The cover of the first issue of RAVE, which came out in October, last year. RAVE is the newsletter of the University’s Student Activities Committee (SAC). The picture used for the design has been taken by me, on the Nagoa Beach, in Diu, and the designing has been done by Hitesh. The actual photograph can be found here. Both of us are on the three-member editorial board of the newsletter, the third member being Asmita. We’ll be coming out with our second issue soon. Hope it is better than the first. The theme of the first issue was Inception, which should explain the presence of the “One Simple Idea” line on top. Yes, the film did have that big an impact on all of us. The issue can be read online here, and downloaded here.
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The cover of the first issue of RAVE, which came out in October, last year. RAVE is the newsletter of the University’s Student Activities Committee (SAC).

The picture used for the design has been taken by me, on the Nagoa Beach, in Diu, and the designing has been done by Hitesh. The actual photograph can be found here. Both of us are on the three-member editorial board of the newsletter, the third member being Asmita.

We’ll be coming out with our second issue soon. Hope it is better than the first.

The theme of the first issue was Inception, which should explain the presence of the “One Simple Idea” line on top. Yes, the film did have that big an impact on all of us. The issue can be read online here, and downloaded here.

Just Watched: Black Swan There are times you are forced to watch a DVD screener of a film despite the fact that you are a sucker for good quality prints, and if the film you watch like this is something that has been brilliantly made, you start cursing yourself inside your head, to no avail. Something similar happened to me when I watched a screener of Black Swan two months back, only because Arko insisted I had to. I just wasn’t able to watch it at a stretch because of the fact that the print wasn’t as clear as I would like it to be. Obviously, I would have loved to watch it on the big screen but that wasn’t possible then, and then we have the wonderful Indian Censor Board which simply doesn’t understand how aesthetic sensibilities work. So when the film was released in Ahmedabad multiplexes right after Natalie Portman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her fantastic performance, Arko and I had to make a run for Ahmedabad with Rohan (Thomas) and at the end of the film there was only one thing to agree upon – you haven’t seen anything unless you have seen it on the big screen, censorship notwithstanding. Darren Aronofsky has been one of the three most enigmatic filmmakers in the modern era for me, the other two being Wes Anderson and a certain Christopher Nolan. With Black Swan, Aronofsky creates a world of strange horrors which are bound to make you feel claustrophobic and, worse, schizophrenic. Therein, however, lays the beauty of this film. Based on the famous ballet Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, this film about the extreme emotions of a ballet dancer under stress is without a doubt one of the very best films to have come out last year. Natalie Portman is superb as the troubled Nina and honestly I don’t think any other performance deserved the Oscar this time. I can say this confidently despite having seen only one of the other films nominated in this category. Mila Kunis is wonderful too in a rather restrained role. It’s a pity that she didn’t get a best Supporting Actress nomination. Vincent Cassel is very good too and so is Winona Ryder, who, thankfully, retains most of her usual grace. Barbara Hershey is almost terrifying as Nina’s mother, and that is a compliment of sorts. Raising her daughter the way she does in the film is very scary considering the lengths she goes to ensure that her daughter becomes nothing but the very best. The music by Clint Mansell is brilliant. Too bad that he didn’t garner an Oscar nod as he had attempted to make radical changes to Tchaikovsky’s original ballet. Oh, well. Aronfosky has, once again, managed to come up with yet another masterpiece with this ode to the passion for perfection. Gujju audiences need to use their heads though, and that isn’t something I am hoping to see in the near future. Looks like the applause after Inception (Click here for my post after watching Inception) only happens once in a very long time. Till then, we can all continue to aspire to be perfect, as long as we are able to set the limits. Personal Rating: 9.0/10
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Just Watched: Black Swan

There are times you are forced to watch a DVD screener of a film despite the fact that you are a sucker for good quality prints, and if the film you watch like this is something that has been brilliantly made, you start cursing yourself inside your head, to no avail.

Something similar happened to me when I watched a screener of Black Swan two months back, only because Arko insisted I had to. I just wasn’t able to watch it at a stretch because of the fact that the print wasn’t as clear as I would like it to be. Obviously, I would have loved to watch it on the big screen but that wasn’t possible then, and then we have the wonderful Indian Censor Board which simply doesn’t understand how aesthetic sensibilities work. So when the film was released in Ahmedabad multiplexes right after Natalie Portman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her fantastic performance, Arko and I had to make a run for Ahmedabad with Rohan (Thomas) and at the end of the film there was only one thing to agree upon – you haven’t seen anything unless you have seen it on the big screen, censorship notwithstanding.

Darren Aronofsky has been one of the three most enigmatic filmmakers in the modern era for me, the other two being Wes Anderson and a certain Christopher Nolan. With Black Swan, Aronofsky creates a world of strange horrors which are bound to make you feel claustrophobic and, worse, schizophrenic. Therein, however, lays the beauty of this film. Based on the famous ballet Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, this film about the extreme emotions of a ballet dancer under stress is without a doubt one of the very best films to have come out last year. Natalie Portman is superb as the troubled Nina and honestly I don’t think any other performance deserved the Oscar this time. I can say this confidently despite having seen only one of the other films nominated in this category. Mila Kunis is wonderful too in a rather restrained role. It’s a pity that she didn’t get a best Supporting Actress nomination. Vincent Cassel is very good too and so is Winona Ryder, who, thankfully, retains most of her usual grace. Barbara Hershey is almost terrifying as Nina’s mother, and that is a compliment of sorts. Raising her daughter the way she does in the film is very scary considering the lengths she goes to ensure that her daughter becomes nothing but the very best. The music by Clint Mansell is brilliant. Too bad that he didn’t garner an Oscar nod as he had attempted to make radical changes to Tchaikovsky’s original ballet. Oh, well.

Aronfosky has, once again, managed to come up with yet another masterpiece with this ode to the passion for perfection. Gujju audiences need to use their heads though, and that isn’t something I am hoping to see in the near future. Looks like the applause after Inception (Click here for my post after watching Inception) only happens once in a very long time. Till then, we can all continue to aspire to be perfect, as long as we are able to set the limits.

Personal Rating: 9.0/10

Just Watched: 7 Khoon Maaf It is a known fact that I am a big fan of the films Vishal Bhardwaj makes and he has never really disappointed me. He almost did so this time though, almost. Here, we have what can be called the weakest of the films he has made till date and there’s good reason for that. For once, you aren’t really drawn into the world that the film’s script creates and all you get to take back are some gritty performances. Full points to his music though, for that’s something else that works wonders. The film tells the story of Susanna (played by Priyanka Chopra) who goes on to kill her seven husbands. With a premise like this, I expected the film to be a masterpiece of sorts, but the final product isn’t so; what we have here is great cinema that could have been much better than it was. Priyanka Chopra is surprisingly good as she ages but then again, I feel that her role has been overrated by many. Only showing a complicated character through the ages doesn’t make a performance an excellent one; it takes much more. But I guess she deserves the credit for what we get to see in this film. For me, it was the husbands that delivered some really fine performances. Neil Nitin Mukesh is superb in his role as Susanna’s first husband- a crippled army officer with a wounded pride. John Abraham is very annoying as the drug-addicted rockstar. Irrfan Khan is fantastic as the sado-masochistic poet husband. In fact, for me, the story arc with him is the most interesting because of the way in which it was effectively handled. Aleksandr Dyachenko is pretty good as the charming fourth husband. Annu Kapoor is someone who has very less dialogue, but his expressions more than make up for it. Brilliant stuff, this. Naseeruddin Shah as the Bengali doctor is very good and I just can’t forget what Da (Vishnu Sharma) said when his story was on during the film- “Why does she kill him?,” he asks, and when I ask him to tell me, he says, “Because he’s a Bong!” Makes sense, but sadly not outside GNLU. Vivaan Shah, Naseer’s son in real-life gives in a wonderful performance as the guy who Susanna took care of since his childhood. Konkona Sen Sharma is pretty effective in her cameo too, and so is Usha Uthup, who plays Susanna’s maid for most of the film’s duration. There’s nothing really wrong with this film. It is technically brilliant too. Sadly, it doesn’t hold your attention the way a Vishal Bhardwaj film should. It still is a must watch for it is undoubtedly his bravest work. Reminds me of what I read somewhere, Ek film maaf. Personal Rating: 8.1/10
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Just Watched: 7 Khoon Maaf

It is a known fact that I am a big fan of the films Vishal Bhardwaj makes and he has never really disappointed me. He almost did so this time though, almost. Here, we have what can be called the weakest of the films he has made till date and there’s good reason for that. For once, you aren’t really drawn into the world that the film’s script creates and all you get to take back are some gritty performances. Full points to his music though, for that’s something else that works wonders.

The film tells the story of Susanna (played by Priyanka Chopra) who goes on to kill her seven husbands. With a premise like this, I expected the film to be a masterpiece of sorts, but the final product isn’t so; what we have here is great cinema that could have been much better than it was. Priyanka Chopra is surprisingly good as she ages but then again, I feel that her role has been overrated by many. Only showing a complicated character through the ages doesn’t make a performance an excellent one; it takes much more. But I guess she deserves the credit for what we get to see in this film.

For me, it was the husbands that delivered some really fine performances. Neil Nitin Mukesh is superb in his role as Susanna’s first husband- a crippled army officer with a wounded pride. John Abraham is very annoying as the drug-addicted rockstar. Irrfan Khan is fantastic as the sado-masochistic poet husband. In fact, for me, the story arc with him is the most interesting because of the way in which it was effectively handled. Aleksandr Dyachenko is pretty good as the charming fourth husband. Annu Kapoor is someone who has very less dialogue, but his expressions more than make up for it. Brilliant stuff, this. Naseeruddin Shah as the Bengali doctor is very good and I just can’t forget what Da (Vishnu Sharma) said when his story was on during the film- “Why does she kill him?,” he asks, and when I ask him to tell me, he says, “Because he’s a Bong!” Makes sense, but sadly not outside GNLU. Vivaan Shah, Naseer’s son in real-life gives in a wonderful performance as the guy who Susanna took care of since his childhood. Konkona Sen Sharma is pretty effective in her cameo too, and so is Usha Uthup, who plays Susanna’s maid for most of the film’s duration.

There’s nothing really wrong with this film. It is technically brilliant too. Sadly, it doesn’t hold your attention the way a Vishal Bhardwaj film should. It still is a must watch for it is undoubtedly his bravest work. Reminds me of what I read somewhere, Ek film maaf.

Personal Rating: 8.1/10

Just Watched: Hot Fuzz Coincidences are a strangely funny thing, and I’ve been known to make a big deal out of them, so much so that I label even seemingly random occurences as coincidences. When I returned from the weekly gig at Café Buon Giorno last night, little was I to know that a film I will watch will end up hitting me like a ton of bricks in the ‘lame coincidences’ department. When Arko mooted the idea of watching the film calling an out-and-out action flick, I gave him the go-ahead. About an hour into the film, I felt that the director had cluttered up the film with too many unnecessary characters, something which had kept driving me up the wall as the film had progressed. Arko kept defending the film for some reason, and I kept disbelieving his claims about the film’s supposed awesomeness. However, he managed to ensure that I don’t stop watching the film, something I often do when a film annoys me. I am thankful that he did this, for what came after the absolute WTFness phase in the film was not just awesome, but utterly epic. This is one of those films that just blows your mind away, almost literally. Some brilliant acting only ensures that you don’t stop watching the film, even as it starts out pretty slowly. Simon Pegg is absolutely brilliant in a role that makes you think of the film as a situational humour piece for most of its first half. He also happens to be the co-writer of the wonderful screenplay. Nick Frost is quite annoying, but when you realize that there is a reason to his madness, you are left quite awestruck. The star of the show, though, is the fantastic Timothy Dalton, who is, well, a supermarket manager. Writing more about his character will skin the body that is this film. As the end-credits rolled, I felt that the director’s name seemed familiar. When I looked the film up, I realized that Edgar Wright was also the director of the film that I had just seen about 24 hours back (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). If that wasn’t enough, the release date of the film was four years back to the very day. Well, that is quite lame from the sound of it, but there’s more, and it’s not the numerous film references made in this film. In fact, even Arko was shocked after we read something about the film; the film happens to be the second film in what is called the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy a.k.a. the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, a series of three films created by Wright and Pegg, and starring Pegg and Frost. Apparently, each film in the trilogy is connected to a Cornetto ice cream flavour. The use of the three colours of Cornetto is a reference to Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours Trilogy. Arko happens to be a huge fan of Kieślowski’s films and he was left speechless when he came to know this. Also, this film was referenced in a recent episode of Psych, which continues to be one of my favourite TV shows. Also, one must watch out for the cameos, for they aren’t really in-your-face. Hitesh shouldn’t have fallen asleep. He has no idea what he has missed. This film is the perfect guy film that can be watched on, er…, Valentine’s Day, at least it was for us. By the power of Greyskull, this is one amazing film. Oh, and a look at the time this post was published may just tell you how I have to control coincidences sometimes. Yarrp! Personal Rating: 8.7/10
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Just Watched: Hot Fuzz

Coincidences are a strangely funny thing, and I’ve been known to make a big deal out of them, so much so that I label even seemingly random occurences as coincidences. When I returned from the weekly gig at Café Buon Giorno last night, little was I to know that a film I will watch will end up hitting me like a ton of bricks in the ‘lame coincidences’ department.

When Arko mooted the idea of watching the film calling an out-and-out action flick, I gave him the go-ahead. About an hour into the film, I felt that the director had cluttered up the film with too many unnecessary characters, something which had kept driving me up the wall as the film had progressed. Arko kept defending the film for some reason, and I kept disbelieving his claims about the film’s supposed awesomeness. However, he managed to ensure that I don’t stop watching the film, something I often do when a film annoys me. I am thankful that he did this, for what came after the absolute WTFness phase in the film was not just awesome, but utterly epic.

This is one of those films that just blows your mind away, almost literally. Some brilliant acting only ensures that you don’t stop watching the film, even as it starts out pretty slowly. Simon Pegg is absolutely brilliant in a role that makes you think of the film as a situational humour piece for most of its first half. He also happens to be the co-writer of the wonderful screenplay. Nick Frost is quite annoying, but when you realize that there is a reason to his madness, you are left quite awestruck. The star of the show, though, is the fantastic Timothy Dalton, who is, well, a supermarket manager. Writing more about his character will skin the body that is this film.

As the end-credits rolled, I felt that the director’s name seemed familiar. When I looked the film up, I realized that Edgar Wright was also the director of the film that I had just seen about 24 hours back (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). If that wasn’t enough, the release date of the film was four years back to the very day. Well, that is quite lame from the sound of it, but there’s more, and it’s not the numerous film references made in this film. In fact, even Arko was shocked after we read something about the film; the film happens to be the second film in what is called the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy a.k.a. the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, a series of three films created by Wright and Pegg, and starring Pegg and Frost. Apparently, each film in the trilogy is connected to a Cornetto ice cream flavour. The use of the three colours of Cornetto is a reference to Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours Trilogy. Arko happens to be a huge fan of Kieślowski’s films and he was left speechless when he came to know this. Also, this film was referenced in a recent episode of Psych, which continues to be one of my favourite TV shows. Also, one must watch out for the cameos, for they aren’t really in-your-face. Hitesh shouldn’t have fallen asleep. He has no idea what he has missed.

This film is the perfect guy film that can be watched on, er…, Valentine’s Day, at least it was for us. By the power of Greyskull, this is one amazing film. Oh, and a look at the time this post was published may just tell you how I have to control coincidences sometimes. Yarrp!

Personal Rating: 8.7/10