Lyrics We Love (1960-65)

The idea, depicted by the hashtag  #lyricswelove, saw several participants on facebook lately. yesterday evening, I joined the fun, and posted examples of certain lyrics that I have liked. All the examples were from the films released between 1960-65. A total of 43 songs find a mention here, I am posting a compilation of the same as a blog post here :)

The idea has several aspects to it. There is an obvious nostalgia associated for people who will be able to identify most of these songs. For quite a few others, it is also about discovering certain new songs, which they may not have come across or given enough attention to. But I feel the most interesting part of this concept is that, we pay attention to the words of the song. We realize that so many songs, had such beautiful lines, so many beautiful thoughts that we may not have noticed earlier - even for several songs which may have loved and enjoyed. For the love of lyrics - The Lyrics we love. Join the journey folks! Feel free to post your views and reactions here, especially if you have a query about any song/lyrics in particular!

उतना ही उपकार समझ कोई जितना साथ निभा दे... 

ये भोग भी एक तपस्या है, तुम त्याग के मारे क्या जानो? (sahir)

संसार से भागे फिरते हो, भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे?

जिंदा रहने के मौसम बहुत है मगर, जान देने की रुत रोज़ आती नही..

मैं ये सोचकर उसके दर से उठा था, की वो रोक लेगी,मना लेगी मुझको... (heartbreak)

जीवन के सफ़र में तन्हाई, 
मुझको तो न ज़िंदा छोड़ेगी, 
मरने की खबर,ऐ जान-ए-जिगर, 
मिल जाए कभी तो मत रोना...

हम छोड़ चले है महफ़िल को, 
याद आये कभी तो मत रोना...

बंद कमरे में जो खत मेरे जलाए होंगे,
एक एक हर्फ़ जबीं पर उभर आया होगा...

सर ना काँधे से, सहेली के उठाया होगा...

ज़ुल्फ़ जिद करके किसी ने जो बनायी होगी...

(same song)

हो के मजबूर मुझे उसने भुलाया होगा...

जीने वाले सोच ले, यही वक़्त है, कर ले पूरे आरज़ू...

जो तुमसे है मेरे हमदम, भगवान से भी वो आस नहीं...

तुम भी किसी से प्यार करो तो, 
प्यार गुल और बुलबुल सा करना...

एक था गुल, और एक थी बुलबुल, दोनों चमन में रहते थे...

ये पत्थर है, ये नही रोते...

परदेसियों से न अँखियाँ मिलाना...

(antara - mukhda)

एक सूरत भोली भाली है, दो नैना सीधे सादे है...

मेरी खुशियाँ ही ना बाँटे, मेरे ग़म भी सहना चाहे,
देखे न ख़्वाब वो महलों के, मेरे दिल में रहना चाहे...

इस जहाँ के लिए,धरती माँ के लिए,
शिव का वरदान हूँ, मैं तुम्हारी तरह...

चाहूँगा मैं तुझे, सांझ सवेरे,
फिर भी कभी अब,नाम को तेरे,
आवाज़ मैं ना दूँगा...

तेरे हुस्न की क्या तारीफ करूँ,
कुछ कहते हुए भी डरता हूँ,
कहीं भूल से तू न समझ बैठे,
की मैं तुझसे मोहब्बत करता हूँ...

(best flirting)

अगर मुझसे मोहब्बत है, मुझे सब अपने ग़म दे दो...

शरीक-ए-ज़िंदगी को क्यों शरीक-ए-ग़म नही करते,
दुखों को बाँट कर क्यों, दुखों को कम नहीं करते...

(same song)

दोस्त दोस्त ना रहा, प्यार प्यार ना रहा (memorable)

एक चीज़ क़यामत भी है,लोगों से सुना करते थे,
तुम्हें देखके हमने माना,वो ठीक कहा करते थे!

अधूरा हूँ मैं अफसाना, जो याद आये चले आना 

जीवन सीमा के आगे भी,
आऊँगी मैं संग तुम्हारे...

रुक जा रात, ठहर जा रे चन्दा....

मेरे महबूब तुझे मेरी मोहब्बत की कसम,
मेरा खोया हुआ, रंगीन नज़ारा दे दे...

भूल सकती नही आँखें वो सुहाना मंज़र,
जब तेरा हुस्न,मेरे इश्क से टकराया था!

(antara - mukhda)

मत खेल जल जायेगी,
कहती है आग मेरे मन की,
मैं बंदिनी पिया की,
मैं संगिनी हूँ साजन की...

मन की किताब से तुम,
मेरा नाम ही मिटा देना,
गुण तो ना था कोई भी,
अवगुण मेरे भुला देना...

तेरा मेरा प्यारा अमर,
फिर क्यों मुझको लगता है डर...

मेरे दोनों बाहों में,
जैसे आसमान है,
चलती हूँ मैं तारों पर...

(same song)

ओ जाने वाले, हो सके तो लौट के आना...

वो अफसाना जिसे अंजाम तक लाना न हो मुमकिन,
उसे एक खूबसूरत मोड़ देकर छोड़ना अच्छा...

चलो एक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाए हम दोनों... 

ये मौसम ये रात चुप है,
ये होंठों की बात चुप है,
खामोशी सुनाने लगी है दास्ताँ...

मुझे ग़म भी उनका अजीज़ है, 
की उन्हीं की दी हुई चीज़ है...

कहीं दिल न मेरा,ये तारीफ सुनकर,
तुम्हारा बने, और मुझे भूल जाए !!

मेरा हक़ था तेरी आँखों की छलकती मय पर,
चीज़ अपनी थी, परायी तो नही माँगी थी...

मेरे सीने, में भी दिल है,
है मेरे भी कुछ अरमां,
मुझे पत्थर, तो न समझो,
मैं हूँ आखिर एक इन्सां...

(yahoo, junglee) 

गर्दन है इक, झुकी हुई, डाली गुलाब की...

तुमने मुझको हँसना सिखाया, रोने कहोगे, रो लेंगे अब...

आओ मेहनत को अपना ईमान बनाए,
अपने हाथों को अपना भगवान बनाए,
राम की इस भूमि को,गौतम की धरती को,
सपनों से भी प्यारा हिन्दुस्तान बनाए...

मुझे एक जगह आराम नही,
रुक जाना मेरा काम नही,
मेरा साथ कहाँ तक दोगी तुम,
मैं देस-बिदेस का बंजारा !!

हम तो समझे थे के हम भूल गए है उनको,
क्या हुआ आज ये किस बात पे रोना आया!

ज्यादा की नहीं लालच हमको, थोड़े में गुज़ारा होता है

घूँघट में जब चाँद था, मेहंदी लगी थी पाँव..

यही कहोगे तुम सदा, के दिल अभी नहीं भरा...

तुम्हें याद होगा, कभी हम मिले थे...

अगर ज़िन्दगी हो, अपने ही बस में,
तुम्हारी कसम हम, न भूले वो कसमें..

आँखों में सारी रात जायेगी,
तुमको भी कैसे नींद आएगी?

हम मिट चले है जिनके लिए,
बिन कुछ कहे,वो चुप-चुप रहे..

मुबारकें तुम्हे की तुम, किसी के नूर हो गए,
किसी के इतने पास हो,के सबसे दूर हो गए

मोहब्बत का छोटा सा,मंदिर बनाके,
तुझे रात-दिन, पूजना चाहता हूँ !!

रिवाजों की परवाह, न रस्मों का डर है,
तेरी आँख के, फैसले पे, नज़र है !!

(same song, best duet)

जाने बहार तुम किसी शायर का ख़्वाब हो

हाय वो रेशमी जुल्फों से बरसता पानी,
फूल से गालों पे रुकने को,तरसता पानी

Pink - one of the finest works in recent times

Right from writing certain answers in the school days, to expressing my views on certain topics now, I feel when it feels like a challenging task, just go point by point. So here are my points about the movie Pink:

- Let us not forget, for a moment, that it is an extremely well made film. Even with all the right intentions, a work of art has to be executed well, to produce the required impact. The film succeeds in doing so

- The film produces a realistic touch, and is thrilling at the same time. Very few films (ex Madras Cafe) are able to achieve this.

- The realism is an output of cinematic tools, as well as the characters. The characters are well written, well acted, and for most of the film, it is this realism that sucks us into the film

- The above points are more important as far as the male audience is concerned. Because an extremely crucial point of relatability, one of the strongest points of the film, will work more on the female audience (which is logical).

- The practical treatment of the issue: In the usual discourse concerning the women, we tend to start glorifying them (using tools like the Female Goddesses, the roles as mothers and sisters etc). This film presents them simply as human, and looks at the real issues faced, and talks of the practicalities involved in handling them.

- The film has to take a moral stand on several points. That has been well done, and it is a combined effort of the writer, film maker and Amitabh as a performer largely. Well made points.

- In all these debates of women safety, misuse of laws by women is a point that keeps (and will keep on)emerging. And one has to realise, it is as much a daily reality as the issues faced by the women. Where this film succeeds (and largely at a subconscious level), is in maintaining a level of suspense about what actually transpired that day. It is largely known, but there is some amount of doubt that is maintained throughout the film. At some level, the film manages to convey that it is not simply about agreeing to the female point of view, but about the well deserved justice at the end of the day

- The film basically and rightfully targets the "mentality" issue. It was important to show that guy as a highly educated guy. In fact it would have been even better if he was shown as the son of a rich successful business maybe (and not necessarily a politician). Polished urban background of these guys is important, because it is a harsh reality. We have all seen enough such guys, around us, from the best of educational institutes with exactly such mindset.

- I guess it deserves to be mentioned as a separate point, that even if it was in just one line, there was a statement made about the requirement of consent in marriages also (marital rape)

Pink is a fine work of cinema. It picks up a relevant topic, picks up a premise which has sufficient scope, and does justice to it - in terms of the cinematography and music, which play a big role in building up the tension and creating the impact, the direction which is up to the mark for such a challenging film, the performances which are so believable. I think the biggest winner is the writer. This is a dream script, and the guy (yes, film has been written by a guy) should be really really proud of himself.

There are a couple of points where you may feel that it could have been better, or it was kind of redundant (the initial behavior of Amitabh). But overall Pink is brilliant. Saying that it is a must watch is also an understatement. I feel this is a film that deserves to be seen twice, at least.

Bollywood Nostalgia - Haasil

Certain films achieved most of its fame and recognition, much after it got released. However, this does not mean that all such films have got the respect that they deserved. Haasil is one such film.

Over the years, it has made a name for itself, yet not many people truly realize what a landmark it was. The characterization was the strongest point, backed by a story which had a number of relevant points. This is a rare film where casteist discourse is rampant - making it ever so important, because it speaks the language that continues to be spoken, yet hardly visible in the films. Of course, with college politics as the background, the film goes on to make a number of political statements.

The film is dark and gritty, like really really, seriously gritty. You wouldn't really call it a thriller, but literally speaking, it is one. The film is largely remembered for its moments, which largely emerge from the examples of characterizations, which make this film a case study in itself. The other aspect is an eye for detailing, the minute actions and reactions, which are visible throughout the film. One aspect is the location and setup of multiple scenes, which add up to the overall impact (for example the climax scene which was the first thing that the director shot)

And well it goes without saying, that even with so many positives, the discovery of an acting superstar is indeed the strongest point of the film. If we were to talk about the negative characters which would make you root for them, I don't think there can be any character which would beat Ranvijay Singh of Haasil, in fact I should say Irrfan Khan cast as Ranvijay Singh in the film (no, not even Shahrukh of Darr)

This is the best of cinema. Cult film, may be yet to be recognized as one. I hope it is, some day.

P.S: Saw it 8 years back. Itni special nahi lagi thi. Aaj fir dekhi. Ab lagi. 

MAMI Film Festival 2016 Experience - Oct 21 to Oct 27

Mami Film Festival madness came to an end on 27 Oct evening. 7 days. 35 films, from 19 countries. (a few left incomplete because of timing constraints, and in a couple of rare instances, because the film was really bad)

Around 4-5 films left me unhappy, a few others unsatisfied, but most of it was quite a treat. Of course, we had too many options, and too little time, and at times, too much rush. Tried to soak in as much as possible. There was a moment on day 5, when I simply left the theater, went out for the evening, as I genuinely felt drained out(also Day 4 and 5 had been pretty ordinary). That actually helped, and was followed by 2 wonderful, wonderful days.

My favorite 10 from the Festival:

1. I Daniel Blake: the way individual scenes had a graph of their own, is something that will stay with me for quite a while
2. After the Storm: The most refreshing film from the festival. One liners, and observational humor at its best
3. Elle: unique critique of Christianity, with a twisted story line. extremely dark and extremely humorous at the same time.
4. Clash: The topic, the execution, the scale. Another film from the festival which was liked by one and all
5. Graduation: This I would rate above The Salesman, because this mix of absolute simplicity and brilliant intensity, is what everyone expected from Farhadi, but this film delivered all that, and more. Masterpiece on human drama, though with an ending which surely leaves you uncomfortable
6. The Salesman: The most hyped film in the festival. The last 30 minutes ensured that it does live up to that hype
7. Tower: the intensity, the tension, the unique execution of a documentary. The second film that I saw in the festival,and the first that I had loved
8. Barakah Meets Barakah: Sociopolitical comedy from Saudi Arabia, and one of the most important films in the festival
9. Kagaz Ki Kashti: Did not expect a Jagjit Singh documentary to have the kind of impact that it did, pure magic
10. Fukushima Mon Amor: Hidden gem of the festival, kind of a discovery because the film never was one of the most talked about films of the festival. Yet I feel it was one of the most beautiful films with all the cinematic ingredients in a perfect mix

Little Prince. Goodbye Berlin. Endless Poetry. Neruda. The Golden Wing. When two worlds collide. Donald Cried. My Life as a Zuchini: Some other films that I loved

Anatomy of Violence, Ahamaq, Personal Shopper, Vampir Cuadecuc, Echo were few films that really did not work for me at all. Enjoyed watching Shah Rukh in Ahamaq, showing how he managed to make such pathetic writing also tolerable with his energy and enthusiasm. Mostly Sunny was somewhat disappointing, because I expected more from a documentary on such a fascinating, multi-faceted character. Sandstorm seemed a seriously over hyped film, while Cinema Travelers is neither as good as its fans would say, nor as bad as the people disliking it would opine.

Should take a day off to simply sit and reflect on the past week, and all that was experienced. Experience to cherish. And above all, even with its' share of shortcomings, it was a job very well done by the organizers 

Gar Baazi Ishq ki Baazi hai...

One of the interesting aspects of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil are the references to a few examples of Urdu poetry.

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo is quite popular, and finds its' two versions being used in the film. Also, there is a reference to the Faiz nazm "mujhse wo pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob mat maang". This is also a very popular poem

However there is one sher which is not as widely known. It is the one that Srk recites. Again, the ghazal is by Faiz, and has actually been used in this lesser known, yet brilliant song.

Do listen to this rare gem, which has the Sher towards its end :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe3N4Inm0U&list=

MS Dhoni The Untold Story - delightful first half, disappointing second half

Be it MSD the player, or MSD the film, the expectations have to be sky high. More often than not, the player has risen to the occasion, and met the expectations. Sometimes, he has failed too. Unfortunately, the film too will go down as a failure in rising up to those expectations.

The film is not without its merits. In fact describing it is pretty simple - it has a really good first half, and an utterly disappointing second half. Just like Dhoni, the film finishes in style, it even led to audience clapping in the end, but I guess the claps were mostly for MSD the player, and not really for the film.

Shot in Ranchi, in the actual colony where Dhoni lived, the school where he studied, the first half has done ample justice to the early days of Maahi. The screenplay is witty and realistic at the same time - you root for the lead character, and you are constantly entertained. (hume to "singhaada' sun ke hi mazaa aa jaata tha)

The small town limitations, the constant support of friends, a typically worried father, the middle class household, all come out really well. This said, couple of things which I believe were lacking here - a bit of that street smart, sort of awaara like attitude that we Ranchites have known Dhoni to display. That aspect was missing, as Maahi was shown in a perfect "nice boy" image always. Secondly, the fact that Dhoni studied in a school which is academically one of the best in the country, and produces some of the finest brains (ok, DPS is the best in Ranchi, but uske baad Shayamali :P) in all the conventional careers, is something that should have been explored. Just studying there as an academically average student (which Dhoni was) is a pressure in itself. And am not talking about these aspects because of the authenticity or relatability associated with them, but I genuinely feel exploring them would have created better moments and a better impact. This said, there are many scenes which are mundane details from his life, and yet are neatly done, and end up being impressive. The screenplay has had a keen eye for humor, and as mentioned, keeping the realism intact. A conversation on a railway platform with references to (simple) cricketing terminology, is a delight in itself. All in all, one cannot have many complains from the first half.

The problem is once Dhoni gets into the team, the storytelling goes for a toss. I would love to keep myself in the writer's shoes and acknowledge the limitations though. Since all the cricket footages are actual videos, so any scene involving other cricketers would have required them to act in the film, which obviously did not happen. The first half succeeds because it does justice to the roots of the character, and the challenges, and succeeds in answering why Dhoni never gave up - because of his passion and self belief. The second half fails because it fails on answering something that has to be a pivotal question of the biopic - once Dhoni got the opportunity, what was so special about him, that he was able to produce the magical results that he did. What gave him the kind of leadership skills he went on to display, why did he transform himself from a swashbuckling hitter to a reliable steady batsman (who was capable of shifting gears). The film had enough, and more potential, to explore these points, but this is where it loses focus of what its focal points should have been. If scenes with cricketers were an issue, it could have been brought out in conversations with friends, or even family.

Surprisingly, the film is full of missed opportunities in the second half. After a brilliant set up in first half, involving a young Yuvraj and Dhoni, the film absolutely misses out on golden opportunity of highlighting how they were finishing off so many matches together, in style. Maybe even how Dhoni, was standing at the other end when Yuvi hit 6 sixes. How Yuvi wa standing at other end, when Dhoni hit that winning six. How Yuvi was magical in 2007 T20 WC. 2008 final victory was shown, and we miss out on the detail that Sachin played 2 match winning knocks at a time when Dhoni was in the process of replacing older players with younger and fitter ones (can be presented in a perfectly non controversial manner).
We had Dhoni playing tennis ball cricket, and this part was given sufficient screen time in the first half. I am surprised that there was not enough hints thrown in the film, that such cricket gave Dhoni his unconventional style (sometimes a little spoon feeding is necessary for the audience)
This may seem like a minor detail to many, but the fact that Dhoni made significant improvements as a wicket keeper at international level, is also something which should have been addressed. Wicket keeping again has a lot of focus in first half, and goes missing in the second half.

The romantic angles are decent, the writing is pretty mature. But as plot points, they simply fail to create the impact. I am sure there are creative liberties already taken, I guess it needed to be more inventive. I am sure most people are going to find this angle pretty uninteresting.

This is not a bad film. The writing never loses that touch of maturity, so the film remains respectable.

However, it simply fails to do justice to the immense potential the life of the cricketing legend had.

If I had to sum it up, whatever the film chose to show, was written and executed well. The choice of these elements, the settings, the characters, work out well in the first half, but leave a lot to be desired in the second half.

Honestly, disappointed with the film. But I guess, one should watch it once. The film ends with flashes of (actual) Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I am sure in most theatres, people will not be able to stop themselves from applauding, for that visual alone.

Btw, the 3 major theatres in Ranchi are running around 12 shows each for the film. Almost all the shows for the day are completely sold out (such a response for any film, ever, is unheard of in the city) . I suddenly feel this urge to watch this film in the city, the city which is such a lovely and interesting character of the film. I can only imagine what would be the experience like, back in Ranch

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - Succeeds as a simple light hearted film; fails as a blockbuster material

One liner for the people who would prefer not to read a longish post - pretty average film, with some feel good moments, but mostly fails to connect emotionally. Simple, harmless film, but nothing special about it.

Now the longish post - I guess the issue with the film, and I think it is going to be the major issue, is that we have seen it all before. The pyaar-dosti confusion has been around for a long time. Rich youth trying to do something different/creative has been there in Wake up sid, ye jawani hai diwani, tamasha etc. Heartbreak leads to success as a singer has been the major plot of the film earlier (rockstar). Ae dil hai mushkil picks up all these themes, which have seen earlier, and actually with a better execution in some of the above mentioned films. Characters fooling around with bollywood nostalgia was also present in Tamasha, but this is one aspect where the bollywood buff Kjo has done a much, much better job than what Tamasha managed. There is one more point, but that will be a major spoiler, so will avoid sharing that.

Film has its share of nice, feel good moments. Lot of it is contributed by the bollywood nostalgia thing. A significant share of these moments come from an unexpected quarter - Lisa haydon in a delightful cameo.

Problem starts when the film tries to connect emotionally, and fails. Characters break into tears, when you are absolutely unmoved. You dont really root for the characters. A rich guy, who can afford a private jet, childishly fooling around - comes across as a protagonist unlikely to move audience to tears, even though he (Ranbir) gives an earnest performance.
Fawad Khan is just a filler, both the actor and the character remain underutilized. Anushka is the best as far as her performance goes, but since the film is practically from the POV of Ranbir, her role has serious limitations (would blame the writer for that). Aishwarya makes her entry only in the second half. In the first scene itself, her role (as a poet) shows a lot of promise. But some mediocre writing (including her poetry), and pathetic acting by Aish, makes her a major weakness of the film.Srk has a delightful cameo, and actually gives a glimpse of why his presence has had an aura of intensity in films in the past. One may dislike him and all, but one needs to possibly reflect upon how current generation of actors are failing to pull off themes like these, while Srk had worked magic in the most cliched films. And yes, he even gets to recite a couplet by Faiz in the film :)

Music is a major weakness. Except for a couple of songs, the others do not create much impact. In fact, there is even a narrative blunder in the use of songs in an instance where we have 2 songs, immediately after each other in the film!!

In the end, the film will either not touch you at all, or work as a small lighthearted kind of a film - but is unlikely to have the blockbuster type appeal. In one line, the film has its share of aww moments, but surely lacks the wow moments.

It is somewhat surprising that an experienced story teller like Karan johar has made certain basic narrative errors. The screen space of certain characters is tightly compartmentalized - first half has no Aishwarya, and once she comes we have no Anushka for a long time. There is very little overlap between characters with a conflict (and a couple of scenes with overlap are actually gripping). It is very difficult to create enough emotions and drama in a storyline/narrative of this type. Jab tak hai jaan was another film with a similar drawback.

I guess, ADHM is basically Karan's statement (and this is a bit of a spoiler) that his idea of showing Dosti as latent Pyaar in KKHH was actually misplaced. Friendship can remain friendship, and it can have all the love without fitting into the traditional mould of a romantic relation. The statement is good, but isn't very well made.

Shivaay - Stunning visuals, Stupid film

One liner - silly, stupid film with stunning visuals and camera work. The fresh faces act really well, while familiar ones, including Ajay devgan disappoint.

Talking about the positives first (and this will end quickly), the film has some amazing visuals. It is not flawless, but cinematography is great. Not just the action sequences, most of the scenes have excellent framing and well thought of camera angles. Add to it, the sheer audacity of the camera work in some of the action sequences. The film has a chase scene(kid being kidnapped), which is something that we have really not seen in Hindi cinema so far. The brilliant title song is also another strong point. It starts off the film on a high energy note, and is used quite a few times in the film. Acting department has its share of positives. I am not being racist here, but Katrinas and Nargis Fakris have created a certain perception about acting skills of "foreign" faces that we see in Hindi films. We have two such faces, and they end up being the best performers in the film, and by quite some margin. The intense performance by a child artist especially helps the film.

The downside of the film is fairly straightforward. It is a remarkably stupid movie. The plot points are fine, in fact have enough potential, but the execution is extremely bad. It does not help that the lead delivers a lacklustre performance. Ajay fails to generate the aura that was required. It starts with the character talking to army men (how ironic) in a condescending tone, in his very first dialogue, and that creates a bad first impression. It really does not improve - surely not when he carelessly makes a girl pregnant, and forces motherhood on her. With some mature writing, maybe all this could have been pulled off with some grace, but you cannot expect maturity from this film. Also, there is stuff like the hero taking down the police headquarters, him escaping bullets from a range where it was impossible to do so, the hero going around (almost) killing people. We thought we have left all this behind in the 90s.

There are moments which may look exciting at first, but once we revisit it logically, a lot of it seems silly. The emotional scenes are poorly directed, and often, terribly written. The kid is extremely cute, but even there, beyond a point her overly aggressive haughty behavior can go from being cute to irritating. The Shiv connection is the weakest point - the character lives in himalayas, and has shiva related tattoos, that is all. Talk about exploring the central theme with some maturity?

It was sad to see high potential actors like Girish Karnad, Vir Das, Saurabh Shukla lacking in impact. One of the examples of immature writing, was creating a bihari caricature in a scene. Issue is not with the bihari thing, but that it is so poorly done. Saurabh shukla delivers one dialogue in Bihari tone, and otherwise that manerism is non existent. Also, you have certain expectations from the villain in such action films. That is another mighty disappointment (won't say much else would be a spoiler). In fact, you can expect this film to be a major punching bag for various reviewers.

The film makes a nice point about father-daughter relation in the end. But, if you are watching it in a theatre like pvr (with long ad belreaks), it has already been 3.5 hours since you entered for the show - and you are totally exhausted. The film also had the potential of comparing two contrasting lifestyles - city life luxury and that in the lap of the mountains. It has the sensitive topic of flesh trade at its heart. And we just have more and more of potential wasted.

Shivaay is basically an opportunity missed. Missed by a big margin. The film is definitely a visual delight. But as far as indian audience is concerned, we give (unconsciously) much more weightage to the plot as compared to the audio visuals of the film.

As far as prospects of this film go, I think ADHM will greatly benefit from the weaknesses of Shivaay. An ordinary ADHM begins to look good when compared to the absurd Shivaay. This said, I really wish both the films were much better.