Movie Review: Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji(2011)

 
Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji: Romantic Comedy

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Shazahn Padamsee, Shruti Haasan, Tisca Chopra, Shraddha Das
Direction: Madhur Bhandarkar
Duration: 2 hours 23 minutes
Rating: 4.5/5
Madhur Bhandarkar tries to change tracks. He attempts a switch-over from serious, hard-hitting cinema that chooses to expose the underbelly of society to a light-hearted look at the affairs of the heart. Does he succeed? Well, partially so. For Dil To Baccha Hai Ji may have its heart in the right place but the tone is a bit tenuous and the comedy only intermittently breezy.
Each of the three love tracks have their pros and cons. The highpoint of Ajay Devgn’s romance is Ajay Devgn of course. The actor does look visibly uncomfortable with all that talk of virginity and when-did-you-lose-it business and actually brings out the guffaws when he breaks into a ’70s ballad at a yuppie party. Emraan’s dil dosti story stands out for its gleeful dirty rotten scoundrel act and for the sheer dignity that Tisca Chopra adds to the predator woman cameo. With Omi Vaidya, you know what’s there to smile about: the guy’s boyish innocence and his never-say-die zeal which, as in 3 Idiots, is totally misplaced again. The girls too comfortably slip into their respective shoes, playing heartbreakers to the hilt. While Shazahn is bubbly and sweet, Shruti is cold and calculating, Shraddha is outrageously exploitative and Tisca is mature and moody.
So where’s the glitch? First, the love tangle gets repetitive; the length is a bit too long; the humour missing in many places and the Madhur make-over as a comedy maestro somewhat half-hearted. Nevertheless, there’s enough mood and attitude in the film to make for a pleasant viewing. And there’s Mohit Chauhan too. Check out his melodious ditty, Abhi kuch dino se, which forms the leitmotif of the film. Very hummable.

Read more »

Movie Preview: Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji

Film: Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji


Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Omi Vaidya, Emraan Hashmi, Shruti Haasan, Shazahn Padamsee, Shraddha Das.

Genre: Romantic comedy

Checkout -“Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji” – Synopsis | Star Cast | Pics | Trailers | Songs

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is renowned for making realistic films, is all set offer his first comedy tomorrow. With star cast like Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya of 3 Idiots fame, Bhadarakar promises a romantic laugh riot.

Madhur says his film will offer a slice of life by showing different dimensions of love through the three lead characters. It is neither a loud nor a slapstick comedy but everyone can relate to the storyline.

Ajay Devgn plays Naren Ahuja, a man in his thirties, who goes through a divorce falls in love relation. Shazahn Padamsee plays a girl called vibrant and bubbly girl June Pinto, who has just stepped out of her teens.

Omi Vaidya plays an idealistic lover named Milind Kelkar. He is in love with a girl named Gungun Sarkar, essayed by Shraddha Das. She is very practical and ambitious to achieve her dreams in life.

Emraan Hashmi plays a charming Casanova Abhay Suri, who is in love with a modern girl named Nikki. She is very particular about what she wants from life and always speaks her mind.

These three men undergo a roller coaster journey of emotions in their relationships and experiences the ups and downs of usual contemporary life.

You need to watch the movie to find out if they find their true love at the end

Read more »

Movie preview: Dhobi Ghat

Film: Dhobi Ghat
Director: Kiran Rao
Producer: Aamir Khan
Cast: Prateik Babbar, Kriti Malhotra and Monica Dogra

Produced by Aamir Khan Productions, the highly anticipated film has some new talent in Kriti Malhotra and Monica Dogra and also stars Prateik Babbar – this is his second movie after "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na". With a Dhobi Ghat (washermen's row) as the backdrop, the film tells the story of four people from different backgrounds who meet each other, after which their lives are altered forever as they go through longing, loneliness, loss and love.

 Prateik plays Munna, a washerboy who aspires to be an actor and is a huge fan of Salman Khan, while Aamir will be seen as a reclusive and lonely modern art painter. Monica is an investment banker named Shai and Kriti plays the role of Yasmin. Kiran says she went to a Dhobi Ghat, leather workshops, construction sites and basketball courts in Nagpada to hunt for someone who could play Munna and zeroed in on Prateik after meeting him at the screening of "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na".

She says the film is a tribute to Mumbai and in many ways it is about her, the kind of people she met and her quest for life in the city of dreams. The film is said to have been made on a budget of Rs 5 crore and there were no special sets constructed to shoot the film. To give an authentic touch to what both Aamir and Kiran consider an art house film, "Dhobi Ghat" has been shot in bylanes of Mumbai and the city's most famous Dhobi Ghat at Mahalaxmi.

The film has also been shot in under-construction buildings, Mohammed Ali Road market, Chowpatty and Marine Drive. The dedicated husband-wife duo didn't even shy away from renting a room in a chawl at Muhammad Ali Road to shoot the film.

"Dhobi Ghat" also faced legal issues after Vinod Kumar Kanojia, head of the Hindustan Kanojia Organisation of dhobis, filed a petition that the film's title may lead to a caste division. He appealed to change the title of the film and also urged the censor board to assess the film's title in order to avoid a caste division. However, the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea, terming it frivolous.

Read more »

Yamla Pagla Deewana Movie Review By Taran Adarsh.

Yamla Pagla Deewana Movie Review By Taran Adarsh. In the 1970s and 1980s, Bollywood churned out hardcore masala films by the dozens. Those films appealed to the 'Balcony Class' as well as the 'Stall Audience' [terminology used for dissecting the audience then]. Even today, films like SHOLAY, AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, NAMAK HALAAL, DON, ROTI KAPADA AUR MAKAAN, DHARAM-VEER, MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR et al, the most popular films of that era, appeal to the guy riding an auto rickshaw as well as the CEO of a multinational company. Masala films, in my opinion, can never go out of vogue. The gargantuan success of films like DABANGG and GOLMAAL 3 last year endorses this viewpoint.

The reason why masala films tick to this date is because they have the power to entertain. I've often heard my non-film friends comment that cinema, for them, symbolizes an outing with their family. They want to be transported to a world of make-believe in those 3 hours and forget their worries/sorrows/trials/tribulations in the process. YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA does that and does so most convincingly.

YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA is a tribute to the cinema of yore. Every rule in the book that made hardcore commercial films major money spinners then have been read minutely and integrated in the plotline of this one. Generally, movie makers often claim that their film is hatke, that it boasts of stuff that the viewer hasn't watched on screen before, but YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA makes no such claims. It is old wine bottled and packaged in a new avatar.

What makes YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA work? A variety of reasons, if you ask me. One, watching the Deol parivaar in one frame is an experience in itself. Two, drama, emotions and light moments are smartly integrated in the narrative. Three, the punches [most of them] are thoroughly enjoyable. Four, the entertainment quotient. Most importantly, it delivers what it promised in its promos: Laughter and amusement. It's a film that caters to the aam aadmi, who's keen on having a good time at the movies. It's definitely NOT for the hard-nosed critics or fakes who masquerade as champions of art house cinema.

But YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA has a flipside too: The romantic sequences are a bore and the music, barring the title track and 'Charha De Rang', is a earsore. Even the climax fight is very, very formulaic. But, thankfully, the plusses outnumber the minusses by leaps and bounds here. The second half, to be specific, salvages the show to a major extent.

Final word? The fans of Deols, even those who had drifted away, are sure to lap it up in a big way. Triple masti, triple mazaa, triple magic... Go, get entertained without using your intellect. The film begins in Canada, travels to Banaras and eventually makes its way to Punjab. The father-son duo of Dharam Singh and Gajodhar Singh [Dharmendra and Bobby Deol] are the biggest con-men in Banaras. Their happy-go-lucky existence involves drinking and pulling off hilarious cons on unsuspecting people. The only hitch in their perfect albeit notorious life arrives in the form of Paramveer Singh Dhillon [Sunny Deol].

A brawny and honest NRI from Vancouver, Paramveer lands up in Banaras claiming to be Gajodhar's elder brother separated at childhood. The duo willingly accepts Paramveer into their fold only to exploit his muscle power to serve their con games.

Meanwhile, Gajodhar falls in love with Sahiba [Kulraj Randhawa], a beautiful girl from Punjab. As their romance reaches its peak, her brothers [Anupam Kher and company] arrive and forcibly take her away. Paramveer saves the day with a crazy plan to win the girl back for Gajodhar, which leads them to the rustic heartlands of Punjab.

Like I pointed out at the very outset, YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA borrows from here, there, everywhere. You can draw parallels with Mirza-Sahiba, the legendary folklore that is popular to this date. Memories of BUNTY AUR BABLI and also DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE come alive while watching this one. The climax, of course, is straight out of 1970s cinema. In fact, writer Jasvinder Singh Bath makes it a point to offer the viewer a new punch every 15/20 minutes. Of course, some are enjoyable, some aren't.

From the writing point of view, the first half leaves you with mixed feelings. The undercurrent of emotions is electrifying and how one wishes director Samir Karnik and the writer would've tapped this aspect, instead of wasting precious celluloid on the romance between Bobby and Kulraj Randhawa. On the brighter side, the action at the start - Sunny saves Dharmendra and Bobby from Johny Lever's goons - is dazzlingly executed. It's aimed at the masses entirely. Also, a number of comic scenes tickle your funny bone in this hour.

The film redeems itself in the post-interval portions. The graph zooms upwards the moment the focus shifts from Banaras to Punjab. The introduction of Anupam Kher's character, his assorted brothers, the sequence when Sunny and Bobby ask for Kulraj's hand in marriage, the arrival of Dharmendra and also Sunny's Canadian wife Emma Brown Garrett subsequently, Sunny's speech in English at the election rally... the fun never stops. Of course, the villain's track [Puneet Issar] is an obstacle and the climax fight, like I pointed out earlier, tries so hard to be funny. Also, the film could've done with trimming.

Director Samir Karnik has targeted the film at the hoi polloi and that segment of moviegoers would love his effort. In fact, the film has several mass-appealing moments that would either send the masses in a tizzy of excitement or make them clap in delight. However, the clap-trap moments are more towards the second hour. Writer Jasvinder Singh Bath seems inspired by the cinema of Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra and if one overlooks the hiccups in the first hour, his screen writing does justice to the genre of the film. The songs aren't appealing, except for the remix version of 'Yamla Pagla Deewana', the yesteryear hit and 'Charha De Rang', which is melodious to the core. 'Tinku Jiya' should appeal to the front-benchers. The cinematography [Kabir Lal] is captivating; the lush green locales of Punjab are well captured on moving picture. Dialogue are well worded. The action sequences [Analarasu] are deftly executed.

Casting the Deols together is a trump card and their real-life bonding reflects delightfully on screen. Dharmendra is endearing and charming as ever. He enacts his part with effortless ease. Sunny is wonderfully restrained. The audience will love him as a sober guy and the ones who expect the brawny star to flex his muscles or raise his voice [the angry man persona] won't be disappointed either. Bobby is equally convincing, matching up to his iconic father and brother every time they appear on screen together. Kulraj looks beautiful and makes an extremely confident big screen debut.

Anupam Kher is outstanding. This is amongst his most lovable acts. Johny Lever is funny in a brief role. Nafisa Ali is graceful as ever. Sucheta Khanna is first-rate. Amit Mistry does very well. Mukul Dev should stage a comeback to movies with this one. He's too good! Himanshu Malik is okay. Puneet Issar is wasted. Emma Brown Garrett [Sunny's wife] is amazing. Ditto for the two child artists, enacting the role of Sunny's kids. Ajay Devgn's voiceover at the start sets the tone for the film.

On the whole, YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA is a hardcore mass entertainer that fulfils the expectations of the aam junta. Those who love Deols will adore this one, while those who don't, won't ignore it either. The film works big time for its mass-appealing second half and loads of entertainment it has to offer. The target audience is the masses and it is this segment of movie-going audience that should carry this film to success. Business at single screens should be exceptional, while the film should set new benchmarks in North India [Punjab specifically]. Internationally too, the film should perform the best in U.K., U.S.A. and Canada.

Read more »

Movie Review: Bhoot And Friends (2010)

Bhoot And Friends: Bhoot and Friends centers on a group of kids who chance upon the trail of a treasure while holidaying.

Director: Kittu Saluja
Starring: Jackie Shroff, Ashwin Mushran, Markand Soni, Ishita Panchal, Aditya Lakhia
Rating: *1/2 (1.5 out of 5)
There is practically nothing new to look forward to in Bhoot and Friends. To all those parents who have not yet taken their children to the theaters playing this children’s film, please do not bother to visit any theater. A trip to the park will keep your child happier! Bhoot and Friends comes with the similar story and screenplay that characterizes a children’s film in India. In fact the entire film bears an uncanny resemblance to an earlier release Bhoot Uncle, thus making the film all the more predictable.
Bhoot and Friends centers on a group of kids who chance upon the trail of a treasure while holidaying. Their search for the treasure makes the kids cross paths with a man who apparently keeps people hostage until that treasure lands into his hands. Watching over them is a spirit or bhoot played by Jackie Shroff. Does that remind you of Bhoot Uncle?
Apparently, yes! Jackie Shroff is the only entity who is aware of the real location of the treasure. Will he help the children in their search? For the answer you will have to visit the theater, well, if you are still interested! The only positive thing in the entire film is the animated sequences towards the first half.

Read more »

Movie Review: Hostel (2010)

Hostel: Not Perfect For New Year Release!

Writer-Director: Manish Gupta
Cast: Vatsal Seth, Tulip Joshi, Mukesh Tewari
Music-Lyrics: Virag Mishra
Rating: ***( 3 out of 5 )
Director Manish Gupta, has made a very nice issue based movie that will help to create alarm about the evils of ragging. Vatsal Seth is signed again after Toh Baat Pakki as the lead hero. The 30 year old actor has done justice to his role as a college guy, who becomes victim of ruthless ragging by the seniors in hostel.
The film is an honest attempt by the writer-director Manish Gupta to show our society the plight of such students, who are tortured, raped and stripped in the name of ragging.
Tulip Joshi has again tried her hands in Bollywood after 2009 comedy Daddy Cool. She plays the lead heroine in Hostel, which shows the worst side of educational institutions in India.
In India, every year, several students attempt suicide due to the humiliation faced in the name of ragging. The sadistic practice in hostels and colleges has been represented very authentically in this film. But the director has chosen wrong occasion to release the film because everyone will be in the partying mood and this is a film based on a serious issue. Audience would ask for entertainment so the film might not get that much response.

Read more »

Movie Review : Yeh Faasle

Yeh Faasle: First look Experience the distance in human relationships.
Cast: Anupam Kher, Pawan Malhotra, Amrita Rao, Emraan Hashmi, Shahid Kapoor.
Director: Yogesh Mittal.
Yeh Faasle is a film based totally on the basic distance that each human relationship develops over a period of time interspersed with the various circumstances in the protagonist’s lives.
The movie has Amrita Rao portraying the role of a very high profile film actress Sanjana who is adored by all and is loved by quite a few big names in the industry like SRK. However for Sanjana love doesn’t exist and she is too high and mighty to succumb to such silly things like love.
Then comes a time when the gangster called Charlie played by Shahid Kapoor happens to see her and instantly falls in love with her. As Sanjana gradually gets entangled in this relationship she is not aware of Charlie’s true identity.
In the mean time Emraan Hashmi playing the role of Vicky the Casanova, who was brought up abroad has to come back to India to look after his ailing father. Thus when he comes after years( he was sent to live with his aunt when he was just three and even the aunt had died sometime ago) he meets Sanjana and falls for her but she is too committed to Charlie.
Thus will Sanjana finally opt for lie or Vicky as her life partner? Wait for the movie to release on the 7th of January 2011 to find out.

Read more »

Movie Review: Mirch (2010)

 

Mirch: Is Sexual Equality The Only Answer To Gender Equality?

Director: Vinay Shukla
Music : Monty Sharma
Lyrics : Javed Akhtar
Starring: Shreyas Talpade, Mahie Gill, Shahana Goswami, Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Arunoday Singh, Rajpal Yadav and Boman Irani
Rating: *** (3 Out of 5)
What can you say about a movie which has powerhouse performers like Konkona Sen Sharma and Boman Irani and an equally good director like Vinay Shukla, who being an actor himself knows the nuances of the profession. People who go by trailers and posters, wanting to watch Mirch only for the erotic content which has been promoted so far are in for a surprise. The director tries to raise the issue of gender equality through the sexual encounters that his female leads have in the film and therefore the story of Mirch too is framed that way.
However, the point where Vinay Shukla fails miserably is that he shows a female being equal to her male counterpart only where sex is concerned. Yes, we know that cheating is in a man’s blood, but Mirch shows women who very expertly cheat on their husbands and come out unscathed in the act.
The story is a combination of four films, the scripts of which have been penned by a budding filmmaker. This filmmaker takes inspiration from the fiction series Panchatantra to write stories which have sex and eroticism as their prime content. And it is through the sexual equality that Vinay Shukla has tried to deal with the issue of gender equality through Mirch.

Read more »

Movie Review: Tera Kya Hoga Johnny (2010)

 

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny: Sudhir Mishra Heists Your Empathy For Johnny

Cast: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami, Karan Nath, Saurabh Shukla, and Sinkandar Agarwal.
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Rating: **1/2 (2.5 Out of 5)
Story of Johnny wanting to get rich and move to Dubai. For that he helps Parvez to rob Chiple of his ill-gotten money. Parvez also has a relationship Chiple’s wife, the trans-gender madam has his love interest, the drug dealer. All these characters along with the model/ actress Preeti being the interest of the owner of a TV network have some semblance I Johnny’s life and he wishes one of them will help him to attain his dream.
Tera Kya Hoga Johnny is just not another heist movie that has hit the screens today (Dec’ 17th), but being a Sudhir Mishar film who explores the psyches of the people while they are forced into extreme circumstances has been his signature. While showcasing the turmoil he has delved into the relationship of these characters along with the realities of the social changes. This time too in Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, Misha while narrating heist story takes you into the mind of the protagonist with whom you can empathize.
In spite of loads of other characters and other destructions caused by other plots and some not so worthy Hitchcock-an cameo by the director and one by Anurag Kashyap as a henchman one still roots for Johnny (Sikandar Agarwal), a migrant kid worker who makes his living by serving tea. Neil Nitin Mukesh as Parvez, Sohan Ali Khan as Preeti, Kay Kay Menon as the corrupt police Chiple only adds to the fragmented societal structure.
In a way once again Mishra does a great job in exposing the vagaries of the city Mumbai. But while each of these characters in the film is described by Johnny as he sees them, the element of the heist film is belittled a bit. It’s not a gritty robbery movie but nonetheless Johnny and the narration of the film can keep the audience interested in the tale.

Read more »

Movie Preview: Tera Kya Hoga Johnny

 

Tera Kya Hoga Johnny – Interesting Tale Of  Mumbai’s Common Man

Director: Sudhir Mishra
Starring: Sikandar Agarwal (child actor), Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami, Saurabh Shukla and others.
Tera Kya Hoga Johnny is a movie based on multiple storyline. Johnny is a child worker in Mumbai who serves coffee. This lad dreams of going off to Dubai but lacks the funds and hopes that some of his friends would one day help him out.
Neil Nitin Mukesh plays the role of Parvez, a man who dreams of making it tobe the Part of India Shining Dream. He has an affair with a married woman named Divya. The lady is married to Chiple, a corrupted cop played by Kay Kay Menon. Parvez who is waiting to get some quick buck decides to steal away the cash tucked away in a flat by the corrupted cop.
Then there is Soha Ali Khan who plays the role of Preeti. She is a struggling model who dreams of making it big in the big bad world of glitz and glamour. Karan Nath who plays Vishal is a complete loser who sticks to drugs to get into a high. A parallel story runs with a character called Chutta played by Vijay Maurya, who has a supportive mother, a eunuch played by Saurabh Shukla.
The storyline has an amazing interwoven link as each wonders what will happen to the other, the most important factor in the movie being what fate awaits Johnny. The music is by Pankaj Awasthi, Abhishek Ray and Ali Azmat. Tera Kya Hoga Johnny releases on the 17th of December.

Read more »

Movie Review: No Problem

No Problem: Will Really Make You Forget Your Problems

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Suneil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Sushmita Sen, Kangana Ranaut
Director: Anees Bazmee
Genre: Comedy
Director Anees Bazmee promises to take you through yet another joy ride after the super successful No Entry. And this time too we hope that he will present before us another ‘laughathon’. Though the cast has undergone a change and we will see the ever eccentric Kangana Ranaut putting on her comic shoes for the first time, the Sanjay Dutt and Paresh Rawal comic timing will be the chief crowd puller from Friday.
No Problem tells the story of two thieves Yash and Raj enacted by Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna respectively and a police officer Arjun, played by Anil Kapoor, trying his best to get hold of a man called Zandulal, played by Paresh Rawal, who turns prime suspect in a case of bank robbery. However, it is actually Yash and Raj, the thieves who have committed the crime of robbing a bank. Therefore, Zandulal is constantly in search of the petty thieves.
Sushmita Sen on the other hand plays Kajal, inspector Arjun’s wife. She hates her husband for his incompetency at work and wishes to kill him each time he comes in front of her. Kangana Ranaut is Sanjana, Kajal’s sister who falls in love with the thief raj little knowing his occupation. Suneil Shetty plays the role of Marcus, a goon who is also on the lookout of Yash and Raj because he has been blamed for killing a politician who was actually killed by the thieves duo.
Larger the number of characters, larger the amount of confusion. And this is exactly what happens in Anees Bazmee’s No Problem. The irony in the name is that each character in the film has his/her own set of problems! But the audience is sure to forget all their problems when they sit down to watch No Problem.

Read more »

Movie Preview: Band Baaja Baraat

Band Baaja Baaraat:The film is releasing tomorrow across the world.

Director: Maneesh Sharma
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Band Baaja Baraat, a Yash Raj Films production has explored the lavish weddings that take place in Delhi. Maneesh Sharma is debuting as a full-fledged director with this movie. He has earlier assisted in Yash Raj films like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Fanaa and Aaja Nachle.
The film’s hero Ranveer Singh is also a newcomer with no experience in either acting or modeling. However, he got the role after impressing Aditya Chopra. The story of the movie revolves around two young people, Shruti (Anushka Sharma) and Bittoo (Ranveer Singh). This romantic comedy discovers the world of wedding planning.
The 20 plus Shruti and Bitto have just graduated from Hans Raj College of Delhi University. They are very different from each other as Shruti is confident, ambitious and focused whereas Bitto is kind of a loafer, who enjoys having fun with friends. Destiny brings them together and they reluctantly start this Wedding Planner business. However, the joint venture starts with one rule that they can’t mix business with pleasure.
BBB will unfold their experiences and ups and downs throughout the journey as wedding planners. It will show the lavish world of the glamor in Delhi weddings. This will also test their friendship bond. A lot of fun thing can be expected from this film.
The film is releasing tomorrow across the world and is expected to draw mostly the young viewers. We just hope it does not end up showing only some lavish marriages getting wasted for the Wedding planners!’

Read more »

Movie Review: Allah Ke Bandey

Allah Ke Bandey: The film deals with the story of two 12-year-old boys living in the slums.

Director: Farouque Kabir
Written by: Farouque Kabir
Starring: Sharman Joshi, Naseeruddin Shah, Faruque Kabir, Atul Kulkarni, Anjana Sukhani, Rukhsar, Vikram Gokhale, Suhasini Mulay, Suhasini Mulay, Saksham Kulkarni.
Music Director: Kailash Kher, Hamza Faruqui, Chirantan Bhatt.
Rating: ***(3 Out of 5)
Allah Ke Bandey is another Friday release of this week which is directed by yet another debutant director Farouque Kabir, the man who assisted director Rajiv Rai in 2001 movie Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat. In this era of romance and comedy, the first time director has tried his hand on a very serious but burning topic.
The film deals with the story of two 12-year-old boys living in the slums. They aspire to become famous in the world of crime and get involved in looting people and delivering drugs for the Mafia. However, they end up being wrongly convicted for a murder case and this reach the Juvenile Reformatory. Here, life turns hell for the duo as the senior inmates torture them with all possible cruelty and they do it with the participation and permission of the Juvenile warden.
The free spirits of Vijay (played by Sharman Joshi) and Yakub (Faruque Kabir) are not to bow down in front of all these tortures and they grow up nursing a dream of becoming the ruler of the slums where they lived. Their criminal obsession also increases with time and they form a group of all teenage boys to fulfill their dream.
However, every evil has its end and so they would have but their salvation comes at the cost of a high price! You need to watch the movie to know the climax. It is not a usual entertaining flick but it strikes somewhere on the hard reality.

Read more »

Movie Review: Break Ke Baad (2010)

Break Ke Baad: It’s genuinely a love story with some added fun elements.

Director: Danish Aslam.
Starring: Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shahana Goswami, Yudhishtr Urs, Sharmila Tagore, Navin Nischol and Lillete Dubey.
Rating: ***( 3 out of 5)
With a promise of entertaining the youth, debutant director Danish Aslam tries to offer you an old story with some new twists and turns incorporated in it. However, you will enjoy the chemistry between the two young leads Imran Khan as Abhay and Deepika Padukone as Aaliya. They are childhood sweethearts, who share their first kiss when they watch Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for the third time. So, it’s genuinely a love story but with some added fun elements.
Aaliya is ambitious, gorgeous and stubborn while Abhay is aimless in his life. For Aaliya, love is not everything and wants to be a renowned actress. But they can’t stay without each other even when they fight. You must have seen her saying ‘Main Shah Rukh Khan hu’ during the promos and that is one funny seen where she is totally drunk. Even though, she is insensitive sometimes but knows Abhay is the strong pillar of her life.
To fulfill her ambition, Aaliya leaves for Australia and Abhay follows her. Here, you can see some funny but confusing scenes between them. Finally, Lillette Dubey enters the scene and she does not mind calling Aalia ‘chudail’ even when she has divorced thrice in her own life.
It has a soulful music and a story that youth can relate to. So, it’s not a bad idea to watch the movie during this weekend with friends!

Read more »

Movie Preview : Action Replayy

The magnum production ‘Action Replayy’ is all set to hit the silver screens across India this Diwali. Vipul Shah who dons both the hats of the director as well as the producer is certainly taking no chances this time. ‘Action Replayy ‘is likely to be screened in over 1800 theaters on the auspicious Diwali weekend which is considered to be doubly lucky by the Bollywood brigade.

The storyline itself is slightly offbeat deviating from the more traditional Bollywood fare that are churned out at regular intervals. This one takes the help of science which lands the lead romantic pair into the seventies. The wooing of the lovely Aishwarya Rai by a seemingly reluctant and gauche Akshay is expected to provide most of the entertainment here.
The protagonists find themselves to be a part of the bygone era and the film gives them an excuse to go retro with a vengeance. Based very loosely on the ‘Back to the Future’ theme, Bunty (Aditya) who plays the son of the lead pair finds himself wishing that he could settle for peace and harmony instead of listening to the constant bickering of his parents. His commitment phobia arises out of the fear of finding himself in the same boat while professor Anthony Gonsalves , his girlfriend’s grandfather is adamant that he marry Tanya or forget her completely. Pushed to the wall, Bunty then takes a journey down time hoping to arrange a love match between his parents.
‘Action Replayy ‘has all the ingredients of a blockbuster movie and Shah is definitely keeping his fingers crossed while stating that he will let the people decide for themselves.

Read more »

Movie Preview : Golmaal 3

Golmaal 3 - The crazy gang back again

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemu
Director: Rohit Shetty
Its Thursday and the eve for yet another set of Bollywood films to hit screens across India. Considering that it is the Diwali season, the anticipation surrounding tomorrow’s releases are even higher, feel movie critics. With comedy being the flavor of the season, director Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 3 may once again strike gold at the box office. Releasing today with an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor and their entire gang from the previous two offerings, Golmaal 3 is surely Bollywood’s strongest contender at the box office this festive season.
The story of Golmaal 3 revolves around a family which stays under the same roof and does all possible things together, and yet cannot stand the sight of one another. And it is the war that the members silently carry out against one another that results in the craziest acts in the movie and laughter for its audience.
So will the ideal family succeed in raking in the moolahs this year too? Trade analysts think they can and we are more than waiting to catch the movie at the nearest theater. What makes Golmaal series all the more special is the fact that it is the first trilogy in the history of Indian cinema.

Read more »

Movie Review : Daayen Ya Baayen (2010)

Daayen Ya Baayen means “right or left” in English. This is exactly how the mind of the lead character of the movie Ramesh Majila kept dwindling for his need of recognition and the limited version of looking at himself through the eyes of other people.

This film is about a Quoxotian character, inspired from our folk tales of the Himalayas. The movie is simple and believable yet it lacks the drive at several instances.
Deepak Dobriyal of Omkara plays the role of Ramesh Majila who returns to his small scenic village located in the mountains of Uttarakhand. He is looked upon as a hero as any other city return man is treated in the villages of India. He claims to be a writer by profession in Mumbai and wrote for many of the serials that were telecasted. Soon he turns a joke for all the villagers when he decides to settle down in the village and takes the job of a English teacher at the local school. He is looked down by not only the villagers but also his wife for his impractical ambition of opening a Kala Kendra ( art center) , poetic thoughts and radical ways of teaching.
Life takes a dramatic turn for him when one of his random poetic invention gets selected for an ad jingle and wins him a swanky luxurious red car. This prize gets him adorns and love from children and grudge from others. He rises to a heroic status overnight. However his life spirals into a series of comic conflicts as he struggles to match the rest of his life to the car that adorns his cowshed, undoing himself completely in the process and losing the respect of his most ardent fan, his young son. When the car is stolen, he sets out on a journey to recover something more than his prized possession – his lost dignity.
Director Bela Negi has attempted to give a very sweet and simple film and I would say that she has pretty well succeeded in doing so. This film makes way for filmmakers who along with entertaining are also trying to create a meaningful cinema showcasing the realities of life. Though the movie is based on the life of a villager and the general problems faced in a village, it underlines certain identities, values and aspirations which are common among all the people. This movie deals with materialistic aspirations and down to earth issues, but with comic lining. The story is straightforward and different but it is the dialogues that make it more entertaining. Each and every character in the movie is typical and once can easily relate to them. The best part about the film is that it doesn’t lose it humour even at the darkest point.
Deepak Dobriyal has given a brilliant performance as the main protagonist. His acting ability and perfect comic timing stands testimony to his years spent in theater. He would be treat to watch on the screen for the observant and attentive audience. He is a powerful actor and a treat for the observant audiences. The movie would be much appreciated by those who can understand the subtle intricacies of the story, the idiosyncrasies of its various characters, the dialogues, and the overall humour and light heartedness of the film. Without any doubt ,this is one of his finest performance on screen. He has very beautifully played the roles of a day-dreamer, poet, visionary, husband, father and above all a messy loser. His character is beautifully supported by Badrul Islam, a fanboy hopelessly sweet in his own way. Pratyush as Ramesh’s son radiates lot of potential and is simply adorable throughout the movie.
Daayen Ya Baayen is slated to release on 29th October, 2010. It is a simple but stretched film. Though it is elongated yet it is enjoyable.

Read more »

Movie Review: Nakshatra (2010)

Nakshatra - ‘Nakshatra’ lacks good script and this is just one of the major flaws of the movie

Starring: Anupam Kher, Milind Soman, Shubh, Sabina Sheema
Direction: Mohan Savalkar
Genre: Thriller
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes
Readers Rating: 1.5 (one out of five)
There’s a bit of romance juggled with a bit of action here to create a run-of-the-mill thriller which takes so much time to rev up, it leaves you restless. More importantly, there seems to be some confusion about what our young hero (Shubh) actually wants to be. Does he want to be a gamer, excelling in playstation antics or does he aspire to be a new age Salim-Javed, writing bestselling scripts for blockbuster films? We’re as confused as the laddie’s lost lady (Sabina Sheema) who tries hard to lure him away from the game console. And when he does, he ends up with strange producers who keep paying him money for a film that never hits the floors.
Flummoxed? Yes. So are we. The film perks up only in the action cuts when Milind Soman leaps and bounds across the screen in hot pursuit of the necklace chor. But that’s not enough to keep up the momentum in a film that’s in desperate need of editing and punch. Also, what’s Anupam Kher doing in a two-bit role that doesn’t justify his presence in any way.

Read more »

Movie Review: Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010)

Jhootha Hi Sahi – The film deals with telephonic relationship between two strangers.

Rating: **** (four out of five)

Starring: John Abraham, Pakhi, Manasi Scott, Raghu Ram

Direction: Abbas Tyrewala

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Jhootha Hi Sahi may be a love story, but it’s smartly written and told by the duo, Abbas Tyrewala and wife, Pakhi. The script has a few teasing twists and turns that do not let it fall into the rut of predictable run-of-the-mill romances. The parallel friendship — and romance — between the angst-ridden Mishka and the geeky bookstore employee Siddharth, who doubles up as the anonymous and wise helpline buddy, zigzags across the picturesque London backdrop in an engaging manner. John’s grubby apartment, his goofy encounters with Pakhi in the bookstore and the DVD store, his zillion slips of the tongue which are hastily covered by a series of lies, all have a sparkle and wit to them.

But more than all this, it is the gang he hangs out with which provides most of the fun and the games. It’s an odd assortment of characters — gays, Pakistanis, unmarried mothers-to-be, a desperate wannabe groom — that form his `Friends’ circle and lends meat to the proceedings with their crazy banter. Leading the extended family bratpack is best friend, Omar (Raghu Ram), the Pakistani who doesn’t miss a chance to joke about the testy Indo-Pakistan equation. The fringe-folk fraternity is more reminiscent of the Hugh Grant gang in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill than the Ross-Rachel-Joey-Chandler-Monica-Phoebe Friends circle.

The film largely follows the idiom which Abbas Tyrewala enunciated in his debut venture, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, reiterating his use of youthful lingo (strange becomes ajeebs here), wisecrack humour and `cool gang’ bonding, with a celebration — and a spoof — of the traditional Bollywood `andaaz’ (style) of essaying romance. Needless to say, it’s an idiom that has a refreshing quality and an allure to it, as was proved by his earlier film. Jaane Tu… however, stood out due to its novelty while Jhootha Hi Sahi is a successful encore with a brave attempt by John Abraham to break the mould and prove his mettle as something more than molten beefcake.

His stutter does seem awkward in places, but we’ll forgive him these minor glitches, since he does manage to get the Clark Kent imagery quite right. Add to this, a peppy music score by AR Rahman, a confident debut by Pakhi, a strong support cast and you have a fun-filled film waiting for you this weekend.

Read more »

Movie Review: Hisss (2010)

Hisss - The movie is all about the usual revenge taking story of a female snake

Starring: Malika Sherawat, Divya Dutta, Priyanka Rawat, Irrfan Khan, Jeff Doucette

Director: Jennifer Lynch

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Mallika Sherawat has sizzled on screen again with her ‘naagin’ avatar in Hisss, which got released today both in India as well as in other counties. The movie is all about the usual revenge taking story of a female snake, played by the sexy Mallika. Her partner was taken away from her by an American scientist when they were in the most pleasant situation of mating.

Jeff Douchette plays the scientist, George States, who dares to enter this forbidden jungle in the Malabar Coast. Unable to gauge the result of his act, he takes to his hi-tech lab for conducting experiments on it. He is unaware of the fact that the female counterpart of this python sized cobra is hunting for her partner and is in mood of taking revenge from the entire human civilization in the cities.

One will surely enjoy the transformation of a snake to a strikingly beautiful and attractive woman (Mallika Sherawat). Her desperate search for her lover makes her full of vengeance and she instantly becomes ready with her fangs to destroy any person coming her way.

Mallika has played the role of a snake woman very convincingly as she was seen kissing and licking her partner, the great cobra. She also shed the bare essentials she used to wear for the sake of turning a ‘naagin’.

Irrfan Khan in the role of a detective called Vikram Gupta keeps chasing this sexy killer ‘snake woman’ and he is in his usual form. We can’t term it to be an excellent performance.

A talented actress like Divya Dutta has nothing much to do in the film but she has enacted it sincerely.

Lots of special effects can be seen, which never have seen in Bollywood earlier. The later part of the film will reveal whether ‘naagin’ becomes successful in taking her revenge.

Even though lots of hype was created about the nude scenes of Mallika, there is nothing new or exciting to watch in the film. The new generation that has grown up listening to the ‘Ichchadhari naagin’ stories might just give a look at it but that may also go above their heads.

It’s just an effort to revive the ‘naagin’ stories, which have hardly any relevance in today’s life. Well, if you want to feel frightened by those sexy and angry lenses of Mallika then go ahead in this weekend for Hisss!

Read more »