Interview with Tisca Chopra

Just like we are taught to never judge a book by its cover, we too should never speculate about the personality of a film star simply by his/her onscreen or public persona. While Tisca Chopra has always remained clear of any controversies, she is somewhat of a dark horse of the film industry. Gaining acclaim after her comeback in Taare Zameen Par, I found her, through my interactions on twitter and email, to be a very down to earth person, courteous, and someone who has varied interests ranging from traveling to writing, along with an obvious passion for cinema. Her colorful nature, she did answer the questions in purple, along with a knack for good humor, just read some of her answers, she has won many hearts with her smile and brilliant performances in films and in commercials.

I would like to thank Ms. Chopra for taking out the time from her busy schedule to answer the questions put forth about her life and about her time in the Indian film industry.

Raghav Modi (RM): You've been working in the film industry for a while now, but your comeback came about with Taare Zameen Parwith a rather unconventional role of a mother to a young boy. How did that happen?

Tisca Chopra (TC): One of the assistants on the film, Ritu Bhatia had seen my work on TV. I was called in to audition. I did my best at the audition and I was on the same evening. 

RM: Being a part of the Indian film industry for so many years how do you feel it has changed over the years?

TC: The age of the actor is here. If you can act, you’ll be working and working a lot. The only thing that can stop you is if you develop an attitude.

Multiplexes have breathed life into new types of stories. The next step is movies that have multi ethnic, multi country casts and crews- world stories... some of that we have seen in Crash and Babel, but more is yet to come.

RM: What according to you is the next logical step that the film industry should be heading towards? Has the audience really started to look forward to "intelligent" cinema or is there scope for everything still?

TC: Films like Ready, Golmaal and Son Of Sardaar prove that the audiences love comedies and action films. Yet, slowly there is a distinct audience emerging for smaller and sassier films too. With a bursting-at-the-seams population like ours, how can only one type of film work? Everything works, so long as it's got a semblance of a soul.

RM: There has always been a gap of few years between your films. Your filmography is somewhat empty between 1995 till 2000 and then again from 2004 till 2007. This also included a name change. Why have these breaks been important and where have you been busy during these years?

TC: There are three kinds of roles for women in Bollywood- Babe, Bhabhi and Beeji. I keep ducking the stereotype. Anything that offers me chance to play a real person, I will do it. Fat, funny, thin, bald, ugly...anything, so long as its real and has a good story to tell.

I’ve never been homogeneous. I do not feel pressure to do work all the time. I travel, I read and when something fun comes up, I do it. It's important for me to believe in the story and in the people making it. One can’t keep reaping if one is not sowing. I want to put in a little living to be able to bring something fresh to my work. I don’t want to develop emotional myopia…I can’t see other actors films and act out of that. I need to meet people, observe life, and do different things.

Meantime, I have finished a book I am writing. It's called ‘Get Your Act Together’. We have also been traveling with ‘Dinner with Friends‘ a fabulous play that I’ve had the good fortune to be in. 

RM: Ever since your return to films you have been doing a number serious films/roles like TZP, Firaaq or even Mirch to an extent. Has this been a conscious decision or it is always about the role rather than the genre of the film?

TC: Not at all. I am absolutely dying to do a comedy. Friends and family will tell you that I’m quite a clown. TZP set a benchmark that most people just follow. Coming up shortly is a comedy I did, ‘10ml Love’. I enjoyed that so much that now I’m seriously looking for another comic script… something totally crazy. Something like As Good As It Gets… smart and funny.

RM: Although it is a clichéd question, but you must have a wish list when it comes to directors and actors. So, which director and actor would you want to work with, someone you haven't worked with yet?

TV: Anyone with a delicious script. Actually, I am now keen to write a script myself... maybe that’s the next step for me. But, if you are asking whose work I like, then Raju Hirani, Vishal Bhardwaj, Shimit Amin, Dibaker Banerjee, Neeraj Pandey (Wednesday), Subhash Kapoor (Phas Gaye Re Obama), Abhishek Sharma(Tere Bin Laden) are some names.

Internationally, I’m a huge fan of Woody Allen’s films. There are so many excellent directors like John Lasseter, The Coen brothers, Peter Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee, Martin Scoecsese and Christopher Nolan. I’d love to work with actors like Leonardo Di Capprio, Jhonny Depp, Helen Mirren, Ryan Gosling and Meryl Streep.

RM: As an actress, do you have any regrets, roles that you missed out on for one reason or another?

TC: I did not miss out on anything because I live for the moment and make the film I’m doing at the moment the best fun thing in the world. So whether the film does well or not, I’ve given my heart and soul to it and had a blast making it. It's a win win. So, to answer your question I have no regrets.

..unless you talk about ‘Fargo’,‘Chicago’, ‘Bullets over Broadway‘ or ‘As Good As It Gets’, then yes I did miss out on those.. 

RM: Can you tell us about some of your up-and-coming projects?

TC: Coming out on the 7th of December is ‘10ml Love’, a mad comedy based on Shakespeare’s‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’. I’m filming ‘Ankur Arora Murder Case’ that is being produced by Vikram Bhatt, at the moment. ‘Qissa’, an international film with Irrfan is just getting done. There’s a bi-lingual thriller that is starting in February. And like I said, I have an idea for a film, which is a comedy. I want to write that asap.

RM: What are some of the perks of being in the limelight and also some drawbacks that you wish you could change?

TC: I wish I didn’t have to wear high heels. Something about wearing high heels makes your brain stop functioning. The flip side is that, that makes one appealing to certain types of men.

I’m also intrinsically shy, so sometimes that becomes an effort- to fight my basic personality and be open. Being a celebrity, one has to reveal selectively, but being an actor has opened my soul.

RM: One of the perks that we are aware of is that actors get to travel all around the world on the pretext of filming. Is there anyplace that you've discovered because of a shoot that you would like to return to?

TC: I’m pretty hooked to travel, work or no work. My husband’s a pilot, so we end up traveling a lot. I fell in love with Istanbul. That’s one place I’d love to go back to. Manali is a favorite in India. I want to definitely go to Ladakh this coming year, the Dead Sea, the Rio Mardi Gras and the Machu Picchu area.

RM: Before we let you go you have to tell us your five favourite Indian Films and five favourite Non-Indian films?

TC:  International- As Good As It Gets, Fargo, Shawshank Redemption, Bullets Over Broadway, The Green Mile.  

Indian- Lagaan, Ab Tak Chappan, Raat aur Din, Taare Zameen Par, 3 Idiots.

Competition - WIN! One of Two Film Books

Continuing with my quest to have more competitions on my blogs I am giving away two film related books to two different followers; 

First up is Bollywood's Top 20 Superstars of Indian Cinema (without the mentioned MP3 CD) which covers, as the title suggests, stories about the people who have made Indian Cinema what it is today. 

The second book is titled Seema and Other Stories and has been written by Gulzar who is a person synonymous with Indian Cinema. 

In order to win the books all you have to do is ANY ONE of the following;

Follow my blog by clicking the Join This Site button (Bottom Right Sidebar under Followers)

Follow TICKER on Facebook by clicking and liking HERE

Then simply EMAIL ME (clicking on the link will automatically open your mail client with my email in it or type in tickertalksfilm (at) gmail (dot) com) with SUBEJCT - Competition # 3, and which of the two Follows you have performed (Do let me know the ID you have used). If you already follow me, simply email me the ID. 

Now for some other T&Cs

This competition is valid in India only. 
The prizes will be delivered to an Indian address.

Incomplete entries will not be considered.

The final decision lies with the blog owner.

No cash alternatives will be given.

The prize will be sent via post and we are not accountable for late/lost/damaged/stolen prizes.

The prize cannot be substituted or refunded.

Only one entry per household will be considered.

The Competition ends on Sunday, 22nd September2012 at 11:59 PM

Ticker Talks Film has the right to change/alter/cancel the above competition without notice.

The Winner will be contacted directly via email. 

Agent Vinod (Hindi)(2012)

Finally we have a Desi James Bond. Alright, not quite. Nor is he Jason Bourne. He's somewhere right smack in the middle. Saif Ali Khan, with his home production, takes us on a whirlwind tour of the world as his Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent goes about trying to find a nuclear suitcase bomb and diffuse/destroy it before it is used to start a war.

Agent Vinod is a good attempt at the genre. It's not the best as it lacks a lot in execution. The editing is choppy and shoddy at times, which I found to be rather annoying. The dialogue, I'm guessing meant to be funny, is atrocious. Take for example Kareena Kapoor, the only character in the film who has some shades of grey, calling Agent Vinod and telling him that she's been shot in the lungs twice and has had a lot of blood loss and then goes on to divulge some rather important information to him. I mean, seriously. Two shots in the lungs, a lot of blood loss, and you are still having a conversation over the phone. Yes, I know when it comes to saving the world, everything is possible and allowed, but let’s get real a little. There are many other instances where the dialogue just seems cheesy and so out of place.

Thankfully, while the dialogue might be cheesy, the film is not. It's well made with some rather brilliant scenes. A fight scene that takes place in the past and present simultaneously is beautifully executed. Or the scene wherein a sniper is about to attack Agent Vinod and the camera just holds a view from behind our hero for a minute, with nothing happening, and the anticipation builds up the tension gorgeously.

The music and background score surprisingly plays along well with the movie. It's very different and unexpected, but fun. The acting isn't all that bad. Unfortunately, the film is all about Saif Ali Khan, so much so that even Kareena Kapoor despite having a prominent role doesn't get much opportunity to shine. The supporting actors on the other hand do wonders with the little screen time they have, especially Ram Kapoor as Abu Nazer who is hard to recognize and proves to be quite the character actor.

Agent Vinod is a fairly well made film. One that, seeing the ending, can lead Saif into a good movie franchise provided it stays clear of the typical Hindi cinema clichés. It's also probably because of a few superbly executed scenes that I've given it a 3.5/5 star rating and mind you, it is also because of the rather absurdly horrendous dialogue that it falls short of 4 stars. 

  

Players (Hindi)

It's about time film makers in India realized that just by shooting a movie in foreign locals doesn't mean that the audience will look over the remainder of the film. It's quite apparent that the director-duo of Players found this out the hard way.

Players is the official remake of the immensely popular film, The Italian Job. I say "official" because apparently rights were legally taken to remake the film and it was not made with the "inspired from" tag. Unfortunately, even after having two predecessors to legally take inspiration from, the film simply falls flat on its face.

Now, in all honesty I have to give credit to Abbas-Mustan for trying real hard to spice up the original story by adding a few extra characters and also by including a few twists of their own. Unfortunately, poor acting, a rather dull and over-emotional love angle, and unpopular songs makes the entire film a tedious affair.

In a nutshell Players is a heist movie. Whereas in the original the Mini Coopers were the real "stars" of the film, but in this two and half hour excruciating remake the Mini Cooper only makes an appearance during the last 30 minutes, albeit a small one. Abhishek Bachchan for once doesn't impress much as a savvy con-artist with a heart of gold. Sonam Kapoor I really want to like, but she fails to make most of this opportunity. Bipasha Basu performs a role similar to many she has done before (think Race which happened to be by the same Director-Duo), which can also be said for Omi Vaidya who is soon to run out of acting gigs unless he learns to speak proper Hindi or refuse the roles where is he required to speak in the same way as he did in 3 Idiots. Neil Nitin Mukesh sparks a little light of hope in the film as a computer nerd and hacker, but unfortunately the extremely poor performance of Bobby Deol overshadows any good performance that might be there in the film.

On a side note, is it me of it seems that extensive and I'm guessing expensive train robbery scenes in an Indian film is a bad omen for its box office, leaving aside Sholay obviously. Don't we all remember Roop Ki Rani Chooron Ka Raja? It had one of the most exciting train robbery sequences which is half heartedly repeated in Players with a lot more special effects and to a much dismal conclusion.

I am never this harsh, but if I were to describe Players in once sentence it would be like this;

Players, watch it when you have severe constipation because it's a time you are so desperate that any form of crap will do.

Rating 1.5/5
      

Paan Singh Tomar (Hindi)

Based on real life events, Paan Singh Tomar is a film that looks at the life of an Army man and a medal winning steeplechase racer who takes on to becoming a dacoit/rebel due to certain unavoidable events in his personal life.

The film is a stark look at life, especially in the villages, but more so it tries to prove a point about how the sportsmen/women of India are not given enough credit and looked after once they retire.

This picking up of a social issue and developing a story around it has become somewhat of a recent trend in Indian movies. Although there is nothing wrong with informing the audience of the injustice that happens around them, it is my belief that eventually these films don't have any impact in real life, at least not a major one. Moreover, as is the case with Paan Singh Tomar, social issue films get appreciated more for their content rather than for the actual film.

As a film Paan Singh Tomar is very mediocre. The editing in the first half is very choppy and at times irritating. The running/race scenes along with the training montages are not at all pleasing or exciting, but simply repetitive and eventually a tad boring. I wish the director would have seen Chariots of Fire to really make the races more heart pounding. Irrfan is a great actor, one of the best in India, but he is not a runner and this fact is evident on screen.

There is a slight hope in the middle of the film wherein the protagonist slowly succumbs to the corruption that is so much a part of every Indian's life and eventually takes on to becoming a rebel on the run. The film at this point changes course and with harsh scenery comes a grittier feel. Unfortunately, once again this gets dragged on till the very end making the last half-hour excruciatingly repetitive. Corruption has become a part of life in India. Everyone is aware of it and everyone has faced it in one way or another. It is unfortunate, but now when something like police brutality is showcased in a film; it no real revelation.         

Paan Singh Tomar succeeds in its performances. Irrfan gives a commendable performance that at times might seem similar to his other roles, but nevertheless stands out. Mahi Gill, as Paan Singh Tomar's wife, has a small role, but she manages to leave a mark by supporting Irrfan all the way through. Most of the other characters remain undeveloped and provide very little to the film. The comedy aspect in the film is once again disappointing. Most of laughs come from either the accented dialect in which Irrfan speaks or from the repetitive "normal" moments in the life of Paan Singh Tomar where he tries to sneak in a few minutes with his wife alone for a little intimacy.

There are much better sports films, more engrossing films on corruption, and more brutal films on dacoits and rebels. Although Paan Singh Tomar brings about these different genres together in a film, it doesn't linger on in the mind enough to have a positive long lasting impact and proves to be a forgettable affair.

Rating 2.5/5

Agneepath (Hindi) (2012)

Brash, Gritty, Bloody, Unapologetic, that's Agneepath for you. A remake of the Amitabh Bachchan 1990 film of the same name, Agneepath stands its ground firmly. It's an updated version, more in your face, with just one essential emotion carrying the film forward, Revenge!

It's important to mention that although I have seen the original Agneepath and remember liking it, it has been years (maybe more than a decade) since I last saw it. I remember bits and pieces from it, but I was glad about that because I wanted to enjoy the new Agneepath as a separate film and not a remake.

Agneepath is the story of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan who witnesses his father being wrongly accused of a crime and being hanged by a local criminal Kancha in their village Mandwa. Vijay, along with his mother and sister, head off to Bombay and the film is all about his rise to power in the Bombay underworld in order to take back Mandwa from the now dictator Kancha.

Starring Hrithik Roshan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Sanjay Dutt as Kancha and Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala, Agneepath somehow miraculously manage to extract the best performances, by all the three leads, in a very long time. Hrithik's Vijay is a man on a mission and although there are emotional aspects to his character, it's his single goal in life, revenge, that fuels him. Sanjay Dutt has come a long way from his Rocky and Khalnayak days and seeing him in an all out negative role was pure entertainment. Rishi Kapoor's portrayal of the child selling, drug dealing, local gangster Rauf Lala is by far the best performance. His evilness is so brilliantly disguised that when we see him in his final act being as bad as he can be, it comes almost as jolt of surprise.       

Agneepath, a gritty revenge drama, is filmed so beautifully that each frame is a piece of art. The use of colours in the sets brings about richness to the film that is mostly shot in decapitated and burned down buildings. The background sound throughout the film is what made it so much more intense. Technically, although there are parts which seemed a bit fake (explosions), the film was far superior to a lot of Indian films I have seen.

The main reason for Agneepath holding on the audience captive for almost 3 hours is that it doesn't slow down. The story progresses at a breakneck speed with one event after another adding to the story and characters. There are a few characters that seemed unnecessary, and my fear was the unintentional emotional baggage they might bring about, but once again the film doesn't slow down for anyone. It felt that every time the film diverted towards the emotional road (mother-son, brother-sister, boy-girl relationships) there was someone standing tall to give the film a slap and put it back in the direction of that one emotion, Revenge!

Agneepath will not be liked by everyone. It has a love angle, but that too is kept in place on the side. It has its item number and numerous songs, but they play an important part in the film's continuity and are just not there for the sake of it. So, do I want to compare the original with the remake? Not really. Sometimes, even when the stories are similar, it's best to take each film as a separate entity. Enjoy this movie for the direction, for the cinematography, for the acting, and lastly for being bold enough to take a step towards a new form of cinema, one that is unapologetic about not satisfying everyone. 


Rating 5/5

       

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Hindi)

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of ZNMD is that it is simply poetry in motion. The second thing is the slight resemblance it has to Dil Chahta Hai, but I plan to overlook that aspect of the film.

Three school friends played by Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, and Abhay Deol go on a road trip across Spain that they have been planning since their school days. The purpose of the trip is that each one has a secret adventure sport planned that all three must participate in. In between the activities all three fight their inner demons and inhibitions meeting new people and forming stronger bonds between themselves and the people that in one way or another influence their lives.

ZNMD has a rather leisurely pace to it, and I loved this aspect of the movie. While some might find it a tad slow, I found it just right. It's almost as if the movie on one end tells you to quickly experience life because you never know if you will be alive tomorrow, but simultaneously also says that take it slow and look around you, enjoy life, experience it. Watching the movie I kept remembering what Matthew Broderick says in Ferris Bueller's Day Off "Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. ZNMD also weirdly reminded me of Luc Besson's excellent film The Big Blue. The stories are poles apart, but there is a certain similarity in terms of the "feel" of both the films. 

Obviously ZNMD is also the best tourism promotional video Spain could have. The beauty of the lesser explored Spain is simply amazing. I've been to Spain a few times enjoying the coastal areas, but I too was surprised with the natural beauty that Spain has to offer. The now world famous Tomatina festival and "Running of the Bulls" event are beautifully incorporated in the movie as well. In short, Spain better gear up for an influx of Indian tourists.

ZNMD succeeds as a film because the audience can see the actors have fun. All the three main male leads have excellent chemistry together and compliment each other beautifully. Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin, both, for a change, don't seem out of place. What really stood out was the lack of over dramatization that can be seen in Indian films. While it does have the song and dance numbers that are synonymous with most Indian films, it does not drag. It ends when it should. The movie does at times preach, but then it is up to the audience to make what they want out of these lessons in life.

Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara is modern cinema at its best. Zoya Akhtar taps well into the psyche of the metropolitan youngster making the film hip and happening and one that relates well with the now globally conscious Indian. Since I’m on a small crusade to get my twitter friends to watch more Indian films, it would be great to know what they think of it, because although the film is shot predominantly in Spain and is very modern in its outlook, it still is grounded in Indian culture and ethos.

As for rating the film, it gets a well deserved 4.5 stars out of 5 and I hope that everyone puts it on their must watch list. 

       

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) (Hindi)

It seems lately I have been only watching movies with Abhishek Bachchan in them. It is not a conscious decision, but then again I’m not complaining since I have said it time and again that he remains one of the most underrated actors in the Indian Film Industry.

Ashutosh Gowarikar's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a lesson in history, and that too quite a good one. What works for the film is that it is stays true to its roots and isn't stylized or sensationalized. There is one and only one star in the film and that is the story. It's quite clear that a considerable amount of research went into the making of the film. Based on the Chittagong uprising of 1930 the film tracks the lives of a number of individuals as they plan and execute an attack again the oppressive British in their eastern Indian town of Chittagong. The featured rebellion has a special part in India's freedom struggle because this time children as young as 14 years and women were also part of this attack. Looking at the real life photographs of the prominent characters featured in the film during the end credits did make me realize the importance of freedom that we take for granted and too an extent the fight against corruption going on in India right now.

Ashutosh Gowarikar has proved with Jodha Akhbar and Laagan that he can handle period films quite well. There is detail and importance given to the sets and the clothing to make the environment and feel of the movie genuine.

Considering the number of characters and the fast moving story there really isn't time enough to evaluate the acting. Abhishek Bachchan playing the leader and school teacher Surjya Sen along with Deepika Padukone's Kalpana Dutta has a certain underrated elegance throughout the film. Everyone does a decent job and brings out authenticity to their respective characters. The junior artists brilliantly bring about the innocence in their characters that also covers up the sketchy acting at times. Amongst the seniors notably the physical transformation in Sikander Kher is commendable. The movie not only has prominence as a historical event, but even works as a thriller, almost to an extent like Munich wherein the happenings before and after the actual event are equally important.

I highly recommend the movie to everyone who is in any way linked to India just to appreciate the freedom that we all enjoy. For everyone else, it is a well made movie and works for anyone interested in historical events. 4/5 Stars for this patriotic piece of cinema.   

Shaitan (2011) (Hindi)

Shaitan was another over-hyped, highly recommended, film that for me was nothing short of crap. The movie, which at its core has a rather interesting story, is nothing but style over substance. Now, I’m all for that, but I do have a problem when the style factor is repetitive and text book like.

The movie is about a group of five friends (Kalki Koechlin, Shiv Pandit, Gulshan Devaiya, Kriti Kulhari, Neil Bhoopalam) who mistakenly run over and kill a couple of people while on an alcohol and drug infused night out. The story follows the events as they unfold from thereon and how eventually they end up being part of a kidnapping to arrange money to bribe a corrupt police official (Rajkumar Yadav).

The excessive use of cinema techniques in the movie was probably the most annoying factor for me. There are so many slow-motion shots that if the movie were to run in "normal" mode, I’m pretty sure it would have ended a good half hour early, which would not have been a bad thing at all. I may not know all the correct terminology but be it point-of-view cam, slow-motion, super fast motion, the whole pin drop silence situation just after the accident, pretty much everything that one might learn in film school was applied in this one movie.

Shaitan could have been such a brilliant film. In place of really focusing on the ordeal that the young adults are going through and truly analyzing their dark sides, we end up with a ridiculous side story of the "good" cop (Rajeev Khandelwal) and his wife having marital problems. I will give it credit for wonderfully portraying "young" India and especially the mind-frame of the people who inhabit the metropolitan cities. 

The director (Bijoy Nambiar) definitely did not have his priorities right. Moreover, the movie is so blatantly "inspired" by real life events and other films that it is a real shame to see such talent go to waste.   

The music is probably the only saving grace of the entire movie. Once again I am no fan of the way Khoya Khoya Chand is picturised, but the music itself was brilliant and refreshing. The acting was a complete mixed bag. There are outstanding performances which almost go unnoticed due to some rather poor acts.

If only Shaitan went a little darker with emphasis on the story and characters, it would get more than 2 out of 5 stars from me. I do have to point out that maybe, just maybe, one of the reasons the movie doesn't go to extremes is because the producer of this movie and a noted Indian director, Anurag Kashyap, has previously had trouble with his movie Paanch which is yet to "officially" see the light of day due to censor troubles and is said to have a somewhat similar story. 

Peepli [Dead!]

And once again we have an overrated movie being put on a pedestal as some sort of amazing achievement made by the Indian Film Industry. Don’t get me wrong, Peepli [Live] is entertaining, to a point, and well made, but is nothing new nor does it deserve so much credit.

One thing is for sure, Mr. Aamir Khan has perfected the marketing techniques required to make any movie a hit. He managed to break into Hollywood with Lagaan and since our film industry is fascinated with Hollywood (whether they agree or not) it has had an effect here as well.

Let's take the movie. We start with the serious issue of farmer suicides. But in what is supposedly a fresh take, the issue and the film is given a comic outlook rather than a serious one. But haven't we had movies like Welcome to Sajjanpur and Well Done Abba that did the same thing. Okay different rural problems but similar treatment. As for the issue itself, I believe the movie is guilty of the very thing it tries to expose. It uses the issue of farmer suicides, just like the media and politicians in the movie, for its own promotion. This movie is not about issues people of India face. All that this movie does is put on a facade of looking concerned and intelligent by apparently bringing focus to an important issue. If you watch the movie you'll realize most of it is about politicians and the media and their tactics in making the most of the situation at hand, which gets old after about 10 minutes. Yes we are aware that politicians are corrupt. Yes we are aware that news no longer is as accurate as it once was. Yes we are aware we cannot take anything at face value thanks to made up stories. But, do I really need to go watch a movie for this, when I can just switch on the TV and enjoy this new form of entertainment for free. All this is no different from what was portrayed in the recent movie Rann which did pretty much the same thing in a more urban setting. In fact come to think of it, at times Peepli [Live] even felt like one of Priyadarshan's movies (Hulchul, Malamal Weekly) although not so over the top.

So what's the movie about? Real quick, it's about a farmer who decides that the only way to get out of debt is to commit suicide and as a result the family will receive compensation from the government. The rest of the movie is how this situation is spun round and around once the media and politicians find out about his intentions. In actuality it gets pretty repetitive after about 20 odd minutes.

As for the actors, I'm happy that we have a bunch of fresh and/or lesser known faces. Unfortunately Naseeruddin Shah had a small role and thus was not used to his full potential. The same goes for Raghuvir Yadav who according to me is probably the most underrated actor of the Indian Film Industry.

The other thing that personally disturbed me was the fact that comedy in Indian movies is just going from bad to worse, but apparently people seem to love it. Maybe I'm snobbish in this respect, but I found the now infamous "balatkar speech" in 3 Idiots pretty... well idiotic. Similarly, most laughs in Peepli [Live] were heard when a TV presenter talks about our main protagonists feces. Seriously is potty humor the only thing that interests us anymore? That and well Hindi swear words. You can always hear a few people laughing out loud every time a Hindi cuss word is used in the movie. Really! Is that all it takes to make people laugh nowadays?

I suspect Peepli Live will probably end up in a few award functions thanks to its producers (which by no means is wrong. I mean they put in the money, so they should promote the movie). What I do not like is that it will and is getting more coverage than a better film like Udaan.

A lot of people will disagree with me, but all I can give this movie is a 2.5/5

Fly Like A Bird - Udaan

I've just finished watching Udaan and I'm angry. I'm angry at the fact that Indian film makers no longer have confidence in their own movies. The advice whispered by Ram Kapoor’s character Jimmy in such a way that the audience cannot hear it is such a blatant copy from Lost in Translation that it just spoilt the whole movie for me. Was it so important to put that in there? Let's face it; the only reason it was done was so that people would talk about it later. It takes away everything that the main character has worked for throughout the film. I would have been happy if they both would have just sat there without talking for a couple of minutes.

The other thing I'm angry about is the fact that it is crystal clear that we have such amazing young talent in India and yet most of the movies consist of 40+ actors dancing around trees with girls half their age. Seriously, it's about time the younger generation (and I'm not talking about the Ranbir Kapoors and Imran Khans) were given due credit and more chances to shine.

I'm also angry at the fact that big movie banners continue to make run of the mill love stories, which are copies of Hollywood films, when gems like this take ages to be made. I say cut out a couple of your overseas location songs from one of your multi-starrers and spend that money on financing one movie like this every now and then.

On a separate note, the movie is simply brilliant. It's a coming of age film wherein our protagonist Rohan (Rajat Barmecha) returns home after 8 years in a boarding school. This is the first time he meets his authoritative father Bhairav (played by Ronit Roy) in 8 years (his mother having expired early on). He is introduced to his half brother Arjun (Ayaan Barodia) who he did not know existed. This is where his rebellion starts. He is full of subdued anger towards his father for not being there for him and this anger is diverted towards his half brother, initially. His father likes things his way. He wants his son to study engineering and work in the family business, something a whole lot of Indians can relate to. He expects his sons to call him "Sir". The movie is a combination of small events that eventually leads to an expected yet uplifting conclusion.

Supporting the main characters is Ram Kapoor playing Rohan's Chacha (Uncle). Ram has recently emerged as an interesting character actor and I look forward to seeing him in more movies. Rohan's friends, both from school and college, are more examples of outstanding young talent available to the Indian Film Industry.

So, the acting and the actors are perfect. The camerawork, direction, and music are excellent. Most importantly the story is touching and very realistic (in fact I know of people who have been through similar situations). The Director and Writers deserve all the credit for making a movie with a heart and soul.

Now, please go ahead and watch the movie. I watched it on Pay-Per-View today (okay a few days back. I took my time with posting the review) and plan to buy the DVD when it comes out to show my support for the movie. I don't expect a movie like this to feature in the numerous award functions that India has, but would like it to at least be nominated for the National Award (although I'm sure something like Peepli [Live] will get more coverage due to obvious reasons, but to be fair I am yet to watch it). Lastly, Udaan also has one of the nicest posters i've seen of late.

Rating : 4/5 (I took off 0.5 because of the whole whispering advice thing towards the end.)