Minia's Mundane Musings

MASAAN What do you say for a movie that is so complete and hits all the right spots?  By themselves Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap are forces to reckon with, and when they collaborate on a project, the result is sheer magic. Masaan means the place you burn corpses – the crematorium. And it is in this unlikely place that the protagonists are placed in. the movie deals with tales of death and life thereafter.  The deaths are sudden and jolting and the sequelae of each death are not unpredictable, what matters though, is the treatment effected by the first time director Neeraj Ghaywan.  The direction is flawless and the characterizations are superb. In fact the attention to detail is just superb. The city of Varanasi wraps itself around you inexorably. I simply love it when the city becomes a part of the story. You will learn the whys and wherefores of cremation willy nilly. The male protagonist Vicky Kaushal(Deepak) is talented beyond belief.  He essays the p

DIL DHADAKNE DO The best part about being on vacation is that you can catch an early show without the clutter of the reviews. However even then I did glimpse reviews that had rated the movie 4 and 4.5. Those almost made me dig in my heels and not go for the movie. But addicted as I am, I was at the movies and this movie if I had to rate, would say 4 for the first half and a 3 for the second…. Certainly not a 4 or 4.5 overall! So Zoya Akhtar’s forte is eking out histories and back stories for her characters. Like she did in Luck by Chance and even her counterpart Reema Kagti did in Honeymoon Travels. And she does this so well here again. Also her angst against the upper crust continues in its own subtle way. The movie portrays a dysfunctional family headed by Anil Kapoor, who is busy trying to prop up his business by bartering his son. His wife is Shefali Shah who is assertive yet submissive, a trait shared by her daughter Priyanka Chopra who is stuck in a loveless marriage. The

                                                                        BOMBAY VELVET What do I say? Does anyone remember the experience of seeing a bowl of Halwa loaded with dry fruits and piping hot, giving off steam and then you diving in with a spoon and blowing on it furiously to cool it down? Then chomping your bite only to discover that there is a bitter almond in it? Thereby ruining your entire experience? Well BV is exactly like that….. Months of anticipation, getting red hot tickets and then the bitterness. Sigh! When will these crazy experiments stop? The bitter almond in question here is the bad script, there is no other word, it is bad through and through. The loose ends aren’t tied up and the protagonists have no clue whether they are coming or going. The only fine thing is the way Bombay of yesteryears has been shot. But that sure isn’t enough. I needed more! We all deserved better. My problem with Johnny Balraj is that there is no defined skill set. Is he

PIKU What a delight! What a treat! I had completely forgotten what it was to have a stitch in one's side from laughing.... well i was reminded by this movie and how. First and foremost the dialogue writer deserves a standing ovation! Oh My God! Each bit of repartee was priceless and had me holding my sides from laughing! The director is simply amazing. Soojit Sircar had us rolling in the aisles even with Vicky Donor, but this one is so good! And it is joining my list of often watched- lift me from the dumps movies.... Ala Chuke Chupke, Andaaz Apna Apna, Angoor, Golmaal- the ori ginal to name a few! Folks if you know any of the above mentioned, you shall know what to expect from Piku. Donot miss this one and certainly donot miss the beginning titles... it features a superb sitar composition. Deepika Padukone plays a loving daughter, whose life revolves around her Dad and her Dad is more than willing to keep her occupied. Other than this there is no perceptible storyline.

TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS And how! Read no further just go for the movie. Don't spend another second on this post just go and watch! Never have I enjoyed a sequel to an Indian movie so much. This one was as much fun as the previous. Kangana doing a double role will sweep you off your feet and any remaining non-Kangana fans will be drawn in too. The lady has demonstrated her flair for the dramatic and the comedic well enough in the past and this one just carries it further. The movie takes off where the previous one ended without missing a beat and all the memories just come flashing back, for us that is! The dialogues are hilarious.... the adrak one is already a hit in the trailers, but my fave one was "Arhar ki daal mai ajinomoto nahi padta" and also "ghutne ki ghadi ban gayi" All the favorites from the original are there... the moms, the dads, Jimmy Shergill (Sighhhhhh....) Deepak Dobriyal- whose chemistry with the others is as good as ever, Swara, Ej

Ahhhhh………………….. Bahubali…. The first thing xxx   said to me in the interval was, “Why did they give this movie 4 stars?”  And I agreed with alacrity. This movie was deserving of no less than 5 stars! Its right up there with every epic you can think of. Think the Mahabharat, think the Ramayan, Think GOT, Think Lord of the Ring, think of every Amar Chitra Katha you ever read and then mix them all together, make a laddoo and take a big whopping bite! That for you dear friends is Bahubali. It’s EPIC! What a movie! There is the well-loved theme of good triumphing over evil, and there is charm and it is sheer magic. If there is just one movie you watch in a year then let it be this one. And I am saying this in spite of knowing what is releasing this weekend. J Prabhas is just superb. So captivating is he that when he isn’t on screen you keep awaiting his return. Totally drool worthy. So much so, that no other actor had much of an impact on me in this movie. Rajamouli co

Bajrangi Bhaijaan Has anyone ever been to a high school reunion? Well I have and one goes with the memory of at least one cartoonish character that would play the buffoon and horse around needlessly in an effort to elicit a laugh and be the centre of attention. And then you meet that same person at the reunion and that silly person has now become a surprisingly good humoured corporate kind and is competent, mature and charming. Well that is exactly what happens when you go to  watch BB…. You have a Salman shorn of all his salmanisms. A Salman - who is actually content being an accessory rather than the main draw. He gives up the movie completely to the child actor- Harshali Malhotra and in part- 2 the show is stolen by Nawazuddin. There so many loopholes in the story but one doesn’t ponder on them as the story in this all about the kid and her Bhaijaan. Well Salman fans rejoice- I did! Bhai has grown up. Hallelujah!  The songs are surprisingly nice, once you get past Selfi