I wonder

I wonder,

when I think of you in your domestic life,

no contrivance, no image, no perception,

when you are you, in your purest self,

I wonder how you look in the morning,

when you wake up from the bed, smile over that naughty dream,

your scattered curls, your sleepy eyes, your chubby chicks,

I want to wake up with you,

I wonder how you look after a fresh shower,

when you cover your wet body in towel,

spread the scent in the room to make it feel like a garden,

I want to feel your very own fragrance

I wonder how you look, sitting in front of the mirror,

brushing your hair, rolling your fingers on your flicks,

feeling shy of your own bare body – untouched, unseen,

I want to feel your soft, tender beauty

I wonder how you look, in the kitchen,

cooking a meal & eating from your plate,

wiping the gravy from your rosy lips,

I want lick your fingers full of gravy

I wonder how you look, sitting in the balcony,

gazing at the twilight sky, completely unaware of yourself,

yearning in the thoughts your man over a lonely evening,

I want to sit beside you and hold your hand

I wonder how you look, in the bedroom,

in your silky nightgown, ready to sleep,

waking up in the midnight suddenly of a scary dream,

and hugging the pillow tightly

I want to be with you

to see you, hiding your existence,

under me in a fit of wild love making,

with me in my arms, unfolding your forest of hair,

on my wide chest & caressing it,

I am dying to see one day,

how your body thrills,

when my fingers touch it.

I want so much to be a man once,

the man of your dreams, your ultimate one!!

Talaash: **1/2

He gave the biggest Bollywood blockbuster and then disappeared for 3 years (mainstream lead roles). Now he is back with a new mystery, a new enigma, a new role with a new look. Any Aamir Khan movie is anticipated anyway throughout the year with curiosity and these factors are bound to raise the curiosity level only higher. Released on 30^th Nov, Talaash is Aamir Khan's new movie also starring Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor.

Surjan Sinh Shekhawat (AK) is a cop interrogating a car accident case of film star Armaan Kapoor (Vivan Bhatena) who dies in this mysterious accident. Armaan's wife informs Surjan that he had taken Rs. 20 L on the day of the accident. This confession triggers the suspicion of blackmailing and the investigation leads them to a pander named Shashi who is found dead with cash of Rs. 20 L. With further investigation the case gets more complicated. On the other hand, dealing with a personal loss of his son's death, Surjan and his wife Roshni (Rani Mukerji) are going through a delicate phase of their married life. Terribly hurt by his son's death, Surjan believes that it was because of his carelessness their son died and this melancholy takes a toll on him thus stresses his relation with his wife who feels totally left alone as Surjan stays aloof most of the time in distress. The investigation of Armaan's accident and then Sashi's involvement and death leads Surjan to a near by red light area in which Sashi used to operate where he meets a prostitute Rosie (Kareena Kapoor). Rosie gives some credible clues in the case. Already broken and emotionally drained from the personal tragedy, Surajn finds a comforting mate in Rosie and starts meeting her regularly. In the meanwhile, Sashi's friend Tehmur (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who was interrogated by police in Sashi's murder matter finds a CD in Sashi's room which has some sensitive information about Armaan Kapoor. He attempts to extort money from the number he got from Sashi's stolen sim card and gets killed. Police manged to get the contract killer who reveals the name of Armaan's friend Kejriwal. When Surjan goes to arrest Kejriwal the pendora's box gets opened and Rosie appears to be the central character in this entire case. What happens next and and how Surjan solves the case is the crux of the story.

Unlike anticipated, Talaash is not an age-of-the-seat suspense thriller but a mix of suspense, thriller and and emotional drama. It succeeds in keeping the audience engaged almost throughout the film with its twists and turns. Reema Kagti's direction is good and she manages to generate curiosity with timely twists which is well supported by some impressive cinematography. One sequence between Surajan and Rosie in which they are in a hotel room where Surjan succumbs to the grief, guilt and pain bursting within while being caressed by Rosie proves the maturity of the director the way it is shown so aesthetically and emotionally while keeping the essence alive. The title sequence is brilliantly shot with groovy score of “Muskaanein joothi hai” which effectively shows coexistence of two different worlds in Mumbai's underbelly. While the overall script co-written by Zoay Akhtar and Reem Kagti is good, the climax of the movie is lamely written. Ram Sampat's music is good but back ground score could have been better.

Talaash stands out for some fine performances by entire starcast. Aamir Khan is at his usual best in a challenging role of a tough police officer and an emotionally drained father and a husband. His character has many layers and he pulls it off almost perfectly well. Though there are a few scenes in which he looks a little mediocre but he manages to pull it through. Rani Mukerji in her small role as Roashni looks very real and impresses (Though she has not much to do in the movie). Kareena Kapoor in an important role of Rosie looks sensuous and sultry and looks totally in her elements. There is definitely something about her the way she flirts with camera and compels the audience to ogle at her. Nawazuddin Siddiqui stands out in this multi starrer film with his brilliant acting and well evolved role.

Talaash works for its gripping story and superb performances but it is not flawless. While it captivates us throughout the movie, it loses the grip when it matters the most. The climax of the movie is loosely handled both the way it is written and directed. And due to this Talaash remains a good movie but not a brilliant one. 

Life of Pi: ***1/2

When a master story teller Ang Lee (Academy award winning director) tells a story of triumph of human spirits, one is sure of witnessing a journey never seen before. With his new magnum opus “Life of Pi” based on the book of the same name by Yann Martel,  Ang Lee takes us into the world of Pi Patel and his unforgettable journey.

Narrated in flashback by now mature Piscine Molitor Patel (Irrfan Khan) to an author sent by his uncle, the story is of a boy nicknamed as Pi Patel who lives in Pondicherry with his family. Often confused and curious about things around him, Piscine gets very much interested in finding meaning of life through different religions. His eccentricities worries his father who owns a Zoo. Due to political constraints his father decides to sell the Zoo Animals in Canada to start a new life. Not too happy with this decision Pi Patel with his family and animals boards a Japanese ship on the voyage to Canada. Unfortunately after 4 days in the journey the ship meets with a mighty storm and sinks. Pi Patel however survives in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a royal bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

The boy's struggle of survival begins from here. Stranded in a boat in mid pacific with a ferocious tiger and a fearsome hyena, Pi's faith in god is tested to the limits. After a few days the hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan and finally gets eaten by the tiger. Now, Pi shares the boat with Richard Parker. During the struggle to survive they forms a complicated relationship of fear, love, trust and cooperation. Finally after 227 days of being castaway their boat reaches to a Mexican shore where the tiger escapes into the jungle and Pi is rescued by the locals. What happens during their adventurous journey is a nothing less than a visual spectacle of another level.

Like Avatar, Ang Lee in Life of Pi has used the 3D technology to its optimum level. The sequences of storm, sunshine after the storm, a full moon night in the sea, the swimming pool in France and many other are breath taking and reaches the zenith of surrealism. Each frame looks a like a master piece of art work.  The animated tiger used in most of the sequences is unbelievably real and its the art of animation at its best.

A decent start cast of Irrfan Khan (mature Pi) and Tabbu (young Pi's mother) and newcomer Suraj Sharma (playing the main protagonist of young Pi) gives credible performances. Irrfan Khan like is usual self does justice to his small but significant role as a narrator. However, his accent sounds a bit odd and artificial. Suraj Sharma is impressive as young Pi. His performance is commending during his entire castaway sequence. His efforts to exert expressions of fear, helplessness, guilt etc. are indeed praiseworthy. The real star of the movie however is its special effects supported by Ang Lee's superb craftsmanship. Only thing that goes against the movie is that its a tad too lengthy and its climax in the end where Pi sums up his story that ends abruptly.

Life of Pi with its philosophized story telling and artistry of cinematic extravaganza may not ring the chords of our hearts but it is a visual splendor which is treat to the eyes! Even if you don't understand mathematics, you will surely enjoy this Pi!

Art of Living!!

એક સજ્જનને ફરિયાદ કરતા સાંભળ્યા "આ નોકરી એ તો હાલત બગાડી નાખી છે. આટલું તે કઈ કામ હોતું હશે? આના કરતાં તો નોકરી ના હોય એ સારું." જે નોકરીથી એમનો જીવન નિર્વાહ ચાલે છે એ નોકરી માટે તેઓ નિઃસાસા નાખી રહ્યા હતા. આ તો એક ઉદાહરણ છે. આવા ઘણા કિસ્સાઓ આપણે સાંભળીએ કે જોઈએ છીએ જેમાં લોકો નિરાશા, ફરિયાદ, આક્ષેપો, ટીકા વગેરે વ્યક્ત કરતાં હોય છે. ક્યારેક સામાજિક તો ક્યારે આર્થિક, ક્યારેક માનસિક તો ક્યારેક શારીરિક, કોઈ ને કોઈ તકલીફ તેમની પાસે હોય જ છે.

ઉપર જે ઉદાહરણ ટાંક્યું છે તેમાં આમ જોવા જઈએ તો ફરિયાદ કરવા માટે નું કોઈ કારણ દેખાતું નથી. અરે ભાઈ! થોડું કામ વધારે આવી ગયું તો એટલા બધા નિરાશ થવાની શું જરૂર છે? તમે જે કામ કરો છો તેના બદલા માં તમને પગાર મળે છે જેનાથી જ તો તમારા જીવન નો નિર્વાહ ચાલે છે. વાસ્તવ માં આપણી નિરાશાવાદીવૃત્તિ જ એટલીએ પ્રબળ છે કે દરેક વસ્તુ ની નકારાત્મક બાજુ આપણને પહેલાં દેખાય છે. એવા ઘણા લોકો છે જેઓ માત્ર કામ મેળવવા માટે પોતાના પરિવાર થી સેંકડો કિલોમીટર દુર જતા હોય છે, જયારે પોતાના જ ગામ માં સારી નોકરી ધરાવતો માણસ થોડા વધારે કામ થી પરેશાન થઇ નોકરી ને જ ગાળો ભાંડતો હોય છે. અનુકુળ અને પ્રતિકુળ સંજોગો દરેક ના જીવન માં અવતાજ હોય છે, આપણે તેને કઈ રીતે લઇએ છીએ તે મહત્વનું છે. Art of Living એ બીજું કઈ નહી પરંતુ જીંદગીને કેમ વધુ સારી રીતે જીવવી એ જ છે. સારી જીંદગી એટલે માત્ર પૈસો, સાધન સંપત્તિ, નોકર ચાકર, આર્થિક સદ્ધરતા જ હોય એ જરૂરી નથી પરંતુ વિષમ પરિસ્થિતિમાંપણ હકારાત્મક અભિગમ રાખી અને તેનો સામનો કરવો અને સંતુષ્ટ જીવન જીવવું એ છે. અહીં કોઈ પોતાની નોકરી થી ખુશ નથી પરંતુ તેને એ ખબર નથી તેની પાસે એક નોકરી તો છે જે તેના ઘર નો ચૂલો બળતો રાખે છે, માત્ર ૨ ટાઈમ ની રોટલી માટે સંઘર્ષ કરતા એવા કેટલાય બેરોજગારોથી તો એ નસીબદાર જ છે. કોઈ રોજ ના traffic થી ખુશ નથી, પરંતુ જે ગાડીમાં બેસી ને એ traffic માં ફસાય છે એ ગાડી કેટલાય લોકો માટે માત્ર એક સ્વપ્ન જ રહી જાય છે. કોઈ ને થોડું ચાલવું પડે તો કપરું લાગે છે પરંતુ એને એ ખ્યાલ નથી કે અપંગ લોકો માટે પોતાના પગ પર ચાલવાથી વિશેષ ખુશી કોઈ નથી. કોઈનો મિજાજ ખોરાક ના સ્વાદ થી બગડી જાય છે, પરંતુ એવા પણ લોકો છે જેમના માટે એક ટંકની રોટલી એક સંઘર્ષ છે. Positive Attitude એ સુખ ની જડીબુટ્ટી નથી પરંતુ દરેક પરિસ્થિતિ ને સ્વીકારવાની કળા અને વિકટ પરિસ્થિતિઓમાં હિંમતપૂર્વક ઝઝૂમવા માટેની ઉર્જા છે. એ જ Art of Living છે અને જો આ Art આત્મસાત થઇ જાય પછી સુખ અને દુઃખ માત્ર એક અવસ્થા બની જાય છે જેને જોતજોત માં પસાર કરી શકાય છે. 

આપણે સૌ કોઈ ને કોઈ વાત થી પરેશાન હોઈએ છીએ અને આપણી સમસ્યાઓ નો ઢંઢેરો પીટતા હોઈએ છીએ. પરંતુ સિક્કાની બીજી બાજુ નજર કરતા માલુમ પડે છે જે આપણી પાસે છે એના માટે આપણે કેટલા નસીબદાર છીએ. હકીકત માં આપણને ફરિયાદ કરવાનો કોઈ હક જ નથી. એનો અર્થ એવો પણ નથી કે આપણે જે તે પરિસ્થિતિ નો સ્વીકાર કરી ને બેસી રહેવું જોઈએ. દરેક સંજોગો ને બહેતર બનાવવાના પ્રયત્નો કરવા જ જોઈએ પરંતુ વર્તમાનના કપરા સંજોગો નો હકારાત્મક વલણથી સામનો કરવો જોઈએ. કોઈ એ સાચું જ કહ્યું છે કે "To make your life, first learn to take your life". સુખ અને દુઃખ મુળભુત રીતે તો આપણાં મન ની અવસ્થાઓ જ છે જે આપણા અભિગમ દ્વારા નક્કી થાય છે. મહાન નાટ્યકાર અને લેખક જ્યોર્જ બર્નાડ શો એ બહુ સુંદર લખ્યું છે ,"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to the future generations." 

કેટલો મહાન વિચાર! બર્નાડ શો અહી મીણબત્તી અને ટોર્ચ નો તફાવત પ્રદર્શિત કરે છે. પ્રકાશ તો બન્ને આપે જ છે પરંતુ મીણબત્તી જયારે સંપૂર્ણ રીતે ઓગળી જાય છે ત્યારે ઓલવાઈ જાય છે. બર્નાર્ડ શો કહે છે કે તેમની જીંદગી એક એવી અદભુત ટોર્ચ છે જે અત્યારે એમના હાથ માં છે, અને જ્યાં સુધી એ તેમના હાથ માં છે ત્યાં સુધી છે ત્યાં સુધી તેઓ તેને શક્ય તેટલી પ્રજ્વલિત રાખવા માંગે છે. કહેવાનો ભાવાર્થ એ છે કે જીંદગી ને શક્ય હોય તેટલી માણો અને શક્ય હોય તેટલી ઉપયોગી બનાવો. જીંદગી તો દરેક જીવે છે પરંતુ તેને મીણબત્તી ની જેમ લેવી કે ટોર્ચ ની જેમ એ તમારે નક્કી કરવાનું છે. આનંદ પિક્ચરમાં જેમ રાજેશ ખન્ના કહે છે તેમ "જીંદગી બડી હોની ચાહિયે, લંબી નહિ.." કોઈ નો ભૌતિક ભોગવટો જોઈ એમ માનવું નિર્થર્ક છે કે સુખી થવા માટે ગાડી, બંગલો, સુંદર સ્ત્રીઓનો સંગાથ જ જરૂરી છે. જીવનની દરેક ક્ષણમાં આનંદ મેળવવો એ સુખ છે. સવાર ના ઉગતા સૂર્યનું સૌન્દર્ય પણ પ્રસ્સનતા આપે છે, પંખીઓ નો કલરવ પણ આનંદ આપે છે, સાંજના સમય માં આકાશમાં પથરાતા સૂર્યના કિરણોની રંગોળી પણ મનોહર હોય છે. હકીકત માં માણસે સુખ ને ભૌતિક વસ્તુઓ સાથે એટલું બધું જોડી દીધું છે કે તેને માટે બન્ને એકબીજાના પર્યાય બની ગયા છે. એના સિવાય પણ ખુશી મળી શકે વાત તેને જલ્દી સમજાતી નથી. ખુશી તો આજુબાજુ છે જ, જરૂર છે તેને પારખવાના અભિગમની! નાની-નાની વાતો માંથી જો ખુશી મેળવતા આવડી જાય તો સમજી લો કે તમે જીવન જીવવાની કળા આત્મસાત કરી લીધી છે. દરેક પરિસ્થિતિ માં હસતા રહેવું એ જ આનંદ મેળવવાની ચાવી છે અને એ જ Art of Living છે! 

Aiyyaa: *1/2

Aaila!!?? This is what you feel after a few minutes in Aiyyaa and as the movie progresses your expressions gets as wired in bewilderment as its characters.

Touted as Rani Mukharji's come back film, Aiyyaa is the story (is there any??) of Minakshi Deshpande, (Rani) an overtly filmy buff who lives in her own dream world with her crazy family that includes her retired father who is obsessed with telephones, a mother whose only purpose is the marriage of Minakshi, a brother who loves dogs more than humans and last but the not the least a nearly blind and highly dramatic dadi on electronic wheel chair.

During her new job in an art school she develops a huge crush for Surya (Prithviraj) who is a painter and gets attracted with his smell but can't gather the courage to tell him her feelings. Meanwhile, her family arranges her engagement with Madhav (Subodh Bhave). On one side Minakshi's affection for Surya increases day by day and on the other side their date of engagement approaches. She tries hard to get Surya's attention but fails to do so. On the day of her engagement she confides in her colleague Maina about her feelings for Surya after drinking vodka from her JUMBO water-beg. She follows Surya to his house and then to his factory. When Surya catches her following him he explains his life story and drops her to her home where people are still awaiting her engagement ceremony. In the meanwhile her brother goes to search for at Maina's house and they both falls for each other. In the end she tells her family that she loves Surya and want to marry him only.

Aiyya is a contrivance of its director where all the characters are projected with as much idiosyncrasy as possible. Their lifestyle as a typical Marathi family, their daily house hold chores, the way they use colloquial Marathi etc. all looks so unnatural. National Award winning director Sachin Kundalkar seem to have gone too far this time with his fantasy in Aiyyaa with irrelevant and non-rational sequences. His treatment to the characters and situations in the movie is very artificial and never look comic as they are intended to be portrayed. While the first half is a bit interesting, second half is stretched too long with total nonsense and force you to take a nap with those “Baraatis” waiting for Minakshi's engagement.

Rani Mukharji looks beautiful as a simple Marathi girl and her performance too is worth a praise. Unfortunately she becomes a helpless victim of a terrible script. All other characters are just caricatures or so unrealistically contrived. Madhav's character is probably the only character which looks real and authentic. South Indian star Prithviraj debuts with Aiyyaa and looks good with his machismo as an aloof Surya but hardly get any chance to speak barring last few minutes.

With only 2 songs (Apart from Rani's performance) – Dreamum wakeppum and Aga Bai as tolerable factors, Aiyyaa is a total disappointment.

View from windowpane...

Every morning,
from my small windowpane,
I see,
The pearls,
of dew drops on grazing lane,
Those lush green leaves,
& beautiful flowers,
Bliss that heaven showers,
That pair of sparrows on the tree,
Makes love so care free,
The silky shine grass sprees,
On the rhythm of the breeze,
The songs of birdies,

fills my ears with melodies,
I see,
Far away on the horizon,
An unusual union,
The earth embracing,
In her arms the mighty sun,

I see,
I see it everyday from my small windowpane,
Detached from the world, all alone in oblivion,

Prisoner of my own soul,

Hated by one and all,

Tortured, humiliated, broken,

Shattered, scattered, forgotten,

I wish to die each day,

to let my soul fly free in the sky,
and feel the love and splendor of nature,
I saw all my life,
from my small windowpane.

Heroine: **

Albert Einstein's theory of relativity says that time is relevant and it seems to flow differently (slow or fast) for different people based on the nature of events they experience. Madhur Bhandarkar's latest flick Heroine proves it effectively and its 3 hrs feels like never ending event.

Monotony in any form sets tedium. Heroine is no exception to it. Madhur's obsession with dark side of the world of glamour, corporate, bollywood and stories of rise and fall (mainly of female protagonists) are getting exceedingly repetitive and predictable. Page 3, Corporate, Fashion and now Heroine, they all seems like “to be continued” versions or episodes of a common drama.

Heroine starts with Mahi Arora (Kareena Kapoor), an erstwhile super actress being thrown out of a car. Emotionally drained, humiliated and devastated Mahi goes to police station to file a police complain but her secretary Rasheed bhai (played by Govind Namdeo) arrives and takes her home. Movie then goes into flash back when Mahi Arora is a successful heroine and in love with superstar Aryan (Arjun Rampal). Aryan's married life is one the verge of breakdown and he is awaiting divorce from her greedy wife. Mahi is excessively insecure about her relationship with Aryan and they observe frequent tussles over the future of their relationship. Mahi suffers from bipolar disorder and undergoing a psychiatrist treatment. Her emotional imbalance and outrageous behavior takes a tall on her work and relationships and Aryan breaks up with her. Going through a lean phase, Mahi hires a PR agent Pallavi (Divya Dutta) who drafts a plan to revamp the brand Mahi. Her strategy pays up and Mahi starts getting publicity and fame with work. During this phase Angad, Indian cricket team's vice captain (Randeep Hooda) comes into her life and both gets into a steady relationship. However, Mahi's professional insecurity suffocates their relationship and Aangad too leaves Mahi. Turbulent personal relationships and professional failures takes a toll on Mahi and she goes once again to Pallavi for help whom she had humiliated earlier. Only 2 days to go for a small budget release of her come back movie, Mahi pleads to Pallavi to do anything to make the movie a hit. In desperation she hands over a tape of her intimate moments with Aryan to garner publicity right before the release. It pays off and the movie opens up with a bumper opening. Mahi again gets the much needed fame she longed for but realizes that it has come at a cost of lot many important things of her life. In the end we see Mahi living a lonesome life somewhere in Europe with no connection with her past life.

Confusing, isn't it? Despite of a potentially strong plot, Heroine fails to live up to the expectations due to its aforementioned repetitive nature. Seemingly similar characters of gossip hungry media people, ruthless film fraternity, frustrated star wives, back biting friends, homosexual fashion designers and journalists (What is Bhandarkar's fetish with these gay characters?), people with glass of wine and fake smiles in parties etc which we have been seeing since ages are repeated and it is a big turn off. Madhur's direction is unfortunately very mediocre and unwanted complex nature of the movie works against it. His characters look very artificial and cosmetic. Movie stretches infinitely and last 30 minutes seems harrowingly slow with an abrupt end.

Kareen Kapoor looks good in expensive designer dresses and heavy make up. However, her overacting and overdose of emotionally devastated behavior makes it look ridiculously painful. Her portrayal of Mahi as a success hungry star with frequent mood swings and tendency to create complications is hard to believe. Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda does their bit in their insignificant roles. Divya Dutta plays a small but an effective role and impresses. Ranveer Shorey, Shahana Goswami, Sanjay Sood etc are good in their roles.

Madhur Bhandarkar may have spent (rather wasted) 2 years in research for this movie but in my advice you spare 3 hours only if you have absolutely nothing to do!! 

Barfi: ****

There have been very good movies and not so good movies on deaf and mute or mentally challenged protagonists. Each one has its own tone, identity and an emotional chord with its audience. However, one common factor in these movies is the vulnerability of the protagonists and their struggle with normal people around them. Their portrayal as victims of the harsh world deliberately or inadvertently imposes a feeling of sympathy and sadness. Anurag Basus's cinematic extravaganza Barfi refuses to follow these stereotypes and is akin to the breath of a fresh air.

Set in 3 time scales of current, 1978 and 1972, Barfi is a story of a deaf and mute boy (Ranbir Kapoor) from Darjeeling and his relationship with his two leading ladies Shruti (Ilena) and Jilmil (Priyanka Chopra). Born to a chauffeur's wife who named his son after the famous Murphy Radio's baby mascot. Extremely charming, mischievous and likeable is Murphy that despite of his disability he is loved equally by all (and they call him Burfi for the way he speaks his name “Burpheee..”while introducing himself) except one fat cop who is always after Murphy like his tail.

This happy go lucky prankster loses his heart to a beautiful girl Shruti who is already engaged and to be married after 3 months. Having spent few days in Darjeeling, Murphy's infectious charm and purity takes over Shruti and she develops soft corner for him. Their bicycle races, horse rides and crazy night outs confuses Shruti and she confronts her mother who tells her own story and convinces her to forget Murphy. During this period Murphy goes to Shruti's house to meet her parents with a marriage proposal and finds Shruti with her fiance. Soon he realizes the reality and leaves her house. Shruti follows him and Murphy for the first time feels that he is victim of his disability and poverty when he expresses this to Shruti and she could not do anything but to cry over her helplessness. Amidst this events, we are introduced to a new character Jilmil who is an autistic girl from a rich family living in a special school visiting her ailing Grand father and meets her childhood friend Murphy. Murphy needs Rs. 7000 to treat his ailing father and he gets a killer idea to kidnap Jilmil to get ransom money. What happens next is a series of events that brings Jilmil and Murphy together for a lifetime and in the end we are shown a critically ill Murphy lying on death bed while Jilmil joins him for another journey together.

First 15 minutes in the movie and we know we are about to witness something special as movie takes 3 time scales jump back and forth. Anurag Basu's fantastic direction and wonderful cinematography makes Burfi a treat to watch. His characters looks so real and authentic. Anurag's uncanny ability to show beauty amidst pain and vice versa is commendable. There are some superbly crafted moments of laughter, romance and pain which gives us tears and smiles at the same time. Pritam has composed some very good melodies which gels perfectly with the mood of the movie.

Ranbir Kapoor has probably got the role of his lifetime in Barfi and he has justified it to the Tee. Brilliant is the only word that comes in mind for his performance. His Charlie Chaplin antics never looks copycat but he brings his own strength to the character. He sends clear message not only to his contemporaries but also to the acting stalwarts (and so called mega stars) that he is next big thing. He doesn't drop his shirt, doesn't throw a whacky punchline, doesn't romance in expensive designer suits yet looks irresistibly charming and fresh. Ilena D'cruz looks beautiful and impresses in her first hindi movie. Priyanka Chopra is good in pieces but her role seems too stretched and repetitive.

Barfi is another milestone after Black and will be remembered for a long time for its brilliant performances and fantastic direction. Even if you have diabetes, you can eat this Barfi!!

Ishaqzaade: **1/2

Almor, a small town somewhere in North India which observes regular frictions between 2 politically powerful families - Chauhans and Qureshis on various issues be it diesel purchase, celebrations or political campaigns. Aftab Qureshi is current MLA of the area, while his sworn enemy Surya Chauhan is desperate to gain the supremacy in Almor. Guns and pistols are like gadgets in Almor and people use it at will on any damn issue. The enmity between two families is so strong that even the kids of respective families indulge in regular verbal fights and stone pelting.

Gown up in these family tussles, Parma Chauhan and Zoya Qureshi are child hood hate-buddies. Parma is a prodigal, rowdy grand son of Surya Chauhan who is staying with his widow mother Parvati. He most of the time hangs around with his two best friends and enjoys throwing tantrums at the locals. Zoya Qureshi is a firebrand daughter of Aftab Qureshi who equally hates Chauhans and ever ready for a face-off with them along with her brothers. It becomes even more intense when Parma abducts Chanda – a local dancing queen of Kwality Bar from a function at Qureshi's bungalow. During one political campaign at their collage Parma and Zoya enters into a verbal tiff when Parma and his friends disperses the crowd gathered by Zoya to promote her father's candidature as MLA. Parma urinates on the poster of Aftab Qureshi which provokes Zoya and she slaps Parma in front of entire college. This event marks the beginning of a seemingly impossible love story. Of course not without a twist right before the end of first half. Shocked by the twist just before the interval, when we go back to our seats with more curiosity and anticipation of what's next, the movie unfortunately disappoints us. Contrary to the entertaining first half, second half lacks much needed intensity and reduces to mundane and loosely handled sequences with predictable incidences.

The script of Ishaqzaade has nothing new to offer – Two lovers from completely different background, family resistance, rebellion, confrontation and a tragic end. A formula we have seen since donkey’s years in Indian cinema. And such mundane script requires lot many catalysts to push the envelop. Ishaqzaade succeeds in doing this to an extent with fresh pair of Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra, convincing performance by entire star-cast and its not so long running time. Talking about the performances, Arjun Kapoor looks pretty convincing. His eccentricities (especially his kaminee smile with full show of battisi) as an arrogant, spoilt brat looks very much real. Though he looks clumsy at few instances but otherwise does a good job. Parineeti Chopra is definitely an actor to watch out for. She does full justice to Zoya's character as a rich, pampered fire brand girl who is ready to face anything for her ambitions. While she may not have a larger than life screen presence like Kareena or Katrina Kaif, her bindaas attitude, child like enthusiasm and a cute girl next door personality makes you like her instantaneously.

Director Habib Faisal who did a fantastic job in directing Do Dooni Chaar, a story of a simple, lovable middle class family, seem to have lost the track somewhere in Ishaqzaade. While the first half is entertaining, Habib never could generate the intensity in tragic second half. Movies like QSQT, Ek Duje ke liye etc. which had almost similar endings were so brilliantly portrayed that we almost weeped while watching them. Ishaqzaade fails to deliver here completely. For example, what Parma does to Zoya by betraying her and the events that follows after wards are very poorly handled. The way he wins the heart of Zoya again even after such heinous deed looks so mediocre. Unwanted melodrama, Indiscriminate gun fire, unnecessary use of slang language, haywire law and order situation in the town  etc. some drawback of the movie which looks unreal.

Ishaqzaade, with its limitations, however has some entertaining value thanks to the performances of lead actors and other supporting actors. I can safely say Catch it!