Dil Dosti Etc. - On Demand :-)

Glossy college-based flicks come in plenty but how often have you wondered where are the kind of colleges we get to see in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Main Hoon Na. Where are the boys who wear the latest brands of clothes and watches and girls who dance around in mini skirts? If you think Dil Dosti etc. is yet another such film, you are in for a big surprise. The film-makers have done their research well. The story is rooted in reality. For once, we see the campus as it is, we see real hostel rooms, real u-specials, real ragging and real student elections and of course real students who wear clothes that are normally worn in colleges.

Set against the backdrop of Delhi University Campus, Dil Dosti Etc. follows the story of two students namely Apurv, played by Imaad Shah and Sanjay Mishra, played by Shreyas Talpade. Apurv is the rich boy who takes life each day as it comes. He believes that one can learn more about life in the kothas rather than in a closed classroom. He dabbles in relationships, not knowing what he wants from them.

Sanjay Mishra, on the other hand is a focused youngster. He campaigns and contests the student's elections with a lot of zeal. For him not only is campus politics a serious issue but also love and friendship. Hailing from Bihar, Sanjay harbors conservative ideas and is unable to understand the frivolous thinking of Apurv. However, that being the case, one fails to understand why Sanjay Mishra challenges Apurv to "get" three girls before he wins his elections. This seems to be in stark contrast with Sanjay's beliefs and the reason for this is not explained clearly in the film.

The film was promoted with the by-line "When you are young, you believe the opportunities are endless". However as the movie progresses, it brings home the point that opportunities are not endless. Apurv's flippant attitude cost him Sanjay's friendship. Sanjay's rigid views cost him his love and eventually his life.

The characters are extremely believable in the movie. Imaad Shah as the casual, laid-back rich boy looks quite convincing. Shreyas has delivered yet another good performance as the gutsy student politician. The ladies in the film do not have much to do still Smriti Mishra manages to capture your attention as the prostitute. The movie does become slow in parts but is redeemed by good performances and dialogues.

Dil Dosti Etc is a college flick with a difference. Watch it and be transported back to your college days.

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - LCMD

LCMD tells a story we have all heard many times before. Prostitution and the reasons for getting into it is not a new subject for Bollywood. At a very basic level, therefore, the story is very predictable. What sets LCMD apart is the subtle and sensitive portrayal of the issue. There are no loud dialogues, no cry for help, no attempt to garner sympathy by shedding excessive tears and no blaming God for one's own actions. The protagonist takes full responsibility for her actions and is aware of the consequences that will follow.

The movie opens in Benaras where a high class but impoverished family is struggling hard to make ends meet. The father (Anupam Kher) has a constant grudge that he doesnt have a son to take care of the financial needs of his family. The mother (Jaya Bachchan) sits at the sewing machine and provides the only source of income that the family has but it is still not enough to get them out of the deplorable conditions they are living in. Chutki (Konkona Sen) is blissfully unaware of the financial crunch that the family is going through and continues with her studies. And Badki, the elder sister (played by Rani Mukherji) is torn between the never ending complaints of her father and the sweat and tears of her mother.

Vowing to her parents and to herself, that she will become the son they never had, Badki reaches Mumbai, the city of dreams, to earn money. She realizes soon enough that with no experience and no degree in hand, she is in for a tough life ahead. She compromises on her morals in the hope of a permanent job but is deceived. Still not willing to give up she decides to play the same game on her terms. She becomes a high-society "escort" called Natasha and finally begins to earn money. She helps with her father's treatment, in the fixing and renovation of her ancestral home in Benaras, and her sister in completing her MBA. All this at the price of her dignity.

Rani Mukherji’s character evolves as the story progresses. She has emoted well, both as Badki and Natasha. Her performance is brilliant. Konkona Sen as the spunky younger sister who openly comes out in support of her elder sister and as a bright and dedicated employee of an Ad Company is also very convincing and refreshing. Kunal Kapoor as Vivaan, the creative director of the Ad Company where Chutki works has given an admirable performance and leaves the viewers asking for more. Abhishek Bachchan as Rohan has not been given much scope to perform but he carries even the limited role he has with panache.

The climax of the film was a bit of a disappointment. It seemed rather abrupt. Another major let-down was the music. Yashraj films are known for their good music and evergreen songs. LCMD does not have a single song that will be remembered even two months from now. Though the music is in pace with the movie, the songs and lyrics do not leave any lasting impression. Cinematography is good. The by-lanes and the ghats of Benaras have been shot beautifully.

In LCMD, Pradeep Sarkar has managed to evoke sympathy of the viewers without getting overly melodramatic. All in all it makes for a worthwhile watch if you don’t mind sitting through a woman-oriented emotional story.

Bhool Bhulaiya Bhool Jaao!!

I went for Bhool Bhulaiya with very high expectations. Not only were they not met, they were shattered to pieces beyond hope. Bhool Bhulaiya was a movie that should best be missed. The only redeeming shots are the ones we get to see in the promos. With such a talented cast, one would hope to see some maturity in the film. Needless to say, there was none. The movie was a washout from the first to the last scene. It was neither a comedy nor a thriller of any kind.

The movie tries to showcase the complexities of human mind. However, one needs to be completely mindless to enjoy this film. Avni, played by Vidya Balan, is a girl with a troubled childhood. She loses her mother very early in life and stays with her nani. And like most grandmothers, Avni's nani gives her a regular dose of bedtime stories consisting of fairies and witches, princess and kings. What's hard to believe is that Avni loses her grip on reality just on the basis of these stories. Worried, her father takes her abroad with him.

All is going hunky dory in Avni's life now that she is away from the fairytales. She meets her Prince Charming, Siddharth (played by Shiney Ahuja) and gets married to him. Siddharth is not only her prince charming but a real life prince as well. So after marriage they go to a real palace. A palace that is believed to haunted.

New age Avni and Siddharth refuse to believe in ghosts even after repeated pleas from the relatives. Avni unlocks the room where the spirit of Manjulika, the courtesan is believed to be residing. Terror soon strikes as people start hearing Manjulika's voice and accidents happen to everyone staying in the palace. This is exactly where the film loses all focus whatsoever. Not that there was much to begin with. The viewer till the end does not understand whether there is a real ghost/spirit that has taken over Avni's body or whether it's just some kind of psychological problem.

One gets the idea that from watching the movie that there was no real ghost. Avni tried to live the life of Manjulika because she was fascinated by her life's story. This along with the fact that she had fantasized about her bedtime stories, leads her into a situation over which she has no control whatsoever. When she transforms from Avni to Manjulika, she really believes that she is the courtesan who was held by the king against her will. Siddharth being the prince automatically becomes the villanous king for Manjulika/Avni and she tries to kill him.

Akshay Kumar plays the role of a psycho-therapist who is called in by Siddharth to solve the mystery of the ghost. Initially Siddharth believes that Radha, played by Amisha Patel, is the one who is mentally unstable since she is an adopted child. Why should an adopted child be mentally disturbed is not clear to me. She is loved by her foster parents and foster-relatives. Of course towards the end it becomes clear that the problem is not with Radha but with Avni.

What perplexes me the most is that if there is no real spirit then how is it that Avni can speak fluent Bengali even though she has never learnt any Bengali. How is it that she can dance like a proper courtesan when she doesnt know how to dance like that. And most importantly, how does she get the strength to single-handedly lift the bed that is not easily moved even by 2 to 3 able bodied men. And if she was acting like the ghost how was the palace believe to be haunted even before she stepped into that town. Also there was another girl who had supposedly seen the ghost long before Avni came to the palace and had lost her voice due to severe shock. What had happened to her??

The screenplay is not well-written and leaves the viewers confused and annoyed. The movie leaves many questions unanswered and even more hopes dashed.