Gulaab Gang (2014) - Hindi Movie Review

Gulaab Gang (2014) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Madhuri Dixit as Rajjo
• Juhi Chawla as Sumitra Devi
• Tannishtha Chatterjee
• Divya Jagdale
• Priyanka Bose as Sandhya
• Lata S. Singh as Tara
• Vinitha Menon as Vinita
• Rani Patel as Khushboo
• Tanvi Rao

Directed by : Soumik Sen
Produced by : Anubhav Sinha, Abhinay Deo
Written by : Soumik Sen, Anubhav Sinha
Music by : Soumik Sen
Studio : Alumbra Entertainment
Distributed by : Sahara Movie Studios

Debutant director's Soumik Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' featuring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla is a women oriented movie based on the subject – Women's Empowerment. It is produced by film-director Anubhav Sinha and borrows real-life references of activist Sampat Pal. It is for the first time that Madhri Dixit-Nene and Juhi Chawla will be seen on-screen together.

'Gulaab Gang' begins with the voice-over of Actor Anil Kapoor who introduces us to Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit). Anil Kapoor narrates the struggle of Rajjo who grew up in Madhvpur Village and had to struggle a lot to gain education. It is portrayed that in that village it is crime for girls to think of studies.

Rajjo grows up and forms a sangathan – Gulaab Gang and heads it with lathi. The group comprises of lathi-weilding women in pink saris and runs the gang with the motto of fighting against social injustice. The gang focuses on tackling issues of dowry, rape and also issues related to food, electricity and water. The pink gang rescues Kajri from her violent husband and greedy mother-in-law which give us a glimpse of the role of the feminist group. But Rajjo has zero level tolerance and becomes violent as she fails resolving issues peacefully. Sen's pink gang also deals with electricity and water issues and blocks corrupt government officials which are based on true events.

Slowly the focus of the gang shifts to politics and election war where they come across politician Soumitra (Juhi Chawla). Difference lies only in their principles. Soumitra is an influential politico head referred as 'Madam' by everyone. So we can say that the second half is in fact a bitter battle between Madamji and Didiji. The rest of the movie is all about fight to victory among the two with varying outlook on social reforms.

Soumitra is a shrewd politician. She takes revenge on people who call her by her name instead of 'Madam'. She sends the policemen on leave when they don't bow in front of her. During her political speeches she talks about her late husband and mocks tears. While in the next scene she doesn't leaves in cursing the insurance company for not receiving her due amount.

'Gulaab Gang' has portrayed Juhi not in a bubbly avatar alike in 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' but as villain. She is playing a mean evil political head and a role which carries negative shades. Madhuri is portrayed not as a 'dhak dhak' girl but as a leader of a girl gang who impresses all especially by her octane action scenes. Divya Jagdale (as Mahi) and Priyanka Bose (as Sandhya) play supporting role in this movie. Madhuri enjoys more screen presence compared to Juhi.

Director Soumik Sen's debut movie is based on the real-life of activist Sampat Pal. Editing, direction and screen-play have been highly taken care of. The two hours twenty minutes movie contains ideal composition of music by Soumik Sen. There is songs at every juncture of this serious movie which is a bit weird. Action scenes are finely directed.

Final Say: Soumik Sen has given impressive effort in his debut movie directing Chawla and Dixit in different avatars. Guys…Don't miss it!!

Queen (2014) - Hindi Movie Review

Queen (2014) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Kangana Ranaut as Rani
• Rajkummar Rao as Vijay
• Lisa Haydon as Vijayalakshmi
• Vinay Singh
• Mish Boyko as Oleksander (Sikander)
• Jeffrey Ho as Taka
• Joseph Guitobh as Tim
• Canadea Lopez Marco as Marcello
• Alka Kaushal as Rani's mother
• Tripta Lakhanpal as Rani`s grandmother

Directed by : Vikas Bahl
Produced by : Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane
Screenplay by : Parveez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar, Vikas Bahl
Story by : Vikas Bahl
Music by : Amit Trivedi
Cinematography : Siddharth Diwan, Bobby Singh
Editing by : Abhijit Kokate, Anurag Kashyap
Studio : Phantom Films
Distributed by : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Kangana Ranaut starer Queen is about a timid Delhi girl, Rani who sets off on her honeymoon alone.

Directed by Vikas Bahl, Rani is a 24-year-old girl, belonging from a conservative family in Delhi. Everything is good until her wedding. When everyone is in the midst of preparations, they get the news of her fiancé deciding to call the wedding off. Totally shocked, broken and confused, Rani instead of crying decides to move on. This is when she decides to go on her honeymoon alone, to Paris. In this wonderful journey she rediscovers herself and grows as an individual. It shows how this conservative and traditional girls breaks free, cherishing every moment and living her freedom, just the way she wished for. Initially she gets scandalized seeing the culture there, but then begins to bond with the people. She drinks, lets her hair lose, dances and does everything, she missed doing.

The film is completely fun and it might remind you of Sridevi's English Vinglish. The story, music and dialogues everything is just right. Hats off to Vikas.

Performance wise, well, no one can judge Kangana better. Because she has her own style and acting perfect in place. Our words would mean less praises for her. Brilliant! Lisa Haydon and Rajkummar Rao too play good supporting cast.

A great pick to keep yourself entertained. And beside you wouldn't want to miss this Kangana starer film!

Bewakoofiyaan (2014) - Hindi Movie Review

Bewakoofiyaan (2014) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Ayushmann Khurrana as Mohit Chadhdha
• Sonam Kapoor as Mayera Sehgal
• Rishi Kapoor as V. K. Sehgal

Directed by : Nupur Asthana
Produced by : Aditya Chopra
Story by : Habib Faisal
Music by : Raghu Dixit, Hitesh Sonik
Cinematography : Neha Parti Matiyani
Editing by : Antara Lahiri
Studio : Yash Raj Films

Do not be fooled by the title of Bewakoofiyaan ("Stupidities"). There's nothing stupid about this movie. Director Nupur Asthana and writer Habib Faisal use a familiar romantic comedy formula to tell an unexpectedly thoughtful story about how economics affect romantic relationships and one's sense of self-worth.

Life is sweet for marketing executive Mohit (Ayushmann Khurrana). He's got a new job, a new car, and a beautiful, successful banker girlfriend, Mayera (Sonam Kapoor). Mohit's driving instructor/life coach warns that one never knows what problems lie down the road, but as long as Mohit has Mayera, everything will be okay.

Mohit's plans to marry Mayera hit a roadblock when he meets her stubborn father, V.K. Sehgal (Rishi Kapoor). After struggling to raise his daughter on the modest salary of a government bureaucrat, Sehgal believes that Mayera must marry a man with a lot more money than Mohit.

Just when Sehgal decides to give Mohit a probationary run as a candidate for future son-in-law, the real disaster strikes: Mohit loses his job. His pride keeps him from taking jobs he considers beneath his MBA status, and the financial stress of keeping up with their free-spending social circle wears on both Mohit and Mayera. All this while they hide Mohit's unemployment from Sehgal.

Asthana establishes the appropriate humorous tone for Bewakoofiyaan given the characters. These people are executives, so scenes are funny without devolving into clownish wackiness, reliant more upon sly facial expressions than slapstick.

The secret of Bewakoofiyaan‘s success is Faisal's story construction. The story never drags, and scenes don't outstay their welcome. Themes are stated early and recur throughout the story. Faisal really, really knows how to write a screenplay.

One of my favorite aspects of the screenplay is a B-story that puts Sehgal in a similar position to Mohit, even though he doesn't know it. Forced to retire at age sixty, Sehgal feels - like Mohit - that his skills that aren't being utilized. He secretly enlists Mohit to help him find a job, over Mayera's objections. Seghal's introduction to the wonders of email, Google, and video games is very amusing.

The two jobless men form a bond, but they don't suddenly become best pals. That wouldn't make sense. Seghal is still stubborn, and Mohit still hates the idea of begging Seghal for anything, even Mayera's hand. Yet their bond pays dividends for both by movie's end.

Khurrana and Rishi Kapoor both do a great job at making their flawed characters sympathetic from the beginning and showing slow but steady growth. Both characters - united in their love for Mayera - must come to terms with the fact that they can't provide for Mayera as well as she can for herself and decide what that means for them as men.

During an argument with Mohit, Mayera complains that she's had to curtail her shopping since he lost his job. It's a testament to Sonam Kapoor's talent that she's able to make this complaint sound reasonable rather than whiny. Mayera's no less affected by Mohit's job loss than he is, just in different way.

All this exploration of male ego and the side effects of job loss aside, Bewakoofiyaan is still a Yash Raj Films romantic comedy. There are exotic locations, a pair of flashy dance numbers, and an easily accessible story. It just deserves extra credit for being smarter than it needed to be.

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Shahid Kapoor as Vishwas Rao
• Ileana D'Cruz as Kajal
• Padmini Kolhapure
• Darshan Jariwala
• Saurabh Shukla
• Sanjay Mishra
• Zakir Hussain
• Mukesh Tiwari
• Rana Jung Bahadur
• Deepika Kamaiah
• Tinnu Anand
• Nargis Fakhri (special appearance in an item song)
• Salman Khan as himself in a special appearance

Directed by : Rajkumar Santoshi
Produced by : Ramesh Taurani, Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Written by : Rajkumar Santoshi
Music by : Pritam
Cinematography : Ravi Yadav
Editing by : Steven Bernard
Studio : Tips Music Films

Films like Phata Poster Nikla Hero make me wonder about the larger purpose. What drove the makers to make this film? So, here we have the theme of a wannabe actor landing himself in situations which force him to become a real life hero. Squeezed in you have a mother's aspirations for her son. All of this is made out to be silly, just in case you take any of this seriously. But, then the laughs drain out because of repetitions and/or labored explanations. The story knows not where to stop and you are running around in circles much like the characters in supposedly comic climax fight sequence.

Andaz Apna Apna had an elaborate and absolutely hilarious last fight sequence - purely because it was silly beyond comprehension. Phata Poster Nikla Hero seemed to be gearing up to something similar. Unfortunately, it wasn't even close. Also, the sensibilities have changed since the 90s too. Which pretty much can be said of all of Phata Poster Nikla Hero.

From the texture of the film to characters like the righteous mother - the film has a very dated feel about it. As if the makers were relishing nostalgia, rather than make a fresh film. The only thing fresh about the film is Shahid Kapoor's performance. Yes, the role and the film's genre require him to be loud and so he is. Yet, there is a certain composure about his performance within the context of his character. He over-acts and yet there is some constraint to not get annoying.

Ileana D'Cruz on the other hand irritates soon enough, especially at places where she is required to pause between words for effect. The timing is all wrong. Though its cute to see Padmini Kolhapure back, her performance is as theatrical as it ever was. Darshan Jariwala, Zakir Hussain, Sudhir Mishra all go about their dos like they would in any third film that they do.

I must say though, there are times when you can't help but laugh at the silliness on screen. Much like Andaz Apna Apna - despite the annoying self-referencing jokes strewn across the film. But, of course, these times are few and far between. Less often than the completely out-of-context songs that are picturised in a completely different tone to make the misfit even worse.

In general, I find silly comedy cumboresome. Even Andaz Apna Apna, arguably the silliest of them all took its time to grow on me. At least, it went all out there. Phata Poster Nikla Hero seems like the writers lost steam within 30 minutes of run-time. How are we supposed to hold up for another two hours?

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Farhan Akhtar as Milkha Singh
• Sonam Kapoor as Biro
• Divya Dutta as Isri Kaur, Milkha Singh's elder sister
• Dev Gill as Abdul Khaliq
• Master Jabtej Singh as young Milkha
• Meesha Shafi as Perizaad
• Yograj Singh as Indian Coach Ranveer Singh
• Nawab Shah as Pakistani Coach Javed
• Art Malik as Milkha Singh's father
• Prakash Raj
• Pawan Malhotra as Milkha Singh's Coach Gurudev Singh
• Rebecca Breeds as Stella
• Dalip Tahil as Jawaharlal Nehru

Directed by : Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Produced by : Viacom 18, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Written by : Prasoon Joshi
Music by : Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Studio : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Distributed by : Reliance Entertainment

Right from the day, the trailer of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, showcasing Farhan Akhtar at his athletic best, was released, the expectations for the movie have been on a real high. The music of the movie with the title track and the rocking Zinda number, further escalated the hype meter. With movies such as Rang De Basanti to his credit, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has quite a lot of eyes on him as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a rare Indian sporting biopic, releases today.

The film begins with the Rome Olympics in 1960 where Milkha Singh finished 4th in the 400m and faltered just at the doorstep of Olympic glory. Soon after, there is an initiative by the Indian and Pakistani governments for a 'Friendship Games' and Milkha is expected to lead the Indian contingent. He shockingly backs away due to personal reasons and this sends shockwaves all over.

The film then moves back and forth as we are told about Milkha's past through his first athletics coach in the Army (played brilliantly by Pawan Malhotra). Glimpses of his childhood, the emotional toll taken by the partition on him, his days of dacoity as a young rebel, his first love, his initiation to the Army and of course his exploits and incredible hard work as a runner are part of the tale.

How Milkha achieves inner peace and comes to terms with the ghosts of his tormented past and becomes the world renowned 'Flying Sikh' is the finale of this glorious attempt by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Prasoon Joshi to pay tribute to Milkha Singh, India’s foremost athlete.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag wouldn't have been half what it is, without the total commitment and effort of Farhan Akhtar. You can't imagine anyone else as Milkha. His long locks, the authentic facial hair, the steely and wiry physique, those incredible 8 pack abs and the overall spontaneity that Farhan exhibits make Milkha come alive on screen.

The film is packed with so many touching and uplifting moments and the writing by Prasoon Joshi is of the highest order. The training montage scenes are sure to inspire aspiring athletes and seeing Farhan run at high altitude with a tyre tied to his body is jaw-dropping. After every workout he squeezes the sweat out of his shirt and collects them in a mug and later a bucket. He doesn't even mind the falling rain and is focused only on his workout!!!

The pre-interval scene when Milkha runs with a badly injured leg but still achieves a National record with his sheer commitment and dedication, is among the most uplifting scenes ever. You'll wonder at the stuff this man is made of.

All the running scenes in the movie have been filmed very well in grand stadiums packed to the rafters. The visual effects lift these sequences to a whole different level.

Milkha’s elder sister is almost like a mother to him and when he comes and stands before her as an army man in the Indian jersey and presents her a set of earrings, her tears of joy are so genuine. Divya Dutta plays this sister’s role brilliantly.

This particular jersey scene takes more significance as in the initial stages, Milkha longs for a similar jersey and is termed a thief when he secretly tries on the jersey of a fellow sportsman. How he strives hard to win himself an Indian jersey and the pride that he exhibits when he gets his first jersey are really moving and indicative of the humble Indian sportsman’s character.

The episodes when Milkha feels jittery on his first flight are hilarious and when he responds to a question if he is 'relaxing' with 'No, I am Milkha Singh', the crowd erupts in laughter at this typical Sardar joke.

The film also shows the staunch romantic in Milkha and the way he gulps down big jars of lassi and completes a hundred push-ups just to showcase himself as a big hero in his lady love's locality, is entertaining to the core.

Among the women in Milkha's life, Sonam Kapoor as his first love is so one-dimensional and her appearance reminds us of her look in movies like Mausam and Raanjhanaa. Her role could have been done away with. Rebecca Breeds as Milkha's Australian girlfriend, is sparkling and shares some sizzling hot scenes with Farhan. Their little romance, though short-lived, is endearing.

The research that has gone into the movie is evident as the important turning points in Milkha's career such as the Asian Games in Tokyo 1958, the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff 1958 and the two Olympics in Melbourne and Rome have been presented well on screen. His 'crowning glory' moments such as the 400m world record and the Padma Shri honor are also highlighted.

Among the other actors, the kid who plays the younger Milkha is a huge star in the making as acting seems to come really easy to him. Prakash Raj as the stern Army commander plays a rare positive character compared to his general 'loud villain' roles in Hindi commercial cinema. Yograj Singh as Milkha's National coach is authoritative and looks the part as the no-nonsense coach. Dalip Tahil as Jawaharlal Nehru is an example of what good casting and authentic makeup can do.

Binod Pradhan's work behind the lens, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's songs and background score along with Tubby and the color tone of the film give it more character.

On the downside, the movie is really long at more than 3 hours and the director could have done away with few of the romantic endeavors of Milkha and focused more on his exploits and commitment as a runner. A few might complain about the length but there is no denying the director's vision and belief in the script.

The movie ends with Milkha's quote about the virtues of hard work, dedication and commitment and we must say, the team of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag have stood by his quotes and made him proud.

Verdict: A royal salute to the creative team's vision and Farhan Akhtar's total commitment

Lootera (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Lootera (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Ranveer Singh as Varun Shrivastav / Atmanand Tripathi(Nandu)
• Sonakshi Sinha as Pakhi Roy Chowdhury
• Barun Chanda as Zamindar
• Vikrant Massey as Devdas
• Arif Zakaria as A.K.Bajpai
• Adil Hussain as Inspector K.N. Singh
• Divya Dutta as Shyama
• Shirin Guha as Devyani
• Prince Hayer

Directed by : Vikramaditya Motwane
Produced by : Anurag Kashyap, Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Vikas Bahl
Written by : Bhavani Iyer, Vikramaditya Motwane
Story by : Vikramaditya Motwane
Music by : Amit Trivedi
Cinematography : Mahendra J. Shetty
Editing by : Dipika Kalra
Studio : Balaji Motion Pictures, Phantom Films
Distributed by : Balaji Motion Pictures

A beautiful but deeply flawed film, the eagerly-awaited "Lootera" floors you with its audacious sensitivity and its tendency to use silences to punctuate emotions.

Indeed, the sequences between Varun and Pakhi, played with compelling intensity by Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, bristle and burst at the seams with unspoken feelings. There are long passages of muted lyricism in the narration where silences are used to accentuate the growing passion between a lonely, emotionally and sexually insulated daughter of a feudal family in Kolkata, and the attractive stranger who walks into her life with the promise of passion, only to break her heart into wounding shards.

The love story, apparently inspired by American writer O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf", moves in mysterious magical ways, but often tends to lose its way in its search for that elusive horizon where two socially, culturally and economically incompatible people in love, hanker to unite, but seldom do.

The film wears two distinctly 'classic' looks in sweaty bustling Kolkata and forlorn snowy Dalhousie, both shot with fetching discreetness by cinematographer Mahendra Shetty. The Kolkatan periodicity of the 1950s relies excessively on extraneous props. Putting songs of Geeta Dutt, Mohammed Rafi, Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar of that era in the backdrop is the easiest and laziest way to get the characters to "feel" the bygone era.

I expected Motwane to go further in his exploration of the theme of repressed love. Motwane takes on the theme of sublime love, but seems to pull back at crucial turning points. When Pakhi's lover deserts her on their engagement day, I wanted to see Pakhi mourning with her doting father. But no. We only hear her talking about it later. Sonakshi's choked but dignified recrimination recreates unseen moments visually. Yes, her performance is that vivid.

The films looks beautiful but comes dangerously close to skipping the soul, but for one clinching factor.

Sonakshi Sinha. So far we've seen her as a mass-appealing queen of blockbusters. Playing the ailing, dying Pakhi in "Lootera", she comes to a formidable level of histrionic nirvana not obtainable to any of her contemporaries. Sonakshi penetrates her character's bleeding loneliness with fearless integrity. Pakhi's desire to find adventure, love and romance reminded me of Madhabi Mukherjee in 1964 film "Charulata".

There are moments, sequences and scattered shots where Sonakshi is captured in various postures of unbearable vulnerability. In a sequence of rebuffed ardour, she drops her dignity and drives down to meet the man who suddenly starts avoiding her.

"Will you come tomorrow? Day after? Then the day after that," she whispers in declining hope when he refuses her invitation to come home.

It's a moment of pleading love that reminded me of Shabana Azmi's celebrated telephonic sequence in Mahesh Bhatt's "Arth". Playing a girl who falls desperately in love with an unworthy man, Sonakshi takes her character through a journey that we see unfold with geographical precision before our eyes. She has great support in creating a memorably tragic character from the film's crew. She is often captured looking with agonising vulnerability into a distance where she can see no hope of redemption. It's a portrait of frightening desolation that reminded me of Shabana Azmi in Mrinal Sen's "Khandhar".

Ranveer Singh, though able and alert in his responses, seems to rely way too much on trying too look vulnerable, charming and rakish.

"You are not Dev Anand," Varun's friend (played effectively by Vikrant Massey), tells him sardonically to dissuade Varun from getting close to Pakhi.

That, in essence, is the tragedy underlining the cast factor. The role needed a Dev Anand for us to believe that a rich, beautiful girl like Pakhi could be completely and irrationally swept off her feet by the unworthy stranger.

The second movement of the plot moves into a moody snowcapped doom. Here, Motwane again makes use of long passages of intense silences to punctuate the feeling of desperate passion. There is also a 'thriller' element in the Dalhousie segment of the story that doesn't quite blend into the finely woven fabric of pain, passion and tragedy. The sequences in the isolated snowcapped home between Ranveer and Sonakshi hiss crackle and burn up the screen with their pent-up passion.

"Lootera" depicts a doomed passion that is at once invigorating and terrifying. Tenderness trickles out of every pore of this beautifully crafted saga of a love so infinite and so forbidden that it seems to scoff at cruel fate and brutal destiny while carving out a craggy jagged path for the lovers.

Vikramaditya Motwane's storytelling is like a coiled twirling stairway to the heart of his irreconcilable protagonists. The film's muted silences suggest a deep connectivity between pain and love.

Sadly, in the midst all the underlying conflicts, poor O. Henry's story is almost forgotten. O. Henry leaf-leitmotif shyly shows up at the end, making a hasty entry not too convincingly.

"Lootera" is a flawed gem filled with moments of glorious emotions. The storytelling shows the hands of a masterly visionary who tends to dither in moments of deep drama.

But then there is Sonakshi Sinha, who makes you forget all the blemishes in this unforgettable tragedy.

Shortcut Romeo (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Shortcut Romeo (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Neil Nitin Mukesh as Suraj
• Ameesha Patel as Monica
• Puja Gupta as Sherry
• Rajesh Shringarpure as Rahul
• Jatin Grewal as Ashish
• Ashutosh Kaushik
• Errol Marks
• Meherzan Mazda
• Vrajesh Hirjee
• Mumaith Khan
• Himesh Reshammiya in a special appearance in a song
• Bhrigu Das

Directed by : Susi Ganeshan
Produced by : Manjari Susi Ganeshan
Screenplay by : Susi Ganeshan
Story by : Susi Ganeshan
Music by : Himesh Reshammiya
Cinematography : N. K. Ekambaram
Editing by : Dilip Deo, Hardik Singh Reen
Studio : Susi Ganesh Productions

Shortcut Romeo is desperate to be stylish, desperate to have a story, desperate to fill in all the elements considered to constitute a Hindi thriller - love, drama, action, betrayal. Only thing missing seems to comedy, thank goodness for some mercies. Yet, you have to give them some leeway for trying, even if they tried way too hard.

You have a blackmailer (Neil Nitin Mukesh) taking advantage of having caught a rich woman (Ameesha Patel) red-handed. But this lady ain't going to take it lying down and gives him a good fight at being nasty. Interestingly, both supposedly have shades of good in them too.

The schemes and counter-schemes they design are too elaborate and lie too obviously at the mercy of coincidences, which actually happen. Not to mention, they are a tad predictable too. The characters are either nasty or uninteresting for you to invest in them. That leaves the dialogue in the writing department to pull you in. Shortcut Romeo doesn't manage to take you in with any good lines either.

The performances too are as dull as one would expect from Ameesha Patel or Neil Nitin Mukesh. However, the latter does try hard to infuse life into his lines and to bring out the mean streak in his character. Puja Gupta too tries her best to be sensuous and simple, but that ultimately amounts to a one-expression deal. The rest of the supporting cast is outright bad with their dialogue delivery and body language.

Even so, it does feel like the makers give Shortcut Romeo its best shot. It doesn't feel like they take the audience for granted. Its just that the ability of the writer/director to engage us is limited.

Raanjhanaa (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Raanjhanaa (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Dhanush as Kundan
• Sonam Kapoor as Zoya
• Abhay Deol as Akram
• Swara Bhaskar as Bindiya
• Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Murari
• Shilpi Marwaha as Rashmi
• Arvind Gaur as Guptaji
• Suraj Singh as Anand
• Sujata Kumar Krishnamurthy as Chief Minister
• Vipin Sharma (cameo)

Directed by : Anand L. Rai
Produced by : Krishika Lulla
Screenplay by : Himanshu Sharma
Story by : Himanshu Sharma
Music by : A. R. Rahman
Cinematography : Natarajan Subramaniam, Vishal Sinha
Editing by : Hemal Kothari
Distributed by : Eros International

Just when you thought film industry had lost its touch in creating romantic stories that could last for a long time, filmmaker Aanand L Rai sets his foot strongly in the romance genre with his love story Raanjhanaa.

Kundan (Dhanush), ever since he first lays his eyes on Zoya (Sonam Kapoor), falls hopelessly and irreparably in love with her. He goes to all length, takes her rejections, her repeated slaps etc. but his love only grows stronger till she finally gives in. That’s class 9 and on knowing about her attachment to a young Hindu boy, Zoya’s conservative family sends her off to Aligarh at their relatives’ house. Years pass, Zoya moves to JNU, Delhi for further education while the son of local pandit Kundan nurtures his love for her that only grows leaps and bounds with each passing year.

However, her dreams shatter when she returns as he finds out that she is besotted with another man Akram/Jasjit (Abhay Deol) from her college. Despite his unrequitted love, Kundan decides to unite the two lovers and while you think the film would slip into the Hum Dil Chuke Sanam region, Aanand L Rai incorporates many twists and turns that, although faulty, that make the film at least unpredictable.

To start with, filmmaker Aanand Rai wins your heart within ten minutes of the film as Raanjhanaa opens to a refreshing backdrop of Benaras where amidst Holi and Dushera and other festivities you see the innocence of young love taking shape.

The entire first half is extremely endearing, breezy and refreshing and sucks you in the story completely with you losing track of time. You really want to lovers to meet, you yearn for your predictions to come true but the filmmaker doesn’t give you what you want and instead holds your attention with a story you haven’t seen before.

But just when you come back after the interval with your hopes high you are let down by the archaic story-telling approach with predictable twists and turns where the filmmaker takes complete cinematic liberty to move his story forward. The entire sub-plot of politics, penance, revenge etc. appears improbable and hence disappointing too. But it’s the again where Rai sweeps you off your feet and leaves you cathartic.

The film stands tall on four strong pillars - Dhanush, chemistry, backdrop of Benaras and last but not the least AR Rahman. Filmmaker clearly scores an ace by casting Dhanush in the film. The South superstar in his debut Hindi film itself portrays a range of emotions right from love to rage, remorse to repentance. Even the age span gets depicted by him brilliantly.

If Dhanush wins your heart, Sonam Kapoor pleasantly surprises you too. It’s safe to say that the actress finally marks her debut as an “actor” as she performs commendably and complements both Dhanush and Abhay Deol well. Abhay too despite a bit role gives an impactful performance. Both Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub and Swara Bhaskar have been given laudable parts to play as Kundan’s friends and get some of best dialogues to mouth in the film.

Cinematography by Natarajan Subramaniam is delightful as his camera captures the bylanes of Benaras like never before. Music by AR Rahman is one of the highlights of the film and the tracks blend brilliantly with the story.

Raanjhanaa to say the least may not be a perfect story but it sure is one of the best romantic films of the recent times. It deserves to be watched for Dhanush’s debut, Sonam’s acting and AR Rahman’s music packaged with a refreshing story.

Ankur Arora Murder Case (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Tisca Chopra as Nandita Arora
• Arjun Mathur as Dr. Romesh
• Kay Kay Menon as Dr. Asthana
• Vishakha Singh as Dr. Riya
• Ashish Jain as Owner of the Hospital
• Paoli Dam as Kajori Sen Public Procecuter
• Sachin Khurana
• Manish Chaudhari as defense lawyer

Directed by : Suhail Tatari
Produced by : Vikram Bhatt
Written by : Vikram Bhatt
Story by : Vikram Bhatt
Distributed by : ASA Productions and Enterprises, BVG Films

To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this film except for the fact that it is based on a real life incident. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it though. Read why.

Dr. Romesh (Arjun Mathur) worked under Dr. Asthana (Kay Kay Menon) at a hospital he was interning at. He had a live-in relationship with Dr. Riya (Vishakha Singh), his co-intern and girlfriend. However, when an 8-year-old boy Ankur Arora (Vishesh Tiwari) dies because of a silly medical mistake by Dr. Asthana, Romesh stands up to fight for justice along with Ankur’s mother Nandita (Tisca Chopra).

The story is written by Vikram Bhatt, who is known to make good thrillers. Although this film is based on a real life incident, the screenplay is well written, especially for the second half. The momentum slowly builds up making it more interesting to watch. Director Suhail Tatari has executed the story well with characters that are well written. There are a few filmy things in the film that might be a put off but the message is the main thing and that is conveyed appropriately. The camera work is good and there are some beautifully shot scenes in the house of Romesh and Riya. Luckily there’s just one prominent song in the film which is melodious and goes well with the theme. The background score enhances the flow of the film.

We have all seen Tisca Chopra as a mother before in Taare Zameen Par and we know how perfectly she fits into the skin of her character. Her acting in this film is also excellent! She’s not melodramatic or over-the-top. Just right. Arjun Mathur as Dr. Romesh is a bit dull in the start but gets better through the course of the film and does his role well. Kay Kay Menon as we know is a great actor and he proves that in this film too with his egoistic, grey character that you will love to hate. Vishesh Tiwari as Ankur is ok. I would have liked to feel more for him or when he died but sadly didn’t. I can’t blame him though because he’s still a child and not every child can act well. Vishakha Singh as Dr. Riya and Romesh’s girlfriend is alright. She’s not too good with doing emotional scenes. Her chemistry with Arjun Mathur didn’t show at all in spite of there being a couple of intimate scenes. Pauli Dam I have seen in a sleazy film again by the Bhatt camp and she was not bad then. She’s a decent actor and as a lawyer in this film too she’s convincing. She reminds me a lot of Mugdha Godse but acts better!

Ankur Arora Murder Case might not have got the right amount of publicity or promotion but as a film it is worth watching. I wouldn’t call it ‘entertaining’ but it is engaging and made with good intentions.

Fukrey (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Fukrey (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Pulkit Samrat as Hunny
• Manjot Singh as Lali
• Ali Fazal as Zafar
• Priya Anand as Priya
• Richa Chadda as Bholi Punjaban
• Vishakha Singh as Neetu
• Pankaj Tripathi as Pandit

Directed by : Mrighdeep Singh Lamba
Produced by : Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani
Screenplay by : Vipul Vig, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba
Story by : Vipul Vig

Fukrey is another addition to the Delhi based films that aims at replicating the success of Delhi belly. It is director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba’s second film after teen thay bhai which I have not seen. It is also the second film of Ali Fazal (always kabhi kabhi) and Pulkit Samrat ( bittoo boss). Since their first film didn’t deliver much these three must be having high hopes on this film to strike at the box office. I am afFukrey (2013) - Hindi Movie Reviewd that’s not going to happen.

Hunny ( Pulkit Samrat) and choocha ( Varun Sharma) are desperate to pass out of their school so that they can enter college which is like a wonderland to them. Zafar ( Ali Fazal) is a failed musician struggling to make it big. Lali ( Manoj Singh) wants to enter the same college as his girlfriend but before that he has to pass in economics. Their lives intersect when they land up at Bholi Punjaban ( Richa Chadda) door’s with a get rich quick scheme that involves Choocha’s dreams decoded by Hunny that gets them a number which can win a lottery. What happens next?

The best part about fukrey is its casting. It’s got a nice bunch of likeable actors together including my favorite Pankaj Tripathi who can make any dull scene looks delicious. Sadly, his track is sidelined after a point. Then there is Richa Chaddha playing a loud mouth don with an attitude.

The film spends most of its screen time in setting up its character rather than focusing on the story which again is nothing much to begin with. So, if you don’t like the characters or the actors playing it this film will bore you. Pulkit Sharma and newcomer Varun Sharma gets the meatiest roles amongst the four. Ali Fazal is wasted and Manoj Singh displays the same earnestness that he has shown in all his earlier films.

Verdict - Fukrey has likeable actors but an inconsistent script.

Himmatwala (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Ajay Devgan as Ravi
• Tamannaah Bhatia as Rekha
• Paresh Rawal as Narayandas
• Mahesh Manjrekar as Sher Singh
• Adhyayan Suman as Shakti
• Zarina Wahab as Savitri
• Leena Jumani as Padma
• Dheer Charan Srivastav as Ravi's father
• Ritesh Deshmukh as real Ravi
• Chunky Pandey as Michael Jaikishan
• Surveen Chawla in song Dhoka Dhoka
• Amruta Khanvilkar in song Dhoka Dhoka
• Sayantani Ghosh in song Dhoka Dhoka
• Rinku Ghosh in song Dhoka Dhoka
• Mona Thiba in song Dhoka Dhoka
• Sonakshi Sinha in item-number Thank God It's Friday

Directed by : Sajid Khan
Produced by : Vashu Bhagnani, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Written by : Sajid Khan
Screenplay by : Sajid Khan
Story by : Sajid Khan
Singers : Amit Kumar, Mika Singh, Shreya Goshal, Bappi Lahiri, Sunidhi Chauhan, Mamta Sharma, Shaan, Soham, Shubh Mukherjee
Music by : Sajid-Wajid
Cinematography : Manoj Soni
Editing by : Nitin Rokade
Studio : Pooja Entertainment
Distributed by : UTV Motion Pictures

Himmatwala is an official remake of the 1983 release which had Jeetendra and Sridevi in the leading roles. Directed by Sajid Khan, this version stars Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah. The original, with the exception of the soundtrack, it should be asserted that the 1983 Himmatwala is by no means a classic and it contains a number of imperfections that make it a very average film overall. This remake has been updated for the new generation of cinemagoers, with the screenplay also being edited with new twists and thrills. Despite the remake containing many holes, it is still a modestly enjoyable film that will not disappoint you. Surprisingly, all together this latest version by Sajid Khan is stronger than the original Himmatwala.

The story is based on Ravi (Ajay Devgn), who returns to Ramnagar village after many years, where he reunites with his mother Savitri (Zarina Wahab) and sister Padma (Leena Jumani). Ravi is determined to eliminate the bad reputation his father acquired many years ago after being defamed by the vindictive Sher Singh Bandookwala (Mahesh Manjrekar). Rekha (Tamannaah), who is Sher Singh’s daughter, is a spoilt brat who harasses people within the village. Ravi sets Rekha straight following a major incident and this ultimately results in her falling in love with him. Together, they work to teach Sher Singh a lesson and mend his ways for good. This is in addition to the twists and turns which occur as the film progresses.

Himmatwala has some silly and awkward moments which just make you want to cringe. This includes the comical re-enactment of the famous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). Yet that spice of entertainment is apparent in the film, which makes it a decent experience. It is a pure masala film that contains a little of everything; which includes action, romance, comedy and drama. Hence, if you enjoyed films like Dabangg (2010), then Himmatwala is certainly for you. Though some of the action sequences are far from perfect, it has been filmed very well and praise is due for the cinematography by Manoj Soni. The dramatic elements in the film have been well made and to some extent; they are stronger than the comedic elements. Sajid Khan should have corrected some of the blemishes that are visible in Himmatwala, which could have resulted in the film having a greater impact on us the viewers. Though it is a modestly entertaining film, whether it is re-watch material is indeed debatable.

Ajay Devgn provides a convincing and respectable performance as the male protagonist and was therefore the perfect choice to headline this film. He was far more entertaining to watch in Himmatwala compared to his last film Son of Sardaar (2012), which was a pure and utter dud. The film also has South Indian actress Tamannaah making her Bollywood debut as the female lead. However, she delivers a disappointing performance and was there largely as decoration. Sridevi played the role of Rekha far better compared to Tamaannah. She is a very beautiful woman and certainly has potential to go far within the film industry. Yet she made a bad decision in choosing this film as her official Bollywood debut. Zareena Wahab, Leena Jumani and Mahesh Manjrekar were good in their supporting roles, but by no means amazing. The person who steals the film is Paresh Rawal as Sher Singh’s sidekick Narayandas. He was a delight to watch and makes you laugh out loud in a number of scenes. Paresh Rawal played this character far better than Kader Khan in the original Himmatwala. He gave his character the precise detail that was needed in order to provide a winning performance.

One thing Sajid Khan and the producers of this remake did not manage to transfer successfully from the original Himmatwala is the soundtrack. Music duo Sajid-Wajid has recreated the classic songs ‘Nainon Mein Sapna’ and ‘Taki Taki,’ which were originally composed by Bappi Lahiri. Yet they just do not have the same magic which the original versions do in terms of composition and picturization also. Moreover, there is the atrocious track ‘Thank God It’s Friday’ where Sonakshi Sinha makes a guest appearance. This was pointlessly included in the film and could have been done without. Overall, the songs have no lasting appeal whatsoever and post-release; it is likely that they will be forgotten about.

To sum up, Himmatwala is not a perfect film, but it has that masala appeal that will certainly attract the masses rather than the classes. This film does not manage to successfully bring back the 1980s, yet there are many things about Himmatwala that make it a decent watch. Sajid Khan has not made any significant contribution to Indian cinema with this film. However, he has managed to create a film that is not a complete failure and is therefore worth a watch!

ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Prabhu Deva as Vishnu
• Ganesh Acharya as Gopi
• Kay Kay Menon as Jehangir Khan
• Lauren Gottlieb as Rhea
• Pankaj Tripathi
• Dharmesh Yelande as De
• Salman Yusuff Khan as Rocky
• Saroj Khan in a special appearance

Directed by : Remo D'Souza
Produced by : Siddharth Roy Kapur
Written by : Tushar Hiranandani
Singers : Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Mohit Chauhan, Priya Panchal, Tanvi Shah, Deane Sequeira, Udit Narayan, Mika Singh, Anushka Manchanda, Raman Mahadevan, Jigar Saraiya, Madhav Krishna, Suraj Jagan, Hard Kaur
Music by : Sachin Jigar
Cinematography : Vijay Kumar Arora
Distributed by : UTV Motion Pictures

Bollywood is largely known for its song and dance routine. Yet films primarily centered on dance have been few and far between. Furthermore decent films in the dance genre are even rare. Amidst this Any Body Can Dance (ABCD) is perhaps the first dance film directed by a proficient choreographer. While the technically informed and experienced Remo D’Souza knows almost the A to Z of choreography, this is a film which attests how adept he is at the ABCD of storytelling!


The premise of the plot is pretty basic. Vishnu (Prabhu Deva) disassociates himself from Jehangir’s (Kay Kay Menon) dance academy over difference of ideologies. While
seeking shelter in his friend Gopi’s (Ganesh Acharya) house, he comes across some boys in the locality in whom he sees potential dancers and decides to coach them. Despite differences, the local gangs headed by Rocky (Salman Yusuf Khan) and D (Dharmesh Yelande) come together and are mentored by Vishnu to participate in a group dance competition for a TV show where Jehangir’s troupe has been a regular winner.

Having Prabhu Deva as the lead in a dance film, one might get carried away with the thought that half the battle is won. However director Remo D’Souza neither overuses the dancer nor underutilizes his potential. While Prabhu Deva remains an integral part of the narrative from opening to end, he comes up with his first dance act only at the interval point. Expectedly he is exceptional in his dancing, but while at one hand you feel the film has taken a little too long to boot, on the other hand it gives a high-pitched interval point and also justifies the narrative, while not exploiting Deva’s presence to gimmicky levels.

With Vishnu getting on his own pretty early in the plot, the film gets straight to the point from the start. However post that it expends too much time in the buildup of the dance company and nothing much happens in the first half. For the dancing troupe, Remo employs real dancers over actors. While it certainly aids the authenticity of pure dancing that the film demands, then again it takes time for the viewer to accustom to the anonymous cast. Also they appeal more as artistes than actors.

With too many characters in the ensemble troupe, the focus keeps frequently shifting from one to other and somewhere you feel lost in the crowd. Their team-building is quite uninspiring and characterizations mostly half-baked. Further since the writing is kinda patchy and the actors are largely raw, you remain indifferent to their individual conflicts. You don’t feel much for the characters until somewhere in the second half you perceive some progression in the plot and the performances.

Most of the story progresses through song and dance. At instances you feel there is an overdose of the song and dance routine but then what else can you expect from a dance film. Sachin-Jigar’s music, while adequate, does lack the X-factor one expects from a dance film. With Remo D’Souza at the helm of affairs and the major cast comprising of professional dancers, the choreography of the film is unarguably fascinating. However there is recurrence of seemingly Remo’s favourite form of lock-n-pop and hip-hop and thereby intermittently one doesn’t experience much visible variation in the choreography.

The 3D in ABCD, the first for an Indian dance film, could have been a huge pull-factor but ends up being sorely disappointing. The stereography is quite mediocre and except for a select few sequences, there aren’t any great effects as such, despite the immense scope that the new genre offers. Also for a 3D film, the runtime is overtly long at more than 2 hours. Even the production values are quite tacky.

The film actually gains momentum as the narrative nears the dance competition. It scores big time with a strong climax and an inspiringly choreographed act in the grand finale which absorbs the audience and substantiates the title that any body can dance. Such stimulating is the end that it overpowers all shortcomings of the film. It’s the spirit of dancing more than the dance per se that clicks with the viewer.

Prabhu Deva, despite his accented Hindi, is perfect in his part. The roly-poly Ganesh Acharya comes in as a comic relief but often sounds pansy and unpolished. Kay Kay
Menon is functional. From the dancing troupe Lauren Gottlieb, Salman Yusuf Khan and Dharmesh Yelande, though raw actors, make a decent debut.

Any body craving for dancing will enjoy Any Body Can Dance!

Miley naa Miley hum (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Kangna Ranaut
• Neeru Bajwa
• Sagarika Ghatge
• Chirag Paswan

Directed by : Tanveer Khan
Produced by : Maverick Productions Pvt Ltd
Music by : Sajid-Wajid
Cinematography : Baba Azmi

How many times must a debutant hero emerge from the same screen, to repeatedly announce his arrival: The one here first gets out in slo-mo from a BMW (first shot), then out of a chopper (to meet his mother), on a Lexus convertible (that his mother gifts him), bang in the middle of a wedding dance party (in a village), into the tennis stadium (where he plays the National finals)….

The boy is called Chirag – in life, as in this movie. “Chirag baba” is the oddly uncomfortable, untrained performer, casually low on body movements, high on screen time; he plays a quiet young heir, given to monosyllables and mono-expressions. His father (jaded Kabir Bedi) orders him around in his vineyard. Old man looks like the hammy old-world zamindar.

For the obedient son, the nights belong to floodlit tennis courts, where he practices whacking the tennis racket like a ping pong bat, only backhands, so he can become India No 1 some day: that’s his father’s dream, and his mother’s nightmare.

Excellence at sports is measured on more real, tangible achievements. It’s easy to tell why Sachin Tendulkar is a superstar. He takes care of runs; the runs take care of everything else. Stardom acquired from Indian politics, and cinema (as the hero here seems to be seeking), work differently. Though, in construct, they’re probably both similar to each other.

Firstly, they’re not always based on performance. You could be the world's best actor and yet not make it as a star; most well meaning visionaries may fail at politics. People directly elect their stars, who in turn, play themselves round-the-clock, protecting or perpetuating a particular public image of themselves.

Actor Chirag, I’m told, is the blue-eyed boy of a popular Bihari politician (Ramvilas Paswan). Literally. Unless those are blue contact lenses in his eyes. You can tell why his father must think he could succeed at show business. He has experience at winning elections.

The boy signs land deals, tenders, contracts, in the film. He comes from a super-rich, separated family. The mom (Poonam Dhillon) wants him to date her London buddy's daughter. Their nights out make for lead story on front page of The Times of India. As is everything else they do. Divorced dad wants his boy to marry a pretty Punjabi girl from the pind. That, by the way, is the central conflict in a film also about sport.

Tennis champ “Chirag baba” claims to be in love with a fashion model instead. He’s never quite met her. Daddy, mommy are after this girl. He pays her Rs 20 lakh a day, for 20 days, to carry on with the pretense of being in love with him. That model's Kangna Ranaut. Reports in trade circles suggest she was paid Rs 5 crore to do this movie. Anybody should be.

Ra.One (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Shahrukh Khan as G.One / Shekhar Subramanium
• Kareena Kapoor as Sonia Shekhar Subramanium
• Arjun Rampal as Ra.One
• Armaan Verma as Prateek Subramanium a.k.a. Lucifer
• Shahana Goswami as Jenny Nayar
• Tom Wu as Akashi
• Dalip Tahil as Barron
• Suresh Menon as Taxi Driver
• Satish Shah as Iyer
• Rajinikanth as Chitti (Guest appearance)
• Sanjay Dutt as Khalnayak (Guest appearance)
• Priyanka Chopra as The Damsel in Distress (Guest appearance)
• Amitabh Bachchan (Voice-over)

Directed by : Anubhav Sinha
Produced by : Gauri Khan
Written by : Anubhav Sinha
Screenplay by : Anubhav Sinha, Kanika Dhillon, Mushtaq Sheikh, David Benullo
Story by : Anubhav Sinha
Singers : Shafqat Amanat Ali, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Clinton Cerejo, Akon, Hamsika Iyer, Shruti Pathak, Nandini Shrikar, Siddharth Coutto, Sukhwinder Singh
Lyricist : Atahar Panchi, Vishal Dadlani, Kumaar
Music by : Vishal-Shekhar
Cinematography : Nicola Pecorini, V. Manikandan
Editing by : Sanjay Sharma, Martin Walsh
Distributed by : Eros International Ltd., Red Chillies Entertainment

For almost a year ahead of tonight's official release of Shah Rukh Khan's sci-fi/superhero event film, Ra.One, the man himself has been working his fingers to the bone building up this night to be a game changer for Hindi cinema. Ra.One is the most expensive Indian film to date, much of the budget put forward by SRK's own production house, Red Chillies. The film was initially slated to release in early June, but massive post-production demands pushed the release back four months, well into October and the heart of the Diwali season, Indian film's equivalent of Memorial Day weekend. All of this hype started to feel a little bit overwhelming as scores of people like me began to wonder if perhaps Ra.One could ever live up to the massive expectations it had created. I'm happy to say, though, that the film largely lives up to the hype and is a rousing and often breathtaking spectacle that not only marks a high water mark for Hindi film, but also for contemporary international action film.

At its core, Ra.One is a story about a father and his son. The father, played by SRK in a ridiculous looking curly wig, is Shekhar Subramanium, a video game designer in London who is a lovable geek. The son, Prateek, is played by newcomer Aman Verma. Prateek is a typical pre-teen who wants nothing to do with his geeky Dad, and he escapes by jumping into the world of online gaming under the handle Lucifer. Shekhar does everything he can to win Prateek's affection, but it isn't until he takes his son's suggestion of creating a game with an unbeatable villain, that Shekhar finally becomes cool in his son's eyes. This being a sci-fi film, this unbeatable villain, named RA.One (short for Random Access Version One and a play on Ravaan, the demon lord of the Ramayana), breaks out of the mainframe and comes looking for the last person to defeat him online. Who could that be? Why, it's Lucifer of course, and the chase is on.

The first half of the film faces occasional hiccups in the form of some overly broad acting from SRK's nerdy Tamilian, Shekhar. However, this is all in the service of rendering Shekhar a sympathetic character, and is well within the bounds of typical Bollywood masala. SRK does overly broad well, his character of Suri in 2008's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was similar in many ways to Shekhar, and it was one of his more successful performances. However, for the uninitiated, Shekhar's bumbling may be a bit off-putting. He is balanced well by an uncharacteristically good performance from Kareena Kapoor, of whom I'm usually not a huge fan. Kapoor plays Shekhar's wife, Sonia, and her performance contains all of the subtlety required to keep SRK from spinning out of control. They have good and palpable chemistry on screen, and Ra.One definitely benefits from that.

As the film nears it's intermission around 90 minutes in, the real fireworks begin. A first half bombshell drops that lands the Subramanium family in a heap of trouble, and as Ra.One attempts to find and destroy 'Lucifer', G.One makes the leap into the real world to act as their protector. For the next 90 minutes or so, the action comes hot and heavy and it is quite impressive to say the least. Right before the intermission, we get a little taste of what a Ra.One/G.One showdown would look like, and it made me a bit giddy. Cars fly all over the place and to call the action ambitious would be an understatement.

The temptation with a film like this is to call it a benchmark for Indian action cinema, which is certainly is, but the fact is that the film and its effects are effective regardless of their origins. Ra.One is a stunning action film, with stunts that would hold up with the best of any Hollywood action film. They did things to the streets of London that would have never imagined I'd see in a Bollywood film, but here they are, and they look good! There is major devastation in every corner of the frame, and the CG is light years ahead of anything to come out of India so far, and on par with anything I've seen anywhere, save Hollywood.

Last night in my review of 7aam Arivu, I lamented the inclusion of a romance in a film that didn't require one. Tonight, with Ra.One, all of the emotion that the film delivers serves the story both in terms of plot development and theme, and it is very seldom gratuitous. Major action films with heart are few and far between, and Ra.One delivered beyond my expectations in that department. Apart from the explosions, superhero stunt work, and computer generated fireballs, there is feeling here, and characters that elicit sympathy. Yes, it is goofy at times, but it never tipped over the line to ridiculousness for me.

Ra.One takes all of the tropes of Bollywood and meshes them into a modern story in a way that is engaging and propulsive. There are several uptempo songs, and yes, even a couple of spontaneously choreographed dances, but they are well integrated into the narrative. There is a particularly awful mangling of Stand By Me in the form of the song Dildaara, but even it manages to deliver an emotional punch potent enough to be forgivable. The film casually veers back and forth from comedy to action to sci-fi, but it does so in a way that is entertaining and never too jarring. They even manage to squeeze in a cameo from Superstar Rajnikanth himself playing Chitti, the robot from Enthiran, following a south Indian styled brawl in an airport parking lot. You know what? It worked!

There was a fear that writer/director Anubhav Sinha had bitten off more than he could chew with Ra.One. Sinha is a director with a couple of minor successes and a couple of flops on his record, so taking on a project of this magnitude was a big risk for everyone involved. I'm happy to say that in my eyes, he's succeeded in a grand and captivating way. Ra.One contains just enough Bollywood that it may have newbies scratching their heads a few times, but for the brave ones who stick it out, I think there is a lot of fun that can be had with this film. I was starting to fear that the marketing would be a poison pill for this film, rendering the expectations unattainable. Is this film the best ever made? Certainly not. What it is, though, is a supremely entertaining action adventure that should be able to cross language lines and find fans in any community.

Chillar Party (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Irrfan Khan as Fatka
• Sanath Menon as Arjun / Encyclopedia
• Rohan Grover as Ramashanker / Akram
• Naman Jain as Balwan / Jhangiya
• Aarav Khanna as Aflatoon
• Vishesh Tiwari as Laxman / Second Hand
• Chinmai Chandranshuh as Lucky / Panauti
• Vedant Desai as Silencer
• Divji Handa as Shaolin
• Shriya Sharma as Toothpaste

Directed by : Nitesh Tiwari, Vikas Bahl
Produced by : Ronnie Screwvala, Salman Khan
Screenplay by : Vijay Maurya
Story by : Nitesh Tiwari, Vikas Bahl
Singers : Amitabh Bhattacharya, Armaan Malik, Amit Trivedi, Tanmay Chaudhari, Arvind Vishwakarma, Firoza, Mohit Chauhan, Gaurika Rai, Keshav Rai, Jaishri Trivedi
Lyricist : Nitesh Tiwari, Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Vikas Bahl
Music by : Amit Trivedi
Distributed by : UTV Spot Boy, Salman Khan Productions

Once again filmmakers with small budget but big content have shown that all it takes to make a film is to have the right story, right direction and right acting. And maybe that's just what attracted many Bollywood celebs towards the touching yet entertaining film Chillar Party. First it was Ranbir Kapoor to tag his name to the film by offering to do an item song for free so that the film could get some mileage at the ticket windows, then it was The Salman Khan who got so pleased by the acting that he thought of co-producing the film itself. We give you an insight into what made this film such a talk of town.

As rightly mentioned in press release Chillar Party is a fillam about a gang of innocent but feisty bachcha log Jangiya, Encyclopedia, Panauti, Akram among others who lead a carefree and fun filled life in Chandannagar colony. Soon Fatka&Bhidu come into their lives and they become an inseparable part of Chillar party. The lives of these bachcha logs get difficult when Bhidu's life is endangered, thanks to a mean politician. Saathmein they fight the big bad world of politics and show that even chhotebachche can move mountain. In a world where reason outweighs emotions, Chillar party teaches everyone to feel rather than think. They prove that what seems right is not always right.

Director Vikas Bahl and Nimesh Tiwari prove their mettle in their debut film itself. The fine detailing, the humour quotient as well as the story are all brilliant. There are many endearing moments that tug at your heart. The characters are so adorable that within minutes you are drawn into their simple and innocent world and you can't help but get enamoured by their intelligence, chirpiness, ebullience and endearing naughtiness. Quite recently, Amole Gupte too tried his hands with a children film Stanley Ka Dabba, but it is Chillar Party that without doubts deserves to win the title of Best Children film so far. The first half of the film moves very quickly courtesy the excellent editing. However, the second half slackens with the overt histrionics of the kids. Even the climax appears stretched but what binds the film together and keeps the interest of the audience intact is the cuteness of the kids and their timing with each other. There will surely remain many scenes that might turn into trademark dialogues. For example, the Gandhi, tapori style dialogue mouthed by Jangiya.

The credit for bringing such a gem to light truly goes to one man - Salman Khan. One can only expect this bad boy of Bollywood to work on a brainless, slapstick Ready on one hand and produce a gem such as this on the other. Had it not been for him and his star power, Chillar Party could've gotten lost in the slew of mega starrers that make it to the theatres.

Talk about the acting and each and every kid does a brilliant job but the ones that stand out are Irfan Khan as Fatka, Sanath Menon as Encyclopedia and Naman Jain as Jhangiya. However, it's all a team effort. While acting department of this film is extremely powerful, music by Amit Trivedi also deserves a mention. Even the cinematography is good. The only thing that comes out glaring is the absence of Ranbir Kapoor's item song which comes right at the end, even after the end credits.

To sum it up, You should not miss this Chillar Party! Do watch it for its sheer brilliance!

Murder 2 (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Emraan Hashmi as Arjun Bhagawat
• Jacqueline Fernandez as Priya
• Prashant Narayanan as Dheeraj Pandey
• Sulagna Panigrahi as Reshma
• Sudhanshu Pandey as Inspector Siddharth
• Sandeep Sikand as Nirmala Pandit
• Bikramjeet Kanwarpal as Commissioner Ahmed Khan
• Shweta Kawatra as a Doctor / Psychiatrist (Special Appearance)
• Yana Gupta as Jyoti, Special Appearance in song "Aa Zara"
• Amardeep Jha as Reshma's mother
• Jhuma Biswas as Hostel Warden
• Deep Jyoti Das as Criminal Lawyer

Directed by : Mohit Suri
Produced by : Mukesh Bhatt
Screenplay by : Shagufta Rafique
Story by : Mahesh Bhatt
Singers : Mithoon, Kshitij Tarey, Saim Bhat, Harshit Saxena, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sangeet Haldipur, Roshni Baptist, Mohammad Irfan, Arijit Saha
Lyricist : Sayeed Quadri, Kumaar, Mithoon
Music by : Harshit Saxena, Mithoon, Sangeet Haldipur, Siddharth Haldipur
Cinematography : Ravi Walia
Editing by : Devendra Murdeshwar
Distributed by : Vishesh Films

So the Bhatts have come up with a new product which is a sequel of their own hit film, MURDER (2004). Mallika Sherawat is replaced by Jacqueline Fernandez. But apart from Emraan Hashmi, there's nothing to compare the two films. Even the plots are poles apart. In fact, MURDER 2 could have been named any other film. It clearly shows that the title was just used to cash in on the success of MURDER.

Inspired by a Korean film named THE CHASER, MURDER 2 stars Emraan Hashmi playing ex-cop Arjun Bhagwat. He now gets his daily bread by working for gangsters and pimps. Model Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) is in love with Arjun but he only considers her to be his sex friend. "Na mohabbat, na zaroorat; sirf aadat," are the words he uses to describe her.

A Goan pimp entrusts him the task of finding the whereabouts of his several call girls who have mysteriously gone kaput. His search leads him to a psychopath Dheeraj Pandey (Prashant Narayan), who mercilessly kills women and girls by cutting them into several pieces.

After a raunchy item number featuring Yana Gupta right in the opening credits and a love making scene between Priya and Arjun, director Mohit Suri gets to the point with the main plot of the film. The narrative (which does get gory at times) is packed with numerous thrilling moments. One wonders how the film will unfold once Arjun gets hold of Dheeraj in the first half itself. But there is enough in store to keep you entertained. However, the second half does meander for a while.

Music given by Harshit Saxena, Sangeet Haldipur, Siddharth Haldipur and Mithoon is excellent. Haal-E-Dil and Phir Mohabbat are very hummable. Devendra Murdeshwar's editing is fine. Ravi Walia's cinematography is good.

Emraan Hashmi suits the role perfectly. Actually, the role suits him. It's a typical bad-boy-with-a-good-heart role, something which we have seen Emraan portray many times in the past. Jacqueline Fernandez looks sizzling, but doesn't have a meaty role. Those expecting copious steamy scenes between Emraan and Jacqueline will surely be disappointed. Sulagna Panigrahi, who makes her debut, plays the victimised Reshma to perfection. Sudhanshu Pandey plays his part with a lot of confidence. Sandiip Sikcand acts well. Shweta Kawatra impresses in her cameo.

The film undoubtedly belongs to Prashant Narayan, who delivers a splendid performance. To give him credit, he elevates the film to a great extent. His performance is so effective that you start loathing him every time he appears on screen.

An intriguing plot supported by a superb performance by Prashant Narayan, make MURDER 2 a 'killer' film.

Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Saqib Saleem as Vishal
• Saba Azad as Preity
• Nishant Dahiya as Rahul
• Tara D’Souza as Malvika
• Keshav Sunder as Akash
• Prabal Panjabi as Hacky

Directed by : Nupur Ashtana
Produced by : Ashish Patil
Screenplay by : Rajesh Narasimhan, Anvita Dutt Guptan
Music by : Raghu Dixit
Studio : Y-Films

The idea of social networking sites has taken a new turn with Facebook. It not only keeps you in touch with your buddies but also introduces you to new friends. Not only this I actually I have a friend whose cousin met her going to be husband via Facebook. The best thing about these sites is that one does not have to reveal his/her identity to start the talks with someone. Facebook not only introduces you to new people but also gives you an idea of persons day to-day wishes via their status updates.

Mujhse Fraandship Karoge is based on this same context where newbies Saqib Saleem (as Vishal), Saba Azad (as Preity), Nishant Dahiya (as Rahul) and Tara D'Souza (as Malvika) play the protagonists. Story takes a turn when shy Preity falls for Rahul, guy with huge fan following and Shy Guy Vishal Falls for Pretty Malvika. Liking someone is way easier than telling that person on the face and the easiest way out is Social Networking where you can pretend to be whosoever, thats the same idea that Preity & Vishal decide and come in talks with Rahul & Malvika. Now the Big Questions come; Is Preity & Vishal actually chatting with Rahul & Malvika or even the person on other side is pretending to be someone else? Secondly, what affect can this changing identities idea have on their personal lives?

MFK under the banner of YRF totally depends on their crisp script and new faces for its success. It is said that MFKs Star cast went under 1 month training before they started working for the movie and honestly it worked well for them. The movie deals with the idea of faking identities on Facebook and what effect can it have on your personal life.

Starring new faces and giving them proper training to get comfortable in their roles had actually given a fresh appeal to the flick. Having runtime of less than 2 hours and no extra dose of melodrama, gets full marks. Peppy sound track matching the pace of the movie is brilliant. So, in short Mujhse Fraandship Karoge with its fresh appeal is a good watch for this weekend.

Delhi Belly (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Imran Khan as Tashi Dorjee Lhatoo
• Kunaal Roy Kapur as Nitin Beri
• Vir Das as Arup
• Poorna Jagannathan as Menaka
• Shenaz Treasurywala as Sonia
• Vijay Raaz as somyajulu (gangster)
• Paresh Ganatra as Manish Chand Jain
• Raju Kher as Zubin Mehra
• Rahul Singh as Rajeev Khanna
• Rahul Pendkalkar as Prateek Jain
• Pradeep Kabra as Brajesh
• Lushin Dubey as Sonia's Mother
• Rajendra Sethi as the Jeweller
• Shilpa Mehta as Tashi's Mother
• Anusha Dandekar as VJ Soniya
• Aamir Khan as Disco Fighter (Special Appearance)
• Sona Mohapatra as Stage Singer (Cameo in the song 'Bedardi Raja')
• Kim Bodnia as Vladimir
• Bugs Bhargava as Swapan Bannerjee
• Mansee Desshmukh as Ritu Kohli
• Zafar Karachiwala as Vivek Uniyal
• Ramesh Kannaa as Mr. Kohli
• Ashraf Ul Haq as Tito

Directed by : Abhinay Deo
Produced by : Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Ronnie Screwvala, Jim Furgele
Story by : Akshat Verma
Singers : Keerthi Sagathia, Shazneen Arethna, Sona Mohapatra, Aamir Khan, Ram Sampath, Tarannum Mallik, Chetan Shashital, Suraj Jagan
Lyricist : Amitabh Bhattacharya, Munna Dhiman, Ram Sampath, Akshat Verma, Chetan Shashital
Music by : Ram Sampath
Cinematography : Jason West
Editing by : Huzefa Lokhandwala
Distributed by : Aamir Khan Productions, UTV Motion Pictures

Director Abhinay Deo and producer Aamir Khan’s gleeful experiment in "Hangover"-caliber humor Indian-style delivers the laughs, and young stars.

UNION CITY, Calif. -- Its theme song, “Bhaag Bhaag DK Bose,” has already become a rebellious anthem for young Indians giddy about the expletive hidden in its lyrics.

And the first three minutes of Delhi Belly make it clear that this is not a family film: Viewers bothered by butt cracks, the F-word, simulated cunnilingus and rude behavior in burqas are advised to spend their rupees elsewhere.

But director Abhinay Deo and producer Aamir Khan’s gleeful experiment in Hangover-caliber humor delivers the laughs, and its young stars, including Khan’s nephew, A-lister Imran Khan, rise to the challenge.

The film, which is in English with a bit of subtitled Hindi dialogue, has already become a sensation in India. Now its appeal to open-minded audiences in the diaspora — and to curious viewers anywhere ready for a film that shows India in an irreverent post-Slumdoglight — seems assured.

The highjinks start when a Russian criminal gives Sonia (Shenaz Treasury of One Life to Live), a comely air hostess, a packet of contraband for her to courier. Sonia asks her boyfriend, journalist Tashi (Khan), to deliver it, but sight unseen, the lazy Tashi hands it off to his roommate Arup (Vir Das, in a sparkling comic performance), who in turn carelessly passes it along to another roommate, Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapoor).

On the way to make the delivery, the pudgy Nitin is distracted by a streetside tandoori chicken stand of dubious hygienic standards; his ensuing Delhi belly unleashes a domino effect of misunderstandings and mistaken identities — the characters soon learn that it’s unwise to mix up one’s stool sample with a million-dollar packet of black market diamonds.

Delhi Belly’s supporting cast sparkles in smaller roles, especially Vijay Raaz as an exasperated crime boss surrounded by incompetents and New York-based actress Poorna Jagannathan as Tashi’s problematically sexy coworker.

Akshat Verma’s script is peppered with one-liners bound to become buzzwords: At the sight of a tiny Santro mini car, one character observes: “When a donkey %$#@s a rickshaw, this is what you get.”

But the script is also grounded in the realities of life in New and Old Delhi: running water that works for just two hours a day, infuriating traffic snarls, a dowry, overcrowded living conditions and the difficulty in finding a nice place to take a poo.

Where actor-turned-producer Aamir Khan’s previous two high profile releases, Peepli [Live] and Dhobi Ghat, seemed self-consciously targeted at film festivals or foreign audiences, Delhi Bellyis pure Indian. Producer (and screen superstar) Khan’s only misstep is in a comic cameo song at the end of the film: he overstays his welcome, when a momentary glimpse would have had more impact.

The soundtrack by Ram Sampath is top-notch, especially in the way he uses the hit “DK Bose” song and other Indian rock pieces to fuel the action, and cinematographer Jason West aptly captures the chaos.

By the end of the film, the bad guys (and girls) have all gone down in flames, while the good guy gets the girl. Happily, that’s one convention from Indian cinema that’s here to stay.

Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap (2011) - Hindi Movie Review

Cast :

• Amitabh Bachchan as Vijju Malhotra
• Raveena Tandon as Kamini
• Prakash Raj as Kabir
• Hema Malini as Sita
• Sonal Chauhan as Tanya
• Charmy Kaur as Amrita
• Sonu Sood as ACP Karan Malhotra
• Makrand Deshpande as Mac
• Vishwajeet Pradhan as Sub-Inspector Shindey

Directed by : Puri Jagannadh
Produced by : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Story by : Puri Jagannadh
Singers : Amitabh Bachchan, Monali Thakur, Shekhar Ravjiani, Sunidhi Chauhan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vishal Dadlani
Lyricist : Anvita Dutt Guptan, Vishal Dadlani, Swanand Kirkire
Music by : Vishal-Shekhar
Cinematography : Amol Rathod
Editing by : Shekhar
Distributed by : Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, A B Corp

Folklore has it that wherever the Big B stands, the queue begins. It’s time to queue up for a film that reads like a running commentary on the Bachchan legend. Blessed are the generations that get to see India’s most iconic and enduring screen-hero play a variation on all his most cherished roles.

And then some more. To the angry Vijay persona that the Big B created through those brilliantly-written films of Salim-Javed in the 1970 and 80s, the actor still sprightly enough to make all the bachcha-log of Bollywood look like performing midgets, adds dollops of wry cynicism that goes well with our times.

Make no mistake Telugu cinema’s most successful director Puri Jagannath is not just a Bachchan fan. He’s also a master storyteller. To the mix ‘n’ match tale of an Angry Young Man’s journey into his advancing years of unrelenting lividness and self-mockery, Puri brings a crackling contemporary commitment to telling a story that has no room for humbug…only space for hectic hijinks.

Written with supersonic dexterity, the screenplay races through numbered days in the life of a Paris-returned gangster who is called back to Mumbai by a gangster with a serious concentration problem (Prakash Raj) to finish off a particularly troublesome cop(Sonu Sood).

It’s a skilfully written yarn that doesn’t stray into the yawn zone for even a second. Every character, even the relatively minor ones like the Bachchan’s landlady who keeps jabbering to an unseen husband in Dubai, adds a sheen of zing to the shindig. Though the narration seems to leap before it looks, the director actually manages to create a controlled atmosphere of plot development within the chaos of Mumbai’s streets clogged with scampering gangsters, cops and their minions.

Jagannath Puri displays a fabulous flair for the funny and the ferocious. The comic scenes contour the mega-star’s proclivity to laugh at himself and the self-important world around him comprising gangsters, collegians, cops and other on-the-move urbanites. Vishal-Shekhar’s austerely-used music creates evolved rhythms for the Bachchan persona. You can’t miss the insistent beat.

As for the action, the camera (Amol Rathod) moves to the rhythm of the Big B’s super-controlled body language creating for the assorted villains a kind of disembodied dynamism that we see in a far cruder avatar in the South, in the cinema of Rajnikanth.

Here, it is the Big B at work. And boy, that does mean something, doesn’t it! The iconic super-hero maneouvres through his tailormade role with a devastating dexterity, creating a celluloid combustion that leaves a trail of smoking guns, screaming tyres and satiated expectations that audiences felt and experienced in the heydays of the Bachchan Raj.

The reign never ends…thank God for small mercies! “Buddah…Hoga Tera Baap” offers a pleasurable romp into the star-power of the Big B. The rapport that his character builds up through some lovely actresses of several generations (Hema Malini, Raveena Tandon, Sonal Chauhan, Charmee) is so bloody robust and funny, you are left wondering how much of the sly subtle foxy flirtatiousness comes from the star and how much of it was there in the screenplay.

Undoubtedly well-written and directed with sure-handedness that cannot hide Puri Jagannath’s boundless admiration for the Bachchan phenomenon, “Bbuddah…Hoga Tera Baap” is one of those garam-masala products that’s far clever than the outward flamboyance of the main character and execution suggest.

Cut through the blizzard of bravura that the Big B projects so insouciantly and at heart this is an emotional father-son story. See how cleverly the director moves from a kind of italicized derringdo to a clamped emotional finale…. See how skilfully the other actors support the Big B’s towering presence. Prakash Raj as the arch-villain brings a sense of madness to the proceedings while Makarand Deshpande as a quiet gangster is a glorious foil to the Big B’s repartees and rejoinders. Sonu Sood as the cop who keeps running into the old-young super-hero manages to hold his own in front of the Big B. And Raveena as the Big B’s besotted bombshell beloved from the past has herself a blast.

So do we. Right to the last frenetic shootout, we are with the director laughing cheering and saluting the star-power of this super-phenomenon named Amitabh Bachchan.

And when the Big B does a medley of all his old songs it’s time to forget that the Bbuddah has just become a grand-baap all over again. Just get up and dance to the rhythm of the Big B’s star power. Don’t waste time watching the smut. “Bbuddah…Hoga Tera Baap” is the past present and future of mainstream entertainment.