April 10, 2008
What did I do on my birthday!
Getting into the movie industry has been one of the passions I always had. That doesn’t mean I want to struggle for years together in the entertainment industry to taste success. When success has to come, it will come on its own – we need not struggle for it. Rather we just need to have the patience to wait. I always mention the example of the great composer Naushad, who stayed & struggle in a slum opposite Mehboob Studios for 17 years before he could get into the studio for composing music for his first movie. I would rather say, he could have celebrated life till 16th year, and then tried getting into the Studio in the 17th year – he still would have got the offer! Where you reach in life doesn’t depend upon your effort, it depends upon what time you are running!
Well yesterday, I wanted to do something different, and hence was exploring the movie editing software – Cyberlink Powerdirector. I had few ‘still’ pictures of a trip to Mahabs I had gone with my friends a couple of years back. And I tried weaving a story around it…well there is ‘NO’ music in the video, but there is something interesting for the men at the end ;).
Posted by Kenni at 04:26 AM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2007
Chukde or F@&# De?
I recently watched ‘Chakde India’ and this was the 3rd movie in my life, which I wasn’t able to sit through. The other two were Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar and Dil Se. Chakde India’s story is simple and also very predictable. You know what is coming all through the movie, and there is zero suspense maintained. Shahrukh Khan has performed well rather he has not performed at all – hence he is tolerable.
There are some 16 women hockey players, and 1 Shahrukh Khan. Every woman is from a different state, and every woman has a peculiar behaviour, characteristic, and also a problem. These get highlighted in the practice sessions, and these problems get rectified one by one as they move towards the finals. The last problem gets rectified in the final match.
In fact there are not much difference between Aamir Khan’s Lagaan, and Shahrukh Khan’s Chakde India.
The similarities –
Problem - England (Lagaan), Pakistan (Chakde India)
Players – 10 Men & 1 Kachra (Lagaan), 16 women - all kachras
Differences –
Hero – Aamir Khan (Lagaan), Shahrukh Khan (Chakde India)
Game – Cricket (Lagaan), Hockey (Chakde India)
Of course the movie is a hit, and I could see most men in the theatre whistling and clapping all through the movie. May be they had come with their wives and / or girl friends, and had no other go but to prove their non-MCP attitude by showing themselves excited about how women can surpass men if given a chance.
The movie is a must watch for all those patriots, who still harness the hope of India toping the medal charts in Olympic games (hum honge kaamyaab ek dinnnnnnn). It is always good to see something on reels, which otherwise looks impossible in real life.
Well if someone who has watched the movie already, kindly let me know what is wrong with Sharukh Khan’s scooter? Why is he not able to start it when he leaves the house, and why is he not able to come on a scooter after 7 years? Why is he pushing it all through?
Posted by Kenni at 07:33 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2007
First day, first show, first row!
The much-awaited Rajni’s new flick ‘Sivaji’ released today and I had the golden opportunity to watch the same – first day, first show and that too sitting in the first row. What more could a Rajni’s fan ask for? Honestly life cannot get better than this. The show timing was 7 am, and three special shows were shown for fans alone. Thank god my brother- in-law had been a Rajni fan club leader since the childhood days I know him, and getting the ticket wasn’t a problem at all.
I had postponed my Tiruppur trip from 3rd to 13th so that I can fulfill one of my long yearned desires of watching Rajni Kanth’s movie on the Silver Screen before anyone could comment on how the movie was or before anyone could review the movie. And as expected – the experience was electrifying!
Rajni’s movies in Tamil Nadu are not just movies. They happen to be more important than any festival, where in every member of any family – children, women, men & the elderly – join the celebration with utmost joy and expectation.
I got up at 5 am, got ready, and reached the theatre at 6 am. The crowd was unbelievable, and the traffic was already jam-packed. The colourful posters and the huge cut outs of Super Star can only make one wonder – what could be the possible magic that Rajni possesses which makes him an entertainment God in India (now in Japan too).
The screen opened, and Rajni appeared on the screen. I turned around to have a glimpse of how the crowd reacted. And the celebration mood was 100 times more than when Sachin Tendulkar hits a four or a six of the last ball!
The whistles, the claps, and the applause filled the air with prolonged euphoria, which hardly came to still all through the movie. I am yet to see a movie - English, Hindi or Tamil - with so much of excitement from the viewers’ side, and I don’t think it will ever happen in years to come.
Rajni is undoubtedly the ‘Super Star’!
I don’t want to write anything about the story part now. The movie is excellent, and as usual a must watch. Rajni looks awesome, and you can hardly take your eyes off him. His style and punch dialogues are unparalleled. Director Shankar has done his job, and his magnanimous is seen in every scene!
Padam summa adurudhuleee!
Posted by Kenni at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2006
Will ‘Guru’ do good at the box office?
This is my first attempt in documenting a prediction about how a particular movie will do at the Box Office before its release.
Someone who is in a way associated with Abhishek Bacchan-starring Mani Ratnam’s latest flick ‘Guru’ met me recently. The person’s major concern was, whether the movie will do well at the box office? And this gave me a chance to predict about the performance of a movie, which otherwise I have never done before.
I don’t have Mani Ratnam’s horoscope, but here I have tried to predict the performance of his next movie using his life pattern. He ran a very bad period since the year 2002, where two of his highly proclaimed movies bombed at the box office. Madhavan-Simran starring Kannathil Muttam Ittal, and Ayude Ezhuthu (Yuva in Hindi) were neither appreciated much by people nor by the media.
Moreover he was hospitalized in the same period for mild chest pain, and top of it, he lost his brother GV, who eventually had committed suicide due to high debts. GV was believed to have sponsored most of Mani’s endeavours.
Saturn transited in the month of November 2006, which should surely bring Mani some good news on his career front. The period between November 2006 and January 2007 will be ideal for him to release the movie. And I heard from my sister, that she saw a poster at Satyam Cinema, announcing the release of the movie in the month of December 2006, which astrologically is an awesome period for Mani Ratnam.
I also checked my Tarot Cards to answer the client query about the movie. And the cards that flashed were the Sun, and 9 of Pentacles - based on which it can be astrologically said that that the movie will do really well at the box office, will make high collections, and also will receive international acclaim!
Abhishek Bacchan is already running an awesome time, so his luck should favour the movie too.
Pray God for the movie and also for my predictions and me!
Posted by Kenni at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)
August 31, 2006
So much for a movie?!
The much-awaited Kamal Hassan starring ‘Vetaiyadu Vilaiyadu’ written and director by Gautham released last week, and I wanted to watch the movie before I read any reviews. I am an ardent fan of Kamal Hasan, and never miss his movies. Mayajaal, my favourite multiplex in Chennai, ran some 10 shows in a day, and we got the ticket for the 11.55 pm show! After college days, this is the first time I have been outside home in the nights with a woman (my wife) and this time I had my 2 kids with me too.
The movie was awesome. The characterization of Kamal will surely inspire a lot of youngsters to become cops in their lives. In fact after the movie was over, even I was thinking about the age limit to enroll as a policeman. I guess I am already too old for it.
The background score by Harris Jayaraj rocks, and creates the right mood at the right time. The story is excellent, and has impressive twists and turns. The pace of the movie is well maintained, and there are many scenes that will give you goose bubbles. Kamal is admirable, right from his body language as a middle aged DCP to the wireless stunts he performs, and Jyothika is watchable in the romance sequences.
The movie got over at 3 am, and we reached home at 4 am. It was quite an experience to ride bike at that hour on the ECR. We thought we were the only cranky people around to take such a risk. But then the hall was full! I am sure if they had run another show at 3 am – even then people would have flocked. The charisma of Kamal Hassan I should say.
Verdict – A must watch!
Posted by Kenni at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2005
‘Anniyan’ – Thought provoking!
Since childhood we are trained to be good & obedient. We are asked not to indulge in other people’s problems. We hate violence, thanks to M K Gandhi. And we have this attitude of ‘sab kuch chalta hai’ (enna nadanda numekku enna) inbuilt in our system. We usually don’t mind bribing the traffic police, or crossing the lane, or being fooled by spurious products. We usually don’t consider them as mistakes or sins, which probably could affect India’s over all growth. The only thing we do to prove our love towards the nation is emptying our cupboard of old clothes when there is a natural calamity like that of earth quakes & tsunami!
What if a person who refuses to stop his vehicle to help an accident victim is killed in a cave by few thousand buffaloes stamping on him? What if the contractor who provides stale & tasteless food on trains is fried in boiling oil like chicken 65? Or what if the owner of a brake company who sold fake brake wire is killed by using live leeches sucking all his blood? This is what Shankar’s movie Anniyan is all about.
Ambi is a lawyer from an Iyangar family who hates to break the rules. Anniyan is an extension of Ambi’s mind or thought that wants to clear the society of scum. Remo is a self generated character by Ambi, who wants to win the heart of his beloved. And all the 3 characters are splendidly performed by the one and only – Vikram, and there are no triple roles!
The movie isn’t about narrating a story. It is about a thought or concept that has been picturized in the best possible way. Shankar, known for his munificence, style & graphics has used his creativity to the best. And his thirst for minutest perfection is clearly visible in each & every frame of the movie. Shankar of course needs accolades for the effort.
The first half of the movie is full of characterizations, events & murders while the second half is about how Shankar justifies or convinces the audience about the first half. Of course there are sequences where boredom strikes you, but still the movie is worth a watch.
Vikram looks ok as Iyangar, great as Anniyan & cool as Remo. He is awesome, and at his best of course - especially when he juggles between the characters. And the costumes & the outlook – even men would fall in love with him!
The only thing that wonders me is if Shankar has any special soft corners for the Iyers & Iyengars. Gentleman revolved around Brahmin subject, and now Anniyan. To be honest in real life I have found them to be the first to run away from others’ problems. No hardfeelings - Anniyan still is a must watch!
Posted by Kenni at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2004
Movie ideas!
I used to play with plastic toys, till I was 14. Guerilla was the hero, and the toy holding 2 guns in his hands was the villain. I had motorboats for the villain to kidnap the heroine, a bicycle and a string attached to the guerilla’s head to help him swing to save the heroine. Eveready batteries, empty nail polish bottles were stacked in villain’s den, as they stack empty drums in the movies. I supervised story, screenplay, direction and stunts and my mom was the producer as she was the one who never refused to get me those toys. My stories never had songs, and the only viewer was myself, as my sister always refused to sit with me – as I never gave her any of the responsibilities I handled!
As time passed by people at my home started worrying about me. My mom thought I was not growing, while my sisters started thinking I was turning into a psycho. But I was content with what I was doing. I had my own world of fantasy, and I was completely happy with it.
As I grew up, I realized that I have intense love for the process of movie making. And I wish I could get associated with the movie industry some day in my life. The experienced say that the movie industry is a sick area and that lot of struggle and compromises are required to make your own name. I am honestly not interested in going through all that hardships, would rather take the short cut to success.
Here are few story ideas I contemplate to make movies in the future. Just waiting for someone to get in touch with me who can trust my potential, and also fund my project!
Vamsee Vardhan Ko Ladki Chahiye (bi-lingual) - comedy
This story revolves around 4 characters, who are corporate employees of different ages working for the same firm.
Rajan – is a lover boy, happy going, in love with Rekha but not sure whether he will marry her!
Rekha – a Keralite, sensitive, extremely in love with Rajan, hardworking, and fun loving.
Kennedi – married with 2 kids, philosophic, talks and thinks more than his age
Vamsee – is a new associate, young, impulsive, dynamic, and in love with the concept of love
Vamsee instantly falls in love - not with 1 but with 3 girls - the day he joins. He doesn’t have any hidden motive, but then he wants SOMEONE desperately and that too urgently.
The rest of the story is about how Rajan, Rekha and Kennedi help Vamsee in making his move in letting those girls know about his feelings towards them and how he fails in all the attempts due to his Extra Intelligence Syndrome.
Finally, a 4th person enters Vamsee’s life and changes his perception about love, and they get married.
Biwiyaan ho ti aisi! - comedy
Suraj is in his late 20sa middle-aged and a very successful man at a young age. He is intelligent, he is rich, he is smart and he loves women but just for momentary relationships. He is a non-believer, and 2 major things in life he hates are – the concept of God and marriage. He has valid points to support his views about not getting married. He says, by nature you won’t get a person who suits your likes and dislikes, and also why should a man compromise in life when he has so many other women providing the same service.
One fine morning God appears in front of Suraj, and gives him a boon. And the boon is Suraj can program is wife as he wants, and he has the liberty to change the program 5 times!
Suraj decides to get married, and he already has programmed an ideal girl he always wanted - very beautiful, very sexy, very intelligent, very confident and very caring. Everything goes fine till he finds the blend a bit boring and problematic. He keeps changing the program to suit his need, which keeps changing with time – and finally realizes that the change has to brought from within and seeking happiness outside is mere foolishness.
Story ideas to follow -
Agar? - thriller
What if the Prime Minister is dead, and the media keeps him alive?
Agar is one man’s struggle to let the world know the truth!
Posted by Kenni at 07:32 AM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2004
Lakshya – aimless!
The difference between a good movie and a super hit movie is its repeat value and Lakshya lacks it completely. Farhan Akhtar, of the Dil Chahta Hai fame, has done everything but has failed to impress the audience.
Hrithik Roshan is living in an acute phase of life where he has a girl friend for romance, a rich dad to sponsor his expenses, and servants to look after him, and the million dollar question he needs to seek answer for is – what is he gonna do about his life?
His girlfriend Preity Zinta, like any other career oriented woman of today’s age, is clear about what she wants in life. She wants to become a reporter and she becomes one.
Hrithik decides to join the NDA impulsively, just to support one of his friends’ viewpoints and gets totally dejected when he ditches him. Hrithik’s aspiration for joining the NDA becomes intense when his father warns him that he should not join the army, and that he has to live his life as his father wants him to!
The army training sessions are shot well, and it brings chuckles to few. If this is one story about a useless brat who succeeds in finding his aim (Lakshya), there is another story that runs parallel – the Kargil war. When we get busy in the flow another subplot pops up – who is better, men or women!
Preity Zinta breaks her engagement (this seems to be her prime job in Akhtar’s movie), as she finds career more important than personal life. If so, why she gets busy in gaining Hrithik’s attention at Kargil when audience expect some dare devil reporting stuff from her is quite debatable. Barkha Dutt of NDTV, who did an amazing job of reporting from Kargil in 1999, inspires Preity’s character - not to forget that few soldiers were killed in saving Barkha’s life.
Amitabh, Om Puri & Amrish Puri - the golden team of Dev are wasted royally. Amitabh’s name casts first in the title, and that is the only solace he would get out of Lakshya.
Prabhu Deva’s choreography is excellent, the picturesque location is a real treat to the eyes, but the filming of Kargil war is a bit immature - makes one wonder if only 20 Pakistanis and 20 Indian soldiers fought the whole of Kargil war!
Verdict – Ek baar dekh sakta hai (can be watched once & only once)
Posted by Kenni at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2004
Movie making – one of my dreams!
Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Lakshya’ is a hit. Would you believe if I tell you that I told the same story to my sister 5 years back! I am not trying to say Farhan stole my story just that he is in the right place at the right time and that happens to be the secret of most successful people.
I would use this new section of my blog to talk about movies, my movie ideas, few gossips about celebrities and my association with film stars.
May be someday I will be in the same place where most filmmakers are today.
I learnt few important techniques of story telling from my spiritual teacher, which gave me an insight about how to stitch scenes around the main plot.
The vital factors of a movie story –
Main plot
3-4 main characters
3-4 sub plots
3-4 twists
Characterization
Pace of the movie
Entertainment value
I personally don’t give much importance to the entertainment value alone. I feel film as a strong mass medium has some social responsibility and providing the audience with a good time should not be its only motto. Every movie should make few think and should be able to transform few. My movies are going to be with a message (ie when I make them :P).
Here is an example how story is stitched around a concept.
Main Characters – Ram, Sita, Ravana, Lakshman, Hanuman
Sub characters – Dahsrat, Bharat, Kaiki, Vali, Sughreev
Ramayan’s one line concept – ‘Ram rescues his kidnapped wife from Ravana’.
This is the single line concept Valmiki would have thought about, and rest of the epic is sub-plots that are stuck to the real one.
Who is Ram – son of Dashrat, who is Dashrat – a King with 3 wives, who was Sita – daughter of King Janak, where did Ram meet Sita – in a swayamvaram, how could Ravana kidnap Sita – because she was alone in a jungle, why was she in the jungle – Dashrat had asked Ram to go, did Ram and Sita go alone – no Lakshman joined him, who took care of the Kingdom then – Bharat, who helped Ram to rescue Sita – Hanuman, who was Ravan – the king of Lanka, what made Ravan kidnap Sita – his sister’s insult by Lakshman, who made the process easy – Vibhishan.
This is how subplots are built around the main plot. And then the mood of the movie is decided on - whether it is a romantic movie, or a thriller, or a masala packed movie. The pace of the movie, cinematography, the background score and the music are set according to the mood of the story.
Keep checking this page for more details in the coming days…
Posted by Kenni at 04:27 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2004
‘Dev’ leaves a lump in your throat!
The screen opens with a disclaimer – “All the characters and incidents in this movie are fictitious and any resemblance to people living or dead is mere coincidence,” and wish that was true. The bomb blasts, the killing of pregnant women, misguidance given by police officers, politicians’ direct indulgence in gruesome killing of minority community and setting people on fire alive doesn’t sound like Govind Nihalani’s imagination.
The movie reminds us of the gruesome incidents, which took place in Gujarat under the disgraceful supervision of the bureaucrats, judiciary and the politicians.
The movie reflects the disgusting animal side of human beings who can get more heinous than the wildest of species just because a sect of people follow another system of religious practice.
Amitabh Bacchan, Dev, and his family friend Om Puri, Tej, are police officers who differ just on one thing - their ideologies. Dev is a sincere cop, and is under the strong conviction that only unwanted weeds should be eliminated to preserve the field, while Tej feels the whole field should be eradicated so that there is no sign of weed whatsoever. The weeds are few Muslim terrorists while the field is the whole of Muslim community!
Fardeen Khan (Farhan Ali), a lawyer, comes back to live with his father after his education only to see his father getting killed in a police shoot out. Farhaan starts nurturing a hatred towards Dev as the firing order is given by him to control the morcha led by his father, which gets violent midway.
Kareena Kapur is a bold Muslim lady in love with Farhan and the only woman to come forward first to file the FIR against prominent politicians and the rabid police officers who are seen motivating rioters.
Om Puri is appointed by the CM as an officer on special duty to take control of the situation in the riot stricken area and is given clear instruction that on any day the number of Muslims killed should be more than the Hindus! Om Puri knows his job well. He delays to give curbing orders to Amitabh, who reports to him, so that the Hindus succeed in killing the Muslims and also waits till the Hindus manage to lock the Muslims in their houses and succeed in setting the whole building on fire. Women and kids get charred to death while few jump from their corridors.
The movie isn’t just about sets, screenplay and cinematography. It is about the essence of human civilization and humanity.
The performances of Amitabh and Om Puri are one of the best with special applause to the debates they have during their drinking sessions.
The movie is a must watch, but see to it you understand Hindi perfectly well. Few Urdu dialogues could go overhead and also don’t assume your friend to translate the dialogues for you. He might miss the whole thrill and the pace.
Verdict – Salute to Dev
Posted by Kenni at 05:45 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2004
Ayuthe Ezhuthu – 6 stars out of 5!
One thing I realized after watching Mani’s new sensation Ayuthe Ezhutu (Yuva in Hindi) is that never go by what the reviewers have to say about any movie. The heading read ‘Yuva disappoints’ on rediff and also few other movie sites, which readers tend to take seriously. Probably the reviewer left their 5 senses at home, and went with memories of Mani’s yesteryear movies to do a comparison business. Mani is known for his experiments and I am sure this is the best one he has ever undertaken so far.
Three important characters who run the show are..
Madhavan belongs to the poor class who makes a living by being a local gunda. Hitting his wife, and also getting into instant romantic sequence on the streets are part and parcel of this life. He is stubborn, uncompromising and inhuman who graduates into a hit man for a politician.
Surya is a diehard student, who thinks fighting for the right is the only reason for his existence. He turns down the offer of going abroad, just to find himself a place in the assembly so that he can clean the society from the scum of corrupt politician. When it comes to power he equals Madhavan.
Siddharth’s life revolves around ONS (one night stands), instant romance and coffees, discotheque and his dream of going to the US for further studies. The only thing that could affect him is his GF’s words and the delay in getting the Visa. Nothing else matters to him.
A single story is wisely spun across these three characters, which brings them together not for a single cause but for a common message.
Mani has tried to keep the movie as realistic as possible, and hence has not used any foreign location, no foreign group dancers (no local too) and no old women either. The songs are scintillating, and the background score too good. The cinematography is clean and is a visual treat.
Madhavan - realistic
Surya - aggressive
Sidharth - reasonable
Meera Jasmine – natural
Easha Deol – cute
Trisha – bubbly
Bharatiyaraja – perfect
I am as such not an ardent fan of Mani Rathnam. I still feel Iruvar was bad, Dil se (Uyire) was worse; Kannathil Muttam Ittal was not needed. But take my word Ayuthe Ezhutu is fantastic and is a MUST WATCH!
Do post your comment after you have watched the movie, and not before that!
Posted by Kenni at 03:42 AM | Comments (0)