Movies With Swimming As Theme

Image via Wikipedia

Swimming is such an interesting subject that not a few movie makers considered at one time or another creating films based on this topic. In fact, there already were a number of films shown that carried the theme of "swimming."  Here are eight of them:

"Dangerous When Wet"

This is a 1953 musical that starred Esther Jane Williams, an American competitive swimmer who set a number of national and regional records during her teen years. The movie is most memorable for its featured animated swimming sequence, showing Williams with Tom and Jerry, the well-loved cat-and-mouse duo.

"The Swimmer"

The title alone leaves no doubt that this 1968 film touches on the theme of "swimming." It starred Burt Lancaster in the lead role (Ned Merrill). At one crucial point in his life, Ned vowed to "swim home," by swimming in every pool that he'll come across in his journey.

"Alex"

Classified as a sports drama, this 1993 film had Lauren Jackson in the lead role of Alex Archer. Alex dreams of competing in the Olympics (the Rome Olympics in particular), and seriously prepares for it. She's teeming with confidence when another swimmer of her caliber emerges and begins challenging her in every competition she enters in.

"Swimfan"

This 2002 American film starred Jesse Bradford as Ben Cronin, an aspiring Olympian swimmer training seriously to impress an athletic scout who is set to visit their place. His Olympic swimming dream is placed in jeopardy when the girl he had a one-night stand with threatens to wreck his life.

"On A Clear Day"

This is a 2005 British drama movie, which starred Peter Mullan in the role of Frank Redmond. Frank is an engineer in the shipyards on the River Clyde when he was let go of the company he's working for due to redundancy. Finding himself suddenly out of job, Frank, a naturally strong swimmer, gets a seemingly "out-of-this-world" idea with his friends to swim across the English Channel. His obsession for this new goal led to his rediscovering himself.

"Swimming Upstream"

This is a 2003 Australian film based on the life story of Australian swimmer Tony Fingleton (Jesse Spencer played the role). Tony grew up in a troubled family, constantly overshadowed by his five siblings in their father's eyes. Swimming became his outlet and it is through his extraordinary talent in this sport that he felt he finally has that chance of making his father proud of him.

"Pride"

This 2007 film starred Terrence Howard as Jim Ellis, a real-life swimming coach. Despite being an excellent swimmer, Jim was often the subject of discrimination from swimmers of other teams because he was the only black swimmer on his college team. As a coach, he dedicated himself to "saving" the troubled teens of Philadelphia by starting a swim team for them.

"Victor"

This is a 2-hour movie that was telecast on CBC Television in 2008. It is about the life of Victor Davis (played by swimmer Mark Lutz), a Canadian Olympic and world champion swimmer. The film captures Victor's heroic legacy, from his winning 29 national titles to his triumphant swim for the Gold in the 200-meter breaststroke event of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Other notable films about swimming include "Les Diaboliques," "The Guardian," "Alphaville," "Children of Glory," and "Water Lilies".

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - A Match Made by God

Shy, introverted, and kind-hearted Surinder "Suri" Sahni (Shahrukh Khan) is an office worker for Punjab Power. He quietly falls in love with the daughter of his former professor (M.K. Raina), beautiful and vivacious Tania "Taani" Gupta (Anushka Sharma), whom he first sees during the preparations for her wedding. Upon their first meeting however, Taani jokingly berates and blames him for setting an impossible set of standards (reiterated by her father) that she was never able to meet as a child. A short while later, Taani's father suffers a heart attack when the entire wedding party learns that her fiancé and his family were killed in a traffic accident. Fearing that Taani will be alone in the world, the professor asks Suri to marry her. Suri concedes; Taani tearfully agrees only to please her father.

After a hasty wedding, Suri takes Taani to his ancestral home in Amritsar. While his good nature leads Suri to treat her with exceptional care and patience, he is too frightened to profess his love for her. However, Taani tells him that while she will try to be a good wife, she can never love him due to having no love left within her. Suri, though, continues to indulge her every desire. This includes frequent visits to the cinema to see song and dance films which appeal to Taani's fantasies about romance and her passion for dancing. She soon asks for Suri's permission, which he grants, to take an expensive dance class with the company Dancing Jodi to escape her mundane life at home.

Haule Haule

During one visit to the cinema, Suri feels inadequate in comparison to the strong, masculine images that Taani admires and later asks his childhood friend Balwinder "Bobby" Khosla (Vinay Pathak), a hair-saloon owner, for advice on how to win her love. Bobby is eager to help and suggests a complete makeover (removing his mustache, changing his hairstyle, and giving him a new set of clothing including a pair of sunglasses). Suri is thus transformed into the swaggering, loud, rude, and fun-loving "Raj Kapoor", named by Suri after the hero in the movie that Taani had admired. He joins the dance class and by chance — or, as he believes, by divine intervention — becomes Taani's partner in the competition. Despite Raj's initial crudeness — a result of Surinder's inexperience with women and his attempt to emulate the "cool" images from movies — he and Taani become friends as they work together on their dance routine. Suri feels encouraged when Taani does not tie a rakhi (holy thread) on "Raj's" wrist during the festival of Raksha Bandhan (for to do so would indicate that she thought of him only as a brother). Thus, after a period of time, Raj declares his love for her.

Dance Pe Chance

Suri's ruse poses a dilemma for both of them. Taani enters into a period of internal conflict, desperately wanting to escape from her despair-filled life through finding a new person to love. Despite wanting to escape her loveless marriage, Taani feels compelled to stay with Suri due to the promise that she made to her father. Suri also faces an extraordinary paradox: Taani's sheer misery as his wife in contrast to her delight with his fabricated alter ego, Raj. He thus attempts to win Taani's love as Suri, an act which only alienates her further. She eventually runs away to find Raj in order to tell him the predicament she is in, hoping he will help her. He offers to elope with her, which she agrees to tearfully. They set the date for their elopement to the next night, the night of the competition.

On the day of the competition, Suri takes Taani to the Golden Temple in order to garner God's blessings for her competition that night--and internally, also for her life with Raj. While there Taani has an epiphany in which she believes God has shown her a sign that tells that her marriage to Suri is divinely inspired. For the first time she reflects on her husband and becomes aware of the strength and integrity of Suri's character. Taani thus tells Raj that she cannot run away with him. She leaves him in what appears to be a state of shock with tears in his eyes. When the time comes for their performance Taani is stunned to see Suri, rather than Raj, join her on stage. It is at that moment that Taani grows to love Suri (rather than Raj) as she discovers his love for her.

Dancing Jodi

Yuvvraaj

The beginning of the movie showed Deven to be a hot tempered, jealous guy with a "sweet side" about him. For example, when an orchestra friend of Anoushka (Katrina Kaif) winks at her, Deven (Salman Khan) will smash his violin only to feel sorry the next day and present a brand new violin for the guy!

Deven Yuvvraaj (Salman Khan) is a struggling singer who signs an agreement with his girlfriend Anoushka’s (Katrina Kaif) father Dr. Banton (Boman Irani) to be a billionaire in 40 days. He was confident with his plan when he found out about the death of his estranged father.

Tu Meri Dost Hai

To aquire this wealth, he has to go through an emotional roller coaster journey of joy and pain with his two estranged brothers Gyanesh Yuvvraaj (Anil Kapoor) and Danny Yuvvraaj (Zayed Khan) who he meets after 12 years. On meeting them, he realizes that they are two individuals who are completely opposite to each other, which makes his task all the more difficult.

Mastam Mastam

Gyanesh Yuvvraaj has a genius disorder that though his mind remain as a child, he has a gifted talent in music. Youngest brother, Danny Yuvvraaj is a good for nothing type that only lives for himself and indulges in the fast lane of life. Since all these years, Deven has been away from the family, Danny feels that he is the sole rightful owner to his father's inheritance.

Who will emerge as the real Yuvvraaj in this musical extravaganza? The music and songs are really great. I have not found any good online video clips yet but I will share these mp3 files with you. Turn up your speakers and get going! ‘Yuvvraaj’ is a drama of Money vs Family. A musical treat all the way in Subhash Ghai ’s inimitable style.

Manmohini Morey

Vantage Point (film)

I have recently watched Vantage Point twice. It is really a fast paced action movie. I have not enjoyed an action movie since a long time. Although the gist of the movies only covers a brief 23 minutes before THE incident and a few short moments after THE incident, the movie had me gripping to my chair and anticipating the conclusion ever more so. And I was not disappointed. The ending clicks well together in the end and I was really satisfied with the movie until the very end.

The plots is about the United States President Henry Ashton (William Hurt) holding an anti-terrorism summit in Salamanca. Over a twenty-three-minute period, an assassination attempt on the President unfolds. The film loops through this period over and over, each time from the perspective of a different participant, adding a new piece to the larger puzzle with each loop.

The official site: Vantage Point

Race (Hindi Movie)

I found that whether in a movie or novel with many plots, you must not cheat the audience or reader. What I mean is that if you have build the anticipation that the character will die for example, he must not simply come back to life too many times in a movie! Otherwise, the story goes all weird and loses the audience's attention.

This is one example of movie that I find is all weird but yet it did very well in terms of box office collections. This is the synopsis:

Set in picturesque cities of Durban and Cape Town, ‘Race’ tells the story of two brothers – Ranvir Singh ( Saif Ali Khan ) and Rajeev Singh ( Akshaye Khanna ).

Ranvir, the eldest of the two, is a shrewd businessman who owns a ranch named Stallions where horses are bred for races. He is a fierce competitor and he doesn’t forgive anyone who double-crosses him.

Rajeev, on the other hand, is more interested in alcohol than family business. He likes to wake up to a glass of beer every morning to recover from the hangover of previous night’s drinks.

Sonia ( Bipasha Basu ), a fashion model, walks into Ranvir’s life and wins over his heart. On the other hand is Sophia ( Katrina Kaif ), Ranvir’s gorgeous secretary who is always vying to get his attention, but without any success.

The ball is set rolling when Rajeev falls for Sonia and promises his brother that he would quit drinking if she agrees to marry him. Ranvir, like any true-blue big brother, sacrifices his love and becomes a matchmaker between the two.

But beneath the surface, evil plans are taking shape in the minds of the protagonists. One of the two brothers will die. And the other will inherit the huge insurance claim of 100 million.

The murder takes place. Enters detective RD or Robert D’Costa ( Anil Kapoor ) and his pretty and dumb secretary Mini ( Sameera Reddy ) who try to crack the case and get to the bottom of the mystery.

‘Race’ has a riveting first half, when the characters are introduced and their murky sides revealed. The plot in this half leaves many open ends, to be connected and explained when the mystery is finally unraveled in the end. The movie reaches its high point when one of the brothers is pushed from the terrace of a high-rise building.

This momentum continues for some more reels in the second half. But then the film’s plot takes a serpentine route and passes through many unexpected bends, some of which are reasonable while some are deliberately contrived to surprise the viewer.

That is when Abbas-Mustan, the men in white, show their true ‘colours’. The director duo doesn’t care to be subtle. They pull out all the stops to squeeze in as many twists in the plot even when there wasn’t any need. As the plot meanders through its many turns, it begins to lose its credibility. And you resign yourself to the fact that anything could happen. Even the dead can resurrect.

Zara Zara Touch Me...

The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles takes place in New England, United States. Mrs. Grace, recently divorced, wants a new start for her family, consisting of herself, her teenage daughter Mallory and her younger twin sons Simon and Jared. They move into the Spiderwick Estate when it is given to them by their elderly great-aunt Lucinda, Arthur Spiderwick's daughter. Jared does not like the move. He has often been naughty, and now tends to be blamed for every unpleasant thing that happens.

Mallory uncovers a dumbwaiter system behind a wall; in it, Jared finds a monogrammed key. He also discovers Arthur Spiderwick's study, and when he uses the key to open a chest, he finds Spiderwick's Field Guide to faeries written by Arthur Spiderwick. Although an attached note warns him not to read it, he does.

They soon begin to notice faeries throughout the estate. However, Mulgarath, a shape-shifting ogre, wants the field guide so he can rule over all faerie-kind (and possibly humans as well) and so attacks the children in an attempt to obtain it. They try to burn the book but it is fire proof and even stays cold.

Later, Jared meets a brownie named Thimbletack, who explains that magical creatures are normally invisible but can reveal themselves at will. He tells Jared about a protective circle that Arthur Spiderwick placed around the house and gives him a stone with a hole which lets him see faeries. Simon, mistaken for Jared, is kidnapped by Mulgarath's goblins, while Jared meets Hogsqueal, a hobgoblin who gives Jared the ability to see all faeries without the aid of the stone. With Mallory's help, the twins escape from the goblins into the house.

While Simon distracts the monsters, Jared and Mallory manage to reach a tunnel they take to visit their great-aunt Lucinda for advice. She tells them that only one person can help: Arthur Spiderwick. However, he was "rescued" by Sylphs, a type of faerie, when goblins attacked, and they will not let him return because they desire his knowledge. Lucinda tells them to find her father and have him destroy the book. Suddenly, Mulgarath's goblins attack them and steal several pages from the book before they are driven off.

Meanwhile, Simon, aided by Thimbletack, has employed his time to fill plastic bags with tomato sauce, which burn goblins like acid. The siblings use the book to summon Arthur Spiderwick's pet, a griffin, which takes them to the realms of the Sylphs. There they meet Arthur Spiderwick, who has not aged but is also unaware of the time he has spent there. Spiderwick initially does not want to leave, but eventually changes his mind, and the three escape on the griffin.

On their return, Hogsqueal warns them that one of the stolen pages will allow Mulgurath to destroy the protective circle when the moon waxes full. The family arms themselves with steel knives and tomato sauce. When they are forced into the kitchen, they place all of their tomato sauce and salt into the oven and hide before detonating it, killing all of the goblins.

Mr. Grace enters the house and tells Jared that he came to apologize; however, Jared discovers that he is an imposter and stabs him in the stomach. He turns out to be Mulgarath in disguise. Jared escapes with the book through the dumbwaiter while Mulgarath transforms into a python and gives pursuit. On the roof, Jared throws the book onto the lawn; as Mulgarath transforms into a raven to catch it, he is snatched and eaten by Hogsqueal.

The Graces bring Lucinda back to the house; and the Sylphs appear, bringing Arthur. However, he cannot remain, because his age would return to him all at once and kill him. Instead, Lucinda asks to be taken with him, and so the Sylphs transform her back into her six-year-old self and spirit the two away.

Jodhaa Akhbar

Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.

Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). After having secured the Hindu Kush, he furthered his realm by conquest until his empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the Godavari River. Through a shrewd blend of diplomacy, intimidation and brute force , Akbar won the allegiance of the Rajputs. But little did Akbar know that when he married Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), a fiery Rajput princess, in order to further strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking upon a new journey – the journey of true love.

The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar’s biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of Jodhaa – a love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice. Jodhaa-Akbar is their untold love story.

In lamho ke daaman mein - Dedicated to my love

Aaja Nachle- Come Let's Dance

Today is a weekend and I managed to watch another nice Hindi movie. This movie stars Madhuri Dixit which is her first film after six years. I enjoyed watching her dances and the expressive facial features and eye movements when she dances. She is in top form for the movie.

Synopsis:

Dia (Madhuri Dixit) grew up in the town of Shamli where she learned to dance from Makarand (Darshan Zariwala). During her learning she met an American, Steve, whom she falls in love with. Her parents find out and arrange her marriage, but instead Dia elopes with Steve. After nearly a decade, an unexpected phone call shakes Dia (Madhuri Dixit) out of her dance rehearsal in New York. Makarand (Darshan Zariwala), her teacher, is dying and she must return to Shamli town. During the phone call she reveals that she also had a child, who is now eight years old, with Steve. Dia arrives too late and her guru passes on to the town where she grew up, the town where she learnt to live,to dance. Also the town she left on an impulse, severing ties with her parents and her people.

Aaja Nachle



It is a poignant and troubled return; not only has her guru passed away but the institution that he so lovingly nurtured is in decay and under threat of demolition. Ajanta theatre, the once vibrant hub of the community, the place where Dia’s fondest memories are embedded must now be brought down because the local political authorities feel it a waste of prime real estate. With the help of Doctor (Raghubir Yadav), the caretaker of Ajanta, Dia sets out on a mission to prevent the destruction and resurrect the spirit of Ajanta. In an atmosphere of mistrust, ridicule and active hostility, Dia picks up the gauntlet and agrees to achieve the near impossible task of putting together a theatrical production. She must also ensure that every member of the production is from Shamli town. She has only two months to prove her point or the bulldozers will be waiting.

In this context begins her tumultuous journey of dealing with small town prejudices, encountering the resentment of the powerful contractor, the cynicism of the local political powers, resolve the delicate tensions of inter personal relationships and rally her motley team of non starters - a low level muscle Imran (Kunal Kapoor), the local tomboy Anokhi (Konkona Sen Sharma), local ex-MLA Chaudhary Om Singh (Akhilendra Mishra), a vulnerable tea stall owner Mohan Sharma (Ranvir Shorey), a responsible government official Mr. Chojar (Vinay Pathak), a struggling insurance agent Sanjeev Mehta (Jugal Hansraj), the town vagabond Dhankuber (Nowaz) and a host of others. She must create in this chaos in order to save Ajanta… in order to preserve what her guru so lovingly nurtured. She must create art in order to preserve what she believes is the soul of society. The stage is finally set… Will it work? Won’t it?

Jab We Met

It has been sometime since I posted about my favourite Bollywood movies. My recently watched favourite movie is named Jab We Met (Since We Met). Of course with a title like that, it must be a love story, the type that has a happy ever after ending. A tiny tidbit here, the hero and heroine of this movie were dating in real life for 4 years and split soon or after this movie was released.

Synopsis: Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor), a demoralized industrialist, gets even more depressed after attending the marriage of the girl he loves the most. Feeling ashamed to face the world, he walks out of the marriage gathering and boards a train in the night. Over there, he meets Geet Dhillon (Kareena Kapoor), a beautiful talkative girl who is leaving Mumbai to go to her hometown - Bhatinda (Punjab).

In the beginning, Geet irritates Aditya to a large extent and every meeting becomes mental torture for him. She discloses big plans to him of eloping with her boyfriend Anshuman (Tarun Arora) as she fears resentment from her parents. Geet irritates Aditya to the point of getting him to leave the train. As she tries to get him back on the train, she ends up missing it and the two find themselves stranded on a desolate station with no luggage or money. Geet confronts Aditya and tells him that he is now responsible of reaching her safely to her house in Punjab. Both of them begin an idyllic journey through the exuberant North Indian heartland, and make their way through buses, taxis and camel-carts to reach her house.

On arrival, Geet's family (Pawan Malhotra, Dara Singh and Kiran Juneja) mistakens the two for lovers. Before this misconception can be cleared, Geet escapes to her boyfriend in Manali. Aditya leaves with her, confirming the suspicion that they are lovers. In Manali, Aditya feels empowered to return to Mumbai and resurrect his ailing business.

Yeh Ishq Hai (This is Love)

Destiny despises Geet's love story as Anshuman avoids and dumps her. On the other hand, Aditya begins to do well in life after he resurrects his failing business empire. One day, Geet's family, who think that she is with him, confronts Aditya. He is shocked to learn that Geet has not returned home. He takes it upon himself to find her and tells her family that he will bring her home in ten days.

Mauja Mauja

Aditya finally tracks her down in a Himalayan town and is traumatized to learn about Geet's misfortune. Consoling her to face the circumstances, he manages in patching up the relationship of Geet and Anshuman, and they decide to travel back to Bhatinda. Back in Bhatinda, Geet's family again mistaken the two for lovers. Trying to clear the misconception, situations make Geet realise that she is in love with Aditya not Anshuman, and therefore they get married.

Enchanted-Walt Disney Movie

I finally watched Enchanted and had some laughs at the cinema. And the synopsis:

An animated fairy tale meets modern, live-action comedy. The beautiful princess Giselle fell in love with Prince Edward in the fairy land of Andalasia. Fearing that she will lose her throne as Queen mother, the villainous Queen Narissa banished Giselle from her magical, musical animated land and to find herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day New York City. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

Azhagiya Tamil Magan-Handsome Tamil Lad

Azhagiya Tamil Magan (English: Handsome Tamil Lad) (2007) is a Tamil film directed by Bharathan produced by Appachan starring Vijay and Shriya Saran in lead roles. Namitha, Santhanam and Sriman also star in the movie in supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by noted music composer, A. R. Rahman.

Plot

Guru (Vijay) is an athlete and business management student. Abhinaya (Shreya) is the daughter of a business baron (Ashish Vidyarthi). They met and fell in love.

The movie goes on to show how the lovers manage to get the permission of the parents. In the meantime, you get to see a different dimension in the tale while the romantic drama is unfolding. Vijay visualizes some bizarre scenes inside his mind. The scenes are disturbing and worse, they become true in the real life.

A psychiatrist (Dr. Rudran) confirms that it is ESP power and says that the imageries visualized by Guru would actually happen sooner or later. Unfortunately Guru visualizes another scene which he would never like to see happening. Sensing a danger to his sweetheart, he runs away to Mumbai from her to save her.

In Mumbai he stumbles upon a person, who looks alike himself. This gives him a different meaning of the horrible incident visualized by him. Before catching the man, played by Vijay again, Guru gets into an accident and the new man moves to Chennai where he is mistaken as Guru.

Stylish and care free Prasad, the look alike Guru, is a greedy person, who would do anything to earn money and enjoy life. Abinaya mistakes him for Guru and gets him to her house. Sensing his strength, Prasad decides to act as Guru and marry the rich Abhi.

The real Guru comes back and tells everyone the truth. But no one is ready to believe him, as he is outplayed by the wicked Prasad in each and every move. Finally the truth prevails but not before the tensed battle between the two with lot of twists and actions.

Film synopsis from wikipedia

*My views: This movie is a great entertainer. Although I don't understand Tamil and watched the movie without subtitles, I thoroughly enjoyed the songs, dances, humour...err, acting wise that is, the facial expressions, the storyline (which is far from being too complicated or having too many subplots as other Tamil movies) and the costumes.

Azhagiya Tamizh Mahan Ellappugazhum.mp3

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High School Musical 2

The summer brings excitement to the East High Wildcats as they go over their plans for their break from school. Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) stresses over getting a job with the price of college looming on his mind, as well as trying to make sure he and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) are able to stay together all summer. Sharpay and Ryan Evans (Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel) plan on spending the summer at their family's country club, Lava Springs (Fabulous). However, Sharpay's summer plan also includes separating Troy and Gabriella by getting Troy hired at Lava Springs. What Sharpay does not plan on is Troy talking to the club's manager, Mr. Fulton (Mark L. Taylor), into hiring the rest of his friends, including Gabriella and her best friend Taylor (Monique Coleman), and Troy's best friend Chad (Corbin Bleu). Fulton is unable to fire the Wildcats at Sharpay's command, since her mother (Jessica Tuck) approved their hiring, so she orders him to make them want to quit. Troy offers to help his friends working in the kitchen and convinces them that they can work their hardships out.

Work This Out-Song


Sharpay schemes harder than ever to make the Wildcats miserable, and win Troy, who has to choose between two worlds: his own with the Wildcats and Gabriella, or another where Sharpay's family can offer him a way to college and other luxuries he has only dreamed about. Meanwhile Kelsi writes a duet for Troy and Gabriella, but Sharpay steals the duet from the two of them and forces Troy to sing it with her, holding his future over his head. A visit from a fellow college basketball team, the Red Hawks, causes a rift between Troy and Chad when Troy chooses to spend time with the Red Hawks instead of his friends. As Troy grows further away from what was formerly his, Ryan is pushed further away from Sharpay. Taylor and Gabriella even invite Ryan to the baseball game, and Chad offers him Troy's place in the game. Troy and Gabriella's relationship is silently strained to the breaking point when Troy sees Ryan with Gabriella, sparking a little jealousy, as well as Troy's now tentative friendship with Chad.

I Don't Dance - Song


When Sharpay finally crosses the line by banning the Wildcats from performing in Lava Springs' annual Star Dazzle Talent Show, even though Ryan has been working with the group to put together a performance, Gabriella confronts Sharpay. She makes it clear that she refuses to play Sharpay's "game," and quits her job at Lava Springs. Troy overhears the exchange and tries to persuade Gabriella to change her mind. They emotionally sing the song "Gotta Go My Own Way," in which Gabriella tells him that she'll miss him but that she can't trust him anymore due to the way he'd been acting lately; she returns the necklace he had given her and leaves crying. Troy realizes the error of his ways (during the song "Bet On It"), and goes to apologize to Chad and the others. Ryan gets help from the Wildcats to conspire to get Troy and Gabriella back together. Troy confronts Sharpay and tells her that he won't sing with her because of how she treated his friends, causing Sharpay to burst into tears. The Wildcats later convince Troy to sing in the talent show, which he does only under the condition that they are allowed to perform as well. They arrange for Troy to sing a song ("Everyday") without Sharpay, which he thinks he's singing alone until Gabriella arrives just in time to sing with him. In the end, Sharpay herself proudly presents her brother Ryan with the award for the talent show. After the talent show, the Wildcats (including Ryan and Sharpay) all head out onto the golf course to enjoy the fireworks. Troy and Gabriella finally share their first kiss, and the summer ends with a pool party and the Wildcats' celebration of a great summer together.

Everyday -Song

Related post: High School Musical

High School Musical

Strangers Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) attend a New Year's Eve party at a ski lodge over Christmas Break. They find they have amazing chemistry after singing "Start of Something New" in a karaoke contest, and exchange numbers. A week later, Gabriella's mother is transferred and Gabriella begins classes at East High in Albuquerque, New Mexico where Troy sees her in homeroom. After checking that it's her on his cell phone, Troy accidentally gets detention, along with Gabriella, his best friend and teammate Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu), scholastic decathlon captain, and soon-to-be best friend of Gabriella, Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), and Drama Club co-presidents Ryan and Sharpay Evans (Lucas Grabeel and Ashley Tisdale).

Starting Something New-Song





After homeroom, Troy and Gabriella see each other and start to re-introduce themselves. As they talk near the sign-up sheet for the winter musical auditions, Sharpay sees them and assumes Gabriella wants to sign up. With Ryan's help, Sharpay determines that Gabriella is an "Einsteinette", and put an article of her previous academic achievements into Taylor's locker. During detention, Taylor approaches Gabriella and invites her to join the school's scholastic decathlon team. As a result of the detention, both Troy and Chad miss their basketball practice, much to the annoyance of Coach Bolton. During a confrontation between the coach and Ms. Darbus, it is made clear that neither of them has any real respect for the work that the other does. Troy eventually takes part in basketball practice, but he can't seem to stop thinking about Gabriella ("Get'cha Head in the Game").

Troy skips basketball practice during free period to go to the auditions, which Gabriella also attends. However, both are too shy to come forward, so they hide behind a janitorial rolling cart as Sharpay and Ryan perform their version of "What I've Been Looking For". When Gabriella finally decides to audition, Troy offers to sing with her, but Ms. Darbus says it is too late.

After a confrontation with Sharpay, Kelsi Nielsen, the composer of the musical, trips and drops her notes and piano music. Troy and Gabriella rush to help her, and she offers to let them hear how the song was supposed to sound. Troy and Gabriella then sing the slower version of the song, "What I've Been Looking For". Ms. Darbus hears them from behind the auditorium entrance and gives both Troy and Gabriella a callback. The next day, Sharpay sees the callback sheet and is furious. Once Chad and all the basketball players find out that Troy skipped basketball practice to audition for the musical, they all are shocked.

At lunch, everyone has learned that Troy is doing something highly out of basketball players' nature, and the students start confessing their secret passions and talents ("Stick to the Status Quo"), including basketball player Zeke Baylor's love of baking. Gabriella slips and accidentally spills her lunch all over Sharpay's shirt. Sharpay tells Ms. Darbus that Gabriella did it on purpose and tries to convince Ms. Darbus that Troy and Gabriella are trying to destroy the musical.

Troy asks Gabriella to meet him in his secret hideout, the balcony of a greenhouse. There, she reveals that singing with him at the party was like meeting a new friend at kindergarten; he felt like a best friend although she hardly knew him. Meanwhile, Zeke attempts to talk to Sharpay, who says that she would rather stick pins in her eyes than watch Zeke play basketball. He asks if that would be uncomfortable, and she snaps back, "Evaporate, tall person!"

Chad and Taylor decide that they need to devise a plan so that everything can go back to normal. The basketball team tricks Troy into saying that Gabriella isn't important while she watches them through a wi-fi link. Gabriella is hurt and confused about where she and Troy now stand ("When There Was Me and You"). Troy tries to talk to Gabriella as normal, but Gabriella tells him she does not want to do the musical anymore and that it was never really important to her.

After feeling guilty about ruining Troy and Gabriella's friendship, and noticing that they are no longer interested in the basketball game or the decathlon, Chad and Taylor decide to tell them the truth. Chad, Zeke, and Jason explain everything to Troy in the greenhouse and offer to support him at the callbacks. Taylor and the scholastic decathlon team tell Gabriella what they did, but Gabriella is still angry and hurt because of what Troy said, convinced that he meant it. That night, Troy goes to Gabriella's house, but she pretends to be busy with homework. Troy phones her from her backyard, telling her that the guy she met on vacation is much more like him than the guy that "said those stupid things". He climbs onto her balcony and starts singing the harmony of "Start of Something New" in attempt to persuade her to go to the callbacks with him. Gabriella then forgives him, and they start practicing the callback piece at school together with Kelsi.

Soon Sharpay and Ryan overhear Gabriella and Troy practicing, and feel intimidated by the competition. Together they convince Ms. Darbus to change the callbacks to the same time as the basketball championship and scholastic decathlon. Kelsi overhears their conversation with Mrs. Darbus, she and the others are devastated, but the scholastic decathlon and basketball teams and Kelsi work together to come up with a plan.

On the day itself, Taylor and Gabriella send a code by computer into the system to disrupt the basketball game by shutting down the scoreboard, and boil a hazardous chemical to stall the decathlon.

As Troy and Gabriella then rush to the theater, Sharpay and Ryan finish performing their song, "Bop to the Top", confident that they will get the part. Troy and Gabriella show up after Ms. Darbus has called their names twice, and she tells them again that they are too late. Many other students start streaming into the auditorium to support them and Ms. Darbus has no choice but to allow them to perform "Breaking Free." After they sing Breaking Free Troy kisses Gabbriella on the cheek. In the end, Ms. Darbus gives the parts to Troy and Gabriella. After winning both the scholastic decathlon and the basketball game, the entire school gathers in the gym to celebrate ("We're All in This Together").

We're All in This Together-Song



After the celebrations, Sharpay finds Zeke alone in the gym and tells him that the cookies he made are the best things she has ever tasted. Zeke answers (quite suggestively) that he might even make her a crème brûlée.

Related post :: High School Musical 2

Vivah

Sooraj Barjatya’s film ‘Vivah’ is a throwback to the cinema of yore, when romantic themes were presented through stories steeped in Indian tradition and culture.

In the times when filmmakers are trying bold and new concepts, Sooraj R. Barjatya chooses to be regressive. Going against the tide, Barjatya once again dares to bring his old concept of a perfect family drama on the silver screen in his latest presentation ‘Vivah’.

As the tagline suggests, the movie’s story is the journey of a young couple from engagement to marriage. Well, Barjatiya’s concept is a little different from others, but not from his previous flicks.

‘Vivah’ is a story of Prem (Shahid Kapoor), Poonam (Amrita Rao) and their families. Prem is a rich, trendy guy from Delhi, whereas Poonam is a simple girl from Madhupur, brought up by her loving Chacha (Alok Nath) and jealous Chachi (Seema Biswas), who hates Poonam as she is beautiful than her own daughter Chhoti (Amrita Prakash).

On his father’s (Anupam Kher) insistence, Prem meets Poonam. After meeting her, he finds his soul mate in her and they get engaged to get married after six months.

Then starts their journey towards marriage. ‘Vivah’ shows those magical days of love from engagement to marriage. It shows the eagerness of a couple to get married. The emotional bonding between the characters shown by Barjatya is wonderful.

Everything in the story goes perfectly fine till marriage. Just a day before marriage, a tragedy strikes. Then arises the question whether the couple’s wait to get married will ever end or not?

The film’s biggest drawback is its boring music. The music is extraordinarily slow and sleep-inducing. Secondly, Barjatya’s story-telling style is a little sluggish, especially in the first half. The story picks up in the second half and touches a crescendo in the climax sequences.

The performances are up to the mark. Shahid Kapoor has acted like a mature actor and it is his best performance till now. Amrita Rao looks stunning in the movie. The shuddha (pure) Hindi used by her sounds sweet.

Anupam Kher and Alok Nath deliver polished performances. Seema Biswas is terrific. Her portrayal of a jealous mother is outstanding. Other actors like Sameer Soni, Amrita Prakash, Lata Sabarwal, Manoj Joshi, Dinesh Lamba and the child artist Ameya have also given notable performances.

Mohnish Bahl in his special appearance is awesome. He looks simply great as a doctor.

‘Vivah’ is a good family entertainer. It will particularly touch a chord among female audiences.

Watch it for the old-world charm.

mujhe haq hai, vivah - dedicated to my love

Ratatouille

I just watched Ratatouille. This is about Remy, a rat, who had the innate ability to smell food. He dreams of being a chef. He is constantly risking life in an expensive French restaurant because of his love of good food, as well as a desire to become a chef. Yet, obviously, this is a rather tough dream for a rat. But opportunity knocks when a young boy, Linguini, who desperately needs to keep his job at the restaurant, despite his lack of cooking abilities, discovers and partners the young Remy. Its up to the two of them to avoid the insane head chef, bring the rest of Remy's family up to his standards, win his partner a girl, and, of course, produce the finest Ratatouille in all of France.

By the way, Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish. The dish, originating in Nice, is fully named ratatouille niçoise.

French ratatouille may be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice, potatoes, or simple French bread), or as a side dish. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, zucchini (courgettes), eggplant (aubergine), bell peppers (poivrons), some herbes de Provence, and sometimes basil. All the ingredients are sautéed lightly in olive oil. . When ratatouille is used as a filling for savoury crepes or to fill an omelette, the pieces are cut smaller than in the illustration.

Transformers

A long time ago, far away on the planet of Cybertron, a war was being waged between the noble Autobots (led by the wise Optimus Prime) and the devious Decepticons (commanded by the dreaded Megatron) for control over the Allspark, a mystical talisman that would grant unlimited power to whoever possessed it.

The Autobots managed to smuggle the Allspark off the planet, but Megatron blasted off in search of it. He eventually tracked it to the planet of Earth (circa 1850), but his reckless desire for power sent him right into the Arctic Ocean, and the sheer cold forced him into a paralyzed state. His body was later found by Captain Archibald Witwicky, and before going into a comatose state Megatron used the last of his energy to engrave a map, showing the location of the Allspark, into the Captain's glasses, and send a transmission to Cybertron. He is then carted away by the Captain's ship.

A century later, Sam Witwicky, nicknamed Spike by his friends, buys his first car. To his shock, he discovers it to be Bumblebee, an Autobot in disguise who is to protect Spike, as he bears the Captain's glasses and the map carved on them.

But Bumblebee is not the only Transformer to have arrived on Earth - in the desert of Qatar, the Decepticons Blackout and Scorponok attack a U.S. military base, causing the Pentagon to send their special Sector Seven agents to capture all "specimens of this alien race," and Spike and his girlfriend Mikaela find themselves in the middle of a grand battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, stretching from Hoover Dam all the way to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, within the depths of the Pentagon, the cryogenically stored form of Megatron awakens... Written by Sivaji IMDBoss

Transformers

Oh, I really enjoyed the Transformers cartoon as a kid! I was thinking when they will make this cartoon into a movie and here it is in 2007. Hurray!

Guru

What words shall be used to describe a cinematic masterpiece like ‘Guru’. Mani Ratnam’s flawless direction and Abhishek Bachchan’s superlative performance simply leave you speechless by the end of the film.

Firstly, ‘Guru’ will silence all those detractors who say that Abhishek doesn’t have a talent for acting. The actor not just surprises you, he shocks you with his extraordinary performance. Gosh, how come this hidden potential of Abhi never came forth before? Perhaps it is Ratnam who knows how to get the best, or even more than that, out of Abhi.

Secondly, Mani Ratnam, the master of his craft, arguably surpasses all his previous works in ‘Guru’. Apart from its technical soundness, ‘Guru’ tells a story that is deeply gripping and highly inspiring. It is the tale of a man who never gives up. The protagonist of the film is a perennial fighter and an incurable optimist.

Beginning in 1951, ‘Guru’ is the story of a boy who goes to Turkey to work in a petroleum company after failing his school exams back home in a small Gujarat village. With sheer hard work Gurukant Desai (Abhishek Bachchan) rises in ranks and gets promotion. But Guru is a man of big vision. He quits his job in Turkey and comes back to Gujarat to start some business of his own.

So fixated is Guru about his dream that he marries Sujatha (Aishwarya Rai), a village girl, simply for the dowry sum that he could use to start his business.

With their minimal belongings, Guru, his wife and her brother go to Mumbai to start some business. By hook or by crook, by persuasion and by his sheer charm, Guru overcomes all hurdles and progresses in leaps and bounds. He is unstoppable. And this attitude of Guru doesn’t go well with some people.

Manikdas Gupta or Nanaji (Mithun Chakraborty) runs a newspaper called The Independent. He likes Guru’s determination and straightforwardness. He almost begins treating Guru like his own son. But when Guru uses Nanaji’s newspaper to achieve his business motive, Nanaji vows to stop the unstoppable Guru.

Journalist Shyam Saxena (Madhavan), who works for Nanaji, uses his power of pen to bring Guru down and expose his ‘truth’.

At the same time, Nanaji’s handicap daughter, Meenu (Vidya Balan), who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is the only one who loves Guru unconditionally.

The war between Guru and Nanaji heats up as Guru’s public venture company, Shakti Corporation, increases in size and proportion to become one of the best polyester making companies in India. It is a war that will claim much from Guru. But the perennial fighter in him succeeds in the end.

A film like ‘Guru’ has not been seen on the Indian screen before. With its powerful story, awesome performances, melodious music (A R Rahman), splendid cinematography (Rajiv Menon) and skilled direction, the movie leaves you spellbound. However, two songs in quick succession at the film’s very beginning do make for a bumpy start.

The story picks up when Guru goes to Mumbai where he starts his clothes business. How this visionary with an indomitable spirit fights against all odds and succeeds, makes for a riveting watch. And full credit goes to Abhishek Bachchan who has given the best performance of his career so far. His Guru is full of energy, vivacity and optimism.

What’s commendable is the conviction with which Abhi gets into the skin of his character. His bulky frame moves with a swagger, his penetrating gaze reflects his shrewd business acumen and yet there is a vulnerable side to Guru that shines through now and then. Abhi’s performance is particularly excellent in the second half, when his business begins to sink and he is paralyzed. His monologue in the courtroom (with his lip twitched and his one arm incapacitated) makes him truly deserving of an award.

For the first time, ‘Guru’ offers something to write about chemistry between Abhishek and Aishwarya. There is almost an electric vibe between the two actors and it could verily be seen in the film. Apart from this, Ash’s performance, too, is commendable.

Mithun Chakraborty has a domineering presence and is effective in his performance. Madhavan and Vidya Balan are very natural. Mallika Sherawat provides her brand of entertainment at the film’s beginning.

To sum it up, ‘Guru’ is one of the best movies to have come out of Bollywood recently. It is a perfect treat for the dreamers. A must-watch.

A gem of a film.

DOR

Nagesh Kukunoor’s latest movie ‘Dor’ is a compelling watch. It is a moving tale of two women – one who undertakes a long journey to save her love, and another who dares to break the shackles of tradition and choose life as her heart wants it.

Like Kukunoor’s previous movie ‘Iqbal’, ‘Dor’ too is a film on the empowerment of the weak and the oppressed. It is a beautiful tale of love, loss, friendship, and courage to live anew. The film is raw and realistic in essence. And this is the reason why its story is so believable and deeply touching.

Those who have the appetite for big-budgeted, opulent, star-studded, melodramatic Bollywood movies may not be enthused at the prospect of watching a relatively small-budget, realistic film with Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag and Shreyas Talpade in the lead roles. But mark my words dear friend, the acting performances and the direction in ‘Dor’ can put many self-proclaimed big shots of Bollywood to shame.

‘Dor’ is the story of two women, Zeenat (Gul Panag) and Meera (Ayesha Takia), both living in different parts of India. Their fate is invariably strung together by one incident that changes both their lives forever.

In the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Zeenat marries her lover Aamir just a day before he leaves for Saudi Arabia. In a Rajasthan village, the happily married Meera spends the few cherished moments with her husband Shankar before he too leaves for Saudi Arabia.

Zeenat is an independent woman who has struggled at every step in her life. She takes the financial responsibility of her in-laws after her husband’s departure. Meera, on the other hand, is domesticated into the strict traditions of a Rajput household.

The worlds of the two women collapse when Shankar is killed in Saudi Arabia, and Aamir, his roommate, is accused of the murder. Aamir is slated to get a death penalty.

According to the Saudi law, there is only one condition in which Aamir’s life can be spared : if Shankar’s widow Meera forgives him.

To save her husband’s life, Zeenat undertakes an impossible journey to Rajasthan to find Meera.

On her way, she meets a Behroopiya (Shreyas Talpade) who adopts different guises to con people. Behroopiya first dupes Zeenat also, but later helps her find Meera. As the two women come together, they become friends. They also learn from each other. The tamed and widowed Meera learns to live her life anew, while the hardened Zeenat learns mellowness.

What happens when Zeenat reveals the truth to Meera? Does she agree to forgive the killer of her husband? Will Meera resign to her fate and live a stifled life in her in-laws’ house?

The conclusion Nagesh Kukunoor gives to the story could not have been better. The movie’s climax takes the story’s emotive appeal to a crescendo and leaves a viewer overwhelmed.

Ayesha Takia has given the best performance of her acting career so far in ‘Dor’. In the first half, she is the meek, submissive housewife with dreamy eyes and many a muffled desires. In the second half, she becomes a woman who learns to defy the cruel tradition, who learns to listen to her heart and live the way she wants to. And Ayesha carries all these myriad emotions with the skill of a polished actress.

Gul Panag stands in equal stead, even though her character is shown mentally and emotionally strong and offers less challenge in the terms of histrionics.

Shreyas Talpade is a complete delight to watch. His comic imitations of the actors from Hindi film industry and the quicksilver changes in his appearances provide a welcome humorous relief in an otherwise serious movie.

To sum it up, ‘Dor’ is a film that definitely ought to be seen once. The movie’s theme is most relevant and the way it has been brought forth, without any melodrama and overblown emotions, is what makes the movie truly compelling. The dialogues are earthy and partly rooted in the local parlance. The background score (Padharo Maare Des) is just too good. The direction and acting performances are almost flawless.

A Must Watch: Dor

Songs to make your feet move

Maahive >>> Oh my love



Naksha You and I



Bolo Bolo - Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein

Umrao Jaan

Cast

Aishwarya Rai ... Amiran/Umrao Jaan
Shabana Azmi ... Khannum Jaan
Abhishek Bachchan ... Nawab Sultan
Suniel Shetty ... Faiz Ali
Divya Dutta ... Bismillah
Himani Shivpuri ...
Kulbhushan Kharbanda ...
Ayesha Jhulka ... Khursheed


Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A little girl, Ameeran, from a lower-middle-class Muslim family in Faizabad, is kidnapped and sold to a brothel in Lucknow. Played by Rai, she grows up to be the most famous nautch girl of her times and is re-christened Umrao Jaan.


While performing her first mujra, she falls in love with Nawab Sultan (Bachchan) and vows to be loyal to him all her life. However, fate decides otherwise, and Umrao ends up having to wait for him to make a life for them, after the Nawab's father throws him out of his home. Umrao decides to wait for her lover, even as the dacoit Faiz Ali (Shetty) wants to woo her.


Faiz Ali takes her away to Gari, with the hopes of marrying her, but she thinks of looking for her lover, Nawab Sultan. She finds out Faiz Ali was the most wanted robber, and is taken to jail. There she re-unites with Nawab Sultan, but he breaks her heart as he tells her he cannot see her anymore, because he is getting married.


She returns to Lucknow, and is raped by her childhood friend who was always in love with her. She is then told to flee and is taken back to her hometown of Faizabad. She sees her mother and brother once more, but they tell her she cannot be seen with them because of her reputation of being a prostitute. Devastated, Umrao returns to Lucknow, where she lives a lonely life, only taking solace in poetry.


The film is a journey of a woman who is living a life born out of circumstances, and has no control over her own destiny. Though the courtesan wants to live like any other woman, this is not her destiny; she believes that she was just born unlucky.