Dekh Tamasha Dekh

About 2-3 minutes into Feroze Abbas Khan’s second venture into Bollywood your reaction would be, “This doesn’t seem like a movie at all”.  For those unaware, FAK is a much more well known for his exploits in the theatre circuit.  It seems like the baggage from theatre has been carried over to Dekh Tamasha Dekh not just in terms of narration but more obviously in terms of cast.

Lakshmi

Within a matter of 24 hours, I am going to begin a review with the name Satish Kaushik in the first sentence.  This time, however, I am going to speak about Satish Kaushik the actor.  My respect for the man as a director is nowhere close to that as an actor.  Kaushik as an actor in a serious role such as Reddy Garu in Lakshmi is simply outstanding.  I hope to see many such performances from this brilliant actor in the years to come.

Gang of Ghosts (Hindi 2014)

Most Satish Kaushik movies are fraught with corny lines that make your cringe.  Usually he is also in front of the camera to delivery these liners in his typical poetic manner but this time around he decides to stay behind.  Let’s have a look at some of these vignettes from Shri Kaushik’s latest release – Gang of Ghosts.

David

It is 1975 and the setting is the city of the Big Ben.  We have a special group of Indian services personnel who are in a conversation with someone who seems quite influential.  The common thread – Iqbal Ghani – a renowned gangster who has complete control over the South Asian community in that part of the world.  He is also wanted for activities that India deem “not safe”.  The group of people are plotting his death.  The only way that is possible is if they get through to one man.

 

Cut to 1999.  Maximum City.  A reverend – Father Noel (Nasser) is addressing a group of people in an attempt to get them to contribute towards helping people who have been impacted by a suburban fire.  He is being supported by his daughters Alice (Shweta Pandit) and Sussannah (Shweta Menon).  But when the water truck makes its appearance, the crowd disappears equally quick.  His son, a musician, walks in at the end of it all and mocks his father’s attempts.

 

Cut once again.  To a place that is considered to be paradise by most people on the west coast.  And I am not talking about God’s Own Country (some may argue that this is the original version of GOC).  A well-built man is getting drunk in a shack by mixing whiskey and soda through a funnel.  He is being mocked by most around him as the unluckiest man on the planet because of his runaway bride.  The result – most at the bar (including a woman) finds herself sore and on the floor.

 

What connects these 3? DAVID.  That’s what their parents named them.  But how do their lives come together? It is 3^rd February in the respective years.  By 3^rd March, they will all be faced with a huge choice that they need to make and will impact their lives significantly. 

 

I loved Shaitan – and I think I am a small portion of the audience.  And I was expecting at least as good from Bejoy Nambiar.  In terms of the way the movie was made, absolutely no debate that he has lived upto his reputation.  But where he probably gets it wrong this time around is the story.  You are left waiting forever to figure out why there are 3 storylines in the first place.

 

Also, the casting could have done with at least one change.  Chiyaan Vikram was a disaster.  I am quite certain that if there was more effort put in, we could have found someone closer home.  The music was again quite different. While I liked the version of Dama Dum Mast Kalandar, I could not quite understand the reason for its positioning in the movie.

 

At the end of day, David is not meant for the masses for sure.  It is a very well made movie but how many people will be able to sustain the 140 minutes of semi-commercial cinema remains to be seen.  In my books, the best movie this year to date.  6.5 on 10.

 

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/user/bigpictures?v=fmOBx6jS3Fc

Chatur Singh Two Star

The posters were quite obviously indicating a clear inspiration from Pink Panther and better sense should have prevailed over me before I picked up the tickets for Chatur Singh Two Star. But then I had to go ahead with a decision that on hindsight (a virtue that everyone has) is one that I really regretted for the next couple of hours. Now you may ask me why I spent 2 hours inside the theatre when I had a choice of walking out in the first 5 minutes – that’s all it takes to realize that CSTS is one of the worst movies ever made in the history of cinema? That can make it easily to Reader’s Digest’s “Mysteries of the Unexplained”.

I am a huge fan of Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther) and his hilarious side-kick Kato. And I was literally in tears and almost cried to see the entire concept torn to shreds by first time director (again) Ajay Chandhok. It is quite obvious as to why Chandhok took 16 movies as an Assistant Director before he was given this opportunity. Must have really done some big time favours to the producers for them to hand over their hard earned money to Chandhok. There is no point in speaking about script or cinematography or screenplay or dialogues or editing or consistency or narration or music or finishing or whatever it is that goes into making a movie watchable. Chandhok will need to consider himself really really lucky to have a chance at making any other movie after this.

Acting? What acting? Was there someone who did in this movie? Sanjay Dutt has all but put up a neon sign which says “My acting days are over”. Suresh Menon is expected to be slapstick and he sticks to what he knows best – slapstick. And Anupam Kher? Why? Why?? Why??? Ameesha Patel has also joined the neon sign club but this time it says – “I work in only C grade movies that expect me to show my ample cleavage”. There are a couple of item numbers showing Ameesha in various stages of cleavage – that she has quite a bit to show is not debatable. I guess this was the only aspect that caught the attention of the half a dozen couples who chose to walk into Sterling Cinema on a Saturday morning to make out.

I was extremely disappointed with the Steve Martin version itself which I thought did little justice to the extremely classy manner that Peter Sellers gets the concept of a bumbling bungling detective to life. Lets get that a few notches lower in the form of Chatur Singh who is rank insulting to the great man to say the least. The only reason I would give this any score is because it would be easier for my fans to search the 0 on 10 that I am about to give. Yes, this one even beats Milenge Milenge as the movie which would be screened most in most film institutes under the subject – How not to make a movie. The common factor – Satish Kaushik. Avoid like the plague.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH0Gorau_QU

Double Dhamaal

The occupational hazards of being an amateur critic. I have mentioned this in the past. And I guess it is too beaten to death to expect any sympathy or empathy. I asked for it I guess. Double Dhamaal is way up on the charts when it comes to inane comedy. But what keeps beating me is that why would a bunch of actors who are known for their comic timing and their skill in front of the camera actually make such a compromise and be part of a movie that is just downright ridiculous. I just don’t get why the likes of a Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey would stoop to the levels of making it so obvious that their cash flow situation is in dire straits and they need the money really bad. I can still understand the situation of Kangana Ranaut and Mallika Sherawat and even Ritiesh Deshmukh but the former 3 put me at sea completely. Nahin Samjha :S

If the complete lack of even a semblance of direction doesn’t get to you, I am certain that the disgusting performances would easily do that. I am quite certain that most of you would be aware that the first edition of this series was based on the fantabulous comedy directed by Stanley Kramer “It’s a Mad Mad Mad World” which starred the evergreen Spencer Tracy. It was bad enough that Indra Kumar copied one of the better comedies made in the world to date – one that was extremely clean in humour as well as execution – and made it into a mockery of comedy. 4 years down the line, he has put us through one more such pain. And this time around he has kind of mished and mashed some kind of a spoof on Oceans 11 – or any other movie that you can think of which has a casino robbery in it. Basically nothing much that you can look forward to.

I am not delving too much more into the story coz it is quite bad. The same 4 irritants – Adi (Arshad Warsi), Roy (Ritiesh Deshmukh), Bomman (Aashish Chaudhary) and Manav (Javed Jaffrey) realize that Kabir (Sanjay Dutt) is now a big man into real estate but is all thanks to his wife Kamini (Mallika Sherawat). They decide to teach him a lesson but in the bargain get conned themselves of Rs.250 crores. The chase moves to Macau where they now try to get even once again with Kabir who owns a casino by now. The idea is to rob the casino and make Kabir suffer.

Watch Double Dhamaal if you are a fan of the slapstick and the ridiculously pathetic versions of comedy that have be show cased in the past in the likes of Masti, Dhamaal, Dhol, Thank You, Welcome etc. etc. etc. If you don’t like these attempts at comedy then I would recommend that you stay away from the halls. But then as always, I went out of the theatre feeling quite disappointed not because of the movie but because a significant chunk of the audiences actually laughed at some of the pathetic jokes. Sad sign for the days to come.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3551894553/

404

To what lengths would you go, to prove a point? Is proving to the world that your theory is right, only thing that matters to you? Do you believe in something so much that you would not care who comes in the way to ensure that the objective is met? Do you live by the adage – The ends justifies the means? One of two people who embody this spirit are Dr. Anirudh Kaushal (Nishikant Kamat) aka Charles to the dean of Dehradun Institute of Medical Sciences (DIMS) one of the leading institutes of medicine in the country. The other one is Abhimanyu (Rajvvir Aroraa) who is a first year student of medicine and determined as hell. Both professor and student are convinced that there is no such thing as the supernatural and that all of it is a figment of one’s imagination. They are a product of the modern world and believers in science and definitely disbelievers in ghosts, spirits or anything remotely related to them. And the good doctor’s next thesis is that on Bipolar Disorder – a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or more depressive episodes (thank you Wikipedia :D). So when Abhimanyu decides to take on the legend on campus about the ghost of Gaurav Gupte which occupies Room 404, the doctor gives him all the support that he can. Room 404 is opened 3 years after Gaurav committed suicide in it and a brave Abhimanyu moves in.

In what is probably the first attempt to make a movie on bipolar disorder in Bollywood, director Prawal Raman gives us some really scary moments through the lovely use of camera angles. Just that the use of reflections on windows and cupboards and of course mirrors goes a tad over the top at times. And so does the use of music. It seems to be a common fallacy amongst Indian directors that deep resounding eerie music is the only way to generate thrill / fear in the audience. So much so that they forget that some of the best movies to create horror in the minds of the viewer have used just ambient noise and silence. But rest assured, Raman has come a fair distance after moving away from mentor Ram Gopal Verma with whom he made Darna Mana Hai and Darna Zaroori Hai.

The movie also touches upon aspects of ragging albeit in a good manner. I say good because it doesn’t taint the concept hollow. I am of the opinion that ragging is one of the necessary evils of society. I do not support going over the top but do not object to the healthy poking of fun of freshers into college. I may have stirred a hornet’s nest here but that wasn’t the intent at all.

I have always maintained that a director’s task is significantly eased out with the right casting. 404 is no different. Newbie Rajvvir Aroraa delivers a decent first movie. And Satish Kaushik & Tisca Chopra are both effortless as always. Immadudddin Shah in the role of the final year student Chris is calm and confident but a tad over the top. Needless to say, the genes do show. But a top notch performance from Nishikant Kamat is the hallmark of 404. The role was initially offered to Farooq Shaikh if the reports on the net are to be believed. I am sure Kamat is not complaining.

Solid performances coupled with able direction give you a 7 on 10 movie for your Sunday. Be prepared for a hard hitting end. Do not take your children along with you. I was surprised to see 10 year olds in PVR Bangalore. Its definitely not for those below 18.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACTrF8OGQ5k