Showing posts with label Bhargav Saikia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bhargav Saikia. Show all posts

July 26, 2009

Luck (2009)

1 star out of 5

What's it all about?
A bunch of very 'lucky people' participate in a survival game orchestrated by mafia boss, Karim Moosa (Sanjay Dutt), who is on a mission to establish and lead the human-betting business. Instead of 'survival of the fittest', it's 'survival of the luckiest' here. So you have Ram Mehra (Imran Khan), Major Jawar Pratap Singh (Mithun Chakraborty), serial killer Raghav (Ravi Kissen), sixteen-year old Shortcut (Chitrashi Rawat) and Natasha (Shruti Hassan) relying solely on luck to win this bizarre game of life and death.

Direction & Screenplay
Writer-director, Soham Shah, needs hardcore lessons in script-writing. Shah's story and character development skills are zilch and funnily enough, he always ends up writing the silliest climax imaginable. If Kaal was a nightmare, then Luck is the mother of all nightmares. There were no gargantuan expectations from Shah but it was very disappointing to see Renzil D'Silva's name in the screenplay credits. Isn't he the same guy who wrote Aks and Rang De Basanti?

Performances
Another huge disappointment is in store for those who are expecting Shruti Hassan to match her father's (Kamal Hassan) acting abilities. Alas, the young lady's debut is as thanda as it can get. Shruti's flat dialogue delivery and lack of expression is a big turn-off. Oh, and the bikini-scene is total nonsense. But wait, it doesn't mean that she's devoid of talent. Shruti is a gifted musician and she sings her version of Luck Aazma with much aplomb. Imran Khan is another misfit who looks completely uncomfortable throughout the film. He should stick to rom-coms for now; I'm sure there's plenty of time to experiment later. Bhojpuri bhaiyya, Ravi Kissen, and Chitrashi Rawat are entertaining in their silly roles. Sanjay Dutt and Danny Denzongpa bore you to death with their endless lectures about luck and all that, and there's some more guaranteed boredom with Mithun's cheesy catchphrase, 'Koi Shaque?', last heard in J.P. Dutta's Ghulami.


Music
Salim-Sulaiman's compositions are above average but music in an action-thriller is unnecessary. A robust background score would be more appropriate. Amar Mohile does a good job, aptly supported by Hari Dwarak's impressive sound design.

Stunts
A film like Luck needs a good dose of high-octane stunts but Allan Amin's action lacks punch. Full marks for the opening train sequence, however, the underwater and parachute scenes are not very convincing. Spielberg's Jaws did a better job with the sharks and that was way back in 1975. The climax involving a speeding train, a plane and some explosions is a joke, not because of the stunts but because of the actors who are performing them and the Aazma Luck track that accompanies the entire sequence. Do save a few laughs as there is much more in store for you, thanks to Imran, Ravi and Shruti.

FINAL VERDICT
Luck is a big turkey and it's worse than Soham Shah's mediocre debut, Kaal. Bad luck Soham.

Twitsters have their say about Luck:
jun6lee - All-in-all, I was torn between, 'this is quite novel' and 'it could be done so much better, if'...upto the pre-climax that is. This is when it dropped into the pits of hell. The big end-game was just plain lame & made no sense.
shamail - Luck is an awesome movie, after a long time I've seen a Bollywood movie comparable to Hollywood.
ronakjain90 - Luck is a total non-sense movie. Please watch it only if you can digest that.
baxiabhishek - Back from Luck. What the #$%^, such a suck, full of muck, my bad luck, yuck yuck yuck!
filmigirl - This masala lover says: updated take on Gumnaam. Ridiculous but fun - slow start but ending is great!

July 14, 2009

Kaminey: Music Review


5 stars out of 5

Music by Vishal Bhardwaj with lyrics by Gulzar

Dhan Te Nan (4:41) - Vocals by Sukhwinder Singh, Vishal Dadlani, Robert Bob Omulo
Dhan Te Nan is one of the most cleverly composed songs in recent times. The energy of this track is phenomenal and Gulzar's smart choice of words makes it an incredible experience.

Fatak (5:30) - Vocals by Sukhwinder Singh, Kailash Kher
Fatak is a masterpiece. It's a fusion of sorts with wonderful poetry by Gulzar and brilliant vocals by Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher. Only Gulzar can pen down top-notch lines such as: Sauda Kare Saheli Ka, Sarr Pe Tel Chameli Ka; Jitna Bhi Jhooth Bole Thoda Hai, Keero Ki Basti Ka Makoda Hai.
Not to forget the unusually brilliant makeover of the famous Aamir Khusro sher to convey the message of HIV/AIDS:
Yeh Ishq Nahin Aasaan  
Aji AIDS Ka Khatra Hai  
Patwaar Pehen Jaana  
Yeh Aag Ka Dariya Hai

Go Charlie Go (2:21) - Instrumental/Theme Song
Vishal Bhardwaj has finally cracked it! Go Charlie Go is Bollywood's answer to Henri Mancini's Pink Panther theme. Kudos!

Kaminey (5:57) - Vocals by Vishal Bhardwaj
Gulzar's poetry about the protagonist's melancholic life is magnificent. Gulzar writes about lanterns in the night-sky, the moon in a birdcage, innocent pigeons and peacocks and what not. Absolutely absorbing stuff! Vishal's soul-drenched vocals complement the track perfectly. 

Raat Ke Dhai Baje (4:31) - Vocals by Rekha Bhardwaj, Sunidhi Chauhan, Suresh Wadkar, Kunal Ganjawala
Beedi and Namak singers, Sunidhi Chauhan and Rekha Bhardwaj, come together for this mischievous track. It's not your usual item number; the track has beautiful melody, ably supported by Suresh Wadkar and Kunal Ganjawala and with Priyanka Chopra in it, you can expect sizzling visuals. The remix version is even more fun!

Pehli Baar Mohabbat (5:24) - Vocals by Mohit Chauhan
Mohit Chauhan sounds refreshingly different in Pehli Baar Mohabbat. The composition is rich with superb music arrangements.

FINAL VERDICT:
Kaminey's OST is flawless. Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar have proved once again that they are second to none.

July 3, 2009

Mauja Hi Mauja - The Assamese Connection

We've all heard and loved Pritam's Mauja Hi Mauja from Jab We Met. Did you know that in addition to the Punjabi lyrics, it also has two or three lines from a popular Assamese song? The highlighted lines (see below) can be heard in Mauja Hi Mauja's background:

"Rodaali e' rod de
Aali kaati jaali dim
Bor pira paari dim
Taate bohi bohi rod de
Taate bohi bohi rod de"

Children, especially in villages, would sing this song when they are unable to go outdoors to play at the paddy fields due to incessant rain. They would try to 'please the Sun', hoping for some sunshine in return. This kind of a song is known as a Umala Geet in Assamese culture.

Mauja Hi Mauja is a brilliant blend of Punjabi and Assamese words for which credit must be given to the music arranger, Dhrubajyoti Phukan.

Surprisingly, when you search for Mauja Hi Mauja's lyrics on the internet, you don't find the Assamese lines anywhere. Click here for complete lyrics (missing lyrics added).

There are also songs known as Nichukoniya Geet which are the Assamese lullabies. One very popular lullaby is Aamare Moina Xuboe' (Our beautiful child will go to sleep). It appeared in one of the early Assamese films called Pioli Phukan in 1955 (composer: Dr. Bhupen Hazarika). You can listen to the original track below. Also check out a different version of the song composed by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.

Aamare Moina
Version 1 from Pioli Phukan (1955):

Version 2:

June 18, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest 09 - WINNERS

ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF

THE WL MOVIE CAPTION CONTEST 2009

Pulkit
receives DVDs of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge & Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
"Garmi ke mausam mein...chimti aur taaron ke bina khidki pe dhoti sukhane ka naya ishtyle...thanda thanda cool cool"

Sandeep Balan
receives a DVD of Dev D

"Muscular body se zyaada zaroori hai tandorust dimaag
Tann aur mann ki shakti ke liye Bournvita
Bournvita on, Tattoos gone!!"

Please email your full postal address and mobile/landline number to bh.saikia@gmail.com

A big thank you to everyone at The Writers' Lounge for making this contest a success.
WL Movie Caption Contest 2010 will be bigger and better!

June 7, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest 09 - Top 5 Entries

Top 5 entries according to votes:

(In no particular order)

Entry 7 (Picture 2) - PULKIT:
"Garmi ke mausam mein...chimti aur taaron ke bina khidki pe dhoti sukhane ka naya ishtyle...thanda thanda cool cool"

Entry 9 (Picture 1) - SANDEEP BALAN:
"Muscular body se zyaada zaroori hai tandorust dimaag
Tann aur mann ki shakti ke liye Bournvita
Bournvita on, Tattoos gone!!"

Entry 8 (Picture 2) - FREELANCER:
"I bare because I dare!"

Entry 4 (Picture 1) - AARTHI VENKATESH:
"Fata poster nikla taklu!"

Entry 10 (Picture 1) - TAN/TANMOY DAS:
"Na deewar koi, na ye bandhan mita saqtaa hain teraa naam, jo mere zehn-o-jaan me likkhi hui hai!"

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON 13 JUNE 2009 (SATURDAY)

A big thank you to everyone who voted!

WL Movie Caption Contest 09 - VOTE for Best 5 entries

*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*

*ATTENTION MEMBERS: KINDLY DROP IN YOUR VOTES FOR THE TOP 5 ENTRIES IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BEFORE POSTING HERE*
THE WL MOVIE CAPTION CONTEST 2009
VOTE FOR THE BEST 5 ENTRIES

Pic 1

Pic 2

Entry 1 (Picture 1):
"Loving memories personified"

Entry 2 (Picture 2):
"A call to nature"

Entry 3 (Picture 2):
"bahut garmi hain yaar thodi hawa kha leta hu ....ye passene nai to mera bura haal kar rakha hain...aila samne vali aunty ne mera MMS bana dala ab kya karu"

Entry 4 (Picture 1):
"Fata poster nikla taklu!"

Entry 5 (Picture 2):
"Bujhta nahin chiraag mohabbat ka
Jab se jala hai sine mein
Kambakth dil aaj bhi uske naam par dhadakta hai"

Entry 6 (Picture 2):
"Balcony se pee karne ka ek alag hi majaa hai!"

Entry 7 (Picture 2):
"Garmi ke mausam mein...chimti aur taaron ke bina khidki pe dhoti sukhane ka naya ishtyle...thanda thanda cool cool"

Entry 8 (Picture 2):
"I bare because I dare!"

Entry 9 (Picture 1):
"Muscular body se zyaada zaroori hai tandorust dimaag
Tann aur mann ki shakti ke liye Bournvita
Bournvita on, Tattoos gone!!"

Entry 10 (Picture 1):
"Na deewar koi, na ye bandhan mita saqtaa hain teraa naam, jo mere zehn-o-jaan me likkhi hui hai!"

Cast your vote for the top 5 entries in the comments section below (anyone can vote).
Voting will close on 7 June 2009 at 23:00 IST.

Note to participants:
Please do not disclose your entry details to the lounge. This is an anonymous voting.

June 1, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest 2009

* HURRY....Entries close when the clock strikes 12 tonight....HURRY*
*Your last chance to stake your claim for DVD's of DDLJ, Dev D and Oye lucky, lucky Oye!!*
THE WL MOVIE CAPTION CONTEST 2009

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRIES IS
1 JUNE 2009 (4 hours to go!!)


FOR FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE CONTEST CLICK HERE

May 24, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest 09 - NOW LIVE!

THE WL MOVIE CAPTION CONTEST 2009

CONTEST IS NOW OPEN

THE RULES:

1. This contest is open to members and non-members of the Writers' Lounge.
2. To be eligible for a prize, the participant must be a permanent resident of India.
3. Captions can be in Hindi/English with a word limit of 20 words (max).
(Deadline for submission: 1 June 2009)
4. Of all received entries, top 5 will be chosen by online voting at the Writers' Lounge in the week commencing 1 June 2009 (voting will end on 6 June 2009).
5. The final two winners will be chosen from the voted top 5 entries after they are judged by Bhargav Saikia and Raghav Ramaiah.
6. Final winners will be announced on 10 June 2009.
7. The decision of the judges/online voters will be final and binding.
8. The best entry will receive two DVDs (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!) and the second best entry will receive a DVD of Dev.D.
9. All prizes will be delivered via HomeShop18.com or FutureBazaar.com


Note: If any non-resident Indian wishes to participate, they are welcome to do so. Based on their entries, they will be awarded special badges.

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES BELOW AND SUBMIT YOUR CAPTION BASED ON ANY ONE OF THE TWO:

Picture 1:



Picture 2:



(Please do not submit your entries in the comments section)

or EMAIL YOUR ENTRIES TO bh.saikia@gmail.com

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!

P.S. I'm going to leave this post at the top for sometime to increase visibility of the contest. I hope that will be fine? If not then let me know. Thanks!

May 21, 2009

WL Film Quiz/Caption Contest "Warm-up"

Family.....To kick start the "Humour Thursday", I personally request you all to warm up with this caption contest. Bhargav would declare the winner for the "Best Caption" and the winner will be sent across a music CD (of a latest film) at their address. The winner is required to send their full postal address to sandeepbalan83@gmail.com on which the CD will be sent across. Let's not let Bhargav down with lukewarm response. He is devising contests for us and it's on us to keep that fire burning within him. I expect everyone to try their hand at this one, however idiotic it may sound. Let hilarious captions flow for this hilarious pic. Happy "Humour Thursday"
---------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER
This was meant to be a warm-up to the WL Movie Caption Contest 2009! I have prizes (DVDs) only for the actual contest. The music CD idea is Sandeep's creation. He's the sponsor for this post :D Thank you Sandeep! ;-)

THIS "WARM-UP CAPTION ROUND" IS NOW CLOSED
---------------------------------------
Hello folks,

There won't be any film quiz this week as I'm currently working on the Movie Caption Contest which will be online this Saturday (23 May).

In the meantime, take a look at the picture below and form some captions (for a quick warm-up before the actual contest!). It'll be brilliant if you can share them with everyone in the comments section.

Remember, word limit is 15-20 words and the caption can be in English/Hindi.

Good luck and see you this Saturday!


Bhargav

Caption n. A title, short explanation, or description accompanying an illustration or photograph.

THE WL MOVIE CAPTION CONTEST 2009
Goes live this Saturday (23 May)

2 DAYS TO GO!!!

May 19, 2009

WL Film Quiz #5 - REPORT CARD!


(Click on image to enlarge)

Finally, Mogambo has a message for all of you who participated! Watch the video below:


by Bhargav Saikia

WL Movie Caption Contest 09 - Promo 2


MERE PAAS MAA HAI - THE VIDEO PROMO! :D

May 15, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest 2009 - Promo 1


A Haunting In Connecticut


A perfect time to share this Discovery Channel documentary about a haunting in a funeral home in Connecticut. Give it a watch with your lights switched off! It might just scare the hell out of you! Trust me on that.

We all love that creepy feeling, don't we!?

Bhargav 

May 13, 2009

WL Film Quiz #5 - The Famous Villains

Name the villain, the movie and the one-liner (dialogue)
that each one can be associated with:
Pic(1) Pic(2)
Pic(3) Pic(4)

To submit your answers: CLICK HERE
(Open the link in a new tab/window)

Note: Please do not post any answers in the comments box.

Good luck! - Your quizmaster - Bhargav

Last date to attempt the quiz is 19 May (Tuesday); Individual results (I call it the Filmi Gyan-O-Meter) will be published next Wednesday.

May 12, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest 2009: The Prizes!

Announcing the two BIG prizes for
the Writers' Lounge Movie Caption Contest 2009


Prize 1: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge + Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (DVD)


Prize 2: Dev.D (DVD)

The contest will be online on 23 May (Saturday). More details to be posted.

Note: Contest is open to permanent residents of India only (no extra funds to deliver the DVDs to overseas addresses). However, those living abroad, please do participate. You'll receive the traditional badges if your entries are good.

May 11, 2009

WL Movie Caption Contest!

Hi folks,

I'm planning to organise a MOVIE CAPTION CONTEST soon at The Writers' Lounge (the contest will also be open to readers of my blog and possibly Raghav's blog too/I'll confirm this when I hear from him, so the competition could be 'fierce'!). The best two entries will win a DVD each (DVD titles to be decided soon). The best part of it, five best entries will be chosen by you, TWL members, through votes! And then the final two winners from the 5, will be chosen by me and Raghav through a final round.

But before going ahead with it, I wanted an opinion poll, whether you would prefer Bollywood or Hollywood movies? Please cast your vote in the poll below. Also any suggestions are welcome in the comments section.

And...for a warm-up round, here's a picture for you to form any number of captions! (No prizes for this one!)



Thanks!

P.S. Please cast your vote by 24 May..you have time!

May 10, 2009

Sunday Special: Sita Sings The Blues!

Originally posted at Reviews etc by Bhargav Saikia

Enjoy the movie folks!
*****
Nina Paley's Sita Sings The Blues is one of the most absorbing and compelling animated feature films you will ever come across. 

A still from Sita Sings The Blues (In picture: Lord Ram, Hanuman and Sita)

In Sita Sings The Blues, Paley cleverly synchronises Valmiki's Ramayana with jazz vocals from the 1920s to depict two parallel stories; first The Ramayana itself and second, an autobiography about her separation from her husband. She backs it up with excellent 2D animation and attractive sketches which are visually spectacular to say the least. The Indonesian shadow puppets as narrators further enhance the film, casually questioning the validity of Valmiki's epic. I must urge you to watch Sita Sings The Blues. It's a riot of creativity that you wouldn't want to miss at any cost!

Watch Sita Sings The Blues (full film in HD) below:

To watch in full screen mode, click the button next to the volume control bar.

Please note: Nina Paley has released the film under a Creative Common Attribution Sharealike license. So it is perfectly legal to view it online for free!

May 9, 2009

Tagore's 148th Birth Anniversary

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Folks, today is Rabindranath Tagore's 148th birth anniversary (Rabindra Jayanti). By far one of the greatest icons of our country, Kabiguru Tagore has given us our wonderful National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and numerous other literary and poetic gems that will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come. Let us all pay our respects to this great man who will always be an inspiration to the one billion people that make our great nation, INDIA.

Sharing with you a beautiful song (Rabindra Sangeet), Puranoshei Diner Kotha:


And lastly, in Tagore's words:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by Thee to ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.

March 14, 2009

Bollywood's Ten Best Choreographed Songs

What would a Bollywood film be without a song and a dance? Ever since the Alam Ara days, our films have been obsessed with dance numbers. Proof: you can even find one or two of them in our horror films! This might be a big surprise for those who are not too familiar with Bollywood but for the rest of us, it's the bread and butter of what we call masala entertainment. The best part of it - we have made a genre for ourselves - the "Bollywood musicals".

This is an attempt to shortlist ten best choreographed songs of Hindi cinema. The list may be limited as it only includes film songs that I have seen till date. Your personal choices and suggestions are most welcome.

#10. Pehla Nasha (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander)

Choreographed by Farah Khan
Picturised on Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka
#9. Humko Aaj Kal Hai (Sailaab)
Choreographed by Saroj Khan
Picturised on Madhuri Dixit
#8. Piya Tu (Caravan)
Choreographed by Suresh Bhatt
Picturised on Helen
#7. Hothon Pe Aisi Baat (Jewel Thief)
Choreographed by Sohanlal
Picturised on Vijayanthimala, Dev Anand
#6. Radha Kaise Na Jale (Lagaan)
Choreographed by Saroj Khan
Picturised on Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh
=6. Aplam Chaplam (Azaad)
Choreographed by N/A
Picturised on N/A


#5. Main Aisa Kyun Hoon (Lakshya)
Choreographed by Prabhu Deva
Picturised on Hrithik Roshan
#4. Chaiyya Chaiyya (Dil Se)
Choreographed by Farah Khan
Picturised on Shahrukh Khan, Malaika Arora Khan
#3. Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya (Mughal-E-Azam)
Choreographed by Lachchu Maharaj
Picturised on Madhubala, Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote
(The budget of this song was a staggering 10 million rupees. Considering the year in which Mughal-E-Azam was made (1960), this was a very big amount. Also the lyrics of the song were rewritten for around 105 times as the music director, Naushad, was not satisfied with the initial attempts.)
#2. Maar Dala (Devdas)
Choreographed by Saroj Khan
Picturised on Madhuri Dixit, Shahrukh Khan, Milind Gunaji
#1. Dola Re Dola (Devdas)
Choreographed by Saroj Khan
Picturised on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri Dixit definitely is the contemporary dancing diva of Hindi cinema and although many of her other hits like Mera Piya Ghar Aaya and Choli Ke Peeche are not in my top 10, each one of them is still a classic in its own right. When it comes to yesteryear's cinema, Vijayanthimala and Helen top the list. In choreography, Saroj Khan is the undisputed champion in today's cinema but as far as versatility and creativity is concerned, it's got to be Vaibhavi Merchant and Farah Khan. (For those interested, Saroj Khan and Vaivabhi Merchant have come together as judges for the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa on Sony).

P.S. What are your choices?

March 4, 2009

The Writers' Lounge Film Quiz #3

For this week's quiz, identify the films from the pictures below (1-7).
Please remember that only one submission per person is allowed! Also it'll be great if there's some more participation from the Lounge readers :)

Good luck!


QUIZ:
LINK for submission (open in new tab/window):
www.jotform.com/form/90624855324

(Click on the picture to enlarge)
LINK for submission (open in new tab/window):
www.jotform.com/form/90624855324

Answers for last week's quiz:
1) Aatank Hi Aatank
2.a) Ustad Zakir Hussain
2.b) Nargis
3) Swades
4) Duvidha
5) Oldboy
6) Khamoshi

Winners (Total entries: 21):
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