Udaan: Fly High

Udaan is one of those movies which leave you teary eyes at times and sends you rolling in your chair laughing on others. Its a movie which everyone can relate to at some point or the other. Its about growing up. Its about difference of opinions. Its about the endless arguments with parents. Its about freedom. Its about individuality. Its about finding your own place in the sun. Its a movie which is supposed to be felt rather than seen. It touches a chord somewhere and you come back home with a smile. Good performances. Amazing Writing. Terrific Background Score/Tracks. Gripping Direction. Its almost the most perfect movie this year. Must watch for everybody.

As a background, Rohan (Rajat Barmecha) is expelled from his school and is sent back to his hometown jamshedpur. Back home he meets his step brother for the first time. His father is a strict disciplinarian who wants him to study engineering and work in his factory part time, but Rohan wants to become a writer. Its about his free spirit being slowly poisoned and how and whether he will break these shackles and fly high, where he belongs.

The main reason why the movie strikes an instant chord with the audience is because of its simplicity, realism and honesty. What every movie tries to, Udaan is. Althought he plot may be seem to be an extension of taare zameen par or 3 idiots, but the treatment is fresh. The audience just forgets everything and just gets immersed in the narrative. I think the credit goes to Vikramaditya Motwane, who as most first time directors, does everything that he can to remain honest about the story and gives the narrative its due credit at its own pace.

Another good thing about the movie was that the characters look like characters and not actors reading their parts. Rajat Barmecha as the 17 year old, Ronit Roy as the disciplinarian father, Ram Kapoor as the loving uncle and even the 6 year old Aayan Barodia. Everyone delivers.

Amit Trivedi's music and background score is a treat to listen and take the narrative further. It actually feels like a character in the script rather than a being just another background score. The songs just enhance the overall treatment. The last sequence when Rohan runs from his dad and the background music there just takes the movie to another level altogether.

There was nothing negative about the movie but the engineering college senior plot doesn't really add any value to the narrative and the first half seemed slightly slow towards the interval. 15 Mins shorter would have made it even better. But Its brilliant nonetheless.

I just wish that bollywood just takes a new flight of refreshing new cinema from this movie and reaches greater heights. :)

Feel-O-Meter : 9/10

Inception: Dream On

Inception is the new science fiction-psychological thriller-drama which tests your brain till its limit. Its the kind of a movie wherein you have to be at the edge of your seat at all times. One, because you are so engrossed in the story telling and second, because if you dont you are going to miss the plot altogether. Beautiful Concept. Phenomenal Direction. Terrific Background Score. Amazing special Effects But Average Performances and Very Confusing in parts. First entrant to the oscars this year and a Definite watch if you are a 'heavy-brainy' movie lover.

Leonardo Di caprio is plays an extractor who can enter people's dreams and extract information. He is approached by Ken Watanabe to perform an exercise called inception (which is basically planting an idea in a person's mind in his dreams) on a rival corporate leader to split up his large empire, and in return he would make arrangements to allow leo to enter US again where he is wanted for the murder of his wife, who happens to still be in his subconscious and keeps creating troubles for him whenever he is in his or somebody else's dreams. Add to that a few side kicks who help Leo perform inception. Anything more about the plot and you will get confused already and the story itself would run into 2-3 notes.

The best and the worst part about the movie was its plot. It was sheer brilliant as a concept and full marks to Nolan to even be able to come out with such a thought. How he takes a simple thought and takes it to a different level altogether and all the viewer can do is to wonder how the hell did he even think of this. Loved the dream with in a dream and the concepts of slower passage of time as you travel deeper. Full marks there, but as i said, its the worst part about the movie as well. Sometimes you have to concentrate so much that even if you miss like 30 seconds you are left wondering as to what exactly happened. As one of the characters in the movie herself says 'Whose subconscious are we in exactly, right now!!!' Its great but the layers seem so deep that it might end up frustrating you if you miss certain points.

I wasn't really impressed in the performance department by anybody in particular actually. Most might not agree, but i again think Leonardo was a misfit for the character. His very similar role in shutter island didn't help the movie either. There was no surprise or oh thats great element in the performance front. I more mature actor (especially in terms of looks) could have taken the narrative even further i guess.

The special Effects and CGI graphics were actually a surprise coming from a Nolan movie to be honest. But they were nothing short of extraordinary. Every single CGI scene had that 'Oh Shit, Can you really do that !!' factor. Hans Zimmer's score is phenomenal to say the least and reminds of The Dark Knight all the time.

The Movie seemed 20 minutes too long and the skiing/chase sequences seemed more like a transporter/bond movie and could have been avoided altogether. Also it reminds you a lot of the matrix. But definitely one of the finest movies this year and establishes christopher nolan in the league of camerons, spielbergs and scorseses if not surpassing them. A must watch if you like the movies wherein you get to use your brain. A Definite Oscar entrant for Best Movie, Best Musical Score and Even Best Special Effects may be this year.

Feel-O-Meter :8/10

PS: I know a lot of you would have given it a 10/10 but i guess too many complications, leo's repetitive performance after shutter island, the length of the movie, the forced action/chase sequences, and unimpressive acting by the cast overall would force me to deduct 2 :)

I Hate Luv Storys : Break Up :(

The movie starts on a promising note and ends up being absolutely rubbish. There is nothing in the movie except a couple of good songs, one or two good one liners and Imran Khan's cuteness (that too only in the first 30 minutes or so). Actors are Pathetic. Script is below average. Narrative seems broken at quite a few places. Background score is irritating to say the least. Its not the 'Damn.. I am frustrated' material and gives you a few moments here and there, which make you smile but thats the problem the moments are just too 'few'. Can watch but get ready to be irritated through a considerable part.

(Obviously) The movie is about a guy who doenst believe in the concept of 'luv' and a girl who just loves the idea of being in love. They Meet, They Hate, Girl likes him, then falls in love, Guy says No, Misses her, Realizes, Comes back, Girl Says no, Some twist and turns and the mandatory filmy ending. Funny part is that the movie mocks the whole concept of love stories and the 'bollywood cliches', but then ends up being the same ghisa pita formula itself. (May be that was the idea as well, but honestly if you had to come back to square one. Then spending crores and making a movie justifying the love-ness in bollywood was not really worth it i guess).

Its a cute-ish movie in the first half but drags so long in the second half that you are like ,'oh come on ya.. ho gaya.. ab bass kar mere baap'. But no, it goes on and on.The first half an hour was indeed very enjoyable and i went 'Hey.. I like this movie ya.. Pretty cute'. And i think 'Nazar lag gayi'. The movie just goes off the track suddenly. The second half is torturous to say the least, as if the director finished the movie and realized 'Oh shit. Only one hour long. What to do now? and then stretches it to another hour and 15-20 minutes. It just goes absolutely rubbish post intermission. Its like a different movie altogether. As if the crew was not paid and they took out all the frustration in the latter half just to take revenge.

It tries to mock the YRF-KJO genre but remains one of those itself. The Director just seemed to have no clue, as what he was trying to make. A Love story, Comedy, Drama, Parody and just leaves the script run amok without any sense of direction or purpose. Another example of trying to do too much and achieving nothing.

NONE of the actors were close to being 'average'. Almost everybody sucked. Some sucked bad. Others worse. The only saving grace(a bit) was Imran Khan, in the first half. He looks cute and performs sweet (and ya.. thats about it). Sonam Kapoor is anyways as irritating as her voice. Others are not even worth mentioning here. One of the worst 'complete package non-performance' this year. I think mis-casting was one of the prime reasons for its being a below average movie. I think the movie was not as bad as it turned out to be. Just replace everybody (including imran to ranbir) and it could have been an average one. Some lines were funny but they were delivered so bad that the jokes committed suicide

The thing that i liked about the movie was its Art direction, (to some extent) costumes design and (a much better) cinematography. Some of the dark shots taken under a spotlight were damn neat. But i dont really think these things can pull the audience to the theaters.

Overall : The most disappointing overhyped movie of the year so far. Its not bad but just not good enough. Can watch if have free time and tickets given that there is nothing else which is ON right now. But i suggest you leave after intermission.

Feel-O-Meter : 4/10