Nov 30, 2010
Nov 29, 2010
Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji Movie Trailer Imran Ajay Omi
Nov 26, 2010
Break Ke Baad Movie Review By Taran Adarsh
I don't think it's sacrilege to seek inspiration from a great film, a taut script or soulful music, but the storyteller ought to take that extra effort to present something more than what we've watched before, in his/her film. That's where BREAK KE BAAD fails to connect.
BREAK KE BAAD deals with space issues in a relationship, a much exploited and abused word used a lot in the present-day scenario. Space is almost like a break-up mantra and BREAK KE BAAD explores this concept rather than being a conventional love story. It has that typical Hollywood inspired urban drollness, approach and responsiveness, but what comes across on screen is a poor replication of romance-laden movies that we have enjoyed over the years.
BREAK KE BAAD goes wrong, sorry horribly wrong in its writing. The screenplay is full of glitches, the writing is juvenile, the situations are amateurish and I actually wondered how a shoddy screenplay like the one in BREAK KE BAAD was green-lit and approved in the first place. The intention was to make a cool film for the urban youth, but the writers [screenplay: Renuka Kunzru and Danish Aslam] have messed up and how!
Final word? A boring fare that gets unbearable after a point!
Abhay [Imran Khan] and Aaliya [Deepika Padukone] have known each other since they were kids. Their friendship turned into love at the tender age of 15, when Abhay realized that Aaliya is the girl for him.
Aaliya's life is defined by her burning desire to become an actress and she is unmindful of what or who comes in her way. Abhay, who is still unsure about what he wants to do, finds himself competing with Aaliya's incessant plans and projects to fulfill her dreams. Things come to a head when Aaliya decides to go to Australia to study and Abhay has to deal with the prospect of a long-term relationship, secretly fearing that he will lose Aaliya forever.
They decide to give their relationship a break, so that Aaliya can pursue her dreams. As time passes by, Abhay realises his skills, while Aaliya realises that there is no joy in achieving one's dreams if one has no one to share it with.
The basic idea of BREAK KE BAAD may compel you to think that it's going to charter a new path completely, but what comes across is a sham. I mean, the lovers break up for a flimsy reason [there's no persuasive rationale actually], then become friends, then go separate ways, then become friends again, then argue animatedly and then get married. Besides, the film is talk-heavy, extremely verbose and the chatter is pointless, senseless and ludicrous.
One fails to understand why the girl drops the guy like a hot brick. Actually, there's no valid reason for her to do so. He is so committed, so devoted, so trustworthy that any girl would give her left arm to be with him. But the girl comes across as a no-brainer and expectedly, realizes her folly only towards the finale [as expected in a screenplay of convenience]. Besides a faulty screenplay, even the supporting characters [Sharmila Tagore, Shahana Goswami] are wasted.
Director Danish Aslam has handled a few moments well, that's it. A love story ought to be embellished with a lilting musical score, but Vishal-Shekhar disappoint this time. The songs are strictly okay and one misses that winning track that makes a love story memorable. Cinematography [Andre Menezes] is alright.
Both Imran and Deepika take a step forward as actors. Having watched Imran closely from JAANE TU YAA JAANE NA days, I feel that he has come a long way in his fifth outing and you can see a marked difference in his performance. As far as Deepika is concerned, I like the spontaneity that she brings to the character. After LOVE AAJ KAL, this is another film that will make people sit up and notice her talent. Sharmila Tagore is wasted. Ditto for Shahana Goswami. Yudhishtir Urs irritates. Lillete Dubey gets to deliver some spicy lines. Navin Nischol gets minimal scope.
On the whole, BREAK KE BAAD has a vibrant Imran and Deepika as its USP, but a faulty and an unpersuasive screenplay as is its major stumbling block. Fails to impress!
Rating :
Allah Ke Banday Movie Review By Taran Adarsh
Now this is a parable most directors would fear to make in their debut film, but Faruk seems on a mission to make ALLAH KE BANDAY watchable not only for its genre. The question is, does his statement that ALLAH KE BANDAY isn't a film about crime, but our society in general come across effectively? Does ALLAH KE BANDAY have the power to magnetize the viewers all across or does it cater to a miniscule audience? Let's analyze...
The Indian social order is evolving and so is Indian cinema. More and more directors are coming up with fresher ideas to tell tales that highlight and also influence changes in the fabric of our society. Faruk Kabir also seems like a youngster brimming with ideas, having a lot to tell in his own individualistic style. However, ALLAH KE BANDAY is not without its share of flaws. The screenplay vacillates between interesting and not-too-exciting moments.
Yet, all said and done, it's an honest attempt, a notch above the ordinary!
ALLAH KE BANDAY is a film that spans the life of two twelve-year-old boys living in one of the most ruthless slums of Mumbai. From delivering drugs for the Mafia to looting people with their transvestite friend, the two aspire to assert their position in this world of crime. But when they are wrongly convicted for a murder and sent to the Juvenile Reformatory, they discover a world more chaotic and tough to survive in, than the one they left behind.
The senior inmates, with the participation and permission of the dreadful Juvenile warden [Naseeruddin Shah], subject the two friends to all kinds of torture to suppress their sense of power. But not the ones to take it lying down, they start developing a more sinister criminal psychosis, instead of reforming and set on a quest for ultimate power. Set free at twenty three, Vijay [Sharman Joshi] and Yakub [Faruk Kabir] form a gang of teenage boys to rule the slums they were born in. The vicious cycle of life continues.
Does ALLAH KE BANDAY take inspiration from a foreign source? Is it inspired by the gangster flick CIDADE DE DEUS aka CITY OF GOD [2003], as being widely alleged? I would say that the source of inspiration seems more like SLEEPERS [1996], which starred some of the best names in the business [Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt]. But despite the similarities, I must add that ALLAH KE BANDAY is not only well shot, but makes an equally powerful impact. Besides choosing an offbeat subject for his debut film, Faruk has gone a step further and shot it at real locations too and that, very frankly, takes the film to a different level altogether. The film wouldn't have worked had the director erected sets of a reformatory or the slums where crime breeds.
On the flipside, the writing isn't convincing at times. Sharman and Faruk run the show from a dilapidated mansion-like structure in the basti, pushing school-going kids to the world of crime. This is done valiantly, without any fear of law enforcement agencies, which is difficult to absorb. Besides, ALLAH KE BANDAY is dark and like I pointed out earlier, it tries to be as close to reality as possible, in terms of the lingo spoken by the characters or the bloodshed depicted in the film and that could act as a deterrent. Also, the film stagnates in the middle of the second hour, partly because there's not much movement in the screenplay.
Faruk Kabir makes a powerful impact as a storyteller. His handling of a difficult subject deserves brownie points. The sequences in the reformatory are very well shot. Ditto for the sequence when Sharman encounters Naseeruddin Shah, who is now reduced to a life worse than a beggar. There's not much scope for music in the film, but I'd like to single out the background score, which complements the goings-on well. The cinematography is eye-catching. The real locations have been deftly captured on celluloid. Dialogue are power-packed at times.
With a talented cast like Naseeruddin Shah, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and Zakir Hussain, you expect nothing but the best from each performer. Naseer has limited screen space, but he's dynamic every time he appears on screen. Sharman depicts the intensity very well. In fact, this is amongst his better works. Atul Kulkarni is wonderful, while Zakir Hussain is top notch. Faruk Kabir enacts a pivotal part himself and must say, he makes you sit and notice his talent as an actor. Anjana Sukhani doesn't get much scope, while Rukhsaar too gets less screen space. Suhasini Mulay is effective. The two kids, enacting Sharman and Faruk's parts, are excellent.
On the whole, ALLAH KE BANDAY is a gritty, stimulating and provocative cinematic experience with a flipside: Not many would prefer a dark film about kids taking to crime and felony. Its appeal, therefore, will remain restricted to a niche audience.
Rating :
