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jvalant
Reviews
The Making of the Mahatma (1996)
Great Movie
I saw this movie at a special screening in Bombay a few years ago and recently remembered it when the director has made another movie on a great Indian freedom fighter - Subhash Chandra Bose. This movie tried to capture a younger Gandhi without the halo around his head. I thought the scene where he is thrown out of the train for traveling in a first-class compartment in South Africa and his indignation at this slight is captured more beautifully than the more popular movie by Attenborough. This is more of a story of the Mahatma's journey toward greatness rather than about him. It's well worth a watch...and it's a shame I can't find it on DVD anywhere.
The Four Feathers (2002)
Awesome
It is easily one of the best movies you have seen so far this year. It shows a case of history repeating itself - the English call the Muslims infidels and think of the British Empire as a God-given right to rule the "inferior natives" of the Empire. I got to see this movie 2 days before its release and the theatre was packed. It received a round of applause and the titles starting rolling in. Hopefully, this movie will win some Oscars.
The Party (1968)
Cool
I first saw this movie in India as a 5 year old. Since then, I have seen quite a few times - it remains one of my favorites. Peter Sellers was a brilliant actor, and he carries the movie well. Being Indian, I did not think of the movie as racist. It was made in the politically incorrect 60s, so it is no big deal. It does strengthen the sterotype of an Indian - but I have seen enough Indian movies to know that stereotyping foreigners is a two-way traffic - it occurs in all nations. Good movie - am glad it is finally out on DVD.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
Wow!
Easily the best Indian movie I have seen - no stupid songs or dancing on the snow-capped peaks of Switzerland - no crude jokes - no unneccessary sidetracking. Captures the charm of rural India to the hilt - it also shows what the ruthlessness of the erstwhile British Empire- there was a marked difference in the empire in the Americas and in India - they came to America to live there and to build it - and they came to India merely to plunder it - they did so for a long 200 years and even today we see India suffering from the blows the British dealt it. It also captures the triumph of human spirit - and shows that when mind is put over matter - anything can be achieved - in the tradition of movies like The Shawshank Redemption and Chariots of Fire. Just a piece of advice : change the subtitles - they are unintentionally hilarious like the one "Oh my lovely lassie" - else this is easily the best Indian movie ever - even better than Mother India or Bandit Queen.
Waking Ned (1998)
Great movie
Easily one of the best comedies ever made. The movie captures the beauty of rural Ireland better than any movie ever made. It is not often that a movie can be carried off on the shoulders of old men, but the director succeeds in this case. Surprisingly under-rated for a movie this good. Watch it - you will love every minute.
English, August (1994)
Funny as hell
The movie is awesome - cannot imagine anyone else but Rahul Bose playing Agastya Sen - poor urban Indian caught in the madness of rural India - where everything is chaotic and illogical - the movie is awesome - just like the book by Upamanyu Chatterjee.
Gandhi (1982)
Great Movie
Let me clear a few doubts that the viewers have posted on this movie.
1. That Ben Kingsley is a British actor - he is indeed a British actor, but of Indian origin - his real name is Krishna Bhanji. His depiction of Gandhi has indeed made all Indians proud.
2. Some people are complaining about the treatment Jinnah's character got during the movie. The depiction of Jinnah is perfect. He was single handedly responsible for the deaths of millions in the partition riots and uprooted the life of 11 million people in British India.
3. Indian Muslims are Indian citizens and have always been treated fairly by the secular and democratic Indian govt. In fact in 1965, during the Indo-Pak war, a lot of the Indian Council meetings were chaired by an Indian Muslim, because of the illness of the Indian PM. Moreover, during that war, Dr.Zakir Hussein, an Indian Muslim was the President of India. Jinnah's only grandson is a proud Indian citizen and CEO of one of the only Indian Fortune 500 companies in the world. Moreover, Jinnah's two-nation was aptly buried in 1971 when after the Pakistani Army massacred 3 million Muslim East Pakistanis and the nation of Bangladesh was formed after India's military intervention.
Even though these issues may not seem related to the movie Gandhi - they actually are - Gandhi stood for peace and equality irrespective of caste, creed or religion and thanks to his efforts today India is today the world's largest democracy and the world's largest secular country. Of course, there have been a few hiccups like Babri mosque demolition in India but in a country of 1 billion people, not everyone is exactly the same - would it be fair to label all white Americans as racists because of one Rodney King incident?