WAKE UP SID : Hindi Film

Really a very nice movie . it is about the character of SID – an irresponsible teenager , who goes though many experiences and at last achieves a certain maturity .

( ok , he doesn’t become completely responsible, as opposing his initial character in the story , then it would not have been a believable story – at all ! )

both RANBIR and KONKONA have done very good work here . RANBIR is proving that he has the potential to be a great actor . ANUPAM KHER and SUPRIYA PATHAK are also really good .

the story has an aim of making the undecisive person - alert and active . it shows the changes how a person goes through in the path of self discovery .

there are many nice and sweet scenes in the film . when Ranbir goes to meet his mother , when he goes to click the photo of his neighbour and starts realizing the relationship of mother-son , when he comes to Konkona’s house after leaving his home , when Ranbir goes to meet his father at the office with his first salary cheque – all these scenes are excellent !

I also loved the title song as well as the ‘Ektaara ‘ song – both are very fresh in approach and the picturisations are also very good .

in the last 10-15 minutes I was almost lost in the story – the direction is very matured . ok , we may say that the story doesn’t have an element of surprise , i.e.- it went on in the expected line – but the scenes , dialogues, acting , and overall - direction – all are very good in this film . the concept of LOVE has been treated very sensitively in WAKE UP SID .

it is a film worth watching !

GOAL : English Movie

Recently I watched this movie and I liked it . actually I like Football , so for me this was a treat !

And being a citizen of a developing country , i could identify with the main character - Santiago Munez very easily .

The struggles which he goes through , the doubts , the lessons he learnt – all are shown in a very nice way .

The story revolves around a football player from MEXICO who has a dream to play football , make it his profession . but , as we all know , the scope for any sport is very limited in developing countries . one fine day , he finds a mentor in a retired player of England , who helps him , guides him to adjust in the new country . gradually he becomes a player of the first class team in England club football .

In fact , there is a friend of Santiago in the film , who also undergoes a change in the due course of events . that part of the story is also very interesting !

The day when Santiago played his first proper ‘first class’ match in England , I felt very happy !

His family members , coach , mentor , friends – all have been shown with great details in the film .

Overall this is a film about chasing and realizing a dream and it is successful in delivering the message .

With best wishes ,

Dpriya

KATE AND LEOPOLD : English Film

This is a very nice romantic movie . And with romance , this film has another theme of scientific discovery in it . The casts were also my favourite –HUGH JACKMAN (WOW !) and MEG RYAN .

So at first the story , a unique one – to find a gap in time and travel to past/future (surprisingly it does not include the famous TIME MACHINE in it ) ! So this is something unusual . In fact they have shown the concept quite convincingly . I liked it .

Now the romantic part . That is also very good . A man from the past in love with a woman of the present time . Many misunderstandings and many sweet scenes . The love and warmth MEG RYAN feels when she is with HUGH JACKMAN are very well expressed .I liked all those scenes .

A theme of comparison of two ages is present throughout the whole film . As HUGH JACKMAN comes from the past and the present world is seen from his point of view . With him we also get an idea of how the world has changed in 100-150 years . The values , behaviour , concepts –everything have gone through a lot of change . This contrast of the present and the past in interwined with romance in the plot of the film . In fact this is another reason why I like this film so much .
Indeed , a good film—KATE AND LEOPOLD , do watch it .

With best wishes ,
Dpriya

THE TRANSPORTER --English Film

Yesterday , I watched this film , I think for the 3rd time ….

From the very 1st time , I liked this film a lot . Why ? the main reason is the action scenes and the hero — JASON STATHAM . action sequences are shot in such a nice way that I (a person , who generally doesn’t like to see unnecessary violence ) loved them .The camera work , the choreography of the action scenes -- all are perfect .
JASON STATHAM is a very very handsome person . Yes , I like to watch him on screen . Previously I have also wrote about him in the review of ROUGE ASSASSIN . Here also it is his smartness , his physique which have been used extensively .
The story is good . I liked the very few and short romantic (if we can call them so !!!) scenes also .
Overall it is a nice movie , good for timepass .

With best wishes
Dpriya

CROUCHING TIGER , HIDDEN DRAGON : Chinese film

This is one of my most favourite movies . When i watched it for the first time i was spellbound by the 'magic' it created . I shall try to explain what are the main points which made this film so special to me .

First and foremost it is the 'martial arts ' . I love to watch martial arts films , and this film just excels in this category . The fight sequences are shown in such great clarity that one can feel the effect of each and every move by the characters . Here the credit goes to the 'action-choreographer ' ( and definitely to the director and the actors ) .

The next is the mythical storyline of this film . It is set in 18th century china . The film brings with it a charm and flavour of 'ancient world ' . This whole setting has worked as a magic for me .

Now about the actors -- MITCHAEL YEOH is my favourite , and i also like CHOW YUN-FAT . They have given excellent performance . An the other two important actors -- ZYANG ZIYI and CHANG CHEN -- they also have done great job . I came to know their names only after watching this movie , such was the impact of this film on me .

If we talk about the plot , we can find that it merges the drama genre with the action genre . In this nice combination , at first one gets involved in the drama part of the story , then gradually the shift towards the action part takes place . As we experience all the emotions and situations faced by the characters , we start comprehending the whole story and its hidden symbolisms . Though it is a nice story but it operates in many levels ( inclusion of themes like POISON , POSITION OF WOMAN IN SOCIETY , GOOD VERSUS EVIL FIGHT and so on ) . Overall i loved the story and its various implications .

The name of the film emphasises the fact that it is a search for the true identity of the characters itself . Nearly all of them goes through major changes in the course of the movie . In this way it signifies the title-- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ( which is Chinese proverb :meaning -- 'talented /dangerous people hidden from view') .

This is indeed a great film in all respects -- be it story , acting , direction , stunts (special mention to the fight sequence performed on the trees at the end of the movie--EXCELLENT ! ) , music , costume , and so on . It is always there in the list of my best-loved movies .

With best wishes
Dpriya

SWADES : HINDI FILM

Yesterday I watched this film again . I really love this film . It is such an unique film that i feel , it directly touches your heart .

I am confessing something in the beginning here --that i always felt that i am better than any other persons and specially from LOW-INCOME group people . I really had a pride for being the intellectual sort of person coming from an educated /learned family background . But after watching this film and also SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE ( to some extent ) has helped me to come out of this wrong pride . And i am really grateful to the makers of SWADES for this .

When i watched it for the first time i expected to see just another of typical SRK-movie . But by sheer content of the film , it made me thoughtful for a while after completing the film.

You must have noticed that i am becoming subjective while discussing about the film , it is because of the subject matter of SWADES . It really is very close to our heart --our great country and our duty towards it . The way our country , its valleys , its beauty , colours , roads , people --- all have been shown in this film , that had made me loving my country , realising its true beauty and feeling oneness with its people .

The whole story is so different : generally we don't consider leaving a successful career for DESH-SEVA . But after watching the film , many like me has felt a nice chord with this country . Looking at the people through SRK's eyes make us feel ONE with them , we come to know about their life , their struggles , their happiness and sadness . WE FEEL THEM LITERALLY . There lies the mastery of the director .

At first the film makes a personal contact with us , then it works on our conscience , making us aware of our duties and freeing us from our prejudices . It is in these categories that it scores high on each person's emotional response to it .

I also love the songs -- YU HI CHALA CHAL , YEH TARA WOH TARA , YEH JO DES HAI TERA , and my favourite is PAL PAL HAIN BHARI . I simply can't get tired by appreciating A.R.RAHMAN 's songs , so love all of them . SWADES THEME ( shehnai) is also a nice one .I love that too .

A film worth watching ...Experiencing that it is GREAT to be an INDIAN .

With best wishes

Dpriya

PIYA HAJI ALI / KHWAJA MERE KHWAJA/ ARZIYAAN ...MAULA MAULA : HINDI SONGS

Well , you all must have got an idea that today I am going to write about A. R. RAHMAN. He is my favourite right from the days of ROJA, BOMBAY. I have always felt that his compositions just elevates me to a higher level.

Today I selected those songs which had really touched my heart, as well as they fall in the same category. Though I am not an expert in Urdu, but I tried to read the lyrics of these songs to understand their meanings. So, forgive me, if I have made any mistakes regarding lyrics.

At first I will write about PIYA HAJI ALI ( from the film FIZA ). I was truly surprised when I heard the song for the first time. I felt as if I am one of the devotee at the door of the dargah. Such is the power of this song. The lyrics and the music- both are excellent.The chanting of the words PIYA HAJI ALI, conveys a soothing tone, bringing peace in the mind of the listener. The lyrics tell us about the glory of the GOD, in various ways. I loved this song from the very first time I have listened to it.

Next song is KHWAJA MERE KHWAJA ( from the film JODHA AKBAR ). It is also in the same line as the previous one. It praises  GOD's ways in a tone of security and peace which can be felt only in GOD's presence. The tone of reverence can be felt throughout the song.

The last song I am going to discuss is ARZIYAAN...MAULA MAULA ...( from DELHI 6 ). This is my favourite song. The first time I heard the song, I broke into tears, mainly because of the purity of the song (which I have found out later, at that moment I was too involved with the song to note its features). This is an unique song, and according to me the culmination of all the songs we have been discussing earlier. I am really at a loss of words for this song. It tells us about meeting one's true self after taking refuge in the LORD. A tone of acceptance of GOD's ways has been conveyed here. This song also brings with it a heightened awareness about our futile existence. The message is to shed our ego and take shelter in the LORD, which is our ever peaceful abode. I don't think I can express my experience about this song. I admire it for its powerful lyrics and its flawless music.

As I have already mentioned, A. R. RAHMAN 's songs always have this power to elevate you from this mundane world. But these are the songs which truly give us a taste of the ULTIMATE SERENE SHELTER. All of these songs have an element of prayer in them. I can listen to them throughout the whole day. They make me feel as if I am worshipping the LORD, there lies the success of all these songs .

With best wishes

Dpriya

ROMEO MUST DIE , ROUGE ASSASSIN (WAR ) ; English films

I am a great fan of JET LI . So whenever i get a chance to watch his movies i really enjoy them .

Actually , i love the movies based on martial arts . Jet li is a master in this genre . The fight sequences in both these movies were amazing .

Another thing to note is that both films have a nice twist / climax at the end . Mainly these are the reasons why i am discussing them together .

The last reason is that i have watched both these films last week only - so they are really fresh in my memory .

ROMEO MUST DIE - is a story of revenge , love , and underworld gang-wars . i loved the way jet li searched for the killer of his brother , the way he shared on-screen chemistry with aliyah , and the way he talked with his father in the end . The story is nice (slightly complex also ) but doesn't truly resemble shakespeare 's romeo and juliet , at least according to me . But anyway , i loved this film .

ROUGE ASSASSIN (WAR ) - is a story about friendship of two policemen in the backdrop of gang-war . The story has a real twist a the end and i loved it . In fact i love JASON STATHAM also (because of his TRANSPORTER series ) . In this film i got a chance to see my two favourite artists together , which was real fun . Their friendship , their search for true identity of each other - everything has been dealt nicely in the movie . This movie has been released in two different names ( for different countries ) , so i have included both names in my post .

I would love to hear your experiences about these movies .

By the way - i also love MICHELLE YEOH in martial arts movies also . I will discuss about her films in future .

With best wishes

Dpriya

13 B : HINDI FILM

Yesrerday i watched 13 B. I loved it . It took me into a mysterious unknown world for the time being , and kept me glued to the chair .

I loved R. MADHAVAN from his SEA HAWKS days . So i wanted to watch this film for some weeks . And i also like SACHIN KHERKAR . I have watched him in a couple of serials and also in SHYAM BENEGAL's film on SUBHASH CHANDRTA BOSE - THE FORGOTTEN HERO .

13 B was really a good film and a scary one too , at least for me . The ending has also been done quite convincingly , unlike other ghost movies where endings become a bit cliche or seems like anti-climax because of their lack of substance in the plot . In fact last night i woke up once and started remembering incidents from the film . So that's my opinion about that film(which really has succeeded in entertaining me ) .


With best wishes

Dpriya

LAAGA CHUNRI MEIN DAAG : HINDI FILM

Yesterday i watched LAAGA CHUNRI MEIN DAAG - a film by yash raj productions . Though this film was not successful in the box office , but i loved it .

To be very frank - i love yash raj films . They have traditional values , romantic stories , beautiful locations , nice actors , powerful dialogues and good music . Now a days indian film industry is going through such a rapid change that films like LCMD may seem a bit cliche regarding storyline . Yeah , i agree to that . But i loved the simple story , acting of all the casts , direction , songs and the screenplay also .

Talking about the cast - RANI , KONKONA , ABHISHEK , JAYA BACHCHAN , and ANUPAM KHER -I LOVE TO SEE THEM ON SCREEN . Not to forget -TINU ANAD , SUSHANT SINGH and KUNAL KAPOOR . The film is a story of struggle and triumph , it contains some memorable moments - specially by jaya bachchan .

WOW ! WOW ! WOW ! For how long will i keep on talking about this film? You must be getting bored reading it . I will write more about YRF in my future blogs . Because i really enjoy their films .

With best wishes

Dpriya