shivams Reviews

Gandhi, My Father (2007)

The personal side of Gandhi's life ..... unheard before.

[8/10 · 6 August 2007]

"Gandhi as a husband and father?" has always been discussed by people in India. 'Gandhi...my father' is a story that only a few would have known to such details. Surely an insight into Gandhi's personal life.

Overall, I liked the movie for story and cinematography. Jariwala, Akshay Khanna, and Shefali Shah have all done a good job. Most scenes of the movie would be nice desktop wallpapers...commendable job. Traditional Indian folk music as background score during certain parts of the movie gives a good feel of the happenings.

However, what I didn't quite like was the narration style. At several points, I found the tone over-dramatized.

Overall, good work by Anil Kapoor Productions. I would recommend it as "must-watch-once". 8/10

Guru (2007)

The story of anomalies in the pre-liberalization Indian business situation.... through the story of Guru Kant Desai, an ordinary entrepreneur.

[10/10 · 13 January 2007]

Mani Ratnam does it again ... outstanding!! With his vivid dramatization of the Indian business situation of the 1950s-1980s (pre-liberalization period), through the story of an ordinary entrepreneur, he surely aims at igniting the educated Indian minds towards entrepreneurship. Yes! The movie is not for everyone, but a focused audience !! The movie is not one of the eye-candy commercial movies .... but a typical Mani Ratnam product.

But, more than anyone else, the one who turns the heat on is.... Abhishek Bachchan. "Role-of-a-lifetime", as they call it, could not have been better portrayed. And Abhishek Bachchan fits the role, body and soul. The conviction is evident in his dialog delivery at each and every stage of the story.

Aishwarya Rai plays the role of the strong wife who would stand with her husband in all times. This is one of the times when she has proved more than her body. A strong role played with equal strength.

The movie compactly binds the story of a successful entrepreneur and his simple love life. The soul of the movie lies in the final minutes, in a court hearing scene ... the 4 min 30 sec speech by Guru (Abhishek Bachchan). In his speech, Guru summarizes the anomalies of the pre-liberalization Indian business situation...how "Licence Raj", Market Imperfections, Corruption, Excise duties, Import-Export regulations troubled the businessmen and hindered the growth of the economy and nation as a whole.

A feast for Indian intellectuals !!! Salutes to Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai !!