Movie Reviews by Pranshu Awasthi

FILM REVIEW: GRAVITY 2001: A Space Odyssey of the new millennium Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY is a space-survival-film about how a medical engineer (masterfully played by Oscar winner Sandra Bullock) and a veteran astronaut (played by the delightfully charming George Clooney) deal with a terrifying situation during their mission. It’s akin to a 90-minutes virtual edge-of-the-seat emotionally electrifying space ride which puts you in the front seat. Unlike Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey, which was based on the ideas of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ & ‘Human Evolution’ and Ridley Scott’s ALIEN, which was a creature-based horror extravaganza, Gravity is a science-fiction chronicle which delicately balances science, fiction and entertainment. It does not give us even one chance to expand our suspension of disbelief by making the whole experience ultra-realistic and not resorting to cheap thrills. Here is a rare film (perhaps after AVATAR) which smartly uses 3D-effects and make

                                      Imagine a climax where a film’s protagonist says (interestingly after coming back from the dead) “Insaan hona meri kamzori nahin taqat hai, kyun mere paas mere pitaah ka aashirwaad aur bachoon ka pyaar hai”. I winced with pain & embarrassment after hearing these obnoxious, HAATIMTAIish lines from a supposedly game-changer Bollywood Sci-fi/Superhero franchise. Undoubtedly, Krrish-3 starts off well entertaining the audience with outstanding SFX-embedded-heroics of ‘Krrish-the superhero’ (especially the plane-crash prevention sequence) and the charming brilliance of the differently-abled ‘Rohit-the scientist’. Hrithik Roshan’s act(s) were consistent with the film’s prequels but the surprise package was Vivek Oberoi. Playing an over-the-top super-villain could have easily gone wrong & unintentionally funny but he proves his detractors wrong by delivering a controlled performance. Kangana elegantly measures up to the demands of her characte

When I first saw the film’s trailer, I expected the film to be as serious & epic as Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight”. Alas! The trailer was rather misleading. Man Of Steel is a half-great movie: meaning the first half, which primarily focusses on: (a) The ‘origin’ part of Kal-El/Superman(Henry Cavill); (b)The enmity between Jor-El(Russel Crowe) and Zod(Michael Shannon) and (c) How Superman adapts to planet Earth. It includes a well-choreographed ship-rescue scene. On the contrary, the second-half of the film is sheer spectacle at the cost of resonance. There is little substance supporting the wonderfully executed CGI-based action sequences and splendid lead performances. The messed-up screenplay too is a major culprit worth mentioning. It’s a restrained rip-off from Christopher Reeves’ Superman-II(1980) where the antagonist General Zod confronts ‘Earthlings’ and their loyal saviour Superman. The mildly-disappointing climactic battle between them bears a striking similarity to th

Ever since Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor announced his foray into Indian Television with the remake of American TV Series ‘ 24 ’, I had thought about which internationally acclaimed TV Shows could be remade in India and still strike a chord with the small-screen viewers here.  I have shortlisted 5 TV Shows with probable lead actors from Bollywood that should be remade for Indian audience: (1) DEXTER - A police forensic expert who moonlights as a serial killer of criminals, who he believes have escaped justice. When high-quality content is executed ‘ Dexter ously’, it results in an intense and gripping drama like this masterpiece. Probable Lead Actor: Saif Ali Khan (2) BREAKING BAD - The show follows the life of an under-achieving chemistry genius and how a fatal diagnosis affects his morality as he uses his skills by producing world’s highest quality crystal meth to provide for his family. Probable Lead Actor: Irrfan Khan (3) THE WALKING DEAD - It’s a horror series whe

              BOLLYWOOD’S TRYST WITH FILM NOIR Film Noir, a French term meaning “Black Film”, is a movie which is either shot in Black & White and/or thematically shows the dark and morally corrupt side of human nature. It’s an amalgamation of German & American style of film-making of the 1940’s. Film-Noir is not a genre but the mood, style and tone of a film marked visually by ominous shadows, skewed camera angles, circling cigarette smoke & low-key lighting (Eg.Psycho,Taxi Driver,Blade Runner,Batman Begins,The Departed etc.) Even Bollywood had unconsciously made some path-breaking Noir-Films. Here is my list of top 5 Bollywood-Film-Noir films: (1)                     CID (Director-Raj Khosla,Year-1956): This dark and atmospheric Dev Anand starrer is probably the 1 st Indian Noir film. It follows a police inspector investigating a murder case who himself becomes a suspect. It still remains one of the best films in any category. (2)