Category: Hindi

Agneepath | Movie Review

Ok, firstly, I am no big fan of Amitabh’s 1990 version of Agneepath, and so went to watch the movie with no expectations. But still, I walked out of the theater with a head ache. Karan Malhotra and Karan Johar, what the hell was that?? I mean, I really wonder what these guys were thinking when they started to make the movie. With this script, and the obvious comparisons to the 1990’s film, they should have known that it was an absolute disaster in the making!

Except for Sanjay Dutt, and maybe Katrina Kaif, the film stands no ground. It is a three-hour long, slow, boring movie (did I mention long??). Sanju baba is really good, but he aint Dark Knight’s Joker to save the movie. Hrithik tried really really hard to live up to Amithabh’s character, but failed miserably. How can he, when he does not appear on the screen until exactly 45 minutes have passed by? And Priyanka, our irritating slum dwelling heroine makes sure that she wears designer sarees with backless blouses all the time, her pallu covering less than half of her bosom, is horrendous. The best part of the movie though is in the climax, when our Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, twice stabbed by the intimidating, bald, scary Kancha Cheena, lives long enough to avenge his father’s death. I can’t believe that I live in a generation where such kinda dumb and dull movies are still made.

I suggest you stay away from this movie at all costs. Instead, go buy a DVD of Amitabh’s version, which though not a classic, is way way better than this version. I expect Mithunda to entertain you much more than Chikni Chameli!!

In one sentence, it’s not Agneepath, but agni pariksha for us!!

Verdict: 3/10

PS: There are people I know of who liked/loved the movie. If you happen to be one of them, well, nevermind…

For a detailed review, read on…

Plot
Master Dinanath Chauhan (Chetan Pandit) is an upright, principled and role-model citizen of a small island south of Mumbai, Mandwa. Kancha (Sanjay Dutt) wants to take over Mandwa and use it as a base to export cocaine. He accuses Masterji of child abuse, and hangs him to death. Vijay (Hrithik Roshan), Masterji’s son, vows to himself to return to Mandwa and avenge his father’s death. He, along with his mother move to Mumbai, where he joins Rauf Lala’s (Rishi Kapoor) evil gang. Rest of the story is about how Vijay rises through ranks in Rauf Lala’s empire and fights Kancha to get Mandwa back to its people.

Actors Performance
Hrithik Roshan tried really hard to be Amitabh Bachchan, but thanks to the script, fails. Dont get me wrong here, he did a pretty good job, but his characterization fails him. He seemed to have worked quite a bit for this role, and the effort shows on-screen. But there is no charm in his character, and his dialogue delivery was no where close to AB’s. However good he was, bottom-line, he ain’t the Vijay Dinanath Chauhan we know.

Priyanka Chopra looked awful. Except for a couple of songs, she barely had screen space. And when she did, was irritating. I thought she over-acted in most of the shots. She seriously needs to work on her wardrobe, and stop showing off her curves unnecessarily. Rishi Kapoor shines as Rauf Lala. He, along with Om Puri, easily walk-through their respective roles. The rest of the cast was alright.

Katrina Kaif sizzles in her brief appearance in the item song. She looks yummy delicious, and was way better than Priyanka Chopra, looks wise.

The star of the movie though is Sanjay Dutt. He was brilliant, and I mean absolutely brilliant as Kancha Cheena. He bald look is scary enough to put children to sleep. His expressions and the menacing laugh were great. But again, the script fails him. Such threatening Kancha Cheena losing the battle to a wounded Vijay without a fight in the climax seemed really silly.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
Debut director Karan Malhotra simply makes a mess of the original movie. Mukul Anand’s Agneepath is not a classic in itself, so when remaking, I am guessing Karan intended to better it. But unfortunately, he, along with co-script writer Ila Dutta Bedi (story-screenplay) completely ruined it. Firstly, something I don’t understand is why the movie was scripted to happen in 1992. Is it because they thought that people don’t use common sense in that period?? It is a slow, draggy movie which makes no sense. It is so senseless that our hero, Vijay not only enters Kancha’s den, but blasts Mandwa just like that, single-handedly, while whole of Mumbai’s police force does not even dare to enter the island because of its high security. And then, he, twice stabbed, has the strength to lift our heavy Sanju baba on his shoulders before hanging him. Awesome!! And oh, did I mention the sister sentiment in between (which is followed by a song)?? The screenplay is mediocre. Direction, though good in parts, is not worth talking about. With actors like Sanjay, Hrithik and Rishi Kapoor at bay, even I can do a better job.

Other Departments
Music by Ajay-Atul is alright. Except for ‘Chikni Chameli’ and the background score, rest of the stuff is forgettable. The re-recording is good. Lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya are alright. The old Agneepath had amazing dialogues, but the current one lacks punch. Editing by Akiv Ali could have been way better. I can’t stress enough than mention that people started walking out of the theater on the first day 30 minutes before the movie ended. Cinematography by  Kiran Deohans and Ravi K. Chandram is good. Art work by Sabu Cyril could is bad. The sets, especially the banyan tree looked so bloody artificial. Graphics are pathetic. Production values by Dharma Productions are not up to the mark. For a film from their house, we expect it to be atleast technically brilliant, even if story wise pathetic.

Don 2 | Movie Review

Did I go to watch the Don return, or was it Mission Impossible 5?? There were car chases, buildings being bombed, hi-tech bank robbery sequence, 300 feet jump off a building, a mask involved.. did I miss anything?? In one word, it was a potpourri of say all the MI, Ocean’s Eleven, and every other Hollywood action film of similar genre put together into a 2 hours 26 minutes film. But wait, it doesn’t end there; unlike all other films, this one has the bad guy playing the lead role.

Directed by one of my favorites, the film is very stylish, but is also long and disappointing. I expected something more sensible from Farhan. I never thought I would say this, but go watch the film only for Shahrukh. He’s perfect for such kinda roles, and he sure delivers. He tried to carry the entire film on his shoulders, but its the script which fails him. If you aren’t too fond of him, wait for the DVD to release.

Verdict: 6/10

For a detailed review, read on…

Plot
With the European mafia planning to kill him, Don (Shahrukh Khan) surrenders to the Interpol in Thailand. He  is sentenced to death, and is sent to a Malaysian prison where he meets Vardhaan (Boman Irani). Don and Vardhaan escape from the prison and reach Berlin. Together, they plan to rob a bank while Interpol officer Roma (Priyanka Chopra) is trying to chase them down. The rest of the story is all about how the robbery is executed, and Don’s real motive behind the robbery.

Artists Performance
Shahrukh Khan is brilliant as Don. He suits such kinda roles to perfection. I cant think of any actor from the current generation who can do a better job than him. Hrithik Roshan just proves that in his brief cameo as Don (oops, sorry!!). SRK looked really stylish all throughout the film. I liked his antics (which are very decent unlike his regular films) and dialogue delivery. Priyanka Chopra has a limited role in the film. She tried too hard to get into the character, and failed miserably. Kunal Kohli was alright in his brief role. Strangely, both Om  Puri and Boman Irani looked out of place. The guy who played the role of Jabbar, Nawab Shah, was pathetic. Lara Dutta was pretty good in her cameo.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
Written by Farhan Akhtar, Ameet Mehta and Amrish Shah (also credited for the screenplay), the film, as mentioned, relies too much on other films of similar genre. The first half of the movie was well written, and made sense, but the second half was like a half-baked cookie. The whole episode of the bank robbery, which forms the crux of the story, just doesn’t make sense. If anyone could walk into a bank and get into its safety vault so easily, I believe there would be a robbery every other day. And ya, why did Don need Vardhaan with him exactly?? The best part was Don going back into the bank with Roma in order to save the hostages. Even better, what’s with the bomb blast after Roma was shot?? The whole episodes involving Don and Roma seemed entirely ridiculous. The screenplay was decent, but too haphazard, especially towards the climax. For the first time, Farhan Akhtar fails as a director. Except for SRK, I thought that everyone looked out of place, with blank/straight faces for most of the movie. He shot the film very stylishly and even brilliantly in parts, but failed to generate performances from his artists.

Other Departments
The usual’s of an Excel production film are all here. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is a definite asset to the film. There are only three songs in the movie though. More than the music, its the background score and the re-recording which make an impact. Lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and dialogues by Farhan are good. Editing by Anand Subaya could have been more crisp. Cinematography by Jason West is again, fantastic. The action sequences were alright, but a little to much to handle. With the 3D, I could neither make head nor tail of most of the action sequences, cos everything happened really fast. Otherwise, the 3D effect was alright. Production values by SRK and Excel Entertainment are pretty good. It is apparently the first Indian film to be shot in Germany.

Analysis
Inspired from a whole bunch of movies, Don 2 lacks the punch of the first Don. Its not that MI – Ghost Protocol dint have its flaws, but it managed to cover them with the action and direction. But for this film, except for SRK, nothing else holds. Plus points are SRK, music, cinematography and a couple of action sequences. But its the senseless script script and mediocre direction which pull the film down.

The Dirty Picture | Movie Review

Plot
Reshma (Vidya Balan) is a small town girl who wants to make it big in films. She runs away from her house to Chennai a day before her wedding. She tries to get a supporting role in a movie but is insulted for her looks and is rejected. She somehow manages to get the role of an erotic dancer at a later stage. Her act goes viral and she is christened ‘Silk’ by producer SelvaGanesh (Rajesh Sharma). She continues to act in sleazy film and achieves fame envied by her counterparts. The rest of the story is about how she handles the criticism and responds to it.

Artists Performance
Oh Vidya Balan, you have stumped me!
It’s an out-and-out Vidya Balan film and she oozes out oomph factor in each and every frame. She should be really appreciated for taking up such a role, shedding all her inhibitions. She looks dusky and really good during the first half of the film, and then puts on flab like crazy for the second half (I know how difficult it is to lose those tummy tires, god knows how she managed to lose it so soon). She was absolutely brilliant, and is sure to bag all the awards for best actress in 2012.

Naseeruddin Shah is excellent in the role of the elderly actor who sleeps around with all his female co-stars. I cant imagine anyone else doing a better job. Its one of the best roles Tusshar Kapoor could have got, and he doesn’t disappoint. He looked idiotic in his costumes, but he does justice to the role. Emraan Hashmi has limited presence in the film, and portrays a character very different from his usual genre. He was very good as well. Rajesh Sharma (SelvaGanesh) was excellent as the director. Rest of the cast was alright.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
It is very difficult to make a film based on the life of an actress who committed suicide (Silk Smitha). But writer Rajat Aroraa (story, dialogues and screenplay) comes up with a very good script without going too deep into details on Silk’s personal life. The plot of the film is something similar to that of Kalki Koechlin role in Dev.D – people want and watch girls in skimpy clothes doing sleazy dances on-screen, but then insult the same girls and label them as sex-sirens off screen. The story revolves around how Silk handles this situation, and how she gives in into it towards the end. Though well written, the story tends to lose steam towards the second half of the movie. Dialogues are brilliantly written and act as the second lead in the movie. Screenplay could have been more effective towards the climax. Direction by Milan Luthria is good. He’s certainly improved on his directorial skills since Taxi 9211.

Other Departments
Music by Vishal-Shekhar is alright. Audiance were going nuts for “Ooh La La”. Background score is good. The south-Indian track “Naka Muka” is very effective as the BG. Cinematography by is pretty good and editing by Akiv Ali is decent. Production values by Balaji Telefilms are very good. They did a very good job recreating the 80’s

Analysis
As already mentioned, it’s a Vidya Balan’s film. If it weren’t for her, this film would have been crap. She has portrayed the best role of her career so far. Brilliant dialogues, superb acting by Vidya and Naseeruddin Shah, effective background score, and the oomph factor are the plus points of the film. On the flip side, since its based of a true story, it might/will bore you. It’s not a great film by any means, and even I found it boring at times, but Vidya made sure that I walked out of the theater satisfied.

To quote Vidya, ‘Filme sirf teen cheeso ke vaaje se chalti hain – entertainment, entertainment, entertainment.’ She definitely was Entertainment!!

Verdict: 7/10  + 1 for Vidya 🙂

Desi Boyz | Movie Review

Plot
Jerry (Akshay Kumar) and Nick (John Abraham) are two friends living in London. Both of them lose their jobs during recession period. Unable to find anything else, they end up working as male escorts with ‘Desi Boyz’ as Rocco and Hunter. Nick’s fiancee Radhika (Deepika Padukone) soon finds out about his job and dumps him, and Jerry loses custody of his nephew to a foster home. Rest of the story is about how Jerry and Nick accept responsibility and find better jobs.

Artists Performance
After delivering series of flops for the last 3 years, I don’t know what better I was expecting from Akshay Kumar’s movie (other than the loud cheap comedy and double meaning dialogues that is). On the scale of pathetic acting, he scores a perfect 10. He’s a 44-year-old guy, why doesn’t someone tell him that he should start acting in sensible movies now at least. He’s a good actor, but I don’t understand why he’s wasting his talent by acting in such second grade movies.

John Abraham scores even better than Akshay, for he cant even act. As in Force, his body looked a little too beefed up. He seriously needs to go train at an acting school before it’s too late. Deepika is alright as Radhika, but even she needs to find better scripts to work on. Chitrangda Singh had no major role, and looked horrible in the film. Anupam Kher and Omi Vaidya are wasted. The kid couldn’t act for nuts. Rest of the cast was mediocre.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
David Dhawan was very famous for his cheap comedy, but his movies did make sense even if they were too loud. But his son, Rohit Dhawan (story, screenplay and direction) seems to have forgotten to use his brain while scripting and filming this movie. The story made no absolute sense. The best part is that Jerry doesn’t lose his job because of recession, but because of his careless attitude. But then, he’s good enough to become male escort. Nick joins him because he doesn’t want to leave his friend alone (I have tears in my eyes). I don’t wanna talk of rest of the movie, cos it will take forever for me to finish. To nail the coffin, direction is pathetic. Forget John, he couldn’t even make the kid act. Screenplay was mediocre.

Other Departments
Barring two songs (Desi Boyz and Hero), music by Pritam is nothing great. I liked ‘Hero’ song quite a bit. Background score by Sandeep Shirodkar is alright. Cinematography by Natarajan Subramaniam is pretty decent. With so many films being shot in London, he dint have anything new to capture. Editing by Nitin Rokade was alright. Production values could have been much better, for the sets used in the film are worse then the ones used in 1950’s (a very bad painting of a skyscraper at the window is supposed to make us believe that the courtroom is in London).

Analysis
Unless you are jobless like me, or unless you have a thing for cheap senseless humor, please avoid this film at all costs. It’s an absolute waste of money. The story is pathetic, direction worse, and acting mediocre. I wish Akshay Kumar would stop acting in such ‘ghatiya’ movies.

If you want to watch this film even after reading this review, go watch this film with a group of close buddies so as to have a laugh at least.

Verdict: 4.5/10

Rockstar | Movie Review

Spoiler Alert!!

Plot
Janardhan Jakhar/JJ/Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor), a middle class Haryanvi guy is a wannabe Jim Morrison. His college canteen owner, Khatana bhai (Kumud Mishra) philosophizes that a person needs a heart break to create awesome music. Going by this, JJ tries to woo the heartbreaking chick of the college, Heer (Nargis Fakhri). After a series of comic episodes, they become very good friends, and JJ helps organize Heer’s wedding. The rest of the story is about how JJ and Heer realize their love for each other, and how the heartbreak makes JJ a Rockstar!

Artists Performance
Ranbir Kapoor is fantabulous in the lead role. Its clearly visible that he had put in a lot of effort into this character. He has about five different get ups in the movie, and he carried all of them with ease. The only problem was his characterization (Il get into that later). Nargis Fakhri is a good find and looks really beautiful (though I thought that she looked very very lean). On acting front, she aint that great. It looked like she tried to imitate a number of actresses through the film. She’s definitely got talent which can be probably be put to use in better films. Shammi Kapoor has a very small role, and was good. Kumud Mishra is excellent as JJ’s manager. Aditi Rao Hydari was good as the journalist, who later becomes JJ’s ***. The rest of the cast was relatively new, and alright.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
Boy oh boy, where do I even start?? After roaring success of Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal, director Imtiaz Ali seems to have lost his head. With Rahman to support him on music front, all he could churn out was a pathetic story; a married woman suffering from cancer, who cant even stand on her feet, sleeps with the lead actor, gets pregnant, and then slips into coma. And this forms the core story around which our loser becomes a rockstar. Seriously dude, WTH?? I dont even want to get into rest of the details. The first five minutes of the film had brilliant screenplay and so I was hoping for one hell of a film. Even the first half of the film actually turned out to be good. But post interval, everything went down the drain. The guy sitting in the next seat kept repeatly asking his friend “Why is he doing this???”. We all need an answer Imtiaz!.

Being titled Rockstar, there is nothing rocking about the script. All the characters were very badly scripted, worst being Jordan. This guy seriously doesnt know what he wants. He initially cant even pronounce Prague properly, but then becomes perfect at everything. He is supposed to be in love with Heer, but is more than happy to kiss and play around with other girls. There was absolutely no conflict point in the movie for Jordan to actually go through pain, cos Heer is more than willing to sleep with him (forget constantly kissing him backstage, while her husband is sitting in the front row). The most disappointing part was the lead up to ‘Sadda Haq’.

Imtiaz was able to get awesome performance from Ranbir, and even from Nargis in parts, but with such a weak, draggy script, Rockstar/Imtiaz disappoints!!

Other Departments
The pre Slumdog Millionaire Rahman is back, and he absolutely mesmerizes us with his music (though it aint exactly Rock music). The background score is very good as well. I loved the way he mixed the tracks for the bg. I was disappointed on the fact that my favorite song ‘Sheher Main’ was missing in the film. Lyrics by Irshad Kamil are a lil too complicated to figure put, but good. Cinematography by Anil Mehta is excellent, but most of the shots in Himachal looked similar to the ones in Jab We Met. Editing by Aarti Bajaj is pathetic. The story itself was such a drag, and on top of it, there are like ‘n’ number of scenes which could have made the cut but dint. Production values by Eros and Ashtavinayak are excellent.

Analysis
Ive been waiting for this film for a long time now, and was really hoping that it would do well. But alas, it competes with Ra.One on the level of stupidity (actually, ignore that, nothing can ever be compared to Ra.One). As mentioned, the first of the film is pretty decent and promises a good film, but the interval bang and post interval episodes are pathetic. I really couldn’t understand why Heer would sleep with Jordan in the first place, and then scream her lungs out after everything was done. And this leads to ‘Sadda Haq’ (listen to it lyrics, then you’ll  probably understand why I keep saying that). The audience started clapping when Heer slips into a coma, which proves how good the movie was. And later when she steps onto the stage for ‘Tum Ho’, followed by the end credits, I could hear at least ten people scream ‘What the …’.

So that basically sums up my Rockstar experience. I got out of the theater with a nice head ache. Except for the music, this film doesn’t even deserve a one time watch.

Verdict: 5/10

PS: Go get a DVD of a Telugu movie ‘Prema’ which runs on a pretty similar but much better story line instead of watching this!!

Force | Movie Review

Plot
Yashwardhan (John Abraham) is a tough police officer working for the narcotics control bureau. He keeps bumping into a social worker Maya (Genelia D’Souza) often, and eventually falls in love with her. On job front, he kills a drug lord Anna (Mukesh Rishi). Anna’s brother Vishnu (Vidyut Jammwal) kills Yash’s team member to avenge his brothers death, and is after the rest of the team. The movie ends with an wrestle fight between Yash and Vishnu.

Artists Performance
“I don’t want to do action like that because it does not look real, but the masses like it and the film becomes a hit. Maybe sensible people don’t like it, I don’t know. I am comfortable doing realistic stunts.”
–John Abraham in an interview with Rediff.

Oh John, what was all that about?? He himself says that sensible people might not like it, and still goes ahead with the project. That’s fine, but I really dont understand why he had to look so beefy in the movie. He looked more like a goon or the villain than the hero. And in which country does a police officer walk around wearing a vest while on duty?? John is not a great actor, period. His assets are his body and good looks. But since they aint enough for a movie to work, he needs modulate his expressions in a better fashion. In certain scenes, it was like, as my friend put it, watching a piece of furniture act. He was alright, but could have been much better. I cant think of a better choice than him for this remake, but he was no where close to match up with Suriya (Tamil).

Genelia needs to realize that Bommarillu (Telugu movie) is a thing of the past. Yes, she is great while portraying such bubbly characters, but I believe this was a more serious kinda role. After watching Jyothika (Tamil) and Asin (Telugu) do such beautiful job in the regional versions, it was quite difficult for me to watch her. She was good in parts, and a little irritating in few other.

Vidyut Jammwal is a cool hunk. Similar to all the guys with the great body, he cant act much, but can do much better if he works on it. He gave a tough fight to John in the climax. Mohit Behl, Mukesh Rishi, Raj Babbar were alright. Sandhya Mridul overplayed her role.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
It is very tough to remake a film. There are a number of factors which help a film work, and you cant get all of them right every time. The original will always be better (and mostly work better) when compared with the remake. Keeping all this in mind,  I deem Nishikant Kamat did a pretty good job. He stuck to the original Tamil plot while making very few changes, but he could have worked a little more in fine tuning the script to suit Hindi junta. The screenplay was really good. I loved the way where in he showed multiple fights at multiple locations in parallel. Direction was good in parts. He should have tried to generate more from John while extracting little less from Genelia.

Other Departments
Music by Harris Jayraj  is good. He used two of his old tracks, Uyirin Uyire from Tamil original and Manasa from Munna (Telugu). Other than these two, the rest were nothing great (He should have used Ennai Konjam as well). Background score by Sameer Phatarpekar was mediocre. The sound mixing and recording was good. Action by Alan-Amin was fine, but went overboard at times. Cinematography by Ayananka Bose, and editing by Aarif Sheik was alright. It was comparatively low budget film.

Analysis
Frankly, I liked it better than the Telugu ‘Gharshana’ according to the story line. The Telugu one was a drag in the second half, but this one had better screenplay and left out lot of unnecessary senti crap. Acting wise, Tamil ‘Kaakha Kaakha’ wins the trophy hands down. Both John and Genelia could have performed better. Music is a plus. Overall, a gory but neat film, and a decent watch.

Verdict: 7/10

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | Movie Review

Plot
Luv (Ali Zafar) breaks up with his girlfriend Piyali (Tara D’Souza) for no particular reason while in London. Post break up (in the next one hour), he assigns his brother Kush (Imran Khan) to find him a bride. Kush relentlessly tries to find a good dulhan fro his brother and finally zeros on Dimple (Katrina Kaif). As expected, Dimple and Kush fall in love instead, and the rest of the story is about how Kush ends up marrying his brothers dulhan.

Artists Performance
Fifteen minutes through the movie, I was starting to wonder if whether I was watching a Yash Raj movie, or if it was a soap on Star Plus!! Cos not a single actor in the movie was acting. Instead, they were all overacting (trust me, that’s an understatement). Imran Khan, high on success post Delhi Belly, seemed to be the only actor who dint overact as much as expected. He was alright. He does look like his mamu Aamir in few frames (With beard on, he reminded me of Aamir in Andaz Apna Apna). Katrina, who played such a beautiful and matured role in Zindagi, was absolutely wasted. I wonder how she even accepted to do such a dumb role. She was good in parts, but I couldn’t watch her plummet so much. And where do I even start about Ali Zafar?? Agreed, he wasnt great in Tere Bin Laden either, but he crosses the line totally in this movie. Right from the first frame, he seems to be in his own world, of over-action. Even talented actors like Kanwaljit Singh and Parikshat Sahni were absolutely wasted in this mindless film.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
First time director Ali Abbas Zafar (Assistant Director of Badmash Company, New York, Tashan etc.) brings to screen a totally mindless entertainment flick, which doesn’t even entertain us totally. Talking about story, there was absolutely none. It is well known (right from the title) that the movie is about falling in love with your brothers dulhan, but seems like Ali Abbas Zafar forgot that he needs to run a thread where in they would actually fall in love. The way Kush and Dimple fall in love makes no sense. Who asked you to flirt around with your brothers bride and get close to her in the first place?? Added to this, there was absolutely no chemistry between them. His direction was totally melodramatic. In one word, it sucked. Big time. Screenplay was alright.

Other Departments
Music and Background score by Sohail Sen was average. Except for “Choo Mantar”, all other tracks made no impact. I liked the way he used old classics for BG. Editing by Ritesh Soni is alright. Cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee is good. Production values by Yash Raj are excellent. I wish they invested in a better script though.

Analysis
There are so many useful things I could have done on a Saturday night. Instead I wasted two and half hours watching total crap, which did entertain once in a while. Actually, it was the over-action which entertained. Few people around me did seem to have fun (I wonder why). Katrina, though thoroughly wasted, is the only saving grace of the movie. A better script and much better direction, could have made this movie a good watch. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t good either. Overall, overacting overdose!!

Verdict: 6/10

Bodyguard | Movie Review


Plot
Lovely Singh (Salman Khan) is a bodyguard working for a security firm. He is hired by Sartaj Rana (Raj Babbar) to guard his daughter Divya (Kareena Kapoor). Lovely regards Sartaj Rana as god, for he once saved his life. Divya does not like Lovely following her around, so plays a trick on him by making prank calls. She falls in love with him and confesses her love anonymously. She later fears that Lovely wont accept her out of respect for her father. The consequences form rest of the story.

Actors Performance
Salman Khan is brilliant in the lead role. High on success after Wanted, Dabaang and Ready, he entertains with one of his regular dumb flicks (oops!!). He looked very stylish in the movie. I loved the way he flexed his muscles in the title song. Its a tailor made role for him and he did absolute justice. Looks like Kareena put on tons of wight post the size zero effect, she looked fat in certain scenes (I was shocked to see her with thunder thighs). She was alright, nothing great. I loved the salwars she wore in the film (designed by Manish Malhotra). Hazel Keech plays Kareena’s friends role, and was ok. She wore tons of make up though. Asrani and Rajat Rawail tried to produce some humor. Raj Babber, Aditya Pancholi, Mahesh Manjrekar were adequate. Katrina Kaif sizzled in half a title song.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
In simple words, there was absolutely no story. The consequence of a prank call was dragged and dragged to make a two and half hour movie. I haven’t watched the original Malaylam version of the film, but looks like director Siddique stuck to his original without any changes (he provided the story, screenplay and direction for both the versions). The first half was funny and alright. The second half was a bore. It had its moments, but went on and on. The climax was pathetic. People started laughing for senti scenes, imagine that! Direction was good in parts, but could have been much better. Screenplay was alright.

Other Departments
Music by Himesh Reshammiya was alright (for a change). I loved the title song for its peppy beats (sung by Salman himself). The best track though is the one composed by Pritam (I Love You). Its a soothing melody Il remember for a while. Background score by Sandeep Shirodkar was average. Cinematography by Sejal Shah and Editing by Sanjay Sankla were acceptable. Production values by Reliance Entertainment and Atul Agnihotri are passable. They banked a lot on sponsorship (Blackberry, etc).

Analysis
Its a out and out Sallu bhai’s film, made for the masses with class people in mind. It should be a hit among the B and C center crowds, only if they can sit through the boring climax. It might prove to be his fourth consecutive hit. It has its moments with high energy supplied by Salman. Plus points are a couple of fights, entertainment quotient, and Salman. Kareena had a meaty role, but she dint live up to expectations. Overall, a time pass entertainer. Do not watch the film with high expectations. If you can bear Salman Khan, and dont mind the dismal climax, you might actually enjoy the movie.

Verdict: 6.5/10
Amma’s Verdict: 5.5/10

Delhi Belly | Movie Review

Delhi BellyNo, it didn’t take me 20 days to watch Delhi Belly. I watched it on the first day in Mumbai, but unfortunately in Hindi. Three weeks later, I finally get to watch it in the original Hinglish version, and here is my review!

Plot
Tashi (Imran Khan), Arup (Vir Das) and Nitin (Kunal Kapur) are three roommates living in a small, filthy apartment in Delhi. Tashi works as a journalist and Nitin is his photographer. Arup works as a cartoonist. Tashi’s air-hostess girlfriend, Sonia (Shenaz Treasury), whom he is forced to marry in a month’s time, requests him to deliver a package for a Russian. Tashi asks Nitin to deliver it for him, and Nitin relays it to Arup. Finally, it does not end up with the person it is supposed to, a gangster named Somayajulu (Vijay Raaz). The consequences form the rest of the story.

Actors Performance
Imran Khan does it, finally!! He proves that he can act, and makes sure he plays Tashi’s character to perfection. Vir Das is excellent. He uses his stand-up comedian experience to the fullest. Kunal Kapur was superb in his role as Nitin. It’s not so easy to create neat humor using fart jokes, while underplaying it. But he always gets it right and its never to gross. Shenaz Treasury is alright as the bitchy girlfriend. Poorna Jagannathan is good as Tashi’s other interest. But the show stealers are Vijay Raaz and his sidekick. Vijay Raaz is superb as the gangster. The rest of the cast is alright. Aamir is at his usual best in the end credits.

Story-Screenplay-Direction
Have you guys seen Guy Ritchie’s 1998 caper film “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”?? If you answered yes, and if you are intelligent, then you should have known the story of Delhi Belly. It is very difficult to write the story and screenplay for a caper film. Lock, Stock was the first movie of its kind, and had nothing to live up to. After watching it, Ritchie’s next film “Snatch” itself seemed too predictable. It’s the way the genre is. But Akshat Verma (Story and probably Screenplay) does a very good job with the script. He infuses different sub stories into the main plot in a very effective manner, and makes sure its stays Desi. There is not one dull moment in the film. Direction by first-timer Abhinay Deo (Game was actually his second film but released earlier) couldn’t have been better. He sucks out fresh performances from every character. Making proper choices, he could be the next big thing in the industry.

Other Departments
Music by Ram Sampath is excellent. I don’t think I need to talk about “D K Bose”. It’s so in my head that while watching the climax of ZNMD, I was singing this song aloud. The background score is effective, and it is made sure that all the songs of the album are there in the movie (My friend suggested that the bg was similar to Lock, Stock.. Hmmm). Dialogues by Akshat Verma are mind-blowing. The slang used by today’s youth is all there. I’ve seen both versions of the movie, in Hindi and the original Hinglish. Dialogues in the original are much more witty than the Hindi one (Few of the literal translations into Hindi sound gross). Editing by Huzefa Lokhandwala is good. With a run time of 96 minutes, the film seemed perfect. Cinematography by Jason West is of top-notch quality. Jim Furgele, Ronnie Screwvala and Kiran Rao should be really appreciated for having the guts to produce such a different film. But it is Aamir Khan who makes the film work. If it were not for him, Delhi Belly would never have made it so big. Enough said!!

Analysis
Made on a budget of 25 crores, the movie grossed 52 crores in the first 2 weeks. That speaks for how good the movie is. The plus points of the film are the cast and its awesome production values. Not to forget the publicity. The genre might make the movie a little too predictable, but it still keeps you glued to your seats. It is not a movie to be watched with your parents, but to my surprise, half the cinema-hall was filled with families watching along with their kids (both for the Hindi and Hinglish version). Overall, it’s the birth of new cinema in India, not to forget a writer, and a director. If you haven’t already, go watch it, preferably the Hinglish version. It’s a decision you mostly wont regret!!

Verdict: 9/10

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | Movie Review

Plot
Childhood buddies, Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), Imraan (Farhan Akthar) and Kabir (Abhay Deol) decide to go on an adventure road trip when either one of them gets engaged. Kabir gets engaged to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin), and Imraan plans a road trip to Spain, for his own personal reasons. Arjun is initially not interested because of his recent breakup, but then agrees to join. There, they meet Laila (Katrina Kaif), and together have an adventure of their lifetime.

Actors Performance
The three leading actors play tailor made characters and are excellent. Hrithik looks stunning and does a real good job, especially during the emotional scene. Abhay is good. But the real star for me was Farhan. He was excellent and his comic timing was perfect. Katrina was delicious to look at and did a good job as well. Kalki was perfect as the possessive girlfriend. Naseeruddin Shah plays a cameo and was adequate. And ya, the surprise package, Ms. Bagwathi was terrific!! 😀

Story – Screenplay – Direction
From the trailers, I was hoping it to be something similar to “Dil Chahta Hai”, but turned out to be very different. Its a feel good story with romance infused into it while not being an integral part of it. Direction by Zoya Akhtar is good. She seems to have improved from her first venture. Screenplay by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar is neat and effective. But the film seemed to be a little too long and draggy towards the end.

Other Departments
Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is very peppy and catchy. The background score by S-E-L and Tubby is really good. All songs are shot well. Hrithik excels while dancing for Senorita. He’s so damn good, that you forget to watch the other two guys. Editing by Anand Subaya could have been better. Dialogues by Farhan Akhtar are witty. Cinematography by Carlos Catalan is awesome. The underwater shots and shots at San Fermin (Bull run) are incredible. Skydiving shots by Joe Jennings leave you breathless. Beauty of Spain is captured in every frame. If Harry Potter was graphic visual feast, this one is scenic feast. Productions values are superb. Credit to the art department for perfectly recreating the La Tomatina Tomato festival.

Analysis
The first half of the movie is really entertaining and witty. Post interval, the film seems to drag towards the end. Plus points are excellent performances by the lead actors, entertaining first half, and awesome cinematography. On the flip side, the movie is a little too long and draggy towards the end (almost 3 hours). Overall, its a good watch. It might be liked by the elderly more than the youth. A few might find it preachy and therefore dislike it. It all depends on your attitude towards life, cos you see, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara! Go watch it, its a feel good film.

Verdict: 8.5/10

PS: I recently watched the movie again, this time with amma, and then forced dad to go watch the movie along with his friend. Everyone loved the movie. This friend of Dad, Chatla Sreeramulu garu, happens to be a high profiled gentleman with connections to the Telugu film industry (He trained Ram for Devadasu). He enjoyed the movie so much that he couldn’t stop talking about it for the next two days!

Post the watch with amma:
Amma’s Verdict: 8/10

Edited after second and third watch 🙂