rajeshk Reviews

Guru (2007)

Why Guru didn't work for me ?

[5/10 · 19 January 2007]

Why Guru didn't work for me ! Guru has been receiving rave reviews with critics and audiences claiming its the best movie in ages , Abhsihek's wonderful performance etc . I don't think the movie is terrible by any stretch but falls short being good as well , forget the great movie people claim it to be .

The things i like about the movie :

Performances of the leading characters are good . Clearly Abhisheks best performance till date. Aishwarya is not as irritating as she can be . There is actually a lot of chemistry between the two . Mithunda reminds us that he is a two time national award winner and is clearly in his elements . Maddy has lost weight and delivers sincerely . The relationships between Abhishek and his dad , brother-in law and Mithunda leave a lasting relationship .

Despite all of this the movie disappoints primarily cause i expect a lot more from Maniratnam . Here are a few reasons why :

The predictability of the screenplay Everyone knows its a bio pic of Dhirubhai Ambani , still it doesn't need to be so predictable . The biggest disappointment was that there was no evolution in the the protagonist as he grows from being a common villager to India's biggest industrialist . Abhishek didn't age at all , physically or otherwise ! Obviously one was no expecting a magic and mastery of Nayagan here , but at least he had potential to get some where close to that.

There was no insight, revelation or the plotting that made Guru the man he was . Lots of instances in the movie is happenstance . Guru bumping into Mithunda on the road , winning the contracts , deciding to make polyester or even meeting Aishwarya for the first time.

Glorification of Guru The end glorifies Guru as the messiah , as the best gift to mankind and the masses . While the film maker has every right to express his opinion on the protagonist , the glorification clearly plays to the galleries and all those who had confronted him for a right reason are totally forgotten ! ( the BIL, Maddy , Mithun etc )

The relationship with Mithun The movie hinges on the relationship between Mithun and Abhishek . Some of the best moments in the movie are their scenes together . It so wonderfully set up leading to the interval and subsequent scenes of Abhisheks aides trying to bash up Mithun and the Aishwarya visiting Mithun at his house , leading you to hope that this is heading somewhere ! But alas, the movie ends with an elaborate court drama and Mithun who is a defacto father figure is conveniently forgotten and sidelined .

Vidya Balan & Maddy track It had absolutely no relevance to the movie . Why was Vidya Balan a handicapped person , what does she really think about Guru ? Her elaborate death scene had no connection with the plot .

Music : ARR and Mani have always created magic . Here barring Tere Bina and Jaage raho , the rest of the songs are just plain ordinary . Both Maiya Maiya and Ek lo Ek Muft would feature in the bottom 10 songs of ARR of all time . Even the background music is pedestrian.

Overall , Guru is not a bad movie , but I was just disappointed that it didn't deliver what it promised .

Just check out this interview with Mukesh , which talks about how Relieance was built . Will give you lot more insights that the movie did ! http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jan/17inter.htm

Bluffmaster (2005)

Bluffnaster - Right Here Right Now !

[17 December 2005]

Bluffmaster – Right Here, Right Now! Indian cinema finally comes of age! Actors living their parts, and not merely acting , the film maker who is not just telling a story but just portraying a honest , brutal reflection of our times. Instantly recognizable characterizations and everyday situations which one can relate to. Mind blowing performances and a directorial masterstroke! Chartering unexplored horizons, the movie has upped the standard for Bollywood forever.

OK, that was the "Bluff "portion of the review! Bluffmaster is nothing close to what is written in the first paragraph. And the best part is it doesn't pretend or even attempt to be! That I guess is what makes Bluffmaster work! A movie where the maker and the actors don't take themselves too seriously and one in which they are having a blast and hoping that the audience would join them in doing so! Yeah, the plot is nothing earth shattering in itself. But the casting, performances, the dialogues (cant remember the last Hindi movie which had such witty one-liners), and the zany soundtrack with the remixes elevate the proceedings to a great extent.

The obvious scene stealer in the movie is Nana Patekar. Often accused of being stereotypical with his penchant for mouthing heavy duty dialogues , Nana does a complete u – turn , with his over the top, narcissist portrayal of the " Chuna " factory don who no one ever dreams of messing up with .He gets the best lines in the movies ( his intro scene , when he denounces Priyanka and Abhishek , his lap top , why his image has taken a beating etc). You just need to watch "Apaharan " to put to rest any debate on this mans versatility .

Booman Irani is the kind who makes even the most mundane role look interesting and delivers his part to the T. The surprise packet of the movie is Ritiesh D. Clowning comes almost naturally to him given his looks, but he handles it without going overboard or being loud. The good old adage of loud is funny is thrown out of the window and the escapades of duo (Abhishek and him) are truly funny.

And yes Aby Baby delivers. It almost seems that entire nation has been waiting for Abhishek to work! In the last few movies (Yuva, Bunty, Sarkar) Abhishek evolution as an actor can be seen and in a mad cap movie like this he even brings a touch of vulnerability to his character. He emotes , cries , gets drunk , does the " Dus Bahane " dance step to perfection , sports a stubble, a swagger and wears an unbuttoned shirt to claim the title of the official " Cool Dude " ! Priyanka doesn't have nothing much to do and thankfully for that. Himman Dhamija captures Mumbai in all its splendor, the by lanes and the skyline lending itself to the screenplay. Further the technical finesse which is becoming more the norm in Bollywood movies today is pretty much evident.

The movie does have its share of flaws -the romantic interludes drag on, caricaturist, simplistic con games and the utter detachment you may experience. Tongue in cheek, cocky and ultra cool, this spoofy caper deserves a watch! You know you are being taken for a ride, just sit back and enjoy it!

Kaal (2005)

kaal - no dhammal

[2 May 2005]

Kaal – it's all about living up to your promise.

Yes, Kaal promised much. A songless thriller from The Karan Johar stable! Set in Jim Corbett, an array of dazzling stars, an item number from the Chaiyya Chaiyya pair and a man eater tiger to moot. And super cool promos which got most of us excited.

But alas, kaal is all about a great promo and an ordinary product. It pretty much falls in the slasher fest genre which studiously sticks to the following rules

1.Loud is scary. Yes, every scene is recorded with high pitched sound and screechy noises! Sure there could be a better way of scaring people. 2.The hero's best friends are the first to be killed. Here the character Vishal, dies twice in five minutes, if once was not bad enough. 3.Point the needle of suspicion on the main characters and get them into a scuffle. We do not even get to see John and Vivek fight. The way their girl friends, get them to back off has to be seen to be believed. 4.Have one scary dream sequence in the middle of nowhere, and expect the audience to wake up after that! 5.Headless corpses are a must; throw a couple of them for good effect.

But, hey this movie is set in Jim Corbett (read Orbit Park) and we need to talk about tiger conservation. Remember we have a marketing tie up with Nat Geo. Sure show a hanging owl and langoor dangling from a tree every twenty minutes and a python wrapped around John's torso (strong suspicion that Karan insisted on this shot). And John is after all a "Tiger expert" working with Nat Geo.

The acting skills in a slasher fest are strictly limited to the women shrieking, screaming, running and obviously dressed in skimpy clothes (remember no songs for such displays). And the men , Vivek Oberoi has perfected the art of being Mr. Irritating (with kajal and lipstick make up !) and considering his acting skills are rather limited , one can be rest assured his real life persona is not way different ( now do we blame Sallu for wanting to bash him up). Devgan who has a psychobabble mumbo jumbo background score blaring as he enters, has a staff to cover his face and his intense brooding eyes hope to add to the terror. John looks good and it's a little too much to expect him to act.

Yes, Kaal is all this and more! Do watch it, you would never complain about why Karan Johar makes the same kind of KKHH, KHNH, K3G movies. He should leave this genre to the Ramus of the world and not to forget the director of this venture is Soham Ali (he was assistant to both Ramu and Karan prior to this). One piece of advise to Soham, stick to assisting, it's not such a bad thing.