Delhi 6 – Review

Rang De Basanti was a super movie. There were a lot of expectations from Delhi 6. Unfortunately Rakesh Omprakash Mehra has got it all wrong this time.

 

Delhi 6 is about a young man coming back to his roots and deciding to stick on. Abhishek Bachchan plays the protagonist, who decides to bring his ailing grandmother back from America to her hometown, Delhi. Delhi 6 is the name of the area where they live. Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan) falls for the neighbourhood girl Bittu (Sonam Kapoor). Surprisingly she has acted well, although the chemistry between Roshan and her is non-existent.

 

Anyway, back to the plot. Roshan tries to get accustomed to the unusual Indian norms of living. Hindus and Muslims live happily together in the area until an unknown monkey man – you will recall the capital’s monkey man murders where a guy in a furry suit (or the abominable snowman with a tan, whichever pleases you) destroys the peace. The Hindus say that the man in the suit is Muslim and that’s the reason it killed an innocent Hindu girl and the Muslims say otherwise. Yes, however stupid this may sound, this is how the divide starts. Abhishek’s attempt to make sense fails — even he is accused of being biased. The movie needs no more explination because it’s boring.

 

AR Rehman has once again proved to be the saving grace — the music of Delhi 6 is fantastic, although it hasn’t been able to hold the film. There are a few good moments, but sadly that’s about it — they don’t last too long. This movie is no Saawariya or Drona, but I never expected it to get even close to those clunkers. The intention is good but the movie isn’t. Om Puri could have been given a larger role. Abhishek Bachchan is no Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan and it shows. Sonam Kapoor looks like the character she plays and I think she is the only one who has done justice to her role.

 

Overall, Delhi 6 fails to do what Rang De Basanti managed to do effortlessly. The good dialogues are few and lack essence. The director is capable of much more and let’s hope he makes a good one before going on vacation.

RishiO Meter 1.9/5

Billu Barber Review

Still in the process of collecting my thoughts. Billu Barber is a Shahrukh Khan/Irfan Khan starrer.

Watch out for this space. The review is coming soon!!!

DevD Review

Dev D is a movie that shouldn’t be missed. One of those films that you love so much that you want to watch it repeatedly — or hate as much as the bully from Class III. But then you grow up and get to college and that very same guy becomes your friend and you laugh about what happened back when you were kids. Did you get the analogy?

I loved it.

 

Most of us know the story of Devdas. A novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhaya, that stalwart of Bengali literature, it is world-renowned although most of us know that it’s a downer, spiraling into the death of its protagonist.

 

Dev D is a new spin on this classic tale. Abhay Deol plays Dev, a modern-day Richie Rich who hails from a khandani Punjabi household. Since childhood he has been outspoken and at most times annoyingly cheeky and his society-conscious father, fearing that he will prove an embarrassment to the family, decides to send him to London to study. Paro, Dev’s childhood sweetheart is played by newcomer Mahi Gill.

 

All grown up, a sexually charged Dev comes back from London and meets Paro. A passionate romance starts off from here. A family worker from the nearby fields tells Dev that he has had an affair with Paro. Dev’s sick and old-school I-want-an-untouched-woman mentality makes him believe is the story. He insults Paro and waits for no explanation. Paro gets married to a widower and Dev’s downfall begins.

 

Dev meets a prostitute Chanda, played by newcomer Kalki. Chanda falls in love with Dev but he thinks of no one else but Paro. He drowns himself in alcohol, ganja, LSD, ecstasy, coke and all kinds of drugs. Chanda keeps trying to win his heart over, but Dev just can’t get Paro out of his head. He gets drunks as usual one day and meets with an accident, killing seven people. Hailing from an affluent family, he manages to get interim bail. His unhappy ailing father dies. This is emotionally the lowest point in Dev’s life. After paying his respects to his father he returns to the city. He finishes all his money buying Coke and alcohol. Then comes the twist.

 

In Chattopadhyaya’s book, Devdas dies in the end. That’s the difference between Dev D and Devdas. Dev just misses being hit by a car. Realisation dawns upon him. His close proximity to death makes him believe that things can change. He goes to Chanda and tells her he wants to be with her.

 

Anurag Kashyap has shown the world what Indian cinema is capable of. Danny Boyle’s influence has rubbed off on him the right way. I believe that one has to change with the times and this change is delightfully acceptable. Abhay Deol has acted brilliantly. This outstanding work needs to be applauded. The whistles and claps in the theatres are merely a beginning. The cinematography defys the norms of film making text books but still manages to cease every moment with precision. The music is apt for this drama. There are 18 songs in this movie, but they are woven seamlessly into the fabric and only serve to enhance the overall experience. DevD is a celebration of Indian Cinema. Way to go Abhay Deol and Anurag Kashyap. Make more movies like these and we are sitting right here to experience them.

 

RishiO Rating – 4.4/5

Luck by Chance – Review

I’m going to write reviews without the spoilers from now on. Got a few hate mails from readers and I loved the feedback. Keep hating, I’ll keep writing.

 

Luck By Chance, directed by Zoya Akhtar is a story of a struggling actor trying to make it big in Bollywood. (I’m going to keep calling the Hindi film industry Bollywood, but some people are touchy about it – don’t know what I’m talking about? Watch the movie). The protagonist (Farhan Akhtar) hails from Delhi, just like our very own Shahrukh Khan. The dialogues are written by Javed Akhtar (all in the family). They are written very well. This is a predictable feel-good story.

 

Rishi Kapoor plays a typical Bollywood producer (Rolly) who delves in good luck charms and takes astrologers too seriously. He is the only funny character in the flick (along with Anurag Kashyap) Zoya has tried to create other comic caricatures, but I guess Sanjay Kapoor is not an actor. But Rishi Kapoor has done his bit brilliantly. 

 

The irony is that Zoya Akhtar has rightfully made fun of the whole film industry, their stupidity and wrong doings, but has unintentionally done the same things that she has made fun of. She has used her contacts (sounds cliché?) to rope in actors who charge a bomb to work for free in Luck by Chance. If not free, then for a nominal fee.

 

If you hand this same script to another talented director, he wouldn’t be able to make it quite as well because it requires a lot more than just Farhan Akhtar. Without daddy Javed’s legacy, Hritik, Shahrukh and Kareena wouldn’t have appeared in it. Anurag Kashyap’s cameo, though, is the best — he is superb. He should take up acting seriously.

 

5 Q theory:

 

Q1. Should you watch this movie?

A1. Yes ( Don’t spend more than Rs 150 on a ticket)

 

Q2. Why?

A2. The movie is good, but not great. It’s also long.

 

Q3. Have the actors acted well?

A3. Farhan Akhtar and Rishi Kapoor are great. Konkona is alright. Isha Sherwani — who is she?

 

Q4. Will the movie make money?

A4. Yes. This is not a box office killer, but will manage to recover and make a few bucks for Zoya to party with.

 

Q5. Are there irritating bits?

A5. Yes. With all big daddy’s children roping in big actors, the special appearances are not special anymore.

 

RishiO Meter – 2.9/5