Dev D

A bold recreation of Devdas. The idea of the movie was quiet impressive. The movie portrayed many dark shades in life.
The director Anurag Kashyap is an impressive guy. His previous movie Black Friday was a very good one.
Abhay deol is also impressive.

Dev (Abhay Deol) is the son of a rich Punjabi Businessman. He and Paro (Mahi Gill) are childhood sweethearts. But Dev, being an insecure arrogant guy, instead of acknowledging her affection and care, nudges Paro over frivolous things.

The movie is based in the contemporary Punjab and Delhi, where familial ties are negotiated by the traditions of patriarchy and marriages are reduced to a game of power and “honour“.

Dev is sent to London for higher studies when his father senses how spoilt his son is. But while separated by distance, Paro and Dev's youthful love only blossoms. Dev arrives to Chandigarh to meet Paro. Their endeavor to make love makes for some dark comic moments. The seeds of suspicion are sown here, that the couple will never be able to weed out for a lifetime. When Dev hears rumours about Paro, he immediately believes them and ditches Paro. What makes them fall apart is mutual suspicion and an essentially male vision of how a woman should conduct herself sexually. Paro turns her back on him when she hears him insult her, and agrees to marry whoever her parents choose. On her wedding day, he realizes that the rumors were false. But his ego doesn't let him accept his mistake, and he lets her marry someone else.

Enter Chanda. This part has references to the notorious Delhi school sex MMS scandal. Her father commits suicide as he feels humiliated by his daughter's reputation. She is disowned by her family. The movie portrays how she transforms herself from an innocent traumatized schoolgirl into the oldest professions a woman is known for going into. While Chanda isn’t a career prostitute, she is no different as well. Instead of performing Mujras, she enacts scenes from popular American pornographic series. The only thing, that makes her different is the fact that she hasn’t given up on her studies for the profession and has also kept the exit gate open.

Dev, tormented by Paro’s wedding, seeks alcohol and drugs. His escape to Delhi from Chandigarh, is as much a pursuit of his lost love, as much it is an attempt to run away from his father. Months later, Dev calls Paro's husband in the middle of the night, after which Paro visits him. While Paro has grown to accept her fate, her heart still beats for her childhood lover. Her love always transforms into immense care. On the other hand, Dev demands much more than love - exclusivity over her body - and that’s where he runs out of luck. More than separation it’s the thought of Paro making love to somebody else that’s the cause of agony for him.

Ironically, his life always orbits around women. He is forced to cause self-destruction by one and rescued by another. In the end he realises that he was wrong and that maybe he never really loved Paro. He goes back to Chanda and lives with her thereafter

Billu Barber

This was a remake of the malayalam movie "Katha Parayumbol". The movie was a good one. In fact it was better than its original one. I didn't like the original because of the poor direction and the unnatural acting of Srinivasan.
Billu (Irfan Khan) is a poor barber who lives with his his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta) and their two children, Gunja (Mitali Mayakar) and Ronak (Pratik Dalvi) in the village of Budbuda. He also spends time with his close friends, Budbudiya (Rajpal Yadav)and Naubat Chacha (Asrani). Though struggling, Billu lives an uneventful life until Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) comes to the village for a film shoot.

Billu has mentioned to his family that he knows Sahir from the past but has never elaborated how he knows the star. Thus his children spread rumors about their father's friendship with the famous star which spread throughout the village. Virtually overnight, Billu who had previously been scorned by most due to his impoverished state, becomes the center of attention. People who had spurned him only the week before now call him a close friend so that he will introduce them to Sahir. Billu refuses and downplays the friendship, saying that it is impossible for him to introduce people in the village to Sahir. The powerful businessman, Sahukaar Daamchand (Om Puri) demands to see Sahir and offers Billu expensive gifts in order to gain such a meeting. When Billu consistently fails to introduce the people of the village to Sahir, his situation changes once again. He is accused of lying about his friendship and everyone - including his wife and children, begin to doubt his character and integrity. Rather than defend himself, Billu remains quiet about the nature of their friendship.

On his last day in the village, Sahir speaks at a local school. He tells the children about his own impoverished childhood when he had nothing but a very special friendship with a young boy named Billu. It was Billu who took care of Sahir and who eventually helped him travel to Mumbai where he became a famous star. Billu, who is standing at the back of the event, leaves during the talk without revealing to Sahir that he is there. The townspeople, realizing their error however, take Sahir to Billu's house where the two childhood friends are finally reunited.

Stoneman Murders

The Stoneman Murders is an engaging thriller based on the unsolved serial killings of pavement dwellers in Mumbai in 1983. Taking its premise from those incidents and referring to media coverage of the case, writer-director Manish Gupta constructs a screenplay that is derived from hard facts where available, and imagination to fill in the gaps.

When night after night pavement dwellers are found clobbered to death, a suspended police officer (played by Kay Kay Menon) takes it upon himself to trace the killer so he can impress his superiors into re-admitting him into the force. Combing the streets in the wee hours of the night, he gets closer to uncovering the identity of the killer, until he clashes with the investigating officer on the case (played by Arbaaz Khan).

Filmed on location instead of sets, and doused in the eeriness that comes from knowing that these gruesome killings did indeed take place, the film keeps you hooked during its best bits. Like those nail-biting scenes involving Kay Kay's pursuit of the shrouded killer, and a handful of terrific moments in which you see the killer lurking about in dark alleys.

But it's when the film compromises its intentions by resorting to a tacky item song and unnecessary titillation that it veers off course. There is also the problem of a hurried, ill-conceived ending, and pointless portions in the early half that slacken its pace. Lapses like these hurt what could have been a truly taut thriller.

Delhi 6

It was a much awaited movie. The previous movie from this director (Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra) was an impressive one (Rang De Basanthi). I liked that movie very much.
The songs of Delhi 6 was also good. But except that there is nothing in this movie. I regret having watched this movie.
The film opens with the ailing grandmother Annapurna at the office of a cardiac surgeon in New York. The surgeon indicates that Annapurna suffers from heart blockage and may not have long to live. Annapurna insists on returning to Delhi, her hometown, where she intends to die in peace. Though her son and daughter-in-law object vehemently, her American-born grandson Roshan (who has a special bond with his grandmother) agrees to bring her back.

Annapurna is received with pomp and ceremony when she returns to her home in Old Delhi. Roshan is initially stunned by the mad rush of various neighbors. Roshan eventually warms to the place and wholeheartedly embraces the sense of community in it. He accompanies his grandmother to the Ramleelas, hangs out at Mamdu's sweet stall, plays with the children, and gradually becomes steeped in the culture of the place.

In the meantime, the news media is all abuzz with tales of a fearsome terror known only as the "Kala Bandar (Black Monkey)". This miscreant (never shown clearly in the film) attacks people, steals various articles and has also caused the death of a few innocent people. Nonetheless, the local news picks up on every move by the kala bandar and loudly blares about all his exploits. Jaigopal, the self-proclaimed electronics genius, theorizes that the kala bandar likely has an electrical circuit (to zap his victims) and may be electrocuted by water; this rumor is quickly propagated through the locality.

The film takes several turns. After some initial friction, Roshan and Bittu warm to each other. Roshan intervenes when Bittu is about to receive a prospective suitor arranged by Madangopal. He echoes Bittu's desire to pursue other dreams; this drives the suitor away and brings Madangopal's wrath upon him. He gradually begins to fall in love with Bittu, but is confused when Bittu expresses her affections for Suresh (she believes he will support her dreams). Around this time, the kala bandar attacks Old Delhi. The simple-minded locals bring in a tantrik Shani baba to exorcize the demonic influence of the kala bandar. After an extended havan ceremony, the tantrik baba indicates that the local mosque, built over the ruins of a temple that was demolished for the purpose, is the provocation for the evil soul of the kala bandar. This promptly stokes animosity in the otherwise harmonious Hindu-Muslim community. After the initial peaceful demonstrations (by rallies and angry meetings), various mobs go on rampage and tear up some of the local streets. Roshan attempts to make peace, but is rebuffed because of his mixed religious parentage. The locals ultimately settle on the fact that the kala bandar is hiding out in the sooni galli (a dark lane known to harbor evil presences) and must be destroyed. They command the simpleton Gobar to fetch a lock of hair from the evil enemy so that the tantrik can burn it and complete the exorcism.

Roshan becomes aware of Bittu's plan to elope with Suresh, and that Suresh is a low-life two timer. He dons a monkey mask and monkey outfit and stealthily follows Bittu by leaping across the rooftops. In the meantime Gobar ventures into the sooni galli where Jalebi gives him a lock of her hair so he may return in triumph and bring peace to the community. At that moment, Roshan (in his monkey outfit) intercedes in Bittu and Suresh's rendezvous and causes the cowardly Suresh to flee. Bittu raises a loud alarm before Roshan unmasks himself, whereupon the angry locals storm the place. Believing Roshan to be the kala bandar, they beat him to within an inch of his life and Mamdu shoots him. Then, Gobar comes up with a startling deduction about the reality of the kala bandar.

The revelation stops the violence. Roshan is nearly dead. He recovers and decides to remain in Old Delhi and affirm his love for Bittu. The film ends on a happy note with peace and joy restored to the community of Old Delhi.

The Constant Gardener

The film is about a love story set against a conspiracy of power and dirty deeds. In London, Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) meets and falls in love with outspoken lefty Tessa (Rachel Weisz) a beautiful young activist who persuades him to take her back with him to Africa.

Justin Quayle, a shy, low-rung British diplomat and horticultural hobbyist in Kenya, is one to avoid making a fuss until he learns that his wife was found dead on the veld. Tessa has been murdered at a crossroads, along with her African driver. Her colleague, a doctor named Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Kounde), is initially suspected of her murder, but is later revealed to also have been murdered on the same day as Tessa. Various rumour bound that the two were having an affair, however it is later revealed that Bluhm is, in fact, homosexual.

As the mystery surrounding his wife's death unfolds, the quiet and self-effacing Quayle is radicalised in his determination to get to the bottom of his wife's murder. He is soon running up against a drug corporation exercising its power to both ignore the easily treated diseases of the third world and use Africa's "disposable" population for unofficial research and development.

Kanchivaram

My Rating : 5/5

This was one movie that I wanted to watch for quiet some time but couldn't make it. In trivandrum, it was premiered first during soorya film festival. I went to the festival but because of the huge rush I couldn't watch that time. Then it came during IFFK 13 but that time I opted to watch some foreign movie instead.
This time it was shown during Signs Film festival for John Abraham Award.
I liked this movie very much. The shots, the texture, the story line, the sets, everything was superb. This is priyadarsan's revenge to all those who criticized him - may be for plagarism, or slapstick, watever it is.

The film begins with an aging man named Vengadam (Prakash Raj) being released from jail in 1948. He is only being escorted for two days (the reason not revealed) back to his hometown of Kanchipuram, known at that time as Canjeevaram after British rule. He is being transported under the custody of two policemen on a bus from Coimbatore to Kanchipuram. As the journey takes place, Vengadam recalls his past symbolically as several events that occur in the bus (such as sounds) remind him of his past.
It is a period movie set in the pre independence era in a small town of Kanchivaram in Tamil nadu, the protagonist Prakash Raj works as a Vengadam, the best silk weaver in the town. He pledges that he would provide a silk saree for his daughter when she is getting married, which becomes the talk of the town as a weaver simply can't afford such a humongous price. He does save up some money but his brother-in-law ruins his plans, so to attain the inevitable he starts stealing a single strand of silk from the workplace, every single day and secretly weaves a saree for his daughter for 19 long years. He is involved in communism and heads a strike against his owner who gives paltry amount to the weavers, which comes as a deterrent to his daughter's marriage, which is drawing near. As the day comes close, he has to finish the silk saree on time. He suddenly goes against his own words and asks all weavers to rejoin work immediately, and is branded a traitor. At work, he secretly smuggles strings of silks out of the temple in which he works to help him finish the saree in time. But after a while, he gets caught suring smuggling, which causes him to get beaten up and sent to jail.
The story returns to present day, where it is revealed that his daughter has slipped and fell into a well, leaving her paralyzed, with nobody to take care of her (Vengadam's wife passed away sue to a mysterious illness, presumably cancer, when his daughter was still young). He asks his sister to take her in, but his brother-in-law says it will hurt his dignity to have a thief's daughter stay in his house. Not knowing what to do, Vengadam poisons his own daughter and she dies shortly thereafter, ending her suffering.

As her dead body lay in front of the house, Vengadam opens up his old properties and finds the half-vowen silk saree he had before. He takes the cloth and uses that silk to cover his dead daughter's body, in a resemblace to what Vengadam said at the beginning of the film (at his father's death, Vengadam complained that despite his father being a silk weaver his whole life, he do not have a single silk cloth to cover his body, apart from a small piece tied at his leg fingers as per tradition). The films ends with a freeze frame shot of Vengadam smiling towards the camera after covering her daughter's body with silk, before credits reveal how communism has become a forefront movement in contemporary India. marriageable age.

Luck by Chance

The main attraction of Luck by Chance was Farhan Akhtar. I like this guy very much. He has proved his mettle in various fields..direction, acting, singing etc....
The second attraction was its director Zoha Akhtar...she being Farhan's sister and Javed Akhtar's daughter, the expectation was high.
The third attraction was the presence of almost all bollywood stars in this film....
But inspite of the high expectations that i had, or is it because of the high expectations I had, the movie was not that impressive...
I felt like the director had a confusion about the protoganist (between Farhan Akthar and Konkona sen sharma)...I dont know whose luck by chance was referred in the title...

Young actor Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan Akhtar) arrives in Mumbai to make it as a Bollywood film star with the help of Abhimanyu (Arjun Mathur), an actor friend from his hometown, and their mutual friend Sameer, who works in a studio props department. Vikram befriends Abhi's neighbor, young actress Sonam Mishra (Konkona Sen Sharma), with whom he eventually becomes romantically involved. Sonam, the mistress of small-time producer Satish Chowdhury (Alyy Khan), who for three years has promised her a leading role in his dream project, meanwhile works in regional films and bit parts. When star Zaffar Khan (Hrithik Roshan) walks out on a movie being made by old-school producer Romy Rolly (Rishi Kapoor) as a star vehicle for Nikki Walia (Isha Sharvani), the newcomer daughter of famous older actress Neena Walia (Dimple Kapadia), a search for an unknown to replace Zaffar lands Vikram the role. As Vikram becomes increasingly crafty and manipulative, his on-set affair with Nikki becomes leaked to the tabloid press, ending his and Sonam's already all-but-over relationship.