Barah Anna

wogma rating: Watch but no rush ^(?)

quick review:

A dark comedy about the needs of the common man. Similar needs put all three lead players on a bumpy quest of fulfilling their dreams. Laced with very strong performances

Director: Raja Menon

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, Arjun Mathur

Running time: 97 minutes

Genres: Noir

More Movie Info

Barah Anna - Preview

NOT A REVIEW - Just wondering if the promos do justice to the strong cast...

Ever since I met director, Raja Menon at the Pune International Film Festival, I've been looking forward to watching his movie. This obviously happens anytime you meet a person associated with a movie. Of course, that it's yet another movie in recent times with Naseeruddin Shah as one of the leads, brings its own share of excitement.

The way the movie was described made it sound like it was more about human emotions. Unfortunately, the trailer that I saw was as blah as could be. I got bored while watching the trailer. Just imagine the reaction of people who are not excited about the movie in the first place or haven't heard about it at all.

Well, I still think that's better than having an irrelevant promotional song made just for this purpose. Imagine Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz performing choreographed steps amidst half-naked women. Naah, thank you for saving us from that.

Isn't it sad that one of the marketing tools used to promote the movie is quotes from mainstream actors? Imagine - Aamir Khan and John Abraham endorsing a movie with Naseeruddin Shah in it! Oh well...

Hopefully, the trailer was just a mistake. And I have a great, fulfilling Friday ahead of me.

This article is by guest author Noopur Bora.

What does a person wish in his life - love, money, respect or all of this? Every common man wishes for all of this and these wishes are what Barah Aana basically talks about. Needs, desires and dreams bring people together but they also test trust and sanity.

These aspirations bring the three lead players of this story together. Each one has his own dreams and needs, and is working hard to meet them. But, with one incident, their approach to life not only changes but also exposes the darker side of their quests. This is a dark comedy about the lives of common people and director, Raja Menon, handles it deftly. Though his debut film, Bas Yun Hi sunk without trace, with this film Menon proves that he is an accomplished storyteller. The problem, though, is with the story he has decided to tell. It doesn’t have the bite to grip you. The screenplay is decent enough to keep you guessing, but the movie gives you a feeling of incompleteness. The dialogues are crisp and witty, and sometimes even howlarious. It is that kind of a movie, where after watching it, you take back few incidents and performances and not the movie as a whole.

Menon has superbly cast his three protagonists. Vijay Raaz is the utter face of the common man. His body language, his expressions and his dialogue delivery are as perfect as always. He will remind you of every third person you see walking on the street. One knew that Arjun Mathur has talent after watching him in Farhan Akhtar’s short film Positive and in the recent Luck By Chance. Barah Aana only supplements this fact. Naseeruddin Shah is his usual self - Brilliant! Raja Menon, makes the veteran's character speak his first word only in the second half of the film, but still makes the audience whistle out loud at every body movement of the super-actor.

The title signifies the three-quarters and not the full worth awarded to the efforts of a common man. It's the same with the movie. It does not rise up to its full worth and is disappointing as the film could have delivered a lot. But it’s a decent watch nonetheless.

This article is by guest author Noopur Bora.

17 reviewers^(?) - 10 yays 6 so-so 1 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, bigoye.com : ...Watch it to witness some fine performances and for the love of arty cinema.... full review

Thumbs up, by Daliya Ghose, Bollywood Mantra : ...'Barah Aana' is a fairly captivating film that will good a favorable business at the box office... full review

Thumbs up, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Naseeruddin Shah gives a lesson in acting in BARAH AANA, which is worth a million bucks.... full review

Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...Raja Menon narrates a story of the angst of a class of faceless people, who proceed to extract their pound of flesh in the course of the movie.... full review

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ..."Barah Aana" may not be the ideal idea of an evening out or even an entertainer... full review

Thumbs up, by Kenny, Passion for Cinema : ...Barah Aana succeeds tremendously in what it sets out to do,... full review

Thumbs up, by Goher Iqbal Punn, Radio Sargam : ...Raja Menon attracts with his direction. He does things well on screen.... full review

Thumbs up, by Harshita Kohli, StarBoxOffice : ...Raja Menon’s Barah Aana is a refreshing film because it gives you a light comedy coupled with some serious moments... full review

Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ... The script's smart, the narrative taut, the humour subtle and the irony stark.... full review

So-So, by Anand Vaishnav, Buzz18 : ...Barah Aaana has the treatment of a film school project. It might also make for an enjoyable festival film.... full review

So-So, by Srilakshmi Chodavarapu, fullhyd.com : ...Barah Aana is a product of disillusioned, tired times.... full review

So-So, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...a slice-of-life drama of three friends in blue-collar jobs,... full review

So-So, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...BARAH AANA is more of an experiment. It offers entertainment... full review

So-So, by Patcy N, Rediff : ...Barah Aana is not as comical as the makers make it out to be... full review

So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Barah Aana falls flat. Primarily because we’ve no idea what the film is about till after intermission.... full review

Thumbs down, by The Third Man, Upper Stall : ...A disappointing watch.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

4 readers - 0 yays 4 so-so 0 nays

So-So, by Consumer Goods

So-So, by Hindilyrics4u.co.in

So-So, by Lyricswale.com

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

Violence: Minimum. Couple of punches
Language: strong
Nudity & Sexual content: none
Concept: three people of lower class come together to meet their need and achieve what they think they deserve, but walking on a thin line while doing so.