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Territories familiar and forbidden Cinema

With a bang: Once again a video game comes alive with “Max Payne”.

With a zing: Director Onir presents a ‘love triangle’ in “Sorry Bhai!” (top) while “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!” is a story of a thief with a heart.

With a zing: Director Onir presents a ‘love triangle’ in “Sorry Bhai!” (top) while “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!” is a story of a thief with a heart.

Of late Bollywood has been entering forbidden territories with amazing regularity. Here Director Onir, who made us cry with “My Brother Nikhil” not long ago, wants us to smile with a story that many middle class Indians would find contemptuous. A brother falls in love with his elder brother’s fiancée. Some years back such subjects were considered ideal for an offbeat tele-film. Now they are made for the multiplex audiences.

Onir follows the latest trend: take the audience down the illicit route, wrap the plot in laughter, and sell the stuff in the name of being progressive. As always, a foreign setting shuts up the need to address societal issues. Onir twists some staple ingredients of masala movies to suit the so-called multiplex tastes.No complaints, yes, but for heaven’s sake give us some rationale for these switches in morals.

As the story unfolds in lush Mauritius, a girl and a guy who have known each other for five years are about to get married. The boy’s family is invited from India, but as the girl gets to know the family members, she realises she is made for the younger brother. Reason: The elder one is no longer the idealist she knew five years back in college. He is too much into his job. Well, they say love knows no reason, but still the build-up to her change of mind is too sketchy and sudden.

To his credit, Onir has kept the surface frothy and the mood leisurely so that you hardly feel like going into details like the feasibility of the plot. Add to it some well thought out lines, where the double meaning strikes well above the belt! Then he has got some competent actors to make the flimsy look real. Shabana Azmi as the mother whose values come in conflict with the choice of her sons, gives an effortless performance. Her synergy with Chitrangda Singh takes the traditional saas-bahu relationship to girl-talk level. In Shabana’s company, Boman Irani is back in form after some forgettable performances.

Young Sharman Joshi proves once again that he is capable of increasing his appetite with the size of the pie he is offered. As the scientist who believes in the after-effects of maa kasam, Sharman is appealing….one of those quiet types who, given a chance, talk a lot.

Sanjay Suri is required to be subdued, and we know he specialises in it. Chitrangda is the centre of attraction, and she has taken to Aliyaah with flair. In fact, she has picked up from where she left off in Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi. Watchable!

There is a new set of directors who want to show a mirror to society without being judgmental or wasting loads of rolls. Dibakar Banerjee is one of them. Here he makes us look at the thief in each one us. He is in familiar territory, the lanes and by-lanes of Delhi, which he mastered in Khosla ka Ghosla, and once again has got the setting and the lingo nearly to perfection. Delhiites will have a sense of déjÀ vu while others will find the usage of words like ‘setting’ and ‘free fund’ a revelation. The class differences, the lifestyle of Western Delhi, the deep-rooted nexus between the police and criminals, the role of the media, everything is just so true to life.

It is not that we haven’t seen all this before, but Dibakar has made the proceedings so real that you begin to find yourself in the frame. There are no set-piece comedy scenes; it is just the kitschy situations handled with lots of grace that make you laugh.

In the story of Lucky, the thief with a heart, and his ambitious journey from rags to riches, the director has a fantastic plot to keep the suspension of disbelief going. Like super thief Bunty, from whose life the film is ostensibly inspired, Lucky has a passion for the good things of life and some real talent at pilfering. There is no real reasoning or redemption; Dibakar goes all out to make us understand how a criminal sees us. And it is not a very happy situation! However, in Lucky’s rise, we do see the double standards of our society, which respects status irrespective of the means.Dibakar loses control in the middle when he has situations but nothing much in terms of story growth.

He abruptly moves from scene to scene. Here he is helped out by his protagonist in the form of Abhay Deol, who doesn’t allow you to notice the inadequacies. He has imbibed Lucky, the curious mix of innocence and mischief, to the core. You feel for Lucky when he tries to be a thief with certain principles. Sometimes he returns with a greeting card, at others a dog wins his heart.

Neetu Chandra as the girl next door gives him suitable company. She seldom tries to steal a scene, but never allows herself to be a piece of furniture either. A triple role amounts to a heavy dose, but with Paresh Rawal there is nothing like repetitive. Go for it!

At times you know you are being taken on a path that has been done and dusted. Still you are eager to take the journey, for you know you are in good company. This is the case with this middle-aged romance.

Years back Richard Gere and Diane Lane gave chemistry a new formula in Unfaithful. As they unite once more, sparks fly all over again. Her life is in chaos, his is no different. The two come together at a seaside resort, where a sto rm is predicted. The storm does come, but in more ways than one.

The two perfectly illustrate the leitmotif, which says true love is something that gives you the courage to be better than what you are.

Gere has the charm to make the usual look unusual.

Here again as the troubled doctor he languidly gets into the act and wins you over. Diane is graceful as ever. She gives a master class in portraying the change of moods. Unfortunately, apart from the setting, director George C. Wolfe hasn’t given the duo anything novel to bite into. The film gets tattered with the same old dramatic moments, exchange of letters, et al, and a tardy screenplay making it appear a laboured effort in the second half. Watch it if you have nothing better to do this weekend.

Once again a video game comes alive, once again a story where everything around the hero is exploding but the guy remains unscathed. Alas! You don’t have the joystick to set the pace of action. John Moore tells the tale of a detective who lost his wife and baby in mysterious circumstances. As Max wages a lone battle, he himself gets trapped in two more murders — including of his best buddy — as he was the last one to see them. As things unfold, he gets to know there is a larger design, which involves the pharmaceutical company where his wife worked.

The story is not of much value here. What hooks you are some imaginatively designed scenes of violence.

The snowflakes in the dark night help the real meet the surreal. To spice up the proceedings there is Olga Kurylenko, fresh from her Bond act, as the sultry babe, and above all Mark Wahlberg in the title role.

As is the mood of the film, he is intimidating and elegant at the same time.

However, after a while design takes over whatever Moore wants to say, and the wait for the explosive end begins.

Taking cue from the film’s catchphrase, if the motive is unbridled action, get hold of Max Payne.

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