UGLY: Kashyap Returns to his territory! Dark gets darker! [4/5]

A 10-year old girl is missing. Or kidnapped. Or murdered. And the cops at the nearest police station are busy scratching their nails deep into why actors change their names for screen and if everyone does it, why hasn’t Amitabh Bachchan done the same? This is a piece of reality anyone would relate to. Certainly, this doesn’t work in the favor. For that matter, even the departmental sniffer dog is also an inefficient one. But Anurag Kashyap never misses it, especially when it comes to paint the screen in the most under-lit shades. UGLY is dark, disturbing, real, riveting and one of the best thrillers in the lines of Kashyap’s earlier trysts with the genre; PAANCH & BLACK FRIDAY!

The college love-triangle usually flourishing in the most vivid Karan Johar style romantic dream world returns to the hard & harsh world of reality, handled in Anurag Kashyap fashion. The ‘Rahul’ boy with the most charming looks [Rahul Bhatt] here is now a struggling actor with a bottle of rum in one hand and packs of pre & post workout protein supplements on the upper rack in his room.

The girl in love [Tejaswini Kolhapure] has lost it completely. Her dream world is beaten, bashed and thrashed to the broken world of no hopes left. The silent-shy lover and the toughest cop in the circuit [Ronit Roy] do come to recue the girl but not without leaving his masculine ego to throw away lines like ‘tum bachi khuchi mili thin mujhe’. Circumstances bring both the contenders against when the daughter from the first marriage goes missing. And everyone is under the sharp knives of suspicion; from the real father and his friends to the step one!

Kashyap’s UGLI is a winning combo of brilliantly written characters, worth-watching performances and a perfect expertise on the execution level. The cinematography is extremely grasping, explosive and exact. The background score keeps the tension high on meter and constantly haunts for the rest. And then, the most enjoyable characters with their indefinite shades.

Girish Kulkarni as the ‘technology unconscious’ cop is both maddening and enjoyable. Vineet Kumar Singh is a shocking revelation. Watching him trying voice-modulation in one scene and his all swearing verbal outburst in the finale, is a rewarding experience. Tejaswini deserves a mention for playing hopeless soul torn between her miserable first choice and the unashamedly egoist savior in the second. Rahul Bhatt fearlessly shifts shades from a caring father to self-centered struggling actor. We have seen Ronit Roy as an arrogantly manipulative cop [in Akshay Kumar starrer BOSS] and a dominating male [in Kashyap produced UDAAN] before, but it looks like neither he’s done with it nor us. He’s repetitive but simply outstanding.

With UGLY, Anurag Kashyap returns to his territory where dark is the only illumination to reveal and discover one’s inner-self. The violent, sadistic, opportunist, selfish and vengeful self that come out in light only when it gets dark. And real. And well-suited. When a subordinate updates his chief about the missing girl being a fine-looking and that this could make it narrowing the search to the child-sex rackets, he realizes later that it is the father who he’s talking to. Nothing can be so terrifying for a father and a sensitive viewer too. Definitely, the world outside is dark. Watch it if you want to wake up yourself from laid-back dreams and don’t if you have a fragile heart. UGLY remains awesome, in both settings! [4/5] 

PK: Oh, My God! Year’s most entertaining Film! [5/5]

You can’t question religion. You can’t ask for logical explanations when it comes to one’s faith. We are not supposed to do that. We are not taught to do that. You have to be either an alien or an escapee from the nearest mental asylum. PK [played by the calculative risk-taker & a game-changer in many cases Aamir Khan] is one such rare genus. His level of indulgence with our worldly Gods is absolutely ‘out of this world’. His child-like innocence can bombard questions of all kind without giving you much time to think and react. He can also make you thunderstruck with his logical demonstrations about things you never bothered or rather apprehended to ask about. No doubt, he looks like a distant and conscientiously more intuitive cousin to Fungshuk Wangdu of 3 IDIOTS.  

‘PK’ is another gem of Rajkumar Hirani’s school of film-making where success can also be formulated by assimilating an unfussy entertainment of dramatic but simple nature & a ‘never gets preachy’ social message weaved in good humor and honest emotions. So when PK- the untainted innocent soul discovers people buying goods of their needs simply by exchanging a piece of paper with an old man’s picture [our very own ‘father of the nation] printed on it, he starts collecting every single poster & newspaper-cutting carrying his image. Next, we are made realize how we only respect the ‘financial’ worth and not the ‘moral’ values the man lived his life for.

‘PK’ also dares to question your blind-faith on forged Godmen from all religions. It’s high time we turn to humanity as our primary religious conviction rather than wasting our hard-money and the gifted wisdom to differentiate right from wrong on someone else’s phony tactics. As PK says in the film, the God who created us is very different from the ones we created. And the prayers we make through these age-old practices are nothing more than a ‘wrong number’ call.

The biggest strength of ‘PK’ is that it talks less and speaks more. There is hardly a scene where you don’t get thrashed by one or other social issues or expected human behavioral flaws in us; in a very subtle, explicable, logical and entertaining manner. The Bhojpuri texture to the lingo adds to it fervently and freely. It is one of the most sugary languages spoken across country; still very misinterpreted and wrongly portrayed and performed for Bollywood films. ‘PK’ also doesn’t do it flawlessly but certainly the respect is there. For a change, I am not offended this time!

Hirani and Abhijat Joshi’s taut and an almost flawless screenplay gives you ample hilarious as well as heartwarming moments. Anushka Sharma impresses with her sparkling presence very well translated into a lovely & lively character on screen. Saurabh Shukla and Boman Irani are efficiently likeable. Sushant Singh Rajput is charming and plays it cool, though is only for a shorter role. And who wouldn’t agree? The leading man leads like no one does better. Aamir is known to reinvent his acting abilities as well as the commercial cinema in India. This one takes his efforts to the next level. He gives us a multicolored paan-chewing character you will take home immediately.

And if could give you more about the film, I would be writing it hours in row. There is so much to cheer-so much to cherish; you wouldn’t mind it going twice in its first week. I am ready for the evening show. Till then; my only reaction to the film is if Bollywood is meant to follow the latest formula for recreating similar box-office success, are we going to see many more ‘PK’s in coming years? I am sure, the answer is negative. PK is outstanding! PK doesn’t come to us too often! Go; get a slice of it…NOW! [5/5]

दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे : एक जादुई नशा, साल-दर-साल बढ़ता!

प्यार का कोई दौर नहीं होता। प्यार हर दौर में बस प्यार ही होता है। सादा, सीधा, सच्चा....शायद इसीलिए प्यार का कोई माकूल अंजाम भी नहीं होता! आप पैदा होते हैं, बड़े होते हैं, ज़िंदगी को जानने-समझने में लगे रहते हैं और फिर एक दिन आप का वजूद मुट्ठी की रेत की तरह फिसल जाता है, पर प्यार वहीँ कहीं रहता है। तब भी था, अब भी है, तब भी रहेगा…और प्यार की कहानियां भी, कुछ बिलकुल ऐसी ही! एकदम ताज़ी, जिन पर वक़्त की कोई धूल नहीं, जिन पर दौर की कोई मुहर नहीं। 

कुल मिलाकर 14 साल का था, जब आदित्य चोपड़ा की 'दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे' का पहले दिन-पहला शो देखा था! तब भले ही इत्तेफ़ाक़ लगता रहा हो, अब नहीं लगता। गोरखपुर से कुछ 100 किलोमीटर दूर एक छोटे से गाँव से यमुना पार दिल्ली के राधू पैलेस तक का सफर जैसे सिर्फ इसी इक तिलिस्म के इर्द-गिर्द पहुँचने की साज़िश थी। हालात बदल रहे थे। अप्रवासी भारतीयों की कौम पहचान बना भी रही थी और ढूंढ भी रही थी। हालांकि ऊल-जलूल की भौंडी कॉमेडी [राजा बाबू, कुली न. 1], मार-धाड़ से भरपूर सस्ते मनोरंजन [मोहरा, मैं खिलाडी तू अनाड़ी, विजयपथ] के बीच एक महान पारिवारिक फिल्म [हम आपके हैं कौन.!]का जादू अभी उतरा नहीं था, पर इस दौर को एक नए ज़मीन की दरकार थी! ऐसी ज़मीन जिसकी हवाओं में नए ज़माने की महक भी हो और जिसकी मिट्टी में हिंदुस्तानी तहज़ीब और तमीज का सोंधापन भी। 

सालों से लन्दन में रहने वाले चौधरी बलदेव सिंह [अमरीश पुरी] का दिल अब भी पंजाब में ही बसता है! ये उन चंद कबूतरों में से हैं जो दाने की तलाश में दूर निकल आये हैं, 'ज़रूरतों ने जिनके पर काट दिए हैं, रोटी पाँव की ज़ंजीर बन गयी है', पर वापस अपने मुल्क जाने की आस अभी छूटी नहीं है, अभी टूटी नहीं है। अपनी लाजो जी [फरीदा जलाल] और दो बेटियों, राजेश्वरी यानी छुटकी [पूजा रूपारेल] और सिमरन [काजोल] के साथ, चौधरी साब ने लन्दन में ही पंजाब को ज़िंदा रखा है। ऐसे ही एक ज़िंदादिल हिंदुस्तानी हैं धरमवीर मल्होत्रा [अनुपम खेर], जो अपने हिस्से की जवानी अपने बेटे राज [शाहरुख खान] की मस्ती भरी शरारतों में जी रहे हैं। 

फिल्मों में, खासकर हिंदी फिल्मों में हीरो-हीरोइन का मिलना अक्सर गैर-इरादतन इत्तेफ़ाक़ ही होता है। यहाँ भी सूरत-ए-हाल कुछ ख़ास, कुछ अलग नहीं है।  सिमरन की शादी पंजाब के किसी हट्टे-कट्टे गबरू जवान से तय हो चुकी है, जबकि वो उसे जानती तक नहीं! ऐसे में दोस्तों के साथ एक महीने की यूरोप-ट्रिप, सिमरन के लिये एक आख़री मौका है अपनी सारी ज़िंदगी जी लेने का! मस्तमौला, बदतमीज़ और आवारा राज भी इसी ट्रिप का एक हिस्सा है। छोटी-छोटी ढेर सारी नोक-झोंक और एक-दूसरे को काफ़ी हद तक जानने के बाद दोनों एक-दूसरे से अलग हो रहे हैं, पर दोनों के दिलों में कहीं न कहीं, कुछ न कुछ जुड़ रहा है। सिमरन के ख़्वाबों में आने वाले अनदेखे-अनजाने चेहरे को एक शकल मिल रही है, और मस्तमौला राज आज बड़ी संजीदगी से बैठा चाँद निहार रहा है।

इश्क़ में बग़ावत करने और दुनिया जला देने का दावा पेश करने वाले आशिक़ों को बड़ी कोफ़्त हुई होगी, जब राज सिमरन को भागने से मना कर देता है, "अब मैं तुम्हें तभी यहां से ले जाऊंगा, जब बाबूजी खुद तुम्हारा हाथ मेरे हाथ में देंगे". गौर फरमाईये, ये वही राज है जो अपनी मौज-मस्तियों के लिए अब तक बड़ी बेपरवाही से लोगों के दिल तोड़ता आया है! इस राज की एक झलक यूरोप-ट्रिप पे भी देखने को मिली थी, जब उसके एक भद्दे मज़ाक से परेशान सिमरन को राज बड़ी शिद्दत और फ़क्र से समझाता है कि वो एक हिंदुस्तानी है और एक हिंदुस्तानी औरत की इज़्ज़त क्या होती है? अच्छी तरह जानता है। सिर्फ हिंदुस्तानी औरत की? क्या फ़र्क पड़ता है, शुरुआत कहीं से तो होनी चाहिए। 

हालांकि 'दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे' को एक पूरी तरह आज़ाद ख्याल फिल्म नहीं कहा जा सकता। मसलन, फिल्म में औरतें के किरदार अभी भी बंधे-बंधे नज़र आते हैं। सिमरन बड़ी आसानी से समझौते करने को तैयार है, उसकी आज़ादी अभी भी मर्द के हाथों कैद है तब तक, जब तक 'जा सिमरन, जा.…अपनी ज़िंदगी जी ले' का फरमान न मिल जाए! पर फिर भी, कई मायनों में 'दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे' लकीर का फ़कीर बनने से इंकार करती नज़र आती है। विदेशों में बसने और दिलों में देश बसाये घूमने वाले नौजवानों की कहानी यहां रूकती नहीं, यहाँ से शुरू होती है। 'जब प्यार किसी से होता है' और 'परदेस'  जैसों की नींव देखिये, जानी-पहचानी लगेगी। फिल्म का अंत भले ही नाटकीय लगे, आज तक बेझिझक दोहराया जा रहा है। बस, पंजाब का वो छोटा सा रेलवे स्टेशन अब बड़े शहरों का एयरपोर्ट बन गया है! करवा-चौथ को पंजाब-दिल्ली से बाहर ले जाने और करन जौहर की फिल्मों में एक जरूरी हिस्सा बनाने का श्रेय भी इसी को जाता है!

बहरहाल, रिलीज़ हुए 1000 हफ्ते हो चुके हैं और 'दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे' मराठा मंदिर, मुंबई और अपने करोड़ों चाहने वालों के दिलों में अभी भी शान से चल रही है! जतिन-ललित का संगीत-आनंद बक्शी के गीत अभी पुराने नहीं हुए हैं। सिनेमा का बड़ा पर्दा हो या आपके ड्राइंग रूम का टीवी स्क्रीन,  'सेनोरिटा, बड़े-बड़े देशों में ऐसी छोटी-छोटी बातें होती रहती हैं', 'बाबूजी ठीक कहते हैं मैं आवारा हूँ, तो क्या हुआ अगर ये आवारा तुम्हें दीवानों की तरह प्यार करता है' और सिमरन की शायरी, "ऐसा पहली बार हुआ है सत्रह-अठरह सालों में, अनदेखा अंजाना कोई आने लगा ख्यालों में" सुनना और साथ-साथ दोहराना आज भी बदस्तूर जारी है। 

1995 में 'साल की सबसे मनोरंजक फिल्म' का राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार पाने वाली 'दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे' इश्क़ की तरह ही है, जितना पुराना उतना ही गहरा, उतना ही जादुई! धरमवीर मल्होत्रा के किरदार में अनुपम खेर साब एक सीन में कहते हैं, "मुहब्बत का नाम आज भी मुहब्बत ही है"....और जब तक, मुहब्बत का नाम मुहब्बत रहेगा, ''दिलवाले दुल्हनियां ले जाएंगे' का जादू कहीं न कहीं किसी कोने में ज़िंदा रहेगा! 

SULEMANI KEEDA: Writers' hell! Viewers' paradise! [3.5/5]

It’s not hard to locate self-proclaimed cinema people with a promising story to tell on screen in the city of dreams, Mumbai. You don’t have to knock too many doors to meet & greet struggling film-writers like Dulal [played by Naveen Kasturia] & Mainak [Mayank Tewari]. SULEMANI KEEDA is their Narak Yatra i.e. the trip to hell [a Hindi Novel written by Gyan Chaturvedi can be seen in one of the earliest frames] to make it big in the Hindi film industry but in a very realistic, engaging and entertaining manner. Humor flows vigorously from the flagrant flares of lust, itch for fame and human coarseness in characters to the ‘real to the core’ verbal exchange between them.

Soon after breaking up with his girlfriend of 2 years, Dulal is seen explaining the genesis of an idea to evoke in him the much-needed push for writing. Taking inspirations from Sahir Ludhiyanvi saab’s, “maine jo geet tere pyaar ki khatir likhe, aaj unn geeton ko bazaar mein le aaya hoon”; he too wants each failed relationships of his life to be kept alive in his writings, of course with a disclaimer that he will change the names. On other hand, Mainek is more like a chaotic, topsy-turvy missile who can never hit the right spot, on purpose. Together, they bang doors of every big name in the industry to back and buy their story but end up taking painfully deep, profound and inexplicable lecture on life by Mr. Mahesh ‘know-it-all’ Bhatt.

Their only existing hope is a 35-year old star-son of a B-grade film producer who wants an out-of the-box story with no story as such to be his long-awaited launch-pad where he can play an 18-year old romantic lead. This colorful character Gonzo- a Torkovsky fan doesn’t really stand the term ‘Hero’ in the script, thinks it’s time to revolutionize Hindi films with full-frontal nudity and loves to call her cat ‘Fellini’. Meanwhile, Dulal’s 3-day sting with a beautiful, positive and self-assured photographer Ruma [Played by Aditi Vasudev] lands him in a brawl with Mainek and a late realization of love striking again in his life. 

With writers trying hard to just get an appointment with makers, being ignored, overlooked and even disgracefully shooed away for asking their payments [my favorite moment in the film with Mainek being the victim] and then, making creative compromises to sustain at the last; first-timer Amit Masurkar’s SULEMANI KEEDA is an impressive take of how things work in Bollywood especially if you haven’t crossed the line of success yet. The best part, all of it gets told with fine suggestions sugar-coated in competent wit. Even in its most dull and regular moment [there are few, comparatively], you are never thrown in state of boredom or depression.

The editing is superbly done. The camerawork beautifully captures the essence of Mumbai as a city full of dreamy illuminations and existent imaginations in daylight and nightlife both. The sound designing keeps surprising you with experiments that never go wrong. On the performances, Naveen is perfectly cast as a cutely confused but decently sound writer. Mayank Tewari succeeds in making you laugh with his ease at the craft. Aditi Vasudev is impressive.

To sum up, SULEMANI KEEDA is an indie best to celebrate friendship that doesn’t falter in extremes, is rudely controlling and a bag full of conflicting shades of different personalities but filled with loads of happier moments to rejoice later in life. Watch it, if you ever had a roommate who can convince you not to wear your favorite t-shirt on one of your big days and later, to find the same on his body at the same event. And do not miss, if you ever had thoughts of being a film-writer in Bollywood! [3.5/5]        

ACTION JACKSON: Torture has a new name! Don’t take the risk! [1/5]

India is a land where superstitions are the most fertile substance, that too without having much substance. Ranging from the black cat crossing your path to someone sneezing at you while you’re making your best move; superstitions don’t demand much but quite a few non-rational minds with blind-faith. Add a new count to the list. If you are a girl tagged as ‘unlucky’ by your friends and have same amount of common sense as Sonakshi flaunts in the film, here is the good news. Seeing someone special [Ajay Devgn in this case] in his undies could get you promotions in your job or you might also win a jackpot at your nearest mega mart. I wish making audience feel the same would have been so easy for Prabhudheva!

Prabhudheva’s latest brainless entertainer ACTION JACKSON is a terribly torturous exercise not only to watch it as a viewer but also to recollect and reconcile it on paper as a film reviewer. Trust me, I could go and copy paragraphs from my earlier reviews of such mindless 100 Cr club entries to paste it here and you would never notice a thing. But then, I am no Prabhudheva myself. There’s nothing called story in this weirdly comic and miserably painful action drama as such; still, I would try my best to make you understand how difficult and excruciating it could get to sit through.

Ajay Devgn plays a good-hearted gunda who can intimidate a school principal for not giving admission to a street-vendor’s son just because the father is an illiterate. So what if while doing such good social work with help of the shining dagger in his hands, he forgets that the kid is there in the frame too, probably having wrong impressions about which career is the most considerable and dependable of the both. Sonakshi plays you know what. She has been playing this role for the nth time now and is still, very far from mastering it. Kunaal Roy Kapoor of ‘DELHI BELLY’ enters the Limca Book of worst Records for making a mark in slap-stick comedies. He gets slapped non-stop in every scene he makes appearance in to bring some smile on your face. Acting is a painful process for many, I guess!

And then; in the midst of so many disappointments, shines and rises the Femina Miss India 2010 Manasvi Mamgain making her debut as the bad girl Marina. She carries her promise at the pageant to empower women in India by playing a tough and determined girl who intrepidly dares the machoman Ajay Devgn in the film with, “Mujhe jo cheej pasand aa jaaye, wo meri ho jaati”. Bravo, for beating all the Gulshan Grovers & Prem Chopras of Bollywood!

Overall, ACTION JACKSON is filled with gravity-defying action sequences, absurdly placed dance numbers, comedy that hardly tickles any bone and a lot of ear-deafening sound effects. The plot gets thicken only at the time of interval when the twist gets unraveled. And it works, especially to make you convinced about not leaving the film in the interval only. Mission successful! You are fooled, again. Like said in the first para, India is a land of superstitions. Blending hysterical hammering action, bizarrely non-sense comedy and rude romance with added star-value would make a complete entertainer, is another myth. Don’t trust. Stay away! [1/5]