Tamasha

Tamasha - Movie Review

Movie watching, today, has become more like an adventure. And, after a few MIS-adventures recently, I visit a movie theatre with a sense of trepidation.

For Tamasha, well, everything seemed to be going in its favour, right from the word go. An impeccable and a bankable star cast of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, along with Imtiaz Ali’s crowd-pleasing direction and A. R. Rehman’s faultless musical score – the movie was a hit even before it had hit the theatres.

Well, now coming to the actual film. The film starts on the beautiful French island of Corsica (well, for those who do not know, it is also the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte), where our hero, Mr. Don (Ranbir Kapoor) and our heroine, Mona Darling (Deepika Padukone) meet. The couple hit it off instantly, and decide to play a charade for 7 days where they will not exchange any truth about each other and once the week is up, they will go their separate ways, no questions asked. So, during the week, Mr. Don and Mona Darling assume several names and characters and roam around the beautiful sun-bleached landscapes of Corsica. And true to their promise, they part ways after their week is up.

Four years later, in India, in Delhi, Tara (her real name in the movie) finally meets Ved (Ranbir Kapoor in the film). Tara, who fell in love with Ved in Corsica wants to start off from where they left. Ved is more than accommodating. But, there’s a slight hitch. Ved is no more the carefree, full of life and amazing story teller Tara had met in Corsica. He is an average Product Manager in a company who eats the same breakfast every morning, works at a place he doesn’t enjoy and constantly tries to be in the good books of his boss. Tara is confused. Tara wants to stay with the real Ved, and not the automaton Ved. When she breaks off with Ved, he flips. He starts behaving differently, and even gets thrown out of work.

What happens then? Does Ved find out what is wrong with him? Do Tara and Ved finally reconcile?

Tamasha is a simple story of an average Indian only told differently. Every person is working and living like a machine, he or she wants to break free, however they can’t. For their own reasons, they keep on moving in the rat race till their last moments, shutting their beautiful and colourful dreams of the childhood which just remain that, DREAMS.

That Imtiaz Ali is a brilliant storyteller has been evident in his earlier movies. However, Tamasha will touch your heart because you will resonate with it. It’s a story of you and me, and everyone around us. A.R Rehman’s music is both peppy and soulful.

Watch Tamasha for Ranbir’s superb rendition of a man who wants to fly high, but finds his wings clipped. He is beautiful…so authentic and so believable.

As for the chemistry between Ranbir and Deepika, it’s very much still there and palpitating…makes you wonder if it’s for real???

 

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani

 

The moment I had seen Ranbir Kappor in the foot-tapping number ‘Badtameez dil’ on the TV, I had decided to catch this movie ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ on the big screen, come what may. Keeping true to the promise, after a hiatus of more than 3 months we braved ourselves for watching the movie in a theatre with little Aanya.

 

yehjawanihaideewani

 

The film opens with three best friends, from the backbenching days of the school, travelling to Manali on a trekking camp. Aditi (Kalki Koechlin) is a bold tomboy, Avi (Aditya Roy Kapoor) is not at all serious towards life and spends time in chasing girls, drinking and betting while Bunny aka Kabir Thapar (Ranbir Kapoor) is charming who flirts outrageously. Bunny is also the one who chases his dreams and doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage, as he believes; it is the same boring ‘dal-chawal’ to be eaten for the next fifty years. The last minute inclusion in their journey is the ever studious Naina (Deepika Padukone) who has always stood first in the class and never done anything in her life that a good girl isn’t supposed to do. But this time around she throws caution to the winds and embarks on this journey with people she hardly knows. Their trekking trip is a memorable affair with much masti, gana-bajana and flirting.

Eight years later, it’s Aditi’s wedding! It’s a big fat Indian ‘destination’ wedding at Udaipur, the city of palaces; frills and thrills included. This wedding also serves as kind of a reunion for the long-lost friends. Naina is a doctor now, Bunny a high-flying photo journalist while Avi is a drunk and loser. Amidst the usual ‘sangeet’ and wedding preparations, Bunny realizes that he has fallen for Naina. But one question looms large before him: can he sacrifice his globe-trotting career to settle down in a marriage to the same person for the next fifty years?

The first half is tight and funny while the second half not able to keep up with the same pace loses much of its sheen. The music in the film is quite exceptional; especially ‘badtameez dil’ is a peppy song and you feel like getting up from your seat and shaking a leg or two. Kashmir, Paris and Udaipur are and look beautiful. The characterization of Bunny is a little flawed; at one point he is looking at the flowing Seine and remarking ‘main waqt ko guzarte hue dekh raha hoon’ while a little while later, Naina asks Bunny to stop hankering after everything in the world and to sit back and enjoy the moment.

Ranbir Kapoor is the ‘jaan’ of the film. His joie de vivre is infectious and dance unbeatable. Deepika Padukone looks stunning even in bespectacled mode. She is also becoming a better actor with each film. Kalki Koechlin is good and supports the film well while Aditya Roy Kapoor fails to make much of an impression. Farooque Sheikh as Bunny’s father is sad and wise who can’t see any fault in his son. Though he has only a couple of scenes in the film, the veteran actor leaves his imprint on the viewers. Madhuri Dixit’s dance number ‘ghaghra’ simply reinforces the fact that there is still no better dancer in the industry. Age has added an air of graceful insouciance to the actress that shows in her dance too. Ayan Mukherjee seemed to have been carried away a little; the film could have done a lot better with a tighter script.

What I took from the film was:

Though it’s the time that tickles away, we are the ones who actually get spent.

Verdict: Watch this film once and let yourself fall in love with the charming Ranbir.

Barfi!

With lots of excitement and really high expectations I went to watch this film on a Sunday afternoon. And boy, did it deliver? Well, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I say it’s one of the best films I have watched in a really really long time.

This is how the story goes…In the picturesque hill-town of Darjeeling lives Murphy named after the popular Murphy radio of the 70s. He has hearing and speech impairment. But does this disability affect our protagonist? Nah, our Murphy aka Barfi, called so after the way he pronounces his name, is a happy-go-lucky chap who goes about his business without a complaint on his lips. He meets a beautiful girl, Shruti (Ileana D’Cruz), and loses his heart to her. Although his feelings are reciprocated, Shruti prefers marrying a rich and normal man. You would expect tears and names-calling here. But no, nothing of the sort happens. Our Barfi with his heart of gold and a smile on his face accepts the situation and wishes Shruti good luck for her new journey. Later, due to unavoidable circumstances, Barfi is put into the company of Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra), a rich autistic girl. Within no time, the duo starts enjoying each other’s company and in their own special way they fall in love. Their disabilities never once come in the way. And then, Shruti re-enters Barfi’s life after realizing her mistake. But is it already too late or does she still hold a chance with Barfi? Well friends, you will have to watch the movie to know more.

A lot of thought and effort has been put into the characterization of Barfi. A simple, good-hearted and fun loving person who has everything going wrong for him but neither he cries bitter tears nor he ever asks ‘Why only me?’. Barfi shows how loving somebody can be so simple and uncomplicated. Also, the subject of autism has been dealt with thoughtfully and delicately. Nowhere in the course of the movie would you feel weighed down by the incapabilities. In fact, what you learn is something beyond that – how to enjoy life with what you have or rather don’t have.

Darjeeling is breathtakingly beautiful. The characters are well defined. The songs of the film are beautiful and melodious, especially the title track Barfi, Main Kya Karoon and Ashiyaan.

Ranbir Kapoor as Barfi simply takes your breath away and leaves you speechless. It makes you wonder, “Is he only 10 films older?” He has given some very good performances in the past, but the one in this movie is a cut above all. The maturity with which he has played the character is unbelievable and I am sure many stalwarts of the film industry would be thinking the same. Ileana first portrayed as a confused-in-love girl and then a pretty dutiful Bong wife does full justice to her character. Priyanka Chopra has again proved her acting prowess and versatility. She can play roles of sexy bombshell and autistic girl with effortless dexterity. It wouldn’t have been easy playing Jhilmil sans make-up, with awkward dentures and hideous curls but she has played it so naturally. I had read somewhere that Priyanka Chopra has admitted to doing certain roles only for Awards. Well, where’s the problem as long as the lady’s delivering!

My only gripe: The sub-plots could have been avoided to save time and confusion.

My Verdict: Don’t miss it for anything in this world!

The Suggestion: Ladies, do carry a few tissues for the waterworks!