Ungli

Rensil D’Silva’s latest and much awaited movie has been in the press for all the right reasons.  The right promotional bursts followed by a tinge of controversy thanks to the use of the much maligned middle finger.  Cutting the use of the dreaded finger twice got it a U/A certificate and a Friday morning reception that was slightly better than some big banner movies.

Rang Rasiya

I began watching Rang Rasiya in the frame of mind of an amateur critic like I always do. The single minded objective was to find every mistake that Ketan Mehta made and believe me that I could find lots of them. There were errors galore to say the least and some of them made you cringe.

Kick (Hindi) (2014)

Dialogues such as “Scooter aur Bike ki dekhi hai.  Pele aur Beckham ki dekhi hai.  Par yeh kaisa Kick hai” litter Salman Bhai’s “Eidi” to all his fans.  Picture this dialogue against a setting of a certain Inspector Himanshu Tyagi (Randeep Hooda) trying to woo Dr. Shaina Mehra (Jacqueline Fernandez) and it loses whatever little impact it has.

Highway

Before I start waxing eloquent, and deservedly so, about Highway, I would like to take this opportunity to call out 3 names that don’t feature on most sites as part of the cast of Highway.  Durgesh Kumar who plays Aadoo, Pradeep Nagar who plays Tonk and Saharsh Kumar Shukla who plays Gaurav aka Goru.

JohnDay

The posters claim, “An Edge of the seat thriller from the makers of A Wednesday”.  The similarity with A Wednesday unfortunately ends with the fact that Naseeruddin Shah was part of both movies.  The premise and story of JohnDay is significantly different from that of A Wednesday.

Bombay Talkies

Last Friday (26^th April 2013), I was watching The Front Row with Anupama Chopra.  It was the 1^st anniversary edition and the one that previewed Bombay Talkies with its four directors.  During the show, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee were waxing eloquent about Karan Johar.

Murder 3

Vishesh Bhatt has to date restricted himself to producing under his banner of Vishesh Films.  But it was only a matter of time before he jumped into the directorial band wagon.  Well Murder 3 was that opportunity for Vishesh Bhatt to literally Murder the audience with his brand of direction.

Heroine

Dear Mr. Madhur Bhandarkar – a few pointers that I picked up from Heroine

1. What is the necessity of getting in so many characters into the movie to support your main cast? After a while, I actually lost count of the number of characters. Aryan (Rampal) is boyfriend 1. Angad (Randeep Hooda) is boyfriend 2. Rashidbhai (Govind Namdeo) is secretary. Pramita (Shahana) is lesbian fling. Mummy (Lilette Dubey) is having affair with politician. Rhea Mehra (Mugdha Ghodse), Shaheen (Pooja Chopra)and Gayatri Reddy (Meenakshi – I think) are competitors. Tapan Da (Ranveer Shorey) is an eccentric Bengali director. Abbas (Sanjay Suri) is the hot shot lead actor. Zara (Shilpi Sharma) is Abbas’ wife!!! Like WTF??? The average movie watcher would go half psycho by the time s/he finishes the first 45 mins.

2. And why is everyone after ruining Randeep Hooda’s image as an actor by forcing him to over act like his life depended on it?

3. Arjun Rampal is one of the – if not THE MOST – constipated in this performance of his. He was always challenged but this time the struggle was super obvious.

4. Why in the blazes would you make up Kareena to look even more heinous than she looks normally? Seriously – some of the shots with mascara running down her face made me believe that Heroine was a horror flick ala Vikram Bhatt.

5. And as if that weren’t sufficient, your actual run time is 2 hrs 29 mins!!!! What???? Seriously???? SERIOUSLY???? Why do you have to stretch all your stories to an extent that it starts competing with Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan – in my time it was called the Height of Elasticity.

6. And what makes you believe that everyone and their uncle and their mother in the movie industry is a chain smoker? The “Cigarette Smoking is injurious to health” disclaimer at the beginning was apt for Heroine. There was barely a shot in which there was no cigarette. Now don’t get me wrong – I am a smoker myself but with so much smoke around, I would have contracted cancer even by watching. And if the idea is true then at least try and get your actors and actresses to smoke naturally and not like they have been forced into it.

7. For future reference – Please do not use terms such as Bi-Polar disorder loosely. It is a serious psychiatric issue. Mahie Arora (Kareena Kapoor) showed any indication of a “frenzied state (as described by Wikipedia)” probably only once in the entire movie. Eccentric – yes. Bipolar disorder – you fell way short of that. – not the first time you are doing it.

8. But fear not. The movie is not fraught with only bad points. There are some high points in acting for certain. I thought the support cast – no matter how unnecessary they were – actually put in a solid effort. Govind Namdeo, Shahana Goswami, Divya Dutta, Helen and even Ranveer Shorey as the eccentric Bengali director were all superb.

9. So much that they kind of overshadowed a performance from Kareena that was much better than her usual performances to date. Maybe she really took a leaf from the role of Tarannum that she played in the movie. All this despite the sad make up. Overall, a decent watch, despite all the negatives.

10. Yet again, you have delivered an average flick that will be received reasonably at the Box Office, make some money and maybe get a national award (much as I would hate Kareena pipping Vidya Balan’s performance in Kahaani).

11. Will the audience get bored? No. But is it essential to watch on big screen – No again. 5 on 10.

Thanks & Regards

An avid movie watcher and a hopeful that someday you will deliver a superb movie

Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWB_h91HqP0

Jism 2

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Cocktail (Hindi 2012)

Cocktail is directed by Homi Adajania whose first movie was Being Cyrus (remember) which I thought was a very good piece of work. And I was quite amused at the expression that someone gave me when I predicted that Cocktail will be a very good movie. I trusted Homi to deliver a movie that was at least as well made as his singular previous attempt.

For those who came in late, by well made, I mean attention to detail, getting the finer aspects correct, ensuring that the right cuts are made, making sure that there are minimal or zero consistency errors etc. etc. etc. At the end of 150 minutes, I was disappointed with all these aspects of the movie – I can now visualize my friend grinning ear to ear saying “I told you so”.

Thanks to a decent story line, this RomCom which is written by Imtiaz Ali and Sajid Ali (and it has Imtiaz Ali ALL OVER IT), turns out to be a decent watch. Cocktail is the story of three people who get thrown in together by some twists of fate and go onto become really good friends. Gautam (Saif Ali Khan) is a Casanova of sorts. A software engineer in London who hits on anything that is in a skirt or a saree or salwar or even a pair of jeans. And is successful more often than not. Veronica (Deepika Padukone) is the female equivalent of Gautam who spends most of her non working time getting smashed out of her wits on endless rounds of tequila shots and other varieties of alcohol.

And then there is Meera (Diana Penty) who is a demure damsel from India. She has flown into London only to find out that her husband (Randeep Hooda) is part of an elaborate immigration scheme and doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore. She bumps into Veronica who takes her in and they become close friends in a short while. In comes Gautam and so does a steamy relationship with Veronica. Meera makes sure that she stays out of their way and makes her dislike for Gautam quite obvious at all occasions – but then one cannot help remember the Airtel tag line about friends.

Cocktail turns out to be a good enough film to be seen once at the end of the day. A story line that has been seen before in Indian cinema but hasn’t been portrayed in a RomCom sort of way. Cocktail bridges that gap for sure but it could have done with some better finishing. The performances are reasonably strong across the board but I was disappointed with Deepika who has gone over the top at times. Diana Penty is quite good if you manage to look beyond her stunning looks that is (I can assure you it was extremely difficult) – but I guess she will stick around just on the basis of the latter for a while to come.

Superb performances from Boman Irani and Dimple Kapadia who outshine everyone else with little or no effort. Pritam’s definitely inspired music sounds good in parts but not so great in parts. Lot of psychedelic effects to show the pain and conflict in Veronica’s mind towards the end. Was irritating but good. Overall, worth a dekko. Don’t expect much and definitely don’t expect something as good as Cyrus. 5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FfBzyiU0ZU

Jannat 2

I believe that it is time for Mahesh Bhatt to open a school or write a book on the art of making successful cinema – mind you, the operative word here being successful. Not brilliant cinema. Just a book that gives young movie makers an insight into what goes into making a hit movie. A few tricks that I have picked up from a genre of cinema that I would like to call – Mahesh Bhatt as under

1. Ensure there is a super hot woman in the movie even if she has no clue about the first thing that goes into acting. If she knows a bit of acting as is the case with Esha Gupta then you have a better chance of success
2. Ensure that there is at least one hit song in the movie. One which people remember for a really long time and identify at the first note that this is from a movie called XYZ – in this case Jannat 2
3. Ensure there is enough use of language that people can identify with. One that they don’t associate with regular cinema and therefore gets people a bit amused. For e.g. “Mere sar pe kya CHUTIYA likha hai”? Or get the hero to mouth the words “Iski to maa ki” and ensure that it is visible
4. Ensure that the story line is one that doesn’t put people to sleep. Preferably pick up a new topic like illegal small arms dealing – one which is right there for the taking and has surprisingly never been dealt with before.
5. Pick average stars who can hold their own on the screen and hope and pray that one of them comes up with a stellar performance like Randeep Hooda does in the movie under consideration. Even if that doesn’t happen, you haven’t paid too much and will ensure with the previous 4 points that you at least break even. If you get a hit performance they you will laugh your way to the bank.
6. Just enough of action, short chases, some shooting etc. that acts as the seasoning on a salad. The right amount to spice things up.
7. Throw in a sex scene and around 4 to 5 kisses for good measure. As they say – salt to taste

So my dear readers, if you guys were to follow the above instructions and ever make a movie then ensure that you pay obeisance to the great Mahesh Bhatt who mastered this art and has been magnanimous enough to pass it on to directors such as Kunal Deshmukh who are now well on their way to mastering the art. I thought Jannat 2 could have done with a name change at least. The title sounds very corny. Even if they had named it Sonu Dilli KKC (what a campaign I say!!!) it would have been great. Try catching up with this one whenever you can. You will not be bored. 6 on 10.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi387949337/

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster

I think here is a movie that turns out to be a slight disappointment simply because of the sheer expectation that was built up before I managed to see it last week. It released right at the beginning of a 2 week movie drought for this writer. One of those periods which I dread because the choice that I need to make is between sleeping for 6 hours v/s 3 hours and the body is just not capable of handling those long long days without sleep. All courtesy that magic four letter word – WORK (what was your dirty mind thinking). But during those days, I was probably the only person at work who had not seen Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. And the rave reviews of the movie only aided in getting my expectations to a high. Therefore when I walked into the movie hall, I was expecting a 6 on 10 at least, if not a 7 on 10. Ergo the disappointment of getting a movie which was probably a 5 on 10 to be absolutely fair.
Tigmanshu Dhulia’s debut as director was the Jimmy Shergill movie Haasil which, I was given to understand, was an extremely intense movie and a welcome change for Jimmy Shergill who had till then been labeled as a chocolate boy hero thanks to his mushy roles in the likes of Mohabbatein. Something that I have personally held against him all this while – Jimmy Shergill that is. Nevertheless, coming back to Dhulia’s capability to direct a motion picture – lets be fair and call it solid. He could definitely use some more effort in paying close attention to the final product along with the editing team to cut certain parts which got this movie into drift mode more times than I was comfortable. You could catch yourself just about drifting off at least a couple of times in the movie. I personally felt that he could have done with about 15 minutes off.

His capability to get the actors to emote on screen doesn’t seem to be questionable from what I saw in SBG. I have always felt that Mahie Gill was a one movie wonder and she did show signs of the commitment behind Paro, that got her fame and credibility in the first place. I guess the credit here goes to Dhulia. And I would say the same of Jimmy Shergill and surprise surprise – Randeep Hooda who for my money’s worth was the pick of the cast. Where were you all this time Hooda Saheb??? Release the true Hooda and his capabilities out more often I say. The only wasted opportunity by any of the cast would have been Shweta Narayan who could have done so much better with her small but pivotal role but I guess Dhulia could not get her to come up with the goods. The cinematography was again solid. And that’s what the movie was I guess – at the risk of repeating myself – SOLID. Nothing more. Nothing less. 5 on 10. Watch it. Doesn’t matter if it is on cable. Worth a dekko.

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MpB95_ArXA

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai

Beyond the myth... Lies Mumbai's greatest betrayal

And that’s what DCP Agnel Wilson (Randeep Hooda) thinks he is to blame for. Its that guilt that leads him to attempt suicide. He believes that he gave up a chance when he had the best one. Unfortunately his attempted suicide fails and he finds himself in front of the commissioner of police explaining himself and the story of Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn) and Shoaib Khan (Emraan Hashmi).

Sultan Mirza comes to Mumbai after a flood in Chennai forces him out of the city. He would not be more than 10 years old when he starts working in the dockyard. At an early age he starts showing people that he cares. He makes just 4 annas (25p) every day (mind you it’s a really long time back) but gives away 1 anna to a beggar when she asks him to. All he says is, “Dua mein yaad rakhna” (remember me in your prayers). He starts doing odd jobs for the local goons and gains their trust and over time starts controlling the docks. The other gospel truth that he lives by, “Jab Dost banake kaam ho sakta hai to Dushman kyon banaye” (When one can get work done by making friends then why make enemies). Realising that there is no point in fighting with rival gangs, he calls the 4 big players – Vishnu, Pathan, Vardhan and Verghese – where he successfully suggests the division of Mumbai into clear territories for each one. In the bargain he retains control of the 5 territory – the sea.

Enter Shoaib Khan. Son of Inspector Khan who reports into ACP Agnel Wilson (at that time). He has always been severely stubborn and convinced that there is no point in following the right path. He keeps indulging in petty crimes to make a living. On the insistence of Inspector Khan, Sultan provides Shoaib with an opportunity to start a small electronics store. But when he gets caught for some of his past crimes, Sultan has no other choice but to induct him to the core business i.e. Smuggling. Patrick (Naved Aslam), Sultan’s right hand man, is not comfortable with the idea but lets it pass.

In between all of this, Sultan’s love life comes alive thanks to him sweeping leading actress Rihana (Kangana Ranaut) off her feet with some sheer persistence. Also, the only piece of furniture in the movie, Mumtaz (Prachi Desai) makes her appearance as Shoaib’s love interest. Rihana and Sultan share a publicly known relationship but aren’t married. However, when Rihana is diaganosed with Congenital Heart Disease (Hole in the heart) he decides to get out of managing the core business to a more supervisory role (read politician). When he goes to meet the home minister, he leaves the responsibility of the business with Shoaib.

OUATIM is a well made period movie which deals with one of the favourite topics for most audiences – gangsters. The similarities between the story of Haji Mastan and Dawood are unmistakable – no matter how much the producers may put a disclaimer. But at the end of the day that’s what rakes in the moolah I guess. The fact that the movie has been around for over 4 weeks now and running fairly successfuly is a fair indicator that the crowds like it.

All in all, I think Milan Luthria does a good job with the direction. There are some gaffes that could have been managed well like the nice 21st Century heels that Ms. Desai wears in the song “Pee Loon” under her Sharara. This could have been hidden better I thought. Also, Sultan and Rihana are seen having dinner or lunch @ the Renaissance which I am quite sure didn’t exist in the 70s. Could have gone in for a more relevant location, especially since the map of Mumbai very clearly calls out only greater Mumbai. Now how did they get to Powai when it didn’t exist. And then there is the cigarette that Shoaib smokes which clearly is a B&H – wonder if they were around at that time in India. These kind of eliminate the overall good attention to detail in aspects such as costumes which are very well designed and apt for the period. If only the finishing at the cutting table was better.

Ajay Devgn comes in with yet another stand out performance. Yes its true that actors mature with age. One cant imagine that this was the same “Charsi” looking face that hit the screens with Phool Aur Kaante nearly 20 years back. Mr. Devgn (without the a) – you have definitely come a long way. And the dropping of “a” seems to have helped too. Emraan Hashmi needs to drop his constipated looks which he believes makes him look like an “Angry Young Man” and stick what he does best – kissing his leading ladies. Prachi Desai is furniture and if it hadn’t been for the controversial love making scene that her family seems to be extremely upset about, she would have been relegated to furniture. Surprisingly, Kangana looks extremely stunning. Brilliant work with the make up I must say. This is the best I have seen Kangana and in all fairness, one cannot take eyes off her.

The movie keeps you quite involved all the way through. Narration is strong enough to keep audiences interested. Overall a 6 on 10. Must take time out to watch if not done yet.