Showing posts with label Emraan Hashmi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emraan Hashmi. Show all posts

June 13, 2012

"Shanghai" Movie Review (Hindi)




“Shanghai” is the title of the latest movie directed by Dibakar Banerjee who made films like “Khosla ka Ghosla” and “Oye Lucky”. One of the true tests of finding new benefactors in film financing is to be able to continue to make films irrespective of box office success. If I remember well, DPB has found a PE firm focused on films – CinemaCapital for “Oye Lucky” and of late, it is PVR Pictures. The advantages are too many for a title like this, it will attract multiplex audiences in Mumbai as well as Shanghai, should the movie be released at all. But enough flossing, I think the title “Shanghai” is itself audacious at best. “Don’t imitate Shanghai’s success in India”, that’s the subtle message the director is trying to say.


Is he telling something original? No. As most would have covered, this movie is inspired by “Z”, made in 1969 which got the Best Picture nomination that year. Just to clarify, Costa Gavras directed the film and was made into many films before and after that.

Dibakar Banerjee ropes in the most unlikely cast who are different from each other like Idly and Pav Bhaji. Emraan Hashmi as a petty pornographer (might have been perfect except that the fellow hardly gets to kiss anybody in the film including the subjects of his video), Abhay Deol as a Tam-Brahm Investigating Officer, Farook Sheikh as his gluttony boss, Prosenjit Chatterjee as Prof.Ahmedi, a left-wing activist who is the crux character of the film and Kalki K as his lady-love and student. Then there are other characters - the lady minister who douses in gold ornaments, the two accomplices who abet arson and mindless run-overs on innocent men with a matador van and the cunning wife and widow of Prof.Ahmedi. The whole plot of the film moves on after Prof. Ahmedi gets killed by a group of right-wingers allegedly with the support of the police. And the plot thickens to reveal “fifty shades of darker grey” (pun intended) often seen in Indian corridors of power where politicians and their crony capitalists contrive to grab land masses of poor people as if they are improving their plight but actually, it’s the SEZ scam again and all that.

I can’t believe the story of “Z” fits so well into the current socio-econo-politcal scenario in India as brought out by Dibakar Banerjee. He has attempted a stunning canvass which shows things as they are without an iota of preachiness, letting the characters infuse fire into their actions and words. Each character is true to its core without creating any screen biases for the viewer to take sides thereby creating an unparalleled non-judgementality seldom achieved in our films – a pornographer wants to help the student who wants to uncover the truth, a police officer investigating the murder is upright but he gets influenced by wrong people at times and misreads the clues, a minister who clears all interfering influences on the officer becomes guilty of the crime and the wife of the activist who is killed doesn’t make efforts to nab the murderers but shamelessly stands for election on a sympathy wave. This kind of treatment and characterization is not obtained by close-up shots with latest cameras but by exuberant and skilful screenwriting – Dibakar seems to have a mastery of the medium. He gets superb performances from most people and the message at the end is both stirring and credible. There is almost a feeling that the audience knows who is right and who is wrong based on the camera evidence and the scripted lines each character speaks. I was reminded of the play of Ayn Rand – “The Night of 16th of January” where the audience becomes the jury to decide.



Dibakar Banerjee also gets extravagant and classy output from the technical departments of editing, cinematography and music by Vishal Shekar. A special mention, I feel, must be made of Michael Mcarthy ( I waited for end titles to note this name) who scored background music. It’s a great experiment I thought must be closer to what a Rasoolkutty and AR Rahman achieve together. The music is vibrant and apt and evocative like in Satyajit Ray films but the background sounds around the scene are also mercilessly captured – so you find the tindrum vibrations of the staircase leading to the living room where action is, or you find the near and far drumbeats of the next byelanes away from the scene or you find a literal pin-drop sound which doesn’t distract but adds a rare natural feel.


114 minutes of this film must be breezy viewing but there are occasional lags. Treat them like the occasional indulgences of a brilliant Bengali film-maker. This is good, realistic and entertaining too without any cinematic liberties. I can’t remember when NFDC last co-produced a film made for mainstream audiences. Performances-wise, Abhay Deol and Emraan Hashmi come out quite good. Farook Sheikh shows his shinier side of acting so well- why isn’t he seen as often as Naseeruddin Shah, I wonder? Prosenjit Chatterjee, the leading Bengali actor is the most memorable face in the film, not Kalki (she is forgettable). His intensity on the screen while he is going is hard to beat. On the whole, if you are in the mood for a good arty-realistic commercial cinema from a dapper film-maker DPB, its worth a while.

December 16, 2011

The Dirty Picture

"The Dirty Picture" is not such a dirty picture to watch except for the adult content. I haven't seen Milan Luthria's "Once Upon a Time..." before so I went to the movie expecting to see a raunchy take of the movies of the 80s because the subject of the film played by Vidya Balan is "Silk". We recognised soon after the titles that it had astonishing prettiness, fluidity and a musical line. It sho...ws all the trappings of a nubile young thing becoming a starlet only to get into the lowlife that accompanies celluloid magic - the baggage of success that gets unwanted people, ego-clashes, financial woes and finally, souring of good luck. In the 160 minutes of the movie, you get a peek into the surreptious world of heroines who get drawn like moths to fires of stardom and adulation that utlimately deserts them. Vidya Balan portrays the character of "Silk" with utmost honesty and boldness rarely seen in the "Parineeta" girl and had she not played this character as a woman aware of her sensuality with guts and emotional chutzpah, the movie could have dangerously slipped into a C-grade film. Vidya gives this film its greatest reason to watch and its redemption and its dignity - you quickly move into a gear of emotional journey with the character in all the highs and the lows. Of all the men in her life -Naseerudin Shah stands out with Emran and Tussar not so effective. Writer Rajat Arora must be complimented for penning some outstanding lines seldom seen in Bollywood except in Art Films. He gives Vidya Balan the lines that even angry young men and stammering superstars don't get whistled for. Milan gets extra-ordinary support from Vishal Shekar in BGM and the song "Oo Lala Oo Lala". His shot selection, stylish picturisation and non-judgemental characterisation makes him watchable in commercial films. He has explained well why the 80s films of vamps and sirens have given away to the heroines themselves becoming and dressing like vamps. Vidya could well sweep all the awards this year. Watchable once but beware of some bold content.

"Jailor" (Telugu/Tamil) Movie Review: Electrifying!

        "Jailer" is an electrifying entertainer in commercial format by Nelson who always builds a complex web of crime and police...