Friday Bones

Agneepath - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:07:41 PST

This Vijay Dinanath Chauhan is not interested in comparisons. All he wants is a fair chance to payback the killer Kancha (Sanjay Dutt), who remorselessly murdered his father Dinanath Chauhan, when Vijay was a kid. Gaon Mandwa, this is where Vijay was born and since the time he could remember, his father used to recite poems for him. Poems that would talk about path of fire.

To say that "Agneepath" is simply a technologically superior version of the original Vijay played by Amitabh Bachhan would be being unfair to the interesting spirals plugged into the story by Ila Dutta Bedi and Karan Malhotra. The most absorbing spiral is the drug dealer and pimp Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor), a character assayed so earnestly that in a few scenes Lala fills all the space offered by the movie. The cinematography by Kiran Deohans and Ravi K Chandra blends beautifully with the story as well as the costumes and explanation of the characters; but tries too hard to add an epic feeling to the climax, which spoils the sympathy for the rendition by overstuffing it with filmy shibboleths.

The passionate craving for penalising Kancha separated a 12-year-old Vijay (Hrithik Roshan) from his mother Suhasini (Zarina Wahab) and his newly born sister and found a medium in Lala. Roshan's adaptation of the cult character has a calmness in his deep-rooted anger, a silence in his hatred and a fire in his eyes - all of which combine to a mighty performance. Thankfully, the burdensome task Arish Bhiwandiwala has left for Roshan with his sharp illustration of the character of the young Vijay Chauhan, has been done justice to. Hrithik's description could have been unexampled had the dialogues by Piyush Mishra been weighty enough and the editing by Akiv Ali wiser.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

The screenplay and the editing, following the traditions of Bollywood, has reduced Kaali Gawde (Priyanka Chopra) to a beautiful piece of furniture, the only difference being that this one dances. Pity. While the director Karan Malhotra tries hard to make a thunderous appeal to the audience with the electrifying decibels between Vijay and Kancha, an unaware Lala steals the thunder from the two for the larger part of the movie. Sanjay Dutt as Kancha is a solid institution of wickedness in a way that hating Kancha would make someone feel better about himself/herself as a human being. Lala, with his unashamed spontaneity, is few notches higher though in my opinion.

A film crowded with powerful performers leaves little inspiration for Indian directors to focus too much on the story. With responsible editing and lesser concentration on dressing, "Agneepath" could easily have been 45 minutes shorter and more compelling. The movie reveals a certain degree of naivety in the direction. There is an immaturity in the way the clichés lifted from the 1980's and the brother-sister angle have been treated.

Vijay Chauhan's disinterest in Chikni Chameli is understandable; what is worrying is that a movie from Dharma Productions behaves so poorly in the music department. Ajay-Atul must have good reasons behind the heavy-duty background music and the pointless songs of "Agneepath". Chikni Chameli is long forgiven.

Mind you, don't practice comparing while watching "Agneepath", even if you are an ardent fan of either of the Vijays. Life would be simpler.

Don 2 - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:55:02 PST

All gloss, no soul. That pretty much sums it up.

I am grossly disappointed with Farhan Akhtar, not Shah Rukh Khan. If talented directors like Akhtar start compromising on storyline for a double-botoxed slickness, we know what to expect from the lesser directors. Moreover, the rented varnish is a repeated reminder of what Hollywood movies have been showing us since the years Bollywood used to bank heavily on dhishum dhishum.

Overall Verdict: 2/5

Unlike the main protagonist of the movie, "Don 2" doesn't have an intelligent plan to save itself from the ruthless critics of the world. The plan chalked out by Farhan Akhtar, Ameet Mehta and Amrish Shah is lame to say the least. Letting Don transform into a six-feet-something gentleman besides more foolish ideas like allowing him to beat the most sophisticated security system of the world at the drop of a dialogue are blunders that even the masterly editing of Anand Subaya and Ritesh Soni couldn't hide. Where would they hide anyway? It is a "dangerous" plot.

Despite all the sophisticated attempts made by Akhtar, "Don 2" could barely rise above the individuals; in this case, an individual. The music is dull, the screenplay laughable and the dialogues are supremely cliche. In a movie like this, it is naturally expected that the other characters would automatically take a backseat. Actors like Om Puri, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra have been left to enjoy the comforts of their seats for the most of the movie. So much for this!

The money isn't worth the polish. Nah!

Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (LvRB) - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:53:59 PST

After the unanticipated entertainment offered by "Band Baaja Baaraat" (B3), the pre-release teasers of "Ladies vs Ricky Bahl" (LvRB) set the expectations from the movie slightly higher. That's where LvRB cons the audience; thankfully, not to the extent the charming deception Ricky Bahl swindles his ladies. A tally of 30 ladies in 15 years - the director Maneesh Sharma hasn't really left the budding fraudsters with high hopes of a large market size. From wedding planners in B3 to tricksters in LvRB, Sharma's interest in self-made individuals is interesting.

John Tucker Must Die. Ricky Bahl Must Charm the Ladies. Bollywood it is.

Apart from the stellar performance by Parineeta Chopra as the indiscreet and rash Delhite Dimple Chaddha, the chemistry between Anushka Sharma (as Ishika Desai) and Ranveer Singh (as Ricky Bahl) is another clear winner. A close second may be. Ranveer's thunder is stolen in the movie. Chopra's hotheaded act overshadows Ranveer's magnetism.

In a world overdosed with quality movies on con artists, the average and hurried warm-up in the pre-interval part of LvRB, takes away the shine of the better half. Devika Bhagat's screenplay attempts to remotely control Bahl's allure, and spray it on the nearest available target. If not for the first victim Dimple, Ranveer's act alone couldn't have convinced the audience to sit through the rest of the movie. The energy in the screenplay is diverted towards Bahl's preys and not the intelligence in the schemes behind, which eventually adulterates the long and short of it.

Overall Verdict: 2.75/5

Dimple Chaddha, Raina Parulekar (Dipannita Sharma) and Saira Rashid (Aditi Sharma) - hunted by Bahl, band together to teach him a lesson and get their money back - hires a brilliant salesgirl Ishika Desai. Desai turns Patel, a billionaire NRI from the US to bamboozle Bahl. LvRB then shifts gears to the reality distortion field. Bluffing is caught in the web of love and the distortion converts to reality. Hard to ignore is how a genuine deceiver like Bahl could believe in a girl who has an Indian accent despite being raised in the US.

The smart lines by Habib Faisal have really added spark to the characters of Chaddha, Bahl and Desai - strictly in that order. The absence of a peppy dance number has been strongly felt, particularly because of the passable music department. The characters and the optical demand have taken precedence over the appeal of the screenplay. It is the usual recipe in the kitchen these days.

The truth is that not many, in fact most, would not care much about the intentions of the director or Yash Raj Films. The ladies might be watching the movie with a completely different set of expectations. Understandable. My expectation was to be rigorously entertained, but I am not complaining. It is all about managing your expectations. LvRB is watchable for sure.

The Dirty Picture (TDP) - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:09:45 PST

Being Silk Smitha (Vidya Balan) is being a superstar whose reputation lives underneath the pants of men and disgracefulness in her reputation. Of being hated and craved for, hers is a story of an artless Reshma, who translates from being a dreamer to the reason behind the wet dreams of a generation of men. Silk's fame, bit by bit, clouds her reflection on the mirror - the Reshma is lost - in the multiple "tuning" and moaning sessions.

Rajat Arora's narration of "The Dirty Picture" (TDP) is consuming to the point Silk reaches the peak of her ambitions, succeeding which the story loses its magnetism. Except for the song "Ooh la la...", which gels well with the buildup of the situation, the rest are annoying mutations. The chemistry between the self-absorbed Abraham (Emraan Hashmi) and a lost Silk could spoil the faith in equations. "Dull" is the word for it. The screenplay manages to overshadow the temporary meandering and reroutes to the old path but the initial intensity is never encountered again.

A lot of the above-mentioned limitations could be ascribed to the obligations of sticking to the real-life story. That, nevertheless, fails to justify why TDP carries on its presentation the signature filmmaking style of Milan Luthria. Having watched "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaii", the similarities become so obvious. Ditto for Bobby Singh's cinematography. It is not that their works are undistinguished, just that the combined style is slowly becoming a symbol of Balaji Motion Pictures. They are not going any different by being different in the same way.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

Silk's account in the film industry opens with her first count with the lusty and older megastar Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah). Her career reaches stunning heights much before she could take the count to 500 as per her nocturnal deal with Surya. The stigma attached to her fame doesn't intimidate her but being treated as a sex toy by Surya beats her down. Fallen, she temporarily finds solace in Surya's younger brother Ramakant (Tusshar Kapoor) and permanently in her ego, cigarettes and alcohol. She discovers love in her firm enemy Abraham and admirers in the likes of her harshest critic Naila (Anju Mahendroo). The contradictory standards of the society leave her stranded at the end - stripped of her identity - dignity being a matter long forgotten.

It is hard to find any resemblance between the original Silk and Vidya Balan. I remember Silk Smitha's attempts at seducing Kamal Haasan in one of my favourite movies "Sadma". Vidya Balan is far away from that. Her portrayal of Silk is excellent and the difference that she brings in the enactment because of her style of dialogue delivery is what makes it more watchable. Rajat Arora's carefully balanced dialogues have magnified the intent of the movie. I expected a restrained degree of vulgarity in the dialogues, which is missing.

Naseeruddin Shah is as outstanding as he always is. Shah has been consistently convincing in the movie. With his dancing belly and Bappi Lahiri's voice, the song "Ooh la la..."is an ideal weekend video. Anju Mahendroo is superb as the journalist who could write demeaning articles about a person she has admiration for. Tusshar Kapoor's is a difficult role to play for there is a strong need to undertone every display of emotion and he has done a fairly good job. Emraan Hashmi is very good as the headstrong and megalomaniac director. I am not aware of the true affairs, but the screenplay couldn't justify Abraham's initial allergy to Silk.

An evident experiment to be somewhere between being an art film and a commercial film, TDP tilts more towards the latter. As mentioned earlier, the familiarity in the technicalities of the movie stands in its way. The essential Bollywood-style dramatisation when taken together with the lack of creditable coarseness would explain why the movie isn't dirty enough. The muck less explored, the picture partially reveals Silk Smitha's life.

Let's be told filthier stories. Stories we don't know. We are waiting.

Desi Boyz - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:24:27 PST

For those who graduated or got fired in the year 2009, "Desi Boyz" is a gentle reminder of the limited fishes available in the kitchen for frying. The paltry substitutes didn't turn an investment banker or a prospective one into an escort - not anyone I know of. I quizzed one of my banker friends last night about this discretionary choice of career should the markets go down once again and the conversation got lost in translation.

Milap Zaveri and Rohit Dhawan translated the lost translation into a screenplay, promised entertainment and they delivered without overblowing the scenes. The difference between the treatment meted out to a funny plot by David Dhawan and Rohit Dhawan reflected in the mild presence of the slapstick quotient in "Desi Boyz". Judging the movie's scatterbrained plot is unfair for this is a zone where brains are not legally allowed entry.

Overall Verdict: 2.75/5

All things considered, the final say is that the movie is humorous to a large extent. For the fairer sex, this is a rare chance to whistle in the theatre along with the girly gang. Loudly, as if there is no tomorrow or the day after. From the core of my heart, I wished more scenes involving Chitrangda Singh but the economics of the plot decided to teach the audience the concept of "Demand Elasticity" resulting in an overdose of scantily clad "Rocco" (Akshay Kumar) and "Hunter" (John Abraham).

Please make sure that you don't get inspired by this movie, leave your job and start your own business.

Rockstar - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:25:28 PST

Rockstar! Mention of the word - imagination, without warning – races through restless faces and rebellious harmonies.

Should you put Imtiaz Ali’s “Rockstar” on the scale of your suspense of a rockstar, your assumptions might weigh more than the 165-minute-long fairy-tale. The movie is unrealistically dreamy in many places. The cinematography by Anil Mehta has added to the surreal feeling, devaluing the impact of a few scenes in the second half.

The focal point rests too long on the details of the rise, fall and rise of the intense liaison between Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri) and Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor), much against the desired convergence on the life of a rockstar. His pain and anguish as captured in the movie has nothing serious to do with music, which supposedly plays a big part in any rockstar’s life.

Ali’s screenplay has presented the courtship between Heer and Jordan in a lyrical and pleasantly unconventional manner. The attention remains mostly on the relationship and not on the characters per se and we end up watching Ranbir Kapoor speak in a strong Haryanvi accent in one scene and nowhere close to that accent in the next scene. No matter how harsh a critic is, there is no way one could deny the acting talent of Ranbir Kapoor. There is a comfortable fluidity in his acting that makes the audience laugh at the most cliché cracks. Fast forward to his avatar as the hyper rockstar, he is just brilliant.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

Someone who plays guitar would feel seriously disappointed at the obvious lack of efforts in making the transformation of an innocent Janardhan Jakhar to a headstrong Jordan look real. The fingers of Jordan don’t appear to know the language of his guitar. During the transition period, when he is left without a home to live in, he could comfortably afford expensive guitars. This is one common problem with Bollywood movies. The poor people in almost every Hindi movie wear branded undergarments and the heroine invariably has the means for mascara even if a “Raavan” has kidnapped her and has kept her hidden in an isolated jungle. Thankfully, the detailed homework done by Manish Malhotra and Aki Narula has reflected in the choice of outfits for Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri and Piyush Mishra (Dhingra).

Underwhelmed at the redundant display of romance, which is Ali’s forte and rightfully so, I would shift track to the amazing music and background score by A R Rahman. This is the lone facet of the movie apart from Ranbir Kapoor that has consistently stirred the emotions of and evoked reactions from the audience despite the tiring length of the movie. The flow of the movie has matured with the music and not otherwise. Had the entire movie been as vivid as the last 50 minutes, the experience would have been electrifying. Nargis Fakhri’s ABCD-style of methodical acting would have been buried deep under the spell of her beauty. And so on…

Aarti Bajaj’s flip-flop style of handling the flashback scenes is uncomfortable to start with but gradually it grows on you. This is a very impressive style of storytelling and slightly different from the conventional handling of flashback plots.

It is a pleasure to watch the late Shammi Kapoor as Ustad Jameel Khan and the tribute paid to him in “Rockstar” is beautiful. I am not so impressed with the remaining actors in the movie. Aditi Rao Hydari has completely wasted her part as Sheena.

“Rockstar” might not be the perfect tale of how “rock” combines with “star” to make a rockstar. The movie, nevertheless, has most of the elements to keep you hooked to the screen. The missing ones might end up setting new trends. Who knows?

Ra.One - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:26:20 PST

If “superhero” is the word, then it is Arun Varma (Anil Kapoor) from the movie “Mr. India” for me. Of course, the name of my dictionary is “Bollywood”. Even after 24 years of its release, Seema Sohni’s (Sridevi) seductive moves in the song “I love you…kaate nahin…” are a million times better, if not any more, than Sonia Subramanium’s (Kareena Kapoor) carefully choreographed latkas and jhatkas. Who would dare comparing Mogambo (Amrish Puri) to Ra.One (Arjun Rampal)?

Not that I had any expectations from “Ra.One”; despite that, I feel sorely disappointed. It probably has got to do with the knowledge of the fact that “Ra.One” is Bollywood’s most expensive project so far; might be because I was stunned at what they have come out with after being so generous with money; could be the lack of both logic and substance in the movie and there are possibilities more than the count of loopholes in the movie. I am not too sure if I could even label it as a sci-fi movie.

The story, or the lack of it, conceptualized by the director Anubhav Sinha, has been framed into a screenplay that has “crisis” and “desperation” written all over it. Agreed that the story is based on a video game, but haven’t we heard of and experienced discipline while playing one? The racing cars do in fact move on bumpy tracks, but they don’t emote based on our whims and fancies. The cars live up to the reputation of being cars, and not human beings, till the end.

Overall Verdict: 1.25/5

If the movie has anything to boast of apart from the unavoidable and disturbing efforts of Shahrukh Khan to present his dossier as a superhero, it would be the visual appeal of the movie – SFX and all. The brief appearances of Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra could barely add to or subtract anything from the movie. They loosely fitted into one of the dangerous holes in the screenplay, still leaving sufficient space for Rajinikanth to fit in.

It would be too harsh on my part to not tell the readers about the impressive talent Armaan Verma, who manages to overshadow the spell of visual effects to some extent. He, who plays the character of real-life Prateek Subramanium and gaming-world Lucifer in the movie, forms the foundation on whose desires the movie struggles to build itself. Shekhar Subramanium (Shahrukh Khan), Lucifer’s father, dies in a futile attempt to save his son from the evil Ra.One. To the delight of the plot, Shekhar is rediscovered in the movie in no time as the goody good G.One. Eventually, they find a nicely designed spot in Mumbai to play their dangerous game against each other. Guess who wins?

Shahrukh Khan, a mass entertainer and a megastar in real life, lacks the presence of a reel-life superhero. There is a conceptual contradiction in the movie in my humble opinion. The title of the movie doesn’t synch at all with the screenplay. Might be they wanted to present Arjun Rampal as the superhero, in which case they have partially succeeded – partially, because the onscreen life of Ra.One is too short to give him the benefit of doubt.

“Ra.One” could be tried out in a 3D theater, which is the safest insurance for your money. Also, you could find ways to console yourself by saying that, “It’s Diwali!”

Happy Diwali! Don’t take film critics too seriously.

Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge (MFK) - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:26:49 PST

Banality has higher odds of acceptance than originality. This like enough explains why the overused story of “Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge” (MFK), in the face of being overloaded with buzzwords, would continue to tempt audiences in the disguise of being a teenage romcom.

If triteness is the worst weakness of the movie, then the freshness and sparkle in Saqib Saleem (as Vishal Bhatt), Saba Azad (as Preity Sen), Nishant Dahiya (as Rahul Sareen) and Tara D'Souza (as Malvika Kelkar) make the same vapid expressions the best strength of the movie; and in the same breathe, I would say, the only muscle of the movie.

I am intensely tempted to ridicule the unmistakable impact of the movie “The Social Network” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” in MFK. The sole reason why I would storm out of the provocation-filled room is my appreciation for the simplicity with which the director Nupur Asthana has married youthfulness to stereotypes. There are plenty of opportunities to be illogically mellifluous and teary-eyed, the temptations of which are hard to resist. The screenplay by Rajesh Narasimhan and Anvita Dutt Guptan has after a fashion managed to recondition the thick layer of rust on the stale story using showy cinematography and quick-witted dialogues.

Overall Verdict: 2.25/5

The movie is very pretentious in the first place and there is an obvious “wannabe cool” element in MFK, which comes across as a fake accessory, taking away the shine of the uniformity in the romantic angle between Vishal and Preity. There are honest moments, seldom met with, worth few artless laughs in the movie – the one with Vishal replying with the Hindi rip-offs to Preity’s originals being the most clean.

The performances by the lead actors are not burdening - that is another way of saying that the acts are definitely watchable. Saqib Saleem is easily comparable to free-flowing flour and would probably make a promising star in the forthcoming days depending on his luck. There are thousand ways to feel vibrant and cliché after a jaded week. It is just that watching “Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge” would be a no-strings-attached way of reanimating the worn-out body. The choice is entirely yours.

Soundtrack - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:27:02 PST

First thing first – Rajeev Khandelwal – an outstanding actor, no one is exaggerating. For validation, “Soundtrack” is just the perfect start if you haven’t really watched any of his earlier films. Had you already, you would know what sense or non-sense I am speaking about.

As far as “Soundtrack” is concerned, this borrowed story from a Canadian film “It's All Gone Pete Tong” could have been a much better screenplay, had there been an observable connect between Raunak Kaul (Rajeev Khandelwal) and the essence of the movie, that is music. Frankly, the reason behind having so many testimonials to the musical spirit of Raunak during the movie is still a mystery to me. An irritating feeling started overpowering me after the third or fourth explanatory treatise.

Overall Verdict: 2.75/5

The single thing that works strongly in favour of the hard-attempt-to-be-realistic movie, besides the choice of theme, is Rajeev Khandelwal whose curt body diction of a DJ is as shameless as his painful journey of self-discovery that he forces himself into no sooner the realization of being deaf takes away the music from his life. The human variation added to his life by Gauri (Soha Ali Khan), a born deaf, reintroduces him to music in a way he never could conceptualize. A new journey begins with music leaving trails for Raunak and him mastering the art of treading the path.

“Soundtrack” deserves a better music to at least honour the theme of the movie. The past of Raunak, which supposedly is a decider of his present has been left to the imagination of the audience for no good reasons. There are many more, the most striking one being an unflattering incoherency risking the tone set in the movie from the very beginning. Having been so toxic so far in my judgement of the movie, I would still recommend this movie for its earthly treatment towards a sentimental topic.

Sahib Biwi aur Gangster - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:27:15 PST

A wife left unattended for nights when gets a load of the desired, be it at the cost of loyalty that undulates for momentary feel of raw emotions, trades the fickle bond with her husband for being driven by the driver. The biwi’s (Mahie Gill) delirious life of sexual ecstasy within the four walls of her room with the driver Babloo (Randeep Hooda) and his increasing familiarity with the prestige attached to royalty, charges him to a point where his lust for attaining the position and power of Sahib Aditya Pratap Singh (Jimmy Shergill) overpowers his need for the mistress.

“Sahib Biwi aur Gangster” (SBG) has in the very beginning presented a preview of Babloo’s violent side, which has successively evolved to the role of a gangster, whose motto is to divide and rule. Partially, he succeeds in reaping benefits from Sahib’s extramarital affair with Mahua, his hostile attitude towards a local goon Gainda Singh (Vipin Sharma) and his eternal conflict between his unfortunate existence as was-a-royal and always-should-be-royal.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

There is a comfortable seriousness and depth in the script, which have reflected brightly in the flow of events and the transformation of the characters. The script by the talented director of SBG Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sanjay Chouhan has not limited itself to the chemistry between the lead characters and has paid considerable attention to the interlinks between the character artists. Deepal Shah’s unbelievable avatar as Bijli is surprisingly good. I wish I could have seen the plot advancing towards the agenda in the first part of the movie itself instead of necessary meandering around the lives of the artists.

Mahie Gill as the royal woman, deeply inflicted with the wounds of royal mannerisms and her sexual desires, is as believable as the character in real life could be. The reason behind her sudden behavioural swings has been left untouched in the movie, a hint of which could have added more substance to her character. The boldness of Mahie and the overhyped steamy scenes between Mahie and Randeep, especially the former, has been treated with an awkward calmness for which there could only be praises galore.

The editing by Rahul Srivastava, complemented by the dialogues, has made the overwhelming traces of negativity in all the three characters flow in parallel with the unfolding of events. The rustic appeal of a village in Uttar Pradesh has lived proudly in the background throughout, thanks to the appreciable work of photography by Aseem Mishra.

There are more who are even more deserving of appreciation. Randeep Hooda is the actor I am referring to, and this is coming straight from his sharp and uninhibited rendition of Babloo. Jimmy Shergill’s body language as the Sahib is very neat and convincing to be more precise. He never loses his command over the expected mannerisms from his role in the movie.

SBG is not a movie that would lift your spirits, if so is the intention; however, if you have watched the earlier works of Tigmanshu Dhulia like “Haasil”, you would certainly not like to miss this one.

Mausam - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:27:33 PST

A charming weather has more claimants than the weather could accommodate. The spell of the weather soaks the asymmetry of human lives - temporarily - and leaves men yearning for a slice of the magical feeling. The asymmetry, at times, dwarfs the beauty of the nature and makes its imperfections visible.

“Mausam” takes the audience on a slow ride starting from the bumpy streets of a village in Punjab in the year 1992 when a young Harinder Singh (Shahid Kapoor) met Aayat Khan (Sonam Kapoor) for the first time, making way through the snowy avenues of Switzerland and picturesque roadways of Edinburgh to a burning byway of Ahmedabad in 2002. Binod Pradhan’s arresting cinematography has perfectly complemented the heard-before-somewhere-yet-stimulating love story between Aayat’s innocence and Harry’s (Harinder) patience and in parallel, the uprisings that have created history for the wrong reasons.

The underplayed role of the insurrections of 1992 in Ayodhya to the Gujarat riots in 2002 in the love story between a Muslim girl from Kashmir and a Punjabi boy has been critical in adding the imperative feel of the time transpired in between. The characters, Aayat and Harry, have hardly grown physically over the years and the moustache of Air Force Lt. Harinder Singh has barely served its purpose. The classic outdated look of Punjab and Ahmedabad of the 1990s has been mildly absent in the portions shot in Switzerland and the recreated Scotland. Understandably, there must have been a lot of efforts behind the physical maturity of the characters but as it turns out the finished products are a bit too young to be a decade old.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

There are convincing reasons why most of the romantic movies of the present generation fail to leave an impression and there are credible rationales behind “Mausam” achieving the difficult feat of being able to make splash. The finesse with which Pankaj Kapoor has graced the romantic routines is beautiful and magnetic to say the least. The subtlety in the expressions of love, the attempts to be heard by the one and the craving for reciprocating have been nicely interlaced, rude would be to not mention the extraordinary ordinariness in Aditi Sharma’s jealousy. The first exchange of words between Aayat and Harry is one of the most beautiful moments in the movie that handsomely seizes the acting talent of Shahid and the elegance of Sonam.

While Shahid holds his excellence till the end of the movie, Sonam never gets beyond her gracefulness and remains limited to a few facial narrations. The movie also fails to finish carving out meaningful people out of characters. Anupam Kher as the Kashmiri Pundit is undoubtedly a good concept with plenty of scopes but left impoverished; ditto for the parts of Akram, Harry’s friends and Aayat’s father. Sreekar Prasad’s versatile editing skills have saved the slow pace of the movie from taxing the patience of the audience. Despite the strong merit of Pankaj Kapoor’s screenplay, the movie stubbornly stretches Harry’s search for Aayat, making the entire episode a bit too melodramatic. Then you have songs like “Rabba Main Toh” sung by Shahid Mallya, which leaves one mesmerized, the superb restrained comical show by Manoj Pahwa and the gravity in the tone of Supriya Pathak. Still we complain!

It is a challenge to decide on the level of artfulness a director should inject in a commercial movie. “Mausam” tilts towards being more of a work of art with a necessary blend of saleable elements. People with no appetite for poetic romanticism should avoid this movie.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (MBKD) - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:27:44 PST

“Don’t fall in love with your friend’s ex or present girlfriend and don’t ever fall in love with your friend’s sister,” a self-claimed expert in love once warned me. Even if the forewarning was not asked for, I took this to be a judgement drawn from his personal experiences. That year, the movie “Sorry Bhai” released and he added another code to his book of sacrosanct regulations. He being the only son of his parents, and ex and current boyfriend of tens of hearts, his actions in the form of overwhelming codes are a reflection of his largesse.

MBKD is no “Sorry Bhai”, for no one in the movie is apologetic for his/her own manipulations. Kush Agnihotri (Imran Khan) is mildly guilt-ridden when he starts realizing that he could carry a 14.2-kg gas cylinder on his shoulder, thanks to his newly found romantic interest in his brother Luv Agnihotri’s (Ali Zafar) would-be bride Dimple Dixit (Katrina Kaif). All hell breaks loose when Dimple’s conditionally British heart starts beating faster for Kush at the same time.

Luv, a banker based out of London, is happy of his brand-new LED TV being crashed on the floor for that also marks the end of his five-year-long relationship with Piyali Patel (Tara D’Souza). An emotionally fragile Luv - free of the tasteless rajma-chawl cooked by Piyali - honours Kush with the responsibility of finding a bride for him. In the course of the movie, Kush fishes out Luv’s love from the crowd and pulls out the one for him too.

Overall Verdict: 2.75/5

MBKD is a decent attempt by Ali Abbas Zafar and Yash Raj Films at extricating a comic hangover from a predictable plot and star appeal of Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif, both of whom are riding high after their respective successes “Delhi Belly” and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. The story line has been very carefully accentuated by the timings of the dialogues, the choice of locations for shooting of the movie and the unusual pairing of Imran and Katrina. The colourful cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee is praiseworthy and so is the selection of costumes by Rocky S, Neha Bhatnagar, and Harmeet Sethi.

The chemistry between Imran and Katrina is smoking hot, which works wonders for MBKD; though individually their sincere efforts aren’t much absorbing. Katrina Kaif, in most of the scenes, has done a bit too much of drama with her expressions that audience would wholeheartedly forgive for her sizzling screen presence. Imran Khan is all over the movie and is absolutely every bit of the chhota bhai of his bhaisaab but he starts faltering in scenes, which require a lot of connecting to the rest of the characters in the movie. Kush seems to be happily oblivious of them.

Ali Zafar is very natural in front of the camera; his comic timing is perfect and his dialogue delivery flawless. Sadly, his scenes have hampered the flow of the movie due to poor editing by Ritesh Soni. Had the roles of Imran and Ali been swapped, MBKD would have been a much better movie than what it is. Tara D’Souza is worth a planned miss. Amongst the rest, Parikshat Sahni would certainly remind you of the good old Bollywood-style Dads.

MBKD is not the best preparation of rajma-chawl on this planet but certainly combines the tadka of entertainment. Chances are high that you might end up liking its calculable taste on a Saturday evening or a lazy Sunday.

Bodyguard - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:28:20 PST

If Tania-ji’s (Anushka Sharma) ‘naiveté’ in “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” who overestimated her husband Suri-ji (Shahrukh Khan) sans the moustache to be a different person Raj didn’t amaze you enough with its stupidity, here is Lovely Singh (Salman Khan) from “Bodyguard”. Lovely Singh, a bodyguard blessed with extraordinary abilities, could fight his enemies with his eyes closed and ears open, although his ears lack the talent of identifying the voice on the phone, which he is surrounded with for most of the time.

Lovely is appointed by business magnate Sartaj Rana (Raj Babbar) as the bodyguard of his daughter Divya (Kareena Kapoor), whom Lovely follows to the campus. Tired of his constant presence, Divya sketches and plays Chhaya in a story to divert his attention from her life. Regular pillow talks over the phone; Lovely falls in love with a supposed Chhaya and Divya succeeds in her mission simply to become aware of her love for Lovely following a time. The unearthly powers of Lovely in swift motions and cracking hundreds of bones, meanwhile, provide Divya with ample reasons to be greedy for him.

Lovely Singh is wholeheartedly supported by Tsunami Singh (Rajat Rawail) in his love story, who speaks Punjabi without any Punjabi accent, and his sincere efforts to be unintentionally funny evoke nothing else but sympathy from the very core of the heart. The director Siddique is hereby requested to make note of the fact that making people laugh is one of the most difficult tasks and labelling non-actors with funny names and funnier tag lines hardly help achieve this goal. Again, what is it with the rolling credits being so much under the weather in this age?

Overall Verdict: 2/5

The screenplay is uniformly haphazard and comes across as a serious love story disturbed by disturbing comic timings. Songs would arrive unannounced and leave without leaving any impression. Divya spends most of her time chatting on the phone, sleeping on her designer bed and before anyone could ask, she finishes her college. The villains would drop in whenever they would like to take revenge and so on and so forth. A better editing by Sanjay Sankla could have certainly multiplied the waves of the final twist in the movie.

For reasons hard to understand from the movie, Divya’s father would never approve of their relation - an assumption based on which she doesn’t try convincing her parents and ends up transferring the credits of Chhaya to someone else. No matter what Divya has done, I would rather not commit the same mistake and give more brownie points to Salman Khan’s star appeal than his might to tickle the funny bones and his flying shirt. Equally so to Manish Malhotra’s kurtis for making Kareena Kapoor look stunning than Kareena’s scene with Salman Khan in the park where Lovely is supposed to meet Chhaya for the first time – the best scene in the movie in my opinion.

The background score by Sandeep Shirodkar is much better than the prime scores by Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam except for the song “Teri Meri” sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal. The in-between freezing effect in few of the action sequences by Vijayan towards the end of the movie is redundant; otherwise, the tricks are quite stylish and unconvincing. The cinematography by Sejal Shah is decent and one of the strong technical points of “Bodyguard”.

“Bodyguard” isn’t too much about Salman Khan unlike “Dabangg” and “Ready” - that means ample chances for the remaining actors. Regrettably, actors like Asrani and Mahesh Manjrekar haven’t been given enough scenes and Raj Babbar has wasted his presence just like Rajat Rawail. The onus invariably is on Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor to entertain the witnesses. At least, they try their best!

Not A Love Story - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:28:37 PST

In recent times, a Ram Gopal Varma (RGV)-movie is analogous to a package of inconsistent camera angles and creepy sound effects - too costly an affair when the ornamental interpretations disagree with the situations of the movie. The background score of “Not A Love Story” (NALS) by Sandeep Chowta is not incongruous because of its tone, but the overdose of it, paralyzing certain scenes beyond any chances of recovery. The translation of “Hoja rangeela re...” from the movie “Rangeela” by Sandeep Chowta to reflect the varying moods of an aspiring Bollywood actress Anusha Chawla (Mahie Gill), on the other hand, is very captivating. The ringtone of Anusha’s mobile phone is worth her dream.

NALS is an after-effect of RGV’s soft corner for dark worldly realities and his tryst with the Neeraj Grover-Emile Jerome-Maria Susairaj saga of close proximity between love, obsession, and crime that became a talking point in the year 2008. The cinematic consequence, however, offers a constipated experience for the viewers. Thanks to the overabundance and dramatization of news of late, the story of an infatuated lover Robin Fernandes (Deepak Dobriyal) is already a matter of common knowledge. Evenly familiar is the story of Anusha’s efforts to find a place in the film industry - how her accidental one-night equation with casting director Ashish Bhatnagar (Ajay Gehi) ends in a spine-chilling murder of Ashish by her lover Robin – thousand pieces of his dead body and the trauma that follows.

Overall Verdict: 2.5/5

Rohit Banawlikar’s story clearly lacks appeal and clarity. Elaborate narrations of Anusha’s affair with Robin and her goal in life suddenly gain speed and drown deep in the pool of suave editing to be followed by elongated courtroom scenes. The murder of Ashish, a significant juncture in the movie, as well as the emotional turbulences in the characters subsequently - have been insufficiently dealt with.

NALS being not judgemental about the incident is fair but there is no merit in tracking the arguments made by the corresponding lawyers if the intent is to present the real incident in an engaging manner. NALS miserably fails there thus boasting of an interesting warm-up in the first half, crippled by an average augmentation in the second part. Nothing beyond common knowledge is in store.

In my opinion, Deepak Dobriyal couldn’t score a success with his act. He is very good as an obsessive lover but beyond that, he has been pretty ordinary. Mahie Gill is very easy with her body language and expressions, which makes her worth watching on the screen. At no point does she appear exaggerated in the movie. The same is not the case with Zakir Hussain as the inspector.

NALS might not be the best work of the very talented RGV. Having said that, the movie is worth a consideration for the sake of the touch of RGV and the brilliance it displays in limited pieces.

Aarakshan - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:28:48 PST

When the issue is as hypersensitive as caste-based reservation in the Indian educational system and government jobs, melodrama in the effect could be justified but sidelining the proposition and getting off the subject could hardly be explained. With the entire hullabaloo surrounding the release of “Aarakshan” and the prestige affiliated to the name of the director Prakash Jha, the experience of watching the movie is more disappointing than the realization of confusing sports bra for the real thing.

The verdict of the Supreme Court in favour of 27% reservation for backward castes turns into a point of vociferous arguments between two friends of a premier institution in Bhopal: Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan) and Sushant Seth (Prateik Babbar). A hitherto unfamiliar topic now alive in a historic judgement pulls apart Deepak from his friend Sushant, hacks a loyal disciple in him from his favourite teacher Dr. Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachhan), and separates him from his love interest Poorbi (Deepika Padukone) before he could even claim his love for her. The verbal fight representing the story of a divided society infiltrates the campus and reaches the Principal Dr. Anand. Before the actions of this man of strict principles could do the rounds, his neutral opinion on reservation for backward classes to a journalist, is twisted by and to the advantage of his rival colleague Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpayee).

Determined to not succumb to the demands of the situation, Dr. Anand resigns and Mithilesh Singh makes sure that life takes the first ugly turn for Dr. Anand by leaving him, his daughter Poorbi and his wife (Tanvi Azmi) homeless. From there, “Aarakshan” is a powerful remedial session on how the relatively bad could make every effort but not under any condition win over the good.

Overall Verdict: 2.5/5

The biggest threat to a powerful story is its screenplay. The smallest of the mistakes easily grab eyeballs. The strongest possibility of “Aarakshan”, Saif Ali Khan, goes for a comfortable hibernation when the movie could actually deliver its value and bounces back after a hiatus. He raises the expectations in the first hour of the movie when he revisits the pages of history along with Manoj Bajpayee. Deepak’s attempt to be heard by the society deaf to the voice of his class is quite engaging and keeps the audience contemplating an experience when the track changes to Dr. Anand’s battle against the wrongdoers. The business of Mithilesh’s coaching centres faces the free classes offered by Dr. Anand. Familiar scenes would pour heavily on you!

Amitabh Bachhan is the final reason for making “Aarakshan” work with his innate talent to make everything he does look dependable. At the cost of risking the ability of other talented actors to overshadow Amitabh, if you tailor the screenplay to highlight the acting prowess of that particular actor, an unpardonable offence is committed.

Manoj Bajpayee has delivered a calculated performance showing no marks of being average anywhere. Not brilliant either. Sadly, he couldn’t evoke the desired emotions in the audience as normally is within the capacity of such a role. Prateik Babbar is again a product of unfinished editing by Santosh Mandal and is mostly shallow. Tanvi Azmi as Amitabh’s wife is perfect. She doesn’t have too many lines to speak in the movie. Her body language and her expressions do all the talking. Deepika Padukone’s forte is playing confident and vibrant. With “Aarakshan”, she has shown a marked improvement in her ability to handle scenes where she has to play the victim of circumstances. Yashpal Sharma is quite a talent. Unfortunately, he has been a bit too much stereotyped in Bollywood as the villain.

“Aarakshan” is a miscalculated product that suffers from identity crisis and lacks the competence to do justice to the social issue it aimed for. The shortcomings being ignored, it makes for a cinema that is inspiring, conveys multiple messages, and leaves some food for thought for the serious-minded. The first hour is definitely worth a watch.

Chala Mussaddi Office Office - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:29:00 PST

At any point in your life, have you been affected by a pretentious comic character that is idiotic plus distressing? Meet Patel (Deven Bhojani), who in all his representations in the movie “Chala Mussaddi Office Office” (CMOO), as the collector, pundit, ward boy, government official etc is scary and equally irritating with his two-liner. I agree that this is neither the first time nor the last encounter of this kind - not within limits in Bollywood.

That in no possibility indicates that the problem is with the actor. It has to do with the writer and in this case Ashwani Dhir. Why otherwise would good actors like Manoj Pahwa (as Bhatia), Sanjay Mishra (Shukla), Hemant Pandey (as Pandeyji) and Asawari Joshi (as Usha) be reduced to such miserable distortions?

A movie is different from a TV series by the very fine line distinguishing them from each other. Little does the storywriter care to pay attention to this fact. He tries recreating the magic of the sitcom “Office Office” from the good old Doordarshan days in a 111-minute movie. He tries cementing a social message in this poor imitation resulting in neither a “3 Idiots” nor a “Double Dhamaal”.

Overall Verdict: 1/5

Mr. Mussaddi Lal Tripathi (Pankaj Kapur), a retired teacher of a school in Ghaziabad, is not the first person in India who has been denied his pension by a set of corrupt government employees. Often, the rationales behind the dismissal are hard to understand. How would a ‘common man’ like Mr. Mussaddi react when asked to prove his existence in an acceptable manner? His jobless son Bunty (Gaurav Kapoor), whose sole goal in life is to survive on his father’s pension is unable to help Mr. Mussaddi’s case much, even though Bunty starts off with a bang. The students, whom he taught once, are asking him for sweeteners.

Disgusted with the happenings around, Mr. Mussaddi stages a “Rang De Basanti” style plot to teach the bureaucrats a lesson. Whether he succeeds or not is a matter of a sleepy guess. Despite that, to appreciate the thought conveyed in the movie and to discover an aam aadmi from Karol Bagh in a brilliant actor like Pankaj Kapur, you might like to watch CMOO.

Rajiv Mehra’s intention behind the movie is clear though there is no traceable element of novelty anywhere in the movie. Gaurav Kapoor is quite good, easily identifiable and the only prominent actor except for Pankaj Kapur in CMOO who doesn’t seem like an exaggerated narration. The editing by Manish Jaitly is a bit too sluggish and the cinematography by Carlton D’Mello average. The music by Sajid and Wajid also adds to the lacking appeal of the movie.

Should you decide to save money for your future, you might start working on it by not watching CMOO. Without delay!

Singham - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:29:11 PST

The future of an angry young man in Bollywood is another angry young man. While he takes a dip in the holy river on a cold night, the women, all in deep pink sarees chant mantras. He emerges out of the water. This time, he is not clothed in a pair of white bellbottom trousers and a matching white jacket. A single-piece silk lungi leaves no grounds for disguising the glory of his six-pack abs. He is Bollywood’s timeless representative of the 70s; he is the angry ‘Dabangg’; he values his vardi more than his own life; he loves; he fights the criminals dauntlessly, hundreds of them, alone; he knows futuristic stunts; and, he wins.

This time he is a Marathi manoos. He is Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn). The villain is an intensely corrupt and powerful Jaikant Shikre (Prakash Raj) who runs his dirty business of kidnapping, extortion, and murdering under the pretext of managing business of hotels. The clash between the good and the evil happens by coincidence and with thunderous noises of broken bones, bureaucratic influences, tight slaps, political weights, tainted police officers, unfaithful honesty, and a debased system.

Overall Verdict: 2.5/5

The minimal power exercised by the screenplay of Yunus Sajawal is dominated by the overruling dramatics by Prakash Raj. Ajay Devgn is dynamic and commanding in his characterization of the honest cop. The first part of the movie is lost in a jaded foreplay that serves no purpose. The characters have been introduced in a methodical manner and the humour quotient is absolutely half-baked. ‘Singham’, for the better, has no space for a romantic angle. Kajal Aggarwal as Singham’s girlfriend Kavya evokes no emotions. Even the shallowness in their chemistry is lifeless.

The movie takes an interesting twist in the second part with the screenplay getting livelier. The slow-paced fast action sequences framed by the director Rohit Shetty and Jai Singh bump into the highs of the unadulterated brilliance of Ashok Saraf’s enactment of hawaldar Prabhu Bhawalkar and Farhad-Sajid’s dialogues. The lows of the paltry editing by Steven H. Bernard, plastic scores by Ajay-Atul and Dudley's cinematography are also encountered, diluting the impact of the highs. The background music composed by Amar Mohile adds an effect to the ridiculously excessive stunts and the weighty dialogues. Positive effect, i would say.

‘Singham’ is a clever work that works in very few parts. Overdosed with overused inspirations, the played-out plot executes primarily due to the histrionics of Devgn and Raj. Watch this movie to know about one of the most abstract ways of ending corruption, which if provided the means, might be an answer to all the problems related to corruption. Might be!

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:29:25 PST

There are reasons behind Arjun’s (Hrithik Roshan) wild lust for money and broken relations; the letters on one of the pages of Imraan’s (Farhan Akhtar) secret diary and his ever-smiling face; a ring meant for Kabir’s (Abhay Deol) Mom on her birthday that unwittingly got him engaged to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin) and an indescribable case behind the bond shared between friends of all generations. The bachelor party in honour of Kabir’s overhanging wedding takes the form of a road trip to Spain and quite a trip that turns out to be. Life performs under the ocean; it plays thousands of feet above the ground; it is squeezed by a red tomato; and it spends time in gathering pranks.

“Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (ZNMD) is a slow poem walking the ramp in loads of colours. The costume designing by Arjun Bhasin has accentuated the harmonic photography of Carlos Catalan. Spain with its stunning appeal looks vulnerable to tourists' fantasy. The tension in certain scenes, like the one between Imraan and his estranged father Naseeruddin Shah, is so perceivable that it bites. The dialogues written by Farhan Akhtar have the easiness and strength that enables a scene to slow down gracefully, leaving deepness around.

The male artists have beautifully executed their respective parts to the best of perfection. Of the three, Hrithik’s role is slightly underdeveloped. The transition from a fanatic financial broker to a person flirting with the idea of being thrown out of his job could have been handled with more of substance rather than relying on the bank of easy emotions. Abhay Deol is superb, has a fluent body language, and is very natural. Farhan Akhtar is outstanding and the star amongst the brightest of the stars. Naseeruddin Shah is remarkable despite the length of his two scenes in the movie. Deepti Naval as Imraan’s Ammi is equally deserving of the appreciation.

Overall Verdict: 4/5

Katrina Kaif as Laila, the diving instructor, has shown signs of improvement in acting. The chemistry between Katrina and Hrithik is unappealing and average, which is surprising considering that both of them are so much talked about for their looks. Kalki Koechlin is the kind of possessive girlfriend and wife material that would scare any man irrespective of his age. Kalki’s has been a difficult role, which is normally played very loudly by other actors, but the director Zoya Akhtar has extracted a refined and underplayed performance from her. Ariadna Cabrol as the hot stuff Nuria is easily forgettable.

The screenplay by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti has been a tad too leisurely here and there. There is no denying that the writers have very skilfully captured the complexities of relationships and have stitched every single character strongly into the story. Anand Subaya’s editing has been a big contributor in not letting the unhurriedness of the plot spoil the movie.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s background score is engaging and so is “Ik Junoon”. The tomatoes are henceforth meant for a different reason after watching this song. Bosco Caesar’s steps in “Senorita” add to the energy of the song sung by the actors themselves.

ZNMD is refreshing, very nicely crafted, and doesn’t force the audience to believe in anything. Don’t believe in what someone else would say about the movie. Check out for yourself.

Murder 2 - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:29:34 PST

Suspecting steamy scenes and more of it from ‘Murder 2’ isn’t an unfair demand. The warning that such anticipations might meet with minimal returns is necessary for the sake of the reputation of Emraan Hashmi.

Again, it is crucial for us to understand that Bollywood’s definition of ‘sequel’ is all that the word doesn’t presuppose. It helps us to set realistic expectations - as in - not expecting another married woman to have a rocking extramarital affair of the kind where saliva is exchanged in litres.

At the risk of sounding liberal, M2 has conceptual similarities with the Korean film ‘The Chaser’, released in the year 2008. Shagufta Rafique, the storywriter, has added frames from the infamous Nithari killings. The praiseworthy part about the screenplay is that unlike most of the Indian thrillers, the scheme of the story remains clear-cut throughout the movie.

Arjun Bhagwat (Emraan Hashmi) leaves his job as a police officer and changes track to assume odd roles for favouring the operations of the criminals in Goa. An uncertain atheist, Arjun lacks commitment towards his ‘aadat’ Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) for reasons that have increased the duration of the movie unnecessarily by a few good minutes.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

A particular assignment from a pimp involves Arjun directly and indirectly with a psychopathic serial killer Dheeraj Pandey (Prashant Narayan) and an innocent college-going Reshma (Sulagna Panigrahi) respectively. Arjun blames himself for hatching the plan to contrive Reshma as the carrot to reach the killer and the remorseful him leaves no stones unturned to punish the murderer.

The shortfall of a single ‘Bheege Honth Tere’ moment in M2, in terms of eroticism, is more than counterbalanced by a striking psychoneurotic act by Prashant Narayan. The more important mention is the powerful performance by Emraan Hashmi as the person betrayed by God and personified by anger. Jacqueline Fernandez as Arjun’s Priya has the style and oodles of oomph, but strictly that much. Sulagna Panigrahi, given more chances, would leave a mark. Amongst the remaining actors, Shweta Kawatra has left an impression.

The dance number by Yana Gupta is hardly anything to speak about – one of those regular stuffs that keep on happening in Bollywood movies. The music by Harshit Saxena is dull while the cinematography by Ravi Walia is good even though it looks painted in a few scenes. The editing has been deservedly treated by Devendra Murdeshwar.

With ‘Murder 2’, Mohit Suri and the Bhatts have delivered more that what they committed with duds like ‘Raaz – The Mystery Continues’. Wonder what Anurag Basu’s comments would be on this sequel.

Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:30:51 PST

Amitabh Bachhan, a 68-year-old man, might appear a bit too odd in a pair of printed jeans and an orange shirt but not Viju from ‘Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap’ (BHTB). Ask Kammo (Raveena Tandon), who is a mother of a marriageable daughter Amrita (Charmy Kaur), and she will tell you how much she is smitten by Viju since she can remember.

The charm of Amitabh Bachhan is undeniably inescapable but we do not need a movie to validate this fact. BHTB is a 110-minute long advertisement of the brand that goes by the name Amitabh Bachhan and the attributes that once established him as the ‘Angry Young Man’ of Bollywood. There is more – a catchy song ‘Go Meera Go’ by Vishal-Shekhar that has been built on cult hit numbers from his earlier movies.

The result of all this is a screenplay by the director Puri Jagannadh that has been cut, copied, and pasted from multiple sources and edited by Shekhar with the sole intention of highlighting the talent of Amitabh. Every architect of the movie has been too busy paying tribute to the megastar and in the entire process, the final design has been crushed beyond recognition underneath the weight of the liabilities.

Overall Verdict: 2.5/5

Viju returns to Mumbai from Paris to defend his son ACP Karan (Sonu Sood) from the intrusive eyes of the underworld don Prakash Raj. Having been an acclaimed player in this murky world long back, Viju knows the art of the game and easily makes a way into Raj’s clan by befriending one of his associates - Makrand Deshpande. His past partnership with this hated world of crime and blood failed him in his relation with his wife Sita (Hema Malini), who left him and remained a single mother to their son Karan.

Viju not only attains the best outcome in sheltering his ‘DNA extension’ and cleaning all visible traces of the criminal league, but also unites Karan with his love interest Tanya (Sonal Chauhan). Easy as one plus one equals two!

The movie scores on the exchanges between Sita and Viju, which are romantic to the core. It serves little purpose to go gaga over the antics of Bachhan and the impressive villainous act by Prakash Raj. Sonu Sood has tried his best to match the standards of a reel-life Junior Bachhan but the weak screenplay has left no space to make use of his talent. On the other hand, Sonal Chauhan is irritating and plastic. Ditto for Shawar Ali. Raveena Tandon deserves a role, not being a matter of joke.

There is no convincing reason to watch this movie unless you are too fond of Big Bachhan. One more reason is to know the meaning of the words ‘Beep’ and ‘Beep Beep’. Wonder!

Delhi Belly - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:30:56 PST

‘Delhi Belly’ is neither about Delhi, nor about Belly. The movie does foray into the stomach problems of Nitin (Kunal Roy Kapur) though, adding a fart and more of it. To the pleasure of some and to the disgust of the rest, the movie also shows how orange juice could be used as a dummy for water to clean the ass after committing what could be best described as musical diarrhea.

Now, Arup (Vir Das) is not to be blamed for not realizing that his favourite orange juice has been used for a purpose of such nobility. The day definitely comes when he gets to know about it, but forgives his roommate Nitin for all that he did to his future taste for orange juice.

Of the three flatmates, Tashi (Imran Khan) is the ‘lucky bastard’, as Nitin would happily tell you anytime. This journalist chap has a rich and dumb girlfriend, Sonia (Shenaz Treasurywala), whom he would have got married to someday, at least for a red car and a flat. Little did he know that some ‘kiss ka kissa’ would happen one day with his colleague Menaka (Poorna Jagannathan)...

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

‘Delhi Belly’ is the desi ‘Hangover’ in a real world of real diamonds. This is where the gang of the notorious Somayajulu (Vijay Raaz) meet the trio: a photographer, a cartoonist, and a journalist. A deep inspection would make you understand that shit could never be traded with diamond. Try doing that! Somayajulu would make you run like ‘Bose D K’ in repeated loops and at the speed of Rajdhani Express.

Passing on the weirdness quotient to the next scene as a legacy isn’t an easy responsibility and the slick editing by Huzefa Lokhandwala has taken the quotient to higher levels. Even though, I would say that much about the weirdness is somewhat analytical and carefully planted, which takes away the delight of the uncommonness.

That being said, Akshat Verma’s screenplay has masked the obvious imperfections of a usual story of this kind with stuffs oddity is made of. Had it not been for Ram Sampath, songs like ‘Jaa chudail’ and ‘I love you (I hate you)’ would have never happened to this generation. One could overlook the fact that most of the songs hardly fit the context.

Not discounting the fact that Imran Khan acted reasonably well, Vir and Kunal (especially Kunal) are more deserving of any admiration linked to the acting department. Vijay Raaz is brilliant and Poorna Jagannathan the natural most in the movie. Shenaz is the essential trophy material - no expectations attached.

Expletives are a part of life, no less than our own fart is. The ones who could avoid any or both of these inevitable truths of life must not watch this movie.

Double Dhamaal - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:31:07 PST

Once upon a time, there was this loud and funny person named ‘Slapstick Comedy’. He went to the theatre last night to watch ‘Double Dhamaal’. Twenty minutes into the movie, he started feeling acutely dehydrated. His reputation was at severe stake and all he could do was remembering the good old days when he could hold his head high for works of his namesake like ‘Housefull’, ‘Action Replayy’ etc. He started developing suicidal tendencies at the thought and simultaneous experience of the new standards of underneath-the-earth lows that ‘Double Dhamaal’ was setting for the forthcoming nuclear bombs.

During the interval, he went out to pee. Not a single drop came out. He was dry and broken by then. The human race would have no faith in his principles after watching this confused blend of Bollywood spoofs and ridiculous tit-for-tat plot – the thought forced him to face the part after the interval.

Overall Verdict: 0.25/5

He kept on putting up a stern face to the lachkas of Jalebi Bai (Mallika Sherawat) and the disturbing foursome of Manav (Jaaved Jaaferi), Adi (Arshad Warsi), Boman (Aashish Chaudhary), and most importantly Roy (Riteish Deshmukh). ‘Slapstick Comedy’, being the human being that he is, felt like making Riteish Deshmukh watch at least a dozen times what he did in the name of spoof. At one point, he felt like treasuring the shrill voice of Kiya (Kangna Ranaut) in a museum that preserves the weirdest voices on the planet and imposing a fine on Kabir (Sanjay Dutt) for doing this to the innocent audience.

‘Slapstick Comedy’ somehow made it until the end of the movie (probably, for the sake of the bucks spent on the ticket) where there was a clear indication of a sequel to ‘Double Dhamaal’ tentatively titled ‘Total Dhamaal’. He shouted out loudly, “Isn’t this enough of sequelling, you yous?” He met with stares of tired people. They nodded in agreement. He moved towards the exit and rushed out for a glass of water.

Shaitan - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:31:19 PST

Mixing drugs with violence in a movie or a novel is as easy and difficult as mixing business with pleasure. Easy because of the obvious associations and difficult because of the high risks involved in both the cases. ‘Shaitan’ is a figurative presentation of the psychology that plays evil and makes one a slave to the control of greed, drugs, power, and money thus making room for violence to establish its territory of anger and blood.

The screenplay by debutant director Bejoy Nambiar is as threatening to a sound mind as the realization of failing the board exams after waking up from a peaceful dream. The progress of and the reality in the story is however discomforting, more so when the narration unfolds with slow doses of gloominess. At a certain point, the switch from one scene to the next seems too prolonged due to the unnecessary and slow camera angles. The excellence in Madhie’s cinematography somehow makes lesser impact than deserved owing to the often-shaky-often-brilliant editing by Sreekar Prasad. The reason why Inspector Arvind Mathur (Rajeev Khandelwal) decides to split with his wife is a mystery no less than the relevance of Shomu’s (Rajat Barmecha) story in the movie.

Overall Verdict: 3.25/5

A product of Anurag Kashyap’s camp, it is barely a surprise to see the characters in ‘Shaitan’ spitting expletives or found masturbating. While this is increasingly becoming a trend to justify inclusion of expletives in a movie for the sake of adding an element of reality to it, the directors must remember that the remainder of the movie must not be a fairy tale. Excuse me for the disconnected point here.

‘Shaitan’ is a case of a simple story resulting in a very good watch, thanks to the excellent performance by every single member of the movie. Five friends (Kalki Koechlin, Shiv Pandit, Neil Bhoopalam, Gulshan Devaiya, Kirti Kulhar) - who strongly associate ‘fun’ with doing drugs, alcohol, and parties - and victims of their own circumstances, accidentally run their car one night over two pedestrians. They die on the spot. Caught between blackmailing by a police officer (Raj Kumar Yadav) who discovers the accident and the means to meet his demands, the gang hatches a plan to blackmail Amy’s (Kalki Koechlin) father for money. The rest is all about the ‘figurative’ thing mentioned in the first paragraph. Human psychology is weirder with every discovery and weirdest when one is able to connect to someone else’s weirdness.

If performances of the actors were discussed, Rajeev Khandelwal would emerge as the winner followed by a close second Kalki Koechlin. The background music by Ranjit Barot and group is outstanding and in my opinion, the third best actor in the movie.

Watch ‘Shaitan’ for a work of art that could have been outstanding but is excellent despite all that have been told so far.

Ready - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:31:28 PST

‘Ready’ takes you through the larger-than-life lives of many ‘Bollywoodish’ Mamas and Mamis, Chachas and Chachis, Papas and Mummys and their even larger witless comical world where they laugh out loudly at the drop of a dialogue. Unfortunately, the audience have started expressing little amusement to what the David Dhawans and the Anees Bazmees of the world have been passing off as comedy.

Combining Prem of ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ and several other Sooraj Barjatya movies with the always-filmy surname ‘Kapoor’, Mr. Bazmee came out with the new version of Salman Khan - Prem Kapoor, who could do anything and everything under the sun – not so surprisingly of course. When it comes to the signature style of letting the shirt go off the bod, this Khan has no close competition.

‘Ready’ unlike ‘Dabangg’ is not a pure entertainment package but tries cashing in too much on the slapstick genus of comedy, which has been offering rich returns to the producers for quite some time now. This time, it was almost like watching a Telugu/Tamil movie dubbed in Hindi on Set Max, sans the cup of hot tea and the freedom to ridicule the ‘stupefying’ villains.

Asin’s character ‘Sanjana Singh’ has been a forceful attempt to be chirpy and vibrant that met with limited or almost no success. With a noticeable hangover of Juhi Chawla and Kajol in her acting, she has not been able to act the way Asin would have. The Salman-Asin pairing is not sufficiently convincing either.

Overall Verdict: 1/5

Prem falls in love with Sanjana. Now don’t ask me how you silly. While Prem’s rich and funny family wholeheartedly support his love story, Sanjana’s crooked Mamas: Akhilendra Mishra (chhote mama) and Sharat Saxena (bade mama) are more interested in getting her married to their respective saalas (brother-in-law). There is a strong dispute between the two Mamas and this creates more problems for Sanjana. The uninformed has the definite right to know that the Mamas are also rich, funny and their greediness is the extra bonus point. The remaining story is another love story that goes through many twists and turns, Paresh Rawal being one of the several human caricatures. At the end, you would feel good with the self-assurance that your family isn’t as funny as theirs is.

The special appearances hardly add any value or make any sense. There are few songs all over the place, disconnected from the movie. The catchy ‘Character Dheela’ by Pritam is an obligation towards some mysterious reasons. There are very tangible reasons to question the editing skills of Ritesh Soni or rather the lack of it after watching ‘Ready’.

Overall, there are scenes in ‘Ready’ where you could laugh if you would like to; but, please don’t have ‘Dabangg’ in any corner of your mind. The best you could do if you are a big fan of Salman Khan is to go and watch the movie, leave the theatre silently and get back to Facebooking or texting, as if nothing happened.

Shor in the City - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Partha PPD) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:31:42 PST

Bombay or Mumbai, whatever you call the city, has been interpreted and more in various novels, documentaries, plays, movies and what not. For the artistic minds, the city is the equivalent of a bottle of old wine – the older, the better, and the richer. ‘Shor in the City’ is another attempt to capture the darker essence of the city through three parallel frames, each shining in the world of its own identity.

The ideation of the film has been meted an outstanding treatment by the engaging screenplay of Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK, and Sita Menon taken to higher levels of cinematic experience by the meticulous editing of Ashmith Kunder. It is hard to say whether the editing multiplied the effect of the camera angles of Tusshar Kanti Ray or vice versa.

SITC is of three ways of living lives, of three shades of human emotions, of three colours of aspirations through the commonalities of three different groups of people. Their paths intersect each other casually at few points, converge, and disperse while being conceptually parallel.

An NRI, Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy), who tries setting up his own business in Mumbai meets the forceful demands of the local goons. The usual affairs of his quick and steamy affair with a quicker Sharmili (Preeti Desai) are sidelined owing to the increasing pressure from the seemingly minor gang. The rest of his part is about how the reasonable honesty in him deals with their dealings.

Tilak (Tusshar Kapoor), if not watching Fashion TV at home or indulging in petty crimes with his friends Ramesh (Nikhil Dwivedi) and Mandook (Pitabash Tripathy), runs a business of pirated books. His newly married wife Sapna (Radhika Apte) brings him to the world of real books that otherwise were mere commodities for him. ‘The Alchemist’, when read in the light of the meaning of the words in the book, turns him into a philosopher from a novice kidnapper.

In a desperate attempt to make a way into the under-22 cricket team, Sawan (Sundeep Kishan) metamorphoses into a conspirator of a bank robbery to bribe the selectors. Caught in between two separate worlds of his own dreams, cricket and his love Sejal (Girija Oak) who is at the receiving end of the social pressure of marriage from her own family, he loses his balance somewhere.

The story has swiftly managed its way through the uneasy narrow lanes of the interconnectors between the sub-plots. A lot many movies have been modelled on a similar concept, but Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s treatment has an inbuilt defensive mechanism that brilliantly balances the incomplete characterization of the female leads. More importantly, it leaves you with no time to pay any attention to the whereabouts of Sharmili, Sapna, and Sejal. Not every day do you have a chance to come across a performance as natural as Pitabash’s, and never have you seen a Tusshar Kapoor so deserving of appreciation in any of his earlier movies.

Overall Verdict: 3.5/5

It is not only Pitabash who earns all the brownie points with his unquestionable love for AK 46 or AK 57 or whatsoever, Sendhil with his remarkable screen presence and even better acting skills leaves an equally strong impression. Amit Mistry as Tipu and Nikhil Dwivedi as Ramesh have accessorized the prime cast with an extra dash of brilliance. Preeti sizzles and titillates while Radhika makes the song ‘Maan yeh saheb ji’ a bit more hummable than what it already is.

Surprise is a rare thrill to encounter while watching a Bollywood movie. Please book a few hours for this piece of work at the cost of cribbing about appraisals and promotions.