It’s often quite a task to explain why I don’t like to burst crackers in Diwali. People have a tendency to misunderstand… or simply refuse to understand. Worse, some think I am scared. For them I have no words!
Cast: John Abraham, Sonal Sehgal, Anaitha Nair, Girish Karnad, Farida Jalal, Ashwin Chitale, Prateeksha Lonkar, Vikram Inamdar
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Rating: **
Once upon a time there was a director who served as an inspiration. He quit his well paying engineering job in USA and headed back to India to do something he wanted – tell stories through film. His first film Hyderabad Blues become a part of Bollywood folklore, made at a mere budget of 17 lakh and going on to become super popular. I am talking about Nagesh Kukunoor. Since then Nagesh went to become a name who made superb films like Rockford, Iqbal, Dor and Teen Deewarein. And he became an example of storytelling sans stars…
Cast: Sartaj Singh Pannu, Iris Maity, Barkha Madan, Nishan Nanaiah
Writer and Director: Sartaj Singh Pannu
Music: Charu Moohan and Nitish Pires
Rating: **1/2
An injured man wakes up in middle of a desert, wriggles to the nearest stretch of road. He finds some water to rejuvenate himself. When he gains enough consciousness he figures out he can’t remember who he is and where he belongs. And neither can he recollect how he ended up in this desert. This sets the premises for an interesting thriller. And that’s how Soch Lo starts.
Cast: Raj Singh Chaudhary, Swati Sen, Vinay Pathak, Akhilendra Mishra, Jaya Bhattacharya
Director: Sushil Rajpal
Rating: ***
This one is inspired from a true story. And the fact that the male protagonist involved has apparently been fighting his case for over 30 years makes the story even more stunning, though less bizarre. Dowry as an issue has been listed among the great social problems of India. But that an offshoot of the problem could as crazy as groom kidnapping is rarely a part of our awareness. And that it was prevalent since ages is even more stunning.