TIMELESS - without a beginning or end, eternal, everlasting.

Only a few movies earn the tag "CLASSICS" & only a handful of those films become "TIMELESS CLASSICS".These films even after decades will still bring about the same nostalgic sensation with the latter generation, such is the impact of these well crafted masterpieces.

At the same time movies will always be movies irrespective of the language they are made, the feelings, pain, sufferings get etched out so well that language is never seen as a barrier.

As the saying goes "MUSIC & MOVIES TRANSCEND ALL BARRIERS".

PLOT : " The film tells the parallel love stories of a mother and daughter. "



Kwak Jae-yong & Alejandro Amenábar are my favorite directors, their films serve as an inspiration for me & many alike throughout the world.

And this korean film "The Classic" directed by Kwak Jae-yong is my all time favorite movie, having seen so many movies of various genres I had never felt so much for the lead characters in a movie.

Everything about the movie was captured so well, Kudos to the director for utilizing the potential of his team so beautifully.

The script was also written by Kwak Jae-yong, he has effectively brought out the love stories of both the mom & daughter in a very well crafted manner such that the parallel timelines never serve as an hindrance.

One of the most persistent characteristics in Kwak Jae-yong's movies is his sense of comedy, "My Sassy Girl" is a testament to that, here too that part is handled very well along with his trademark love scenes between the lead characters.

Music as always been a major plus in all of Yong's movies, it gels so well with the flow of the film that it elevates the movie to a whole new level, the background score & music by Jo Yeong-wook here is also very haunting & soothing.The music in the trailer will serve as an example for the excellent musical score.

The lead characters have just grabbed the opportunities presented to them, Son Ye-jin as the mom & mother was simply outstanding, she pulled off both the roles with panache & she was very very gorgeous.

Jo Seung-woo ,Lee Ki-woo & Jo In-seong too were a treat to watch especially the former for his role as the lover torn between friendship & love was so very well portrayed & enacted.

Cinematography by Lee Joon-kyoo has captured the two timelines in the movie with perfection adding authentic backdrop so convincingly.

Editing by Kim Sang-beom & Kim Jae-beom were crucial to maintain the flow & feel of the movie & the both have done it superbly.

Great are films that immerses the viewers in a fictional world where they feel & relate with fictional characters, this is one such film even with its cliches & slow pace immersed me into its world of love & drama.

This film is one of the finest products of cinema that will surely have an everlasting appeal, it has something for everyone, from youngsters to parents to grand-parents.

• Director : Jae-young Kwak

• Writer : Jae-young Kwak

• Cast : Ye-jin Son , Seung-woo Cho , In-seong Jo , Ki-woo Lee

• Rating : "PG" for some brief scenes of nudity.

I was very particular about the movies I post on my blog, I also never wanted to criticize any movie however bad it might be but this time am taking an exception & I really do hope so that the exception ends with this movie.

"All of life's riddles are answered in the movies", this is my view about cinema.People flock to theaters to spend time away from the lives & surrender themselves to the movie maker & enter a fictional world of the director.

Why do people do this ???
Well, everyone has their own set of problems & people tend to relate themselves to the hero on-screen with themselves, when the hero is down & out we feel an urge for the hero to defeat the villain & come out victorious.

Kids, youngsters & adults alike even consider heroes as demi-gods and try imitating what their idols do on-screen & alarmingly the negative aspects are imitated more like SMOKING, DRINKING & most importantly VIOLENCE.

PLOT : " The film is based on the life of Paritala Ravindra and that of his rival Suri. "



Ratha Sarithiram is directed by Ram Gopal Varma.The film features Vivek Oberoi as Ravindra in the lead role, whilst Suriya as Suri.

The promos of the film were quoting the lines from Mahabharata which goes like "REVENGE IS THE PUREST EMOTION", the lines are justifiable but the entire film was less of revenge and was more on violence.

To put it in simple words, this film glorified violent retribution.All the characters spoke only about retribution or justifying it, even the woman characters in the film were supporting this cause which was something very hard to digest.

The screenplay of the movie had little do with the actual revenge saga, even the new characters that appeared in the movie were vying for retribution.

The violent showdown between the rivals were even glorified by showing them in slow motion & the film for the most part was in slow motion.

There are numerous films which have been based on the concepts of Mahabharata but each had their own ways of expressing their emotions but in this film the only way in which emotions were shown are of violence, violence & more violence.

Even some of the gory fight scenes of Suriya was encouraged by some of his loyal fans, this is what I was mentioning about people considering their heroes as demi-gods.I feel so sorry for these kinda encouragements, the heroes should be more responsible on what they portray.

The only consolation from this film was of the acting of Suriya & of his counter part Vivek Oberoi who gave a power packed performance.

Cinema is a medium in which certain aspects of our lives cannot be portrayed, Cinema has enlightened the minds of millions around the world with its depictions of real life events but at the same time certain elements cannot be glorified.

Even terrorists have their own causes to fight but we can't glorify the violent methods they adopt, "VIOLENCE IS ALREADY PROFOUND IN OUR SOCIETY & FILMS SHOULDN'T JUSTIFY IT".

• Director : Ram Gopal Varma

• Writer : Prashant Pandey

• Cast : Vivek Oberoi , Suriya , Shatrughan Sinha , Kota Srinivasa Rao , Sudeep , Priyamani

• Rating : "A+" definitely not for kids & women.

Coming of age is that part of our life ,that part of our life where there is just only a thin line that separates the right from the wrong & the wrong from the right.

There is also this argument of GIRLS being discriminated & being sidelined while BOYS enjoy all the liberties ,well that is a point well said & that is very agreeable.

Alas ,its human nature to commit mistakes especially during the twilight period in our lives called "Coming of Age" but what happens then ???

BOYS : "Well, BOYS will always be BOYS, they will charm, mesmerize, seduce & there are many who UTILIZE(Hope you GIRLS understand the meaning of utilize)"

GIRLS : "Well, GIRLS never LEARN, they get charmed, mesmerized, seduced & in many cases are USED"

PLOT : " A coming of age story of a school going girl."



As i was watching this film a lot of questions went through my mind whilst watching this film, "An Education".Lone Scherfig has directed this beautifully film ,she has raised enough issues such that even after watching it you will be left pondering.

The movie is based on British journalist Lynn Barber's memoir of the same name ,Nick Hornby has adapted this into a well focused screenplay that moves along effectively with a well directed message being shared.

The cast was simply amazing, Carey Mulligan was nominated for an oscar for best actress for her role, well after watching her performance i full endorse the nomination she received.Her role of a school going girl was very very very believable ,she looked so young & vulnerable ,i was shocked when i looked up her real age.

The rest of the cast includes Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Emma Thompson ,Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina & Cara Seymour.All of them had their roles well defined, some characters had just minutes of screen space which was very well characterized ,this is a testament to the role of a writer.

Cinematography by John de Borman provides the look of 1960s London in a very authentic manner ,editing by Barney Pilling also adds strength to the movie.

The progression of the film is simple & at the same time very compelling, the way how a school girl reacts to the situations like in the film is so relatable to the issues of today ,the role & importance of parents also comes into scrutiny.

Overall this film works on many levels like the importance of education, coming of age, value of parental guidance & the like.Even though films like these have been part and parcel of cinema, the journey of the school going girl in this film stands stall & will surely serve an enlightening message across.

"EVE WAS CHARMED BY THE SNAKE TO EAT THE APPLE, WHOSE FAULT WAS IT,

WAS IT THE FAULT OF THE SNAKE THAT BEWITCHED EVE ???

OR

WAS IT THE FAULT OF EVE IN ALLOWING HERSELF TO BE BEWITCHED BY THE SNAKE ???"

• Director : Lone Scherfig

• Writer : Lynn Barber (memoir), Nick Hornby (screenplay)

• Cast : Carey Mulligan , Peter Sarsgaard , Alfred Molina , Cara Seymour , Dominic Cooper , Rosamund Pike , Olivia Williams , Emma Thompson

• Rating : "PG" for underage smoking & some sexual content.

There is always a stage in life where we reach the crossroads in relationships ,whatever it may be ,friendship or love.

Sometimes or should i say that most times these crossroads change the entire course of our life ,what does happen to us during this transition ??

Our careers might shape up better or vice versa !
Get into a beautiful relationship or vice versa !
Or
We might end up losing our friends or worse is that when these friends become foes !!!

PLOT : " A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook. "



The hype surrounding this movie "The Social Network"was very justifiable ,recently all the hype surrounding a movie ends up inversely proportional to the film's reception but i'm so glad that for once the hype was worth it.

I was always in doubt as to how could the story of Facebook be conceived into a movie & my curiosity even more increased after watching the rave reviews this film got.So with a bit of hesitation i watched this film.

This film blew me away right from the very first scene ,never for once during its runtime of 12o odd mins the audience felt restless.Thats some commendable work ,i still can't get this movie out of my head.

Directed by David Fincher of Fight Club (1999) fame ,the film stands tall among all the movies released this year.The director has utilized the fame of Facebook to the film's advantage and boy it worked out perfectly !!

Of late there are lot of movies adapted from books ,Aaron Sorkin adapted the screenplay from Ben Mezrich's nonfiction book The Accidental Billionaires.

Its easier to read a book but to adapt it to a screenplay is a different matter altogether ,here the adaptation has worked really well ,an oscar for this would be well deserved.

Casting of the lead actors too worked out really well ,Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg gave a stellar performance ,he was very believable as a computer nerd ,a drunkard ,a Harvard University dropout & a hotshot young billionaire.

Taking no credits away ,the supporting cast of Andrew Garfield & Justin Timberlake were on par.The former we know as as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the franchise's 2012 reboot & the latter is a international pop star.

The other cast of Rooney Mara ,Armie Hammer ,Max Minghella were also equally impressive ,it was an all round team effort that has given the film the critical acclaim it has achieved.

The nonlinear narrative pattern adapted for the screenplay was well put together by editor Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall ,the pace of the film never had a dull moment.

The film effectively brought out the foundation stages of Facebook ,the numerous law suits & its background.But for me this movie not only brought out the rise of a internet giant but also excellently demonstrated the crossroads of life where one is forced to take certain decisions.

Friendship ,its value ,its capability ,its downfall & its hardships are persistent throughout the film ,this film also brings to my mind a famous quote ,
“Your closest friend can be your weakness, power, or, in some cases, your worst enemy.”

• Director : David Fincher

• Writers : Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (book)

• Cast : Jesse Eisenberg , Andrew Garfield , Justin Timberlake , Rooney Mara , Armie Hammer , Max Minghella

• Rating : "PG" for brief sexual content & drug use.

WAR for a common man is something that he/she gets to read in a newspaper every morning over their cup of tea/coffee.

WAR for a politician is nothing but to formulate a new domestic or foreign policy.

But what is WAR to the actual soldiers who are involved in it ???

Do they fight for a cause or do they die in vain ???

PLOT : " The film depicts the Battle of Mogadishu ,a raid by the United States' effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid "



Black Hawk Down is based on the book of the same title by Mark Bowden ,there are some critizations from various quarters that the depiction of the battle was more biased towards only the sufferings & hardships that the US troops faced.

But whatever might be the case the audience will never forget the fact that whatever country the troops represented they had fought not for their country but for the man standing next to him.

Ridley Scott ,the man who gave us the epic "Gladiator (2000)" delivers another masterpiece.His directional skills are evident throughout the film that runs for over 2 hours ,the film never ceases to amaze the audience on the issue at hand.

Screenplay by Ken Nolan is very racy & at the same time provides enough characterizations for the numerous characters in the film ,we could easily relate to the emotional bond that each soldier has for his fellow comrade.

Casting for the film is done really well ,with an ensemble cast of actors the film makers had a huge burden to take care ,the burden is to give the actors enough screen space & i should hand it out to them for executing this work with flair.

Each & every cast had their task cut out for them which they had lapped up superbly ,their acting was seen as a healthy competition that at the end proved to work for the benefit of the film.

Cinematography by Sławomir Idziak was something that greatly helped in the depiction of the battle sequences ,the color tone used ably pointed out the hardships faced by the soldiers.

This film won the oscar for best editing by Pietro Scalia ,why am i not surprised.The editor held the tension level of the film together right from the first shot ,the plot flows well & is never let to loose focus.

If you have a home theatre then this surely is a film to showcase your audio setup ,the oscar winning sound for the film is evident with the various gun shots ,missiles & swirling helicopters.

The background score by Hans Zimmer & Denez Prigent is another feather in the cap for the entire team ,it captures the essence of the backdrop & couples it efficiently with the various emotional moments.

I liked the way the movie was presented ,it never questions the politics behind the battle but focuses sorely on the actual ground realities where every soldier is fighting for himself.

A conversation in the film goes like this "Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that shit just goes right out the window."

These lines hold true to those soldiers who risk their lives for their fellow comrades who stand by their oath to "LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND".

• Director : Ridley Scott

• Writers : Mark Bowden (book), Ken Nolan (screenplay)

• Cast : Josh Hartnett , Ewan McGregor , Tom Sizemore , Eric Bana , William Fichtner , Ewen Bremner , Sam Shepard , Ron Eldard

• Rating : "A" for intense war violence.

How often have we seen a famous novel being butchered when adapted to a full length motion picture ????

Then are comes a glimpse of hope that these adaptions sometimes do serve their purpose ,many novels have become international sensations when they are made into movies.Most times the movie doesn't follow the book faithfully but takes some cinematic liberties which enhances or spoils the essence of the book.

And its the latter that prevails in most of the adaptations.

PLOT : " A woman's quest to restore the memories of her amnesiac husband who doesn't even remember being married. "



It was said that this novel was impossible to translate to a full length movie so to the creators made some changes to the script & dare i say that they have done an amazing job of it.

Random Harvest is a 1942 film based on the 1941 James Hilton novel of the same name ,the novel follows the life of a war veteran who looses his memory ,falls in love & again regains his older memories only to loose all his recent memories.

It then becomes a quest for his wife to make him regain his memory.I was fully engrossed in this film from the start till its gripping end even though i knew the plot before ,its the treatment meted out to the screenplay that has made this possible.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy with screenplay by Claudine West, George Froeschel and Arthur Wimperis ,this movie stands testimonial to quality writers resourcefulness & a director's magic touch.

"Old is Gold" ,this stands true to yesteryear classics that still looks fresh even after decades.These kind of films makes me even a stauncher believer that its the scripts that are always evergreen.

Taking no credit away from the two lead actors of Ronald Colman & Greer Garson who have should i say made hay with their meaty roles.

Greer Garson ,WOW i still could remember those mesmerizing eyes ,she was outstanding in her role of a lover torn between two lives ,her stunning beauty was ever so visible even though the film being in Black & White.

Ronald Colman was not far behind ,his performance of an amnesiac patient is something to look out for ,his attitude ,his expressions during various stages of the film was very convincing.

This film is also one of the rare cases when a single film sweeps the awards ,it deserved each & everyone of the seven oscar awards it won.

Books & Movies are a great source of information & inspiration but when these two work hand in hand then we sure are provided with a dazzling spectacle.

Random Harvest surely is an evidence of it ,the adaptation of a Book to Screen coupled with creative & quality writing is sure to weave its magic even after decades.

• Director : Mervyn LeRoy

• Writers : James Hilton (Novel) ,Claudine West , George Froeschel , Arthur Wimperis

• Cast : Ronald Colman , Greer Garson , Philip Dorn , Susan Peters

• Rating : "U"

More often than not we have the tendency to complain about everything or most things life throws at us.Whatever it might be , for example a promotion is a moment of joy but as time goes on we curse the grueling shifts & wonder as to why life's treating us so badly.

Is this how we behave ,are we all the same ????

Do we overlook what life has given us all the time for the things we don't have ????

PLOT : " The chronicles of the life of Forrest Gump. "



" The World will never be the same once you've seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump "

The above tagline was used for the movie's promotion ,these lines i should say were coined for perfectly that gelled very well with the film.

Forrest Gump is a 1994 film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom ,the film is said to have to have many differences to the novel but this was one such film which truly captivated me such that thought of reading the novel has never yet occurred to me.

The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis who is well known as the director of the time-travel Back to the Future movie series.He has provided us with one of the beautiful works of the 20th century that will stand testament to the genre of drama.

Screenplay by Eric Roth whose works speaks about his talents is well remembered for this film because of the emotional content which the movie sustained from the very start to very end.

This film is one of the many films which made Tom Hanks as a household name ,the title role of Forrest Gump enacted by him is & will be one of cinema's memorable role.He literally carried the entire movie that fetched him the oscar for best actor.

The other cast of Robin Wright Penn ,Gary Sinise ,Mykelti Williamson and Sally Field blended into their roles perfectly ,all of them added their contribution or should i say made the film a classic.

Music by Alan Silvestri added further strength to the emotional drama producing the right chord at the right times.

For a film with a duration of 140 odd minutes it was very essential that the plot never lost focus ,editing by Arthur Schmidt ensured that the movie's pace held the audience's attention.

Cinematography Don Burgess was a perfect sync with the various timelines that the movie progressed ,the director had effectively used his team to bring out the best out of them.

Looking at the various stages of life of Forrest Gump its very easy to relate to our daily lives where we meet people who do things which are so called impossible ,these people overcome their hardships and look at the millions of things life has offered to them.

These are the people who teach us that life is not about what we have its about what we make out of it ,everyone doesn't have everything ,there's always somethings life will never give us for free.

• Director : Robert Zemeckis

• Writer : Winston Groom (novel), Eric Roth (screenplay)

• Cast : Tom Hanks , Gary Sinise , Mykelti Williamson , Sally Field , Robin Wright

• Rating : "PG" for war violence.

There are many countries in the world who have abolished death penalty & there are even more associations who rally for the cause to abolish it in India but what effect will this bring about in the mindset of criminals ?????

Will you be able to digest the fact that a notorious criminal will be able to save his skin from the clutches of justice ???

Will you feel safe if all these butchers are set free to roam around in jail where they might tutor & breed even more criminals ????

Will a person feel vindicated to see the life of the criminal who tortured to death his loved one just end in a few seconds by hanging ????

PLOT : " A legal counselor tries to pen down a novel about a case of rape & murder that took place 25 years before. "



"El secreto de sus ojos" aka "The Secret in Their Eyes" is a spanish film that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.The interest to watch the film became even more after watching its trailer.

I still can't stop thinking about the film ,such was the subtle impact the film had over me.The film faithfully follows the life of a legal counselor who tries to unravel the case of a brutal rape & murder of a newly wed wife ,his hesitations in expressing his love for his senior counselor & the trauma faced by the husband who had lost his lovely wife.

Directed by Juan José Campanella ,based on Eduardo Sacheri's novel La Pregunta de Sus Ojos (The Question in Their Eyes).Its a crime thriller set in the backdrop of 1974 Argentina ,the film also portrays the unstable nature of the judicial system where criminals are let scot free.

The flow of the film was never disturbed at any part during its running time of 2 hours ,the director maintained the pace of it beautifully.The characters in the film were all very realistic & hard-hitting.

Ricardo Darín as the counselor ,Soledad Villamil his love interest & senior counselor ,Guillermo Francella his assistant ,Pablo Rago as the husband & the accused as Javier Godino gave outstanding performances.

Cinematography Félix Monti of 1970s Argentina was very justifiable ,the colour tones used helped as it went well with the film ,it gave a serious & a more concerned look for it.

Juan José Campanella also took care of the editing ,his dedication to the film is evident as the plot never looses its rhythm.By the time the film gets over the audience will be left pondering over & over.

I have never read this novel yet but seeing the way the movie had come out i would certainly love to give this a read.

The sufferings of the husband & his desperation in finding out the one who had taken the life of the person he loved most was very moving.The justice he seeks out for the horrific murder was definitely right ,we cant let criminals like those suffer a quick death.

After all death penalty is awarded to serve as warning but what use is it if its carried in a simple manner ,its only justifiable if similar gruesome treatment is meted out to the criminals who carry out heinous crimes.We cant bring back the dead but we can however make an example out of these criminals so that it serves as a stern warning for those who think they can get away with anything.

• Director : Juan José Campanella

• Writers : Juan José Campanella(screenplay) , Eduardo Sacheri(novel)

• Cast : Ricardo Darín , Soledad Villamil , Pablo Rago , Guillermo Francella , Javier Godino

• Rating : "A" for nudity & violent images.

How do we judge a person ???
It differs from people to people as to how they evaluate a person ,some look for a person's character ,some for skills ,some at their background & the like.

How does one fall in love ?? Even to be specific ,What are the Rules of Attraction ??
Likewise ,this also differs from people to people ,some get attracted by the person's skills ,some by their charm ,some by companionship they provide & most get attracted by the person's LOOKS.

So the X factor in getting attracted is a person's LOOKS ???

PLOT : " A very handsome & rich man's life is turned upside down when a car accident severely disfigures his face. "



"Open Your Eyes" aka "Abre los ojos" is a spanish film written & directed by Alejandro Amenábar ,who is one of my favorite & inspiring directors.He is also critically acclaimed for many of his works which include The Others & three other spanish films of which one earned him an oscar.

I got completely immersed in the movie from the start ,all in all expected a drama kinda film but was bowled over by the sheer talent of the director who had orchestrated such a emotional & compelling film.

The way the director had handled the movie is something which movie makers off late seem to get inspired from ,after watching the movie you would pretty sure know where Christopher Nolan got his ideas for Inception.

Apart from directing & writing the script ,Alejandro has also handled the music along with Mariano Marín.The music was set in tune with the flow of the film which thereby raised the emotional content.

The cast are Eduardo Noriega ,Penélope Cruz ,Chete Lera ,Najwa Nimri & Fele Martínez.All of these actors had their roles perfectly fitted & had ample scope for performance.They all put stellar performances & justified their selections.

Camera work was mesmerizing in this film which is to be expected from Alejandro whose has a penchant for it.All his movies come with beautiful cinematography that enhances the viewing pleasure.

The role of Eduardo Noriega as a disfigured man was a neat performance by the actor ,giving him company or should i say his competition were his four co-stars ,for the entire film was centered around these five people.

Handling such an intricate theme was always going to be risky & complicated but the director has simply showed his class by outfoxing the audience till the very end.

Mind you ,this film grows on you slowly & finally leaves you with a feeling of awe.The screenplay kind of confuses you here & there with its flashbacks ,however you will understand their relevance thereafter.

The trauma faced by the lead actor is something that which happens in our society ,how people are avoided or grouped as untouchables ,ugly or allergic.It rarely occurs to those who have the luxury of beautiful looks that life is unpredictable & we might also be outcasts one day.

There are people who have a blind notion that looks are the X factor to be attractive but there is more to it than it meets the eye.

• Director : Alejandro Amenábar

• Writer : Alejandro Amenábar

• Cast : Eduardo Noriega ,Penélope Cruz ,Chete Lera ,Fele Martínez ,Najwa Nimri

• Rating : "A" for sexual content.

Long gone are the days when wars were fought for PRIDE ,HONOR ,LAND ,WEALTH & EVEN WOMEN ,these days the war that is fought is more or less focussed on a commodity called "OIL" which virtually runs our entire planet.

Obviously such a needed commodity has a price but its not the monetary price alone that needs to be looked at but also the human price thats paid.

People always look at the middle east an an unstable region with the stable countries heavily relying on its western counterparts to take care of their security alas there is one point which never makes sense at all ,why are the richest Arabic countries armies dependent on a foreign entity for its security ,are they not able to form an army or are they forbid from maintaining one ???

PLOT : " A political saga that throws light on the politics behind the shady PETROLEUM POLITICS. "



A WARNING TO ALL THOSE WHO EXPECT POPCORN TYPE ENTERTAINMENT ,THIS FILM IS DEFINITELY NOT SUITED FOR THOSE KIND OF AUDIENCE.

True to the above spoiler ,Syriana is one of those films focussed on the oil crisis in the middle east however this is not another run of the mill story of action & drama ,this film will certainly enlighten those unaware of PETROLEUM POLITICS.

Written & directed by Stephen Gaghan of Traffic fame ,the film operates on multiple ,parallel storylines that has the audience hooked from the very beginning ,you need to have sincere attention to comprehend the happenings on screen.

With an ensemble cast its easy to loose focus but Stephen Gaghan has just proved otherwise ,i like the working pattern of hollywood stars who have no qualms in multiple starrers unlike their Indian counterparts especially in South Indian film industry.

Casting of George Clooney ,Matt Damon ,Jeffrey Wright ,Amr Waked ,Chris Cooper ,Amanda Peet ,William Hurt ,Christopher Plummer ,Tim Blake Nelson ,Alexander Siddig ,Mazhar Munir was one of the best assembled cast.

Each & every cast had a role to play which in itself was not easy considering the depth of each character in the film ,they had definitely done their homework to ensure justice to the screenplay.

I especially loved the roles of George Clooney ,Matt Damon ,Alexander Siddig & Jeffrey Wright ,do watchout for them for its so memorable to see them perform in the various roles ranging from a secret agent ,to a Prince who is willing to take extra effort to make his country a prosperous one.

Music by Alexandre Desplat provides the film with an ample dosage of whats required during the various pressure points in the film ,the authentic feel of middle was also a treat to hear.

For a film on such a complicated backdrop the editing work by Tim Squyres stands out ,the audience are lead on the right track from the very beginning & are able to feel with the characters.

Political dramas based on real incidents offer the audience to look at things in different perspectives & enable them to understand the real happenings in the world today but its a sad fact that most films in this genre especially in our country face opposition from political parties who are entangled in the many scams.

Syriana only provides glimpses on the happenings behind the shady mergers ,assassinations & many terrorist attacks taking place due to OIL ,these all just form a small percentage of whats a much larger conspiracy thats happening so that we don't come to know the true PRICE WE PAY FOR OIL !!!

• Director : Stephen Gaghan

• Writers : Stephen Gaghan(Screenplay) , Robert Baer(Book)

• Cast : George Clooney ,Amr Waked ,Christopher Plummer ,Jeffrey Wright ,Chris Cooper ,Matt Damon ,Amanda Peet ,Alexander Siddig ,Tim Blake Nelson ,William Hurt ,Mazhar Munir

• Rating : "PG" for some scenes of violence & language.

Lets take a look at the definitions for a Politician & a Leader ...

Politician - A politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance or other means.

Leader - Leadership is stated as the "process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task."

Gandhi is an example for a Politician & Netaji Subash Chandra Bose is an example for a Leader ,so given an option to be anyone of these two people ,who would you choose to be ???,

A Politician called Gandhi who butchered the Indian nation using his policy of DIVIDE & RULE or to be the charismatic Leader namely Netaji Subash Chandra Bose who fought for the cause of a unified nation ?????

PLOT : " A reluctant son of an assassinated politician takes up his father's role as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh only to learn that he cannot be a Leader & a Politician at the same time. "



Since this was my 50th post i was just pondering for a looong time as to what movie should i be writing on ,there are lots & lots of great movies i still need to write on but when coming to this post i was left searching ,all my of search did not end in vain for i just found the apt movie.

Leader written and directed by Sekhar Kammula just swept me off my feet ,out of all commercial films about politics & its backdrop ,this film brings about an enlightening portrayal about our paralyzed system called Democracy.

The director has touched upon many issues in the film that depicts the sorry state of affairs thats happening in our country.Kudos Sir ,you have done justice to the genre of Political drama.

Lead role by debutant Rana Daggubati was simply superb ,its a dream launch pad for the tall & handsome hunk who has what it takes to make it big in films.I was so very impressed with his attitude & body language ,hoping he does more meaningful films rather than take the commercial route.

The rest of the cast includes debutant Richa Gangopadhyay ,Priya Anand ,Suhasini Mani Ratnam ,Harsha Vardan & other prominent actors ,after a long time i has seen so many actress given pivotal roles in one film.

Richa Gangopadhyay ,Priya Anand & Suhasini Mani Ratnam were splendid in their performances ,debutant or experienced didnt matter ,they all utilized their meaty roles effectively ,its something which has proved be a major advantage for the film.

Music by Mickey J Meyer was very potent especially in the background score ,the songs & the background score gelled well with the flow of the film ,never hampering its progress.

Cinematography by Vijay C. Kumar & editing by Marthand K Venkatesh were crisp & racy ,its a team effort that was able to pull this film off so convincingly.

The lead role's dilemma to be a Politician or a Leader was well etched out by the director ,at times we see glimpses in the film of how even a honest bureaucrat turns rogue thanks to our pathetic system of democracy.

Hope is one thing that people expect for in this corrupt world but all this hope will be only in vain unless something is done about the the way we let ourselves be governed ,we don't need people with election manifestos & false promises ,we need an able person ready to come down to the needy ,work with them ,share their pains & give them hope ,so what do we need a LEADER or a POLITICIAN ???

"Its Better That Power Lies in One Capable Person Rather than Distributing it Between Fools."

• Director : Sekhar Kammula

• Writer : Sekhar Kammula

• Cast : Rana Daggubati , Richa Gangopadhyay , Priya Anand , Suhasini Mani Ratnam , Harsha Vardan

• Rating : "U"