Slumdog Millionaire
Posted On Thursdayat12:12 AM by Ark_Light_333
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the Boeke Prize-winning and Commonwealth Writers' Prize-nominated novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup. Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won five Critics' Choice Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film. Despite the film's success, it is the subject of controversy concerning its portrayals of Indians and Hinduism as well as the welfare of its child actors.
Set in 2006, the film opens with a police inspector (Irrfan Khan) in Mumbai, India, interrogating and torturing Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a former street child from the Dharavi slums. In the opening scene, a title card is presented: "Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it? A) He cheated, B) He's lucky, C) He's a genius, D) It is written." At the end of the film, the answer is given. Jamal is a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? hosted by Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor). Jamal has made it to the final question, scheduled for the next day, but the police are now accusing him of cheating, because the other possibilities, that he has a vast knowledge, or that he is very lucky, both seem unlikely. Jamal then explains that, while at least the question about Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was very simple, he knew the answers of most questions by chance, because of things that happened in his life. This is conveyed in a series of flashbacks documenting the particulars of his childhood. This includes scenes of him obtaining Bachchan's autograph, the death of his mother during Hindu-Muslim riots in the slums, and how he and his brother Salim befriend Latika. The children are eventually discovered by Maman (Ankur Vikal) while they live in the trash heaps. Maman is a gangster who "collects" street children so that he can ultimately train them to beg for money. Salim is groomed to become a part of Maman’s operation and is asked to bring Jamal to Maman in order to be blinded. Salim rebels against Maman to protect his brother, and the three children try to escape, but only Salim and Jamal are successful as Salim purposely lets go of Latika's hand as she tries to board a train they are hopping while trying to escape. Latika is re-captured by Maman's organization and raised as a culturally talented prostitute whose virginity will fetch a high price.The brothers eke out a living, traveling on top of trains, selling goods, pretending to be tour guides at the Taj Mahal, and picking pockets. Jamal eventually insists that they return to Mumbai since he wishes to locate Latika. When he finds her working as a dancer in a brothel, the brothers attempt to rescue her, but Maman intrudes, and in the resulting conflict Salim draws a gun and kills Maman. Salim then uses the fact that he killed Maman to obtain a job with Javed (Mahesh Manjrekar), a rival crime lord. Salim claims Latika as his own and when Jamal protests, Salim threatens to kill him and Latika intervenes, accepting her fate with Salim and breaking Jamal's heart.
Years later, Jamal has a position as a "tea-boy" at a call centre. When he is asked to cover for a co-worker for a couple of minutes, he searches the database for Salim and Latika. He gets in touch with Salim, who has become a high-ranking lieutenant in Javed’s organization. Jamal confronts a regretful Salim on tense terms. Salim invites Jamal to live with him and, after following Salim to Javed's house, he sees Latika living there. He talks his way in as the new dishwasher and tries to convince Latika to leave. She rebuffs his advances, but he promises to be at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station every day at five p.m. for her. She tries to discourage him, but on the first day that Jamal waits there, Latika attempts to rendezvous with him, but is recaptured by Salim and Javed's men. One of the men then slashes her cheek with a knife, scarring her as Salim drives off, leaving Jamal with the onlooking crowd. Jamal again loses contact with Latika when Javed moves to another house. In another attempt to find Latika, Jamal tries out for the popular game show because he knows that she will be watching. He makes it to the final question, despite the hostile attitude of the host who feeds Jamal a wrong answer during a break. At the end of the show, Jamal has one question left to win two crore, or 20 million rupees and is taken into police custody, where he is tortured as the police attempt to learn how Jamal, a simple "slumdog," could know the answers to so many questions. After Jamal tells his whole story, explaining how his life experiences coincidentally enabled him to know the answer to each question, the police inspector calls Jamal's explanation "bizarrely plausible" and, knowing he's not in it for the money, allows him to return to the show for the final question. At Javed's safehouse, Latika watches the news coverage of Jamal's miraculous run on the show. Salim gives Latika his phone, and the keys to his car, and urges her to run away. When Jamal uses his Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call Salim, Latika answers his phone and they reconnect. She does not know the answer to the final question either but, believing that "it is written", she tells Jamal in unsubtitled Hindi, "I'm yours" right before the phone connection is cut. Jamal guesses the correct answer to the question of the one Musketeer whose name they never learned, and wins the grand prize. Simultaneously, Salim is discovered to have helped Latika escape and allows himself to be killed in a bathtub full of money after shooting and killing Javed. Salim's last words are "God is great." Later that night, Jamal and Latika meet at the railway station and they share a kiss. It is then revealed that the correct answer to the opening question is: D) it is written.
Billu Barber
Posted On Fridayat12:31 AM by Ark_Light_333
Billu Barber, is a 2009 Bollywood film by the director Priyadarshan, produced by Gauri Khan, with an adapted screenplay by Manisha Korde and Mushtaq Sheikh based on the script by Sreenivasan. It stars Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, and Shahrukh Khan, and features Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and Asrani in supporting roles. Actresses Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra make guest appearances in item numbers. The film was released on February 13, 2009. It is a remake of the 2007 Indian film in the Malayalam language, Kadha Parayumbol.
Bilas Rao Pardesi (Irrfan Khan), nicknamed Billu, is a barber in Budbuda, a fictional village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He and his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta) and their children Gunja (Mitali Mayakar) and Duggu (Pratik Dalvi) live in poverty, with Billu unable to even pay his children's school tuition. A man of pride and humility, he refuses to borrow money from local landlord Daamchand (Om Puri).
When Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) comes to this village to shoot his latest film, Billu's family, who believe that Khan is an old friend of Billu, pester Billu for an introduction. Gradually the news spreads and soon the whole village is after him for some chance of a meeting with Khan. The school even says it will pay Billu's children's tuition through 12th grade in return for Billu inviting Khan to a school function. Daamchand decides to finance new chairs, new equipment and new toileteries for Billu's Saloon in return for Billu inviting Sahir to Daamchand's place for dinner. Laakhu (Rajpal Yadav) wants a meeting with Khan to be given a chance to compose lyrics for films. Despite Billu's efforts at turning people away, telling his family privately that Sahir Khan would never remember him, Billu finds himself pushed to make contact — and is met with either stern rebukes by Khan's secretary or security forces. When a riot breaks out at the filming location, Billu is arrested for fooling people.
When the school function occurs, Khan, asked by local functionaries, does indeed appear. He announces his struggle in life and claims he owes his career to a childhood friend named Billu. In an emotional speech, he describes the friendship in detail, and bemoans having lost track of Billu when Billu moved away from their hometown. Learning that his childhood friend now lives right here, Khan visits Billu's house and promises to keep in touch and to live their lives together again. Billu again becomes the hero of the village.
Bilas Rao Pardesi (Irrfan Khan), nicknamed Billu, is a barber in Budbuda, a fictional village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He and his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta) and their children Gunja (Mitali Mayakar) and Duggu (Pratik Dalvi) live in poverty, with Billu unable to even pay his children's school tuition. A man of pride and humility, he refuses to borrow money from local landlord Daamchand (Om Puri).
When Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) comes to this village to shoot his latest film, Billu's family, who believe that Khan is an old friend of Billu, pester Billu for an introduction. Gradually the news spreads and soon the whole village is after him for some chance of a meeting with Khan. The school even says it will pay Billu's children's tuition through 12th grade in return for Billu inviting Khan to a school function. Daamchand decides to finance new chairs, new equipment and new toileteries for Billu's Saloon in return for Billu inviting Sahir to Daamchand's place for dinner. Laakhu (Rajpal Yadav) wants a meeting with Khan to be given a chance to compose lyrics for films. Despite Billu's efforts at turning people away, telling his family privately that Sahir Khan would never remember him, Billu finds himself pushed to make contact — and is met with either stern rebukes by Khan's secretary or security forces. When a riot breaks out at the filming location, Billu is arrested for fooling people.
When the school function occurs, Khan, asked by local functionaries, does indeed appear. He announces his struggle in life and claims he owes his career to a childhood friend named Billu. In an emotional speech, he describes the friendship in detail, and bemoans having lost track of Billu when Billu moved away from their hometown. Learning that his childhood friend now lives right here, Khan visits Billu's house and promises to keep in touch and to live their lives together again. Billu again becomes the hero of the village.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Posted On Saturdayat12:28 AM by Ark_Light_333
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 film in a modern setting loosely adapted from the 1922 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerland. The film is directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film was released on December 25, 2008. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is not a movie one could have predicted from the makers of Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac. It follows the life of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), who is born with the appearance and physical limitations of a man who is 85 years old. Abandoned in a nursing home by his father, Thomas Button, Benjamin begins aging backward on the outside of his body. While in the home, he meets Daisy (Cate Blanchett), a young aspiring ballerina. As the film progresses, the two fall in love, while struggling to deal with the issue of one growing younger while the other grows older. Nominally based upon the F.Scott Fitzgerald's story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the film has very little resemblance to its source material beyond the premise. The film begins with Benjamin Button's birth in New Orleans in 1918. His mother dies in childbirth and his father, Thomas Button (Jason Flemyng), upon seeing Benjamin's ancient crinkly face, races from the house in horror with the bizarre baby cradled in his arms. He leaves the newborn on the stairs of a nursing home run by Queenie (Taraji P.Henson), a practical woman with a lot of love to give. The score to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was written by French composer Alexandre Desplat. Other Casts:Julia Ornold as CarolineMahershalalhashbaz Ali as TizzyJared Harris as Captain MikeElias Koteas as Monsieur GateauEd Metzger as Theodore RooseveltPhyllis somerville as Grandma FullerTilda Swinton as Elizabeth Abbott
Ghajini Music Review
Posted On Thursdayat6:45 PM by Ark_Light_333
The soundtrack of Aamir Khan's GHAJINI, marks the return of maestro A.R. Rahman for the fifth time in 2008, he had made himself a very prolific year. In january 2008, we experienced the deliverance of one of Rahman's most ethereal and epic soundtracks in Jodha Akbar. Ghajini has six songs composed by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. Some songs are similar to the tamil version of Ghajini.
Sound Tracks of Ghajini:
Song Singer(s) Duration Notes Guzarish Javed Ali, Sonu Nigam 5:29 Picturised on Aamir Khan and Asin Aye Bachchoo Suzanne D'Mello 3:48 Picturised on Asin Kaise Mujhe Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal 5:46 Picturised on Aamir Khan and Asin Behka Karthik 5:13 Picturised on Aamir Khan and Asin Latoo Shreya Ghoshal 4:30 Picturised on Jiah Khan Kaise Mujhe Instrumental 5:46
G H A J I N I
Posted On at6:40 PM by Ark_Light_333
Ghajini is a 2008 bollywood film directed by A R Murugados and produced under the Geetha Arts banner by Allu Araving. The film was a remake of its tamil film of the same name, which was also directed by Muragadoss. The original film was adapted from critically accalimed Hollywood psychological thriller Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan. It starred Aamir Khan and Hindi debutant Asin Thottumkal as the lead pair with Jiah Khan, Pradeep Rawat and Riyaz Khan essaying supporting roles.
The film is a romantic action thriller that explores the life of a once-rich businessman who suffers from anterograde Amnesia following a violent encounter. With the aid of polaroid images an permanant tattoos on his torso, the businessman single-handedly tries to avenge the murder of his vivacious model girlfriend, Kalpana, who was killed shortly before he was also attacked leading to his diagnosis of amnesia.
Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan), is a rich businessman who owns a cellular phone company named Air Voice. Kalpana (Asin Tottumkal), an advertisement model goes around telling her advertisement crew that she is the love interest of Sanjay, in spite of her having never met him and also goes to the extent of giving an interview about her relationship to a popular magazine. Sanjay happens to hear about this through the media and wants to settle scores with her. On his way, he catches a fleeting glimpse of a young woman helping handicapped children cross a street. It is love at first sight for Sanjay. He moves on to confront Kalpana at her advertisement studio. He is pleasantly surprised to realize that she is the same helpful woman he saw a while ago. He chooses to hide the fact from her that he is Sanjay, calling himself as Sachin. Kalpana eventually falls in love with him.
Once, while on a train to Mumbai, Kalpana saves a group of young girls from abuse by a group of goons led by GHAJINI (Pradeep Rawat). After a few days, the same goons come to Kalpana's house in order to avenge their embarrassment. Incidentally, Sanjay arrives at the scene and finds Kalpana is murdered. The irony showcased is that Kalpana never finds out that he is Sanjay. Ghajini then strikes the downcast Sanjay on his head severely with a metal rod. Sanjay survives the blow, but acquires anterograde amnesia because of the trauma of his brain injury. At any given time, he does not remember anything that happened more than 15 minutes back, although he frequently has flashbacks of Kalpana's murder. He determines to take revenge on those responsible for Kalpana's death. The rest of the story is about how Sanjay, along with a medical college student Sunita (Jiah Khan), goes about finding Ghajini and the goons.
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