We were soldiers, no! not a review

We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams. So this is our story, for we were soldiers once, and young.

Here! it is not just a review but it is what I felt after watching this great movie, there may be many who may not have liked it, let me ignore their views but these are my words..

Personally I am a big fan of war and military films but I haven’t seen a lot of war or military movies from Hollywood as most of them are either about Vietnam or about World War 2, now the recent trend is Gulf war and capturing Saddam and Osama, which more looks like an Emergency / search operation. As recently I liked Hurt Locker and Zero dark thirty, but the truth is that the American film makers are true patriots and its their patriotism (may be paid ) and they fail to show the atrocities they have done in Iraq and in their detention centers.
A few war movies in my list are Enemy at gates, We were soldiers, Crimson tide, Hurt Locker, Flags of our father and the Lost battalion.

We were soldiers ,a true military movie, it is not just a war movie but has done justice to the life style of the soldiers at their base, at the training center and at the front “the valley of death”. After all it was written by Lt. Gen.  Hal Moore (retd.).

The film is based on “  We were soldiers once and young “ a novel written by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were at the battle of Ia Drang, directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Sam Elliott, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper.

At the end this too becomes a American war as Americans believes that the victory was theirs Nguyen Huu An says this while collecting the bodies of their dead soldiers holding a damaged American flag, story was crafted in such a way that they have done some justice to the other side which many fails to do.

Moore in his novel complains that "Every damn Hollywood movie got it wrong"; Wallace has said he was inspired by this comment and became "determined to get it right this time."
The film depicts a heroic Lt.col Moore destroys the Vietnamese reserve, ending the battle in an American victory, but the truth was that the Battle of Ia Drang continued for another 300 days.

Casts:

Mel Gibson as Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel Hal Moore
Madeleine Stowe as Julia Moore
Greg Kinnear as Major Bruce P. Crandall
Sam Elliott as Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley
Chris Klein as 2nd Lieutenant Jack Geoghegan
Luke Benward as David Moore
Taylor Momsen as Julie Moore
Devon Werkheiser as Steve Moore
Keri Russell as Barbara Geoghegan
Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway
Mark McCracken as Ed "Too Tall" Freeman
Don Duong as NVA Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu An
Ryan Hurst as Sergeant Ernie Savage
Marc Blucas as 2nd Lieutenant Henry Herrick
Jsu Garcia as Captain Tony Nadal
Jon Hamm as Captain Matt Dillon
Clark Gregg as Captain Tom Metsker
Blake Heron as Sp4. Galen Bungum
Desmond Harrington as Sp4. Bill Beck
Brian Tee as Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama
Robert Bagnell as 1st Lieutenant Charlie Hastings, USAF

Direction and Screenplay: Randall Wallace

The writer-director bestows honor – generously, apolitically – not only on the dead and still living American veterans who fought in Ia Drang, but also on their families, on their Vietnamese adversaries, and on the families of their adversaries too.

The film has shown Army wives association and welfare activities that I have not seen in a any other film may be because most writers may not give it much importance as that does not have any heroic element in it.

A Soldiers fights at the front, his wife, his children does it back at home, and they get the strength to accept it that he will never come back on receiving the letter. (Someone once asked me why you get all the facilities that only your serving father is supposed to have, no other govt. servant gets any such for his family.)

Some Interesting True life incidents about Julie Moore wife of Lt. Gen Hal Moore (ret.) :

Contributions to Army family life

Wherever her husband was stationed, Mrs. Moore served as a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader and Cub Scout Den Mother. She volunteered with the Red Cross in the Army hospitals. She supported the day care centers and worked with the wives clubs to take better care of the enlisted soldier and his family. Mrs. Moore was especially active in setting up the Army Community Service organizations that are now a permanent fixture on all army posts and which assist each soldier as they process into their new duty stations.

Casualty notification

The Ia Drang Campaign was the first major ground engagement involving U.S forces in Vietnam. The Army had not yet set up an adequate system of notifying the next of kin of battlefield fatalities. Instead, the telegrams were given to taxi cab drivers for delivery, as depicted in the film. Unlike the film depiction, Mrs. Moore did not actually assume responsibility for the delivery of the telegrams, but followed in the wake of the taxis, grieving with widows and families, and attending the funerals of those who fell under her husband's command. Her complaints to the Pentagon, and the example that she set, prompted the Army to immediately set up notification teams consisting of a uniformed officer and a chaplain.

It’s a must watch film for all military movie fans.
My Ratings
5/5 for Madeleine Stowe for portraying Julia Moore a responsible Army wife,
4.5 for Mel Gibson as Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel Hal Moore, Sam Elliott as Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley and 4 for Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway.

Quotes by Lt col Harold G Moore:

• This is where the metal meets the meat.
• I will be the first man to walk on to the battlefield, and the last to walk off! 

Quotes by Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An:

• Those who are about to fight and die, I am grateful.

Download it or grab a DVD but don't miss it, You will be satisfied of watching a good Army film with action, drama emotion, what else a cinema buff needs?

We were soldiers .......... once... and .......... young

Ozhimuri

Ozhimuri- A review by Abu Thahir.

ഒഴി മുറി:

സത്യം പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ ഒരു കുറ്റവും കണ്ടുപിടിക്കല്ലേ എന്ന് വിചാരിച്ചു കണ്ട സിനിമ ഒരു കുറ്റവും കണ്ടു പിടിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയാതെ കണ്ടു തീര്‍ത്തപ്പോള്‍ വല്ലാത്ത ഒരു ഇഷ്ട്ടം തോന്നി ഈ സിനിമയോട്.

ഉസ്താദ്‌ ഹോട്റെലിനു ശേഷം ഞാന്‍ ഏറ്റവും ഇഷ്ട്ടപെട്ട സിനിമ നല്ല തിരക്കഥ നല്ല ഡയറക്ഷന്‍ ഓവര്‍ ഓള്‍ ഒരു നല്ല പടം.

തെക്കന്‍ തിരുവിതാം കൂറിന്റെ പഴയ കാലവും കാലികവുമായ സാമൂഹിക സ്ഥിതി വളരെ നല്ല രീതിയില്‍ പറഞ്ഞ സിനിമ.

ഒരു ഘട്ടത്തില്‍ തികഞ്ഞ മെയില്‍ ഷോവനിസം രേപ്രേസേന്റ്റ് ചെയ്യുന്ന സിനിമ ആണ് എന്ന് തോനിപ്പികുമെങ്കിലും അതെല്ലാം ആസ്ഥാനത് ആയി പോയി എന്ന് ഈ സിനിമ കഴിയുമ്പോള്‍ നമുക്ക് മനസിലാകും. മധുപാല്‍ തന്റെ ആദ്യ സൃഷ്ട്ടിയും രാജുമോന്റെയും ലാലിന്റെയും എക്കാലത്തെയും നല്ല പെര്ഫോമന്‍സ് ബേസ് ചെയ്ത മൂവി ആയ തലപ്പവിനെക്കാളും ഒട്ടും മോശമക്കാതെ രണ്ടാമത്തെ പടവും എടുത്തിരിക്കുന്നു കുറെ കുടുംബ ബന്ധങ്ങള്‍ ഇപ്പോളും തകരതിരിക്കുന്നത് കുട്ടികള്‍ കാരണമാണ് എന്നും , ഭാര്യയെ പേടിക്കുന്നവരാന് അവരെ തല്ലുന്നതും എന്നുള്ള ചില സത്യങ്ങള്‍ വിളിച്ചു പറയാന്‍ മധു പാല്‍ ഒപ്പം തിരകഥ കൃത്തും ധൈര്യം കാട്ടി എന്ന് വേണം പറയാന്‍ . പിന്നെ വിവാഹ ജീവിതത്തില്‍ ഭാര്യക്കും ഭര്‍ത്താവിനും ഉള്ള സ്ഥാനം വളരെ നല്ല രീതിയില്‍ തന്നെ സംവിധായകന്‍ പറയുന്നുണ്ട് പിന്നെ തെക്ക തിരുവിതാം കൂറിലെ പഴയ കാല നായര്‍ സംസ്ക്കാരത്തെ വളരെ നല്ല രീതിയില്‍ തന്നെ ചിത്രം പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു ചിലപ്പോള്‍ അതിനെയും നമുക്ക് ലിവിംഗ് റ്റു ഗെതര്‍ എന്ന് വിളികം എന്ത് ബന്ധത്തിന്റെയും വരമ്പ് ഒരു വെറ്റില ചെല്ലം അല്ലേല്‍ വെറ്റില ആണ് എന്നുള്ള ഒരു ദുരവസ്ഥ ഒക്കെ ഇത്ര നന്നായി ഇനി ആറം എടുക്കുമെന് എനിക്ക് തോനുന്നില്ല . മക്കള്‍ത്തയം മരുമക്കള്‍ത്തായം, താവഴി എന്നിങ്ങനെ പിടികിട്ടാത്ത സംഭവങ്ങള്‍ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു അതൊക്കെ കുറെ റെഫര്‍ ചെയ്തപ്പോള്‍ ഈ സിനിമ.ഒന്നും കൂടെ ഹൃദ്യമായി തോന്നി,

സിനിമയുടെ നെട്ടല്ല് തിരകഥ ആണ് എന്നുള്ളതിനെ ഊട്ടി ഉറപ്പിക്കുന്നതാണ് ഈ സിനിമ എല്ലാ താരങ്ങളും അവരവരുടെ ഭാഗങ്ങള്‍ വളരെ നല്ല രീതിയില്‍ ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്.

ഈ സിനിമയിലും സംവിധായകന്‍ നരേഷന്‍ സ്റ്റൈലില്‍ തന്നെ ആണ് കഥ പറഞ്ഞു പോകുനത് സെയിം ലൈക്‌ തലപ്പാവ്

എടുത്തു പറയേണ്ടത് ലാല്‍, ശ്വേത മേനോന്‍ , മല്ലിക നന്ദു എന്നിവര്‍ ഒക്കെ നല്ല തകര്‍പ്പന്‍ പെര്‍ഫോമന്‍സ് ആണ് നടത്തിയത് എന്തിനു ആസിഫ് , ഭാവന എന്നിവര്‍ പോലും അവര്‍ അവരുടെ റോളിനു നീതി പുലര്‍ത്താന് മാക്സിമം ശ്രമിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.

ഇനിയും ഒരു പാട് പറയാനുണ്ട്‌ ഈ പടത്തിനെ പട്ടി കൂടുതല്‍ പറഞ്ഞു ചള മാകുന്നില്ല ഒരിക്കലും ഈ പടം മിസ്സ്‌ ചെയ്യരുത് മ്മടെ തന്സീര്‍ ഭായുടെ ഭാഷയില്‍ പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ കണ്ടേ പറ്റു ചാകുനതിനു മുന്‍പ്

എന്‍റെ മാര്‍ക്ക്‌ : 8.5/10

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Jab Tak hai Jaan Review

Thought to watch a special movie on a special occasion, Jab hai Jaan is a special movie for all SRK fans and Yah Chopra fans.

As the title says "Jab tak hai jaan" we all will remember Yash Chopra for this Movie. 

It was much beyond my expectations, I mean not as boring as it was supposed to be.
Yes It has its captain, the man who taught the country of 100+ crores the art of romance, and yes he had King of Romance with him. what else you will get when there will be blend of these two? 

There cannot be a better way to portray a solid love on the silver screen. ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ has nailed that.

Shah Rukh Khan don’t really need words of praise or adulation; but go ahead and take a bow!.

 One who doesn’t know how not to love; one who instills in every heart the hope to be able to love – love unconditionally, love that doesn’t know its limitations. Sounds like I’m just out of a Yash Chopra movie? Yes, this had to be the one.

Yash Chopra has made a romantic movie taking care of pulse of new generation.

 

Plus points are less if I count and compare it to negative points.

pluses:
This movie is for all ages, all can enjoy, no vulgar dialogues were there(with time some vulgar things too goes acceptable by all).
With Samar Anand, the actor has brought another Raj Malhotra alive on screen. And a newer, better, improved version at Raj.
you will not find any sarees flying slo-motion in the air, but what it has is sheer, pristine beauty.
As Usual AR Rahman rocks.

Minuses:
You will find a lots of scenes that resembles "Hurt Locker".
The film appears a tad too long; at almost three hours, the "impatient, newer generation" might have to stretch themselves a bit.
Being enthusiast about Indian forces, I want to raise this question. "How can a person join Indian Army as Officer(Group A gazzetted ) at the age of 28?"

 

Overall, the movie is good, watchable, enjoy it (keep ur brain at ur home).

Yes u will remember Yash Chopra "Jab Tak hai Jaan" ..

Indian Science Fictions- Movies

I would like to tell you about some Indian science fiction films. Our first Science fiction film Kaadu (The Jungle)  was released in 1952 science fiction film Tamil which was an Indo-American project.

Then Satyajit ray Came up The Alien which was Produced by Columbia pictures, a Hollywood studio in the year 1962, based on Bankubabur Bandhu, a Bengali short story written by him for Sandesh.  Then came our all time favorite "Mr India" by Shekher Kapur and it was listed in top 25 must watch Indian movies.

Tamil Cinema has produced a very good number of science fictions in India  notably three films, Dasavathaaram, Enthiran, 7aum Arivu and Maattrraan.

The List goes ....

Film	Year	Language	Snippet
Kaadu (The Jungle)	1952	Tamil	A Tamil-American co-production, this film was about an expedition to find the cause of strange behaviour of animals in an area. As it turned out, the reason of this abnormal behavior was an invasion of wooly mammoths. This film was the first Science fiction film in India and in Tamil Nadu.
Kalai Arasi	1960	Tamil	A film around 1960 starring M. G. Ramachandran, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, M. N. Nambiar in lead roles. It is a film involving aliens who kidnap a girl from planet Earth so as to make the citizens of their planet learn arts from her. She is rescued by the hero from the villain alien. It is supposed to be the first alien visitation fiction film of Indian film industry.
The Alien	1965	Bengali	A science fiction film under production in the late 1960s which was eventually cancelled. It was based on a short story named Bankubabur Bandhu ("Banku Babu's Friend") by Satyajit Ray and was about an extraterrestrial by the name of "Mr. Ang" who befriends a Bengali boy while visiting a village in the 1960s. It is widely believed that Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was inspired by the original script for The Alien.
Karutha Rathrikal	1967	Malayalam	Film starring Madhu, Gemini Ganesan, S. P. Pillai in lead roles and directed by Mahesh. The music director is MS Baburaj and lyrics are by ONV Kurup. It is a film involving a doctor played by Madhu who takes revenge of his uncle's death by using a medicine he invents. This medicine creates split personality. This move was inspired from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a novel written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in 1886. It is supposed to be the first Malayalam science fiction film.
Vikram	1983	Tamil	Starring Kamalahasan and produced by himself. It is a Science fiction, action and adventure film, which speaks about the ICBM, advanced computers and security systems, which are near future projects of Indian government. First Tamil movie to cross Rs. 1 crore budget.
Jaithra Yaathra	1987	Malayalam	Starring Nizhalgal Ravi, Thilakan, Babu Antony in lead roles and directed by Sasi Kumar. The music director is Shyam and lyrics are by Poovachal Khader. It is a film involving a scientist played by Thilakan who invents a locket that makes a man invisible. Using the locket Nizhalgal Ravi the hero takes revenge against Babu Antony the villain.
Mr. India	1987	Hindi	Superhero film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, and Amrish Puri.
Nalaya Manithan	1989	Tamil	Not so far future on 21st century, A doctor who makes a medical achievement by raising a man after his death, which turns into a disaster.Prabhu starring as a police officer and Ajay Ratnam as Nalaya manithan.
Aditya 369	1991	Telugu	First Telugu science fiction film. The film revolves around a Time Machine and a diamond robbery
Hollywood	2002	Kannada	Hollywood is a 2002 sci-fi Kannada movie directed by Dinesh Babu. It starred Upendra in a triple role as "Surendra," "Upendra" and "US 47" (an android robot) along with the Australian actress Felicity Mason as "Manisha." The movie was dubbed into Telugu the following year retaining the same title.
Patalghar	2003	Bengali	An alien visitation film directed by Abhijit Chaudhuri.
Koi... Mil Gaya	2003	Hindi	A Bollywood alien visitation film. The film shares many plot elements with Satyajit Ray's The Alien and Steven Spielberg's E.T..
New	2004	Tamil	Movie starring S. J. Surya and Simran in which a kid turns into a grown man (S.J. Surya) after an experiment performed by a scientist. The film draws most of its plot from the 1988 Hollywood film Big
Rudraksh	2004	Hindi	An action-adventure Hindi-language film based on the Ramayana.
Jaane Hoga Kya	2006	Hindi	Film starring Aftab Shivdasani, Bipasha Basu & Paresh Rawal. It is about a ambitious scientist who creates a human clone in his laboratory.[5]
Krrish	2006	Hindi	A superhero sci-fi mash-up, sequel to Koi... Mil Gaya.
Bharathan Effect	2007	Malayalam	Science fiction thriller about a genius inventor who makes a small gadget fly without fuel using the concept of anti-gravity.
Jabardast	2007	Marathi	Science fiction thriller about a genius inventor ( Makarand Anaspure) who invented a supernatural coat with the help of nanotechnology and lightening power , the coat has all the powers to make a normal human a superman.It was the first Marathi science fiction film and was directed by Mahesh Kothare.
			The role of superhero was done by Pushkar Jog.
Athisayan	2007	Malayalam	Super hero film directed by Vinayan.
Viyabari	2007	Tamil	Film which includes elements of cloning a person, so they can lead a dual life. Directed by Sakthi Chidambaram and features S. J. Surya, Tamannaah, Namitha and Malavika in the lead roles.
Dasavathaaram	2008	Tamil	Science fiction film starring Kamal Haasan and Asin. Written by Kamal Haasan himself and produced by Venu Ravichandran, the film deals with Chaos theory of an incident happening at 12 century AD, which he says is the base of a chain reaction for the 2004AD Indian Ocean tsunami. Movie also talks about an un-stabilized Virus.
Love Story 2050	2008	Hindi	Film by Pammi Baweja, starring producer Pammi Baweja and director Harry Baweja's son Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra.
Enthiran	2010	Tamil	Starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. It was based on a novel by Sujatha Rangarajan about Robots.
Action Replayy	2010	Hindi	A film about time travel.
7aum Arivu	2011	Tamil	Film by A. R. Murugadoss that revolves around a student researcher (Shruthi Hassan) trying to bring back the abilities of Bodhidharma (portrayed by Surya), an ancient Indian martial arts master, medical practitioner and saint, from Kanchipuram into his descendent (also Surya).
Ra.One	2011	Hindi	Film starring Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and many others. The film is about an antagonistic game character, Ra.One (played by Tom Wu and Arjun Rampal) which escapes the confines of the game into reality killing everyone (including the game designer played by Shahrukh Khan). He aims to kill the game designer's son (played by Armaan Verma) for beating him inside the game during the game launch. In order to stop him, the game's protagonist G.One (also played by Shahrukh Khan) must be brought out who must save the kidnapped kid and his mother before facing off with Ra.One.
Ambuli 3D	2011	Tamil	A Thriller with a strong Scifi background. A Human genetic research goes wrong by accidentally exposing the specimen to a strong and full Solar eclipse.
Eega	2012	Telugu	It is a love story in Scifi Background directed by S S Rajamouli. The moment Bindu (played by Samantha Ruth Prabhu) accepts Nani's feelings for her and proposes Nani, Nani is killed by a multi-millionaire industrialist Sudeep who also happens to be a womaniser who has eye on Bindu. After his death, Nani reborn as a Housefly and took revenge on the murderer with the help of Bindu. Released simultaneously in Tamil as Naan Ee. Also dubbed into Malayalam as Eecha and is to be dubbed into Hindi in 3-D as Makkhi. It stars Sudeep, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nani.
Joker	2012	Hindi	A man goes to a forgotten village while is working on a top secret project for creating a device to communicate with aliens.
Maattrraan	2012	Tamil	A action movie with scifi background. Story of a Conjoined twins.

Sadda Adda

Last night I dint had any other movies left in my collection of videos, then I found this film named Sadda Adda. I thought this will be an usual below average C grade movie and without much expectations started watching it.

But it turned out to be a complete entertainer..
After Pyar Ka Panchnama if I liked any movie in this genre is Sadda Adda, not as good as Pyar ka Panchnama but I am sure if u have ever lived in hostels or in a rented flat with your friends, a bachelor's home then you will surely find yourself somewhere in these six characters.
A really messed up dirty flat, but still they cook, share their happiness and more.

Story revolves around six job seekers in Delhi living together, their ups and downs in their life.
A good message that never lose to something or someone or for someone!!!.
Narration is in a comical way with full of situational comedies, each dialogues will remain with you until the film ends "Desh me aaj bhi corruption hai isliye tu bach gaya beta"(you have been saved only because corruption exists here in this country), my favorite one.

Watch it if you really want something entertaining and something related to your past or present life...

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1941638/

SHOLEY- some interesting facts

Sholay was released on 15 August 1975 in the Bombay region. It was first 70 mm movie with stereophonic sound.

Within few days of its release the expensive film was called a flop. Almost every critic and trade magazine said “Sholay” was a great and costly mistake made. India Today, Filmfare, Film Trade Magazine and many more had the same opinion about the movie.

“Sholay” was just about to be removed from cinemas because of low attendance figures, but suddenly after a few days attendance started rising with word-of-mouth and there were long queues seen at the advance booking windows.

Actually it can be said that the film in 70 mm was so Grand in its look & style that it took time for the viewers to grasp it. And then “Sholay” went on to make history forever.

This was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver-jubilee (25-week) in its initial release at over 100 cinemas across India.

There was a rumor that many Black Marketers bought new Flats and Taxis from their earnings due to the grand success of the movie.

An innovative trick by the music company

Even when the film was being called a huge success, somehow the music was not selling.

Polydor worked on the reason for this and found that the dialogues of the movie had such a strong impact on the viewer that they were hardly remembering the songs. People could be seen repeating the dialogues of the movie in as well as out of the theaters.

Keeping that in mind, for the first time ever Polydor released different dialogues EPs with different titles. Mainly “Veeru Ki Sagai”, “Soorma Bhopali”, “Hamein Jail Jaana Hai”, “Gabbar Singh” and more which were an instant success. Till date the dialogues of the movie are in regular circulation in the market.

Dual Climax

In the original ending, Thakur killed Gabbar. The Indian Censor Board did not agree with the ending, saying that its like ignoring the law and this could adversely influence the young minds. So, a new ending was created that showed the police running in at the last moment, arresting Gabbar, and specifically telling the Thakur that only the law has the right to punish criminals. The original ending was restored in the 204-minute director’s cut. (which can be seen in some versions of DVDs available in the market).

 Amazing Facts

“Gabbar Singh” character was so famous that Britannia Biscuits made a commercial with Amjad Khan eating Biscuits. This was the first time that a villain character was used by a company to publicise its products. The advertisement was an instant hit in children and the sales doubled.

Hooked up by his character of “Soorma Bhopali”, years later Jagdeep himself made a film with the title “Soorma Bhopali” in 1988.

Viju Khote was renamed “Kaalia” forever after this movie.

Till date Asrani has to speak, “Hum Angrezon Ke Zamaane Ke Jailor” in his every TV and Stage Appearance.

Macmohan was so disturbed that his all scenes were deleted from the movie. But he may still wonder how only one scene and few words can be popular all over the world even after so many years. For a long time filmmakers kept using the name “Samba” in their films to gain popularity.

Many years later, Recently Amitabh thanked Dharmendera on the stage of a prestigious award function for recommending him to Ramesh Sippy for casting in Sholay.

The first scene to be shot was the one in which “Amitabh returns the safe keys to Jaya”.

 

Amitabh Bachchan was almost killed at the end of the movie when a stray bullet from 'Dharmendra' missed him by inches.

 

It was during the making of Sholay that Amitabh discovered he was going to be a father of his first born, Shweta.

The train robbery sequence took about 20 days to film on the Mumbai-Pune line, near Panvel.

 

The major outdoor scenes were shot at Ramnagaram near Bangalore, India. There are huge rocks of granite in the town which became the backdrop of Gabbar Singh's den. As a memento to remember, the people of Ramnagaram renamed a part of the town as Sippynagar after the name of the director, Ramesh Sippy.

 

The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagaram for an easy access to the sets. Even to this day, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where the movie was shot) is a key feature for tourists travelling through Ramanagaram (on the road between Bangalore and Mysore).

 

Mac Mohan who played “Samba” had to come many times from Bombay again and again to shoot for his part. Sadly only one scene of his was there in the movie, but he was destined to be famous with that scene only.

The film showcased two real life romances. Amitabh married Jaya Bhaduri, who played the widowed daughter-in-law, in 1973, during the filming. And Dharmendra married Hema Malini in 1980, five years after the release of the film.

Casting

Dharmendra was interested in playing Thakur Baldev Singh, but changed his mind when Ramesh Sippy told him Basanti was to be played by Hema Malini.

He was also informed that Sanjeev Kumar would play Veeru and then he would get the heroine, Hema Malini. Sanjeev Kumar had just then proposed marriage to Hema Malini. Dharmendra was in love with her and quickly went back to the role of Veeru.

 

Amjad Khan prepared to play the dacoit by reading a book titled Abhishapth Chambal, which was about the Chambal dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Bhaduri, father of Jaya Bhaduri.

It is also believed that Amitabh was more interested in Gabbar's role.

 

The director's original choice for Jai was Shatrughan Sinha at first, but as it couldn’t work out Amitabh then convinced the producers that he would be the right choice and got that role.

Dannywas the first choice of Gabbar but had to miss out because he was shooting for Dharmatma in Afghanistan.

 

Amjad Khan was almost dropped from the project because 'Javed Akhtar' found his voice too weak for Gabbar Singh's role but then he was definitely in.

 

 

Maattrraan (Tamil)

Maattrraan Tamil Movie Review

Maattrraan trimmed by 21 minutes, now the second half will be more racy, go for it at a theater near you

The movie stars Suriya, portraying conjoined twins, along with Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles while Vivek, Sachin Khedekar and Tara play supporting roles. Maattrraan was released worldwide on 12 October 2012 along with a dubbed Telugu version titled Brothers.

Cast and Crew:

• Starring: Suriya,Kajal Agarwal, Isha Sharvani
• Director: KV Anand
• Producer: Kalpathi S Aghoram
• Banner: AGS Agoram Entertainment
• Music: Harris Jayaraj
  

 Sound Track, songs mp3

Sl.No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1	Rettai Kathirae	Na. Muthukumar	Krish, MK Balaji, Mili Nair & Sharmila	4:50
2	Kaal Mulaitha Poovae	Madhan Karky	Javed Ali & Mahalakshmi Iyer	5:31
3	Theeyae Theeyae	Pa. Vijay	Franco, Sathyan, Aalap Raju, & Suchitra	5:23
4	Yaaro Yaaro	Thamarai	Karthik & Priya Himesh	5:35
5	Naani Koni	Viveka	Vijay Prakash, Karthik & Shreya Ghoshal	5:26
Total length:				26:47:00

Maattrraan movie story is on conjoined twins. This is the fifth time Surya is playing a dual role. Kajal Agarwal plays Surya’s the love interest in the film.
Its very emotional family entertainer and it will explore a sensitive relationship between two brothers who play conjoined twins.
KV Anand directed Maatran is opened with mixed to poor reviews and viewers opine first half is a bit slow and engaging with comedy, good songs, some important episodes and seeds for second half. While second half seems logic less with a couple of scenes and songs working big time with audiences along with Suriya’s dialogues.

One of the major highlights of the film is its VFX. Helmed by Srinivas Mohan of Endhiran fame, the VFX team has worked hard and it is evident in all the frames that feature the conjoined twins. The action sequence at the roller coaster ride is the best example where all the departments like the camera, stunt, VFX and Suriya have worked in epic tandem and the result is brilliant. Editing plays a crucial role in such visual effects intensive movies and editor Antony has done complete justice to his craft.   

Cinematographer Soundarrajan creates a huge canvas in song sequences in the Nani Koni number and fills it with rich and spectacular sights. The splendor of Norway is breathtaking in this song. In all, the film looks rich and grandeur, thanks to Soundarrajan’s angles and lighting. Scintillating songs and good RR of Harris Jeyaraj enhance the appeal.  Kaal Mulaithe Poove is a visual and an aural delight. Other tracks are also humworthy.

It is apparent that stunt master Peter Hein has worked over time to get the appropriate effect more so when the scene involves conjoined twin. However the scene in the forest towards the climax is a long drawn affair and could have been trimmed.

The concept of genetic engineering and especially baby designing is new to Indian Cinema and has packaged this concept interestingly.

KV Anand has managed to make the script pacy. However at 2 hours and 48 minutes, the movie still feels a tad lengthy. This could have been reduced.

There is a pattern in K V Anand’s films. There is a definite social message which he masquerades with commercial components and packages it interestingly. Maattrraan also follows the route and it delivers what it promises- a rich and stylish entertainer with an interesting story.

Verdict: A rich and grandeur entertainer

The festive season has already started in Kollywood from this Friday, Oct 12 that will be followed by Dussehra from Oct 16-24. This might help Maatran in getting good collections at the box-office as there are no other big movies released. AGS Entertainments has produced this action thriller Maatran with the music scores by Harris Jayraj, cinematography by Sounder Rajan and editing by Anthony.

                                                         Official Trailer of Maattrraan

Follow the post and be the first one to post a comment and your views and reviews about this movie