lamaanhamid Reviews

Malena (2000)

The Burden of Beauty

[8/10 · 24 August 2010]

Although mellowed by a narrative through the eyes of an adolescent, Malena is a movie that attempts to critique the savagery inherent in the 'civilized' society of men. Through the story, the viewer is shown the cruelty that people are capable of as a collective unit, with each individual playing a small part. It attempts to lay bare the gross hypocrisy and fragile morals that hide just beneath the surface.

Malena is also a discourse on beauty, and its brutal power. The feverish lust it produces in a man, and the severe and horrible envy in a woman. The viewer's feelings of appreciation for Malena's beauty are slowly overtaken by a feeling of utter despair for Malena's beauty, which is the cause of all her woes.

Technically the film is true to its period - a small Italian village that passes through the crisis of the 2nd World War. The story unfolds through the eyes of a young boy, who carries us along on a journey of lust, love and maturity. We watch helplessly as his innocent perspectives about life are jarred by the realities of society, while he watches helplessly the misfortunes of the beautiful Malena.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Too much hype, not enough matter.

[6/10 · 24 January 2009]

The only reason I can think of due to which Slumdog Millionaire has won various awards is that the competition is seriously lacking. I enjoyed the movie, but not all of it.

I must give full credit to the children who have performed in the movie, they are the ones who deserve a nomination/award. Bombay is shot beautifully, exposing the harsh reality of slum life. It is realistic and gripping. Then the children grow up, this for me was the turning point in the film. Patel, in the lead role was expressionless and irritating. I still cannot understand the Hindi (with subtitles) to English transition in the dialogue, and where for the love of god did the accents come from? (particularly those of Anil Kapoor & Freida Pinto, who hail from the Indian subcontinent).

The entire story after the first half was unimpressive. There was no chemistry between the lead characters, probably due to lack of acting experience.I do not understand the ideology of the casting director for casting an NRI as the 'slumdog millionaire'. He does not suit the role at all. Irrfan Khan/Mahesh Manjrekar have not been used well. A R Rahman probably deserves every bit of the acclaim that he is receiving, but this movie is definitely not his best. For anyone planning to watch 'Slumdog', my advice is not to go with high expectations.

Dasvidaniya (2008)

It is difficult to be simple

[8/10 · 13 December 2008]

I was definitely in two minds before watching Dasvidaniya, primarily due to two reasons:

• The plot which seemed to be tending towards a tragedy (on the basis of the title and trailers)

• The mellow reaction from people who had seen the movie and the majority that had not

I must say that I do not regret my decision at all.

Dasvidaniya is touching without trying to be a tear jerker. The humor is enjoyable and subtle. The director conveys an important message without making the movie heavy. Dasvidaniya is deep yet light and refreshingly different, which is what I liked most about it. Vinay Pathak has done a great job with a very sensitive yet solid performance while the supporting cast fits in perfectly.

Dasvidaniya leaves the audience with that simple yet powerful message of 'Life is beautiful', I recommend the movie to everyone.

Manorama: Six Feet Under (2007)

Classic detective story

[8/10 · 26 October 2008]

I saw 'Manorama - six feet under' recently, and I must say, it was far better than I had expected. The style is slightly influenced by Chinatown, to which the director pays a short tribute by showing a scene from Chinatown itself, ironically with Polansky (The Director of Chinatown) in a cameo appearance.

There are only a few characters in the film and the actors have done complete justice to their respective roles. The movie stretches a bit longer than one might have liked, but still manages to hold the attention of the audience throughout. The plot is the good old classic detective mystery molded to suit the Rajasthan backdrop. The story has hardly any loopholes and has well sketched out characters in varied shades of Grey. There are enough twists and turns, a must for any detective story, and thankfully, some are quite unpredictable.

On the whole a movie definitely worth watching.