jkysharma

It's hard to tell if the original draft by Cajetan Boy (credited with the idea) explored the various facets of brotherhood. Given Bharadwaj's Shakespearean leanings, it is likely that they are his own. After multiple viewings, this aspect of Kaminey gains more prominence than any other and that includes the more exalted - Bharadwaj's TarantinoRitchiesque approach to the screenplay, Shahid Kapoor's research behind the execution of the speech defects, Amol Gupte, Priyanka Chopra and Dhan Ta Nan. The elderly Bengali brothers Mujeeb and 'Fumon' are avuncular in their adoration of Mikhail who prefers Charlie's company much like Charlie himself. The estranged twins, Charlie and Guddu must exorcise their childhood demons before they can patch up things between them. The cops Lobo and Lele are a Vega brothers-like (Tarantino's unfulfilled project with Travolta and Madsen playing their characters from Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs) couple, gun touting and cool in a crisis. Also, Lele's devotion seems matchless until it is tested. And then there's Bhope Bhau who inspires a fraternity that lasts as long as notions of lucrative gain remain with his 'baarat'.

Vishal Bharadwaj's flair for dialogue that alternates between pithy modern-day aphorisms and poetry ("kare woh, bhare main") is evident here too, although it is much toned down in comparison to Maqbool and Omkara. 'Bhanwara aaya re ... phatak' and 'Pehli baar mohabbat ki hain' are examples of his musical and poetic abilities.

The most awaited film of the year, Public Enemies, is a Michael Mann crime film. None among his peers are as adept at making crime dramas (with a particular tendency towards bank heists) as Mann. With films like Manhunter, Heat and Collateral Mann has established himself as a master of this genre. His latest, Public Enemies harks back to the time of the 1931-34 crime wave at its peak during the Depression Era, now dubbed the Public Enemy Era.

A discussion of the film hinges entirely on two novelties here. Filmed with a High Definition camera (Dante Spinotti), the cinematography alternates between whirlwinds of activity - almost as if trying to keep track of the heady and adrenaline-filled periods in the lives of John Dillinger and the other Public Enemies, and shots of the principal characters from close quarters, again coming across as attempts to gain admission. The second stems from the fact that Mann's film is based on a non-fiction book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 by Brian Burrrough. It shows. The play of events on screen feels factual. The drama is very much present but lacks the choices-conflicts-decisions that made Heat and Collateral memorable, partly because the characters here are historical and we know what eventually happened to each of them. They are novelties for sure. A step forward for cinema in that this can serve as a model for dramatizing whilst documenting slices of history. As a result though, the nature of the participatory viewing the movie elicits is primarily of a technical nature, an invitation to be part of the ride. This has its bearing on every other aspect of the film.

The leads Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are perfect for their parts. Depp's John Dillinger is as steeped in fact as the film itself and benefits considerably from the tone of the film, designed to make the audience react to his character in much the same way that America did. The role requires him to be a star on-screen and fully conscious of it. A suave Depp pulls this off with aplomb; his every exploit is achieved with a swagger. That he fleshes out the other aspects of Dillinger is credit both to him and the script. Bale meanwhile, adds his reliability to the film, playing Melvin Purvis in a manner that isn't as straight- forward as seems. It is a consummate performance from an actor whose portrayals never overshadow his films and who seems to be an ace with accents, both traits prevalent here. Marion Cotillard is a different proposition from her turn in La Vie En Rose. In keeping with the Mann tradition, a supporting cast is well picked and delivers performances that don't sink with the weight of the leads. Elliot Goldenthal, whose score for Heat garnered praise, captures the thrill of the heists and the getaways. However, the score suffers from banality when the narrative lapses into drama.

Ultimately, Public Enemies' experimental nature makes it difficult for it to be judged completely now. In all likelihood, it might turn out to be a film that grows with time with certain aspects gaining greater acceptance in the future. I'm tempted to say bravo Mann.

Quiteliterally Love - Aaj - Kal, Imtiaz Ali's take on loves-lovers past and present is a good follow-up to Jab We Met. Any notions of the film being merely an exercise in comparison are dispelled before halftime. Jai (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera (Deepika Padukone) have to go through their respective dreams of working for Golden Gate Inc. and doing restoration work to monuments in Dilli before realizing their need for one another. The theme of bridges isn't bandied about on screen (the title has the Golden Gate adorning it) but presented with subtlety; their metaphorical nature - Jai is well into 'building bridges' with Veer Singh (Rishi Kapoor, so effortless that the role hints at a palpable danger of his being typecast in the future) - is driven home with clarity. In short, the crucial ingredients that made people susceptible in the decades past to falling headlong into love - deprivation and finding access to one's partner difficult - are the missing pieces for the modern couple too. Almost as if a work of art was finding itself, the film heaves an audible sigh, relieved that not much has changed over the years.

About the pair then. Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone have zero natural chemistry and far from being a detractor, it adds to the experience - it makes their on-screen vibes seem very appealing. Indian filmmakers dealing with love stories go to great lengths in casting the lead pair and try to derive much of the chemistry from the pair itself. None of that here. Imtiaz has worked at extracting performances from the duo making them seem every inch a couple by dint of putting them at ease with each other and also by the play of events.

Love Aaj Kal holds testimony to the comfort levels Indian filmmakers have established with cinematographic techniques (Natarajan Subramaniam, here) in the past decade. Experimenting yet but there are genuine indicators here to the control they have over the same. The period pieces don't feel overdone. The songs (Pritam) could have added more to the film and only two of them (Chor Bazaari and Dooriyan) register.

All these are packaged into just-about-two-hours making for a crisp movie. For that alone, Imtiaz deserves applause.