Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Whither the Rancho’s?

Do we still have our Ranchos around? Or more importantly, is the world too cynical these days to believe in the Ranchos?

The funny (or refreshing) thing about Hirani’s latest offering is that much more people than I have seen before seem willing to at least try and believe in the philosophy endorsed by Aamir Khan’s character. Even though the last picture done by him (Lage Raho Munnabhai) was another work of genius, a lot of people seemed unwilling at the time to believe that the radiant idealism which he propagates can work. Sadly, a lot of them saw it as just good fun and were not willing to draw in the message that goodness can thwart all evil.

However, this time around, he seemed to have got to everyone, or at least much more of us. The character of Rancho was just so infectiously endearing and hopeful that we just cannot help thinking that it is possible. Hirani is a genius. I don’t know how he manages to brilliantly evoke sensitive issue so comically, without it descending into parody or hurting sentiments. I said this the last time when the second Munnabhai came out. His portrayal of Gandhi in that was brilliantly balanced with the right amount of light heartedness while making sure that not even the so called ‘righteous’ moral police (read idiots) of the country can raise a hue. Similarly in his latest, he portrays Sharman’s character’s lousy family situation (paralyzed dad, haranguing mom, unmarried sis etc.) in a uniquely comical and good hearted manner that you just cannot raise a protest. In the hands of a lesser film maker, such a depiction of the widespread poverty in the land could have been misconstrued as in bad taste or mockery.

As for me, I love the Rancho’s of the world. If it wasn’t for those people I have been lucky enough to get close to in life, who embody at least parts of his idealism, I would have probably lost faith in humanity a while ago. In the ever changing, cynical and cut throat universe we seem to inhabit at times, it is the simplicity, directness and honesty of these people that breathes in fresh air to our existence. They bring in that essential ingredient which everyone seems to want to run away from or keep under wraps most of the time. Truth. To yourself and to others. And the world is all the more better because of them. All is definitely well!

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Avatar! WTH??

Gawd, I really wanted to like this movie. After hearing so much about it for weeks on end, I was waiting so that I could catch it in its best version, namely in IMAX 3-D. Well, finally I did get a chance over the new years weekend with my friends in Mumbai. If this is what the best version had to offer, I can imagine how much I may have disliked it in normal 2-D.

First of all, I do like good big budget actioners, which also have fresh characters and credibility of plot. The Dark Knight or the recent Star Trek are recent movies which I really liked. However, I have never been able to enjoy or like a movie which just has exorbitant special effects and no screenplay, dialogue or character development. This is probably why I actually managed to sleep through some time of the mayhem that was the second half of the first Transformers movie, and didn’t bother to watch the second one. However, I did expect James Cameron to not just make a showpiece of a movie. One of my all time favorites, T2 was done by him. You never felt in that movie that he was compromising on script, characters, dialogues or intensity for effects. I even liked Titanic quite a bit. But this one was plain disappointing. Credit has to be given where due. The idea and beauty of Pandora, and the basic premise was amazingly interesting. But the screenplay left a lot to be desired. Some of the lines uttered by Sully’s and Neytiri’s Na’vi characters are so cheesy and clichéd that you feel even the most run of the mill romantic comedies do it better. On top of that, the various scenes look like they had been picked up from a collection of good movies over the years (like the brilliant LOTR trilogy). And what in the world was all that sudden spirituality thrown in at the end? It just did not fit in credibly with the story till then.

But I guess these days, most of these movies do well. Which would explain why Transformers 2 and Avatar are among the biggest hits of the year, and Avatar will probably challenge Titanic for all time Box Office earnings. And why something beautiful and complex like Watchmen was probably not watched by half as many people as who saw Avatar. Sad though. I never thought I’ll be disappointed with Cameron.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

New Years in Mumbai... Again!

With the pitcher at Leopolds
New Years was a pretty good time this year. It started off a bit disappointingly when I had tot turn down an invite for a couple of parties on the 31st in Pune, but more than made up for it with the refreshing weekend I had in Mumbai. Great buddies, great food, great hangouts and a wonderfully exhilarating city. What else could one ask for?

Mumbai is one of those complexities of India I have always marveled at. A city which probably epitomizes all the aspects of growth, wealth, freedom, efficiency and vibrancy. And paradoxically, poverty, fear, inefficiency, congestion. But it cannot be denied the city is an event in itself. Whether it’s the teeming crowds at the Gateway and around about it or the plush interiors of the various eat outs and well designed malls, it screams its presence at you.

I loved sitting in Leopolds with some of my best friends, with their own unique way of bringing a pitcher of beer. The energy around the place(apart from the great food and drinks) is wonderfully invigorating. The 45 minutes we took to find the place seemed rewarding, as we got a chance to roam the streets of Colaba (my favorite part of the city). Though ArS would probably never live down the ‘5 minutes’ stigma from the rest of us. ;) The roadside eatery, Bade Miyan, true to reputation served probably some of the best non vegetarian food I have had. They even had a unique way of keeping the hood of the car straight so that patrons can take their food there and have it without waiting for a table. And, considering that AP usually wants to cover as many places as he can in a day, it was nice that we could just sit around at the beautiful Marine Drive for quite some time without having anywhere to think of going. Oh, and I even got a chance to catch my first IMAX 3-D experience, at the great dome with Avatar. That the movie was disappointing is a different thing.

And it was mind numbing to somehow end up at Nariman House and the narrow alleyway still riddled with the bullets of 26/11. Another reminder of the paradoxes of this place. Despite seeming like you are safe always in the teeming millions, it is also the most vulnerable because of this.