The Silver Lining with a Heart of Gold

Some films dazzle you with its spectacle. Some make you take notice with its sheer forcefulness. Most of them come and go without a trace. But once in a rare rare while a film comes and touches you as would a gentle breeze and leaves an effect much more lasting than the dazzle and more profound than the forceful impact. Silver Linings Playbook is one of those rare rare films.

At the onset, Silver Linings Playbook (to be referred to henceforth as SLP) is a simple film. It doesn’t have the thrills of an Argo or the intensity of a Lincoln. It definitely lacks the beautiful canvas and magical world of a Life of Pi or the topicality of a Zero Dark Thirty or even the raw emotions of an Amour. If one was to talk of the skeletal story line, it would even read like your regulation Rom-Com (Romantic Comedy) [Boy meets Girl – Boy likes someone else – Girl seems to like Boy but doesn't say it out aloud – Boy and Girl become friends – climax – Boy is seemingly reunited with second girl – so Girl walks out sad – Boy runs behind – proclaims love – live happily ever after], though the treatment and subplots also add its share of drama (Romantic Drama Comedy then – Rom Dram Com?). How many times would we have seen a similar storyline? But something sets apart SLP as special, as a must watch and difficult to forget experience.

Of course this boy meets girl story has a different flavour, the hero (Pat Jr.), though devilishly handsome, is Bipolar with frequent manic episodes and his feisty heroine (Tiffany) is Depressed and seeking to escape the depression through mindless physical relationships with no emotional basis. And they are brutally honest, even if their honesty is the make belief honesty of their neurotic worlds. They meet in the movie for the first time at a dinner (though it is implied they have met before) where you can feel the electricity between them though they barely have a normal conversation that night. In fact the only ”normal” conversation they have that night revolves around their prescribed medications to treat their psychological disorders and the resulting side effects, much to the discomfort of their hosts. The beauty of this exchange lies in the deeper context, that they understand each other and cohabit a world others cannot fathom. And that first interaction sets the tone for the rest of the film – they will fight, they will shout, they will have uncomfortable moments, yet they will understand each other like no one else can and they will need each other to survive.

And what brings this unusual and interesting, funny yet poignant, emotional yet romantic tale alive are the performances. Bradley Cooper is effortless as he plays the Bipolar Pat Jr., swinging between the man focused on getting his life back in order yet who cannot control his manic episodes. Particularly interesting is that after a bad outburst where he hurts his beloved mother and waking up the neighbourhood you can’t feel mad at him. Instead he touches your heart as he worries about his wife reading about the episode if it is written up in his report. But the star of the film undoubtedly, and now of course validated with a very very well deserved Oscar, is Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany. She plays the role of the neurotic Tiffany with such abandon yet vulnerability. She is dark and brooding and almost goth one minute and soft and vulnerable the other. She alternates between ecstasy and pensiveness. And through it all she brings an energy to the proceedings such that you cannot look away when she is on screen. And together the couple makes magic. Not once do you feel that there is a 15 year age difference between them in real life. There is tension and there is attraction, there is poignancy and there is darkness, and yet there is understanding and there is love. Somewhere along the way, crazy or not, they convince you that they are made for each other. You know they will never be perfect. You know there will be crests and troughs. Yet you also know if not for each other they will be incomplete. And that is the success of the film.

While the leads keep you riveted to the screen, the supporting cast is stellar too. Robert De Niro’s OCD father (Pat Sr.) is rough and strong and hard but yet you can see the softness and the concern in small moments of desperation as he pleads with his son to stay and watch the game and humour his superstitions or to not let the girl go when she runs out on Pat Jr. Chris Tucker is funny and whacky and delivers one of the best lines of the movie as he asks Pat Jr. to “black it up” as he grooves with Tiffany. Anupam Kher’s therapist also shows multiple shades as he converts into a football fan over the weekend. Of course, the one sane thread in the film is Jacki Weaver as the matriarch of the Solitano household. She might be small but yet it is heart warming to see that she is the glue bonding the family together. Be it Pat Jr.’s remorse at hurting her or Pat Sr.’s anger to see her hurt, you know this family revolves around her.

The film is a memorable one. With a story that sounds so simple, it is layered with emotions till it resembles a particularly large onion. And as each layer is peeled away, it exposes yet another new experience. The film is quirky and eccentric and these idiosyncrasies of the characters take you on an unforgettable journey. The movie will not leave you spell bound with its grandeur or hammer its impact on you. Yet you will walk out with a smile and not be able to forget this small yet beautiful film. It will implore you to go and watch again to experience more layers (I am planning to go for the third time today). It is quite like the gentle breeze which gently eases in without you realizing and yet touches chords which you can then never ignore. Like Tiffany tells Pat Jr. in the film, “Do you feel that? That's emotion.” 

Noukadubi (Bengali; 2011)

Based on a story by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the movie revolves around love and sacrifices based on some mistaken identities. The film also juxtaposes the situation of two young women, one educated and progressive while the other steeped in traditions and some of the evils that comes with it. 

Lawyer Ramesh is in love with his friend's sister, Hemnalini (henceforth referred to as Hem) and the love is reciprocated. The young lover's have a mutual understanding to get married. Hem herself is a highly educated young woman with a deep love for music, coming from a progressive family where she is her father's favourite and has his full approval in choosing her own partner. Her father, in fact, is in full support of whatever she wants to do. Ramesh's family lives in a small village in Bengal and he has come to Calcutta to pursue his education. However, his life is disrupted abruptly as he's called back home only to be told that he is to marry a girl of his father's choice. This girl is uneducated and very traditional. Though Ramesh refuses this match at first, even in the face of his his father threatening to disinherit him, he eventually relents when he sees the plight of the widowed mother of the intended bride, who claims she will have to poison herself and her daughter if the marriage doesn't take place. Like a traditional match of that era, neither the bride or the groom has set eyes on each other and neither do they see each other's face during the ceremony as her sari is pulled low over her face. Immediately after the marriage, the young couple sets sail for Calcutta. But on the way they are hit by a tempest which causes the boat to capsize. The next thing Ramesh knows, he has been washed ashore. And some distance away he sees the unconscious form of a new bride. The young married couple make their way to Calcutta and in the meanwhile Ramesh is incapable of telling the truth about his marriage to Hem, who is distraught at his sudden disappearance from her life. However, within a very few days, it becomes apparent that the young bride he rescued, Kamala, is not his bride but of another man travelling on the same day after his marriage. Relieved that he's not married anymore, he renews his proposal to Hem while continuing to search for Kamala's real husband. He doesn't tell either of the woman of the truth since he's afraid Hem may break the engagement if she finds out and Kamala will be devastated to know she is living under the roof of another man who is not her husband. Things, however, come to a standstill when Hem finds out about Ramesh's "bride" from a jealous suitor and she breaks off her engagement. Ramesh is forced to relocate to Gorakhpur with Kamala to avoid the scandal, whereas Hem goes to Varanasi to recuperate from her broken heart with her father. In Varanasi, Hem meets Nalinaksha (henceforth referred to as Nalin) and both find a common ground through music and finally become engaged to each other. However, Nalin is the real husband of Kamala but thinks his wife to be dead in the storm. In the meanwhile, Kamala finds out the truth behind her situation through an advertisement and leaves home to commit suicide but ends up in Varanasi. Finally Ramesh, guiltridden as he holds himself responsible for Kamala's suicide also heads to Varanasi to find peace. And it is here that the 4 characters come together in a climax where love and social norms clash and each individual's destiny gets linked to the other.

This film, in its periodicity, is very authentic in the set design, art direction and costumes. Where Hem wears fashionable saris with long sleeved, high neck blouses as was the fashion of that era, Kamala wears her simple cotton saris worn by any rural woman of those days. Both the men, Ramesh and Nalin, are also suitably dressed according to the times. Also, keeping with the age of the story, the dialogues are written in classical bengali. The outdoor locations of Varanasi are also created to recreate the period. The sets themselves, though highly accurate, however are not highly glamorous or spell binding, even Hem's house, who is well to do, is competent but not spectacular or memorable. Maybe the director should take a leaf out of Sanjay Leela Bansali's movies.

The music of the film also deserves a special mention with the use of Rabindrasangeet quite perfectly to depict the different moods of each character.

To carry off a film of this magnitude another important requirement is good acting, which the director Rituporno Sen extracts from each actor. Jishu as the hapless Ramesh struck in his dilemma is very convincing and his soft and controlled dialogue delivery further enhances the performance. And might I add, he looks very handsome as the central character. Raima Sen plays the educated Hem to perfection. She looks divine and is very convincing as the progressive girl. Prosenjit as Nalin is also good. Specially his dialogue delivery is extremely romantic. However, his age has begun to show (he is significantly older than the other 3 actors) and sometimes looks too old to be either the love interest of Hem or the husband of Kamala. But it is Riya Sen, as Kamala, who is the true find of the film. Always known for her glamorous avatar, she is completely stripped of all that glitter to play a rustic, uneducated village girl, which she does with panache with her stilted speech and her innocence. A special mention must be made of Dhritiman Chatterjee as Hem's father, the doting and understanding father who stands by every decision of his daughter and supports her against everyone.

This film brings forward the conflict of progressiveness and established social norms very effectively, especially through Kamala and Hem's character. Where Hem is educated and knows music, Kamala is uneducated. However, Kamala knows how to keep a house by cooking, washing, cleaning,etc., qualities deemed necessary in wives of that period. However, Hem is totally incapable of such household chores. As Nalin comments to his mother, Hem is good to sit with her feet up and order around the household. Hem has full independence to choose her match and even when her brother tries to force her to marry after her engagement with Ramesh breaks down, her father stands by her and asks her to do only what she wants and not what others want of her. Even later, Hem has the permission and the courage to call off her engagement to Nalin when she feels she can't do justice to the relationship. On the contrary, Kamala has never had any say in any decision regarding her life. Her marriage was decided by her Uncle and she has had to go ahead without so much as looking at the groom. But once married, she makes it her duty to take over the family and make it her own. And it is this juxtaposition which makes this film such an interesting watch.

The film boasts many visually outstanding scenes, be it Ramesh's proposal to Hem where only their silhouette is visible behind white, lace curtains or Hem going to meet Nalin's mother standing on a boat with her parasol on her head or Hem coming to Ramesh's house for the first time or Kamala's small "nok-jhok" with her "husband" Ramesh. Several scenes are beautiful examples of shadow play, in fact reminding me of my classes of CARTS (Creativity in Arts and Sciences, a course offered in term 4 at IIMB) where the creative elements of shadow and lights are explained. One extraordinary example is a scene where Nalin takes Hem home through dark streets of Varanasi. While initially the background is lighted while their faces appear in shadows, it suddenly changes with the background retreating to shadows and their faces reflecting light making each expression more pronounced.

The film, like period pieces, is a little slow paced and do tend to drag in bits. But never is it boring or make you want to leave, so powerful is the storyline and the screen presence of each character.

When the film ends, it leaves a happy feeling with each rightful couple getting together. Yet I felt a strange sadness at the thought of the separation of Ramesh and Kamala because although it was a loveless relationship, the care and concern each had for the other made for compelling viewing and makes you think that maybe they were right for each other after all. And it is probably this slightly incomplete feeling that takes this movie beyond good. Someone once said to me, you give a movie a happy ending and all the viewers will walk out feeling happy but forget the film soon but if you give the movie a sad ending people will feel incomplete and will not be able to forget the film. And somewhere, though the ending essentially is happy, the tinge of sadness that remains in the film, very vividly brought to life through the acting of Riya Sen and Jishu Sengupta, making it unforgettable.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [3D] (English; 2011)

So we meet Jack Sparrow again. Or, like he says, there should be a Captain in there somewhere. And it is this witticism and cracking one liners that save this film from being an ordinary mediocre fare.

I still remember my first meeting with Jack Sparrow. I didn't know then of this phenomenon called the Pirates of the Caribbean. Switching channels on television, I came across the local cable channel showing this film, probably a pirated copy. With nothing better to watch, I watched for a few seconds and what I saw had me captivated. How one can breathe life into a character to the point that you can't separate actor and character is a treat. Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate with an aversion toward violence, perhaps the only such pirate to have ever sailed, with his preference of words over and swords and the tendency to chose the path of least resistence, was a sheer genius that would have been impossible without Johnny Depp. If one remembers the first film for the brilliant wordplays and swordplays he engineered, the character somehow paled ever so slightly in the subsequent installments due to the complicated plots and multiple characters. But with the fourth installment he returns with his trademark swagger and sharp wit. His escape from the English castle brings back memories of the first film of his daredevil escape from prison and his sword fight with an imposter posing as him (later revealed to be Angelica, the female pirate, played by Penelope Cruz) reminds me of his first encounter with Orlando Bloom in an epic sword fight in the blacksmith's workplace.

The story, thankfully, has been kept extremely simple. He is one of the few to know the path to the Fountain of Youth and has been imprisoned by the famous Pirate Black Beard and his crew to help them reach there. But, of course, he is not alone in the query as both the English and the Spanish are on their way too. Of course, knowing the path is only half the battle as using the fountain is a task in itself involving special chalices and a mermaid's tear. And may I mention here that mermaids are not the beautiful, divine creatures we are used to thinking of them as. Oh they are beautiful for sure. But they are violent creatures with sharp fangs and a fondness for human blood. In the middle throw in Hector Barbossa, the pirate with a love-hate relationship with Jack, but this time he comes with a private motive of his own and sinister plans pf revenge. There is also the budding love story between a Missionary and a Mermaid that is sweet and simple but thankfully hasn't been stretched too much. But the most inspirational addition to the cast has been Penelope Cruz as Angelica, a female pirate, who is the also the daughter of Black Beard and was on her way to become a nun before Jack Sparrow intervened. She brings in the sparks and adds a new and extremely interesting dimension to the already multifaceted character of Jack Sparrow.

So does the film stand up to the expectations? Well, some great dialogues and an amazing chase sequence notwithstanding, the first half of the film does tend to drag a bit. I found myself yawning quite a bit in the long conversations and the fleshing of new characters and stories without any of the usual action and adventure (but then the sleep could also have been due to my lack of sleep last night). But the second half is a lot more action packed and does raise the quality of the movie. 

The highlights of the movie are of course the characters and the actors. Penelope Cruz is crackling with her chemistry with Jack and gets the body language of a pirate spot on. The way she uses her charm with Jack is astounding, specially in the last scene as Jack is trying to maroon her. In fact, she is the best new thing about the film. Geoffrey Rush is his usual sardonic self. Ian McShane as Black Beard is menacing only some of the time. Sam Claflin and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as the young couple is sweet and passable but their characters are not etched enough or their roles long enough for them to hold a candle to Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Maybe subsequent editions will see a longer plot around them. Kevin McNally returns competently as Gibbs, Jack's first mate and close ally. Keith Richards in his single scene shows the world why the character of Jack Sparrow is a dedication to him. But it is, as usual, a Johnny Depp show. And you breathe a sigh of relief to have him back as the centre of attraction. And this time, the "stirrings", as he describes it, for Angelica makes him an even bigger delight. However, you do miss some of the regulars like Cotton and his Parrot, Jack the Monkey, Marty and Pintel and Ragetti.

The movie is also a treat with its one-liners. Extremely witty and funny, they make this movie a fun fest. My personal pick, along with "the should be a Captain somewhere", is when Jack asks his father, played by Keith Richards, if he knows where the Fountain of Youth is and Richards replies "does this face looks like it knows where the Fountain of Youth is?". Of course there are multiple other scene stealers like the one where Barbossa unscrews his wooden peg leg only to take a swig of rum from it (the peg leg is actually a secret bottle) or Angelica trying to convince Jack to take her away from the island where he is marooning her.

Finally, a word for the special effects. the underwater scenes with the mermaids and their long and beautiful tails were breathtaking. But, the level of special effect, as a whole, seemed less impressive than what we are used to in the previous. Afterall, who can forget the sword fight between Jack and Barbossa where both in turn turns into skeletons as moonlight falls on them or the cursed pirate crew of the Black Pearl in the first film or the amazing appearances of Davy Jones and his crew from the Flying Dutchman and Kraken the sea monster. This film, as it lags behind in the action department, seemed also to need lesser help from special effects. However, the 3D work on the film is really good and doesn't seem like all those 2D films converted to 3D for better ticket sales.

All in all, it is an improvement on the previous installments (not the first film since in my opinion it remains the best of the lot) in terms of simplifying the story and showing more of Jack with screen time as well as dimensions but it does lag behind on the action front and you hope for more to happen in the films that are sure to come. Don't set your expectations too high and you can still go and enjoy the film immensely. But if you are a Captain Jack Sparrow fan(atic), then this film is worth your money. Savvy?

L.A. Confidential (English; 1997)

Seeing this movie the first thought that crossed my mind was why had I not seen this movie before. I know I have wanted to see it for a long time. But I guess it just got overlooked every time. And when I had finally finished the film (and my sister will corraborate) it made me so happy that I couldn't help doing a jig to the music of the closing credit. Which is actually a strange reaction from a film that is a dark and violent and is generally about crime, corruption, drugs, prostitution and everything else that comes with it.

The premise of the film is Los Angeles in 1950's where the city is riddled with corruption at all levels and organised crime is on the rise, drugs is fashionable and prostitutes undergo plastic surgery to look like hollywood stars to give them more saleability, where cops don't mind selling juicy stories for a price and even a hint of a scandal can be used to blackmail anybody to do their bidding. It is in this milieu that the movie follows the career of three cops in LAPD, whose life and work becomes entangled over a common case they pursue for various reasons.

We are introduced to the narcotics division cop, Sergeant Jack Vincennes, played with panache by Kevin Spacey. He is like a star in the cop universe, not because of cases solved or rackets busted but because of his association with television's hottest crime show as "technical advisor" and for featuring in LA's biggest gossip magazine frequently in high profile cases, whose editor is a personal friend. While Jack is not a bad cop and has a conscience in place, he's not above corruption and bribery and, as the Captain later mentions, hasn't done the right thing in a long time. Then there is Russel Crowe as Officer Bud White, a honest but hot headed cop who doesn't follow the rule book but would rather get justice in his style, sometimes bordering on vigilantism and in his zeal to achieve the right have often got mired in further controversy. Guy Pearce plays the third cop in this story as Sergeant Ed Exley, who later gets promoted to a Lieutenant. While Ed is righteous and prefers to follow the rule book, he is also a good talker and likes to think things through, often giving him the upperhand to manipulate situations. His father was also a celebrated cop, killed by gunfire and he states his motivation to join the police force as a direct result of his father's influence as well as his own personal desire to do what is right. But while he goes about looking for the truth, he is also a great talker, and frequently in the movie is mentioned as a good politician.

These three policemen, as part of the same police department, are forced to cross each other several times. Each one has different approaches to situations. For example, when a police fight breaks out in the jail, while Jack stands back and looks on, Bud gets actively involved and Ed tries his best to break up the fight. Even as an aftermath to the fight, you see Bud refusing to snitch, Jack giving a testimony only against a few disposable policemen for personal gain where as Ed testifying against everyone which earns him a promotion but at the same time makes him highly unpopular to fellow detectives.

But the biggest test comes their way over a multiple homicide case in a downtown coffee shop where 6 people are brutally gunned down, among them a man who was Bud's former partner and a Rita Hayworth lookalike hooker whom Bud had encountered on a previous occasion, accompanied by a Veronica Lake lookalike. Bud takes this case personally because of his partner's involvement and later as he gets romantically involved with the Veronica Lake lookalike, Lynn, a role played by Kim Basinger. However, Ed's involvement was more incidental as the detectives being called to the scene was unavailable and he happened to pick up the call, and hence was called to the scene of the crime. But as the case progresses, it is his need for justice that makes him pursue and dig deep where he knows he shouldn't. Jack, who is not a member of the homicide division, is never a direct part of the case. However, he gets pulled into it by Ed, who wants help from someone outside of his division. And Jack is tempted to help as the multiple homicide case is linked to a case of his own where a young actor gets murdered indirectly because of him. Although the case seems simple at first, even leading to multiple arrests and a final gunning down of the accused by Ed, it is soon apparent to both Ed and Bud that it is not as simple as it looks and there is more to it. And it is here as the three of them, sometimes together and sometimes separately, delve deeper into the case, the system starts to unravel as a major drug, prostitution and pornography scandal starts to emerge which brings with it a host of stories of corruption of top officials and people in public positions. The rest of the film follows how the mystery is solved and how these cops deal with it.

As with many classic gangster films, this is dark and brutal and violent. yet the end does leave with it some scope of happiness and hope. The film is a brilliant example of great characterisation and acting. It remains, through out its duration, an edge of the seat thriller, with the pace dipping not once. The story is taut and extra subplots are absent. The film shows the outwardly glamorous side of L.A. in 1950's brilliantly. The use of music, classics from that era, is also superfluous. But it is the acting which takes the cake. Kevin Spacey as Jack makes you believe in the charisma of the cop that behaves like a star. In fact his panache makes Jack's pompousness all the more believable. Kim Basinger is sexy and seductive and yet you can feel the pain of the hooker from Arizona who came to make a name for herself in Hollywood. Danny DeVito as the editor of L.A.'s leading gossip magazine is perfectly sneaky. You can't wait to despise him, so well he fits into character. In fact, for some reason, he reminds me of the character of Wormtail from the Harry Potter series. Russel Crowe as the fire brand officer with a penchant for justice but served his style, with blood and gore, is excellent. Yet the one actor that remains with me most is Guy Pearce. The only cop with spectacles in the entire police department, his very look portrays a calm and smart cop who will not do anything rash. And his intelligence makes you want to trust him with any situation. Yet when he looks at Lynn, you can see the lust in his eyes and you realise he's not the hero after all. In fact so well he plays the role of Ed Exley, you forget where Ed Exley ends and Guy Pearce begins.

As with any movie of this genre, this comes with some classic scenes. The most stunning of them all comes about fifteen minutes before the end of the film where Ed and Bud are holed up in a shack and face an invisible army and stay alive. Another scene would be the scene where Ed convinces the police bosses to make him a hero after the climax. The chillingness of his proposition and his intelligence at coming up with it makes you salute him. And then there is Jack's scene with the captain of the police force where his last words ensure that Ed will be on the right track is also extraordinary. Also brilliant is the the scene where Bud confronts and beats up Ed. And in this scene, the polarisation of the two characters are most apparent. Where Bud is in a rage and takes it out by beating Ed black and blue, Ed uses his calmness and tries to talk sense to Bud, showing him reality. Actually, coming to think of it, the entire film is peppered with such scenes and it is very difficult to isolate just a few. But one scene worth mentioning for the break in character is when Ed mistakes Lana Turner as a Lana Turner lookalike hooker and gets water thrown at him; the subsequent embarrassment yet half smile at the situation breaks the darkness of the film.

L.A. Confidential is a film noir which no aficionado of gangster movies, thriller movies, mysteries or even a lover of good films should miss. The story will keep you engrossed for two plus hours and the acting will rivet you, as it did me. And even as the general effect of the movie wares off, what still remains is Guy Pearce in his spectacles as Ed Exley, the perfect politician. In fact, I still wonder what made him get third billing in this film. But L.A. Confidential gets a double thumbs-up from me. I still wonder why I haven't watched it before.

Stanley ka Dabba (Hindi; 2011)

Children's movies are a genuine rarety in Indian cinema. Of course there is a rare Taare Zameen Par or The Blue Umbrella. Of course every summer vacation sees a spate of super hero or magic films like Zokkomon or animated films like the Hanuman series. But these are made with the pure intention of entertainment and are meant solely for children. That is where Stanley Ka Dabba stands head and shoulders above such films.

The film opens in a manner startlingly similar to Taare Zameen Par, which the film's director Amol Gupte was originally supposed to direct. The protagonist, Stanley, ambles into school. There is very little dialogue as he walks into the gate, looks at some children playing a game of football, prays to a statue of Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus and then makes his way to class. But in those first five minutes you have become fast friends with a character with an unbelievable Joie de Vivre. You want to know him more. The bruises on his face make you wonder how he got them, what scrape he may have got into. And you soon get his side of the story when the beautiful and highly popular English teacher "Rosy Miss" asks him. After that there's no turning back as he narrates an impossible story of how he saved a little boy from a big bully. You know it is but a figment of his imagination yet you can already see where his fertile mind takes him. This is a constant theme through out the film as you see he uses his imagination to save him from scrapes as well as making him the most popular boy in his class.

The premise of the story is essentially very simple. It follows a young boy, Stanley, of Standard 4F. He's a typical boy of that age with his flights of fantasy and his vivid imagination. And he's not afraid to experiment. So while the rest of the class makes science projects on Global Warming, food or the human body in a scrap book, he constructs a model of a working light house. And when his science teacher expresses her displeasure, you can see he is disappointed that his effort went unnoticed. But his friend's are impressed by Stanley and his imagination and flock around him. You can see in him the need for appreciation as he tries to please his English Teacher by reciting poems for her or writing stories. You can also see his fear for his Hindi teacher, better known as "Khadoos", who thinks nothing of dipping into the "dabbas" or tiffins of fellow teachers and his students. Ostensibly, the story is about how Stanley never brings his tiffin but rarely goes hungry because of his circle of friends who are more than happy to share their food with him. This continues till his Hindi teacher gives him an ultimatum; bring your tiffin or don't come to class. And that is when a question that had always been at the back of your mind comes to the foreground. What is his background? Why does he never bring his tiffin?

Giving the end away would take away all the fun of the movie and hence I will abstain. But while watching the movie, being a fatalist myself, I prepared myself for the worst and imagined Stanley as an orphan, probably living in an orphanage with noone to give him a "dabba". Although I didn't hit the nail on the head, I can't say I'm glad I didn't, since the boy's story is more chilling than a mere orphanage. And although this is shown in only the last 10 minutes or so of the film, it remains with you long after and affects you in myriad ways.

The story might be simplistic yet the treatment is so beautiful that it takes you to the world of Stanley and his friends and eventually to your own school days. Each teacher is beautifully characterised and cast. Divya Dutta plays a most pleasant Rosy Miss, that teacher who was always our favourite and the one we wanted to run to when we fell down and cut ourselves, whose one word would bring more silence to a class than the strictest punishment could. Amol Gupte plays to perfection a scary Khadoos, that one teacher you will always be scared of in school, that bully who would make you wish for the earth to crack and swallow you. Raj Zutshi as the History and later the Hindi teacher is in a role that is slightly difficult for me to understand the relevance of. Rahul Singh as the principal makes for one good looking priest and, as my sister whispered to me, makes you wonder what will happen if he was to head a girl's school. But the one teacher that remains with me most was Science teacher played by Divya Jagdale. Her words and mannerisms were so perfect that I could easily see her in any school teaching a class of naughty eight year olds. Among the kids, each one was perfect. Be it the guy who sits next to Stanley or his friends, the feisty Abhishek who stands up for his friend or the rich Aman who brings food for Stanley everyday. But the person you can't turn your eyes away from is Partho as Stanley. Partho makes Stanley a special experience. His body language, the innocence in his smile, the naughtiness in his eyes, the pain you can sometimes see, his wild imagination, his pleasure at being complimented by Rosy Miss or his dejection at being scolded by the Science teacher, his enthusiasm as he participates in the concert, his happiness, his imagination, even his left handedness makes his special; you can feel each of his emotions and read his thoughts as he tries to hide his situation in life through his stories.

There are some scenes in this film that speak of pure brilliance through its simplicity. One of them being Stanley's constant argument with his benchmate over space allocation. You see, Stanley is left handed. And his benchmate being right handed, they collide over the given space. You also see different people's approach to the predicament. While the science teacher punishes them and asks them to leave class, Khadoos chastises Stanley for writing with his left hand and asks him to shift to his right hand but it is Rosy miss who solves the simple issue by simply asking them to exchange places. And this simple scene has a deep impact as you start thinking that even big problems sometimes have a very simple solution, one just needs to see it accordingly. Another scene worth mentioning is where he practices dance steps he had earlier seen kids do at a workshop. You can see his desire and enthusiasm in that one single scene. The third remarkable scene in my opinion is the last scene as he talks to his teachers and feeds them the food. You see his imagination taking over and protecting him like a cushion and then you wonder what will happen as he grows up. The same friends who idolise his story telling will wonder as to his background. You wonder how this boy will make through life. But his determination, optimism and spirit gives you a confidence that somehow he will manage.

Stanley ka Dabba may try to do more than entertain through its social message, but at heart it remains a simple story of the innocence of youth. Even after understanding Stanley's background, when he comes to school with his dabba and spins his stories around the food, your heart goes out to him. You can see that in these stories, along with convincing others, he's trying to convince himself of a life he doesn't lead. The film reminded me of my primary school days when imagination was allowed to run wild and life was so uncomplicated. Although I am not sentimental, this movie did make me shed a quiet tear in the darkness of the theater, not because of Stanley's predicament or situation in life but simply at the beauty and innocence of youth. It doesn't matter if you don't like children's movies because this is not a children's movie. It is a movie to find our inner child and I definitely reccommend it as a must watch.

Black Friday (Hindi; 2004)

"An eye for an eye makes the world blind." This quote by Mahatma Gandhi appears at both the beginning and the end of the movie. It, I think, very carefully encapsulates the film's story about how revenging an act of violence with violence can only lead to needless loss of lives.

Everybody who follows Hindi films would know Black Friday to be a film about the bomb blasts that tore apart the economic capital of India in 1993. 11 Bombs exploded in different areas across the city in a period of a little over two hours. And terrorism that today is so well known to all of us was born on March 12, 1993.

The film is based on a book by the same name and stays true to the incidents as written in the book. It starts with a small-time crook confessing to the conspiracy to blow up the stock exchange, the ministry and the Shiv Sena Bhavan (home to probably the strongest proponents of Hinduism in the country). But as is often done with warnings of this kind, it is neglected and, in fact, dismissed as impossible and hence untrue. This is followed by a meeting of the conspirators, who, rattled by their fellow member's confession, brings forward the day of the attack. And then the city comes apart as bombs in cars, scooters and suitcases explode in the stock exchange, in the middle of markets, hotels and many other highly populated areas. But this happens within the first twenty minutes of the film. The rest of the movie follows the investigation, unraveling the story, the arrests, the conspiracy and finally the motive. But if I was to talk about the story, then one may just as well read the wikipedia page on the film. What I want to talk about is the experience of watching this monumental film.

Some five hours after finishing the film, I still feel kind of a stunned silence. Stunned silence at not just the film's incidents, which are gruesome enough but also the director's treatment of the movie, which is brilliant. In fact, after a point it is difficult to separate where the film ends and where real life begins. As the movie draws to an end, a montage of images of the communal riot that preceded and was the cause of the blast flashes across the screen even as the haunting melody of Indian Ocean flits through... "Arrey rukja re bandeh..." And it is the line "Kise Kafir kahega, kise kayaar kahega..." that remains with you. Because that is what is the film about. The blast that was perpetrated by powerful men hidden in their safe houses in foreign locations, out of reach of the law, these kafirs, these faceless perpetrators, these kayars hiding their faces and using others as mere pawns to kill other innocent people.

Well, don't let me get too carried away, but thats the effect this film has on me. Coming back to the film, it runs in a straight forward fashion, almost like a docu-drama, with each event unraveled in a "chapter". There is no useless melodramatisation of situations. There are no unnecessary sub-plots. There are no extra characters. For most of the film, the chronology of the film follows the order in which the police unearth evidence and hence events that take place much before the blast or that lead to the blast are shown later in the movie as the Inspector played by Kay Kay Menon hears testimonies of some of the accused as well as witnesses. It is only the last half an hour of the film where it takes on the feel of a complete documentary with interviews and riot footage shown.

Although the film in itself is a true masterpiece, there are somethings which linger on a cinematic level much after the film is over. The first of which will definitely be the acting. Kay Kay Menon as the police inspector, Rakesh Maria, can only be spoken of as excellent. His restraint and his silences speak so much more than a lot of heavy dialogue could have. When he tells his team that noone will go home till they get to the bottom of the case makes you feel his seriousness. And when, after his team applies third degree torture to an accused, he comes back and plunges his head into a bucket of water, you can feel the cold water hit you in the face. Pawan Malhotra as Tiger Memon, the mastermind behind the attack is also superlative. His smiles are spine chilling. And his anguish when his office is burnt down is all too real. That is the scene where you can see he will not take it lying down but will retaliate. And in the final scene where he makes a case for the Bomb blasts to crime kingpins you can see his hatred, his anger at the Hindus. But behind it all you can also see his need for personal revenge. And somewhere it strikes you whether the blasts were planned to avenge the deaths in the communal riots or were his reasons entirely personal, being born from the slight to his ego when his office is burnt down in the dead of the night. But finally, in the midst of the tough as nails cop and the terror king pin comes a man who was born an ordinary man. Being drafted in on the basis of his religious views and then first being forced to run around for shelter and finally being ditched all together, co-conspirator Badshah Khan is played by Aditya Srivastava in an outstanding fashion. You can feel his anger and his zeal, his enthusiasm at the plot, and finally his despair, the hopelessness, the fear and then the conviction that he's doing right as he confesses and turns witness. When Kay Kay Menon's character tells him that God is with the police and not the conspirators, you can see his face fall and doubt creep in. Aditya Srivastava, who for a decade now is best known for his hamming as Inspector Abhijeet in television crime serial CID, shows that he hasn't forgotten acting in this performance. Each of the other characters are also well cast, and you can see the eventually famous director of Jab We Met, Socha Na Tha and Love Aj Kal in a small role as Tiger Memon's brother near the end of the film. The other things that should be mentioned are the music and the brilliant camera work. Each Riot scene or blast scene appears real. And the use of red in interrogation scenes is a stroke of pure genius. Three scenes remain with me long after the movie has ended. One is the aftermath of the first bomb blast when an injured sugarcane juice seller gets up from the ground all bloody and picks up the lifeless body of his teenage son and walks the street a broken man. The second is a long chase sequence through the slums of Bombay, as one of the conspirators are chased by a team of policemen. The most poignant moment of the chase occurs when one of the policemen are barely yards away from the accused and the acused can barely walk, much less run. In fact, he is just managing to move ahead, holding on to walls and pulling himself on. And yet the policeman cannot catch him since he's equally exhausted and can't find the energy to move to catch him. And the third memorable scene will have to be the last scene where all the major crime bosses sit around in a room as Tiger Memon delivers a memorable speech reiterating why the bomb blast must take place and what it should achieve.

However, if there's one criticism I have to make then the film could be made sharper through editing specially in the last half an hour where the pace falls.

This film, though made much before, wasn't allowed to be released as the Supreme Court feared it may colour people's judgements about the accused in the case. After seeing the film, it is difficult to see how it cannot affect one's opinion on the case, so hardhitting, powerful and real is the film. Kudos to the directors for using real names and not shying away. And kudos to him for making this film, which I can safely predict as making it to the list of classic films in times to come. Anurag Kashyap, take a bow.

Finally, the film shows to us why violence shouldn't beget violence. When violence is revenged with violence, there will be a further revenge with violence and this endless cycle shall continue. Where a simple act of forgiving would have ended the violence, the current trend can only foresee more violence. As the movie ends with Indian Ocean's Bandeh, the last words, very true yet spine chilling, are "Yeh andhi chot teri kab ki sukh jaati magar ab pak chalegi..."

Dancing those Dirty Moves

Totally frustrated with the number of submissions I had to make in the next eight hours, I decided to go ahead and watch a movie. So I browsed through my sizeable collection of movies, not sure what I wanted to see. I think it had to be light and romantic and preferably not something I had seen before. Hence, came across Dirty Dancing.

When I started to see the movie, two things struck me very strongly. One, of course, was the dance in the movie. It is truly spectacular. I mean the chemistry between the the lead actors as well as the Professional dancers in the movie are scintillating to say the least. And the second thing is how hot is Patrick Swayze! I mean, that guy spends half the movie shirtless and his perfect body drives you to insanity.

So, getting back to the movie, the story could be straight out of a Bollywood masala picture from the 1990s. Rich girl falls in love with poor boy. Father does not approve (though its not about the poverty this time around, thank god, but rather because of a misunderstanding). As a sub-plot, there is of course the handsome cad who gets the girls into trouble with his loose ways. So anyway, after lots of drama, a few fighting scenes and, of course, lots of music and dance; the hero and the heroine get together. The father understands his mistake and apologises and the lead pair dances till the end credit rolls.

So what did I think worked for the movie? For sure the dancing. Not only is there great chemistry but the dancers are good too, specially Cynthia Rhodes and Jennifer Grey. And whatever you say about Patrick Swayze, is going to fall short. Such grace in a man usually comes across as effeminate. But not in this case. He looks good even while dancing immaculately to "Time of my Life"doing the Mambo. The simple storyline is also fun and uncluttered to watch. And finally, Jennifer Grey's innocence is appealing to people of all age groups and her coming of age act is entirely convincing.

What doesn't work? There's nothing new to the storyline. Its illogical at times and the movie gives you a sense of deja vu with the number of movies you may have seen in the same genre.

My verdict is all in all its a completely watchable movie, if nothing else then at least for its dances. At around one and a half hour, the movie also never drags. If you want to sit back and enjoy without thinking much, you could definitely try Dirty Dancing. Whether you like or not, this is one movie nobody can put in the corner.