INKAAR

2013 seems to be the year of conceptual and strikingly different cinema. 
2012 saw some of the fine work of Conceptual cinema being noticed by both, the audience as well as the critics. 
Table No.21 set up the tone for the year. Though the movie had faults at many places, it was still a brave attempt at making subject driven cinema.
INKAAR sets itself up for a mid january release. 
The movie has been directed by ace director Sudhir Mishra. (chameli, hazaro khwahishe aisi, khoya khoya chand etc)
The film is based on office politics. 
It showcases how the greed for power can lead to situations as serious as a case of sexual harrasment. 
The film is NOT about sexual harrasment at workplace. It does touch upon that fact but it is much more. It is a film that showcases the difference between ambition and greed, love and lust, corporate culture and human emotions. 
Every character is so human like. 
There are shades of love, sympathy, empathy, greed, ambition, lust, sacrifice and loyalty in the characters that appear in the film.
Everyone has a bright as well as a grey shade. (which is realistic to the core)

So there is maya (Chitrangada Singh), who despite being the protege of rahul (Arjun Rampal) ,doesnt think twice before  taking up a promotion and not informing Rahul about it and climbing up the ladder of success and thereby spoiling the relationship between them.
And there is Rahul who is so hurt with Maya's behaviour that his hurt turns into a bitter hatred towards Maya.
The film uses minimum outdoor locations. Most of the drama is shot in the office conference room and indoor shots are more prominent. And yet it grips you. That is the art of direction. Not even a single loose end.
The maturity with which the subject has been handled is worth an applaud. 
The characters have been portrayed in such a way that you love them in one scene and hate them in the other.

There are some technical faults. The continutiy seems to have gone for a toss. Editing could have been far more better. Cinematography is dull.

The performances are average. Arjun Rampal manages to hold his role throughout but ends up giving only an average performance.
Chitrangada Singh is way below par. But her charm covers up for her faults.
Deepti Naval gives a good performance.
The supporting cast is great.
There are scenes with lines filled with solid wit. These scenes will make you smirk and grin and fill you with anger and agitation.

Sudhir Mishra yet again sticks to his method of film making. Content is the king for him. And he manages the movie well. Inkaar is a movie which showcases complex human emotions handled in a very matured way and this is what makes the movie watchable.

Watch Inkaar for some good writing and concept based approach to cinema. It will not disappoint you.
3.5 STARS.

MATRU KI BIJLI KA MANDOLA

They say that the title defines the essence of a film.

Mr. Vishal Bhardwaj does his best to stay true to the above mentioned line.

So yes, MKBKM is as whacky  as it sounds. Or even a bit more, maybe.

Mr. Bhardwaj attempts at making a social satire with various political and economical elements syncing in with the main plot.

One thing that a viewer expects from a VISHAL BHARDWAJ's film is wonderful characterization (the Witch of MAKDEE, Abbaji of MAQBOOL, Langda Tyagi of OMKARA, Bhope Bhau of KAMINEY, to list a few) and sparkling dialogues. And Mr.Bhardwaj does not disappoint at all.

So there is Harry Mandola (Pankaj Kapur) who suffers from a split personality disorder.

(He visions to take over the farmers land and industrialize his village when sane, and, leads protests against himself with the villagers, when drunk.)

Imraan Khan plays the role of Matru. He does appear to be out of place at times but is bearable.

(Any actor, for that matter, seems out of place when sharing screen space with Mr. Pankaj Kapur)

Anushka Sharma does what she has been doing for quite some time now. Though she does fairly well playing the role of a high voltage, bubbly and outspoken girl Bijli, it's time for her to look out for something different.

To watch Shabana Azmi perform on screen is sheer delight. In fact it's the chemistry between Shabana and Pankaj which is more vibrant than that of Anushka and Imraan.

I will have to say that PANKAJ KAPUR will make you stand up, applaud and salute him for his acting abilities . I dont find myself competent enough to review his performance.

Technical aspects have been handled well. Cinematography visually appealing and catches the rustic charm of Haryana. Editing is fine.

MKBKM boasts of some really fine music. Indian classical, Haryanvi Folk and African Folk! W.O.W mahn!! 

And to top it up, there is Gulzaar sahab. One has to admit that be it the nonsensical lyrics (oye boy charlie, beedi jalaile, dhan te nan) or the more sensible ones (naina, khamakha, bekaraan), Gulzar delivers a gem everytime he works with Vishal Bhardwaj. These two indeed form a formidable pair.

KHAMAKHA and OYE BOY CHARLIE are the best tracks in the album. BADAL UTHIYA will please the patrons of Indian Classical music.

Vishal Bhardwaj had, is and will continue to surprise the audience with the kind of movies he makes. Though 7 KHOON MAAF was not captivating, it was still very different.

MKBKM is like a platter filled with delicacies from different cuisines.

It might look tempting at the first instance but to digest all of it is going to be a difficult task for the audience.

MKBKM is a good movie but it comes with its share of flaws.

The screenplay meanders along, touching upon weakly built subplots, diverts from the main issue and slows down the movie considerably, thereby irritating the audience at frequent intervals during the 1st half.

The film is a masterstroke. No questions about that. But the director over indulges in filming some sequences. His command is extremely evident, as almost every scene in the movie is very well executed. Some of the scenes are just fantastic.

"YOU MIGHT TAKE VISHAL BHARDWAJ OUT OF SHAKESPEARE BUT YOU CANNOT TAKE SHAKESPEARE OUT OF VISHAL BHARDWAJ."

Yes there is a bit of the Leftist Movement, UFO's,  Drunk (plane) DRIVING, ZULU Tribe being gifted by Arya Babbar to Anushka Sharma and there is GULABO. The PINK Buffalo. 

Yes it is that kind of a movie.

This movie could well have been the new age JAANE BHI DO YAARO.

It is a complete web of some amazingly creative scenes and situations. But to understand every bit of this creative brilliance becomes a bit problematic at times. Or rather, to sink in so much creativity is a tough task.

Overall, MKBKM is a very good movie which offers a bit too much to be digested at one go. Do watch this film for the performances and some solid wit and humor.

I repeat again-

PANKAJ KAPUR IS A MASTER ARTIST. PERIOD.

3.5 STARS

Dabangg 2

So the Salman Khan Festival is still on.

a 10 day business of 130+ crores and counting.

That is quite some money.

Dabangg, according to me, had one of the finest character sketches which have ever been drawn for every character (barring sholay), in spite of the fact that it had to carry a considerable  commercial burden on its shoulders.

The characters spoke for themselves and a national award came its way.

Totally worth it.

Dabangg2 has nothing new to offer to you.

The script is missing.

The story is, well, you know it already...a cop. A baddie..family being tortured..a climax where the shirt is destined to come off salman's torso and yeah its again a script where salman khan plays himself on screen.

Expectations were sky high from dabangg2. The only reason being that its 1st instalment had set up new benchmarks in probably every aspect connected to commercial film making.

What followed dabangg1 was a trend to cash in on some nonsense scripts, over the top action, mindless comedy and the race to reach the 100cr club.

So dabangg 2 starts and you feel you have seen this before.

A slight pressure on the left portion of your brain would make you realize that the same stuff had been seen with akshay kumar in place of salman khan in rowdy rathore and ajay devgn in singham.

Dabangg 2 lacks originality. The script is, well, to say the least, uninspiring.

The less one talks about the music, the better it is. Dabangg had a sparkling sound track.

Dabangg2 is an album which comprises of tunes which are a straight lift from other songs.

Fevicol is still better at sticking paper. It could not get the viewer stick to the screen as such.

Cinematography, editing, etc etc are of least importance when mr.salman takes the big screen.

With over 80 percent of the movie to be directed by either the action director or the choreographer, Arbaaz khan had nothing to direct.

He played safe with his debut effort and how!

Salman probably played the finest role in his career when he appeared as mr.chulbul pandey. Please Pandey ji, get back to doing some groundwork.

Show us something new.

100 crs will still come your way.

Dabangg2 did not require any review.

It is a fun watch. 2 hours will zip off in a flash. And probably after an hour or so you will forget about the movie. Nothing bad in that.

But spare a thought for films like Shanghai, paan singh tomar, wasseypur series etc.

They dont deserve 100 crs.

But such cinema needs recognition. Give awards to these films.

SRK or Salman dont even deserve a nomination for their performances.

So Filmfare. Look beyond Khans, Kapoors, Roshans etc etc.

There is a hell lot of talent waiting for a chance. Let them make it big.

And as for the Salman Khan festival ...

It will be celebrated every year. Come what may. Period.