DIL DHADAKNE DO-- MOVIE REVIEW

The opening few minutes of DDD comfortably take you back in the "Zoya Akhtar" space, languid, sometimes bordering on a lazy kind of a narrative pattern, screenplay that focuses more on observations to be taken from a situation rather than creating them and characters who are driven into the mode of soul searching.

Kamal and Neelam, the forerunners of the elite high society business class in Delhi, plan a cruise to celebrate their 30th marriage anniversary but given the fact that the story is written by Zoya and Reema Katgi, all what seems is never meant to be. 

There are superbly scripted introduction shots (Pluto Mehra- CUTE) of the characters,(Kamal's pride in being self-made, Neelam's anguish, Kabir's passion and Ayesha's success despite facing tremendous neglect) which of late have been chucked out of the modern film making style, brings back a lot of memories from the old school style of film making where the director would make an effort to introduce the audience to the characters and strive to create a unison between what is being portrayed and what is expected by the audience to gauge.

Set on a 10 day cruise across the Mediterranean, the Mehra clan realizes that the heart “needs/wants” (depending upon every character) to beat and not just pump! Whereas Zoya and Reema include issues of Gender inequality, passion ultimately triumphing over expectations, the basic essence of the plot also hints at the “log kya kahenge” aspect.

So to see gorgeous people going on dream/drool worthy vacation only to realize their passions and fight out their self created devils, get to listen to some marvellous philosophical anecdotes (Farhan and Javed Sahab-Why You So Bloody Good?) related to life without getting a hint of preach, cannot ask for more from a film!

And DDD cruises along, involving the audience and whereas you’d want a ZNMD kind of an experience, it would be harsh on DDD to want it to be fulfilling those expectations.

Very rarely, modern film makers use silence as a tool to convey emotions, but when they do, the impact quotient of the film rises to levels beyond expectations. (Lootera is one such classic example)

In a scene which involves Ranveer flying his dream, I somehow could relate it to how Gulzar Sahab used to make films.  There would be long shots, meandering across a landscape, the protagonist caught between life and dreams, and all that chaos would be portrayed in a much relaxed manner, to extent of the audience feeling a sense of calmness in the chaos. Mausam, Aandhi, oh stop me someone! This is about DDD!

Another quality that serves as a huge advantage for Zoya is her ability to carve out characters which compliment her narrative structure.

The Mehra’s are highly uncomfortable in each other’s presence, not willing to understand each other’s problems and trying to live their lives in a bubble which bursts once they board the Vessel.

Ayesha Mehra (Priyanka Chopra) like her father, is self made, takes pride in her performance but faces neglect from her family. Her husband (Rahul Bose) plays by the rules of the patriarchal society, her mother in law (Zarina Wahab) is lost in her own self to the extent of being self obsessed and amidst all of this the Mehra’s too do not give her the attention she deserves.

Much to my amusement, Zoya incorporates a scene where Priyanka tries telling her marriage troubles to her mother and gets a rather cold reply rather than an emphatic one.

Had it not been for the maturity with which the scene has been handled, it could well have been a very negative scene which could have raised questions on the morals of the mother-daughter relationship.

Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor), the tycoon, with a troubled married life, is facing bankruptcy and in a desperate attempt to save his image amongst his business colleagues and to find an investor to bail out his company, he sets on the cruise, popping pills to control his anxiety, appearing confident in front of his guests; shattered every moment he finds himself alone.

 His gesture to refrain himself from showing his emotions to her daughter in a tear jerker of a scene establishes the father-daughter relationship like none other.

 His relationship with Ranveer is a contrived one, as is almost every father-son relationship, but when it matters the most, he stands up tall for his son, never for once letting his son fail in anything he had ever wanted to do.

Neelam Mehra (Shefali Shah), who knows of his husband’s infidelity, plays the mother role in what has not always been the quintessential norm in Bollywood. She loves her food, stuffs in cupcakes when she cries, plays the perfect wife in the society and reminds Kamal to return to being normal once they enter their bedroom.

Kabir Mehra (Ranveer Singh), the only heir to AYKA, the star of his mom’s eyes, aspiring pilot forced into family business, a loving brother and an aimless 25 year old (That is one for the masses in this classy film) who finds that nobody in his family TALKS to each other and wants his sister to get the credit of what she deserves. The love affair, while on board, with Farah Ali (the only stereotypical character) makes him bold enough to stand up to what his heart beats for.

Carlos Catalan’s lens captures the film like a dream. Much success of Zoya’s writing (be it ZNMD or DDD) should be attributed Carlos’s cinematographic skills, painting what the writer writes, with every emotion getting the desired set up. This is what a director could ever ask for!

 Zoya’s previous film, ZNMD and her latest film DDD, talk about the same thing on a broad level. Whereas in ZNMD, the inner conflicts inflicted within the characters as well as the equation between the characters was equally interesting to watch, DDD fails to impress much in singularity than it does when it takes the issues of all its characters in chorus.

Then there is Farhan Akhtar who’s written the dialogues and the wry humour that you’d generally associate with Farhan is visibly apparent with the lines he’s written! The vomit jokes were hysterical!

Javed Akhtar has penned the songs and while the lyrics are thoughtful, the music this time around does not match up to the standards that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have set for themselves barring Phir Bhi Ye Zindagi track. (Amazing is the word)

While the Mehra’s steal the show, the ensemble cast too performs exceptionally well, Manoj Pahwa in particular is a delight to watch. Zarina Wahab, Parmeet Sethi, Farhan Akhtar and Aamir Khan lend tremendous support to the narrative.

It is also pertinent to note that Zoya Akhtar has a very unique style of presentation of her writings and there are visible influences of Javed Sahab on her style of writing.

Whereas Javed Sahab’s work used to remain more on the philosophical lines, Zoya has the ability to link it with the routine lives of individuals and hence poetry flows into the motion picture in a manner that it is understood by all.

Another important aspect with Zoya’s style of film making is the need for a character to step in to a situation to set the proceedings underway, leaving scope for conflicts to develop.

Katrina played such a character in ZNMD; Anushka does the same in DDD. It is post her entry that the film moves on the plot line and mind you, the plot is not very much logical at times.

Overall, Zoya does a really fine job with her 4^th project. The confrontation scene involving the Mehra’s post Kamal’s medical emergency, the scene where Ayesha’s divorce is discussed or the simple ice creaming hogging scene involving Kabir and Ayesha, the emotions are subtly underplayed and yet are able to be comprehended with much ease.

 Over the top definitely was not what the director wanted! But as the movie drew to a close, OTT started to be the norm none the less with an unbelievable climax and an abrupt end.

The philosophy that Zoya roots for, living in the moment, doing what the heart says, letting it go, following your dreams, appears to be that particular escape route which everyone, somewhere or the other wants to explore but is unable to and that precisely serves as a strong emotional connect between the viewers and the film on display.

Or to put it differently, she does the same with the use of art and poetry what Rajkumar Hirani does with comedy and prose.

With a run time of over 175 minutes, DDD probably had a little bit less of the substance to be offered. But what it did deliver was effective anyway.

Let the Heart Beat- Dil Dhadakne Do- as it literally means, might turn as a film which would annoy some, enjoyed by some but be revisited by many for it is rare to find philosophy, poetry, humour and message coming in a package as well decorated as DDD.  

P.S.1- Anil Kapoor is FANTASTIC.

P.S.2- Ranveer Singh is (FANTASTIC)^infinity . Period.

LET YOUR HEART BEAT, DO WHAT YOU WERE ALWAYS AFRAID TO.

**3.5 STARS**

TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS-- MOVIE REVIEW

Anand L Rai had stormed the industry a few years back with Tanu Weds Manu. The movie gave a major boost to Kangana Ranaut's acting prowess and established Rai as a very sought after director who knew the task at hand, storytelling.

Four years have passed since and Raanjhana (alluring, if I might use that word) happened meanwhile, Kangana won a National Award and 2015 saw one of the most anticipated film in recent times releasing.

 And it all starts with our cutesy couple Tanu and Manu, now having realized the horrors of staying with each other go to a mental asylum to seek re-dressal. (Seriously, Who Does That???) Ok accepted. Let’s move on.

Tanu Returns, with her ishtyle now graduating to the swag stage, Manu Returns, with the similar toned down demeanour albeit he is angry/irritated this time around!

Tanu sits wrapped around in a towel making fun of an IT engineer (Well, everybody makes fun of an IT guy) who has come along with his family with a marriage proposal for Tanu's sister. Expectations rising.

And post a hilarious 10 minutes sequence involving Pappi Ji and a divorce notice being sent to Tanu, the film travels downhill and that too at a rapid pace! 

(Also a point that needs highlight upfront is that TWMR is not that bad a film. It is enjoyable at fair enough moments and a good piece for time pass, which is also what the audience expected out of the film, but I as a viewer went away disappointed simply because the extraordinary connection that the characters had established 4 years back was somehow not there at all, it all appeared superficial)

Deepak Dobariyal happens to be in fine form as the lovable Pappi Ji who also gets the best lines in the film. And he does justice to his role. 

Zeeshan Aayub's character graph soars off from nowhere and then disappears mid way and re surges towards the end making a fine performance getting demolished under the muddled plot.

Swara Bhaskar, Rajesh Sharma and the other ensemble performs as per the requirement.

None the less, this film belongs to Kusum Sangwan more than it belongs to Tanuja Trivedi! Kangana is outright superlative in portraying Kusum's character. And despite glitches in the character sketch, Kusum is the character that stays with you long after the film is over. Kangana's Tanu is not convincing this time around apart from a wonderful performance set on Ja Ja Bewafaa song! 

Jimmy Shergil provides much solidarity to the film. While Jimmy Shergil is in a more calmed down avatar of  Raja Awasthi, he is brilliant never the less. A good friend of mine and a thespian by profession once said that to act, the dialogue needs to come out from the eyes! The hope that Raja sees on Tanu returning to his life and the hurt when it crashes is all visible in the eyes!  

Madhavan's Manu Bhaiya is not even half as convincing. It is just the screen presence of Madhavan that somehow makes up for his act. In fact the way his character behaves and transforms during the film made me hate his character this time around. What's with being in love if you can't stand for it, Manu sir!?

Amidst an abundant universe of supremely talented supporting cast, TWMR never quite delivers the high it promises to. And there could not be more than two broad reasons for the same-

a) The focus shifts from the concept to the characters, AND/OR

b) Clap-tracks diluting the larger picture that the film is aiming at

And as the case is most of the time, the balloon of expectations bursts on the head of the director! Rai does show his grip at times and the movie breezes across stretches, expectations rise and then the bubble bursts.

The gross error that the movie does is that you never know what conclusion is the movie coming to? And that happens purely due to a half baked plot which is served up with glitzy little elements to make up for the same.

I have always failed to understand the sensibilities behind making sequels to films which were once successful unless there was a thought in the head since inception to plan out a movie series.

But to be true to the producer also being a human, there is not a faster way available to churn out cash than to build up on an existing hype of the prequel, run on its established popularity and visibility and reach out to a large expecting audience.

Yes, agreeing to fact that there have been sequels which were not initially planned but turned up to be good films (some in fact better--refer the Munna-Bhai series), the ratio is not even worth discussing.

You knew you laughed during the film, blew whistles but could not find a single scene worth the remembrance! And that my dear folks, is where TWMR mixes with the garbage of such related films. 

This is probably how it feels when the expectations come crashing down, be it in the reel or the real life!

**1.5 STARS**

PIKU - MOTION SE HI EMOTION-- MOVIE REVIEW

Piku, Shoojit Sircars's latest offering is a film that borders on being irritatingly cute. The opening credits roll out on a black screen to the tune of a wonderfully composed sitar composition (Anupam Roy). And that kind of sets up the mood of the film, relaxed but never laid back. Analytical, yet never probing. 

More than the script or the concept, what works for Sircar is the conversational style in which the film has been conceptualized and executed. Also the conversations work so effectively purely because of the wonderful characters that have been etched out. 

Sircar, being a pro that he is in creating humorous community centric antics (The Punjabi-Bengali tiff in Vicky Donor where the two families meet at Vicky's house to discuss the wedding remains one of the best community clash/conflict I've ever seen), this time around takes on a Bengali family and a slice from their life, sketches it across a Delhi canvas and paints it with shades of a road trip, vintage Calcutta cinematography and soul searching conversations to deliver a a film which doesn't seem effective from the outset but grows on you invariably.

Trapped between her father's tantrums and her work life pressure, Piku is searching for her moment to break free, to breathe without tension. This might not be apparent but Piku is one of the finest acts by Deepika considering the varied range of emotions which were required, sometimes in a single frame. Her care-free nature which has genuine care for her father, who more often than not drags her to the heights of getting irritated, taking sex as a need more than anything else, for her father's over protective nature and logical reasoning wouldn't let her settle down to the final gentle conversations with Irrfan, she looks like she owns Piku's character. (Also I find myself for the first time praising Deepika Padukone for her acting skills)

Amitabh Bachchan plays the bowel-troubled Bengali father who wishes to get through one good motion at least before he dies. So life for him has taken a metaphorical turn where all he could think is about toilets, gastro troubles and shit and relating life situations to it. So while it is utterly nonsensical at times, humorous for a large part, it is also heart warming at fair enough places. And it is only an actor of the class of Sr. Bachchan who could pull it off with such poise. 

Hidden beneath the obvious truth of death was an insatiable desire to live. 

Buried under the image of an over protective father and a selfish ego filled man was a child who came to life while Bachchan cycled across Calcutta. 

And of course there is Irrfan Khan who gave Bachchan Sahab a run for his money every freaking time they appeared together on the screen. Also one could easily gauge the way the two of them were trying to surpass each other in almost every frame with such great spontaneity. Given the fact that Irrfan's character was the one who brings about a sense of calmness and steadiness to the proceedings, he too carries an emotional backlog. Though it is never fully explored, it is faintly narrated none the less. So at least as far as casting is concerned Piku does not leave any loose end. 

{P.S--Irrfan Khan is a sheer genius} 

As per the requirements of a conversational style of film making, there a lot of characters who do not have a very large impact on the final picture but they are efficient enough to create subtle moments here and there. Piku's Mausi, her Aunt, the servant and Deepika's partner are such characters. 

(Mind you some of the conversations helmed by Deepika's Mausi are outright hilarious)

It would be unfair to not make a reference to the Man who gave birth to this kind of film making, brought about the stories that touched anyone who saw it for somewhere, it were their stories. 

Back in the mid 60's, entire 70's and early 80's, there was a brand of cinema that was emerging in India, a new era which was seemingly creating its space in the Indian Movie plethora. Film aficionados popularly refer to it as the Hrishikesh Mukherjee era, the time where conversational style of film making easily surpassed heavy concept backed films; the times when a movie would not make you fall off your seats laughing but had a rare capacity to bring a smile and stretch out a tear, all in one scene, one singular emotion.

(Basu Chatterjee too held on to this brand of film making before the Parallel Cinema movement took Indian Film Industry by storm with the likes of Shyam Benegal, Gulzar, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Govind Nihalani etc controlling the reins.)

And it was only in the mid 2000's that we, the Hindi  film audience saw a film maker (Rajkumar Hirani) trying to walk on the path created by Hrishi Da, which had been long forgotten. With the huge success that Hirani experienced, there emerged a lot of film makers who were picking up concepts from the daily life of an individual and trying to create a scenario which was more involving and immersive than it was repulsive and expressive.

And I find it fair enough to relate Sircar's latest work to the legacy that Hrishi Da left behind.

The huge advantage that Sircar has as a film maker is his versatile nature of film making. If Yahaan was captivating, Vicky Donor was conceptually brilliant, Madras Cafe was as honest as a real story could get, Piku is immersive and more of a self realization journey of the characters involved. 

Another thing which strikes me is the huge advantage Sircar derives from being from an advertising background that he knows the customer perspective, he can think like his audience and hence we see his films having an instant connect with the audience. So while he directs the conversation to yield the desired emotions, Juhi Chaturvedi's delightful writing keeps the motions going. Also there is a beautiful parting scene when Irrfan leaves from Champakunj and Deepika looks on. Okay there are many such scenes.

While the cinematography is catchy and visually very appealing, the editing department churns out a crisply done film. The surprise elements though are the wonderful compositions by Anupam Roy. Fresh is the word which comes to my mind. Bezubaan has become a personal favourite. 

The film does get stuck at times when you realize that there is no logical end where this movie could lead to. There are moments when the screenplay does nothing to add up to the movie's virtue and the pot talks do go over board at places but all of this is never the less pulled up before things could go out of proportion. 

To be a little mild, this could be termed as Sircar's most self indulgent work. 

There are emotional under-currents that flow throughout the film. While the emotional journey of Deepika and Bachchan Sahab comes to a very conclusive and logical end, Irrfan's journey is left incomplete and that is a very sour point that remains for me from the film.

To be really honest, Piku does not live up to the vibe that Vicky Donor had generated or the grit that Madras Cafe had on display but it, at its own pretty pace lives up to the beauty of its conversations and relationships.

**3 STARS**