The Quintessential Gemini

My favorite part of 09 – the year end lists. Lists that showcase the best, the mediocre and the worst. From movies to celebrities, scandals to scams, fashionsta’s to fashion faux pass, music to ads, food to drinks. Anything that can be counted and classified will be listed in the top/bottom 09 lists. Most of the 09 countdown/top/bottom lists are gibberish by nature and used as fillers by television channels.

I look forward to a few 09 lists. One of them is Rajeev Masand’s Hits and Pits of 09. The list is a collection of Rajeev’s personal choice. I swear by Rajeev Masand and his show ‘Now Showing’ on CNN-IBN. Per Masand, the hits include – Kaminey, Luck by Chance, Wake Up Sid, Gulaal and Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year. The Pits include – Blue, Chandni Chowk to China, What’s your Raashee, Luck and Kambakkht Ishq.

Damn! My ongoing hiatus is the culprit for the absence at the movies. Masand’s hits list will have to be faithfully carried over to the next year. The only movie I have seen from the Hits list is Lucky by Chance. From the pits, I have seen Chandni Chowk to China (on cable) and Kambakkht Ishq (downloaded). ). Dev.D, A Wednesday, Welcome to Sanjjanpur should have made the cut to the hits list. Pits should have included Paying Guests, Life Partner and numerous other slapstick badly timed comedy turned tragedy for the viewer that were rolled out this year. Kambakkht Ishq should receive a Razzie and Razzie life time achievement award should go to its director. To ask the director what he was thinking would be undermining your own intelligence.

Cinema is an art form. Agreed that cinema should not be pirated or downloaded due to the amount of work and effort involved in making the art. I follow a personal, slightly biased rule before dishing out Rs. 150-250 to watch a movie in the theatre. I am driven to the theatre because of the director, the cast and pointers from Now Showing.

I have always wondered how people go to the theatre to watch a movie like Blue, Kambakkht Ishq or Luck. What part of their cognition allows them to deduce they want to dish out Rs200 for self inflicted torture?

The review of Luck had me in splits –

“Luck came with the stupidest climax you could possibly imagine: Imran Khan’s character escapes death despite being shot at point blank range, because – listen carefully – turns out he’s one in a small minority of people whose heart is on his right side, not left” – Rajeev Masand.

Here is Rajeev’s Hits and Pits list of 09.

Did anyone watch ‘The President is coming’?