Betrayal in style!!

“Strictly No Rules” as the tag line says it, Mankatha is one unpredictable story with twists like an irregular swing of a pendulum. Ajith revels as a king maker continuing his tryst with action thrillers with an audacious screen presence and an enviable ease. This Indian “Italian Job” style drama is smart, witty and keeps you guessing. Venkat Prabhu’s gutsy attempt pays off with an edge of a seat screenplay keeping a spectator engrossed constantly.

                     The film encircling the betting mafia has characters trying to outsmart each other with their greed to earn quick money with little effort.  Their attempts however collapse like a chicken waiting to be ripped apart. Prudvi(Arjun) leads a special squad assigned to unearth people behind the illegal dealings. Vinayak is a 40+ suspended police officer , fearless in his methods. He has a girlfriend Sanjana(Trisha) whose father Arumugam holds a position of influence in Mumbai. A team of four plan to rob a sum of 500 crores from the former. Vinayak makes an astounding entry into the troop. The film then unravels the true intentions behind the characters backed by the cat and mouse chases wherein each of them attempts to flee with the money.

                   The biggest challenge of a fast paced thriller is to sustain momentum and remain mysterious which Mankatha does  in equal amounts leaving out a few amateurishly directed sequences.  One needs to appreciate the directorial vision in the pre-interval scene where Ajith idealizes his plan for the escape. The chases are supremely designed and the so called filmi clichés are well handled. The first half drags initially but the director packs a sucker punch in the latter part which obviously aids the film.

                   The performances are not as memorable as one would have expected. Trisha for instance appears in a listless role that could have so easily been labeled as a special appearance. Laxmi Rai has more screen space than Trisha, but not even half the charm of the former. Another set of ladies don’t get their due too, this time Anjali and Andrea. The character of the IIT’ian hacker  though not completely original, is well portrayed. The other trio is passable. Ajith is sparkling. His charisma is such that you are left bewildered by the bluntness with which he says “This is my f**king game”. Arjun marks a surprise comeback and is extremely convincing as a tough officer. The other characters don’t deserve much of a mention.

                    This, being Venkat Prabhu’s magnum opus doesn’t have the emotional base of his earlier works as he centers the film around a single character who hogs the limelight. Technically though, the film is sound backed by some neat camera work. The picturisation of the song with Ajith and Trisha is extremely well conceived. The dialogues just about fit the bill. The background score is unique. The songs are pretty much a disappointment.

                  The basic aspects that go in favour of the film are its theme, action stunts and Ajith. This is not  a ‘classic’ by any stretch of imagination but has enough elements that can surprise audiences. This is no rocket science. Go watch the kingmaker turn the tides!!Velayadu Mankatha!

The lonely walk back….

 

As I bid goodbye to two of my friends at the bus stop on a memorable day that redefined togetherness, I feel helpless. I stay back at the stop for a while, recalling the moments that we had spent with aplomb. None has understood and trusted my interests and instincts any better than them. Even if I feel I’m overreacting to the situation, I’m scared to go back home. I’m being constantly tortured by the thought of taking the 10 minute journey to reach there. I sound indifferent to my surroundings, the people. I’m helpless after all the crap I’m feeding myself with. How can a place that I’ve been living since 20 years seem insipid? I’m forced to repeat a clichéd statement, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”.

                A walk to a place is always refreshing when we have a close friend at bay to offer you a topic to chat about. For a person who took a lot of time in understanding the value of sociability,( In this case, It’s me!!) I’ve got used to walks either way. I completely enjoy my privacy as much as the intimacy of being with a trustable friend. In the latter case, we don’t bother about the distance or time, it’s the path which we relish. In the case of lonesomeness, it helps us understand ourselves more than ever.

         An average Indian who uses a bus for his/her daily needs often has a lot of time for self analysis. It is actually this juncture that decides our moods for a complete day or a complete night. After all the stress we face the entire day, we walk back to our homes either satisfied, frustrated or tired in response to the daily proceedings. The loneliness that we experience as we take a few steps forward in the street to reach our home threatens us. Home always has been a place where we feel secured. Nothing in life will please us more than having a square meal fed by our mom.             

                  Success can always create a barrier in one’s life. Every person around, is more fascinated with the  reason behind the fame that has generated around them more than anything else. I believe victories have no value when we aren’t in a position to share it with our close ones. Despite a following, it holds the danger of losing the ‘pal’ like connect with our environment. It thus becomes an additional responsibility of not getting swayed by the new heights. Additionally,we never really identify our true mates until we experience adversities in life.

              We generally end up in situations where we supposedly don’t have much of a choice. We try too hard to satisfy people and convince them. It happens significantly when the person involved is too important for you to lose. Yes, it’s a form of selfishness where we go to any extent to get our work done. In response to this, let there be something selfless from our side to the society, which we are a product of. Ultimately,we live once, try reaping the best benefits of every opportunity we’re provided with. It’s the small walk back to our home in the night that counts. Those few steps with satisfaction could make all the difference.

As memories roll on……

 

(Picture Courtesy: http://joelivethelife.blogspot.com/)

As I pave my way to enter the third decade of my existence, here I try to recollect a few frames of a clouded portrait that is yet to attain clarity. The first day I had joined my pre-school, the first moment where a girl appealed to my senses, the first situation where I experienced the value of friendship and as the list continues, I reconstruct experiences that have ushered my life every year.

           From being the only child at home to a well noticed chap in my engineering days, there have been lots of memories that have played an undeniable role in shaping up my present. Some being pleasant, some turbulent and some more events leading to a path, which I believe, is destiny.

        We never value any individual until we lose their presence for a specific reason. We take their presence for granted and I firmly believe that’s the reason their absence hurts us more than anything. In simple terms, they become our habit and their value fades with time. As every day in our life progresses, we realize its non-permanence.

      Everyone has those little pains as they mature themselves physically and mentally to be adults. I notice  that, one’s learning from such hard fetched lessons will  always shape up their personality and lifestyle in their future. After all, every person we meet, talk, fight influence our character. The traits that we borrow from our surroundings carve our world. Inspirations are many and as a result, mistakes and regrets are many.

       Till about ten years, I had a small sentiment going along my birthday. Never did that day end without any minor injury or a small drama of that sort. As a child, I wasn’t so playful such as my counter parts. I rather preferred staying at home. I always loved searching for some specific objects at my place. Dad’s disorganization, Mom’s fussiness made sure of an atmosphere where getting the keys of our vehicle itself seemed a gigantic task. Though mom was always the one who would unlock such mysteries, as a child I always used to love watching those small blame games, they used to have.

            I have never had any surprises in particular for my birthdays. Many such years moved on with expectations turning out to be unfulfilled realities. I didn’t have a specific friend circle during my schooling. If that can be attributed as a reason for the same, I realize the extent to which I have missed a lot of opportunities in knitting some lifelong relationships. That has been one reason that I give every possible chance to sustain every genuine relationship I establish now. My last birthday is especially one such day that bonded me with a set of friends for life.

          Friends! They have expanded my horizon. Haven’t they? How did I forget that? They are the ones who’ve provided me experiences that have compelled me to write. Those light hearted talks at our hangout spots, those humorous abuses, those pointless fights, which have all sealed an indelible place in my heart. I’m very scared of the term ‘priorities’. They change with time and that’s what bothers me the most. It isn’t that I necessarily believe in that statement, I just hope it won’t become an excuse for any of my friends to part ways. Anyways, as I ponder over a suitable ending for this nostalgic trip, one of my friend quips,”Hey Laddu! It’s time to leave! Stop Writing! We need to catch the first bus!”. Welcoming every new day is exciting and a birthday isn’t any better. If celebrating with friends is what I enjoy the most on my birthday, I don’t mind celebrating every day. I realize I couldn’t have planned a better ending for an article regarding my life, very much summed up by my friends and their impact on me.

Purposes, Desires and Life……

 

Does everything in life require a purpose?

Does every decision we take possess an advantage?

An ambiguous heart cries its ‘heart’ out,

Aching with a reason to worry about.

 

Spending a life rushing towards a destination,

Forgetting the power of a moment, a timeless inspiration,

Lessons are meant to be learnt the hard way,

If we permit fate to have it’s own say.

 

Anything in abundance looses its charm,

Fulfilling our little desires mean no harm,

Unlock the windows of a dusted room,

Let the nature’s sparkle dispel every doom.

 

If acceptance is a synonym for survival,

How long will we live in self denial?

Force is a lethargic ride……..

After Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan having packed a punch with their cop tales Dabanng and Singham, John Abraham’s earnest performance in Force unfortunately isn’t good enough to strike a note. This being a season of remakes, Force inspired from the Gautham Menon directorial ‘Kakka Kakka’ doesn’t have the courage nor the intensity to impact a spectator. We are left witnessing a work that’s aesthetically spectacular let down by noticeable flaws in the direction department. Nishikant Kamat is no match to Gautham Menon who was able to derive extraordinary emotions through simple situations. However, the screenplay has been smartly adapted with a certain slickness action films demand, that makes Force a decent watch, if not a perfect one.

                Yashvardhan leads a group of four committed officers who are determined to wipe the drug mafia raging in the nation. Each person in the lot is backed by a family who undeniably are a weakness in their thankless profession. Yashvardhan is an exception to the above only until he encounters Maya who sweeps him off his feet completely. She empowers a new lease of fresh air in his life that has been an implicit definition of passion,dedication and commitment for his profession. In his life that’s intricately coated with danger from all quarters, Maya makes her space. The basic story deals with the conflicts between Yash’s personal and professional life.

               The film isn’t however a direct copy of the Tamil version. The backdrop undergoes a change, the pace improves at the cost of an emotional connect with a spectator. One never feels the pain that Yash had to face at various junctures. Blame it on John Abraham’s muscles which more often than not makes up for the majority of the screen space or the climax that’s extensive, Force doesn’t have  soul. The villain’s character in an action film needs to strike equanimity with the film’s lead to make the encounters engrossing. The shortcomings are visible in both their characters which never get a chance to depict their supremacy. Even though they manage to do, you better prepare yourself for a compromise. Genelia’s romantic track with John has shades of the role Asin had portrayed in Ghajini. Despite the similarity, Genelia’s performance is fresh and genuine. She however needs to come out of her comfort zone of being simply being the cute next door girl which could turn the tide against her in the future.

                  One definitely feels the lack of a powerhouse performer in an emotionally draining drama such as this. The characters are restricted to be eye candy which tells a thing or two of the artistes . An exquisite music score by Harris Jayraj coupled with Javed Akthar’s lyrical brilliance is left criminally wasted where Khwabon Khwabon and Chahoon Bhi are easily the best picks. Ratif Sheikh’s dialogues are really catchy and evoke heartfelt humour as well as the seriousness that the situations had compelled. The lines such as “ Neend Ki Dawai Mat Dena, Varna Hosh Mein Aane Ke Baad Tumhe Pehle Maar Doonga” speak for themselves. The editing is neat, the locations, picture perfect and the camera work is a humble synonym of brilliance. Nishikant Kamat could have definitely done his homework better where pictorial charisma dominates the emotional bonding of the characters whose casting too has a sense of mediocrity.

            The script of Force has a stamp of success marked on it.  With the shortcomings of the film notwithstanding, it still has enough substance to back it up. This might mark the beginning of a crucial phase for John Abraham’s capabilities to come to the fore. Though his performance isn’t as accomplished as the original southern version played by Surya, it definitely has a sense of maturity in comparision with his early ‘Dhoom’ days. Force is a gorgeous dish whose ingredients sadly aren’t well garnished. The couple of hours are a mixed bunch of magnificence and emotional lethargy.

My Take: 2.75/5

(Picture Courtesy: www.bollycurry.com)