Short notes..

Watched some good unconventional hindi movies over the last few weeks..

Gulaal - One more compelling movie by Anurag Kashyap after Dev-D, full of political drama which takes democracy to a different level, has perfectly etched characters combined with a powerful plot and superlative performances by every actor. With a lot of violence and a Shakespearean ending, the movie is definitely not for a mass appeal. I admire Anurag Kashyap for making such bold and different movies like Black Friday, Dev-D and now Gulaal. Glad to see that there are a few directors who dont care for commercial success alone!

Barah Aanah - is again not a 'typical hindi film', more of an experiment, with a short and simple story of 3 unlikely friends who are not happy with their lives. It's definitely not a comedy as the makers make it out to be. Naseeruddin Shah is the main attraction, delivers a good performance mainly through his facial expressions, though he has a very few dialogues but the maximum screen time. The pacing of the movie in the first 1 hr is very slow and can test your patience. However, with no songs, the movie is kept short and crisp and definitely worth a one-time-watch.

Straight - another light-hearted yet low key hindi movie based on homosexuality after Dostana & Fashion, which cruises through some untrodden paths. Vinay Pathak delivers an awesome performance with a great timing for comedy. There are several Laugh-Out-Loud moments as well as some sweet sentiments. The script has an interesting idea but fails to explore it deep enough and settles with a safe ending. Again I wouldnt classify it as a great movie but it's not unwatchable either.