5-star or no-star: You be the judge!

How many times have you opened the newspaper on Fridays to check the reviews of the just-released movie? How many times have you enquired if it is a four-star rated or just a two-star one? I remember doing this when I started reading the newspaper in class 7 or 8 (although I didn’t know then that movies are generally released on Fridays only, and so, I used to search for the reviews everyday!) and so I am sure, you have done this some time or the other. But do you think these star-ratings done by newspapers which we blindly trust, are actually trustworthy? If TOI rates Ra.One as a ‘above average’ and HT gives it a ‘2-star’ rating, what do you perceive?

The much-hyped Bollywood’s costliest movie Ra.One released on Diwali day. (Well, I don’t think I need to explain what kind of reviews it has received over the last two weeks; everyone seems to be aware of that!) And going with the reviews (spread over the papers, news channels, internet etc), I seriously never gave a consideration to watching this movie on the silver screen, something which I had thought I might do after the release. My Jaipur trip followed Diwali. With my aunt’s urge to see the interiors of the popular ‘Raj Mandir’ theatre of the Pink City and my young cousin’s insistence on watching the movie, even I thought why not give this ‘flop’ movie a try?

The experience at Raj Mandir was unforgettable! Seriously! Wait, wait, wait…you got it wrong, if you thought I saw Ra.One there. No! The experience was unforgettable because we stood in the queue for a full hour and a half on the night of Thursday, 28th of October, to get tickets for the 9.30 PM show (It was no PVR or DT and so no online booking, sorry!) and then returned to our hotel without even being able to enter the theatre. Well, that was the first time I saw a real ‘HOUSEFULL’ signage at a 1,000-seater movie hall! I was in fact shocked to see the happiness and excitement in the eyes of the few ‘lucky’ ones who were able to get tickets for the show, and yes, that was what they considered themselves- lucky- not for being able to watch the movie, but for finally being able to enter Raj Mandir after days of waiting in the queue at the ticket counter! I was awestruck. Such is the fame of a single-hall theatre! Wow!

Consider it luck or pure chance, I found myself seated at the McDonalds restaurant at Basant Lok, PVR Priya complex, Vasant Vihar, today morning and enjoying the breakfast menu of McD. I was on for a realization and immediately sent a text to my family: Sitting at the same McD where I first sat 12 years ago. Yes, in October 1999, I was in Delhi and had my first visit to a McD. My toy-collection had been initiated then as an 8 year old. (And believe it or not, it is still on whenever I get a chance, although I am about to be 20 in a few weeks time! [:D])

The reason I was seated there? Haha… yes, I was waiting for my family who had got me tickets (without informing me) for PVR Priya’s 11 AM show of Ra.One. So I was finally seeing what I myself termed as a ‘pathetic’ and ‘bakwaas’ movie. Mind you, I had no facebook status updated regarding this, nor did any of my friends know about it, chiefly due to two reasons. One, I hadn’t got a chance to tell anyone. Two, I wanted to avoid the shame of actually going and watching an accepted and known ‘pathetic’ and ‘over-hyped’ film. I guess the very fact that I am dedicating a blog entry to the movie is proof enough about what I felt regarding it post-viewing. (Apart from Potter, only one movie has ever qualified to be featured on my blog, and that seems to be the toughest competitor of Ra.One right now! Any guesses which that is? Click here to know)

I have noticed that somehow I have been one who has had the liking for movies that receive a thumbs down by the majority of the masses. And that was what I was thinking, when I put the 3D glasses on in the balcony of Priya. (It wasn’t hard to notice that the four rows of seats in front me were vacant, literally!) The movie started and it wasn’t difficult to understand the intentional use of punch-lines and famously accepted SMS jokes taking the form of the written script, dialogues and screenplay. The visual effects were not hard to grasp and were a clear simulation of a video game environment (that’s what the movie is all about anyways). From the rolling of ten cars in the air at once and crumbling down of the Indian version of the Statue of Liberty (Statue of Victoria, it is!) and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station, it was awesome use of visual imagery and a full-to entertainment. That’s what hindi-movies are made for, right?

One thought while I was moving out of the hall: Never judge a book by its cover and never judge a movie by its review. Be your own judge and review movies yourself! :D

My rating: 3.5/5 (Now will you accept my review?) ;)

P.S.: Even movies like Udaan, Pyaar ka Punchnama, Khichdi, Karthik Calling Karthik, Jail and Paathshala, were liked by me unlike movies like Bodyguard, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which actually created a stir at the box-office. What’s your take? ;)

P.S.2: I thought of taking a major step a few days back: Taking a break from blog writing, as I found my quality of writing deteriorate. By any chance, have I made a come-back through this entry? 5-star or no-star: You be the judge! :D

Comments

  1. OMG...wen i said that your words are no longer of the same metal as they previously were, my intention was not to discourage you but to wake up the true writer in you that was in deep slumber....

    and here you again displayed such brilliant scripting skills, that I have to say it that yes m a fan of your writing, it makes visualize each word....

    I could not stop smiling by observing the immediate response my harsh words elicited :)

    I loved it...

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  2. 4 star nd yeah even i used to see movies following the ratings in n.p but ab akal agai :P

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  3. good one dude...hope the movie and critics by Himanshu get you to a different level then you are at ryt now...

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  4. @Himanshu bhaiya- Hehe...I am glad...and thanks :)
    @Sahir- Hehe...bjmc ka effect :D
    @Anonymous- thanks, but who are you?
    @Khyati- Thank you :)

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  5. i m not very much into movies..n raone for that matter ghrrr!!!:D
    writing skills..hats off!:)

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  6. @Vartika- haha...u live in a country whr there are two religions only: cricket and cinema! I guess, u get the cue :D
    Anyways, thanks :)

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  7. u know wat. even i was kinda surprised with the review this movie has got coz i thoroughly enjoyed it. yes they cud have done better in some of the scenes but 3-1/2 rating is perfect. however, i liked zindagi na milegi dobara but thats a different story. and as far as ur writing is concerned i m reading u only for last couple of days so not aware of ur deteriorating trend. i loved it.

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  8. @factsandnonsense- Glad you liked the post.
    ABout the writing, I guess I put that Post-script at a time when only my close-friends and family were the blog readers. Long before I got to know about indiblogger. So you can ignore that thing.
    Thanks for the comment :)

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