An American Nightmare

Fresh-off-boat from Pakistan, Changez (Riz Ahmed) finds a quality education, the girl of his dreams (Erica (Kate Hudson)) and a career of his dreams on Wall Street, in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It is post 9/11 that the dissonances between what he has left behind and what he has become tear apart Changez’ life. A humiliating strip-search at the airport. A buyout mandate that displaces – renders redundant – a Turkish publisher who is the keeper of the works of many poets, including Changez’ father. A girlfriend who turns around and makes a public exhibition of private vignettes of the relationship with Changez. Perhaps it is time to return to the country of birth and try and improve matters. But, is it also time to give in to the dark clouds of radicalism that hover around Changez. The question lingers in the air, even as the movie trails off with the inevitable real conflicts between the two worlds that Changez traverses

12.5/20

Naxalites for Dummies

Whoever knew that the life and times of Naxalites could be summarized in such stirring simplicity? Adil (Arjun Rampal) and Kabir (Bobby Deol) are inseparable friends - Adil being a police officer who is posted to Nandighat to bring a Maoist uprising under control. Lo and behold - Kabir, upon the request of Adil, nearly effortlessly infiltrates the Maoists and successfully provies intelligence that allows the Indian police to gain an upper hand in the conflict. Unsurprisingly, Kabir is not only moved by the stark reality of the marginal existence of the Naxalites, he is also besotted by one Naxal woman - Juhi (Anjali Patil). Inevitably, the paths of Adil and Kabir diverge, and move inexorably towards a climactic end. With one of the most unbelievably inane dialogues ever uttered in cinema, Rhea (Esha Gupta) also makes her presence felt ("Sorry Kabir"). Prakash Jha could have blazed a trail - Chakravyuh is at best ridden with holes. And that too on such a burning issue. Tch

9/20

A Bit Incendiary, a Lot of fizz

Like the giant explosions in the second half of the movie, there are moments in Dabangg that are – well – explosive firsts in Hindi cinema in the action genre. What is not quite as catchy is the storyline, which gets caught in an uncertain zone between being the oh-so-familiar Bollywood melodrama, and being a loose vehicle for some over-the-top action sequences. With one-man action capers reminiscent of the likes of Desperado and Shoot ‘em Up, and liberal doses of inspiration from several other Hollywood flicks, this movie is on the one hand quite enough to be a popular hit, but could have gone much further in the over-the-top action genre. And then there is the issue of the never-ending careers of our Bollywood stars and whether it would have been really difficult to find a better lead than Salman Khan. In any case, watch this movie for the action, but you will not miss much if you snooze off whatever’s in between

10/20

(Indian) Gangs of New York

The theme is hackneyed now. We have not forgotten Khuda Ke Liye nor New York. The cast may not be the best in the world. But what is remarkable about Kurbaan is the Indian cast fitting in seamlessly into what is a pure Western milieu – the archetypal American suburb. And for a Hindi movie, the pace of the movie can also leave you breathless. Saif Ali Khan courts Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) on Delhi campus, trails her to the States. A series of revelations later, Avantika finds herself, along with eponymous righteous and recently bereaved (of colleague and fiancé Dia Mirza) Muslim journalist Ayaaz (Vivek Oberoi) find themselves in a race against time to prevent an attack on the subways of New York. The performances are fair (Saif Ali Khan) to excellent (Kiron Kher) and the disturbing undercurrents of life in the American suburbia are well-portrayed

13/20