The Random Reviews

Krazzy 4 - Rediff's Movie Review

2008-04-11T16:29:00.004+05:30

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.

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

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

2008-04-11T13:33:00.001+05:30

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.

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

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

2008-04-11T10:38:00.001+05:30

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!

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

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

2008-04-11T10:34:00.002+05:30

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.

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

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!

Jodhaa Akbar - IndiaFM's Review

2008-02-13T16:14:00.001+05:30

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

Let's get one thing straight: You haven't watched anything so opulent, so magnificent like this in a long, long time on the Hindi screen. It's not just body beautiful, but there's soul as well.

It requires courage, prowess, patience, aptitude, knowledge, passion and of course, loads of currency to attempt a movie like JODHAA AKBAR. But more than anything else, it requires your firm belief in the subject, the belief to attempt a historical when historicals are considered an absolute no-no in the industry, the belief to spend almost Rs. 40 crores in a film that could go either ways.

Only when you're convinced yourself can you convince millions of moviegoers. And convinced you are after watching JODHAA AKBAR, a film of epic proportions.

Now let's clear a few misconceptions pertaining to the film…

It's blasphemous to compare MUGHAL-E-AZAM and JODHAA AKBAR. While MUGHAL-E-AZAM was primarily about the legendary romance between Salim and Anarkali, a subject that has been attempted quite a few times on the Hindi screen before, JODHAA AKBAR is about the relationship that the young Akbar shared with Jodhaa.

A lot has been said and written about its length [3.20 hours]. Does the viewer of today have the patience to watch a really lengthy film in today's times? But once into JODHAA AKBAR, the sequence of events, the drama, the romance, the war… every aspect keeps you mesmerized. Oh yes, the length does pinch you at one crucial point [second hour, which is relatively shorter], when a song breaks out. Otherwise, the 3 + hours are very well spent.

When you watch historicals like MUGHAL-E-AZAM and RAZIA SULTAN, the usage of chaste Urdu is difficult to comprehend at times. Not here! The language is simplified - Akbar speaks in Urdu, Jodhaa in Hindi - and it's easy to decipher.

As a cinematic experience, it would be wrong to compare JODHAA AKBAR to any of Ashutosh Gowariker's previous endeavors. Why, it would be erroneous to compare the film with any film ever made before in this genre. This one stands out and stands out the tallest.

To sum up, JODHAA AKBAR leaves you spellbound, enthralled, entranced and awestruck. Ashutosh Gowariker makes the legendary characters come alive on screen. Take a bow, Ashu!

Set in the sixteenth century, JODHAA AKBAR is a love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa. Little did Akbar [Hrithik Roshan] know that when he married Jodhaa [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], he would be embarking upon a new journey -- the journey of true love.

The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer [Kulbhushan Kharbanda], Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar's biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of this defiant princess.

One of the prime reasons why JODHAA AKBAR works is because the present-day viewer is unaware of the romance between Akbar and Jodhaa. Sure, we all know of Akbar as a great emperor, but the love story makes for a refreshing subject. And the execution of a number of sequences makes JODHAA AKBAR extremely special.

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

Some instances:
* The war sequence at the very outset. You realize the scale and magnitude of the film at the very beginning.
* Hrithik taming an out-of-control elephant. It's hair-raising.
* The two pre-conditions set by Jodhaa, before her marriage to Akbar. Very interesting.
* The confrontation between Ila Arun and Ash at the kitchen, when Ash decides to make the meal herself.
* The immediate sequence, when Ash is asked to taste the food herself by Ila before she's about to serve the food to the Emperor and his associates. Once done, Hrithik demanding that he be served the meal from the same platter that Jodhaa had used.
* The intermission point, which sows the seeds of a misunderstanding between Hrithik and Ash.
* Post-interval, Hrithik returning to Amer to get Ash back to Agra and the welcome ceremony by his mother-in-law [Suhasini Mulay].
* The sword fight the very next morning, between Hrithik and Ash.
* The 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah' track, when the entire kingdom hails Hrithik.
* The fight in the climax [reminds you of the fight between Brad Pitt and Eric Bana in TROY].
Amazing moments indeed…

Ashutosh Gowariker knows that historicals have to be simplified while narrating on celluloid so that the moviegoer is able to grasp and comprehend the plotline and the sequence of events. Thankfully, JODHAA AKBAR is not in the least difficult to decipher. Gowariker's handling of the subject deserves the highest praise, for it's not everyday that you come across a film like JODHAA AKBAR.

A.R. Rahman's music is not the type that you take to instantly, but yes, it gels beautifully with the mood of the film. 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah' and 'Jashn-e-Bahara' are the best tracks in terms of tune. In terms of choreography, 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah' is awe-inspiring, while the execution of 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' is outstanding. Rahman's background score is simply extra-ordinary.

There's no room for dullness in Haider Ali and Gowariker's screenplay. The writing is tight, the drama keeps you hooked and the romantic track is wonderful. The film also talks of secularism, an issue so vital in today's times. K.P. Saxena's dialogues are amazing. At places, soaked in acid. The writer comes up with several gems, yet again. Kiran Deohans' cinematography matches international standards. The movement of camera at various places, especially in the battlefield, is breath-taking. Also, the D.O.P. captures the grandeur to the fullest. The production design [Nitin Chandrakant Desai] is, again, awesome. Recreating the bygone era requires not just money, but also the vision and Desai proves his supremacy yet again.

Be it the war sequences or the sword fights or general action, Ravi Dewan's contribution to the film is incredible. Especially noteworthy is the fight between Hrithik and Nikitin Dheer in the climax. It's simply outstanding! Editing [Ballu Saluja] is perfect, although the romantic song between Hrithik and Ash can be shortened in the second hour. The costumes [Neeta Lulla] as also the jewelry also deserve special mention.

JODHAA AKBAR also works because of the right casting. It's difficult to imagine anyone else in the role of Emperor Akbar. Hrithik seems born to play this role and he enacts it with such precision, such flourish, such confidence that it leaves you asking for more. A mind-boggling performance without doubt!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is superb. Oh yes, she looks ethereal -- a compliment she has heard a trillion times before. What's new in that? But watch her emote in this film. You realize the amazing talent that has hitherto not been tapped by any movie maker. A flawless performance indeed!

JODHAA AKBAR has a host of characters, but the ones whom you carry home, besides Hrithik and Ash, are Sonu Sood [excellent], Nikitin Dheer [fantastic], Ila Arun [electrifying; her finest work so far], Punam S. Sinha [graceful], Kulbhushan Kharbanda [perfect], Raza Murad [effective] and Rajesh Vivek [good]. Amitabh Bachchan's rich barritone voice adds lustre to the magnum opus.

On the whole, JODHAA AKBAR is, without a shred of doubt, a brilliant film in all respects. This historical has all it takes to prove the first blockbuster of 2008. Very strongly recommended!

Superstar - IndiaFM's Review

2008-02-08T12:48:00.000+05:30

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

An actor enacting dual roles isn't new for Bollywood. Dilip Kumar [RAM AUR SHYAM], Rajesh Khanna [SACHCHA JHOOTHA], Amitabh Bachchan [SATTE PE SATTA], Hema Malini [SEETA AUR GEETA], Sridevi [CHAALBAAZ], Shah Rukh Khan [DUPLICATE], Salman Khan [JUDWAA]… over the years, a number of makers have woven stories around humshakals/twins.

SUPER STAR also takes a similar path. With Bollywood as the backdrop, SUPER STAR looks at greed taking over a person, who manipulates things to suit himself. An interesting idea without doubt and director Rohit Jugraj's execution lights the frames as well. In fact, it's a big leap for Jugraj, who started with JAMES; a number of sequences are definitely noteworthy.

But Jugraj and SUPER STAR surely deserved a tighter script and a better editor. The writing is erratic sporadically -- energetic at times, flaccid at places. As for the editing, either the editor fell in love with the filmed material and forgot all about editing or he had no say at all.

To sum up, SUPER STAR is a decent product, but it could've been notches above the ordinary had it taken care of a few hiccups.

Kunal [Kunal Khemu] defines the youth of today. He dares to dream of making it big in Bollywood one day.

Kunal wears the tag of a Bollywood struggler lightly, as he knows it is only a matter of time before he makes it into the big league. Until, that is, life decides to play a prank on him. The entry of the rich, debonair Karan [Khemu, in a dual role], in Bollywood as well as his life, crushes all of Kunal's dreams.

And suddenly, the struggler is transformed into a superstar. Public adulation and unwavering media attention, he receives it all. But the truth is something else…

A story like the one in SUPER STAR cannot do without a solid actor and Kunal Khemu handles the various shades with aplomb. In fact, his performance is the mainstay of the enterprise and he has the talent to hold the scene without making you feel restless.

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

But there are times when the writing could've matched the efforts of Jugraj and Khemu. Take for instance the bonding that develops between the star and struggler. How do they become thick friends in the first place? Also, why doesn't the investigating journo [Zafar Karachiwala] telecast the truth, when he has already planted hidden cameras in Darshan Jariwala's house? Prior to that, Darshan Jariwala passes the MMS clip to a private channel. In the first place, how does he get hold of the clip and how would he gain if the clip was telecast days before his film is to hit the screens? The writers need to take a few lessons in screenplay writing for sure!

Also, as mentioned at the outset, the film could've done with better editing. Ideally, it can [and should] be trimmed by at least 20 minutes for a better impact.

Thankfully, Jugraj's handling of a number of scenes camouflages the defects, to an extent. A few portions involving Kunal as also the turning point in the tale, when Darshan Jariwala interacts with Kunal after he comes out of coma, are brilliant. The emotional speech in the climax is also convincing. Shamir Tandon's music is alright, but the placement of songs isn't right. Yet, in terms of composition, 'Do I Love You' and 'Ajnabi' are nice tracks. Cinematography is perfect.

Kunal is the lifeline of the show. His performance leaves you speechless! Tulip Joshi doesn't have much to do. Aushima Shwhney looks mature for Kunal. Darshan Jariwala is first-rate. Sharat Saxena leaves a mark, especially in the scene when Kunal comes visiting after the gruesome accident. Reema is good. Vrajesh Hirjee is effective. Zafar Karachiwala is a fine actor. Kishori Shahane deserved a better role. Anjan Srivastava gets a few scenes, which he performs well. Aman Verma too deserved a better part.

On the whole, SUPER STAR is a strictly average fare. At the box-office, don't expect much!

Mithya - IndiaFM's review

2008-02-08T12:43:00.000+05:30

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

We're experiencing a whole new world in cinema. Themes that were considered abstract and offbeat are slowly making inroads into Bollywood. These films are a complete contrast to what we've been experiencing thus far. You could actually mistake it for European cinema in general and French cinema in particular. MITHYA, directed by Rajat Kapoor, is one of those films. Conceal the faces of the actors and you'd never believe it's a Hindi film.

In this case, MITHYA, you can't draw parallels with any film, past or present. That's because something like this has never been attempted before. And that happens to be the flip side as well, for MITHYA is not everyone's cup of tea, everyone's idea of entertainment. It caters to a niche audience, those with an appetite for 'different' cinema. It's for the discerning viewer that wants a change, who wants to watch a new story unravel on celluloid.

Seen individually, MITHYA is an experience you cannot forget easily. It leaves a solid impact, especially if you're receptive to out of the box experiences.

VK [Ranvir Shorey] has come to Mumbai, chasing big film dreams, like thousands of others. When fate makes him a pawn in a master game plan of the underworld, he unknowingly gets drawn into a whirlpool of events that will determine his future. Then an unexpected accident turns the tables for everybody involved.

Now begins a chase that won't stop at anything. VK is too deep into it now to step back. Unknowingly, he has become an imposter, an imposter who wasn't.

On script level, a film like MITHYA has layers and more layers and is indeed a complex theme to handle. Not everyone can attempt it, since a theme like this has to be handled very, very carefully, else it may boomerang. That's where an expert storyteller like Rajat Kapoor steps in.

You get instantly sucked into the struggler's world and gradually forget that you're a viewer. You become a bystander. You feel it's happening right there in front of your eyes, experiencing everything firsthand.

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

The best part of the script [writers: Saurabh Shukla, Rajat Kapoor] is that you cannot predict the next moment. Its unpredictability is its USP. The film moves about in a serpentine manner and as it reaches its culmination, you're emphathizing with the struggler, who started somewhere else and ended at an altogether different destination. That's destiny, isn't it?

But the best part is the concluding moments. The culmination to Ranvir's character -- the way it has been filmed -- leaves you stunned, speechless and of course, sad! Its execution cannot be described in mere words.

Director Rajat Kapoor takes a giant leap as a storyteller. If you understand cinema or are associated with it, you'd realize that MITHYA is more of a director's film, than an actor's. Although it's premature to talk at this juncture, but MITHYA should feature prominently in the 'Bests of 2008' when the year draws to a close. The writing too is topnotch. Ditto for the camerawork, which gives the film a cold, gloomy look.

Lavish praises must be reserved for Ranvir Shorey, who delivers an extra-ordinary performance in the central role. You've known him as a funster, now watch him in a role that you could never place him in. A brilliant performance! Naseeruddin Shah, as always, is hugely competent. Neha Dhupia is one of the most under-rated actors around. Watch her in this film as she slips into a role with such effortless ease. She deserves better roles for sure. Iravati is fantastic. Saurabh Shukla is first-rate. Harsh Chhaya excels. Vinay Pathak is relegated to the backseat this time; he's good. Brijendra Kala is excellent.

On the whole, MITHYA has the courage to tell one of the most novel stories we've ever watched on celluloid. Sure, it caters to the multiplex junta, but honestly, some films are beyond box-office and should just be lauded for the sheer strength of taking Hindi cinema beyond the stereotype.

Wait, here's a grievance. The promos give an impression that it's a comic fare. You may also believe that it's a laugh-riot in view of the fact that MITHYA comes from the BHEJA FRY team. It's not! The promos are misleading and ought to reflect the content to tap its potential.

Mithya - Rediff's Movie Review

2008-02-08T11:08:00.000+05:30

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

Based more-or-less around the life of a Bollywood struggler, Rajat Kapoor's Mithya is a stern warning against the dangers of method acting. Not just are such performers liable to overdo the histrionics in their overreaching attempts at reality, but often -- while inhabiting another character's skin -- there exists the possibility that playing the damaged could make us equally so.

It's a sobering thought, more so even than the prospect of traipsing the spoiler-filled minefields to review a twisty thriller without giving away the plot. Mithya is an unpredictable ride, a rare film that authentically extracts most of its pleasure from all that you don't know just yet. Which is why I don't really want to tell you what happens.

Ranvir Sheorey plays VK, a Bollywood extra hailing from Noida, with uncommonly realistic actor ambitions. He might rehearse Hamlet with his bedspread for a cloak -- much to the annoyance of his neighbours -- but even his dreams don't contain moments of sunglass'd superstardom. He's content trying to siphon off a little extra from the production manager, and hopes he eventually gets a role with an actual line of dialogue.

For now, VK is content standing at his regular wine-shop and picking up his quarter-bottle of whiskey. He asks the shopkeeper for his free drinking glass, a demand made with the considerable ease (yet fastidiousness) of the more-than-occasional drinker -- leading us to believe he could likely be building up a set of these humble glasses. So sits the actor with fifteen years of on-stage experience, drinking cheap whisky sitting by the everyman splendor of the sea.

Then -- as they say in proverbs and bumper stickers with only the most minor of tonal variations -- stuff happens.

Starting off innocuously enough, this film is -- like the best of comedies -- about far more than the laughs scattered variously, and smartly, on the surface. Despite significant humour almost throughout, this qualifies as a bonafide thriller, a story with wheels within wheels that unfolds briskly enough -- the film weighs in at a crisp 100 minutes -- and yet gives you space to ponder. No mean feat, this.

Ranvir is given an extremely varied role, an acting job that requires adjustment at every other moment, having to flit constantly through mood and scale. Scared, dazed, inspired, romantic -- all often overlapping in a three-minute span. Wisely, the actor plays the character straight, never directly for laughs. Sheorey does very well indeed to capture the pain and the helplessness of the troubled protagonist, and winning sympathy is hard when audiences are busy chortling. He makes the character real, a common, believable man in an increasingly bizarre situation.

Sheorey's tag-team partner, the ever-reliable Vinay Pathak, is given a shorter role here, his often-amused Ram overshadowed by his comrade Shyam, played preciously by a hilarious Brijendra Kala.

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

Kala, clearly a gifted actor, is a superb cog in the comedic ensemble, frequently stealing the scene with his unimpressive indignation. Saurabh Shukla and Naseeruddin Shah clearly enjoy riffing off each other, and Harsh Chhaya seems to be having fun with a somewhat Sonny Corleone (The Godfather) character. While Neha Dhupia doesn't have too much to do, Iravati Harshe enriches the film with a layer of heart.

As mentioned, this is a film with feeling. Filmmaker Rajat Kapoor toes the line -- between organically, necessarily Filmi and devastatingly Poignant -- gingerly yet wistfully, his shoes often falling behind a few steps more than absolutely necessary, therefore making his sympathies and allegiances crystal clear.

Like its protagonist, Mithya is a moody film, longing and lingering for more. It is a sharp film, mixing genres with unspectacular aplomb, and achieves possibly more than it set out to: sure it's a fun thriller, but in regard to the eventuality of the protagonist, it almost turns into a mystery movie.

Sure, there are flaws. The background score is more basic than a film written so neatly merits. Several establishing shots seem forced, as if a bunch of cutaways were glued together and called a scene. Occasionally, the mood-building and dreamscapes turn contrived. Post-interval, the film almost gives up the right to be called comic. Worst of all, the romance arc with Dhupia is hideously underdeveloped and premature, especially compared to Harshe's compelling character.

Yet, Mithya works. This isn't a film you're going to watch because of the sheer craft or the romance: you pay for a comic thriller and you get it -- and much more -- anchored in place by a very strong leading man and a director refreshing in an approach that refuses to try too hard. Go watch this: 2008 is yet young, but so far this is the year's best Hindi film.

A few weeks ago, a friend called to ask me for the Hindi word for Fiction. I racked my brains and -- after dismissing the significantly inadequate 'Imaginary/Make-Believe Story' -- decided that the closest I could come to was a word for Fabrication. It's somewhat disheartening to think of great novels and classic literature reduced to the word Lie, but what else is there? With efforts like Mithya, thankfully, Rajat shows that even an obvious lie can feel very real.

Rediff Rating:

Taare Zameen Par - Rediff's Movie Review

2007-12-28T15:23:00.000+05:30

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

Two years ago, the animated version of Hanuman turned in a pleasant surprise with its winning charm and gripping goodness.

Cashing on its popularity, the makers (Percept Picture Company) then decided to create a spin-off around the beloved mythological hero. Only they refused to call Return of Hanuman a sequel. Whatever!

Considering the predecessor covered pretty much everything, Return of Hanuman blends the modern with the mythological to impart the golden lesson of good prevails over evil.

In trying to establish this, the film tries to be a lot of things at once -- enlightening, entertaining, cheeky, cool and comic. The outcome of which is incoherent and exhausting.

It all begins with the story of how Rahu and Ketu came into existence followed by why man himself is the biggest evil or the impact of pollution leading to global crisis. Barring the Rahu-Ketu portion, which is vividly and impressively picturised, the narrative not once touches upon what led to the decline of man and environment for it to cause such mass scale destruction. What could have been an excellent point of edification for the film's target audience -- children -- with regards to environmental issues, is, unfortunately, employed as a mere twist in the plot to get the climax done and over with.

Also, Narada and Hanuman communicate straight out of a Ram Gopal Varma movie. That is, when Narada is not snooping around Lord Indra's room while the latter spends quality time with divine apsara, Menaka. The obnoxious innuendoes involved here are hard to overlook.

Wait, there's more. You may spot a gorilla modelled around Shah Rukh Khan coming to little Hanuman's rescue or Hanuman dodge past a dozen bullets, a la Neo in Matrix. And there's a nasty bandit residing in mango orchards, inspired by Sholay's Gabbar Singh. Our man goes out of the way to demonstrate his versatility at the mimicking game, sometimes as the voice of Sanjeev Kumar, Raaj Kumar or Shatrughan Sinha, if you please. What is this? An animated homage to Om Shanti Om? Speaking of which, Narada breaks into a jig, strumming his sitar, fervently chanting OSO.

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

Somewhere in the muddled picture, writer and director Anurag Kashyap fits in the hero of this enterprise, Hanuman and his unending saga of adventures.

One fine day, Hanuman resolves to make a trip down under as a mortal so that he can play football with the local boys. While Lord Brahma is most apprehensive, he eventually relents. Barely three months old, the human Hanuman, rechristened Maruti, is boy enough to get admitted in school. There's certain irreverence in the manner of handling the lovable deity's on screen persona. One fails to find anything chuckle-worthy about the director's constant fascination with Hanuman's tail or school kids referring to him as 'bandar'.

Anyhow, here the constantly famished Maruti bumps into the customary hapless kid, Minkoo, soft target of the bullies of his neighbourhood. Predictably, Maruti saves the day. Meanwhile, danger lurks around in the form of scheming bandits and Shukracharya's immortal creations -- the half serpent, half-human, Rahu and Ketu threatening to cause the end of the world.

For sure, with a do gooder like Maruti/Hanuman around, all's well that ends well. Not really! The climax involving a celestial battle and mucky volcanic eruption crawls painfully crying for a crisp pair of scissors. Although the artwork is fairly decent, the animation shows no sign of improvement since Hanuman's previous outing.

While adults may question Kashyap's take on mythology or disapprove of Gods conversing in Hinglish, kids might find the action entertaining. Or if nothing else; learn the importance of drinking milk. Else, go watch the recently tax-freed Taare Zameen Par.

Rediff Rating:

Return of Hanuman - The First Review - Taran Adarsh

2007-12-28T08:35:00.000+05:30

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

The film begins with a disclaimer, stating that RETURN OF HANUMAN is not a sequel to any film made before. But is it really possible to watch the new experience forgetting all about the first part?

As someone who thoroughly enjoyed HANUMAN, you expect an encore with RETURN OF HANUMAN, although the makers, for reasons best known to them, have decided to alienate the new film with the first animation film on Lord Hanuman. The makers may have their reasons, but for the viewer, the comparisons are inevitable.

Honestly speaking, one shouldn't compare the two films for a very valid reason. While HANUMAN was a pure mythological film, RETURN OF HANUMAN merges mythology with the present-day kalyug ki duniya. In this film, there's Gabbar Singh, plus voice-over clones of, hold your breath, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjeev Kumar and Raaj Kumar. What's more, Baby Hanuman handles a volley of bullets like Keanu Reeves handled them in the MATRIX series.

RETURN OF HANUMAN begins with the battle between the gods and rakshas. The focus shifts to a small kid, Minku, in a small village in present-day India, who's ridiculed by his friends. Lord Hanuman requests Narad Muni to convince Lord Brahma to send him to earth. Lord Brahma agrees, but Lord Hanuman is made to sign a contract, which has several do's and don'ts.

It's innovative to merge mythology with the contemporary and a number of sequences do make an impression, especially in the first hour. But the film drags in the post-interval portions and a long-drawn climax only dilutes the impact of several interesting sequences.

One of the prime reasons why HANUMAN worked was because Baby Hanuman was very cute, very lovable. The Baby Hanuman in RETURN OF HANUMAN is equally adorable. Sequences depicting his voracious appetite as also with his timid friend Minku are quite enjoyable.

Technically, the animation quality is okay. But it's still not at par with the animation movies made in the West. At best, RETURN OF HANUMAN is enjoyable in parts. If you're a kid or have a kid hidden in you, this one's for you!

Welcome - Indiatimes Movie Review

2007-12-22T09:20:00.000+05:30

By Gaurav Malani for Indiatimes.com, Click Here for Original.

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Mallika Sherawat, Paresh Rawal and Feroz Khan
Director: Anees Bazmee
Rating:

We have been habituated to ‘slapstick’ comedies with a staple diet of humour served by the likes of David Dhawan and Priyadarshan in the past couple of decades. So audiences no more try to find logic or grumble over credibility in farcical films as far as it is entertaining. So the ‘leave-your-brains-home’ genre is all welcome.

But what is strictly uninvited is uninteresting interruptions in the form of the formulaic songs in the standard four-track format of a ‘dream song’, ‘a love song’, ‘an item number’ and ‘an engagement celebration song’. All uninspiring and disturbing the flow!
Anyways am I doing a music review? Certainly not, so let’s get on to the film. Anees Bazmee’s last film No Entry was a cult-comedy. With his next film Welcome he goes literally opposite, not just in its title but also in its treatment. Of course the basic humour is intact but while No Entry had a linear approach on the theme of adultery, the screenplay of Welcome follows a multi-dimensional approach with the focus of the film changing every half an hour. So the three hour drama has a six-track plot.

The first plot is the buildup where Rajiv (Akshay Kumar) falls in love with Sanjana (Katrina Kaif). There are clichés galore with love-at-first-sight funda, interfering songs and redundant romance. The romance is also rushed and before you blink your eyes the duo is in love. But one doesn’t complain for the audience just expects the love to get over and the laughter to begin.

Hope arrives in the second plot with the entry of Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) and Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor). Uday is an aspiring actor while Majnu is a painter in his own right. Both futile in their arts are successful underworld dons and want to marry off Uday’s sister Sanjana to a respectable family. But no family agrees. Including Rajiv’s, whose uncle, Dr. Ghungroo (Paresh Rawal) doesn’t approve of the don’s repute.

Confusion, commotion and chaos follows in the third plot and Ishika (Mallika Sherawat) enters in the fourth who calls off the couple’s engagement claiming to be Rajiv’s fiancée. In the fifth plot Rajiv takes the onus of giving the dons a clean chit while transforming them into white-collared citizens. Uday gets a chance to show his acting abilities in a staged film while Majnu gets a Laila to romance.

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

The final sub-plot goes complete off-track where godfather RDX (Feroz Khan) enters and seeks revenge on his dead son who incidentally comes back from the death to create more mayhem. Bazmee continues to keep his climaxes hanging. Literally! While in No Entry the male trio was hanging from a cliff, here the entire starcast oscillates in a cottage dangling from a hilltop clearly inspired from Kamal Hassan’s tetra-role Tamil film Michael Madana Kamarajan .

Does that summary boggle you down? Then the film will exhaust you even more. Welcome is too fast paced and hardly gives you time to breathe, gasp, feel, absorb, react or relate. That’s the objective. Enjoy the moment, don’t mull over it. Bazmee’s multilayered screenplay is too haphazard and at times appears fabricated. But as he complicates the proceedings, he also entertains and subsequently simplifies the screenplay with his dialogues. Some catch-lines are hilarious esp. Anil Kapoor’s inanities that reminds of his Deewana Mastana antics (again scripted by Bazmee).

Surprisingly and thankfully so, this Firoz Nadiadwala film isn’t action heavy except for a car crash sequence in the first half that too is interspersed with some funny gags. Nana Patekar’s horse-riding scene is uproarious while the pre-climax in a cremation ground too has its amusing moments.

The pre-discussed department of music is both uninspiring and interrupting. The Malaika Arora item number is way out of the narrative while a shrilling Himesh Reshammiya number in the very start is unintentionally funny. Almost all the songs are easily avoidable.

It’s a welcome change to see Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor in refreshing roles and envigourated characters. While Nana continues his trademark eccentricity, he adds spunk to the humourous side of his character as well. His efforts as a wannabe actor and attempts at dancing are simply side-splitting. Anil Kapoor’s spirited act reminds of his youthful roles in the likes of Jaanbaaz , Ram Lakhan and Mr. India . Not that he shows any sign of aging in the film.

Akshay Kumar’s character is on the receiving end, quite contrary to the roles he has been playing off-late. His simpleton character is somewhere in the vein of his champu character from Jaan-e-mann . Paresh Rawal, with his regular comic characters, has by now attained a standard style of invoking laughter. Katrina Kaif looks immaculately beautiful. Mallika Sherawat adds to the glamour quotient. Feroz Khan is neither completely menacing nor wholly humourous. But his character is designed to suit the tone of the film.

With no expectations of a No Entry, Welcome is pretty welcome.

Welcome - Nikhat Kazmi's Review for Time of India

2007-12-22T09:15:00.000+05:30

By Nikhat Kazmi for Time of India, Click Here for Original.

Welcome (comedy)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal
Direction: Anees Bazmee
Critic rating:

WANT to laugh your way out of the year? Go watch Akshay Kumar try to tame the mob (Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Feroz Khan) as part of his amorous duties.

Just one word of caution: Even Akshay seems to be tiring of his laugh act by now and is displaying a sense of fatigue with the comedy show that had become his forte, ever since he put his action cuts on the back burner.

The script is familiar. Akshay falls in love with Katrina, the sassy sister of the mafia kingpins (Nana and Anil) who are happy only when they are pulling the trigger.

But he's a sharif guy and can't marry into a badmash family, because his mamaji (Paresh Rawal) says so. So he's got only one option for a happily-ever-after ending. He needs to bring the prodigal sons back to the fold and convince the bhais that bad is not good.

Truly, a tough task that does get tedious in between. But remember, there's Nana too to tide over the boredom. So that, whenever Akshay begins to sleepwalk through his role, Nana Patekar pipes up and vice versa. And when both of them trip, there's Anil Kapoor to bank on. The actor has perfected the tapori act by now.

Strangely, Feroz Khan is dull and flat and Paresh Rawal too seems typecast. Katrina has kuch nahin to do. Go for end-of-the-year gags and season-of-goodwill giggles.

Taare Zameen Par - Nikhat Kazmi's Review for Time of India

2007-12-22T09:09:00.000+05:30

By Nikhat Kazmi for Time of India, Click Here for Original.

Taare Zameen Par (drama)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary
Direction: Aamir Khan
Critic rating:

AND we thought only Iranian filmmakers understood that Children were of and from Heaven. But that's because Iranian cinema is replete with delightful, soul-stirring insights into all that's wrong in the adult world, through the unaltered vision of a child.

Kudos to Aamir Khan for proving us wrong by giving us a brilliant dekko into the mysterious, magical mind of a child who really doesn't know why befuddled adults are hell-bent on mutilating everything's that beautiful, innocent, free and fulsome...All because they feel there is no faayda (profit) in it.

Ostensibly, the film is about children with special needs and the story revolves around the efforts of a dyslexic child to fit in, adjust and perform in a 'normal' world where competition is the norm and regimentation the principle.

A world where it is natural and 'normal' to rap eight-year-old knuckles and discipline with verbal abuse and physical battering, if a child gets his spellings wrong, forgets to do his homework or fails to give a copy book answer. But the canvas of the film is so sensitive, so vast, so meaningful, it includes any and every child in its ambit. So much so, Taare Zameen Par becomes the story of any and every child who is being robbed off his childhood by insensitive parents and teachers who believe their job is to create race-winning rats for the rat race rather than Einsteins, Edisons, Agatha Christies and Leonardo Da Vincis.

Please note that this piece has been reproduced from Time of India, Click Here for Original.

Eight-year-old Ishaan (Darsheel) is a happy-go-lucky child with a fertile imagination that can see fish flying but fails to grasp the difference between B and D. When asked to solve his three times table, he confidently picks up his pencil and sees a war of planets on the firmament of his mind where planet 3 smashes into planet 6 and beats it into smithereens.

Naturally, the answer of 3 x 6 is 3 for our little genius. But that's between you and me. Berated by the teachers, his parents send the kid away to a boarding school and deliver him to a living hell, where he faces ridicule and begins to lose all self-esteem in his effort to fit in. It takes an unconventional art teacher (Aamir Khan) to bring him out of his solitary confinement and unleash a whole new energy force that blinds the boring world with its colours and configurations.

The story is simple and connects instantly with every adult and child in the auditorium, even as the climax is predictable and plays heavily on your emotions. But what uplifts the film is its very simplicity, sensitivity and its performances. On the one hand, there is the non-filmy script which doesn't make anyone the villain...even the adults are victims of ignorance. On the other, there is the towering portrayal by young Darsheel who trapezes between lively and lost with great agility.

And holding it all deftly together - the tears and the smiles, the lows and the highs - is Aamir Khan who makes a measured directorial debut. Almost as measured and meticulous as his performances. Of course, the second half does get a bit repetitive, the script needs a bit of taut editing, the trauma of the lonely child seems a shade too prolonged and the treatment simplistic. But the film never does stop tugging at your heartstrings.

We recommend a mandatory viewing for all schools and all parents.

Welcome - IndiaFM's Review

2007-12-21T21:14:00.001+05:30

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

Welcome to the crazy, mad, funny, outlandish, outrageous, zany world of WELCOME, directed by Anees Bazmee, who gave us the rib-tickling NO ENTRY. Bazmee is a veteran when it comes to leave-your-brains-at-home comic capers, having penned and helmed non-stop laughathons in the past.

The question is, does WELCOME make you break into guffaws? The question is, does WELCOME measure up to the mammoth expectations surrounding it? The question is, will WELCOME be as big a hit as NO ENTRY?

WELCOME follows the same path as David Dhawan and Priyadarshan movies. The mantra is simple: Lock your brains at home, throw your worries out of the window for the next 2 hours and get ready to embrace a world where logic and sense have no place… In short, WELCOME remains faithful to the genre from start to end. Bazmee borrows a bit from the likable Hugh Grant starrer MICKEY BLUE EYES [also bears an uncanny resemblance to SHAADI SE PEHLE] and adds loads of Indian masala to make the proceedings spicy and tangy. Lo and behold! WELCOME succeeds in tickling your funny bone at most places. The humour is basic and even absurd, but it works well in a film like this.

To cut a long story short, WELCOME is one of those entertainers that deliver what it promises: Funny sequences, super performances and loads and loads of laughter. Without doubt, WELCOME will be welcomed with open arms by the aam junta!

Uday Shetty [Nana Patekar], Majnu [Anil Kapoor] and their boss, Sikander [Feroz Khan], are basically three Hong Kong-based serio-comic mobsters, who are keen to get Uday’s sister Sanjana [Katrina Kaif] married into a respectable family.

Uday, who accidentally meets the handsome bachelor Rajiv [Akshay Kumar], gets convinced that the latter would be an appropriate match for Sanjana. Meanwhile, Sanjana, who is totally unaware of her brother’s plans, also meets Rajiv separately and they fall in love. She has the acceptance of Dr. Ghunghroo [Paresh Rawal], Rajiv’s uncle, who is unaware of the fact that she is Uday’s sister.

When Dr. Ghunghroo realizes his faux pas, he decides against the marriage. The entire plot takes a U-turn when a stunning bombshell [Mallika Sherawat] arrives on the scene and claims to be Rajiv’s wedded wife, which only adds to the hullabaloo and chaos.

You realize you won’t need your thinking caps at the very outset. Note the introductory sequences of Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal and Anil Kapoor. They set the mood of the film. Also, the first hour has several humorous moments and you enjoy the one-liners that the characters keep delivering every now and then.

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

The director makes sure to open three more surprises in the post-interval hour -- Feroz Khan, Mallika Sherawat and Vijay Raaz, who is introduced in the first half, but gets scope only in the second half. The sequences between Nana and Mallika and also between Anil and Mallika are truly funny. Also, the marathon portion at the funeral is sure to bring the house down.

Of course, there’re loose ends. The pace dips in the second hour, a few jokes seem repetitive and therefore, don’t evoke the required mirth. Also, the music could’ve been better. Only two songs come easy on your lip [the ones that are promoted], but the chartbusting quality is missing.

Bazmee’s direction does justice to the material. The director and his team of writers [Rajiv Kaul, Praful Parekh] don’t deviate from the core issue and pack the script with inane stuff, but the impact is so funny that you break into a hysterical laughter at places. The Kaul and Parekh jodi, known for writing a number of David Dhawan and Indra Kumar films in the past, are back in true form after a long time.

As mentioned earlier, the music is a mixed bag. ‘Uncha Lamba Kadh’ and ‘Tera Sarafa’ [Anand Raaj Anand] are the best tracks of the enterprise and the choreography of these numbers take them further, but the remaining songs are below average. Dialogues are laced with wit and enjoyable, especially those delivered by Nana, Paresh and Anil. Sanjay F. Gupta’s cinematography is striking. The locales of Dubai and South Africa give the film a grandiose look. The effects [especially in the climax -- the house collapse sequence] are tacky.

Although WELCOME boasts of a formidable star cast and every actor handles his/her part with effortless ease, the one who registers the maximum impact is Nana Patekar. Nana is in terrific form, the real scene-stealer. It’s a treat to watch this accomplished actor essay a role that’s in stark contrast to the ones he’s known for [intense, hard-hitting characters]. His comic timing is fantastic!

Akshay is equally competent. He looks every inch the seedha-saadha guy, who is torn between his lady love on one hand and the two factions [Paresh versus Nana, Anil & Co.] on the other. This film should find a prominent place in his repertoire.

Anil Kapoor comes up with yet another dhamaka. The actor compliments Nana beautifully and handles his role with precision. Paresh Rawal is superb yet again. He continues to make people laugh, even though he has consistently starred in umpteen funny movies.

Although the meatier scenes are reserved for the men, there’s no denying that Katrina gives her role the freshness that it demands. Also, she looks bewitching. Mallika Sherawat is electrifying. Although she makes an appearance in the second half, the confidence with which she carries her part is what works in her favour.

Feroz Khan is in form. Vijay Raaz is first-rate yet again. Supriya Karnik, Snehal Dhabi, Adi Irani, Mushtaq Khan and Sherveer Vakil are adequate. Suniel Shetty is there for a scene only; he’s okay.

On the whole, WELCOME is a fun ride all the way. The tremendous hype for the film has resulted in a tremendous start at the ticket window and the 5-day weekend as also the lack of biggies in the subsequent weeks will help WELCOME reach the ‘Smash Hit’ status in days to come.

Taare Zameen Par - Rediff's Movie Review

2007-12-21T21:08:00.000+05:30

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

Mighty nice, Mr Khan, mighty nice.

Taare Zameen Par is an impressive debut indeed for filmmaker Aamir Khan, and showcases a brilliant performance by the young Darsheel Safary -- one of those child actors you can't possibly resist. More than just dyslexia, the film is a look at childhood dreamers who feel shunted out by the rest of the world, the cruel world that doesn't understand them. At some level, I guess we all relate. And this ends up a nice watch -- sincere, even if somewhat simplistic.

Aamir is particularly gifted with imagery. The film opens with Darsheel's character, the impish Ishaan Awasthi fishing from a naala, and heading home to literally feed dogs his homework. The child doesn't talk much but is strikingly imaginative -- a Calvin without his Hobbes -- and given to art. Misunderstood at almost every step, he stands up to a local bully defiantly, as scrappy as the strays that chewed upon his test papers. His parents have their hands full, choosing instead to concentrate on their elder son, an achiever of Complan-Boy levels.

Darsheel is superb in the role as we see him bewildered, then hurt, then frustrated with constant rejection. Khan, who handles the school sections of the film with relatable nostalgia, reels us in with poignant, simple visuals and makes us feel the child's pained confusion. A song bursts onto the scene, cut smartly like an edgy music video, showing Ishaan's father (played by Vipin Sharma) get ready for a business trip, while his harrowed mother (Tisca Chopra) gets eggs and bread ready for first father then each son, in turn. All while Ishaan is blissfully oblivious to the need of the hour, or the hour itself. By this point, we're hooked.

It is hard to know, as a director, when there can be too much of a good thing. Khan indulges himself with his nice little visual flourishes significantly in the first half, to the point of repetition. There is the clever device of the child -- being shunted off to boarding school against his desperate pleas -- making a flipbook which shows a family with one kid moving away, as the pages turn. It's a strong, simple touch, yet Khan chooses to show it to us again and again, showing the audience the flipbook every time any character sees it.

While Ishaan stands in a corridor, punished, some seniors walk by. Each of them -- every single one -- points and laughs at our protagonist, which is depressingly overdone and unreal -- even social outcasts aren't picked on by everyone; a lot of the kids just wouldn't give him a second look. The first few times the teachers rebuke Ishaan or are frustrated by him, it works. But we are forced to see everything again: pain in English class, Maths, Hindi... and so on. Flip, flipbook, flip. It doesn't help that outside of Darsheel and Tisca (and later, of course, Aamir), the rest of the performances seem either amateurish or over-the-top.

The director himself enters neatly at halftime, shushing us to announce intermission. Aamir plays temporary Art teacher Ramshankar Nikumbh, one who works part-time with a special-needs school, and wants Ishaan and his buddies to open up. Khan plays the role in just the right key, a sympathetic teacher who notices a problem but doesn't want to force himself through the child's shell. It is he who realises Ishaan has dyslexia, and goes to meet the Awasthis.

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

Aamir now balances his own character speaking like a Public Service Announcement with Ishaan's father spouting lines seemingly written for... laughs? Sure, they are laughs at his ignorance and a look at his lack of conviction, but the sharp contrast between the two seems contrived. The child's mother rapidly goes from confused-but-undoubtedly-caring to one who thinks googling dyslexia is enough. In fact, the whole parental angle is left considerably half-baked, seeming to serve only for a few good comebacks the teacher gets to make.

Yet, let's discount that as nitpicking. This is the story of the child and his teacher, and Nikumbh stands at a blackboard and shows pictures of Albert Einstein and Abhishek Bachchan and tells us -- and the kids -- that dyslexia is more common than we think, and that it can be helped given the proper aid. Nikumbh speaks to the faculties, asks that Ishaan be given a little more time, and, after having educating the audience thoroughly on dyslexia, proceeds to charm Ishaan out of it.

Though I really wish Nikumbh didn't confess to himself having grown up with the disability; it makes it feel like only ones who have experienced it can empathise with the condition.

All great, except he does this over the length of one song. There are far too many musical digressions in this film anyway -- and while most are touching interludes to enhance the narrative, they end up stroking what's already been touched -- yet this is wrong in particular, to show and identify the problem and then dismiss it in a manner of minutes. It is all very well to depict that love and care will conquer all, but the process cannot be as simple as making plasticine elephants.

The songs are good, however, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy do a bang-up job, as does lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Scriptwriter and conceptualiser Amole Gupte has clearly written a heartfelt script, and his imprint lies all over the film, even visually -- outside of the two final paintings painted by Samir Mondal, all of Ishaan's artwork is done either by Gupte or his wife Deepa, who also edited the film. This is clearly a labour of love for them.

Highly watchable and -- again, because of Darsheel and Aamir's knack for sentimental imagery -- warmly likeable, Taare flounders fatally at the end. Sure, it's okay to appease the masses with a tacked-on and cheesy ending, but for a film which stresses that we need to give our kids their space and not force themselves into constant comparisons, a film which asks them to take their time to find their talents, the climax becomes about a competition, about how winning magically makes everything better. And that's a scary thought, in context of what the film tries to say, overall.

Taare Zameen Par is, above all else, an earnest film.

Aamir brings us the debut of both a great child actor and a budding director with a fine eye, though he seems slightly Ashutosh'd in terms of pace. Economy is the one thing this film cries out for. Crisper, tighter, and less repetitive, and we'd have a very good movie on our hands. For now, we have a director with clear potential for solid work. And we need as many of those as we can get.

Rediff Rating:

Taare Zameen Par - Indiatimes Movie Review

2007-12-21T12:13:00.000+05:30

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

Cast: Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary, Tanay Cheda, Sachet Engineer, Tisca Chopra and Vipin Sharma.
Director: Aamir Khan
Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Our rating:

Dyslexia – is it a disease or not? Some of the biggest names in history Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, Thomas Alva Edison and according to the film even Abhishek Bachchan were slow learners. But that did not deter them from succeeding by far from most other people (barring Abhishek).

Is there space for incompetence in this fast moving world? Ishaan (Darsheel Safary), a nine year old realizes very soon that there isn’t. The young boy who finds it very difficult to cope up with his studies is unable to understand why his father and the world cannot think the way he does. Always at the back of his class, he is sent to a boarding school by his parents. Ishaan who was always close to his mother (Tisca Chopra) and elder brother (Sachet Engineer) now begins to live in a shell. His love for painting is now gone and this is first noticed by his new drawing teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan). Ram is able to identify Ishaan’s problem – dyslexia. He goes and speaks to his parents but his father fails to understand. So now Ram takes it up himself to teach Ishaan.

The first half is definitely more gripping. While setting up the little boy’s character, we enter into a world which adults are unable to see. A vendor making a ‘gola’, cycles going over mud puddles, stray dogs – is there a sense of beauty and curiosity in these that an adult is unable to see or comprehend? That’s what we see through the eyes of Ishaan and through the lens of Aamir Khan.

Aamir’s entry just before the interval is quite filmy in a so far realistic film and lacks the punch that the viewer expects. In India, masala rules and there is a certain section of film-makers who try to lessen the spice but not completely. That is the case with Taare Zameen Par . But just as Ishaan’s father is unable to recognize his son’s issues, the Indian audience too needs to wake up and see the effort that the producers and the director are trying to say. The first half of the film tends to give you a feeling that you are watching an Iranian film.

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

Is the film completely gripping? No, not at all! Somewhere in the middle of the second half is where it begins to get predictable and the ending doesn’t come as a surprise. But nonetheless, it is a valiant effort from a top actor to go ahead and make a film which flows against the tide and where he is not the central character.

The teacher-student relationship was shown beautifully in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black and though there are few scenes together between and two, it does strike an impact.

Aamir as the director doesn’t do an extraordinary job but sticks to the basics cinematically. But the major problem of the film is that it moves at a constant slow pace. It doesn’t get heavy but gives you a figment of restlessness.

The animation at various junctions in the movie is done with extreme competence and some of best seen in quite a while. What goes through the child’s mind can be quite fascinating and the imaginative sketches are amusing to watch.

The film belongs to none other than the little Darsheel Safary. Emoting just the right expressions at the most unpredictable places, Taare Zameen Par would have crashed completely if it wasn’t for him. Aamir Khan has very less space to showcase his talent but he enacts his part with complete conviction as he takes the film forward.

Don’t be under the impression that it is a children’s film. It’s been quite a while since we saw a sensitive film which the entire family can watch together. Not preachy but not completely entertaining at the same time sums up Taare Zameen Par . Watch it for the lack of melodrama, watch it for the performances, watch it for the sheer genuineness that the filmmakers try to show.

Taare Zameen Par - The First Review - Taran Adarsh

2007-12-18T17:08:00.000+05:30

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

Come to think of it, after two back-to-back hits [RANG DE BASANTI, FANAA], Aamir Khan could've given a positive nod to any masala flick and chosen to work with anyone he desired. But he preferred to make a film on a dyslexic kid, make him the focal point of the story and don three caps -- producer, actor and director.

At the very outset, let's make one thing clear. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR isn't one of those films that merely entertains, but also enlightens. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is one film that makes you peep into a child's mind and how some parents, in their pursuit to make them 'stronger' academically, forget that there's hitherto untapped talent that needs to be nourished and encouraged.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR drives home a strong message, making you empathize with the kid, compelling you to draw parallels with your life, making one realize that some of the renowned geniuses were once scoffed at, but the world had to bow down to their intellect later.

Sure, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR boasts of a story that strikes a chord, but most importantly, it has been treated with such sensitivity and maturity that you're left shell-shocked in amazement by the sheer impact it leaves at the end of this 18 reeler.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR heralds the birth of a topnotch storyteller -- Aamir Khan. To choose a story that's a far cry from the mundane stuff that's being churned out like factory products, requires courage and conviction and to execute it with panache is a rarity.

Those who somewhere nursed a grudge that the camera follows Aamir in all his films, will chew their words once they watch TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. Yes, Aamir has a key role to portray as an actor, but the camera captures the child's emotions like never before in a Hindi film. Also, let's also clear the myth about TAARE ZAMEEN PAR being a kiddie film. It's not! It's about children. Note the difference!

In a nutshell, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR serves as a wake up call for every parent or parent-to-be. Also, it heralds the arrival of a magnificent storyteller -- Aamir Khan. At the end of the day, it's not difficult to choose who's better -- Aamir, the actor or Aamir, the director. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is a triumph all the way from the director's point of view.

Ishaan Awasthi [Darsheel Safary] is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate; colors, fish, dogs and kites are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class.

When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to 'be disciplined'. Things are no different at his new school and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family.

One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh [Aamir Khan], who infects the students with joy and optimism. He breaks all the rules of 'how things are done' by asking them to think, dream and imagine, and all the children respond with enthusiasm, all except Ishaan.

Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy and he sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself.

On face-value, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR looks like a kiddie film, but as the story unfolds, you realize that the story peeps into the mind and heart of a kid, his interests, his hobbies, his strengths and weaknesses. The director opens the cards at the very outset, when you realize that the kid is just not interested in books/studies. And his interaction with his stern father, doting mother and lovable brother is straight out of life.

A number of sequences in the first hour leave you spellbound --

Ishaan's altercation with the neighboring kid over a cricket ball;

Ishaan's parents' decision of putting him in a hostel and Ishaan's constant pleas falling on deaf ears;

Ishaan going into a shell in the boarding school, looking disinterested in life. Also, the art teacher punishing him for his inattentive behavior.

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

There are several moments in the first hour that make you moist-eyed. The bonding between the mother and son is remarkable. These moments effectively capture the special bonding, making you realize that a mother's mere touch can act like a soothing balm on a troubled soul.

Aamir takes the courageous stand of placing the story on Ishaan's shoulders right through the first hour and not once do you feel that the kid doesn't have the power to keep your attention arrested.

The second hour is equally challenging and most importantly, motivating. The introduction of Aamir's character, Aamir spotting the indolent Ishaan, Aamir traveling to Mumbai to meet Ishaan's parents and then citing examples of extra-ordinary men who were ridiculed by their contemporaries/peers -- these moments linger in your memory even after the show has concluded.

But the best part is reserved for the finale -- the art competition in the penultimate twenty minutes. The emotions reach an all-time high as the kid regains his confidence. The finale would melt even the stone-hearted!

Directorially, Aamir Khan deserves distinction marks for extracting an exemplary performance from the kid and handling the plot with supreme sensitivity. In his debut film itself, Aamir proves that he's a gifted storyteller, someone who has the courage to swim against the tide and also convince the viewer that there's more to film-making than the mere masala entertainers. Bravo!

Setu's cinematography is mesmeric. The camera captures every minute detail, every emotion, every tear with precision. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is easy on the ears. 'Bum Bum Bole', 'Jame Raho' and the title track are first-rate compositions. Prasoon Joshi's lyrics in 'Maa' deserve special mention. Editing [Deepa Bhatia] does justice to the material. Only thing, the film, if trimmed [second hour], will only be more impactful. Animation and visual effects are fantastic.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR belongs to Master Darsheel Safary. A performance that make the best of performances pale in comparison. A performance that deserves brownie points. A performance that'll always come first on your mind the moment someone mentions TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. A performance that's impeccable, flawless and astounding. A performance that moves you and makes you reflect on your growing years. A performance that merits a special award!

Aamir is excellent. Note his scenes with the father of the kid. First, when he visits their home. Next time, when he cites the example of Solomon Islands. Splendid! Tisca Chopra is outstanding. Here's an actress who needs to be lapped up in a big way by film-makers.

Tanay Cheda [as Ishaan's friend Rajan Damodaran] is excellent. Vipin Sharma [Ishaan's father] is slightly theatrical. Sachet Engineer [Ishaan's elder brother] is apt. The teachers have performed well.

On the whole, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is an outstanding work of cinema. To miss it would be sacrilege. It has everything it takes to win awards and box-office rewards!

Do yourselves a favor. Watch TAARE ZAMEEN PAR with your child. It will change your world. It will also change the way you look at your kids!

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - Rediff's Review

2007-11-23T17:15:00.000+05:30

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.

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

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

2007-11-23T14:31:00.000+05:30

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.

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

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

2007-11-23T14:27:00.000+05:30

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.

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

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

2007-11-23T14:22:00.000+05:30

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

2007-11-10T10:02:00.000+05:30

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.

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

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

2007-11-10T09:49:00.000+05:30

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

2007-11-09T19:24:00.000+05:30

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.

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

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

2007-11-09T19:21:00.000+05:30

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

2007-11-09T19:17:00.000+05:30

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

2007-11-09T15:34:00.000+05:30

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

2007-11-09T15:20:00.000+05:30

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...!!

Saawariya - Terribly boring! - Rediff's Second Review

2007-11-09T15:16:00.000+05:30

By Aseem Chhabra for Rediff.com, Click Here for Original.

Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann came to India and fell in love with Bollywood. Later he made the ultimate Bollywood inspired film -- Moulin Rouge, a tragic love story with melodrama, comedy and more songs than an average Indian film can handle, and very creative sets, which enhanced the film's fantasy laced theme.

Now a few years later, Bollywood's ultimate over-the-top filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has decided to pay some sort of a homage to Luhrmann with Saawariya -- a film set in an artificial world -- with sets straight out of Moulin Rouge, including odd windmills, European looking bars and cafes, neon lights and even streetwalkers, except for that they are wearing saris. Borrowing from Lurhmann's very creative film would not be such a great crime, but it is a rather odd decision by Bhansali, given that Bollywood has such a rich tradition of filmmaking.

But Bhansali is not just taking things directly from an Australian filmmaker. In the desperate need to establish his identity as the new showman of Bollywood, Bhansali, showers his film with all sorts of touches of Raj Kapoor -- a caf�/bar called RK, enough scenes under the umbrella and rain that would make one run to the nearest DVD store to rent a copy of Shri 420, and the young lead Ranbir Kapoor, who sounds more like his father (Rishi), but is given the goofy persona that is reminiscent of his grandfather (Raj).

And if we still did not get the hint, Bhansali makes Ranbir drop his towel and show his derriere -- as Raj did to Rishi in Bobby. One more hint -- Bhansali has Ranbir wear a bowler hat, which his grandfather had borrowed from Charlie Chaplin. Fortunately, Ranbir also has his mother's (Neetu Singh) good looks.

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

Saawariya's plot is thin, although the film carries the weight of a Russian classic -- the film is inspired by Fyodor Dosteovsky's White Nights. A young man (an awkward Ranbir) suddenly turns up in the red light district of a strange city. There he first meets a prostitute (the inexplicably gregarious Rani Mukherjee) who welcomes him into her world. The man then accidentally meets a mysterious woman (the beautiful, but still very raw Sonam Kapoor) on a bridge and immediately falls in love with her. But this woman is in love with another mysterious and an older man (played by a sleep-walking, and a very dull Salman Khan). The rest of the film keeps you guessing whether the young man will be able to win over his lady love? But do we really care?

A film that purports to be a love story is in deep trouble if its lead characters do not connect and are not believable. And that is biggest flaw of Saawariya. For a love story, the movie is terribly boring. There is no chemistry between Bhansali's lead actors -- Ranbir and Sonam. And in any case, Sonam's character never fully acknowledges the love of the young man. Instead for some odd reason (which is never explained in the film), she is haunted by the memory of her first love -- who had left her on a bridge in the middle of the night. And so every night she stands on this bridge, waiting for her love to return.

Bhansali is a man of details. One could see that in his past productions -- the flawed and over-the-top Devdas and Black -- the very unreal and hysterical melodrama. And so one wonders how he missed one crucial detail in Saawariya? The film has no soul and nearly pointless to watch, even as a vehicle for entertainment.

There are a couple of details that stand out in Saawariya -- the sets, the costumes -- all washed in the colour blue and the challenging, yet very creative cinematography of Ravi K. Chandran. The film is shot entirely on sets. There is not a single outdoor shot, not the slight bit of natural light. And yet the film looks stunning.

Towards the end of the film, there is a moment, when the young Sonam is running through the dark alleys of the artificial city -- with a touch of blue and green lights. At that brief moment, I nearly felt that I was watching a piece of art -- a work of substance.

But very soon after that moment I woke up from my dream-like state as I was subjected to more meaningless drivel of will she or will she not love the young man. And by then I did not give a damn.

Rediff Rating:

Hmmm....now I am seriously thinking that its a sad sad film...!!

Saawariya - Rediff's Review

2007-11-08T16:47:00.000+05:30

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

First off, using the ever-fantastic words of Pete Townshend entirely out of context, The Kids Are Alright.

No, Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor -- megahyped bachchas sharing a surname but entirely different Bollywood legacies -- aren't, as the hype might have had you believe, the instant quick-mix superstars ready to take Bollywood into the next generation. He's occasionally likeable, she's undeniably attractive. And that's that. As said, they're alright.

The problem lies with their puppeteer, the all-conquering badshah of bluster. Sanjay Leela Bhansali takes Fyodor Dostoevsky's White Nights -- a stark, lovely story about romance born and rekindled over four nights -- and, picking out its barest heart, proceeds to smother it in mixed-up layers of trite melodrama. And money. And so this soft core, this tender tale, is hidden -- under several reams of indiscriminately wrapped silk and velvet, of loud noise and harsh light, of bewildering backdrops and the colour blue -- so deep beneath smug self-indulgence and a bizarre budget that you can't even hear the heartbeat anymore.

The story is simple: a minstrel, full to the brim with can-do enthusiasm, falls in love with a fair maiden. All would be well, except she is awaiting her faraway lover. Doggedly the singer tries to awaken her love, while she loyally stalks the bridge assigned to the some-night rendezvous. Over four nights, love, loyalty and longing are all born and questioned.

We're told, most redundantly, that this is a tale set in a different world. It is a fairytale realm reminiscent of the classic Prince Of Persia video game, with gondolas and prostitutes scattered around a wet Venetian nightmare. The architecture is whimsical, as is the generous use of flickery neon. Clock towers with hyperactive needles coexist merrily with sprawling mosque courtyards and numerous tiny cobalt by-lanes lead arterially out of the central tiny bridge area, most such roads seeming to lead to the exorbitantly built brothel or the one-resident-only guesthouse. It sounds fantastical and brilliant, and could certainly have been, except it doesn't really have a concept. Or a point.

Thus Omung Kumar gets to play madman art-director, Bhansali letting him go wild and asking only that he be theatrical and sporadic. 'Just paint everything blue and leave lots of room for Raj Kapoor film references,' the brief could well have read. And so runs the gamut, from azure to cerulean, with walls and pillars and peculiar choices of artwork.

And while dollars are positively dripping from the scenery, nothing is spectacular. Remember MF Hussain's Gajagamini? Now replace the high concept in that film with a big budget. The result is Saawariya an underwhelming waste. Thousands of Bollywood songs are shot with madcap little unreal backdrops; Bhansali has just used one of those for his entire film. One imagines it'll be a while before Sony Pictures grandly bankrolls another Indian project.

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

Black, flaws and all, was very well shot. Here one can imagine cinematographer Ravi K Chandran stifling a yawn. And if, for God's sake, you're building an absurdist city-of-many-cities, at least leave physical room for some mindblowing camerawork. There are a few -- four, count them -- well-executed shots in Saawariya, most of them simple cutaway shots. What in the world has been thought-through in this movie?

Not the characters, certainly. Ranbir's Ranbir Raj tells Sonam's Sakina that she knows everything about him: his name, where he lives, what he does. One assumes that is all there exists in their character sketches as well. Oh, and the boy is told to be restless, the girl, patient. Outside of that, there is no depth, despite the actress' limpid eyes and the actor's sometimes cheeky grin. These are cardboard characters, lazily written and ineffective. In a stylised world impossible to relate to, at least the protagonists should have been flesh and blood.

Instead, the director hams.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali needs to be thwacked with a subtlety stick, much like Sakina messily beats carpets hanging around her. Everything is overblown and hyper-real in the director's head, and there is no room for soft reality. The characters populating his movie, therefore, cannot sob without hysteria or laugh without sliding off a chair. A glare is held for ten minutes, a coy glance for five. And the dialogue is immeasurably grating, making the film's sub-130 minute length seem twice as long.

It is a testament to the star-kids, then, that they've gamely gone through these dizzying motions without afflicting career hara-kiri. Ranbir, playing a character labeled over-lovable from start to scratch, is often painfully exaggerated and moronic, but he does salvage a few moments of charm where you feel for him -- even if only sympathy at his debuting in this production. There might be hope, sure. But then there's that towel song, the most homoerotic picturisation in Hindi cinema, which could likely take a few years to live down.

The gorgeous Sonam Kapoor is armed with a great laugh -- almost as infectious as her father's -- and one wishes she was allowed to simper softly, instead of having a clearly overdubbed plastic giggle plastered onto her. She has the worst lines and moments in the script -- save for Rani Mukerji's, where Bhansali clearly cashed in all his Black chips -- but there is a merciful agility to her movement, a fluidity to her style. It is a character impossible to like, and yet she warms you up to her.

The only times in the film the kids really, really work are when the tension abruptly breaks and they burst into laughter. It is almost as if -- or, possibly, because -- the director yelled cut and two old friends dropped the painful masks and chilled. God, how much better a Jab We Met style debut would have been for these two.

It's hard to fathom what Bhansali expects anybody to like in this film. With close to a dozen songs assaulting us once every seven minutes, on average, there is no room for the narrative to flow. The background score is deafening, and the writing is so emotionally manipulative -- wait for the way Ranbir convinces Zohra Sehgal to let him bunk with her -- it makes you want to pen down an alternate script in immediate protest. And, despite conjuring up moments with legends like Sehgal and Begum Para -- irresistible when devoutly mouthing Mughal-E-Azam dialogues -- these are too few and far between. Are we actually supposed to enjoy Ranbir doing dad Rishi's rabblerousing lines from Karz, or laugh at Rani's pathetic half-malapropisms? Please.

What's the deal, Mr Bhansali? This isn't a Luchino Visconti remake, as many had feared, but a bizarre reworking, an overbaked version of a very simple romance. Dozens of dancing prostitutes do not a Federico Fellini make, sir.

This film opens with Ranbir, off-screen, persuading a whore to listen to two lines of song. She deigns to listen and he picks up his blue six-string. And instead of an eager-to-please youth fumbling with a scratchy guitar, we get -- after a sudden title screen with the star-kids' name, a la Rajnikanth -- a mega song-and-dance production, a full-blown intro. No wonder the heartbeat is muted.

As Gulabjee, lady of the night, would say, I don't likes.

Rediff Rating:

But I don't believe Raja Sen's words. I find him very unreasonable most of the times. Lets wait for the other reviews to pour in.

Khoya Khoya Chand - IndiaFM's Music Review

2007-11-08T12:27:00.000+05:30

By Joginder Tuteja for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

When Sudhir Mishra's last directorial venture Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi released, ironically both the film as well as it's music was appreciated much after the film came and went off the theaters. Even though the soundtrack had arrived on stands months before the film hit the marquee, it started making an impression amongst the connoisseurs of quality music only later.

The same composer-lyricist jodi of Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire, who came into limelight after Parineeta and Lage Raho Munnabhai, is repeated for Prakash Jha produced Khoya Khoya Chand which is a period film based on the Hindi film industry of the 50s/60s. Since Shantanu and Swanand have demonstrated their stranglehold over period music in Parineeta earlier, there is little doubt that Khoya Khoya Chand would take one down the memory lane as well.

Two lyricists, Swanand Kirkire and Ajay Jhingran, get together to wear a different hat and instead come behind the mike for the title song Khoya Khoya Chand. A song which begins with a hint of jazz and transitions quite smoothly into a 'qawalli', Khoya Khoya Chand comes with a high lyrical quality and boasts of a catchy combination of rhythm and melody. Swanand and Ajay sing in perfect harmony and for a listener, it is a seamless composition to relish and give a repeat hearing. A good start which should make for a high intensity viewing on screen.

A bona fide jazz track set truly in the style of 50s is heard next in the form of ‘Yeh Nigahein'. One has heard of references to 'madhoshi se bhara geet' in the past. Well, 'Yeh Nigahen' is a live example of how a song truly falls justifies such a reference. The choice of singers is apt here as Sonu Nigam, who has been quite selective of late, gets into a perfect Mohd. Rafi mode and pays a true homage.

On the other hand, Antara Chaudhary, who has been trying to make her presence felt as a playback singer for last 3-4 years, is quite competent too in 'Yeh Nigahein'. She not just matches Sonu at every step but at places even leaves her stamp to make people stand up and notice.

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

It is a different Shreya Ghosal that one hears the moment she hits the first note for 'Chalo Aao Saiyan'. A 'mujra' which comes with the expected sounds of 'ghunghroo' and 'tabla', 'Chalo Aao Saiyan' is set in a semi-classical mode. A track which moves from being moderately paced to even slower as it reaches half way through, it turns out to be a situational piece which keeps the classy feel of the album intact.

Remember Hamsika Iyer who had sung the mesmerizing 'Chanda Re' for Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire in Eklavya - The Royal Guard? She gets to sing one of the best tracks of 'Khoya Khoya Chand' as the album gets into the jazz mode again. Hansika is excellent in 'Khushboo Sa' which has a haunting appeal to it with an all around combination of some very good composition and great arrangements (watch out for the saxophone here). The romantic track moves at a lively pace and forces a listener to give it a repeat hearing due to it's melodious nature and a 'Moulin rouge' setting!

With last couple of songs being female solos, it is time for Sonu Nigam to hold center stage with 'O Re Paakhi'. With a faint sound of piano in the background, this difficult composition requires Sonu to be at his attentive and engaged due to it's slow moving nature and a poetic feel. A sad track which again tales you back to the Mohd. Rafi era of the 50s/60s, 'O Re Paakhi' is a track that highlights the plight of a wandering soul searching for a stable ground.

Laced with a trademark Shantanu Moitra flavor, 'Sakhi Piya' is yet another track with very strong Indian classical music base to it. Shreya Ghoshal sings in a manner similar to 'Piyu Bole' [Parineeta] and one almost starts searching for Vidya Balan somewhere in the background. Pranab Biswas. Pranab Biswas keeps a strong hold over the proceedings with his classical rendition and ensures that there would be a pin drop silence when the track plays in the auditorium.

For the first time in the album, Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghosal pair up for a song titled 'Thirak Thirak'. The musical built to the track reminds one of 'Hothon Pe Aisi Baat' [Jewel Thief] due to an elaborate introductory orchestra. The moment Sonu Nigam's voice is heard in 'Thirak Thirak', one is reminded of the title song 'Khoya Khoya Chand' which has somewhat similar base to it. A celebration number about being happy in life while being a little high, 'Thirak Thirak' too keeps it's melody intact and doesn't get into a conventional hullabaloo that one associates with a celebration track.

Indian to the core and being honest to the music genre that was heard half a century back, Khoya Khoya Chand is yet another good addition to the portfolio of Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire. Khoya Khoya Chand is a highly classy album which gives a music lover something truly different to hear. Once the movie releases at theaters, the music too should see an elevation in sales.

Om Shanti Om - IndiaFM movie Review

2007-11-07T13:53:00.000+05:30

Surprise Surprise, the first reviews are already out on the net.

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

Cut the crap, cut the gyan-baazi, cut the will-it-won't-it work naatak. Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan's OM SHANTI OM is a true-blue masala entertainer. If MAIN HOON NA was a chauka, this one hits a sixer!

Wait, a word of advice to all netizens/readers across the globe. Don't, for God's sake don't, raise exclamations like kab?, kyun? kahan? as OM SHANTI OM begins to unravel. This is atypical Manmohan Desai film presented in a novel avtaar by Farah Khan. It's definitely not for pseudos or advocates of arthouse cinema.

Now let's clear some myths surrounding OM SHANTI OM. Is it the 2007 adaptation of Subhash Ghai's immensely likable reincarnation film KARZ? Does it have traces of KUDRAT? Or MADHUMATI? Or MILAN? Or KARAN ARJUN? Hold on, there's a dash of KARZ, a bit of KARAN ARJUN, a sprinkling of KUDRAT, but beyond that it's a film that makes you nostalgic about 1970s Bollywood.

To sum up, OM SHANTI OM is paisa vasool entertainment. We haven't seen SRK in a hardcore masala film since quite some time. He had drifted to other genres, which proved his range as an actor of repute and cemented his status further. With OM SHANTI OM, he gives back to the audience what he himself grew up on -- a thorough entertainer that will have the audience thirsting for more.

This Diwali, have a blast!

OM SHANTI OM tells the story of Om [Shah Rukh Khan] and Shanti [Deepika Padukone]. Om is a junior artist in the 70s. Shanti is the reigning superstar. He is her biggest fan. He is in love with her. Om dreams of being a superstar, but an incident changes his life forever.

Om dies in a mishap, but is reborn into the present day. He attempts to discover the mystery of his demise…

The general feeling is, Farah Khan has remade Ghai's KARZ from Frame A to Z. False! There're similarities, but it's not a rehashed version of Ghai's film. For, OM SHANTI OM takes you by complete surprise at several points.

The first twist in the tale [Arjun - Deepika's heated confrontation, with SRK listening to this important conversation] comes as a bolt from the blue. The second jhatka comes slightly before the intermission, when Arjun takes Deepika to the set of his film 'Om Shanti Om' and the entire episode that follows, right till the intermission, is spellbinding. That's a brilliant stroke from the writing [screenplay: Mushtaq Shaikh and Farah Khan] as also the execution point of view. When the opulent set is set to flames, it leaves you wide-eyed and awe-struck. Such is the impact!

The post-interval portions only get better and better! If the initial portions are laced with humour [the premiere of 'Dreamy Girl', the Manoj Kumar episode, Ghai directing Rishi on 'Om Shanti Om' song, et al], the second half moves into a new zone completely.

It's punar-janam now, but thankfully, there're no lightening, no fireworks, no zooming of the camera on the idols of Gods. The drama builds up gradually. The voices that SRK keeps hearing, the 'fire' soon after the 'Dard-E-Disco' track, the mother [Kirron Kher], an old lady now, chasing Om's car [reminds you of Raakhee of KARAN ARJUN], the flashes of SRK's earlier birth while receiving the Filmfare Award -- the incidents that make him realize that his life was cut short in his earlier janam have been well structured.

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

When Deepika re-emerges as well, the viewer is confused, but the mystery is resolved towards the end, which, again, takes you by complete surprise.

Given the fact that OM SHANTI OM is a Manmohan Desai kind of a film set in the present-day, it would be foolhardy to ask questions, raise eyebrows and look for logic. But the second half could've been crisper [length: 18 reels/2.46 hours], although Shirish Kunder's editing is perfect.

Farah knows what her priorities are and most importantly, knows exactly what her target audience is. The execution of a number of sequences clearly shows Farah's growth as a storyteller. Mushtaq and Farah's writing works because the writers pull out several surprises in those 2.46 hours.

V. Manikanandan's cinematography captures the gloss and grandeur to the minutest. The opulent sets [Sabu Cyril] deserve distinction marks. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are witty and do raise a chuckle at several points. Background score [Sandeep Chowta] is effective.

Vishal-Shekhar's music is first-rate. The score is in sync with the content of the film and what accentuate the goings-on are the choreography and execution. Although every song is visually enticing, the 21-star track as also 'Dard-E-Disco' will have the masses going into a frenzy.

Now to the performances! SRK proves his supremacy yet again. If you thought that playing to the gallery came easy to certain actors only, watch SRK spin magic in OM SHANTI OM. He's magnificent, the star attraction, the soul of this film, the true baadshah.

Deepika has all it takes to be a top star -- the personality, the looks and yes, she's supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as SRK and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!

Arjun Rampal is a complete revelation. Cast in a negative role this time, he enacts his part with panache and style. Shreyas Talpade is another surprise. A complete natural, he stands on his feet all through, not getting swayed while sharing the screen space with the topmost star.

Kirron Kher is superb as the over the top mom. Javed Sheikh is alright. Bindu adds to the funny moments.

On the whole, OM SHANTI OM is Bollywood masala in its truest form and also, at its best. At the box-office, the film will set new records in days to come and has the power to emerge one of the biggest hits of SRK's career. Blockbuster hit!

Khoya Khoya Chand - Buy Khoya Khoya for the title song - Rediff's Review

2007-11-06T16:57:00.000+05:30

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

It's a tough call, when setting tracks into order on an album. Where to put the best track? Sudhir Mishra's Khoya Khoya Chand takes it head on by starting with the title track, one so brilliant that the rest of the album can't quite match it.

What a track, though. Lyricist Swanand Kirkire -- decidedly one of the most interesting men in music today -- takes the microphone himself, along with Ajay Jhingran, to craft an unexpectedly profound track -- that superb tabla-driven 'idhar bhi noch lu, udhar bhi noch lu' chorus is most distracting.

'Kyon apne-aap se khafa-khafa, zara-zara sa naraaz hai dil?' Why is the heart a little annoyed at itself?

This is a lament, not just about a lost, lost moon (forgive me) but a magnificently worded ditty about how life follows its own path and everything finds direction on its own. Why then, it asks, does the heart try to heed the bumps in the road?

After that one song itself well worth the price of admission, we move into the next track, Yeh Nigahein. Composer Shantanu Moitra -- who simply can't do without shamelessly stealing a classic or two -- here making Sonu Nigam and Antara Choudhary cover Bobby Helms' 1957 anthemic Jingle Bell Rock. Kirkire's lyrics are old-school and poetic while naughty enough to take the happy country song into cabaret territory.

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

Shreya Ghoshal, while possessing a fine voice, doesn't have the required timbre (or is it just better aged vocal chords?) to carry off Chale Aao Saiyan, a fine yet typical song about kothas and birha and the like. A track that doesn't make you weak in the knees, but solid picturisation could enhance it tremendously.

Hamsika Iyer turns on the seduction for Khushboo Sa, one of those high-heeled evening-gown'd tracks. It's well-orchestrated by Daniel George (who was exemplary in Johnny Gaddaar) so we end up with a smooth, jazzy track. Perfectly likeable, but nothing to go gaga about. Again, unless we have someone stunning on screen doing the crooning.

O Re Paakhi, a Sonu Nigam ballad, like all his best songs, sounds refreshingly unSonu. It's soft, mercifully underplayed, and the lyrics come through clear and heartfelt. Not instantly impressive, this is a track that gets better with each successive listen.

We flow into more classical influence with the guitar-and-alaap start of Sakhi Piya, an admirably vocalised track by Pranav Biswas and Shreya Ghoshal. The guitar slides subtly while the vocals get increasingly ambitious, and this is one of those powerful yet largely background-score songs, invaluable when it comes to setting the mood.

And now, the closer. Thirak Thirak has an intoxicating start, a slow-starting confluence of percussion that climaxes as suddenly as it starts, segueing into a Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal vocal that, while pleasant enough, is unfortunately formulaic. It's only the thirak-thirak phrase, and the high-energy throwback to that great first track, that pushes this to a nice finish, fitting for the album.

Sudhir Mishra's soundtracks are always inevitably tinged with nostalgia -- God, that goosebump-inducing Hazaaron Khwaishein title track -- and in this throwback to Bollywood's true glory days, the mood is well-established, the harmonies ring true.

And Guru Dutt himself would have smiled at the title track.

Rediff Rating:

Taare Zameen Par - IndiaFM Music Review

2007-11-05T22:33:00.000+05:30

By Joginder Tuteja for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

Now this one has arrived almost 'chupke se'! While most other biggies featuring the top bracketed actors/film makers make a lot of noise (sometimes deserving, sometimes not so deserving) for both the movie and the music release, Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par has silently arrived in a subtle manner, just like the simplicity the movie itself conveys. With Prasoon Joshi doing the lyrics, one expects a sensitive outing ahead. From Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who have enjoyed a great 2007 so far, one expects nothing but a high quality score in Taare Zameen Par.

Remember the tinkle sound in 'Meri Duniya Tu Hi Re' [Heyy Babyy]? Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy take a cue from the same sound to carry forward the title song 'Taare Zameen Par'. To the credit of the composer trio, Shankar Mahadevan who takes the onus on himself to come behind the mike and supporting vocals of Bugs Bhargava, Dominique Cerejo, Vivinenne Pocha that the song turns out to be a heartwarming outing.

It is a difficult song to create due to various reasons. a) It is slow moving which means that beats cannot camouflage/overtake the melodious intent of the song, b) It requires a singer of high caliber to croon since the focus is entirely on voice due to hardly any instruments being in the background, c) Prasoon Joshi's lyrics follow a poetic route which means double the effort for the composers to think innovatively. Still, the end product is such that even if it won't be sung aloud by a man on the street (that was never an intent to begin with), Taare Zameen Par would make for an emotional cinematic viewing.

Singer Raman Mahadevan builds on the melodious feel of the album with 'Kholo Kholo' which is about opening up the world around you and breathing all the air in the beautiful surroundings. Very urban and belonging to soft-rock, 'Kholo Kholo' has a guitar as it's base instrument which works wonders with Raman's smooth vocals. A.R. Rahman and Gulzar saab would definitely approve the kind of great job that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Prasoon Joshi do. Even better than the title song, 'Kholo Kholo' is number that you would love to hear in isolation in a repeat mode!

Aamir Khan begins 'Bum Bum Bole' with some funny sounding gibberish which is meant to appeal to the kids due to it's playful setting. A track which appears to be created for a setting where Aamir Khan interacts with number of kids in the school and makes all of them play with each other, 'Bum Bole Bole' takes a rhythmic mood. Different in style when compared to the first two tracks in the album, this Shaan sung track should appeal to children due to it's situational setting.

It's the sound of an alarm which opens 'Jame Raho', a song that takes a listener through the journey of a student from waking up in the morning to going to school to studying hard and achieving success. Boasting of a rock setting, the song is such that it could easily have fit into the mould of a sports anthem number as much as an inspiration for the soldiers on the border!

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

Crooned quote well by Vishal Dadlani, who seems to have become almost a regular with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for singing at least one song for most albums for them, 'Jame Raho' is an entertaining number which mixes some English words with primarily Hindi lyrics.

10 singers (yes, 10 singers) come together for 'Bheja Kum', a two minute rock track which starts with the words 'Idiot, why can't you'. A spoof on the kind of scolding that children get on scoring less marks in exams, 'Bheja Kum' has a big team of Shankar Mahadevan, Bugs Bhargava, Shankar Sachdev, Raaj Gopal Iyer, Ravi Khanwilker, Loy Mendonsa, Amole Gupte, Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan and Ram Madhvani coming together to sing a line or two (in case just speak a few words) to showcase (albeit in a lighter vein) the kind of tension that a kid goes through!

With 'Maa', Shankar Mahadevan gives himself another good solo after the title song 'Taare Zameen Par'. A serene number which just like the title song depends entirely on the singing and the basic composition instead of arrangements added on in the recording studio, 'Maa' is a heartfelt track about a child looking at sharing with his mother his fears, shortcomings and affection for the ones close to him. With the most simple and yet effective lyrics heard in the album so far, 'Maa' is another superb piece of work after 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Kholo Kholo'.

Guest composer Shailendra Barve makes his presence felt with his only track 'Mera Jahan'. Rendered superbly by children Auriel Cordo and Ananya Wadkar who, after their English rendition, set the base for Adnan Sami to take over the proceedings, Mera Jahan' reaches it's crescendo the moment title words appear in the song. Musically the song carries a similar rock style as 'Bheegi Bheegi Si' [Gangster] and if you have liked the numbers heard in 'Life In A..Metro', it would be hard to ignore 'Mera Jahan'.

Amole Gupte, Creative Director of Taare Zameen Par, has the last word with his piano composition for 'Ishaan's Theme' bringing the album to an end. A four minute long musical piece which boasts of international standards and carries a pensive feel to it, 'Ishaan's Theme' belongs to the kind that you hear in 5-Star hotel lobbies. Smooth, serene and infectious, this sound of piano is just the right finale for an impressive soundtrack of Taare Zameen Par.

The moment one is through with the album, the first thought which crosses the mind is that of 'Aah, thank goodness no remixes'! Aamir Khan, Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy and Prasoon Joshi make a zero compromise album which stays honest to the film's theme and bring in as much variety as one possibly can in the music for a film belonging to a genre different from regular romance, action or drama. No item song, no 'pyaar-mohabbat' saga and moreover nothing which becomes preachy, Taare Zameen Par boasts of a soundtrack that stays true to the film's spirit and promises to thoroughly involve a viewer while the music is on in theaters.

Taare Zameen Par : Songs of innocence - Rediff's Review

2007-11-05T22:30:00.000+05:30

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

Nothing compares to the carefree, curious and confused days of childhood. Producer Aamir Khan knows it only too well.

The actor known for his perfectionist ways celebrates the splendour and spontaneity of the wonder years in his directorial debut, Taare Zameen Par.And who better than the gifted troika of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa to helm the music of this children's film?

The lilting and measured pace of Shankar Mahadevan's fine rendition of Taare Zameen Par transports you to a wondrous world of poetry and possibilities. Trust them to infuse tender magic in Prasoon Joshi's sweet-sounding similes, an ode to the unforgettable memories of childhood.

A stirring guitar, backed by electronic enchantment, contributes greatly to Raman Mahadevan's rocking delivery of Kholo Kholo. The track's promising 'spread-your-wings' philosophy is perfectly brought out in this enthusiastic production.

Aamir, with generous help from Shaan, mouths gibberish to get into the good books of fidgety kids in Bum Bum Bole. A quintessential bachcha party number celebrating the colours and dreams of schooldays. Though it's a fun song, it is likely to appeal more on the visual medium.

Exit Kiss Of Love (Jhoom Barabar Jhoom). Enter Jame Raho. Composer cum singer Vishal Dadlaani merrily discusses the different breeds of children here -- the obedient types, the laidback ones and the dreamers. Again, a situational ditty. But an imaginative one, nevertheless.

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

What goes on in an impressionable mind when sent away from home -- insecurities, fears and concerns -- are eloquently and emotionally conveyed by Shankar Mahadevan in the sentimental Maa. This one tugs at the heartstrings.

'Idiot, duffer, lazy, crazy. Tumhara problem kya hai, beta?' Blistering questions directed at a hapless young thing make up for the hollering Bheja Kum. Oddly enough, all the rebuke and yelling is music to been-there-heard-that ears.

Gleehive, a kid's chorus group, opens the endearing motif of Mera Jahan, followed by Adnan Sami's soulful performance. Guest composed by Shailendra Barve, Mera Jahan gives us a musical peek into the child protagonist's idealistic and innocent universe.

The album wraps up with Ishaan's Theme, an instrumental, reflecting a little boy's emotional graph. It starts out seemingly soothing, becomes ruffled and complex, only to calm down to a happy melody again.

Taare Zameen Par isn't your regular soundtrack about fluttering hearts and sleepless nights. What makes these delicate and whimsical creations special is their underlying innocence.

Rediff Rating:

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - Music Review

2007-11-03T17:27:00.000+05:30

By Joginder Tuteja for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

Goal is special. It has a number of things, which are happening only for the second time.

It is the second film of director Vivek Agnihotri after Chocolate.
It is the second sports based film to release in 2007 after Chak De India.
It is the second UTV production to have been shot in UK this year after Hat Trick.
It is the second film with John Abraham and Arshad Warsi forming a pair after Kabul Express.
It is the second instance of Vivek Agnihotri and composer Pritam coming together after Chocolate.
It is the second time that John Abraham and Bipasha Basu would share a frame in 2007 after ‘Phoonk De' in No Smoking.

Though with Pritam at helm, one can expect a hardcore commercial song or two from Goal, expectations are more of a theme-based soundtrack from the album. One hopes though that at least a couple of them rise above being conventionally situational and give something to a listener to cheer and dance along. This is exactly what happens as beyond the situational tracks, two more numbers ('Billo Rani', 'Ishq Ka Kalma') promise to be sure fire chartbusters.

Unexpected happens at the very start of Goal as what you get to hear is completely against what you could have ever imagined as the first track of the album. No theme song. No situational track. No anthem music. What you hear is an out and out 'masala' track, 'Billo Rani', which follows the 'qawalli-mujra' mode and turns out to be a number which could belong to the heartland of India. Pritam gets an unlikely combination of Anand Raaj Anand and Richa Sharma to sing for him and the duo does quite well to croon with full gusto.

With Pritam looking at instruments like harmonium, tabla and dholki rather than the set of western instruments available to him, he throws a surprise by making a thorough 'seeti-maar' number. Racy and instantly catchy, 'Billo Rani' is a guaranteed chartbuster which would make much more than just it's presence felt across the nook and corner of the country. If handled well, this Javed Akhtar saab written track could turn out to be 2007's 'Kajrare'! And yes, for those who want to take this number to the dance floor of clubs and discotheques, there is always a remix track which picks on additional pace with 'dhik-chik' added for creating the effect!

What happens when the sound of three chartbuster tracks 'Hare Krishna Hare Raam' [Bhool Bhulaiyaa], 'Ada' [Garam Masala] and 'Bhagam Bhag' [Bhagam Bhag] is merged into one single track? 'Ishq Ka Kalma' is born! Just two minutes into it and you know that a popular song is in the making. Though 'Ishq Ka Kalma' is designed as 'made for an item song', there is also a touch up in the form of 'Aale Aale' which gives a sports angle a la 'Ole Ole' which is a sound much heard when football matches are cheered by spectators. This funky track by Neeraj Sridhar that has ample dose of English interspersed with the main lines has ample scope to be aided by some imaginative picturisation for a promotional music video. And yes, Neeraj can comfortably add 'Ishq Ka Kalma' as yet another successful number to his repertoire!

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

A punch on the face comes next when newcomer Devrat gets all charged up for his rendition in 'Hey Dude'. With the lyrics further spreading on as 'Hey dude, don't mess with me', you know that it's a clear messaging to the opposition both on and off the field. An out and out Western track with high on arrangements and an overall loud appeal (to go with the genre of the film and song's setting), 'Hey Dude' is a kind of musical piece, which is expected to appear regularly at various junctions in the film. Expect it to carry on the heat of the narrative whenever it blazes on.

Finally a bona fide theme track hits the album when Daler Mehndi takes center stage with 'Halla Bol'. Ever imagined that the sound of Bagpiper could be interspersed with 'dhol' beats? Well, Pritam and his team do so, to create a vociferous sound for this spirited number written by Javed Akhtar saab. One would have expected 'Halla Bol' to arrive at the very beginning of the album though due to it's theme. The song keeps it's Indian feel intact and aided by an elaborate orchestra, it blazes on and promises to keep the flag flying high. Look out for the track's culmination which times around a minute and keeps you hooked on with it's grand appeal!

The moment 'Tara Ru' begins, one gets a sudden feeling about Goal slipping away into a different territory. While all this while the soundtrack kept an upbeat mood, the slow beginning to 'Tara Ru' gives an impression that the finale would be taking a different route. This is what happens as 'Tara Ru' turns out to be a big yawn with the four-minute audio not really catching your attention. The song's theme is about a team which is on the verge of loosing and is being motivated not to give up and keep it's head high on the face of adversity. It may work to an extent in the film but as an audio this Javed Ali sung number is a strict no-no.

Nevertheless, keeping an odd 'Tara Ru' aside, Goal has it's many bright points in the form of 'Ishq Ka Kalma' and 'Billo Rani' (difficult to choose the better of the two). While these two tracks would keep the music company happy, title song 'Halla Bol' and 'Hey Dude' are the numbers, which would keep director Vivek Agnihotri happy. As for Pritam, he can count Goal as yet another album in 2007, which would continue to feature his name in the charts.

Dus Kahaniyaan - Music Review

2007-11-01T15:02:00.000+05:30

By Joginder Tuteja for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

With as many as 4 composers (Gourov Dasgupta, Shafqat Ali Khan, Anand Raaj Anand, Bappa Lahiri), two lyricists (Virag Mishra, Panchhi Jalonvi) and six directors (Sanjay Gupta, Apoorva Lakhia, Hansal Mehta, Jasmeet Dhodhi, Meghna Gulzar, Rohit Roy) coming together, Dus Kahaniyaan, as claimed by publicity brochures, is 'The Biggest Album Of The Year'. Is that true? At the face level yes, since it is world's first 3 CD soundtrack with a Lounge version, Club version and a special CD that has a Gulzar penned poem for each of the 10 stories in the film which is recited by stars from the film.

Does the album live up to the tall claims? Indeed yes as Sanjay Gupta does it again. Kaante, Musafir or Zinda - Pick up any of the films directed by him and what is bound to stand out is not just some technical wizardry but also the film's soundtrack. The filmmaker seems to have the formula for getting just the right balance of rock, pop and Sufi melodies and Dus Kahaniyaan is not an exception.

As expected, it is a rocking beginning to the soundtrack with the title song 'Dus' composed by Gourov Dasgupta that carries its punch throughout it's six minutes duration. A track, which would be a delight for any live performance on stage in a packed stadium, ‘Dus’, brings with it an adrenaline rush which cannot go wrong. Also refreshing is to hear the voice of newcomer Anchal who crooned the English portion for 'Ganpat' [Shootout At Lokhandwala]. There is a Westernized accent to her voice which works for a song belonging to this genre.

KK is reliable as always and enjoys his stint behind the mike for this Virag Misra written track which boasts of some excellent chorus effect. It has that extravagant feel about it which is the hallmark of Sanjay Gupta soundtrack/background score and promises to make its presence felt in the film as well. DJ Aqeel's club remix version makes 'Dus' further spicier and promises to make you go 'high on a highway' once the track is played in a repeat mode. Go for it!

Gourov Dasgupta, Virag Mishra and Anchal come together again, this time with Sunidhi Chauhan for company, for 'Jaaniye'. If you liked the sound of Shibani Kashyap's 'Zinda Hoon Main’, [Zinda] then you would appreciate the setting of 'Jaaniye' too. The sound belongs to the same genre though the mood changes to love and romance with all the zany feel intact. Anchal and Sunidhi enjoy a seamless outing together and ensure that Dus Kahaniyaan has yet another potential chartbuster in the making.

It would be criminal if a music video for the song is not created pronto. Especially so, after one is through hearing the remix club version by Gourov and Roshan Balu. The pace increases a wee bit here though the essence of the track is kept intact with no major intrusions from unwanted arrangements.

If you thought that Dus Kahaniyaan was all sound and fury all this while then catch on 'Aaja Soniye’, which changes the course of the album. Sheer melody is the epicenter of this well written track by Virag Mishra who incorporates the poetic feel of Javed Akhtar's words in 'Aaja Soniye'. Club remix version by Gourov/Roshan is created for 'Aaja Soniye' as well and though it is not heavy on ears, one would still want to go back to the Lounge version due to its overall simplicity.

However, the title of 'Aaja Soniye' indicates yet another Punjabi-influenced composition, there is a pleasant turnaround as Gourov Dasgupta along with singers Sudhanshu Pandey and newcomer Shweta Vijay let melody dictate terms and bring on a heartwarming number.

Well, for those who were missing the Punjabi beats all this while, there is 'Nach Le Soniye' for them which has Mika returning for a Sanjay Gupta film after 'Ganpat' [Shootout At Lokhandwala]. In Mika's voice, one can sense sheer confidence which comes after earning some success as the singer comes up with one of his best rendered tracks in recent times.

Fourth song in succession, which has Gourov holding the baton along with Virag, ‘Nach Le Soniye’, is a Western-Bhangra-Indian melody mix number, which just cannot go wrong with the listeners. Hear the stylishly remixed club version and you know that this is going to be yet another popular song from the album.

In the past Pritam and KK have come together to create numerous melodious songs with Western arrangements. KK does the same with Gourov for ‘O Maahiya’, which has Shweta Vijay for company whose voice is digitally modified to get an electronic feel. Her prime contribution is to croon the punch line 'O Maahiya' although it is KK, who drives the song from beginning to the end. Club remix version gets a little innovative here as the sound of 'Dus' is merged with that of 'O Maahiya' at the very beginning before KK takes over here this Panchhi Jalonvi written number. This is a kind of number that cannot go wrong when the man by the name of Emraan Hashmi is on fray! Wish he was a part of Dus Kahaniyaan!

Kshitij Tare, who made a splash with 'Javeda Zindagi' [Anwar], croons the best track in Dus Kahaniyaan so far - 'Mushkil Kushaa'. Written by Panchhi Jalonvi, this Bappa Lahiri (son of Bappi Lahiri) composed track boasts of excellent lyrics, soothing music and some heartfelt rendition. Kshitij's voice is truly different from numerous other singers around which makes 'Mushkil Kushaa' a delight to hear. Most lightweight song in the album with minimal arrangements around, 'Mushkil Kushaa' moves at a slow pace and invites your attention throughout its six-minute duration.

The album seems to be getting into a different zone altogether, hence bringing on some welcome variety, with Shaqat Ali Khan singing and composing two back to back tracks - 'Vichodeya Ne'’ and 'Kaala Peela'. Written by Ambar Hoshiyarpuri, 'Vichodeya Na' reminds one of 'Yaar Mangiyasi' [Kaante] that carried a pensive mood too. After all the rock and fun, it is a delight to hear a song immersed with 'Sufi' melody in the ear pleasing along with the vocals of Shafqat Ali Khan.

A smooth number, it is followed by even better 'Kaala Peela' which carries a philosophical feel to it but is still accessible to a regular listener due to it's melodious feel and easy pace. For an album that started with 'Dus' and gets into a completely different zone with 'Kaala Peela', it is a wholesome experience for a music lover.

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

Panchhi Jalonvi and KK return with 'Bin Tum’, which has Anand Raj Anand at the helm who had given some fabulous tunes for 'Kaante'. He delivers one of his best for Dus Kahaniyaan too with 'Bin Tum' turning out to be a quintessential Bollywood melody, which cannot go wrong. A love song, which carries an Indian feel throughout sans any Western influences, 'Bin Tum' is for those who are lovers of soft music and 'Ghazals'.

Finale of Dus Kahaniyaan is endearing too with Anand Raaj Anand taking it on himself to come behind the mike for 'Bhula Diya' along with taking charge of composition. Ibrahim Ashq's lyrics are sheer poetry as they delve into a different terrain and make even a sad track entertaining. While there is a distinct Anand Raaj Anand stamp on the song, what impresses most is the composer's rendition which is quite balanced and controlled. Later he also assigns himself the responsibility of remixing the track for the club version even though one feels that the original should have been just left intact.

So is the soundtrack through with 10 original songs with six of them also arriving in the club version? No, not yet. There is more to come in the form of Gulzar saab's poems which Sanjay Gupta has dedicated to his wife Anu. What is special about these 10 poems is that they are rendered by an actor from each of the 10 stories with music accompanying the delivery.

First, to come is Nana Patekar who is just perfect in the way he recites 'Tere Utaare Hue Din' for the story Gubbare. Gulzar saab must have been proud of the way Nana goes about his recitation as he comes up with just the right pauses and punches. The subtle music that plays at the beginning of 'Der Aayad' instantly brings your attention before another great artist, Naseeruddin Shah, recites for Rice Plate. Hear the words in 'Der Aayad' which has it's essence in timeless love and togetherness and you can't help but bow down to Gulzaar saab's magic behind the words. Naseeruddin Shah also ends the album with 'Khuda' (Rise and Fall) which comes across as antitheses of 'Chaal Chalo Tum' which arrives later.

For the story High On The Highway, Dia Mirza is the chosen one as she opens 'Khudkhushi' with the words 'Bas Ek Lamhe Ka Jhagda Tha'. One would have never imagined Dia to bring such sensitivity in her voice but she does just that which demonstrates a different facet of hers in the poem around human relationships. On the other hand from Manoj Bajpai one does have expectations. Does he live up to them? Yes, he does as he recites 'Khaali Samandar' for Zaahir at a slightly higher pitch though 'Mujhe Talaash Nahi’ [Sex On The Beach] takes a regular route.

When there is a Sanjay Gupta film, how can Sanjay Dutt not come behind the mike for the music album? Though he has not sung a song, he compensates for that by reciting 'Chaal Chalo Tum' for Rise and Fall. Taking a listener through life being a game of chess, Sanjay Dutt gets philosophical as he goes through a pensive journey. His co-actor from the 80s, Amrita Singh, is heard later in 'Raat Tamir Karein' (Puranmashi) which has one of the most enticing music pieces played in the gaps when she is not busy reciting.

Another senior actor whose voice stands out in this CD is Anupam Kher who gets into a romantic remembrance with 'Bauchaar' (Lovedale). Boasting of some of the best poetry heard in the album so far, 'Bauchaar' is for those in love. For Matrimony, Sudhanshu Pandey speaks about ‘Talaq’, which deals about relationships, break ups, and reconciliations. Neha Dhupia's recitation for Strangers In The Night is good even as the poetry boasts of some heavy duty Urdu words. The music playing in the background is soothing yet again which brings on consistency in this special CD.

There are albums which cater mainly to masses. Then there some which cater to class audience. And then there are some which take a middle route. Well, Dus Kahaniyaan doesn't take a middle route. Instead it gets everything for everyone and that too in a lavish and wholehearted manner. This is why on one hand you have got a Lounge and Club outing which mixes dance numbers with heartfelt melodies while on the other you have got an out and out class offering in the form of Gulzar poems.

Let go off the cliché, this one is truly different!

Jab We Met - Paisa Vasool

2007-10-30T23:36:00.000+05:30

Starring : Shahid Kapur, Kareena Kapoor, Dara Singh, Kiran Juneja.
Director : Imtiaz Ali

Today I saw Jab We Met, it managed to increase my curiosity as it had got some very good review and ratings. And to say the least I found this movie to be thoroughly entertaining. A proper Masala Flick.

I have never considered Kareena Kapoor to be an amazing actress, and most actress that prove their mettle, do it through off beat roles or serious stuff. However I was truly impressed by the ease with which she took the role like a hand to the glove. It seemed that she was born to play the over the top, bubly Sikhni, and looked a billion dollars in the role. She is loud, she is harsh, and she is very north Indian, I guess this is what director actually wanted from the character. Coming to Shahid, he is a person who has got a lot of potential, and has not even reached 50% of it. This doesn't mean that he is not good in this movie, he is quite good too, however doesn't get much scope to perform other than look subtle. He seems to be destined for bigger things. No other actor has got any scope in the movie apart from couple of lines here and there.

Now the lesser we talk about the story, the better it is. It seemed to a same old repeated formula story with bits and pieces from here and there. No novelty value at all, you can easily predict what's gonna happen next, as such situations have been show numerous times on the screen. However its the treatment of the story that leaves an impression and lifts the movie.

I am not sure if people would agree with me on this, however I found second half to be a bit boring compared to the first one. After the first half, I was expecting a cracker of second half, however was disappointed when script took a cliched turn and slowed things tremendously.

The major plus point of the movie is that music by Pritam is simply chart topping material. I have been listening to the songs for quite some time, and they actually looked good on screen, thanks to good cinematography, Manali, Rajasthan etc. have been captured in an wonderful way. Dialogues are top notch too.

All in all, the feel good factor is what keeps the movie alive and would ensure that cash registers keep ringing for some time to come. Also the movie has been publicized well, thanks to the efforts of marketing and also breakup of the Kapoor and Kapur.

From now on I would be using a Five point scale for rating, as I feel I am not able to do justice on a 10 point one.

My Rating : 3/5

Saawariya - The First Review !!!

2007-10-30T23:17:00.000+05:30

Here is the first 'review' of Saawariya, written by Subhash K. Jha on IndiaFM.com. He attended the special screening of the same and here is what he has to say :

At 2 hours and 8 minutes playing-time Saawariya is one of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's shortest films ever. It's just a few minutes longer than the filmmaker's last film Black which was almost as long as Saawariya, but without any songs

Sanjay's second film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam had 10 songs and a playing-time of 3 hours. Saawariya with 8 songs is far shorter than the opulent and stunning Devdas which, with its mix of songs, dances and operatic drama ran into 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Economy of expression defines the romance between Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in Saawariya. From the time his eyes fall on the porcelain beauty Sonam (who exudes the subtle strength of Waheeda Rehman) Ranbir celebrates his love in ecstatically composed and choreographed numbers that create a waltz of a thousand steps with just gestures and whispers.

Click here to go to IndiaFm.com and read the original post.

Saawariya is Sanjay's subtlest most quiet and mellow film to date. While almost every sequence in Devdas and Black culminated in an operatic crescendo, the shot compositions in Saawariya suggest a symphony rather than an opera. The 8 elaborate songs and dances in Saawariya take up quite a chunk of the film’s precious playing-time. What remains between the two people in love are those unspoken words and unshed tears of a relationship that knows no full stop.

The songs are used in Saawariya to propel the story forward. Every song tells a story. Monty Sharma's tunes and Sameer's lyrics create a structure akin to a raga, minus the casual informal mood of a classical performance.

Saawariya is a formally-structured romance with the episodes between the protagonists moving forward in power-packed pirouettes of passion. The presiding colour of Saawariya is blue. The colour defines the spaces that separate and bring together lovers. But the mood after the film’s screening was anything but blue. It was unanimously felt that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest work takes him far ahead of his earlier films, puts him on a par with the world's most subtle and restrained masters.

Those who think all his films are about thundering passion, Saawariya is a bolt from the blue….in shades of blue.

Hmm..he sure has some nice things to say, but lets wait for more details. But when he says that its one of the shortest films of Bhansali ever,does he realize that this is only Bhansali's 5th Venture, and Black has already been left off the equation. ;)

Taare Zameen Par - Song Promo

2007-10-27T10:51:00.000+05:30

This is the movie, whose every detail is precious of millions of moviegoers like me. Here is a potential blockbuster with promises some solid content. In this promo as well, its good to see Aamir taking a back seat and emphasize is given to child artists. Somehow my attachment is growing everyday with this one.

Jab We Met - Indiatimes Review

2007-10-27T08:09:00.000+05:30

Written by Praveen Lance Fernandes for INDIATIMES, Click Here for Original Link.

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Tarun Arora, Dara Singh, Pawan Malhotra, Kiran Juneja, Divya Seth.
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Music: Pritam
Rating: ***

No, this isn’t one of those young mushy love stories that you might expect when entering the hall. For most of the film there is no tear-jerking, spending life together promises or for that fact even romance. What you have is something really fresh to come onto Indian cinema.

Opposites attract. These two are opposites. There is some sort of chemistry between them. But it’s not the one which makes Hindi cinema couples dance around trees in the fields of Punjab. It’s just the way one looks at life and how the other manages to influence it with ones own eccentricities.

Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) is a young industrialist who has a whole lot of personal and professional problems. His mother left his father for another man, his father passed away, the company which his father left behind is in the pits and the last straw comes in the form of his girlfriend getting married to someone else. Completely dejected and not knowing what to do, he enters a train on its way to Delhi. There he comes across Geet (Kareena Kapoor) the most talkative and annoying Punjabi girl he has ever met. Aditya exchanges a few words while Geet exchanges a whole lot of life history including her plans to elope with her boyfriend (Tarun Arora). Clearly, Aditya is not interested in speaking to this blab and when the train stops at a station prior to Geet’s destination, he gets off. Geet thinking that everything not being fine gets off to bring him back into the train. In the process, they both end up missing the train. Now, at Geet’s insistence Aditya has to somehow manage to get her home to Bhatinda. He does so in the next few days but not before Geet completely changes his outlook towards life.

It is the new age director Imtiaz Ali’s direction and writing which is to look out for. After his much appreciated Socha Na Tha , Imtiaz goes bigger and better and the result is nothing but flying colours.

You can draw a few parallels with the Ajay Devgan-Kajol starrer Pyar Toh Hona Hi Tha and the Keanu Reeves-Charlize Theron film Sweet November but only a few.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Indiatimes.com. Click here to read the Original.

The hero of the show is definitely the script and the dialogues. Mix that up with wonderful performances and you have a really fine movie. Kareena Kapoor’s lines deserve top honour as those are probably the highlight of the film. Though the film could have been a bit shorter or even better scripted towards the end, this film does have a few loose ends. But despite this, the film manages to stand on it own feet.

Pritam has come out with probably his best score after Metro where almost all the songs are foot-tapping. They are infused with the music perfectly and the feeling of unnecessary need of songs in the screenplay is never there.

Whether rumors of Shahid and Kareena’s break-up is true or not, one has to say that this is the best chemistry they have shown on-screen yet. Their Fida, Chupke Chupke and 36 Chinatown might have left the audiences disappointed but hey, fourth time’s the charm.

Kareena Kapoor might have been irritating in Khushi , but with a character on similar lines, one would have expected an encore but she manages to bring out of her finest performance. She could have easily gone over the top but full marks to her and the director for extracting a fine feat.

Shahid Kapoor too does a wonderful job as the jilted lover who gets a new approach in life. He picks up from where he left off in Sooraj Barjatya’s Vivah but this time only better.

To sum it up, Jab We Met is a very refreshing fare and one of the better films to come out in recent times. There is innocence but no mush, there is a whole lot of non-sense but then you realize it makes sense, there is something about Jab We Met which you end up loving. So people, before the Om Shanti Om and Saawariya fever catches up in the weeks to come watch this one for a rocking time.

Bal Ganesh - Indiatimes Review

2007-10-27T08:01:00.000+05:30

Written by Praveen Lance Fernandes for INDIATIMES, Click Here for Original Link.

Director: Pankaj Sharma
Music: Shamir Tandon, Sanjay Dhakan
Singers: Asha Bhonsle, Usha Mangeshkar, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, Kailash Kher
Rating: * ½

Hanuman ’s box-office success opened a market for animated films in India. That film was subsequently followed by Krishna and now Shemaroo gets into the animation business with Bal Ganesh - a film on the childhood of Lord Ganesh – the Elephant God.

Bal Ganesh’s antics and wit along with his friend Mooshak the rat forms most of the film. His love for modhak, his respect for his parents and him constantly making fun of Lord Shiva’s soldiers, etc and the reason why he has an elephant head. is mostly what the first half is about.

India is still in its infancy stage when it comes to animation so one cannot expect completely finished and detailed characters in the film. The design of the characters and backgrounds are quite decent according to Indian standards but their movement is something which has to be worked on. They tend to move in a very stiff and rigid manner and remind you of Honda’s robot Asimo.

The major fault lies in the screenplay and editing. The story of Bal Ganesh is something which is known to all children alike and since that is the target audience, they should have focused more on the funny situations. But, most of these jokes fall flat and the scenes also seem repetitive. Clearly, the script could have been the winner here which sadly isn’t the case.

As for the editing, the shots are not cut quickly enough and ideally the film should have been at least 20 minutes shorter.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Indiatimes.com. Click here to read the Original.

Some things don’t fall into place either. Why does the mouse Mooshak who is giving the narrative suddenly get completely modernized with loads of money, a bungalow and a sports car? (Reminds one of Stuart Little ). The director tried to mix contemporary fantasy along with mythology but that fails to deliver.

Director Pankaj Sharma does focus on camera angles quite a lot (even for an animation film) and you see a number of pan shots which don’t even seem required. Also some of the fight scenes are clearly lifted from The Matrix .

Bal Ganesh is but obviously the hero of the film. The elephant God is adorable and sweet and along with Mooshak they form a really good team. Most of the voices fit their respective characters.

The music may not be really foot-tapping when you hear it on any other occasion but when gelled with the film, they compliment each other like Ganesh and Mooshak

Though this film is in 3D, it is not as entertaining as Hanuman . During the Diwali vacations, kids along with their parents might just flock in to watch this film but at the end of the day, Bal Ganesh is not something which will blow your mind away.

SRK - King Khan : IndiaFm Book Review

2007-10-26T22:13:00.000+05:30

Written by Joginder Tuteja, for IndiaFM.com. Click Here for Original Link.

What does one expect from a book that titles 'SRK - King Khan'?

Something which is larger than size, justifies the 'baadshah' image of 'supreme Khan' through each of it's letters, carries a certain grandeur with itself, gives a reader more than what he/she would have probably 'wanted' to know, throw in a few surprises and turns out to be an 'I-can't-resist-to-see-what's-in-store-in-the-next-page' experience!

Are these expectations justified? Certainly yes! After all nothing less can be bargained for when it comes to Shah Rukh Khan. To add to it, when the (oh-so-glossy and impressive) cover of a book shows Shah Rukh stationed on a couch and killing you with a stare even if it is concealed behind those dark shades and the writer is renowned journalist, critic, columnist, editor, author and screenwriter Deepa Gahlot, you don't wait for your coffee to be served before you dig your eyes into the first chapter.

Surprisingly, the experience is not as terrific as one was widely anticipating from this 125 page book. The book turns out to be what one could term as a 'Shah Rukh Khan for Dummies' or 'A Beginner's Guide for Shah Rukh Khan'. Yes, for his diehard fans, there is a lot to drool over but for those who were looking at knowing more than they already knew about the man and his personal/professional life, there is little in the offering!

Agreed that Deepa Gahlot does maker her objective/intentions behind writing the book at the very beginning. She does confess that Shah Rukh Khan's life is well documented and hence the book is mainly a mid-year assessment than being a biography. She also claims that the book acts as a thumbnail for those Khan's NRI fans who are not too familiar about his earlier works (read early 90s).

With respect to that, she does rather well (more about this later) but in the process looses out on those millions of Khan's fans right here in India who certainly are aware about facts like Aamir Khan had left Darr which changed Shah Rukh's career path forever or the failure of his production Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani had broken his heart.

In the end, the book serves as a good text book guide for freshers who have just woken up to Shah Rukh Khan but serves little purpose for those who have been following his moves for years now. Good intentions; restricted audience!

What clearly stands out in the book are the visuals though. And by visuals, I don't quite mean that the pictures belong to the never-seen-before kinds. It is the way they have been spread out across the book and have a striking appeal which makes 'SRK - King Khan' a glossy affair.

Having said that, while at the beginning of the book, there are some behind-the-screen photographs of the actor who was not a mega-star then, the majority of the book's latter portions comprise of easily available and seen a zillion times stills and wallpapers from his films made during last 8-9 years. Still, it's the layout that makes all the difference hence making one give the book a comfortable reading.

One misses the quotes though from not just King Khan himself but even people who have worked with him. People who are heard most in the book are Aziz Mirza, Yash Chopra and Karan Johar - the trio with whom he has worked in maximum films collectively. To add to it, majority of quotes coming from them also hardly divulge anything about him or his working which you don't know already.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

Shah Rukh Khan's interest in sports, his inclination towards theatre and later TV, his accidental entry into the world of films, his real life Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge kind of romance and marriage, his ever-so-energetic persona, his non-controversial working with his leading ladies or the15 ways in which he can do a scene! Isn't this something already public for years?

In the book, Deepa makes an interesting point though. She quotes Rishi Kapoor's dialogue from Shah Rukh's first released film Deewana - "Main Guzra Hua Kal Hoon, Tum Aaj Ho. Kal Aaj Mein Badal Nahi Sakta" (I am the past, you are the present, the past cannot be converted into the present). She uses this statement to (rightly) prove the point around Shah Rukh Khan's entry as a lead in 1992 when stars of the likes of Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol or Govinda were either fading away or getting restricted with the kind of on-screen image they had set for themselves.

The industry was looking for a bright boy and Shah Rukh Khan was just the star waiting to shine. Good observation! Nevertheless, it is rather strange though when Rahul Roy and Vivek Mushran are counted in the same breath as a new star on the horizon as Khan himself. However, none of the two got any worthwhile offers after their debut in Aashiqui and Saudagar!

Deepa is on the money though when she says states the reason behind the box office failure of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani due to the film being ahead of it's times. Or a well shot and directed Dil Se didn't work because the audience could not understand the hero's insane passion for a terrorist. One has to agree because if released today, both the films are bound to find a far wider share of audiences.

What distracts though are detailed synopsis of each of his films which has been a commercial smash-hit. Be it Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Veer Zaara and many more, there is lot being told about the films' plot or some of the most notable scenes. Yet again, for a newbie it's a delight; for an old timer, it is a mere repetition.

In fact, one observes, that there is hardly any plot description of his lesser known/successful films like In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, Idiot, Zamaana Deewana, Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, English Babu Desi Mem, Chaahat, Army, Hey Ram, One Two Ka Four, Shakti - The Power or Yeh Lamhe Hai Judaai Ke. And no, I am not even talking about his special appearances (Dushman Duniya Ka, Gudgudee, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Gaja Gamini, Saathiya, Silsiilay, Alag or I See You) that just find a mere mention in the Filmography section. Some dope on these films may have just about made the day for those who wish to dig down further facts about the mighty Khan who has done his bit to help his friends out!

There are a few errors in the detailing too which could possibly have been avoided. Subhash Ghai has been attributed as the director of 'Trimurti' when the man behind the camera (at least officially) was Late Mukul S. Anand. His last 'special-appearance' film I See You was directed by Vivek Agrawal but the name mentioned is Vikas Agrawal. Also Deepa's colleague Samar Khan, a journalist turned director, may not be too happy to have his film Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye omitted from the list in spite of Shah Rukh being present in a special appearance.

Still, on a brighter note, she quotes Ajiz Mirza here - "....he has to guard against his own stardom. If a hundred people around him tell all the time that he is fantastic, he is bound to be swayed....after all, he is only human." Deepa makes a valid statement herself by concluding, "25 years from now, if all Shah Rukh Khan has to show for his talent is Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge or Devdas, it would be tragic.

Of course quite true, though at the time of the book going to press, Chak De India hadn't happened. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Rating: **1/2

No Smoking - Rediff's Review

2007-10-26T22:03:00.000+05:30

To read the Original please Click here

I came out of Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking asking 'What were they thinking?' No make that 'What were they smoking?'

The movie unfolds like a bad dream and spins into a downward spiral that's unreal, incomprehensible and leaves you dazed.

The movie begins innocently enough. K (John Abraham ) is a heavy smoker and an unapologetic one at that. His wife Anjali (Ayesha Takia ) is fed up with his habit and is set to leave him. There are early signs of the trouble ahead, when K, in his bathtub, has a surreal dream of being lost in Siberia without his cigarettes.

But trouble starts when Anjali finally leaves him. K decides to consult a Baba to help him quit the habit.

K's life and the movie descends into chaos from here on. From the depths of the Baba's (Paresh Rawal ) dungeons (for lack of proper word for it) deep in the bowels of Dharavi or some such Mumbai slum, the movie goes out of control.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Rediff.com. Click here to read the Original.

It is peopled with strange characters and situations. There's Ranvir Shorey (Abbas Tyrewala), who returned from the Baba's 'lair' hard of hearing and a couple of fingers lighter. Kiku Sharda (the doctor), who also made a trip to the good Baba's abode. Then there's Ayesha Takia (now she's Anjali, K's wife, now she's Annie, his secretary). There's also J, K's brother who speaks only German if you will. They are all support staff in a tableau that seeks to showcase John Abraham.

You can bet it's not your average Bollywood flick. It's a flick like no other, trust me.

If this is the much touted noir genre of filmmaking, then two hours of this is enough for me.

John Abraham said in an interview to rediff.com that No Smoking will give rise to a new genre of filmmaking. Sure it will and that genre will have this one film.

This is self-indulgent filmmaking. It's narcissistic and vain-glorious -- that totally ignores the sort of audience that may end up watching it. It may be cheered at some out-of-the-way film festival -- but it sure won't either at a suburban multiplex nor a tent cinema in Tamil Nadu or Bihar.

And as you may have gathered, I still have no clue what the movie was about. And quite frankly, I don't want to know.

Stay as far as away from this one.

Rediff Rating: No stars

The Verdict is out on this one, rediff and IndiaFm have both panned the movie. Worthless Stuff !!

Shoot 'Em Up - Rediff's Review

2007-10-26T18:47:00.000+05:30

To read the Original please Click here

What can you expect with a title like Shoot 'Em Up that finds its origins in a popular video game format that only requires to -- well, Shoot 'Em Up.

So that's exactly what the trigger happy Gun Doctor ordered. If you walk in expecting gritty drama or complex characters then perhaps the title of the film didn't register. Shoot 'Em Up has no back-story. Instead, what it has is lame-brain wit, wooden acting, regular directing and a loud soundtrack. But it's still awesome!

Once you get past the pseudo hang-ups and sit back, you can enjoy the extreme stunts, gratuitous violence, one-liners, carrot-eating hero, a nerdy bad guy, babysitting and 'heavy metal' throughout the brouhaha. Shoot 'Em Up is guilty pleasure for action junkies that want to leave out logic and motivation -- you know, all the mind-numbing stuff.

Shoot 'Em Up is adrenaline on an electronic skateboard. It was not meant to be taken seriously and delivers what it promises: shooting -- lots of it. The film has no profundity and it was not meant to. If you want to see Clive Owen shoot an endless amount of bad guys, whilst munching a carrot and indulging in pyrotechnics and kinetics, you will be served up.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Rediff.com. Click here to read the Original.

The setup couldn't be simpler. As the film opens, Mr Smith (Owen) is waiting at the bus stop. A pregnant woman stumbles by him, and a man with a gun is closing in. Smith follows the two into an abandoned warehouse, where the armed man is ready to dispatch the woman. Smith intervenes, blowing away the man and several other henchmen whilst delivering her baby. The mother doesn't survive the escape, and now Smith finds himself in charge of the infant while literally hundreds of goons, led by Hertz (Giamatti), follow his every move and attack at will. With the help of a prostitute named DQ (Monica Bellucci ), Smith intends to find out who's after him and why.

Writer-director Michael Davis spares no attempt to fire out all guns -- quite literally -- in a movie that is a showcase of more than a dozen stylised deaths, mostly by gunfire but also by other creative means, including death by carrot. It's over the top from the word Bang, but Owen, of course, is his eternally dry and mordant self throughout.

Shoot 'Em Up does a marvelous job of not taking itself critically and the cinematic thrill will definitely translate and transcend the minds of action lovers. The action is unlike anything you've set your pulse racing to, particularly in a sequence in which Hertz's clowns attempt to shoot Smith after he has jumped from a plane. It's a kinetic experience and one that both spoofs and also respects over-the-top action films.

Naturally, the not-so-subtle character traits of Clive Owen established from the outset that Smith is to Bugs Bunny as Hertz (Paul Giamatti) is to Elmer Fudd -- the character that constantly wanted to hunt rabbits. Bizarre! Spoofs are only fun when the performances are over-the-top but earnest and Owen and Giamatti give bang for the buck. Owen sniggers and sneers as the cheesy one-liners and mad plot are enhanced by his charismatic dullness.

Giamatti, who has traditionally been low-key in previous roles, comes into his own bunny hunting own as the wild-eyed villain, Hertz. His wicked ways will win plenty of laughs as he reacts to his band of gun-toting boys being shot up.

Shoot 'Em Up is unscrupulous and unapologetic but it does keep the sinful pleasure racing as Davis keeps things moving at a breakneck speed and shows plenty of creative flare and energy even as everything in the movie blows up. Simultaneously a spoof, and nod to the lyrical symphonies of grind house violence that precede the genre, Shoot 'Em Up is a guilty treat.

Rediff Rating:

I reviewed this one few weeks back : Read My Review

Jab We Met - IndiaFM Review

2007-10-26T12:27:00.000+05:30

To read the Original please Click here

Love stories are beaten to death. The genre has been rehashed, visited and re-visited again and again and again. So much so that all love stories look, seem and sound alike. But JAB WE MET, helmed by Imtiaz Ali, takes a fresh look at love stories.

Frankly, the story isn't new. It has traces of the Abhishek - Ash starrer DHAAI AKSHAR PREM KE [2000; which, in turn, was inspired by A WALK IN THE CLOUDS] and Govinda - Urmila starrer KUNWARA [2000; which, in turn, was a remake of a Telugu film BHAVANAGARU BHAGUNNARA], but director Imtiaz Ali's execution of the subject takes it to another level altogether.

Also, for any love story to work wonders, it ought to have the germs to make the viewer jump with joy and participate in the goings-on. And the principal characters here -- Shahid and Kareena -- are so real, so natural, so believable and so winsome that the viewer gets absorbed into their world as minutes pass by.

To sum up, JAB WE MET is as refreshing as an ice-cold watermelon juice in scorching heat. Imtiaz Ali's expert storytelling coupled with Shahid and Kareena's sparkling performances make this film a must-watch!

Aditya [Shahid Kapur], an industrialist, is heartbroken as the girl he loves is getting married to someone else. Unable to muster up the courage to return home, he drifts out of the gathering and aimlessly boards a train, bounding away into the night.

As destiny would have it, he meets Geet [Kareena Kapoor] -- a beautiful but annoyingly talkative girl who is leaving Mumbai to go her hometown -- Bhatinda. Later, she has plans of eloping with her boyfriend [Tarun Arora].

Geet irritates Aditya to the point of getting him to leave the train. As she tries to get him back on the train, she ends up missing it and the two find themselves stranded on a desolate station with no luggage or money.

Begins the idyllic journey through the exuberant North Indian heartland in which this odd couple make their way through buses and taxis and camel-carts to reach her house in Punjab.

On arrival, Geet's family mistakes the two for lovers. Before this misconception can be cleared, Geet escapes to her boyfriend in Manali. Aditya leaves with her, confirming the suspicion that they are lovers. In Manali, Aditya feels empowered to return to Mumbai and resurrect his ailing business.

Life takes a positive turn and Aditya begins to do well. One day, Geet's family, who think that she is with him, confronts Aditya. He is shocked to learn that Geet has not returned home. He takes it upon himself to find her.

He finally tracks her down in a Himalayan town and begins another journey to reach Bhatinda and flow into the colors and conceptions of a loud and happy North Indian family. How their separate journeys become one, forms the remainder of the story.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

Opposites attract -- that's the essence of this love story. The journey of two individuals who cross each other's path one night and develop a deep bond is skilfully and convincingly depicted at the very outset.

The highpoint of JAB WE MET is its story. Although the story bears an uncanny resemblance to some films, it never gives you the feeling of déjà vu. The sequence of events in the first hour is akin to a roller coaster ride. The journey that the couple undertake to reach Bhatinda first and Manali later is mesmerizing.

But the pace slackens in the second hour. Partly because the goings-on get dramatic and serious. Also, things seem to be stretched in this hour. The love story takes its own sweet time to reach its destination, when the fact remains that it could've [and should've] reached the finale earlier. Thankfully, the end is expertly executed and takes the graph of the film higher.

Imtiaz Ali deserves brownie points for handling the subject with such maturity. The fun-laden scenes are truly funny and the emotional ones make you moist-eyed. Striking the right balance between light and heavy moments is akin to walking on a tight rope and Imtiaz handles the two extremes with remarkable ease. An accomplished storyteller undoubtedly!

Pritam proves his versatility yet again. 'Poochho Na Poochho' and 'Tumse Hi' are seeped in melody, while 'Mauja Mauja' and 'Nagada' are racy, foot-tapping and easy on the lips. N. Nataraja Subramanian's cinematography does justice to Imtiaz's vision. The indoor look as well as the exteriors are dexterously captured by the lensman. The writing [Imtiaz Ali] is almost foolproof. Also, the ambience and setting in the Punjabi household are excellent.

Both Shahid and Kareena vie for top honours. Shahid delivers his career-best performance in JAB WE MET. He goes for a complete transformation vis-à-vis his looks and attire to look the character he has chosen to portray and the understanding with which he enacts his part is worthy of lavish praises.

Kareena is in top form as well. JAB WE MET is a turning point in her career [personally as well as professionally]. Fantabulous -- that's the right word to describe her work this time. The confidence with which she handles the contrasting characterization speaks volumes. This film should do for her what KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI did for Kajol.

Pawan Malhotra is excellent as Kareena's uncle. His diction as also the body language is perfect. Dara Singh is good. Tarun Arora is awkward, but that gels with his role.

On the whole, JAB WE MET is one of the finest [romantic] films to come out of Bollywood in 2007. At the box-office, it has the merits to work big time. Strongly recommended… Go with your family!

Jab We Met - Rediff's Review

2007-10-26T12:26:00.000+05:30

To read the Original please Click here

They may have split in real life but Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur's reel love story Jab We Met is a cute film, and is sure to touch the hearts of those in love.

The film starts with Geet (Kareena), a Sikh who talks nonstop. She embarks on a train journey from Mumbai to her hometown Bhatinda. On the way, she runs into Aditya Kashyap (Shahid), a young man disillusioned with life after being dumped by his girlfriend. To make matters worse, even his business is going nowhere.

He's on the verge of ending his life when Geet comes into his life. She ends up missing her train while trying to get him on the train.

The thought does cross your mind, that why would she do that for a stranger. But then again, we're watching a Bollywood film.

Geet then informs Aditya that it is his responsibility to take her to Bhatinda, as she missed the train because of him. What follows next is a journey across picturesque landscapes where the two discover each other and understand the meaning of love and friendship.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Rediff.com. Click here to read the Original.

Aditya learns that Geet is in love with one Anshuman but her family is against their union.

After reaching Bhatinda, you feel the plot has been lifted straight out of the Hollywood film, A Walk in the Clouds, though director Imtiaz Ali also adds Yash Chopra's 'Punjabisation'.

Aditya promises to help unite Geet with Anshuman, even though he falls in love with her.

Post-interval, we're introduced to a very new Aditya, who becomes a big businessman. And this is one of the film's flaws. The change is too abrupt, and it is difficult to connect the first half with the second.

But besides that, Jab We Met is a fun film, with quite a few moments worth watching.

Though Kareena is loud at times, she is a treat to watch -- funny and full of life. She gets to mouth hilarious lines like, 'Bachpan se mujhe shaadi karne ka bahut shauk tha.'

Shahid, on other hand, acts composed and provides a perfect foil to the Kareena's bubbly character.

Pritam's music also enhances the film. Lyricist Irshad Kamil deserves a special mention for the song, Yeh Ishq Hai.

Rediff Rating:

No Smoking - IndiaFM Review

2007-10-26T12:25:00.000+05:30

To read the Original please Click here

After having watched NO SMOKING, the first thing you want to do is ask Anurag Kashyap, the director of this misadventure: Now what was that? Cinema is all about three Es -- enlighten, educate and entertain. But NO SMOKING neither educates, nor enlightens. As for entertainment, forget it!

You try so hard to understand what NO SMOKING tries to say, but the film is like one big puzzle that refuses to get solved.

What ails NO SMOKING, did you ask. Simple, it’s the most complicated cinematic experience of 2007. Agreed, the director’s intentions are noble. Cigarette smoking is injurious to health and Kashyap wants to highlight this message loud and clear via his new movie. But what has Kashyap come up with?

NO SMOKING leaves you exasperated and disgusted. Exasperated, because till the end credits roll, you just don’t know what happened in those 2 hours. Disgusted, because Kashyap had solid backers [Eros, Kumar Mangat, Vishal Bhardwaj] and a competent cast [John, Ayesha, Paresh Rawal] at his disposal. Yet, he couldn’t pull it off.

In short, NO SMOKING is a terrible waste of a terrific opportunity!

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

K [John Abraham] is a stubborn and obnoxious guy, who does exactly what he wants. A chain smoker, he feels nothing can come between him and his cigarette -- not his wife [Ayesha Takia], his friend [Ranvir Shorey] or his life. Till he encounters Baba Bengali [Paresh Rawal].

Baba Bengali has his own set of draconian laws to stop people from smoking. He guarantees results, provided his clients obey his orders to the T. But K revolts and pays a heavy price for it.

The only aspect that stands out in NO SMOKING is its cinematography [Rajeev Ravi]. It’s a good-looking film with some stylishly executed scenes. But Kashyap, who is an accomplished writer himself, ought to know by now that moviegoers want to watch a good story at the end of the day. The lighting, the sepia effect, the visual effects, the production design… everything is secondary. Honestly, it’s difficult to believe that the director of BLACK FRIDAY could conceive NO SMOKING.

There’re hardly any songs in the narrative, but the one filmed on Jesse Randhawa [‘Jab Bhi Cigarette Peeta Hoon’] is imaginatively filmed. Surprisingly, the popular Bipasha Basu track, which has also been publicized extensively, is placed after the end titles.

John makes a sincere attempt to leave a mark and succeeds to an extent. Really, one wonders, what prompted John to instantly approve this bizarre story! Ayesha runs through her role mechanically. The supremely talented Ranvir Shorey is a big bore this time. Paresh Rawal is okay.

On the whole, NO SMOKING fails miserably. Very disappointing!

Mumbai Salsa - IndiaFM Review

2007-10-26T12:18:00.000+05:30

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Metro-centric films are being made with amazing regularity these days. Therefore, it doesn't come as a surprise that the writer of PAGE 3, Manoj Tyagi, has chosen to narrate the dysfunctional lives of the youth in his directorial debut MUMBAI SALSA.

Frankly, a film like MUMBAI SALSA isn't everyone's idea of entertainment. It attempts to portray the lives of eight friends in a metropolis [Mumbai] in the most realistic manner. At places, it works. At times, it doesn't.

Also, the subject material restricts its appeal to select metros of India since the subject as also the lingo are targeted at the yuppie crowd mainly.

MUMBAI SALSA takes a look at the varied relationships that exists within the young corporate India. Not too long back, an average Indian was laidback, content and had ample time for love, life and relationships. But times have changed!

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

Mumbai Salsa is a pub in Mumbai where the principal characters meet and their lives change forever.
Come to think of it, it requires courage to choose an offbeat theme and cast newcomers in your very first film. Frankly, one doesn't take to MUMBAI SALSA instantly. For two reasons. One, the theme is highly unconventional. Two, there's not much meat in its story in the first hour.

Manoj Tyagi sets the story in the second hour actually. A few emotional moments in this hour are worth jotting, but how one wishes Tyagi would've come to the point right away, instead of stretching a couple of incidents for no rhyme or reason. That dilutes the impact largely!

Directorially, Manoj Tyagi has handled the emotional moments well, but the director in him seems to be swayed by the writer in him. He should know where to draw the line. Adnan Sami's music is fair. 'Chhoti Si Ilteja', seeped in melancholy, is the best track. Its rendition [Adnan Sami] is magnificent as well. The title track is interesting, while the Salsa piece is superb, mainly its choreography. Cinematography [Kalpesh Bhandarkar] is adequate.

The film introduces a number of new talents, but the ones who register an impact are Vir Das [a fine actor], Manjari Phadnis [first-rate] and Amruta [excellent]. Ray Irani has screen presence. The balance cast needs to polish their acting skills.

On the whole, MUMBAI SALSA is targeted at the youth living in Mumbai mainly. Despite a decent second hour, the film will face trying times at the ticket window in view of the fact that it has been pitted against two star-studded films and has a title that doesn't really give an impression of a feature film.

Bal Ganesh - IndiaFM Review

2007-10-26T12:17:00.000+05:30

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Exactly two years ago, on October 21, 2005 to be precise, HANUMAN opened the doors for animation films in India. Subsequently, one saw a number of animation films hitting the marquee, but HANUMAN continues to remain the most popular animation film witnessed on the Hindi screen.

Shemaroo's BAL GANESH enlightens viewers about the early years of Lord Ganesha. The best thing about BAL GANESH is that it refreshes your memory with incidents pertaining to Lord Ganesha, if at all you don't recollect the events minutely.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

The makers have encompassed a few chapters from Lord Ganesha's childhood and the ones that are well illustrated on screen include:-
[i] The birth of Lord Ganesha and the confrontation with Lord Shiva at the start;
[ii] Lord Kubera's invitation to Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha to his house and the sequence that follows that depicts Lord Ganesha's voracious appetite.
Also, the chapter pertaining to Lord Ganesha taking the round of his universe, his parents, is interestingly depicted.

While the animation is good at places, it could've been better at times too. Sequences depicting Lord Ganesha as also his constant companion Mooshak will be loved by the kids. In fact, Mooshak's antics brings a smile on your face on several occasions.

On the whole, BAL GANESH is an interesting celluloid experience that should attract kids by the dozens. Only thing, the makers/distributors should increase the promotion and also choose the right show timings since the film has the merits to leave a mark.

Blues - WOW !!

2007-10-23T09:18:00.000+05:30

Blues
N-18, Outer Circle, Connaught Place, Delhi
Phone 41523486, 9810120995, 23737150

Yesterday evening I was in mood to go so some pub, have couple of chilled beers with nice music. Blues is a place, where I have been several times, however haven't been there for last 3 years.

The Ambiance is good, and seating comfortable. I guess they have added couple of tables since the last time I was there, it gave the place a crowded look. On one wall you have black and white posters of some of the famous names including Madonna. On another they have various guitars and saxophones hanging, giving the place a very musical look.

I reached there around 7 PM and there was some live music. Happy hours were still on (till 8 pm) and beer was actually as cheap as any other normal run-of-the-mill bar. The menu price is Rs.145 + taxes for Indian beer, which works out close to Rs.180, however during happy hours it is 1+1 so effectively the beer costs Rs.90 for a bottle. Pretty affordable...huh...;-)

They had a wide selection of beers, including Guinness & Heineken, the drought pitcher was for Rs.270 (Plus taxes), however in Indian they had only two varieties. The person serving us promptly came to us before 8 pm to check if we wanted to order something before the happy hours ended. With prior experience I know that they are happy to take the order in happy hours and serve later. They had a selection of cocktails which seemed very good by names, however I have never been into cocktails, but I am a wannabe.

In snacks we have Nachos (Rs.90 + VAT), which were served with Salsa sauce and Potato Wedges(Rs.120 + VAT), which they served with sour cream and bar-be-que sauce. To be very frank more than the wedges I enjoyed the cream and sauce, but this should not undermine the quality of wedges. In fact when told that we liked the sauce, they refilled both of them for us. They had Tandoori Platter, veg was Rs.200 and Non.Veg for Rs.240.

Till 8 Pm there was live music, which seemed quite good, and after that a DJ took over. However we didn't sit long enough to enjoy the music.

But this places is still the same as it used to be years ago. Last time I was here I had organized a lunch for my colleagues, for non veg, three course meals, including mocktails, they charged around Rs.350 per pax for a commitment of 15 pax, however it was 3 years ago.

In the end to sum it up, this is an excellent places to have a nice evening, the crowd is good, location cannot get more central, service is excellent, and food amazing.

PS : We decided to top oof the wonderful evening with a sumptuous meal at Kareem's. However the service of Kareem was at their Pathetic best, maybe due to huge crowds or we simply got the wrong waiter.

And the Ordeal continued as we decided to return via Chawri Bazaar, Hauz Kazi. However the traffic was diverted, and had to go through Lal Kuan and Khari Baoli, and encountered the worst Traffic Jam of my life, YES at 11 Pm and major traffic jam.

Speed : Rediff Review

2007-10-19T15:18:00.000+05:30

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Rediff.com. Click here to read the Original.

Director Vikram Bhatt recently denied rumours that his forthcoming film Speed was inspired by Hollywood film, Cellular.

'Producer Harry Baweja came up with the script and I loved the idea. We have changed the screenplay and our film is very original. Speed is an action thriller. There's a twist every two-three minutes in the film and it is completely unpredictable,' Bhatt is reported to have said.

The plot of Cellular involved a young man who receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from a random woman. The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped; and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next. The kidnapped woman is kept in a farm house from where she puts together the remains of a smashed telephone and makes 'The Call.'

The plot of Speed involves a young man (Zayed Khan ) who receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from a random woman (Urmila Matondkar). The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped; and the kidnappers have targeted her child next. She is kept in a farmhouse / stable from where she puts together the remains of a smashed telephone and makes 'The Call.'

Please note that this review has been reproduced from Rediff.com. Click here to read the Original.

Wow, Mr Baweja! How do you get such brilliant ideas? Perhaps, a quick detour to the nearest DVD library? Now, lets forget the script for a second. To delve into this different screenplay -- we watch as the tension builds up. Urmila is frantically making faces on the phone and Zayed's phone battery beeps. Oh No! Battery Low. So he hijacks the nearest phone show and gets a car charger. Well, I've never seen such a brilliant twist in the screenplay. I've never ever seen this before. Oh wait! I did. The same scene was part of the Cellular screenplay. Mr Baweja, you had me fooled there for one second.

Anyway, if you are still interested in knowing the plot, it involves a patented prime minister assassination (Suhasini Mulay) that Raj Zutshi organises through Aftab Shivdasani . Thus, this miserable excuse of a film.

If someone calls you to see this film even for free, hang up!

Rediff Rating:

Hmmm...as usual IndiaFm and Rediff have left me confused, I am not watching this one, will wait for word or mouth.

Speed : IndiaFM Review

2007-10-19T14:42:00.001+05:30

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Vikram Bhatt has often been accused of borrowing heavily from foreign films. In SPEED, he borrows from the Hollywood film CELLULAR, which, in turn, reminded you of PHONE BOOTH. Despite the similarities, SPEED is slick, has several compelling moments and isn’t as predictable as one thought it would be.

SPEED is an edge of the seat thriller and unravels at a feverish pace. The only problem is, there’re a few rough edges [a few questions unanswered, predictable climax], but the pros easily outnumber the cons here.

In a nutshell, SPEED is an engrossing fare, with moments that stay with you.

What do you do when you get a phone call from a stranger begging you to save her life? What would you do if your only ray of hope is your phone?

Zayed Khan comes to London to convince his girlfriend Tanushree Dutta to give him another chance to prove his love for her. Meanwhile, Sanjay Suri, an undercover agent, receives a CD from Aftab Shivdasani and Sophie Chaudhary, which contains the recording of his kidnapped wife, Urmila Matondkar, and is asked to follow the instructions.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

He’s completely confused about what’s happening. Soon he realizes that he is being used as a weapon to assassinate the P.M. of India on the London tour. As he is still not agreeing to plans, Aftab finally decides to kidnap his kid.

Sanjay’s kidnapped wife, Urmila, starts trying to escape. Her only ray of hope is the telephone call she’s accidentally made to Zayed Khan. He’s in touch with her throughout, continuously talking with her and giving her moral support. As Zayed decides to help Urmila, his love of life, Tanushree gets annoyed and threatens to break up again. A happy-go-lucky brat Zayed, who never takes anything seriously, risks his own life to save an unknown family just because of a call.

Aashish Chowdhary, the super-cop of London, is in charge of security of the visiting Prime Minister. But as his girlfriend has her birthday the very same day, Aashish is caught between his personal life and duty. He obviously chooses the later. Will Aftab and Sophie succeed in their sinister plans?

Although SPEED borrows from CELLULAR, it must be mentioned that the Indian moviegoer has witnessed strikingly similar themes in the past. Yet, in all fairness, Vikram and his team of writers have Indianized the plot well. For, the film is absorbing in most parts, except for some glitches in the second hour.

The Aashish – Amrita track, for instance, should’ve been better developed. Also, the film gets slightly predictable towards the finale, although, frankly, you don’t really mind it since the culmination couldn’t be different.

Director Vikram Bhatt is in form this time. Thrillers have always been his forte and his handling of the subject material is commendable this time. It’s stylish and most importantly, it succeeds in keeping your interest alive. Pritam’s music is okay, although, given the genre, the makers have wisely restricted the songs in the narrative. Pravin Bhatt’s cinematography is topnotch. The locales of London are eye-filling and give the film the required sheen. Action sequences [Abbas Ali Moghul] are well executed.

Please note that this review has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com. Click here to read the Original.

SPEED belongs to two actors primarily -- Urmila Matondkar and Zayed Khan. Urmila handles her part with dexterity and adds freshness to the goings-on since she has cut down on her acting assignments. Zayed is cool and suits the role well. Aashish Chowdhary springs a surprise. In fact, the actor is getting likable with every release.

Sanjay Suri is a fine actor, but the spark is missing this time. Aftab too isn’t fiery enough and his look is a complete put-off. Tanushree Dutta needs to go easy on her makeup. Otherwise, she’s passable. Sophie Chaudhary makes her presence felt. Amrita Arora looks glamorous.

On the whole, SPEED is an interesting thriller that has the advantage of being a solo release. At the box-office, this reasonably priced fare should attract its share of viewers in its initial run.

He sure has some nice things to say about the movie, huh ! lets wait for the rediff one to be out !! ;)

RPM - Kitchen Lounge

2007-10-17T23:05:00.000+05:30

Punjabi Style fun

RPM - Kitchen Lounge
TDI Mall, Rajouri Garden, Delhi
Phone 25117455, 9873459595

Given the scarcity of good hanging out places in West Delhi, its always difficult to find a place "good enough". However here is a place whose experience I would like to share with you.

RPM - Kitchen Lounge, this is the full name, and doesn't give the impression for a pub or disc. Infact for the first time I heard the name, I though it might be some sort of place sellin Kitchen ware in lounge themed environment. However it is part of the same group that runs RPM in Defence Colony and Basant Lok. Its located in the TDI mall, which is in middle of Vishal Cineplex and Rajouri Garden Police Station. Just couple of minutes walking distance from Rajouri Garden Metro Station.

So we decided to check it out and went to this place few months back, at that time, they had some sort of package, in which we were supposed to pay Rs.600 per head and were offered unlimited drinks & snacks.

The interior of the place looked impressive, they had a separate lounge area and dance floor. The crowd was not what you expect at a disc on a weekend, however it was not deserted as well.
I had mixed feelings about the service, they simply kept on bringing things that we didn't order, and when we told them we didn't ask for it, they would simply say "Sir, Let it be there, as it is you are in the unlimited package, I will also get what you ordered". So god only knows what all we ate that evening, however everything was top quality and pretty delicious.

It was dominated by Punjabi crowd, we could make out that the people were from West Delhi itself. The music therefore was primarily Punjabi and Bollywood.

All in all I liked the place, and won't mind going there again.