Happy Ending | Movie Review

Happy_Ending

The trailer looked similar to Saif’s own movies from his production house, especially Love Aaj Kal. And unsurprisingly, the movie is more or less similar. But…

Raj and DK are directors who’ve made different films till date. Be it 99, Shor in the City or Go Goa Gone, their movies have been really ‘hatke’. But come Happy Ending, they’ve played safe. While the movie is quite different from the regular RomCom’s, it’s still cliched and very predictable. Yodi, our protagonist is a once upon a time successful author who can’t commit into relationships. And as expected, he bumps into Aanchal, who doesn’t believe in commitment either. And guess what, he falls head over heals for her and is in love. How new is that? The directors try their best to make it appear fresh, but unfortunately you’ve seen it all in the past. Nevertheless, they’ve done a great job in creating simple humour, thanks to some amazing and realistic dialogues (Hussain Dalal). This adds the charm to the movie, and you might end up connecting yourself with the characters. The screenplay is neat while the direction is alright.

It’s Saif’s film all the way. He does a good job on acting front (for he’s already played similar character). However he looks aged for most of the film while Govinda, who charms in his brief appearance as a Bollywood actor, actually looked better and younger than him. Ileana looked really pretty and did a good job. She’s come a long way since her debut film Devdas (Telugu). Kalki is perfect as the naggy girlfriend while it was nice to watch Preity play a mature role.

Music by Sachin-Jigar is really good. I loved three songs, and can’t stop humming “Hilke naacho naacho“. The background score was decent. Editing by Arindam Ghatak is alright. I don’t think I’ve come across a Bollywood film using three cinematographers thus far; Chase Bowman, Yaron Levy and Mahesh Limaye all did a good job.

Is it worth your time and money??: While it’s all very predictable, I’d still say yes for the movie never bores you and I love the message put across. Apart from dialogues, acting is neat, cinematography is perfect and I enjoyed the music. With a runtime of less than 150 minutes, I feel it’s a nice way to spend your weekend. However, if you’re expecting something new, give this one a skip.

Worth mention: The title. While it remind us of a special kind of massage, I loved the way it was conveyed in the movie; you create your own Happy Ending 🙂

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 8/10

Happy New Year | Movie Review

HNY

They might have had their differences in the past, but Farah and SRK do have some great chemistry together; and that comes across on their hat-trick venture Happy New Year!

It’s no new story and like with the recent few movies, you’ve seen it all before. A family is destroyed because of the antagonist, and the family is thirsty for revenge (doesn’t this remind you of Bang Bang??). The family here happens to be a bunch of buddies, who decide to rob a high security vault, aka Ocean Eleven style, to put the villain in trouble. Though it all seems redundant, Farah does a decent job of keeping the film on track without making it boring. There is a lot of richness associated with the movie which gives it a nice look and feel. While direction is pretty neat, the screenplay could have been a better. A movie like this needed to be crisp, and a run time of 180 minutes just bogs you down. Nevertheless, she does a good job altogether for the movie is pretty entertaining. And ya, worth mention are the witty one-liners from old classics (should I be referring them to as classics? :-O)

On acting front, it’s SRK show all the way. And for once (after long), he puts away his stupid antics and comes up with a neat performance. While his body did look good, his face is starting to show age. Deepika comes into the movie one hour through, and does a decent job. I thought she looks over-toned, and would have looked better with some flesh on her belly. Abhishek overacts (like usual); good for him that his character needed over-action. Boman Irani is pretty good as the old chap, while he too seemed to overact on occasions. It’s nice to see Sonu Sood playing a positive role, and he comes up with a good act. However, his intro and first fight were sad and totally unnecessary.

Music by Vishal-Shekhar is could have been way better. But for the title track, everything else is more or less mediocre. Background score by John Stewart Eduri is decent. Editing by Anand Subaya could have been crisper. As already mentioned, the length pulls you down and a few edits seem really necessary. Cinematography by Manush Nandan is neat. Dialogues by Mayur Puri are entertaining. On the downside, you’d expect better dances in a film by a choreographer.

Is it worth your time and money??: The movie is entertaining and you never tend to get bored. The plus points are star cast and lavish sets and locales, while the length and pace play spoil sport. A few edits would make the film more engaging. It’s a good watch nevertheless, but only if you walk in without any pretensions; otherwise, you’d find it to be another run-off-the-mill flashy masala films.

Worth mention: The dumbness of the entire plot.

Acting: 6.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

Haider | Movie Review

Haider

Vishal Bhardwaj has always made movies which stand apart from the rest. He’s already adapted two of William Shakespeare’s classics in the past (Maqbool – “Macbecth”, Omkara – “Othello”), and Haider (an adaptation of “Hamlet”) is another example of why he’s one of the finest Indian directors today.

Kashmir is considered paradise on earth, and Haider is a movie which showcases the plight of the people living in this paradise. Vishal does this by seamlessly integrating the tragedy of Hamlet into the riots of Kashmir (1995) which causes a number of civilian disappearances. Though a little slow towards the beginning, Haider kicks in beautifully thanks to some exceptional screenplay and direction. The way the entire storyline is showcased in one song is pure brilliance.

Shahid does an exceptional job in the lead role, and his performance at Lal Chowk is absolutely brilliant. Kay Kay Menon gets a meaty role, and for the fine actor that he is, performs with great ease. Sharddha Kapoor looks perfect as a Kashmiri beauty, and Irrfan shines in his brief appearance. But the real star of Haider is the mother torn between her man and son, Tabu She downplays for the most part, but does it so beautifully that you can’t help but fall in love with her character. Brilliant!

Music by Vishal Bhardwaj is another asset to this beautiful tragedy. The background score is probably the best I’ve come across for a Bollywood film – exceptional. Editing by Aarif Sheikh is perfect and cinematography by Pankaj Kumar is beautiful.

Is it worth your time and money??: As a film, Haider is exceptionally well made. But unfortunately, it isn’t a movie for everyone. So watch it only if you enjoy tragedies, or are eager to watch some amazing performances entwined into a perfect script.

Worth mention: Tabu; Shahid’s performance at Lal Chowk; background score.

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 9/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9/10

Bang Bang | Movie Review

Bang-Bang

The trailer made a lot of noise, and the promotions have been extensive. If that’s anything to go by, the film’s a disaster. And bingo!

I’ve never been impressed with Siddharth Anand. All his previous films bombed big time at the box office, so one would have thought that he’d make sensible films now at least. But no, all he does is make a film which makes no sense. Bang Bang is an empty pot, makes a lot of noise. And he does this when he has a relatively average script (Knight and Day) at hand. Instead of just sticking to it all through, he just creates a mess, thanks to some slow and terrible screenplay. I mean, he ripped most of the original’s dialogues and some episodes frame to frame, then why not stick to the original screenplay in whole? Right from the word go, everything in the movie seemed too contrived, and there’s no such thing like logic. Common, no one moves countries so easily without being noticed; and what’s with the race car? Another big problem is that Bang Bang feels like a Hindi movie you’ve already seen, and therefore is very predictable. Direction is mediocre, and someone needs to tell Siddharth Anand that just visuals, stunts and fights aren’t good enough; he still needs to use the script which he officially borrowed (apparently) in an slick manner. It’s supposed to be a thriller for gods sake, not a drama!!

Hrithik looks amazing, and puts his best foot forward (like always). He carries the entire film on his shoulders, but that isn’t good enough. Katrina looks fine and acts in bits and pieces. She’s hot, ok, but she’s no Cameron Diaz! Both of them dance exceptionally well, especially in the title track. The rest of the cast, well, is alright.

Music by Vishal-Shekhar is decent. The title track is really peppy and ‘Meharabaan’ is good as well. Cinematography by Vikas Sivaraman and Sunil Patel is pretty good. Editing by Akiv Ali could have been way better.

Is it worth your time and money??: Unless you have nothing better to do over the weekend, give Bang Bang a miss. Hrithik is the only plus point in this sinking film.

Worth mention: Hrithik’s MJ moves in the title track. But you have to sit through 156 minutes to see this, so all hail YouTube!

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 6/10

PS: Why would you want to remake a movie which in itself wasn’t a success?? :O

Finding Fanny | Movie Review

finding_fanny

You’ve got three amazing actors, beautiful visuals, soothing music.. what more do you need for a perfect film?? It seems like you have a winner at hand, right? But…

Scripted and directed by Homi Adajania, Finding Fanny, as the name (and the trailer) suggests, is the story of an old man, Ferdie (NS), who is in search of his long-lost love. Helping this man find his Fanny are his best friend Angie (DP), her mother-in-law Rosie (DK), Angie’s childhood love Savio (AK), and a painter craving for Rosie’s portrait, Don Pedro (PK). Their road trip starts of well, and you are in for some fun in the first half of the movie. But come second half, the movie hits the bump for the script isn’t going anywhere. It’s vague, boring and plain stupid (that’s what I thought). I really don’t understand what the director was trying to showcase. The emotions are perfect, and there are some moments of sheer brilliance and dark humor, however it all yields into nothing. Add to this a mediocre screenplay, and the brilliant movie you were hoping for becomes just average. Why do today’s generation of directors forget that script is the core of any film?

On acting front, I have nothing much to say for you are talking about legends. Naseeruddin Shah is absolutely charming as Ferdie. The opening shot of the movie once again proves how good an actor he is. Pankaj Kapoor, with his expressions and antics, is brilliant as Don Pedro. The best of the lot was Dimple Kapadia, and I’m short of words to put her performance into perspective; she was absolutely mind-blowing. Deepika looked really hot and comes up with a commendable performance, and so did Arjun. These guys actually made their presence felt around legends.

Music and background score by Mathias Duplessy is good. ‘Bootiya’ composed by Sachin-Jigar is alright. Cinematography by Anil Mehta is pretty neat and editing by Sreekar Prasad is perfect.

Is it worth your time and money??: I would have so loved to say yes, but. The acting is brilliant and so is everything else, but the script plays spoil sport. It might probably help if you walk in without any expectations, just for the acting. Or just wait for the DVD.

Worth mention: Performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

Mary Kom | Movie Review

Mary Kom

Mary Kom is an Indian boxing legend, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. But was it necessary to make a biographical movie on her, this I am not sure of. At least, the movie didn’t convey the necessity thanks to its feeble script.

Directed by newbie Omung Kumar, Mary Kom is a straight forward story of the boxers life. While it puts across Mary’s career in a crisp manner, what it really doesn’t show are the challenged she might have come across in reality. A film like Rocky works because of challenges, and unfortunately in the movie, there was not a real challenge until the climax. I’m sure Mary had to face many more challenges and push backs in her life to become what she is today. The movie puts across a couple, but these didn’t really make an impact for they seemed very contrived. Add to this a snail paced screenplay by Saiwyn Quadras, and the impact you’ve wanted to create is gone. Nevertheless, direction by Omung is pretty neat.

Priyanka might not look like Mary Kom, but surely brings across the boxers life in a convincing manner. She has put a lot of effort into the movie and it shows on the screen. However, it would have been nice if she’d avoided make-up and looked more natural. Darshan Kumar comes up with a commendable performance as Mary’s husband, and Sunil Thapa is pretty good as her coach. The rest of the cast is alright.

Music and background score are pretty good, and a couple of tunes are catchy. Editing by Rajesh Pandey and Sanjay Leela Bhansali is decent. Cinematography by Keiko Nakahara is of top-notch quality and deserves a special mention.

Is it worth your time and money??: But for highlighting Mary Kom’s life, the movie as such doesn’t achieve anything else and that’s where the problem lies. While Priyanka puts up a mighty performance, Wikipedia probably gives a better insight into Mary’s life than the movie does. Bottom line, Mary Kom definitely isn’t a must watch of the season, but it isn’t a bad watch either.

Worth mention: Priyanka’s performance in the climax and the cinematography.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 7/10

Mardaani | Movie Review

Mardaani

Rani Mukerji is definitely one of the best actors of this age and has enough talent to carry a movie on her shoulders. However, even she can’t do much when the script is meek and too predictable.

After four years of hiatus, director Pradeep Sarkar is back with another female oriented movie. Parineeta was a path breaking debut for both Vidya and Pradeep. While Vidya proved her mettle with every film thereafter, he failed to make an impact. And now, he’s back with his fourth feature Mardaani which has its heart at the right place, but unfortunately lacks the punch.

Inspector Shivani (Rani) plays a blatant crime branch cop trying to nab a child sex trafficking racket in this two-hour crime drama. While Rani does justice to her role, the circumstances in which she does them seem too contrived. Emotions seem muted, therefore episodes which are supposed to make your tummy churn seem like run of the mill stuff. And though the scenes between Rani and her antagonist are well conceived, it all results in a boring climax face off. While screenplay is pretty decent, the direction is pretty mediocre.

If it weren’t for Rani, a movie like this would/could have gone totally unnoticed. While she brings charm and adds flare to the film, the weak script fails her. However, she needs to be commended for her effort. Tahir Bhasin  is very good as her counterpart and has a bright future. The rest of the cast is alright.

Music and background score by Salim-Sulaiman is pretty decent. Editing by Sanjib Dutta is neat and cinematography by Artur Zurawski is very good.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s not a bad film, no. Nevertheless it could have been so much better. But for Rani, there is nothing special the movie has to offer. Watch it only for her. 

Worth mention: Rani all the way!

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania | Movie Review

Humpty-Sharma-Ki-Dulhania

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge released 19 years ago, and 16 years since the release of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. They were good movies, alright, but I really don’t think they are classics in any sense. Dharma movies seems to think otherwise.

Scripted and directed by Shashank Khaitan, the movie kicks off with our engaged heroine, Kavya flirting around with the hero, Humpty. Soon, as expected, they fall in love, and the rest of the story is about how our beloved Humpty convinces Kavya’s dad about their love. Sounds familiar na? While Shashank’s take on the story is pretty good, it is too predictable, and you start to wonder if you actually paid money to watch a rerun of a bunch of films. The first half is well executed, and then he loses it. Direction isn’t great and the screenplay is absolutely shoddy. And the climax was too filmy even to be featured in a film!

On acting front, Varun shines big time. He’s got a lot of energy and this is apparent on-screen. Alia on the other hand surprises me. While she was pretty good in 2 States, it looked like she refused to act in this film. She has the same expression for most of the movie. She’s got the looks and the nakhras, but no, she doesn’t act. Ashutosh Rana is pretty good as Alia’s dad. He can actually groom himself to be the next Amrish Puri. Siddharth Shukla is alright. Humpty’s side kicks Gaurav Pandey and Sahil Vaid are really good.

Music by Sachin – Jigar and Toshi Sabri is more or less mediocre. The only songs I liked were “Samjhawan” and “Daingad Daingad”. But for in the climax, editing by Manan Sagar was alright. Cinematography by Neha Parti Matiyani was very good.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a timepass movie. But honestly, you can give it a skip unless you have nothing better to do. The only plus point is Varun, nothing more.

Worth mention: The gay episode in the second half was hilarious.

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

Bobby Jasoos | Movie Review

Bobby Jasoos

After The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, every movie of Vidya Balan releases with great expectations. While Bobby Jasoos isn’t as pompous or intense as the former two, it is definitely worth your buck!

Bobby is a beloved girl from a Muslim family of our Old City in Hyderabad, who considers herself to be a great detective. While solving a couple of petty cases in her neighborhood, she is called upon by a mysterious man paying big money, to find a couple of missing people. The rest of the story is about who the mysterious man is and whom does he want to be found. Scripted and directed by debutant Samar Shaikh, the story is kept simple and never gets too complicated. Showcasing the nativity of Hyderabad to the maximum, Samar brings out beautiful emotions from all his cast members. Direction is very neat, while the screenplay could have been little better. And ya, there is no real jasoosi in the move but for in the title, a disappointment.

Vidya owns the film big time and looks absolutely gorgeous. With this film, she once again proves that you don’t have to shed your clothes or have a perfect figure to look beautiful. Her expressions and smile in few episodes are priceless. Ali Zafar is great as the male protagonist. He had to downplay quite a bit to let Vidya take center stage, and he does it with ease. Arjan Bajwa is pretty good, while Supriya Pathak and the rest of Bobby’s family are perfect. The guy who played the role of Shetty, Prasad Barve, deserves a mention.

Music and background score by Shantanu Moitra are pretty good. While the first song was welcoming, the song in the second half was more like a speedbreaker to the film’s pace. Editing by Hemal Kothari is neat, and so is the screenplay by Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh. However, I felt that he could have captured more of Old City grandeur. Samar Sheik also deserves a mention for the dialogues in Hyderabadi slang.

Is it worth your time and money??: Yes. You might have already heard this before on various occasions – go watch the film for an amazing performance by one of the best actors in recent times, Vidya Balan! It’s no great film, but still enjoyable.

Worth mention: The entire episode before and after Ali Zafar talking to his abba jaan, and the message in the climax.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

Filmistaan | Movie Review

Filmistaan

So often, a movie with raving reviews disappoints you, probably because you walk in expecting too much. Thankfully, Filmistaan doesn’t.

Directed by Nitin Kakkar, this is a simple story of how we humans have created differences among ourselves because of a stupid line drawn by a Britisher, dividing us into India and Pakistan. It shows that we still share the same passion for things: cinema and cricket (they missed food), and a border cannot really divide us. Nitin was able to execute this message brilliantly, and was able to bring out the emotions from his actors to the best. He never complicates things, and I really liked the way he ended the movie. Apart from screenplay and direction, dialogues by Sharib Hashmi are a major asset; they are as filmy as possible, yet convey a lot.

Sharib Hashmi is brilliant not just with the dialogues, but also with his acting as the lead. He portrays such innocence and oozes out such charm that you can’t stop yourself from falling in love with his character. Inaamulhaq compliments Sharib in every sense and comes up with one of his best performances. Their acting in the climax is excellent. The rest of the cast, from the kidnappers to the village folk, everyone put up fine performances. 

Music and background score by Arijit Datta is perfect, and editing by Sachindra Vats is crisp. Cinematography by Subhrasnsu Das is another major plus point. The arid sands of Rajasthan have been beautifully picturized. It’s sad that a such a brilliant film came into limelight two years after release, only after it won a National award.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely! It conveys the message I believe in, that a border does not separate us Indians and Pakistanis, so gets a bonus yes. Go enjoy some brilliant performances by the cast, and enjoy the beauty of cinema.

Whether you’re in Hindustan or Pakistan, go watch Filmistaan!

Worth mention: The Maine Pyaar Kiya episode, film auditions, and the beautiful climax.

Acting: 9.5/10 Story-Screenplay-Direction: 9.5/10 Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9.5/10

PS: I prayed for the survival of the lead pair during the climax. The only other film I’ve ever prayed for was Lagaan. Now that say’s a lot 🙂