Risk - 6/10 - starring Randeep Hooda (Sushmita's ex), Tanushree Datta and Seema Biswas. Risk is a movie about an honest clever cop who risks powerful folks and goes about killing gangsters. The story is loosely based on the gory life of Daya Nayak the encounter specialist cop. The actors are well cast in the film and Randeep Hooda does a very good job ! Vinod Khanna plays Khalid, a Don, whose look and getup, I thought resembled Vijay Mallya the liquor baron. A good action movie with lots of bloodshed if you are tired of the mushiness surrounding Valentines Day.
Water - 8/10 - starring John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas. This movie was not allowed to be shot in India by the then BJP govenment and was banned from being released. I basically wanted to see it because of John Abraham - and he was looking as sexy as usual...this time in a kurta and dhoti.'Water' is based in the 1930's era when Gandhiji's and Raja Ramohan Roy's views about widow remarriage had become popular. I though it was quite a historic Gandhigiri kind of film - could be released especially as it is in line with Indian 'tradition' - as Lisa Ray who plays Kalyani the widow commits suicide instead of marrying Narayan, a Gandhian played by John Abraham.
Parallel is the story of Chuhiya, an eight year old kid widow who is forced into prostitution by the old widow who owns the ashram. In the end, Seema Biswas, another widow in the ashram runs off with the kid and shoves her in with John Abraham in Gandhiji's train.
The story of Water was good. Subtitles were in English so I could understand certain shlokas which were in Sanskrit. The art film kind of cinematography and direction by Deepa Mehta was quite good. Heard the movie was shot in Sri Lanka and it shows because the Ganga River is dirty and does not have such thick greenery and palm trees around it.
Quite a good drama, the film 'Water' is worthy of winning an Oscar for which it is nominated in the Best Foreign Film Section as a Canadian entry.
About the widow issue - It's quite true that widows are sent away by their families. However, many want to go as their own wish. I've seen them begging outside temples in Mathura and Vrindavan, sad sight, most of them are Bengalis. Most of the widows are really old. I haven't seen any child widows though I've heard about child marriages happening in the villages.
Well that ends my movie reviews on Water and Risk. Did you see these movies ?
Thanks for the reviews.have not seen any but hope to.
ReplyDeletedaya nayak cant be called honest cop - clever maybe. child marriages and sati were the banes of hinduism earlier which have thankfully gone now. dowry and female infanticide need to go now
ReplyDelete" I basically wanted to see it because of John Abraham" ugh how chauvinistic.. meanwhile, i want to see it for lisa ray ..lol
ReplyDeleteJust one observation...The river Ganga was surely much cleaner and had a lot more greenery than nowadays, in the time period depicted in the movie.
ReplyDelete:)
Reading the review of the films, I am tempted to see the films
ReplyDeletehate john ab's acting skills!!!he might be good on postcards..but not when the reel is moving!!!
ReplyDeleteStarry nights - no problemo !
ReplyDeleteWhiskypriest - Sati is gone but child marriages still exist even among the educated. Kids grow up so fast today and some actually want to get married !
Manuscrypts & Vinay - John and Lisa both looked good onscreen but when it came to acting they sucked. It's great that most of their scenes were silent ones with little dialogue or else they would have been caught out. The kid and Seema Biswas made up for thier dumbness.
Siddhusaheb - Yes, the Ganga must have been greener that's why its a blessing that RSS opposed the film and she had to shoot it in Sri Lanka.