0 Jism 2 (Movie Review)

With tons of hypes and hullabaloo surrounding the season's most-awaited movie Jism 2, cine goers long wait to catch the hot Sunny Leone in action finally gets over. After soaring the apprehensions, curiosity and speculation arena, finally the most anticipated sex-thriller saga of the year Jism-2 made it to the celluloid.

Eversince the promulgation about Jism-2 and its leading lady was made, the gossip mills pertaining to the movie never ran out of fuel.

So finally the erotic saga appeared on the silver screen, fetching an opening day occupancy of over 92% at the multiplexes, which primarily comprised of people who wanted to have the first glimpse of Sunny's maiden performance in decorous stream of cinema.

Synopsis
Jism-2 is an erotic tale comprising of lust, sex and betrayal, blended with a bleak dose of action and love where a porn star (or so called porn star), is hired by an intelligence officer to set a honey-trap in order to purloin the sensitive information from a dreaded assassin.


Story:
The story of the Jism-2 begins with the confession of Izna(Sunny Leone), who is being hired by an Intelligence officer Ayaan ( Arunoday Singh) whom Izna meets in a club.

In the hotel room Ayaan tells Izna, that he is an Intelligence services officer and want to have a deal with her in order to purloin some highly sensitive documents from the possession of a dreaded assassin Kabir Wilson ( Randeep Hooda).

As the story proceeds, Ayaan takes Izna to Srilanka where the duo meets Ayaan's boss Mr Guru( Arif Zakaria), who briefs Izna about the entire mission.

With an objective of intruding into the abode of of Kabir, Ayaan and Izna rents an accommodation next to Kabir's home. And from her begins a journey of sex, lust and betrayal, where Sunny tries to lure Kabir in order to accomplish her objective of getting those secret documents.

Script
It won't be wrong to say that, Jism-2 is a tale with a flimsy spine, which looks like a saga written to secure a berth for Sunny in Bollywood. As far as story line and its flow is concerned then script provides and abrupt start to the movie where the narration of the Sunny with in no time is followed by the action mode.

Script of the Jism-2 seems to be hasty because the succession of the sequences is jotted in such a manner that it somewhat becomes simply indigestible for the cine goers. With Izna meeting Ayaan and with in no time accepting his offer of becoming his pawn to purloin the sensitive information from Kabir is one of the conspicuous example of this.

Through out the course of story, the script seemed to be pouncing towards obtruded intimate sequences. As the story proceeds, the primary plot seems to be getting ostracized. Though Jism-2 is a typical combo of "love, lust and dhokha", but still it completely fails in developing a concrete plot to keep the fans cine sense glued to the big screen.

Dialogues:
As far as the dialogues are concerned, then Jism-2 has unconventional romantic dialogues, dabbled in the treacle of philosophy, which again lead to the emergence of monotony in already crumbling script.

In dialogues department writer Shagufta Rafique tried to lends a certain zing to the brew, but could not succeed in doing anything messianic for Jism-2.

Screenplay / Direction
As a director Pooja has just one commercial success in her kitty and that is "Paap", therefore in order to make Jism -2 a major success Pooja ran from pillar to post and didn't leave any stone unturned to meet the objective. But once again this Bhatt angle failed in delivering an entertaining delight to the fans.

In the first half pace of the screenplay seems to be rushing to have a rendezvous with the erotic sequences which are somewhat unnecessarily incorporated in the story to titillate the libidinal chords of the masses. As the story proceeds screenplay tries to touch the issues of terrorism also but could not succeed in vitalising it on the screen.

With a running pace of where an intelligence officer meets a damsel, gets cozy with her and with in no time reveals his identity and hires her for a mission. It looked like as if in the screenplay's sole emphasis is on exposing those voluptuous curves of Sunny. In the second half with excess of drama poking in the flow of the screenplay further deteriorates.

As far as direction of Pooja is concerned, then Jism-2 no where looked like a cine flick from a seasoned director, who knows how to knit an erotic-thriller to offer an entertaining delight to the cine buffs.

Inspite of having the patronage and legacy of legendary director Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja completely failed in extracting a praiseworthy expressiveness from her cine pawns, who were constantly seen struggling to get in the skin of their characters.

As far as technical aspects of Jism-2 are concerned, then they looked quite focused on exhibiting those stupendous curves of Sunny and exotic shooting locations. Though the camera work of the movie was somewhat good, but at times its extreme propinquity to Sunny over exposed the aging effect of this gorgeous damsel.

Acting / Performances
Well as far as performances of the protagonists are concerned, then except Randeep the entire star cast seems to be struggling to showcase a praiseworthy performance.

Eversince the promulgation of Sunny, as the leading lady of Jism-2 there was a flurry of hypes and speculations about her potential to perform in a decorous stream of cinema.

In Jism-2 this Indo Canadian porn star completely failed in leaving any impact on the fans by her performance.In the movie Sunny appeared lacking in the elementary acting skills and even failed in assimilating the expressiveness to her character. Throughout the movie she looked more of a mannequin who is being casted to showcase a diverse range of skimpy attires.

In Jism-2, it was only Randeep Hooda who managed to emerge as better performer while playing the character of an assassin. Randeep well carried the character of a lonely assassin and succeeded in leaving some impact on the cine buffs. In nut shall Randeep was better than rest, but not at his best.

If it's about Arunoday, then after seeing his next to perfect performance in "Yeh Saali Zindagi", fans may get disappointed by his performance in Jism-2, where inspite of his best efforts he could not succeed in stepping in the shoes of an intelligence officer.

Well Arif Zakaria looked completely captivated with in the confines of small screen acting style, and looked like a new comer who is oblivious about the real life persona associated with his onscreen character.

Music / Lyrics :
Music and lyrics, are the two such departments of Jism-2 which deserves to be accoladed with tons of praises for being the heart touching numbers. Arko Pravo Mukherjee's music is simply mesmerising where all the the tracks seemed to be knitted to tap the emotional chords of the cine-goers. Tracks "Abhi-Abhi", "Maula" and "Darta Hoon Adhoora" are soulful carols. Even the title track "Ye Jism" sung by Ali Azmat is mesmerising.

BO Potential:
Contrary to its pre-release hypes and hullabaloo, Jism-2 is expected to emerge as an average entertainer which may pull the masses, just because of the curiosity associated with it. Jism-2, the story knitted in a flimsy thread may succeed in fetching the gazes of young voyeuristic heads but may fall short of even their expectations.

Verdict:
To sum up, inspite of having a thick robe of apprehensions and curiosity around it, Jism-2 is an over hyped erotic thriller which even fails in quenching the libidinal pangs of the cine goers, who were expecting a thorough erotic delight from the Bhatts. The only USP that may offer some "Paisa Vasool" solace to cine buffs is a decent dose of erotica.

Credit: Mid-Day.com

0 Gattu is heartwarming (Movie Review)

Films with children as the main characters are no longer a rarity. Thank God for that! It’s imperative that our cinema cultivate a culture of entertainment that children can empathize with without the content becoming overpowering in its message-mongering motivations.

Gattu is a delicately-threaded morality tale about a poor little boy, never sorry for himself except when play-acting the role of the bereft waif to get his way, who is taken in by his uncle (Naresh Kumar, brilliantly in character).

Now here’s where the subtle often slyly humorous film gets tangled. It tells us that contrary to stereotypical expectations the Uncle is no slave-driving villain. He has his good and bad moments with the kid.

Gattu tells us there are no black and white zones to bring up under-privileged children. While child labour is prohibited it can also be a way of providing sustenance for homeless kids. While Gattu longs for a school education, he uses the academic premise to hoodwink the students and teachers to implement his own devious plans.

While on the surface Gattu is a breezy blithe and effervescent look-see at the pangs and pinpricks of growing-up at the grassroots under the surface it ponders sensibly on the question of raising a poor child with dignity outside the rarefied precincts of a school.

All the kids specially Mohammad Samad in the title role, are delightful in their natural ability to own the camera space.

Director Rajan Khosa enters the world of innocence with devious intent. He penetrates the surface of juvenile guilelessness to explore the cunning that often underlines the machinations of the the very young.

Gattu portrays heartwarming moments within and outside the school premise. While making a fervent pitch for every child to attend school the narrative never misses out on a chance for a bit of fun on the fringes.

Gattu is an endearing peep into a child’s life as he struggles with intuitive intelligence to bring together the two incompatible worlds of poverty and the solace of schooling. Mohammad Samad as the boy who who would fly higher than a kite is a prized find. Sandesh Shandilya’s ebullient songs and music brings its own spot of sunshine in this not-to-be-missed tale about coming of age.

Gattu carries forward the recent trend of sensible, intelligent funny and moving films about child protagonists, namely Taare Zameen Par, I Am Kalam and Stanley Ka Dabba. Add one more film to that luminous list of cinema on little wonders.

0 The Dark Knight Rises (Movie Review)

Once in every few years, a film's expectation reaches fever pitch. Yet, only a handful ever have lived up to it. The last of the "Batman Trilogy", to the delight of fans, does. That it does so, while continuing on the same themes it addressed before, is a feather hardly any film franchisee has claimed.

Seven years since Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) retired as Batman, a new villain Bane (Tom Hardy) threatens not only Gotham's peace, but its very existence. When the entire city is taken hostage by Bane's men and the police are locked up, Batman must return, and fight an impossible resistance with a handful others.

The least one expects from a very popular, self-professed end of a series film is a grand scale. Most commercial cinema merely increases the effects and physical action. While Nolan indeed delivers on these, he goes beyond.

A bank or even a building being held hostage is well-known in cinema. Did you ever imagine an entire city held hostage for months? Like in the second part of the series, Nolan then asks the question: Would normal citizens rise up to become heroes?

Yet, morally and metaphorically, 'The Dark Knight' was stronger. There he asked the same question, but to individual citizens and in the climax on the two boats, to an opposite group of people.

There, Batman wins because people in the two boats beat their instinct for self survival by refusing to kill the others for their own sake. In that scene, everyone becomes a superhero. Everyone becomes Batman.

That edginess of script, that triumph of true courage, is missing in this part. It compensates by rising on other counts.

The Nolan brothers (Christopher and Jonathan) know how to intermix a grim story of power, corruption, control and heroism with a spectacular razzle-dazzle. In a very powerful screenplay, the brothers bring attention to the corruption, the power structures and the chaos of the affluent class.

And the brothers, in creating villains that are alter-egos of Batman, and in often giving them ideals as high as him but in the end showing these anarchist villains failing, perhaps makes the greatest joke, the greatest metaphor on the state of the world today.

Perhaps the hidden, dark message is that no matter how much one resists - be it Batman or his villains - a corrupt power structure and affluence will survive. The brothers perhaps want to say that resistance, eventually, proves futile. Perhaps they want to say the opposite, that good and bad, light and darkness and falling and rising take turns and that no matter what, one has to resist.

Nolan is a man in absolute control of his craft. You'll be hard pressed to find a man with such ability to interplay sound and visuals to create a three-dimensional vision in your head.

0 Bol Bachchan (Film Review)

Rohit Shetty’s new film, Bol Bachchan, undoubtedly his worst, has insufferable doses of homophobia, Islamophobia and crude assaults on the senses and the intellect. Gays and Muslims are a liability in the world in which this film is set, although a politically correct resolution to their stories is forcibly thrown in.
But that’s not the worst part. By borrowing the basic premise from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1979 classic Golmaal, and armouring it with nitwit humour, Shetty manages a really ugly tribute to Mukherjee.

Mukherjee celebrated the follies and quirks of the Indian Everyman. He is unforgettable, and enjoyable, in every age. To compare the two is, of course, silly. Bol Bachchan belongs to a class of Bollywood comedy which began with the films of David Dhawan. Lucrative at the box office, they are driven entirely by humour that uses staple laughing stocks of traditional India, like the gay man, and creates around them situations which make them pitiful and idiotic.

Clichéd: Actor Ajay Devgn’s attempts at comedy are awkward
The “Indian mass” which wants “escapism” apparently devours it. In what sense this is escapism is befuddling, because essentially you are getting the same stale stock in every film—I don’t remember the last time a new stereotype was created by Bollywood humour. The gay man, the fat woman—to make fun of them in the dark theatre, on the big screen, is meant to be familiar and comforting. Unlike in Mukherjee’s films, there is no surprise or sharp wit.
Bol Bachchan is one of the most distressing examples of this Dhawan school. Beginning as an ode to Amitabh Bachchan, the ageing superstar, which justifies the film’s title, Bol Bachchan has no value as a work of art. Its only value perhaps is the naked honesty of a director whose only motive for making it is its box-office prospects.

Note the outrageously regressive storyline. A young man, Abbas Ali (Abhishek Bachchan), and his sister Sania (Asin) are homeless because their inherited home is lost to acrimonious relatives. A sympathetic uncle, Shastri (Asrani), convinces them to move to his village, somewhere in north India, where Abbas can find work. The custodian of this village is Prithviraj (Ajay Devgn), who lives in a haveli with his sister (Prachi Desai). Surrounded by bumbling cronies, Prithviraj’s idiocy is revered in the village. Nobody laughs at his English, strung together by literal translations of Hindi words into English (the audience is meant to, but they largely have a mind-numbing effect instead).

Asin lacks charm and sassiness
Abbas happens to irk the village by stepping into a disputed temple, after which he changes his name to Abhishek Bachchan. He gets a job with Prithviraj and becomes his trusted foot soldier. To protect his real identity, Abbas has to act also as Abhishek’s brother, a clean-shaven, sissy homosexual man who teaches Prithviraj’s sister Kathak. Among the characters in the plot who help Abbas maintain this facade are an ageing courtesan, Zohra (Archana Puran Singh), and actors of the local theatre group. Landlord, haveli, bad English, homosexual Kathak teacher. The stereotypes are staggering.
Clichés pile up as the film progresses, one loud sequence after another. Like Singham, the last film Shetty directed, Bol Bachchan uses background music and sound effects with pointless abandon. A sound effect follows every English sentence uttered by Prithviraj (“My chest has expanded and I have become a blouse”, and other such inanities). Funny is punctuated by sound effects over and over again. Shetty’s only visual tools are fast motion, slow motion and fast, jarring zoom-ins—not very different from the way television soaps are shot. This is film-making in a hurry. The makers are in a hurry to somehow pack in the stupid jokes and hurl them at you.


The performances are overblown, matching the storytelling. Devgn has performed many comic roles, most famously in Shetty’s Golmaal films. He is not a natural comic actor and in this role, his effort to appear idiotic as well as frightening is awkward. Those English one-liners, banal as they are, get the worst articulator in Devgn. The two characters Bachchan plays are contrasts, but neither is engaging—Bachchan comes across as an uninterested actor. As Abbas, he adopts the gay mannerisms we have seen in films since the days of Govinda, if not earlier. Desai and Asin, in the female leads, lack charm and sassiness.
Bol Bachchan is not about laughs. At best, it’s an experiment that tests if the same stupid jokes work with us, Bollywood lovers, over and over again. Source:http://videos.livemint.com

0 The Amazing Spider-Man ( Movie Review)

First, the bad news: The Amazing Spider-Man contains a majority of the elements found in the Sam Raimi film – Peter Parker is a loser school kid in NY, Peter has the hots for his classmate, Peter gets bitten, Peter becomes Spidey, Peter overcomes the school bully, Peter loses his uncle, and Peter fights crime. There is precious little that the reboot brings to the table, some of which includes a glimpse of his parents. The good news is that The Amazing Spider-Man works despite the constant sense of deja vu.

That slightly-okay story finds a young Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) being hurriedly placed by his parents in the care of Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Cut to a grown up Peter working with his late father’s old colleague Doctor Connors (Rhys Ifans) and finding love and a pesky reptilian ruffian with a master plan. The bulk of the film then becomes a series of action scenes and romantic cutaways in which Peter and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) effortlessly make us forget the lame melodrama between Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

There is no upside down kiss under the rain, but there is an unexpected moment under a starlit balcony and a finale that puts a big twist on the bittersweet climax of the 2002 movie. Despite some clunky dialogue, the melodrama and romance here actually works — thanks mainly to director Mark Webb who brings the matured, assured handling of emotions from his (500) Days of Summer and makes his actors believable. Unlike the case in Spider-Man 3, Webb keeps The Amazing Spider-Man from becoming a string of hastily glued together boring ‘emo’ bits.

Best, however, is the charming Andrew Garfield in the title role —even though he looks hilariously old for a school kid. Garfield is the perfect leading man and has a sunny, winning charisma that audiences (mostly girls) can cheer for.

Peter here is faced with more heartbreak and trauma than in all three previous films put together, yet Spidey is more of the sarcastic wisecracking punk here — it makes for a nice change. Emma Stone is jaw-droppingly gorgeous to look at, and her Gwen is rather courageous instead of ditsy. Sheen and Field here are the Hollywood versions of Alok Nath and Farida Jalal, and they even have those overtly dramatic facial expressions and cringe-inducing lines. Irrfan plays the Token Black Guy of the movie.

Mark Webb seems to understand why we have put on the 3D glasses, and he offers enough immersive scenery to keep us wowed. When Spider-Man swings, he takes you along with him. The downside is that there simply aren’t enough of those scenes. There are some brilliant sequences, including one in a sewer that lasts quite a few minutes. One little scene at Peter’s school where a certain someone makes a cameo is probably the film’s best moment. There is also a 3D jump scare that might scare the hell out of you.

The Lizard is menacing, and very intricately designed but frustratingly there aren’t enough still moments to make us appreciate the work that was put in to create the motion capture GI beastie. When the action isn’t happening, Webb brings in his years of music video experience and throws in some rock music montage, but it sadly makes us yearn for Danny Elfman’s score from the Raimi movies. Source:http://www.santabanta.com

0 Gangs Of Wasseypur "Movie Review"

Bleeding brilliance in almost every frame, breathing fire through every available orifice that the characters possess, and whipping up a kind of frenzied flamboyant bloodshed that was once associated with the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah, Gangs Of Wasseypur is, briefly, one huge gang-bang. No protection provided.

From its bludgeoning opening when merciless marauders ambush a powerful enemy’s fortress-like home with army-like meticulousness Gangs Of Wasseypur takes us into a world where compassion is a dinosaur, forgiveness a faux pas, and kindness an unforgivable sin.

Welcome to Kashyap’s Wasseypur. This is no country for the weak-hearted. Country-made guns go off without warning, bombs are hurled from two-wheelers that have seen better days, and abuses fly out even faster than the bullets.

If you are the kind of moviegoer who doesn’t enjoying hearing and seeing the unimaginable things that can be done to various parts of the human anatomy, then I suggest you try something more sugary and safe.

The world of Wasseypur is soaked in blood and revenge. The mafia in one form or another rules the little town. To mainstream Hindi moviegoers this is not an unknown territory.

At least 4 other recent films, all remarkable in their own right—Paan Singh Tomar, Ishaqzaade, Rowdy Rathore and Shanghai have hurled audiences right into the notorious anarchy of the North Indian small-town (Bihar mainly) where the barrel of the gun speaks an irresistible language of mayhem.

Nozzle lagi raja torey bangle par…could well be the signature of the Kashyap’s Wasseypur-wallahs.

It’s a strangely dichotomous world where music and songs (Sneha Khanwalk) mock the characters’ subverted hero-giri. While the characters indulge in their unmanned violence we the audience become numbed participants in the rites of the wrong-doing.

Unlike the other Bihar-UP-mein-bawandar films the almost-ritualistic slaughter of all rules of civil conduct in Gangs Of Wasseypur is not redeemed by the presence of any hero. Even the main protagonist in Kashyap’s bloodthirsty saga is a certifiable rogue named Sardar Khan.

As played by Manoj Bajpayee in what is arguably his most feisty and filled-out performance to date, Sardar Khan is a second-generation criminal and social outcast.

In the film’s unforgettable prologue Sardar’s father (Jaideep Ahlawat, incredibly in-character) serves as a henchman to the powerful local politician (Tigmanshu Dhulia). Politician has Daddy killed by a hired assassin who could be teaching social science in a village school, and Sonny-boy grows up swearing revenge.

This in a nutshell, could be the plot for a cheesy 1980s’ potboiler. In taking the grammar and language of the formulistic vendetta drama from the 1970s and 80s (there’s even a broad and prominent homage to the Big B in Yash Chopra’s Trishul) and converting it into a crackling saga of compelling contemporary currency, Anurag Kashyap turns all the rules of mainstream Hindi cinema on its head.

He uses the language of Manmohan Desai and Narinder Bedi’s cinema. But he applies these to characters who are as far removed from the world of escapism is Sicily is from Wasseypur.

Oh, did we really say Gangs Of Wasseypur was derived from The Godfather? Nah. Silly shallow reading of the clannish gang-war theme. The two worlds are inter-connected only by their legacy of lineage and violence.

Beyond that Kashyap’s mode of storytelling, and the way his characters loom over the proceedings without become caricatural, are frighteningly original and as liberated of reference-points as any of the path-breaking films on gangwars that have emerged out of Hollywood in the last 25 years.

Kashyap celebrates the drama of the grotesque with the relish of a 7-‘coarse’ meal. No details in the non-stop brutality are kept off camera. We can count the number of thuds and stabbing sounds every time a victim is cornered and done to death. Violence on this level has never really been a part of mainstream Hindi cinema before. The end of cinematic niceties is here. Take it or leave it.

Kashyap in Wasseypur legitimizes gore with glorious gusto. In the gang-war that he portrays with such feral immediacy, victims are chopped up piece by piece, their body parts sent to the butcher’s to eliminate legal evidence.

A finger floating in a cesspool of stale blood is a commonplace sight in the world of unchecked mayhem that Kashyap has constructed with such casual resplendence.

His team of technicians are unconditionally mired in the mood of violence. Rajeev Ravi’s camera mows through the imaginary world of Wasseypur with a devilish dispassion.

The film looks layered and even luminous in texture. But the tone of narration is detached. The dereliction of the damned and doomed characters is neither romanticized nor demonized

Indeed Gangs Of Wasseypur invents a new language of cinematic expression. It creates a world where the characters inhabit a universe of vapid stagnant violence.

And yet the narration, never short of breath even in the most breathless state of violence, exudes a kind of vibrancy that comes from neither rejection not acceptable of an undesirable situation. It comes from within the characters.

As they battle each other in bitter futile feuds they also seem to be battling the demons within themselves. The synthesis of what lies within and without is devastating.

And yet for all its outward show of ruthless machismo Gangs Of Wasseypur is a film with a heart. There is a rather enticing love story featuring Bajpayee, his screen wife (debutante Richa Chadha)and the Other Woman (Reema Sen) tucked away in the folds of the ferocious tale.

That Bajpayee’s wife is played by firebrand Richa Chadha is a very happy happening in this sad but savagely funny tale. She is quite the discovery of the year, and that too in a film mottled with exceptional performances by Bajapyee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui as his son (more of him in Wasseypur 2), Tigmanshu Dhulia (clenched controlled and combative as the villain in chief), Pankaj Tripathi (riveting as Bajpayee’s belligerent enemy), Piyush Mishra (remarkably restrained and wise as Bajpayee’s mentor and guide) and Huma Qureshi (another whammy performer whom we will see more of in the sequel)

In fact every character, big or small, is cast with what looks like first-and-last options. You can’t imagine any other actor playing any of the myriad parts.

Brutal, brilliant, dark, sinister, terrifying in its violence and yet savagely funny in the way human life is disregarded Gangs Of Wasseypur is one helluva romp into the raw and rugged heartland. Not to be missed. I can’t wait to see the sequel. But be warned. Avoid meals half an hour before and after viewing. Source:http://www.santabanta.com

0 Teri Meri Kahaani "Movie Review"

There are many occasions in this 3-tiered love story when the two protagonists simply run out of words as the dialogue slumps into an embarrassing silence.

This, you feel, is very much in character. On paper I am sure Teri Meri Kahaani must have seemed like a terrific 3-in-1. A sumptuous feast of role and accent transference for the charming pair.

Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are among the best talent we have today. They are versatile, confident goodlooking and simply cool. Director Kunal Kohli gives them three different love stories to sink their decalcified teeth into.

The problem starts early. None of the three stories is inspired or even interesting. The high-points in each story are so weak we don’t know when they arrive. Some of the material that has gone into telling the triple-tiered story frankly appears to be a secret joke whose punchline is known only to the writers.

For example in the segment in London 2011 Shahid and Priyanka are named Krish and Radha and the screechy girl who comes in- between them (Neha Sharma) is believe it or not, Meera.

This selfconsciously mythologized modernday love triangle prompts a friend of the hero to quip, “Yeh Radha aur Krishna ke beech mein Meera kahan se aa gayi? ”

Well, LOL to that. Krish and Radha often resort to smileys and LOLs to express their growing fondness. The smileys remain singularly isolated in their amusement. There is not a moment when we empathise with the protagonists or feel the intended flow of their love for one another. What we see are two stars trying to breathe life into a mutual affection that never quite takes off.

Wait. It gets worse. The two others stories are even less engaging. The one set in the film industry resorts to painstaking periodicity to recreate Mumbai in 1960. A tram crosses Mumbai’s heartland. To his credit the art designer tries hard to get the exteriors right.

Though some of it is so shallow you feel Kunal Kohli is attempting the recreate the celluloid version of a highschool play where the props are borrowed from the furniture-wali aunty’s store.

And by the way the Lata Mangeshkar-Kishore Kumar duet Likha hai tere ankhon mein from the Dev Anand starrer Teen Deviyaan which plays in the background in a street scene featuring Shahid and Prachi Desai, did not exist in 1960. It came five years later.

That brings us to the music and choreography, so essential to evoking periodicity specially when the lead pair dances so well. But getting Shahid to do Shammi Kapoor? Bad idea. Very bad idea. Shahid’s measured steps would have made Shammi LOL.

The worst story of the three is the one set in pre-Partition Punjab. It almost seems to spoof Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1942: A Love Story. Like Anil Kapoor in Chopra’s film Shahid cares not a hoot about India’s independence. He cares only love-shove. And please take the ‘shove’seriously. The grinning rogue likes to put it in wherever he gets space.

And we aren’t talking about his tractor.

The attempts in the pre-Partition segment to instil a sense of patriotic pride is shamefully baggy. The Gora Log are played by junior artistes whose only credential to represent British India is the colour of their skin. The patriotic Indians get to shout Vande Mataram in freshly-stitched kurtas and tops. Mercifully we are spared a re-mix.

The clothes suggest a close affinity between boutique wisdom and periodicity. And that seems to be the prevalent mood of the romance. The emotions seem to be obtained off the shelf. Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor struggle hard to look deeply interested in the lines and in each other.

It’s a losing battle. There’s only so much you can do with conspicuously corny lines like, “Are we like those couples who talk on the sms and online and have nothing to say when they come face to face? ”

Even if they are, do we care?

Just why Kunal Kohli a director who has shown some sensitivity in handling the man-woman relationship, chose to make this film is mystery solvable only by the actors who agreed to be part of the endeavour.

Suffice it to say Teri Meri Kahaani makes Kunal Kohli’s last production Break Ke Baad look like a neglected work of pop-art. Source:http://www.santabanta.com

0 ‘Shanghai’ (Movie Review)

He is acknowledged for creating high-quality cinema. Right from ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’ to ‘Oye lucky! Lucky Oye!’ to ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’, Dibakar Banerjee's movies have been lapped up by spectators.

He typically picks up avant-garde subject matters and his latest flick 'Shanghai' is no exception. Dibakar presents the much-anticipated thriller which orbits in the region of gluttony and deceitfulness of politicians.

Political thrillers are an abused genre, but it's not frequent that movies confer us with what 'Shanghai' offers: A political thriller wherein the politics seizes precedence over the thriller element. It's more of a reality check about where India stands in the present day. In the context of the film, we have this dream of a Shanghai like city, where there is commerce, eminence, capital and the material comfort. But the reality is something else.

Enthused by a book of the 1960s, 'Z', by Greek writer and diplomat Vassilis Vassilikos, a Costa Gavras film, Z, was also motivated by this book in 1969. Banerjee detected remarkable similarities between the Greece in the book and the India of today, procured its rights and acclimatized the account to a metropolis in India.

A political activist (Prosenjit Chatterjee) meets with an accident in an Indian city gearing up for elections. A lone girl (Kalki Koechlin) believes it to be a murder. A porn film maker (Emraan Hashmi) claims to have proof that will bring the government down. A high-ranking bureaucrat (Abhay Deol) is brought in by the government to control damage. The three of them blow the lid off the Indian dream called - Shanghai.

'Shanghai' deals with the two sides of the coin: Abhay symbolizes the scholarly, frontward looking and progressive India, while Emraan is the ordinary guy who is left behind. Abhay and Emraan depict the two halves of India which, in many ways, are conflicting each other for a larger divide in the cake.

The finest aspect of Dibakar Banerjee's films is that you can't articulate what he's going to come up with next and how unerringly he's going to engage you in his creation. All his movies so far have picked up issues that concern us, but the temperament was so diverse that, if you weren't aware, you might not have estimated that they were all helmed by the same director.

'Shanghai' is a political thriller woven around battered terms 'expansion' and 'development'. This sort of a deception has ensued before in various nations/states and it is these types of political misdemeanors that Dibakar dabbles with.

'Shanghai' is an affluent work of art by a master storyteller. Most significantly, it's a film of our times. It evokes myriad emotions in you. It leaves you horrified; distressed... it may even make you livid. I'd go to the extent of pronouncing that it is one of the bravest and most commanding movies of this decade. A contemporary film about our times, our lives.

Vishal-Shekhar's music is alright. 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is, of course, the track to watch out for, while 'Imported Kamariya' is passable. The background score does complete justice to the material on screen, while the cinematography captures the mood brilliantly.

The casting is offbeat, but beguiling. One could've never anticipated Abhay and Emraan acting in the same film. Emraan is your regular guy, so there is an instantaneous 'connect' about him. Besides, it's a new Emraan that you witness here [paunch, blackened/stained teeth], which is in sharp contrast to his on-screen romantic representation. Influenced by Dibakar's thought process, Emraan takes the plunge and wholly submits to the director's visualization. This is a defining moment in his career and I am sure, even Emraan must've rediscovered himself in this variety of film-making.

Abhay's character is authoritative, unprejudiced, calm and uncomplicated. He gets all the nuances of his characters right. In many ways Abhay's character is the vertebrae of the movie. He clutches it together. The endearing actor sinks his teeth into the character and comes up with a triumphant act.

Though Kalki has depicted distressed characters in films like 'Shaitan', 'That Girl In Yellow Boots' and also in 'Dev D', she skillfully performs the part of an absolute outsider and brings on a certain susceptibility, which is the prerequisite demand of her characterization. Kalki is truly awe-inspiring and enacts her part with flourish.

Prosenjit Chatterjee is effective in a brief role. Farooque Sheikh adds a lot of weight to the proceedings. Pitobash is exceptional. Supriya Pathak gets limited scope, but she's competent. Anant Jog is remarkable. Tillotama Shome is super.

On the whole, 'Shanghai' is undeniably one of the most politically astute films ever made. It keeps you involved and concerned right from its inception to the harrowing culmination. This is not your usual Bollywood masala film, but a serious motion picture that has a voice, that makes you think, that makes a stunning impact. A must watch. Source:http://entertainment.in.msn.com

0 Men In Black 3 (Movie Review)

Science fiction and humour can be a potent mix. Imagine having almost an endless array of things to play gags with. In such a scenario, one is limited only by one's imagination.

While the last outing of "Men in Black" wasn't a patch on the original, this part manages to get the fun and humour of the series right back and tops it up with the right dosage of sentiment, sprinkled just at the right time.

Though it does not trek unchartered territories, choosing to stay in its now familiar universe, it works up a fun film.

Agent J (Will Smith) is always busy either trying to make his partner Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) smile or wondering the reason for his seriousness.

After Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from a prison, goes back in time, kills agent K and unleashes destruction that will end the world, J too has to travel back in time, team up with the young K (Josh Brolin) and try to save the world.

What he does not know is how this is as much about saving the world and K, as it is about him.

The strength of film, despite the obvious and a very linear plot, is that it manages to include the idea of a popular science fiction film and mesh it up into a convincing film.



Thus, it has a tug-of-war between our heroes, shows the earth at great risk, throws in some cool gadgets, a dangerous extra- terrestrial villain while managing to add an extra spice: a good dose of emotional engagement right at the climax of the film.

The characters are also memorable. Josh Brolin as a fun, younger version of Tommy Lee Jones does well. The villain is ugly and deadly and inspires fear in the viewers.

Yet, what takes the cake is the ending.

You have the actual climax of cool and intelligent action demonstrated by our man in black. But beyond this, the film relies on another climax, an emotional one that rounds up the story and missing explanations (for example, how did he remember the time before time was changed) and sets you off smiling from the theatre.

Will Smith does well to keep the humour going. He is as at ease with Tommy Lee Jones as he is with Josh Brolin. Together, the trio make it a worthwhile watch for lovers of both comedy and science fiction films making this outing a film not to be missed by fans of either. Credit:santabanta.com

0 Arjun lacks humour, but makes up for it with suspense

The moment you think of Arjun, a picture pops up in your head that has a lot to do with BR Chopra’s popular 1980s television series. If not, then a textbook sketch from Amar Chitra Katha would be it.

However, the Pandava prince in this film is a rare mix of both of them. And a lot more indeed. Here, he’s not simply someone who excels in archery alone (he has mastered Kalaripayattu too).

Also, he won’t be just fighting the Kauravas (he’s battling his conscience too).

Furthermore, in this animised take on one of the most glorious Indian heroes—legends and otherwise—things are a bit different.

Not only are some parts of Mahabharata deliberately tampered but also some facets totally ignored, so as to keep the plot crisp and intact.

Having said so, director Arnab Chaudhari and his team have done a credible job in this regard by overcoming stereotypes usually associated with mythology. After all, the world’s greatest epic can’t possibly be served within 96 minutes. Besides, this film deserves a sequel.

The Hindi narrative follows Arjun’s transformation from a precocious boy to a confident warrior. To make him appear dominant, fellow characters are evidently subdued.

Despite this, a few like Shakuni and Bheem manage to be vivid when they are being funny. What this film lacks in humour, it makes it up with suspense. Not to mention, high-octane action.

Vishal -Shekhar’s enigmatic music merely adds to the visual magic.

Though Arjun: The Warrior Prince is not at par with groundbreaking flicks like WALL·E (that came from the same production house), thanks to moments of technical amateurishness, it’s definitely a forward step for animation.

Moreover, it’s not another children’s film and can be relished by grown-ups as well. Indian kids who are neck-deep in Japanese anime might experience something fresh and adults will be compelled to test their memory. Credit : santabanta.com

0 Yeh Khula Aasmaan (Movie Review)

It was that great poet-thinker Harindranath Chattopadhyay who said, ‘It’ s very simple to be difficult but very difficult to be simple. ’ By that logic debutant director Gitanjali Sinha has pulled off a reasonably admirable feat in this simple staright-from-the-heart film about the relationship between a neglected boy Avinash (Raj Tandon) and his lonely grandfather.

The film vaguely echoes L V Prasad’s 1970s’ tearjerker Bidaai though not in any overt way.

That the grandfather who embraces the boy’s loneliness and insecurities is played by Raghuvir Yadav is a happy coincidence, and one that fills up the rather austere spaces in the film’s narrative. The small-town ambience in Bihar, the old sprawling houses with acres of greenery stretching out from here to eternity, furnish the film with a burnished exterior.

As for the interiors, don’t look too deep. Director Gitanjali Sinha seems content skimming the surface of the emotions gliding along gently as the boy finds a new beginning in his grandfather’s company.

Dramatic conflicts are created through some villainous elements creeping in with embarrassing inopportunity into the placid ambience. The build-up towards a kite-flying contest is negotiated with disarming naivete.

Yeh Khula Aasmaan is an old-fashioned simple and transparent tale told with a straightforwardness that challenges current filmmaking trends of irrelevant complexities.

The narration is kept simple and largely formulistic. A romance between the gawky hero and the girl nextdoor (Anya Anand) is teased into the tale. The real hero of the film, besides the small-town ambience, is Raghuvir Yadav.

He is in his element, even pitching in with a folk song somewhere down the line. While the youngsters at the helm serve their purpose Yashpal Sharma as Avinash’s sophisticated tycoon- father is completely miscast. Credit:santabanta.com

0 Dangerous Ishhq (Movie Review)

Much talked about comeback cine flick of Karishma Kapoor, 'Dangerous Ishhq' took a below average take off on the big screen. The movie which was expected to see a massive reception on the big screen witnessed a meagre 10-15 % occupancy at the opening.

Knitted over a span of five centuries and past life regression, Dangerous Ishhq is a romantic thriller depicting an association between present and previous births.

Background
Sanjana (Karishma Kapoor) is a super model in love with Rohan (Rajneesh Duggal), the son of a business magnate. In the course of development, Sanjana comes across a lucrative modelling assignment which she decides to forgo because her instinct tells her to do so. Sanjana's tryst with the sorrow begins as Rohan gets kidnapped and the kidnappers demand a ransom of 50 Cr.

During her stay at hospital, Sanjana comes across some clairauditory and retro-cognitive experiences for which she consults a psychologist, who tells her about past life regression and association of her current plight with the previous births. The movie further depicts how Sanjana relies upon her extra-sensory instinct to save the life of Rohan.

The Story
Though the concept seems to be unique but the pace at which the story moves makes it a slow thriller which tests the patience of the audience. The script failed in keeping the main story line and the concept of past life regression glued together, which often appeared to be divorcing from the original concept. The movie has some sequences with predictable/ unpredictable twists but they too appear to be insufficient to make Dangerous Ishhq a hit, thus marring teh comeback of Karishma.

Techniques and Direction
As far as the visual prowess is concerned, the camera drags you with utmost perfection to a multi-era journey - emanating from the 21st century to the royal empire of Rajputana, with a temporary halt at India-Pakistan partition era and Mughal phase. Dauntless screenplay of the movie is something which may leave Vikram Bhatt's fans mesmerised. On the other hand, background score also gels perfectly with the screenplay, making it perfect delight to the eyes and the ears.

Living up to the expectations, the director Vikram Bhatt again deserves accolades for his aesthetic direction which constantly remains stupendous and never allows ostentatiousness to overpower the performances and the screenplay.

Acting
Thumbs up for Karishma who looks bright throughout the movie; and by her outstanding performance and thereby proves her acting potential.She carried the periodic transition of her characters very well, in the entire course of movie and nowhere looked like a comeback beauty who is facing the camera after a 7 year long hiatus.

Though Rajneesh Duggal didn't have a much lengthier role to play but whatever share of performance this model turned actor displayed is simply commendable.

Jimmy Shergill too, deserves to be patted, for his good performance. Jimmy, as ACP Singh thoroughly impressed the masses and successfully kept surprise element under the wraps, till the climax.

Music
In the music department, it's hats off to Himesh Reshamiya. Songs like Tu Hi Rab and Naina in the soothing voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal respectievly are one of the high points of the movie.

On the whole, Dangerous Ishhq is an average entertainer which may succeed in recovering its production cost despite a weak script and slow pace. Source:santabanta.com

0 Ishaqzaade (Movie Review)

If you are from North India, you have already seen ‘Ishaqzaade’ in your everyday life. In case you hail from any other part from this country, YRF’s latest flick gives you an interesting peek into this land where treachery is a virtue, muscle power equates manhood, family honour lies in your daughter’s virginity, love is a crime and hate unites.

Yes, it all happens in every nondescript, grubby town of Uttar Pradesh and certainly in Almore as well where Parma (Arjun Kapoor) and Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) grow up hating each other. Why... because their respective families are baying for each other’s bloods over a legislative assembly seat.

Amidst the several rounds of gunfires and tight slaps the two eventually come close and seem to look like every second rebel couple before Parma delivers a coup-de-grace and shocks everyone watching his adorable act. After all he has grown up in Chauhans’ ‘Mardon ki haveli’ and hence starts another round of tiffs and gore.

Along comes the Chand baby (Gauhar Khan) a somewhat sane voice in this maddening crowd. But hers is a voice too feeble to be heard in this badland of hooligans.

Love does make a comeback in their lives but will they be able to survive the onslaught of these bloodthirsty boors? Well, for that you have to pay a visit to these Ishaqzaade, who have done a fairly decent job in this tough love story.

Parineeti Chopra deserves a special mention for her portrayal of a headstrong girl, going through one emotional turmoil after other. She looks promising for several author backed roles which might come her way after Ishaqzaade. But Katrinas and Deepikas need not worry; she belongs to Vidya Balan’s clan.

Arjun Kapoor makes a fairly decent debut too. Though his churlish UP lad lacks the required diction and accent, he makes up for them with his high-intensity performance. Sure he is not going away anytime soon.

Gauhar Khan remains an unexplored gem. It never ceases to amaze me why no one gives her that much deserved chance apart from YRF. She certainly deserves it and much more respect than being an item girl.

The screenplay is taut and Habib Faisal displays his grip over the story especially in the first half. He is certainly not one of those armchair directors. He shows his prowess with the powerful dialogues and feisty direction. He is someone who actually senses the pulse of this country’s middle class. More power to you, mate.

Music by Amit Trivedi is rustic and captures the essence of small towns quite well.

Ishaqzaade looks a tad bit stretched in the second half but it certainly is not a ‘dangerous ishq’ which will bore you for too long.

Go watch it, if you want to get a raw taste of North India. Perhaps then you will understand how ‘dangerous’ it is to be an ‘Ishaqzaade’ in this mad, mad land.

0 Film Review: 'Safe' a safe action ride

When it comes to directors, there is something called the auteur theory with the helmsman being looked upon as the author of the film. Hollywood does not believe in this theory. And yet, if you look at “Safe”, you’ll realise it believes in another type where instead of the director, it is the star who is the author of the film.
For “Safe” is nothing but another typical Jason Statham film where we see him punching, kicking, shooting and driving his way out of tons of bad guys to protect something precious.

Though his brand of movies will not much appeal to the intelligentsia, it has enough action for it to be a fun ride despite its cliches.

A lost soul and ex-cop Wright (Jason Statham) finds purpose in life when he sees a young Chinese girl Wei (Catherine Chan) being pursued by everyone – Russian mafia, Chinese triads and even corrupt cops. With everyone bent on capturing her for the information she’s carrying in her brain, Wright becomes her protector.
“Safe” is a very safe film to watch for action junkies. There are enough action and death-defying stunts for their pleasure and even a little semblance of a story. Yet it does not try to do anything else.
In that sense, it ends up becoming a metaphor for its own name – it plays it extremely safe. And there is perhaps no other way they could have played it.

The speciality of an action star in an action film is its action sequences. And in this department, it does boast of some inventive work.

Statham is given enough opportunities to show how fast he can move and how quickly he can kick, punch and shoot and how fast he is behind the wheels – typical elements in all his films.

For fans of his brand of action, it is a satisfying ride. For those with a little brain, there isn’t much else. The story is predictable and so are the dialogues. And though the story does try to be a little inventive with a few twists, it is still predictable enough.

And well, if you like it and enough people like it, there might even be a sequel. Enough room is left for the same. Source:http://tribune.com.pk

0 Fatso is is a sweet harmless comedy

Some fine actors who know how to look at home even when placed in outlandish circumstances, carry this quaint tale of love, death, separation resurrection and reparation to the level of a fairly engaging comedy.

Films about near-death and after-life have a tendency to be flippant in tone while showing a world beyond the one that we know. It’s the same fear of the unknown that makes us laugh loudly when we are in a pitch-dark room looking for an exit.

This romcom makes its way out of the comfort zone of a love triangle (actually, quadrangle, and then one more angle added somewhere down the line), gets sassy about laughing all the way to after-life and then comes down to earth with a soft thud.

There are no sharp curves or twists in the plot. Even when Purab Kohli goes to a place close to heaven his dialogues with his hosts up there (Brijendra Kala and gang) resemble a high-school debate on how to fill up the admission form rather than an existential discourse.

Fatso is at best a sweet harmless comedy about Purab Kohli’s character almost dying and returning to earth to assume his obese friend Ranvir Shorey’s body.Yup, that’s it.

The main challenge in the narration is to convince the grieving girlfriend (Gul Panag, sweet and restrained) that Purab is not who he looks like though he now looks like Ranvir Shorey, 40 kilos fatter than usual.The complications are kept at a bare minimum. The love quadrangle is played out at a manageable octave which you know will ensure a comfortable ending for all.

One can see that the narration comes to a deadend, no pun intended. Left with no precise way to conclude the love triangle the film simply asks Ranvir Shorey to take over.

He delivers a discernibly improvised I-love-life monologue which ends with a cute smooch on the dimpled darling Gul’s fulsome lips. That’s how you shut all protest up when life threatens to get complicated.

You simply shoo away all the misgivings and the dark patches that present themselves in the course of life and cinema.And you simply celebrate the magic of the here-and-now

That’s what Fatso does with the least amount of fuss. It is not a film that pushes far enough in any direction, dark or light. But manages to make sufficient space in its range of vision to ensure that the characters don’t appear contrived.

There are no laugh-out-loud or sob-out-hard moments in the film. The tragedy of the girl losing her lover on the eve of their marriage is drowned in a pool of mock-surreal situations created more from a sense of mischief than profundity.

But the film is fun to watch. It makes the right moves and noises. No one speaks out of turn. And you don’t come away from the film offended in any detail.

Technically the presentation and packaging are reasonably neat. The film is shot in apartments rather than on sets. That helps to make you believe these are real people. Not actors who have just mugged their lines on the sets.

Fatso is a natural sweet tangy tender rom-com about a near-dead lover and a pretender. A just-right ensemble cast makes the proceedings look larger than laugh.

Don’t go looking for It’s A Wonderful Life and you may come away quite happy with this film. Source: www.santabanta.com

0 Jannat 2 Movie Review

No, Jannat 2 is not a sequel to the 2008 hit. However, at the same time, yes, it has the same basic premise and Emraan Hashmi reprises the role of bad boy wanting to turn a new leaf for his ‘Jannat’ in this Kunal Deshmukh production.

Sonu Dilli KKC aka Hashmi knows the A to Z of guns and is a successful dealer. Inspector Pratap (Randeep Hooda) is a guy with a past who is hell bent on wiping off the gun dealing mafia. Enter Jhanvi (Esha Gupta), a simple-minded doctor for whom Sonu falls but is unable to be with her as she wants to live a clean honest life. In a bid to win over Jhanvi, Sonu agrees to become an informer for Pratap and help expose the mafia leader.

The outline being pretty much the same, Jannat 2 is however more entertaining than the previous from the franchise. Shagufta Rafique’s story is crisp and peppered with engaging dialogues keeping in mind the essence of Delhi and its language. Of course, although no sentence in Delhi is complete without the ‘BC’ abuses, one wishes they had toned it down for the audience just a bit. Parts involving Emraan and Randeep are more interesting but the love story track dilutes the screenplay often making it slow. Kunal Deshmukh manages to give us a story which is definitely more believable with deft direction and some wonderfully engaging sequences – what out for the chase in the first half where two sets of policemen follow Emraan and the one in the durgah. Cinematography is decent, the music, though definitely not as popular as the first, is still pretty melodious and it was good to see that songs did not further slow down the film.

Let’s talk about the performances, Emraan plays his bad boy, Romeo role once again and with the added mischievous spark required. I have always stated that he was a good actor caught in bad films and after Once Upon a Time In Mumbai, The Dirty Picture and now Jannat 2, I hope that he can finally silence his critics. With many witty dialogues to his credit, Emraan manages to keep you engaged. But one person who would shock and surprise you with his performance is Randeep Hooda. Hooda shines and how! As the cynical, serious, angry police officer, Randeep gives his best performance to date. Esha has very little to do and needless to say, being her first film, she hams in some part. In fact one sees more chemistry between Emraan and Randeep than between her and Emraan. However, her attempt is commendable and one only hopes that she learns and improves. Manish Chaudhary as the villain Mangal Singh Tomar is decent although it’s time we do away with the over the top, eccentric villain caricatures. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub who played Manu Sharma in No One Killed Jessica is endearing as Sonu’s friend Balli.

With a gripping first half and a slightly dragging second one, Jannat 2 has its share of pluses and minuses. My suggestion? Go watch this for the wonderful performances of Emraan and Randeep.Source: www.bollyspice.com

0 Tezz (Movie Review)

For a thriller that created more buzz for an item number than for its action, you know what to expect. And you don’t even have to wait too long…. barely a few minutes into the film and Mallika Sherawat pops up to do her Laila act.

Over and done with the song, as you wait for the action to unfold, there’s another coming along… Ajay Devgn and Kangna Ranaut break into a romantic number.

Never mind that there’s a bomb ticking away on a train, lives of 500 passengers are at stake and time is fast running out.

In a bid to infuse the melodrama bits into Tezz, scant attention has been paid to the plot that keeps going off the track. What’s most vital in a thriller is the frenetic pace with which things have to move.

There has to be that visible sense of urgency. But this is missing, as an assortment of characters get tossed around doing their own bits. And most importantly there is no one keeping tabs on the time elapsed, these guys seem to be in no tearing hurry.

The plot revolves around Akash (Devgn) who is an engineer but an illegal immigrant in London. Finding himself on the wrong side of the law, he is taken to task.

But he decides to take revenge along with his accomplices Adil (Zayed Khan) and Megha (Sameera Reddy) by planting a bomb on a train. He is not a terrorist but is simply a victim of circumstances.

Now how many illegal immigrants get caught and go around planting bombs to seek revenge?

The premise itself is far from intriguing. Akash also wants to make some cool millions by asking for a ransom to live happily ever after with wife Nikita (Kangna Ranaut).

South star Mohan Lal may be the director’s buddy but looks out of place as a cop.

There is also Boman Irani as the railway traffic in-charge and Anil Kapoor as the counter terrorism chief who is pulled back into the job moments after his retirement speech and exclaims, “Woh English filmein bahut dekhta hoga” when the perpetrator leaves him befuddled. Just in case if you thought that the makers weren’t!

What catches your attention are the sequences featuring Sameera in a raft and later speeding on a bike (yup… you read it right it is Sam, no less) with the cops tailing her. And then Zayed resorts to some parkour stunts with Anil trying to keep pace with him.

These two moments apart, what you also remember are the deeply-stained teeth of Devgn and the different shades of orange that Kangna’s hairdo has.

Credit: Mid-Day.com

0 The Avengers (Movie Review)

Film: In a multi-hero film it is tough to do justice to each character. Imagine a multi-superhero film? Yet to the delight of movie lovers, second-time feature director Joss Whedon proves himself to be a superhero as he pulls the impossible with fun, humour and unbelievable panache in "The Avengers".

SHIELD director Nick Fury (Jackson) manages to assemble six superheroes when Loki (Hiddleston) threatens to destroy the Earth. Sadly, strong personalities don't make a good team and our superheroes fight with one another.

It is only when everything seems lost, that our superheroes realise that alone they might be lost, confused souls, but together they become something they never thought they could be - the invincible avengers.

The film is so engaging that despite some flaws, you choose to ignore these. It is witty, smart and funny, with enough comic-book humour and elements of delight for everyone from a five-year-old to an 85-year-old.

So, everything you can imagine in a film with multiple superheroes - great action, good costume, witty writing, good subplots and most of all, the superheroes fighting one another - is there in the film. It's been designed for success and this design works like a charm.

Not one character has been given extra attention while giving enough time to establish the characters of the two who don't have a separate film yet - Black Widow and Hawk Eye.

"The Avengers" thus become a surprising example of too much being put in one film, yet it working out in the end.

The long-winding, extended climax is an absolutely delight. The length is just perfect. Any shorter and it would have not done justice to the characterisations and any longer would have made it boring.

Yet, you do miss a few elements while a few others jar. A cameo by Natalie Portman (from "Thor"), like that of Gwyneth Paltrow is missed. "The Hulk", who so far we learnt couldn't control his anger, in the climax suddenly develops it becoming an adorable green monster who's as strong as he is cute. A little on how he got there, would have been better.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the evil but vulnerable villain outdone by his megalomania, does the best job of "acting".

"The Avengers" is a watershed film because it is a new concept. It is the culmination of the build-up of multiple films - two "Iron Man", "Hulk', "Thor" and "Captain America". This culmination also marks the beginning of a new franchisee.

Thus, this multi-hero film itself becomes a metaphor and a tribute to the literally thousands upon thousands of people who worked in unison in the films mentioned above to lead to this very satisfying end which is also a beginning.

Each one of them showed, like the film's main theme of brotherhood, what it is to work together for a common goal. Perhaps in it lies a message for real life, that our governments could do the same with the world. For even in real life, planet Earth is in desperate need of saving with no superheroes in sight.

0 Never a dull moment in `Vicky Donor` (Movie Review)

When was the last time you saw a Bollywood comedy that made you chuckle and smile for two hours? When was the last time you saw a funny film that you wished wouldn't end? When the last time you saw a film where every actor in a big or small role simply sparkled on screen?

"Vicky Donor" is original and thoroughly engaging. It makes you feel blessed and blissed.

How good it feels to watch a director pick up a pertinent issue and convert it into a perky precocious and endearing rom-com which is less rom and, ahem, a whole lot of cum. Indeed "Vicky Donor" is suffused with delectable plus points, not the least of them being debutant Ayushmann Khurana who seems to be born to play Vicky the…er donor.

Ayushmann-God bless his spontaneity-has formidable competition in the acting department from Kamlesh Gill and Dolly Ahluwalia who play his grandmom and mom, and from the redoubtable Anu Kapoor who as the sperm doctor, adds so much to his role and to the film you wonder why he isn't seen more often in our films.

Each character is written with a keenness for details that go a long way in giving them a life beyond the camera.

Delhi, done to death in film after film, re-awakens in "Vicky Donor". Kamaljeet Negi's cinematography makes no overt attempt to explore the city through the topography. Sircar's splendid direction takes us into the heart of Delhi. The people, their homes and specially their spoken language come alive in ways that cinema has ceased to offer in recent times.

I'd give the film the thumbs-up for the sheer exuberance joy and conversational authenticity expressed in the spoken words. Writer Juhi Chaturvedi is a prized find.

And cherish this film's ability to turn the subject of sperm donation into a joyous celebration of life. There are no dull moments in the narration. No character walks by in Sircar's Delhi just for the heck of it. There are no incidental characters. Even the guy on the road who calls out the leading lady's name on Vicky's behalf is there because he belongs to the film's perfect-fitted jigsaw design depicting domesticity and adversity in the competitive city.

Never in living memory have I seen a film where every character comes alive as an individual. If Dr Malpani (Anu Kapoor) is quite a character, so is his assistant Chaman (Bupesh Pandya) and his nurse Lata (K.V Rajni). If Ayushman's Vicky is a scenestealer, so is his romantic lead, the lovely Yami Gautam who as an independent working girl from a Bengali family brings a disarming grace to her character.

"Vicky Donor" is a precious and important work of art. It negotiates an unusual theme with the least amount of fuss and the maximum warmth and vigour. The scenes are woven with seamless serenity into one another. Like life, the film is not only about laughter. The heartbreaking moment where Ayushmann holds his sleeping mother's hand defines the undercurrent of somberness that life in Delhi constantly secretes.

Scratch the surface, and the pain under the bravura display of flamboyance and gaiety comes to the surface.

"Vicky Donor" gets that urbane mix of the light-hearted jaunty mood at the top and the agony beneath, with pitch-perfect accuracy. The very act of attempting a film on a sticky subject like sperm donation suggests a dry staccato treatment. Pulling away from the pitfalls of pontification and self-importance, "Vicky Donor" simply takes us on a carefree joyride where the blend of pain and pleasure is never forced into the narrative. It just happens.

In a film industry saturated with slapstick double-meaning comedy, Shoojit Sircar has conceived a comedy on sex which is a not a sex comedy. No small achievement this.

Large-hearted and generously endowed with moments that you take away with you from the film even as John Abraham comes on screen for an irrelevant song and dance item, "Vicky Donor" is the surprise entertainer of the year. It is the warmest, funniest most sensible and sparkling comedy in a very long time. In Shoojit Sircar's vision every single actor shines with a glorious naturalness. Ayushmann is effortlessly the discovery of the year.

As for the film, in Anu Kapoor words, there are impatient sperms, angry sperms, stupid sperms. Seen in those terms this film is quite a fertile piece of work which says a lot more about life than we expect from it.

0 Hate Story (Movie Review)

Hell hath no fury like a woman spermed…Meet the newest avatar of Maa Kali. The fascist avenging woman has always been a favourite figure of fantasy fashioning for our films. Who can forget Nargis gunning down her own son in Mehboob Khan’s Mother India?

The motivations for revenge in Hate Story are not quite the ones that impelled the woman protagonist to rise up in arms in Mother India or for that matter in Bhavna (a film that was directed by this film’s producer Vikram Bhatt’s father Pravin Bhatt) where Shabana Azmi killed her own husband.

Really, who needs a gun to get even when you have sex? Paoli doesn’t give a damn if her bare back or flesh flash across the screen. She displays a healthy attitude of disdain for the camera, letting it swoop down on her vulture style, never allowing her vengeful character’s erotic journey to get sleazy cheesy or lurid. The camera violates her character’s privacy with her consent.

Hate Story is a tale that invites provocative measures of counter-argument. When the protagonist Kaavya (Paoli Dam) gets down to revenge she spares no one, least of all herself. In a line that has by now become a national catch-phrase she announces, ‘Main iss shaher ki sabse bade randi ban-na chahti hoon’.

Thereafter there’s no looking back. And quite a comely back it is. Paoli’s Kaavya uses her physique to lure her enemy into her trap. Director Vivek Agnihotri cuts into her journey of self-destructive vendetta like a knife.

The episodes sometime stretch the limits of believability. But what the heck! No one is making a statement here on the politically correct conduct of the Bharatiya Nari. In what can be regarded as one of the most defiantly unconventional debut performances, Paoli Dam lets herself go with the furious flow of her character’s vendetta.

The episodes hammer into one another with scarcely room to breathe. The pace is dizzy most of the way. And when it slows down you feel the protagonist’s vendetta is losing its steam.

Steamy love-making scenes are strewn across the narrative’s stricken landscape. The soundtrack suggests there’s an urgent tragedy nudging the erotic content. The dialogues by Rohit Malhotra don’t shy away from telling it like it is.

Vikram Bhatt’s screenplay is Sidney Sheldon territory. It doesn’t shy away from showing the heroine in an unflattering light. This is new-age cinema with no room for conventional narrative devices or apologies for what the protagonist sets out to do.

If in The Dirty Picture Vidya Balan wore her sexuality on her sleeve, in Hate Story Paoli Dam uses her sexuality like a favoured currency in the stock market.

Mint-fresh and shock-proof Paoli Dam interprets her character with vigorous conviction. As her adversary Gulshan Devaiya (so watchable in Shaitaan and That Girl In Yellow Boots) careens between rage and anguish quite effortlessly.

Hate Story is not quite the tale of the simpering wronged woman we’ve been seeing in our films since the time Adam impregnated Eve.

Hate Story pushes the envelope so hard, all the content spills open in a torrential tumble of tantalizing power-play set within the world of corporate battles and gender conflicts.

This is the most riveting and aesthetic saga of a woman’s revenge against the man who’s wronged her since R. K. Nayyar’s Inteqaam. Except for the fact that Paoli Dam does things Sadhana in Nayyar’s film could have never imagined.

Mother India must be squirming in her grave.

Credit: Mid-Day.com