Star Wars - The Force Awakens review

The latest in the Star Wars franchise, the much awaited Episode VII - The Force Awakens, comes more than 10 years after the prequel - Episode 3 - The Revenge of the Sith. To do an 'executive summary', The Force Awakens is a welcome return to the story telling of the original trilogy, and that is a good thing! The newer movies (Ep I-III) focused more on razzle-dazzle special effects (though the dichotomy between the good and the dark side does play an important role), and the spectacle often distracted us from the story. Maybe Lucas felt that he had to compete in creating extravaganzas, however (at least in my view), the Jedi became very common place and lost much of their mythology in the process. It also didn't help that Ewan McGregor probably felt the shadow of Sir Alec Guinness and hence could not do justice to the central role that Obi-wan Kenobi plays in the storyline.

Anyway, back to the present. Given that Disney has already announced a new trilogy and Ep VII is the first of them, the primary intention is to reboot the franchise and set the stage for the movies to come. The film does an admirable job of it, while paying homage to the original trilogy (in a perfect world, we could pretend that Ep I-III never happened). The person chosen for this onerous responsibility is none other than J J Abrams who successfully managed to reinvent Star Trek and he brings the same expertise to this project.

Caution: Spoilers ahead, so if you haven't seen the movie, you may want to stop here, however given the way the movie is breaking box office records (likely to surpass $1 Billion in its second week), it is unlikely that there will be anyone left in the galaxy who hasn't seen it in the next few days!

At the start of the movie we learn that Luke Skywalker (now a Jedi master) has gone missing after a group of Jedi that he was training were wiped out by the First Order (a new incarnation of the Sith). The Resistance is still alive and kicking and still led by Princess Leia (now General Organa) and they are desperate to find Luke as a way of thwarting the First Order. Luke has become a hermit and is living alone in an unknown location, however a map has been found and is being transported back to the Resistance base by a resistance pilot when he is shot down on a planet called Jakku.

Here starts the real story. The map is hidden in a droid (BB-8), a roly-poly R2-D2, who is not quite as smart as R2 but no slouch in the awareness department. The droid is found by Rey (Daisy Ridley - English accent and all) who takes a liking to it, even though BB is being very mysterious about his mission (classified!). Meanwhile, we are introduced to another central character, Finn, who rescues the pilot, Poe. Of course, the First Order locates them on Jakku and sends Kylo Ren (a former Jedi converted to the First Order) to retrieve them. Kylo is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia and has been turned to the dark side.

One of the first harkbacks to the original trilogy is the introduction of the Millenium Falcon (whistle, whistle!), and we know that the movie is in the right hands. Rey turns out to be a reasonable pilot and as they make a daring escape from Jakku, and run into Han and Chewie. Harrison Ford is still able to evoke screen magic with his lopsided smile and does a nice line in wry humour, much of it at his own expense. Arnie attempts the same thing in his Terminator roles, however imho, Ford does it better.

Not to reveal too much of the plot, there is another homage to the first Star Wars, when a planet destroying weapon needs to be stopped. This is the part which seemed a little contrived to me, but your view may differ. We also learn that Rey is strong with the force and she has her own 'these are not the droids you are looking for' moment (this is homage!), though we don't learn till the end as to how she is so strong with the force.

The main aspect that I liked about the movie is that the 3D and special effects do not get in your way and given the huge expectations that Star Wars fans would have had about the movie, Abrams does a great job of handling the pressure. The movie sees the introduction of three main characters, Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren. Of these, one does not need to be too strong with the Force to realise that Rey is the future of the franchise, and it is likely that the next couple of movies will be built around her.

All in all, likely to beat all comers at the box office for the forseeable future and likely to topple both Titanic and the Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Highly recommended to fans of the original trilogy, fans of Ep I-III may be a little disappointed (get a life people, Ep IV-VI rule!) and well worth your time and money. It is quite likely that people will view it multiple times in the theatre.

The Force does truly Awaken! Live long and prosper J J Abrams!

Spectre movie review - James Bond - November 2015

All Bond movies start with a bang and Spectre does it as well as any, with the spectacular set piece located bang in the middle of the Mexican Carnivale. Bond does what he does best and the scene with the helicopter is worth the price of admission (even if one has to check your brain in at the door!).

Bond movies have a huge burden of each new one having to top the earlier one and Spectre has its work cut out for it, comes as it does after the remarkable Skyfall. Given this, it is inevitable that Spectre will pale in comparison, however if one looks at it as a standalone movie then it is almost as good as any other Bond movie.

Bond as played by Daniel Craig, has been characterized more as a working man's Bond, more physical, less prone to flirting and banter and displaying a ruthlessness which would do any Bond villain proud. In his fourth outing, Daniel Craig seems to be a little weary of the burden of being Bond and may be looking forward to pass on the baton to the next one in line (though there are already talks of a fifth Craig movie in the pipeline).

The last movie introduced the new M (Ralph Fiennes) and while Fiennes may be enjoying himself, he can't hold a candle to Dame Judi Dench, who made the character her own and left a stamp which is comparable to Sean Connery's Bond. Ben Whishaw as Q has a more active role in Spectre and it does brighten the movie a bit. In a nod to some of the action being filmed in Rome, one of the leading ladies is Monica Belluci (short-lived as any Bond heroine) and the other is Lea Seydoux, who has a much larger role.

The main villain is played by Christoph Waltz (Blofeld), who in my view is completely wasted. Waltz is better known for his unforgettable roles in Django Unchained as well as Inglorious Basterds. Here, in the best tradition of Bond villains, he tries to kill Bond in an overly elaborate way (why do villains never learn from the movies!). This sequence is characteristic of the weak plot which is the actual downfall of the movie.

We also have M's new boss, C (played by Max Denbigh). Denbigh is better known as Moriarty from the new BBC Sherlock series and here too, he is smug to a fault. He plays C as an extension of Moriarty, which is ok but for someone who has watched him in the TV series, it seems a reprise.

The hallmark of any Bond movie are the cameos played by his gadgets and in Spectre, there is the car, an Aston Martin no less and which looks good enough to eat. Sadly it has only a very brief role in the movie, the other gadget is just a get-out-of-jail-free card, and as artificial a plot device as you can encounter in a movie.

Thus, we have Spectre, a Bond movie in which all the ingredients are present and accounted for, but the cooking is a little off and the recipe (plot) is the weakest link.

Methinks it is time for Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes to move on. Together they did a great job of rebooting the franchise and allowed Bond to compete in the era of blockbuster summer movies, but both seem to have run their course.

No Bond fan will miss watching Spectre, however for someone who is not into Bond, the movie could easily be mistaken as a Bourne Identity Part x movie. This in my view is the biggest indictment the movie can suffer.

I would rate it as watchable, but only to tick a box and not as a Bond experience.

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli (Marathi movie review - Nov 2015)

Just got home after watching the movie (English translation - Heart cleaved by dagger, pardon my translation skills, if you have a better and crisper title, do comment!), and I must say that I exited the cinema fairly happy. For non-Marathi speakers, the movie conveniently has English sub-titles, and while the translation is not exactly high quality (in many later sequences, Raj Gayak is translated as Royal Poet instead of Royal Singer - which is actually a different person), it is quite serviceable.

The movie is about the rivalry (one-sided) between the reigning Royal Singer (Pandit Bhanushankar played by Shankar Mahadevan) and Khan Saheb (played by Sachin). For a Marathi movie, the production quality is quite good and the sets and costumes don't look as if any expense has been spared. One definitely needs to watch it in a cinema with good quality audio as otherwise the main USP of the movie would be lost.

Coming to the actual movie, the acting is sort of average, Shankar Mahadevan has a couple of good moments and Subodh Bhave (Sadashiv) is earnest but some sparks are provided by Uma (Mrunmayee Deshpande) and Zareena (Amruta Khanvilkar). As for Sachin (Khan Saheb), the man is a natural overactor and hams it to the gallery all through. That is the one jarring note in the acting department which otherwise is quite competent.

As for the singing, there are two ways of looking at it, either standalone, where one watches the movie without having heard the songs earlier (particulary by the original singers, Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki and Vasantrao Deshpande) or where one is reminded of the originals. Again, there are two more ways of looking at it, when watching, you can forget what is heard in the theatre and in your mind hear the originals, or else hear what is being played. If one tries to compare, the songs are good but connoiseurs will always go back to the originals. Those who are likely to enjoy the songs the most are probably those who haven't heard them before or who have not seen the play (in its various avatars).

The movie does mess with the plot and there is a gratuitous Britisher added, which is completely unnecessary. Khan Saheb is also painted much darker than the play, but these can be excused as creative liberties.

Now, coming to the singing, imho, Shankar Mahadevan should have sung for Khan Saheb and Rahul Deshpande for Panditji, to my untrained ear, Shankar Mahadevan's voice does not have a truly classical feel and which might have suited the histrionics of Khan Saheb whereas Rahul Deshpande is a trained classical singer who might have done better justice to the more purist Panditji. But I suspect the decision was primarily influenced by the fact that Rahul Deshpande has played and sung Khan Saheb's part in the play and it might have seemed more logical to stick to it.

The only reason to watch the movie multiple times would be the songs, but then again, if you like them so much, you are better off finding audio recordings of the originals! A word to those who don't understand what a sangeet natak (musical play) is, a significant part of the movie is devoted to songs and if you don't like it then this movie may not be for you.

Nostalgia plays a large role in the audience who would go for such a movie and in the case of my screening, the average age in the hall was quite likely well north of 45+ (in which I fit quite nicely, thank you!). I think the movie is well worth watching for anyone who speaks Marathi and who has at least some ear for classical music but it is likely to appeal to a larger non-Marathi speaking audience (however those who fall in the same age demographic!).

I won't give stars to the movie, however I would strongly recommend giving it a look-see, it is well worth your time.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 - A preview

Four years ago, I had blogged extensively about the 2011 World Cup and while I may not be able to be so prolific this time around, I will try to blog my views on it – with an India perspective of course!

The Indian ODI team is now a reasonably settled unit with established competencies in batting and fielding. The bowling continues to be India’s Achilles heel and the weaknesses are too many to be unfamiliar to the Indian cricket fan.

Firstly the batting – with Rohit Sharma being prolific at the top of the order and Kohli and Rahane also being very consistent, the weak link is Shikhar Dhawan at the top. He seems to enjoy the (misplaced!) confidence of the team management and has retained his place against all odds. I can only hope that he comes good in the first couple of matches or else he should make way for a Rahane-Rohit combination at the top. Kohli seems to want to bat at #4 which leaves #3 open for Rayadu. Suresh Raina selects himself at #5 and Dhoni in ODIs is too good to bat lower than #6. This leaves a critical position open at #7 and Stuart Binny seems to be the man being groomed for the job. In the absence of Binny, Ashwin will need to come in at #7. For the bowlers, Yadav and Bhuvi select themselves which leaves two more slots. Shami is well worth persevering with and Mohit Sharma would round off the playing eleven.

There is unlikely to be room for Ravindra Jadeja, unless of course Rayadu makes way for him and everyone moves up one slot to accommodate Jadeja at #7.

The fielding is now quite competent with only a couple of notable slow movers like Ashwin and Bhuvi. Yadav has a rocket of an arm and while he may not dive around, stealing a second against him is likely to be fraught with danger.

Now, how about the chances of the Indian team in the World Cup? It has been a long season ahead of the World Cup in Australia for the team and unsurprisingly it hasn’t gone too well. Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket was a shocker on tour and may have unsettled the dressing room. The results have not been forthcoming and except for the last warm up game, India have had a miserable tour. One can only hope that the World Cup pumps everyone up and they think about the match at hand rather than taking the next flight home.

India seem to be well placed in Pool B with the serious competition coming from South Africa and Pakistan. Given Pakistan’s uncertain form (perennial dark horses of every cricket competition!), both India and South Africa should sail through. The West Indies just may spring a surprise, however they haven’t been consistent for a long time now and there is no reason to think that it will be any different this time around. Ireland may harbor hopes of springing a surprise at the cost of the West Indies.

Given that four teams qualify from each Pool, the teams in Pool A should be heaving a sigh of relief, else it could have been the group of death. Here, the big 4, Australia, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand should make it through with Bangladesh sniffing at their heels. However, of the two Pools, Pool B with Ireland may have the only realistic chance of causing an upset. Pool A is too strong for Bangladesh to make an impact.

So, on current form, Australia looks favourites with India, South Africa and New Zealand capable of making it to the semis. One cannot discount the determination of Sangakarra and Jayawardene for Sri Lanka and if Dilshan fires at the top of the order, they could come very close. Pakistan is the eternal enigma team of World Cricket and I suspect the tone of their campaign will be set by the opening game against India.

My gut prediction is an India South Africa final whereas my brain tells me that it is likely to be an Australia South Africa final. The oracle has spoken!

The Election that Changed India - by Rajdeep Sardesai

Eminent journalist and news TV anchor, Rajdeep Sardesai, has written an engrossing book about the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in India which led to Narendra Modi and the BJP storming to victory in what has been described as a political tsunami. People from my generation (I am very close in age to Rajdeep) would have earlier identified him as Dileep Sardesai’s son, however in the last 20 odd years he has successfully carved out his own identity as a journalist, schooled at the NDTV stable and later moving on to CNN-IBN and now Headlines Today.

The book offers a lot of insight into the events leading to the 2014 elections, the primary players, and the way campaigns were run by the two major political parties, the BJP and the Congress. The BJP cast of characters is headed by the big three – Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley, whereas the Congress comes across as headless and rudderless with Rahul Gandhi as the token head. The BJP fought the election on the explicit agenda of Governance and Development with identity politics being the implicit unsaid agenda. The Congress during UPA-I and UPA-II had been bringing about a range of subsidies and legislations – MNREGA, Food subsidies, RTE, Women Empowerment, etc. meant to benefit the underprivileged and underserved sections of society, and made these the basis for them to appeal for votes.

However, the real story of the elections lies in the preparation of both parties and here the book excels in giving us an insight into the meticulousness of the BJP’s strategy and execution. One can but admire the professional manner in which the entire exercise was carried out (modeled on Obama’s campaigns in the US – no wonder Modi referred to him as Barack on his recent visit to India, he might have thought that he was already on familiar terms with POTUS!). The subtext is that the BJP outspent its rivals by a humongous margin and this by itself raises worrying questions about election funding. By Sardesai’s estimates, the BJP spent upwards of 5000 crores, and one wonders about the payoffs expected by the heavy hitters who have ‘donated’ money to the party.

The book offers some insights into the characters of Modi, Shah and Rahul Gandhi, however it essentially remains an outsider’s view (a very knowledgeable and informed outsider to be sure!). Rahul Gandhi, as anyone who would have watched his infamous interview with Arnab Goswami would attest, is at best a political novice and at worst someone who lives in la-la land and has really no idea about governance, leave alone crafting an election strategy. For an insider’s view of the Gandhi family, I would strongly recommend reading Tavleen Singh’s Durbar. That book deserves a blog to itself, however suffice to say after reading it as background, Rahul Gandhi’s fumbling responses and inability to speak to the media should not come as a surprise.

As for writing style, Sardesai writes in a very no-nonsense manner and avoids literary flourishes in the interest of telling a story. He does a great job of giving us facts, his opinions, quotes from people in the know and sometimes the inevitable sources who spoke off the record. There are the occasional tidbits (Jayanthi Natarajan’s functioning in the Environment Ministry – now very much in the public domain), but by and large, he stays away from becoming judgmental, and that is perhaps the biggest strength (or weakness depending on your point of view) of the book.

I consider myself a reasonably well informed person, however reading the book gave me an understanding of what it really takes to run an election campaign and how it is won. So, while the Gujarat model may well be debatable, but there is no doubt that the BJP model for winning the 2014 election is well likely to be the benchmark against future elections are compared and may well become a business school case study.

Kudos to Rajdeep Sardesai and I can only hope that he finds the time to write more. Note to readers of this blog – please read this, whether you are Indian and have a stake in what happens here or someone who is curious about the workings of the Indian democratic process.