Best Movies

My Name Is Khan

2010-07-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

Directed by	Karan Johar
Produced by	Hiroo Yash Johar Gauri Khan
Written by	Story and screenplay Shibani Bathija Dialogues Shibani Bathija Niranjan Iyengar
Starring	Shahrukh Khan Kajol
Music by	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Cinematography	Ravi K. Chandran
Editing by	Deepa Bhatia
CBFC Rating	A Certificate
Studio	Imagenation Abu Dhabi Dharma Productions Red Chillies Entertainment
Distributed by	Fox Searchlight Pictures 20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	February 12, 2010
Running time	161 minutes^[1]
Language	Hindi
Budget	Rs. 380 million^[2] US$ 8.18 million Distribution rights Rs. 1 billion US$ 21.79 million
Gross revenue	Rs. 1,950,000,000 Rs. 195 crore (US$ 41.54 million)

Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh Khan) is a Muslim child who grew up with his brother Zakir and his mother (Zarina Wahab) in a middle class family in the Borivali section of Mumbai. Rizwan is different from other children as he has autism. However, he has certain gifts, particularly a special ability to repair things. His difference leads to special tutoring from a reclusive scholar and extra attention from his mother, all which leads to a heightened level of jealousy from his brother Zakir, who eventually leaves his family for a life in the United States .

Despite this resentment, as an adult Zakir (Jimmy Shergill) sponsors Rizwan to come and live with him in San Francisco after the death of their mother. It is at this time that Zakir's wife, Haseena (Sonya Jehan) diagnoses Rizwan as having Asperger's syndrome. Rizwan also begins to work for Zakir and in the process he meets a Hindu woman, Mandira (Kajol) and her young son, Sameer or Sam (Yuvaan Makaar), from a previous marriage. Mandira is a hairdresser by profession. Despite Zakir's hostility to the match, they marry and settle down in the fictional town of Banville, where both Mandira and Sameer take Rizwan's last name as their own. They also live next door to the Garrick family. Sameer is close to their young son, Reese (Kenton Duty) and Michael Arnold) while Mark (Dominic Renda) is a reporter and Sarah (Katie A. Keane) is a friend of Mandira.

The Khan's perfect existence gets disrupted, however, after the September 11 attacks on the twin towers in New York City. Mark goes to cover the war in Afghanistan and dies there. At the same time, the Khan family begins to experience post 9-11 prejudice in their community and Reese begins to turn against Sam as well. One afternoon, an argument between them turns into a racially motivated schoolyard fight between Sameer and a number of older students. Reese tries to stop the fight but is held back and Sam dies from his injuries. A shattered Mandira blames Rizwan for his death stating that Sameer "died only because his name was Khan." She then tells Rizwan that she no longer wants to be with him. When he asks her what he has to do to be together with Mandira, she sarcastically tells him that he has to tell the people of the United States and the President that his name is Khan and that he is not a terrorist .

Rizwan takes Mandira's request seriously, and thus sets out on a journey that takes him from one US state to another, in order to first meet President George W. Bush and later President-elect Barack Obama. During this quest, he travels to Wilhemina, Georgia and befriends Mama Jenny and her son Joel. Later, in Los Angeles, he prays in a Mosque and overhears violent rhetoric from Faisal Rahman (Arif Zakaria). He reports this to the FBI but there is no response at that moment. Later, while waiting in a crowd to meet President Bush and repeating again and again, "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist," Rizwan is arrested and placed in a prison by police who misinterpret his statement.

While in the prison he is interrogated as a terrorist suspect and meets the psychiatrist Radha (Sheetal Menon) who believes he is innocent. He is later released after a media campaign by some Indian student reporters Raj (Arjun Mathur) and Komal (Sugandha Garg) and Bobby Ahuja (Parvin Dabas), who prove his innocence by unearthing his attempts to inform the FBI about Faisal Rahman. After his release, he returns to hurricane-hit Wilhemina to help Mama Jenny and her son. His efforts attract media attention and numerous Muslims come to help as well. At the same time, Reese confesses to Mandira and reveals the identity of the boys who beat up Sam. She informs Detective Garcia (Benny Nieves) who has been assisting her on the case, and Detective Garcia arrests them.

After they are brought to justice, she joins Rizwan in Georgia. At the moment she arrives, Rizwan is stabbed by a follower of Faisal Rahman and is rushed to the hospital. With Mandira's help, Rizwan survives and meets President-elect Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan) who tells him: "Your name is Khan and you are not a terrorist .

My Name Is Khan created several records, both in India and around the world. In India, the film smashed the record for a Bollywood release in the month of February, breaking the previous two-year record held by Jodhaa Akbar. The film also broke the record for a Bollywood release in the first quarter of the year, breaking the previous two-year record held by Race. In the UK, the film broke the four-year record of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film in the UK. In the Middle East it is also the highest grossing Bollywood film. As of date My Name Is Khan is the highest-grossing film in overseas markets.^[11]^[39]

RaajNeeti

2010-07-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Directed by	Prakash Jha
Produced by	Prakash Jha Ronnie Screwvala^[1]^[2]
Written by	Screenplay Anjum Rajabali Prakash Jha Story Prakash Jha
Starring	Ajay Devgan Ranbir Kapoor Arjun Rampal Manoj Bajpai Katrina Kaif Nana Patekar Naseeruddin Shah Sarah Thompson
Music by	Wayne Sharpe Pritam Aadesh Srivastav Shantanu Moitra
Cinematography	Sachin Krishn
Editing by	Santosh Mandal
Distributed by	Prakash Jha Productions Walkwater Media UTV Motion Pictures
Release date(s)	June 4, 2010 (2010-06-04)
Running time	167 minutes^[3]
Country	India
Language	Hindi

The film begins with a flashback into the life of Bharti Rai (Nikhila Trikha), the daughter of Chief Minister Ramnath Rai (Darshan Jariwala). Influenced by leftist ideology, she rebels against her father and joins the rival party of leftist leader Bhaskar Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah). Bharti develops an illicit relationship with Bhaskar, who, guilt-ridden over taking advantage of the younger woman, leaves for parts unknown, having unwittingly gotten Bharti pregnant. Upon the child's birth, he is abandoned in a boat by Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), Bharti's brother. Bharti later marries Chandra Pratap (Chetan Pandit), the younger brother of Bhanu Pratap (Khan Jahangir Khan). Bhanu leads the Rashtrawadi political party. The government in the state collapses and Bhanu suffers a stroke. In the hospital, he hands over power to his brother Chandra and to Chandra's son, Prithviraj Pratap (Arjun Rampal) — sidelining his own son, Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai). Veerendra, who believes power is his birthright, demands his uncle's position, and after being rebuffed, enlists support from a Dalit leader, Sooraj Kumar (Ajay Devgan) — who, unknown to both, is Bharti's abandoned son.

Veerendra with the help of Sooraj, has Chandra assassinated in his car, while he is returning from the airport after seeing off his younger son, Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor). In an ensuing drama, Prithvi is arrested by police under the influence of Veerendra and put on trial for a case of raping a woman party worker (Shruti Seth). Samar comes to the rescue and promises that if all charges upon his brother are dropped, his brother will resign and that he is ready to move with his family to the U.S.. Veerendra agrees but the newly released Prithvi begins rallying public support despite his resignation from the party. After Bhanu officially expels Prithvi, the latter splits from the Rashtrawadi party and contests elections under "Jana Shakti party", a new party with Gopal as his mentor and Samar as the executive. Meanwhile Samar's American girlfriend Sarah (Sarah Thompson) arrives in India to see the situation. To raise funds for the new party, Samar shrewdly ensures Prithvi's marriage to their childhood friend Indu (Katrina Kaif), the daughter of a powerful businessman.

The film gets murkier with both sides trying every trick to ensure their victory in coming elections. Allegations and counter-allegations are made. Subsequently, Samar uncovers that the real murderer of his father is Sooraj and Veerendra, and decides to take revenge. On the other hand, Prithvi executes the former police officer, who had arrested him and the woman worker at a farmhouse. This infuriates Veerendra and he hatches a plot to assassinate Prithvi. A car bomb kills both Prithvi and Sarah, who was to be dropped at the airport in that car. Devastated by the loss of his brother and girlfriend, Samar decides to retaliate. He suggests Indu to take the reins of the party and arranges the election campaign single-handedly.

Meanwhile, Sooraj is revealed to be the first child of Bharti, who implores him to join his younger brother Samar. Sooraj refuses to part ways with Veerendra and asks his mother to leave. Exit polls predict a victory for Indu's Party and on the counting day, Samar lures Veerendra and Sooraj to an unused factory by spreading a rumor about electronic voting machine being hacked. Veerendra and Sooraj fall in the trap and Veerendra gets shot by Samar and his men. Sooraj requests Samar to leave him and Veerendra till they reach the hospital, but Veerendra dies on the way. Gopal prompts Samar to shoot Sooraj who questions the morality of the act. But Gopal convinces him to take the revenge. Samar shoots Sooraj and takes the revenge for the destruction of his family.

Later the election results are declared, and Indu emerges with majority and is made Chief Minister. Samar is seen asking forgiveness and attempting reconciliation. Explaining his decision to return to America, he reflects that he always wanted to stay away from politics as politics is a game that brings out the "inner devil" . Indu is also revealed to be pregnant with Prithvi's child, while Samar leaves India to look after Sarah's mother and settle there.

Box office

The film recorded an opening of nearly Rs. 10.50 crore net on its first day.^[17] The film had the second biggest Friday opening in India after 3 Idiots, and the biggest Friday opening in the first half of the year, beating Kites.^[18]^[19]^[20] In Australia and New Zealand, Raajneeti beat the opening weekend record set by 3 Idiots.^[21] It collected Rs. 34 crores at the end of the weekend and set a record for biggest weekend in the first half of the year, beating Housefull.^[22]^[23] Overseas, the film opened to weekend business of $2.25 million.^[24] It showed no major decline in business on Tuesday and collected Rs. 5.85 crore.^[25] At the end of the first week, the film collected Rs. 54.75 crore and set a record for biggest week in the first half of the year beating Housefull; overall it is on the third position after 3 Idiots and Ghajini.^[26] Raajneeti sustained well in the second weekend and collected Rs. 16.25 crore.^[27]

In the U.S., the film played well for a limited release, noted Ray Subers of BoxOfficeMojo.com, grossing $850,244 on 124 screens its opening weekend, "which was good for first among limited releases and 11th place on the overall weekend chart." He specified that Raajneeti "became the third Bollywood movie this year to lead all limited releases in its first weekend," following My Name is Khan and Kites.

GHAR KAB AAO GAY

2010-06-15T00:21:00.000-07:00

GHAR KAB AAO GAY

Directed by Iqbal Kashmiri
Produced by Shehzad Gul

Music by Amjad Bobby
Cinematography Waqar Bokhari
Editing by Aqeel Ali Asghar
Release date(s) January 9, 2000
Country Pakistan
Language Urdu
CAST:SHAAN,BABAR ALI,MEERA,SAIMA,SANA,NOOR,ZEESHAN &,JAVED SHEIKH

Ghar Kab Ao Gey is Pakistani Urdu language film directed by Iqbal Kashmiri which was released across theaters in Pakistan in Eid-ul-Fittar January 9 2000.

Film Business

Received a Platinum jubilee in Lahore (88 weeks).

SUHA JORA

2010-06-10T07:55:00.001-07:00

SUHA JORA

CAST;
Shaan,Nargis,Sidra Noor,Mustafa Qureshi,Sardar Kemal .Tariq Shah,Nayyar Ejaz,
Safqat Cheema &
Directed by Pervez Rana
Produced by Syed Zubair Shah
Written by Mohammad Kemal Pasha
Music by Tafoo
Release date(s) May 4, 2007
LANGUAGE: PUNJABI
COUNTRY : PAKISTAN

Category: Entertainment
Suha Jora is a Pakistani Punjabi film directed by Pervez Rana. The film was a super hit in Lahore.
Syed Raza Ali Rizvi student of DPS and part time drug seller. Shaan is uncle who love Nargis. Nargis is also lost mother of Syed. Shafaqat Cheema killed syed's father. Nargis is a stage dancer Nargis is my favourite actress and i like nargis

Aap Ka Surroor

2010-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Aap Ka Surroor

Directed by Prashant Chadha
Produced by Vijay Taneja
Music by Himesh Reshammiya
Cinematography Manoj Soni
Editing by Sudhir Mehan
Distributed by T-Series
Release date(s) 29 June 2007
Running time 127 mins
Country India
Language Hindi
Cast:
Himesh Reshammiya ... Himself a.k.a. HR
Hansika Motwani ... Ria
Mallika Sherawat ... Ruby
Raj Babbar ... Nadia Merchant's father
Darshan Jariwala ... Khurana
Shravan ... Shravan
Aap Kaa Suroor - The Moviee - The Real Luv Story is a 2007 Bollywood film directed by Prashant Chadha released on 29 June 2007. Popular singer Himesh Reshammiyadebuts as an actor in this film. It also stars Hansika Motwani and Mallika Sherawat . Himesh claims the story is based on his own life. The film is named after his last music album Aap Kaa Suroor. Most of the film was shot in Germany.
The movie begins with Himesh Reshammiya (HR) performing the song Assalam Vaalekum, on stage in Germany and his subsequent arrest. It is revealed that a reporter of Indian origin was found murdered with evidence convicting Himesh as the killer. His arrest leads to his imprisonment and subsequent flash backs reveal the incidents leading to the arrest.
The flash back begins with HR's arrival in Germany for a tour, introducing him as a rock star from India. He is accompanied by Shravan (his friend and presumably manager too).He meets his secretary as well as legal advisor and very own fan Ruby (Malika Sherawat).They also meet Ria, the event manager for the shows and love sparks between HR and her. Ria tries to confide her feelings about HR to her father but fails to convince him about HR's integrity. Her father insinuates HR of being lascivious. HR then meets him and convinces him about his feelings for Ria and convinces him for the marriage.
In the celebrations that ensue, Shravan coaxes HR to have a little champagne. HR, now drunk, returns to his home to find the reporter waiting to interview him. Despite his pleas, she insists on interviewing him. Camera footage then reveals in the course of the interview HR physically assaults her and shoots her, though the weapon remains untraced.
While in jail HR is told that Ria is to be married in two days. He is visited by the deceased reporter's father, whom he takes as hostage and flees the prison. After reaching the borders of the city, HR surrenders his fire arm to him and convinces him of his innocence. At that very moment, a sniper shoots the latter. HR, now convinced that he is being framed, begins his pursuit of the killer.
In the meanwhile Ria is to be married off and hence HR tells her father that he is free to marry off Ria wherever he wants in case HR is not able to prove his innocence in 24 hours.
HR, Shravan, Ria and Bani approach Ruby (on HR's hunch that Ruby, though horny, is innocent of the murders) for help. They browse through the invoices and other documents in Khurana's office to find that acute losses on a previously finalised world tour deal gave Khurana the motive to frame HR. HR then proceeds to confront Khurana and after a car chase, cameo by 3 auto drivers from Mumbai, etc, he finally catches up with him. In the final scene HR tricks him into revealing his motives, while a Hindi speaking tourist/native translates that comfortably for the police and HR is declared innocent. Khurana reveals that he wore a face mask in order to appear like HR and committed the murder to frame him.

Jaanwar

2010-05-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Jaanwar 1999

Directed by Suneel Darshan
Produced by Suneel Darshan
Written by Robin Bhatt K.K. Singh
Music by Anand-Milind
Cinematography Sameer Reddy
Editing by Sanjay Sankla
Distributed by Shree Krishna International
Release date(s) 24 December 1999
Country India
Language Hindi

Cast:
Akshay Kumar .... Badshah/Babu Lohar
Karisma Kapoor .... Sapna
Shilpa Shetty .... Mamta
Mohnish Bahl.... Aditya Oberoi
Ashutosh Rana .... Abdul
Ashish Vidyarthi .... Inspector Pradhan
Johnny Lever .... Bajrangi
Aditya Kapadia .... Raju
Shakti Kapoor .... Sultan
Kader Khan .... Special Appearance
Orphaned when his mother dies of hunger, Babu (Akshay Kumar) is corrupted by Sultan, an ambitious criminal mastermind. He grows up to become "Badshah", a professional criminal working for Sultan. The story starts with Badshah and Abdul robbing a jewelry store and being followed by the police. The police lost track of them. The next day Badshah sees Sapna (Karishma Kapoor) singing and dancing for money. Badshah realizes about her ripped clothes and she says that he was the first person to realize that. Inspector Pradhan comes to Badshah and tells him that he knows that Badshah did the robbery last night. Badshah and Abdul go to exchange stuff with other people and the police interrupts. Badshah and Abdul leave and get into an accident as well as the police officer did. Badshah helps Pradhan, but Pradhan tries to put him under arrest. The car explodes and Badshah is injured.
Sapna finds Badshah injured on the river and takes him to her home.Abdul takes the bullet out of Badshah's arm with wine and knife. Sapna looks after Badshah and cures him.Sapna sleeps next to Badshah and her Mama comes and see Badshah on the bed.He doubts Sapna and asks her about him.Sapna argues and tells him. Abdul tells Badshah to rest and Sapna's Mama comes and tells her that he knows a job that she can do to get more money.When she goes there,the man rips her clothes and Badshah comes and saves her.Badshah tells Sapna everything and tells her that she probably hates him which didn't make any difference to her because she was lonely too. Badshah makes another deal with the same person, but he was working with the police which made Abdul arrested. Badshah jumped and got away. Pradhan tried to beat out answers from Abdul.Meanwhile,the people and Sapna's Mama were talking about what her relationship with Badshah is. Badshah comes and says to Sapna that they will get married the next day.
While waiting for Badshah to come,Badshah chases after the person he was dealing with and tries to kill him. He runs away when the police comes. Sapna was being laughed because she hasn't gotten married. Badshah finds a baby who was lost from its parents because of a train accident. The baby cathes a fever and Badshah goes to Sapna for help and Sapna mistakenly think that he was already married. Badshah raises that baby and takes care of it when he realizes how important that baby is to him. He makes steel and works hard to earn money and raise the baby. He calls himself Babu Lohar. He takes care of the baby and becomes its mother and father. He names the baby Raju and he doesn't want the baby to end up as him. 7 years later Abdul is released from prison and Raju goes to school.Babu doesn't want any rich people to ruin his son and when he finds a new job,Abdul sees him.Babu talks to Abdul and goes to Sultan telling him to leave him alone.Abdul has Sapna try to kill Babu and Sapna hears the talk going between Mamta and Babu.She cries and realizes she was wrong.Meantime,the police comes and says that Raju has to go to his real parents.Raju doesn't like it and goes back to Babu,but Sultan's men capture Raju.
Babu goes to save Raju and Raju gets bitten by 2 dogs.Babu frees himself and saves Raju.He kills Abdul and Sultan.The story ends when Raju and Babu hug and decide to live together with Raju's real parents.

Krishna

2010-05-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Krishna 1996

Directed by S. Deepak
Produced by Dhirajlal Shah
Written by Tinnu Anand
Santosh Saroj
Starring Sunil Shetty Karishma Kapoor Om Puri Shakti Kapoor Tinu Anand
Music by Amar Haldipur Anu Malik
Cinematography Sameer Reddy Teja
Distributed by Asian
Release date(s) 1996
Country India
Language Hindi
The film is the story of a young pilot who is framed for a crime he hasn’t committed. A minister who then uses him to serve his ulterior motives bails him out of jail. The youth is given the impression that he would do society a great service as he was being put on the job of wiping out the drug lords. But, as it later dawns on him, he is simply being manipulated by the minister who, in fact, is the greatest enemy of society and an anti-social element. In between the story of drugs and drug peddlers, there’s a plot’s family. His sister commits suicide because she is forced into prostitution by her husband. Not only does the pilot avenge the atrocities perpetrated on his sister, he also wipes out the drug lords as well as the evil minister.

Daraar

2010-05-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Daraar 1996

Directed by Abbas-Mustan
Produced by Sujit Kumar
Written by Aadesh K. Arjun
Sachin Bhowmick
Music by Sandeep Chowta
Anu Malik
Cinematography Thomas A. Xavier
Editing by Hussain A. Burmawala
Distributed by Eros Entertainment Inc.
Release date(s) 6 July 1996
Country India
Language Hindi

Cast:
Rishi Kapoor ... Raj Malhotra
Juhi Chawla ... Priya
Arbaaz Khan ... Vikram
Johnny Lever ... Hari
Sushma Seth ... Mrs Malhotra
Sulabha Arya ... Nirmala Bhatia
Prithvi ... Doctor Sen
Vikram (Arbaaz Khan) is an overreactive husband. He can't control his anger and rage so he continuously beats his new wife, Priya (Juhi Chawla). She decides to run away in a boat. Vikram thinks that Priya drowned. Instead, she runs away to Shimla. There she meets Raj Malhotra (Rishi Kapoor). He falls in love with her. But she always is getting farther away from him. Later when she gets sick of him following her, she asks her mother what she should do. Her mother asks her to reveal that the truth to him about her marriage. Then it will be his choice to accept her or not. Priya writes a letter to him about her past life. She asks Hari (Johnny Lever) to give to Raj. But Hari misplaces the letter, and gets someone to write a new one. Raj gets this other letter which contains nothing but a poem. When he finds out she is married, he leaves her. After Hari finds the original letter, he gives it to Raj. Raj falls in love with Priya again and decides to marry her. One day Vikram sees Priya's picture in the newspaper and finds out that she is alive. He cancels his ticket for Goa and goes to Shimla. In Shimla, he searches for Priya. On finding that she is getting married, he tries to kill Raj, but fails. So he sends Raj to the prison instead. Later he goes to Priya's house and kills her friend and attempts to kill Priya as well at the end he realises his mistake and commits suicide .....

Army

2010-05-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Army

Directed by Raam Shetty
Produced by Mukul Anand
Dinesh Gupta
Sunil Manchanda
Nitin Manmohan
Written by Anees Bazmee
Sanjeev Duggal
Music by Anand Chitragupth
Milind Chitragupth
Cinematography Rajiv Jain
S. Kumar
Editing by A. Muthu
Release date(s) 1996
Country India
Language Hindi

Cast:
Arjun (Shahrukh Khan) and Geeta (Sridevi) are a young couple, who are deeply in love with each other. They get married, and soon are proud parents. Arjun gets in the bad books of a notorious gangster named Nagraj (Danny Denzongpa), and is brutally killed. When Geeta finds out she decides to avenge Arjun's death. When Nagraj finds out that Geeta is out for vengeance, he scoffs at her, refusing to believe that a lone defenseless widow can do him any harm. But Nagraj is in for a surprise when he comes face to face with Geeta and a group of young men who are dedicated to bring him down - even if they die trying.

Mr. Bechara

2010-05-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bechara 1996

Starring:
Anil Kapoor ... Anand Verma
Sridevi ... Asha / Anita
Nagarjuna Akkineni ... Ajay (Special Appearance) (as Nagarjuna)
Heera Rajgopal ... Mrs. Asha Verma
Shakti Kapoor ... Mr. Natwarlal
Tiku Talsania ... Inspector V.P. Chaturvedi (as Tikku Talsania)
Avtar Gill ... Police Superintendant
Mahavir Shah ... Anita's Brother
Shammi ... Caretaker
Pallavi
Baby Vandana
Rakesh Bhanushali ... Dum-Dum (as Master Rakesh Bhanusali)
Baby Akshay ... Sonu Verma
Manmauji (as Manmouji)
Kishori
Director:
K. Bhagyaraja

Mr Bechara was not a hit, which is the most surprising element first of all. But compared to films such as Army, it was of a much stronger compared to other Sridevi movies of the same year such as Army.

Firstly this is a story of how one man, looses his wife and gains another by no choice of his own. But the woman he gains thinks she was the original wife, and she does not know that she had an accident and has lost her memorey.

Anupham Kher is vitally funny through the whole film. Nagrujana does not get much of a role. Sridvei looks good in the film, apart from the end when she is in her wedding dress! Oh god! make sure u have your sunglasses for that.

From the original soundtrack of the film, one song was not included that being Dehkoh Dehkoh bara bajhee.

Best quote of the whole film is when Sridevi gets a slap on the face from Anil Kapoor, and she replies, "You have started hitting me, wait till you get home I will also start hitting you."

But the star of the film is the cute baby, and Sridevi really shows her love for the child for him as if it was her own Jhanvi!

The film is a must see for all Sridevi fans, Anil Kapoor again pairs of well with Sridevi. This film must been seen on good quality and not bad print or you will not enjoy this film at all.

Ghatak

2010-05-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Ghatak 1996

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi
Written by Vijay Deveshwar, Shyam Gupta (Dialogue)
Music by the late R. D. Burman, Recreated by Anu Malik
Release date(s) 8 November 1996
Running time 158 min
Country India
Language Hindi
Cast:
Sunny Deol ... Kashi
Meenakshi Sheshadri ... Gauri
Danny Denzongpa ... Katia
Amrish Puri ... Kashi's father
Mukesh Rishi... Cheena (Katia's Borther)
Tinu Anand... Police Inspector
Anjan Srivastav... Shopkeeper Daamu Kaka
Makrand Deshpande...Katia'a Gang Member
K.K.Raina... Shiv Nath Kashi's Brother
Viju Khote... Pinto
Suresh Bhagwat... Shopkeeper
Om Puri... Sachdev
Ila Arun... Mrs. Sachdev
Rohini Hatangadi... Savitri
Harish Patel... Katia's Brother in Law
Tinu Verma... Katia's Brother
Deep Dhillon... Aantiya (Katia's Brother)
Sheeva... Gauri's Brother-In-Law
Kashi, a wrestler and dutiful son, comes to Mumbai from Banaras with his father for medical treatment of his father. Back in his hometown he is known to be a kind-hearted fellow. However due to the unavailability of medicines he is forced to come with his father to Mumbai. Here he stays with his brother and he learns that the colony is being terrorized by a tyrannical gangster, Katya. A cruel, tyrannical gangster, Katya (Danny Denzongpa), has taken control of a small Indian village, ruling with an iron fist. A resident named Sachdev (Om Puri) secretly organizes a rebellion, but when Katya learns of his plans, the rabble-rouser is violently put to death for all to see. Hope for the villagers seems lost, until Shambu Nath (Amrish Puri) comes to town seeking medical attention. He is accompanied by his son, Kashi (Sunny Deol), who takes it upon himself to end the oppression he witnesses. Vowing to avenge the villagers and free them from the chains of abuse, Kashi is unaware of the danger in which he is putting innocent people, including his ailing father, his foster brother (Shiva), and Shiva's wife and children.

Diljale

2010-05-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Diljale 1996

Directed By.. Harry Baweja

Cast:

Ajay Devgan .. as Shyam/Shaaka
Madhu .. as LOVE
Sonali Bendre .. as Radhika
Parmeet Sethi .. as Captain Ranbir
Amrish Puri .. as Daka
Shakti Kapoor .. as Radhika's father
At the start of the story shows a sad Radhika who is meeting a person who her father feels would be good for her. Ajay is already Shaaka. On the day of her marriage he lures away the person and sets fire to the mandap. The person who Sonali is marrying is an officer who in rage says that he will not get married until he has killed Ajay.
This movie tells the story of Shyam who is in love with Radhika. Due to some reasons he gets in a fight which involves killing of his parents. To take revenge he at first turns to Sonali's father but he rebukes him.

Jung

2010-05-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Jung 1996
Starring:

Sadashiv Amrapurkar ... Chakradhari Choudhry
Tinnu Anand ... Shiva's Father
Mithun Chakraborty ... ACP Arjun Saxena
Ajay Devgan ... Ajay Bahadur Saxena
Sujata Mehta ... Sita
Aditya Pancholi ... Ram
Rambha ... Madhu
Siddhant
Mink Singh
Director:
Rama Rao Tatineni

Jung tells the story of Arjun (Mithun Chakraborty), an honest and passionate police officer who finds himself clashing with his younger brother Ajay (Ajay Devgan), an equally passionate defense
lawyer, over a possibly innocent condemned man named Ram (Aditya Pancholi)
Assistant Commissioner of Police Arjun Saxena is an honest and diligent police officer.
Although he took up policing as a career, his younger brother, Ajay, has become a defense lawyer,
coming to the aid of several defendants, including criminals arrested by the police, and Arjun himself. Through his clientele, as well as loopholes in the law, Ajay has become a master at bending the law to meet his needs. This does not auger with Arjun, and this pits both the brothers against each other.
On the other hand, Ajay believes his client, Ram, is innocent, while Arjun believes that Ram is guilty
and belongs behind bars. And finally, Arjun's honesty has made him a new and powerful enemy in the shape
and form of Chakradhari Choudhry, and the relationship of the two brothers does not get any better, for Ajay is in love with Madhu, Chakradhari's daughter .

Veer

2010-05-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Veer 2010

Veer

Directed by Anil Sharma

Produced by Vijay Galani Sunil A. Lulla

Written by Salman Khan

Editing by Ashfaque Makrani

Distributed by Eros International

Release date(s) 22 January 2010

Running time 155 mins

Country India

Language Hindi

Budget INR 45 crore[1]

Cast:

Salman Khan as Veer
Mithun Chakraborty as Prithvi Singh, Veer's father
Sohail Khan as Punya, Veer's brother
Jackie Shroff as the king of Madhavgarh and father of Yashodhara
Zarine Khan as Princess Yashodhara, Veer's love
Lisa Lazarus as Angela
Tim James Lawrence as Governor General Frazer
Bianca Van Varenberg
Asif Hussain as Jay
Khurram Tejrar
Gita Soto
Neena Gupta
Aryan Vaid
Bharat Dabholkar
Bunny Anand^[5]
Shahbaaz Khan
Puru Raajkumar
Militza Radmilovic
Sully
Charissa Glidden as the Governess
Roy Bronsgeest as Rhino^[6]
Taylor Wright
Luke Groves

The Pindari warrior Veer (Salman Khan) plots to overthrow British rule in Madhavgarh, while falling in love with princess Yashodhara (Zarine Khan), daughter of the king (Jackie Shroff) who as a prince years before had betrayed the Pindari, leading to a massacre of 4,500 men.

Ishqiya

2010-05-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ishqiya

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey

Produced by Raman Maroo

Vishal Bharadwaj

Written by Vishal Bharadwaj

Abhishek Chaubey

Sabrina Dhawan

Music by Vishal Bharadwaj

Gulzar (lyrics)

Cinematography Mohana Krishna Agapu

Editing by Namrata Rao

Distributed by Shemaroo Entertainment

Release date(s) 29 January 2010

Country India

Language Hindi

Cast:

Salman Shahid as Mushtaq Bhai
Anupama Kumar as Manju Kakkad
Gauri Malla as Mamta (Nepali actress)
Adil Hussain as Vidyadhar Verma
Rajesh Sharma as Kamalkant Kakkad aka K.K.
Alok Kumar as Nandu
Anisa Bano
Gauri Mala
Jai Singh

The film starts with Krishna Verma (Vidya Balan) trying to convince her husband, Vidyadhar Verma (Adil Hussain), a local ganglord, that he should surrender, as out of the three cases registered against him, two don't have any witnesses and the third only has a maximum prison sentence of 4 years. He agrees but is soon killed in a gas explosion. Two criminals Iftikhar (Naseeruddin Shah) and Razzak Hussain aka Babban (Arshad Warsi) botch up a job and escape from the clutches of their boss Mushtaq (Salman Shahid), who wants to bury them alive. They land up in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh to seek refuge in the house of Vidyadhar Verma. Instead they meet his widow Krishna, who gives them shelter and tries to seduce both of them in order to achieve her own secret goal.

Road to Sangam

2010-05-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

Road to Sangam

Cast: Paresh Rawal,Om Puri,Pawan Malhotra,Javed Sheikh ,Swati Chitnis,Yusuf Hussain,Masood Akhtar,Rajan Bhise,Sudhir Nema,G P Singh,Vijay Mishra,Tushar Gandhi,Rakesh Shrivastav
Director: Amit Rai

This is a small, tender idea, executed with a certain amount of elan and loads and loads of heart. Writer-director Amit Rai's debut film is a Gandhian parable done up in shades that are at once, pristine, noble, gentle and funny.

The imaginative plot about the Mahatma's ashes belatedly being taken out of Allahabad to be scattered in the Ganga gets its strength from the moral frailty of the times that we live in.

Miraculously while constructing a heart-warming morality tale, the debutant writer-director manages to keep the tone purely and strictly non-judgemental.

Among the many virtues in this frail but strong tale of two communities that need hard and immediate lessons in co-existence, is the detailed eye for locations. The streets and roof-tops of humble middle class homes in Allahabad are shot by cinematographer Dharam Gulati with a keen eye for the teeming crowds peeping out of ramshackle windows which have seen better days.

The eye used to create the authentic ambience is forever lucid and non-judgemental.

Sandesh Shandilya's re-worked interpretation of Gandhian bhajans add considerably to a sense of serene sincerity in a work that gently but firmly prods our conscience.

The process of spiritual awakening that the sleepy communally-divided town undergoes when a humble honest motor mechanic Hashmatullah decides to repair the car that would take Gandhiji's ashes to the sea, is shown to be gradual and persuasive.

In its effort to project a world beyond strife that is obtainable to a more reasonable humankind than visible in today's divided times, the narrative at times slips into the realm of naive idealism.

No harm in that. "Road To Sangam" shows us that the road to salvation for a wounded and dying civilisation is to cut through the tangled web of politics and religion to try to a find a common ground between the Hindu and Muslim viewpoint without compromising or hurting either.

Paresh Rawal as the simple and obstinate motor mechanic Hashmatullah finds that dithering but comforting ground in his performance.

Hashmatullah is a gentle soul driven by a clarity of purpose that brooks no interference from religious bigots. His cluster of Muslim compatriots opposing his idealistic efforts to do justice to Mahatma Gandhi's memories often come across as benign caricatures.

Rai portrays the world of religious bigotry as eminently reformable. In this sense, the film's core could be considered impractical. But the film's quest to convert the currency of communalism into a molten gold of harmony and peace, is never questionable.

"Road To Sangam" is a gentle trip into the heart of a society that has resorted to a collective suspicion and hostility as a form of protestation and self-protection. Without really saying so aloud, this film suggests Gandhism still has the solution and medicine to the spirit of ceaseless strife that grips our society.

The dusty half-formed modern integrally-traditional ambience of Allahabad and Paresh's deceptively smooth portrayal of the man who must do his duty even if it endangers his life, carry "Road To Sangam" to the region of an important statement on the relevance of Gandhi in today's age of rage.

There's a lesson to be learnt from this film. Luckily, we aren't required to dig too deep into the narrative to procure the message.

Gentle and heart-warming "Road To Sangam" is that rare passionate paean to patriotism that doesn't resort to flag-waving even once.

Striker

2010-05-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Striker

Cast: Siddharth,Padmapriya, Aditya Pancholi,Vidya Malavade, Padmapriya, Anupam Kher,Seema Biswas
Director: Chandan Arora

"Striker", as we can well see, was not an easy film to make. It's not an easy film to see either. The vast near-epic scale scope and expanse of the slum saga stretches into two hours of a non-linear narration where time passages are made without borders.

The lack of punctuation marks in the telling of the tale of the coming of age and rage of the protagonist Surya (Siddharth) is a major detriment in identifying the swarm of characters as people who go beyond the immediate job of living their grass root-level lives and try to repair their lives and restore a method of morality behind the madness of a fringe existence.

The madness of slum-life, its eccentric crime modalities as seen through the eyes of the growing and aimless Surya, is brought out in the way editor Sajit Unnikrishnan cuts the material.

It is quite evident that director Chandan Arora has bitten more than the editor can finally chew. There're stretches of undisclosed narrative material that seems to have been sacrificed to a serious economy of expression that borders on an austerity overdrive.

Characters such as the Muslim girl next door (newcomer Nicolette Bard) vanish from Surya's life. But not before Surya does his own "Mere Mehboob" with the girl, even throwing a letter into her balcony. This is the Mumbai slum in the 1980s, in case you've forgotten.

Many questions that crop up in the course of the narrative remain unanswered to the bitter brutal end. All we know is that Surya wants a better life. He gets the bitter instead.

"Striker" opens and closes with the tension around the slums during the 1992 riots. The on-location shooting brings to the proceedings a kind of clipped and cutting edge and an intimate immediacy to the proceedings. You feel you are there in the slums with Arora's characters. But you aren't sure you want to be there. We never stay long enough with the characters to get to know them well.

The performances keep us moving, kicking and dragging with the seamless unpunctuated narrative. Almost every characters seems to get the point, Siddharth more so than most with a performance that creates contours in the climate of chaos. His layered performance is balanced and even. Siddharth hits the high notes without getting shrill.

Aditya Pancholi as his chief adversary on the carrom board and off it, is menacing yet restrained managing the age-leaps with startling ease. Ankur Vikal the hero's hyper-ventilating best friend who comes to a sticky end, plays the part with relish. Yup, he too gets the point.

There're some other fine actors who prop up in the narrative including Anupam Kher, Seema Biswas and Anoop Soni. There's no room for them to make an impact. The same goes for the two leading ladies. Quiet and wordless Nicolette comes before interval, verbose and aggressive Padma Priya comes after.

"Striker" uses the metaphor of the strike on the carrom board with a fair amount of inner conviction that unfortunately gets substantially lost in a welter of crowds and noises signifying the fury of nulled lives. You can't fall in love with Arora's carefully-crafted world of slum-dogged obduracy where swords still rule and guns are a distant boom.

See the film for its frenetic characters who seem to have distant links with the people we saw in Vikram Bhatt's "Ghulam" and Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire". Happily the tragic outcome of the lives lived on the edge in the film is strictly their own.

The Hangman

2010-05-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Hangman

Genre: Drama
Cast: Om Puri, Gulshan Grover, Shreyas Talpade, Smita Jaykar, Tom Alter
Director: Vishal Bhandari

This latest movie with Om Puri in the lead role is an off beat film, a story unexplored till now in the Indian film world.

Om Puri is Shiva the hangman, a profession that has been handed down to him by his forefathers. Shiva is good at his job in the sense; he has perfected the art of putting to death a man with as little pain and agony as possible. But he is unhappy doing the work. The dying man's face torments him always and he lives with the fear that the shadow of the deceased will follow him. He is scared that their curse will bring ruin to his family. His wife Parvati (Smita Jayakar) shares the same sentiment. Although Shiva had applied for retirement two years ago, the government did not relieve him of his work. Shiva sent in his application again.

Their only son Ganesh (Shreyas Talpade) is the apple of their eyes. Shiva's desire is to see Ganesh in a policeman's uniform. He looks forward to that day when Ganesh will free him from the stigma of the family legacy.

A bright student Ganesh excels in his studies in the village school where Tom Alter is the principal. Fondly called 'baba' - Tom Alter is Shiva's confidante and guide.

At work, the jail superintendent (Gulshan Grover) respects Shiva. When he hears about his wish to see Ganesh as a policeman, he decides to take on the responsibility of educating the hangman's son.

Euphoria marks the success of Ganesh in the school leaving examination. He leaves the village with his father to the jailor's house in the city.

Ganesh is allowed to stay in the jailor's servant's quarters while attending college in the city.

Does Ganesh fulfill his father's dreams? And is Shiva liberated finally? And how even in the face of all adversity a parent's only concern is the welfare of the child.

The Hangman is an unusual theme over which the story has been built upon.

Om Puri with his ordinary looks gets into the skin of the character with ease, as the Hangman left with no choice but to continue with his profession and as a doting father building dreams over his son.

Shreyas Talpade plays his part well. Smita Jayakar complements Om Puri's performance. It was a change to see Tom Alter in a different role and he is good. But the surprise was Gulshan Grover, the bad guy of Bollywood, who as the jailor looks dignified and so was his acting.

The positive note at the end of the story is the redeeming factor in the film. The hangman may not keep the cash registers ringing but it is most poignant and tugs at your heart strings. If you love good cinema, don't miss this one.

My Name is Khan

2010-05-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

My Name is Khan

Genre: Drama, Social
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Katie Keane, Jimmy Shergil, Zarina Wahab, Benny Nieves, Kenton Duty
Director: Karan Johar

Questions of religious and national identity, of the sense of right and wrong, of combating a certain isolation that comes with a behavioural disorder. But what triumphs over all the complexities unfolding in a tumultuous post 9/11 America is Rizwan Khan and his essential goodness that tells you unwaveringly - his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.

Director Karan Johar is in unfamiliar territory here. No candyfloss romance, no sweet nothings, nobody breaking into song. Just the super intelligent Rizwan, who has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, his halting voice with his inability to communicate, and his many relationships - with his mother, his brother, and yes, Mandira, and her son Sam.

Move over Rahul, Rizwan is here. Shah Rukh makes the transition from the eternal romantic to the intense Rizwan who finds love and loses it some years later when his Khan identity becomes all important in a tense, suspicious America. You sit through three hours waiting to get a glimpse of Shah Rukh through Rizwan Khan, but it doesn't happen.

If Shah Rukh lives and breathes Rizwan in what is one of his finest roles, Kajol as Mandira, the vivacious single mother, is also good - as always. The chemistry between them if not always crackling, then heartwarming.

It's an unlikely romance, not very easy to portray. But it's dealt with a light touch. There they are sitting on either side of the bed after their wedding with Mandira telling Rizwan, who doesn't like to be hugged, that this is something they can't do without touching. It's a scene that could quite easily have gone wrong, but it doesn't.

All credit to Karan Johar for that.

Like a piece of music that gradually rises to grand crescendo, "My Name Is Khan" begins with Rizwan as a child with his mother - so good to see Zarina Wahab after such a long time - in a tenement in Mumbai and ends with cheers from the US' first African American president in a crowded rally.

It's from his mother that Rizwan learns his first lessons of humanity; as the 1983 Mumbai riots rage outside, she tells the young boy that the world is divided into good people and bad people.

It is this essential humanism that carries Rizwan through from Mumbai to San Francisco where his brother stays, then to the suburb of Banville where he moves in with Mandira and Sam, and even when he is taken to be a terror suspect.

Sam, his "only best friend", is subjected to a vicious race attack because he takes on Rizwan's surname. Mandira hits back, saying that the worst thing she could have done was marry a Khan and Rizwan is out on the roads - unable to articulate his feelings but backpacking his way across the US to meet "president sahib" so he can tell him: "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist."

It is a road journey through a troubled post 9/11 America towards humanism and the essential goodness of the human spirit.

This is a US where chanting the name of Allah gets you into trouble, where the word terrorist and Khan in conjunction can put you behind bars. Rizwan moves from being a terror suspect to a nationwide hero who exposes a terror mastermind. And then, the man with the mission who travels to Wilhelmina that is literally drowning in a hurricane to supervise a heroic rescue mission.

There's Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush and Obama too. The US' first African American president is voted in and, in that final feel good moment Rizwan meets him in front of thousands of people and his goodness is validated.

Plenty of great one liners. When he is refused entry into a presidential fundraiser for the poor in Africa that is only for Christians, he leaves behind $500 saying: "This if for those who are not Christians in Africa."

The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is superb. This is not a film without flaws, it is at least 20 minutes too long for one and flags in the pre-interval period, but here is one straight from the heart. It has a message, in these days of tensions over language and religion, one which needs to be heard.

Teen Patti

2010-05-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

Teen Patti

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sushmita Sen, Irfaan Khan, Danny Denzongpa, Sharada Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, R. Madhavan, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff,Mahesh Manjrekar,Irrfan Khan,Boman Irani
Director: Leena Yadav

If you can get over the ludicrousness of a distinguished mathematician, whose god is Albert Einstein and who at the end of the film gets the 'Isaac Newton Award' for excellence in his field, masquerading as a seedy gambler, then "Teen Patti" is a surprisingly skilful and audaciously complex piece of drama.

It is a tautly-scripted and brilliantly executed film on the deep-rooted link between financial ambitions and moral compromises.

Writer-director Leena Yadav gives the theme of monetary indulgence a dizzying but pinned-down spin. She speeds confidently across out-of-control lives on a college campus with the confident vision of raconteur who spins a seemingly indecipherable web of deceit, intrigue and crime.

Miraculously, Yadav's yarn preserves its pencil-sharp edge of intrigue and wit right to the end. The story of the eccentric math-magician's adventures takes the narrative from underground addas to high-class casinos where Professor Venkat Subramaniam, his junior colleague Madhavan and four students convert the professor's newly-discovered mathematical theory into hard cash on gambling tables.

The plot reveals layer after layer of conspiracy until we come to the core idea.

The story unravels through an extended dialogue in Cambridge between Subramaniam and a British maths professor Perci Trachtenberg played by Bachchan and Sir Ben. Just watching the two distinguished baritones exchange notes on academia, life and their overlapping quirks is a pleasure that makes for full paisa-vasool viewing.

Alas, one of the baritones belonging to Ben Kingsley speaks in Boman Irani's voice. And that too in Hindi! Why are the two professors huddled together in Cambridge speaking to each other in a language that suggests no tenability except a practical desire to make itself intelligible to Hind-speaking Indian?

"Teen Patti" targets its cerebral entertainment quotient at an audience that is willing to expand, and not suspend its disbelief. The proceedings charted by the intricate plot take the characters belonging to three generations through a smoky, compromised kingdom of the devil and the damned.

There's a touch of Faustian wickedness in the way the old professor, his subordinate colleague and their four brightest students embrace hedonism. The parameters of what 'is' and what 'should be' are almost blurred beyond redemption. The film gets its moral colour and texture from the technicians who seem to know the exact shades needed.

The death of one of the students (debutant Siddharth Kher) signals the redemptive overture in the plot. Siddharth's 'Bonnie & Clyde' act with his girlfriend (Shradha Kapoor) is indicative of the places that youngsters want to visit in their fantasies. The nightmare is just a hop away from the dream.

From the mathematical and magical to the murky and immoral, Leena Yadav exercises supreme control over the goings-on. At any given moment the narrative is susceptible to collapse like a house of cards. But Yadav shows a grip over her characters' dithering conscience.

Aseem Bajaj's camera work is exquisite in delicate shades. The camera knows where it has to go and slips in quietly to capture a world that has lost its plot.

The songs and dances are edited with an eye for elegant economy. This director means business.

Many sequences such as the one where Madhavan says goodbye to his screen girlfriend Raima Sen are shot to suggest the edginess of a world that could topple over anytime.

Presiding over this world of infinite infamy is Bachchan. He portrays the ill-understood proclivities of the academic genius with a profound absence of brouhaha. Even as the world outside falls apart, Bachchan creates an unspoilt inner world for his character.

As for Sir Ben, the British actor's clipped tone is gone. What remains is half a performance... Good enough.

Madhavan pitches in a bravura act with lots of furtive, nervous close-ups indicating a moral breach that could destroy the character any moment. The four newcomers are pleasant enough in the spaces provided for them. But given how well each of their character is written, none of them goes beyond the script's requirements.

A pity. Because the film quite often transcends the written word to go into the realm of the abstract where the existential joys of mathematics meet more earthly pleasures. Surprisingly ingenious, "Teen Patti" is not so much about the cards that are dealt on the table as the ones that destiny doles out.

Right Ya Wrong

2010-05-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Directed by	Neeraj Pathak
Produced by	Neeraj Pathak Krishan Choudhary
Written by	Girish Dhamija Neeraj Pathak Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan
Starring	Sunny Deol Irrfan Khan Konkona Sen Sharma Isha Koppikar Aryan Vaid Kirron Kher
Music by	Monty Sharma
Cinematography	Ravi Walia
Editing by	Ashfaque Makrani
Studio	Film City
Distributed by	Mukta Arts Ltd
Release date(s)	12 March 2010
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Right Yaaa Wrong is a story of two cops, Ajay Singh (Sunny Deol) and ACP Rane (Irrfan Khan), where an intense rivalry leads them on a battle for supremacy.

Ajay's wife (Isha Koppikar) is found brutally murdered. Ajay is the prime suspect and his nemesis ACP Rane is heading the case. Radhika (Konkana Sen Sharma), ACP Rane's younger sister, is Ajay's only support as Ajay and Rane fight it out against each other in court.

The investigation transpires into a mystery locked with secrets. Behind the secrets lies an astonishing discovery. Ripples begin with wits and mind games. No one can solve the mystery until Ajay comes out with his own supremacy.^[3]

The film have received mixed reviews from critics. Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times and Rajeev Masand of IBN has panned the movie^[4], while Nikhat Khazmi of Times of India and Taran Adarsh of DNA rated it above average.^[4] The film received an overall rating of 5/10.^[4] As of 28 March 2010, it was declared a disaster at the Box office.^[5]

Shaapit

2010-05-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Shaapit

Genre: Horror
Cast: Aditya Narayan,Shweta Agarwal,Rahul Dev,Shubh Joshi
Director: Vikram Bhatt

After Click and Rokkk that released earlier this month, <Shaapit directed by Vikram Bhatt, of Raaz and 1920 fame, is all set to scare the hell out of you this week. Starring debutants Aditya Narayan and Shweta Agarwal, Shaapit has a lot of expectations surrounding it especially since the movie is coming from a director well experienced in the horror genre. Does this movie manage to sell fear and scare the living daylights out of you? Fortunately it does!

Going with the likes of Vikram's earlier flicks and almost every horror flick coming out of Bollywood, Shaapit too deals with a past wrong doing that haunts the present, makes life impossible to live but however the lost situation is resolved and its leads to nothing but an happy ending.

Shaapit is about a curse that plagues a family, generation after generation for 300 years. Kaaya is extremely delighted and nods a 'yes' to Aman's marriage proposal. Just as the happy couple head home to announce their engagement their car takes a spin and they meet with a terrible accident. Kaaya's parents rush to the hospital and are taken aback when they find out about her engagement. It's then they reveal the 300 year old curse that haunts the girls of the family and denies them to even think about wedlock or an engagement.

But Aman decides to win his love back besides all the odds and approaches Prof Pashupati, a well-known researcher of paranormal activities, to figure out ways to strike the evil spirit away. What follow is their dangerous encounters with the spirit and their struggle to get rid of it.

Director Vikram Bhatt's experience with the genre works, as Shaapit is filled with hair raising sequences that keep you on the edge of your seats. The movie is engrossing with sequences canned with utmost care and is filled with many thrill seeking moments. The slow and tactful camera work and the use of sound effects to develop the atmosphere of eeriness and mystery throughout the movie heighten the scare element, thus making it a good watch.

However, Shaapit suffers from predictability from time to time and some sequences meant to provoke fear, fail to scare. The entire flashback part isn't very convincing and details about the reason for the curse could have been clearer. Also for a film from the horror genre, Shaapit has way too many songs.

Son of legendary singer Udit Narayan, Aditya Narayan on debut looks smart, sophisticated and impresses in his very first outing. Shwetha with limited scope does make her presence felt. Rahul Dev plays his part very well. Shubh Joshi is good.

Overall, Shaapit is certainly worth a watch. Vikram Bhatt's third horror outing is one of his best.

Lahore

2010-05-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Lahore

Genre: Social, Sports
Cast: Aanaahad,Farooq Sheikh,Nafisa Ali,Shraddha Nigam,Saurabh Shukla,Aashish Vidyarthi,Mukesh Rishi,Kelly Dorjee,Nirmal Pandey,Sabyasachi Chakravarthy,Sushant SinghDheeru,Pramod Moutho
Director: Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan

Combining sports and politics is not an easy thing to do. But then it's not that difficult either, considering the two are inextricably intertwined specially in the Asian subcontinent. Debutant director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan dares to visit the forbidden territory.

"Lahore" is about sports and politics and characters from both the spheres getting embroiled in a terrible fight to the finish.

The script accommodates a great deal of the sporting spirit as seen in the perspective of Indo-Pak politics. Within that ambitious framework, Chauhan weaves in the human relationships that make a leap for warmth and then stay stuck in semi-sterility. The film has too much to say on sports, politics and human nature. It isn't able to say all of it in a lucid language.

Chauhan has chosen a unique sport like kickboxing to spotlight the process of cultural assimilation that underscores all the perverse politicking that goes on at the surface level between the two countries.

The Indian and Pakistani coaches played by Farooque Shaikh and Sabyasachi Chakavarty are seen to be sportingly at loggerheads, but "Lahore" takes the spirit of sportsmanship across the border with more seriousness of purpose.

In the boxing ring, the game gets deadly when the Indian kickboxing champion Sushant Singh is delivered a deadly blow by his Pakistani opponent. A churning point in the narrative is arrived at in restrained rhythms.

This is where Chauhan's narrative comes into its own. The dilemma of the deceased kickboxer's younger brother Veeru (newcomer Aanaahad) to preserve his sporting spirit in the midst of high-voltage mutually-destructive Indo-Pak politics is built into the plot with architectural astuteness.

Not all of the material outside the central conflict, where Veeru forsakes cricket to pursue his slain brother's dream in the kickboxing arena, works on the scripting level.

Does Veeru only want to use the boxing ring to avenge his brother's death?

Though the characters falter in quantitative excess, the opposition of sports and politics and politics in sports is put into a persuasive perspective. The rest of drama tends to get tedious mainly because there are too many characters swarming the Indo-Pak map.

Veeru's romantic attachment to the Pakistani girl (newcomer Shraddha Das) is skirted across in a few scenes where they exchange veiled pleasantries. Passion is seriously forfeited in the flurry of squeezing in a large canvas of characters.

It's in the kickboxing scenes that the film exudes blood, sweat and tears. Aanahaad and his opponent Mukesh Rishi reveal a skill in the ring that cannot leave the audience unaffected.

Aanahaad does well in the sports scenes, but needs to brush up his skills in the emotional moments.

Of the rest of the cast Nafisa Ali, Ashish Vidyarthi, the late Nirmal Pandey and several other talented actors are wasted in sketchy roles. The film's surface is over-populated. But its inner life suggests a sincerity of purpose.

Wayne Sharpe's background score and Neelabh Kaul's cinematography are first rate. They add to the feeling of a film that goes beyond sports, but stops short of making a statement on life lived on the border of hostility.

The Great Indian Butterfly

2010-05-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Great Indian Butterfly

Genre: Drama
Cast: Aamir Bashir, Sandhya Mridul, Koel Puri, Barry John
Director: Sarthak DasGupta

The great Indian 'art-film' is a mystery, pretty much like the Great Indian Butterfly that the protagonists of Sarthak Dasgupta's film are searching for. It's pretty much indefinable, and more often than not, you are not quite sure or convinced of its purpose or existence. The Great Indian Butterfly, pretty much fits the bill that way. It has its share of pitfalls- the obscurity sometimes feels more convenient than evocative, the metaphors often clichéd and done to death, the tone too self-conscious, and the conclusion not quite satisfying.

Still, despite that, Sarthak Dasgupta's feature manages to shine and show genuine spark, going into the ugly, raw territory of love and life where few filmmakers here dare to tread. The Great Indian Butterfly may not quite be a Revolutionary Road, but it manages to be a compelling watch, and derives much of its emotional power from its two lead actors. Sandhya Mridul and Aamir Bashir steer the film through with relatable, engaging performances, and successfully project the modern Indian urban couple in search of the elusive 'insect' called happiness. They bring alive the suffocation, exhaustion and insecurities of Krish and Meera who earn good money, but can't enjoy it, and truly- this could be anyone's story. Sandhya Mridul, stripped of the vain trappings of regular Bollywood heroines is particularly remarkable, even if the role is a bit on the 'been-there-done-that' side for the talented actress.

The cinematography by Shankar Raman deserves special mention for capturing Goa in natural tones and highlighting its serene beauty that contrasts wonderfully with the characters' inner turmoil.

Like the sought after Ghost Orchid in Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation, The Great Indian Butterfly is perhaps 'wonderful to imagine and easy to fall in love with' but ultimately 'a little fantastic and fleeting and out of reach'. But it requires grit and courage to still try and find it, and for that, Sarthak Dasgupta's attempt needs to be applauded. I recommend that you make time for this little film that otherwise will probably go ignored. To borrow from Vikram Seth, the filmmaker might not have been able to grasp the whole, but I suspect some shard in this story of two lives may touch your soul.

Tum Milo To Sahi

2010-05-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

Tum Milo To Sahi

Cast: Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Suniel Shetty, Vidya Malvade, Rehan Khan, Anjana Sukhani, Amit Bhel, Mohnish Behl, Vrajesh Hirjee
Director: Kabir Sadanand

Just for the pleasure of watching Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia together, this quaint and sincere look at love across three generations is well worth a 'dekko'.

Dimple, exuding a warmth that pervades the screen, plays a feisty Parsi woman who isn't deterred let alone defeated by attempts to dismantle her dream, namely a strategic cafe where Mumbai-wallahs meet like they still do in cafes all over Kolkata for a bit of a brainy pow-wow and buttery pao.

It all adds up. The feisty Parsi lady and the cranky sullen unhappy-with-life lawyer (Nana Patekar) who helps her keep her property and not-so-promptly falls in love with the lady.

You get the picture?

Rajen Makhijani, Sameer Siddiqui and Kabir Sadanand's screenplay cruises the realm of the known but still provides elements of freshness in the way the predictable characters are framed and photographed. Pushan Kriplani, director of photography, adds an afterglow to the already seen characters' lives. You could feel the characters' feelings, if you care.

There are three sets of people falling in and out of love, stumbling along that path to mutual fufilment strewn with roses and thorns. This is a film that finally exudes the scent and strength of goodness. The Dimple-Nana relationship is endearing in its nostalgic references. Both are in splendid form.

The next generation's angst is represented by Suniel Shetty, who is restrained in a quiet but forcible way, and the surprise-packet Vidya Malvade.

Sadanand gives all his principal actors room to blossom. And that includes the third generation pair Rehaan Khan and Anjana Sukhani who are just discovering life and love. The couple is fresh, eager and raring to articulate their inner world.

The storytelling is moody and leisurely, like a stroll down a beachside on a quiet Sunday afternoon. The narrative has no sharp dips and curves. But director Kabir Sadanand is able to hold all his characters together, giving them a life and sustenance that takes them beyond stereotypes but not far enough to make them memorable creatures of the romantic zone.

Everyone from every generation wants a piece of that shimmering sky where love is more than just a Valentine's Day slogan. "Tum Milo Toh Sahi" is not as sharp in its sensitivities on love as could have been. 'Lekin tum dekho to sahi'.