Change Your Image
khiladi2002
Reviews
Maqbool (2003)
Maq-nificent!
An incredibly nuanced adapation of Macbeth, Vishal Bharadwaj's Maqbool is masterfully crafted and thoughtfully penned. It portrays a deep understanding of the psychology of the original piece. The lead performances are as good as they get and beyond that. Pankaj Kapur, Tabu and Irfan Khan are stellar in their roles. Tabu especially oozes the right amount of understated sensuality and is completely irresistible as she attempts to seduce the 'loyal' lieutenant. Her probing dialogue and eye contact is a viewer's delight. Stunning! Irfan with his smouldering appearance sets the screen ablaze. Charismatic to the core, he plays his role with a deep understanding and a slow burning fire in his belly. He is as impeccable as he tries to fend off Tabu's advances as he is while romancing her. As the guilt kicks in, both Tabu and Irfan get into the skin of the character and the audience just sits back and gasps in admiration. You feel empathy for the characters despite the hideous nature of their deed. Thoroughly engaging! Pankaj Kapur, playing the underworld kingpin, gets dialogues that would be a dream for any actor and sinks his teeth in the delivery of those. A performance and an actor par excellence returns and how! The film should be seen, focusing on the sheer intensity that Vishal Bharadwaj infuses in the plot and makes Macbeth relevant even in this day and age. One of the best adaptations of a book I have ever seen. Simply exquisite! Vishal is the best director that India has today. He is an even better writer. He has a great understanding of real life in India. Of life in the metros as well as the rural areas. His attention to the subtext and underlying psychology and emotion of each story is what makes him such a good storyteller. He has shown that to us through his films, through his music and dialogues. His screenplays are matchless as far as Hindi Film Industry is concerned. Looking forward to your next, Vishal!
Hera Pheri (2000)
the best comedy i have seen in my life and i have seen many
Hera Pheri is a film set in Mumbai and is not your run of the mill slapstick comedy that directors like David Dhawan indulge in. The movie is directed by Priyadarshan who proved that after making such wonderful and serious film like Virasat, he can also direct a comedy with élan.
This film is a comedy of error. Set in a Mumbai slum where our three protagonists dwell, the movie depicts the hilarious moments created by the simplicity and/or stupidity of the characters. The look of the film is that of an art film. By the look of it, it seems as if it is going to be a really serious movie but it turns out to be one roller-coaster ride of laughter.
The cast of the film includes Sunil Shetty who plays an unemployed guy who comes to Mumbai looking for work and a place to live. He lands up at the house of a simple man played deftly by Paresh Rawal who takes Sunil in. However, there is another person living in the house, namely Raju. Played by Akshay Kumar, Raju is the mischief monger and good for nothing. He keeps on getting jobs and losing them quickly. The story is taken forward by a phone call by the gangster Kabira who keeps on saying that he has kidnapped his grand daughter (sunil takes the call) and wants ransom. This call kickstarts a mayhem. Which ultimately leads us to the climax of the film where the protagonists end up becoming millionaires.
Each and every member of the cast is brilliant in the performance of their roles. Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar's careers were in doldrums when this film released and both of them gave a stunning performance. Especially Akshay Kumar shows impeccable comic timing. Akshay Kumar is considered of the best comic actors of Bollywood these days after performing comic roles in films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Khakee, Aawara Paagal Deewana and Waqt.
However, the show stealer is none other that the unbelievable Paresh Rawal who plays Baburao Ganpatrao Apte. He is an absolute delight to watch. It will be an understatement to say that he completely overshadows the rest of the actors with his marvellous portrayal of a poor Mumbaiyya simpleton. This film changed the course of his career and he is now reckoned as a character actor who adds to the star value of a film.
The music is not that good though. The song "Main Ladka Pom Pom" is hilarious though. The picturization keeps you in splits even though the song is irritating if you only listen to the audio. The real hero of the film is the dialogue writer Neeraj Vohra who comes up with some never before heard one liners. Anyone who wants another example of his great work must watch Aawara Paagal Deewana. In short, a film for every comedy lover. Some clean entertainment. Moreover, I can confidently say that this is the best comedy film i have seen in my life. Brilliant!
Khakee (2004)
I want to say something but I am speechless
Khakee. Meaning brown. The color of police uniform in India. Khakee is a film about the honor of the uniform born by the policeman. It is about the meaning of the uniform. The duty of the uniform. Without going too much into the story as there are other user comments which describe the storyline pretty well, I want to say that this is probably one the best wholesome entertainers I have seen emerging from Bollywood and Hollywood.
There are so many scenes in the film that leave a mark. For instance, the scene where Anant Shrivastav (Amitabh Bachchan) runs after Angre through the desert and a hoard of buffaloes and ends up having a fit of asthma. SPOILER AHEAD...Akshay Kumar's death scene is also brilliantly executed. The scene where an angry mob wants to stop the policemen from taking Ansari and Amitabh Bachchan confronts them. The scene in the jeep where Akshay hits on Aishwariya is also impeccable.
There is something about the film that really makes you a part of the ongoings. The camera work is such that you really feel the heat and dust of the locations. I literally started sweating when i saw the film. I just wanted to be a part of their journey.
Another thing that was really good about the film was that the film felt as if it was electrically charged. What i mean to say is that the tension in the film is nerve-wrecking. The emotions are very electric. All the marks for this go to the director who managed to give such aura to the film. Also, shooting the film in brown tint helped the film a lot. However, on minor error was that they should have done away with the song "Dil Dooba", no matter how good it was.
Coming to the performances. The film really needed some excellent performances to get the message through. The cast of the film gives it one hundred percent. Amitach Bachchan is simply awesome. I don't have enough words to praise his performance. It was after a long time that I saw him in the garb of an angry man. In Khakee, he is more. He is a tired and angry man. A lethal combination. Tusshar Kapoor surprised and gave a good performance especially in the scene where he gives the news of the constable's death to his wife. He was also good in the scenes where he bickered with Akshay Kumar. Ajay Devgan was efficient. A good thing which many people overlooked about his character was that he was an old school villain. He also had a catch-line which went "good evening". The line was so hilarious. I saw the movie in Denmark with a lot of Danish people who laughed a lot when AD used to say this. Aishwariya looked beautiful with brown hair and curls. I don't care for her much in her straight hair look. Last but not least, Akshay Kumar together with Amitabh Bachchan was the lifeline of the movie. He was tremendous in a role which was originally written for Paresh Rawal. He shone in the comic sequences and rose in the emotional ones. He delivered a hammer-strong impact with this film. His on screen chemistry with Aishwariya Rai was beautiful. I would love to see these two in a full blown romantic lead opposite each other.
The music by newcomer Ram Sampat was terrific. "Vaada Raha" and "Dil Dooba" were nice. So was "Aisa Jadoo". However, the real masterpiece was "Maula Maula". The impact of the song is so great in the film. Look out for this part!
Production values were of high standard. The same goes for choreography and cinematography and action. Editing was sharp. The film just flies by. The direction was nothing short of brilliant. I think this guy deserved an award for best director because a subject like Khakee could have gone haywire, had it been executed by a lesser director. Santoshi makes the film a classic actioner if not a masterpiece.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
two passions of Indians combined in one, namely movies and cricket
Lagaan is absolutely a stunning piece of work by the producer-director team of Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker. It is one of the best films i have seen in my lifetime if not the best. Thoroughly entertaining and without meaningless subplots. The screenplay is as good as it gets and the 3 hour+ film just flies by. The cricket match in the climax is an absolute highlight of the film and is as nail biting as a real sports match. The game is explained so wonderfully during the film that people with very little or no knowledge of cricket will understand what cricket is all about. Aamir Khan is delightful as the enthusiastic Bhuvan. He takes to the role as a fish takes to water. He is one of the best actors of India and people who see the film will see why he is reckoned a perfectionist in India. In short, he does magnificently well doubling as the producer and the protagonist. Newcomer Gracy Singh (Gauri) is a revelation. She is simply adorable as the jealous village belle. She dances her way into viewers' heart esp in the "Radha kaise na jale" number. Rest of the cast is on target as well. The music by A.R.Rehman is another positive aspect of the film. The songs heighten the impact of the film unlike many other Indian films where songs act as deterrents in the ongoings. Cinematography has to be seen to be believed. All in all a brilliant effort. That too without leaving the commercial parameters.