Hits and Pits By Rajeev Masand

The following article is no way mine.. but of Rajeev Masand.. the critique i always liked. So here are the hits and pits of 2009


It would be a lie to describe 2009 as anything but a disappointing year for quality cinema. Good films were few and far between, and box-office successes were also hard to come by this year. Big stars disappointed with big-budget turkeys, and unlike 2008 which threw up at least a few pleasant surprises like Mithya, A Wednesday and Welcome To Sajjanpur, this year we didn't discover as many little gems either.

But as is tradition, at the end of every year I pick my personal best and worst films--the Hits and Pits. Based purely on my own personal tastes and opinion, and no reflection on their box-office performance, these are the films that made me laugh and sulk in 2009. So without any further ado, and strictly in no particular order, first up, here's presenting my Hits and Pits of 2009.

THE HITS

KAMINEY: Vishal Bharadwaj's wildly unpredictable crime drama with a Tarantinoesque blend of visceral violence and dark humour. The film boasted spot-on performances from its ensemble cast, and experimented bravely with manic cinematography and edgy lighting. To top it off, Kaminey gave us the anthem of the year.

LUCK BY CHANCE: Zoya Akhtar's layered portrait of the Mumbai film industry, complete with quirky characters and fleeting cameos. Heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measure, the film cast an honest eye at the grime beneath the glamour, and yet succeeded in oozing affection for its leads. As a bonus, Luck By Chance gave us the best opening credits sequence in years.

WAKE UP SID: Director Ayan Mukherji's refreshing, relatable coming-of-age drama that cemented Ranbir Kapoor's reputation as the finest actor of this generation. Cool, light and easy, the film was packed with endearing moments and charming characters that leapt out of the script and came alive on screen thanks to intuitive casting and nuanced performances.

GULAAL: Anurag Kashyap's compelling thriller about campus politics and student activism in a once-royal city. This intricate tale of deceit, desire and corruption simmered with a slow-burning passion, driven largely by the performances of its key players and the sheer beauty of Rajasthan's varied landscape. Seldom has an actor held you captive by his performance the way Abhimanyu Singh did as the rakish Ransa in Gulaal.

ROCKET SINGH SALESMAN OF THE YEAR: Shimit Amin's cheerfully optimistic drama shattered the old "greed is good" dictum, and delivered a life-affirming reassurance about the importance of basic goodness. A solid cast breathed life into the film's flesh-and-blood characters, and we were reminded once again, than script is king.

THE PITS

BLUE: Director Anthony D'souza's damp squib of an underwater adventure in which the only things lazier than a potbellied Sanjay Dutt were the indifferent sharks that circled around a meaningless treasure. Low on thrills and basic common sense even, the film offered nothing but travel brochure-style photography of the Bahamas' beaches.

CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA: Nikhil Advani's unimaginative East-meets-East comedy sacrificed both logic and coherence to emerge but a poor cousin of that martial arts-laugh fest, "Kung Fu Hustle". Those never-ending gags couldn't make up for the absence of a script, and even Akshay Kumar's occasionally inspired goofiness didn't compensate for the sheer exhaustion you felt watching this film.

WHAT'S YOUR RAASHEE: Ashutosh Gowariker's humorless comedy about bride-hunting by horoscope clocked in at an excruciating 3 hours and 40 minutes, packing in every Gujarati stereotype you could possibly think of. Too many mediocre songs and repetitive scenes turned it into an endurance test for the viewer, and sadly the only award Priyanka Chopra deserved in the end was a medal of bravery for making a fool of herself. Twelve times over.

LUCK: Director Soham Shah's misadventure involving death-defying challenges and human betting turned into an unintentional comedy thanks to corny dialogue and wooden acting. Bad enough the action scenes lacked tension, "Luck" came with the stupidest climax you could possibly imagine: Imran Khan's character escapes death despite being shot at point blank range, because - listen carefully - turns out he's one in a small minority of people whose heart is on his right side, not left.

KAMBAKKHT ISHQ: Director Sabbir Khan's mind-numbing battle-of-the-sexes featured more crude language and sexual innuendo than you'll hear at a bachelor party. A haggard Sylvester Stallone and a smattering of Hollywood B-listers made an appearance in this ridiculous romantic-comedy whose lead couple clashes over an ill-fated musical watch that is inadvertently left inside a living person.

Of course there were several more films that I enjoyed and hated. I have fond memories of Firaaq, Dev D, Delhi 6, Chintuji, All The Best, Aladin, 3 Idiots and Paa.

Each offered something new, something exciting in those hundreds of hours I spent inside the cinema these past 12 months. Also, how can I forget such titles as London Dreams, Do Knot Disturb, Dil Bole Hadippa, Main Aur Mrs Khanna, 8x10 Tasveer, Shortcut and Victory, each of which gave me a migraine or an upset stomach or both. They're all very worthy candidates in the hall of shame. These are, of course, MY personal choices, feel free to send in your own list of 'Hits and Pits of 2009'.

Inglourious Basterds

"We ain't in the prisoner-takin business. We in the kiliin Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin". This line, spoken by Brad Pitt as Lieutenant Aldo Raine, should just about sum up Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. The "We" in question: eight Jewish-American soldiers (accompanied by German defect Hugo Stiglitz, played by Til Schweiger) that have vowed to deliver 100 Nazi scalps each to their leader, the aforementioned Raine. Their group's name: the Inglourious Basterds. Don't ask about the spelling. It's never explained. These men have made quite the impression on the Third Reich, angering Hitler himself and landing on the radar of "the Jew hunter" Colonel Hans Landa (superbly played by Christoph Waltz). Showing no fear for possible death, the Basterds join a mission called Operation Kino. The mission, being carried out with the help of German actress Bridget Von Hammersmark (a traitor to her own country, clearly), involves suicide bombing a movie theater that happens to be inhabited by the four major heads of power in the Third Reich, including Hitler. Little do the Basterds know that while they carry out their plan, the owner of the movie theater, Shoshanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) has her own scheme in the works. When Dreyfus was a teenager, her family was murdered by Hans Landa, and she considers this to be the perfect time for revenge. Will either parties succeed in their mission? History says no, but Quentin Tarantino didn't set out to make a historically accurate film. He as usual was looking for a movie of his kind. The typical Tarantino's movie with a accuracy mold around a fairly uncomplicated plot with a lot of eccentric characters and the story board set in a chapter wise manner. Definitely his best after the Pulp Fiction.

There are two Oscars reserved for the movie in the best supporting actor and for screenplay.

At last a releif. After week of wait, I have seen a decent movie. Davinci was a disaster but then this was really good

The Article that i liked this week

This is a shameless copy from one of my favourite blogs by Tony Tjan, a VC. Here is what he has to say about "

"Why Do Most Entrepreneurs Fail to Scale". Please post your comments.

Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the following entrepreneurial traits:

Persistence and stubbornness. Many people commented on past entries on the importance of having persistence and the willingness to persevere. This is a part of my "guts" bucket: you need to have the guts to start something, but just as important is having the guts to stick it out. Perseverance is an admirable quality of great entrepreneurs. However, when perseverance is confused with unhealthy stubbornness the outcome is not likely to be great. Stubbornness is fantastic when it is right, but it is a bitch when you are wrong. Or to paraphrase the bible, "Hell is truth seen too late." So how can you tell the difference? It's tricky, but here's a tip: Be persistent in your vision when you are sure you are right and have some proof to back that up, but also acknowledge when you need help or redirection.

Controlling interest. During the early stages of a company, the entrepreneurial vision is critical and is typically embodied by the founder. It can therefore make sense early on for the entrepreneur to control of the operations as possible. This control freak nature and maniacal attention to detail are almost required during the early phases of company growth. But as a company grows, entrepreneurs need to demonstrate not only that they can do the task (i.e. no task is too small or beneath them), but also that they can appropriately delegate. Fast growing businesses quickly move beyond the ability of one person to manage without proper delegation, founders can unknowingly limit the start-up's growth potential.

Team loyalty. Some of my closest friendships began at businesses I founded or where I have worked. It is natural to form very close ties to a group of people working day in, day out and often with significant sacrifice in the hopes of realizing an entrepreneurial dream. What has to be recognized is that the loyalty and relentless commitment that helped get a company to a certain stage might cloud judgment in determining the capabilities and skill gaps required as a business scales. To be clear, loyalty should be recognized and is culturally important, but it cannot be confused with the performance and future needs of the organization. As a start-up becomes a full-fledged business, an entrepreneurial leader has to be prepared to deal with difficult and inevitable personnel situations where business decisions need to be made for the interest of the company and not personal or historical reasons.

Some of these and other factors that hold a business back from realizing full potential are described well in the 2002 HBR article by John Hamm "Why Entrepreneurs Don't Scale." I also touched on similar themes in a lecture on entrepreneurship I delivered for the School of Management at Boston University.

Thanks again for all the comments on the prior blogs that helped shaped my thinking on this entry.

Now, what growth challenges do you face and why do you think many entrepreneurs fail to scale?


Listen to this article

The Story of A Mindless Dictator

Disclaimer:

The following photographs are shamelessly copied from Uncyclopedia, the mother of all creative evil on Internet. Any kind of resemblance to living person or dead is purely intentional. The author is solely responsible for any damage.

History Class:

This article is dedicated to the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, the most hyped atrocity in the history of mankind. I used the word most hyped because, King Leopold II killed atleast 10 million people(Because the Congo Free state was a personal proplerty of the King and people of Congo were slaves by birth to the king) and during the transportation of Africans as slaves to america atleast onether 8 million were killed(because of hunger and unable to breathe)

In spite of such treatment towards Africans, King Leopold enjoys the privilege of being on the Euro Please See. African Americans were ill treated till Mrs. Rosa Parks rose against such atrocities. Any case i will finish my history session now, enjoy the pics and send them to as many people as possible.

Hitlers Photographs:

As a Kid



Early Teens


Late Teens



Hitler Shaved his mustache off after Germany got humiliated in WW I

It gives me an immense pleasure to sabotage this tyrants name. I will continue spraying paint on this guy in some other post.

Debacle of PRP

నేను చిరు ఫ్యాన్....అన్నయ్య కోసం మా ప్రాణాలైనా ఇస్తాం

were the words that one could hear in the main stream media when Chiranjivi got into politics last fall. Today ప్రజా రాజ్యం (PRP or PR) stands as the gratest example of debacle in the politicalhistory. My idea is dig into the issue and find out why PR failed inspite of its great start.


It is really interesting to see the way PR got a tight slap from the public Considering the damage it has done to itself in the past few months it is no wonder.

5 reasons for PR's debacle:


No Political Agenda:

PR was a party for every one and every thing. To put it in the proper marketing terminolgy it lacked the SEGMENTATION. It was a party that offered panacia for every problem and the voters could not take so much.

Person Centric Party:

Well to start with a question... Name a prominent leader in PR other than Chiru?

Hmm... Hmm.. Noclues?
So are the PR candidates. This lack of secondary leaders has added to the owes of PR.

Family Drama:

We are hardly interested in their family affairs but then, the younger becomes the supremo of the youth wing, the brother in law takes over the party... and even the worst Mega Star is busy campaigning.

The pace that the work was demanding was tremendous but the bottleneck was the CAP trio....Chiru, Aravind and Pawan. If the shacles of the plutocarcy were broken things would have been different.

Falure of Chiru:

Chiru is a man of masses a person with abilty to do extrdinary feats. People of AP have always seen in as a man who could to fight all the odds and move the mountains on the screens.

To see such a man stabbering on the stage and not voicing his opinions on many basic issues has affected the chances of the pary adversely.

Undermining the Fans:

Fans were outrightly expelled out of the core team of party. This lead to a very chaotic situation within the pary and also in the media. Some party members who branded themselves as "Fans" have joined the bandwagon for power.

One more mistake was miscaliculating the dreams of power of the fans. Chru himslef once told " అభిమానులకి అంత పదవీకాంక్షా!" talking about the way he was shocked to see the drive among his fans for power within PRP.

100 Days of Obama

I just thought that some masala on the American politics will be of a great. So here is the story of the man who promised us the change. But by far nothing seems to be happening. The White House is still playing cat and rat game with the economy and diplomacy. As my dad says the American president seat is jinxed.

As my dad rightly says " ప్రపంచాన్ని మార్చాలంటే తనను తను మార్చుకోవాలి " ( Trans: One has to change oneself before changing the world. This is very much applicable to the American Economy and Diplomacy.

Bacchan Family Casts The Vote!

I do not understand what the on earth the Bacchan family wants to prove now! You see the indian aam aadmi is defenitely ignorant of this.. but this gesture is disgusting from a family of AB's stature. What the heck do they want to prove.

The Bacchan family is one of the most respected खानदानs in the country and considering the level of media attention this act will get, all i can say i that this could hav ebeen avoided and such cheap atunts would not suit them.

Monalisa Spoofs

One of the forwards that i have liked.. Just thought that i will copy paste the same

The South Park Version

Roy Lichtenstein Version

Matt Groening (Simpsons) Version

Banksy (Graffiti) Version


Pablo Picasso Version


Dali Version


Marcel Duchamp Version


Andy Warhol Version

And finally....

The cafetaria Artist Version

ITC Agarbattis Ad

ఈ ads తాయారు చేసే వాళ్ళకి definiteగా తలకాయ ఉండదు. పదో క్లాసు నుంచి ప్రమోషన్ దాక ప్రతిదానికి దేవుడిని involve చేసే మన దేశంలో ఇలాంటి ads తయారు చేసారు. VHP వాళ్ళు as usual avantage తీసుకున్నారు.. any case here is the misguided creativity.

( Trans: The admakers are headless. In a country that is dependent on every thing on the god, such ads are senseless. VHP has taken the "ad"vantage already. Here is the misguided creativity.)

Videsh

The promos of Deepa Mehta's VIDESH - HEAVEN ON EARTH bring back memories of Jag Mundhra's PROVOKED, which also spoke of domestic violence. Sure, VIDESH - HEAVEN ON EARTH also looks at domestic violence, it's also about a Punjabi woman who continues to take the beatings silently on a foreign land, but the similarities end there. There's a twist in the tale in VIDESH - HEAVEN ON EARTH and that makes this film different from films of its ilk.

Partly based on Girish Karnad's play NAAG MANDALA and perhaps inspired by several true stories, Deepa tries to inject myth into the main story and that's one of the prime reasons why you don't take to the film completely.

VIDESH - HEAVEN ON EARTH is an unconventional subject, but the moment a reptile slides into the story, it robs the film of realism. Your heart breaks every time the woman is subjected to physical abuse. You do relate to the character since you've either heard or watched tales of domestic abuse. But the sheshnaag part in the film is difficult to digest.

Besides, there's a major flaw in the writing. The husband continues to indulge in physical abuse, but it's not clear why he comes across as a frustrated man. Not once does the director spell out the reasons why the husband behaves like a monster and keeps harming his wife, right under the nose of his family members.

Yet, despite the hiccups, you can't deny the fact that Deepa has handled the material with sensitivity. Even the end -- you can predict the conclusion -- is well executed.

Chand [Preity Zinta] is a young bride leaving her home in Ludhiana, India, for the cavernous landscape of Brampton, Ontario, where her husband Rocky [Vansh Bhardwaj] and his very traditional family await her arrival.

Everything is new to Chand, everything is unfamiliar including the quiet and shy Rocky, who she meets for the first time. Chand approaches her new life and her new land with equanimity and grace. But soon optimism turns to isolation as the family she has inherited struggles beneath the weight of unspoken words, their collective frustration becoming palpable.

Trapped in a world she cannot comprehend and unable to please her husband, Chand is desperate. Hope comes in the form of Rosa, a tough and savvy Jamaican woman who works alongside Chand in a factory where immigrant women from all over the world clean and press dirty hotel laundry.

Rosa gives her a magical root advising her to put it in the drink. The root is supposed to seduce the one who takes it, making them fall hopelessly in love with the person who gives it to them. Chand's attempts with the magic root lead to surreal incidents.

Deepa gets it right till the snake transforms into her husband and that makes the entire aspect so hard to believe. You can't relate to it anymore. The cinematography is dark at times. If the intention was to impart a gloomy and depressing tint, it doesn't work. And why this need for a B & W look at several places? Doesn't work!

Preity delivers her finest performance to date. She displays the helplessness and pain that this character demands with gusto. It's at par with any powerful act by any international actor. Newcomer Vansh Bhardwaj is striking. Very rarely do first-timers enact their parts with such precision. Amongst supporting actors, Preity's mother-in-law and sister-in-law are believable.

On the whole, VIDESH - HEAVEN ON EARTH works in parts, but it's not enough. At the box-office, the Indian market may not be too receptive to the film. It will have to look internationally to recoup the investment.

Day II: Tamil Nadu Land of Zillion Temples

Enter Chittoor :

Chittoor..well i did not change my opinion about Chittoor from the past one year. If you want to know more about it, then click here Chittoor. I took a bus as soon as i can to Vellore, lest i would be infected influenced by the air.

'On the Engine to Vellore':

I got into a moving bus and the conductor was a really friendly guy. With a smile on his face he offered me place to sit: the engine elevation. So i travelled about 40 minutes 'On the Engine'. I have seen some 40 temples in the way. I wonder how these guys manage with so many gods! Tamil nadu (or TAMIZH NADU??) is a beautiful place a temple at the end of every street. It can be named the Land of Zillion Temples. The state has contributed a lot to the preservation of Indian Culture and still does yeoman service to the preservation art and music. All this activity is interwoven with these temples. I will discuss my theory some other time. But, for now,lets come back to my tour.

As soon as i got down from the bus, Vivek picked me up and showed way to the hotel.

There is a funny story about the entry into hotel which will be added by Vivek very soon. Since none of our friends were available then, Vivek and me went to the GOLDEN TEMPLE.

Golden Temple:

This thing is located at Sripuram some 1/2 hours journey from Vellore Bus stop. More Details Here Siripuram Golden Temple.

VIT:

It is rumored to be one of the best colleges in the country. According to India Today Survey, it is the 10th best University in the country. The infrastructure would make any one drop jaw. The library is well furnished. The TT(Technology Tower) is an architectural marvel. Many of my friends have joined this university baffled by the beauty of the campus. Click Here for My Friends @ VIT.


We had a memorable chat at the food court. Nostalgia struck all of us as we talked about the college days. Every one has changed (+vely ;) ). Notable among them was Narendra Karanam. This guy now speaks in only Business lingo and improved his knowledge sphere and convincing skills by leaps and bounds. Yashaswi has been maintaing the track record of being the first and has been awarded even a scholarship of 7000Rs from VIT. Vivekananda has also improved a lot... this guy speaks now like some science geek. Vijaya Narsimha is maintaining his natural coolness. Naveen and Sujit Powar are also doing well in their respective fields. Keep that up మమ్స్. Tomorrow will be ours. All the best to each of you in your endeavours and do ask for help when you require :-S

మందు పార్టి ;):

"Do not judge the book by its cover"

People might be tempted to include in the brands Royal Challenge, Black Buck and Old Monk, but our definition of మందు పార్టీ ended with Coca Cola and Fanta. We all sat down at Narsimha's room till 9PM and then had dinner at 'Aunty Mess'. I and Vivek went back to the hotel after the dinner.

लाइफ में ट्विस्ट : (Twist in Life)

A news was awaiting for us at the hotel: The power is gone and no hopes of getting it back in an other couple of hours. So we went around the Vellore city aimlessly till 12Am. We have seen new flyover, load lorries and some Hotel River View, located on the banks of a sewage canal.( Hey guess what! it smells horrible than Musi). We wandered aimlessly cursin ourselves and the TN electricity board. The power was back by around 12.

Sripuram Golden Temple

My Friends @ VIT

This the group pic of my friends at VIT( The photo is intentionally blurred to avoid possible morping)


PS: mama if some one wants it, please mail to me.

In the photo: A hero from BT, Two genius from Biochem and a gonna be business tycoon from VIT, Two Wartankers from Vellore and Chennai.

Gulal

It’s Holi and film maker Anurag Kashyap is back with Gulaal this time. The movie would see a nationwide release on March 13. The movie is based on the current political system of the country.

Though, in last couple of years we saw a number of movies based on the political system, such as Gangajal, Mrityudand etc. Each and every time directors based their movies in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh but this time, Anurag has come up with a Rajasthan based movie.

Colors reflects mood, be it emotional, political or whatever and the Gulaal showcases all. It’s a socio-political film that tells a story of about the member of an erstwhile royal family who stakes claim to his land in Rajasthan and wants to return to the days of royalty.

There are certain values in the film like love, power, deceit, greed and politics. Menon plays one of the protagonists called Dukey Bana, who masterminds a Rajputana movement in order to have a separate state ruled by Rajputs.

The story of the movie revolves around Dilip Singh (Raj Singh Chaudhary) a member of a royal family, comes to Rajpur to study law. In the college he is soon embroiled into local politics. The local kingpin Dukey Bana (Kay Kay Menon) compels Dilip to contest in the college elections makes him win. Later they plan for a revolution, challenging the democracy.

No doubt, Anurag Kashyap is a master story teller. He’s perfect behind the camera and has got power to nurture all his characters according to his wish. As the story progresses promptly you are bound to stick to the chair waiting for another sensational shot by the director. The movie was written by Raj Singh Chaudhary, Aparna Chaturvedi and Anurag Kashyap itself. It’s a narration of an incident, as a I said earlier that Anurag Kashyap is a master story teller, he never let break of the story. Actors are good on their part. Kay Kay Menon, who played the protagonist (who plans the revolution against the democracy), is indeed a bold actor.

Cinematographer Rajeev Ravi uses red-pink frames to light up scenes to the Gulaal symbolism, at the same time, Piyush Mishra has written some really nice lines for the movie. It can be said the use of poignant poetry while penning the provoking lyrics. Aarti Bajaj’s editing is effective enough.

Day I: Travel To Chittor

Started by 7PM by bus from MGBS. The Kurnool highway has improved a lot...the 4 way road has improved the experience of travel. The outer ring road works are limping partly due to the election code(??). One can now save an hour while traveling to Chittor.


Don't be elated and give a call of appreciation to PWD, the roads in Chittor Dist. are still the same. The connectivity has not improved still.


The entertainment on the bus (which is usually the B Graded Telugu movies) practically made me puke. The movie was some Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary. Its a ultra dumb movie in which Mohan Babu tried some Rajini Kanth stunts. I could not tolerate those histrionics. So i called up my friends at VIT for the details regarding the auto fares and prepared for a good night's sleep.

The ghostrider Mohan Babu

Just when i wanted to retire to sleep, there was a sound similar to that of a moving war tanker. It was the Godzilla like snore of the my neighbour. So i wrote the rough draft for my new article and slept by 1.