Madras Cafe Review : - A must, must watch

     Madras Cafe is a political espionage film set in parts of India and Sri Lanka. The film starts off at the back drop of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister assassination. Major Vikram Singh (John Abraham) confesses the incident in his career that changed the face of Indian politics and his life. Thus begins Madras Cafe in a flashback narration. It dates back to about 3 years before the assassination of a former Indian Prime Minister. The Sri Lankan civil war fought between LTF and the Sri Lankan military was disrupting the politics and economy of the country.  Thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives. Indian peace-keeping forces were made to intervene leading to a loss of many hundreds of soldiers. After the Indian peace-keeping forces were made to withdraw, Vikram Singh was appointed by a key bureaucrat Siddharth Basu (Robin Dutt (RD)) in the intelligence agency RAW to head operations in Jaffna much to the disparity of his wife Ruby (Raashi Khanna). Thus begins his journey to Sri Lanka and back getting entwined and entangled in unjust military politics. He meets British wars correspondent Jaya Sahni (Nargis Fakhri) who intrepidly wants to reveal the truth and politics behind wars. In Jaffna, Major Vikram Singh is reporting to Bala (Vikram Belawadi). In his peace keeping attempts at Jaffna, Major Singh falls prey to bureaucracy and discovers traitors in his own organization. Whom to trust or not? And how this war leads to the assassination of our Ex-Indian Prime Minister is solely left for Major Singh’s and his team to investigate. How Major Singh manages to uncover the truth at the cost of his own life being trampled is how the movie goes forth.

              The writing is fresh and mature at the same time. A very difficult feat to achieve. The screenplay is multifaceted yet comprehensible. The age old belief of a film being good only if it's ambiguous in certain aspects is well broken by the screenplay of Madras Cafe. At no point the audiences are left with loose ends or questions as to what is going on. There is suspense and edge of the seat flow in the movie, yet no anticlimaxes. At one point you want to hold your head and say I wish this didn't happen or this could have been averted. This is what I said. 

           The performances are given justified screen space which is another very good thing about this movie. There are no star obsessed scenes and each character carves a niche in his or her own screen space. Whether it is the LTE chief Anna (Ajay Rathnam) or the Tamil Rebel, Leena Maria Paul, each character leaves a mark on your mind. There are no songs (Yes!) that tarnish the magnitude of this movie (Thanks a ton for that, I literally cringe when a movie breaks in to a song for no reason). John Abraham does full justice to his role and hats off to him for producing a movie on a sensitive topic like this. Nargis Fakhri and Raashi Khanna have a short yet concise role in the movie and they do full justice to what is required. 

         Last but not the least, the director Shoojit Sircar's artistic visualization and creativity adds the touch of ultimate class and crispness in this film. It turns out to be a spectacular treat for the audience and you are left with a lasting impact.  Not just a must watch, you better-book-your-tickets-right-away-watch. Take a bow, Mr Sircar :)

       The story is meshed up between facts and fiction. Still, it manages to paint a very clear picture in our minds about the incident that changed the face of Indian politics over two decades ago. This film is a very bold attempt at political cinema. There are some stories that must be told and some that should not. This film borders at the very edge at the times of censorship and controversies stirring up at the drop of a hat. I just hope more and more filmmakers are encouraged to make such movies. This isn't off beat cinema, this is quality cinema.

Rating: - 4/5

I will not celebrate our Independence unless....

Image Courtesy: - http://mysterious-kaddu.blogspot.in

I am not being cynical. It's about being realistic. No country is perfect. We as citizens are responsible for it. But are we the only ones responsible for it? Sure, this country has its own good aspects too. But as a common man all I can see is my vote, my taxes, my efforts and my personal space being compromised, trampled and reduced to garbage. The following are the reasons I haven't wished anyone on this day. We are full of contradictions, anger and frustrations. How can we say that we are independent? Playing ae mere watan ke logon, yeh desh hai veer jawaanon ka and then giving undue importance to news about sanjay dutt being released when our brave army men are dying is not patriotism. Carrying flags around during the day and the same flags found in trash by evening is not patriotism. Posting statuses on Facebook about your love for the country and then participating in everything that accumulates to the lawlessness and filth in this country is not patriotism. Addressing India as Bharat Mata and leering at every maa behen on the road is not patriotism. Wearing white to symbolize peace and then going ahead to celebrate "festivals" by getting drunk and making a fool out of yourself is not patriotism. Saying out "Atithi Devo Bhava" and treating athithis as money bags and fair skinned druggies who can be mugged and raped is not patriotism. Giving patriotic speeches in Hindi and casting out people who cannot speak English as dumb and uncouth is not patriotism. 

If you truly love your country, work towards making your surrounding a good place to start off with. If each and every citizen could genuinely do his/her duties rightfully, we can at least hope for a better tomorrow. We can't change the government or the bureaucracy that rules us but we can at least hope for laying down a good foundation leading to a strong structure for the future generations to come by. As of today, the only free people are the politicians, the criminals and the animals that comfortable sit or sway by on the roads meant for human transportation. And we as law abiding, tax paying and helpless citizens have the absolute freedom to shop at supermarkets and get amazing discounts on this day. (I walked in to one store to get some fruits and had to get out in less than 30 secs from the fear of being trampled by greedy shoppers looking for free groceries). 

I will not celebrate our Independence unless.... 

1. A person has the freedom to report a crime or law being broken without of fear of landing in trouble.

2. A person has the freedom to do everything the ethical and lawful way and no the "chai paani" or "jugaad"

way.

3. A person is allowed to vent his frustration and has the freedom of speech without the fear of being arrested.

4. A person is free to vote for a candidate on the grounds of being the best and not the only known face among thugs.

5. A person gets the worth of the taxes he pays for the infrastructure and not the man hole deaths and pot hole accidents.

6. A person has the freedom to use his right to information and not being mocked as "kya kar loge jaanke".

7. A child has the freedom to trust the elders he mixes around with (including parents and teachers) without the fear of being tortured or molested.

8. A man can demand justice on grounds of being wrongly accused of crime against women. (Being feminist is a good thing, but men should have equal rights too).

9. A man can freely say that it's a country where men and women are treated equally. No unfair advantage is given to women.

10. Elders can peacefully stay at home without the fear of being killed by servants or watchmen.

11. A woman has the freedom to give birth to a child in a mid-level hospital without fearing about the child being stolen.

12. A woman has the freedom to divorce her husband without being labelled as loose. 

13. A woman can be out with her friends dressing the way she wants. 

14. A woman can walk in a crowd without the fear of being groped and molested.

15. A woman has the freedom to break up or dump a guy without the fear of being killed or acid attacked by the guy.

16. A woman is allowed to be dark, fat or loud mouth without the fear of being judged.

17. A woman is allowed to be opinionated and bold without the fear of being called "dented and painted".

18. A woman is allowed to study and pursue her dreams without the fear of being accused of "getting too much of freedom".

19. A woman is allowed to eat as much as she wants and not forced to do jobs of a maid just as a "pre-requisite for marriage".

20. A woman has the freedom to chose whom she wants to marry.

21. A woman has the freedom as to when and whether to bear a child or not without the fear of being called "barren".

22. A woman has the freedom to approach the protectors of law and order without the fear of being raped or slapped. 

23. A woman irrespective of her social status or caste has the right to lead a respectful life without the fear of being gang raped and set on fire. 

24. A woman is not given away with money to the highest bidder in terms of job and qualification. She is married with dignity.

25. A woman can date or dump as many guys as she wants without being feared to be called a slut. Since the same thing a man does is termed as being a stud. 

Raanjhnaa: - A movie that will truly touch your heart

The heart of this story, a witty little kid Kundan is the son of a Tamil priest living in Varanasi. It was love at first sight when he saw the angelic little Muslim girl Zoya, the daughter of a professor. The love grows as the little boy turns into the Banarasi Babu Kundan (Dhanush). The teenage school love never seemed so endearing as it does portrayed by Kundan. One fateful day, under the influence of the movie Saajan, Kundan gathers some bro-couragement from his friend Murari (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) to approach Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) and then gets slapped. 15 times. She finally caves in to meet him as his "consistency" impressed her. As she falls for him, the family of the girl finds out and sends her off to Aligarh. Kundan is shocked and promises Zoya that he will wait for her. 8 years pass. Zoya gets into JNU and life changes for her. Kundan is still the same small town boy still waiting for his childhood love despite of the advances of his childhood friend Bindiya (Swara Bhaskar). Bindiya is madly in love with Kundan and has an eternal hope of marrying him. When Zoya returns back to Varanasi, Kundan gets the rude shock that Zoya is in love with a student leader Akram (Abhay Deol). Kundan swears to get over Zoya and get married to Bindiya on the same day as Akram marries her. Then, with a dramatic twist, life changes for everybody and the love turns deplorable. 

The story is very fresh and yet has an old world charm to it. A realistic love story after ages, if I may say. The film is written by Himanshu Sharma, the writer of Tanu Weds Manu, another simple and warm film. This film is much evolved than Tanu Weds Manu, both directed by Anand L. Rai. The film touches your heart in every way possible. It has some gem of dialogues that will have claps from the front seats to the last ones. Very difficult to achieve. The music isn't again thrown in but blends with the movie. A. R. Rahman has fused in soulful tracks with Banarasi flavor in it. The film is slightly sluggish towards the end but makes up to the viewers with some intense performances. Sonam Kapoor looks ethereal and gives one of her best performances till date. I guess no other contemporary of her could have managed to give such an intense yet effortless performance. I am personally a critic turned fan now. Dhanush shines through the movie. His comic timing, intensity and sheer effortlessness with an endearing South Indian accent is the highlight of this film. I wouldn't say he has an amazing depth but he has a lot conviction in what he doesn. Abhay Deol with very little to do still manages to carve a niche as he always does. The supporting cast also has done a wonderful job. 

Move over cotton candy romance. This film is made from the heart and pierces right through the viewer's. I eat my words and not ashamed of it, this movie is a must watch.

Rating: - 3.5/5 

Chapter 3: - The First Lie

Back to Chapter 2: - The Long Red Bindi     


       The fort game was the one thing Piya looked forward too. That was Geeta's quality time with Piya. Piya that day had carefully arranged her toys, tied up dupattas and kept her tiny utensils in place. She was waiting for Geeta. The only difference was that Piya had a guilty conscience that day. Piya knew she did something wrong. Piya knew she might get punished that day. Piya was grew anxious. It was something she did. She did repeatedly. She had lied. For the very first time. It all started a few days ago.

        It was an accepted fact that Piya hated school. The reason however was not known. She was good in studies and was promoted to the first grade by skipping the senior year kindergarten. She was the only student in her class who could read newspaper headings and sub-headings. Teachers pampered her. Her classmates loved her. Still, Piya would every day cry for the first couple of hours when Geeta left her in the school. Geeta would stand outside her classroom to make sure Piya was okay. Geeta would get late for work every day by at least 3 hours. The teachers explained to Geeta that her waiting outside the classroom would spoil Piya even more. Geeta was asked not to leave Piya to school everyday to ensure the separation was easier. So, Geeta arranged an auto for Piya that would pick and drop her to school along with a couple of more kids from the same locality. Piya was terribly upset for a week or so but due to the lack of familiarity with the auto driver, she threw no tantrums for school. Everyone in the family was relieved that Piya was disciplined to some extent.

      Like everyday, Piya was waiting for her auto to come and pick her up. Teary eyed, she looked back at the window where Amma stood to wave goodbye to her. Amma very well understood that Piya had no intentions of going to school and there was no way she is going to fall for her puppy face. The auto arrived at 12.15 pm to pick up little sad Piya. Piya waved goodbye to Amma and sat inside the auto on her favorite corner seat. There was something cooking in Piya's mind that day. There is no way I will attend school today. Piya had a plan. A plan that was going to get her into trouble.

          As the auto arrived at the school gate, all the kids in the auto gathered their school bags, water bottles and got out of the auto except, well Piya. Piya refused to budge. The auto driver asked her to get down and go inside the school premises. Piya refused. The auto driver was startled as he had no clue that a child over 5 years could be so adamant. He decided to ask the Sports Instructor of the school to help him out. Every child in the school was petrified of Jadhav Sir except for little Piya. Not that she was a brave heart, it was a sheer example of how ignorance could be a bliss. Jadhav Sir intervened and asked Piya to step out of the auto. He even blew his whistle to scare her. Piya looked away and said No. Jadhav sir gently held Piya's hand and tried to yank her out of the auto. Little Piya caught hold of the seat in the auto and refused to budge. Jadhav Sir was left with no choice but to scoop Piya in his arms and carry her inside the school premises. He did exactly the same and asked the auto driver to leave. He let Piya down and told her to straight go and sit in the classroom. Piya was fuming. Tears trickled down her chubby cheeks. Tears of shame and disappointment they were. That was a one of a kind incident in that school. At least one of a kind for a child as old as Piya. Jadhav Sir was surprisingly amused and decided not to report the incident to Piya's mom. Piya still had a chance.

        Next day, Piya silently got ready for school. She didn't threw any tantrums to skip school. Amma was a little surprised with Piya's improvement. Something is wrong for sure, she thought. Piya got dressed, had her favorite lunch and left home smiling at Amma. She went downstairs and stood waiting for her auto. She  hopped playfully and had a mischievous grin. The auto arrived and Piya sat inside. She started mentally rehearsing her new plan of action. This will definitely work. Piya smiled. The auto arrived at the gate and Piya started coughing. She told the auto driver she was extremely unwell and asked him to take her back. The auto driver had no choice but to take Piya back home. On the way back home, Piya felt an air of freedom. The same journey that used to make her sad seemed so blissful then. She was continuously wheezing and coughing to ensure that the auto driver didn't suspect her.

      Once Piya reached her door step, she had a complete monologue prepared. The moment Amma opened the door, Piya began her performance. Evading eye contact, Piya chirped "Amma, see no, the school has holiday today. They didn't write in the calender also. I had to go and come back. I will tell teacher tomorrow, this is not correct." "Very bad, alle Amma?"  Amma was puzzled. She didn't know whether to believe Piya or not. In spite of being suspicious, Amma bought the huge cooked up story served by Piya. Not that Amma was gullible, she trusted Piya a lot. Everyone in the family did. They knew very well that Piya can never lie even if she wanted too. She was a terrible lair. So, Amma told Piya to change into her PJs and go to sleep. Those words sounded like honey to Piya. Yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! She gave herself a mental high five and went inside her room to change. Piya was careful and didn't let her gleeful squeak out. She didn't want Amma to suspect her. After all this was one plan that worked. Piya decided she is going to do this every time she didn't feel like going to school. The only issue was that she did this for the consecutive two days.

        On the third day of Piya's "No School Day", Amma grew suspicious. She called up Geeta and asked her to give Piya's class teacher a call. Geeta did. Geeta didn't like what she heard. Piya has started lying. This was the first time Geeta was furious over Piya. Geeta had a terrible temper. Everyone in the family had been a victim to it. Her brothers were scared for Piya. They stood guarded for little Piya that evening as they knew Geeta has no control over her temper. Geeta at her work place was growing impatient. She decided to go home early that day. Piya has had it now. But how am I going to punish her? Geeta decided to be strong. I have to discipline her. She was fuming with rage. She could be waiting for me to play the fort game. No. I have to be strong. 

What was going to happen next? It will be revealed in the next chapter. :)