anant_films Reviews

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

really, wasn't expecting what i saw too...

[6/10 · 27 December 2008]

it's a surprise a person having made a film like Trainspotting can come up with such a poor adaptation and a really bad portrayal of a city like this. but more surprising than that is the reception and the reaction of the so called 'western' audiences. i'm an Indian and i utterly dislike the film. Mumbai is so wrongfully portrayed in this fantasized modern-day 'fairy tale'. i do not think Ebert or any other film critic has ever seen a better film which portrays Mumbai truly. and let us be true to ourselves people, Slumdog looks like a less violent, more sentimental 'Cidade De Deus'. kids with guns, a humble n honest protagonist, stark lighting, paced-up editing...Mumbai isn't at all like the city of god! about the music, A.R. Rahman is a genius, nobody can deny that. but this is not his masterpiece. he has given way better music than this; in Roja, Bombay, Rang De Basanti, Dil Se. even if he ends up with an Oscar for this, this soundtrack would still remain among the not-so-good Rahman albums.

the film is a real let down at least for all the Indians i know of who have seen. its cheesy, Bollywoodish, immensely predictable and, too too clichéd...clichés which do not work...

perhaps for the fantasy-driven, fairy-tale, living-in-a-dream viewers.

Halo (1996)

THE BEST CHILDREN FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN

[9/10 · 2 June 2004]

Halo is perhaps THE best children film I have ever seen. This is a story of a lonely girl Sasha, who lives with her father and her cousin sister, and longs for a good friend. One day a small puppy enters her house and gets very friendly with Sasha. Sasha thinks she has received the puppy from the God and names it HALO. But one day suddenly, the puppy disappears and then starts Sasha's search. The end is really very touching. The film is technically very well made by one of the greatest cinematographers of the world, Santosh Sivan. Along with that funny sequences in between make the film more interesting and watchable. Acting by Benaf Dadachanji (Sasha) is really award-winning. the film also features good performances by Sasha's father (the well known director Rajkumar Santoshi) and the bald child.

Yuva (2004)

Simply Youthful

[8/10 · 21 May 2004]

Yuva is a great comeback for Maniratnam as a Hindi film director after the unsuccessful Dil Se. His earlier regional language films like Velu Nayakan, Anjali, Roja, Bombay, Iruvar and many more have been highly successful all over India. Yuva is a thrilling story of three young guns of Calcutta whose stories get connected by a road mishap. The film is based upon college. Ajay Devgan (two time National Award winner) has given a fantastic performance as a college leader along with Vivek Oberoi. The actors are aptly casted and the film is technically very good. Cinematography is just out of this world. But the limelight is stolen by Abhishek Bachchan who has given the performance of a lifetime. His role of a street-side malefactor will surely win him awards. HATS OFF TO YUVA & MANIRATNAM!!!

Junoon (1979)

Revolutionaries vs Imperialists

[9/10 · 17 February 2004]

One of the best Indian films i have seen, this film was adapted by Ruskin Bond's novella "A Flight of Pigeons". Shashi Kapoor's first film as a producer, he chose the best director to direct Junoon - Shyam Benegal. Brilliant performances by Shashi Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Jennifer Kapoor and Shabana Azmi, the film won several Filmfare Awards (Indian Oscars) including the Best Film and the Best Director awards. The film based on the 1957 mutiny by Indian soldiers, the film tells about the haunting story of an English girl kidnapped by a Pathan revolutionary.