Film Review: MAN MADAN AMBU

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Trisha, Madhavan, Usha Uthup
Director: KS Ravi Kumar
Rating: ** Shaky

The Story: Ambu (Trisha) is a famous actress who is engaged to Madanagopal aka Madan (Madhavan). The two have known each other since childhood and are keen on getting married. But things change when Madan visits her on the sets of a film. Ambu is dancing with Actor Surya when Madan and his parents land there. While his mother (Usha Uthup) keeps pointing out that Ambu’s character may not be clean, Madan goes a bit crazy with his suspicious nature. The two of them quarrel on their way back from Kodaikanal and are the cause of an accident. But not seeing the car they had hit, the two go on. Ambu insists that they wait for three years before getting married.

At the tail end of the three years, she goes on a trip to Europe along with her divorced friend and her two kids. Major Mannar (Kamal Hassan) is setting up a detective firm and Madan hires him to follow Ambu. Madan hopes to catch his fiancée red-handed during a love affair. While Mannar is unable to find anything against her, he is forced to lie to Madan as the latter refuses to pay him otherwise. And the major needs the money urgently for his best friend’s cancer treatment.

Watch the film to see where it goes from here and whether Madan and Ambu get together in the end.

My Perception: The film started off superbly and I totally enjoyed the first half. Surya was as handsome as ever in the dance sequence with Trisha and of course she also looked great.

Trisha is a good actress and she has really excelled herself in the role of Ambu. By the way, the film title is about the three main characters. Man Madan Ambu – Mannar, Madhanagopal & Ambujakshi, as well as Cupid’s Arrow.

Maddy is a way better actor than what he has delivered in this film. He has put on oodles of weight and maybe suits the drunkard he is playing. The negative role was going well until suddenly he agrees to get together with Ambu’s married friend. Too tough to swallow!

Mannar and Ambu’s relationship was building well, till the point they tell each other the truth. The next scene they are in love. How can that happen? Either something is wrong with the director, or the editor has swung his scissors too far or maybe the film crew were keen that the audience use their imagination in-between and fill in the gaps.

I like a film with a happy ending, with all ends tied up – yes!

But this was just ridiculous. Just before the last 20 minutes, there were problems galore. But the final bit of the film, everything falls in place with no rhyme or reason – as if the pieces of the jigsaw fell together all-wrong.

Usha Uthup’s evil expression looked just great. But what was with her role? She was doing her best to break her son’s relationship with his actor fiancée. That was for a few scenes. She was written off somewhere midway.

The actress playing Trisha’s friend was a natural. But towards the end, even her part was bungled by the filmmakers.

Kamal Hassan did his part well, except for that goof-up in presuming that the audience understood that he and Trisha were in love.

I expected way more from director Ravi Kumar with such wonderful hits in his kitty. The first half appeared to be his film. He probably gave the second half to be directed by some newcomer while he took off on a holiday (tongue-in-cheek).

Verdict: An absolutely disappointing film.

* Silly
** Shaky
*** Smart
**** Snazzy
***** Super

Film Review: 3 IDIOTS share the last laugh!

Cast: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Omi Vaidya
Director: Rajkumar Hirani

The film is loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone or so I heard. I have yet to read the novel to relate to this.

The Story: Farhan Qureshi (Madhavan) stops an Air India flight by feigning a heart attack. He wants to rush to meet Rancho (Aamir Khan), his college buddy. He calls Raju (Sharman Joshi), another friend, and rushes to meet Rancho whom they have not heard from over the past few years. The two friends rush to the top of the college tower only to meet Chatur Ramalingam aka Silencer (Omi Vaidya), the smart-aleck they used to hate. It has been ten years since college and Silencer wants to show off his success. When threatened, he offers to take Farhan and Raju in search of Rancho. A large part of the rest of the film is shown in flashback over their college days and the balance in their search for Rancho. How they find him and what Rancho has become forms the end of the plot.

In the end it was the 3 Idiots who share the last laugh!

Our Perception: The film has been very well made with the plot keeping you fixed to your seats despite being three hours long. A couple of songs may have been avoided. Aamir has done an excellent job, but then so have Sharman and Madhavan. Boman Irani as Veeru Sahasrabudhe aka Virus has done a super job. His make-up and lisping have gone a long way in ensuring that the role is not the same as that of Dr, Asthana in Munnabhai MBBS. Kareena was okay as Pia. I would award the first prize to Omi Vaidya as Chatur Ramalingam. The guy was just fantastic – he did not seem to act but to walk through his role.

By the time this blog is up, most of the Mumbai population must have seen the film at least once or twice. I am glad in a way as I can go ahead and write anything about the film without spoiling anyone’s fun.

The delivery scene was over-the-top but then again, truth can be stranger then fiction.

Most of the people I know thought the movie was damned funny. I agree to a point. But beyond that, I would say, it was a very thought-provoking film and I cried quite a bit in a few scenes. Especially the one when a student plays the guitar wishing that he could live life once again with different choices. It was heartbreaking to see it more because it is so true in today’s society. I have seen so many youngsters forced to study subjects that they never want to. Worse is not being allowed to pursue the career that one adores. I sincerely wish that people would not just see the jokes but look beyond to what, I am sure, the director was trying to say.

Education for the sake of learning VS getting marks is a subject close to my heart. I am glad that more people will become aware of this after seeing Aamir Khan saying it on screen. Another one that touched the heart was when Rancho explains ‘machine’ in simple language while Silencer rattles off a book definition and the teacher’s reactions to both. Totally realistic!

I only wish that the ragging had not been shown as if it is the best that could happen to one at college. The scene also was very similar to the one in Munnabhai MBBS. I was under the impression that this is not permitted in colleges nowadays.

The best scene was probably the speech given in Hindi by Silencer. It was just hilarious. I have copy-pasted the speech for your reading pleasure, thanks to my friend Diti.

Adarniya sabhapati mahodaya …atithi vishesh shikshan mantri shri R D tripati [tripathi] ji ..maanyaniya shikshagan aur mere piyaaare [pyare] sahpatiyo [sahapathiyon] …aaj agar I.C.E aasmaan ki bulaaandiyo [bulandiyon] ko chhu raahaa [raha] hai ..to uska shreya sirrf [sirf] ekinsaan [ek insaan] ko jaataahai [jata hai] shri veerusahastra buddhe ..give him a a big hand ..he is a great guy really .. Peechle buttis saal se inhone nirantar is college mein balatkar [balaatkaar ] pe balatkar kiye ..umeed hai aagey bee [bhi] karte rahege [rahenge] ..hamine to aashcharya hota hai ki ek insaan apne jeevan kaal mein itni balatkar kaisi kar sakta hai …inhone kadi tapaasya se apne aapko is kaabil bunaya [banaya] hai ..waqt ka sahi upyog ghante ka purna istemaal koi inse seeke [seekhe] ..seeke inse seeke ….aaj hum sab chaatra yaha hai ..kal desh videsh mein fail [faael] jayenge ..waadaa hai aapse jis desh mein honge waha balatkar karenge I.C.E ka naam roshan karenge …dika [dikha] denge sabko jo balatkar Karne ki shamtaa yaha ke chaatro mein hai wo sansaar ke kisi chaatro mein nahiii ….No other chaatra No other chaatra Adarniya mantraji namashkar aapne is sansthaan ko wo chees di jiski hamein sakht zaroorat thi ...sstunn ..stunn hota sabi [sab hi] ke paas hai ..sab chupa ke rakte hai ..detaa koi nai …aapne apna stun is balatkari purush ke haat mein diya hai…ab dekiye yeh kaisa iska upyog karta hai.. Sloke..... Utamamm dadh dhadhattt padam…….. madhyam padam thuchuk thuchuk…….. khanishtham thudthudiiiy padam…….. sursuria pran khatkam..!!!!

Verdict: Definitely worth a watch. I went for a late night show and was wide awake throughout the film.

Rating: ****Snazzy

* Silly

** Shaky

*** Smart

**** Snazzy

***** Super