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shrinivas_venkatesh
Reviews
Natarang (2010)
Rennaisance for the Marathi Film Industry!!
Marathi actors have never been short of talent. Unfortunately, the industry has been degenerating gradually, possible because of talented actors moving to bollywood, lower investments, etc. However, with films like Zenda, Harishchandrachi Factory and Natarang, one can safely say the industry has been resuscitated. Atul Kulkarni, Kishore Kadam and the others leave you spellbound with their performances. Their performances are so mezmerising, that you will find yourself watching a stage performance. The direction is not flawless, particularly in the last few minutes, where you get the impression that the director was tired. However the tightly written script and gripping story keep you on the edge for most of the time. The actors too must be credited for the perfect oration of Rural Marathi. Hats off to Ajay-Atul for their exceptional background score and music. The depiction of lavni & tamasha was maybe a bit too over-the-top. Overall, Natarang is an OUTSTANDING film!!
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Average Stuff!!
The other day i was to see SM and honestly seeing the critic's reviews, I thought I will be in for a treat. But trust me, I walked out of the theater quite disappointed. Considering the fact that the film was raved so much that it got 5 on 5 stars by one critic, I really coudn't agree that it was justified. I must say, that some aspects of the film are quite perplexing. Well, how does a bloke, speaking in Hindi for most of the time suddenly speak in English. another bad part is that the script doesn't throw light on things like how Latika reaches the brothel etc. What irritated me the most about this film is that the writer plays with the intelligence of the audience. I say this because most of what you see, simply defies logic. What saddens me is that Danny Boyle paints a very grim picture of India. I would like to prove that with the following examples. 1. The director portrays police as inhuman. But sir, in that case making a film on Guatenamo Bay would yield you better results. 2. The director focuses on how kids are made into beggars. I know places in USA where kids are trained to smuggle drugs. 3. The director shows how little girls are forced into prostitution. In that case, you should make a film on Holland, where prostitutes solicit customers from railway stations and airports. On the whole Danny is quite chauvinistic and doesn't focus on positive things about India. The silver lining is a tremendous performance by Dev Patel. This guy is one for the future. He simply blows you away with his cheeky, yet confident form of acting. The other actors too perform marvelously. Great screenplay and great cinematography are highlights of this film. On the whole, i would say SM is okay for watching once, yet you can't help but feel that this is a glorified masala movie and not one fit for the Oscars of Golden Globe.
Golmaal Returns (2008)
Case of a Beautiful Building on a Bad Foundation!!
Pros:1.Great performances by Shreyas and Tushar. Tushar brings a smile on your face with his antics. 2.Crisp dialogues are a highlight of this film. 3.Ajay Devgan essays his role very well. 4.On the whole, very funny film. Cons:1.A very weak script spoils the film. 2.Film is dragged in the second half. 3.Some characters are unnecessary. 4.Arshad Warsi is wasted. 5.Music is one dimensional. Verdict: Overall, it is an entertaining film to say the least. However, some poor editing and bad script writing are blemishes on the film. To cut a long story short, GR is NOT a worthy sequel to Golmaal-1. You can watch it, if pure humour and baseless entertainment is your cup of tea.
Om Shanti Om (2007)
A Case of All Smoke, but No Fire!
OSO has rocked in the box office, but in my opinion, it is not as good as much as it was hyped. The film, though entertaining did not fulfill my expectations. Considering SRK in Chak De!, it is a disappointing performance. Deepika certainly performed well in her debut film. Arjun Rampal and Shreyas Talpade performed brilliantly. Farah Khan's direction is commendable. I feel directing such films are tough, but she has done it beautifully. No doubt that OSO's music is the best in 2007. Vishal-Shekhar's music is too good. Backgrownd score by Sandeep Chowta too is superb. Editing by Shrish Kunder could have been better. In my opinion, SRK's 6 pack abs did the film a world of good. But OSO is certainly not as good as Jab We Met.
Jab We Met (2007)
One of Bollywood's best love stories!
Honestly, I am not a big fan of love stories. But JWM is certainly one of the best films I have seen. What I like most is the story and script. I feel JWM has a fresh look towards romance. It is not the typical love story where boy loves girl, family doesn't agree, boy tries to convince father and succeeds. There is no doubt that this is Shahid's best performance and he has succeeded in doing justice to his role. Kareena's performance too is sparkling. Music and background score is OK. Direction by Imtiaz Ali is exceptional. The way he narrates the story is impeccable. The editor too needs a special mention. He has made sure that this film is not dragged. Many love stories like Salaam-e-Ishq have fail because of poor editing. In all, JWM is a terrific film, and definitely one of the best films in 2007.
Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006)
Outstanding!!!
Khosla ka Ghosla is one of the best films in 2006. But because of its simple cast, it has been underrated and has not got the recognition it deserves. In fact, before I went for the movie, I myself thought that this was a bore. It is a beautiful and realistic film. There is simple humour, which just helps in 'digesting' the plot. The good thing is that all the actors, (even the ones speaking just one or two dialogues) give a superb performance. Anupak Kher acts really well. I have no words to describe Boman Irani's acting. He is amazing. he just does not act the same in any movie. I also liked Navin Nischol's acting a lot. Apart from that, Parvin Dabas, Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey give terrific performances. Dibakar Banerjee has directed the film beautifully. It is beautifully paced. Every scene is an important scene in the film. It is not dragged. As far as music is concerned, music is not really needed. But I think Bapi-Tutul and Dhruv Dhalla gave superb background score. KKG just reinforces the fact that there is no dearth of acting talent in India, just that one must not go for a film just because it has a star cast. A star would have taken the simplicity of the film. In short, KKG is an awesome film, and one which everybody will relish.
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006)
Bad Movie!
What can I say. A Kamal Hassan movie being horrible. He acts very well, but it is a horrible story, along with horrible direction. In my kind opinion, the director Gautham Menon must give up directing. There is a lot of tragedy throughout the movie. Apart from that, one can just not believe how true were those horrendous crimes. There was no practicality in the movie. Gautham is just running out of stories. But both Kamal Hassan and Jyothika act really well. The villains look too ugly, though their performance was not bad. I do not think this is a Sunday afternoon movie like Padayappa which you can see with the family. You will not get sleep seeing this movie!! However, Harris Jayaraj again did a great job, and that is why I have given this movie 4 out of 10. His song 'Partha Modail Nallae' is soulful and soothing. Apart from that, great cinematography. On the whole, this is just a bad, bad movie. Kamal Hassan, I think, should have rejected this movie.
Rang De Basanti (2006)
Great film!!!
Brilliant film!!! A great story, backed up by great direction, screenplay and music. The plot too, is highly inspiring. If I can be critical of it, it is that it has a very tragic and abrupt end; and a 'negative' plot. But it is simply great and it is a film which speaks the truth. The ending is very sad. It could have been made as the protagonist winning an award for exposing a corruption scandal. Instead of killing the politician, the film could have been made showing the politician being caught red handed. As far as acting is concerned, this is arguably(or inarguably) Aamir Khan's best performance. All the supporting actors too, play an important role. And music.. Great music from Rahman. And last but not the least, great direction, story, script, diologues, screenplay and cinematography.