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A jolly good show for three generations

ZIYA US SALAM

DEITY DELIGHTS: Director G. V. Samant's "Hanuman" is enjoyable all the way.

HANUMAN

(At PVR Plaza and other Delhi theatres)

Mythological films have always held the faithful in thrall. Right from the time of "Sampoorna Ramayan" there has seldom been any shortage of people queuing up at the box office to see their favourite deities on the silver screen. In the 1970s "Jai Santoshi Maa" revolutionised the concept of mythologicals with its evocative bhajans and Usha Mangeshkar got a lifeline with the next generation courtesy "Main to aarti utarun re Santoshi Mata ki... ."

Now, it seems, the mythological films are due for another change. After many damp squibs like "Luv-Kush", "Mata Vaishnowali" and "Maa Ambe" Sahara One has made bold attempt to make an animation film on Lord Hanuman. It is Hindi cinema's first full-fledged animation film, considering "Bhaggmati" only had some parts of animation. And it has not come a day too soon, considering mythological films have been losing their faithful followers to the more personalised charms of the small screen.

It is a case of an apt subject selection too, considering the monkey god lends himself to a lot of likeable special effects. Now floating across the sky to fetch the sun, now flying across the sea in search of Sita, now lifting a rishi muni lost in meditation, he is so endearing, so natural, you forget that you are watching the animation form of a deity! In his antics there are shades of Krishna, in his action, there are shades of, well, Superman. In his journey across the sky, he proves he is Vayu's son. And in devotion he is unparalleled. Need one say more for what is, at the root of it all, just an animation character?

But such is the magic of G.V. Samant's craft and his dexterous handling of the unfolding drama that you don't have to be a devotee of Hanuman to relish the fare, to be momentarily lost to the outside world.

Yes, the animation is good and some of the special effects are splendid - just as some of them need to be really better. And narration is good without diluting the message of the god who was a great devotee of Lord Ram and went on to save Sita for the Lord! Where Samant, a National Award winner, deserves greater praise is the way he has handled other characters from mythology. The film is about Hanuman but nobody is reduced to a foot soldier. Not Lord Ram. Not Sita. Not even Angad or Sugriv. Even Ravan and his cohorts seem plausible. Now here is a worthy lesson for all those directors handling one hero of our history, and reducing others to also-rans. Are there too many heroes from our mythology or history more popular than Hanuman?

Yes, this film should be watched. By kids who thought Indians were not capable of magic on the screen. It should be watched by Grandpa and Grandma too, who were wondering if the new generation would ever get close to religion. It should be watched by the middle-aged too. Why? For a first-hand experience that mythology need not be a synonym for boring.

To top it all, the film is being released at an appropriate time too, after Dussehra, just before Diwali. Perfect isn't it that the deity responsible for the first Diwali is here!

INTO THE BLUE

(At PVR Saket and other Delhi theatres)

In a mood to pop corn while yours eyes feast on sexy bodies? In a mood to languor around watching the likes of Jessica Alba, she with a deficient acting quotient, and Jared Walker, once Fast and Furious, in a Caribbean-style setting? Go ahead, "Into The Blue" is that kind of film. You will enjoy it once you leave your mind at home, leave out all questioning ability and are prepared to swing along with a plot that challenges your intelligence, even if it provides a feast for the eyes along the way. Yes, there are bikini-clad girls in various moods and poses, there are guys with abs so tight you wonder how they breathe!

The story is simple. Fantastic, did one say! We have Walker as Jared and Alba as Sam living a life of contentment by the seashore. There is cocoa butter to be creamed off, there are beautiful bodies to be tanned. Ah! The very epitome of good times! He is into scuba diving, she is into shark handling. There is the sea, the sun, the sand. All making for an engaging visual feast.

But there is something missing. Hence, in comes Jared's friend, Bryce - Scott Cann - and a girl he made friends with only hours earlier. The foursome ventures to the sea to find two things: a hurricane had devastated a drugs plane but the drugs were safe in waterproof packing in the bed of the sea! And another such disturbance had claimed an old ship; again leaving behind pirated millions. In about 60 feet of water, the sea has a treasure of billions! How does the quartet reach there? What training do they have? And are there any official regulations? And what about the very human limitations of swimming alongside the sharks! Well, these are "finer" details director John Stockwell does not care to explain. After all, if you have beautiful bodies, who needs borings statistics? If you have nice curves, who needs a soul?

Well, sorry, some do. And that is where the film falls short. Yes, it has brilliant camerawork underwater, and some of the battles for survival without being really gripping are still interesting enough for a few fleeting moments. And then you have all those curls and curves. Now add up these moments. Is the end product greater than the sum of all the parts? No.

Dive in for "Into the Blue" if you are really desperate. Otherwise, there are better treasures lying in wait elsewhere.

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