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njmay_shah
Reviews
Wanted (2009)
Has its heart in the right place
Although not the masterpiece Salman Khan fans proclaim it to be, Wanted is definitely one of the better masala films to come out in ages. I say this not due to the lack of masala films because of the pretentiousness that has overcome Hindi cinema in producing "realistic" cinema, but because Wanted is truly one of the better masala films to come out in the past few years. People have claimed this to be Salman's best performance but I respectfully disagree. This definitely is one his better performances in the past few years, but Salman can be an extraordinary actor under the right circumstances as is evident from Andaz Apna Apna. The actors are all doing what they are supposed to be, but none of them truly excel. However, what truly impressed me about this film is its confidence in what it wants to show us, and its self awareness about how ridiculous it is. This is especially evident during the shining teeth scene as well as the talked about scene with Prakash Raj. I won't spoil them for you here, but take my word for it; THEY ARE FRICKIN HILARIOUS. Secondly, the action scenes as with the rest of the movie are amazingly ridiculous when it comes to realism, but they are ridiculously fun nonetheless.
Coming to the flaws, well it is ridiculous and despite it knows it is and even makes fun of itself, there is no denying that it is distracting. Also, the plot is wafer thin. However, the twist in the end in my opinion more than does its share in setting the plot apart. All of this adds up to one thing, Wanted is ridiculously preposterous but what sets it apart is that it knows it. Not only should Salman fans watch this, but so should everyone else to get a real sense of a masala film done right. (In regards with Ghajini VS Wanted that seems to circling the media these days, I believe Wanted to be the better film. Firstly, because as far as I know, it is not a rip off, and secondly, despite they are both unabashed about their OTT ness, Wanted has a sense of self awareness and heart that is unfortunately sorely lacking in Hindi cinema these days.)
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Spellbinding
I think we have all seen historical movies . Right from Mughal-E-Azam to Lagaan(Although I would call Lagaan a period film , some people consider it to be a historical). So, what's so special about this film? This movie takes the genre of Historicals to a completely new level . Saying that this movie is spellbinding is in fact an understatement . This movie literally transports you into a world of humongous palaces , extraordinary wars , and treacherous politics of what we think of to be the golden era of Indian history. The sets , costume design , music , art direction , lighting etc. take you into a completely new world . The story is extremely good . The screenplay and editing is crisp
As far as the direction goes , Ashutosh is in my opinion , one of the greatest directors to come out of India in recent years . He gave us all great expectations from this film . According to me, he not only fulfills these expectations , but also raises the bar from his previous ventures. In the acting department , It's Hrithik right from the beginning to the end . Not to say that others haven't done a good job , but Hrithik completely overshadows them . This is his career best performance . Aishwarya does a good job as Jodhaa and this is the first time that her actual beauty is actually revealed on the big screen . Ila Arun ,and Nikitin Dheer receive special mention . Jodhaa Akbar is a masterpiece in true sense.