Showing posts with label Anushka Sharma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anushka Sharma. Show all posts

Saturday, 14 March 2015

NH10 (Hindi) (2015)

We have seen many a movie that hovers around the topic of “road-trip gone wrong” – both from Hollywood as well as Bollywood.  NH10 comes from this genre.  But as I have always maintained in most of my writing, old wine in new bottle if perfectly acceptable, so long as the new bottle is really different.  NH10 is a perfect example of this point of view.

Friday, 19 December 2014

pk

A school friend of mine, Paul Simon, preempted my review with his two bits, “Saw PK now.  Alright movie. No harm skipping. Too much of satyameva jayate style message”.  To Paul and the rest of you reading this I say, “I could not have summarized it better”. I have the same feeling for most movies from Rajkumar Hirani.  This was no different.

Thursday, 10 January 2013

Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola

Dear Mr. Vishal Bharadwaj

I write this note to you in immense pain. When this year started 10 days back, I was hoping that MKBKM was the first movie to be released. It may have given the year a much needed kick start for good measure. But after leaving the hall around an hour back, I was actually thinking to myself that it was a good decision to move your release by a week. Actually you could have done by deferring the release for good.

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan)… oops… I am sorry… Major Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan) is pushing 40 I would guess. His hobby is on the lines of what James Bond says in Skyfall – reincarnation. Only, Samar believes in playing an extremely risky version of Russian Roulette. And he isn’t doing it with a gun which has one bullet. He is doing it with Bombs. Yep. Our hero is labeled as “The man who cannot die”. He disposes bombs for a living – without protection that too.

And why does he do that? The nosy and extremely irritating Akira Rai (Anushka Sharma) is about to find out. How? Because she decides to dive into the freezing waters of what one can only assume was the Pangong Lake. Did I mention it was in her Puma bikini (Saurabh – please ensure you pay me money for the additional publicity). Well, as luck would have it, Major Anand waits for her to drown and then rescues her. Army protocol you see. Watch when a half naked woman jumps into the water and rescue only when she goes under (if you know what I mean).

Army protocol also dictates that after resuscitation, you should leave your fatigues with the chick and your personal diary so that the back story comes to life where Samar Anand is a 25 year old who can barely speak English and makes a living by doing multiple jobs including singing the same Punjabi song on the London Bridge everyday. Coincidentally, the woman – Meera (Katrina) who he makes the song for is willing to pay 500 sterling to learn the song and impress her father – Mr. Thapar (Anupam Kher who has been wasted) – who turns 50 in a month.

A passionate love story develops but when Samar has an accident, Meera, who has a current account with Mr. Jesus of Nazareth (Samar saw her first @ the church where she swore to give up chocolates in return for… never mind), asks for Samar’s life to be spared. In return, she promises never to see him again. Erm. WTF????

By this stage of the movie you are half tearing your hair apart. And if you check my twitter post out, I refuse to believe that Yash Chopra directed this movie. So what if the end credits show video footage of the great man directing people who look like the cast of the movie. Impossible!!! I request the Chopras to come clean of this cheap marketing gimmick. I am quite certain, this is an Uday Chopra directorial venture. Even Adi and Karan Johar cannot make such pathetic cinema.

The number of loop holes that the story has can substitute for perforated sheets. The execution is tacky – green screens for jumps into water @ Ladakh should at least look right. Yash Chopra could not have signed off on this final product. Other than the title poem (lyrics at the end of this review) there is no semblance of a dialogue or screenplay worth mentioning. The direction seems non existant – which is why I repeat – THIS IS HAS TO BE UDAY CHOPRA!!! NOT YASH CHOPRA!!!

And the movie just doesn’t seem to end. It took about 90 minutes to get to an interval which was also cheating. It first seems that the interval has come in and your much needed loo break is around the corner. And then they continue for 5 more minutes. Unfair. I call for a ban on such cheap tactics.

Shah Rukh Khan makes it 2 flops in a row with this Diwali. But the movie will make tons of money and cross 100 crores within this week. Sad but true. 3 on 10 only driven by a reasonable performance from Anushka (although she could have toned herself down a bit). And of course – the ever dependable A R Rahman who saves the movie with a soundtrack that can be heard.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0UXgoJ9Shg

Teri aankhon ki namkeen mastiyaan
Teri hansi ki beparwah gustakhiyan
Teri zulfon ki leharati angdaiyan
Nahi bhoolunga main
Jab tak hai jaan
Jab tak hai jaan
Tera haath se haath chhodna
Tera saayon se rukh modna
Tera palat ke phir na dekhna
Nahi maaf karunga main
Jab tak hai jaan
Jab tak hai jaan
Baarishon mein bedhadak tere naachne se
Baat baat pe bewajah tere roothne se
Chhoti chhoti teri bachkani badmashiyon se
Mohabbat karunga main
Jab tak hai jaan
Jab tak hai jaan
Tere jhoote kasme waadon se
Tere jalte sulagte khwabon se
Teri be raham duaao se
Nafrat karunga main
Jab tak hai jaan
Jab tak hai jaan

Monday, 19 December 2011

Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl

A couple of weeks back I first watch a Female dominated Hollywood movie (The Help) and then a female dominated Bollywood Movie – Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl. I am at no point of time trying to compare the two in any manner whatsoever – don’t get me wrong here – there can be no comparison. But then, it isn’t surprising to see something that was long due I guess. We have seen quite a few this year haven’t we? Starting with No One Killed Jessica, Saat Khoon Maaf, to as late as early December with Dirty Picture which finally broke the myth that female dominated movies cannot be a success. LVRB would have also achieved similar results I guess.
The 2nd installment of the 3 movie contract signed by the heart throbs of last year no longer – Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharm (does anyone know if the contract is still in place for the 3rd one or has YRF decided to let them go?) – seems to have been well received by the audiences. Despite YRFs desperate attempts to ensure that Indian audiences do not get well finished movies, LVRB seems to be well paced for the better part of the movie and has some good performances from the entire cast. Ranveer Singh takes his presence a notch higher in Bollywood with a performance that is a tad more confident than BBB. Anuskha Sharma continues to cement her position as the 2nd lady of Bollywood – and I am serious when I say this – she has the confidence, is spunky as hell, is prepared to work hard and has only Vidya Balan to compete with (not much of a contest honestly after Dirty Picture). No one else really comes close from a perspective of acting. I am quite certain she will do well.

The support cast is a mixture of debutantes and ad film actors. Dippanita Sharma Atwal finally gets some kind of a role in a Bollywood movie but she flatters to deceive in her portrayal of an IIT – IIM Engineer MBA. Ask her about either of these institutes and I am quite certain she will be left gaping. I moot a proposal that movie makers of any kind should first seek permission from the crown jewels of Indian education before slanderous claims that may significantly erode their fan following. And then there is a reasonably talented lady who seems to have used her relationship status i.e. cousins with Piggy Chops well to her advantage. And lastly there is the one who is better known for playing the pregnant wife in the latest Tata Sky Ad. All of them seem reasonably confident and come up with acceptable performances.

But one cannot make up for the lack of strong execution on an otherwise strong storyline. Editing gaffes, consistency errors, below par screenplay and dialogues – everything that you could expect from an average Bollywood masala movie – you will find in LVRB. The fact that the music is just about average doesn’t help either. Maneesh Sharma’s 2nd movie will make some money at the BO for sure but will it get him more movies – not so sure. If its any saving grace, it is as good as MI Ghost Protocol. 5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2557845017/

Saturday, 12 February 2011

Patiala House

In marketing parlance, hype is defined as “an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect” or simple put exaggerated publicity; hoopla. And why are we discussing the concept of hype? Isnt this supposed to be a blog that reviews movies and not give a lecture in marketing and choicest terms. You would be right on both counts. But how in the blazes am I supposed to explain a character called Askhay Kumar who is the least talented of all actors that Bollywood has to offer today but is still one of the highest paid actors around – and if sources are to be believed – THE HIGHEST PAID ACTOR in Bollywood today. It has been nearly a decade that we saw AK with any semblance of acting talent left in him. I am referring to his comic timing in Hera Pheri which has since then deserted him. In what can only be described as a desperate attempt to try and portray himself as a versatile actor, our man has attempted Patiala House and has come up with one of THE most insipid performances that one could have expected out of anyone. The only way he is going to get somewhere is if he ensures that the producers pick up a cast who is worse than him. On current form, it would still be difficult for AK to make any headway.

Gurtej Kahlon (Rishi Kapoor) is a man who is obsessed with the idea that all Brits are part of this large scheme that is ensuring that he and his family are treated like second grade citizens. And everything can be sorted out by shouting and screaming of course. Now all of this stems from a series of racially discriminating incidents in South Hall and the death of a key member of the community which is often referred to as Mini Punjab. Gurtej takes it upon himself to get him and his people a right to a first grade citizen life. Only, somewhere along the way he also forgets that his mission has been achieved a long time back. He continues to run Patiala House like a dictator would with no one in the family or for that matter the community being allowed to have a mind of their own. He also doesn’t let his own son Parghat Singh Kahlon aka Gattu and eventually aka Kaali (Akshay Kumar) pursue his dream of playing cricket (which he is damn good at) for England. Gattu now runs a store in South Hall. Till Simran (Anushka Sharma) and Zeeshan (Devansh Daswani) walk into his life and start asking questions. Along with the rest of the oppressed family they force Gattu to take his 2nd lease of life (he gets a call 17 years later) seriously and go for the trials. Obviously you know what will happen next.

Nikhil Advani doesn’t seem to have learnt from his CC2C debacle or for that matter his previous 2 attempts. Maybe they should make it mandatory for people to have experience before they get into mainstream direction. To make matters worse, he also takes the credit for writing the story. Its fiction but there should be some logic or consistency in the story. How can the cricket board of a country decide to sack every single player for lack of performance. At least call it out as some fraud or match fixing allegations. Just sacked. Right from the insipid titling of the movie one can make out that the next 150 minutes are going to be a bit of a challenge. There are moments when the screen light up with Anushka’s smile (does anyone in Bollywood have a better one today) and some quirky moments and yes the overall concept is endearing but that doesn’t qualify it to be even an average movie. Rishi Kapoor, I thought for the first time took his role a bit too seriously and was just that wee bit over the top. Dimple shows her class in the 3 minutes of screen time that she has and does a far better job of it than AK. I have said this earlier and I say this again – Anushka Sharma is the next big thing in Bollywood. Solid talent and huge levels of talent to boot. A bit over the top here but only a wee bit and that too in parts. Other than that, music is the only saving grace of Patiala House. Shankar Ehsaan Loy again delivers a solid performance here. Overall a 4 on 10. Oh and yes, a minor highlight of the movie would be the actress who goes by the name Selina Hotwani. How Hot I say. Have a lovely weekend folks

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EqgIh5lEu8&feature=fvst

Sunday, 12 December 2010

Band Baaja Baaraat

Bittoo Sharma (Ranveer Singh) is in his final year in college. He is your atypical hostelite and “Dilli Ka Chhora” – loads of attitude, lukkha, street smart, can hardly speak a word of English, but still thinks he is God’s gift to style and mankind in general. He is also quite sure that he would do anything but become a farmer like his father. He doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life in the sugarcane fields. Quite the popular one in college thanks to his effective contact base of the right people which helps them gate crash weddings quite frequently.


However, at one such wedding, he does get caught in the act by Shruti Kakkar (Anushka Sharma) who is assisting a small time wedding planner. Complete moo-phat (outspoken), she is smart enough to differentiate between an actual guest and a wedding crasher. Bittoo manages to wriggle himself out of the situation but is quite taken in by her charm. He spends the rest of the evening shooting the wedding which is primarily Madam Shruti doing her jhatkas. Our street smart hero is quick to find out relevant details that anyone would want to know. He introduces himself the next day to her under the pretext of giving her the recording of the previous nite. All he wants is “frandship” (read friendship – a la Dilli style). “Yeah right” says Shruti (smart woman I say). Not willing to give up with the snub, Bittoo uses his charm to break the ice. But when he realizes that Shruti is a ambitious 20 year old with a single minded focus to get into the wedding planning business, he loses interest as quickly as he gained it.

The twist in the tale happens when Bittoo’s father comes to collect him. Not wanting to go back to the sugar cane fields, he tells his father that he has decided to get into a partnership for a wedding planning business. Now that he has got himself into trouble, he has no other choice but to go back to Shruti and beg her to take him in. Shruti flatly refuses, but by a stroke of luck, Bittoo helps her get into an “internship” with the #1 wedding planner in Delhi. When things sour @ her internship, the 2 of them decide to go ahead with their partnership and form “Shaadi Mubarak” along with a florist Maqsood Bhai (Neeraj Sood), a caterer Rajinder Singh (Manmeet Singh) and a DJ – Santy (Revant Shergill).

BBB is a nice movie. Not technically perfect. Several inconsistencies. But leaves you feeling “nice”. Director Maneesh Sharma’s first full directorial attempt seems to be a very sincere one. His previous movies were as asst. director on YRFs Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi & Fanaa. Guess it helped. Anushka Sharma is lively and continues to have the best smile that this industry has. But tends to overact just a bit more than required. Our debutante, Ranveer Singh is not one to be written off. He has done just about enough to make the cut. Could do with a good shave every now and then. But I believe there is potential there. Lastly, the music makes BBB even more enjoyable. Avaiyen Avaiyen is going to be doing its rounds for some time. Salim Sulieman has done a great job with it and so has Vaibhavi Merchant with the choreography.

This is wrtier Habib Faisal's 2nd movie that i have reviewed this year, the previous one being Do Dooni Chaar.  Both of them based in Delhi.  Both of them being well written.  Solid future prospect.  Also, the movement of movies to a background of Delhi seems to be catching up.  This year has seen at least 3 such movies now.  Do Dooni Chaar, Aisha and not BBB.  Maybe more but I cant remember them off hand.  Good to see that.  Overall, a decent movie to watch. Much better than what I expected. 5.5 on 10.