Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Halla Bol: Review


After much reluctance (thanks to the bad reviews) I finally saw “Halla Bol” this Saturday. If I were to define this movie in one word, it would be “engaging”. I did not feel bored for one moment. It has pace, story and situational songs. It was supposed to be another Rang De Basanti, but I don’t know why it did not go well with the critics. I admit it is filmy in some sequences, but that’s what films are for and that’s what we expect them to be. We have to have our happy endings. Films are not supposed to change the system and correct all the wrongs; rather they are supposed to induce certain thoughts, which we never care about. Films are supposed to make us think for sometime. That’s what “Halla Bol” did. I totally loved it. In fact, I am quite surprised if critics can give thumbs up to Om Shanti Om then why such step-motherly treatment to Halla Bol? OSO had neither entertainment value like Main Hoon Na, nor it had an original story, so why? Ah, life was never supposed to be fair. Nevertheless, I give it at least 3.5 out of 5.

I think Ajay Devgan (as always) did justice to his role. Vidya Balan had nothing to do. Pankaj Kapoor shines even with a miniscule role. . He makes every role credible and memorable. Unfortunately, he remains to be one of the most under-rated actors in the industry.

The movie was certainly thought provoking. It was something which would raise several questions inside you and you would like to hold them for long, to find out the answers. Let us take an example, all of us have read about so many cases involving ministers or big personalities or filthy rich people. What happens to those cases? What happens to the witnesses? Why do you think the witnesses change their statements every day? It is the fear of losing everything that one has ever earned and cherished. We are conditioned to value what we have, to value materialistic things. May be the importance given to materials is over-rated but we are like that only, one cannot change overnight. I know it is easy to say hundred things, when you are watching things from a distance, but you lose your voice when you are confronted with life-threatening danger.

Second thing which struck me about the movie is how unjustified is to expect our public figures to behave righteously. Why do we expect actors to behave in a certain way? They are actors; they are not custodians of truth. Spare them please. It is easy to lose yourself in the crowd, to raise your voice as a crowd; but it is difficult to be in limelight continuously and be questioned for each and every act. It is plain unfair.

I liked the movie and I think Mr Santoshi did justice to the story. We have been OK with Santoshi’s earlier movies and Sunny Deol single-handed goon-bashing, so what’s wrong with the story getting filmy now? We still love our happy endings, otherwise what’s the point in watching a movie? The good guy should always win.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

The Art of Reviewing

Well, as I have sufficiently claimed on my Blog that I’m a writer at heart. Of late, I’m trying to learn different kinds of Writing. To begin with, right now I’m on writing Reviews—Book Reviews. I have read a lot of Reviews and when I come across an interesting sounding book, I first search for Reviews.

Although I have yet to learn that art but in my opinion Book Reviews should be an individual’s perspective on the thoughts that a particular book evoked in the reader. It should be completely a reader’s perspective about how the book came across. I hate those people who go on and on about story of the book, come on, leave something for the reader. OK you might like to give a basic idea about the plot, but please do not tell the story.

Same goes for the films as well.