The reel life !

Hi Guys,

For quite some years i have always yearned to watch movies, i was never a regular at the theatres / multiplexes (has something to do with the place where i stay, there was never a silver screen in vicinity, now yes, a multiplex has come bang opposite my house, but still old habits die hard :)))...that means i am myself to blame for not watching enough movies /tv ) nor a watcher of the tv channels dedicated to movies, i think there are quite a few, star movies etc etc.

Although i am quite updated about recent releases, forthcoming screenings, stars and directors, the latest chartbusters, but the only point where i fail is actually watching them. By now, a huge list has piled up of the movies which i wish to see one day on a giant plasma screen, lounging on a La-Zy-Boy !! Yet, these days, i have got a chance to watch some movies and cannot help but say something about each one of them !

If i try to remember the flicks, sorry, i don't why movies are called flicks, it sounds so flimsy, maybe most B-C grade movies can be called flicks, but then the real efforts are movies ! Ok, so movies which will feature here are : Fashion, Dostana, Delhi 6 and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. No importance attached to the order in which they appear.

I had been waiting a long time to watch Fashion, it was so much in the news not only for its National Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar, but also for its all-star-female cast comprising Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomer Mugdha Godse. It also had Arjan Bajwa ( i hope, i am right with this name), and Arbaaj Khan (in a meaningful role after a very long time). The movie intended to show the dark underbelly of the glamorous world of fashion, and yes it did succeed ! Priyanka Chopra was brilliant, i have always liked her, right from her villianous andaaz in 'Aitraaz' , to this meaty role ! I am sure all of you know that the story revolves around the character of Meghana Mathur, played by Chopra, and tracks her life from her humble beginnings as a Chandigarh girl dreaming to make it big as a super-model. A local contest win spurs her on for a mumbai visit and she lands up right there ! Slowly and surely , she understands the rules of the modelling world, and plays by them like an ace !

On her way to displacing the eccentric, constantly on-the-edge and drug-taking top model Shonali Gujral, played by Kangana to perfection, Meghana feels no qualms in sleeping with the boss of the fashion house 'Panache'. Although i admire Meghana's sense of ambition, somehow compromising with your core set of values, always backfires in the long run. Once Meghana achieves her ambition, she conveniently forgets / hurts all the people who helped her on her way to the top. Nevertheless, as she says in the movie, on your way down, u meet the same ppl.

The downfall is also captured brilliantly with enough justice done to portray the emotional after-effects. Although the clothes used in the movie were a disaster, but the strong storyline and the amazing execution more than made up for it! Even after the movie had ended, i was thinking about it for a long time. (You would say, thats not unusual for you :P) Thinking abt the changing value system, about the ways and methods which are considered legitimate in the quest for success, about drugs and alcohol abuse, about the moral vacuum in the lives of ppl caught in a web of dangerous compromises, about seemingly glamourous and beautiful lives which are hell underneath.

In contrast to the hard-hitting fashion was the feel-good, fairy-tale type Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Directed by Aditya Chopra and with SRK in a be-spectacled, moustache-sporting new avatar, it quite generated some initial interest in the movie. When i saw it the first time, i thought it was a totally stupid attempt. SRK, i feel, hams and haws his way through most of his movies. Somehow the star SRK has overtaken the actor SRK and that reflects very badly in the movie. I tried (just tried) to watch OSO, Billu Barber etc, but i cannot tolerate the torture that amazingly rubbish acting inflicts on me. Why can't SRK just be the character ? Anyways, thats some pondering for SRK to do, not me !

But very bravely i made a second attempt to watch it (out of sheer boredom) and got an OKayish feeling. The underlying message that 'Every simple jodi is an extraordinary love story' sort of appealed to me. But certainly not the dancing jodi.


The Tarun Mansukhani directed Dostana was another movie which was hyped so much and sadly failed to live upto its reputation. It was marketed as a comic-light-hearted take on the gay fraternity, but i could manage a quick smile only on few occasions. The only plus points were the styling and the amazing looking Priyanka Chopra once again ! Sorry guys, although i like John Abraham, but skin show by guys just does not work for me. I better liked a dressed up Abhishek. Some of the songs like 'Jaane Kyun' and 'Desi Girl' are my personal favorites !



Delhi 6 was another dampener :(. With the kind of songs that were streaming in (all A.R.Rahman magic :)), an ensemble cast of the handsome Abhishek Bacchhan and the beautiful Sonam Kapoor, and with the directorial reins in the hands of 'RDB' fame Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra, i was expecting nothing less than brilliance. There was an obvious effort to capture the Indian ethos but it fell flat. It appeared more preachy than intended, sort of a forced attempt to present a slice of the multi-cultural-yet-co-existing 'Indian' population. Abhishek's attempts to put on an accent to portray the America-returned-garndson were not upto the mark. Sonam Kapoor could have easily left a lasting impression as the wing-clipped 'Bittu' , but i think she took the role very lightly. Perhaps some preparation other than that on clothes would have helped. Anyways, the only thing that stood out were the songs ! Do not fail to hear them, especially the 'Masakalli' one !

I felt good that at last i did see some new films and managed not to let them get added to my 'TO-BE-SEEN' list !

Signing off guys, see you soon !