Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola (2013) Online

With Vishal Bhardwaj behind the camera one can expect something new in the offering. This time Bhardwaj goes the quirky humor path with a socially relevant subject. Even though Indian politics & old lunatic politicians could be the maximum source of entertainment, for some reasons they are not utilized to the fullest. Bhardwaj-Chaubey's script is one such rare political satire that deals with land scam – a perennial problem pan India.

The film begins with a weirdly catchy shot with a limousine being parked in a farmland in front of the local wine shop. The limousine accelerated to bump into the stall as we get introduced to Harry Mandola, the millionaire & his affinity towards "Gulabo beer". He personifies "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" being the Good Samaritan when he is drunk but during his steady state he is an authoritative, manipulative businessman who is planning to take away the land of the farmers for personal gain. To add to it there is the corrupt minister with her sinister ambitions to climb the ladder of politics through tactful alliance with Mr Mandola. All plans goes awry as Mandola under his uncontrolled drunk state forced the farmers to start a revolution against him.

Vishal Bhardwaj takes a different route from his usual dark psychological themes and tries to explore the capitalist exploitation of the affluent & the wrong usage of power. Mao Tse Tung is symbolically webbed into the narrative hinting on communistic ideology as the shadowy "Mao" helps the farmers in their fight to get their land back. Bhardwaj-Chaubey's script is wacky,zany at times surreal that doesn't become overtly didactic. There are ample sequences (especially in 1st half) which have the mark of genius Bhardwaj. The scene where Mandola & Matru are trying to pull a Well away from their path in a drunken state reflects the existential struggle of the farmers of the society. They provide us with the ingredients to survive but we tend to ignore their significance, while the politicians are up to their own games. The serious subject has been absurdly camouflaged with utter sincerity. The dark humors are well placed. One of the finest sequences involves the gathering of the politicians as they take up their wine glass & lustfully shouts "Kursiyan" (chairs of political power) instead of "Cheers". From Zulu tribe to UFO, Bhardwaj incorporated everything that can add in to the madness- with master touch being the creation of Gulabi Bhains (Pink Buffalo) which plays a crucial role in the film. The dialogs are exemplary with unique twisted take on common proverbs. Sample this "tumhare ghar mein Mao Lenin nehi hai kya". Karthik Vijay's cinematography helps in portraying a real & surreal world which gets blended by perfect editing of veteran A Sreekhar Prasad. Vishal Bhardwaj music is always different and here also his music gels with the mood. Gulzar seems to have enjoyed a lot penning those quirky lyrics. Seldom has he got the scope to write such interesting lines like "oye Dolli Dolli Dolli, meri vitamin Ki goli". I am sure he must have been bored to death writing the typical romantic songs for JTHJ and with MKBKM he embraced air of freshness.

The pillar of the film, veteran Pankaj Kapoor as Harry Mandola, is rocking. He effortlessly slips into the role and took "Split personality" in Bollywood to another level. He again showed his versatility and proved why he is considered amongst the top actors of our country. Imran khan was easy on eyes and tried his best to do justice to the complicated role of Hukum Singh Matru. Hopefully his acting prowess will get noticed with this one. The role of bubbly Bijli is tailor-made for Anushka Sharma and she didn't miss doing justice to the confused daughter of rich father suffering from "Meena Kumari Complex"(as coined by Matru). Shabana Azmi made her presence felt with her lecherous act of climbing the ladder of success. Another fine acting talent of Indian cinema, she showed her spontaneity in the sequence with her son where she is explaining her motive behind the thirst for "power". Arya Babbar surprisingly leaves impression as Azmi's stupid yet calculative son "Badal" who is trigger to Azmi's success.Navneet Nissan makes her presence felt in the small insignificant cameo.By the way what was Ranbir Shourey doing in that once scene? Lastly, the smile of the "Gulabi bhains" is addictive..Did I mention that I am also hallucinating like Mr Mandola?

On the whole the Bhardwaj should be credited for depicting a clash between communist & bourgeoisie and also dealing with a grave issue like land-scam. Probably this time he wanted to reach a wider audience which can be felt in the 2nd half when things becomes over simplistic & bromide for the entertainment of regular cine-goers. The climax is disappointing by Bhardwaj standards when one looks back & checks his uncompromising brilliant masterpieces like Maqbool,Kaminey,Blue Umbrella,Omakar. Nevertheless even a strictly decent Bhardwaj film is better than most of the Hindi films being churned out recently. Like one can't expect Messi to score in every match it is difficult to expect brilliancy from each & every film by any director. Having said that I feel a Vishal Bhardwaj,Anurag Kashyap,Dibakar Banerjee film should never be missed as they bring something new to the platter.And repeating myself, even a not-so-great film by any of them is better than most of the other Hindi films.

Give MKBKM a chance. There are enough moments that have the stamp of VB. Icing on the cake is the presence of ever reliable Pankaj Kapoor.

There are a thousand ways to approach a serious subject. Yet with MBM, Vishal Bharadwaj does an entirely different take,and an effective yet entertaining one at that. The screenplay has an aroma of theater throughout, and is backed by some stellar performances by Pankaj Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and the new pair of Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma. The humor in the film has a quirky charm about it. Pankaj Kapoor exhibits brilliance in the portrayal of a character who can be loved and hated at the same time. I would strongly recommend the movie to avid theater audiences and also to those who would like to be served the Bollywood 'masaala' in an entirely different avatar.

Pankaj Kapur is the life and soul of this film, delivering an acting masterclass and a riveting performance, that, combined with the overall sheer zaniness and its excellent, rustic dialogue, keeps you hooked and helps gloss over the wafer-thin plot and limited acting skills / suitability of Imran for the lead role

Whether in the opening sequence, while trying to cajole the Theke wala before ultimately driving his limo through his shed. Or trying to persuade the well to move out of his way. Or inciting a revolt amongst the farmers against himself, the man who knows how to make a plan take off but not land, who speaks flawless English when sober and thet Haryanvi when drunk on his favourite desi, Pankaj Kapur is the man with a vision.

As he explains to his delicious (his words, not mine) partner in crime, Shabana, he finds the sight of agricultural fields boring. He would prefer smoke belching factories, a concrete jungle, cubby-hole apartments for workers, whom you pay salaries with one hand and set up glitzy malls to take it all away with another. Shabana, a minister bank rolled by Pankaj's wealth is only too willing as an accomplice, even playing footsie with him during meetings with officials. And the marriage between her son, a superbly played idiot by Arya Babbar and Pankaj's feisty daughter, Anushka should settle matters once and for all.

The only impediment is Pankaj's valet cum driver cum drinking parner, Imran. A leftist, rabble rousing, JNU educated (that explains everything, doesn't it ?) villager, he wants to rally the remaining farmers to not give up their land, to continue to farm.

Shabana's dark, villainous turn, reminiscent of her evil-exuding role in Loins of Punjab Presents is excellent. Arya throws himself enthusiastically in his role of a well-meaning, slightly daft Mama's boy. Anushka doesn't have much to do apart from fetching apples from the bottom of the pond, sympathizing with the villagers and going around bit confused but she does it well.

There is a message here somewhere. Not that hard to get, nor a particularly new one where the rich, the powerful and the politicians combine to loot the common man who is soon left with no option but to succumb to the crumbs being offered to him. In any case, it's a message told with flair, panache and a craziness involving more than a few pink buffaloes…

I generally don't do film reviews and frankly I wouldn't have done this unless my driver hadn't been late to pick me up.So if you hate this post, you know whom to blame.

That done with, Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola or MKBKM is in one word, a riot.You can easily see Vishal Bhardwaj dripping all over this flick as he does an excellent job directing this movie(and singing one of the tracks as well).I wont give away the plot but it revolves around three characters: Harry Mandola, a rustic rich construction business owner who's acute alcohol consumption keeps him swinging between two personalities i.e. a bumbling,heavily accented fool and the other of a suave,daughter adoring father.Second is Bijli, Harry's daughter who is a beautiful,wild spirited girl with a golden heart.She's childhood friends with the last main character,Matru. Matru is a LLB graduate who works for Harry as a driver cum man-Friday. Oh! Did I mention Gulabo, the pink buffalo?

So,with that background,the plot revolves around a hostile government land acquisition in a village.But in MKBKM, it's not the plot but the funny little scenes which matter.Both,intense and comic at the same time,Bhardwaj has created a film which is obvious in it's plot yet keeps your wit running as to what happens next. Pankaj Kapur takes away the accolades for his brilliant acting and performance while Anushka's role was far more of being eye-candy with assistance in sub plots (Not that I'm complaining!). Imran Khan too plays second fiddle to Pankaj Kapoor, but his skills and versatility as an actor are simply great.The music as well as direction had the usual yet hatke style of all Vishal Bhardwaj movies. Lastly, the flaws. The dialogues although well written, were heavily accented and required a bit of North Indian blood in you to grasp their meaning. Secondly, although the movie is rated U/A and there are no scenes of sexual depictions, the sly abuse laced language could result in some odd questions from a younger crowd. I mean would you be willing to answer a 7 year old's question: "What does Bhencho mean?" Plus, some scenes are blunt and simply added for over dramatization so if you're one of those so called "true cinema lovers", you might throw up. So to sum it up, as Anushka Sharma's waist says, Dekho Magar Pyaar Se ;)

Vishal Bharadwaj serves you "Mr. Pankaj Kapur on the rocks!"

'A twisted title, Limousine in gehu ke fields, African Zulu tribes, Pink buffalo called gulabbo, Politician sucking a lollipop in fields, Mao Tse-tung's (Maoism wala) desi avatar, UFO in a village?' Yes, this Vishal Bharadwaj film has more bizarre elements than you can ever think of !

MKBKM is one hell of a ride - from crazy, absurd, wacky, bizarre to... social, political, addressing some of the pertinent issues faced by our nation. Here you have one of the greatest actors of India in his elements, with his dual act of - caring, sensitive drunkard 'Hariya' and, a stern, selfish & staunch capitalist 'Harry'. Only actor of his caliber can carry-off such role with aplomb (he is teetotaler in real life). Please, hand over all the awards of 2013 to Mr Pankaj Kapur for his exceptional performance!

Director Vishal Bharadwaj has his own eccentric ways of making social commentary with issues such as SEZ (Special Economic Zones), land grabbing, capitalism, Maoism, corruption, honor killing, lokpal, media and what not! At one point, Bharadwaj doesn't even think twice before taking actual names of politicians -- from Sheila Dixit, to Rahul-s, Varun-s, Scindia-s of Congress as political heirs of successful politicians. It takes some time and effort from our side to get acquainted to this Haryanvi setup and accent...but if you start getting Bharadwaj's references and quirky dialogues, you are into this exhilarating mad-cap ride.

Imraan Khan as 'Matru' does well with whatever he can do with his limited acting capabilities. Anushka Sharma is effective, but she is getting typecast in these type of roles. Shabana Azmi is excellent in her sly and manipulating political avatar. Arya Babbar does well as Azmi's dimwit son.

There are many memorable scenes which only director like Vishal Bharadwaj can think of -- that hilarious fight between Matru and Mandola during "well" scene, Mandola riding a plane after getting drunk, Azmi's monologue about 'progressive' nation called India (over ages), the scene between Mandola and Azmi just before the rain arrives, Mandola telling 'Mao' - tu "left" wala bottle le, or the love story involving something as banal as "tooth-brush".

In some cases, Bharadwaj tends to go overboard especially towards the climax sequence and some of Imraan-Anushka's scenes are simply annoying. Sometimes, the film gets repetitive with street theater (natak) type execution.

Music: Vishal-Gulzar combo for music is delicious as always. It takes the film one notch higher. You get to hear samples of African and Haryanvi folk music in some of the songs. My picks from the album - Khamakhan, Badal uthiyan, Oye boy Charlie, title song.

Verdict: Overall, the film is as twisted as its title. So, watch it if you can digest this genre/Vishal Bharadwaj's films......otherwise you might walk out of cinema hall during the show, like some did where I watched the movie.

P.S. Pankaj Kapur is God of acting.

So the most crowd pleasing title Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola having a distinctive casting, offbeat music and the film which grabbed most of the attention towards, Vishal Bhardwaj after his terrible 7 Khoon Maaf returns with this original story of MKBKM. Bhardwaj has always tried to be original towards his plot, think of Kaminey where the film worked with critics along with the masses too. Bhardwaj is a kind of director who gets adjusted to his surroundings vividly. Bhardwaj's music is unique having a typical title track, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola starring Imran Khan ( Matru ), Anushka Sharma ( Bijlee ) and Pankaj Kapoor ( Mandola ). Though this casting is different from anyone's point of view but worked brilliantly at this piece of cinema.

The plot displays unrefined rural locales of Haryana where a kinky, odd industrialist Harry Mandola ( Pankaj Kapoor ). The village is named after his surname Mandola. He himself, known as Mandola most oftenly, is a personality with acuteness in his thinking regarding money, serious, cunning and slick. Mandola wanted his area to be announced as an economic ward obliged to which he forces the native residents who had their farmlands, to sell and leave the village. But Politician Chaudhari Devi ( Shabana Azmi ) who appeals him into thwarting off the villagers. Mandola's MONEY while Chaudhari Devi's POWER can only unite when their offspring's get married to each other. In the midst of all, Mandola's Man Friday Matru ( Imran Khan ) who has nothing to do with these situations enters them, tends to bring some drastic change against land extortion and defends the villagers.

The scenery is captured beautifully, though it is unrefined, raw but that's the beauty of this film. Bhardwaj puts the best comical scenes between the breathtaking star Pankaj Kapoor and Imran Khan, who just sets the cinema on the right track. Imran Khan gets the mood for watching such a type of genre while Pankaj traps everyone in his histrionics. The Director then ( itself in the first half ) tries to bring a mysterious character Gulabi Bhains ( Mao ) but the balloon burst right before the interval leaving nothing to forecast in the second half. Practicality is what Vishal Bhardwaj tends to assure in 'Matri Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola' and it forces him to choose for a midway which was more apt towards deep red before pink. The abusive manner doesn't consent an impact pretty much like the odd and unusual presence of Gulabi bains (Buffalo). The song 'Jiski kheti uski zameen, hatt lootne wale' conjointly imitates the same emotions.

All in all to be a Vishal Bhardwaj's film you expect some twists in the second half but the plot is empty making everyone go predictably right and have a banausic continuity. The man who stands alone in the film is Pankaj Kapoor with his stupendous drama. He just fills the glass which was emptied by the storyline to the way it had to be. Pankaj Kapoor's drama win right from the very first shot where he is in his drunken amazement scowling some Haryanvi dialogues. Shabana Azmi gets an easy role but stills does as if she has somnambulism problem.Anushka is good, peppy and cheerful.

Pankaj Kapoor saves this film with his acclaimed acting but still Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola departs you displeasedly. In all the second half is sluggish and most foreseeable without any twist and turns.

after a long time a Hindi movie that actually makes sense.. takes almost every problem being faced by rural India at the moment and brings it out to the front in a form of a slap.. which turns into a smile.. only who have seen the whole movie will know what i am talking about.. do watch this movie if you enjoy the regular character building style of vishal bhardwaj.. heaps of laughing moments in the movie.. pankaj kapoor's acting is absolutely brilliant.. at one moment i thought he actually does get drunk every time the drunkard scenes are there.. songs are fit perfectly.. could have been made into a much commercial movie.. but vishal bhardwaj knows how to create that little margin between the art and total rubbish commercial bollywood.. stays right up there with all other brilliant movies made by VB productions..

I am pretty sure you know what the story is, so I won't strain on that! Well, it is typical and a lot of movies have been made in the same line of land acquisition and dirty politics - in all languages perhaps!

MkBkM is a musical odyssey of great performances by the whole crew except the writer. Lead actors are solid - Kapur, Khan & Sharma are great and perfectly monetize their characters. Kapur's character is like a villain that you love. Shabana Azmi portrays her stellar performance and I appreciate that!

Editing, screenplay is good; direction is the usual Vishal Bhardwaj and music is punchy yet enjoyable. I won't spill the beans about the pink cow, because you need to watch it to enjoy and take pleasure.

What works and supposedly will in the box office is it's catchy screenplay full of the Bollywood masala which was lacking in most of the 100 crore worth films of 2012. It is definitely not boring a movie to pay 300 bucks for. I am pretty sure you won't be disappointed by the performances, but the clichéd story might dull you!

After Table No. 21, I would not totally recommend to watch this but you won't complain as it is a VB movie (7KhhonM, Omkara) and not Dabangg 3!

Bottom Line: Watch it because it has and will give you a kickstart in this 3 day holiday weekend! But MkBkM is not pure filmaking. As we all are irritatingly bored by 2012's greatly depressing masala-item dance movies, 2013 is time for some enjoyment!

WATCH OUT FOR: Pankaj Kapur!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Language: Mild | Sex: No | Nudity: Very mild | Violence: Mild | Mouth- Kiss: Yes | Foreplay: Yes | Drugs: Implied | Alcohol: Strong | Smoking: Mild

Its a Shakespearean story set in rural India. If you know rural India have lived there, you would feel attached to the movie.This movie is not for urban people who don't know (and don't give a damn) about how things work in rural India.

PANKAJ KAPOOR should have won awards for this movie and for first time i actually liked IMRAN KHAN's work. SHABANA AZAMI too is incredible.

Script is USP of the movie and screenplay is brilliant...although ending was a bit longer than it should have been. Overall,the movie should have been supported more by viewers and critics.

I would give it 8/10.

Now thats a crazy title if I ever heard one.And it does not make sense. Harry Mandola is a rich, hard drinking businessman played by Pankaj Kapoor(shades of Ponty Chaddha?), Bijlee is his vivacious daughter played by Anushkha Sharma and Matru(Imran Khan) is his servant/driver/man Friday/drinking buddy.That's the basic set up.As we get introduced to the dramatis personae the befuddlement grows.The film does not make any sense either, it looks like a silly vehicle trying to set up yet another improbable love story between the driver and the heiress, with a bit of Haryanvi rambunctiousness and cusses thrown in for good measure.

But no, the director is Vishal Bhardwaj, one of India's most talented filmmakers, who is not content to drape his heroines in chiffon saris and take them on a trip to the Swiss Alps.Instead he is a literary minded man and a music maker to boot.In Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola( hereafter MKBKM..now that sounds like the abbreviation of a rude phrase but we will let it rest there) he creates a big mess.But I swear on the soul of Arvind Kejriwal, its a beautiful mess.This film must have been scripted in 2011 when the country was swaying to the anarchic tunes of Anna Hazare who held the parliament and the country hostage with his nearly demagogic harangues against corruption. Mr Bhardwaj did not take the self righteous route of making a new version of Rang De Basanti,which to its credit, anticipated the need for a popular citizens movement much before Mr Hazare started frothing at the mouth.Instead he realised the absurdity of the drama unfolding at Jantar Mantar. This film is his conviction, which I share, that India is not ready for its moment in the revolution calendar, which has red letter days spread out far more pragmatically then our impatient news channels would like.

In the unremarkable set of the three title characters he throws in an ambitious politician Chaudhari Devi,who played by Shabana Azmi, modelled externally perhaps on the Mayawati's of the world but at heart our dear Italian Godmother, keeps the chair warm for her feckless son, Baadal (Arya Babbar).Dark clouds are indeed gathering over our country, when the prince ascends the throne. Chaudhari Devi is in bed with Mandola, he will develop a vast agricultural land which he will bamboozle the farmers into relinquishing and which the good minister will convert into a SEZ. Bijlee will become the Catharine of Braganza whose dowry must be a great piece of real estate like the city of Bombay itself.Only now the Haryana hinterland is more priceless property, in close proximity to a money power saturated Delhi, and this is where the film is set.

Matru leads a double life, he is a closet Maoist, and is inciting the farmers into a revolt against the brazen land grab.The old men of Haryana have become stereotyped as the guys who locate the cause for rape in chow mien but here they seem like pretty normal folks, with a sense of humour laced with language deeply but innocently misogynistic. Perhaps this is the worst chow mien does, make you mouth Mother/Sister obscenities. Mr Bhardwaj used this to great comic effect but that's not the whole point, as it was in that Bose DK film.

That Mao is the hero of the farmers is the point.History has made it amply clear that Chairman Mao was probably the most ruthless autocrat ever, it's his misty ideology that continues to fuel a million misguided mutinies thats really funny.A happy ending is achieved with great help from a shocking pink buffalo which first appears as a CGI creature that Mandola sees in his drunken stupor and then one which is hand painted to make Mandola's mann-go-dola( refer to the film Devadas, which has a song Mandola re dola re..) . Mandola has a split personality, when he is drunk he is a bit of a socialist, as all human beings are.Mr Bhardwaj would rather awaken simple goodness within us and especially in our parents, whose ambitions and pragmatism most of India's youth channelize today.If somehow parents actually encourage us to do the right thing a revolution can come to our country.

Mr Bhardwaj takes great risks and a lot of time to deliver this dark comedy with all the energy of a Shakespearean farce.He has used tragedies like Macbeth (which is revisited here in a wonderful scene) and Othello.Now he must turn to the master's comedies, not a particular text this time, but his entire comic oeuvre.MKBKM is a farce in the glorious Shakespearean sense and captures the zeitzast of modern India remarkably well.We yearn for change, we march to India gate for change, we sign petitions on Facebook for a nameless victim of the "rape of the century", but alas we cannot change ourselves.

As Harold Bloom, the foremost scholar on the Bard puts it,"Shakespeare will not make us better, and he will not make us worse, but he may teach us how to overhear ourselves when we talk to ourselves.. he may teach us how to accept change in ourselves as in others, and perhaps even the final form of change".

Take a bow Vishal Bhardwaj!!

Vishal Bharadwaj is a director to reckon with, he gave us MAQBOOL, OMKARA, KAMINEY great films and produced ISHQIYA which all were fab films, his last outing 7 Khoon Maaf didn't really appeal to all. Maitru is perhaps his first comedy, most of his other films have had light scenes, dialogues, characters which make us laugh at times, but this is mostly a comedy. The first half has several hilarious moments though the story hardly moves, the director spends time establishing the plot, the characters, mileu,etc. Minutes before the interval there is a twist which sadly doesn't really startle you. The second half is more of a satire on agriculture and the going-ons do get predictable but Vishal's touch is evident throughout. The climax does get a bit contrived but is well handled and funny.

Direction by VB is great but overall the film could have been much better. Music is excellent, the title song, Oye Boy Charlie are all in sync, Khamaka is pleasant. Dialogues are fun.

Imran Khan gets away with his romantic image, as in most VB films where characters are rustic, here too he does the same, he does a great job, his haryanvi is good too though at times his diction does seem to mix between his normal accent and haryanvi. Anushka Sharma again reprises her fun to life role, but she is incredible in emotional scenes Pankaj Kapur is outstanding, he steals the show with a flawless performance.Whichever scene he is in, he simply bowls you. Arya Babbar is funny and stupid as the role demands and he leaves a mark. Shabana Azmi is simply superb in a negative role, showing that why she is considered a great actress. Amongst rest Ranveer Shorey is okay in a cameo, rest are all adequate Most being regulars in Vishal's films.

Come Vishal Bharadwaj and you expect the unexpected. Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola(MKBKM)is Vishal's great comeback after Saat Khoon Maaf. Telling which actor plays what is a waste of time and in fact would turn out to be long. MKBKM is a movie for the smart. Its for those who raise their own bar and not for those who can still laugh for years on the same lame jokes. The comedy is intelligent. In fact, the not so smart people will be left helplessly confused for solace. This is the main reason for a major part of Indian audience not lauding this film. The story revolves around the social cause of farmers. No, it doesn't show suicides, extreme poverty, hapless tears. This one is just too different to happen again. What I mean is that you end up watching the entire movie happily. So much that you want more these characters when you realize the end of the film. The screenplay is amazing supported by the mesmerizing performances of Pankaj Kapoor, Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma. The story has its space.

Vishal Bharadwaj is a pure genius. You cant compare him to any film-maker in this world. He know s exactly where to stop the intensity of every emotion. He never overdoes anything in the film. Its his show all the way.

Pankaj Kapoor has again proved versatile. When I saw him in the promos I wondered 'why him?'. But after watching the film you understand that it was this great actor who could have pulled off this turbulent character. The character requires different simple things on the outside and complex different things on the inside. Hats off! This man will be busy picking awards next year.

Imran Khan is awesome and his look is going to be aped in the villages. Anushka does an excellent job. Her performance increases exponentially and is brilliant in the culmination. Shabana Azmi is very good but gets overshadowed by Pankaj when her scenes are with him. The rest of the cast does fine.

The cinematography is first rate. It couldn't be better. The music by Vishal himself is apt and does its part very well.

Finally MKBKM is a film for the smart audience. Its a must watch!

There is one thing I genuinely like about the General audience. If they don't like a movie, they would not care two hoots, unlike most of our critics and 'thinking-audience', about the film-maker who made it. If they think something is trash, Trash is what they call it. On the other hand, Critics and the 'intellectuals' are forced to think twice before rubbishing any film by a maverick film-maker.

But the bitter truth is - if we take out the name - Vishal Bhardwaj - there is very little else to savour in the whacky yet directionless 'Matru ki Bijlee Ka Mandola'.

Don't get me wrong, but its a rather disquieting experience to see the guy who made Maqbool, Omkara & Kaminey fail to realise a concept to its fullest - that had much potential for humour as well as intensity, for style as much as sincerity.

Not to say that Bhardwaj doesn't pull it off at all. Perhaps the most charming parts of MKBKM are the ones belonging to first half, where the film comfortably veers ahead with a couldn't-care-less sort of leisurely pace, never bothering to 'take the story forward' - an aura which seems even more apt considering the milieu it is set in.

The film begins with two POVs of the same scene - letting us in early enough about the stylistic brush-strokes he is going to use perhaps, further for his latest offering. Mandola - Now here is a character who acts Suicidally moral when drunk, and acts according to the world's evil ways when in his prime. The confidence comes across in the initial reels when the film charters its path sans any melodramatic dispositions - leisurely pace is an aura very few directors manage to pull off, and its not surprising when Bhardwaj does that.

Whats unsettling is how overboard Bhardwaj went and simply wrote and wrote this script until there was possibly nothing else of color that could be incorporated. As a result, the narrative looks too stuffed and sadly the film hardly ever manages to keep count of all its tone-shifts and mood-swings.

The whacky plot-devices are in abundance here, and even work to a very great extent - A boy gifting an entire Zulu tribe to his would-be is quite a thought, just because she had mentioned some odd day about her fetish for African music.There is an alarmingly incestuous angle to the relationship-mechanics as well, well treated and sans any malice. Apart from these, There is an identity-closure angle, there is a Zulu tribe, we have a very brief UFO scene, A hi-end exec asks one of our leads at least three times about "the revolution".. and then amidst all of this, Mandola (Pankaj Kapur) can't help locking eyes with a all-too- smiling pink buffalo.

Bhardwaj has a lot on his patische here, and tries his level best to make sense by bringing all of them together on one sheet. At times, he even resembles a novelist - playing with the immense possibilities of all the sub-plot that promise some thrill, some mood. One of the most set-piece is delivered when Mandola talks about his dreams as we envision them - the granduer of them all is too overwhelming, and Bhardwaj underlines the whimsical over-the-topness of it all by making the clouds appear and rain.

But when a mood-movie like this enters into a zone where the plot seems too self-important, the balance is simply lost altogether. Because as much as we dilly-dally with the crazy touches and little details, the 'story-listener' in us viewers constantly feels troubled by the ultimate direction MKBKM takes - by the pre-climax seeming like a loosely-knit 'Peepli Live', a satirical comedy about one of the most important issues plaguing our nation.

And despite exceptional performances by Pankaj Kapur (who is mindblowing throughout, actually) and Anushka Sharma in the final portions, the climax does exactly what one fears it would - fail to tie all the madcap strings together well enough, to create a concrete madcap comedy. This is a 'neither-here-nor-there' case, clearly - watchable but had lot more potential.

"Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola" is based on very true social issue. The film disappoints you badly. By the end of the film, you realize that you might be the biggest Ch***ya on this planet. So audience please beware of such stupid films. I know there is a new trend of producing such Ch***ya type films but I think it is my responsibility to at least warn my fellow viewers about such movies. Many of the Positive response shared as a comment might be given by stakeholders who themselves are part of this film or the production house. Again I would request audience, please don't waste your money, effort and time on this film. Also I would like to request all the stakeholders who were part of this production, Please stop this Ch***yagire and start producing some good films. You were having such a good issue for your film and you ruined it in this manner. thats very bad!!!!!!!!!!!!

This movie is simply a wreck.

One thing is sure that you neither will get back your money or your time so think before watching this movie. The movie was nicely promoted in a fun way. But watching this movie is simply loss of time. I thought the fun part was written by one person and the serious part was written by another because there is no collaboration at all :( And the movie is too much predictable, they don't even build any character in this movie. No one was in limelight either. The characters come, deliver dialogue and then leave. what kind of crap it is? Which is worst is they ruined the name of mao. The name was grave in the movie but they made it as ridiculous as they can. Which turn down the whole movie plot. I am tired of writing actually so now I will stop. I am sorry if I offended anyone's feeling(!)

Movie starts with an educative song and then it touches a new height with every new scene. It is a dark comedy on problems faced by farmers in India where script never looses focus. Every situation as well as line is written with a logic. From the very first scene Pankaj Kapoor rules and crosses heights of acting. We can easily recall his best work in movies like "Ek Doctor Ki Maut" & "Maqbool". Best Scene: Vishal's direction in the scene where the drunk Pankaj and Imran tries to move a well from one place to another, only because they are unhappy with its current position, is superb. Clever Shooting angels, tight script, superb acting takes this flick to the next level. Shabana is very convincing in his role and delivers best dialogue of the movie where she explain how a Politician use people to be powerful. Arya Babbar's innocent acting is also remarkable this time. Anushka is at her best too & looks cute as ever :) . Loose Points: Beard Imram khan who is not able to match up against other top class actors. Vishal is not able to give a sensible ending. Last Words: just go for it.....

Well to summarize it,lets get back to the recent Bollywood movies this year and in 2012.one line--they suck. Stop Making bullshit movies Bollywood.i started boycott these Hindi cinema movies,not because I am a usual Hollywood freak,but i think creative(feeling pain by using this term)people in this part of the world are not making sense and i cant help when i have to patiently wait for good cinema in Hindi and being born in this rich cultural heritage(love being an Indian)we don't have good stories in Hindi,but yeah,this one is exception.

There are only three directors according to me in this industry who are trying hard and they are Raj Kumar Hirani, Vishal Bhardwaj,and Anurag Kashyap.period/. Now they too have a history of putting us down in some rare occasions.I will get to Vishal in this post..i loved his work on Maqbool and it grab ma attention but after a few stints,Kamine was boring and sad.and i thought Vishal lost it. i was not sure of going to this movie.but luckily i went.Well what i saw was Good piece of cinema,the dialect and every scene has an aura.the music was awesome and was not dragging and other stuff,thanks for the music too.o boy Charlie and one romantic song in which folk was created are ma favorites.i was lost completely in these songs..

The greatest part of the movie was the philosophy told by the filmmaker about the malls culture,the big factories and the people and the trade.i mean this was new and justified creatively and makes one think of the current scenario of this country.

Acting department- Pankaj Kapoor is legend,and this movie solely depends on his character.well he did complete justice to his role,Shabana played a marvelous part too but was not given proper character development at the end of the movie.Anusuka is awesome talent too,her role completely defines the magnum opus whenever Mr.Pankaj and her are on the scene..now for Imran,i felt sorry.this guy didn't understood the importance of his role.its a meaty role and easily make u climb in the ladder of an good actor but he is the only disappointing factor in this movie.the kid is new on the block and a relative of Aamir(who is turning as a big loser with Ta lash) who also is a great actor.i wished his role would be given to the likes of Irfaan khan.The only thing supports him is the dialog's and the other actors performances which makes us tolerate him..well Vishal could have kick him out of the project.Vishal aren't u taking workshop with this guy.and what happen to screen test.Are these process not happening in this industry? p.s--What i admired in this movie is the dialect of all the actors,except Imran who was really not getting it. Vishal scored big-time with his movie and hope we will not see his downfall.i wish he makes the movie in his trademark style because we love him for it.he didn't tried anything new,well obviously he had a command on the UP,Haryana flair and the dialog's he had written for it were awesome.i think if the screen presence of Mr.Pankaj Kapoor could be lessened a bit because it was again kinda getting repetitive and justifying Ur point by giving all the character development to a protagonist. and a one man show for me which is so typical of Indian cinema.but now the barometer is set up by the director and the editor to this industry in his own ways..hope everyone learn and take the good side of film making which was delivered by the director

go for this movie for witty dialog's,Pankaj Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj

Vishal Bhardwaj one of my favorite directors,starting from Makree (The Web of the Witch) to Blue umbrella, Omkara and Kaminey he have always been original and spot on creative. Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola is a political Comedy, a comic approach to a very serious issue, and VB have done it perfectly. The Script is very well written and dialouges are really good. The film is a pure entertainer right from the start till the climax. Pankaj Kapur is the soul of this film, delivering an acting masterclass and a riveting performance and with his rustic dialogue, keeps you hooked the whole time, Pankaj Kapur have given a great energy and passion to this film and he have delivered a stunning performance. Anushka Sharma was good as Bijlee, she looked absolutely stunning and beautiful. Shabana Azmi was great as the Minister and her performance was really fantastic. Imran khan have done a good job as Matru and he should feel proud about this role, offcourese he is not perfect but he have put in a lot of effort to adopt the Haryanvi accent and credit should be given to him. The music was really good, especially the folk songs, VB have again done a great job with the music. But the show belongs to matru for his excellent performance with great energy and rusty "pencho** pencho**" dialouges. every one in the hall cheered for Matru throughout the film and after we left the Hall "Pencho** Pencho**" was all around the parking area and every one was cheering "Pencho** Pencho**" awesome film hai. I would recommend this film to every one, If you have wasted your money on Films like Khiladi 786, Dabbang 2, Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum and son of Sardars this is the film you must go to and I guarantee it worths every penny.

It doesn't take you long to figure out that you're right in the middle of a Vishal Bhardwaj-created surreal village in the heartland of rural India. The farmers of the wonderfully atmospheric fictional village of Mandola are an unhappy lot, grim about the prospects of this year's harvest. To add to their misery, the supposed owner of the village, the alcoholic billionaire Harry Mandola, after whom their village is named, isn't doing much to get the problem fixed. Okay, we get the picture because we're too familiar with it by now. Bhardwaj, a filmmaker, writer and composer of great repute, dishes up a quirky setting by populating his plot with a bunch of weirdos who are against the tyrannous government. Sadly, "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola" doesn't make an attempt to seek a plausible solution to the plight of many-a farmers in our country and instead chugs down the familiar path of moral behavior and conscience in the face of tyranny.

Harry Mandola (Pankaj Kapur) is an alcoholic billionaire who has a split-personality. He is extremely kind to the farmers when he is drunk and is livid with them when sober. He wants to seize their land and get factories and shopping malls running on them, which they're not willing to give up. On their side is Matru (Imran Khan), Harry's right-hand man and driver, who is close friends with the drunken-side of his boss. Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) is Harry's reckless Oxford-educated daughter, who squanders time for most of the day and dreams about marrying her boyfriend Badal (Arya Babbar), son of a powerful politician Chaudhuri Devi (Shabana Azmi). Chaudhuri Devi wants the build flourishing factories on the land and needs Harry's help to take the farmers out. The farmers, though, are saved by the invaluable help of the seemingly non-existent guardian angel of theirs who goes by the name of 'Mao'. The plot examines the relationships of our billionaire with his right-hand man and his daughter and focuses on the plight of the farmers who are trying to save their land.

Though the film has a satirical feel to it, it does not incite as many laughs as we would've liked to have, though there are some sparkly moments that generate genuine guffaws. The snazzily-shot film effectively captures the plush landscapes as well as the ominous badlands of rural India. In one remarkable sequence in the film, Harry and Matru, both drunk silly, challenge a solemn well to get out of their way. The performances, coupled with the writing in that sequence, make an absurd idea click. The colorful dialog is quirky and delightful, often making a few sequences work when the plot fails in the attempt. Bhardwaj, one of India's premier screenwriters, infuses easy humor into rich dialogs throughout the film. In addition to being a terrific writer, he also keeps an ear out for the rural Haryanvi dialect and does a great job of getting it right.

Though some ideas click, far too many fall flat. For instance, the plot lingers on the dangerously thin border of absurdity and originality. On which side it finally ends up falling on may differ as per your viewpoint. Bhardwaj makes a grave error of taking up a familiar idea, already discussed before in Anusha Rizvi's astounding "Peepli Live", a satire which may well be the most overlooked Indian film in recent years. The film drones on after a while, mixing ridiculous situations with absurd humor which may appeal to the fans of the genre but which may be labeled as blatant by others. Also, the annoying screen-presence of a pink buffalo does little to save the meandering plot, making you wonder why Bhardwaj, from all the paradoxes in the world, chose a buffalo soaked in pale pink to illustrate Harry's hallucinations. The idea is borderline illogical. As the film reaches its climax with some scarce moments of humor in between, Bhardwaj decides to opt for a safe, rather clichéd climax that is disappointingly derivative of a few films which tackled a similar subject. Though ending the film in a positive way is understandable, a filmmaker of Bhardwaj's stature would've opted for something more compelling, I had thought, but that did not happen.

Though the film's share of negatives is more than its positives, the performances by the whole cast are incredible. Kapur, a grossly underrated actor, outperforms his co-stars by a mile. He is superb in the role of Harry, playing both personalities of the same character with aplomb. Khan, Azmi and Babbar are wonderful in their respective roles. Sharma, who plays an underwritten role of Harry's daughter Bijlee, plays the usual sassy character she's famed for playing. Babbar is a surprise package, giving a marvelous, controlled performance, clearly understanding his role in the film and playing it accordingly.

With "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola", Vishal Bhardwaj audaciously ventures into the commercial territory of Indian cinema and we duly note that down. Though nowhere as good as his previous works like "Kaminey" or the magnificent "Maqbool", it is effortlessly watchable. I still look forward to see him make more films on his forte of lisping gangsters and astrology-loving police officers.

This starts out in class warfare mode, extremely rich landowner, Harry Mandola, versus indigent farm workers. Bijlee is Harry's daughter. Baadal, the son of one of Harry's political ally Chaudhari Devi, presents her with a dance number complete with Zulu tribes people from South Africa. Matru is one of Harry's trusted workers, but he's a lower class worker. He's not so happy with Bijlee spending so much time with Baadal.

To add to the comedy elements, Harry has a history of excessive drinking, and he swears off toward the beginning of the film. Then he gets the DTs (delirium tremens), and starts seeing shocking pink water buffalo and the like. Harry's doctor's receptionist is a large woman who likes to wear pink. There's an ongoing joke in which she is referred to as the pink buffalo.

Chaudhari Devi has been a government official for 20 years, and has helped Harry get his way in exchange for this and that. At a party, Harry takes up drinking again. He calls Baadal in idiot, and trusts Matru to keep him from falling. Baadal seems to be Devi's emasculated son; she tells him how to think. Nice.

Baadal does, however, come up with the idea of destroying all the farmers' crops with a chemical that is a pesticide at low doses, and an herbicide at slightly higher doses. The land grabbers intend to poison the land for years, which will enable them to acquire the farmers' land at much lower costs so that they can do construction instead of farming.

How does this play out? Will Bijlee go with Matru, whom she has known for 20 years, or Baadal, whom she has known for 5, mostly at school? How will the movement of the disenfranchised poor versus the rich and corrupt turn out?

-----Scores-------

Cinematography: 10/10 Lovely.

Sound: 10/10 Very good.

Acting: 9/10 Imran Khan was very good. Pankarj Kapur was excellent. Anushka Sharma and Arya Babbar were rather good.

Screenplay: 8/10 Frequently funny, often touching. A bit long, though.

First, all movies that glorify mass murderers like Mao and Che should come with a disclaimer just like the movies that show smoking do. Beyond that, this is a movie that operates on simplistic axioms of "Rich Bad, Poor good" and "Industry bad, Farming Good". An absurd plot line that hobbles along with equally unbelievable and sometimes stolen characters and totally SMH situations (a rich man that is kind when drunk and mean when sober is as old as Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights'). An Oxford educated woman who jumps in a pond full of buffalos to retrieve a cricket ball, a politician's son who buys an entire tribe of zulu dancers and brings them to India, a man jumping off a crashing plane and parachuting himself directly to a scheduled town meeting- The list goes on. Unfortunately, over last decade, uppity movie-goers in India have sheepishly accepted that whatever Vishal Bharadwaj Makes Has got to be good — even when it is bad. There are some brilliant Moments - "Howzzat?", "Dekho magar pyar se" and "Gulabi Bhens" — but that is about it.

Madness with a mission and purpose, that's 'Matru Ki Bijli ka Mandola' in nutshell! Right from the word go, the movie seems to be sheer moron-ism! You will end up saying 'Kuchh bhi' so many times esp. before intermission. But dare not leave the cinema-hall at intermission going by the slack slow lack-luster and not so impressive first-half. Post intermission, however, the movie picks up pace, zeal, direction and life! Not delving much into the story line, I will straightaway go to my observations and comments:

• MKBKM couldn't have been so without the veteran 'manjha hua' perfectionist Pankaj Mandola Kapoor! He literally brought the weird Harphool Singh urf Harry Mandola alive on-screen. Seems Vishal Bhardwaj wrote the character keeping him only in mind. He does full justice to both his avatars, first, of a polished, sophisticated yet politically exploited millionaire and that of the rebel, cuss-worded, almost mad and guilt-filled man.

• Shabana Azmi is the other pillar of the film performance-wise. Both these actors of the erstwhile parallel cinema weave magic on-screen. She is quite convincing as the shrewd, opportunist, ruthless chief-minister of state. After Makdi, Vishal has given her yet another meaty role with negative shade and she as usual scores full marks.

• Imran 'Matru/ Mao' Khan gets into skin of the role as the film progresses and carries the rugged look well. However, he still lacks the killer-instinct of his competitor Kapoor (Ranbir) to carry such roles with 100% conviction. 'Bijli' Anushka is as usual her bubbly and loud best. High time gal! Move on and experiment. We are bored of seeing you in similar avatars in all your movies till date. Special mention of Arya Babbar who has been handed over the responsibility of creating silly comedy in the flick. He does it well, though he many a times he tries hard to copy the mannerisms of his pa, Raj Babbar. However, going by the character he plays, he looks merely a caricature of his actor father. Rest of the star-cast is fine.

• Now coming to the treatment meted out to the movie. The subject of effects and intricacies of land seizing from farmers by big corporates for industrialization and dirty politics involved in the same is innovative and very relevant. The dark rural 'Bharat' behind the shining urbane 'India' has been shown well. However, the mode used by Vishal this time is that of 'nukkad-nataks' which do not impress everyone especially in the beginning. The director has also used a lot of symbolism viz. Pink-cow somehow reflects the conscience of Mandola. The movie tickles your funny bone at many places and mention of many real- life political and business names brings in more relevance to the subject. Despite lot of pink-ism ('Gulabbo' and 'Gulabi bhains'), the movie isn't on a feminist mission!

• This doesn't mean that there is no flaw in the film. There are lot many of them viz. * Excess songs (at unwanted places) * Slack editing with many unrequired portions like that of aircraft crash (The media scene after that reminds you of a certain 'Joker') * Slow pace pre-interval - Good part is that unlike most movies these days which die after interval, this one peaks during climax and carries a 'happy ending'.

• Music has a usual Vishal Bhardwaj stamping and camera work too has the darkness quotient of Vishalism. Going by the serious subject highlighted by MKBKM, the entertainment quotient thereof and super performances by PK and SA, I would go with 3.5 stars out of 5. One time watch to banti hai bhai!

P.S.: Be ready to get 'beaucoup De' 'gaalis', which has now become a common culture in Bollywood flicks now!

I enjoyed MKBKM more than 80% of the time, which is far more than I can say for about 90% of the movies Bollywood spits out every year. Vishal Bhardwaj has done well with his first ever comedy movie, albeit a bit black, he deserves the credit despite the mixed reviews from the press.

The movie exhibited the charm of rural Haryana, had a plot that kept fast pacing from a comical relief to the sad side of free India matching the finality of almost all Bollywood movies where a boy-meets-a-girl with a happy ending!

Pankaj Kapoor almost ruined the movie for his performance was above and beyond the plot. His transition from the innocuous Mandola to the greed- driven Harry was so convincing that his presence was all that was needed to pull the audience away from the funny to the sad and vice versa. Irfan Khan played a forgettable side kick, Anushka added some chutzpa, Shabana Azmi played well and had one of the most memorable dialogues on "desh ki pragati", Arya Babbar did total justice to his role! The movie did have a promising start but I think the decision was made to play it safe and hence, the odd (happy-go-lucky) ending.

When there is a Name like VISHAL BHARDWAJ associated with a Project like this movie , there is a lot of expectations and hopes of excellent cinema with a collage of characters that a cine-goer expects. Sadly that only reflects in the second half (Addha) of the movie. First half is a waste of time where lot of screen time given to Mandola (well acted) and the character buildup but barring a few comic scenes of Mandola first half is a let down. Second half deals with current and ongoing situation of our own developing country, Farmers are manipulated to sell their land to govt by playing murkier politics. Second half is fast paced,dirtier,dark, witty and disheartening. The farmers issue in the movie is an eye-opener. Of the Cast , Pankaj Kapur as Mandola is simply excellent, Shabana Azmi as Manipulative Politician and Imran Khan as MAtru aka MAO have done a decent job. The show stealer is of course Pankaj Kapur but overall Package of the movie is not as expected of Vishal Bhardwaj.. i rate this movie 6/10 only for the Pankaj Kapur and the excellent Second Half.

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a powerful entertainer that describes how rich people and politicians eat up poor and needy to remain at the top. The movie is a true cult. It describes a serious issue in a comic way similar to what was done in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.

Imran Khan plays role of a lawyer who has stayed in his village to help poor farmers. Pankaj Kapoor plays role of Mandola, after whom the name of the village has been derived, and Anushka Sharma plays role of Mandola's daughter.

Pankaj Kapoor's performance is par excellence and Imran Khan has performed good too. Anushka Sharma needs to try something different than a bubbly character in each of her movie, but still she is promising in the movie.

A must watch movie, according to me.