This is a thoroughly entertaining movie (except for the melodramatic scenes in the end) and Hrithik shines in the role of a mentally challenged boy. I have enjoyed the songs, the gravity-defying dances by Hrithik and how well Hrithik has captured the mannerisms of a mentally challenged boy. Some people might compare it to a range of Hollywood films, but let's just appreciate that a different sort of movie has been attempted and for goodness sake let's just enjoy it. This is a great family movie and a great treat presented by Rakesh Roshan.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Joggers' Park
(2003)
An enjoyable movie
19 October 2003
I always look forward to watching Bollywood movies, especially ones that are different than the norm. In this movie we see the relationship evolve between a married, well-renowned, retired judge and an independent 30-something woman. Both Perizaad Zorabian and Victor Banerjee were good in their roles, but Perizaad was especially very good in her role as the bubbly independent woman, Jenny. She really stood out as an incredible performer and she will be someone to watch out for in her future roles. I watched the movie twice just because I enjoyed her peformance so much. For music lovers, the Saigal re-mix and the tracks by Adnan Sami and Jagjit Singh are particularly memorable.
This movie wasn't preachy as it shows the dilemma faced by a man who is married and has grown-up children. From one perspective the burst of energy that Jenny infuses in the judge's life makes one think that he shouldn't forsake Jenny's love for family honour, but on the other hand he would be hurting not only his family but also Jenny. So watch Jogger's Park to see whom he chooses!
This movie wasn't preachy as it shows the dilemma faced by a man who is married and has grown-up children. From one perspective the burst of energy that Jenny infuses in the judge's life makes one think that he shouldn't forsake Jenny's love for family honour, but on the other hand he would be hurting not only his family but also Jenny. So watch Jogger's Park to see whom he chooses!
Baghban
(2003)
A relevant movie for the times
19 October 2003
Lately, Bollywood has churned out movies with tremendous show of skin and exhibitionism, but this movie is such a stark contrast and is one of the reasons that it works. In this movie they have dealt with the age-old issue of children not willing to take the responsibility of their parents when the parents are considered "useless" by their children. Although we have seen such movies in the past like Avtar and Amrit, but what is different about this movie is the way they have shown the romance of an old couple. I can't remember seeing such romance in any other Hindi movie, so it is refreshing to see that even an old couple can have youthful romance.
This is one of those movies that makes you think and analyze your relationship with your parents. As one's parents get older their habits get formed and many times members of the younger generation (myself included) get angry at them and I felt how important it is to overlook the immediate state of your parents, and instead to reflect on how they have toiled in bringing you up. Another question that arose in my mind after watching the movie was whether parents have children so that they have someone to take care of them or do they have children without any ulterior motive. After having discussions with my Mom (in relation to this movie) I realized that, yes, everyone does have expectations, but that's not the reason that they work so hard to build a child's future. In fact, as a child, we have expectations from our parents through our dependence on them, so why should we accuse them of wrongdoing when we have similar expectations. It is human to want to be loved, and that's the least we can do for our parents. Well, after reading this lengthy philosophical discussion you can see how thought-provoking this movie is. Let me get back to the movie. After a long time I have enjoyed watching Amitabh Bachchan, and Hema Malini's performance was so subtle and yet she gave a powerful performance. There is one scene in particular, where she tells Amitabh to have his medicine (right before they get separated) and one moment she has her eyes shut and the next moment her eyes are filled with tears. In this movie I didn't find much melodrama and the dialogues are hard-hitting and are to the point. Finally, the performance of Paresh Rawal, is, as usual, very good. I hope everyone watches this movie with their families.
This is one of those movies that makes you think and analyze your relationship with your parents. As one's parents get older their habits get formed and many times members of the younger generation (myself included) get angry at them and I felt how important it is to overlook the immediate state of your parents, and instead to reflect on how they have toiled in bringing you up. Another question that arose in my mind after watching the movie was whether parents have children so that they have someone to take care of them or do they have children without any ulterior motive. After having discussions with my Mom (in relation to this movie) I realized that, yes, everyone does have expectations, but that's not the reason that they work so hard to build a child's future. In fact, as a child, we have expectations from our parents through our dependence on them, so why should we accuse them of wrongdoing when we have similar expectations. It is human to want to be loved, and that's the least we can do for our parents. Well, after reading this lengthy philosophical discussion you can see how thought-provoking this movie is. Let me get back to the movie. After a long time I have enjoyed watching Amitabh Bachchan, and Hema Malini's performance was so subtle and yet she gave a powerful performance. There is one scene in particular, where she tells Amitabh to have his medicine (right before they get separated) and one moment she has her eyes shut and the next moment her eyes are filled with tears. In this movie I didn't find much melodrama and the dialogues are hard-hitting and are to the point. Finally, the performance of Paresh Rawal, is, as usual, very good. I hope everyone watches this movie with their families.
Chandni Bar
(2001)
Disturbing but Powerful
8 October 2001
This is one of the movies that allows to peek at the life of the people who have suffered and haven't seen the light at the end of the tunnel. The movie is very effective for it takes us into the life of a beer bar dancing girl (Mumtaz) in the city of Bombay, and shows us the rut that she is in and any attempts made by her to rise are in vain. The movie is both dark in content and in the lighting which is symbolic of the hopelessness and is very effective. Tabu's performance is noteworthy as she depicts the life of Mumtaz with absolute sincerity. Details, such as, her twirling the cord of the phone when she is in a state of hopelessness shows she has really immersed herself into the character. With her performance you never feel that she is putting on a show. The movie neither glamourizes nor demeans the profession of these girls and the director deserves praise for that. The lack of songs is highly appropriate for this movie as this is not a "feel good" movie. As a warning to the faint of heart, this movie is highly disturbing and should be avoided when depressed.
Yaadein...
(2001)
What was the purpose of this movie?
3 August 2001
I was disappointed by this movie because of its heavy recycling of the same old plot with new speeches. From the trailers it looked like it would be a good movie, but like other reviewers at IMDB I feel that this movie was an utter disappointment. The only thing that might save the movie are the cinematography, songs and the music, and _maybe_ the acting of Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. By the way, this review was sponsored by Coca Cola (sorry, I just couldn't resist ;-) )
Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai...
(2001)
Same old story
19 July 2001
I wasn't overly impressed with this movie as it had the same old story with some special effects that movies of this genre lacked. The first half of the movie was interesting, but then it fell into the trap of a hasty plot. This movie seemed to be an amalgamation of "Shree 420", "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman" and "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani". The performances of the actors were also fair. I feel that nothing in this movie is worth remembering.
An excellent movie!
29 June 2001
I have just finished watching this movie, and I have still not come out of this imaginary world that Lagaan has woven in my mind. This movie is longer than the average Hindi movie, but I never felt that, as I enjoyed every moment of it. The aspects of the movie that I really liked were the fight against the caste system, which has such a firm ground in Indian society even to this day, and the way people of different religions work towards a common goal. This movie should be used as a source of inspiration by people to avoid the communal fights which have plagued our societies.
I have read many reviews of this movie and amazingly I found a consensus among all "critics" that this movie has set a new standard for the next generation of Indian movies. One "critic" even stated that after the release of this movie, the movies produced by Indian cinema will be known as Pre-Lagaan and Post-Lagaan. The cast and crew of Lagaan definitely deserve all the congratulations and recognition for a job par excellence. Amitabh Bachchan, an icon of Indian cinema, sums it concisely in his article "Big B is all praise for little Aamir", when he says "I found Lagaan flawless".
I have read many reviews of this movie and amazingly I found a consensus among all "critics" that this movie has set a new standard for the next generation of Indian movies. One "critic" even stated that after the release of this movie, the movies produced by Indian cinema will be known as Pre-Lagaan and Post-Lagaan. The cast and crew of Lagaan definitely deserve all the congratulations and recognition for a job par excellence. Amitabh Bachchan, an icon of Indian cinema, sums it concisely in his article "Big B is all praise for little Aamir", when he says "I found Lagaan flawless".
Masoom
(1983)
Excellent Movie
4 March 2001
I have watched this movie 3 or 4 times, and I am impressed with the subject matter and the way with which Gulzar has written it and Shekhar Kapur has directed it. Usually I find that most Indian movies have plots that have such one dimensional characters, but in this movie you see the evolution of the characters. For those who watch Indian movies for the lyrics as well and you haven't seen or heard the songs of Masoom, then you are truly missing something. You can't expect anything less than the best (in terms of the lyrics) from Gulzar. The music by R.D.Burman is also very touching, and appropriate for the scenes. Kudos to Naseruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi for portraying their characters with such passion. After watching this movie I felt that it is human to make mistakes, and you don't find many movies providing such moral lessons. Highly recommended to lovers of cinema.
Armour of God
(1986)
A waste of time
15 February 2001
For all those like me who saw the movie with the hope that they would see similar fast-paced action as Operation Condor will be highly disappointed when they see its sequel. In most of the movie I found that they were trying to fill time with melodrama. I don't know if that's what they were trying to achieve, though. This movie has its moments but they don't last for long. This movie may be for die-hard Jackie Chan fans who are willing to overlook the non-existent plot and few action scenes, but it is not for serious lovers of action.
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