Andaz Apna Apna - Ailaa!! Oeemaa!!! Kya picture hai!!!

Movie - Andaz Apna Apna (Hindi)
Director - Rajkumar Santoshi
Producer - Vinay Kumar Sinha, Shanti Sinha
Cast - Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal & Paresh Rawal, Shakti Kapoor, Shehzad Khan, Viju Khote, Mehmood, Jagdeep, Tiku Talsania, Javed Khan, Govinda, Juhi Chawla
Music - Tushar Bhatia
Background Score - Viju Shah
Cinematography - Ishwar Bidri
Editing - VN Mayekar
Art Direction - R Verman
Story, Screenplay - Rajkumar Santoshi
Dialogues - Rajkumar Santoshi, Dilip Shukla
Release Date - 11th April 1994




Well, Rajkumar Santoshi's Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani tempted me so much to watch Andaz Apna Apna again. So as soon as I got home from that movie, I searched for my DVD and played it on and had a fantastic time watching AAA for the nth time. It is probably the best comedy made in Hindi so far, it has achieved a cult status and has a huge base of loyal fans. Rajkumar Santoshi who had made the hard-hitting social dramas Ghayal and Damini earlier, made a departure from his earlier style in this film.

Thus we get an assortment of mad, crazy, zany, stupid, dumb, filmy and whacky characters and yea, even madder character names. There are the heroes Amar and Prem resembling the name of an old Rajesh Khanna starrer. Raveena and Karishma, named as their own selves. Anand Akela, Bhalla and Robert, Ram aur Shyam Gopal Bajaj and the best of all, Mogambo ka bhateeja, Crime Master Gogo. All of them together make this movie a roller-coaster ride, right from the opening credits which misspells the name of each member of the cast and crew deliberately to the climax fight at Crime Master Gogo's den. The movie moves at such a fast pace that you dont even get time to think how illogical it is. And ya, it is illogical, but that is the USP of this crazy movie. 


The story is so crazy that it is very hard to summarize. But still, I'll try. Amar (Aamir Khan) and Prem (Salman Khan) are two jobless, foolish, filmy and selfish loafers, on a trip to woo the daughter of a multimillionaire Ram Gopal Bajaj (Paresh Rawal), Raveena Bajaj (Raveena Tandon), who is accompanied by her friend Karishma (Karishma Kapoor) from London to India. Amar and Prem compete with each other and go to all ends doing all sorts of crazy things to get to their goal. Meanwhile, Teja, urff, Shyam Gopal Bajaj is the evil twin of the multimillionaire who wants to get his hands on his brother's wealth by finishing off his daughter. The rest of the movie is about the confusion that follows with a lot more interesting characters. 

Aamir Khan, in his first full fledged comic role, is unbelievably hilarious. Whether it is the wicked Amar or the cute Teelu, he is first class. His dialogue delivery is fabulous and comic timing is perfect. The famous, 'Aap purush hi nahin, Mahapurush hai!!' line from him is totally hilarious, and he makes it work each time he says that even though it is repeated quite a few times. Now, he has grown into an actor par excellence, but this one still remains one of his best performances. After all, comedy is not such an easy thing. Salman Khan, plays the perfect foil to Aamir's bratty character. He is sweet, foolish and goofy and mostly is on the receiving end of Aamir's pranks. I think this was his first comic role too, and now he has mastered the act of playing comic roles. The scenes where Salman speaks in an incredibly funny squeaky voice, similar to that of Donald Duck is awesome. Both of them, together makes the most irresistible comic pair that you can have. They complement each other perfectly and are dot on in their comic timings. While Aamir keeps going 'Ailaa' throughout the movie, Salman goes 'Oeemaa' all the time, something which you cant help laughing out loud at. 


Raveena is beautiful and plays her role well while Karishma is very cute, especially in those scenes where she keeps blinking while talking to Salman. Otherwise, they dont have great roles to play, but they do it well nevertheless. Paresh Rawal as the villain who cries listening to the planning of his accomplices, Teja, is hilarious. The best part is where he says he wants open a poultry farm after getting the 30 crores from his brother. He plays the other role of the strict millionaire Ram Gopal Bajaj, who is very fussy about punctuality, also very well. Shehzad Khan plays the manager Bhalla, and speaks like the yesteryear villain Ajeet. He does that to perfection and everytime he goes, 'Pilan ke mutabik,...', you burst out laughing. Viju Khote plays the butler Robert who keeps on going 'Galti se mistake ho gaya', each time he messes the planning of Bhalla or Teja. Javed Khan plays Anand Akela, who helps out Amar and Prem when they are in trouble. Tiku Talsania and veteran comedians Mehmood and Jagdeep also play their parts effectively. 


But the cherry on the cake is Crime Master Gogo, played to perfection by Shakti Kapoor. He hams it out unbelievably, making Gogo one of the most memorable comic villains ever. He is supposedly the nephew of the great villain Mogambo (from Mr.India). His favourite tagline is 'Aankhen nikaalkar gotiyaan kheloonga!'. Shakti Kapoor shines in the totally over the top climax sequence, where a fight happens at his den. He is certainly my favourite character from the film.




The music of the film is also very memorable. We have the lovely 'Ello ji sanam hum aa gaye' and the funny 'Dil karta hai tere paas aaoon'. The first song, 'Do mastane chale zindagi banane' is a good start as well. But the best one is 'Yeh raat aur yeh doori' with the unforgettable combination of Salman Khan and SP Balasubramaniam. The song has Salman dancing away to glory with Karishma, thinking that she is Raveena, in a beautiful set. Lol. The other songs capture the beauty of Ootty very well too. But more than the music, it is the background score by Viju Shah that works, by elevating each of the comic scenes effectively with the use of background music. Viju Shah doesnt forget to plant digs at Raveena through his own signature tune of the superhit 'Tu cheez badi hai mast mast' when Raveena is introduced in the film. And the other funny sound effects also work perfectly with the over the top narration. You cannot notice the work by the cinematographer and editor and all because you are too involved in the scenes, but they have done decent work nevertheless. The art direction by R Verman is good and almost the whole movie has been shot on sets. 


The movie has a lot of inside jokes about Hindi films. Right from the first scene, where Aamir dreams that he is having an affair with Juhi Chawla. The first dialogue in the movie, 'Aila! Juhi Chawla!' is again unforgettable. Aamir takes digs at Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Deol in this part and Govinda also puts in an appearance. Later, Salman is shown to be wanting to become a filmstar (something which he always wants in his films, as you can notice, right from this one to Jaanemann) and a lot of names are taken and digs are made at the office of Wah Wah productions, headed by Mehmood. In one of the later scenes where Salman says 'Maine Sholay dus baar dekhi hain', Aamir replies by saying 'Haan haan!! Tere baap ne likha hai na', which is quite literally true. Lol. When Aamir cuts the ribbon of a lock-up, 'Papa kehte hain bada naam karega' is played in the background. Thats what is called smart thinking. And like this, there are a lots and lots of filmy references throughout the film, which is as much spoofing them as much as they are paying tribute to them. (I think this one should have inspired Farah Khan to make the spoof/tribute portions of Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om).


The dialogues are fantastic and are remembered till this day. And if this film still works for a fan like me, 15 years after its release and after innumerable re-runs on TV, it should certainly be a classic. Rajkumar Santoshi never made such a movie before and after this, until he made Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani now. And that new movie paid so many tributes to this ultimate comedy by the same director. Even though this movie failed when it released, it did tremendous business in the home video sector and is one of the most watched movies in Indian television history. I sit and watch it fully each time i see it playing on TV myself. And thanks to Moser Baer, i could own the DVD of the film for just 40 bucks. Aamir and Salman said that they want to do a sequel for this movie when they came together in Salman's Dus Ka Dum show. That show which began by Salman and Aamir coming in a cycle singing 'Do mastane chale zindagi banane',  also had a lot of jokes and trivia about this movie. I hope Rajkumar Santoshi makes an apt sequel for this one with those two superstars soon enough. This movie is certainly one of my all time favourites. 

And while concluding, I have something to say about Mr.Santoshi, 'Aap daani hai, gyaani hai, antaryami hai, bahut bade swami hai, shaktimaan hai, buddhimaan hai, balki main to yeh kehta hoon, ke aap purush hi nahin!!'
'Mahapurush hai, mahapurush hai!!' :P

Thiruda Thiruda (Music) - Probably Rahman's best album!!

Album - Thiruda Thiruda (Tamil)

Director - Mani Ratnam

Producer - Mani Ratnam

Cast - Prasanth, Anand, Heera, Salim Ghouse, SP Balasubramaniam, Anu Agarwal

Music - AR Rahman

Lyrics - Vairamuthu

Singers - Mano, Anupama, Unnimenon, KS Chitra, Carolene, Shahul Hameed

Writers - Ramgopal Varma, Mani Ratnam, Sujatha

Cinematography - PC Sriram

Year - 1993

This is my first music review in the classics revisited section. There is no point reviewing the music of Thiruda Thiruda as it is widely acclaimed even now after almost 16 years of its release. I was listening to the songs of this movie continuously after a long time yesterday, and I felt I had to write about them. So I am just sharing my thoughts about the music of this movie. I seriously consider this one as AR Rahman's best album as a whole, closely followed by Dil Se and Bombay. It is interesting to note how Rahman always reserves his best for Mani Ratnam films. Thiruda Thiruda was a comic thriller, written by Ramgopal Varma for Mani Ratnam. It was quite different from what Mani Ratnam was known for, and drastically different from his highly acclaimed Thalapathy, Anjali and Roja, which came just before this movie. The movie bombed at the box office, but is now seen as the cult movie, which can be thoroughly enjoyed when it comes on TV. PC Sriram got back together with Mani Ratnam for this movie. (Santosh Sivan had worked for Thalapathy and Roja). That is another exciting part as they are an awesome team together. But the best reason the movie is remembered for is its music. Apparently Rahman was first offered to do the music for this movie by Mani Ratnam, before Roja. But then this one got postponed and Roja happened. Either way, it would have been fine as both movies have amazing soundtracks. Lets talk about the music now. 

The first song is 'Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal' by Mano. It is the song that introduces the two petty thieves to the audience. The wonderful lyrics by Vairamuthu talks about their lives and dreams. Right from the chorus going 'Tu Tu Tu Tu Ru Ru Tu' in the beginning, we are hooked. The song explodes with energy and most of it is due to Mano's powerful vocals. The beat pattern keeps changing and that is among the best parts of the song. Guitar is also used effectively. And sound effects so typical of Rahman, can be heard throughout the song. The chorus vocals add more depth to the song. The song has brilliant visuals shot on amazing locations by PC Sriram. The song is still as fresh as it was 16 years ago. Deadly!!




Next up is THE song - 'Konjam Nilavu' by Anupama, one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard. I just dont have words for the composition by Rahman - it is truly out of the world. The vocals by Anupama are nothing short of deadly. Her powerhouse singing is the backbone of this song. The stress she gives to certain words like 'Mirugam' and all, is wonderful. She sings in extreme high pitches with ease (at least it sounds like she is at ease singing those parts). And as far as the orchestration is concerned, I'm too much in awe of it to analyse it. There are backing vocals by Suresh Peters also, if I'm not wrong. If I'm asked to make a list of the most unique compositions by Rahman, this song would certainly be there in the top 3, even though there is a slight Michael Jackson influence in the composition. The picturisation of this song takes it to another league. It features Anu Agarwal, doing something which can now be referred to as an 'item' number. The lighting schemes followed in this song by PC Sriram is astounding. It is still one of the best picturised 'item' songs in Indian Cinema. (I wish the 'item girl' was someone better though.)




'Veerapandi Kottayile' used to be my favourite Tamil song as a child. I still remember jumping from the sofa to the floor trying to imitate some dance steps from this song, when I was hardly 6 or 7. Another mindblowing composition by Rahman with great vocals by Mano, Unnimenon and the ever-reliable KS Chitra. Chitra's melodious voice is in contrast with the powerful vocals by Mano and Unnimenon and that is what makes this song work. And the complex orchestration, still sounds so amazing. I'm pretty sure it'll sound fresh even 20 years from now. The part which goes 'Nee sollum sollukkulle' is just deadly. The grand picturisation in the middle of a village fair again takes this song to a greater level. Mani Ratnam always makes sure that Rahman's songs are given its full due on the screen. PC Sriram helps him in fulfilling that. Again one of Rahman's all time bests. 




While talking about deadly compositions, how can 'Thee Thee' be far behind? I still dont know how Rahman must have conceived this tune in his head. I read in his biography that he had made this tune as an ad jingle, but that ad never got shot. Thank God for that, as it made him to develop this deadly tune into a full-blown song. The song has vocals by Carolene. The credits mention only her name but the male voice who keeps going 'Thakita thaka' is probably Palakkad Sriram (I guess so). His parts are more striking than the female parts, not that she is not good. She does an awesome job too. Rahman also does some parts in the chorus. The flute part towards the latter half of the song still gives me goose-pimples. That particular portion is my ringtone now. :) Malayalam composer Ouseppachan (for whom Rahman used to play for) copied this song completely into 'Muthum Pavizhavum' for the movie Darling Darling. As we can see, one of Rahman's gurus himself was tempted to copy from this song, because it is SO good. The completely sensual picturisation of the song by Mani Ratnam is again excellent. Heera looks gorgeous and moves graciously to the steps of Raju Sundaram/Prabhu Deva along with Prashanth. PC Sriram scores yet again with his lighting. 




'Rasathi' shows us how wonderful the usual mandatory sad song can be, if it is done by Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman. The folk based song has Shahul Hameed behind the mic and reveals a completely different side of Rahman. The humming and chorus parts are beautiful and adds much more value to the already wonderful song. Shahul Hameed's folk based voice is the soul of this song. PC Sriram captures some amazing hues and colours for the video of this song. Folk is usually Ilaiyaraja's forte, but Rahman bridges the gap between folk and contemporary music beautifully through the song without tampering the souls of both those kinds of music. Vairamuthu's lyrics also give the authentic folk feel. 




'Putham Puthu Bhoomi' will make one feel very happy and positive. The song is full of positive energy and has vocals by KS Chitra and Mano. The beautiful lyrics by Vairamuthu talks about the dreams of the three characters. Chitra's voice is heavenly as usual and is ably supported by Mano with his powerful vocals. The flute part gives you goose-pimples like in the 'Thee Thee' song. The orchestration is beautiful. The western choir style chorus is also something very unique. Chitra sings in different pitches and comes out in flying colours. Hearing her wonderful voice itself would make one feel so good, especially when it comes to songs like this with positive energy. Beautiful picturisation in amazing locations by Mani Ratnam and PC Sriram also makes this song memorable. 

Summing up, we have six out of the world tracks in the movie which are still as fresh as they were, when they released 16 years ago. If Rahman won an Oscar for his score in Slumdog Millionaire, what would the Academy give him if they hear the soundtrack of this movie??Another interesting fact is that the legendary singer SP Balasubramaniam plays an important character in the movie but is not featured in any of the songs. Each song is a gem, but the singers who impress the most are of course, Anupama and KS Chitra. 'Konjam Nilavu' was performed by some other singer in Rahman's recent Chennai concert, but it came nowhere near the original version. But the crowd still goes wild when they hear that song. Rahman himself is yet to make a completely awesome album like this, with each song being better than the other, even now. (Though Dil Se came close). And Mani Ratnam does full justice to Rahman's deadly tracks through the visuals with the help of PC Sriram. Too bad that the movie wasnt a hit. 

Salangai Oli - Masterpiece!! Hats off to K Vishwanath, Kamal and Ilaiyaraja!!

Movie - Salangai Oli (Tamil dubbed version of Telugu movie Sagara Sangamam)
Director - K Vishwanath
Producer - Nageshwara Rao Edida
Cast - Kamal Haasan, Jayaprada, Sarath Babu, SP Shailaja, Chakri Toleti
Music - Ilaiyaraja
Cinematography - PS Nivas
Editing - GG Krishna Rao
Art Direction - Thotta Tharani
Story, Screenplay - K Vishwanath
Release Year - 1983






I hadnt seen this movie because I usually dont like watching dubbed movies. And since I dont understand Telugu, I was searching for a DVD with subtitles. But I couldnt get that, so I had to settle with the dubbed Tamil version. Thankfully, Kamal himself has dubbed for him and the DVD was slightly pixelated, so the lip movements cannot be seen clearly. That made me forget that I was watching a dubbed version after all. This movie is directed by veteran director K Vishwanath who is best known for the all time classic Shankarabharanam. This movie is also rated amongst his best works. It is a musical which is based on Indian classical dance forms, something which has turned into a rarity nowadays. The movie had also won the National Awards for Best Regional Feature Film in Telugu and Best Music Direction for Ilaiyaraja.


The story is about Balakrishna (Kamal Haasan), a versatile dancer who wants to make it big in the field of art. But he keeps missing chances and his talent goes unnoticed and is ridiculed most of the times. He tries to battle poverty and at the same time realize his mother's dream of him turning into a great dancer. His life changes when he comes across Madhavi (Jayaprada), a beautiful girl who is also seriously interested in classical dance. She is fascinated by Bala's talent and she tries to help him get the recognition he deserves. They both soon become close friends and Madhavi gets Bala an opportunity to dance at the All India dance fest along with the country's best dancers. But a tragedy happens in Bala's life and he misses that chance. Their relationship further grows and Bala falls in love with Madhavi and proposes to her. But due to the unfortunate turn of events, they get separated and Bala sacrifices his love for the well-being of Madhavi. He turns into a drunkard ruining himself and his talent. What happens when Madhavi meets Bala several years after this, forms the rest of the story.


The story is narrated in flashback mode through the memories of Bala's best friend Raghupathy (Sarath Babu) and Madhavi. There is much more to the movie than the basic premise I have mentioned above. The movie merges together the emotions of love, friendship, guru-shishya relationship and of course, devotion and commitment to art. And the best part is that the movie did not lose its authenticity even while it was dubbed into Tamil, with the help of great dialogue and lyrics which go perfectly in sync with the original Telugu version. 


The movie boasts of a bravura performance from one of the best actors the world has seen, Kamal Haasan. This movie came much before he turned into a multitasker, so he is used just as an actor in this movie. And what a performance he has given!! Hats off!! I'm still wondering why he didnt get the National Award for Best Actor for this movie. (He won in the very next year for Moondram Pirai). He dances like a dream and you just cannot take your eyes off him while he is dancing. He is perfect whether he does Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak or Kathakali. And when it comes to acting, we all know what that man is capable of. So there is no use going on talking about it. He plays both the young and old parts of Bala with equal effect. One thing I noticed was that, even in Tamil dialogues which were dubbed later, he has brought out all the minute emotions and modulations perfectly. God knows how he does all this. His performance in the movie is reference material for many actors even today. 


My mother always used to say that Jayaprada is very beautiful. I never felt that way from what I had seen of her in songs and clips. But in this movie, she looks like a Goddess. My mother was right!! And she has given a wonderful performance too. To be acting well, alongside an actor like Kamal Haasan throughout a movie is not such a simple task. She also dances gracefully along with Kamal in a marvelous song sequence where they practice for the All India dance fest. Another brilliant performance comes from Sarath Babu who acts as Kamal's best friend. He was so good that from then on, he was the first choice to play the best friend of the superstar hero (Annamalai, Muthu, etc.). The now famous director of Kamal's Unnaipol Oruvan, Chakri Toleti is there in the film as a child who roams around with a camera and provides comic relief. SP Shailaja as the arrogant daughter of Madhavi also does a good job. 


The music of the movie is spectacular and won a National Award for the composer Ilaiyaraja. The most remembered song is of course, 'Thakita Thadhimi Thanthana' by SP Balasubramaniam where Kamal dances on a plank on top of an open well. People still keep wondering how he did that. 'Mounamana Neram' is one of the most melodious and soothing songs I have ever heard. 'Vaan Pole' is another beautiful song and has been picturised ridiculing the way film songs are shot usually. Then there are 4 other songs composed for the elaborate dance sequences, each of which are equally brilliant. The background score, as usual is wonderful. 


The other technical departments also support the movie very well. I became a fan of K Vishwanath by watching this movie alone. He has handled the movie with so much elegance and grace. The best part is that he has kept the movie simplistic while being extremely authentic. The dialogues are another highlight of the movie. Several heart-tugging lines and moments are there in the movie. And the climax was absolutely brilliant. The movie immediately found a place in my all time favourites list. Certainly a masterpiece!! Hats off to the team, mainly K Vishwanath, Kamal Haasan and Ilaiyaraja!!


(Leaving you with an amazing scene from the movie)

Dil Chahta Hai - Perfection Ko Improve Karna Mushqil Hota Hai.

Movie - DIL CHAHTA HAI (Hindi)

Director - Farhan Akhtar

Producer - Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar

Cast - Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, Ayub Khan Samantha Tremayne, Suhasini Mulay, Rajat Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

Music & Background Score- Shankar/Ehsaan/Loy

Cinematography - Ravi K Chandran

Editing - A Sreekar Prasad

Production Design - Suzanne Caplan Merwanji

Art Direction - Yunus Pathan

Casting & First Assistant Director - Zoya Akhtar

Sound Design - Nakul Kamte

Choreography - Farah Khan

Story - Farhan Akhtar, Kassim Jagmagia

Screenplay, Dialogue - Farhan Akhtar

Lyrics - Javed Akhtar

Release Date - 24 July 2001

Warning - This is going to be a fairly long post, as I am writing about one of my all time favourite movies and I'm bound to get over-indulgent. So read, only if you are extremely patient. :P


Dil Chahta Hai, in all ways is a movie which revolutionized Hindi, or maybe Indian Cinema. This coming-of-age movie of 3 young guys, made by the son of India's most prolific writer, completely changed the way Hindi movies were made. It was fresh, urban, cool, witty, emotional, energetic and realistic at the same time. Filmmakers began to ape the style with which this movie was made and a whole new genre of movies for the urban young crowd was born in the country. The movie boasts of a cult status now and was a trendsetter of sorts, when it released in 2001. The whole look, the cinematography, the production design, sound design, hair styles, costumes, characters, dialogues, etc. were all so real and extremely unique, and was completely new to our kind of cinema, at that point of time. I would count this movie among the most influential movies made in Indian Cinema just by considering the amount of freshness it brought in all the departments of filmmaking. 


Dil Chahta Hai, is the story of three individuals - Akash, Sameer and Sid. Quoting from the movie's synopsis, even though each and every one of us know the story already - 'Akash is a non-believer. He thinks the concept of love is created to ruin perfectly healthy relationships. Sameer is a believer. He wants to be in love. He loves being in love. Unfortunately for him, he hasn't quite grasped the concept of it just yet. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he is out there persevering, believing that he will find that 'special her', as long as he keeps searching. Siddharth is mature, sensitive and understanding. Siddharth aka Sid knows the true meaning of the word love. He feels it everyday, every hour, every minute. For his friends, his acquaintances, for the stray dog living outside his gate, for the tree that's just been planted next door. He has reached modern day enlightenment. DIL CHAHTA HAI is a film about these three distinct characters, their individual relationships and the effect that those relationships have on the three of them.'

DCH is a character driven film. So, it is very important that the characters are appealing to the audience. Farhan Akhtar creates three characters, who are drastically different at the core, but at the same time, very similar in a lot of things. You can find a bit of Akash, Sameer or Sid, or maybe all three of them in yourself. The urban youth can absolutely relate to these three characters. Even the female leads, Shalini, Pooja and Tara, are strong characters, fleshed out effectively. Shalini, is the cute, effervescent and beautiful girl. Pooja is more of a normal, girl-next-door types. Tara, is a divorced lady who works in an interior designing firm. Unlike usual Hindi films, this movie doesnt appear as it follows a particular story. The movie progresses through the characters and their interactions and situations, something which was completely new to our kind of cinema. There is no melodrama, no villains, no comedians, no elaborate dance sequences, no cliched dialogues and no family drama. Just real characters, real situations and extremely real dialogues.


Farhan Akhtar, son of screenwriter/lyricist Javed Akhtar and screenwriter Honey Irani became one of India's most promising directors with this single film. With his very first movie, he proved that he is an amazing writer-director. He had started work on the script of Dil Chahta Hai in 1998 and the film went through a lot of changes, especially in the cast. Aamir was considered for the role of Sid, but he chose Akash. Hrithik Roshan was offered Akash, but he turned it down. Abhishek Bachchan was also offered Sid, and he also turned it down. And finally the current cast was fixed and the film was shot on a single schedule over a period of 108 days. The film was also the first venture of Excel Entertainment, a production house jointly owned by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Farhan created his own brand of cinema and inspired many other prominent filmmakers to make films in his style. (Karan Johar wrote the script of Kal Ho Naa Ho, keeping in mind that he also wanted to make a cool and fresh film like DCH). The freshness in writing, treatment, screenplay, dialogues and characterisation became Farhan's signature skills. The dialogues of this film are now famous quotes. And the best thing is that the film doesnt appear like it is scripted. Everything is so natural and the presence of a written script is never felt by the audience and that is perhaps, the biggest achievement of Farhan Akhtar in this movie. 

Aamir Khan had already given a humongous hit through his own production Lagaan, in 2001. The movie went on to be nominated even for the Oscar awards. But this movie was a drastic change for him from the villager avtar. His boyish charm as Akash works wonders in the movie. He is quite sarcastic, bratty, mischievous and is not very serious about his relationships. He is a person who doesnt believe in love. And when he falls in love finally, he doesnt know how to express it. His character goes through a range of emotions in the movie. and he gets to mouth some of  the best and the wittiest lines in the movie. His dialogue to Saif, 'Arre usne teri khuddari ko lalkara hai yaar. Kya kar raha hai, mard ban!! Be a man!!' is legendary stuff. His dialogues from the movie are often quoted by most young guys even today. The shot where he cries, after he calls Sid's house by mistake, towards the pre-climax portion is just enough to show how good his performance in the movie is.

Saif Ali Khan turned into an 'actor' through this movie. People never took him seriously as he was just another star-kid who didnt know to act. He was just considered as the girly sidekick of Akshay Kumar in random action movies. But when he did this extremely comic role of Sameer, people sat up and noticed him. DCH was the turning point in Saif's career and if it had not happened, Saif would not have become the national award winning actor he is today. As Farhan puts it, Saif was a bundle of nerves in this flick. He is this eternally confused fellow who keeps falling in love with each girl he meets. He won almost every award for his brilliant acting in the movie and began the second phase of his career. His comic timing is perfect in the scene where he reacts to his bossy girlfriend over the phone. Thank God Farhan chose him as Sameer. Otherwise we would never have got an Omkara or even a Hum Tum from him. 


Sid is the most mature among the three. He is a person who lives in his own world. His relationships with his friends, his mother and the person whom he loves, is all very delicate. Akshaye Khanna is perfectly cast as Sid and he proved yet again that he is a very underrated actor. He was able to bring in the sensitivity and the maturity of the character very effectively. His interactions with his immature friends make you feel a sense of respect towards him. The shot where he runs excitedly towards his house to gather his brushes to make a portrait of Dimple, is a wonderful moment in the film. An actor who can bring out so much emotion even while running like that, really has got immense talent in him. 


The female leads are also equally interesting. Preity looked stunningly fresh as Shalini and had the lengthiest role among the three female leads. She is absolutely gorgeous in both her looks and the way she portrays her character. Her interactions with Aamir are a delight to watch. The song 'Jaane Kyun' which is more of an argument between both of them, is one of the highlights of the movie. Preity brought all her characteristic bubbliness (I think that word was invented specially for Preity Zinta) into this movie. Sonali Kulkarni as Pooja is decent. She does a good job in the very little screen time that she gets. You can just remain in awe of Dimple Kapadia while watching her portrayal of Tara Jaiswal. I think I neednt say anything more about her. She is absolutely brilliant in the movie, through which she made an impressive comeback.  The supporting actors, Suhasini Mulay, Ayub Khan, Rajat Kapoor and Samantha were good in their respective roles, the most impressive being Suhasini Mulay who played Sid's mom. 


The music of the film was spectacular. It was completely fresh and original and Shankar/Ehsaan/Loy made a grand entry into Hindi film music through the soundtrack of this movie. (Though they had done Mission Kashmir earlier, it wasnt as successful). The whole sound of the movie was fresh. S-E-L achieved through this movie, what Rahman had achieved through Roja and Rangeela - creating their own brand of sound/music. They won the Filmfare RD Burman award for fresh music talent and several other awards for 2001, including the Screen award for best music. The album had 8 chartbuster tracks which are still played repeatedly on FM stations and TV channels. Udit Narayan won a National Award for best male playback singer for his singing in 'Jaane Kyun'. The lyrics by Farhan's father Javed Akhtar further added to the appeal of the music. Can anybody other than Javed Saab come up with words like 'chamkile din'? The song 'Tanhayee' and its lyrics is a milestone in Hindi film music. Its one of the best sad songs ever made in our country. It is not only a sad song, it is a very angry sad song. The music of the movie is still extremely popular and will remain popular in the years to come. And the background score is nothing short of marvelous. It has to be experienced, not explained. 

The choreography by Farah Khan was another highlight of the movie. The funky dance in 'Koi Kahe' where the 3 guys are just having loads of fun, the wonderfully simplistic picturisation of 'Jaane Kyun', the laid-back, fun atmosphere in 'Dil Chahta Hai' and the ethereal world in 'Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut' are all done brilliantly. But the best of the lot is of course, 'Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan' where Farah Khan started her habit of paying tribute to Bollywood, for the first time. She spoofs the 60s, 70s and 80s of Hindi Cinema in a completely unique and funny way through the immensely peppy song, which went on to become a chartbuster. The famous flying step of that song, is still very famous. The song fetched Farah Khan almost all the awards for Best Choreography that year. The picturisation of 'Tanhayee' also deserves special mention. The frames where Aamir stands still and the rest of the crowd moves rapidly, was a completely new thing for the Indian screen. People are still curious about how those particular shots were taken. 

The cinematography, again, was completely fresh. (I'm getting tired using the term 'fresh' in this post umpteen number of times. Each and every department of this movie was so fresh, that you cant help but use the word again and again.) Cinematography was done by Ravi K Chandran who is now one of the most prolific cinematographers in the country. Back then, Dil Chahta Hai was his major break in Hindi cinema. (He had already won a Filmfare award for his work in Virasat and done impressive work in the Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain). He has given us a frame which would be remembered for a long long time in this movie, the one which was shot on the old fort in Goa. It is such a spectacular frame and its the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Dil Chahta Hai. He has given a complete cool look for the movie by going in for more blues and greens. The lighting patterns and the angles were all totally in sync with the whole look and the design of the movie. 

Editing by veteran Sreekar Prasad also contributed a lot to the film. The movie went on smoothly and felt as if we are right there in between the characters. There was no lag anywhere, even though the movie is around 3 hours long. The jump cuts in the title song was a completely innovative touch. Another key aspect in the success of the movie is its production design and art direction by Suzanne Caplan Merwanji and Yunus Pathan respectively. The spaces where each character lived- be it Akash's room with a big sketch of himself on the wall, Sameer's  dark blue room or Sid's art room, each of these things added more value to the film. 

The look of the characters was also an important factor in the success of the movie. The make up was done by one person for all the members of the cast, unlike other movies where each star has his/her own make up person, and that reflected on the way they looked. The actors looked very stylized, urban and trendy. Aamir's spiked hair and goatee became a nation-wide rage. Preity's curly hair was the most 'in' and trendy hairstyle then. The costumes and hair styling too were done by the same individuals for all the stars. 

This was one of the very first movies in India to be done in sync sound, that is live sound recording, instead of dubbing the dialogues. And that, has helped in giving the scenes a much more real and spontaneous impact rather than actors recreating the same mood later on when they come for dubbing. And the sound designer Nakul Kamte has done a tremendous job in capturing the little nuances in dialogue delivery by the actors while recording it on the spot.


I have written so much about this film, that many of you would be sleeping by now. Its ok, as I had warned that only people with a lot of patience can read the entire post. I saw this movie for the first time in a pirated video cassette, in 2001, when I was studying in 9th. (I wasnt allowed to go for movies with friends during that period, and my family hardly went for any Hindi movie then). Almost quarter of the movie was missing, and I didnt follow Hindi very well then, but still I loved it. I have watched this movie umpteen number of times over these 8 years (of course, I learned Hindi by that time) and suddenly felt like watching it again yesterday and re-lived the experience once again. I had also done a script breakdown of this movie for a college assignment where I had to watch this movie around 10 times just to write the first draft of the assignment. But still, I'm not tired of this movie and I'm sure this movie is there on the favourites list of every young guy or girl who has seen it. The last scene of the movie, where the friends reunite, still gives me goose-pimples, and I'm pretty sure many others would be feeling the same too. And it is pretty evident that Goa became a much more happening tourist spot among our youth, after this movie got released. If you search Google or YouTube, you can find innumerable people posing like they were Akash, Sameer and Sid, either in stills or on video. The movie makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you feel nostalgic and brings back some beautiful memories. Now, what more could Farhan Akhtar ask for, when he made his first film?? I think I'll conclude with a line that Akash says in the film, "Perfection ko improve karna mushqil hota hai."

Punnagai Mannan - A not so happy love story..

Movie - Punnagai Mannan (Tamil)
Director - K Balachander
Producer - Rajam Balachander, Pushpa Kandhaswamy
Cast - Kamal Haasan, Revathy, Srividya, Rekha, Delhi Ganesh
Music - Ilaiyaraja
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues - K Balachander
Cinematography - Raghunatha Reddy
Editing - Ganesh Kumar
Year - 1986


I watched this movie 23 years after its release. I had heard lots about this movie which was a huge hit in the 80s and is one of the most famous movies of Kamal Haasan. And I hadnt watched many movies of the legendary director K Balachander (The only film I've seen of his is the very poor Parthalae Paravasam). I loved each and every song from the movie composed by Ilaiyaraja. So, because of all this, I had a lot of expectations before watching this movie. But to be frank, it disappointed me. It is considered a classic, but somehow, I didnt like the movie. 


The movie is the story of Sethu (Kamal) who attempts suicide with his lover Ranjini (Rekha) since Ranjini's parents are against their love and were not letting them unite. But during the attempt, Ranjini dies and Sethu survives. This is the opening of the movie, which was very interesting. Especially the placement of the evergreen song 'Enna Satham Intha Neram' right at the beginning of the movie was great. Sethu is then taken to court by Ranjini's father where he is sentenced for one year imprisonment for attempting suicide. Yet another wonderful song, 'Ethetho Ennam' comes here and the title credits appear, half an hour after the movie started. Sethu joins Padmini (Srividya)'s dance classes as a dance master, since he cannot live with his drunkard father and his numerous wives (a subplot).  Sethu meets Malini (Revathy), a young girl who is about to suicide at the same falls where he and Ranjini once tried the same thing. He discourages her from suiciding saying that it is not the only solution to problems. Malini develops an immediate liking for him and starts following him. She even joins the dance classes to spend more time. How Sethu's second life gets affected due to Malini's presence and the development of their relationship forms the rest of the story. There is also a comedy track weaved in, by none other than Kamal himself playing another character, Chaplin Chellappa, Sethu's uncle. 


Though the beginning was interesting, the developments that happened later were not quite appealing to me. And most of the scenes were looking incomplete to me. Either it is due to bad editing, or maybe because most scenes are cut in the DVD I watched. (It was an original DVD, yet it had so many cuts). So I couldnt enjoy the movie on a wholesome level. There have been so many films which have taken inspiration from this movie and made later on, that watching this movie freshly wont create any impact on you. 


Kamal's performance had nothing much to boast about. (Maybe because I'm seeing it now, when I have seen so many amazing performances from him which came after this movie).  The thing that irritated me most was his fake beard. Even a small child can notice that the beard is fake.  I understand that stars like Kamal used to do more than one film at a time in those years and that wouldnt let them experiment with their looks. But the fake beard was looking so odd in this film. But his dancing, was brilliant in the film. And his performance during the sequence where he proposes to Revathy, was truly amazing. That is the kind of acting we expect from Kamal Haasan. The other Kamal, Chaplin Chellappa's track was quite unnecessary in the film. Tamil films usually have a mandatory comedy track, even now. In this film, the hero himself has done the comedy track, in a different role aping Charlie Chaplin's mannerisms. Though the jokes dont appear funny now, Kamal's imitation of Chaplin was endearing. Kamal shows what was about to come in Apoorva Sahodarargal through a short scene in this movie where Chellappa acts as a dwarf. That was a great scene. 


Revathy gave a spirited performance. She brought in all the spirit and charm required for a bubbly girl like Malini. She looked really beautiful and performed well in the tough dance sequences as well. Srividya gave able support and was part of a nice subplot connecting her and Chaplin Chellappa. Delhi Ganesh as Sethu's father who keeps on marrying was okay. Rekha in a short role as Ranjini, was good. The other characters and actors were not impressive. 


The movie had very nice cinematography by Raghunatha Reddy. A lot of shadows and backlight were used (like in Mani Ratnam's Agni Natchathiram which came later). The editing was pretty bad. (I still dont know if it appeared bad because the film was like that or because the DVD was badly cut). But the major factor which makes this movie interesting is Ilaiyaraja's fantastic music and background score. All the songs from the movie are superhits even now. Enna Satham, Ethetho Ennam, Singalathu Chinnakkuyile, Mamavukku, Vaanmegam and Kaalakaalamaga are amazing tracks. The theme piece where Kamal and Revathy dance before Kamal proposes to her, is absolutely brilliant. I have heard that it was AR Rahman, who played the keyboard for Ilaiyaraja in that particular theme track. The music was the most appealing part of the movie. 


I didnt quite like the way the story moved forward and the sad ending really put me down. What was the point of the whole movie if the ending had to be like this? The movie is just one full circle. It reaches the same place where it started by the time it ends. The villain track didnt work at all. All was going well till the deliberate sad ending came out of the blue, which was totally unnecessary. People may have different views on it. But I did not like this tragedy for the sake of tragedy thing. 


The thing about really famous old superhits/classics is that they are copied so much that when you see the actual film for the first time, it looks really cliched. I think that was what happened when I watched this movie. Everything looked cliched to me. Yet I liked some aspects of the movie. Firstly, the amazing music by Ilaiyaraja. Secondly, Revathy's spirited performance. Next is Kamal's brilliance in the dance sequence and the following scene where he proposes to Revathy. He makes up for a not so special performance in the whole film with that single scene. The cinematography was also impressive. And lastly, Kamal's Chaplin act was endearing. I couldnt clearly get the Balachander touch in this movie. Maybe I should watch more movies of his to understand that (which I am obviously going to). 


Rating - 3/5 
(Just for the factors I liked, which I have mentioned in the last paragraph).

Naaduvazhikal - Joshi's action blockbuster...

Movie - Naaduvazhikal (Malayalam).
Director - Joshi
Producer - Seven Arts
Cast - Madhu, Mohanlal, Devan, Murali, Babu Namboothiri, Thilakan, Janardhanan, Roopini, Sithara, Vijayaraghavan, Aziz, Manian Pillai Raju, Jagathy Sreekumar
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues - SN Swamy
Music - Shyam
Cinematography - Jayanan Vincent
Editing - K Sankunni
Release Year - 1989.


Naaduvazhikal is an immensely popular action movie by hit-maker Joshi released during the latter half of the 80s, when the movie's leading man, Mohanlal, had already become a superstar. The movie is heavily inspired the Hollywood classic 'The Godfather'. Even though other languages have had their own adaptations of Godfather, I cant think of any other movie which has adapted that classic movie into Malayalam so well before and after this one. Madhu is Vito Corleone here and Mohanlal is Michael Corleone. And the scheming family of villains is played by Devan and Murali here with the help of Babu Namboothiri and Jagathy Sreekumar. Madhu also has his own men who stand by him and his son, no matter what, including Janardhanan, Thilakan and Kuthiravattam Pappu. 


The story begins showing Mohanlal's student life in Bangalore with all the vibrancy of the city captured in a great song, the only song in the movie, 'Ravin Poonthen ' set to tune by Shyam. That song is still played repeatedly on television and radio. Such is its popularity. The story then moves on to Madhu's arrest and Mohanlal taking control over the family business. The villains plotting against both Madhu and Mohanlal, etc. Mohanlal, is a gentle, easy-going person, who has no idea about his father's businesses and enemies and is pulled into all this due to Madhu's arrest. He tries his level best to free his father. But the Chekkudi family (Devan, Murali) keep torturing him with lots of troubles. All this culminates in a great tragedy for the family and how Mohanlal takes his revenge forms the rest of the story. 


One thing which I found odd was that the reason for Madhu's arrest is never explained. Though they give an excuse that it is a political arrest and Madhu was framed, they never say the exact reason. Since the arrest is such a crucial point in the movie's story, they should have explained it more than this. But otherwise, the writing from SN Swamy, is perfect. The pace, the lines and the twists which are absolute requirements for an action flick like this are all there in plenty. SN Swamy was one among the most popular writers then for action movies like this. Especially after Irupathaam Noottandu and Oru CBI Diarykkurippu. But his writing skills have deteriorated very much in recent days. 


There is nobody to beat Joshi at making action entertainers in Malayalam Cinema. Most of his movies already have blockbuster material in them, and end up being blockbusters as well. He has been doing this from his 'Moorkhan' days till the biggest hit in Malayalam Cinema, 'Twenty 20' last year.  There have been only very few instances where his movie has turned out bad. Otherwise, he stays true to his description 'Hit-Maker' most of the time. In this movie also, he has completely done justice to SN Swamy's great script and has extracted great performances from the huge cast. 


Madhu plays Ananthan, a man who had his share of life in the world of crime, but is now turning over a new leaf. But he will do anything for his people, which lands him in trouble with the Chekkudy brothers - Devan and Murali, who play typical villains. Mohanlal plays Arjun, Ananthan's son who studies in Bangalore. His role goes through a lot of twists and turns. He is an easy-going guy who enjoys his life in Bangalore with his friends, car, bikes, girlfriend and a couple of beers every day. From that, he is suddenly brought to Kerala where he has to take up all the family's responsibilities. His gentleness in the beginning slowly goes away and he shows that he in Ananthan's son, towards the interval. Then he begins to resolve all the problems that has been happening to their family and finally goes wild when a tragedy happens. Rupini plays Mohanlal's lover in Bangalore. Sithara plays his sister. Both of them have very small roles and they do it well. Other supporting actors include Janardhanan, Pappu, Manian Pillai Raju, Jagathy Sreekumar, Prathapachandran, Vijayaraghavan, etc. One who deserves a special mention is Thilakan. He plays a comic character, quite different from his usual roles. He plays a person who goes on boasting about his contacts in the government and police and ends up making a fool out of himself. Very nice characterization and Thilakan, as usual, does a great job. 


The cinematography by Jayanan Vincent is great. The colorful life in Bangalore is captured very well in the song. And during one of the stunt scenes, which is shot in Hotel Chola Sheraton, Chennai, the camerawork and editing is brilliant, all under Joshi's able direction. The one song by Shyam is a superhit. The background score is also apt for the movie's mood and theme. But we miss a signature tune like that of Irupathaam Noottandu or CBI Diary. I saw this movie playing on TV yesterday. By seeing one scene itself, I decided I had to watch the movie again. But since the telecast on TV would be interrupted with advertisements at all possible excuses, I saw the movie from the cd I had with me. And I was completely hooked till the whole movie got over. The movie was made exactly 20 years back and still manages to hold your attention throughout, which many movies that are coming out now are not able to do. Joshi still makes blockbuster movies with each superstar, and also made one with all the superstars. This week, yet another Joshi film is releasing. And he has gone for the younger group of actors from Malayalam, Prithviraj, Jayasurya and Narein in his new film Robin Hood. Hope it is yet another blockbuster from the master director. 


People would think what this commercial action film is doing in the classics section. This section is generally for old movies that I have enjoyed tremendously. I share my view points on those movies in this section. This movie was a superhit then and is still immensely popular, which is why I have included it in this section. This movie was in the news 2 years back, when Shankar was making Sivaji in Tamil, supposedly inspired by this movie, which of course, was false news. 

Pranamam - A Bharathan classic.

Movie - Pranamam (Malayalam)
Director - Bharathan
Producer - Joy Thomas
Cast - Mammootty, Suhasini, Ashokan, Vineeth, Babu Antony, Nedumudi Venu, KPAC Lalitha
Music - Ouseppachan
Cinematography - Venu
Story, Lyrics - Bharathan
Screenplay, Dialogue - Dennis Joseph
Release Date - 24th October 1986
DVD available on - Moser Baer (With Subtitles)


This is the classics revisited section where I would like to post my reviews of some old wonderful movies I've seen. I just watched this movie Pranamam by Bharathan on DVD yesterday and felt that I had to write about it. It is a pretty famous movie, like most of Bharathan's movies are. But i feel, most of the people of my age group are unaware of this movie which handles a theme which is very relevant even now. The movie is against the use of drugs and shows what all are the dangers of using them. The story is by the director himself supported with a very nice screenplay by famous writer Dennis Joseph. Venu supports with great visuals through his cinematography.


The story goes like this - Usha, played by Suhasini is a journalist. She decides to write an article on drug abuse by college students and does a photo feature on the issue. The article gets published and creates a sensation. The students who appeared in the photos are suspended from their college. One of them, who was good at studies and all, tries to commit suicide due to shame and gets admitted in the hospital. The college students go into a rebellion against the newspaper and creates a lot of problems, which are solved temporarily by Inspector Prathapan played by Mammootty. While Suhasini leaves for her house due to the problem, the gang of those students who got suspended (Ashokan, Vineeth and 2 others) kidnap her. They lock her up inside a house, torture her throughout and even inject drugs into her hand. How she changes the mindset of these 4 guys while staying in that house under their custody forms the rest of the story. 


The movie tackles a very socially relevant theme. The scenes where the students take drugs are picturised very realistically(considering the movie was made in 1986). The Bharathan touch, is very evident in the movie. The movie is very bold and he doesnt shy away from portraying violence as it is. No other director would have dared to shoot the scene where Suhasini is tortured the way it is shot in this film. He brings out the script onto the screen effectively and gets brilliant performances from each of the cast members. The visualization of the song 'Thaalam Maranna Thaaraattu' is beautiful. One would feel like crying instantly when you see that song. The art direction inside Ashokan's house is wonderful. Full of posters and all kinds of crazy stuff, you can find in such a person's house. The placement of his mother's photographs also are a good touch. One shot where Suhasini smiles at him and leaves to reveal his mother's photograph behind is a brilliant touch. 

As far as performances go, Suhasini as Usha has the major role and shines in a role which is tailor-made for her. She is the protagonist of the movie and it is her story. She delivers a great performance. Mammootty as Prathapan was quite impressive. I didnt like his acting style in most of the movies in the 80s. But this one was totally different. He played a police officer with a cool attitude and a good sense of humor. And the thing to be appreciated is that, he was just a supporting character to Suhasini and the other 4 kids. Yet, he took up this role and shined in it. Ashokan as Damu is an example of brilliant casting. He performs the eccentric character with ease. He does extremely well in the scenes where his character becomes really violent as well as in scenes where his sad past comes into picture. Good characterisation by the writer also. Vineeth plays the goody-goody boy again. Something which was usual for him during those years. (Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal, Nakhakshathangal,etc.). He also does very well. It was very funny to see today's great dancer dancing very oddly to a disco song. :P Other value additions to the cast were Nedumudi Venu, who is always brilliant. He plays a small role as Suhasini's father. But one person who comes for just one scene and leaves a huge impact is KPAC Lalitha (Bharathan's wife as well). She plays Vineeth's elder sister who comes to see him and give him a piece of her mind after knowing about the article. I had tears in my eyes when I saw her crying for him. She's such a wonderful actress. Babu Antony also plays an impressive role of the leader of the protest against the newspaper. His role is quite comic in nature and he has some great scenes with Mammootty. 
There are a lot of funny scenes in the movie as well. Including the ones during the protest, along with Babu Antony and Mammootty. The concept of 'Relay Satyagraham' was brilliant. Lol. If Gandhiji had seen this, he would have died once again. :P But it was really funny. 


The songs are also beautiful. Ouseppachan who was brought into cinema by Bharathan does a great job. The first song 'Thalirilayil ' shows how Suhasini prepares her photo feature. The sentimental song 'Thaalam Maranna Thaaraattu' by MG Sreekumar is a soulful number which evokes a sad feeling in you. Beautiful lyrics as well. The visualization of this song by Bharathan can show you what exactly is the famous Bharathan touch. :) If he had done this way back in in 1986, imagine what all he could have done if he were alive now. :(. The final song, 'Kadalilagi Karayodu Cholli ' is wonderful and is the best of the lot. It has Krishnachandran, MG Sreekumar and Lathika on vocals. The song comes towards the end of the movie and is picturised very well again. 


I didnt quite like the ending of the movie. I was loving it the way it was going. I couldnt digest the sudden and shocking ending. Maybe thats what the director wanted. He might have wanted everyone to be in a state of shock while watching that scene. It makes a point as well. Even if you think you have resolved all the problems caused by drugs, it just wouldnt get over like that. It shows how much damage drugs can do to your own life and others' lives as well. But still, I would have preferred a much more sober ending, because of the movies I'm used to watching. :) 


But this is seriously a movie that has to be watched by everyone. The younger as well as the older generation (I'm hoping that most of the older generation people would have seen this movie) should make it a point to watch this one. Such is the kind of movies Malayalam Cinema used to have. Bold, hard-hitting, powerful movies. In fact, this movie has all the potential to be remade even now, in any language and it would still be relevant. I would advise all of you to watch this movie whenever you get a chance. Its available on DVDs from Moser Baer at a cheap rate of Rs.45. And it has subtitles as well. So my non-Malayali friends can watch it as well. Its totally worth it.