Reflections/Reviews of the best ten Hindi films I saw in 2013
1. The Lunchbox, the movie
Man's elusive search for happiness amidst the vicissitude(s?) of life, has been
evocatively captured, sending the viewer both into introspection and raptures.
Real People, in real trouble, seemingly helpless situations, battling perceptions
and baggage. My dear friend, trouble, Hope, Humour and empathy still is amply
present with us. It is within striking distance for us to exercise it.
As your you get tossed around the letters, and get introduced into the
reflection of our own lives, there are so many poignant moments, that need to
be savoured and only mutliple viewings alone can enable that.
A rare gem of Indian Cinema.
Recommended highly for the discerning.
. 2. Ship of Theseus
The
narrative is a reflection of our very own journey, exploring the myriad
contradictions of creation, the restlessness within, the myopia of our own
vision, which all get submerged in the overwhelming magnificence of creation.
An extraordinary experience.
3.
Kai Po Che
Not
to be missed
Is set amongst real people like us and amidst real events. While the tale of
love and forgiveness lingers in the backdrop, the movie is a tribute to the
innate inability of mankind to accept defeat. Such is the design of creation.
The narrative is paced to savour the journey of the protagonists. Gentle,
Coherent, Subtle, Optimal, Clever and Responsible.The blood and gore of the
aftermath of the riots are very sensitively portrayed. An object lesson for the
other film makers who believe violence brings home their bread.
Congratulations to the entire team for pulling this 'unsensationally'
sensational film.
4.
Madras Kafe, Half a review
With Madras kafe release being banned in Chennai, I just could not but resist
the opportunity of getting a peek at the film while I was in Bengaluru, but
unfortunately I could not withstand the air condition and bad headache, a pity,
I had to to walk out a few minutes after the second half of what is a very
important film that had to be made.
At the outset, Congratulations to Shoojit Sircar for attempting to make a film
with the civil war as the background.
It is important that this generation of Indians know about this chapter of
history. However while Shoojit has well researched and been earnest in the
narration of events, unless people have an idea about the history it may be
very difficult for them to follow the Sri Lankan part of the story. The India
big brother angle and the diplomatic gaffe however has been very clearly
captured.
While the screenwriter has the artistic liberty to make tradeoffs, conspicuous
by absence is the Sri Lankan Army and the Sri lankan Government. The sole Sri
Lankan representative seems to be a silent Buddhist monk who seems to be taking
a walk(stroll??) while people are being shot dead all over the place. The
Indian Army seems to be able to decide to pick and choose location to strike in
a foreign territory as is their wont.
It seems to be suggestive that the genocide seems to be triggered in 1980s(or
may be blame it on my headache, I am not too sure), the seeds of the Lankan
problem probably date back to 1964. Shoojit could have taken a leaf out of the
movie" The Kingdom" where the narrator at the beginning of the movie
beautifully explains how the oil was discovered in 1932 and the impact of the
discovery. This could have been a golden opportunity to chronicle the trials
and tribulations of a race which had an unfair share of sufferings.
We need not identify with the Tamils of Sri Lanka as Indians who migrated with
them but as human beings who live very close to our borders, as a country have
we collectively done anything worthwhile to help them over the years?
Except for a few movies like Kannathil Muthamittal which actually explores the impact of civil war, and a few other movies, a million stories on Sri Lankan's Tamil problems are waiting to be told. I guess with the wealth of talent that Tamil Cinema has, I have always been surprised how the Tamil fraternity have not used the power of cinema to voice the feelings of Tamils.
I hope Chennai gets to see Madras Kafe and we all engage in healthy debate and
educate the GENX. I have always believed we can learn from the lessons of the
past and not commit the same mistake again.
Congrats Shoojit for this brave attempt
5. Shahid:
By
the Brothers for the Brothers
The last time I felt hope for this country was during Kumbh Mela stampede, when
the photographs of unidentifiable deceased were published in major dailies, by
the government machinery, across the length and breadth of this country, to
reach out to the relatives of the deceased to help them claim the bodies of the
deceased.
In any harm resulting out of any ideological difference, it is always, the poor
and downtrodden that get affected, irrespective of race or religion. History
has been replete with instances of injustice. Such is creation.
It also requires courage to empathize with the situation and stand up for a
cause.
The indoctrination: If you want to change the system, Be a Part of it.
Shahid Azmi puts behind the years of incarceration, conquers his devils and
dedicates 7 years of his life to get 17 acquittals for the unfairly convicted,
a fantastic ratio, in our system.
A story that has to be told.
Mr. Hansal Mehta: Am touched and moved. Thanks for your conviction to bring
this to the screen. I am proud to be an Indian.
6. D-Day
A
simmering desire for a tough state
For some of you, who may have forgotten, the rescue of the hostages at Entebbe,
a clinical operation by Israel, which left Uganda clueless. The Israelis flew
over several country's air spaces and raided Entebbe by surprise and released
the hostages. The world admired the audacity of Israel.
Creative artists help in triggering thought processes that helps influence the
cultural fabric of any country.
After Wedenesday, comes the riveting D-Day, which reflects a simmering desire
for a tough state. Inspired by Zero Dark Thirty and premise from Inglorious
Basterds, Nikhil Advani weaves a taut thriller that leaves you asking for more.
Wish Nikhil had avoided the violence and gore, added a lot of 'one line'
conversational humour, worked on the climax and eliminated some needless
sentimentality.
A painstakingly made film with competent contributions from all round.
I wish Nikhil manages to sow a few seeds which will help this country evolve
into a more serious and respected one.
7. Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola,
wafting
in the rustic Haryanvi Dialect, served in "IShtyle". Do not miss this
incredibly delightful flick.
8. Ranjhna
The
"Could and Should" have been classic.
Kolaveri could have been providential. Dhanush, the clever and thinking pro
that he is, acutely aware of his limitations, times and chooses a script that
will help him get accepted in main stream National cinema. A dream Debut.
Happy for Sonam, she been for quite a while, as much as Ranbir, probably lands
up a role, that should get her recognition and better roles. While she breezes
through the role with a bewildering array of emotions, she is best when her
innocence gets exacerbated by her beautiful smile.
The third star of the movie of course is A.R. Rahman, who keeps you intoxicated
with a high octane numbers and background score.
The first half is sheer movie making magic and the second half makes this movie
as a "COuld and Should" have been classic. From nowhere the thinking
caps seem to have disappeared until the climax which has been beautifully
adapted from American Beauty.
Last not but not the least for the cinematographers and the dialogue writer for
capturing the flavour of Benaras/Varanasi!!!!!
May be you could just walk out after the interval and feel exhilarated.
9
9. Table No. 21
While
there is no denying that this movie is probably adapted from number of films,
Table No. 21 manages to hold its viewer’s attention for most parts. Fiji forms
a beautiful background as the bizarre events unfold with style, with actors and
technicians contributing to a fairly well packaged product. With so much of
capability, I am sure, we can start thinking of criminal motives beyond retribution!!!
At the expense of spilling some beans, but with good intention that some of the
readers of this post who may be interested in catching up with good cinema, do
not miss Ketan Mehta's, Holi!!!, It seemed like I just saw Holi probably around
1985 in Shankunthalam at Pragati Maidan. A heart wrench er!!!
10. Special 26
Blame it on the Genre, Special 26 just misses the special grade as you probably
can guess the ending.
However credit to Neeraj Pandey, for making this unpretentious, taut and fun
filled narrative.
It was a joy to see the ensemble cast of Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Akshay
Kumar and Jimmy shergill breezing through their roles.
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