Trivikram Srinivas (of Athadu fame) entered Tollywood as a story writer. He excelled in dialogue writing and when he became popular as a writer, he turned director and got the chance to direct Mahesh Babu.

Producer Allu Aravind chose Trivikram to script and direct Jalsa with Pawan Kalyan in the lead, to be produced under Gita Arts banner. Jalsa was surrounded with hype right from the muhurat to create high expectations with audiences and Pawan Kalyan's fans. Now, coming to the storyline:

Son of a poor farmer (Pruthvi), Sanjay (Pawan Kalyan) lives in a village, which has no facilities, not even potable water. His brother dies of heart disease and Sanjay's parents commit suicide after their crop fails.

To take revenge against society, young Sanjay joins the Naxals as a courier. When most of Sanjay’s cadre is killed in an encounter, he helps a minister to escape from a landmine blast. Sanjay is apprehended by a police officer (Prakashraj). He surrenders and decides to reform.

He joins college and falls in love with the SP's daughter Indu (Kamalini Mukherjee). But the SP isn’t convinced about Sanjay and gets Indu married to an NRI.

Then Sanjay meets Jyotsna aka Joe (Parvati Melton) and her sister Bhagmati aka Bhagi (Ileana). Both lose their hearts to Sanjay but Sanjay snubs Joe. So Bhagi tries her luck and succeeds in winning his heart. History repeats itself when Bhagi's father refuses to approve of Sanjay as a son-in-law.

Sanjay beats up the son of a factionist and land mafia leader Damodar Reddy (Mukesh Rushi), thus becoming his enemy. Sitting in jail, Damodar Reddy oversees his criminal empire with the help of his right hand Sreenu (Tanikella Bharani).

Now comes a twist in the tale. How Sanjay vanquishes his enemy and and wins the girl forms the climax. So watch and enjoy!

Pawan Kalyan has made the film lively from beginning to end with his good performance and good comic timing. His make up, costumes and acting are similar to his earlier films Tholiprema, Khushi and Bhadri.

For a change, Ileana appears in a deglamourized girl-next-door role, in which Trivikram has given her scope to perform with chirpiness.

Parvathi Melton is overpowering next to Pawan Kalyan, providing the oomph factor. Kamalini has a wink-and-you-miss-her role. Mukesh Rushi has performed with style. Prakashraj is so-so as Kamalini’s father. Brahmanandam’s comedy is average.

Technically, music is the major highlight. It is the first time Devi Sri Prasad and Pawan Kalyan have come together with good results. The audio was a chartbuster since its release. Mahesh Babu’s voice-over is another highlight.

Though the storyline written by him is good, director Trivikram Srinivas could have exploited the screenplay better. He maintains the humour as well as the love story neatly through the firs half but the long dialogue that continues into the second half slows the tempo; some scenes could have been shorter.

Song choreography is average. Action scenes are stylish but reminiscent of Pawan’s earlier roles.

The film has had an average opening. The director has been able to satisfy Pawan’s fans to a certain extent with music, dialogues and climax.

Cast	Pawan Kalyan, Ileana, Parvathi Melton, Kamalini Mukherjee, Prakashraj, Mukesh Rushi & Brahmanandam
Direction, Story, screenplay, dialogues	Trivikram Srinivas
Producer	Allu Aravind
Music	Devi Sri Prasad
Action	Peter Haynes
Camera	Guhan, Rasool
Presented by	Allu Ramalingaiah
Banner	Geetha Arts

After his daring and successful attempt with Julie, director Deepak Shivdasani makes a comeback after four years with Mr White And Mr Black, starring Arshad Warsi [Images] and Suniel Shetty

The film starts off with India's answer to Charlie's Angels, led by the feisty Sandhya Mridul, Australian beauty Tania Zaetta and Miss Thailand Kamala Ning, carrying off an elaborate diamond heist. The action sequence is well done, and some of the moves look like they're straight out of Matrix. But after this promising start, the film falls flat.

The story revolves around Gopi (played by Suniel Shetty), who arrives in Goa [Images] in search of Kishan (played by Arshad Warsi). Gopi or Mr White has a heart of gold, and is a staunch Hanuman [Images] follower. Krishan or Mr Black is a conman by profession, but he's good at heart. He's swindler for only one reason -- to fund his sister's education in London [Images]. (Divya played Mahima Mehta)

In the first half of the film, Kishan is constantly on the run from Gopi. During the course of the film, the relationship changes, and the two become good friends and live happily ever after with their respective women. If only the film was that simple. There are too many subplots and characters.

Sandhya MridulThe rest of the cast includes Rashmi Nigam [Images], Anuradha, Anishka Khosla, and Sharat Saxena.

Arshad Warsi is in his element here, and steals the show. He has the best lines and his timing is impeccable. The female trio are just as fun to watch. Suniel Shetty does his best in his limited role. Ashish Vidyarti as the melodramatic don is hilarious at times.

The film has its share of flaws too. There is too much unnecessary drama, and the comedy scenes are few. And one wonders why so many jokes are repeated over and over again. From the trailors, one expected a hilarious comedy thriller. But the film disappoints on all counts.

Music is average. The only good song is Samandar.

Mr White And Mr Black is not for everyone. Watch it only if you're an Arshad Warsi fan.

The Forbidden Kingdom is true to its tagline: The battle of eternity is the fantasy of a lifetime. The film can be perceived in two ways -- either as fantasy or as reality. Martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo Ping has got the best stunts out of the two martial arts stars,

This is the first time Chan and Li have starred in a film together. And they have done full justice to the hype that surrounds the film. Director Rob Minkoff has done a great job in getting the best out of the two heros.

The story goes like this: An American teenager Jason (Michael Angarano), who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung fu classics, finds an antique Chinese staff in a pawn shop. The staff is a legendary weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King (Jet Li). With the lost weapon in hand, Jason unexpectedly finds himself transported to the past, to ancient China.

There, he meets a drunken kung fu master, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a Silent Monk (Jet Li) and a beautiful young lady bent on taking revenge, Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei). The three help Jason on his quest to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Monkey King.

During this journey Jason learns kung fu from Lu Yan, and its true meaning.

The film has some great martial arts stunts. Scenes showing a drunken Chan fighting 30 odd people, and still escaping unhurt, are fabulous. The fight between Chan and Li is also amazing.

The background music enhances the film. The film's locales are stunning, and brings out the traditional Chinese flavour excellently

After the mythological comedy Imsai Arasan 23m Pulikesi with Vadivelu, director Simbudevan has made a striking comeback through Arai En 305 il kadavul, totally dissimilar in terms of plot and characterisations from Imsai Arasan... Contrary to Imsai Arasan... that dealt with a fabled storyline, Arai En... has tried to project a contemporary situation with a fictitious twist.

Mokkai (Kanja Karuppu) and Rasu (Santhanam) are room mates residing in room No. 305 in a bachelor's mansion located in Triplicane. Rasu is a B.B.A. graduate; Mokkai is a high school dropout. Jobless and penniless, both youngsters crave for money and societal recognition. They are pushed to the brink when the mansion manager (M.S. Bhasker) expels them. Other residents who are friends of Mokkai and Rasu arrange for one more night's stay there for them. Snubbed in public, Mokkai and Rasu become terribly upset. They vent out their anger and insult, scold and curse the Almighty. To their pleasant surprise, the Almighty (Prakashraj) appears before them and lends an ear to their problems. Armed with a powerful device, he promises to stay with them for a week. During that time, he tries to help them out, offering solutions and assistance. But never once does He go overboard to exercise his supernatural powers for their benefit.

Soon, the week ends and Kadavul prepares to leave them. Rasu and Mokkai plead with him to stay back for one last night. Kadavul agrees, and the smart pair run away with the powerful device. But does the equipment bring them happiness and wealth? With the suddenly acquired power of the device, does Rasu succeed in his marriage proposal for Mahi (Madhumitha)? Does it erase Mahi's tainted past and reformat her fate? Does Mokkai unite with his sweetheart Bhuvana (Jyothirmayee)? Does money bring recognition, affection and relationships for Rasu and Mokkai? Arai En... offers valuable advice here! Watch the movie to know!

Both Santhanam and Kanja Karuppu have offered noteworthy performances. From comedy roles, both have moved to the main league and have fitted the bill. With élan, Prakashraj shines in any role, big or small. Unquestionably, he is the highlight of Arai En... A picture of poise and power, Prakashraj has breathed life to the Kadavul role. His performance gratifies even those who do not have belief in God's ubiquitous existence and support for his devotees. Ilavarasu, Rajesh, Madanbob, Thalaivasal Vijay and V.S. Raghavan as mansion members provide substantial value to the story. Kuyili's role as the mess owner and Jyothirmayee's mother is heart-warming. Both Jyothirmayee and Madhumitha have done neat jobs.

Soundararajan's camera and Sasikumar's art are two more notable features in the movie. Vidyasagar's simple and lively tunes are soothing. The composer has also sung a song in the movie.

Simbudevan's dialogues are a big plus for Arai En. The dialogues are punchy in addition to being preachy in certain places. Also, Kadavul's characterization is certainly convincing. This Kadavul does not engage himself in performing magic and impractical stunts. Instead, he applies his wit and wisdom to help the youngsters to solve their problems. Apparently, that is why Kadavul's character does not face an abrupt ending. He lingers on for a longer time in the world, mixing and mingling with ordinary people, learning more about their problems, by interacting with them.

After Imsai Arasan..., Shankar's S Pictures has created yet another successful production. There are enjoyable and thoughtful moments in Simbudevan's Arai En 305il Kadavul. Certainly, audiences of all age groups will love this intriguing fare!

Cast	Santhanam, Kanja Karuppu, Prakashraj, Jyothirmayee, Madhumitha, Ilavarasu, Kuyili, M.S.Bhasker
Banner	S Pictures
Producer	Shankar
Story, screenplay, dialogues and direction	Simbudevan
Music	Vidyasagar
Camera	Soundararajan
Choreography	Dinesh
Stunts	Great Selva
Art	Selvakumar
Editing	G.Sasikumar
PRO	Nikhil

It's a mad, mad, mad world out there

Someone's nutty about money …

Someone's deranged by power…

Someone's cracked with stress…

Someone's unhinged by overwork…

Someone's insanely in love….

It's a mad, mad, mad world out there

And everybody's worried they're going bananas….

Except the Krazzy 4

Because they know they're already Krazzy !

Raja's anger knows no bounds, he'll hit out at the slightest provocation or even without.

Intermittent explosive disorder is what the doctors call it. 'Sarphira', is what everybody else does!

Dr Mukherjee is your perfect doc – clean and orderly, not a pin out of place. So what's wrong with that? Obsessive compulsive personality disorder, that's what.

Schizophrenic Gangadhar lives in the past…his mates are Nehru and Gandhi, Tilak and Patel! He's so busy fighting for swaraj and freedom, he's lost his sanity!

Cute Dabboo is everybody's pet. So what if he hasn't spoken for years? So what if he's frightened all the time? So what if he's autistic?

Dr Sonali treats them all. She has faith that all it needs is a little time and lots of patience to make them normal…to make them part of the mad, mad, mad world out there…

But are the Krazzy 4 ready for the world?

And is the world ready for them?

watch out! The Krazzy 4 are coming your way!!

And yes...If you think they r crazy, think again!

A blood red Mercedes convertible racily advances through Ladakh's dusty terrain, the car radio nervously shuffles between AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Mukesh's rendition of Kabhi Kabhie.

That, my readers, is a pretty solid indication of what's in store in the following 17 reels -- a crazy fusion of everything desi and phoren -- style, soul and lingo. Welcome to debutant director Vijay Krishna Acharya's land of the English-challenged fashionably quirky, where Tashan is your passport to every conceivable absurdity and You-got-to-be-kidding brand of illogical twists step on your toes at every opportunity.
Then again, both the soundtrack and its promos, never really made any bones to hide that. Like, who expects meaningful cinema from a movie which parades its leading actors in outrageous blonde wigs, flashy attires; and on top of it, makes them do a power-packed jig, in the middle of nowhere, along with hundred other colourful extras?

And so Tashan is *exactly* what it looks like -- a silly spectacle which goes all out to entertain. Right from its sleek black & white graphic novel-inspired opening credits to fire-breathing gun-pipes charged at the villain or cycle-rickshaw chases in the dingy lanes of Kanpur, everything is ostensibly over-the-top.

Acharya's love for the implausible, previously demonstrated in scripts like Dhoom, Dhoom 2

Here's a sneak peek: a call-centre employee cum English-accent trainer, Jimmy Cliff is a lusty loverboy with three broken relationships to his credit. Enter fourth, namely Pooja . One look at the vision-in-emerald, drenched from head to toe, is enough to send Jimmy's fantasy-driven hormones in a tizzy.

Jimmy-Pooja aside, yes, Saif and Kareena do share that extra-something in their chemistry. Frankly, it was evident in LoC-Kargil too. Only people were too busy counting the number of stars in its cast to notice. Thankfully, their off-screen togetherness doesn't overwhelm any of Tashan's proceedings.

Pooja works for Bhaiyyaji (Anil Kapoor ), a wannabe yuppie gangster, flanked by two roly-poly sidekicks (Manoj Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra) who hires Jimmy or 'Gaarge Bhoos' to teach him English. What follows is a Bhaiyyaji's 'hingliarious' version of Amitabh Bachchan's iconic 'Khush toh bahut honge aaj' scene in Deewar.

The over familiarity of this gimmick begins to seep in. And the mind begins to wander -- a complete no-no for any masala potboiler. Forty minutes in the film and still no sign of Akshay Kumar , I mumble, somewhat impatiently, while taking a long glance at my watch. Take the name of the daredevil, and there he arrives, as Bachchan Pandey in all his 10-headed glory, dressed as Ravana, vroooming in an Enfield, making an entry worthy of the film's title. Bottom-line, no soon has the paisa vasool factor come in, the cribbing takes a backseat.

A multi-crore betrayal throws Bachchan, Jimmy and Pooja together in a scenario involving extensive traveling throughout the country, even as Bhaiyyaji keeps track of their trail. I won't reveal anymore. The story, even though it makes little sense, is better enjoyed than told.

What I will tell you is that Tashan moodily swings from the dark alleys of Bhaiyya's savaging and often double-meaning humour to crass exchanges between Bachchan and Pooja to characteristically 'Saif' moments every time he candidly talks to the camera.

While this inconsistency could be avoided, Tashan, still, enjoys a smooth first half. Post-interval, as is the story of many so-far-so-good capers, the momentum slacks considerably. Thanks to Bachchan's unnecessary and lengthy childhood flashback episode and two elaborate Vishal-Shekhar songs -- Falak and Dance marein, which the film could easily do without.

What it couldn't do without is the cast. It's bang on. Kareena looks every bit of a deceiving goddess, whether she walks out of the Greek waters in a lime green bikini (oh yes, it's not just buzz) or gazes seductively into Saif/Akshay's eyes. She plays the temptress with an elegant, subdued air, which makes everything she says (lingerie talk) or wears (strictly skimpy) appear tasteful.

Saif Ali Khan plays Jimmy with tremendous generosity allowing the more gregarious section of the cast take centrestage while he ably lends support. Apart from the double-barrel moustache and frumpy pants, there's nothing outlandish about his character, he's just a cool guy in an uncool situation. And Saif invented cool.

Any other actor in Anil Kapoor's place would have hammed like mad in a role that spells g-a-u-d-y. Kapoor, however, conveys the English-obsessed temperament of his character with such utter seriousness, you really don't want to argue. Also, the man plays evil with equal relish.

Saving best for the last, Akshay steals the show. It's not like he excels only in scenes centred around his earthy cockiness or charm. Even when he's just excitedly showing off his pearlies to acknowledge Bhaiyyaji or cuddling up to a sheep in the back of a truck or turning red in an attempt to profess love to his childhood sweetheart, Akshay shines. Now, if he only weren't made to scratch his you-know-what in every reel.

The Three Musketeers of this flamboyant enterprise are definitely its cinematography, action and background score. Ayananka Bose's imaginative combination of great lighting, perfect compositions, adventurous angles and penchant for flawless close-ups is truly commendable. Under Peter Hein's deft action, Akshay transforms into a charged gorilla, leaping from one wall to another in a matter of seconds. The fast-paced stunts involving all the stars, even when a bit ludicrous --like uniformly clad martial art fighters popping out from nowhere, are likely to excite any action buff. Ranjit Barot brings out the attitude of Tashan through zingy, high-voltage beats, even find a slot to merge a high-pitched Chandi mantra during the climax, true blue Bollywood style.

Ultimately, it's a lavishly-told fairy tale of three con-men, which emphasises on swagger not purpose and settles for style over substance. But if you aren't looking for the latter, Tashan is all-revelry.

As the credits start to roll in with various romantic quotes in the background; you may be forgiven in thinking that Ajay Devgan’s directorial debut might be one of those romantic movies where the hero gets the heroine against all odds and settles down to a lived happily ever after scenario. But the movie turns out to be quite a serious movie which attempts to tackle a sensitive subject of a patient suffering from the Alzheimer’s disease.

The movie initially disappoints you due to an insipid first half. We are introduced to a psychiatrist Ajay (Ajay Devgan) who goes on a cruise trip with his friends. Things get quite bad when we are introduced to his friends whose sole purpose in the movie seems to be: scream-shout-drink-scream-shout-drink making the audience want to scream-shout-for-head-ache-curing pill. There are a lot of corny jokes thrown about and even worse dialogues are spouted. Sample this: Leaving a cruise midway is like looking for an abortion in the seventh month. Someone should take Ashwin Dhir to task for many such offensively stupid dialogues.

In midst of all this mess Ajay meets Piya (Kajol) and is entralled by her. He falls in love with her at first sight (predictably); meets resistance from her immediately (again predictably); uses a few lies and couple of songs to make her reciprocate his love (yawn..predictably). But even though the broad outline of the courting seems to be run-of-the-mill stuff, it’s elevated to a different level due to some neat touches by Ajay Devgan. The explanation of Piya’s background through her book; the conversations between Ajay and Piya run in the background while we see the two enjoying each others company; the sequence of Ajay attempting at learning Salsa overnight - all these result in making the courtship a bit more enjoyable. Everything seems to be going Ajay’s way and he seems to be leading an enviable life, when suddenly he discover that Piya is suffering from Alzhimer’s disease. From here, the movie takes a serious note as Ajay tries to grapple with Piya’s disorder and tries to bring some sense of order in his life.

The sequences showing Kajol’s gradual tendency to lose her memory is catalogued quite subtly. There’s an instance when Ajay tells Piya to come to meet her at a certain time and Piya turns up an hour late insisting that he got the timing wrong; Piya has a tendency from childhood days to keep post-its in her mirror so that she may not forget much. These scenes seem to be inconsequential at first but as we understand her condition, we also realise the importance of those scenes.

The movie focuses quite a lot on Ajay Devgan’s character and he delivers a commendable performance. His character goes through a lot of distress emotionally and he emotes quite well in those. Kajol delivers an excellent performance. She is pretty restrained in her performance when Alzhimer’s takes over her. Any actor of a lesser calibre could have gone over the top. Thanks to Kajol it does not become U Me aur Ham! Both the lead actors lift the movie up a few notches. The viewer feels very convinced of Ajay’s dilema and is sympathetic towards the choices that he’s forced to make. Ajay’s friends Vicky (Karan Khanna),Natasha (Isha Sharwani), Nikhil (Sumeet Raghavan) and Reena (Divya Dutta) spoil the mood with their histrionics. Except for the title track rendered by Vishal Bharadwaj, the songs are strictly ok. In fact a couple of songs (specially the wedding song), could have been chopped off.

Ajay Devgan the director handles the emotional scenes like a veteran. It’s the light-hearted scenes that are a big let-down. Off course that could be due to the low quality of writing. But he doesn’t seem to maintain a certain level of consistency. For instance, there’s a wonderful digital imagery where we are introduced to Kajol’s thoughts and aspirations; the very next sequence though there is a loud scene with Pichwade Pe Kutte Kate playing in the background. This puts off the viewer’s mood immediately. The romantic track between Ajay and Piya is marred by such inconsistencies. Ajay Devgan does have in him to be a good director, he just has to ensure that consistency is maintained. As Piya’s condition worsens in the later stages, there are a few shocking scenes which are handled very well by him. The story written by Ajay Devgan is good, but I thought the story was a bit incomplete. There could have been more meat in the story towards the end.

Overall, the second half saves the day for the movie. The emotional portions overwhelms you and you’re willing to overlook the blemishes in the first half. If you are looking for a light hearted romantic comedy, then this movie isn’t for you. It’s a movie that tackles the subject of relationships at a serious level.

I am not a big fan of Pawan kalyan, nor do i hate him. In fact i did like him in a couple of his movies and do appreciate that he atleast attempts to try something different albeit over-doing himself. The problem with guys like Pawan Kalyan, Upendra and Shimbu is that they take themselves way too seriously. Instead of the movie being event-driven it falls into the nadir of “hero” driven.

It is surprising that the same public will like a movie like Gamyam, Happy days, Anukokunda Okka Roju, where the hero did not actually matter and they do not really care about the “masala mixture”, when it comes to a “Hero” like Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan, Balakrishna or even to some extent Nagarjuna…they expect the movie to have 30 mins comedy, 30 minutes fights, 30 minutes romance and 30 minutes navel exposing heroines falling head over heels over the “hero”. Now how on earth is this gonna be a decent movie?…if i wanted all this, i would rather watch the 30 mins of each segment on youtube…makes sense? No? then go watch Jalsa.

Well nothing surprising here, Pawan kalyan plays a super-hero. He bashes up goons, protects the under-privileged, romances the best looking girls and has time to drink to death every day. Well that is his routine, ohh well before i forget..he has some 4-5 phd degrees as well. the movie starts at a very brisk pace, where pawan kalyan falls in love with Kamilinee Mukherjee( criminally wasted) and even briskly walks away from her, as her father is not interested in him..why, that is for later, which would haunt you. Then we are said that he drinks alcohol everyday of the week and attends college…where he sees Illeana and Parvati Melton( looking sultry hot), and as usual, he is not interested in either of them, but by the truth of destiny, both try to woo him. parvati proposes, Kalyan disposes. Illeana proposes, Kalyan disposes for a few minutes, until he becomes the Hitch for the women fraternity and teaches Illeana how to “patao” men. Which she so convincingly uses on him and voila….they both are in love..what a surprise!!!!! Goes to meet Illeana’s dad to ask for the hand of his daughter, realises he is the same man. Kamilinee’s dad..damn it they are sisters…ohh and in between this..he declares that he is a Naxalite. Dont even try to fry your brains on this. This was a small twist that Trivikram or i guess PK or Allu Aravind wanted to have to puke out their political statements, what with rumors of Chiranjeevi planning of floating a political party. We are also reminded of this man, Chiranjeevi umpteen number of times.

You dont need to have the brains of an Einstein to figure out where the story is heading to. Go watch youtube videos, it is all there. The first half was not bad at all, though it was not any different, but it had an unusual freshness what with Mahesh Babu giving a Voice over and the comedy track. Now, one major grievance i have with the comedy tracks in Telugu F.I is of Physical comedy. How many times have you seen the comedian get beat up just to evoke a few laughter from us? I mean i tell you a joke once, you laugh, tell you twice, you may laugh..keep on repeating…you know it, right…now how many fucking times am i gonna see a comedian get beat up and made a fool of?

Pawan kalyan was bearable in this one, but he sometimes tends to deliver his dialogs way too fast….he shouldnt have been pitted against a stellar actor like Prakash Raj. His limitaions magnify manifolds. Rest all actors are bearable. Did i say Parvati Melton looks hot?

Trivikram had the potential with this script, but with all the other interests of the political statement, hero image, masala mixture, he couldnt do justice to the story at all. Come to think of it, two songs are choreographed as fight sequences, isnt this heights of indulgence?

BTW, our very own Kamal kamaraju plays a very small role in the movie.

Is Aamir Khan all hype? Is he a media created myth? Why is he so approachable and humble when you meet him, when you expect him to be arrogant? You could talk to him with just your eyes? that’s exactly what i did after watching TZP, i couldn’t talk so i just said later. I never thought Aamir the filmmaker would be as brilliant as Aamir the choicemaker, but the my accompanying friend who is also my fan said after the movie, from now and for now Aamir is my favourite filmmaker.

Is the film brilliant? Yes. By leaps and bounds. Is it my kind of film? No. Is it aamir’s film? may be. but more so it’s a labour of love and compassion for children which i know Aamir has but so does Amol Gupte? Amol Gupte was my first teacher, I was doing theatre in 1993 and had literally no money and Amol use to come watch the plays, He is a brilliant painter, the most original that i have seen, an actor(anyone rememeber Guru Dakshina with Anupam kher,Amol was the other lead) , he was a regular in all FTII films, he was kind of a poor man’s Amol palekar and more. Amol took me under his wing to assist him on a tele series called Tejas which was produced by Saeed Mirza. I was 21. I wrote the dialogues for the first episode and when Amol read it , he said you are a writer, you do not need to assist and he took me to Saeed and said I am not writing the series anymore and here is your writer. Just like that. I was writing,and i was a writer. I owe Amol my early start. From his little room in Alvarez house, influences from where you see galore in TZP, was a hub for artists. Vilkas sivaraman had a studio apartment, probably still has, probably amol is still there . Haven’t met him in a long time. Alvarez House had this one floor where they made aquariums and amol spent a lot of time with the fishes. Probably that aquarium is still there. I really don’t clearly remember whether it was called Alvarez house but it’s so easy to find. It is in Mahim right after the that corner which is becomes one way after four to suburbs and one way before thea to worli . Two buildings after the Park which is after the hospitel. I remember him doodling with his black pen on white ceramics, making shapes and paint visuals with small little circles..those black little circles would continue as he talked to me. He never seemed like he wanted much from life. The whole circle of friends was like that.Amol was more Mansoor Khan’s friend than AAmir’s. He and mansoor started an Ad Film house together, while Mansoor played Drums, amol did everything. In the circle was also noe deceased Mahendra Joshi, the theatre director who would throw chappals at me if i got my lines wron while we were rehearsing “Paankaur naake Jaake” by madhu rai. Mahendra Joshi was also the man who discovered Paresh Rawal, who resurrected Shafi Inaamdar, turned an under sixteen india wicketkeeper into a fine actor and a brilliant and most prolific playwrite ,theatre director Makarand deshpande. I was just a mute witness to these great minds who somewhere were also partly responsible to shape me.

Why am i going into history? Maybe because I see a lot coming from those years in this film, as if TZP has been in making for fourteen years or may be more. I am a great admireee of Aamir Khan and not because i share his initials,but his courage. He is a good hard working, persistent,sometimes to the point of irritating , stubborn, why because when he believes he really believes. My one big grouse with him is why did he take over Amol’s film, but what happens between two people only the two know and i am not going to judge anyone here. He is creative yet sometimes he restricts the freeflow of thoughts because he needs to know before hand. He wants perfection in everything from his daily toast to his films. That kind of a man is not easy to be with, but that kind of man or even a worse eccentric was Kubrick. I am not comparing his filmmaking skills to kubrick, because TZP is not that. Tzp is a brilliant honest film about a dyslexic boy and the world he is at odds with that needs to understand him. AK plays Nikumbh the unconventional art teacher who makes that possible. Not once anyone talked during the film , the story takes it’s own beautiful time to unfold, Darsheel the boy is a discovery, he tugs at your heart with silent stares. No this is not my kind of film, neither is it the kind of film that i make or even love. It has too many tears for my own taste, but it just refuses to leave me. Deepa Bhatia, the researcher, the editor, the wife of Amol Gupte puts it together beautifully and offcourse Aamir would have been there with her and so would amol and they would have fought and argued and everything but what came out is a labour of love. The most disarming momemt in the fil was when the credits began and you see the little Darsheel Safary giventop billing followed by Aamir khan. from then on he just takes you in and you want to see the boy and you don’t wait for Aamir the star to make an entry. this is something all thos need to learn who sell faces on a poster to the people.
This film took me back to my school, it was as if i was watching my own childhood unfolding in front of me, except i was not dyslexic. It took me back to the time when my teachers refused to publish my short story and poem in school because he said it was too dark and not genuine to come from the mind of an eight year old. What was my story about. A boy planning a revenge against a bully in a boarding school , under the tamarind tree. The boy practised everyday throwing a stone that would miss a point he marked on the tree. everyday people saw him hitting the mark and cheer him and one day he deliberately misses it so the stone would hit the bully walking out of his class. It was rejected.

This film took me there , merits are too many to talk about, what i love the most is the way the camera lingers on to the moments and the boy and is not in a hurry to move away.. what i love the most is the writing. It is the most original and rooted piece of writing to have come out of here. I will not like to talk about the little plot points and the story and would like all to see it. It’s really strange also for me to write about TZP and not about Hanuman Returns which is releasing next week. But what the heck, a good film is a good film is a good film. And my heroes of the film are aamir for always putting his money where his mouth is, Ajay and Sanjeev bijli for supporting it, what a start for PVR Pictures, All those wonderful actors, especially Tisca Chopra(once a beauty queen, and a wet shirt heroine and now an extremely evolved and fine actress), The star Darsheel Safary my candidate for best actor of the year over anyone and this time even SRK wouldn’t mind losing to him. For once we can have the youngest best actor after shweta won the award for Iqbal. But my real hero of the film remains Amol Gupte for what he came up with on paper. here is raising a toast to him.