GATTU (HINDI) (2011)

Gattu (Mohammad Samad) is a nine year old boy under the care of his uncle, Anees Bhai, who runs a junkyard in the small North Indian town of Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Gattu is unlettered and wants to join school, but his wish is turned down by his uncle who feels he would lose a helping hand in running the junkyard. Yet, Gattu remains a bubbly and curious kid who thinks on his feet and has a naughty streak. His passion is flying kites and he dreams of bringing down Kali, a mysterious black kite which rules the Roorke skies and has cut down all her rivals. Gattu figures that to defeat Kali, he would require a vantage point which could only be provided by the terrace of the local school. Thus, he steps into the school with a uniform which he flicks from a clothesline and tries to blend in among a group of students on an exchange program from another school. The rest of the movie shows how he manages to sustain his student act by convincing teachers as well as his classmates and his pursuit of defeating Kali. 

This is a rare movie which puts the spotlight on the world of the scores of under-privileged children who dot the rural and urban scapes of modern India and their loss of childhoods in pursuit of quelling hunger and self-sustenance. But, what is remarkable about the movie is the treatment by director Rajan Khosa who deftly helms this film and brings to the fore the problems of poverty, illiteracy and lost childhoods without ever preaching or resorting to any needless melodrama.

Mohammad Samad is endearing as Gattu with a brilliant screen presence and wide eyed wonder which could convey a multitude of expressions effortlessly. While the rest of the cast including Gattu's schoolmates are well chosen, Naresh Kumar playing Gattu's uncle Anees Bhai is particularly impressive.

Gattu proves that if one's spirit is resilient, there could be beautiful blossoms even in the heat and grime of a junkyard. Like his titular protagonist, Khosa, despite being confronted by several challenges makes the most of his limited means by wearing a sunny attitude, quick wit and clear focus on realising his dream. Khosa is particularly successful in capturing the playfulness, curiosity, and innocent bonds of childhood naturally.

Gattu is an ode to the dreams that we all carry in our hearts and as the kites in the movie, this charming movie is sure to soar in the skyline of the viewer's heart. Do watch it. I am sure you would be smiling all through and may well reconnect with the long forgotten child in you.

A MUST WATCH !!


RATING -3.5/5

THANGA MEENKAL (TAMIL) (2014)

Was watching this much acclaimed/awarded movie yesterday on TV.

While there are no doubts that it is indeed a thematically different and visually brilliant film. Yet, Ram, with his sledge hammer subtle heavy handed handling, makes this into a mind numbing MELODRAMATIC mess ! 

A HUGE letdown !!

Strange choice as the Best Tamil Film of 2013 :(

RATING - 1.5/5

JIGARTHANDA (TAMIL) (2014)

Karthik Subbaraj who received unprecedented acclaim when he dished out Pizza (2012) as his directorial debut has served us a delicious drink in his second outing. Jigarthanda tells the story of a short filmmaker Karthik (Siddharth) who comes to Madurai to develop a script for his debut feature based on the life of real life don "Assault" Sethu (an excellent Simha). He settles down with his friend Oorani (Karunakaran) and attempts to profile the life of this ruthless gangster for his movie.

The duo follow several leads and covertly try to get inputs from various associates of Sethu including some of his goons as well as Kayal (Lakshmi Menon) whose mother is an Idly vendor with Sethu as a regular customer. Though Kayal is smitten by him and even proposes to him unilaterally, Karthik, with his single minded intention of making his movie, merely pretends to be in love with her to access details about Sethu in the same vein that he tries to leverage the weakness of others.

After a series of quirky and hilarious twists, Karthik and his friend land in a monumental mess when they are caught red handed by Sethu spying on his activities. Sethu presumes them to be working with the police who want to finish him in an encounter. What follows is a roller coaster ride that keeps the viewer guessing with several surprises fused with the process of  how Karthik manages to make his debut feature.

Jigarthanda proves unequivocally that Pizza was not a mere flash in the pan and Karthik Subbaraj is an auteur to watch out. His skills in cleverly weaving a metamovie on the travails of wannabe directors within the fabric of what is a gangster flick on an apparent level are praiseworthy. The narrative is embellished with Tarantinoesque flourishes of raw violence and oodles of comedy even in sequences where they are least expected.

While Siddharth is impressive as the opportunist aspiring director with a singular  focus who pays scant regard to manipulating others for his goals, Lakshmi Menon is convincing in an unconventional, albeit minor part of a smitten lover who could throw a spanner at her beloved's dreams when spurned. But, Jigarthanda belongs to Simha who nails the part of  the dreaded psychotic don, "Assault" Sethu, oozing terror from his every pore. He straddles the entire emotional spectrum of this layered character from being ruthless and menacing to being darkly hilarious. His performance is the lynch pin of the movie and deserves several plaudits and awards that are sure to come his way. Karunakaran, as Oorani, is impeccable in his comic timing and goofy expressions.

Karthik Subburaj's detailing is impressive - be it the pulse of the city that never sleeps (Madurai) or in the eccentricities of the minor characters. Santhosh Narayanan's score is brilliant and accentuates the intensity the proceedings. Although the songs may not be stand out chartbusters, that blend beautifully with the flow of the narrative. Cinematography by Gavemic U Ary captures the proceedings beautifully in resplendent tones.

Despite its self proclaimed tag of a "musical gangster" movie, Jigarthanda's ambitions are much more chimeric. It is also an effective dark comedy, a con movie and above all,  an incisive satire on the state of Tamil cinema where the constraints of commercial viability continue to choke the creativity of aspiring filmmakers.

Yet, at a deeper level, it is the metamovie where Karthik Subbaraj, appears to convey, through his namesake protagonist, through what could well be his personal experiences before succeeding in Kollywood, that despite these challenges, all is not lost for the filmmakers who could master these murky waters if they dare to remain steadfast in their focus and could smartly use their sails to navigate to the shores of success.

The movie is not without its flaws, especially the length which clocks a little less than three hours, resulting in some bit of drag in the second half. While it could certainly be trimmed by at least fifteen minutes, I felt it would be more of nitpicking as what was on offer was definitely delectable.

Wildly imaginative, unpredictable and laced with loads of humour, this layered multi-ingredient beverage is a YUMMY offering from Karthik Subbaraj. A delectable & praiseworthy dessert to follow that delicious Pizza which whets our appetite for even more... Bring it on !  

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5