Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - Rediff's Review

By Raja Sen for Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

Remember when Saif Ali Khan played the guitar for Parikrama? It was a nice gimmick, with Saif doing just about okay but backed up by a solid rock act, and everyone more pleasantly amused than impressed. Except for giggly Saif-groupies, who went into obvious paroxysms of oh-he-can-do-this-too joy.

Similarly -- since apparently every actor's extracurricular talents must be lauded -- John Abraham can juggle a football well. Which is why a couple of scenes in his latest film, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, are watchable: they're standard-issue Pepsi-advertisement style shots, with John and a bunch of talented kids playing stunt soccer while calling each other by legendary nicknames. Clap, clap.

Outside of that, however, this film is a complete and utter drag, and a case in point against thoughtless derivative sports films, a trend threatening to grow following the success of fine films like Chak De! India and Iqbal.

And when I say devoid of thought, I don't mean a harebrained cliche-parade (okay, that too) but Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal is a very callous film, one that raises an extremely bizarre perception of anti-Asian racism in the UK. While the concept of Aston Villa not playing their top striker simply because of 'colour' might have been plausible in the 1950s, today's Britain is one of extreme diversity, where Sahas and Ronaldinhos are heralded just as much as Rooneys.

In sport, it's doubly so. I remember signing up for cricket sessions at University and -- while I'm no S Ramesh T -- the English lads, gleeful at an Indian joining, scribbled my name optimistically in the first-string sheet. English sport positively thrives on getting the best from all over the globe. Outside of Lewis Hamilton, the UK hasn't had a homegrown world-class hero in years, but this doesn't stop them from picking top players and making them their own.

Is the film a rip-off? The question is inevitable, the answer even more so. Sure, every sports movie is. But here director Vivek Agnihotri -- who last massacred The Usual Suspects to make his Chocolate -- while picking significant plot-points from the decidedly middling Goal, even riffs off bits from the completely undeveloped desi sports genre, with moments from the aforementioned Chak De (SRK's speech is reproduced near-verbatim) and Iqbal. There's even a wet Dhoom 2 moment, if you so wish to call it.

This is a how-do-you-count-the-ways kind of bad film. The dubbing is hideous, with characters often appearing more adept at ventriloquism than soccer, not moving their lips -- as a result, you don't know who's saying what; not that it matters much.

The 'ensemble' cast isn't one to speak of, with less than a half-dozen players getting speaking parts, while the rest of the team skulks around anonymously in the back of the badly-painted bus. The ones who do get to talk are severely underwritten -- save for Raj Zutshi's garrulous Sikh, who aces a few one-liners -- but this is clearly not a team you can care about.

For one, they aren't British. This dogged Southall United Football Club is supposed to be a band cobbled out of Brick Lane butchers and Southall softies, and while we're told these kids were born and bred there, it doesn't seem ruddy likely, with not one of them even trying to attempt an accent. Instead, they speak in Bombay-Hindi, their eyes opening wide as they look at a bunch of big banknotes with the Queen's head on them. "Pounds," they say with awe, one awestruck footballer after another, giving you enough time to roll your eyes between players. That is, of course, when they aren't being pissy drunks.

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And then there are the pained subplots. Boman Irani -- who acts very well indeed, simply because it's hard for him to do otherwise -- frowns in the middle (presumably for being in this film) of these inane morons, penance for once having Geoffrey-Boycotted (read: vanished and ditched) his team during their potentially finest hour.

Arshad Warsi, an irritable Pakistani diner-walla, is also required to glare balefully and pretend to be focused, while his wife goes from pregnancy test to baby in the course of what must be football's longest-running tournament.

John Abraham plays bratty super-striker Sunny, looking out for himself, free of all kinship towards Southall, or India, for that matter. It seems justifiable, him having lived in the UK all his life. Yet there is a strain of unexplored jingoism through the film -- imagine a cricket film with Monty Panesar getting dirty looks at the local Gurudwara -- and his actions are given some bizarre psycho-babble roots in his father's past. Honestly, years of familial strife could have been avoided had Daddy told Sunny about his past, instead of waiting for well-timed happenstance.

Bipasha Basu -- in absolutely the single most moronic role of her career -- plays Warsi's sister, an incompetent physiotherapist who applies lotion on the nostrils of a man with a smashed septum. Of course, this could be because the bimbette is utterly smitten with Sunny, and makes use of these extreme close-up shots to tell him she cares because she's a doctor. And, um, that she's 'bahut sexy.' No kidding. She follows this up with, 'you're pretty sexy yourself,' in staccato Hindi, and giggles.

I could go on and on -- a la this most predictable of movies -- but I'm hoping you get the idea by now. While the matches are competently shot, the football itself is unspectacular -- save for a neat panoramic shot introducing us to the Manchester United grounds -- and the matches bore, simply because the team doesn't grab your interest. If there is one scene in this whole film you find unpredictable -- save for John Abraham driving his Porsche down the wrong side of the road and resultantly getting zero traffic -- tell me. I liked the 'Pammi's Hair Salon' sponsorship gag, sure, but this was ditched sooner than you could spell R-e-e-b-o-k.

In the mood for soccer? Switch on Man-U TV or Futbol Mundial. For a sports film? I hear the Chak De DVD is fun. For John? Dhoom, No Smoking, Karam -- take your pick.

Just chuck this Goal. It's infuriatingly ironic for a soccer film to be this lame.

Rediff Rating:

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - Indiatimes Movie Review

By Praveen Lance Fernandes for Indiatimes.com, Click Here for Original.


Movie Review: Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal
Cast: Arshad Warsi, John Abraham, Boman Irani, Bipasha Basu, Raj Zutshi, Dilip Tahil
Director: Vivek Agnihotri
Music: Pritam
Our rating:


The biggest risk while attempting to make a sports film is that unless you make that extra effort to flow against the tide while writing the screenplay, it can get too predictable. And that’s exactly the problem with Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal . (Henceforth let me just call it Goal . Faster to type and less irritating to read).

Southhall United is a football club which is going through a major financial crisis. Unless it can come up with a large amount of money it will be sold and converted into a shopping mall. Shaan (Arshad Warsi), the team captain figures that the only way to get the money is by winning the championship. So he manages to find disgraced former Southhall United player Tony Singh (Boman Irani) and convinces him to coach the team. Coach figures out that there is something missing in the team and approaches Sunny (John Abraham) for a spot in the team. Sunny who is already training for a rival club initially declines but eventually joins when he isn’t selected for the other team due to racial discrimination. Sunny was a miscreant to Shaan and his men and isn’t accepted with open arms into the team. Will they be able to keep their personal problems aside and save the club?

The problem with Goal is that it deals with a number of issues. Saving a club, racism, love, internal conflicts, treachery, sabotage etc. are just a few of them. While the first half is a complete cliché of most sporting films that we have seen over the years in India and abroad, it is the second half where one can witness the energy and spirit that is required in a film like this.

Clearly the twist towards the end is what salvages the film and one can leave the hall with some relief. That is exactly when the spirit of sportsmanship and team bonding comes out to the maximum.

But there are a lot of drawbacks. The chemistry between Bipasha and John just seems forced. One can’t seem to understand why Bipasha falls for a guy who breaks her windows and insults her brother. Their romance should have been more convincing. But then again there are many other unconvincing parts in the film as well. Let’s begins with the cleavage revealing Billo who suddenly appears out of nowhere for an item number. Neither engrossing nor titillating, the number just irritates and is a complete hindrance in the screenplay. When will Indian film-makers learn how to incorporate item songs convincingly in their films? (Not that most of them are ever required). And let’s not forget the in-your-face in-film branding. Another aspect where the director takes the audience for granted.

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Arshad Warsi and John Abraham get the most footage for obvious reasons and the two do really well for themselves. The two look completely trained in the sport and are very convincing footballers. Boman too fits the role but one wouldn’t call it his best though you can say the role was tailor made for him. Bipasha Basu should pick up more meaty roles where she isn’t eye candy or sidelined.

Let me set it straight- Goal is not a bad film but at the same time not a unique film either despite the focusing on a sport attempted very few times in India. However, the film isn’t a complete waste. In football terms its something like a midfield. Football is a sport witnessed very few times in Indian cinema and somewhere you can call it a brave attempt. The sports and the setting is unique but the plot however as mentioned before has been witnessed a number of times.

Soccer lovers might prefer to watch the film as well as John Abraham fans. So if you aren’t too keen on watching Madhuri Dixit’s comeback next week then Goal is a safe bet. Or else just pick up the DVD of Chak De India !

Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Rediff's Movie Review

By Arthur J. Pais for Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

Despite two powerful performances -- with Cate Blanchett playing a British Queen who is trying to save her kingdom from the ruthlessly ambitious Spanish monarch and Clive Owen as dashing explorer Walter Raleigh -- Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth: The Golden Age suffers considerably for want of a strong focus and dramatic tension.

The first Elizabeth, which was made for $35 million grossed a handsome $100 million worldwide over nine years ago, surprised many because it had an intriguing story told by a director who had never handled a big budget film in the West.

Everyone seemed to want to know where Kapur had been hiding till he was signed for Elizabeth. The new film, which cost twice that of its predecessor, does not offer enough intrigues and moral ambiguities to make it a compelling watch. It also has just a few moments that might tug your heart. And that is surprising because scriptwriter Michael Hirst (who wrote the first Elizabeth) is joined by William Nicholson (Gladiator) this time. And the bombastic music -- with AR Rahman being one of the two composers -- robs the film of whatever subtleties it might have had.

Trade publications like Variety say they would be surprised if the film has a gold rush in theatres. They don't expect it to make the kind of money the first Elizabeth did. But you never know how the new film will shape out till the box office receipts come at least three weeks after its release, especially abroad.

In the acting department, the film could get four stars out of five. Blanchett, who got ecstatic reviews for playing Elizabeth in the first film and is also getting strong reviews this time, is grand and powerful.

The filmmaker has said in interviews that he sees the new film as a fable for our times since it deals with absolutism and religious fundamentalism and the sins accruing from such arrogance. But you wonder at the end of the film what happened to that vision.

The fundamentalism of the Catholic ruler Philip II of Spain (Jordi Molla) and his efforts to conquer a Protestant England ruled by a woman caused great tension and suffering in Europe. But the film spends more time on Elizabeth's attempts to find love and her fascination for the roguish explorer Walter Raleigh than on the Spanish threat.

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Geoffrey Rush plays the queen's loyal adviser Francis Walsingham, who goes after anyone perceived as a threat to the Crown with a vengeance. He is convinced that 'papist conspiracy' to dethrone Elizabeth is connected to the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), a Catholic and her collaborators.

But victory comes to Elizabeth and England not so much because of people like Walsingham but the bad weather which dooms the ill-fated invasion by the Spanish Armada.

While gorgeous costumes and handsome interiors, make the new Elizabeth one of the most sumptuous-looking films in recent months, it doesn't have enough of an interesting plot twists (despite filling in plenty of history) to make it a compellingly viewable film.

Even those allergic to history or knew little of British history could enjoy the first Elizabeth because we were watching a young woman, who seemed to have no real political ambition, going from prison to the throne. In the process, she has become resourceful, cunning, egoistical but also filled with self doubts from time to time.

Here, there was an opportunity to look deeper into the life of Elizabeth, one of the most colourful of English rulers, whose time also saw the rise of a literary movement that included Shakespeare.

But what we get in the end is too much of history, too much of music, too many costumes and little drama that pulls at one's heart. You wonder what went wrong. Perhaps the emphasis on the tension between England and Spain changed in the editing room with the abortive romance getting more preference.

Rediff Rating:

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - IndiaFm Movie Review

By Taran Adarsh for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

Think of sports-based films made in India and visuals of LAGAAN and CHAK DE INDIA flash across your mind. Will DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL fall in the same league as these immensely popular flicks, is one vital question that crosses your mind as the reels of UTV's new sport-based film [their second this year, after HATTRICK] DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL are about to unfold.

GOAL is a simple story that packs not just the sport, but also dabbles with issues like racism and fanaticism associated with this sport. Issues that Westerners can relate to more than Indians, especially racial discrimination.

As a film, GOAL has its share of highs and lows. If the first hour is strictly okay, the pendulum swings in its favour in the second hour -- in the last 20 minutes, to be precise. The sport succeeds in arousing patriotic feelings, besides involving the viewer in the fight-to-finish finale.

Conversely, there are times when you feel that the film falls back on the predictable, tried-n-tested mundane stuff. And packs in something ['Billo', the song] that's just not in sync with the mood of the film.

To sum up, GOAL is a simple story, well told. Notwithstanding the hiccups, this film hits a goal, courtesy its brilliantly executed finale.

Southall United Football Club is facing its deepest crisis ever. Bankrupt, with no stars, no coach, no sponsors, no takers, no spectators and most importantly, no owner. After the City Council sends an eviction notice, it's the last chance to save the ground, the club and their honour. Shaan [Arshad Warsi] takes up the challenge to save the club from extinction. After a disesteemed ex-player, Tony Singh [Boman Irani], joins them as the coach, Shaan and he begin work to gather the worn out team.

Sunny's [John Abraham] dreams to play for England crashes after his club does not select him. The reason is apparently not his game, but the colour of his skin. Sunny and Shaan never see eye to eye. Adding to their personal chaos is Shaan's cousin sister Rumana [Bipasha Basu], who is in love with Sunny.

Tony manages to convince Sunny to play for Southall United. It takes a while before Shaan and the team warms up to Sunny. With Sunny joining Southall United, the team gradually starts climbing the points tally. The City Council is worried. Johny Bakshi [Dalip Tahil], a commentator and a frontman of the Council, plans to lure Sunny away from Southall United.

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Director Vivek Agnihotri combines style and substance in his second outing GOAL. Take the sequence at the very start, when an English woman and her frontman [Dalip Tahil] reveal their plans of coming up with a shopping complex on the ground. The director opens the cards at the very outset. But the narrative dips, rises, hits a low and ascends unfailingly till the first hour ends. The sequence prior to the intermission -- at the Manchester United Stadium -- leaves you awe-struck and makes you look forward to a powerful second hour.

Fortunately, the drama only gets exciting in the post-interval hour. The cold vibes that Arshad and John share as also John's volte-face, when he decides to abandon his club for the riches, give the film that extra dimension, camouflaging the defects that raised their head not too long back. The film dips at times in this hour too, but the journey to the finale is well structured. Yes, John's change of heart is slightly filmy and clichéd, but the climax is astounding. The penultimate 20 minutes in the stadium are awe-inspiring and that's what you carry back home.

Vivek Agnihotri knows what he's talking and though you know that he got swayed by technique in his very first film CHOCOLATE, in GOAL, he never lets technique overpower content. The story is simple, but absorbing and presented stylishly. He's truly evolved into a fine storyteller.

There're just two songs in the narrative -- the anthem 'Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal'/excellent and 'Billo'/well-tuned, but the mujra doesn't go well with the mood of the film. Attar Singh Saini's cinematography is striking. The camera movements -- so difficult in a film like this -- are exemplary.

Both John and Arshad are the 'Men of the Match'. John is a revelation. Wrongly dubbed as a clotheshorse in his earlier films, he hits a goal in GOAL. John lends the right texture to his character. He not only looks right for the part, but also plays the sport like a pro. GOAL should occupy the top slot in his body of work!

Arshad Warsi is superb. An incredibly talented actor whose versatility speaks volumes. Cast in a sober, serious role this time, Arshad enacts the part with as much ease as he portrayed Circuit. Bipasha Basu may not have a lengthy role, but she adds zing to the goings-on as and when she appears. Her love story with John is really cute.

Boman Irani is top notch. Note his roar at the intermission point or the uneasiness he displays whenever his team locks horns with the rivals on field. It's a flawless performance. Raj Zutshi is first-rate. Dalip Tahil carries the venomous part well. The actor enacting the role of Arshad's wife does a commendable job.

On the whole, DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL has an ordinary first hour, but the post-interval portions, especially the exhilarating climax, makes up for everything. At the box-office, the producers [UTV] have already recovered the cost of production from various sales and in-film advertising. The theatrical business will only add to the booty, considering the film has the merits to work with moviegoers. Another factor that goes in its favour -- and it's an important one -- is the fact that the moviegoers haven’t seen a new release post-Diwali. That should reap dhan for DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL.

Om Shanti Om - The Times of India Review

By Nikhat Azmi for timesofindia.com, Click Here for Original.

Om Shanti Om (drama)
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade
Direction: Farah Khan
Critic rating:

WELL Mr Subhash Ghai, you must be honoured. Kyunki, Om Shanti Om is such an unabashed tribute to Karz , it makes you want to run home and dig out the old-is-gold DVD and rewind to the saucy seventies when anything was allowed in Bollywood, including souls that slipped through janams, ghosts that walked, chandeliers that killed, mothers who waited centuries for sons to return and filmy romance was all about haseenas, dewaanas and don’t-ask-for-logic attitudes.

Farah Khan’s re-birth saga literally makes an art of retro and paints the seventies pop culture in Andy Warholish strokes. So much so, that you have the past creeping into the present too, in terms of story-line and twists in the tale. The only contemporaneity in the second half, which is anchored in the present, is SRK’s six packs, his dude-fish-mikey-crikey boli and short-skirted Deepika Padukone’s bubblegum avtar .

But are we complaining? Not really, because the film’s meant to be mad, mindless and zany. And we are meant to be happy, headless and nostalgic.

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So just sit back and slip into Halleluiah Bollywood mode and count the reasons why masala cinema has been such an intrinsic part of the Indian experience....Because in apun ka fillums , Om Prakash Makhija (SRK) may be a junior artist, but he can have a love story with the reigning diva, Shantipriya (Deepika in a bun).

So what if Shanti loves the devious producer (Arjun Rampal) who dreams of moving to Hollywood after cleaning up his affairs in Bollywood. Our side hero can wait a janam to find a happy ending to his story with Shantipriya look-alike Sandy, the debutant playing leading bhoot in his blockbuster which is actually a revenge story against the mean Mr Rampal who looks even more menacing in grey locks.

The first half of the film is funky, funny and makes an art of kitsch. You’ll find traces of Mother India, Karan Arjun, Karz and many other purana classics as Shah Rukh goes over the top, over the hill, over the mountain and carries you along with his drame baaz histrionics. Deepika as the sad Shantipriya is classy too.

But the film is essentially Shah Rukh’s who manages to add life to the tardy second half too. In his second janam avtar , he is the cool dude with the low waist jeans threatening to slip down and the six pack abs giving muscle to a story that goes dreadfully off track. But the overall experience is paisa vasoo l stuff with loads of naach-gaana (a nice music tracks by Vishal Shekhar) and brainless mazaa .

Saawariya - The Times of India Review

By Nikhat Azmi for timesofindia.com, Click Here for Original.

Saawariya (romance)
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee
Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Critic rating:


Khamoshi was heart-tugging. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was classic romanticism. Black was soul-stirring. Saawariya is visually overpowering. This is a film meant purely for viewers who find cinema a synonym for aesthete. The allegorical settings and Dostovyskian love fable may not find favour with the aam junta . But for the cineaste, the film is a lyrical odyssey that works at the level of a fable.

The star-crossed romance between a young rock star who lands up in an enchanted town and a mysterious girl unfolds through four dark nights where love, passion interplay with heartbreak, jealousy and longing. Raj, the bar singer leaves his music for a chador-clad girl he spies one silken night, standing in solitary splendour on a smoky bridge.

He tries to befriend her and finds himself irresistibly drawn towards towards Sakina, the raven-tressed maiden who disappears in the haveli with a tantalising smile and a sad story about a lost lover (Salman Khan).

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Time for Raj to tug at his broken-heart with Gulabji, the golden-hearted prostitute (Rani) playing friend and philosopher in his grief. Add to this Zora Sehgal as the delightful landlady who sees her lost son in her cherubic tenant and you have a colourful canvas of human relationships, all bound by sadness. There’s another classic cameo by Begum Para who binds her granddaughter Sakina to herself, with a safety-pin whenever she sleeps and watches Mughal-e-Azam even though she’s almost blind. You wish there was more of her in mist-laden narrative.

Sure, Ranbir is the hero of the film. And quite a winsome one too. The boy can dance, emote and win your heart, the Rishi Kapoor way. The boy has bright future with the girls already wowing his butt-flashing towel bandobast . And Sonam’s adequate too, albeit too giggly and giddy.

But the real winner in this romantic fable is the artistry of set and backdrop and the influence of Raj Kapoor which keeps recurring as the couple relentlessly seeks shelter under a black umbrella in rain and snow (remember Sree 420 ).

The film flounders a bit in the movement of the plot and the intensely wordy script with some kitchy dialogues – like Okay Bye — to mar the dreamy ambience.

Go for it when you are in a rhapsodic mood and you might just rave about it. But if you’re looking for fun, Saawariya isn’t the answer.

Om Shanti Om - It scores and how! - Rediff's Third Review

By Sukanya Verma for Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

Farah Khan likes her films to have everything -- drama, dance, dreams, dishoom-dishoom, dudes, dhoom-dhamaka etc

Perhaps her vast experience as a choreographer has taught her to view everything in concurrent rhythm. This quality which was unmistakable in Main Hoon Na gains further prominence in Om Shanti Om.

OSO begins in the seventies where we are introduced to the starry-eyed Om Prakash Makhija (Shah Rukh Khan). An actor by profession, Om jives on a giant compact disc, a la Rishi Kapoor, to the beats of Om Shanti Om in Subhash Ghai's Karz, (which incidentally, involuntarily, influences the outline of the film's actual story).

A few reels later, he's sporting a dacoit's moustache and screeching 'Bhaaaago' to a crazy mob dispersing in various directions.

Some more reels later, he slips into red leather to essay a self-styled cowboy, Quick Gun Murugan mouthing multiple 'Mind its' whilst tackling a seriously stuffed tiger prop.

During these various cuts and takes, he rescues the heroine from a fire mishap (just like Sunil Dutt saved Nargis on the sets of Mother India), has dreamy conversations with 'Dreamy Girl' film posters and finally takes her on a marvelous studio date against the backdrop of resplendent sets and cutting chai served in wine glasses. Om's best buddy, Pappu Master (Shreyas Talpade) pitches in as the butler.

Confused? There's a glitch. Om Prakash is a 'junior' actor by profession. That, however, doesn't deter a smitten Om from gallantly pursuing his lady love and Bollywood's top heroine, Shantipriya (Deepika Padukone). Just when you think a Raja Hindustani moment is around the corner, cunning producer Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal blended into a mix of Ranjeet and Prem Chopra) steps in to spoil the party.

Obviously, something goes wrong. What? We won't tell you. Except sidekick Om Prakash Makhija is reborn as superstar Om Kapoor (SRK) to settle old accounts with his adversaries from past birth. While Sandy (Padukone again) becomes the new face of old timer, Shanti.

Does that mean you should go and watch OSO? Absolutely!

The film celebrates everything the eclectic seventies represent -- stars, colours, madness, implausibility, fantasy, music (Vishal-Shekhar's soundtrack is as rocking as it gets), romance, camaraderie, grandeur or simply put -- masala. Even the all-in-good-fun jokes cracked at Govinda, Manoj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Sooraj Barjatya's expense are executed with taste in addition to cheek.

In fact, time-travelling to the 70s is so much fun; you almost hate to see 'Interval' pop up on screen. And that is one of the reasons why the contemporary second half requires welcome gimmicks like SRK's six-pack or gazillion film stars (from Dharmendra and Karisma Kapoor to Salman Khan to Kajol) showing up in a song sequence or Abhishek Bachchan (for Dhoom 5), Akshay Kumar (for Return of the Khiladi) and SRK (for Phir Bhi Dil Hai NRI and Main Bhi Hoon Na) furiously competing for a Best Actor Filmfare trophy at an awards function.

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Speaking of Akshay, if there was some award for Best Performance in a 30 second cameo, he'd win it in a jiffy. He's first-rate, really!

Those are the compliments reserved for film's technicians as well. The screen is a sight to behold when art director Sabu Cyril's lavish imagination is paired with cinematographer V Maniknandan's luminous camerawork. The latter especially brings out an ethereal quality to newcomer Deepika Padukone's intrinsic beauty.

While she doesn't have much to contribute in the histrionics department, Padukone delivers as an exceptionally attractive and everyman's celluloid fantasy here. Give her five films and she'll be playing her 'numero uno' character real time.

Villains have never been menacing enough in Farah's movies. Be it Suniel Shetty's long haired terrorist in Main Hoon Na or Arjun Rampal's silver streaked businessman in OSO. Rampal's persona exudes too much warmth to pass off as a cold-blooded antagonist. Others like Shreyas Talpade are expectedly endearing but wasted while Kirron Kher exaggerates the filmi mom with palpable pleasure.

No, I have not forgotten Shah Rukh Khan. How can I? No one could have played Om other than him. He does exactly what a seventies superstar in a Manmohan Desai film would. Grab the viewer by his collar and make him a part of Om's unbelievable highs and impossible lows. He is the 'hero', super-hero; actually, if you count his turn as Mohabbat-Man.

But by all means, Farah is the hard working heart and soul of OSO. Every scene details her enthusiasm and knowledge for/of the movies and not just the specific era -- the seventies, around which it is centered. Here and there, we spy special tributes to the mystery and magic of classics like Madhumati, Gone with the Wind, Titanic and Maine Pyaar Kiya.

For all the grand entertainment it offers, OSO is also a zany study of the 70s film making in terms of style, attitude and values.

The spirited filmmaker puts Shah Rukh Khan and his finances to skillful use with this visually spectacular, cleverly orchestrated and star-studded reincarnation saga. Her chemistry with SRK and their combined ability to both humour (watch out for the Apahij Pyaar episode) and worship (a stupefying climatic twist) this extraordinary medium of make-believe makes for a delightful entertainer.

The idea of watching a massively-promoted Diwali release is to come out of the theatre feeling entertained. And for just that alone, Om Shanti Om definitely scores.

Rediff Rating:

Om Shanti Om - Rediff's Second Review

By Arthur J. Pais for Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

Producer and star Shah Rukh Khan and film-maker Farah Khan don't have to wait till Monday to uncork the champagne bottles. For Om Shanti Om, their second collaboration following Main Hoon Na, is a gloriously entertaining film and the word that it is one of the funniest films in years would be out even before the first public screening ends.

As for the much publicised scenes in which Shah Rukh flexes his abs during the song Dard-E-Disco, one can safely say that audiences would swoon over the scene; in New York, many of the preview audiences on Thursday (some of whom had seen the previous day Ranbir Kapoor's derriere in Saawariya without much enthusiasm), gave small a roar when Shah Rukh began dancing and removing his shirt.

The film, which is also a love letter to Hindi films, could send many of us reeling into nostalgia as scenes and musical bars from many hit films of the 1960s and 1970s are imaginatively woven into newly composed songs and other situations.

In fact, the film starts with Rishi Kapoor dancing to the song Om Shanti Om in Karz (which is an inspiration to this film) but a minute or two later, we see Om Prakash Makhija (Shah Rukh Khan) who is a junior artist with big dreams replacing Rishi Kapoor on the big screen. Little later in yet another song, we see Shah Rukh replacing a raft of the 1970s idols including Sunil Dutt.

While Farah Khan pays homage to many hit films she grew up, her biggest accomplishment is seen in the briskly paced song sequence in which practically every star in the film industry from Dharmendra, Rekha, Mithun Chakraborty to Saif Khan joining in the celebration.

Among the film's amusing moments is an award ceremony when Om, who is in reincarnated after being murdered by the henchmen of a faithless producer Mukesh (Arjun Rampal), is nominated for a best actor award -- for two films. Watch out for Abhishek Bachchan as a nominee who is convinced that he will be the winner. He is really funny when he swears under the breath when the winner is announced.

There is so much of entertainment in the film, even as the titles are rolling at the end and you get to see much of the cast and crew, that some viewers may wish the crime drama had a much smaller role.

One laughs one's guts out especially at the deliberately designed over the top acting scenes in the first half with Kirron Kher having a grand time as the has-been junior artist. Her melodrama amuses and worries her son Om who has dreams beyond his junior artist status.

While we are having a lot of fun, we can also feel the film losing the momentum in the middle. Some viewers may also find it difficult to accept newcomer Deepika Padukone's turn as a glamorous movie star Shanti who has won Om's heart. Though she looks charming, Padukone cannot really exude enough glamour and star magic to make one feel that she is really playing a screen goddess.

Please note that this piece has been reproduced from Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

The film starts in the 1970s when Om, an aspiring actor gets accidentally enmeshed in the life of a movie star called Shanti. He rescues her from a raging fire early on in the film but when her boyfriend (Rampal) arranges for her death by arson Om fails to save her.

Badly beaten up, he dies soon in a hospital. Within a minute or two, in another ward in the hospital a child is born to big shot in the tinsel town. He will be named Om Kapoor.

In the second half of the film, Om Kapoor flaunts his success, comes to the sets late and dictates changes in the script.

But soon the past starts haunting him especially when he shoots scenes involving fire and flames.

Enter Mike, who 30 years ago was known as Mukesh. We know he was the boyfriend of Shanti. Now, he has returned from a long stay in Hollywood and wants to make a film with Om Kapoor in the lead.

It doesn't take Om a long time to realize what had happened to him and Shanti in the previous birth.

Meanwhile a young woman who is the carbon copy of Shanti (Padukone again) has entered his life. Om now sets out to expose Mike using a detailed ploy.

Though the long drawn climax is a bit of a bore, the film gains ground at the end as the credit titles start rolling.

I would love to see the film again, not only to enjoy its in-jokes and parody but also watch carefully how Farah Khan and her team, especially the art department, has used their creativity. The burnt out set, for example, looks really haunted and surreal. It is one of the many sets that are expertly used through out the film.

With an embarrassment of riches the film offers by way of comedy, lively songs (Vishal-Shekhar) and spirited performances (in the first half), we can forgive the many things that are not inspiring, especially Shah Rukh's emotional scenes in the second half.

Rediff Rating:

Om Shanti Om - 'Om Sweet 'Om - Rediff's Review

By Raja Sen for Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

Hush up and lean closer to the screen, my curious friend. Because over the next few lines, I am going to tell you exactly what Om Shanti Om is. Exactly -- a word (if accurate) used rarely, but this boast is smug and self-assured, rather like Shah Rukh Khan's Om Kapoor. But hang on, we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

So just what is OSO?

Picture a Filmfare award function, minus the awards. Outside of the song-and-dance numbers and the gazillion commercial breaks, there is stock Bollywood tomfoolery. SRK mimics Aamir, Saif pretends to be Preity, star kids dance to their father's songs, and much guard-down hilarity is had by an industry thriving on gossip and in-jokes.

Om Shanti Om is a big-budget collection of these award-show skits, loosely tied together by a reincarnation story dhaaga. Bas. Told you I'd be exact.

The aforementioned thread is plot-bare, woven from Manmohan Desai's most worn jumpers, and laced together with nostalgia and a complete, unashamed lack of subtlety. This is not the 70s as they were, but a celebration of the decade as old Hindi movies showed it to us, a world of Technicolor convertibles and flares and bling and outrageousness and hamming and tan-tan-ta-da background scores, all in a day's work.

This is a big movie, well and truly in love with itself. And if you aren't into that sort of thing, if you pooh-pooh Koffee With Karan, and if you'd really rather watch a movie you have to think about, skip this. For the SRK-hater, the warning is doubly applicable. This is a celebration of the ultimate in self-achievement, Shah Rukh toasting his own indomitable Khan-do spirit.

For the rest of us, this movie is a smile.

Bollywood is bizarre and campy and over-the-top and unprofessional and snide and egotistical and sporadic and dynastic and facetious and utterly self-smitten, but -- without even going into the numerous positives -- that's just why we love it. That's the nasha of Mumbai's movies -- these unreal vehicles of escape soaring from clich� to clich� on superstar-wings -- and their madcap makers.

Om Shanti Om is an exultant, heady, joyous film reveling in Bollywood, and as at most parties where the bubbly flows free, there is much silly giggling and tremendous immaturity. You'd do well do breathe in the filmi fumes, lift your own collar-tips upwards, and leave sense out of the equation. More cameos are written in than dialogues, so sit back and play spot-the-celeb. Or watch the Khan have a blast on screen.

Make that the Khans. The King is all super and good and awesomely sixpacked, but Queen Farah is one to be toasted, just for her sheer bindaas enthu. No gag is too obvious, no plotpoint too ludicrous and no clich� too overused -- in fact, the more overused the better, decides she. And if the result of her damn-the-detractors attitude is a magnificent scene with Shah Rukh wrestling a stuffed tiger and using all kinds of pussycat phrases with a thick Tamil accent, I say hats off.

You really want to know the story? The story of this film? Please, go read another review.

Please note that this piece has been reproduced from Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

All I can say is that Khan lives, Khan dreams, Khan loves and Khan dies. In between -- as mustachioed cowboy and outlandish black-red costumed superhero -- Khan even flies. And that's all during a super-fun first half, while the second sadly tries to be a real movie. The latter could have sunk the movie, but despite it's total pointlessness, is pretty much salvaged by the songs. No, really. Talk about phrases you never think you'd write.

Shah Rukh Khan is, well, you know who he is. He's the biggest movie star on the globe, and this film lets him cock a snook at all that megalomania. Here he plays both wistful junior artiste and bratty star-kid, and he has an absolute blast. This is a role that requires him to overact in almost every frame, which is far harder than it sounds. And because he's Shah Rukh Khan and there is love at the core of this film, he manages to bring credibility to the romance, heart to the joke. And that is no mean feat.

The woman who catches his fancy -- and his lucky red thread in her dupatta -- is the extremely fortunate Deepika Padukone. The director uses her with great cunning, making her turn and smile while Shah Rukh does all the melting. She is used sparingly and constantly camouflaged, either by a situation which requires acting incompetence, deftly digitalised song sequences or a complete lack of fabric in the second half. I'm not claiming the 'find of the year' can't act; it's just that this film doesn't require her to. OSO needs for her to be a dreamy girl, and this she delivers on, dimpled smiles and all. There is effervescence and luminosity around this pretty girl, but art director Sabu Cyril and cinematographer Manikandan have some credit there.

Shreyas Talpade is reliably top-notch in the first half, and cut-out of most of the second, where he ages like a TV soap character. Similar grey-streak aging is applied to Kirron Kher, playing a stock character. Javed Sheikh is interesting as romantic star Rajesh Kapoor, and Arjun Rampal is finally cast right. Among that much-discussed 31-celebrity dance, Tabu looks the most incredible. And I wish Farah had done without the lookalikes, but the Subhash Ghai Karz bit in the beginning kinda makes up for it.

Farah, thanks. As someone who has to sit through a million movies, mostly suspect, week after week -- and to someone who has to toil through it and bear the tabloid attention -- this is a reminder of what we like about Bollywood, what makes it so special. Farah Khan makes me want to take her out on the town and dance (I can't, but she'll make up for it) to dhin-chak Bollywood songs all night. If you're reading this, Director Saheba, call me.

Oh, and somebody please make Akshay Kumar's Return To Khiladi. That has blockbuster written all over it. Please.

Rediff Rating:

Saawariya - Indiatimes Review

By Praveen Lance Fernandes for Indiatimes.com, Click Here for Original.

Saawariya Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Zohra Sehgal, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan (sp. Appearance) Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Critic rating:

One half of the two major releases this Diwali, there are major expectations from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya ; one reason being that it marks the debuts of Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam and Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir. Do the youngsters live up to the acting prowess of their parents? Read on...

Cutting through the chase, Saawariya is a visual brilliance even though the plotline is very thin. The sets are very imaginative and the larger than life experience that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s gives the audience in every film is now down to earth but with something really magical. The performances are beautiful and though you cannot include this to be out of the world cinema, it does relocate you into another world.

Ranbir Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) is a young musician in a very artistic city. Always zestful towards life he is the lead singer in RK Bar. He may not have much money but like he says, he has the will to spread joy. Befriending the local prostitute Gulab (Rani Mukherjee), he gets to stay at an old lady’s (Zohra Sehgal) place. One fine day he comes across someone who completely takes his breath away. She is crying and waiting for someone. Who is this girl that Raj has been mesmerized by? As he pursues her, he finds out that she is Sakina (Sonam Kapoor) who is on the lookout for something. Mysterious in nature, Sakina is all that Raj yearns for. Using his genuine boyish charms he makes friends with Sakina but his wonderful world comes crashing down when she reveals to him about her lover (Salman Khan) who promised to come back to her after a year’s time. Raj is shattered but at the same time doubts the credentials of her lover. Has he run away after making an empty promise of returning?

The highlight of the film is the young innocence present in the two main characters. They dance to choreographed songs with extras behind them; they are in love but it’s not two way; It’s all been seen before but not like this. That’s where the screenplay comes into play. Small things and incidents between the two characters radiate so much bloom that it’s difficult not to fall in love with the two.

Please note that this piece has been reproduced from Indiatimes.com, Click Here for Original.

Rishi Kapoor made a huge splash in Bobby and his son doesn’t let him down. Ranbir makes the debut of a life-time and it is evident that another member of the Kapoor clan has arrived. He is not the polished clean-shaven stud but a young boy with a heart of gold who is deeply in love. Here’s a new-comer to definitely watch out for. Sonam too emotes perfect expressions for her part and looks very beautiful. Kudos to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for getting the best of out the two.

Visually this is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s best film to date. A very simple story told in a beautiful way and Bhansali lives up to his tag of being a master craftsman. In fact you get a theatrical feel while watching the film. The sets are beautiful and you just cannot keep your eyes of them. The dialogues are simplistic- just what is required in this film. No high dosage of heavy dialogues here.

However, there are excessive songs in the film. In an age where anything above 15 reels gets boring, Saawariya could have easily been shortened by at least 30 minutes. However, Monty’s music is pleasing to the ears and it’s good to hear melody rather than DJ remixes after a long time.

Rani plays a prostitute once again after Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and manages to do a much better job this time though one cannot completely explain her presence in the film. Salman Khan reminds you of his other special appearance in Saawan, Garv- Pride and Honour and numerous other serious films that he has acted in before- nothing new. Zohra Sehgal is terrific once again after Cheeni Kum .

Sweet innocence has returned once again to Bollywood and Ranbir and Sonam are part of it. Though the film is slow at several places, one cannot forget that there is freshness in Saawariya that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. If you loved the purity of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak , then you are bound to love film as well.

Saawariya - IndiaFM movie Review

By Taran Adarsh for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.


Irrespective of how his films fare at the box-office, you cannot shut your eyes to the fact that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films have so much to offer in terms of style and substance.

Alas, SAAWARIYA is all style, no substance. When a director of the calibre of SLB attempts a love story, you expect to experience the various emotions that you generally associate with romance. Sadly, the emotions you experience while watching SAAWARIYA is sorrow and after the screening, anguish.

With splendid backers like Hollywood giant Columbia/Sony and a dream cast, Bhansali falters big time in SAAWARIYA. It doesn't give you the feeling that you're watching an SLB film or a film of epic proportions. Instead, you constantly feel that you're watching a 2-hour play.

Dostoevsky's short story WHITE NIGHTS may sound interesting on paper, but SLB's adaptation suffers because there's not much meat in the plot. In fact, it wouldn't be erroneous to state that SAAWARIYA ranks amongst SLB's weakest films, as far as scripting is concerned.

To cut a long story short, SAAWARIYA disappoints big time. You expect the moon from this genius film-maker, but you're disheartened as you watch his new creation.

This time, hum dil nahin de chuke sanam!

SAAWARIYA is about two young star-crossed lovers. A musician, Raj [Ranbir Kapoor], is certain that he has found his ultimate dream when he arrives at a picturesque town. However, destiny paints a different picture for Raj. One silent night, he spots a mysterious girl draped in black, standing alone at a bridge.

This chance encounter introduces him to Sakina [Sonam Kapoor], a shy and quiet girl, who continues to intrigue him. Thus follows the beginning of a new friendship, where Raj, with his most charming ways and an undying spirit, tries to win Sakina's heart.

Raj is unable to accept her haunting past and their friendship pulls him into a whirlwind of desire, madness and romance.

Please note that this piece has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

SAAWARIYA suffers because of its writing mainly. Let's unravel the points that bother the viewer no end…

• Which part of the country is this straight-out-of-a-fairytale town located? And what era are we talking of?


• Even if you subscribe to the theory that it was love at first sight for Salman and Sonam, what is it that keeps their romance going?


• Why does Salman disappear suddenly? Besides his name, the girl knows nothing about him. Not his home/native place, work/profession/work place, relatives, nothing absolutely. It's like falling in love with a shadow, isn't it?


• Why does Rani Mukerji abandon Ranbir, when he comes knocking on her doors and admits that he wants to spend time with her? Why does she lose her temper, although she secretly loves him?


• And Salman returns. The sequence that follows and the culmination to the story leave you completely disgruntled and perplexed!

Besides, the conversation between the lead pair fails to involve you. Sure, a few sequences are filmed brilliantly, but the impact the film ought to create in totality is missing. It gets verbose and boring after a point.

What makes matters worse is the setting/ambience. The film gets monotonous after a point, visually speaking, since it has been shot in its entirety on dark sets. You long for some visual relief, some bright spots, some sunshine…

Monty's music is another sore point. Sure, a few songs are well tuned, but the everlasting melody, associated with SLB's films, is missing. You hear them, savour them that moment, but forget all about them once the movie concludes.

Ravi K. Chandran's cinematography is of international standards. The sets look imaginative, but as mentioned earlier, you yearn for a visual break, a different colour.

As a storyteller, SLB is letdown by his own writing. Things start slipping as the reels unfold. In the post-interval portions, you fervently pray that things might stabilize, for SLB as also Ranbir and Sonam's sake, but alas! The love, passion and anguish, the hallmark of SLB films, is clearly missing this time.

Now to the dream launches! Ranbir Kapoor is supremely talented, no two opinions on that. Yes, he looks handsome, but what you carry home is the sincerity in his performance. If that's the [high] level of performance in his debut film, this lad will only make the Kapoor clan proud in years to come. It's a 10 on 10 for this debutante!

Sonam Kapoor is an average actor. However, her role doesn't give her the opportunity to display histrionics. She looks gorgeous at places, but plain ordinary at times.

Age has started showing on Salman Khan's face. He looks like an old, mature man in this film. The boyish looks have gone! As for his role, he is completely wasted in this hardly-10-minute appearance. Rani Mukerji is first-rate. Zohra Segal is superb, while Begum Para is hardly there.

On the whole, SAAWARIYA lacks soul. It's SLB's weakest film to date, in terms of writing. At the box-office, the film will collect big numbers in its opening weekend due to the Diwali vacations as also the hype surrounding the film. But the cracks will start showing at relatively smaller stations/single screens first [where the practice of advance booking doesn't exist] and at big centres as days progress. For the distributors, they'll have to rely on its business from multiplexes mainly. While the business from multiplexes at Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, NCR, Kolkata, Jaipur and South will be impressive initially, there would be a big gap between multiplex and non-multiplex centres. Overall, disappointing -- in terms of content and in terms of business as well!



So the verdict is out !! The movie has done miserably in all three reviews, this seems to be a Must Miss...!!