Saadda Haq, Aithe Rakh !!!!! True to it’s musical hit number, Rockstar makes sure true art lovers (acting enthusiasts and story tellers alike) get a plate full of excitement, coupled with goose bumbs for most of the 2.5 hrs + screenplay.
Having pleased the happy go lucky with Jab we met and the genx in Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz makes a point to ensure the serious veterans get their share of fun too with Rockstar. Fun is a right for everyone indeed.
Rockstar is one of those slow paced meandering movies, sitting through which can be a torture for the ones who swear by action or the ones who prefer to go cinema watching as a replacement for Glucon D. But at the heart of it are two very noble thoughts, both of which have been in bollywood movies millions of times …. the thoughts commonly called “Love is mad” and “No pain, no gain”.
JJ (Kapoor) is shown as a music enthusiast, struggling for a long time with a guitar in hand. Being told to feel some pain in order to add a punch to his musical skill, he toys around with a fake proposal. Little did he know, that his simplicity and pure heart would end up being the very things to give him the most pain. Looking to have some quick fun, Heer (Fakhri) goes around with JJ doing those few tabboo things before getting married. And as it happens, our hero shows off extreme passion to woo the heroine and gets her as well.
Story goes on, and hiccups of lost love, loss of family, Heer trying to save her marriage over love, police action, court cases etc. all strike our hero one after another. Each incident shows JJ (now termed Jordan, the super star) add more zeal to his love (and obeyance to everything that Heer wants) and solidifies his Rock music as well. Jordan is famous, has all of it with him, except for inner peace. Without inner peace, he always fails to use what he has to the best use, except for the allowance to break free and make love.
For the ones familiar with the rockstars, it is almost like watching MJ develop on screen … all fame, different looks, but torid living. Unlike Po (Kung Fu Panda) though, inner peace evades Jacson, Heer remains his only passion and his fan following continues to grow with Jacson seeing Heer as the culmination of every song.
Overall, rockstar is a true Musical Love Story. It may not make all the money at the box office, but re-emphasizes two basic things. One – like good photographs don’t need a good camera, a good performance doesn’t need a big budget or effects. A strong performance needs just pure acting skills, couple it with a script that gives you the right oppurtunity and you get a truly Worldclass performance. Ranbir plays JJ/Jacson beyond his age, carrying all of his varied looks with finese. And he’s given a perfect platform to act like a true Rock-star by the beautiful numbers for Oscar winning Rehman.
Way to go guys … All veteran NSD students, stage lovers and Poets would surely be grateful to you for giving us ‘RockStar’.
It’s definitely a fitting tribute to our own beloved Shammi ji .. the Yahoo guy who arguably redefined madness in love with his performances in the 80s.

Who Killed Jessica … That’s something we have already known … what we didn’t is the fact that an iconic historical period could be made use of, sensationalized and presented as a mere advertisement. How could it …… It is worse than the daily news sensationalization …. Do these folks realize they are doing nothing more than playing with emotions … What exactly is it that we are trying to show …. It’s so confusing … Let us move a step further.

No One killed Jessica, putting it up simply is a typical average over the counter tale of justice/ unjustice, that we have seen umpteen number of times. Presented as a fictionalized version of the real life story, it tries hard to piggy back on the sympathies and emotions of the billion odd people who witnessed it all in real life. Putting it all simply, NOKJ tries very hard to sensationalize it and to prove the real might of the high profile society and/or the media.

Not needing a need to talk about the plot and how things move on, I shall directly focus on the details of the movie itself. There’s just nothing much to tell you about the story with the exception of the fact that it opens up with a murder, follows up with a court case where things don’t pan out the way they should, and thereafter is what you expect to be strong revenge and tryst for justice. What you see is actually Meera … the characterized media celebrity, supposed to have shades of all the other media personnel. She walks, talks and behaves like someone no better than the politician himself, doing anything and everything, other than bribing … She’ll speak filthy words, show sex/ food/ buy friends everything is a mere means to move up, and she can step on any of it in case there’s something that shall help her grow. In what is supposed to be an iconic milestone showing strength of the media, is portrayed like a means to be "famous".

Enough of emotions … coming to the performances. There’s hardly much to talk about in this space. Vidya Balan plays her role with utmost simplicity, and for half of her screen space is like a talking scare-crow, lost in her own world, and yet not giving any chance for a sympathy. Rani Mukherjee on the other side, comes across as a mean intellectual fast strong personality. She plays her role well, but only as an actress. The best part of the story however is the police incharge of the case. In the first half when he has a good part to play, he carries it with staunch attitude, while the second half shows him self-humiliated and trying to fight himself knowing things have gone wrong. The simplicity he portrays on screen, be it as a police inspector or a father, that’s one part that surely seems reality.

All in all, after a good 150 minutes of sitting through it, my head still seems to question me "what is in it", "why was this made", "who would really enjoy it" ……

It’s not as simply told and realistically presented as a case of parallel cinema, it’s not true to its history for the ones who like it, it’s not showing media as it should to really confront the ones of Peepli Live fame, it doesn’t have enough fun for an easy going family evening, and it doesn’t seem to have a message for the society. What was it … another one of those Masala Films. In a single word, I shall call it "useless".

It is generally said “There is always a surprise in store for you somewhere”. While I am fully aware of the fact that things change, I wasn’t expecting a surprise that big back in Delhi.

With newspapers and news channels full of all kinds of negative publicity about the national capital. Photographs showing all kinds of silt in what we call international destinations flashed all across. To add to it, the wettest year (almost) in the history of the city … out favorite hindi news channels having nothing else but water logged streets, submerged buses etc. etc. etc. to show.
On hearing and watching all this, forget the athletes used to 5 star facilities, even an ordinary citizen like me, who has spent most of his life in the same city, too was fazed with anxiety before making a trip down to the capital. No expectations … only apprehensions is what I boarded the plane with.

Nearly an hour past by, and out from the window of the jet were a series of surprises in store ….
8 PM clocked on the watch, a time when the expectations would be of dark streets, queued aircrafts circling the air strip for landing, crowded terminal causing a scarcity of means to have a ride back home. With that in mind, just woke  up from my travel nap, I peeped out from the glass.
Out there, a few KM down was the most colorful and bright artifact I have seen every. A complete elliptical structure spreading purple lights all across, and having all kinds of helium lamps. With Diwali no where near by, why is there all of it out there is the first thought that went through.
Another couple of minutes, and there was yet another glittering building.
Before I could realize that what I had just witnessed were none other than two of the stadia put together for CWG2010, it was time for landing on the main runway of the IGI airport.
Hardly a few seconds post touch down, there is a majestic a few KM long array of lights, with a strange structure with RED lights on top every few meters. That was the new terminal T3 of the airport …. The size of that single continuous glass structure itself called it the end of what we can call was a really memorable flight from Hyderabad to Delhi. What was witnessed is something totally opposite to the expectations.

Another 3 days of stay in the city of my childhood were ahead of me. And looking the way mood had rolled from anxiety to awestruck, I had decided to just experience things as they unfold.
And yeah!!!! worst of the fears were indeed true all through the local domestic areas of the city. The same city that was clean as the corridor of a 5 star hotel, the same city that was showering beams of multiple-colors into the sky, the same city where you could cruise at 100 Kmph on the elevated roads from the airport … when it came to areas where the local citizens stayed was plagued with water logged streets, roads full of pot holes, power cuts every now and then .. no name a few. Some things never change … being complacent is probably one of the things we could never avoid.
Amongst all this as well, the mood of local people was that of frustration (thanks to the media hype … with some reason of the mess). But still, there were these people who had witnessed 1982 Asiad themselves, and were extremely upbeat about having a glimpse of the same fan fare with the CWG … There were these people who really gave me a sense of pride to work for, who were willing to witness harsh living conditions, but not let the country down.

But then there are always some ups and downs …. Just like things started low and climbed up in my eyes, before suffering a set back based on local conditions, there was this last look at the developed area .. and indeed I wasn’t disappointed. The first free way in India (yes literally a free way with 8 lanes, markings for exits every now and then and cruise mode driving) was still awaiting me. That was the airport road …. And it wasn’t a small stretch … a long one indeed.

All in all, the city called Delhi is really having surprises up its sleeves. You just can not put it down. The sections likely to be visited by the tourists/ visitors are clearly poled apart from the other part of the city … We have surely made it a guarantee to offer the world what it deserves while leaving the local population to continue evolve slowly and steadily … the real Indian way indeed.
No punn on Mr. Kalmadi … there were more first to that city for me –
- Every policeman wearing a name plate
- Traffic police at every junction even at the middle of the night
- Parking places in the busiest streets made available
- A section of roads without any pot-holes, without any water logging … that too when it had rained a day before
- VIP movements not leading to traffic jams … thanks to dedicated Games lanes
- More excitement about a sports event amongst the elders than the Gen-Next

It was all truly amazing … But yet Khatta Meetha experience back to my home town.

Peepli Live …. what a satire? That’s what I call a mature, intelligent presentation, a heavy topic presented in a happy go lucky way. But wait a second … a satire on what. Message to whom? What all is supposed to through my head while watching it? How much am I supposed to process later?
Why …. Why … Why!!! Why are there so many questions I am asking?

That’s because it does leave me confused. What really has been shown out there? It’s a movie supposedly based on farmer suicides and meant to talk about their cause (I thought). Well … I was wrong. It’s actually a purely commercialized version of the day to day drama that you see on the television.
Let me elaborate a little.
Peepli Live starts in the backdrop of a farmer Natha who is foxed to commit a suicide in order to get money for his family, to save their land etc. Something that we have heard/seen on Aaj Tak quite often. But then what follows is nothing more than a taunt to the city dwellers … and it spares nobody, nobody at all. On show for 90 minutes is a demonstration of an extremely materialistic society, where everyone, literally everyone is just running after getting his share of money and fame. It starts with Media taking notice of Natha and sensationalizing him (not his cause). Moves onto the politicians, who are shown misusing the schemes to see if they can earn that little whisker of mileage out of it. Even the villagers aren’t spared. What else is the mela outside Natha’s house meant to be.

However, when you sit through it, and especially if you hear what the crowd around you (the so called technocrats and the educated folks of our society) react to, what makes them laugh, what makes them think … it would make you feel worse. The laughs only comes off at the foul language used, at the directness of things.

I am not saying that the movie has been made badly. It has its marvels … picture perfect performance, amazing music and beautiful editing. The expressions on the face of Natha, the emotionless and shrewd Nandita, and the rat-race type of remaining media … all make you say wow!!!! So technically, it is a very good movie, just that I disagree with the aspect that it is a good script, a good story. Sorry Mr. Aamir Khan, it might have touched your heart, but that just means to say you are disconnected from your country. If your purpose was to awaken other souls like you and show them the reality, then I would suggest we capture the message differently. Right now, it is like the most pessimistic view of our society, and its like we are laughing at it. The choice of dialogues might have rendered a flavor of reality to the space, but ended up being the focus for the crowd you were to address.
It is like entertainment has been demeaned to new levels. And the timing could not have been worse. The weekend we celebrate the success of our country, look at the lows, take resolves to help make things better, it is sad to see the bunch of people who should be the ones driving/ participating for them, laughing at the “other” India and walking out saying “How true!!!!” indifferently.

So, as a whole, its funny, enjoyable, but highly pessimistic. Fails flat on its face to convey the message, at least the message of improvement. All it ends up saying is what Nandita captured in a dialogue sequence to Rakesh “We are journalists not reformists. So, just do things as the profession tells you”. Sad, Very Sad !!!! Is it like there’s nothing good out there that you would like to at least touch upon …
If you ask me folks, if you enjoy watching the 12 odd news channels on TV then Peepli Live is surely the place for you. Or else, if you like to be emotionless and laugh at the folks lower than you, then this one’s surely meant for you. No serious cinema this one …

Inception, the movie … it’s advertised as a science fiction by wikipedia and categorized as a thriller by practically all the critics. What the heck is building the hype indeed.

Consider this for a start -
- Practically every review awards it a 4+ rating
- There are more hits you get on Bing.com for Inception the movie than “Bing” itself
- What’s causing a judgment of zero oscars for the movie, yet classify it as one of best
- Why’s everything so confusing ….

I hadn’t heard much about the movie as such before watching it, but then having watched it now, I am even more confused about the concept, about interpretations and what not. Truly speaking, it is one heck of a complicated movie. It is a story in which multiple aspects have been left open ended, vague, confusing … and each of that purely intentional.

Honestly speaking, the movie doesn’t showcase inception, it manages to put that into action with the viewers. Everyone who watches it goes out with an idea placed in their head … a new idea around life after death, or the role of sub-conscious mind. That’s the beauty of the movie itself … there are hundreds of questions, yet everyone would be content by the action they see. A mix of things, both the worlds in one go, clarity, fiction, ambiguity, science, psychology, time travel etc. etc. etc. A complete yet tasty khichdi it is.

To put things simply, I would give you my version of the review –

- It is a complicated movie, keep eyes, ears and head open throughout the 3 hrs.
- Better not watch the night show …. its a sleep spoiler
- Don’t even dare think against Dreams … the movie is all about Dreams, and like some say, might itself be one (remember its unreal )
- There’s nothing right or wrong about your interpretations … go explore the world on your own

And if after all this, a watch doesn’t satisfy you still, refer to the following to get more confused -
- http://taylorholmes.com/2010/07/20/7-layers-of-inception/
- http://blastr.com/2010/07/infographic-untangles-inc.php

And yeah how could I forget ….. The relationship you may feel to the real life, the modern life where every one of us live around dreams & aspirations, fight for it, would go as far as possible to get through them and so on.., might very well be true. It’s just about perspective ….
Read this for a sample -  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-samuels/eminceptionem-as-deceptio_b_659619.html

Confused !!!!!!
Welcome my friend … welcome to my state of mind.
Nevertheless, Inception is a brilliant movie …. a thoughtful movie …. just that it doesn’t give you answers/ direction, it would make you think more. Go and get ready to be swamped

It is the examination time out here in India. At all levels, from primary schools to corporate organizations. there is a sense of competition all around. This is the time for results … and that also means it is the time for psychologists to get busy.

Year on year, cycle on cycle, it is highly common out here for people to go into depression, initiate suicide and what not. It is extremely disturbing to see the spark of “thrive for excellence” go kaput and causes more harm than help. What makes young souls, good ones but yet not geniuses lose control of their nerves and end up on the receiving end of life. More interesting is the aspect of “also rans” not being impacted by the trend as much as the top of the line folks.

The seeds for this are sown early … very early indeed … people get localized heroes, sort of semi-perfectionists. Students start to be on top in their class. They fight it out with the poor teachers for every half a point. Partial depression hits them every time they lose this battle, which should be rather friendly. I myself have not been a part of this, but have seen the script being played again and again and again.
The worse isn’t over yet. It would still be under control if the participants in this WAR were the same. Over time, things would settle in and the parties would begin to accept them as equals. As time progresses, the battle field changes too. That’s where things start getting troublesome. That’s when the expectations of one-self touch the glass ceiling, making it difficult to fulfill. And what do people do to satisfy themselves … more often than not, they would tend to take shortcuts to that elusive success. Little do we realize that its begins the hurt the long term future.
This is most evident at the senior school level in our country, where professional courses are equated to the world cup. The scene gets almost like “life and death”, with young nerves, the same ones that bear the future of this nation, put through a shock and  awe experience. They are made to believe “this is it … you fail here means your life becomes meaningless”. Poor souls work out 16 hours a day, travelling large distances in the name of coaching. What started like an extra filter from the cream, has now turned into a status battle. And the impact can be seen. The successful ones who take the courses up, struggle to maintain the momentum for the large duration of the courses, visiting nearby hospitals for remedies. Once successful, they struggle in the organizations to prove they deserve to be CEOs on day one.

In order for science to grow, Steady ships is what one needs … strong foundations (basics of science), not just fancy tiles and high power air conditioners. No wonder the building called India is going through a turmoil, not able to weather the storm effectively. Full points to Mr. Kapil Sibal to try and put an end to the battle for the top …. the real focus would need to be to not lose the very distinction itself.

What starts from skipping the school to attend coaching classes, from leaving out the basics to mug up the formulae, start surfacing in reality to just follow the procedure without understanding the intent. Overtime, same result ….. initial successes dry out, friends and relations were never built, all they know is how to do things set up by someone else.

It is so so depressing to see it all happen in front of my eyes … the best brains crying and suffocating to end up in mediocrity.

Everyone needs a break and the right ones come when we accept … we don’t give in … we thrive for excellence, but not marry that top spot to an extent that not having it makes me feel worthless.

Is it time to reinvent the quote …. “Winning needn’t be a habit, the intent for winning has to be … participation and good, healthy competition is what should matter, rest all is a part of the game”.
Cheer Up!!!!!!

Bumm Bumm Bole … the hype, cuteness in the trailers,expectations from the wonderful child actors and what not … the stage was set for an exciting evening to the cinema next door. But, my oh my!!! it rather turned out to be the biggest heart break for me in recent times.

First of it all … can someone tell me the intended audience for the movie? I believe it has been touted as a children film … something to compete with the likes of Bal Hanuman. In that case, what is the aspect of all addons like ULFA militancy and corruption around tea plantations doing out there. It is all so confusing and difficult to keep track of the happenings out there, and no wonder cause a lack of due attention to the child actors.

Well, the gaps just don’t end at the confused plot. The story and incidents themselves don’t help much either.

For eg. the tea plantation manager being targeted by ULFAs, but he doesn’t turn out to be a big wig. The police office offering a job at his friend’s bungalow out of the blue. Why would a father buy the costliest shoes in town (Adidas) when there are issues for a daily living.

Sticking to the basic plot of the movie, it is the story of a young boy trying to get back a pair of shoes for his sister. From the story line, it seems the boy is supposed to be more mature and understanding that his sister, and is the one to keep her quiet. However, all through the movie, it is the little sister who keeps adjusting and behaving like the most mature people around. Actually, the parents themselves act as the most immature, by using the children for all kinds of work (and that’s not just the boy but the girl too). Throughout the 2 hr ordeal, you keep shifting in the seat, wondering the intention of the film and the confusing plots.

Coming to the star case. Darsheel does act cute and humble, but seems to be so much in the same character as Ishan. His acting is good, but very much like the helpless, shy, introvert character he played in TZP. Looking at the character in hand, I would have liked to have much more conviction in his act.

Zia on the other hand, in spite of being younger, is the only show stealer. Her expressiveness, dialogue delivery, acts and just screen presence in general is just so charming that you seem to wonder if she is all but 5. Emotional associations with Antara (played by her twin sister in a Zeet Tv SOAP), only helped feel for the girl. Particularly in the scene where a rich class mate tells her about the old shoes being thrown in the dustbin. Zia for sure conveyed tears without shedding one on the screen. Simply Awesome.

But, that’s where all the goodness ends. Even the two animated sequences in the second half fail to wake you up … they are just far too late and too uninteresting to pull it off.

Overall, it is an extremely sad depiction of what seemed like an interesting storyline. If it is fun that you are looking for, or your kind wants some entertainment, then just give this one a skip. It is more worth one of the silent movies/ classics stored in a museum, for a research on psychology.

My Priyadarshan, please stick to the mindless comedies where expressions and sense are meant to be missing. Leave this serious stuff, and for sure children movies to someone else.

Karthik calling Karthik is a tale of an ordinary man … a high IQ, brilliant person who never really took himself very seriously. His “simple” life, courteous and polite speech, honest and regularity to work … everything reminds one of those studious champu type people in school with whom you would seldom talk to. That was Karthik too, but then it shows a different side of theirs .. the hidden side. Like everybody, Karthik is a normal person too. He wants to enjoy life, wants to be given respect, wants to have a hot girl friend …. etc. etc. etc.

He lives through the difficult times, bearing everything, till one fine day all hell breaks lose. His arrogant, self centered boss fires him from the job. Just when he was about to call it a day, there is this mysterious call that begins to help him build his life .. and then it only talks like his hidden side. That’s probably what makes Karthik get attracted to him and follow all his advice very meticulously. His entire life changes .. from a “loser”, he becomes the hep guy around. Just that life has something else in store for him … the same mentor turns evil and everything gets off him in a matter of a day.

That’s when the movie loses its track too. In an effort to build in some thrill and suspense, it just drags it on. The script and plot is what makes KcK lose itself. It looks more for to one of those 60-70 minute theatre dramas, not a full blown 140 minute movie. There’s no thrill and very little romance in it … with the holes in the story too …. It was understood why Karthik starts off with the phone calls in the first place, but then the climax in itself remains unexplained. The writer decides to call it a psychological disorder, but then if that is the case, then shouldn’t it play a role when Karthik is trying to rebuild his life. In short, it is a confused script, trying to impart a message in a serious mood, but failing to build its characters well. By the end of it all, you are neither bowled over by the thrill/ suspense, neither does the love give you a good feeling.

It is not that the movie is without its moments … like the sections where the doctor and the lead heroine sits through with Karthik for the mysterious phone call. Those scenes do get your pumping, but the follow-up and disclosure in the end isn’t absorbing enough.

Farhan Akhtar plays the shoddy .. half baked character of the boy next door (the one who is always neglected, and left alone) with perfection. The first half performance … specially the act as a simple, lost in life person. He imbibes sympathy and evolves emotions from the audience … in the second half though, things don’t work out so well for him. His Acting brilliance isn’t good enough to overshadow the big holes in the script. To be honest, it is unfair to take away any applause from the actor while the complete issue was that the character in itself was incomplete.

Deepika, playing Shonali, Karthik’s love interest is an even more loosely bound. Infact, she comes across as an artificial winner in life .. with no concrete happiness, just plastic smiles. She acts it out pleasantly though.

In terms of the supporting cast, Ram Kapoor stands out as Karthik’s boss. He handles the change in emotions and acts them out with a sheer act of brilliance. You jsut can;t stop applauding the talent of this forever subdued actor in the scene where the renewed Karthik walks into his office for the first time.

Shankar’s music is pleasant and melodious. It is in fact the only thing that reminds you that you are watching a thriller.

So, all in all, KcK is a simple story, presented in a confused way. Go for it if you want to scratch your head and catch up on some sleep without those pills (we may need to preserve some for a while, Farhan indeed used up the quota for an year for someone ).

The blue mug … the one we drink our morning coffee in, the one we store the kitchen cutlery in and yeah!!!! that could be the one we use as a tooth brush holder back home. Each one of us would have different thoughts associated with lifeless mundane things like a blue mug … but then those very thoughts, those very associations with things is what makes our life .. defines us.

That was pretty much the theme of “The Blue Mug” … or as the director decides to state it “A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever”.

Yesterday, I got a chance to relive some of my memories, courtesy this piece of art .. or as we fondly call it “The English Play”. As some of you may know, my life has been so much like a one act play in itself. Filled with ups and downs, changing moods, changing likings … and changes that span across a few hundred dimensions in themselves … if there has been something that has been constant is “my act of foolishness … or rather innocence”.

My attraction, my love for theatre is not new .. it goes back a few centuries, oops decades sounds better. Those school plays on stage …. staying back after school, living through the emotions of a very senior (lovely, funny but strict fondly called Mr. Lewis) school teacher, and enjoying the brilliance of the moment. I can’t believe that was close to 15 years ago. And then no that wasn’t my first experiments with stage … it was that 2 month roller coaster with the “National School of Drama” .. words of the teacher in-charge there are still loud and clear “Your energy, the loudness of your voice, the jumping jack in you .. leave that all lose … focus on the character and speak clearly.” I was not sure what “speak clearly” meant then … neither was I that sure when I missed on the main role with Mr. Lewis for the same  reason and had to be one of the also acted. Well!! none of these ever haunted me along my life, just that last few weeks have been different. But then, who cares, in the profession I am where everyone is so conscious about themselves, so reluctant to go on stage, the life of free expression helps me go all out, again and again and again. It is a sense of false confidence following me all the time .

OK, OK .. back to the theatre. It was now close to 7-8 years since I had witnessed a professional on stage performance. Movies and TV shows were the only forms of entertainment that occupied me. So,when I saw this add on a website for an English play called “The Blue Mug” starring a few BIG names of the Hindi Cinema, I just couldn’t control. Thanks to this sweet friend of mine who bears me through all the strange ideas for spending the weekend, and not only that live them with me too. (I can’t tell how indebted am I to that little soul), I decided to take a chance and do something different this Sunday. So, there I was, close to 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the play .. outside the auditorium, all energetic to go watch one after so long.

Talking about the play, it was an abstract presentation but a very strong message hidden in it. In the course of 75 odd minutes that it lasted, I must have thought I lost the track at least 4-5 times. This was about these four individuals .. all separate in their lives .. all fully independent … taking turns to take us through the journey of their lives .. narrating their memories, with others so frequently playing the supporting acts while one is presenting. Some brilliant acting, coupled with some equally brilliant dialogues (oh!! let me add … the script writer added hindi and punjabi to the script and helped introduce some very pleasant emotions .. some which I could only relate to in the language they were mentioned. The idea to introduce black boards on which select members of the cast would scribble things (reliving some good old days of their lives) did take so many of the us (at least took me) to some of those early days of life .. the school days. Not only was there this narration of lives, of memories, there was also this small act between a doctor and a patient, that blended the intent of memories and gave the very message I talked about. Ranvir Shorey and Konkana Sen Sharma played this duo who would come on stage and demonstrate what chemistry of words could be. Ranvir played this individual who was struck in childhood .. back in 1983. World had not moves for him since then. And Koko the doctor whom he came to visit. That small act was the icing on the cake .. and I was foolish enough not to realize it sitting through it. It is only now, about 18 hours later, that I find the true meaning of it all. “Memories are there, they are there inside you … All the time .. it is only a matter of reliving them … you would find a different side of yourself in there … And then don’t be bored when someone else recites theirs to you … it might be your chance to be a kid again !!! After all, the world is all about perspectives … and even if the life gets monotonous, there would be these memories with you, to keep you healthy, to make you laugh with anybody who would partner you in the same ..”

Thanks a lot … thanks to all those who have sat through my experiences, heard them patiently enough … Time for me to hit some form of stage again.

Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism as it is more commonly known, that seems to be the hot topic of discussion. It isn’t the first time that it forms the subject of an entertainment means, but trust me there hasn’t been anything better till date. My Name is Khan portrays its characters beautifully, emphasizing on its characters, their wishes and weaknesses in a subtle, yet definitive way. There’s no doubt the on screen depiction of a story, which has nothing very new to offer, would make you groan of emotions and don’t be surprised if a couple of tears flow down your cheeks.

Coming to the point, MNIK is a naive story, having a bit of everything in it, a sort of a cocktail full of emotions, love, Islamic terrorism, Media double standards, cry for humanity and what not. It is pretty much like another New York or Khuda ke Liye, calling out loud and clear the American retaliation to 9/11 against all non-Americans (essentially). What comes on the basis of this script, is an overly happening, and a little overdone story. The script wouldn’t be able to impress anyone much, but then there is the strong and ever-dependable star cast that makes all the difference.

Johar’s script revolves around the life story of Rizwaan Khan, played by SRK and suffering from Autism. The life which has glimpses of childhood influenced by the perfect Indian mother he has, imparting him true Islamic values and a beautiful Love story which isn’t free of gham. While at the end of the day, MNIK might seem like another film on 9/11. it has enough to offer in terms of a love story too. Pretty much a good 60% of the movie on the protagonists and their love life. Its different that love and extremist attitudes aren’t absolutely separated there too.

Movie starts on a little slow pace, building the plot and characters of its well. The shift between Rizwaan’s childhood and today is made effortlessly, with the innovative diary to talk about himself by the hero. It is the song of “Tere Naina” and the salesmanship of Rizwaan, that would strike you first and would surely sweep you off your feet. No time is wasted building love and Johar gets full marks to control his natural instinct for K-mode drama. The first half of the movie, or may be even the first 90 minutes continue to be enthralling and keep you glued to the screen. However, in the second half, once the personal tragedy in the after-math of 9/11 is disclosed is where the film shifts gears. And it may not be an irony to say, it shifts the gear down. From being a good balances film, it goes into a monologue displaying the goodness of Rizwaan and his journey to a near impossible mission. While it is appreciable on the part of the script writer to think about the twists and turns, it is equally sad to say that the right blend is somewhere lost in the translation. There are at least 3 places in there, where being lavish with the editing scissors would have helped … them being the sequence of the death of the soccer field, the cyclone relief in Georgia and of course the entire Media campaign/ medical recovery for Rizwaan.

Having said that, MNIK is after all not a bad film at all. At no point during the 160 minute epic would you feel bored and frustrated. And all the credit for that goes to the performances of the main actors. and when I say, I include the lead pair, the supporting artists and a special mention for the child stars. Both the junior actors build their own place amongst the seasoned stars, be it in the role of a junior Rizwaan or baby Sam. It surely makes you wonder how Mr. KJ is always able to extract the best off the little ones. He did that in KKHH. followed it up with K3G and does it yet again. Kajol gets a relatively tougher job to do … to relive the super-star pair strata and at the same time, make the most use of the smaller screen presence. While the sympathy and care for Rizwaan is obvious, Mandira is not far behind in calling for attention. At no point, does she look artificial and disconnected to the theme, understanding both Sam and Rizwaan with ease, switching moods and plans like a charm. It goes without saying that she is indeed a live bomb on screen, and bring with her all the bubbly and cherry fun to mix with the serious subject they deal with. Her reference to Sam as “Meri Aankhon ka taara, mere budhape ka sahara” brings laugh all around. Likeable and commendable it is, indeed.

But, then the name is Khan .. and it surely does belong to one and only Shah Rukh Khan. He pulls out arguably one of the best performances of his life, mixing the sweet stammers from Darr and Baazigar era, with the remarkable approach towards his goal. Rizwaan Khan is a difficult role to play … being smart at practically all fields except physical intimacy and any kind of political thinking, playing the monotonous walk changing the style of speech to express it all. His innocence, sweetness and simplicity fills the air RED, not with any kind of violence but with Love.

All in all, MNIK is a truly sensitive film, glamorized in typical KJ way with exotic places to look at and jaw dropping linkages to absolutely unrelated events. It talks about the very relevant and realistic topics troubling the world today, still not forgetting to make it applicable for all the family audiences (and love birds as well). It shamelessly would pierce through your heart making you sit up and think about them all, yet again.

And it surely proves one point … The name is Khan, Shah Rukh Khan. And only a friend in KJ can bring out the best from him. It is no doubt a perfect catalyst to the Valentine week, making it complete in all aspects. Go for it with a few tissues to spare, and don’t forget to take your loved one along and evolve the lost romance once again … After all, Love is never about the looks, but all about the heart ….. And that would include the Love for mankind.