The Bank Job - Movie Review

A true story allegedly. The movie is based on a 1971 Baker street bank robbery where about 4 million was stolen from the bank's lockers and was never found. The movie sets up the actual bank robbery as it is and the conspiracy behind why the stolen goods was never found. And this is where it gets interesting, as the interests of three conflicting parties gets caught in a seemingly straightforward bank robbery.

Firstly, the bank robbery is initiated by MI5 which suspects that the black revolutionary leader Michael X has some compromising pictures of a royal family member which he is using to evade getting caught. MI5 zeroes down to a bank locker and initiates a staged bank robbery through a woman who is a petty criminal. Outwardly she is to lure a team of petty criminals into the big job and while pulling off the bank job, retrieve the photographs. She contacts her friend, one who has gone straight Terry (Jason Statham) and sells him the story of a bank job where she has some key information. Terry assumes its a straight bank job and gets his team together. Parallely we discover that the bank lockers also have photographs of some senior officials in compromising positions, ledgers of pay offs to policemen by a porn film maker and many such highly incriminating evidences. The interested parties - Terry and his gang, the MI5 and the porn king - are all stuck in the heist. But the job goes on smoothly.

Unfortunately the conversations between the bank robbers and their lookout are intercepted by an amateur HAM operator and the police is alerted while the job is in progress. Terry also starts doubting the girl's motives and her focus on one locker. When he sees the pictures of the royal family member that he finds in the locker, he is astounded. But he is smart enough to avoid the trap the MI5 sets for them once they get out. Once the robbery come to light several people go into hiding. The porn film maker starts sending his henchmen to get hold of his diary and the men who robbed him. In the process he tortures and kills one of Terry's men. Two others a killed by unknown people when they are on the run with the loot. Terry knows that he could get killed too and he uses all the material he has to secure his safe passage and the others in return for the photos. The money is not recovered - in fact much of it was never claimed. The robbers were not caught. The robbery died a quick death in the media raising suspicions that a gag order was issued by the government.

The Bank Job is a racy movie and it's even more interesting to know that it's based on a true story. The royal member in question is Princess Margaret. Good crime thriller to watch. Also the real stories that inspired the movie are pretty interesting too.

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani - Movie Review

It's a movie you can sit through. Bearable. A few moments. And that despite having powerhouse stuff in the cast. Somewhere the film stays on safe ground and never searches for anything extraordinary. But why should they - it's after about entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. Does it entertain? It does enough to keep it going. But its not stuff you'd be running to recommend strongly either.

So what's the movie about? Three friends who are really close from school - two guys and a girl who behaves like a guy (Ranbir, Aditya Roy and Kalki) seemingly cannot live without one another. They are headed to the hills for a holiday, a trek at 16000 feet. Quite by chance they get Deepike Padukone, the bespectacled, front row bookworm from school, who is now studying medicine on the trek. Now how the bookworm turns into an alcohol swigging adventurer and how the push-my-limits Bunny (Ranbir) finds her attractive is something that goes on in the trip. Obviously the other two behave like they do not know the other's gender, in fact the two boys almost treat like like she is a boy almost. But hey, Kalki is in love with the handsome and intense Aditya Roy. What happens on the trek is - nothing really. What we get is that Bunny wants raftaar.

Second half shows a marriage, a destination wedding in Udaipur. Eight years later. Kalki is getting married to a rich geek. All the friends come back. Deepika finds that she still loves Ranbir the globetrotting photographer and Ranbir finds that he loves her too. Sadly, not enough chemistry between the two - not shown well at least. It's a thanda romance with a thanda kiss thrown in. Happy New Years and all is fine yaar.

Aditya Roy Kapoor showed a side to him that reminded me of Amitabh in his younger days. An intensity, anger, angst, tragedy - something that sets him apart from any other new comer I have seen the screen in many years. And with Ranbir, its their chemistry that's sizzling really, I was left wondering if someone remade Anand - Ranbir in Rajesh Khanna's role and Aditya in Amitabh's - that would be interesting. For my money this kid is the same stuff that Amitabh was made of and I expect him to go places. Ranbir is superb with his natural ease before the camera. Deepika looks good and holds her own well. But if there is something to be said it is for Farooq Shaikh who sparkles like a crackling fire in the few precious moments that he is on screen. He raises the bar every time he is  in the frame.

A bit of this, a bit of that, characters that don't belong, that don't have strong convictions, some good songs, some time pass stuff. But do you take a great story home? No. Are you sure that there is great love between Kalki and Kunal? No. Do you think Kalki loves Aditya? Yes. Do you think Ranbir and Deepika are going to be happy in their marriage? I doubt it. He will, as she suspects rightly, run away. But what the hell, Happy New Year buddies.

Mr. Popper's Penguins - Movie Review

Jim Carrey is Popper, son of Captain Popper the adventurer, who does not have much time for his son as he is always traveling on his adventures. But before he dies, the senior Popper sends his son a unique gift, a penguin. I never understood the reason why the senior Popper thought penguins were ideal pets in New York, but he has been out of civilization for so long that he probably can be excused. Junior Popper is some kind of a con man real estate agent who cons people into parting from their real estate using some techniques that are hard to follow and believe. He also has an assistant who talks like a penguin or some such creature. The penguins arrival marks a new twist in his life.

First hing that happens after the arrival of the penguin is that Popper's separated wife and kids find the idea of a penguin as a birthday gift for his son cute and there are hints of a family reunion. Secondly the penguin gets five more friends, sent by the senior Popper's crew, and the apartment is turned into a miniature version of Antarctica. All this activity gets junior Popper to lose focus on a big real estate deal and lose his job. Job or family? Head or heart? Penguins or deal? Deal or restaurant with childhood memories? These are the dilemmas faced by Popper.

Popper thinks he has his family back - or so he thinks - but things change when the penguins are taken away by the wicked zoo keeper. But Popper tells his children that they will now get their penguins back and in a dramatic attack on the zoo, the penguins are rescued. Captain penguin flies, hatches an egg and all sorts of things happen. Finally the penguins are returned to their home in Antarctica.

Not funny (unless you laugh at the way penguins walk  or at Carrey's faces). Not convincing. Loose screenplay. Perhaps they took on too much with the penguins. Or depended too much on them. Or did not know who the hero was - Carrey or the penguins. It was just too predictable right till the end - the family drama, the penguin drama and the job drama. Left me feeling cold.

Bright Spots - Sunil Kumar, Chief Secretary, Chattisgarh

A look at some of the bright spots in our lives.

I was reading the article in The Hindu a few days ago on how the Chattisgarh Chief Secretary, Sunil Kumar Kurup, stood up and accepted responsibility for the Maoist killings when a fuming Congress President Sonia Gandhi demanded that responsibility be fixed. As a posse of politicians and top beaurocrats watched in silence Sunil Kumar 'saved the day'. He offered to resign, accepting responsibility for the security failure, as the top man in the administration.

It needs moral fibre, conviction and the noble qualities of great leaders we used to hear of the past. The good news is that such qualities are still alive in people like Sunil Kumar Kurup.

For every weak-kneed, spineless and self-centred official and politician we see, there are several such officers. It warms the heart to see such news being reported. And hope that many youngsters choose that path of self-respect, courage and professionalism.

Good for you Hindu for reporting and good on you Mr. Sunil Kumar. In days when people cling to power at any cost, avoid responsibility and thrive on blaming all and sundry through blatant lies, you could have shown the way.

Midhunam - Movie Review

This one is a classic. It's the ideal post-retirement dream that most senior people dream of, full of love and caring, good humour and health, hopes and yes, even fears too. One for the family to watch together, and think of the trials and tribulations of the seniors at home, and for the seniors to feel a lot more useful than useless. I loved it and the way the typical rural Andhra household is portrayed with its pujas and pickles, letters and relatives and the daily ups and downs. Tanikella Bharani is a thoughtful filmmaker and a really good one and I only wish he'd make more movies. And as typical of Bharani, the tongue in cheek humour sustains throughout the movie and lifts it above what could have been a sentimental melodrama. Instead it becomes a highly empowering treatment, of facing life and death with a smile, with equanimity. Great grace.

The film has only two characters. The human ones I mean. Then there is the house, the cow, the calf, and every part of the house that becomes important - the well, the fruit trees, the vegetable garden, the letter box, the kitchen, the attic, the puja room. Here the two senior citizens, played brilliantly by S.P. Balasubramanyam (as Appadasu) and Lakshmi (as Buchi), live their post-retirement life in an idealistic setting. SPB appears to be a retired government teacher, a recipient of a President award, whose children are all settled, most in the US, and all we hear is their voice over the phone. The old man's cravings for food, his penchant to do all his work himself, the little romances between the old couple, their fights are stuff that could happen in every household. It's a house where you would like to be a fly on the wall and watch the two delightful characters go about their lives in the traditional Andhra style - from foods, to pickles, pujas to traditions.

Interestingly 'Midhunam' is based on a Telugu novel of the same name by Sri Ramana and has also been made into a Malayalam movie. Heartening to see so many novels being adapted into movies these days.

I really wanted to see 'Midhunam' in the theatres simply because I'd like to support this kind of a film. In fact I did make many efforts too but somehow it never happened. I was glad to buy the CD in the shop yesterday and its an investment well made. Great job Tanikella Bharani and team. I definitely know that Soumya is part of the movie and I did detect Mohana Krishna's voice over the phone to SPB. Surely worth a watch - specially if you're over forty. It's never too late to realise that life is what you make of it, not something that happens to you as you judge, fear and resent it.

Life Lessons from a Grandmother

This is an interview I’d done with Dr. Nalini Nargundkar, all of 83 years now, on the lessons she learned from her life. I had done the interview almost six months ago, in the hope that perhaps her grandchildren could use it, and I told her to address it as she would address her granddaughter Anjali, but it may be relevant to others as well. (I certainly found some high impact takeaways that have settled down in my head.)

Dr. Nalini Nargundkar (Pic. Satish Nargundkar)

Dr.Nalini Nargundkar served as a doctor at the Singareni Collieries Limited, Andhra Pradesh and retired from there before settling down in Pune. However she continues to support and heal family and friends  in all crises, medical and otherwise till date and it is this indomitable and unflagging spirit that remains her hall mark. The first to get to the door when the bell rings, the first to get up and offer tea in the morning, the first to walk to the garden to pick up her favorite flowers, the first to plan the days breakfasts, lunches, dinners, the first to jump on in any sort of travel, the first to watch her favorite soaps and any IPL match, the first to head off for any film festival in town, the first to show an interest in anything new, her spirit is younger than most teenagers. An active bridge player with a fine bridge club that assembles every other day, she is a thorough professional, a caring and strong human, one who experienced much in life and certainly one who can share much. A bit of the distilled wisdom that I could grasp in that interview is presented here.

On work: 

Plan your work properly. Try to do it with full attention to detail. Achievement of whatever you have planned to work gives happiness. If there is a problem, get expert advise. If not possible to do it, go around the problem. But get it done. Work should be completed. If not in the ideal way, some other way.

On Life: 

Be optimistic. Be happy and make everyone else - and most importantly yourself - happy. Ignore setbacks, overcome them. Go ahead. Don’t get stuck. Learn something from the experience and move on. Be prepared to face uncertainty. Whatever the problem, try to solve them. Try to predict as much as you can.

On Love: 

Start with loving yourself first. Then you love everyone else around you properly. If you love everybody, everybody loves you back.

On Money: 

It’s an important thing in life. In our childhood we never had any money but we were happy. But I decided to earn money. Don’t get married unless you start earning money. Every move is uncertain then. Economy. Save as much possible for the future.

On People: 

Good to have people around you. But don’t trust at first sight. Take time to understand the person and then take your call. Be neutral and wait and watch.

On Relationships: 

Maintain cordial relationships with family and friends. Once they are friends I’d do anything for them. But relationships have to be both ways. Cannot be one way.

On Emotions: 

Keep emotions under control. Be balanced. Be spontaneous too.

On Winning/ losing: 

Winning makes us feel happy. Try to win. Compete. If you lose, improve. It’s not the end of the world if you lose. Losing a person, end of a relationship. Feel the loss, continue. Life goes on.

On Happiness: 

Nothing lasts permanently. We feel happy for a moment. We feel sad for a while. It will go. It will come in another way sometimes. You have to find your happiness all the time. It’s your attitude which makes you happy or unhappy.

On Fun: 

People are fun. Playing cards is fun for me. Buying something for someone is fun. You look at the thing it is fun. Sometimes even teasing people is fun.

On Fear: 

No fear for me these days. But really, there’s nothing to fear in this world. You need not fear about anything. Everything’s alright. If you fear, just talk to someone and it is alright.

On Family: 

It is important. Keep family members happy. I feel happy when I am with family. Feel happy to keep relationships going on with family.

On Success: 

Whatever aims you have in mind, if you’re achieved them that is success. Everyone should have some aim. If I want health, I need to work for it. If I want to be happy, I need to work for it. My success is within my limits. Whatever success I have, I am happy. I have been successful I’d say. My job, how I lived my life.

On Peace: 

Minor irritants are always disturbing your peace. But get on. Scold, Shout. Then forget about that. Don’t keep it on your mind. Be peaceful after that instance is over. Drop it.

On Responsibility: 

It is most important. Carry it on till the end. Whatever you have taken up, end it. Or don’t take it up.

On Her Secret formula: 

Adjust. Get on. Don’t wallow in the past. Learn how to tackle situations. Go ahead all the time. Find ways and means to do the work.

On How to keep oneself happy: 

Attitude. You find your happiness. Decide that I’ll be happy. That you won’t be unhappy. Then find ways to be happy.

On Keeping thoughts positive: 

Don’t worry about the past and the future. Past cannot change. So forget it. As for the future - just trust that everything is happy. Nothing will happen which will make you unhappy. Be happy now.

On the 3 most important things in life:

1) Health

2) Sufficient money (so you don’t have to beg, borrow or steal)

3) Good relations with positive attitude

Thus concluded my short interview with Dr. Nalini Nargundkar. Thank you Aunty, for sharing your thoughts.I simply loved the one on finding your own happiness. I think most of us expect it to come on its own! Also the one on responsibility, success, fear, winning and losing...pretty much all of it.

The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes

Julian Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for this novel, all of 150 pages, after three other novels of his made it to the shortlist. I wish they had not advertised the fact that the book won the prize because that instantly makes me as a reader cautious, suspicious and prone to seek something to pull the book down. If I'd read the book by itself, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, I am sure, because I like short books, I like books that keep me going till the end wanting to find out what happens, I like books that are honest. 'The Sense of an Ending' is all three. And some more.

The novel spans the life of the narrator Tony Webster, from school to his post-retirement days and hinges on his relationship with two people he wants approval from - Adrian Finn, intellectually superior and emotionally deeper, and Veronica, his first girlfriend whom he never understood nor felt worthy of. Adrian in fact is a late entry into Webster's circle of friends at school - Alex and Colin making up the other two - but quickly takes over as the boy everyone wants to impress. More so Webster. In the case of Veronica, he finds that she and then her family whom he spends a weekend with, seem to look down upon him and he is constantly trying to keep up. When he introduces his friends to the haughty Veronica (who permits 'full sex' only after they break up), she seems to take to Adrian. When Veronica and Webster break up, Webster gets a letter from Adrian seeking his permission to go out with Veronica. In his anger, Webster writes to both. Months later he hears of Adrian's death. Webster goes on with his life, marries, divorces, retires and is living out his life peacefully when he receives a letter from a solicitor. He has received some estate from Mrs. Ford, Veronica's mother, which include 500 pounds, a letter and Adrian's diary. Webster comes to know that the diary is now with Veronica and he tries to secure it from her, and what he finds in the process is rather shocking.

Many pluses as mentioned earlier. It kept me going all through. I also liked the way the twists were introduced. But it left too many questions unanswered for me (I do like things laid out on a platter). The 500 pounds (blood money?), the contents of the diary especially since it was important to Webster to figure out what happened, Veronica's behavior that makes no sense especially when she knows that Webster really has no blame in what transpires. But then apart from reading it and enjoying it while I read it, would I carry it as one of the books that made an impact on my life for its content? Not really. Too dark and hopeless.

I liked the style, his honesty and even the way Barnes went about twisting and turning (despite keeping many facts to himself which was unfair) but its too sad and tragic for me and leaves no room for hope. It does in the end appear to be a bunch of loosely hinged characters especially all those from Veronica's family and certainly the deep and melancholic Adrian Finn. Webster, his wife and his other friends appear more sane, or rather, people I can identify with, sane or otherwise. Or perhaps, safe was the word I was looking for. But certainly a book to read and I would recommend it whole heartedly. And thanks Raja for lending it to me.