Heroine:- Glossy mash up of Dirty Picture, Fashion and Page 3

If your are expecting an aesthetic movie dealing with the emotional baggage of a Bollywood film actress and a Diva, then stay home. This is not what you are actually getting. Heroine is a thorough commercial masala movie. Sadly, this movie goes into a loop of never ending ordeal of an actress. Just when you see some spark of depth in the movie, it goes back 15 minutes and you sit there thinking what the hell is going on.

Starting off as a typical dark-face-of-fame moment, the movie gives a lot to look forward to. But as the movie moves on, you get a feeling of déjà vu. The film is completely soaked in clichéd moments. The moments which you have seen and read hundreds of times. Till the first half of the film, there is no depth and novelty in the film. Once the second half of the film begins, there is some kind of innovations introduced. There are some very good moments where you can see the Bhandarkar brand of direction, but again towards the end, you are thoroughly disappointed with loose ends in the story and abrupt ending of the movie. This movie will be a commercial hit for sure, but to be honest, it is nothing like what we all are expecting it to be.

Casting is near perfect. Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda have managed to cleverly cut their sliver off the movie carved only for Kareena. Kudos to them. Rest of the supporting cast of Ranvir Shorey, Shahana Goswami, Lilitte Dubey and Helen which were kept under wraps, shine through in their little but important roles in the movie. Lucky mascots Atul Kulkarni and Manoj Joshi were missing from Bhandarkar's most awaited and expensive venture yet. Rest of the few casts were shuffled from his last few movies. Yawn. Technically the film is a treat to watch, with good music, cinematography and crisp editing. Although I personally wanted the movie to extend just 10 more minutes to tie up the loose ends and give some insight but it didn't. Disappointed again.

A special mention to Kareena Kapoor who has single handedly managed to pull off the movie with a good story and weak script. She has given her 200% in the movie proving yet again why she is the highest paid actress and a brand herself. Playing the role of Bipolar disorder affected, alcoholic actress Mahi Arora, who has failed in her relationships as well as her career is a real tough nut to crack. She is the only reason why you will sit through the entire film since her presence just doesn't let you budge from your seats. He styling is very chic and international. She looks every inch the vulnerable, troubled soul unaware of her own beauty and charm. There are moments where you hate her, there are moments where you love her. And there are just moments. Some moments which pierces right inside you. Watch her out in the scene where she haplessly says yes to social appearances like weddings just because she has nothing else to do. Watch this movie only for Kareena.

All hardcore Madhur Bhandarkar fans are going to term this movie as a thorough disappointment. It's hard to believe that is the same director has made cult films like Satta, Chandni Bar, Page 3, Corporate, Traffic Signal and Fashion. And now Heroine, a film that fails to evoke any emotion or even reaction from the audience. The film literally sinks to rock bottom if it wasn't for Kareena's memorable portrayal of the complicated grey character of Mahi Arora. If you have not seen Madhur Bhandarkar's earlier movies, this movie might be a little new for. But his fans are not really going to like it. Watch this film only for Kareena's efforts and her sheer ethereal presence in the movie.

2.5/5:- 2 for Kareena and 1/2 for a handful moments of depth. 

Barfi!-Happy tears :') tch tch :')

Barfi! is another masterpiece created by Anurag Basu. After his last film Kites failed to impress me enough, Barfi! is simply a treat to watch. Barfi! is a light hearted movie which is entertaining and endearing to the core.  It paints the lives of specially abled individuals with the hues of their hidden emotions bringing out a painting which simple leaves you in awe of the painter with few happy tears trickling down your cheeks.

The technical aspects of the movie score a perfect 10. Shot in the exotic locations of Darjeeling, the film has a very refreshing feel to it. The cinematography by Ravi Varman has captured the essence of Darjeeling and blended it into the film beautifully. The film in spite of having an otherwise artistic essence, it doesn’t really get monotonous thanks to the wonderful direction and cinematography. The music is again very subtle and not blaring on your face for no apparent reason, so is the background score. A cute track Picture Chaalu plays in the beginning of the movie. Rest of the songs are melodious and the song Phir le aaya dil is going to linger in your mind for a long time. The costumes are again very subtle and apt for the characters as well as the locales. Few portions of the film were shot in Kolkata, set in the rains and puchkas, they’ve played a pivotal role in the film. The editing somehow could have been a little better. That is the only complaint I have. About 15 minutes shorter, the film could’ve achieved the not-a-single-dull-moment feat successfully. However, there are no disappointing or ambiguous parts in the narration of the movie done by Ileana D'Cruz. Anurag Basu has finally moved away from his dark direction genre to a light hearted and funny one. It’s not fair to term it as a Romcom but yeah on a broader scale it definitely has its share of romantic and funny moments. The humour is again very clean and comes solely from the endearing antics of Ranbir Kapoor. Surprisingly, the story has a pinch of every genre in it, romance, comedy, suspense and also a bit of juvenile funny action.

The actors are truly the soul of the movie. Ranbir Kapoor has always pleasantly surprised his audience with his mature performances in movies like Wake Up Sid, Rocket Singh and of course my favorite film Rockstar. This film is no exception. In fact you can say that he has raised the bar for himself and also for other newbies around him. Watch out, the Kapoor kid is here to stay. He plays Barfi, a deaf and mute guy staying in Darjeeling. He is full of life and pranks. He has so much of positive energy around him which immediately lights up everyone’s lives. Everyone associated with Barfi loves him. Even the fat and mean cop Saurabh Shukla who is always out to nab Barfi due to his innocent robberies, has a tiny soft corner for him. Barfi falls in love with Ileana D’cruz (Shruti), who moves to Darjeeling with her family. Shruti is sensible and a simple girl who has been under constant influence of her family’s decisions more than hers. Ileana plays the perfect coy and sensitive Bengali girl. She has her moments of realizations leading her to show of strength. She fits perfectly in the role essayed for her. Short lived romance with Shruti and a heartbreak leads to Barfi getting depressed and landing up in undesirable circumstances where he reconciles with his childhood friend Priyanka Chopra (Jhilmil). Jhilmil is an autistic girl from a rich affluent family where Barfi’s father works as a driver. How the friendship turns to love with Barfi caught in the middle of emotional crises is when the story beautifully unfolds. Priyanka here has swept me off my feet. No actress in this time and age would have the guts to pull off a role like this, at least not her contemporaries. At her endearing best, she deserves a special recognition for this. Watch out how she manages to outshine Ranbir towards the end of the movie. You don’t really cry or feel sorry for this autistic girl in love with a deaf and mute guy, but you can’t escape the sheer innocence of their love at the same time. The magical aspect of this movie is that just when you are about to cry feeling appalled for the innocent Barfi and Jhilmil, they manage to light up a smile on your face in one way or the other. Minimal and brilliant dialogues yet again prove that Silence is Golden. The rest of the story will be under wraps because I want you and watch it. Like NAAOOWW J

All in all, Barfi! is an extremely heart warming film you must go and watch.

Rating:-4/5

Chapter 1:-The Endearing Dilemma

Amma walked into little Piya sleeping peacefully. Amma knew Piya is awake and was trying her best to avoid school like she always used to. Crisp cotton saree draped neatly, hair neatly tied in a bun, tall, fair and pleasantly plump. One look at her and you could say that Amma was a disciplinarian. Ignoring all the puppy faces and feline noises Piya was making, Amma asked sternly, “So what’s the excuse today?”  Piya covers herself over with a blanket and says “Er, I feel a little heavy in my heart, maybe I should sleep Amma, no school Amma, please na.” Amma simply burst out laughing and called Milind in the room, her blue eyed son in his late 20s. “You heard what she said? It seems today her heart is giving her trouble. This is what happens when a little girl watches too much television.” Milind doted on Piya since the time she was born and he poured all his affection on her. Piya was more like a daughter to him. He covered Piya over with a blanket and took Amma out of the room. Amma was caught up with packing lunch boxes and ensuring that the men of the house leave for their work on time, so she saved Piya for the last since her school was in the afternoon. Meanwhile Milind’s elder brother Vineet, the ultimate prankster of the family, tiptoed over Piya’s room and woke her up again. He pulled Piya’s ears and she screeched with anger. That was Vineet’s agenda for the day completed successfully. Acha came out of his room with a comb in his hand and dressed up for the day. His moustache was just like the Army men which gave him a very stern and intimidating demeanour. He was very particular about how well his shirt is ironed and how perfectly his trousers fit. “Early morning this boy starts troubling my little doll”, Acha yelled out to Amma. Hearing Acha’s voice, Piya decided to persuade him that she doesn’t want to go to school. She quietly walked towards him like a little girl burdened with a heavy heart. Acha then made her sit on his lap and attempted at cajoling her. ”You are a good girl no? Good children never say no to education. You know how difficult it is for some people to even get an admission in a school?” By now, Milind chirped in “Amma let her stay at home na, even I have a holiday, I will play with her” Acha sternly said “Milind, it’s because of you that this girl is getting lazier day by day, stop pampering her like this. Piya will go to school, won’t she?” Piya nodded along with least interest and had by then accepted the fact that she had to go to school at any cost. Sigh.

 Since the time Piya was in her kindergarten, she had developed the knack of making up the most unique and funny excuse to avoid school, everyday!  Not that she was bad in her studies or had no friends in the school. She was the only student who was sent from junior year kindergarten to the first grade directly since she had brilliant communication skills and was much more evolved for her age. The teachers absolutely adored her in spite of her absenteeism and reluctance for school. A baby face, dusky complexion, jet black curly hair and an impressive height, Piya came off as a typical South Indian kid from her looks. But unlike other South Indian kids, she was least interested in pleasing teachers or being the first one to answer every question. She had a little world of her own where everything had to be real and sensible. Her classmates thought of her as an arrogant girl but still somehow mustered up some courage to interact with her. Once they got to know her , they realized that she is she a friendly, kind yet reserved girl. She used to cry silently missing home unlike other kids who wailed at the drop of a hat. She hated to be away from home and her teachers knew it. Tears used to keep dripping on her big, round cheeks and she used to wipe them off while writing in her notebooks. The handwriting was consistently bad. It was legible but very bad. She surely couldn’t seem to care about it.

Somehow Piya managed to pull of the day and came back home in the evening.  Before Piya started lazing around, Amma caught hold of her and made sure she took a shower in hot water with Dettol. Yes! Hot water shower with Dettol was a painful and unavoidable ritual maintained by Amma. And mind you, nobody could escape it. Amma made Piya wear clean clothes meant only for the home and then let her into her own world. Piya was allowed to watch as much as cartoons and television as she wanted to. The family was very liberated and never believed in troubling little kids with studies every day. Piya was looking out of the window and waving out to a little monkey perched on a dense tree next to their house. Kids from the other buildings used to do the same thing but again Piya was keen about knowing as to how can one stay on a tree. She was engrossed in her thoughts. Spotting her deeply engaged, Amma told Milind that she sometimes gets worried as to what this girl is thinking because she never tells anything to anyone. Piya was still looking out of the window and she kept checking the time. It was 4.30 and she saw Acha coming back from work. She was overjoyed and opened the door, something Piya did every day. Acha loved curling Piya's hair with his tiny comb, he made sure he did it everyday. She played with him for a while and went back at her window to see the world outside. The clock struck 8.30 pm and she ran inside her room. Acha was comfortably watching a cricket match which was the one thing that the entire family was crazy about. Piya said nothing and made a puppy face. Acha knew it was time for Popeye the Sailor man so handed over the remote control to Piya and made a huge sacrifice. Halfway through the cartoon show, Piya heard the doorbell ringing. Something struck her and she ran over to the door. When she opened the door, there was this beautiful dusky woman with a big red bindi and a nice smelling perfume, beautifully painted long nails and a wedge heeled shoes. This woman lifted Piya in her arms and gave a peck on her cheeks. Amma came out of the kitchen and said “This is nice. You come and Piya forgets our existence.” Everybody gave an affirmative laugh and a warm welcome to the woman. Amma quickly served dinner for everyone. The dinner was typical vegetarian simple meal which belonged more to the culture of Mumbai city where they lived since 2 decades than from Kerala which was their native place. The food was made keeping Piya in mind. Food was less spicy, less oily and off course tasty since Piya was a big foodie. After having a sumptuous meal of dal,rice,salad,curd and papad, Piya would be fed at least one spoon of rice again turn by turn by every member of the house. Only then everyone else would start eating their meal. When everybody else was busy eating dinner, Piya served water and passes around papads or pickles for everyone. She was a typical girl who wanted to learn everything that her Amma did.

Piya is aware that this woman is going to leave after dinner. She felt a lump in her throat. But she knows she can’t leave Amma and go. So what will Piya do now? What is this endearing dilemma as to who she loves more? Next chapter will reveal it all J  

Next Chapter 2: - The Long Red Bindi