LOOTERA...

O. Henry would have been proud.
"The Last Leaf" has witnessed many interpretations...but this one is a beautiful,tender,seamless and a worthy ode to the short story.
 Mahendra J. Shetty....deserves my first acknowledgement here...the cinematography in the dream like narrative is impeccable...the hinterland in Bengal...the regal,yet decadent elegance of Zamindar's mansion...the now green now snowy facade of Dalhousie...leave one mesmerized... never have places been captured with so much of care,detail and love in any movie...not in the recent times in Bollywood,for sure.
 Vikramaditya Motwane has created a masterpiece...and he knows it...cause nowhere did he stumble...there are no lose ends...and the grip on the pulse of the Classic Drama remains tight from his end...thus lending it an effortless and comfortable air.
Kudos to his seamless vision,once again.
The characters...each one of them...BELONG to the World,they live in.
And that keeps the audience completely engrossed...and if one gets critical and tries to look for some hiccups...there are none.
Mature performances from the budding artists and the stalwarts alike...create an authentic and convincing aura of tender love and dreams...pain and remorse...suffering and tolerance...something,which helps the spectator get involved and sail along..smoothly...tearfully.
Amit Trivedi banks heavily upon Rachel Portman's instrumental to create a haunting,compelling and moving background score...and songs.
Amitabh Bhattacharya lends magic,with apt and soulful lyrics.
Dishahara kemon boka mon ta re has the fisherman folk tradition as it's inspiration and it serves the purpose splendidly.
Although my personal favorite is Ankahi...
Nothing over the top here...all very real...believable and yes exhilarating...just as the lead pair feel,look towards the end.
The leaf sets it right...actually :)

YEH JAWAANI HAI DIWANI...my reviews.

कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी
ना धुप चुने न छाँव
कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी
किसी ठौर टिके ना पाँव ...
कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी
लब नमक रमे ना मिसरी
कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी
तुझे प्रीत पुरानी बिसरी ...
मस्त मौला मस्त कलंदर
तू हवा का एक बवंडर
बुझ के यूँ अन्दर ही अन्दर
क्यूँ रह गया ...
This is how life truly is...
dunno about others...but I have been through this paradox of life.
And somehow...such conflicts rarely leave us....until and unless we become passive and immune...or better still...the goal is reached.
Ayan Mukherjee has such developed sensibilities...I am truly impressed by the maturity,with which each character was dealt with...keeping the refreshing quality intact!
The 'selfish' pursuits...as seen by the world are the pursuits of the soul...and there can never be anything selfish about them...to be torn between the conflicts of...shade n light...destination n waywardness...the desired n the just missed ... that what was n that what could be...plague a human mind..incessantly...and none can run n hide from them.
Those who stick onto their dreams ,carve a niche...the rest just exist.
The boozing and the general waylaid mannerisms are reflective of the conflicts too...and of taking the youth for granted..spending ruthlessly...what one has in abundance....Ayan Mukherjee portrayed it all with the same lazy and crazy pace,as it is experiences by the confused youth.
He is trying to drive a point home...GET A GRIP!
Cause Avinash,despite the happy ending is still a failure...a loser...cause he made mistakes...mindless boozing was one of them.
I guess,in that very pace and scenario,lies the true message of the movie.
When I saw the movie last night....I was left with few distinct thoughts...one of them pre-dominantly was...there is nothing selfish in pursuing one's dream...cause you only live once.
Ranbir's character was a learning experience,in ways more than the obvious.
there is youth...and then there is youth...some wasted...some mundane...some convinced in the "ordinariness" and then those,who see things beyond the horizon and become exceptional achievers.
The wasted lots and those who are hell bent on taking life for granted ,need to see this movie.
It is a wake up call.