My Weekend Bash - The Dark Knight!

Weekends mean party time for all Hyderabadis, and we were not surprised, therefore, when we encountered SOLD stamped against every show in PVR Cinemas, Sunday evening. We loitered at the ticket counter for over an hour, hoping that a couple of cancellation tickets would pop up. Whether it was our persistence that paid off, or whether the guy at the counter was sick and tired of our droopy faces, we'll never know. The light flashed available for Batman, we raced like mad to the counter, outran everyone else, and before we knew it, we were marching triumphantly to the theater, tickets, pepsi and popcorn all in place.

I looked forward to a good deal of excitement from the film, and, it didnt disappoint me. The Dark Knight is a Batman film, but we cannot term it as a superhero film in the strictest sense of the word; Our Batman is not a typical superhero, he cannot fly on his own, he doesnt have a readymade web springing from his wrist with a single flick of his fingers; nor does he have the uncanny ability to know what's happening in every nook and corner of the world. He is more of a masked James Bond, a techie, who relies entirely on his hi-fi technical equipment to defeat his enemies. The enemy, in this case, being our Joker. Heath Ledger portrayed himself as the Joker to the hilt, so much so, you find it difficult to associate that this amiable, handsome young man played one of the most gruesome villians with panache and style. The character of the Joker is malicious, cunning, and heartless; he knows how to play around with people's minds, influence them, provoke them to his benefit.

Other characters in the movie include Harvey Dent, the District Attorney; Harvey is ambitious, and nurtures hopes for a city free from crime; he wants to make it happen, and soon. So much that, he risks his life, his career, to catch The Joker. Harvey is in love with his attractive assistant, Rachel, and is full of optimism about his life. Fate has other plans in store for him. Lieutanant Gordon is Batman's trusted ally, and the backbone of Gotham's legal department. All in all, the film was awe-inspiring, though I could'nt help feeling for Heath Ledger, the actor. If you havent watched it yet, then please do. Its an experience in itself.