Casino Royale

Bond, James Bond.

Definitely the most famous lines ever. Well when Daniel Craig was announced as new james bond, I wasn’t sure whether he will be perfect for bond, No doubt he’s good actor, but Daniel is blond, blue eyes very unlike previous Bond.

Movie starts with cold blooded killing by Bond to earn double O status. Then we move over to African continent where international money launderer Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is using war money to fund his stock purchases in market. Followed by totally unbelievable chase sequence (I guess best one in recent years and its not some random car chase). Story movies to Jamaica and Miami, where bond foils an terrorist attempt which ruins Le Chiffre’s stocks and force him to organize high stakes poker game in Montenegro to fund his losing, and bond is assigned to win the game and track all money laundering business. What follows is totally brilliant movie.

The revelation in the movie is Bond himself. Daniel Craig is an immensely physical 007. Crashing through walls and leaping from buildings with superhuman strength. During one scrape he pulls out a large nail that's embedded in his shoulder and tosses it nonchalantly aside. Unlike previous bond whose tuxedos won’t get dirty in fight, Daniel bleeds like real man. He spends much of this film a bloodied and bruised mess, no body ever challenged his acting abilities and Craig proved in this movie that you can act in James bond movie too, its not about just style and action.

Mikkelsen's villain is low-key compared to over the top Bond villain. The infamous torture scene with Bond and the cut-out chair is all the more chilling thanks to Le Chiffre's ice-cold demeanor.

Shrewd and smart as well as gorgeous, Vesper Lynd(Eva Green) is hardly the typical Bond girl, and Green makes her an ideal match for Craig's Bond. Her chemistry with Daniel was instant. In one notable scene, Vesper attempts to purge herself under a hotel shower after she witnesses Bond kill a henchman. She imagines blood on her hands. Bond joins her under the spray - both of them still clothed - and sucks her fingers.

I always believed that any movie is as good as its script, which was lacking in last few bond movies. Script by hangs together reasonably well and is rewarded for its unaccustomed preoccupation with character by the attentiveness to same by director Martin Campbell, back after having helmed the first Brosnan entry, "GoldenEye," 11 years ago. Dialogue requires Bond to acknowledge his mistakes and reflect on the soul-killing nature of his job, self-searching unimaginable in previous bond movies. Bond in casino royale is not perfect, He’s impetuous and a little messy. He makes mistakes.

In end it’s one of the best bond movies ever, Daniel Craig has excelled as bond in Casino royale, I guess franchisees is now in good hands just like batman, which was fizzling with couple of bad movies, already looking forward to next installment in may 2008.

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Vesper Lynd: Am I going to have a problem with you,
Bond?
James Bond: No, dont worry. You're not my type.
Vesper Lynd: Smart?
James Bond: Single.

DON- The Chase Begins

Well in my opinion DON(1978) was new beginning of Indian cinema, arguably one the best commercial movies ever made in India. It's story, acting, suspense, thrills, background score everything was unique and marvelous and then their was Amitabh as DON. Nobody can have his screen presence or aura as DON. So, when I heard Farhan akhtar is making Don’s remake, I was quite skeptical. I said nobody can make Don’s remake, it will be just disaster. But I wished farhan proves me wrong, since his last two movie Dil chahta hai and lakshya are one of my favorite movies of all time.

Don – II, starts with SRK’s chilling, bit stylish performance as DON, including DON ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai dialogue. Rest of story is almost same. DON kills his enemies with style and cold blooded ways. ACP DeSilva catches dons and kills him, Replacing Vijay as DON. Roma joining Don’s gang to take revenge for killing of his brother ramesh. Jasjit in quest of fining his missing son.In mean time De-silva gets killed in encounter, making things complicated for vijay. Who now has to prove his innocence to police and save himself from DON’s enemies as well as friends. But in movie there are minor twist and turn which will keep you glued to your seats.

The Movie’s biggest strength is Farhan Akhtar, his direction, his writing and his treatment to movie of the best movie in Indian cinema in all time. SRK has done fine job as DON, specially when he had comparison with BIG B himself, nice decent job. But he wasn’t as ease as vijay, a simple bihari chap.

Priyanka chopra looked lovely,beautiful, sensuous and dangerous all at one time. Her portrayal of Roma was in my opinion better than one of zeenat aman. I never found zeenat as good actress.Priyanka is surely future of bollywood, next superstar. Isha Koppikar had virtually no role in the movie.

Boman Irani is marvelous as ACP Desilva, he did complete justice to role given to him. Om puri as Interpol Agent Malik is just wasted. I expected more screen presence of him. Rest of cast was fine, they just did their part. Arun rampal as jasjit had nothing to do, Pran’s character was just to large for him to follow. Farhan should have avoided taking Kareena Kapoor as kamini, she totally screwed the legendary song pictured on Helen, with her idiotic dance routine. Urmila might be better choice than her.

Well I would advice you to go a watch DON-II atleast once, it’s a good entertaining bollywood masala movie. But Amitabh Bachchan is still the original DON for us.

DOR

Hyderbad blues,Rockford,Boollywood calling,3 deewarein, Hyderbad Blue 2,Iqbal and now DOR, Nagesh Kukunoor has given us some of the best movies in recent year, each one of them so simple yet so heart touching. Hats off to him.He is one of the guy's who are changing face of hindi cinema, movies who's strength is their story not stars, not item numbers or glamour.
Dor takes you by complete surprise. Of course you expect a certain aesthetic and technical finesse in a Kukunoor creation.Story is told in an uncomplicated, sensible manner, minus bollywood melodrama, and a glamor overkill. It's also amusing enough to keep you in splits throughout. Dor is about lives of two women, Zeenat (Gul Panag) Himachal Pradesh and Meera (Ayesha Takia) in Rajasthan.
Meera is a affectionate, spirited but abiding young woman who lives with her husband in a traditional joint family set-up in Jodhpur. She and her husband are very much in love and share an intimacy demonstrated very adorable manner in the film. Her husband, Shankar lands a job in Saudi Arabia, and the lovers part amidst a restrained show of sadness. He sends home money for the family and Meera rents a cell phone once a month, so she can indulge in conversation with Shankar.
Zeenat on other hand is a independent, self-assured, practical but slightly cold woman. The story doesn't reveal much about her background or her family. But her portrayal is of women with courage and strong will.She is in love with Amir, who marries her despite opposition from his parents. The two tie the knot in a simple ceremony. The next day Amir must leave for Saudi Arabia as he gets a job there. His parents come to bid him farewell. He tries to win their approval for his new bride. However, it is only after he departs that they finally embrace Zeenat.
Shankar and Amir become room mates in Saudi Arabia.Then Shankar falls off the balcony and dies. Amir is convicted for murder and thrown into a Saudi prison. and get's death sentence. The ministry of external affairs intervenes and explains to Zeenat that the only way Amir might be set free is if Shankar's widow condones Amir. So, Zeenat sets off on a quest to find Meera, treasuring a single document that could set her husband free.
Meera is now condemned to a peripheral existence. Her bangles are shattered. She is disrobed off her vibrant ghoonghat and made to wear deep blue widow's garb. She is put into a cold, dark room with a lone beam of light, where she silently moans the death of her husband and suffers the loss of freedom, alone.Sadly its true portrayal of widow's in india, specially in rural area, where widows are still blamed for thier husband's death and men can start a new life,where as women have to live in social stigma for rest of their lives.

When Zeenat reaches Rajasthan she encounters Behroopia (Shreyas Talpade), a conman who first entertains her and then steals her belongings. He has the talent for slipping effortlessly into the guise of real-life characters like your local taxman or police inspector and mimic different bollywood actors. Zeenat encounters Behroopiya at a local dhabha in Rajasthan, whilst she is thinking about her plan of action. He forecasts her future and entertain her with his skills in exchange for a plate of food. In return he flees with her money and belongings.However he later helps her to find Meera. Zeenat befriends Meera and they form a strong bond of friendship and mutual respect for each other.

Dor is a must-watch;The film is entertaining and also has multiple messages that are delivered in the subtlest manner.The film is shot against picturesque locations in Himachal and Rajasthan. The script as usual is engaging; the dialogs entertaining, witty and yet quite profound. You also have several sub-plots that surround the main story. And every scene seems to have been well etched out.
Ayesha Takia looked like a sweet doll,with innocence of child on her face, bushy eyebrows and the ability to strut her acting prowess. And she goes for the kill with an award-winning performance. Happy and content one minute, depressed, vengeful or naive the next, she does justice to all the various shades of Meera's spirited yet repressed character.
Shreyas Talpade is a natural at comedy and his impersonations will make you smile. However, his character commands more than just lots of laughs. In a drunken stupor he sheds his buffon like exterior to reveal his true feelings and this transition seems so natural.
Gul Panag looks lovely without makeup, her dimples lighting up the screen, you will just fall in love with her. Her portrayal of Zeenat is pretty decent, her character coming across as strong yet restrained. The supporting cast, despite having short roles, manage to hold their own.
Another wonderful aspect is the rural setting of the story as opposed to an urbane backdrop. Is Dor one of the most profoundly moving films in recent times? Most probably it is. When it comes to portraying a forlorn yet undefeated sisterhood it stands tall and stately right up.