TASHAN has guts

Let me tell you whether you like or hate Tashan, the fact is that this is a movie unlike you have ever seen in India or anywhere else. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on what you went into the theatre expecting.

Also the point of this post is not as much as to review the movie but more to explain what Tashan was supposed to be. After that it’s your call to decide if it’s a good, average or pathetic movie.
This was a movie which I watched for free on very first day of its release courtesy the firm I am having my summer internship with. So in absence of all the reviews that were supposed to come out the very next day, my experience and feelings while watching this were quite unbiased .Since then a lot has been said about the movie. It has been called amongst the ‘worst movies ever”,”idiotic and silly”,”formulaic” and even been given nicknames like “aditya chopra ki aag”.

Ok I understand the movie is no classic but it certainly is not as bad as being said. I am a sort of person who hated movies like Dhoom 2 and Dus. The reason being that these pretended be cool and stylish but actually were just plain annoying and dumb ,and the hate is so strong that even this post will be reeking of the same.

Tashan is a movie which actually shouts out loud that look how silly I am. It is very honest in what it wants to be and what it’s supposed to be .Take it or leave it. It is not at all meant to be serious, believable or intellectual cinema. It is meant to be a sort of a spoof and homage to the masala potboiler Hindi cinema of 70s and 80s. If you have seen Quentin Tarantino and Roberto Rodriguez directed Grindhouse then you will understand what I am talking about. This is the reason why everything in the movie is deliberately over the top –situations, characters, dialogues, action, dance sequences (e.g. dil dance mare) and everything else. The whole mood of the film can be summed up in one song -Dil dance mare which has been outrageously choreographed and actually in a good way with lyrics which are really very innovative.

The reason why this movie is attracting so much hate is because it tries to mock the same audience and critics who think Dhoom 2, Dus, Krrish, Race etc are good movies. Todays multiplex going audience who think of themselves as ‘intellectuals’ feel almost insulted
of the fact that they have been presented with a movie which has supposedly been phased out of their theatres ( i.e. rickshawallahs type b grade cinema of 80s). These audience can bear a song like ‘zara zara touch me’ but cringe at ‘dil dance mare’. But that is what I like about Tashan- a no holds barred, unpretentious and unapologetic bollywood ishtyle masala fare. It’s the same old tale of revenge and love that has been told umpteen numbers of times but jazzed up for the 21st century.

While action sequences in Dhoom 2 kept annoying me and dialogues put me to sleep, the dialogues and conversations in Tashan are actually quite interesting with that completely gone crazy mix of Hindi and English. Tashan is no more or less silly compared to Dhoom 2 and Dus but actually has much better performances. Akshay Kumar is brilliant as Bachhan Pandey and Anil Kapoor is good in first half.

That being said it’s not a very good homage and the film falters badly in second half with unnecessary subplots and stretched out action sequences which reach a level of craziness that is almost surreal. Also the storyline fails to hold your interest after a while.

If you are ready to suspend your sense of belief for a couple of hours, sick of current crop of ‘multiplex’ movies and actually understand that its all meant to be hyper realistic you may will find some redeeming qualities. I will rate it 2.5/5. Not good but still better than other pseudo cool and insult to intelligence movies like Dhoom 2 and Dus. Don’t waste your precious bucks in a theatre for this, rent a DVD and let me know what you thought of it.

Hollywood - A no holds barred tribute

Like most of the folks one of my favorite pass times happens to be watching movies. Over the time watching movies has evolved from being just a pass time to one of my true passions .There are days when i end up watching 3-4 movies in a single day. Now a days i don't watch movies just for entertainment but also like to explore different types of cinema .I have seen movies of all genre and many languages.

But i would say that this transition from being a pass time to becoming a passion wouldn't have been possible without the help of Hollywood. I remember when i watched Jurassic Park for first time in theatre. I was in sixth class,11 years old ,year 1994 .The experience,the thrill and excitement remains unmatched .Such awesome special effects ,heart stopping sequences,non stop thrill ride from start to finish which only Hollywood can deliver. What more a eleven year old boy sick of all that stupid crap being dished out by Bollywood could have asked for.

I was sick of all the mushy romances,melodrama and stupid song sequences .I needed thrill ,action and sci fiction . The gap was filled by comics(Super commando Dhruv, Nagraj, chacha chowdhary and many animation series which were aired on Doordarshan at that time). But i needed something more. Even among hindi movies i was more excited by different from league movies such as Junoon - Rahul Roy starring desi take on werewolf or weretiger ;) ,Pehla nasha( deepak tijori starring remake of Body double) ,and of course Akshay Kumar's Khiladi. Some of them would be good but mostly crap.

I desperately needed a let out and Hollywood came to the rescue. First there was Jurassic Park and then the list kept on growing. One awesome movie after another - The Lost World,Terminator 2,Independence day,Jumanji,Godzilla, Men in Black,Speed,Titanic and more. With the advent of Star Movies to Indian television watching english movies became a norm. Now i had access to movies of all genre Horror, suspense ,sci fi -u name it u get it which was never possible with Bollywood.

But till around 10th standard or so i was mostly interested in movies which were blockbusters,special effects driven and being given widespread publicity .So basically it was media which was choosing movies for me and I did make some bad choices such as Anaconda,Universal Soldier etc.

Now year was 1999 and me in 11th stad . I watched this ad of a movie on TV , black and green hue,people hanging in air, Keanu Reeves dodging bullets and asking the question - what is the matrix? Only answer you got was -"unfortunately no one can be told what the Matrix is ,you have to see it for yourself" and i was hooked. At that time only English movie that was on everyone's mind was Brendan Fraser starrer The Mummy and breaking records all over India. But i was only interested in finding out the secret of the Matrix ,and against everyone wishes bought 4 tkts and took my whole family for the movie.

I wont forget that day ever in my life.Such storytelling,the twists,the turns i have never witnessed till date. I have never felt so much for the characters and hated the villains with such intensity. The adrenaline pumped and excitement soared in second half.What a movie it was-a mind boggling blend of science fiction, philosophy,religion backed with special effects and techniques never seen on big screen before.You had to be there to believe it. Everyone cheered and clapped during the movie ,and just to watch audience gasp over the action scenes was worth your money. Neo became an icon and the movie went on to become a cult hit and is now regarded as a science fiction classic. First time a movie that made me think and question the reality around us. The meaning of existence ,to be alive ,what it means to perceive and feel ,to question our sense of reality - i dont ever remember any movie made in India that forced me to ask these question. The Matrix is my favourite movie till date which i have seen countless number of times and never once get bored.

Now i was delving deeper into movies and exploring cinema even further.Another round of excellent movies started - forrest gump ,truman show,fight club,primal fear,twelve monkeys etc.
I had also begun to watch movies of different languages (crouching tiger hidden dragon) . I have been fortunate enough to watch the works of geniuses such as Kubrick,Kurosawa and Tarkovsky. Now a days i dont i dont care what language the movies is in,least who is starring -if i have time i just watch the movie.

Some people tell me that i am biased in favor of Hollywood .The fact is that I actually am and there is a reason behind it.Even if you were to consider mainstream Hollywood the variety being offered is still a lot more what we get here in our country. The freedom of choice is what matters the most to me ,which fortunately has started to be seen in Bollywood as well of late.

Hollywood liberated the movie experience for me,showed what possibilities cinema held,and introduced me to a world never seen before. Yes bad movies are made by Hollywood as well but on an average the number and variety of good movies released is more than enough to keep me satisfied .Today what cinema and movies means to me is synonymous with Hollywood and international cinema while Bollywood is only secondary because even most of the comics and graphic novels which i read (both english and hindi) are better than what is offered in hindi films.

Om Shanti Om - The Review

Mid terms are over.Too much time on hands this weekend and so many things to do.Have to watch movies,check out new music,read comics ,play games and write for my blog. Yesterday finally watched Om Shanti Om and Jab We Met. And now its time for the review of Om Shanti Om. I know i am late but still you can read the review and tell me if you agree with me on the movie or not.

So Farah Khan i must say is a very innovative director. I remember when i watched Mai hoo na i thought it was amongst the most innovative mainstream hindi movies in a long time. She loves mainstream bollywood cinema and it shows in her movies.

If you loved the way bollywood was spoofed in Mai hoo Na then you would surely enjoy Om Shanti Om. Here we are transported to the era of 70's with Shahrukh playing a role of junior artist Om Prakash Makhija (one of those extras who shout 'bhago bhago' or one among the dozens dancing along with the main hero) who aspires to become a superstar one day and loves Shanti(deepika padukone being portrayed as a famous bollywood superstar of the 70's) .

Its the first half of the movie that is most enjoyable. Shahrukh and Kiron Kher(as his mother) deliberately talking in typical filmi style shouting dialogues such as maa mai ghar aa gaya,aaj tere pitaji zinda hote to etc etc and then saying 'overacting zyada to nahi ho gayi na', are a treat to watch. Manoj Kumar spoof and Tamil Movie fight sequence( Yanna Rascala :-) ) are hilarious to say the least.

While first half is a spoof ,second half is a tribute to Bollywood with Farah Khan incorporating all the bollywood cliches and themes such as reincarnation that she has been making fun of all along.
In terms of structure its similar to another very enjoyable and recommended flick HOT FUZZ which kept on making fun of hollywood action movies in first half and then itself copied the same tricks in its 2nd half.

Om Shanti Om's 2nd half although being enjoyable is a bit predictable in terms of storyline and sequences and makes me rate the movie slightly lower.Among the lead actors Shahrukh is good with his as usual over the top mannerisms and acting .Although he is better in first half 'coz the role requires an over the top performance ,but he looks slightly awkward when trying to look cool and stylish in later half. Deepika Padukone is a looker and makes an impressive bollywood debut.Although her role does not require much acting skills she plays her part well. Interestingly even Arjun Rampal gives a nice performance. Songs are also enjoyable.Some sequences such as the fire sequence are beautifully shot.

The film has given very memorable quotes such as "Picture abhi baki hai mere dost" , "itni shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hain ki har zarre ne tumse milane ki sazish ki hain ,and agar kisi chiz ki DIL se chaho to saari kaynat usse tumse milane ki koshish main lag jaati hain ".I hear these quotes being repeated all around in my college campus

To wrap it up i would say that if you want to have fun, and don't mind some nonsensical logic its a thoroughly enjoyable movie and deserves a rating of - 3/5

Of Existence and Nothingness

Ever since i remember i have always been fascinated by universe.The vast mysteries and just the expanse is mind boggling. But now imagine what if all the galaxies,stars, our solar system and earth itself never existed. I wonder what was the need for all these things to be there as they are.

Why was there a Big Bang(if thats how as they say universe was born) ,or even if the Universe has existed since prepetuity why it did? To add to it what was the need for any kind of life forms to exist ? Here we are on earth ,wondering if we are alone or just one among many other intelligent life forms out there.Why do we need to feel,think,perceive and in the process have the ability to modify and change things around us as we see fit.

Now take all this away.For a moment imagine that all humans, life ,earth, solar sytem ,milky way and all that u can think of has disappeared ,vanished and not there anymore.

When nothing is there why are all those other billions of galxies ,stars ,black holes still existing? With no one to look upon ,observe and wonder at them why do they still go about their daily routine?

I will go a step further and take away every single piece of matter from this universe and all other universe( remember theory of multi verse ). All that is left is vacuum. Everywhere u see u see nothing( with no light out there and no matter to reflect it i wonder how u can) but vast empty expanse.Its all dark out there.No sound.No light. Just plain vacuum.


Finally i even take this vacuum away.Now there is absolutely nothing that exists. .Its not dark out there ,its just that nothing exists.The concept of light,dark,time we have sent all of them for a toss. The meaning of existence itself has been wiped out. I understand its very hard for you to imagine it the way i want you to.But try to eliminate all possibilities of existence of anything that you can have.Whatever conceptualization of existence that still remains with you,try eliminating that.

Now again ask why does anything have to exist at all?Why was there even a need for the concept of existence to exist. And why are we the only lucky beings in the entire universe who hav the ability not just to observe this existence but to also wonder at it and question it
?

To be continued.........when i get time i will finish this one. Put this down in arnd 5 mins so kindly bear thru all the grammatical inconsistencies.

Also coming soon .....

The past ,present and future of comics in India
I am legend - the review