Indian movies

The hallmark of any thriller is that it should build the suspense beautifully, hold the attention to the point that the viewer starts pointing the finger of suspicion on the assorted characters in the narrative and hit the viewer like a ton of bricks when the mystery is solved.

Unfortunately, MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER doesn't make that kind of an impact. It's well shot, with stunning visuals to back it up, but, hello, isn't cinema all about narrating interesting stories in the most simplistic fashion? What value is the ambience or décor if the food served on the table is anything but delicious?

Let's get more specific! MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER takes off well, but faces turbulent weather in between and never gets it right thereafter. Instead of narrating an uncomplicated story, debutante director Navdeep Singh makes the goings-on so confusing that the viewer fails to decipher what's going on.

The story jumps from one track to another, adding to the confusion. Actually, the film fails on the script level since the sequence of events that lead to the finale are so confusing that it's difficult to fathom what exactly the problem was and how it got solved.

To sum up, MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER is a classic case of a film gone wrong due to a poor script penned by an amateur.

SV [Abhay Deol] is a government engineer, but his real ambition has always been writing detective fiction. Unfortunately, his maiden attempt, a novel called Manorama, sank without a trace and he has been reduced to writing for cheap magazines.

Stifled by the dreariness of small town existence and frustrated by his failure, SV's life takes a turn when the wife [Sarika] of a powerful local politician [Kulbhushan Kharbanda] arrives at his doorstep with an irresistible offer; the chance for SV to play a real-life detective by spying on her husband. Intrigued and tempted by the opportunity to redeem his self worth, SV accepts the offer.

Upon completion of his assignment, things take a turn when SV discovers that the woman is not who she claims to be. The situation gets further complicated when she is killed in a mysterious accident. Sensing foul play, SV begins investigating her death only to discover that nothing is what it seems to be…

Debutante director Navdeep Singh knows the technicalities well and aided by cinematographer Arvind Kannabiran, Singh comes up with visually enticing frames. But the writing is the cause for worry here.

What were the reasons that led to Sarika getting murdered? What was so important in those photographs that the powerful politician and his cronies wanted to lay their hands on? How relevant was the medical report of the politician with the main plot? How and when do Abhay and Raima get attracted towards each other? And was the politician a paedophile? Besides, how does everything gets solved in the end, with the politician getting his answers and Abhay walking away smiling? Question, questions and more questions. Confusion, confusion and more confusion!

The only departments that merit a strong mention are cinematography and dialogues, which cater to the intelligentsia mainly.

Abhay Deol pitches in a natural performance, but the performance is not as striking as his earlier works like AHISTA AHISTA and EK CHALIS KI LAST LOCAL. Vinay Pathak gets it right yet again. He's first-rate. Gul Panag is a fine actor, but what is she doing in this film? The role has no potential, except nagging her husband. Raima Sen is alright; her role should've been better defined. Kulbhushan Kharbanda does well. Sarika is hardly there.

On the whole, MANORAMA - SIX FEET UNDER disappoints. At the box-office, the lack of buzz as also the weak content will result in the effort going unnoticed.

Homage to the noir genre, Manorama Six Feet Under is about an amateur detective in a small town who finds himself caught in a web of lies, deceit and murder.

SV (Abhay Deol) is a government engineer but his real ambition has always been writing detective fiction. Unfortunately, his maiden attempt, a novel called Manorama, sank without a trace and he has been reduced to writing for cheap pulp magazines.

Stifled by the dreariness of small town existence and frustrated by his failure, SV's life takes a turn when the wife of a powerful local politician arrives at his doorstep with an irresistible offer; the chance for SV to play a real life detective by spying on her husband. Intrigued and tempted by the opportunity to redeem his self worth, SV accepts.

Upon completion of his assignment, things take a turn when SV discovers that the woman is not who she claims to be. The situation get further complicated when she is killed in a mysterious accident.

Sensing foul play, SV begins investigating her death only to discover that nothing is what it seems to be and that redemption doesn't come easy….

This is the story of two young men trying to achieve their dreams in a foreign land. Both For one, Kolkata is dying and stagnant. For the other. Kolkata is still the Mecca of culture and arts. Two stories that run parallel, erratically, never quite merging, yet colliding. A warm hearted, hilarious, yet deeply touching drama about two men in this crazy, global world.

Apu’s (Parambrata) story is a socio-comic adventure in Houston from Kolkata, amongst second-generation youths who are not at all Indians, who befriends this Bengali girl called Rita (Piya Rai Chaudhary). He shares an apartment with his office colleague Chris, who is a gay and whom Apu finds difficult to adjust to and his boss Garry (Victor Banerjee) an immigrant of Bengal but now has turned a typical Republican American.

The streets of Houston at night are too violent and he is mugged. U.S. is not at all like the Hollywood dreamland that he had imagined to be. It is a ruthless world and Apu has to undergo sheer physical pressure that he never faced in his secure, pampered home in Kolkata.

Andy (Shayan Munshi) is a 26-year-old second generation Bengali, born and brought up in New York. He is a brilliant guitarist and has a tremendous inclination towards Indian classical and folk music, specially a typical Bengali folk “baul”. He sets off to Kolkata. Andy’s story is about his various attempts to come to terms with Kolkata’s reality which is completely alien to him. At this point Sheela (Raima Sen) gets friendly with him and shows him around. He neither can adjust to the growing non-Bengali disco culture of ‘Tantra’, nor can he empathize with the pettiness and mediocrity of the traditional Bengalis who are eventually losers.

The film is essentially on a comic vein. Serious, important issues regarding globalization are dealt through comic, humorous scenes. The style is wacky, neo and never verge on old-fashioned melodramatic sentiments. Yet very touching, very moving moments will hold the humour and comedy in tact. There will be a constant shift between the “funny” and the “touching”. The songs will all be the new age Bengali rock/folk
Kolkata, in its own way, makes Andy release his inner self. Houston makes Apu a tougher, more adventurous Bengali. Andy and Apu return to their lands to pursue and better their dream.

Both Andy and Apu needed to find themselves. They find their identities and their strength in foreign lands. Kolkata, in its own way, makes Andy release his inner self. New York makes Apu a tougher, more adventurous Bengali.

Anuranan means 'resonance' in Bengali and this movie is about the story of two couples, each with their own struggles to survive as a couple and as individuals. These individuals can be distinctly seen as four separate entities, with their own dreams, desires and emotions. Fate and circumstances bring them together.

After living in London for a few years, Rahul and Nandita have recently moved back to Kolkata. The Kanchanjunga project is what brings Rahul and Amit together. Friendship eventually blossoms amongst both the couples - Rahul & Nandita and Amit & Preeti. As time flies, lot of events unfold and the relationship these friends share creates a resonance, a chord - that echoes through their present and future.

Rahul, Nandita, Preeti and Amit are seen walking through life, each of them going through a different phase. They bump into each other and their life takes a subtle turn. Rahul and Nandita strike a chord at a different level which continues to reverberate. They experience a unique bond and emotionally connect with each other in a significant plane of their journey in life.

The understanding between Preeti and Nandita at the end of the story when their individual worlds are broken to bits and pieces also signifies a new resonance that has been struck. It signifies a new beginning for two people who will grow and nurture each other meaningfully in days to come.

This movie shot in London with some brilliant photography, has very beautifully portrayed relationships. The sensitivity with which the emotions have been captured is commendable. The film contemplates how at various moments and thresholds of our life we experience different kinds of bonds and emotional attachments with different kinds of people.