mukund_rebel Reviews

Dev.D (2009)

"Watch Dev D, get bombed, and then go watch it again"

[8/10 · 17 March 2010]

After waiting for month or a two, my friend ( who wants to watch it again !!) and I booked tickets. A lady just behind our seat was yelling what the hell is "Dv D". My friend and I couldn't stop smiling. When I settled in my seat to witness the spectacle, I couldn't help but feel the buzz, the excitement in the dim lit cinema hall, with people shouting hooting EA even before the movie started. I was damn sure, this was gonna be a helluva ride. And it was much much more than that. It was….. hmmm.. Read on.

From where the hell should I start. The film begins with the clash of Dev and Paro. They flirt, dirty talk, make out but just before the finale the misunderstandings trigger their arrogance, temper and egos. They just hit off each other. Sparks fly here and there. And after finally bad mouthing each other they settle and decide to move on. But for Dev, the emotional Atyachaar has just begun. And then, as the age old story of Devdas goes, he drowns himself in booze, dope which finally leads to self destruction.

The main 'attraction' of the movie was indeed 'Emosional Atyachaar'. And what a song. And what a 'music video' !! Patna ke Presleys kick start the song with sheer retro/whacky brilliance. Paro cuts loose on the dance floor, and apna Dev boozing to the brim vomits, then trying to walk up to Paro collapses. Whoa!!! I just cant stop gushing. EA was an event!!!!!

Coming back to the movie,The detailing is phenomenal, the dialogue, the graffiti, the camera, a "real" Punjabi wedding, the abuse, the bong, the drugs,the momos,the brothels ,the black goggles and even the sex everything is so well placed and thought of that you just cant stop ur self from standing up and giving AK a bow for this work.

The movie's progress was totally guided/dictated by the songs. The lovely rustic flavored Dhol Yara Dhol introduces to the world of Paro. The free spirited Yehi meri Zindagi takes us through Chanda's back story. Pardesi plays during Abhay's first real 'trip' in an underground pub. Look out for the Dev's dip in water and the visuals that follow. The movies from the west have used it often, but to see it on the Indian screen was a treat. The three break dancing dudes stuff was pure insane brilliance. Also look out for the three dudes when they sing Saali khushi. Hilarious!!!!

Casting is another high point here, with ABHAY standing tall and Mahi,she was just as raw as the character wanted her to be( I wonder if a director ever before dared to show what testosterone charged young lovers talk on phone like the brilliant "have u touched yourself?" in the starting scene ,couldn't stop smiling).

But that kick which we all aspire in life and mostly while boozing and doping, is here delivered by the intoxicating visuals which follow the glass break on the wall. EA rock version plays in the background and hits you like a snort of coke (just imagining..). It was a roller coaster ride.

After I left the hall I couldn't find a word to describe it. I was just needing somebody who could ask me how was the movie and I could say " awesome". Luckily when I reached home my brother asked me how was it???..............

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

It's a crime to miss this one!!

[9/10 · 2 January 2009]

When a orphan named Jamal Malik, from the slums of Mumbai, makes it to the final question on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, his credibility is put into question. Did he cheat? The police arrest and torture the 18-year-old, hoping to uncover some kind of illegal motivation, but instead they get the heartwarming story of his life so far. And that's why Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is really clever. The film is not really about winning 10 or 20 million rupees on Millionaire, it's a love story, told through flashbacks.

There are three different types of people: Those who know a little about everything, those who know a lot about one or two things, and those who just know what they have been exposed to over the course of their life. Jamal fits neatly into the third category. Every answer Jamal got right on the game show, leading up to the final question, was the result of an important moment from his childhood living on the streets of India. And of course there is Latika, a girl who serves as a through-line for Jamal's adventures. She is the love of his life, the love he lost. In fact, Jamal only tried out to be on Millionaire with the hope that Latika might see it and that they could be reunited.

Featuring an electrifying score by AR Rehman, Boyle presents India as it has never been seen before, from the slums to the Taj Mahal. Vivid visuals combined with this City of God-like tale of a few orphan kids trying to survive in a gang-infested city. Based on the bestselling Vikas Swarup novel Q and A, Slumdog Millionaire was scripted by Simon Beaufoy, who had also written the script for The Full Monty, one of Boyle's favorite films. My only complaint is that the torture sequence that begins the film felt unnecessary to the story, and out of place in this film. But it's only a minor issue.

Ghajini (2008)

Nolan got a new tattoo on his chest "Murugadoss killed Memento!!"

[2/10 · 25 December 2008]

Movies like Memento gets made once in a while. It has nothing to do with the story, it has nothing to do with the direction, it has nothing to do with the cinematography, it has everything to do with the execution(Now, I'm not saying that direction,editing,cinematography was not good. It was A-class. No second thoughts there for sure. But, the point here is the movie doesn't STAND out for me due to these factors.) I mean the whole movie was played backwards. How more innovative can you get? And not only it was innovativeness, Nolan did a damn cool job of changing one's thought process and the way one analyzes each character. You side/sympathize/loathe with some characters in the beginning and after a point it is the other way around. How many movies have been able to achieve that? Not many. I'm sure. This is what makes Memento great. This is what makes Memento MEMENTO. This is film making raised to the power infinity.

And then comes Murugadoss, says he was inspired by Nolan and he wrote his own version of the film. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing. Although, I still feel Aamir's body tattooing( just like Leonard's method of remembering things) is too much of a coincidence if not anything else. Now, the movie might be completely different from what Memento is, or what Memento showed. But, it would be very tough for me to watch the movie in isolation. I mean granted, the movie might not be a Memento, but hasn't it taken the central idea( and also the tattoo's part?) . And then what does the director do? He adds an Asin, subtracts some clothes, adds some songs again, shows us a love angle? Why? Why so accommodating all of a sudden Murugadoss? And then Aamir Khan steps in. The man who knows it all, have been there and done that kind of air with him. "Momento I couldn't understand," he writes with a nonchalance. Also, he didn't 'enjoy' it too. No problems there too. Movies are just like opinions. To each his own. Disliking 'Momento' doesn't make Aamir a bad actor/director. But, what does he do to make the movie talked out, is to get a new look for the movie. I mean how bloody convenient? You took one of the strongest ideas, played around with it. Walked with it up to a certain extent and then when you developed cold feet, added what the audience would like? I'm not against songs, romance in the movie( esp. Hindi movies) but, just for the heck of it? Build up an original idea, do what so ever you want to do with it. Make love to it, seduce, rape. Whatever. But the idea has to be yours.

But, please don't flinch someone else's idea, toy with it mercilessly, get someone to back you up by saying, I didn't 'enjoy' it. Though that 'someone' is the superstar is a different thing all together. I wouldn't have any problems had Ghajini been Murugadoss's and only Murugadoss's baby, I would have cared too hoots. Had he added a zillion songs, it wouldn't have mattered. But, I would be very, very sad if Murugadoss kills one of my favorite movies of all time.