After an uncomfortably long hiatus, I was inspired to write again. In fact, a few unfinished pieces resulting from half hearted attempts at writing, still lie inside My Documents in the hope of being liberated someday.
Three trips to Shanghai and calling in the New Year from Beijing definitely warrant articles that would make good reading, but I reopen with the most accepted form of entertainment - movies.
My final Sunday at The Chateau Regency last weekend, was also oddly my first Sunday without any colleagues for company. The slightest attempts to wake up early were successfully aborted by the comfort of the quilt and pillows and the alibi of the cold weather.
With the Sun already having traversed half way towards the west, I decided to stay indoors closely interacting with the television. And we splurged the day telling each other about three movies.
Dhoom 2: Negative points for even guessing! Advanced technology enables information to be stored inside those flat glittering plates that they call DVDs. A few such were on request, infiltrated by harmless subterfuge.
For the very minute percentage of people who still haven't watched it, Dhoom 2 is a high adrenaline story that spins in incredible orbits, also transforming itself into a perfect showcase for Hrithik Roshan's infinite talent and immense persona. The screenplay has enough imagination fuelling it constantly on the fast lane.
In one of the most stylishly essayed performances of the antagonist, Hrithik infuses perfection and evokes interest in every frame. His looks, speech, demeanour and dancing are just superlative. I was a trifle disappointed when his character has to abandon sleuth and resort to firearms in the final getaway. That however, is a pardonable glitch in a passionately etched character.
Baby AB is the ever laconic no nonsense cop from Part I. He is sincere and deftly underplays his role but is pale in comparison with Hrithik. His role has substance but lacks the sheen.
Ash is good and tries hard to keep pace with Hrithik, but again, nothing matches up to the shimmer of the Roshan. He simply burns the screen with panache.
Uday Chopra is in his elements as the comic relief. Certainly not of the caliber of Arshad Warsi, though he manages to time them quite well. Bipasha Basu has a few good lines. Rimi Sen is also there in a miss me if you blink role.
Music blends well with the choreography and never pulls the brakes on the narrative. All in all, a movie of the new season that is designed to thrill!
Modern Times: Still dazed by the glitz of Dhoom 2, the DVD player put it's tongue out and swallowed a CD of Charlie Chaplin Series.
Modern Times speaks of the days (probably the great depression) when there were more strikes than work, more hunger than food and oppression looming large.
Chaplin is a factory worker who becomes victim to the most unusual circumstances. He is the guinea pig for a newly built automatic feeding machine, suffers a nervous breakdown, is jailed for being a communist leader, inadvertently foils an ambush and goofs up on any odd job that he is given. Amidst all this, he meets a street urchin who is also running away from the law. Together, they dream of a home to live, a job at hand and a better life.
Charlie Chaplin is not just a legendary comedian, but also a refined actor and a seasoned director. I was in awe of the portion where he sings, mimes and dances in a restaurant. And to say the least, Modern Times assures all the laughs that will do you good.
Fahrenheit 9/11: I stumbled upon this film in HBO during the last minute surfing rituals before sinking into the pillows. It is a docu-film about the political backdrop before and after 9/11. I was astounded at the way the film blatantly exposes the misgivings of the US government that may have attributed to 9/11.
The Great Dictator: The next evening, the Chaplin hangover persuaded me to watch another movie in the series. I had probably heard about this movie, but never seen it. Unlike the usual silent movies, this one is a talkie! Charles Chaplin renders a premium performance in a double role, one that of Hynkel, the dictator of Tomania and the other, of a Jewish barber. It's a hilarious spoof on a certain dictator with a tooth brush moustache. The humour multiplies when Hynkel confronts Napaloni over the conquest of Oestereich. The actors, especially Napaloni, the two generals of Hynkel and Anna give sterling performances. Chaplin again proves that amongst other things, he is also a classic narrator and a gifted voice over artist (hear him dub for the characters in The Gold Rush). Do watch The Great Dictator sometime. The magic of Charles Chaplin is sure to leave you spellbound.
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