Movie Review: Rush (2013)

Biographies if well made can be an absolute treat. A biography on sport star(s) sounds even better and if that sport is Formula 1, well that’s an icing on the cake, especially for lovers of the sport. Ron Howard’s Rush fits this bill. It’s so wonderfully crafted and portrayed that sometimes you forget you are watching a movie. It seems like an actual race. That’s how beautiful this move is! 

Rush is about the fierce rivalry between two accomplished racing car drivers, the British James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and the Austrian Nikki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) during the early 70s and which culminated in their battle for the 1976 World Championship. The film starts in media res on August 1, 1976 when Niki confesses that he “was chasing him (Hunt) like an asshole”. 

Hunt was arrogant, cocky and confident, a man who lived fast and died young. He was flamboyant, impulsive and believed in living life king-size. Lauda on the other hand was much calmer. He was technically brilliant, planned things as opposed to acting rashly and maintained a professional lifestyle. He had a right mix of shrewdness and intelligence. 

The two of them had so much in contrast yet they complemented each other. Both had an overriding fervor to defeat the other. This outlines the value of an enemy or rival, who sometimes give more meaning to your life than friends do. And in their case, apart from being such fierce competitors, the two had a healthy respect for each other. The movie had two apt dialogues, both by Niki Lauda, that reiterate this point: 

“A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” 

“People always think of us as rivals but he was among the very few I liked and even fewer that I respected. He remains the only person I envied.”

Both the actors delivered a knockout performance. Hemsworth gave a matured performance and almost nailed his role of James Hunt. But Bruhl somehow stole the show. At the beginning, Lauda’s character is absolutely pale in comparison to the charismatic Hunt. But as the movie progresses, he not only matches up to Hunt but also overtakes him. Bruhl brings the character of Niki to life. Watch out for his sharp dialogue delivery that’s been rendered with such remarkable precision! 

Howard took some liberties and modified few elements. Since this movie is not a documentary Ron could afford to make these changes but none of these seem exaggerated or fabricated. The scene where Hunt beats up a reporter is invented but this is one of my favourite scenes. It gels perfectly well with the flow and doesn’t seem like something that’s added just to up the drama quotient. This, as per me, is the mark of a good director. 

The race sequences are undoubtedly exhilarating and a lot of credit for this goes to the awesome camera work and fine sound. The cinematography is wonderful. There are various camera angles that not only add an element of thrilling intensity but also provide us with a wholesome experience. The sound editing is remarkable. Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack is a powerful entity in itself that can any day lift a film and here it adds the much required tension and thrill. (I can’t get over the Lost But Won track). His music along with the roaring sound of the engines pep you up and give you a great adrenaline rush. Rush also has some amazing dialogues that will be quoted and recalled time and again. 

Kudos to Ron Howard and the entire crew for coming up with such a technically sound film. Even someone who isn’t a F1 fan would be hooked to the intense action and story. Rush is one hell of a ride and lives up to its title to give one a high adrenaline RUSH! It is one of my favourite films of 2013.

Rating: 8.8/10

Movie Review: Shahid (2013)

Realism and Bollywood don’t really go hand in hand. Filmmakers do not, in the first place, try their hands at depicting true life stories especially if there is the slightest whiff of a controversy. The very few attempts more often than not end up as shallow in the garb of commercialism. So when a bold film like Shahid comes up, you tend to wonder if it is a one-off shot or are Indian filmmakers actually breaking the conventions and taking leaps.

Despite having a world premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival's ‘City to City’ programme in September 2012 and being screened at last year’s Mumbai Film Festival, Shahid only managed to get a wide theatrical release a year later. Wonder why the delay but we are glad it did, because such stories need to be told. I have seen/heard so many people gushing about the movie. I wonder how many of them knew who Shahid Azmi was before this movie. I did not.

Hansal Mehta’s Shahid is a biopic of the lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi. In the seven years of his practice, he got 17 acquittals, a remarkably high number for the Indian judiciary, where ‘taareekh pe taareekh’ is a norm. But he had to pay a price for standing up and fighting for all those he believed were wrongly accused or framed and imprisoned for alleged terrorist activities. He was brutally shot dead in his office by a couple of assailants in 2010 for defending a 26/11 accused.

Shahid Azmi’s life was quite eventful and complex. As a young boy he had witnessed the barbaric violence during the communal riots of Mumbai in 1993. The devastating impact prompts him to join an arms training in a camp in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. He witnesses another event there and thus changes his mind and runs away, but was arrested from his home under TADA. He spent seven years in Tihar Jail before he was eventually acquitted by a court of law for lack of admissible evidence.

It might seem like too much for a film but Mehta has narrated the incidents as it is. One of the best parts of the film is it is more fact and less fiction. Shahid is simple in presentation yet hard-hitting. It brings us unpleasant truths about contemporary India, its media, its judiciary and its people. Mehta subtly exposes the anti-Muslim stance so deep-rooted at every level of our law-and-order system.

Raj Kumar Yadav’s performance is OUTSTANDING! He is almost perfect in all the stages, be it in the jail or the courtroom. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub too was commendable as Shahid’s brother. He was impressive in Raanjhanaa and now here too. He should get better roles that do justice to his talent.

Hansal Mehta says he decided to make the film after he found out that people were accusing Shahid Azmi of criminal activities: "He was not alive to tell his side of the story when aspersions were being cast on him. I decided to stand up for him." Mehta take a bow for this attempt, so honest that too!

Rating: 8.2/10