In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones

I voted 10 on 10 cause this is the movie which shows what SPA (formely NIA)is. I have spent 5 long years of my life at the prestigious institution and so has Sahil and Kuber above. Well Kuber is another Annie in making, cause he got to spend 8 years. When i saw the movie for the first time in my first year i though that the movie is too far fetched and stuff like that does not happen, but now i know that the movie is so close to all our lives and most bit of it is true. The ego clash between Radha / Annie and faculty (for entirely different reason in both cases). The helplessness and above all the coolness. The weird Couple, Lakes, each character is true. We could even relate to each of the characters from within our own batch, i hope others like the movie too.

A wonderful movie based on the lifestyle of students of School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and the relationship they share with the faculty and staff of the institution. Things are pretty much the same even now as its shown in the movie though the amazing technological advancements have changed the lives to a great extent. But the psyche is still the same and will be same forever. Anyone related to architecture in any form will surely enjoy the movie. The story revolves around Anand Grover nicknamed Annie and his experiences in the institution. How his friends help him complete his degree in the college shows the way things actually work in the college even today.

My heart goes out to people who love art this much.

Just imagine the era when this was made, so ahead of time.

The story is manifold, intelligent, dark, humorous, smart and intriguing , all at the same time.

It showcases how in the early 90s hostels and institutes used to operate. How when you are young, you have dream in your eyes to be different; to change the world.. and eventually hunger and materialism teaches you the reality. There are so many characters and each one has been given enough appearances and lines to establish themselves and boy did they do it beautifully. It takes you on a ride, a wild and bold one, yet it's a happy movie , there are no twists or unnatural shocks to gain the audience's attention, it's a very simple heart-warming movie. It flows like a river, little ebs and turns here and there but rest it just is!

Just a small intro on how the TV situation in India was in 1989 when this film was released on TV. We had one channel (two in Metros) that was supposed to educate/entertain/family planning/national integration/news/sports/movies/foreign movies/grammys/Oscars, you name it. To say the least it was boring most of the time with the prime slots used up by Krishi Darshan (program to educate the farmers on better crops, farming techniques, fertilizers, water harvesting, crop diseases and what not discussed by three people sitting stoic among TV cameras and around a coffee table). There used to be a late night movie once a week (foreign or Indian) and every other time it used to be cancelled and no reason given for the same.

Anyway, once while I was flipping channels (just kidding, only one channel, remember? :) ), I saw this movie. It was one of those great college movies, not the American Pie kind, rather the American Graffiti kind. It happens in the SPA (School of Planning and Architecture) formerly NID/A Delhi. This is one movie that will inspire you to become an architect and study in a cool college. It really inspired me and I applied for Architecture (till my dad put an end to my ambitions, but that is another story).

Everything about this movie is so cool, its cast, their attitude, their life, the college/sets and the generous helping of Beatles songs (the movie is set in the 70's) makes this movie all the more endearing. The story is about a bunch of final year architecture students in SPA and how they prepare for their final year presentation.

Considering that Arundhati Roy had gone on to become a Booker prize winner and Shah Rukh Khan (who has a 2 minute cameo in the movie, his first) has gone on to become India's current number one hero, it has proved to be a star cast :) And one more thing. The movie was not interesting because we had only Krishi Dharshan in comparison. Exactly 3 years later I (and much of India) got cable and MTV and Baywatch. A few years after that I got the VCR tape of the movie. I still loved the movie and watched it title to title a number of times again and introduced my friends to it too.

Pradip Kishen and Arundhati Roy's 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' takes place during the mid 70s at an elite School of Architecture. The film really has an authentic look and proves to be a fine depiction student life. Even though it's set in the 70s and a lot has changed since (what with modern technology, telecommunications etc), the essence of student life is still the same. The interactions with friendships, classmates, teachers and the people who come and go in your life... nothing much has changed regarding that. Not only is Roy's writing first rate (no wonder she goes on to become an accomplished writer) but her acting is brilliant too. I wonder how much she and her character Radha have in common and how much of the film is based on her own experience. The rest of the actors do a decent enough job (note appearances by Shahrukh Khan and Manoj Bajpai). On the technical side, the lighting and sound design are quite poor. The cinematography is interesting. Overall, Roy created an authentic slice of student life that definitely stands tall among the supposed collegeflicks Hollywood and India churn out these days.