Good Night Good Morning

Making rounds of several national plus International film festivals, Sudhish Kamath's (co- written with Shilpa Rathnam) Good Night | Good Morning is an independent film about an all- night phone call between two strangers. Sudhish, an expert movie critic; fabulous host on a chat show (Hands up), goes behind the camera for the second time, with this 80 odd-minutes film.

New Years Eve in New York City, Turiya (Manu Narayan), out at a pub with his bunch of boys JC (Raja Sen), Hussein (Vasanth Santosham) plus another inebriated guy (though I'm unsure why he was needed) spot an unaccompanied Moira (Seema Rahmani). Even though the group is shunned by Moira when they approach her at the pub; upon leaving the place, Turiya (who is road-travelling with his lads) calls Moira (who is back at her hotel room). What starts as smart talk between strangers soon turns into a candid tête-à-tête about love, relationships, life and the fancy things that go with it.

The lead pair does an exceptionally competent job of enacting their director's vision to the 'T'. They are compelling, maintain consistent body languages and exude great screen presence to reach out to the audiences. Even though the characters are merely connected over phone, their chemistry shines throughout. It takes lesser time for the audience to be charmed by the duo, than it does for them to eventually fall for each other. Manu's 'Turiya' is the quintessential urbane boy - tries to say the right things, is dumbfounded when he quite often has his foot-in-his-mouth moments and turns to pals endlessly for prompts on the trickier questions. He constantly finds himself swinging between safe humor and measured clever talk, ensuring he maintains the right balance to impress (or rather not offend) the girl. Seema's 'Moira' is so relatable that I kept thinking this is EXACTLY what I would have said/done. She's confident but vulnerable, liberal but conformist. She wants to trust the guy, but remains guarded; slams him the first time he tries to make small-talk as a stranger, but almost instantly calls him back probably realizing he isn't a creep with weird fetish. Holds onto her identity, weighs her words, and flirts cautiously so as to not be perceived as easy. She goes through the same emotional roller-coaster that most of us single, new-age feminists do, secretly craving attention but being wary of any guy approaching us, thinking he is a chauvinist just like the rest, which (I quote from HITCH) "life experiences has taught, is a virtual certainty". The cameos are excellent as screen fillers, but sadly the quirks and one- liners are comparatively disappointing.

Sudhish had me bowled over at the opening credits when he decided to use jazz music score, it served the perfect momentum for the rest of the film. Without getting into much technical details, black & white scheme works perfectly to lend an old-world mystique of romances, split screen technique of showing Turiya's and Moira's settings is apt as it ensures we get to simultaneously see the reactions of both characters to a particular situation. Bingo!

The screenplay is the undisputed USP of the film. It's the usual boy-meets-girl premise but with an expertly drafted account of the varied stages of a relationship. Minute scene detailing, its backdrops, have been wonderfully thought about. My favorite bit about the movie is that it consciously restrains itself from resorting to clichés. Eg: Despite Moira's failed past, it does not put her off men completely. Even though she says she doesn't believe in love, she isn't averse to the feeling or the possibility that she could fall in love someday. When she professes that she's optimistic, makers give us reason to believe her. Another major comfort is the unabashed individuality the film maintains, taking us far away from Bollywood's brain- dead romances in which oversmart-confused boy is right, but secure-levelheaded girl is proved wrong. Apart from being delightfully entertaining, the film encourages to think - about new beginnings, 'the end', commitments, re-bound, holding up and letting go, forgiving, forgetting, the 'happily-ever-after'. In short, there is a little bit for everyone.

Reason 3 (and the most important) that made me fall in love with GNGM are the dialogues. For me personally, the headiest stimulant there ever can be, is being part of a witty, sharp conversation. GNGM gets full marks for not only keeping it absolutely real, but more so for never letting it slip away. The dialogues hold true to the vocabulary of the day, are supremely effective because they never come across as scripted, rather flow on naturally. Background score fills in nicely without being distractive, cinematography in general but in specific opening credits which briefly familiarizes trademark New York, is impressive.

Very few times do we come across a cinema that consumes you in a way that you're delighted, awed and indulged in a single shot. GN|GM is the very kind of cinema that tugs the heart for its earnest intentions and unadulterated cinematic treat. I found myself watching and re-watching some splendid scenes, from the initial awkwardness, subdued seductions, and unspoken confessions. It all feels wonderfully real that I am almost tempted to pick up the phone and have one such rendezvous of my own. Clocking at close to 77mins, Good Night | Good Morning successfully brings alive on celluloid one of my favorite sayings, 'If you won't let go of old memories, there won't be room for new ones'. For those who haven't had a chance to watch it yet, make sure you do not miss this one. Highly Recommended. - Pooja Rao, Bollyspice

This is first time i am writing a review for a movie and just for the sake of Sudish Kamath, whom i used to hate. Well let me about the Movie Good Night Good Morning simple story of a boy and a girl who engage in a phone conversation on new year's night. While speaking on phone they come across various stages of love. Performance wise everyone did their part well except one man Raja Sen,he was irritating with silly jokes. Technically one could expect nothing from these kinda movies but this movie was a surprise it was a good technically and perfectly edited. Now finally about the direction ,its really tough to direct a movie with only 5 cast members totally and Sudish has done a brilliant job, then conversation parts were well directed and the timing was perfect. Good thing about this movie is u wont fell like getting bored anywhere credits should be given to Sudish for making it an engaging movie. Rather than spending & watching some craps you can surely go for Good Night Good Morning with Zero expectation and i am sure that it wont disappoint you. Finally my apologies to Sudish Kamath I rated this movie 1 out 10 before watching it but now i have rated it what i should after watching it. so, we can expect a bigger and a better movies from Sudish Kamath in future. All The Best :)

Manu Narayan (as Turiya Omprakash) and Seema Rahmani (as Moira) - Top Notch Acting, perfect chemistry between the leads. Oh Wait! What chemistry are you talking about when they don't see each other through out the film? Yes, Even though they don't see each other, there is this Excellent chemistry between them. After watching the movie, you will definitely agree with me.Raja Sen (as JC) was fantastic. Vasanth Santhosham (as Hussein) was good. People involved in Casting - You are one of the reason for Film's Success!

Script is simple and straight and its got to be that way (as said in the film). It is well written. Dialogues are funny, touching, heartbreaking and to top it all, it is very natural and subtle. Screenplay is Brilliant and Well-etched and you become a character in the film. Credits to Writer Shilpa Rathnam and Sudhish Kamath. Direction - You got to congratulate Sudhish Kamath for choosing such a daring theme and Pulling it off in Style! Overall, Fabulous Job.

When was the last time you watched a Black & White movie? Yes, Sudhish Kamath's Good Night | Good Morning is 80% Black and White and Cinematographer Nischalakrishna Vittalanathan's work stands out. Nice Lighting and Perfect Framing. He makes the movie look Rich with the Black & White tone.

Editing by Vijay Venkataramanan, M. Venkatram and Murugesh Thevar works for me! It was Slick and Crisp. He is also another reason for movie's success. Music by Ray Guntrip Feat. Tina May | Manu Narayan & Darunam | Blues Conscience Feat. Sudeep is a Big Plus. Outstanding Background score takes the movie to another level. Costumes by Shilpa Rathnam are OK. Other crew members hard work is evident and they deserve a huge applause.

I also see a lot of Pre-Production has gone into making this film a grand success. Job well done!

Good Night | Good Morning is way better than many mainstream Indian films! It is a Writing Masterpiece. Exceptional Writing. It is a Great moment for Indian Indie-Filmmaking Fraternity. I was So happy to see everyone glued to their seats for the Q&A. That was the impact the movie had on the New Yorkers!

• Naveen Varadarajan, Behindwoods

Now this is what I cal a perfect blend of plot, direction and music. Cinema is defined by Sudhish Kamath's second venture and boy, isn't he great? The cast is wonderful especially the leads are very appealing and apt for the characters they portray.

And I loved the music used in this piece which shows you that how can a conversation become an unforgettable sex appeal factor and can drive people to do what they are looking for so long. It depicts the lonely lives of the Y generation, although the characters here are 20 something, the situation is often experienced by the Y people. Maybe the YOLO generation might despise this theory, but for a decade or so, GNGM is fabulous and real-time.

Some parts were too gaudy and fickle that's why it goes for an 8. Also, I felt the movie ended arbitrarily and they could extend it for a little 15 minutes more. Good!

I seriously recommend watching this. Buy that DVD and you will not be disappointed. It'll make a perfect Sunday afternoon.

WATCH OUT FOR: the witty one hour long conversation.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

Language: Yes | Sex: No; implied | Gore: No | Alcohol: Mild | Nudity: No, implied | Drugs: No | Mouth-Kiss: Mild

I've always had a soft spot for Richard Linklater, one of the few Hollywood directors who makes talky films. You might assume I'm talking about Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset, which are the most overtly talkative of the bunch. But Linklater has always been fascinated by words and their possibilities, from the rambling monologues of his breakthrough feature Slacker to the stoned, proud declarations by the teens in Dazed and Confused. Time and time again, Linklater gives his characters enough time to ramble, realise they're rambling and steer the conversation back to safer ground (though some of them just go on talking).

This freedom to not make sense all the time lends Good Night Good Morning, which recently showed at the Habitat Film Festival, a bracing authenticity that's perfectly in line with its subject matter. It's been directed by Sudhish Kamath, and stars Manu Narayan as Turiya (The Love Guru) and Seema Rahmani, whom some may remember rising above average material in The Loins of Punjab, as Moira. The movie name-drops Before Sunrise early on and it soon becomes clear why: the movie is an extended conversation (on phone) between two almost strangers. It beings with Turiya drunk-dialing Moira from a car; he'd met her briefly at a party in NYC a couple of hours ago. She hangs up on him, then realises she can't sleep and calls him back. You could argue that stuff like this don't happen in real life. Or you could recall the times similar things have happened and you've said "Man, this is just like in the movies…"

Turiya and Moira proceed to talk the night away. They flirt, discuss their past loves, their mistakes and future plans. Since it's their first meeting, there's also an inevitable sizing up, followed by a subtle, ever-present struggle for the upper hand. The great triumph is in the way Kamath ensures that their lines never sound like a movie conversation. These two don't have the nonchalance to look act when they say something witty – instead, they do what normal people do, and look extremely pleased with themselves. It takes great skill to write something that sounds this off-the-cuff. Too clever, and the viewer beings to question the likelihood of two strangers spitting out one-liner after one-liner at three in the morning; go too far in the other direction, and it becomes commonplace, and not worth watching. Kamath told the Habitat audience that when the movie was being scripted, he's asked his friends to do what Turiya does – dial a stranger and speak to them. He said that what they spoke didn't turn out to be important as the way their conversations unfolded, jumping from one topic to another. The dialogue in Good Night Good Morning has this same quality of leaping without looking. It's that rare screenplay which sounds like it's unscripted.

The movie's shot in black and white, though I'm not sure I can see a reason why (I can't see a reason why not, either). The leads had to be charming for it to work, and they are, Narayan with his timid overtures, Rahmani playfully knowing. The only off-note is Raja Sen as Turiya's crass buddy J.C., providing comic relief in a film that doesn't require it. The film is split- screen almost throughout, except for the flashback sequences (absent from the MAMI screening, but wisely inserted back). The actors in these sequences are always Narayan and Rahmani, no matters who the characters in question are. You could argue that the director uses this as a device to garner easy laughs. It's also possible that this is his way of indicating how potential loves always have to measure up to past ones in the beginning. In the same vein, I must return again to the reference made in the movie to Before Sunrise. Once that title was out there, it would always be a question – maybe in the back of people's minds, but there nonetheless – of whether Good Morning Good Night would measure up to it. I'm happy to say it does. - By A Fan Apart