Love Aaj Kal (July 31, 2009) @ TGV CAPSQUARE -REVIEW

'Love Aaj Kal' as the name suggests is a story of two couples, Veer and Harleen set in Delhi and Kolkata in the year 1965 and Jai [Saif Ali Khan] and Meera [Deepika Padukone] set in the present day in London, San Francisco and Delhi.

The film opens, rather originally, with a break-up. Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone are parting ways with utmost cordiality, deciding indeed to have a break-up party to celebrate their rediscovered singledom. The girl leaves, the boy stays back and is then coerced by Rishi Kapoor , a genial London cafe owner, to say goodbye at the airport. Rishi drives Saif there and thrusts a bouquet into his hands, and Deepika's delighted as she leaves. Kapoor then, on Saif's insistence, starts telling him his own love story, and the film then narrates both romances side by side.

Saif is at his confused best in the movie, his role almost looks like an extension of his 'Hum Tum' role as the modern, practical, commitment phobic guy, looks like Saif's personal life image is kind of etched into the movie too. He does justice to the role of 'Jai' with great designer clothes, a carefree attitude and tongue in cheek humour. Deepika looks gorgeous and her wardrobe rocks.

Rishi Kapoor is awesome in his Sardar look and gives a power packed performance while Simran who plays Harleen looks so simple but very pretty and takes our breath away....

Having said that, the old-world love story doesn't tell us anything new. At all. Neither does the new one, descending, after the break-up opening gambit, into the plainest story of boy and girl meeting and drifting apart and meeting and drifting apart and... you get the idea. It's exasperatingly repetitive, and while some of the dialogue is still rather sharp, the film has one of the best songs by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. It is not everyday that each and every song turns out to be extremely good in an album but that's indeed the case with Love Aaj Kal. This one is going to be unstoppable once it hits the stands!

I would recommend the film to the new generation, to watch and gauge their existing relationship with their partners respectively. For those who have been married for the past 20 years and still going strong ,- One Word - Rab ne bana di Jodi.

SERAPHINE - FRENCH MOVIE ON DVD - SOON AT OUR STORES

beautiful meditation on a natural artist, July 3, 2009

5 star Ratings given for this Movie

One of the things that is so fun about French culture is that what would pass for an "art house" film in the US is a much anticipated event here, in particular when it celebrates a national artist. While low budget, these films are produced with the utmost reverence and seriousness, then much discussed across the media. The contrast with crassly commercial celebrity culture could not be more stark. This is a lovely film about a working class woman who is obsessed with painting in the mid 1930s. Without training, she set about realizing her vision whenever she could afford paint. By chance, her work is discovered by an art critic. Seraphine appears homely, dirty, and unintelligent, just a pair of hands for washing. But her painting is absolutely magical, in the naive style. Under his tutelage, she gains something of a following and begins to make a living, but then the war intervenes and she loses everything, or so it seems. The actress heroine is absolutely amazing. Though apparently simple minded, she is gifted with talent and the strength to work. You completely believe in her - indeed, it is a true story. Recommended. The stark realism that serves an artistic idealism is a rare combination. This is a serious art and psychological film, a reminder of how good cinema can be.

Caramel - Now on DVD at our stores soon

This film surpassed any expectations I might have had - or, to be more exact, any fear that it might be another easily-charming, easily-digested, cliche-ridden way of making a "foreign" culture more palatable. The subtlety with which the issues that really dog women is addressed - that's one of the wonders. The feeling of genuineness - that's another wonder. And the trip to Beirut is the last gift for which I wish to thank the director. As often happens, the compelling score has an impact - but that's true of so many contemporary films that, upon considering the issue, I realized that, instead of discounting or questioning the music's influence, I wanted to simply accept the fact that a film is basically a multi-media artwork. Highly, highly recommended.

Courtesy
Reviewer (United States)