Shankar has an expensive alternative

Shankar has an expensive alternative

Director Shankar has always been known for his extravagance in his films. Be it his Jeans or Enthiran, Shankar has always ensured that he leaves no stone unturned to make his film presentable and talked about. It comes as no surprise that Shankar has never been perturbed by the size, location or budgets of the film.

His upcoming film, I, which has Vikram and Amy Jackson in the lead, is no exception. The director had scouted for some impressive locations in China and he had also completed shooting some of the portions in the Chinese province in his first schedule.

 Credits : Times Of India

Chiyaan Vikram at Edison Awards 2013 | CVF

Chiyaan Vikram received Best Actor Award for Thaandavam at Edison Awards 2013 | CVF

A R Rahman Completes One More Song For Shankar's I

ARR tweets on I 

Director Shankar's I is bustling with progress. Mozart of Madras has now recorded a song for the film; AR Rahman tweeted "Just finished recording a song with Sunitha Sarathy for Shankar's I". 

With Vikram and Amy Jackson in the lead roles, the movie is currently been shot in Chennai at a majestic set in studio. This schedule is expected to last for 20 days, and would film a song and some talkie portions. 

The movie starring Vikram and Amy Jackson in the lead roles is expected to be the movie of highest budget, with regard to Indian cinema. None less than the Rising Sun Pictures has been roped in for the VFX and costumes are to be designed by the same designer, Mary E Vogt, who designed for Men In Black and Fantastic Four. It sure is going to be a visual treat.

Credits : IndiaGlitz

Vikram,The New Big Star

Actor claims he got six offers within a day of David's release

The country knows Vikram due to Raavan, and now thanks to David, the versatile actor is building up on that popularity. His upcoming film, I, portions of which are being shot in Hyderabad because it's a Tamil-Telugu bilingual, is a record holder of sorts. Its budget is a staggering `175 crore and 30 per cent of the film has been shot in eight different countries. It will also be the first South Indian film to release in China.

Within a day of the release of David, the actor got six offers. “Getting six offers within just 24 hours after the release proves that people liked and appreciated my work. I chose the film because the content as well as my character was something different.“ About the offers, he adds, “I will not disclose names but yes, the offers are from writers and directors. I have not read the scripts. I may go for all six of them provided the scripts inspire me.“ 

About his current work in Ttown, Vikram adds, “Currently I have just one Tollywood film, I, being directed by Shankar. It is a multilingual movie. I cannot divulge more about the film.“ On South stars migrating to Bollywood, he adds, “I think a film is a film everywhere as the business is the same. But Hindi films do have a wider audience. Making movies is a sensitive profession and if one decides to make films in different languages, he has to identify with the language.“

Credits : DC Hyderabad

Vikram on high Post DAVID

The actor got six offers within 24 hours of the film's release

Pan Indian audiences knew Vikram because of his impressive role in Raavan with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and now thanks to David, the versatile actor is building up on that popularity. Within a day of the release of the film, the actor got six offers.

“I'm happy with the good response that the film as well as my character received. My friends told me that audiences had praised by work while leaving the theaters,“ he said. “Getting six offers within just 24 hours after the release of David proves that people liked and appreciated my work. I chose the film because the content as well as my character was something different.“ 

He does two films a year these days instead of the one. About the offers, he reveals, “I will not disclose names but yes, the offers are from writers and directors. I have not read the scripts. You never know I may go for all six of them provided the scripts inspire me.“

Vikram is also all praise for David co-star Tabu. “She is an intelligent actor. We would often make spontaneous changes and she would come up with wonderful inputs bringing more life to the scenes.“ About his current work in T-town, Vikram adds,

“Currently I have just one Tollywood film, I, being directed by Shankar. It is a multilingual movie. I cannot divulge more about the film.“ The actor also has his own inputs about South stars migrating to Bollywood. “I think a film is a film everywhere as the business is always the same. Hindi films do have a wider audience. People involved in this profession have to work hard to attain success,“ he conclu

Crdits : DC

Shankar’s team clarifies I Shoot

Shankar’s team 
clarifies

    We had earlier reported that Shankar is shooting songs and scenes for his film I with Vikram and Amy Jackson in a studio in Hyderabad. However, his team clarified that the shoot is taking place as mentioned, but in a studio in Chennai.

Credits : TOI/ChennaiTimes

Shankar shoots for I song in Hyderabad

Shankar is set to begin shooting for yet another song for ‘I’ in Hyderabad today. A source in the know says, “A huge set has been erected in Prasad studio in Hyderabad, and Shankar and his team will be filming a song and some talkie portions there with Vikram and Amy Jackson. The director has paid a lot of detail to the designs of the sets as he wants it to be visually appealing. This schedule is likely to go on for at least 20 days before they take a break.”

The source also adds, “Rahman has delivered all the tunes for the film. Shankar shot for a song sequence during the third week of January as well. Another sequence was filmed in a different location at Chennai, where almost 500 foreigners were roped in to be part of the shoot.”

Credits : TOI/Chennai Times

Amy Jackson heads from Oz to Puducherry

The actress is currently shooting for Shankar’s ‘I’

 Shankar’s ‘I’ heroine took off to Puducherry on a whim on Sunday, after she found out that she had a couple of days free before she resumes shoot for his film. Amy Jackson tells CT, “I’ve been travelling constantly for the last couple of days.

I first went to Jodhpur with the team of ‘I’. We then travelled to Australia, and returned to Chennai recently. I was told that I had some time off before I begin my next schedule here. So, I just took off with my friends to Puducherry. This was just a fun trip.” So, how did she spend her time there? “The place is known for its beaches, and I’ve always wanted to check them out. So, we were strolling along the beaches and gorging on some scrumptious French cuisine. We visited some of the famous landmarks there,” says Amy.

Ask her about what the ‘I’ team did in Australia, and she says, “We didn’t shoot for the film there. I can’t talk much about the film without the director’s approval. But I can say this schedule was interesting because we didn’t exactly shoot there. Our expedition there will be part of the film in a totally unconventional way.”

Credits : TOI / Chennai Times

VIKRAM AT DAVID MEDIA INTERACTION STILLS | CVF

Chiyaan Vikram at David Hindi Movie Media Interaction Stills

Nidhi Subbaiah bowled over by Vikram's performance in David

Nidhi Subbaiah is not seen in Kannada films these days. The actress, who entered film industry with a Telugu film titled Sweetheart, is trying her luck in Bollywood. Nidhi Subbaiah has tasted little success in Hindi film industry with miniature roles coming her way. But the actress continues to be in Mumbai to create a niche for herself in Bollywood.

Recently, Nidhi Subbaiah saw Hindi movie David starring Vikram, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Vinay Virmani in the lead roles. The film impressed her a lot and more than that the Pancharangi girl was bowled over by the Tamil-Bollywood actor Vikram. 

She did not hesitate to share her feeling and praised the film and the actor on her Twitter account. She wrote, "Saw David last night! Quite an interesting film! Loved Chiyaan Vikram... Gosh isn't he awesome?"

David is a 2013 Indian Hindi action-thriller film directed by Bejoy Nambiar. The film also features Tabu, Lara Dutta, Monica Dogra and Isha Sharvani. The film revolves around the lives of three Davids, who live at different place and different period.

Read more at: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/kannada/news/2013/nidhi-subbaiah-vikram-performance-david-103228.html

Is Shankar's 'I' the costliest Tamil film made in Kollywood?

One Of costliest movies ever to be made in India was Rajnikanth and Aishwariya Rai Bachchan starrer 'Endhiran' producedby Sun Pictures.

Another big producer Aascar Ravichandran is known for his mega budget films is on a role now. His current production with Shankar is 'I' which has a cast of actors like Vikram, Amy Jackson, Santhanam and Srinivasan. However, rumours are that this movie had a budget of 80 to 90 crores, 

but now, sources close to the producer said that the actual budget of 'I' is about 145 crores. If this is true, then this film surpasses Rajinikant's 'Endhiran' and will be the costliest film ever made in Kollywood. Vikram said that the film is based on a life of a male model and problems he faces

Credits : IBNLIVE

Vikram: Fame in Bollywood is new to me

   Tamil movie star Vikram talks about coming to terms with stardom in the Hindi film industry. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he has his roots in the south Indian film industry where people are more polite than in Bollywood; or perhaps it's just because he is a newcomer. 
    In any case, Vikram, basking in the success of his role as a drunk fisherman in David, is cordial and softspoken. His media manager has scheduled an insane number of interviews that have to be wrapped between 12noon and 5pm. If he is irritated with crammed schedule, he doesn't show it. For most part, he is jovial and has the 'buddy' air that most newcomers in Bollywood have. Yet, there is a certain amount of earnestness in Vikram that you cannot miss. 
   When he speaks about his work the joking stops and he gets down to business. This isn't his first film in Bollywood. Like many before him, after having received tremendous success in Tamil cinema, Vikram hoped to carve a niche in Bollywood. His first outing was the disastrous Ravan where he played a second fiddle to Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. The film released, was tanked and Vikram's Bollywood dreams seemed all but over. 
    Then David happened. Critics, audiences and those who matter in Bollywood largely had good things to say about him in the film that received only an average opening alongside Midnight's Children and Vishwaroop. Today, on a fine winter afternoon in a plush Mumbai suburb, Vikram is basking in the warm glory of his personal success as he settles down for this interview. Edited excerpts: Are you happy with the response that you are getting for the film? I am very happy I am getting a good response for the film. I didn't expect it. 
    I knew there would be a good response when I signed the movie, but the way girls especially like my role, is really a pleasant shock for me. What kind of response did you get from the industry and fans? It is just four days since the release and I have already got five offers for films, so I think people have noticed my work. The movie is doing good in theatres too. I am used to this kind of fan following in Chennai, but Ravan had got mixed reviews and my character did not garner that much attention. So this is kind of new for me in Bollywood. I went to see the film in a theatre twice, once in Jaipur and once in Mumbai, to see audience reactions. 
   It was nice to see people laughing the moment I came on screen and even before I do anything that is funny. I entered the theatre after the show started so that nobody could see me, only the person sitting next to me knew I was there and told me, 'you are cute'. I got three offers of marriage. I told them I was married. This is the first time I have got marriage proposals but it is because girls sympathise with my character. I am a loser in the film and they feel sad for me. In my other films I am a tough guy. The last time I met you, you said speaking in Hindi was like giving birth to a child... I did? It still is, only now it is a caesarean; somebody helps you deliver it. 
    How was it playing a drunken fisherman? Did you have to drink a lot? Yeah, every shot I would tell them to give me liquor or else I will not shoot (laughs). I am an actor so I have to enact it. It is funny because in the next film I play a serial killer; just imagine, I will have to kill everybody! It is interesting because I have never played a drunkard in my life so I really enjoyed doing that Why have you entered Bollywood so late in life? I am doing fairly well in the South and there is no compulsion for me to act in any other language film. Everything is set for me: 
   I am working with big banners and big directors like Shankar and Mani Ratnam, I get a wonderful script and I get paid as well as any hero here. So, I don't need to work here as money is not an issue. I want to do something that really gets me excited. I thought David was that kind of role where my character was significant. So many people have called me. I am sure there is some deadly film working its way towards me. What do you have to say about southern films remade in Bollywood? The new trend is masala films but I don't know how long it will last, maybe a year or two, or it may frizzle out in six months. Even earlier, Hindi cinema had lots of masala films and remakes from the south. 
   A masala film helps to get Rs 100 crore, but then you still have Barfi! and Kahaani which were not masala films but still did good business. In Chennai masala films make lots of money but films like Barfi! and Kahaani will not make enough. They will be restricted to only cities, which is sad and which is why I say Hindi audiences have evolved. It is nice to work in films that cater to audiences who are tolerant of everything and open to any topic. 
    David is dubbed in Tamil so what was the response you got there? It didn't do good business there because they don't understand the concept. Also, from the Tamil point of view, my screen time is very little. They are not able to comprehend why I am doing such a film. I knew it wouldn't work there. They wouldn't understand why the hero is punching a woman and wants to run away with his best friend's woman, why he gets slapped by every woman, the pace of the film...it's a different audience. Do you want to do films in Bollywood because it satisfies your creative urge as you mainly do masala movies? I don't do only masala movies. 
   I do both kinds of movies. In the south too I do very hard hitting films. I played a person with a mental disability in Deiva Thirumagal, I did Pithamagan where I played a grave digger and I played a blind man in Thaandavam. Most of my films are performance-oriented. I do commercial potboilers like Samy or Dhool but even there I play a very strong character. I am looking at (Bollywood) as another language option. It has a bigger market and more people are going to see the films. I wanted to do David because it had an exciting plot and my story was very interesting (there are three different stories in David). If that happens in Bhojpuri or in Bengali, I am ready to do it. 
   I am very happy with the way things are down south. What is nice (in Bollywood) is that directors are working on really good scripts. That is tempting. Also, there are lots of good directors and good stories happening. I have got lots of enquiries since David released -- at least five already. I have not heard the script but will do that soon. I am sure I will do lots of Bollywood films in future. 
    What was the response after Ravan? After Aparachit (his first dubbed Tamil movie in Hindi) I got lots of offers, about 17, but after Ravan I got just three offers. But after David I am open to doing more Hindi movies as I am comfortable in Hindi. I am confident and can experiment with my roles in Hindi. So from Ravan to David, did you practice your Hindi? Not really. In Ravan I would be given dialogues just before the shot was taken and sometimes the whole scene would be just one shot, so it would be really difficult. With David I had my dialogues 10 days in advance so I knew my dialogues and I could concentrate on my acting. I had Karan Kashyap (who helped him in Ravan too) who helped me with my dubbing. He is amazing. He doesn't give up. He told me I was improving. 
    You have only worked with South Indian directors in Hindi; is it because you are more comfortable working with them? Not really. I did Mani Ratnam's Ravan because he did not get anyone he was happy with. I did not want to do a role in a Hindi film but he said I should do it, it would be interesting. Bejoy (Nambiar) was working with Mani sir during Ravan and he told me about David. I did not pay much attention but when I saw Bejoy's Shaitan, I was bowled over. I called him and asked him if he still wants to do David because I was now ready. 
   So, he did not offer me the role actually I called him to say you have that script let's do it. He wanted me to do Neil's (Nitin Mukesh) character but when I heard the whole script, I liked the character that I eventually did. Bejoy did not want me to do it; he told me it is for a character artist or a comedian. I told him that if you give me this then I will do it, otherwise I won't do it. After the film was shot, when Bejoy saw it on the editing table, he called up and said 'Sir, you are looking so nice in it and we are all laughing. I don't think anyone could have played this role better than you.' 
    Neil's character had a poetic slant. If I was given the choice, I would have loved to do all the three characters. In fact, I told Bejoy to let me do all three even though he had already shot Vinay Virmani's character. Even Neil wanted to play all the three Davids. I would have done all the three roles showing different physical traits for all three. It would be interesting for any actor to do all the three roles. Though there are three different Davids and three different stories, we never share each other's space or scenes in the film; the three never meet so we have different tracks. In my story, once I come in, my story travels with me, it is just about me. I found that very interesting. 
    You haven't done a full-fledged role in Hindi movies, not in Ravan nor in David. I would rather do a role like this, which gives me recognition, than do ten films playing a solo hero which doesn't have the same impact. People will always say I am a south (Indian) actor, (and wonder if) I will be able to do a Hindi film. But after seeing David, people will know that I can handle a Hindi script and I can do a good job. What was the difficult part of the movie? Diving into the water in the first scene was very difficult. I am not very comfortable with diving into the sea. 
   I was nervous and uncomfortable. They did the shot with someone else and I didn't like the dive, so I said I would do it. In the first take itself I did an okay job. But I dived three more times. Other than that, the role was so much fun.

Vikram speaks about Shankar's I for the first time | CVF

   Tamil superstar Vikram is on a new high. Shankar, whose Robot did to Rajnikanth what the first Terminator film had done to Arnold Schwarzenegger,is currently directing Vikram in a film simply entitled I. 

   Vikram tells me he has three different looks in Shankar’s I. “Yes, I am trying different looks. There are a lots of prosthetics involved. But more than external props I’m actually changing my physical look in I. I am changing my physique for the role. I have to lose and put on weight for the role, all in one film.” 
    Vikram has been on a grueling diet to get into physical shape for I. “I’ve actually fallen ill a couple of times. I is a do-or-die effort for me.” 
    Informs Vikram, “In terms of special effects, it’d be like my earlier film Aparichit with Shankar. The special effects would be ten times more advanced. It’s very hard work. It’s a tough role. But my toughest part to date was David. I had to be very normal and yet not be myself. When my wife saw David she told me this was the most difficult character I’ve ever played. 
    The challenge was to look drunk and to look lovelorn. Both are a a high of different kinds. And Isha Shravani is so pretty. Anyone would fall in love with her.” 
    Vikram is flying high. Literally. The Shankar film has the kind of special effects and prosthetics that one has come to associate with this director’s cinema, be it Indian (dubbed into Hindi as Hindustani) or Anniyan (Aparachit in Hindi). 
    Chuckles Vikram, “In the North because of the repeated telecast of Aparichit I am known largely for that film. At any given time it is on one television channel or another. I am currently shooting in Jodhpur and you won’t believe this. Little kids recognize me as the guy in Aparichit. And since I’ve lost substantial weight right now for Shankar’s I they’re asking, ‘What happened to you?’ But I am doing it very carefully, no steroids or other substance to mould my physique.” 
    About David Vikram remains supremely proud. “It was a lovely character, so endearing. Unfortunately a portion of my character’s back-story in animation was removed. That would have given a very cartoonish comic book feel to my character. 
    You get to see some of that in the Tamil version. But I am very happy with my part in the film. I had such wonderful co-stars—Ruby Chakravarti, Saurabh Shukla, Isha Shravani, Tabu. I had a wonderful time shooting with Bejoy Nambiar.” 
    Vikram also spoke his Hindi dialogues for the first time. “I had someone help me with the Hindi dialogues.” 
    Shankar I would also be released in a Hindi version. “It has to be. It’s a very expensive film. And I don’t think any other actor would ever want to attempt what I’ve done in I.”

Bejoy Nambiar gives freedom to actors: Vikram

     The film has been released, but southern superstar Vikram is still in awe of "David" director Bejoy Nambiar and has praised him saying he gives enough freedom to his actors. 
     Vikram too featured in Nambiar's recently released "David", his second Bollywood film after "Raavan". 
"Bejoy's strong point is the freedom he gives to an actor, especially me. He let me do whatever I wanted - whether it was my costume, or the way I looked in the scenes," the 46-year-old said here in an interview. 
     If Nambiar gave a free hand to his actors while shooting, he was always "there to give a lot of ideas". "He just lets you run wild and my character was something that needed to be free," added the star, who played a fisherman named David in the film. Pointing out another quality in Nambiar, Vikram said he also has a beautiful sense of music. 
    "He (Bejoy) has a fantastic ear for music, new sound. He has got beautiful sense of music. The way he cuts the film, and presents it, that's very stylish. I think all these are his strengths," he said.

SOURCE : TOI

Fishing in choppy waters | CVF

With “David” Tamil superstar Vikram tries to win over Hindi film audiences by showing them his ‘actor’ side

   Time and again we have actors crossing the Vindhyas to try their luck in the Hindi film industry with varying results. This week it is the turn of Vikram, the National Award winning Tamil superstar who will be seen in Bejoy Nambiar’s bilingual “David”. Set in three different time periods, the film is about three Davids fighting their Goliaths. Vikram’s “Anniyan” did good business in its dubbed version and he was appreciated for playing Dev in Mani Ratnam’s “Raavan”. In fact, it was his natural performance which was held responsible for highlighting the lacunae in Abhishek Bachchan’s efforts in playing the title role. 
    Vikram says he was waiting for a “David” kind of script. “I got many offers after ‘Raavan’ but I didn’t want to do it for numbers.” Vikram is one of those artistes who moved on from an actor to become a star and he realises it. He was offered the role of David played by Neil Nitin Mukesh but he declined it. “The character is very stylish and hard hitting but I had already played tough guy with shades of grey in ‘Raavan’. I didn’t want the Hindi film audience to say that Vikram is repeating himself. My strength is acting and ‘David’ will showcase that. People will watch and say ‘Wow! He can act’.” 
    So he opted for David who lives in Goa. “It is like being normal but at the same time performing. I had to look as normal as you see somebody on street but still not being me. It was tricky otherwise there was no challenge as such for me at this stage of my career,” says Vikram. Bejoy wanted to cast a comedian or a character artiste, somebody from stage for the role. “He said it is not ‘that’ kind of role. I said that’s why I want to do it. I enjoyed it. He is very carefree, irresponsible, loser…there is nothing that works for him but everything around him is funny. It is not slapstick comedy, though. People will find him cute. You will start falling in love with this character. It is the actor side doing a star’s role.” 
    He insists it is a kind of character which he has not attempted even in Tamil cinema. “He is not bothered about what’s happening around him. If his mother gets a cut he would say ‘Oh! You cut yourself’ and move on. There are fights, there is style but there is so much acting. There was no scope for it but when you will see the film you will say this is not Vikram. Not just Hindi audience, Tamil audience will also feel the same,” he promises. The title suggests that it takes off from the timeless David versus Goliath challenge and Vikram shares that here emotional, physical and spiritual problems take the form of Goliath and how the three Davids counter them indivudually, overcome them, forms the narrative. “There is a strong undercurrent of father-son relationship in all three stories as well. However, Bejoy has taken a very commercial way to present the complex theme. It is an intelligent film for sure but not an intellectual film.”
    Talking about the preparation for the role, Vikram muses, “Sometimes you do homework but sometimes as you are doing the role, you have recollections from your life and you incorporate it. Here I just thought I am playing a Goan, so I should not think too much and let the emotions flow. From costumes to acting style, Bejoy gave a lot of freedom. He wants the actor to enjoy the character and that helped me a lot.” Bejoy’s last film was more about style than substance but Vikram differs with this analysis. “‘Shaitan’ was appreciated by all. Yes, there was style but there was substance as well. Because it was his first film and a small budget film, it didn’t get the kind of attention it should have got in the theatres. ‘David’ might give you a whiff of ‘Shaitan’ but it is not ‘Shaitan’.”    
   One fails to understand why Mani Ratnam didn’t cast him for the Hindi version of “Raavan”. Vikram says he perhaps wanted to exploit Abhishek and Aishwarya, husband and wife, playing Raavan and Sita on screen. “This is a call that Mani Sir had to take and Abhishek worked really hard for the role. As for me doing the role, at that time I didn’t know Hindi well enough and also I find it interesting to play two different roles in the same film. In ‘David’ I found it very boring playing the same character in Tamil and Hindi. I think if Bejoy had given me another role in the Tamil version I would have enjoyed more.” 
    He maintains that language plays an important role. “Now that I know Hindi and even dubbed myself it was difficult for me to shoot the same scene simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. There were times when after shooting a scene in Hindi I found myself completely blank while doing the same thing in Tamil perhaps because I was thinking in Hindi.” Vikram holds he is not the only one presenting an amalgamation of actor and star. “I think a lot of people are trying. I like what Vidya Balan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar are doing.” With “Vishwaroopam” getting delayed because of the ban, now three big Tamil films are scheduled to release on the same date. “I feel one of the films might release at a later date. It is a producer’s call but I have full faith in ‘David’. Even if it releases a week later it will attract the attention of cinegoers,” he signs off.


 Between the lines… 

 On his knowledge about Hindi films 

    I don’t watch many Hindi films but my mother does. I only catch up with hit films. “Aradhana” was the first Hindi film that I watched. Then I enjoyed “Yaadon Ki Baarat”, “Sholay”, “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”, “Maine Pyaar Kiya”, all the hits. I never listened to the language just observed the performances. More than the films, Hindi film music has been an influence. I don’t understand completely but I enjoy the tunes. My mother introduced me to Hindi film music when she gave me the cassette of Mukesh’s songs. It was a collection of songs that Mukeshji performed in the US on his last trip to the country. It moved me a lot. For a long time I didn’t know about Mohammad Rafi or Kishore Kumar. To me Mukesh was the singer in the Hindi film industry. When I told this to Neil he was so touched. He breaks into “Sawan Ka Mahina”…. 

 On Salman Khan doing “Sethu” remake

  I think he did a great job and it was such a big hit. If I had done it nobody would have seen it! 

 On “Vishwaroopam” controversy 
    I think people should understand that some changes could be done to see that the film is released. If there are certain scenes which are objectionable I think people can sit and sort out the matter. After all Kamal Haasan has made the film for the love of cinema.

CREDITS : THE HINDU

CHIYAAN VIKRAM'S DAVID HINDI MOVIE REVIEW

Cast:Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Virmani, Vikram, Tabu, Isha Sharvani, Monica Dogra Director: Bejoy Nambiar 
   It is apparent from the outset that the unusual narrative triptych that constitutes David has inherent potential. It is another matter that it is, at best, only partially realised. Yet, in the end, writer-director Bejoy Nambiar delivers a film that he can be proud of, even more so than of Shaitan. Soaring, stylized, scruffy, scrappy and sharp by turns, David is never low on energy.  
   It plays around with a wide range of emotions, from the extremely intense to the oddly comical, from the flightily romantic to the strictly familial. It is about retribution, love and forgiveness - that is what each of its father-son stories respectively deals with. As the film repeatedly moves from the sublime to the absurd, it courts the risk of careening out of control. Mercifully, it doesn't. With a run time of 155 minutes, David tends to be a tad flabby at times. In other words, its pace is anything but consistent. 
    That apart, the quality of the writing (both in terms of how specific situations are set up as well as in relation to the lines spoken by the less convincing characters) is somewhat uneven. But there is always room for redemption. Negotiate the sudden leaps back and forth between time zones and stories. Overlook the occasional overstretched passages. And discount the gaps in factual accuracy and logic - mid-1970s London was hardly the kind of battleground for Indian secret agents and enemies of the nation that David would have us believe it was.  
   Take that in your stride, and the film, taken as a whole, might just make sense. David displays courage on many fronts. One, none of its three storylines plays out along conventional lines. The tale of vengeance, shot entirely in black and white and set in a sombre Muslim milieu in Bradford, is anything but your average revenge saga.  
   The love triangle - it is about a hard-drinking Goan, a younger friend and a dainty hearing and speech impaired girl - flies off at a delightfully whimsical tangent, never to let go of its zany surrealism. And the thematically strongest, if not necessarily the most riveting, segment of the film - woven around a struggling Mumbai musician's thwarted ambitions and his rediscovery of a misunderstood father in extremely trying circumstances - takes on stark political overtones rooted in the theme of religious fundamentalism. The stories, set in three different eras (1975, 1999 and 2010), are tenuously connected and the film jumps from one to the other as the three male protagonists, all named David, fight their inner demons over a period of exactly a month. 
    David is unique also because it is a rare Hindi film that locates itself exclusively in spaces where India's two principal minority cultures - Muslim and Christian - dominate, without the filmmaker resorting to the cliched ritualistic trappings that go with any such depiction of the communities on the big screen. Interestingly, the only Hindus who are portrayed in David are just fringe players in the tale of a Christian priest and his music-loving son who are assaulted by a marauding mob led by a religious chauvinist (Rohini Hattangadi in a cameo) waging a counterfeit war against 'forced conversions'.  
   For a Mumbai movie, quite a remarkable plot reversal that! Visually, too, David isn't run of the mill, with each of the three stories projecting a distinct feel, texture and colour. The black & white slice, in which Neil Nitin Mukesh is a cold-blooded hitman in the service of a patriarchal real estate tycoon who is on India's black list, is a dark, brooding and bloody gangster drama cast in the mould of a noir thriller where sly whispers and quiet gestures are enough to strike fear in the heart. 
    The Goan segment of the film has a hearty Latino flavour, enhanced markedly by Remo Fernandes' robust rendition of the Konkani festive song, Maria Pitache. He belts out the number as a sloshed David (Vikram) unleashes pandemonium in a ramshackle shack that can barely withstand the all-out depredation. The youngest David - the one in the Mumbai musician's story - is played by a dreadlocked Vinay Virmani (who debuted in 2011 with the Indo-Canadian Speedy Singhs). 
    His Rastafarian look lends parts of the film a Caribbean feel, which is played off against the humdrum trappings of the lower middle class chawl that he lives in. Neil Nitin Mukesh, in Johnny Gaddar mode, delivers a performance that is restrained and yet forceful. Vikram lays into his character with obvious delight and vigour. Vinay Virmani does not break into a sweat in articulating the anguish and anger of a young man who seeks elusive answers from an insensitive world. 
    The supporting cast is also a notch above the ordinary. Nasser (as the priest) and Tabu (as a spirited Goa massage parlour owner and David's wordly-wise confidante) make the most of the limited opportunities they are given. Monica Dogra (as Noor, the girl in love with the London assassin) and Isha Sharvani (the hearing and speech impaired beauty) aren't wasted either. Especially striking is Dogra's warts-and-all interpretation of a convention-defying woman who loves her man too passionately to care a damn about social and religious niceties. 
   David has enough sinew to offset its share of flaws. Strongly recommended.

CREDITS : NDTV