SURJYAKIRAN
Joined Mar 2002
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SURJYAKIRAN's rating
The first major Indian motion picture to have been "showered" with praise by the American media (with raves from the New York Times and L.A. Times) is quite worthy of the acclaim it has received.
Adapted from a play, (which was derived from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata) Sajnani's film is for those who can look beyond the action on screen and deduce various ideas and philosophies from the story being told. The film is loaded with symbolism and deeper meaning, and manages to raise quite a few provocative questions about divinity and society.
The other great attraction here, besides the allegorical plot, is the cinematography. The entire film has been set to celluloid by the camera of Anil Mehta (who has previously helmed the lavish Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and the epic, Oscar nominated LAGAAN: Once Upon A Time in India). A famous and attractive historical site in India (the temple ruins of Hampi) is portrayed fantastically in the film by Mehta. His wide-angle panoramic scenes must been seen to be believed.
Other aspects of the film are just about alright. Performances are functional, but Sajnani seems to have been torn as to whether he wanted his characters to be completely melodramatic and stage-like or somewhat restrained. As a result, the actors deliver very confused expressions and dialogs throughout the film. Still, actors Jackie Shroff and Raveena Tandon manage to leave quite an impact in their roles. The show-stealer, however, is screen legend Amitabh Bachan. His 'divine' little role is the one that will linger in the cine-goers mind long after its two hour duration comes to an end. The song-and-dance sequences provide a fine break from the dramatics of the film, but one or two of the songs could have been cut. Background music is pretty well done, but the same cannot be said of the special effects.
Despite the merits of the film, I can't help but feel the film could have managed a much stronger impact if Sajnani had opted for a less linear mode of story telling. Something similar to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction could have worked wonders for the film. As it is now, the film is pretty convoluted and has some continuity and pacing issues. Editing is the film's most glaring shortcoming.
In any case, the film is a worthy effort from India and worth a watch. I would especially recommend it to those who are interested in Hindu theology or philosophy.
Adapted from a play, (which was derived from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata) Sajnani's film is for those who can look beyond the action on screen and deduce various ideas and philosophies from the story being told. The film is loaded with symbolism and deeper meaning, and manages to raise quite a few provocative questions about divinity and society.
The other great attraction here, besides the allegorical plot, is the cinematography. The entire film has been set to celluloid by the camera of Anil Mehta (who has previously helmed the lavish Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and the epic, Oscar nominated LAGAAN: Once Upon A Time in India). A famous and attractive historical site in India (the temple ruins of Hampi) is portrayed fantastically in the film by Mehta. His wide-angle panoramic scenes must been seen to be believed.
Other aspects of the film are just about alright. Performances are functional, but Sajnani seems to have been torn as to whether he wanted his characters to be completely melodramatic and stage-like or somewhat restrained. As a result, the actors deliver very confused expressions and dialogs throughout the film. Still, actors Jackie Shroff and Raveena Tandon manage to leave quite an impact in their roles. The show-stealer, however, is screen legend Amitabh Bachan. His 'divine' little role is the one that will linger in the cine-goers mind long after its two hour duration comes to an end. The song-and-dance sequences provide a fine break from the dramatics of the film, but one or two of the songs could have been cut. Background music is pretty well done, but the same cannot be said of the special effects.
Despite the merits of the film, I can't help but feel the film could have managed a much stronger impact if Sajnani had opted for a less linear mode of story telling. Something similar to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction could have worked wonders for the film. As it is now, the film is pretty convoluted and has some continuity and pacing issues. Editing is the film's most glaring shortcoming.
In any case, the film is a worthy effort from India and worth a watch. I would especially recommend it to those who are interested in Hindu theology or philosophy.
The Legend of Bhagat Singh is one of Indian cinema's most ambitious projects to date. After three years of painstaking research and set construction, veteran film maker Raj Kumar Santoshi and actor Ajay Devgan shot the film in a short stretch of six months. The film released early due to competition from other films dealing with roughly the same subject. Overall it's a pretty solid film but one can't help shake the feeling that it could have been a far superior product if it had been worked on for a short while longer.
The film tells the entire life story of Indian freedom fighter and martyr Bhagat Singh who, in a nut shell, grew disillusioned with Gandhi's passive movement and lead an independent violent struggle against the British.
Colonial India is recreated magnificently in the film and the British atrocities committed are portrayed with aplomb by the director. One can truly get a sense of how such frustrating conditions could drive youngsters to violence and revolt. Some of the film's strengths are its hard hitting portrayal of British atrocities, its court scenes and its action scenes.
The film's biggest highlight is its lead performer, Indian actor Ajay Devgan. The actor single handedly manages to uplift even the most dull and unconvincing scenes in the film to a high quality level. His every expression and mannerism is carefully calculated to maximize his impact on the viewer. This man can move audiences to tears or wide smiles with just a few short lines and quick glances from his intense eyes. His work here is par excellence and can easily rival any work done by any grade-A actors the world over.
The supporting cast is good as well, with fellow revolutionary Sukhdev (Indian stage actor Sushant Singh) Bhagat Singh's mother (Indian diva Farida Jalal) leaving lasting impressions as well.
The last excellent thing about the movie is the music by renowned composer A.R. Rahman. The music is not as festive as Bollywood movies usually boast, but that's to be expected considering the subject of the film. The well crafted, soothing ethnic tunes manage to evoke the right emotions without seeming rash and distasteful.
The film isn't without its weaknesses, however. For one, it's obviously a rushed effort. Segments of the script seem under developed and the impact of certain national tragedies on Bhagat Singh's mindset is never fleshed out as one would want them to be.
Also, Bhagat Singh's political ideology (he was a communist, by the way) is never really spelled out for viewers. Instead, they are left to put together pieces for themselves connecting the dots from dialogs and incidents in the film to really figure out the main character's mindset and view points.
The second half of the film moves at an awkward pace, sometimes lingering on minute details and other times racing ahead and skipping crucial events (which are referenced in later dialog). Finally, for a film that remains very objective in presenting most events, viewers will be surprised by a very negative portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and India's first Prime Minister Nehru. This angle of the film stuck out like a sore thumb to say the least.
For all its faults however, Legend of Bhagat Singh has plenty of strengths to make it a superb film. It tells a great story with style and conviction. It has wonderful performances including one of finest performances ever in Indian cinema by Devgan. It has great action, moving drama, soothing music, and is (overall) a thoroughly rewarding and entertaining experience. It comes highly recommended by me.
The film tells the entire life story of Indian freedom fighter and martyr Bhagat Singh who, in a nut shell, grew disillusioned with Gandhi's passive movement and lead an independent violent struggle against the British.
Colonial India is recreated magnificently in the film and the British atrocities committed are portrayed with aplomb by the director. One can truly get a sense of how such frustrating conditions could drive youngsters to violence and revolt. Some of the film's strengths are its hard hitting portrayal of British atrocities, its court scenes and its action scenes.
The film's biggest highlight is its lead performer, Indian actor Ajay Devgan. The actor single handedly manages to uplift even the most dull and unconvincing scenes in the film to a high quality level. His every expression and mannerism is carefully calculated to maximize his impact on the viewer. This man can move audiences to tears or wide smiles with just a few short lines and quick glances from his intense eyes. His work here is par excellence and can easily rival any work done by any grade-A actors the world over.
The supporting cast is good as well, with fellow revolutionary Sukhdev (Indian stage actor Sushant Singh) Bhagat Singh's mother (Indian diva Farida Jalal) leaving lasting impressions as well.
The last excellent thing about the movie is the music by renowned composer A.R. Rahman. The music is not as festive as Bollywood movies usually boast, but that's to be expected considering the subject of the film. The well crafted, soothing ethnic tunes manage to evoke the right emotions without seeming rash and distasteful.
The film isn't without its weaknesses, however. For one, it's obviously a rushed effort. Segments of the script seem under developed and the impact of certain national tragedies on Bhagat Singh's mindset is never fleshed out as one would want them to be.
Also, Bhagat Singh's political ideology (he was a communist, by the way) is never really spelled out for viewers. Instead, they are left to put together pieces for themselves connecting the dots from dialogs and incidents in the film to really figure out the main character's mindset and view points.
The second half of the film moves at an awkward pace, sometimes lingering on minute details and other times racing ahead and skipping crucial events (which are referenced in later dialog). Finally, for a film that remains very objective in presenting most events, viewers will be surprised by a very negative portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and India's first Prime Minister Nehru. This angle of the film stuck out like a sore thumb to say the least.
For all its faults however, Legend of Bhagat Singh has plenty of strengths to make it a superb film. It tells a great story with style and conviction. It has wonderful performances including one of finest performances ever in Indian cinema by Devgan. It has great action, moving drama, soothing music, and is (overall) a thoroughly rewarding and entertaining experience. It comes highly recommended by me.