MOD by Nagesh kukunoor is a slow paced story about a girl Anya (Ayesha Takia) staying on a hill station "Ganga" (whereever that is !!). She repairs watches and waits tables at a restaurant to make ends meet. Her father (Raghuveer Yadav) a singer, smitten by Kishore Kumar, has taken to drink and is under debt. The various characters - the businessman GangaRam smitten by Anya, the restaurant owner (Tanvi Azmi), the Doc - Anant Mahadevan, her classmates ...all are beautifully defined and fit it very well with the overall story line.
Anya has thrown her dad out of her house (her mom has left the house to her) because of his drinking. One day Andy (Ranvijay) comes to her door step to repair his watch. She makes him stand out side her shop for over an hour before she takes up the job. He pays her with a Rs 100 note shaped like a swan. This becomes a regular affair and she starts having feelings for him. One day at the market place, she sees him and he does not acknowledge her greeting. She starts following him and tries to unravel the mystery behind this "Sanki " Lover. If this is not enough, a builder is after her to sell her plot to make a resort.
When she comes to know the truth, she (like all women) wants to help Ranvijay recover. But the parents are against it. The story has shades of Kartik Calling Kartik with a slightly different twist.
The movie has a nice feel to it. The storytelling is taut and does not loose grip. Ayesha Takia's and Ranvijay's performance, individually are good but they lack the chemistry together. A trademark Nagesh kukunoor film worth a watch for a sentimental evening.. :)
Vishal Bhardwaj has built up an enormous reputation as a director with movies like Omkara and Kaminey. His treatment of the complex story lines and well defined characters have left their mark on his audiences. Therefore, there is tremendous excitement whenever he starts another movie and especially if the movie has a quirky name like "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola".
In fact,when I told one of my friends, (He is not into Hindi Movies!!..the poor sod), about my desire to see this movie, our conversation ran like this:-
Me: Hey, I am going to watch this movie - "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola".
He: Whats that? Is it a dialogue from the movie?
Me : No boss, its the name.
He: Was this guy drunk or does he want people to get curious about the movie?
Me: Obviously.. duh!!!!
He: I think this movie is going to be terrible. With a title like that, I am sure, he didn't know whether the audience would come- What better than a weird title which would pique audiences curiosity and help to make some money during the weekend!! Isn't it?
Me: Arre baba, the director is the same one who made "Kaminey", Remember? The movie you couldn't stop raving about - Especially Shahid's Torso :):) !!!
He: That fellow - Vishal Bhardwaj! (or is it Wee Shall= (he smirked!). I guess, it may be good, but , I still have a bad feeling about this. I mean, what does the title mean anyway? and what is Matru? Is Bijlee a girls name? and Mandola? Is it "Man" and "Dola" as in the hindi word or it means something else. Maybe Mandela?
Me: Boss, Let me see the movie and get back to you.. I too am confused and only watching the movie shall clear all doubts.
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After the movie----
He: Hey , How was it? Do I need to get that "I told you so" look!
Me : (Valiantly trying to keep a straight face), not exactly.
He: So what was the movie about? You know, Matru, Bijlee, Mandola ?
Me: Matru is Imran Khans name and he is the personal valet/driver of Harphool Singh Mandola (Pankaj Kapoor) and Bijlee is Mandola's daughter. They all live in a village called Mandola.
He: Thanks... but so what? Still don't make sense.
Me: Well, Matru has returned back to Mandola after studying in Delhi and is half a communist. Mandola is the rich landlord who wants to buy up all the farmland to
setup a SEZ. Shabana Azmi is the MLA. She with her son want to buy up all the land, take over Mandola's assets by marrying Bijlee. Bottom line, Shabana is the scheming B**** (its good she is taking up different roles in the twilight of her career). She is helping Mandola to declare all the land in Mandola as useless and then buy it from the farmers for a price. So in order to do that, water and electrical supply to irrigate the fields have been curtailed so that the farmers can't grow anything. The farmers are resisting it, god favours them by giving them good rainfall after three years. Therefore, supported by a good crop, the farmers resist this high handed take over. The biggies are in no mood to relent and continue their offensive on the farmers by refusing to buy their produce and foreclosing their loans etc. To add to the Melee, there is a faceless benefactor, MAO (how original !) who is guiding the farmers in their fight against the Biggies. You get the picture.
He: Yeah, some what. but I also heard some pink Buffalo was there in the movie. Where does that fit in?
Me: Mandola is a drunkard. He can do anything to get a drink and is always promising to leave drinking in the morning to start drinking again in the evening. Whenever he starts drinking, he starts slurring and makes decisions based on his conscience. When he stops, he starts seeing a Pink Buffalo, which drives him mad. (BTW, Gulabo Bhains is also the liquor brand that he drinks!). When he is sober, he is cold blooded and calculating.
He: This seems to be making some sense. So how do you explain the Matru ki Bijlee.
Me: Bijlee is Mandola's daughter, who is a wild chick. She loves Shabana's son and wants to marry him. Shabana's son is foolish but petty and dangerous. Shabana couldn't care less about these two, but wants the wedding only for the land. Mandola thinks by his daughter marrying Shabana's son, political clearance for converting agri land to Non Agri shall be given. Matru secretly loves Bijlee but tries to show his indifference so much so that, he does not even try to stop their engagement or wedding. So the story is about Matru and Bijlee's love in Mandola (their village), with the land grab as a backround (or vice versa). Understood?
He: Man, this seems like a convoluted way of making a movie. And you were missing most of last evening- was the movie that long.
Me: Yeah, too long for comfort. It really dragged at some places. It is however a satire based on the mindset of Land grabbing and how rich literally bamboozle the poor into submission. However, he could've made it far more taut, which would have really made it a brilliant movie.
He: So what do you suggest? Should I watch it? How was the music?
Me: Well, you could , if you have the patience. But I thought Imran's character was not clearly defined. Anoushka's too was wishy-washy. Pankaj kapur and Shabana were pretty good but they way he told the story, he ran out of time to make it better and any longer than the present would've made it un watchable - Catch 22. Music was so-so. So you can safely miss it if you are not into political activism else watch it to understand the problem.
He: Food for thought and how much would you rate it?
After a spate of wham-bam movies like Dabang 2, Son Of Sardar, Khiladi 786 etc, here comes a movie with no big names save one - Paresh Rawal, with a twisted story that seemed interesting but had a Been There Done That Look, transforming towards the end into a.. what can I say ... a sort of a Thriller!
Vivaan and Ria, a married couple (have to mention married as there are various types of couples nowadays), have won an all expenses paid trip to Fiji. They have a ball there in spite of Vivaan losing his job prior to the trip. Things begin to get interesting towards the end of their trip, then they are invited to celebrate their marriage anniversary in style in one of the many islands of Fiji.
At the Island they are introduced to Mr Khan (Paresh Rawal- looking menacing), who has sponsored their trip and the anniversary celebrations. During casual conversation, he brings up a game show that he runs called "Table 21". The rules of the game are simple - 9 questions, Do not lie (or if you do, you Die), you cannot quit, each question has a task which has to be completed or someone dies. Simple.... yet deadly. The prize money - Rs 21 Crores ($10 million Fiji, didnt know our currency is that weak !!!!). For an "Back to the wall" Vivaan, this seems like a godsent opportunity to make some money and setup something of their own. They agree to play, sign the disclaimers and then the fun begins.
The movie narration is based on a mix of present events being explained by Flashbacks. The story brings out what devastating effect money can have on us and our relationships. As the story unravels, Vivaan and Sia are forced to confront their fears and deceptions which have the potential to wreck their relationship. The director, Aditya Datt, does a pretty decent job and the screen play/Story by Sheershak Anand and Shatanu ray Chibber is quite taut. Though the movie seems like a rehash of "An Indecent Proposal" "Death Race" and "Sach Ka Samna", it ends quite differently. The suspense is kept up right till the end and generally the audience does not get any cues as to where the entire saga is leading to.
However, the level of suspense is muted and does not grip you... the sore point in the movie as the story had the potential to keep you on tenterhooks!!
Paresh Rawal as Mr Khan is suitably competent, Rajiv Khandelwal as the out of work cad, Vivaan, is above average. Tine Desae looks like another pretty face but her acting skills are nothing much to write about (I've written too much in this one line!!). The rest of the case serves a purpose and the surprise package is Ashraf - Dhruv Ganesh, who plays his role very competently.
The movie is watchable and though there are certain discontinuities and inconsistencies, I would high recommend that you watch this movie. It is bereft of big names but I think the movie's underlying message needs to be seen by all.
Let me be Frank. I liked Dabang- It was fresh, had great songs, a decent storyline, clearly defined characters and above all Salman was in full form and did a wonderful job as Chulbul Pandey AKA RobinHood Pandey. The direction was tight and editing was good. So after the tremendous response Dabang garnered, the cash cow was ripe for milking and sure enough Dabang 2 was launched and now released on 21 Dec 2012 - The apocalypse date.
Was the film's release on the day of Apocalypse a cataclysmic event. Absolutely not! The movie started off with a bang, (Chulbul has been transferred to Kanpur, so he has relocated lock, stock, barrel with his father, brother and wife and wants to do great things), with a kidnapping scene and chulbul in his trademark style, single-handedly bludgeons the kidnappers and rescues the kid. In trademark Dabang style and with unabashed simplicity asks the kids dad to give the ransom money for his welfare and police welfare fund..
So much for that scene. The movie rolls on and we are introduced to the baddies du jour. Prakash Raj as Baccha bhaiyya (local goon and aspiring politician) and his two brothers have spread their reign of terror in Kanpur and loot and kill at will. Chulbul has given them an open challenge that they will regret that he ever got transferred to Kanpur. A series of incidents are shown, which highlight the goons activities and how Chulbul Checkmates them. Bachha is restrained and does not want to make outright war with him, but is forced to after a particular incident.
Chulbul's senior officer, the SP is a pisa loving cop with a belly bigger than the globe. Sonakshi as his wife is suitably demure and give enough come hither looks. She is dressed in absolutely skimpy backless blouses and some gorgeous sarees. Arbaaz as Makkhi is extremely subdued and is portrayed as an extremely stupid guy. Mahi gill as Makkhi's wife Nirmala is completely wasted. Vinod Khanna is Ok in parts. It is Salman's show all along. Songs are atrocius (including the Fevicol Song).
The only thing worth mentioning is the action. Crisp and defying laws of gravity wherein humans bounce like rubber balls and nothing can happen to Chulbul. He is superman. The fight sequences are well shot nevertheless and are the highlight of the movie.
Summing up : Watch it only, and only if you are a Salman Khan Fan, otherwise it is a waste of time.
After the slew of hi-profile releases last month (and supposedly hi brow and classy), here comes an offering which is a study in contrast. Akshay "Khiladi" Kumar is alive, kicking and in every frame of the movie (but strangely enough you dont feel overwhelmed !!).
At the start, we are given a visual demo of how punjab police have outsourced their job to curtail smuggling to one "Bhattar Singh" or 72 Singh as seen on his name tally. I mean, if one guy can do the job ( smash into a smugglers den, beat up about 100 goons and re-appropriate the spoils amongst themselves and then some for the villagers and the government) then why waste time and effort of atleast 20, pot-bellied and pan-slobbering police men!!!!!!!
Anyway, we are informed that 72 Singh is actually a goon, robinhood and a demi-god , all rolled into one. This khiladi is a non-starter when it comes to wooing the opposite sex. He and his family are desperately trying to find a good match for him, but no dad is willing to give him his daughters hand because of his reputation. Now, it seems that the same problem was faced by his dad and chacha. His dad's mother is an African lady called Mandela Kaur!! , his mother is a canadian and his Chachi is a Chinese!!!!! And boy, their offspring look indian.. !!! Genetics... what a bummer!!! as to their names, Dad is Sattar Singh, Chacha is Ek Hattar Singh, Khiladi is Bahattar Singh, 73 Singh (I cant recollect the hindi name for 73) was lost in a mela (thankfully, not the Kumbh one!!), 74 Singh is his chacha's son (the chinese babes kid)..and now I am lost..???
To cut a long story short, we move to mumbai where Mithun as the dreaded Don TTT (Tatya Tukaram Tendulkar) has a maniacal sister Indu (Asin - Looking absolutely gorgeous and shapely - Lipo or workout.. I am not sure), who drives of prospective goons oops... grooms by her dare driving skills, because she is in love with a Hare Brained, criminal with a Hyderabadi accent called Azad, who is Jail Prone (see the movie to understand this term!!).
The third element is a wedding planner, Himmesh bhai, whose father is the owner and has completed some 450+ marriages and is looking for completing 500. But-- Himmesh, with this goofy behaviour is jinxed and says the wrong things at the wrong time and instead of getting married, the marriages are called off... So he is kicked out and wants to prove a point to his dad that he can also get people married. Therein lies the story... of how Himmesh, tries to marry off 72 Singh with Indu and thereof..
The story is whacky and non-sensical but the director makes no bones about it. The direction is like Rohit Shetty meets Crouching Tiger and Moon Acrobatics.. I mean, flying cars, flying people, punches that send people into orbit and cars that keep blowing off.. there is enough excitement to whet your appetite. Believe me, this film is for the masses and please see it for the sheer incredulity of events that the director want you to see.
Music by Himmesh Bhai is as nasal as it can get, but watching his voice resonate through akshay is hilarious. The songs are tedious and continuing with the trend this year(Almost all hindi movies had awful sound tracks!!!).
Verdict - To be honest- there was never a dull moment on screen and your belief systems were being stretched every second. Asin was wasted in this movie (but she looked gorgeous, and I dont know why she wants to do these movies, she looks too sophisticated !!!). Raj Babbar and Mithun - the old warhorses prove that they still have it... Himmesh is believable and cute and I guess has now found his space.. :). Akshay is really good and holds the movie together.. very entertaining - Overall-
RATING - **1/2 ( and ***1/2 only for Akshay).
Warning - Watch it with no pre-conceived notions..!!!!!!
