Category: Hindi

Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a joy ride, yes. But there is so much drama in this joy ride, that you stop enjoying it and wonder when it’ll get over.

Written by the director, Rajesh Mapuskar, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ferrari Ki Sawaari narrates a story which is too good to be true in today’s world. It starts off establishing the characters of a lower middle class Parsi family of a too good dad, Rustum Deboo, his son who aspires to be like Sachin Tendulkar, and his grumpy father who doesn’t like his grandson playing cricket. Once established, there are heart-wrenching moments which make you connect to the families woes until the Ferrari comes in. From then on, the script takes a fantasy route. Sachin’s worker handing over Ferrari’s keys, and the guard letting the Ferrari leave without checking who’s in the car were just plain stupid. What follows are a bunch of brain-less, easy to guess drama sequences which last till the end of the movie. Thankfully, most of the cast do justice to their characters, and that’s what helps the movie survive. Dialogues by Raj Kumar Hiraani are not as good as you expect, but decent enough for the script. The direction good, while the screenplay could have been better.

On the acting front, Boman Irani and Ritvik Sahore are very good in their respective roles. But it’s the main lead, Sharman Joshi, who disappoints. He tried his best to be the perfect father, but it was too much for him to handle. Paresh Rawal is brilliant in his small yet vital role. Deepak Shirke (security guard) was fun to watch. Vidya Balan looked plump. The rest of the cast was pretty good. If only Sharman was replaced!!

On technical front, music by Pritam is mediocre. Background score on the other hand was pretty good. The re-recording was very good (I had goosebumps every time Ferrari engine roared). Cinematography by Sudhir Palsane was decent enough. Editing by Deepa Bhatia could have been more crisp. It’s a low-budget film and the production values by Vidhu Vinod Chopra films are pretty decent.

Overall, a decent film and one might actually enjoy it, but it’s very long and dramatic. It starts off with great intent, but becomes too much of a fantasy towards the end. It’s nowhere close to the recent films from the Vidhu Vinod Chopra films (3 Idiots or the Munna Bhai series), but is a modest effort nevertheless.

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a movie with its heart at the right place, but it just doesn’t deliver enough. It’s a family movie, for kids and parents will enjoy it, but I don’t think youngsters will like it so much. Unless you want to take along your parents (like I did) or kids, wait for the DVD.

Verdict: 6.5/10

PS: Watching a movie at Cinemax in Inorbit mall is an utter waste of money. The screens are smaller than ones in preview theaters, and the viewing angle isn’t great either. Stay away if possible.

After creating quite a buzz with its trailer, Shanghai finally hit screens today. Coming from the talented director Dibakar Banerjee, Shanghai delivers, but not to everyone’s satisfaction.

Adapted from the 1967 political novel Z by Vassilis Vassilikos, Shanghai is a political thriller which aims to put forward the dark side of Indian, or in general, politics. Dibakar Banerjee sticks to the original thread, adapting the political scenarios to the suit the current Indian situation. His presentation is perfect, but it’s the very predictable script which hinders the film from making you sit on the edge of your seat. Added to this, the film is tediously slow, and at times borders on being an art film. Nevertheless, Banerjee is able to create an intense thriller, which depicts the depressing reality of today politics, while creating some wry humor. The characters are very well sketched and he was able to extract the best out of every actor. The slow pace of the film has to do with the screenplay (Urmi Juvekar and Dibakar Banerjee), but to be honest, I can’t think of it being any better. It is its strength as much as its weakness.

On acting front, Abhay Deol excels as the smart IAS officer caught between the dirty politics and his conscience. His performance in the climax was just perfect. If only he could have worked a little more on his Tamilian accent. Kalki Koechlin comes up with a very aggressive performance. She is a perfect fit for the role. Prosenjit Chatterjee is very good in his brief role as the social activist. After Shor In The City, Pitobash Tripathy shines again. This chap is full of raw energy. But the clear winner on the acting front is definitely Emraan Hashmi. Shedding the image of the serial kisser, he digs into his role with all his might and comes up with a brilliant performance.

On the technical front, music by Vishal-Shekhar is pretty decent. “Bharat Mata Ki” makes an impact. I thought the way “Imported Kamariya” song was inserted between shots was very effective. Background score is never too loud and just perfect. Editing by Namrata Rao is neat. Cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis is very very good. PVR Cinemas should be appreciated for investing in such kind of different film.

Overall, Shanghai is one of the finest films made this year. Dibakar Banerjee’s drama less way of story telling and some brilliant performances by its cast act as the positives. On the other hand, the slow pace of the film, and its serious monotone might not help it sink in with all kinds of audience. Though I thought it was slow, I liked it. You might too 🙂

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Shanghai is a very well made film, bordering on artistic genre. Its problem is the pace and a very predictable script, but some fine performances by all the artists makes it watchable. It’s a one time watch, provided you like such kind of dark movies.

Verdict: 8/10

Ishaqzaade is an example of how a film without a proper script can get ruined. Its got some amazing chemistry between the lead pair, but like many other films these days, doesn’t have the script power to give them the boost.

Director Habib Faisal (writer and director – Do Dooni Chaar, screenplay and dialogue – Band Baaja Baaraat) had a promising story line at hand, but unfortunately, he doesn’t convert it into a promising script. Ishaqzaade, though predictable, starts of really well. Kids of  the rival Hindu and Muslim families, fighting initially but slowly falling in love. This half of the story (the first half) is very good, pacy, and has some amazing moments. The chemistry between Arjun and Parineeti is perfect, and you have an ideal interval bang. And then starts the trouble cos the latter half goes haywire, and Faisal loses it all. So you have a pretty much boring second half which ends with one of the most ridiculous and clichéd climax ever. Nevertheless, the film is entertaining and every character, though mostly clichéd again,  is very well sketched. The dialogues are very well written, and the screenplay is pretty neat. Only if he had come up with a better script, he would have had a definite winner at hand.

On the acting front, Parineeti steals the show. She has a very meaty role and she takes full advantage of it. She is a total firebrand and looks absolutely b-e-a-utiful (I have a new favorite actress). She breathes life even into a dying script. Arjun Kapoor makes a very good debut. He looks very raw, but to his advantage, the character needed that rawness. He still has a long way to go though. The rest of the relatively new cast is pretty good.

On the technical front, music by Amit Trivedi is very good. I am love with the title track and ‘Pareshan’. The background score could have had a little more punch to it. Cinematography by Hemant Chaturvedi is fantastic. Editing by Aarti Bajaj is good. The film barely crosses the two-hour mark. Production values by Yash Raj are, as usual, good.

Overall, an entertaining film. Plus points are good performances and Parineeti. A dull second half and the cliched climax form the other extreme. It’s not a movie you need to run to the theater for, unless you wanna watch the gorgeous/pretty/beautiful Parineeti scorch the screen.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Hmm… That’s a tough one. I guess yes, for its got some awesome performances by Parineeti, and even Arjun. Give it a shot at your leisure.

Verdict: 7/10

Agent Vinod is one of the weirdest films I’ve seen in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad film in entirety, but the taking, screenplay and cinematography were so bloody confusing that I began to wonder if The Matrix was simpler to understand.

Director Sriram Raghavan seemed to have been inspired from Casino Royale so much for he decided to make this film on pretty much like it. The plot is no where close, but to me, it seemed like a lot of shots were rip off’s from the James Bond film. Saif Ali Khan tried really hard and put a lot of time and effort to become the Indian Bond. He even put his decision on marrying Kareena on hold until the film was out. Alas, though he comes up with a pretty good performance, the boring, boring script fails him. Except for him, the millions of actors playing different characters in the film do nothing but confuse you. Of them, Kareena looked the most out of sorts.

The fast paced action in the film is so bloody fast that you can neither make head nor tail out of what’s happening on-screen. The cinematography, thought brilliant in few episodes, could have been way better. The screenplay, especially in the first half, is so confusing, that I couldn’t differentiate between the good and the bad guys.

Agent Vinod is a film you can watch once. Give it a shot if you have nothing else to do this weekend!!

Verdict: 6.5/10

For a detailed review, read on…

Plot
Vinod (Saif Ali Khan) is an Indian RAW agent trying to get hold of an ISI Colonel who is in turn trying to get hold of a suitcase bomb which could kill millions of people. In the process, he bumps into an undercover Pakistani ISI Agent Iram Parveen Bilal (Kareena Kapoor) who is also trying to get hold of the suitcase. Together, they travel from Moscow to Morocco, Latvia, Somalia, Karachi, and finally to India, only figure out that there is more to the conspiracy than what meets the eye.

Actors Performance
Saif Ali Khan looks suave and fits the bill perfectly. He carries the film on his shoulder with ease. Some of the dialogues mouthed by him are really good. But his characterization, though best of the lot, could have been much better. Kareena Kapoor, as already mentioned, looked pale and dead. He character required her to be sad for most part, but I thought she over did it. She looks gorgeous in “Dil Mera” song though. Ram Kapoor and Zakhir Hussain shine in their respective roles. Ravi Kishan and Prem Chopra are alright.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
Sriram Raghavan is a director with potential. With Agent Vinod, he tried to take his films a notch further with this film, but unfortunately for him, his efforts fall flat. The script is more or less a stitch of the Bourne, MI and Bond series; the problems with the stitch being the gaping loopholes and weak characterizations. The first half pretty much makes no sense, thanks to the mediocre screenplay. The second half helps us connect the dots, but not without rattling our brains. His brilliance though is showcased in the canning of “Raabta” song. The single shot sequence is one of the high points of the film. That apart, the direction is decent.

Other Departments
Music by Pritam is alright. He did a very good job ripping of some International tracks. “Raabta” is my favorite from the movie. Background score by Daniel George is pacy and good. Editing by Pooja Surti could have been crisp. Cinematography by Muraleedharan seemed very experimental. The upside down shot in the first few minutes, and the one shot picturization for “Rabta” song were brilliantly done. Action sequences by Perter Heins were, as usual, totally overboard, and made no sense to the naked eye. A lot of money was spent on the production (shot in 12 countries), and the effort is visible on-screen.

Vidya oh Vidya!! Wait, did I start my The Dirty Picture review with the same line?? Actually, who cares, for Vidya Balan has stumped me again!! This girl is absolutely brilliant, and is most probably gonna win all awards even in 2013!

Kahaani is a thought-provoking suspense thriller. It’s not perfect by any means, but the sheer presence of Vidya Balan, and some beautiful performances by the rest of the cast makes you forget all its flaws. Vidya is, am running out of adjectives here, stunning, and Parambrata Chatterjee is brilliant. After delivering a couple of duds, director Sujoy Ghosh comes up with a winner with the help of his co-writers Ritesh Shah, Sutapa Sikdar and Advaita Kala. As mentioned in the film, a pregnant woman searching for her lost husband against all odds makes you feel for her, and you can’t help but take part in her quest. Sujoy was able to maintain the tempo perfectly, creating beautiful moments, not once giving away the suspense to make you a part of that quest. Exciting screenplay, excellent cinematography in the bustling by-lanes of Kolkata, and a decent background score keep you, maybe not at the edge of you seat, but close enough.

Kahaani was not so well promoted, and doesn’t have good openings to boast off. It’s got no dancing numbers nor any sleazy skin shows. But it’s got Vidya, and Vidya brings all the entertainment we need. After The Wednesday, this is one of the best Bollywood thrillers I’ve come across. Don’t miss it!!

Verdict: 8/10 + 1 for Vidya

And for the first time so far, amma loved a movie more than me.
Amma’s Verdict: 9.5/10

For a detailed review, read on…

Plot
The film kicks off with a deadly gas attack in a metro rail in Kolkata. Two yeas post the attack, Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), seven months pregnant, arrives in the city from London in search of her husband, Arnab Bagchi,  who had come on a project at the National Data Center a couple of weeks ago, and has been missing ever since. Satyoki/Rana (Parambrata Chatterjee), Asst. Sub Inspector of the Kalighat Police Station offers to help her in the search. The rest of the story is about the mysterious turns and events which finally help her find her lost love.

Actors Performance
Enough said about Vidya Balan, so I am not going to talk about her any further. As already mentioned, rest of the cast, though relatively new, was absolutely perfect and helped sustain the suspense. Parambrata Chatterjee looked really handsome and came up with an amazingly good performance. Nawazuddin Siddiqui was perfect as the rude IB officer.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
It looks like Sujoy Ghosh and Advaita Kala had an interesting intensive story to tell, but lost some steam when it came to script writing (Ritesh Shah, Sutapa Sikdar and Sujoy Ghosh). There are a number of loopholes in the script. Nevertheless, director Sujoy Ghosh was able to pull it off without ridicule in the end. He was able to extract terrific performances while keeping the audience thrilled. The interval episode was canned really well, leaving you asking for more and the twist in the climax was totally unexpected. The screenplay (Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair and Nikhil Vyas), though a little hazy in the beginning, was really good. Leaving apart a couple of blunders, it is all connected very well in the climax.

Other Departments
Music by Vishal and Shekhar (couple of songs were used in the movie) is pretty good. “Ekla Cholo Re”  sung by Amitabh Bachchan is haunting. Background score is also good. Cinematography by Setu is awesome. He was able to capture the colors of Kolkata. Editing by Namrata Rao is neat. Production values by Viacom 18 are good.

Post Jab We Met, we’ve had a bunch of chirpy love stories release. Most of them had the same old concept of rich kids (either one) falling in love, then breaking up, and finally ending up together (Anjaana Anjaani, Break Ke Baad, etc). From the trailer, this pretty much looked like one of those films. There were even rumors of it being a Hollywood rip-off. But, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu is nothing like those idiotic flicks, nor is it a rip-off. It’s a very cute little movie with some excellent, if not brilliant performances.

Directed by debutante Shakun Batra, EMAET has its heart in the right place. It is not one of those typical love stories (I would  infact not categorize it as a love story). It’s more of a lighthearted comedy with friendship as its backdrop. Imran Khan is getting better as an actor, Kareena, well, is just gorgeous, and their chemistry is great. Perfect casting, decent music, excellent cinematography, slick screenplay, what more do you need to make a good feature film??

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu might be predictive, but is a very well executed movie with a refreshing feel  to it. Some might not like it, but I did, and suggest you go watch it.

Verdict: 8/10

For a detailed review, read on…

Plot
Rahul Kapoor (Imran Khan) is a parent’s pet, one who doesn’t live a life of his own. His dad (Boman Irani) expects him to be work for the best architecture firm, while his mom (Ratna Pathak Shah), a fashion obsessed socialite, wants him to work on his hairstyle. Meanwhile, Rahul loses his job. As expected, he bumps into the lovely-lively-bubly Riana (Kareena Kapoor), a girl who lives her life to the fullest. They get ‘Talli’ one night and end up getting married. They plan on annulling it, but before that happens, spend two weeks together. The rest of the movie is about how these two weeks change Rahul’s life.

Artists Performance
Imran Khan has improved so much as an actor. He’s getting better and better with every movie. He’s fantastic in the serious episodes, and pretty good at comedy. Though his mom keeps going on and on about his hairstyle, I kinda liked it. I strongly feel that he’s got the potential to make it big, but he definitely needs to try different things instead of working in films with similar genre (something like Delhi Belly more often).

Kareena Kapoor plays Geet all over again, but its more of a dignified and controlled performance this time around. She is the soul of the film, and looks gorgeous. Being a senior artiste, she gives Imran enough space, and not once overshadows him.

Rest of the cast is perfect. Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah are an awesome as the obsessive, over concerned parents. Kareena’s bunch, each and every one of them, are absolutely fantastic. Ram Kapoor is perfect in his small role.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
Scripted by Shakun Batra and Ayesha DeVitre, EMAET borrows concepts from various sources , a bunch of films we’ve already seen, but it’s the execution which makes this movie stand apart from the rest. Its got ample amount of freshness to it. Direction by Shakun Batra is good. He uses his cast to perfection, and so was able to create few great moments. He was also able to generate subtle humor from the actors at ease. More than the direction, it’s the screenplay which makes the movie work. It’s very slick, and there is not a single dull moment in the movie. I especially loved the parallel story telling shots at the therapy center. And I loved the climax!!

If he sticks to his basics and makes movies with such freshness, director Shakun Batra might make be the next Imtiaz Ali.

Other Departments
Music by Amit Trivedi is a definite asset to the movie. It’s actually a worth buy album in itself. My personal favorites are ‘Aunti ji’ and ‘Gubare’. Background score by Clinton Cerejo is good. I liked the way he used an old classic for one of the most hilarious scenes in the movie. Lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya are perfect. Dialogies, I am assuming by Shakun Batra, are excellent. Editing by Asif Ali Shaik is really good. At 1 hour 50 minutes, the film, as already mentioned, is never boring. Cinematography by David MacDonald is very innovative. After the agni pariksha of Agneepath, Dharma Productions comes up with a feel-good breezy film.