Christopher Nolan has suddenly become the Steven Spielberg of our generation. No, that is not an over statement or even sarcastic in nature. When you truly think about it Chris Nolan has achieved a very prestigious status that is people actually have certain expectations about his films. This is very rare these days when people including me have carried real high levels of expectations from a director more than the franchise maybe. Everyone was blown away by the tremendous success and brilliance of INCEPTION and maybe the majority of people were expecting more if not the same from him in his next Batman venture. Hmm, so lets's dig in and analyse the film and see if batman prevails or not.

As most of the people have already seen this movie and know hat it basically is about let me get straight to what I felt about it. Like many others I too was really excited for another Batman movie, who wouldn't  be after the cinematic master piece of The Dark Knight. I was more than ready to be enthralled by a new type of villain this time around. While the Joker is my favorite villain of any superhero franchise, I was waiting to see the brute force types in Bane. He is smart and has the brain to pull off something terrifyingly big to demolish Gotham but in the end he obviously does not have the character of unpredictable and  psychotic traits of Joker. So tough act to follow.


The movie does start off with a spectacular way to show off it's villain. That sequence is brilliantly shot and is creative in all fields. Never have I seen the introduction of the villain in a plane tearing up at the heights of the skies. Brilliant again sir. This is trademark Nolan style where the first sequence never has exposition or story flow to it, it's master introduction technique if pulled off well(except Inception where there was a key point in the script which was the introduction scene). The mood is set well where the terrifying presence of Bane is established well.

My main concern with film is quickly visible in the first half of the film, Nolan wants to tell so much but obviously he can't in one film, but he has definitely shot the film accordingly, so to make it shorter it has been heavily edited. Nolan films, if I have noticed correctly do not have that many jump cuts as this films exhibits. This is obviously done to shorten the film length which I personally hate. This really breaks up the flow of the story and distorts the fine art of story telling that this man obviously possesses. So the editing is so fast it got me really thrown off track.

The curse of the cat woman continues and this film does not do justice to this character like many before have tried to an failed again and again. Anne does look very good in the cat suit but I just cant get the image of Halle Berry out of my head. I felt this character was unnecessary and added more as a gimmick rather than furthering the story. In a story which already has so much going in it this character was a waste as it is very forgettable and should have been replaced with the main story line.

The second half does provide for some fine moments especially the fight between Bane and Batman. It has it's moments but they are far too apart. The story comes into it's own in the second half and some of the major plots are unraveled here. There are so many things going on but the reason of it all, the glue to make it all stick is not portrayed correctly. It somehow does not come together to wow us like in the previous edition. Major concern again being that the script has so much in it but so little time to tell all this that the execution in the end looks haphazard. The film is not bad it is relatively good but it misses it's mark as the end of a great series. It deserved a grand finale a tale that could have been remembered but rather ends up being just about right even forgettable by Nolan standards. My biggest problem was the way Bane gets killed, he is what the film is all about and the way he dies in the end is really pathetic. The writers definitely messed up there. But in the end people did like it and that is what matters. I personally prefer the previous editions in the franchise over this film. Hopefully Chris maintains what he is good at and we can have something better than this in his next venture........... 

Let's talk about an actor whom I really like but in context of the real world I don't. Love him or hate him he will always be there, SRK. Now there have been some really fantastic moments with SRK on celluloid, even though he started his career copying Dilip Kumar out and out, he has developed his own style and aura about acting. One such moment that is worth mentioning according to my opinion is from a good film called Chak De India. No, before you jump to conclusions it's not the now famous Sattar Minute wala dialogue. That whole sequence is too repeatative for my taste. If you forget the video and listen just the audio of that scene you will clearly see that Shah Rukh has definitely been inspired by the brilliant voice modulation of the Sr.Bacchan. For me that was an ok sequence which I could have done without in the movie.Characters and situations have been used brilliantly in the film and I wish that the same would have been delivered for the seriousness of the finals. Never the less the moment that took my breath away was the climatic sequence where the team finally wins the championship. Again this was a cliche and we all came to see that as the movie progressed, but the most amazing part was obviously SRK. That one look of content on his face was absolutely ravishing. That look, of years of tarnish and burden being cleared of his shoulders takes my breath away. He is dignified in his persona but even he can't control his self composure at that moment and this is aptly portrayed by this actor. That emotion makes us connect with this character who is after all fighting for justice against the system but importantly against himself. His search for purity ends and he is baffled by the very thought of having nothing to justify to the world or to himself anymore. The way he fills his eyes with tears of jubilation and relief is something marvelous to look at. We all got sucked into that emotion and only an ACTOR can induce such pain in us and never a superstar. We feel his pain and suffering and his true happiness returning, that moment justifies all the follies in the film. I really wish SRK does such roles and dignify his own talent, he does not need a rubber suit or a mental illness to justify his stardom. That smile of feeling proud to be an athlete, a coach, a man, an above all an Indian is justification enough.

(If you think hollywood is better than the hindi film industry, then have a look at the climax scene of The Pursuit Of Happiness, Will Smith is brilliant in that scene and there is no comparison here, but I will be biased and say that we have the better talent.)

I have many such many moments to share but some deserve to stand alone while some to deserve to stand in a crowd.

Anyone who has watched The Dark Knight Rises must have experienced what we like to call the awesome power of expected bullshit. Yes there is bullshit in the climax of that film, but it's good bullshit. Bullshit that you expect but don't want but are kind of accepting it because we suckers for happy endings. But I give credit to Christopher Nolan for making that attempt. He opted for the safe route with a twist which is now synonymous with him except Inception which I believe has literally left everyone hanging. Even the most sharpest of minds cannot deduce the ending of that film, simple reason being the end does not happen. We never see what actually happens and are so left to come to our own conclusions. What a clever way of ending a film and trusting the audience and their intelligence to come to their own conclusions. That defines confidence and knowing one's script. I remember seeing Inception and the theater was drop dead silent throughout the film even though it was packed. I was amazed as to how powerful this medium really is. A movie can really engross you if it conveys the right things. These are the times that make me think about those amazingly brilliant moments we have had on the big screen. These are moments which define the magic of cinema for me. We all love and accept this fact but are differed on the outtake of it all. Maybe it's time we take a look at some of these moments and understand what they signify.

Let's take for example a movie which has many of these brilliant moments. Lagaan. This movie is pure egotistical and really brash in it's approach. But I don't complain because it is filmed brilliantly, every moment has it's due and things flow freely and the tension is built up perfectly. Sitting in a single screen theater at the age of 13, I was amazed to see people shouting at the screen. This was the first time I saw such audience reactions and was a little carried by the energy. Patriotism was rising and everyone was really involved with the film. The climax is very predictable and well, really what we wanted to happen yet felt really good to watch and had an element of satisfaction. This film shows what dramatic moments can really achieve. Victory can never be justified by a worthless cause. The cause defines the victory and this victory was oh so sweet.

Sometimes we don't need dramatic music, overly obvious tension built up, and excessive emotional rain. Sometimes we need the moments which are subtle like Gulzaar saab's lyrics. They might not look much but pack the punch of a thousand poems. One such moment which I thought was brilliantly written and directed was when Ishaan is standing near the edge of his school compound. What damages can be done to the tender psychology of a child is clearly evident. The atmosphere is grimm and we know why he is standing there. Dejection and frustration is aptly portrayed. We want him to be saved, to be understood and in this scene we somehow feel pity and sad for the character. This is one of those crucial scenes which dictate the turning point of the film. He doesn't jump as he stopped by one of his friend's informing him of the new arts teacher and we know the hero has arrived. It is a cliched concept, we know it's Aamir at that point and he will save this child but the way its is driven to the audience is so subtle in it's approach that it adds a new dimension to the film. This moment somehow stayed with me after the film as well maybe it is a reflection of how society is harnessing the responsibilities of an adult on the child and destroying their childhood in the process. It speaks of depression and makes the audience feel that emotion with subtle storytelling.






All that is to be said need not be said. Let's make a part 2...........

Empathize for you all must be tired of sympathy by now. Imagine walking into a film titled "Nothing About Hitler" and as you cozy into your seat with a tub of non tasting popcorn in one hand and with an over sized industrial paint thinner called cola  in the other. The film starts with the usual gusto and fanfare of glamour and   a friendly dose of awe. But now the real part of the tale, what if the film titled above turns out to be the autobiographical take of Adolf himself. What purpose or point is it serving us with that title and projecting a film to be something it definitely isn't. Well let me not be one of our recent movies and come straight to the point or else Pritam is ready with mindlessly catchy tracks to be inserted rather mindlessly. Go away Pritam I don't need you, pester someone else with your music bank filled with other people's currency(inspiration indeed).

The point I am trying to make is very simple and can be explained in one line. Why is a film which is clearly about love stories and blatantly typical called I Hate Luv Stories! What is the difference between that movie and Cocktail? Both films have senseless titles(Cocktail being the bigger culprit. If they wanted a random name then why not name it something Indian like Biryani,  at least I know what biryani tastes like), both films have three people in an emotinallly driven script where love prevails in the end and sacrifices are made(Oh I forgot sarcasm cannot be conveyed through writing), both have good songs which have beautiful scenic backgrounds which really defeats the purpose because half the time I was more interested in the background than the actors (trying to) dancing in front of it, both have really good characters who are literally dropped mid way(not the leads, they are way too under talented to not be on screen all the time, they do need the practice, right!) and last but not the least we definitely have caricatures of cool party going crowd, who for some reason are transformed completely by the end and I can't determine whether it's the script or their ability to self judge their acting skills. Maybe the schedule was too long and the actors forgot how they portrayed their characters in the initial scenes. Ah yes, my point here is, why are we being subjected to the same story again and again. Haven't we learned enough through cinema through the years that the hero always wins and if he doesn't he is the one who is sacrificing, so he still wins.

My question is how many takes can there be on one story! Have they finally run out of idea's? Every love story out there is still basically a love story no matter what you do to it. Just adding some different country(in the above films South Africa was also common, so I guess they did consult with each other), having different actors, changing the scenario by a hair, are these little tricks just enough to rehash a given story! I mean at least get decent actors who understand acting and are not part of the film just because they look good. Such actors can't be left alone on the screen to act, maybe that's why Cocktail was U/A because we had Deepika trying to act drunk through out the film, this performance really needs parental guidance or else the kids will scared to death from the bad acting. But who really listens to us anymore, it is really the irony of  substantial proportions that a domain of the industry(Marketing) which solely relies on understanding the needs of it's consumers can't actually understand what we really want to see. Thank God for such epic stupidity that still prevails with an MBA in hand and money to back a so called DIRECTOR with a so called fail proof script or else I wouldn't have anything to complain about.

You know what I do feel like an unwanted song right about here, let me check if Pritam is still lingering outside my house, maybe I can get a two songs for the price of one. 

I can assure you, no matter how disconnected from reality you may be there is always that one moment which can alter you and zap you back into coherence. That moment was last week when my and the only superstar of our industry left us all. One moment that brings you back to earth and redefines what life really means. Nothing is permanent, like his stardom and like our lives.

There are always those people that you see around you everyday, who arouse this feeling inside you, which makes you like them instantly. This feeling cannot be explained, it is just a different feeling for all of us. My superstar was that person for me. I don't know what I liked about him but I really admired and adored him. No other screen actor has been able to induce such an enigma about himself more than this man. Maybe that's why I cant explain what it is that drove people to him. Maybe it is something different in him or maybe it was his destiny.

Whatever it was it still remains in our hearts and will live on forever. There are certain things which are felt rather than spoken or written, I hope you feel what I want to convey here. I don't want to talk about what a great actor he is. I don't want to talk about how wonderful his career has been. That has already been said and accepted. What I really want to talk about is how his life has left an example for all of us. The way this man rose to stardom and was loved by millions. So much love cannot be borne by fragile shoulders. He carried this weight of expectations and held it high with responsibility. So much so that it consumed his entire life. With such great adoring masses it was a sacrifice made on his part to live up to that stature of fan following. Always wanted to please his followers rather than himself. The higher you rise the harder you fall. Maybe that fall would have destroyed any other individual, but this man was something else. Basking in his fall he reinvented himself to a degree not fathomable. How does one man remain so calm in such a life altering storm. Maybe it is grit or determination to rise again. But this is why he was a cherished individual, maybe the very foundation of this man was loved so much rather than the character that he portrayed through out his life. He was never the flamboyant superstar a rather silent entity , which is a rare treat these days. In a world where everyone wants to be number one and claims to be the same, this man in his prime accepted that his time had come to give up that very lucrative position. This was done with grace and poise something severely lacking in today's times. Maybe the word superstar more justifies the attitude rather than films he is starring in.

A piece of cake can well be overeaten if you like the taste. But this man offered us just the right amount. Neither full nor hungry, perfection personified. It is not always about how many fans one has, not about how much money you make and definitely not about how many hits you have, in the end what matters is what you really are inside. For being who is and being a SUPERSTAR I say thank you.

Whenever i hear about superstars, i always hear about the three khan's, Hrithik and maybe Ranbir. Yes accepted these guys are suoerstars or even mega stars but in this circus of people shouting out that they are the best, there is a SILENT SUPERSTAR looking over his shoulder and demanding his stardom without uttering a word. This is AJAY DEVGN.

Started as a pure action hero, Ajay never looked the superstar material. He had many successful films to his credit early in his career(his debut being a super box office success) but he never had that DDLJ happen for him. Alwasy there but not quite there many people were confused about their preference about him. I remember people always keeping him second fav on their list. With his talent and in many films that talent wanted to explode but it quite didnt. But lady luck has a big reward for patience and perseverance.

His turning point like all say is Sanjay Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chughe Sanam, as the super calm and super good guy, who willingly gives up on his love for the fulfillment of his love's love. What an irony! But for me this film is a mere backlash of this fine actor, redefining his style. His real turning point as an actor is and always will be the socio-religious drama ZAKHM(1998).

This film redefined what people thought about this actor as an actor, it certainly did change my perception. He was fabulous in this film. This lead to superb acting roles in The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Gangajal,Yuva and so on. He had that genre for himself, a sort of type cast but of a glorious kind. He did his share of masala films but they were forgettable or were even bad for my taste. But with the Golmaal series he changed the game once again. When people were talking about how fit SRK was for Om Shanti Om i was thinking to myself, why is no one talking about how great Ajay is looking. Well thats the way it was but eventually people have accepted that Ajay Devgn is a superstar and not only a serious actor.

Hopefully he has the sense to not give into commercial inklings(Singham) and be aware of his own acting skills which can really light the screen up(without the quintessential item song or ill placed, foreign localled, generic romantic number).

In this industry where everyone is shouting or fighting i hope this man dignifies himself and his well wishers as he has always done, by remaining silent and yet being heard the most............ 

There is a famous song by the great band of Pink Floyd called Another Brick In The Wall. This song treats us to the education system as a downgrading and discriminating factor in our lives. It's an open take and not a biased judgmental opinion. It is somewhat dark in it's rendition. This song has changed an entire generation and really questioned something which is now a curse but was meant to be a blessing. Written many decades ago but is still more relevant than ever. But for the sake of this article, let's look at the phrase "Another Brick In The Wall".

What this phrase signifies for this generation maybe a lot of things but primarily talking about films it signifies another film in this industry. That is what what I feel about every other film that releases any given Friday. Every film you seem is different, has that entertainment quotient which some justify as TIME PASS. This is merely a marketing and promotional jargon induced in our minds so that we can bare to watch crap which actually belongs in dumpster rather than the glorious big screen. These films are marketing pundits' test of endurance and so far they are succeeding. A prospective bride is not made up so much when compared to what these films are made up to be. That is the reason this now a science of fooling people in accepting anything. I don't say all that we see on screen is crap, but an over driven revenge drama with absolute screen time of nothing but utter nonsense should be a film. All such films go on to be mega success but that does not imply that they are good films. Why I used the title that I used is evident after say a month after any of such film's release. It is completely forgotten. This is my primary concern. Why if it is indeed such a good film is it gone from the memory so quickly. Think about it. You often find yourself so excited for a film's release, you make sure you get the over priced tickets before time, on the day you watch the film with the over priced tub of stale popcorn and a carbonated detergent and are not satisfied but somewhat happy by the screening. You come out of the theater not quite happy and not quite dejected. after a few days you get excited about some other film's trailer you watch while having your lovely home made dinner and the cycle continues. Some of the film's have sequels but you don't quite remember which had what story even though you liked both the films. This is classically due to mass propaganda and marketing. this is a disease of sorts which is changing the very aspect of the word films in this country. Big banner and big stars and big numbers are all we are bombarded with so as to make an impression on our minds which tends to justify absolutely anything.They are like the houses seen from a moving train, they come and they go.  Maybe that's why these so called films are just another brick in the wall, a wall which will soon collapse under it's own weight, for we can only take so much of this so called ENTERTAINMENT.

If ever you see a piece of art, it usually signed by the artist. This imprints the sort of stamp for the artist. Similarly every film has it's artist sign the film by doing something different on it, which signifies something unique. Now for the film I always have this habit of noticing how they execute the opening sequence or credits(which ever is given the preference). As many may have noticed this is usually a treat in hollywood classics like The Godfather with that fantastic opening sequence with no background music and plain dialogues which really built up the mood with subtlety. Or that great narrative in Scarface which gives the film it's base and somehow sets the tone with that really catchy theme. Or the brilliant Catch Me If You Can opening credits. Or one of my favorite narrative opening sequence of A Clockwork Orange. The list goes on for quite awhile.

But there are plenty of hindi films with really unforgettable opening sequences. The first that comes to mind is that really brilliant guitar track from Sholay with the western theme cinematic playing out on screen. The wild desert like landscape and that hauntingly tattooing music is no doubt a cinematic gem. The angles used for this sequence are perfect for the settings. It captures the gist of exactly what the director wants to portray. R.D.Burman is at his casual best with this score. I don't know how many remember this, but this was the best part of this movie for me.

The next film I believe has again the great Pancham(why am I not surprised!). This time coming up with a track which I believe many won't be aware of. This film actually took the efforts to create a whole sequence of custom animations which were relative to the theme of the film. This was not the pioneer film to take this effort but it was certainly a film which took this art to a whole new level. There is an opening sequence reveals of a murder and robbery on a train and as this sequence ends we get the fantastic opening credits. This is the film which actually instilled that feeling of excitement that only a well presented image can bring about in a human being. I must confess this is one of my favorite films of all times and a huge amount is due to this sequence. The film is titled The Train and stars the only superstar Rajesh Khanna. This credit sequence has the feel of a James Bond film(maybe the inspiration) and has a title track which matches if not more than any of the Bond films. 

Some of the films have used music and narration to open their films. This is again an effective method if the voice over has the credibilty of attaching emotions with the narration. This style really draws the spectator in for a simple reason, as to we don't see the narrator and an intrigue is instantly formed. But sometimes silence is the best narrator, this is widely showcased in this simple yet somehow very poignant opening sequence from one of the best films by a very talented director Shekhar Kapoor. He chooses a very non dramatic way to open his film and introduces his actors with a haunting music which is used very heavily through out the film. This piece of music is well placed and well timed as it explodes rather than soothes. You feel the film's tone from the very opening scene. Excellent opening sequence for my taste.

Talking of directors of this age, I have seen a trend in directors to start their films on an off note or a simple narrative. A fine example would be the opening of Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, which had an interesting narrative and a new kind of opening credits presentation. The opening sequence of Kahaani was also different and well executed. The really wild opening of Gangs Of Wasseypur was a brilliant stroke, with ultra violence with no form of explanation for the motivation or any of the characters. I feel this kind of opening is like throwing the audience in the deep end on their very first day of swimming classes. Either they learn to swim or...

The art of opening of a film is so crucial because it's human tendency to form impressions quickly. A good opening is like the friendly greeting before a hearty meal, it may not mean much but makes the meal ever so pleasant.