Aug 14, 2007

Nadiya Kollapetta Rathri........a throbbing ride all the way !


After a disappointing “Pathaka” K. Madhu has bounced back with a well etched out Suresh Gopi starrer Naadiya Kollapetta Rathri (NKR). As the name suggests, it is a full fledged investigation story with twists and turns aided by lot of blood. Not a pleasing sight for kids or elders when you see three cute babes stranded to death and amazingly in the same compartment of a train. The story starts off in a train and ends up in a train as well. The producer would have spent some extra penny to shoot those illustrious scenes in a train but some, quite evidently are nothing but good use of sets or good art direction.

What you expect from a Suresh Gopi thriller is what you get in NKR though it can be a path-breaking film just like his previous Chintamani Kolacase. If blood, gore and mouth watering violence were the trademark of that Shaji Kailas film, K. Madhu doesn’t go haywire with the script but instead provides us a classic thriller. The story starts with the crew of RACT, a railway crime investigating team lead by Gopi himself attack a passenger terrorist and kill him. Perfect introduction. I just cannot remember his screen name because it is a tongue twisterJ. Upon extreme pressure and demand, the RACT team starts the reinvestigation of some murders which happened under mysterious circumstances. They kick start their campaign with the investigation of the crime whose victims were Nadiya (Kavya) and 2 other gals which occurred a month back.

Nadiya who is good at shooting is found unconscious after being stabbed in the 1st A.C compartment. She is taken to hospital but the doctors declare her “brain dead”. Nadira is her twin sister and she almost loses her heart out after seeing her sister’s condition. She has her interest cut down in classical dance and even her mannerisms are just the other side of what you see in Nadiya who is bold. Kavya to be fair has given justice to her double role and it would be the very first appreciation which I as a viewer give her over all these yearsJ. There are a lot of characters involved and it is evident from the moment go that each of them has a part to play in the crucial climax where things are unfolded in a break-neck pace.

Suresh Gopi will obviously unfold the mystery but it’s the path he follows to do so which makes you feel, “yeah this is something different” and finally the answer to “who is the killer” can’t be said in one word cos the killer is beyond your imagination. To be honest, the two murders one of a dancer and the other of an NDTV reporter have hardly anything to do with the original story. Being clever, the director reveals the Nadiya mystery only in the end picking his order to perfection cos otherwise the audience would feel as if there were a plethora of events which were completely a wastage of time. It is here you see the role of an experienced director in K. Madhu when he handles those otherwise difficult scenes with ease.

The script by A.K Sajan after Chintamani Kolacase has lived up to the standards set by the other investigative thrillers. Infact, it is amazing to see how he had managed to pen a story like this and tie up the loose strings which could have affected the totality of the film. Background score is just awful and it tests your patience undoubtedly. The cast and crew are just fine with Kavya and Suresh Gopi sharing the bulk of the credit. Suresh Gopi’s costume designer needs a pat on his back to make a jaded old “commissioner” look handsome. Cotton shirts, trendy jeans and on top of that sunglasses makes our Hero look younger. On the whole, NKR is a spell binding thriller for around 150 mins though it has its downside as well which I don’t want to mention. It won’t disappoint you.

My verdict: A superb thriller !

Aug 8, 2007

McLaren : "Take your ass off the car"


McLaren has reportedly given their Spanish driver Fernando Alonso an option to leave the team after this season. What has prompted them to spit a statement like this to a former champion? Simple, its the Spaniard's attitude in and out of the track which has given him the penalty he deserved. He was never a happy man driving the McLaren especially when he was outpaced and shadowed by a rookie out of all people. He wouldn't have expected this on his entry to McLaren.

Alonso naturally would have expected a #1 status in the team after back to back championship wins with Renault. What received him was something he wouldn't have guessed even in his wildest dreams. Lewis Hamilton a born talent, drove his heart out in his first 9 races and finished in the podium each time. Stunning !

What left was "Alonso's cribbing". Day in day out if you look at the F1 websites all over, there will be news about the McLaren drivers' drift. Even, there was a speculation about he leaving the team in between the season but that is now unlikely. Nevertheless, Ron Dennis seems to be pissed off cos of the rivalry between Lewis and Fernando. Never know, who he is gonna be ditched from the team but right now the lot seems to have gone in Alonso's way.

Fernando Alonso having done a marathon "pitstop" in Hungary has just proved how dirty F1 tricks can get. Impeding his teammate from driving a hot lap was the last thing expected from a driver, especially when there were only minutes to go before the qualifier ends. Absolutely ridiculous as some newspapers pointed out except in Spain.

Someone needs to go to the double world champion and teach him the definitions of words like "dignity", "teamwork", "team - first of all" and of course "maturity". In Alonso's case fortune didn't favor the brave when he won the title rather it was fortune's turn to misbehave and that too twice. At the end of the day, its Alonso who is the loser and as some pointed out, a disgrace to Formula 1.

Grow up dude........