Aarakshan

ha! i saw Aarakshan yesterday. i was expecting some thrill and political drama.it is there but only 10%, I'm not gonna recommend this film to any one. specially no need to theater.and if u like family drama and if u r not interested in any AARAKSHAN type of stories.u may watch this movie. Movie is all about Mr.bacchan.and he has done a very good job, deepika and saif were good. in first half an hr movie goes very very slow with unnecessary songs. after that, till interval it gets more slow. but after an interval movie speed like...more slow.Movie takes speed when people running out of theater.

STORY : story was so so. (5/10) DIALOGS : too much! (4/10) ACTING : every one was awesome (9/10) Speed : very boring ... too slow (2/10) TITLE : Nothing about arakshan (1/10) SONGS : so irritating .. (1/10)

As an American (now living in America, despite my profile), I occasionally go to Indian movies to sort of clear my head and watch a story told in a completely different way than most American movies. For this purpose, Aarakshan fit the bill just fine. In the controversy over the school entry quota, there was an obvious parallel to the controversy over affirmative action quotas in the U.S.

The story did drag on and on a bit. The bad guys, particularly the vice principal, were a bit too over-the-top evil, and the noble persecuted principal stuck to his guns so firmly that at some point (specifically at the point where he sent the boys away rather than invite them to help him tutor the poor children) he went from principled to sort of stubborn and stupid.

A few other random thoughts that distracted me during the movie: The "American" accent, if that's what it was supposed to be, of the Cornell professor was truly lamentable. I laughed, I grimaced. It was awful.

In the scene where Sushant orders two coffees, it appears that the waitress delivers two glasses of milk.

The actor who played Prabhakar Anand, the university president, seemed too young for the character he played; the one who played low-caste love interest and firebrand student Deepak Kumar looked decidedly too old, especially when compared with the character of Sushant, who I assume was supposed to be the same age and who looked age-appropriate. I also found that "Deepak Kumar" looked gym-toned in a way that was attractive, but detracted from the verisimilitude of his character ... and a further distraction was that to me he bears a strong resemblance to American comedian Robin Williams!

Well, I told you these would be random comments. I did more or less enjoy watching the movie as a way to pass the afternoon, but it was no profound experience.

How many times do you go to watch a movie with no or zero expectations... Never. There is always an acid test a filmmaker needs to go through for any movie. And even with Aarakshan, there would always be parallels drawn with Prakash Jha's Raajneeti. Although , quite a different subject and even if we don't compare this with his biggies like Gangajal, Apaharan and Raajneeti, still, Aarakshan is a 3 hour long duel filled with illogical set pieces, spineless storytelling and inappropriate casting that fails to convince and is impressive. Decent performances by Big B and Saif ,saves the day even as Mr.Jha fails to bring out a "Karaara Jawaab" like stellar performance from Manoj Bajpai.. Prateik Babbar hams a lot and needs to hone his linguistic skills and voice modulation ,though I strongly believe the lad will go a long distance. Deepika is simple and sober and the performance or whatever little we saw is fine.

The movie is very confusing in itself and it seems the director isn't sure what he wants to portray, a documentary, social drama,or just a comment on just the education culture. The first half shows how the long nurtured relations are destroyed and castrated even as the winds of reservation sweeps the nation ,but there's always a disconnect with the viewer and the emotions just don't come out gracefully. Although there are definitely some high voltage power packed sequences between Babbar and Saif and Saif and BigB /Bajpai..but the movie turns out to be a lecture in disguise. Even as you hope that the second half would bring in a spark of brilliance ,what you get is an inept story that dwindles to solving personal vendettas and one incessantly keeps staring at his watch as the movie drags on.. The movie deserves a 2/5 with an advice of Watch it only if you Must..or watch only if you have Quashed Each of your Desire (QED) { a mathematical formula that filmmaker has turned into a joke}

This is precisely the kind of movie that should come out of the part of Bollywood that thrives on making real movies. Movies that don't have massive explosions or heroes beating up thousands of villains or dancing with 50 people on the beaches of Sydney or in night clubs. In the hands of a director with good vision this could have become one of the top movies of the year. But instead with some bollywood clichés and melodrama the movie sinks into mediocrity, but with one saving grace.

This is an actor's movie, a thespian's movie so the casting of Amitabh and Manoj was a clever move. Amitabh can be forgiven for starring in rubbish like Buddha Hogaya Tera Baap or some stupid movie where he's dancing with and romancing girls less than a third of his age. His performance as a teacher is highly credible and his purity is equally matched by Manoj's sleaziness. It would be hard to find anyone better than these two men when it comes to proper acting. Nasserudin Shah, Om Puri and Nana Patekar are the only others I can think of.

Saif Ali Khan gives a subdued performance but it's not bad. Sadly he doesn't look very convincing as a Dalit and no amount of makeover can take off the bollywood glamour shine that always surrounds him. He was miscast here. Deepika was decent. There's another poster who was complaining about her Hindi or her acting skills but I find that she's one of the rare few young women out there who can act and she's getting better each time.

While the upside was the casting of Amitabh and Manoj the downside was the script and character development. The topic of "untouchables" and rights is a serious issue and it deserved to be treated with respect and given the center of attention, something Prakash Jha failed to do. Instead the focus goes on Amitabh's woes and troubles and his enmity with an increasingly sleazy Manoj which took it away from the main issue. Even the underlying sub theme of ministers abusing the value of education for their profit was briefly touched upon and then forgotten so that we, the audience, could anguish over where Amitabh was going to live. The hordes of students that he suddenly starts teaching nonstop becomes a silly competition between him and Manoj's venture, a typically stupid Bollywood melodramatic move. The ending is a huge let down, contrived to give it a feel good moment. Yet, the main issue is never once broached nor resolved.

Despite my negativity I'd still recommend the movie for several reasons: Amitabh and Manoj's acting, and the lack of numerous typically cheesy song and dance numbers. I sincerely hope that another, more focused director tackles this sensitive issue and gives it more consideration with a more driven story and scope. Look at Black Friday. That was a brilliant movie with little commercial success but that wasn't the aim of the director of that gem. He stuck to the main issue and there's no reason why another director can't do the same with this topic.

Prakash Jha is one filmmaker who doesn't mind taking controversial topics & this time too he has succeeded in adapting a relevant topic on screen.

Amitabh Bachchan & Manoj Bajpai are terrific with their characters & portrayals. Deepkia Padukone & Saif Ali Khan add to the fervor. Supporting cast supports well. I am mesmerized by the intuitive fast- paced screenplay for a drama without cutting the lines short. Music is apt & there is no single moment where it attenuates. With all the college atmosphere & the grave state of education system in India just makes it too interesting.

Personally, I enjoyed the whole movie which also is emotional, dramatic, romantic & lovable at times. Except for the foggy climax & the feeble conclusive plot lines, I rate it a good 8.4 out of 10.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly Recommended to youngsters & adults alike if they are looking for an answer on the education system in India. Not that it answers brightly, but you will enjoy for sure.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity: Mild | Sex/Nudity/Porn/Smoking/Alcohol: No | Violence: Strong | Gore: No