Movie Reviews |

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

Urumi | Movie Review

Plot

Krishna Das (Prithviraj) owns ancestral property in Kerala, which he about to sell to a multi-national mining corporation, without realizing the history and heritage of the land. To make him realize its importance, Thandachan (Arya), chief of the forest area, narrates the story of Kelu (Prithviraj), Vavvali (Prabhu Deva) and Ayesha (Genelia D’Souza), on how they fought against the tyrant Portuguese in the 16th century. Kelu’s fight against Vasco Da Gama forms the basic story line of the movie.

Artists Performance

It’s been a long time since I saw a movie with so many top-notch actors (reminded me of Mayabazaar). Prithviraj, as the main lead was good. Though his body was well toned, I thought he looked a bit bulky. Prabhu Deva was excellent as Kelu’s sidekick. He provides the only laughs in the movie. I never really realized how beautiful Genelia is until I watched this movie. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Her character though was a very inconsistent. She is angry at Kelu for destroying her kingdom, but at the same time falls in love with him (all in the same scene). Nitya Menen and Vidya Balan have very short roles and are adequate (We get a glimpse of Vidya Balan’s “Dirty Picture” in one song). Jagathy Sreekumar is superb as the prime minister. His is the best performance of the movie. He is rivalled only by Amol Gupte, who is excellent in his role as the helpless king. Tabu and Arya have guest appearances (Tabu looked old!)

Story-Screenplay-Direction

Santosh Sivan happens to be a very talented cinematographer, period. But his choice of films as a director has always been strange. After delivering a period dud like Asoka in 2001, he once again tried to create something similar, but this time on a much larger scale with a bigger ensemble of cast. And to his credit, does a good job this time around. But it is the story by Shankar Ramakrishnan which disappoints. For starters, he tried to relate historical characters with current generation, which I thought was absolutely unnecessary. The mining corporation wanting to buy the land, the NGO, etc were totally unnecessary and helped the story in no way. He should have stuck with the 16th century to develop a much better script. Also, being a movie about Kerala, it seemed like a lot of the story line was edited for the Telugu version, which made the screenplay horrible. Few scenes ended so abruptly that they made no sense.

Other Departments

Music by Deepak Dev is really good for the songs. But when it comes to the background music, he rips off tunes from Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator. Something more original would have done better justice to the movie. For a dubbed movie, the lyrics happened to be really good. My favourites were “Chinni Chinni” and “Neevevaro”. The later was brilliantly picturized. Editing by Sreekar Prasad was fine. Being a Santosh Sivan film, it is supposed to be visually extravagant, and he does not disappoint.

Analysis

Now I understand why they don’t usually dub Malayalam movies into Telugu. Forget lip-sync, it was as if I was watching a Japanese dubbing movie initially. I heard really good reviews about the film from my Mallu friends and therefore decided to give Urumi a try. But I was actually disappointed. Having such a great ensemble of cast, Santosh Sivan could have made a much better movie. But lack of punch in the script, at least for the Telugu audience, is a big let-down. Great cinematography, good acting, but half-baked script and untidy screenplay thwart my expectations. There is absolutely no entertainment in the movie (It was like watching a story from my history book). I would have preferred watching the Mallu version rather than spending 150 bucks on this. I suggest you do what I dint!

Verdict: 6.5/10

Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Movie Review

Plot

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a Scientist working for GEN-SYS, a company which manufactures drugs, first testing them on Chimpanzees. Drug 112 helps improve the intelligence of a female Chimp “Bright Eyes”, but she is shot down due to unforeseen circumstances and the project is put off. Will takes in her child, names him Caesar (Andy Serkis), and raises him. Caesar inherits his mother’s genes and is born intelligent. After years, Caeser attacks Will’s neighbour and therefore is put in a private facility, where he is mistreated. He develops rage, and with his intelligence, decides to free other Chimps. The consequences form rest of the story.

Artists Performance

Being a CG film, there is not much role for the human actors. Will Rodman is alright as the scientist. Freida Pinto has no role in the movie, and she is ok. Rest of actors are fine, with no great performances. Andy Serkis is brilliant as Caesar (motion capture), and is the undoubted star of the movie.

Story – Direction

Being the foundation film for revive of the franchise, there is not much happening in this film. Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (writers) dedicated most of the script to establish the character of Caesar, with very little of a rebellion in the film. I dint really understand the importance of Drug 113, it might be something for the sequel. Caesar avoiding killing of humans is something I liked. I thought the movie ended very abruptly. Direction by Rupert Wyatt is good. The Screenplay was alright.

Other Departments

Music by Patrick Doyle is forgettable. It was good in parts, but I would have expected a more haunting score for such a movie. Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie is alright. Editing by Conrad Buff and Mark Goldblatt is fine. The motion captured digital apes created by Weta Digital are of top-notch quality, but I thought that their faces looked a little distorted. Other than the apes though, the graphics were real shoddy. I expect something much better for such a high budget film.

Analysis

Having heard and read good reviews about Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I was expecting something spectacular. Alas, I was disappointed. I am not saying that it was a bad movie, but there was that spark missing. There is no real bond between Will and Caesar, which according to me was really important. Overall, it’s a decent watch, but nothing you have to run to the theatre for.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Kanchana | Movie Review

It is impossible for me to write a detailed review on Kanchana. I already wasted 3 hours of my precious time watching it.

A thriller which was comical, wherein every actor overacts, a message-oriented movie which makes no impact on the audience. With its concept, the film could have been much much better with a better script. Direction was horrible, screenplay and cinematography average, music mediocre.

Overall, a disappointment!

Verdict: 3.5/10

Delhi Belly | Movie Review

No, 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: 8.5/10

Nanna | Movie Review

Plot

Krishna (Vikram) is a mentally challenged guy working in a chocolate factory at Ooty. His wife expires while giving birth to their child Vennela (Sarah). Krishna and Vennala share a very close father-daughter relationship with both taking care of each other. Vennela is taken away by her grandfather when she is 5. Anuradha (Anushka) is a lawyer who helps fight the case for Krishna, and this forms rest of the story.

Actors Performance

After Kamal Haasan, if there is anyone else who can play such a challenging role, its Vikram. He is exceptionally good playing the mentally challenged father. He expressed a lot using his eyes for most of the movie. He should be really appreciated for taking up such a role. The showstopper though, was baby Sarah. She was brilliant as the daughter and even overshadowed Vikram in certain scenes. However, the screen presence of both Vikram and baby Sarah is minimal during the second half of the movie. Anushka is good as the lawyer, but I felt something lack in her performance. She was looking really good though. Amala Paul has a minor role and was adequate. Naseer has a meaty role and was good. The guy who played Anushka’s assistant was really good.

Story-Screenplay-Direction

Its a simple story about the relationship between a mentally challenged father and a doting daughter, and the consequences when they are separated. Director Vijay, who also provided story and screenplay, had a good story at hand with and ensemble of really good artists, but was unable to deliver a complete package. While the first half of the movie was to establish the father daughter relationship, he tried to infuse unnecessary scenes and create humor. Krishna’s friend doubting his wife for helping Krishna with Vennala seemed absurd. He did not make use of the main performers of the film by limiting screen space for both Vikram and baby Sarah in the second half. It seemed more of Anushka’s film post interval. Also, there seemed to be quite a few loopholes in the script. However, he could generate awesome stuff from little Sarah. The screenplay seemed alright, but nothing great.

Other Departments

Music by G. V. Prakash Kumar is alright. Lyrics by Anantha Sriram are mediocre. I could not make sense of even one song in full. Dialogues by Shashak Vennelakanti are ok. Cinematography by Nirav Shah is really good. Its not an expensive film, and the producers made sure to get things right.

Analysis

Its a movie to be watched for Vikram and baby Sarah. Both of them are surely gonna top the highest awarding honors for the film. Sadly, there is not a strong story to hold up their awesome performance. A better script could have made Nanna create wonders at box office. Also, there is a lot of Tamil nativity in the film (no offence to my Tamil friends). Overall, Nanna is a decent film and can be watched for its performances.

Verdict: 7/10

PS: I went for the movie along with my cousin, and we had quite an experience. We had tickets for Sunday’s show and thought it was for Saturday, realized it almost 30 mins into the movie. Luckily we found exactly 2 empty seats in the packed theatre. Once in a life time experience I say.

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 🙂

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | Movie Review

Plot
Now that Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has the Elder wand, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) sets off his search for the remaining three Horcruxes with Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint). They end up at Hogwarts and the final battle begins. He then discovers that there is one more Horcrux to be destroyed and you know what happens next!! Well, if you don’t, go watch the movie 🙂

Artists Performance
Every character seems to have improved with age. Daniel, Emma and Rupert come up with mature performances compared to their previous outings. They do look very odd as adults in the ending though. Alan Rickman (Snape) surprises you with his acting skills (watch the second movie to understand what I mean). All the other characters are all right. Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) overacts as usual while in her shoes.

Story – Screenplay – Direction
Having covered the first 25 chapters of the 36 chapter book in Part 1, I was honestly hoping that they would stick to the book. But instead, Steve Cloves (Screenplay) chose to cut it short, and moreover, modify it. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort is picturized very different from the book. There is no mention about Dumbledore’s Secrets and Lies. Being titled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, strangely there is not much discussed about the Deathly Hallows. They do not even disclose what the Third Hallow is. Director David Yates tried to infuse humor into scenes which were meant to be serious (I don’t know if its intentional). He does a better job compared to his last three films, but I believe he could have put in much more effort. They chose to convey a lot of the story through expressions which I don’t think really worked. Overall, the effect was missing in the end.

Other Departments
Music by Alexandre Desplat is mediocre. It was sad to watch gripping scenes with such dull background score. Cinematography by Eduardo Serra is of top-notch quality. Editing by Mark Day is pretty decent. The graphics stand out and it is a visual feast. The 3D effect was ok.

Analysis
Being the final chapter of the series, a lot is expected from this movie and it definitely lives up to its expectations. But a lot more could have been done with it in my opinion. The climax seemed to lack the punch required and left me wanting more. People who read the book might be a disappointed. Overall, it’s a better ending to the movie series than what I expected it to be. Go watch it whether you are a Harry Potter fan or not!

Verdict: 8/10

PS: This being my first review, I know I sound kinda amateurish. I hope to improve on it soon. Next review on ZNMD coming by evening 🙂