Tag Archives: Aishwarya Rai

20 Years of Kandukondain Kandukondain: A Pioneering Tamil Film In Many Ways

As I write this, we are 6 weeks into the lockdown, all thanks to the Covid-19 situation & most of us are working from home. With cinemas being closed (and with no clarity of when they will reopen again) and Satellite T.V facing an acute shortage of content (hence the re-runs of old soaps and reality shows), its thanks to the various digital/OTT platforms that we are managing to get our regular dose of entertainment. And with a mention of digital/OTT platforms it is also mandatory to add the point that in today’s times, the language barrier is not as severe as before and thanks to English subtitles (let me not elaborate on this as it requires a separate article by itself) a lot of regional cinema (and web-series) is being watched by people who aren’t fluent with the language in particular. Similarly, Hindi cinema (and web-series) is continuing to reach out to those who do not understand a single word of Hindi.Continue reading “20 Years of Kandukondain Kandukondain: A Pioneering Tamil Film In Many Ways”

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: A Quick Review

Here comes a complicated, contemporary, mature, quadrilateral love story from Karan Johar…well not actually. It is a story of Love, Love lost and Lust with sprinklings of friendship. KJo- true to his reputation weaves a web for his NRI audience with a multi- country, multi-emotional, musical that has you riveted to your seat for the most part atleast. And thankfully there are no uncles, aunts, bhangra songs or sunflower fields!!!Continue reading “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: A Quick Review”

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Movie Review: Except for the Last 30 Minutes, the Film is a Total Hoot

aedilhaimushkil-ranbir-aishwarya-anushkaAll of us are becoming increasingly impatient. Before you even read this review, you perhaps want to know whether you should watch Ae Dil Hai Mushkil or not; and if the film is worth all the hype and expectations. I usually reserve this verdict for the later part of the review but considering this is the season of Diwali generosity and more importantly some things need to be stated first up, I will answer that coveted question by putting forth a single argument or plea. if you want to call it that.Continue reading “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Movie Review: Except for the Last 30 Minutes, the Film is a Total Hoot”

“There is no one prettier than Aishwarya Rai Bachchan”

The dashing and talented model turned actor Azfar Rehman, who is currently seen as Saad Hamdani in Ishq Mein Tere, a romantic drama that airs on Zindagi, every Monday – Saturday at 6:10 pm, is a big fan of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Azfar who is popularly known as Azfu in Pakistan’s entertainment industry admires and loves Aishwarya’s movies. Azfar whose biggest dream is to act with Aishwarya in a movie considers her the most beautiful woman in the world and has watched her films multiple times.Continue reading ““There is no one prettier than Aishwarya Rai Bachchan””

Jazbaa Movie Review: More Filtered than Instagram, Photoshop and Your Cup of Coffee Combined

First things first. I don’t know why they have called the film ‘Jazbaa’. ‘Jazbaa’ roughly translates to ‘passion’ in English and I am not sure how the theme of passion fits the bill to be this film’s title. Are the makers hinting at the passion of a mother to save her child or is it about the passion to fight against a social evil like sexual harassment? Whatever be might the intent, it does not come out well at the end of the film. The only aspect of the film that showcases true passion is Sanjay Gupta’s weird obsession with green filters that makes at least half of the film look like a series of poorly-edited Instagram posts. More on that later.Continue reading “Jazbaa Movie Review: More Filtered than Instagram, Photoshop and Your Cup of Coffee Combined”

Jazbaa (2015) Movie Review: Ham and Mob Justice

There was a time, when Bollywood used to lift directly from Hollywood and in some cases, they used to copy paste entire scenes from Hollywood films. Times have changed; Hollywood studios are now making inroads into the Indian film industry.

Sanjay Gupta the inspired film maker, finally makes a film which is an official remake of a Korean thriller, Seven Days (2007). Let me tell you at the outset, I have not seen the Korean film so it would difficult for me to say how this has turned out compared to the original.Continue reading “Jazbaa (2015) Movie Review: Ham and Mob Justice”

Dear Rajni Sir: An open letter to SUPERSTAR, the Phenomenon.

Dear Rajni Sir,

Lets just say that I have a dream.

Visualizing this dream has always left me reflecting on a truckload of memories and yearning for the vintage ‘Rajinikanth‘.

That magical moment, when you opened the gate, as a haggard in rags, seemingly stricken with a terminally ill disease and smoking a beedi, simply refuses to go off my mind. If I remember right, the Sanskrit term ‘Shruthi Bedham’ appears precisely at this point on the frame, and the off screen voice only added on to make it seem like THE most inauspicious start to any debutante’s first screen appearance.Continue reading “Dear Rajni Sir: An open letter to SUPERSTAR, the Phenomenon.”

The Pros of a Film Festival

Come October and there is only one thing on most movie buffs mind in the city of dreams : MAMI. Re-christened Mumbai Film Festival a few years back it is easily the top film festival in Mumbai and among the best in the country. For me personally, it has played a major role in shaping my tastes in cinema. It was the first ever film festival I had attended in 2009 and I have tried my best to attend it every year since. But due to academic compulsions I have had to give this year’s event a miss.

After spending hours spewing venom on my fate and cursing fellow MAM authors and others who attended the film festival, I started making a mental note of the features of film festivals like MAMI that I missed the most. But then I haven’t written a for a very long time, so I thought why not jot down what I love about film festivals as it could make for a nice little post.

So here we go :-Continue reading “The Pros of a Film Festival”

The 16th Mumbai Film Festival Begins With Great Fanfare

 It is that time of the year when Mumbai gets its annual fix of the best international cinema. The 16th Mumbai Film Festival, organized by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), an 8-day film extravaganza opened today with internationally acclaimed film ‘Serena’ starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in the lead roles.  The festival was officially inaugurated by the gracious and acclaimed actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The 16th Mumbai Film Festival grand venue of Chandan Cinema was transformed by veteran art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai to portray the old world cinema movie theatres, creating a wow factor amidst the invited guest. Continue reading “The 16th Mumbai Film Festival Begins With Great Fanfare”