Ritu's Reviews

Under the baton of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s direction, one would expect Eklavya to be a royal experience. And royal it is. With classic sets designed by Nitin Chandrakant Desai, the timeless beauty of Rajasthan, an amazing set of technicians from cinematographer Natrajan Subramanian to digital colorist Warren Lynch, the film is aesthetically all one can dream. Every scene appears as if Chopra’s painted a masterpiece. But that’s just it; it would have been nice if he realized he wasn’t making a portrait but a moving film. As a still it makes for great eye-candy but as a movie it doesn’t make for an epic.

The last film Chopra directed was Mission Kashmir in 2000. Now after seven years he comes back as director. Of course during this time in between he’s had great success as a writer and producer for Munnabhai, Parineeta, and Lage Raho. Having been greatly involved in the intricacies of producing quality films, it seems with EKLAVYA he continues to focus on the details and neglect the big picture. It’s evident he was far more absolved in the grandeur.
However EKLAVYA – The Royal Guard is one of those tricky films it’s hard to make a good or bad call on.
It has above par production quality, a fairly good story with a moral, great actors with greater performances, is UNDER 2 hours (rare for a commercial bollywood film), and only has ONE song (again rare) that flows with the film. The revived lesson of how to determine your ‘dharma’ from the teachings of the Mahabharata has been beautifully relayed.

So then you sit and wonder, why is it not as stellar of a film as it should be? The answer is ironic but it’s in the length. Indian cinemagoers are so conditioned to watch long films that when something ends so quickly, it’s as if it was half-baked. The tone of the film from start to finish is the same. Most of the scenes are under-developed, preventing audiences from forming a connection with the characters and/or situation. Pacing is brisk in terms of length, but dilatory in terms of speed.

What indisputably amaze are the performances. Saif and Vidya’s chemistry is still on fire. Vidhya takes notice for her child-woman like enactment and Saif swings higher on the totem pole as Prince Harshwardhan. Amitabh Bachchan obviously delivers with amazing grace and sets new heights of accomplishment. A delight on screen as always, Sanjay Dutt puts smiles on viewer’s faces, but only in snippets with a brief role. Jackie Shroff, Jimmy Shergill, and Raima Sen give their competent best. Boman Irani is highly effective.
Eklavya – The Royal Guard is a film out of the ordinary but is not Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s masterstroke as a director. Technically the film is effervescent. It can be applauded for it’s visual finesse, performances, and story with a moral that will likely stick with audiences. But on many other fronts the film disappoints. What it boils down to is Eklavya not having the certain ‘oomph’ that spins audiences dizzy with either emotion, laughter, or thought. Eklavya – The Royal Guard is an average film made on an above average scale, netting out to Ritu's 3 stars.

Posted by Ritu at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Many nations across the South American, European, African, and Asian continents are struck with conflict. Look at Sudan, look at Cambodia, look at Bosnia. Look at Bhagdad where a bomb blows up everyday. Children aren’t playing dodge-ball, but instead, dodging bombs. The daily events that occur in those territories make headlines for maybe 30 seconds to mention the death toll of 300.
It's as if those 'casualities' are casual occurences, so no one pays much heat to them.
When 9-11 happened...you better bet EVERY news channel in EVERY part of the world covered it. ZEE News - all about "Amreeki jahas pe attack". United 93 followed shortly after.
But when BLACK FRIDAY happened... did Mumbai get the worldwide coverage? March 12, 1993 - ATTACK on the BOMBAY STOCK EXCHANGE! - 13 bombs across Bombay in total!!! over 1,300 INJURED! Riots to follow!!!!
...who cares right? - A brief mention in the "60 seconds Around the World" coverage..and that's that.
After all...as someone said to me, "History isn't made until it happens in America".
Perhaps when terrorism struck Indian soil (as it frequently has) been given its due attention, perhaps history wouldn't have repeated itself in a doubly terrifying manner!!!
Had the issue not taken 13 years to resolve, had it been a more URGENT matter...
maybe the course of 9-11 could have been altered.
History is often neglected. As much as we say, "learn from other's experiences" - few chose to.
I remember when I was in college, I wanted to petition for a WAR HISTORY class. I wanted a course that discussed WHY WAR ERUPTED, the causes leading up to it, HOW it was resolved, and WHAT current events do we see that mirror the same outline. This wasn't a cry for World Peace...we can make that possible or impossible (that's a whole new debate in itself), all it was, was a thought as to how we could make better decisions. Be aware...even as common participants in the political and judicial system.
We don't want another Armenian Genocide, we don't want another Holocaust, we don't want the Nanking Massacre, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia Genocides!!
Well I never created the class... but I sure am bothered by the fact BLACK FRIDAY was far away from the limelight for so long. The film TRULY deserved to be seen by NOT just South Asian audiences, but Universal viewers

Also, if you chose to look beyond your frame of reference, check out the below sites - they'll help educate you and if you chose, allow you to help. But please, don't get me wrong...$$ isn't the only way to help. To me, there are 3 steps: to know, to understand, to act - if you can do any of the three..you are helping in some way.

www.care.org
www.hrw.org (human rights watch)
www.unitedhumanrights.org
www.worldbank.org

Posted by Ritu at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Bombay blasts occurred in 1993. The film was made in 2004. The Mumbai High Court then placed a ‘stay order’ on the film, preventing it from a theatrical release. Now in 2007 it breaks from circulation in only film festivals to theatres across the US. Black Friday. Why the courts banned the film, isn’t something we’ll uncover, but WHY you should see it…is!

March 12, 1993 was a day in Bombay where people in the city weren’t playing football, cricket, or dodge ball, but instead they were dodging bombs. 13 bombs total wounded the city in various parts. The Bombay Stock Exchange exploded not with the flurry of stock prices, but explosives. That day is known as BLACK FRIDAY. The attacks were believed to be a retort from militant Islamic groups to the demolition of the over 3-century-old Babri Mosque by Hindu fundamentalist.
Sensitivities of both Hindus and Muslims were provoked. Riots broke, the atmosphere was consumed of chaos. WHO would conspire such a coordinated and destructive plan? HOW would they achieve their mission? WHAT would the political and judicial system do to reinstate order?
Based on a book by S. Hussein Zaidi, writer/director Anurag Kashyap unfolds the answers. An intense film extremely well made, it presents facts, presumptions, and LOTS of food for thought. If you were aware of the events that occurred, the aftermath, and the verdict then the film is likely to take you down memory lane. Nostalgia of the horrendous time resurfaces from actual video clips of newscasts. If you’re devoid of the episode, this film does a fair job of giving the basics and then some. It holds no bars in pointing direct fingers at Pakistan’s ISI branch and Indian political personalities. So the question arises if the film is entirely fact based without bias? Well the truth of the matter is, in cases as such; the real truth is rarely uncovered publicly. What appears on screen is a mix of Kashyap’s interpretation and hard facts, depicted in a credible manner.
The viewer can easily grasp the course of events and walk out understanding who, what, when, where, and how. Additionally you walk out with a new-formed respect for the Indian police. Most other films write the police force off as corrupt, but as shown in the film, the task team assigned to this case proves their sincerity. With India’s population and numerous small villages, it’s easy to hide for criminals but not easy to operate for police. Regardless of the challenges, the police keep going with their relentless efforts.
All the actors come across seasoned. Kay Kay Menon is exceptional as is Pawan Malhotra.
Anurag and the editing team have done a superb job shooting pivotal sequences without getting too graphic. Technically the film is brilliant. For having been made prior to 2004 and releasing in 2007 the film does not look dated at all. The cinematography, sound, lighting, and art direction are commendable. The background score flows.
There are many positives to the film, however it’s not free of flaws. Some scenes were long and drawn out, specifically the chapter of Badshah Khan. A good 10 minutes could have been cut. Violent content and foul language make it an inappropriate watch for young viewers.
BLACK FRIDAY is an anomalous watch that defines ‘bold’ in every frame. A MUST SEE watch for fans of stimulating cinema with Ritu's 4 stars.

Posted by Ritu at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you ever been to India? Well, if you haven’t…you really ARE in for a culture shock! The first thing you’ll see is a cow next to your car on the road instead of another car and a woman walking up to your window with three little kids, begging for money to feed her hungry children. The poverty in India is striking. You can’t help but question the circumstances and wonder, if all the street dwellers will ever have a job. Well guess what?! They DO have a job! Begging is their business. Madhur Bhandarkar’s TRAFFIC SIGNAL exposes the industry known as the “Beggar’s Mafia”.

I can’t say it enough when I say a Madhur Bhandarkar film is really always something out of the ordinary. He takes a subject and dives in to it with such honesty, there’s no way it won’t find an audience who’ll find it appealing. Whether it’s bar girls, politics, the glamour world, or the big bad corporate dogs, he knows how to uncover the faces behind the mask. In essence a guaranteed eye opening experience.

In TRAFFIC SIGNAL he exposes the nexus of homeless beggars, builders, politicians, the underworld mafia, and many more who thrive off of the nearly 180 crore industry. Bhandarkar once again does his homework as a storyteller and with a mix of fact and suspicion alludes you into a believable story. The magic of a Bhandarkar film lays in its realism. From the location, to the costumes, and the Bombaiya lingo, everything is authentic. The moment Traffic Signal takes off ground; you are on the grounds of Mumbai. With excellent cinematography, the dust, filth, dirt, and even the scent, is all captured.

The strengths of TRAFFIC SIGNAL are surely in it’s visual appeal, subject matter, convincing cast, and notable performances. The weakness is entirely in its plot. It’s like a donut; everything else is good, but the middle is missing. The central plot is empty leaving the course of events to seem repetitive. Day in, day out, it’s the same thing everyday, every time. Finally when the film reaches a climax, it lacks intensity and the conclusion has no resolve to the issue. However, no resolve, may in fact be the reality of the situation. It seems as if Madhur landed on a subject that caught his attention, was thought provoking, but he didn’t know where to take it from there.

What he does know to do, and do well, is extract credible performances. The entire cast clearly lives and breathes their characters, not even one performance is out of place. Kunal Khemu as the lead protagonist proves himself as a mature actor. Neetu Chandra as his love interest is adept. Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey take notice. Director Sudhir Mishra steps in to the shoes of an actor and proves admissible.

The film may drag at times, but the good thing is the sound-track flows with the script. “Yehi Zindaagi” & “Na Jis Din Teri Meri Baath Ho” have relevant lyrics.

Madhur doesn’t make “wholesome” cinema, for viewers who want to turn their heads the other way from the reality of the cold hard streets, and live in fictional Bollywood cinema. He doesn’t care WHO he offends and makes cinema that impacts the senses in an unforgettable way – even if it’s disturbing. Traffic Signal is a ‘go’ with a ‘green’ light on Ritu's Reviews, rounding about to 3 stars.

Posted by Ritu at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)