Review: Pyaar Ka Punchnama

Unwatchable, until it isn't...

It might be hard to imagine why anyone who has watched the trailer of Pyaar Ka Punchnama would decide to want to see any more of what is advertised to be a highly misogynist, regressive piece of trashy cinema. Blame it on the cool, relaxing South Indian breeze, or the lack of scrutiny that comes with enjoying a vacation at home, but on a sleepy afternoon, my mom and I decided to give it a shot. It proved to be a huge helping of what was promised, but with an added punch of unexpected, stirring cinema.

Story:

Pyaar Ka Punchama follows the lives of three guy friends as they meet and fall in and out of love with three girls. Each relationship explores a different complication; one couple deals with the problems of adjusting to a move in, another deals with issues with ex boyfriends, and the third explores the fine line between friendship, love, and exploitation. The stories start out fairly predictably (and annoyingly). So while one girlfriend throws a fit at her boyfriend watching cricket with his friends and demands that he go shopping with her, the other makes her friend (a guy who is clearly into her and says as much) do her work and chaperone her around as she talks to her long distance boyfriend. However, the lighthearted (albeit offensive) tone (and cartoonish background music) gives away to much darker shades as each relationship breaks down and deep wounds are carved out and left out in the open to bleed.

Review:

It's hard to call Pyaar Ka Punchnama a good film when it had such a trite, agony auntish first half. But I'm going to be positive and hope that this was a cinematic ploy: start silly and catch them off guard with a powerful finish? Indeed, the conclusions of each of the stories stripped themselves of all the lightness and froth of the first part of the film to depict all the raw pain and hurt that comes with an ugly breakup. In fact, I'd recommend watching this film for the one chilling scene between Rajat (Kartik Tiwari) and Neha (Nushrat Bharucha) that marks the beginning of the end of their relationship.

Overall, I can't say I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel to Pyaar Ka Punchnama, but it certainly worked (to at least some extent) as a keen look at urban Indian relationships and their unique complications.

Rating:

Around The World In 24 Reels

Part 1 - Estado Espanol

Both Anj and I love traveling around the world, by which I mean we love lazing on our couch and traveling vicariously through world cinema. We’ve trudged across parched African deserts, run frenetically through dingy Mexican alleyways, wandered aimlessly through neon-laced Tokyo districts and strolled across historic European plazas, all the while munching on a slightly soggy, comfortably familiar piece of Domino’s Pizza (consider this an official endorsement of their artery clogging creations). So I thought I’d share some of our adventures with our readers, in what we like to call ‘Around The World In 24 reels’. First stop – Franco-era Spain…

There is something about a nation facing its grim past that often makes for truly affecting cinema. One country where this has produced more than its fair share of internationally acclaimed films is Spain and its filmmakers’ fascination with the effects of General Franco’s regime on its citizens. A full compilation requires film snobbery far beyond our limited abilities (for starters, see Bad Education, Live Flesh, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and The Last Circus), but the ones that really stood out to me in the crowd were the two that took the horrific reality of living through a Civil War that claimed several hundred thousand lives, and an oppressive regime that executed tens of thousands more, and used it to create morbid fantasy worlds that their central protagonists can escape to, taking us along for a frightening ride.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Set in the early days of Franco’s reign, Guillermo Del Toro’s dark fantasy tells the story of young Ofelia, a precocious girl with a vivid imagination, who travels to the Spanish countryside with her pregnant mother and her vicious stepfather, a Fascist captain tasked with rooting out the local rebels. As the real world around her gets increasingly violent and brutal, Ofelia finds herself retreating into a magical, often dangerous world of her own, nestled within an unkempt garden by her house that only she can see.

To the casual, cynical eye, Pan’s Labyrinth can easily come across as a classic example of overrated art-house wankery, ornate visuals that serve little purpose other than to let the director indulge in saturated multicolor excess (and many an online armchair critic will nod in grave acknowledgement). But to my untrained eye, the film is a visual treat, classic Del Toro set pieces of intricate, often unsettling beauty, with none of the commercial shackles that restrained his more crowd pleasing Hollywood offerings (Hellboy, Blade II, etc.). Using his considerable clout to muster up a fairly rich budget, Del Toro crafts a mesmerizing, brilliantly staged, competently acted and hauntingly scored fairy tale that refuses to be straitjacketed by convention. It’s too gruesome for kids, but might be too childish for adults. It’s a tad longer than most family films, but too short to be a fantasy epic. It is, to quote another dark fairytale, ‘just right’. Highly recommended for anyone who likes to see cinema used as a visual art form rather than a simple storytelling device, and/or who has only heard of Del Toro as ‘that fat dude who made Hellboy’.

The Last Circus

Show me a movie that begins with a crazed clown hacking down an entire army platoon with a rusty machete and ends with a midget crashing a motorcycle into a giant Cross, and I’ll show you Alex De La Iglesia’s The Last Circus. Following a sad circus clown through three decades of Franco’s regime as he comes to terms with love, loss and life, the film is a hyperkinetic assault on the senses that is bound to leave even seasoned consumers of on-screen violence a little exhausted.

The first half is very engaging, setting up the bizarre fantasy world of the traveling circus within the much grimmer reality of war-weary Franco-era Spain. We follow Javier from his adolescent life as he watches his father turn from circus clown to rampaging murderer to political prisoner, through to his adult life as a socially awkward circus clown who falls in love with beautiful, masochistic trapeze artist Natalia, and subsequently ends up on the wrong side of her sadistic, hot-tempered husband Sergio, the ‘Happy clown’ and star of the circus. Near the halfway mark, things come to a boil when Sergio violently confronts Javier about his relationship with Natalia, and suffice to say things go pretty batshit insane pretty quickly. Iglesia turns the weird-o-meter up to 11 and subjects the audience to an orgy of unprecedented violence and unrelenting mayhem once Javier and Sergio both start to lose their minds in pursuit of Natalia’s love.

I have mixed feelings about this film. While it is a distant second to Pan’s Labyrinth on all levels (in my mind at least), it is nonetheless a brave, relentlessly engaging, visceral movie with a very unique, if somewhat bizarre, visual style that takes ‘horror comedy’ to a new level. Plus, I have to admit that while I have not seen any of Iglesia’s other movies, watching The Last Circus definitely made me want to see more of his work. On the other hand, the film is, on many levels, an exercise in overindulgent hyperweirdness. The plot quickly veers from interesting to strange to just plain ridiculous as the movie progresses, until it becomes nothing more than a convenient device to stage another grandiose, purposefully bizarre set piece, and the violence, through its sheer pointlessness, reduces segments of the movie to little more than elaborate torture porn (with clowns!). Recommended for anyone who thinks Water For Elephants needed more drugs, or that Trainspotting did not have enough clowns in it. Highly discouraged if watching insane, sadistic, disfigured clowns charging at you with machetes and submachine guns isn’t your cup of tea (Coulrophobics, you’ve been warned).

- S

Review - War Horse

Thanks to the folks at The Happiest Medium, I was able to catch a pre-screening of the new Spielberg directorial venture, 'War Horse'. Here's my review of the film. In summary, it is a good, solid watch, though not without flaws.

Anj

Review - Exit Through The Gift Shop

(F)art To The People...

When I think of street art, I think rebellion, vandalism, maybe even immaturity. So when I popped in Exit Through The Gift Shop, an Oscar nominated documentary by renowned street artist Banksy, I expected a sermon on the freedom of expression and a song of praise in honour of the creative, free spirited graffiti artists worldwide. Though in part this film does indeed document art by some of the most famous street artists and presents the artists in their most appealing moments (when letting loose their art for the world to see), the true gem of Exit Through The Gift Shop is the unexpected story of the recorder of some of its raw footage. In hindsight, I probably should have seen the writing on the wall...

Story:

The documentary begins with the story of a man that will soon become its main focus, Thierry Guetta. Obsessed with his video camera, Thierry films everything in sight, including the art work of his cousin. Turns out his cousin his Space Invader, one of the frontrunners of the world street art scene. One thing leads to another, and soon Thierry is exclusively filming street artists create and setup their art pieces. He climbs up rickety roofs, crouches on dark balconies, and hangs off windows to actively participate in the art creation. The artists in turn are part bemused and part interested in having their work documented (and as one points out, it's always useful to have a lookout). His persistence and reputation in the street art community leads Thierry to Banksy, already then an artist of much repute for his work on the streets of London. On Banksy's request, Thierry puts together a documentary of all his footage. One look at the schizophrenic collage of moving images and screeching noises, and Banksy knows Thierry isn't the man for the job. He encourages him instead to pick up art; this is something Banksy later reveals is a piece of advice he used to give everyone. Except, Thierry took this advice to heart. What follows is an evolution of Thierry from aspiring filmmaker to street arthusiast, and finally an artist with the most hotly awaited gallery opening in the city. And all this happens in six months.

Review:

Banksy clearly knows he has a winner of a story to tell here (fiction or not is unclear and, frankly, irrelevant to me), and thus takes his time unfolding the series of extraordinary events. This cool, laid back flow to the film makes it a little slow in the beginning; though this lack in pace is more than made up for by various montages of clever pieces of street art work around the world.

The film's view on Thierry is quite neutral, a feat that must have been hard to pull off. There are quotes from artists and employees calling him crazy, but some of these people are also visibly fascinated by his dedication to the art. Thierry himself is a character that appears to swing from wildly deluded to fiercely passionate. I found myself at first dismissing him as a man with a camera and too much time on his hands, but then sitting up to witness his transformation into a LA weekly cover story.

But, overall, the most compelling and interesting point made by the film is that there's no point in trying to answer the question, "What is art?". Some of the artists were upset with Thierry trying to take a shortcut to become an artist; others take his success to be a reflection on art and its patrons themselves. But no one can really explain his phenomenal success, and as Banksy says towards the end of the film, maybe he's genius, or maybe art itself is a joke. By freeing itself from the burden of having to defend the authenticity of an artist or the credibility of his work, the film ends on a strangely contemplative note, leaving it up to the audience to decide who they choose to hail as the artist. My feelings about Exit Through The Gift Shop were summed up best by a quote from the film: "I'm not quite sure what I'm here for, but I'm excited about it."

Rating:

Review - Abu, Son of Adam

Pretty Pictures and Endearing Characters Do Not An Engaging Film Make...

In an impulsive attempt to get out of a mid week funk, I decided to watch Abu, Son of Adam, which opened the South Asian International Film Festival yesterday. This lack of planning enabled me to enjoy what has become a rare experience; watching a movie without knowing anything about it. So in I went to watch this multi national award winning film with an open mind and no preconceived notions. I came out of the cinema impressed by the stunning visuals and painstakingly crafted characters, but quite underwhelmed by the weak, one dimensional plotline.

Story:

Abu, Son of Adam revolves around the lives of the two central characters, Abu (National Award winning Salim Kumar) and his wife who he lovingly calls Aisu (Zarina Wahab). The couple lives very modestly in a small village close to Kozhikode in Kerala, but their unquestioning, disciplined practice of Islam and quiet love for each other keep them happy. The only things that they seem to crave for are the return of their son (who abandoned them for Dubai a few years ago) and a chance to do the Hajj pilgrimage. The first desire is a futile one; the second a distant dream. Sensing that this is one of their last opportunities to fulfill this lifelong ambition, though, the couple decides to try to do the Hajj. What follows is Abu and Aisu tapping into all their resources, material and otherwise, to satisfy the requirements of the travel agency and be able to achieve this dream of a lifetime.

Review:

The cast of Abu has more than enough acting prowess to pull off their roles comfortably. They fall easily into character and blend well into the stunning backgrounds. Salim Kumar deftly portrays sadness, fear, confusion, and even mischief through his twinkling eyes. The only jarring issue with his performance is that his physique appears much younger than his mannerisms (the character is supposed to be in his 70s, and Kumar is only in his 40s) which threw me off a little at first, but was ignorable after a bit. Zarina Wahab, a seasoned pro, is at first assigned to a fairly dull role, but soon lights up the screen with a few moments of cinematic magic as Abu's loyal, loving wife.

Abu succeeds in portraying a peek into what life is like in the lusciously green, slow moving, religiously diverse, modest but content countryside of Kerala. This is not the Kerala from the familiar 'God's own country' ad campaign; there are no backwaters or Kathakali dancers. It's instead a snapshot of rural Kerala that is beautiful, but in an unassuming, untouched way. Cinematographer Madhu Ambat frames his scenes against breathtaking sunsets and along narrow roads bordered by dense forestation. (Here I have to put in a special mention for the opening sequence of the film that is a slow montage of various seemingly mundane household items that gain significance through the course of the movie.)

This sense of pristine, innocent beauty is conveyed through the characters too, all of whom are honest, hardworking people who lend a hand to each other when in need. In fact, this depiction of a model village with no semblance of vice, is perfect to the point of harming the storyline. Overly virtuous characters make for poor climaxes. And therein lies the problem with this movie. You're left sighing at a beautiful film, but yawning at a story so blemish free that it doesn't even move you.

In the post movie Q&A, someone asked Mukesh (who plays a small role as Abu's spiritual guru) if the movie had any ties to reality. He responded that the director had indeed grown up in a small village and knew of an old man who had tried relentlessly to make the Hajj pilgrimage. "Did he make it?", asked the audience member. "No", responded Mukesh, and the audience hushed silently. Now, if only this movie had been able to elicit the pathos generated by that one syllable...

Rating: