Maria Full Of grace(English) 2004

Maria Full of Grace, the feature debut from Joshua Marston, tells the stories of three mules who travel from Colombia to New York with more than fifty pellets of cocaine in their bellies. It's a brilliant motion picture, not only because of the meticulous detail used in presenting the process from start to finish, but because of the clarity with which Marston develops the characters. The individuals populating Maria Full of Grace are three-dimensional, with understandable motives. They do not seem like constructs whose actions are determined by the needs of a screenplay. In dramatizing the situations depicted in the movie, Marston's approach is virtually flawless.

In a stunning performance, Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Maria, a 17-year old Colombian girl who quits her grueling job as a rose de-thorner after a run-in with an unsympathetic boss. For Maria's family, this is a harsh economic blow, because everyone living in the small house - including her mother, grandmother, and unmarried sister - relies in part on Maria's wages to survive. Worse still, Maria learns that she is pregnant, but refuses to marry her baby's father. In desperate need of money, Maria investigates an "employment opportunity" that requires her to act as a mule on the Colombia to New York run. She is accompanied on the trip by her best friend, Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega), and Lucy (Guilied Lopez), a young woman making her third such journey.

When it comes to the nuts-and-bolts process of transporting the dope, no movie I have seen has done as thorough a job. (I would compare this to the first 30 minutes of Martin Scorsese's Casino, which presents a semi-documentary primer on casino operation.) We see how the pellets are manufactured, how the mules practice suppressing the gag reflex so they can swallow, how they are "fed" the drugs, what happens if they accidentally expel one before it is meant to be released, and the brutal consequences of a ruptured pellet.

The Colombian drug lord who employs Maria makes it sound like an easy way to make money, but it is shown to be anything but that. The process is grueling. Airport security is on the lookout for mules, and Maria's cover-story is too thin to pass muster. And the "hotel" in New York where she must deliver the goods is a seedy dive, and she's under the "care" of two thugs who will do whatever is necessary to retrieve the product. To them, she's no more important than any other container.

The motivations of the three women are explored. Maria, desperately unhappy with her current lot in life, wants an opportunity for herself and her unborn child. The United States is not a wonderland, but it offers better possibilities than Colombia. Blanca agrees to become a mule because she is bored, stubborn, and seduced by the money. And Lucy, whose story is the saddest, wants to be reunited with her sister, who lives in New York. On her two previous trips, she was unable to work up the courage to make contact. This may be her last opportunity.

By making the characters ordinary, Marston enhances the audience's ability to identify with them. Maria, Blanca, and Lucy are not in any way superhuman, nor are they endowed with amazing abilities. They are flawed, and make mistakes. When the pressure is on, they don't always do the right thing. We believe in Maria, and accept that, although she may not be real, there are others out there just like her who are.

The film's title (taken from the Catholic "Hail Mary" prayer) and poster imagery (a young woman receiving communion, with the wafer being replaced by a pellet) might lead a potential viewer to expect Maria Full of Grace to be overflowing with religious iconography. In fact, it isn't. Although there is an implied criticism of the hypocrisy inherent in a heavily religious society, this isn't something Marston dwells on. The movie is political, but there's an evenhandedness to its approach of the drug culture. Maria, Blanca, and Lucy are presented as victims, but not as unwilling innocents. Their plight is tragic, and there's little doubt that they have been preyed upon by avaricious men, but they enter into the contract with the Devil willingly. Like all who make such a pact, they are shocked when payment is exacted so quickly and ruthlessly.

Like many movies I have championed over the years, this one is disturbing. It is impossible to sit through Maria Full of Grace and not be affected by the circumstances of the characters. For that, the credit must go to Marston and his actors (especially Moreno, who, if she desires, could have an impressive career in front of the camera). The film's dramatic arc has genuine emotional impact, but there is never the slightest hint of manipulation on the part of the director. Yet, despite the dark nature of the material, Maria Full of Grace is not steeped in bleakness. The film ends not on a nihilistic note, but on one that could be considered hopeful. For those who appreciate serious dramas, this is one that should not be missed.

Taare Zameen Par (Hindi) 2007

Taare Zameen Par drives home a strong message, making you empathize with the kid, compelling you to draw parallels with your life, making one realize that some of the renowned geniuses were once scoffed at, but the world had to bow down to their intellect later.

Sure, Taare Zameen Par boasts of a story that strikes a chord, but most importantly, it has been treated with such sensitivity and maturity that you're left shell-shocked in amazement by the sheer impact it leaves at the end of this 18 reeler.

Taare Zameen Par heralds the birth of a topnotch storyteller -- Aamir Khan. To choose a story that's a far cry from the mundane stuff that's being churned out like factory products, requires courage and conviction and to execute it with panache is a rarity.

Those who somewhere nursed a grudge that the camera follows Aamir in all his films, will chew their words once they watch Taare Zameen Par. Yes, Aamir has a key role to portray as an actor, but the camera captures the child's emotions like never before in a Hindi film. Also, let's also clear the myth about Taare Zameen Par being a kiddie film. It's not! It's about children. Note the difference!

Rocket Singh (Hindi) 2009

Rocket Singh is quite relatable in recent times. Half the day one gets uncalled-for calls from salesmen wanting to sell us products from the world. And in the other half almost every employee in any organization dreams of starting his own company like his workplace. Rocket Singh combines these common-man conflicts to come up with a compelling narrative.

Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor) has always been a below average student and post graduation he desires to be a salesman. He joins as a trainee in a company that sells computers but goofs up in an early deal that invites him abuse by bosses and ridicule by colleagues. Relegated to his desk, Harpreet is restricted from going on field and realizes that his ideologies are not in sync with the so-called professionals of today. Soon he thinks of a way to get even with his boss Puri (Manish Chaudhary) and starts his own secret sales and service agency while continuing to work in his existing company.

Though not designed likewise, Rocket Singh kinda starts where Wake Up Sid ends. The protagonist has just completed his graduation, has gained a sense of responsibility and is all raring to go in life. Ranbir Kapoor graduates both in terms of his character and as an actor.

When the film is in the hands of a smart writer and skilful director, it can never go wrong. Rocket Singh has the correct combo of writer Jaideep Sahni and director Shimit Amin who team again to come up with another winner after Chak De India. Jaideep Sahni works towards sketching every character to real-life precision. And though these characters are extremely ambitious in pulling off clandestine commerce right under the eye of their boss, Sahni doesn’t make the screenplay look larger-than-life at any point.

The trademark elements of Sahni’s scripting style can be sensed in the writing of Rocket Singh as well. On the lines of the team-building of Chak De India, Harpreet puts together a team for his undercover company. And like the ethical conning in Khosla Ka Ghosla, this team also tricks its competitor company, where interestingly they are employed. The detailing towards establishing the protagonist’s changing conflicts comes out convincingly in the screenplay. The dialogues are wonderfully effective with a witty punch in every line and a non-preachy management mantra in another.

While any sales person or an average office executive can effortlessly identify with the setting of the film, director Shimit Amin doesn’t restrict the audience till them. He works more towards the human angle giving the film a universal appeal, while retaining its office authenticity. Harpreet’s field induction scene is smart and sassy. The pre-interval scene where boss Puri mocks and degrades Harpreet for his mess up is poignant. Like in Chak De India, Shimit thankfully refrains from the regular Bollywood tendency to liberally work out a parallel romance track. There is a love story which is kept short-n-sweet and is briskly defined through a transition song.

Salim-Sulaiman limit the soundtrack to a couple of tracks which are either employed as transition songs or played in background, thereby not interrupting the flow of the film. Vikash Anshum’s cinematography and Arindam Ghatak’s editing are just perfect. Niharika Khan dresses Ranbir Kapoor in formal pastel clothing and colourful turbans making him look like the coolest Sardar ever on Indian screen.

Rocket Singh offers Ranbir Kapoor immense range, as the character takes lead over the actor. He is perfectly poised in one of his best performances so far. The character-driven story doesn’t let Ranbir overshadow the supporting cast, each of who gets good scope. D Santosh is hilarious as the hardware service agent and gets the best repartees. Mukesh Bhatt as the office clerk is funny. Navin Kaushik as Nitin, the senior sales manager reminds of Raghu from Roadies for his cheekiness and is brilliant. Manish Chaudhary in a confident-personified act comes across as one of the most efficient negative leads in recent times. The one item-number-old Gauhar Khan surprises with an amazing natural performance and is a talent to look forward to. Shazahn Padamsee is charming but remains almost parallel to the plot and doesn’t get much scope.

A line from the film states, “Risk toh Spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai, main toh phir bhi Salesman hoon” (Even Spiderman has to take risk, I am just a Salesman). The makers have taken as much risk to sell a not-so-regular story to the audiences. And it has paid off pretty well.

Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year is one of the most rocking films of the year.

shawshank redemption(English) 1994

It's all about "HOPE" in human Life.

shawshank redemption

Based on the Stephen King (non-horror) novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, this is a simple story of hope made remarkable by the interaction between the two lead characters. Both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman do a fine job in terms of making their roles genuine and appealing, and also in the way they work so well together. The production values throughout are outstanding, but this is not a “fancy” film. Rather, it sticks to the story it is telling without resorting to flashy tricks to grab the audience’s attention. Although there is violence, some of it extreme, it is necessary to show the kind of place the prison is and is certainly not gratuitous. The main theme is hope, not despair, and the violence serves only as a backdrop to that message. Unashamedly a feelgood movie, by the end one is wishing only that it would continue for a few more moments.

Angadi Theru (tamil) 2010

Angadi Theru

Ayngaran International Films ‘Angadi Theru’ is a disturbing love story told in the back drop of serious life.

It about the sordid life forced upon two youngsters from a remote south Tamil Nadu village who are brought to Chennai city to work as counter sales people in swanky textile malls of Ranganathan Street and exploited by their employers. Mahesh who is a plus two topper is forced by the circumstances to take up a sales man job in a mall in Chennai. Anjali is also employed at the same shop. The jobs are low paying and they live in inhuman conditions provided by their exploiting mall owners. Amidst the conditions they fall in love which irks the mean management and they fight it out. The exploiting conditions in the mall don’t give way to peaceful existence and the try to start a new life out of the mall but end up ordinarily. While telling the story of lovers, Vasanthabalan also unveils the pathetic life conditions of poor young people from remote villages who are brought to city in promise of good job and then exploited by the poor blood sucking management.

The film is hard hitting in its reality. Life seems very tame at times. Many things happening in this film are things that are happening to us or around us but we hardly seem to notice or empathise. The graphic description of the life of the forced laborers strikes you hard. Next time if you go shopping to the posh malls in Ranganathan Street or around T. Nagar please pause and take a deep look at the uniformed counter sales people and give him or her considerate smile. Like his earlier ‘Veyil’ Vasanthabalan here too seems to tell us the world outside is a real bad world and survival is difficult for the good and able.

‘Angadi Theru’ is exquisitely simple and is a sonnet to the sprit of survival. For thoughtful filmgoers ‘Angadi Theru’ is a beautifully contained film complete in its portrayal of a young pair in search of life.

Pasanga (Tamil) 2009

Pasanga


Director Sasi Kumar, who brought a whiff of fresh air to Tamil cinema with Subramaniapuram last year, has taken Kollywod a step above with his next production venture Pasanga. Striking a smooth balance between real and fantasy elements, Pasanga is rare in the sense it is for the children and by the children, which is convincing and clear from the word go.

After Mani Ratnam, who charmed the audience with Anjali, a healthy clean entertainer featuring children all the way almost two decade ago, debutant Pandiraj has managed to gather guts to do a movie that dwells on the physical and psychological emotions of children.

He has used the bigger canvas to capture the joy and emotions among the innocent children. But the filmmaker has not deviated from regular cinema, for the storyline is typical to run-of-the-mill stuffs. Two pitted against each other and keen to take revenge on one another. They cross and crisscross building up to a climax where the hero prevails over the baddie. But what is strikingly different in Pandiraj’s approach is that the whole story is set around a group of children. They make you laugh, cry and sulk in emotions.