sai-vineet

How often you watch a Movie which is so well and solidly written that the characters are tremendously real. The actors portraying those roles they appear utmost genuine and authentic to the audience. Well, Bareilly Ki Barfi is one such movie.

Set in the small town of Barielly (Uttar Pradesh) we get introduced to the characters within five - ten minutes of the movie playing by the Voice - Over/Narrator (thanks to Javed Akhtar). We get introduced to Mishra Family, Father (Mr. Narottam Mishra) played superbly and excellent by Pankaj Mishra. Mom (played brilliantly by Seema Pahwa) and Bitti (played excellently by Kriti Sanon). They have a sweet shop just attached to their home which is run by Narottam Mishra. Seema Pahwa is a teacher in a primary school and Bitti Mishra works in Power Sub - Station like a Customer Care or Support Executive answering and attending phone calls. Hats off to Ashwini Iyer Tiwari for beautifully portraying the relationship between father and daughter (Pankaj Mishra and Kriti Sanon respectively). I mean how often in Bollywood Movies you see father borrowing a cigarette from his daughter, and on top of that he gives all that space and liberty to his daughter.

Bitti's mother too remains suspicious and revolting for her daughter and her actions. Worried still that she may never get married after being rejected twice. Bitti later on finds support and solace in an nondescript and inconspicuous novel published by a Printing Press owner (Chirag Dubey played remarkably well by Ayushmaan Khurrana). The Novel's Title and Film's are Namesake. Bitti after reading the novel correlates with our own self like all the habits which she had bear a stark similarity with the female protagonist in the Novel. She gets smitten and falls in love with the Author of the Novel - Bareilly Ki Barfi. Here is the twist in the story. Even though Author of the Novel is none another than Chirag Dubey (Ayushmaan Khurrana) himself, who is heart - broken as his first love affair ended in a tragedy and was a disaster believes and fears that there will be backlash from women in the society and also his first love will be dishonored. Having said that, he asks his close friend Pritam Vidrohi (played ultimately well by Rajkummar Rao) to publish his name and photograph at the back of the Novel and credit him as the Author of the Novel. Pritam reluctantly agrees, but immediately after leaves Bareilly and settles in Lucknow by managing a job at a Saree Store. In the meanwhile Chirag falls in love with Bitti. On the other hand Bitti asks Chirag to fix up a meeting with Pritam and she desperately wants to meet him. In this era of Whatsapp, Facebook, Messenger who cares for hand written letters. They are a thing of bygone era. But wait, Writer and Director (Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari) bring this bygone thing and portray it to immaculate perfection onto the screen.

Bareilly Ki Barfi is very simple and ordinary love story or I will say Love Triangle, but narrated, portrayed and enacted brilliantly and flawlessly.

Also, take a look at the characters, they are so real and sincerely true in their emotions, behaviors, mannerisms. Right from the first frame to the moment when the end credits roll along, you as audience tend to flow with the narrative and in fact try to identify and associate with all of the characters. This is the power of script and screenplay and not to mention the direction. Must watch specially if you believe in good, clean and wholesome cinema.

Challenging You To Think

Very few Bollywood movies can truly lay their claim upon the fact that after you have watched them, you will be challenged to think. They are riveting and intriguing in equal proportions. In this category and genre, I will like to fit in last year's movie - Pink. The movie's content, message, script, dialogues and screenplay is so potent and powerful that it grips you right from the first scene. If I may just try my bit to dissect the Movie, then I would say Pink is a court - room drama or it encompasses a Rule Book of the Girls Safety Manual or it revolves around a debate or it is an amalgamation of mystery and thriller substance.

Nevertheless, what Pink does I will write about that. It breaks lot of preconceived notions, and preconceptions which are prevalent and widespread in our society currently. Very brilliantly and brazenly Pink takes a dig and potshot at the stereotypical norms, rules and prejudices which we knowingly or unknowingly have towards women. Pink is not trying to preach something, it is not trying to give a lecture over Women's Safety, it is not Moral Science Lesson about what is right and wrong, it is not trying to take sides. It is just trying, urging and challenging us all to Think. In a nut - shell Pink is a Reality - Check.

Backed by electrifying performances by Amitabh Bachchan, Piyush Mishra, Dhritiman Chatterjee and three girls assayed by Tapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang, flawless writing (screenplay, dialogues and script courtesy - Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Shoojit Sircar and Ritesh Shah), exemplary and untarnished Direction by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury make Pink a must watch and also which one cannot afford to miss. And I bet, when the end credits roll midst the background music plus the Poem recited by Amitabh Bachchan himself, you will feel an urge to think.

there are some films you watch once, feel good and nice, then forget as years pass on. on the other - hand there are some films which though you had watched them in your growing years and liked them, but whenever you catch up with them, it feels like you are watching them the very first time. And needless to say, they bring a smile on your face. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992) is a film which I categorize in the latter. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (abbreviated as JJWS) is a film which even if I try, I cannot fit into one genre. It is a love story, it is a musical comedy, it is a thriller (no not the thriller in the murder mysteries sense), it has a heady cocktail of emotion and drama and list goes on. Starring Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Mamik, Deepak Tijori, Pooja Bedi and Asrani in pivotal roles JJWS is set in small hilly town of Dehradun. In fact, the film opens with an overview of what is to come by. Schools are separated and segregated by Class and Status of people. Model School, Rajput School, Lawrence, Xaviers and Queens. Model School has the Tea Vendor's, Motor Mechanic's kids as students. Rajput, Lawrence and Queens are having kids from higher status and class of people. But among all these differences and inequalities one thing or one common thread which bonds all these schools and their students alike is the Annual Sports Meet. The stakes are high for single biggest sporting event in the hilly town. The Pyjamachaps (Model School Boys as christened by Rajput Boys) have a lot to prove, the Rajput's have to stamp their authority and in turn woo the Queens Girls. Lawrence and Xaviers too are not behind. Hopes and Dreams are riding high on the Cycle Race. Ratan Lal Sharma (played by Mamick) gets defeated by Rajput Boys' Shekhar Malhotra (played brilliantly by Deepak Tijori) in the Cyccle Race as his cycle is inferior quality and make than Shekhar's Italian one. Ramlal Sharma (assayed by Kulbhushan Kharbanda) vows to buy an imported bicycle for next year's Cycle Race by saving money. Inflated by the win, Shekhar Malhotra roams around the town with his gang of friends (Sooraj Thapar only I can reminisce) on Bikes, a Car, woos and flirts Queens College girls. He bullies and ridicules the Model School Boys. In comes Sanjay Lal Sharma (nickname Sanju) a happy go lucky sort of guy who is good for nothing, roams around with his sidekicks (Ghode -- played by Aditya Lakhia and Deven Bhojani ), dreams about Queens' College Girls, bunks classes, and is a laggard in studies as well as sports. Sanjay Lal Sharma (played by Aamir Khan) and Shekhar Malhotra's paths cross when they fall and try to woo the Queens College hottie and bombshell -- Devika (marvellously played by Pooja Bedi). Devika learns about Shekhar's flirtatious nature and arrogance, therefore tries to settle scores with him along with Sanjay Lal Sharma's help. Meanwhile, Anjali (played superbly by Ayesha Jhulka) has a soft corner for Sanjay. She too studies in Model School. She's in for a rude awakening when she assumes that Shekhar will confess his love for her. In turn, she finds Shekhar and Devika together. She takes this heartbreak in her stride pretty well. having said that, Devika dumps Sanjay and gets along with Shekhar. Things take another ugly turn, when Ratan gets into a fight with Shekhar and his gang. Ratan suffers severe injuries and his dream of participating and ultimately defeating Shekhar too shatters. However, jolted by these multiple debacles in his life in a short span of time Sanjay takes up the responsibilities of his house-hold. Nursing and attending his injured elder brother, consoling his father (Ramlal Sharma), we see a dramatic transformation in Sanjay's character. Ramlal Sharma too is very disappointed, that his elder son will not be able to make to the Annual Cycling Race. Disillusioned too because he has purchased the imported Italian Bicycle from his yearly savings. Sanjay too gets support from Anjali, who stands by him like a rock and also helps him train for the Annual Cycle Race. Another, powerful and important scene in the film, is the realization of the changes happening in Sanjay from his elder brother Ratan. He even relinquishes his position as a competitor and participant in the Annual Cycle Race and asks Sanjay to step into his shoes. the Final Cycle Race is really an edge of the seat matter. In a nail biting finish, Sanjay topples and pips Shekhar and emerges victorious. Lot of takeaways from JJWS. Nothing is impossible, Hard Work and Perseverance are keys to success and victory. In order to prove oneself in front of the world --- actions speak louder than words. Friends are forever, the self realization and self introspection is sufficient to discover the hidden strengths and talent. Coming First and emerging Victorious is one thing, but maintain that consistently is altogether a different ballgame. Underdog tag helps in the respect, that an Underdog has nothing to lose. The JJWS story is very simple but is told in a very different manner. The Key ingredients of the story, are aforementioned. Music too is a USP of JJWS. Lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri is top - notch. The Film's signature dialog "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar" you will get to hear twice, one in the beginning and another one at the climax. Even after the end Credits start to roll, you feel it is utmost right "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar".

Welcome 2007. Now you will ask how come I am late in welcoming Bond Year. The answer is Guru. Mani Ratnam did his homework nicely, took his lessons after Yuva's debacle. He ventures into a territory which no other director(s) would have dared to. It is always difficult to show the passage of time onto screen. After all few would have thought to bring the life of India's Corporate Behemoth Reliance's founder Late Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani onto 70mm Technicolor. Guru is a work of art. Guru has lot of pluses. Mani has his team already set out. The person behind the camera is none other than his most trusted lieutenant Rajiv Menon. The cinematography of Guru is impeccable. It is a journey of a boy (Gurukant Desai) living in a Gujarat village who fails in board exams, gets scolded by his headmaster father, who mocks at his plans to go abroad to earn livelihood. The boy heads off to Turkey and starts working at a petrol delivery firm. He goes as a boy but returns back as a man that too after enjoying belly dance (Mallika Sherawat impresses as the belly dancer Jhumpa, check out Maiyaa Maiyaa Number), making a fast friend Ghanshayam Bhai, and gathering some money. He gets an lucrative offer too but rejects it out rightly. Guru as a character is over ambitious and manipulative. He turns to his friend (Jignesh played by Arya Babbar) for monetary help and reveals about his plans. Jignesh refuses to help him monetarily as his father has saved money (Twenty Thousand approx.) for his sister's (Sujata played by Aishwarya Rai) marriage. He heads straight to Mumbai. To quote Guru "When I came to Bombay I had two shirts, a wife, a brother-in-law and Rs.15,000 in a small suitcase to start a business. But all doors were shut for a newcomer." The Cotton trading business is controlled by few golf playing good for nothing idiots. The idiot in question is Arzaan Contractor (played by Arjan Bajwa). Guru meets his to be-mentor who later on becomes his biggest foe Manik Das Gupta (assayed by Mithun Chakraborty) who is owner of The Independent (a Mumbai Daily). Mani may deny the facts that Guru is not inspired from Dhirubhai's life, but comparisons are inevitable. Dhirubhai in his early days of struggle had Indian Express founder True Gandhian, Late Ram Nath Goenka as his mentor and Godfather. Mithun no doubt delivers powerhouse performance. Guru topples Arzaan Contractor and starts trading in Polyster a non cotton fabric. Wearing non cotton fabric in those days as shown in the film was considered a taboo. He wants to set up his own factory as Shakti Industries. He decides that Shakti Industries will go public. As Guru continues his journey in top gear towards his goal, his aides and friends turn foes and his biggest critics. Jignesh and Guru part ways due to the Public Issue decision. Jignesh divulges the reason for Guru marrying his sister. Guru bribes ManikDas Gupta's editor and uses The Independent to settle scores with the Contractors. The rift between Manik Das Gupta and Guru further widens due to the entry of firebrand reporter (Shyam Saxena played by Madhavan). But the beauty of Guru lies in the fact that no matter whether the world goes against him the protagonist never forgets the ones he loves. Take the case of Meenakshi (Manik Das Gupta's multiple sclerosis affected and wheel chair confined grand daughter) portrayed by Vidya Balan. Shyam Saxena marries Vidya Balan, but still Guru continues to love and care for her. In portraying relationships Mani Ratnam is unmatched. Now enough of Guru Bhai. Lets talk about his better half, Sujata. Their first rendezvous occurs in a train. Sujata running from her home, crying and heart broken, because her first love has ditched her. Aish sizzles in Barso Re (shot entirely in Badami, Karnataka). She as a doting, protective and caring housewife stands apart of all the characters and supports her husband even when the entire world is daggers drawn towards him and when he suffers a paralytic stroke. Superficially, Guru is a journey of a person from 16 year old boy to 60 year old senior citizen, the ups and downs he encounters during this journey chasing his dreams which keep on getting bigger and bigger but once you scratch the surface it is a beautiful love story of two people, namely Guru and Sujata. Their love withstands the upheavals of life. In testing times (Especially the Hearing of Guru's Case in front of Thapar Commission) their love, commitment, trust remains rock solid. Another plus of Guru is the music by A R Rehman. Rehman reserves his best for Mani Ratnam Guru's Character has flaws too. He wants to pursue and fulfill his dreams either by hook or by crook. He flays the Export Import laws, acquires land illegally, obtains tax rebates from Government by showing exports in the books whereas in reality he is exporting empty boxes, bribes a minister to name a few. In spite of Guru's flaws, what stands out for him is his sincerity in pursuing his dreams, his vision crystal clear in his mind, the love and affection which he has for his wife and lieutenants who are ready to sacrifice their lives for Guru (example Ghanshyam Bhai), the trust he has on the shareholders.On a concluding note, Guru is a movie for people who dare to dream, people who have very strong determination, people who cherish and long for the moment when their dream will get fulfilled. After all we all dream. You, yourself have to get into Guru's shoes and then watch the masterpiece, after all it is a journey. You have to grow with Guru.

An Eye for an Eye will turn the Entire World Blind. This may not always hold good. Especially if one's just and righteous father is brutally killed in front of one's eyes with no fault of his. This lays the foundation of the vengeance in the mind of his twelve year old son which gets unleashed post fifteen years. Needless mentioning that this very road and path to avenge is Agneepath. For the unknown - Agneepath is a famous poem by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Karan Malhotra's Agneepath is not exactly a Remake of Mukul S Anand's Agneepath. It is by all means a Tribute to Amitabh Bachchan Starrer Yash Johar's Cult Classic Agneepath - 1990. Many Critics panned it mentioning it as a rip – off from Al Pacino starrer Scarface - 1983. Nevertheless it fetched National Award for Amitabh Bachchan, Filmfare Awards for Mithun Chakraborty and Rohini Hattangadi. Karan's Agneepath - 2012 is almost exactly the same as Mukul S Anand's Agneepath - 1990 for the initial 15-20 minutes of running time. Subsequently, it charts its own course and path. Though, similarities are plenty – Neelam plays Vijay's Sister, whereas new entrant Kanika Tiwari excels in the same role as Shiksha Chavan, Rohini Hattangadi - Suhasini Chavan as Vijay's mother to Zarina Wahab essaying Hrithik's mother to absolute perfection, Vikram Gokhale as honest Police Commissioner to Om Puri playing the role of Commissioner Gaitonde to A 'T'. Kancha Cheena played by Danny Denzongpa is still the same after 22 years in the character of Sanjay Dutt. If similarities are to be talked about, then why leave the differences. To top it all, there is no Krishnan Iyer MA the Coconut Seller turned life savior turned right hand of Vijay. The Nurse played by Madhavi – Marry Matthew gets replaced by the daughter of sex worker Kaali played by Priyanka Chopra. If Vijay Dinanath Chavan wears White Jacket, Trousers and Shoes, then Viju who lives in a Mumbai Chawl wears White Shirt, Jeans and Kolhapuri Chappals. Vijay Dinanath Chavan had Contessas for him whereas our Viju cruises on his Royal Enfield. Agneepath -2012 works mainly because, of the director's sincere effort. The Screenplay written by Karan Malhotra is water – tight and very fluent. With a running time of approximately three hours, not even once the audience gets distracted, from start to finish the audience attention is deeply rooted and eyes glued into the screen - courtesy to the water – tight and fluent screenplay. He could have blatantly copied yesteryear's Agneepath, but he did not want to disrespect it. For instance, there is no mention of "Name, Vijay Dinanath Chavan - full name. Father's name, Master Dinanath Chavan. Mom's name, Suhasini Chavan. Village, Mandva. Age, 36 years, 9 months, 8 days. We are in the 16'th hour" – which was the quintessential way of Amitabh introducing himself. In Karan's Agneepath, this comes in almost the Climax, when Viju introduces himself to his childhood friend turned foe and Kancha Cheena's Right Hand Man – Surya played by Pankaj Tripathy. Technically both the films are brilliant – if Kader Khan was to be credited for penning memorable dialogues then we cannot leave behind Piyush Mishra either. If Pravin Bhatt was rolling the Camera in Amitabh Bachchan's Agneepath, then Kiran Deohans and Ravi K Chandran's Cinematography too is top notch. If 1990's Agneepath was edited by Veterans - Waman B. Bhosle and Gurudutt Shirali, then we have to credit Akiv Ali for crisp editing of 2012's Agneepath. Switching from Technicalities to the performances – Rishi Kapoor's performance as the Drug-lord of Mumbai - Rauf Lala, who auctions girls at his den is excellent. Katrina Kaif is the Eye Tonic as Chikni Chameli. The Number is beautifully choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. Sanjay Dutt takes Kancha Cheena to next level, bald look, black clothes with his trademark swagger, holding Bhagvad Gita in one hand smoking Chillum. He is undoubtedly the uncrowned King and Rules the island of Mandwa. Priyanka Chopra though may not have a meaty role, but still does ample justice by portraying a Maharashtrian Girl – Kaali. Hrithik has once again proved, he is in the big league along with the Khans with his clinical performance. He may be a henchman of Rauf Lala, toppling him to wrest his empire later on, but remains grounded in spite of all his power. He donates all his money, runs charitable hospitals under the name of his sister, treats the residents of chawl as his own big family, runs into confrontations with his mother, marries his childhood friend, plays savior to Commissioner Gaitonde. Having said that, Viju has his mind, body and soul set on one target, one mission which is to avenge the death of his father. For that he knows very well; he has to tread Agneepath.

What A Powerhouse Performance by Ranbir Kapoor. Yes the genes/legacy do matter. Son of Rishi and Neetu, Grandson of Raj Kapoor, Great Grandson of Late Prithviraj Kapoor. I take A Bow. It is not easy to carry the Burden of Kapoor Khandaan's Legacy on one's shoulders. Kudos to Imtiaz Ali for direction and writing a Role of Rockstar which fitted into Ranbir Kapoor to A 'T'. A. R. Rehman - Sir I need not say anything about your Music. Brilliant Camera-work by Veteran - Anil Mehta. Nargis Fakhri is refreshing and mint - fresh, but need to work more on her Acting and Expressions. Aditi Rao Hydari and Shammi Kapoor too are good in their Roles. Dhingra's Role assayed by Piyush Mishra is Top Notch and has Negative/Scheming Shades. Negative Chalta Hai -- "Jordan Negative". Editing by Aarti Bajaj is Crisp. The Movie and its climax lingers on Audience mind even after leaving the Theater. Songs - "Sadda Haq" and Nadaan Parindey are Exceptional and Outstanding and take Rockstar to "Rockstar" Level.