Jahan Bakshi | PassionforCinema

Jahan Singh Bakshi is currently pursuing his graduation in Mass Communications at St Xavier's College, Calcutta. He writes reviews for www.NowRunning.com and also blogs at JahanSinghBakshi.blogspot.com and CinemaParadiso.rediffiland.com.

Jahan Bakshi's Blog

19
Yuvvraaj 2050
“(It was ahead of its times)That’s one of the reasons I postponed watching it.” -Professor ATM Yadav Enough of this Slumdog humbug. It truly pains me to see everyone singing Jai Ho to an astonishingly overhyped British film, while the Indian masterpiece for which the Oscar winning song was originally composed lies unsung, brutalised, trashed. It all...
by Jahan Bakshi at March 8th, 2009 at 05:03 am
7
Updates: Kaminey and Ishqiya
Just came across a few updates, so thought why not write another post-besides it helps me keep my hopes and optimism alive after being scarred by Chandni Chowk To China. (To read my review, click here.) After Professor ji’s profound and stupendously entertaining analysis, I don’t think there’s much left to say. On the other hand, things aren’t all...
by Jahan Bakshi at January 21st, 2009 at 04:01 am
0
Chandni Chowk To China
(1/5) Pure Chinese torture- B.E.W.A.R.E! IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at January 16th, 2009 at 04:01 am
27
Fast Forward: 2009 in Bollywood
Ekdum kadak. Last year may have ended up being a little underwhelming ultimately atleast IMO, but 2009 looks to be one helluva exciting year at the movies. There are films from some of our best- Ashutosh Gowariker, Raju Hirani, Rakeysh Mehra and Vishal Bhardwaj to name a few- and what’s more, an astonishingly diverse mix of themes and genres. Take a look at a Bollywood...
by Jahan Bakshi at January 14th, 2009 at 09:01 am
0
Sorry Bhai
(3/5) A stuttering start, some tender moments and too much apologising.
by Jahan Bakshi at December 16th, 2008 at 03:12 am
62
Rab De Vaaste: Give Yash Raj a Chance to Dance
Okay, if you’ve recovered from the title, you may begin to read what may sound like a blasphemous attempt to defend a monster ‘brand’ that is responsible for countless crimes against all cine-buffs, cinema and the whole of humanity in general. What it really is is random thoughts, straight from the heart. Why do I suddenly feel like sticking my neck out...
by Jahan Bakshi at December 14th, 2008 at 06:12 am
4
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
(4/5) Puts the ‘Yash’ back into ‘Raj’.
by Jahan Bakshi at December 12th, 2008 at 04:12 am
5
American Beauty
Intense, intelligent, funny, touching, erotic, beautiful. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at December 2nd, 2008 at 08:12 pm
20
Getting Bums on Seats!
Finally, the audience actually seems to be appreciating quality. Don’t be mistaken- Golmaal Returnses, Singh Is Kinngs, Welcomes and Races will still be hits, and Fashion will still be acclaimed as a realistic and pathbreaking film. Never mind. Why should I grudge them that (ill-deserved or well-deserved, depending on your viewpoint) success? What’s good is...
by Jahan Bakshi at November 26th, 2008 at 05:11 am
3
Once
Soulful and astonishingly natural musical romance, with a soundtrack that soars. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 24th, 2008 at 08:11 am
8
Match Point
(2/5) Ponderous, plodding, pretentious drama that’s almost as stiff as its characters. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 pm
0
Dasvidaniya
Vinay Pathak gives an unassuming yet brilliant performance in a film with a heart of gold. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 19th, 2008 at 05:11 am
5
The Prestige
(4/5) A gripping saga of rivalry that plays out like a dazzling magic trick. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 19th, 2008 at 05:11 am
0
Three Monkeys
Way too indulgently slow for me. A good snooze. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 19th, 2008 at 05:11 am
15
Firaaq: In Such Times
This is not a review. Almost every week I watch films that don’t evoke anything in me- thought, laughter, joy, happiness, pain, sadness- nothing. At the most, it is mild disgust. I force myself to react to them in some way, even as I actually feel nothing about them, and these reactions I puke out week after week, trying to be convincing in what they call ‘reviews’. So...
by Jahan Bakshi at November 16th, 2008 at 06:11 am
8
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
It’s bloody delightful. And Helena Bonham Carter is the best thing about it. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 5th, 2008 at 05:11 am
129
DEV.D : The trailer is here!
Tauba tera jalwa Tauba tera pyaar Tera emotional atyachaar YES IT IS, but before we move on to that, allow me to inflict upon thee some “emotional atyachaar“! Love it or hate it, No Smoking has been one of the most discussed and debated film all over the blogosphere for the last one year, and continues to be so and Anurag Kashyap is here to stay. And if the...
by Jahan Bakshi at November 3rd, 2008 at 05:11 am
3
A Clockwork Orange
(5/5) Blew me gulliver apart. Kubrick’s genius isn’t stunning, it’s baffling. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at November 3rd, 2008 at 04:11 am
3
Transamerica
(3/5) Depriving Felicity Huffman of the Oscar for this was a crime- what a performance. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 29th, 2008 at 09:10 pm
31
Caricature of a Culture
[Note: This post may come across as an opinionated, even a little misinformed rant. What I am attempting to do is briefly elaborate (?) on a somewhat common issue I had with Lost In Translation and The Darjeeling Limited. Haven't really gone the whole hog nitpicking in detail, but tried putting across my point all the same. Do let know of your opinion on the same.] Just...
by Jahan Bakshi at October 20th, 2008 at 04:10 am
33
Maqbool
(4/5) Revisited this tour-de-force after years, and was left stunned again- its visceral emotional power makes even Bhardwaj’s brilliant Omkara pale in comparison. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 15th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
2
Love Story 2050
(0/5) Harry Baweja manages to prove this beyond any doubt: While God limited the intelligence of (Har)man, he certainly did not limit his stupidity. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 15th, 2008 at 03:10 am
2
Chale Chalo: The Lunacy of Filmmaking
(4/5) A thrilling, inspiring, moving and real story about courage, grit, passion for cinema and how one of the best Hindi films ever got made. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 13th, 2008 at 09:10 pm
22
Lost In Translation
(2.5/5) I didn’t get what the big deal was about- it’s visually lush, Murray’s great and Johanssen’s hot, but(t) I found it more inert and racially offensive than melancholic or funny. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 8th, 2008 at 04:10 am
23
Review: Taare Zameen Par
Note: I did not hate Taare Zameen Par. Or Rock On. Or A Wednesday. Not even Black. But the excess praise that came to these nice, but far from extraordinary films really got to me. Somehow, too much unwarranted praise can actually make one dislike the film more and more and magnify its flaws even more. TZP’s now gone to the Oscars, and while I could bet it’s...
by Jahan Bakshi at October 5th, 2008 at 12:10 am
6
The Darjeeling Limited
(3/5) Nice, funny and quirky but so ‘exotic’ and self-consciously detached and elegiac that it becomes annoyingly precious; even vacuous. Awesome soundtrack, though! IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
3
Nayak (1966)
(4/5) Excellent. Uttam Kumar stands tall in the kind of effortessly charismatic performance that we don’t really see these days. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at October 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
2
The Shining
(5/5) Jack Nicholson shines with mad brilliance in this work of pure genius. A masterpiece that scared the s**t out of me. IMDB
by Jahan Bakshi at September 25th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
62
Movies That Deserved More
This is not a post on great, extraordinary films. But these films are, in fact- little underrated gems that I thoroughly enjoyed, and films that I thought were unfairly tucked under the carpet and ultimately into the black-hole like trash can of forgettable Bollywood films. Like Hulla last week, they may be imperfect, but are special for their own unique reasons. There...
by Jahan Bakshi at September 24th, 2008 at 07:09 am
3
Hulla
(3/5) Lack of momentum and sharpness often make it tedious, but it’s also incredibly perceptive, intelligent and relatable with excellent performances and a haunting end. Silence On The Floor
by Jahan Bakshi at September 23rd, 2008 at 09:09 am