Peepli [Live]

What do you expect from a movie which is based on “Farmer Suicides”, set in a village with no major starts in it?? A serious, boring affair, which isn’t worth a weekend watch at the multiplex.....

Wait.......I forgot to mention one more element....”Aamir Khan” production and that’s where the difference lies. Suddenly the non stars get the star status, the serious drama becomes a comic satire, village becomes a ‘mela’ for media. Welcome to “Peepli”, a small village representing the true rural India. A poor family of farmers loses its last part of land because it couldn’t repay the loan. Elder brother ‘Budhiya’ (Raghuvir Yadav) prompts younger Natha (Manikpuri) to commit suicide for government will pay compensation for the same to the rest of family and it will help them get their land back. As soon as Natha decides to commit suicide, media picks up the story and gives it political angel. What unfolds next is for you to find out....

It’s an intelligent movie just like other Aamir Khan productions. It brings humour to the serious issue like Farmer Suicide and still does justice with the sensitivity of the subject. It makes the point in a subtle manner, which is entertaining and still leaves you with a thought to ponder over as you leave the hall.

All the non stars of the movie pitch in commendable performances. Manikpuri is brilliant as Natha. Raghuvir Yadav again reminds us of his excellent acting abilities. He surely is one of the most underrated and underutilized actors in bollywood. First time director Anusha Rizvi, understands the subjects well and handles it really well. The music is just right for the mood of the movie.

It’s a ‘recommended watch’ this weekend for it brings together entertainment and sensibility.   

Ratings: 4/ 5

Aisha

Move over Dilli-6, this is new age Delhi. The only places you shop are the most expensive malls; night outs, Link-ups/ flings are part of routine life. Aisha tells the story of a rich/ sophisticated yet simple girl. At heart, she is just like any girl you would have met.... dreamy, gossipy, vulnerable, looking for her ‘prince charming’. And that’s the strength of the movie... its simplicity.
“Aisha” (Sonam ) stays in the Posh “South Delhi”. She has a rich father to take care of her expenses so shopping is her favourite timepass. Another timepass is playing the cupid between her friends or at least that’s what she thinks, she does. And this is where things started to become more interesting. She tries to find a match for her ‘middle class’ friend Shefali. Interestingly all the men she finds for Shefali, are actually interested in her. Shefali eventually falls for Arjun (Abhay) which Aisha is interested in. In between, we get lots of light moments, link ups, breakups and girly gossip. What happens eventually, you need to find out yourself.
Sonam Kapoor goes one notch higher with this performance. Abhay is pleasant in his portray of a controlled/ disciplined man. All the other cast brings in top performances. Direction is first class and you almost find yourself involved in the proceedings.
This is a “Recommended” watch. Get your gang of friends together, get the popcorns and cola, sit back and enjoy.

Ratings: 3.5/5

Raavan

It was my first date with this incredibly beautiful girl. I took her to a Coffee Shop. All through the meeting, she kept on blushing & smiling. I was sort of trying to find her interest in me, but for every “serious” question, she would just flash that irresistible smile which made her look even more beautiful. I really couldn’t make up my mind whether she was for real.  As it happened, we couldn’t go beyond couple of dates and parted ways....

That’s exactly the feeling, I got when I got out of the hall after watching “Raavan”. It’s a visually stunning experience. The water shots, the hills, Ashwarya, beautiful forest...all adds up to make it a picture perfect. But it’s the screenplay and characterization, where it lacks.

Beera (Abhishek) is a tribal who rules the area called ‘Lal Mati’. He kidnaps Ragini (Ash) who is the wife of IPS officer, Dev Pratap (Vikram). The first half of the movie doesn’t really move forward beyond this kidnap, as Dev starts the search for Beera with the help of Sanjeevani Kumar (Govinda).

Movie picks up in the second half, when motives of Beera came to fore. Ragini gets to see the other side of Beera and starts getting weak, as Beera shows his interest in her. On the positive side, it has an interesting climax, with good twists and stunning visuals.

In terms of performances, Ash delivers a convincing act. Vikram is okay, as a second hero. Govinda does a fine job in a small role. Now, what about the Raavan; Abhishek’s character unfortunately is not well defined and he doesn’t convince as a fearsome tribal. At times, he shouts and acts over the top. In fact, he never brings out that aura of fear for the character, he portrays. And he must add few muscles, if he wants to flaunt his body in a role like this. Cinematography is top notch and is the high point of the movie.

On the whole, movie is a disappointment for the kind of expectations it is carrying. Ashwarya fans can watch it for she is coming back after a long time, in a good performance. Apart from that you can watch it for the “visual treat” that it provides over those 2.10 hrs.  But in terms of real content,  it’s like that beautiful girl who just flatters to deceive..!

Rating : 2 (out of 5) 

Robin Hood (Drama)

First things first, this is the story of Robin Longstride (Russel Crowe), a common archer in the army of Lion Heart, set in the 12^th Century. The story of his fight with the enemy, with the system and his becoming of the Robin Hood.

Robin’s father teaches him, “Fight and fight again, till the lamb become the lions” and he does follow it till the end. And lion he becomes but only at the end of the movie. So what you get are not the histrionics of Robin Hood but the struggle of Robin Longstride for becoming one. And that’s where the problem lies. You go into the hall, expecting full on heroism of Robin Hood, but ended up getting it, “too little, too late”. The pace of the screenplay is too slow at places which makes it boring at times.

There are merits to the movie also. The performances of Russle Crowe and Cate Blanchett  are top notch. The cinematography is of high quality. Some of the scenes in the final battle scene are breathtaking.  

It’s recommended strictly for fans of “Russel Crowe”, for he carries the movie with a brave performance. As for the fans of Robin Hood, the movie ends with the line “ The legend begins”. Expect a sequel to this one pretty soon and that one should provide you the full blown adventure.

Rating: 2.5 (out of 5)

RAJneeti

There is Snack food and then there’s a full course meal. There are two things you need to watch out for, when you go out for dinner at some plcae:

1. It serves food of your choice

2. It makes excellent food

“Rajneeti” is a full course meal. It’s cooked very well with the right mix of drama, suspense, twists, emotions & brilliant performances. In fact in terms of content & storytelling, it happens to be the best movie of year 2010.

Prakash Jha, a vetern story teller of realistic movies, is in terrific form. He assembles a gigantic cast to perform modern day “Mahabharata”. You have Arjun ( Ranbhir Kapoor), Duryodhan (Manoj Vajpayee), Karan (Ajay Devgan) & Bheem (Arjun Rampal) battling it out in dirty the power game called “Politics”.

Samar (Ranbhir Kapoor), studying his Phd abroad, comes home to attend a family gathering. A sudden death of his father (who’s president of political party) starts a dirty game of power snatching, with everyone trying their best to outdo the others. Samar decides to stay back to help his brother Prithvi (Arjun Rampal) win elections. His cousin Virender Pratap (Manoj Vajpayee) joins hands with Dalit leader Suraj (Ajay Devgan) to defeat Prithvi. Brij Gopal (Nana) helps Samar in his quest to win.

As the story takes sudden twists, it keeps you hooked to your seats. In the end it all boils down to “how far one can go to get the power”....and the one who keeps all the morals at bay wins. Well, who wins ultimately and how, you need to find out yourself...!

In terms of performances, everyone delivers their best. Ranbhir Kapoor, once again surprises you with his maturity as an actor. Ajay Devgan is terrific as a Dalit leader. Manoj Vajpayee is back in form after a long time. Nana plays a complex character as only he can. Katrina plays her part well and who say that Arjun Rampal can't act, watch out!

It is a “Recommended watch” for Rajneeti, if you like quality cinema. Just one advice: Please carry your brains along as you will require it while watching it.

• Ratings : 4 (out of 5)