Showing posts with label ali jafar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ali jafar. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

डियर जिंदगी: Rx, एक सुकून भरा ‘सेशन’! [3.5/5]

गौरी शिंदे की ‘डियर जिंदगी’ देखने के लिए आपको एक ख़ास तरह का चश्मा चाहिए होगा. वो चश्मा जिसके भीतर से आप देख पाएं कि कैसे एक सुपरस्टार अपने स्टारडम का बोझ धीरे-धीरे ही सही, अपने मज़बूत कन्धों से उतारने की कोशिश तो कर रहा है. हालाँकि कई बार आपको ये कोशिश जबरदस्ती की लगेगी, और कई बार बहुत बनावटी, फिर भी. तकरीबन तीन दशकों के अपने पूरे फ़िल्मी कैरियर में शाहरुख़ इस तरह की बेहद जरूरी कोशिश सिर्फ गिनती के कुछ वक़्त ही (स्वदेश और चक दे! इंडिया) करते नज़र आते हैं, इसीलिए इसके मायने और भी बढ़ जाते हैं. फिल्म में उनका किरदार एक जगह कहता भी है, “ज़िन्दगी में जब भी पैटर्न और आदतें बनती दिखाई दें, जीनियस वही है जिसे पता हो कि कब और कहाँ रुकना है?” इस फिल्म से शायद शाहरुख़ भी यही सीख रहे हैं.  

...और इसी करामाती चश्मे से शायद आप ये भी देख पाएं कि एक ‘मेनस्ट्रीम’ हिंदी फिल्म होते हुए भी, अपनी कहानी और कहानी कहने की शैली की वजह से कैसे ‘डियर जिंदगी’ कमोबेश एक प्रयोगधर्मी ‘इंडी’ फिल्म का चोला ओढ़ने में कहीं कोई शर्मिंदगी नहीं दिखाती. ज़िन्दगी की मुश्किलों को आसान बनाने के रास्ते सुझाती, ये फिल्म भले ही किसी बड़ी सर्जरी की तरह हिंदी सिनेमा की सारी तकलीफें एक झटके में दूर न कर पाती हो, पर एक सुकून भरा ‘सेशन’ तो है ही, जिसका असर आने वाले वक़्त में बिलकुल दिखाई देगा.

रिश्ते बनाने-निभाने में काईरा (आलिया भट्ट) थोड़ी कच्ची है. ‘बाय’ बोलने की जैसे उसको जल्दी रहती है. दूसरा कोई बोले, दर्द हो, दुःख पहुंचे, इससे पहले खुद ही बोल दो. जाने कैसे-कैसे डर पाले बैठी रहती है, बिलकुल हम सबकी तरह. रोने का मन हो तो हरी मिर्ची चबा कर कहती है, “मिर्ची की वजह से हो रहा है ये”. सिड (अंगद बेदी) के बाद रघुवेंद्र (कुनाल कपूर) भी उसकी जिंदगी से जाता दिख रहा है. डिप्रेशन का दौर है ये. गोलियां खाने के बाद भी काईरा को नींद नहीं आती. दिमाग के डॉक्टर, जहांगीर खान (शाहरुख खान) के सामने बैठी है, पर अपनी तकलीफ़, अपना डर सब कुछ अपना न कह कर, अपनी दोस्त के नाम पर धड़ल्ले से बताती जा रही है. आखिर, ऐसे डॉक्टर के पास जाने वाले को ‘लोग’ पागल जो समझते हैं.

खैर, डॉक्टर खान को मर्ज़ जानने में कोई मुश्किल नहीं होती. उन्हें बस उस ज्वालामुखी को कुरेदना है, जहां सब कुछ धधकते लावे की शक्ल में जमा होता जा रहा है. हालाँकि वो खुद डाइवोर्स जैसे अँधेरे रास्ते से गुजर चुके हैं, और कहते हुए झिझकते नहीं कि वो अपने बेटे को अच्छी यादें देना चाहते हैं, ताकि उसके पास अपने ‘थेरेपिस्ट’ को बताने के लिए कुछ तो हो. सच कहिये तो ऐसे ‘थेरेपिस्ट’ के पास जाने की जरूरत हम सबको है, जिनके फ़ोन कॉल्स अपने माँ-बाप के लिए कभी दो-चार मिनट से ज्यादा लम्बे नहीं होते.

डियर ज़िन्दगी’ अपने छोटे-छोटे, हलके-फुल्के पलों में बड़े-बड़े फलसफों वाली बातें कहने का जोखिम बखूबी और बेख़ौफ़ उठाती है. डॉक्टर खान जब भी रिश्तों को लेकर ज़िन्दगी का एक नया पहलू काईरा को समझा रहे होते हैं, उनकी इस भूमिका में शाहरुख़ जैसे बड़े कलाकार का होना अपनी अहमियत साफ़ जता जाता है. ये चेहरा जाना-पहचाना है. बीसियों साल से परदे पर प्यार, दोस्ती और ज़िन्दगी की बातें करता आ रहा है, पर इस बार उसकी बातों की दलील पहले से कहीं ज्यादा गहरी है, मजबूत है, कारगर है. आलिया जिस तरह भरभरा कर टूटती हैं परदे पर, हिंदी सिनेमा में अपने साथ के तमाम कलाकारों को धकियाते हुए एकदम आगे निकल जाती हैं. फिल्म की खासियतों में से एक ये भी है कि शाहरुख़ जैसा दमदार स्टार होते हुए भी कैमरा और कहानी दोनों आलिया के किरदार से कभी दूर हटते दिखाई नहीं देते.

गिनती के दो-चार बेहद आम दृश्यों को छोड़ दें, खासकर काईरा का ‘फॅमिली अफेयर’ जहां फिल्म की कहानी दूसरे हिस्सों के मुकाबले काफी बेअसर और लचर दिखाई पड़ती है, तो ‘डियर जिंदगी’ एक बहुत ही सुलझी हुई फिल्म है. जितना बोलती है, उतना ही कहती भी है, पूरी तरह नाप-तौल कर, पूरी तरह सोच-समझ कर! [3.5/5]         

Friday, 26 February 2016

TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE : Sequel or a Spoof? [2/5]

Satires backfire if not handled seriously. The characters can look goofy on screen to any extent but the writing should always be smart and considerate. TERE BIN LADEN (2010) followed it all as basic principles and the code of conduct. No wonder, it was unanimously loved and tagged as year’s one of the sleeper hits. The sequel too was expected, though never this late. 6 years later, the team is back with TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE. Nothing has changed eventually except the writing has imbibed the goofiness and the characters have become smarter than you think. So much to change the end results in a bad sense! Abhishek Sharma’s TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE is plenty dry, partly funny and largely a disappointment that works less as a sequel and more as a spoof to its previous part.

The film establishes its original franchise as a film itself that has become hugely successful in Bollywood and the beneficiaries include dimwit Punjabi lad Paddi Singh [Pradhuman Singh] as the doppelganger of Osama Bin Laden; Ali Zafar plays himself and so are the rest of the cast. Manish Paul joins the cast as Sharma- the director of TERE BIN LADEN ‘film’ in the film. Riding high on the success, Sharma announces the sequel of the film but to his bad luck, Osama gets eliminated in Abbottabad operation by US Army.

Plot thickens when everyone from US President Obama to a fading Jihadi-leader in Pakistan wants the Osama look-alike for their own good. Mr. President wants him dead in recreation of the operation Abbottabad to have concrete proof for the world to believe. Jihadi-leader [Piyush Mishra] wants him alive to rebuild the terrorist organization. Sharma doesn’t want to lose his road to success in him. And thus, starts the mayhem delivering some genuinely funny satirical takes far and away between silly, tasteless and repetitive jibes one after the other.

TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE is not entirely unwatchable or vice-versa. The colorful characters make up for the most part even where the script starts sounding illogical, stupid and strained. Piyush Mishra in his seasoned avatar is seen organizing Olympics of Terror in Pakistan where relay race is performed with live bombs being passed on. Pradhuman Singh confidently revisits his author-backed role in the previous part but sadly doesn’t add up any more flavors to the part. Manish Paul makes constant efforts to entertain and gets successful in some too but the show-stealer without any doubt is Sikander Kher!

Sikander amazes you with his out-and-out double dose of comedy. While playing a manipulative confidante of Obama, he’s almost unrecognizable. It’s a part where he doesn’t lose his grip on it even for a second, and in due course, often reminds you of Jim Carrey in his style, presentation and efforts. In other act, he transforms himself into a paunchy Punjabi trying to lure Sharma & Paddi Singh in his evil plans. Sikander is definitely the surprise package of the film!

At the end, TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE falls short of expectations. While the original was an honest, simple and refreshing satire in times of silly slapstick comedies, this one merely rises from the dust to meet the standard set by itself. In one of the few hilarious tracks, Obama is seen taking psychotherapy sessions after Osama’s dismissal and his remark says, “I see dead Osama!” So true for the franchise! The opportunity has been killed. [2/5]      

Friday, 14 November 2014

KILL/DIL: Blame it on Yashraj for another letdown! [2/5]

The all melodramatic, stylish and formulaic 70’s has always been a pet for Bollywood enthusiasts. The obsession is so sky-scraping we have made almost every film from that era a classic in today’s times. A gruesomely awesome villain, heroes with undying attitude & emotional story to back-up their instinct in present, sensational beauties ready to show off their best of designer outfits & born-leniency to step in a song & dance sequence at any given time!

Well, all that could work in sync if smartly put in the mold of a tout script and engaging screenplay but it is like asking for much as for as Shaad Ali’s KILL/DIL is concerned.  So, it turns out to be an average action-potboiler with a clear signage of some good deadpan humor, laudable performances of a couple from the cast, stylish looks and scenic camerawork getting wasted for most. Even Gulzar saab’s poetic commentary all the way through different segments and stages in the plot could not lesser any of your displeasures from the film.

Dev [The all bouncy, jovial & animated Ranveer Singh] and Tutu [Ali Zafar, cool as ever] are two best of buddies raised to be cold-blooded sharp-shooters by their foster-father in crime world Bhaiyaji [Govinda back to win hearts]. Their Maar-keting job is paying them well to do all the debauchery deeds until Dev meets Disha [Parineeti in probably one of her most trivial roles], born & brought in the plot to give a new Disha i.e. direction to Dev’s life. No prizes for guessing, the heart in love creates havoc in the promising plot & in quite enticing lives of both the sharpshooters. The buoyancy in characters gets killed brutally by the saddening melodrama.

This doesn’t mean KILL/DIL to be a complete wash-out. Shaad Ali’s average story gets constant boost up from the pokerfaced wit in the dialogues and some of the intentionally-designed elements in the screenplay. In the very first scene, you see a political leader approaching in a car and the number-plate reads ‘Neta’ [Leader in Hindi]. The pun is bold & hard to get unnoticed. Similarly, there is a sequence where a jeweler gets into his regular bargain-mode ignoring the fact that he currently is at gunpoint of his possible abductors. & how can you overlook a Nirupa Roy portrait on the wall, as the founder of a life-insurance company!

KILL/DIL sees the comeback sort of the yesteryear mass-entertainer Govinda in his first outing as the antagonist of a film. He plays the Godfather to Ranveer & Ali and does it with more emotions than just playing the routine villain. He can show off his moist eyes as well as the iniquity in the nature. He talks less but worthy, he laughs good and scary and dances too. Isn’t it enough to celebrate! Ranveer is known for investing loads of energy like a powerhouse. He does exactly same here too. With Ali’s all more unruffled & at ease presentation and some of the best nippy one-liners, his portrayal is pleasantly vivacious. Parineeti does her part well but doesn’t really amaze you much.

On the whole, Shaad Ali’s KILL/DIL could have been better if persistent and confident about its experiment with styling the age-old sub-standard plot as a shinier-slicker & tighter entertainer. It had glimpses and hints but that’s that. For the rest, it is a regular movie-going experience just to kill your time and not the appetite for good entertainment. Home-viewing could be a different story altogether. My quest for a story-department in Yashraj Films hasn’t ended yet! [2/5]