LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha

I haven't seen any of Dibakar Banarjee's previous films - "Oye Lucky Lucky Oye" & "Khosla Ka Khosla" yet. But I have heard good about them. I saw "LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha" last night... and talking about the movie, I'd say, its truly an ingenious work. I've seen several POV (point of view) films such as .REC & Paranormal Activity. But this one.. this LSD... totally blew me away. Acting is surprisingly flawless, even though all the actors are newbies. Visuals are authentic as hell. Overall, an important Indian movie. Its disturbing too. A film that no one can ignore. Direction is... too damn GREAT!! Dibakar Banarjee is a true genius!! And I'm looking forward to watch his previous flicks.

Watch it!! You will never regret!!! 9/10

The intriguing part of the film is its found footage genre. One rarely sees experiment in Bollywood. And that's why the film should be watched once. The film does not have any big star and involves new actors due to which the film gives a feeling of reality. The film is divided into three stories justifying the title. All three stories are awesome and the way that they are linked is more amazing. This is another masterpiece from Dibakar Banerjee.

PROS:

The screenplay is good so no matter what, you are bound to sit once you have started the film. The acting by all is satisfactory. All three stories have been given full attention and full development. The found footage shooting was good. Dibakar is one promising director currently.

MESSAGE: "You got to be sharp and smart or you become victim."

VERDICT: "A must watch Bollywood film."

When Johnny Gaddar came out three years ago I had got a feeling that Indian Cinema is beginning to come of age. It was executing scripts which were never written before. Soon scripts like Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Gulaal, Dev D, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Rock on!, Ishqiya, Taare Zameen Par, Black Friday etc had the cake of Indian Cinema nicely baked. Love, Sex Aur Dhokha is almost like an icing on that cake. You can safely say Indian Cinema has come of age and is never gonna look back to the Star system (read Khan System) and the Yash – Barjatya house of melodrama. Even if that will continue to sell more is irrespective.

Still let me point out LSD is not an original its style and premise is copied from Adam Rifkins Look.

Nevertheless, Whats the fuss ? Unfortunately I cannot reveal how LSD unrolls itself and I would suggest you go into the theater expecting nothing. Please do not read any reviews from any national dailies critics they just end up revealing just too much.

So whats the bottom line: Dibakar Banerjee undertakes a biting satire study of the growing fascination of the Indian Middle class with the camera whether it is the MMS scandals, or the umpteen sting operations. Just Like OLLO he takes a heavy dig at the media, the mentality of the Indian middle class and even our fascination with sting operations and voyeur sex.

The beauty of the film lies in the fact that it is actually shot in the first person point of view. Through your web cams, through your hand held, through your Security cams etc.

It must have been difficult to shoot like that but it must have been even more difficult to get the emotions of the characters on screen through to the audience when there are no dramatic camera angles, no mid shot and no extreme close up to shoot. Dibakar however manages the perfect mix of these shots using in most cases a still camera. You feel heavily for his motley crew of characters as they feel happy or totally disoriented in the emotionally heavy (read shocking) script.

That's where the most superlative cast I have ever seen comes on screen. At times you get the feeling Dibakar might have just let them play themselves and left his handy cam on. I don't remember any name but each of them are plain brilliant there's is just no other adjective to describe them.

There is also the most perfect concoction of Humour, Romance, Mind Numbing Violence, Biting satire, strong emotion and sex in the script. To top it Dibakar just refuses to switch off the camera even when you are cringing for the visual to stop. Once the camera's REC button is switched on you better be ready to sit through everything!!

And of course for Delhi lovers lets make no mistake, the typical Delhi characters which is trademark Dibakar with their "Behenchods" and "Oye Haan Jee Haan" are all back with the kick ass Bhangra score

Watch out for the Typical Delhi Office store clerk in the Sex episode who goes with sentences like "Waah Waah Badi Nehru Market Lag Rahi Hai"

Final Verdict : Go watch it and remember this is where Indian Cinema has finally caught up with its international counterparts.

Special Mention for the Item number " I cant hold it any longer" . Just pay attention to the lyrics and the chorus which actually goes "FO… FO… FO… FO"

I would have given it a 10/10 but for the fact that it is copied from LOOK.

Dibakar Banerjee after cult Khosla Ka Ghosla and smart Oye Lucky Lucky Oye tries something very different and he succeeds by a distance. The three stories narrated through cameras that are actually part of the story gives movie a authentic feel. The first story takes its own time to grab your attention and ends you making silent. Second story is best in narration, acting and impact. Third story is the weakest of the three but at the end when all three stories club together is seamless. The song at the end of the movie helps multiply the impact of the movie. The entire cast is new but very convincing.

It is brave, disturbing, path breaking and changing face of bollywood cinema.

It is easy to review a movie; they say. In many ways it is. We go for movies, we feel inspired, awed, touched, redeemed etc. Our plethora of the abstract is bolstered by the very existence of the notion that beyond our daily weariness there is a world of cinema, where people make movies and we can be entertained.

Then there are those who are part of the 'Divulge' process. This would only happen if you have every attempted to catch something on camera; not accidentally but intentionally. Staged it; you framed it, cut it & displayed it. We so called Movie Buffs love criticizing the effort and all that the Film Maker wasn't able to accomplish in comparison to the IMDb Top Ranked Movies.

I once had an interview at RGV factory to work as an unpaid intern; which I had to decline due to academics. Then, I remember boasting to my interviewer of my ability to take a scene and give him at least seven different ways of shooting it. We all are self made maestros in some way or the other. Movies being something we relate to, we are sure we could've done a better job.

Today I saw a movie called Love, Sex & Dhoka. Today I do not need to talk about Tarantino, Kubrick or Goddard. Today, I want to talk about Dibakar Banerjee. A director who has taken Indian movies to a pedestal where neither European Maestros, Spanish Cinematographers, Iranian Script Writers or British Actors could go.

He nailed his script with Khosla ka Ghosla. He nailed his screenplay in Oye Lucky Oye. Now he nails his content with LSD. The movie is cinema at its best. It tells us that we do not need exploding cars or flaming superstars to make good movies. We need brilliant performances; and this movie has the best I have seen.

I was almost in tears in the start, I laughed at every joke of the movie, the thrills were superlative, the dialogues were a level above Pulp Fiction, the flow was gripping and the movie is without doubt the best movie I have seen in a long time. It is bold as Da Vinci, dark as a Grimm Fable, as real as the summer sun and as detailed as a Wordsworth poem about majestic beats worked upon in the workshops of the abyss.

Many would question my perspective on the movie but those who know me well would have guessed by now I do not want to reveal anything. But I ask you to go watch it; see what goes into a movie when all you have is the will to entertain, inspire, awe, bevel the audience with humour, strike the emotions with subtle romance and most of all give us a glimpse of film making that would certainly go down in history as a continuation of the legacy that compounds all the talent, previously baptized as Ray, Kurusawa, Kubrick and at least for this movie – this moment Dibakar Banerjee.

My rating 4.5 stars out of 5.