film reviews

Swami (2007) is choreographer Ganesh Acharya’s first try at directing a film, and in spite of some clumsiness, it’s full of good surprises. It is inspired by a desire to uphold the values of honesty, faithfulness and humanity which the director obviously...

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Abstract : Admirable and moving, "I am Alive" by Sudhir Mishra is excellently served by inspired actors (Deepti Naval leading the crew), filmed with tact and reserve, and filled with emotion and realism. It tells the story of Beena, a young woman married...

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Er… I thought I would have stopped reviewing films like this one ! But Ta Ra Pum Pum by Siddharth Anand is interesting in fact, as a Bollywood phenomenon (are those of you who read me not tired of this treatment of Indian films?!). BUT: before I go any...

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After having watched the film, I asked myself what it had been trying to do... It's a filmed play about these two people - modern-India businessman Rahul Bose and eternal India prostitute Kareena Kapoor - which explores their confrontation: and the immediate...

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Well, my foray into Bollywood oldies opens up with a bang ! This 1949 classic “love triangle” film which supposedly deals with the clash between traditional India and its Westernisation, errs, says IMdB sd268 in a perceptive commentary, because it equates...

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For those who are keen on a socially-oriented cinema, Dharavi, city of dreams, by Sudhir Mishra, gives a great insight in the life of those "Backward class" workers who fend it off in the Mumbai slum. It focuses on Rajkaran, a taxi-driver who decides...

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I regret to say - I do have a limit in what I like about Bollywood. It recently took the shape of two rather sickening shows, Main hoon na by Farah Khan, and Koi mil gaya, by Rakesh Roshan (of the Krrish fame). I’m half sorry and perplexed to have to...

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I've seen Khamoshi: a musical. Watching it has been like a revelation. Everything it says, everything it hints at, everything it suggests, because it cannot be said, I have avidly drunk as one drinks from a familiar well, knowing that the effect is exactly...

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Like many of you, I have noticed this film has broken the record of length (600 weeks) in that cinema hall in Mumbai (link) , and I had already been alerted some time ago by its 500 weeks’ record, so I too felt the urge to give my point of view. What’s...

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This 1997 film, compared to the one I’ve spoken about previously, will be my example of what is NOT so good about Bollywood. Careful: there are many films in Bolly, but well, I’ve just seen that one again. It starts rather well, with Alok Nath, Amrish...

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I've seen this 1999 melodrama once again, and thought that it was worth a little commentary. Critics have not always appreciated it at its true worth, it seems to me: ( Planet Bollywood link ) and (Rediff on the Net Link) I will say why in a minute. What...

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Everybody is talking about it… Or rather, was talking about it, and well, I’ve seen that movie too! It’s a good movie. In fact, very good in a non-Bollywood sense, because it’s good in terms of Western criteria: the subject, the rhythm, the acting, the...

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I'm a recent Bollywood fan, and I know next to nothing about oldies! I'm sure there are treasures there, but for me they're still to be unearthed... Please if some of you have suggestions, don't hesitate! So... Best Bolly film? Why not Monsoon Wedding?...

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