Nenokkadine - One of its kind!!!

Sukumar, as a director is widely known for his screwball romantic comedy approach. His one previous attempt at an action film (Jagadam) was a mega failure. This time around, he teams up with the hot and happening Mahesh Babu to make what looks like a regular action movie, if the trailer is the mirror of the film. But rest assured, the only worry that will linger on after watching the movie is whether it will be accepted by the mass masala potpourri hungry Telugu audience. Otherwise, this movie turns out to be the most "un-massy" psychological - action thriller ever to have kissed the Telugu silver screen.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Wolf on this one!!!!!

Three hours long and about a crazed up stock broker. Now don't get ticked off reading that description because that will lead you to miss this aggressively profane and absolutely filthy black comedy. With Martin Scorsese at the helm of affairs one can expect his trademark stamps viz. profanity, pitch black characters to name a few. This film also marks his fifth collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio. So the expectations are definitely as high as the calibre of the director and the actor. The film turns out to be the most irreverent and entertaining of the year.

The film is a dramatisation of Jordan Belfort who made a killing at the stock market defrauding people by selling them penny stocks in the guise of blue chip investments and was later jailed for the same and has since become a motivational speaker

For starters, the plot of this movie is nothing extraordinary. It is a very simple story. Thus, it comes down to the screenplay to do justice to the story. As a Scorsese movie, it may not be among his best works. Scorsese returns to direct a comedy after 31 years (The king of comedy) and does a decent job of it. His stamp is apparent through the film. But he also chose to incorporate the style of "breaking the fourth wall" this time(a style most often employed by Woody Allen, his contemporary) to very good effect. The film manages to do ample justice to its 180 minute length. Scorsese also manages to make some very outlandish and seemingly unrealistic situations seem so believable that the Time magazine has also acknowledged their possibility. Taking ample licence but also maintaining a tight narrative has worked well for this film. In short, not among Scorsese's best but that is not reason to complain.

Among the technical aspects, the most notable one is the brisk editing by Thelma Schoonmaker with the rest being just about adequate.

The main draw of this film(apart from its record breaking usage of the "F" word - 506 f*****g times) is the crazed no holds barred performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. He plays his part to the hilt. You see the soul of a very screwed up character in every second of his performance. Note the plethora of scenes where he plays an addict. He had to be his most profane and in a mad mad way. As a money crazed jerk off, he is an absolute asshole. As an irresponsible family man, he is an absolute c**t. As a motivator, he is an advertisement for his own foibles. Such is the impact of his performance that it gives as much of a high as the weed or quaalude must have given the character that he plays. It may not be exaggeration to say that the real life Belfort must have shouted some choice cusses at himself watching this whiplash performance. No amount of length seems to be relevant before the gargantuan impact of DiCaprio's best yet performance. It would be absolute f*****g outrageous to give the Oscar to anyone else now because he has given a very healthy high to the viewer by his powerhouse. A proud milestone in his career indeed.

In the supporting cast, Jonah Hill gets the meatiest role and carries it out with the same crazed enthusiasm as DiCaprio and Rob Reiner does a great extended cameo. Matthew McConaughey does a mini version of what DiCaprio does throughout in a cameo at the beginning of the film (in a very likable southern accent). Other members of the cast form a perfect ensemble.


To sum it all up, The Wolf of Wall Street is pure on screen heroin. It forcibly infuses into your system, the crazed enthusiasm of Leonardo DiCaprio's f****d up character and the unabashed filthy treatment in general. Do not watch this film with your family as you will end up hating yourself for two reasons - being labelled an asshole by your family and spoiling all the fun that this film offers by worrying about the cross stares from your family. Your relationship might also crumble if your other half minds crass stuff. If you are with buddies and can shout out cuss words, you will have a whale of a time. Pitch black comedy extreme.

Rating - 4 on 5 

Rewind - Best of Kollywood 2013

The year 2013 comes to a close. This year has given us a very mixed bag with big star masala entertainers raking in the moolah as usual. But we have also received some very prescient dramas, smiley face comedies, black comedies and the usual Tamil award circuit fare. Some major disappointments came in the form of big starrers turning damp squibs. In all this hullabaloo, it was however easy picking choices for the best in Kollywood this year. I hope it isn't as easy the next year.

The Lunchbox - 'Epic'stolary if you please!!!!

The Lunchbox, produced jointly by Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and UTV Motion Picture, brings to us the rare epistolary. If the acclaim it has garnered before release is anything to go by, The Lunchbox promises a naturalist fare. Two fine performers called Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have been cast in 2 of the 3 lead characters with Nimrat Kaur (the Cadbury Silk lady) being the third. As one watches the film, realisation dawns that the acclaim so garnered is ever so slightly misleading. The Lunchbox ever so subtly cuts out a shapely slice of life fare.

The plot traces the exchange of letters that happens between a lonely middle age insurance company employee and an unhappy housewife when (shockingly) the dabbawala delivers lunch meant for the latter's hubby to the former and how this transforms their lives.

To come to the performances, it is a feast of underplaying on display here. Irrfan Khan displays his easy natural flair by doing exactly what is expected of him. Be it the subtle show of frustration at constant nagging, the quick display of cunning for slight issues or the display of constant sadness, he has got it all ready with him. Nimrat Kaur packs in an equally good performance with the added advantage of her natural yet pretty looks. Nawazuddin Siddiqui keeps the humour element going throughout the film and gives a solid supporting act. Also worth mention is a small yet effective cameo by Lillete Dubey and the unseen 'Aunty' character. On the whole, the perfect elegant ensemble.

The director and writer Ritesh Batra remains as realist and as abstract as possible in his execution of his own strong subject matter. The screenplay is the definite hero of this film. The film utilizes minimal live dialogue and focuses on the facial expressions of it's characters through 70% of the run time. The story unfolds at a smooth pace for most part of the film with it getting a bit annoyingly glacial at the last 15 or so minutes of the film. Yet, what is most impressive is that the writer/director gives an apt abstract touch to conclude the film. A few plot threads are left open for the spectator to decide on. The transformation shown in the lead characters' lives is a perfect demonstration of delectable subtlety. The naturalism in the director's execution is deliciously consistent throughout.

Able technical work can be seen in almost all departments. The editing is smooth as silk and the Cinematography, as natural as the film itself. However, the most impressive work is done by the sound mixing and sound editing department. In a film where the music score is so slight, the spectator's involvement is kept alive by the apt mixing of natural urban hustle bustle and the set of daily noises. The most impressive touch was however when the sounds kept going on in the succeeding frame and stop abruptly when a character speaks out. The sound technicians are in for many awards this year.

To quote in short, The Lunchbox is an uncut gem. Natural with its own dirt and grit, yet as precious as its polished counterpart. Such unabashed display of subtle naturalism is very rarely seen on Indian screens. Had the film been a little less glacial in pacing, it would have been brilliant. However, it keeps itself to being good, salt of the earth stuff. It goes on to prove that every moment in mundane human life can give an engaging story to the spectator if narrated in the right manner.

3.5 on 5

Madras Cafe - Brain food with a dash of thrill

From the makers of last year's surprise smash Vicky Donor now give us a flick of a nearly polar opposite genre. Touted to be a gritty spy thriller set in the troubled times of Jaffna, Madras Cafe from director Shoojit Sircar, written by Somnath Dey and Shubendhu Bhattacharya and starring producer John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Ajay Ratnam, Siddharth Basu and Piyush Pandey among others, also presents an interpretation of the Indian Intelligence procedures to uncover the conspiracy behind the assassination of Ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Making this film in a non conducive environment as India must have been an uphill task indeed. In addition to courting ample controversies, this film has also earned the wrath of those sympathetic with the dwellers of Eelam. Transcending all these obstacles, Madras Cafe has hit the theatres and one finds that this film has a great deal more to offer than the regular espionage thrillers seen till date in Bollywood.

Plot:

The plot is set between the late 1980s and the date of the assassination i.e 1991. Vikram Singh, a RAW agent is sent to Jaffna to lead the field intelligence operations of the peace keeping forces. As he digs into his job, he finds out that there is a leak in his own organisation and that his own life is in danger. Furthermore, he finds out that all of this is insignificant and that it all opens up to a bigger conspiracy with long term National implications.

Story, Screenplay and Direction:

Madras Cafe is one such film where the script and direction are the 100% heroes. The characters in the film derive their well etched contours only due to the strength of the script. The script is absolutely made of stuff that says "No Nonsense". Some outstanding writing can be seen here. There is nothing conventionally Bollywood like in this film. The writers have filled the script with factual references and real life happenings whilst bringing in a plausible plot between the same. The events on screen move at a rapid pace with each being as intriguing as the other. What is notable is the pain taken to avoid references to any name or person whilst depicting actual persons. The story line is sound and rock solid. The only disadvantage here is that too much information has been crammed into the film. This means that those who are not aware of the events that make up the subject, will probably be flummoxed. The care taken for intricate details about intelligence operations and political crisis without any direct reference to any real historical figure is laudable. The film anyway succeeds in conveying the event intended to the viewer. Sircar gives this script the stellar direction it needs. The direction supersedes the incompetence of the lead actors to make a flick in which every event depicted speaks for itself. In a nutshell, the script is the winner all the way in Madras Cafe. It is the most brainiest script to come out this year.

Performances:

The performances by the lead actors are ordinary to the level of break even adequacy. John Abraham is well suited for his role owing to his robust physique. But he is as stiff in intense sequences as he always is. Nargis Fakhri gets a pivotal role in the nature of an on and off appearance and does a decent job of it. The rest of the cast has minor roles that supplement the plot. As said earlier, the film is totally story driven and the characters are mere cogs of the big machine.

Technicalities:

Technical aspects are sound. Kamaljeet Negi has canned the troubles of Jaffna very well. Through his lens, we can see a great deal of the script's effectiveness. Editing by Chandrashekhar. P is pitch perfect. The film drops in pace at no point of time and neither does any scene seem ineffective. The sequencing of the events is like a perfect set of pictures for a kinetoscope. The Background score by Shantanu Moitra is apt.

Madras Café is the kind of diet that Bollywood connoisseurs have been starving for. Though brainy thrillers are by no means non existent, they are very few and this one is perfect brain food. But prepare to be confused if you don’t know your history. A heavyweight thriller with a razor edge script and stellar direction, Madras Café is a gritty and harrowing reality check that in addition to providing a look at field level covert operations, also derives very well from one of the most tragic events in Indian History.

Rating : 3.5 on 5

Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer - Teenage Naivety!!!!!

Director Suseenthiran has decided to go back to his original winning formula of using relative newcomers after the debacle called Rajapattai. What is most intriguing (positively shocking for some) is that his latest flick is a mere 106 minutes long (that is about the time when we get back to our seats after interval). This time around, he picks the subject of teenage romance and its naive nature which leads to one of the most dreaded form of societal stigma in India i.e premarital conception. This territory has been trodden upon in Tamil cinema only at the surface level (only to the extent of the Hero's sister doing the act and the ensuing suffering to be more precise). Given Suseenthiran's fantastic track record albeit with the black spot called Rajapattai, one can say that the film has a good chance of being as interesting as its premise. But the film more than lives up to that expectation. Starring newcomer Santosh Ramesh, Manisha Yadav(of Vazhakku En 18/9 fame), Jayaprakash, Poornima Jayaram (after how many years?) and Thulasi (Remember that child in Shankarabharanam?), Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer is as mature as dramas can get.

The plot revolves around a whirlwind affair between two college mates that goes awry when the two lovers take that ultimate step. The girl becomes pregnant and their lives go into a free fall taking their parents along with them. 

Suseenthiran sticks to the point throughout the film. You will find no songs that are not for the situation, no scenes that do not add to the plot and no actor whose role is not connected with the plot. One is so pleasantly surprised with the striking delicacy with which the topic in question has been handled by the writer/director. The writing is so grassroot and so uncomplicated, its brilliant. The plot moves at a fast pace without compromising with even one bit of the sincerity required for so delicate a concept. The director has been so successful in projecting the teen lives of urban India and the very naivety of that age that one feels convinced that he has shot something straight out of reality. There are no big dialogues that come with the movie. The conclusion of the movie is one of the most striking and most melancholy conclusions ever. Yet, the movie delivers entertainment, food for thought and is unambiguous in conveying its message. It is an unqualified triumph for Suseenthiran.

Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer is an example of perfect casting. Newcomer Santosh Ramesh both looks and acts his role in a form most close to reality. Manisha Yadav gives in a good performance too. The best performance however is that of Thulasi (yet again, remember that child who croons Dorakuna Ituvanti Seva in the climax of Shankarabharanam?). She plays a distressed modern day middle class mother to the hilt. Jayaprakash is adequate for his role. Poornima Jayaram is good in a 5-10 minute role as the male lead's mother (that apart, it was great to see her in screen again after nearly 3 decades). The rest of the characters including mainly the bunch of college mates is a good ensemble.

The technical aspects are adequate with special mention for the sharp editing by Antony and some hummable tunes by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

In addition to being the most mature take on teen foibles ever seen on Indian screens, Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer is a must watch for every teen in town and also for the parents of our times, for it presents an unflinching view on one of the most dreaded societal maladies of contemporary times without compromising in the entertainment front (though the conclusion and the general atmosphere in the film are essentially melancholic). A most gripping teen drama.

Rating : 4 on 5

Lootera - l'amour Sublime....!!!!

So we have had a romantic saga with great results recently (Raanjhanaa). Now added to it is the feeling of nostalgia. If the trailers are anything to go by, Lootera promised a love story with considerable depth and with that shot of nostalgia (being the movie is set in 1953-54). Coming from the house of modern film auteur Anuraag Kashyap and the director of Udaan, Lootera is an adaptation of O'Henry's short story "The Last Leaf" albeit with ample modifications. The expectation meter is high and one tends to feel that this movie might be a letdown due to that uncanny feeling that high expectations might dampen the actual viewing. Rest assured folks, that feeling is an absolute bummer. Lootera is Indian cinema in its most sublime form.

The Plot:
The plot revolves around the romance of Pakhi and Varun. Pakhi, the child of a rich landlord, meets an archaeologist visiting them and sparks fly. They have a passionate affair. But a shocking truth about Varun leaves her devastated and recouping from extreme sadness and a bad bout of a near fatal disease. Then, Varun enters he life again. What happens then forms the rest of the movie.


Screenplay and Direction:
The screenplay is a triumph of sorts for Vikramaditya Motwane and Bhavani Iyer. Not many would be able to make a period movie without glamourising the setting with brash Bollywood stereotypes. The most striking point is the meticulous detailing of the period setting. Here is one movie that shows the 50s as they were. Using some strategically placed historical references, popular 50s Bollywood music and typical 50s mannerisms to great effect, the plot moves at a suitably glacial pace not compromising one bit with it. The writing is so smooth that one feels that the movie is longer than it actually is but to the best effect. It turns out to be a rich and satisfying platter of emotions and soul stirring moments. The dialogue in the movie is so minimal and so uncomplicated that without the fine work on the finer nuances of the screenplay, this movie would have been an empty shell. The direction by Motwane is to be highly lauded. He has managed to give his own screenplay the very director that it needed. His style is very reminiscent of Udaan.

The Performances:

The performance by Sonakshi Sinha is her career best. She has proved that she isn't the 'Desi glam doll' she has been cast as till date. Her effort to play the happy, sad and ailing times of her character with the finesse of Sridevi in English Vinglish has resulted in a sure shot accolade puller. Added to this is how apt she looks for her character. Ranveer Singh gives a performance quite unlike his loud, happy go lucky Band Baaja Baaraat character. He has underplayed his role suitably well. Other actors in the principal cast do not have much to do, but have been well cast to say the least.

Technical Aspects:

The music of the film is easy on the ears and mellifluous. Amit Trivedi has given one of his best scores. He proves that he is to Anurag Kashyap what A R Rahman is to Mani Ratnam. The background score is commendable too. Like in Udaan, much of the talk in the movie is done by the way of its music. The score in the intense emotional sequences of the movie acts as a catalyst to engage the viewer. The cinematography by  Mahendra Shetty is picture postcard perfect. Through his lens, one gets the feel of the 50s and through his camerawork, one gets the feel of the emotions on screen. His usage of natural surroundings and lush greenery in intimate sequences is immaculate. Editing by Namrata Rao is water tight and the set pieces are very reminiscent of the 50s.

Lootera is by far, the best picture of the year, the best film of Sonakshi Sinha, the best film of Ranveer Singh and has the best score of Amit Trivedi till date. Needless to say, it is a sublime romance saga which is bound to involve the viewer with its emotional frankness and many subtleties of filmmaking. Though one feels that the movie is longer than 135 minutes, it is the feeling of eating a delectable desert that lasts long enough to soak in the sweetness. Lootera is an engaging romance drama by the team of Udaan. One can expect it to be showered with assorted accolades in the awards season. Go watch Lootera and do yourself a favour that you will be grateful for. Any plot hole that you may find in the film is merely lint on a Pashmina shawl. Lootera showcases nostalgia and l'amour sublime like seen very rarely in Bollywood.

Rating - 5 on 5.