Watch 'Johnny Gaddar' & 'Manorama 6 Feet Under'

Its been a seriously long time since I have seen two consecutive Hindi movies and have thoroughly enjoyed them both. The last I can remember are Lagaan & Dil Chahta Hai which were spaced quite close to each other.

Over the years there has been the odd Omkara, Swades & Sarkar as movies which have caught my attention and consoled me that Bollywood can produce more than just brain-dead, formulaic, cheesy, over the top, predictable yada yada. But they have been, for the lack of an analogy, few and far between. Yes Hollywood does make a lot of croppers as well but they do make a lot of sensible stuff as well.

Having seen Johnny Gaddar and Manorama back to back on DVD (don't ask how I got hold of DVD's now!), I once again feel that we can indeed make some decent cinema. Moreover they were exactly the genres I enjoy and the genres we never seemed able to make in India. Heist and whodunnit thrillers.

Johnny Gaddar is no Oceans Eleven, but its one of the better heist films to come out of our industry for a while. Its got great characters, an interesting and twisty plot. Also it holds you till the end. Although it is obvious who the Gaddar is by interval, its the way the others find out that makes it great viewing. And I loved the soundtrack as well. Also the references to movies from the 70s was also well placed. All in all an enjoyable heist film which I would want to watch again.

Manorama 6 Feet Under was of a slightly different type. Obviously on a low budget, it never came across as tacky or having low production values. The pacing was slightly slow for my liking. It could have done with some more editing. But the plot had enough meat and twists to keep me from dozing off, given it was touching 1 in the night! What I loved in the film was the believability factor. Everything looked real. Right from the 10 seconds insurance agent to the henchmen of the politician to the lead actors themselves. Although Abhay Deols tash looked a bit dodgy. Another great watch.

Also these 2 movies highlighted what a fine actor Vinay Pathak is and what he can do given the right character. I was craving for more of his Rajasthani accented liquor swigging sub inspector Brij Mohan in Manorama...

All in all, 2 of the better movies to come out of Hindi cinema. Do give them a watch!