3 Idiots: All iz Well.

I'm officially a fan of raju hirani's cinema now. The movie is among some of the best i have seen in recent times. Every thing is just perfect. The story, the script, the performances, the technicals and above all that the 'feel'. Everybody can relate to the movie at a very emotional level since almost all of us have shared the same experiences in our lives. All of us have been a part of the same rat race which most of us are still running. But you still remain a rat even if you win it. The movie makes the same statement (although a cliche) in a very non preachy way and thats what works.

All the points are made but in a very light hearted manner. Its a lesson but you never feel that you are being taught. Its a sermon but you dont feel sermonized. Its like a lecture of your favorite professor on whose class you never got bored and wanted to 'really' attend it. Same is the effect on me. Would wanna go back to the class.. Again.. and Again.. and Again..

Its not the movie with the best story or the best performance or the best technicals or the best music or the best anything but still comes across as the best movie. there is a synergy there. Where the sum of all parts exceeds the sum itself. More than anything you come out of the cinema hall with memories, characters and a strange happy feeling, which for me is the reason i go to movies anyways.

Plot: There is a twist here. More than 'Three' friends. Its about one guy (obviously aamir) and his relationship with other friends. Loosely based on five point someone. Some sequences are a straight lift from the book. Its about the typical engineering college (and hostel) life and adds a (slightly) preachy 'Follow your dream/ Do what you want' point. Its about love, friendship, entrepreneurship, fun. everything rolled into one.

Performances: Aamir (obviously) is very good. But i really liked Sharman Joshi and a guy called Omi Vaidya (who played Chatur) also. Omi was phenomenal in his portrayal of a guy with a think (i think) mallu accent. His Teacher's day speech is gonna be a rage and reminds me of andaz apna apna.

Technicals: Honestly, neither did i notice anything nor do i give a damn. Coz i was way too engrossed while watching.

Positives: Everything is (almost) perfect. Performances. Plot. Story. But the best part for me was characterization (although the credit here goes to Chetan and not Hirani). The 'Happy' feeling when you walk out of the cinema hall thinking you have a 'paisa vasool' here and wouldnt mind watching it again.

Negatives: Yes, i am an awe struck fan but would also mention a few flaws(Although i ignored them coz of the overall feel while deciding the final rating). The script sometimes appears as if have been taken from '101 management book' and 'quotable quotes' translated in hindi. I could so easily find out the english quotes from which quite a few dialogues were straight translaged. 'Cinematic Liberty' took a new dimension altogether some times especially when the kid's heart starts beating after hearing 'All is Well'. It was stupid and not required. And a couple of more points here and there.

Overall : Best movie of the year (Tough competition Dev D!!). Have to see it to relive those college moments once again and come back smiling.

Feel-o-meter: 10/10 (For the fulltoo 'Feeel' factor and ignoring a few negatives here and there)

Avatar: 'Just about' Lives up to the hype.

The movie is a visual treat no doubt and has (obviously) the best graphics in cinema till date. Also has its own share of love story masala, environment conservation preachings and cliched dialogues. For me what worked was (again obviously) the Special Effects and also the 'human touch'. You almost seem to relate with the Blue creatures. What din't work for me was the sluggish pace in the first half and too much detailing, which was more like a distraction. Also, may be i expected too much from the movie especially after all the hype with the budget and almost a decade in planning.

"The problem with research is that it takes too much time". That exactly was the problem with the movie. If reports are to be considered true, then the movie took almost a decade to reach theaters and all the sci-fi and CGI stuff which was supposed to be 'pioneer' in the new age cinema was already (almost) matched up before Avatar could even release. No doubt its absolutely stunning. But just about manages to live up to the hype, which for me is not good enough when there are no seats available for any shows at the weekend.

Plot: The movie revolves around the human mining for a material called 'un-obtain-ium' (Yes, the cliches start here) on a planet (or a moon) called pandora. In order to get unobtainium, humans need to destroy a tree and throw out the 10 foot tall blue inhabitants (Na'avis) of the planet, who are not going to do because of their 'spiritual' association with the tree. The person who was supposed to convince the inhabitants falls in love with the tribal leader's daughter and switches sides. And (predictably) the fight of Good vs Evil takes place and you (obviously) know the end result. Simple and Straightforward.

Performances: Well, I dint go to watch any oscar performances and was not disappointed. But yes, Zoe saldana was pretty decent.

Technicals: Well (at the cost of being repetitive), the CGI graphics are absolutely amazing and almost real life especially when it comes to the Na'avis. Their expressions are captured phenomenally life like. But i would like to provide a caveat here. It gets kinda video gamish towards the end. The color pallette is so vivid that you might want to watch it in 2D since the 3D version makes it too dark to enjoy.

Positives: Graphics.. Graphics.. Graphics.. A bit of emotional connect too.

Negatives: Cliched dialogues. Too many expectations. Slow first half

Overall: You HAVE TO watch it, atleast once just for the graphics and realize where movie making has reached. Its not a movie but an experience.

Feel-O-Meter: 7/10

PS: I guess, the movie also is a take on America's foreign policy too. Just like their war on terror towards Iraq (for the oil). Just a thought!! ;-)

Rocket Singh: Din't take off!

Rocket Singh is another one of those 'follow your dreams and you shall achieve what you want' to type movies. It has its share of positives being a 'different' storyline, decent script, relateable characters and refreshing performances by all but still there was something missing. The problem that i saw was, that it dint really has those 'moments'! Moreover, i found the whole ethics, customer service plot to be too preachy which dint work for me again. It also dragged a bit in the first half where the movie was just not moving everywhere. The movie was supposed to be super on paper but doesnt really reach thatlevel anytime. Its a one time watch when you dont really have nothing much to do.

Okay, first things first. I think i may appear to be highly critical of this movie and it doesnt mean that i dint like it. I liked the movie especially the characters and their performances. But i feel disappointed as it is one of those 'could have been great' movies and i expect much better work from shimit amin after chak de and ab tak chappan. To me, This was a disappointment coming from him. I think the story was 'different' but too predictable and one track. I expected a slightly more funny movie especially after the 'pocket mein rocket hai' became such a big hit. Funny it is that its not even there in the movie.

Also, I think it was a marketing faux pass to even promote the movie as a comedy. Coz it was anything but a comedy. It tried to tickle your funny bone in bits and pieces but the wait for those moments was too long. There would be a dialogue or two and then a long wait for the next.

As for the positives, I think it was a fresh new story not told before. The story of a salesman. A plot which has never been touched before (Though i am not sure how many can actually 'relate' to that plot). The characters were as real as they come. You turn your head and you could see one of the characters around you somewhere. Secondly, Performances by everybody was top of the line. Be it Ranbir or D Santosh (The computer service guy). Ranbit definitely does a good job keeping it restrained and not going the 'funny sardar' way. Some of the dialogues were very quick witted too. The movie was 'different' for sure. And the second half was way better than the first. It was quick and grippy.

Overall : A one time watch provided you dont really have anything better to .

Feel-O-Meter: 5/10

PS: Generally i divide my review in plot, performance, technicals, positives, negatives etc. But here honeslty, i dont feel like writing much. Its may be because i was not really excited about the movie after the movie as i was before. :-)

Paa: Moving !!

The best part about movie is its non-preachy nature. It did not use tears but smiles as a medium to take the story further. The characters do not cry on their situations and blame fate, but rather come out strong and take life day by day cracking jokes, having fun, enjoying each day as it should be. THAT for me was the strongest point of the movie. Its very moving and emotional but at the same time never goes overboard through tears. It has everything in order. A 'Different' story. Gripping Script. Strong performances. Soulful music and background score. Good Cinematography. Although some scenes could have dispensed with to make it slightly tighter. But with performances like those, I am sure i can forget the flaws here and there. Must Watch!!

More than a father-son-father story (Which i think was just a marketing gimmick to generate hype). The movie is about relationships and acceptances. The Relationship between two lovers, Mother-Son, Father-Son, Grandmother-Grandson and Best Friends. And acceptance of people as they are. The best thing for me was that no footage was 'wasted' on crying about a disease and the patient. There were no 'ohh.. thats awful' scenes where people would just break into tears because a 13 year old could die any time soon. It represented the positivity about life (however small it may be). Its about living every moment of life, till the time we are alive and not dying everyday thinking that we may die soon. The movie is full of one-liners and jokes and puts across the point in a humorous way. It has the perfect balance of humour and emotional elements, without being 'sad'. THAT for me worked in the movie.

Plot: Auro (Amitabh Bachan) is single mother Vidya's (Vidya Balan) son who suffers from a rare disease called pregoria where the kid physically grows 4-5 times faster than usual. Vidya left Amol Atre (Abhishek Bachan), an inspiring politician who asked her to undergo abortion since he could not marry her because of his career. Rest i think is pretty obvious as to what happens in the end. A Simple Story but told in a very 'different' without any crying or preaching.

Performances: Amitabh Bachan all the way. It was amazing to see his acting through his body language and eyes only, since his make up did not allow him to use his facial muscles to express his feelings. He leads from the front and shows why he still is treated as the star of the millennium. None of his dialogues are aimed at making the audience cry but still leaves a tear in the eye. No surprises here. But Vidya matches him at every step. Every single scene that she portrays is as 'strong' as her character itself. She is just amazing specially in her scenes with Amitabh and her mother. Abhishek is average but notable mention must be made about Arundhati Naag (Grandmother) who delivers a stellar of a performance. Even the kids are too cute and equally good.

Technicals: Cinematography, Direction, Background Score, Make up, Editing. Everything is just perfect.

Music: The Paa theme is the most hummable and does not leave you even when you come out of the theater. Rest songs are pretty average although Mudi mudi is better than others.

Positives: Performances, Story, Script, Cinematography, Background Score, Non-preachy nature, Humour.

Negatives: Drags a bit in the middle where footage is wasted on establishing Abhishek's political career orientation. Social messages like Using condoms, Keeping the cities clean etc etc were not required and work as distractions. The tagline of 'Father-son-father' story does not seem to be apt as its more about relationships in general.

Overall: The movie delivers the message with a perfect balance of humor and emotion. Does not get preachy about the disease and no shedding of tears for the 'unfortunate' condition of the little boy. Must watch!!

Feel-O-Meter: 8/10

The Rebound: Not the usual run of the mill Rom-Com

The movie is all about (the usual) mismatched couple. Their meeting. Falling in love. Falling apart and then getting back together. But the movie STILL is not your usual run of the mill rom-com. It has the usual formula but still has something which makes it different. It has all the usual checkmarks but still has something special. May be its the performances by both Justan Barth and Catherine Zeta Jones(not to forget the two ADORABLE kids). Nicely written. Well executed. Good performances and a believable (and logical) ending. The movie is not only about romance or unbelievable endings, where the couple realize their love, where the heroine is flying abroad and the guy reaches the airport and proposes and happy ending etc etc. It is as realistic a rom-com that you can get. Its not about stupid one night stands and people landing up together. Its not ONLY about 'ohhh he is so cute' stuff. It is one of the most 'believable' love stories that i have seen. And i think we may have a new Hugh Grant on the scene. Justin Bartha has come off age after his supporting actor roles in National Treasure etc and has grown up. He is just so charming. I am sure a lot of women would fall for the 'cute' guy and go 'ohhh he is so cute'. Plot: The movie is about a relationship between a 40 something recently divorced Sandie (Catherine Zeta Jones) who moves to a new city where she finds a 25 year old Aram (Justin Bartha) working in a coffee shop. And NO they dont fall in love with each other. The guy babysits her kids and becomes a part of the family. They gradually realize their importance for each other but then the 'Age' difference plays its part. They get apart for 5 odd years and then reunite in the end. No mushy stuff. No unbelievable romantic antics. The 'believable' stuff of slow realization. Performance: Justin Bartha takes the responsbility on his shoulders. He leads from the front. He plays the 'young but responsible' 25 year old with amazing ease. He is cute but not too sugary. He is responsible but not cocky. He is compromising but not unbelievable. Catherine, on the other hand, still manages to look as graceful and stunning as she has always been. She suits the part perfectly well and she carries it with elan. Special mention of the two kids, who light up the screen whenever they come on. They are just adorable. Overall, good performances by all. Technicals: Its a rom-com, so no jazzy stuff was expected anyways but it doesnt feel awkward anywhere as well. Positives: Believable Story, Good performances, Tight Script, Nice overall feel. Negatives: Tends to lose grip in parts. The ending might not appeal to all. Not too mushy. No Awwwww scenes. Overall: Not too mushy but more of a mature and (may be) thought provoking rom-com

Feel-O-Meter: 7/10