Smooth As Silk!!!!

Long back Thai Airways had adopted "Smooth As Silk" as their commercial tagline. Those who know me as an aviation freak would think this post is about Thai Airways. No it isn't! (Sorry to disappoint aviation freaks!)

This post is all about Vidya Balan in her role as Silk in the latest Bollywood blockbuster, The Dirty Picture, which succinctly depicted the life of the southern star, Silk Smitha.

When Vidya made her Bollywood debut in the 2004 hit, Parineeta, I could tell that there was something about her acting that was unique. She got into the character of Lalita making the movie feel real.

Many men were actually smitten by her then. A close friend jovially remarked that she was the ideal "marriage material"!!!! I certainly did not go that far but I too did admire her a lot!
Then came Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which I saw on a DVD when I was travelling to Satara in January 2008. She played the role of a woman, suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder to perfection! She deserved the Filmfare Best Actress nomination for this movie.
Then the same month, I travelled to Delhi on a Kingfisher flight. She was on the same flight, in the forward first class section. For some reason, after landing she stayed back inside the cabin, presumably waiting for the rest of her retinue, while we all deplaned -that is when I got a glimpse of her. Later at the baggage claim, she waited, fidgeting with her mobile, while her bags were being collected. She looked stylish, pretty and quite slender but was quite conscious of all the attention she, the "Parineeta-wali", was getting - that forced her put on her shades.
She acted in a few movies after that but was majorly panned for her dressing style, after which came Ishiqya, which saw this southern belle getting into the role of crafty, expletive-spewing North Indian widow, who manipulated two horny crooks, played by Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi to make her ends meet. And "Ch...ium Sulphate" became the essential part of the expletive folklore!
Paa was next, which again proved that she had it in her - the ability to play non-conventional roles with an uncanny finesse. Though I have not seen No One Killed Jessica, I am told she did pack in quite a punch. By any stretch of imagination, the glamdolls and size-zeros of Bollywood could not have done even half of what she had rightfully achieved.
And this week, The Dirty Picture, a biopic on the southern siren, Silk Smitha, opened to rave reviews and record breaking collections. The portrayal of Silk was not only brutally honest to the character but was also replete with the typical 1980s' heaving bosoms and thunder thighs. From a viewer's perspective Vidya performed brilliantly, just as smooth as silk!
And already I can visualise Vidya Balan "Ooh La La-ing" her way to presentation ceremonies at award functions.

A 5 on 5 for Raajneeti!

Neeti and I just got back from watching "our" movie last night, or perhaps early this morning.

Yes, Raajneeti was a much awaited movie for us, just because that's what both of us are called by our folks and pals.

The movie is eyeball riveting, astounding and gripping in every second that it was played.

The movie bares what goes on behind the spiel of our politicians, how we are manipulated or rather goaded into believing what suits our politicians.

All this, in the name of the supreme national interest, which is some kind of fantasy woven around a pack of lies.

And, we the gullible citizens of India fall for it at each stage.

At unexpected moments, some or the other character in the movie is bumped off. If you look back at Indian political history, you would also tend to suspect whether a few deaths were actually accidental or were they engineered.

Prakash Jha's painstaking research was actually paid off by his flawless depiction of intra-party politics and shadowy dealings of politicians. The sex and the sleaze in the movie makes you speculate about the number of skeletons (in thousands I'm sure) waiting to fall out of the cupboards of Indian politicians!

The casting was near perfect.

Nana Patekar, the real power centre, the "remote control", shapes the destiny of our characters skillfully with utmost finesse!

Manoj Bajpai is the quintessential underdog, who doesn't give up without a fight till the very end.

The icing on the cake was Ajay Devgan, who despite having few very dialogues to mouth, had an overpowering screen presence that said it all!

Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor, who despite having great potential as actors in their own right, were unsuited for the roles they played. They ended up looking more like eye-candy than anything else. In my view, Shahid Kapur would have been a bit better.

Undoubtedly, Katrina's character was modelled on Sonia Gandhi. That gait and accent was unmistakably similar.

The only flaw in the whole movie and Prakash Jha's direction was the (mis)casting of Nikhila Trikha as Bharti Rai. Perhaps someone more established would have made this character a lot more believable and powerful, at the most critical turning point of the storyline.

I felt someone like Vidya Balan would have breathed life into Bharti Rai's character. Interestingly, I feel that Vidya today is India's most under-rated actress with oodles of unrecognised potential and energy.

The end result, despite some flaws here and there, is brilliant.

Finally, we have someone who's created a work of art that stands up to the likes of 3 Idiots and Aamir Khan.

I would rate the movie at 5 on 5.

In all, it's an unmissable flick, depicting the Mahabharat of our times!