A Wednesday !

Mumbai Police Commissioner Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher) gets a phone call from an unidentified person (Naseeruddin Shah) who claims to have planted five bombs in the city and in return of disclosing their location,  he wants to secure the release of four terrorists. Will the police give in to his demands? Have they really understood the situation?

No scenic locations, no songs- just simple business. Strong script and story don't let your attention wander away. Every scene is believable and is devoid of the exaggeration Bollywood is known for. This movie is Neeraj Pandey's directorial debut for which he won a national award.

Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah, both being senior actors have added life to their roles and their craft is put to good use. Jimmy Shergill played the role of the dreaded inspector Arif Khan and he did a good job in getting in the right body language for his role. Aamir Bashir plays the role of the dedicated Inspector Jai Pratap Singh and he does justice to his role too.

The movie's running time is about 100 minutes and the second last call between the commissioner and the unidentified person lasts for roughly 10 minutes. The whole movie was made for those ten minutes and it's so impactful that many spoofs have been made on that scene. Naseeruddin Shah proved that nobody else would have been able to execute the role with that level of precision. I don't want to write more about it since it forms the crux of the film and it's better you guys watch it and form your opinion about it.

The movie is truly a hope for Indian cinema as even though it was made on a small budget and had low hype, it was a critical and commercial success.

Directed by	Neeraj Pandey
Produced by	Ronnie Screwvala Shital Bhatia Anjum Rizvi
Screenplay by	Neeraj Pandey
Story by	Neeraj Pandey
Starring	Anupam Kher Naseeruddin Shah Jimmy Shergill Deepal Shaw Aamir Bashir
Music by	Sanjoy Chowdhury

This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

Guru

Everybody has dreams but only a few have the courage to pursue them. People want to be successful. They want to reach their destination but want to avoid the heat of the journey.Then there are some who don't care about the road. These people are the ones who leave their mark.

This movie tells the story of Gurukant Desai aka Guru Bhai (Abhishek Bachchan), a street-smart villager, son of the village school's headmaster and a failure at studies. He gets a job of selling petrol cans in Turkey and from there his journey begins. His father used to tell him, " Don't have dreams. Dreams never come true" but he is too confident of himself to believe in his father's words. He gets support from his wife Sujata Desai (Aishwarya Rai) who becomes his partner in every sphere of life.

The beauty of the film is that it has made the story of a polyester manufacturer an interesting one! The movie has a strong story and an engaging script which strengthens the overall appeal of the movie. Lyrics by Gulzar and AR Rehman's music, what else can you ask for? Mani Ratnam has done a great job as the director and he manages to convey the essence of the film.

Actors have done justice to their roles. Abhishek Bachchan made efforts to get into the role of a typical Gujarati businessman and as far as I know, it is his best work. Rajendra Gupta (google him) played the critical father who has zero confidence in his son. Even though he had only 2-3 scenes, his acting skills can't go unnoticed. Manoj Joshi (google him too) played the role of Ghanshyam Bhai, Guru's friend from his days in Turkey and even his skills are worth appreciation. Aishwarya Rai played the role of a simple village housewife with precision. Her dialogue delivery and body language are in sync with her role. Another interesting character is Manik Dasgupta, the honest and principled publisher of a newspaper which is played by none other than Mithun Chakraborty . Being a veteran actor, it's of no use to tell that he gave a splendid performance.

Keeping all things in mind, it's a must watch for all. Some people think that what's the use of watching fictional inspiration stories like this one. My message to them is that even fiction is mostly inspired by real personalities. This movie's RELIANCE for inspiration could be any Guru Bhai or DHIRU BHAI :P . It doesn't matter. Muhammad Ali once said,“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it - then I can achieve it.”I hope keeping that in mind, you are gonna enjoy the movie.

Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	Mani Ratnam G. Srinivasan
Written by	Mani Ratnam (Tamil) Vijay Krishna Acharya (Hindi)
Starring	Abhishek Bachchan Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Arjan Bajwa R. Madhavan Vidya Balan Mithun Chakraborty Arya Babbar
Music by	A. R. Rahman

This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

Luck By Chance

This is the 10th movie and the 1st Hindi movie I am writing about !! I hope you guys are getting to know about some good movies via my blog. Keep giving your support and suggestions to improve this blog.

The movie is an insight into Bollywood. It exhibits Bollywood from different perspectives. You have Bollywood's view from a struggling actor, a starlet, a producer, a director, a star kid, a superstar and even from wives of directors and producers. As the name suggests, the movie also emphasizes on the 'luck factor' involved in the industry.

The story revolves around Vikram Jai Singh (Farhan Akhtar), a struggling actor who is hardworking, optimistic and has an edge over others with his manipulation skills. Even though he doesn't believe in luck or destiny, these play a crucial role in him achieving his goal. He meets Sona Mishra(Konkona Sen Sharma), who supports him when his own friend lambasted (#vocab :P ) him. What happens when he tastes success? Is he able to keep his relations unharmed? Does he sever his ties with those 'who knew him before he was nothing'?

Zoya Akhtar made her directorial debut in this film and she has done wonders in it. The story never loses your attention. Dialogues and lyrics have been written by none other than Javed Akhtar. Songs are class-apart. Sapnon se bharein naina is a gem.

Rishi Kapoor is extraordinary in his role of Rommy Rolly, the producer. He is natural in his acting and manages to extract laughter from the audience with his appearance every single time. Saurabh Shukla plays the role of an acting teacher and the mastery of his role is conveyed at the very beginning. Dimple Kapadia too added life to her role of Neena Walia, the diva. Isha Sharvani plays Nikki Walia, the ditzy star child really well. Hrithik Roshan and Juhi Chawla have special appearances in the film and they too are entertaining. In short, all the actors have done justice to their roles which makes this film a treat to watch.

It's sad that the film didn't get the recognition it should have had.I hope you guys enjoy it !

Directed by	Zoya Akhtar
Produced by	Farhan Akhtar Ritesh Sidhwani
Story by	Zoya Akhtar
Starring	Farhan Akhtar Konkona Sen Sharma Alyy Khan Rishi Kapoor Dimple Kapadia Juhi Chawla Isha Sharvani Hrithik Roshan Sanjay Kapoor
Music by	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

The Fault in Our Stars

Folks this is my 10th post so I thought I should explore some more genres. Hope you guys appreciate my efforts and will give me your suggestions on how I can improve my writing.

Long story short: The movie shows the struggle of two cancer-stricken teenagers who find solace in each other's company. It's based on John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.

Word of caution: For those who cry while watching movies, they must have a box of tissue ready. Those who don't cry while watching movies, this might alter your record.

Shailene Woodley portrayed the mental agony of her character, Hazel Grace Lancaster with utmost sincerity. The desire among those who are disadvantaged to live a normal life keeps on piercing their heart and this movie communicates it successfully. Even Ansel Elgort's acting is worth appreciation and his role of Augustus Waters, a teenager who lost his leg to bone cancer but still tries to be lively wins many hearts. Since it is an adaptation of a novel, it is advised the novel is read before watching the film. It's a much-watch for those who love love-stories and good movies alike.

Directed by	Josh Boone
Produced by	Wyck Godfrey Marty Bowen
Screenplay by	Scott Neustadter Michael H. Weber
Based on	The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Starring	Shailene Woodley Ansel Elgort Laura Dern Sam Trammell Nat Wolff Willem Dafoe

This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

The Godfather

It takes courage to write about classics. I hope you guys appreciate my effort. The movie is legendary so this post is gonna have just a gist about its story and more of my views on it.

The movie revolves around a crime family and its head, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). His youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) served in World Was II and always stayed away from his family's activities. Multiple attempts on his father's life change this forever and he eventually becomes the head of his family and regains his family's lost clout.

The movie created and shattered many records and garnered both commercial and critical acclaim. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1972 and was for a time the highest grossing film ever made. It won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Puzo and Coppola). Source: WIKIPEDIA (as if you guys didn't know :P )

There are several factors which contributed towards its breathtaking success. Marlon Brando outdid himself in enacting the Italian Don. He was able to express the power his character possessed and what others aspire to acquire. The godfather is always seen in a calm and composed manner and mostly depends on psychological fear to get things done. Dialogues like " I will make an offer he can't refuse" is an apt example of the subtle ways in which he operated. The portrayal of organized crime was also captivating. The dedication with which the movie was shot can be summarized by the fact that they even used a real horse's head in one of their iconic scenes!


 Needless to say, this movie is one of the world's most influential films in the world. It shaped the future films on gangsters and organized crime, which significantly increased in numbers after its release. It's always a challenge to adapt literary work in films but the fruit of hard work is more often than not sweet. A must-watch film for those who haven't seen it for reasons best known to them.

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola Produced By: Albert S Ruddy

Screenplay By: Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola

Based On: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

Arlington Road

A professor and an expert on American Terrorism, Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) lost his wife, an FBI agent when she died in the line of duty. He has a nine-year-old son Grant (Spencer Treat Clark) and a girlfriend, his former student Brooke Wolfe (Hope Davis). Michael starts to become suspicious of his new neighbours Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), after taking their son, Brady (Mason Gamble), to the emergency room following a reported fireworks accident.

He confides his suspicions with Brooke and his wife's former partner Whit Carver (Robert Gossett), but none of them believe him. Grant and Brady become good friends and Oliver gets really close to Grant. Michael does his own investigation, finds out some buried past about Oliver like he tried to blew a postal office at the age of 16 with a pipe bomb he built and he stole someone's identity on his death to conceal his past. Even Oliver gets to know about Michael's sniffing around and confronts him.

Is Michael being paranoid or are his neighbours involved in anti -social activities? Is his family safe while his neighbours are around or is he wrong in intruding someone's privacy? Does 'fear thy neighbour' stands true ?

Well-written storyline and screenplay captivate the audience in this thriller. All actors do justice to their roles. The best part about the movie, according to me, is its climax. Any Bollywood-lover would not be able to guess the ending of this movie. It's unconventional and disturbs the trend of 'heroes always winning'. I don't want to write more on it or it would be deemed as a spoiler. A must-watch for mystery and thriller lovers and those looking for an unorthodox climax.

Directed by	Mark Pellington
Produced by	Tom Rosenberg Sigurjón Sighvatsson
Written by	Ehren Kruger
Starring	Jeff Bridges Tim Robbins Joan Cusack Hope Davis Robert Gossett

This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

                                        

Road to Perdition

Michael Sullivan Sr. (Tom Hanks) is a hit man, raised by the Irish mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman). They both have love and respect for each other. Rooney trusts Michael over his own son Connor (Daniel Craig 007). Michael has always kept his business separate from his family and a secret from his kids. One fateful night, while Michael and Connor have to go to a meeting when his elder son, out of curiosity, hides in their car and witnesses Connor committing a murder.Though Michael ensured the silence of his son over the matter, Connor murders his wife Annie Sullivan (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and younger son Peter(Liam Aiken), mistaking him to be Michael Jr.

What ensues is a father-son duo's struggle with their grief and their quest to seek revenge. They have to reach to Connor, who would be protected by his powerful father reluctantly. On their journey-cum-escape, they meet nice people and a not-so-nice crime scene photographer-cum-hit man Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), to kill them. Will they get their revenge? Will they be safe? Will Michael's boy become a criminal too, a thought Michael dreaded?

A strong screenplay can do wonders with a simple plot. That's what we witness here. Acting is convincing and Harlen Maguire, the photographer-cum-hit man is the unconventional villain of this movie. It's my first movie where I saw Daniel Craig in a different avatar and now I understand why he is fed up of being Bond: he is an actor who enjoys challenging roles and wants to keep doing something new.  The depiction of the organised crime syndicate is good too. In the end, I would say that this movie is entertaining and a delight for those folks who get teary on watching emotional stuff.

Directed by Sam Mendes Produced by Richard D. Zanuck Dean Zanuck Sam Mendes Screenplay by David Self Based on Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins Richard Piers Rayner Starring Tom Hanks Paul Newman Jude Law Jennifer Jason Leigh Stanley Tucci Daniel Craig Tyler Hoechlin
This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

Pursuit of Happyness

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."   Most of us are familiar with this quote by Joseph P. Kennedy ( though you didn't know he said it :P ) but what happens when the going gets unimaginable? I mean we have a guy who is barely able to meet his family's basic needs, is having a rough time with his wife and things are going nowhere but down. What happens next improves his life- not one bit :P. His wife leaves him, he faces difficulties finding himself a roof, which he temporarily solves by spending a night in a restroom with his five-year-old kid at a train station. His only hope of getting out of this mess- to get a job as a stockbroker for which hundreds, maybe thousands apply, 20 interns are shortlisted and the most competitive guy gets the job. Only one person gets the job! Till then you get no salary. So he has to look after his kid alone, struggle for food and shelter while preparing himself for getting a job for which competition is TOUGH. Damn it. His problems stink and his possible solution is even stinkier. This is the story of a guy who just kept his eyes on the ball and emerged a victor. The guy here is Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) who loves his son Christopher (played by Will's real-life son Jaden Smith) more than anything in the world. When things start to look up, life hits him in the head. Would he be able to cope up with it? Is his child gonna be supportive to his dad? Would his pursuit of happiness ever be successful? Will Smith has given a heart-touching performance, especially the dramatic scenes like when he tells his son to never give up or he tastes his bit of happiness. Jaden Smith too did a fine job, this being his debut film. It has a mesmerising story which unfolds with grace.  It's a wonderful film with a simple message that "hard work pays off, just don't give up before the payday". Directed by Gabriele Muccino Produced by Will Smith Todd Black Jason Blumenthal James Lassiter Steve Tisch Written by Steven Conrad Starring Will Smith Thandie Newton Jaden Smith Music by Andrea Guerra
This movie is UDAY-CERTIFIED !!

Whiplash

There is this profound quote I read in my school. "Push yourself because no one is going to do it for you." We love ourselves too much to cause discomfort to us. Maybe that's why we never unleash the true potential in us and live ordinary lives but what if you have a teacher, who instead of encouraging you with kind words, appreciating your efforts openly and maintaining a peaceful, 'constructive' learning environment, throws a chair at you? Before I proceed, let's be clear that the movie is not about corporal punishment. Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is a talented drummer and a first-year jazz student in one of the best music schools, Shaffer conservatory.  He is one of those dedicated guys with only one goal to achieve in life: to excel in his field. He is noticed by a reputed conductor Terence Fletcher(J.K. Simmons) while he is practising and eventually joins his band. What ensues is the roller-coaster tale of a devoted learner's relationship with his unconventional teacher. The actors have left no stones unturned in giving the audience an awe-inspiring performance.Miles Teller did his character's drumming himself and 40% of his drumming was used in the original title track and as for J.K. Simmons, apart from telling the fact that he won 47 awards including Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award in the 'Best Supporting Actor' category, I won't divulge more. It would be better if you guys form your own opinion about it because I can't express mine in words. The movie has not been named so because of the Fletcher's method of teaching. It refers to one of the difficult tunes Fletcher's band performs. Just because I like this movie, it doesn't mean I support his method of teaching (though it produced splendid results :P). I would like to conclude by assuring my readers that this movie is an utter delight for movie buffs.
Directed by Damien Chazelle Produced by Jason Blum Helen Estabrook Michel Litvak David Lancaster Written by Damien Chazelle Starring Miles Teller J. K. Simmons Paul Reiser Music by Justin Hurwitz

	This movie is Uday-Certified !!

The Last King of Scotland

 

First things first: the movie is not about the last king of Scotland :P . It is a fictional depiction of Uganda's President Idi Amin's rise to power and his dictatorial rule. The film tells a fictional story about his relations with his personal doctor. Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a Scotsman, who came to Uganda to work at a missionary clinic. He had an encounter with Idi Amin(Forest Whitaker), who enjoyed his company and later offers him the job of his personal doctor. Nicholas initially refuses but finally gives in.

Nicholas had seen the celebrations of the masses on Amin coming to power and formed a positive opinion of him. Amin tried to keep Nicholas happy by giving him undue credit and referring to him as his closest advisor. Gradually, things start to unfold and Amin's true colors are exposed. Finally, it gets too much for a doctor to handle all the atrocities happening around him and he shares his desire to go back to Scotland with his 'friend' Amin who doesn't allow him to do so. Next day, Nicholas gets his Ugandan passport! Nicholas, apart from his blind trust and ignorance, commits another grave mistake. Would he be able to bail out from this mistake? Would he be able to escape?

Forest Whittaker did an extraordinary job of enacting a military dictator and his moods, which are neither stable nor predictable and won 23 major awards including Best Actor at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the BAFTAs. The story is gripping but a word of caution: it is not 100% historically accurate. Dr. Nicholas is a fictional character, though Idi Amin and the events around him are real.  So if you want to get a little deeper into the subject, you might want to do some research than blindly relying on the movie.

Now I come back to where I started. The movie has been titled so because Amin was known to adopt fanciful imperial titles for himself (source:Wikipedia). The movie is entertaining and a fair attempt to tell about one of the most brutal regimes in the world.


                                                               

Directed by	Kevin Macdonald
Produced by	Charles Steel Lisa Bryer Andrea Calderwood
Screenplay by	Jeremy Brock Peter Morgan
Based on	The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden
Starring	Forest Whitaker James McAvoy Kerry Washington Simon McBurney Gillian Anderson

This movie is UDAY-Certified !!