Movie Review:Laga Chunari Main Daag

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

This is Pardeep Sarkar’s second movie. The movie to follow Parineeta had to be at least equal to it if not better. It isn’t! Parineeta’s USP was the strong story penned by a giant of Bengali literature. LCMG is at the mercy of the pretenders of prose in Bollywood. I concede the idea had promise but stands underdeveloped. Both the director and the story writer must apportion the blame.

But hey, everything is not bad here. The movie starts with a feel good note. The visuals throughout are stunning. Cameraman, please take a bow as should the choreographer. Shantanu Moitra’s (did I get the name right) music is different and brilliant in patches. “Hum to aise hain bhaiya” gives the movie a promising start. The vivacity and the colour and the traditions of Benaras have been faithfully captured in this opening sequence. I could smell the fragrance of the Benarasi paan and relish the sweetness of rabri and the heady intoxicating Bhaang. Long haired priests, mace swinging young men, quirky foreigners getting their ears cleaned and naked children diving into Ganga get a fair representation. When the action shifts to Mumbai the development of the story stops sizzling. A word here about the char(acters). Each casting is an inspired one. I would say that if ever a team of actors had to rescue a movie through sheer powerhouse performances then LCMG would be right up the tree. I could not fault any of the actors. Kunal Kapoor is surely but steadily finding his feet. Why, even his hair is now almost as long as mine. Jaya Bachhan and Anupam Kher are the perennial professionals. Hema Bhabi was the surprise package. I know most will disagree but I thought Rani Mukerjee was a little below par. And my Oscar goes to Konkona Sen. She is out of this world and each of her performance after Page 3 ought to find its way in the text books of wannabe actors. She is the life of this movie which would have been kaput, zilch, andaa without her powerful presence.

So what do I think of the movie? If you believe in fairytales you might like it. If you are the average practical type the interval may be good time to go home and watch soap. If you are a cynic you are better off staying at home. If you are a must do movie buff like me you will find a lot of things you like which you will forget as soon the cameras stop rolling.

In Defence of Couch Potatoes

So you think we are nothing. Why, because in your conditioned and convoluted minds we do not make the picture of what one ought to be, well, should be even while every one is trying hard emulating everything we do with panache. We sit, we see, we observe. We opine. For the busy rats in the race it’s a monumental task to hark back their reigns and ponder on the ills that befall the mankind. You the normal ones are in a majority and history tells us that popular opinion is, well, never the intellectual opinion. So recognize the properties of the couch potatoes. The future is going to be foretold by them for they have the time. Fathom their inherent goodness! We are immune to the vagaries of pollution. We are never in conflict with the rule of the road. We do not come in the way of the law of the kitchen, other than when popcorn is necessary for enjoying a rib tickling comedy. We are destined to control life at our fingertips, for that we must do.
We drive with Matt Damon on the roads of Goa, become the fastest aviator in the world with Leonardo DeCaprio, make offers no one can refuse, become kings of the world riding the crest of ocean waves, save the Private Ryan, hunt for lost treasures alongside Indiana Jones, survive the nightmares on the Elm Street, dance the salsa with Vanessa “The Sexy” Williams and get to serenade the most beautiful women. Ah, it couldn’t get any better. Long live the remote.