Panchayat- Good ol’days

Gone are the days when the TV shows were simple, down to earth. TV shows today range from millennial/Gen Z targeted reality programs to middle-age crowd pleasing high voltage drama shows. Even the OTT platforms tend to lean towards a more fast-paced urban high concept shows.

Long before satellite television hit India in early 90s, our living rooms were used to unpretentious shows such as Malgudi Days, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Tenali Rama, Dada Dadi Ki Kahaniyan, Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne. The storyline was uncomplicated and far easy to comprehend. 30 mins of your screen time would help you devour a lot of rich content. Many of these shows were based in the heartland of India far away from the busy bylanes of metro India.

Our generation has become acclimated to the content that is thrown to us in whichever medium possible. Even a short 1 min Tik Tok video is easily devoured without any complaints. But most of this content is short lived probably the right fit for ADDs (Attention Deficit Disorder). I am not denying that good content is completely lost. However they are far and few.

After having watched the trailer of TVF’s Panchayat, I was hoping that this does not end up making mockery of the rural landscape of India. However I was wrong. 10 mins into the 1^st episode of this show I was pulled in by the centripetal force of this amazing web series. TVF is a content focused production house which has given some nice shows in the past (Permanent Roommates, Tripling, Tech Conversations with Dad, Kota Factory-still watching). But this one hit the right notes. Right from the casting to screenplay and direction, everything is top-notch.

The proceedings in the show move forward so easily that you start feeling as if you are in the village and are experiencing this. Everything looks so real. Right from the road leading to the Phulera Panchayat office to the small beedi/snack shop and desi daru shop. The water tank brings back memories of Dharam shouting to Mausiji. Pradhan’s house is a typical village house where the bikes/cycles are kept inside the house and so are the cows. Pradhan Pati offering Lauki/bottle gourd to his deputy and Abhishek evokes hearty chuckle.

 Jitendra Kumar as the Abhishek,village secretary is caught up between his ambitions to do MBA and running the sarpanch office. Initial few episodes focus on how difficult it is for him to get adjusted to this life style with no electricity at night for his CAT studies, dealing with chudail (fake news) and unreluctantly showing hospitality to the bridegroom. However he comes into his element once he starts bonding well with fellow villagers (Vikas, Prahlad and Pradhan pati).  I am talking about the episode where he has a sudden outburst of emotions because of him staying alone in the village with no one to talk to and the sweet eye watering treatment given to him by these 3 guys.

Raghuveer Yadav as the Pradhan Pati as always is top notch. Notice the way he looks at Abhishek during that outburst scene and the scene where the district magistrate is in the village on 26^th Jan. I don’t think anyone would have done justice to this role. He is complemented well by Neena Gupta (the Rabri Devi version of Phulera). Her presence is limited in the initial few episodes. However the screen time increases as the show moves on. She completely owns the last episode of the series where she has to step up during the Republic Day celebrations. Best dialogues and punch liners of the show are reserved for her.

The show ends on a very sweet note. I wish they had longer or more episodes. The dish was consumed so fast that yeh Dil Maange More. Hope scripting has already started on the next season. Till then onto Kota Factory.

Hasee to Phasee

Have been revisiting some movies since last few weeks and happened to watch Hasee to Phasee again. This movie has always been close to my heart for the way it depicted father-daughter relationship. And now after this second outing it has grown over me manifolds. Those scenes between Parineeti and Manoj Joshi leaves me moist-eyed. I really commend the acting and writing in those scenes. He is the most perfect dad who still dotes her little one in spite of her giving so much grief all these years. Even after 7 years, the emotional bonding has not waned. But in fact has grown even stronger.

Apart from those strong emotional moments, I love this film for Parineeti's acting. Her acting hasn’t been fully tapped yet. She is a powerhouse. Given right roles, I am sure she can stand as tall as Deepika and Alia. Coming to music, I am absolutely in love with Zehnaseeb. One of my all time favs. Such a beautiful tune and is so brilliantly rendered. Manchala isnt far behind.

The script has its share of shortfalls. Some of the characters werent fully defined. 2 of Manoj's daughters had fleeting appearances with very rare mention of them. They could have done away with those 2 daughters. Similarly some of the characters on Siddharth's side of family werent introduced/used well.

Paro: The cause of heart breaks for over half a century but none better than this (Dev D)

Anurag Kashyap announced his arrival with the classic Black Friday but this was the film that compelled everyone to sit up and take notice.

Everything about Dev D looks perfect. First up is the casting. Abhay Deol fits the role to a T and gives a very restrained performance. The pathos needed by this character is accurately portrayed by him. He is one of the most dependable actors but somehow he isnt seen much these days. Wish he comes up with  something special similar to Manorama Six feet under, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye and Shanghai. Mahie too is terrific as Paro and expresses tremendously through her eyes. Couple of scenes are applaud-worthy. The character of Chandramukhi played by Kalki is the most sensible of the lot but unfortunately gets into the wrong profession because of the MMS scandal.

The script is innovative and brilliantly written. Dev's encounter with Chanda when he goes to meet her second time is a gem. So is the scene between Rasika and Dev D in the bus.

No wonder the movie won the national award for the Best Music. Amit Trivedi's work is highly experimental and acts a catalyst to the proceedings. This guy is the most promising of the current lot and I am super impressed by his work so far (Aamir, Dev D, Lootera, Bombay Velvet, Queen, Udaan, Kai po che). Also some of the songs have been brilliantly shot. And was a pleasant surprise to find Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sunil Grover aka Gutthi as the band singers in Emotional Atyachar.

This film had lot of new names associated who went on to do big eventually. Vikas Bahl (Queen, Shaandaar), Vikramaditya Motwane (Lootera, Udaan), Nawazuddin, Sunil Grover, Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharyya,

In comparison, SLB's version was highly overdone and superficial. And was SRK's hammy act.

Note: Had seen Dev D when it had released in 2009 but writing this review after  rewatching it again after almost 7 yrs

2015 gems

Recounting the releases of the year gone by and jotting down the films that would really stay back with me for a long time.

Talvar
Heartening. Shows how the entire murder case was messed up by the police and how conflicting the reports were. Meghana Gulzar does a smart work of giving this a Rashomon treatment by giving different POVs. Irrfan is simply brilliant. This has been a terrific year for him (ok ok I am not counting Jazbaa). Movie has been beautifully written and has been generous towards the parents. But they had to stick with one POV rather than remaining neutral. Wish the truth is known to all and proper justice is done.

Tamasha
Just in my previous post I had written about how inconsistent Imtiaz Ali was and how I wasnt impressed with his scorecard. However I would say Tamasha is the most complex script that he has directed. First of all hats off to the writers for doing a great job and transforming a simple story to cinematic excellence. The whole Kahaani track has been beautifully written and then Imtiaz has done an excellent job presenting the same on the screen. Ranbir and Deepika have grown as an actor and I am sure they are going to cherish this movie for the lifetime. Deepika's breakdown just before the Tum Saath Ho song has to be the scene of the decade.

Baby
Last hr of this film bears striking resemblance to Argo. Nevertheless this movie is beautifully executed. Neeraj Pandey movies have always been special and this one is no less. His track record has been brilliant so far (A Wednesday, Special 26 and now Baby). Akshay suits these roles much better than the Rowdys.

Dum Lagake Haisha
Such a cute film. Perfect casting (Bhumi, Ayushman, Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Sheeba Chadha). The entire ensemble has done a great job in the film and the story/setting is spot on. Brings back old memories of the past. Perfect soundtrack (Moh Moh ke dhage is beautifully composed). Ishq Karara brings back Sanu and Anu Malik together and song is a treat to watch. Hope Bhumi is used wisely and doesnt remain a one movie wonder.

Titli
Hardcore and brutal. Shows the life of a low income family living in the heart of the capital. Titli wants to go away from his family and start his own parking garage. He gets forcefully married but her wife loves someone else who in turn is cheating with her. All this adds upto all the commotion in the movie. Ranvir Shorey is brilliant and so is the rest of the cast.

Honorable Mentions
Masaan (pure arthouse brilliance), Dil Dhadakne Do (commercial to the core), Piku (perfect story and casting), NH-10 (disturbing), Badlapur (Sriram rarely disappoints), Tanu Weds Manu Returns (all because of Kangana), Drishyam (nice story)

Imtiaz Ali: Is he really a great director?

I was in awe of Imtiaz Ali after  his first 3 movies viz Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal. However after watching his last two films (Rockstar and Highway), I have started doubting his directorial capabilities.

Socha Na Tha was a been there-seen that kinda cinema. However it was beautifully penned. Really loved the refreshing storyline and fresh characters (Abhay and Ayesha). Though the movie didnt do exceptionally well, it was loved by the young brigade. Thanks to its smart humor. At this point, I started seeing Imtiaz as one of the promising directors.

Jab We Met sealed his position as one of the top notch filmmakers in the country. Was an excellent film (his best). Great screenplay, beautiful music and ace performance by Kareena. Kareena's comic timing was noticed for the 1st time and which she enhanced further in some of her subsequent attempts (barring Golmaal series). Imtiaz now was amongst the top 5 directors in the country.

His next directorial venture Love Aaj Kal too didnt disappoint. Though not as smart and refreshing as Jab We Met, it still was an entertainer. Thanks to Saif-Deepika excellent chemistry. I didnt think Imtiaz lost any brownie points coz of this movie.

And then the downfall started.
Rockstar was marred by a bad plot and even horrible screenplay. The movie kept fluctuating between past and present at uneven pace. The editing was really bad. His pick for the lead actress was faulty and so was Ranbir's character. The movie didnt earn big bucks at the ticket window. However it was a disappointment for me.

I thought that Rockstar was just an aberration in his directorial cap and hoped that he would come back aces with Highway. That was not the case.

The writing failed him again. Alia was moved from one state to another without depicting it clearly where she was on a given day. At times I was confused whether she was in WB, Sikkim or Himachal, Showing her journey via map or some timeline would have helped. It was also never shown her duration in captivity. Her kidnapping scene itself was poorly executed. Why the heck couldnt she jump into the car on seeing the goons. Delhi girls are smart, man. Also she had another opportunity to escape when the kidnappers left her in the car. Also I had serious reservations with respect to the movie length. It could have easily been cut by 20-25 mins. Some of the scenes were dead boring.

After his last 2 attempts, I am not sure I will eagerly await his next movie. However I sincerely hope he strikes back and proves me wrong.

P.S: He is able to pull exceptional performances from some of his central characters (Abhay in Socha Na Tha, Kareena in Jab We Met, Ranbir in Rockstar, Alia in Highway)

2011: Best Songs

Not necessarily sorted in any order

Kyun Main Jagoon (Patiala House): Best track of the year with excellent singing by Shafqat and great lyrics....still my most heard track even after a year of the album release...the song was picturised quite well and showed Akshay's pain effectively...aadat hai wo and baby when you talk to me were another great tracks from this awesome album....one of the best albums from SEL..

Saathiya (Singham): Shreya always scores especially if its a solo...be it jaadu hai nasha hai, yeh ishq hai, barso re, bahara, o bekhabar...best romantic number of the year....

Saibo (Shor in the City): Shreya solo fare didnt stop with Saathiya...Saibo was one more brilliant track from Shreya...

Senorita(ZNMD): how many times have we seen actors getting behind the mikes and the last couple of decades...very few actor singers have been lapped up...this track falls into that category...farhan, hrithik and abhay have made this an enjoyable track...

Darling (7 Khoon Maaf): great peppy track....brought out the best in Rekha Bharadwaj and Usha Uthup provided nice support...

DK Bose (Delhi Belly): inspite of controversial lyrics, the tunes were too catchy to miss it....worth repeated listening....

Tere Bin (Dil to Bachcha Hai Ji): My fav Sonu struck an ace with this track..this song could have been promoted well...

Teri Meri (Bodyguard): among the better romantic numbers of the year though I preferred

Saathiya (Singham) over this one....Shreya and Rahat did ample justice to this song..

Rab rakha (Love Breakup Zindagi): Excellent duet from Sonu-Shreya combination...this combo has always given amazing tracks to listeners...piyu bole, pal pal har pal, aaj maine dil se, zoobi doobi, chori kiya re, ishq hua, main hoon na, dheere jalna...this was one of the most underrated songs of the year

Chamak Challo(Ra.One): Zingy track from a disastrous movie....

Te Amo (Dum Maaro Dum): Nice duet...

Dhinka Chika (Ready): Fultoo item song...ekdum jhakaas...Character Dheela was also nice

Sadda Haq (Rockstar): song to be heard repetitively on my 5.1 home theatre system at full volume...altogether a different sound from AR Rahman...Mohit in the past has sang really welll but this movie is a turning point in his career...never in recent times have we seen an album which has fully explored the vocals of a great singer...

Hawaa Hawaa (Rockstar): Like this song for the tongue twisting lyrics and amazing Mohit vocals... Phir Se ud chala, Tum Ho, Nadaan Parinde were some of other great tracks of this album...Rockstar can easily go on to win all the music awards this year...though I would have preferred Patiala winning it...dunno why...

Shaher Ki Rani (Tera Kya Hoga Johny): Guess the singer without referring to the album cover...You wont be able to find out that the singer is none other than Shreya...showcases her versatility...gone are the days of sunidhi....

Ohh la la (The Dirty Picture): This is now definitely Shreya's year...80s number with peppy tunes....like the track (my wife hates it...more for the visuals than for the songs)....Chikni Chameli is another track worth mention from Shreya's stable though it will make into my next year's list (listen to last 1 minute of the song to find out why Shreya is the best singer we have had in last 20-30 yrs)...

I have deliberately left out Why this Kolaveri (3) because

• its a track from 2012 movie
• Non Bollywood track

2011 Year In Pictures: Courtesy Boston.com

Right from Japanese earethquake to Tahrir Square event to Libya revolution to Christchurch earthquake to Royal wedding to Chicago snowstorm

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/12/the_year_in_pictures_part.html

ZNMD: Life has an all new meaning

Very rarely does a college/school group get together and go on a fun trip sans their better halves almost 10 yrs after their college...Quite often do people get involved in adventure sports but very rarely they get a chance to live life (post the sport) with an altogether different perspective...Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a perfect example of that.

The movie starts off with Abhay Deol-Kalki engagement night...Abhay, Farhan and Hrithik decide to go on a road trip in Spain and indulge in 3 different adventure sports of their choice....Hrithik an I banker straight out of Wall street is initially unwilling to go on this excursion coz of project timelines..However he later decides to go owing to issues on his personal front...as part of the 1st trip they end up meeting Katrina...Farhan and Hrithik both get attracted to her. However never ever jealousy is shown between the two and it always comes out as a good-natured bantering...eventually Kats ends up on the Roman God's end....the lyricist has not come to Spain to woo Kats but to meet his padre...Kat-Hrithik bond well and their long walks and underwater diving bring a complete change in Hrithik's attitude and his perspective towards worldly pleasures...Anurag Kashyap's dame ends up in Spain to play a spoilsport and a rift develops between the lovey-dovey couple...Abhay too starts evaluating his decision to marry her..in the meantime Farhan gets a chance to meet his father only to be disappointed...However all three buddies end up finishing all 3 adventure sports and the movie culminates to an apt end...

Farhan is the pick of the lot...In fact he steals the show from one and all..He is a terrific actor and this role suits him to a tee....He is at complete ease and seems to be sleep walking through the entire movie...it looks completely effortless...Hrithik has the largest role in terms of screen space..his character has different shades (arrogance, money minded, generous, romantic) and he does a complete justice to his role...in fact very few of his movies has showcased his versatility...Abhay though not as effective as Dev D, Manorama Six Feet Under, Socha Na Tha, has an important role and is likable as ever....not a bad decision for selecting this role...Kats looks a li'l plump but essays her part effectively...Kalki was a bad choice for Natasha and would have preferred someone else...Deepti Naval and Naseer bring up memories of their past performances...

Zoya follows her bro's footsteps and make us relive the DCH experience...its a far better effort than her last outing Luck By Chance though LBC too was a nice movie...Javed Akhtar deserves a special mention for penning wonderful poetries and Farhan delivers them excellently...After Udaan this is another movie which has wonderful shayaris...SEL has another winner in their pocket after Patiala House...Senorita is peppy with excellent singing...Der Lagi is a revelation..Dil Jaise Dhadke is pulsating and Paint it Red is pure awesome fun...Tomatino Festival and Pomplano Bull run has been picturised well...cinematography is perfect and it captures Hrithik's mood specially on the starry night, deepwater diving and during the song Khwabon ke Parinde...the skydiving sport is also brilliantly...

I would rate ZNMD as one of the better movies of this millennium..definitely worth repeated viewing...