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sundeepmukherjee2000
Reviews
Raavan (2010)
Good experience
Raavan is breathtakingly beautiful with good performance from Abhishek, Vikram and Aish (except for the climax). Santosh Sivans camera is yet again mesmerising. Watching Abishek reminds of his illustrious dad 35 years back but his voice needs a little more maturity to be electrifying in similar roles as his fathers. Vikram underplayed as an emotionless cop. Govinda as Hanuman, Ravi Kishen as Laksman, Priyamani as Abhi's sister and Nikhil Dwivedi as Vikram's aide needs special credit for their performances. Screenplay is taut and Mani's storytelling is accurately Mani style. The only letdown is the background score and music is forgettable. The climax is shot marvellously. But shudn't Sita have gone to Raavan in todays world? Overall a nice watchable movie. Likely to have repeat viewers. Rated 7 of 10.
Kites (2010)
Wasted effort
The Indian version starts interestingly but fizzes out immediately after the brilliant dance performance by Hritik and Kangana. Photography is somewhat scratchy at times and the exuberance of the brilliant landscape of USA or Mexico is nowhere experienced throughout. It has extremely poor screenplay and direction is pathetic. Anurag Basu has completely failed in his biggest attempt. It starts dragging as soon as it entered the main plot. Most interestingly there is hardly any material for the audience to wait and look forward for the next scene, which is totally attributable to very poor screenplay. The so called ending twist never comes through and the audience is frustrated. A total looser. Go watch Badmaash Company instead, which is a Sholay in comparison to a Ramgarh Ki Sholay. I am disappointed.
Abohomaan (2009)
Disappointment Galore
Saw Abohoman today at Priya.
Rituparno has made a sincere effort from his side in reminiscing his old flavor, but that which dwindled off late with Shob Choritro Kalponik was yet unfound with fallacies abound.
I found the movie barely pleasing but given the spate of sick bangla films made of late including the director's own SCK (supra) I found it better than most.
Direction and screenplay was average, editing bleak, music good at times, cinematographic appeal almost invisible.
Whereas Dipankar Day probably gave the best performance of his lifetime till date, Momota Shankar was patchy, faltering in dialogue delivery many a times (which escaped the editing as well as dubbing sessions) which might have been natural in normal lingo but unpardonable for films. The tired and unfit looking Ria Sen with a pillow tied to her belly had looked better in her MMS. Jishu, Saswati Guhathakurta and Sumanta(?) Mukherjee are wasted too. Dipankar's mother was endearing to watch though. The very brief role of Labony Sarkar(?)gave an excellent and hardly ever seen better b4 portrayal of a challenged adult.
Ananya Chatterjee, who's to be the second main lead here, got her accent all wrong. For an illiterate actress of today to Noti Binodini of a century old era, her fluent English pronunciation are not only unbearable but also a pain to bear for any sensible movie lover. She stood out performance wise when delivering dialogues as modern Shrimati, but failed utterly as Bini (Noti Binodini).
Rituparno should have been more careful with his choice of actor's dialogue delivery theatrics and story build up.
The viewer reaction was unpleasing for this failed venture.
Another barely watchable movie. 3/10 overall. Dipankar and Labony gets 10/10. The movies not that bad, just that it was so made to look and feel bad. A disappointment.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
A Charming movie but definitely not Oscar material
I reviewed the movie on another blog a week before its official release and can safely reiterate NOW what I had told THEN, after 8 Oscars.
Its a wonderful wonderful movie. Greatness oozed out of every pores of every department from all the technicians, casts and the crews associated with this movie.
But in Indian context, we have seen much better movies than this and so I personally feel it undeserving for its fame.
As Boyle commented in Toronto after the pre release screening, there are more movies like this and even better made in India in local language, but if you get a chance to see them with sub titles, it will surely gonna make your day.
If you liked Slumdog, please see these Hindi movies, to name a few among a jungle more :
A Wednesday, Black Friday, Satya, Company, Shootout at Lokhandwala.
And you will realize why when the west is ogling at Slumdog, the East is still weary of it!
When 25% of the totalOscars for SM went to Allah Rakha Rahman for soundtrack and lyrics, please lend your ears to the soundtrack of Ghajini or Yuvraj to hear what A R Rahman is capable of otherwise. I personally felt SM soundtrack and lyrics were among his mediocre works.
But you need to see them all to know whats the best.
For the west when such a movie as Slumdog brings freshness to all the gore around, to east such movies are common and the gore is needed here to make the difference.
Thats why the sun rises here and sets there. Two ends can never meet.
SM is a great movie but very forgettable in eastern standards as tomorrow we are sure to have a better movie with a better concept and a better soundtrack. It pays to be in tune with reality, so check out the aforementioned movies and then judge for yourself.
Antaheen (2009)
Slumdog de glorified
Just back from Antaheen.
A two hour neat poetry on celluloid, with sweetness emphasized by Rahul, Radhika, Aparna-Kalyan duo, Sharmila and the rest of the crew.
If you like poetry then its the movie for you.
Nice direction and just being opposite to Slumdog, it glorified the beauty of Kolkata.
The music is gorgeously good and among the best (if not the best of all times) in recent times Bengali movies.
Shreya's voice is really becoming haunting with every passing day. A 10/10 overall.
A movie that will move you. A 10/10 In all respects. FLAWLESS.
Phoonk (2008)
A Mediocre Experience
The movie is reasonably good in Indian standards, with a few of blushes, which Shri RGV, as he is known and portrayed, was expected to be eradicated.
For an atheist hero, not to believe in supernatural forces even when his daughter defied gravity is beyond pardon, a blush on sensibility.
The fate of the ghost buster Zakir Hussain at the end of the movie is equally left unanswered and thus obnoxious.
The central characters blended well with the movie but the maid was expected to react better and so was the driver who was famous before as young Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian icon, in Agnipath shouting "maine jaala diya" (i burned it all), as did Seema Biswas in RGV's Bhooth. The Witch and the Witchdoctor were the best of the lot and they played the role of their lifetime. The spookiness was mostly in aggravated background score, which hummed more than it really scared.
Considering its a RGV production, I rated it 6, as he was expected to fare better.
I went for a Sarkar and came back with something in between Aag and Darna Maana Hai.
Sorry RGV, you ought to be more careful next time in hiring right people for editing notes, before heading for it.
Mithya (2008)
wtf is it ?
The movie started on a brilliant note, the background music being great and so is ranvir as the common man, but once it started on the thriller path it went haywire and Ranvir is a complete misfit as a don as he has no weight to carry, which is accentuated by his misfit thin suit and an ultra thin tie.
The henchmen looks like as out of theaters and the script drags after the first half. The ending was inconsequential as anybody can read this on newspapers everyday (so real, but unfilmy). Going through the obituaries in the newspaper is more worthwhile than watching this film to the end. A total waste of 180 quids that I paid. Sorry Mr.Rajat and Shukla, I truly had expected much more than what you two delivered this time. You guys are astounding elsewhere then you failed here, as to me, who went to see your film amidst much hoopla created by the media. Sorry, but I am disappointed, even though being an ardent fan of your theatrics.
The Bong Connection (2006)
A Masterpiece on its own
For one who has stayed abroad for a considerable amount of time and been in touch with the ex-pats community, this movie comes as a reflection to ones own self.
All the characters are defined to perfection and everyone of them did play his or her job neatly. The characters are real, the situations apt and the portrayal of bengalis be it from kolkata or from houston are made with perfect light and I can proudly say that in recent times, I have not come across another PERFECT movie as this. A few veteran actors were though wasted and could have been done away with.
The character of Hasan is as true as my taxi driver in Abu Dhabi and the typical bengali chit chat gossip in a idle get together on weekends are lifted from my times in London and made me nostalgic.
Thank you Mr. Dutt for giving us a brilliant movie with all perfect cast and technicians. The use of music was good too but the durations could have been cut short by a few minutes each time.
Its a TENner from me.