How Old Are You Movie Review

How Old Are You? The title of this Malayalam Manju Warrier come back film itself creates a curiosity that has had the cine goers and the Manju Warrier fans who have missed her for the last 14 years waiting for the release of the film.

 The recent summer vacation to Kochi got me the opportunity to watch this film that I too have been so desparately waiting to watch. PVR at the LULU Mall was surely a great place to watch it with a packed theatre and people all excited to watch this much talked about powerful performance by this superbly talented actress who has gone on to prove that staying away from the industry for a few years does not mean that the actress in her too has been lost. 

She makes a come back looking even more gorgeous and has delivered to the expectations of the audience. 


The movie by Rosshan Andrews revolves around the central character Nirupama Krishnan portrayed by Manju Warrier. She plays the role of a middle aged married woman of 36 years who is an UD clerk in a Government office. The years of being housewife, mom, daughter-in-law and being taken for granted has actually got her to loose her own identity (like most homemakers here).  

The boredom , the monotony of everyday life and the frustrations that hide behind the personality all brought out so beautifully in her body language and dialogue delivery. 
The years that have made her forget the individual that she once was. The actions and everyday talk that leave wounds that are difficult to heal, and those that have supposedly healed have left scars that tell it all. An attempt to rediscover herself that is spurred by the turn of events all go to show the innate strength that lies hidden in a woman, it is all about discovering it and using it to your advantage.

An invitation for breakfast with the President  is one that brings a turn of events. Actor Kunchacko Boban who plays Manju's husband in the film has delivered a powerful punch with his performance, in fact I think this is one of his best performances to date. 

 The supporting cast of the film too is very good and helps weave a very realistic story with real life characters and settings that we cine goers can relate too. A simple story that has been given a very good treatment. There are a few numbers that touch a chord somewhere in the heart. 

The movie a wonderful display of talent, emotions and an eye for detail surely has set the ball rolling for actress Manju Warrier who has taken the first step to making a comeback and we fans are sure waiting for more of her beautiful performances that we did see 14 years back in movies like kalliveedu, oru puzhayum kadanu and many more. 



Several brand endorsements, dance recitals and movies in her kitty, we will definitely be seeing a lot of Manju Warrier this year. 

 

Road Named after Priyanka Chopras Father

On his first death anniversary, the lane in Yari Road, Andheri that leads to the actress Priyanka Chopra's house has been named after her father Lieutenant Colonel Dr Ashok Chopra. 

The actress told sources " I don’t have words to describe anything. It’s a moment of pride for my family". Cousin actress Parineeti Chopra and close family members were present at the occassion. 

The actress is known to have been very close to her dad who lost his battle with cancer a year back.  Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated it.

Bhootnath Returns Review

Bhoothnath Returns, for all those who thought it would be an entertainer for kids as the trailer suggested, this movie turned out quite an entertainer but serious business. It was definitely for the slightly older age group. A sequel to Bhootnath, the film Bhoothnath Returns starring Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani and Parth Bhalerao (who actually stole the show, a kid with tremendous acting potential). The movie has special appearances by Shahrukh Khan and Anurag Kashyap.

The film revolves around the central character Bhoothnath played by none other than the Big B, who is sent back to Earth from Bhooth World and instead of being reborn as a human being or any other living creature, he comes back as a bhooth. His mission to reclaim his dignity by scaring a few kids and soon he encounters this kid Akhrot (soft on the inside and hard on the outside as he puts it). In trying to help Akhrot get out of his troubles, the two discover and unveil the rot in the society and how it is almost beyond redemption unless there is a person who cares about the society and its people at the helm. In the process they work towards the Bhooth filing his nomination papers against the powerful and notorious candidate Bhau (played by Boman Irani). Bringing out the problems in the system and how it is important for each one of us to cast our vote to ensure that we elect a leader who cares about us(if there is one). The film in its own entertaining way projects the malice in the system and how the influential and powerful always find their way to the top.

This Nitesh Tiwari film released at the right time definitely brings in a lot of awareness (probably should have been released a few weeks earlier as polling is already over at many places, also does take time to spread the word. Corruption sure is not the only evil pulling us down, the movie opens our eyes to the ills in the society and truly makes us wonder if
- do we have any candidates who are truly qualified(in terms of being pada likha as the movie puts it)
- there is really a candidate out there who understands the larger picture.
- is there anyone who cares about India and its people or are all the sacrifices by our brave soldiers and freedom fighters going to be a sheer waste.
- does this election provide a means to turnaround the system and bring in someone who can truly make Indian "Shine"?
-will the next 5 years be able to bring in a change that we Indians are looking for and desperately desire?

Coming back to movie in particular, it could definitely have had a tighter screenplay and the running time of 2 hrs and 35 minutes could have been cut short.

Good points: It really addresses a social issue well but for the little drama at many places(but thoda drama has always been a part and parcel of Bollywood and if for a good cause, why not?). Overall a good effort and Akhrot (Parth Bhalerao) gets a thumbs up for his performance.

Ram Leela - Movie Review

Ram Leela, the very varied reviews about the movie actually kept me off the theatres. There were friends who just about managed to sit through till the interval and left and then there was the media with TOI giving Ram Leela a thumbs up and a five star rating. Mixed reactions, couldn't be more? So decided to give it a miss. However, with one free day in hand and no deadlines to be met and a cool chill out day, decided to just go and see the movie. Yes, all alone. A chicken sandwich, a packet of the good old Camy Wafers (reminds me of the wafers we used to get as kids before Lays and other brands made an appearance on the scene) and a Pepsi, I decided to not be judgemental and see a movie for the effort put in by the cast and crew and not go in with any kind of bias.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali(SLB) known for his larger than life sets and elaborate costumes sure did justice to each scene where every costume was perfectly choreographed and every little detail in place. The movie sure is an aspiring designer's dream come true with elaborate thread and mirror work and shawls and ghagras all put together with so much attention to detail and aesthetic sense. However, the story seemed to be a little hard to digest(even with Hajmola) and the screenplay without doubt could have been better.

Deepika Padukone and Ranvir Singh the lead pair looked stunning with loads of their perfectly chiselled body being on display. Ram and Leela belonging to two warring clans, the Saneda and the Rajadi, see(yes see) and fall in love. Have heard of love at first sight but this definitely took the cake. Love and so comfortable with each others body in no time, the movie definitely didn't have time to weave in the emotions and the romance (but for the songs which cropped up one after the other trying to add in some chemistry). What one saw in the trailer was simply lacking in the movie. The trailers sure built up a lot of expectations which the movie failed to deliver.

War between the clans where a steady supply of flying bullets, knifes and beer bottles kept happening from one side to the other. In between all this, you could see a Ram dancing away in his Hanuman Gali with Gujju girls clad in ghagra cholis seemed to be completely overwhelmed by his physique and kept clicking away on their mobile phones(now this definitely is not what we see in rural India). With the tensions mounting, Ram and Leela still seem to be the peacemakers totally oblivious of what their families thought of each other, a la Romeo and Juliet.

With a quick running away from home only to be brought back by conspiring friends and family members, Ranvir was soon made the "Don" of Rajadi as he likes to put it and Deepika being forced into marrying the NRI archaeologist. With love hate emotions displayed(with a supposedly deep love for each other within which they cannot display due to the chains of family, hatred and society holding them back) and the couple being pitted against each other there is a some drama added here which makes us actually think if this is really what happens in rural India where no law and order system seemed to make any difference and power and money were the sole rulers. Supriya Pathak as Ba played a really impressive role and so did Richa Chadda proving her acting skills yet again.

The "Dhol" song sure reminded of Devdas and the high profile Dola Re. There were definitely a few twists and the end kept the audience on tender hooks to see what the final verdict would be. The transition from the care free boy and girl have been played well by the actors, especially Ranvir Singh. With Deepika we did see the bubbly girl from her previous roles peeping in from in between. All in all the movie is really nothing much to write home about and after Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and the other hits, this definitely could have been a big mistake for Deepika but for the SLB name that the movie is riding high on.

Bollywood Actress Deepika Padukone looks gorgeous in Chennai Express

Deepika Padukone and SRK are the two reasons I went to see the bollywood movie Chennai Express. Although the movie left a lot to be desired. For a SRK starrer directed by Rohit Shetty of Golmaal fame, the expectations sure were a lot higher. However, guess there are not many disappointed fans like me, the 100 crore and entering 200 crore club figures definitely go to prove this. There were many light moments in the movie with Tanga Bali, the antakshari moments and some of the fights, however, with such star cast there is a lot more that could have been done.

A mixed bag of responses is what the movie Chennai Express has come up with. Anyway as for the figures it is definitely a great Eid for SRK and his team. The best, meaning the most beautiful part of the film, was undoubtedly Deepika Padukone, who looked gorgeous in her half saris and Kancheevarams. Here are a few pictures from the movie Chennai Express and the lovely looks of Deepika Padukone.