[Movie] Hasee Toh Phasee

The movie opens with a bunch of people screaming and trying to open a door in a Chawl in mumbai, and a man comes up the staircase and is told it is his daughter who did the prank. He calls her aside, doesnt chide or scold her but tells her to open the door and finish what she started and they high 5. On the other hand there is another family, the dad is a cop and his 2nd son Nikhil [Siddharth Malhotra] is a naughty kid- who they lock in a room and go to watch a movie, but he doesnt stay locked in, he is out and watching the movie from the other side of the screen in no time.

Producers: Vikas Bahl, Hiroo Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar

Production companies: Dharma Productions, Phantom Productions

Cast: Parineeti Chopra,Sidharth Malhotra,Adah Sharma

Hasee Toh Phasee is quite the entertainer, it was such a feel good movie that we walked out of the theater smiling, recollecting the quirky moments.  Coming back to the movie, the 1st time Nikhil and Meetha [Parineeti Chopra] meet is when Nikhil is passing by a house when he spots a tomboyish girl trying to escape through the barbed wires. He helps her escape and as she is fleeing the place, she says "Socho, mein idea hoti aur tum technology, humari patang kya mast udti na?”   

Now, the main plot of the movie is not a new one, it is about a guy and girl all set to get married, when the guy falls in love with another girl in the process only to go after her on his wedding day. But the way it has been taken, the approach, the characters - that is what sets this movie apart.  

Meetha is a daddy's girl [daddy's role played by Manoj Joshi], a girl who runs away because she dint get what she wanted from her dad. Her uncle is constantly yelling at her [she has short hair, wears T-shirt and trousers, is spoilt, too independent, etc etc]. She hails from a traditional Gujarati family that doesnt understand her, nor do they encourage her brilliance.  She disappears on the eve of her oldest sister's marriage only to reappear after 7 years for her 2nd sister's wedding. Infact, Karishma (Adah Sharma), her sister invites her for the wedding  but introduces her as a guest to Nikhil. It is only later that he discovers the relation, the background and Meetha as a person. 

The story is all about Nikhil and Karishma's wedding, the families preparing for it, Nikhil perpetually in need o money, Karishma constantly angry with him, and the rest of the family adding to the chaos in their own little way. Nikhil and Karishma have had a crazy relationship, she has threatened to break it off numerous times, but he holds on to the relationship saying "I know her, I love her, who is to say the next girl will be the perfect one?" 

Meetha is an oddball, she has the wildest twitches and habits, she speaks a million words a second, she drinks gallons of water and popped a dozen pills periodically. Nikhil ends up picking her up, finding her accomodation, retrieving her from the dump and putting her up at his house, driving her around, and various other adventures. During these times he learns about her, realises she is not a bad cookie, but just a misunderstood cookie. And as they discover each other, romance blossoms. On the evening of a family gathering, Meetha tags along with Nikhil for she wants to meet her dad [ hasnt seen him in 7yrs] but is told he is angry and might have another heart attack, and so he whisks her away. But then the car breaks down, and she instantly solves the issue. That evening, she shares her entire life story with Nikhil, showing off the ball that bounces like crazy, that could one day provide power for an entire apartment complex. 

Her stares, quirks, sharp dialogues, her twinkling eyes, sudden bursts of chinese, tooth paste eating, chocolate stealing habits are just amazing. Infact, she is the highlight of the movie and Parineeti has acted brilliantly, essaying the role to the dot.  Nikhil is so drawn to her that by the end of the movie he is all set to help her find the money she needs even though it is not the acceptable path. And as expected, the movie does end with a happy ending. 

It is a must watch for anyone who needs a good laugh, or wants to hold on to the belief that love does exist. Such a rib tickling, sweet, endearing, feel good, warm fuzzy movie that was.  And then ofcourse, Siddharth looks good, so does Parineeti [there is also certain cuteness in her]

Overal rating - 4.5/5 [ the .5 less because some scenes I felt were unnecessary, just as some characters were...]

MetroPlus Theater Fest 2011 is here...

The seventh edition of The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest 2011 will happen  this August. the Fest — which was launched in Chennai in 2005 and held annually ever since — will run in five cities. Over the month, it will feature 20 performances in five cities.

The 7th Edition features 7 Plays from across the country and the world.... 

Kkok-Du by Creative Group Noni from Korea,
Chasing My Mamet Duck by Evam from Chennai,

The Real Inspector Hound by Quaff Theatre from Mumbai,

The Interview by Akvarious Productions from Mumbai,

The Travelling Circus by Mind Adventures Theatre Company from Sri Lanka

Success by Theatre MXT from USA and

 The Blue Mug by The Company Theatre from Mumbai.

If you are a theater buff, heck if you are someone who has never been to a PLay before, its time you set aside an hour one evening and head over to Sir Muthu Venkata Subbarao Hall in Lady Andal School, Harrington Road!! 

Here is the detailed schedule and snippet on the plays


For tickets, click here

Giraffes in Chennai....

If anyone were to ask me “don’t you wish you were living elsewhere and not in this drab city?” I just might give them a thwack and send them packing!! I love Chennai!! Yes, there were times when I wished I was elsewhere, but that was only cos I hadn’t travelled much, but now that I am sprouting wings and exploring new places, am extremely happy living here... Ok, I got to be honest, Chennai is more than home... it has become a city of action[not, not ref to Political chaos or stunts in Kollywood movies...]... There is something or the other happening through the year...

How can I not mention the infamous December Music season, followed by the Dance festival? Not to forget the various other cultural activities held across the year- starting with the Chennai Sangamam in Jan[spread over a week] , to Shakti Concert & Earthsync in Feb, to the Metro plus Theatre Fest and Music fest, the various International film fests, active theatre performances, International music concerts and so much more..... All these events are not a one off thing; they are sprinkled through the year, every year!! How do I know? Well, I try to keep myself updated on what is happening and attend as many as possible.... Ok, won’t go on and on... Shall do another post on “Fun in Chennai”

The most recent experience has to be the Chennai Sangamam’s Bon Jour India’s Les Giraffe [ in asssociation with Alliance Francaise]... Jan 15^th evening, 6.30pm, Venkatnarayana Road was all we knew, and we were there at 6pm, waiting for the mysterious Giraffes to make an appearance....

After the initial quenching of curiosity, clicking random shots around the Sangamam, venue of Natesan Park, we plonked ourselves right near the median, armed with our cameras and necks stretched out looking for the act to make an appearance!!

There they came... Woww!! Tall, majestic, towering high... Red giraffes, with pretty light rings on their necks, glided across the road... wait, they were headed towards Burkit Road, and not us... Darn it!! Do we go ahead or stand ground? No, we stay put, we decided!!!

They paused at the junction, did a bit of an act- Saw some fire rings, a man on stilts or was he on a platform? Weren’t sure!! Anyways, it was exciting... In a few mins, the giraffe were looming large, over our heads, and stood within a few meters waiting to start their performance... It was beautiful...

Nothing over the top, but the sheer size, idea, design, concept and synchronisation, and the woman standing on a podium belting out Opera numbers, the Clown/flirt/ groom on drums, flitting about took our breath away!! About 10 French men, the singer, and few others helping in the ground had the act running smooth as ice rink....

Even after the act was over, and the Giraffes had moved on to the next stop, we followed them, talking to some others in the crowd, sharing thoughts, while our cameras were rolling through the evening... What fun it was!!!

Chennai Sangamam is one awesome way of not only showcasing Chennai/Tamil Nadu’s rich culture, art, folk, food but also a way of bringing in people from other towns, promoting tourism and educating the locals about how beautiful the state is.... Hats off to Kanimozhi for this effort!!

[Movie] Khuda ke Liye - In the Name of God!!

A movie i had been wanting to watch ever since i read about it in the papers and heard raving reviews from my friends... yep, am talking about Khuda Ke Liye, [In the name of God] directed by Shoaib Mansoor ... This Pakistani movie has become one of my favorites over night, and am going around telling others to watch it!! its probably the only movie of its kind that i've seen till date.... 

I wonder why it dint get released in the theaters here?? sad.. i wish more such movies came about....

here is a sneak peek into what the movie is all about... 

It is the story of two brothers, Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad Khan). Both of l them love music, and have been performing as a team for years now.. they belong to a family who lets them live their life the way they desire, and does not beleive in forcing anything on anyone.... Mansoor is all about music, focussed and knows he is off to USA for a future in music... on the other hand, Sarmad is confused, and that is when he turns towards religion to give him guidance... her is where the movie takes a turn, he comes across the self proclaimed Islam prophet, Maulana Taheri (Rasheed Naz), who turns the soft spoken Sarmad into full fledge Jehadi... 

• Music is against Islam
• Wearing western clothes is also against Islam
• Women should wear a veil

are the messages drilled into him, so much so, that he stops singing, grows a beard, wears only salwar kameez, and even asks his mom to wear a veil....

Things are complicated when their cousin Mary (the beautiful Iman Ali who has acted well, excpet for where she tries for fake a Brit accent, but that fades away against her acting..) arrives from London to spend a few days with them, only to discover that she has been tricked by her father into coming to Pakistan to avoid her marrying her Non-Muslim boyfriend Dave. All this, while he has not been living life the Islamic way, and has a live in relationship with a British lady.... 

Meanwhile Mansoor leaves for Chicago to enrol at the “School of Music”, which is when his life goes through so many changes, that at the end, he does not know who he is anymore (literally). He meets Jani (Austin Marie Sayre), a fellow music student, who he falls in love with, and eventually they get married.. The song they sing together Bhadya ho is absolutely mind blowing...  Around this is when the 9/11 attack happens and one night, he is abducted and interrogated to find out if he was part of the Al Quaeda group.. these scenes made me cry, they are heart wrenching... its almost like every muslim is a terrrorist, and as the cop says "but every terrorist we've come across is a muslim"....  

How the tale goes from Pakistan, to UK and to USA is where the movie stands tall and strong... the battle Miriam( her name is changed to Miriam when she is forcefully married to Sarmad) fights to take revenge on her father and the man who forced himself on her, just bcos the Maulana said he needs to bear a child to prove he is a man is an amazing segment of the movie... This is where, Moulana Wali (Naseeruddin shah) steps in, and takes control of the entire situation , bringing to light what Islam is all about in REAL... 

Few of his dialogues --

“Two men who did the greatest service to Islam in Pakistan, Mahomed Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, did so without a beard and out of the so called Islamic dresscode, in western dress." 

“There is beard in religion, but no religion in beard,”

All this opens Sarmad's eyes, and he withdraws the case against Miriam, and mends his ways, getting back to music...

Shoaib Mansoor does not miss a beat, he does not leave any stones unturned. While all characters have more or less the same significance in this plot, it is Mansoor who is at the centre of it....The grandeur of the Wazir Khan Mosque is simply breathtaking....  and so are the deserted moutains of Afganisthan...


 The movie depicts the lives of those connected with Pakistani society and shows the wedge between the moderates and extremists, it also brings to the fore the less-acknowledged truth, that, Muslims are being viewed with increasing suspicion in the West.

A must watch! 

 

Click here To listen to Khuda ke liye songs, and here to download em.... :)

[Movie] The Dark Knight

Wow

Awesome

Fantastic

Mind Blowing

Unbelievable..

Now, these are not just words.. they are all that come to my mind when i think of The Dark Knight, by Christopher Nolan.. A movie that had gripping to my seat, enjoying every second of it, and there were some scenes where the audience was so involved, that we were holding our breath, clapping when something amazing happened on screen.. I've never really been a Big fan of the Batman, or Superman and such movies, but decided to watch this movie for Heath ledger, i had seen him earlier in Brokeback Mountain and thought he was a fantastic actor.. and then he had to go on and die. well, atleast he left us something to remember him by.. the role of Joker!!

The movie which is supposed to be all about Batman and how he keeps Gotham city clean has turned into a movie that is all about the JOKER, and his ploys..A man who has no rules, who does not steal cos he wants money, who does not kill cos he likes blood is one who keeps the momentum going thru the movie.... The Dark Knight” is not a simplistic tale of good and evil. Batman is good, yes, The Joker is evil, yes. But Batman poses a more complex puzzle than usual: The citizens of Gotham City are in an uproar, calling him a vigilante and blaming him for the deaths of policemen and others. And the Joker is more than a villain....

Thriller? Action? Good guy vs Bad guy? Dazzling spectacle? Devilish fun? Check the movie out. The Dark Knight creates a place where good and evil — expected to do battle — decide instead to get it on and dance around it. "I don't want to kill you," the Joker tells Batman/ Bruce Wayne [Christian Bale]. "You complete me." Don't buy the tease. He means it.....

Every plot.. Every explosion is so well executed that no one has a clue what he is upto, but himself...

How Batman and his team (Morgan freeman, and Michael Caine] work on creating a suit that will help him fly better, and how he zooms about in his Batmobile stuns us!!! the kind of effects, technology, stunts that has been used in this movie is probably a 1st of its kind...

Not to foreget the amazing performance by the D.A, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who stays above corruption in the city and vows to change the face of Gotham city, and in the 2nd half, he looks "wow", no words, the ripped apart face, bulging eyes, and the make up is divine.......Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes has done a lovely job as the woman who is torn between two men, one her friend and other the one she loves.....

A movie that you should watch to experience high paced action...

Bruce Wayne: I knew the mob wouldn’t go down without a fight. But this is different. They crossed the line.

Alfred Pennyworth: You crossed the line first, sir. You hammered them. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn’t fully understand. Some men aren’t looking for anything logical. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn