I Am Kalam is a film about an underprivileged child who is inspired by India’s erstwhile President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and aspires to grow up to be a respectable person like him. While the basic tendency for a film like this would be to show the triumph of the kid’s aspirations by the hands of the President himself with a cameo in the climax, I Am Kalam refrains from any such larger-than-life portrayal and remains rooted. However despite having a realistic approach, the film remains optimistic throughout and there is not a moment of despair.

Though the protagonist is poverty-struck, the film at no point emphasizes on the inadequacy in his life but is rather focused on his pursuit for knowledge. The cheerful face of Chotu and the upbeat mood of the film never make the narrative distressing. Add to it, his tiff with a coworker (Pitobash Tripathy) makes way for some hilarious moments. The screenplay by Sanjay Chauhan is well-etched and keeps you riveted through its runtime.

The writing is multidimensional yet the storytelling by director Nila Madhab Panda is absolutely simple and effective. He blithely establishes the innocent and unadulterated bonding between the two boys that goes beyond the divide of their social status.
This sparkling little tale of ordinary people with their desperate dreams and tremulous hopes, their stray highs and persistent heartbreaks, follows a genteel, unhurried narrative trajectory.

While the film sets Abdul Kalam as the role model, at the same time it never delves deep into his life history or goes to give him a documentary-length tribute. Kalam’s reference is only used to the extent that it can serve as an apt motivation for Chotu. The film merely mentions how Kalam faced difficulties as a child yet went on to become the most important person in the country.

I Am Kalam draws its lifeblood primarily from the innate authenticity of its tangible characters and the sustained evenness of its pragmatic tone.

Harsh Mayar, as the protagonist, is absolutely comfortable in front of the camera and appears natural in every frame. Whether it’s a funny scene or a dramatic moment, he is amazingly confident and every-bit worthy of the National Award. Husaan Saad complements him at every step and radiates an innocent charm. Gulshan Grover gets to play a strong character after a hiatus and puts in a compelling act. Pitobash Tripathy as the Amitabh Bachchan fan has his moments.

I Am Kalam would probably have been a bit of a drag after a point but for the subtle layers of humanity that Panda dovetails into the film’s broad narrative design. He etches out each of the characters in fine detail and mines memorable moments from them. Every sub-plot has a meaningful resonance.

I Am Kalam shows how beautiful small can be, especially when the heart is in the right place and the mind is clued in. With a child protagonist, I Am Kalam gives an important message particularly to the adult audience on how every child has a basic right for education and to live his dream.

A 4 Star Movie….

Chillar Party is a small film with a big heart where a kiddo gang shows more maturity than the adult species and a stray dog inspires you to be human.

The reason Chillar Party connects with you instantly is because it is honest and has its heart in the right place. The child actors are neither sugary sweet nor cacophonously cranky. They are pleasantly natural and absolutely believable. The chemistry and charm of the society kids bring back memories of Mani Ratnam’s Anjali (1990). Every kid in Chillar Party has an interesting characterization that gives them a unique identity.

Writer-director Vikas Bahl and Nitesh Tiwari attempt to delve into the psyche of the child protagonist and thereby we get to see the entire film from the children’s viewpoint. The writing is imaginative exploring both, the naughty and the innocent side of nascent years. Scenes showing the society kids being influenced by Fatka’s tapori lingo or the ones where the Chillar Party is trying to get a grip on news headlines are hilarious.

But while it primarily works as a fun film, Chillar Party has some very poignant moments that bring a lump in your throat. The scene in initial reels where Fatka is in search of his dog and their subsequent reunion can make the stonehearted go soggy. The unadulterated camaraderie amongst the kids and their selfless solidarity simply touches your heart. Also the heroism that they exude is so endearingly effective as compared to the synthetic bravery of adult actors.

On the flipside, the narrative becomes slightly contrived in the second half as the innocence of the young minds is somewhat diluted with too much planning coming into picture. The entire call-for-revolution through the children chaddi march, despite adorable, remains peripheral to the plot and doesn’t directly affect the dog dilemma. Further the climactic encounter of the children with the politician on a chat show appears rather random and superficial. And while this children’s film refreshingly refrains itself from getting preachy or melodramatic till this extent, it sadly falls prey to it in the penultimate moments.

While all the kids are natural and charming, Naman Jain as Jhangiya, the kid who doesn’t wear underwear, is the scene-stealer. He gets some of the best scenes and best lines in the film and entertains the most. Irfan Khan as Fatka is perfect in his part. His bonding with the dog seems so real that it makes the viewer readily relate to the central conflict of the film. Sanath Menon as Encyclopedia, the mastermind in the group seems somewhat rehearsed for his mature-than-his-age character but is, nevertheless, charming. Chinmai Chandranshuh as the unlucky Sardar kid Lucky Singh is funny. Rohan Grover as Akram, the team captain is confident and dances amazingly well. Aarav Khanna as Aflatoon, Vishesh Tiwari as Second Hand and Divji Handa as Shaolin are cute.

Chillar Party is a perfect example of how a children’s film need not be childish. Unmissable for children and must-watch for adults!

Definately i will give this a 4 star movie rating.

Salman Khan is turning out to be a dream producer. Thanks to his efforts, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry has sent across letters of recommendation to all Indian states to exempt his maiden production venture, Chillar Party, from entertainment tax. A few days ago, the I&B Minister, Ambika Soni had watched the film that is produced by UTV and Salman Khan Being Human Productions, at a special screening in Delhi, for which Salman flew down from Patiala, where he is shooting for Bodyguard. Soni felt the film was very entertaining but at the same time, carried a strong message.

Later, Soni had a detailed discussion with Salman and the ministry sent letters to all  state governments to exempt the film from entertainment tax. “It’s all due to Salman’s endeavors. He was very keen to make our film tax-free,” says film’s co-director Vikas Bahl. “All of us – including Salman – are happy with her decision. Now, we hope that it (tax-free status by states) really comes through.”

Although the central government can’t make it compulsory for states to make a film tax-free, Bahl feels the I&B Ministry’s letters will make a huge difference. “If our film gets a tax-free status, it will be easily accessible to a lot more people,” adds Bahl, who feels Salman’s involvement in the film comes with a double whammy because of people’s high expectations.

Source: HT

He’s back and he’s angry. Call him Tiger or Don or Mard or Toofan or The Great Gambler or Shahenshah or even Laawaris. But don’t anyone dare call him a Bbuddah. Yes, Amitabh Bachchan, the angry young man of the 70s and 80s, returns to his fold in his home production Bbuddah – Hoga Terra Baap.

Puri Jagannadh has successfully made many films in Telugu applying the same formula. This is just another subject in the lines of Pokiri with an old man leading the show. When a 65 year old man does Pokiri what it looks like is Buddha for you.

Although the storyline is wafer thin Puri did manage to pull off few twists successfully and kept the audience engaged all the time. But the real man for this film is none other than Mr. Big B. He is the life and soul of this film. He carried off his role with élan. Amitabh fans will completely fall in love with this film and watch it again and again as they get their matinee idol doing all the nakhras from the good olden days.

First half of the film is passable without any story. Some scenes look ridiculous but the purpose behind those scenes is revealed in the second half. The real gist of the story lies in the second half and it is where the director excelled. There are some funny scenes, good one liners and also some sentiment. Amitabh, Prakash Raj conversation in the climax is fun to watch.

Puri Jagannadh has used popular dialogs and few scenes from his Telugu films. Telugu audience may not find them fresh but Bollywood audience will thoroughly enjoy those scenes and dialogs. On a whole Buddha is a paisa vasool entertainer which is mainly targeted at Big B fans and masses.

Amitabh Bachchan is a treat to watch. Right from the scene in which he enters clad in a white dress and a yellow muffler to the scene where he exits as Hema Malini utters ‘Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap’, Big B stole the show. He has excelled in every scene. It is a one man show all the way. One liners written for his character are hilarious.

Hema Malini is still the dream girl. She did a neat job. Raveena is over the top. Sonu Sood is confident. He did a splendid job in the scenes which he confronts Amitabh. No one except Prakash Raj can make such an ordinary character look strong on screen. Sonal Chauhan is cute. Charmi scores few brownie points. She has some light moments which will have you in splits. Subba Raju did a very good job. Rajeev Mehta and Shahwar Ali are fine.

Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap Review rating: 3.25/5