It was one of those “oh-so-rare” days when both Umang and I were back from work by 6.30 P.M. We decided to catch a movie and man did I love the results of this impulsive decision. :)
Yes I am a gonner and now a committed fan of the director Nishikant Kamat. Seriously there are dialogues and then there are Dialogues… And this movie is filled with them… Some that I recollect very vividly are:
Kay Kay’s remark on “Do you know the difference between Sharon Stone and Kidney Stone?”
Paresh Rawal’s comment many a times in the movie "When you feel like crying, just urinate", adding, "That way you drain the excess water from your body".
And his comment later in the film (after the bomb blasts) where he says “we cant shut the bars; where will the spirit of Mumbai come from!” (Quite a pun I say)
Amidst romance and seeing life through rosy-spectacled films, only once in a while do we come across a movie which strikes a chord with a social theme and is enormously entertaining at the same time. Only once in a while do we come across a movie that has an outstandingly original screenplay and more importantly it connects with the viewer convincingly. Only once in a while do we come across a movie that incites us emotionally and is technically flawless simultaneously. That's Mumbai Meri Jaan to me!!!
There were some technical expertises that I just loved… Brilliant screenplay and even better compositions… For instance right after the scene where they show train blasts, rather than show the date in the original bollywood style Aka as a type written subtitle, the director decides to show us a train bogie number plate “7/11”.
Similarly when Soha Ali’s being asked to give a byte on how she feels (after the death of her fiancé’) the scene shows her reflection on tile which is walked over by the other characters in the film.
Very simple yet very strong, the film makes you look back at what happened and feel for the city.
Much against your predictable perception, the film moves away from any opinionated or political argument on terrorism and traverses a more atomic approach by representing the ordeal of the violence in five individual lives. Each episode runs independent of the other until they are correlated by the train blasts. The parallel tracks beautifully congregate to a common climax.
The writing doesn't resort to any clichés or pre-defined formulae thereby opting for an innovative, unadulterated and gratifying treatment. No song numbers, comedy tracks or romance angles are enforced for commercial considerations. The ending couldn’t have been better, with an All-time-classic song “Yeh hain Mumbai meri jaan”. Cheers, the spirit of Mumbai will always remain intact!
I lurved the movie and recommend it to any serious film appreciators. It’s surely a must watch.
Kay Kay’s remark on “Do you know the difference between Sharon Stone and Kidney Stone?”
Paresh Rawal’s comment many a times in the movie "When you feel like crying, just urinate", adding, "That way you drain the excess water from your body".
And his comment later in the film (after the bomb blasts) where he says “we cant shut the bars; where will the spirit of Mumbai come from!” (Quite a pun I say)
Amidst romance and seeing life through rosy-spectacled films, only once in a while do we come across a movie which strikes a chord with a social theme and is enormously entertaining at the same time. Only once in a while do we come across a movie that has an outstandingly original screenplay and more importantly it connects with the viewer convincingly. Only once in a while do we come across a movie that incites us emotionally and is technically flawless simultaneously. That's Mumbai Meri Jaan to me!!!
There were some technical expertises that I just loved… Brilliant screenplay and even better compositions… For instance right after the scene where they show train blasts, rather than show the date in the original bollywood style Aka as a type written subtitle, the director decides to show us a train bogie number plate “7/11”.
Similarly when Soha Ali’s being asked to give a byte on how she feels (after the death of her fiancé’) the scene shows her reflection on tile which is walked over by the other characters in the film.
Very simple yet very strong, the film makes you look back at what happened and feel for the city.
Much against your predictable perception, the film moves away from any opinionated or political argument on terrorism and traverses a more atomic approach by representing the ordeal of the violence in five individual lives. Each episode runs independent of the other until they are correlated by the train blasts. The parallel tracks beautifully congregate to a common climax.
The writing doesn't resort to any clichés or pre-defined formulae thereby opting for an innovative, unadulterated and gratifying treatment. No song numbers, comedy tracks or romance angles are enforced for commercial considerations. The ending couldn’t have been better, with an All-time-classic song “Yeh hain Mumbai meri jaan”. Cheers, the spirit of Mumbai will always remain intact!
I lurved the movie and recommend it to any serious film appreciators. It’s surely a must watch.
