Bombay Talkies

Originally written on: 7th May 2013

They said it was a film that celebrated 100 years of Indian Cinema but in reality, it is a film celebrating the true fans of Indian Cinema, people like you and me.

Bombay Talkies is an anthology of 4 short films by 4 celebrated directors, Karan Johar (Kuch Kuch Hota Hain), Dibakar Banerjee(Oye Lucky Lucky Oye), Zoya Akhtar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) and Anurag Kashyap (Dev D). The reason I am mentioning films along with the directors for you to appreciate the diverse collection these four people can shell out. In case of BT, the film flows like a single story with four different touches.

You have Karan Johar, breaking out of his comfort family zone and venturing into a story that weaves around a modern marriage of convenience and career disrupted with the arrival of a homosexual man. The set up is stylish, the plot believable but the ending inconclusive. The melancholy ajeeb daastan hai ye, (sung by a beggar on a busy Mumbai station) adds a haunting melody to this story. Randeep Hooda, Rani Mukherjee and Saqib Saleem are perfectly cast.

Dibakar Banerjee’s  adaptation of a Satyajit Ray short story is heartwarming to say the least. Set in the lower middle class lanes of Mumbai, it introduces you to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a failed actor struggling under the strain to make ends meet but above all bring a smile on his daughter’s face. As luck would have it, he strays into a film’s shoot and is asked to pose as a passerby. The story tugs at your heart and although it is full of laughs, by the time it ends, it will bring tears to your eyes. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, take a bow!

 When Zoya Akhtar starts her story, you flinch slightly in your seat. A young boy is refusing to play football and dreams of dressing up like Katrina Kaif, you wonder if the film will ponder over confused sexual identities but you are in for a surprise. The narration is warm with a very real brother-sister bond, parental pressure, peer pressure and in the end you can’t help but smile as you concede that dreams however small(or different) are to be cherished and when they come true… you indeed are the king (queen?) of the world!

Anurag Kashyap easily has the most filmy story under his belt. A fan’s (Vineet Kumar) zeal to have Amitabh Bachchan taste his Murabba on his father’s request. This film captures the essence of the true Bollywood fan who will  travel many rivers, endure many storms and shed many tears to meet his favorite star. A tad bit stretched, you can expect this story to either have a very happy or a very sad ending and just as you will reach for your tissues, Anurag Kashyap will surprise you!

The mood of the film is set by a beautiful background score by Amit Trivedi. *Applause*

I’d go on to describe the cinematography and editing but the soul of Bombay Talkies is the stories it tells.

The song at the end featuring all stars though… is a Mood Killer! 

The Oath of Vayuputras: Disappoints

Originally written on: 19th March 2013

The face of Indian bestselling authors has changed. A throne occupied (unfortunately) by Chetan Bhagat for the better part of last decade is now home to Amish Tripathi. If you don’t agree, you are welcome to check the frenzied pre-booking orders registered on Flipkart a couple of months prior to the release. He is a celebrity… his bad writing be damned!

Amish shot to fame after his debute novel Meluha, became a sleeper and surprise success. The book  was a delightful new approach to our mythology, chronicling the journey of a man whose deeds made him the God. Lord Shiva is just Shiva, a simple Tibetian leader whose strong morals and a strange twist of fate make him the God of people.

The Oath of the Vayuputras is a much awaited finale to the trilogy, and is preceded by The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of Nagas.

What is evil? 

The trilogy centers around this question. The first book clearly tilts the arrow towards Chandravanshi’s who disrupt the apparently harmonious lives of Meluhans. This logic is dispelled at the end, when Shiva (branded Neelkanth by the Meluhans) wages a war against the Chandravanshi’s to realize that they too see a saviour in him. The second book significantly narrows down the evil to be associated to the Nagas (deformed humans) but half way through even this belief is challenged.

 The Oath of the Vayuputras picks up where Nagas left and the reader along with Shiva inches closer to the real Evil. In a predictable twist, the real evil is revealed or to quote the author ‘Anything good is bound to turn evil at some point.’ Now Shiva, along with his trusted aides, must challenge the entire country to give up this evil which they hold dearer than their families. Opposition is met at predictable corners and the book offers no real surprise or twist.

We learn more about the mysterious Vasudevs and a new set of characters, Vayuputras, are introduced. None of the races leave an impact equivalent to the characters or societies introduced in the previous book. In terms of plot, the novel is a ‘Travel Guide to Ancient India’ and has very less basic story. It is an endless river of monologues and strategies which don’t read well when executed. Amish’s sloppy writing was a concern in the Nagas but the magnificent twists and wholesome content compensated for it, which unfortunately, is not the case with the final book.

The story blends the line between History and Mythology (and tons of Geography  ) with interesting insights from the author.

The existing characters take turns to be foolish, greedy, naive, honor-bound, weak or passionate causing hurdles for the well-meaning group. Shiva, the protagonist, retains his intelligence, humility and sense of humor and you have no option but love, adore and worship him. A character that refuses to leave you  long after you close the book, is Shiva’s wife, Sati. She is extremely well-written by the author as a woman of substance. Her battle sequences are described commendably well as she fights with valor and vigor. She is the sole reason you will have a lump in your throat towards the climax.

The ending though…  disappoints.

*Best I could write without revealing the story.

Why Kai Po Che Ticks!

Originally written on: 5th March 2013

When Abhishek Kapoor decided to adapt 3 mistakes of my Life on celluloid, the news was of no particular importance to me… until.. I saw the Trailer of Kai Po Che!

A lot of ‘non-reading only film-watching’ friends of mine were flabbergasted at my sudden interest in a trailer that looked nothing different from Rang De Basanti or Dil Chahta Hai. Yet, all movie enthusiasts reading this must have noticed the brilliant cinematography capturing Gujarat in a nutshell, the natural tone of sepia holding the screen, the music blending effortlessly and transitioning brilliantly as the imagery changed in the 2 mins trailer.

The film opened to rave reviews two weeks back so this piece of writing is not a traditional review, just me marveling at various nuances of cinematic brilliance in the movie. I can only salute Abhishek Kapoor for acknowledging the potential in a mediocre book (I am being kind) and visualizing its outcome on the screen. He is brilliantly aided by Chetan Bhagat, who should consider screen writing as a career option. Together they have revamped the book and made it… Kai Po Che (or Kapiyo Che as some language experts suggest)!

Kai Po Che works on many levels so let us take it step by step. 
The first and the foremost being the Characters. Despite his predictable plot-lines what Chetan Bhagat does to perfection is capture the essence of real people and make them his characters. Together with Abhishek Kapoor, he gives us three very very real characters with their own identities but then true to reality, as the film progresses, these identities are switched or discarded as often happens between friends. 

You have Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput), good for nothing, cricket fanatic, selectively passionate, yet child like with a heart of gold.

Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav), calculative, ambitious, kanjoos (or baniya as fondly called by his friends), yet vulnerable in love.

Omi (Amit Sadh),  loyal, hero-worships Ishaan, compassionate, easily influenced, yet possessing hidden leadership skills.

These three characters with extremely conflicting personas are the surprise package of Kai Po Che. They are brought alive on screen  by 3 very talented actors who become Ishaan, Govind and Omi and make this life their own.

The second aspect of the film that you ll undeniably fall in love with is the score and songs by Amit Trivedi. The man’s genious never fails to baffle me. You have the energy ridden Manja that celebrates victory, the peppy excitement filled Shubhaarambh signifying dreams and the soulful, breezy Meethi Boliyaan as a tribute to friendship.

Not far behind is the third aspect, Cinematography! Anay Goswami’s camera makes Gujarat a treat to watch. It never breaks its core theme whether it captures the hard, rocky terrain of Gujarat, the waves of Dev, the roughness of the cricket ground or sneaks into the middle class Ahemdabad. The man makes Gujarat look beautiful!

The fourth and the most important aspect is the story-telling. There are many movies that use real incidents to shape their story. Mausam (an epic failure) used every Indo-Pak/Terror plots against its story line. Kai Po Che uses two, the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat and the Godhra train incident resulting in Ahemdabad riots. Two instances of extreme importance yet in a master stroke, the director never manages to let these incidents overshadow the impact they have on the lives of the protagonists. Here, the movie had every chance to stray towards a political angle but it remains true to its characters asserting the fact that this movie is not about Gujarat it is about Ish, Govi and Omi.

Keeping it Real is the fifth and the final element that makes Kai Po Che tick. Mansions make way for real houses, designer clothes make way for tight t-shirts and three-fourths, items songs are replaced with a mass dandia night, a small fishing village takes over foreign locales and the heros are no longer pretentious… they are people like you and I. At no point does the film rely on make-believe. Everything from the setting up of the shop to interactions with parents and the camaraderie between characters is real.

Another element to be considered is Cricket and Kai Po Che has tons of it, adding value to its entertainment quotient.

Kai Po Che is not a film without flaws. The screenplay gets tedious at times and some moments will have you reach for your popcorn. Yet, it is a film reflecting the bittersweet aspects of our life and will definitely leave you with a lump in the throat.