movie reviews...and more
without giving the movie away
kapil
kapil has rated 24 movies, and has posted 88 comments.
Also check out the list of wogma's top readers.
Ratings
- Shivaay: Not Interested in Watching: No interest
- Happy Bhag Jayegi: Yay! Thumbs Up: Total paisa vasool
- Mohenjo Daro: Not Interested in Watching:
- Drishyam: Want to Watch: Waiting for the movie.
- Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Want to Watch: Beautiful Kashmir and its beatiful people. Nostalgia.
- ABCD - Any Body Can Dance - 2: So-So: First hour - Wow !! I am enjoying too much. After that - Shall we leave the movie and go home.
- Piku: Yay! Thumbs Up: Bollywood seems to be growing up!!
- Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!: Want to Watch: Trailer is interesting.
- NH10: Yay! Thumbs Up: One of the best Hindi thrillers.
- Badlapur: Want to Watch: Questioning our thought process - worth a watch.
- Hawaizaada: Not Interested in Watching: Just not interested.
- Shamitabh: Nay! Thumbs Down:
- Baby: So-So: You won't feel like punching the director as in the case of Rohit Shetty's movies. Decent movie.
- PK: So-So: Kids' movie (May be, my expectations were different)
- Haider: Yay! Thumbs Up: Best movie of 2014
- Finding Fanny: Want to Watch: Naseeruddin Shah, that's all I wanted.
- Bewakoofiyaan: Not Interested in Watching:
- Queen: Yay! Thumbs Up: Go watch in theatre. Don't wait for DVD.
- Highway: Want to Watch: Expecting some good cinematography among others.
- Gunday: Not Interested in Watching: No expectations...though Priyanka looks hot.
- John Day: Want to Watch:
- Satyagraha: So-So:
- Aarakshan: Nay! Thumbs Down:
- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: So-So: I feel that there was no chemistry between the characters.
@ Anuj I don't think that Rajamouli would be able to do justice to The Shiva Trilogy. He is too commercial to me. We need some director who can keep The Shiva as Amish has depicted him to be. Truly human. Nothing God like. Just an extraordinary human being who would later came to be worshipped as God. Then only that movie shall become great. We need someone who can do true justice to the book. And I just can't think of anyone. Actors.... may be Nawazuddin, Irrfan, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Aliya Bhatt as supporting actors. But for the role of Shiva, i can't think of anyone. SRK, Aamir, Ajay Devgan, Salman, Hrithik don't fit the bill. Shahid Kapoor doesn't have the height. Do we have any 6 ft plus good actor with charisma? Basic problem with directors is that our intelligent directors don't make grand movies. So, we will get either an intelligent mid budget movie or a grandly dumb big budget movie. Hope I am proved wrong and we get a true masterpiece. Fingers crossed.
Was all along thinking that Shivaay is based on Immortals of Meluha. But searched now and what a relief I got. This book is still out there, ready to be lapped by some talented director.
Also, I found this to be a better and more mature movie when compared to Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which was lapped up by almost all the critics, with the former getting an average rating of only 2.6 compared to the latter's 4.1, as per your statistics. Anyways, except WOGMA, I don't even read any other review site.
Thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Comic timings were really good. If 90% of the movie is genuine, small amount of slapstick does not really irritate. It may not be a great movie, but worth watching and worth recommending to others. In this age of over hyped 100-200 crore crappy stuff being dished out, this genuine work was a relief. Time and money worth spent.
I didn't know Diana Penty could act so well.
Used to think that she would be like Deepika. But I was pleasantly surprised to watch her performance. She acts better and looks better than Deepika and Katrina. She should become the bigger star than the latter two. I hope so.
"Not to mention, in their enthusiasm to tell viewers how old the civilization is, they mention Christ and Buddha who as far as I know had nothing to do with that region."
Christ and Buddha were not even born at that time. Indus Valley civilisation predated them.
As commented above, trailer does not excite at all. Expect another run of the mill movie.
This is happening with mobile version.
@Meetu : When I click on the movie title, it does not show the preview/review in the next screen. After some hit and trial, I found out that if I click on some other button and then 'i' button, it takes to the correct screen.
Also, yesterday, I wasn't getting cursor position while writing my comment. Not facing thus issue now.
Movie is really a family drama.
Guys, please do not try to read about the movie anywhere. Go to the theatre with the expectations of a Golmaal sort of movie.
@Meetu : This recent upgradation of your website has some issues. Hope your technical team is on the job.
Yeah. It really amazes me. How come Tamil/Telugu movies are able to generate so much profit with mostly regional viewership, while comparing with Bollywood movies, which have viewers pan India. Anyways, I am not a fan of Rajamouli. So, will skip on Bahubali.
@Meetu: Please have a preview thread for Drishyam soon. Can't wait for one of the best movies of 2014(or 13?) to be released in Hindi. It may really turn out to be the best movie of 2015 and win National award. But performances will need to be of the highest grade, other National award will not come, as it is not an original work.
Boycotting Salman's movies because of his court case is a personal choice. No need to fight over here. Salman's alleged crime is too small compared to UP/Bihar politicians'. They have been committing crimes which affect a much larger population. But they are still ruling those states without any boycott.
Salman, to me, has done a lot more then he could have been able to do had he been in jail all these years. But, that is my opinion.
Coming to this movie, I would like to watch it only for Kashmir. Last December, I was there. It is the most beautiful place I have ever visited with the most welcoming and helping people. And I was there during election time, when my well wishers were very skeptical about the situation there. But I can tell you that Kashmir has the most beautiful people in terms of external or internal beauty. There was one instance when I was crossing a deserted bridge in Pahalgam at night in total darkness, with my friend. Suddenly, a car which was parked at the junction, turned on its head lights, lighting our way, just to allow the two of us to pass through till the end. It was a gesture which will always remain in my heart.
So, I may watch the movie just for Kashmir.
Please watch first hour of the movie and come out. If you continue watching it till the end, you are gonna come out disappointed. I don't remember feeling like this in any movie. Opening credits were awesome. And this awesomeness, with continuously diminishing degree, carries on for an hour. After that you get bored of the dance and music. And feel like it should end straight away. Also, the director seemed to be infatuated with 3D effects. There were so many times when he made sure to emphasize the 3D effect, when something sharp came towards the screen, by slowing down the scene. It felt kind of cheap after 3-4 times, because it was overused too much.
In short, movie length deserved only one hour. Audiences would have been much happier, if that was the case.
Two hours well spent!! This simple has so much to offer. As Murtaza Ali puts in the last comment, "It teaches us about the meaningfulness of life while depicting how most of us fail to savor its true pleasures while we still can."
Bollywood is really growing by each passing year. When you see divas like Deepika cast in a close to reality role like this, with minimal make up, you know that our film industry is on the right path. What is more comforting is when these types of films do good business at the box office. Films are no more just a way out of our frustrated lives. They are no more some medium to provide escape. A big thumbs up from me.
This is the first time that Deepika is looking like she can also act. She's improved a lot since her initial days. She used to be show piece in those says. About Irrfan and Big B.... you can't ever get enough of them. And to that Shoojit Sircar's direction. What more do you need to take out time to watch a movie.
I don't know why I like these Bengali/Malayali (read communist) directors' movies, even though I am completely against the very idea of communism.
These people seem to be really intelligent.
Waiting for this movie also.
:)
@Meetu. Yeah. Completely agree with your full review. I quoted that line, because I think that sums up the movie. Exactly same feelings I had while watching it. You have explained it beautifully.
WOW!! What a thriller. Thoroughly engrossing.
"Unfortunately, these same things takes away from the film. They remind you, you are only watching a film, after all. As much as you want to believe the ridiculous coincidences, they disconnect you from the characters and the situations who you were so close to, just a second ago." This is the crux.
Trailer is too good. It really takes you in. Anushka, who has almost always done those sweet, bubbly girly roles, seems to be doing fairly well here. I have always loved her in those roles, now looking forward to see her in a dark one. Keeping my fingers crossed for her performance. But the way she shouts 'F**k you' towards the end of the trailer, made me feel that she will do justice to the role. That looked really intense. Most of all, it looks like its a no nonsense movie, with no consideration for masala movie lovers, which is what you would expect from Navdeep singh. I am booking my ticket for the Friday night show.
As per Meetu's tweet - It makes you question the concept of right and wrong. Seems intriguing.
Watched this movie on Sunday. Utterly disappointed. Everything was lacking, except acting, which is the only thing saving this movie. And one line which Amitabh's character says in the beginning - "Darte toh wahan hain, jahan marne ka darr hota hai. Iss kabristan main toh sab mare hue hain. Yahan kis baat ka darr". Why was this movie made? Just because R Balki had to made one? Why?
If they want to make a movie on Bollywood, there's so much to explore. Great acting talents are wasted here. Please Dhanush, choose a better movie next time, which can show your acting capabilities to Hindi speaking public, not a trash like this.
@Fan - Jhunjhunwala and RK Damani are one of the most famous value investors of India. They are said to have the midas touch. Whatever they buy, scales new heights. In the last year's bull market, it is believed that RJ was making close to Rs 35 lacs per hour,i.e., his portfolio was growing at this rate every hour. Whenever news comes out that RJ has bought something, many a times that stock goes on upper circuit the next trading day. Both of them are more or less self made men. They didn't inherit anything, made their own fortunes. RK Damani is a bit low profile, doesn't come on TV often, but RJ regularly interacts with the media. I can watch his interviews over and over again. He has fantastic clarity of thought and belief in himself. Since 2011, he's been telling that the bull run is about to start, but very few people really invested at that time. And now when the market has run up like anything, retail participation is picking up. That's why general public loses money in the stock market and then cry, late to get in, and late to get out. I have been investing since 201@Fan - Jhunjhunwala and RK Damani are one of the most famous value investors of India. They are said to have the midas touch. Whatever they buy, scales new heights. In the last year's bull market, it is believed that RJ was making close to Rs 30 lacs per hour,i.e., his portfolio was growing at this rate every hour. Whenever news comes out that RJ has bought something, many a times that stock goes on upper circuit the next trading day. Both of them are more or less self made men. They didn't inherit anything, made their own fortunes. RK Damani is a bit low profile, doesn't come on TV often, but RJ regularly interacts with the media. I can watch his interviews over and over again. He has fantastic clarity of thought and belief in himself.
Story cut short, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and Radhakishan Damani are the legends of Indian stock markets.
Yes dude. That is the truth. He's indeed talented.
Trailer was not authentic. It was wannabe.
Guys! Just watch this - 'AIB - Knockout'. I literally died laughing. Never knew Karan Johar could be such a sport. He's gained my respect. Everyone of them - KJ, Alia (hats off to her), Ranbir, Arjun, Deepika. Simply amazing.
AIB is the next big thing in showbiz.
@Anup, I have never been afraid to speak my mind anywhere. And many a times, I am the only one defending myself. Specially when I talk against Dhoni and say that Dinesh Karthik is the best Wicket keeper/batsman in India, during daaru parties with my friends. But I love it.
As for Mahesh Bhatt's movies which you are referring to as dumb, they may not be dumb in most probability. Dumb are movies like No entry, Golmaal, OSO, etc. I don't watch too many movies, only those which interest me. So I have never seen these movies of Bhatt sahab which you have mentioned, so can't really comment.
But Rohit Shetty's movies are the defining movies of Bollywood. They define the scale of dumbness. This I can say from the few minutes of his movies which I am forced to see while sitting with some friends and the movie is playing on TV.
As for Emraan Haashmi, he's improved a lot as an actor. And it depends on the director to bring out the best in him. He doesn't strive to be a superstar like the Khans. There's a difference between being a good actor and in choosing a good movie. Any good actor can choose a bad movie.
@Anuj : Rohit Sharma is indeed a very good batsman. He's our only hope in the real cricketing pitches of WACA and MCG. Not comparing him to Sachin here.
For me, Emraan Hashmi is better than any of the Khans or baby Roshan. I would compare him to Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar.
But I used to be an AK fan, I have never said that he's a bad actor, just an over rated one.
Correction in the above post. It's the list of producers and not directors. Can't imagine RJ and RK Damani directing a movie :)
Just had a look at the list of directors again. And there is RK Damani also. These two people couldn't stop hedging here also. Lol.
We have two of the biggest stalwarts of Indian stock market, who have been right more number of times in their lives than being wrong. So, going by the probability, this movie is going to be good or may be awesome. And should be hit also.
Just saw the trailer till the end and voila! - Rakesh Jhunjhunwala (RJ) is one of the producers. WOW!! I don't need any other reason to watch this movie. He's my idol. That guy is just awesome. He knows quality. He was talking about investing in movies in one of his interviews. Didn't know, it was this. Let's see if his movie taste is also as awesome as his stock market picks. From the trailer and the cast, it certainly looks so.
About the cast - Dhanush is more talented than any of the A list Bollywood actors, be it Khans or HR or even the younger generation stars like Varun or Ranbir. I am his big fan since Aadukalam. He's in the league of Irrfan Khan, Rajkumar Rao et al. And also we have our very own Amitabh. So casting is top notch.
Regarding the director, Cheeni Kum was a good movie. Haven't seen Paa yet.
For music, we have the great Ilayaraja. Already in love with 'Piddly si baatein' - song and its picturisation.
So, I am going for this movie during the next weekend with high expectations.
Forgot to add 'ankhon dekhi'. That would also feature in the top ten.
My best films of 2014:
1) Haider
2) Queen
3) Drishyam (Malayalam)
4) Highway
5) Gone Girl
6) Interstellar
7) The Raid 2
Only top two are in order. Couldn't decide among the next five. Still to watch - Kahaani and Bangalore Days (Malayalam).
And yes, Emraan Hashmi is a better actor than Amir Khan. He's proved it in Shanghai. He may not have that A list actor appeal, but he's a better actor. He does not come with any mannerisms, it's all natural for him.
@Meetu, haha.
@Anup, I didn't mention his below average movies because I have not seen them. They seem like below average, but still I am sure that I won't feel like pulling my hair out while watching them. There is always some content in his movies. One more movie I now remember is Saaya, that was also a decent watch. Also, pls read what I posted - "Then he realised that good cinema was not fetching him good money, because a large part of audience does not want to watch such movies. Either they don't have taste for such movies or majority of people want to watch out of the world storylines/dumb action sequences/dumb comedy/sex, but not sensible cinema. So, he started making movies which would sell, and not what he would love to make."
He is the one who has seen it all, done it all - from Saaransh to Murder, from content oriented to skin show. But none of his movies can be categorised as dumb, unlike Chennai Exress, Golmaal, No entry, Main hoon na, K3G, Housefull (of idiots) and so on. He was telling in that KJ's show that he makes sure that the kiss scene is there in the first half an hour of the movie, so that the audience gets satisfied and they would focus on the remaining movie. Mostly he uses skin show in movies' promos to attract masala movie lovers to the theatres, but actually in the movie you won't find much of that. For eg., Murder 2. People went to watch the movie for Jacqueline, but what they got was completely different. I guess they must have been pleasantly surprised in the end.
And one more thing about his movies, as you yourself said, is hit songs. You know what, it takes a genius to come out with hit songs in almost all of his movies. Otherwise, who would want his movie to have flop songs, everyone strives for that, but very few have that knack or genius to identify quality.
I don't think Neeraj Pandey can make a balanced movie on the life of MS Dhoni. He focuses mainly on one aspect in his stories, too one sided. He won't show a different point of view. His biopic would mostly be goody goody only. Someone like VB will do the job better. But I don't think he would be interested in making a movie on Dhoni.
I used to rate Amir highly as an actor till a few years back. And before that Salman and even SRK also. But you know, our sensibilities and taste change with age, as we get more experience/knowledge/awareness. Now I will never go to any Amir movie without checking out some reviews. How could that guy do Dhoom 3. In my opinion, Mahesh Bhatt is the most intellectual person in the Hindi film industry (among those who are famous). He has done everything. Saaransh, Arth, Zakhm, Janam etc are most of his most celebrated works, which he did before 90s. Some of those movies have won National Awards(only credible movie awards in the country) Then he realised that good cinema was not fetching him good money, because a large part of audience does not want to watch such movies. Either they don't have taste for such movies or majority of people want to watch out of the world storylines/dumb action sequences/dumb comedy/sex, but not sensible cinema. So, he started making movies which would sell, and not what he would love to make. And so came out Murder, Jism et al. But still I think most of his movies are equal or above the standards of 'watchable'. I liked Woh lamhe, Murder 2. So, what I am trying to say is that Mahesh Bhatt also thinks that Amir Khan is an over rated actor. But he had praise for his production house, for supporting low budget movies like Peepli Live, which are high on content. So people, get over your acting super stars - AK, SK, SRK, HR. None of these can guarantee a good movie, they are not worthy of our patronage. Rather worthy people whom we should follow are the directors. They are the real super stars.
If you guys want to know a bit more about Mahesh Bhatt and Emraan Khan, please watch their Coffee with Karan episode. It is witty and in your face types. Only episode of Karan Johar's show, which I have watched, just because of Bhatt Sahab and Emraan Hashmi. It may also be scripted, but you do get to know more about the talented duo.
@Meetu, completely agree with your review. Again. One more point to add is that even the background music was not engaging. Music can make a thriller movie a lot more thrilling. Take the case of 'Gone Girl'. Trent Reznor's score contributed like 40% in my liking for the movie. It was so haunting. Fabulous. But the BG music here seemed like noise with too much shrill. Actually it contributed negatively towards the movie, rather than complementing it. Other than that, I came out neutral.
@Anuj, you talk about Da Vinci Code. Another mediocre movie. Please watch 'Man from Earth', then talk about it and PK. That movie will certainly make you use your grey matter. It will force you to think.
@Siddharth, may be this movie fits the bill for a majority of Indians. I don't deny it. And I am really glad that it is such a super duper hit. But for me, I have already passed this PK stage. It seemed too childish.
@Fan, it seems that we are on the same side wrt PK. There's really nothing substantial in the movie.
But I didn't like this line of yours "Make a satire on Mohammed and get killed.
Make a satire on Hindu gods and get 300 crores".
If you are a real Hindu, then please respect your religion and its teachings. Hinduism is really the most tolerant of all. It doesn't mean that we are weak.
PK made 300 crores because it was liked by a majority of people. Which means that these many people are really not satisfied by what they had been believing for so many years, and this movie represents a different point of view for them.
But for people like me (and you also), who have always questioned about the existence of God and idol worship, it is nothing new. Actually, this movie is like what I was in my early teens...almost totally against any religious activity. But now I am in my mid twenties, and have grown up from that rebellious stage. Now I try to find rationale behind any belief, rather than making mockery of it.
When people say that God is up there, I really like to tell them that yes, it is indeed up there, but not too high, it is in our minds only. Real God is our Mind only. It can really do wonders.
I wanted some counter views, but I am so late in posting my comment :(
Meetu, Anuj, Anup, Fan, ehinome okojie, Gokul - anyone out there? Please do comment.
@ Meetu, your review is so much similar to what I thought about the movie.
Positives - 1) What worked for me the most is that PK was PK and not Aamir Khan. 2) Anushka Sharma. Too cute. 3) Saurabh Shukla, Boman Irani, Parikshit Sahni keep the film on its mark without attracting too much attention towards them. 4) No caricaturing of Tapasvi Maharaj 5) Touching a sensitive, but important topic. 6) I would applaud it for finding the balance and not defying the existence of a supreme power.
Negatives - 1) Jokes are on the lame side. You say that the point made is powerful, but I don't think so. For me, it was too simplistic. 2) We would make the same arguments in a coffee table conversation. 3) Nothing great about technical aspects of film making.
But in the end you formed a very different opinion about the rating. I would give it a 'So-So' only. I can't recommend it to anyone even for a single watch.
Major reason for this being, there was nothing great about the movie. As you said, it really over simplified a very complex topic. I don't think that any of the writers has ever really delved deep into into faith, religion or spiritualism. Before I go further, I would like to declare that I am an atheist since my childhood. But as I am growing, I have developed a lot of respect for spiritualism and religions, especially Hinduism. Actually, movie could just scratch the surface of a very powerful topic. I would prefer OMG over this.
There is one instance in the movie when Tapasvi tells a man, whose wife is paralysed, to go on a spiritual journey to some Himalayan mountain. And this was outrightly rejected by our protagonist, without really going into the debate. In my opinion, it could have been a very good suggestion. This is because, since she was terminally ill, why not take her to a calm place like the Himalayas so that she can take her last breath in peace (considering that it was possible to take her there without hurting her too much physically). If I was in that lady's place, I would have actually told my loved ones to do the same.
If you guys really think about it, most of the Hindu temples are on the mountains, and higher the mountain, higher is the sacredness. Reason is very simple, whoever constructed those temples were very intelligent and mature people. They got inner peace when they got to those mountains, and wanted everyone to come up there and experience the same feelings. Some other people would have followed them thereafter, and slowly and slowly those places became places of worship. In my opinion, those places are really worthy of worship, but not so much now when there's so much crowd up there. Instead of peace, you get chaos. Also, one question, how many of our parents would ever go to such magnificent places like Amarnath cave, Sabarimala temple, Vaishno Devi temple, if they were not declared as shrines. I feel very few. These places are really awesome, where you can really get inner peace and forget about the pressures of your daily life, but for the chaos because of ever increasing crowd. So, for me, I would rather go to some secluded mountain, where you have to take permission from Forest department, to find my God.
And coming to Godmen, they are just like psychiatrists. I am not talking about the Asarams of the world, but real spiritual guides. They can really do the healing. Although, I have not experienced it myself, I have come to feel so. Even tantriks, I feel, are a different kind of psychiatrists.
There are so many points which I can tell, which have contributed towards my respect for Hinduism.
But the problem comes when people believe that religion and God are something that can do some magic and help them. And there are people are out there who just want to make money, out of this belief.
Actually I have some respect also for Asarams and all, because they are running their businesses so well. If people want to pay money to get fooled, then I would say that the person who can make them do so is a really good businessman. He is just selling his product, it is for the people to decide, whether it is worthy or not. Demand and supply – simple business funda.
So in all, I am really disappointed with PK. There’s nothing deep in the movie, it is actually for kids only.
If any of you guys haven’t seen ‘Man from earth’, please do watch it. It is a much more mature film on a similar topic, 90% of which is shot in a single room. The debate in that movie is so engrossing, that you will forget about your popcorn or anything.
K3G and Main Hoon Na as thinking movies!! Certainly, KJ would have had to think before shelling out money to hire that Castle and helicopter for that grand Indian family. Those things don't come cheap.
Currently, there's no superstar in bollywood whose movies would want us to think, not even Amir. That is left to a few directors. Haider is one such movie. Watched it 6 days back and still thinking. And it isn't over, I am also going to read 'Curfewed nights', a book on the Kashmir of 90's, written by Basharat Peer who is co-writer of Haider.
Next such movie could be Bombay Velvet.
Anyone having idea about Shantaram's adaption? When's it going to release?
@Meetu, thank you for the link. It was an interesting read. Vishal Bhardwaj really did commit some silly errors. Those guns were INSAS assault rifles!! While watching the movie, I had safely assumed that those were pre INSAS rifles, which gave Shahid and company an edge in the climax.
But had Vishal Bhardwaj depicted the devastation caused by rocket launchers and grenades as it happens in reality, there would have been one more charge on him for showing inferior quality of fire arms with the Indian Army ;-)
@Meetu, yes, please post some links. It will be interesting to read. After seeing your post, I also searched a bit about the feelings of Kashmiris with regards to this movie. Looks like they have a mixed feeling. Most of them have praised it for being the first mainstream movie to try to bring the real picture of Kashmir to the rest of India. Even our news channels don't show such things. And almost everyone seem to be surprised at the openness of censor board in passing the movie without damaging it.
But at the same time, general feeling is that VB was always trying to find a balancing act to protect his movie against any kind of backlash. That he was not bold enough.
But, overall, this is a groundbreaking film, which will encourage many people to read and seek more knowledge about the heaven on earth. And not just be confined to what we get fed from our media. These things are never taught in school textbooks. If not for some bold and courageous people like Vishal Bhardwaj, a large part of our population would continue to live in a dream and be oblivious to the reality.
This is in stark contrast to Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express, which was hated by Tamilians for portraying a stereotypical image of them.
I am living in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)for the last three years. So, you can trust me :)
@Meetu, thank you for your response. Can't understand why some people cannot talk without abusing anyone. Personal attacks divert the topic and irritate everyone, not just the recipient of such attack. Rather, we shall be praising/debating about this wonderful movie.
I was just discussing about this movie with my friend who spent four years in NIT Srinagar from 2008 to 2012. He was telling me that all his Kashimiri friends just loved this movie. They have already watched it three to four times. It is testament to the credibility/research of Vishal Bhardwaj. It is his sheer brilliance that he could adapt Hamlet to the backdrop of Kashmir so seamlessly.
I could appreciate Pan Singh Tomar more compared to other people, because I come from the same Chambal region. I could really understand the effort put in by the director in ensuring the tiniest of details/local dialect/just everything. That is why, I am going to watch Haider again with my NIT friend to get a better understanding of this masterpiece.
If you could also find a Kashimiri friend to watch this movie with, I am sure you will also appreciate this movie even more :)
@Meetu, above comment must be deleted. Anuj needs to learn the basics of posting on public forums. He just goes on with his filthy language, which cannot be tolerated.
Watched the movie just now. WOW!! This is cinema at its best. Shahid ne sabki le li. Bismil song gave me shivers.
It will be an insult to Shahid if he wins Best Actor at Filmfair awards. It comes from TOI group, younger cousin of chor Reliance in this country.
@ehinome okojie: Shahid for best actor at Filmfair awards!! Please be realistic. Best actor at Filmfair awards means the most popular actor of the most popular movie. By this standard, Hrithik is a better contender for Bang Bang. But, I am pretty sure, he will also lose out to SRK for his superstar charisma in the upcoming blockbuster Happy New Year.
@Fan, thank you for taking my comments constructively. I really appreciate that. Actually there's nothing in black and white in this world. There are so many shades of grey. I am a patriot, I know that. I highly respect our army men. I always get a sense of respect and pride whenever I see them personally. But at the same time, I always like to question everything. I hate blind faith (andh vishwas). Army men are also human like you and me. They can also go astray, just like you or I could. As for VB showing only one shade of grey, this movie is not about Indian Army or Kashmir. It is about Haider (Hamlet). He is not supposed to make a moralistically correct movie and show both the sides of the coin. Movies are not about good vs bad. They are not made to show what is right or wrong.It is an adaptation of a dark Shakespeare play. And most of all, morality is always subjective, which takes shape as per our society and upbringing. No one can really frame any rules regarding that. We are animals by nature, it is the society which tries to tame us and we try to play by the rules.