Reviews

It seems Ganguli brothers were a huge fan of Marx Brothers Movies and that's what their source of inspiration was when they made "Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi". But the inspiration is limited only to the idea of all three brothers acting in a musical and a comical thriller. The movie is a showcase of talents of ever talented brothers Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and specifically Kishore Kumar. Watch him singing melodious "Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi si", naughty "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka", hilarious "Paanch Rupaiya Barah Aana" or mad cap "Hum The Woh Thi". If there ever was a true all rounder in Indian Cinema, it was the Singer, Composer, Writer, Director and Actor Kishore Kumar and arguably he is the only Genius that bollywood has ever produced. Almost 20 years now that he died of a heart attack but you can still see his style reverberating amongst the new generation of performers.

When Basu Bhattacharya directed this movie he was a new comer whereas Raj Kapoor was already a successful and well established director. Waheeda Rehman, in one of her interviews, narrated how Raj Kapoor would fret and confide in Waheeda "what is this guy doing, he should do this scene in this way" etc. and Waheeda would tell him to forget it and let the director do it as per his vision. I wonder how the movie would have shaped if Basu had heard all of Raj Kapoor's suggestions. No idea, but this is my favorite Basu Bhattacharya and Raj Kapoor movie. It moves at a leisurely pace establishing the ambiance and characters very firmly. Although color was available in those days but the movie was made in black and white for the right effect. Raj Kapoor as a innocent and simple minded bullock cart driver and Waheeda as a village nautanki dancer are amazing at best and their relationship which was doomed from the beginning is the stuff that classics are made of. The movie was crowned with the president's award that year and remains one of the great classics of our times.

This movie really shook me and made me question my beliefs. No, it did not turn me from a pro-capital punishment to an anti-capital punishment or vice versa but it did present an alternate view point and very powerfully indeed. Although, I do not have any sympathy for the character played by Sean Penn but it surely did make me feel compassionate about another human being put to death no matter how terrible he was.

Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn really played there parts with utmost conviction and I was glued to TV set from the very beginning till the last credits rolled on the screen. And when I got up I knew that I was a different person, different from the person who had started watching the movie 2 hours ago.

If someone asked me to recommend something funny and enjoyable, probably this will be the first movie that i will recommend. I myself have watched it several times, sometimes from the beginning and sometimes just from any scene randomly but it never fails to amuse and entertain me and i always get up feeling good. I think a court room drama blended with humor works really great in this one. The dialogs are really funny and the situations at times are hilarious and last but not the least Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei's performance and the chemistry as a couple is amazing.

I am sure with so many repeats everyone must have seen it tens of times already but if you haven't you might want to check it out. Don't expect a great movie but this is a sure shot entertainer guaranteed to give you your evening's worth.

I thought sitcoms had reached their peak with Seinfeld and that I would never like anything else as much as I liked Seinfeld but this proved me wrong. OK, maybe not as good as Seinfeld but 'the office' has it's own style, it's own pace and it's own brilliance.

The show is hilarious but not without it's moments of uncomfortable or that uneasy feeling that makes you wonder if it is a comedy at all. You dislike David Brent as you should but then there are times that you do feel sympathetic towards him. Writing is excellent, characters are real and the mocumentary style works wonders for the show. Ricky Gervais the guy to watch out for.

Every second person you meet these days wants to make a movie. If Nagesh Kukunoor can do it why can't you and I? And that is why Hyderabad Blues is such an important film. It proved that you do not need unlimited money and unaffordable stars to make a hit film. Sometimes all you need is some savings, a good script, supportive friends and a good amount of passion.

Nagesh, it seems left his job in US, came back to Hyderabad and made this small budget movie. Not expecting any great returns, he sold this film to DD which showed it in three parts on DD3 and that is when I caught it the first time. I didn't even know that it was a movie and I just started watching it. It was as if someone like me was trying to say something and on his own terms. Found it very charming and made sure that I watched the next 2 parts as well. I think the feedback must have been encouraging so it was released in theater's on a small scale so watched it again and liked it again. Word of mouth spread and it caught on so watched again with some friends and liked it again. Have seen it quite a few times now and I never get bored.

Yes, it is like a home video and the editing is crude and all that but that is the whole point. It opened a new avenue of small budget movies and showed that there are innumerable possibilities.

Yeah yeah, I know that it is overtly sentimental and the kind of film that you feel embarrassed to admit that you liked but what the heck? I think sometimes it's good to drop your guards, just be yourself and enjoy whatever it is even if it means wetting a couple of tissues. But having said this, I think the sentiments shown in the movie are quite genuine and at least I didn't feel that I was watching a mush.

I have always felt that true teachers, the ones that really inspire you, could be counted on your fingers of your left hand. Richard Dreyfuss plays one such music teacher who would not hesitate to play rock n roll in a class of classical music, if it helps his students to understand and appreciate music better. Richard Dreyfuss is absolutely convincing in this role of Mr. Holland that spans 30 years of his career.

Actually Mr. Holland is a composer who has taken up teaching just to pay his bills. He wants to be rich and famous and has been working on a symphony that would help him achieve that but that's not how it turns out to be. He is not rich and not famous, certainly not outside his small community. Is he a failure? The story of our lives (at least most of us).

As a kid I thought Charlie Chaplin could be very funny but now I know that he could be very sad as well and at the same time. All his films although funny on surface have melancholic undercurrents and that's what probably makes him one of the most influential filmmakers of our times.

When this movie came out, some felt that it was badly done and some felt that it was in bad taste but over the years it has acquired the status of a great classic and a great satire. It seems Hitler, who sported Chaplin mustache in his efforts to be loved and admired like Chaplin, watched this movie twice and Chaplin later admitted "I would give anything to find out what he thought about the movie". We can only guess and wouldn't be very wrong in thinking he must have hated it and would have thrown Chaplin in one of his concentration camps if only he could lay his hands on him somehow.

Hynkel with that globe balloon is hilarious and the last speech by the Jewish Barber brings tears.

What I like best about Hitchcock movies is that his hero was never a super spy or a super cop. He was an ordinary man who would get into trouble either due to a case of mistaken identity or something like that but he would come out of this trouble by courage and intelligence that he never even knew it existed and just by plain luck. As far as this concept is concerned, this movie is no different from other Hitchcock's but what I like about this film is that it is also very funny which makes it an excellent 'comedy thriller'. Hitchcock had a very good sense of humor as well, which is very apparent in this film.

Of course that crop duster sequence is marvelously shot and I loved that scene in the auction house and who can forget that famous climax at the Mt. Rushmore. One of my favorite Hitchcocks.

The partition not only affected those who were displaced but also those who decided to stay back. And the minorities who decided to stay back amongst the majorities found themselves in a strange situation; suddenly they were outsiders in their own country and people viewed them with suspicion. 'Garam Hawa' deals with such issues with great sensitivity and perhaps is one of the best movies ever made on post partition.

Salim Mirza, brilliantly played by Balraj Sahney, is one such Muslim who stays back in India. India is a new democracy and has its problems of poverty and unemployment and Salim Mirza and his family has to fight to find its identity and respect in the country they chose not to leave. Sikandar, played by Farooq Shaikh, is Salim Mirza's unemployed son who is often told on his face that he might have a better chance in Pakistan but like his father he is determined. The family suffers a great deal for its decision but doesn't give up. I am sure everyone who was present during those days can identify with something in this story.

The grandmother wanting to die in her ancestral home and her whole life flashing before her eyes before she dies is an unforgettable scene.

Dr. Strangelove must be the best political satire to have come out during the cold war era. As the president puts it to the soviet premier "one of our base commanders went little funny in his head and did a silly thing". Apparently the silly thing that president is talking about is that this commander ordered his planes to attack Soviet Union and drop the hydrogen bomb. As a deterrent, Soviet Union has a doomsday device which, if attacked, will automatically get triggered ending the world and both the processes are irreversible of course.

The conversation between the president and the soviet premier has to be one of the funniest that I have heard. The statement "gentlemen, you cannot fight in a war-room" should be taught in colleges as an example of irony. Peter sellers in a triple role is absolutely amazing. It is ominous, it is dark and it's hilarious.

I was so fascinated by Tom Ripley's character that I watched this movie again and again. There was something about him that I felt sympathetic towards on one hand and gave me the creeps on the other. Sympathetic because in more than one ways he is like you and me. He wants to be rich, he wants approval and he is may be just an opportunist. Creepy because he latches on like a leech, he can't take rejection and though he doesn't plan but once he assumes the identity of someone else he can go to any extent to keep that. Actually one can identify with the character so much that it's almost scary to look inside your dark corners.

Matt Damon played this three-dimensional character so well that I almost became a huge fan of his. Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, whose identity Tom Ripley steals was very good as well. The movie is shot in Italy, moves at a leisurely speed and is very atmospheric. One of my all time favorite thrillers.

How do you feel when you create something so beautiful but you can't take the credit for it? How painful it must be when and you have to let someone else take the highest award for your creation? Well, Dalton Trumbo got the credit and an academy award for the screenplay of 'Roman Holiday' 40 years after the movie and almost 20 years after he had died of a heart attack. What a tragedy!

This was Audrey Hepburn's first major motion picture for which she received an academy award as well. One of the most beautiful and graceful actresses of our times who plays the role of Princess Ann who sneaks out one night during her official visit to Rome. Her encounter with Joe Bradley, a reporter for an American newspaper is what becomes her "roman holiday". Most of the film was shot in Rome at real locales and has a wonderful feel to it. I was looking at some Piaggio brochure and it was mentioned against one of the models 'Audrey Hepburn rides this model in roman holiday', that's the kind of pride Vespa Piaggio takes about the fact that they were a part of this movie. That sure was a very beautiful scene and sticks in your mind like so many others in the movie.

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn together looked fabulous in this one. Easily one of my all time favorite movies.

I still remember the night i finished reading 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest', it disturbed me so much that I couldn't sleep well. It hit me really hard like nothing had hit me before. Now, I agree that movie is not as effective as the book but then it is not fair to compare a 300 page book to a 2 hour movie. The characters' inner feelings or inner thoughts for eg, that you can so very well describe in a book gets a little tricky to show in a film. But despite of the intrinsic limitation I think Mr. Forman did a very good job in adapting the book into a movie which is a great movie in every sense.

The story on the surface is about an asylum, a control freak nurse and a rebellious new inmate who doesn't want to conform but below the surface it obviously is about any authoritarian society. Jack Nickolson got an Oscar for his portrayal of rebellious Mcmurphy, a role that was cut out for him. To me, this is one of the best anti-establishment work to have come out during that era.

The story goes that Gulzar wanted to make a movie on Ghalib with Sanjeev Kumar. Naseer, an unknown in those days, was still in NSD and he wrote to Gulzar that only he could play Ghalib and that he should wait for him. The movie was stalled due to untimely death of Sanjeev Kumar and it was years later that Gulzar decided to make it as a serial. When Naseer was offered the role it was like a dream come true for him. I don't know if Sanjeev Kumar, a fabulous actor no doubt, would have played Ghalib better but what I do know is that Naseer became Ghalib himself. When I think of Ghalib I think of Naseer. Without a doubt, he is one of the greatest actors of our times.

I watched this serial when it was aired on TV but I missed couple of episodes here and there. I again tried to catch it on re-runs years later but again it was difficult to be in front of TV on a particular day every week so again I could catch only few episodes here and there. Couple of months ago I got the DVD and watched all the episodes back to back in just 2 days. This has to be one of the greatest serials to come out of Indian television in every aspect. Great script, great direction and great performances and despite of a modern treatment, great music.

Although I am big fan of David lean but somehow this movie remained unseen for a long time. Maybe I was afraid that it won't live up to the expectations and it was like "yeah I will watch it sometime". And when I did finally watch it, I kicked myself for not having watched it earlier. Over 200 minutes of movie but it was as if I never wanted it to get over.

Based on the life of a Controversial British Officer T.E. Lawrence who helped Arabs fight Turks during World War I, this movie is a master piece in every aspect. No words can describe the brilliance of Peter O Toole, one great Shakespearean actor of our times, and his portrayal of Lawrence. His eyes said everything and the voice was just an asset which he used brilliantly as well. I can never forget the pained look in his eyes after he led the massacre of train full of turks. And then there is Omar Sharif who was born to do the role of Sheriff Ali.

I have watched it twice and will watch it again whenever I get a chance.

A gentleman (John Cleese) enters a pet shop and wants to register a complaint that the parrot that he had bought from that very boutique just half an hour ago was in fact a 'dead parrot'. The owner (Michael Palin) tries to convince him that the Parrot, a Norwegian Blue, was not really dead and was just resting. The argument continues and gets sillier and sillier until an army colonel (Graham Chapman) pops out of nowhere and stops the sketch abruptly because it was getting very silly. If this kind of humor doesn't interest you, read no further and plan on watching something else. But if it does and if you have not seen Monty Pythons Flying Circus you haven't seen nothing yet.

Monty pythons pretty much invented and perfected their unique brand of humor which can be categorized as 'surreal'. One can argue that 'the Goon Show' was the archetype for Monty pythons, which is true, but then Monty Pythons took it to territories that had never been explored before. They created a world where you can get a government grant for silly walks or buy an argument in an argument clinic. A world in which a father and son could have the age old "romantic vs. a simple coal miner" argument, just that in this world the son is a regular coal miner whereas it's the father whose head is full of useless novels and poems. Just like the Beatles they took something and created something completely new out of it. The comparison is valid because Monty Pythons at their peak enjoyed the status of any of the rock stars in those days (including groupies) and the Beatles, George Harrison in particular, were their biggest promoters.

Terri Gillian's stream of consciousness art work is pretty bizarre and holds all the sketches together. John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Jones play all the characters (including women's) themselves with dead seriousness. This is insane humor at it's brilliant best.

This must be Woody Allen's most absurd and innovative movies of all. A human chameleon! How did he cook this thing up? You need to be out of your mind to think of something like this.

It is a mockumentary on life and times of Leonard Zelig, played by Woody Allen, a conformist to such level that he becomes and assumes the shape of his surroundings. In the company of blacks he becomes black, with greeks he becomes Greek etc. etc. Mia Farrow plays his Psychiatrist whom he falls in love with and so does she with him. Technically it is done so well with all the narration and live footage and with absolute dead pan that you actually believe that you are watching some documentary till of course you realize what exactly is being shown. The scene with Hitler is hilarious and really well done and makes you realize that Forest Gump was not the first movie to try this kind of thing.

It is a great satire, it is absurd and it is dead pan.

This is India's greatest epic 'Mahabharata' adapted to the 'age of machines' (kalyug). Each character and situation is so well adapted and given a modern twist that if you didn't know you will appreciate the movie it as an intense modern drama.

The story of Kauravas, Pandavas and their epic battle has been brilliantly adapted to Business Rivalry of two families who like Kauravas and Pandavas are related as well. Karna dying at his wheels, Abhimanyu dying in the chakravuha, Krishna, Bhishma and his quandary, Draupadi vastra-haran everything is there albeit you will have to identify them yourself.

Excellent direction by Shayam Benegal and excellent performances by Shashi Kapoor, Victor Bannerjee, Anant Nag, Rekha, AK Hangal and Supriya Pathak.

Definitely one of the finest movies ever made in India.

This movie opened my eyes to the genius of Billy Wilder compelling me to dig all his other movies. I watched his other movies one after the other and I was never disappointed. He really made some great movies on great themes without ever losing his focus on the entertainment value of the movie. 'Stalag 17', 'double indemnity', 'the apartment' all are such great movies.

Most of the movie is narrated in first person and you see what the protagonist sees, a technique which has been used in so many movies after this. The narration is flawless and drama so intense that I watched the whole movie without batting an eyelid. The characters are real with shades of grey that you empathize and dislike at the same time. The whole thing is dark and a film noir in true sense.

One of my all time favorites and I cannot over-recommend this movie to anyone.

Unlike Bond and other detective movies, Alfred Hitchcock's hero used to be a common man who would get into trouble and then with his acumen and courage (and luck) would get out of it. Jewel Thief is based on the same principle and so in a way it is Vijay Anand's tribute to the master of suspense. The tribute as it may be but it stands its own grounds and establishes Vijay Anand as a great director himself.

It is the story of a common man Vinay who one day realizes that he has a double called Amar who in fact is a Jewel Thief. Suddenly Vinay finds himself in the middle of a hatching scheme and to save himself goes on a wild goose chase to find this Amar who remains one step ahead of him. The suspense is almost killing throughout the movie and as the plot unravels you are hit by the brilliance of the scheme. Just like Hitchcock's movies, Jewel Thief can boast of a grand climax shot inside the grand palace of Sikkim.

Everyone and I mean everyone; Dev Anand, Vijay Anand, Ashok Kumar, Vajyanti Mala, Tanuja, SD Burman, Kishore Kumar, Majrooh Sultanpuri etc. etc. are in their top forms. This is one of the best thrillers ever made in India.

Why do all directors have to make an "epic" these days? What happened to the good old 'story telling' without making too much about it? Why no one makes movies like these anymore?

Simply told, it is a story of Rajaram, a modern day tortoise and his friend Basu, a modern day Hare and their race against each other. As the simile suggests, Rajaram is a simple and honest clerk who doesn't let go off any opportunity to help others, even absolute strangers whereas Basu is a smooth talker and a conman who doesn't have any qualms in stealing from his own friend. Even Sandhya, Rajaram's neighbor whom he fancies for a long time gets dazzled by Basu's glitter leaving Rajaram heartbroken. Just like the classic story, will Tortoise win against Hare in these modern times? This is a satire, a tragi-comedy and character analysis at its best.

The movie was actually shot in a chawl and the real residents played their parts as the neighbors of Rajaram and Sandhya. Naseer as Rajaram, Farooq Sheikh as Basu and Deepti Naval as Sandhya fit their parts like hand in a glove. Normally you would expect Naseer to play Basu's role and Farooq to play Rajaram's role but the accomplished actors that they are they disappeared into their characters.

No gimmicks, no technical wizardry, just plain old simple art of story telling.

What can I say about this movie? What can be said about this movie that has not been said already? Each image and each scene is imprinted on my mind as if I was there when it all happened.

First one from the Apu trilogy, this was also Satyajit Ray's debut film. It seems, Ray came across this Novel 'Pather Panchali' by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay and became obsessed by making it into a movie. He had to face a lot of hardships but was somehow able to fulfill his dream. And what a debut it is. Each character and each scene is so real that this is not just realist cinema but reality itself.

I always wonder how Ray got those performances out of children. No one seems to be acting or performing and yet it is so entertaining. Apu with a cardboard crown trying to copy that character from the play he watches, Durga trying to comprehend a telegraph pole, a stray dog following Durga and Apu as they follow the sweat vendor are scenes that make you wonder how did Ray got these so perfect. And he uses elements of nature to accentuate each of his scenes so well that each scene is complete in itself.

I won't say the obvious like "it's a masterpiece" or "it's a classic" or "it's brilliant" because everyone has started using these terms for almost anything these days. All I will say is that it is one of the most beautiful movies that I have ever seen.

This is one of my all time favorites. I still remember how I was glued to the TV set while watching this movie and going through the same emotions as the taxi driver. Maybe I liked the movie so much because I was going through a similar phase in my life; "The phase of utter despair, loneliness and a search for the purpose of life" which I guess everyone goes through at some point or the other. Maybe the movie is so powerful and involving that I just felt that I was going through a similar phase.

Robert De Niro gave a top notch performance and Martin Scorsese directed it with a passion. The movie moves at a leisurely pace highlighting the mundane and repetitive aspect of a taxi driver's life and gives you enough time to get into the skin of the characters and experience what they are going through.

Although 'are you talking to me' is the most famous scene of the movie but I can never forget the scene in which De Niro starts rocking the TV set by his foot and then just lets it fall and crash. That scene really shook me and for that moment I was Travis himself identifying with all his anger and frustrations.

Being such huge fans of 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' I still remember the excitement when we (some friends and I) went to watch this movie. It was after a gap of 10 years that Kundan Shah had come out with a movie and we couldn't wait to watch it. Though we found 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naan' to be OK but were disappointed as it was nothing like 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'. But I give credit to Kundan Shah for his judgment on not trying to repeat 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaron' again because it is difficult to recreate magic.

Caught 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naan' on cable couple of years later and since this time I knew what to expect, I quite enjoyed the film. I watched it again and this time I enjoyed it more. That's the thing about this movie; it grows on you. It's like a friendly face in the neighborhood that the more you see the more you like. Now I consider this as one of my favorite movies that I can watch from any point and enjoy it.

It's the story of youth with all its elements; the unrequited love, the ambition to do something different, the generation gap etc. But it is the characters and situations that are so real and so delightful that you can identify with most of them from your own personal life. The humor is subtle and will make you smile and at the most chuckle. Performance wise everyone does a fine job. Jatin Lalit's music is melodious and pleasant, but I must admit that I have a bias against Kumar Sanu's voice so I would have preferred someone else to sing the songs.