7 Khoon Maaf (2011)

Directed By - Vishal Bhardwaj

Starring - Priyanka Chopra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Aleksandr Dyachenko, Annu Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Vivaan Shah

Early on in the film Sussana's( Priyanka Chopra) butler comments that " Sussana ma'am raasta nahi badalti , kutto ka bheja uda deti hain" and this sets the tone for Vishal Bhardwaj's much awaited black comedy.The premise that most people know is about a woman Sussana Anne-Marie Johannes who in her quest for love and peace encouters and and murders a series of husbands.What people dont know is how beautifully Bhardwaj's scripts it.Adapted from Ruskin bond's 6 page long short story Sussana's Seven Husbands , Bhardwaj underlines the entire story with an underlined tinge of humour and dark sarcasm to bring to the audiences what is easily one of the most interesting films in recent times.With every passing murder you sympathise with sussana and yet you see that she becomes more ruthless in her decisions and her executions, and that requires some killer writing which vishal bhardwaj is an ace at.The excellent dialogues of the film are courtesy Gulzaar saab which contain some soul stirring shayaaris and some cringe-worthy vernacular abuses.If anything fails in the film is the length , at 2 hours and 45 minutes any film in the world is bound to lose its steam and quite expectedly the films loses its steam after the 3rd or 4rth murder and there comes a point where you know whats going to happen and you are just waiting for the murder to happen.Although it is difficult  iam sure Vishal Bhardwaj could keep the suspense alive.Of the cast Annu Kapoor proves to be the most convincing and funny as the nymphomaniacal Inspector keemat lal, the sixth husband of sussana , his character right from him staring at her legs to his excessive use of viagra are genuinely funny and interesting, Note the scene e\whre the marriage of sussana and keemat lal is shown and in a split second his funeral is shown, fine work of editing.Of the other husband Neil Nitin Mukesh gives a rare realistic potrayal of an egoistic and possesive army man and Naseeruddin Shah shows what experience can be, for any bengali  he is easily the most enjoyable character in the film. John Abraham proves to a sore thumb and competes with a stone when it comes to giving expressions and irrfan khan comes with a convincing performance of a sexually sadistic urdu poet which makes you actually want to kill him. An excellent performance is delivered by Vivaan shah (who also happens to be the narrator of the film) and he proves why he is Naseeruddin shah's son.But as is expected the films cruises on the shoulders of its protagonist Priyanka Chopra. Chopra gives that rare performance of a girl who at one moment makes the audience pity for her and in the other moment shows a streak of violence.Hats off to piggy chops and iam quite definite she is sweeping all best actress awards next year. In the end the film works on a stellar casting, perfect  screenplay , bold and carefree direction and a thumping performance from the leading lady yet due to its shortcomings its a strictly one time watch 

Rating - 7.9/10

The Black Swan (2010)

Directed By - Darren Aronofsky

Starring - Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

When i had downloaded the "The Black Swan" the first thought that came to my mind was "BALLET" and i was definite i'd find it boring but what followed was 108 minutes of cinematic brilliance. Then i gave it a thought and i relaized i had skipped one of the most important facts of the film , it was made by the maker of "requiem for a dream" so it was hardly expected that this film will be below standards. To talk about standards, it is something that aronofsky has set for himself and which he surpasses with ease.As has already been noted Aronofsky excels in films dealing with hallucination and psychological upheavals.Black swan is about Nina Sayers (Portman) a shy and introverted new yorker suffering from possibly an extreme case of inferiority complex. She gets the role of her life in the ballet company in which she performs. but the role requires a perfect execution of two alter egos, One good and One dark, Nina excels in the good one (White Swan) but is somehow uncomfortable with the darker one ( Black Swan) . Enter Mila Kunis as Lily , and intern in the company who is perfect for the role of the dark alter ego.What follows is Nina's Obsession with role of the black swan and an inbuilt fear which threatens to destroy her. Of the cast, Vincent Cassel as the ballet director Thomas excels in a bit role. Mila Kunis shows an earnestness hardly seen by relative newcomers and gets into the skin of the character with ease.But the real stunner in the film (as you have already guessed ) is Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers. Portman delivers a performance which is creepy, endearing and soulful.Watch the scene where she goes and kisses Thomas after the first performance as the Black Swan.This performance will go down as a benchmark. Such films are very difficult to handle, but The Black Swan glides on Darren Aronofsky's uninhibited and bold direction and a killer performance By Natalie Portman.Seldom have you ever seen a film which is so alternately disturbing and exhilarating.

Rating - 9.2/10

COUNTDOWN 2010

The Best Films of 2010


Number 5

Raajneeti

Directed By - Prakash Jha

Starring - Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, Naseeruddin Shah, Katrina Kaif, Sarah Thompson

Where most multistarrers proved to be a dud in recent times.Prakash Jha made a gritting tale of family and politics with a mammoth cast.His Godfather-meets-Mahabharatta tale proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year with stand out performances led by Nana Patekar and Ranbir Kapoor. The supporting cast was brilliant too withe the best of the lot being Manoj Bajpai, Ajay devgn's role was badly written but he somehow managed to flush out a commendable performance. But the surprise package was Arjun 'no expression' Rampal as Prithvi Pratap. Although personally i consider this to be Jha's weakest film in comparisn to his earlier gems such as mrityudand and gangaajal, but nonetheless an excellent watch!!.

Number 4

Peepli Live

Directed By - Anusha Rizvi

Starring - Raghubir Yadav, Omkar Das, Shalini Vatsa, Mallaika Shenoy

Who better to make a film on media antics than a journalist. Peepli Live showed that rare storytelling flare which is missing in bollywood. A film on farmer suicides, peepli live was a satire on the entire system in general and the media in particular. Aamir Khan as producer once again proved that his choice of scripts is far superior to his contemporaries. The cast featuring mostly new faces was amazing , with natha ( Omkar das) being the best of the lot. Proof - it is india's entry to the oscars.

Number 3

Udaan

 

Directed By - Vikramaditya Motwane

Starring- Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor

A coming of age tale, Udaan was a cannes selection , we understand why. This film is highly recommended to the younger generation.The best thing about this films is that it does not take sides it simply tells a story of growing up boy and the various phases in his life. Ronit roy ( the SRK of indian television) was a revelation and rajat barmecha is sure to be the next darsheel safary. Udaan has already won 5 awards in different film festivals and will surely win more in the upcoming ones.

Number 2

Ishqiya

Directed By - Abhishek Chaubey

Starring - Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan

Trust vishal bhardwaj to come up with raw, dark films. His brand of films is unique in indian cinema and this has been continued by his protege abhishe chaubey. Set in UP this film is about two thugs and femme fatale whom both fall for and the subsequent events leading up to a brilliant climax. The films as has already been mentioned is dark and extremely raw ( evident from vidya balan's sulphate comment).Vidya Balan puts in a stunning performance and is definitely in contention for the best actress awards. Naseeruddin Shah is at his usual best but the actual stud in the film is arshad warsi. Vulgur, cheap and raw warsi brings in life to babban.All in all a must watch

Number 1

My Name Is Khan

Directed By - Karan Johar

Starring - Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Wahab, Sonya Jehan, Parvin Dabas, Arjun Mathur

You can make fun of his stuttering or his over melodramatic films but when king khan gets into form there are few who can beat him. If Swades proved he is a good actor and chak de india further consolidated this stand then MNIK has taken him to newer levels. As the autistic rizwan khan out on a mission shahrukh showed the worlds that he is more than just a superstar . To qoute  Rajeev masand " to call this SRK's best performance is demeaning what he has actually done".

Rizwan Khan has Asperger's Syndrome since birth; he has a problem expressing emotions, he rejects physical intimacy, he's bothered by crowded spaces and loud noise, and he's disturbed by the sight of anything yellow. Other than that, he's quite smart actually. He can repair faulty home appliances and crack word puzzles in an instant. What he cannot mend is his wife's broken heart, when 9/11 delivers a personal blow.

My Name Is Khan is an inherently sincere, yet unabashedly sentimental story of Rizwan Khan and his Forrest Gumpish journey across America to meet the US President so he can tell him that every Muslim is not a terrorist. Kajol gives a stunning performances as Mandira rizwan's hindu wife. Karan Johar tugs at your heartstring with such earnestness that you cant help but give your heart away to this film

COUNTDOWN 2010

Bollywood has had its share of ups and downs here's bringing the worst and best films of last year.....

Worst 5 Films of 2010


Number 5
                                                                  Raavan

Directed By - Mani Ratnam

Starring - Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Govinda, Ravi Kissen, Priyamani.

Ratnam was qouted as saying that raavan would be the most suprising film of the year, and suprising it was because with a man like Mani Ratnam at the helm of affairs , Raavan was plain trash from start to finish. Admitted the storyline was a good take on Ramayana and there was some breathtaking cinematrography but that cannot make up for the Bachchan duo's OTT act and cold chemistry.Sout Superstar Vikram and ravi kissen did put in a commendable act but it was govinda as the new age hanuman who was the best of the lot. That says a lot about the film !!!!

Number 4

We are Family

Directed By  - Siddharth Malhotra

Staring - Kajol, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor

Stepmom remake has all the dharma elements sets, cute kids, huge stars, tearjerking moments what it did not have was logic and script. Kajol and Kareena did put up a good act but Arjun Rampal was at his usual Expressionless and disinterested.The kids apart from the youngest one acted retarded most of the times ( special mention to aliyah ).All in All this film was useless :)

Number 3

Housefull

Directed By - Sajid Khan

Starring - Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Rittiesh Deshmukh, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan

Someone please go tell Sajid Khan that he does not know how to make a film!!! first Heyy babyy and now housefull he has taken up a mission to bore audiences. Stale jokes, bad acting ( obviously Arjun Rampal), bad  storyline, Housefull was full of flaws, but yet it managed to be a hit. and its high time Akshay Kumar learned to choose his scripts.

Number 2

Kites

Directed By - Anurag Basu

Starring - Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut, Kabir Bedi, Nick Brown

Clearly the script was written by Rakesh Roshan since all his scripts are the same stuck between somewhere in 1970's. International stars, Super hype and brilliant chemistry between mori and hrithik coulnd help this films from sinking, why? because it was simple badly made.A clear Rakesh Roshan interference helped the film in becoming one of the worst of the year.

Number 1

Action Replayy

Directed By - Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Starring - Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Neha Dhupia, Ranvijay Sinsh, Aditya Roy Kapoor

Lets not waste time talking about it , everyone knows why its a bad film....its got akshay kumar :p

Saat Khoon Maaf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnuUEOaKfHo

Seems impressive

All The President's Men

Directed By - Alan J Pakula

Starring - Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook

Based on the book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein on what is the most controversial face of american politics , Watergate. The film stars Redford and Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein respectively.It is essentially a political conspiracy film much like Pakula's other films but what primarily works for this one is the narrative. The way the entire film goes it makes it feel like a an edge of the seat thriller even if you know the scandal by heart and the climax is one of the most innovative i have seen. Whether its the volatile relationship between the protagonists or the portrayal of the media the script is amazing.One of the most memorable scenes in the films is the scene where Bernstein convinces a government biggie to become his source by counting till ten, Brilliant !!. As for the performances Hoffman is his usual, Dependable and powerful , its amazing to see an actor play a role like Mr. Focker and easily get into the shoes of Bernstein. But the best performance in the film ( and quite surprisingly!!) comes from Robert Redford the rookie reporter who is assigned to the seemingly "pointless" story which turns out to be on of the greatest scandals in history. Redford gives us that vulnerable performance that is missing in his other films ( read lions for lambs).All said, this is one film which is a must watch especially those interested in politics

Rating - 9.0/10

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Directed By - Woody Allen

Starring  - Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johanson, Javier Bardem

It has always been interesting to watch a Woody Allen film (Apart from scoop) due to the his wild point of view on love and relationships , but trust me when i say this Vicky Cristina Barcelona is wilder than anything Woody Allen has ever made. The film has this underlying wild sexuality and unhappiness which blend together perfectly  like sugar water, add to that Allen's expertise at camera angles and background score. Of the performances Penelope Cruz delivers what is easily one of the best female performances ever seen in world cinema, Javier Bardem convincingly plays the man with a unique point of view to life , but your heart really goes to Scarlett Johanson's vulnerable Cristina, whether its the excitement or the confusion in her life Johansson potrays it skillfully and makes Cristina the most relatable character in the film. Rebecca Hall as Vicky does well but it is role that has been done way many times and better.On the whole Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona is an intriguing, beautiful piece of cinema which although made very cheerfully and colourfully reverberates a sense of loss.

Rating  - 8.6/10