Tag Archives: Bruce Lee

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota (2018)

written by Souranath Banerjee

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota Review: After ages I watched a typical Bollywood action masala film and enjoyed it to the bone. Ouch!

My ratings: 4/5

If a film keeps you smiling even after you have left the theatre, it has definitely done a job well!

Vasan Bala (writer of Raman Raghav 2.0) directs his second feature – and we have the best action comedy of recent times! An ode to the VHS era, Bruce Lee martial art flicks and also to the old Bollywood spells like Geraftaar (1985) and Aaj Ka Goonda Raj (1992)!

Separated childhood lovers finding themselves in adulthood, a set of good/evil twin brothers, a VHS inspired Karate kid who can beat 20 goons singlehandedly, a charming yet psychotic villain who kills in a wink – clichés lining up one after another. But the beauty of Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota is that it takes advantage of all these clichés, owns them proudly and churns them into pure cinematic humour.

Now what is fresh in this movie is the concept of ‘Congenital Insensitivity to pain’, Abhimanyu Dasani (his debut film), a brilliantly choreographed action sequence with Kishore Kumar’s evergreen song ‘Nakhrewali’ playing in the background and then of course the overall amazing performances!

Abhimanyu Dasani (son of Bollywood actress Bhageshree) stands out clearly as a winner in his debut film. Superb screen presence, he looks like a younger version of Madhavan plus the extreme level of fitness. Then there is the immensely talented Radhika Madan (earlier seen in Vishal Bhardwaj‘s Pataakha) and she is an absolute delight to watch. Mahesh Manjrekar and Jimit Trivedi are at their best perfectly blending into the roles and giving the film the additional support it needed. Even Shweta Basu Prasad made her presence felt in her cameo.

And then of course we have Gulshan Devaiah in his effortlessly charming double roles – he is so natural, funny and full of charisma. His best performance till date.

Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota is essentially a love story but told in style and a rare confidence that we search for but seldom find in our current day movies.

Paap ko jala ke raakh kar doonga” (Will burn all evil/sins to ashes) is the idea in prominence throughout the movie but it gets specially silly and enjoyable when told from a kid’s perspective.

Though the voiceovers repeatedly reminds us “Har mindblowing kahani ke peeche kuch bahut bure decisions hote hain” (There are always some bad decisions behind every mind-blowing story), but trust me, your decision to watch this awesome movie will definitely be a good one!

Go watch it.

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb0-Mw_V_bA

Poster courtesy:www.imdb.com.

Best Kung Fu films ever made (10+1list)

Best Kung Fu films ever made.

written by Souranath Banerjee

Kung fu or wushu are chinese words that refers to the age old tradition of Chinese Martial Arts.

In ancient China, Kung fu was first introduced as a method of self-defence and hunting, and was also a part of the country’s military training. Essentially a hand to hand combat system (with different forms and styles of fighting) but then again, certain classic Chinese weapons are often used as well.

Since long time martial art has been introduced in films for entertainment and such action films were very popular in China and in a few other Asian countries.

bruce-lee-posterBut only in the early 70s, the craze for kung fu films hit the west, and the person responsible for giving kung fu a world-wide recognition was none other than Bruce Lee.

Then there was Jackie Chan and Jet Li who prolonged the tradition. 

Nowadays, even in Hollywood action films like The Matrix TrilogyKill Bill, and The Transporter stylized forms of kung fu are extensively used and well appreciated by the audience. 

Listed below are some of the best Kung fu films ever made that can be enjoyed even if you are not a hard core action film lover.

Let’s kick start the list.

10. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m3IB7N_PRk

kung-fu-hustle-posterDirected by Stephen Chow also known for films like Shaolin Soccer and The God of Cookery – this one is the most entertaining kung fu film.

According to Bill Murray this film is ‘the supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy‘.

According to famous film critic Roger Ebert ‘Imagine a film in which Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny’.

9. Ip Man (2008)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhz4Jl6nf58

ip-man-posterA semi-biographical account of the most influential martial art master Grandmaster Yip Man.

The man who taught martial art to the world, he was also renowned as the teacher and inspiration of the legendary kung fu master Bruce Lee.

Directed by Wilson Yip, the film tries to be as real and authentic to the grandmaster’s life as possible. 

8. Come Drink with Me (1966)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1A6PnPZ6Gk

come-drink-with-me-posterDirected by King Hu, also known for films like A Touch of Zen and Dragon Inn started the modern trend of kung fu films.

This film is said to be the first Hong Kong martial art film which portrayed kung fu as pure entertainment and each ‘fight scene as art form’. 

This film has more historical value than than any other in this list.

7. Ong-bak (2003)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJvMhOkwH9I

ong-bak-posterTony Jaa, the face of the new martial art superstar gets his introduction through this film.

After an extensive four years training, Tony Jaa performed all his stunts by himself, no wires or CGI were used in the fight scenes.

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the film was a huge hit for it’s epic fight sequences and the extreme acrobatic stunts.    

6. The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f6f_kfp1Z8

The-Raid-Redemption-poster1Directed by Gareth Evans, this is one extreme action-packed film, the best in the recent times.

The Martial Art used in this movie is Pencak Silat, which is the indigenous fighting style of Indonesia.

Iko Uwais and his fighting skills are simply awesome. If you like this film then The Raid 2 is also a must watch.

5. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65GQtH6pzTY

The-36th-Chamber-of-Shaolin-posterChia-Hui Liu plays the guy who firstly gets beaten by the brutal Manchu clan; then he learns martial art and goes back to take his revenge.

Hence forth this learn-and-revenge plot has been done to death in numerous films.   

Directed by Chia-Liang Liu, this one is one of the kung fu classics.

4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEaGsdiA0y0

crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-posterYun-Fat ChowMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangChen Chang and Pei-Pei Cheng all together in this exclusive kung fu drama.

Directed by master director Ang Lee, the film was a huge success – the first foreign language film to earn over $100 million in the United States.

A story of passion, love, revenge and much more – an unique action film without any real violence!

3. Hero (2002)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srFhXDZhUZI

hero-posterDirected by Yimou Zhang, who is also famous for House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower.

The most expensive Chinese movie till date, epic fight sequences and visually the most beautiful film ever made!

Jet Li at his best along with Tony Chiu Wai LeungMaggie Cheung Ziyi Zhang and Daoming Chen

2. Drunken Master (1978)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQMNllz6aE0

Drunken-Master-PosterThe film that kick-started Jackie Chan‘s career and also portrayed his unique ability to combine kung fu with comedy.

Drunken Fist Kung Fu is a particular style of fighting that is highlighted in this film.

Directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, this was a landmark film that paves the path for the infinite comic-action films to be made ever since. 

  1. Enter the Dragon (1973)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB-QGOChuQc

enter-the-dragon-poster1Bruce Lee, the legend of martial arts, the man who made kung fu movies a world wide sensation – this was his last film shot before he passed away at a young age of 32.

Directed by Robert Clouse, the film was a sensation and a landmark in action genre.

The ‘Hall of Mirrors’ sequence, the cave fight were Lee beats 50 people at a go, and then the unique steel hands of the antagonist Han were some of the highlights of the film. This one is one of it’s kind and a must watch for everybody.

and (The ‘+1′ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most innovative one. A must watch).

+1. Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery (1928)

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=012M83Me6us

burning-red-lotus-posterThe film that successfully introduced martial arts in cinema – it runs for 27 hours and thus it’s the longest film ever produced!

It was split up and released as 18 features between 1928 and 1931, of which Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery is one.

Directed by Shichuan Zhang, this Chinese film is considered as a classic and rightly so.

Poster courtesy: www.impawards.comwww.topchinesemovies.comen.wikipedia.org.