Moviewalah - We Heart Movies

Indian Idol Season 4

Vijay — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:19:02 -0700

"Haariye na himmat, bisaariye na ram...tu kyun soche bande, sabki soche ram...". Bhanu Pratap Singh was nearly eliminated in the theater round of Indian Idol Season 4. Annu Malik had, in fact, asked Bhanu to look for an alternate career after he failed for the fourth time to enter the piano round. But this is when Javed Akhtar asked Bhanu not to lose faith in himself, work harder and try again in the next season, citing him the example of a king getting motivated by watching an ant climbing the wall successfully in the 7th attempt. The judges then decided to give Bhanu a second chance. He sang "Mera to jo bhi kadam hai wo teri raah mein hai..." and the rest is, or maybe going to be, history.

And today I watched Bhanu singing "Kawa kawa...aaj mera jee karda..." and I have little doubt in saying that this guy will make it to the Top 5, at the least. He has determination written all over him. The kind of performance, energy and melody he brings in his singing is something to watch out for. He's surely a threat even to more natural singers in this season, like Rajdeep, Mohit and a bunch of girls.

Folks, here is a list of all the contestants who made it to the Top 30 this time. Some of them have already been eliminated but let's keep a track of the events here and feel free to write who's your favorite. As for me, the favorites to make Top 10 are Rajdeep Chatterjee, Mohit Lalwani, Torsha Sarkar, Ananya Mishra, Bhanu Pratap, Bhavya Pandit, Sandeep Ubale, Tullika Ganguly, Kapil Thapa, and Priyanka Negi (in the order of images above, L to R). Let's see how it goes and who becomes "Bharat Ki Shaan"!

Now my two cents on the judges. Annu Malik as usual is entertainment personified but I am yet to see his conflicting tete-a-tete with Jaaved saab, who is so inspiring. As for Kailash Kher, he is terrific when he sings, can't say the same about his comments though. And needless to say, I can't get enough of Sonali Bendre in 1 hour show.

It all started with Amit Paul's pehla nasha last year and I am still liking this show. What about you guys n gals?

Ghajini - impressive trailer and poster

Sonam — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:10:30 -0700

Whoa, is it Drona effect or what? Nobody seems to be writing nothing. I know that was an earth shattering disappointment but guys take a chill pill. We have had such failures in the past and let's face it - we'll keep having them in future too. Look at the brighter side. AB Baby has only one way to go from here - UP! Anyway, I am not gonna talk about the past here. Ghajini is around the corner and you can have a look at its just released trailer here. Enjoy this one for now. I'll be back with more. Btw did you notice Aamir's 8-pack abs? Impressive, huh!!! And the guy with no short term memory asks you to remember Dec 25!!!

New Trailers Added: Drona and Chandni Chowk To China

Vijay — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:02:16 -0700

Updated: Now watch the title song promo of Drona...

I just happened to watch some of the latest trailers and thought it would be a good idea to share two of the most interesting ones - Drona and Chandni Chowk To China. Have a look at them if you have not done already. I really want to see how does Abhishek perform as a Super Hero and what does Nikhil Advani do with Khiladi Kumar after two love stories. Wait n watch...

The other ones I uploaded are not very new but something we missed out earlier. So here you go...God Tussi Great Ho, Fashion, Money Hai Toh Honey Hai and Ugly Aur Pagli.

Movie Review: Bachna Ae Haseeno

Vijay — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:30:04 -0700

1970 - Simi breaks the innocent heart of young Raj Kapoor (played by Rishi Kapoor) in Mera Naam Joker. So do Padmini and that Russian damsel. Cut to 2008. Where grandfather failed, Ranbir Raj Kapoor succeeds. He warns the haseenaayeins right in the beginning though - Bachna Ae Haseeno. In a tailor made role, he excels and it's tough to imagine any other contemporary hero showing such a wide range. He plays both teenager and a mature thirty year old with equal panache. Very impressive. He definitely has the best of all the Kapoors - Raj's intensity, Shammi's effervescence, Shashi's style, Dabboo's comic talent, Chintu's charm and his mom's face!

Fortunately, Bachna Ae Haseeno has more to offer than just the future superstar. Aditya Chopra is in prime form. At least in two of his three stories. The best one is Minissha Lamba's. Next is Bipasha's. Only Deepika's looks like half-etched. I think it needed more explanation why she changes her mind so abruptly. Anyway, coming back to the strenghts, Aditya Chopra's story is so well narrated that you remain hooked throughout. Siddharth Anand is first rate as the director. The first half is so interesting that I had decided on giving it 4 stars if only it continued like that in the second half too.

It's the story of Raj Sharma's coming of age - from a carefree 18 year old to a sincere 30 year old gentleman and how he falls in love thrice. Well, the first time just to become "Killer" among his friends and second time just to have fun in live-in relationship. The story does have a somewhat resemblance to Dev Anand's Teen Devian and Shahid Kapoor's Dil Maange More but the presentation is unique. The good thing is one can identify oneself with the lead characters of Ranbir, Minissha and Bipasha. The two dialogs by which Ranbir sums up the first two relationships are so true to life. After all who wants to get married at 18 and it's easier for a guy to break the girl's heart than to handle her emotions.

Vishal Shekhar's music is excellent. Lucky Ali adds his magic in "Ahista ahista..." which is the best picturized number. Routine YRF song in Switzerland but done so differently - on a snow roller coaster and with bikers following a tiny scooty. "Khuda jaane..." has that haunting feel, as attached with many of KK's songs. Very beautifully done, it has real life love birds Deepika and Ranbir putting the screen on fire. In the context of the movie, even "Jogi mahi..." and "Small town girl..." look and sound good. But the one I like the most is the title track. It first plays while the beginning credits roll and then keeps playing intermittently in the background. Sumit Kumar is a perfect voice for the youthful Ranbir. Reminds of Amit Kumar of Love Story days. However no words are enough to thank the original score given by the great Pancham Da, which lifts this kinda remix to an altogether different level. Truly brilliant!

Among the heroines, I think Minissha Lamba disappoints big time. Why was she selected in this role in the first place? She looks weird as a teenager with age showing clearly on her face. And even in the later half she fails to impress. Deepika Padukone does not get much of a scope. She looks stunning but her character is not well sketched. The meatiest role belongs to Bipasha Basu. She is simply outstanding. She leaves a strong mark behind playing a jilted-in-love super model. Watch out for her expressions first when Ranbir ditches her and later when she makes him dance to her tunes - "Chhoti unlgi pe nachayegi small town girl".

Kunal Kapoor gives a knockout punch in a well written cameo. Now one word on Ranbir's partner in crime. If Paintal was perfect mate to Rishi Kapoor's ladki pataaoo techniques in Raffoo Chakkar, his son Hiten Paintal re-creates that magic here. He is able to tickle one's funny bones effortlessly.

Overall, Bachna Ae Haseeno is a complete entertainer. Go for it. It belongs to Ranbir Kapoor. He is present right from frame one till the very end. And still you would want more of him. That speaks volumes!

Trailer Added: Dostana

Sonam — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:36:33 -0700

From the makers of Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Ghum, Kal Ho Na Ho and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, comes another eternal love story - Dostana. A story of two guys, a girl and one tiny lie that the two guys are gays. Trust Karan Johar to dish something like this. The trailer does look promising though, with Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra having blast in Miami. Watch it here.

Movie Review: Singh Is Kinng

Vijay — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:49:19 -0700

After a long time I was watching a movie in a house-full theater and with so much hype around Singh Is Kinng I had my fingers crossed as quite often you are left disappointed in such cases. So, did it meet my expectations? Yes and No. Yes for Akshay Kumar, No for the overall movie. Akshay Kumar commands such popularity and of course charismatic screen presence that it won't be an exaggeration to call him the real "King" now. He carries this senseless adventure of Happy Singh from Punjab to Egypt to Australia on his shoulders all by himself and must say he does it well. You laugh at whatever he does in whatever manner he does.

The sad part is the movie tries too hard at times. Agreed, there are some truly funny moments and some genuine emotional ones too but that's all you get. How I wish they all gelled well together in some "script"! Leave alone that, at least one expected to get entertained totally. After all Singh Is Kinng never promised to be an intelligent movie to begin with. But there are some overstretched scenes which force you to start looking at your watch. On top of that, there was no interval - at least not in the theater I was in.

There are traces of Namastey London (obvious when you have Vipul Shah around albeit as a producer this time) and Anees Bazmee tries to bring in the madness of his comic capers. He succeeds as the director but fails miserably as the writer. Pritam's music is above average with the highlight being "Bus ek king..." which rocks big time. Snoop Dogg is wasted though in the end credits hip hop number. It just didn't impress much to hold anyone's interest to stay back. And yes, "Teri ore..." is a visual delight with a soulful rendition by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

That brings me to Katrina Kaif. She is amazingly beautiful specially in sarees in "Teri ore..." song. You can add another Hit to her growing success. Now this is what you call a real star. You don't have to do nothing. Just look gorgeous and make everyone fall in love with you, including camera. Complete eye candy, believe me!

Kinng's men are well played by Yashpal Sharma, Sudhanshu Pandey, Kamal Chopra and Manoj Pahwa. Javed Jaffrey is finally getting his due now in Bollywood. He gets to show some of his dancing too. Sonu Sood is made a silent spectator after the initial action sequence. He is anyway naturally expressionless! Om Puri is brilliant as Rangeela. He reminds Ahuja of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro with his thick Punjabi accent and drunk acts. Kirron Kher is spontaneous when it comes to comedy. Neha Dhupia does well as movie freak glam gun moll. But one actor who disappoints big time is Ranveer Shorey. He is such a good actor but not sure what happened to him here. He keeps shouting and behaves weirdly. Maybe more of writer's fault than his.

Did you ask about the story? Oh, don't worry about that :)

Overall, Singh Is Kinng is no Welcome not even No Entry. It's a one man Akki show. Good watch if you are his fan otherwise it can be like SRK's Don.

Bollywood's Most Awaited...

Vijay — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:16:58 -0700

First half of 2008 was not really fruitful for Bollywood with only a handful of movies making moolah. You can count them on your fingers (of one hand) - Race, Jodhaa Akbar, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Sarkar Raj, Kismat Konnection and Jannat. Ok, you got to be Hrithik Roshan to count them on one hand. Just kidding...But you know what all is not lost yet. Starting next week, this may all turn around with some eagerly awaited movies. Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and of course Aamir Khan have their movies lined up. Let's do a quick walkthrough...

August 8, 2008 Anees Bazmee Akshay, Katrina Kaif	October 2, 2008 A.R. Murugadoss Aamir, Asin, Jiah	December 12, 2008 Aditya Chopra Shahrukh, Anushka	January 23, 2009 Rakeysh Mehra Abhishek, Sonam
October 2, 2008 Goldie Behl Abhishek, Priyanka	October 24, 2008 Nikhil Advani Akshay, Deepika	October 24, 2008 Subhash Ghai Salman, Anil, Katrina	October 24, 2008 Priyadarshan Shahrukh, Irrfan
August 15, 2008 Siddharth Anand Ranbir, Deepika, Bipasha	August 15, 2008 Rumi Jaffery Amitabh, Salman, Priyanka	November 7, 2008 Rohit Shetty Ajay, Arshad, Kareena	November 14, 2008 Tarun Mansukhani Abhishek, John, Priyanka

The list does look promising. Of the lot, I am most excited about Ghajini and Dilli 6. Ghajini because I want to see how Aamir does with his own version of Tamil Ghajini and Memento. Dilli 6 because its coming from Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who has set expectations sky high after Rang De Basanti. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi might well be comeback for Yash Raj Films who have suddenly given string of flops. Time changes so fast, you never know. And YRF has always delivered with SRK. Bachna Ae Haseeno is looking fresh with the hottest couple around. Songs are really good making it look like a feel good movie. Another Jaane Tu, anyone?

Will we have another super hero with Drona and will the original showman mark his return with Yuvraaj? Will Abhishek and John create magic again with Dostana and will Golmaal Returns be as funny as the first one? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure. If Akshay Kumar hits the bulls eye again with Singh Is Kinng and Chandni Chowk To China, then Bollywood will have its new Kinng!!!

First Look: 3 Idiots

Vijay — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:34:16 -0700

In every new movie in the last one year, there has been one common thing - trailer of "Munnabhai Chale America". I think they started showing this trailer ever since the release of Eklavya. It does look promising and interesting. However, this is not the next movie coming out from its makers Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Fans of Munnabhai will have to wait for some time as "3 Idiots" will hit the theaters first. It stars Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Madhavan and Boman Irani and is scheduled to be released late 2008 or early 2009. Music is composed by Shantanu Moitra. Not much is disclosed about the movie except for the cast and its first look. Coming from Aamir and Raju, it's certainly tough waiting for this one. Keep watching this space for more on 3 Idiots...

Music Added: Bachna Ae Haseeno, Singh Is Kinng, God Tussi Great Ho

Vijay — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:31:20 -0700

All you music lovers there, we have now uploaded the latest albums of Bachna Ae Haseeno, Singh Is Kinng and God Tussi Great Ho. I was in particularly waiting for Bachna Ae Haseeno as that song remains one of my favorite Chintu songs. And now that his son is playing the lead it becomes all the more interesting. Add to that, Sumit Kumar has sung the title song in parts, which was originally sung by his genius dad Kishore Da. Vishal Shekhar have done good to keep bits and pieces from the original track to remind you of that golden voice not that you would have forgotten it. The other song which calls for continuous replay is Khuda Jaane by KK and Shilpa Rao. There is something in KK's voice - that somewhat haunting feel, which I like. Go, listen and rate the tracks here.

The next album Singh Is Kinng impressed me the first time its promotions came on air. "Ek color ke terah patte, terah patto mein bus ek king..." by Mika, Neeraj Shridhar, Ashish Pandit and the latest sensation Hard Kaur got me hooked to it. It's such a foot tapping number that it's tough not to like it. And when you have Snoop Dogg sporting a turban and lending his voice for a Bollywood movie for the first time, trust things to be grand. RDB has mixed his song "Singh is Kinng" where Akshay Kumar too gets to croon a few lines. Talli Hua is another fun number. I am hoping the movie would be as impressive as its music. Until then listen the songs here and feel free to write your own music review of the album.

The last album is God Tussi Great Ho. I did not get enough time to listen to all the songs in my 5 hour coast to coast flight. Listen I have to sleep too :) But the one which got my attention immediately was "Tujhe Aksa beach ghooma doon..." which has a very catchy tune and believe me no one is suited better than Salman, Sohail and Priyanka Chopra for that number. Shankar Mahadevan lends his voice once again for a Big B number "God Tussi Great Ho...". He's fast becoming his voice but I am afraid that song is not that great. For the rest of the songs, I need to go here and so do you :)

Folks, enjoy these albums for now. Ciao. I'll be back soon with some more interesting stuff.

Movie Review: Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na

Abhavya Sharan — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:48:21 -0700

Yippeeeeee, I just got back home after watching Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and yes, its a must watch for all of you. You guessed it right I am still ecstatic, having had 3 hours of complete entertainment. But before I talk about the movie I think i got to talk about the new Khan of the generation, Imran...a complete package of looks, talent, style and of course the surname. Like Maama, like bhanja..if Aamir did it with QSQT, Imran has done it with Jaane Tu..I won't be wrong if i said that he is the latest heartthrob of the nation.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is that sweet love story that we've not had for quite sometime. It comes at a time when we were all bored of Karan Johar's designer romance and 40 plus SRK playing a college boy. It is bound to appeal to all generations of the audience for its freshness, innocence and simplicity. Well, it is just another story of two best of friends, Jai (Imran Khan) and Aditi (Genelia D'Souza) unaware of their true feelings for each other. However, the difference this time is that this love story has been wonderfully told. Another thing that makes this movie unique is that it is not just about Jai and Aditi's relationship but also about Aditi and Amit (Aditi's brother) and Amit and Jai's relationship. Not to forget that it is also about friendship, carefree college days and some Rajput angle which gives a comic touch to the movie.

Naseerudin Shah, remains confined to one picture frame on the wall, is still at his comic best and so are Sohail and Arbaaz Khan in a cameo. However, one person who leaves a mark behind is Prateik Babbar as Amit. Even though he plays a relatively small role of a lonely but gifted painter he oozes his mother Smita Patil's intense acting skills in every scene. Among the friends, Nirav Mehta (Jignesh Patel) impresses with his strong Gujju accent. Ratna Pathak Shah and Paresh Rawal also provide some fun moments.

Film's production values are top rate as expected of any Aamir Khan Production's movie - be it the cinematography, music, details, dialogs or direction. Abbas Tyrewala excels as the director and I must say this is a big jump for the Munnabhai series' dialog writer. Music by A R Rahman is excellent but I am not sure why they chopped off my favorite song - female version of the title song.

Now what I didn't like about the movie. One, the first 15 minutes where friends gather at the airport until the real story begins. That part was irritatingly amateurish. Two, Genelia D'Souza. She just can't act. She did have some expressions but the way she speaks she looks constipated all the time. She needs to open up more. Three, her fiance. He was total "chaman"!

Overall Jaane Tu comes as a welcome relief at a time when the film industry needed a popular hit very badly. And going by the business reports, it's doing extremely well and may even turn out to be a bigger hit than Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par. It's a hattrick for AKP!