Scanialara
You won't be disappointed!
Konterr
Brilliant and touching
Spoonixel
Amateur movie with Big budget
SivakumarBalachandran
Story of two people happening in two different eras sharing nothing in common except their names. The entire movie seems to be very slow and so much loop holes on screen play (no trace on what happened to the passionate profession of the leads suddenly on the story).Another horrible thing about the movie is its re-recording. In so many areas we could see Vikram merely dubbing without lip sync. The reason is it's made in two languages at a time. So obliviously many parts where dubbed. So we lose interest on the story line because it fails to connect really. And coming to the star cast we have Vikram and Jiva as the leads. Then we have Tabu, Isha, Laura Dutta and Nassar on supporting roles. Out of which Isha as a deaf and dumb girl stays on our mind since she looks picture perfect for the role. On the whole this movie was definitely a boring experience. It is not really a good kick start film of the year for vikram and jiva.Sivakumar Balachandran (
[email protected])
sujoy-lahiri
The following review might have spoiler, as if it matters:Three different stories with absolutely no connection between each other, keep getting narrated in a fairly good cinematography with absurd plots and stories. 1975, London, all Muslim south-Asian characters, godfather like mafia gang, kills people constantly like rats. Black & white convinces you its 1975 as there was no colored film in 1975 !!1999, Mumbai, a Christian priest gets publicly harassed by Hindu extremist politicos, which gets tele-casted in the news channels but no one does any thing except his son running from one man to another woman asking why did they do it and gets beaten up repeatedly.2010, Goa, Vikram the south Indian star keeps boozing and quite understandably hallucinating throughout the movie.Dare to know more? Watch the movie "David" by yourself and waste your time. I wasted quite a lot of mine watching this crap and writing this review as well. What a waste !!
rangdetumpy
Bejoy Nambier had brought in dark psychological cinema in a sleek fashion & raised the bar with "Shaitan". With "David" he only sealed the fact that he is a consummate artist.David is about three "Davids" in different places & time-zones & how they are connected by destinies.David #1-Set in 1975 London, David(Neil Nitin) is the side-kick of an infamous gangster Ghani. A sharp shooter & a Ghani loyalist, David's life takes a turn when some arcane matters regarding his origin comes to surface which challenges his relationship with Ghani.David #2-Set in the 90s Mumbai David (Vinay Bimani) is an energetic aspiring rock-star who aims big. Like any regular guy he loves his family even though there is an ideological tension with his father who is an incorrigible optimist & a philanthropist. The father-son proximity develops when a Hindu fundamentalist with a sinister motive tries to malign his Christian father to rise up the political ladder by maneuvering "religious" sentiments. The incident gives birth to a new David who takes the risky path to unravel dark societal realities.David #3-Set in 2010 Goa, David (Vikram) is an inveterate drinker having a sad history of his wife leaving him on the wedding day. From thereon he becomes the object of "bad luck" in his region. With a troubled existence he is in search for true love which comes in form of beautiful "roma" who is the fiancée of his best friend Peter.The beauty of Nambier's film is the structural & thematic similarity of the three stories that move in parallel. The film starts with a glimpse of the climax and goes back to the genesis of each segment. Each of the stories reflect father-son relationship and the trajectory is thematically same. Each "David" is fighting their inner Goliath as they choose the path of redemption. While "Shaitan" gave us a glimpse of how the darker side have the potential to control human psyche, "David" explores the world of truth & forgiveness amidst dark & unpleasant times. "David" shreds their past anguish, forgives their present enormity & fight against their inner Goliath to shape a peaceful future. That's what makes a "David' stand out from the crowd. He may be alone but not shaken.Nambier's eye for detailing is tremendous & every frame looks carefully edged out. The unconventional camera angles provided the extra zilch.The Varughese's cinematography & photography department demands awards for their excellence. The story set in London had the neo-noirish look with sleek black-and-white frames adding in credibility to the gangster story. The action sequences in both the London as well as Mumbai stories are 'choreographed" with precision. Ejaz Gulab's stunt is one of the best in recent times (along with brilliant action sequences of technical marvel "Viswaroop").veteran Shreekar Prasad's editing joins the story sensibly without confusing the viewers. Background & foreground are rocking and gels with the mood of the film adding extra weight to the proceedings. Two men fighting in the cage during "Mastakalander" song is a master stroke.Nambier & Sehgal's script is apt. The characterization is superb. The idea of David (the one in Goa) talking to his father's ghost is simple out-of-the world. The wacky yet cute sequences of father-son are fresh,honest,touching & funny.Amongst the actors all the Davids gave a commendable performance with Vikram scoring a little high over others.It is heartening to see a tremendous actress like Rohini Hattangadi getting such a powerful role & as a immoral Hindu fundamentalist she expressed devil through her eyes.Saurabh Shukla, another tremendous under-rated talent impresses as ghost of David's father.Tabu rocked in a significant cameo in a role of a true friend, philosopher & guide of David.Veteran Naseer excels as father Noyal.Neil Bhopalam,Monica Dogra,Shweta Pandit,Shetal Menon made their presence felt. Isha Shravani as Roma seriously looked like an angel.Lara Dutta's track looked forced.Nambiers film gives a message on the path to righteousness with a captivating narrative.It could have been a superlative experience like "shaitan" but thanks to the dragged second half it misses out from being a masterpiece.Also the stories could have been more compact for more impact. Nevertheless David is fine celluloid attempt which needs to be appreciated for its innovative execution. Looking forward to all Nambier's films in future..'Spoiler' P.S : Couldn't resist myself from writing about a particular sequence from the film.In the second story there is a discerning sequence which is an eye-opener to the god-fearing society. Like other business "God" has become a subject of business with 'bhagwan",'allah',"jesus" being different brands created by people with vested interests. It is analogous to "undergarments" business whereby people wear their own brands even though all of them are the same thing. Like depicted in "OMG" those people have no religion & they manipulate religion for their own benefit. In the process the common man knowingly or unknowingly suffers.
gops-s21
Here's how the director must have convinced the producer for getting a green signal for this flick.Director: Hey I got an idea. Producer: Tell me. Director: Three lives.. Three destinies.. One name. David. Producer: Whoaaa..! That sounds so cool man.. Here's your cheque.David(2013) is an action/crime/drama thriller directed by Bejoy Nambiar,(the man behind Shaitan) that tells three stories of three men from three different eras that are linked by one name David or so we know until the final few minutes when the actual connection is revealed. Sound's promising isn't it?David is one of those films that try to be different. So if you are a person who chants 'Different is good.. Different is great' every time you enter the movie hall then chances are you might just end up liking this one.As for me I am fine with 'different' as long as it doesn't bore me which sadly this movie does. And to be frank there was nothing different except the editing that mixes three different time periods skillfully and some good music mixed with innovative slo-mo sequences that got me saying "Yeah.. now we are talking baby!"If you find my opinion horribly inconsistent, then seriously it's not me… it's this film that jumps up & down from entertaining to deathly boring every few minutes.So in a story set in 1975 London we have David(Neil Nitin Mukesh) who works for Iqbal Ghani, a mafia don.Then we have another David(Vinay Virmani) in another story set in 1999 Mumbai where he is a musician born to a Christian middle class family who struggles when his family is dragged into a political issueAnd there is a third David(Vikram) who is a fisherman living in Goa who falls in love with a deaf-mute girl Roma(Isha Sharvani) who would be getting married to his best friend in 10 days.So in simple words.. 1- Serious Action 2- Political Khichdi/Action 3- Romantic ComedyOf all the three stories the first one is easily the best of the lot. Shot in sepia and nicely acted this story seemed intriguing in parts. The second plot felt contrived and OK. The third one was entertaining in parts but horribly boring otherwise.Surprisingly this movie has such good actors and no one is convincing. Neil Nitin Mukesh and Vinay Virmani are OK and Vikram tries his level best to inject some life into an otherwise dull and poorly written character. At the end of the day it's the gorgeous Isha Sharvani who saves the film.Stylishly shot and slickly edited this movie is attractive to look at but the writing is so ardent for being 'out of the box' that it never settles its butt.Conclusion: Disappointingly average.
