KHILADI 786 - AKSHAY KUMAR AKA RAJNI....

After the slew of hi-profile releases last month (and supposedly hi brow and classy), here comes an offering which is a study in contrast. Akshay "Khiladi" Kumar is alive, kicking and in every frame of the movie (but strangely enough you dont feel overwhelmed !!).

At the start, we are given a visual demo of how punjab police have outsourced their job to curtail smuggling to one "Bhattar Singh" or 72 Singh as seen on his name tally. I mean, if one guy can do the job ( smash into a smugglers den, beat up about 100 goons and re-appropriate the spoils amongst themselves and then some for the villagers and the government) then why waste time and effort of atleast 20, pot-bellied and pan-slobbering police men!!!!!!!

Anyway, we are informed that 72 Singh is actually a goon, robinhood and a demi-god , all rolled into one. This khiladi is a non-starter when it comes to wooing the opposite sex. He and his family are desperately trying to find a good match for him, but no dad is willing to give him his daughters hand because of his reputation. Now, it seems that the same problem was faced by his dad and chacha. His dad's mother is an African lady called Mandela Kaur!! , his mother is a canadian and his Chachi is a Chinese!!!!! And boy, their offspring look indian.. !!! Genetics... what a bummer!!! as to their names, Dad is Sattar Singh, Chacha is Ek Hattar Singh, Khiladi is Bahattar  Singh, 73 Singh (I cant recollect the hindi name for 73) was lost in a mela (thankfully, not the Kumbh one!!), 74 Singh is his chacha's son (the chinese babes kid)..and now I am lost..???
To cut a long story short, we move to mumbai where Mithun as the dreaded Don TTT (Tatya Tukaram Tendulkar) has a maniacal sister Indu (Asin - Looking absolutely gorgeous and shapely - Lipo or workout.. I am not sure), who drives of prospective goons oops... grooms by her dare driving skills, because she is in love with a Hare Brained, criminal with a Hyderabadi accent  called Azad, who is Jail Prone (see the movie to understand  this term!!).

The third element is a wedding planner, Himmesh bhai, whose father is the owner and has completed some 450+ marriages and is looking for completing 500. But-- Himmesh, with this goofy behaviour is jinxed and says the wrong things at the wrong time and instead of getting married, the marriages are called off... So he is kicked out and wants to prove a point to his dad that he can also get people married. Therein lies the story... of how Himmesh, tries to marry off 72 Singh with Indu and thereof..

The story is whacky and non-sensical but the director makes no bones about it. The direction is like Rohit Shetty meets Crouching Tiger and Moon Acrobatics.. I mean, flying cars, flying people, punches that send people into orbit and cars that keep blowing off.. there is enough excitement to whet your appetite. Believe me, this film is for the masses and please see it for the sheer incredulity of events that the director want you to see.
Music by Himmesh Bhai is as nasal as it can get, but watching his voice resonate through akshay is hilarious. The songs are tedious and continuing with the trend this year(Almost all hindi movies had awful sound tracks!!!).
Verdict - To be honest- there was never a dull moment on screen and your belief systems were being stretched every second. Asin was wasted in this movie (but she looked gorgeous, and I dont know why she wants to do these movies, she looks too sophisticated !!!). Raj Babbar and Mithun - the old warhorses prove that they still have it... Himmesh is believable and cute and I guess has now found his space.. :). Akshay is really good and holds the movie together.. very entertaining -  Overall-

RATING - **1/2 ( and ***1/2 only for Akshay).
Warning - Watch it with no pre-conceived notions..!!!!!!

Talaash - The Search Within - Review

Aamir Khan has set the bar very high. All movies starring him in the past few years have done extremely well - Critically as well as Commercially. I guess the law of averages has to catch up some day and Talaash is that average for Aamir.

Don't get me wrong. Its a good film, but not an excellent one. It has an interesting story line, but not an unique one. In fact, I found some shades of The Sixth Sense in the movie.  It has been cleverly interspersed with other characters, but I guess, the basic theme remains the same. As it is purported to be a suspense thriller, I will not give out the plot and be a party pooper but here are the bare essentials:-
Aamir Khan is an honest cop - Surjan Singh Shekhawat A.K.A as Suri by his wife and friends. Rani is his wife. The movie starts off with an accident of a superstar - Armaan Kapoor, witnessed by three persons. All of them say the same thing - The road was empty, the car swerved and  went into the water. End Result - Armaan Kapoor is dead. The media goes off on a frenzy, the cops are clue less and so is the audience - till then atleast.The plot begins to unravel when a constable tells Suri that this the the third accident on that road and both cases were closed as there was no rational explanation for them. This gets Suri thinking. What follows is a story wherein, demons of Suri and Rani's past (their son died in a boat accident while they were on a picnic ), interspersed with the dark underbelly of prostitution, greed, murder, betrayal, faith and burning human desire to escape the filth that one is drawn into.

The characters are well defined - Sashi - the sleazy pimp, blackmailer, Sanjay Kejriwal - the actors best friend turned partner in crime, Nawazuddin as Temur- the cripple sidekick (a big change from his role in Kahani), Shernaz Patel as the Psychic who can talk to spirits and of course - Kareena Kapoor as Rosy, the call girl. Unfortunately, though everyone has given a competent performance, not a single performance stands out. Aamir is suitably shown as the honest cop turned insomniac turned believer in supernatural events.

The movie, unfortunately has no lighter moments to dispel the gloom. In that regard, the screen play and direction are top class - Its we, who are jaded and seen too many movies of this type, who find nothing new or great in the movie.

Three idiots may have crossed 100 crores or more, but I think this movie may struggle to achieve that figure. There is nothing wrong, but somehow the movie as a whole does not touch you or make you crave to know the ending, because you can figure it out for yourself  immediately after the interval..so much for suspense.

Overall I would rate the movie
Rating --  **1/2
But acting  - ***

Go watch it if you have nothing better to do on a sunday .. else you can safely miss it..

Some other reviews

Anupama Chopra - Hindustan Times

Koimoi

Rediff Review

Jab Tak Hai Jaan Review – Booring!!!

JTHJ being the last movie by Yash Chopra, expectations were high. The guru of loved had churned out major hits over the years and this movie was his swansong. It’s always good to leave on a high, but  did making this movie help his reputation? Read on.

The Characters

Samar – Shah Rukh Khan -A village bumpkin turned waiter turned Army Major. The character seems to be inspired from the movie “The Hurt Locker” and tries to portray Shah Rukh as the ultimate lover AKA Raj, but however, fails to bring back the same intensity and magic of his previous movies. He looks jaded, with a “Been There, Done That” look. There is no real chemistry between him and Katrina. His chemistry with Anoushka is slightly better, but lacks conviction.. Overall, his acting is competent but lacks soul.

Meera – Katrina Kaif – A Richie rich gal, who has her life planned out viz. Wants to marry a “Gora” not a “Desi” and keeps making these deals with Lord Jesus in a church and pretty much plays the brat who can’t refuse her dad. She looks pretty, her dresses are really chic and trendy, giving her a different look- but the problem—she does not touch your heart with her acting.. A Barbie Doll

Akira -  Anoushka  - She is an adrenaline junkie who is commitment phobic. A topper in everything she does and for a girl who dumps guys before they can dump her, she is shown to fall head over heels in love with Samar, but is not very convincing. Plus side- Her figure is now lean and mean, with washboard abs and looks absolutely fit.

The Story

The story is simple but narrated in a long maudlin way. Samar leaves his village in Punjab because he does not want to join the army, as is the tradition in his family. So he does odd jobs in London (Snow Cleaner, Waiter and a street Musician ). He is noticed by Meera during one of the long interminable songs that dot the movie, and runs into her during her engagement. He notice she does not look too happy (how obvious!!!) and therein starts the sequence of their romance. He teaches her how to sing a Punjabi song and she teaches him how to speak like an Englishman – And love blossoms : Except Meera has promised Jesus that she won’t cross her friendship boundary with Samar, but hormones can’t be kept in check and obviously they mate… and Samar meets with an accident. She rationalises that its Jesus’s way of telling her to lay off this guy and that’s what she does. He is heartbroken and goes on to become an Army Major in a Bomb Squad, defying Jesus to kill him but defusing bombs without any protective gear. He is given the epithet “The man who cannot die”. 

Enter Akira. She dives into a cold lake at Leh (same place as the Three Idiots scene) to win a bet but is about to drown. Obviously, the major is there and he saves her and in the process covers her with his jacket. This jacket contains his diary with his life story and Anoushka, the tart or tigress, is hooked. She joins the bomb disposal unit to make a documentary and love blossoms. Except there is a twist where a Yo-Yo starts between Meera and Akira.  I could go on and on, but the story is too long and you would be spared the agony If I let on the secret. So go and watch to know the entire story.

The screen plays too long but still does not manage to create a connect between the characters and the audience. The songs are a distraction and if they would have done away with them, the movie would have been better. This must rank as Rehman’s most mediocre work to date. Utter Boredom!!!

The picturesque locales of Leh, Kashmir and England are photographed  beautifully. The storytelling is logical but gets bogged down and three hours is just to long. I counted 10 yawns and my little daughter pestering me to go home after the interval. The romantic scenes, I believe were shot by Aditya Chopra and therefore, I guess, the disconnect shows.

I am a big fan of Yash Chopra and I love his movies, but Chopraji, you could’ve done better and left us with a more endearing memory. Sadly, that was not to be so. The movie, being released may do well due to the expectations and the hype, but this one can’t be endured once, leave alone, watching it a second time. Go if you have loads of time to kill and are a hopeless romantic.

Rating - ** ½  (1/2 extra for yashji… )

Other Review : 

Anupama Chopra - Hindustan times 

Shabana Ansari - DNA India

NDTV Review

Heroine - Wasted Time

      

Considering all the brouhaha  about the role that erupted a few years back, primarily by Kareena over not being considered for the role and then fighting for it , one expected that the movie would be something that would shake us out of our comfort zone.. however, the truth is different. 

The story starts with Kareena , Mahi, being thrown out a car and she walking into a police station, with  a dazed look, cigarette in hand and washed up make up.. this scene definitely did not tug at my heart strings. To be honest, the movie meandered onto such a confused path that writing this review is a real task.. therefore I shall cut to the chase and go to the heart of it...

Kareena as Mahi, an upcoming star, has fallen in love with another star actor - Arjun Rampal  as Angad. Predictably, Angad is married with a child and has started divorce proceedings. Mahi is hooked...line and sinker and for that is willing to go to any lengths. Angad, cant handle this and they finally (how obvious !!!) break up. She is devasted and turns to a PR  Rep(played pretty well by Divya Dutta), who as a spin doctor, gets her endorsements, openings etc.. which give her the visibility to get considered for a movie. In the meanwhile she gets hooked with Randeep Hooda - Vice Captain Indian cricket team, who is  the rakhee brother of an Upcoming Actor Abbas's wife - Abbas.. To cut a long story short, she gets the movie with Abbas, spurns his advances, he takes revenge by cutting her role to a minimun and she is devasted. She turns to a moody art film director (Well played by Ranvir Sheorey) who is going to make a movie on a prostitute to show case her acting skills .. Blah blah ...she has a moment with another actress in the film (Shahana Goswami), the film is shelved and she is again back to her self destructive ways. 

She acts in a small film Annie, which does not have enough money for promotion. She turns to Divya Dutta who tells her, that nothing can be done and only a controversey can make her film a hit. Mahi then shows her a sex clip shot by her with arjun rampal. The clip is uploaded, and the resulting controversey makes her film a big hit and she gets what she wants...

The story is not over and I will not let the viewer off the hook.. Please go and see the movie.. you will know what a bad , confused movie looks like and when a star is getting too big for his/her boots, what can happen - nothing short of a black hole. 

I expected a better movie from Madhur Bhandarkar, but I guess he wanted to sc*** kareena's film career and his own in the bargain. Boring, predictable and utter rot are some of the adjectives that can be used to describe the movie. Watch it if you suffer from Insomnia or are a Masochist.

Rating - */2

Barfi! - Review - Truly Magical !!!

There are movies with a story to tell and stories that cry to be made into movies, but rarely one comes across a movie that effortlessly transcends these boundaries and comes across as the only way to tell a story. Barfi! is all that and a lot more.

Set in the hills of Darjeeling, Barfi! is all about a boy (Ranbir Kapoor), who is born deaf and dumb but is not hampered by it. In fact, he makes it out to be a virtue. There is no sympathy asked and none given. He is one of the boys, in with a chance with the girls and what more can one say.

The story is deceptively simple, but the screenplay, direction and cinematography transport it to another dimension of emotional complexity. The viewer is transported into the simple pleasures that bring happiness to us. The basic emotions of greed, love, lust, envy are all there.

Barfi! is a love triangle wherein, a deaf and dumb Ranbir (Barfi!) manages to win the love of a gorgeous Ileana D'Cruz (Shruti ) with his carefree ways and the undying devotion and love of Priyanka (who plays an autistic/retard) with his selfless devotion and caring nature.

The characters are well defined and crisp. Ileana as the young, impressionable, fashionable about to get engaged girl is heartachingly beautiful. The cinematographer - Ravi Varman has caputured her with such admiration that her every nuance, expression and gesture conveys emotion with such sincerity that one cant help falling in love with her and empathising with her when she is too late to......
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Priyanka is convincing and absolutely brilliant. This role is such a departure from her usual roles that its is a joy to watch her. Her expressions convey love, lust, longing, envy with such ease that one can be forgiven for believing that she is born that way.. Her look when she sees Illeana's graceful back in Kolkata and her efforts to recreate the same is so subtle but yet so defining a woman that it hits you. Her obvious defensive reaction to Illeana is so natural, the trait of possessiveness comes across loud and clear.. I may be a retard but I am a woman too.....

And what do I say about Ranbir!1 Simply brilliant. He emotes with such ease, that one is left astounded at what this young man can do. He is UP THERE and is well on his way to becoming a legend.

Ashish Vidyathi as Jhilmil's dad is competent but doesnt have much to do. Saurabh shukla is effective as the overweight and harrassed cop, Rita Ganguly as Illean's mum is suitably competent and quietly scheming. The rest of the cast ably support the lead characters.

The director, Anurag Basu's recitation of this story is fluid and carefree. His technique of running a paralllel story line (past and present together) keeps you hooked. The cinematography is vivid and the use of lighting is absolutely spot on.Another nice touch are the travelling musicians who maintain a certain soulful atmosphere throughout the movie.

Go and watch the movie for its old world charm , its lack of pretentiousness, fluid storytelling and some brilliant performances by its lead characters. The only flaw is the ending, which could've been handled better as it just dragged on a little bit. However, I can forgive that and so will you...

Rating :- ****1/2

You can read some other reviews here

Times of India Review

Hindustan Times Review

Indian Express Review