Blog Posts by Rummana Ahmed

  • In conversation with Ang Lee

    By Rummana Ahmed | Yahoo! India Movies – Fri 16 Nov, 2012 2:39 PM IST


    Ang Lee wins the Academy Award for Best Director for 'Life of Pi'. Known for movies like 'Sense and Sensibility', 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee says his latest offering 'Life Of Pi', a 3D adventure drama, has been the most difficult film of his career.   Excerpts from the interview:


    Q.      How was the experience of working with Indian actors for the first time?

    A. T    hey are the finest actors in the world, they are treasures of world cinema. They gave me their best and I give them mine. When you work with actors, you have to honest, you are directly communicating with them, you are dealing with human nature. So right away you go deep to a place that you don't share with your children or your spouse. I really treasure actors like that, they are special people and they have so much to show, to share. It's great that I got a chance to work with them.

    Q.     What were the logistical issues you faced while shooting for a film of this Read More »

  • Yahoo! Movies Review: Son of Sardar

    By Rummana Ahmed | Movie Reviews – Wed 14 Nov, 2012 3:42 PM IST

    Behind the scenesCast: Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjay Dutt

    Direction: Ashwni Dhir

    Rating: *1/2

    Ajay Devgn's Diwali gamble didn't quite pay off this time. A film like 'Son of Sardar' can work on two accounts, either on the merit of star power or on the quantity/quality of amusing gimmicks that the makers can pack in. However, with a flimsy plot and inadequate humour, the story fails to take off.

    Simply put, it is a bloody revenge saga where Jassi (Ajay Devgn) and Billu (Sanjay Dutt) belong to the opposite camps. Jassi comes to India to sell off an ancestral property and wants nothing to do with the existing family hostility but the Sandhus are still waiting to settle the score. Predictably he falls in love with Sukh (Sonakshi), the girl from the enemy camp and he must now, not only fight for his life but also his love.

    Jassi discovers that the only way to save himself is to remain a guest in the Sandhu household and thus, follows tedious hide-and-seek sequences where the Sardar tries to pull off one

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  • Yahoo! Movies Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan

    By Rummana Ahmed | Movie Reviews – Wed 14 Nov, 2012 1:29 PM IST

    Yash Chopra's lastCast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma

    Direction: Yash Chopra

    Rating: ***

    There is a reason why Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan are called the Kings of Romance, they have managed to weave one unforgettable love story after the other that remains etched in our memories. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', Yash Chopra's last directorial venture had created ample pre-release buzz and the anticipation in the theatre was palpable. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' is yet another impossible love story made believable by the conviction of the makers.

    Samar Anand (Shah Rukh) does odd jobs in London for sustenance, needless to say our quintessential Bollywood hero is multi-faceted; he croons, he grooves, he has a heart of gold and he is charmer all the way. On a cold London night, while cleaning snow from the sidewalks, Samar falls for the beautiful Meera (Katrina Kaif), Indian billionaire's daughter who is always negotiating with God and cutting deals to accomplish her unfulfilled wishes. Quite obviously their

    Read More »

  • Yahoo! Movies Review: Ajab Gazabb Love

    By Rummana Ahmed | Movie Reviews – Fri 26 Oct, 2012 5:08 PM IST

    Jackky Bhagnani
    Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Nidhi Subbaiah, Arjun Rampal, Kirron Kher
    Direction: Sanjay Gadhvi
    Rating: *

    I am convinced 'Ajab Gazabb Love' was just made so that Jackky Bhagnani could add another film to his filmography. The plot follows the most predictable trajectory possible, there's not even a feeble attempt at anything original and it hardly qualifies as a romantic comedy.

    Rajveer Grewal (Jackky Bhagnani), spoilt rich kid who has built a dream car very innovatively called DC, falls hook, line and sinker for dusky girl coming down the escalator. Lovestruck hero manages to track down the 'escalator' girl with the help of a passing glance at a sociology book she is carrying. Before he can express his love, he realizes the object of his affection hates rich people and gets all high-pitched and angry when she sees them.

    How must our hero amend this impossible situation? Quite simply by pretending to be a poor, educated and hard working mechanic. Predictably one lie leads to another and before Read More »

  • Yahoo! Movies Review: Chakravyuh

    By Rummana Ahmed | Movie Reviews – Thu 25 Oct, 2012 12:13 PM IST

    Movie Stills: ChakravyuhCast: Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpai, Esha Gupta

    Direction: Prakash Jha

    Rating: **1/2

    Prakash Jha picks a sensitive subject of social relevance but in his attempt to pander to popular cinema, he incorporates too many Bollywoodisms that prevent 'Charavyuh' from becoming an intense political drama. Jha spends too much time trying to make the film entertaining rather than focus on the nuances that make a coherent plot.

    'Chakravyuh' is a political drama set against the backdrop of the Naxal Movement. Jha brings to forth many pertinent aspects of the Naxal ideology — the issue of little or no development for the tribal communities in India, illegal land acquisition from the farmers, the collusion of the powerful (the politicians and the industrialists), police brutality and systematic failure of the law and order system. The intention is good but Jha flounders on the execution.

    Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) is the honest and courageous police officer who has been assigned the arduous

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