Review: Gangs of Wasseypur

Rating: 4/5

Time and time again, Anurag Kashyap has proven to be a path breaking director. He now presents - GANGS OF वासेपुर. A five hour, ambitious film that was recently screened at the Cannes Film Festival. In India, the film will release in two parts, with part one released last Friday.

The story is based on true events and locations, the director took a cinematic liberty of playing with the names of the characters and the flow of story. Much of the film revolves around Sardar Khan (led by Manoj Bajpai) and his vengeance to get his father's honor back, Shahid Khan (led by Jaideep Ahlawat).

In the midst of India gaining its independence, there's chaos among high society contenders who are in a battle to get their hands in the booming coal industry. The story picks up when Shahid Khan starts to loot a British goods train impersonating legendary Sultana Daku, who belongs to a higher ranking caste. Furious with this act, the villagers exile him after killing his men. Shahid ends up in Dhanbad working as a laborer in one of the coal mines owned by Ramadhir Singh (led by Tigmanshu Dhulia) who soon becomes his trusted aide. The locals now fear Shahid. As Ramadhir comes to find out his plan to eventually take over the mine by crushing him, he gets Shahid assassinated. This sets the plot for a brutal revenge based saga sprawled across generations on the lawless land of Wasseypur.

Aside from the big names that gave structure to the film, there are other fabulous character artists that connect the dots and take the experience to another level. Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra did a phenomenal job in carefully hand-picking each character by rummaging through various parts of India. Actor Piyush Mishra (Gulaal fame) attempts voice over for the first time, his tone blended well with the dark theme taking the story forward when it really gets cumbersome for audiences.

It is hard to remember the last time Manoj Bajpai starrer movie generated this kind of buzz among audiences and critics alike. Often sidelined when sharing screen space with the biggies in recent movies, it looks like he finally got the commercial success that he deserved. His character is naughty and polygamous yet brutal at the same time, not deviating from his goal in life to de-throne Ramadhir Singh and fulfill his revenge.

You cannot praise Anurag Kashyap enough for his fearless effort that stands out of traditional Bollywood cinema. The film gives you a raw local flavor of North India. Despite the film being dark, ‘GANGS OF वासेपुर’ has an inherent sense of humor that comes quite naturally as the story unfolds.

If you have been a fan of Omkara, Rakht Charitra and recently Pan Singh Tomar then this movie will definitely delight you! If you stay after all the credits have been rolled out, you will catch the trailer of GANGS OF वासेपुर – 2.

If you ask me, the length was well worth it!

Review: Ferrari ki Safari

Rating: 3.5/5

It has almost been a year since The Legend has sold his Ferrari. 

 

The movie is not about the political and media uproar that was caused when Sachin R Tendulkar decided to sell off the Ferrari he possessed. Instead, the script writer cleverly weaves the God of cricket and his master of speed together.

Ferrari Ki Sawari manages to engage the audience with Boman Irani as the grandfather, Sharman Joshi as the father and debutant Ritvik Sahore as a child who make a small Parsi family. Kayo (Ritvik Sahore) is a young boy who is passionate about cricket, just like his grandfather who could not make it to the Indian cricket team and hence, does not encourage his grandson to play the sport. Rusy (Sharman Joshi) is an honest and loving father who will do anything for his son irrespective of their financial crunch. Rusy needs to pay one and a half lakh rupees in order to send his extremely talented child to Lords, the mecca of cricket. An opportunity knocks at his door that can get him the money to do so, the catch is that he has to steal the Ferrari for a day and on top of that, he has to steal it from the man whom his family worships!

Can he do it? Will he do it? How will he do it? These questions pop up while the debutant director takes us on a feel good joy ride.

Since Boman Irani is a Parsi in real life, his performance is effortless and natural. He makes you believe in his character by personifying the minute details on how senior citizens walk, talk and behave. Another star, Sharman Joshi is just outstanding! He manages to make audiences smile and even cry with his sweet demeanor. The child artist Ritvik Sahore, is equally good on screen with such innocence. The relationship between a father and a son across generations is very well portrayed.
Despite getting a lukewarm response last weekend, it has managed to strike a chord with the family audiences with its noble and heart warming story of "small guys big dreams".

Some might complain about the movie being lengthy and slow during a few intervals, but the overall package cannot be missed.

Vidya Balan's item song, "mala jau de" blends in well with the script and is wonderful to watch in theaters. The only thing that could have added more face value to the movie would be Sachin Tendulkar. In fact, in the end you will end up getting that feeling and hate the director for not trying to rope him in the movie since it's about his Ferrari.

You cannot afford to miss Ferrari Ki Sawari, especially if you have been waiting for a movie that can be enjoyed along with your family. So fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

Shanghai: Highly impactful

CNI Rating: 3.5/5


It all started years back when our honorable chief minister declared that he wanted to turn Mumbai into Shanghai, a world class city. Soon the vision was ridiculed by the media and later by the city. Till date, The city's infrastructure is in an apathetic condition, let alone transforming the city into a world class one.

Dibakar Banerjee successfully picks up that theme and projects it on the silver screen. He goes further in conveying when dreams are envisioned by our political clad, what it takes to make it successful and how far they can go to achieve it.
The movie starts with local goons’ planning of assassinating an activist who is opposing a mega-scale slum redevelopment plan. The movie then takes us through a journey on how political and bureaucratic people control situations involving 3 protagonists and ends as a thriller that leaves a smile on the audience's face along with a sense of relief; Finally it’s over!
Both lead actors in the past have stuck to singular style of their own, in Shanghai they rediscovered their versatility.

Prosenjit Chatterjee, an acclaimed actor from West Bengal, has already made a mark in Bollywood with "Chokher Bali". He could've had a larger role in the film but the given part didn't do justice to his capabilities as an artist. Thus, the 3 protagonists got the chance to light up the screen with a fine performance.

Abhay Deol, who has mostly portrayed a Delhiite in his past flicks for a change plays a South Indian high ranking bureaucrat. He justifies his character by adopting the accent which is charmingly delivered.
The director plays it safe by being tight with Kalki Koechlin's dialogues but as usual she managed to give a powerful performance by emoting her feelings through her expressive face.

Emran Hashmi plays an interesting character who is a photographer by day and a pornography cameraman by night. He has gradually broken out of his shell with the roles he has recently picked up and has been doing an excellent job with them. In shanghai he steals the show with his hatke performance that is sure going to be appreciated by all. In fact Emran is the character who gives us comedic moments in this serious political thriller that make you smile.


The story is hard hitting and thought provoking and matches with the current scenarios of Indian politics. Music is okay, with 2 songs already received well by audiences across the nation.
Dibakar Banerjee is sure to get critical acclaim.

At the end, this movie exercised the versatility of each actor. If you are a fan of serious political dramas, then this movie is for you, but if you are looking for a typical masala flick, you can afford to miss it or rather catch it up on the World Television Premiere.

Prometheus: A visual treat

Rating: 3/5

Ridley Scott gave us Alien more than 3 decades ago and it went out to become an Academy Award winner with other directors using the same character in their movies.

In 2012 Director Ridley Scott made a come back with Prometheus, which is being propagated as a prequel of Alien.

Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, an archaeologist and Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway discover that throughout the existence of mankind different civilizations have worshiped a particular constellation in space that leads them to believe that somewhere near that space lies the secret to mankind’s beginning. This expedition is funded by a Trillionaire, Peter Weyland played by Guy Pearce. The always beautiful Charlize Theron playing Meredith Vickers, the captain of the ship and Michael Fassbender plays a super-advanced robot that looks after it. Along with other members of the group, they're on a mission of finding the origin of mankind on Earth. It’s the spaceship that’s called Prometheus in the movie which lands on the surface of a deserted planet, thus beginning the discovery of the existence of life.

The story line reminds you of Alien but the journey in Prometheus is quite different with breath taking special effects and great cinematography. Releasing the movie in 3D and IMAX 3D only adds more life to this magnificent science fiction film. You have the same elements of thrill: an alien infection, a difference of opinion amongst the characters, women portrayed as tough fighters and alien horror. In the climax there was a common similarity between the prequel and sequel. The performance stealer without a doubt is Noomi Rapace with the delivery of a scene to remember.

The tag line of the movie "The search for our beginning could lead to our end" is well justified with flaws that are always excused in this genre.

An ambitious project from Ridley Scott who left no stone unturned to promote this epic after his previous mega project, Robin Hood bombed at the box office. Alien fans all over the world would expect answers to questions that were left unanswered in Alien, but unfortunately in the end, the mystery continues. Could it be that Ridley Scott is already thinking about number three? If so, hopefully there will be more of a logical plot behind the amazing effects. Then again, it's science fiction.

Prometheus will not get the same response as Madagascar 3 when looking at the entertainment value of the film, which released along with Shanghai in Indian multiplexes last Friday.

How to Find the Perfect Agent

Finding the perfect agent is like finding a needle in the haystack, at least in the Indian entertainment industry. The agent is one person who can make or break your career. He is also the person who can play your godfather, your guide, your mentor and can show you the right direction in the industry. He makes you realize your strengths and weaknesses and helps you hone the ones that need attention. He also grooms you and helps you to network in the industry. But, the most challenging part is, how to find 'THAT' perfect agent for you.

Firstly, it’s important to figure out whether you need an agent to represent you exclusively or you are comfortable being multi-represented. Once you figure that out then you can get in touch with your colleagues, contemporaries, or anybody that you know in the industry for a few agents who have a good reputation and who they think are the best names in the industry.

The way it works in most of the western countries and in India is different. What you, as a budding talent, can possibly do is set up meetings with these agents through references or contacts and then showcase your work to them. Bigger agents also do a small mock audition for their reference and send it to their clients as an introduction to the new entrants in their database. In case of an exclusive agent, you will be under contract and you will have to adhere by various terms and conditions of the agent, such as not being seen in public and the media, no link-ups and no photos etc.

Once an agent has seen your work and decides to sign you up exclusively, there is little that you can do to market yourself. But, if the agency decides to represent you as a non-rep, you have the liberty to market yourself amongst various peers and professionals. You can send your pictures and profiles directly to many other agents who can bring work for you, at the same time, you can network with casting directors and Production houses directly.

Loyalty is an important aspect when it comes to working in tandem with your agent. Eventually, he is the person who will get you work so it is important to respect that and not to breach any clause in the contract and also to make sure he gets the credit. If you are multi-represented, it is important to name the agent who sent you the requirement instead of the ones with whom you share a rapport during an audition.

Lastly, it is important to protect your interests and take a stand if the agent is taking you the wrong way or not giving enough work to you, by constantly talking to your peers and self-networking and keeping a tab on the ongoing auditions.