Billy Elliot (Broadway)

I hope I got the spelling right!
Hmmm....

When I started this blog, I never thought I'd be documenting something live. But I just had to review this one after three hours of wholesome entertainment.

I am in the US for six months (till September) and I had silently made a vow to myself that whenever I go to Britain I'll see the Opera and whenever I go to the US, I will definitely see a Broadway musical. Little did I know it will take me less than a month in the US to fulfil my vow. It just so happened that I was sitting on my favourite couch, with nothing interesting playing on TV, and a newspaper carelessly dropped on the floor caught my attention. It talked about four young 13-14 year old boys whose dreams came true as they were cast in the lead for the musical version of Billy Elliot, with compositions by Elton John!!! and (hold your breath for this) it was to run in Portland for an entire two weeks. Everything seemed right about it......that it was ballet and jazz focused; that it had musci by a biggie; that it had won 9 tony awards; that it was close to where i lived; and that i could accomodate it into my schedule. And so, despite having over-stepped my month's budget already, I decided to buy the $36 (Rs 1,600) ticket. And it was worth all the money.....

Review begins:
The setting was perfect, with one of the grandest theatres I have ever seen. And as the lights dimmed out, a young kid walked up to the stage, moved her tiny bum side-to-side (drawing immediate laughter from the house-full auditorum, although thankfully the seat next to me was empty) and sat down to watch the show as the curtains rose. The next three hours I was lost in a different place; a different country (Britain); a different setting (a miner's village) and a different time (sometime in the 1900's when Margaret Thatcher was in power), losing all consciousness of the actual world I was in. Such is the power of live performances - the depth of vision and surround of sound are unmatchable. I remember having goosebumps that sent a shiver down my spine at more than one instance. And the first 15 minutes, I just couldn't believe I was actually watching a broadway muscial. Oh, what fine acting (from cast of all ages), what melodous singing, and what graceful-yet-strong dancing. It was more than anything I could imagine.

And despite all these goodies, the one thing that really blew me away was the production design. From the first minute that the curtain rose, I could not beleive my eyes when I saw the elaborate sets that were created on stage. Being associated with "poor" campus theatre, I usually see plays that use "the minimal-sets approach". But there is an altogether different charm to using elaborate well-crafted moving sets. The village seemed so real. And as it transitioned into Billy's house with more sets coming in, I couldn't take my eyes of Billy's room up on the first level. The same room would later serve as his "prison" during the "Angry Dance" and it was just awesome use for a set.

Billy is a boy of 12 who discovers his love for dance when he accidentally attends the ballet class which happens in the same room as his boxing lessons (which he has no passion for). As he discreetly attends the classes, his Ballet (pronounced Baa-lii by the villagers) teacher discovers much more than a young boy interested in dancing; she discovers a real talent (and Swiss boy playing the part is really talented!). She encourages Billy to apply to the Royal School of Ballet and he starts dreaming big. But like Bollywood, the hero's father must create obstacles. Now this was a mining town and mining family, and all "boys" were expected to grow into "men". So dance was for girls and "queers". But eventually, the family gives in to Billy's dream due to a combination of circumstances and recognition of Billy's talent. He gets his audition and in the end, he gets through.

What was interesting was the sub-plots that were taking place on stage. Co trary to the review I read in the Oregonian before I went to see it play, I felt that all sub-plots were crucial to making Billy' story and journey more accentuated. For instance, the grandmother, who was an extremely fun and interesting character played by an equally interesting actor, was a rebel of sorts. Her "I'll never be sober" story about how her husband was fun only when he was drunk and how they used to dance when he wasn't sober was something that probably helped Billy decide to take a bold step and attend private Ballet classes on the sly at night to prepare for the audition. Then there was the miners' strike, which not only made clear how important mining (and all the associated values) were to the villagers (the song "Solidarity" still rings in my ears), but also established the circumstances that would first hinder and later brighten Billy's prospects for pursuing Ballet. When the miners' strike toook a violent turn, Billy's brother Tony's character emerged as a stubborn, passionate chap, and his objections to Billy's ballet looked quite natural in the latter scenes. Similarly, in the second half, as the strike continued for over a year and was losing steam as defeat was clear, Billy's father probably realised that the prospects for mining were bleak and could therefore find the will to support his son despite opposition from his elder son. And the entire town pitching in for his audition money also made much more sense in the backdrop of the lost cause for mining.

Another fascinating sub-plot, which dealt with the value system that governed the theme in general, was the interaction of Billy with his best friend Michael. Michael loved to dress up in women's clothing and wear make up and found it to be absolutely normal. Initially both Michael and Billy were skeptical about each other's breaking-the-norm behaviour, but each warmed up tothe other over time. Another important thing established by their Christmas-time interaction was that Michael was homosexual (although he was too young for me to use that word, I don't know how to say it more clearly) and kissed Billy as he assumed Billy was too because he licked to dance! Billy made it clear to him that he was not, and the interaction between them after these revelations was extremely sweet and moving. Billy agreed to keep Michael's secret, and their freindship that lay in their differences grew even stronger.

The Christmas scene I just mentioned was preced by the opening after interval. And this was marvellously done. Before the curtains opened, Santa Claus and his assistancts carried hand held mikes on stage as they talked to the audience. No one had a clue this was part of the play, and responded to Santa Claus as he asked questions. And when Santa claus said, "We welcome you to the second half of...". the audience naturally assumed the next words would be "Billy Elliot", but they were...."....the mining village annual Christams show". And as the curtains rose again, the audience relaised they had become a part of the play itself. I thought that was marvellous and intelligent!

The play had numerous jokes. It was incredibly hillarious and the audience laughed a lot. Jokes were cracked at the expense of Maragaret Thacther, who the village hated. "There's more power in Maggie Thatcher's knickers than in your punch". And the Christmas show had a magnificent puppet show with a larger-than=life size puppet of Mrs. Thatcher. At the end of the show, Mr Elliot sang, and the song reflected his depression of a dying village and a lost family quite well.

The fourth sub-plot which was the most emotional one was Billy's mother. She died when Billy was young, but left him a letter that he was supposed to open when he was 18 but opened a few years too early. This letter was his dearest possesion and connected him to his mom even after her death. There was this beautiful scene where the Ballet teacher asks Billy to get his possessions and he giver her the letter to read. As she reads, Billy can see his mother reading to him, telling him to do what he beleived in and be true to himself and telling him she was proud of him no matter what. It was a very emotional scene. But it was also important because I think it brought Billy closer to his teacher and their grew the akin of a mother-son relationship between them.

There were some beautiful songs in the production.
Solidarity - it was typical Elton John I thought. It had the punch and strength so required. And the choreography was brilliant.
Angry Dance - this must have required so much energy. Billy was refused to go to the audition and he tried to stop himself from dancing but the dance was breaking out of his body (try and imagine a tightly-closed pot at boiling point ready to burst and bubbling out). The actor did a wonderful job. I especially loved the part where his room was transformed into a cage, and then wehn the police barricades were transformed into a cage. I cannot imagine how any actor could have so much power to go through that piece. It was mind blowing.
Women's clothing (I can't remember the words): Man, this was incredible. It is the piece which defined for me that this was a broadway musical. Shimmering backdrops, tap dancing, wonderful costumes, bright spotlights, and all the dresses that Michale wore came out in huge sizes and did a dance of thesmelves. Oh god, I just loved it!
Dad's sad song: Like I said, this was a very important point for me in understanding the graph of the character's emotions.
Grandma's rebel song: This was absolutely wonderful, especially because of the use of chairs by the male ensemble. As grandma danced with men after men representing grandpa in various moods and ages, and the way the drunk grandpa would transform into a sober guy in morning was displayed through choreography was simply maginfique.
Billy and his older self: This dance sort of reflected what Billy could achieve. The older Billy was a dancer class apart. The use of the chair was slpendid in this peiec too. And there were quite interesting lifts and jumps and of course, the aerial act!
Teacher, assistant and Billy dance: This is where Billy takes his private classes at night and the dance reflects passage of time as billy keeps improving. All three actors did a memorable job!
Electricity: This by far was my favourite. It is I think a piece that desribes very well how any passionate artist feels when he pursues the art. It spoke to me at a very personal level. And the choreography was awesome too. (I'm free...the words still linger in my mind even after a week).
All actors were awesome - the men's ensemble, the ballet dancer girls, the miners, Tony (I loved Tony), mother, father, grandma, the teacher, the teacher's cute assistant/musician, the reflection of Billy's older self, the young girl who liked Billy, Michael, and Billy himself (I'm sure all four kids would be great, but I speak only of this one I saw perform).

I loved the ending when Billy tells his mom he would do what he beleived in and be true to himself, and then as he leaves town towards a bright future, the miners go back to the dark mines (strike gets called off after losing to Maggie). Before leaving, Billy kisses Mike goodbye, which was very touching.

In the end, as a bonus, there was a dance to show credits (supposedly Billy is training at the Royal Ballet School), and everyone comes to perform in tutus (all the men too!) It was a lot of fun and absolutely slpendid.
In short, if I had to watch just one musical through my stay, this would be it. I loved Billy Elliot!

Yamla Pagla Deewana

I haven't spent much time thinking about this movie…..it doesn't merit much thought. So I'll just give my surface-level initial reactions. I enjoyed the movie to some extent, particularly the second half. Let's take a look a look at the things that added to the charm of the movie.

After Dillagi (which I quite liked up the point the melodrama began), it was good to see the brothers back together (I missed watching Shaheed). The addition of Dharmendra to the cast (I missed seeing them all in Apne) made the movie a jewel in itself, even if it had had a terrible story. On the contrary, the plot of the story was quite interesting, although a bit stretched at places. The idea of beginning a story at a point where most old Hindi movies end – the reunion of a family and actually dealing with the complexities of bringing the family together in the real sense – was innovative.

Another attraction in the movie was its locations. I can't remember seeing a movie prior to this one that was shot extensively in Benares. I still haven't been there, so it was great to see the 'holy' town with all its nuances including the two 'thugs' (nicely ironic). I haven't been to Patiala either; but I guess I've been exposed to it by a range of movies.

In terms of acting, the familial bonds of the Deol(s) worked well for the movie. I enjoyed seeing all the leading men freely shedding tears of grief and joy. I have observed this change in television and cinema where tears have become acceptable for men over the years. This movie brought it out full on. It was also pleasant to finally see Kulraj Randhawa in a Hindi movie. I noticed potential in her when I first saw her in Zee TV's Kareena Kareena and was quite impressed with her performance in the Punjabi movie Mannat. The other leading lady of Yamla Pagla Deewana (YPD), Emma Brown Garrett also delivered a notable performance, especially with her Hindi (and Punjabi) dialogues. And I adored the two boys (ditto!!). A special mention for Mukul Dev – I have never been as impressed with him as I was in this one; he was so believable. The character of Anupam Kher was also enjoyable and reminded us of the so many trigger happy north Indian men (thank god the bullets were blanks).

But mostly, I was glad to see the movie in the ambience that I saw it in. I watched this hit movie on a Monday evening to a reasonably full house at my lovely local cinema in the company of everyone ranging from the rickshaw drivers, the local bullies, the fun-loving families, and the small businessmen. In case you've forgotten what it was like to view a movie outside of a multiplex (filled with wannabe's scared to voice anything more than a 'decent' smile), I enjoyed YPD in the ambient noise of whistles, claps, curses and heartfelt laughter. Believe me, the real joy of watching crowd-puller masala movies like this one is in such company.

In terms of specific scenes, I really liked how the 'Gurudwara' scene was played out. It was an intelligent choice of location for the scene and increased its emotional value by many times. For me, it was the highlight of the movie.

However, there were quite a few disappointing moments that led the film to eat more footage than was required. I would have pleased with a 2.5 hour movie. I didn't like the climax…… they could have run away without being spotted. I felt that their being spotted was introduced in the movie without plausible events. As a suggestion, it might have been better if instead of Gajodhar saving 'Jo Paji' from Minty (Puneet Issar) during an unnecessary fight, he would have been faced by a difficult choice of revealing his true self to the brothers to do the right thing and unravel some conspiracy of Minty. That would have definitely left one with a strong ending (like DDLJ).

I also felt both item songs were unnecessary. The first song (Tinku Jiya ishq ka manjan) should in fact have directly focused only on the father-son in acts of deceit after the shot of Paramvir in Canada. That would have brought out a stronger contrast. The second song could have been more about the brothers bonding and the father-son drinking.

Aside from these moments that did not work from me, the overall film was fun and worth a watch (after shutting of your mind and turning on your heart). In its genre (family comedy), it did a good job!

Turning 30

I don't know man. I had really high hopes with this one. I was looking forward to it so much that I had to forego my usual resolve of not watching movies at a multiplex to see this one (my local cinema was screening the crowdpuller instead of this urban flick). Despite my sacrifice, the movie failed to pack a punch. I'm sure this is an extremely personal view (possibly due to my unique mental make up) given that most people were pleased with the movie.

To its credit, Turning 30 was technically sound, looked good and had a great cast too. It was like one of those creations that has all the right ingredients of high quality and looks right, but doesn't feel right because there's something amiss. I am unable to place my finger on what was lacking, but I'll try.

One of the reasons I looked forward to the movie was that it was directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, trained in bollywood under the guidance of one of my favourites - Prakash Jha. Understandably her style is quite different, and I respect her for showcasing her own style rather than a copy of her mentor's. Yet, I did miss the complexities and subtleties that make Jha's movies exciting to watch.

Another reason I looked forward to the movie was that it was a take on a woman by a woman. I always feel women directors bring a different sensibility to their creations that I like to experience. Of course, I am not one for generalising. Each woman is unique in terms of the experiences that guide her in formulating and delivering a concept. For me, I did not associate with a lot of what was showcased in the movie at a personal level. So I must clarify that I decided not to analyse this movie from my own perspectives, but borrow the perspectives of friends I know have faced something similar and have similar priorities. This clarification is needed, I guess, to justify that my reasons for not liking the movie much are not that I did not identify with it. Such a judgement would be unfair. The movie was about Naina and her friends and there are a few Nainas in the real world that I could use as reference points.

The reason the movie did not go down well with me was a lack of treatment.
A lot was being shown in the lead character's life...it was all stringed together somehow and looked neat. But each scene could have said so much more if the story focused on something in particular. It looked like too much burden was put onto Naina's character, which had to deal with everything that could possibly go wrong at one point of time and dealing with it in all the possible grand ways (new love, breakthrough campaign, lawsuit, and book). And it all seemed to have been forced on to the character instead of occuring in a believable chain of events.

For instance, Rishabh (Siddharth Makkar)'s breakup with Naina made no sense to me at that point. In the rest of the movie he appeared to be a sensible guy with a reasonable character. The external factor of the hot girl-cum-business deal could have happened to him any and many a time over the three year relationship. I couldn't digest the fact that it happened at that time only. It was an external factor that was not supported well by internal complexities of the character.

What I was looking forward to was a movie that explored the inner tussles of a urban woman at the verge of turning 30 without having achieved all she had hoped for. Instead, I saw some external factors shattering her life at the verge of turning 30, which frankly could happen to me even at my age and might be equally devastating. To me, it might have been interesting to see Naina, still struggling at 29 to rise in the advertising world, afraid to settle down to a marriage, and scared at the sight of all her friends moving on ahead into lives and families of their own. That's a thought (mine of course, and in no way the only one)!

Again, when one life turning event-cum-solution would have been enough, the director gives us four. But none of them was explored enough in terms of what discoveries and issues it brought for Naina. I would have liked to see more of how developing the 'post 30 club' idea enabled Naina to come to terms with her own tussle. Or either of the other events (court case or book). Instead, each solution ended up eating away the other's limelight, leaving me with really little emotional context.

Might I add that the constant narrative blocked my entry into Naina's mind many times during the movie. It was bothersome, and at one point of time, I asked myself why the feeling was familiar. I realised that this was how I felt when I watched a documentary, except there I would in fact rely on the narrative for comfortable understanding.

Mind you, it didn't take me long to figure out (seeing Naina with a computer everytime she narrated) that she was writing and that it would culminate in some form of print. But I really could have done with less of the narrative and more of gestures, expressions and dialogues that would guide me through her emotional journey. For instance, the lingerie shopping scene could have carried so much weight. It is one of the most eye opening and intimate experiences a woman has. But other than the 'wonder bra', nothing real emerged from the scene. And then there was the dialogue - 'the best solution to a break up is a haircut'. It looked so good in the trailer, but in the movie it came after the haircut and just failed to create the same magic.

Speaking of that dialogue, I loved the performance of Jeneva Talwar. I've been a fan ever since I first saw her in Bombay to Bangkok. I think she brought out beautiful nuances even in her stereotypical role in Turning 30. On the other hand, the performance by Tillotama Shome failed to impress me much. I failed to feel any emotional struggle in her 'I am a lesbian' scene. I even felt like she was checking out the camera from the corner of her eye in a scene or two, which was quite distracting. Purab Kohli did a good job; the absence of his character might not have been missed by me though.

I didn't pay much attention to the music, but I must mention the 'item song'. I am so glad to finally get an item song based on a 'item boy'. It was really refreshing to see someone turn over the stereotype, and made sense to be included in a movie that broke the barriers by ushering in a new genre of Hindi cinema revolving around single friends (similar to what the series Friends did in the US). This is something I would like to congratulate the director on.

Well, despite some directorial hitches, the film does emerge with a chique look. All said and done, I do not regret watching the movie. Who knows, I might even enjoy watching it a second time, in the company of a Naina of my own.

No One Killed Jessica

After delaying writing a review for any movie for this long, I'm finally attempting my first one with this brilliantly shot and directed motion picture. The reasons for breaking the ice with this one are a bit personal. It is the first movie that I lost the battle against my tears to – not once, but on a continuous basis. I guess I was in tears even before entering the cinema theatre, even before I saw the first commercial or heard the first song. The tears started with the name - No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ) – a bare truth of a continuous injustice that to me is all but bearable. Of course, the movie commenting on the city I call home makes it more personal.

This is also one of those movies where I have seen familiar faces of friends and colleagues from Kirorimal College. I am an outstanding supporter of Ex-Players working in Hindi cinema. Any movie with even a 1-minute appearance or a credit at the end featuring an ex-Player finds its way into my DVD library. Hence, I was pleasantly surprised (I had no inkling before entering the theatre) to see not one, but four familiar faces whose talent has always left me in awe.

That said, I think the biggest reason for the movie to strike at my (deeply latent) emotional chords was its success in defining so many 'moments' – the Delhi bus with its eve-teasers; the 'action-movie' guy in the flight; the 'gali' leading to Shankar's house lined with urinals; the pastry at the five-star hotel being eaten by Mallika Sehgal; the 'chai' offered by Jessica's father to the MLA; Sabrina's laughter when the prosecutor asks Shankar 'ab to neeche aaja'; the mark of the interval with the Times of India headline that inspired the movie; the thief at the candle light march; and the end moment at Jessica's grave. For me, NOKJ (Raj Kumar Gupta) does a great job at telling a story that most of us already know, and still managing to say something untold. I am glad that the director decided to make a movie, not a documentary, taking the liberty to play in no-man's land between fact and fiction (thanks also for the clarification right at the start). This is what makes it his story, his rendition that no one else could give to us.

I am usually uncomfortable with a narrative; it can end up preaching or insulting my intelligence as a viewer. I also usually look forward to the opening credits of the movie to play a role in the movie itself. NOKJ delivered exceedingly well on both these counts, with the narrative intertwined with the opening credits. The credits were done remarkably well with the newsprint flowing into snapshots of Delhi, leaving the audience completely absorbed in the city and all its complexities. My favourite moment was in the DTC bus with the man sitting on a ladies' seat, reading the last page of a newspaper that celebrated Women's Day, with a woman standing nearby. And the narrative itself made so much sense to me by the time the movie ended (more on that later).

Another intelligent directorial feat was in establishing the timeline so well, completely respecting the audience's intelligence by not spoon-feeding. The changes in make up with Vidya Balan's changes in hairstyle and spectacle make as well as Zeeshan Ayub's changing look; the shot with the Indraprastha metro station to mark 2003; changes in Delhi bus makes; and many more such hints to show passage of seven years in Delhi while actually shooting entirely in 2010 was quite intelligent. Marking the incident itself in the backdrop of the other big stories of the time such as the Kargil war and the hijacking of IC-814 was also interesting. The passage of time during the trials itself was quite moving. Hats off to a woman who decided to fight alone, when so many friends turned away. I remember spending the entire scene asking myself if I would be willing to give up even a day in my 'planned' life to take up such a fight alone.

I refrain from commenting on acting, since I hardly understand the art as well as I understand direction. But I can say this much….no one's performance in NOKJ stands out……simply because each actor, no matter how small the role, delivered incredibly credible and solid performances. I don't know where else to mention this, but I have to commend the crisp editing of the film. Also worth mention on the technical front is lighting, especially in the interrogation scene. The production design was also extremely detailed (all newsprints, visual news, house design, street design, etc.) making it look authentic (thanks to Ritoja for pointing this out).

Amit Trivedi has done a brilliant job with not just the tracks but also the background score. The use of a loud rumble that peaked out whenever some suspense was revealed (like in the hospital after Jessica was shot) heightened the emotional context of the scenes. Another moment made extremely interesting because of the soundtrack was when Mira was supposed to go live in 90 seconds and relevant portion of the song 'Aali Re' was played ending with 'Chal hat' when at that precise moment Rani flicked off her assistants and began anchoring. Thanks to Amit Trivedi for bringing Sonu Kakkar back and also for using Aditi Singh Sharma. Aitbaar was a great song for the movie…capturing Sabrina Lall's emotions all too well. I have always been a fan of Amitabh Bhattacharya's work, and he has gone a notch up with the lyrics of NOKJ, especially 'Mui Dilli'.

Like I said, the movie was personal. It hit me in the candle light scene. Mira's narrative about her not paying attention to a story that had immense journalistic potential thinking that it was a high-profile open-and-shut case echoed my opinions when I decided not to be a part of the 'Justice for Jessica' movement and candle light march. I thought then that the cause will be supported by so many people; I didn't need to stand up for it. I think now that no cause, if it qualifies as a cause, should be dismissed by me in future thinking that others are there. I apologise here to everyone for not lighting the candle then. Thanks to NOKJ though, I have lit my heart and soul and will ensure they keep burning.

NOKJ is probably not the best movie in the world, but I am glad it was made, and made the way it was.