OMKARA: Vishal Bharadwaj's adaption of Shakespeare's "Othello"

Omkara is an adaption of Shakespeare's  Othello. We all are aware of the story of Othello either by reading the original or by word of mouth, but watching it on the big screen is a different experience altogether, and mind you when the director is Vishal Bharadwaj then the experience becomes all the more memorable.  I still remember when i first watched this movie i was awestruck but the sheer magic he created on screen.

Omkara/Omi (Ajay Devgan) heads a band of outlaws in a semi-lawless rural area in Uttar Pradesh. Bhaisaab's (Naseer's) election win promotes Omi, leaving his "Youth Leader" seat empty. In a logical political move, Omi selects Kesu Firangi (Vivek Oberoi) as his successor ignoring his loyal right-hand-man Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan). Green with envy, Langda slowly poisons Omkara's mind against Kesu leading him down a path too dark for anyone's good. Kareena, Konkona & Bipasha play Omi, Langda & Kesu's love interests respectively.

When Vishal is directing the movie he makes sure he takes the actors whom he can either mold or are just exceptional. Ajay Devgan is brilliant as usual, though on the flip side, his U.P. dialogue does come across as forced. Nonetheless, Devgan made a fine Omkara. Kareen showed that she can perform too. Well, with Vivek Oberoi, Vishal made him act this one time. Konkona Sen, she is a beautiful actor with genuine talent, she was a treat to watch, she commands her scenes and takes control of her fantastic dialogues, making the rest of the cast look like amateurs.

Saif Ali Khan was the soul of this movie. He did in this movie what Pankaj Kapoor did in Maqbool with Abba Ji, which is to re-invent how a character is portrayed, it can only be achieved by legends. Langda is a bit of Jack Sparrow and Bill the Butcher at the same time, which means quality. The best thing was, for the entire movie Saif killed himself to become Langda. Where Dil Chahta Hai gave Saif Ali Khan a new life in the industry, Omkara showed his versatility. Omkara proved that he could be more than just a comedy or second lead actor. He won Popular Award and Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.

Another character who made a mark with this movie is Deepak Dobriyal who is simply perfect, providing the appropriate and realistic relief from the intense proceedings of the plot. His idiocy and pining for Dolly are laudable.

The opening scene of the movie was one of the best i have seen in recent times. Another scene that was really scary and haunts me till date is the scene with the eagle on the wedding day.

Have you seen the movie? which one is your fav scene?

Sliding Doors.

There have been times in life when we look back and think.."what if..?" Many filmmakers are fascinated by this concept of destiny, the road not taken. Sliding Doors is not the first movies which touches the concept of destiny, this issue has been fodder for several movies. But what makes it a special movie is the concept's treatment. It was rather a brave step for Peter Howitt to make his directorial debut in an uncharted territory in 1998, but paid him off well.



The movie hovers around two versions of Helen's life (Gwyneth Paltrow) after she catches/misses a train. How the destiny of two Helens unfolds is the movie plot. Paltrow, i would say is the heart of the movie and is a delight to watch. For me SLIDING DOORS is a quiet romance that entertains as well as makes you think. A lovely fable about fate, love and life. For me this movie has romance, humor and infinite possibilities.
Worth mentioning scenes are when she almost catches her boyfriend cheating, the boat scene and of course the climax.

Happy watching :)

How many boxes of popcorn will you give this movie (out of 5)??

Priceless...an Enjoyable flick!

Ahh, I love french Comedies, even though the story is old and told many a times but French Cinema always presents it in a freshly manner. 

In this entrancing French comedy Audrey Tautou plays gold-digger, Irene who has a series of relationships with wealthy older men for the benefits, nice hotels, good food, and the gifts they give her. She has supreme self-confidence and makes no apologies for what she does. The other main lead, Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is just the opposite, meek and will capitulate in almost any circumstance. He works as a bartender in a Hotel. 

In one uncontrollable night Irene mistakes Jean for a wealthy man. They have a night of passion, but when her boyfriend finds out, he dumps her. Rejected by her ticket to financial security, she focuses instead on the hotel worker, unaware that he is as poor as she is. Poor Jean is deeply smitten with Irene, so much that even after she realizes he's poor and is angry at him for wasting her time, he continues to gladly bankrupt himself just to be with her. At one point he offers her a one-euro coin for 10 seconds of her time. He spends the 10 seconds gazing at her with huge love-struck eyes. ( isnt that Cute) . Now now Irene and Jean have an intense emotional and physical attraction for one another, but she needs more money to 'survive' than he can afford, and he needs the sponsorship of his own mistress to keep himself afloat. How they resolve the entanglements that tear them apart is both amusing and heartwarming.

 The plot twists and turns as the film progresses, but, since this is a romantic comedy, we have a fairly good idea of where things will end up - but it still is fun to watch this odd couple volleying back and forth. This isn't any kind of masterpiece, but is effortlessly crafted and thoroughly entertaining with spectacular locales.

Happy Watching..

How many boxes of popcorn will you give this movie (out of 5)??

Love Me If You Dare! Wickedly Delicious.

Are You Game Or Not??

French film has always been more creative and offbeat than standard Hollywood fare (atleast i think so), and like all French movies,  this movie may not be for everyone. But if you like exploring different ideas, and complex characters, then you should give it a try. It's a very unconventional movie. 

I am a big fan of Marion Cortillard since I saw her in La môme, I am always on a look out for her movies. I came across this movie while browsing the French section from Netflix, and I'm glad I chose this one! This movie tells the story of Julien(Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Cotillard), who meet in grade school and make a pact that binds them together for a lifetime. Their pact/game revolves around a little tin box, a toy painted to look like a merry-go-round. When one hands the other the box, along with it comes a dare. The other "Must" do what they've been dared to do. This begins as a childhood game and continues into adulthood, where it gathers dangerous and dark undertones.

The Dares that they play at times are very funny and other times it would make you think "what in the hell...", I would request to suspend your belief for once while watching this, just open your mind and heart.

The movie's first shot tells us something we don't understand at the time. The last scene explains it, and yes it's creepy for some people. But actually the beauty of the last scene is it leaves you with your imagination, so it all depends on your perception.

I am not sure whether you’ll like it or not but am sure of one thing, you won't get bored. And if you know French, I suggest you watch it in French, though it is available with English subtitles.

P.S: One of the highlights of the movie is its music. They have used Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose" as the sound track, which suits it to the core. 

ROMANTIK--A Turkish Treat!

I am delighted to be invited by the “AddPopcorn” team to write a guest post. I am not a big movie fan but I like to explore and AddPopcorn is a great place to discover unique movies from around the world. So I decided to do my bit as well and share this Turkish movie with you.

In life there are inevitable moments where we assume and judge a person, a place, an occasion, or a thought. And we go ahead and take actions. Actions, regardless right or wrong, they have butterfly effects on our environment and change our lives for the better or the worse.

The movie “Romantik” presents a love story between a girl and two men that love the same girl. When her boyfriend has to leave her to run away from the law, he comes back after three years only to find out that she is about to marry his best friend. He feels betrayed and she is confused. Things start happening...

It might sound like a cliché story or it is a cliché story. However the amazing point with the movie is how it plays with the audience. It shows the audience only one part of the story and as soon as we start assuming why the characters act the way they do, the story changes and shows us how bias we were. It is a great lesson the movie gives with a sweet love story and romantic scenes. There are great actors in the movie including my favorite Turkish actor “Okan Bayulgen”. He is a sensation in Turkey with his intelligence, humor and the ears that stand so far from his face that he could easily use them on his sailing boat. No seriously, he is a great actor and he chooses great movies. The other actor is a great singer who played for this movie for the first time.

I think “Romantik” is a nice movie with a great purpose and very easy to watch. I love the soundtrack  of  this movie as well. Worth watching it J

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The Royal Tanenbaums: A Must Watch!

The Royal Tanenbaums: A Must Watch!

The movie starts with Alec Baldwin narrating the film as if reading a novel. Royal Tanenbaum, played by Gene Hackman, wants to reenter the lives of his abandoned family. He does it by faking cancer. Each of the Tenenbaum kids was a precocious genius: Chas (Ben Stiller) made a killing as a child investor. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior tennis champ and three-time U.S. Nationals winner.

The adopted Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright who won a 50,000-dollar Braverman Grant in the ninth grade and then they had Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) as their neighbor and childhood friend. Their past resentments are bitterly held against Royal when he suddenly reappears, claiming to have six weeks to live and a desire to reconnect with his family. Thrown together under one roof, Royal tries to make amends by driving them crazy. His urge to be a part of their life is somewhat inexplicable, and though they resist, they also open the doors just a bit. In one funny moment, Royal kidnaps Stiller's two overprotected sons and takes them on an outing that includes running in traffic, shoplifting and swimming. He also offers to take them all to the cemetery to visit their grandmother's grave, forgetting that Stiller's wife is also buried there.

There are so many reasons why i like this movie, its not one of those regular comedy, its just DIFFERENT. There are endless hilarious scenes and all in the cast are absolutely radiant and deserve praise.I like the scenes where Gwyneth Paltrow locks herself in her bathroom and her conversation with her weird husband (played by Bill Murray). The dialogue delivery is just brilliant. If you listen to all the dialogues carefully you'll die laughing. The concept of Dalmatian mice is just so hilarious, the spots on the mice were actually created using a Sharpie pen.
This film truly depicts the creativity of Wes Anderson, he has a unique way of looking at the world, even if its ridiculous. This was Wes Anderson's third project with Owen Wilson after Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, as writers. Luke Wilson has appeared in all the three movies.

Golden Globe Award Winner "The Painted Veil"

I am so glad to have been able to watch this movie. This is the third screen adaption of the W. Somerset book: "The Painted Veil" and this is one of the most beautiful adaption. Its cinematography topped with haunting acting by both the lead actors is truly amazing. I have come to admire Edward Norton not only for his intense acting but also for his choice of films.

You cannot watch this movie without getting engrossed into the character's life. Yes, it is a slow paced movie, but for me the slow pace really enhances the beauty of the movie.

The story is interesting and believable. Naomi Watts clearly depicts a beautiful, spoiled and restless society girl who hastily marries a conservative micro biologist Dr. Walter Fane(Edward Norton), who is simple, dull, introvert and practically lives for his study of infectious diseases. From the start, the marriage was destined to fail. Kitty starts to look for affection in the arms of another man( played by Watt's real life then boyfriend and now husband, Liev Schreiber) . Walter finds out that his wife is having an affair and suggests a remedy and the remedy he propose raises eyebrows. He will either give her a divorce and effectively make her a social pariah, or she will have to follow him into a sort of purgatory—he's decided to take a post in the north of the China, where there's been a cholera outbreak and she must accompany him. She is left with no choice. Here starts a new journey which changes their lives forever.

The scene where Dr. Fane confronts Kitty is superbly done. That is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. If you have seen this movie tell me your favorite scene.
And if you havent, watch it!
Happy watching!!

P.S.: Confession: I'm a bit of a sucker for love stories that start after the wedding:)

Lagaan: Once Upon a TIme in India!

An Indian modern classic "Lagaan", Nominated as Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars 2002, shows India during the Victorian Age, taking us back to 1893. The movie centers on the village of Champaner, which is controlled by a cantonment of British soldiers and their mustache-twirling Captain, Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne). Every year the villagers are required to pay a lagaan, or land tax (a form of taxation that the villagers have to pay to their Kings, who in turn pays the British for protection against invading forces and rivals from other Kings); this year there has been no rain and little crop yield. Young, rebellious Bhuvan (Aamir Khan, who also produced the film) takes a wager proposed by Russell: if, in three months' time, the villagers defeat the soldiers in a game of cricket, they will be excused from the tax for three years. On the other hand, if they fail, they must pay three times the normal tax and so, probably starve. The movie revolves around how Bhuvan convinces the villagers and creates a team of 11 to play against the team of Andrew Russell. Russell's kind-hearted sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley) opts to secretly help the Champaner team with teaching them the game, and even hopes to play the field between the two sides.

The middle of the film focuses on two plot strands - the local team's haphazard preparation for the match aided by Russell's sympathetic sister Elizabeth, and the romantic triangle that develops between Bhuvan, Elizabeth and Gauri(Gracy Singh), the local girl smitten since childhood with Bhuvan.

Director Ashutosh Gowariker captures the beauty and simplicity of rural life in India at the turn of the century. The vast landscapes and majestic palaces make for enchanting settings to tell the story. As a musical, the film also captivates with well choreographed dances.

Fair warning--this is Bollywood cinema, so there are certain things you can expect up front. First: the film is long. Second: there will be a good amount of singing. Yes, there are a number of songs involved, but they're not bad. In fact, Bollywood musical or not, this is a decent flick. The music by A.R. Rahman, of Slumdog Millionaire fame, takes the movie up a notch.
A very enjoyable and entertaining flick.

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi .

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi .

This is one of the best Israeli movies i have seen(the other good Israeli movie which i liked was Summer of Aviya). This is one of those low-key gems that will bring a smile to your face and warm up your heart with very little effort.
This is a movie about a teenage boy Shlomi(Oshri Cohen), who lives with his family who are nothing but a bunch of jerks. His mother is an iron fisted lady and likes to shout at everybody and anybody and harbors resentment against her husband who slept with her closest friend. He keeps coming back trying to reconcile. His soldier brother is as bratty as can be, his ill grandfather keeps hallucinating about World War II, and then there is Shlomi's sister with her own problems with her husband, so she continually comes over, bringing her twins. He spends his days trying to solve problems of his dysfunctional family or cooking. He loves cooking and is a fabulous cook, everybody loves his food, especially his cakes.
Things begin to look better when a beautiful girl moves next door and expresses interest in him. Soon, Shlomi is forced to choose between the way things have always been and the way they could be. What will he do? Find out yourself.
The Film is not a groundbreaking one but it is competent and entertaining enough to be a pleasant 90 minutes spent on some weekend evening.
Enjoy this weekend with popcorn and this movie and don't forget to tell us about it.
P.S: the movie is in hebrew with english subtitles.

Bombay! Based on true incidents.

This movie is about Hindu-Muslim conflicts back in 1990s and the director (Mani Ratnam) used the backdrop of romeo-juliet love story.

Bombay is the story of Shekhar (Arvind Swamy) and Shaila (Manisha Koirala). A south indian hindu man falls for a simple beautiful muslim girl. Their traditional conservative family decline their request to get married.They marry against family wishes and move to Mumbai. The man starts to work as a reporter for a large daily newspaper. Eventually, the couple has twin boys, Kabir Narayan and Kamal Basheer. The twins are raised in both religions. For six years, the family live in Bombay, settling in well, and begin the process of repairing relations with their respective families.

Meanwhile, in India, religious extremism launches each community against the other, causing a wave of Hindu/Muslim riots that leave hundreds dead in Bombay. The rest of the film is set during the December 1992-January 1993 period when the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy raised religious tension in Mumbai and other parts of India, which sparked rioting and violence.Targets of violence from both sides, Shaila and Shekhar worry increasingly over the safety of their children, who do not have a fixed religion. They are constantly under threat. The growing tension threatens to bring tragedy to the family and during this tensed situation, they lose their children in the city and the parents of Shekhar and Shaila get burnt in their house.