you can't stop what's coming...

Which is more terrifying? Getting chased and hunted by a straight forward foul mouthed gun toting villain or an under the radar mysterious psychopath villain with rules of his own, knowing he WILL GET you.


In No Country For Old Men (2007) by the Coen brothers, an adaptation of the so called inadaptable Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same, the bad guy is anything but stereotypical.

Set in Texas amidst the tough, unrelenting, parched landscape that mirros the people of the land, the story revolves around a psychological, physical cat and mouse game between three people - A broke Texas rancher Lewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) running away with the loot, chased by the peculiar psychopath Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), in turn chased by the soon-to-retire local town sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones).

Now an old timer, Ed Tom Bell, sheriff since young, likes to talk about the old timers in his trade never ever having the need of using a gun. Though extremely brave, he says he wouldn't like to lay his life down for something that he didn't know. He just doesn't think its worth it. Anton Chiugurh fits that category. We can never know what he's upto. You play the game only by his rules known only to him and he can bend and break them as he wishes. That should freak anyone out.

Moss hunting on Texas outdoors, sees a drug deal gone horribily wrong. He takes the money away. Moss returns the same night to the mess troubled by his conscience to give water to the wounded Mexican guy who had asked him so earlier in the day. The guy is now dead and the hurting American party chases him till his pants are down.

Moss escapes, sends his wife Carla Jean away to her mother to meet later while deciding to fight the baddies on his own with the loot in town. The American party sends Anton Chigurh and another group unknown to Chigurh to hunt down Moss. Sheriff Ed sees the mess and with the clues on ground realises Moss could be in danger. He too joins the chase and the trail.

Stopping a guy who kills with motive is possible but how to stop a guy who kills without any motive. For Anton Chigurh, the road to reach Moss is purely his own. He doesn't see Moss as THE bad guy. Anyone can seem equally good and bad to him. He kills anyone and spares anyone. He doesn't kill for money. No one knows what is cooking inside him. May be he too doesn't. But for a man of this nature he is extremely methodical and careful. On the chase to Moss, Anton's conversations with the people he meets are the most bizarre. Especially the one with a store owner. Incredibly tense, humourous and nevry, just when you think he will flush this guy down the toilet he does otherwise. As Anton tells the store guy, its pretty much like a coin toss for these guys.

In a thrilling set piece around a motel, Anton finally gets to know the American party has send another group to catch Moss. Taking it as a personal insult he guns down that entire bunch.The American party now worried knows that a loose cannon is flying around. Sheriff also closes in on Moss and Anton.

After escaping the shootout, Moss is warned by Anton about how this all would end only his way. Anton tells him either he dies or his wife dies by his hand. Its no longer about the money. Sheriff fearing the worst reaches Carla Jean to protect Moss. As fate would have it the Mexican party guns down Moss before Anton does while he waits for his wife in a motel and can fly out of the country with the loot.

Anton reaches to find Moss is already dead. But he doesn't go away. He keeps his promise he gave to Moss. He meets Carla Jean and tells her Moss had a choice between either of the two and he chose himself. Anton kills her. Thats how menacing and scary the guy is. To him his principles are the most important.

Shockingly though correctly Anton walks away scot free at the end. Sheriff retires and sulks over what happened.

As with most Coen brothers movies, this one is original, evocative of the time and the place. All the characters speak in a genuine accent. Their trademark style is on full show here. Twisted characters, quirky dry humour, bizzare plotlines. They don't compromise it for anybody. Roger Deakins camera shows even the things that are tough to look at can be so eye catching. Its moody, dark and atmospehere but bloody entertaining. The film doesn't have much of dialogues even. I can hardly remember it having any background music. Just the thought of Anton is enough to send shivers. Remember silence is more terrifying than sound.

Go, experience it and be terrorised. You can't stop what's coming...

Till next time - Movies, movies and movies...

king of kings... maqbool... miyan maqbool...

These are the lines spoken by the astrologer Inspector Pandit (Om Puri) on the future of Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) and Mumbai.

The underrated cinematic gem Maqbool(2004) is the 2nd feature of music director turned filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj after his impressive debut with Makdee. An adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth set in underworld of Mumbai. Most often literary adaptions are rarely seen in Indian films atleast not in the popular languages and when they do turn up, they end up losing their wits end. (Clearly reading books is not the favourite past time of India). But Vishal makes this adaptation so bloody entertaining that if I were given a choice to choose Macbeth and Maqbool I would always go for the latter.

The film starts with an amazing interplay of words between Pandit, Purohit(Naseeruddin Shah) and Chikne (Abbas Tyrewala) over current state and future of Mumbai underworld. The entire movie is littered with impeccable Urdu dialogues that are easily understandable. All the actors must have had the time of their lives mouthing off those lines. It felt like honey and I savoured not enjoyed every minute of it.

Don Abbaji(Pankaj Kapur in a terrific comeback role) has the hold over his "mehbooba - Mumbai" but not quite so over almost half his age mistress Nimmi(Tabu) who favours the shy, reluctant but equally savage Maqbool, raised by the father like Abbaji. Nimmi says to Maqbool "ya jehangir... ya hum". Maqbool is torn between his loyalty to Abbaji and love for Nimmi.

Pandit and Purohit (those words mean preists in Hindi), parallel to the witches in the play (I wouldn't put it beyond a guy like Vishal to name them as above - witches pretending to be honest cops in this case) literally clean up the messy underworld by pitting the loyalties of the characters against each other especially Maqbool by feeding them with ego hurting truths and lies.

Amidst this is a subplot involving Abbaji's young daughter Sammera and Guddu(son of Abbaji's oldest and loyal henchmen Kaka). Pandit says to Kaka about Guddu in front of Maqbool, "tere bete ki patri dekhi, bahut dum hain salle mein... maqbool ka jawab hain tera beta" just after massaging Maqbool's ego the scene before with the "king of kings" lines.

Maqbool is harrowingly drawn into the quest for love, lust and power by Nimmi and the preist cops. He guns down Abbaji in his bed with Nimmi, on the eve of Sameera's wedding with Guddu. As Kaka's turns away from him, Nimmi driven Maqbool him offers friendship on the face and guns him down behind his back. Putting the blame on Guddu, Maqbool and Nimmi further isolate themselves from Abbaji's family and his friends.

At this point, Maqbool's guilt takes over him and he starts losing his mind. The preist cops start turning the screws on Maqbool who under intense pressure crumbles in the underworld. The snake like Nimmi, pregnant (Maqbool goes crazy when she reveals about her condition thinking if Abbaji was the father) also loses her mind with guilt. Guddu takes down Maqbool's gang in a Godfatheresque end when he is busy comforting Nimmi. The final scene of the movie shows Maqbool's child cuddled by Guddu and Sameera in the hospital. At this point Maqbool realises he no longer needs to worry about his child. He just walks out and is shot dead by Boti, one of Guddu's men.

It is the writing which makes it such a thrill to see this movie. Pankaj Kapur plays the aging don with menace and charm. Irrfan Khan's 3 dimensional potrayal of Maqbool and his journey is stunning. Frankly when was the last time we saw a female character with grey shades. Tabu, looking pretty as ever, sinks into the role and shows girls need not undress to tease, tempt, seduce and torment a guy. All of the supporting players seem to be carefully casted as their performances compliment the overall movie. But my most favorite role would be Pandit and Purohit (Puri and Shah) who are so cunning and wicked that if there was a way to double cross people then I would suggest just watch them. I read somewhere that Vishal had given script to Shah and asked him to choose whichever role he wanted to play owing to Shah's stature. Shah being the great actor that is, not a star, choose to play the cop. He reasoned with Vishal that he had played crime don before but he didn't yet play a cop of this nature. I am glad Shah and Puri did these roles. Their line "aag ke liye paani ka darr bane rahna chahiye... ", ringing at various places, aptly shows how they function. They are corrupt but they clean the mess their own way.

I honestly believe Vishal Bharadwaj is the best director in India today. He does movie purely for its craft not for the money. The joy in watching his movies is like watching Sachin or a Federer play. They are transcendental. Vishal might never again make a movie as good as Maqbool, which I feel is his best movie to date, but he will never ever make a bad movie. Different perhaps, but bad? not a chance. Its like even when Vishal makes a bad movie it is good. Some might say Omkara, Kaminey were better. I would suggest they see Maqbool first. Your senses will be overwhelmed. Mine were.

Truly one of Indian cinema's best.

Till next time - movies, movies and movies ...

the beginning...

If I'm ever asked a list of must-do things just before my imminent death, among the countless things this would surely be on the list

I would LOVE to watch a movie.


Crazy, lunacy, whatever one may call it. That is what it is for me. Movies... man, for me is more than just a movie. It is like living life for its running time. The thrill I get watching a movie cannot be put it in words. I'll give a peek into how it all started for me as far as I can remember.

1992. Class 1. Normal school day. Only difference was it wouldn't be my mother who would take me home after school. It would be my father instead. Apart from him, my entire family had gone somewhere some place. I am literally tearing my hair off now, but I just can't remember where they went.

But I can feel that afternoon. My father picked me up. While walking back, he asked me about me and my school, told me about food he prepared for me. I listened and told him what I felt. Then he said IT. The conversation still rings.

He said after we have food, he'll show me a new movie on the VCR. My father loves movies. The way he described the movie I can never forget it. He said the movie has fighting, guns, chases, horses, trains, robbers, cops, jokes. I may have seen a few movies before but the way my father said about this got me really excited. I can't recollect whether he told me the name of the movie then. But just to perk up the interest, I'll make you wait a little further.

We got home. He gave me food and he too ate. Then we sat down in front of the T.V. It was nice warm afternoon. All doors and windows were closed. The curtains stopped the sunlight. We were on chairs beside each other. I now recollect and feel the hall was as dark as a theatre though I doubt I had any idea what a theatre was back then. As he promised, he put the video cassette into the VCR and started the movie.

My father was softly giving me hints about the first scene. A cop getting down a train at a station. Then the same cop walks with another guy to two horses. As the train leaves the station, the two guys ride the horses into the dry hilly countryside. The music starts. A guitar, then drums, then whistles and then all in unison. Finally the movie name is flashed on screen - SHOLAY.

YEH DOSTI, JAI, VEERU, THAKUR, BASANTI, DHANNO, SOORMA BHOPALI, RAMLAL, GABBAR SINGH, KAALIYA, TRAIN ROBBERY, HAMARI JAIL MEIN SURANG, KITNE AADMI THEY, HOLI, MEHBOOBA MEHBOOBA,YEH HAATH MUJHE DE DE THAKUR, SYUICIDE SYUICIDE , GABBAR YEH HAATH MUJHE DE DE sequences and many more.

My father was with me all through this. I just loved every minute of it. I didn't analyse a single thing about the movie like I do now. I am grateful I was too small not to do such a thing then. I just experienced it. Sometimes I wish I could be still the same. We both were mouthing off dialogues after the movie. I have seen innumerable movies since then, even SHOLAY many times (includes the times where I analysed it), but nothing comes close to that afternoon in terms of experience. This was the best start I could have wished for, which I believe it is. I was on my way which I know now.

As far as I know that afternoon my father, a lifelong admirer of movies, just wanted to show me a movie in a way that a movie must be seen. He doesn't know what he and that warm afternoon intentionally/unintentionally made me into - a movie lunatic. I still have to thank him for this which I will by do reliving that day with him sometime soon.

I will be sharing my experiences on some of the movies I have seen so far.

P.S.
SHOLAY(1975) is an Indian Hindi film directed by Ramesh Sippy.

God!!!... watching a movie sounds a far better option than writing this. Ha Ha.

Till next time - movies, movies and movies ...