Category Archives: Drama

Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies

Raja Rani

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Raja Rani – a Tamil Romance film released in 2013.  John and Regina enter a married life unwillingly for the sake of their family to only make their everyday life a hell. It is later revealed that the reason for their unwillingness and detachment is that they are not able to come out of their past love failure and loss from it. Do they realize that there is life after breakup which could be better is the rest of the plot.

Atlee coming from Shankar’s school has done a very neat job for a debut director. He has tried to recreate the magic Mouna Raagam after 27 years and has been fairly successful in his attempt. Though the story is a old school romantic drama template the screenplay makes it look still fresh. Atlee should be given credit for the using innovative sequences to move the story that has been told many a times. The movie is thoroughly enjoyable.. it will make you laugh and cry as the characters go through the roller coaster of situations in their life. GV Prakash has done a neat job with the background score. Couple of shortfalls –  One, at times they have taken creative liberty to move the story to a desired sequence and other the message of good life existing beyond break ups have been repeated by almost every character which could have been avoided. If you are willing to ignore such minor glitches you will enjoy Raja Rani.

Must Watch – for all those who love Romantic drama!

 

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance

The Lunchbox

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The Lunchbox – is a Hindi drama released in 2013. A mistaken delivery of a lunchbox (dabba) by the dabbawala service in Mumbai helps an unhappy house wife Ila and an about to retire government servant and widower Saajan discover love and a soul mate in each other, when they start exchanging letters through the dabba.

The movie is not a fairy tale although the plot might seem like a stereo typical romance tale. The movie is very close to real life and many a times the audience would feel the “bite” of reality in the lunchbox. Irrfan Khan does a brilliant role as an old man about to retire. His body language, habits and everything he does convinces you of his portrayed age. Nimrat Kaur has performed decently. The characters of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a shameless young man getting trained as a successor for Irrfan, the aunty living in the top floor of Nimrat advising her like an oracle are brilliantly woven into the screenplay to reflect the various emotions the lead characters go through.  The director Ritesh Batra deserves a lot of credit for making a movie that stands out from the usual larger than life bollywood flicks and that captures the glimpse of life as it is. Cinematography by Michael Simmonds and music by Max Ritcher makes you feel that you are in midst of Mumbai witnessing the event… simply brilliant. Overall the lunchbox is served with mixed flavors of happiness and sadness in everyday life and it does not serve you dessert 🙂 The movie would do well with multiplex audience but may not appeal beyond the multiplexes as there are many dialogues in English. If you liked movies like Lost in Translation then this one is a must watch for you….!

Must Watch – for serious movie lovers

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro – is a Hindi satirical comedy film released in 1983. Two photographers get involved in bringing a construction scam to light in association with a press editor. As they start gathering evidence they realize that the number of people involved in the scam keeps increasing.

The movie is filled with satirical comedy that is relevant even in the present day scenario as well. The screenplay is still enjoyable even though it has been taken in 1983. The cast ensemble is very phenomenal as you would see in the initial credits many of the names have gone a long way to influence Bollywood in their own areas all these years. The highlight of the movie is its climax where in the characters become part of the Mahabharata stage play and it is a ROFL comedy that would be evergreen forever. The movie is known for its ending which you may not see in many of the comedy movies. The movie has become a cult classic and still has many followers. Recently the movie has been digitally remastered and released. You can buy the DVD and watch it and do share your comments with me.

Must Watch – for a brilliant screenplay!

 

Action, Can Skip it, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Thalaivaa

Thalaivaa – is a Tamil action drama starring Vijay. The story is about a youngster Vishwa who takes up the role of a local leader and don saving people living in the slum after learning about his father’s past and his assassination.

Director AL Vijay had a powerful story line inspired from movies like God Father, Nayagan and Sarkar (Hindi) which is tailor made for Vijay’s mass value. However the movie’s screenplay is a big let down and goes all over the place. The crux of the story is about Vishwa’s father his values and how his deeds and eventuality leads Vishwa to become an inspirational leader. However more than 90 minutes of the movie does not deal with this which is a huge distraction. Due to this the impact of the characters and the problem they are fighting for doesn’t stay with the audience throughout. You would feel that it is a combination of many of the Vijay’s earlier movies into one. Ardent Vijay fans would enjoy watching this as it has all the necessary ingredients that is present in all Vijay movies and there are few sequences that are done very well, for all others this would be a forgettable movie.

Can skip it – unless you are a Vijay Fan!

Biopic, Drama, Epic, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

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Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – A biopic of the famous Indian Athelete Milkha Singh who made India proud in athletics (running) and has won many medals for the country. He just missed the Olympic bronze by a whisker.

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra should be lauded for bringing the inspirational biopic of Milkha Singh on to the screen. The movie is inspirational and engaging right from the word go. The only dull moment in the film is when the plot deals with one of the dullest point of Milkha’s athletic career in Australian olympics which indeed makes it effective for the script. Prasoon Joshi has written the screen play very well and has told an incredible and compelling story. Farhan Akthar has lived as Milkha Singh. All his hard work and effort pays off as you never realize it is Farhan playing the role. Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy has made the story telling very powerful. The visuals and camera angles is very artistic. I couldn’t think of any short coming in the movie. I had always wanted more biopics to be made in Indian Cinema by Indian Film makers. This one is definitely a milestone in Indian Cinema and hope it inspires many film makers to make good biopics. For many of us who haven’t lived in the era when Milkha Singh was flying on the tracks this one is a chance to relive it. The theater turns itself into a stadium in the second half with audience cheering and applauding. We may already have the Oscar nominee for Indian film this year. Don’t miss this movie when it is in the theaters. Milkha is still breaking records and is set bag many medals (awards)…. Its not just a “Must Watch” but an Epic!

Epic – Get Inspired

Action, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Wait for DVD/TV

Singam II

Singam II – A top cop resigns to everyone’s surprise only to take up an undercover operation to arrest the criminals involved in smuggling drugs in the coastal area of Tamil Nadu. He has to manage the displeasure from his father for having resigned the job and overcome many obstacles caused by the criminals to bring justice.

A sequel to the successful movie Singam. It is nice to see the character Duraisingam on the silver screen again, Suriya has a very good screen presence and has done the role to perfection. Guess the director Hari had lot of doubts on the script’s ability to become as popular as the first part, he has tried to make it really big. There are four villains, 3 ladies who are acting as heroines (including Anjali who appears for an item song), 2 comedians and 1 hero. The end result he has struggled hard to have all of them have their fair share in the script and many a times the script deviates from the main plot. Also you would wonder why Suriya is so angry and shouting from the start of the movie.  In the end the movie ends up being bit “too” (II) much. Hari’s signature style of fast cuts, moving camera shots and rapid pace has been successful in hiding many of the short comings as you don’t have time to think. This could become a nice watch on TV after a Sunday afternoon sumptuous meal as you don’t have to think too much.

Wait for TV/DVD

Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies

Raanjhanaa

Raanjhanaa (Amibkapathy – Tamil) –  A local boy in Varanasi falls in love with a Muslim girl since his childhood… Soon he finds rest of his life, aspirations, dreams, love, pain everything limited to her (Bas Tum Tak…!)

Anand L Rai has given a very good story that is just not limited to a puppy love story. The first half of the movie is colorful and enjoyable, the cinematographer Natarajan Subramaniam brings the lively colors of Varanasi in front of your eyes… the second half of the movie has a serious tone and through the journey of Kundan and Zoya the director takes you through the current political affairs in the country. Love prevails in the end and stays immortal. Dhanush is a very appropriate selection for the movie and has essayed his character very well, Tamil audiences might have watched this in many of his movies. Abhay Deol is charismatic in the portion he plays. Anand hasn’t let any star cast over shadow the plot and the screen play but has the story lead the way all through. The life and soul for the movie is A.R Rahman’s musical score. Raajhanna would make you laugh, cry and think. It is a wholesome entertainer that will keep you engaged throughout… Go for it!

Must Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Ghanchakkar

Ghanchakkar – An expert in opening lockers and stealing money goes into retirement. He is affected by partial memory loss and one of the things he forgets is where he has hidden the money from his last heist.  He has to remember this and find the money as it also has the share of his accomplices.

Ghanchakkar is a slang word commonly used to refer to a dumb person although its literal meaning is to spin fast. The movie is crazy and dumb in parts as its title. If you go in with the expectation of a ROFL comedy you would be disappointed. Ghanchakkar is one such movie which comes once in a while completely whacky in the way it is executed and catches you off guard. . The movie is brilliant in parts particularly the heist sequence and the characters of Emraan Hasmi and Vidya Balan. The pace of the movie is slow, it gives you enough time to savor the humor as you move along. Many of which you might miss as they are subtle. Despite its slow pace the McGuffin  (I had written about this in my Friday Facts) keeps you engaged with the script. The ending is completely unexpected and be ready to be caught off guard… Overall the movie is all about the journey not the ending… Soon you would find two groups of people who would just love the movie or those who simply hate it… If you are open for “not the usual script with song and dance” then Ghanchakkar is watchable…

Watchable – for its difference from the usual!

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Theeya Vela Seyyanum Kumaru

Theeya Vela Seyyanum Kumaru – A boy who is not good at impressing girls takes the help of a consultant who is an expert in helping men woo women. Does he succeed in this remains the rest of the plot.

The plot has certain similarities to the Hollywood movie Hitch however director Sundar C has given a very well local adaptation that is enjoyable. In 1996 Sundar C directed a movie Ullathai Alli Thaa, a blockbuster that made people laugh out loud without worrying about any logic. Screen play based on comedy has been the home turf for Sundar C and he is very good at it. In between he shifted to movies centered around action which did not give him the same amount of success and accolades his comedy scripts had given. Glad to have him back on his home turf doing comedy scripts. After Kalakalappu he gives yet another movie that will make you laugh throughout if you are willing to not think too much about any logic around the incidents. The biggest risk had been Siddarth essaying the character of a boy next door as he already has an image of a romantic hero. However pleasantly he had played the role very convincingly. Santhanam is the life line for the script and he lights up the scenes very well. If you are a fan of movies like Ullathai Alli Thaa and Kalakalappu, you would enjoy this one as well. Watch it and have a hearty laugh!

Watchable

Drama, English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller, War

Inglourious Basterds

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Inglourious Basterds –  A film by Tarantino released in 2009 revolves around two plots that ultimately converge with each other. The story is set in 1944 when there is a group of Jewish soldiers known as Basterds are feared by the Nazis. A jewish girl in her late teens is running a cinema in Paris and has grudge against the Nazis. There is a German film planned to be premiered in the theater and Hitler is planning to attend it. Both the girl and the Basterds in parallel come up with plan to assassinate Hitler.  Will they succeed in their plan is the rest of the movie.

This is one of my all time favorite Tarantino movie. It has been executed brilliantly and there is never a dull moment in the movie. The bar scene where the ensemble are playing games although seem to be an uninteresting narration but the tension in the plot and the anticipation of what is going to happen next makes it a brilliant scene. Typical Tarantino style of having very insignificant foreground to a tension packed background plot (remember the conversation of Samuel Jackson and Travolta about McDonalds in the movie Pulp fiction). None other than Tarantino can make such interesting sequences. Brad Pitt has acted very well. The performance that stands out is that of Christopher Waltz… the performance was simply superb and no surprise that he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2010. For brilliant performances and narration style Inglourious Basterds is a Must Watch!

Must Watch

Crime, Drama, English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

The Departed

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The Departed – This is 2006  movie directed by Martin Scorsese.  It is a crime thriller where a police superintendent makes one of the new recruit to infiltrate the  drug trafficking gang. While the boss of the gang simultaneously makes one of the gangster infiltrate the police department. With moles in each group the plot gets interesting when both the boss and the police superintendent figure out the existence of moles in each of their groups. The rest of the movie is a race between them to uncover the moles faster than the other so that their own person in the other group is protected. What happens in the end is the rest of the plot. This movie is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs.

The movie has a very close resemblance to the original, including many of the camera angles. For a director like Martin Scorsese to do this, you know how well the original has been made. Like the original this also follows the 3 Act Play to the book as mentioned in my recent Friday Fact section. The movie has some brilliant casting with Matt Damon, Leornado DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg. The movie just gets much bigger due to its cast ensemble. Kudos to Martin Scorsese to bring such a movie again back to the screen with strong casting a true tribute to the original. The Departed went on to win the Academy Award for the best picture. For the brilliant casting and narration this is a must watch.

Must Watch

Crime, Drama, English Movies, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Thriller

Infernal Affairs

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Infernal Affairs – This is a Hong Kong movie directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.  It is a 2002 crime thriller where a police superintendent makes one of the new recruit to infiltrate the  drug trafficking gang. While the boss of the gang simultaneously makes one of the gangster infiltrate the police department. With moles in each group the plot gets interesting when both the boss and the police superintendent figure out the existence of moles in each of their groups. The rest of the movie is a race between them to uncover the moles faster than the other so that their own person in the other group is protected. What happens in the end is the rest of the plot.

I had promised you that I will write about a movie which has followed the 3 Act Play to the book as mentioned in my recent Friday Fact section. This is the one. It keeps you at the edge of the seat throughout. Its a well written screenplay and the complications build up very nicely leading to a phenomenal end to the story. The characters who has infiltrated the other group for more than a decade undergo identity crisis, which I thought was very brilliant thought by the director and it also helps in making the scheme of things very interesting. This movie is treated as a rebirth of Hong Kong cinema and went to win many awards in the Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony. The movie had been remade in multiple languages including The Departed in English and Homam in Telugu. Post the success of the movie Andrew Lau made a prequel Infernal Affairs II and a sequel Infernal Affairs III to the original which also had very good reception with the audience. For an engaging and thrilling script this movie is a must watch.

Must Watch