Movie Review: My Name is Khan: Getting the message across

My Name is Khan is significant because of the message it effectively gets across that individuals need to judged by their actions, and not prejudiced because they happen to belong to a particular religion. There are not many over-the-top moments in Karan Johar's direction this time - nobody cries, screams or breaks into a dance, unless the situation demands it. The two and half hour plus length of the film is a mitigating factor, as the intensity drops to fill in for the 'feel-good' moments. But we are not complaining. For its relevance, performances and its entertainment, My Name is Khan is certainly worth a watch.

Also...

Shankar Ehsan Loy's music compliments the frames in parts though - Sajda and Noor-e-khuda spark some magic.

Movie Review: Billu: Stiff, forced cinema

Billu (Irrfan Khan) is a poor village barber, with a wife (Lara Dutta) and two kids. He struggles to make ends meet, but has courage and dry humour  to withstand it all. Somewhere else, popular film star Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) select's Billu's village as a location for his latest film. How the destinies of these two men unfold makes up the story.

Priyadarshan can't get out of his 'making every scene comic' mode and his dialogue writers make sure we don't laugh at most of the supposed jokes. The climax of the movie is convincing, but by then, it is only a gleam in the otherwise forced-comic-drama-melodrama proceedings.  

Irrfan Khan is splendid as Billu, his expressions convey what is going through the hapless barber's mind, without dialogue too. Shah Rukh Khan, also the film's producer, allows too much hero-worship indulgence , allowing the story to meander further. If only the director had exerted his skill with more creative zeal. Watch it for Irrfan's exercising his great art at work...

What's in a name?
The posters outside the theatre have a white bandage over the word - Barber. Hastly stuck by glue, the paper peels off one of the posters and the former movie title stares at us. So much for democracy and hurt feelings...

Instead...
Watch the original Malayalam film that is more deftly, simply made - Katha Parayumpol (2007). 

Film Review: Chak De India: Of Indian Women, Regionalism, Grit & Teamwork

Chak De India (2007)
Director: Shimit Amin
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Shilpa Shukla and other gifted actors 

Even though the cliches of a sports-based film are all there - locker room pep talk, underdog to champion, the treatment by the director gives it a fresh look. The dormitory, the sports campus, the players - look real. They are not stars and they actually play hockey. No stunt doubles here.

The hockey matches are executed brilliantly, great camera work and the sound of the whirring hockey ball, the spectators displayed - without any prejudices. Best watched on a 70mm screen for a wonderful feel of the game.

Shah Rukh Khan is understated and at the same time expressive, none of his stylish dialogues so unfairly imitated on TV comedy shows. We believe him to be the coach, unlike the Karan Johar films where he seems only a replica of himself - Shah Rukh Khan.

Many movies have suffered due to star presence. The story and screenplay are given a pass, for if there is a star it is going to be a hit anyway, why try anything new? Why take risks? It was the case with Shankar's Rajnikanth starrer Sivaji (2007) and Sanjay Gadhvi's Dhoom sequel. Here Shimit has taken the risk with a different story to tell.

The message is clear - cut the jingoism, the big talk - focus and work hard on your dream, vested interests have no place in a team game. By the end credits, the film made me think - What can I do for my country?

Way to go Shimit Amin, has come a long way from the grittyness of Ab Tak Chappan (2004). The most striking feature in the initial minutes are the cultural prejudices of India that are brought out and how we look at women: People from north-eastern states look like the Chinese, there are wild people in Jharkhand, a Tamilian, Malayalee or a Hyderabadi, one is always called a 'madrasi'. Insensitivity and the habit of mocking everything under the sun are highlighted here.