#MovieReview: Ghostbusters (2016)

Disclaimer: This is a spoiler-free review of the movie Ghostbusters that released this past week. Spoiler-free, not by choice, but by restraint. There is nothing much I can spill as the writing of the movie is the real ghost that needed some major busting. 

If you stepped into the cinema hall expecting to be blown away, stem your expectations right there. Nip them in the bud. This movie is nothing like its predecessor with the same name. 

There are moments in the movie that make you feel like you could stay on till the end, but for most part, I was inching towards the exit door. And all the harsh things I say, I say for the script alone. The writing and the setting of the movie is so lifeless, I am surprised the actors did not fall asleep during shots. Or maybe they did, we don't know that. 

The casting is spot-on! An all-woman ghostbuster squad is a dream concept and despite the bad reception the movie's trailer received, I was expecting some amazing stuff. Sadly, that did not come. I could not believe my eyes when Thor was wasted away like that. You can call me out for typecasting Chris into a singular role but when you watch the movie (if you do) you will comply by what I say. Melissa McCarthy and Kate McCinnon are great, pulling off a dull story rather splendidly. Leslie Jones as the loud, funny tag-along is bearable too. Kristen Wiig is made to look stone-faced all throughout the movie, except for the times when the ghosts vomit slime on her face.  

My favourite in the movie is Kate McCinnon. It's a shame she stands behind Chris Hemsworth(a horrible miscast) in the movie posters. Kristen Wiig is under utilised, there is hardly any depth in her character. However, that is in no way a reflection on her acting prowess. Obviously. The script failed her! Then there is Bill Murray, along with many other actors who appeared in the earlier Ghostbusters movie, trying to pull a Stan Lee with forgettable cameos.

Rating: 6/10

Watch the movie if you have loved these brilliant actors on Saturday Night Live and would not mind seeing them being wasted away. Also, find it in your heart to get over Chris Hemsworth's dumb blonde moments in the movie. He was just acting. I hope.

#MovieReview : Sarrainodu (2016)

I love the Indian film industry. They set so much footage in store for the actor of the movie, it's insane! He gets all the attention, all the (cool?) dance moves and all the women. In fact, the writers seem to think it unnecessary to weave an actual plot in their movies for this very reason. Sarrainodu (meaning 'the correct man') is one such movie which has its tone set in hero worship.

I cannot get myself to summarise the entire movie in writing, I think I might not be able to do justice. All you need to know about the movie is that Allu Arjun is the good guy with martial arts like skills that are almost supernatural. Nothing can wound the hero. Then, there is a bad guy and his father (for the spoilt son angle) 

Our hero is unemployed, is sufficiently rich, hits on the young and single MLA, decides to marry another damsel, decapitates bad guys and occasionally provides comic relief minutes before he springs into action against goons in the movie. The bad guy does, well, bad things. The hero and the villain cross paths and surprise surprise, the hero kills the bad guy in the end. 

Now, for my take on the movie! Being an avid hindi movie viewer, watching a telugu movie is a novelty. I will go all out on the limb here and confess, despite the obviousness of the plot I rather enjoyed the movie.
Here's why:
1. I hardly understood the dialogues but the visual impact of the dialogue delivery left me quite amused.
2. The absolute hilarity with which the events of the movie transpired. They were unreal and laughable and I did have a good laugh.
3. The popcorn was really good! 

Sarrainodu in two words: Plot-less and Unnecessary  

So much for hero worship! 

#MovieReview : Fan

Shahrukh Khan is a weird human being, a weirder actor. Just when you thought he had lost his marbles with his recent feature films letting us down a great deal (read Dilwale and Happy New Year), this movie is sure to make you feel real proud of being an SRK fan. With the likes of Swades and Chak de India in his kitty, SRK does not really need to prove his mettle but his choice of movies in the last couple of years have got us wondering if SRK was losing his sheen. But all that will seem reduntant somehow when you watch the movie. It was unreal watching SRK play a character like Gaurav after so many years! Unreal and refreshing.

The plot of the movie is quite uncomplicated. Gaurav Chandna from Delhi is a hardcore Aryan Khanna fan and has been idolising the actor since he was a little boy. He has a shrine of sorts dedicated to the actor built right in his bedroom. He also resembles his idol, joking in his monologue at the beginning of the movie that God moulded his face with the clay that was left after He was finished with Aryan Khanna. He wins a actor-lookalike prize in his colony after he puts up a great show posing as Aryan Khanna, with the help of his ever-so-adorable parents. He sets out to Mumbai to meet SRK on his birthday and give him that trophy. What happens after is what the movie is all about.

The thing that will strike you when you first see the movie will be how the 'Fan - Gaurav' resembles the pre-DDLJ era Shahrukh Khan, right out of Darr and Anjaam. The hero and the anti-hero played by the same actor is not a novel concept in Indian cinema but the way the relationship between a superstar and his (self-proclaimed) greatest fan unfolds on the silver screen is in this movie is fresh baked cookies. The movie sure does fizz out in terms of drama in the second half, but SRK whilst playing both Gaurav and Aryan, more than makes up for it with his brilliant acting. 

The movie has been shot brilliantly and Maneesh Sharma's love for Delhi continues as he captures the city in its raw hide in some shots. However, one might wonder that the casting was deliberately done in a way that the major limelight could be thrown on SRK alone. Nevertheless, that wasn't necessary because this is his movie out and out. If you want to go watch the movie or if you do not, you really must. SRK fan or not, you will like this movie for what it is. While you are at it, don't expect a wonderfully written script, it definitely could have been better. Watch it for the performances. And Gaurav.

Dear PK haters

WhatsApp is basically killing my patience. I'll be more specific. WhatsApp groups in particular are contributing a great deal in ruining my perfectly good mornings. The murder of patience began the day families decided that privacy was basically dead with 'Good Morning' and 'Good Night' was anywhere between 5 a.m and 11.30 p.m. 

Then came the revolutionary types. Armchair revolutionaries. The ones who shared 'Kraantikari' posts in these groups hoping to spark a social change. Many issues have fallen prey to this phenomenon. The NaMo craze and politics in the lead. Next came religion. In a country that houses peacefully(?) around 330 million Gods, you would think people's religious tolerance would be sky high. 

Alas!

It is these WhatsApp groupees that make me sick today. And the reason is foolish and dark, both at the same time. The latest in the group forward is about how PK is an anti-hindu propagating movie with a script that indicates tolerance towards all other religions. Then the Indian girl - Pakistani boy love story angle is being majorly frowned upon. 

A little something about PK here:

PK is the story about PK's journey to find an object that is infinitely precious to him and is the only way he can get home. On his quest, he is introduced to the idea that 'Bhagwaan' can only help him. He pleads to all Gods, not knowing which religion to appeal to since he had no idea of his religious allegiance as he was not branded physically by any mark of a particular religion. His journey is honest and his prayers are heartfelt. The observations PK makes about religion, God-men and humanity in general are veracious. Objective, but definitely not baseless.

When an Indian Girl falls for a Pakistani Boy after her initial hesitation in associating with him after finding out about his home country, the filmmaker is trying to bring across a point that her heart overruled her head. When PK rolled on the floor of a temple or took part in the Moharram procession, the filmmaker is depicting his character's relentless faith in all the religions. There is not one instance in the movie where God as a supreme being is questioned. What is brought to question is how God-men cash on people's blind faith and fear to craft a niche profit making business for themselves. In the movie, the plot revolves around a God-man who calls himself the representative of a popular Hindu God. The writers drafted the story that best suited the idea that took shape in their head. To brand it as communal and being opposed to only a single religious group is cuckoo talk.

What is baffling is that the people giving wind to this controversy are the people I know personally. This is communal. It plants the seed of silent hatred in the minds of people who usually do not create opinions every time they watch a movie.       

My point here is that movies are the tools of independent creative expression. And to top it all, PK is a lovely sweet movie with a simple yet strong message. Just let it be! Please do not kill it's buzz, not just yet. 

This is 2014 people, we are fighting on a crowded planet for survival. It does not take a lot to coexist and live happily. I admit you are a religious person, be fair and non-violent and spread happiness. Religion is for faith, happiness and observance. It is about convenience, not violence and hatred.

And next time you walk out of a movie theatre, leave the negativity behind and take back with you all that is positive and good.  

Cheers!

An Honest 10 Books list

Everyone is going high-end literature buff with this task of listing their favourite ten books, or atleast that is what it seems to me. Books entered my life much later than usual, at the age of 19 when I read my first full fledged novel/book. But in my life so far, I have lived with academics and being a civil services aspirant. So now, I have two lists. The first one is from my pretentious self, the second list is from my nerdy self. These are the books that remain with me even today:

(in no particular order)

LIST#1

1) The Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban in particular, because it was the first book I EVER read.

2) The Shiva Trilogy by Amish

Shiva is my favourite mythological character and Indus Valley Civilization is my favourite period of study in History. I had to love the series.

3) The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

The book blew my mind. I finally realised that I had an inclination for conspiracy novels.

4) Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

This book took me a month to finish but it was nothing less than magic.

5) Windmills of the Gods by Sidney Sheldon

Love for the book, more love for the genre

6) Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget is basically me.

7) Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkein

Transported.

8) Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James

For Christian Grey. Also, it is Beyonce certified.

9) White Mughals by William Dalrymple

Grand. Epic.

10) Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

"Do you want to fly so much that you will forgive the Flock, and learn, and go back to them one day and work to help them know?"

LIST#2

1) A Cultural History of India - A.L.Basham

2) Oxford Disctionary of World History

3) Quantitative Aptitude - Dr.R.S.Aggarwal

4) NCERT Textbooks

5) Machiavelli's Prince

6) Medieval India - Satish Chandra

7) India's Struggle for Independence - Bipin Chandra

8) Civil Service Chronicle

9) Early History of India - Romila Thapar

10) Tinkle

I have a few books on the waitlist waiting to be read:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Empire of the Mughals by Alex Rutherford, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Discourses by Karl Marx, Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi, Love in the time of Cholera by Garcia Gabriel Marquez and The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald.

Do I need to add more to my to-read list? I'd love some suggestions! 

Potterhead. Always.

It is my undying love for J.K.Rowling's extravaganza, Harry Potter that I am not able to get over the franchise even years after it ended spectacularly. The books changed my life in a million ways. It is not just a story of Harry's final victory over Voldemort, it is in fact a tale of bravery, love, friendship, sacrifice, pride and innocence. Each character displays a certain depth and they end up teaching us a lot more than we take from what is just plainly written.

Album Dumbledore taught us that one can always leave their past behind and change for the better. That greatness is derived from the love people have for you and not by exerting power, which he shows by consistently declining the post of the Minister of Magic. 

Severus Snape taught us that love is timeless and unconditional. That once you love someone dearly, you will stand by that. ALWAYS.

Rubeus Hagrid taught us that wild was good. That if you wanted to pet a dragon and raise a three headed dog, it was just as normal as wanting to drink pumpkin juice. He taught us that not everything that looks ferocious is dangerous, 

Luna Lovegood taught us that being weird is cool. That believing in things no one else believes in is possible, if only you believe in your version of things no matter how crazy.

Draco Malfoy taught us what it is to be pushed into wrongdoing against your own will. That living with bad company, need not make you a monster. There might still be hope. 

Bellatrix Lestrange taught us that obsession was a dangerous thing. That obsessing over something or someone was going to get you nowhere except for being dead.

Neville Longbottom taught us that being an under achiever usually ends up winning crucial battles. That dealing with a past that involves parents that no longer remembered him and a grandmother who expects too much from him did not pull him down. 

Ginny Weasly taught us to be tough. That being a girl was not just gossips and giggling and making sparks fly from the wand, it is about casting perfect bat bogey hexes and being an amazing Quidditch beater.

Fred and George Weasly taught us to be jesters. That to laugh and to make people laugh was indeed the best medicine. 

We miss you Fred! :'(

Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin taught us that we always find love when we are not looking for it. That standing together to face death was the most important thing than having to let go for each other's safety. 

Hermione Granger taught us that it was okay to be the know-it-all. That pouring over books and being the one who always answers questions, no matter how crazy they are, comes in handy to handle the deadliest of situations.

Ron Weasly taught us that it was more important to be a friend than being that guy who always lives in the shadow of a celebrity. That ginger people are the ones adorned with the best sarcastic humour. 

Harry Potter taught us that bravery and selflessness are the traits of a hero. That losing your loved ones should not let you lose sight of your bidding. 

Voldemort taught us that power corrupts. That if a person knows no love, he knows no magic. 

and

J.K.Rowling taught us that a string of rejections and downsides in life cannot tear you apart. That pulling yourself together and believing in your stories is more important than anything else. Because 'No story lives unless someone wants to listen to them'

Let me know if there are other characters from the series that have taught you something, or if these characters have inspired you in a significant way.