Fashion

Ok this is probably coming in way too late, what with both leads having won national awards, but hey whatever :-)

I must confess I have a strong prejudice against Madhur Bhandarkar movies, barring Chandni Bar. I think his movies reek of stereotypical characters and situations. They seem forced, or more suited for "shock value".

Coming to Fashion, the reasons I mentioned above contribute to some extent against it. Since the name is quite a give away - the turmoils an ambitious girl goes through in the big bad world of fashion, lets delve straight away into some character analysis of the 3 leads - Priyanka aka Meghna, Kangna aka Shonali and Mugdha aka Janet.

PChops does a decent job, is it national award worthy, now thats up for debate and stuff for another post :-). Her character's redemption lies in overcoming personal shortcomings rather than pulling off some larger than life vendetta scheme against the people who have purportedly wronged her. Makes perfect sense, her fight is with her choices not with any one in particular. This was a good takeaway for me from the movie. Hate to mention that her realization sets in with a really contrived, ridiculous incident. Thats Madhur Bhandarkar for you, you feel his touch in all the wrong places.

Raw, edgy characters have become synonymous with Kangna Ranaut, but her bastard screeching, snorting, wailing character, apparently modelled after Gitanjali Nagpal, never goes beyond these adjectives. Its an in your face character which leaves you feeling.... well nothing. Blame the character etching rather than the actress. Watch Gangster if you want the real deal from Kangna. Contrast it with Mugdha's Janet, a character that is never explored to its true potential and leaves you with a lot of unexplained questions. What about her needs, why does she do what she does....For a new comer she plays it with poignant earnestness.

On a closing note, absolutely loved the haunting strains of Mar Jawaan. Overall an ok movie, if only Madhur's movies did not set out to be a treatise on exposing the underbelly of a certain strata in society, they could achieve a lot more.

A Serious Man

I have always paid close attention to the quote with which a movie opens and make no mistake in this case as the opening quote might be your only ticket to understanding this movie. It runs as below

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

Being a fan of Coen Brothers i have always been astonished by the remarkable ease with which the brothers are able to blend comedy into serious story lines. I have also experienced first hand the slap on my face when "No country for old men" ended abruptly and I actually thought there was going to be some form of explanation during the end credits. And this time the brothers have graduated from a slap to a choke slam.

You would have to do more than just watch this film but look for allegories in the form of "Schroedinger's Cat". As Nobody really doubts that the presence or absence of the cat is something independent of the act of observation, every person can take home what he wants from this movie. In this very fact lies the perverse maniacal genius of the brothers.

The movie works almost as a modern fable. To simplify it, the lead protagonist Gopnick was so busy mourning everything around him that he never appreciated what he still had the entire film, untill the very end where the brothers insinuate what it's like to really suffer.

The orthodontist's story is a good comic relief to an otherwise Yiddish movie full of goys, rabbis and semitic sentiments. Ebert and such had prepared me for a drama. I suppose it is that too, but much more, A Serious Man is black with very little or no comedy.

This is one of those films which cannot be labelled good or bad but leave you wondering why the jury at the academy nominated it for best picture and screenplay. It is easy to say this movie is self-indulgent nonsense if not for Michael Stuhlbarg's acting, the way his character was etched and the surrounding gritty drama.

Memorable Quotes
================

Rabbi Scott: I mean, the parking lot here. Not much to see. It is a different angle on the same parking lot we saw from the Hebrew school window. But if you imagine yourself a visitor, somebody who isn't familiar with these... autos and such... somebody still with a capacity for wonder... Someone with a fresh... perspective. That's what it is, Larry.

Verdict
=======
If you did watch this in a movie hall, i promise you will return "A Serious Man".