Another review of Mumbai Xpress (Hindi)
http://web.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/april/107572.htm
Gives a decent rating for the film
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Another review of Mumbai Xpress (Hindi)
http://web.mid-day.com/hitlist/2005/april/107572.htm
Gives a decent rating for the film
Mumbai express is getting good positive reviews from up north as well in Telugu.This is because,the Rajni-kamal bias is not there.
In Tamil though,reviews which say ME good term CM as bad and vice versa.
The indiatimes(bangalore edition) has given 3 stars(Good) to ME and 2 Stars(Average) to CM.It says "Rajnikanth was in wrong film at a wrong time".
To answer mellon regarding VRMBBS and Virumandi, do check the archives of sify.com which says that these two movies had the highest ever collections at sathyam and thats the reason for this biggest theatre in Chennai to screen ME and not sachin or CM.
Anyway,Kamal hasan is the king in Chennai and Coimbatore if not for the smaller towns of tamilnadu.
Review of Mumbai Xpress (Tamil Version)
Kamal Hassan proves his mettle as a creative, constantly striving artiste par excellence, yet again!
Take and mix a bit of the essential ingredients of classics of Buster Keaton, Peter Sellers and Steve Martin - Indianise them by using a strong screenplay as a base
cook it in a humor 'microwave' and spray it with a nice tangy flavor of native accents and colloquial phrases a.k.a. one liners, embellish it with a (music) score that mocks and laughs at the performers on
the screen(!) - and that should tickle you, besides the movie itself!!- and you have a classic - MUMBAI XPRESS
After reading the array of mixed reviews, yours truely watched the movie without an inkling of a bias, but with oodles of anticipation based on the confidence that Padma Shri Kamal Hassan has nurtured in people like me
over the years - it was a different experience - but be warned, this is no MMKR, no PANCHATANTIRAM, no Thenali - in fact, the slapstick elements are so inconspicously inserted that you wouldn't notice that they are slapstick
after all!
A story of a kidnap gone awry could have gone wrong in 'n' number of ways - but a cleverly scripted screenplay takes care of it
James Bond says to the new Q in one of the recent 007 flicks "You are cleverer than you look" for which Q replies "it is still better than looking cleverer than you actually are" !
Much of the 'mishy mashy' Indian filmy comedies belong to the latter category - the entire feel and auro of MX (and most movies of Kamal for that matter) makes you think that it is "cleverer than it looks"
Therein lies the intelligence of the humor in the movie, an intelligence that does not test and exasperate the commoner, yet shows itself as intelligence nevertheless
Kamal has a penchant for discovering and nurturing audaciously talented people in the film industry, the way one Mr.Imran Khan used to do for Pakistan cricket in the 1980s (the analogy is apt considering the fact, both are Scorpions - Zodiac signwise and have a way with their peers and constantly, consistently prove(d) themselves
Atul Kulkarni was picked up from Marathi theatre/Indian National School of Drama - his performance in HEY RAM made history and opened up new vistas for him;
'Vikram' Dharma was yet another so-so stuntman, until Kamal set his eyes on him and gave him a new lease of life;
likewise, Pasupathy is yet another amazing talent - his performance in MX on several occasions, far outsmarts Kamal's - but then Kamal has deliberately underplayed his role as Avinashi;
this underplaying of each character is yet another strength of the movie, which gives the movie its much deliciously enjoyable 'poker-faced' feel - every character in the movie, on most occasions delivers the dialogue in such deadpan fashion with a poker face, and yet make you laugh!
Buster Keaton was a poker faced actor used to delivering dialogues in deadpan fashion and send the audiences roaring in laughter!
A classic example is that of Sarat Saxena with a 'please-no-expressions' face, asks Mumbai Express (Avinashi) to go after speaking to Nassar over the phone - you know what is coming, and you start laughing in anticipation, even before
he even starts speaking to Avinashi!
The soundtrack - being a veteran IR music afficianado/ connoisseur, I cannot but gasp at this man's unexhaustible bag of tricks! The audio MP3s of the movie have by themselves given a feel for the movie and after watching the movie, let me assure one and all, lock, stock and several barrels, anyone other than IR for the movie, it would have been an actual "Kurangu kaiyyil malai" experience - the intelligence with which the tracks have been used to gel with the storyline and script is something upcoming film music composers ought to learn from!
So where does the movie 'appear not as clever as it seems' then ?! the romance angle between Avinashi and Ahalya seems to have been a rushjob infused into the storyline as a last-minute decision, but be aassured, you don't notice its oddity in the bigger melee of fun and laughter -
it can be pardoned - why even recent big Hollywood comedy flicks like 'Shallow Hal' or "Just Married' are 80% odd and 20% plausible!
Where does Kamal go from here ? he has made his national presence felt with a top-notch work - by all means, the cash register should be ringing loud and clear - it has been declared a wholesome family entertainer even in inaccesible Ahmedabad and Kanpur - the success of this movie should spur Kamal's single-minded obsession with
his dreamwork 'Marudhanayakam' towards giving it a shape, and making it into a possible venture seeing the light of day - his calculated and cautious hurry into announcing 'Vetayadu Velayadu', a cop thriller, is to my guess, another trilingual in the making! You can all guess what he is upto !
It is funnier than the movie. I really laughed while reading this (and I was brusing so.....)Quote:
anyone other than IR for the movie, it would have been an actual "Kurangu kaiyyil malai" experience
I mentioned this in another CM related thread. Rajini's next movie will be with Raaj Kamal. This is a two purposes thing. Rajini badly needed a good role and I am sure Kamal will give that. Kamal badly need the money to take "Marudhanayagam" and he will get that from Rajini acting in RK production. So...Quote:
Where does Kamal go from here ? he has made his national presence felt with a top-notch work - by all means, the cash register should be ringing loud and clear - it has been declared a wholesome family entertainer even in inaccesible Ahmedabad and Kanpur - the success of this movie should spur Kamal's single-minded obsession with
his dreamwork 'Marudhanayakam' towards giving it a shape, and making it into a possible venture seeing the light of day - his calculated and cautious hurry into announcing 'Vetayadu Velayadu', a cop thriller, is to my guess, another trilingual in the making! You can all guess what he is upto !
BTW, I saw CM also, and like may reviewer says its not bad at all. Infact it is a good movie, but not a rajini movie. Will post the review in CM forum!
Are you kidding? Please consult your ENT specialist :)Quote:
Originally Posted by kbee
alwarpet_andavan
Rajni's next movie is likely to be with "editor" MohanQuote:
Originally Posted by kbee
alwarpet_andavan
Instead of going to ENT, I decided to go to MX again. I enjoyed every bit of this movie, much more than 1st time. BGM was infact started from the first frame, but the BGM that comes when Kamal decided to climb on the crane overpowered everything else. Great job by "my Raja".Quote:
Originally Posted by alwarpet_andavan
Regarding Rajini's next movie, I care the less, but whats funny is to see Rajini going behind the remake movie now a days to make sure that he gets a hit. Anyway, its his personal choice.
Again back to MX, having seen the movie 2nd time in 3 days, I can bet that this will be one of Kamals classic movie category. I can confirm that once the DVD (if released) is released. So far the best selling DVDs are KH dvds and in particular the order is
1. Anbe Sivam
2. Pancha Thanthiram
3. MMKR
4. Virumandi
5. PKS
6. Sathi Leelavathi
7. Thenali
8. Vasool Raja
Now, MX will join this list and will be in the top 5.
Kbee,
lol :)
You know what, if you close your eyes and just listen to the "crane-scene" BGM, you can see the scene in front of your eyes. Sheer IR magic!
And BTW, any idea where you can get those VCDs (not DVDs) mentioned in your list in Chennai?
alwarpet_andavan
the only sore point in MX as far as Kamal's performance is concerned, is his voice !
surprised ?! - if you have all noticed, Kamal gives lots of emphasis on voice modulations to match his facial expressions and body language
in this movie, Kamal's voice sounds jaded/expressionless, even though he looks acceptably young enough! most of scenes, his voice sounds like as if he woke up and started speaking immediately - that kind of a hoarse effect
Kamalhasan promised wholesome entertainment|&he has delivered.Here is a movie that marks a new style of comedy in Tamil cinema,without violence or vulgarity.MX starts off as a picaresque(what does it mean?)caper-a clumsy trio of would-be kidnappers come up with a plot,but have to rope in Avinashi(Kamalhasan),aka Mumbai Xpress,a motobiker who shows off his skills in a well of death,when one of the group goes down with appendicitis or appendisoceity-or-something-like-that,as his wife puts it.
Avinashi,hard of hearing|&totallyinnocent,puts more than a few spokes in the wheel,but pulls it off well.He then forges a bond with his captive,a chubby,smart,sensitive 10 year old&hismother Ahalya(Manisha).Eventually,it's a case of all's well that ends well,but not before a whole lot of mix up's&mistaken identities that keep you laughing all the way.The screenplay by Kamal himself,is a neat piece of work,peppered with funny lines&even funnier moments.
The performences are all controlled|&contribute in equal measure-whether Vaiyapuri who frequently mixes up code names,Ramesh Arvind as the insistent insurance agent who's drawn willy-nilly into the gang,or Paupathi,the leader on a short fuse.
Kamal proves again that he's in a class of his own,that he wants to set a different course for Tamil cinema,which has for long been hurtling down to mediocrity,helped along by huge budget ventures&hyped stars.
Which is why it's such a happy trip on Mumbai Xpress.
Rating -3 stars(Good).
BTW,the same reviewer has done for CM giving it 2 stars&telling "Rajni has made an error of judgement in choosing this film;for the ageing superstar,it'a a case of wrong time,wrong place."
I saw MX with family on saturday&allof us had a nice time.There have been a lot of reviews,so I don't think it neccessary to do one more myself.