Anwar

Over the weekend, we watched the Malayalam movie Anwar. Directed by Amal Neerad, the movie is a good-watch, inclusive of beautiful shots, action, and a considerably good story. The cast includes Prakash Raj, Prithviraj, Lal, and Mamtha in the lead roles.

The story revolves around terrorism - the kind people behind it and the victims. The movie opens with the shot of a bomb blast in a textile shop in Coimbatore. Following we see the investigation, arrests, and the scenes in the jail. The story proceeds to show how Prakash Raj, an ATS officer, investigates the case; Lal, a person behind the blast and several similar ones; and Prithviraj, a victim of the Coimbatore blast, do things to achieve what they believe is right.

Through the first half we see Prithviraj joining the terrorist gang, planning attacks, training new people, and making bombs. From the second half, the movie takes a twist and it is now when it is revealed that he is actually a victim and wants to take revenge. From there the movie takes a fast pace.

The best part about the movie were some of the beautiful shots like the one in which the Coimbatore blast is shown, leaves rustle against the bus when it takes a turn and the like. The songs are good and are in harmony with the mood and movie. I like the colour tones used to represent the moods and the kind of lighting used. Everything seemed real about the movie including the sets and the characterizations.

Though I liked almost everything about the movie, the moment you leave the theatre, the movie is forgotten. The movie was not successful in creating a lingering effect on the audience.

A good movie, well-shot and presented.

Saagar

Have you watched this movie? It is a movie of the 80s. I saw it probably when I was very small. But the songs and the Kamal Hassan's character immediately attracted me to the movie. Since then I have been a big fan of the songs of the movie, especially Saagar Jaise Aankhon...

Today, probably after a lot of years, I am watching it again, as it is coming on television. Even after 25 years the movie and songs seem fresh. Except for Dimple Kapadia, who looks a bit old for her role in the movie, I love everything else about Saagar.

And if you haven't watched this movie by any chance, it is a triangular love story, where Rishi Kapoor and Dimple are in love with each other and Kamal in love in Dimple without her knowledge. Rishi and Dimple have nothing in common apart for their love for each other. Both come from different classes of the society and family backgrounds. The second half of the movie deals with these problems.

Whether you like the movie or not, you will definitely love the songs.

Madrasapattinam

A wonderful movie; beautifully pictured and well scripted. Above all I loved the characters and the entire story. One might find striking similarities to the Bollywood movie Lagaan in the song sequences and costumes. There are some striking resemblances in the plot to the Hollywood movie Titanic as well. Even though there exists these comparable factors, the movie is unique in its style and flow.

The cast includes Arya, Amy Jackson, and Cochin Haneefa in the leading roles. Arya's looks portraying the hero from the early 19th century is convincing enough and so are all other character's makeup and mannerisms. The director, A.L. Vijay has done a wonderful job. The putting together of the old Madrasapattanam and today's Chennai is marvelous. The music is by G.V. Prakash Kumar. There are melodies and spirited songs in the movie. The theme music is beautiful and plays in the background throughout many sequences. The movie is the soft love story of a rural illiterate man and a British girl, during the British rule in India. It shows the steady progress of how they like each other, communicate, sacrifice, and live and die in love. The director has been successful in blending together history and an interesting love story in equal proportions. Had it been in different ratios, the aftereffect would not have been this wonderful.

Milenge Milenge

Last weekend, I watched the movie Milenge Milenge. It was not a much awaited movie nor was there anything so interesting or worth watchable in the promos as well. We had tickets and had nothing to do in the evening. So we decided to watch the movie.

In one sentence - a hopeless movie. There was nothing worth watching in the movie. The cast, songs, art, nothing seemed interesting. The film which was supposed to be released years ago, it did show the lack of the modernity in it. The actors had looks what they sported few years ago, music seemed unpleasant, and story was unconvincing. Kareena (Priya) and Shahid (Immi) had a wonderful chemistry in Jab We Met. But that magic was not visible in this movie. We know that the movie was shot before Kareena becoming size zero and since we were so used to seeing her slim all these days, her chubby looks seemed odd in the movie.

The plot is based on a Hollywood and Tamil movie. Immi and Priya are in love with each other. Then they have a misunderstanding and want to test whether they are actually meant to be lovers by destiny. They write their names and phone numbers on a Rs. 50 note and book. The book is then sold off somewhere in Bombay and the note is used to buy something. The condition is that if they get back the note and book, then they are destined to be lovers. The story seemed unbelievable and lacking substance at times.

I wouldn't suggest watching this movie at all. Even if you miss it, you do no harm, but save a lot of your time.

Wake Up Sid

Wake Up Sid is a romantic comdedy film. The story is set in Mumbai where Sid is a rich, carefree college student and Aiysha, an ambitious girl and aspiring writer. The movie revolves around the story of how both meet, live together, and how Sid changes into a better person.

The character Sid is portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor and has done justice to the role. He is brat at times, and sometimes a sweet little child. Aiysha is Konkana Sen, and she is very much alike to the usual characters she portrays. She has the same looks and style. Anupam Kher portrays the rich dad of Sid, who wants his son to take up his business.

Everything about the movie is lovely! The story, the cast, colours, songs, and all. Everthing in the movie seems natural and something that a normal human being can relate to. The elements of life are portrayed well and beautifully. The movie as well as the songs are extremely refreshing. The songs synch well with the moods of the movie.

Wake Up Sid is the directorial debut of Ayan Mukherji and he has done a wonderful job indeed.

I would love to watch the movie over and over again.

Raavanan

Last week I watched the movie Ravanan (Tamil). Though I wanted to watch the Hindi version due to lack of ability to understand Tamil, I really thought that watching Vikram as Ravan was better than watching Abhishek in the same role.

The movie, as everybody knows is highly visually appealing. Based on The Ramayana, the story is set in the modern day where Dev is an encounter specialist and Ragini, his wife. He sets out to capture Vira, who is a tribal Robinhood, and in the process, series of events lead up to the death of Vira's sister. Enraged Vira kidnaps Ragini and then the actual Ramayana starts. The movie brilliantly portrays the silent feelings of Vira and Ragini for each other.

The story line is very thin but yes, you really watch it to see the beauty of the shots. Vikram does portray a strong character and so does Aishwarya. Prithviraj looks good has definitely done a lot of homework and hard work for the character.

A one time worth watch at the theater for its visual treat!

The Blind Side

Have you watched this movie? It's a slow paced yet soothing movie. I loved it.

The Blind Side is the real life story of Michael Oher, a football player. The main star cast includes Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron. This movie shows the early life of the homeless player, his poor and uncared upbringing, and his adoption into a wealthy family. The story is a real touchy one especially when you see the sad and unwanted Oher spend his nights on the roads and laundromat. It is heart wrenching to see him crying beside his mother's house.

Once Oher is adopted into the family, the movie shows how he becomes a part of the family, gets his athlete skills polished, becomes a more expressive person from his rather too introvert self, getting good at studies and how he gets universities come behind him with lucrative offers to opt those for higher studies. Then he chooses Mississippi University, then comes an enquiry into whether his family forced him to choose it, a misunderstanding with the family, and finally a reconcilation.

Some more interesting characters in the movie are Sean Tuohy, Collins, and SJ. SJ is the youngest in the family and seems to be an interesting character who inspires Michael to change positively.

It was a good watch and I must say this again - I loved it.