We’re less than a week away from, undoubtedly, one of the most-awaited films of the year. Dabangg – a film Salman Khan has made his own with the pencil moustache, a bit of fat and badass dialogues with a pinch of humor. Chulbul Pandey has gotten both, the autowallah and intellectual, talking about it. And, what’s more – it releases a year after Wanted, another Eid release of Sallu Bhai – which automatically assures packed single-screens and multiplexes alike.

Wanted, with its unrealistic visual effects and uncanny dialogues had given the audiences an over-the-top visual treat – and not in the Aisha way. And it even had Salman Khan dancing with Prabhudeva – moving every muscle in his body. But with Dabangg, there’s something absolutely different. It’s kicked up a storm of speculation and intrigue, alike. It’s a filmy phenomenon of sorts, a not-so-silent revolution that is all over the Indian media.

Since the theatrical trailer was first released, on July 23^rd, Dabangg has been making headlines for all the right reasons. Marking several debuts, that of Sonakshi Sinha opposite Salman Khan, Abhinav Kashyap – the director and brother of much acclaimed director, Anurag Kashyap and Arbaaz Khan as producer – the film hits theatres on 10^th September. Fearless, as the film’s title suggests, the cast and crew have been behaving that way – having the critics and analysts swing their way with great hope, and how.

Chulbul Pandey aka Robin Hood will be one character to reckon with, especially with the dialogues and action sequences. But, action and its extensiveness is not all that defines this film. It maybe the cliché journey of the hero – badass falls in love and hits realization – but the emotional quotient of the film is said to be defined by Sallu’s love interest. And the animated hearts on Chulbul Pandey’s sunglasses sure do agree with that.

The music, without mention, has caught the attention of all. Composed by the duo of Sajid-Wajid alongside Lalit Pandit of the Jatin-Lalit duo – the soundtrack had all the makings of a mass hit – the kind Himesh Reshammiya churned out when he sported a cap. Having received fairly good ratings from those necessary, it has been on everyone’s lips thanks to the radio, Facebook status updates quoting lyrics and Twitter updates too.

But what’s surprising amidst all of this is how the film has every Levi’s wearing youngster say, “I wanna watch this film. First day, first show!” Insights talk of how some feel the dialogues are cool and crass at the same time, while some talk of how it’s going to be an entertaining movie on the uppermost layer, at the least. That assured, it’s a phenomenon to be watching this category of films. A kind where you can laugh, whistle and have some fun.

Back in the day, such a film would be considered down-market, un-cool and ridiculous. But, Dabangg seems to have redefined these norms and changed perspectives. Maybe the promotional value adds to the excitement – but that can’t be it. Salman Khan, in an interview, admitted how this kind of attention was expected, but not at such a scale. Rest assured, the film is pitted to do good business over the weekend. And, the audience will comprise of everyone from the roadside Romeo to the thinking viewer to the film scholar.

So, if you have any second thoughts on why you shouldn’t watch this film, maybe watching the promos over and over will help you head to the theatres. Or try humming Munni Badnaam Hui in a public place. Either raised eyebrows or additions to your vocal powers – one of the two reactions are assured. As for me, I’m going for it. Maybe not a first day, first show – but as soon as I can get my hands on a ticket at a single-screen.

TTS Verdict – This movie will push your level of patience and tolerance to the wall and still not provide entertainment.

Rating – 2/5

Cast - John Abraham, Sonal Sehgal, Anaitha Nair, Girish Karnad, Ashwin Chitale

Director – Nagesh Kukunoor

Music – Salim-Suleiman

Hyderabad Blues, Dor and Iqbal are considered some of the finest pieces of cinema made by one of the most respected, critically acclaimed directors of our country, Nagesh Kukunoor. Each of these films had different stories, different messages, and no superstars and yet successful. But, this time around the director appears to have missed the point and like his earlier disaster 8×10 Tasveer, fails to impress.

The story is about Rahul (John Abraham) and his encounters with life, after he realizes that he is suffering from cancer and has only 3 months to survive. His illness forces him to leave everything around him, including his girlfriend and venture out. He ends up in a hospice for terminally ill and meets people who are also suffering from other incurable diseases. So, will this venture help him gain and understand something about life and will he be able to chase his dream? Or will he die in isolation?

After leaving his girlfriend behind with a huge amount of money, he leaves home. Here, he comes across many different characters with different stories. The entire first half of the movie is spent in establishing the plot, yet no other character than Rahul is well established. The cinematography is decent and reflects the intentions to make a simple and beautiful product.

Post interval the story moves forward and ventures into one of Rahul’s multiple dreams of being Indiana Jones someday. This half brings forth the other key characters of Padma (Anaitha Nair) and Govinda (Ashwin Chitale) and their involvement with Rahul. There are few more side characters, played by Farida Jalal and Girish Karnad, who try to convey a message, but unfortunately the dialogues are not very impactful.

Govinda, on one hand makes Rahul venture into the world of Indiana Jones, by narrating him one of the stories with John playing Indiana Jones, and fulfilling one of his wishes. The story starts with promise, and ends as a wastage of time. By the end of it, you will be asking yourself whether Kukunoor trying to prove a point to Spielberg? On the other hand, Padma, a 17 year old patient falls for a 35 year old Rahul and wishes to spend some special moments with him.

The movie constantly fluctuates between highs and lows. Just the moment you are about to feel that movie is going towards an optimistic direction, you are suddenly hit by a scene which can depress you The movie also shows Rahul and Padma trying to fulfill all the last wishes of all the patients in the hospice, but unfortunately not all are fulfilled.

The music by Salim-Sulaiman is pretty decent, and syncs with the flow of the movie.

Only if Sonal Sehgal could act, it would have been better. Anaitha Nair and Ashwin Chitale have done a fine job and deserve praise. But the man to watch out for is John Abraham. The director has been successful in scripting a new character for the hunk and he stands up to the expectations, barring few scenes.

All in all, Aashayein definitely does not appear like a Nagesh Kukunoor product at all and disappoints in various technical and commercial aspects.  A script with so much potential, but the lack of proper execution is what Aashayein is, in a nutshell.

The early 2000s saw the introduction of stars like Emraan Hashmi and Mallika Sherawat and their kissing controversies. Mallika Sherawat’s first film Khwaaish was heavily criticized for its bold scenes. A year later Murder came by and the controversies regarding its bold scenes propped up too. But in spite of these controversies the movies did manage to gross profits and were hits at the Indian box-office.

In 2004, the Indian audience was introduced to ‘Jadoo’ and eventually loved by them too. Koi Mil Gaya was the first ever sci-fi movie made in Bollywood and a massive hit. 2 years later, the father-son duo unveiled the first ever Indian super hero, Krrish which was the highest grosser during its release. Both the movies had completely different concepts with no relations to the traditional Indian family sagas and did extremely well at the box office.

In the year 2006, Dharma Productions produced another controversial and the first of its kind family drama, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK). The movie had superstars like Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee and dealt with extra marital affairs. But in spite of such a huge star cast the movie failed to impress the Indian public and was heavily criticized for the alien concept. Nonetheless, it was a huge hit overseas.

It has been four years since then and there have been movies like Taare Zameen Par, A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan amongst others, which had something new to offer and did pretty well at the box office too. But, none of the movies dealt with the subject of family matters.

The Bollywood remake of Stepmom is about to enter the gray area and one can expect either surprises or shocks. The topic can be a little touchy towards the Indian sentiments but at the same time it also reflects the impact of the western culture in India today. The movie does not have a huge star cast like Dharma’s former production KANK and hence may find difficulties in attracting crowds but it will be interesting to see how many people in India, will be actually able to relate themselves to this family.

Venue: High Spirits, next to ABC Farms
Date & Time: 26th Aug, ’10, 8.45 pm onwards
Cover Charge: 100 INR

Following is the line up for this edition:

Marry Me / Australia
Little girl likes a little Boy. Little boy like a BMX bike. Something has to give.

Little Sivaji / India
The most hilarious spoof on one of India’s greatest living legends!

SMS / India
How far will you go to help someone who’s identity is only number on their mobile phone…

The Gentleman’s Duel / UK
Men will always be men even when they have to fight a duel! A cute story set in old France where winning a lady’s hand was the most important thing for a gentleman.

Bhaichaara / India
A very funny, silent tale of two estranged brothers who meet at a café. What happens next?

What is that? / Greece
A film that makes u fall in love with your parents all over again.

Cast: Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Malaika Shenoy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Farrukh Jaffer

Director: Anusha Rizvi

Music: Indian Ocean

TTS Verdict: One of the best satires made recently. A must watch for all citizens to know how the pillars of our democracy actually function.

Rating: 4/5

The media is expected to play a key role in a nation’ progress and expose all the corrupt politicians. But what happens when the media and the politicians forget their roles and start earnings profits from the news of the suicide of a poor farmer? Hype creation, everything being sensationalized and the entire village hosts carnivals and fairs. Peepli [Live] deals with similar and very sensitive issue of farmer suicide’ and tries to expose the people with power.

Peepli [Live] is a about a farmer duo Natha (Omkar Das) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) struggling to protect their piece of land. Threatened by poverty and pressurized by Dhaniya (Natha’ wife) they are forced to seek help from local politicians who suggest  suicide to be eligible to avail a compensation of a lakh under the Farmer’ Suicide Scheme. Natha falls into the trap and decides to commit suicide. This news is overheard by an aspiring journalist and the story is printed in the local newspaper. What follows is a series of events which will make you think over the functioning of key elements in our society and how a common man is fooled every time.

The first half of the movie establishes the base for Natha’ suicide and introduces all the major characters who will involve themselves to gain from his suicide. The director spoofs up the situation in today’ villages in a very subtle manner and if observed closely – will make you laugh. This half shows Natha being awarded the Lal Bahadur (Hand Pump) as an immediate action by the Government to change his decision and when everything seems back on track, the media steps in.

The movie unfolds in the second half and shows the games played by politicians and media to fill their stomachs. The coverage shown by media, in the movie can be related to the coverage given to Prince, the young boy who fell into a bore well. The cut-throat competition and sensationalism makes them forget what news is to be covered and what isn’t. . To add on, the politicians continue to find ways to save their seats in the upcoming elections by merging with opponents. The movie goes on to symbolize hard work and pain through a character and how everyone neglects that, as we all are busy in seeing what entertains us.

Indian Ocean must be applauded for its music. The movie starts with Des Mera, and the tempo is set from that very moment. The performances by all the actors are extraordinary and not for a moment will they make you feel, that they are new comers. Debutante Anusha Rizvi has done a fine job with the directon and Shankar Raman’s cinematography is appreciable complemented with a smooth flow in the edit. The execution of the transitions from cine cameras to the news cameras is done beautifully.

To sum it up, Peepli Live is an eye opener and can shake your trust in the Government and the media. More like, if politicians don’t let you sit in peace, then the media won’t even let you shit in peace.

Nishant Mehta

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Ira Dubey, Amrita Puri, Cyrus Sahukar, Arunoday Singh, Lisa Haydon
Director: Rajshree Ojha
Music: Amit Trivedi

Verdict: Watch this film for its fashion sense, aesthetic sense and to learn to hate Aisha. Nothing more.
Rating: 2/5

Another one bites the dust? Following Kites and Raavan – the so called biggies of this year – the producers of Aisha will laugh their way to the bank alright – but with the money, not the reviews and ratings. Cutting a very long story short – if you love making everyone else’s business yours, go watch this movie. If you appreciate chic fashion and perfectly sculpted legs – go watch this movie. If you love happy-sappy endings, go watch this movie. And lastly, if your IQ level is close to negligible – go watch this movie.

The plot of the film Aisha is as shallow as the protagonist herself and revolves around mainly three things – shopping, partying and match-making. Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) is all about finding matches in her friends, wearing Christian Dior, finding new hobbies and finding solace in her voluntary unemployment. Her best friend Pinky (Ira Dubey), accompanies for most of these things and delivers a great performance. Enter Shefali (Amrita Puri) from Bahadurgarh, who under Aisha undergoes the transformation from behenji to babe – but only on the exterior. Arjun (Abhay Deol) tries making sense to Aisha in every possible scene only to face her retort and sneer.

Randhir (Cyrus Sahukar) is all over Aisha, but little does he know that she is trying to set him up with Shefali. Enter Dhruv (Arunoday Singh) and Aisha begins to go weak in the knees – but is unsure about it yet again, like she always got when it came to love. And from here it’s all about showing Delhi and its posh locales and houses. Move to malls, salons and parties. Progressing to Rishikesh and rafting and a beautiful song – Sham – captured and edited with such grace on celluloid. Aisha is on the surface of it – laced with a pretty good soundtrack by Amit Trivedi (once again) – is just about this.

The first half makes it worth all the money you spend on the tickets and popcorn – but the second half will help you sleep over the trauma of how you did spend that money. It gets draggy and highly predictable – where every guy tries his luck with every girl in sight and vice-versa – until they all fall in place. Visually, the film is a masterpiece – in terms of style, cinematography, editing and simple locales. The performances were more or less up to the mark – with Abhay Deol being the pick of the lot and Sonam Kapoor doing well in most sequences.

I’d rate the film higher – but the script and dialogues are quite poor – which is probably the only thing, other than the character of Aisha – will make you uncomfortavble in your chair. If only this had been looked into greater detail along with the costumes – the film would have a good grasp. On the whole, there are more reasons to not watch this film when compared to why you should. But if at all you do decide to watch this film – go for the Aisha in Sonam Kapoor and leave most of your brain at home.

Shamiana Shorts completes 2 years and is celebrating the occasion at this month’s screening at High Spirits. You might be lucky to manage some free cake.

Venue: High Spirits, next to ABC Farms
Date & Time: 29th July, ’10, 8.45 pm onwards
Cover Charge: 125 INR

Following is the line up for this edition:

Misunderstood / India
A sweet, young film that ends with a smile on your face and some pride in your heart.

Small Pleasures / Germany
Sometimes the simple things of life are best enjoyed by ‘special’ people.

Pigeon Impossible (animation) / USA
What if James Bond was harrowed by a pidgeon??? Would he still be able to save the world?

Aasai / India
Happiness sometimes lies in the simplest of things. A beautiful short set in a small town of Tamil Nadu.

Songs of Blood and Sword (Docu on Fatima Bhutto) / India
Presenting India’s first documentary on South Asia’s new face on the political block, I had the opportunity of meeting her and in the process discovering what runs into the mind age of the new age generation of Pakistan. A first hand account of guns, corruption, danger and what it means to be a Bhutto, straight from Fatima Murtaza Bhutto. *Interview by Cyrus Dastur

How to get a Woman (animation) / USA
Well, well, well… men will always be MEN! An awesome animation short!

Road Rage / India
A humorous take on all the road rages that are a common occurrence in India today. Very funny!

Cast: Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Ayaan Barodia, Ram Kapur
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
Music: Amit Trivedi

Verdict: Teenage angst, real problems, Hitler’s clone for a father and beautiful treatment aligned with great performances. To be watched for all the right reasons.
Rating: 4/5

Almost as if it were a new trend, everyone – critics, masses and even the film fraternity keep talking of parallel cinema. Udaan – as parallel as parallel cinema can be; as real as realistic cinema can be. A film which holds true to its name, Udaan takes off, step by step and takes you along. A film that talks differently of father-son relationships, friendships, teenage angst avoiding the mush and other such things Bollywood loves to miss. It will slowly absorb you, with its poetry, script, acting, music and silent moments – each, which make you uncomfortable and empathise with the protagonist.

Rajat Barmecha’s portrayal of Rohan Singh – the teenager who gets expelled from school for tapping the wall and watching a porno, only having to return to his Hitler of a father, Ronit Roy in the industrial town of Jamshedpur – exhibits the real problems teenagers face. With a storyline that is firmly grounded, the film with its great cinematic moments makes you feel a part of these issues intensely. The lyrical quotient of the film is sky high, so much so that it makes you go wow, almost every single time any poetry is uttered. With a great screenplay and equally good dialogues, Vikramaditya Motwane not only scores with direction but also compliments Anurag Kashyap’s mastery with the pen.

Ronit Roy delivers a power packed, fearful performance as the father – who confesses to doing the things he does because of work pressure, frustration and loneliness. Ram Kapoor was inevitably the best choice to portray the only light in the domestic life of Rohan, which is down in the dumps, as his Chaachu and Bhairav’s (Ronit Roy) younger brother, Jimmy. The film showcases the different life Rohan led at boarding school and now leads in his father’s steel workshop, oscillating between attending college in the evenings and sneaking out to drink at night, with a bunch of new found friends. And, without much to say, the younger step brother, Arjun (Aayan Barodia) steals your heart away – with just smiles and his eyes.

The film goes on to prove how life is not always only about happy endings, happy families, elaborate dance sequences and Manish Malhotra clothing. There’s one particular scene at the park, during a family picnic which has Rohan recite one of his poems upon the insistence of his Chaachu – the setting and lines of which will not only leave you spellbound, but want it played over and over again. With a perfectly blending soundtrack, which is a masterpiece in itself, shows the skill of Amit Trivedi who weaves dreams once again – after scoring well with Dev D. The songs, non obstructive help in setting the mood and maintain the pace.

With great, picturesque cinematography and crisp editing – which compliments the leisurely pace of the narrative – don’t be surprised if the film makes you cry, more than just once. Not aimed to be a tearjerker, the film has already won several accolades being India’s first entry to The 2010 International Cannes Film Festival under the UN Certain Regard Category – credit to which must go to Anurag Kashyap and Ronnie Screwvala for being such supportive producers to a wave of cinema that needs this kind of recognition. All in all – go watch Udaan, for all the reasons you can think of. It’s a film for the Bollywood buff, who likes to think and take home a little more than just entertainment.

Naman Saraiya

With a short film from Greece, an animated short from Germany, a laugh a riot from Australia, a music video from aamchi Mumbai and a sweet effort from a filmmaker in Pune, Shamiana Shorts founder, Cyrus Dastur calls it “the rainbow before the rains”.

Venue: High Spirits, next to ABC Farms
Date & Time: 27th May, ’10, 8.45 pm onwards
Cover Charge: 100 INR

Following is the line up for this edition:

Wait for Me (music video) / India
A story of deceit and jilted love

Zohra / UK
About a young Pakistani girl’s first tryst with life in London of the 60′s

Anders Artig (animation) / Germany
A story about a friendly frog out to make more friends.

Karaamat (The Miracle) / India
The story of Salim, a petty thief and a murderer.

Small Pleasures / Greece
A beautiful story from Greece.

Country We Live In / India
A film from Pune.

Road Rage / Australia
A funny story about road rage.

Cast: Scarlett Johannson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy

Director: Peter Webber

Verdict: The film, a picturesque retreat set in 1665 Holland with brilliant art direction puts life into Vermeer’s most famous work with the same name.

TTS Rating: 3/5

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Peter Webber’s film adaptation of Tracy Chevilier’s novel of the same name, revolves around the relationship between the 17^th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer and his housemaid, Greit, who goes on to become his talented assistant and soon the inspiration for his most famous work. She must model for the painting without the knowledge of the artist’s wife. Colin Firth plays Johannes Vermeer, who could have given a better performance, whilst Scarlett Johansson merely 19 at the time, plays Greit, the maid and the muse. Tom Wilkinson, who plays Greit’s love interest as the butcher boy, has done a fairly good job.

The best part of the film would undoubtedly be its brilliant cinematography, and of course the gorgeous Johansson. She plays her part of being a downcast and poor maid extremely well. Eduardo Serra, the cinematographer, has made each shot look like a painting in itself. For instance, a rape scene in the film that is actually taking place outdoors is shown as a blurred image seen through a thick glass, by a child. By doing so, distorted colors and actions are noticable but it spares the viewer the horror of watching the actual occurrence, also succeeding in giving the scene an artistic touch.

Colin Firth’s role as Johannes Vermeer in the film seems rather awkward, as his emotions are not suitably prominent to guess whether he is happy or sad, which is pitiable, as he has delivered better roles in the past. Beautifully compensating this loss though, is the film’s art direction, which makes the period film, set in Holland 1665 believable with its open markets, canals, period costumes and women wearing strange white caps that cover their hair. Most of the male audience would be of the opinion that Johansson should have been granted more scenes without her cap to allow her flaunt her beautiful locks.

There is certain vagueness in the script that does not bind the film too strongly. For me, this is what made it a good watch. The vagueness in the dialogues is what allows the film to utilise its arty visual element to its complete advantage and makes it more of a visual experience for the viewer than an auditory one. For instance, unlike other films of its genre, romance between her and the butcher-boy are is shown through stolen smiles. Also sexual tension is portrayed through body language when she is in the studio with Vermeer. The part where Vermeer takes his wife’s pearl earring to complete the painting’s composition has been beautifully shown with little dialogues

What brings the film closer to reality is Scarlett’s similarity to the model in the original painting, sometimes referred to as the ‘Dutch Mona Lisa’ The painting has not been put into the film, though one can say, the film has been put into Vermeer’s painting.

Rohini Kejriwal