Hyderabad Blues

Starring:Vikram Inamdar, Rajshri Nair
Studio: Tapeworm
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

It's Not About Cricket...
Pleasing Acting

Iqbal - A Story Above Cricket

Manufacturer: Ultra
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

It's Not About Cricket..........2006-08-28

Much like Lance Armstrong's award winning autobiography, 'Iqbal' is not about cricket. It's about a deaf and mute boy's ability to dream and his tenacity to meet the challenges that come with this dream. It's about his courage to defy convention and follow his heart.

The movie focuses around an 18 year-old deaf and mute boy who grows up in a small family in a farming village in South India. His mother and sister are huge cricket fans, but his father detests the sport. Needless to mention the boy grows up with a passion for the sport, and is a great player himself. Except he has never really played. But the thing is he can. He uses his talent to convince others that he's exceptional. He just needs a break, and he tries hard to get that break.

Without delving too much into the technicalities of cricket, the movie does an amazing job of convicing the audience that a person can be exceptional in many ways. Impairment of the senses are annotated with a lot of pity in our society. Iqbal makes a point that impairment or not, hard-work, sincerity and ambition can overcome all deficiencies.

What I love most about the movie is that it doesn't engulf the audience in a morass of unwanted histrionics; it gets to the point and moves right along. There are no Bollywood type songs and dances, but that's because this isn't a conventional Bollywood movie.

Everything said and done, Iqbal is a wonderful feel-good movie. Fantastic performances, good cinematography, decent editing, and a tight plot make for a riveting watch. Watch Iqbal...it's not about cricket.

Pleasing Acting.......2006-04-02

Shreyas acted well as the role of the boy who cannot speak/listen. He plays the role of Iqbal,18 year old, son of a farmer in a small village somewhere in India. This movie is not a "Black" yet it seems to have all the makings of a winner. We may never see a deaf and mute man play for our cricket yet this film fits the bill.

Nasserudin Shah predicates the role of a drunk; who goes on to coach Iqbal in the film. The role played by Iqbal's sister is substantial to the plot. The film is simple and even though there was no mention of this film anywhere in the award shows and no awards were handed out to Shreyas, the fact remains, it's worth a watch or two.

I've said enough. Enjoy what works for you.

Average customer rating:

Hyderabad Blues

Manufacturer: Rainbow
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FSFO3U

Average customer rating:

The Angrez
Director: Kunta Nikkil
Manufacturer: KAD
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Average customer rating:

Home to Home - An interesting journey
A clash of values

Hyderabad Blues
Starring: Vikram Inamdar , and Rajshri Nair
Manufacturer: Tapeworm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Customer Reviews:

Home to Home - An interesting journey.......2003-11-07

Hyderabad Blues is refreshing and sincere in its portrayal of the internal conflicts and the material adjustments that one has to go through when returning to India from the USA. What is honest is the predicament that a lot of first generation Indian professional settled in the USA are faced with. Where we work and live is home and where we are from and who we are is also home. I believe that this predicament is unique to Indians because their assimilation with the mainstream in the USA is just beginning.

Nagesh Kukonoor in the lead role as Varun is very comfortable in his debut as actor/producer/writer and director. He addresses the complex multi cultural issues and the emotional conflicts of an unmarried American returned professional male through the eyes of Varun who is bride hunting.

The film is rich in it's under current of sensitivity while retaining the honesty of the story line. There is levity in the film using commonplace daily routines which is brilliant and captures the essence without having to fall back on torturous monologues or tirades.
While the ending may seem clichéd to the average viewer the underline message is important. Through his own experiences he conveys the possibility of a happy medium.

Good movies need not essentially be tragedies or about tortured souls. What is unique about this movie is its intelligence and skill in capturing the story of millions of Indian professionals settled in the USA, sticking to the fundamental honesty of the representative experiences and still creating a celluloid treat.

Highly recommended for all those who interact with such Indian professionals in the USA.

A clash of values.......2001-07-17

Hyderabad Blues is the story of Varun (Nagesh Kukunoor, who also wrote, produced and directed) who returns home to India for a visit and has to deal with his matchmaking parents. It takes a humurous look at the customs and behavior, from an American perspective. He meets childhood friends who have of course changed over the years to embrace what he can't contemplate. Eventually he falls in love with Ashwini (Rajshri Nair) setting up some melodrama. The last act is a little disappointing as it moves towards a cliche ending. The movie works for the most part despite the low budget and amateur (yet natural) acting. The comedy is spot on and is very authentic, mixing dialogue in English, Telugu and Hindi. This is not typical Bollywood fare with the obligatory songs and fights. I also recommend 'American Desi' for something along the same lines..

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