Of great films and brilliant actors...

'The pursuit of Happyness' and 'Angoor'... Two radically different films, from different world's, of different actor's, yet achieved one common goal. Made me smile!

Lets begin with the Pursuit... This is where Hollywood scores over us. They can make films with huge stars without going over the top and sticking to the basic requirement of the script. The beauty of the film lies in its simple yet heart wrenching tale of a single parent who tries his level best to keep his family afloat while trying his best to get a 'real' job and take care of his five year old son, Christopher.

Very few films which show you the grim side of life, can be inspiring. The pursuit is truly very inspiring. It works at various levels. One, it shows the great american dream as achievable. However grim the situation gets Chris Garderner never once shows selp pity or lack of action. He does everything he can, use's every possible way to market himself to work his way up.

There are great father-son bonding moments. One line which sort of summarises the film, when Chris tells his son, "Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. Not even me. All right? You got a dream? You gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they want to tell you you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period."

And that is excatly what the film leaves you with. A sense of hope, the WILL to fightback against all odds and to survive.

The climax where WS finally triumphs is absolutely hair raising. Have not seen a more emotionally charged scene ever. Its superbly enacted. WS is brilliant. My oscar/iifa/filmfare goes to him, undoubtedly! One of the very few movie scenes which choked me.

Also saw this week, Gulzar's - 'Angoor', starring Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma. Its one of the best comedies made in Indian cinema. Wonder why I never saw it before. Right from the story, to dialogues, to performances, to the subtle humor, to direction and the beautifully crafted lines. It's a great comedy of errors. Now I understand, why SK is considered one of the best actors in Indian cinema. SK and DV have a great great comic timing, which sets the tone of the film. Extremly hilarious! I wont be suprised if it's remade in the coming years!