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"Arya" - Reviews
| In the spirit of "The Equation", it may be appropriate to give a squinted-eye, notes-based review: (Well Illustrated Plot) + (Strong Casting decisions) - (Minor Technical issues) = A general range within which to grade the film ARYA However, for the majority of you all who are not mathematicians, there's another route. I believe that the audience member usually judges the significance and splendor of a production by a few factors: 1) How long it keeps one wondering after leaving the performance 2) The expanse and intensity of emotions that it hits 3) Whether one compares it to some phenomenal standard. On that note: 1) For the rest of Sunday afternoon, I wondered what souls could be as brilliant as Arya, loving as Shawna, sarcastic as Nick, or badass as Shilpa 2) I experienced anticipation, slight anxiety, surprise, with bouts of light humor and compassion, topped with great reflection on the questions the film posed. 3) My sister's prime commentary, "It was M.-Night-Shyamalam-ish." Could there BE a better thing to say for the first film of our budding Indian director Manan? I think not. We've seen the twisted creatures that apparently lurk in his brain, and they have set the first well-made stone in a path to film-making magic! Enjoy ARYA and ponder away... - Hima Tadoori [htadoori@yahoo.com] Had a chance to watch ARYA and my opinions are no different than the most of us. It was a blast. Story line was an Era apart from the normal ABCD movies. All the Indo American movies that I have seen till now deal with or revolve around cultural differences/ imbalance between generations. Some overdo it, in order to dramatize it. American desi, Bollywood Hollywood, green card fever etc, there is always a strong undercurrent of cultural struggle. But this one was different. Story doesn’t even touch that subject. It was so gripping that I think if you miss one scene, you loose track. Every scene had a meaning. I had an Aisle seat but didn’t realize till the end that there were people sitting right there on the stairs. The movie has been designed to confuse you right from the beginning but unlike Matrix part 1, you can understand the whole concept by watching it once. The 7 possibles, in the beginning lay down a foundation for the story line and then the movie moves at a constant pace. Nick provided some comic moments. Raj was as intense as ever, shawna was sweet and innocent and Shilpa was as Sexy as it gets. I think she was the best. She lived the character. Dance sequence at Royal Albert palace was average. And yes, makeup could have been better. Some people complained about the lighting but I think that was also because we were watching it over an office projector. In a normal viewing, it should be just fine. This is the best American-Desi movie I have seen and Manan's dream project was a big success. I hope it'll be a big success when it comes out and wish Manan all the very best in this line. - Vikram [k_vikram@yahoo.com] A dream… ...has come true. for many people. First of those being the whacky man himself, manan katohora. for others, like the talented cast and crew (as well as myself in the audience), it was truly a privilege to be part of his dream. It was especially cool to have read part of the script and then watch it unfold on screen. The character developments, the shot sequences, the unique storyline which, as cliche as it does sound, was definitely "hatke" (and up until now, i thought only Mr. Ramgopal Verma was instrumental in redefining this word)... were all well-executed. really, for a first time director, these minute details can make or break the tempo of his film. But ARYA never let me down for a minute. I must admit I was too engrossed in the story of the film to notice its negative aspects.. plus the only thing that really stood out to me was that some shots could've used more lighting. The acting was a huge plus. None of the characters were over the top.. very natural performances from everyone complemented each other, and the chemistry (especially between the lead pair) was very visible. Alex and Nick's comic relief was just right, and Monica's lust for Raj was well portrayed. All in all, definitely worth a 4.5hr bus ride from Virginia :) and I got to meet the man behind the whacky words, and many others who are taking steps to achieving their dreams. Can't beat that. Looking forward to your next one Manan :) Hope to see you all again soon... Best wishes, - Karthik [ksriniva@vt.edu] I also got the opportunity to watch ARYA yesterday. I have just one word for the movie "Fantastic". A very good story line and a job definately well done. All the points in the movie are very well connected. The movie right from the beginning was engaging and enjoyable. All the actors did a wonderful job....especially Shwana and Raj. However I also think that a better camera would have made an even better impact. I would recommend everyone to watch Arya whenever the movie is released. Cheers, - Nikhil [nikhild1@yahoo.com] Ok one word... Awesome, Folks. I got the opportunity to watch ARYA yesterday at the Village East cinema. I wanted to post my review and well tell the wacky Wednesday readers the expernce I had. Time: 12:00 AM - Crisp winter morning with a tinge of sunlight Venue -Village East Cinema (12th Street 2nd avenue) Movie- Manan's dream project ARYA. The movie hall was jam packed, there were people standing near the projector, the hall had a capacity of 190 plus seats and they all were full. We got the best seats and well before the movie started Trilok Mallik and Manan gave a few words to welcome the audience to the movie. The movie started and well from the very beginning I could sense the passion with which manna had executed each shot. The story was amazingly fantastic and the characters grow on you gradually, the movie moves on one track it doesn't digress from its original point at all. The only thing maybe that could have been would be the camera work and the lighting of the shots. I don't know if others felt it but some shots needed some extra lighting. Shwana-Raj-Maya the characters were great and kudos to the actors who delivered such hard hitting performances. I am sure this movie is going to rock once it hits the film festivals or the theatres across the nation. Manan congratulations on achieving the first step of your dream, I know there's a lot more to achieve but looking at the first impression I am sure we will achieve much more in future. Folks go and see arya when it coems out… you are gonna love it. - Rohit [rohitbaxi@yahoo.com] |