Ke dil abhi bhara nahi…

Waking up to the sad news of Dev Anand’s demise not only brought me to tears but reminded me of the fact that nobody is invincible, not even an ever-green star like him. Growing up listening to songs from his movies and then watching his movies as I grew more perceptive, it now seems like a very distant memory that has faded but left an everlasting impression on my mind. My mother introduced me to some of his great movies like Paying Guest, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Hum Dono, CID, Sharaabi, Baazi and my all time favorite movie Guide. It’s perhaps perceived as an over reaction to a star’s death but I am devastated.

While people boast about various other stars, I loved Dev Anand for his style, eloquence, humility and yet a larger than life philosophy of life. He was a dream to watch on screen and gave me butterflies when he flirted with Nutan and Saadhna in his early movies.

I never liked his color-movies though it’s not an unknown fact that those movies were also his greatest successes in his later years…

It’s sad that he is gone. I guess it was his time to transform into eternity…

Anyway.

I pray for his soul to rest in peace and I take this opportunity to thank him for giving me my favorite movie and also a chance to have some great memories with my mom.

State of mind? Numb
Weather? Cold
Song? “kabhi khud pe kabhi haalaat pe rona aaya”

RIP Dev Anand. <3 you.

True Grit

The Coen Brothers do it again.

I watched this classic movie a couple of months ago but I just didn’t get time to write about it. True Grit – a western – about a young girl trying to track down her father’s murderer, takes help from one of the toughest US Marshal. The movie, they say, is a remake. I haven’t seen the old one but I surely loved this one. I was in awe of the detailing and dialogues in the movie and how it was traditionally western in such demystifying ways.

Mattie, the girl with the mission – ‘hires’ a US Marshal (Bridges) to help her find the culprit. On their quest to track him down, they are joined by a Texas Ranger (Damon), who is looking for the same guy. Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon and the girl who plays Mattie – deliver a spectacular combined performance!

When you watch a Coen movie, it’s natural to expect brutal, ruthless violence but this movie, despite the reputation of a Western – has its outright savagery, treated and served differently.

The young girl and her perseverance, a determined drive to hunt down the man who killed her father is portrayed with so much simplicity. She is a great actor! Action sequences are not over-the-top and the movie is well-paced, well-laid and well-climaxed.

True Grit gets added to one of my all time favorites. You should watch it too! I’d give it a 9/10.

The Adjustment Bureau

I love Matt Damon.

Anyhow.

Damon plays a promising politician who falls in love with a Ballet dancer. The movie is a love story till it takes a dramatic turn when The Adjustment Bureau intervenes and does everything possible to keep them apart. Why? Well because apparently, your life is already planned for and there is no concept of free will. Our moves, our fate is calculated and predetermined and what may appear as coincidence or surprise to us, is all a part of a well-laid plan made by The Adjustment Bureau.

The movie has a tinge of sci-fi, a little of reasons for existence, mixed with the constant debate between fate and choice. The movie has a very unassuming spirit, with simple, soft dialogues and no out-of-the-ordinary action sequences. It sort of poses a question which is “are we what we are because of the choices we make, or is it all predestined?”

Awesome concept. And the female lead – Emily ‘something’ has done a very good job too!

It’s a must watch

404

The movie, set in a medical college, is about an outstanding student who after continuous meanspirited ragging by his seniors, starts hallucinating. He moves into a room where an ex student had committed suicide. He not only sees this ex student but also starts having conversations with him.

The plot gets interesting when he brings this up with two of his professors (a married couple), who abandon any kind of otherworldly possibility and write it off as a mental condition.

How the story unfolds further and the truth of the matter surfaces is something that you should watch the movie for. The movie has a slow pace – so you must patiently wait for the end.

I really liked the movie – and I feel that Indian movies are finally catching on to the taste of out-of-the-box, intelligent cinema. 404 is a good movie. I’d give it an 8/10.

Should watch!

Limitless, indeed!

OK you gotta give that much to Bradley Cooper – not only is he sizzling hot the guy is getting better at acting with every movie he does!

Limitless. Loved it. Superb. I’d give it an 8/10. The movie is well written, well shot, well reasoned and well acted!

He is a writer, hitting rock bottom, when serendipity strikes him and he discovers a drug that gives him super human abilities by allowing him to use 100% of his mind. At first, things just get better for him though the (obvious) addiction of the drug (which by the way is top secret so you need to fetch it smartly), lands him in more trouble than he had ever imagined. He realizes, he is not the only one using it! The story unfolds in a manner which is credible and appeals to logic. It’s kind of a sci-fi, if I could say.

Awesome movie. Must watch!

Delhi Belly

Watched Delhi Belly last week. I was left slightly disappointed though the movie definitely has a very different kind of appeal, which is quite new to Indian cinema. Well made, well shot (ugh yeah!) and a simple story – yet, I felt some ingredient was missing from it. The thing is, I don’t like Imran Khan (at all) and the potty humour got me sick but I am a biased Amir Khan fan and somewhere that unconditional love for his work sort of pushes down every negative angle of the movie. Yes, I was disappointed, but I loved the movie anyway – you know?

Though the real disappointment was Hangover 2. The only thing good about the movie was watching it with my office group so we cracked up on various other things outside of the movie.

Saat Khoon Maaf

I don’t really like Priyanka Chopra as an actor. I don’t think she did a great job in Fashion either. I did like her in Karam though.

Anyway, I watched Saat Khoon Maaf the other day. The movie, based on a short story by Ruskin Bond, is well made and comes across as a welcome approach in Bollywood. PC (it’s too long to type every time), has done a fairly decent job of the assigned role. In this movie, she proves to have grown as an actor. I like the story. Though the title gives away what really happens in the movie, the treatment of the movie and flow of events still keep you glued in. Yes, there are murders in the movie but you must watch it for the intensity of situations and the degrees of brutality with which they are conducted.

The movie is about a girl who gets married to all the wrong guys and how she gets rid of each of them. It’s her journey, narrated by a kid she helps educating (adopts). He loves and adores her. Despite knowing her deep dark secrets, he never misjudges her for who she is as a person. The guy, I think is Naseeruddin Shah’s son, has an important role in the movie too. I somehow liked the way the story has been treated.

Though I must say, the last bit of the movie is a little over-the-top; they could have done with a better ending, for sure. Oh, I like the song Darrrrrling. It’s kinda catchy, isn’t it?

All Good Things

It’s a love story gone bad. Or dead, for that matter.

I know it has no connection whatsoever, but the mental brutality in the movie reminded me of that in No Country for Old Men. The story, inspired by a true event in New York, is about an unsolved murder mystery which surfaces almost two decades after the reporting of a missing person. The movie is set in the 1980s and brings out the dirty face of politics and wealth that blinds powerful people. The film is about powerful families and what they do to keep the skeletons locked in the closets.

David Marks is accused oh killing his wife, Katie Marks (who was never found). Katie (Kirsten Dunst) falls in love with David and they get married to start their life together with what they have. Soon Katie realizes that something is wrong with David. Her disillusioned life shatters her and then she decides on countering David.

What follows is nerve-wracking series of events. The performances by both Kirsten and the actor who plays David Marks are spectacular.

Will not recommend a story like this but you should watch it for the fact that this really did happen. And of course, for performances.

127 Hours

James Franco is cute.

Anyway, 127 Hours is one movie I really liked. Not only because it is a survival story, but also because of the simplicity with which it has been shot. Not that you could do much with a plot like that, but somehow the magnanimity of situations has been captured so well. If you think of it, God knows what would I have done if I were in a situation like that. Forget amputating my arm, I would have died on day ONE if I saw any snakes or lizards around. Some courage!

Based on what really happened with Aron Ralston, the movie showcases his struggle for those 5 days he survives stuck in a canyon with his right arm crushed under a boulder. Ouch! The precarious state of his survival and also not much ability to do anything else, leaves him taking a mental tour of his life so far. He thinks of his family, friends, people he came across right before the fall. The way he carefully saves water to survive is quite spine-chilling. He has hallucinations about him as a child and somehow draws inspiration from them to not succumb to this fall. James Fanco has done a good job though I don’t remember him for any great roles he has done so far. I didn’t really like him even in Eat. Pray. Love.

Nonetheless, good movie. Not *so* awesome though.

The Social Network

I am not one of those who gets awed by the success stories of great organizations. I like some, and I remember some. I strongly feel that most of these success stories that we rave about, are about people who happened to be at the right place at the right time. No, not all. I said most.

Will I live by any? No. So, I didn’t seek any inspiration when I chose to watch the movie yesterday. I was alone at home and had decided to make it a low-key affair with me and myself. And hence, The Social Network from my husband’s laptop.

The movie, needless to say, is about Mark Zuckerberg – the founder of the latest addictive drug called Facebook. It’s a real life portrayal which revolves around a legal hearing happening in a room. The story goes back and forth taking the viewer on a journey to what happened where and how. The scripting is done well – Jesse Eisenberg delivers them with an attitude and manner which you can easily relate to a ‘super intelligent, young billionaire’. I enjoyed watching the movie that sort of transported me to the place where intellect came together to create something so powerful as The Facebook. Honestly, I had no idea about the Howards’ connection. The movie often compels you to wonder and raise your eyebrows in utmost surprise with “Oh, this happened?”. Like any other success story, The Social Network also revolves around friendships and alliances and mistrusts and misunderstandings.

Oh, most of all, I like the tag line – You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

Oh, Justin Timberlake debuts in the movie too. Watch it.