BOLLYWOOD

KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:27:00.001-08:00

KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK is not your average Bollywood masala flick. This one involves you until the last frame. It's creatively plotted, artfully executed, brilliantly emoted and very well presented. A complete product, which will make the maker proud of his work. That is what every creative person looks for; satisfaction in his work. Debutant director Vijay Lalwani has done just that. Audience appreciation is something that is out of his control. Take a bow Lalwani, for an intelligent film. Of course, it has its genesis in A BEAUTIFUL MIND, the Russell Crowe film that won accolades. But therein ends the similarity. Karthik (Farhan Akhtar) is a loser in life. He does not know how to say no, is low on self-confidence and is a below average dresser. He is constantly being plagued by a dream of him having killed his older brother, albeit accidentally. This is what drives him to a shrink who tries in vain to convince him that it was no fault of his and he should stop blaming himself for his brother's death. But Karthik's psyche has been deeply dented. At the work place, though he is the workhorse, his efforts are never appreciated. A colleague piles his work on him and even the gorgeous Shonali (Deepika Padukone) has never even once noticed him in the four years they have worked together. To top it, he has been fired from his job. But all that seems to be heading for a change as Karthik, on the verge of committing suicide, gets a call from Karthik who guides him to reclaim his life and live with confidence. There's an instant metamorphosis in Karthik's character. He walks in with newfound confidence into his old office, dressed in a smart suit, walks into his boss' cabin and cleverly makes him aware of his contribution. Result, Karthik is offered his old job back. But he is in no mood; he demands a bigger post with staff under him. Then begins the wooing process and he does this with style, too.

Life reclaimed, Karthik's calls continue daily. He is warned by the caller not to mention this to anyone lest they think him to be nuts. But he mentions to Shonali who thinks he should see a shrink and from there on, his life takes a dive down to where it was. "I will finish you," says the voice from the other end, angry that he has let out his little secret. "If I could make you, I will break you." He manages to do just that. Farhan Akhtar is moving from strength to strength as an actor. No words would be enough to describe his rise as an actor of repute. Deepika Padukone, as the most sought after girl who has burnt her finger in many wrong relationships portrays the angst of many such women with aplomb. She is cute (as the role demands), confident and has evolved as an actor. She has worked hard on her body language and this shows in every scene, unlike in films like BACHANA AE HASEENO. Ram Kapoor as the khadoos boss is a powerful performer. Nor frills, just solid performance. Special mention to Vivaan Bhathena too, who fits into his role as the playboy-cum-office bully. KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK is an emotional journey with the principal character. You feel his pain when he is down, celebrate his success when he takes charge of his life and love with him when he romances Shonali. Even when the final card is revealed in the end, you once again feel his pain. It's all in the mind, you see and Farhan brilliantly guides you on to this wonderful journey immensely helped by Vijay Lalwani. This is not candyfloss cinema. It will find its audience in those wanting to get involved.

KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:27:00.000-08:00

TEEN PATTI MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:24:00.000-08:00

TEEN PATTI is a cat and mouse game. What begins as a simple exercise to experiment with the theory of probability with real cash in gambling dens, takes a complex and deadly turn with greed taking the upper hand. Director Leena Yadav has scored high on casting with not a character out of place. Even though Mahesh Manjrekar, Tinnu Anand, Jackie Shroff and Shakti Kapoor appear in just two scenes, their characters leave a mark and are an intricate part of the plot. Also, Leena has used the final of the inaugural T-20 World Cup between India and Pakistan to telling effect. As Shakti Kapoor is gambling on the card table, his eyes are constantly on the television set as he monitors Pakistan chasing down India's total. With 5 balls to go and 12 runs to get for Pakistan, he changes his bets and places his money on Pakistan winning. We all know how Misbah-Ul-Haq holed out to Sreesanth at short fine leg. As the catch is pouched, he loses his card game as well! Brilliant. We have seen cricket matches as props within scenes, but this one is just too cool! It's moment like these that keeps you glued to the screen. TEEN PATTI is riveting and extremely well paced. Professor Venkat Subramaniam (Amitabh Bachchan) has cracked a theory that could redefine the laws of probability. He tries it out with a card game with a fellow professor and four students and hits bulls-eye. Professor Shantanu Biswas (R Madhavan) who has loan sharks knocking on his doors to pay off their dues sees this as an opportunity to amass quick money. He lures Venkat to try out his theory in real gambling dens. From here, their life spirals out of control as a blackmailer takes centre stage. Slickly shot, the film moves at a rapid pace keeping you guessing as to who the blackmailer could be. Venkat wants to call off the bluff, but by now, the students and Shantanu are overtaken by greed.

Dhruv Ganesh, Siddharth Kher, Vaibhav Talwar and Shraddha Kapoor who play the students caught in this game of greed are all excellent. Dhruv as Bikram, the student who needs money to fund his education plays his complex part with ease. Siddharth as Sid carries off the Johnny Depp look as well as his character effortlessly. However, it is Shraddha Kapoor, who makes her debut that steals the thunder. Confident and natural, she flits between the characters Aparna and Zeenat as though she is 20 films old. I last saw such brilliance in Farhan Akhtar the actor. Yes, Shakti Kapoor's daughter is a class apart and has announced her arrival with a bang. Amitabh has used his vast experience to let the kids hog the limelight by strategically taking the back seat. The film moves sharply between London and India and this is where Sir Ben Kingsly has been used as Perci Trachtenberg, the magician who Professor Venkat idolized. Screenplay, Dialogues and costume deserve special mention as also the music by Salim- Suleiman. The track Neeyat has been powerfully choreographed. Watch it for its casting, a young set of actors who deliver and a script that captivates. TEEN PATTI; ready for the deal?

CLICK MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:22:00.000-08:00

CLICK lacks substance. It also lacks a credible screenplay and script. It's more like a project put together by students for a college project. To top it, the only actor who plays her part with eerie glee is the lady who plays Sneha Ullal's mother. It's one of those films you would want forget in a jiffy, never mind if there have been a couple of electrifying scary scenes. But a few scenes like these does not a horror film make. And director Sangeeth Sivan should know that. Avi (Shreyas Talpade) is a fashion photographer and one fine day, whenever he photographs, a female shape appears in the prints. This happens only after he and his girlfriend Sonia (Sadaa) are involved in a hit-and-run one night after partying with friends. While Sonia wants to get out of the car and check the accident, Avi does not want to risk a chance. So off they drive to safety and into an ordeal that begins to unfold.

If the ghost wants to trouble Avi, why does she do so only after the accident? Why not before? This is very strange because as the story unfolds you learn that the two (ghost and Avi) have a past. Also, very interesting is a scene where one of Avi's friend commits suicide and at the morgue, there are three bodies. All his friends. But according to the scene shown, only one committed suicide! There are also scenes with Chunkey Pandey and Avatar Gill, which borders on insanity.Scenes like these spell doom for this flick named CLICK.

MY NAME IS KHAN MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:18:00.000-08:00

Viewed on the basis of the evaluation of Asperger Syndrome, Karan Johar has hit the nail on the head. He has handled Rizvan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) with maturity. To top it, he has used the intelligence of Rizvan to home in on a very touchy topic and has succeeded. Islam is not about Jihad, it is about love and Rizvan in his own locked-in world unlocks the hate within from those around him. Many with Asperger Syndrome also get violent, but Rizvan freaks when he sees the colour yellow and cannot stand loud noise. Shah Rukh Khan has done a complete study of this syndrome and has delivered a terrific performance from frame one. Kajol, I dare say, is the Queen of Bollywood. All this talk of this heroine being the No.1 or No 2 is just mumbo jumbo when you see this talent explode on screen. Just natural. Pure bliss. We need to see more of you on screen, Kajol.

Karan Johar is known for his tearjerkers and he sticks to his format this time, too. But he also addresses an important issue, one that is tearing the world apart. His handling of scenes is very mature and real. The interaction between young Rizvan with his mother (Zarina Wahab) and his younger brother Zakir is poignant. Zarina's obsessive focus on Rizwan drives Zakir to the wall. The crack is easy to see; his hatred for his brother easy to accept. Rizvan, in one touching moment tells his brother that at least he is able to express his sadness through tears... as for him, it's a frustrating process all bottled within. Wanting to live his mother's dreams to lead a normal life, Rizvan leaves for America to live with his brother and wife. There, he assists his brother in selling his beauty products and meets Mandira (Kajol), already married with a six-year-old son. Their romance, which leads to marriage, is very well captured. She is a Hindu. He a Muslim. She adopts his surname and then 9/11 happens which radically changes the way the world sees Muslims, especially Americans. Tragedy strikes this happy family and Rizvan is on a journey travelling across the US to meet the president to tell him, 'My name is Khan, and I'm not a terrorist.' It is this obsessive or repetitive routine, which is the central theme of the film. He does meet the President and manages to change the views of many along the way. Karan and SRK have done what they had to for the viewers and peace at large; but in the real world, can love actually be given a chance? A beautiful movie with a beautiful message not to forget powerful performances from the jodi that stormed the screens13 years ago with DDLJ. Jimmy Sheirgill is once again proving to be a powerhouse performer. Soniya Jehan and Tannay Cheddha as the young Rizvan are fabulous. Zarina Wahab captivates with her emotions for both her sons. Yuvaan Makaar as Kajol's son is a confident actor. Go watch it. Karan has crafted a beautiful film, while SRK has authored a marketing strategy that will be hard for even Aamir Khan to beat!

ISHQIYA MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:16:00.000-08:00

Vidya Balan has drummed up a delectable performance in ISHQIYA. She's the widow whose life has suddenly exploded from its shell; a lover; a woman who misses those 'tender' moments and one who is out to exact revenge. A bundle of contradictions who has a deadly secret up her sleeve. You can't help but fall in love with her character, Krishna Verma, delivered with intense finesse. Arshad Warsi is back in the 'circuit' with his powerhouse performance as Babban. A goon, with lust in his eyes who realizes what it is to be in love when he meets Krishna. He also learns the meaning of betrayal when Krishna trains the gun on him. A performance delivered with the accuracy of a lunatic. Naseeruddin Shah as Khalujaan puts life in the character of a pure romantic caught in the cesspool of crime. His careful romancing of Krishna is a pure delight. He draws you to his plight with his reaction when he learns his nephew, Babban, has already scored with her.
So, who's the one Krishna truly loves. Or does she love at all? She's this mysterious woman around whom the movie is cleverly woven. The movie begins with a bang opening with tender moments between Krishna and her husband who is a terror in his village. Verma is an ace at kidnapping business tycoons in Gorakhpur and demanding ransom. She wants him to surrender. He loves his clan more than he loves his wife. There's a blast in their home and she is widowed. Or is she? Khalujaan and Babban are two thieves working for Mushtaq, a don with a soft heart but a tough exterior. At first instance, you fall in love with these two characters with their quirky traits. They loot their boss and are on the run. They land in Gorakhpur to seek shelter in the house of Verma, their old friend. Instead, they meet his wife Krishna. Here is where the cat and mouse game begins. Khalujaan is fond of Krishna and she even responds, but Babban, has other plans where Krishna is concerned.
So, who's the one Krishna truly loves. Or does she love at all? She's this mysterious woman around whom the movie is cleverly woven. The movie begins with a bang opening with tender moments between Krishna and her husband who is a terror in his village. Verma is an ace at kidnapping business tycoons in Gorakhpur and demanding ransom. She wants him to surrender. He loves his clan more than he loves his wife. There's a blast in their home and she is widowed. Or is she? Khalujaan and Babban are two thieves working for Mushtaq, a don with a soft heart but a tough exterior. At first instance, you fall in love with these two characters with their quirky traits. They loot their boss and are on the run. They land in Gorakhpur to seek shelter in the house of Verma, their old friend. Instead, they meet his wife Krishna. Here is where the cat and mouse game begins. Khalujaan is fond of Krishna and she even responds, but Babban, has other plans where Krishna is concerned.

VEER MOVIE REVIEW

2010-02-27T01:14:00.000-08:00

It takes a brave man to say he'll take the flak if a film fails, and in the same breath mention that it would be to everyone's credit if it succeeds. This is precisely what Salman Khan has gone on record to say about his recent release VEER, the story of which is credited to him as well. It also takes a brave man to dream of a magnum opus such as this. The period, the drama, the grandiose feel of it all and the amount of money pumped in, reportedly Rs 50 Cr.

Set in the 19th century, this period drama is no classic epic, but it has the trappings to keep you glued to your seat. Yes, there are loopholes in the screenplay and script and some silly moments as well, but once you see the brave attempt by the makers you cannot but laud it. Only thing, they could have been more careful about the costumes worn by the lead actors. Difficult yes, but if enough research was done and as much importance given to it as the fight sequences, it could well have been another GADAR. The story told is about Pindaris, a group of tribals, who were true to their word, and who preferred death to betrayal. It's their fight to unite India, to fight the British who ruled then. A very interesting plot thought of by Salman, who plays VEER. The film also has interesting twists even though 'Boy meets girl from enemy camp' remains the central theme. It moves away from the staid formula of parents opposing and lovers uniting against all odds.

Here, Veer wins the heart if his girl in enemy camp and also convinces his tribe to look beyond to the larger picture; that of uniting India in its fight for freedom rather than fighting against one Royal family to exact revenge. The plot has its heart in the right place. Salman Khan as Veer is dashing and dynamic. He takes off from where he left in WANTED and LONDON DREAMS. His raw star power is full on display. Mithun Chakraborty is as solid as ever. Ditto Jackie Shroff. Much has been made of Newcomer Zarine Khan's resemblance to Katrina Kaif. According to me, the girl is a spitting image (healthier version) of Jacqueline Fernandez, who recently debuted in ALADIN.

Someone has rightly said, ''Let the attempt be a failure, but let there be no failure to attempt.'' Like a true Veer, Salman has taken a gamble, it's now left to be seen how the audience reacts to this fight to get the British out of India. Somehow, I get this feeling that the dice is loaded in favour of Veer Salman!

CHANCE PE DANCE MOVIE REVIEW

2010-01-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

You chance upon a crowded dance in a film as the end credit rolls. Here, director Ken Ghosh opens with a dance and also ends with another. Not a bad way to begin a dance film.

CHANCE PE DANCE gives you a funky, Hollywood feel as the two main characters; Shahid Kapur and Genelia D'Souza are introduced. Its breezy flow, a funky and cool Shahid and 'cute chemistry' between the two add to the bliss. However, Ken is not able to maintain the momentum throughout. What must be said to his credit, however, is that he keeps the feel of the film on beat; soft and mushy. Though the end is predictable, it leaves you with a feel-good message... "Never quit, success is round the corner."

KHOYA KHOYA CHAND, LUCK BY CHANCE and now CHANCE PE DANCE have one thing in common - the Bollywood struggle. It's like watching NEW YORK and then viewing KURBAAN. Mercifully, CHANCE PE DANCE has it fundamentals in place and does not make an ass of its script.

Shahid is a struggler from Delhi who has been making the rounds of auditions in Mumbai for over three years, waiting for that one, elusive break that will propel him to stardom. As usual, there are heartaches all along the way. He is signed on for a huge project and before shooting can begin; he realizes that big money has been pumped in by a corporate house, which want to make their hunt on for a star a national debate. The director (Mohnish Behl), who was so impressed by Shahid, can do nothing in front of the money he has seen. However, if Shahid wants to be the star, he can participate, which he refuses.

He bumps into Genelia D'Souza, a choreographer, at a previous audition and both hit it off. While Mohnish Behl has signed Genelia as a choreographer, for the said project, she opts out and then urges Shahid to participate.

Meanwhile, Shahid has been thrown out of his rented apartment because he has failed to pay his rent, while his friend turned out to be a parasite. He ends up living in his second-hand car and lands a job as a dance teacher in a school, where he incidentally, does all his 'morning duties' as well!

Shahid puts in a sincere and honest performance. Genelia, restrains herself, intently keeping her role under Shahid's shadow. A very mature move. This girl is slowly climbing the popularity charts.

For a dance movie though, the dances could have been more bombastic. Honestly, this is just about OK stuff. Nothing stunning or "WOW". All Ghosh had to do was take a Chance on Dance! He doesn't. Remember Flash Dance and Dirty Dancing? They all worked because of the super chemistry between the lead players and stunning dances. There could have been one, if not two between Shahid and Genelia. Their pairing is perfect.

PYAAR IMPOSSIBLE MOVIE REVIEW

2010-01-20T23:58:00.000-08:00

Everything in this movie happens in the first 10 and the last 15 minutes. Like for instance, Abhay (Uday Chopra) who plays a geek is silently in love with Alisha (Priyanka Chopra) the hottest girl in his University. He even saves her from near death and she does not even know who it was that saved her, nor cares to find out. It had to suit the plot, which had to drag.

Seven years later, Abhay is still in love with Alisha. He has also developed a software that will unite all other softwares. He gets an offer from Varun (Dino Morea) who ends up stealing his software from his laptop while at a coffee shop. This same software is now being launched by Pinnacle in Singapore and Varun is the one who has sold it to them. Geek decides to go to Singapore in search of the thief and ends up being nanny to Alisha's six-year-old daughter. It had to suit the plot, which had to drag.

Yes, Alisha is now married and divorced. Of course, she does not know who Abhay is. All Abhay has to do is tell her about the software because, incidentally Alisha, works at Pinnacle. No, he does not and you kick your leg in disgust. It had to suit the plot, which had to drag.

In between, geek plays nanny to Alisha's daughter, who then fixes the two for a date. Varun, too is chasing Alisha, rather desperately. He comes out looking like a psycho in search of a cheap thrill not some sophisticated marketing executive who is out to make a billion bucks. It had to suit the plot, which had to drag.

Finally, yes finally, geek corners Varun. The marketing dude offers him 50,000 dollars to go back to India, Geek promises to expose him, which he does in the end. Yes, Alisha too realizes that it is Geek that had saved her life, thanks to her daughter's school play, which had a KARZ-like song.

If you ask me, this movie actually repackages Uday Chopra and the dude does a decent job. He stays in character and actually manages to get on your nerves. Priyanka's role has no strength. Her character falls flat in many places but Priyanka the actor stays firm. The credit says, Dino Morea's is a special appearance, while on screen he actually has a parallel role.

The movie tries to focus on whether love depends on looks and Abhay manages to prove his point when he takes Alisha out in the open dressed as a geek.

What really went wrong is that the script had no meat. With just a geek as a character and stolen software as a prop, you don't really care after a point because the director gives Abhay enough opportunities to say what he wants. He does not. How you wish the movie was just 25 minutes long.

There are times you even feel that this movie has a ROADSIDE ROMEO hangover. Incidentally, Jugal Hansraj has directed both.

DULHA MIL GAYA MOVIE REVIEW

2010-01-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

Lotus, Jasmine, Jigar, Bozo, Bonsai and Shimmer. These are no names of racehorses. These are names of characters in the film DULHA MIL GAYA. With names like these, you can imagine what the film slotted as romance/comedy will be like. It is sad that we end last year with a bang with 3 IDIOTS and then have to begin with something as idiotic as this. I mean, it is not even a movie. The only time it feels like one is when Shah Rukh Khan makes his guest appearance.

Rest of the time you have to grin and bear it. Imagine at the start of the film you are treated to a dialogue like this. Sushmita Sen (Shimmer) asks Jigar, a DJ who is also a friend, if he wants a lift home. Jigar says, "No fine, I'm thanks." The rest of the dialogues pretty much fit in this mould.

In all her roles so far, Sushmita Sen is Sushmita Sen. You don't see any character on screen. You just see the diva that she is. Mercifully, here she plays a top model. It's her attitude that always comes across, never her acting.

The story goes thus. Shimmer is a much sought after model in the West Indies. She has Lotus her chef and Jasmine her 'girl Friday' always at hand. Not to forget Bozo her pup who is involved in every decision making. Fardeen (Bonsai) is a rich Casanova who will never marry. Shimmer is his best friend. He flies down to Punjab because there is a clause in his father's will which says he should marry Samarpreet (Ishita Sharma) and if he fails to do so or divorces within 10 years the entire property worth billions of dollars will go to some fishing company. So Bonsai flies down to Punjab and marries Samarpreet. Next day he is back in Trinidad, alone. A few months later, Samarpreet is on her way to Trinidad to track her missing husband. She gets thrown out of Bonsai's palatial mansion when there is a party going on, is knocked down by a speeding car, wakes up at Shimmer's home and turns into Samara to woo Bonsai back. Meanwhile SRK is waiting for Shimmer to say yes to him. This is the romance in the story. As for the comedy, it began with the first dialogue!

Ishita made her mark two years ago with LOINS OF PUNJAB and followed it up with DIL DOSTI ETC. This time she gets a bigger canvas to show her talent.
If only the makers had consulted Bozo before making this movie!

RAAT GAYI BAAT GAYI MOVIE REVIEW

2010-01-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

One very drunk night, eight pegs down the throat and next morning, the previous night's shenanigan is a blur. What really happened? Did he really cheat on his wife? This is the dilemma faced by Rahul (Rajat Kapoor) as he wakes up groggy and tries to piece together the party that rocked.

To make matters worse, his wife Mitali (Iravita Harshe), who too was at the party, is distant and upset. 'Men are dogs,' she barks to her friend, which confuses the plot further. So what really happened? Does she know more that what Rahul knows or does Rahul have to find Sonia (Neha Dhupia), the girl he was pursuing at the party to know the truth?

Director Saurabh Shukla ventures on this very hilarious journey as he helps Rahul piece his worst nightmare together. Helping him are his friends Saxena (Dalip Tahil) and Amit (Vinay Pathak). Cleverly woven in flashback with some crisp editing, Shukla manages a decent comic thriller, the end that cannot be told here for fear of spoiling the sting in the tale.

Rajat as the Casanova husband dons another hat and comes up trumps. Iravati Harshe as the confused wife who seems to know the truth is excellent. Dalip and 'Dasvidaniya Pathak' are to the mark while Navnit Nishan as Dalip's loud 'over-the-top' wife is endearing. It is only as the film comes to a close that you see the quality of her character.

Neha Dhupia is slowly but steadily climbing the ladder of success with one solid performance after another. After DE DANA DAN where she played the cool hooker, she has another similar role where she does full justice. Tone, tenor and temperament... just perfect.

The story is simple but the end, when it unravels, will have you believing in love even more.

The night's over, but the memories linger.

3 IDIOTS MOVIE REVIEW

2010-01-20T23:49:00.000-08:00

It has to be the most idiotic start to such a fascinating movie. You wonder where the movie is heading to when an aircraft returns to base after a passenger suffers a heart attack in the feeblest performance ever. But Rajkumar Hirani soon gets his act and cast together to deliver a stunning product. Education is not about success; it's about pursuing excellence and doing what you are passionate about. In the end, success will chase you. This oft-repeated dialogue is beautifully portrayed in the last frame. I have never laughed so hard before leaving a theatre. Hirani actually manages to show success chasing you. Hilarious. Bhaiyya, All is well!

Take a bow Mr Hirani. 3 IDIOTS is a fantastic film, one that every parent, teacher and most importantly students will dig into. Like the jaadu ki jhappi in Munnabhai MBBS, 'All Is Well', will soon be a craze across the nation. Hirani this time looks at the education system. The staid, mechanical ways in which education is imparted where students are like machines. The setting is a prestigious engineering college and at the centre of it all is Aamir Khan, a genius student who likes to see some fun injected in the lectures.

Hirani touches on student suicides; parents pushing students into a field they are not keen on; students silently trying to excel in something they are not passionate about; overzealous students who learn by rote without knowing the meaning of what is going into their head, and also human emotions of how when a friend fails, you feel sad but when the same friend tops in college, jealousy takes hold. All these aspects and more are beautifully woven into the screenplay to sock you right under your chin without sounding preachy. There is a twist too, to spice up things at the interval.

To get to the story, Farhan Qureshi (R Madhavan) Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) and Rancho (Aamir Khan) are three inseparable buddies. The film starts with Farhan and Raju getting some info on Rancho who has gone missing after their graduation. It's been (5-10) years now. It then moves to flashback. Where did Rancho disappear? Who was he really and what is he up to now? These questions keep you intrigued throughout the movie.

Lyricist Swanand Kirkire needs special mention. His line from the hit song All Is Well: 'Murgi kya jaane ande ka kya hoga, life milegi ya tawe pe fry hoga...' and other songs are quite a revelation. The music by Shantanu Moitra is excellent and dialogues by Hirani and Abhijit Joshi very inspiring. Although Hirani does not take pains to establish the friendship between the three, you overlook that fact because there is lot of meat in the screenplay. The film has been inspired from Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone.

Now, for the performances. Santa Khan has done it again. Three Christmas hits in a row: TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, GHAJNI and now 3 IDIOTS. It's sad, that like Santa, Aamir comes only once a year. But like excited kids, Aamir has created an air of expectancy for his audience for his next visit. Ho Ho Ho... he is surely going to have Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra jingle all the way to the bank.

To knock off almost 20 years and pass off as a 24-year-old is a herculean task, one, which the diminutive Khan does with aplomb. Watch him to believe it. I mean, you do not see any persona of the Aamir of old in any angle, in any shot, in any dialogue delivery. A complete, brand new Aamir. You look for flaws but find none. Truly, a mark of a genius. The odd way in which he walks with his feet slightly apart is a delight.

Sharman Joshi is excellent too. Madhavan could have taken his role more seriously and tried to fit in as a college student. Kareena, though does not have much of a role makes an impact while Mona Singh who makes her big screen debut does not get enough scope to show her talent. The one who steals the show with Aamir is Omi, the over zealous student who mugs his way to the top. This character is simply hilarious. In fact, it's a serious focus on how most students actually are today.

Boman Irani as the college head for once is not loud and over-the-top. A clever make-up and twist of the tongue is what sets him apart from his other roles, which have become monotonous.

There are many scenes that will grip you and others that will have you laughing silly. Like the last scene and the scene at Teacher's Day when Rancho changes the script.

Go watch it... I'd say please watch it... The duo of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani now has Santa Khan for company.

ROCKET SINGH MOVIE REVIEW

2010-01-20T23:47:00.000-08:00

Two years after delivering a hit on the hockey fields with CHAK DE INDIA, Shimit Amin returns, this time with business as the field of play. Yet again, he delivers a product with finesse. ROCKET SINGH appeals, endears, and warms the cockles of one's heart.

Ranbir Kapoor is in that phase of his innings right now, where he can do no wrong. He is, in sporting parlance, what you call 'in the Zone'. Anything he does just shines. He has that uncanny knack of 'becoming' the character, body language and all... He is such a joy to watch.

Ranbir is Harpeet Singh Bedi, a youngster who just manages to scrape through his B.Com exams and one who is not interested in CAT. He wants to work as a salesman. He lands a job as a trainee at AYS Computers and within a few days is blasted for being a 'Mahatma in the jungle.' He complains against an employee of a firm who buys bulk orders from AYS because he is asking for his 'Cut'.

AYS boss and their sales manager see red. He is insulted and asked to make just 'cold calls' from his desk. Things take a turn for the worse when he is humiliated further by his boss. This, when all he wanted to do was tell his boss that he was using his office space to start his own company, Rocket Sales Corp.

Slowly he wins the hearts of four of his colleagues including the Sales Manager to buck up his sales order, which by now is on the upswing. Rocket Sales Corp steals the orders right from AYS's noses. They offer round-the-clock service and at a very competitive rate with minimal profit margins. Flustered, his boss offers to buy his company for Rs 60 lakhs. This call is made from within the same office and his boss does not know whom he is speaking with. To cut the long story short, their game is up when the boss makes a call to the MD of Rocket sales and finds that the phone rings in his own office.

Harpreet is forced to sign on a document, which waives off his right as an owner. But, this is not a win for his boss as he soon realizes that none of Rocket Sales' clients are now willing to do business with AYS even though both the companies have merged. And therein lies the business fundas of Rocket Sales Corp.

Shimit takes a neutral view of the business field and lays bare the employee-boss relationship as well as the 'percentage party' where the customer is the scapegoat. In the final analysis, as Harpreet tells his boss, it is not about driving your employees nuts to achieve sales target but by understanding them.

Shazahn Padamsee who makes her debut has the talent to come through. However, she has to work hard on her dialogue delivery and body language. Ditto Gauahar Khan who too makes her debut. Prem Chopra as Ranbir's grandfather finally gets a role of substance, suited to his age and he does a wonderful job. A complete shift from the crass acts he has been made to do of late. The Sales Manager shines through, as well as the guy who assembles computers. Both characters are cleverly crafted.

Dunno if ticket sales for this film will rocket, but I strongly recommend ROCKET SINGH

RADIO MOVIE REVIEW

2009-12-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

Sonal Sehgal (Pooja) and Snenaz Treasuryvala (Shanaya) are the two actresses who will benefit most from RADIO - LOVE ON AIR. For these two, its showcase time with a good show reel and both put their best foot forward at the expense of Himesh Reshammiya. This singer-cum-composer-cum-songwriter-cum-actor had put up a decent performance in KARZZZZ after his disastrous acting debut with AAP KA SUROOR. With RADIO, he catches the wrong frequency.

There's more of commentary than actual action. Every move is first narrated to the viewer. Things then take place. This is where I think the director has failed miserably. You can feed the viewer once, but constantly opening up the act with a commentary and then continuing to do so is in bad taste, almost a slap on the viewers' face.

The hit song 'Maan ka radio...' which has been making waves on air for the last few months does not get even a decent footage... just bits of it... I mean the whole song is never played in one go for the viewer to enjoy.

The most glaring faux pas is the character Jhandulal (Paresh Rawal) who impersonates Ghanta Singh from Radio One 94.3 fm. And they keep saying Radio Mirchi... It's Hot!!! Ghanta Singh is this cool dude who makes calls to unsuspecting people inquiring about the services they have to offer, while all the time actually pulling a fast one on them.

Eighty percent of the movie is shot showing R J Vivan (Himesh) in the Radio Mirchi Studios. All they could have done was pick up a hit segment from their own radio station. Considering there was no genius in the plot, they could have upped the USP of their most famous RJ, the very eccentric but lovable, Jeeturaj.

As for the story, Vivan is an RJ working with Radio Mirchi. He has just divorced his wife Pooja. Shanaya enters his life quite by accident and that?s where things get complicated.

PAA MOVIE REVIEW

2009-12-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

ZANJEER broke the shackles after 13 consecutive flops. AGNEEPATH was an experiment that had a class of its own. BLACK broke all barriers and now comes PAA. Let's give a standing ovation to the man who dominated the 80s and 90s and continues to surprise with his talent and willingness to subject himself to roles that require make-up for a complete change in appearance. Mr Amitabh Bachchan, for you Sir... the applause refuses to die off...

Playing a 13-year-old with a rare disease which causes him to age before time, Amitabh is class personified. Displaying an amazing flair and getting into character is like a cake-walk for him as Progeria (the disease he suffers from) ravages his tiny body. A special child with special abilities, Auro immediately makes a special place in your heart as you follow his short and brilliant life.

No self pity, just full of masti a kid his age would be. Auro has friends who form his support system apart from his mother (Vidya Balan) and his grandma who he lovingly calls 'Bum'

R Balakrishnan (aka R Balki) has tackled a very complex subject and has brought out the beauty of relationships in a very forceful manner without even one relationship in the movie going over the top. Be it the relationship between Vidya and Auro; Auro and his Bum, Auro and his friends or even Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan) and his dad (Paresh Rawal). Though centered around Auro and his disorder, Balki manages to draw all relationships to the fore.

Balki also manages to throw a positive light on sticky issues. Although he gets the point of the over-enthusiastic media, use of condoms, abortion and the political angle in, he does not sound preachy.

Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till turn a 66-year-old-plus Amitabh to a very believable 13-year-old with their prosthetic make-up. And Amitabh, with his walking, talking and body language draws you even closer to Auro creating that Aura. Nothing flashy. He just delivers his lines like any, normal 13-year-old would.

Really, this movie is all about Auro and a kid that explodes from Amitabh. Vidya Balan is sedate and super in her role as the caring single mother. Abhishek is solid as the politician who will not let anything come between his dreams and Auro's friend, Vishnu is a treat.

Not much was revealed of the story before the release and I too will not spoil it for you by saying much. All I can say is that the end will have you reaching out for the kleenex.

Yes, Abhishek is his Paa. Yes, it's a rare father-son-son-father story. Yes, I think the makers should also consider putting a proposal to making PAA tax free. Also every paa should take his family for this movie.

Paa kasam, this film will rock you.

DE DANA DAN MOVIE REVIEW

2009-12-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

Priyadarshan is in roaring form. After a jerky start, he goes full throttle to amuse, tickle and literally get you to have a blast in DE DANA DAN shot entirely in Singapore. There's nothing Einsteinique in the script and the plot revolves around a kidnapping gone wrong and a case of mistaken identities. The kidnappers, Suniel Shetty and Akshay Kumar need the money to start life anew with their respective girlfriends, Sameera Reddy and Katrina Kaif. Even the dog in his memsaab's house is better looked after than he. So Akshay, who is saddled with a job as driver-cum- man Friday of Archana Puran Singh, is at his wits ends trying to please her. He is stuck for life at this job because his father, who died suddenly, had taken a loan to pay for his education. He now has to work to repay the loan his father had taken.

Paresh Rawal is a conman who borrows money from one, to return to another. Chasing him is a cop. Tinnu Anand is against his daughter's relationship with Akshay, while Sameera's dad is conned into getting her married to Paresh's son. There's also Shakti Kapoor, who is on a marrying spree; Neha Dhupia, who is his latest fancy and Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav and Asrani plot together to up the laugh quotient.

The comedy is purely situational and there are several such situations that have you in splits. In one scene, Rajpal Yadav who plays a waiter, is shown tasting the alcohol in the glasses and topping it by eating a few snacks before giving it to a guest. A riot. Another has Johnny Lever piling up people on a bed after snuffing them out with Chloroform. Hilarious.

The end scene is purely original. So much water has never been used even in the Titanic!

Don't ask for any logic or reasoning. The situations are purely coincidental guaranteed to give you a laugh. If the film does well in the first week, Priyadarshan should consider chopping off a good 20 minutes!

KURBAAN MOVIE REVIEW

2009-11-22T10:43:00.000-08:00

KURBAAN is NEW YORK. But with a different set of actors. KURBAAN is also SHOOT ON SIGHT, again with different actors. The plot remains the same, the twists and turns fails to surprise you and the end is inevitable. However, here, the love story has been hyped, thanks to Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor having an off-screen romance as well. But the intensity and the love undercurrents between Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh, and the romance between Kaif and John Abraham that was visible in NEW YORK is missing in KURBAAN.

Technically the movie is sound; acting wise, everyone chips in with a fine performance. The look, feel and action sequences are top class, but then you are not seeing anything new that has not been shown in the recent past. The above-mentioned films are just the recent references.

Ehsaan (Saif Ali Khan) falls in love with Avantika (Kareena Kapoor). Both teach in the same college in New Delhi. Avantika is back from the US, as she had to tend to her ailing father. Six month later, she gets a call from her University to come back. Ehsaan says he does not mind sacrificing his career to join her. He is traditional he says, not selfish. So off they go to the US and manage to find a home in an Indian neighbourhood. She also manages to find him a job in her college. Their neighbours befriend the new couple and that's when things spiral out of control.

There are many loose ends. The US knows Ehsaan as Khalid the dreaded terrorist. They have his photograph. When he comes back to the US with Avantika as Ehsaan, he has just trimmed his beard to a French cut. He still looks the same, yet they cannot detect him entering Kennedy Airport!

AAO WISH KAREIN MOVIE REVIEW

2009-11-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

If you believe in fairytales, you can be a part of it. This is what Hitchcock (not Alfred), but Johnny Lever's character keeps repeating. Indeed, if you believe in fairytales, this film is for you. There is no doubt about it.

It's what all fairytales are like and it does not disappoint. Forget the fact that it is a borrowed concept; a remake of Hollywood's BIG, starring Tom Hanks. Though not lifted frame for frame, producer Aftab Shivdasani, who also takes credit as the storywriter does inject his own ideas too. A decent attempt by this first time producer.

The setting is surreal and immediately gets you into a storybook mould. The characters etched are befitting the genre and you should have no complaints with the plot and premise too. Remember, this is a movie for kids, released a day before Children's Day.

Mickey is a young boy of 12 who is besotted by 22-year-old town beauty Mitika (Aamna Sharif). He has a friend in Bonny who he spends most of his waking time with. At home, his father is not too pleased with his 'out of school' activities, while his mother is always protective about him. It appears that Mickey is their adopted son and this fact is known to Mickey during one of the arguments his parents have over him. He also has a kid sister he adores.

Coming back to the plot, Mickey is desperate to woo Mitika and he is helped by Hitchcock, who, it appears, knows everything about everybody. Mickey is helped to make a wish at the wishing well, and the next morning he is BIG enough to woo Mitika. Then begins the process of falling in love and the ultimate marriage day, where Mickey (Aftab) becomes his small self.

Aftab makes an attempt to stay in character. As a 12-year-old trapped in a man's body, he is impressive. Aamna, who made her debut earlier this year with ALOO CHAAT starring Aftab alongside, gives a confident show this time. Though she has not much of a depth in her role, she does enough to impress and send out signals to filmmakers, that this here is a pretty face who can act as well.

However, considering that this is a children's film and passed with a U certificate, I wonder how the censors passed the scene where Aftab meets a 'Commercial sex worker' on the streets and brings her home for the night. It gets extremely embarrassing for parents who have come in with their kids. This for me is the only jarring point. Otherwise, it's a decent film for kids.

TUM MILE MOVIE REVIEW

2009-11-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

The deluge of July 26, 2005 is just an aberration; it's not the crux of the story. The romance began some six years ago and due to irrevocable differences between Akshay (Emraan Hashmi) and Sanjana (Soha Ali Khan), the two part ways, although intensely in love. Commitment was something Akshay was not familiar with; rather, he was wary of it.

So you have the two main leads meeting somewhere in South Africa. Cupid strikes and its love at first sight. Akshay is a struggling artist while Sanjana is a little princess, living in a palatial home and working for a magazine. The two move in to 'live in' and there in creep the differences

Akshay is fed up because he is not going anywhere with his paintings, while Sanjana is only too happy to be able to support the two. Akshay finally gets an offer as a creative head of a team and asks Sanjana to join him. She refuses and asks him to marry her. He is not ready. They part ways.

All this is told in flashback and the meeting point is the flight back to Mumbai at Heathrow Airport. They meet after six years, exchange pleasantries and when they land in Mumbai, are caught up in the storm. Here their romance is rekindled.

Soha Ali Khan is confident from frame one. This girl seduces the camera with her confident body language and easy dialogue delivery. She makes the right move at every turn adding that air of credibility to the fragility of her romance with Emraan. The 'kiss man' gets his mandatory smooch and is quite convincing as the 'desperate to make it big', loser boyfriend.

Mantra, Emraan's buddy is another actor who catches the eye. This lad has talent and essays his role with panache.

The lyrics melt with the mood and the music blends with the scenes. The story, like all Bhatt films is heavy on romance and the uneasy pain of loving and leaving. Given the backdrop of the deluge, director Kunal Deshmukh makes a valiant attempt of recreating the last moments of TITANIC. The scenes showing the floods are close to real and take you back in time when the streets became one big sea and the message at the end is 'Stay indoors when it rains.'

Though the film does manage to tug at your heart the length is a big bother, a little snip here and a big cut there would have done wonders for this film. The lead pair of Emraan and Soha is fantastic.

JAIL MOVIE REVIEW

2009-11-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

It is dark, distressing and deeply disturbing, like most, Madhur Bhandarkar films. After feeble attempts with TRAFFIC SIGNAL and FASHION, Madhur roars in form once again. JAIL will have you thinking.

The National Award winning director, this time focuses on the tragic lives of those behind bars. The brokenness they have to deal with, the foolishness of that 'one-second anger' that led to murder, which they are now regretting or even how the innocent battle for justice. JAIL is one such story that focuses on the innocence of Parag Dixit (Neil Nitin Mukesh) and slowly unwraps the other areas, which need to be addressed to the common man. If you have an appetite for hardcore reality cinema, 'This Is It'!

Parag is living a dream life with a good position in a multi-national and Mansi (Mugdha Godse), a girlfriend who understands his needs. One day, things take an ugly turn when his car is intercepted by the police. His roommate who is travelling with him, urges him to drive faster when he sees a cop van trailing. However, Parag slows down, while his friend jumps out and starts shooting at the police. Too shocked to understand what has happened in a split second, Parag sees his roommate being hit by a bullet and a bag full of cocaine recovered from the backseat.

It is all a daze for Parag as he is handcuffed and led to the police station and eventually to the lock-up. His only hope of acquittal is his roommate who is in the ICU. His friend had cleverly made deals using Parag's mobile, and all the while Parag thought that it was bad network that had his friend using his phone when at home. As luck would have it, his friend dies and that is the beginning of a fresh ordeal for Parag.

It is not close to what prison cells are but Madhur manages to bring the uneasiness and fear that dwells deep within the prison walls. He touches on corrupt police officials and their nexus between the underworld. But what is most disturbing is that there are many who are languishing behind bars without a proper trial. Some like Parag are even innocent.

Neil Nitin Mukesh gives a powerhouse performance. Easily, his act is worthy of the Best Actor Award in the coming year. Even in his silence, he cries out to you with a deafening roar. His body language and emotions are an absolute stunner. He lends that touch of credibility to his character portraying his vulnerability with an expertise found in veterans.

Arya Babbar as Kabir Malik, a prisoner who works for the underworld, and who scouts for potential sharpshooters in their desperate need to get out of jail is a class act. Studied, and focused, he matches Neil 'frame for frame' with his scenes. Manoj Bajpai as Nawaab, a prisoner who has found favour with the top jail authorities too chips in with a powerful performance. Between these three, they make JAIL what it is.

There are a few loose shots, like Manoj Bajpai's back-story, Ghalib's escape and an old veteran explaining how he landed behind bars despite winning many Government awards. This dilutes the focus and intensity of the film.

However, overall, JAIL is worth a watch.

AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI MOVIE REVIEW

2009-11-16T06:27:00.000-08:00

Darshan Jariwala, Govind Namdeo and Zakir Husain have come up with the most unconvincing performances in recent times. Stuck with a poorly etched character, they find it difficult to move beyond first gear and stutter and stop at most times. At best, you can label their characters silly. All three are very good actors, mind you. Ranbir Kapoor, stuck with the same formula, (poorly etched character) comes up trumps. His role, too, has neither meat nor meaning, yet, he manages to blaze through on the sheer power of his acting abilities. This kid has star power written all over him. Even the silliest scenes he turns on the top of its head. You cannot help but marvel at the ease with which he consumes his lines; so much passion for even a dead role.

Yes, that's what Raj Kumar Santoshi's latest offering is. Prem (Ranbir Kapoor) runs Happy Club along with his friends. Their motto is simple; keep everyone happy and help lovers in distress. As president of the club, Prem and his gang go to any length to make sure two lovers get married. Even if it means getting the one he loves Jennifer, (Katrina Kaif) married off to the one she loves.

There are enough comic situations to justify that this is a comedy but not enough substance to validate the overemphasis on love. In the end, it's more a masala flick than a comedy.

But thanks to Ranbir, this film becomes bearable and there are moments he has you in his grasp, either with his performance or simply by his sheer presence. Katrina Kaif looks pretty as usual and has done a good job. However, I get a feeling that she has been miscast in this role. But when you look at it from the distributors and marketing point of view, this is a super jodi. I'm sure we will see more of them together.

The film swings like a pendulum; at one moment, it takes off and at another, it just drops. The track between the gangster (Zakir Husain) is uncalled for and lengthens the movie unnecessarily. As for the track with Rahul (Upen Patel), it's very, very long.

Just one question to Ranbir Kapoor and the people who have marketed this film: was it necessary to time the break-up story (if at all it is true) with girlfriend Deepika Padukone a few days before the release? I mean, C'mon, Ranbir can get the audience into the theatres on the strength of his performance. He does not need cheap publicity gimmicks to create a buzz about the film. On second thoughts, maybe Ranbir had no choice but to play to the market and make sure the film capitalized on the 'initials'. Love be damned.

ALADIN MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T01:07:00.000-07:00

Aladin (the film) is no Genius as Amitabh Bachchan's character is, but the movie does transport you to fantasyland, as its genre promises. Right from Boman Irani's voice-over in the beginning, the film carries you to a place called Khwaish, where Sujoy Ghosh rubs his palms, has his actors in slick get-ups, and sets to match the mood. Its fantasyland all right when Aladin (Riteish Deshmukh) is bullied by his friends from childhood to rub a lamp in the hope of a genie appearing. ''Aladin, Aladin kahan hai tera genie,'' his friends harass him all through his growing-up years.

However, things change when Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez) walks into his class on his birthday. Kasim (Sahil Khan), the big bully organizes a birthday bash to impress Jasmine. He convinces Jasmine that Aladin likes lamps and they buy him one as his birthday gift. Once again, they force him to rub the lamp. He refuses, but on Jasmine's insistence, he does oblige. Out comes Genius the genie (Amitabh Bachchan). From then on, its all between Genie and Aladin. He has three wishes but he wastes them all on Jasmine! There's also a twist in the tale in the form of Ring Master (Sanjay Dutt) who plays the bad Genie who wants all powers for himself.

Jacqueline waltzes through her part with the grace of a gazelle. She has the looks and the talent to make a mark. Amitabh is in 'high energy' mode giving the formulaic image of a fat man who we have come to identify with a Genie, a novel twist. Whether he is dancing or fighting, he is still 'Ab Tak Bachchan'. The style and the charismatic power are there for all to see. Riteish is slowly but steadily making a mark of his own. Dutt injects the necessary evil ingredient.

The look and feel of the film given by Sabu Cyril is commendable and the music by Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani has you tapping your feet. Choreography is top class and costumes deserve a special mention.

This film should have been released at the start of the Diwali vacations; nevertheless, kids will have a blast. Grown-ups too will love it, provided they are willing to take a trip down fantasyland.

LONDON DREAMS MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T01:04:00.000-07:00

In the first half, the script is hugely disappointing. There are instances of circumstances that make your jaw drop in disbelief. Arjun (Ajay Devgan) is being taken by his uncle, Om Puri, to London after his father's demise. Why he is going there, no one knows. But what takes the cake is at the airport, Arjun leaves his uncle and runs off. That's not all, he lives a good 20 years in the UK, furthers his singing ambition and manages to raise a band of Indian origin called, London Dreams.

How he grew up, where he stayed, why his uncle never lodged a police complaint is things we should not ask. A good 20 years later, or so, he is at his uncle's fast food corner ordering some food with his band friends. His uncle does not recognize him. Later, after a concert, Arjun calls out to his uncle!

Another instance of poor scripting is when at an audition, Arjun requests Priya (Asin) to join him. She knows all about him. C'mon, this is an audition of a lifetime and he is chancing it by requesting some female he saw dancing on the street.

Thankfully, post interval the pieces are picked up and the script gets tighter. Mercifully, there is Salman Khan (Manu) to grab your attention, with a laudable performance. I'm no Salman Khan fan, but the way he has tackled this role is like he has put his whole life into it. The fun-loving Manu, Arjun's childhood friend steals the thunder from Arjun's nose with his performance, just as he does on stage during their concerts. If you are a Salman fan, this is one performance of his you have to watch.

Arjun and Manu are childhood friends living somewhere in Punjab. Arjun has a dream of performing at Wembley to a full house; Manu is content playing the fool in the village. Arjun's parents are dead against their son's choice of career. Things turn in his favour when Arjun's father passes away and his uncle takes him to London. There (20 years later) he meets up with two brothers from Pakistan and sets up his band. Manu, in one of his conversations on the telephone, informs Arjun that he is getting married and Arjun flies down to Punjab, pronto! His first visit after he left for foreign shores (another of the 'script tease'). Here, he hears Manu singing and invites him too, to join his band. Once there, Manu steals the show with his singing and Arjun is sidelined as the crowds root for Manu.

Arjun's dream is shattered. What he dreamt for himself, he sees it happening to his friend. He plans the downfall of his best friend, as he cannot contain his jealousy. He vents his fury at Wembley Stadium when he does get to perform there. All that the crowd wants is Manu, while Arjun is belting out his number. Arjun on his part has made sure that Manu will never come back on stage.

The music is good while you hear it but the lyrics or tune is not something you will take home. A good opportunity lost for the trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.

Vipul Shah has garnished the film with some convincing concert scenes but its Salman and Salman alone who turns the table for LONDON DREAMS and makes it worth a watch.

ALL THE BEST-FUN BEGINS MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr Ajay Devgan. I don't know whether you have officially knocked off the 'A' from your surname or it is just a passing fad for a shift in spelling. For fear of you getting back to your original spelling, I'd rather address you with the 'A'. Remember Kareina Kapoor and Viveik Oberoi? They both went back to their original spellings.

Anyways, this note before the review is to congratulate you on a laugh riot. You have really lit up the lives of millions of cinemagoers this Diwali. A big hug and also a big Thank You on behalf of the viewers who will know their money has been well spent and won't come out feeling Blue!

People, line up for your tickets, ALL THE BEST directed by Rohit Shetty is a MUST WATCH. Sanjay Dutt is having the time of his life in a role he revels from the time he enters Goa Airport. Never have I seen him having so much fun and being so involved in his character. Ajay Devgan is super in his support. The show belongs to these two. Atul Parchure, Johnny Lever and Sanjay Mishra are the others who will have you laughing your guts out.

ALL THE BEST is a situational comedy. Veer (Fardeen Khan) needs extra pocket money from his stepbrother, Dharam (Sanjay Dutt), who lives in London. He needs the money to support his rock band. Prem Chopra (Ajay Devgan), his best friend who is married to Jhanvi (Bipasha Basu), hits on an idea. He tells Veer to inform Dharam that he is married. Vidya (Mugdha Godse) is Veer's girlfriend. Everything moves on smoothly for this gang until they take a loan from Tobu (Johnny Lever) to enter a car race. They lose the race, and have to repay the Rs 5 lakh loan along with the Rs 5 lakh, which Tobu wagered on them winning the race. They decide to rent out Veer's bungalow. Just then, they get a call from Dharam who is in Goa for a couple of hours. He decides to drop in home.

Vidya has gone off in a huff and cannot be contacted because she has left her cell phone at Veer's home. Veer is at his wits end, while Prem tries to solve the situation by getting Mary (Ashwini Kalsekar), their housemaid, to enact the wife's role. In walks Jhanvi and the roles have been reversed. From here on, everyone moves in and out of the bungalow leaving Dharam garam.

It's a laugh riot all the way. The background score keeps pace with the comedy, the music is peppy while the dialogues have weight. There's also action aplenty.

Its thumbs, toes and bottoms up for Devgan and director Rohit Shetty.

BLUE MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:56:00.000-07:00

This one has to go down as the biggest disaster of the year. It is sure to sink without a trace.

There is no substance, there is no script and the dialogues are juvenile and crass to the core. Sample this: Akshay Kumar tells a girl, "Let me ride you." The only twist in the plot (if you can call it one) is so loud that the director is almost shouting it out. When this excursion ends, you almost sigh in relief!

The quality of the acting is what you would put up in a school play. Akshay Kumar is always dressed like a bandmaster, Sanjay Dutt is left to find his left foot as he struggles to groove to the beat (where was the choreographer?) and Lara Dutta is busy changing into stylish two-piece suits (the skimpy ones) to get underwater. If she is not in her swimming attire, she is busy shaking her body like a girl lost in a pub. As for Zayed Khan, he gives one the feeling that he is hanging around with a bunch of his school buddies. Oh yes, somewhere along the way Katrina Kaif also shows up with Rahul Dev. There's also Kylie Minogue. Did she know what she was getting into? I'm sure, she too is feeling blue!

BLUE is a picnic in the Bahamas for the cast and crew. I guess director Anthony D'Souza told the cast, "Just get in front of the camera and do whatever you want." All four are very unconvincing and you can even see them squirm in some scenes. Sanjay Dutt, I'm sure, will be hiding his face in his hands if he ever watches this film in its complete state. Never has he ever been so bored in a role.

The first hour is a drag, the following is even worse. The first scene itself is an indication of what is in store. Dutt and Akshay play with a shark! No, in fact they are shooing it away from their net! However, you wait patiently because the promos have been convincing. They then get into the boxing ring. There is no respite. From here, it moves from one weird scene to another.

As for the story, go figure it out. I'm still trying to figure out what was in the bag that cost 50 million dollars. Worse, I can't for the life of me fathom why Zayed Khan did not look into the bag, the size of a lap top case, which Rahul Dev gave him to deliver to another person for a fee of 50,000 Dollars.

My advice would be to save the money for some Diwali shopping.

MAIN AURR MRS KHANNA MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:51:00.001-07:00

MAIN AUR MRS KHANNA had the potential to be an intense, intricate, complicated story of love. However, the weak writing has let the film down. It's really sad because they had one of the best actresses in Bollywood playing the lead in Kareena Kapoor. They also had Salman Khan, a top draw for distributors across the globe. But the intensity of the romance between Salman and Kareena is wasted away by novice twist, which takes the sting out of the tale.

The meeting between Samir Khanna (Salman Khan) and Raina (Kareena Kapoor), too is not very convincing. But the film does take off after that and then crash lands at the Melbourne airport with the introduction of the 'twist'. Samir marries Raina who is from an orphanage. However, his parents are not too happy with their son's choice of bride. They move to Melbourne, Australia, to begin their marital life. Here, Samir faces some tough financial times, we learn, as he is involved in his firm losing out on a lot of money in the stock exchange. Not able to get a job in Australia, he decides to shift base to Singapore at the insistence of his friend.

At the airport, however, he hands over Raina's passport and ticket and tells her that her flight is to Delhi, while he is off to Singapore. He says that this is in their best interest. Raina decides against boarding the flight back to Delhi and with the help of a friend finds a place to stay and a job at the airport. Here she meets Aakash (Sohail Khan), who works at a cafe. Akash it is who helps her out during her difficult times and they develop a bond of friendship. Though for Mrs Khanna, Akash is just a good friend, Akash has slowly fallen in love with her. He feels Samir will not come back for her and theirs will be a happy ending. However, Samir, after tasting success, comes back to Australia to take Raina with him. Here is when the complications erupt.

In this day and age of instant communication, it's sad that Samir and Raina hardly ever keep in touch on the phone that she does not let him know that she has registered for a marriage with Akash for the sake of her work permit. In addition, the scenes where Aakash and his friend try to barge into their home and all three (Aakash, his friend and Samir) sleep on the same bed is not convincing. I'm sure they had sofas and even carpets to lie down on. Samir and Raina need not have to sleep in different rooms, too.

When there's not much in a script, no actor can do anything. Not even a dashing Samir, or even a stunning Mrs Khanna!

ACID FACTORY MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

It's a first in Bollywood, Jhakaas action with kick-ass editing. It's so sharp that the cuts back and forth leave you breathless even as the action unfolds with typical Hollywood finesse. The screenplay blends seamlessly into every scene, past or present and the sound will truly get you. This is Bollywood at its best when it comes to action, direction, screenplay, editing, sound and cinematography. In short, this is Tashan - The Ishtyle, The good luck, The pharmoola!

Take a bow Mr Sanjay Gupta. I know you are the producer, but there is no mistaking your signature style.

What's even more unbelievable is that the story is a simple kidnap for ransom drama. But the intriguing plots within, layered between every scene is what is truly outstanding. Director Suparn Verma handles each scene with gay abandon.

Action director, Tinu Verma has set a benchmark, which will give Allan Amin sleepless nights! Cinematographer Sahil Kapoor takes you on an aerial tour of South Africa, capturing the beauty of the land. His use of camera angles and movements is slick... very, very slick. It's so real that you feel what the character on the screen is feeling. Bunty Nagi has clipped each scene and merged the past and present, peeling off every confusing layer with effortless ease. Oscar Winner Resul Pookutty takes this sound to another level. Be it the choppers homing in on the villain's car or the bullets being fired, or even the highway chase, his sound takes you right where the action is. Art Director Nitish Roy takes us away from Mukesh Mills to this Acid Factory. See it to believe it. Not ostentatious, but very real. Styling by Shantanu, Nikhil and Shahid Aamir also deserve special mention, as also the music by Shamir Tandon, Manasi Scott, Gourov Dasgupta, Bappa Lahiri and Ranjit Barot. For Manasi, it's a first as she has sung, composed, written the lyrics and even enacted her song on screen.

Now for the acting. Everyone is in a class of his or her own. Fardeen Khan, Dia Mirza, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani and Danny Denzongpa. The portrayal of every character and the eventual betrayal is carried off with style and delivered with conviction. Irrfan Khan makes a drastic shift form his usual dialogue delivery to suit the character of Kaiser he so chillingly displays. Danny is style personified while Manoj Bajpai gets a complete makeover. Dino for once stands out in his role and Fardeen Khan gives us glimpses of the style and grace his late father, Feroze Khan, once displayed on screen. This lad is slowly coming into his own.

As for Dia Mirza, she makes a solid impact even though she comes in the second half. Cool, calculating, and confident, a performance hitherto not seen from this former Miss India. This has been her Acid test!

Divulging anything about the story would be a grave injustice, to you, dear reader. But one word of caution. Keep alert at all times. Even if you blink for a second, you may miss a vital link that will help you unravel the mystery along with the characters, who incidentally, are suffering from a temporary memory loss.

Keep a watch out for Sultan, JD, Romeo, Max, Om and Sartak. They are your vital clues to this jigsaw.

I have just one grouse though. Why did Kaiser send Romeo out of the Factory to shoot Sartak? That is the only jarring note for me because Kaiser is portrayed as a merciless killer.

If you love the thrill and chill with fast-paced action, ACID FACTORY cannot be missed.

DO KNOT DISTURB MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

Sssssssshhhhhhh! DO KNOT DISTURB... This is a knotty affair... Enter at your own risk!

David Dhawan has flopped and flopped miserably. He comes out with no script, creates silly situations and expects his cast to enact with conviction and have the audience in splits. Pity, because he had such a talented line-up of stars that are sadly made to jump around without rhyme or reason. Govinda, Riteish Deshmukh, Rajpal Yadav, Ranvir Shorey, Sohail Khan, Lara Dutta... all are made to do meaningless scenes.

It all starts because Govinda has been caught in a frame with his girlfriend. Fortunately, for Govinda, Riteish Deshmukh wanders into the frame while the photograph is being taken. The said photograph lands on Sushmita Sen's table. She wants to get to the bottom of her husband's affair. She hires a detective to follow Govinda while Govinda tracks down Riteish and pays him to pretend to be Lara Dutta's boyfriend. From one bizarre situation to another, the movie moves on...

Songs pop up at unexpected turns and you end up feeling bad for the director who gave us a few No. 1 hits.

WAKE UP SID MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:36:00.000-07:00

Ayan Mukerji makes a solid debut as a director with his maiden venture, WAKE UP SID.

Mukerji is in control of the proceedings right from the word go. There is a level of rare maturity in his handling of the two lead actors so diverse in their approach to cinema. One a bubblegum, chocolate hero; another, a solid performer known more for her intense performances. Mukerji's control comes to the fore in his handling of every scene. He never goes over the top, and even the perpetual 'bunch of friends at college' are refreshingly used.

There is also a smart smattering of an interesting mix of English numbers used to light up certain moods, which works as a stimulant.

WAKE UP SID, is a mature love story. On one hand of the spectrum, you have a mature, older woman in search of her independence and on the other hand, you have an irresponsible, immature lad who is so dependent on his parents and their wealth. One day there is a wake up call from where begins his inward journey to unraveling the man within.

Sidharth Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor) has it easy. He has a rich father, a doting mother and a bunch of friends who he moves out with. Life is set. It couldn't be better. He even has credit cards to fund his extravagant lifestyle. Aisha (Konkona Sen Sharma) comes to Bombay from Calcutta in search of her identity. She has a dream of becoming a writer and she knows this is the city of dreams. Sid and Aisha meet on the last day of college when she comes in with one of their friends. They hit it off instantly and go on to become the best of friends. Sid helps her in her house hunting and even helps her set it up. However, when the final year results are out, Sid is the only one who has failed.

Upset, he insults his mother (Supriya Pathak) and refuses to apologize even after his dad (Anupam Kher) asks him to. Because he does not want to go by the rules laid down by his dad, he leaves home and finds shelter at Aisha's home. Here is where he begins to mature, seeing life from a different perspective. Helping him through is a confused Aisha. Confused because she thinks he is a kid and somewhere deep down she is slowly beginning to look at him 'differently'.

Ranbir Kapoor has the charm of Rishi Kapoor and the sexiness of his mother Neetu Kapoor. He uses this potent mix to deadly effect. A natural with any scene, Ranbir walks into this role with the ease of a pro and comes out trumps. Be it when he is enjoying himself out there with his friends, insulting his mother or even keeping up pace with Konkona, he is perfect.

Konkona, not known for her glamorous image, keeps pace with the cute Kapoor lad. The two look fabulous together. It's only a tight script and a good director that could weave this magic.

Love you, Sid!

WHAT's YOUR RAASHEE? MOVIE REVIEW

2009-10-31T00:28:00.000-07:00

Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles! Sorry Captain Haddock, I had to borrow your oft-repeated phrase used in exasperation, or was it a mild way of using an expletive! Watching Ashutosh Gowariker's WHAT'S YOUR RAASHEE evokes an exclamation of this sort. You expect much more from the director who gave us that mammoth hit LAGAAN and followed it up with SWADES and JODHA AKBAR. WHAT'S YOUR RAASHEE, is nowhere near these three films in terms of content or execution. A simple, logical shift would have been in getting 12 different girls with different Sun Signs to enact what Gowariker is trying to characterize on screen. But what you get is 12 Priyanka Chopras donning the garb from Aries to Pisces. Nothing wrong with that. But 12 sun signs will have their 12 different and distinct characteristic traits apart from the physical attributes and Priyanka tries her best but ends up repeating herself. She begins well with the first two Sun Signs. However, I wonder which girl, apart from the Scorpio girl, who I believe was decently portrayed, will ever associate with any of the Raashee's depicted by Gowariker.

Run for cover, Gowariker!

The ones for whom this film will do a world of good though, is Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja. Priyanka gets to don 12 different characters to display her acting skills. As for Harman, this lad has finally shaken off his Hrithik ka bhoot and is actually looking good and has put up a decent performance. Their chemistry here is very different from their LOVE 2050 disaster. Based on the Gujarati novel 'Kimball Ravenswood' by Madhu Rye, WHAT'S YOUR RAASHEE? is Ashutosh Gowariker's first romantic comedy. Yogesh Patel (Harman Baweja) is happily pursuing his studies and working in the Big Apple. A phone call about his dad's state of health has him rushing back to India. His brother, it appears, had taken huge loans. The only way out is to get Yogesh married. They stumble on this idea when the pundit who is called to predict whether Yogesh's brother will face a jail term ends up studying Yogesh's kundli. He states that if Yogesh gets married by the 20th of the month, there will be a flood of wealth in the household. Right enough, when he is delivering his prediction, Yogesh's mother gets a call from her father in Gujarat that he is 'willing' his entire property to his darling grandson, Yogesh. From here starts Yogesh's dilemma. To cut the long story short, he agrees after much persuasion, but on the condition that he gets to meet one girl from every Sun Sign.

The premise is silly, the plot frivolous and the execution lacks direction. It appears as though Gowariker has let go of the reins and is not aware of what is happening. The movie breaks the three-hour barrier. Each Sun Sign lasts for over 12 minutes and is most often punctuated with a song. And in every 'meeting' Yogesh is always helping the girl, either to be a model, marry the one of her choice, or pursue her studies. One even follows him and another tries to seduce him in the first meeting! And these are all shudh Gujarati belles. There are also too many sub-plots; the pundit who turns jaasoos, the sidekicks of the don and the Kampala to Khandala plot. The music is a huge draw but is overused, the start is terrific; giving one a Broadway feel but then comes the downer... It's easy to predict the fate of this flick at the Box Office!

DIL BOLE HADIPPA MOVIE REVIEW

2009-09-23T03:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I get this feeling that this movie has been cleverly crafted and executed to herald Rani Mukherjee's second coming. Producer Aditya Chopra along with director Anurag Singh has made sure this is a Rani fare all the way and she gets most of the screen time. After all, it has been a long time Rani has been seen on screen. And to be fair to the actor, she has done a brilliant job. Showing the fire of old and a spark that still glows, Rani lights up the screen every time she comes on. Be it in the get-up as a male cricketer or as the village belle. She has enough and more scenes and dialogues to steam ahead in the numbers game. Others beware, the GHULAM girl is back with a bang. There's no dum in the story. It's a remix of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Chak De, both Yash Raj films. There are also enough references to the other hits from their banner, as is customary in all their films. Veera Kaur (Rani Mukherjee) is a cricketer who can hit six sixes in an over. Gary Sobers, Ravi Shastri and Yuvraj Singh be damned. She works in a local theatre group but dreams of donning the India colours. Her argument is simple; if Indira Gandhi could run the nation, Kiran Bedi tame prisoners in Tihar jail and Sunita Williams land on the moon, why cannot she play cricket for the Indian team. Good question! So to make her dream come true she turns into Veer Pratap Singh, complete with a moustache and a beard to enter the selection trials for a local club. Here she runs into (Rohan) Shahid Kapur, who has specially come down from England to help his dad's team, which has been consistently losing, get the winning edge. Dad and Mom are not on talking terms. Seems like she wanted to settle in England and he in India. So son spends most time in England Rohan selects Veer Pratap Singh blissfully unaware that he is a girl, falls in love with Veera, thinking she is Veer's sister, realizes his folly during the all-important match, asks her to sit out, and then, when they are nine wickets down and on the verge of losing the match to a Pakistan team, requests her to pad up. No prizes for guessing which team wins.

There's no dum in the story. It's a remix of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Chak De, both Yash Raj films. There are also enough references to the other hits from their banner, as is customary in all their films.

Veera Kaur (Rani Mukherjee) is a cricketer who can hit six sixes in an over. Gary Sobers, Ravi Shastri and Yuvraj Singh be damned. She works in a local theatre group but dreams of donning the India colours. Her argument is simple; if Indira Gandhi could run the nation, Kiran Bedi tame prisoners in Tihar jail and Sunita Williams land on the moon, why cannot she play cricket for the Indian team. Good question!

So to make her dream come true she turns into Veer Pratap Singh, complete with a moustache and a beard to enter the selection trials for a local club. Here she runs into (Rohan) Shahid Kapur, who has specially come down from England to help his dad's team, which has been consistently losing, get the winning edge. Dad and Mom are not on talking terms. Seems like she wanted to settle in England and he in India. So son spends most time in England

Rohan selects Veer Pratap Singh blissfully unaware that he is a girl, falls in love with Veera, thinking she is Veer's sister, realizes his folly during the all-important match, asks her to sit out, and then, when they are nine wickets down and on the verge of losing the match to a Pakistan team, requests her to pad up. No prizes for guessing which team wins.

WANTED MOVIE REVIEW

2009-09-23T03:23:00.000-07:00

Wanted: A tighter script. Wanted: Better editing. Wanted: A smooth flow of scenes. What you get instead is a 'leave-your-brains-behind' fare replete with frenzied plots, typical of Bollywood films of an era gone by, which cared two hoots about script or screenplay. But Salman Khan fans need not fear, WANTED is all about the Khan. Here he is on a killing spree. One after the other, bad guys get bumped off, either to a bullet or to his fist. Last week BAABARR, did the killing, this week it is Radhe (Salman Khan) who works for moneybhai (meaning, he kills for money). And he kills with passionate glee! There's also Gani bhai, Golden and Datta Pawle who do the killing. They are hardcore underworld characters who feed the cops and bleed the city. A bad cop is thrown in for good measure in the form of Inspector Talpade (Mahesh Manjrekar). Talpade decides which girl he wants to size up and does so in public! Of course there is also Ayesha Takia. Poor girl, she doesn't know if she is coming or going. I mean there are no links to her scenes and no meaning to her dialogues either. From a call centre where she works, she is either going to meet Radhe or to her aerobic classes. She has a kid brother who takes the 8pm local (empty). It is not clear whether he is going home or coming home

QUICK GUN MURUGUN

2009-09-13T11:11:00.003-07:00

QUICK GUN MURUGUN enthralled us with his lingo and distinct dialect almost a decade ago when he entered our living rooms through MTV. He was a creation of Shashank Ghosh. ''Mind it'' and ''We are like this only'' became popular lines and are used even today. The man has now made it as a hero, thanks to his creator who is also the director of this film.

The movie traces almost 25 years in the life of QUICK GUN MURUGUN who is bumped off by Rice Plate Reddy, the baddie. Rice Plate Reddy is forcefully turning all the pure vegetarian restaurants into non-veg ones and Murugun 'is not liking it' one bit. He polishes off his cronies 'Phatak se', with the subtle use of his guns and nimble hands. The bullets find its target after ricocheting off various objects. Rice Plate Reddy is angry and finishes off Murugun with a bullet to his heart. Yamraj descends to take his soul and all the way to heaven Murugun says, ''I want to go back''. At the registration counter 'Up There', he manages to convince the 'Heavenly Clerk' to send him back. He does come back, 25-years-later, but not in Kerala. Murugun is dropped at Gateway of India in Mumbai.

Rice Plate Reddy has by now set up a chain of McDosas all over the city of Mumbai and is also going international. Murugun's search for him leads to a volley of explosions and countless dead bodies. Yes, Murugun finishes off Rice Plate Reddy. He came from heaven on a mission, you see!

At best, you can enjoy this flick, mainly in English, partly in Malayalam with a little bit of Hindi and a few English sub-titles, for over 15 minutes. Then it gets bothersome. It's like the joke has gone too far. The violence is gory and you don't even see a joke in it. If it was a television film, you would not have 'Mind It'! As a full length feature... well, 'They are like that only...''

Dr Rajendra Prasad as QUICK GUN MURUGUN has his fingers on the trigger but it is Rice Plate Reddy played by Naseer who is the scene-stealer. This guy is a pocket dynamo. Close on his heels in the menace department is the actor who plays MBA, a perfect villain.

If you have a stomach for non-stop violence and senseless killings, try this Rice Plate, its Reddy-made. If not... MIND IT!

LOVE KHICHDI

2009-09-13T11:11:00.002-07:00

Director Srinivas Bhashyam has tackled an interesting subject on 'commitment phobia' and 'lust over love', which plagues most of the youth of today. He has handled the subject with sensitivity, bringing to fore the many emotions and driving home a powerful point. Of course, the end is not what was expected; it's clich餮 A 'tadka' towards the conclusion would have made this LOVE KHICHDI, even more delicious.

All the same, he has managed his ensemble cast to perfection and extracted good performances from all of them. Vir (Randeep Hooda) is your typical hot-blooded 26-year-old from Chandigarh who is working as a chef in a five-star hotel in Mumbai. For him, life is all about discos and dating girls. His weapon is his English and his super-confidence in approaching any PYT. It's this journey of his in search of 'sex' that Bhashyam explores.

He has a friend who works with him, Sandhya Iyengar (Sada). Though just friends, for Sandhya, Vir is extra special. And even though she is aware of his escapades, her love for him is real. This love of hers is what changes the 'skirt chasing' Vir towards the end to tame him to domestic bliss.

While Vir thinks he is taking the girls for a ride, there are a few, who beat him to his game. Lost in lust, he is confused as to what he really wants.

Playing the modest Romeo, Randeep Hooda is a joy. From one relationship to another, he dishes out an interesting gamut of emotions. Be it with the girl besotted by him who lives in his building Deepti (Riya Sen); an NRI returned business woman Nafisa Khan (Kalpana Pandit); his landlord's wife Parminder Kaur (Divya Dutta), or Sharmistha Basu (Ritapurna Sengupta). From one woman to another, he displays the pain and pleasure of it all. This guy is one helluva natural and deserves his due.

Among the girls, it's Sada who steals the show. As the one who is silently in love with Vir, and as his constant companion witnessing all his romps, she demonstrates her hopelessness with a touch of boldness, which in turn has the desired effect on Vir.

Most scenes are sure to have an instant connect with the ?youngsters' of today and I'm sure they will lap this Khichdi with glee. On the flip side, considering there is a khichdi of releases (six in all), it might be a little difficult

DADDY COOL

2009-09-13T11:05:00.001-07:00

Douglas Lazarus an upright, God-fearing Income Tax officer, is dead. It's his funeral and what happens there is what the movie DADDY COOL is all about. The location is Goa and the mourners are close family and friends. There is also an intruder who hovers around the coffin. The family thinks him to be Douglas' friend until he reveals his true identity. This turns the funeral house 'upside down'.

Prior to this, an unsuspecting capsule housed in a Relaxo bottle is the cause of much pain for Michael (Aftab Shivdasani) and a lot of fun on screen. What the capsule contains is some hallucinating drug managed by Harry (Chunkey Pandey), Michael's to-be brother-in-law. Michael is administered the capsule by his girlfriend Maria (Tulip Joshi) because he is hyper about facing her father at the funeral. That one capsule begins the rout at the funeral. That is until the intruder; Andrew Symonds (Rajpal Yadav) makes known his intention.

So you can imagine the scene where the mourning family is already harassed when they are delivered the coffin with the wrong body minutes before the mourners arrive. Elder son Steven Lazarus (Suniel Shetty) is aghast. So is his mother, Suhasini Mullay. In the kitchen, Steven's wife, Nancy (Aarti Chhabria) makes plans of shifting house. She finds this an ideal opportunity to get away from her nagging mother-in-law. But Steven's younger brother Brian (Aashish Chowdry), a successful novelist living in Mumbai, prefers his pet dogs to his mother. Steve is in a fix!

Coming to the funeral are Carlos (Jaaved Jaffery), his wife Jenny (Kim Sharma) and friend Jim (Vrajesh Hirjee). Battered by his wife and bullied by his friends, Carlos takes everything with his chin up, until the shit hits the fan! Stumbling onto the scene of mourning is Ayesha (Sophie Choudhary), an aspiring model who will do whatever it takes to reach the top. She is looking out for her Carlos who told her he would be dressed in a black suit. As it turns out, she meets a room full of men in black!

Mixing up these situations, Director K Murali Mohan Rao, dishes out a laugh-riot. From one comic situation to another, Rao manages to maintain the momentum for most part. Aftab excels in his role. Looks like the boy has done a perfect study of Rowan Atkinson AKA Mr Bean. Ditto Suniel Shetty. He maintains a cool calm amidst the madness to sometimes blow his top. Aashish Chowdry is slowly making the grade to being taken as a serious actor. Vrajesh Hirjee is good in his 'Jim act' while Jaaved Jaffery, though endearing at most times, goes overboard with his 'what maan' dialogues. Rajpal Yadav intensifies the laughs when he comes on scene. There's also Uncle Murphy (Prem Chopra) who comes to the funeral on a wheel chair.

While most jokes stay within the limit, there are a few that cross the line, like the one with Jaffery and the guy who plays a Priest.

KISAAN

2009-09-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Kisaan does not delve deep into the problems of farmers in remote India (read suicide) but scratches gingerly on the surface. It's sad, because this film had the potential of being taken rather seriously; entertaining as well as educating.

Although it briefly touches on the malady of farmer suicides and land sharks, it does not go the distance. It ends up being a 'typical Bollywood masala flick'.

The film is about Dayal Singh (Jackie Shroff), a widower, who raises his two sons Aman (Arbaaz Khan) and Jigar (Sohail Khan) singlehandedly. He faithfully toils with his sons on his ancestral land as a true farmer would. One day, his neighbour commits suicide because he had taken a meager loan and could not repay it. Also, he had given his thumb impression on a blank piece of paper to the loan sharks. That paper turned out to be his noose.

Deeply disturbed, Dayal decides to send his elder son to the city to get a degree in law. Fifteen years later, when Aman returns to his village, with a law degree in hand, he is facing a rather peculiar problem. Sohan Seth (Dalip Tahil) an industrialist wants the farmers to sell their land. He is willing to pay more than the market rate. While most agree, others are being forced. Dayal and his sons are of the opinion that no one should be forced. In one such meeting, the melee, Dayal is slapped by a local goon who has teamed up with Sohan. Being the lawyer that he is, Aman stops his dad from retaliating. However, when Jigar, who was not at the scene, learns of the incident, he exacts revenge by cutting the hand of the offender.

From there on the film sinks into melodrama with Sohan befriending Aman and causing a rift in the family. To add glamour, there is Dia Mirza paired opposite Arbaaz and Nauheeh Cyrusi as Titli (cute) who is Sohail's love interest.

Jackie Shroff is solid, giving off a very good performance as the father and farmer who is protective of his land and fiercely proud of his sons. After his debut flick HERO and later GARDISH, Jaggu stands out yet again. There's something about Sohail Khan that strikes you. I think it is the sincerity of his performance. As the hotheaded son with an immense love for his father and land, he is a powerhouse. Arbaaz's vague wig casts an unreal air around him.

The music has a distinct feel of eighties, which goes well with the theme. With over five releases this week, the film will hit bulls-eye in the rural areas of India. Producer Sohail will have to make sure they get a tax-free entry onto the theatres.

SHADOW

2009-09-13T10:59:00.003-07:00

It takes a 'brave man' with strength in his wealth to produce a film propelling him as a leading actor. It takes an even braver man to direct a film as kitsch as this.

Naseer Khan is the leading man; he is also the co-producer of SHADOW. In real life, he is also blind. The move is meant to prove that blind men can act and indulge in dare-devilry, which even guys with proper vision cannot. Nothing wrong in that. In fact, it's a very bold and creative attempt. But how about taking some acting
lessons before dumping yourself on unsuspecting audiences? Although the concept is kind of 'cute', things could have worked in favour of Naseer and the film had the cast and crew made a decent attempt to enact the scenes. At best, this is like a home video gone horribly wrong.

The story is about Naseer Khan who plays a sharp shooter Arjun Sherawat and also doubles up as a car mechanic who can fix a car just by moving his hands beneath the bonnet. As a sharp shooter, he does not miss his target, so why did his miss his first target, the person who raped his sister? Had he bumped that corrupt politician off in the first instance, we would not have been bored with this headache. But then again, if he had, there would have been no film like SHADOW.

I know its mean, but don't even let your SHADOW in for this flick!

SIKANDAR

2009-09-13T10:59:00.002-07:00

Nothing is clear; the only thing evident is that there is friction in Kashmir between the militants, religious heads and a reformed politician. When the movie ends, the end line says, ''This movie is dedicated to the children of Kashmir.''

So, aptly, there are two kids who take you through life in a troubled valley. Parzan Dastur (Sikandar) is a 14-year-old who is good at soccer in his school but is targeted by three bullies from his school because of his brilliance with the ball. Ayesha Kapur (Nasreen) another 14-year-old befriends Sikandar and the two become good friends. One day, Sikandar chances upon a gun by the wayside. He picks it up to teach a lesson to his bullies. But that one move, changes the course of his motives.

Though, by the end, you pretty much have things sorted out in your head, you wonder why director Piyush Jha failed to build his characters. There's no bite in the bait and no chill in the kill. Every scene is treated like any other and that's what spells disaster for the film. There is just one definite drone, scene after scene.

Madhavan and Sanjay Suri go about listlessly. Can't blame them really. It's only Parzan and Ayesha who get a scope to display their acting prowess. Arunoday Singh, who makes his debut, injects sufficient life in his portrayal as Zahgeer Quadir, a militant leader.

What Jha was trying to portray was the blooding in of the innocent children by the militants. What he ends up showing is a pale disaster.