Friday, December 25, 2009

4 Idiots...

The day we went to see the movie 3 Idiots, we became the four idiots. We booked our ticket at one cinema house and in the morning went to another. And by the time we realised our mistake and reached the correct cinema house, we had missed one scene.

3 Idiots...

It has been the trend since 2007. Towards the end of the year Aamir Khan comes out with his movie, and no matter how many hits have been there in that year, you enter the New Year thinking of his movie and his movie only. 2007 was TZP, the next year came Ghajini, and now it is 3 Idiots. 3 Idiots definitely takes over from earlier Raju Hirani movies like Munnabhai MBBS and Lage raho Munnabhai. It has the feel-good factor, reminds us of everything good in the people around us and inspires us to look at life from a different perspective. The movie too emphasises on male bonding, even as the protagonists’ love affair is taken care of. The most distinctive thing about 3Idiots is that apart from all the hirani effects, it has the luxury of having Aamir Khan in it.

Raju (Sharman Joshi), Farhan (Madhavan) and Rancho(AK) are hostel roomies at Imperial College of Engineering. Rancho is a guy who thinks out of the box. Machines are a passion for him. He takes on everything and everybody who comes his way. Raju hails from a poor family, a bright student and Farhan is an aspiring photographer. Rancho falls in love with Piya (Kareena) who happens to be the daughter of their Director Mr Sahasrabudhe, played to more than perfection by Bomen Irani.

The first half of the movie belongs to Aamir Khan. He outshines everyone in the movie. He perfects the character of Rancho, in his actions, reactions and body language. The acting skills of Bomen Irani are unquestionable as proved again in the movie. Madhavan and Sharman play the perfect side-kicks and walks away with some of the best moments in the movie. The scene where Madhavan asks his father permission for pursuing his passion in photography is definitely one of the best. Kareena kapoor has nothing much to do as an actress, but brings in some romance into this otherwise male dominated movie.

Remember the days when people went for ‘jaadu ki jhappis’ after Munnabhai MBBS, or the days when ‘Gandhigiri’ became teh fad of the day. 3 idiots also leave you with a thought to ponder on. ‘All izz well’. Utter this mantra and you can bring in chamatkar. 3 idiots is a movie with a heart. It makes you think, it inspires you and it entertains you like nothing else does.

The only drawback in 3 idiots is that in spite of having a gem of a script, the writers didn’t bother to remove those jokes which are not original. We have heard those from different sources and at different occasions. Take for example, the scene in which the three friends make sure that the exam invigilator does not know them by name or roll number before mixing their answer sheets in to his bundle. Or the scene, where rancho asks his professor why can’t we use pencils in outer space, instead of having spent a humongous amount of money to invent a pen. These are all scenes which we have earlier seen or heard. But even then, these scenes are funny and you laugh your heart out. And the success of the script lies in exactly that. It keeps us indulged.

I will go with 4 out of 5 for raj Kumar hiranis 3 Idiots. How much this movie does justice to Chetan Bhagats Five Point Someone is something I need to find out. Though, I missed thh opening scene, I came out of the cinema a much happier person. As someone said, All izz well that ends well.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Out of this world...

The moment I came out of the cinema after watching Avatar, I said to my friend, “holy shit!, we are back on earth!”. That is the kind of experience I have been through for 2 hour 45 minutes odd, watching Avatar. By and large, this is THE most awaited movie of the year. And guess what our wait does not go in vain. Avatar is once in 10 years movie.
The story is as simple as a bollywood romantic masala flick. Rich hero, poor heroine, the rich father attacks the poor heroines family and our hero rescues the heroine and her poor family. Now, how many times have you seen such a storyline in a movie? But avatar is all different. James Cameron has just extrapolated this simple story which anybody can digest. Only thing, he made it humans and aliens -Humans (rich hero and his family) and the Na’vi tribe of Pandora (Poor heroine and family).
The movie set in the year 2154, is about how humans attack the planet of Pandora for mining out a mineral called the unobtaininum. As human beings cannot breathe in Pandora, they send out their Avatars, remotely controlled by them, who mingles with the Na’avi tribe. The protagonist is one such Avatar. Jake Sully is sent to Pandora and soon gets emotionally attached and falls in love with the tribe and helps them out against the human conquest.
The movie has got everything in it. Romance, action, war, drama, special effects, animation, 3D- all at the very best. All credit goes to Cameron for conceptualising and bringing everything imaginable on screen.
Well, I don’t believe that any movie can be given a rating of 5 out of 5. Nothing can be perfect. I would go with a 4.9 out of 5 and a recommended watch/collector’s item stamp for James Cameron’s Avatar. Go watch it, and make sure you watch it in 3D.