3 - "Bipolar" Experience

 

So, at last arrives the film that has with it the feverish hit "Kolaveri Di". One goes with a bountiful of expectations for this film only because of the one song it has. Starring Dhanush, Shruti Hassan and Sivakarthikeyan and directed and written by Aishwarya Dhanush, 3 is a romantic drama. So, is the movie worth the hype created by the Kolaveri factor? One may think yes because of the track record of Dhanush's movies in the past few years and the track record of serious tamil cinema in general. But the answer is a big negative. 

The plot revolves around the love life of Ram (Dhanush) and Janani (Shruti Hassan) which is recollected in flashbacks by Janani. They both fall in love at the peak of adolescence and have a few years of romantic joy with their parents being oblivious to all this. Then one day they get married and are just starting to live happily ever after when all hell breaks loose. Ram discovers that he has bipolar disorder(read extreme mania). Then the plot follows the steady decline of his condition and how he tries to hide it from his wife who is distraught at her husband's erratic behaviour.

What could have become a good compelling drama has been squandered by the Writer and director Aishwarya Dhanush. The story moves at an excruciatingly slow pace with an overdose of scenes and situations that involve glycerin. Yes, the premise is interesting and the story quite sensible. The long winded screenplay and erratic direction however destroy any interest one may have. The movie starts at a great note with some good dialogue and lighthearted romance meshed properly. But from where the track of the school going lovers ends, the movie goes into a path of steady decline before plummeting into a chasm in the second half. The director could have opted for a little less of melodrama as it turns quite annoying at times. Yes, the subject is quite serious, but the passion that has to emanate from a love story like this isn't present. Here is emotional disconnect everywhere which just blunts the serious proceedings. And of course, there are some glaring plot holes (main one being the parents of ram being of ignorant of his condition) which throw the viewer off connect. However, where one has to commend the screenplay is how unabashedly it sticks to some old Tamil movie cliches without being unrealistic. In fact, however long winded and annoyingly melodramatic the movie might be, the element of realism is ever prevalent with few scenes being otherwise. 

Coming to the performances, both Dhanush and Shruti get ample scope to cry and they cry out with aplomb. Dhanush is quite his usual self. He has given a performance that seems to have fit the director's (read his wife's) and the story's need. Shruti Hassan shows a little bit of improvement and looks just fabulous, but still has to exercise some control over her facial expressions. Both of them give charming performances in the track of maturing adolescent love. They actually fit the bill of school goers perfectly. Right from their looks to actions, everything goes perfect in that particular track. But all of their ability is squandered or overused from then due to the excruciating pace and poorly written dramatic scenes. Sivakarthikeyan throws in some fun in the movie. His presence provides the adolescent track with suitable comic relief. Prabhu and Bhanupriya get no scope and have just mere cameos. Sunder Ramu as a friend in need is decent.

Technical work is solid. Cinematography(Velraj) is suitable to the film's mood. The editing(Kola Bhaskar) is optimum. Little needs to be said about the lilting score of the already famous debutante Anirudh Ravichander. Not just Kolaveri, but most of the songs are good and well shot. Even his background score is smooth flowing. His work is the USP of the film and rightly so.

Folks, let's face it, Kolaveri is the only reason 90% of the people will watch it and it might be reason enough to give the film a decent opening. But the viewer is so let down by the director that he\she might think "Why this Kolaveri" dear director. The movie is a Bipolar experience i.e one will love a bit of it and just despise the rest of the bits. But the lovable parts are very much in the first half. A great story gone awfully wrong. A disappointment to the level of Kolaveri (Murderous Rage).

Rating - 2 on 5 (and no extra marks for Kolaveri, it just doesn't help)

Review : Kahaani

So it was Vidya Balan last year and now it is being said that it is going to be Vidya Balan this year too. Female centered films have become the order of the day. And no one can complain because in the past few years, it is only such films that have been sensible. In that category, we have had dramas (The Dirty Picture, No one killed Jessica) and comedies too (Most of them forgettable). Now comes a Thriller. Fresh from her National Award win, Vidya Balan has become the most bankable female star. Is she as bankable in Kahaani? Directed by Sujoy Ghosh and Starring Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kahaani is a thriller set in Kolkata with a pregnant woman character as the protagonist. Is the movie worth it? I answer the last question with as big a yes as was given to The Dirty Picture.

Kahaani is the tale of Vidya Bagchi who arrives from London to a strange city, Kolkata. She is pregnant and is in search of her husband who is seemingly missing. As she searches for her husband assisted by a friendly police officer, she discovers that there is no trace of her husband either in person or on record. Distraught yet defiant, she continues her search. In the process, darker truths come into light. Vidya and the friendly officer get sucked into a mysterious whirlpool of crime and terror. Vidya has to find her husband holding on to her life which hangs by a thread. Will she succeed? Is her husband alive? Watch the movie and find out.

Never has a thriller made in Indian soil been so straightforward. Zero scope has been given for nonsensical subplots and out of the world romance as has been the trend of 90% of Indian thrillers. The movie moves at a deliberate pace keeping the viewer intertwined in a deftly woven web of paranoia and atmospheric thrills. The characters have been drawn so clearly and the screenplay written so edgily that one is astounded by the next scene always. Director Sujoy Ghosh has chosen his locations and cast very well. Most of the cast is Bengali in keeping with the films locales, which gives it an all the more natural effect. The use of Durga puja as a plot piece has to be commended with claps infinite. His direction is simple, sticking to the point and never wavering from the plot. The viewer is totally arrested and cannot tear his/her eyeballs off the screen. The plot is not devoid of holes though. Some of the elements like the criminal operations have been portrayed as being in far much ease to be careful. But the plot holes seem insignificant as the film in totality fills them up. Added to this is the spicy, sometimes whiplash use of sharp dialogues.

The technical department is adequate. Special mention for the Cinematography (Setu). He has succeeded in creating the mood of suspense with sufficient use of shaded photography and lights and colours of Kolkata. Vishal Shekar have given a score that is tasteful and faithful to the mood of the film. They deviate from their usual style of western pop stylised scores to a much more deeply rooted score worth a hear. Amitabh Bachchan saab's rendition of Ekla Cholo Re is heart warming.

Now, the centerpiece herself, Vidya Balan. She has delivered another award worthy performance. She is restrained and tempered, not going over the top at any point. Her character required a bold performance in the least. But what Vidya Balan has displayed is dollops of guts. She is the person who is to be given credit for making the viewer eye only her as significant while she is the only dominant character of her gender, throughout the film. Surrounded by men, she displays more brawn of character than all of the men put together. But it can be said that Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have provided able support. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has the most of the sharp lines with him.

Is it true that Kahaani is the best film of the year? Nope. It is the best film in nearly four years of the lacklustre period of Bollywood. It is the entry of a to the point thriller to the autobiography of Bollywood. So thick is the atmosphere of suspense that one might choke for want of answers throughout the film. The answers they will get. But what they will get when the movie ends is the feeling that Bollywood doesn't have to copy Hollywood to hook you to a thriller. It just needs it's homeland with a few filmmakers who can stay to their roots and yet engage you. It would be sacrilege on the altar of Bollywood if you miss this one.

Rating : 4 on 5

Review : The Artist

83 Years ago, a silent film, Wings, won the Oscar for Best Picture. And then, came the era of sound films. And now, The Artist, a French silent film wins the coveted Oscar, proving that there is more to silent films than just Charlie Chaplin. One definitely wonders why a black and white and Silent movie deserves so much. Is it because of the so called "timeless" appeal of the black and white format, or because it is crowd pleasing or is it simply because it is a piece of art in itself? Well, it is a bit of all of the above. As it hits the Indian screens, let's see why it is so special. Directed and written by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and Uggie the dog, The Artist is a film connoisseur's delight.

The plot line is a clever paradox. It shows the decline of the silent cinema era, in the form of a silent film. Silent movie star George Valentin is at the peak of his career and in a marriage on the rocks. Right at this time, Peppy Miller enters his life. A prancing young wannabe actress, she is given the role of an extra in one of his films. They are attracted to each other from the beginning of their acquaintance. Meanwhile, the silent film era is waning and Valentin's studio decides to stop making silent films. Valentin, adamant that sound films have no scope, experiences the rapid downfall of his career. Peppy Miller rises to become the nation's darling actress. Then on, the movie depicts the course of their relationship marred by their different statuses and Valentin's unsettling pride. Will they succeed in coming together? Will George Valentin ever be the same star again? These are the main questions answered through the movie's course.

Michel Hazanavicius has written a bold screenplay, not in terms of content, but in terms of the time in which he has written it. Making a silent film in the age of motion capture and VFX is commendable indeed. The plot moves at a tempered pace, allowing the viewer to take in the beauty of the whole piece. The scenes are well written and mesh together as a wholesome whole. It is difficult to direct a film in which all the viewer has, to comprehend the plot, is the expressions on the face of the actors and the whole mood created by the director.  Hazanavicius succeeds at every level as a director. He has created a masterpiece. The brilliance of his direction resonates in so many scenes (particularly the ones witg Peppy Miller hugging herself and Valentin's dream sequence). He has brought out the charm of the 20s Hollywood and has poignantly portrayed various situations in the most lighthearted manner possible.


The performance by the two leads is commendable indeed. Jean Dujardin who has won most of the best actor awards (in The Oscars, The Baftas and the Cannes to name a few) brings out the pride, joy, despair and hopelessness of George Valentin with panache. His expressions seem so natural that the viewer reads the dialogue cards on his face before they appear. The scenes with him and Uggie the dog are utterly delightful. Berenice Bejo's performance is a perfect foil for Dujardin's performance. Without speaking a line, she prances through every scene with the enthusiasm of the wannabe actress she plays. An able support indeed. The others in the cast like John Goodman, James Cromwell and Malcolm McDowell to name a few, are adequate.

The Artist boasts of robust black and white camerawork by Guillaume Schiffman. He has aptly used the camera to bring out the charm of the 20s. The Oscar winning score of Ludovic Bource is suitable to the film's requirements. It is totally reminiscent of the era portrayed in the movie. The costumes are tasteful and the art direction is perfect. Where Michel Hazanavicius has again succeeded is in the editing. Assisted ably by Anne-Sophie Bion, he has given his own vision, a crisp running time of  100 minutes without making any scene seem forced, hurried or unnecessary.

The Artist proves not that one can make a loud proclamation of victory with the use of silence, but that the silent film still has life and can have a large heart too, if it has the right elements. It is a crowd pleasing charm which can be watched by all and liked by all, silently or not so silently.

Rating : 4 on 5

Review : The Iron Lady

So fresh after her Oscar win and the tidy amount of accolades she won, Meryl Streep's The Iron Lady hits Indian screens. I have always admired Meryl Streep since Kramer Vs Kramer and this was reason enough to motivate me to watch The Iron Lady in the theatre. One is curious to find out how a movie can elicit such mixed reviews while it's leading artiste claims near universal acclaim. Well, the curiosity vanishes right from the first frame of Meryl Streep's appearance on screen.

As may be predicted by every moviegoer, the plot line is the recounting of the life of Britain's first Lady Prime Minister, Lady Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Roberts is a grocer's daughter who grew up in the face of constant ridicule from her peers as well as from her colleagues. But, committed to her aim of service, she goes on to Oxford and then to become one of the most powerful politicians, Conservative leader and then on to Prime Minister in a nation that had erstwhile, never had a lady leader(also becoming the longest serving Prime Minister of Britain). Garnering much hatred in her tenure due to her adamant stands on her own views while gathering respect at the same time, she introduces measures that no man ever had the guts to do so. Then she resigns and suffers from dementia in old age.

Sadly enough, the screenplay is as plain as the above. What one expects while watching a biopic, is an exploration of a person as a person. Not a person glorified as god. That is exactly what is missing. Once the movie starts, we see that the screenwriter(Abi Morgan), is obsessed with the titular character to the extent that the actions of the character, the reforms she introduced, the mistakes she made, the persons in her life and the hardships she faced are all used just as time fillers to occupy those surplus minutes when the titular character is not speaking. The screenplay is so obsessed with the titular role that nothing else is significant. Even the role of Lady Margaret's Husband Denis Thatcher (played by Jim Broadbent) is shown as nothing but a sidekick to his powerful wife and a disease to her in her old age. The screenplay is the only damaged part of the movie. Sadly, that takes a movie to the lowest level of mediocrity.

The technical department is solid. Everything from the cinematography, the editing and the art direction is adequate. A few parts of the musical score seemed inappropriate, though. And as for the makeup, the oscar win should give one an idea.

Now, for the only reason to watch the movie. Meryl Streep gives one of her most superlative performances. She is known to be an actress of near obsessive passion. Well, she has lived as Margaret Thatcher for 105 minutes of screen time. One forgets that she is Meryl Streep and that she is American. All we see is the British Premier Lady Margaret Thatcher. Everything from her diction, her actions, her walk and her expressions seem to have been ripped off from the real person. She rightly deserved her Oscar and even more rightly so, after 30 years of failed nominations. She has elevated the movie from being a forgettable fare to a textbook in acting. Kudos. The other actors are not given ample scope due to the singular fixation on the titular character. But Jim Broadbent has done justice to his role. He is the only one noticeable from the whole cast other than Meryl Streep herself.

Overall, A one woman show all the way. No Meryl Streep and the movie is no more than one among the hundreds of forgotten movies. Phyllida Lloyd (the director) must thank Meryl Streep for saving her yet again (she did it once before in Mamma Mia!).

Rating - 3 on 5 (1 on 5 without Meryl Streep)