Thumbs Up to Airlift and Killing Veerapan

I saw 2 movies last week - Airlift and Killing Verrapan. Phew! too much for me. I am not a movie buff so I don't see movies too often. But I guess marriage changes you...or so I've heard. One definite change in me post marriage is that I have started watching movies. My husband and his family are movie buffs. I mean to call them movie buffs would be an understatement. Watching movie is a daily ritual ! Hehe.

And the funny part is that none of them don't get bored watching the same movie AGAIN and AGAIN.  They can giggle with the same intensity on the same jokes and scenes :) In last 2 months, I would have seen Holiday, Players, Tanu weds Manu 2, Bajrangi Bhaijaan so many times. And I am beginning to enjoy it. Watching movies at times is definitely relaxing

I wanted to see Airlift because I love Akshay Kumar movies. His movies make me either feel patriotic, love my country more or his ultimate comedy makes me forget the rest of the world!  Plus have you seen Lunchbox? if you have, you would want to see airlift for Nimrit kaur as well :) I had also read Jean Sasson's novels on atrocities of Saddam Hussain. So was keen to see what happened, how it happened.

Unfortunately, was a bit disappointed by the movie. I had heard it was based on a real life incident of how a Kuwaiti Indian helped in escape of hundreds of Indians when Saddam Hussain attacked Kuwait. I didn't see that portrayed well in the movie.  Initially, movie succeeds in effectively portraying the panic and anxiety of a city in turmoil but the escape journey from Kuwait to Jordan seems so easy and hassle free. I think that would have been the toughest part in reality. Their fears, anxieties, apprehensions haven't been captured well.

Nimrat Kaur hasn't much to do in the movie but her confrontation scene is memorable. Else any other Heroine would have been ok in her place.  The " cynical George" is excellent. The character is not content heavy though. Purab Kohli is very effective in his portrayal of a man who in search for his wife in the ravaged city and how beautifully he saves a Kuwaiti woman.  There are forceful addition of songs that aren’t required or necessary to the plot line. The Iraqi Army General who takes over Kuwait and has multiple scenes with Akshay is a complete miscast! He sounded like a Russel Peter impersonator (I am sure there is one!). The Saddam Hussain angle hasn't been probed much. When I did some research, it came out that a guy like Ranjit Katyal is mentioned no where! The Indian Government says it was the meeting between Saddam and Indian External Affairs minister's IK Gujral which helped in evacuating Indians. Politicians never fail to take all the appreciations. Duh!

As per me, watch Airlift coz it tells a very important story that never got a mention in our history books. Besides, the climax of the daring evacuation by Air India will surely leave you with a lump in your throat.

Killing Veerappan was good. It is a film which deals with the real life story of the dreaded sandalwood smuggler - Veerappan. Thankfully the movie had English subtitles so I could understand it fully. The way Ram Gopal Verma (Director) has chosen a new face for Veerappan’s role is spot on and gives you a dreaded feeling right from the first frame itself.  Sandeep Bharadwaj is almost like real Veerappan. He has lived in the skin of the character. The locations chosen, realistic set up and the dense forest locations give a superb effect to the film.

Earlier, I didn't know much about Verrapan except that he used to live in Forest, had kidnapped few people and did illegal trading. After watching the movie and doing some research , I feel he wasn't that bad as he was made out to be. He was killed because he trusted people. He kidnapped people only because it fetched him money. He never harmed or mistreated them. He didn't attack anyone till they invaded his territory. He treated his wife with respect. There are stories that he killed forest officials, innocent people. But he did a lot for his own village and their upliftment. I don't know the real story so don't know whose right or wrong but to me he seemed man who loved his territory. Media distorts facts as per their convenience. In addition, there is a political angle to it. No one knows how did the Special task Force manage to lure him out of inviolable forest

One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is that Veerappan has very less screen space. His story is untold as his past or the way he became so strong, points like these have been left to the back burner. All those who wanted to know more about Veerappan and his personal side will be disappointed a bit. Kannada star Shiva Rajkumar is perfect in the role of a police officer devoted to his job of nabbing Veerappan. Killing Veerappan is sensational, thrilling even, but not convincing enough for it is more about Shivarajkumar than about Veerappan. (if you don't know, Shiva is called SRK of South films and is the son of superstar Rajkumar. Rajkumar was kidnapped by Veerappan and released after 108 days).

Overall, both are good movie to watch. If not based on complete reality, they at least make the audience aware about such incidents and the intellectual minds will probe more. They are any day better than movies like  Mastizaade and Kya Kool Hai Hai Hum 3

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Swati