Watching Vasantam and Priyamaana Thozhi Back-to-Back

These two identical films, Vasantam and Priyamaana Thozhi, were written and directed by Vikraman,  They were filmed in separate locations in different languages, but released on the same day in 2003.  I watched them back-to-back and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Plot Summary:

Julie and Ashok have had a deep, platonic friendship since they were children. When Ashok becomes engaged to Nandini, Julie is ready to make any changes needed for the happiness of the marriage. By the same token, when Julie falls in love, Ashok is willing to sacrifice his dreams for the benefit of her future.

Both films feature the exact same plot and dialogue, so that part can be reviewed as one.  It is a charming, sweet story about the beauty and importance of friendship.  Though the feel-good plot isn't always believable, it's still a fun and pleasant experience.

Priyamaana Thozhi

(translates as "lovable female friend")

4/5 stars

In this Tamil-language version,  Madhavan stars as Ashok, Sridevi Vijayakumar as Julie, and Jyothika as Nandini.  The three leads have excellent, believable chemistry together.  Madhavan displays great energy and life, as well as open emotions.  The songs, both music and lyrics, are quite lovely, with some being memorable.  The cinematography is beautiful, with vibrant colors and effective backgrounds.  It may not be a five-star movie, but is worth watching, and definitely entertaining.

(Cast also includes Vineeth, R. Sundarrajan and Manivannan.)

Sridevi Vijaykumar and Jyothika

Vasantam

(translates as "spring")

3/5 stars

This is the Telugu-language version, and stars Venkatesh as Ashok, Kalyani as Julie, and Arti Agarwal as Nandini.  Venkatesh, a good actor in general, is miscast in this role.  The twenty-year age gap between him and both female leads is visibly obvious, and he doesn't project the joie de vivre that Ashok is credited with by the other characters.  Kalyani and Arti Agarwal have good friendship chemistry, but lack any with Venkatesh.  The filming is beautiful, bright and crisp, with effective backgrounds. The music is lovely, but I didn't have subtitles for the songs, so I can't comment on the lyrics.  It's still enjoyable, despite its faults, but of the two, it's not the one I'd recommend.
(Cast also includes Akash, Giri Babu and Tanikella Bharani.) 

Raakilipattu

Raakilipattu

(translates as "rock music")

2007

5/5 stars

This film is the Malayalam-language version of Snegithiye, a Tamil movie which was shot simultaneously in both languages, and intended to be released at the same time in 2000.  For reasons I couldn't discover, the release of the Malayalam version, as well as a Hindi dubbed one, did not happen until 2007.

Radhika (Sharbani Mukherjee) and Josephine (played by Jyothika) are best friends at college where they are free-spirits, and even pranksters at times.  Radhika's aunt wants to see Radhika become more responsible, and feels that marriage would be the answer.  To avoid this, the friends invent a boyfriend for Radhika, called Ramesh Nair.  When Radhika begins to receive letters and phone calls from someone calling himself Ramesh Nair, both girls become terrified.  However, things get worse when someone by that name is found dead and Radhika and Josephine are the prime suspects for his murder.  An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gayathri (played by Tabu), is an alumna of their college and the two go to her for help.  She seems to believe Josephine and Radhika, but someone is determined that the girls will not be alive to tell their side of the story. 

What starts out as a fun film about female friendship quickly turns into a tense, twisty, amazing thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, and then reduced me to tears at the end.

The acting by Jyothika, Tabu, and Sharbani Mukherjee is fantastic -- so believable and natural -- and the supporting cast is solid. The dramatic film techniques and effective incidental music add to the suspense and general excellence of the movie.  Though the music is average, with the exception of the memorable item number, it fits perfectly and is used effectively.  

It's important to note that the main story is worked around substories about the dangers women face, and as such, is peopled almost entirely by women.  There are only a few times when a male voice is heard throughout the whole movie.  This gives an additional depth to the overall feel of the film.

The first time I watched it, I was so caught up in the plot that I missed much of the nuances that add an extra layer.  The second viewing, I was able to take it all in, and was thoroughly wowed.  This is truly a sadly underrated gem. 

Two More Starring Jr. NTR

Nannaku Prematho

(translation: "to father, with love")

2016 

3/5 stars

This is a tale of strong filial love, finely planned revenge, and two cunning minds playing against each other. Abhiram (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) is determined to bring down Krishnamurthy (Jagapathi Babu) and his empire in retaliation for wrongs done by him to Abhiram's father in the distant past. 

The plot contains many twists, some genuinely surprising, and the movie is fully entertaining for that reason.  However, there are scenes that aren't explained well, and/or seem unnecessary to the plot, which weakens the film in the long run. Rao gives his customary strong and charismatic performance, despite the character of Abhiram not being fully likable; Babu, as usual, is an excellent villain. The supporting cast is solid, but Rakul Preet Singh (who plays the love interest) is generally unconvincing and has little chemistry with the hero.  The choreography is fun to watch, the songs good in general (with "Follow, Follow", sung by Jr. NTR, being particularly memorable), and the incidental music quite effective throughout.  Overall, Nannaku Prematho is truly enjoyable, but has enough flaws to keep it from being exceptional.

Kantri

(translation: "cunning")

2008

Did Not Finish

While silliness-of-plot is not a deal-breaker for me when watching Indian Cinema (I'm looking at you Shakti), thirty minutes of Kantri was enough to let me know that I didn't care for the story, disliked the romantic interest, couldn't get invested in the hero, and, most importantly, (despite Jr. NTR and Prakash Raj) wasn't being entertained.

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai

(translates as "it's my friend's wedding")

2002

3/5 stars

Sanjay (Uday Chopra) and Anjali (Tulip Joshi, credited as Sanjana) have been best friends for twenty years.  When Anjali returns from a trip to America and announces that she is engaged to an American doctor (Rohit, played by Jimmy Sheirgill), Sanjay is stunned.  After his friend and flatmate, Ria (Bipasha Basu), awakens him to the fact that he is in love with Anjali, he determines to stop the wedding.

The movie has a predictable and light plot, with nice cinematography and average music.  Chopra and Sheirgill, while not fully lead material, are above average in this film, and have good chemistry together.  Sadly, neither had any with Joshi.  She is the weakest link in the movie, giving an unconvincing and unnatural performance, unlike Basu's generally strong one.  Overall, it's forgettable and I wouldn't particularly recommend it, especially to those new to the Indian Cinema experience.

Dil Hai Tumhaara

Dil Hai Tumhaara

(translates as "my heart is yours")

2002

3/5 stars

Shalu (Preity Zinta) is devoted to her sister, Nimmi (Mahima Chaudhry), but has a difficult relationship with her mother, Sarita (played by Rekha), who never seems to show her any affection.  Shalu meets Dev (Arjun Rampal) and, after a few misadventures, they fall in love.  Nimmi misinterprets Dev, thinking that he is in love with her, not Shalu.  Based on that, Sarita arranges for Dev and Nimmi to marry.  Shalu, wanting only her sister's happiness and desperate to win favor from her mother, stands aside and asks Dev to forget her.

(Jimmy Sheirgill and Alok Nath also star.)  

The movie is light, predictable, and forgettable, being obviously nothing more than a vehicle to show Zinta's extremely convincing acting and her usual delightful, bubbly self.  Chaudhry conveys her emotions well and mostly holds her own with Zinta. The striking Rekha is especially impressive, while Nath gives his signature benign performance.  Neither Rampal or Sheirgill are strong enough to balance Zinta, however, and they come across as weak and unconvincing.  The music is good, though, with "Dil Laga Liya Maine" being particularly memorable.  Unfortunately, good music and the excellent Zinta aren't enough to make this more than average due to the bland, sometimes ridiculous, plot.

Note: SCARY PUPPET ALERT!

Late Summer Viewing

First Time Viewing:
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)  3/5 stars
Parts of it were unappealing,  but it has two excellent songs and great performances by Priety Zinta and Abhishek Bachchan.  

Janatha Garage  (2016)  4/5 stars

Mainly a predictable vehicle for Jr. NTR, but enjoyable nonetheless, and with a strong performance by Nithya Menen.

Delhi 6  (2009)  3/5 stars
Started off really good, but by the end I was rather puzzled.  Abhishek Bachchan gave a good performance, but Sonam Kapoor was unimpressive.

Dhoom 2  (2006)  3/5 stars
Action packed and fun, except for Aishwarya Rai's performance --she was so unsuited to the character that it was painful to watch.

Rewatched:
Raavan (2010)  5/5 stars (my review here)
My husband watched it with me this time, and he felt pretty much the same as I did.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)  5/5 stars (my review here)
This was my third viewing and, if anything, I cried even harder.

While You Were Sleeping  (1995)  5/5 stars
I first watched this in the theater, and I can't tell you how many times after that.  This was the first time in a decade or so, though, and it stands the test of time.  It's a fantastic movie.

Funny Face  (1957)  3/5 stars
I loved this as a teen, but wasn't as impressed this time around.  The plot was thin, Astaire and Hepburn seemed mismatched, and her singing was weak.  Costumes were fantastic, though, and Kay Thompson gave a stellar performance.

Veer Zaara  (2004)  5/5 stars  (my review here)
I cried so hard this second viewing that I gave myself not only a headache, but a stomach ache as well.

3 Idiots

3 Idiots

2009

4/5 stars

Farhan (R. Madhavan), Raju (Sharman Joshi) and Rancho (Aamir Khan) meet as freshmen at the Imperial College of Engineering.  While Farhan and Raju are in college with the sole purpose of a degree for a job, Rancho wants to learn for sake of learning and has a nontraditional approach to education.  This causes him trouble with the Dean (Boman Irani), despite his obvious intellect and ability. Rancho's unusual view of life causes upheaval in the lives of Farhan and Raju, in both negative and positive ways, creating a deep bond of friendship. Rancho dropped out of their lives immediately after graduation, however, and hearing a rumor of where he is from a fellow classmate (played by Omi Vaidya), they set out on a road trip to find him. (Kareena Kapoor plays the love interest.)  

The well-written plot of this comedy-drama is charming, funny (though not ridiculous or over-the-top as the title might indicate), moving, and thoroughly enjoyable. .  The chemistry between the three leads is excellent; they are completely convincing as tight-knit friends.  Khan is outstanding, with Madhavan (a favorite of mine from Tamil films) and Joshi also giving strong performances. I usually find Kapoor to be stiff and not fully believable, but this somewhat small role was a good one for her, and she shone.  This multiple award winning film deserves it's accolades, and if the music had been better than average, would be a full five-star movie.

Madhavan, Khan, Joshi

Kick (2009)

Kick
2009
2/5 stars

The complicated plot is interesting and engaging, with some nice twists. Unfortunately, the principal actor  (Ravi Teji) is particularly unappealing. His lack of charisma combined with an unconvincing performance as the hero, topped off with the twenty year age gap between him and the leading lady (Ileana D'Cruz) being distastefully apparent, make the movie nearly unwatchable. I would recommend skipping this version, and watching the 2014 Bollywood remake instead.

Bhagam Bhag

Bhagam Bhag
(translates as "running around")
2006
2/5 stars


Champak Chaturvedi (Paresh Rawal) is the director of a theater group whose heroine (Tanushree Dutta) attracts a British businessman into hiring them for a London show.  His two male leads, Bunty (Akshay Kumar) and Babla (Govinda), are both vying for the attention of said heroine and annoy her enough that she quits, leaving Champak in a lurch.  While in London, Bunty and Babla search for a replacement, leading to a mix-up with a drug ring, trouble with the police, a murder, and involvement with an amnesiac, suicidal actress, Munni (Lara Dutta).

With three superb comedians in the lead, and an excellent supporting cast, this suspense-comedy had such promise, but did not deliver.  There was little-to-no chemistry between any of the main actors, particularly between Akshay Kumar and Govinda, so most of the humor simply fell flat, or the situations were so silly that they just were not funny.  The thriller element  was good, but simply was not strong enough to override the rest of the movie. The songs were average or below, with one being particularly off-putting.  Overall, Bhagham Bhag was such a disappointment.

Anbe Anbe

Anbe Anbe
(translates as "my dear, my dear")
2003
3/5 stars

Cheenu (played by Shaam) is part of a tight-knit, loving extended family. The only thing marring this is the unfriendly rivalry between Cheenu and his cousin Shiva (Yugendran). When Cheenu and Shiva fall in love with the same girl (Vishali, played by Sharmelee), Cheenu must decide between his love for Vishali, and his desire to see his family happy.

The predictable plot is is generally enjoyable, but is hampered by a detracting side-plot.  The music is average, with two not-very-appealing item numbers.  The acting by the supporting cast was quite good, but Shaam and Vishali were not fully convincing. Yugendran, on the other hand,  gave a good performance, and was a much more interesting character (either due to acting or written part) than the other two leads.  On the whole, this isn't a bad movie, but it's certainly not memorable.

ABCD

ABCD
2005
4/5 stars

This romantic drama follows an honest, upstanding young man, Anand (played by Shaam), as he meets three lovely young women, who are in three very different life situations: Bharathi (Nandana Kumar), Chandra (Sneha), and Divya (Aparna).  He forms a friendship with each individually, and due to his goodness and kindness, each falls in love with him - - a situation which can only lead to heartbreak.

ABCD has an engrossing plot, with believable characters trying to make the best of difficult circumstances.  The acting was excellent from all four leads.  The music was generally good, despite the surreal and rather disturbing video accompanying one song.  The humorous breaks didn't fully fit in with the movie, and detracted somewhat.  Overall, this film is absorbing and moving, just falling short of five stars.

Jay Jay

Pooja, Madhavan, and Amogha

Jay Jay
2003
3/5 stars

Jagan (played by Madhavan) falls in love with Jumuna (Amogha), without knowing her name or address.  She is a strong believer in fate, and so writes her details on a 100rs bill, and tells Jagan that if it reaches him within a year, she will marry him.  After spending six months searching for her, Jagan -- through no fault of his own -- becomes engaged to Seema (Pooja), the sister of two dangerous politicians.  Meanwhile, Jumuna realizes that she cares for Jagan and begins to search for him as well.  The two continue to miss crossing paths, while the date for Jagan's marriage draws ever nearer.

The plot of this romantic drama is predictable, and not well-written enough to be convincing.  The music is mostly enjoyable, but the Amazon streaming version of this film does not have subtitles for the songs, so it's impossible to comment on the lyrics.

Madhavan delivers a good performance, and Pooja does equally well.  Amogha, however, has one main facial expression throughout the movie: dimwitted.  She flounders throughout giving the impression of a clueless airhead. 

Overall, Jay Jay is an average film, not terrible, but definitely not memorable.  I can't see myself rewatching it, or recommending it to others.

Ramji Londonwaley

Ramji Londonwaley
(Ramji, the man from London)
2005
3/5 stars

Ramji (played by Madhavan), an excellent cook from an Indian village, takes a job in London to pay his sister's dowry.  When he reaches London, disaster strikes and he finds himself with no identification and no job. He finds help from new friends, and forges an unexpected relationship with a London girl, Samira (Samita Bangargi,) who is his opposite in every way.

This is a cute, feel-good movie somewhat based on Hollywood's 1990 movie Green Card.  Madhavan is a good actor and his portrayal of the sweet, naive, and honorable Ramji is well done.  Samita Bangargi is not as convincing, and their chemistry was unexceptional.  The songs were just average, but incidental music was effective.  Overall, while it's not particularly memorable, Ramji Londonwaley is entertaining, and at times moving, mainly due to Madhavan's strong performance.

Saathiya

Saathiya
("companion")
2002
3/5 stars

Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) falls in love with Suhani (Rani Mukerji) and, after some time, wins her.  Both of their fathers are against the match, but they choose to marry anyway, sure that love will overcome all problems.  Instead, they discover that marriage is a difficult game of give and take, and they struggle to keep faith with each other.

This romantic drama is a remake of the 2000 Tamil film, Alaipayuthey (my review here), which gives a realistic view of marriage.  Oberoi and Mukerji have generally good chemistry, and make an attractive couple.  Mukerji gives a convincing performance throughout, but Oberoi's emotions are not convincing in the end scenes.  Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu give an extended cameo appearance, but their chemistry is decided lacking, and what should have been some of the most moving scenes fell rather flat.  However, Tanuja, who plays Suhani's difficult mother, gave an excellent performance. The songs were mostly beautiful, with the incidental music being used quite effectively.  Overall, I found the movie to be entertaining, but with an ending too abrupt to be fully satisfying.

Alaipayuthey

Alaipayuthey
(translates as "waves are moving")
2000
3/5 stars

In this romantic drama, Karthik (played by Madhavan) falls in love with Shakti (Shalini), woos her for some time, and eventually wins her. They marry, against the wishes of their fathers, and find that marriage is much more difficult than romance.

The realistic portrayal of marriage is excellently done and the plot is well written.  However, it was hard to sympathize with Shakti, whether it was the character or Shalini's acting; Shakti was too sharp and smug, especially when compared to Karthik's openness and innocence (or Madhavan's generally good, award winning performance).  The music was mostly good, with one song particularly memorable.  I expected to fully enjoy this movie, based on reviews, but the difficulty with Shakti and a lack of convincing emotional buildup kept me from completely connecting with the film.

Dumm Dumm Dumm

Dumm Dumm Dumm
(literally: the sound of wedding drums)
2001

5/5 stars

Ganga (played by Jyothika), having scored second in her state in school board exams, wants to go to Chennai to study engineering. Adhi (Madhavan), from the same village, is currently in Chennai studying law, and enjoying his freedom from home. His father and her father greatly esteem each other, and arrange a match between Ganga and Adhi. The young people are in agreement that they do not wish to marry, and secretly work together to stop it. Their attempts fail, and they have just decided that perhaps marriage isn't such a bad fate when a terrible misunderstanding occurs between the two fathers and the wedding is called off. Ganga goes to Chennai to study, and Adhi runs into her there. To their surprise, they fall in love, but the enmity between their fathers is too great.

This movie is a delightful mix of drama, romance, and comedy. All the acting is solid, and Jyothika and Madhavan have excellent chemistry together. With one exception, the music is enjoyable, and there are two particularly nice dance scenes. The plot, though mostly predictable, is engrossing and entertaining. Overall, this is a charming film, and one that I will certainly watch again.

Dil Chahta Hai

Dil Chahta Hai
(translates as "the heart wants")
2001
5/5 stars

Akash (Aamir Khan), Sid (Akshaye Khanna), and Sameer (Saif Ali Khan), just graduated from college, are the closest of friends.  Sameer falls in and out of love regularly, while Sid is too involved in his painting to be interested in women.  Akash, a cynic, doesn't believe that love truly exists.  This coming of age drama follows their first tastes of real love, a devastating break in their friendship, and their eventual maturing.

The film also stars Dimple Kapadia, Priety Zinta, and Sonali Kulkarni.

This was a most impressive movie.  The three male leads were believable and natural as they gave award winning performances.  Zinta, and veteran actress Kapadia were also particularly good in their roles.  The soundtrack was uniformly enjoyable.  The plot is funny, moving, and engrossing, enhanced by excellent cinematography.  It is obvious that the screenplay writer/director, Farhan Akhtar (27 at the time), is talented and able to bring out the best in his cast.  It's easy to see why this film has become a cult classic.

Aisha

Aisha
2010
4/5 stars

In this Bollywood remake of Hollywood's Clueless -- itself an adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 classic Emma -- spoiled, rich, entitled Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) flits from project to project, such as animal welfare, art, and matchmaking among her friends.  She meets middle-class Shefali (Amrita Puri), and makes it her new plan to update the small town girl and find her a upper-class husband.  As Aisha meddles, her childhood friend Arjun (Abhay Deol) watches in frustration, trying to give her a guiding hand and encourage her to mature.  Despite Arjun's attempts, Aisha makes a muddle of things, her own love life included.

Aisha's best friend, Pinky, is played by Ira Dubey.  Cyrus Sahukar, Arunoday Singh, and Lisa Haydon round out the main cast.

Though not sticking fully to the plot, Aisha was well adapted from Austen's novel, hitting all the high points that make the book so compelling and entertaining. The movie balanced humor and drama well, and developed the characters nicely.  The music was generally excellent, and the overall filming exceptional.

I've not been impressed with Kapoor previously, but she played Aisha perfectly.  Deol is a strong actor, and was great in his role.  The rest of the cast were convincing as well, with Puri giving a particularly good debut performance.  I was surprised at just how good this movie was, and had it not been for the alcohol and marijuana usage, I would have rated it five stars.

Siggh, Haydon, Dubey, Kapoor, Deol, Puri, Sahukar

Ahishta Ahishta

Ahishta Ahishta
(translates as "slowly, slowly")
2006
3/5 stars

Megha (Soha Ali Khan), runs away from home to Delhi to marry her secret fiance Dheeraj (Shayan Munshi).  When Dheeraj doesn't show up at the marriage registrar's office, Ankush (Abhay Deol), who is making a living as a wedding witness, offers to help.  Since Megha feels she can never return home, Ankush assists her to find a place to live and work.  They become fast friends, with Ankush eventually falling in love with her.  She agrees to marry him, then Dheeraj returns to her life.

Deol gave a mostly natural performance, but Khan was wooden at times, and not fully convincing.  Music was average and less.  The plot was typical, but then had a most unexpected turn. This would have made the movie higher rated, but there had not been enough emotional build up previously to cause the viewer to be invested in the characters.  The movie was not a disappointment, as such, but could have been much better. 

Notebook

Notebook
2019
4/5 stars

Kabir (Zaheer Iqbal ), at loose ends since he quit the Army, agrees to become the teacher of an isolated Wular Public School with an enrollment of seven students.  He is failing dismally when he finds the diary of the previous teacher, Firdaus (Pranutan Bah).  At first, reading her diary gives him confidence to teach the children.  Later, however, he falls in love with her as he learns to know her inner self through the diary.  He leaves the school at the end of the year, still thinking of Firdaus.

In the meantime, Firdaus is teaching in a large city school, trying to conform to traditional ways of teaching while she waits for her marriage.  The unexpected happens, and Firdaus' wedding is cancelled; she returns to Wular Public School, and finds messages to her from Kabir.

This is a charming movie. Iqbal and Bah, both debut actors, are natural and believable.  The energetic and jubilant children are a pleasure to watch.  The music is only average and below, unfortunately, and does effect the whole.  The ending was particularly good.   With it's uncommon plot, engaging cast, focus on the importance of education, and beautiful cinematography it is an overall enjoyable experience.