Minia's Mundane Musings

QUEEN        On Friday I had the choice to go for one of the three movies that had released, and was tempted to see Gulab Gang coz of Juhi’s negative role but I opted for this one as I have a yen for the histrionics of Kangana Ranaut and boy did I hit the jack-pot! Such a brilliant movie this one is! Travelogues in Indian cinema are so far and few in between that I view any one which does appear on the horizon with great distrust. The last one that I enjoyed was Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, however to simply call this one a travelogue would be doing it so much injustice. This movie flies in the face of all that is trite and clichéd and comes up trumps.  And the best part is that the intention of the movie is not to surprise you at all or even create any kind of suspense it is simply telling a tale and that’s about it. The movie starts very innocuously with a Punjabi wedding sequence where Rani( Kangana Ranaut) does a voiceover telling you what is ...

Shaadi Ke Side Effects When you go to watch a movie that stars Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan your expectations are sky high.. And this movie does manage in part to fulfill those. The first half is literally a laugh a minute. The whole theatre erupts into guffaws and cackles and full bellied laughs. There are also a few scattered muted eruptions as some identify with the situation unfolding on scr een... The movie is narrated from Sid's perspective. (Farhan's character.) And it progresses along at a rapid clip telling the tale of the couple as they muddle along. The husband goes from being the center of his wife's attention to a dot on the periphery. The wife is completely oblivious to her husband after they have a baby. And Vidya in her limited role is competent as always. Farhan portrays the beleaguered husband perfectly. The supporting cast has Rati Agnihotri as Vidya's mother. Her character is undefined. The best supporting character is Ram Kapoor who is perfect as ...

                                     HORN OK PLEASE!!!!!!!! This is something we all know about. Literally from Kargil to Madurai and Arunachal to Kutch and even in the Andaman and Lakshwadeep we see this on backs of trucks waddling about on Indian roads. And we more often than not are happy to oblige. It was something that I hadn’t given much thought to until a couple of guests from Europe pointed out to me that how is it that in India you actually encourage people to honk? It is considered an emergency if someone is honking abroad or if done without sufficient cause it is thought to be rude…. Aha! And to imagine when I started driving in Pune a friend gave me this advice: Arre!” If you want to drive without incidence in Pune remember to honk!” Ha! Ha! And I have taken his advice to heart and follow it dil...

                                                                                               HIGHWAY When I heard the story of Alia’s audition (about how she danced with abandon to a Madhuri number) and then saw her in SOTY I thought okay another bimbo enters the industry. Then having watched her in Highway has led me to think that maybe Karan is indeed a true Johari! (Pun Intended!) In fact when I heard that she is a part of Two States I thought – Ok the story ain’t too great but surely they could have found a better actor to essay the female lead. It turns out that the people out there do know the business of cinema….....

What's your problem ya? Why are you such a sadist? Have you no self-respect? Why did you waste the time and money? You are so senseless ya! Get a life! Things like this are what I said to myself after having watched this miserable fungi spore of a movie! If there were a list of movies that are used to torture people in hell this one would certainly be on it! Watch at your own peril! I hated it....

Hasee toh Phasee..... Isn't it beautiful when a movie works chiefly because of performances? Well this is one of them! The storyline is nothing great but whoa! watch out for Parineeti. She just holds your attention and doesn't let go! Siddharth is a hunk but this movie isn't his. He shall have to look around for another release to prove his mettle,,,, I am rather sure that he will do a great job, but this one is Parineeti's all the way! If you haven't seen this movie already be aware that there are spoilers ahead! Meeta (Parineeti) is a dysfunctional genius who loves her father to bits and cares only for her scientific endeavors. Nikhil on the other hand is a pro-commitment kinda guy who shall do absolutely anything to appease his fiancee. The catatonic Meeta is funny in part but mostly she simply tugs at your heart with her simplicity and compartmentalized outlook to life. I had moist eyes at least thrice during the movie. It's simply amazing the way he...

The Lunch Box..... Sometimes when a movie is reviewed endlessly it makes you wonder if there is some organized gang at work creating the hype to generate box office sales. Then willy nilly you go to see the movie and what happens is that at the end of the movie you just don't want to let go.... You want to walk upto the ticket counter and ask for a take-away, yes if there ever was a movie that you wished you could pack and take home with you it would be this one. A movie so simple and so fluent and so powerful that it makes you wish it were a sandwich you could parcel, take home, unwrap slowly and bite into sitting quitely and savour each bite... This is undoubtedly, unabashedly a love story and yet i recommend that you watch it alone  and flow with it.  The value that Irfan Khan has added to Indian cinema has already been proven, Nawazuddin betters himself all over again. And Nimrat Kaur shows that talent does get recognized. What a debut by her! A solitary performance by...