'Begum Jaan' Vs. 'Rajkahini'

'Begum Jaan' Vs. 'Rajkahini'

Saw ‘Begum Jaan’ yesterday. It is Srijit Mukherjee’s Hindi remake of his own Bengali film ‘Rajkahini’. Taken on its own merit on a standalone basis, ‘Begum Jaan’ is definitely an excellent, intensely emotionally moving film. However when compared to the original ‘Rajkahini’, it just pales out into insignificance. To me, ‘Rajkahini’ is one of the all time greatest films that I have ever seen, period and it can hold its own against any Hollywood movie. Some comparison points:

1) Rituparna Sengupta’s portrayal of Begum Jaan in ‘Rajkahini’ is exceptionally brilliant and national award winning level material; the personality she portrayed was raw and visceral. Vidya Balan’s portrayal of Begum Jaan is, in comparison, very low key and insipid.

2) Jisshu U Sengupta’s portrayal of the villain Kabir in ‘Rajkahini’ is his lifetime best acting performance till date and is a sheer genius level portrayal of villainy, that can make your skin crawl in revulsion. In comparison Chunky Pandey’s portrayal of Kabir in ‘Begum Jaan’ is so so at best.

3) Both ‘Rajkahini’ and ‘Begum Jaan’ are ensemble acting pieces; everyone of the actors and actresses put in brilliant performances and the films rest on the shoulders of the entire cast. Both the films have a lot of scenes where the kothiwali raandis scream and fight/argue amongst themselves. However, in ‘Rajkahini’, the Bengali actresses put in very controlled, subdued performances during those kind of sequences and deliver their lines with dignity without sounding shrill; in comparison, in ‘Begum Jaan’ everyone of such sequences degenerate into loud shrieking screechfests, with the girls sounding like Banshees.

4) The dadi character(Kamala Dida, played by Lily Chakraborty) in ‘Rajkahini’ reads out stories from Abanindranath Tagore’s book ‘Rajkahini’ to the little girl Buchki and none of stories are picturised. This gives it a certain dignity. However, in ‘Begum Jaan’ when the dadi (Amma, played by Ila Arun) tells little Laadli, tales about Ahilyabai, Rani Lakshimbai of Jhansi, Razia Sultana and Rani Padmavati of Mewar, the stories are actually shown picturized in cartoony sequences, which look very stupid.

5) The original ‘Rajkahini’ is a 160 minutes long film and hence it allowed a lot of room for character development and showing the backgrounds of the main characters. Since ‘Begum Jaan’ is 119 minutes long, there is not much option of background character development.

Badshahi Angti - Feluda movies regain their lost glory - Very Highly recommended

Saw 'Badshahi Angti' today. I was initially very apprehensive about how Abir Chatterjee would portray Feluda. However, I was totally, literally blown-away/floored by the movie. Abir is the next best Feluda, after Soumitra Chatterjee. Looks, personality, gait, alacrity and sportsmanlike litheness and spiritwise, Abir has been able to portray Satyajit Ray's Feluda spot on; the best part is that he has brought back the 'nikhaad Bangaliana' in Feluda's personality, which Soumitra so adeptly portrayed in Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath, but which got totally lost in Sabyasachi Chatterjee's portrayal of Feluda in the successive Feluda films. Feluda is now in the safe hands of Abir, for the next couple of years at least.
The film itself is simply brilliant. Sandip Ray's screenplay adaption from his dad, Satyajit Ray's much read original book, is terrific and very faithful and true to the original source material. Sandip Ray's directing is getting better with each successive film. The taut and brisk pacing of the film is gripping, to say the least, and is easily upto the standard of any American thriller film. In the movie, Sandip Ray makes visual references to his favorite films or books - a poster of the Peter Yates film 'Bullitt'starring Steve McQueen is seen in the background (pasted on a wall in a room) and Topshe is seen reading volume 7 of the Tintin Omnibus. The cinematography is dazzlingly brilliant. The sound design of the film is excellent and Sandip Ray makes brilliant use of LFE elements and also makes the sorround speakers come alive.
A major disappointment is Sourav Das, who portray's Topshe. He has as much acting skills as a horse and his totally uninspiring, deadpan and unnatural dialog delivery and his drab, lack-luster acting is a majorly repulsive factor in the film.

However, the one dazzling bright star in this film is Paran Bandopadhyay. He steals every scene he is in and literally chews up the frames with his stunningly brilliant, incomparable portrayal of the villain Banbiharibabu. I was literally shocked to see how amazingly good he is as a character actor. I have always seen him in only comedic roles and never knew he was so damn talented in portraying serious roles.

All in all, this is a MUST WATCH FILM and I am highly recommending all of you to see this movie.

Highway   - A really good movie

Those who know me closely, are well aware that I am a hard-core Hollywood movie addict/snob and I don't usually recommend Indian films to anyone. However, from time to time, some very rare Indian movie impresses me and has me totally captivated by its excellence. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Rasleela - RamLeela has been one such movie which I found really stunningly good.
This week, totally on a wild hunch, I saw Imtiaz Ali's 'Highway' and I was just left totally speechless by its sheer beauty. I would highly recommend this film to anyone. The film is stunningly beautiful and almost lyrical and poetic in its quality. The cinematography and screenplay is mind-blowingly excellent. It is a deep study in human nature and spirit and I found it to be intensely moving. Imtiaz Ali has produced a work of art here. I know for a fact that this movie will not commercially do well because it is not a conventional Bollywood potboiler with contrived,artificial plotlines and stupid dance sequences. I found the movie to be intensely emotionally touching and moving. I would highly commend Randeep Hooda's performance as the rough and tough Gujjar Mahabir Bhatti; honestly I never knew that he could ever act this good; Randeep has given the acting performance of his lifetime and if this was a Hollywood movie, he would definitely have been nominated for a best actor Oscar award for his role. The only thing that sticks out like a sore thumb through the whole movie is Alia Bhatt's stupid jackass like acting; her performance is so artificial and pathetically bad that I was feeling my skin crawl at times watching her 'emote'.
The background songs and music are incredibly hauntingly beautiful and stay with you in your mind,long after the movie has ended.
I would highly recommend this film to everyone.

My All-time Favorite Movies

Anybody  who knows me, is well aware of the fact that I am crazy about movies (Hollywood movies in their entirety and some very specific Bengali movies in particular). I literally ‘Eat Movies, Sleep Movies, Drink Movies, Dream Movies, Breathe Movies’, a bit like what a famous Coca Cola ad used to declare a long long time back.

Movies are the ‘Literature’ of my life. Although I love reading books and used to be a bookworm, but ever since I was 6 years old, I have spent most of my spare (‘hobby’) time in the darkness of movie halls or in my own home theatre room, transfixed, with my eyes glued to a movie screen or TV screen with a mesmerized expression on my face, watching the drama unfolding on the screen. Aside from listening to music (I am a compulsive music addict), my greatest obsession is watching films and collecting films. I have been a movie collector and music collector for ages (ever since I started getting my GATE stipend during my M.Tech days) and my collection of music cds, tapes and movie DVDs and Blu-ray disks have reached gargantuan proportions.

My choice in movies runs the entire gamut, from Documentaries (those by Ken Burns or Michael Moore) to Action Thrillers, Drama, Horror movies, Thrillers, Romantic Comedies, Chick-flicks, Sappy sentimental films, high-brow indie-prod movies, Animation/cartoon films, Japanese Anime’, slasher flicks, Grindhouse movies, Science Fiction, Westerns etc. etc. which inspire  emotions as varied as wide eyed gaping awe to pulse-pounding excitement to heart-wrenching tears to a soft-warm glow of romance suffusing the heart.

If I am asked to name my favorite films, I’d really go into a tizzy because the number of even my choicest/favorite movies run into more than a thousand; however after a lot of emotional tussles in my brain, I have come up with a top ten (actually 15) list, a sort of a best-of-the best movies in my book, which I can willingly see over and over a thousand times and would unashamedly recommend to others.

1)    T2: Judgment Day (1991): One of James Cameron’s greatest creations, this film is a grand spectacle formula film, with the right mix of serious drama, fast, pulse-pounding action and brilliant jaw-dropping special effects.

The direction and screenplay is simply top notch. Its major stars are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong. It still is regarded as one of the all-time greatest science fiction films.  The plot, in short is, it has been ten long years since a Terminator failed to kill Sarah Connor and her unborn son, John (as shown in the movie THE TERMINATOR). Now, Skynet has sent back another Terminator. This one being more advanced than the last one (a shiny liquid-metal shape-shifter). John Connor, who is now ten years old, is the target. The future John sends back a replica of the Terminator that tried to kill him back in time to 1995 to protect the current John Connor. It's Terminator vs. Terminator.

2)    The Lord of the Rings Trilogy:- Director - Peter Jackson; Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis etc.

The trilogy consists of the following 3 tightly coupled films :

       a) The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

       b) The Two Towers (2002)

       c) The Return of the King (2003)

The trilogy is meant to be seen together one after another. This is Peter Jackson’s magnum opus. It is epic in its imagery and scale and grandly photographed; brilliantly directed and acted. The plotline is gripping and the films would literally grab you by the eyeballs. Make sure that you see the Extended Edition Blu-ray’s or DVDs i.e. the 4 hour versions and not the theatrical cuts.

3) Jaws (1975) – Director - Steven Spielberg; Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary.

This is one of Spielberg’s earlier works but it is among his greatest. A tale about a great white shark terrorizing the New England beach resort of Amity and a steel-nerved police chief who tackles this menace. A mesmerizingly crafted adventure thriller with an explosive climax; its edge of the seat suspense and drama would make you wish that the movie never ended. This was THE blockbuster that started the trend of summer blockbusters. Roy Scheider’s performance as Police chief Martin Brody is the stuff of movie legends. This is acknowledged by most film critics as one of the greatest movies ever made and is definitely the best adventure movie I have ever seen.

4) Robocop (1987)- Director - Paul Verhoeven; Starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O Herlihy.

This is Paul Verhoeven’s greatest work. A gripping action thriller set in a futuristic Detroit about a valiant upright Cop named Frank Murphy who gets brutally murdered and whose brain and central nervous system is used to build a crime-fighter android named ‘Robocop’. It is one of the best SF movies I have seen and is simply brilliantly written, directed and acted. Peter Weller’s acting as Robocop is mesmerizing. The human drama aspect is also immensely emotionally moving.

5) A Walk in the Clouds (1995): Director - Alfonso Arau; Starring Keanu Reeves, Aitan Sanchez Gijon’, Anthony Quinn.

Aside from ‘Titanic’, this is the best romantic movie I have ever seen. Intensely emotionally moving, the film seems like a poem and it literally tugs at the heartstrings and makes you literally believe that true love eventually wins over all obstacles and lovers do finally get to hold each other in their arms. The film’s lushly gorgeous photography, set in Napa valley in California, would have you gaping and the background score is simply lyrical.

Famous quote: "Talking between men and women never solves anything. Where we think, they feel. They are creatures of the heart."

6) The Sound of Music (1965): Director - Robert Wise; Starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn.

Acknowledged as one of the all-time greatest Hollywood musicals, this is an extremely beautiful film. Very emotionally touching, this is a stunningly beautiful family film that can be seen over and over again. You will find yourself humming the catchy songs, long after the film has ended.

7) Congo (1995): Director - Frank Marshall; Starring Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Tim Curry, Ernie Hudson.

This is THE most favorite adventure movie of mine. A masterfully crafted formula film; you would just be swept away in the dangerous travails of the protagonists and the nail-biting suspense and sheer speed with which things keep happening would keep you on the edge of your seat till the credits start rolling on the screen at the end.

  

8) Titanic (1997): Director - James Cameron; Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane.

What can I say about this one that has not already been said before? This is James Cameron’s magnum opus and one of the greatest movies ever made. The love story of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater set amidst the backdrop of the sinking of the Titanic is literally the best love story ever churned out of Hollywood. The film is too flawless on every count – Screenplay, Direction, Acting, Photography, you name it, it simply blazes through in every aspect. This film is one of the most emotionally moving human dramas I have ever seen the heart-rending ending would leave a lump in the throat of even the most stone-cold hard-hearted person. This is a film that you can see over and over a thousand times and would never get bored; No wonder it ran to packed movie halls for more than 1 year in every city everywhere in the world from Los Angeles to Bankura to Timbuktu, transcending all language and cultural barriers. It is truly a testament that love is a universal language.

9) Gone with the Wind (1939): Director - Victor Fleming; Starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia De Havilland.

This film is one of the traditional Hollywood biggies. The story of the impetuous Scarlett O’ Hara and the manly Rhett Butler, set against the backdrop of the American civil war and reconstruction period, is lavishly mounted and gorgeously directed and photographed. The acting by every member of the ensemble cast is top-notch to say the least. The haunting background score is simply unforgettable. The film is about 4 hours in length but you would not get bored at all. Men would find their eyes glued in wide eyed adoration at the divine Vivien Leigh and women would swoon over Clark Gable, who epitomizes the dashing, alpha male.

10) Braveheart (1995): Director - Mel Gibson; Starring Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Brian Cox.

This is Mel Gibson’s all time directorial masterpiece. The story of the Scottish Medieval warrior William Wallace and his struggle against the English people, to fight for the independence of his beloved Scotland is an intensely moving emotional drama. Gibson literally becomes William Wallace and simply radiates the charisma, dynamism and manliness that made Wallace a legend. The final sequence of Wallace’s death at the hand of his English executioners would leave you too shocked for words and is bound to bring a tear to your eye.

11) Grave of the Fireflies (1988): Director - Isao Takahata;  

This is one of the most acclaimed animation movies ever and is hailed by critics as one of the greatest emotionally heart-rending films ever made.

Setsuko and Seita are brother and sister living in wartime Japan. After their mother is killed in an air raid they find a temporary home with relatives. Having quarreled with their aunt they leave the city and make their home in an abandoned shelter. While their soldier father's destiny is unknown, the two must depend on each other to somehow keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. When everything is in short supply, they gradually succumb to hunger and their only entertainment is the light of the fireflies.

I would highly recommend this film to everyone. Any guy who has a sister and any sister who has a brother would definitely feel the emotional impact of this film. You would find it difficult to hold back your tears after the film ends. Years and years of watching mind-numbing violence and action in Hollywood movies has left me totally  emotionally desensitized, but this is one film, which while watching, I found myself bursting into tears and found it difficult to control my emotions.

12) 3:10 to Yuma (2007): Director - James Mangold; Starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman.

This is one of my most favorite Westerns and is regarded by critics to be among the greatest westerns ever made, in the same league as Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgiven’. The story is, of a simple cattle rancher and his son who help in capturing a notorious baddie and are entrusted with the task of delivering the prisoner to a railway station in time to catch the train to Yuma. On the way they face various obstacles and by sheer determination the hero delivers the prisoner to the train on time, but at the cost of his own life. Christian Bale as the hero and Russell Crowe as the villain, deliver powerhouse performances which leave an indelible mark on the viewer.

13) Road to Perdition (2002): Director – Sam Mendes; Starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig etc.

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure. However after his son is witness to a killing he has done Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run trying to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.

The film is stunningly well directed and is an intense emotional drama underscoring the bond between fathers and sons. The haunting background score stays in your mind, long after the film ends.

14) Insomnia (2002): Director – Christopher Nolan; Starring Al Pacino. Hillary Swank, Robin Williams,

A nail-bitingly intense psychological drama. Set in a remote Alaskan logging town, named Nightmute, it is a cat and mouse game between a determined cop and a shrewd killer. Gripping and nerve-wracking to say the least. Breathtakingly beautifully photographed, masterfully directed by Nolan (In fact I find this to be his best film just like ‘Memento’). Al Pacino and Robin Williams (in a villain’s role) literally chew up the screen with their mesmerizing performances. Very highly recommended!
The most haunting moment is, Al Pacino's character,after getting fatally shot near the end of the movie, telling Hillary Swank's character "Don't ever lose your way".

15) First Knight (1995): Director – Jerry Zucker; Starring Richard Gere, Sean Connery, Ben Cross, Julia Ormond.

Sir Lancelot lives by the sword. Fighting for money comes pretty naturally to him. Lady Guinevere, on her way to marry King Arthur is ambushed by the evil Sir Malagant. Fortunately Lancelot is lurking nearby and he rescues his future queen. They fall in love, but Guinevere still fancies the idea of wearing a crown, so she honors her promise to Arthur. Can Lady Guinevere remain faithful, or will she succumb to the charms of the dashing knight Lancelot and become his lady?

This is a lyrical, poetic film and is bound to strike an emotional chord in the heart of every man and woman who has ever felt the stirrings of love. Very highly recommended !

…..and another one….just one more…

16) Season of the Witch (2011): Director – Dominic Sena; Starring Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy.

A 14th century valiant warrior, who fought in the Crusades, returns to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, a disgraced itinerant and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl. When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardizes the knight's pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force. 

This is a brilliantly directed movie with pulse-pounding suspense and intense drama. Nicolas Cage delivers an unforgettable performance as a true Knight who willingly sacrifices his life for what he believes in. This is one film that can be seen over and over again !

…..Ooops, thought I should include 2 more (this is the last one – Scout’s honor!!):

17) a) THE DESCENT (2005): Director – Neil Marshal; Starring Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Saskia Mulder.

After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a caving expedition. The adventure of these lady spelunkers soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by bloodthirsty creatures of the subterranean depths who are mutated humans. As their friendships deteriorate, the girls find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the creatures and each other.

      b) DESCENT - Part 2 (2009): Director – Jon Harris; Starring Shauna MacDonald, Jessika Williams, Anna Skellem.

Distraught, confused, and half-wild with fear, Sarah Carter emerges alone from the Appalachian cave system where she encountered unspeakable terrors. Unable to plausibly explain to the authorities what happened - or why she's covered in her friends' blood - Sarah is forced back to the subterranean depths to help locate her five missing companions. As the rescue party drives deeper into uncharted caverns, nightmarish visions of the recent past begin to haunt Sarah and she starts to realize the full horror and futility of the mission. Subjected to the suspicion and mistrust of the group and confronted once more by the inbred, feral and savagely ruthless Crawlers, Sarah must draw on all her inner reserves of strength and courage in a desperate final struggle for deliverance and redemption.

I would highly recommend everyone to see the above 2 films together. I guarantee you that you will sit glued to your couch chewing your nails to the bone; the spine-chilling suspense grips your neck from the word go and does not let up till the film ends.

I would personally highly recommend you to view all of the above movies and believe me, it won’t be a waste of time. The best way to view them would of course be to get the Blu-ray disks of these films and watch them in eye-popping gorgeous, pristine 1080p HI-DEF glory and with floor shaking DTS-HD MA 7.1 Audio. However viewing them on plain old DVDs would also be a rewarding experience. For those who are freeloaders and want their daily entertainment fix via ..ahem.. other ways, there are always a gazillion torrent tracker sites (the best tracker being our trusted google.com) from which you can get torrents of these movies (psst..psst..most of the prints available are dazzlingly good and in xvid .avi format or h264 .MP4 or .mkv format with either mp3 audio or 5.1 ac3 audio; if you’ve got a media player device like WDTV LIVE PLUS or AMKETTE FLASH TV HD, you can play the downloads directly on your HDTV via an HDMI cable and view them in up-converted HD glory).