Movie Review: Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

Before I begin,
Happpppppppppppppyyyyy New Year peepals! Hope you've had a fantastic time getting drunk and being too sloshed to welcome the new year(so that I can have a good laugh at it as I secretly curse you like a jealous female dog) or alternatively, had a family-friendly new year's eve. In any case, it's alright,I didn't have too much fun either so yayiee,we're in the same boat. That's a very cool thing...I think. Anyways, I hope to God you've not made never-am-I-achieving-those resolutions that everyone(the jobless & duffers) is so usually fond of making. Seriously guys it's about time you realise your resolutions won't even last you 24 hours. Unless you're that nerd in high school I felt like slapping everytime I looked at her. Nonetheless, I hope to God you get lots of luck,wisdom & happiness & booze & free food & free parties & free anything this year.

Now moving on,
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.

Vishal Bhardwaj is one of my favourite off-beat movie directors. His movies are always squeezing the juices out of your brains and should only be watched when you're a little drunk yourself. 'Cos that's a common denominator in all of his movies and I've big time respect for that yo. Also,it requires you to be a little drunk to comprehend his movies. Very cool. Very very cool. Even though my mom dad would differ. Other then that, my biases for him is also based on the fact that he's given Indian cinema epic movies adapted from Shakespeare's plays. I'm a sucker for William so Mr.Meerut earned brownie points for that as well. His style of movies is such that they're thematic by nature and everything in the movie makes constant connection to the theme(s) of the movie. EXACTLY like W.Shakespeare.

However, unlike his earlier movies such as Ishqiya,Kaminey et all, this one has a simple skeleton. It's easy to understand and the movie's been kept short & precise. It's a movie made for the masses. The movie stands predominantly on Pankaj Kapur's acting and portrayal of Harry Mandola. A simple background setting, one very interesting character, one very wicked & comical antagonist, one fool and two supporting characters with intensive use of typical Haryanvi language and you've got this movie! This movie revoles around the themes of politics,power play,family,love & ethics. Keeping the movie light-hearted with its brilliant sense of humour, you won't realise the 158 minutes. There is no drag in the film so kudos to editor A.Sreekar Prasad.

Here are some quick pointers on the movie -
1. Anushka Sharma has a cliched opening scene. Very very cliched. Very very uncool. It's a delight for the men out there though. Totally feeding your testosterone levels.

2. Imran Khan can't act but somehow, he gets a tad-bit better as the movie progresses. He's a mediocre. Anyone could've done his role. No biggie. I don't know why Bhardwaj selected him for this movie though. They could've done with someone more rugged like I-can't-believe-I-am-saying-this but Abhishek Bachchan or Vivek Oberoi. Not a big fan of these guys anymore but my instinct tells me they'd have done a better job. Not typifying but Imran Khan's your pretty boy. That boy-next-door whom you'll only tolerate in sappy love stories. He really needs to come out of his shell if he wants to look & make audiences believe that he is badass.

3. Pankaj Kapur's chemistry with Shabana Azmi is fantastico on screen! Shabana Azmi has done an excellent job in portraying a Minister who enjoys making her son(Arya Babbar) & Pankaj Kapur dance to her little fingers & quirky eyes.

4. Arya Babbar was actually funny. Like naturally funny. His foolish onscreen presence was so natural that I'm pretty sure he was just being himself. Yep, 200% sure. This guy got paid to be himself on screen. Well done. That was a smart move(for a change) Babbar Jr! *clap*clap*

5. Anushka Sharma has actually done a decent job for her character. I guess it takes a Vishal Bhardwaj to control her loud-mouth-same-style-acting. You don't get a Band Baaja Baraat deja vu from her..for a change.

6. You might not enjoy this movie if you're a complete stranger to Haryanvi. This movie's soul is in its language and dialogues.

7. That pink cow(urf Gulabo) is to watch out for. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the relevance of it in the movie.

8.They've kept a relevant background score in the movie. It's a major plus point. Very typically Bhardwaj style. Bhardwaj & Clinton Cerejo have indeed done a great job with the music(as usual). Gulzar has resurrected from his graveyard lyrics for JTHJ to classic him in this movie. Thanks be to the Gods. It's really all about the director! The better the director, the better the quality of acting,music,editing,cinematography,script.

9. Oye boy oye boy charlie, tune dil ki baazi maar li is one helluva fun number that'll get you tickled & grooving. It's my favourite! The song's a visual treat in the movie as well.

In a nutshell,
My rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Smart direction, Well-written script(Bhardwaj & Sabrina Dhawan), Amazing dialogues, Precise screenplay(Bhardwaj & Abhishek Chaubey), Good music & Classic acting by Pankaj Kapur & Shabana Azmi.
Watch it for Pankaj Kapur duo-personality & perfect comic timing! The movie is bound to entertain you.

p.s: You know what's really the moral of the story? It is that being drunk makes you a better person. I kid you not! If you don't believe me,go watch the movie and see it for yourself! This movie actually promotes staying drunk. See this is why Vishal Bhardwaj never disappoints me. B-)

p.p.s: Just kidding, please don't get drunk. okay maybe sometimes..occasionally..weekly..anytime.  ... nevermind. Just go watch the movie.



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