Why I Liked MNIK

My Name is Vijay, and I am no great fan of Karan Johar. Aur is Duniya Mein Ache film hote hain, aur Bure film Hoten Hain. Aur pehli baar, Karan Johar and SRK have got the script right, even if it looked a bit naive in parts. KJ has finally grown out of this teens and made a film that he can be proud of. My Name is Khan (MNIK) does not have the thump of Forrest Gump. But it made me sit up with an emotional high several times.

Indeed, it is SRK's most memorable role till date (out-of-the-normal characters suit him better). No doubts, he is the life and soul of the film. The other highpoints: the SRK-Kajol screen chemistry, magical cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran and the heart-stirring number 'Noore Khuda' by Shankar and Adnan Sami. I hope the film's message of tolerance and humanism strikes a chord with people of all religions around the world. Definitely can't miss the film.

Many of my friends found MNIK too long for comfort, and also found it typically filmy (like the scene where only Khan reaches a flood-ravaged church in Georgia). Strangely, I did not find the film long at all. I liked it growing on me. Believe me, I loved SRK's performance (even if he took some liberties with his performance, his dramatics went well with this character). And when the Georgia disaster happened, I remember it took days for help and relief to reach the flood-struck areas, which witnessed rampant murders and robbery, pushing people to the brink. In any case, small exaggerations like these are forgivable in a canvas like this (I am surprised that nobody faulted that silly delivery scene in 3 Idiots..absolutely absurd, I thought) .

MNIK will end up as being one of the most watched films on the DVD circuit, even if it does not become the biggest hits of the year.

What is more important is to understand that Karan Johar has progressed as a film maker. He has climbed the curve (from pop corn love stories and family weepies to something mature as this). MNIK is not a masterpiece by any sense, but it does push the envelope for Bollywood.

I am waiting to see Vishal Bharadwaj's film with SRK in the lead..Believe me, that will be a knockout performance..

Love, Lust and Greed in Ishqiya

My take on Ishqiya: A wonderful debut by director Abhishek Choubey, and a befitting tribute to his mentor Vishal Bharadwaj. The film slowly bares open the underbelly of small town India, in a typical Bharadwaj style. Ishqiya has a bit of everything--comedy, curry Western, thriller, noir, raw edginess and sensuality--in... a cinematic package that is Indian in content yet international in appeal.

Eastern UP becomes the setting, as layers unravel in a plot that teases the viewer with its unpredictability and intrigue. Vidya Balan, Naseer and Arshad look as if they were born and bred in the badlands, even as their characters come alive on a slow simmer. For Warsi, this one is a killer act. He erases Circuit and etches Babban firmly in our collective memory.

Ishqiya will not rock you, but will leave you with mixed emotions about love, lust and greed in the Wild North (our answer for the Wild West). Go watch it. But one spoiler: The 'gaalis' and 'sex scenes' are in short supply (in case that is the main pulling factor)

I would like to let the Ishqiya hangover remain with me for a while. I don't want to spoil it with Rann (i sort of know what to expect from that film), prefer to watch it on DVD. And yes, I also want to visit Gorakhpur and other places in Eastern UP.

Choosing Between Ishqiya and Rann

I want to see both Ishqiya and Rann (released this week). And I don't want to read what the critics have to say about them. I am mighty sure that these will be films (from the production houses of two master directors) worth watching on the screen (in other words, paisa vasool).

But to shoot off without seeing the films, here is my take: I will choose Ishqiya first. There will be more cinema (in terms of narrative), unpredictability and surprises in Ishqiya, which is set in the badlands of eastern UP. Rann will tell us about (what some of us know) breaking news business in Ram Gopal Varma's patented style. After disasters like Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag and Phoonk, RGV will redeem his lost status with Rann.

I am also itching to see Ishqiya since I am dying to hear the gaalis (expletives) in full blast from the speakers in the theatre. I also love watching the audience reaction to such gaalis. I remember watching Omkaara in the theatre. A large family had booked almost the half the row where me and Lals sat. And within 10 minutes of the film, the elders in the group looked stupefied..I almost fell off the seat when one of the the older guys told his wife: 'Ghar chalte hain. Yeh gaali waali film lag rahi hain' And he and several others actually got up and left. I wanted to tell him, asli zindagi mein jo hum sunte hain use parde mein dikha diya to kya aafat aa gayi. Hoping to have a lot of fun watching Ishqiya on the screen next week.