Soundtrack
SoundtrackCast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mohan Kapoor
Writer and Director: Neerav Ghosh
Rating; ***1/2
Hear this. DJ Raunak loses his hearing ability and gets to hear the voice of his conscience. Great premise for an onscreen human drama? Debutant director Neerav Ghosh, with incredible support from his leading man Rajeev Khandelwal, creates an engrossing defence of anti-hedonism.
Excessive self-indulgence is dumb. It can also make you deaf. So says the film's well-crafted screenplay. The message is driven home with a refreshing absence of self importance.
A lot of the film's drama, if not all, is derived from Canadian film "It's All Gone Pete Tong" released six years ago. That film's inspirational thrusts are transferred with fluency and virility into Ghosh's art attack on the wages of excessive pleasure-pursuit.
Paul Kaye, who had played the lead in the original film, had delivered a pitch-perfect loss-of-hearing gain-of-soul performance. Khandelwal goes beyond the exigencies of his character in search of his lost character's tortured soul.
In the sequences where he comes to terms with his deafness, the actor brings to his face and physique the unmitigated anguish of a man watching himself topple over the edge.
It's a brilliant performance, by far the best male performance this year.
Whether it's the body language of a wild DJ partying the nights away in a haze of alcohol, or sharing those tender moments with Soha Ali Khan (cute, gentle, sensitive and effective), Khandelwal's face maps out the character's tormented flight into terrifying stillness.
Playing a man who watches his life spin out of control, the performance could have easily toppled over the edge. It holds.
The director uses a fabulous soundtrack. There are startling rock ballads punctuating Raunak's voyage into the damned.
Old songs like "Yeh jeevan hai iss jeevan ka yehi hai rang-roop" or, for a beautifully crafted romantic interlude between Rajiv-Soha in the park, "Khullam khulla pyar karenge hum donon" are used to endearing effect.
The narrative moves in three predictable but pulsating sections.
Raunak's descent into a hedonistic hell, his shattering deafness and, best of all, the redemption that he finds through a haze of self-loathing as he takes flight into a world of idyllic love (a touch of Guru Dutt's "Pyasa" in the end when Raunak simply vanishes from the world of ruthless self interest) -- for a first-time director, Ghosh displays remarkable control over his scattered material on his shattered protagonist.
Admittedly the storytelling device (well-known real-life DJs and VJs are roped in to talk about 'Raunak') is borrowed from the Canadian film. But what the hell!
Nothing in life is original. Not heaven not hell. Not pleasure, not pain, and certainly not art.
The absence of over-sentimentality and the self-mocking humour applied to Raunak's predicament imbue a wealth of mellow maturity to the storytelling.
Yup, "Soundtrack" gets it right. In telling the story of a man who stops hearing the world outside to finally start hearing his own inner voice, the film's strong sense of drama and redemption are comparable with the cinema of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
"Soundtrack" is a soul-stirring tale of a musician's voyage into deafening hedonism and a quiet redemption.
The director suffuses the soundtrack with snatches of a music that transports a fairly routine inspirational story to the sphere of a modern moral fable.
As for Khandelwal, his performance is so accomplished that he proves, not for the first time, that he's among the most engaging actors today. For the money, time and attention, he is the true rock star.
http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=50040
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Soundtrack (2011) Movie Review-
There's nothing like watching a guy hit the ebb and then trying to crawl back again. The triumph of the human spirit catches our attention all the while. After all, people love watching a good tragedy. SOUNDTRACK, the official remake of the award winning IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG, narrates one such story.
Rajeev Khandelwal is one of the few actors to have made a successful transition from television to cinema. His choice of films, starting with AAMIR, followed by SHAITAN and now SOUNDTRACK prove that he's keen to be a part of movies that push the envelope, that push him beyond his boundaries. He's gradually emerged as the face of intelligent urban cinema. That's also one of the reasons why SOUNDTRACK catches your attention.
SOUNDTRACK may be a 'small budget film' [in film parlance], but I strongly believe that budgets, however big or small, can never decide on the quality of cinema. A mockumentary, SOUNDTRACK takes a closer look at a musician's life faced with a career-ending handicap. It has some heartwarming moments, some amusing moments, some comic moments and some lump in the throat moments.
Very well shot drama with touches of black humor, director Neerav Ghosh deserves immense praise for handling a complex story with amazing maturity. The story is attention-grabbing -- it traces his alcohol, drug and sex-fuelled meteoric rise, as he battles his internal demons and a damaging handicap -- and I must add that the film has a strong melodramatic theme with some terrific moments that stay with you.
SOUNDTRACK narrates the story of a successful DJ, Raunak [Rajeev Khandelwal], who gets addicted to drugs and alcohol and loses his hearing ability. He goes through low phases and also starts hallucinating, seeing a joker around him all the time. He is diagnosed with a hearing disorder that ultimately leads to his going deaf. Subsequently, Gauri [Soha Ali Khan] enters his life. His career nosedives, but his love for music helps him resurrect himself.
If you think SOUNDTRACK is distressing and disheartening, let me tell you, it's not! On the contrary, it is young, colorful and most importantly, inspirational, something that goes very well what a majority of movie-going audience these days. The director also ensures that the soundtrack is befitting the content of the film. Besides, the party culture, which is prevalent in metros, where one can find sex and drugs, is depicted well in the plot.
Director Neerav Ghosh narrates an interesting story in an altogether new format. Only thing, the film tends to get stretched at places and could've done with sharper editing. Cinematography is eye-filling.
Rajeev is known for giving his best at whatever he does. Playing an emotionally unstable character is always taxing and an edgy journey for any actor, but Rajeev emerges triumphant with a bravura performance. Ditto for Soha, who delivers a sparkling performance. Soha is capable of delivering a powerful performance if given an opportunity and this film proves it. Though Mrinalini Sharma doesn't really get scope, yet, the pretty lass gives it all to her character and registers an impact. Another winning performance comes from Mohan Kapur, who is superb in a rather tough role. This film should make people sit and notice this talented actor. Yateen Karyekar does very well as well. Ankur Tewari and Sidd Coutto, the musicians, are wonderful in their respective roles.
On the whole, SOUNDTRACK captivates you with a story that talks of the triumph of the human spirit. An inspiring film, a human story, a relatable and credible journey with an atypical, feel-good conclusion, SOUNDTRACK is not to be missed.
By Taran Adarsh, bollywoodhungama.com
http://www.bindassbolly.com/2011/10/soundtrack-2011-movie-review-storyline.html#axzz1a67RjJ4I
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Movie Review : Soundtrack
There's nothing like watching a guy hit the ebb and then trying to crawl back again. The triumph of the human spirit catches our attention all the while. After all, people love watching a good tragedy. SOUNDTRACK, the official remake of the award winning IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG, narrates one such story.
Rajeev Khandelwal is one of the few actors to have made a successful transition from television to cinema. His choice of films, starting with AAMIR, followed by SHAITAN and now SOUNDTRACK prove that he's keen to be a part of movies that push the envelope, that push him beyond his boundaries. He's gradually emerged as the face of intelligent urban cinema. That's also one of the reasons why SOUNDTRACK catches your attention.
SOUNDTRACK may be a 'small budget film' [in film parlance], but I strongly believe that budgets, however big or small, can never decide on the quality of cinema. A mockumentary, SOUNDTRACK takes a closer look at a musician's life faced with a career-ending handicap. It has some heartwarming moments, some amusing moments, some comic moments and some lump in the throat moments.
Very well shot drama with touches of black humor, director Neerav Ghosh deserves immense praise for handling a complex story with amazing maturity. The story is attention-grabbing — it traces his alcohol, drug and sex-fuelled meteoric rise, as he battles his internal demons and a damaging handicap — and I must add that the film has a strong melodramatic theme with some terrific moments that stay with you.
SOUNDTRACK narrates the story of a successful DJ, Raunak [Rajeev Khandelwal], who gets addicted to drugs and alcohol and loses his hearing ability. He goes through low phases and also starts hallucinating, seeing a joker around him all the time. He is diagnosed with a hearing disorder that ultimately leads to his going deaf. Subsequently, Gauri [Soha Ali Khan] enters his life. His career nosedives, but his love for music helps him resurrect himself.
If you think SOUNDTRACK is distressing and disheartening, let me tell you, it's not! On the contrary, it is young, colorful and most importantly, inspirational, something that goes very well what a majority of movie-going audience these days. The director also ensures that the soundtrack is befitting the content of the film. Besides, the party culture, which is prevalent in metros, where one can find sex and drugs, is depicted well in the plot.
Director Neerav Ghosh narrates an interesting story in an altogether new format. Only thing, the film tends to get stretched at places and could've done with sharper editing. Cinematography is eye-filling.
Rajeev is known for giving his best at whatever he does. Playing an emotionally unstable character is always taxing and an edgy journey for any actor, but Rajeev emerges triumphant with a bravura performance. Ditto for Soha, who delivers a sparkling performance. Soha is capable of delivering a powerful performance if given an opportunity and this film proves it. Though Mrinalini Sharma doesn't really get scope, yet, the pretty lass gives it all to her character and registers an impact. Another winning performance comes from Mohan Kapur, who is superb in a rather tough role. This film should make people sit and notice this talented actor. Yateen Karyekar does very well as well. Ankur Tewari and Sidd Coutto, the musicians, are wonderful in their respective roles.
On the whole, SOUNDTRACK captivates you with a story that talks of the triumph of the human spirit. An inspiring film, a human story, a relatable and credible journey with an atypical, feel-good conclusion, SOUNDTRACK is not to be missed.
Ratings
Soundtrack review
http://www.nextbollywood.com/2011/10/movie-review-soundtrack.html
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| 'Soundtrack' strikes a chord! |
| By Aparajita Ghosh |
| Fri, Oct 07, 2011 11:47:02 GMT |
The ApunKaChoice movie review of Soundtrack. Some real life characters are insanely inspirational. Take, for instance, the legless South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the 'blade runner' who is also described as the fastest man on no legs and can give the able-bodied sprinters a run for their sweat money. Or take the legendary Beethoven, who continued to compose music despite going deaf as a post. Director Neerav Ghosh's film
Soundtrack is a tale of one such man.
Inspired from the 2005 Canadian movie
It's All Gone Pete Tong,
Soundtrack tells the story of Raunak Kaul (
Rajeev Khandelwal). Raunak comes to Mumbai and becomes a famous DJ but soon falls victim to his own success as he plunges headlong into a life of sex, drugs and disc consoles. The hedonistic lifestyle takes a huge toll. Raunak's career plummets and, worse, he begins to lose his hearing ability. Soon, all the sound and raunak is gone from his life. Poof!
But then, Raunak rehabilitates and reforms, and meets Gauri (Soha Ali Khan), herself hearing impaired but an expert in lip reading. She instills Raunak with hope and inspiration. The deaf protagonist does the seemingly impossible when he begins to feel the music in other ways than hearing and comes up with a new album. Will his finished career get a new lease of life?
For the most part,
Soundtrack stays close to its Canadian inspiration, but director Neerav Ghosh show amateurishness in dealing with certain aspects of the narrative. For instance, the clown that haunts Raunak fails to make for a convincing metaphor of his inner demon. Likewise, the music of
Soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired.
A fat share of credit must go to Rajeev Khandelwal for making
Soundtrack work. He is every bit the wasting, oversexed junkie in the first half and the repentant but unyielding man in the second half. Soha Ali Khan, who lisps her dialogues, provides ample support to the leading man without being reduced to a romantic prop. Similarly, Mrinalini Sharma is darn good as our hero's partner in sex and debauchery. Mohan Kapoor is emphatic as Raunak's agent.
In a nutshell,
Soundtrack may be far from being a stupendous film, but thanks to its unique story (inspired albeit) and the performances by the actors, it turns out to be a decent attempt by a debutant director.
Recommended, if you're itching to watch something
hakte.
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/article/sid100006812-soundtrack_movie_review/
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Mangal Lakshmi
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