Vicky pleeeej

This has to be the "Line of the year" for 2018 among Hindi movies for me. Yeah sure, there were many other interesting ones. 2019 has already started with nation-wide sensation "Hows the Josh" & "Apna time ayega".

Well, I am back here. It is like visiting our school after decades. Lot of nostalgia. Memories and smiles with lot of pictures coming back to mind. In our heads, it all looks the same. Though a lot has changed.

It is a similar feeling visiting my blog. I used to be super active here. Lost it all. Trying to revive now. Hopefully it all comes back.

Lots have changed since the last time I posted here? On top of that list is the 5 cats that have come into my life. They will get a lot of coverage here going forward. Rest of the things are mundane. More body-weight. Less head-weight. More work. Less travel. More movies. Less books. More reading, less writing. More realizations, less complaints. Yeah I know, signs of getting old. In fact, I am turning one more year older tomorrow!

Any visitors from back then? Am trying to remove the cobwebs here. 

2014 & Movies

2014 was a good year for me as far as movie watching was concerned. I saw the following movies, most of it with my wife who is also a a movie-lover.

Bollywood

Dedh Ishqiya
Hasee Toh Phasee
The Lunch Box
Gunday
Darr @ The Mall
Highway
Shaadi Ke Side Effects
Queen
Bewakoofiyan
2 States
Hawaa Hawaai
Filmistaan
Mardaani
Mary Kom
Finding Fanny
Bang Bang
Haider
Happy New Year
PK

English

The Monument's Men
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Amazing Spiderman - 2
Million Dollar Arm
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Chef
The Ship of Theseus
A Million Ways to Die in the West
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
Blended
Deliver Us From Evil
Boyhood
Interstellar
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Malayalam

Drishyam
ABCD
Diamond Necklace
Run Baby Run
Memories
Bangalore Days
24 North Kaadan
Manjadikuru
Chaappa Kurishu
Kerala Cafe
Adaminde Magan Abu

The movies in bold are the ones I felt are good. Quite evidently, Malayalam movies that I chose to watch have been quite a pleasure to watch. I should thank my nephew Arvind for recommending most of them!

P.S. I might have forgotten some of the movies seen!

A lousy start for movies in 2014

Year 2014 has not offered anything great on the movies front so far. Already two months down, and no movie has made me feel ecstatic to write about it. Now, that is as far as the bollywood movies are concerned. I had expected Dedh Ishqiya to be good, but it turned out to be boring. Even the legendary Madhuri could not replace the raw talent of Vidya Balan.

Highway too was a movie I expected a lot out of considering it was directed by Imtiaz Ali. Again, it was a decent movie but not as good as his previous ones. Aaliya Bhatt has done a good job in the movie. She has got a meaty role and she has not let it down.

I happened to watch few movies on DVD at home. Most of them turned out to be good. The most remarkable was Ship of Theseus. It is a brilliant movie that portrays the paradox trying to understand if a ship is destroyed completely and all its parts are used to make another ship, is the new ship the same as old one? And if we repair the old ship with new parts, which one of the two is the original ship now? Sounds odd but it is explored beautifully in the movie. Proud to see such a movie coming out of Indian artists.

Another interesting movie is Compliance. Released last year in US, it is based on real life events. It portays an incident where a person calls up a fast food restaurant, pretending to be a cop and instructs the supervisor to investigate a theft allegedly done by a female employee working there. As you keep watching the movie, you get increasingly frustrated with the turn of events. And to realize it is a true story makes you feel worse. Apparently a lot of people walked off the theatre, unable to tolerate the level of stupidity being done by the supervisor.

Both the movies are must watch. Get your hands on them asap.

Saw...

...the following movies this year:

No One Killed Jessica: Good movie.

Dhobi Ghat: Again, fine. But expected more considering the hype before the movie.

Dil To Baccha Hai Ji: Ok dokay.

Yeh Saali Zindagi: Very fine. Liked the pace of the movie.

Patiala House: Ok dokay.

7 Khoon Maaf: Good. Priyanka was very good.

Tanu Weds Manu: Ok dokay.

Thank You: Time pass.

Teen Thay Bhai: Time pass too.

Dum Maaro Dum: Good. Again, the pace of the movie was gripping.

Shor In The City: A fine movie.

Chalo Dilli: Ok dokay.

I Am: Good in parts.

Haunted: Stupid.

Ragini MMS: Better than Haunted, still not good.

Stanley Ka Dabba: Well, difficult to dislike a movie with kids involved. One particular kid in it was a chubby little boy, felt like adopting him.

404: Good, intelligent movie. Made me think. Still confused about some parts as to what exactly had they showed.

Fast & Furious 5: Awesome, the best of the lot.

Source Code: Good, akin to Inception.

Lots of movies for few weeks? This is what happens if you are unemployed and have another movies-loving-buddy with you! :)

Simple pleasures

Most times in life, the simple things are the most pleasant ones. In our strive towards the big, rocking, earth-shattering events, we end up missing the tiny little precious matters. Ironically, today I happened to experience a similar high.

Firstly, saw this movie Do Dooni Char, starring Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh Kapoor. It is a very simple and basic movie. Yet touched me deep. Amazing flick.

Secondly, reading this book titled Mice in Men written by Anirban Bose. It is a collection of unrelated short stories. Again, basic and simple but hard-hitting.

Must see and must read!

I love movies

Recently picked up few already seen/to be seen movies. Here are the titles: Firaaq, Train to Pakistan, Little Zizou, Black Friday, Ek Rukha Hua Faisla, Gulaal, Kameenay & Dharm. Amovie a day keeps the stress away :-) Have a lot more in my list of 'want-to-see' movies.

Well, I'm a self-proclaimed movie buff! I enjoy watching Bollywood, Malayalam and sometimes foreign language movies (mostly English, but sometimes other language movies with English sub-titles on UTV World Movies channel).

3 Idiots

I'm off writing movie reviews these days. For a simple reason that no movie has really 'hit' me that hard to sit and write about it. To be fair to other movies I have seen lately (Kurbaan, De Dana Dan, Wake up Sid, APKGK, Rocket Singh, Paa, 2012), 3 Idiots is also not a master-piece to write something about. Yet, I'm expected to write a review I guess, being a pseudo-teacher myself. So here it is.

First things first, it is an entertaining movie in parts. You would not feel bored, though some parts are as dragging as some other parts being entertaining. To my mind, the speech of Chatur was the most entertaining bit and the baby delivery scene was the most boring. Anyways, overall the movie does score brownie points on the entertainment front. Acting and direction is sensible. In any case, the actors in point are not among the inferior ones so one does not expect them to be boring. Aamir, as always, clicks with the audience.

Problem is, my list of what I liked ends with the above paragraph. The most disappointing part of the movie is the theme. Disappointing in a sense that there was nothing new in it. We have seen it before, haven't we? In most parts of the movie, I could not help relate things to Munnabhai MBBS or Taare Zameen Par. Do what your heart believes is right, don't be in the rat race, every person has a special talent, professors help you clear exams but not beyond, etc etc etc is all old gyaan. Another movie on the same lines where the hero does everything right and is demi-God does not work with me. I cannot be tempted by entertainment at the cost of realism. This move is a piece of too much goodie-goodie that I cannot take in. Too much sweet spoils the sweet.

So, as always, we have to keep off our thinking hats while seeing the movie. When I want to see some quick runs being made in cricket, I would prefer watching an Afridi to a Dravid playing big shots. On the other hand, when I want to see some beautiful cricket book shots, I prefer seeing a Dravid in full flow. If you get what I mean to say, for movies too I somehow expect the already set actors in the industry to focus on a movie with some essence rather than a repeat theme done commercially to attract a box office success. I cannot expect a newbie baby like Ranbir Kapoor to experiment with 'thoughtful-but-not-commercial' scripts and plots. He has to get his mark with some 'stupid-but-commercial' movies like APKGK and Rocket Singh. But if even the set actors like Aamir Khan and SRK does pure commercial movies only, the creative bend of the film industry loses its edge and that part of the audience would feel left out. To put it simply, on any given day, I would prefer seeing a Mumbai Meri Jaan over 3 Idiots. Again, if I have to see a pure entertainer, I would rather see an Andaz Apna Apna over 3 Idiots. Effectively, this film is neither here nor there.

Finally, on the message that the movie reiterates - chase your instincts & interests rather than following the crowd. Very true. I am a teacher myself and I have been trying a lot to get that message across of building 'passion' among students. Some take the message, some shrug it off. A lot of students doing CA is a part of the herd. Deep down, they do not like what they are doing. To put it more precisely, they have no clue whatsoever about what they really want to do. The only choice then left is to chase the already set conventional targets rather than creating their own road towards fulfillment. Latter is difficult, for the society would be against it. Yet, what I genuinely feel is that if you have the confidence to see it through, society (including parents) won't have too many issues about it. Point is, does the student have it in him/her to follow his/her instincts successfully?

Let me end it this way. I have interacted with hundreds of students between the ages of 18 and 23 for more than 5 years now and I can hardly think of anyone who has had the confidence to follow his/her own unconventional route to success. It could imply two things: Either all of them enjoyed and relished their curriculum (hardly true, I can sense otherwise in each lecture) or they never attempt to chase their dreams & end up blaming the system for making them marks/grades-chasers. The latter group then go and see a movie like 3 Idiots and thoroughly appreciate the message and love the character of Aamir Khan in it. When back to their normal routines, they opt to forget that they have a CHOICE to be that character themselves. That approach towards life and living, my dear friends, is too simplistic, too 'idiotic' (to end with some bit of movie:))!

Can love be unconditional?

Is the term 'unconditional love' an over-hyped cliché? Here, I have re-framed another question that I have been asked a couple of times - Do I believe that Ajay Devgan's character in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is a realistic one?

In this context, 'Unconditional' refers to 'Selfless', perhaps. If that is so, I cannot disagree more on the concept! For, there is no such term as 'Selfless' as far as I am concerned. Every single thing that we do since the day we are born till the moment we die are always self-centered. At times, some of these acts also helps somebody else or society at large. But that does not change the fact that you did it because you cherished doing it or simply put, you wanted to do it.

Using the same principle, even love cannot be unconditional. What we might call selfless is the ability of a person to keep the partner's interests and likings above his. Each day, each moment, each time. This, obviously, is not easy. Yet possible. And to my mind, one of the most necessary ingredients to love someone 'selflessly' is a sense of very deep and strong self-love. If you cannot love yourself strongly and genuinely, you cannot love your partner genuinely either. Sure, you will do things to make her happy and please her and call it 'love for her'. Well, that's just a deception. What you basically need is her approval of you as a person and lot of acknowledgements of how amazing a person you are. This type of 'unconditonal love' will evaporate the moment she says/does something that is against your desire or hurts your ego.

On the other hand, if you are in a relationship with her without a need of re-assurance about your own self, then the only thing that you are really bothered about is how much more value can you add to her life and soul, how much more happiness could you give her, how much more of her real self can you help her discover. Now, is this being more 'selfless' than the earlier case? Kind of. Since you were always a content/happy person before you entered the relationship, the only reason you might have opted for it is with a belief that you could keep your partner really happy and joyful. This, the world perhaps believe, is selfless. I do not. Because if you are not enjoying the process, you would not be doing it. If that is the case, it cannot be unconditional. Here the condition is that you must feel the joy of her being happy. Being unconditional does not just mean you do not expect your partner to do something for you.

The character in HDDCS is indeed a realistic one because he too has shades of selfishness. If the character would have forced his wife to stay with him and not attempt to find the person she loves (and that would be against his own wishes), then he is doing that to please his parents and the society at large. That, surely, is a more selfless act than what the character actually did!

Finally, after all this, the most obvious question: Would I do what the character did? Well, rather than me saying anything, I sincerely hope (somewhere down my heart, I know) that there are a handful of people in this world who truly believe that I would indeed do so. Reason being I'm one of the most selfish person that one could come across. Simple enough.

The Proposal

Jeez no! Not that proposal. I'm referring to the Sandra Bullock-starrer movie that I happened to see. I do not watch a lot of English movies. Reason being I do not seem to get the accent most times. Well yeah, that's true! Might go into Ripley's Believe It Or Not yet that is how it is :D

For a change, I understood this movie (if there was anything to be understood that is)! An achievement in itself. The movie is pretty okay kinds. Nothing really to write . There are a couple of very very hilarious moments though. The laugh at those moments makes up for pretty much everything or the lack of it.

Somehow, I suffer from a mental hallucination that English movies must not be as 'simple' and 'irrelevant' as most Bollywood ones. I expect all of them to have some message to give out. I know, it is a stupid thought. That's why I said it is just a mind thingie.

Nevertheless, after a long gap I caught up on a Hollywood release for a change. And that too before seeing New York! Whoa, what am I upto!!

Ghajini

Saw this much awaited Aamir Khan movie today. Was left disappointed, to put it in short.

For a change, was disappointed even after having no great expectations. I personally did not think that the movie will work. However, I have been proven wrong going by the box office verdict. Well, even Rab ne bana di jodi is a huge hit. That movie is a piece of crap. Ghajini isn't that bad, yet very incomplete.

The crux of the movie is the character's short term memory loss. Actually, he remembers things only for 15 minutes. Isn't it short term memory retention rather than a short term loss? Anyway, the movie started well. I was happy that the director has worked on the details well. The alarm every 15 minutes, post it notes all around Aamir's house, etc. Yet, he missed the big 'detail'. The two phases of Aamir has been done reasonably well - the pre-memory loss and post it. But surprisingly, the transition between the two is completely missing. After being hit and losing memory, how did he remember the reason why he was the way he was! How did he work out on his body and why? Cannot get that angle and without that the movie falls apart completely, to my mind.

Ineffective climax adds to the disappointment. A group of 20 goons expect Aamir to get to them, yet tries to kill him using sticks and rods. Haven't they heard of guns? Oh yes, Aamir is the hero. He can't be kiled. Sorry, short term memory loss for me too.

With 3 hours alloted for the movie, it could have been much much better conceptually. Guess I was supposed to see the movie without my mind in place. Well, then my mistake.

Completely disappointed. Period.

Maharathi

It's the name of the movie I saw most recently. It's also the name of the blunder I last made. Got induced by a good star-cast that includes Naseerudin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Boman Irani, the movie missed out on something that is unfortunately very crucial - the script. A very shabby movie that gives no scope for even the furnitures to do their part of the role well. 2 hours wasted. Incidentally, I saw this movie with a Maharathi himself.. what say Romi. :)

I am not writing this post for reviewing the movie. I seldom give bad reviews for movies. One of the reasons why my movie reviews in this blog have been few and scattered. To be fair, I have seen horrible movies in the past. Can't remember all, but one of the worst I can is Good Boy, Bad Boy. If GBBY is a good movie, Maharathi could deserve at least a Filmfare if not the Oscar.

I am writing this to record something in my blog for years to come. The record of least number of people while watching a movie broke with this. It was 11 when I watched Shaurya (a good movie). I saw this amazing movie with 8 people.

Can we not claim compensation from the makers of a bad movie like we can from the manufacturers of an inferior product?

A Wednesday

Warning: If you haven't seen the movie, this post could spoil some fun if & when you see it.

Finally, I managed to see the movie. Again, saw this movie after hearing a lot of rave reviews. To write my review in a single line, if the movie was supposed to be a suspense thriller, then it is a good one. But if it was to be a solution to terrorism, then the movie is very weak. I saw the movie presuming the latter and I guess that is also what the movie is supposed to be. Needless to say, I am disappointed.

This movie is akin to Rang De Basanti (RDB). Both movies evoked good response from the audience. We like to see things that are unrealistic and impractical...the dreamy kinds. Suraj Barjatiya and Karan Johar realized this a lot earlier.

I have been failing consistently in the examinations. I am fed up and impatient now. I cannot study and work hard to clear. So I cheat in the exams to clear. This is the essence of the suggested solution in the movie for terrorism. I wish it was as easy. The movie is pale when it comes to providing any effective solution to what is indeed a pressing issue. Great performances by all involved, good dialogues, well writen script and few suspense twists make a good thriller as I said earlier, but that is the only thing this movie is about.

Why is this movie as unreal as RDB? It tries to show that 'the common man' can, if need be, also plant bombs and demand things to be done. The bombs are placed at a police station and an airspace runway! How realistic!! Terrorists do not and cannot plant bombs at such places. They place it among crowds and mobs. It is far more easier than what 'the common man' has managed to do in the movie. I hate hyperboles and impractical plots in a movie, I am sorry.

Coming to another absurd point. Even if I were to assume 'the common man' can plant bombs the way it has been shown, does he have the conviction and the 'selflessness' to do it? Terrorists are passionate about what they do. They can lay their lives for an issue that is stupid and absurd. They do not worry about families and friends when they go to plant bombs. They definitely fear death much lesser than 'the common man'. 'The common man' has to take care of a lot of things. He is far more 'selfish'. He has to get married, have kids, live a good life. 'The common man' cannot stake everything to do what the film shows. If he does, he is not a common man. The way I have defined 'selflessness' and 'selfish' here is not the common dictionary meaning. It is slightly twisted.

Why was 'the common man' shown to be getting a lot of support and appreciation in the movie? The cop suddenly is not sure of the sketch, the hacker thinks 'the common man' is the best, there is no case against him and the police commissioner walks off after seeing him pretending nothing has happened. Why? Did he not kill 3 people? Did he not play a lot of pranks with the cops? Did he not threaten and force the cops to do a lot of things including killing the 4th terrorist? Why was he not punished for all this? No, I am not talking for the terrorists. The movie talks for the terrorists, not me. And if the film was intended to get us into how terrorists think and act, then the end should also be logical. He cannot be left free.

If we believe that the 'cause' of 'the common man' in the movie to do all what he did was 'genuine' and hence he must be spared, the same 'logic' applies to terrorists. They too believe what they are doing is 'right'. The movie, unfortuntely, gives away the message that the ends justify the means. If that is so, this movie is pro-terrorism and not anti-terrorism. Because they also kill innocent people to be heard, to send a message, to achieve some ends. They do not bother about the means, and that is the reason why terrorism is different from Satyagraha that Mahatma Gandhi practised.

Terorrists were compared to cockroaches in the movie. Cockroaches aren't human and by definition cannot be as complex as the terrorists. Terrorists are a disease. Cockroaches are just a nuisance. You cannot kill a disease very easily unless if you take care of the causes of the disease. Killing makes things worse. If an eye were to be taken for an eye, the world would soon turn blind. I believe in this quote.

Because we cannot think of a solution to tackle this problem effectively does not mean we start to reciprocate the same way they do. Then it would be similar to cheating in the examination.

After having written all this, I must admit that there is a huge criticism that can be levied against me. That I have not lost a loved one in the blasts and hence I am talking like this. True. I cannot say anything for this criticism. Perhaps just that, 'the common man' in the movie is also not shown as a victim per se.

A Wednesday is a weak response to the entire issue of terrorism. It is at best a movie that makes us feel good that something is being done in it. I strongly believe the methods used in the movie are totally pro-terrorism. It gives them enough reasons to justify what they do.

Mumbai meri jaan

Some times, a lot of expectations can make something a let-down eventually. One of the reviews I got about this movie was that this is a better movie than Taare Zameen Par. Quite obviously, I was expecting a lot.

Even after that, I now believe this movie is awesome. Should definitely have been our entry for Oscar instead of TZP, like Amol Gupte said. Lovely script, excellent direction and subtle yet effective performances from the cast makes this a must-watch.

I have personally known a lot of characters played by Paresh Rawal, Madhavan and Kay Kay Menon. More so like Menon. A movie with substance and soul, it has a conclusion that could not have been better. Simply apt.

Some of the scenes in the movie still hit me when I think of them.

Yet again, sadly this movie is already out of multiplexes. Rock on, which got released around the same time, is still running. When will we mature as audience? When will we undestand that lot of songs and a happy ending is not what a movie is all about?

Kudos to the entire team of Mumbai meri jaan...

Busy doing nothing

Resuming after a forced gap. My internet connection eluded me for 2 weeks before waking up this weekend. To be fair, had a hectic time myself doing not really much! Watching movies (4 of them in the last 8 days), attending book fairs and concerts, celebrating classes' success - all took time.

The 4 movies were Hancock, Dark Knight, Jaane tu.. ya Jaane na and Aamir. The western action flicks disappointed me. And not because I saw the English versions! Hancock is a nonsense movie. Dark Knight, ok-dokay. Nothing great. Aamir was relatively more exciting. Decent plot, makes one think about how easy it is to make someone do not-so-good things. Jaane tu was boring. Nothing at all in the movie. Really really unfortunate that the movie grosses up more revenue than a movie like Shaurya.

Attended Hariharan's concert again, this time in Thane. Thought it was not as great as the earlier one. May be it is because of the expectations factor. Nevertheless, ghazals are tantalizing, and to come from Hariharan... wow.

Just completed reading Deepak Chopra's latest offering 'Why is God Laughing?' Wonderful book. Amazing perspective. Lovely thoughts. Do read. Currently reading 'Traders, Guns and Money' - a book on the fascinating world of financial derivatives.

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy again, this time doing a lot of professional activities. On the other side of this is a holiday with two very close friends to Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. Yippie!

Very much here..

Am very much here and too many things to write about too.. but! Plate is too full these days, will find out the time and mindspace to write something soon.

Happened to see Shaurya last week. Very good movie. If you are a Kay Kay Menon fan, then definitely go and see his performance, albeit in a small role. Amazing guy.. Ironically there were just eleven people in the cinema hall to see the movie on the second day of its release! It is sad that the masses prefer to see Race over a movie like this. The success of a movie, unfortunately, is just a function of how it is marketed!

If you get time, try and catch this movie. I personally know of people who have shades of the ideology and thinking of the characters shown in the movie. They should definitely not miss this flick.

Taare zameen par – an experience!

I saw the movie last night. This is not a review per se. In fact, the movie does not need any review. I cannot imagine anybody not liking this movie. A movie about a dyslexic child… under pressure from the materialistic expectations of parents and teachers… suffering from absolute lack of confidence. It is an amazing journey of the little boy – from the naughty kid in his own world to an unknown boarding school world where he cannot find himself. Until of course, Aamir Khan discovers the little boy’s strengths and likings.

As I said earlier, the movie is too good for me to even attempt writing a review.

For me personally, watching the movie was a real experience. For, I could relate to the little boy very intimately. Everything that happened to him has happened to my elder brother – except a ‘savior’ in the form of AK. I could feel the pain of the little boy. I have seen many similar scenes of the movie in my own life years ago. The comparison of the little boy with his elder brother, for instance. My brother was also put through such subjective evaluations relative to me. The difference vis-à-vis movie is that I am the younger brother.

It was really really tough for me to keep my composure and not break down crying as I watched the movie. There were scenes which ripped me apart because it happened to my brother also. My parents too behaved exactly the way the little boy’s parents did – because the fact of the matter is they did not think they were doing anything wrong. I can perceive the emptiness in my brother’s life when I was given the kind of attention (at his cost) for being 'academically good' and 'normal' like other kids. Thankfully, my brother was not sent to boarding though. In fact, it was contemplated seriously at one point in time. Financial problems stalled the plans.

This movie has hit me hard. It has increased my guilt and remorse for not being able to make any difference to my brother’s life. I wish it was as easy for me to go up to him and share my feelings. I wish I can assure him that I am always going to be around for him. I wish I can make a little difference to his life. I wish I would not have been so immature, selfish and stupid all these years.

The brilliant work of Prasoon Joshi can be easily overshadowed by the little boy’s classic performance and AK’s charisma. But I strongly feel the movie will lose a lot of charm and feel if it was not for the lyrics of few songs. Kudos to Prasoon Joshi…

This movie will act as a catalyst in fulfilling my dreams over the next few years. May the tribe of Amole Gupte and AK in this world keep growing…

Sorry chetta for everything…

Cheeni Kum

I got to see Cheeni Kum yesterday. Went into the multiplex with buoyant expectations, for the movie has three of the finest actors in the film fraternity today – Big B, Tabu and Paresh Rawal. Also, the movie is directed by Balki (R. Balakrishnan), the advertising guru. I happened to see Balki for the first time on television as a guest in Barkha Dutt’s ‘We the people’ few years back. I was floored by his persona. He, along with, Prasoon Joshi and Piyush Pandey have to be few of the most creative and multi-talented people in the country – Prasoon Joshi for sure.

Back to the movie. The core underlying theme of the movie, of that of a relationship between a 64-year young man and 34-year old woman, was handled well. The movie is subtle and the dialogues are really classy. Loved many of them. The first half of the movie was excellent where love blossoms between the two. However, I thought the film lost a bit of its focus in second half. The movie dragged into some bit of melodramatic stuff and lost its finesse.

There is no real take-away theme in the movie, except perhaps that aging has nothing to do with the number of years of living. I guess it is made for a pure entertainment value for the 2hrs 15mins it spans out for. The climax scene per se, where AB comes to know about the baby’s death and becomes desperate and guilty that he did not pray for her, was good but was not converted to a classic by AB. There was something missing in the scene as far as the enactment was concerned.

Frankly, the movie fell short of my expectations. Could not go home with a good ‘after-taste’ of the movie. I felt there were voids at many places in the movie. I cannot point out instances where I felt so, but there was a sense of incompleteness somewhere.

In terms of performances, Big B is brilliant, as usual. But I have to say that Tabu is exemplary. To my mind, she has over-shadowed Big B in this movie, and by a distance perhaps. Paresh Rawal (as Tabu’s father) and Zohra Sehgal (as AB’s mother) were excellent too.

The character of Sexy (the baby) is portrayed brilliantly by Swini Khara. She is terrific and supremely confident as an actor. This movie would have lost a lot of charm without her. She was really too good…

The movie is worth watching for the superb performances, if not for anything else.

By the way, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was no kissing scene between AB and Tabu – a serious deviation from the trend these days.