Movies to grab, with popcorn in hand…

I have come up with a list of movies which are likely to provide a bit of respite from the regular, churning nonsense that the audience is now accustomed to. I have also tried my best to give an unbiased opinion as to why you should watch it.Quite sure that it may be worth your time and effort to glance at them and then decide for yourselves. The effort that goes into trying to get into a crowded multiplex whilst sweating it out under the hot, blistering sun is unsurpassable. Driving like a mad hatter in the hellish roads of the Metros to get to the theatre, especially in summer when the mercury is routinely stuck at the forties is taking a leaf out of Stephen King’s production. What about parking in the malls? It surely is not getting any better.More time is now spent driving to the theatre, then up and down the narrow parking ramps, blaring the horn at the driver ahead and picking up fights with the parking lot supervisors demanding for the rightful spot than watching the movie itself.I would not try any of this if the movie does not appear interesting. I would wait for the DVD to release and watch it from the comfort of my own home, popcorn in hand of course, if I have missed a worthwhile movie ,why bother?. Probably, the very reason why piracy too is on the rise? The feeders are the reason I conclude. If these movies fail to meet your expectations, please come back here and let me know why. I would also love to hear of your own movie going experience, right from how you got to the theatre and back. I am sure it wont be a breeze.

RAAVAN ( Hindi & Tamil versions ) –  Release date 18th June 2010 – Director – Mani Rathnam – Cast – Vikram,Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Priya Mani.

Simply because it is a Mani Rathnam film. Cannot go wrong with the Director or with the star-studded cast. Rathnam is a sure shot guarantee to provide you some respite from this mad summer. He has done it perfectly all times before, cooling us off in the snowy caps of Kashmir and with the monsoons of Mumbai, why would he fail now? Besides, we hear a lot of the first time chemistry between Aishwarya and my favorite actor .Vikram plays Ram in Hindi and Raavan in Tamil. I place my wager on Vikram and Abhishek to showcase their finest here. Abhishek in fact has had me spellbound with whatever little I have seen of him in the trailers. Cannot wait for the rest.

SINGAM – Tamil – Released today – Director – Hari, Cast – Surya, Anushka, Vivek

This is the twenty-fifth film for Surya. Rave reviews have started pouring in for the movie. An all out commercial entertainer ( masala flick ). Lots of action  from Surya who plays the mighty cop. He is not so coy as he was in his previous cop role in “kaaka kaaka” but bounces with a lot of flamboyance in this one. Very watchable because of Surya.

RAJNEETHI – Release Date – 4th June 2010 Director – Prakash Jha – Cast – Ajay Devgan, Katrina Kaif, Manoj Bajpai, Ranbir Kapoor

More than the cast and Prakash Jha, I am inclined to believe that the Producer,Ronnie Screwaala  ( UTV ) is a goose that lays golden eggs. Besides, this movie is already shrouded in controversy, the trailers show Katrina pulling off a la Sonia Gandhi ( Priyanka ? ). Note the crisp, starched cotton saree and the familiar, trademark Gandhi wave. If this is a movie running down Sonia, I think it will be watchable. It will be interesting to see how much of the movie may get censored, the board is likely to play the spoilt sport.

INCEPTION – Release Date – July 16th 2010 – Director – Christopher Nolan – Cast – Leonardo Di Caprio,Ken Watanabe

If it has Caprio, you have to watch it. Caprio has metamorphosed into the finest. From Titanic to Blood Diamond to Shutter Island, he has been nothing short of outstanding. The movie is about Dom Cobb, a skilled thief in the art of “inception”, stealing secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him valuable in corporate espionage. In one last job, he must cause an “inception” — instead of stealing an idea, he must plant one.

ENDHIRAN – Tamil – Release Date – TBA – Director Shankar – Cast – Rajnikanth, Aishwarya, Arjun Sarja

What better reason does one need besides Rajni to watch this. A guaranteed blockbuster being crafted under Shankar’s capable hands. This is his tenth production and a first time pairing of Rajni and Aishwarya is enough to cause a flurry of excitement. All lungis will be up this summer down under..err south!

FATSO – Hindi – Release date – Released – Get the DVD now  and grab the popcorn too – 

Starring Gul Panag, Ranvir Shorey, Purav Kohli, Neil Bhoopalam, Gunjan Bakshi, the movie has music by Sagar Desai and is directed by Rajat Kapoor.

After receiving several awards for their films at top international festivals in recent months, Pritish Nandy Communication’s forthcoming film FATSO has been officially selected for Spectrum at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival. It seems that there is no stopping for Pritish Nandy Communication when it comes to international recognition for their films. The festival will take place from June 12 to June 20, 2010..The film FATSO is all about love packaged in with a calorie count! They say that matches are made in heaven. This is one of those films where they are undone in heaven! But then again, that’s the strange thing about love: just when the worst has happened, the best happens almost like the nightmare never took place, almost like love is undeniable, as if love and hope are two faces of the same coin.Chairman PNC, Pritish Nandy says, “It’s always been a challenge for us to get a romantic comedy into an international film festival as most of them prefer serious, issue based cinema, particularly from a country like India. We are honoured to be at Shanghai for the first time.”