DUS BAHANE...!

DUS

It’s the final ….of the World Cup man!!! India vs. Pakistan…Eden Gardens… tension…last over….last ball….six required…tension…Sachin wields the piece of wood of that blessed tree that could rewrite history….Shoaib glares..Grunts... stares..starts.. ….tension…the crowd couldn’t have asked for more…..cold sweat breaks thru… no more nails left to chew….Shoaib starts from a mile away…. runs in like there’s no tomorrow….Sachin braces for a tracer….a billion hearts freeze….Shoaib leaps…swings..
…swishhhhhhh…………………all eyes on Sachin…he takes a mighty backlift…and…and…………
..…..executes the most immaculate the……the most perfect……’well-left’..!!!!!!!!
……….A billion jaws drop a mile down…..’What the @!$#%!!!”

Well, that’s a ‘simple’ way of reiterating what just went thru my mind on the 14 July, at 2:15 am, outside Inox! Can you empathize with me?? No…then watch Dus!!

Since Lagaan, and recently Sarkar, never have I really looked forward so much to watching a movie. Have you watched the promos on TV…purely a visual treat, what with four debonair hunks with a dashing swagger, walking in black suits and glares to boot!!! It oozes style, energy, verve….attitude!! That’s what Dus is all about….attitude, but alas, nothing else!!!

Really, the build up to Dus was so good; I expected the moon from it. I did this with Sarkar too, and it lived up. Both had great shots, some excellent frames, an enticing star cast, mavericks as directors, but that’s where the buck stops!! Anubhav Sinha lost the plot when it came to sheer story telling. Hats off RGV!!

Dus began with the best part of the movie….the song that rocked the nation..’Dus bahane karke…also followed it up with a great intro, very sophisticated, very stylish. The part when the Anti Terrorist Squad enters, was shot well, especially Shilpa Shetty`s and Abhishek`s entry. They looked good!! Definitely, the action was riveting, to say the least. The gun fight on the bridge was well done too… cool moves!!

Sanjay Dutt looked the patriarch that he played in the movie. His chemistry with Abhishek was truly amazing. But that was the only chemical reaction worthy of mention. Zayed-Diya & SunilShetty-Raima Sen (ooo Gawd!) were as damp as a fully wet sponge!

Shilpa Shetty kicked ass, the flying kick was well shot and well kicked!!! Zayed was good only in three scenes; the one on the mobike shooting with outstretched hands, a flying shot, and in the climax. Esha and Diya were wall hangings…strictly hanging about! Gulshan Grover ne bas tabla bajaya…and one thing was proved…. ‘There can be only one Shetty in the movie’!! What were the censors doing….someone please tell them. …..he’s intolerable!!!



But there were two saving graces!! Pankaj Kapur was a class act, a scene stealer. His character was well etched & histrionics hillarious. And once again, take a bow AB Jr!!
The product of the Bachchan chromosomes lived up to his genetic bearings. He was suave, smooth, oozing a newfound confidence & sizzling in the title song!!
………….hey guys noticed how everyone nowadays answers when asked, “Abhishek ne kaisa kaam kiya?....” ”Arre mast…
mereko wo pehele se hi achcha lagta hai…..mereko pehele se hi maloom tha!!”...
….ghanta maloom tha!!” …Liar liar…pants on fire!!!

But had the story been narrated better, had the makers not relied entirely on gimmicks and cool packaging, and paid a little attention to screenplay and the story, Dus wouldn’t have been as bad as it turned out. I liked the end….seriously…no… not when the movie finally ended, but the climax. It was unexpected, and the only time when the cast really ‘acted’.

So, what’s my final shot at Dus…even if the director gave us ‘Dus Bahane’ not to watch the movie, I’ll still say…. give it a shot!!
Tell me how it was!!



(….If I were to rename Dus I’d call it……..’Hodge Podge and Two Smoking Barrels !!!)

-Neeraj(Iyeranna).

SARKAR

Just watched it…..Its still lingering about…just refuses to fade away….it continues to ebb….. simmer….just like its characters!! Ever watched a heap of coal after the fire that sets it ablaze has been completely engulfed by it….it glows with an orange hue…..the orange that if you stare at it too long, it will make your eyes its temporary residence!! Imagine that hue emanating not from burning coal….but from a man's eyes….well, who is the only human God-enough to personify this brilliance…..Amitabh Bachchan! His first look is so blazing….it chills your spine!! What a contradiction….but that's exactly what this man is capable of! When Istepped into the theatre, I was carrying 'The Godfather', as a reference copy, in by brain. Just gauge what AB Sr. was pitted against….possibly the best performance the world of cinema has ever witnessed….the towering image of Don Vito Corleone, forever framed bythe magnificent Marlon Brando. Par apna Ilahabad ka bhaiya kisise kam hai ka!!!

His baritone cannot be matched…..just a question: Who are the single biggest losers of India?......what…you need a clue…..even my three year old bro knows this…All India Radio…those idiots refused 'The Baritone'!!! But their loss is our gain….wot say?? Nahin to ABSr. would be still saying…."Yeh Aakashwani ka Kolkata prasaran kendra hai…aap sun rahe hain Cibaca Geet Mala….hainnn!!!"

Heat can melt the strongest of metals. The coal just did its job…it melted a crude metal…and transformed it into one hell of a toughie….glistening after its ordeal!! Well then, it's evident….I'm ranting about Abhishek Bachchan!! To underplay a character and excel at it is just like scoring a home run without swinging the bat!! A smashing personality, great voice…and those eyes all maketh a star! And the star has shone again. AB Sr. vs. Marlon Brando was round one….AB Jr.vs. Al Pacino is one hell of a lipsmacking duel…..I'm dying to watchSarkar-II!!!!

If Vito Corleone & Michael Corleone are done, can the fiery Sonny Corleone be left behind!! Hats off to RGV, I couldn't have thought of a more fitting actor to play Sonny….KK just slipped into character so snugly…..he stole a good deal of the show!!Arre….woh faltu mein mera favorite actor nahin hain….!!! Truly the perfect trio.

Selvar Mani was awesome!! He had everyone in splits without resorting to slapstick gimmics. His laugh (grunt) was particularly hilarious. Another character who stood out was Sarkar`s right hand man…kya awaaj hai bhidu….maan gaye!! The way he ordered the goons to break the guy`s bones was menacing yet simple….great screenplay.

The wife in the Godfather was a neglected character. But has gainedone on the original by giving life to this role, played well….and mind you mostly by emoting through mannerisms. Her make up and Marathi diction was splendid. Well done Supriya Pathak.

Now for my five best scenes:
1) The bashing up scene at the start.
2) When Abhishek runs in the jail…what a brilliant shot!!
3) KK sitting in the corner after Abhishek beats him up.
4) The way Abhishek finishes off the 3 conspirators, the way they smash the window pane and then shoot through the hole was ingenious…but the best is AB Jr`s dialogue with Rashid on theboat…."Tumhe marne ke liye mera yahan hona zaroori nahin tha…par tumhe marte dekhne ka maza main khona nahin chahata tha"…wow!!!
5) And the top one….when the CM says that he'll be out of the jail within two days…Abhishek says.."Main bhi yahi chahata hoon…!"….is one of the last and the most lingering dialogue of the film!!

I was completely sucked in by the movie…..how about you??
-Neeraj Iyer (Iyeranna)