Rockstar reviews!

ndtv.com: 2.5/5 However, in its initial build-up, informed with a robust sense of quirky humour, Rockstar shows a fair degree of promise. Ranbir Kapoor, as JJ, makes a go for it with infectious intent. He gets the lingo and diction right; the gawky gait is delightfully apt.....Sadly, the narrative, lacks the substance that a film as long as this would have needed to sustain itself.

rediff.com:2.5/5Many will swoon over Nargis, and the fairer sex will find Ranbir's transformation irresistible, and forgive the fact that his fingers don't move at all like someone who has been playing the guitar since childhood. Or that throughout the movie he plays variety of gorgeous electric guitars without a cable -- or a wireless device -- attached to any of them. That's like trying to drive a car without fuel

 timesofindia.indiatimes.com:4/5

film is a milestone in Ranbir Kapoor's career as an actor and a classic cut from the AR Rahman and Mohit Chauhan combo. Shammi Kapoor's presence as the classical artist enhances the gravitas of the film. 

indiatoday.intoday.in: 2/5 

It begins on an electric note, the big bad rockstar escaping from a fight, hair blowing in the wind as he races through the streets of Rome (or is it Prague?) to jump straight into a crowd waiting for him. From then on, it goes downhill, and spectacularly so.


bollywoodhungama.com: 3/5 On the whole, ROCKSTAR does not live up to the confidence and expectations from the otherwise very skilled and accomplished film-maker Imtiaz Ali. The film suffers immensely due to a disorderly screenplay, especially in its post-interval portions. However, the silver lining or the comforting prospect is the virtuoso performance by Ranbir Kapoor and the captivating score by A.R. Rahman, which justify that one extra star. 

dnaindia.com: 4/5 But while good acting is always an incentive, it’s a director’s vision that makes a film truly watchable, and Imtiaz deserves credit for trying his hand at something different from what the mainstream churns out every week. And for bringing back the one aspect sorely missing from Hindi films lately -- music.

Man vs nature – 127 Hours and North Face

127 Hours

Christmas rolled around and I still had not seen 127 Hours. So with much trepidation that was the movie chosen for Christmas eve. Of course the story of Aron Ralston, the intrepid mountain climber who got his hand stuck under a boulder in a rock fall, is very well known so one has a good idea what to expect from the film. The unexpected comes in the form of James Franco and Danny Boyle’s treatment of the subject matter. The cardboard cutout bad boy of Spiderman has grown up to be a fine actor, filled with fun and gravity at the same time. The trip planning begins and as Aron (Franco) runs around throwing things into his backpack we are shown a Swiss Army knife that is too far back on a top shelf, out of reach, and the camera lingers on it for a few extra seconds. Similarly it lingers on a slowly dripping faucet in the apartment. Thus the stage is set, there will be moments when the Swiss Army knife will be sorely missed and water will be in extreme shortage. As in Aron’s book “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”, the movie zigzags between Aron’s past life and his present predicament and we wait with trepidation for what has to come.....


If 127 Hours was most unsuited as a holiday film, the follow-up was a shockingly worse pick! 127 Hours showed us how a man with indomitable will could triumph over nature. Yes it was a harrowing tale, but not as harrowing as my next Man vs. nature film. The 2008 German fictional film North Face (German title Nordwand) has some basis in historical facts and recounts a famous 1936 attempt to climb the Eiger north face. The pair of German climbers Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) resign from the German army to make their attempt on the Eiger. Word is out that the German government is very anxious to see the peak scaled and they want the glory to be theirs. There is also a team of Austrians who are backed by a newspaper to scale the peak. Eventually the Austrians team up with the Germans who are further ahead, presaging the Anschluss, the Nazi-led incorporation of Austria into Germany. A young, awkward and gauche newspaper employee (and friend of the German climbers; Johanna Wokalek) looks to launch her career based on the story of the German triumph over the Eiger and is egged on in her quest by her cynical boss (Ulrich Tukur). Both stay at a luxury hotel at the foot of the Eiger and watch the attempt through telescopes, all the while trying to capture the audience reaction on camera.
We are told, as per legend, the Eiger is inhabited by an ogre – and that is how the mountain gets its name. As the two pairs of climbers start their ascent using an unconventional route, things start to slowly go very wrong.....

Read more about both films at LINK

A. R. Rahman’s marvel of light and sound – but where’s the music? (part 3)

The concert was incredibly sophisticated and more entertainment than pure music. It reminded me of a Cirque-du-Soleil type show. A combination of lights, on screen projection of images, slick choreography and accompanying singers who knew the dance moves and had been clearly been chosen for screen presence over voice quality (with perhaps Hariharan as an exception) made the show a visual spectacle.

These ladies could not match Shreya Ghoshal and her singing of the original, but no one can deny that they ARE lookers and performers, and blended a stage choreographed persona with live singing very well!
An extension of the stage brought these performers very close to the viewers so audience participation was amazing. One song that did this more than any other was the Rang De Basanti theme song:

Endhiran updated with Shankar video interview

interview is behind the cut

A. R. Rahman’s marvel of light and sound – but where’s the music? (part 2)

I have so much to say about the AR Rahman Bay Area concert, a show that was stunning as a spectacle, but thin on the ground as far as music went.  You cannot have Benny Dayal, Neeti Mohan, Javed Ali, Shweta Pandit, and Blazee as showcased singers and get a good music program.  OK there was Hariharan, but he sang maybe three songs and was hardly present.  The one exception, and possible late addition, was Shaan.  But Shaan has not sung much for ARR so we did not hear any of his signature songs!

Missing were the whirling dervishes, and the feeling of being in the presence of something unknowable.  Kudos to Mr. Rahman for not introducing that element in a loud and crowded concert, no matter how missed it was.  But then just three days later I got to see the real thing! In Istanbul there is a Cultural Center called Hodja Pasha with a half hour every evening of the whirling dervishes.  We decided to go and see them live.  This entailed getting into a taxi and giving directions to the cabbie.  Telling us he understood perfectly and negotiating a fixed price with us (we thought it was a deal!), he left us near the Spice Bazaar and told us it was simply a couple of blocks inside there but it would take much longer to drive than to walk.

Rahman killed the music in films - Ram Gopal Varma!

Rahman killed the music in films: RGV
By Telugucinema.com | Friday, 30 July , 2010, 09:26
Ram Gopal Varma believes that A R Rahman, Keeravani, Manisharma and Devi Sri Prasad had together buried the music in South India.

Responding to Rana’s comment about Ilayaraja’s soulful music in Chinarayudu, RGV commented that the above music directors killed the music in our films. Interestingly, RGV was to introduce Keeravani as music director with his maiden film, Shiva but later had him on board for Kshanakshanam.

RGV also introduced Manisharma as music director in a Chiranjeevi film but the film dropped off mid-way. And it was with RGV’s Rangeela that Rehman was introduced to Hindi audiences. Yet, Varma believes that these music directors have buried the music and brought importance to sound unlike Ilayaraja. It remains to be seen how these top music directors would react to RGV’s comments.
http://sify.com/movies/fullstory.php?id=14951477

Dil se re!!!!

Someone posted this version on another forum and it is simply fantastic!

A mother's love - Peck on the Cheek (Kannathil Muthamittal)

I finally snagged a copy of Kannathil Muthamittal through Netflix and spent a wonderful evening watching an amazing drama unfold. It began with Shyama (a winsome Nandita Das) getting married to Dhileepan in the backwaters of Sri Lanka and then a war took over their romance. Shyama had to flee to India and landed in a refugee camp where she gave birth to a child. Several years later we see Amudha, a playful well-loved child (P. S. Keerthana), who is the darling (or burden) of teachers, parents and fellow schoolmates alike, in a very "How to Solve a Problem Like Maria" (Sound of Music) sequence. On her birthday she is told by her parents Thiru (Madhavan) and Indra (Simran) that she is not their biological child, she was adopted. This tilts her confident love-filled world and she constantly dwells on why her birth mother left her. Several attempts at truancy later the adoptive parents take her to Sri Lanka to try to find her birth mother. The country is torn asunder by a raging civil war and the trio are inevitably caught up in the mess. But this also leads to their meeting the new Shyama - one who finally is confronted by Amudha and asked why she abandoned her daughter.

There is a virus in Rahman's Hermitage - Sukhvinder Singh

In Bollywood parlance, Sukhwinder Singh is said to be a cult figure, who has collected awards by the dozens.

If his Chaiyya Chaiyya, Chak De or Haule Haule went on to become a rage and brought him desi accolades, it was his Jai Ho, that finally broke all barriers and won a Grammy and also an Oscar for the composer A R Rahman. But, this elusive singer with Sufi leanings, has always believed in exploring new dimensions of his personality. As he gears up to don the greasepaint for the second time for Ram Gopal Varma's Rakta Charitra, Sukhwinder takes a break from doing "laadi pyaari to his six Lhasa-terrier pups" and speaks to NT, dil se...

Director Mani Ratnam - Mani Matters CNN IBN Interview

Director Mani Ratnam - Mani Matters CNN IBN Interview

Happy Birthday Mani Sir

On the occasion of the birthday of one of our finest directors in Indian Cinema, I am posting some of the brilliant scenes, songs and trailers from different movies directed by him.

First few are from my favorite movie directed by him - Kannathil Muthamittal







GURU - A film that promised a lot, but sadly turned out to be a revised version of Ratnam's earlier work, Nayagan with a different setting.







NAYAGAN - A film based on a true story of a Bombay based Don, Varadarajan Mudaliar. Though based on a true story, it has many similarities to Coppola's The Godfather Trilogy.



DIL SE - One of the best films in Indian Cinema. Terrific performances by the lead actors. SRK, Manisha Koirala, Santosh Sivan, Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman, Gulzar were in TOP FORM in this film. A film that gets better with every viewing. Soem of my favorite scenes from the film -














ROJA



BOMBAY/BUMBAI







BOW to the LEGEND.

Happy Birthday Mani Sir

On the occasion of the birthday of one of our finest directors in Indian Cinema, I am posting some of the brilliant scenes, songs and trailers from different movies directed by him.

First few are from my favorite movie directed by him - Kannathil Muthamittal







GURU - A film that promised a lot, but sadly turned out to be a revised version of Ratnam's earlier work, Nayagan with a different setting.







NAYAGAN - A film based on a true story of a Bombay based Don, Varadarajan Mudaliar. Though based on a true story, it has many similarities to Coppola's The Godfather Trilogy.



DIL SE - One of the best films in Indian Cinema. Terrific performances by the lead actors. SRK, Manisha Koirala, Santosh Sivan, Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman, Gulzar were in TOP FORM in this film. A film that gets better with every viewing. Soem of my favorite scenes from the film -














ROJA



BOMBAY/BUMBAI







BOW to the LEGEND.

The Making of Raavan Music

Some lovely video footage here! Film is looking more and more interesting.

The Making of Raavan Music

Some lovely video footage here! Film is looking more and more interesting.

Lyrics from the heart - Dil Se!!!

As Gulzar, A R Rahman and Mani Ratnam come together again for Raavan, I thought it was time to revisit one of my favorite albums from the trio, and to focus on the sublime lyrics by Gulzar Saab. So here for you is my translation of the lyrics of Dil se!

CHAIYYA CHAIYYA (the train song - Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi)
Amar meets a girl at the train station and is instantly attracted to her but she leaves on another train….

Chorus:
jinke sar ho ishq kii chhaon
He whose head is in the shadow of love

paon ke niiche jannat hogi
will have heaven beneath his feet.

jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaon
Whose head is in the shadow of love...

chal chhaiyya
Walk in the shadow.

paon jannat chale chal chhaiyya
Heaven beneath your feet, walk in the shadow.

vo yaar hai jo khushbuu kii tarah
There's a girl(?) who is like a sweet fragrance,

Vo jiskii zabaan Urdu kii tarah
whose words are like poetry (lit. Urdu, the language of poetry),

merii shaam raat merii qainaat
who is my evening, my night, my existence.

vo yaar mera sainyya sainyya
She is my beloved!

Chorus

gulposh kabhii itarae kahin
Bedecked in flowers she flits around,

mahake to nazar aa jaaye kahin
Catch her fragrance and you may see her

taawiiz banake pahanun use
I will make her into a charm and wear it.

aayat kii tarah mil jaaye kahin
Like a miracle I will find her someday.

mera nagma vahi mera qalma vahi
She is my song, my declaration of faith

(kalama: the Muslim confession of faith, as in vo yaar hai jo imaam ki tarah - She is like a priest to me.)

mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
My song... my declaration of faith...

yaar misale os chale
She moves like the dew.

paon ke tale firdaus chale
She walks with the garden of heaven beneath her feet,

kabhii daal daal kabhii paat paat
sometimes through the branches, sometimes amidst the leaves.

main hawa pe dhoodhoonn us ke nishan
I search the wind for her trail!

Chorus

main uske ruup ka sedaaii
I am on a quest for her beauty.

vo dhuup chhaanhon sa harjaaii
She is as changeable as sun and shade.

vo shokh hai rang badalta hai
She mischievously changes colors;

main rang ruup ka saudaaii
Little knowing that I trade in colors and beauty.

Chorus

Translation of the other songs can be found HERE

Lyrics from the heart - Dil Se!!!

As Gulzar, A R Rahman and Mani Ratnam come together again for Raavan, I thought it was time to revisit one of my favorite albums from the trio, and to focus on the sublime lyrics by Gulzar Saab. So here for you is my translation of the lyrics of Dil se!

CHAIYYA CHAIYYA (the train song - Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi)
Amar meets a girl at the train station and is instantly attracted to her but she leaves on another train….

Chorus:
jinke sar ho ishq kii chhaon
He whose head is in the shadow of love

paon ke niiche jannat hogi
will have heaven beneath his feet.

jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaon
Whose head is in the shadow of love...

chal chhaiyya
Walk in the shadow.

paon jannat chale chal chhaiyya
Heaven beneath your feet, walk in the shadow.

vo yaar hai jo khushbuu kii tarah
There's a girl(?) who is like a sweet fragrance,

Vo jiskii zabaan Urdu kii tarah
whose words are like poetry (lit. Urdu, the language of poetry),

merii shaam raat merii qainaat
who is my evening, my night, my existence.

vo yaar mera sainyya sainyya
She is my beloved!

Chorus

gulposh kabhii itarae kahin
Bedecked in flowers she flits around,

mahake to nazar aa jaaye kahin
Catch her fragrance and you may see her

taawiiz banake pahanun use
I will make her into a charm and wear it.

aayat kii tarah mil jaaye kahin
Like a miracle I will find her someday.

mera nagma vahi mera qalma vahi
She is my song, my declaration of faith

(kalama: the Muslim confession of faith, as in vo yaar hai jo imaam ki tarah - She is like a priest to me.)

mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
My song... my declaration of faith...

yaar misale os chale
She moves like the dew.

paon ke tale firdaus chale
She walks with the garden of heaven beneath her feet,

kabhii daal daal kabhii paat paat
sometimes through the branches, sometimes amidst the leaves.

main hawa pe dhoodhoonn us ke nishan
I search the wind for her trail!

Chorus

main uske ruup ka sedaaii
I am on a quest for her beauty.

vo dhuup chhaanhon sa harjaaii
She is as changeable as sun and shade.

vo shokh hai rang badalta hai
She mischievously changes colors;

main rang ruup ka saudaaii
Little knowing that I trade in colors and beauty.

Chorus

Translation of the other songs can be found HERE

Raavan (Trailer) unveiled at Cannes

A trailer of Mani Ratnam’s bilingual Raavan/Raavanan was screened to the media here today. Timed to coincide with the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, when journalists from the world over assemble here, the event was attended by the lead stars of the movie, Vikram, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai.

Amit Khanna of Reliance Big Pictures, which has produced the films, described Mani Ratnam as arguably the best Indian director living today, and said that he and the rest believed in taking such rare movies as Raavan/Raavanan across the globe. Both the Hindi and Tamil versions will open in 58 countries in mid-June. He hoped that this world would help transcend barriers.

Suhasini, Mani Ratnam’s wife and the film’s co-producer and dialogue writer for the Tamil edition, said that it would help “us understand the grey parts that all of us have in us…None of us is completely white or black”. She was all praise for A.R. Rahman’s music, and said that it merged beautifully with the story. In fact, the music accentuated picture. Songs have a great role to play. They do take the plot forward.

Most Indian movies and stories can trace their origins to the two great epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and Raavan/Raavanan was not different. It has been inspired by the Ramayana, though it really is not a take-off on that.
............

Raavan/Ravanan is the story of Dev and his wife, Ragini, a classical dancer, whose trials begin when he takes up a new posting in a small north Indian town. There the police do not execute the law, but Beera, who has changed the power equation.

More HERE

Raavan (Trailer) unveiled at Cannes

A trailer of Mani Ratnam’s bilingual Raavan/Raavanan was screened to the media here today. Timed to coincide with the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, when journalists from the world over assemble here, the event was attended by the lead stars of the movie, Vikram, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai.

Amit Khanna of Reliance Big Pictures, which has produced the films, described Mani Ratnam as arguably the best Indian director living today, and said that he and the rest believed in taking such rare movies as Raavan/Raavanan across the globe. Both the Hindi and Tamil versions will open in 58 countries in mid-June. He hoped that this world would help transcend barriers.

Suhasini, Mani Ratnam’s wife and the film’s co-producer and dialogue writer for the Tamil edition, said that it would help “us understand the grey parts that all of us have in us…None of us is completely white or black”. She was all praise for A.R. Rahman’s music, and said that it merged beautifully with the story. In fact, the music accentuated picture. Songs have a great role to play. They do take the plot forward.

Most Indian movies and stories can trace their origins to the two great epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and Raavan/Raavanan was not different. It has been inspired by the Ramayana, though it really is not a take-off on that.
............

Raavan/Ravanan is the story of Dev and his wife, Ragini, a classical dancer, whose trials begin when he takes up a new posting in a small north Indian town. There the police do not execute the law, but Beera, who has changed the power equation.

More HERE

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag - the next from Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra

"BMB will be depicting Milkha Singh's life from age of 13 to 28" - Rakeysh Mehra

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who planning his next film on the life of long-distance runner Milkha Singh talks to Subhash K Jha about the film titled Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

What made you decide on Milkha Singh?
I was keen on doing a historical love story Mirza Sahiban. But the idea on Milkha Singh worked out better. Prasoon Joshi is writing it. I've been in Gulmarg shooting for a film I'm producing. Right from my childhood we've grown up with Milkha Singh's name. One has heard jokes about him, how he was known as the Flying Sikh, used to run barefoot, how he came from Pakistan. These were anecdotes I grew up with. I've been a sportsman myself during my student days. I used to go practising in the National Stadium in Delhi for swimming every day. Milkha Singh used to practice there every day. Then I came to know more details about his life. How at the age of 13 he watched his whole family being massacred in undivided India. He didn't know where to go. He somehow made his way to Delhi on refugee trains, etc.

Would all that be part of your film?
That's what attracted me to the subject and not so much his athletics. Milkha Singh's story was inspiring. I'll call the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, BMB for short. The theme is is, zindagi se bhago nahin zindagi ke saath bhago. It's very relevant to today's life. This guy had nothing and still he made spectacular success of his life. His life has such a resonance.

Have you met Milkha Singh?
I've met him numerous times in Chandigarh, talked to him for hours. During our conversation I opened doors for him that even he had closed. We got to know things even his family didn't know. He's 82 now. But I'd be depicting his life from age 13 to the 1960s, to the age of 28. Milkha's family has been very co-operative. It was Milkha Singh's son the champ- golfer Jeev who co-ordinated the whole system.

Whom are you casting?
No idea. We're starting the film at the end of this year or early next year. Any actor would kill for the part of Milkha Singh. This kind of a subject comes to an actor once during his lifetime. Not too many people are such role models. Even my Rang De Basanti was a bio-pic in a very strange way. But that was set in contemporary India. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (BMB) goes back in time. I might cast a big star or a newcomer. Let's see.
More HERE

Initially there was considerable buzz that Akshay Kumar would be cast as the flying sikh, but ROM denies that. AR Rahman is set to give music to the film.