Movie 05: Guru (2007)

Mani Ratnam (of Bombay, Roja fame) is a jewel in the crown of Indian Film Industry. He's one of the very few Indian directors who have the conviction to create believable stories, the skill to pen those stories and the talent to translate the same vision which started as a fragment of imagination into a splendid piece of art which is celebrated on celluloid and treasured by all.

Because of his vision and perseverance, Mani Ratnam successfully manages to create movies which are not just contemporary, but also end up being classics in their own right and Guru, to me is one such movie.

Guru as a movie has a very simple storyline. It depicts the life of a boy named Gurukant Desai fondly called Guru from a small village from the interiors of Gujarat who creates history by establishing one of the biggest companies of the country. The movie subtly moves through various phases of the protagonist’s life right from 

• The time he graduates school and decides to migrate to Turkey, to 
  
• The hardships he faces once he returns to India and tries to start a small business in the market which was almost impenetrable due to the stringent government regulations and corporate lobbying which was the order of the day during the early years of India’s independence
  
• The blinding pace and growth achieved by the protagonist
  
• The turning point just at the intermission right till the end of the movie which manages to keep the viewer engrossed and entertained
  

Recommendation of this movie is incomplete if two more facets of the film are not mentioned i.e. the actors and the music. Abhishek Bachchan (Sarkar Raj, Bluffmaster!) who plays the character needed just a movie like this to display his talent and true prowess. This movie and a few movies of the actor which released around the same period declared the fact that Abhishek Bachchan is a director’s actor and can mould him into the character precisely the way his director wants him to. He played the character so well that every viewer accepted the fact that probably nobody else could've played the part as well as he did. I’d want to bring audience’s attention to the pre-climax speech delivered by Abhishek when he is being prosecuted. Stupendous dialogue delivery personified. Guru, in more ways than one was a turning point in Abhishek’s career after his yet another critically acclaimed performance in yet another Mani Ratnam movie called Yuva. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal, and Bride & Prejudice) who plays Abhishek’s love interest in the movie portrays a role of a perfect soul mate. Other actors like Mithun Chakraborty, R. Madhavan, Vidya Balan amongst others do complete justice to their roles.

A. R. Rahaman who’s rightly called a genius in his own right holds the credit for music in the movie. The soundtrack of this movie adds an additional flavor to the story. A special appearance made by Mallika Sherawat for a song (Mayya Mayya sung by Maryem Tollar) in the movie is people’s favorite since it’s so unique and different as compared to the regular Hindi movie soundtracks. Also the background score compliments the mood and is a perfect fit.

Although needless to say but to sum it all up, Guru the movie must not be missed because no reason is good enough.

Surreal Nirvana readers can choose to buy the DVD of the movie through Amazon via Surreal Nirvana Store. Please note that the DVD of the movie are available in limited numbers so make sure you get your copy soon.  To know more about the Surreal Nirvana Store, Click Here.

Click Here to buy the Double Disc Edition

Click Here to buy the Single-Disc Edition 

Click Here to check Guru on Wikipedia and Click Here to check Guru on IMDB.

Manish :)

Movie 05: Guru (2007)

Movie 04: Get Smart (2008)

 

Based on a 1970s spy parody television series of the same name Get Smart is a great catch. The movie revolves around a character named Maxwell Smart/ Agent 86 (played by Steve Carell of Evan Almighty, The 40 Year Old Virgin fame). Maxwell Smart, an analyst with top secret American intelligence agency CONTROL has always aspired to become an agent with the agency. He also manages to clear the acceptance tests but isn't promoted because he's just too good with his job and the agency can't find anybody else to replace him.

With the turn of events and the agency facing its arch-enemy, the terrorist organization KAOS, the Chief of CONTROL is left with no choice but to team Maxwell along with Agent 99 (played by Anne Hathaway of The Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married, and Passengers fame).  And then starts a journey of brilliant performances by the characters who manage to keep a smile or at least a smirk right till the end of the movie. The movie moves at a comfortable pace and keeps the viewer interested. Moreover, the director (Peter Segal of The Longest Yard , 50 First Dates and Anger Management fame) manages to extract the best out of not just the principal characters but also the supporting characters of the movie. The movie is believed to have incorporated catch-phrases and references to the original show which would not only prove to be the icing on the cake for the fan of the TV Series but also make audience who're not familiar with the TV Series more than one reason to appreciate the script.

The prime mood and feel of the movie being humorous, the situations, and action sequences might seem over the top but have been executed with panache.  Dalip Singh Rana, the Indian WWE wrestler more popularly known as "The Great Khali” can lure the Indian audience with his presence on screen. Also from the stable of WWE wrestlers, Dwayne Johnson more popularly known as "The Rock" portrays Agent 23 in his own style. Get Smart surely is a smart movie which offers something to every viewer.

Surreal Nirvana readers can choose to buy the original DVD of the movie through Amazon via Surreal Nirvana Store. The movie is available in different formats and the links of all the options is given below. To know more about the Surreal Nirvana Store, Click Here.

Click Here to buy the 2 Disc Special Edition 

Click Here to buy the Single-Disc Fullscreen Edition 

Click Here to buy the Single-Disc Widescreen Edition

Click Here to check Get Smart on Wikipedia and Click Here to check Get Smart on IMDB.

Manish :)

Movie 04: Get Smart (2008)

Movie Trailer 07: Delhi-6 Teaser Trailer

Delhi-6 is a forthcoming Bollywood film to be directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra of Rang De Basanti that will star Abhishek Bachchan of Sarkar Raj, Guru and Bluffmaster!; Sonam Kapoor (this would be Sonam's second movie after her debut in Saawariya); a veteran actor like Om Puri who's been a part of movies like Charlie Wilson's War, Yuva, East is East; Atul Kulkarni of Rang De Basanti, Corporate, Page 3, and Divya Dutta of Veer-Zaara, The Last Lear. 

The movie is about American-born Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan), who brings his ailing grandmother back to India. Little does he know that the quick trip will turn into the longest journey of his life - a journey within. The backdrop of the story is the ancient walled city of Delhi, a character in herself. She represents the chaos, religion, beliefs and ethos of the Indian people. The pin code of the city is 110006, and with pride of love they call her Delhi-6. Rakeysh Mehra has given us a master piece like Rang De Basanti which has become a cult hit over the years. Expections with Delhi-6 are sky high and I hope the moviemaker does a great job with this movie as well.

Click Here to check Delhi-6 on Wikipedia and Click Here to check Delhi-6 on IMDB 

Manish :)

Movie Trailer 07: Delhi-6 Teaser Trailer

Movie Trailer 06: New York (2009)

New York is a forthcoming Bollywood film starring John Abraham of Dostana, Kabul Express and Zinda fame; Neil Mukesh of Johnny Gaddaar; Katrina Kaif of Singh is Kinng, Welcome and Race fame in pivotal roles with Irrfan Khan of Dil Kabaddi and A Might Heart fame in a supporting role. The film is produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films and is directed by Kabir Khan who's earlier directed Kabul Express with John Abraham. 

New York is a contemporary story of friendship set against the larger than life backdrop of a city, often described as the centre of the world. For most of us, larger events in the world are just headlines in the newspapers but these events can change our lives forever. New York is one such story of three young friends whose beautiful lives are turned upside down by larger events beyond their control. It is reportedly based on international terrorism and set in New York. John, Katrina and Neil play three friends discovering a new world. One day the world around them changes completely and they realize that the common thread between them is their religion. Irrfan Khan plays an investigating officer. Watch this theatrical trailer of the movie which is totally mesmerizing. I just hope the movie is just as great as the trailer. Readers can also choose to download the wallpaper of the movie form the official site of Yash Raj Films by clicking here.

Click Here to check New York on Wikipedia and Click Here to check New York on IMDB

Manish :)

Movie Trailer 06: New York (2009)

Movie Trailer 03: Obsessed (2009)

Obsessed is an upcoming thriller film directed by Steve Shill. It is due to be released in the UK on March 20, 2009, and in the US on April 24, 2009. The movie is about the successful career of an asset manager (Idris Elba of 28 Weeks Later, Prom Night ) with a beautiful wife (Beyoncé Knowles who's previously acted in Dreamgirls, The Pink Panther ) and son is put in jeopardy when a temp worker (Ali Larter of Heroes and Final Destination fame) starts to stalk him. The film has been rated PG-13 and looks like a complete edge-of-the-seat thriller and I'm quite excited to watch it.

Click Here to check Obsessed on Wikipedia and Click Here check Obsessed on IMDB

Manish :)

Movie Trailer 03: Obsessed (2009)

Movie Trailer 02: Astro Boy (2009)

Astro Boy is a 2009 American computer-animated 3-D film based on the highly successful Japanese franchise of the same name by Osamu Tezuka. It's slated to release on October 23, 2009. Freddie Highmore will provide the voice for the character of Astro Boy in the movie. Nicolas Cage (Bangkok Dangerous, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Lord of War) and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marsall, Gosspi Girl, Heores) amongst others would voice other characters in the movie.

Click Here to check Astro Boy on Wikipedia and Click Here check Astro Boy on IMDB

Manish :)

Movie Trailer 02: Astro Boy (2009)

Movie 03: A Wednesday! (2008)

In Hollywood, a movie made by a team which is not associated or affiliated with the big banners is called as an Independent Film or they are popularly called Indies. In the recent past, Indian film industry has seen releases of many movies which primarily belong to this genre but since the demarcation of such films is still unclear in the India, they're referred to as 'Multiplex movies'. A major reason for terming these relatively small budget movies as 'multiplex movies' is because they're been made for a niche audience and production of such movies became viable only after multiplexes were introduced in India a couple of years ago. Generally movies like these are not targeted towards general public at large but the movie being discussed here according to me should be a clear exception to the rule and I'll try to explain why. 

'A Wednesday!' at the outset is a fairly simple movie. The publicity of the movie can't be compared to any of the major blockbusters but the impact of this movie is so strong that it makes many other movies seem just about mediocre. The movie works at an easy going pace only for the first 15 minutes and that's the time when the filmmaker tries to introduce all the major characters of the movie. The basic premise of the movie is how one man jeopardizes the entire system. 

This movie can be described as a crazy cat-mouse race wherein the Commissioner (Anupam Kher) with his full force and the best men try to stop the nuisance and havoc that can be created if an anonymous caller is not stopped. The way decisions are taken under extremely high pressure situations to meet the deadlines and get satisfactory results every time by one man are inspiring.  Similarly, it's remarkable to see the determination and precision with which how a single man (Naseeruddin Shah) manages to shake the system by its foundation and make it look like a child's play. But what caught my attention the most is this monologue delivered by Naseeruddin Shah in the movie. For the benefit of the readers who've not seen the movie I'd just like you to remember a cue wherein Naseeruddin Shah is in a conference call and he tells Jimmy Shergill to put the phone on loudspeaker and starts by asking a question what do you do when a cockroach enters your house? That single monologue delivered by Naseeruddin Shah proves the prowess of actor. Truly an applaud and an award winning performance. Also I must mention that every actor in the movie does complete justice and plays his/her part extremely well. An actor like Jimmy Shergill seems wasted in other movies after watching his performance in this one.

Not watching this movie is just a juvenile decision. A Wednesday! at no point seems like an end product by a debutant director. Hats Off! Neeraj Pandey. I'd request all my readers to buy the original DVD of the movie or rent it from a legitimate DVD rental service. At least in India the movie has been recently released on home video at an affordable price. So please buy original and help fight piracy.

Click Here to buy your copy of A Wednesday!


A Wednesday! on IMDB 

Manish :)

Movie 03: A Wednesday! (2008)

Movie 02: Wall-E (2008)

I have always been a big fan of animated movies and hence you might find many more animated movie recommendations in times to come. The magnetic factor in an animated movie is that the movie appeals to all ages. Commercial animated movies are generally clean, funny, and really creative. Since the boundaries and limitations of a regular motion picture don't create boundaries for animated movies the main premise of the movies can tend to be over the top and some of the themes created by developers in the recent years are really inspiring.

Moving on with the current post, 'Wall-E' is primarily an animated love story and the main protagonists of the movie are robots. The movie is set in a future where people don't live on earth anymore. Consumerism and generation of enormous amounts of non-recyclable waste makes Earth unsuitable for human civilization and hence all the human population of the planet now live in space on human star-liner called Axiom. After 700 years Wall-E is the last robot left who keeps trying to dispose heaps of waste. The fist 20 minutes of the movie are a delight. It's phenomenal to watch how the robot generates sky scrappers out of disposed waste; collects and assembles knick knacks during his regular day on the job; and at the end of the day retires and calls it a day only after watching old musical film 'Hello Dolly!'. Life takes a twist in Wall-E's mundane life when a spaceship lands on Earth and a new robot 'Eva' is introduced. And then what follows is the main premise of the story which would rather not be revealed. 'Wall-E' is a special movie and is totally distinct as compared to other animated movies. What makes it special is the sheer brilliance through which communication between robots is depicted. 'Wall-E' has features of romantic, sci-fi, comedy, and obviously animated movies all rolled together in an absolutely lovable package.

Wall-E on IMDB 

Manish :)

Movie 02: Wall-E (2008)

Movie 01: Death Race (2008)

I recently saw a show on TV wherein two "Chicks" were trying to review a movie like Death Race. Now I don't really have a problem with the chicks, but I sure do have a major problem with the review. They couldn't stop talking about how the characters didn't look interested while they were performing their roles or how the feel of the movie was just not correct technically and how the look of the prison and inmates resembled a TV Series. I couldn't stop wondering if they were talking about the same movie, because according to me the strongest part about Death Race is the plot and how conveniently that was skipped by a mention of just one sentence. I guess they just saw the movie on a pirated DVD or probably when they were busy getting their make-up done.

Besides all other things the movie is mainly about this unique race which takes place in a penitentiary and wherein selected inmates race against each other with cars which are enabled with various offense and defense options. The race is designed over three stages and the various surprise elements which are introduced throughout the movie (a surprise not to be mentioned which is introduced in the second stage; the way the final stage ends) do a great job keeping the viewer glued to their seat. Jason Statham who has been showing his marvel behind the wheel in movies like Transporter, The Italian Job is joined by other racers like Tyrese Gibson which just make the whole package not to be missed experience. The soundtrack of the movie adds an extra dimension to the overall movie viewing experience. Also a special mention of Natalie Martinez is essential. She plays the navigator to Jason Statham but looks Oh-so-great throughout the movie. Every second when she is on the screen, it's truly a breath stopping moment. This movie would surely loved by viewers who can't get enough of cars, action, Natalie Martinez, thrills, races all packed in a watertight script.

Death Race on IMDB 

Manish :)

Movie 01: Death Race (2008)