Category: Hindi

When I first read the book 2 States: The Story of My Marriage, in 2009, I thought it was decent, though it went a bit overboard at times. Come 2014, like any other Chetan Bhagat book, the movie is made, and this time around, I thought it went overboard in a different way, leaving out some of the niceties, nuances and struggles showcased in the book.

Adapted for screen by first time director Abhishek Verman, the movie kicks off well – with both our protagonists Krish and Ananya meeting at IIM-A, becoming friends, moving in together, and later, wanting to get married. The first half of the film is joyful and entertaining, but the second half seemed long and boring. It all seemed like a fairy tale, without any real challenges in the end. Except for one scene in which Krish is served food on Banana leaf, the cultural differences were not presented. It was just “He’s Punjabi, so don’t marry him” and vice-versa, with no real conflict point established. I also didn’t like the way the story was narrated at a psychiatrist for it did not add anything to the film. While direction is decent, screenplay, especially in the second half could have been better.

Arjun and Alia shine in their roles, and have matured as actors when compared to their debut films. However, not once did Alia look like a Tamil Brahmin. Revathi is simple as Ananya’s mom. Amrita Singh has a meaty role and she did justice to the T. Ronit Roy is pretty good.

I didn’t realize that the music was by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy until the end credits, for it sounded very different from their usual. It was refreshing. Editing by Namrata Rao is alright, while cinematography by Binod Pradhan is decent. I’m bored watching the grand sets in all the Dharma movies. Right from the hostel rooms at IIM-A to the houses Krish and Ananya live in, and the wedding, everything is so majestic and full of money! When will Karan Johar realize that middle class people don’t live like that??

Is it worth your time and money??: I really enjoyed the first half but cringed a bit in the second because it all seemed too easy. While the story could have been more powerful, the cast delivers with fine performances to make the film work. Overall, just a decent watch. 

Worth mention: Nothing!

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

Verdict: 7/10

Directed by Vinil Mathew, Hasee Toh Phasee is a story of a three confused adults. Siddharth Malhotra plays Nikhil, who is about to get married to Karishma played by Adah Sharma. But trouble starts when comes drug addict/mad scientist Meeta played by Parineeti. The triangular love story looks good on paper, but the new director was unable to pull in the right emotions from his cast. Everything looked artificial, right from the love story between the to be married pair, the protagonists, and the father-daughter bonding. To add to this artificiality was the uninspiring and mediocre screenplay by scriptwriter Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The loopholes and lack of proper emotions didn’t help.

On acting front, Parineeti steals the show with her charming performance. She is cute and bubbly, but I thought her characterization was a bit inconsistent (so was her hairstyle). Siddharth Malhotra looked apt for the role, and does a commendable job. However, the rest of the cast is mediocre but for the guy who played wannabe Anu Malik. Adah Sharma looked odd, and Sharat Saxana was terrible as Siddharth’s father.

Music by Vishal-Shekhar is alright, but the background score by Amar Mangrulkar could have been way better. The cinematography and editing work is decent, but what this film needed was a better screenplay and an experienced director.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a fun film, but again it’s nothing so great either. Lack of emotions and the uninspiring screenplay play spoil sport. On the positive side, Parineeti charms you while Siddharth is pretty good. You may watch it at your leisure.

Worth mention: The ACP Pradyuman and Daya episode. Absolutely hilarious!

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

Verdict: 6.5/10

In every interview, Aamir has been going on and on about how he chose to do Dhoom 3 because of its amazing script. I’m sad to report that Aamir (whom I happen to like the most among today’s actors) seemed to have lost it. He probably should have done Mela 2 instead of Dhoom 3 for probably that would have been better.

Co-written and directed by Tashan director Vijay Krishna Acharya, the film borrows its storyline from one of my favorite Hollywood film, one directed by Mr. Nolan, whose work Aamir has already enacted in the past. Instead of coming up with something innovative, or even copying it directly, Acharya decides to add a lot of masala, crazy, unbelievable and mostly dumb chases and stunts ala Rohit Shetty to bore us. Add to that a pathetically slow screenplay which adds to our misery. I can’t even write of all the dumb episodes for I will then have to write the entire script. Unimaginative and crappy is all I can say.

Abhishek proves with this film that he is no better than Uday Chopra (seriously). He has the same pathetic expression throughout the movie. Uday on the other hand, if not acting, made people laugh more than a couple of times at least (intentionally and unintentionally). Katrina sizzles, but barring the songs, has screen presence of less than 10 minutes. The entire bhoj therefore is on Aamir’s shoulders, and thankfully, he is the only saving grace of the film. But somewhere down the line, he seemed to have realized what he landed himself in to for he didn’t seem at his usual best. He reminded me of SRK on a couple of occasions while playing the “secret” role.

There is nothing great on the technical front either. Music by Pritam is mediocre, but the background score by Julius Packiam was decent. The tap dance was a bore with the taps not in sync more than once. Editing by Ritesh Soni could have been better: he could/should have deleted the entire intro sequence of AB and Uday, and the movie could have gained a couple more ratings. Cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee is pretty good, but the graphic work was terrible.

Is it worth your time and money??: Unless you like no brainer films, I’d say stay away. This holds true especially for Aamir Khan fans like me. On the other hand, if you wanna laugh your asses off watching some seriously funny and impossible action sequences apart from the super hot Katrina, go for it.

Acting: 6.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 3/10
Technical Aspects: 5/10

Verdict: 5.5/10 (only because of Aamir)

PS: Have you ever wondered how Aamir enters the bank?? 

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

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.

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 Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is for you.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 8/10

Is it worth your time and money??: If you are into romantic movies with sad endings, then Aashiqui 2 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.

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is 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. 

Is it worth your time and money??: Depends. While the main intention of the film gets lost, you can still watch it for the humour and Pankaj Kapoor (and appreciate Anushka’s hotness!!).

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 7/10

Talaash is 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.

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. Keep an open mind!!

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

Verdict: 7/10