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(Spoiler alert.)  Presenting the ae dil hai mushkil story loop: Boy meets girl  Boy loves girl  Girl doesn't love boy  Boy demands love  Girl Denies Go back to step one In  the NRI (private jet owning NRI) world that Karan Johar weaves his stories in, there is little novelty in the content. "Pya dosti hai!", cooed a caricatured character Mrs. Briganza in the directors debut Kuch Kuch Hota hai . And here we are two decades and a handful of similar movies by the director later: the lead characters of Ae dil hai mushkil alizeh (Anushka Sharma) and Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) argue exactly the same line, in a non caricature mode. That is perhaps the director's real personal achievement and growth on his own bio data - that while the subject hasn't changed , the intensity, passion, lust and love has all become more mature. It's not about cheerleaders going "rahul aur anjali ka jhagda" but middle fingers being shown to a bride. And tujhe yaad na m

(Spoiler alert.)  Presenting the ae dil hai mushkil story loop: Boy meets girl  Boy loves girl  Girl doesn't love boy  Boy demands love  Girl Denies Go back to step one In  the NRI (private jet owning NRI) world that Karan Johar weaves his stories in, there is little novelty in the content. "Pya dosti hai!", cooed a caricatured character Mrs. Briganza in the directors debut Kuch Kuch Hota hai . And here we are two decades and a handful of similar movies by the director later: the lead characters of Ae dil hai mushkil alizeh (Anushka Sharma) and Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) argue exactly the same line, in a non caricature mode. That is perhaps the director's real personal achievement and growth on his own bio data - that while the subject hasn't changed , the intensity, passion, lust and love has all become more mature. It's not about cheerleaders going "rahul aur anjali ka jhagda" but middle fingers being shown to a bride. And tujhe yaad na m

So I am no expert on Marathi movies. Haven't seen many classics to be sure of my cinematic references, but like everyone else, can tell a good film from a bad film. In the past few years I've loved a number of Marathi movies. My favorites have been Balak Palak, Jogwa, Natrang, Mumbai-pune-Mumbai; and more recently Katyar kaaljat ghusali and Court . By that list, you probably know that I don't follow the industry so closely, but whenever a movie gets critical or mass acclaimed, I end up wanting to watch it.  Sairat - had acclaim from both masses and critics. Why last weekend I couldn't reach the box office to get tickets for another Hindi movie in time simply because the queue for this movie so long! So there, I was geared to watch what will unfold.  With very little background I went in and what I experienced is so diverse that a small post wouldn't do justice. So a blogpost it is: Sairat navigates from a satire on rural Maharashtra to a cute teena

So in the incredibly awesome Jab We Met , a phoney station master opines, " Zindagi ek rail ki patri hai. Ek inch ka bend, aur meelon ki doori.. "  Funny, but apt. And Ki and Ka visually keeps reminding us of how relationships are like train journeys.. Two tracks that must support a huge vehicle called marriage. Two tracks that are separate yet act as one.. A great thought and a nice premise to make a film on.  Ki and Ka - if not completely novel, is certainly a full blown attempt at role reversals. A guy runs the house so his wife can follow her career aspirations. That's a great idea and that's the best thing about the film. The rest is somewhat incidental and an almost diametrically opposite version of age old stereotypes, that end up making the caricatures - except with genders reversed. Ki and Ka is lost between trying to make a strong point about gender roles one hand and trying to still be funny (and almost gimmicky) on the other. Eventually it is a romc

After Piku and Dil Dhadakne Do , now Kapoor & Sons cements the fact that dysfunctional families have arrived in our mainstream cinema. This is far from sugar coated Hum Aapke Hai kaun, where gaudily dressed bunch of men n women are plotting how to camouflage shoes in a box of sweets. Here an angry wife literally throws biscuits on her husband because she can't stand the thought of him being with another woman - she's not shy or subtle about her rage in a so called family gathering. That this should come from the same banner who once famously told us, "it's all about loving your family", is a fitting testimony to how far Bollywood has come within a few decades. Bravo! (Alternate title: Hum Aapke kyu hain ?) Rishi Kapoor, the eldest Kapoor is the grandfather admittedly awaiting his death, why, even rehearsing it. He has but only one small last wish.  He wants his family to be photographed and to read, Kapoor & sons, since 1921. But nothing is simple

When I walked out of the theatre, moved and somewhat speechless, my friend added, "It's almost like we don't know our real life heroes." That's what makes a film like Neerja both amazing and important. Amazing because as a film, it is a worthy gripping story that keeps your attention and hope held until the very end.  And important, because it is a humble reminder to Bollywood that there is so much content that we haven't even thought about. Stories like that of Neerja must be told! In times like today, where nationalism and patriotism (and dare I say jingoism) is the name of the game, Neerja's heroism is a shining beacon of duty, courage and most importantly, humanity. It's a story that not just the youth, but even some of our leaders must look to draw from.  Back to the film itself:  It must be said that the story is the winner here. It would take special talent to not make a good film on this subject. But director Ram Madhvani d