Krazzy 4 - Rediff's Movie Review

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

You know what?

Ram Sampath was right to sue; he made the best part of Krazzy 4.

A while after leaving theatres, all that resonates in your ears from Jaideep Sen's directorial debut is that Sony Ericsson track Hrithik Roshan (and Shah Rukh Khan) took turns grooving to, the younger star doing significantly better than the older, who seemed to alarmingly have a 'bit of a Michael Jackson thing going on.'

Anyway, this is not the place to discuss item numbers (and I'm certainly not keen to discourse on Irrfan Khan's attempts at rubbing out Rakhi Sawant's tattoo), and convention dictates this is where we talk about the film.

Sigh. Must we?

On paper, there must have been something to Jaideep Sen's directorial debut that made sense. A reworking of hackneyed Michael Keaton starrer Dream Team, the film is about four madmen of varying mental disability out on the town and involved in a kidnapping plot.

Add to that a hearty Bollywood dose of message-filmmaking, extraneous patriotism and good ol' backstory-masala, and -- on paper, as we said -- there must have been a few gleaming grains of potential. Toss in a few capable actors, producer Rakesh Roshan might have justifiably reasoned, and we're cooking.

The problem, however, despite all the excessive slapstick elements well in place, lies with the script. Relying purely on actor-expressions and a few moments of action can't quite do the job. The cast is a decidedly fine mix as Rajpal Yadav, Irrfan Khan, Arshad Warsi and Suresh Menon get to pirouette around Juhi Chawla and Dia Mirza while Zakir Hussain and Rajat Kapoor look on -- but there's only so much good timing can do without authentic punchlines.

There's nothing offensively 'wrong' with Krazzy 4, especially compared to the atrocities served up nowadays. It's almost a throwback to older funny-movies, and the farce never quite enters modern day (read Priyadarshan) territory. The film seems to have its heart in the right place, tries to pretend there's a message, albeit vague. For all its naivete, it could actually have been quite charming.

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Except, um... it's just not funny.

So we have Angry Arshad, Freedom-Fighter Rajpal, Irrfan the Compulsive Cleaner and -- in a bizarre bit of miscasting for a talented mimic -- Menon the Mute, all heading out to watch an India-England cricket match on Independence day, something Dr Juhi Chawla thinks would teach them the value of teamwork.

Naturally, all hell breaks loose as our titular quartet squabble and huddle together to save the day against all odds. There are a couple of well-conceived sequences, like a mall-full of shoppers standing at attention during the national anthem hitting out at goons for not doing the same, and the idea of a begging song, but the jokes are lost in the execution.

As said, it's not horrible. You can watch the film without cringing, and indulgently smile at where what is going wrong and, figuring out how the real joke might have sounded as intended, chuckle a bit. And honestly, this isn't a film we're trying to make sense of, or nitpicking about plot detail: make it loony, for god's sake, go wild but try and make it funny, instead of hoping Irrfan's and Rajpal's faces do the trick.

And so we are better off discussing the item track, SRK's MJ routine and Hrithik's impressively fluid vertebrae managing to at least hold viewer attention and giving us a bit of a thump. Well, at least more than the film.

Rediff Rating:

U Me Aur Hum - Rediff's Movie Review

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

It's not for the faint of kerchief.

Imagine a party at home to celebrate your first-born. You merrily pour the guests drinks as they saunter around, wistfully creating an ad-hoc ghazal, borrowing lines from life and Pakeezah, when you notice your wife is missing. She hasn't been well, a fact you've tried to shield her from, but something she seems more than in sync with when you find her, moist-eyed and pensive, on the upper-floor balcony.

Rubbing her now-flat stomach, she turns to you and tells you of her awakening: that she can't possibly have a baby, that she wouldn't be able to take care of the child. Your muscles tense as you see her coming to grips with the harrowing situation, and you lean in when she says she wants an abortion.

She's forgotten, you see.

A film about the justifiably dreaded Alzheimer's disease, U Me Aur Hum is a well-crafted film that is, in its own unshowy way, a film about memory itself.

Ajay Devgan's first is an impressive directorial debut that starts abruptly but gathers force as it goes along, ending up finding its own voice. Despite the candyfloss title and the initially breezy proceedings in promos all over, this is a powerful romantic drama.

And Devgan deals with the story with surprising maturity.

I say surprising because, like all movies where a poignant second half is overcompensated for by an exaggeratedly happy first act, Devgan starts off making you almost squirm in your seat with his swaggering portrayal of the self-proclaimed smooth operator, whose idea of hitting on a girl involves lots of Hallmark lines and shirts itemgirl-istically bereft of buttons.

Yet, the way you could choose to look at this, is in the key of nostalgia. When old Ajay tells old Kajol about a romance a quarter-century old -- via a narrative-style taken from The Notebook -- he's wearing youth-tinted glasses and hence, in his mind's eye, he sees himself as dashing and suave and irrepressible, something that changes completely as his narrative shifts to Act Two, where he starts picturing himself as troubled and under-the-weather. As said, it is about memory.

It starts off so banally you wonder why it's even been made. Amid fairly contrived cruise-liner shenanigans, we meet the characters -- his 'suave' Dr Ajay, her vivacious waitress, Piya. He lies his way into her heart, she discovers this and leaves him, and thus traditional film-love schlock continues as he comes home and mopes to himself, painting his walls white and thinking she'll someday return to him -- while his friends all shake their heads sadly, knowing nothing will come of it.

And it is here that Devgan defiantly bucks the trend, calling over the gang with furious impatience one night. Sitting on his steps wearing an ornate sherwani, he beckons them upstairs with vague talk about a wedding, and opens his door to show off a sheepishly grinning Piya, and a pandit.

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Fantastic. There is no long-drawn resolution of conflict, no struggle to tell backstories and show-ff wordy speeches that don't matter. Between pheras, the newly-minted couple fill in the friends with casually hurried flashbacks. Things work out, Ajay smilingly tells us -- before going on to show us how, sometimes, they don't.

The best thing about Devgan's directorial debut is that he shows enough confidence in his script to not dumb it down.

He tells a very powerful story, for example, without ever resorting to that most traditional and painful of Bollywood cop-out methods, the flash-cuts. It may sound simple, but this is a step to applaud. So used to are we to an audience (we assume) is inattentive that the unfolding of a twist -- or the fruition of a plot-point -- is automatically accompanied by a flurry of scenes we saw a half-hour ago and a repeat of dialogues.

Ajay, in a film where there are allusions made almost constantly, could well choose to emphasise the onset of disease by repeating the way Piya confused a vodka order for tequila and 6 am for 7, but he blessedly doesn't. He lets the audience do the thinking on their own, and that's what makes this film work.

That, and Kajol. We know the actress can span through happy-breezy with her eyes closed, and so the first half doesn't even pose her a challenge, but when Alzheimer's strikes Piya and she begins to forget all that matters in her life, Kajol raises the bar strikingly high.

There is a scene when the doctor is diagnosing her condition, and she is breaking down in shame and fear. The doctor tells her a line to relax her and she makes up a punchline, grinning bravely through her tears. It's a phenomenal performance.

And Devgan, as his character grows, discovers both shirt-buttons and subtlety, delivering an intense acting job. Speaking almost entirely in platitudes -- pithy at first, profound as he goes on -- this grows into an extraordinarily well-written character, replete with flaws and relatability. The way he treats his remorse, drunkenly pointing every finger at himself around a dinner table, is superbly handled, as is his guilty struggle to delineate his life experience from his professional opinion.

And while we watch this tragic, heartbreaking film with moist eyes, it is all about hope. There are nightmares -- a scene with an infant is pushed to a shocking extreme (and dealt with very intelligently, in terms of linearity) -- but then again, there are friends to carry you along on their shoulders. Sumeet Raghavan, playing a fellow doctor with marital discord, is super in his role, and needs to be singled out for giving the narrative much strength.

Devgan decidedly has some way to go as a director, especially visually. There is no consistency to the basic style of the film as split-screens and transitions happen at will, as do suddenly stylised establishing shots. Yet look at the content: this is a sensitively handled film, using actors with well-herded restraint. And if a director can make you tear up with this much sincerity, he must be on the right track.

It's a staggeringly sad film, but acknowledges light at the end of the tunnel. All you need is love, it sings out resolutely.

That, and maybe a good novel to take turns reading.

Rediff Rating:

Krazzy 4 - IndiaFM's Review

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


It would be wrong to slot KRAZZY 4 as a comedy. Sure, KRAZZY 4 remains faithful to the ongoing trend of providing laughs at the oddest of things, but it's more of a masala fare that's reminiscent of the 1980s cinema. Packaged in a modern avatar, of course.

A film like KRAZZY 4 is easy on your brains. It rests on a thin plot, but the makers have tried to package the proceedings with entertaining stuff from Scene A to Z. Sometimes it works, at times it doesn't. But the pros outweigh the cons in this case. Also, let's get one thing straight. This isn't path-breaking or ground-breaking cinema by any chance. It's targeted at the aam junta, not connoisseurs of cinema.

Also, one of the trump cards… sorry, make it two, are the dance numbers filmed on the two superstars -- SRK and Hrithik. Just these two numbers are enough to satiate the hunger of an avid moviegoer. Even the Rakhi Sawant track is an asset, since it's hugely popular with the desi junta [like 'Main Aayee Hoon U.P.-Bihar Lootne' and 'Beedi'].

In a nutshell, KRAZZY 4 isn't the kind of cinema that would invite debates or discussions. Its intention is to make people leave the cineplex with a smile and it succeeds in its endeavour.

Arshad Warsi is Raja: Truly the angry young man! His blood boils, his fists clench and he's ready to beat the daylights out of anyone who upsets him in some way.

Irrfan Khan is Dr. Mukherjee: He has decided that he's the Captain of the team! But so obsessed is he by the need to be in control of a situation, he doesn't realise he's totally lost control of himself and his mind.

Rajpal Yadav is Gangadhar: He's marching to a beat only he can hear; he's fighting for a cause that's long over. But in his mind he's still fighting for Swaraj.

Suresh Menon is Dabboo: He's everybody's pet and however far gone the rest may be, when it comes to Dabboo, everybody's protective. Even if he can hear and understand, Dabboo refuses to speak. And nobody knows why!

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Dr Sonali [Juhi Chawla] treats them all. She has faith that all it needs is a little time and lots of patience to make them part of the mad, mad, mad world out there…

Rakesh Roshan's story takes a leaf out of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, while Ashwani Dhir's screenplay tries to pack everything that's available on the shelf. The first hour is quite entertaining, with a few sequences compelling you to flex your facial muscles.

But the problem lies in its second hour. More specifically, the writing relies on the age-old stuff to reach the finale. Too many cinematic liberties have been undertaken in this hour, just to reach the culmination and it doesn't really work at times. Even the end outside the hospital looks contrived.

Jaideep Sen shows a flair for comedy, but had the debutante director opted for a slightly novel screenplay, it would've taken the film to another level. A few comic scenes are well executed and in terms of execution, Jaideep knows the grammar right.

Ashwani Dhir's screenplay may lack novelty, but the dialogues penned by him are witty and enjoyable. Cinematography is nice. Rajesh Roshan's music is up to the mark. The two tracks, filmed on the superstars, are top notch and what enhances the effect are the choreography and production design [of SRK track] and the visual effects [in Hrithik track].

Arshad Warsi is the best of the lot. His character is bound to work with the moviegoers. Irrfan's role doesn't offer him that much scope. Yet, the actor enacts his part with precision. Rajpal Yadav is quite funny at places. Suresh Menon is a surprise. He hardly utters one word in the film, but he delivers with expressions.

Juhi Chawla doesn't get ample opportunity. Dia Mirza is efficient. Zakir Hussain is okay. Rajat Kapoor is relegated to the backseat.

On the whole, KRAZZY 4 is slightly above the average mark, but the brand [Rakesh Roshan] coupled with the presence of the two superstars in its songs and of course, some great actors in comic roles should ensure positive returns at the box-office.

U Me Aur Hum - IndiaFM's Review

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

Aamir Khan has raised the bar with TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. Comparisons between Aamir and Ajay Devgan, who makes his directorial debut with U ME AUR HUM, would be erroneous, but you can't turn a blind eye to the fact that the viewer would expect an encore with U ME AUR HUM. Will U ME AUR HUM live up to the humungous hype and expectations? Does Devgan have the trappings of a fine storyteller? Oh yes, he does!

Let's come to the point right away. Devgan needs to be lauded for choosing a daringly different theme in his debut film and most importantly, doing justice to it, handling it with extreme care. We know him as a powerful actor, now there's yet another designation added to his name -- avant-garde director.

et's move on to the next query! Is the real-life couple -- Ajay and Kajol -- as dynamic yet again? The answer is, they're electrifying. Both pitch in bravura performances, reaffirming the fact that this jodi is amongst the finest of this generation.

One of the prime reasons why U ME AUR HUM works, and works big time, is because it's aimed at the heart. Anyone who's into relationships, anyone who believes in love, anyone who thinks from the heart, anyone who has watched his/her partner grapple a grave disease, will identify with a film like U ME AUR HUM.

To cut a long story short, U ME AUR HUM marks the birth of a powerhouse of talent. Watch U ME AUR HUM for various reasons, but most importantly, watch it for a new director who respects your 2.30 hours and the hard-earned bucks that you invest on watching his movie. It's time to fall in love with love… again!

The first time Ajay [Ajay Devgan] saw Pia [Kajol], she served him drinks. She affected him more than the alcohol, it was love at first sight. The first time Pia saw Ajay, he had a drink too many. She watched him make a fool of himself and was relieved when he passed out.

Ajay is on a cruise with his friends -- Nikhil [Sumeet Raghavan] and Reena [Divya Dutta], unhappily married, and Vicky [Karan Khanna] and Natasha [Isha Sharwani], happily unmarried. Ajay is having a wonderful time dealing with martial strife, lots of bad language and huge hangovers, when he finds Pia and time stands still.

After a disastrous first meeting, Ajay tries everything to woo her. He wants her, by hook, crook or even her little private notebook. She's not an easy catch at all, but finally, by sheer perseverance, he dances his way into her heart. Ajay and Pia develop a strong and special bond.

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry. And Ajay-Pia love each other dearly, but no marriages can be complete without problems, and Ajay and Pia have also have to face hurdles. Kajol is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. How does the couple face the crisis?

The one thing you must carry when you set out to watch U ME AUR HUM is a kerchief. For, this film makes you shed a tear at times, cry at places and weep in at least two vital sequences. But it's not just rona-dhona that you get to see in U ME AUR HUM.

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The first hour, strictly average in terms of writing, has several sunshine moments. It's breezy, funny, at times silly, but interesting. What also catches your eye is the eye-filling cinematography [Aseem Bajaj in top form, yet again] on the cruise. The songs, the glam look, the subtle humor… you don't take to the film instantly, but you know for a fact that a volcano is brewing.

And the volcano does erupt in the second hour! Ajay Devgan, the director, shows his expertise in this hour as the story does an about-turn, exposing the delicate, sensitive and fragile relationships. Devgan reserves the best for the concluding reels and you finally get the answers in the end.

U ME AUR HUM is more of a director's film, than anyone else's. A theme like the one projected in this film could go dangerously haywire if entrusted in inept hands, but Devgan seems to have done his homework well. The only glitch is the length in its second hour. A shorter narrative would've only helped!

Robin Bhatt, Sutanu Gupta and Akarsh Khurana's screenplay casts a hypnotic spell in the second hour. Sure, the germ stems from THE NOTEBOOK [2004; James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Rachel McAdams], but the writers have altered the screenplay keeping Indian sensibilities in mind. It works! Ashwani Dhir's dialogues touch the core of your heart. Every spoken sentence has a meaning. Vishal Bhardwaj's music may not be a chartbuster, but it alternates between soulful and melancholic beautifully. Aseem Bajaj's cinematography is topnotch. Monty Sharma's background score is effective.

Now to the performances! U ME AUR HUM is like a medal that glimmers on Ajay Devgan's body of work. He's exceptional! Kajol, well, what can you say of an actress who has proved herself time and again? That she's undoubtedly the best has been proved yet again. Sumeet Raghavan is first-rate. Divya Dutta gets into the groove in the subsequent portions. Karan Khanna and Isha Sharwani are okay. Sachin Khedekar does a fine job. Aditya Rajput and Hazel get minimal scope.

On the whole, U ME AUR HUM is a well-made, absorbing love story that's high on the emotional quotient. And that holds tremendous appeal for ladies/families mainly. At the box-office, it's the kind of film that will gather more and more speed with each passing show. Its business at multiplexes should be fantastic. Overseas too should be excellent. Very strongly recommended!