When Lamhaa’s tagline went – ‘The untold story of Kashmir’, it inevitably pushed many to wonder what new can be told of this disputed, distressed place that hasn’t been captured by so many movies and documentaries before. The good news is –there is something new!

The film has captured the ‘Kashmir state of mind’. With no one you can really trust you still need to run your life. Who is on your side? Military…really?? – all these questions are definitely etched on a Kashmiri’s mind especially in the present situation where a curfew has only recently been lifted from the valley and by the time this article runs may be imposed back again without really surprising many.
The movie establishes the one fact, which we already know but just sort of remain indifferent to. The lives lost in this battle are just the innocent ones’. And not any wise politician or vile master-jihadi’s.
A few days ago reputed journalist Barkha Dutt tweeted– ‘India-Pakistan relationship of schizophrenic extremes. Either Sentimentalism or Suspicion. Desperately seeking a saner middler ground’. So true!
Let’s not wash people over with the sentimental requirement for peace. Let’s not even provoke each other with thoughts of suspicion. Let’s do the sane thing. Respect each other’s boundaries, values and identities and just go on with life without really pissing each other off. That would be so much profitable…both in a humane sense and in the economic sense for India and Pakistan.
Even though a normal citizen can’t spring into productive action…the least one can do is say a silent prayer for this hell on heaven to get over with…
The cinematography is not all ooh-la-la. It’s shaky and there’s a glitch with lip sync at times. Like there’s a reporter who keeps saying –I’m from Zee news, but his mouth hardly ever pulls to the shape that happens when you say Zee! Also, some scenes bear a striking resemblance to those from Oscar winning movie The Hurt Locker. Editing is crisp, doesn’t make you yawn. Music is good, soothing.
However, coming from the director of Parzania, the movie as a whole was just a bit disappointing.
Sanjay Dutt looks so ruggedly handsome, mashallah! He is a natural actor and easily pulls off his part. Bipasha Basu has come of age in this film. Her acting credentials have gotten spruced up! Anupam Kher is convincing. Kunal Kapoor could have been better. His expressions do it, but his voice doesn’t match up to the pain or passion of the situation. Maybe he needs dialogue delivery lessons.

I’m not from Kashmir, have never been to. So can’t really vouch for the authenticity when it comes to portrayal of people’s emotional state in the valley or the research done for the film. So here’s a request. If you are from Kashmir, please do watch this film and post your feedback. Because even as Anupam Kher’s character accuses the media saying– Aapki media ko Aishwarya ko chand dikha ya nahi isse khabar banti hai. Hamare yehan kitni beewiyon ne apne khaawind ko saalon se nahi dekha, iski koi parwah nahi – the media really needs a stronger shake from real people to wake up from the apathetic sleep. This, of course applies if and to those who are.
This is not any entertainment Hindi movie; this has a cause as the reason for its make. Anyone who takes things seriously about the whole Kashmir (or war) issue should definitely give it a dekko

Let me start with a unique experience I had while watching “3 Idiots” paid premiere in one of Delhi’s leading multiplex on Thursday night. The house was full and everyone was pretty excited to see the last most awaited film of the year 2009. The show was to start at 7pm but unfortunately the print got stuck somewhere and there was a delay announced in the hall of about half an hour. Unusually the wait became long enough to complaint, and the show started 3 hours late at around 10pm. But not a single person in the theater abandoned the show and went back home. Everyone just stayed there in their seats waiting for three long hours along with their kids and family. The ambience made me feel the power, magic and expectations associated with two big names of Bollywood, namely Aamir Khan and Raj Kumar Hirani. And as the movie ended, everyone stood there clapping as refreshed as ever, even after they had spent more than 6 hours sitting in the cinema hall.

In few words, “3 Idiots” fulfills every promise it made and entertains the viewer completely with its engrossing and enlightening content based upon some real life happenings, we see and read about every day. Loosely inspired from Chetan Bhagat’s novel, “Five Point Someone”, it starts with the story of two friends, who are in search of their third adorable room-mate of the engineering college who actually helped them both in finding their own desired path in life. Commencing with a phone call to Madhavan, about their lost friend, the movie keeps shifting between the present & the past and majorly talks about the days they all spent together in the college studying engineering.
The first half is full of highly enjoyable moments which have a distinctive Hirani flavor and are sure going to be liked by everyone of any age or gender. The pants dropping humor may be a bit weird for some but the youngsters would not mind it at all for a change. However the engineering college campus and the in-class sequences in the movie do remind you of all the famous medical college scenes in Hirani’s debut masterpiece “Munnabhai M.B.B.S”. The entertaining first half ends on a mystery note, which straight away gets solved post intermission and then the story moves on towards the search of the third lost idiot, Aamir. Though the second half has got some dragging moments in the mid but overall, it makes a good impact on the viewer with a masterstroke used towards the climax having a pleasant surprise twist. And in the end, it makes you leave the hall clapping with a cheerful smile.

Director Rajkumar Hirani brilliantly writes all his scenes along with the talented Abhijat Joshi and the experienced Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The ease with which he showcases serious issues like Suicides by Students, Ragging in Colleges, Faulty Education System based on memorization and the unnecessary competition creating tension is simply commendable. He politely gives his own message through many comic and hilarious sequences in the movie which also have much bigger hidden indications for the society. Further, he goes on to humbly remind you that Are you doing the job you always wished for? Or you also have just compromised and bowed down to the demanding needs of your greedy surroundings and still regretting the major decision of your life.
To be straight, “3 Idiots” is a director’s movie completely. Though it has been more publicized and awaited as an Aamir Khan project, but it would be completely unfair to treat it at par with the perfectionist’s earlier movies where he is in full force as a solo hero. In fact, every big and small character in “3 Idiots”, strongly makes his presence felt, which in turn restrains anybody from calling it an Aamir Khan movie alone. Having said that, I would also like to add that with “3 Idiots” Aamir once again proves his unmatchable understanding of the medium and willingness to work better with a team spirit. He consistently delivers another flawless performance of his shining career under the expert direction of Raj Kumar Hirani. His commitment towards the works shows from the unbelievable slim physique he gets into for the role of a college student after the famous body building act of “Ghajini” and comes out as a clear winner.
After Aamir, the next best act comes from Sharman Joshi who very convincingly portrays a complex character of a student caught in a dilemma. It’s unarguably the toughest role and Sharman’s the best performance of his career till date. A truly award winning act by the young lad in the Best Supporting Act Category this year. The third idiot, Madhavan equally impresses in the role of an engineering student, wishing to become a wild life photographer from heart. Madhavan, never makes you feel his huge star status in the south and impressively plays his part with a quite conviction. Boman Irani is superb as earlier seen in the similar role a University professor. Actually, he has mastered this particular kind of character by now and looks great in his messy get up in the movie.

Kareena Kapoor hasn’t got a big role in the script, but she still manages to catch your attention through her new look with the glasses. Mona Singh is cool in her few scenes but Javed Jaffery is wasted in a two scene role. The actor playing the studious friend of the 3 Idiots is first rate and Parikshit Sahni thankfully is there with a controlled act. Cinematography is worth mentioning especially in the scenes where the three friends meet at the top of a high rise structure, the beautiful roads in the mountains and the climax scene shot along the blue water lake of Ladakh. Shantanu Moitra’s music is not worth buying as an album, but it impresses and leaves a mark after you have watched the movie in the theater. The song “All Izz Well” keeps growing on the mind, once you understand the real meaning of its lyrics in the movie. Background score suits the mood of the script well and is used creatively in the scenes.
Summing up, there is no doubt that “3 Idiots” is one of the finest movies of 2009 and will be a great success at the box office, but at the same time I would like to share a few points I have in mind about the movie :

Firstly, the basic format of the movie remains very close to Hirani’s debut venture “Munnabhai MBBS”. It has many similar (not identical) scenes of college classrooms, lectures and exams (though the subjects are different). The interaction between Boman and Aamir is on the similar lines of Boman and Sanjay Dutt. There is also a Hospital Sequence of Sharman getting paralyzed and Aamir curing him with his miraculous ways (quite identical to Carrom Board Sequence in Munna Bhai). And lastly as there was “Jaadoo Ki Jhappi” in Munna Bhai and “Gandhigiri” in “Lage Raho”, similarly here we have a new phrase “All Izz Well” used in 3 Idiots to woo the audiences. So I somewhere felt the basic framework of the movie written around the same commercial elements used in Munna Bhai.

Secondly the pregnancy sequence of Mona Singh, where Aamir has to perform as a doctor on the online guidance of Kareena, was visibly deliberate, filmy and quite far from reality.
And thirdly, I couldn’t appreciate the way, Hirani hilariously treated the poor family of Shaman Joshi and the character of his paralyzed father. He mercilessly used the poor character as a comedian and made the audience laugh at his helpless situation which I didn’t find very amusing. This particular part was not as per the standards set by Hirani himself through his earlier two masterpieces and was an avoidable patch on an otherwise brilliant and highly entertaining flick from the master craftsman.
Despite of the above mentioned points, the talented trio, Rajkumar Hirani, Aamir Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have a sure shot winner in their hands, which will be unanimously liked by all the section of the viewers together and should turn out to be a big success. It is an important Bollywood movie for all youngsters since it teaches them to follow their inner dreams and desires. And it gives them an ultimate message that “You should first aim at enjoying and achieving brilliance in your work and then success will automatically follow”. A must watch for all.

Movies in India are basically made with a lot of spices. In India a movie has to have song, dance, romance, thrill, suspense, comedy, action, family drama etc. People in India work for ten hours a day and that too during the main part of the day and so many of them return to a home with no entertainment. The only available entertainment is movies. Whether a business tycoon or a cycle rickshaw driver all want to watch movies. So when a movie is made the makers have to keep in mind both the masses and the classes.

Indian cinema has improved drastically and now the audience is very mature too. They still want song and dance but not the running around tree sequences. So now there is a new market for item songs. This is where a nice fast track is made only for a great dancer to dance and increase the sales. Some of the top songs have been Babuji zara dhere chalo, khallas etc.

Movies were made particularly for the masses and the multiplex crowd. But now the viewers want to see good movies with great stories. Earlier the hero carried the entire movie on his shoulders but now the load is evenly spread. A movie will do well even if you don’t have a great star cast but have a great story and your actors do a job. A good example for this would be Khosla Ka Ghosla. There is nobody you can call the hero of the film but it’s realistic and humorous.

In three hours the audience wants to laugh, cry and be excited and so it’s a tough task for the directors but then hats off to all Indian directors as they come up with something spicy enough to fulfill the needs of all types of viewers.

Each movie has the main story and a lot of other small stories that build around it. At times in stories there may not be any scope for comedy. A lot of directors use other characters and bring in another funny plot. This comedy has no link with the movies. In the past people accepted this kind of comedy too but nowadays the audience accepts comedy only when it’s a part of the main story.

People who want to watch emotions are very particular about the quality of the emotions too. If you can’t cry or deliver the dialogues properly the audience rejects the star immediately. The stars have to be convincing enough. This is where the director’s ability is tested. The comedy has to be timed properly and the tears have to be realistically shed.

Movies in India have been made with a lot of respect for family values and traditions. Every movie which shows any function has to do it in the right way. If there is a wedding song in a movie it not only becomes a hit. It becomes a part of every Indian wedding. Movies like Hum Saath Saath Hain and Hum Apke Hain Kaun have been very very big hits because each and every scene of the movie is actually what happens in joint families and in weddings.

A movie when made in India has to be made in such a way that both a 5 year kid and an 85 year old grand father both have to enjoy it. It has to have a great story, touching performances, lovely music, breath taking locations, great dance steps and of course a really bad villain whom the hero has to bash up even if he is on the death bed.

This is true bollywood ishtyle where anything can happen. The hero can beat up any number of guys. The heroine can cry without glycerin. The villain is always ugly to look at. The police will never reach on time to save people. It’s only up to the hero to do all the running around, saving and bashing up. The heroines will always be wearing great makeup even if its in the middle of the night. Mother in laws can’t be good and the daughter in law will only worry about everybody else’s happiness and not hers. This is apna bollywood with all these errors but still it is the biggest film industry in the world. Nearly thrice the number of movies is made each year than the number of days in a year. If you are a movie buff then there is no place like bollywood because there is nothing that you can’t find here.