Category: Hindi

Is it worth your time and money??:
Oh yes, this ain’t a film to be missed. After a disastrous Delhi-6 four years ago, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has a winner at his hand. Direction is perfect, and similar to Rang De Basanti, Rakeysh uses a non-linear narrative to unfold the story beautifully written by Prasoon Joshi. However, though the film starts off great and the first half is perfect, the film loses steam in the second half and feels like a drag thanks to slow screenplay.

On acting front, Farhan Akhtar, take a bow!! He seriously got into the skin of the character and did an awesome job as Milkha Singh. His performance, especially in the national record break race is brilliant. Forget director, Farhan is sure to win a best actor for his perfect portrayal. Pawan Malhotra and Yograj Singh were both brilliant in their respective roles, and Prakash Raj is good in his brief appearance. Divya Dutta does a commendable job as well. Sonam Kapoor has very limited screen presence (about 10 minutes), and was the only misfit. Rebecca Breeds is decent in her brief appearance.

Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy adds life to Farhan’s performance. The title track and ‘Zinda’ are both brilliantly composed. Cinematography by Binod Pradhan is of top-notch quality while editing by P. S. Bharathi could have been way better. The film, at more than 3 hours in length, is too long to narrate the story effectively. A number of episodes seemed out-of-place and could have made the cut. Placement of songs also derailed the narrative on a couple of occasions.

Overall, ignoring its flaws, the film is still excellent. Farhan comes up with an unforgettable performance. Go learn more about the flying Sikh now!!

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 8/10

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10
Is it worth your time and money??: If fun is what you’re looking for, and have the patience to sit through a long movie, then this one is for you. Directed by Ayan Mukerji, whose last venture was the impressive Wake Up Sid, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has all the elements required to make a good film. However, Ayan falters way too often, both with the screenplay and direction, which make YJHD just an average film. The story has shades of Dil Chahta Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and 3 Idiots, but it does not charm you like any of those. I thought the screenplay was mediocre.

But its the leading pair which make the YJHD stand out. Ranbir is brilliant as the vibrant Bunny, chasing his dreams, while Deepika is superb as bespectacled Naina. Ranbir looked at easy and charms you with his performance, and Deepika oozed out the oomph factor and looks amazingly hot. Aditya Roy Kapoor and Kalki Koechlin are superb in their respective roles. Kunal Roy Kapoor is excellent, while Farooq Sheikh is brilliant in a small yet vital role. My only problem was with Evelyn Sharma, for she was plain irritating. Madhuri Dixit sizzles in the item song (However, I don’t like the fact that she’s stooped down to doing item songs!).

On technical front, music by Pritam is a definite plus point. The foot tapping numbers are well choreographed. Background score was pretty decent too. Cinematography by Manikandan is of top notch quality while editing by Akiv Ali could have been better. The film was way too long. Though the film looked extravagant and production by Dharma was excellent, I thought the artwork and sets, especially during the item song and Manali episodes looked pathetic (They looked similar to ones in second grade movies). That apart, the extras in all the songs looked plain dumb and out of sorts, especially the ones jumping without sync and rhythm in the far background.

Overall, a decent one time watch. Deepika and Ranbir sizzle up the screen, while the rest of the cast does a good job. On the downside, a shorter film with better screenplay would have been more effective.

Verdict: 8/10

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10
Is it worth your time and money??: If you are into romantic movies with sad endings, then this is for you. Mohit Suri does a good job with a script written by Shagufta Rafiqui, but the plot could have been way better. The character of the protagonist was not well established  in the beginning of the film. It’s a very short film, and they had all the time to give some base to Aditya’s character. Nevertheless, the first half of the film is good, with the latter half kinda becoming a bore after a point. On acting front, Aditya Roy Kapoor does a decent job, but he still needs to improve on his acting skills. Shraddha Kapoor looked gorgeous and performed well. The rest of the cast was alright. The definite plus point of the movie is its music. The soulful numbers are also well picturized. Overall, it’s a decent film, but definitely had the potential to be much better.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Depends. It’s a fun movie, but is unnecessarily long which makes you yawn over and over again. Vishal Bhardwaj tried to put in a lot of content into the movie, and in the process lost track. The movie starts off well, and there are certain epic episodes. But overall, dragging and long redundant shots are more in number when compared to the good ones. Screenplay is weak and could have been better. On acting front, Imran Khan is alright as Mandola. The shabby look suits him. Anushka is super hot as Bijlee. The oomph factor is all there. But the clear winner is Pankaj Kapoor for he was brilliant in every shot and lit up the screen on fire. Shabana Azmi was equally good. Editing could have been way better. The 148 minute movie would have been much effective it were cut short to somewhere around 120. Cinematography by Kartik Vijay is decent, while music by Vishal Bhardwaj could have been better. Overall, while the main intention of the film gets lost, you can still watch it for the humor and Pankaj Kapoor (and appreciate Anushka’s hotness!!).

Verdict: 7/10

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Well, it’s not a typical Aamir Khan movie, so if you go without any expectations, you’ll end up liking it. It’s a different film and does not suit the tastes of everyone. Aamir is, as usual, very good as Inspector Surjit. He proves his mettle in the last scene. Kareena looks beautiful, while Rani downplays her role to perfection. Story by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar challenges current generations thoughts and perceptions. Direction by Reema is excellent, and she was able to keep the mystery till the end, but the slow screenplay plays spoil sport. There was unnecessary drag, and a couple of scenes could have easily made the cut on the editing table (Editing by Anand Subaya). A shorter, crispier Talaash would have been awesome. Nevertheless, the film works (at least for me). I loved the suspense revealing climax sequence – it was shot superbly and created the required effect. But the following water shots ruin the effect in a way for they looked lame. Cinematography by Mohanan is pretty good. Production values are good.

Go watch Talaash without any expectations and I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed. Keep an open mind!!

Verdict: 7/10

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10
Is it worth your time and money??: If you’re looking to kill some time, then yes, this might be your cup of tea. It’s a time pass flick, and has its moments. Unlike any of the previous Karan Johar movies, there’s no real drama in this one, and that works. Both the guys, Siddharth and Varun are real hunks, but I thought Alia looked odd. Give it at a watch, am guessing you won’t be disappointed.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Ek Tha Tiger is not a regular Salman Khan film. There are no cheap jokes, nor is it another of his harebrained potboiler. Instead, it is a pure action packed entertainer, and Salman is the new Jason Bourne of Indian cinema.

Though the story of Ek Tha Tiger is heavily inspired from various Hollywood blockbusters, Aditya Chopra (Story) gave it a fine Indian touch, and director Kabir Khan was able to pull this story off effectively. Though silly at times, Kabir made sure that the action episodes are very well shot. Unfortunately though, he couldn’t do justice to the pensive shots. Both Salman and Katrina looked out of sorts in such episodes. Otherwise, the direction is pretty good. Screenplay by Kabir and Neelesh Misra, though a tad bit slow at times, is effective.

Salman Khan is a perfect fit for the role, and was able to breathe life into Tiger’s character. He looked cool and dashing in the action episodes. Katrina Kaif was good, but I thought she looked pale for most of the film. She had quite a few action sequences herself, and she pulled them off with ease. Ranvir Shorey and Girish Jarnad were apt.

Music by Sohail Sen and Sajid-Wajid is decent. For an action entertainer, there are not many songs in the film. Background score by Julius Packiam is good. Editing by Rameshwar S. Bhagat could have been better for the film seemed a little too long. Cinematography by Aseem Mishra is  awesome. Landscapes of Iraq, Turkey and Cuba looked breathtaking. The action episodes were very well choreographed. Production values by Yash Raj are of top-notch quality. The film looked very very grand.

Overall, an entertaining film. While Salman, action episodes and the grand visuals are the plus points, the at-times slow narration is a big negative. It’s very different from the recent Salman Khan films, which in itself is a very good thing. Give it a shot. Am guessing that you won’t be disappointed.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Yes!! I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It’s very slick and very well shot. Not a treat for Salman Khan fans, but a good movie nevertheless.

Verdict: 8/10