Ishaqzaade Movie Review

It was ironical that the essence of the film - Param and Zoya's love story - is what failed to receive the attention of the director as much as it should have. Minus the intimate moments, the film doesn't have much to bank on, to call itself a love saga which it attempts to claim. While the first half is gripping and promises many great moments (the scene where Param comes after Parineeti apologizing after breaking into her election rally), the second half only undoes all the good. The run-and-gun affair lasts too long to hold your attention.

That, however, doesn't take anything away from Parineeti and Arjun Kapoor who have put up an unbelievable show. The two films old Parineeti stands to compete with our well established actresses and even give most of them a run for their money. Newcomer Arjun is cute and immensely likeable.

The soundtrack perfectly kept up with the mood of the film. Main pareshaan stood out among all other songs. (I still need to figure out who was the singer. Haven't heard her before).

All in all, its a decent film but could've been better.

I'm eager to hear what everyone of you thought about the film. Don't forget to share your views in the comment section below.

Vicky Donor Review

Where do I begin? Ayushmann. Dolly Aunty. Dr. Chaddha. Dadi. Rum Whisky. The script. The Sp-rums (That's how 'sperms' read in Dr. Chadhha's dictionary. Vicky Donor has too many things to boast about.
Producer John Abraham. Bold sperm. Hats off to him for putting his monies on a subject as risky as this one.
Script writer Juhi Chaturvedi. Intelligent sperm. It's so not easy to put together an interesting script on as boring a subject as sperm donation. A script that makes you laugh, a script that makes you effortlessly laugh!
Ayushmann. Entertaining sperm. He shined out and out as the typical Dilli da munda. I can't praise him enough for how well he acted. He was natural throughout and I guess that's what worked best.
Dr. Chaddha (Annu Kapoor). Phunny sperm. He surprises and how! It wasn't his dialogues that were funny. It was his delivery (no pun intended!) that made all the difference!
Dolly Aunty. Loud sperm. The film wouldn't have been half as enjoyable without our on-the-face yet endearing mummy.
Dadi. Progressive sperm. She had some of the best-est moments in the film. Don't be deceived by her age ;)
The high point of the film was the Bong Punjabi wedding. Their confrontations are hilarious. It was after a long long time (after Pyar ka Punchnama) that I had a good laugh at a theaters. A few dialogues went unheard among the audiences' laughs and whistles. I also missed the first 10 minutes of the film. Isn't that reason enough I do it one more time at the theater ;)

Bittoo Boss Review

Pulkit Samrat aka Bittoo is a small-time, sought after video-grapher of his town. No shaadi is complete without him. Bittoo wants to make it big but not at the cost of his integrity or principles.... The film is this simpleton's tale of how he goes about achieving this long harbored dream.
Empty theater dampened my spirits, as I waked in hoping for at least something watchable. Bitoo Boss, sadly, is a let down. It felt like watching a B-grade film. The subject is good but not enough to make you want to come to the theaters. Honestly, it's not even worth your time on the DVD except for Pulkit Samrat (of ....Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame where he had a tiny role). He was the only USP of the film and the one reason I went to watch BB. Amita Pathak is disappointing. There's no doubt she can act well but I'm not sure I'd even like to watch her on the small screen. If there's an award for the worst couple award, it indisputably goes to our lead pair.

The music is average at best. For a theme and mood like this, the pep-factor is missing. While the film and the songs kept taking me back to Band Baaja Baraat it's not even comparable. 

The film evokes laughs only sparingly in the second half, courtesy Ashok Pathak. But that's not enough after assuring trailers!

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Not A Love Story (2011) Review

Anusha Chawla (Mahie Gill) had always harbored the dream of becoming an actress. Despite her boyfriend Robin's (Deepak Dobriyal) initial reluctance, she goes to Mumbai. Life does a volte face for the two when Robin comes visiting her one morning to find Ashish, who has promised Anusha a lead role in his film, in her apartment....

Ram Gopal Varma makes sure he has you hooked to every second of the 115 minutes that the film runs. The films is based on a true story which is why there are no black or white characters. The film depicts human psyche brilliantly and is storytelling at its best. The performances, the dialogues, the screenplay (the muted scenes only pique your curiosity) make the film worth your time.   

I've seen Mahie Gill in DevD, Saheb Biwi aur Gangster but this will stay in my mind as her best performance. Deepak Dobriyal comes as no surprise. After films like Gulaal and Tanu weds Manu you can expect nothing but the best. When the film began, it was difficult to think of Mahie and Deepak as a couple. But their chemistry, let me assure you, is mind boggling. And the biggest reason why you'd want to watch this film.

NALS is not your usual dose of Bollywood. If you're up for something experimental, this is a must watch.
   

@RGV It's been 17 years you made Rangeela. Get over it now. The Yaeere Yaaeere ringtone was annoying.

My 2 Cents.......

My day begins with the usual 'wish I had five more minutes' rhetoric as the damn alarm clock goes off at 7:30 everyday, followed by some household chores, before I get ready for work.


I have to travel for work everyday from West Delhi to Central Delhi, which is a 90-minute drive, taking into account the snarly traffic. But thank God for small mercies like Metro. It comes to my rescue each day. My 40-minute ride is mostly eventful. The train is abuzz with a farrago of noises as soon as I step in -


The 40-somethings will be heard debating over everything from corrupt politicians to indisciplined youngsters to bad roads. The college goers will be playing the loudest possible music on their iPhones and Blackberrys  despite the repeated "Please do not play music in the train" relays, while fretting over the weekend that just got ruined because the teacher gave some last minute assignments. The office goers will be calling in late for work (Delayed metro is their best excuse). And if there's no better topic to discuss, people curse the weather (ignoring the air conditioners blowing right over their heads).

As soon as I'm out of the metro, it's a different world altogether.

There's a chai-vala (he looks hardly 14) who runs a kiosk right outside the metro station. Irrespective of how hot the day is, I see him tidying up his little shop everyday and tending to his customers, never without a smile on his face. I see rickshaw pullers stationed on the metro exits, who sweat it out in the heat all day, while we sit in our air conditioned homes/offices/metros, despite which some of us haggle over a few bucks. I see kids on traffic signals, in bare minimum, begging for a few pennies. Iphones? Blackberrys? What creatures are those? They stare at my iPhone in awe.

Aren't we cribbing about too many things in life - traffic, weather, annoying boss, nagging wife, Monday mornings, extra work at office? Do we sit back and thank Him for what we already have?


If I could change something, it would be to ask each one of us, through this post, to be a little more grateful. The world then would, undoubtedly, be a happier place to live in.


This entry is a submission for a contest organised by Stayfree - Time to change and Indiblogger.

Rakht Charitra 1 (2010) Review

Revenge is the purest emotion and Rakht Charitra brilliantly exemplifies that. 
If suspense and thrill are what you look for in a film, Rakht Charitra is not to be missed. The film does not give you a chance to take your eyes and ears off the screen. Content-rich plot, tight screenplay, matchless performances, and its ability to shake you out of your guts scene after scene promises you're in for an adrenaline ride. The enigma the director (Ram Gopal Verma) creates around every character is staggering. The story moves so fast you have no time to ponder over any flaws that might have occurred.


While every character is to watch out for, Abhimanyu Singh's (playing Bukka Reddy) is a stand-out performance. He redefines evil. You know you abhor him every time heappears on screen. He depicts villainy like no one possibly ever, I've seen, has. Vivek Oberoi was convincing as Pratap Ravi but I'm not sure if he was best suited for a role that commanded so much authority. That's not to mean he doesn't show promise!


Special mentions - Kota Srinivas Rao playing Nagamuni Reddy (Bukka's father). 
A break from RGV's ridiculous experiments, Rakht Charitra was a wholesomely satiating experience. Can't wait to watch RC 2.

Agent Vinod (2012) Review

Your expectations soar as soon as you hear the name Sriram Raghavan, the maker of Ek Hasina Thi (starring Saif and Urmila Matondkar). Agent Vinod, sadly and contrarily, is mediocre at best, as hard as it tries to deliver. 
Twists and sub-plots pique your curiosity but as much as I had wanted the second half to live up to the thrill created in the initial half, I walked out unhappy. The post-interval bit fizzles out. It's exhausting to keep track of countless characters, names and places thrown in.


What works
* The film screams style. The shootout sequence with the song Rabta in the background has been slickly executed.
* The lead pair. Both excel in the acting department. Saif's quirky charm does wonders for the film. His cocky dialogues are to watch out for. 
* The 70s music is woven neatly into the film.

What doesn't
* It's tediously lengthy, sucking life out of what could have otherwise been a good film.
* Camera work in the first half an hour is so fast it make you dizzy in the head.

* The first half heightens hopes and is gripping to the core. But it all falls flat in the second half. The pre-climax (the helicopter scene) is a bummer.
A DVD watch at best.

Good Night Good Morning (2012) Review

An independent* film, GNGM did not release widely and came with zero publicity budget. Which is probably the reason I discovered this little gem only now (two months after its release). 

Writer-director Sudhish Kamath (along with Shilpa Rathnam) put together a riveting script, smartly edited, and peppered with some witty dialoguery. 

GNGM is a story of two characters Turia (Manu Narayan) and Moira (Seema Rahmani) who happen to meet at a bar one night, exchange numbers and get talking. The 80-minute film is about the conversation that ensues that night. 

A black-and-white setting with opening credits rolling in the backdrop of jazz assures you're not in for the ordinary. It defies the rules of formulaic celluloid and how! It charms you as it unfolds. It totally has you in  grips after a point. That's when you know it isn't a film anymore. It's an experience. You secretly confess to yourselves you've lived it at some point in your life.

If good cinema is what you're looking for, don't miss this one!

Ishaqzaade (2012): The latest viral hit

65000+ hits in a day!

Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

  With Bollywood churning out over 800 films each year, films that really matter are few and far between. Paan Singh Tomar is one such gem. 

The athlete-turned-dacoit's tale is thought-provoking and moving. And no one could have portrayed it better. I was almost sick of hearing Irrfan's voice imitations on tv channels and radio stations. But Paan Singh Tomar is an absolute delight to watch and hear. Raw, witty and a rebel, the character haunts you long after you've seen the film.

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia, who hasn't tasted commercial success but is a critics' favorite, hogged the limelight with Haasil (a launchpad for Irrfan) in 2003, Saheb Biwi aur Gangster and Shagird in 2011. I fondly remember Saheb Biwi aur Gangster for its absorbing screenplay and slick editing. Eagerly awaiting its sequel. Among Dhulia's upcoming films are Milan Talkies, (a love story with Irrfan in the lead), Bhiwani and Jai Ramji.
An interesting piece by Forbes on what went into making Paan Singh Tomar.

[Tidbit - Dhulia trained as an actor at the National School of Drama where Khan was his junior].