Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya

Mandeep Kumar is a Punjabi Director who debuted last year with one obscure movie called Jihne Mera Dil Luteya – which is a line often abused in several songs. So it come as no surprise when the title of his latest flick is yet another line oft used in several movies or songs – Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya. Not sure though if the lines from songs are helping his cause or career in any manner. I haven’t seen the earlier one but can vouch for TNLHG being barely there in the watchable criteria.

Like any Punjabi director would, TNLHG is also a loud display of flashy colours and Bhangra music and Punjabi one liners thrown in for good measure. Only this time, there are loads of Haryanvi one liners also thrown in and not just as a seasoning but I would guess as part of the main ingredients. An unavoidable situation when your lead actor is a Haryanvi and your lead actress is a Punjabi. Funnily though, in real life neither are from the community that they play and it reflects obviously in their performances.

Viren (Ritesh Deshmukh) is an auto driver in the city and finds himself in a situation where one of the better off people in the city owes him a princely some of 60 grands. This someone turns out to be Mini’s (Genelia D’Souza) father (Tinnu Anand). Mini is quite frustrated with her dad’s continuous attempts to get her hitched to locals who have nothing else to look for but her Canadian green card. So when Viren appears in a drunken state to demand his 60K from her father, she takes advantage of the situation and gets herself kidnapped. One can easily sense inspirations from the 1997 Alicia Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro starrer Excess Baggage. Everything else is fairly predictable for the normal movie goer.

TNLHG is one of the more predictable movies that I have seen in the recent past. Plus it has a 2nd half which gets quite boring and stretched out to no limit. The first half is quite peppy and reasonably made with the exception of one really corny line – “Chandrachur suna tha par yeh advenchur (adventure) kya hai”? That is the only low point in the first 60 odd minutes of the movie in terms of screenplay. Other than that it is quite bearable actually upto the interval.

I have always liked Ritesh Deshmukh’s performances for some reason. I am not sure if it is his chocolate boy looks or a sincere effort and apparent humility which helps but I guess he has come up with another sincere performance. Genelia is her usual chirpy self. Both cannot speak Haryanvi or Punjabi to save their lives though. The rest of the cast is quite flat with the exception of Om Puri.

The music is just about OK and the item number featuring our controversial starlet from across the border doesn’t quite generate much excitement. But overall definitely better than Jodi Breakers and would be my Bollywood pick for the weekend. Watch it, however, only if you have nothing better to do. 4.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU1NYZ28R8s

My Friend Pinto

The Assistant Director of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Guru has definitely learnt something from his experiences but he still has a long way to go as can be seen with his directorial debut with My Friend Pinto. That UTV and SLB have both backed this new fellow on the block would seem to indicate that he has some talent. And it does show up in bits and pieces in what is largely a comedy of errors and multiple story lines that will confuse the hell out of even an avid movie watcher. Raaghav Dar, in his attempt to create a dark comedy of sorts lands up creating a goulash of silly sequences barely holding on to each other. All of this woven into a story line that is trying to tell you that one of the most amazing relationships in life are with your closest friends and one must value it to the hilt. Dear Mr. Dar – we are all aware of this and appreciate your effort to try and remind us of the same. But you surely picked up one convoluted way to communicate it. The good news though is that there is definite potential and with just a little bit of hard work and dedication (blah blah blah), you will find yourself on greener pastures.
I have always described Prateik (who has chosen to drop the Babbar from his name to avoid embarrassment I am sure) as a sincere, yet inadequate actor. He seems to have picked up most of his acting genes from papa and not from mama (which could also be one more reason to drop Babbar). With MFP he does nothing much to redeem himself or take it one notch higher in my books at least. The attempt to play the innocent village boy from Goa, Michael Pinto, falls pretty flat. The exceptionally talented cast of Kalki Koechlin, Divya Dutta, Rajendranath Zutshi and Makrand Deshpande seem to find themselves in a fair bit of trouble. Quite certainly, the script did not match their expectation. I think they have been wasted throughout the movie. While I was aware that Mak Deshpande had already lost it and Divya Dutta has never been done justice in Bollywood despite her exceptional talent, I would have hoped that Raj Zutshi and Koechlin sign up for roles that demand the intensity that one has come to expect of them.

Somewhere along the way – I would guess about 15 minutes into the movie – you are actually left wondering about the number of story lines that have cropped up. You would have to be really engrossed into the movie to keep in touch with every single thing that is happening – because there is just so much going on. And the humour is silly at best for most of the time. The music from Ajay Atul is borrowed – especially the last track (from The Mask). The interesting part was the start credits which did not call out a single member of the cast. Very different. And of course there is Kalki when she smiles who looks stunning to say the least. Overall a watchable movie but I am going to drop my rating from a 5 on 10 to a 4.5 on 10. Didn’t stay with me. MFK is a tad better watch for the weekend.

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-KEteB1u38

Just Go With It

Denis Dugan does it yet again. This is the second movie with the Adam Sandler – Denis Dugan combination that I am reviewing and I must say that there has been no improvement whatsoever. It could be a case of the director and actor have built a familiarity and there is no scope for further improvement. I would hazard a more drastic thought that they are probably the same person and that Dugan is just a front that Sandler and eventually gives us a movie that HE wants us to see. For the fifth time, Sandler and Dugan get together and give us a movie that is just about par for the course. In an adaptation of the 1969 classic Cactus Flower that starred Walter Mathau and was also the debut movie for Goldie Hawn. The only difference being that Cactus Flower was extremely tastefully made and is still remembered fondly in most circles. Just Go With It will be forgotten in a few moments after you move out of the hall.


Danny (Adam Sandler) is studying to be a doctor and is therefore a great catch for his would be wife. And the only reason the wife to be is willing to compromise on his horrendous looks (a really massive nose) is that he is a secure investment. And before I forget, she is as promiscuous as can be and has a romp in the sack with her ex boyfriend, the night before the wedding. Unfortunately for her, Danny over hears a conversation that she is having with her friends and is distraught to say the least. But things are about to change for the ugly Danny who decides to drown his sorrows in alcohol at the local bar and gets lucky… really lucky if you know what I mean. At this pivotal moment in his life, the medical student decides to keep his wedding ring and put up a front as being an unhappily married man thanks to an atrocious wife. He also chooses his area of specialization – Plastic Surgery – an extremely lucrative career in the developed world. And the wedding rings ensures that our good doctor continues to get his regular doses in the sack. Needless to say, he gets his nose also fixed soon enough to ensure that he doesn’t have any drawbacks whatsoever. This keeps going on for a few years but soon enough he finds himself not only attracted to but very much falling for Palmer (Brooklyn Decker). But his wedding ring gets him into trouble this time around and to bail himself out, he seeks the help of his very average looking but extremely committed secretary, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston).

If you have seen Cactus Flower you will find JGWI to be a travesty to say the least. If you haven’t seen it, I would strongly recommend that you watch it sooner than later because it is a wonderful movie. Adam Sandler, cannot, is not and will not be a patch on Walter Mathau, a fact that would be endorsed by several people. The same can be said of the rest of the cast also. I would guess that the only difference between Goldie Hawn and Brooklyn Decker would be that on a hotness quotient, Brooklyn is ahead by a country mile and a half. But if it is a question of class, then everyone in Cactus Flower is miles ahead. Now don’t misunderstand me when I say this. I am a genuine fan of remakes but they should be done in the right manner and tastefully. After JGWI, I am compelled to make a request for an organization that screens these remakes before the release. A just about average movie at best. 4.5 on 10 is what I would give it. Watch it on DVD if you have nothing else to do.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1443666457/