Tag: film

Dhurandhar

I rarely watch Hindi movies in theatre. I guess the last one I saw in theatre was Barfi.

But for Dhurandhar, almost everyone that I knew in my friends circle gave a thumbs up. So, after more than a decade, I saw a Hindi movie. And it was a mixed bag for me.

The opening scene in itself clearly conveyed that the movie is well made. After all these years of watching movies, I have developed a good sense of telling how the movie is going to be based on how it starts.

The good parts

The first half of the movie was just simply good. Such an amazing production quality. Some great performances. Even though the first half itself was pretty long (close to 2 hours), I totally enjoyed it. It was more of a 2-hour “drama” that takes us into the world of how terror is linked and unleashed.

Let’s talk about the production quality. Almost 95% of the movie happens in Pakistan. And wow, the way they recreated Pakistan (though we will never know if Pakistan actually exists the way they show) is simply amazing.

What was even more amazing for me was the way the movie elaborately went to the depths of showing the politics, underworld, intelligence and business communities operate. And how they are interlinked – like any other country in the world! There was some solid research, writing and production. The world building was top notch – showing rival gangs, politicians and businessmen having their agenda, how power is captured from ruling an important town and so on. It was an absolute delight to watch the first half spending so much time into this world.

With respect to the performances themselves, Akshay Khanna stands first. He simply pulled off a great performance with very little to say and so much expressed through eyes and facial expressions.

The same goes with Ranveer Singh too. There is little talking. And more through eyes and subtle smiles. Even when he talks, the words are measured. There is no over the top introduction scene for the hero – he just gets introduced just like that. He is also shown vulnerable in the movie. A hero getting molested? About to get raped? When have seen something like this in a mainstream cinema?

The way the real terror incidents were linked to the movie was also too good. The scene where the real audio between the 26/11 terrorists and their handlers was being played with a red background in the screen had a huge impact in terms of reminding everyone what was unleashed on that day. This is some superb film making where the lines between fiction and reality was blurred.

The parts that didn’t work for me

Let’s talk about the interval break first.

The entire stretch towards the interval was very well made. Ranveer is being shown the results of the work that he carried out. And through that lens, we also get to see the terror that gets unleashed during 26/11. There is a stunning performance from Ranveer and what must have been a very difficult performance for Akshay Khanna and Arjun Rampal to perform a scene where they need to enjoy the terror.

Right after this Arjun Rampal directly tells that they know there is a Spy. And we know that’s the interval moment.

I was totally hooked till this and came out telling my friends with whom I watched along that what a movie it is.

But then, what followed in the second half was a total let down for me.

What would have ideally worked is something like Arjun Rampal character finding out the handler (the owner of the tea shop where Ranveer works) and how Ranveer navigates the whole situation and so on. Instead the movie is fully dragged upon for next 1.5 hours or so.

The entire Sara Arjun character related scenes are such a drag in the whole movie. It looked as if that whole character had to be created for the video evidence of Sara Arjun father and Sanjay Dutt interaction.

The climax action sequence was also a super drag that goes for close to 10 minutes. By the end of it, I was kinda pleading for the Akshay Khanna character to even commit suicide. Add to that, the entire background score was so loud and sounded completely chaotic.

One of my other major challenge is apart from the impact the terror incidents create, there is very little emotional attachment to the movie. We hardly connect with the Ranveer character and root for his success as a spy.

The violence in the action scenes also looked like they were forced upon. I will definitely sound old when I say this, but I will still risk it – it appears that today you cannot have a blockbuster movie that doesn’t have scenes where brain comes out, hands chopped, bodies smashed, etc. I feel that violence is being normalized by all these filmmakers and it’s definitely not healthy.

Final Thoughts

While definitely not a bad movie, I felt Dhurandhar had so much potential that was not utilized well. The movie is easily 30 minutes longer and can have some better writing for the second half. May be the part 2 will have some answers for me.

What I got reminded as I walked out of the theatre was what a genius writer Kamal Hassan was.

Viswaroopam? Kuruthi Punal? Similar genre. I was way better satisfied with them than Dhurandhar.

Greed comes true

When I wrote the last post a month ago, I finished it saying I was greedy that I wanted to watch The Godfather Part II also in the theatre.

And this time around, the universe was kind enough.

Yes, The Godfather Part II got re-released last week and I grabbed the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

Even though many regard the first part very highly, it’s the part II that actually works more for me.

Because of one reason.

Rather one man – Al Pacino

It was so awesome to see his performance on the big screen. Especially the eyes – the way those magical eyes emote and can convey what’s going on in Michael’s mind without uttering a word. The mannerisms that he very consistently portrays at multiple times in the movie living Michael in and out. For example:

The way he uses two fingers and rubs both his eyes whenever he comes to a place after dealing with lot of “stuff”

Or the way he moves his left hand fingers when he is making important decisions (such as the below one when he is meeting Hyman Roth at his home in Miami)

Al Pacino also lived the character of Michael with so much consistency in terms how he reacts when people betray him. He is genuinely trying to make the family business legitimate, but when people within his family betray him or do not understand him, he simply shuts the door for them.

A great example is, how he literally shuts the door for Kate when she visits the kids without his knowledge. No words are uttered. Just a strong hatred in his eyes. Walks straight to the door and shuts it.

It’s the same with Fredo. When he discovers that Fredo plotted against him and his family, he simply shuts him off from his life – so much that he decides to kill his own brother. And that too, a brilliant scene where he gives a go ahead to his assistant to kill Fredo after their mother dies – again with just his eyes.

The Nayagan Connect

Of course, it’s inevitable that one cannot find how much inspiration that Kamal had taken from Al Pacino for Nayagan. If Al Pacino moves his left fingers, Kamal moves his right hand over his bald head. All those close up shots where the scenes were focused on Al Pacino’s reaction in his eyes – one could see how much Kamal and Maniratnam embodied it in Nayagan.

If there was a baptism scene in this movie where Michael kills his enemies, there is an equivalent scene in Nayagan where the Reddy family gets killed while Nayakkar performs the last rites for his wife.

Overall, I am super glad that my greed got answered.

And of course, there is no end to one’s greed. I am seeing news that Nayagan is likely to get released in theatres. And that will just complete it for me 🙂

Watching The Godfather in the big screen

Never, ever, in my wildest dreams, I ever imagined that I would see this movie in the big screen.

I was casually checking last Wednesday if there are any good English movies to watch during the weekend and saw this being listed as a “Re-release”.

I saw it was running only in a few theatres across Chennai and just one show in a multiplex that I and my friend regularly watch any movie.

I didn’t bother to check with my friend and I just booked two tickets for the following Saturday. I knew very strongly that my friend would simply drop everything else for this lifetime opportunity.

And, it was a lifetime opportunity for us.

Watching one of the finest craft ever made. On the big screen. The way the director intended it to be seen.

Obviously I had seen this movie a number of times. This friend of mine recommended it back in 2007-2008 times.

In the 90s when I got exposed to Hollywood movies, I was just watching the regular sci-fi, action movies. The Speed, Independence Day, Cliff Hanger type of movies. Crime-Drama as a genre was something that obviously a school/college going kid doesn’t like to see. Especially the ones that goes in a slow pace.

So was my friend until he went to the US and accidentally stumbled upon this genre. He came back and highly recommended to see this.

I tried initially and couldn’t sit through the first 30 minutes – this was sometime in 2007/2008. I normally watch during the night and I dozed off in the first 30 minutes.

A couple of years passed and my friend pushed me to watch it again during the day – like an afternoon.

Sometime in 2010/2011 I saw the first part of “The Godfather” series and was completely blown away.

Ever since, I have come back to this movie at least once every 2 years to notice something new.

Though we now remember every single scene in the movie and of course most of the dialogues, it was still a different experience seeing it in the theatre.

The beauty of watching it in theatre (any good movie) is that you are locked in that dark room for 2-3 hours. And you are completely taken into the world the director has created.

It was the same in this case too. For 3 hours, I was totally in the world of the Corleone family. How the power was being transitioned and all the dynamics within the family and with the outsiders.

And I noticed another brilliant performance

Above is the scene where Al Pacino has come out of the bathroom having taken the gun that was hidden in the bathroom.

He is going to take out Solozzo in the next few minutes.

He comes back to the table and sits in the table. The camera zooms to Al Pacino’s face.

Solozzo continues to chat with Al Pacino.

Al Pacino is listening to what Solozzo is saying.

But he is also listening to something else.

The sound of an approaching train.

He waits for the train to make the crossing near the restaurant where they are dining.

And when the sound of the the crossing train is at the max, he shoots Solozzo.

A brilliant piece of scene staging by the director.

And an amazing performance by Al Pacino. He simply keeps his head titled (to show that he is forcing his ear to listen to the train sound) and he moves his eyes to express what’s going on in his mind.

You need to watch this scene to fully appreciate this.

The train sound is also played out to us in the background when Al Pacino comes out of the bathroom – thats when the character “Michael Corleone” had listen to the approaching train sound. And decided that another train must pass soon and will use that opportunity to make the kill.

I noticed this during the movie (thanks to my friend who pointed it out). Something that I had never noticed in so many times I had watched before.

I am truly grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity of watching this masterpiece in theatre.

And now I am greedy – I want the part 2 to be re-release again. For me, personally, part 2 is still the best in the trilogy.

ps: Of course, I and my friend were discussing and comparing how Kamal and Mani had got inspired and used many techniques in Nayagan. Kamal’s hairstyle, the expression in the eyes, the calmness are all direct lift-off from Al Pacino.

And of course, the opening scene where “Bonasera” describes about the cruelty his daughter faced is a direct life-off and played by A.R.S (the DGP) in Nayagan 🙂