Before this i wanted to tear apart singh is king in ma review but even dat was not a serious inspiration to do so but yaah dis movie deserves a review . I donot mean it deserves only acclaims but also a type of movie where even ramblings are recieved with equal grace.
Well for starters I am a serious rock music fan and dat too heavy metal and i also luvvv movies so the stage is set.
The story of the movie is not new nor old it just a old track which has been presented in a new format. It is about 4 friends who form together a rock band and when they are on the verge of making it big they fall apart. Then it is about how they re unite and sing once again.
The basic story board has some resemblance to DCH but there ends the resemblance.. only to the thread of seperation and reunion that is all......
This movie is a very serious contender for the " change of the year " award because it never follows a formula tried or even pretends to do so and also d treatment meted out is very original with respect to the Indian cinema .
The whole cast should be complemented for coming up with not extraordinary but very honest and subtle performances. Each and every one lives upto the mark. Then come the performances :
1)Aditya : A very mature and subtle creation by the writer and it is very well etched for any person starring in a debut film ( cmon u have scope to perform , romance , screen presence and dat too in a so called multiplex film wat more to ask for)
2) joe :Finally arjun rampal has been doin roles which he wants to his latest films are a testimony to dat (OSO,DON,I C U) well not superb films but still he has come a long way from deewanapan . he surely does show that he can carry some weight of the film on his shoulders .It would be gr8 for him to work with anurag bose or kashyap or a vishal bharadwaj for the audience to have a complete view of his repertoire.
3) KD : Well for starters he's a gujju and we are like no not again but wait dere are no such unwanted comedy threads relating to his origin. so there is one example of the change used in this film .Well he was given the responsibilty of the not so well scripted comedy track of the film but still he managed to do a good job considering he had the weakest written character in the entire film. His 2 cents to fame are the anger in the changing room scene before climax and also the solo performance in the climax and he did very well in both of them.
4)ROB: Here is the firang of the movie but again u donot have ny immaturely written dialogues or comedy based on that rather this guy along with KD have the most honest sensibilities in the whole film. He has done very well in the underplayed and not so glamorous character in the whole movie...
well i wud have a special mention for DEBBY for her sincere and earnest performance in the film hope she makes the right choices in the future...
Now comin on to the directorial department : Has to be said a risky experiment to start your first film but u had all d essential backin ( producers and music) to be given a safer platform to handle such scripts. The direction of the movie reminds you of the english movies made in 90's where the scenes spoke a thousand words and not the other elements like camera or sound or for that matter lighting used. It is very rare for some one to direct a movie now a days without a commercial thread (not evn 1) . His ingenuinty lies in the way he made the whole movie not slow ( even though it is a bit slow but dats d script's fault) and not monotonous by having the screen play come back and forth so that ur not filled with neither too much melodrama nor rock music ( must say that if not done this movie would have fallen flat as there would be nothing to make u sit and watch). He used the background score to minimum effect and also the camera and lighting are so very well thought if dat u seldom tend to observe that these two elements are also present in the frame...a pat on the back for the director has shwn some mettle but it could have been done in a more complete way........
Now comes the soul of the movie : MUSIC : shankar and co. have come up with wat i must say easily the most sensible and true rock album in the indian industry by faar and think it will be very difficult to produce better album ( rock) even for them or the rock bands of this country. The credit should go to them for using very authentic rock instruments and also stayin true to the rock flvour to be present in the songs . They are very original and also very soulful.
Now for ma ramblings on the movie
1) Before the climax joe has been shown to be with the band all along and all of a sudden does a u-turn without even informing his mates about his decision even though he knows that his mate might not be there wen he comes back he does not even care to say a good bye ( very weal characterisation) which essentially goes against the whole flavour of the movie which shows all these guys bonding like gel.........accepted that he does not have the courage but still that act does make him a bit too selfish ... as he is the culprit for the band's previous downfall....
2) The band name is MAGIK cmon where are u guys........ are u producing a remix album of bangle ke peeche or somethin ur a rock band for heaven's sake and they donot have such names by any stretch of imagination . Given that it was 10 yrs ago but still rock bands has some flame in their names ( chakravyuh used in the film for exmple). Also with that kinda name it also makes the band sound a bit bollywoodishh ( magik kaam karega and all dat stuff ). i am not complainin but seriously feel it should have been better . complacency on the part of the writer...
3) CLIMax : cmon wat happens to guys when they think of a climax man . Every one now a days makes the climax so scripted and formulaic that it jus kinda takes a zing out of the movie in the last moment .Like joe runnning from taxi to the venue or the act of joe directly coming on to the stage holding a guitar ( cmon mate that's an electric guitar and needs some workin) the director should have shown an behind stage shot of joe before his plunge........
Here are my picks which according to me are the best things about the movie...
1) The band does not win the event and their life is changed ever after no kudos to writer for adopting a more realistic approach.
2) robs death scene is not picturised in the movie but the effct is made in the audiences mind good work by the director for good hold on the script and screenplay..
3) Very original performances by the actors as rock stars cmon man show this picture to an unknown and surely he wont be able to tell u that these guys are not serious musicians..and also the way these guys banged their heads and also their make ups ( both parts ) were very good..........
BOTTOM LINE : Well if u like GADAR , CHAMKU , VEERZAARA,SINGH IS KINNG or those kinda films then this one is surely not for u as u wont understand and even if u do u think that these guys are crazy and for others yaah recommended with sincerity for encouragin a new wave or brand of indian cinema ( HOPE YASH RAJ CLOSE THEIR SHOP SOON AND ALSO ANEES BAZMEE)
