DELHI BELLY - Nikhil

Overall Review: "Gross! but a lot of Fun!"

* This is what you get when you turn Guy Ritchie Indian and give him an upset stomach! A nicely inter-twined set of stories with a lot of humour thrown in, some of it not so 'sophisticated'. Beware, you might not be able to finish the popcorn and pepsi you are so used to gulping every time!

* Watch out for some real vulgar/dirty/cheap dialogues and sequences - but thats what adds such real-life feel to the whole movie and the kick to the humour. No friend calls another 'kuttey', 'f**ker' is more likely the word! (One's opinion over his friend's car - "this is what you get when a donkey f**ks an autorickshaw")

* Great characterization and performances - could definitely identify with Vir Das as the tormented artist (His boss over his illustration - "make this banana about 7% less happy"). Kunal Roy Kapur and Vijay Raaz are hilarious.

* Aamir's irreverent item number at the end is the cherry on top, don't miss it for anything!

* Can't believe this is the same director who made 'Game' (2011 - Abhishek Bachchan), Aamir definitely seems to be the differentiator :)

DELHI BELLY - Ashim

DELHI BELLY is not the run-of-the-mill Hindi comedies that you see every second weekend. It is packed with rude humor and the dialogues and events in the film shock you. The humor is situational and skillfully woven in the script. It is the cheekiest and the raunchiest Hindi flick till date and has loads of lurid content. For the first time in Hindi Cinema, the characters speak the language of the youth today. I believe it is the witty dialogues (cuss and swear words included) and the toilet humor that’d make it go down as a cult film.

Vir Das is awesome, Kunal Roy Kapur is hilarious and Vijay Raaz is just terrific! Imran Khan delivers his best act till date. The stool sample scene, burqa sequence, hotel room sequences and all the ‘potty’ sequences are simply side-splitting.

DELHI BELLY defies the stereotype and makes sure you leave the theaters with a grin on your face. It is ground-breaking and not for you if you can't absorb brash, filthy and bold dialogues. You are prude, moralist or a purist? Stay away!!! coz this is anything but your kind of cinema.

Wanna go with your family? Go but sit at poles apart from each other and enjoy! It’s a TEN on TEN for me!

______ASHIM____________

Rajneeti

Ola! The good weather is back to Delhi and we are back to Dhai Kilo! I don’t understand politics really well but I find Mahabharata quite interesting from what I remember of the TV serial. I loved the politics between Pandavas and Kauravs, Lord Krishna’s tactics and the grand canvas the epic has. This Sunday was a lot of araam and there was a lot of excitement to see the last show of Prakash Jha’s much awaited Rajneeti which is analogous to Mahabharata!

Umm, at the end of the show I felt more positive about the film but actually there were a lot of mixed reactions going inside my head. Some parts were outstanding and some were ridiculous to say the least! There were a lot of oooohhs and some oouchs too!

OOOOOOH!!!!!

The super large Canvas of the film creates an excitement and initially the film engages you and a thrilling foundation is set. The first one hour has some parallels drawn from ‘The Godfather’. The story is full of surprises and serpentines constantly. It creates such an intrigue that at one point of time you start expecting something to shock you next. It is not a typical masala film and but the masalas are somewhat different in this case. It relies on thrill and unpredictability. This is what keeps you glued to the movie.

Ranbir Kapoor is superb and so is Arjun Rampal. Arjun gets an amazing scope to perform well and get noticed as an actor, which he did. Manoj Bajpai and Nana (‘MAMA’ in the film ;) ) Patekar are terrific. Stand out performer for me is Ranbir Kapoor considering that he is almost a new comer. He gave a truly matured and confident performance.

Mind you the movie does not preach you and it doesn’t even explain what happens in politics like a Madhur Bhandarkar film. It is just a fiction for entertainment. Entertainment in this film does not come with songs and slapdash comedy. I loved the fact that there were no unnecessary comic scenes. There is no Rajpal Yadav or Johny lever for the heck of entertainment and making the audience loose the track. I loved the fact that almost all characters in the film are either grey or black! There is no hero who would beat the shit out of these dirty politicians and corrupt officers and say “heeyyyyyy……. Mai hun na!”

OOOUCH!!!!

OK!! So here are the flipsides!

There is a ridiculous love-making scene in the beginning of the film, a complete misfit. It is triggered because the couple get’s wet in the rain. In Bollywood, if u get wet 10 times, you will make love 10 times and every time you make love, you will make children.

Katrina is a misfit. She just can’t act. If it was Sonia Gandhi to be paralleled, then Prakash Jha would have had no choice but to cast her, but here she was supposed to be an Indian. There were brilliant actors in the film but Jha messed it up at places because of two really bad actors (Katrina and Ranbir’s mother). Ajay Devgan had some amazing initial scenes and then was wasted. Naseeruddin Shah’s character is not well fleshed out at all and ends abruptly.

When have you seen or heard leading politicians on a killing spree? Arjun Rampal becomes vindictive and brutally kills a cop with his own hands. Now we know all these people are cruel and criminals but they would never do it themselves. Even if the film is a fiction the bloody shootouts in the film between top politicians in broad daylight appears ridiculous and don’t make any sense at all. After killing Ajay Devgan, Ranbir says Sorry to his ‘papa’ and is excused by him too. Quite stupid!

For it’s 3 hrs running time, "Raajneeti" demands patience at some parts when it stretches. There are scenes which grip your attention but then there are scenes that drive you up the wall. The poorest scene in the film is when Kunti reveals to Karna that he is her son and therefore he should stop warring with his own brothers. Kunti (or Ranbir’s mom) acts terrible and the scene lacked any punch whatsoever. The sequence didn’t seem to be directed by Jha at all and you suddenly feel as if you are watching a ‘c’ grade film.

Upshot – ***

I feel Rajneeti still delivers in spite of being flabby at parts. For awesome performances and for the enthralling twists and turns it is a film which is surely a must watch!

_________Ashim__________

3 Idiots by Nikhil

2.5 stars

Plot Outline: Just to sum up the story, its about 3 students at an engineering college who become good friends and the times they go through. One of them is a genius who gradually makes the other two realize the right path for life. The movie emphasizes on the important message that one should study to gain knowledge in a field of personal choice, and not just for material gains.

Review:
I'd gone for this film with a lot of expectations, after all it was a film with the finest actor in the country and directed by the guy who'd created the wonderful Munnabhai series. And on top of it, it was the paid preview on Thursday night. But contrary to the hooplah around, I came back disappointed. And though you (atleast most of you) might be thinking of me as some overtly-critical snob, I'll explain why below.

Well, right at start I must admit, that the movie is quite funny in portions, especially with the 'Balatkaar' speech, the light-hearted depiction of sequences with Sharman's poor family and some other portions as well. The movie has a decent message too. And normally, all this should be enough for someone to consider it as a nice movie, but not me, primarily because of the respect and expectations that the people associated with this film have come to command.

Well to start with, for a director who had provided such an amazingly original and genuinely hilarious comic content in Munnabhai, it was a shame to see jokes in the movie that are so cliched or have been doing rounds as email forwards since quite some time. Whether it was Madhavan trying to get off the plane, Sharman forgetting his pants, Aamir shuffling the exam papers to avoid identification, or for that matter, even the whole talk by Boman about the Pen/Pencil use in space; I dont think there would be anyone who hadn't seen/heard that before.

And as is the commonly seen problem with the Indian film industry, subtelty is a like a crime. Not one, not two, but Three people commit suicides in a single film just to drive across the fact that there is a lot of pressure on students!! And how many scientific innovations would you show in one shot (that too of a pregnancy!) just to show that Aamir is a genius? How highly do these film makers think of the intelligence of the Indian audience is clear as a crystal, and it ain't something to celebrate about.

Aamir somewhere needs to move out of the 'perfectionst' mould, atleast while picking up roles, cause here he is the genius at studies, the perfect friend, the most profound thinker and the kids lover who get the girl too.. waah! A bit of flaw would probably have made me believe that such a character could somewhere exist in this world, but no, he's the achetypical slightly-more-believable version of the shaktimaan-type hero.

On the positive side, 3 Idiots brings to fore the fresh talent of Omi Vaidya aka Chatur as the leechy, front-bencher sychophant. He has done a brilliant job and I expect to see much more of him in the future. Boman as 'Virus', the typical ultra-khadoos engineering professor, is very believable, especially for those who have seen similar characters while studying in engineering colleges themselves. And yea, another positive of the film is Kareena's short role :) .

But on the whole, the cliched exaggerations and disappointments from people like Hirani, Vidhu Chopra and Aamir who have such a big responsibility on their shoulders to come up with meaningful cinema is what drives me towards disappointment from an otherwise 'decent' film. Laugh and enjoy, but you won't get an intellectual kick out of 3idiots.

3 idiots by Ashim

I say: AWESOME! ****

By now, 3 idiots is a super duper hit and the word of mouth is already out. Let me tell you what I think works for it!

Raju Hirani is superb in putting his point forward. He did that before with the Munnabhai sequels and does it again with 3 idiots. Why try and preach, moralize or get too serious about proving your point? The same thing can be conveyed through the medium of entertainment. He uses humor to convey the ‘high funda’ message of the movie!

The film’s subject is actually a pretty serious one. The film talks critically but humorously about problems with the Indian education system. It elevates significant issues like- obsession with high grades, relevance of memorizing by rote and mostly about parental pressure for high grades and career choices. Students committing suicide because of these pressure from family and teachers is regular today. 3 idiots raises a pertinent question- Was it suicide or murder? Hirani balances these staid moments with funny moments beautifully and knows just when to pitch in emotional lows, after a comical highs.

Most of the sidesplitting sequences are the college life scenes like the ragging session, Omi's balatkaar speech and 3 idiots found drunk n hiding at the back of the class. The trio caught in an embarrassing situation at the reception of Kareena's sister, the dinner sequence at Sharman's house and Sharman's seriously ill father driven on a scooter to the hospital are some other sequences to make your jaws ache. Somebody told me, that a few of these gags were actually old internet jokes. That does not influence my liking for the humor. The jokes I read/heard earlier were even funnier when I saw them filmed.

The performer who stood out was the lesser-known LA-based actor Omi Vaidya who stars as Chatur aka ‘Silencer’. His Hindi-challenged dialect is simply hilarious and his speech is one of the funniest scenes of all times. Aamir Khan does have the central role and story revolves around him but Sharman, Mahadevan and Boman also have their roles well etched out. Film belongs to everyone! Goes without saying, Aamir is fabulous as always. He actually looked like a guy in the 20s. Sharman has meatier role than Madhavan. Both were perfect in their roles and did great. Boman (Virus) was impeccable as the vile princie. Kareena despite the tiny role length makes her presence felt and looks good.

Nothing’s perfect! The film does have its negatives. The end stretches a bit too long and suddenly things are not spontaneous anymore. The second half of the film does falter in parts. It is actually quite ‘filmy’ when the baby is delivered on a ping pong table. But you would still love Aamir Khan doing any kind of filmy stuff and pass it with a ‘huh!’ I feel, ‘Aal iz well’ is pushed a li’l too far when the baby in the womb starts kicking on hearing the chant. Songs are not great but sound melodious to the ears and nicely picturised as well! Despite all these small hiccups, the film is a laugh riot and one of the most entertaining films ever.

So in short, with awesome cinematography, uproarious and wild dialogues, superb direction and top notch acting performances, 3 idiots deserves every bit of what it has achieved yet and is likely to achieve in the times to come! 3 idiots is a family entertainer, it’s funny and at the same time is emotional n enlightening. The film is fresh and has a feel-good factor which makes it work in a big way.

Ashim Srivastava - an idiot!

Love Aaj Kal by Ashim

I say: See Aaj hi! ****

Mr. Masand doesn’t really realize that most people watch movies just to relieve themselves of the day-to-day stress. Not every movie has to mean something or have a strong basis. It can be purely meant for entertainment and entertainment (like love) does not look for too many logics. So, from Love Aaj Kal, do not look for too many reasons or rationale and ask whys and hows!!! Simply put, it’s a movie that follows the cliché at the same time is original in the way it’s told. Just go and fall in love with love all over again.

The movie shuttles between the two eras, ‘aaj’ and `kal’. The two Saifs are dissimilar from each other in terms of era, conviction, and their definition of ‘love’. What is similar is their experience of being in love. Love Aaj Kal is fantastically written and executed film because it is not one of those mundane love stories showing sappy love and anguish and still manages to bring tears to your eyes.

It is unfair to compare ‘socha na tha’ and ‘jab we met’ with ‘love aaj kal’. A. They were different stories and B. A jab we met is not made every second day. Imtiaz Ali is terrific in this film and it wouldn’t be too wrong to say that the film belongs to him completely. He handled the relationship between Saif and Deepika with great skill as it is really complex because the two live ‘somewhat’ in denial of love. The story and screenplay are both novel; dialogues are concise, chatty and in sync with today’s lingo; narration is smart with tools like parallel narratives and jumping timelines and dialogues are zippy and crisp. Music is peppy and vibrant.

Imtiaz’s comparison love ‘aaj’ Vs love ‘kal’ is simply superb. ‘Kal’ – was when a man simply liked a woman at the first sight and went about securing her, traveled long distances to get a glimpse of her and fought the whole world to marry her. Contrastingly, when a man lays eyes on one woman today, it’s not enough! He lays eyes on another, then yet another and so on, unable to decide who is right for him. Rishi Kapoor’s Eastman colored love story had so much chemistry going that all that they needed was secret glances and smiles to convey love. While today, phone, SMSs, chats and even e-mails aren’t enough. All we are concerned today is getting physical (even in public) with your partner. The crux of the movie lies in the fact that in earlier generations, people went for love with their hearts; whereas, we have become so practical that all we work with today is only our ever-calculating brain. We are selfish and think only about ourselves and our future. Jai and Meera broke up because their love was never too strong to see through a long distance relationship. They did not realize how important they were to each other. All they could think was distance and problems due to distance. In earlier times it was unimaginable where people believed that love can triumph not just distance but is also ‘saat janmon ka saath’ (a chu******** concept to the young Jai)!!

Sequences like Saif's interaction with Deepika at her marriage, the gradual change in Saif's behaviour in the U.S. in the course of a song and not to forget the climax scene when Meera (Deepika) breaking into tears are moments which stand out in the movie and make ‘love aaj kal’ a special movie.

Saif is top notch. This wasn’t an easy role to play and he performs with utmost ease. Deepika looks stunning but doesn’t impress much with her histrionics. The problem was with her role which wasn’t woven for her too well. Saif’s character on the other hand was very well written and there was meaning behind what he was doing. Deepika’s performance could have been better if her character was more developed. The Brazilian actress (Harleen Kaur in the movie) looks gorgeous and absolutely straight from Punjab!!

Another issue was the chemistry between Saif and Deepika. There didn’t seem to be too much ardor between them for them to want to be together or get married to each other. Also, you almost predict the end and sense the happy ending after all the confusions and mess ups. I personally did not mind it though ‘coz that is how I like to see every love story turn out in the end. Nevertheless, the positives are much more than these few hiccups. It is a very contemporary feel-good film which shows some realistic modern love for a change but doesn’t necessarily appreciate it. The last 40 minutes of the film when the emotional quotient of the movie gets stronger, is particularly riveting and moves you in a big way.

Hangover by Nikhil

Link: http://hangovermovie.warnerbros.com/

Verdict: Hilarious..

Cool!: At one place in the film, one of the characters asks another "How did your grandfather die?", he replies "World War II"; the other guy says "Oh, he was a war vetran.. " to which he replies "No, he was skiing in Vermont, it was just during World War II". The Hangover is interspersed with just brilliant moments of happiness throughout, making it a fun-filled light-hearted film.

The story is about these four friends going off to Vegas for a night, to enjoy the bachelor party for one of them getting married the next day. It starts off with them waking upto in their hotel room the next day, with everything messed up all around, a tiger in the bathroom, one of the guys not to be found, a crying baby in the cupboard, and none of them have any recollection of what happened the other night. The plot is all about them rediscovering how they spent the night in Vegas with every revelation more bizzare than the other.

The wierd situations, funny dialogues and interesting characters add up to all the fun in the film. Zach Galifianakis as Alan or 'Fat Jesus' is the funniest of them all with his crazy character and the most hilarious of lines in the film; Ed Helms as Stu, the dentist, follows a close second with the wierdest stuff happening to him. Heather Graham plays a small cameo, with the little toddler as her son adding to a few laughs as well.

The film is worth watching for being a sheer entertainer and nothing else. The laughs just keep going and the interesting plot keeps you riveted till the end. Definitely worth a watch, and if you havent caught it as yet, it's definitely recommended.

Yawn!: Certain situations and dialogues could be termed as 'crass' or 'obscene' by few, but as per me, its just a light entertainer and can be enjoyed to the hilt especially if you're with the right group of friends. If you're not much into listening to dialogues and enjoy more of 'visual' humour, probably you wont be able to make much of it as well, nevertheless, its still recommended for trying out once.