Rajeev Masand – movies that matter : from bollywood, hollywood and everywhere else

December 25, 2009

Cast: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Going home after watching 3 Idiots I felt like I’d just been to my favorite restaurant only to be a tad under-whelmed by their signature dish. It was a satisfying meal, don’t get me wrong, but not the best meal I’d been expecting.

3 Idiots, starring Aamir Khan, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is a film of impeccable pedigree. It’s a breezy entertainer and it’s got its heart in the right place, but it appears to be lacking in the naiive idealism and old-fashioned sincerity that propelled Hirani’s two Munnabhai films to cult status.

Loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s pulpy bestseller Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots takes light-hearted but pointed jabs at the Indian education system, raising pertinent questions about the relevance of learning by rote, the obsession with high grades, and the dangerous repercussions of parental pressure to pursue traditional streams.

Set on an engineering campus in Delhi modeled after the IIT, the film features Aamir Khan as free-spirited student Rancho who dishes out important life lessons to his roommates Farhan and Raju (played by R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi), even as Naziesque campus director Viru Sahastrabuddhe (played by Boman Irani) clashes with him for brazenly rejecting conventional wisdom.

Rancho, as it turns out, can do just about anything. From empowering Farhan to convince his family he wants to be a photographer not an engineer, to nursing another friend back to health after a failed suicide attempt, Rancho even helps an unsuspecting girl open her eyes to the superficial jerk she’s about to marry, and believe it or not, at one point he even delivers a baby on the college ping-pong table taking instructions from a doctor on webcam.

But soon after teaching them these valuable lessons and touching their lives in some way or the other, Rancho vanishes. The film is told mostly in flashback, with Farhan and Raju setting off to find their buddy a few years later.

And because no Hindi film can be complete without a romance, Hirani and his co-writer Abhijat Joshi also manage to squeeze in a love track between Rancho and the college director’s daughter Pia (played by Kareena Kapoor).

The film’s first half breezes by effortlessly between Hirani’s trademark comic flourishes including a hilarious ragging scene, two witty confrontations with teachers, and even an uproarious Farrelly Brothers-style gag involving a rolling pin and a paralysed man. Expectedly, the humor is alternated with moments of poignancy like that delicate scene in which the group first discovers a fellow student’s suicide.

Problem is, the genuine lump-in-your-throat moments are few and far between, the screenplay populated instead by a batch of scenes calling for push-button emotions. Where the Munnabhai films cunningly tricked you into shedding an unexpected tear, 3 Idiots goes for full-throttle melodrama.

The film’s second half in particular, is a tiring mess of ridiculous back-stories, convenient coincidences and sappy sentimentality.

Despite these hiccups, the film still works to a fair extent because of the inherent optimism in the plot and the sheer good-naturedness of its characters. It’s hard to resist Rancho’s cheery “All izz well” chant even if Hirani does push it a little too far when he ties it to a baby’s first in-womb kick, and the scene I mentioned earlier involving a delivery on a ping-pong table.

Of the cast, Sharman Joshi has a meatier role than R Madhavan, hence succeeds in fleshing him out more competently. Kareena Kapoor makes her presence felt despite the small role, and Boman Irani – although he’s trapped in a caricature – inspires hearty laughs.

But for me, the performance that stood out in this film belongs to lesser-known LA-based actor Omi Vaidya who stars as the Hindi-challenged Chatur Ramalingam, who deserves credit for turning an old childish gag into what is one of the film’s funniest scenes on the strength of his pitch-perfect expressions and delivery.

And then of course, there’s Aamir Khan as Rancho. Who never quite passes off as a 20-something-year-old, but remains the heart and soul of 3 Idiots with his spot-on comedy, his measured histrionics, and his immense likeability.

The film, in the end, is a broad entertainer that plays to the gallery, well-intentioned but sadly muddled. However it’s warmer than any other comedy this year – think Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, All The Best or De Dana Dan – and hence it’s unquestionably an enjoyable watch.

From the man behind those decade-defining Munnabhai films, however, it is far from his best work. I’m going with three out of five for director Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots, an earnest but calculated effort that runs, but never flies. Watch it anyway, because it’s the season to be jolly, and good laughs are guaranteed.

(This review first aired on CNN-IBN)

December 11, 2009

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Gauhar Khan, Naveen Kaushik

Direction: Shimit Amin

Like Swades and Lage Raho Munnabhai which came before it, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a film about the importance of basic goodness.

In an industry driven by opening weekends and bumper collections, it’s that oddball film that seldom compromises on its intentions for the sake of becoming more box-office friendly. As a result the film feels too long, indulgent even, and ever-so-often it appears uncinematic.

That’s hardly surprising, considering much of the film is shot in basic office spaces and features long conversations between its characters. But don’t be fooled by its appearance; Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a film with all heart.

Ranbir Kapoor plays Harpreet Singh Bedi, an idealistic young graduate who lands a sales job in a computer firm run by a boss who sets unrealistic targets for his team. His rose-tinted glasses come off early in the day as he watches receptionists being wooed for prompt appointments with busy managers, and security guards being bribed for information on rivals. For his own part, he stays strictly upright, going so far as to file a complaint against a client who wants his palm greased. That act of honesty, however, is rewarded with a demotion.

Convinced that a business can be run clean, Harpreet sets up his own company within the one he works for, roping in a handful of fellow colleagues as partners. Operating honestly and diligently, this team discreetly sets up a thriving business that eventually rivals the one they work for.

Meticulously written by Jaideep Sahni, the genius behind such gems as Khosla Ka Ghosla and Chak De India, the script of Rocket Singh is its real star. Seeking inspiration in real life and real people, the film avoids stereotypes and goes for characters and situations that are refreshingly familiar – the team-leader who fudges conveyance vouchers, the cut-throat competitive co-workers, the porn-surfing maintenance guy, even the promotion-seeking receptionist.

Taking the cue from Sahni’s script, director Shimit Amin bravely resists any temptation to glamorise the world they’ve set the film in, by rooting the drama in a space that is basic and without frills. An office party scene is filmed with colleagues drinking out of plastic cups, loosening their ties and dancing to songs being played out of a computer. Even the film’s opening credits sequence in which the camera lovingly floats over a middle-class home’s bric-a-brac is evidence of the makers’ commitment to authenticity.

But Rocket Singh touches a chord because it’s that rare film that urges us to examine our lives and to question the rules by which we live it. It has a life-affirming quality that will appeal to every one of us who has ever hesitated before taking the easy way over the right way.

The film isn’t without hiccups, though. Overly long, especially in its first half, Rocket Singh suffers on account of sluggish pacing, and occasional indulgences like that unduly stretched-out confession monologue by Harpreet’s boss in the film’s climax.

Remarkable casting has resulted in some fine performances by key players, although even the bit parts are filled out convincingly. D Santosh as the affable maintenance guy, Mukesh Bhatt as the tea-man with computer-repair skills, Naveen Kaushik as the oddly sideburned team head, and Gauhar Khan as the cutting receptionist pitch in commendable performances.

Of course it’s topped off by Ranbir Kapoor’s compelling, effortless portrayal of Harpreet Singh Bedi. Ranbir adds the little touches that make all the difference: combing the beard, tucking in the turban, lifting the ‘kada’ further up his arm before dipping his hand into a bucket of wet clothes. He’s an actor you can’t take your eyes off.

In the end, Rocket Singh is a clean, honest film with noble intentions. It requires patience to appreciate it fully, but deserves a viewing because films like this are hard to find. I’m going with three-and-a-half out of five and a thumbs up for director Shimit Amin’s Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year; whatever else you do this weekend, don’t miss this film.

(This review first aired on CNN-IBN)

December 04, 2009

Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Sonal Sehgal, Shenaz Treasurywala

Director: Ishan Trivedi

Trying too hard to be cool, the Himesh Reshammiya-starrer Radio is a misguided film about modern relationships.

Starring the singer-turned-actor as popular radio jockey Vivaan, who decides he’s done with relationships after the failure of his marriage, this movie sets up an unlikely scenario where Himesh is pursued by not one but two reasonably beautiful, intelligent women. His ex-wife Pooja (played by Sonal Sehgal) is clearly still in love with him. And from the look of it, he’s confused about his feelings for her too. Which is why it doesn’t help that he’s simultaneously finding himself drawn to Shanaya, a new friend he’s recently made (played by Shenaz Treasurywala), who evidently has romantic feelings for him. To complicate things further, the two girls become acquainted and get on rather well. Each loves him so much they try to set him up with the other.

Radio, written and directed by Ishan Trivedi, is an unintentionally hilarious film that unsuccessfully tries to tap the youth and its preoccupation with current fads – from social networking sites like Facebook, to idle chats in coffee-shops.

What the film lacks in story, it tries to make up in screenplay gimmicks. Hence the film’s divided into chapters with intriguing titles, and you have comic scenes featuring Paresh Rawal as a fellow radio jockey sprinkled throughout the narrative.

To add insult to injury, Radio features the worst possible performance by an ensemble cast. Sonal Sehgal and Shenaz Treasurywala don’t have one acting bone in their body, and the same sadly applies to Himesh too, who clearly seems to have worked on his physique, his hair, his appearance even, but can’t seem to do much in the acting department.

To some extent, Himesh’s music is the saving grace of Radio, but that’s only because everything else about it is so seriously flawed. The dialogue includes absolute gems that will leave you howling in your seat.

I’m going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Ishan Trivedi’s Radio. The protagonists in this film repeatedly smash crockery on the floor insisting it’s good luck. I wonder whose luck they mean. Not the audience’s, I can assure you!

(This review first aired on CNN-IBN)

December 4, 2009

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan

Director: R Balki

Like most kids his age, Auro doesn’t want his friends to see his mum dropping him off at school. He’s not very fond of girls, and most of his jokes involve the potty and what you place on it. In fact, he seems so obsessed with that particular body part he’s nicknamed his grandma ‘Bum’, because she’s got a big one.

Auro, of course, is the protagonist of director R Balki’s Paa. He’s your average mischievous 12-year-old, except for the fact that he has progeria, a rare medical condition that accelerates the ageing process. So although he’s only stepping into his teens, Auro has the body of a 65-year-old.

In what can be best described as a casting masterstroke, Amitabh Bachchan steps into the (relatively) small shoes of Auro. Contrary to what the film’s marketing conveys, Paa is actually a mother-son story. Vidya Balan plays single-mum Vidya, who raises Auro with some help from her mother, after dumping her selfish boyfriend in college, when he suggests an abortion. Amol (played by Abhishek Bachchan) is not ready for marriage; he is keen to follow his father into politics.

Years later, Amol, who is now a Member of Parliament, accidentally meets Auro at a school event, both oblivious to the fact that they are father and son.

Much in the same vein as the director’s previous film Cheeni Kum, the first half of Paa unfolds breezily, with witty dialogue and clever scenes used effectively to establish the characters and their relationships. Steering clear of pity, even in delicate scenes, Balki avoids the obvious pitfalls that come with stories about characters suffering from grim conditions.

There is however, one major speed-bump before intermission, a track in which the young politician Amol launches into a verbal attack on the media. It sticks out in the film because that scenario is so amateurishly scripted and comes off looking embarrassingly self-righteous.

There are more problems in the film’s second half when the tone suddenly turns exceedingly manipulative, and several scenes are stretched unnecessarily like the one in a Delhi metro where Auro questions Amol about the futility of having bodyguards.

Despite these hiccups, Paa is ultimately an engaging film because of its largely original writing. One of the best scenes in the film is a hilarious telephone conversation between Auro and a classmate of his, in which the latter explains just how frustrated he is with his father. Most scenes, in fact, between Auro and his buddies at school are a pleasure to watch because of the natural performances Balki is able to derive from his child actors.

Of the cast Arundhati Naag is endearingly warm as Auro’s feisty grandmum, and Pratik Katare gets his timing spot-on as Auro’s best friend Vishnu. Abhishek Bachchan is a tad smug as the new-gen politician, and tries a little too hard to force the ‘coolness’ down our throats.

In the end, Paa belongs to mother and son. Vidya Balan delivers her best work since Parineeta, emerging the emotional soul of this film with a graceful, restrained performance that she constructs with minimal help from the script. She strikes up a warm maternal chemistry with Auro and her scenes with him are the film’s most heart-felt.

The centerpiece of the action, of course, is Amitabh Bachchan. Under that excellent prosthetic make-up, his baritone replaced by a childish squeaky voice, Bachchan becomes Auro. There is no trace of the legendary 68-year-old star; what you get is a pitch-perfect performance as a gawky but spirited teenager.

PC Sreeram’s dazzling cinematography and Illayraja’s soothing score help make up for many of the script’s flaws, and ultimately contribute to making Paa an easy, enjoyable watch.

I’m going with three out of five for director R Balki’s Paa. Few filmmakers stick their necks out to tell difficult and different stories in these days of mindless entertainers making potloads of money. For their intentions alone, the makers of Paa deserve a thumbs-up.

(This review first aired on CNN-IBN)