Review of new film Life in a ...METRO

Life not so Good in this…. METRO


With genre of multi starrer films dawning on issues of disarranged couples, broken marriages, premarital sex, and compromises after marriages, gay rights and many more, one more comes out from Bollywood right through UTV’s pocket, Life in a Metro. Set in every busy and buzz city Mumbai, film is about three protagonist living an extremely dull life making aura dull. The lives of Shilpa Shetty, Konkana Sen and Sharman Joshi intermingle in huge 468 sq.km area. Somehow and also share a common fate of being dejected in love fields. Yaawn…Hmmmm… No new spice when the marriage between Shilpa Shetty and Kay Menon is falling apart from just boredom and stress of living in city. Konkona Sen, younger sister of Shilpa Shetty is trying hard to lose heart and even her virginity to same person (can you imagine that) and Sharman Joshi in fever of becoming rich is stuck up with a gal Kanagana Ranaut, whom he flirts with but doesn’t have guts enough to propose.
On deep thoughts and proper vision, director has chosen sex and music as chief protagonist. The link between characters and their stories is physical attraction and 3 unshaven men appearing at screen at any given time and place (Much to annoyance of audience gathered from grunts and growls in theatre) start shrieking in loud melodious voice and tuning guitar along with their vocals. Added surprise element is an old couple trying to retrieve their romance after death of their married halves. Nafisa Ali, an ex dance teacher of Shilpa Shetty is staying in an old age home, where our married woman meets Shiney Ahuja a divorcee, is awaiting her old flame who turns out to be much to audience surprise and waahs Indian superman Dharmendra. Unhappy Shipa somehow or by some reason is attracted and drawn to Shiney to an extent of desire to sleep with him, but shortly before a jolted alarm wakes her up from crime and sends her running out of red light drudgery lanes of Mumbai. Konkona Sen trying hard to find right man to go on bed with encounters Irrfan Khan, a strange bizarrely weird personality. She gets attracted to her colleague and starts dating him, only to walk in when he is busy making out with her manager, a man. Its second time in Bollywood poor Konkona has to open door to see her boyfriend in poses of Brokeback Mountain. C’mon guys give her beauty credit and let straight guys date her for once. Dejected, Depressed she quits job and enters new firm to find Irrfan Khan as her new colleague. Helping the irritatingly lovable Irrfan for shopping for his arranged marriage, she falls for him. Sharman Joshi our modern Bhilaite call centre guy uses his flat as brothel for his seniors to get gals to screw. Only he doesn’t realize that his big boss Kay Kay Menon gets his love interest Kangana for corrupting her. The pay raise lures and promotion greed makes him agree to play Key to this sex scandal, but till a day, he sees his girl lying in his bathroom drunk with phenyl. And Boom the extra marital affairs get exposed, love is lost, people are hurt, senior couple face difficulties in meeting and Emotions are played. And again 3 men in their guitar mumbling their melodious number at some crossroad of city and making climax more baffled with plethora of all characters of film dispersed bizarrely for their true love and life.
The stale screenplay is even made duller by poor and flawed direction. Anurag Basu has failed to freshen up his talents and the movie. The string between stories is also too weak and lacks intensity. The camera angles capture right emotions and movie along with scene, but movement of scenes is only wrong. The pace of screenplay in this 2 hours movie is lost at many times and dull throughout movie. Multistory with serious captivity can be bred and treated differently. The lifesaver and drawing power of this movie is performances. Each and every character of movie has done par justice to their roles and special mention to Irrfan Khan, who has tremendously exceeded in his portrayal. Dharmendra deserves a standing ovation for his superfluous comeback after n number of years. The music though melodious fails to jive up screen and just its untimely presentation serves an irritating irk to audience. Pritam and his band mates have done their job but too many songs in this hardly scripted movie don go well. The kiss and tell controversy may save Shilpa’s fate and of film besides the performances

Rating**1/2

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De
Technorati Tags :Movies,Life in a Metro, News Releases, 2007 Movies, Shilpa Shetty,Kay Kay Menon,Irrfan Khan,Konkona Sen,
Shiney Ahuja, Sharman Joshi,Kangana Ranaut

Review of Little Miss Sunshine

Big Great Sunshine




Beauty pageants are soon became part of entertainment world, advertising stage and launch pad of filmy careers for participants rather than talent shows to reach out to those who cannot or do not have right path to express their endowments to the deserved heights. Days of Sushmita winning the universe by her wit topped creamy bullet shot one liners to bizarre questions by judges or Aishwarya spinning world with her smile are of yore now. Globalisation and Modernisation have made the competitors of these shows to be tailored right from zero ends. Laminates for sparkling smile, nor Colgate nor Pepsodent gift but skill if cosmetic dental surgeon, or polished diction and upgraded vocabulary by expert to correct way of walking and posing to inches of mouth opening while speaking all is trained and look after for them. But, this week we witness to a beauty pageant of a kind hitting to theatres in city. Little Miss Sunshine was the name and laughing as was its fame. A six year old Olive (Abigail) dreams day and night of becoming a beauty queen and gets enrolled in a talent contest Little Miss Sunshine in Redondo California. But, the problem is she resides in Aberkirky some 1000 miles apart. The family decides a bus trip to take her to destination which turns a tour of springing emotions, flashing egos, lost deals and people, identity loses, aim shifts and much more. The family is made of each eccentric members, a father who is loser in life, a mother who is divorced once and yet is unhappy with her marriage, a cocaine snorting swearing grandfather, a gay uncle who has suicide attempting tendencies on losing his love to a competitor and a worshipping step brother who besides detesting everyone in family hasn’t spoke a word to anyone since 9 months.
The each of above characters is packed in bus to ride down as aircrafts and luxury is unaffordable to single person earning family. The journey takes them to emotional turmoil and a hilarious 110 mins. to us. The bus breaks down and there is no repair to it besides pushing the vehicle till it starts, the father loses his book deal leaving him with no income much to enragement of mother. The uncle, an eminent scholar meets his love interest with the competitor on their way and grandfather loses his life in sleep. The tour doesn’t end here, determined to reach the goal, they carry the corpse in trunk against the law. The brother is flabbergasted and disgusted on learning his colour blindness wouldn’t let him fly jets, his dream for which he kept silence pact. Finally breaking down, he opens mouth with swearing the family. The determined goal is reached after whole journey of life and then is another tummy wrecking laughter of contest. A simple small budget movie which leaves you in urges to pee after unlimited bouts of laughter has strong message to be read. The determination of girl and family despite hindrances to stand in front of judging agony aunts and sharing stage with artificially tanned and trained girls is worth mentioning.
The chairs of cinema could have been wrecked due to jumps of joyous laughter and satirical humour. The screenplay was worth its Oscar and direction though a usual one was a remarkable. The story and performances were starts of this cine wonder. Abigail by her magnificent portrayal of Olive earned an Oscar nomination and Alan Arkin took home the trophy for snorting cocaine and swearing on everything that moves. Toni Collete again did a job with excellent flair and Steve Carrel made us prove his sexuality. Greg Kinnear wasn’t as loser as the father in his performance. Naturally, a movie that is must watch for all and grab the running message of determination and courage.
And rightly said, Smaller in sizes proportionate to Better and Bigger results.
Rating ****1/2
Rating Chart:
*- Whatever
**- Please just let it be
***- Hmmmmm
****- Wow, That’s simply fantastic
*****- Is this for real or what!!!!

Review of Namastey London

Welcome is Namastey in India. Hence in Namastey London we welcome London!! Do we???!!!! The Indian immigrants all over had one more movie based on them besides Namesake. This proves Globalization impact on India. Besides importing Walmart and Vodafone we are also importing daughters of NRIs who have lost their culture after studying foreign languages and history of land they reside in. Boozing, Fagging, clubbing and defying parents becomes Chalta Hai for that genre. Isn’t it same here??!!! Vipual Shah takes up job of cleaning one of such NRI’s (Rishi Kapoor) daughter (Katrinal Kaif). He takes help of desi Punjabi munda (Akshay Kumar) and result is Namastey London or whatever they insist on calling it.
So here we are taking insight of Katrina who loves thrice divorce British and wants to marry him much against his father’s wishes. He agrees on one condition a trip to India and schemes for bachelors from all over India to meet her spoilt British dame, though not honored by queen. Lost in all cities, Rishi finds solution to his puzzle at his hometown in Punjab. The Jat cow milk drinking Akshay impresses him so much that he marries his daughter immediately to him. Trying to sprint away from country, Katrina seeks advice of his friend Imran (Upen Patel), one of another NRI Londoner who has defied his parents by moving in with a white girl without marriage. He asks her to marry him and get him to London same night without any registered proof of marriage. London brings a shock of being single yet married to Akshay when she announces her marriage plans to her white boss. Dejected Akki doesn’t give up and decides to fight her back. But his way chosen is my befriending her and drawing her close and allowing her to marry the white. The game of persuasion intermingles with sacrifice emotional tour sublimed with some dialogues of national integration and making India proud. Katrina who has been a good showpiece throughout the movie is melted with heat of his love and…. Then comes climax of amateurishly written movie. The camera angles give us tour of London and some well bred cities of India with worship places but fails to capture the correct essence of cinema.
The director has forgotten his lessons of film making or was on holiday to Gabbon or Madagascar where movie making is alien word. Screenplay showed us diary of 1st grade school girl and dialogues are copied from a skit played in some school. Akshay has tried hard enough to cope with slow and predictable pace of film. Rishi provides a little extra mileage and Katrina is a well sculpted mannequin with emotions portrayed subsequently. Upen is extra feature in the film full of predictions and boredom. Serious advise to all do not watch even if you have time and extra money for draining it down the gutters.
Do not do Namastey to Namastey London!!!!!!
Rating *


Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Review of film Hattrick

BAD TRICK

World Cup mania is still on here in India. The fight for entry in Super8 is one India faces today against Sri Lanka. The wishes, prayers and cheers are on and our Bollywood isn’t behind in this craze. This year Multi starrers with multiple stories hit theatres, glued with different cements. Some used fevistick, some Love, some used Honeymoon, some arranged marriage, some used events of past. The film director initially known for his debut film Kacche Dhagge tried one using Cricket as the pasting factor a movie. Curious enough all stamped to theatres nearby and being monkey in jungle followed the suit….
Setting Cricket as backdrop, the 35mm frame was bout three stories badly combined. A retired bowler David Abraham (Danny Denzogpa) spends his retired life by breathing cricket, training some local boys and watching cricket. A kidney failure comes as misfortune, and lands him at hospital run by non zealous Dr Satyajeet Chauahan. His life is dedicated to treating patients and pointing out mistakes I vegetables cooked by his wife, daily. Then we see a spoof of Munnabhai where an interesting patient David breaks norms of hospital much to dismay of Dr Satya. The other frame is of newly wed couple Sarbjit (Kunal Kapoor) and Anjali (Rimi Sen) whose interests vary as nuclear interests of USA and Iran vary. He cannot stop watching cricket, she can’t stand ball pitching the bat. On insistence of a close friend, she starts watching cricket for cricketers and becomes obsessed with Dhoni’s looks. The marriage starts experiencing waves of Tsunami and then continues saga of wars, emotions, tears and love and all. The third angle of triangle is completed by a janitor Hemu Patel (Paresh Rawal) at Heathrow airport. The aim of his life is to attain a British citizenship and show off t his friends in pub while watching his favorite sport Cricket. Then life takes a new turn when her daughter defies him, citizenship dream has hurdles and his friends find out his real job designation.
Screenplay is weakened by bad cement material used to gel the 3 stories. Considering induviual stories the Danny and Nana’s story and Paresh’s stance are good. Direction is just above average and lacks fresh look. Danny, Nana and Paresh are excellent in their roles while Kunal and Rimi struggling in managing their ones. Music is pale and dialogues are stale. Watch it if you have money to spend and nothing to do.

Rating: **

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Review of film 'The Namesake'

A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY CALLED ‘THE NAMESAKE’


Books and movies though both aspects of entertainment and literature, but when one adapted to another creates a hugely bizarre results. So, being a true movie buff and avid book lover it really scares my wits off to see a movie based on book. Will it do justice to book or am I going to be disappointed or is it going to offend book. Just few weeks before I finished writing my review of Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The Namesake’. Spindling stupendous words and exotic grammar that dwindled me to the book was about to go under camera lens. Though the face behind camera was a known and well though in expert hands one still can never be too sure. Following were revelations of first day first show of Fox light‘s latest production.
The book which I have read and reviewed was picturised in front of me with Ashok Ganguli (Irfan Khan) in 1970s something traveling in a train where a co-passenger and a train incident help him decide to migrate in new country. Flown to United States for further study, he returns to search a company his bride in India and lands up to see Ashima (Tabu). Fascinated by his shoes Ashima agrees to marry a stranger and fly to even more strange land with no one she knows around. Then begins a journey and a struggle to make a foreign land own home. They have 2 additions in their family a son and daughter. Son for some weird reason is named Gogol after Russian author Nikolai Gogol. Disgraced by his name and Indian standards of living, Gogol(Kal Penn) grows up and graduates. After reaching a legal age he changes his name to Nikhil, much against his parent’s wishes. The influencing cultures, conflicting standards, compromising parents and embarrassed children are well shown in scenes by director. The twist comes in story when Gogol realizes his name was respect to author whose book saved life of his father after a train accident. The name symbolizes the happiness obtained after the accident, a new life, a boon given by God. The truth is narrated by Ashoke when he leaves for a 6 month job at Ohio leaving Ashima alone in house for first time in life. Gogol falls in love with a white girl, goes camping with her celebrates his birthday with her family disappointing his. One day they learn that their mentor Ashok has died of heart attack alone in hospital. Darkness glooms over and then is fight to their soreness.
Mira Nair has excelled in all forms, a true narrator, and story teller. The minor elements are so wonderfully taken care of by her. Screenplay is well adapted by Sooni Taraporewala and not at all disappointing Jhumpa’s fans. The movie is an emotional journey that makes us value our loved ones. It makes one nostalgic about their life and importance of different relationships that go on intertwining in our web. The immigrant Diasporas is so well portrayed. The actors have added cream to a well baked cake. Tabu and Irrfan Khan are gems of India which are adept for their role and stunned audience by their performances and Bengali accents. Kal Penn is surprise package which after comedy genre has just cake walked with a emotional turbulent act. Mira nair is just kept her audience wah wahing from Salaam Bombay to Missispi Masal to Monsoon wedding and now Namesake. And, I can comfortably say that seeing the movie was like reading Jhumpa’s grammatically excellent words. A must see for all movie goers and for all who have relations and ties in their life.
To end, For your loved ones’ sake go and watch ‘The Namesake’.

Rating Chart-****1/2


Rating Chart
* Bhool Hi jaaon / Whatever
** Theek Hai Chalalenge / Please just let it be
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain /Hmmmmmm
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas / Wow, that’s fantastic
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De / Is this for real or what

Review of Just Married

Just Merryed
Just in call centre era, where live in relationships, single parents, same sex couples are becoming easy words to gulp down with morning cuppa of tea, Bollywood is lagging behind in time. Last year we saw Vivah taking us through journey of courtship of 2 unknown people set by parents. Then we take a bus ride with six defrayed couples on their honeymoon to Goa. Now, Boskie aka Meghana Gulzar brings us embracement of a newly wed couple who know nothing but name about themselves to their new life as a couple. So, munch your candies and sip the ice teas and step up on the fast track view of the movie.
The NRI Abhay Sachdeva (Fardeen Khan), who by all means defies rule of a NRI, is settled in India after parent’s cries and woes. He gets trapped in match making abilities of traditional Indian parents. After a whole chapter of blackmailing, he is made to sit next to a Ritika Khanna (Esha Deol) and agni generally used for marriage purposes in Hindu wedding. Ritika Khanna who is equally flabbergasted on marrying a guy, whom she barely meets one time where her aunt is busy chatting, gets another volt of shock to know that they have to leave for 5 day honeymoon next morning of their nuptial night. Off is duo to a bus in Ooty with fellow passengers as old couple (Kirron Kher and Satish Shah), who on occasion of their 40 th anniversary are on troop arranged by kids. The bus journey is passed by introductions and general information gathering. The newly weds are all nervous about approaches to each other. They encounter more couples on honeymoon in their hotel. Anu (Perizaad Zorabain) and Rishab (Bikram Saluja) are busy into exploring each other heedless about their surroundings. Shoheb Mirza(Mukul Dev) doesn’t matter about her wife’s (Anya) whereabouts on honeymoon. Australian NRI Arjun Kohli( Raj Zushti) is touring with his long time girlfriend Australian Amrita(Natasha). The sexual desires of Abhay are in state of dilemma of expressing itself to Ritika and receive a big jolt when he learns that it is really difficult to even touch icy Ritika. Ritika, meanwhile is facing all her fears come true in bedroom in solace with Abhay. Afraid to sleep on same bed, she sleeps on sofa and tries very hard to stay away from touches of Abhay. Frustrated nut understanding hubby also separates bed for her to sleep peacefully, but till a day all anger surfaces up. The first argument of marriage is deep and uncovers all truths and beliefs of arranged marriage. Then in process of understanding each other by discovering horrifying and sarcastic truths of their fellow travelers, value and respect for ach other increases. Live in relationships, other woman, habit sharing, and ignorance for each other are all problems with which the couples stuck with. The journey encompasses various aspects of marriage unknown to many. The climax is taken a metaphor for hardship which brings the main couple close to each other and blends them.
Meghana Gulzar after a gap of 4 years hasn’t disappointed me a bit. The Filhaal girl has struck back with a good grip on screenplay dialogues and direction. The surprise packages of movie were lead couple. Fardeen Khan and Esha Deol have put audience in shock by their awestruck performances. Kirron Kher proved that role was just written for her. Satish Shah, Mukul Dev and Perizaad did gr888 job. Bikram Saluja did go little over the edge in his performance. The script is good masterpiece. The movie really puts us commitment freak individuals at ease about marriage issues. The issues of infidelity and mismatch couples are well handled and showcased. Movie is great watch for everyone and worthy Rs.100 to spend on. So, Just go see Just Married.


Rating ***

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Review of Water

Unquenched Water
Oscar fever was over on Star Movies and so were awards ceremony with celebrating the immensely talented cinema. But, for India the fever has just began. Last week, we saw release of Water Oscar nominated film for Best Foreign Film based in India and nominated from Canada. Irony isn’t it?? But then the movie is also based on ironical subject. Deepa Mehta set out to make her last of trilogy some years ago in Varanasi, where the film was based on. But, then some bunch of double standard scared of exposure, burn the set threatened to chop the crew up. Upset and defoliated Deepa had to shelve the project and went into transgression, till a day she realized she had to complete her dream. Shot in SriLanka and produced in Canada, her hard work paid off with an Oscar nomination and film released in India. The film was worth watching for her hard work if not for her reputation of previous films or controversy or Oscar nomination. So, undisputedly I sat through these 150 min. movie and here’s a quick synopsis of it.
The 1938 era of movie in a town on banks of Ganga , shows us an widow ashram where Gandhi is an unknown, unheard entity. Entry of new child widow Chuhiya (Sarla) changes the whole ambience of the brothel where widows were fed to demons of hell. A 7 yyear old Chuhiya cannot place herself in old hags who pass their time in chanting some mantras and believe every pleasure in a world is door to hell from heaven. Solitude and torture assures them of heaven and to serve the caretaker Madhumati (Manorama). Once a child widow in same ashram now Madhumati runs the ashram now by snorting cocaine, bossing others and selling young ashram girls to Braham seths for money to run the ashram. Her acquaintance and partner in crime is a eunuch played perfectly by Raghuvur Yadav, who also supplies cocaine and news of outside world. In the ashram of hell, there also is mentor of Chuhiya , Shakuntala Didi (Seema Biswas) who works her heart out, prays, cooks and protects Chuhiya as her daughter and takes care of the old and bed ridden. She believes in God and serves Him selflessly, studies Vedas and also sees smooth running of ashram. Chuhiya finds a friend and playmate in twenty something Kalyani (Lisa Ray) who is allowed to keep long hair for sex business, Keeps pet pup and is forced to stay separately and eat separately in fear her presence would corrupt the whole breed of widows. Chuhiya runs into John Abraham one day, Brahaman recently graduated as lawyer and die hard Gandhian. He falls in head over heels for Kalyani sighting her fair affluent smooth skin, dark blue tinged deep eyes and wild cat looks with innocent body language. The proposal for marrying a widow faces a lot of criticism outside and inside ashram as well. Manorama threatened of losing a good pimp to marriage locks her up and tells the widows it’s unholy for widow to marry and she will bring curse upon. Even Shakuntala does believe her till a day a learned man acknowledges her with new law of widow marriage. She helps Kalyani for uniting with Narayana. Off she sprints with him with a hope of marriage only to learn that she has slept with her would be father in law. Confident that marriage wont takes place, she returns to ashram and is denied the entry. Dejected she commits suicide and her death awakens Shakutala didi to reality. Manorma of greed even sells Chuhiya for a night to a Brahmin seth. Shakuntala on realizing truth wants to free Chuhiya and triumphs in doing that with a bizarre rendezvous with Gandhiji.
The film though has and excellent script and message, it lacks in many aspects. Oscar was a hype given too poorly written film. Even ace director like Deepa Mehta couldn’t survive a bad screenplay. Dialogues are feeble and cinematography is not convincing. As for roles Sarla was boon in shelving of film in India. This discovery in Sri Lanka is astonishing and appraising. Seema Biswas has brilliantly mastered her role one of best performance. John and Lisa are expressionless and were forced to act. Manoraa was brilliant and Raghuvir Yadav showed his extra talent in gender bias role. Even the Oscar nomination cannot justify this badly sewn movie. The subject was magnificent and informative making us aware of our past genre.
There wasn’t much FIRE in WATER to bake the EARTH.

Rating **1/2 for the subject
Rating Chart:
*- Whatever
**- Please just let it be
***- Hmmmmm
****- Wow, That’s simply fantastic
*****- Is this for real or what!!!!

Review of Volver

COMINGBACK…..TO………VOLVER

‘Coming Back’ that’s what Spanish word ‘Volver’ literally means. This is not about translation from Spanish to English; It is about a Spanish film with same name appearing constantly in print media, broadcast show to nominations list of award ceremonies around the globe. From about a year Pedro Almarov’s new work is creating waves at festivals and spilling good ink from critic’s pen from all continents. Phew!!! Finally after long time of hearing hype, Mumbaikars could catch the movie at MAMI film festival screening the movie at Fun Republic. There I rushed leaving a social function mid-way at South Mumbai to multiplex at Andheri – Versova link road to catch the 3-30 show. Even after managing to reach at 3 in a crowded local train and loud ruthless auto rickshaw, obtaining a ticket was juggler’s job. Management and aura were jerking words to fill up a whole sheet of dismay and disappointment, so let’s just forget about it and forgive them.
Crowded popcorn smelling mouths were open ajar to see Spanish dames lighting up the screen. The movie was about past returning to the present, situations and grief engaging from time to time on all women’s family. Protagonist Raimunda played by over curved and bulged at right places actress Penelope Cruz have lost her both parents to a house fire common in some bizarre village of Spain, where wind is strong enough to roll the trash cans down the road. To share her grief is her daughter Paulo and sister Sole. A Madrid based hotel stewardess, married to a drunk who keeps losing his jobs and masturbating himself in bed next to her. A day changes entire course of life, events occur to form a new life. Her daughter Pauola is forced to stab and castrate her father, when he tries to sexually abuse her. Saving daughter and burying secret along with dead body of her husband is prime job of Raimunda now on same night when her favorite aunt passes away in the village. Unable to attend she sends her sister Sole to funeral; where alive her mother comes from dead. Sole learns that her mother wasn’t killed by fire but was very much living and hiding secretly in aunt’s house nursing the old lady.
Sole takes her mother to Madrid and hides her in her apartment. Raimunda is form whom her mother hides in fear f finding her live she would start hating and disliking her as she did in past. Meanwhile, struggling with managing expenses by running a neighbor’s restaurant without his knowledge Raimunda is flabbergasted and taken aback to find her mother in Sole’s bedroom. Past reels back, stories untold are been told, conversations unexchanged are talk upon and facts missed are passed to each other. Desperate wailing mother seeks forgiveness from her daughter for her husband’s monstrous act to molest his daughter and make her pregnant. Suddenly, skeletons deeply buried in hearts are excavated and all this leading to a happy ending of all four women to progress in life to better roads in men’s world.
Pedro Almarov has polished his directorial skills in his hometown where movie is based on since his Bad Education to present this well written masterpiece. Cinematographer leaves no flaws behind to toil upon and blends his work well with good edited screenplay. Penelope Cruz has potentates her Raimunda role in all ways and shed the Hollywood siren image to adapt an actress skin. Audiences are laid back in their chairs biting their nails and wondering over ghastly truths in simple life. Movie has raised emotions of trust and love in all relationships. A must watch for all sensible cinema goers. And amigos please do not restrict this mindblower to a screening in festival.

Gracias Pedro and crew for enchanting us to great Cine wonder.

Rating: ****1/2


Rating Chart:
*- Whatever
**- Please just let it be
***- Hmmmmm
****- Wow, That’s simply fantastic
*****- Is this for real or what!!!!

Review of Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd

Take a tour on this Travels

Last year Vivah brought us a journey of courtship, this a year another movie promises us to take a ride at a journey that just begins just after marriage rituals. Courtship is a way to interact with a spouse in who’s hands you are gonna bestow your life upon at least till divorce. Honeymoon is continuation of same journey in knowing nuances of spending time with each other and sharing a bed with person you have just ritually, legally agreed to sleep next to for rest of your or his/her life. The marriage being compound addition of two complex characters to find a simple solution to their shared combined life, Honeymoon is the journey taken to try and compete with each other and know when and where to compromise to keep marriage click ticking. The new venture from Bollywood has promised to encompass the first step taken as a duo in life from various angles and thereby listing different nuances of being married.
The Honeymoon travels ltd takes us to a tour which all married couples have gone through and singles either passionately wait for it or are scared hell of motion sickness. The movie is amalgam of six different stories of six couples taking their honeymoon tour to Goa in same bus. The couples each come from all different direction of India speak a different dialect and eat differently and think virtually apart but share a common term Married. To describe film I’ll break neatly woven stories in one thread to its threadlings if there is a word like that.
Couple 1- Zaara (Minishaa) and (Abhay) are perfect couple after sharing shameful and embarrassed childhood. They become extremely choreographed well synchronized couple. But there is a secret how they are so symbiotic though a same one, they have hidden from each other till a day suspicion begins

Couple2- Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani both married second time after being lonely by deaths of their respective halves take journey to rediscover love in their pains. They try to blend with each other, but trauma from past recurs and stops them till they over come it

Couple3- Partho(Kay Kay) and Raima Sen love each other and got married, but both have different angles to look at things. Inspite being in intense love, different strokes make their life and honeymoon difficult to handle till they find a solution on this trip

Couple4- Ranvir Shenoy is Gujrati business man married to ever crying disinterested wife Dia Mirza who doesn’t wanna step out of bathroom in the night. Then a biker boy Jignesh (Arjun Ramphal) steps in Goan church with a gun to take his love Dia in his life back, she cheers and sprints away.


Couple5- Amisha Patel is blabbering, broken English muttering Punjabi dame married to her submissive love Karran. Both are happy in love and all mushy as they could get. But on tour day, he discovers a hidden truth about himself that changes him and his behavior towards her completely.


Couple 6: Sandhya Mridul, a Mumbai porgi already cheated in love already finds a suitable NRI Siddarth tei a knot. While discovering each other’s anatomy to refine their nuptial vows, she learns a horrifying secret about his sexual orientation

The tour is set in Goa where everyone tries to resolve their summarized problems and then embark their routine nuptial life in harmony.

Film though had a new morning refreshing look, but oooh la lala wasn’t there. It’s like its there almost but not yet there. Reema Kagti has shown a tremendous potential in her direction and screenplay but couldn’t hide the notable flaws. Acting everyone did their best even Ameesha whom we expect least from. So to judge one is rather difficult. Issues like suicides, homosexuality and infidelity after marriage are well portrayed. Strong and condemnable points that surface as problems post marital are shown in lighter moods. Applause to well written work with a good focus. Technical disabilities can be worked upon. Can be seen once.

Rating: This one’s confused me form **1/2 to ***

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Review of Eklavvya

One L(U)vya Guard

Dalbaatis, Choorma Ladoos are not only things famous of Rajasthan, Thar Desert and its songs or Pink City is not just its priced possessions. There is much to more western state of Rajuts, Marwaris, and also Chauhars. There are Ranajis, Royal Guards, Rajmatas and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Yes!!! He is originally from Kashmir and grew up amidst lakes and valleys, snow capped peaks and boathouses. Recently, 7 years after venturing terrorist filled jungles and districts of Kashmir, he has explored and excavated Chouhar, Kissan and Ranaji filled villages of Rajasthan. The tiger came out of hibernation and is roaring in other direction to create a new trend.
The story of film that took 7 years in completing but is of 2 hours screentime is about nuances in post independent some small village in a district of Rajasthan. It is about Eklavvya (“Amitabh Bachchan), the royal guard whose duty as set by his ancestors is to serve blindly to family of Ranas. Turning blind by age doesn’t stop him to guard the ex royal family nor does it affect his arch shooting skills, given a bird’s toe as target even blindfolded by a Chouhar policeman Pannalal (Sanjay Dutt, his arm lands bang on target. The family he is serving is Rana Jayawardhane (Boman Irani), who’s dying wife (Sharmila Tagore) is muttering Eklavvya’s name instead of her husband. Enraged by envy and wreathed by jealousy he chokes his wife to death in presence of mentally handicapped daughter Nandini (Raima Sen) and threatens her not to tell about it. Death of Ranimaa, brings her son Harshwardane (Saif Ali Khan) back to beautifully architected palace from London. He comes down and as if Pandora’s Box is open and horror within is unleashed on him. Through a letter from his mom, he is subjected to a secret which he must hide from but obey his dead mother’s last wish. The letter contained horrifying truth about his biological father being Eklavvya and not Ranaji as he could never conceive. Rana who also knows secret by now, wants Eklavvya terminated to save his name and capability. Frustrated and lost, he asks help from his cunning and ever scheming cousin Jyotiwardhane (Jackie Shroff), who along with his son Uday (Jimmy Shergill) are in constant mind and plans for acquisition of vast wealth of Ranaji. Suspicious death of a farmer draws Chouhar policeman (Sanjay Dutt) to palace. Then begins a plot to kill Eklavvya which is overlapped by murder of Ranaji. The tragedy that follows death is gripping and unveils final lap of tragedy.




Parinda was work of great talent and creativity, which hasn’t lost in Vidhu Vinod Chopra in all these years. Screenplay is mesmerizing and takes us to likes of Shakesperean tragedies. The climax is disappointing segment of film, where director has given Bollywood twist to this great fable. Art of narrating story is unique in each of Vidhu’s babies and leads to new definition in art of film making. As for acting Amitabh is second best after Black and deserves a standing applause. Saif Ali Khan is good but restricted in few scenes. Raima is brilliant and poignant and Vidya is ever charming in her miniscule role of driver’s daughter who dreams of marrying Saif Ali Khan. Jackie and Jimmy are perfecto pair for their character and Sanjay is sarcastically hilarious and just simply brilliant. Just to add a lighter note to serious tragedy, people suffering from claustrophobia shouldn’t watch this one as camera angles are at high levels.

Rating ****1/2

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

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Review of new movie Black Friday

Furious Friday
The Friday stands an important place in history. The Friday 13th was D day considered as a bad omen to start a new venture. No films are released, no businesses are announced. But Friday is very holy for Muslims; they worship at afternoon 1-30 pm on Friday. But it was, the March 12th 1993, the day that rocked biggest cosmopolitan city and financial capital of India, Mumbai. The day is written in Black words in history of Mumbai, thus the Anurag Kashyap has rightly named his film Black Friday based on S. Hussain’s book, a journalist’s account of events after the damaging chapter in history.
The story is account of blasts roped in different stories. The cop Rakesh Maria (Kay Kay) is tracking down the reasons and culprits of blasts along with his investigating team leading him to Mahim based business man Tiger Memon (Pawan Malhotra), who disappears after blast and goes to Dubai for hiding. Then a story of Tiger Memon who is still not caught, reason for converting into a terrorist after his smuggler joint was burnt down in December 1992 riots. He sought help from Dawood and some other businessmen in Dubai with links to ISI in Pakistan; he built up a team of Mumbai locals. The brain washing by him got a few weak people of same community to breach the code of conduct. The revenge was actual triggering factor for the doomsday conspiracy but the ultimate intentions were to shake the city financially and thereby affecting economy of country and also triggering a communal clash post blasts. The another chapter in film is about Tiger’s protégé Badshah (Aditya Srivastava) later turning into police as state witness. The incentive behind his move was Tiger Memon left him helpless and penniless rendering him to different states and different cities every 15 day. The frustration took over and he got caught very easily. Then events unfold one by one with others getting caught. The plot also reveals the brutality which police had to use to interrogate and its justifications with human rights and others ever intervening in between. The surprise item was the Dawood link to Mumbai blasts and his history.

Anurag Kashyap has dealt the sensitive subject carefully and at same time exploiting the books accounts. The real life is brought to us in real life. Cinematographer has done ace job with perfect camera angles and red backlights during interrogation. Background score was blended with seriousness of the movie. Dialogues though not powerful but were serving their purposes to real accounts. The camera work was of elegant quality with refined acting by Kay Kay Menon in his short role and poised performance by Pawan Malhotra as Tiger Memon, even the guy who played Dawood did justice. It was hair raising experience to sit through long movie. It seems trend of movies without editing, but that can be neglected in this movie as it has done full justice to book and its author. The movie was journalists view to 13 blasts that took 300 and more lives, injured more than 1500 people, shook the nation world, rocked the city, but couldn’t stopped its life nor its pace after all we Mumbaikars do not know word as Fear or Terrorize.


Rating ****
Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Movie review of Traffic Signal

STOP IF YOU WANT TO AT THIS TRAFFIC SIGNAL
Frequent traveled on road, am used to traffic signals and traffic in Mumbai. Irony of erecting traffic signal is to stop traffic but the purpose it serves is increase the traffic. I never had thought that some one would be so obsessed with three lights and a pole that He would set and make a movie out of it. Interested what it would be I would have bought tickets, but it was made by national award winner Madhur bhandarkar was drawing factor of audience to the cinema halls. Last of his trilogy after Page 3 and Corporate, a movie named Traffic Signal was released 2 weeks ago, which I sat in Movie Time finding time from my busy schedule.
The story is about a world, a world that exists beyond our imagination at each Traffic Signal of our Highways. There are lives attached, businesses planned, a smaller retail market and lots more than we can think. The fable of one such signal is brought to us by Silsila (Kunal Khemu), the manager of Signal at Kalbadevi . The duty of manager includes smooth running of all types of businesses, taking care of problems of people who flourish there and most importantly collecting weekly hafta of all who earn money there. The film has too many stories woven into one,, there is Chinaswamy who plays Tsunami affected boy came to Mumbai and working as rag picker and surviving in a hope daily to find his parents lost in wrath of ocean. There is a kid who forsakes all his week salary to buy a fairness cream for turning him whiter skinned only to get dismay and disappointment in return. An interesting character, Domnic D’souza (Ranvir Shenoy) is a drug addict and pays for his cocaine by conning street pedestrians through various tricks on the same signal. His love interest is a prostitute, Noorie (Konkona Sen Sharma) with whom he shares some moments of love before dying of drug overdose. Talking of love, Silsila loves Rani (Neetu Chandra), a refugee from Gujarat busy selling handicraft dresses on signal. Silsila is accompanied by his two special friends a boy Paaya and Langda Manya (Upyendra Limaye) who live of begging outside temple near signal. So, this and many more characters are managed by Silsila who collects the money for Asif Bhai who inturn gives collection to Bhai Jaan (Sudhir Mishra) who not only controls network of business at signals but also has other mafia business. The twist is added as extension of flyover to that signal by corrupt politician bribing engineer (Manoj Joshi) . On refusing bribe, the engineer is killed at Traffic Signal in front of eyes of Silsila who realizes big game played to eradicate the signal and is devastated.
The movie is not well written nor well presented. The facts covered and brought to us by movie but are brilliant and Madhur Bhandarkar deserves a pat on back for it.The small facts like illegal Bangladeshi hampering city life and existence of parallel world in prostitution are well racketed. But, movie appears paraphernalia of stories with no clear plot and twist in tale. Cinematography is not one would expect from National Award winning Director. The plethora of characters has rendered a viewer in dilemma, which is central story. The performance by Ranvir tops the list as he played with great expressions of a drug addict. Konkona has never let us and her director down. Second movie olds Neetu Chandra and Kunal Khemu are fabulous and have dome more than justice to their characters. Sudhir Mishra was very poor in trying to act as Bhai, probably he should stick in direction only. The music was an average one. The movie can be watched with ease if you loved Page3, otherwise it’s a green light for others.
Rating **1/2

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas .

***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Parzania: Controversial stroy of Parsi family a review of the film

PARI NA ZAA
Unscramble the word of new release of tinsel town ‘PAARZANIA’ and you get my heading of the review of film. Land of beauty and peace, where no troubles and problems exist is dream of every child born on earth. Innocence and creativity are god’s gift given to children to survive in this world, but if this is taken away from them at young change, hell is where we live on. Chocolate buildings with ice cream topped roofs and milky rivers are imaginary places where all children escape from their fears, I did too. But when I grew up, the ice cream melted, milk evaporated and color there was red blood red…. The memories of my childhood of fearless life were flashed back in my brain even horrors of Mumbai blasts and riots when I sat to watch Parzania in theatre.
The film which is based on real life incident is story about a Parsi family who have lost their son in Gujarat riots of 2002.The head of family played by Naseerudin Shah is a small cinema owner in middle class Ahmedabad, living with his nuclear family of wife, Sarika and son and daughter in a mixed chawls filled with Hindus and Muslims in neighborhood residing peacefully with each other. Then a tragedy strikes, a train with some Hindu priests and women plus children is scorched killing few. Then, the carnage begins again its human versus human for same God. But this time it strikes a innocent Parsi family for a fault of living in Muslim predominant area of Ahmedabad. They flee
But, its just mother and the progeny is trapped at mansion where else father is desperately trying to reach home in curfew laden policemen filled streets. The police don’t let him pass; his scooter is burnt in front of police station a sight which police smirk at gladly.
In confusion and run for lives the son gets separated from his mother and sister. They run to fields where they witness scenes which cannot be forgotten. The riots have stopped, but for three the real torment begins now, the search for the loved one makes them witness a series of events which cannot be forgotten in their lives. The hope hat someday they me see his face makes them breathe though with heavy sighs and short sobs. The trial and tribulations of such a family is brought to us by an American protagonist who is in Ahmedabad to work on subject of Gandhi for his thesis.
Hairs were raised on my body without static electricity, the bladder was full and tears were rolling down the eyes, reaction was unbelievable. The belief of India as one democratic nation was lost somewhere deep inside and needs a lot to retrieve. The flag of India which has saffron and green with white interfering in between has torn to two with white ashen to black with frequent carnages and trains/buses even people getting scorched. The existence of peace and integrals has lost somewhere in politics of method of worship. The movie Parzania has scared and wrathed me so much that being neither Hindu nor Muslim but carrying a circumcised penis is becoming a insecure trait. The questions are raised of recent allegations of racism in recent controversy of Shilpa Shetty, more fingers are pointing towards us blaming ourselves of being racist to same color.
The director has tried its level best to erase memories of his ‘Kehta Hain Dil Bar Bar’ from us. But sadly, the flaw isn’t hidden nor is lack of cinematography and screenplay talent. The movie is very poorly traced in spite being rich in plot and message it brought forward. The performances are only saving grace to poorly directed richly factious film. Naseerudin Shah has again proved is master ability in acting with no complaints for viewers. The surprise package of film was Sarika, she has given a powerhouse performance of a simple Parsi wife with a Gujarati accent in English turning into a strong pillar of support along with soldier fighting battle of life for her family. The burst of emotions in human rights commission scene is perfectly carved by her. Corin Nemec does perfect justice to his role of a angry American in India , frustrated with hypocrisy and double standards in land of Gandhiji. Though badly presented, the performances and story sends the viewer through turbulent wave of emotions and hurricane of questions. To conclude I must mention if Nithari shocked us, why didn’t Godhra opened our eyes from ignorance?????????
Rating *** only for pure story and powered acting.


Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Catch the review of latest Bollywood movie Salaam-E-Ishq

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SALAAM-E-SIX
Pot-pourri,, that what we used to do in colleges ahttp://www.trafficzap.com/exchange/exit.php?id=73519&q=821&btn=on">nd picnics. Getting different food items and consuming them or thinking of different games to play at parties. But didn’t know in showbiz also one could use it. The recent movie proved there is no shortage of talent, money and screenplay and stories. Love is in the air, was theme of Richard Curtis ‘Love Actually’, love was protagonist in last week’s film Anwar and now not one but six different aspects of love in a film ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’. The movie was in news first for separation of Nikhil Advani from his guru Karan Johar to make this one, and then roll a poll of stars of it and then the marketing which was definitely something. So after Guru a good movie of year and Risk a average one, audiences including me are looking for visual treat now. The people stepped in to watch multi-starrer, multi story movie for good time only little did they know time was tooooo long.
The movie is about love dissolved in six stories and blended with thirteen characters. Sounds as over sweet cake served with 10 teaspoons of sugar drowned coffee. So let’s venture into their lives………
Story1: About Hindu editor Ashutosh(John) falling in love and marrying Muslim broadcast journalist Tehzeeb( Vidya Balan) against his family wishes. The married life goes smoothly for 2 years till their life changes with she boards a train that crashes hard enough to give her short term memory deficit. And it’s never same as before for both of them. It’s inspiring to see them come out of this crisis and start a new life together.
Story 2: Raju Taxiwala (Govinda) is a Hanuman worshipping Delhi cab driver whose aim if life is to marry a white blonde girl for whom he waits till his hair turns grey. The luck strikes, omens answer and one fine day a girl from Canada does step in, Stefanie (Shannon). But only to his utter disappointment, she is in Delhi to hunt her boyfriend (Kushal Punjabi) who is busy searching a bride for himself with his parents. Their journey travels from Delhi to Agra to Udaipur to Amritsar and finally, Delhi. The journey among two people not understanding each other’s language but conversing through language of world, Love is definitely a thing to watch for.
Story 3: This one is about a Bombay based retrosexual guy Shiven(Akhaye Khanna) who is about to marry Delhi based straightforward girl Gia(Ayesha Tarkia) whose father (Prem Chopra) is always at his back, but only to realize his afraid of marriage and chickened out on commitment on eve of his bachelor’s party. He tries hard to cancel his marriage which is served as humor to us. Only to realize after canceling, that he has made a wrong decision and tries to correct it.
Story 4: Middle age life crisis is what our 40 year old London based businessman Vinay Malhotra (Anil Kapoor) dealing with. He has beautiful wife Seema (Juhi Chawla) and 2 children. But he misses spark in his life and hence gets ignited with a much younger fire bomb Anjali (Anjana). She seduces him and grabs him, he is happy and content and even when Seema finds out he is not ready to admit his mistake and back out. But on verge of losing Seema for Anjali does he realizes importance of his past 15 years of his married life and off he goes to sort things with Seema.
Story5: Kamini (Priyanka Chopra) is a item girl with dream of working in Karan Johar film. But, much to her dismay scandals and unwanted bad publicity doesn’t leave her, and as if all this wasn’t enough for her. She goes and announces that she is love with a fictious man, her friend of childhood Rahul . So Mr. Mystery Rahul(Salman Khan) appears from nowhere and creates a havoc in her life. He comes as storm fills her life with love for him and then disappears only to her craving for him now. There she is shunning the publicity and rejecting big offers to search Rahoool according to character himself only to find that Rahul was his ex co-worker when she was basically a small bar dancer.
Story6: Rather smaller one and just to add lighter moments to audience is about Haryanvi Ramdayal (Sohail Khan) who is trying to consummate his marriage to his bride Phoolwati (Isha Koppikar) with failed n number of trials.

The movie is well directed with good screenplay written by Nikhil Advani and the stories are well woven by him leading to one finesse climax. The biggest and only flaw in movie is too long as long is this review. The editor was missing from the crew and unwanted scenes and songs could be cut. The cinematographer did its job well, but heavier story of John and Vidya slowed the pace of film. Music was mind blowing, with hats off to Shankar Eshaan and Loy to add cheery to ice cream. Performance wise Govinda and Akshaye share numero uno spot followed by Vidya, Anil and Anjana as sultry seductress. Juhi, Salman, John and Ayesha have done far justice to their rolses.
The surprise package was Shanoon who in those tender moments excelled on screen woth another well established actor. The chemistry between them showed produced goosebumps and butterflies within my stomach. Anjana was great in seducing Anil. Priyanaka initially acted like bimbo with cleavage revealing, leg baring dresses but as climax approaches she unfolds her talents of acting to audience. In all 3 hours and 35 minutes of good entertainment but price of time too far paid for that entertainment, hence if editor had been employed a movie would have gone to different altitudes of audience viewing cinema.
Rating:***1/2



Rating Chart
< * Bhool Hi jaaon ** Theek Hai Chalalenge *** Accha Hain Achha Hain **** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas ***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Review of latest movie Risk

RISK(Y) BUISNESS
No, it’s not Tom Cruise starter 1983’s comedy/crime flick. Nor it is a new venture in corporate world. But, its latest flick from the gullies of Mumbai, brought to you by K Sera Sera production co.. This year a mfia film director Martin Scortese won the Globe for his mafia based thriller ‘The Departed’ and is also likely to be the most forerunner in Oscars. It is year of mafias in entertainment industry??? The question and doubt uncannily arises in my doubt on seeing movie ‘ Risk’.
‘D’ was their last venture together. Now the duo, director Vishram Sawant and actor Randeep have brought us this presentation, which also marks comeback of one time Most loved and handsome star turned politician Vinod Khanna.
The film is based on Suryakant (Randeep Hooda), a honest cop who takes on job of cleaning Mumbai, not of garbage that’s what our political parties doing these days for recent B.M.C. elections, but of underworld and their activities disrupting Mumbai. His prime target is Bangkok based mafia don Khalid (Vinod Khanna) and his brother Arbaaz (Yahpal Sharma) whose network webs in Mumbai’s dirty cringes and corners. Suryakant is expert in gunning down rouges and has apt for troubles. His girl friend Shraddha (Tanushree Dutta) is harrowed by his life yet wants to be with him and behind him. Now our don has political backing from his made up sister Devki (Seema Biswas) and a foe Naidu (Zakir Hussain) with his political mentor Sarang(Anant Jog). Now our honest cop has a huge duty and taks to perform to get to collar of Khalid. He manages to catch a few rackets and to get warrant to Devki. But attempt to arrest leads a riot for which poor he is blamed and arrested. The honesty makes him give up his uniform and rifle, his prime possessions. The mind is playing games and an offer pops up through phone to join a gang of shooters. The offer is from Khalid who has heard about his shooting skills and courageous outrage. Dilemma is at its peak, heart is pounding and pulse is threading, much to everyone’s surprise he takes up an offer. Little is that they know, the offer is taken to be in enemy camp to root them out. He also befriends enemy camp of Saran and Naidu and criss crosses underworld till the point Khalid is arrested and Arbaaz is killed and Sarang and Naidu are eliminated. But the game and movie doent end here, Khalid retaliated with his left over power and the aids of Suryakant get slaughtered and case against him is about to get suspended. The hero roars and decides to end up the evil and using his aiming mastery, shuts Khalid forever.
Now you know why I mentioned ‘The Departed’ in beginning. The story and screenplay looks stale and repeated, reminds us of Kagar and Ab Tak Chappan. Visram shows yet another row of his rawness and amateurish direction, please join an institute for refreshing yourself and your talents, if present. Randeep is average in acting except for climax where he has shown his ability to truly act. But can someone tell him pushing lower jaw forward and depressing your angle of lip doesn’t imply serious touch noshit cop, only Marlon Brando can pull that off creatively. So next time please speak up and do not murmur to yourself which is not audible even to you. Tanushree if you want longer than role than 2 scenes and a song, learn to act. The overpowered performance by Vinod Khanna as Don can pull audience to theatre and definitely proves the point Politicians and ministers can act superbly. Yashpal Sharma and Seema Biswas are good for their roles. Talent of Makrand goes in waste bin for not being used. Zakir has done a brilliant job. With two songs, with two different music directors one cannot comment on it. But yes a special mention to title song was enchanting and powerful. Average cinematography with lack of dialogues. In all an average movie if you have time see it or just let it be. To end it, after ‘D’ spealling for disaster we all hoped Vishram and Randeep wouldn’t take a ‘Risk’ in their hands, but step is taken and result is on screen a regular cinematic watch with some impressive performances.

Rating **1/2

Rating Chart

* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

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GURU(C)KANT FAIL

Guru(C)kant fail
It all seemed as destiny, a ‘MAKTUB’ in Arabic, meaning everything in world is written by one hand and it cannot be changed at all. Names are called; people were abandoned when some one tried to rewrite their fate. But, then why do I get dreams of holding a Pulitzers prize in hand awarded by none other than Jhumpa Lahiri and Queen awarding me Bookers prize and Amitabhji finally getting Academy trophy for his foray in Hollywood. The eyes open to virtual reality which heart doesn’t accept. Then one fine evening, all changed, adrenalin was gushed in body and nostalgia was over swept by excitement and courage to do something. The gonads were stimulated to secrete exceeds of testosterone to rage my brains to positive energy in pursuing my dreams and realizing my destiny. Reason of such drastic changes was sitting in a 2.5 hour film “GURU”. Madras Talkies has redone it and showed there is still art in commercial cinema.
The autobiographical plot revolves around life of Gurukant Desai, a simpleton from small village in Gujrat, who dared to dream not being simpleton villager and went ahead to craft his life. The story begins in his home village Guru has disappointed his father on failing an exam, but our hero dreams big and hence, wants to venture in Turkey for earning money. Off, he is to Istanbul where he earns money by transporting empty petrol bottles and to add a second income, he learns and masters art of gambling. Upon offered a promotion after many years, he is made up his mind to arrive back to motherland to step in corporate business. The train journey while riding back to village encounters a rendezvous with Sujata (Aishwarya) , who after singing and dancing in rain elopes for a guy, who has chickened out at last moment. Now, Guru wants money to invest in his plan for business and proposes a strategy to his childhood friend Jignesh (Arya Babbar) that if he gets him money he’ll make him 50% partner. But Jignesh asks Guru to marry his sister and inherit money left by his father for her dowry. Abhisekh agrees blindly to marry, without realization that wife to be is Sujata, his train encountered girl. Garlands are exchanged, round are taken around holy fire, bags are packed and off are trio to Swpnanagiri Mumbai now, Bombay then. The dreamer wants to step in textile industry and faces lots of hindrances. Then, he finds his mentor a owner of newspaper, Manikdas Gupta (Mithun Chakravoty) with his young grand daughter whom Guru is extremely fond of and vice versa. And then starts a decade of successful and powerful textile tycoon, who on his road to heights earns more distracters than spectators. First a fight with his partner and bro. in law leading to short time rift with his wife Sujata. Then, his mentor pitching Shyam (R. Madhvan) against him to expose his corporate secrets that lead him to success. Then there are trials and tribulations, people hating him, newspapers blacking his image, his faithful pal (Manoj Joshi) committing suicide and all deserting him except his wife and the grand daughter ( Vidya Balan) of Manikdas Gupta. To strike more to tragedy, he suffers a hemi paraplegia leading him to half side paralysis. The warrants are issued against him, industries are closed and sealed and trial of his life begins. Here, it is to see how he justifies his corporate crimes, loan sharking, and company gulping, bribing politicians and emerges as winner.
The movie surpasses excellent standards of cinema and makes us believe in Mani Ratnam. The director has pulled up a great intense work with poignant scenes like when Guru goes to confront with Shyam and finds his apple of eye Vidya Balan married to him. The battle of emotions and words that follow puts one to thinking of credibility of director. Rajiv Menon has put up an ace cinematography. Abhisekh has broken taboo surrounding his acting skills, definitely moved audience to edge of their seats in his tour de force performance. After tanned bombshell in Dhoom2 and Lucknawi Umrao adas, Aishwarya finally comes back to actingand proves simplicity is best. Mani Ratnam mould her into character that impresses her critics, too. The come back of Mithun is perfect with this role and Madhvan and Vidya are brilliant in their works. Music by A.R.Rahman is melodious to ears as usual and doesn’t break the integrity of film. Inspite of all flaws, the move is brilliant and cannot be missed rather not to be missed for all those who believe in their destiny.
Rating ****

Rating Chart:
* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

Fable of Label Babel

FABLE of LABEL ‘BABEL’
Hype and speculation had surrounded this one. Rave reviews and awards tagged alongwith the title. The star cast and trade reports made Babel mandatory see for me. So here I am stepping on mew year’s new day in theatre to watch the most talked movie. The seats are comfortable and theatre is empty, guess most audience in India are blind towards intelligent cinema. Anyways munching popcorn I enjoyed the beautiful sights and scenery of movie.
The viewers delight and extraordinary experience begins when a shot is fired in Moroccan desert by local shepherd boy and there are series of events following this all around the world that puts audience in a trance. Richard ( Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) are American couple who are trying to revive their marriage on a tour in desert of Morocco, which is on verge of breaking up. The bus is driving in sand dunes, when a shot is heard and hits neck of Susan, then unfolds a tale of relationships and destiny. The shot is fired from a rifle Babel by local shepherds who with his brother are testing the rifle, recently bought by their father from fellow villager. Little did the boy know that the shot fired for practice would hit the tourist and shake the world with blames of terrorism and looting? Richard gives a tremendous effort to save his injured wife in no man’s land where health amenities are distant for them to reach. The embassies are called , the media is shaken and blame game with assumptions are played with world politics coming in picture. The innocent boys are on run along with their father for a missed shot as the Moroccan army is after them. The couple’s children in states are left with Mexican caretaker who has to leave for Mexico for her son’s marriage. After trying and suffering a set back from all sources, she decides to take the children with her across the country to her place. The children discover a whole new world which they would have never seen and play the games which they wouldn’t have thought of playing. But on returning back, a tragedy strikes here too. They are left in desert by their help after being confronted by border immigration authorities. The lady is striving to survive in desert to keep kids alive and get noticed for help. The help arrives is a policeman who arrests her andframes ample of reasons to deport her, which he finally succeeds in. The rifle’s real owner is traced back to Japan whose deaf and mute daughter is depressed and self involved due to recent death of mother by suicide attempt and ignorance of guys on her due to her deficiency.
The par excellence of vision by director Alejandro cannot be missed. The four stories that span across three different continent are well woven and interlocked by a common factor the rifle. Cinematographer Rodrigo has provided his viewers with visual treats that have imprinted in memory. The angles and direction of camera with movement of trolleys and swings are in perfection. The casting is brilliant with all actors doing justice to their roles. Cate Blanchett and Japanese girl Rinko having topped the lists. In all a great must watch couldn’t miss movie with flaws so negligible can be termed as Flawless picture perfect cinema.
Rating *****
Rating Chart
* Don’t even bother
** If you have time watch it
*** Worth a see once
**** No chance to miss a good movie
***** Mind blowing smashing good Excellent stuff.

I do not See You

I Do Not See You
The Golden couple or First Man and Lady of Bollywood is Amitabh and Jaya Bacchan and the same title holds for Arjun Ramphal and Meher Jessia Ramphal in Modeling industry. So when the golden couple decided to venture together in Bollywood, one could not miss them. So there was I trying to see what Arjun and others see in Vivek Agarwal’s and Meher’s debut film as director and producer, respectively. Search is still on as I got nothing but few moments of entertainment in this Suresh Nair’s script.
The Casanova Raj Jaiswal ( Arjun) of London has no complaints about his life good food, good beer and gr88 gals along with a pal ( Chunky Pandey).His life and film takes a turn when he see, feels and talks to a soul of girl ( Vipasha Agarwal) in his bedroom. Our Raj is star of Television there in London, so my guess is that made our sick girl from hospital go and wake star Raj and make her invisible to all. She has a problem the hospital she is living in want to remove her life support system and sell her organs . So you see organ trafficking is also a major business in West too. Anyways she appeals to Raj for him to help her and he has to do all this by proving his sanity to his best bud Chunky Pandey , who is sure of insanity and refers him to psychiatrist Boman Irani. See how he achieves his mission.
The script by Suresh Nair is stale and inspired by Hollywood Movie also, Vivek,s direction lacks creativity. Arjun is good as usual in his performance and Vipasha is very cold in hers. The expressions by Chunky are hilarious and mark his entry back in acting field. Bonam Irani is superb and Sonali does justice to her role too. Kirron Kher is sweet and candy as ever. In all a good eye candy sweet fim good on DVD but now worth spending money on tickets and popcorn.
Rating **1/2

In Kudiyon Ka Nahi Zamana

In Kudiyon Ka Nahi Zamana
Was I thinking of overpowered and well written “Steel Magnolias” or outrageous andoutlasted “Sex
And City” or “Desperate Housewives”, when I stepped into cinema hall seeing title “Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana”?? To my utter dismay and surprise, all I could see was some busty heroines or silicone job heroines screaming and scratching on screens in costumes shorter than dignity of today’s politicians and louder than Yash Chopra’s and Karan Johar’s films. The disappointment doesn’t end here; the plot has to be discovered amidst the film and the talent has disappeared as Shamita Shetty has disappeared from screen
The story, if you insist in calling it so, revolves among four women; Mayuri ( Rekha) , Natasha ( Vashundra), Kanika ( Kim Sharma) and Anjali (Mahima Chowdary) in buzzing city Mumbai find time to meet and befriend each other in a beauty parlor. All of them are married except Anjali who is carefree and flirtatious gal, who believe she won’t get married till an age of 25 years. To embark the plot, a bet is played among friends that Anjali will get married soon and she defies it. Hence the game begins….Each of three other friends get a suitable mentor (Sanjit Bedi,Nikhil Chinnapa and Ashwin Mushran) , but meanwhile Anjali finds her love Amar (Ashmit Patel). Now there is competition among friends for getting their own guy as groom to Anjali with getting her own chemistry right with new found love for her life. To add lines to movie personal lives of other 3 are also toiled upon. The failed marriage of Rekha, pregnancy problems of Vasundhara Dhas and harrowed life of Kim Sharma find their places in this loosely made film. Climax is too predictable and uninteresting.
Amar Butala please get a life and give us air to breathe!!!!!!! What have you made and why have you directed this??? You spend too much money on colouring and cutting clothes of ladies and also filling screen up with busts of ladies. Rekha ageing process is bad agreed, but why take such embrassing steps to prove you are not worth of acting any more. Mahima, more words and expressions than silicone and lusts. Kim Sharma please don’t howl more and go to voice therapist. Vashundara was it you in Monsoon Wedding or your clone as you were stone maiden in this one. Ashmit solve your family problem, then take acting lessons from kinder garden and later sign B grade movie. Sachin Khedekar and others failed to get noticed. Music was equally bad. There was no thing called as cinematography. In all a B-grade movie with commercial stars of A grade films. Of colours and boobs, movie is worth forgetting that it even exists and was released.
Rating: Not even worth*
* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De

BHAGO RE BHAGO THEATRE SE….

When I stepped into my favorite fast food chain Shiv Sagar, I was absolutely delighted to know that the Pav Bhaji maker hadn’t change since 2 years of my absentee from city. The same ingredients under safe hands of the chef assured me of mouth watering, finger licking and tongue rolling Pav Bhaji. Well, similar expectation rose while buying tickets to latest flick Bhagam Bhag knowing ingredients like Akshay Kumar , Neeraj Vora etc under master hands of Priyadarshan. But hardly was I known that my expectations would fall deeper than depths of Mumbai’s potholes.
All’s a world is a stage, was the film trying to show and we all are characters which run throughout our lives. The plot if they insist calling that a plot revolves under drama company headed by Champak Seth (Paresh Rawal) and to his uttermost worse fate has 2 good for nothing women chasing actors , Babla (Govinda) and Bunty (Akshay Kumar). These romeos are always luring after drama heroines and flirting with them leaving them no option but to leave the company. The drama company earns up a jackpot, a businessman (Asrani) from London, to perform there. But their heroine (Tanushree Dutta) runs away from group fed up of the flirts. Hence the company lends up in London with no heroine to stage. The hunt begins for their heroine in London, which is complicated and bigger than Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj. The search lands up them in police station having Commissioner Jackie Shroff for falsely acquiring drugs from local Mafia. In the hunt of their actress Bunty along with taxi driver (Rajpal Yadav) bang with Minni (Lara Dutta) a gal with sucidal tendencies for unknown reasons. Bunty manages to convince Minni by some unknown words and unshown scenes to work in their theatre group. And then the usual mushy romance between the hero Bunty and heroine Minnie occurs off stage during tour of London. Now to add twist to story Minni gets knocked off by a car and on regaining consciousness undertakes new identity with a husband (Arbaaz Khan ) from Liverpool. But then she ends up burning herself. The theatre decides to continue their musical without the Heroine, Cut to Minnie aka Aditi aka Sheetal appears alive and in front of Bunty and Sethji and also during show leading to confusion. Amidst the confusion, the hubby Arbaaz is shot and no one knows who shot him, but prime suspects are bunty, Babla and Sethji. The plot thickens and leading to so call run for the lives, drugs and money………
The script is stale and very poor retake of Marathi movie “Bindaast” along with excerpts taken from new “Ajnabee”. Whats with you, Neeraj Vora first Phir Hera Pheri now this? And for Priyanji please always plots on confusion and commotion do not work. So give us a brek and don’t waste your creativity.Show us something new. Well acting wise Paresh Rawaal was at his best with limited role and space to showcase his overpowered talent. Govindaji had extremely miniscule role, well was it the editor or Akshay Kumar who was brilliant for his role to blame for. Well as for Govinda , he better limit him to politics as his genre of comedy is gone. The bhelpuri and sexy jokes are niches of yore, today its substance which is perceived Virar ke babu.In all for audience its run away from theatre, Bhagam Bhag from theatre.
Rating*
* Bhool Hi jaaon
** Theek Hai Chalalenge
*** Accha Hain Achha Hain
**** Kya Baat HainJhakkaas
***** Dimaag aur Dil Hila De