Sunday, April 17, 2011

Tanu Weds Manu - And we have to endure it!!!!!


Only if every man was Manu, and no girl on this planet had even a hint of Tanu!’ Director Anand L Rai’s romantic comedy Tanu weds Manu celebrates ‘Arranged Marriages’ and so undoubtedly it will be liked. Because Indians love weddings and everything associated with weddings; the pomp, the show, the confusion, the emotions, jewellery, shopping, gaana bajana, basically the entire paraphernalia.
So, the story is not exclusive. In fact it’s a story written and told ever since movies were being made.
We will break it down in easy steps for you –
1. Boy – Shy, reserved, educated, docile, loner meets girl for arranged marriage falls in love
2. Girl – Brash, loud, extrovert, rebellious carefree loves another man asks the boy to buzz off
3. Boy – Continues to love her and bumps into her at a friends wedding
4. Girl – Starts liking the boy too but still loves the other man
5. Boy- Dejected, waits, waits and waits
6. Girl – Finally realizes she loves the boy, dumps the other man
7. Other man – Villain who in the end displays his humane side
8. Boy weds Girl and both live happily ever after
The End
Cliché? Well no one promised it would be any different. But there is something that sets Tanu weds Manu apart from the others of the same genre and that is the treatment of the film, the dialogues and some good performances. Despite some extremely melodramatic scenes the movie does manage to capture your interest till the end.
Madhavan as Manu, the shy introvert doctor from London is endearing tad over weight, yet that slight chubbiness makes his character seem more real. A normal middle class Indian male is seldom your quintessential ‘Greek God’, and therefore it is easier to relate Madhavan, to Manu your archetypal Indian good boy. Deepak Dobriyal who plays the role of Pappi, Manu’s best friend is outstanding. He is every bit the typical lad from western U.P, loud, brash, loyal and comical. Manu and Pappi together have given some extremely funny scenes. Tanu aka Kangan Ranaut is a fine actress but in urgent need of speech therapy, diction classes or simply tongue transplant! Despite her vivacity, her performance as the young, wild, rebellious Tanu fails to leave a mark. On the contrary, Swara Bhaskar who plays the role of her best friend, delivers a far better performance. She plays the role of a level headed Bihari girl with conviction, even getting the accent right. Jimmy Shergill as the pseudo villain Raja is passé, the hit and miss role did not demand the performance of a life time as it is. Though it is sad to see a talent like him gone waste.
In a nut shell Tanu weds Manu is a light film, with no social message or impact what so ever. There is nothing different about the film, in fact some scenes are so over the top that they end up being a little difficult to digest, if these little hitches are ignored, it still makes for an enjoyable experience. Watch it if you have a weekend to kill and are in mood for some mindless light entertainment.
 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Letter To A TITAN.............




Dear Mr Dhoni,

I am not  a cricket fanatic and never considered cricket to be a religion. The last world cup I followed was in the year 1996 when Ajay Jadeja had thrashed Waqar Yunis of Pakistan for four sixes in an over, but the defeat at Eden Gardens(Kolkatta) shattered a 13 year old's dreams of India winning the world cup. I was 13 then and I am 28 now, times changed, teams changed, matches were played but I was indifferent. Then came  a phase where there were a series of allegations  against the players  for fixing matches and that was the last nail in the coffin for me. According to me Indian Cricket did not deserve all the attention it got and the Indian cricketers were definitely not the Demi Gods they were made out to be. I could never understand why was cricket  equivalent to  religion in India, and could never fathom what was the 'Indian Cricket Mania' all about , until the night of 2nd April 2011! That fateful night answered all my questions and made me wish if it was possible to make cricket THE only religion in India.  That night I experienced euphoria,pride,patriotism,and  felt united with my country and its people like never before. Everywhere I looked I could sense similar emotions, it was as if a set of emotions were being passed through a xerox machine over and over again.. People from all walks of life belonging to diff religions,caste, creed and regions were celebrating being an INDIAN! For that moment no one was different, everyone was one, everything was one, the emotions,the tears of joy,the rapture,  was all one and it was all for one reason...INDIA! 2nd April made me realize what it means to win as a NATION!
I want to thank you and your army of eleven men for making a 28 year old woman feel as hopeful and innocently passionate as a 13 year old  girl again, for instilling a belief that not every man can be bribed, for making her realize why cricket is CRICKET in India, for giving 1.24 billion people a reason to forget their individual identities and unite as a country to celebrate, and for making the world get up and see that leaders indeed are made of a different metal altogether.
  I was not born when India won its Independence, but for me 2nd April 2011 was as close as I could get to feeling what those alive on 15th August 1947 would have felt. I want to  thank you for making me feel nothing else but just an INDIAN again!

Immense Respect
Mayuri Sinha