Valley Chai

test

such a great opportunity missed.

some (actually most) reviews of the movie were glowing, forcing me to make an unusual trip to the theater mid-week for a 7pm show. some said it was a tear-jerker, so people i guess were willing, ready and looking forward to shed a few tears at the theater. some reviews even said that the film would tug at the heart strings.

what a disappointment. the movie is good in the first hour or so, mainly because of the tried-and-true bollywood formula played out between shah-rukh khan, kajol and karan johar – the master of the craft. and just when mr.johar tries his hand at non-formula piece in the later half of the film, the script falls apart, the editing horrible, and the movie hurtles towards nonsense like plane about to crash to the ground.

how else can you explain made-up scenes in stupid looking town in georgia. people shuttling back and forth between georgia, san francisco and los angeles within a span of literally one picture frame? kajol going all stone cold on shah-rukh khan all of a sudden? how else can shah-rukh khan be captured, be on television, and then go away incognito?

what a mess. karan johar’s craft is no longer relevant. not when we have kaminey, devD, isqiya and such coming out of bollywood, the nautanki-style thumka movies are pretty much done. karan johar now tries to modernize his film making and it’s a big disaster.

of all things i feel really sad about de-valuing the debate of indian muslim identity, the mind of an autistic child and the american way of life by way of incorporating them into this directionless excuse for a film. bollywood took a step backwards.

from our home to yours.

checked out Wake up Sid on my TataSky. btw, the ordering experience on this cable box is like it was in the US about 10 years ago. you’ll have to subscribe and wait for it’s start time.

but the movie is fantastic. it’s not one of those movies that grabs you and demands attention. it is very consumable, allows you to sit back and comes to you slowly and steadily, leaving you with a great cinema viewing experience at the end of it.

ranbir kapoor seems to have employed two expressions in this movie – at once he has a petulant frown on his face and at other times, he’s this happy-as-a-clam fella. konkana sen sharma is fantastic, plays within the role and, what perfection. she probably should’ve played all those roles that go typically to vidya balan.

though it drags a bit towards the middle as it transitions from sid’s discovery of his self-worth to his discovery of his love for the lady. the script is very tightly and carefully written with no awkward jumps in narration and no wasted motions.

the story is about this rich brat that is a failure academically, and takes things for granted. it’s about how he meets the harsh realities of life outside the comfort zone of his dad’s business, and discovering his true passion in life. konkana sen sharma has her own story line, but the key element is for her to be the ‘guide’ for sid in his journey of discovery.

waiting to check out rocket singh. with shimit amin and co, it’s sure to be a good film.