariously confusing story.

Shetty has always been 'inspired' by various films, as evidenced by the Golmaal series, Bol Bachchan and even Singham. With Dilwale, not only has he taken bits and pieces from trashy potboilers of the 80s, but this time he's gone further and taken a page out of a TV show.

In the middle of the once-amazing CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, protagonist Ted Mosby meets a woman called Stella, and due to shortage of time, he takes her on a two-minute date, an extremely endearing montage, and one of the highlights of the show. Our man Shetty blatantly copies the concept, and it's neither impressive nor heartwarming.

It's a shame to see Rohit Shetty start taking the audience for granted to such an extent. It's even more shameful that Shah Rukh Khan agreed to not only act in this mess, but also produce it. Dilwale is a mistake that will be difficult to erase.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Varun Dhawan is proposing to Kriti Sanon. And in a bid to go all out, he plans to do the one thing that simply can't fail in Bollywood - SRK's arms-raised pose.

He prays, 'Bhaiya, sambhaal lena'. Sure, he gets the girl. But not even his bhaiya can save this atrocity of a movie.

Shaandaar (2015)

All in all, Shaandaar does live up to its title. Go watch this ̶m̶o̶v̶i̶e̶, fairytale!

[8/10 · 22 October 2015]

Vikas Bahl returns to direct his third film, on the heels of the widely-lauded Queen. While that movie was grounded in realism, Shaandaar plays out like a glossy Disney-esque fairy tale.

Every scene in Shaandaar feels like a page of an illustration-filled story book. The characters are over-the-top without any negative shades, the movie is set in a Victorian-era castle, heck, there's even an adorable animated prologue.

It has been touted as 'India's first destination-wedding film', and that should have been enough of a clue to figure out that there's not going to be any story here, so to speak. Which is absolutely fine, as such films rely on the cast and a tight screenplay to push them across the line. And it's safe to say that Shaandaar succeeds in that.

The movie, in a sense, is quite reminiscent of Hum Aapke Hain…Koun? in terms of its simplistic event-by-event linear narrative. The only difference being the modern-day additions of a wedding picnic, a bachelor party and a 'black and white night' to the usual wedding rigmarole.

It's unfair to label the cast as characters. They're just playing caricatures here. Alia Bhatt plays (surprise!) Alia Arora, an insomniac and sister of the BTB (bride-to-be, a recurring gag in the film). Her bubbly know-it-all persona and wide-eyed innocence is charming. On the other hand, Shahid Kapoor underplays his part as the wedding planner, Jagjinder Joginder (JJ), not having anything extraordinary to do.

Sanah Kapoor (Shahid's sister) plays the wedding bride, Isha, and is incredibly chirpy. However, as he very often does, it is Pankaj Kapur who effortlessly steals the show, as Alia's and Isha's father. His chemistry with Alia is endearing, and his confrontations with Shahid are the highlight of the film!

Amongst the rest of the cast, there's Sanjay Kapoor, making a shoddy imitation of brother Anil, who plays an excruciatingly stereotyped Sindhi, which gets annoying after a point of time. Sushma Seth deserves a special mention here, as she is absolutely hilarious as the overtly bossy grandmother.

The outdoor locations are picturesque, and extremely pretty. Leeds and Poland have been beautifully captured. Each and every frame is splashed with color and pleasing to the eyes.

A special mention needs to be given to Amit Trivedi who's composed the music and the background score. The picturisation of each song is superb, culminating into Senti Waali Mental's brilliant jugalbandi. There are a couple of bonus tracks in the film. And an extremely hilarious rap titled 'Monday ka khaana Tuesday ko'!

Shaandaar is as over-the-top and absurd as it gets. This is a movie where frogs are named …and named Ashok nonetheless. Where the saas hates her sons and loves her bahu. Where a sneeze shakes the earth and blasts off the International Space Station. Where the leads start playing hide-and-seek, just cause it's been a while since one of them's played it. Where a kid has the ability to light a wheelchair on fire with an arrow. Where a wedding pandit is actually a cricket commentator. I could go on and on about the ludicrousness the film manages to achieve.

However, behind all the the absurdities, Shaandaar does have a soul. The characters are endearing enough. There's not a dull moment throughout the film. Bahl ensures that he doesn't drag any scenes, keeping the screenplay taut. While it may not reach the highs that Queen did last here, it does manage to engage you in its quirky, oddball way.

All in all, Shaandaar does live up to its title. Go watch this movie, fairytale!

Haider (2014)

Thank you for your chutzpah, Mr. Bhardwaj

[10/10 · 4 October 2014]

There's a startling quality in all of Vishal Bhardwaj's movies. Be it his masterful Omkara or the unabashedly 'Pulp Fiction' Kaminey, the uninhibited passion of the man for his craft shines through. Not caring about standard Bollywood song-and-dance tropes, the audacious man goes on carving his own legacy. And how!

Haider, the third of Bhardwaj's Shakespearean adaptation (after Maqbool and Omkara) takes the Bard's most famous tragedy, and concocts a dastardly tale of love, insurgency and revenge.

To call Haider just a movie would be insulting. This is free- flowing, effortless poetry in motion. Set amidst the grief-stricken Kashmir that we hardly see on the silverscreen , it's safe to say that Haider is the best movie to come out of Bollywood in ages. Revealing the plot would be a travesty. This is an experience each one of us should enjoy individually! Shahid Kapoor as the eponymous protagonist has outdone himself here. Admittedly, I've not been his greatest fan, but with this movie he's set a standard that very few actors can hope to actually level, far less top. His silence, and his piercing gaze speaks volumes.

Kay Kay Menon as the wily uncle Khurram, and the ever-so-gorgeous Tabu as Haider's mother Ghazala suit their role to the T. Even the supporting cast of lesser-known actors stand out! Watch out specially for the two Salmans who provide the only comic relief in this brooding tale of revenge.

Haider starts of slowly, giving us a glimpse of all the characters, and their motives, leaving us wanting to know more. And then there's a delightful Irrfan Khan cameo, setting us up for an exhilarating ride!

It has been a while since a movie made my jaw drop. Haider accomplished that feat for two hours. One magnificent scene after other kept coming in, at a relentless pace, leaving me gasp for more!

The picturisation of the Bismil song is the best I've seen in a movie. Ever. The crescendo reaches another level here, weaving together Gulzar's vividly descriptive lyrics.

The Shahid Kapoor monologue in the city marketplace, citing the sections of the AFSPA law is his crowning jewel amongst so many starling scenes in the movie.

The music and background score fit perfectly! It's a shame Bhardwaj composes so little. The Aao Na song is alone worth the price of the ticket. Check out the hauntingly stunning gravediggers version of the song, it's guaranteed to give you goosebumps!

There are multiple moments in the movie where you want to just stand up and clap at the audaciousness...-no wait, CHUTZPAH, of the director, breaking down every single conventional Bollywood formula. Scenes depicting the Oedipus complex are handled so sensitively, that it comes across as believable rather than vulgar. Want more proof? It's not often that I'd feel like whistling when our hero outsmarts two Salmans just to show his chutzpah, in a way that 'bhai' would be proud of!

All in all, Haider is Vishal Bhardwaj's masterpiece! It's a piece of cinematic memorabilia that should be celebrated and revered.

To see or not to see? Do you even need to ask?!