ashokli Reviews

24: India (I) (2013–2016)

Clumsy at times, but addictive!

[8/10 · 8 November 2013]

I am a big fan of TV dramas, and a long time fan of Jack Bauer's 24. So when I heard that there was going to be an Indian adaptation, I was filled with anticipation.

Fortunately, Colors TV's 24 did not disappoint, as could easily have happened in an Indian show (yes, there is some bias coming through for Indian TV here!). It is a faithful homage to the original series, right down to the ATU set and the way the agents speak. "Listen up, everyone!"

Yes it's too pat at times, but so was the original. One can hardly get from place to place in Mumbai in 5 minutes, or even 30, or even 120; but the characters here easily manage that, just like they did in LA. A character is freshly shaven after 9 hours into the show, though one guesses that he must have shaved 24 hours earlier at best. Situations move exactly the way it is convenient for the story.

In the end, the narration is taut, the suspense is continuing and the episodes end with me being unable to wait for the next one.

What else can one ask for in a TV drama?

Deewaar (1975)

Still good after 30 years

[10/10 · 5 August 2006]

I saw Deewaar again today and it still had the same impact that it did 30 years ago. It seemed as fresh in all ways, especially the direction, the dialogue and of course, the acting of its main protagonist, Amitabh Bachchan.

Mr. Bachchan has left his mark over the years in a number of movies, and this was an early one that his loyalists remember. Seeing it today and realising that he was still in the early stages of his career makes one wonder how he could have got even better since this movie.

Not many movies can claim this effect on its audience after such a long period of time, including several with Mr. Bachchan in the lead.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

A magical movie

[9/10 · 4 August 2006]

I don't know enough about movie-making to understand what it is that makes a movie a magical experience. But this is surely one of them.

Every scene, every character, every frame of the movie seems to be perfectly crafted. Is it the direction, is it the camera-work or is it the actors? Certainly, in my view, the pride of place must go to Lizzie Bennett, played by the absolutely gorgeous Keira Knightley. She is more than outstanding and the costumes, sets and locations seem to be just right for her. I don't think anyone else could have achieved what she has done here.

Add to that the landscapes which are lovingly captured by director Joe Wright and cameraman Roman Oshin and you have the perfect movie.

Kalyug (2005)

Promising yet disappointing

[5/10 · 17 July 2006]

With the theme centering on the porn industry and probably inspired by real-life events in New Delhi where short sexual clips (of unsuspecting couples) were circulated via MMS, the movie starts off with a lot of promise.

The Bhatt camp has often taken upon itself to make movies with bold and daring themes and this is certainly one of them. However, there are more holes in the script, plot and narration than a wedge of Emmenaler cheese. Logic takes a back seat while the story moves towards the end via any road that the director seemed to find convenient as he was shooting it.

With far too many of these to recount, the only thing one is grateful about is that its a short movie.

The saving grace is the acting of Amrita Singh (a brilliant comeback), Emran Hashmi & Kamal Khemu in patches. Deepal Shaw manages to keep the same expression on her face whenever she appears on screen. The song "Jhalak Dikhla Ja" is absolutely brilliant and worth listening to over and over again.

Chocolate: Deep Dark Secrets (2005)

Unintelligible

[5/10 · 15 July 2006]

While it is fairly obvious that the movie is blatantly adapted from the classic "Usual Suspects", its narration makes it impossible to understand what's going on and where the story starts or ends.

Individual characters seem to appear, disappear, die and become alive without any obvious reason or time-line. The lawyer Krishna Pandit (Anil Kapoor) goes in and out of scenes acting as if he owns the movie but does nothing more than rave and rant. In one scene he gets an 80 page fax thats spitting out at the speed of a high speed photocopy machine and we never know what it contains or why its important.

The only cute thing in the movie is Monsoon but she does not have much to do.