The magnitude of
Salman Khan and an Eid release is indicated by the fear in the minds of all
other production houses. Not a single
release other than Bajrangi Bhaijaan this weekend in India. In fact there were a couple of withdrawals as
well at the last minute. But at the end
of 2 hours and 25 minutes I would risk sticking my neck out and say this, “It
has to be the end of the Eid Monopoly for Bhai”.
Showing posts with label Om Puri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Om Puri. Show all posts
Friday, 17 July 2015
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Policegiri
Lets start off
with some simple questions. Did you
enjoy Singam? The Ajay Devgn remake of the Tamil Super Hit of the same name?
Did you wish through the movie that if only it was Sanjay Dutt playing the role
of Ajay Devgn. If you fall into the
segment that has answered yes to both questions then you will love Policegiri
like very few movies in the recent past.
Friday, 17 May 2013
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Remember what I always
say about reading the book before you watch the movie? Well this time around,
turns out, it doesn’t matter. Because
the book is ever so slightly evolved and leaves a little too much to your
imagination. The movie on the other hand
actually unravels the mystery of the book into a simpler, understandable
version to us.
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Chakravyuh
Naxalite - a member of an extreme Maoist group in India that originated in 1967 in West Bengal and which employs tactics of agrarian terrorism and direct action. Named after Naxalbari, a town in West Bengal where the movement started.
That’s how the world knows them. But every coin has 2 sides is what they say. And Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh tries to paint a picture that gives us a perspective of both sides of the story. At no point of time in the movie does Jha take a side. He leaves it to the intelligence of the audience to figure out right or wrong by themselves.
Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) is married to Rhea Menon (Esha Gupta). They are both cops and with a great amount of difficulty ensure that they get posted at the same location – Bhopal. Adil’s best friend is Kabir (Abhay Deol). They completed their graduation together and then join the police force. Kabir is a hot head and stands for what is right. He gets into a fight with a cop and is forced to leave the forces.
Seven years later, after several failed business attempts, Kabir re-surfaces and makes up with Adil. At the same time, Adil decides to take up a challenging posting deep in Naxal territory. Stupid decision but one that prompts Kabir to step in to help him. They plan to seed Kabir into the Naxal group led by Govind Suryavanshi (Om Puri) and Rajan (Manoj Bajpai). The group is ably supported by Naga (Murli Sharma) and Juhi (Anjali Patil).
As Kabir goes about building his credibility and playing the role of an informer, he slowly but surely starts seeing merit in what the Naxals are upto. How the poor get more and more marginalized and how the rich (read politicians) squeeze the maximum out of the land. But he is also well aware of the fact that the way the Naxals are going about their job is not the best possible way. That’s where Jha strikes a fine balance.
Which side is right in the war where truck loads of blood is being spilt through ages of in-fighting? At the end of the day, if there are 2 parties losing they are the police force and the naxals. The people who are in power, running the country are sitting pretty and laughing their way to the bank. Only a matter of time before this entire movement reaches a boiling point and both cops and naxals start targeting who need to be targeted.
Prakash Jha’s attempt, however, falls flat. Mainly in the aspects of finishing. The cheapest of all green screens gives an effect that’s over 30 years old. The sound mixing and quality was poor. The stunts were even worse. Adil Khan charging into a band of naxals like Bajirao Singham was comical to say the least. Why would Jha stoop to such levels is beyond understanding.
The screenplay and dialogues were not too great either. Abhay Deol is fast losing his edge as an actor who takes his role seriously. Esha Gupta has about 6 minutes and 32.83 seconds of screen time where she manages to hold her own. And Arjun Rampal is as always only eye candy for the women. The music is not too inspiring either. Overall a very disappointing effort from Jha. Without the good story line it would have been a disaster. 5 on 10. Watch it on TV.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnamEA8iLGY
That’s how the world knows them. But every coin has 2 sides is what they say. And Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh tries to paint a picture that gives us a perspective of both sides of the story. At no point of time in the movie does Jha take a side. He leaves it to the intelligence of the audience to figure out right or wrong by themselves.
Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) is married to Rhea Menon (Esha Gupta). They are both cops and with a great amount of difficulty ensure that they get posted at the same location – Bhopal. Adil’s best friend is Kabir (Abhay Deol). They completed their graduation together and then join the police force. Kabir is a hot head and stands for what is right. He gets into a fight with a cop and is forced to leave the forces.
Seven years later, after several failed business attempts, Kabir re-surfaces and makes up with Adil. At the same time, Adil decides to take up a challenging posting deep in Naxal territory. Stupid decision but one that prompts Kabir to step in to help him. They plan to seed Kabir into the Naxal group led by Govind Suryavanshi (Om Puri) and Rajan (Manoj Bajpai). The group is ably supported by Naga (Murli Sharma) and Juhi (Anjali Patil).
As Kabir goes about building his credibility and playing the role of an informer, he slowly but surely starts seeing merit in what the Naxals are upto. How the poor get more and more marginalized and how the rich (read politicians) squeeze the maximum out of the land. But he is also well aware of the fact that the way the Naxals are going about their job is not the best possible way. That’s where Jha strikes a fine balance.
Which side is right in the war where truck loads of blood is being spilt through ages of in-fighting? At the end of the day, if there are 2 parties losing they are the police force and the naxals. The people who are in power, running the country are sitting pretty and laughing their way to the bank. Only a matter of time before this entire movement reaches a boiling point and both cops and naxals start targeting who need to be targeted.
Prakash Jha’s attempt, however, falls flat. Mainly in the aspects of finishing. The cheapest of all green screens gives an effect that’s over 30 years old. The sound mixing and quality was poor. The stunts were even worse. Adil Khan charging into a band of naxals like Bajirao Singham was comical to say the least. Why would Jha stoop to such levels is beyond understanding.
The screenplay and dialogues were not too great either. Abhay Deol is fast losing his edge as an actor who takes his role seriously. Esha Gupta has about 6 minutes and 32.83 seconds of screen time where she manages to hold her own. And Arjun Rampal is as always only eye candy for the women. The music is not too inspiring either. Overall a very disappointing effort from Jha. Without the good story line it would have been a disaster. 5 on 10. Watch it on TV.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnamEA8iLGY
Friday, 28 September 2012
OMG! Oh My God!
If the net is to be believed, then Umesh Shukla, the director of OMG! Oh My God! is also the writer of the play – Kanji Viruddh Kanji (Kanji v/s Kanji). That’s a significant amount of credit to the man I must say. Not sure if he came up with the concept himself because in 2001, there was a Hollywood movie starring Billy Connely and directed by Mark Joffe called The Man Who Sued God.
Chances are that he was inspired by the Hollywood flick. But mind you, I have nothing against inspiration – provided the inspiration was translated well. And Umesh Shukla does a fine job with the screenplay for OMG – yep; it would seem he has written and directed the movie. With a little help from one Bhavesh Mandalia as well. Most of the dialogues are simple and high impact dialogues.
2 of them stand out more than the others. One when Om Puri tells Kanji Bhai, “Mazhab Insaanon ke liye banta hai. Mazhab ke liye insaan nahin bante” (Religion is made for man. Not the other way round). And the killer one is the star of the show – Mithun Da – when he tells Kanji Bhai towards the end, “Aastha, Shraddha, sab hafeem ki nashe ki tarah hai. Aasaani se nahin chhoot ti hai. Because these people are not god loving. They are God Fearing people” (Faith is like an addiction. It is not easy to give it up).
For those, who are unaware of the story, OMG! – as the name of the Hollywood movie suggests, is about a man who decides to sue the man upstairs. Kanji Bhai (Paresh Rawal) is a non believer in religion and idol worship – perceived by most people as an atheist. When a small quake hits the city, surprisingly, only his store is razed to the ground. The insurance company says they cannot reimburse him, because it is “AN ACT OF GOD”. Kanji Bhai decides that his only option is to take God – to court.
OMG is kept alive thanks to some stunning performances by the old guard of Indian Cinema. Paresh Rawal is so supremely convincing in his role of Kanji Bhai that one would be fair to assume that he was convinced about the concept. Om Puri – albeit in a brief role – was solid. But to me, the piece de resistance was the quiet (very few dialogues) performance from the Disco Dancer himself. Mithun Da shows why most of us believe that his performance 40 years back in Mrigaya was not a one off. Stunning!!!
Despite the loose inspiration from Ghost Rider and some obvious gaffes like everyone on the football ground wearing David Villa T Shirts, I still thought OMG was well made. What I liked about OMG was the message of belief in supreme being but not by making a business out of it. A message which the audience seemed to enjoy – but I am afraid will be quickly forgotten once people leave the hall. I am hoping against hope that I am wrong. 7 on 10 and a strong possibility of a support actor award for Mithun Da.
Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyQAFhBv4Ts
Chances are that he was inspired by the Hollywood flick. But mind you, I have nothing against inspiration – provided the inspiration was translated well. And Umesh Shukla does a fine job with the screenplay for OMG – yep; it would seem he has written and directed the movie. With a little help from one Bhavesh Mandalia as well. Most of the dialogues are simple and high impact dialogues.
2 of them stand out more than the others. One when Om Puri tells Kanji Bhai, “Mazhab Insaanon ke liye banta hai. Mazhab ke liye insaan nahin bante” (Religion is made for man. Not the other way round). And the killer one is the star of the show – Mithun Da – when he tells Kanji Bhai towards the end, “Aastha, Shraddha, sab hafeem ki nashe ki tarah hai. Aasaani se nahin chhoot ti hai. Because these people are not god loving. They are God Fearing people” (Faith is like an addiction. It is not easy to give it up).
For those, who are unaware of the story, OMG! – as the name of the Hollywood movie suggests, is about a man who decides to sue the man upstairs. Kanji Bhai (Paresh Rawal) is a non believer in religion and idol worship – perceived by most people as an atheist. When a small quake hits the city, surprisingly, only his store is razed to the ground. The insurance company says they cannot reimburse him, because it is “AN ACT OF GOD”. Kanji Bhai decides that his only option is to take God – to court.
OMG is kept alive thanks to some stunning performances by the old guard of Indian Cinema. Paresh Rawal is so supremely convincing in his role of Kanji Bhai that one would be fair to assume that he was convinced about the concept. Om Puri – albeit in a brief role – was solid. But to me, the piece de resistance was the quiet (very few dialogues) performance from the Disco Dancer himself. Mithun Da shows why most of us believe that his performance 40 years back in Mrigaya was not a one off. Stunning!!!
Despite the loose inspiration from Ghost Rider and some obvious gaffes like everyone on the football ground wearing David Villa T Shirts, I still thought OMG was well made. What I liked about OMG was the message of belief in supreme being but not by making a business out of it. A message which the audience seemed to enjoy – but I am afraid will be quickly forgotten once people leave the hall. I am hoping against hope that I am wrong. 7 on 10 and a strong possibility of a support actor award for Mithun Da.
Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyQAFhBv4Ts
Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal
There are 2 kinds of movies that Priyadarshan makes. Either the totally roller coaster, supremely slapstick, excruciatingly painfully loud kind of movie like Hulchul or that Malamaal Weekly. Or the average, sensible, semi-serious kinds, with a little bit of slapstick and loud in parts kind of movie like Bhool Bhulaiyya or Tezz. Mind you, I am not including his classy Malayalam movies which are a treat to watch.
Very rarely will you come across a movie from his table that is without a sense of purpose or which leaves you wondering – What was the purpose of this movie. Priyadarshan is exactly the kinds who stays true to the adage – Love him or hate him but you cannot ignore him. For a change, he has made a movie that leaves you totally flabbergasted at the end of it all.
Why did Priyadarshan make Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal? Was it because he did not have any work at all? Not possible right? He just released Tezz earlier this year. Which was his 67th movie in some 26 years. That’s a lot of cinema isn’t it? Maybe he was paid so much money that he could not say no. Or just maybe he wanted to give the out of job Nana Patekar, an opportunity to come back into cinema.
Whatever the reason maybe, KDM would easily qualify as one Priyadarshan’s most insipid pieces of work. It starts with a background story which involves 2 friends from Bijnor in UP. David (Om Puri) and Peter (Paresh Rawal). They are the thickest of friends with the exception of Maria (Sona Nair) who is Peter’s girl friend. But when Peter gets his servant knocked up, David steps in to marry Maria. Why was all this back story given or required in the first 3 minutes – beats me. It has nothing to do with the rest of the movie whatsoever.
And then we cut to the current day where David has been pulled down by life to only ringing the bell @ the local church. He has 2 daughters who are of marriageable age. And a good for nothing son, Johnny (Shreyas Talpade) who believes he can get rich by buying lottery tickets. But he is also a “piss in his pants” scaredy cat who cannot stand up for either himself or the love of his life – again Maria (Madhhurima). All of this till his long lost brother – Sam aka Kallu (Nana Patekar) reappears.
I saw KDM only because I had nothing better to do and because it is an occupational hazard. But you really do not need to. There is nothing really worth looking forward to. Even the attempted item number featuring Anjana Sukhani is without purpose or direction. A very disappointing attempt that truly leaves you feeling cheated. 3 on 10 and extremely avoidable.
Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKGrDahdu3w
Very rarely will you come across a movie from his table that is without a sense of purpose or which leaves you wondering – What was the purpose of this movie. Priyadarshan is exactly the kinds who stays true to the adage – Love him or hate him but you cannot ignore him. For a change, he has made a movie that leaves you totally flabbergasted at the end of it all.
Why did Priyadarshan make Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal? Was it because he did not have any work at all? Not possible right? He just released Tezz earlier this year. Which was his 67th movie in some 26 years. That’s a lot of cinema isn’t it? Maybe he was paid so much money that he could not say no. Or just maybe he wanted to give the out of job Nana Patekar, an opportunity to come back into cinema.
Whatever the reason maybe, KDM would easily qualify as one Priyadarshan’s most insipid pieces of work. It starts with a background story which involves 2 friends from Bijnor in UP. David (Om Puri) and Peter (Paresh Rawal). They are the thickest of friends with the exception of Maria (Sona Nair) who is Peter’s girl friend. But when Peter gets his servant knocked up, David steps in to marry Maria. Why was all this back story given or required in the first 3 minutes – beats me. It has nothing to do with the rest of the movie whatsoever.
And then we cut to the current day where David has been pulled down by life to only ringing the bell @ the local church. He has 2 daughters who are of marriageable age. And a good for nothing son, Johnny (Shreyas Talpade) who believes he can get rich by buying lottery tickets. But he is also a “piss in his pants” scaredy cat who cannot stand up for either himself or the love of his life – again Maria (Madhhurima). All of this till his long lost brother – Sam aka Kallu (Nana Patekar) reappears.
I saw KDM only because I had nothing better to do and because it is an occupational hazard. But you really do not need to. There is nothing really worth looking forward to. Even the attempted item number featuring Anjana Sukhani is without purpose or direction. A very disappointing attempt that truly leaves you feeling cheated. 3 on 10 and extremely avoidable.
Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKGrDahdu3w
Sunday, 11 March 2012
The Ghost and The Darkness
One of the biggest conundrums I have had in recent times. Should I classify The Ghost And The Darkness as an Action movie or a thriller or a horror movie. In the end, I went with Thriller and Horror both. You would not have much or a debate with the rating once you have seen it. I have probably seen it over 10 times to date and each one of those has been an experience that was as scary as the other. Without any exception.
I first saw the story of the worst place on earth - yes that's what Samuel (John Kani) calls Tsavo - way back in 1997 if I remember correctly. The impact that it left on me has been identical ever since for some eerie reason. The fascination that Col. James Patterson (Val Kilmer) has with Africa is a huge driver in his decision to leave a pregnant wife Helena Patterson (Emily Mortimer)
The commitment is that he will build the bridge across the river Tsavo within 6 months. He wants to be back before his first born comes into the world. His wife is supportive of his decision. But the acidic Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) doesn't really care much about his family or anyone else. Just the bridge. Patterson doesn't really know that there are aspects about Africa that are far more scary than some cheap heartless people like Beaumont. His worst nightmares are about to come true with The Ghost And The Darkness.
Stephen Hopkins is very good to say the least. The use of music during the hunts for the 2 man eaters gives me goose bumps even thinking about it. One can imagine the fear you will feel while watching it. The editing and cinematography is perfect to create and even more intense fear of the unknown. Look closely into the grasslands and u will see silhouettes of the feared beasts walking through. Some sequences such as the one where Patterson's wife comes to see him with his first born only to be mauled @ the railway station are horrific and scary. And the use of enhanced sound for the petrified baboon is just stunning.
4 of the finest actors that I have known in my lifetime come together for one of my favourite movies of all time. Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, Om Puri and the evergreen Michael Douglas. I have taken it upon myself to get everyone that I know to see it. I loved it. I am sure most of you will. 8 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCb6-Nz0Nkg
I first saw the story of the worst place on earth - yes that's what Samuel (John Kani) calls Tsavo - way back in 1997 if I remember correctly. The impact that it left on me has been identical ever since for some eerie reason. The fascination that Col. James Patterson (Val Kilmer) has with Africa is a huge driver in his decision to leave a pregnant wife Helena Patterson (Emily Mortimer)
The commitment is that he will build the bridge across the river Tsavo within 6 months. He wants to be back before his first born comes into the world. His wife is supportive of his decision. But the acidic Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) doesn't really care much about his family or anyone else. Just the bridge. Patterson doesn't really know that there are aspects about Africa that are far more scary than some cheap heartless people like Beaumont. His worst nightmares are about to come true with The Ghost And The Darkness.
Stephen Hopkins is very good to say the least. The use of music during the hunts for the 2 man eaters gives me goose bumps even thinking about it. One can imagine the fear you will feel while watching it. The editing and cinematography is perfect to create and even more intense fear of the unknown. Look closely into the grasslands and u will see silhouettes of the feared beasts walking through. Some sequences such as the one where Patterson's wife comes to see him with his first born only to be mauled @ the railway station are horrific and scary. And the use of enhanced sound for the petrified baboon is just stunning.
4 of the finest actors that I have known in my lifetime come together for one of my favourite movies of all time. Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, Om Puri and the evergreen Michael Douglas. I have taken it upon myself to get everyone that I know to see it. I loved it. I am sure most of you will. 8 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCb6-Nz0Nkg
Saturday, 25 February 2012
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
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
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Agneepath (2012)
The one thing that I have always believed in when I go to watch a remake is to cancel out everything in my head about the previous movie. Luckily the original to this one was made 22 years back and the memories aren’t that strong. Unlike quite a few that I am acquainted with who swear by the original. But how can I blame them for not being able to shut out the magic created by an aging Big B on his comeback along with a director who India was unlucky to have seen only a little bit of i.e. Mukul Anand. It would be difficult to find too many people from my time (aged between 10 and 20 in 1990) who wouldn’t have seen – “Vijay Dinanath Chavan…. Poora Naam (Full name)”. And who can possible forget, “Hawa tez chal raha hai Dinkar Rao. Topi Sambhalo” (Take care of your hat Dinkar Rao… there is a strong breeze blowing).
First time director Karan Malhotra and Hritik Roshan would have been extremely familiar with the challenges of filling the huge shoes that was left by the Mukul Anand – Big B. But to the credit of Karan Malhotra, he has managed to hold his own. At least for over 2 hours in this nearly 3 hour long attempt to come close to the original. He however, completely loses the plot in the last 30 to 45 minutes. The other thing that doesn’t come up to the original is the calm and composed nature of the original VDC (Big B) as against the VDC (Hritik Roshan) shown in this one who is more angry and out for revenge that he cannot but stop gritting his teeth every time he sees Kancha Cheena (Sanjay Dutt) or thinks about getting Mandwa back.
The story is also ever so slightly different with the introductions of Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor), the Dongri ka Don who VDC uses to climb up the mafia ladder and get to a position where he can challenge Kancha Cheena. And the entire aura of M A Krishnan Iyer Nariyal Paani Waala (Mithun Da) has been eliminated. Instead we find a bunch of eunuchs and prostitutes who swear by VDC and are part of the chawl that VDC comes to when Master Dinanath Chavan is killed by Kancha Cheena and the villagers to make way for the Cocaine Trade.
On paper it seems weird but the end result is not really that bad. The story flows smoothly scene by scene and doesn’t seem to get into a rut of sorts ever till much later. The music is average and I have no clue why there is one Ganapati Song in every damn movie which involves a chawl these days. Get over festivals for crying out loud!!!! There can be movies without them and songs which have an aarti. Chikni Chameli of course rocks and it is amusing when u see the “Cigarette Smoking is injurious to helath” warning in Australia. All in all, this one is entertaining enough. Nowhere close to the intensity of the 1990 version. But worth a dekko. 6 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1FKVW3QHZY
First time director Karan Malhotra and Hritik Roshan would have been extremely familiar with the challenges of filling the huge shoes that was left by the Mukul Anand – Big B. But to the credit of Karan Malhotra, he has managed to hold his own. At least for over 2 hours in this nearly 3 hour long attempt to come close to the original. He however, completely loses the plot in the last 30 to 45 minutes. The other thing that doesn’t come up to the original is the calm and composed nature of the original VDC (Big B) as against the VDC (Hritik Roshan) shown in this one who is more angry and out for revenge that he cannot but stop gritting his teeth every time he sees Kancha Cheena (Sanjay Dutt) or thinks about getting Mandwa back.
The story is also ever so slightly different with the introductions of Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor), the Dongri ka Don who VDC uses to climb up the mafia ladder and get to a position where he can challenge Kancha Cheena. And the entire aura of M A Krishnan Iyer Nariyal Paani Waala (Mithun Da) has been eliminated. Instead we find a bunch of eunuchs and prostitutes who swear by VDC and are part of the chawl that VDC comes to when Master Dinanath Chavan is killed by Kancha Cheena and the villagers to make way for the Cocaine Trade.
On paper it seems weird but the end result is not really that bad. The story flows smoothly scene by scene and doesn’t seem to get into a rut of sorts ever till much later. The music is average and I have no clue why there is one Ganapati Song in every damn movie which involves a chawl these days. Get over festivals for crying out loud!!!! There can be movies without them and songs which have an aarti. Chikni Chameli of course rocks and it is amusing when u see the “Cigarette Smoking is injurious to helath” warning in Australia. All in all, this one is entertaining enough. Nowhere close to the intensity of the 1990 version. But worth a dekko. 6 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1FKVW3QHZY
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Don 2
I liked Don when it was remade. The secret to that was to look at it as a completely different movie, independent of the Big B block buster which released some 3 decades earlier. A lot of people I know loved Don (2006) and the so called “purists” hated it to the core. I was, as accepted earlier, part of the former set of people. I thought Farhan Akhtar’s adaptation was superb and deserved a 7 on 10 on my scale to say the least. It was slickly made. It had great music. And most importantly it was finished beautifully.
The twist towards the end has kept people waiting for the past 5 years. Everyone who left that hall knew there was a Don 2 coming. It would have been stupid not to have capitalized on the brilliant opportunity that Farhan had created. Now why would he wait for 5 years to come up with Don 2 is a question only he can answer. It baffles me to no end. The concept of making the sequel along with the first movie and only delaying the release was not new to the industry when Don released. I would have released Don 2 within a year of Don. Excel Entertainment thought differently I guess. Excel was wrong.
Don 2 opens 5 years after the dramatic escape that Don (Shah Rukh Khan) manages to pull off under the noses of Roma (Priyanka Chopra) & Malik (Om Puri) and Co. By then Don has complete control of the Asian Drug Market and is hot on the heels of the Europeans who have created a cartel to kill him. But then as everyone knows “Don Ko Pakadna….”. So killing him would be out of the question right? After escaping from the attempted murder, he turns himself into the Interpol which continues to be led by his favourite Junglee Billee. All a build up to get into the same Malaysian jail that Vardaan (Boman Irani) is housed in and use his help in his next venture – stealing the plates for that are used to make the Euro from the DZB.
Don 2 may as well have been called Mission Impossible (Hindi). The list of inspirations from Hollywood is endless and that’s what probably disappointed me about this movie. Why? Because I think Farhan Akhtar is one of the finest directors and story tellers we have in our time. Why he would stoop down to “inspiration” is a bit beyond me. It will be for the first time that I would give a Farhan directed movie less than 7 on 10. Also disappointing is the finishing which is really Farhan’s forte. The effects seem “chipkaoed” (Stuck) and not seamless. The screenplay and dialogues lacked the impact usually associated with him with the exception of some instances such as “No Autographs please”. The story was well – nothing we haven’t seen before. The editing was just about acceptable. The consistency errors were just shooting through the roof!!! All very unlike Farhan. Seriously wonder if he was on LSD or something while shooting.
In the acting department, Boman Irani was head and shoulders above everyone else by a country mile and a half. No one but Shah Rukh can pull off this role which demands so much of arrogance – a trait that comes naturally to the King. Piggy Chops continues to look good as the Interpol officer who has time for a French Manicure and the best of fashion – but only look good. Lara Dutta is the sincere water girl, room service girl, courier girl, odd job girl etc. with no role per se and also ill fitting clothes. Kunal Kapoor’s role is pivotal but really badly essayed. To make matters worse the Shankar Ehsaan Loy music is lack luster to say the least.
In all, is Don 2 worth watching. Yeah I guess so. Is it close to Farhan’s best – nowhere. Worth spending time on? You would have booked your tickets by now and so go ahead I and watch it. Will you come out of the screen feeling happy – nope. Disappointed? – nope. It is the feeling of being let down by some of India’s finest coming together and delivering a product that is barely average which is worse than being disappointed. Is it better than MI4 Ghost Protocol – hell yes!!! 6 on 10 I say.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2265947673/
The twist towards the end has kept people waiting for the past 5 years. Everyone who left that hall knew there was a Don 2 coming. It would have been stupid not to have capitalized on the brilliant opportunity that Farhan had created. Now why would he wait for 5 years to come up with Don 2 is a question only he can answer. It baffles me to no end. The concept of making the sequel along with the first movie and only delaying the release was not new to the industry when Don released. I would have released Don 2 within a year of Don. Excel Entertainment thought differently I guess. Excel was wrong.
Don 2 opens 5 years after the dramatic escape that Don (Shah Rukh Khan) manages to pull off under the noses of Roma (Priyanka Chopra) & Malik (Om Puri) and Co. By then Don has complete control of the Asian Drug Market and is hot on the heels of the Europeans who have created a cartel to kill him. But then as everyone knows “Don Ko Pakadna….”. So killing him would be out of the question right? After escaping from the attempted murder, he turns himself into the Interpol which continues to be led by his favourite Junglee Billee. All a build up to get into the same Malaysian jail that Vardaan (Boman Irani) is housed in and use his help in his next venture – stealing the plates for that are used to make the Euro from the DZB.
Don 2 may as well have been called Mission Impossible (Hindi). The list of inspirations from Hollywood is endless and that’s what probably disappointed me about this movie. Why? Because I think Farhan Akhtar is one of the finest directors and story tellers we have in our time. Why he would stoop down to “inspiration” is a bit beyond me. It will be for the first time that I would give a Farhan directed movie less than 7 on 10. Also disappointing is the finishing which is really Farhan’s forte. The effects seem “chipkaoed” (Stuck) and not seamless. The screenplay and dialogues lacked the impact usually associated with him with the exception of some instances such as “No Autographs please”. The story was well – nothing we haven’t seen before. The editing was just about acceptable. The consistency errors were just shooting through the roof!!! All very unlike Farhan. Seriously wonder if he was on LSD or something while shooting.
In the acting department, Boman Irani was head and shoulders above everyone else by a country mile and a half. No one but Shah Rukh can pull off this role which demands so much of arrogance – a trait that comes naturally to the King. Piggy Chops continues to look good as the Interpol officer who has time for a French Manicure and the best of fashion – but only look good. Lara Dutta is the sincere water girl, room service girl, courier girl, odd job girl etc. with no role per se and also ill fitting clothes. Kunal Kapoor’s role is pivotal but really badly essayed. To make matters worse the Shankar Ehsaan Loy music is lack luster to say the least.
In all, is Don 2 worth watching. Yeah I guess so. Is it close to Farhan’s best – nowhere. Worth spending time on? You would have booked your tickets by now and so go ahead I and watch it. Will you come out of the screen feeling happy – nope. Disappointed? – nope. It is the feeling of being let down by some of India’s finest coming together and delivering a product that is barely average which is worse than being disappointed. Is it better than MI4 Ghost Protocol – hell yes!!! 6 on 10 I say.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2265947673/
Monday, 1 August 2011
Khap
There was a 30 minute segment in a movie that released last year (or was it year before last). A movie that was not taken very well by the masses because most of the audience didn’t understand it at all. I had, on my blog, described Love Sex Aur Dhokha as a very brave movie. But more importantly, the treatment of the super sensitive topic of Honour Killings by ace director Dibakar Banerjee was simply brilliant. In sharp contrast, Ajai Sinha makes a mockery of such a strong topic. It doesn’t take too much time to realize why Mr. Sinha was without a movie for over 6 years. His last one was this obscure movie called Stop! Now I haven’t see Stop! yet but the direction in Khap doesn’t inspire me at all to watch it.
What Dibakar Banerjee took less than 30 minutes to communicate, Ajai Sinha could not achieve in over 2 hours. Primarily because he spends truck loads of time to show us a useless love story between 2 barely legal kids (as per the movie they have just entered college). An extremely corny and of course predictable story unfolds through part of the movie between Ria (Yuvika Chaudhry) and Kush (Sarrtaj). Ria’s parents Madhur (Mohnish Bahl) and Komal (Anuradha Patel) have moved to the city 16 years back after Madhur fights with his father Chaudhary Saheb (Om Puri) over ways that can only be described as Jungle Law. Chaudhary Saheb is the President of the Khap – a collection of 40 villages where everyone is related to the other in some convoluted manner. A boy and a girl from the same Khap cannot get married. And if they are of the same “Gotra” then it is sacrilegious and calls for the death penalty – remember what I said about Jungle Law. Needless to say, Madhur had to run away because the rest of the clan refused to change its ways. But 16 years later, he returns as the lead of a Human Rights Commission group to try and find evidence. Easier said than done right?
Pathetic acting is the hallmark of Khap. And what beats me is that the likes of Om Puri and Govind Namdeo seem to have forgotten how to give any kind of performance. Doesn’t take much to figure out that Yuvika Chaudhry cannot act no matter how hard she tries. Add the ridiculous name of Sarrtaj to the same list that Yuvika is part of. Alok Nath comes in with a cameo about how the Khap also does lots of good (which is true by the way), falls flat with his acting, makes a fool of himself even with only 2 minutes of screen time and runs away with his tail between his legs – exceptionally embarrassing performance. He should stick to being the doting daddy of a girl child (which he has been doing forever). Direction, Editing, cinematography, screenplay, music and all the other aspects of good film making were all but absent throughout the 2+ hours. Horrible way to spend a Saturday morning. Sorry for posting the review late (if you saw the movie between Saturday afternoon and today). 2 on 10 and that’s only because it isn’t as bad as Milenge Milenge.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE7T4rrBCi
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
West is West
In some cases, it is only correct that the launch of a movie in India is delayed. That West is West was released within 4 months of the release in UK will remain one of the unsolved mysteries in the world. For my money’s worth, West is West could have well avoided its release in India. By no means is it as bad as some of the recent Anees Bazmee flicks that have torchered us. But by no means is that a benchmark to take when u release a movie in India right?
So insipid and boring is the script of WiW that even the exceptional capabilities of the likes of Om Puri and Vijay Raaz fall short in their attempt to lift the script and narration to the next level. There is just no content there for either of these fantastic actors to even try and deliver. I did read a candid confession from Om Puri sometime back that he does take up movies for just the money and now I am quite certain that he was referring to WiW. And I don’t think I should forget to mention that the better actors had to sustain quite a horrendous set of performances from the other half. WiW has just no consistency of performances. And that would speak volumes about the director’s inability to generate anything of substance from the cast. Andy DeEmmony continues to add to the list of TV directors who have cut a sorry figure in front of the world and continue to add fuel to the speculation that TV directors cannot make good directors on the silver screen. What gets to you even more is that all of this points towards a movie that has been made without any heart whatsoever. Everyone just seems to be going about their motions in stereo typical fashion – we have been paid for it, so may as well get it over and done with. Disappointing to say the least.
The insipid story is about Sajid (Aqib Khan), the youngest son of George / Jahangir Khan’s (Om Puri) second marriage to Ella (Linda Bassett). His is probably the worst life one could have bargained for. On one hand, he is the manifestation of, “Daddy mujhko bola – tu galti hai meri” (Dad tells me I am the mistake he made – literal translation of latest hit from new Bollywood movie Delhi Belly) and on the other hand the bullies at school make him suffer for being the Paki that he is. To make matters worse, he has a principal, Mr. Jordan (Robert Pugh) who keeps boring him with the starting lines of Kim by Rudyard Kipling – so much that he starts liking the idea as well. And then there is Maneer Khan (Emil Marwa) who is the elder brother, now in Pakistan and dutifully taking care of the farm there. George decides that he has had enough and takes the route known to most traditional Indian parents. He decides to take Sajid to Pakistan to get him familiar with his roots and try and get some Paki sense into his Brit brain. YAWN. 4 on 10 thanks to Om Puri and Vijay Raaz and maybe a little thank you to the “Hit by a truck” look that Ila Arun puts up through the entire movie. I would have given -10 for the weak attempt at mixing British humour with Paki / Indian humour but i am in a kind mood this morning.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3248528153/
So insipid and boring is the script of WiW that even the exceptional capabilities of the likes of Om Puri and Vijay Raaz fall short in their attempt to lift the script and narration to the next level. There is just no content there for either of these fantastic actors to even try and deliver. I did read a candid confession from Om Puri sometime back that he does take up movies for just the money and now I am quite certain that he was referring to WiW. And I don’t think I should forget to mention that the better actors had to sustain quite a horrendous set of performances from the other half. WiW has just no consistency of performances. And that would speak volumes about the director’s inability to generate anything of substance from the cast. Andy DeEmmony continues to add to the list of TV directors who have cut a sorry figure in front of the world and continue to add fuel to the speculation that TV directors cannot make good directors on the silver screen. What gets to you even more is that all of this points towards a movie that has been made without any heart whatsoever. Everyone just seems to be going about their motions in stereo typical fashion – we have been paid for it, so may as well get it over and done with. Disappointing to say the least.
The insipid story is about Sajid (Aqib Khan), the youngest son of George / Jahangir Khan’s (Om Puri) second marriage to Ella (Linda Bassett). His is probably the worst life one could have bargained for. On one hand, he is the manifestation of, “Daddy mujhko bola – tu galti hai meri” (Dad tells me I am the mistake he made – literal translation of latest hit from new Bollywood movie Delhi Belly) and on the other hand the bullies at school make him suffer for being the Paki that he is. To make matters worse, he has a principal, Mr. Jordan (Robert Pugh) who keeps boring him with the starting lines of Kim by Rudyard Kipling – so much that he starts liking the idea as well. And then there is Maneer Khan (Emil Marwa) who is the elder brother, now in Pakistan and dutifully taking care of the farm there. George decides that he has had enough and takes the route known to most traditional Indian parents. He decides to take Sajid to Pakistan to get him familiar with his roots and try and get some Paki sense into his Brit brain. YAWN. 4 on 10 thanks to Om Puri and Vijay Raaz and maybe a little thank you to the “Hit by a truck” look that Ila Arun puts up through the entire movie. I would have given -10 for the weak attempt at mixing British humour with Paki / Indian humour but i am in a kind mood this morning.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3248528153/
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Teen Thay Bhai
Teen Thay Bhai marks the debut of two people onto the big screen. The first is Mrigdeep Singh Lamba who makes his entry as a director. The other is the super star of the idiot box, Govinda’s niece - Ragini Khanna (Bhaskar Bharti / Sasural Genda Phool). When ROMP would have looked at the resume of this Assistant Director of hits like Don, misses like Yuvraaj and would have said to himself that this dude seems to be a decent bet. But I would also hazard a guess that ROMP has not kept himself as part of this production venture and has allowed Lamba to take as many liberties as he wanted. The resultant movie is one that seems significantly over the top, peppered with slapstick humour and a mish mash of sorts. And during the entire sham you are left wondering what 2 class actors who usually go by the names of Om Puri and Deepak Dobriyal are doing on screen.
The story primary revolves around 3 brothers who can barely look at each other or listen to the other’s voice, leave along staying under the same roof for a few minutes. The Gill family has been bought up by their Dadaji (Yograj Singh) who like any traditional Punjabi from the village is passionate about his land and doesn’t want to sell it off to anyone and brushes off a prospective buyer much to the disappointment of his eldest grandson Shikharjeet aka Chixie. So when Chixie decides to se. ll of his portion of the land, he gets a dose of “Tu apni maa to bech aaya”!!! (you have sold off your mother – when loosely translated coz these villagers treat their land like their mothers). Chixie thinks he has had enough and walks out of home to try and make something out of his life. A few decades later Chixie (Om Puri) finds himself married to a nag and the father of three extremely large sized daughters who are not able to find any suitable grooms. Most of them run away on sight. Chixie’s younger brother Harpreet aka Happy Gill (Deepak Dobriyal) is a dentist whose diagnosis of every single problem is “Shifting Pain”. The youngest, Fancy (Shreyas Talpade) is passionate about riding, acting and his brown Pomeranian Shanky and is absolutely good for nothing. Their gory lives are turned better when Dadaji passes away and leaves them a fortune of sorts. But to earn the fortune, they have to spend 3 days every year for the next 3 years under the same roof. Quite a challenge for these nitwits.
Other than Om Puri and Deepak Dobriyal who make the script look better than it actually is, there is not much to look forward to in TTB. Ragini Khanna is refreshing and can probably give Anushka Sharma a run for her money for the best smile in Bollywood but that’s about where it ends. Too small a role for me to make any judgement about her acting skills and I would be unfair if I didn’t say there was some potential there. Rounding off the acting department with the biggest misfit in this movie – Shreyas Talpade who cannot speak Punjabi to save his life and has done his capabilities a lot of damage with this movie. He is much better than what you see in TTB. Should make some better choices in the future. Overall TTB, as mentioned earlier doesn’t have too much of direction, script or editing. Could have done with a truck load of cuts. Vastly disappointing. 4 on 10 thanks to some acting from Om Puri and Dobriyal. Coimpletely forgettable other than that.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd6XG8ZO5UI
The story primary revolves around 3 brothers who can barely look at each other or listen to the other’s voice, leave along staying under the same roof for a few minutes. The Gill family has been bought up by their Dadaji (Yograj Singh) who like any traditional Punjabi from the village is passionate about his land and doesn’t want to sell it off to anyone and brushes off a prospective buyer much to the disappointment of his eldest grandson Shikharjeet aka Chixie. So when Chixie decides to se. ll of his portion of the land, he gets a dose of “Tu apni maa to bech aaya”!!! (you have sold off your mother – when loosely translated coz these villagers treat their land like their mothers). Chixie thinks he has had enough and walks out of home to try and make something out of his life. A few decades later Chixie (Om Puri) finds himself married to a nag and the father of three extremely large sized daughters who are not able to find any suitable grooms. Most of them run away on sight. Chixie’s younger brother Harpreet aka Happy Gill (Deepak Dobriyal) is a dentist whose diagnosis of every single problem is “Shifting Pain”. The youngest, Fancy (Shreyas Talpade) is passionate about riding, acting and his brown Pomeranian Shanky and is absolutely good for nothing. Their gory lives are turned better when Dadaji passes away and leaves them a fortune of sorts. But to earn the fortune, they have to spend 3 days every year for the next 3 years under the same roof. Quite a challenge for these nitwits.
Other than Om Puri and Deepak Dobriyal who make the script look better than it actually is, there is not much to look forward to in TTB. Ragini Khanna is refreshing and can probably give Anushka Sharma a run for her money for the best smile in Bollywood but that’s about where it ends. Too small a role for me to make any judgement about her acting skills and I would be unfair if I didn’t say there was some potential there. Rounding off the acting department with the biggest misfit in this movie – Shreyas Talpade who cannot speak Punjabi to save his life and has done his capabilities a lot of damage with this movie. He is much better than what you see in TTB. Should make some better choices in the future. Overall TTB, as mentioned earlier doesn’t have too much of direction, script or editing. Could have done with a truck load of cuts. Vastly disappointing. 4 on 10 thanks to some acting from Om Puri and Dobriyal. Coimpletely forgettable other than that.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd6XG8ZO5UI
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Action Replayy
Dear Robert Zemeckis – I hope and pray to God that you never get around to watching this broad day light carnage. At this rate they will get to Forrest Gump in a bit. So it may well be worth it to put some stay orders on Vipul Amrutlal Shah lest he considers making Action Replayy 2 and then 3 and then eventually gets to being “inspired” by your best movie to date. Please consider this as a humble request to send your people to set up a representative office here in India – or at least ask Universal Pictures to do the same. It is a humble request / plea.
Bunty (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Tanya (Sudeepa Singh) are in a relationship for quite a while now. Funnily, Tanya is the person who has been asking Bunty to marry him for quite some time now. If I had someone like Tanya I would grab her with every single bone in my body – I mean seriously the chick is HOT guys!!!! She was to date known for only the small screen. 2 serials under her belt – Risshton Ki Dor & Kabhie To Nazar Milao – and thanks to Vipul Amrutlal Shah she is no longer seen only on a 29”screen . Nevertheless, for someone to reject several marriage proposals from Tanya would mean some kind of terminal illness or child abuse which has left a permanent scar on his brain and prevents him from understanding the difference between True Love and Hotness (trust me – Hotness prevails ). It would seem that Bunty has been a victim of the latter – CHILD ABUSE – those long drawn nights where his parents – Kishen (AK) and Mala (ARB) – who were never meant to be together spent hours on end fighting over the most trivial issues. These instances have gotten our poor little Bunty to a situation where he has given up on the institution of marriage completely.
But Tanya will have nothing of it. She has had it finally and wants Bunty to make his decision right away – Atta girl I say, I am first in line after Bunty. But my excitement is to be short lived as Tanya drags Bunty to meet her Grandfather (who she refers to as Grandpa in the same manner as a 6 year old would – and the bubble of Tanya has finally burst – Bunty you can have her). Now Grandpa (Randhir Kapoor) has an equally corny name – Gonsalves – Anthony Gonsalves (By now u are reaching for your own throat). He gives Bunty 24 hours to decide whether he wants to marry Tanya or not. But Bunty is more fascinated with the old scientist’s (Oops I forgot to mention that Anthony Gonsalves was a scientist) contraption or Time Machine as he refers to it. Bunty dodges the marriage question by claiming that it is his parents 35th Anniversary the next day and he is too busy to think about marriage. As luck would have it, Kishen and Mala cannot help but fight once again and things come to breaking point – DIVORCE!!!! I mean it took them 35 years to get there!!!! Some patience. Bunty swears that he will not let the D word enter the family and runs off to meet to scientist, takes his time machine and sets off to 1975 to change what he calls the one mistake in his life that he would change if he could – his parent’s marriage.
My sentiments of Action Replayy are best captured by one of my co-movie watchers who probably ruined his Diwali evening too. At the interval there was a loud, “THANK GOD”!!! that erupted from a dark recess in the movie hall. Just a word of advise though. If you have survived till the interval – believe me the toughest part is over. The 2nd half is much better but don’t get your hopes too high. Much better than the first half is what I meant. The 4 good things for me in Action Replayy were the introduction of Sudeepa Singh (purely from the perspective of hotness), the voice in the interval which said “Thank God”, The music which is really foot tapping and worth listening to and lastly the way Kishen says “Aawaaz Neeche”!!!! once he changes his avatar to a super confident one. The rest of the movie is vastly forgettable.
Direction is pretty much absent most of the time. Consistency has nothing to be written home about. Posters of Bobby (released 1973) still dot the lamp posts outside Capitol cinema in 1975. AK has lost his comic timing more than 2 years back. Ash has anyways been only furniture. The only time she has tried to act was when SLB directed her. The costume designing is a total khichdi between everything from the 60s to the first decade of the 21st century. The sets look good till you figure out quite clearly that a lot of it is Computer Graphics work very badly executed. The support cast with the exception of Kirron Kher and Om Puri is extremely insipid. This music as mentioned earlier is a saving grace but even that may have been “inspired” considering it comes from the house of Pritam. I know Nakhre is inspired from a 60s number. But the rest will eventually come to light (hopefully not). 2 on 10 is the verdict from my end. Not the worst movie of the year as predicted from my side earlier.
Bunty (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Tanya (Sudeepa Singh) are in a relationship for quite a while now. Funnily, Tanya is the person who has been asking Bunty to marry him for quite some time now. If I had someone like Tanya I would grab her with every single bone in my body – I mean seriously the chick is HOT guys!!!! She was to date known for only the small screen. 2 serials under her belt – Risshton Ki Dor & Kabhie To Nazar Milao – and thanks to Vipul Amrutlal Shah she is no longer seen only on a 29”screen . Nevertheless, for someone to reject several marriage proposals from Tanya would mean some kind of terminal illness or child abuse which has left a permanent scar on his brain and prevents him from understanding the difference between True Love and Hotness (trust me – Hotness prevails ). It would seem that Bunty has been a victim of the latter – CHILD ABUSE – those long drawn nights where his parents – Kishen (AK) and Mala (ARB) – who were never meant to be together spent hours on end fighting over the most trivial issues. These instances have gotten our poor little Bunty to a situation where he has given up on the institution of marriage completely.
But Tanya will have nothing of it. She has had it finally and wants Bunty to make his decision right away – Atta girl I say, I am first in line after Bunty. But my excitement is to be short lived as Tanya drags Bunty to meet her Grandfather (who she refers to as Grandpa in the same manner as a 6 year old would – and the bubble of Tanya has finally burst – Bunty you can have her). Now Grandpa (Randhir Kapoor) has an equally corny name – Gonsalves – Anthony Gonsalves (By now u are reaching for your own throat). He gives Bunty 24 hours to decide whether he wants to marry Tanya or not. But Bunty is more fascinated with the old scientist’s (Oops I forgot to mention that Anthony Gonsalves was a scientist) contraption or Time Machine as he refers to it. Bunty dodges the marriage question by claiming that it is his parents 35th Anniversary the next day and he is too busy to think about marriage. As luck would have it, Kishen and Mala cannot help but fight once again and things come to breaking point – DIVORCE!!!! I mean it took them 35 years to get there!!!! Some patience. Bunty swears that he will not let the D word enter the family and runs off to meet to scientist, takes his time machine and sets off to 1975 to change what he calls the one mistake in his life that he would change if he could – his parent’s marriage.
My sentiments of Action Replayy are best captured by one of my co-movie watchers who probably ruined his Diwali evening too. At the interval there was a loud, “THANK GOD”!!! that erupted from a dark recess in the movie hall. Just a word of advise though. If you have survived till the interval – believe me the toughest part is over. The 2nd half is much better but don’t get your hopes too high. Much better than the first half is what I meant. The 4 good things for me in Action Replayy were the introduction of Sudeepa Singh (purely from the perspective of hotness), the voice in the interval which said “Thank God”, The music which is really foot tapping and worth listening to and lastly the way Kishen says “Aawaaz Neeche”!!!! once he changes his avatar to a super confident one. The rest of the movie is vastly forgettable.
Direction is pretty much absent most of the time. Consistency has nothing to be written home about. Posters of Bobby (released 1973) still dot the lamp posts outside Capitol cinema in 1975. AK has lost his comic timing more than 2 years back. Ash has anyways been only furniture. The only time she has tried to act was when SLB directed her. The costume designing is a total khichdi between everything from the 60s to the first decade of the 21st century. The sets look good till you figure out quite clearly that a lot of it is Computer Graphics work very badly executed. The support cast with the exception of Kirron Kher and Om Puri is extremely insipid. This music as mentioned earlier is a saving grace but even that may have been “inspired” considering it comes from the house of Pritam. I know Nakhre is inspired from a 60s number. But the rest will eventually come to light (hopefully not). 2 on 10 is the verdict from my end. Not the worst movie of the year as predicted from my side earlier.
Friday, 10 September 2010
Dabangg
Whenever I see a Salman Khan movie, I am reminded of my time in Chennai for a couple of years. 1998 Diwali saw the release of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. What I wasn’t expecting though is the reaction that the crowd gave to the entry of Salman. The only other time that I have seen such adulation for any actor in Chennai would obviously involve “Rajni mera god, rajni mera bhagavan, rajni mera sab kuch”. I was seriously surprised that the PVR Mulund crowd turned out to be very well behaved with just a little bit of whistling and cat calls when Chulbul a.k.a. Robin Hood Pandey (Salman Khan) makes his appearance sporting an absolutely fabulous new look which most people that I have spoken to have liked. Yes Salman, the verdict on the pencil moustache is that you must keep it on… at least for a while.
Anyways, getting to the story. Chulbul and Makkhi Pandey are step brothers. Prajapati Pandey (Vinod Khanna) and Naini (Dimple Kapadia) get married when she loses her husband and is left with a 2 year old son – Chulbul….. yes you can laugh your guts out at this stage itself…. I mean parents would have really hated their kids to name them Chulbul and Makkhi!!!!! Nevertheless, CB grows up under the shadow of a step father with no bonding whatsoever and swears that he will make it his mission in life to be more respected that either of them when he grows up. 21 years later, we find CB chasing down a bunch of dacoits who have just looted a bank. In the ensuing fight, he gets the money back but decides to keep it with himself (don’t ask why OR how). Turns out that the money belongs to Chhedi Singh (Sonu Sood) and Mr. Dacoit was part of his band of goons collecting funds for the upcoming elections. CB, however, refuses to pay obeisance to Chhedi and a delectable rivalry develops.
In the meantime Makhanlal b.k.a. (“better known as” for the not so logical ) Makkhi (Arbaaz Khan) has grown up to still disappoint his father and continues to be good for nothing. How he manages to find himself a woman is beyond me but he is romantically involved with Nirmala (Mahi Gill) and they want to get married. But Nirmala’s father (Tinnu Anand) will hear nothing of it coz Sr. Pandey wants a huge amount in dowry. So he asks Makkhi to first sort out his differences with papa dear. As luck would have it, Makkhi gets his hands on big brother’s cupboard keys and promptly steals the money, gets cot by mummy in the process, but with no choice, keeps the money. As all of this is going on, CB has already gone bonkers over Rajo (the oh so gorgeous Sonakshi Sinha).
Yes it is true… what the promos are calling out… He is back this Eid… And he is back with Dabangg!!!! An amazingly cheesy movie with absolutely nothing new in the story. And yet the crowds go gaga and were whistling and cat calling through the little over 2 hours that first time director Abhinav Kashyap dishes out. A repeat of Wanted from last Eid. But this one is kind of pale in comparison. Sallu Bhai retains his pivotal role and brilliant dialogues which take some time to grow on you. So if you are not a fan of the movies such as Wanted then avoid Dabangg like the plague. But seriously…. Why would you not be a fan of movies such as Wanted would be difficult for me to comprehend. To give you a flavor of some of the viginettes - , “Varna Chhedi Singh hum tum mein itni chhed karenge ki conphuse ho jaaoge ki saans kahan se le rahe ho aur paad kahaan se rahe ho”!!!! No one can beat Sallu Bhai in a role like this one. With all due respect to Rajni Sir and our younger gentlemen friends sprinkled South of the Vindhyas.
I personally thought, Abhinav Kashyap’s direction was pretty good and he makes the cut. The action sequences were good but finished just a bit tackily like they do in the movies that come out of Ramoji Film City. He does his best to get whatever he can out of yet another debutante in Sonakshi Sinha who I am not sure can act. That she barely had a role didn’t help. Also under strict instructions from Papa dear there was not much skin showing. But who says u have to show skin to look sexy???? On that count, I am glad to inform that we have a sizzler on our hands folks. The rest of the cast is pretty much relegated to the back seat. The music is quite good with a guarantee that “Munni Badnaam” will be playing through the year @ discos and is definitely part of the new years eve list. Signing off with a big Thank You to Sallu Bhai for giving us yet another entertainer. I am giving this 5 on 10 purely because as a movie there were way too many gaps. But out of personal choice - SUPER HIT HAI BHAI… I would not mind seeing Dabangg again…. Anyone game????
Anyways, getting to the story. Chulbul and Makkhi Pandey are step brothers. Prajapati Pandey (Vinod Khanna) and Naini (Dimple Kapadia) get married when she loses her husband and is left with a 2 year old son – Chulbul….. yes you can laugh your guts out at this stage itself…. I mean parents would have really hated their kids to name them Chulbul and Makkhi!!!!! Nevertheless, CB grows up under the shadow of a step father with no bonding whatsoever and swears that he will make it his mission in life to be more respected that either of them when he grows up. 21 years later, we find CB chasing down a bunch of dacoits who have just looted a bank. In the ensuing fight, he gets the money back but decides to keep it with himself (don’t ask why OR how). Turns out that the money belongs to Chhedi Singh (Sonu Sood) and Mr. Dacoit was part of his band of goons collecting funds for the upcoming elections. CB, however, refuses to pay obeisance to Chhedi and a delectable rivalry develops.
In the meantime Makhanlal b.k.a. (“better known as” for the not so logical ) Makkhi (Arbaaz Khan) has grown up to still disappoint his father and continues to be good for nothing. How he manages to find himself a woman is beyond me but he is romantically involved with Nirmala (Mahi Gill) and they want to get married. But Nirmala’s father (Tinnu Anand) will hear nothing of it coz Sr. Pandey wants a huge amount in dowry. So he asks Makkhi to first sort out his differences with papa dear. As luck would have it, Makkhi gets his hands on big brother’s cupboard keys and promptly steals the money, gets cot by mummy in the process, but with no choice, keeps the money. As all of this is going on, CB has already gone bonkers over Rajo (the oh so gorgeous Sonakshi Sinha).
Yes it is true… what the promos are calling out… He is back this Eid… And he is back with Dabangg!!!! An amazingly cheesy movie with absolutely nothing new in the story. And yet the crowds go gaga and were whistling and cat calling through the little over 2 hours that first time director Abhinav Kashyap dishes out. A repeat of Wanted from last Eid. But this one is kind of pale in comparison. Sallu Bhai retains his pivotal role and brilliant dialogues which take some time to grow on you. So if you are not a fan of the movies such as Wanted then avoid Dabangg like the plague. But seriously…. Why would you not be a fan of movies such as Wanted would be difficult for me to comprehend. To give you a flavor of some of the viginettes - , “Varna Chhedi Singh hum tum mein itni chhed karenge ki conphuse ho jaaoge ki saans kahan se le rahe ho aur paad kahaan se rahe ho”!!!! No one can beat Sallu Bhai in a role like this one. With all due respect to Rajni Sir and our younger gentlemen friends sprinkled South of the Vindhyas.
I personally thought, Abhinav Kashyap’s direction was pretty good and he makes the cut. The action sequences were good but finished just a bit tackily like they do in the movies that come out of Ramoji Film City. He does his best to get whatever he can out of yet another debutante in Sonakshi Sinha who I am not sure can act. That she barely had a role didn’t help. Also under strict instructions from Papa dear there was not much skin showing. But who says u have to show skin to look sexy???? On that count, I am glad to inform that we have a sizzler on our hands folks. The rest of the cast is pretty much relegated to the back seat. The music is quite good with a guarantee that “Munni Badnaam” will be playing through the year @ discos and is definitely part of the new years eve list. Signing off with a big Thank You to Sallu Bhai for giving us yet another entertainer. I am giving this 5 on 10 purely because as a movie there were way too many gaps. But out of personal choice - SUPER HIT HAI BHAI… I would not mind seeing Dabangg again…. Anyone game????
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