'Wanted' movie review

The reviews were mixed..some said it was yet another cheesy Bollywood masala flick, some thought it to be one of Salman's best! And after watching this full on msala action-comedy, i have no doubts agreeing to the latter of the two extreme opinions..the lovable protagonist of "Hum Apke Hain.." or "Judwa" or "Karan Arjun" has surely aged in his looks but when it comes to being Salman we've cherished ever since, he still does it with the same elan again and again and again..and we love him so much for that..don't we?

yes, the movie was a highly unrealistic-bollywood-ish kinds..a dozen hoodlums being thrashed to the ground by our brave hero in a single stunt, a desi inspector ogling at the heroine with immense devilish thirst in the eyes, a geeky yet international Don, a heroine, depressed in her search for love, still, changing her make-up and nail-paints every now and then in the worst of times..it's funny really..but yet we liked it all..and how! i never knew Prabhu Deva can don the director's hat so well!

The movie reminds us of the fact that at the end of the film when the audience come out of the movie-theater, they are least interested in carrying with them an emotional baggage of a heavy-duty drama or suspense..they sometimes want to feel lighter too. Cinema is all about entertainment for the general masses at least, may be not for the so-called "elite" or for the more serious ones..

i particularly liked the fact that the cut-away scenes were not the usual prolonged ones..they were short, funny, sweet and gave a sense of correlation of the happenings and the timing of their occurrences ..the introductory part of "Radhe" (the hero of the film) was a bit boring but then as the film proceeded with its mirch-masala and cheeni-thoda-sa-kum style, it went on to surge the adrenaline of the audience well glued-up in their seats..

the scene where the villain (Ghani Bhai) with a typical south-Indian accent, was taken captive by the police is hilarious..screenplay writer Shiraz Ahmed's job is surely commendable as even the dialogues, especially Salman's when he says - "jab main ek baar commitment kar deta hu toh uske baad main apne-aap ki bhi nahi sunta" (which is also the concluding line of the film), and the ones delivered by Vinod Khanna before he's shot by the "Gunda" in the film ,are extremely well constructed..

i couldn't believe that the guy who seemed to be so shy whenever he was asked to comment on a performance or give some suggestions or even introduce a guest on the small screen when i saw him judging the popular show "Boogie-Woogie" can be such a good director! Bravo to him and to the crew!

A productive week

The week gone by reminded me of the Mumbai locals what with the time running at parallel speeds. By the time you realize you've just entered or rather been helplessly pushed by the swarm of people into your compartment, you're already at your destination; all tired and lost!..

My office work, people i met, decisions i made, everything was indeed a whirlpool of sorts!!

The most interesting part was when i met the most precious brand the creative world has gifted us - not "Liril" or "Lalitaji" or "Humara Bajaj", (the Bajaj campaign still gives us goose-bumps filling us with the feeling of pride and national integration!) but the creator of the legendary ads - Mr. Alyque Padamsee! His wit and child-like enthusiasm was unmatchable! I think this is the sign of all the creative geniuses - No matter how much the dusk clouds the colour of their eye, their heart still feels the bloom..

While addressing the students of a business school here in Indore, with ingenuity he spoke about entrepreneurship, "brandvertising" (an innovative nomenclature coined by him for the clever marketing of brands..where he explains that simply put, a great ad is the one which generates great sales..), about the history of the now national ad-anthems like "Liril", "humara Bajaj", "marzi hai aapki aakhit sir hai aapka", our very own "lalitaji" ..the ones which we associate our childhood with, about conducting FGDs (Focus Group Discussions) and much much more!!

Trust me, the next five hours with Mr. Padamsee were engagingly informative and thoughtfully insightful!! On a rathar informal note, after his speech i took his advice on my documentary film - "Adrashya Nari" and discussed how can it be better platformed, about the ethics of his "Fair and Handsome" ad campaign and the sensibilities of promoting the product in the Indian market and on our way to his destination - the indore airport, we discussed everything from women empowerment to Indian marriage system to his personal life experiences and so many other issues..and as we'd guessed he knew about almost everything under the sun!

Hid inspirational talks on Mahatma Gandhi, the young India and the advices on building brands and positioning was indeed contentful and detailed..his humourous narratives had us all rolling in the aisles! While seeing him off to the airport he handed me a boquet of flowers and wished us all good luck..

the experience was amazing and that of a lifetime! it was such a pleasure to meet the blue-eyed boy of the adworld! We love him for the everlasting impacts his cerative formations have left on us..they'll always remind us of our childhoods and will remain in our hreats forever.