Farooq Sheikh – A gem in the crown of Indian Parallel Cinema

Tumko Dekha to ye khayaal aya,

Zindagi dhoop aur tum ghanaa saya...

These and many more songs flash in my mind as I write about Farooq Sheikh. Having grown up on a healthy dose of parallel cinema, Farooq Sheikh is a name that features in some of my favourite movies.

As I read about his sudden death due to cardiac arrest, I was reminded of a slim guy with an honest face charming a simple Deepti Naval in the song “tum ko dekha”. In the 80s where “the angry young man” and disco dancer were ruling the hearts of the masses, here he was, a simple man, who didn’t mind posing as a rickshaw walla or a bangle seller to spend few moments in private with his lady love (Film: Bazaar)

He represented the common man, the guy next door, who may not boast of bulky biceps or swanky cars, but in whose company, any girl would feel the warmth of a genuine relationship.

But, that’s not all…

The actor who played the guy next door, essayed the role of a royal almost effortlessly. Who can forget his performance in movies like Umrao Jaan? The shy nawab curbed in the bounds of nawaabi, whose eyes said it all. 

But shyness was not all, for there were movies like Katha, Faasle and Shatranj ke khiladi, which saw a different side of him. One also saw him occasionally in commercial movies like Biwi Ho to aisi and Noorie.

The 90s saw him making his presence felt on the television arena. It still gives immense delight to watch episodes of the famous “Ji Mantriji” and “Jeena issi ka naam hai” on youtube, even as channels have telecasted these popular shows over and over again.

In the 2000s, he became selective about movies however, gave us movies of critical acclaim like Lahore, which won him the 2010 National Film award for Best Supporting Actor.

A very versatile actor, Farooq performed was equally comfortable with theatre and television as he was with cinema. His famous play with Shabana Azmi “Tumhari Amrita” ran into many years of success.

Here are some of my personal favourites –

Bazaar

Chashme Baddoor

Umrao Jaan

Saath Saath

Shatranj ke khiladi

While his on screen chemistry with Deepti Naval set the screen on fire, Farooq was a romantic in his real life too. He courted his wife for nine years before getting married. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Life throws the unexpected when we are least aware of it. Who knew that a family vacation to Dubai would take him away from us forever. Simple, sensible, humble, jovial, warm are some of the words I have for him for I have been a big fan of his movies since God knows when.

Indian cinema will always remember this boy from Baroda, who gave us the simple guy next door of the 80s.

Rest in peace Farooq. May your humble soul remain in happiness wherever you are.

Here are some lines from one of his movies (Bazaar)…

Karoge yaad to har baat yaad ayegi

Guzarte waqt ki har mauj thehar jayegi

Farooq Sheikh (1948-2013)

Good Girl Gone Bad!

Every year I promise myself to stay away from Big Boss. But the Mr. Hubby – mom in law duo ensure I fall prey to the juicy gossips and join them in watching all the episodes.

When this season began, I was least motivated to keep up with Big Boss 7. Only Andy and Gauhar gave me some hopes of an entertaining season. It has been a trend that people engulfed in some controversy or generally not doing anything in life are called to participate in Big Boss seasons (who else would have three months to spare?) So when Tanisha’s name was announced, I wasn’t too surprised either. All I remember of her is the Kajol connection and a certain “Neal n Nikki” movie which we had comfortably opted to leave after an hour of watching.

On the launch night of Big Boss 7, Tanisha’s name was announced with much fanfare. Honey coated introduction by Salman made him sound more like a representative of the Bollywood fraternity rather than the host of Big Boss 7. But when Tanisha arrived in the “yucks” red dress look, she justified her selection for Bigg Boss!

Not everyone is blessed with a fab body but madam could have shown a bit poise rather than choosing to lift the dress (typical Jhalla walla style!) while exploring the Big Boss House.

We viewers are not that ruthless after all. Puppy fat, kiddish tone, bad dressing sense, we took them signs of an overprotected, immature kid and thought that considering the family she comes from, she would prove to be one of the most balanced contestants of the house.

Poor Tanisha dear…the balancing act lasted just a week or two until Tanisha’s eyes met Arman’s. And thus began Tanisha’s journey from good to bad. I wondered who is Arman, a 40 something short tempered arrogant uncle who still finds him cool dude. He calls himself actor, but when I googled it out, it showed he has delivered all flops till date! The only movie I could relate to was a certain Jani Dushman where Mr. Arman plays a snake (True to his quality of spitting out doses of poison!)

What Tanisha saw in Arman, she only knows, for that something made her dance to his tunes like no other snake would. She took on almost all other housemates, passing her unwanted judgement on other people’s matters. While Arman earned all the footage, Tanisha earned all the brickbats. What more, even the Arman she countered the world for, snubs her away whenever other inmates question their “just friendship”. The last time this happened, I recalled Kajol’s comments about her sister entering the Bigg Boss house. She had said Tanisha has the quality to lead and organize everyone. Little did she know that fatal attraction robs away even the best of qualities in a person and Tanisha too is just a human being, though quite a dumb one.

Every weekend, it is the good old industry boy Salman who gives Tanisha subtle hints for what not to do as per the unspoken rule book of her filmy family. Be it his suppressing Protyusha to stay Tanisha afloat in the argument, or reminding Tanisha and Arman about the number of cameras in Bigg Boss house (the unsaid in that comment provided so much food for gossip minds!) Every Friday I watch Bigg Boss with bated breath, it might be Tanisha’s chance to get evicted, going by the rising number of dislikes among the housemates. But whenever, Salman Khan announces her safe, I wonder, are the industry folks being partial to her?

While watching the show, often I think aloud – what is it that makes Tanisha so vulnerable to Arman, what is it that makes her run around him and do a constant display of being by his side, a’la true Bhartiya naaari! I know many women actually fall for guys who are dominating and arrogant, as they find it macho. But coming from the family of superstars, Tanisha certainly deserves someone much better than the baddie Arman. So, is it love for Arman, or love for footage that makes Tanisha hover around him? At her age and looks, she could be easily overshadowed by the Ooomph overdose Gauhar, or the cutie cutie Ellie…and maybe this Arman affair is just a spotlight gimmick. Whose name will be printed alongside hers on the wedding card, only time will tell...but my only advice to Tanisha would be –

People come to reality shows to save their failing careers. If you can’t do anything good, at least don’t go bad. Will make groom hunting easier for your family! 

Dil Chahta Hai

The perils of working while watching TV – you open the laptop to write about something but end up writing on a subject on the opposite pole!

Dil Chahta Hai (DCH) – a movie which, 12 years after its release still rings a bell in my heart, for a multitude of reasons. It was the first movie to be released when I joined college. Almost overnight, all the Siddharths (and even the Sidhants) in my college were rechristened “Sid”, the Sameers “Sam”. I still remember, it had become a rage back then. One day, my friends and I decided to bunk classes and watch DCH at a theatre near college. That the theatre gave 20% discount to the students of our college was an added advantage! I was super excited coz it was my first movie in college life! We bought the tickets and 15 minutes before the show, I thought of informing mom I would be late. The moment I told mom I was out to watch a movie, she just went ballistic. It was my grandpa’s shraad that day and mom was furious at me for being an irresponsible teenager – how I had chosen to watch a movie with friends instead of coming home for the shraad. What happened next was even more embarrassing – the teasing by my friends, disposal of that extra ticket, and the comments next day in college. I stopped hanging out with that group after that incident!

Pic source: Google search

But that didn’t deter me from buying an audio cassette of DCH and spending long hours with my walkman headphones! Its funny that I still remember the entire sequence of songs on both sides of the cassette!

DCH also brought about a new wave in Indian cinema – that of Farhanism! The wave that continues to give us many such refreshing movies.

If you haven’t watched Dil Chahta hai, you have missed one of the best movies in Indian cinema. A movie that meanders around the lives of three friends – Sid, Sameer and Akash. Three very different people exploring life their way, yet very loyal to the buddy bonding. While life is a comedy of errors for Akash (Amir Khan), for Sam (Saif Ali Khan), the definition of love changes with every girl he meets. It’s only Sid (Akshaye Khanna), a painter who is shown the most sensible of the trio, though he too is infected by the love bug when he falls for a woman much older than him.

The movie begins in the waiting room of a hospital with Sid and Sam remembering the good old days. The story goes in flashback and many beautiful scenes follow. The farewell party of college where Akash creates a scene when he proposes Shalini (Preity Zinta); the fabulous trip to Goa and the roadster drive and the fish eating scene in the title track! (Coincidently, the movie also has Kiran Rao, aka Mrs Amir khan in one of the shots in Goa. She was assisting him with the movie back then.); Sam’s little affair with a foreigner who robs him in his own hotel room also leaves you laughing out loud!

Pic source:Google search

Sam and Sid discover love in their own style. While Sam, who usually finds love in every second girl he meets falls in love eventually with a girl his parents choose for him. But just like his confused self, love also comes to him after a lot of confusion. (And only after he dances in typical retro style to the song “Wo ladki hai kahan”…the song that gave us the famous “Bird dance” step!)

Pic source:Google search

As for Sid, he finds his love in Tara (Dimple Kapadia), a lady much older than him. Love is evident in his eyes as he makes a beautiful portrait of hers and takes her out for dinner on her birthday. But his feelings aren’t understood by his friends and even his own mother, for they fear the relationship wil die a natural death due to age gap and Tara being a divorcee with an alcohol problem. This even creates a rift between friends when Akash makes fun of Sid’s love.

Pic source:Google search

The friends go their own ways with Sid immersing himself into painting (after being rejected by his lady love) and Akash going to Australia to manage his father’s business.

Destiny, however has different plans for Akash. The same person who considers love a fallacy, eventually falls in love with a girl who is engaged to someone else. The scenes shot in Sydney are lovely (the roller coaster ride scene) and the director beautifully shows how a fun loving Akash slowly understands that thing called love during an Opera show, but prefers to hide his feelings under layers of humour. 

Pic source:Google search

Pic source:Google search

Eventually it is crisis that brings back the buddies together and they untangle the knots in each other’s life.

Pic source:Google search

The movie has awesome music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy that will make you keep pressing the repeat button! I loved every track, especially “Kaisi hai ye rut”, “Jane Kyon” and “Tanhayee”

Excellent direction, music, story and act, no wonder the movie won the 2002 National Film Award for the best feature film in Hindi.

If you have already seen Dil Chahta Hai, go for it and relive some beautiful old memories. If you haven’t, well you are missing something!

Chennai Express - Get on the train baby, but leave behind your brain baby!

I usually got for movies when I have heard good enough about them – and by good enough, I mean good story/power packed performance/soul stirring music/superior screenplay etc etc. So when I had to justify Mr. Hubby why I suddenly wanted to watch Chennai Express, a movie I was all frowns for since the promos began, it was a tough one. I had ignored all the hype and publicity, however, when every morning, the Radio Jockeys told of new records being broken, I wondered what it was that was doing so well for the movie. So, while majority of the crowd outside the theatre jostled to get their “Madras Café” tickets this Saturday, I quietly asked the staff at the ticket window for my Chennai Express ticket.

Must appreciate SRK for playing his age…has tried everything, his lucky name Rahul, heavy duty promotion, even Yo yo Honey Singh  to get the movie on with the aam junta. The middle aged grandson of a famous Mithai shop sets out on a journey from Mumbai to immerse his grandfather’s ashes in Rameshwaram…just one twist…this Rameshwaram is actually Goa. One lie leads to the other and to keep his grandmother’s faith he even boards the Chennai Express (although he plans to get down at the next station and join his childhood buddies on an all guy trip to Goa!). In comes Meenalochini (Deepika Padukone), with her beautiful South Indian accent and equally dangerous Don connection and  Rahul’s life changes forever. The chain of events sees him forced to accompany Meena and her bhai log to her village.

What happens next is a series of humorous moments, songs, and some emotional scenes to get the story going. The Sri Lanka boat scene and the marriage ritual scene reminded me of essays we had to write in exams – there used to be a minimum and a maximum word limit. Perhaps the Director too had to display his "Bhakwaas" ideas for full 141 minutes. So while there were some good scenes, there was no shortage of redundant scenes the director filled up all across by bribing the editor.

Boy meets girl, gets trapped in her don father’s territory because of her one lie, runs away, comes back, runs away again, this time with the girl…some age old senti moments, one song here and there…a climax with some action…typical SRK emotional drama with a frequent “Chennnaiiiiiii..Chennai Express as if to remind u of the movie name to cover up the weak grip of the story….u feel motivated? Well, I don’t.

If I write more about the story, there won’t be any motivation left for you to watch the movie. So lemme jump on to the good part…yes there was a good part to the movie as well. And that was Deepika. She has been a lucky mascot for SRK (Om Shanti Om, Billu). This time, the leggy lass outshone the king khan with her full clad girl next door look and a very cute South Indian accent. It was a treat to watch her utter dialogues in the typical accent and sing across the messages to an amused SRK in Bollywood parodies.

Music is good, atleast worth donning the phone playlist till some new blockbuster comes in.

I know most of u, like me would have already watched the movie, to see what the hype is all about, or worse still, due to shortage of good releases recently. But for those who haven’t seen yet, I suggest u can wait and catch the movie when TV channels decide to purchase the rights.

So, get on the train baby, but leave behind your brain baby!

Enjoy the movie while your mind relaxes back home!

And no prizes for guessing my favorite scene from the movie…

“Kahan se laye tum aiseee Bhakwaas dictionary?” Mr. Hubby and I have been forcefully garnishing our sentences with the customery “Bhakwaas”..:)

My rating: 2/5

Fukrey is total entertainment Re…

(A super delayed post…but didn’t want to miss this one as I loved the movie)

What do I say about the movie…

An unusual title, an unknown cast,

But when I saw the movie, I was left aghast!

Yep, that’s Fukey for u…2.5 hrs of total fun! A movie that emerged with no big expectations yet made its presence felt amidst the heavyweights.

The story of 4 Fukras has many laugh till u drop moments. A story which could have easily fallen pray to the drag bug has been well managed by the Director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba.

Dreams drive the whole story, beginning with the dreams of the 4 Fukras to make it big, their sprint on the wrong highway to achieve their dreams, a nightmare by the name Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chadha) & finally, like all good Hindi movies, the happy ending with the dreams coming true….so, its all about dreams.

All the Fukras are in a race to follow their dreams – Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) & Choocha (Varun Sharma) with their dream of going to a cool college with hot galz; Lali (Manjot Singh) with his dream of joining his childhood crush in her college & Zafar (Ali Fazal) with his dream to make his mark in the industry. Choocha with his gifted dreams is Hunny’s golden Hen. Hunny decodes the dreams to come up with lottery number & the result is 100% money assured with the lottery ticket seller banging his head in frustration. Just that their 100% result doesn’t get replicated in their school results & they both lookout for easy and assured way to land up in the college of their dreams.

In comes Panditji (Pankaj Tripathi), the ordinary college gatekeeper with his extraordinary links and operations. Panditji assures them admission provided they arrange for the moolah…but Fukras are Fukras, so he guides them to Bholi Punjaban, the lady don who decides to fund their lottery deal. A heavy meal, lullaby on guitar, perfect seva by his friends, everything was set for Choocha to see that golden dream that was to change their life forever. The dream does change their life, but in the reverse gear…as Choocha is unable to sleep that night in excitement & cooks up a false dream that bombs at the lottery counter.

What follows then is a comical account of how the Fukras try to save themselves the wrath of Bholi Punjaban…a rave party, police, lot of run around and some funny stupid moments that keep the audience well entertained.

Choocha with his funny look & dumb personality brings about maximum punches that leave u laughing out loud.

After a small cameo in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Manjot Singh has finally got his break and has done a good job as the typical Delhi guy desperate to shed his correspondence B Com image and hob nob within the cool campus crowd!

Richa Chadha although has done full justice to the character of Bholi Punjaban, but I was left wondering if she likes the word “versatility”. The big mouth desi woman is a job she does well in every second movie she signs up. However, if u want to stay here for long, u need to evolve my dear…

“Get inside the role”….seems Ali Fazal took these words too seriously in his role as the shy Zafar, coz after a while the other actors take all the attention as well as the meaty dialogues. Seems u didn’t get Biryani for the Director, Ali.

In her small role, Priya Anand leaves u impressed with her perfect portrayal of the Delhi girl next door.

Ram Sampat has struck the right chords with the title track & the song Ambarsariya (sung by his wife Sona Mohapatra).

A nice one time watch, u will love Fukrey, especially if u are a Delhiite. Shot entirely Delhi, it has the local flavor that a Dilliwala can relate to – so when a smackie thief steals the cylinder from Lali’s bike while he is striking deal with Babaji in Gurudwara, a dillliwala can understand and smile.

And now for my favorite scene from the movie –

Hunny & Choocha in their desperate attempts to make some money to escape the punishment of Bholi Punjaban, decide to perform at a local Jagran. Hunny plays Durga mata ka Sher while Choocha happily dons a peacock’s costume. The Lion makes a grand entry at the right time in the Jagran & impresses the crowd. But the peacock is attacked by local street dogs & leaves the audience waiting, even as the Jagran singer repeatedly highlights the word “mor” (Peacock) in the song to call the peacock. I was just holding my stomach and laughing!

3/5 from me...

Bhag Milkha Bhaag, Box office pe lagaa de Aag

I had been eagerly waiting for this one. There’s something about biopics that give you a kick, hard enough to bring some action in our otherwise mundane lives. Years ago, I saw I saw Chak De while preparing for CAT exam. Then came Paan Singh Tomar which left Mr. Hubby & me with a village dialect only the 2 of us could converse in! So, I was waiting with bated breath as to what Bhag Milkha Bhag would do to us. And it surely did. What? Well, you gotta read my take on the movie first.

Bhag Milkha Bhag is a sincere effort by the director to serve simple story of The heroic flying Sikh to the masala hungry audience. While on most occasions he has managed to weave emotions with rush of adrenaline moments, there are sequences which should have come under the scissor of the editor. Keep it short and sweet. But a Director who has doled out masterpiece like Rang De Basanti surely knows his act right. So just when you feel the movie is getting slow, the wisely chosen starcast pull it off with finesse. While Farhan  Khan’s performance speaks for itself, watch out for power packed performance by Art Malik, Master Japtej Singh (who plays the young Milkha), Divya Dutta(plays Milkha’s sister) & Pavan Malhotra (who plays Milkha’s coach).

As the movie began with the 1960 Olympics and quickly got layered in flashbacks, I was hoping the Director would return with the sequence in the later half. But rather than sulking about the lost glory, the movie takes an optimistic turn and showcases the struggle of a man who lost everything yet had the grit to take on any challenge. Be it the challenge to survive in the 1947 rights, the challenge to outdo the reigning athletics champion or overcoming the inertia of the past to travel to Pakistan for friendly sports series.

While Mikha’s stint during the Army training leave you laughing, the brother sister moments are performed flawless enough to moist your eyes. The director making a guest appearance as captain of the aircraft reminded me of Subhash Ghai movies where he too used to appear 2-3 min guest appearances.

It in only after the interval that you start looking for something to keep you hooked on. But that’s how biopics are – not for the masses but the classes.

Sonam Kapoor plays the girl next door to the best of her bandwidth, which sadly is cut short to make way for the Australian girl Stella (Rebecca Breeds).  The first song with Sonam-Farhan feels like a gush of fresh air however, from then onwards, their chemistry gets boring and you can’t help but wait helplessly for the next frame to save the movie.

I was super excited to see Meesha Shafi (of Coke Studio Pakistan fame) in a Bollywood movie. Alas, before I could understand what she was there to do, she was gone! We need some more dialogues next time Meesha!

Art Malik was a surprise package. Despite being a Pakistani British actor, he has done full justice to the role. One can make out that he is enjoying every scene to the fullest – the recipe for a perfect act!

Some scenes like the scene where Milkha wins a race despite being badly injured are signature Bollywood style. You know for sure they are there just to give our hero, some steroid dozes of super heroism!  But when Prasoon Joshi has to tell a biography Bollywood style, you can expect melodrama here and there!

I loved the songs "Zinda", "Havan" and "Mera Yaar"(yet another masterpiece by Arif Lohar)

All in all a good movie sans the occasional drags. Don’t draw comparisons with serious cinema like Paan Singh tomar or you will be disappointed as this is Bollywood genre altogether. Go for it and get inspired by the real hero himself with his real stunts and real struggles!

As for the effect of the movie on Mr. Hubby & I, we took 4 full rounds around Lodi Garden (with some sprint as well!). That was some effect indeed!

And now for my favorite part from the movie –

No hero waale dialogues, the never say die Milkha Singh doesn’t know how to say no and accept defeat. And so when his coach challenges him to defeat the reigning champion, Milkha without a moment of hesitation or doubt, says “Aahoji!” (Punjabi for “yes”). The confidence in his voice yet the simplicity in his words make it a perfect scene (you will have to see the movie to understand the spirit)

3.5/5 from me.

Movie – Hugo

There are movies you watch and forget. There are movies you begin on an excited note and then lose the tempo. There are movies which begin on a slow note and the crescendo builds up.

And then, there are movies you begin with and wish they would never end. Coz there’s something in them that strikes a chord. Hugo is one of those movies I began on a somewhat reluctant note and as the movie progressed, I relished each and every frame. Just wished the movie wouldn’t end!

Me not being very enthusiastic a person about the adventure drama genre, it’s my nephew who almost forced me to watch it. Good he did. For, the movie, based on the novel “The invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick is one of the finest 3D movies I have ever seen. Even before the starring began, the cinematography had already played its charm.

The movie, set in Paris revolves around the life of Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), a bright boy living a simple but happy life with his father (Jude Law), who works at a museum. The father son duo have a thing for fixing machines & the father often explains the beauty of clock work to Hugo in different devices. One day he finds an old, abandoned machine called automaton & along with Hugo, takes up the challenge of fixing the automaton. 

But even before the automaton comes back to life, tragedy strikes them. Hugo’s father dies in a museum fire and overnight, the pampering and love gets transformed into a lonely, orphaned life with a lot of unanswered questions. The automaton is Hugo’s only companion, a mystery he is determined to solve as his belief is tied with it. Hugo is taken by his alcoholic uncle Claude and taught to maintain clocks at railway station.

The uncle soon disappears and Hugo lives a lonely life in the clock room, escaping the station master who is always on the lookout to send orphans to where they belong-orphananage. Hugo’s sole mission is to decode the unsolved mystery the automaton beholds & he often steals part from a toy store for his repair work. But life has other plans for Hugo Cabret. The toy shop owner, Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley) catches him red handed stealing parts and takes away his notebook where his father had made notes about fixing the device. Hugo is determined to get the automaton fixed, and his determination takes him close to Papa Georges, who gives him work at his shop.

 In his lonely world, Hugo finds a friend in Isabelle, Papa Georges’ god daughter, who has been kept away from the glitz and glamour lives in the world of English literature. It’s a treat to watch the way she uses unusual words on the usual occasions. Their friendship soon spreads its wings with Hugo introducing Isabelle to the world of cinema and Isabelle introducing Hugo to her literary interests.

Hugo is surprised to find that Isabelle wears a heart shaped key as a pendant, a perfect match for the heart shaped lock in the automaton. He convinces the adventure hungry Isabelle & using her key, is able to run the automaton. But seems the questions only get bigger, coz upon being started, the automaton scribbles an image & even signs in the name of “George Melies” that Isabelle immediately recognizes as that of Papa Georges’. Unable to come to any conclusion, Hugo & Isabelle decide to probe further as the involvement of Papa Georges makes them even more inquisitive.  Papa George and Mama Jeanne meanwhile are in a complete denial mode and Papa George even fires Hugo from his shop for having broken his trust.

But Hugo & Isabelle are far from discouraged. Their curiosity takes them to the library where they discover the image drawn by the automaton was in fact an image from a famous George Melies movie, Voyage to moon. They are surprised to find out that Papa George, alias George Melies had been a famous filmmaker of his times, known for his movies full of fantasy & imagination. The author of the book is a big Melies fan himself. And so when the kids tell him Melies is alive, he is more than happy to help them connect the dots.

As the author comes face to face Mama Jeanne at her house, the story takes a new turn. Mama Jeanne had in fact been a famous actress of her times. As Melies walks unannounced into the secret filming of his movie in the living room, he breaks down & remembers the ups and downs in his life. How a successful director, known for transforming imagination into movies, falls prey to the change of times when after World War I, there are no takers for fantasy.  Ben Kingsley once again proves his mantle as he plays the perfect part of a loser who had sold everything to survive in the big, bad world, selling his movie films to a company that melted them to make shoe heels.

The story begun by the scribbling of the automaton, ends on a happy note, with Papa Georges getting his lost glory back & Hugo no longer being an orphan. As he is finally caught by the station master, Papa Georges comes just in time & says “the child belongs to me”, freeing Hugo from the label of “orphan” & giving him a new life. Hugo has finally found a message he had been searching for in the mystery of the automaton, the message of a new life and rising up from the ashes to a life of happiness and fulfillment.

You will love the movie for its immaculate cinematography, intensity of the acts and the flow that the director has managed to keep going throughout the show!

No wonder, the movie won 5 oscars at the 84^th Academy Awards in 2011.

And now for my favorite moment from the movie…

A very optimist Hugo tells a disappointed Isabelle, “Every machine comes with just the right number of parts, no part extra. This world too is a machine & if I am here, I ain’t an extra part. SO, there’s a purpose why I am here, and I gotta find it!”

Academy Awards – Yo Yo Oscars!

It is that time of the year! Academy Awards were announced today. Frankly speaking, more than the awards, it is the red carpet I look forward to the most – ladies and gentlemen looking their best. Ladies dolled up in the Pradas & Diors & men throwing the Oomph factor despite their simple Tuxedos. So much fodder to last a week of office gossip – from makeup bloopers to miss perfect ten, nobody is spared.

Pic Courtesy:Google Search

Pic Courtesy:Google Search

Pic Courtesy:Google Search

Hubby & I had decided to do our own little evaluation this time. We had planned to watch all the nominations in the best film category, predict our winner & see if that film actually wins. But, hectic schedules, wave of cough & cold & the demise of a close relative spared us no time for our review.

Anyway, the awards were announced today & of all the winners, the best actress in a leading role (Jennifer Lawrence) & best song (Adele) for Skyfall categories brought me immense joy & excitement. Not because I am their big fan (though they are flawless artists in their own craft), but because these were the only 2 nominated movies I had managed to watch.

Sometimes, happiness comes from the avenue least expected. While I had looked forward to watching Daniel Craig play yet another suave Bond avatar, the poor story of Skyfall disappointed me. (this is purely my personal opinions & bears no relation to anybody/anything else). To me, it seemed like an overhyped pataka that, instead of going “Boom”, went “fuss”. Towards the end, it felt as if I was watching a Bollywood movie – the Bond had to catch the tube train only after it left the station – just because he was Bond. The villain, no matter how good with his moves, had to die, be it in a hasty climax, just because Bond had to win, the shine on his suit & shoes had to be intact. So many things were forced into the simple storyline. Get real guyz. Bond is born, not made. Having grown up watching Pierce Brosnan, I was expecting much more. But Adele was flawless with her enigmatic voice & hubby had instantly appreciated the magic of her vocal chords.

Pic Courtesy:Google Search

When Jennifer Lawrence’s name was announced, I felt tremendous happiness, as if she was my own sister, thousand miles away! Hehe! I loved her act in “Silver Linings Playbook”, a girl disturbed by an unfulfilled wish & a tragedy behind. Even as she told Bradley Cooper about her sex addiction, she maintained her dignity – not an inch more or less. Justice to the role, and a special mention to her black nailpaint & Kohl eyes (am a girl, can’t help notice all that!). Apart from her fall in the Oscar ceremony (Opt for outfit u can manage, gal), everything about her was so apt, or shall I say “set" in the words of my 13 yr old niece.

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I did feel bad when Bradley Cooper didn't win despite a great performance – anybody who sees his act would sympathize with him. Robert De Niro gave another perfect performance as a father stuck with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, with unconditional love for his wife, son & betting. Poor thing tries hard to get some discipline in his son’s life & to bind his family together with his frequent attempts at “Family time activities”. Anupam Kher as Bradley Cooper’s therapist was a pleasant surprise. Now I know why few days ago, I read about Mr Kher dedicating his documentary film to Robert De Niro. He looks super cute with his painted face when he comes with his Desi gang for the football match.

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The best part of the movie is the dance competition. Jennifer Lawrence (Tiffany) & Bradley Cooper (Pat) take part in Dancing with the stars – a long unfulfilled wish of Tiffany. Their aim is not exactly to win the contest, but to score a minimum five, as Pat's father had betted on that. When the scores get announced, others feel sorry for the imperfect scores while the cheering gang jumps in jubiliation, having won the bet! It was fun to watch the expressions of judges & co-contestants, shocked  at someone celebrating a score of five! 

Their final performance, with the perfect footwork was garnished with lifts that left my mouth wide open! Reminded me of the Salsa classes hubby & I attended few years ago. The movie was sweet & sweeter – perfect romcom with a nice dash of drama.  

A must watch – full paisa vasool!

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