Medha Dutt | PassionforCinema

The Frank Sinatra song says it all for me - And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain. My friend, Ill say it clear, Ill state my case, of which Im certain. Ive lived a life thats full. Ive traveled each and evry highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way. Regrets, Ive had a few; But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption. I planned each charted course; Each careful step along the byway, But more, much more than this, I did it my way. Yes, there were times, Im sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; And did it my way. Ive loved, Ive laughed and cried. Ive had my fill; my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing. To think I did all that; And may I say - not in a shy way, No, oh no not me, I did it my way. For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels; And not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows - And did it my way!

Medha Dutt's Blog

51
To Poo, and others of her ilk
“You really don’t understand cinema, do you?”, asked my brother. Poo gave him this wide-eyed look which seemed to say: “Understand?? But, what’s there to understand in a film? You buy the tickets, buy popcorn and enjoy the next three hours. That’s it.” Yup, that’s it. Well, Poo is definitely not alone. There are scores of...
by Medha Dutt at February 27th, 2009 at 02:02 am
17
Brad Pitt is just not Benjamin Button
Why did David Fincher choose Brad Pitt? True, he has done films like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Twelve Monkeys among others, but all said and done, he still has a long way to go before he can play a character like Benjamin Button. The story is of course, unbelievable. Something that is a fantasy, but not portrayed that way. This baby...
by Medha Dutt at February 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 pm
22
Where the hell was the plot?
Post-interval, and I was still waiting for the film to begin! Where was the plot? Was it invisible like the ‘kala bandar’? Maybe. This film was one of the most talked-about films in recent times. Of course, it’s not right to expect the fimmaker to deliver another RDB (which given all its faults and loopholes, was a good watch). First, the good points....
by Medha Dutt at February 20th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
12
Devdas grows up!
For months now the only movie that everyone and anyone worth his cinematic senses was talking about was Dev.D. And, that to some extent for it’s cliched theme – Devdas (however modern be the interpretations and in whatever setting – it was Devdas after all) – and of course, for its maker Anurag Kashyap. The one question that most wanted to ask was...
by Medha Dutt at February 6th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
2
A dead film
Ben Kingsley needs no endorsement about his acting, nor does Penelope Cruz for her beauty. If you go expecting only that much from Elegy, you won’t be disappointed. But, if you are looking for a good piece of cinema – then my suggestion would be to avoid the film. To cut a long story short – Elegy disappoints. When you have someone like Kingsley and Cruz...
by Medha Dutt at February 1st, 2009 at 08:02 pm
13
What a film, and definitely not by chance!
What do you write about a film that was expected to be a good one – and lived up to its expectations heart and soul? Nothing really. That’s Luck By Chance for you. A film that was much-awaited by everyone and was expected to be quite good too. Notwithstanding the fact that at the helms was a new director. Well, there would be many who would say – but...
by Medha Dutt at January 31st, 2009 at 02:01 am
114
What the hell was Danny Boyle thinking?
Even before the movie released, everyone was going gaga over it. Slumdog Millionaire was everywhere and thanks to it being nominated for the Golden Globe and bagging quite a few, it instantly became the flavour of the season. I wanted to watch the film, for the simple reason that it was being written about in great detail. Mostly on a positive note. But, every once in...
by Medha Dutt at January 23rd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
20
Bollywood back to square!
Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – beyond doubt two of the biggest films of 2008 and films that had been awaited for a long time by all movie buffs. To be honest, I was not interested in seeing either. Rab Ne … did not even feature in my list of 2008 movies to watch and Ghajini had bored me to death with Aamir Khan and his haircut vulgarly splashed all over....
by Medha Dutt at December 29th, 2008 at 08:12 pm
9
Vinay on a roll!
Oh My GOd! Another Vinay Pathak film. Another enjoyable journey. Vinay Pathak as the proverbial common man who has a nice life but wants more and will not stop till he gets more. You meet him everyday. He comes knocking at your door with his wonderful ’scheme’ that would multiply your money in no time. He comes when you are hanging around the coffee machine...
by Medha Dutt at December 9th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
6
The last goodbye
Shashant’s Shah’s Dasvidaniya draws at your heart strings. The story is simple and it is by no means an extraordinary film. It is a simple film, with a simple story line, with simple characters. No out of the world melodrama, no larger than life characters. And that’s the beauty of it. Vinay Pathak is as usual brilliant. The more you watch this man, the...
by Medha Dutt at November 15th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
129
Welcome to Sajjanpur? No, thanks!
Shyam Benegal is one name that commands attention and respect. And, his recent film proved it. Welcome to Sajjanpur can at best be called a highly mediocre film, which had it been from any other director, would have trashed left, right and center. But, you don’t do that with Shyam Benegal. So, you have all the reviews in the country sounding extremely vague on the...
by Medha Dutt at September 26th, 2008 at 09:09 pm
4
15 minutes of fame
Watching either Robert De Niro or AL Pacino is a treat in itself, and more so if both come together in a film. Think Godfather II (though they are never together in the same frame), Heat and you will know what I mean. The recent film, Righteous Kill, might not be great film, and it definitely isn’t – but for Pacino and De Niro. Both together on the screen...
by Medha Dutt at September 19th, 2008 at 02:09 am
5
Re-awakening!
Two very different films. One deals with the aftermath of the Mumbai train blasts, and the other is all about music – coming together because of it and falling apart for it. And, both incidentally wel-received. Bollywood is growing and how! Even a couple of years back, it would have been near impossible to make a film like Mumbai Meri Jaan and not be put into the...
by Medha Dutt at September 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
26
Holi Hai!
Recently I got thinking about the festivals that attract Bollywood. Yes, thanks to Karan Johar and Yash Chopra, Karva Chauth has become synonymous with the silver screen. But the one festival that really pulls in the crowds is Holi! Maybe it has something to do with the nature of the festival itself. The gay abandon, the colors, the madness, the intoxicating fun – all...
by Medha Dutt at March 20th, 2008 at 04:03 am
21
Thoda sa Roomani Ho Jaye (For RK)
“Baarish ho na ho, baarish ka intezaar toh hona chahiye” – this thought expressed so beautifully in Amol Palekar’s Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaye, actually speaks of the spirit of the film. I would not tell you the story of the film because the highly esteemed RK has done that already in his post. In fact this post is on a request by him. Many a times we go through...
by Medha Dutt at March 18th, 2008 at 11:03 pm