Movie Review: Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi

Hindi Film Review
By Subhash K Jha
Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi
Starring Sonu Sood, Isha Koppikar, Alok Nath, Smita Jaykar, Vishal Malhotra
Directed by Kaushik Ghatak
Rating: * ½
Nobility as a quality in cinema seems almost the hallmark of Sooraj Barjatya's cinema. Specially during these times of stress cynicism and violence, any film that doesn't belch out venomous fumes is worthy of applause.
But wait. Before we cheer Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi for walking the straight and narrow road, let's warned. The route taken by the narration looks like a poor tame tepid and technically shoddy facsimile of Anil Ganguly's Tapasya(which was produced by Barjatya) and more recently, the Barjatya-directed Vivaah which won extra points for its elegant and fluent simplicity of narration.
Director Kaushuk Ghatak takes us through Barjatya's joint-family system . Yes . even the infamous gaajar ka halwa makes its mouth-watering appearance somewhere at the start during the first wedding that rolls our the well-'read' Barjatya carpet at the start.
Yup, the film begins and ends with elaborate weddings replete with the whole cast plus sundry junior artistes dressed in garish pinks, mauves and greens prancing to the sound of festivities.
But somewhere this prolonged music-video Vivaah lacks the graceful zing of the other Shahid Kapoor-Amrita Rao film two years ago which had enough meals and morning walks to make our digestive system feel balanced- out.
Ek Vivaah…. is lopsided in its fervent festivity. The first-half where a romance grows between two small-town singers Sonu Sood and Isha Koppikar graons and creaks with monotonous semi-classical songs.
The music (Ravindra Jain) is simply awful. Jain had done the songs and music in the original film Tapasya. One still remembers Kishore Kumar's theme song Jo raah chuni tuney with goosebumpy affection.
The songs and music in Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi are dreadfully dull. The film gets by on the strength of Bengali litterateur Ashapurna Devi's powerful story of a self-willed woman who sacrifices marriage to look after her siblings.
Parts of the second-half capture the emotional aroma of the original story. Specially effective is the relationship between the spinster and her devoted soul mate who refuses to marry any other girl. Suchitra Sen and Ashok Kumar shared a similar platonic rapport in Asit Sen's Mamta. And so did Raakhee Gulzar and Parikshat Sahni in Tapasya. They had the spirit.
Isha Koppikar and Sonu Sood are sincere. But they lack the gravity and ingrained wisdom and dignity required to portray lives that go beyond selfinterest.
What works for this Vivaah is its intrinsic integrity. At a time when everyone is making films that either go for the guffaw or head for the libido here's a film that tackles very basic traditional values and the feelings underlining the colourful festivities related to the Hindu wedding. The language is often so oldfashioned that it borders on the archaic.
But at least nobody is acting over-smart.

Rock On :Review

ROCK ON!! is already making a mark with audiences, with its innovative and fresh concept since the trailers hit the screens. Multifaceted Farhan Akthar is turning actor with ROCK ON!! After wearing multiple hats of being a director, producer, story, screenplay and dialogue writer. He has made three diverse films like DIL CHAHTA HAI, LAKSHYA and DON - THE CHASE BEGINS AGAIN and is now all set to be seen in an altogether different role with ROCK ON!! The film is directed by Abhishek Kapoor, produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the banner of Excel Entertainment and presented with Big Pictures.
With an impressive track record of producing hit soundtracks together, Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, Javed Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar have now created another power packed album in ROCK ON!!. The album consists of nine tracks, of which Farhan Akhtar has sung five, himself.
The film is about four rock stars played by Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny and Farhan himself. The film is set on a medium budget and also marks the big screen debut of TV starlet Prachi Desai.
To give the film and its characters authenticity, the actors underwent personalized training for their portrayal of the band members. Purab Kohli trained with Lindsay D'Mello on drums, Arjun Rampal trained with Chandresh from the band 'Dream out Loud', Luke Kenny worked with Loy and Farhan trained with Shankar for vocals and Ehsaan for rhythm guitar.
Synopsis :
In 1998, rock music had a shot in the arm with the emergence of Grunge. The voice of teenage angst found an audience across the globe and rock music seemed like it was on the threshold of becoming the leader in mainstream music.
'Magik' was one such band that wished to ride this wave.
Aditya Shroff, a bohemian wild boy from Delhi who left the comforts of his parents' home to chase his dream of becoming a singer in a rock band. He is the lead singer of 'Magik'
Joe Masceranous, an Idealist. He hails from a family of failed musicians and hence feels the pressure of not succumbing to the legacy. A man of few words and lets his guitar do the talking. He is the lead guitarist of the band.
Kedar Zaveri, prefers to be known as KD "Killer Drummer, On stage it may look like he is slamming those drums with a vengeance but actually, he's only just breathing. He is the heart of 'Magik'
Rob Nancy, the laid back quiet fence sitter of the band. Just to experience the moment of his creation was to be in the presence of something truly ethereal.
This story about the 4 young friends who put together the greatest band this country had ever seen but never made it.
Years later fate conspires to bring them together again and sets them on a journey back to where they left off. A soul searching pilgrimage into their past.
Just like an old Indian saying, if one dies without fulfilling a cherished dream he will be reborn to have another shot at it.
The 4 of them came from different walks of life but when they jammed together they were 'One'.
If Aditya was the mind then Joe was the will, Kd the heart and Rob the soul... Together they were... 'Pure Magik'
So let's rock on with the music till 29th August, when the film hits screens worldwide.

The Last Lear ¬watch it

Shakespeare meets Hindi cinema in Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, an extremely moving tale of about actors, human beings and relationships. The film is not about Shakespeare, but the Bard is never absent from the scene. He lives through the character of Harry or Harish Mishra, a retired stage actor, played to perfection by Amitabh Bachchan. The film tells the tale of two obsessed human beings, one with cinema and the other with acting. When the two come together, the result is something quite unforeseen. Like all of Rituparno's works, this movie too is layered deep with subtexts which hover around the main plot. Like all of his cinema, this movie too is rich in imagery and the manner in which each scene is textured with nuances and meanings. It is an extremely subjective experience watching Rituparno's films, but one thing is for sure, one is never left unmoved by the human drama that is played out in them.
The film is about a retired stage actor, talented and whimsical, one who is the protégé of a dying art form, Shakespearean drama, and the other a prodigy of the new breed of cinema. Both are talented, obsessed and quite ruthless where their art is concerned. Arjun Rampal plays Siddharth, the director and does a great job of holding his own against the Big B at his towering best. When these two colossal talents meet, art emerges but at the cost of Hari's life. Woven around this is the story of Shabnam, an actress (Preity Zinta), Nandana, Hari's mistress (Shefali Shah) and the nurse (Divya Dutta). The film begins in flashback as Siddharth's film is being premiered while Hari, the main protagonist of the film lies paralysed in bed. Shabham decides to go to meet Hari instead of attending the premiere and meets an initially hostile and fiery Nandana. The two women bond gradually as they sit through the night and talk about Hari, and of their lives. Hari's life and the film shoot is unfolds through the eyes of three people, Hari's mistress, his co-star and a young journalist, who is writing a book on the film's making. Filtered through these three individuals emerges the vibrant, at times absurd and naive, but always wedded to his art, character of Hari. His insistence on enacting his death scene for the film, which ironically proves to be his last turn as an actor, as he is injured in the scene and is paralysed, perhaps for ever. Hari is obsessed about enacting his death scene, it's his dedication to his art which spurs him on to do that fatal scene. Siddharth accepts after making him sign a bond which releases the film maker and his crew from any responsibility in case Hari is injured during the shoot. His ruthless obsession for getting that perfect shot ensures that Hari never walks again. It's a drama in which both individuals are driven by their obsessive dedication to their art, but while there is something pure and innocent about the actor's pursuit of his craft, the director's compulsions reek of ruthlessness. There is no regret for Siddharth but the others associated with the film are left shaken by the accident.
Built into this drama is the story of Shabnam, involved in an emotionally abusive relationship, which finds a parallel in the story of the nurse as well. Nandana lives in her silent, big house, with no one to take out her frustrations on but the hapless nurse. Rituparno builds a compelling drama around the story of Hari, the maverick, Shabnam, Siddharth and Nandana. The film is shot beautifully, with every shot having an organic connection to the whole. The movie unfolds with just the right amount of pace and rhythm. The background score is a subtle player, enhancing the emotional quality of the scenes. The story may not be very strong but what is strong is the film's screenplay and the manner in which the entire drama unfolds. The casting is apt and perfect, be it the Big B, Arjun Rampal, Shefali Shah, Preity Zinta or Divya Dutta. Each of these actors manage to get into the skin of their character and deliver the goods. It's truly an ensemble performance.
Amitabh Bachchan is terrific as Hari. His towering personality and booming voice are just apt for the role of the ageing stage actor. The manner in which he delivers soliloquies from Shakepeare's plays is just terrific, be it Prospero from The Tempest or Lear from King Lear, it is truly like watching a dying craft from one of our most accomplished actors around. Bachchan shares an excellent screen chemistry with Preity and Arjun Rampal, who manages to hold is own against him. Arjun puts in a very confident performance as Siddharth. First there was Om Shanti Om, then Rock On and now The Last Lear. Arjun Rampal is definitely emerging as an actor to watch out for.
But the show stealers are definitely the women, with Shefali Shah leading the brigade. Her body language, her modulation and her expressions are a treat to watch as she hooks the audience into her life with her powerhouse performance. Divya Dutt does not have much to say, but the manner in which she delivers is also riveting. Preity plays a very unglamorous character, perhaps for the first time, and does a very good job of it too. The beauty of the film is the manner in which it has been written, with each character carefully delineated. The dialogues are perfect, mostly in English, with a smattering of Bengali. In all, this is very moving and poignant drama. Finally, hats off to Rituparno for his masterly direction. The Last Lear bears his signature all the way.

Singh is Kinng

Few days ago ,i.e~ on last Friday, I catch weekend in a Mumbai's multiplex ,, & just after backing from the show I post a question on Facebook :"Can Singh is Kinng back my money?
And today according to a data [Copy:Indiancinema.com] ->"The Akshay Kumar-starrer Singh Is Kinng, which hit theatres on 8 August, has garnered Rs 595 million worldwide. Also, the film has emerged as the biggest Bollywood opener at the box-office overseas.
"While the film has grossed Rs 450 million in India, the overseas collections of Singh Is Kinng stands at Rs 145 million," said Studio 18 domestic distribution head Aman Gill.
"The film is definitely doing very well. Within three days at Cine max, the film has grossed approximately Rs 25 million, 35 per cent higher than all past records," added Cinemax VP marketing, programming Devang Sampat.
The film saw a simultaneous release in Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Mauritius, Fiji, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Australia and New Zealand, among other countries.
Distributed on 275 prints in these markets, Singh Is Kinng mopped up approximately Rs 120 million in its opening weekend.
Released with 112 prints in North America, including 28 in Canada, the film popped open to a response ringing up an estimated Rs 50.74 million.
In UK and Ireland, on 70 prints, it grossed Rs 5.04 million on its previews and notched Rs 34.74 million over the weekend, taking its cumulative to Rs 39.8 million and placing it at No.7 in the UK Top 10 chart.
The film was released on 33 prints in the Middle East where it has grossed approximately Rs 23.25 million.
The film has performed far better than any other movies, breaking the record of the other hits of the year, including Jodha Akbar and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.
As reported on Indiantelevision.com earlier, Aamir Khan Productions' Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na grossed Rs 270 million in India and around Rs 50.8 million overseas within a span of ten days of its release while UTV's Jodhaa Akbar had garnered Rs 385 million during its opening weekend.
Singh Is Kinng, produced by Vipul Shah's Blockbuster Movies, features Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, supported by Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Sonu Sood and Javed Jaffrey. It is an Indian Films-Studio 18 release