Cocktail Movie Rating - 2.5/5
At the outset, let me clear one thing. There is nothing unbelievably
novel about Cocktail but the beauty of the film lies in the authenticity
of the storytelling.
Set in London, Gautam (Saif) is a Don Juan of sorts, wooing women with his cheesy one-liners all the time. He comes across Meera (Diana) but eventually lands up with her friend, Veronica (Deepika).
Over the course of the film, they start living together, enjoy some great moments & Gautam realizes that he isnt sure whom he lives.
That is the premise that the film follows. What eventually happens, watch & find out.
The film starts slowly but slowly goes into overdrive as the first half of the film is a great watch. The second half has a very strong start but the curse strikes, as it eventually meanders to a long-drawn melodramatic finish.
Some parts of the film are beautifully handled, like the scene between the 3 where Saif confesses his love, his talk with his uncle & the highlight of the film, Deepikas drunken fiasco.
The music by Pritam is outstanding & maintains the mood right. Visually, Anil Mehtas lens keeps it colourful & lively.
Saif Ali Khan delivers a spirited performance that holds the film together. Dimple Kapadia & Boman too, put up a great show.
But the heart & soul of the film, in what could be called as her careers best outing, is Deepika Padukone. Shes never looked better & sets the screen on fire.
Debutant Diana Penty looks good but rarely changes her expression.
Director Homi Adajania moves miles away from Being Cyrus with an out-and-out commercial entertainer. Its remarkable how he keeps it real & doesnt try to muddle it with pointless emotions but alas, gets caught in the trap towards the end.
20 minutes shorter & it would have been a fantastic film
To sum it up, Cocktail is a one time watch. It is a great effort by a director to use the Bollywood mould in the most realistic fashion possible. If you are a Deepika fan, this ones a must watch for you.
Set in London, Gautam (Saif) is a Don Juan of sorts, wooing women with his cheesy one-liners all the time. He comes across Meera (Diana) but eventually lands up with her friend, Veronica (Deepika).
Over the course of the film, they start living together, enjoy some great moments & Gautam realizes that he isnt sure whom he lives.
That is the premise that the film follows. What eventually happens, watch & find out.
The film starts slowly but slowly goes into overdrive as the first half of the film is a great watch. The second half has a very strong start but the curse strikes, as it eventually meanders to a long-drawn melodramatic finish.
Some parts of the film are beautifully handled, like the scene between the 3 where Saif confesses his love, his talk with his uncle & the highlight of the film, Deepikas drunken fiasco.
The music by Pritam is outstanding & maintains the mood right. Visually, Anil Mehtas lens keeps it colourful & lively.
Saif Ali Khan delivers a spirited performance that holds the film together. Dimple Kapadia & Boman too, put up a great show.
But the heart & soul of the film, in what could be called as her careers best outing, is Deepika Padukone. Shes never looked better & sets the screen on fire.
Debutant Diana Penty looks good but rarely changes her expression.
Director Homi Adajania moves miles away from Being Cyrus with an out-and-out commercial entertainer. Its remarkable how he keeps it real & doesnt try to muddle it with pointless emotions but alas, gets caught in the trap towards the end.
20 minutes shorter & it would have been a fantastic film
To sum it up, Cocktail is a one time watch. It is a great effort by a director to use the Bollywood mould in the most realistic fashion possible. If you are a Deepika fan, this ones a must watch for you.
Rockstar Review:
Saddha Haq Etthe Rakh.. is what people are going to hum when they come out of the theatre smiling. Janardhan Jhakad aka Jordan steals your heart with this eternal love story of a Rockstar explaining why he is insane.
Rating: 3.25/5
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Producer: Dhillin Mehta
Music: A R Rahman
Story:
JJ aka Janardhan Jhakad (Ranbir Kapoor) wants to be like his idol Jim Morrison who once showed his middle finger during a concert and the crowd went bonkers. But there is something missing in his life and that is a tragedy. He decides to get a heartbreak by getting dumped by the hottest girl in college Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri). Heer has two months to live life the way she wants before she gets married and shift to Prague. The duo spends time together and falls in love only to realize when Heer got married. Then begins JJ’s journey as a Rockstar. He is heartbroken and creative. People love hearing him. Next, he lands in Prague, meeting Heer once again and doing all the stuff they did before she was getting married. But this time its different, the two are in love. The society, their own family and everyone possible is against them, but they are in their own world. They are happy when together and dead when separated…..
Analysis:
Imtiaz Ali in all his films, be it ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Luv Aaj Kal’ portrayed passionate true love and he goes a step further with this one. His storytelling is par excellence and is commendable. Another thing that’s worth mentioning is the way he makes his actors perform. The first half an hour is absolutely desi and will totally connect to the masses. The rest of the film, however is very international and good production values. Though, it does get a bit repetitive in the second half.
Performances:
The film totally belongs to Ranbir Kapoor. He totally rocks as the rockstar as well as an aspiring one. And like people use to say that no one can romance like Shah Rukh Khan, think again. Here comes Ranbir Kapoor. Nargis Fakhri is ok and seemed aware that her voice is going to be dubbed. She seems overacting in parts but looks astounding. The rest of the supporting cast perfectly fits the bill. The only issue is that a very talented Aditi Rao Hydari has been wasted. She required a better role.
Technicalities:
You will fall in love with the way the film has been picturised. The serene locations of Kashmir, Haryana and Prague are beautifully shot. The dressing sense of the actors is absolutely taken good care of according to the script. Minute details have been attended to. The music is good to. You will love humming Saddha Haq, Katiya Karu, Qun Faaya Qun, Ghar Aaja Parinde and all the others. A R Rehman has undoubtedly given better music before but this album aint worth a miss.
Plus Points:
- Ranbir Kapoor,
- Direction,
- Cinematography,
- Music
Minus Points:
- 2nd half repetitive
Final Word: Go watch it for Ranbir and Imtiaz’s direction. A must watch for all true lovers.
Rating: 3/5Banner: Red Chillies Entertainment
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Producer: Gauri Khan
Ra. One Review: Ra.One, yes finally Shah Rukh Khan’s dream sees the light of the day. Yes there are innumerous expectations attached to this film. And it lives up to it. Now, if you are expecting an Inception or Transformers, Ra.One is not for you. Go watch it as an average Indian who is away from Hollywood films and you will be totally bowled over.
Story:
Shekhar Subramaniam (Shah Rukh Khan) works for Barron Industries that produces gaming software. For past few years, none of their games are working in the market. Shekhar is a looser and a coward in his son Prateek’s (Armaan Verma) eyes. Prateek tells his dad that heroic games are no good, villians are kick ass and he likes them. So, only for his son, Shekhar makes a game Ra.One that portrays the villain stronger than the hero. He also installs Artificial Intelligence in the Villian that makes him think for its own. Now What’s next. Ra.One comes out of the game and creates Havok. And then G.one too is bought in the physical world from the virtual to defeat Ra.One.
Analysis:
As I said earlier, don’t go watch the film if you are already awestruck with Hollywood Sci-fi flicks. It’s definitely a stupendous job as per Bollywood standards and hats ff to Shah Rukh and his film to pull it off. Some visual effects used are par excellence. Coming to the story, Indianness has been added and that was required to make it a mass entertainer. However, the first half is better and fast paced while the second half could have been better. All the kids are definitely going to have a time of their life watching Ra.One.
Performances:
Shah Rukh Khan is back. He does full justice to both Shekhar as the stupid, god-fearing south Indian and even to G.One. Kareena Kapoor looks gorgeous and makes you fall in love with her all over again. Arjun Rampal is excellent but its Armaan who totally steals the show. The film totally belongs to him.
Technicalities:
Well, Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt’s cameo was not required. The sequence that is right in the beginning of the film was outright stupid and you really hope that the rest of the film is not like this. Editing in the first half is flawless while the direction could have been better in the second half. Music is the life line of the film. All the songs are good with ‘Chhamak Challo’ and Dildaara standing out. Background score was not novel. Some of the visual effects should definitely be commended and watching the film in 3D would be more impactful.
Plus Points:
- Performances
- Visual Effects
- Music
Minus Points:
- Adding a little extra Indianness.
Final Word: RA.One is like a colourful Popsicle that looks tantalising, tickles the palate while it lasts, but leaves no particular after-taste. Sound and fury? Loads of it. Significance? Not much.
Two and a half stars would have been in order – the extra half is for the sheer scale of the film’s ambition. So what if it falls short?
BodyGuard Review
Movie: Bodyguard
Star: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Rating: ***** (4/5)
On the whole, BODYGUARD works for varied reasons — it has a simple, but captivating story with a dramatic twist in the tale, the chemistry between the lead actors is perfect and the music is well juxtaposed in the narrative. But its biggest USP is, without doubt, Salman Khan. He carries the film on his broad and brawny shoulders and that alone is the imperative reason for watching this film. BODYGUARD should emerge his third festive hit and fourth super-success at the ticket window. Expect a hurricane called BODYGUARD to strike at the box-office
Full Review:
For most of us, the festive season is also about entertaining ourselves with a Bollywood biggie. Following two blockbuster Eid releases in the last two years, WANTED [2009] and DABANGG [2010], Salman Khan, the darling of the masses, unleashes yet another entertainer this Eid [this time, it coincides with Ganesh Chaturthi] — BODYGUARD. The buzz around a Salman movie only got bigger this year, but the pertinent question is, will Salman deliver yet another festive hit with BODYGUARD? After having set such high standards for himself, will Salman surpass his previous achievements? Well, that should be easy to pull off taking into account [a] Salman’s current form at the box-office and [b] The film has the merits to stand on its feet.
A section of the industry feels that Salman is limiting himself to hardcore masala films that defy logic. That he’s slowly getting typecast in similar genre movies. Perhaps, you may assume that BODYGUARD is no exception. You may also assume that BODYGUARD is an extension of what we’ve witnessed in DABANGG and READY. But it is not so. Let me say, BODYGUARD is atypical Salman entertainer, yet there are moments [in its second hour specifically] that make it stand apart from all Salman starrers we have witnessed in the recent past, which includes WANTED, DABANGG and READY.
Let me elaborate. You expect Salman starrers to be larger-than-life, superhero films. You expect him to be the messiah of the masses. BODYGUARD presents Salman exactly the way we expect him to be presented, but, at the same time, the film brings back memories of the soft, romantic roles that Salman essayed in his initial films. What makes the film tick is that Salman and director Siddique have done something hatke within the limitations of the typical Bollywood formula, which, I am sure, should appeal to the Hindi movie buff abundantly.
Final word? BODYGUARD is a perfect family entertainer that compliments the spirit of the festive season.
When it comes to being punctual and doing his duties perfectly, Lovely Singh [Salman Khan] is unmatchable. Taking great pride in what he does, he spares no effort in giving his everything to his profession.
Lovely is summoned for an assignment of guarding Divya [Kareena Kapoor], the daughter of Sartaj Rana [Raj Babbar], a business tycoon. Lovely accompanies her to her campus, but ends up rubbing her the wrong way with his over-protective nature. She finds him to be a major obstacle in leading a regular campus life. To throw him off-track and get him out of the way, she comes up with a ‘master plan’ — that of trapping him in a fake love affair. ‘Once he’s smitten by the girl of his dreams and is reveling in his new-found romance, he will leave us alone and we shall be free to do our own thing unhindered’, says Divya to her friends.
She becomes an anonymous admirer of his and starts hounding him, expressing her ‘feelings’ in no uncertain terms. Lovely, however, proves to be a tough nut to crack and it takes quite a bit of doing from her side to penetrate his fort-like exterior. But once she succeeds in doing so, he transforms into a completely different person. Divya is triumphant and is all set to relish her regained freedom.
But things take an unexpected turn when she learns a few things about Lovely. Things that she could’ve never even imagined. And she soon finds herself trapped in a dilemma that she’s unable to resolve. And with her, soon enough, Lovely finds himself trapped in a web of lies, trickery and deceit.
BODYGUARD is a simple-n-sweet tale of love that’s engaging and relatable. At the same time, there’s an unexpected twist in the pre-climax which shocks you completely. At no point does the director swerve from the main plot to provide a few extra laughs or thrills. Besides, this is a script which gives actors a lot of room to emote. And both Salman and Kareena seize the opportunity with both hands. More on that later!
Like I pointed out earlier, with BODYGUARD, Salman returns to a genre he started out with — love story. Sure, BODYGUARD is a remake of a Malayalam film [remade in various South Indian languages as well], which has all the trappings of a perfect masala film — action, music, comedy — but BODYGUARD is essentially a love story at heart. Salman’s intro may give an impression that it’s a hardcore masala film, especially the song and fight sequence [frankly, the first half of the film is routine, with not much happening in the plot]. The director reserves the best for the second half, when it transforms into a love story. The action scene in the second half — when Salman and Aditya Pancholi get into a fist fight — is outstanding and will send his fans in raptures. Especially the moment when Salman’s shirt rips off and his ripped muscles can be seen. The twist in the tale is a complete shocker. In fact, the penultimate reels of the film catches you complete unaware since you don’t expect the story to change so dramatically.
Director Siddique, who has directed the same script for the third time, ensures that a simple story is narrated with simplicity and unfussiness. The twist in the tale comes at the right time, the songs are smartly integrated in the plotline and of course, there are ample comic moments, courtesy Rajat Rawail. The best thing about the film is that Siddique has made a very conscious effort to project Salman as a sensitive human being and not as a demigod, which is why the character becomes all the more relatable and endearing.
The soundtrack fits the genre of the film well. The title track at the very start [Salman's intro] will draw whistles and claps, while ‘Teri Meri’ is undoubtedly the pick of the lot. Soulfully rendered, this one’s simply mesmerizing. Overall, it’s a hit score from Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam. Sejal Shah’s cinematography is appropriate. Vijayan’s action sequences are stylish. Though not an action film, the action sequences do stand out.
Salman delivers one of his best performances in recent times. He makes magnificent use of his tough physique and soft face. Salman’s fans are sure to lap this knockout performance in a big way. BODYGUARD would be incomplete without Kareena’s contribution. Some roles are tailor-made for actresses who can deliver with aplomb and who better than Kareena to infuse life in a challenging character. She looks gorgeous [as always] and gives this character the dignity that it deserves. Raj Babbar is perfect. Mahesh Manjrekar is as usual. Aditya Pancholi, in a cameo, stages a welcome comeback. He’s first-rate. Rajat Rawail is a joy to watch. He’s truly funny. Hazel is quite good. Asrani and Vidya Sinha are okay in their respective parts.
On the whole, BODYGUARD works for varied reasons — it has a simple, but captivating story with a dramatic twist in the tale, the chemistry between the lead actors is perfect and the music is well juxtaposed in the narrative. But its biggest USP is, without doubt, Salman Khan. He carries the film on his broad and brawny shoulders and that alone is the imperative reason for watching this film. BODYGUARD should emerge his third festive hit and fourth super-success at the ticket window. Expect a hurricane called BODYGUARD to strike at the box-office
Movie: bodyguard
Star: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Rating: ***** (4/5)
Source: Bollywoodhungama.com
by Taran Adarsh
Star: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Rating: ***** (4/5)
On the whole, BODYGUARD works for varied reasons — it has a simple, but captivating story with a dramatic twist in the tale, the chemistry between the lead actors is perfect and the music is well juxtaposed in the narrative. But its biggest USP is, without doubt, Salman Khan. He carries the film on his broad and brawny shoulders and that alone is the imperative reason for watching this film. BODYGUARD should emerge his third festive hit and fourth super-success at the ticket window. Expect a hurricane called BODYGUARD to strike at the box-office
Full Review:
For most of us, the festive season is also about entertaining ourselves with a Bollywood biggie. Following two blockbuster Eid releases in the last two years, WANTED [2009] and DABANGG [2010], Salman Khan, the darling of the masses, unleashes yet another entertainer this Eid [this time, it coincides with Ganesh Chaturthi] — BODYGUARD. The buzz around a Salman movie only got bigger this year, but the pertinent question is, will Salman deliver yet another festive hit with BODYGUARD? After having set such high standards for himself, will Salman surpass his previous achievements? Well, that should be easy to pull off taking into account [a] Salman’s current form at the box-office and [b] The film has the merits to stand on its feet.
A section of the industry feels that Salman is limiting himself to hardcore masala films that defy logic. That he’s slowly getting typecast in similar genre movies. Perhaps, you may assume that BODYGUARD is no exception. You may also assume that BODYGUARD is an extension of what we’ve witnessed in DABANGG and READY. But it is not so. Let me say, BODYGUARD is atypical Salman entertainer, yet there are moments [in its second hour specifically] that make it stand apart from all Salman starrers we have witnessed in the recent past, which includes WANTED, DABANGG and READY.
Let me elaborate. You expect Salman starrers to be larger-than-life, superhero films. You expect him to be the messiah of the masses. BODYGUARD presents Salman exactly the way we expect him to be presented, but, at the same time, the film brings back memories of the soft, romantic roles that Salman essayed in his initial films. What makes the film tick is that Salman and director Siddique have done something hatke within the limitations of the typical Bollywood formula, which, I am sure, should appeal to the Hindi movie buff abundantly.
Final word? BODYGUARD is a perfect family entertainer that compliments the spirit of the festive season.
When it comes to being punctual and doing his duties perfectly, Lovely Singh [Salman Khan] is unmatchable. Taking great pride in what he does, he spares no effort in giving his everything to his profession.
Lovely is summoned for an assignment of guarding Divya [Kareena Kapoor], the daughter of Sartaj Rana [Raj Babbar], a business tycoon. Lovely accompanies her to her campus, but ends up rubbing her the wrong way with his over-protective nature. She finds him to be a major obstacle in leading a regular campus life. To throw him off-track and get him out of the way, she comes up with a ‘master plan’ — that of trapping him in a fake love affair. ‘Once he’s smitten by the girl of his dreams and is reveling in his new-found romance, he will leave us alone and we shall be free to do our own thing unhindered’, says Divya to her friends.
She becomes an anonymous admirer of his and starts hounding him, expressing her ‘feelings’ in no uncertain terms. Lovely, however, proves to be a tough nut to crack and it takes quite a bit of doing from her side to penetrate his fort-like exterior. But once she succeeds in doing so, he transforms into a completely different person. Divya is triumphant and is all set to relish her regained freedom.
But things take an unexpected turn when she learns a few things about Lovely. Things that she could’ve never even imagined. And she soon finds herself trapped in a dilemma that she’s unable to resolve. And with her, soon enough, Lovely finds himself trapped in a web of lies, trickery and deceit.
BODYGUARD is a simple-n-sweet tale of love that’s engaging and relatable. At the same time, there’s an unexpected twist in the pre-climax which shocks you completely. At no point does the director swerve from the main plot to provide a few extra laughs or thrills. Besides, this is a script which gives actors a lot of room to emote. And both Salman and Kareena seize the opportunity with both hands. More on that later!
Like I pointed out earlier, with BODYGUARD, Salman returns to a genre he started out with — love story. Sure, BODYGUARD is a remake of a Malayalam film [remade in various South Indian languages as well], which has all the trappings of a perfect masala film — action, music, comedy — but BODYGUARD is essentially a love story at heart. Salman’s intro may give an impression that it’s a hardcore masala film, especially the song and fight sequence [frankly, the first half of the film is routine, with not much happening in the plot]. The director reserves the best for the second half, when it transforms into a love story. The action scene in the second half — when Salman and Aditya Pancholi get into a fist fight — is outstanding and will send his fans in raptures. Especially the moment when Salman’s shirt rips off and his ripped muscles can be seen. The twist in the tale is a complete shocker. In fact, the penultimate reels of the film catches you complete unaware since you don’t expect the story to change so dramatically.
Director Siddique, who has directed the same script for the third time, ensures that a simple story is narrated with simplicity and unfussiness. The twist in the tale comes at the right time, the songs are smartly integrated in the plotline and of course, there are ample comic moments, courtesy Rajat Rawail. The best thing about the film is that Siddique has made a very conscious effort to project Salman as a sensitive human being and not as a demigod, which is why the character becomes all the more relatable and endearing.
The soundtrack fits the genre of the film well. The title track at the very start [Salman's intro] will draw whistles and claps, while ‘Teri Meri’ is undoubtedly the pick of the lot. Soulfully rendered, this one’s simply mesmerizing. Overall, it’s a hit score from Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam. Sejal Shah’s cinematography is appropriate. Vijayan’s action sequences are stylish. Though not an action film, the action sequences do stand out.
Salman delivers one of his best performances in recent times. He makes magnificent use of his tough physique and soft face. Salman’s fans are sure to lap this knockout performance in a big way. BODYGUARD would be incomplete without Kareena’s contribution. Some roles are tailor-made for actresses who can deliver with aplomb and who better than Kareena to infuse life in a challenging character. She looks gorgeous [as always] and gives this character the dignity that it deserves. Raj Babbar is perfect. Mahesh Manjrekar is as usual. Aditya Pancholi, in a cameo, stages a welcome comeback. He’s first-rate. Rajat Rawail is a joy to watch. He’s truly funny. Hazel is quite good. Asrani and Vidya Sinha are okay in their respective parts.
On the whole, BODYGUARD works for varied reasons — it has a simple, but captivating story with a dramatic twist in the tale, the chemistry between the lead actors is perfect and the music is well juxtaposed in the narrative. But its biggest USP is, without doubt, Salman Khan. He carries the film on his broad and brawny shoulders and that alone is the imperative reason for watching this film. BODYGUARD should emerge his third festive hit and fourth super-success at the ticket window. Expect a hurricane called BODYGUARD to strike at the box-office
Movie: bodyguard
Star: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Rating: ***** (4/5)
Source: Bollywoodhungama.com
by Taran Adarsh
MY Aarakshan Review Rating - 3.75/5
First things first. Is "Aarakshan" pro or anti reservation? The intricacies of this cleverly-written film do not allow us the luxury of arriving at any definitive conclusion on the matter. For or against job reservation ceases to be the core issue in "Aarakshan" after a point. The film is fully pro-education, that's for sure.-keka.in
What we come away with in this deftly told story of socio-political exploitation is a protagonist who is so stubbornly idealistic he could only be played by a super-hero.
Super-heroes need not wear underwears over their trousers, nor their hearts on their sleeves. It could be a maths teacher who enjoys educating successive generations without thinking of promotions and perks.
The educationist in Prakash Jha's film, as played with supreme magnetism by Mr Bachchan, is a man of all seasons. What he does with unnerving effectuality is to tell us that our educational system is fatally flawed. And it's just not enough to talk about it.
When Dr Prabhakar Anand senses he can no longer fight the corrupt educational system from the inside, he moves out, starts educating girl children from a tabela owned by a benign peasant (Yashpal Sharma, a regular in Prakash Jha's cinema and in splendid form here).
The portions where we see Prabhakar Anand's awakening as a grassroot educationist is so closely aligned to Amitabh Bachchan's image of the actor of the masses that you feel the idealism of the educationist somewhere noiselessly mingles with the actor's ability to slip into super-hero's roles without flying physically.
This film levitates Mr Bachchan in far more subtle ways. He plays a man with the gumption to say no to a system of education that progressively favours purchased merit. Spearheading the educational racket in "Aarakshan" is Manoj Bajpayee playing his coaching-institute wheelerdealer part with over-the-top gusto.
Towards the end when all hell breaks loose, and Bajpayee's character is seen pounding with his fists a steamroller meant to mow down Dr Prabhakar Anand's idyllic educational spot, a character whispers, "He has lost his mind."
Well, precisely. There is much in Prakash Jha's kingdom that is rotten. The characters on the negative side of the educational fence are uni-dimensional and sport expressions accordingly.
To lift the tale from the discernible blemishes (spotless Nehru jackets for the principal character in every sequence, over-pancaked women playing supporting roles, too much attention to getting the commercial language like the mandatory songs, right) there are the high point all of which gather momentum in the second-half when the film tells us with punctuated passion, that something can be done to change Indian mindsets that encourage educational malpractices, that grasroot education is the only feasible remedy to the corrosion of the entire educational system.
The sequences showing Prabhakar Anand teaching maths in a tabela with ample support from his daughter (Deepika Padukone), and two students from different social stratas (Saif Ali Khan and Prateik) convey the warmth of an idealism that we lost in our cinema since the days of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Satyakam".
The narration moves forward entirely through the voices of the male actors who are largely a part of a very confused educational system in a country where marks on report cards determine an individual's career.
Merit is the main issue in this meritorious film. The performances range from the loud to the lyrical, depending on whether the camera moves away from Mr Bachchan or stays close to him. He brings to the part of the conscientious and immovable educationist a kind of emphatic idealism that would look highly inappropriate in any other actor. With his imposing presence Mr Bachchan never lets the character's high ethics down.
Among the other actors Saif Ali Khan scores very highly in sincerity, subtlety and sheer screen presence. Playing a Dalit boy who still irons his own clothes (a bit overdone, the drama of the damned) Saif moves through the motions of social protest and individual outrage with stealth and conviction.
Banner
Prakash Jha Productions
Base Industries Group
Producer
Prakash Jha
Firoz Nadiadwala
Director
Prakash Jha
In fact the one deep flaw in the film is that the relationship between the characters played by Mr Bachchan and Saif of the deeply-committed benefactor and the indebted but conflicted protege, is not given ample room to grow in Anjum Rajabali's flawed but brilliant script.
But then there is so much that you carry away from the film that the flaws fade away from consideration. What we are left with is a film that tackles a sensitive and topical issue with confidence and vigour, not allowing us the luxury to love the heroes or hate the villains. Though an easy and fluent grace is often found to be missing in the narration, the principal issue remains education. And that's never secondary.
