Neerja - Movie Review

So many good reviews about the movie that we all decided to go see it. The movie is well made and keeps you glued to the seat right till the last of the credits rolls skyward. Not many movies do that.

In 1986 a not-yet-23 year old purser on a Pan Am flight from Bombay to USA via Karachi and Frankfurt, Neerja Bhanot, finds herself handling a hijack on her first day as head purser. Under tremendous pressure as hijackers storm the plane waving weapons, she keeps her head and alerts the pilot and crew who leave the plane through a hatch (as per protocol) and thereby leave the plane stranded on the Karachi airport. As the hijackers get more and more desperate - their original plan was to hijack the plane to Cyprus and use the hostages to negotiate release of their 'brothers' - Neerja finds herself getting more and more defiant and resourceful. Showing exemplary courage and responsibility she uses a cool, thinking head to do what is right for the passengers safety and comfort. Some hostages are killed. Neerja, at great danger to her life somehow manages to hide or get rid of American passports after hearing the intent of the hijackers to kill Americans. Estimate is that she saves 40 Americans through that act. And on and on, she puts her life repeatedly in danger in negotiating space for her passengers at risk to her own life. When the hijackers open fire in a desperate final assault she somehow manages to open the door and the releases the escape chute, and lets passengers escape. 359 survive of the 391 people on board. While trying to save three children, she takes a bullet and yet somehow manages to get off the plane. Neerja does not survive.

Neerja Bhanot remains India's youngest Ashok Chakra recipient - India's highest peacetime award for valor away from the battlefield.

Sonam Kapoor does a fine job. It's very well directed, told in a gripping and taut manner and edited beautifully. The way an incident from the past pops up to make sense at the right time and build her character along the way is shown so well. Deserves to be watched in the theatre.

Ok, this happened as an after thought. The pictures they showed of Neerja from her childhood and youth at the end really kept me hooked. You could see her whole life rolling in front of you, at school, at her modelling assignments, at parties, posing for pictures. Lovely.

Anjali sat through the movie though she was a bit upset at the violence and at one time it looked like I might have to walk out with her. But she braved it. When asked later by her mother on what she liked about the movie she said she liked it when Neerja tells the terrorist - I am doing my job just as you are doing yours. Allow me to do it.

But interestingly her list of what she liked of the performances were - Neerja's mother, Neerja's husband, Neerja and the terrorist. 

Diana - Movie Review

Naomi Watts does not look like Princess Diana at all. Despite the hairstyles and clothes. The movie picks up post separation from Prince Charles. It heads into her romance with Dr. Hasnat Khan. The romance is shown well as Hasnat Khan mentors her with his ideas on how one should 'improvise' It's a mature romance but Hasnat Khan realises he will have no future as a surgeon if he marries her and they break it off.

Diana does not take to this kindly. It's said that Dr. Khan was the love of her love. It appears then that she gets into a relationship with Dodi to get back at Hasnat and make him jealous. While doing good work on the removal of land mines and other causes, she also helps some parts of the press to plant her escapades with Dodi. Somehow, the fateful day, she misses a call from Hasnat, and dies in the fatal crash.

The romance between Khan and Diana comes across well. Otherwise its a forgettable movie. Another old people's romance - Khan with a large paunch as well. Must relook my selection of movies now. Why am I watching old people's romances now?

Kabhie Kabhie - Movie Review

I love this poster. It reminds me of the days in the 70s and 80s when Hyderabad had these huge hand painted posters on large hoardings. Most posters were good but some painters entirely distorted the lead actors faces and features (you get a general idea in the pic). But one thing the hand painted posters had was drama. Huge hoardings - I prefer those any day to the new slick printed ones.

Anyway this is one of the few Bachchan movies that slipped past me. Those days we'd watch all his movies religiously. Perhaps because of this movies look as well - old heroes and heroines, mustachioed Amitabh etc. This Yash Chopra was a risk taker and an incurable romantic. I feel he would have liked my story 'If You Love Someone..'

The movie is full of twists and turns. Amit, a poet meets Raakhee in college and they fall in love. Song. Raakhee's parents however get her married to Shashi Kapoor who is a successful architect. Amit, as poets are perhaps wont to do, gives up poetry, withdraws, becomes bitter with life and becomes materialistic and unfeeling. Shashi Kapoor and Raakhee have a daredevil son Rishi Kapoor who falls in love with Neetu Singh. Neetu Singh is the daughter of Parikshit Sahni ji and Simi Garewal ji. Parikshit is Shashi's doctor. While they are all happy at this nice coincidence (Shashi all the more so because he feels he can now flirt with the doctor's wife openly..) Neetu is also told that she is not their real daughter. Neetu Singh is now consumed by the one thought of meeting her real mother. Her real mother turns out to be Waheeda Rehman who is married to Amitabh Bachchan and guess what - they have a girl who is poetically named Sweetie. Now, after hearing that, one can believe that Amit ji is totally cut off from poetry.

While Waheeda knows of her daughter's existence and is shocked at her sudden appearance, Amit and Sweetie do not. For some reason Neetu ji stays back in their house doing secretarial work for Amit ji when she should in fact have been doing kitchen work for Mummy ji and getting bad vibes from Sweetie. Vicky now comes to the scene, exhorted by his dad to follow his love. While following his love he also has to deal with Sweetie who feels that no one loves her - father loves no one, mother loves Neetu ji and Rishi loves Neetu ji.

Shashi ji meanwhile finds that Amit ji and Raakhee ji have a past and is unhappy for a while. Amit ji finds that Waheeda had a past and is even more unhappier than normal. Sweetie finds Rishi ji is having a present and tries to kill herself. In a dramatic climax Sweetie heads off into a dynamite infested land where dynamites keep blowing off every two minutes, on a horse. She is chased by Rishi ji on a horse, Amit ji and Neetu ji in a jeep and Shashi ji on a bike. Sweetie heads into a burning forest and is saved in the nick of time. Neetu and Sweetie reconcile. Amit and Shashi reconcile. Amit and Waheeda reconcile. Everyone reconciles and it ends in a marriage between Rishi and Neetu where all the old flames (save Waheeda's old flame who actually goes up in flames because his plane catches fire) meet, making for a more than interesting sequel. With so many possibilities and such hot blooded old people anything is possible.

What a movie. What songs. What fun.

But seriously - the movie is all about four oldies with a past. One young couple - ok one and a half. Takes something to make a movie like that. Question for readers: Who is the only person not addressed as ji in this whole blog? What is her real name? Why was she named Sweetie? Who named her? Also, why was Neetu ji named Pinky?

Selma - Movie Review

Selma is a town in Alabama. The story is set in 1964 when African Americans were legally allowed to vote but were, in many devious ways, kept from voting. For example they constituted 50% of the population but less than 2% of them were registered to vote. Reasons for non-registry as voters include stuff like them having to provide all kinds of documentary evidence followed by an interview with questions like - what's the preamble of our constitution, how many justices are there in Alabama and then the killer, name them all. Oprah Winfrey who plays the role of Cooper gets a chance to get her registration denied. Or a voter has to be introduced by another voter but then no one really is a registered voter so they cannot get registered. Many such Catch 22 situations were created to keep them away from voting and thereby being subject to white rule which was cruel and discriminatory. Martin Luther King who has just won a Nobel Peace Prize tells president Lyndon Johnson that he must allow the African Americans to vote. The President however wants time.

The peaceful protests, demonstration and requests are part of the strategy by Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and they plan a peaceful protest walk from Selma to Montgomery. However the governor does not give permission and the courts seek to hear the case on a date beyond what is set - but the walk takes place. Police use excessive force on unarmed protesters which is watched by the entire nation. On the next march many white Americans join the march. The police allow them to walk but for some reason King does not continue the walk. After a couple more deaths, the judge allows them their walk. Recognising the gravity of the situation President Johnson pushes through a bill to eliminate restrictions on voting. The walk continues and ends in Montgomery. Finally they get to vote. Through their vote they get to elect people who represent them and their aspirations socially, politically and economically none of which are possible otherwise.

The troubles the African Americans face to get their due is shown clearly. The white population does not want them on equal footing and as governor Wallace says - next they will want to occupy the parks, then they will want to vote, then they will want stuff free without working. His main grouse is that they are never happy so we should keep them at a distance by hook or by crook. Johnson does not share his view but one can see the deep biases that run through. Similar biases run here in India too and all one has to do is run through a few fb pages to know the extent of bias we carry. The law provides them a vote but the administration retains a set of rules that makes it next to impossible for anyone to register as a voter. The idea is to keep all the power concentrated in the whites so they can keep the African Americans away. David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King is powerful, Wilkinson as Johnson is perfect, Tim Roth does a great job as always. Small roles by Cuba Gooding Jr, Oprah Winfrey

Some lines are very poignant. King's wife Coretta meets Malcolm X when King is in jail and is not sure if she is prepared to handle him. Her friend tells her - that the blood of her ancestors who have sailed the seas, who have borne the atrocities of all these years, flows through her and that she needs no more preparation than that. I also believe that to be true - at the point of action we must back ourselves to be fully prepared. If we were not, we would not be there.

Another line is said by King's friend who tells a depressed King who is worried that they will finish this fight, this people - that birds fly free in the skies and they do so because they have god's grace on them. So too will we find that justice, that right. He says it so well and comforts a defeated King. The same hope must also hopefully echo in those who feel let down - tomorrow is another day. In the end, justice will prevail.

One thing comes through. Power makes monsters of people. I am sure of all people, almost. Those who do not have or crave power will always find themselves seeking justice at the hands of those who do not want to give any justice. Now they do not want to give justice because they feel superior and also feel insecure. This leads to extraordinary situations. The restraint King urges and shows is what takes their movement through. Just sheer perseverance, resilience and grit against all odds. These are the movies that need to be made so the stories are not forgotten. They may not be fashionable, but they are the truth. If we wish to retain our glorious stories, we must also retain these stories.

Simple Test - Nationalism

I am inspired by a scene in the movie 'Selma' where the white official asks Oprah Winfrey, who goes to him to register for voting rights certain questions (before denying it). I thought we should also ask some basic questions to check where we stand.

Level 1
1) Sing the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' (if possible explain what it means)

2) Sing the national song 'Vande Mataram' (same as above)

3) Recite the Pledge (as above)

4) What's the difference between Independence Day and the Republic Day?


Level 2
5) Explain what the Consitution of India is to an Indian in two lines.

6) What does the preamble of the Constitution say?

7) Explain what the following words mean - sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity,

8) What are the fundamental rights that the Constitution grants every citizen?


A couple more questions should round it off for this weekend.

Dhoom 3- Movie Review

Finally caught the whole movie at one go. It's about two circus kids whose father, Jackie Shroff (the most uncircus like man I have ever seen and the owner of 'The Great Indian Circus' in the USA), and how banks cause financial ruin thereby causing Shroff to shoot himself. This despite the fact that he shows the bankers his best act to date - a disappearing kid from box coming back from back of aisle. Why did that act not impress the bankers? I did not impress me too - its as old as the hills.

Anyway the young kid grows up to be a young and muscular Aamir Khan who performs these circus stunts with Katrina Kaif and on occasion - robs banks and throws the money over the roof. He runs down the walls of skyscrapers, races bikes that turn into cars, boats, helicopters (not really and makes life miserable for two Indian cops Jai and Ali. We don't know why the cops are in the US but then Jai very ingeniously finds out the truth about the other twin - one who is not so fast as the other, has trouble tying his shoes, and is in love with Katrina too. After some brilliant psychological games Jai befriends the slightly off twin (the kamzor twin) and somehow tries to trap the twins before their final act - to ruin the about to shut bank that ruined their father and their lives. After some more stunts they find cops at both ends of the bridge and jump off a huge dam. Hopefully they will have some gadgets to fly off to some far away place where they can live happily ever after minus Jai, Katrina (who keeps the legacy going by herself, talk of loyalty) and their like.

Nothing about it made sense really. But what does? Jai and Ali need a makeover. They look jaded. Its almost like the focus was so much on AK that the rest of the main team faded into the background. Actually if you see the poster you know who the hero is. Also there are two heroes - the twin is hiding behind this chap, next to Katrina.

Interesting article - More Stuff

Why indeed are they not producing the ones who shouted the slogans? Why has it become about Mahisashura?
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/02/25/jnu-row-bjp_n_9315998.html