Dor

Let’s start with two women who live more than 500 miles apart. They don’t know each other, and have never met. They have something in common, and that is that each of their husbands have taken jobs overseas. The husbands leave on the same day from their respective locations. Left behind are the wives who have to live with the memories of their last nights with those husbands for an indeterminate amount of time.

As beautiful as the above and below images are, the next day, one of these women looked at a bus pulling out of a lot, and the other watched a train leave a station. At the moment they knew nothing about the other, nor had they any idea that circumstances overseas would bring them together in the future.

In today’s world where our films are filled with violence, explosions, drugs, and corruption, where our films are technological marvels with special FX, 3D, CGI, Imax, and so forth – it is refreshing to watch a film that makes you think and feel. In the words of the director:

Every scene is filled with drama. If it is not the actors and the script, then it is the location. If not the location, then it is the camera angles, and if not that – it is the lighting.

Aren’t those marvelous words? And don’t you want to watch a film that makes your heart beat faster, not from action but from emotion. A film that makes you think, feel, and care – and does so without simply battering the senses?

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

Let’s start with a wealthy landowner/financier who we will call Harry Mandola, who imagines turning most of land in Mandola, a village (named after his family) in the state of Haryana, into a sprawling center of development including an industrial park, retail malls, and residential apartment towers also known as housing for the necessary labor and support business people. To accomplish this, the locals would have to sell their land to the government at decidedly bargain basement rates. If that fails, the government could acquire the land via foreclosures (which we shall call economic terrorism), or by underhanded activities such as scare tactics (which we shall call emotional terrorism), or outright criminal activities.

Once the corrupt state government has the deeds to the land, at the stroke of a pen, the land will be deemed a SEZ (Special Economic Zone) which is just another way of saying – we are now open for business. Then, via what will be almost assuredly be rigged bidding, Mandola will win the developmental rights, meaning he will put up the complex, over charge the government, and then kick back money to the corrupt State Minister.

The corrupt government official, Minister Devi, calls it progress for ‘the good of the country’, Mandola, the landowner/financier calls it a win-win. The rest of us call it coercion, extortion, and … white-collar thuggery, and we wonder if India has an equivalent to our own RICO statutes. That’s what’s going in Vishal Bharadwaj‘s film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola which opened world-wide on January 11th, 2013.

The title refers to the three principal characters of the film. Mandola is the crusty and crafty gazillionaire who likes money, and as we will find out – he really likes to drink. Matru is his man-friday, factotum, majordomo, and right hand man whose main function is to make sure that Mandola doesn’t wander too far off course while under the influence of the liquid spirits. Bijlee is Mandola’s daughter. She’s a New Delhi college graduate who also studied at Oxford, in the UK. And, in case you were wondering, she’s not only brainy, she’s also beautiful.

The film has two other characters of importance. The aforementioned government Minister, and her adult son, Baadal, who, in something that can only be called an arrangement, is engaged to Mandola’s daughter Bijlee. The underlying reasons for that merger, sorry … marriage, are that the Minister wants to her son to marry into the wealthy Mandola family especially since Bijlee is Mandola’s only heir. And Mandola himself, has made his own daughter available as the proverbial ‘cherry on the top’ to make sure his business deal goes through.

So on the surface it looks like a win-win for all concerned. Except for the villagers. Except for Bijlee, who is any thing but the proper daughter.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Changez Khan: Why are they harassing my family?
Bobby Lincoln: I don’t speak for the authorities, but it seems safe to assume – you’ve become a person of interest.
Changez Khan: And they make these assumptions based on what evidence? How do I… how do I become … uninteresting?

The above is one of the key dialogues and questions offered for your consideration in the brand new film from Director Mira Nair called The Reluctant Fundamentalist. A young man from Lahore, Pakistan comes to America to study in the mid-late 1990′s. He’s successful at Princeton and is later hired as a financial analyst by Underwood Sampson – a job described as one of the most desired in the entire world.

You have 20 minutes to convince me why you belong at Underwood Sampson

Changez Khan embraced and loved America. As he put it to Jim Cross played by Kiefer Sutherland at his recruitment interview while still at Princeton, In America, I get an equal chance to win. And whether you hire me or not, Jim, I am going to win. He meant of course the American dream – a successful career, a beautiful trophy wife, tons of money and everything else that came with it.

Changez: Whether you hire me or not Jim, I am going to win.
Jim: Good fucking answer.

And he was well on his way. His career at Underwood Sampson was fast-tracked. His girl friend Erica (Kate Hudson) was the niece of the head of the firm. Then came 9-11. Changez was off in Manila on a business trip with his colleagues when those unforgettable events happened. He learned of them while watching TV in his hotel room that very night.

After that, things changed. It’s not like Changez Khan’s star fell out of the sky, and crashed and burned. No, it was nothing as dramatic as that. But when the Underwood Sampson team returned from Manila later that month, it was Khan who was culled from the disembarking group.

Immigration Official: Are you an American citizen or a foreign national?
Changez Khan: A foreign national.
Immigration Official: May I see your passport please?
Immigration Official [looking at the Pakistan passport] Step over here…
Changez Khan: Is there a problem?
Immigration Official: Follow me please…

Which led to a full body search. And that was only the beginning.

London Paris New York

Continuing with my mini-series of films made beyond our shores – our next film is called London Paris New York. In fact this is the last in the series for a while. That doesn’t mean I won’t be doing film reviews on films made in countries other than the USA, or in exotic locations – of course I will – but just not as part of an on-purpose series.

This is a romantic comedy, and it is from India. While the story is as old as the hills, the production does veer away from the standard rom-com formulas. But before I discuss some of those factors, I’ll give you a very brief bare bones outline.

2005
Boy Meets Girl at airport in London. They spend a day and a night together. She continues to New York – he stays in London. Promises are made but not kept.

2006
More than a year later, she flies over from New York to London for the dreaded surprise pop in. A disaster.

2007
Another year has passed. He sets out to find her and does in Paris. They spend a day and a night together. Sparks fly. But the fire goes out as quickly as it started.

2012
He’s now a successful film producer. He tracks her down in New York. The timing is all wrong, as she is getting married the next day.

First of all, there’s just two main roles – Nikhil played by Ali Zafar, and Lalitha played by Aditi Rao Hydari. So we are unencumbered by annoying sidekicks, friends, and or relatives all of whom are usually on board as listening posts.

The film is made on location in London, Paris, and New York; and the locations clearly fit within the context of the story. This is not like a classic Bollywood romance where the lovers are suddenly transported to an alpine meadow, or find themselves in a wheat field in Punjab, or at a long-abandoned castle on a remote Scottish coastline.

Talaash

The story of Talaash begins with an auto crashing into the sea on a lonely stretch of Seaface Road. It had the appearance of an accident, but Mumbai Police Inspector Shekhawat (played by Aamir Khan) has some questions. First of all, the deceased was a young and popular movie star, Armaan Kapoor, who had no reason to be on this road at four in the morning.

We learn early on that the star gave his driver and his spotboy the rest of the night off after finishing his work on a movie at 2:20 AM.

Not too far from the scene of the accident was a red-light district with the standard assortment of lowlife criminals, drug peddlers, prostitutes, and thugs, or goons that keep things ‘orderly’. This red-light district, and Seaface Road were not in the direction Kapoor would have to take to get to his home.

When the car was winched out of the sea, the victim was still in the driver’s seat behind the wheel and wearing his seat belt.

Using that as a starting point, along with the reports from some homeless people in the area that said ‘That was the only car on the road. There was absolutely nothing on the road’. Shekhawat’s first question was – why was Kapoor in this area?

So the search for answers begins. In fact, ‘search’ or ‘quest’ is the meaning of the Hindi word ‘talaash‘.

Talaash has been called a psychological-suspense thriller, and it has been described as a neo-noir film. A noir film is most commonly called a film with dark interpretations of reality. Usually the setting is the criminal underworld, the characters are cynical, and the time frame is usually set in the 1940′s or early 1950′s. The whole point of a noir, is that it won’t be a pleasant walk in the park. A neo noir would be a film with the same characteristics but set in the contemporary era.

Bollywood A-Lister Aamir Khan as Inspector Shekhawat

Khan’s Shekhawat is a troubled man. He and his wife Roshni, played by Rani Mukerji, are both having quite a difficult time coming to terms with the death of their son, an 8 year old boy. Shekhawat has become a workaholic. He cannot sleep, and he blames himself for the boy’s death. He says, It was not an accident, but rather it was negligence – on my part.

The boy’s death has not only put a strain on the marriage, but also the health of both husband and wife.

Director Reema Kagti, along with her screenwriter Zoya Akhtar have put together an intriguing film. The story proceeds slowly and we meet other characters like Shashi, a pimp, Tehmur who works as his go-for, and Rosie, a party-girl/prostitute played marvelously by Kareena Kapoor.

The review I did prior to this one, A Simple Life was a film directed by a woman.This film from India was not only directed by a woman but was also written by a woman. Okay, I’m not going to be ladling on heaps of praise for the film simply because women were at the helm, but I do find it interesting that Aamir Khan, known in Bollywood film circles as a perfectionist, not only starred in the film, but he also produced it. Meaning he had a strong say in the hiring of Reema Kagti, and just as likely, Khan bought Akhtar’s script.

Rani Mukerji as Roshni

However the film was far from perfect. Many of the characters are too one dimensional including the star himself. Khan’s role as Inspector Shekhawat called for him to be a tough cop, and a husband and parent who is still grieving over the loss of his son. But Shekhawat’s sole expression was to scowl and look intense. On very few occasions does he allow a smile to cross his face. And that’s all compounded by the size and darkness of his moustache which dominated his face.

Another problem I had was that while the mystery of the film is indeed a puzzle, the fates of some of the characters were so very predictable.

Finally, the film has too many coincidences. You won’t notice them at first, but then you do.

Kagti and Akhtar will toss some surprises at you, and while the puzzle and mystery of the accident is eventually resolved, you won’t be expecting how Shekhawat got his answers. The film’s tagline is The Answer Lies Within which has a good deal to do with everything we see and experience in life, as well as this film.

Kareena Kapoor as Rosie

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

Yash Chopra, the legendary Indian film producer and director has been described as arguably India’s most successful director of romantic films. Returning to the helm in 2012, to direct Jab Tak Hai Jaan, marked Chopra’s first directorial effort since 2004 when he directed Veer-Zaara.

Principal photography began on January 9th, 2012 in Mumbai before switching to London for 35 days of filming on February 21st, 2012. While the film had its international premiere on November 13th, 2012, Yash Chopra unfortunately passed away on October 21st.

Starring three of India’s most bankable stars – Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Anushka Sharma, Jab Tak Hai Jaan (JTHJ) is a story of deep passion, of the exuberance of youth, and of devotion to God. Swirl these three ingredients around in a stew that also includes the tension and drama of a broken heart and filter through all of this through an Indian Army Major whose job is to defuse IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) and you’ve got the makings of a classic Yash Chopra epic romance.

Only it doesn’t quite happen.

Sure, having beautiful people dance and love in all of London’s most beautiful settings, crossed with a character straight out of The Hurt Locker sounds good. But the while the film is beautiful to watch, the story itself suffers, at least in the second half of the film, from a poor script, and an actress, who while she is a beauty, has limited acting range and a nearly inexpressive face.

At the outset, in the present time, Indian Army Major Samar Anand (Shahrukh Khan) arrives in a Ladakh marketplace on his motorcycle to defuse a bomb. He works fearlessly and wears no protective gear at all. With nerves of steel, and seemingly completely unafraid of death, Anand is a hero to his men. After the bomb has been defused – Anand gets on his motorcycle and drives off to a place of solitude to decompress and unwind.

But on this one occasion, we find that the next morning, Anand is not alone at his lakeside encampment. Also present nearby is an enterprising young woman, Akira Rai (Anushka Sharma), a young intern working for The Discovery Channel. She desires to be a documentary film maker. We meet her as she stands on a small rocky island in mid-lake. She is about to dive into the lake. She’s bone dry. After diving into the lake, she screams in shock from the lake’s surface cold waters and begins to flounder.

She will be saved from drowning by Anand. Rather than sticking around, he gives her his jacket, then boards his bike and drives off. We then see that Akira had recorded the rescue with a camcorder on a tripod that she had set in place beforehand. So clearly all of this was pre-arranged by her.

Cocktail (2012)

In my last review, we had a look at Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher which was filmed totally in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Cocktail, the 2012 film from Illuminati  Films is not bound to one geographical area. Cocktail begins in New Delhi, India, and shortly thereafter, we arrive in London, UK, where most of the film takes place. There’s a vacation in Capetown, South Africa, before the principals head back to London. Only at the tail end of the film do we return to New Delhi.

Cocktail is a film about relationships. Specifically – a man and two women. A love triangle? Possibly, but that would be a bit too simplistic. Actually it is a lot more complicated than that. Rather than just walk you through the plot, let’s have a look at three main players and how they all meet.

First there is Gautam. He’s played by Indian film superstar Saif Ali Khan. Gautam is a player. Anything that moves while wearing a skirt is considered fair game. And if the female wearing the skirt is attractive, then the likely response from Gautam is Goddamn, or OMG, before he swings into action. He’s a software engineer, and despite his Mom’s protests that he not leave India without a bride, off he goes.

At the Delhi airport, he spots a stunning beauty, Meera, played by the beautiful Diana Penty, making her film debut. He trots out a number of his best lines, but they’re not going to work. You see, Meera is off to London to meet her husband who is working and living there. Meera is a gorgeous girl, and easily fits the description of a well-mannered, traditional Indian woman . This is not to say that she isn’t a modern girl, but she is conservative, loyal, and religious.

Meera and Gautam arrive in London together, or should I say, they traveled on the same plane, but did not travel together. Gautam again tries to pick up Meera at Heathrow Airport, and once again is sent packing. Of course he’s not about to stick around when Meera tells him that her husband is on his way to pick her up. Only as it turns out, the husband is doing no such thing and Meera has not discovered this just yet.