The Best Films Of 2012

So, what were the year’s highlights? Two outstanding pieces of the thriller genre set in the two big and busy cities located on two ends of the country…..A master-filmmaker’s penultimate film, concluding the end of a legendary career and coinciding with his tragic demise…..Films that took us into the reality of rural hinterland while giving us solid stories of romance and revenge…..A light-hearted take at a controversial issue told as a breezy romance…..and finally a film that took us into the hills and gave us people who spoke with emotions than words…..

Each one of them deserves a mention, as well as others who did not quite click but nevertheless made their mark in some ways…..

The Consolation Prizes

Ek Tha Tiger- Kabir Khan’s savvy and slickly packaged actioner-cum-romance boasted of spectacular locations and break-neck action never seen before. That said, the film is brought down by its predictable romance that slows things terribly down…….

Student Of The Year- Karan Johar’s glossy and luxurious youth movie sparkles with solid chemistry between its characters and gives us two promising leading men but suffers from a bland heroine and an excess of, well, everything unconvincing…….

Agent Vinod- Sriram Raghavan’s slick spy movie had memorable baddies and enough twists and turns but a really, really sloppy ending ruins almost everything….

And now we move on the big winners of the year…..

                    10- Jab Tak Hai Jaan

The master filmmaker pulled off his last act at the grand age of 80 and weeks before, the film was unveiled, Yash Chopra passed away, leaving us a legacy of romance and drama that make us go weak at the knees. As a solitary tribute to all that he has done, his penultimate film stands out as a romance that blends the old with the new- a wonderfully twisted journey of romance packed to the gills with stunning imagery, melodious music and the kind of magic that only Chopra could have achieved.

It is all very fine but the plot-by Aditya Chopra- often wrecks the film’s superb potential-that and a good-looking-but-unable-to-act Katrina Kaif often ruin the film’s crowning moments. Still, a cool and capable Shahrukh, buoyant Anushka Sharma and glittering locations and songs take your breath away…….

                 

                     9- Ekk Main Aur Ekk Tu

Our films usually make a big, bonny mess of romances set in foreign lands that anything, almost anything, that feels even slightly Woody Allen-smart or vibrant, comes as a welcome surprise. Shakun Batra’s well-intentioned debut, a sparky romance set to a scintillating score and much warmth, is a job fairly well done, something at which even Allen could have smiled.

The first hour or so feels redundant with its brashly stereotype jokes but as the friendship between the introvert Rahul and vivacious Riana develops with enough nuance and insight, the film shifts, fortunately, to Mumbai to make for a nicely touching and heartfelt second half which shows us Batra’s amazing skills at building characters and relationships between them…. And the lead pair- a confident Imran Khan and an oh-so-wonderful Kareena Kapoor- works wonders.

                   8- Vicky Donor

Talk about sheer cheek. A story about a sperm donor, essentially a good-for-nothing slacker, is the stuff of controversy and also comedy. Shoojit Sircar’s delightful and excellently observed character comedy rides hot on the heels of the likes of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and the more recent Dibakar Banerjee to carve a particularly wise and witty portrait of middle-class Delhi and at heart a spunky romance between its grungy hero and an urban lass that packs enough sincerity.

As the eponymous fertile slacker, Ayushmann Khurana comes up with a self-assured debut in the role of a guy too sure about himself to see the consequences of his ways. But it is the film’s cast of solid supporting characters that really make Sircar’s film a cut above comedies- from Dolly Ahluwalia’s gaudy and garrulous mother to Annu Kapoor’s eccentric doctor hunting for donors, and yes, the wizened yet wise grandmother who gulps in whiskey with her daughter-in-law, classic!

                      7- Shanghai

You can always trust the reliable Dibakar Banerjee to come up with an intelligent product that satisfies you creatively as well. In this incisive remake of Costa Gavras’ classic ‘Z’, Banerjee tells us a lean, harrowing story of big bucks, politics and progress and the film, liberally loaded with sarcasm and cynicism, is a brilliant satire making us confront the question, ‘What is the price of progress?’

With a verve of an action film, ‘Shanghai’ unravels- Banerjee smartly and adroitly navigates the decadent alleys of political hierarchy and etches memorable characters- so real that you can almost smell the sweat on them. Even as this becomes predictable towards the end, Banerjee extricates terrific performances from his leads- Emraan Hashmi’s reluctant witness-cum-pornographer is a showcase of pain and fear, while Abhay Deol’s tight-lipped yet belligerent bureaucrat is one of the performances of the year…….

                      6-Ishaqzaade

The name itself suggests brash, bold defiance, independence, setting the stage for a love story that oozes with fire and passion and boy, Habib Faisal, in his second gung-ho outing, slams it hard- an unfilchingly raw and visceral update of the old-as-hills Romeo-Juliet saga and with a lead pair that steals our heart.

The chemistry between the uncouth Parma (an impressively edgy Arjun Kapoor) and the hot-blooded yet vivacious Zoya (a hands-down spontaneous and superb Parineeti Chopra) crackles and Faisal gets the earthy, soiled, bloody flavor just right with visuals and music that race, rumble and yet settles down for enough intimacy and warmth. The political rivalry feels real than ever- the film teaching us a thing of two about tolerance without being preachy- and the climax, while essentially a flawed one, could be justifiably called as the most rousing one in recent times……

                            5-Kahaani

We have been to Delhi. We have been to the big and busy Mumbai. And Sujoy Ghosh already deserved a pre-mature applause for showcasing what Dominique Lappiere called the ‘City Of Joy’ in all its bright lights and grim shadows, inhabited instead of cultural stereotypes, a chock full of real people, some of whom are smartly, ingeniously, a part of the mystery itself….

In no other film have we been given an assassin who works as a mild-mannered, overweight-Clark Kent- like insurance salesman, an angry cop who has little patience for rules and protocol and above all a pregnant woman searching for her husband in this big city, where everything has a dual name and identity.

Whoa!

‘Kahaani’ is a film of incredible smarts. It races along with its characters in its sweltering, terse and alternately darkly comic quest for the truth, while the constantly spell-binding visuals bring to life a city of yellow cabs, lethargic trams and dark alleys that lead somewhere else…. And yet this has enough emotion and humanity to make for a profoundly moving and rousing experience…..

          4- Gangs Of Wasseypur Part 1

Francis Ford Coppola, please pay attention, or ‘Mein Teri Keh Ke Loonga’

Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold but it could only be Anurag Kashyap who makes it sizzle with a sensory overload of sheer bravado, knife-sharp humor, drama pumped with blood and adrenaline and such mesmerizing nuance and observation that it is a revenge story with enough morals. And while the pacing is a bit of a misfiring pistol, the build-up is nonetheless the stuff of mastery.

Spanning decades of rivalry stemming from one cold-blooded murder and ending in one, the fantastic prelude is packed with overwhelmingly compelling characters- the sleazy Sardar Khan played by an impressively nasty Manoj Bajpayee to his arch-nemesis- the principled and vicious Ramadhir Singh played to perfection by Tigmanshu Dhulia., while Nawazzudin Siddiqui and Huma Qureshi set the stage for more fire in the sequel….

Resurrecting potboiler elements of the likes of Yash Chopra and Salim-Javed and blending the quirk of Tarantino with the elegance of Coppola and Scorsese, Kashyap’s film is nevertheless an individual triumph, for the way how a filmmaker, at the top of his form, wills us to take in powerful filmmaking at its most gut-wrenching yet eliciting enough guffaws to make our jaws drop…..

                        

                              3- English Vinglish

It is perhaps rare that we have been given a heroine whom we can cheer for, not merely pity or sympathize with. Debutant director Gauri Shinde’s superbly breezy, witty and warm comedy celebrates the simplicity and courage of one of the most plain and unassuming heroines in recent memory- a simple, faltering yet determined housewife who can’t  speak good English and takes her family’s jeers spiritedly but after a humiliation at a New York café, she decides to have no more of it.

It is simple, delivered with classic filmmaking grace, the narrative predictable but the biggest surprises lie in how Shinde nails even the little victories of life as extraordinary and poignant while basking her heroine in the sunlight of confidence and discovery- Sridevi is unforgettable as a truly simple woman who chooses to dance in joy when called simply an entrepreneur and she is ably supported by a solid cast of characters- funny, perfectly observed and downright delightful, even malicious, like the realistically sly and yet tender husband played to perfection by the talented Adil Hussain.

The laughs come easy and it is hard not to be wooed with the smooth nuance and detail that Shinde invests in this film and yet the real triumph is how Shinde’s warmth touches you without even shedding a tear.

                         

                        2- Talaash

Really, Reema Kagti, we have got to hand it to you.

By mixing the right sense of Alfred Hitchcock and neo-noir with elements of M. Night Shyamalan and Christopher Nolan, Reema Kagti deserves a bravery award and then full marks for the mastery that she showcases in her second film itself. Every element is perfectly placed- be it the characters, Mohanan’s gorgeous and atmospheric visuals, the moody background score, the languid pace that lends the film more chills than thrills and above all a master hand at handling a talented cast of actors….

The gist- of a mysterious car accident occurring on a lonely night on Worli Seaface- is quite pulpy, as is the film’s actual revelation-but what is to admired is how Kagti has endowed the film with such fantastic casting, character development and such a solid grip on the emotions that much of it convinces us. Each character is perfectly developed- be it the tough and alternately tender cop who investigates the labyrinth (a near-flawless Aamir Khan), a mysterious hooker who raises more questions than answers (a stunning and perfectly cast Kareena Kapoor) and my favorite- a limping oft-kicked-around sidekick who plans something big (played with scene-stealing effect by the supremely talented Nawazzuding Siddqui).

It is a somber film unfolding in grey shades, shadows and illusions as the characters navigate the darkness that lies beneath all the pomp and show-remarkably like Roman Polanski’s ‘Chinatown’- and nothing could have worked better than casting the bustling city of Mumbai at the background- the film showcases its uglier sides and the island metropolis ends up being a compelling character itself……..

                              1-    Gangs Of Wasseypur-Part 2

Call it rightly ‘The Dark Knight’ of Bollywood gangster movies…..

We often make a serious mess of sequels to popular films and often the chosen path for the makers is predictability. And one of the achievements of this turbo-charged sequel to an already incendiary film is how it changes the mood completely. Gone is the tense build-up that also shifted to comedy and intimate romance and family drama- Anurag Kashyap’s sequel cuts straight to the action from the first frame- like a really smart action film, it is the people who hold guns that make for most of the fun.

And My God, what people they are!

A dope-addicted wastrel of a son transforms overnight into a fast-talking, ruthless don and yet is one who is equally vulnerable and even romantic (Nawazzudin Siddiqui, of course, the man leads the pack). His competitor and admirer- a street goon who styles himself as Salman Khan; a kid brother who tosses razor blades in his mouth and lisps before performing stunts and robbing stores- and his sidekick- both of whom are named after mathematical terms instead of real names.

They are people instantly likeable- in their heroics, their villainy, their follies, their taste of movies and gaudy hairstyles and clothing and Kashyap makes sure to blend the craziness with such a masterful style of filmmaking that it all feels real-downright real and earthy.

Which is why we admire the nuances- a singer is hired to croon to sad songs in funerals, a pager is a radical invention, harkening to the days of the 90s when it was first introduced and the film’s hyperviolence gets your nerves racing and the Martin Scorsese-like chaotic climax is something that makes you shout with sheer joy.

I can’t rave and rant enough about this masterpiece. But I can sign off by just describing you the moment that defines this landmark classic.

The lisping toothy thief, the one called Perpendicular, walks out joyously out of a theatre with his buddy, singing a song from Munnabhai MBBS and they together ride their way back home, discussing about Munna and Circuit. We laugh. Then, minutes later, when he is gunned down in cold blood, we can’t help but feel for the character who was this unforgettable….

And any movie that can make us filch between laughter and genuine concern has to be a masterpiece…

That too for a goon!

Life Of Pi- The New Slumdog Millionaire?

From a first glance in the spectacular-looking trailers, Ang Lee’s latest offering, the much awaited ‘Life Of Pi’ looks like a film more in the domain of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. The entire film is focused on the travails of a young Indian boy caught in a raft with a splendid Bengal tiger. Sure, the tiger’s roars, lunges and snarls look real enough. But it surely looks too splendid to be real- which means that we are in for some stunning CGI work. It helps that the film will be rendered with the third dimension as well. The goliaths so far like Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Spielberg, Jackson and James Cameron can take a bow for Lee in his first-ever 3D venture.

But a closer look at the scenes and a superficial look at the story reveals something else.  The cast of ‘Life Of Pi’ stars Irrfan Khan, Tabu and a young Indian boy by the name of Suraj Sharma, on whom most of the action centers. Then, isn’t it about a man narrating his tumultuous and perilous adventures of the youth? Ring any bells? In an uncanny way, this sounds more like a retread of Danny Boyle’s much-acclaimed and awarded ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

Sure, the two films differ in tone and context. Boyle’s film was a seriously messed-up fairytale fashioned with gritty visuals of the dirty and dingy world of Mumbai’s slums and bylanes and set to a killer score by AR. Rahman. Lee’s film comes off more like a fairytale in the conventional sense. The 3D element itself suggests that we are in for some thrilling and stunning set-pieces with the animals involved in the film and that beautiful tiger will be worth-watching. But it is hard to say whether this would actually make sense. ‘Life Of Pi’ essentially looks nothing less than a Spielberg production. Lee’s real touches would possibly lie in how he builds the relationships between his characters, both human and animal.

But there is a definite similarity. Both the films are about characters, who have spent their youth and childhood in adventures that normal people would not believe in. Both the films are about such people narrating their stories to incredulous and unbelieving people and audiences. At heart, both films serve as a pompous celebration of the ordinary person. Which obviously means that like Boyle, Lee will be displaying some emotionally manipulative filmmaking, while not cutting for realism unlike Boyle.

Credit would obviously go to the writers of the stories of both films. On one hand, Yann Martel’s elegant, clever and heartfelt prose would accompany Lee’s grandiose visuals. On the other hand, there is noted diplomat Vikas Swarup painting a picture of India lying at the bottom of the heap yet showering it with a fanatical Indo-nostalgic approach, showing us a ringside of crime, films and more. This could alone mean that Lee’s wondrous approach will be more fulfilling than Boyle’s hackneyed though impressively grimy treatment of the convoluted and clichéd material.

But the similarity would extend beyond that. Both films are a part of the film-making scene centering on India as a background for exotic and real stories. There have been notable films in the past which have centered on India but some of them have landed up in controversy. 1982’s ‘Gandhi’ and 1984’s ‘A Passage To India’ were primarily British films set in the era of the British colonialism in the country. The former won a lot of praise and acclaim, while the latter was warmly received by those who had pored over the eponymous E.M Forster novel. And likes of John Huston and the Merchant-Ivory pair made films based on famous English novels as well.

But there have been some outrageous exceptions. In 1983, the Bond film ‘Octopussy’ was shot largely in India but as critics and Indians opined the film is ridden with stereotypes normally associated with India- superstitions, snakes, thugs, Indian princes, elephants and palaces. In 1984, Steven Spielberg gave us the hilarious actioner ‘The Temple Of Doom’, also with India as the backdrop but the director was forced to shift places. The government bureaucrats refused to permit Steve as they found the script full of clichés and ’offensive’ references to Indian culture and cuisine- for instance, Indian princes feasting on snakes, monkey heads and bugs as well.

Such criticisms do not matter as long the film is pure fantasy- as in both the cases. But when a film set in the real world, for instance the rundown slums and ghettoes of Mumbai ends up being flawed and stereotyped in its approach, hackles can be raised. This was what happened to Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Rushdie and others openly pointed out the flaws which clearly indicate that foreign filmmakers seldom do their homework when it comes to India. And this hurts when Boyle guns for so much realism in his portrayal of India.

Lee himself had declared that he considers it wrong for foreign filmmakers to miss out the realism in their films about exotic lands like India. But Lee shares the similarity with some of the recent talent in Hollywood. Like Boyle, Christopher Nolan, Sam Mendes and Mexican filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron, Lee is one of the crossovers from foreign nations like UK, Mexico and Taiwan. Like them, Lee had divided his priorities between films of his own country and films exploring the American scenario. But what would Lee do with India? Given that the film would be fantasy, people should not mind if they do find some stereotypes. But don’t we want foreign filmmakers to avoid clichés and portray as the same way they do to other countries?

Jab Tak Hai Jaan- The Monumental Marvel

            

In a way similar to that of Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and even recent Christopher Nolan, Yash Chopra’s penultimate film is all about being larger-than-life, the director gunning for nothing less than the Big Picture. From the opening shot tracking Shahrukh Khan’s dashing Major Samar Anand riding a muscular Enfield bike on the highways of Ladakh accompanied by warm-as-milk-and-honey poetry and A.R. Rahman’s elegant yet energetic background score ratcheting up to a compelling guitar piece, to the entry of gorgeous lady Katrina Kaif into the screens, sprinting in slow motion decked out in a red jacket over a glittering lehenga while powdery snow rains from the skies, to stunning songs, laughter and tears set across operatic landscapes of London and Ladakh, this is pure sensation- albeit a film which has Yash Chopra’s trademark signature emblazoned unabashedly across every frame.

It is the simple story of Samar and his intense love for the irresistibly fickle Meera (Kaif) and how this love has to go through challenges and obstacles to actually come alive. As if to justify the film’s exhilarating if ponderous scope, Chopra and his writers remind us for more than once that every love has a time and maybe it is not yet the time for their love to actually blossom.

Yet. Yet. Sometimes, it is best to leave disbelief and cynicism at the door and surrender completely to the fatal charms of a really skilled puppet-master. That is of course Yash Chopra giving us a really masterly puppet act that remains compelling throughout even when not convincing. With a practiced hand, Chopra twirls and flicks around the puppets under his hand, eliciting us to react with joy, euphoria or even pain and despair rather than asking him ‘Why’?

It is storytelling at its most confident, perhaps even most manipulative. But Chopra has always been known for making his puppets more than just frames of wood and cloth- real people facing real pain, joy and heartache. Consider the way how he treats the heroines of ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. Meera is a fickle-minded girl, euphoric at breaking out of her inhibitions, yet strongly and vehemently clinging to her scruples. In ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, Chopra shines a light of adoration and affection on his heroine- showcasing her drop-dead beauty, her ebullience yet also her vulnerability and her predicament. It is a master-stroke of storytelling, lending the film intimacy and warmth.

It is not just Meera that showcases the same restless spirit as the heroines of Chopra’s last films. ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is essentially a love triangle and Chopra’s warmth and heartfelt affection spreads to the other two dimensions as well. In Anushka Sharma’s buoyant and exuberant docu-filmmaker Akira, Chopra shows us another compelling heroine, free from clichés and yet exuding the same essence of liberation and free will. In Samar’s multiple facets- one as a good-natured odd-jobs lover-boy waltzing alternately with Meera and his guitar, the other as the stubbled and laconic defuse expert earning the name ‘The Man Who Cannot Die’- he gives us a classic Yash Chopra hero, endowed with solid virtues and with enough chinks in his armor to nail him as both heroic and real.

‘

Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ may not be as smooth as Chopra’s perennially unforgettable romances of the past but it is in many ways a solid showcase of Chopra’s obvious strength as a storyteller and filmmaker. The film is helmed with a iron-fisted determination and confidence- the director masterfully flipping from one locations, milieus and moods to create a story that leaps through the contrivances with a spirited sprint. Things do slow down a bit when Chopra wants his twists and turns to sink in our minds but this is only a minor niggle. Chopra’s storytelling has a trance-like feel to it- the film is firmly assured of performing miracles and roping us in through sheer magic.

In some striking ways ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is a smart mix of the old and the new- the director crucially underscoring his trademark elements with nicely subtle yet distinctive touches of post-modernism. The romance that develops between Meera and Samar is full of verve- a particularly pumped up dance sequence set superbly in London’s pop-and-rock underbelly lends the angle flesh-and-blood while the sexual and intimate frissom between the leads is explored fearlessly, but not explicitly. The parallel track- of defusing bombs in Ladakh- is treated with an alternately light and tense fashion but Chopra cleverly keeps politics out of the fray. The scenes filmed in London refute the sights usually shown to us. Instead, they shine with a resplendent feel to them. There are enough co-incidences in the premise to make us disbelieve in everything but Chopra is bold enough to ask- ‘Why Not?’. And Chopra has made it believable to an extent- his gift for nuance shining particularly in an overlooked scene when kids rush into a street that had been moments earlier sealed off for the fear of an explosion.

Yet, for all its beauty and nuance and Chopra jazzing up his trademark elements with sensuality, groove and humor, it is a flawed, if terrifically sensational, piece of work, in no small measure due to the script by Aditya Chopra and Devika Bhagat. Sure, the transitions in time, memory and space are effortlessly sweeping, but the film’s twists and turns are a bit too intentional, perhaps why the film ends up losing its logic. Also, the romantic angle is at times forsaken for hefty, though intriguing ideas and one nostalgia trip too many. Nonetheless, Chopra’s grip on the emotions is quite tough and he makes us forget the glitches eventually.

The dialogue, on the other hand, is powerful- blending the old-world charm of quotable monologues and sparky romantic conversations in vogue today. And the cast is actually good, though it is little beyond the troika. While Kaif’s Meera deserves a better performance, the gorgeous actress nevertheless does what she does best-look not just good but stunning. Clearly, here is a heroine to gape at, to admire and to desire. Sharma, in contrast, infuses her spunky part with enough enthusiasm and also achieves that fine balance between being irritating and charming. But clearly this is a two-men show, and if one is Chopra, the other has to be his quintessential hero. In what can be called one of his best performances ever, Khan has managed to bring life and soul to Samar. The actor wonderfully flips between good-natured charm, a raffish sense of humor and solid conviction that makes him a hero to root for.

A.R. Rahman’s music, with Gulzar’s unconventional wordplay, is a lovely ensemble of diverse compositions which further make the film a real audio-visual treat. Anil Mehta’s cinematography, after his beautiful work in ‘Rockstar’, perfectly complements Chopra’s dreamy style and creates spectacular moments of high drama, romance and nostalgia, which linger in your mind.

As a wrapped up gift for die-hard romantics, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is a monumental marvel clocking in at 3 hours. It is all a bit too filmy to be actually real or even believable but there is something about losing your heart to the sheer magic of Chopra’s storytelling. And with his last film, at 80, he proved that he can still pull it off.

My Rating- 4 Stars.

Yash Chopra- The Legacy Lives On!

My first Yash Chopra film was 1997's 'Dil To Pagal Hai'. I remember rather clearly how we made it to the theaters a tad too late such that we ended up missing a chunk of the opening solo dance number performed by a glittering Karisma Kapoor. And even I have never been a fan of this cult-classic, it does not take much to make out every sign of the young and restless spirit that the film's young romance exudes. Splendid sets and backgrounds accompany irresistibly melodious songs, free-spirited men and women are decked out in sharp and smart tees, jeans and skirts. This was a year between Karan Johar would come up with the high-heeled and short-skirted Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. And with just such little, ravishing touches, Chopra captured the changing culture and trend of the late 90s.

Yet, Yet. There is also the story-telling to ravish. A premise that may sound in ridiculous in today's times of in-your-face realism about a guy named Rahul who wants to direct a musical centering on a female lead named as Maya and his quest for the perfect woman, perfectly littered with convenient coincidences and split-second miracles. Yet, the breathtaking sweep of the simple story, and the chemistry building up between its leads, sparkles. And the hiccups and obstacles that follow the fervor of new love are captured with jaw-dropping mastery. It is best to watch a single scene in which Rahul and his Maya can be seen rehearsing their lines and they are actually what they want to say to each other. The impact knocks us out. Whoa!

And that was Yash Chopra, a man who chose to reinvent himself every time he looked through the camera, like a suave man raconteur who chooses to be grab the attention at every party and dresses himself ideally as well. It would be wrong to dub him the Grand Old Man Of Cinema. Rather, he is a dashing debonair who remained energetic and enthusiastic throughout his career. With the confidence of a master gambler, he strode into the glitzy world of Bollywood's playrooms and without losing his cool, grabbed solid win after win.

There are few who can match upto Yash Chopra in terms of grand, good old fashioned story-telling. However, if we have a closer look at his works in the past, he has not given us cliches. Instead, he gave us path-breaking storytelling devices which tragically ended up becoming cliches as they were over-imitated. Beginning his career with a film which dealt with controversial topics like religious disparity and pre-marital sex, he chose to end it with a film which is raising some eyebrows for a much-hyped intimate scene between its star leads, showing us how conservative we still our.

Less than 24 Hours after his sad demise, as eulogies begin to pour in, I can't help ponder over the Million Dollar Question. What Was It In This Man That Made Him The Legend?

Maybe it was the warmth, that wonderful feeling of lightness that doused even the most tense and tragic moments of his films.

In his heyday, the scene was crowded with his worthy peers. The likes of Gulzar and Hrishikesh Mukherjee were making warm and credible films dealing with real issues and being alternately comic and sensitive. Among the writers, Salim-Javed gained recognition for the fiery scripts that they penned for Chopra, Ramesh Sippy and Prakash Mehra and their one-liners remain to be as crisp and rousing as they were back in the 70s. But Yash Chopra has this uncanny ability to make the tense drama light.

In the more serious of Chopra's films, the tone would be offset by a stunning surprise. It could be an introduction scene of the hero riding a bike on a ribbon of highway as in 'Kaala Patthar' or the development of quiet romance between its leads. In his romances, he simply let us suspend our disbelief. In mere minutes, Chopra took us away across time, space and geography. One moment we were in India, the next moment we were on the banks of a Swiss Lake. He can also make us filch between the mustard fields of Punjab to the extensive tulip gardens of Holland. He was a master sorcerer.

Maybe it was the way he could tell us stories.

Maybe it was how he eventually told us love stories and tense dramas with such an impressive and aggressive confidence. You have to admire how the compellingly manipulative characters were built in films like Trishul and Deewaar, how the inevitable obstacles would fall in the course of a romance film like 'Silsila' or 'Chandini'. Or how he examined the divide between generations in films like 'Kabhie Kabhie' and 'Mashaal'. And how he created unforgettable heroes and heroines out of believably simple people. Think of those rousing moments that let our actors to let go and give their best shot. Think of all those times when we guilelessly cheered for them.

Maybe it was the way how his stories looked real.

Give his 1965 multi-starrer classic 'Waqt' a proper watch and you know that this is not just a piece of fantasy. True, the plot with its convenient encounters might make today's viewers scoff. But through it all, in its sunlit moments of lightness or the more melancholic times, as chronicled in the unforgettable song 'Aage Bhi Jaane Na Tu', one can't help but admire the nuances. The svelte and shiny Studebaker sedans with their liveried chauffeurs, the women with bouffants and elegant sarees, the dashing men in their tuxedos and suits. All is in place for a grand party and the stage is also set for romantic reconciliations, and of secret plans unfolding. Ah! What storytelling!

Yash Chopra made us believe in his stories. The nuances were themselves worth looking. He chronicled the rise of Vijay in Deewar as a story of a vengeful man from rags to riches in an ambition-obsessed Bombay. He told us the catastrophic Chasnala accident of Bihar's murky mines and recast it as a story of heroism and new-found redemption. He made us believe as the heroine began to see illusions of her lover in midst of her engagement proceedings unforgettably in 'Veer Zaara'. This speaks of how well he can tell us stories, both real and fantastic.

Many feel believably sad as they lament that his demise is the end of an era. I would think that the legacy of the romance that he captured so impeccably would live on.

Maybe we can already see it in our films today. The banner that Yash Chopra founded may have both soared and stumbled but it has nevertheless given us a trail of stories which exude, to some extent, the same magic as in his films. There are those wonderful moments of tenderness, followed by the sweeping, almost effortless escapes to stunning backgrounds and exotic locations.

And that is why he is so great. He is so great that his legacy would live on even as he has left us without that solid and compelling force of storytelling and film making.

Mr Yash Chopra, we salute you. May You Rest In Peace!

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Blue  Tinted poster of  Pearl Harbour -self drawn

Pearl Harbour

Pearl Harbour  -the story  of  Last  Japanese  surprise attack o the  naval base  in Pearl Harbour ,,,, leading to  the US bombing Japan with the  A bomb ...n

Citizen Kane

The Dark Knight Rises- A Legendary Conclusion!

Really, Christopher Nolan, we have got to hand it to you. How can he turn out to be more and more inventive and powerful as a filmmaker and a storyteller with each outing? In a year so far dominated by the tongue-in-cheek ‘The Avengers;, featuring a ragtag ensemble of Stan Lee creations and a pretty unoriginal revamp of the Spiderman franchise, Nolan continues to set his own path on a completely different route. His much-anticipated conclusion, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, to the very compelling series that he spawned ends up being a film not just big in ambition but also in brains, brawns and, needless to say, emotions and feelings.

But we already saw it coming. So far, Christopher Nolan has set the standard high for himself, especially when it comes to the Batman franchise. Borrowing key elements and plot points from comic books, he has nonetheless reinvented the whole franchise in a whole new format that seems now near impossible to difficult to improve, or even replicate. And while the writer-director has doffed his hat at ‘Blade Runner’, in the ghettoes and looming skyscrapers in The Dark Knight Rises, his vision of Gotham City remains to be larger-than-life yet cerebral, gritty yet spectacular.

Beware For Bane Is Here.....

And he delivers bang for the buck in this stunning finale to the story that he has retold in equal power and grace. We begin on a peaceful yet cautiously murky note as the top brass of police and statesmen raise a toast to Harvey Dent, the man who once stood for the eventual end of crime and chaos in Gotham. Indeed, it is not to last. Vicious mercenary-turned terrorist Bane, a hulk and bulk of muscled terror, escapes certain capture and turns his narrow-eyed gaze at Gotham. We seem him first closing on diligent cop Gordon in the sewers of Gotham and it is indeed a shaken and desperate Gordon who first realizes that Gotham needs its Dark Knight again.

Batman Enters The Scene... Cue Applause!

But the man himself is not ready. Bruce Wayne is now a recluse and Nolan first shows him as merely a silhouette that is seen peeking at the opening tribute to Harvey Dent. He is holed up by his will inside his vast manor, with stubble and a crutch to support him. Clearly, he needs a surgery but he also needs to come back to manage both personal issues and his own obligations to the city. Sure, he does and we crow out loud with delight.

Bruce has a lot at stake this time. A slinky and suave safecracker named Selina Kyle seems to be on the prowl. It seems that Bane has been roped in to bring down Wayne Enterprises. However, Bane himself gives Wayne and the city a nasty edge of himself.

Bane Beats Batman....

But Batman Returns.....

He takes the city hostage, rampaging like a bull through its streets, sewers and rugby stadiums and leaving a formidable trail of destruction. However, this is not before keeping our own hero hostage in a dungeon which will test his will. He mounts a suitably formidable army tank and decries the very people who have saved Gotham from chaos, going on to reveal the very corruption that racked Dent. Then, he calls out loud for people to revolt against the corridors of power and wealth, while a ticking time-bomb threatens to blow everything to smithereens.

Bane Exposes The Corruption And Insanity Of Harvey
Dent To A Terrorized Crowd...

It is smashing to watch the film as Nolan takes over. He has now mastered a whole new style of filmmaking that blends a grandstanding action frame with a shattering, visceral plausibility. And nowhere is it evident with a film like this which wills the audience to submit to the force of its storytelling. It is a long ride, often in the risk of becoming choppy with so much of a story crammed up but Nolan grounds the film with an emotional resonance, while ensuring that we thrill to the clean-cut, brawny action sequences. The effect is a startlingly effective film that strikes at an emotional level.

Indeed, it is different from anything that Nolan has done before. The script, by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, packs in a whole crowd of new faces and Nolan properly invests each without losing focus on the main plot. This could mean that the story would drag but there is something to be said for Nolan’s confidence in his material and audience. The film is perfectly paced; even while it takes almost an hour for Wayne to get into character and costume, the action comes in neatly, almost incidentally, while the supporting cast lends enough stellar turns to thicken the gravy. Nolan ties up the strands with remarkable tight and the film is constantly nerve-wracking and tense.

Nolan’s finest strength is the way how he infuses minute nuances and details into the plot that make up for most of the surprises. And such fine layers of detailing add more depth to the characters and plot. There is one intense moment when Gordon, about to give a speech in honor of Dent, suddenly remembers in flashes the namesake’s insanity as a devious Two- Face. The effect is startlingly haunting and elegiac. A boy singing ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ at the start of a rugby match is unforgettably paralleled with Bane’s vicious plans unfolding; some moments later, an entire field explodes and the effect is effectively sobering. A tattered American flag suggests dystopia, while the snowy empty streets portray both claustrophobia and agoraphobia. Again, a flaming symbol shaped like a bat conveys a sense of faint optimism. The finely crafted touches linger the most in the mind, while the gritty action set-pieces take our breath away.

Batman Vs Bane In The Sewers- One Of The Most
Chilling Scene In The Film...

There is also something economical about the film. No, it is not the running time, but it is the way how Nolan fits in every piece of the puzzle without really crowding in everything. The action is judiciously placed in the film, the twists and turns coming in unexpectedly and rather neatly. The more emotional moments are handled with equal care and restraint. An argument between Wayne and his trusted butler Alfred is handled with impressive restraint while it is poignant and the romance is kept brief and incidental. The tough fist fights between Batman and Bane are adequately immediate and chilling, while the climactic chase is spectacular but lean and it smartly does not stretch. Bane’s brutality is seldom shown directly but it is rather implied and the effect is eerily Hitchcock-like. Nolan impresses by emotional balance as much he does by symmetrical artistry.

The cast is superb as well. Christian Bale, playing Batman and Bruce alternately, is a treat. His strongest card is the range that he brings to the role. At one point we see him believably vulnerable, at another we see him ready for a boardroom meeting, at another we seem him charismatically flirting with Selina, at another angry and determined. Inside the mask, he becomes convincingly creepy and chews up the action frames. It is an awesome, bravura performance.

Much is being debated about Tom Hardy as the central villain Bane. Some opine that he is nowhere near the cool malice of Heath Ledger’s Joker; some say that he is outstanding as well. I would choose a moderate line. Sure, Hardy does not quite burn up the frames the say way Ledger did and sometimes, it is difficult to make out what he actually says. Still, the rest- the bulking presence, the cold, hard-eyed expression and the comic-book villainy work quite well and he does manage to work out some of his killer lines well. He is fairly memorable, just not downright unforgettable.

Anne Hathaway Steals The Show As The Slinky And Sexy
Selina Kyle

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman as Alfred and Fox bring in welcome dose of deadpan humor in the proceedings. The real treat of the film is Anne Hathaway. Her character Selina is a self-centered and vicious yet stunning and seductive enough to warrant enough praise and admiration. We see her first as deceptively demure but as her character develops we end up rooting for her even as she often twirls as a moral compass. Hathaway does not just look stunning. She actually makes her inscrutability work in a smashing way. She has one of the film’s finest lines- one about high heels that is really smart and her standout moment is when she mock-screams in the midst of a hard-boiled shootout- a moment that is alone worth the price of the ticket.

Joseph Gordon Levitt as the diligent John Blake is superb.

Another solidly written character in the film is Joseph Gordon Levitt as young cop John Blake. As a younger version of Gary Oldman’s subdued Gordon, Levitt gives a powerful and convincing performance, bringing in Dirty Harry-like attitude with solid restraint. He is also smart enough to qualify as a sidekick to Batman and Nolan agrees too.( here is a spoiler!)

There have been enough expectations for Nolan to conclude the saga on a rousing note. People have been clamoring for him to rise higher as a filmmaker. Yes, he does. Yes, of course, he delivers. Because, as the film proves, like his hero, Nolan always rises to the occasion. And he will save the day for our cinema.

The Film Soars Like The Bat and It Stuns Us To Silence. Christopher Nolan, Take A Bow!

My Rating- 5 Stars Out Of 5.