Dhadak (2018) / Sairat (2016)

So, this review comes after I spent a Friday evening watching a much publicized and awaited film. 'Dhadak' is based on the Marathi film 'Sairat' (2016) that I was fortunate to have watched because of and with a dear friend of mine. As the story goes - it's a tale of ill fated love, of a boy from a humble background who falls for a girl from a wealthy and politically inclined family. The movie was impressive and beautifully done. The star caste, the story, the music, the cinematography were brilliant. A 5 in my books and a movie that is to be taken in on a big screen. I've watched the film twice and I've not been able to shake off the goose bumps that always run up and down my spine everytime my mind wanders towards it.

And now for 'Dhadak' ..  How many times has a movie with this storyline been done over and over (in different languages and across different time periods)? So you're definitely looking for something different, right? Then what's happening here! Oh My God, I wanted to scream. How could this have come out all wrong! An absolute disaster from the get-go. Could this be due to the much advertised fact that it's based on a brilliantly made film? 'Dhadak' was the launch pad for Jahnavi Kapoor but she just disappeared in this film. Her acting was expressionless, she came across as quite stiff to be honest, with no possibility of us, as an audience, to get with the  character that she plays. So you're left with this feeling of detachment towards Parthavi (her onscreen character). Is Jahnavi just a pretty face? Mmmm …. Ishaan Khattar was amazing on the other hand, bringing to the film light and life with his lovestruck an kohl lined eyes, his dancing and his boundless energy. The entire movie felt so limp and there wasn't that feeling of urgency, of the dread that hounds you every step of the way as it does in 'Sairat'.
Now I didn't hold much hope for the movie and my instincts weren't unfounded. So I'm glad I didn't spend the money going to the movies and coming home absolutely upset and vowing to myself that never again was I going to watch a film without reading the reviews first.
I've never been this critical of any movie on my blog, but this is one I had to write about. An absolute assault on the senses. Sorry! 

Maudie (2016)

As Maudie (Sally Hawkins) shuffles down the aisle of the little grocery shop and reaches out for the posted advertisement, she is determined to score not realizing how her life is about to change. Cursed with arthritis this little woman, all hunched over and with fingers that refuse to cooperate has not dimmed in her sunny disposition and her sense of humor. Having always lived with her family and suffocating under their constant concern, the advertised need for a housemaid is her very ticket to freedom. However her employer Everett (Ethan Hawke), a fish peddler by profession isn't easy to work for or live with bringing on new challenges. But it's only here that Maudie's able to dedicate herself to her one true passion, painting. With time this woman from Marshalltown, Iowa rises to fame with her paintings bringing her untold success; The fact that president Nixon himself is an ardent fan is proof enough. Maudie finds love and she finally sees her hovering family for what they really are. Once she unlocks the secret that has held her prisoner for most of her life she is able to come to terms with a loss that she's had to always live with.
Maudie's life is a testament of courage, love, forgiveness and of ultimately finding happiness.
This movie came to me as a breath of fresh air and deserves a 5 in my books and a resounding applause.
I loved the soundtrack that absolutely pulled at the heartstrings.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017)

The weekend at the cinemas had a dismal selection of movies to choose from. So hubby decided to book tickets for, drum rolls please, Guardians of the Galaxy - Volume 2. A fair warning to the male population of my readers that you may not like my version of the movie. In fact, I can guarantee you that. So here is the movie as seen from my eyes ...

Let's begin with the good. The 3D and special effects are awesome and the soundtracks beautiful. However, for me, it ends right there .... ✋. That was a short list eh 😕. As you're catapulted through the galaxies, there is an interesting parade of golden colored people, blue men and a green woman, a 'triangle faced monkey' and what not. However, I found baby Groot (a walking, talking, dancing sapling) cute. Let me correct that, Super cute. In a room full of testosterone, I was so lost. Guys somehow get the weird stuff unlike us romance seekers. But in all fairness the movie did have romance, mixed in with humor and topped with a generous dollop of sci-fi. 😂
I couldn't help my yawning which began quietly at first to only get progressively noisy (you would think I was sleep deprived). But I was wide awake munching caramel popcorn after the interval... Was that a ploy on hubby's behalf? Guess I'll never know. Towards the end of the movie, in the midst of all the tear shedding, I was scratching my head trying to figure out if I was meant to shed a tear or two myself.
A pat on my back for pulling on my game face and 'kind' of being on my best behavior, since hubby was so into his film. It was a little too much when after the movie I was asked if I was going to write about it.
Say what again 🙇 ... Really now??!!!🙅
Anyways, that's that on that ... Ta da ... 

A Good Year (2006)

When your memories are of a 12 year old you and are of spending vacations by the pool playing chess, stealing a smoke and sipping vintage with your uncle on a balmy day in Provence, France ... what would you have to say? I would say that is darn marvellous. So when the years fly by and Max has lost touch with his uncle, the news of Uncle Henry's (Albert Finney) death and the knowledge that he is now the sole heir to the estate and vineyard, could come as quite a shock.
Max (Russell Crowe) has built a successful life in London and Provence is a distant memory. So when he makes a trip back to take assessments and sign papers with the intent to sell, Max finds himself jogging down memory lane reminiscing about a time gone by. The whisper of a voice he once loved, the faint ruffle of the curtain by the window, the radio blaring in some corner of the house, the inviting hammock nestled in the green depths of a luscious garden ... There is a hesitancy as the memories visit and a voice calling to reason.
As Max zips by on the narrow and unknown roads in a little rental and accidentally runs Fanny (Marion Cotillard) off the road, here begins a new chapter in his life.
Will Max sell his inheritance, the old vineyard and along with it the memories? A movie about the good things in life and about making personal choices that could change the course of your life and of the generations to come.

What's with me and vineyards of late. That's two movies in a row.
Guess I love my red after all! Cheers! 

A Walk In The Clouds (1995)

Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves), a chocolate salesman, has returned home a changed man. He fought in World War II and survived the perils of war.

These experiences has now changed his perspective towards life and has given him different priorities. But unfortunately the time spent away from his wife has changed things drastically on the home front.
Paul soon heads out in search of work and while on a train journey to Sacramento his life changes forever. It's on this train that he meets Victoria Aragon (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), a university student who is returning home from school. But this is one visit she is not looking forward to! Victoria is a Catholic from a wealthy but Orthodox family and being unwed she isn't sure how she is going to break the news of her pregnancy. Ever the gentleman, Paul offers to pose as her husband and thus taking on numerous other challenges. While Victoria comes from a large family that is able to trace their roots back many generations an orphaned Paul doesn't stand much chance of winning Alberto's, Victoria's father's, approval. The family wealth comes from their vineyard that's generations old and being harvest time, Paul offers to help. He soon finds all that he has spent a lifetime searching for ...
Take a walk in the clouds, join in the grape stomping, 🍷 and discover love 💖.
This isn't the greatest of films but it's a visual treat. 

Ghost (1990)

And so the story goes .. that's the way many stories end. But not this one and this is the way I like to tell it -

Hot shot New York banker, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and the beautiful Molly (Demi Moore), a sculptor and avant garde are a couple very much in love. Theirs is a romance we all dream of having but this love story is wrought with tragedy. Sam is killed in what is believed to be a mugging and the only way to prove otherwise isn't as simple as all that. Playing detective is Sam's ghost but not alone. He seeks the help of a much sought after psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg). Here unravels a tale of love, treachery, motivated by greed and then culminates with sweet revenge.
Always a favorite with me and if I need a good boo-hoo, it's on, period!

And with goose-bumps and all The Righteous Brothers (1965) - Unchained Melody

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Now there could be only one person who would make the following introductions and still get away with it ~ "Carol the waitress meet Simon the fag". 😐 What! Ha ha ... 😂Get acquainted with Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) who has been labelled "a horror of a human being" and probably worse. A novelist living alone in upscale Manhattan, Melvin could be described as being uptight, obnoxious and stuck up. Apart from having an OCD, he is a germophobe too. Some of his many quirks include avoiding sidewalk cracks while schlepping on the busy pavements of NY, having breakfast at the same place, eating the same thing and at the very same table and with his own cutlery brought from home. As if that wasn't hard enough he insists on being served by Carol (Helen Hunt), a single mother of a child suffering from chronic asthma. Carol is the only waitress who can brave up and face the restaurant's most difficult patron.

Now Melvin's gay neighbor, Simon (Greg Kinnear), an artist by profession, is found robbed and severely injured, and until he recuperates it's Melvin who must care for his dog, Verdell - an adorable Brussels Grifon. But soon a surprised Melvin and an equally surprised Verdell are sharing some love and bacon and when Simon returns its difficult for Melvin to part with Verdell. Eventually, Melvin, an absolute angel, proves that there is a heart that beats under a cold exterior. Watch how the lives of these three charcters are gently intertwined. A beautiful tale of people from different strata of society, with equally difficult lives, all coming together to magically touch and transform the lives of the other.

 

After I first watched "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest"  I have adored Jack Nicholson ever since; proving his skills as an accomplished actor is the Academy award he won for the Best Actor in a lead role for this film way back in 1975. 👏

The Lunchbox (2013)

Somewhere in Mumbai, Ila (Nimrat Kaur) - a young housewife and a mother is in her kitchen preparing and packing lunch for her husband. Sensing a marital disconnect Ila hopes the old adage - "the way to man's heart is through his stomach", can reignite the missing spark in their relationship. She has high hopes pinned on the meal that she has labored after, with precious cooking advise from her neighbor. The dabbawala is soon on his way with the tiffin. In a freak mix-up though, the lunchbox finds its way to Saajan Fernandes desk.
Mr. Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan), a recluse and a widower, is soon to retire from his job at the insurance company where he has worked for almost 40 years. Through some quirk of fate, Saajan's dabbawala delivers a steaming, delicious tiffin for lunch. On his way home a delighted Saajan remembers to stop by the little food-joint that cooks his meals and compliments a surprised and a clueless cook on the scrumptious meal.

When Ila's husband returns after work, Ila realizes the lunchbox never made it to its intended destination. So the next day she slips in a note and thereon starts an uncanny friendship between an aging and lonely Fernandes and a young and equally lonely Ila. As the lunchbox travels from hearth to heart, over kukure bhindi, creamy koftas and other culinary surprises, this friendship soon blossoms into something more ... ! This is a story of two lonely hearts - distance and age of no consequence.

A great film with brilliant performances by the seasoned actor Irrfan Khan and the talented Nimrat Kaur!

             The secret to Mumbai's dabbawalas

A little bit of heaven (2011)

Happy-go-lucky Marley Corbett (Kate Hudson) is diagnosed with colon cancer and the devastating news tears her world apart. While under anesthesia Marley meets God and she is granted three wishes - so she chooses to fly, to win big money and the third ....!
When confronted with the prospect of death, life takes on a whole new meaning. Marley is able to mend fences with her separated parents - a hovering mother and a reserved father;
A close circle of friends form her pillars and see her through the difficult moments as her health steadily fails;
And having always run from the prospect of getting serious in a relationship, she finally falls in love!

This movie could not have turned out any better with Whoopi Goldberg in a cameo and Kate Hudson, who totally rocked. There are moments in the film that tug at the heart and you shed a few tears but what's different and positive is the celebration of love, relationships and life even in death.
There is a beautiful instrumental at the end of the movie but since I could not find that particular video, this one is close.

Sex and the City: The Movie (2008) - Auld Lang Syne

4 lifelong friends who couldn't be more different - Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) - successful writer, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) - lawyer, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) - agent for the stars and Charlotte Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) - happily married. All the four friends have been there for each other through thick and thin and this is their story ...
Carrie is dating John James Preston, aka Big (Chris Noth) for 10 years now and for practical reasons it seems the perfect time to tie the knot.
Way back when Miranda was dating Steve (David Eigenberg) she got pregnant and they got married. When Brady was born they moved to Brooklyn. But their marriage is on the line when Steve confesses to Miranda that he had an affair.
Samantha, the fiercely independent one, now knocking fifty - decides to follow Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) to the West Coast. But waiting for a man is not her cup of tea.
The only one who seems to be living her fairytale is Charlotte - she fell in love, got married and is finally pregnant.
At Big and Carrie's rehearsal dinner, an overwrought Miranda says a thing or two to Big and having been married twice before Big is spooked. It comes as a nasty surprise to Carrie when she is left waiting at the altar dressed in a couture wedding dress and no Big in sight. Jilted, humiliated and hurt this seems like the end of Carrie's and Big's love story!
But as Valentine's Day rolls around secrets are out in the open. Will there be a fairytale ending where everyone lives happily ever after?



My numero uno chick flick! Totally magical and every girl's dream - Fashion, Friendship and Love from Manhattan to Brooklyn to LA ...

Word for the day :-
narcissism - excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance

About Time (2013)

It was about time, and no pun intended here, that hey showed a decent film on telly.
Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) - ginger-twerp as he is fondly called - is from Cornwall, England who had a beautiful childhood growing up. However, he is geeky and awkward around the ladies. So on his 21st birthday when his father tells him about a gift every male member of the family was granted when they turned 21, Tim is pleased. He is surprised to learn he can travel back in time! Tim is soon off to London to pursue  a career in law and there by happenstance he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), the girl of his dreams. He uses his gift to fall in love and get married. But Tim unselfishly also helps better the lives of those he cares deeply about - A dear playwright friend becomes a raving success thanks to Tim's intervention, his sister finds love and marriage and Tim spends time with his dying dad, moments that he will cherish for an entire lifetime. However, before bidding farewell, his dying father shares his own "secret" to happiness. And it is this secret that will open Tim's eyes, inadvertently helping him to appreciate life, living each day as if it were his first and last.
I found the concept of time-travel intriguing and I have watched "The Time Traveller's Wife" numerous times. However, I found "About Time" extremely touching and adorable. Tim says and I quote, "enjoy the rest of the ride for as long as you can", my now favorite movie quote ever.
This is one movie I would keep going back to.

Word for the day :-
lithe - (especially of a person's body) thin, supple, and graceful

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried)  is a writer who is employed with The New Yorker as a fact checker. She takes a pre-honeymoon trip to Verona, Italy with her fiancé, Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal) hoping their time together  will do their relationship some good and iron out what they assume are pre-wedding jitters. However, Victor, a chef, who is opening a new Italian restaurant in New York doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity that Verona has to offer and he devotes most of his time planning for his upcoming restaurant. Sophie, left alone, senses a disconnect and a growing disappointment leading her to have second thoughts about her marriage.
While out sight-seeing one day Sophie happens across the 'Secretaries of Juliet' and decides to join the brigade in their quest to unite lost loves. While doing so, Sophie comes across a letter that Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) has written to Lorenzo (Franco Nero) over 50 years ago and she sets out to bring two long lost people together. And what do you know, cupid could strike anyone in the midst of rolling vineyards and under gorgeous blue skies.

Word for the day :-
hoi polloi - Plural noun meaning the masses; the common people (derogatory)

Eat Pray Love (2010)

The 3 basics that distinguishes human life from the other forms of life - is the ability to appreciate food (Eat), spirituality (Pray) and Love. This is a story of Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts), an accomplished woman who seems to have it all - a seemingly happy marriage, a beautiful home and a career as a successful writer. Then why is she plagued with unhappiness? After much deliberation and frustratingly unsuccessful attempts at prayer, she asks for a divorce hoping to escape the invisible snares that seem to enslave her. In the hopes of living a life she feels she is meant to live she gets into a relationship, on the rebound, but when that tanks she decides to leave behind all that she owns in search of answers.
Her love for food (Eat) takes her to Rome and four months and an expanding waistline later, a happier Liz leaves for India in her search for spirituality (Pray). Her charming self, so simpatico, helps her make lifelong friends, who urge her on her way. However, will her sojourn in Bali, her final destination, help her cross off the missing link on the list of self discovery - (Love)?

And good ole Gloria Jean's

A brave tale of finding oneself and of healing.

And while in Bali! 😘

A spectacular sunset from Uluwatu Temple

Word for the day :-

Halitosis - technical term for bad breath

The Notebook (2004)

Even though the eyes that see, don't recognize ... Alas, life can be cruel. Can Noah stop loving what he has come to love for most of his life? That is one question Noah ( Ryan Gosling/James Garner) must ask of himself every time he looks at his one true love, Allie (Rachel McAdams/Gena Rowlands).
So enamored were Noah and Allie with each other, and  like most young love, they vowed to cherish one another and together surmount every challenge that life may throw their way. Having been born in the opposite stratum of society their love is tested on more than one level. Noah's notebook will help to recite this tale of true, passionate love and help to bring two people together - separated not by time or space but by the cruel hand that fate has chosen to play. Will their love stand to win against life's test?

This only proves, I am but a die-hard romantic. Adapted from a novel by the same name and authored by Nicholas Sparks I would like to 👑 him the king of romance. Enjoy!  

Word for the day : -
ennui - a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom

Pretty Woman (1990)

'Pretty Woman' is the ultimate fairytale.

Edward (Richard Gere)  is a successful and ruthless, albeit handsome, businessman. He is in LA on business and finds himself lost on his way to the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. So he picks up a prostitute, Vivian (Julia Roberts) who is only too happy to help him find his way for a fee. What starts out as one night in a swanky hotel penthouse suite turns into a week of romance. Under a tough exterior forced on by difficult circumstances, Vivian is like any other girl. Does Vivian's dream come true and does the knight she has always dreamed of arrive on a white horse to rescue her from the tower? 

Escape into the world of shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive, take a flight on a private jet with the gorgeous red-head dressed to the nine to watch the opera, catch a game of polo with the elite of LA ...

Feast your eyes on the drop-dead gorgeous Edward and beautiful Vivian as their story unfolds!



Word for the day : -
afebrile - not feverish

Parineeta (2005)

The movie is an adaptation of a 1914 Bengali novel by Sarat Candra Chattopadhyay.

Calcutta, 1962. There are three families living next to each other. Lolita (Vidya Balan), who was adopted by her maternal uncle and Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan), Navinchandra's son, have grown up together - the best of friends. As time passes and having fallen in love with each other they get married on the quiet. Meanwhile Lolita's uncle is under duress to pay off a long-standing loan for which he was forced to mortgage his house with his wealthy neighbor, Navinchandra, a ruthless businessman. Navinchandra has impressive plans for the property, hoping to convert it into a hotel. When Lolita gets wind of Navichandra's plans she seeks help from their neighbor whose brother  Girish (Sanjay Dutt) is visiting from the UK. Seeing Girish and Lolita together and unsure of her intentions, Shekhar's jealousy drives them apart. 

The quintessential Bengali woman in her white and red-bordered saree, kohl-lined eyes, vermilion adorned forehead cast in lamplight is just beautiful beyond words; tea at Flurys, dinner at Moulin Rouge and golgappas in front of the majestic Victoria Garden. For someone like me, who has never been to Calcutta, it's a treat to watch.

Visually appealing, great music with an enthralling storyline. I love, love, love this movie.

All the songs are beautiful in this movie, but this is a favorite.


Word for the day :-
truculent - eager or quick to argue or fight

The Sound of Music (1965)

A musical film based on the life of the Von Trapp Family against the backdrop of the German takeover, before the second World War. 
Vivacious and tomboyish Maria (Julie Andrews) is a postulant in an abbey in Salzburg. Her services are requested by a widowed naval captain (Christopher Plummer)  seeking a governess for his seven children. Soon Maria yodels her way into the hearts and lives of the Von Trapp Family.
Tough times call for tough measures! Captain Von Trapp's pride and love for a motherland so dear  will soon be put to the  test. Austria is to be lost to the Third Reich and that compels the Captain to take a drastic step.
Mellifluous numbers like - Maria, Sixteen going on Seventeen, my favorite things, Do-Re-Mi, The Sound of Music, The Lonely Goatherd, Edelweiss, So Long, farewell, Climb every mountain, will leave you humming. 
One of the best songs ever: -



If you've not watched the movie yet, which I'm sure you have, then you simply must. I've don't known anyone who has and who hasn't fallen in love with it.

Word for the day :-

postulant - a candidate for admission to a religious order

Indecent Proposal (1993)

Diana (Demi Moore), a successful realtor and her husband, David (Woody Harrelson), a noted architect, dream of building a home in Santa Monica someday. It will be a home that is an eclectic mix of what David knows and loves about architecture. However, the recession rears its ugly head and the couple fear the bank will repossess their land. Down and out on their luck and not left with much choice they head out to Vegas hoping lady luck smiles down on them.

Fate intervenes when billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford) sets eyes on the beautiful Diana. He is rich, suave and he always gets what he wants. So he has an offer that is hard to resist - he offers David a million dollars for a night with his beautiful wife. Will they heed the voice of reason or give in to temptation! Can Gage put a price tag on love?

This is a test of Diana's and David's love and here is to hoping they will stand the test of time!
Slip into this love story and watch Demi Moore and Robert Redford light up the screen.




Word for the day :-
equine - of, relating to, or characteristic of a horse

Runaway Bride (1999)

And I'm in love with Julia Roberts! 
I did play hooky from school to watch this movie.

Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) from Hale, Maryland, is notorious for making a quick escape just as she is set to walk down the aisle. And she is soon planning her fourth wedding. Ike Graham (Richard Gere) a New York columnist, writes a report on the 'Runaway Bride' that contains a number of errors that costs him his job. Seeking vindication he is determined to get to the bottom of things and he is sure Maggie will stay true to her reputation and she will flee for the fourth time as well. He is not prepared to when he faces the beautiful Maggie and the sheer possibility of falling head-over-heels in love.

The movie has some amazing soundtracks with one of my favorites - 'Blue Eyes Blue' by Eric Clapton.


Word for the day:-
loquacious - tending to talk a great deal

Leap Year (2010)

Hidden among the rolling hills of the beautiful Emerald Isle is a lore - a man has to accept a wedding proposal that has been made on Leap Day. Anna (Amy Adams) has to be in Ireland, come hell or high water on the 29th. Having reached a little Irish village she now has to find her way to Dublin. So "Anna from Boston" hires an innkeeper (Matthew Goode) to drive her and her trusted Louis (her Louis Vuitton, in case you're wondering) to her fiancé. Her journey is not an easy one, her path being wrought with obstacles like storms, superstitions, thieves, stubborn cows, hailstones and even gate-crashing a wedding. As she traipses through the picturesque country of bubbling brooks, ancient cemeteries, picturesque hills and valleys  she hesitates as she nears her destination. The eventful journey has her at a crossroad! A tough choice is hers to make- to marry the cardiologist she has travelled over 3000 miles for or the charming Irish innkeeper?

To be honest, it's not one of the greatest movies I've seen, but I could still watch it a few times since I like Amy Adams.

Word for the day :-
eschewed - deliberately avoid using; abstain from