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Devdas (2002)
Why even the most unromantic soul should watch this film
What can be more glorious than to die for love? That is why Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's tragic hero Devdas makes his widely read 1917 novel an ideal subject for filmmakers, namely P C Barua, Bimal Roy and now Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
My relationship with Devdas goes back in time. As a child, I found Kundan Lal Saigal's version of the legendary lover to be dreary, mostly thanks to its overtly dramatic style of acting, fashionable in those days.
Two years ago, I watched Bimal Roy's 1955 adaptation of Devdas. I savored every bit, every moment, every nuance of the Dilip Kumar-Vyajanthimala-Suchitra Sen masterpiece.
July 12, 2002 saw me watch Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas.
Devdas Mukherjee (Shah Rukh Khan) and Parvati (Paro, Aishwarya Rai) are childhood sweethearts and neighbors. They share an intense, feeling for each other. Their dreams are short lived --- Paro does not match the status of Devdas' family.
His conniving sister-in-law (Ananya Khare) and mother Kaushalya (Smita Jayakar) publicly humiliate Paro's mother Sumitra (Kiron Kher). In a fit of anger, Sumitra resolves to marry Paro to the prosperous Zamindar Bhuvan (Vijayendra Ghatge). Paro urges Devdas to do something about the situation, even elope.
Instead, Devdas writes a cold letter, leaving Paro to marry Bhuvan. By the time Devdas comes to his senses, it is too late.
Devdas drowns himself in sorrow and alcohol. Then he meets courtesan Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit). At first repulsed by her, Devdas slowly sees her warmth and benevolence. But his excessive drinking proves fatal.
The Visual Treat: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's labor of love Devdas is a larger-than-life, poignant and spectacular interpretation. Clearly Devdas is a work of art and heart. His penchant for color, grandeur, heartbreak flows throughout the film as it did previously in Khamoshi - The Musical and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
The resplendent sets by Nitin Desai --- Paro's stained glass house before marriage, her towering mansion after marriage, Devdas' sprawling house, Chandramukhi's dazzling dance court, even the railway compartment --- are a treat to the eyes.
Ismail Darbar's rich compositions are mostly situation-based and aid the narrative. Thankfully, the music plays in the background and Devdas and Paro are not shown lip-syncing sweet nothings.
Pandit Birju Maharaj and Saroj Khan storm the screen with some sensational choreography. Madhuri Dixit's dances are breath-taking.
Binod Pradhan's eye for detail cannot be missed as he romances the camera with imaginative angles and lighting. The good thing is that before the viewer gets too caught up in admiring Aishwarya's exotic hair clip, the shot switches to the sorrow in her eyes.
The Moments: A poker-faced Devdas teases Paro about not missing her during his stay in London. An emotionally charged Paro retaliates recalling how thinking about him is her sole occupation since he left.
An inebriated Devdas comes to pay respects at his father's funeral. The sarcasm in his eyes cannot be missed as he indifferently consoles his mother.
When Paro's marriage procession is at her doorstep and Devdas asks her to elope with him.
Chandramukhi giving Bhuvan's debauched son-in-law (Milind Gunaji) a befitting reply during the Durga pooja calls for applause. (Villagers said leave the village, Father said leave Paro, Paro said stop drinking, Mother says leave the house. One day He will say leave the world).
Paro convincing Devdas to quit drinking and his reluctance to do so.
The climax is perhaps the film's biggest triumph. Devdas is breathing his last, yet there is a flickering hope for a miracle as a hysterical Paro rushes to meet her Deva (Devdas).
The Flaws: The supporting cast comes up with an exceedingly over-the-top performance and disrupts the entire tempo of the film. Kiron Kher in particular goes overboard with her boisterous, dreamy-eyed mother. Her gregarious enthusiasm does not impress. Smita Jayakar and Ananya Khare are loud caricatures of the saans-bahu (mother-in-law -- daughter-in-law) types one is so used to watching on Indian television.
The entire Paro-Chandramukhi face off comes across as a purely commercial gimmick. It does nothing to the storyline. The Dola re dola song --- though beautifully picturised in hues of red, white and gold --- is a futile exercise.
Another song Chalak chalak soon after Dola re dola is totally out of place.
The Performances: Underneath all the jazz, Devdas is essentially a performance-oriented film.
Unlike its predecessors, the new Devdas does not have flashbacks to establish Devdas and Paro's childhood friendship. Devdas' bitterness towards his disciplinarian father is vaguely depicted. His is a weaker characterization compared to his two leading ladies.
Shah Rukh Khan is no Dilip Kumar. The latter is untouchable as far as portraying Devdas is concerned. But SRK does not disappoint. He plays his Devdas with the air of a egoistic brat. It is a controlled performance for most part of the film. His temptation to revert to his quivering lip theatrics is visible in the 'Devdas Mukherjee will drink to death' sequence.
Aishwarya Rai looks like poetry in motion. She does full justice to Paro bringing out the strength, integrity and compassion of her character.
In a role written specially for her, Madhuri Dixit outshines herself. Chandramukhi is unlike anything the actress has played before. The actress smoothly conveys the dual shades --- flamboyance and naïveté ---to the role.
Jackie Shroff rocks in a brilliantly designed cameo of a lyrical drunk-Chunnilal, who believes in making merry all the time.
The Verdict: For all its hype, grandeur, money, blood, sweat, music, tragedy, Devdas is a must-see for even the most pragmatic and unromantic.
Parineeta (2005)
Beautiful portrayal of the city Calcutta(Kolkata) and its culture
For a nation starved of creatively fulfilling cinema, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parineeta is like a dream come true. If you overlook the overindulgence in melodrama in the last few reels of the film, Parineeta may well classify as a classic entertainer with brilliant performances, outstanding music and superb production values. Based on Saratchandra Chatterjee's novel, Parineeta is the story of two childhood friends - Lolita (newcomer Vidya Balan) and Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan), both hailing from different strata of society. They share an unspoken bond of love. Enter Girish (Sanjay Dutt) from London. Shekhar is driven to jealousy by the growing affections between Girish and Lolita. A series of circumstances manipulated by Shekhar's father Naveen Rai force the two lovers apart amidst a series of misunderstandings and betrayals. Parineeta is the story of a woman's endless wait for her love and director Pradeep Sarkar weaves the story like magic, especially in the first half. The relationship between Lolita and Shekhar is beautifully established right from the beginning. Sarkar excels in the detailing - the vintage look of the film stands out with authentic costumes, props and even the roads of Kolkata. Which makes the deliberate plugs of brands like Saridon and Cadbury stand out sorely. Some of the sequences haunt you much after the film is over: Shekhar's complex state of mind during his marriage with Gayatri (Dia Mirza) and his confrontation scenes with Lolita. Girish's first encounter with Lolita and Saif's anguish as he helplessly watches his love slip by are excellent. The scene in the recording studio is worth a mention. Full marks to Vinod Chopra and Sarkar for a deft screenplay. Sarkar's picturisations of Piyu Bole and Soona Mann Ka Aangan are mesmerising. The background score is heavily inspired by 1942: A Love Story. Perhaps the only problem with the film lies in its script and maybe contemporarising it would have helped. In the second half, the script stumbles. And then comes the worst part - the climax. The wall breaking scene between shouts from family and friends screaming, "Todh, Shekhar todh!" is so amateur that it dilutes the whole film's impact. All the performances are top class - Vidya Balan makes a sensational debut. Whether it's her coy demeanour with Saif or her confusion with Sanjay, Vidya is an absolute delight. Sanjay Dutt is in super form. Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Saif's father is brilliant. Among the others, Raima Sen and Ninad Kamat (as Shekhar's friend) add enormously to the film despite their miniscule parts. But Parineeta really belongs to Saif Ali Khan. It's his best performance to date. Khan showcases a plethora of emotions, all in right doses - jealousy, compassion, callousness, insecurity, resentment and joy. It's hard to imagine any other actor playing the role. With this film, Saif rightfully acquires his position in the top rung of the industry. If Parineeta falls short of being a masterpiece, it's only due to the few howlers in the latter half. But even the chinks in the armour can't rob the film of its sheen. For Hindi cinema, it's a big step forward.
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Awesome!!! You should Watch!!!
For all those who want to know whether Kal Ho Naa Ho is a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand, the answer is yes. And no.
Shah Rukh Khan's character (Aman) is largely inspired by Rajesh Khanna's happy-go-lucky charmer in Anand. But on the whole, Kal Ho Naa Ho is as different as they come.
The film kicks off with Manhattan resident Naina Catherine Kapur (Preity Zinta) narrating the story of her life over her daily morning jog.
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The characters in Naina's life are introduced with the same energy that Naina puts into her jog. There is her mom Jennifer (Jaya Bachchan in jeans), who shares a love-hate relationship with her mother-in-law Sushma Seth (at her loudest Punjabi best).
Mommy runs a flop restaurant. Grandmother is a flop singer. Together they are chaos.
Enough reason for Naina to turn into a boring, bespectacled spinster type who takes life too seriously.
The only interesting person in Naina's life is buddy Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan). He is uncool with women but thinks he is cool. He is also a typical Gujarati, whose father (Satish Shah) runs a business called Dial A Dhokla.
Enter funny guy Aman, who turns out to be the proverbial angel in Naina's life. He is Dale Carnegie-Jim Carrey-Richard Gere-Deepak Chopra all rolled into one. He zooms into Naina's neighbourhood singing Pretty woman and woos everyone in sight, including uppity Naina.
Naina hates him at first sight, but can't help being overwhelmed by Aman's charm.
Even Rohit takes tips from Aman on how to be cool and influence people. Life is a song and dance till the interval.
And After that everything is mystery, lol what?
This is indeed a breathtaking movie! Go and watch instead of watching silly bollywood movies!