Avatar

Watched Avatar over the weekend. Pretty entertaining 2 hrs 40mins.. We watched the 3D version and I would recommend the same to anyone who is yet to watch.. Havent been to a theater in ages.. Got so used to the comfort and convenience of watching DVDs on my big screen HDTV..that I never felt the need to go watch something at the theater.. but this was fun.. Now if one could have the same 3D HD experience at home.. whats better than that ? 3D HD DVDs in the market ?

Happy Days ..

Its a telugu movie.. based on some college going students.. how they become friends.. some lovers.. and how they spend their college life together..! There isnt one familiar face in the movie.. ! But.. who cares ! It is well made movie by Sekhar Kammula. I have really liked all of his movies so far.. Will watch out for more..
The songs of the movie are very good.. situational.. and pleasant.."O My Friend" especially... makes me all psenti.. each and everytime I listen to it.. Some images of a few dear friends.. flash in front of my eyes.. !

After a long long time.. I saw something .. I could actually identify with.. ! The college days were indeed the Happiest Days of my life.. The only thing that was somewhat important was to make good grades ! Nothing else... to bother.. No worries.. No responsibilites.. Just friends.. fun and.. happiness.. How much fun it was... !! I wish I knew that then.. ! Not until the final semester.. did I realize what happenned in the past 4 years was something to remember.. and cherish forever.. !

All you college-goers out there.. enjoy life and friends .. while you can.. ! Life will get in the way.. pretty soon..

Jodhaa Akbar

Yes, I am back from my vacation. And while I was in India, I got to watch the Ashutosh Gowariker's movie "Jodhaa Akbar" with my family.

I wasnt sure about how Hrithik would fit in the period movie after his sauve and stylish .. totally contemporary Dhoom2. I think he is a good actor, so I was positive it will be decent. But after I watched the movie, I am in dearth of words to talk about how wonderful his portrayal of Jalaaluddin Mohammad Akbar was. Too good. Cant imagine anyone else in the role of Akbar who would have done it better than him in this movie. I have never seen a picture of Akbar.. I am not sure if there is one. When i thought of Akbar, the face of Prithviraj Kapoor in Anarkali came into my mind before. But after Jodhaa Akbar, I'd like to think Akbar was more like Hrithik ;) And, for the first time ever I actually liked Aishwarya Rai in a movie. So, thats a first ! She looked very pretty and played the role of Jodhaa really well. Ashutosh deserves a lot of praise in conceiving the characters of Akbar and Jodha ... the way we see in the movie...the choice of actors and how he brought out the best in them for the context. The chemistry between them is great.

Music is pretty good. The background score is superb. Kind of reminded me of the background score of the chinese movie "Hero" but does have a uniquely indian flavor most times that makes it well suited to this movie. All songs are really good. The urdu dialogues were so well written and the delivery and timing by Hrithik was superb. There are many good ones.. my most favorite one being the one where he accepts her 2 conditions for marriage. "....उनकी शर्ते इन्शिया अल्लाह लफ्ज़ बा लफ्ज़ पूरी होंगी॥ " Again the dialogue by itself would have been incomplete without the accompanying background music..creating a sense of relief and appreciation through music and without words.. !

All the love scenes and the music accompanying them are very sweet and well executed. My favorite song is the "In lamhon ke daman mein" in sonu's lovely voice. And my most favorite sequence happens during the Mann Mohana song.. when Hrithik is at the Diwan-E-Aam and Aish starts to sing, he is just magically drawn to her, mesmerized... and lost in the melody of her voice/song.. Hrithik/Jalaal walks through the various doors in a daze.. curious and eager to see Aish/Jodhaa..And then he sees her unveiled for the very first time.. and is awestruck.. ! "Love at first sight " should I say.. Wow.. I just loved that scene.. :) The background score by AR Rehman is brilliant in this whole sequence...its like a sweet longing... with a classical touch.. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps.. ! Cant explain in words anymore.. ! You must see it and feel it. The same score is used initially in the song when the bride's party travels to the venue of the marriage and she is travelling in the palanquin.

Anyway.. I am eagerly waiting for the DVD. It will be something I will watch many times in future I am sure. Overall its a nice movie. I donno how accurate it is as per the historical records.. But I really dont care at this point. Its a well-made sweet romantic movie.. and is definitely worth watching...

Tare zameen par

Let me first say this. I am not a big movie watcher. I usually get interested in a specific movie only if I have heard great reviews from lots of people. So, its very rare that I watch any random movie. After having said this, the past weekend was one of those rare occassions, when i wanted to watch some movie.

My husband picked up a couple and mentioned Aamir Khan was one of them. From my past experience with Aamir movies, I figured it may be something interesting. So, I decided to watch the movie "Tare Zameen Par " (means Stars on Earth) ... I had no idea about the movie at all. Like I said.. I rarely keep track of such things. But, to my pleasant surprise, I really loved it. Very touching and very different from the usual masala movies. If you have not watched it yet, I recommend that you watch it before you read any further. I am going to talk about the story..

The movie is centered around a 9 year old boy who is very different from his peers and gets into trouble wherever he goes. Not able to do well at school, his father is always angry at him for not being like his older brother who is a topper in all the academic subjects, and also in sports and everything else. The movie is a look into the little boy's mind, how he sees things differently.. He is always subject to ridicule and punishments for being "careless" and "lazy"... until one day an art teacher understands what is going on with him. He works with the boy and turns him around in a way that everyone is proud of him.

OK, the main story line, ...of an underdog becoming the superstar..is not new.. and is your typical feel-good movie ... that never goes out of style in any country of the world.. ! So, whats special about this one.. ? I think, this movie is thought provoking while it tries to tackle issues surrounding parent-child relationships in today's competitive world. About how ambitious parents burden the little shoulders with high expectations.. and when the children dont meet expectations ..how their parents react and how rejected the kids feel., and how the parents fail to understand what it is like to be a young kid with no acceptance.. How people in general fail to see the positive side of special needs children.. OK.. lots of "hows".. This subject is not completely new either but rarely do we bollywood movie watchers get such a chance :) All the actors did a great job.. and the movie has been well-made. Music is relevant to the subject and not "intruding"... For a directorial debut, I think Aamir Khan was superb. Lets see what else is in store from this talented bollywood artist. Overall its a must-see movie for anyone who is interested in seeing something different ... especially all parents.. !