Pranaam!
That Sanskrit greeting was involuntary, however, it stemmed out of a voluntary decision to go watch Arjun: the warrior Prince.
I first saw the trailer in the theater while I was watching Chota Bheem, the movie, and it looked so impressive, that I swore I'd watch it no matter what. (I had to take an action as big as an oath because I have missed way too many movies recently). Finally, I reacheda rather stinky movie hall of Fun Cinemas on the day of Arjun's release; thus, began my 2 hour journey on one of the 5 Pandavas... the movie-worthy warrior prince Arjun.
Summary:
The Story starts with Arjun as a child, when he along with his brothers join their guru for training in Hastinapur. The famous story of how he alone focuses exactly on his target during archery lessons has also been included. (Yayyyyyy! I grew up with that story... So you can understand the excitement.)
The story then moves on to the legendary, treacherous board game that cost the Yudhistir, his throne, kingdom, material possessions, brothers and, umm... wife Draupadi. It further moves on to their 13 year exile and the resulting battle of Virat.
The story includes those chapters that most of us know already. It is the story-narration that makes it all interesting and probably saves the movie from being downright boring. What I really like is the twist of who the story-teller is; but you're going to have to watch the movie for that as I am not going to put out that spoiler for anyone.
The music, cinematography, animation and voice-overs are truly brilliant and a class above the animation we have seen so far in the Indian cinema. However, it lacks on the screenplay. Rajesh Devraj, the screenwriter, could have made it more quick paced and gripping. But this is the only place where Arjun: the warrior prince loses its luster.
The Animation is the first of its kind in India. International quality and brilliant detailing surround it and all in all, it's a great job done.
Characters:
Each and every character was well created, such that the character sketch that you may have had of each one is almost perfect. Care was taken to show their attire and even their wooden sandals as those used in that age.
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Locations:
I have one word for this one: breathtaking. The attention to detail is ingenious. This is how India must have looked like in that mythological era. They have captured the idea and presentation so darn well. Even the trees and landscape look exactly like they're native to India.
The detailing given to the palaces are by far the best. I find it hard to write anything about it to describe how good I thought it was. But it was gooood....
Voice-overs: The voice-overs were fantastic! They were exceptionally pleasing to the ear. One of India's great pride (of the past, of course) is the sweet and "vinamr" manner of speaking. This attribute too has been beautifully achieved by the voice artists of Arjun: the warrior Prince.
Some of the voice-over artists are:
High-points:
There were certain scenes in the movie which will be remembered by me for eternity.
One was the scene at the Swayamvar of Draupadi, when Arjun strikes the fish and wins her hand. The whole effect put up of him jumping into the pool and striking his arrow are spectacular to say the least.
Another scene to watch out for is the battle at Virat, and the formation of the Chakravyuh. It is at this point where the movie finally gains a certain momentum.
My rating: ****
4 stars just for the great effort and quality of work. I would have given that one last star too, provided the story had been treated with a better screenplay.
Do give Arjun a chance to strike your eye with his arrow. This Pandav deserves it.
Au revoir,
Miss Bee.
I tweet on: https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/
P.S.- I am back on twitter with my own personal account! Do follow me on the link above! See you, fellow birdies..!
That Sanskrit greeting was involuntary, however, it stemmed out of a voluntary decision to go watch Arjun: the warrior Prince.
I first saw the trailer in the theater while I was watching Chota Bheem, the movie, and it looked so impressive, that I swore I'd watch it no matter what. (I had to take an action as big as an oath because I have missed way too many movies recently). Finally, I reached
Summary:
The Story starts with Arjun as a child, when he along with his brothers join their guru for training in Hastinapur. The famous story of how he alone focuses exactly on his target during archery lessons has also been included. (Yayyyyyy! I grew up with that story... So you can understand the excitement.)The story then moves on to the legendary, treacherous board game that cost the Yudhistir, his throne, kingdom, material possessions, brothers and, umm... wife Draupadi. It further moves on to their 13 year exile and the resulting battle of Virat.
The story includes those chapters that most of us know already. It is the story-narration that makes it all interesting and probably saves the movie from being downright boring. What I really like is the twist of who the story-teller is; but you're going to have to watch the movie for that as I am not going to put out that spoiler for anyone.
The music, cinematography, animation and voice-overs are truly brilliant and a class above the animation we have seen so far in the Indian cinema. However, it lacks on the screenplay. Rajesh Devraj, the screenwriter, could have made it more quick paced and gripping. But this is the only place where Arjun: the warrior prince loses its luster.
The Animation is the first of its kind in India. International quality and brilliant detailing surround it and all in all, it's a great job done.
Characters:
Each and every character was well created, such that the character sketch that you may have had of each one is almost perfect. Care was taken to show their attire and even their wooden sandals as those used in that age.
.jpg)
Looks of characters that I was impressed with most were those of Duryodhan, with his long mustache and the belying evil brains; Shakuni, the evil uncle of the Kauravas... his character perhaps impressed me most because of how they had shown his behavior, in addition to the fat body, evil eyes and manner of his speech; and of course, Arjun's. His inner steel was somehow so well shown on his face. That explains why it took 4 long months to design his look. Well done, folks.
Locations:
I have one word for this one: breathtaking. The attention to detail is ingenious. This is how India must have looked like in that mythological era. They have captured the idea and presentation so darn well. Even the trees and landscape look exactly like they're native to India.
The detailing given to the palaces are by far the best. I find it hard to write anything about it to describe how good I thought it was. But it was gooood....
Voice-overs: The voice-overs were fantastic! They were exceptionally pleasing to the ear. One of India's great pride (of the past, of course) is the sweet and "vinamr" manner of speaking. This attribute too has been beautifully achieved by the voice artists of Arjun: the warrior Prince.
Some of the voice-over artists are:
- Yuddvir Bakolia- Arjun
- Anjan Srivastav- Lord SHiva
- Sachin Khedekar- Lord Krishna
- Ila Arun- Kunti
- Vishnu Sharma- Bheeshma
- Rageshwari Sachdev- Draupadi
Music: Surprisingly, the music was really good. Composed by Vishal Shekar, the songs had a Bollywood-ish feel, but were all good pieces of work. You will leave the theater wanting to hear the music again for sure.
The background music too was exceedingly appealing thanks to the large variety of classic Indian instruments used.High-points:
There were certain scenes in the movie which will be remembered by me for eternity.
One was the scene at the Swayamvar of Draupadi, when Arjun strikes the fish and wins her hand. The whole effect put up of him jumping into the pool and striking his arrow are spectacular to say the least.
 |
| Arjun aiming at the fish |
Another scene to watch out for is the battle at Virat, and the formation of the Chakravyuh. It is at this point where the movie finally gains a certain momentum.
On the whole:
UTV motion pictures and Walt Disney Pictures put up one good show and hopefully, a start to more such quality animation films to come. I say, go give it a watch. Don't be under the impression that it's just a children's film. I think it a film meant more for the adult audience, especially considering that the pure Hindi language used at some parts definitely lie outside the understanding of young children.My rating: ****
4 stars just for the great effort and quality of work. I would have given that one last star too, provided the story had been treated with a better screenplay.
Do give Arjun a chance to strike your eye with his arrow. This Pandav deserves it.
Au revoir,
Miss Bee.
I tweet on: https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj
Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/shoestopper
Website: http://www.shoestopper.com/
P.S.- I am back on twitter with my own personal account! Do follow me on the link above! See you, fellow birdies..!
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